Murder Loves Company (2019–…): Season 1, Episode 4 - Murder on Bennington Drive - full transcript

This quaint neighborhood in Jacksonville, Florida seems to be an unlikely place for any crime at all, let alone murder. But could this community's open door policy be a little too open?

A murder in Florida

shatters
a tight neighborhood's bond.

Yesterday,
they were all old friends.

Today, no one knows
who they can trust.

People would tell her,
"don't talk to this person.

Don't talk to that person."

The police thought
the neighborhood was suspect.

They had to question everybody.

I've got goose bumps.

It's like
I'm in upside-down world.

How is this occurring?



One neighbor is a victim,

one a killer.

Among the many Jacksonville,
Florida, neighborhoods,

you'd be hard-pressed
to find a more sublime locale

than Bennington drive.

Bennington was definitely safe.

There were no issues,

and I had nothing
to worry about.

I didn't lock my doors.

This is a place where the terms
"friend" and "neighbor"

have been synonymous
for decades.

And when the aroma of a cookout
hit the air, you followed it.

- Isn't that necklace gorgeous?
- Yeah.

That's especially true when
the hosts are Hartwell Perkins,



whom everyone calls "H,"

and his lifelong partner,
Delores.

"H" was a wonderful cook.

The windows were always open,

so you wanted whatever
"H" was cooking

'cause you could smell it
in the neighborhood.

Girl,
you gonna love this.

Thank you.
I can take it.

And us being so close,
we'd be like,

"what are you cooking
over there, 'H'?"

"H" would say,
"come on over. Have some."

So we would all hang out.

It kind of felt
like a little family.

Everybody would
bring their coolers,

and there was
a lot of camaraderie.

You know,
it was just a good time

to mingle with your neighbors.

"H" and Delores,

as well as
other long-time residents,

like Mary schueler
and Ronald Reeves,

have made bennington drive

a special place
for several generations.

All the neighbors
kind of adopted

all the neighborhood kids
as their own.

Many of those grown children

have been thick as thieves
for their entire lives.

I enjoy when you live
in a neighborhood

where the people
interact with each other.

It gives you a sense of safety

because you know you've always
got somebody watching your back.

But the folks
on bennington drive

are about to find out
that looks can be deceiving.

911.
What's your emergency?

We received a 911 call through
dispatch that was unverified,

which means
that someone called 911,

but no one spoke
to the dispatcher.

The police
attempted to call back

and get a response
but were unable to,

so they sent two officers there
to find out what was up.

On this particular call,

I'm the person
they dispatch out.

I do not use sirens or lights

because you never know
your situation.

I had officer Abney
as my backup officer.

I grew up in the area
my whole life,

so I have a feel for what is
normal and what is abnormal,

and as we approach the house,

there were definitely
a few red flags.

The windows haven't been closed.

I could hear the TV.
I see the lights on.

Jacksonville pd!

So I'm planning
for something

that could potentially be
very dangerous.

Rather than
to go into the home

without someone
coming to the door,

we try to go around
to the backyard.

We're blocked
by several spiderwebs

with large banana spiders.

That told me that no one
had breached the back

and that they're not accustomed
to even using that gate.

We went back to
the front of the home.

We take our firearms out,
prepare to engage.

The front door was unlocked.

Jacksonville pd!

At this point,
I was on high alert.

Anybody home?

We walked in
past the foyer

into the living-room area.

And I turned to see...

...somebody laying on the floor.

It was clear that
she was cut from ear to ear.

I've got a body.

We generally don't use the term
"drt," dead right there,

but it was so shocking to me
that I did use that term.

What struck me was that

for someone to have
such a grave injury

there was no blood in the room.

I've got goose bumps.

It's like
I'm in upside-down world.

How is this occurring?

Immediately,
without even speaking,

officer Abney and I
went back-to-back

and circled the room,

and we start clearing the home.

I'm thinking, "who could have
done this, and where are they?"

Are you gonna come down
from the staircase

and try to escape?

There's that part of you

that wants to protect yourself
and the room,

but there's that other part
of you that is automatic,

and that is to catch the person
that did this horrible thing,

and I'm prepared to do business.

Hey, milowicki.

