09x16 - Cries Unheard

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Narrator: homicide investigators faced a difficult

Question.

Was the death of a young woman in a deserted park su1c1de or

Was it m*rder?

An alert homicide detective found a tiny clue in a suspect's

Trash can, and it was a discarded bandage, a dental

Expert, and a colossal blunder that revealed a love quadrangle

With enough intrigue to go around.

-Year-old devon guzman left her apartment one night and

Never returned home.

The next morning, her roommate, keary renner, and a friend drove

All around easton, pennsylvania, looking for her.

Eventually the girls found devon's brand-new car in a

Deserted lot.

When I saw her, devon's lips and eyebrows were purple, and

I don't know why I didn't think she was not dead.

Probably because nobody really expects that.

And I shook her, and she didn't answer, so I was screaming.

I was hysterical.

Narrator: devon guzman was pronounced dead at the scene.

She had sustained a severe laceration in the throat area.

Narrator: an empty syringe was found in devon's waistband,

Although toxicology tests showed no dr*gs in devon's system.

And in devon's hand was a Kn*fe.

There was no blood on it, and experts concluded from its size

That it was not the m*rder w*apon.

It was an unsophisticated attempt to lead police in the

Wrong direction or perhaps somehow we would conclude that

It wasn't a m*rder.

Narrator: the lack of blood at the scene along with grass

And dirt stains on the victim's pants confirmed what police

Already knew.

It's a secondary crime scene for sure.

What was apparent to us was, one, she didn't die there.

Two, she didn't get into the vehicle under her own power.

Narrator: devon's body had been covered with her own

Jacket, which investigators found revealing.

That's kind of a symbol to us that it was somebody who cared

About her.

We usually start with the people closest to the victim, and then

We work outwards.

Narrator: devon's roommate, keary renner, was immediately

Considered a suspect.

The two had been lovers.

Devon meant the world to me.

I loved her for who she was, and we were in love because it was

Real.

Narrator: police discovered that keary and devon guzman had

Been in a fight the night before the m*rder.

It was so loud that patrons in the bar underneath their

Apartment heard everything.

So, they hear banging around, yelling, and somebody from the

Bar goes upstairs to investigate.

They come down, and they said, "well, it's the girls upstairs."

Narrator: when questioned by police, keary didn't deny it.

Our fights were more out of the normal.

We would hit each other, you know, stuff like that.

She would pull my hair.

The vodka bottle throwing at me, pouring it on her.

That's just how we were.

Narrator: keary said devon left the apartment after the

Fight, and she denied having anything to do with devon's

m*rder.

Investigators decided to take a much closer forensic look inside

The apartment.

Everybody in devon's family already think that I did it.

I thought it was her -- got to be honest with you -- because

She was the rough one.

She was abusive towards devon, and so that was my immediate

Thought that this woman would do that.

Narrator: keary renner admitted that she fought with

Her roommate, devon guzman, the night before devon's m*rder, but

Keary denied k*lling her.

In their apartment in the shower stall, investigators found

Devon's car mat.

It appeared to have been recently washed.

Investigators sprayed luminol in the shower stall underneath the

Mat, and it glowed.

It was a positive presumptive test for the presence of blood.

Dna tests confirmed the blood in the shower stall was that of the

Victim, devon guzman.

So, our thinking is, well, could the m*rder have happened

In the shower?

And could it have started in the car, where there could've been

Blood, or she had bled on that when she was transported into

The vehicle.

Narrator: keary was immediately brought to police

Headquarters and given a lie-detector test.

It was terrifying.

It was scary.

I had nobody there that I knew.

There was nothing that I could do, and I didn't want to give in

And say, "okay, you're right," because I know I didn't do it.

Narrator: the results of the polygraph were inconclusive.

Keary is a viable suspect.

We can't rule her out at this time.

We have signs of a struggle at her house, we have traces of

Blood, and we just can't rule her out.

Narrator: but investigators found something else in devon's

Background.

Devon had another lover, a married woman, michelle hetzel.

In fact, devon and michelle had recently returned from a

Vacation together in the virgin islands.

While there, the two made a commitment to one another.

She told me that they got married.

They go through these things.

I gave my advice the best I could from what I saw, but being

, You can only do so much.

You can't chain them to the porch.

Narrator: police learned that keary renner wasn't the only one

Upset by this affair.

Michelle's husband, brandon bloss, wasn't thrilled,

Either.

It really creates ego problems.

