Killers: Caught on Camera (2023-…): Season 1, Episode 1 - Julia and Emma - full transcript
The documentary series featuring analysis of shocking footage of real crimes begins by looking at 2 cases. In the UK, the discovery of the dismembered body of a woman leaves a gay couple, who are obsessed with serial killers, in the frame.
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It just sounds like something bad
is happening to her.
-I heard her scream, no, stop it.
-I heard some gun shots.
Drop it, whatever it is, drop it.
It is not true that I killed my wife.
We know what happened,
the video tells us what happened.
The camera doesn't lie.
Possible attempted murder.
This time on
Killers Caught On Camera.
In Florida, a woman
is recorded screaming for her life.
Alexa call 911!
I heard her scream "no."
Then something about
"it hurts, stop it!"
There appeared to be some signs
that there was foul play.
And in the UK,
a brutal murder of a woman,
stabbed more than 50 times
in her own home.
I rang her and texted her all day,
no answers.
Then I walked into that.
Something is not right.
Jupiter, Florida.
A safe community on the east coast
where crime is half
the national average.
And murder is rare.
It was home to Gretchen Anthony.
A devoted mother.
Close to her family and friends.
This is such a special place for us,
the sense of community, of fun that
we all had here on the afternoons,
after a day of fishing
or going out on the boat.
And this is a place where Gretchen
and I would meet up
with all of our friends
and there'd be a big gathering.
David Anthony
was her personal trainer.
Gretchen fell in love
and they got married in 2015.
David is tall, handsome,
charming, outgoing, funny,
and just very charismatic.
And there were instant sparks.
She was so in love, they appeared
to have this magical family life.
Five years into the marriage,
it's March 2020.
David had become
increasingly volatile.
Gretchen made the decision
to file for divorce and moved on.
David found the separation difficult
and decided to live with his mother.
It wasn't long after that decision
to separate
that David's mental health
started to decline very quickly.
Then the pandemic hit.
Gretchen's family got a message
she'd got Covid.
But something about Gretchen's
texts didn't feel right.
The way the text messages were
structured weren't making any sense.
Her messages
were totally out of character.
They try to get in touch with her
via phone calls or text messages,
and she is not responding.
The family were so concerned
they decided to involve the police.
We started receiving phone calls
from family members
and from friends of Gretchen Anthony
who are concerned about her.
They were receiving text messages
from her phone
indicating that she's ill
and has Covid 19.
Admitted to the hospital and
transferred to a Covid Center.
Messages coming from her phone
aren't making any sense.
They're not adding up, so it was
just red flag, red flag, red flag.
When Gretchen stopped
sharing her location on her phone
the police talked
to Jupiter Medical Center,
the last place
she said she was going.
We did a check with the staff and
found that she was not a patient.
Police put in an urgent request
for the CCTV footage
from inside the hospital
and the car park.
Gretchen was nowhere
and a missing person's investigation
was now underway.
Something shady was going on,
and I'm terrified for my friend.
Her house had been locked up
for days.
Jupiter Police went to her property.
Bodycams rolled.
Evidence was being gathered
for the State Attorney's office
which was now involved.
They knocked
and they don't get an answer.
Gretchen is not there.
But there are some things
within Gretchen's residence
that causes some concern.
There's some towels
on the washing machine closet
that has a substance consistent
with a blood-like substance.
There's some spray bottles and a
clean-up rag on the kitchen counter.
A broken picture frame that appeared
to be normally hanging on the wall.
The search showed no sign
of Gretchen.
Most notably, there is a key
broken off inside of a lock
that leads
to Gretchen Anthony's garage.
We can't initially gain entry into
the garage, which was concerning.
They had no idea
what lay behind the locked door.
Law enforcement officers
force entry into the garage.
There's a very strong odor
of cleaning agents
and the garage appears to be damp.
Based on what we found
in the residence
we became more concerned about
where Gretchen Anthony was.
There appeared to be some signs
that there was foul play.
It leads us to believe that something
transpired in Gretchen's garage.
Bodycams picked up disturbing
witness statements
about an incident 24 hours
before Gretchen went missing.
We were approached by a neighbor
from across the way.
I heard a really serious woman's
scream. Like she was being attacked.
Were we there for the attack at
the residence on day's previous.
I heard her scream "no."
Then I heard something about
"it hurts, stop it!"
And then I got up and came outside
and walked down the alley
and then saw a truck backed in
that I didn't recognize.
It was a couple of doors down.
I was outside for about 15 minutes.
I didn't hear anything else.
The truck was running.
There wasn't anybody in it.
The scream was really serious.
Another neighbor noticed
fresh white stains down the drive.
There was a cleaning agent running
from under Gretchen's garage,
almost consistent with someone
doing some type of cleaning
inside of the garage.
The police knew
they had to work fast.
They needed to track down her
estranged husband David Anthony.
They went to his mother's house,
where he'd been living
since the separation.
Bodycams recorded the encounter.
Jupiter Police.
-Hello.
-Hi.
-Police, sorry to bother you.
-Yeah.
-Is David home?
-No.
-Okay. Are you his...
-Mother.
Okay. Alright, we are just trying
to get in touch with him.
It's involving his wife,
I think they are separated, Gretchen.
-Have you heard from David recently?
-No.
Is he staying here?
No. I say that because Gretchen's
been in touch with me.
Because she's in the CDC center.
She has the virus.
He just said he was going
to Costa Rica
because the virus
was like invading the country.
Why what's going on?
You're scaring me.
All detectives knew was that
David told his mother
he was heading for Costa Rica.
We're looking to find
Gretchen Anthony.
Most importantly,
finding him may help find her.
Luckily detectives
got a breakthrough
as images from the cameras
at the hospital
revealed an ominous twist.
We got video from
the Jupiter Medical Center.
We saw early morning video
of Gretchen Anthony's vehicle
coming into the property
and being parked on the northeast
portion of the parking lot.
And there's an individual
who got out of Gretchen's vehicle.
Except it wasn't Gretchen.
A tall individual
dressed in dark clothing.
We still don't know where Gretchen is
and if she's okay.
So now I'm terrified.
I'm absolutely terrified for her.
Evidence from the cameras
was adding up.
Inside Gretchen's home detectives
discover a gold mine of footage.
Gretchen has multiple cameras
inside of her residence.
After feeling unsafe from David's
increasingly violent behavior
during their separation,
Gretchen set up a complete
home security system.
She was filing for divorce
and that was it. They were done.
David just could not handle
that information.
So someone like David Anthony might
in these situations think, well,
but you've committed to me
and you are mine now.
And we made that promise.
Now you're not wanting to keep that
promise and want to leave me,
that isn't an acceptable course
of action.
A really common theme
is this idea that men have
or some men have
that they possess or own women.
And the problem is with that,
once you feel like you're losing
this effectively object, this turns
into a situation where you go,
no one else is allowed to have her.
She's mine.
That subsequently turns to
justifications for extreme behavior,
extreme violence,
and saying, if I can't have her,
then literally nobody else can
and I will destroy her.
Search warrants were executed
to obtain footage from the cameras.
We are counting
on the surveillance footage
from her house to give us
some answers.
That is potentially
what could give us the biggest lead
or the most information about
what transpired in her residence.
But there was some bad news.
There are some cameras
that are missing.
Video equipment in the garage
had been taken down.
