08x04 - Hustle Mart Murders

[bunniefuu]

[Det. Shannon Stewart]
This individual had information

that was not widely known

by the general public
about this crime.

[opening theme music playing]

[narrator] 26-year-old Nabil
Mugannahi arrives for work

at the family run
convenience store.

He was the excited one
out of the family and...

he was the fearless one, heh.

[narrator] Brother Saleh films
Nabil fooling around with his cousin.

He was older than me
by three years

and so we were close in age and
just naturally, just kind of clicked.

[Saleh Mugannahi] My father migrated
from Yemen to the United States,

to Queens, New York.

Where he purchased a business
that we still have today.

When Nabil
was still in New York,

we would pull all sorts of
pranks on each other.

When you have customers
walk into the store,

they're walking into
their own home

that's how we interact
with them and it's fun.

[Saleh] I always wanted to
hang out with him because...

It's just in his nature, wherever
he goes an adventure just hits him.

Somehow, heh, and it's
just really fun to go through.

[narrator] 500 miles away
in Farmville North Carolina.

Convenience store Hustle Mart

is owned by Saleh and Nabil's
older brother Mike.

You have got the
price list here, okay?

Yeah, yeah.

[narrator]
This week Nabil is in town

to give his brother
some time off.

[Saleh] The doctors told Mike
that he needs to rest

because he had some back issues.

And obviously,
the first call is to family.

And Nabil didn't hesitate.

[narrator] Cousin Gaber
also works at the store.

It was his full-time employment.

And it was a way for him to
make a living for his family.

Hey, Sam!
Tell your dad to go home.

- You heard the man, let's go!
- Okay.

[narrator] Mike's son 16-year-old
Sam arrives for his shift.

[Saleh] Sam was always
a quiet kid, but...

You know,
he had really beautiful

and calm energy that
we all loved.

Sam would only stay
in the shop till the evening

because he has homework
and he has to wake up early.

But he loved Nabil
so he wanted to hang out.

And that is what made him
stay longer

in the shop
that particular night.

[dialing buttons]

[cell phone ringing]

[man over PA]

[man 1 over PA]

[man over PA]

[man 1 over PA]

[man over PA]

[man 1 over PA]

[sirens approaching]

The Farmville Police department
responded to the location

and one of their officers
found the two victims

that had been sh*t
behind the cash register.

And a third victim,

he found lying face down
outside of the cash register area.

[Captain Paula Dance]
It was apparent that

the one outside of the
counter area had already d*ed.

The other two were immediately

worked on and transported
to the hospital.

[siren wailing]

[narrator] Captain Paula Dance
and Detective Shannon Stewart

from the Pitt County Sheriff's
office head to the scene.

[Stewart] I looked in behind the
area where the cash register was

and saw separate areas

with pooled blood and I knew
that this was very serious.

There was one person still
inside that was deceased.

We discovered a wallet.

And an ID
in the name of Gaber Alawi.

We located three spent


scattered money
about on the floor...

[Captain Paula Dance]
The register was opened.

The safe appeared
to still be open as well.

[Stewart]
If you go out the front door

it appeared that, some money
had been dropped.

So we were very confident that

the people responsible
for this crime

had parked on
that side of the store.

Any cameras?

Having footage
of the vehicle itself

would be one more thing that would
lead us to the perpetrators of this crime.

But there were no cameras
on that side of the building.

[cell phone ringing]

Yep?

I got a phone call from our
detective that was at the hospital.

We were notified that Nabil

who was the brother of
the storeowner was deceased.

And Sam, the 16-year-old

who was the son of the owner,
had also d*ed.

[crying]

[Stewart] Mike was
absolutely devastated

about the loss of his son
and his other family members.

And honestly, I don't know that
he ever will recover from that.

It's official.
Now it's a triple homicide.

[Captain Paula Dance] We just, were not
used to anything of this nature happening

and specifically in an area

where everyone
just knew everyone.

[narrator] Investigators
turned to their only witness.

[Stewart] Every area of
the store had cameras.

I noticed the monitor

and I could actually see
myself on the monitor live.

And at that moment I was like,

"God, please,
let this thing be recording."

We were hoping and praying that

that camera had caught what
had occurred inside the store.

[narrator] The footage is cued up
to a few minutes before the 911 call.

[Captain Paula Dance] There were
angles from almost every direction...

aiming at that door,

aiming at the area
behind the counter

even aiming at the area
in the back of the store.

As we watched that

you know, we had the sense of
dread of watching the last moments

of their lives and realizing
these guys had no clue...

what was coming.

Rewind.

At 9:58pm, we see one
person enter the store

armed with a handgun pointing it at
Sam and Nabil behind the counter.

We see another man
come in with a firearm.

