See No Evil (2014–…): Season 10, Episode 2 - I Will Follow - full transcript
There are only two eyewitnesses to the murder of Abigail Gasca-Chavez in her own home: her baby and the neighborhood security cameras. As investigators draw in on a suspect, he flees across the Mexican border, and they must go after him.
Family to Abigail,
she put it above everything.
She would always say,
"I'd die for one of you guys."
They were
aggressively following her,
clearly chasing her.
You know that
she's going in there
and she's about to die.
And there's nothing you can do
other than watch it unfold.
The range was very close.
This had the hallmark
of an assassination.
[theme music playing]
Hey, little guys.
-How's it going?
-Good.
What's the construction work
you're doing?
Huh? What are
you building today?
[narrator] 19-year-old
Abigail Gasca Chavez
lives at home with her
four-year-old daughter Brianna
and her two-year-old
son Angel.
One, two, three!
You forgot your sister!
My sister, she really was
a great person.
The best I could say
in my life.
All right, perfect. So we're
gonna braid your hair.
Family to her,
she put it above everything.
Come here. Give me a hug.
[Jose] She was a good person.
She had a good heart.
[chuckling] Oh!
[Aime] She wanted
to continue school.
She wanted
to be somebody in life.
[speaking Spanish]
[narrator] Later that day,
Abigail's neighbor
hears strange noises
coming from her house.
[thumping]
It was like a hammer hitting
wood, "Thump, thump, thump,"
and then he found Abigail's
son outside alone, upset.
Angel, who was
only two years old,
came out of the back
of the house
and was crying hysterically.
And he was yelling,
"Momma, Momma."
The neighbor called Adela,
Abigail's mom,
and said, "Something's wrong."
So Adela called Aime
to go check on Abigail.
[cell phone ringing]
I get my mom's phone call,
and she tells me,
"Where are you?
Where's Abigail?
Go look for her,
go look what she's doing,
because something
had happened to her."
As I took steps
inside the room,
I seen these little caskets
of the bullets
on the floor.
And I took three more steps
and there was my sister...
on the floor.
I remember seeing that
she had a puddle of blood.
So I called the cops.
[operator on phone]
911, what's your emergency?
[Tracey]
So, a 911 call came in
to our Monterey
Communications Center.
It was from Aime Gasca.
She was quite panicked.
She said that her sister had
a lot of blood on her face.
So they dispatched police
immediately out to the house.
[sirens blaring]
Two officers from Greenfield
Police Department arrived,
and they were
initially unclear
about what had happened.
Aime was quite hysterical,
and said that
her sister was hurt
and down in the living room.
She didn't know
if she was dead.
[Aime speaking]
They did an initial sweep
of the house,
and what they saw was that
she had been shot,
and determined that
Abigail was deceased.
[Aime] There was yellow string
all over the house.
And they let me know...
that my sister was
no longer with me.
[chatter on police radio]
Where is she?
[speaking Spanish]
No!
[crying]
[phone ringing]
[David] I received
a telephone call.
Said that they'd had
a homicide in Greenfield.
[sirens blaring]
The residence
was very dimly lit.
Shell casings were noted
on the floor.
The victim had one
bullet defect in her forehead,
and there were
six additional defects
on the right side of her head.
The range was very close.
The shot placement
was very deliberate.
This had the hallmark
of an assassination.
[chatter on police radio]
She had been shot point-blank
seven times in the head
at close range,
and nothing had been
disturbed in the house.
To me, that tells me this is
a crime of rage.
This is somebody
that knew her.
This is a dangerous person
who's armed and on the run.
And it's imperative
we talk to family
and find out
who were the people
closely involved
with the victim.
We actually need a list
of all of her close contacts
if you don't mind.
What I learned from Aime
was that Abigail had
her daughter Brianna
with her then ex-boyfriend,
Christian Razzo.
Abigail's true love
was Christian.
And she fell in love with him
first sight.
Things didn't work out good.
He wasn't giving her
the attention she needed.
She was living a bad life.
So that's when
Ernesto came in the picture.
[narrator] Abigail began
a new relationship
with Christian's cousin,
Ernesto Hernandez.
Ernesto met Abigail
at a family reunion
at the Hernandez house,
and according to Aime,
they had
an immediate flirtation.
Ernesto comes in
and shows that he has money,
he's working a stable job
and this and that,
and he's showing
love, attention.
Well, she fell for it.
[Aime]
Ernesto got her pregnant.
And, well, Christian and her,
they were no longer together.
Do you have
any recent photographs
of Christian, Ernesto?
This is Christian.
Christian was unhappy
with the fact that
she was dating Ernesto.
We deal with
a lot of domestic violence,
and jealousy
obviously plays a huge role
in a lot of those incidences.
So we wanted
to track Christian down
as quickly as possible
to see what
his involvement was.
[Peter]
Greenfield Police Department
started canvassing
the crime scene
and local areas for any type
of surveillance cameras.
We were able to locate
three residences
that had a view
of Abigail's house.
We were very hopeful that
we were able to catch
the suspect leaving.
We knew that the 911 call came
in at 12:37 in the afternoon.
So we started
looking at video footage
around that time period.
All right,
let's see what we've got.
[narrator] Abigail's house
is in the top-left of frame.
Ah. Can you zoom in?
Looks like Abigail's car.
[Tracey] At 12:34,
Abigail arrives home
in her grey Mazda Tribute
and parks in the driveway.
Okay, play on.
