Nov. 30, 2025

DTL - Part 5: Stalking His Prey

DTL - Part 5: Stalking His Prey
Apple Podcasts podcast player badge
Spotify podcast player badge
Castro podcast player badge
RSS Feed podcast player badge
Apple Podcasts podcast player icon Spotify podcast player icon Castro podcast player icon RSS Feed podcast player icon
Season 9

In Part 5 of this multi-part docu-series, award winning host Kelly Jennings brings you into the sleepy community of St. Francisville, Louisiana where single mother Collette Walker became a victim of numerous incidents of stalking at the hands of Derrick Todd Lee (DTL) including a Peeping Tom incident in which Colette’s children were suddenly missing. 
Her interactions with DTL would culminate with Lee standing in her bedroom in the middle of the night, awakening herself and her boyfriend, and resulting in Lee’ disappearing into the night through the woods of St. Francisville. 

Derrick Todd Lee (DTL) terrorized the Baton Rouge and Lafayette Louisiana. A Serial Killer who took the lives of at least (7) women in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s, Lee’s reign of terror finally ended in late May of 2003 when he was captured in Atlanta, GA after being linked by DNA to several of the murders.

This is DTL  Hosted by Kelly Jennings and produced by the experts at Envision Podcast Productions.

For Media or Advertising Inquiries 
Envisionpodcaststudios@gmail.com

Timestamps
05:41 The Chase for Justice
09:29 The Elusive Evidence
11:07 A Shocking Confession
13:28 The Night of Surveillance
15:18 The Fear of Colette Walker
19:56 The Encounter
27:13 The Nightmare Unfolds
29:28 A Mother's Desperation
31:15 The Cycle of Violence
33:09 The Aftermath of Abuse
35:57 Derek's Obsession Returns

#DTL #podcast #DerrickToddLee #BatonRouge #SerialKiller #unspeakable #Serial #stfrancisville  #ColetteWalker 

WEBVTT

1
00:00:09.480 --> 00:00:12.839
In the sultry heat of Louisiana, where the bayous whisper

2
00:00:12.919 --> 00:00:16.079
secrets and the air hangs heavy with the scent of magnolias,

3
00:00:16.640 --> 00:00:20.480
a darkness lurked beneath the surface. Derrick Todd Lee was

4
00:00:20.480 --> 00:00:24.160
a man whose charm masked a sinister reality. He was

5
00:00:24.199 --> 00:00:28.600
a monster. Lee, a seemingly ordinary man with a disarming smile,

6
00:00:28.879 --> 00:00:31.480
led a double life that would unravel in a series

7
00:00:31.519 --> 00:00:34.079
of murders in the capital city of Baton Rouge and

8
00:00:34.119 --> 00:00:37.799
the surrounding areas. As the first reports of disappearances and

9
00:00:37.920 --> 00:00:42.119
murders began to surface, South Louisiana was thrust into a nightmare,

10
00:00:42.240 --> 00:00:46.000
igniting a frantic search for answers. The true horror was

11
00:00:46.079 --> 00:00:49.280
just beginning, and the hunt for a serial killer eventually

12
00:00:49.320 --> 00:00:52.000
known by just three letters, would reveal not only the

13
00:00:52.039 --> 00:00:55.520
depths of Dereck Todd Lee's depravity, but also the resilience

14
00:00:55.560 --> 00:00:58.479
of those most affected by his evil acts, the families

15
00:00:58.759 --> 00:01:12.280
and the survivors. This is DTA. Authorities continued their search

16
00:01:12.319 --> 00:01:15.560
for the missing and presumed dead Randy Meebrewer, but with

17
00:01:15.640 --> 00:01:19.760
not much success. Hindsight's always twenty twenty, and looking back

18
00:01:19.879 --> 00:01:24.319
some previous police interactions with Derek were so blatantly responsible

19
00:01:24.599 --> 00:01:28.400
for saving lives. Although there's no clear way to measure

20
00:01:28.480 --> 00:01:32.239
or prove this, only storytelling could possibly prove this point.

21
00:01:32.319 --> 00:01:36.439
But an incident that never made headlines nor is often remembered,

22
00:01:36.480 --> 00:01:41.079
stands out. Some months prior to Randy's murder, Sergeant Roderick

23
00:01:41.159 --> 00:01:44.400
Innis was on patrol. He was in the neighborhood of

24
00:01:44.439 --> 00:01:47.879
none other than Oak Shadows, the neighborhood of both Connie

25
00:01:47.920 --> 00:01:52.319
Warner and Randy Meebrewer. He lived there himself, and he

26
00:01:52.400 --> 00:01:55.599
was familiar with the people in the area. And don't

27
00:01:55.599 --> 00:01:59.400
you ever underestimate a good cop who knows this patrol area,

28
00:01:59.680 --> 00:02:02.400
because it was just a gut instinct he had when

29
00:02:02.439 --> 00:02:06.120
he noticed a man walking on Job Street. Nothing about

30
00:02:06.120 --> 00:02:09.319
the man screamed a problem. Really. He was dressed in

31
00:02:09.360 --> 00:02:12.759
a black and blue longsleeve flannel shirt and blue jeans.

32
00:02:12.840 --> 00:02:16.960
He was also sporting brown work boots. As the police

33
00:02:17.039 --> 00:02:20.080
unit got closer, the man had pulled on the hood

34
00:02:20.400 --> 00:02:23.960
of his outer sweatshirt and this partially obscured his face.

35
00:02:24.960 --> 00:02:28.319
What caught the officer's attention initially was that he knew

36
00:02:28.560 --> 00:02:31.759
he didn't live there yet he was walking later in

37
00:02:31.800 --> 00:02:35.840
the evening, after nine pm. Well that's not criminal or anything,

38
00:02:35.919 --> 00:02:39.080
but it was curious that he also had brown leather

39
00:02:39.159 --> 00:02:44.039
gloves hanging out of his pockets. Sergeant Innis slowed and

40
00:02:44.120 --> 00:02:46.199
he stopped the man, asking him if he lived in

41
00:02:46.240 --> 00:02:49.680
the neighborhood, and he readily admitted he didn't. The reason

42
00:02:49.719 --> 00:02:52.159
he was walking in the neighborhood was because his truck

43
00:02:52.159 --> 00:02:54.840
had broken down and he was walking to his girlfriend's

44
00:02:54.840 --> 00:02:58.400
house to use her phone. When asked who his girlfriend was,

45
00:02:59.039 --> 00:03:01.240
the man looked at him and said he didn't know,

46
00:03:02.159 --> 00:03:06.400
and he also couldn't point out exactly where she lived. Well,

47
00:03:06.479 --> 00:03:09.479
Ennis knew about the murder of Connie and the Peeping

48
00:03:09.520 --> 00:03:12.479
Tom reports, so the answers he was receiving from the

49
00:03:12.520 --> 00:03:16.800
man weren't gonna work. At this point, Officer Ennis wanted

50
00:03:16.840 --> 00:03:20.639
to see some id, but it was in the broken

51
00:03:20.680 --> 00:03:25.599
down vehicle according to the man, so further questioning would

52
00:03:25.639 --> 00:03:28.639
result in the man giving up his name. He said,

53
00:03:28.680 --> 00:03:32.599
my name is Derek Todd Lee. And during that conversation,

54
00:03:33.159 --> 00:03:36.360
Sergeant Innis noticed he had a leather knife sheath on

55
00:03:36.439 --> 00:03:41.120
his belt, so for Officer's safety, he decided to frisk Derek,

56
00:03:41.639 --> 00:03:44.360
and when he did this, he found a six inch

57
00:03:44.599 --> 00:03:49.080
folding blade knife in his right front pocket. So where's

58
00:03:49.120 --> 00:03:52.120
your broken down vehicle? That really became the next question,

59
00:03:52.759 --> 00:03:56.240
and Derek readily answered, Oh, it's in the Ambrosia parking lot.