It's one thing if your wife starts having an affair with

Another male.

I think if your wife's having an affair with a female, it even

Creates more problems.

And I think that since that was occurring in this relationship,

It caused quite a bit of anger between brandon and devon.

Narrator: friends told police that devon, keary, michelle, and

Even michelle's husband, brandon, were often at odds.

Of course any time you interject a third person without

The consent of both parties, there's gonna be a problem

There.

It was four people, not just michelle, her husband, and

Devon.

It was also, keary was involved.

Keary was the spark plug, if you will.

Narrator: in tracing devon guzman's last-known

Movements, a witness told police he saw devon guzman at michelle

And brandon's home on the night of her m*rder.

I woke up because there was some noise outside that I

Realized was an argument.

The woman I now know to be devon was standing on the doorstep of

The house in back of me with two people inside the house, the

Three of them arguing.

I looked at the clock.

It was :.

Narrator: detectives sprayed the inside of the couple's home

With fluorescein, which is like luminol in that it glows when it

Comes into contact with red blood cells.

They found nothing.

We should be able to detect blood all over the place if this

Is where her throat was cut.

And we go into the house, and we're all over the place, and

We're not coming up with anything.

Narrator: since dirt and grass stains were found on

Devon's pants, investigators decided to spray items in the

Couple's backyard with fluorescein.

There on a pool cover and on the nozzle of a water hose were tiny

Traces of blood, but the blood couldn't be tested for dna.

It's been too heavily washed off.

There's just not enough genetic material there.

And when you go to do dna from blood, there's no dna in red

Blood cells.

You have to get it from a nucleated cell, like a white

Blood cell, and there's just not enough there for testing.

Narrator: police found another suspicious piece of

Evidence in the couple's washing machine.

There was a pair of jeans belonging to michelle hetzel,

And there was some water in that.

Police took the jeans and the water, and it tested positively

Presumptive for presence of blood.

Narrator: the blood was so diluted, it was impossible to

Get a dna profile.

But in a pocket of michelle's jeans, police found the plastic

Cap of a drug syringe, the same type of syringe which was in

Devon's waistband.

Michelle hetzel had worked for a physician in a physician's

Office, where she may have had access to those types of

Syringes.

Narrator: police now had three suspects in the m*rder of

Devon guzman, and all of them had the motive and opportunity

To commit the crime.

Narrator: on the night of her m*rder, devon guzman got into a

Fight with her roommate, keary renner.

She then drove to the home of her other lover,

Michelle hetzel.

I really didn't like keary.

I thought michelle was the sweet one.

Keary was the bad one.

Narrator: keary renner, michelle hetzel, and her

Husband, brandon, all denied any involvement in the m*rder.

Michelle and brandon admitted that devon paid them a visit

Around midnight, but said she left about an hour later.

But based on the forensic evidence, police didn't believe

Devon ever left the couple's home alive.

First of all, no one saw her anywhere other than there.

That was the last time she was seen.

It was at that location.

Narrator: detective barry golazeski decided to put

Brandon and michelle's home under -hour surveillance.

He saw brandon take the garbage out to the sidewalk and, on a

Hunch, confiscated it since trash is considered public

Property once it's put out for collection.

In the trash bag, golazeski discovered something

Suspicious -- a used telfa pad, commonly used to cover open

Wounds.

It has a unique wound outline on it.

You're able to see the entire outline, and it sort of looked

Like a mouth.

According to golazeski, it looked like bite marks that's

Imprinted on these bandages.

Narrator: scientists examined the telfa pad with alternate

Light sources, which can provide much more information than an

Examination with normal white light.

If you look at the gauze pad under white light and you see

Absolutely nothing, you may go to an alternate light source and

Find a material which has oozed from the bite mark that does

React to the alternate light source.

Narrator: under the alternate light source, an image appeared

On the bandage.

The shape of the image on the bandages was elliptical.

It had the same type of measurement you would look at

When you see a bite mark, and I told them it was very possible

That this actually was a bite mark.

Narrator: investigators now had legal authority to inspect

Brandon bloss' body.

On his left forearm was the clear impression of a fresh bite

Wound.

But whose was it?

The medical examiner ordered devon's body to be exhumed for a

Sample of her bite impressions.

This is the first time that I've ever been asked to secure

Dental impressions of a deceased victim, especially one who has

Been exhumed.

I've never done it before, and I'm not quite certain if I know

Of anybody else in my field that has done it before.