Is that Abigail?
[Peter] Abigail got out,
and started casually walking
into her house.
She acted normal,
didn't look like anything
was bothering her.
Wow. Play that again?
Stop. Zoom in.
[Peter]
Approximately one minute
after Abigail being inside
the house,
a male suspect comes
running out with a hoodie,
and running away on foot.
That's the murderer.
That's the person
we need to find.
Who is this guy?
Can you zoom in further?
It's too low res.
The camera was
kind of grainy, unfortunately,
and didn't have
the best angle,
but he was wearing
a light grey hoodie
which was pulled up
over his head.
He had on blue jeans
and dark shoes.
[Peter] He was
approximately 5'6" to 5'8"
and he was holding
something in his waistband
that as an investigator,
I knew that was a firearm.
We'd like to view the footage
from the morning
of the murder, please.
[Peter] It's always important
to look at
the time around the 911 call.
But investigators are also
concerned about what happened
in the hours
leading up to her death.
Hang on.
[Tracey] About 09:12
in the morning,
a black car pulls up
at Abigail's home.
Can we ID the car?
[Peter] It was
a black four-door sedan,
possibly a Volkswagen Jetta.
[narrator] The person
coming out of the house
seems to be Abigail...
and approaches the car
multiple times.
[Megan] This person is
kind of in Abigail's space.
Pinning her car in there,
her car can't exit.
Is this an argument?
[Peter] We could not hear
what they were saying,
but based on the visual
demeanors of both parties,
it did look like they were
involved in an argument.
What is going on?
This black car is parked
behind her little SUV,
and it eventually backs out
kinda grudgingly.
Abigail exits...
and this vehicle
actually flips around
to travel
in the same direction as her.
This was a person
who was not giving up,
was not happy with
how the argument's going,
and they are
now following her.
Can we get
another angle on this?
That's her.
Show that again.
[Megan] This black sedan
goes through the stop sign,
doesn't stop, and crosses
on the opposite side
of the road
from where it should be
to be able
to keep up with her.
They were
aggressively following her,
clearly chasing her,
and so that was
pretty alarming.
Approximately 10 minutes later
you see Abigail
returning back to her house.
And within seconds you have
the black Volkswagen
pulling in the driveway
and blocking her vehicle
from leaving.
[Tracey] You can
see the person
who has exited
this black sedan,
wearing it looks like
a grey sweatshirt.
[Peter] That's the person
that was wearing
the same clothing
as the person
running from the house
after the shooting.
What's going on
in my mind at this time
is this is
a domestic violence dispute,
and it's not stopping,
and it's escalating,
and it's getting
more confrontational.
At 09:50 we see Abigail
leaving the residence again,
and this time in a hurry.
Shortly afterwards you see
the same
black Volkswagen vehicle
chasing her
down the street again.
She looks like
she's being harassed,
and she's clearly trying
to flee him at that point.
Do we see him
return to the house?
Zoom in and play again.
[Peter] At approximately
12:21 in the afternoon,
the same person
that Abigail's having
arguments with
throughout the day
showed up at the residence
on foot.
This person goes up to
the front part of the house,
peeks through a window,
then goes along
the side of the house
and this person ends up going
through the rear house door.
Okay, what happens next?
Okay, this is Abigail back.
[Peter] After the suspect
has been inside the house
waiting for Abigail
to return home,
she arrives
five minutes later.
[Megan] What we're seeing
right here with this video
is Abigail's killer
lying in wait,
waiting to ambush her,
waiting to kill her.
When Abigail arrives home,
that black car
is nowhere to be seen.
Perhaps there's
that sense of relief.
[Peter] She gets out,
she's walking with
her two-year-old son.
Not worried about anything.
She had no idea
what was gonna happen to her
when she walked
through those doors.
She has no idea this would be
the last moments of her life.
[Tracey] You know that
she's going in there
and she's about to die.
And there's nothing you can do
other than watch it unfold.
And approximately
56 seconds later,
you see the male subject
running out.
There was no doubt
in my mind at this point
that what we were seeing
was the murderer leaving
after he had shot her.
[Tracey] We made a big effort
to find Christian
and speak with him.
I definitely had concerns
that he could have been
involved in Abigail's murder.
When's the last time
you saw Abigail?
Uh, March 20th.
But she'd been texting me.
She said she wanted
to get back together with me.
[Tracey] He did confirm that
they had broken up,
but they had been seeing
each other for the last month
and were talking about
getting back together.
Do you think
Ernesto realized this?
[Peter] We had learned
that Ernesto had been
in and out of trouble
throughout most of his life.
He was part of a Norteno
criminal street gang.
We know that this type
of violent behavior
was an execution.
And that's typical
with criminal street gangs.
I was able to confirm
through Christian's work
that he was at work that day,
so he couldn't have been
involved in the homicide.
Christian was cooperating
with law enforcement,
gave his statement,
and he was quickly eliminated
as a suspect
in this investigation.
[narrator] Investigators
interview Abigail's sister.
[Megan] They spoke with Aime,
wanting to know
what was Abigail's
state of mind,
what was happening
with Abigail that day.
And Aime was able to tell them
that Abigail seemed okay
in the morning.
[investigator speaking]
[Aime speaking]
[Aime] She showed up
to my house,
and I remember her telling me,
"Ernesto, he's following me."
She was panicked.
I had never seen her
like that before.
I just remember her telling me
that she was not gonna
be with him no more.