60
00:03:57.159 --> 00:04:00.520
With nothing else really to hold him on, he did

61
00:04:00.599 --> 00:04:03.919
the thing all good cops would do. He offered to

62
00:04:03.960 --> 00:04:06.319
help the man and give him a ride back to

63
00:04:06.400 --> 00:04:10.919
his truck, to which the man agreed, and, almost like

64
00:04:10.960 --> 00:04:14.439
a poetic tragedy, Dereck Toddley got in the back of

65
00:04:14.479 --> 00:04:18.279
a police car and he drove away. But he wasn't

66
00:04:18.360 --> 00:04:21.920
under arrest for anything at this point. He was just

67
00:04:21.959 --> 00:04:25.879
a citizen in need. The truck was also right where

68
00:04:25.879 --> 00:04:28.120
he said it would be. As the officer turned into

69
00:04:28.120 --> 00:04:32.160
the parking lot of Ambrosia, Derek got out and there

70
00:04:32.240 --> 00:04:35.439
he went to the vehicle, grabbed his wallet, and presented

71
00:04:35.439 --> 00:04:39.439
his ID to Sergeant Ennis. Not so fast, buddy, hold on,

72
00:04:40.079 --> 00:04:43.800
wait right here. Innis returned to his police unit to

73
00:04:43.879 --> 00:04:47.319
check for any outstanding warrants. Something about this man just

74
00:04:47.439 --> 00:04:50.959
didn't sit right with him, and after a few moments,

75
00:04:50.959 --> 00:04:55.480
the radio buzzed back negative ten twenty nine, simply put

76
00:04:55.920 --> 00:05:00.439
Derek Toddley he was free to go, so once Cutloo,

77
00:05:00.639 --> 00:05:03.560
Sergeant Innis couldn't help but notice that the broken down

78
00:05:03.600 --> 00:05:09.040
truck started right up no issues before driving away. He

79
00:05:09.120 --> 00:05:12.560
wrote a report on this interaction and classified it as

80
00:05:12.560 --> 00:05:17.079
a suspicious person incident. Anyone can likely see that this

81
00:05:17.279 --> 00:05:21.120
proactive officer likely saved a woman's life that very night.

82
00:05:22.000 --> 00:05:25.480
Who she was will never know. Was it a woman

83
00:05:25.680 --> 00:05:29.240
who remains alive today, none the wiser she was a target,

84
00:05:30.000 --> 00:05:33.040
or had Randy Meebrewer been spared more time on earth

85
00:05:33.399 --> 00:05:37.360
because being murdered would happen at a later date. Whatever

86
00:05:37.399 --> 00:05:40.920
the case, everyone had survived that night in the Oak

87
00:05:40.959 --> 00:05:46.199
Shadows subdivision. That said, Detective McDavid refused to ignore the

88
00:05:46.319 --> 00:05:50.279
hunch of who was responsible for Randy's brutal beating, and

89
00:05:50.360 --> 00:05:53.360
he wanted to have a word with Derrick todd Lee,

90
00:05:53.399 --> 00:05:58.160
not only man to man, but face to face. The

91
00:05:58.240 --> 00:06:02.439
reality was that these were extremely personal to the now

92
00:06:02.480 --> 00:06:08.279
promoted detective McDavid. He was personal friends with Connie's daughter Tracy.

93
00:06:09.240 --> 00:06:13.040
Randy's death now adding to that need to find justice.

94
00:06:14.360 --> 00:06:16.879
So he and a few other officers arrived at Derek's

95
00:06:16.879 --> 00:06:20.000
home on April nineteenth, and they knocked on the door.

96
00:06:21.319 --> 00:06:25.360
As it swung open, there stood the very man believed

97
00:06:25.360 --> 00:06:29.879
to be causing chaos, instilling fear, and murdering women around

98
00:06:29.879 --> 00:06:33.240
the community. In an instant, the weight of the women

99
00:06:33.360 --> 00:06:36.519
murdered and injured thus far began pushing down on the

100
00:06:36.519 --> 00:06:39.920
detective's shoulders, not out of fear, but more out of

101
00:06:39.920 --> 00:06:42.360
a duty and a service to those he took an

102
00:06:42.399 --> 00:06:46.920
oath to protect. Can we have a word, sir? Derek

103
00:06:47.000 --> 00:06:50.439
locked eyes with him, studying his face briefly before looking

104
00:06:50.480 --> 00:06:53.920
along the porch as well, taking into consideration the number

105
00:06:53.959 --> 00:06:57.560
of officers that were there at his home. But he played

106
00:06:57.560 --> 00:07:01.759
it cool and he said okay emotion, and he allowed

107
00:07:01.759 --> 00:07:05.600
the officers to make their way inside his home. Some

108
00:07:05.759 --> 00:07:08.879
questions were exchanged back and forth until the men found

109
00:07:08.879 --> 00:07:13.519
themselves in the master bedroom. Now this was a dangerous man,

110
00:07:13.680 --> 00:07:18.319
don't forget this. And wanting to remain safe, Detective McDavid

111
00:07:18.319 --> 00:07:21.839
told another officer, keep your eyes on Derek. I'm gonna

112
00:07:21.879 --> 00:07:26.079
go look about the bedroom. And nothing in particular stood out,

113
00:07:26.800 --> 00:07:31.439
but the closet, the closet of that master bedroom really

114
00:07:31.480 --> 00:07:36.639
pulled his interest. Looking inside, it was very obvious two

115
00:07:36.759 --> 00:07:40.920
different people were sharing this closet. One side was very

116
00:07:41.079 --> 00:07:45.519
neat and orderly and the other side just messy chaos.

117
00:07:46.000 --> 00:07:49.480
But Derek's side, believe it or not, well, that was

118
00:07:49.519 --> 00:07:53.560
the very orderly side. McDavid leaned in. He wanted to

119
00:07:53.600 --> 00:07:56.360
look more in depth, and he was looking about the

120
00:07:56.399 --> 00:07:59.879
items when the hair on the back of his neck

121
00:08:00.279 --> 00:08:06.040
stood up. Because instincts, those are a powerful thing, a

122
00:08:06.199 --> 00:08:10.040
primal tool developed over thousands of years to keep our

123
00:08:10.079 --> 00:08:14.360
species alive and to detect danger even when you can't

124
00:08:14.639 --> 00:08:20.279
see it. And that feeling just became so strong that

125
00:08:20.360 --> 00:08:24.800
Detective McDavid turned to look over his shoulder, and he

126
00:08:25.000 --> 00:08:29.360
jumped when he realized that Derek Lee was right behind

127
00:08:29.439 --> 00:08:33.240
him and leaning over his shoulder, so he told him

128
00:08:33.279 --> 00:08:37.600
get back, but in an instant was unnerved at how

129
00:08:37.759 --> 00:08:41.679
quietly this man had approached him from behind without making

130
00:08:42.000 --> 00:08:45.960
a sound, and aggravated with the officer who had led

131
00:08:46.039 --> 00:08:48.600
him out of his sight. The detective decided it was

132
00:08:48.679 --> 00:08:52.840
time to go. Derek was also becoming pretty antsy and

133
00:08:52.919 --> 00:08:57.279
so something obviously in that closet. It had Derek worried,

134
00:08:57.879 --> 00:09:02.320
and Detective McDavid was obviously getting very close to something

135
00:09:02.559 --> 00:09:06.840
very damning Derek wanted him to leave. He was now

136
00:09:06.919 --> 00:09:10.600
done talking with the officers, so they finished up their

137
00:09:10.679 --> 00:09:15.039
duties and all left, but not before confiscating a pair

138
00:09:15.080 --> 00:09:18.639
of pants once believed to be a match from the

139
00:09:18.679 --> 00:09:22.879
description of a prior incident report. The thought was that

140
00:09:22.960 --> 00:09:26.799
maybe these might hold possible forensic evidence. At least that

141
00:09:27.039 --> 00:09:30.600
was the hope at the time. So trying to find

142
00:09:30.720 --> 00:09:33.879
solid evidence on Lee and getting him off the street

143
00:09:33.919 --> 00:09:38.279
was proving harder than anyone hoped. It was like nailing

144
00:09:38.399 --> 00:09:41.759
jello to a wall because nothing seemed to ever stick.