Detectives tried to find out
if the footage was backed up online.
Meanwhile police started to track
David's and Gretchen's phones.
Essentially what's happening is
they're able to get an update,
let's say, every 15 minutes
as to the location of her phone.
And we learn these phones
are traveling together
and they are traveling together
away from Jupiter, Florida.
They could say on the 25th that her
phone was in Pensacola, Florida.
We are able to see David
getting money from the ATM.
We see him going inside of a store.
We see him inside of the pawn shop
and not just in Palm Beach County,
but as he travels north,
hours away outside of the county.
The jewelry store provided us with
video footage of him in the store.
Also his vehicle
outside of the store.
We also have surveillance footage
of him pawning more jewelry
that belonged to Gretchen.
Police continued to track
both phones
and follow them heading west
across the southern states.
Gretchen's phone is pinging
in close proximity to David's phone.
You never see Gretchen with him
in any other surveillance.
You see his dog occasionally,
but you never see Gretchen.
As the net tightened,
Gretchen and David's phones are
located in Las Cruces, New Mexico.
Less than an hour
from the Mexican border.
It was a race against time
to find them.
Detectives in Florida
asked Las Cruces police
for an urgent traffic stop.
Need officers
to block on Main and Mesilla.
But Gretchen was not in the truck.
Hands up so I can see them.
Keep them up for me, please.
Put your hands behind your back.
So this is about your wife.
I guess she's been reported missing?
I heard she was in a CDC facility
getting treatment for coronavirus.
-What makes you believe that?
-Her sister texted it to me.
Her sister did? Texted it to you?
-Well, where's this CDC place at?
-She didn't mention it.
They spoke to David.
He didn't provide any information
as to her location.
When was the last time
you talked to your wife?
Saturday.
-Last Saturday?
-Yeah.
-Did you guys talk in person?
-We talked in person.
-Where at?
-At a gas station.
And he didn't provide any information
that would indicate
that he had committed a crime
against her.
It was the same truck seen outside
Gretchen's house,
seven days earlier.
The police had no idea
what lay beneath the tarp.
Are you moving somewhere?
You've got a lot of stuff.
I just, I'm an engineer,
electrician by trade.
So I've got tools,
'cause I can always work anywhere.
There was evidence that Gretchen's
cell phone was with David's.
Police impounded his pick-up truck.
Officers in Florida have
a warrant for your cell phone
so we are going to take that.
So at this point,
we had a reason to take his car,
but not to take him into custody.
We have a search warrant
for your truck.
We're still evidence gathering.
We want as much evidence as
possible to find Gretchen.
She mentioned being in trouble.
Something with her work.
She said she was in trouble.
She didn't give me too much, she
didn't want to put me in any danger.
He gives a lot of statements
about conspiracy theories
that are things at Gretchen's job
that she has uncovered.
And for her own safety,
she's essentially gone into hiding.
-Have you had contact with her since?
-No.
Las Cruces police let David go,
but kept his vehicle and the
unknown contents under the tarp.
Okay, you can relax
and follow his instructions now.
Back in Jupiter,
Cybercrime specialists worked hard
to retrieve the camera footage from
the night Gretchen went missing.
We were able to write
a search warrant
addressed to a surveillance company.
We were also able to obtain footage
from the cloud.
A crucial part of this investigation,
was the video footage
that we ultimately reviewed
from Gretchen's house.
The footage stored in the cloud
included video recordings
from the missing cameras.
Detectives immediately got to work
hoping it would reveal
exactly what happened to Gretchen.
There is a camera that is on
the patio of Gretchen's home.
It's still dark outside, although
it's the early morning hours.
And you see what appears
to be a tall male individual.
You see this person lurking
on her patio
and they're moving around
very slowly, methodically.
It is unclear as to
what they're doing.
We don't know whether Gretchen
hears someone outside.
The surveillance shows that person
was in Gretchen Anthony's porch
for quite some time
before she answered the door.
Gretchen comes through her door,
her door swings out
and this person
is behind the door.
Some of footage was so graphic
it was never released.
The same person,
this tall male, dressed in all black.
We see him taking or dragging
Gretchen or forcing Gretchen
to the garage as he muffles
her screams.
Which is the same garage
where the key was broken in the lock.
There is footage of what
appears to be the back of
what we believe to be
Gretchen's head.
And she is on the floor
of her garage,
and there is this tall male
dressed in all black,
moving around Gretchen's garage.
And there is one camera
that captures this individual
as he turns around
and looks directly into the camera.
And that person was David Anthony.
One of those videos captured
David looking up at the camera
and taking it down
and tossing it across the room.
At this point, we are convinced
that David Anthony
has killed Gretchen.
It was enough to issue
an arrest warrant.
Out of nowhere Detective Kenerson
got a call from their chief suspect.
-I've spoken with Gretchen today.
-You've spoken to Gretchen today?
Yeah. We obtained
legal representation.
-You both have?
-She wants to prepare a statement.
The person calling
was David Anthony.
He conveyed a message
to me on some alleged circumstances
as to why Gretchen
had been in danger.
Gretchen's terrified for her life.
Someone was sent to her house
to hurt her the other weekend.
Gretchen hasn't ruled out
her ex-husband.
But the call ended abruptly.
You and Gretchen
obtained representation?
Are you there?
And she provided, and who provided
this statement? Are you there?
David was now on the run
close to the Mexican border.
They had just a few hours
to catch him.
Detective Kenerson
headed to Las Cruces, New Mexico.
This is when we executed
a search warrant on David's car,
which they had seized for us.
David was still at large, but the
man hunt became even more urgent
when they discovered
what was in the back of truck.
Cameras from Gretchen's garage
and a voice-controlled Alexa device.
She would use the echo devices
in her garage to turn the lights on.
During the attack, Gretchen Anthony
attempted to ask Alexa to get help.
The audio files are disturbing.
Alexa call 911!
-It sounded like she was muffled.
-Alexa call 911!
After we completed the investigation
on his vehicle
we then went searching
for David Anthony.
With David just a few miles
from the Mexican border
and driving to Costa Rica,
every minute counted.
Homeland security deployed
the latest tracking technology.
Las Cruces police
traced his car on the move.
Outside a convenience store David
Anthony was cornered at gun point.
-Get down!
-Can I get up?
-No! Get down! Get down!
-I'm standing up.
-Sir, get out of the car!
-Alright, alright.
Drop it!
Drop it, whatever it is, drop it!
-What's he got in his hand?
-Drop it!
-Stop resisting me.
-I did nothing.
Sir! Flat on your face.
Out like an aeroplane.
Hands out like an airplane.
Flat down.
He dropped a bunch of stuff.
I was worried about a gun. He kept
going in the car. I almost shot him.
-Bring your other hand back.
-Sir, I'll do everything you say.
-I almost shot him.
-Whatever you say.
David was arrested
and taken into custody
for the Florida arrest warrant,
for second degree murder
and kidnapping.
Finally Detective Kenerson
had his suspect.
David Anthony,
Gretchen's estranged husband
was confronted with the gruesome
footage from Gretchen's home.
I presented that we had surveillance
video of him.
We presented evidence
of what happened.
Actual evidence that we obtained.
David kept telling us
that Gretchen was still alive.
Despite his denials he'd been caught
on camera at the crime scene.
