Opinion ID: 4118870
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Investigation and Arrests

Text: Botello‘s shotgun, some marijuana, a piece of stereo equipment, and $300 in cash had been stolen. Botello told police he suspected defendant, Smith, and Patterson were responsible. On December 26, the police discovered that defendant‘s electronic monitoring ankle bracelet had been disabled from 7:04 p.m. on the night of the murder through Christmas Day. They conducted a brief parole search and adjusted defendant‘s bracelet but were not ready to question him about Beeson‘s murder. They did question Smith, however. Smith gave them an unusually precise, ―minute-by-minute‖ alibi for the night of the murder. As the investigation 5 continued, a number of witnesses reported that defendant was bragging about the murder. On April 4, 1996, defendant and an accomplice were arrested for robbing a gas station. Defendant initially gave the police two false names. Questioned about the murder, defendant admitted he had met Beeson twice at Botello‘s apartment but denied ever speaking with her. About a week after this interview, defendant pled guilty to the gas station robbery and remained in custody. While defendant was in jail, Julia P. called the police anonymously to report that she had heard defendant telling his cousin about the murder. Julia knew defendant‘s cousin, Lakeisha Lovely, and Patterson‘s girlfriend, Latonya Wilson. According to the caller, defendant said he had broken off his ankle bracelet, then robbed and killed a young Caucasian girl in her home. When Julia heard ―Mario‘s girlfriend‖ had been stabbed, she was confused about why defendant would have stabbed her since ―he always [had] guns on him‖ now. On the evening of April 30, 1996, Patterson robbed a gas station and was arrested early the next morning. On the ride to the police station, he asked the officer sitting next to him, ―You all didn‘t come get me about a murder?‖ The officer responded, ―Not unless you want to talk to me about one.‖ They both laughed, and Patterson said, ―Naw, I don‘t think so.‖ In a search of Patterson‘s home, police recovered the shotgun and stereo equipment stolen from Botello‘s apartment.