[Tracey] And she said that
Abigail wanted
to get back with Christian,
and that she was planning
to break up with Ernesto
that day.
Ernesto Hernandez became
the focal point
of this investigation,
the key person of interest
in this investigation.
But he was
nowhere to be found,
and we needed
to find him quickly.
[narrator] Investigators
subpoena Ernesto Hernandez's
cell phone records
and put out a BOLO
for his black Volkswagen.
We had searched
everywhere that we could
in the immediate area
for Ernesto,
and we could not locate him.
So the next step
was to conduct
a search warrant
at Ernesto's house.
We're looking for your son
in connection with a murder.
[Peter] We're wondering if you
might know his whereabouts.
His mom said that he had
actually come home that day
and he had been home
for just a short while
and then he left.
She didn't know
where he was going.
But in talking to her
about where he might go,
she said that they had family
in Mexico,
so we had
a good starting point
based on that information.
We needed to find him.
We know that he's armed,
we know that he's dangerous.
[narrator] As the detectives
search for Ernesto,
Abigail's family prepare
for her funeral.
[Aime] I couldn't even
take care of myself,
because every time
I would close my eyes
I would just see my sister.
I would love
to remember my sister
as a young, strong,
beautiful woman
who was doing everything
the right way.
[Adela speaking Spanish]
Trace, got the phone records.
Based on the cell phone
information that we got back
on Ernesto's phone number,
we were finally able to see,
within about three hours
of the homicide,
that he had started
traveling towards LA.
In any criminal investigation,
we look at possible mode
of transports out of the area.
A person had just committed
a violent homicide,
he's not gonna stay local
where people recognize him.
He's gonna go on the run.
Ernesto would know that
his car was wanted for murder,
so he would wanna
get rid of that car
as quickly as possible.
[narrator] Investigators check
the Greyhound bus station
in LA.
They confirm that
there was footage
of a person matching
Ernesto's description.
Tracey ended up
driving down there
and we were able to retrieve
that surveillance.
Zoom in and play again.
[Peter] We see him arriving
at the Greyhound bus station
parking lot.
Then he gets out.
Can we see where he goes?
Let's see that again.
[Peter] He walks into
the Greyhound bus station,
wearing the exact
same clothing
that he did
when he killed Abigail,
the grey sweatshirt,
the dark-colored pants,
and acting like
nothing has happened.
Can we pick him up inside?
Zoom in on his face.
[Peter] Eventually he
approaches one of the kiosks
and purchases a ticket.
We need to know
which bus he gets on.
There he is.
[narrator] Ernesto exits
the ticket office
and boards a bus.
[Tracey] They were able to
obtain the list of passengers.
And he purchased the ticket
in his name.
[Tracey] Got him.
We now know
this is Ernesto Hernandez.
And the destination on
the ticket was McAllen, Texas.
[narrator]
Officers are deployed
to the bus station
in California
to look for the vehicle
Ernesto left behind.
[Tracey] That's the car
he was driving
before and after
Abigail was killed,
so he may have
gotten into the car
and had blood on his clothing,
or something that may have
transferred on to the car.
He may have had
weapons in the car,
or any number of things
that we would wanna recover.
[narrator] But the vehicle
from the parking lot
has vanished.
Detectives search for footage
of the car leaving.
Show that again.
[narrator] Seven minutes after
Ernesto boarded
the bus to Texas,
his vehicle
leaves the parking lot,
followed by a red Dodge.
Okay, let's back it up.
[Tracey] I see that
they pull in right next to
where Ernesto has parked
his black VW Jetta.
[Tracey] I can see
a figure moving
from the red Dodge
to Ernesto's sedan.
Show me the car's exit again.
I see both the Dodge Magnum
back out and the VW Jetta,
so they've clearly retrieved
a key from somewhere
and you see both cars
following one another
out of the parking lot.
Somebody had been
in contact with Ernesto
and they had
clearly come there
to retrieve that car for him.
We need to find out who's
removed Ernesto's car.
[narrator] Detectives mine
Ernesto's cell phone records.
One of the things that was
significant from his call logs
was that after
Abigail's death,
his calls
with his brother Abel spiked.
[Peter] Were
other people involved?
Are we looking
for co-conspirators?
We didn't know at that point.
[narrator] Detectives
have got their hands
on the surveillance video
from the Greyhound bus station
in McAllen, Texas.
We needed to find out
if Ernesto was still in Texas
or someplace else.
The bus arrives around 12:40,
so can we watch it from there.
Bingo!
Got you.
[Peter] We see him
on surveillance cameras
getting off the bus.
walking around
the Greyhound bus station
and then exiting out.
Does the footage show
where he goes from there?
Damn.
We'll have to track him
from his cell phone.
Based on the cell phone
information that we got back
on Ernesto's phone,
we were able to see
that his phone picks up
in McAllen, Texas.
But on April 1st,
Ernesto's phone goes dead.
So, we have no idea
where he's at,
if he's still
in McAllen, Texas
or has he crossed over
to Mexico.
In our experience
he has dumped the phone
and is looking
for a burner phone.
And it was imperative
that we get
further information on what
that new number could be.
[narrator] Investigators get
a warrant to search
Ernesto's brother Abel's home.
[police speaking]
[banging on door]
On April 4th,
we search Abel's house.
We find the Volkswagen key
inside his work jumpsuit.
One of the searching officers
happen to bump into,
like, a pitcher
and a napkin
with a telephone number
drops from behind it.