We know what happened because
the video tells us what happened.
-So what happened?
-You killed her.
I just told you what happened.
I've told you this numerous times.
She's still alive.
Even when police showed David
the video evidence,
he denied he caused her any harm.
You put your hand over her mouth
and dragged her into the garage.
-It's on video.
-She's still alive.
You don't want to face the facts
of what you did.
I was trying to warn her.
We presented evidence that we
actually had to show what he did.
-You put your hand over her mouth.
-I was trying to warn her.
...as you dragged her
into the garage.
Then bleached down the driveway.
But unfortunately for you
the cadaver dog hit on the garage
and we found blood spatter.
So there's no way that she's alive.
You murdered her in that garage
and we'd like to know
where you put her body.
I know he's the one who did it.
David Anthony was subsequently
charged with second degree murder.
But police still had no idea
where Gretchen's body was.
Not having a body in a murder case
is difficult.
Jurors expect to see a body.
If you're saying this person is dead
and the person you've charged
killed this person, show me,
which makes sense.
Then a new witness came forward
with a critical clue
as to where her body might be.
I remember a horrible rotting smell
as I was driving home from work.
I've smelt dead animals before
and it smelled out of the ordinary.
I noticed some buzzards
flying in the air
and that's where the buzzards
were flying.
It narrowed the search
to a busy part of Jupiter
but wasn't specific enough
to find her body.
David continued
to maintain his innocence.
I've told you this numerous times.
She's still alive.
Desperate to get some sort
of closure for Gretchen's family,
Chrichet Mixon
changed her approach.
Her family don't want to go
to sleep every night
wondering where Gretchen was.
They wanted a place
where her daughter could go,
her mother could go to,
her sisters,
her friends could go to
and know that she was there.
Defense counsel approached me
wanting to discuss
potential negotiations.
So as a part of these negotiations,
David was going to tell us
where Gretchen was.
Denying the families the ability
to see and often bury, of course,
their loved ones
is a major barrier to grief
and it's a major barrier to move on.
So if we look at the escalation
of violence to femicide,
the killing of girls and women,
we can see a clear pattern,
especially in intimate partner
relationships.
And it starts with, as you might
expect, male aggression.
Then there's victim blaming.
So the man is saying,
you are making me do this.
Then there is an escalation.
So the violence gets worse.
After that, there's resistance
by the woman who then says,
no, you know, this is not acceptable.
Then the woman tries
to leave the relationship,
which is met with consequences.
David Anthony
gave up his claims of innocence
and chose to swap the location of
the body for a shorter sentence.
On the morning
of December 21st, 2020,
he and his attorney provided the
location of Gretchen Anthony's body.
One traffic one, red tag.
Cameras on helicopters
and mapping technology
got involved in the search
for Gretchen's body.
Juliet, Charlie, Zulu, Kilo 26
and last date's going to be
Bravo, Alpha, 001781.
I wanted her to not be there,
and I wanted her to be okay.
But I knew the reality was we were
going to bring Gretchen home.
Just not in the way
that anyone would have wanted.
3800 block of Perk Road.
They close in on the site.
There's a cadaver dog on scene.
Crime scene investigators
began the search for Gretchen's body.
Nine months had passed
since Gretchen went missing.
At this point her body
may not be identifiable.
This is the location where we located
Gretchen Anthony's body
on December 21st, 2020.
Just south of that large...
I believe it's an oak tree
in that lower area of the ground.
That's where Gretchen
was recovered.
It's not a hugely secluded area.
We were able to be able
to identify her on scene
and let her family members
know that.
We were able to see tattoos on her
and there was one in particular,
there was a detective who yelled out
about one of her tattoos she had.
Medical examiners determined
Gretchen died
from multiple stab wounds
to her neck and torso.
I don't know where this investigation
would be
without surveillance footage,
without those cameras
inside of Gretchen's house,
without the cameras from the ATM
or from the pawn shop.
I don't know that we would have
gotten to
an arrest of David Anthony
for murdering Gretchen.
But for those cameras,
we would have never known.
Due to covid regulations, no grand
jury could be assembled.
David Anthony was convicted
of kidnapping
and second-degree murder.
Sentenced to 38 years in prison.
We miss the radiant, beautiful,
smiling, vibrant person she was
and the energy she brought
to everybody she met
and just the happiness
that she just gave to everyone.
So it's hard to go on. And I miss
my friend. I miss my friend.
I'm glad David's in prison.
You have no right
to take another human being's life
and steal that person
from people who loved her.
And people she loved.
She's gone, and you're still here
and thankfully, you're in prison,
and you get to think about that
for a very, very long time.
Possible attempted murder.
A crucial part of the evidence
gathered against David Anthony
was the footage captured
by the cameras
in the home and on the body.
Recording everything and everyone
they came into contact with.
-Get down! Get down!
-I'm standing up.
Emi Polito is an expert
forensic video analyst
who's worked on 100s of cases
in the UK.
Contrary to common belief, body worn
cameras are always recording,
but it's not until the point where
the officer presses the start button
that footage becomes a video file
that can then be retrieved later.
And often it is crucial evidence,
as in the case of Kerry Woolley.
In the United Kingdom,
the West Midlands,
with over 400 violent crimes a day.
At its heart,
the city of Birmingham.
Back in early 2020, Kerry Woolley,
had returned to dating
after divorcing the father
of her two children.
She met 38-year-old Ian Bennett
and went on the occasional date.
They enjoyed
spending time together
and for a few weeks
it seemed to be going well.
In July, Ian and Kerry
enjoy a night out.
But early the next morning
police respond to an emergency call,
Kerry had been found
brutally murdered in her bedroom.
Digital forensic experts
searched for any crucial evidence
captured on camera.
Dr. Vasileios Karagiannopoulos
is a leading expert
in criminal law and cybercrime
at the University of Portsmouth.
The police is equipped
with body cam footage,
and that helps them gather evidence
as things might unfold.
It's got a very wide angle.
You can see we're looking through the
eyes of the officer at the scene.
The camera will record if there's
any kind of evidence lying around
or if any other people come in or out
that might have been witnesses.
The body cam recorded
Ian Bennet's witness statement.
He was the last person
to see her alive.
Sorry.
When was the last time you saw her?
1 o'clock, I left her this morning.
-Here?
-Yeah, we had a few drinks.
I left here at 1:00.
Professor Coral Dando
is a former police officer
who now applies psychological
research to camera footage
to understand criminal behavior.
When police arrived,
he was standing outside.
He provided them with a uninvited
and very detailed account
of his movements
and his whereabouts.
And you know,
his account seems fairly plausible.
My mom and dad had a big argument
at home
so I went home
to make sure everything was alright.
He is looking very distraught.
Quite shaken,
trying to figure out what's happened.
He's calling his mother.
He didn't refer to Kerry by name.
Mom, she's dead.
Police. Ambulance.
Looking quite shaken again
and explaining what's happened
to his mother on the phone.
Okay no problem, bye. Bye-bye.
When we look at the context
of a horrific murder scene,
something is not right.
Smoking I see, talking on his phone,
a little bit of eye blinking
suggesting a bit of tears,
but he's not traumatized
by the looks of it.
He's very calm.
It's very nuanced, very detailed,
very sort of plausible account
of his movements and whereabouts.
And this struck me straightaway
as being a red flag
and quite a significant red flag
from a psychological point of view.