145
00:09:42.799 --> 00:09:47.200
For example, less than ninety days before Randy Meebrewer was

146
00:09:47.240 --> 00:09:51.200
beaten and murdered, Derek Todd Lee was in court a

147
00:09:51.200 --> 00:09:56.120
captive audience, and there he pled guilty to six counts

148
00:09:56.200 --> 00:10:00.000
of being a peeping tom a result of prior mentioned

149
00:10:00.200 --> 00:10:06.639
escapades already covered in this series. But what was that outcome? Well,

150
00:10:06.759 --> 00:10:11.720
he was sentenced to two years probation and psychological testing.

151
00:10:12.759 --> 00:10:16.720
So between the months of January and February of nineteen

152
00:10:16.759 --> 00:10:21.279
ninety eight, he attended a total of two therapy sessions

153
00:10:21.320 --> 00:10:27.200
with doctor Robert Snyder, who was a psychologist. After those sessions,

154
00:10:27.879 --> 00:10:30.679
he reported to the court that Derek Lee was a

155
00:10:30.759 --> 00:10:36.879
quote good verbal therapy participant end quote, We'll call me crazy.

156
00:10:37.480 --> 00:10:41.120
But the therapy wasn't working, as evidenced by Randy's brutal demise.

157
00:10:41.799 --> 00:10:44.799
If Lee were the one to be responsible, whatever the

158
00:10:44.799 --> 00:10:50.240
courts were doing was not working. On April twentieth, a

159
00:10:50.320 --> 00:10:52.960
man would speak to Zachary Police and make a claim

160
00:10:53.200 --> 00:10:58.559
that was shocking yet completely believable. A local man named

161
00:10:58.639 --> 00:11:03.759
Leroy Schortz to another local, James Odom, that Derek Lee

162
00:11:04.200 --> 00:11:09.240
told him he killed Randy Meebrewer. Now this was something

163
00:11:09.320 --> 00:11:13.320
that although hearsay, it could be built upon in terms

164
00:11:13.399 --> 00:11:18.519
of an investigation. The way the story went, the man

165
00:11:18.639 --> 00:11:21.919
had written with Derek Todd Lee the night after Randy

166
00:11:21.960 --> 00:11:25.080
went missing, and he was complaining to this man that

167
00:11:25.120 --> 00:11:29.279
the police were harassing him about a missing woman. But

168
00:11:29.360 --> 00:11:33.440
there was something police knew that this man didn't. The

169
00:11:33.519 --> 00:11:38.799
thing was no one, no one at the Zachary pde

170
00:11:39.120 --> 00:11:43.480
had contacted Derek nor spoken to him about anything to

171
00:11:43.559 --> 00:11:47.559
do with Randy at that time. The man that was

172
00:11:47.600 --> 00:11:49.960
writing with Derek Todd Lee, well, he put two and

173
00:11:50.000 --> 00:11:53.600
two together when he watched the breaking news of Randy's

174
00:11:53.639 --> 00:11:58.080
abduction and he decided he had to speak up. So

175
00:11:58.200 --> 00:12:02.320
police contacted Leroy short and they proposed something to this man,

176
00:12:03.279 --> 00:12:07.360
what if we pay you as a confidential informant. You

177
00:12:07.720 --> 00:12:10.799
just give us any information you get and in turn

178
00:12:10.879 --> 00:12:15.840
we will give you money. The man accepted, friends may

179
00:12:15.879 --> 00:12:19.879
be friends, but when it comes to killing people, Leroy

180
00:12:20.120 --> 00:12:24.840
was drawing a line. Based on this, Zachary Police Department

181
00:12:24.879 --> 00:12:28.960
decided to set up continual surveillance on Derreck Todd Lee.

182
00:12:29.039 --> 00:12:32.840
If this could possibly prevent another injury or death, it

183
00:12:33.000 --> 00:12:37.440
was worth the manpower on this small agency. Matter of fact,

184
00:12:37.840 --> 00:12:40.600
when the recent rash of peeping tom incidents were being

185
00:12:40.639 --> 00:12:43.960
called in, Detective McDavid was the one of the first

186
00:12:43.960 --> 00:12:47.840
ones to jump into response mode. He was cruising through

187
00:12:47.840 --> 00:12:51.639
the Finwood neighborhood near Oak Shadows looking for the possible

188
00:12:51.720 --> 00:12:56.320
peeper on the run. When wouldn't you know, none other

189
00:12:56.440 --> 00:12:59.799
than Derrick Todd Lee ran a front of his unit

190
00:13:00.159 --> 00:13:04.039
across the street. So he shined his unit spotlight on

191
00:13:04.120 --> 00:13:07.440
him and he followed him, but Derek had continued to run.

192
00:13:08.320 --> 00:13:10.840
But that's the thing about a cop who knows his

193
00:13:10.960 --> 00:13:15.639
town and he knows his menaces. Detective McDavid was familiar

194
00:13:15.720 --> 00:13:18.840
with that junction lounge, a place where Derek liked to

195
00:13:18.879 --> 00:13:22.399
park his truck. So the detective drove to that nearby

196
00:13:22.480 --> 00:13:26.639
bar and saw his vehicle. He ran the plates, and

197
00:13:26.720 --> 00:13:29.919
he confirmed what he already knew that was, in fact

198
00:13:30.240 --> 00:13:34.120
Derek's truck. This complete and total menace wasn't getting away

199
00:13:34.159 --> 00:13:37.320
on this night, not with Detective McDavid on it. He

200
00:13:37.440 --> 00:13:40.320
radioed ahead for a police knine head into the woods,

201
00:13:40.799 --> 00:13:42.519
go out there, I know where he's going to be.

202
00:13:42.879 --> 00:13:45.919
And he also radioed for another unit with night vision

203
00:13:45.960 --> 00:13:49.159
to set up in that cemetery, yes, the same one

204
00:13:49.200 --> 00:13:51.960
where Connie rested and the same one where the teens

205
00:13:51.960 --> 00:13:57.360
were attacked. The plan was perfect, the dogs pushing Lee

206
00:13:57.440 --> 00:13:59.919
out of the woods and the night vision officer able

207
00:13:59.919 --> 00:14:03.759
to to quickly see Lee carefully slinking between the graves

208
00:14:04.120 --> 00:14:07.559
as a quiet mouse. But quiet doesn't matter when night

209
00:14:07.639 --> 00:14:11.000
vision is at play, So keep tiptoeing because peek a boo,

210
00:14:11.399 --> 00:14:14.320
we see you. And just as he got to his truck,

211
00:14:14.639 --> 00:14:17.360
fumbling with those keys, trying to put them in and

212
00:14:17.440 --> 00:14:21.879
unlock the door, Derek Lee was caught, cuffs, supplied, and

213
00:14:21.960 --> 00:14:26.159
taken into custody. And guess what He was dressed to

214
00:14:26.159 --> 00:14:29.679
the nines as usual, but this time he was covered

215
00:14:29.679 --> 00:14:33.840
in mud, all from his attempts at evading the police.