And then a third come in.

Person number one makes his way
around to come behind the counter.

Sam and Nabil
immediately went down

to their knees, put their hands
on top of their head and submitted.

They did not give
any resistance whatsoever.

Person number one
is behind the counter.

He is going to the cash
register, emptying out the cash.

[g*nsh*t]

He clearly just steps up to Sam

as he is kneeling there
with hands on top of his head

and fires a round
into the back of his head.

There were gasps of disbelief.

[g*nsh*t]

He then points his g*n down

and fires a round into the
back of Gaber Alawi's head.

[g*nsh*t]

He then turns around
almost as if...

He forgot to turn off
a light switch

and walks over and fires a
round into the back of Nabil's head

[g*nsh*t]

He then goes back out
over the counter

bends down and picks up
money that he dropped on the floor

and exits out the store.

A robbery, three people dead

and they were gone
in a minute and a half.

[Stewart] In the 30 year career
that I have had in law enforcement,

uh, the surveillance footage of these three
young men being ex*cuted as they were

is probably the most horrific
thing that I have seen.

We knew that we had a
cold-blooded k*ller on our hands.

We needed to get these people
off the street as soon as possible.

Before they could do harm
to anyone else.

[cell phone ringing]

Hey, bro! What's up?

Ahmed calls me and he says,
"Something happened in North Carolina."

His voice was shaken.

He said, "Basically Nabil
is not alive anymore."

[sniffles]

And that's when I felt like
my whole world collapsed.

Because he meant the world to me

and so not to have
that any more...

is indescribable, indescribable.

[narrator]
At the Sheriff's office,

investigators study
the security footage.

[Stewart] We wanted to see
who was responsible for it.

What were they wearing?

What type of weapons
did they use?

All three had bandanas that were
covering the majority of their faces.

So that was going
to be a hindrance.

Okay.
Let's start with the sh**t.

Rewind.
Freeze it there.

Suspect number one
had very distinct clothing on.

A blue-striped, plaid shirt.

Zoom in.

[Stewart] The red, white and
blue hat that he was wearing

is actually
a Montreal Expos hat.

I've been a baseball fan
all my life

and I knew what I was seeing
when I saw it.

That looked like a Smith &
Wesson semi-a*t*matic handgun.

And we knew that the caliber
was a nine millimeter

based off of the shell cases.

It's clear that the first person
in the store, he's in control.

He's the sh**t. He
executes all three individuals.

[Paula] It was very obvious
who was running the show.

Okay. Let's look at guy
at the counter.

[buzzing]

[Stewart] The second individual in
the store was wearing black sweatpants

and a black hoodie.

[g*nsh*t]

It was obvious from his reaction

when the first sh*t
was fired he jumped.

[g*nsh*t]

And it was apparent
he was shocked.

Um, one might say, scared.

And he ran out the door.

[Stewart] Third individual in had on a
pair of long red shorts and a black hoodie.

Let's play it again.

[Stewart] You know, it's just like a
movie you watch for the third time

and you always see something
that you didn't see before.

- [Stewart] Stop it there.
- [keyboard clacking]

When he was going over the
counter, suspect number one,

his bandana did come down
off his face for a brief second.

And even just that brief
moment could be the difference

into making an identification
in the case.

[narrator] A clip of the three
suspects is released to the media.

[Stewart] Getting that
information out to the public,

our main goal was that someone

is going to see these people
and would recognize who they are.

We weren't just dealing with
the average shoplifter here.

We were dealing with people
who were brazen enough

to k*ll for what they wanted.

[phone ringing]

[Stewart] We started
getting tips immediately.

[phone continues ringing]

[Paula] Everybody was working
this thing as hard as they could.

We've got deputies and officers

who are following up
every single tip.

[phone ringing]

Homicide.
Yup. Put him on through.

I received a phone call

stating that a tip had come in from a
student at Farmville Central High School.

The student stated
that they knew

who these three individuals were
in the video that was released.

All right.
We'll check it out. Thanks.

I think we might have something.

She seemed to be a 100% sure

that these were the people
that robbed that store.

[siren wailing]

The three students,
they were 16 years of age,

and at that time in the
state of North Carolina,

a 16-year-old
was treated as an adult.

And therefore,
we were able to pick them up

and bring them in
for questioning.

[narrator] All three students
are formerly interviewed.

[Stewart]

[student 1]

[student 1]

[student 1]

One of the individuals
gave an alibi.

He said that
he was in his uncle's home

from Saturday night until just
after 10:30pm on Sunday night.

[student 1]

The alibis that they provided,
every single one of them panned out.

We were absolutely confident

that these three young men
had nothing to do with this crime.

[narrator] The three students are cleared
of having any knowledge of the crime.