One of the officers says,
"Hey, that's a Texas
telephone number."
And I said, "Hey, put
that telephone number back."
[narrator] Investigators
believe that this is
Ernesto's new
cell phone number.
They want him
to continue using it
to track his movements.
Police bring in Abel Hernandez
for questioning.
So, you know your brother's
wanted for murder
and we're aware he drove
to the bus station
and someone subsequently
collected his car.
Care to explain this to us?
Abel maintained
that he didn't know
what the key belonged to
or who it belonged to.
[Peter] His story was
some unknown person
had shown up at his work
to drop off this unknown key.
He didn't know
who it belonged to,
knew nothing about it.
Further into the interrogation
he finally admitted
that, yes, Ernesto does drive
a Volkswagen Jetta.
And we took possession
of that key as evidence.
Do you have any idea
where your brother Ernesto is?
[narrator] With Abel
remaining tight-lipped,
investigators trace the origin
of the Texas cell number found
in his home.
We knew that was
a Texas phone number.
We were able to verify
that it was a Cricket carrier.
[Peter] So, I flew to Texas
and interviewed
the Cricket Wireless employee
who sold the cell phone.
[narrator] Cricket employees
show police surveillance video
of the transaction.
We are on the lookout
for this man.
So, I just need you to run
through some video.
Stop.
Zoom in.
That's him.
[Tracey] And it is clear
at that point that that is
Ernesto Hernandez.
[narrator] Police request
the location data
from Ernesto's new phone.
When we find
the new telephone number
for Ernesto Hernandez,
we do see movement
towards the border to Mexico.
And then we see him cross
over into Mexico
and we lose track of him.
We've lost him.
In my experience,
when somebody disappears
into Mexico,
it is hard if not impossible
to bring them back.
[narrator] Across
the border in Mexico,
Ernesto Hernandez is out
of law enforcement's reach,
but his car is not.
[Peter] Eventually,
Greenfield police found
Ernesto's car
back in Greenfield
about two to three streets
from the victim's house.
It matches the video
where we see
the same car
following Abigail.
With the key that was found
on Abel's work clothes.
We open the car door.
The inside of the vehicle
had been wiped down,
but inside the car was
ammunition box foam
that matched
a .32 caliber pistol,
which was the same caliber
that was used to kill Abigail.
[narrator] While evidence
stacks up against Ernesto,
investigators still need
to prove
that Ernesto's brother Abel
helped him escape.
We examined
Abel's call detail records.
Inside Abel's cell phone was
a photograph of a CHP ticket
that he had received
the day of the murder
heading down to LA.
The ticket was issued
to Abel's brother Rigoberto.
He was driving.
Abel was the front passenger.
They were inside
a maroon Dodge Magnum.
It's the same vehicle that was
at the bust station.
[Peter] Based
on that vehicle description,
we went back
to the Greyhound bus station
surveillance footage
that showed when
that car arrived into
the Greyhound bus station.
You see Abel Hernandez
getting into
the black Volkswagen Jetta
and driving off in it.
And you see the Dodge Magnum
following the vehicle
out of camera view.
Based on this evidence,
the district attorney's office
issues arrests warrants
for Abel
and we take him into custody.
[narrator]
Rigoberto Hernandez,
who drove Abel to pick up
Ernesto's vehicle,
is not believed to have had
any knowledge or involvement
in the crime
and faces no charges.
Meanwhile,
Mexican law enforcement is
hunting for Ernesto Hernandez.
We were eventually contacted
by Mexican authorities
who said that they had
Ernesto in custody
and that he would be
extradited out of Mexico
within 24 hours.
So, it was
a huge sense of relief
to have him in custody
and to know that we had
finally found him.
Gracias.
[Peter] We attempted
to interview him.
He was so callous.
Didn't care.
Felt like it was
an inconvenience
that he was even here
to deal with this.
Denied all involvement
in the murder.
[narrator]
Ernesto Hernandez is charged
with the first-degree murder
of Abigail Gasca-Chavez.
[Peter] The following morning
we were transporting him
back to Monterey County,
and during
the entire trip home
all he wanted to know was,
"How did you catch me?"
He didn't care about Abigail.
Never asked about her.
[narrator]
On December 8th, 2017,
he sees his day in court.
[Peter] What I think happened
that day was
Abigail was in a very
bad abusive relationship
with Ernesto.
She had decided
to break it off.
Stop harassing me.
We got a kid together, yeah?
No. I need space.
I believe she communicated
her thoughts with Ernesto
and that's what prompted him
to become so aggressive.
Leave me alone!
It started off
with just arguing
and then chasing her.
And then lying in wait
for her to come home,
so he had
his golden opportunity
to shoot her...
Wait for me. Wait for me.
-[gun cocking]
-...and show her who's boss
in his mind.
And then he fled.
He was just
a cold-blooded killer.
[Tracey]
The surveillance video
was huge.
It made our entire case.
And when we were able to bring
that all together in court,
it really told the story.
Showing how Ernesto Hernandez
was stalking his victim,
harassing his victim,
it painted a picture
so that the jury had
no problems
with convicting him
of first-degree murder.
He received a sentence
of life in prison
without the possibility
of parole.
[narrator] Ernesto's brother,
Abel Hernandez,
also pleads guilty to being
an accessory after the fact
and receives
a four-year sentence.
[Jose] My sister finally
got her justice
and she can now rest in peace.
[Adela in Spanish]
[Aime] I didn't just lose
a sister, a friend.