Certainly having someone
who spills everything
and tries immediately tell you
every thing that they did that
day is not abnormal,
as is someone being upset
and calling their mom.
They're acting out what they think
people need to see
to make them not look suspicious.
That first scene,
we think of the oversharing.
We think of the call performatively
in front of the police,
and they're almost crying there.
That now feels like a performance.
But would have been
difficult for police to spot
because that could
also be a normal reaction.
We're looking for nervousness,
but it's different
for different people.
We're looking for inconsistent
stories, avoiding eye contact.
I've been ringing and texting.
No answers.
He is the one that has found her
and really quite shocked and upset.
I just went to knock on them.
The door wasn't open.
I had to pull the handle.
-Yeah.
-Then I walked into that!
Ian's tears did not convince
the police.
You're going to be under arrest
for murder.
-Murder?
-Murder.
It's suspicion at the moment. Based
on the scene, what's happened here.
-Ian's mother Lynda arrived.
-I'm Ian's mom.
You're Ian's mom?
-Nice to meet you.
-Where you going?
Straightaway she is
a little bit more believable.
You don't get this outpouring
of information.
He's going to custody. I don't know
which, I'll let you know.
-Possibly Coventry hopefully. Yeah.
-Coventry?
-The closest.
-Don't know how to get to Coventry.
Lynda didn't ask about Kerry.
She was more concerned
about her son's welfare.
You just get these questions
about where her son is.
What are you doing?
What's happened to my son?
Is my son okay? So she's just asking
a series of questions.
Ian was taken into custody
while the forensic team got to work.
The autopsy revealed
Kerry was smothered, strangled,
and died from 54 stab wounds
to the neck and upper torso.
Investigators pulled both Kerry
and Ian's phone records
and discovered there was already
some tension between the two.
Only dating on and off
for a few weeks,
Ian was accusing a friend
of Kerry's of sleeping with her.
One of the interesting aspects
of this case
is that it would seem
as if Ian believed
he was in a relationship
with the victim.
Ian was the sort of person
that wanted to control
and manage his partner's behavior.
Or maybe he's not had any successful
relationships before
and this is the first one that he
felt was going to go somewhere,
real or perceived,
and her not behaving in a way
he expected triggered this response.
The relationship
doesn't have to be real.
In the perpetrator's mind, it exists.
Police dug deeper and discovered
disturbing internet search records.
This has turned into
I'm going to go and confront her.
And maybe that has turned
into a row of some sort.
Or maybe he's thought, right, okay,
I'm going to kill her
both things happen in coercive
and controlling relationships.
It seemed like an intent to harm
but police still needed
more evidence.
Ian was at Kerry's flat that night
but claimed he left at about 1 a.m.
Police checked CCTV footage in
the area to verify his statement
and found him on camera.
The closer he gets,
the better the overall resolution.
So even though we have CCTV here
recorded here at night-time,
we still have sufficient illumination
from the street
to discern quite fair contrast
of detail,
certainly with his face,
with his clothing as well,
which can be quite important as well
for identification purposes.
We can see here Ian leaving the flat
late at night carrying a bag.
The second camera tracked him to
a local park still holding the bag.
Minutes later, close observation
showed he was traveling light.
But what is interesting about these
two clips, a few minutes apart
and in the first one,
we are seeing the suspect
potentially carrying a plastic bag,
which is consistent with what
we've seen in previous footage.
Then a few minutes later and again,
we can tell from the timestamps,
we see a man of similar appearance
to the one we've just seen
but without the carrier bag.
Even in the dark
the CCTV images were clear.
CCTV has developed a lot during
the last 10, 20 years.
It used to be more like
a corroborative piece of evidence.
During an investigation,
you would have police officers
knocking at people's doors,
getting witness statements,
trying to get forensic evidence,
like fingerprints or DNA.
So the rules
have effectively reverted,
CCTV is now the first source
of evidence for an investigation,
then corroborated
with other pieces of evidence.
A third camera provided another
breakthrough, a mysterious car.
So, in addition to regular CCTV,
there is a police-controlled system
of cameras
called the Automatic Number Plate
Recognition system, ANPR for short.
And this can be used to record
license plates
and identify vehicles of interest
and show us the movements
of those vehicles across the country.
Despite being the middle
of the night,
investigators were able
to identify the car.
It belonged to Lynda, Ian's mother.
When they impounded the car,
they made a discovery that changed
the course of the investigation.
There was a dashcam that recorded
everything that was going on.
And Ian was seen
throwing something into the canal.
Steve Jones
is a former police officer.
An expert in the cameras
that are now the key tools
in evidence gathering.
Dashcams have become
a common practice across the world.
Most dashcams automatically record
when the ignition system is engaged
or activated,
the dashcam will capture the scene,
wherever the driver
takes the vehicle.
Police realized that footage,
not just for road traffic collisions,
but for general crime incidents
can be invaluable.
In Kerry's murder case,
the dashcam from the mother's car,
proves to be a pivotal piece
of evidence.
Police pulled the dashcam footage
from the night Kerry died.
This is Ian getting rid of something
in the river,
but this is his mother's car dashcam.
And we can see the same scene.
The footage from the car
identified the man as Ian Bennett.
Police dredged the canal
and found a knife.
The blade was heavily bent
out of shape.
The dashcam is what cements
this case
in terms of establishing
that on the CCTV footage
is Ian Bennett getting rid of
evidence and his mother helping him.
DNA on the knife
matched both Kerry and Lynda.
Their lie script and the account
that they've developed between them
straight away can be undermined
by CCTV
and also the dashcam footage
from the mother's own car.
You can clearly see that she was
involved in the aftermath
in terms of helping him
to dispose of the knife.
The dashcam footage gave police
the evidence they needed.
All the dashcam evidence
that was collected
alongside all the CCTV footage
that the investigators had,
helped them build a very, very
strong case against the suspect.
These days to commit a murder,
you'll struggle not to be on camera.
Police now had enough
to charge Ian with murder.
And arrest Ian's mother Lynda
for assisting an offender
and perverting the course
of justice.
It's a really interesting question,
whether you'd help your own child
cover up a crime.
A lot of people would say,
of course I would.
Either because I'd believe that they
had to do it, or they were innocent.
Or if I knew they did go
through with it,
I just wanted to keep them
out of prison.
Whereas others would say
the opposite.
No, I'd encourage my child
to hand themselves in immediately.
It's one of those things that you
probably just have absolutely no idea
how you would react
until it happens to you.
If he's a coercive controller
or a control freak,
which it seems as if he was,
then he will have been manipulating
and managing his mother.
We also know
that this is cyclical behavior
and he may have experienced it
or seen it with his mother's partner,
may have been a husband, may have
been his father, or a stepfather.
In December 2021, the case went
to trial at Birmingham Crown Court.
The jury took just two hours
to find Ian guilty.
The cameras were crucial
to the conviction of the killer.
There are so many opportunities
for investigators
to find evidence on video.
Now we have evidence
from mobile phones,
body worn cameras,
dashcam vehicles,
drone footage, aerial footage.
Without these multiple
camera sources
a lot of cases would be abandoned.
Ian was sentenced
to at least 25 years in prison.
Lynda was given three years.
It was that crucial dashcam footage
alongside the CCTV
and all the other digital evidence
that helped the investigators
crack the case really quickly.