It's clear.

As officers return to
the location of their victim,

officer milowicki spots
something

seemingly out of place.

I noticed there were some

blue jeans that were folded.

There was a little bit
of blood there,

and that was wet blood.

I immediately think,
"are those her blue jeans?

And if they are,
who took the time to fold them?"

I still have my firearm,
but it was dark,

so I'm using my flashlight.

I don't see any blood.

Nothing appeared askew.

The patio was clean.

It's a dry night,
it's warm weather,

and as I walk
into the center of the yard,

I hear this wet noise.

My boots are hitting
puddled water,

so it's as if
I'm stepping in a yard

that just had a good rain.

And I look down.

My boots are
perfectly covered in blood.

Officer milowicki is
standing in her crime scene.

Immediately
I call for officer abney.

"Look at my boots.
Look at my boots."

And he takes his flashlight,
and he pans behind me...

...and he sees the koi pond.

The water is, like,
a pinkish red,

and I'm saying to myself,
"she bled out here,

and the reason she's not got
blood all over her

is because she was
even cleaned off."

The next morning,
Jackie Blades arrives

at the bennington drive home,

unaware of what has taken place.

She is traumatized
by what she sees.

No, I need to get
in the house.

- I'm sorry.
- I have the right to get in.

When I got over there,
the house was taped off.

They wouldn't give us
any information.

I know you want to get in
the house as quickly as you can,

but we have to process
this crime scene.

We can't allow you
to compromise anything.

For Jackie, this isn't
just some random home.

This house is where her mother,
Delores Futrell, lives,

and Jackie hasn't been able to
get ahold of her for two days.

Somebody called me on the phone

and told me
that something happened.

They had the whole block
partitioned off

and I probably should call.

I tried to call her,
and I couldn't get her.

I kept calling her, like,
every hour.

But nobody would answer
the phone.

Everybody was like,
"well, just keep the faith.

Just keep praying," so...

But it was her.

Mother of two and
grandmother to all who knew her,

Delores Futrell is 65 years old
on this day

her death
is officially announced.

I wish the best.

You almost brought tears
to my eyes today.

The wedding ceremony...

I'd like to
ask you a couple questions
regarding your mother.

I have a couple
of questions myself.

I understand.

I want him
to answer my questions.

He wanted me
to answer his questions.

So we kind of butted heads
for a couple of minutes.

It's a tough situation,

but the cop's questions
could make the difference

in catching Delores' killer.

Did anyone else live in
this house besides your mother?

Yes, her longtime partner
Hartwell Perkins,

but everybody
calls him "H."

Hartwell Perkins.

Was there anyone else?

My son, Shamali.

But now, when it matters most,

neither "H" nor Shamali
are anywhere to be found.

So if the cops are going to
find Delores' killer...

...the darkest of
bennington drive's secrets

will have to be revealed.

Check out the massive
stab wound to the chest.

Her entire throat's
been slashed.

On the morning of
August 6th, 2008,

the inside and outside

of 65-year-old Delores Futrell's
bennington drive home

is a crime scene.

Over the past 12 hours,
Jacksonville, Florida, pd

has been combing through
every inch of the place.

What they've come across
is truly disturbing.

What can you tell us
so far?

Well, the most
obvious thing here

is a deep puncture wound
on the left

and a deep slash
on the throat here.

She had
defensive wounds to her arms.

She had injuries to her hands,
to other parts of her body,

indicating that she was alive
while she was being,

I would submit, tortured.

There was no dispute
based on all the evidence

that Delores Futrell struggled.

What's important about that
in terms of the way she died

is that she actually
looked in the face

of the person
who was killing her.

I mean, you have to get
really close and touch someone

to cut their throat.

What bothers
the detectives most

is not how
this grandmother died,

rather what it appears
she had to endure.

We believe that
there was potential

of possible sexual assault here.

Someone had moved her clothing

so that her shirt
was over her shoulders.

She was also posed in a way
that someone her age

would not naturally be posed.

We do sex-assault kit
on the victim,

and that is something done
by the medical examiner's office

where we swab the victim's body

and we scrape underneath
her fingernails,

and we have that processed
for DNA.