I lost a part of me.
It's a pain we have
to learn to live with.
It's a pain...
that no matter what time,
what day,
it is... It'll
always be there.
she put it above everything.
She would always say,
"I'd die for one of you guys."
They were
aggressively following her,
clearly chasing her.
You know that
she's going in there
and she's about to die.
And there's nothing you can do
other than watch it unfold.
The range was very close.
This had the hallmark
of an assassination.
[theme music playing]
Hey, little guys.
-How's it going?
-Good.
What's the construction work
you're doing?
Huh? What are
you building today?
[narrator] 19-year-old
Abigail Gasca Chavez
lives at home with her
four-year-old daughter Brianna
and her two-year-old
son Angel.
One, two, three!
You forgot your sister!
My sister, she really was
a great person.
The best I could say
in my life.
All right, perfect. So we're
gonna braid your hair.
Family to her,
she put it above everything.
Come here. Give me a hug.
[Jose] She was a good person.
She had a good heart.
[chuckling] Oh!
[Aime] She wanted
to continue school.
She wanted
to be somebody in life.
[speaking Spanish]
[narrator] Later that day,
Abigail's neighbor
hears strange noises
coming from her house.
[thumping]
It was like a hammer hitting
wood, "Thump, thump, thump,"
and then he found Abigail's
son outside alone, upset.
Angel, who was
only two years old,
came out of the back
of the house
and was crying hysterically.
And he was yelling,
"Momma, Momma."
The neighbor called Adela,
Abigail's mom,
and said, "Something's wrong."
So Adela called Aime
to go check on Abigail.
[cell phone ringing]
I get my mom's phone call,
and she tells me,
"Where are you?
Where's Abigail?
Go look for her,
go look what she's doing,
because something
had happened to her."
As I took steps
inside the room,
I seen these little caskets
of the bullets
on the floor.
And I took three more steps
and there was my sister...
on the floor.
I remember seeing that
she had a puddle of blood.
So I called the cops.
[operator on phone]
911, what's your emergency?
[Tracey]
So, a 911 call came in
to our Monterey
Communications Center.
It was from Aime Gasca.
She was quite panicked.
She said that her sister had
a lot of blood on her face.
So they dispatched police
immediately out to the house.
[sirens blaring]
Two officers from Greenfield
Police Department arrived,
and they were
initially unclear
about what had happened.
Aime was quite hysterical,
and said that
her sister was hurt
and down in the living room.
She didn't know
if she was dead.
[Aime speaking]
They did an initial sweep
of the house,
and what they saw was that
she had been shot,
and determined that
Abigail was deceased.
[Aime] There was yellow string
all over the house.
And they let me know...
that my sister was
no longer with me.
[chatter on police radio]
Where is she?
[speaking Spanish]
No!
[crying]
[phone ringing]
[David] I received
a telephone call.
Said that they'd had
a homicide in Greenfield.
[sirens blaring]
The residence
was very dimly lit.
Shell casings were noted
on the floor.
The victim had one
bullet defect in her forehead,
and there were
six additional defects
on the right side of her head.
The range was very close.
The shot placement
was very deliberate.
This had the hallmark
of an assassination.
[chatter on police radio]
She had been shot point-blank
seven times in the head
at close range,
and nothing had been
disturbed in the house.
To me, that tells me this is
a crime of rage.
This is somebody
that knew her.
This is a dangerous person
who's armed and on the run.
And it's imperative
we talk to family
and find out
who were the people
closely involved
with the victim.
We actually need a list
of all of her close contacts
if you don't mind.
What I learned from Aime
was that Abigail had
her daughter Brianna
with her then ex-boyfriend,
Christian Razzo.
Abigail's true love
was Christian.
And she fell in love with him
first sight.
Things didn't work out good.
He wasn't giving her
the attention she needed.
She was living a bad life.
So that's when
Ernesto came in the picture.
[narrator] Abigail began
a new relationship
with Christian's cousin,
Ernesto Hernandez.
Ernesto met Abigail
at a family reunion
at the Hernandez house,
and according to Aime,
they had
an immediate flirtation.
Ernesto comes in
and shows that he has money,
he's working a stable job
and this and that,
and he's showing
love, attention.
Well, she fell for it.
[Aime]
Ernesto got her pregnant.
And, well, Christian and her,
they were no longer together.
Do you have
any recent photographs
of Christian, Ernesto?
This is Christian.
Christian was unhappy
with the fact that
she was dating Ernesto.
We deal with
a lot of domestic violence,
and jealousy
obviously plays a huge role
in a lot of those incidences.
So we wanted
to track Christian down
as quickly as possible
to see what
his involvement was.
[Peter]
Greenfield Police Department
started canvassing
the crime scene
and local areas for any type
of surveillance cameras.
We were able to locate
three residences
that had a view
of Abigail's house.
We were very hopeful that
we were able to catch
the suspect leaving.
We knew that the 911 call came
in at 12:37 in the afternoon.
So we started
looking at video footage
around that time period.
All right,
let's see what we've got.
[narrator] Abigail's house
is in the top-left of frame.
Ah. Can you zoom in?
Looks like Abigail's car.
[Tracey] At 12:34,
Abigail arrives home
in her grey Mazda Tribute
and parks in the driveway.
Okay, play on.
Is that Abigail?
[Peter] Abigail got out,
and started casually walking
into her house.
She acted normal,
didn't look like anything
was bothering her.
Wow. Play that again?