216
00:14:33.879 --> 00:14:37.480
He was charged with those very peeping incidents in which

217
00:14:37.519 --> 00:14:43.600
he had just gotten probation and two therapy sessions. Something

218
00:14:43.639 --> 00:14:47.440
the public often doesn't see is that police work. That

219
00:14:47.600 --> 00:14:51.240
it's so hard. They put everything into bringing these people

220
00:14:51.279 --> 00:14:54.039
to the point of arrest, just for the courts to

221
00:14:54.159 --> 00:14:58.039
slap them on the wrist and let them go. All

222
00:14:58.159 --> 00:15:02.759
of that effort and priceless knowledge of these officers invested

223
00:15:02.840 --> 00:15:06.399
in catching a predator and the courts let them go.

224
00:15:07.720 --> 00:15:11.000
It's the reality of our justice system. Though the separation

225
00:15:11.120 --> 00:15:14.720
of powers at play. The police can only do so much,

226
00:15:15.000 --> 00:15:18.799
but ultimately it's the court's job to impose the sanctions.

227
00:15:19.759 --> 00:15:23.080
When we are soft on criminals, it leads to events

228
00:15:23.159 --> 00:15:27.200
like that of June first, nineteen ninety nine. The very

229
00:15:27.440 --> 00:15:33.919
day Zachary Police Department started their surveillance of Derrick Todd Lee,

230
00:15:34.159 --> 00:15:38.720
it was blazing hot in the Bayou State Mosquitoes. Biding

231
00:15:38.879 --> 00:15:42.039
Anything with a pulse and an ice cold fountain drink

232
00:15:42.200 --> 00:15:44.879
certainly would hit the spot for most people in this

233
00:15:44.960 --> 00:15:50.600
hot weather, and that included Collette Walker. Collette was a

234
00:15:50.600 --> 00:15:53.879
white woman with brown hair and the single mom of

235
00:15:54.000 --> 00:15:59.000
two kids, young Brittany and Justin, both of them at

236
00:15:59.000 --> 00:16:01.039
this point under the aid age of ten years old.

237
00:16:02.039 --> 00:16:05.000
She was working two jobs to make ends meet, and

238
00:16:05.200 --> 00:16:08.360
neither one was high paying. One job had her working

239
00:16:08.480 --> 00:16:11.279
at a diner, but she also at the second job

240
00:16:11.399 --> 00:16:14.159
was serving as the assistant to the local fire chief.

241
00:16:14.840 --> 00:16:18.720
Remember this is a small town country, USA, and this

242
00:16:18.919 --> 00:16:22.480
job combo wasn't anything out of the ordinary. On this day,

243
00:16:22.639 --> 00:16:25.399
Colette pulled into a corner store and she jumped out

244
00:16:25.399 --> 00:16:29.000
to grab a few things. What she didn't know was

245
00:16:29.000 --> 00:16:32.240
that there was a man who instantly felt drawn to her,

246
00:16:33.080 --> 00:16:36.320
and this was more than a physical attraction, This was

247
00:16:36.360 --> 00:16:40.120
a need for ownership. The man approached her and asked

248
00:16:40.120 --> 00:16:42.480
her if he could get a ride just up the street,

249
00:16:43.320 --> 00:16:46.159
and this was honestly off putting because she didn't know

250
00:16:46.279 --> 00:16:49.919
him and no, sorry, I don't give rides to strangers.

251
00:16:50.639 --> 00:16:53.759
But he wasn't swayed by her refusal, and he continued

252
00:16:53.799 --> 00:16:56.360
to speak to her as if he knew her. Do

253
00:16:56.399 --> 00:16:59.279
you have a boyfriend? If not, maybe we could get

254
00:16:59.320 --> 00:17:03.519
a beer sometime or something. But Collette, she was flat

255
00:17:03.639 --> 00:17:07.920
out not interested. He was being a pest. She wanted

256
00:17:07.960 --> 00:17:11.319
him to go away, and, feeling like this pest wouldn't

257
00:17:11.319 --> 00:17:14.799
take a hint, she continued past him when he said

258
00:17:14.839 --> 00:17:21.720
something to her completely unnerving, I've been watching you. What

259
00:17:21.839 --> 00:17:26.559
a cryptic choice of words, and what exactly does that mean?

260
00:17:27.319 --> 00:17:30.880
Like since I pulled up? But the man clarified this

261
00:17:31.000 --> 00:17:34.400
when he added, I've been watching you at work. You're

262
00:17:34.400 --> 00:17:42.519
at Feliciana Seafood right, Collette stopped, stunned. The scary part

263
00:17:43.599 --> 00:17:47.440
She did work at Feliciana Seafood, a market in Delhi,

264
00:17:47.559 --> 00:17:51.599
right there on Highway sixty one. It was a town favorite,

265
00:17:51.640 --> 00:17:55.079
with boiled crabs and crawfish, even sandwiches and a two

266
00:17:55.079 --> 00:17:58.880
fa all cooked by real Southerners who knew you don't

267
00:17:58.920 --> 00:18:03.279
put tomatoes and you damn gumbo. But people just got

268
00:18:03.279 --> 00:18:06.720
there eats and left. This guy really seemed to know

269
00:18:06.799 --> 00:18:12.240
about her, specifically, so a bit disgusted and now more

270
00:18:12.319 --> 00:18:16.440
freaked out than anything, she made distance and decided to leave,

271
00:18:16.519 --> 00:18:20.119
but not before he equipped one last thing. As she

272
00:18:20.200 --> 00:18:23.319
walked off, he said, hey, I like the way you look.

273
00:18:23.759 --> 00:18:26.680
Colette decided to ignore the comment and to get out

274
00:18:26.680 --> 00:18:29.640
of there and she went straight home. So as she

275
00:18:29.720 --> 00:18:33.880
got home, the truth really started coming to her because

276
00:18:34.319 --> 00:18:37.599
she did remember him now that she was continuing to

277
00:18:37.640 --> 00:18:41.119
think about it. He had come in and put his

278
00:18:41.240 --> 00:18:44.640
keys on the counter, offering to sell her his car.

279
00:18:45.680 --> 00:18:47.559
This was a while back at the diner where she

280
00:18:47.680 --> 00:18:50.359
was working, and he offered to allow her to test

281
00:18:50.400 --> 00:18:55.079
drive it. But she didn't know this man. Yes, she

282
00:18:55.799 --> 00:18:58.240
was hoping one day to get a very similar car

283
00:18:58.279 --> 00:19:00.839
to the one that he had, but she had never

284
00:19:01.039 --> 00:19:04.440
said that to this man before. How could he possibly

285
00:19:04.440 --> 00:19:09.799
have known that? And it really really bothered her, so

286
00:19:09.839 --> 00:19:13.720
she continued to mull it over, and that's whenever she

287
00:19:13.839 --> 00:19:18.799
started thinking back. She had mentioned it, But it was

288
00:19:18.839 --> 00:19:21.920
to a coworker one day while they were serving at

289
00:19:21.920 --> 00:19:26.000
the diner. He must have been eating there when she

290
00:19:26.160 --> 00:19:30.960
said it. How unnerving for a stranger to be listening

291
00:19:31.039 --> 00:19:35.319
like that without you even realizing. And the reality was

292
00:19:35.319 --> 00:19:38.640
that that had been weeks ago. She had no way

293
00:19:38.720 --> 00:19:43.200
of knowing the violence that this man had inside of him,

294
00:19:43.359 --> 00:19:48.119
And luckily the encounter was brief that day, but it

295
00:19:48.200 --> 00:19:52.559
wasn't over. Is that what you thought? A rapist killer?

296
00:19:52.680 --> 00:19:58.599
Just giving up like that? How cute. Nightmares don't end

297
00:19:58.640 --> 00:20:03.440
like that, now, do they? Because thirteen days later she

298
00:20:03.480 --> 00:20:07.000
would see him again, but not at a corner store.

299
00:20:08.240 --> 00:20:11.319
She had been working a double and she arrived home

300
00:20:11.359 --> 00:20:14.559
that day tired and smelling like the cooked food, and

301
00:20:14.640 --> 00:20:17.960
she just was ready for a bath. What a day.