It shows how collecting evidence from
various different digital sources
can speed up a case significantly.
Translated by: Blue Lightning
Iyuno
---
It just sounds like something bad
is happening to her.
-I heard her scream, no, stop it.
-I heard some gun shots.
Drop it, whatever it is, drop it.
It is not true that I killed my wife.
We know what happened,
the video tells us what happened.
The camera doesn't lie.
Possible attempted murder.
This time on
Killers Caught On Camera.
In Florida, a woman
is recorded screaming for her life.
Alexa call 911!
I heard her scream "no."
Then something about
"it hurts, stop it!"
There appeared to be some signs
that there was foul play.
And in the UK,
a brutal murder of a woman,
stabbed more than 50 times
in her own home.
I rang her and texted her all day,
no answers.
Then I walked into that.
Something is not right.
Jupiter, Florida.
A safe community on the east coast
where crime is half
the national average.
And murder is rare.
It was home to Gretchen Anthony.
A devoted mother.
Close to her family and friends.
This is such a special place for us,
the sense of community, of fun that
we all had here on the afternoons,
after a day of fishing
or going out on the boat.
And this is a place where Gretchen
and I would meet up
with all of our friends
and there'd be a big gathering.
David Anthony
was her personal trainer.
Gretchen fell in love
and they got married in 2015.
David is tall, handsome,
charming, outgoing, funny,
and just very charismatic.
And there were instant sparks.
She was so in love, they appeared
to have this magical family life.
Five years into the marriage,
it's March 2020.
David had become
increasingly volatile.
Gretchen made the decision
to file for divorce and moved on.
David found the separation difficult
and decided to live with his mother.
It wasn't long after that decision
to separate
that David's mental health
started to decline very quickly.
Then the pandemic hit.
Gretchen's family got a message
she'd got Covid.
But something about Gretchen's
texts didn't feel right.
The way the text messages were
structured weren't making any sense.
Her messages
were totally out of character.
They try to get in touch with her
via phone calls or text messages,
and she is not responding.
The family were so concerned
they decided to involve the police.
We started receiving phone calls
from family members
and from friends of Gretchen Anthony
who are concerned about her.
They were receiving text messages
from her phone
indicating that she's ill
and has Covid 19.
Admitted to the hospital and
transferred to a Covid Center.
Messages coming from her phone
aren't making any sense.
They're not adding up, so it was
just red flag, red flag, red flag.
When Gretchen stopped
sharing her location on her phone
the police talked
to Jupiter Medical Center,
the last place
she said she was going.
We did a check with the staff and
found that she was not a patient.
Police put in an urgent request
for the CCTV footage
from inside the hospital
and the car park.
Gretchen was nowhere
and a missing person's investigation
was now underway.
Something shady was going on,
and I'm terrified for my friend.
Her house had been locked up
for days.
Jupiter Police went to her property.
Bodycams rolled.
Evidence was being gathered
for the State Attorney's office
which was now involved.
They knocked
and they don't get an answer.
Gretchen is not there.
But there are some things
within Gretchen's residence
that causes some concern.
There's some towels
on the washing machine closet
that has a substance consistent
with a blood-like substance.
There's some spray bottles and a
clean-up rag on the kitchen counter.
A broken picture frame that appeared
to be normally hanging on the wall.
The search showed no sign
of Gretchen.
Most notably, there is a key
broken off inside of a lock
that leads
to Gretchen Anthony's garage.
We can't initially gain entry into
the garage, which was concerning.
They had no idea
what lay behind the locked door.
Law enforcement officers
force entry into the garage.
There's a very strong odor
of cleaning agents
and the garage appears to be damp.
Based on what we found
in the residence
we became more concerned about
where Gretchen Anthony was.
There appeared to be some signs
that there was foul play.
It leads us to believe that something
transpired in Gretchen's garage.
Bodycams picked up disturbing
witness statements
about an incident 24 hours
before Gretchen went missing.
We were approached by a neighbor
from across the way.
I heard a really serious woman's
scream. Like she was being attacked.
Were we there for the attack at
the residence on day's previous.
I heard her scream "no."
Then I heard something about
"it hurts, stop it!"
And then I got up and came outside
and walked down the alley
and then saw a truck backed in
that I didn't recognize.
It was a couple of doors down.
I was outside for about 15 minutes.
I didn't hear anything else.
The truck was running.
There wasn't anybody in it.
The scream was really serious.
Another neighbor noticed
fresh white stains down the drive.
There was a cleaning agent running
from under Gretchen's garage,
almost consistent with someone
doing some type of cleaning
inside of the garage.
The police knew
they had to work fast.
They needed to track down her
estranged husband David Anthony.
They went to his mother's house,
where he'd been living
since the separation.
Bodycams recorded the encounter.
Jupiter Police.
-Hello.
-Hi.
-Police, sorry to bother you.
-Yeah.
-Is David home?
-No.
-Okay. Are you his...
-Mother.
Okay. Alright, we are just trying
to get in touch with him.
It's involving his wife,
I think they are separated, Gretchen.
-Have you heard from David recently?
-No.
Is he staying here?
No. I say that because Gretchen's
been in touch with me.
Because she's in the CDC center.
She has the virus.
He just said he was going
to Costa Rica
because the virus
was like invading the country.
Why what's going on?
You're scaring me.
All detectives knew was that
David told his mother
he was heading for Costa Rica.
We're looking to find
Gretchen Anthony.
Most importantly,
finding him may help find her.
Luckily detectives
got a breakthrough
as images from the cameras
at the hospital
revealed an ominous twist.
We got video from
the Jupiter Medical Center.
We saw early morning video
of Gretchen Anthony's vehicle
coming into the property
and being parked on the northeast
portion of the parking lot.
And there's an individual
who got out of Gretchen's vehicle.
Except it wasn't Gretchen.
A tall individual
dressed in dark clothing.
We still don't know where Gretchen is
and if she's okay.
So now I'm terrified.
I'm absolutely terrified for her.
Evidence from the cameras
was adding up.
Inside Gretchen's home detectives
discover a gold mine of footage.
Gretchen has multiple cameras
inside of her residence.
After feeling unsafe from David's
increasingly violent behavior
during their separation,
Gretchen set up a complete
home security system.
She was filing for divorce
and that was it. They were done.
David just could not handle
that information.
So someone like David Anthony might
in these situations think, well,
but you've committed to me
and you are mine now.
And we made that promise.
Now you're not wanting to keep that
promise and want to leave me,
that isn't an acceptable course
of action.
A really common theme
is this idea that men have
or some men have
that they possess or own women.
And the problem is with that,
once you feel like you're losing
this effectively object, this turns
into a situation where you go,
no one else is allowed to have her.
She's mine.
That subsequently turns to
justifications for extreme behavior,
extreme violence,
and saying, if I can't have her,
then literally nobody else can
and I will destroy her.
Search warrants were executed
to obtain footage from the cameras.
We are counting
on the surveillance footage
from her house to give us
some answers.
That is potentially
what could give us the biggest lead
or the most information about
what transpired in her residence.
But there was some bad news.
There are some cameras
that are missing.
Video equipment in the garage
had been taken down.
Detectives tried to find out
if the footage was backed up online.
Meanwhile police started to track
David's and Gretchen's phones.