Stop. Zoom in.
[Peter]
Approximately one minute
after Abigail being inside
the house,
a male suspect comes
running out with a hoodie,
and running away on foot.
That's the murderer.
That's the person
we need to find.
Who is this guy?
Can you zoom in further?
It's too low res.
The camera was
kind of grainy, unfortunately,
and didn't have
the best angle,
but he was wearing
a light grey hoodie
which was pulled up
over his head.
He had on blue jeans
and dark shoes.
[Peter] He was
approximately 5'6" to 5'8"
and he was holding
something in his waistband
that as an investigator,
I knew that was a firearm.
We'd like to view the footage
from the morning
of the murder, please.
[Peter] It's always important
to look at
the time around the 911 call.
But investigators are also
concerned about what happened
in the hours
leading up to her death.
Hang on.
[Tracey] About 09:12
in the morning,
a black car pulls up
at Abigail's home.
Can we ID the car?
[Peter] It was
a black four-door sedan,
possibly a Volkswagen Jetta.
[narrator] The person
coming out of the house
seems to be Abigail...
and approaches the car
multiple times.
[Megan] This person is
kind of in Abigail's space.
Pinning her car in there,
her car can't exit.
Is this an argument?
[Peter] We could not hear
what they were saying,
but based on the visual
demeanors of both parties,
it did look like they were
involved in an argument.
What is going on?
This black car is parked
behind her little SUV,
and it eventually backs out
kinda grudgingly.
Abigail exits...
and this vehicle
actually flips around
to travel
in the same direction as her.
This was a person
who was not giving up,
was not happy with
how the argument's going,
and they are
now following her.
Can we get
another angle on this?
That's her.
Show that again.
[Megan] This black sedan
goes through the stop sign,
doesn't stop, and crosses
on the opposite side
of the road
from where it should be
to be able
to keep up with her.
They were
aggressively following her,
clearly chasing her,
and so that was
pretty alarming.
Approximately 10 minutes later
you see Abigail
returning back to her house.
And within seconds you have
the black Volkswagen
pulling in the driveway
and blocking her vehicle
from leaving.
[Tracey] You can
see the person
who has exited
this black sedan,
wearing it looks like
a grey sweatshirt.
[Peter] That's the person
that was wearing
the same clothing
as the person
running from the house
after the shooting.
What's going on
in my mind at this time
is this is
a domestic violence dispute,
and it's not stopping,
and it's escalating,
and it's getting
more confrontational.
At 09:50 we see Abigail
leaving the residence again,
and this time in a hurry.
Shortly afterwards you see
the same
black Volkswagen vehicle
chasing her
down the street again.
She looks like
she's being harassed,
and she's clearly trying
to flee him at that point.
Do we see him
return to the house?
Zoom in and play again.
[Peter] At approximately
12:21 in the afternoon,
the same person
that Abigail's having
arguments with
throughout the day
showed up at the residence
on foot.
This person goes up to
the front part of the house,
peeks through a window,
then goes along
the side of the house
and this person ends up going
through the rear house door.
Okay, what happens next?
Okay, this is Abigail back.
[Peter] After the suspect
has been inside the house
waiting for Abigail
to return home,
she arrives
five minutes later.
[Megan] What we're seeing
right here with this video
is Abigail's killer
lying in wait,
waiting to ambush her,
waiting to kill her.
When Abigail arrives home,
that black car
is nowhere to be seen.
Perhaps there's
that sense of relief.
[Peter] She gets out,
she's walking with
her two-year-old son.
Not worried about anything.
She had no idea
what was gonna happen to her
when she walked
through those doors.
She has no idea this would be
the last moments of her life.
[Tracey] You know that
she's going in there
and she's about to die.
And there's nothing you can do
other than watch it unfold.
And approximately
56 seconds later,
you see the male subject
running out.
There was no doubt
in my mind at this point
that what we were seeing
was the murderer leaving
after he had shot her.
[Tracey] We made a big effort
to find Christian
and speak with him.
I definitely had concerns
that he could have been
involved in Abigail's murder.
When's the last time
you saw Abigail?
Uh, March 20th.
But she'd been texting me.
She said she wanted
to get back together with me.
[Tracey] He did confirm that
they had broken up,
but they had been seeing
each other for the last month
and were talking about
getting back together.
Do you think
Ernesto realized this?
[Peter] We had learned
that Ernesto had been
in and out of trouble
throughout most of his life.
He was part of a Norteno
criminal street gang.
We know that this type
of violent behavior
was an execution.
And that's typical
with criminal street gangs.
I was able to confirm
through Christian's work
that he was at work that day,
so he couldn't have been
involved in the homicide.
Christian was cooperating
with law enforcement,
gave his statement,
and he was quickly eliminated
as a suspect
in this investigation.
[narrator] Investigators
interview Abigail's sister.
[Megan] They spoke with Aime,
wanting to know
what was Abigail's
state of mind,
what was happening
with Abigail that day.
And Aime was able to tell them
that Abigail seemed okay
in the morning.
[investigator speaking]
[Aime speaking]
[Aime] She showed up
to my house,
and I remember her telling me,
"Ernesto, he's following me."
She was panicked.
I had never seen her
like that before.
I just remember her telling me
that she was not gonna
be with him no more.
[Tracey] And she said that
Abigail wanted
to get back with Christian,
and that she was planning
to break up with Ernesto
that day.
Ernesto Hernandez became
the focal point
of this investigation,
the key person of interest
in this investigation.