Sometimes we find that just
innocently that they know these things

through word of mouth.

[Stewart] We were back
at square one again.

That's probably
the lowest that I've ever felt

during an investigation
in my entire career.

[narrator]
At the local mosque,

family and friends arrive for
Sam, Nabil and Gaber's' funeral.

So many people from the
surrounding cities came together

specially the Yemeni
and the Arabic community.

They brought the
three caskets to the mosque

and they did a prayer for
those three beautiful people.

My soul was hardened and I
wasn't ready to say goodbye.

It was just so devastating.

So me and some of my classmates

went and just bought
a whole bunch of candles

and started spreading the word that
we would have a vigil down at the store.

I know this going
to be a really hard time

for everybody in the community.

I was really close to him
and the families and...

just keep everybody
in the family in prayer.

[Kelvin Reid] I just want
just everybody to know

that they should
still be here today

and that their memories
and their love

will carry on in the hearts
of the community.

[phone ringing]

The 3rd of April,
we received a telephone call

from the owner
of the King's Mart.

A store that's in the middle
of town there in Farmville.

He'd felt that
the same three people

who had been at the Hustle Mart

and also, in fact,
been in his store

just three days
before the robbery.

We were hoping
that we were gonna

at least get a glimpse
of their face.

All right.
Let's see what you've got.

[narrator] The store owner
cues the footage to 6:30pm,

the time he thinks
he saw the suspects.

[suspenseful music playing]

You see a green Mazda
pull up to the gas pumps.

You see a black male get out
and he walks over into the store.

- Freeze it there.
- [keypad clicks]

He's wearing a white T-shirt
with blue jeans.

All right. Go back.

The video revealed a second
black male that gets out of the car.

This particular male
has long dreadlocks.

White T-shirt.

All right. Let's go inside.

The first individual
went inside.

He goes up
to purchase something.

[Stewart] Zoom in.

[camera whirring]

He's got a red,
white and blue hat.

Similar to the one that was
used in during this robbery.

We are thinking that
this could be our sh**t.

See if we can find his friend.

The second individual
is looking around.

He doesn't appear to match the
description of any of the individuals

that we've seen come into
the store at the Hustle Mart.

[Paula] We have these two men
who are at the King's Mart,

at least one of 'em is wearing something
similar to what we were looking for

in the Hustle Mart.

We at least had a car.

We also, now, have a face.

[clock ticking]

[phone ringing]

Homicide.

Mm-hmm.

A young lady on the
other end of the phone

says that she's seen
the video that was posted,

uh, of the people in the robbery

and that the person wearing
the blue plaid shirt

is in her house right now.

[Paula]
She was terrified.

She wanted officers to come

and get him out of her house
that very moment.

We are on our way.

[Paula]
We are dealing with a person

who had no regard, no hesitation

for k*lling three
innocent people.

[thrilling music playing]

[indistinct
police radio chatter]

The tactical team approached.

They covered the back
and front of this residence.

- [thuds]
- Police!

[Stewart] I heard a voice
from the inside yelling,

"I don't have a g*n.
I don't have a g*n."

He was arrested and
immediately took into custody.

I walked into the hallway,

and right there
inside the door way

- was a nine millimeter handgun.
- [camera shutter clicks]

Appeared to be the same handgun

that these three young men
were ex*cuted with.

[narrator] The g*n is immediately
sent to a lab for ballistic testing.

I remember as they brought him
into the building,

I've never in my entire life

looked a person in the eye,

and saw nothing.

Nothing. No soul.

Just a blank stare.

[lock clicking]

[Stewart] We were able to determine
that the person that we had in custody

was none other than Antwan
Andre Anthony, 29 years old.

[narrator] Antwan is a felon and
goes by his street name Smurf.

He's only been out of prison
for two months.

I was really excited about
the opportunity to talk to him

and to get his side
of the story.

He was very quiet
and very, uh, laid back.

You know, I just got the sense

that he thought that we didn't
know what he had done.

[Stewart] I'm not gonna
let him walk free.

And immediately, he was
charged with possession of a firearm

by a convicted felon.

And that was
a calculated decision

in order to continue
to build this case

and get the other persons
that were involved in custody.

People were starting
to talk all around,

and once talks
started on the street

other individuals began
coming forward.

Around 5pm, this man
turned himself in to our agency.

Mr. Shamble said that
he was third in the door

and that he was wearing a
black hoodie and red shorts.

The dominos start to fall
in place.

He names Little Rae, who would
have been the suspect

that was wearing all black,
the black hoodie, the black pants

and standing at the counter.

[Stewart]
He started to cry.

Lot of it
was the realization that...

what he was caught up in was something he
was gonna be able to easily escape out of.