Along with evidence
extracted from her body,

other potential clues are
identified around the house.

Delores Futrell
had her ironing board up.

In fact, the iron was
still plugged in,

as if she had been ironing.

Her wallet was found
on the ironing board,

just sitting there,

as if somebody
had rummaged through it.

Her purse was on the couch,

and it had been thrown there.

So then you wonder,
"is it robbery?

What is the crime?
What is the nature of this?"

There were
multiple items that we collected

that we wanted processed
for fingerprints, for DNA,

as well as the victim's body.

As detectives take
everything they find in,

there's something
about the scene

that just doesn't seem right.

The way she was positioned

and the fact
that her throat was cut,

but there wasn't
the amount of blood

that there should be
right there underneath her body.

My partner at the time was
a former sex-crimes detective,

so she had some expertise
in sex crimes.

As we're looking at
this crime scene,

she's like, "this is staged."

All investigations
need to start somewhere,

and this one begins
with a canvass

of the bennington drive
neighborhood.

We do an initial assessment
of the situation.

We talk to neighbors,
find out who lives there.

Did anyone see
anything suspicious?

There were some neighbors who
thought they might have heard

screaming
or something like that.

What they don't find
is an eyewitness

or any hard facts
they can rely on,

though it's pretty clear

Delores was universally
loved by all.

Hi, Jackie.
How you doing?

She was
the grandmother on bennington,

and they all knew her,

and everybody loved Delores
on the street.

She was always out gardening.

We were always in competition
in the neighborhood,

who had the prettiest yard,

and I thought,
"she has me beat."

Blond hair...

Because she was so tiny,
you think she'd be frail,

but she was a tough cookie.

She would tell you exactly
how she felt about everything.

Delores was definitely
in charge.

She just was very, very strong
and was gonna fight.

Almost a full day
into their investigation,

the detectives have spoken
to everyone

but the two people
Delores shares her home with,

and that's because Delores'
longtime companion, "H,"

and her grandson Shamali
cannot be found.

Delores and "H" had been
together for well over 30 years,

and they were
pretty good together.

They were a fun couple.

They debated a lot.

I wasn't happy about Delores
moving from New York to Florida

because I would be
missing my friend.

She was going down there
to live next to her daughter,

across the street
from her daughter.

So "H"... he actually worked
at a summer camp.

"H" was a chef.

Shamali is a chef, as well.

He took after his granddad.

The camp they are
supposedly at is in New York.

Have they been there
the whole time?

When someone gives us an alibi,

we verify that alibi 100%.

In this case, though,

what should be
an easy confirmation isn't.

A new discovery in the backyard

adds to the horrific story
of what took place.

We knew based on
the way she was killed

there obviously was a knife,

and so we believe that
that tip of the knife

was actually part
of the murder weapon,

that in stabbing her,

the murderer broke
that tip of the knife.

For the family's
two missing chefs,

the murder weapon
is just one more reason

police want to speak with them,

but they aren't
the only suspects

police have on their radar.

Rumors on the street
are circulating

about another grandson...

I think Delores felt
that she could help him.

...While her daughter
has suspicions of her own.

I was thinking, "oh, my god.

How does he know
all of these things?"

Two days ago, neighbors here
in this westside community

woke up to this...

Crime-scene tape around
their elderly neighbor's home.

Neighbors in this tight-knit
community

are filled with questions.

Why? Why would they take
a innocent lady life?

She didn't bother anybody.

It's just unreal.

In August 2008,
the murder of Delores Futrell

is all-consuming for
the Jacksonville, Florida, pd,

but 36 hours later,
finding her partner, "H,"

and their grandson shamali
is suddenly on hold.

That's because
rumors on the street

have detectives
shifting their attention

to Shamali's younger brother,
Kitab.

I knew of Kitab Robinson,
who lived in the neighborhood,

from a previous case.

All the neighbors
were always saying

he was getting into trouble.

Kitab is one of
those troubled kids.

He would go over
to my mom's house,

and when she would go to sleep,
he would take her car

and go joyriding
around the neighborhood

and stuff like that,

and he got in trouble a lot.

No one wants to believe kitab,

whom Delores helped raise,

could be capable of the crime.