But he was
nowhere to be found,
and we needed
to find him quickly.
[narrator] Investigators
subpoena Ernesto Hernandez's
cell phone records
and put out a BOLO
for his black Volkswagen.
We had searched
everywhere that we could
in the immediate area
for Ernesto,
and we could not locate him.
So the next step
was to conduct
a search warrant
at Ernesto's house.
We're looking for your son
in connection with a murder.
[Peter] We're wondering if you
might know his whereabouts.
His mom said that he had
actually come home that day
and he had been home
for just a short while
and then he left.
She didn't know
where he was going.
But in talking to her
about where he might go,
she said that they had family
in Mexico,
so we had
a good starting point
based on that information.
We needed to find him.
We know that he's armed,
we know that he's dangerous.
[narrator] As the detectives
search for Ernesto,
Abigail's family prepare
for her funeral.
[Aime] I couldn't even
take care of myself,
because every time
I would close my eyes
I would just see my sister.
I would love
to remember my sister
as a young, strong,
beautiful woman
who was doing everything
the right way.
[Adela speaking Spanish]
Trace, got the phone records.
Based on the cell phone
information that we got back
on Ernesto's phone number,
we were finally able to see,
within about three hours
of the homicide,
that he had started
traveling towards LA.
In any criminal investigation,
we look at possible mode
of transports out of the area.
A person had just committed
a violent homicide,
he's not gonna stay local
where people recognize him.
He's gonna go on the run.
Ernesto would know that
his car was wanted for murder,
so he would wanna
get rid of that car
as quickly as possible.
[narrator] Investigators check
the Greyhound bus station
in LA.
They confirm that
there was footage
of a person matching
Ernesto's description.
Tracey ended up
driving down there
and we were able to retrieve
that surveillance.
Zoom in and play again.
[Peter] We see him arriving
at the Greyhound bus station
parking lot.
Then he gets out.
Can we see where he goes?
Let's see that again.
[Peter] He walks into
the Greyhound bus station,
wearing the exact
same clothing
that he did
when he killed Abigail,
the grey sweatshirt,
the dark-colored pants,
and acting like
nothing has happened.
Can we pick him up inside?
Zoom in on his face.
[Peter] Eventually he
approaches one of the kiosks
and purchases a ticket.
We need to know
which bus he gets on.
There he is.
[narrator] Ernesto exits
the ticket office
and boards a bus.
[Tracey] They were able to
obtain the list of passengers.
And he purchased the ticket
in his name.
[Tracey] Got him.
We now know
this is Ernesto Hernandez.
And the destination on
the ticket was McAllen, Texas.
[narrator]
Officers are deployed
to the bus station
in California
to look for the vehicle
Ernesto left behind.
[Tracey] That's the car
he was driving
before and after
Abigail was killed,
so he may have
gotten into the car
and had blood on his clothing,
or something that may have
transferred on to the car.
He may have had
weapons in the car,
or any number of things
that we would wanna recover.
[narrator] But the vehicle
from the parking lot
has vanished.
Detectives search for footage
of the car leaving.
Show that again.
[narrator] Seven minutes after
Ernesto boarded
the bus to Texas,
his vehicle
leaves the parking lot,
followed by a red Dodge.
Okay, let's back it up.
[Tracey] I see that
they pull in right next to
where Ernesto has parked
his black VW Jetta.
[Tracey] I can see
a figure moving
from the red Dodge
to Ernesto's sedan.
Show me the car's exit again.
I see both the Dodge Magnum
back out and the VW Jetta,
so they've clearly retrieved
a key from somewhere
and you see both cars
following one another
out of the parking lot.
Somebody had been
in contact with Ernesto
and they had
clearly come there
to retrieve that car for him.
We need to find out who's
removed Ernesto's car.
[narrator] Detectives mine
Ernesto's cell phone records.
One of the things that was
significant from his call logs
was that after
Abigail's death,
his calls
with his brother Abel spiked.
[Peter] Were
other people involved?
Are we looking
for co-conspirators?
We didn't know at that point.
[narrator] Detectives
have got their hands
on the surveillance video
from the Greyhound bus station
in McAllen, Texas.
We needed to find out
if Ernesto was still in Texas
or someplace else.
The bus arrives around 12:40,
so can we watch it from there.
Bingo!
Got you.
[Peter] We see him
on surveillance cameras
getting off the bus.
walking around
the Greyhound bus station
and then exiting out.
Does the footage show
where he goes from there?
Damn.
We'll have to track him
from his cell phone.
Based on the cell phone
information that we got back
on Ernesto's phone,
we were able to see
that his phone picks up
in McAllen, Texas.
But on April 1st,
Ernesto's phone goes dead.
So, we have no idea
where he's at,
if he's still
in McAllen, Texas
or has he crossed over
to Mexico.
In our experience
he has dumped the phone
and is looking
for a burner phone.
And it was imperative
that we get
further information on what
that new number could be.
[narrator] Investigators get
a warrant to search
Ernesto's brother Abel's home.
[police speaking]
[banging on door]
On April 4th,
we search Abel's house.
We find the Volkswagen key
inside his work jumpsuit.
One of the searching officers
happen to bump into,
like, a pitcher
and a napkin
with a telephone number
drops from behind it.
One of the officers says,
"Hey, that's a Texas
telephone number."
And I said, "Hey, put
that telephone number back."
[narrator] Investigators
believe that this is
Ernesto's new
cell phone number.