Essentially what's happening is
they're able to get an update,
let's say, every 15 minutes
as to the location of her phone.
And we learn these phones
are traveling together
and they are traveling together
away from Jupiter, Florida.
They could say on the 25th that her
phone was in Pensacola, Florida.
We are able to see David
getting money from the ATM.
We see him going inside of a store.
We see him inside of the pawn shop
and not just in Palm Beach County,
but as he travels north,
hours away outside of the county.
The jewelry store provided us with
video footage of him in the store.
Also his vehicle
outside of the store.
We also have surveillance footage
of him pawning more jewelry
that belonged to Gretchen.
Police continued to track
both phones
and follow them heading west
across the southern states.
Gretchen's phone is pinging
in close proximity to David's phone.
You never see Gretchen with him
in any other surveillance.
You see his dog occasionally,
but you never see Gretchen.
As the net tightened,
Gretchen and David's phones are
located in Las Cruces, New Mexico.
Less than an hour
from the Mexican border.
It was a race against time
to find them.
Detectives in Florida
asked Las Cruces police
for an urgent traffic stop.
Need officers
to block on Main and Mesilla.
But Gretchen was not in the truck.
Hands up so I can see them.
Keep them up for me, please.
Put your hands behind your back.
So this is about your wife.
I guess she's been reported missing?
I heard she was in a CDC facility
getting treatment for coronavirus.
-What makes you believe that?
-Her sister texted it to me.
Her sister did? Texted it to you?
-Well, where's this CDC place at?
-She didn't mention it.
They spoke to David.
He didn't provide any information
as to her location.
When was the last time
you talked to your wife?
Saturday.
-Last Saturday?
-Yeah.
-Did you guys talk in person?
-We talked in person.
-Where at?
-At a gas station.
And he didn't provide any information
that would indicate
that he had committed a crime
against her.
It was the same truck seen outside
Gretchen's house,
seven days earlier.
The police had no idea
what lay beneath the tarp.
Are you moving somewhere?
You've got a lot of stuff.
I just, I'm an engineer,
electrician by trade.
So I've got tools,
'cause I can always work anywhere.
There was evidence that Gretchen's
cell phone was with David's.
Police impounded his pick-up truck.
Officers in Florida have
a warrant for your cell phone
so we are going to take that.
So at this point,
we had a reason to take his car,
but not to take him into custody.
We have a search warrant
for your truck.
We're still evidence gathering.
We want as much evidence as
possible to find Gretchen.
She mentioned being in trouble.
Something with her work.
She said she was in trouble.
She didn't give me too much, she
didn't want to put me in any danger.
He gives a lot of statements
about conspiracy theories
that are things at Gretchen's job
that she has uncovered.
And for her own safety,
she's essentially gone into hiding.
-Have you had contact with her since?
-No.
Las Cruces police let David go,
but kept his vehicle and the
unknown contents under the tarp.
Okay, you can relax
and follow his instructions now.
Back in Jupiter,
Cybercrime specialists worked hard
to retrieve the camera footage from
the night Gretchen went missing.
We were able to write
a search warrant
addressed to a surveillance company.
We were also able to obtain footage
from the cloud.
A crucial part of this investigation,
was the video footage
that we ultimately reviewed
from Gretchen's house.
The footage stored in the cloud
included video recordings
from the missing cameras.
Detectives immediately got to work
hoping it would reveal
exactly what happened to Gretchen.
There is a camera that is on
the patio of Gretchen's home.
It's still dark outside, although
it's the early morning hours.
And you see what appears
to be a tall male individual.
You see this person lurking
on her patio
and they're moving around
very slowly, methodically.
It is unclear as to
what they're doing.
We don't know whether Gretchen
hears someone outside.
The surveillance shows that person
was in Gretchen Anthony's porch
for quite some time
before she answered the door.
Gretchen comes through her door,
her door swings out
and this person
is behind the door.
Some of footage was so graphic
it was never released.
The same person,
this tall male, dressed in all black.
We see him taking or dragging
Gretchen or forcing Gretchen
to the garage as he muffles
her screams.
Which is the same garage
where the key was broken in the lock.
There is footage of what
appears to be the back of
what we believe to be
Gretchen's head.
And she is on the floor
of her garage,
and there is this tall male
dressed in all black,
moving around Gretchen's garage.
And there is one camera
that captures this individual
as he turns around
and looks directly into the camera.
And that person was David Anthony.
One of those videos captured
David looking up at the camera
and taking it down
and tossing it across the room.
At this point, we are convinced
that David Anthony
has killed Gretchen.
It was enough to issue
an arrest warrant.
Out of nowhere Detective Kenerson
got a call from their chief suspect.
-I've spoken with Gretchen today.
-You've spoken to Gretchen today?
Yeah. We obtained
legal representation.
-You both have?
-She wants to prepare a statement.
The person calling
was David Anthony.
He conveyed a message
to me on some alleged circumstances
as to why Gretchen
had been in danger.
Gretchen's terrified for her life.
Someone was sent to her house
to hurt her the other weekend.
Gretchen hasn't ruled out
her ex-husband.
But the call ended abruptly.
You and Gretchen
obtained representation?
Are you there?
And she provided, and who provided
this statement? Are you there?
David was now on the run
close to the Mexican border.
They had just a few hours
to catch him.
Detective Kenerson
headed to Las Cruces, New Mexico.
This is when we executed
a search warrant on David's car,
which they had seized for us.
David was still at large, but the
man hunt became even more urgent
when they discovered
what was in the back of truck.
Cameras from Gretchen's garage
and a voice-controlled Alexa device.
She would use the echo devices
in her garage to turn the lights on.
During the attack, Gretchen Anthony
attempted to ask Alexa to get help.
The audio files are disturbing.
Alexa call 911!
-It sounded like she was muffled.
-Alexa call 911!
After we completed the investigation
on his vehicle
we then went searching
for David Anthony.
With David just a few miles
from the Mexican border
and driving to Costa Rica,
every minute counted.
Homeland security deployed
the latest tracking technology.
Las Cruces police
traced his car on the move.
Outside a convenience store David
Anthony was cornered at gun point.
-Get down!
-Can I get up?
-No! Get down! Get down!
-I'm standing up.
-Sir, get out of the car!
-Alright, alright.
Drop it!
Drop it, whatever it is, drop it!
-What's he got in his hand?
-Drop it!
-Stop resisting me.
-I did nothing.
Sir! Flat on your face.
Out like an aeroplane.
Hands out like an airplane.
Flat down.
He dropped a bunch of stuff.
I was worried about a gun. He kept
going in the car. I almost shot him.
-Bring your other hand back.
-Sir, I'll do everything you say.
-I almost shot him.
-Whatever you say.
David was arrested
and taken into custody
for the Florida arrest warrant,
for second degree murder
and kidnapping.
Finally Detective Kenerson
had his suspect.
David Anthony,
Gretchen's estranged husband
was confronted with the gruesome
footage from Gretchen's home.
I presented that we had surveillance
video of him.
We presented evidence
of what happened.
Actual evidence that we obtained.
David kept telling us
that Gretchen was still alive.
Despite his denials he'd been caught
on camera at the crime scene.
We know what happened because
the video tells us what happened.
-So what happened?
-You killed her.
I just told you what happened.
I've told you this numerous times.
She's still alive.