She tried to help him
stay out of trouble,

but, you know, she helped him
as best she could.

I figured that it was
probably someone who knew her

and had access to the house.

Though with kitab,
investigators get nowhere fast.

Turns out he is
currently incarcerated

on an unrelated crime.

As detectives work to regroup,
Delores' daughter, Jackie,

has a troubling feeling
about her mom's neighbor,

Ronald Reeves.

Ronald, hey.

Hey.

They won't let me
in the house.

They won't
tell me anything.

When I was out there
talking to Ronnie,

he knew how she was murdered.

He had said to Jackie,
"I heard she was violated."

Police are very guarded

with what information
they let anyone know.

They don't let us
in the media know this.

They don't stand there
and broadcast that.

I was thinking, "oh, my god.

How does he know
all of these things?

He killed my mother."

While Jackie asks detectives

to take a serious look
at Ronald,

investigators return
to bennington drive

in search of a clue.

The police thought
that everybody

in the neighborhood
was suspect.

They had to question everybody
to find out what happened.

When was the last time
you saw Delores?

Um... yesterday.

She was gardening
out in her yard.

When we found out
it was Delores,

oh, my gosh.
We were just heartbroken.

I was in shock.

That was something terrible that
happened in that neighborhood,

but that's not what
that neighborhood community was.

Investigators move
across the street

to Mary schueler.

I think they were very
open-minded as far as being...

You know,
people being suspect

because we had a diverse group
in that neighborhood,

and most people were friendly
with each other,

but there were new neighbors
moving in that we didn't know.

I want to tell someone,
"I suspect this,"

but that's a horrible thing
to say about someone...

That they may have
murdered someone.

When detectives arrive
to the home of Ronald Reeves,

the questions they have
are slightly tougher

than the ones they had
for his neighbors.

He said that, I guess,

in the panic of the moment
when it first happened,

one of the police officers
told him what happened.

Ronald's story is verified,

and an alibi for the time
of the murder is confirmed.

This puts investigators
back where they started.

Delores Futrell was
the type of person that,

if somebody knew her
and they came to the door,

she might let them in.

Kids from up and down
the block would come in and out,

eat anytime they wanted to.

My mom also played video games.

She had a PlayStation,
so it was a place

where you could just go
and have fun.

So everybody knew her.

Of course, the gossip mill
was going on.

"It could have been this person.
It could have been that person.

It could have been this person."

Everybody was a suspect.

Three days after
Delores Futrell was murdered,

the bennington drive community
holds a candlelight vigil.

They went all out

and advertised it
and everything.

They called the news,
let the news know

that they were doing this vigil,

and everybody
in the neighborhood came out.

They bought flowers

and just passing
their condolences to the family.

I was pretty numb
during that time.

I knew my sister was an integral
part of the community.

I did not know how much until
I saw what they did for her.

Two of the attendees

are shamali and "H,"
just back in town.

"H"... when he came down here,

they didn't want him
to spoil the crime scene,

but he just was adamant

that they was not gonna stop him
from going in the house.

Police wonder why
he wants in the house so bad

and where he's been.

They had police out there
waiting for him

because they were prepared
to arrest him.

The vigil also puts a new name
on investigators' radar.

I had this suspicion inside
that it was Randall

from watching him grow up.

And Mary's theory
was only strengthened

the night of the vigil.

Mary made me aware

that there was somebody
suspicious at the vigil.

And then it dawned on me
who he was.

I was like,
"oh, that's Randall.

Why didn't he come
and say anything?"

He would just hang by
close enough

that he could listen to
everything that was being said.

Randall deviney grew
up alongside Delores' grandsons.

Delores would pay him
to cut the grass

and do little odd jobs
around her house.

She had taken care of him
many times throughout his life.

We went out to the neighborhood

and say, "hey, Randall, you mind
answering some questions?"

And he said, "sure.
I'll be glad to cooperate.

I loved Delores Futrell.
She was like a godmother to me."

Oh, thank you so much.

Delores gave Randall
more than work.

After recently moving out
of his mother's house,

Delores took him in
until he could get on his feet.

You know, I play that game
with shamali all the time,

and I beat him,
so I know I could beat you.

Bring it on.