They want him
to continue using it
to track his movements.
Police bring in Abel Hernandez
for questioning.
So, you know your brother's
wanted for murder
and we're aware he drove
to the bus station
and someone subsequently
collected his car.
Care to explain this to us?
Abel maintained
that he didn't know
what the key belonged to
or who it belonged to.
[Peter] His story was
some unknown person
had shown up at his work
to drop off this unknown key.
He didn't know
who it belonged to,
knew nothing about it.
Further into the interrogation
he finally admitted
that, yes, Ernesto does drive
a Volkswagen Jetta.
And we took possession
of that key as evidence.
Do you have any idea
where your brother Ernesto is?
[narrator] With Abel
remaining tight-lipped,
investigators trace the origin
of the Texas cell number found
in his home.
We knew that was
a Texas phone number.
We were able to verify
that it was a Cricket carrier.
[Peter] So, I flew to Texas
and interviewed
the Cricket Wireless employee
who sold the cell phone.
[narrator] Cricket employees
show police surveillance video
of the transaction.
We are on the lookout
for this man.
So, I just need you to run
through some video.
Stop.
Zoom in.
That's him.
[Tracey] And it is clear
at that point that that is
Ernesto Hernandez.
[narrator] Police request
the location data
from Ernesto's new phone.
When we find
the new telephone number
for Ernesto Hernandez,
we do see movement
towards the border to Mexico.
And then we see him cross
over into Mexico
and we lose track of him.
We've lost him.
In my experience,
when somebody disappears
into Mexico,
it is hard if not impossible
to bring them back.
[narrator] Across
the border in Mexico,
Ernesto Hernandez is out
of law enforcement's reach,
but his car is not.
[Peter] Eventually,
Greenfield police found
Ernesto's car
back in Greenfield
about two to three streets
from the victim's house.
It matches the video
where we see
the same car
following Abigail.
With the key that was found
on Abel's work clothes.
We open the car door.
The inside of the vehicle
had been wiped down,
but inside the car was
ammunition box foam
that matched
a .32 caliber pistol,
which was the same caliber
that was used to kill Abigail.
[narrator] While evidence
stacks up against Ernesto,
investigators still need
to prove
that Ernesto's brother Abel
helped him escape.
We examined
Abel's call detail records.
Inside Abel's cell phone was
a photograph of a CHP ticket
that he had received
the day of the murder
heading down to LA.
The ticket was issued
to Abel's brother Rigoberto.
He was driving.
Abel was the front passenger.
They were inside
a maroon Dodge Magnum.
It's the same vehicle that was
at the bust station.
[Peter] Based
on that vehicle description,
we went back
to the Greyhound bus station
surveillance footage
that showed when
that car arrived into
the Greyhound bus station.
You see Abel Hernandez
getting into
the black Volkswagen Jetta
and driving off in it.
And you see the Dodge Magnum
following the vehicle
out of camera view.
Based on this evidence,
the district attorney's office
issues arrests warrants
for Abel
and we take him into custody.
[narrator]
Rigoberto Hernandez,
who drove Abel to pick up
Ernesto's vehicle,
is not believed to have had
any knowledge or involvement
in the crime
and faces no charges.
Meanwhile,
Mexican law enforcement is
hunting for Ernesto Hernandez.
We were eventually contacted
by Mexican authorities
who said that they had
Ernesto in custody
and that he would be
extradited out of Mexico
within 24 hours.
So, it was
a huge sense of relief
to have him in custody
and to know that we had
finally found him.
Gracias.
[Peter] We attempted
to interview him.
He was so callous.
Didn't care.
Felt like it was
an inconvenience
that he was even here
to deal with this.
Denied all involvement
in the murder.
[narrator]
Ernesto Hernandez is charged
with the first-degree murder
of Abigail Gasca-Chavez.
[Peter] The following morning
we were transporting him
back to Monterey County,
and during
the entire trip home
all he wanted to know was,
"How did you catch me?"
He didn't care about Abigail.
Never asked about her.
[narrator]
On December 8th, 2017,
he sees his day in court.
[Peter] What I think happened
that day was
Abigail was in a very
bad abusive relationship
with Ernesto.
She had decided
to break it off.
Stop harassing me.
We got a kid together, yeah?
No. I need space.
I believe she communicated
her thoughts with Ernesto
and that's what prompted him
to become so aggressive.
Leave me alone!
It started off
with just arguing
and then chasing her.
And then lying in wait
for her to come home,
so he had
his golden opportunity
to shoot her...
Wait for me. Wait for me.
-[gun cocking]
-...and show her who's boss
in his mind.
And then he fled.
He was just
a cold-blooded killer.
[Tracey]
The surveillance video
was huge.
It made our entire case.
And when we were able to bring
that all together in court,
it really told the story.
Showing how Ernesto Hernandez
was stalking his victim,
harassing his victim,
it painted a picture
so that the jury had
no problems
with convicting him
of first-degree murder.
He received a sentence
of life in prison
without the possibility
of parole.
[narrator] Ernesto's brother,
Abel Hernandez,
also pleads guilty to being
an accessory after the fact
and receives
a four-year sentence.
[Jose] My sister finally
got her justice
and she can now rest in peace.
[Adela in Spanish]
[Aime] I didn't just lose
a sister, a friend.
I lost a part of me.
It's a pain we have
to learn to live with.
It's a pain...
that no matter what time,
what day,
it is... It'll
always be there.