302
00:20:19.079 --> 00:20:21.400
Her feet ached and she was just ready to slide

303
00:20:21.440 --> 00:20:25.240
into bed and go to sleep. So she walked up

304
00:20:25.240 --> 00:20:29.079
her steps and she unlocked the door. He was dark

305
00:20:29.119 --> 00:20:33.000
out and she just needed to get inside, so she

306
00:20:33.240 --> 00:20:36.599
pushed open the door to make her way inside. In

307
00:20:36.640 --> 00:20:40.839
a flash, a man pushed past her, rushing straight into

308
00:20:40.880 --> 00:20:44.440
her home, through her living room and standing now into

309
00:20:44.480 --> 00:20:50.839
her kitchen. Whatn't the actual hell? Almost instinctively she followed

310
00:20:50.839 --> 00:20:53.119
in to see who it was, her mind in an

311
00:20:53.160 --> 00:20:56.039
instant wondering if she had forgotten was she supposed to

312
00:20:56.079 --> 00:20:59.440
have company come over? But when the man turned around,

313
00:21:00.079 --> 00:21:04.400
his face stopped her dead in her tracks. It was

314
00:21:04.440 --> 00:21:08.039
the man with the car, the same man at the

315
00:21:08.160 --> 00:21:12.640
gas station, and now that very same man was in

316
00:21:12.759 --> 00:21:19.440
her home, uninvited. Stunned, nearly stiff, she listened as the

317
00:21:19.480 --> 00:21:22.880
man casually addressed her. Look, I know we just met

318
00:21:22.880 --> 00:21:25.000
and all that, but I like you. And I know

319
00:21:25.039 --> 00:21:27.000
your kids. I know they're at their dad's house and

320
00:21:27.039 --> 00:21:28.920
you're free. So let's go now and get a drink.

321
00:21:30.039 --> 00:21:34.039
How could he possibly know this? Had he been stalking

322
00:21:34.079 --> 00:21:38.960
her because she had only moved there nine months ago?

323
00:21:39.079 --> 00:21:41.839
How did he know her patterns? How did he know

324
00:21:41.960 --> 00:21:46.599
her life like this? He was a complete and total stranger.

325
00:21:47.759 --> 00:21:50.559
Her instincts told her though in that moment, do not panic.

326
00:21:51.240 --> 00:21:54.839
She had to remain calm, and she would listen to

327
00:21:54.920 --> 00:21:58.400
those instincts. I've got to get away, but I have

328
00:21:58.480 --> 00:22:02.440
to remain calm. He then casually looked at her and

329
00:22:02.440 --> 00:22:04.880
asked for a glass of water, so she fixed it

330
00:22:04.920 --> 00:22:08.319
for him, and as he took a sip, he introduced

331
00:22:08.400 --> 00:22:11.680
himself as Derek. Not knowing what to do, she just

332
00:22:11.759 --> 00:22:14.799
looked at the man and said hi, And that's when

333
00:22:14.799 --> 00:22:18.440
he asked, are you scared of me? She just looked

334
00:22:19.240 --> 00:22:21.720
and quickly quipped no, and he told her I know

335
00:22:21.799 --> 00:22:24.200
you white women. I know all you white women want

336
00:22:24.200 --> 00:22:27.200
a black man. She didn't know what to say to that.

337
00:22:28.480 --> 00:22:31.440
She didn't know this man, and as that happened, he

338
00:22:31.519 --> 00:22:35.200
locked eyes with her and he said, I could rape

339
00:22:35.200 --> 00:22:38.720
and kill you, and no one would ever know. That

340
00:22:38.799 --> 00:22:42.880
sentence was so scary that she decided now was the time,

341
00:22:43.240 --> 00:22:47.079
and she calmly but swiftly headed outside her door, right

342
00:22:47.160 --> 00:22:51.119
out onto her porch, but the man followed her. She

343
00:22:51.440 --> 00:22:56.519
was calm but utterly terrified, so as the conversation one

344
00:22:56.559 --> 00:23:01.079
sided as it was continued, she carefully made her outside

345
00:23:01.079 --> 00:23:03.880
of the home, creating distance from the house, and she

346
00:23:03.960 --> 00:23:07.000
was eventually able to get up to her car. She

347
00:23:07.160 --> 00:23:09.640
opened it and he continued to talk, and right as

348
00:23:09.680 --> 00:23:13.240
she shut the door, he remained there. But she put

349
00:23:13.240 --> 00:23:16.799
the car in reverse and she was leaving house. Be damned.

350
00:23:17.400 --> 00:23:20.039
But she didn't really know anyone. She didn't have anywhere

351
00:23:20.079 --> 00:23:22.720
to go. She was newer to the area, so she

352
00:23:22.839 --> 00:23:25.559
went to a well lit gas station to try and

353
00:23:25.640 --> 00:23:29.160
calm her nerves. Unsure of what to do, she stayed

354
00:23:29.200 --> 00:23:32.880
at that very gas station until after one am, hoping

355
00:23:32.920 --> 00:23:34.920
that maybe the man would be gone by the time

356
00:23:34.960 --> 00:23:38.640
she returned. When she got back to the house, he

357
00:23:38.720 --> 00:23:42.880
was still there, but she rushed inside and she locked

358
00:23:42.880 --> 00:23:46.640
the door. He continued from the outside, harassing her and

359
00:23:46.720 --> 00:23:49.559
begging her to come back outside, but she said, no,

360
00:23:50.440 --> 00:23:54.160
go away, I'm not coming back outside, and he would

361
00:23:54.160 --> 00:23:57.920
continue around the house, looking in the windows, knocking, trying

362
00:23:58.000 --> 00:24:01.200
to get her attention, but she refused to respond to him.

363
00:24:01.559 --> 00:24:03.640
And look, I know what you're thinking right now. Why

364
00:24:03.640 --> 00:24:06.880
didn't she call the police? Well, not everybody responds the

365
00:24:06.920 --> 00:24:09.880
same way. Not everybody grows up in the same type

366
00:24:09.920 --> 00:24:13.880
of environment. Not everyone wants to call the police. And

367
00:24:14.000 --> 00:24:18.039
luckily for her, he did eventually leave. The following day,

368
00:24:18.079 --> 00:24:21.000
her kids returned home from their dad's house, and she

369
00:24:21.079 --> 00:24:23.640
was so happy to see the kids, wrapping them up

370
00:24:23.680 --> 00:24:26.480
in a hug, happy that they were back at her house.

371
00:24:26.799 --> 00:24:30.200
The whole time, she felt like someone was watching her though,

372
00:24:30.359 --> 00:24:33.319
even though she never saw signs of anyone, she just

373
00:24:33.440 --> 00:24:37.200
felt it. It was almost like the instinct to let

374
00:24:37.200 --> 00:24:40.960
her know danger lurked somewhere in the distance. She and

375
00:24:40.960 --> 00:24:42.920
the kids settled in, though, and they were going about

376
00:24:42.960 --> 00:24:46.079
their daily tasks, and her daughter wanted to go get

377
00:24:46.119 --> 00:24:49.039
some fingernail poulus she had left in the car, So

378
00:24:49.079 --> 00:24:52.079
as she went outside to get it, Kala decided, you

379
00:24:52.079 --> 00:24:54.240
know what, I'm going to follow you out. Call it

380
00:24:54.400 --> 00:24:58.200
motherly instincts, call it what you want, but whatever it is,

381
00:24:58.720 --> 00:25:02.799
it's real. Because if someone was watching her, someone was

382
00:25:02.839 --> 00:25:06.400
watching all of them, because as Collette supervised her daughter

383
00:25:06.440 --> 00:25:09.759
to the car, Dereck todd Lee appeared from behind a