He had a rough life at home,

and he needed some,
you know, some love,

and Delores provided that
for him.

She became
like a grandparent to him,

giving him time to hang out,
play video games,

to do all of those things.

Randall says he would
do anything for Delores

and wants to help them
catch her killer.

He went on
to make further statements

that anybody who committed
this horrific act

should be held accountable.

He said that this person
who did it was an evil person.

Who should police believe...

Randall...
- Raise your right hand.

...Or a man who says he was
out of state at the time?

When one of them points
his finger at the other,

will the evidence back him up?

The morning after
the candlelight vigil

for Delores Futrell,

nerves are frayed
up and down bennington drive.

Delores' longtime partner,
Hartwell Perkins,

comes into police headquarters
for questioning,

and among the first things
"H" reveals is that he is sick

and may not make it
to any potential trial.

Raise your right hand,
please.

The district attorney requests
a formal deposition.

What you're looking at

is to make sure that,

"a," you're getting
the right person

that you believe was involved.

At the time of the murder,

"H" says he was
in New York state

working as a chef
at a summer camp.

To test "H" 's story,

investigators speak to
grandson shamali.

They were suspecting,
like, me or my grandfather,

and they wanted to know
why we weren't in town,

where we were at.

Shamali recounts
the phone call...

Hello.

...He received from
a relative with the news.

I'm in New York,
and I get a phone call,

and they're like,

"something happened
to your grandma."

Is she all right?

"I don't want to go
into details,

but something bad happened.
Get down here now."

All right.
Bye.

I went and got my grandfather,
got in the car,

and we left within,
like, four hours.

Actually, that's how
I learned how to drive.

I don't know.
He just... he couldn't drive.

So I had to
get behind the wheel.

I was scared for my life.

I never drove a car
until that day.

"H" admits
when he left for his job,

he and Delores were having
an issue seeing eye-to-eye.

The problem was
with their neighbors.

That was a big argument
that they always had

because he would always tell her

he didn't want them
in the house.

She would always try to help
people, and "H" would tell her,

"don't talk to this person.
Don't talk to that person."

"H" mentions
one young man in particular...

Randall Deviney.

"H" kept telling my mother
over and over and over again,

"do not let that kid
in this house

because he is such bad news,"

and my mom wouldn't
listen to him,

and the only time
he would come in the house

was when "H" wasn't there.

Randall was living at home
with his mother and her husband

and his other siblings.

He had been a problem
in the household.

That's when Delores
gave him shelter.

He was spending his time
at my mother's house,

so my mother
was his safe haven.

Randall's sleeping there

was one step too far for "H."

Yeah?

When asked about
his old friend Randall,

shamali backs
his grandfather's account.

My grandmother would
look out for the kids

around the neighborhood
and bake cookies, cakes.

Some of the stuff
I didn't agree with.

I felt she was being too nice.

I mean, that was my grandma.

I ain't feel she should be
doing that for other kids,

but that was just who she was.

Delores Futrell
unfortunately was...

And thank god that there
are people like this

still in the world,
who just trusted everybody.

So it's possible
that she let them in,

just he wanted
to talk or something.

Two weeks after the murder,

the results from the crime-scene
rape kit and fingerprints

come back.

There was no evidence
that there was a sexual assault

in terms of from the evidence
from her body.

We did testing for fingerprints
on, like, her purse items,

so her credit card
and stuff like that.

We did process all those, but
we didn't get any results back.

There was no fingerprints.

Everything was clean,
as if somebody

had meticulously cleaned
everything or had made sure

that they weren't leaving
their fingerprints

or, quite frankly,
their DNA.

It confirms their earlier hunch.

The scene was staged.

Investigators are about
to find their man.

They just don't know
if they can prove it.

It took some convincing,
but Jacksonville detectives

working the Delores Futrell
murder

believe no one in her family
is involved.

This leaves only one
bennington drive suspect...

Family friend Randall Deviney.

Regardless of the fact
that he is such bad news,

my mom always tried
to look out for him

because she did feel like
he was a friend.

She felt a certain bond with him

because she did know him
from when he was little.

My mom let Randall stay with her

until he got back on his feet.

She liked him that much.