Even when police showed David
the video evidence,
he denied he caused her any harm.
You put your hand over her mouth
and dragged her into the garage.
-It's on video.
-She's still alive.
You don't want to face the facts
of what you did.
I was trying to warn her.
We presented evidence that we
actually had to show what he did.
-You put your hand over her mouth.
-I was trying to warn her.
...as you dragged her
into the garage.
Then bleached down the driveway.
But unfortunately for you
the cadaver dog hit on the garage
and we found blood spatter.
So there's no way that she's alive.
You murdered her in that garage
and we'd like to know
where you put her body.
I know he's the one who did it.
David Anthony was subsequently
charged with second degree murder.
But police still had no idea
where Gretchen's body was.
Not having a body in a murder case
is difficult.
Jurors expect to see a body.
If you're saying this person is dead
and the person you've charged
killed this person, show me,
which makes sense.
Then a new witness came forward
with a critical clue
as to where her body might be.
I remember a horrible rotting smell
as I was driving home from work.
I've smelt dead animals before
and it smelled out of the ordinary.
I noticed some buzzards
flying in the air
and that's where the buzzards
were flying.
It narrowed the search
to a busy part of Jupiter
but wasn't specific enough
to find her body.
David continued
to maintain his innocence.
I've told you this numerous times.
She's still alive.
Desperate to get some sort
of closure for Gretchen's family,
Chrichet Mixon
changed her approach.
Her family don't want to go
to sleep every night
wondering where Gretchen was.
They wanted a place
where her daughter could go,
her mother could go to,
her sisters,
her friends could go to
and know that she was there.
Defense counsel approached me
wanting to discuss
potential negotiations.
So as a part of these negotiations,
David was going to tell us
where Gretchen was.
Denying the families the ability
to see and often bury, of course,
their loved ones
is a major barrier to grief
and it's a major barrier to move on.
So if we look at the escalation
of violence to femicide,
the killing of girls and women,
we can see a clear pattern,
especially in intimate partner
relationships.
And it starts with, as you might
expect, male aggression.
Then there's victim blaming.
So the man is saying,
you are making me do this.
Then there is an escalation.
So the violence gets worse.
After that, there's resistance
by the woman who then says,
no, you know, this is not acceptable.
Then the woman tries
to leave the relationship,
which is met with consequences.
David Anthony
gave up his claims of innocence
and chose to swap the location of
the body for a shorter sentence.
On the morning
of December 21st, 2020,
he and his attorney provided the
location of Gretchen Anthony's body.
One traffic one, red tag.
Cameras on helicopters
and mapping technology
got involved in the search
for Gretchen's body.
Juliet, Charlie, Zulu, Kilo 26
and last date's going to be
Bravo, Alpha, 001781.
I wanted her to not be there,
and I wanted her to be okay.
But I knew the reality was we were
going to bring Gretchen home.
Just not in the way
that anyone would have wanted.
3800 block of Perk Road.
They close in on the site.
There's a cadaver dog on scene.
Crime scene investigators
began the search for Gretchen's body.
Nine months had passed
since Gretchen went missing.
At this point her body
may not be identifiable.
This is the location where we located
Gretchen Anthony's body
on December 21st, 2020.
Just south of that large...
I believe it's an oak tree
in that lower area of the ground.
That's where Gretchen
was recovered.
It's not a hugely secluded area.
We were able to be able
to identify her on scene
and let her family members
know that.
We were able to see tattoos on her
and there was one in particular,
there was a detective who yelled out
about one of her tattoos she had.
Medical examiners determined
Gretchen died
from multiple stab wounds
to her neck and torso.
I don't know where this investigation
would be
without surveillance footage,
without those cameras
inside of Gretchen's house,
without the cameras from the ATM
or from the pawn shop.
I don't know that we would have
gotten to
an arrest of David Anthony
for murdering Gretchen.
But for those cameras,
we would have never known.
Due to covid regulations, no grand
jury could be assembled.
David Anthony was convicted
of kidnapping
and second-degree murder.
Sentenced to 38 years in prison.
We miss the radiant, beautiful,
smiling, vibrant person she was
and the energy she brought
to everybody she met
and just the happiness
that she just gave to everyone.
So it's hard to go on. And I miss
my friend. I miss my friend.
I'm glad David's in prison.
You have no right
to take another human being's life
and steal that person
from people who loved her.
And people she loved.
She's gone, and you're still here
and thankfully, you're in prison,
and you get to think about that
for a very, very long time.
Possible attempted murder.
A crucial part of the evidence
gathered against David Anthony
was the footage captured
by the cameras
in the home and on the body.
Recording everything and everyone
they came into contact with.
-Get down! Get down!
-I'm standing up.
Emi Polito is an expert
forensic video analyst
who's worked on 100s of cases
in the UK.
Contrary to common belief, body worn
cameras are always recording,
but it's not until the point where
the officer presses the start button
that footage becomes a video file
that can then be retrieved later.
And often it is crucial evidence,
as in the case of Kerry Woolley.
In the United Kingdom,
the West Midlands,
with over 400 violent crimes a day.
At its heart,
the city of Birmingham.
Back in early 2020, Kerry Woolley,
had returned to dating
after divorcing the father
of her two children.
She met 38-year-old Ian Bennett
and went on the occasional date.
They enjoyed
spending time together
and for a few weeks
it seemed to be going well.
In July, Ian and Kerry
enjoy a night out.
But early the next morning
police respond to an emergency call,
Kerry had been found
brutally murdered in her bedroom.
Digital forensic experts
searched for any crucial evidence
captured on camera.
Dr. Vasileios Karagiannopoulos
is a leading expert
in criminal law and cybercrime
at the University of Portsmouth.
The police is equipped
with body cam footage,
and that helps them gather evidence
as things might unfold.
It's got a very wide angle.
You can see we're looking through the
eyes of the officer at the scene.
The camera will record if there's
any kind of evidence lying around
or if any other people come in or out
that might have been witnesses.
The body cam recorded
Ian Bennet's witness statement.
He was the last person
to see her alive.
Sorry.
When was the last time you saw her?
1 o'clock, I left her this morning.
-Here?
-Yeah, we had a few drinks.
I left here at 1:00.
Professor Coral Dando
is a former police officer
who now applies psychological
research to camera footage
to understand criminal behavior.
When police arrived,
he was standing outside.
He provided them with a uninvited
and very detailed account
of his movements
and his whereabouts.
And you know,
his account seems fairly plausible.
My mom and dad had a big argument
at home
so I went home
to make sure everything was alright.
He is looking very distraught.
Quite shaken,
trying to figure out what's happened.
He's calling his mother.
He didn't refer to Kerry by name.
Mom, she's dead.
Police. Ambulance.
Looking quite shaken again
and explaining what's happened
to his mother on the phone.
Okay no problem, bye. Bye-bye.
When we look at the context
of a horrific murder scene,
something is not right.
Smoking I see, talking on his phone,
a little bit of eye blinking
suggesting a bit of tears,
but he's not traumatized
by the looks of it.
He's very calm.
It's very nuanced, very detailed,
very sort of plausible account
of his movements and whereabouts.
And this struck me straightaway
as being a red flag
and quite a significant red flag
from a psychological point of view.
Certainly having someone
who spills everything
and tries immediately tell you
every thing that they did that
day is not abnormal,
as is someone being upset
and calling their mom.