[narrator] Six hours later,
the case takes another twist.

At around 11pm, the same day...

Raekwon Blount's mother
turns him in to our office.

[Paula] Little Rae, was a
child. He was 14 years old.

[Paula] When you see him come
back to the door of the store...

he was doing so because he was
told to do so by the person at the car.

We now had a fourth person

that we needed
to get identified.

Actual vehicle that they used in
this robbery was a green Chrysler.

[Paula] He only knew the
driver by the name of Wicket.

He was described as a person
that wore dreads in his hair.

There was an unidentified person

that was at the King's Mall that
had that had dreads in his hair.

And we're able to build
a photo line up

and we learnt that Wicket's
real name was Willie Whitehead.

[narrator] Whitehead is
a known local g*ng member.

He is immediately bought in
for questioning.

[narrator] Whitehead denies
being involved.

And says he spent the night
with his girlfriend Ashley.

Out of the blue she shows up

and says, "Hey, I'm here to tell
you he was with me on the night of."

[narrator] Whitehead may have
an alibi but deputies continue

to search for evidence
of his involvement.

Based off the information that
we were given by Raekwon Blount,

we got a search warrant
for the house

that these subjects went back
to immediately after the robbery.

[narrator] On the driveway
is a green Chrysler

and the same green Mazda caught
on camera outside the King's Mart store.

[Stewart] We seized both
vehicles and did a search of them.

We recovered their Walmart
receipt for an a*mo purchase.

Just two days prior
to the homicides...

And the a*mo purchase
was for 9mm a*mo.

All right, we're looking
for March 30th from 5:35pm.

There they are.

Just two days before the robbery,
these suspects were in Walmart.

Willie Whitehead,
Antwan Anthony and a female.

Can we see the purchase?

They had the presence of mind
to get that women that was

with them to purchase the amm*nit*on
as they both had criminal histories.

[Clark] She bought it for them
but they are pretending

to hide themselves in a way that
they are not associated with her.

They pretended
as if they were not together

but, in fact,
we knew that they were

because of the interaction
on the inside of the store.

[narrator] A week later,
Willie Whitehead's girlfriend

asks to speak
to detectives again.

Ashley Johnson, came in
for a second interview.

She told us that she did not tell us the
truth when she talked to us the first time.

[Clark] She's been threatened
to provide the alibi,

Whitehead was not with her
on the night of the homicides.

[narrator] The ballistic
report of Antwan's g*n

provides more damning evidence.

[Stewart] That g*n fired
the three projectiles

that k*lled all three individuals
in the store that night.

[narrator] All four suspects are
held on robbery and m*rder charges.

In March 2016,
the m*rder case goes to trial.

[Kimberly] Antwan Anthony and
Willie Whitehead were a working pair

and they recruited Raekwon Blount
and Xavier Shamble to do a lick

and a lick in our terms
is time robbery.

And as they are passing the Hustle
Mart, Antwan Anthony says there is a lick

so Willie Whitehead
stops the car.

And the other three go in
to rob the Hustle Mart.

[Clark] Antwan Anthony
gave out orders.

And he alone ex*cuted the
three people working in the store.

First Sam...

Then Gaber and then, uh, Nabil.

It stills makes my blood boil, every
time I see them young men ex*cuted.

It just tears my heart apart.

[Clark] The video shows that this
guy no more cared about human life

and that $20 on the floor was more
important to him than human life.

[Kimberly] I think the most
shocking thing about this crime

was just how unnecessary was
to k*ll these men.

They could have just taken
the money and just left

and three life would
have been saved.

[narrator] Xavier Shamble
and Raekwon Blount plead guilty

to armed robbery and three
counts of second degree m*rder.

Shamble is sentenced
to 13 to 17 years.

While Blount receives
nine to 12 years in prison

Willie Whitehead is found guilty of
three counts of first degree m*rder.

He receives three
life sentences.

Antwan Anthony is found guilty of
three counts of first degree m*rder

and robbery
with a dangerous w*apon.

He is sentenced to death
and is currently appealing.

Senselessness and the callousness of
the killings called for the death penalty.

We had to make sure that
he didn't hurt anybody else.

[Saleh] Sam was 16.

He didn't experience love.

He didn't experience the true
joys of discovering oneself.

Of pursuing his dream.

He was still building that and
for it to just disappear overnight.

It's... it's just beyond
my mind.

If Nabil was watching me
right now

[exhales]

I want to tell you how much
I missed you.

There is not a moment in
my day that you are not there.

When I watch your videos
I smile...

and cry at the same time.

Biggest thing I really want people to
remember about Nabil, Gaber and Sam.

They were hard working people,

who wanted nothing
but to support their family.