384
00:25:09.839 --> 00:25:13.079
tree and he started to approach young Britney. Scared out

385
00:25:13.079 --> 00:25:15.559
of her mind, Colette rushed in just as Derek said,

386
00:25:15.599 --> 00:25:18.599
is that your daughter? She looks just like you and

387
00:25:18.759 --> 00:25:21.279
wide eyed in a mama bear mode. She directed her

388
00:25:21.319 --> 00:25:23.599
daughter back into the house and she told Derek leave

389
00:25:23.680 --> 00:25:28.039
them alone and leave now. He left, but it didn't

390
00:25:28.079 --> 00:25:31.200
make her feel any better. The following day, Collette was

391
00:25:31.200 --> 00:25:34.119
talking to a friend at the fire chief's office, and

392
00:25:34.160 --> 00:25:37.640
when she recounted what was going on, the friend demanded

393
00:25:37.799 --> 00:25:42.160
that she tell police, and Collette she agreed, so she

394
00:25:42.279 --> 00:25:45.240
reported it and police promised her that they were going

395
00:25:45.279 --> 00:25:47.440
to keep an eye on her because if this was

396
00:25:47.440 --> 00:25:51.599
Derek todd Lee, he was dangerous. Collette decided to continue

397
00:25:51.640 --> 00:25:54.799
her life as normal, but also keeping her eyes peeled

398
00:25:55.119 --> 00:25:58.359
at all times. She also didn't want to frighten her children,

399
00:25:58.880 --> 00:26:02.000
so she kept the information at a minimum to keep

400
00:26:02.039 --> 00:26:05.720
them calm. But just a few days later, her neighbor

401
00:26:05.839 --> 00:26:10.359
Diane Holloway called her, really upset. What's going on, Diane,

402
00:26:10.400 --> 00:26:14.720
what's wrong? Well, Diane let her know Collette, your boyfriend

403
00:26:14.799 --> 00:26:18.240
barged into my apartment and he's been harassing me. But

404
00:26:18.319 --> 00:26:21.960
Collette was confused because she didn't have a boyfriend. Diane

405
00:26:22.039 --> 00:26:24.559
went on and explained that she had been told by

406
00:26:24.599 --> 00:26:27.400
the man that he was dating Collette her next door neighbor.

407
00:26:27.680 --> 00:26:31.440
Oh my god, was he a black male in like

408
00:26:31.480 --> 00:26:34.759
his thirties or forties. Diane confirmed, yes, that's what he

409
00:26:34.799 --> 00:26:37.960
looked like, to which Collette responded, he's not my boyfriend.

410
00:26:37.960 --> 00:26:42.000
Oh my god, he's a stalker. The neighbor immediately called

411
00:26:42.000 --> 00:26:45.200
police and she too made a report of the incident,

412
00:26:45.720 --> 00:26:48.680
and the neighbor then told Collette the police said, look,

413
00:26:48.880 --> 00:26:51.799
they're on their way. They're gonna go try and arrest

414
00:26:51.839 --> 00:26:54.720
this guy. Thank god, they're gonna go get him. Both

415
00:26:54.759 --> 00:26:57.599
women felt so much safer now believing that he was

416
00:26:57.640 --> 00:27:00.559
gonna be behind bars. Police went a step further and

417
00:27:00.759 --> 00:27:04.119
they collected a footprint that was right outside of Collette's window,

418
00:27:04.519 --> 00:27:06.640
and they were able to match it to that of

419
00:27:06.720 --> 00:27:09.640
Derreck Todd Lee. A warrant was issued for him, and

420
00:27:09.720 --> 00:27:13.359
this warrant was for stalking and unauthorized entry of a dwelling.

421
00:27:13.920 --> 00:27:17.119
But now the police had to find him The very

422
00:27:17.160 --> 00:27:21.559
next day, Collette would arrive home to a nightmare. Police

423
00:27:21.559 --> 00:27:24.680
cars were outside of her home and her children were missing.

424
00:27:25.400 --> 00:27:28.920
Immediate dread took over because she knew this Derek guy.

425
00:27:28.960 --> 00:27:31.519
He's got to be involved in this, and the worst

426
00:27:31.680 --> 00:27:35.279
thoughts filled her mind. Did he take my kids? Where

427
00:27:35.319 --> 00:27:38.279
are my kids? Oh? My god? And she thought to herself,

428
00:27:38.279 --> 00:27:40.839
he stole my children. He took my children because I

429
00:27:40.880 --> 00:27:44.200
refused his advances. Oh my god, I should have called

430
00:27:44.200 --> 00:27:47.480
the police sooner. So she jumped on the phone. She's

431
00:27:47.519 --> 00:27:50.799
talking to detectives and everybody's arriving at the home at

432
00:27:50.799 --> 00:27:54.000
this time. But the detective seemed to be confused because

433
00:27:54.319 --> 00:27:57.400
they thought he was already arrested, already in jail. How

434
00:27:57.440 --> 00:28:00.799
could he have possibly taken your children? Guess what he

435
00:28:01.039 --> 00:28:06.079
wasn't This was a miscommunication because Derek was not behind bars.

436
00:28:07.039 --> 00:28:09.640
The police were still looking for him. They hadn't yet

437
00:28:09.759 --> 00:28:14.039
located him. Well. As everything is unfolding and Collette's world

438
00:28:14.079 --> 00:28:17.279
is crashing around her, by the grace of God, she

439
00:28:17.400 --> 00:28:21.440
looked up and her daughter Britney appeared out of the

440
00:28:21.480 --> 00:28:25.240
tree line. A collective sigh of relief was rushed across

441
00:28:25.279 --> 00:28:28.799
everyone standing there. Where have you been? What's going on?

442
00:28:29.519 --> 00:28:32.440
And young Britney explained that Mom, I've been looking for

443
00:28:32.519 --> 00:28:35.640
my brother. He took off in the woods earlier he

444
00:28:35.759 --> 00:28:39.039
was chasing someone. Trying to understand this and take it

445
00:28:39.079 --> 00:28:42.559
all in, the adults were discussing the incident when just

446
00:28:42.599 --> 00:28:46.039
a while later, Justin too came out of the woods.

447
00:28:46.279 --> 00:28:49.559
So obviously, tears of joys are flowing and everyone's hugging

448
00:28:49.559 --> 00:28:51.319
and they're so glad to see the children. But what

449
00:28:51.519 --> 00:28:55.240
had happened? And it was then further explained young Justin

450
00:28:55.559 --> 00:28:58.640
had caught a man looking into their home and he

451
00:28:58.759 --> 00:29:01.039
decided he had to be the man of the house.

452
00:29:01.680 --> 00:29:05.480
That young boy took it upon himself to protect his

453
00:29:05.599 --> 00:29:09.519
home and to save his mama. He chased that man

454
00:29:09.559 --> 00:29:13.319
away from their home until he lost him in the woods.

455
00:29:13.680 --> 00:29:17.400
Her young son having no clue the level of danger

456
00:29:17.440 --> 00:29:19.960
he had just put himself in, but it was all

457
00:29:20.039 --> 00:29:23.160
for the love of his mama. He knew that his

458
00:29:23.240 --> 00:29:26.559
mama was being followed by somebody and this man was

459
00:29:26.599 --> 00:29:30.440
going to leave his mama alone. Well. Police were eventually

460
00:29:30.720 --> 00:29:34.960
able to catch up with Derek and he was finally arrested. Thankfully,

461
00:29:35.119 --> 00:29:38.440
now he was behind bars. But let's not forget that

462
00:29:38.519 --> 00:29:41.640
whole innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

463
00:29:41.920 --> 00:29:45.039
If someone paid his bill, he was allowed to leave

464
00:29:45.079 --> 00:29:49.440
the jail, allowed to be free until he went to trial.