They're acting out what they think
people need to see
to make them not look suspicious.
That first scene,
we think of the oversharing.
We think of the call performatively
in front of the police,
and they're almost crying there.
That now feels like a performance.
But would have been
difficult for police to spot
because that could
also be a normal reaction.
We're looking for nervousness,
but it's different
for different people.
We're looking for inconsistent
stories, avoiding eye contact.
I've been ringing and texting.
No answers.
He is the one that has found her
and really quite shocked and upset.
I just went to knock on them.
The door wasn't open.
I had to pull the handle.
-Yeah.
-Then I walked into that!
Ian's tears did not convince
the police.
You're going to be under arrest
for murder.
-Murder?
-Murder.
It's suspicion at the moment. Based
on the scene, what's happened here.
-Ian's mother Lynda arrived.
-I'm Ian's mom.
You're Ian's mom?
-Nice to meet you.
-Where you going?
Straightaway she is
a little bit more believable.
You don't get this outpouring
of information.
He's going to custody. I don't know
which, I'll let you know.
-Possibly Coventry hopefully. Yeah.
-Coventry?
-The closest.
-Don't know how to get to Coventry.
Lynda didn't ask about Kerry.
She was more concerned
about her son's welfare.
You just get these questions
about where her son is.
What are you doing?
What's happened to my son?
Is my son okay? So she's just asking
a series of questions.
Ian was taken into custody
while the forensic team got to work.
The autopsy revealed
Kerry was smothered, strangled,
and died from 54 stab wounds
to the neck and upper torso.
Investigators pulled both Kerry
and Ian's phone records
and discovered there was already
some tension between the two.
Only dating on and off
for a few weeks,
Ian was accusing a friend
of Kerry's of sleeping with her.
One of the interesting aspects
of this case
is that it would seem
as if Ian believed
he was in a relationship
with the victim.
Ian was the sort of person
that wanted to control
and manage his partner's behavior.
Or maybe he's not had any successful
relationships before
and this is the first one that he
felt was going to go somewhere,
real or perceived,
and her not behaving in a way
he expected triggered this response.
The relationship
doesn't have to be real.
In the perpetrator's mind, it exists.
Police dug deeper and discovered
disturbing internet search records.
This has turned into
I'm going to go and confront her.
And maybe that has turned
into a row of some sort.
Or maybe he's thought, right, okay,
I'm going to kill her
both things happen in coercive
and controlling relationships.
It seemed like an intent to harm
but police still needed
more evidence.
Ian was at Kerry's flat that night
but claimed he left at about 1 a.m.
Police checked CCTV footage in
the area to verify his statement
and found him on camera.
The closer he gets,
the better the overall resolution.
So even though we have CCTV here
recorded here at night-time,
we still have sufficient illumination
from the street
to discern quite fair contrast
of detail,
certainly with his face,
with his clothing as well,
which can be quite important as well
for identification purposes.
We can see here Ian leaving the flat
late at night carrying a bag.
The second camera tracked him to
a local park still holding the bag.
Minutes later, close observation
showed he was traveling light.
But what is interesting about these
two clips, a few minutes apart
and in the first one,
we are seeing the suspect
potentially carrying a plastic bag,
which is consistent with what
we've seen in previous footage.
Then a few minutes later and again,
we can tell from the timestamps,
we see a man of similar appearance
to the one we've just seen
but without the carrier bag.
Even in the dark
the CCTV images were clear.
CCTV has developed a lot during
the last 10, 20 years.
It used to be more like
a corroborative piece of evidence.
During an investigation,
you would have police officers
knocking at people's doors,
getting witness statements,
trying to get forensic evidence,
like fingerprints or DNA.
So the rules
have effectively reverted,
CCTV is now the first source
of evidence for an investigation,
then corroborated
with other pieces of evidence.
A third camera provided another
breakthrough, a mysterious car.
So, in addition to regular CCTV,
there is a police-controlled system
of cameras
called the Automatic Number Plate
Recognition system, ANPR for short.
And this can be used to record
license plates
and identify vehicles of interest
and show us the movements
of those vehicles across the country.
Despite being the middle
of the night,
investigators were able
to identify the car.
It belonged to Lynda, Ian's mother.
When they impounded the car,
they made a discovery that changed
the course of the investigation.
There was a dashcam that recorded
everything that was going on.
And Ian was seen
throwing something into the canal.
Steve Jones
is a former police officer.
An expert in the cameras
that are now the key tools
in evidence gathering.
Dashcams have become
a common practice across the world.
Most dashcams automatically record
when the ignition system is engaged
or activated,
the dashcam will capture the scene,
wherever the driver
takes the vehicle.
Police realized that footage,
not just for road traffic collisions,
but for general crime incidents
can be invaluable.
In Kerry's murder case,
the dashcam from the mother's car,
proves to be a pivotal piece
of evidence.
Police pulled the dashcam footage
from the night Kerry died.
This is Ian getting rid of something
in the river,
but this is his mother's car dashcam.
And we can see the same scene.
The footage from the car
identified the man as Ian Bennett.
Police dredged the canal
and found a knife.
The blade was heavily bent
out of shape.
The dashcam is what cements
this case
in terms of establishing
that on the CCTV footage
is Ian Bennett getting rid of
evidence and his mother helping him.
DNA on the knife
matched both Kerry and Lynda.
Their lie script and the account
that they've developed between them
straight away can be undermined
by CCTV
and also the dashcam footage
from the mother's own car.
You can clearly see that she was
involved in the aftermath
in terms of helping him
to dispose of the knife.
The dashcam footage gave police
the evidence they needed.
All the dashcam evidence
that was collected
alongside all the CCTV footage
that the investigators had,
helped them build a very, very
strong case against the suspect.
These days to commit a murder,
you'll struggle not to be on camera.
Police now had enough
to charge Ian with murder.
And arrest Ian's mother Lynda
for assisting an offender
and perverting the course
of justice.
It's a really interesting question,
whether you'd help your own child
cover up a crime.
A lot of people would say,
of course I would.
Either because I'd believe that they
had to do it, or they were innocent.
Or if I knew they did go
through with it,
I just wanted to keep them
out of prison.
Whereas others would say
the opposite.
No, I'd encourage my child
to hand themselves in immediately.
It's one of those things that you
probably just have absolutely no idea
how you would react
until it happens to you.
If he's a coercive controller
or a control freak,
which it seems as if he was,
then he will have been manipulating
and managing his mother.
We also know
that this is cyclical behavior
and he may have experienced it
or seen it with his mother's partner,
may have been a husband, may have
been his father, or a stepfather.
In December 2021, the case went
to trial at Birmingham Crown Court.
The jury took just two hours
to find Ian guilty.
The cameras were crucial
to the conviction of the killer.
There are so many opportunities
for investigators
to find evidence on video.
Now we have evidence
from mobile phones,
body worn cameras,
dashcam vehicles,
drone footage, aerial footage.
Without these multiple
camera sources
a lot of cases would be abandoned.
Ian was sentenced
to at least 25 years in prison.
Lynda was given three years.
It was that crucial dashcam footage
alongside the CCTV
and all the other digital evidence
that helped the investigators
crack the case really quickly.
It shows how collecting evidence from
various different digital sources
can speed up a case significantly.
Translated by: Blue Lightning
Iyuno