Delores' position
was an unpopular one

with the rest of the house.

The day before I left,

I was at my grandmother's house.

I was watching something on TV,
and I got tired.

I went to sleep.

I woke up...

...Randall just sitting
on the couch.

He just got up and left.

He never said, "hey,"
or anything.

I'm working with him
right now.

Shamali... he asked mom,

"what was Randall doing
at the house?"

Because he knew that "H" didn't
want him in the house.

"H" said he won't
tolerate this.

"H" isn't here.

My mom got upset
with shamali

and told him,
"who do you think you are?

This is my house,
and you're not the boss."

So don't tell me that
Randall can't stay here.

You understand that?
Yes, ma'am.

Don't bring that confusion
into my house.

Do you understand me?
Yes, ma'am.

Delores gives Randall
a place to stay,

but to avoid argument
upon "H" and Shamali's return,

she confronts Randall.

You're not gonna be able
to stay here anymore,

and I love you
like I love shamali,

but you can't stay here.

A lot of times, if you
have people staying with you

and you tell them
they have to leave...

Are we okay?

- Okay.
- Okay, baby.

I mean, if that's the only place
they have to go,

yeah, they gonna get mad,
gonna get upset.

Given all the red flags

thrown up by
Delores' family and neighbors,

police invite Randall in
for more serious questioning.

Interviewing a homicide
suspect is a strategy.

You want them to tell you
the worst thing

they've ever done
in their life,

and their whole purpose is
to lie and not tell you.

No one ever admits
to killing someone

the first question
you ask them.

The detectives' sights are set

on getting one thing
from Randall.

Basically,
we needed him to tell us

how his DNA would be
underneath her fingernails.

But Randall surprises them.

If he would have said,
"hey. I was at her house.

I helped her off the couch.
We moved her to the bedroom,"

whatever it might have been,

that might have been
explainable.

But if you lie and you say,
"no, I didn't touch her,"

you have him.

With his DNA sample
now booked into evidence,

Randall changes his story.

Randall claimed that
he went to the house

and that he was talking
to Delores Futrell.

They were in the backyard.

He had helped Mr. Perkins
build the koi pond,

so he was back there to see
how it was functioning.

- Yeah.
- I'm so proud of you.

You know, speaking of, I want
to talk to you for a minute.

- Okay.
- You know...

Delores started talking
about his past.

I want to help you
get through it.

I know about the situation
with your mother.

I know about the situation
with your father.

Delores was on him
about his behavior,

about his life,

about trying to get him
on the straight and narrow.

He had been arrested
for felonies.

She basically let him know
that that was unacceptable.

He had some issues.

Delores wanted him to get help.

Though Randall won't admit it,

this is where detectives
believe he snapped.

Randall did not like the fact

that they were discussing
his childhood,

and he had a temper.

Randall also has
a fishing knife in his pocket.

Delores, I don't want
to talk about this.

You need to
talk about it.

I'm here for you.

I'm not comfortable with this,
Delores.

I really need you
to talk to me.

Delores, I don't want to
talk to you!

That's when she grabbed him
by the arm.

You've got to
talk to me. Ah!

He just reacted...

And attacked her.

Stop!
Stop it! Stop it!

There was a struggle.

She was able to scratch him.

She wanted to somehow get that
DNA underneath her fingernails.

She always watched
those crime shows,

and so she knew
that the only way

that she would be able to get
somebody is to get some DNA,

so she made sure
she scratched him and got it.

When the DNA evidence
comes back,

they have all the proof
they need.

Randall's DNA is found
underneath Delores' fingernails.

Which is crucial.

That can only get there

by the person
who was murdering her.

Randall Deviney says, "yeah.
I had somebody inside of me.

You know, somebody
caused me to do it.

I kind of lost it."

In October 2017,
Randall Deviney is convicted

of first-degree murder
and sentenced to death.

It was a heinous
and senseless crime.

I believe that death penalty
is a fitting punishment.

Why should my tax dollars
go to support him

for the rest of his life?

He doesn't deserve
to live anymore.

He took my grandmother from me.

He came to her vigil.

He, like, shook my hand.

He pretended like he cared
about my grandmother,

when the whole time,
he killed my grandmother.