465
00:29:49.880 --> 00:29:54.720
Derek Toddley only remained locked up for roughly three months

466
00:29:55.200 --> 00:29:58.039
before Colette would get a phone call from a friend,

467
00:29:59.559 --> 00:30:04.759
did you know that Derek is out? Collett had no clue.

468
00:30:04.920 --> 00:30:07.680
Derek was in a local bar and he was running

469
00:30:07.720 --> 00:30:10.880
his mouth to anyone that would listen about how mad

470
00:30:10.920 --> 00:30:14.839
he was at Collette, and the friends were now scared

471
00:30:14.880 --> 00:30:17.279
for her. They needed her to be on high alert.

472
00:30:18.359 --> 00:30:21.680
And Collette was stunned. What the hell? How was he out?

473
00:30:22.559 --> 00:30:26.160
How could he possibly be out? He's breaking into homes,

474
00:30:26.319 --> 00:30:29.839
He's coming into homes that women are in. He's saying

475
00:30:29.839 --> 00:30:32.039
he could rape me and kill me, and he's out.

476
00:30:32.599 --> 00:30:38.559
How well, it turns out someone after three months, had

477
00:30:38.640 --> 00:30:43.200
bonded Derek out of jail. With that in mind, Collette

478
00:30:43.240 --> 00:30:46.640
was done. She threw up her hands and she decided

479
00:30:46.640 --> 00:30:49.160
to move in now with her new boyfriend to make

480
00:30:49.160 --> 00:30:52.880
sure and keep them all safe. Shortly thereafter, Derek went

481
00:30:52.880 --> 00:30:56.799
to court, and it was December seventeenth, nineteen ninety nine,

482
00:30:57.359 --> 00:31:00.680
where he pled guilty to the charges and sentence to

483
00:31:00.799 --> 00:31:06.480
six months in jail, but incredibly, he would receive credit

484
00:31:06.519 --> 00:31:10.160
for time served. This many was still free to go.

485
00:31:10.640 --> 00:31:14.599
He was put on two years probation. Derek wasn't stupid.

486
00:31:15.880 --> 00:31:19.000
Realizing now that the police had him good on his

487
00:31:19.000 --> 00:31:22.480
obsession with Collette Walker, he would decide to move on

488
00:31:23.119 --> 00:31:27.480
and apply his obsessions elsewhere. Not because he was rehabilitated,

489
00:31:28.039 --> 00:31:30.759
not because he had learned his lesson, but because the

490
00:31:30.799 --> 00:31:33.839
police would know it was him if he did anything

491
00:31:33.920 --> 00:31:40.200
further to Collette. Later that very same day, this same

492
00:31:40.319 --> 00:31:44.519
day he walked out of court a freeman on time

493
00:31:44.599 --> 00:31:47.680
served nine to one one would receive a call from

494
00:31:47.680 --> 00:31:51.880
a woman named Cassandra green Well. Who was Cassandra. Let's

495
00:31:51.880 --> 00:31:54.799
flash back for a minute, and let's go back to

496
00:31:54.799 --> 00:31:56.759
the part of this series where I told you that

497
00:31:56.920 --> 00:32:03.359
Derek Lee was married. Okay, but guess what. He wasn't

498
00:32:03.400 --> 00:32:09.640
married to Cassandra. No, Cassandra was his side piece, his

499
00:32:09.799 --> 00:32:13.400
side chick, not the woman he vowed to marry and

500
00:32:13.480 --> 00:32:17.319
love and cherish. His wife knew about their assorted affairs,

501
00:32:17.359 --> 00:32:19.759
but she chose to just turn the other cheek for

502
00:32:19.839 --> 00:32:23.240
whatever reason, but Grass it's not always greener on the

503
00:32:23.319 --> 00:32:26.240
cheating side, which would be evidenced by this nine one

504
00:32:26.279 --> 00:32:29.440
one call. Derek and his side piece Cassandra had gotten

505
00:32:29.480 --> 00:32:33.039
into a huge fight and now he was threatening to

506
00:32:33.119 --> 00:32:36.559
kill her. Police would arrive and the dispute would be settled,

507
00:32:36.839 --> 00:32:40.160
the two separating for the evening to cool down, But

508
00:32:40.400 --> 00:32:44.640
just a month later Cassandra would begin inquiry as to

509
00:32:44.720 --> 00:32:49.279
how to get a protective order against Derek Lee. Things

510
00:32:49.319 --> 00:32:53.880
had obviously not improved, and three days from then he

511
00:32:53.920 --> 00:32:57.839
would prove this a local bar it's known as Liz's Lounge.

512
00:32:58.400 --> 00:33:01.440
They made a phone call to nine one needing help,

513
00:33:01.640 --> 00:33:06.000
and when police arrived they found a badly beaten Cassandra Green.

514
00:33:06.359 --> 00:33:10.079
Derek was responsible for the beating and he was promptly arrested,

515
00:33:10.319 --> 00:33:13.519
but when the case went to court, Cassandra refused to

516
00:33:13.640 --> 00:33:18.319
testify against him again. Derek was sentenced to one year

517
00:33:18.319 --> 00:33:21.519
in jail, and he would begin to serve that, eventually

518
00:33:21.559 --> 00:33:25.440
being released on January first, two thousand and one. By

519
00:33:25.480 --> 00:33:28.680
now Lee was thirty two years old, but nowhere close

520
00:33:29.039 --> 00:33:32.359
to slowing down. He would put in applications for jobs

521
00:33:32.599 --> 00:33:35.759
for about two months before being hired at a temporary

522
00:33:35.759 --> 00:33:40.400
position at the Dow Chemical plant in Brooley, Louisiana, just

523
00:33:40.519 --> 00:33:44.319
over the Grand Mississippi River from Baton Rouge. He was

524
00:33:44.400 --> 00:33:47.559
hired on March first, but his job wasn't the only

525
00:33:47.640 --> 00:33:50.160
thing on the forefront of his mind. It may have

526
00:33:50.240 --> 00:33:53.680
been a year, but obsession knows no time limit. Jail

527
00:33:53.759 --> 00:33:58.200
was just a pause, a temporary setback, because as soon

528
00:33:58.240 --> 00:34:01.119
as he got off of work, he was on the hunt.

529
00:34:01.559 --> 00:34:04.960
Colette Walker may have moved, she may have denied his

530
00:34:05.039 --> 00:34:07.640
advances and refused to go on a date, but he

531
00:34:08.079 --> 00:34:11.360
was gonna find her. In his mind. Just because he

532
00:34:11.360 --> 00:34:14.159
didn't know where she was, well, that didn't mean she

533
00:34:14.199 --> 00:34:17.920
didn't want to be found. Colette's fears were that when

534
00:34:17.920 --> 00:34:20.760
he was released, he may come for her, and I

535
00:34:20.800 --> 00:34:23.559
think we all would harbor that same fear if in

536
00:34:23.599 --> 00:34:27.599
her same position. Her fears were well warranted too, because

537
00:34:27.599 --> 00:34:31.280
he was doing just that. Between the months of March

538
00:34:31.599 --> 00:34:36.199
and April. Derek was going to find Colette Collette. By

539
00:34:36.199 --> 00:34:38.679
this point, she had quit her job at the Feliciana

540
00:34:38.719 --> 00:34:41.559
Seafood and she was now the full time assistant to

541
00:34:41.639 --> 00:34:44.719
the fire chief. That said her job would require her

542
00:34:44.760 --> 00:34:48.599
to travel for dispatch training. Her boyfriend was upset that

543
00:34:48.639 --> 00:34:51.440
she may have to be traveling alone, and he decided

544
00:34:51.480 --> 00:34:53.400
that he wanted to go with her on the trip,

545
00:34:53.559 --> 00:34:56.400
but Colette wanted him to stay back. She was afraid

546
00:34:56.440 --> 00:34:59.599
something might happen at home while she was gone. Well,

547
00:34:59.599 --> 00:35:02.360
her boy at the time he had a son, and

548
00:35:02.400 --> 00:35:05.679
that grown son was a police officer. That police officer

549
00:35:05.760 --> 00:35:08.039
said he was willing to look over the house while

550
00:35:08.039 --> 00:35:11.559
the two of them were away, but as an extra precaution,

551
00:35:12.480 --> 00:35:15.519
the kids were sent to stay with friends while the

552
00:35:15.519 --> 00:35:18.320
two adults were gone for the training trip. The trip

553
00:35:18.400 --> 00:35:22.679
went well, but unbeknownst to Collette, the parents of the

554
00:35:22.800 --> 00:35:27.800
friends watching her son dropped off Justin and their son

555
00:35:28.519 --> 00:35:33.559
at Justin's house without any parents there. The only reason

556
00:35:33.639 --> 00:35:36.800
Colette found out that the two boys were at her

557
00:35:36.840 --> 00:35:42.039
home without supervision was because Justin had just called nine

558
00:35:42.079 --> 00:35:45.079
to one one a black man was looking into their

559
00:35:45.119 --> 00:35:48.800
windows at their new house. Police rushed to the house.

560
00:35:49.239 --> 00:35:52.000
Justin scared out of his mind, but when police got there,

561
00:35:52.519 --> 00:35:55.519
the man looking in the windows was gone upon arrival.

562
00:35:56.039 --> 00:36:00.000
But the fact was this, Derek Lee had found Collette

563
00:36:00.320 --> 00:36:04.000
and her children. How had he found them? What was

564
00:36:04.039 --> 00:36:08.760
he doing? Would he never stop? What could Collette do?

565
00:36:09.400 --> 00:36:13.280
That helpless feeling set in once again as she rushed home.

566
00:36:13.599 --> 00:36:16.360
But the kids were safe, thank god. Collet and her

567
00:36:16.360 --> 00:36:19.559
boyfriend decided, we've got to get a weapon, and they

568
00:36:19.599 --> 00:36:23.000
got a gun, deciding that if Derek wasn't going to stop,

569
00:36:23.320 --> 00:36:25.360
they were at least going to be able to protect

570
00:36:25.360 --> 00:36:28.559
themselves if he came into the home. That fear was

571
00:36:28.679 --> 00:36:32.519
monumental and it was never ending. The days and nights

572
00:36:32.559 --> 00:36:36.559
would pass not knowing who was in the woods. Was

573
00:36:36.639 --> 00:36:39.719
someone watching them? Could the children walk to and from

574
00:36:39.760 --> 00:36:43.159
the house, Were they safe going to their cars? What

575
00:36:43.360 --> 00:36:46.239
was the noise in the night? Why did the dog bark?

576
00:36:47.159 --> 00:36:51.079
It was just unnerving. Some nights later after the incident,

577
00:36:51.400 --> 00:36:54.280
everyone in the home was asleep, they were resting. It

578
00:36:54.320 --> 00:36:57.920
was quiet, only the ticking of the clock making a sound.

579
00:36:58.559 --> 00:37:02.519
But those instincts, they were something, and Collette opened her

580
00:37:02.559 --> 00:37:06.519
eyes in bed to realize that someone was in their home.

581
00:37:07.400 --> 00:37:10.920
She was scared, She was startled. She screamed out and

582
00:37:11.000 --> 00:37:13.840
scared her boyfriend awake. And they didn't have to see

583
00:37:13.840 --> 00:37:16.559
the person to know who it was. But this time

584
00:37:16.840 --> 00:37:19.679
her boyfriend was there and he was not playing games.

585
00:37:19.920 --> 00:37:22.679
He jumped out of bed, grabbed the gun, and pore

586
00:37:22.800 --> 00:37:26.360
off after the person in the house. The person, realizing

587
00:37:26.639 --> 00:37:30.880
it wasn't Colette, retreated immediately ran through the yard, taking

588
00:37:30.880 --> 00:37:34.639
off into the woods, and the suspect got away clean.

589
00:37:35.159 --> 00:37:38.920
But had Collette's boyfriend not been there, who knows would

590
00:37:38.920 --> 00:37:42.000
have happened to her. There was no evidence now though,

591
00:37:42.800 --> 00:37:46.320
nothing that pointed directly to Derek, and that would be

592
00:37:46.360 --> 00:37:49.840
required by a court of law, but everyone there knew

593
00:37:50.119 --> 00:37:54.440
what had just happened. On April first, two thousand and one,

594
00:37:54.480 --> 00:37:57.519
Derek Todd Lee was having a great day. He was

595
00:37:57.559 --> 00:38:00.639
really excited. He and his wife were buying brand new

596
00:38:00.719 --> 00:38:04.800
car together, a Hyundai Accent. They were excited for the

597
00:38:04.840 --> 00:38:08.199
new car smell and the unique feeling of knowing everything

598
00:38:08.239 --> 00:38:11.440
is in perfect condition. Not only that, but he had

599
00:38:11.480 --> 00:38:15.079
now made up with his mistress. Life was good for

600
00:38:15.360 --> 00:38:18.480
Derek Lee. A few months of bliss would pass until,

601
00:38:18.480 --> 00:38:22.119
as usual, the honeymoon phase ended and Derek would be

602
00:38:22.199 --> 00:38:26.280
arrested in September for simple battery on his wife. But

603
00:38:26.360 --> 00:38:30.400
as you can probably imagine, those charges were eventually dropped.

604
00:38:30.679 --> 00:38:33.079
He stopped showing up for work at Dial Chemical and

605
00:38:33.360 --> 00:38:36.599
he was eventually laid off by January two thousand and two.

606
00:38:37.199 --> 00:38:42.079
What they didn't think he was a good enough employee ridiculous.

607
00:38:42.639 --> 00:38:46.920
Nobody lays me off of a job. I have skills,

608
00:38:46.960 --> 00:38:50.159
some so good people don't even know about them. And

609
00:38:50.280 --> 00:38:53.880
unfortunately for one woman, just three days after he was

610
00:38:53.960 --> 00:38:56.800
laid off, she would be the next in line to

611
00:38:56.880 --> 00:39:04.119
learn about these very unspoken skills firsthand, coming up on

612
00:39:04.159 --> 00:39:17.719
the next episode of DTL. She had already bathed, so

613
00:39:18.079 --> 00:39:20.760
with a quick change into her PJS, she slipped into

614
00:39:20.800 --> 00:39:26.960
the bed for the night. Gina's peaceful sleep wouldn't last

615
00:39:27.000 --> 00:39:30.480
long when at three forty seven am, her house alarm

616
00:39:30.599 --> 00:39:38.800
shattered the silence. About that time, her phone rang, and

617
00:39:38.840 --> 00:39:41.039
it was the alarm company calling to check on her.

618
00:39:47.599 --> 00:39:50.119
If this stranger wanted her, he was gonna have to

619
00:39:50.199 --> 00:39:53.280
work for it because she was in straight survival mode.

620
00:39:53.800 --> 00:39:56.440
The fight took place in nearly every room of the house.

621
00:39:56.480 --> 00:39:59.159
He slung her around like a rag doll, but a

622
00:39:59.239 --> 00:40:04.320
doll that refus to give up. As Gina was on

623
00:40:04.360 --> 00:40:08.199
her back, struggling and kicking and pulling herself away, all

624
00:40:08.239 --> 00:40:11.800
the while her clothes being violently ripped from her body,

625
00:40:14.079 --> 00:40:16.280
so he walked up and he turned the doorknob in

626
00:40:16.320 --> 00:40:20.800
a last ditch attempt, and to his surprise, it opened.

627
00:40:21.679 --> 00:40:24.599
Instincts at this point told him something he didn't want

628
00:40:24.639 --> 00:40:36.800
to know. There was a problem.