Narrator: dr. Scanlon took a cast of devon's teeth like an

Orthodontist does when making braces, then scanned the casts

Into a computer.

Using a process called hollow volume overlay, dr. Scanlon

Superimposed computer-generated hollow outlines of devon's teeth

Over a scale photograph of the bite mark on brandon's arm.

The outer rim of the bite cast and the outer rim of the bite

Mark were consistent.

Police were convinced that the bite wound on brandon's arm was

From devon guzman.

But this was proof that brandon and devon fought.

It was not proof of m*rder.

I don't think that science in any way inculpates brandon

Toward a m*rder at all.

What it proves is devon guzman bit brandon bloss, period.

Narrator: then police realized something.

They had michelle's car in their possession.

Why?

Michelle was driving when she and keary found devon's body,

And michelle inadvertently pulled up too close to devon's

Car, so close that her car was impounded as part of the crime

Scene.

I don't think michelle hetzel ever dreamed that her car was

Gonna be impounded as part of that search.

Narrator: in michelle's trunk, police found brandon's

Clothing and some rubber gloves.

We find clothing -- sweatshirt, jeans, socks, shoes,

And underwear -- and they're all consistent with a male of

Brandon's build, and there's blood that's evident on these

Clothes.

Narrator: dna testing of the blood on brandon's clothes

Revealed it was devon guzman's.

It is direct evidence that shows that the husband,

Brandon bloss, had contact with this victim when she was

Bleeding.

It's tough to explain that one.

Narrator: brandon bloss and michelle hetzel were arrested

And charged with first-degree m*rder.

Narrator: prosecutors do not believe keary renner had

Anything to do with her roommate, devon guzman's,

m*rder.

The small traces of devon's blood in the apartment shower

Could easily have been menstrual.

And forensic testing of devon's car mat in the apartment

Revealed the stains were from food, not blood.

Prosecutors believe michelle and brandon k*lled devon guzman

Because of jealousy.

Michelle is married to brandon and he's living with

Her, but yet devon and michelle are still having a relationship

Going on.

So obviously there's jealousy from multiple people involved.

Narrator: prosecutors say michelle hetzel was jealous of

Devon's continuing relationship with keary renner.

There was no question that there was this relationship, and

There was some jealousies between the girls.

They both had a reason to get rid of her.

Narrator: and there may have been a financial motive, as

Well.

When devon and michelle went to the virgin islands together,

Michelle charged the entire vacation on her husband's credit

Card, including their so-called wedding rings.

$,.

Guess who earned that money?

Brandon.

Michelle couldn't keep a job, didn't have a job at the time.

She was cheating on her spouse, not with another man but with

Another woman.

Narrator: prosecutors were convinced the m*rder was

Premeditated.

Phone records showed that michelle or brandon called devon

On the night of the m*rder.

A neighbor confirmed seeing devon arrive around :.

That's good, thanks.

Cool.

Want to go outside?

Narrator: at some point, the couple lured devon out to their

Backyard and att*cked her.

The evidence suggests devon fought back aggressively, biting

Brandon's arm in the process, but she was no match for the

Kn*fe.

No one knows who actually wielded the Kn*fe.

The forensic evidence suggests the couple dragged devon's body

To the car, leaving grass and dirt stains on her pants.

Michelle and brandon then drove devon's body and her car to the

Deserted park just two miles from their home, where they

Staged the scene to make devon's death appear to be a su1c1de.

But they made several mistakes.

When michelle planted the syringe, she left the cap in her

Jeans, where it was later found by police.

The evidence suggests brandon removed his bloody clothes at

The park and put them in the trunk of michelle's car.

I think he actually comes home naked.

Jumps in the car, which his wife had to drive.

Otherwise we wouldn't find the clothing in her car.

Narrator: later, the couple tried to remove the blood

Evidence from their backyard with the garden hose, but it was

Discovered with fluorescein.

The next day when michelle and keary renner went searching for

Devon, michelle pulled her car so close to devon's car that

Police considered it part of the crime scene.

This meant that the police didn't need a search warrant to

Look inside michelle's trunk.

Michelle and brandon eventually turned on one another.

Brandon said michelle was the one who k*lled devon, and

Michelle said it was brandon.

She's a compulsive liar.

She lies so much that she has to make up lies to cover her other

Lies.

She's probably exhausted.

There was a witness that we called at trial that said about

Or days prior to this, he had been solicited by michelle

That she would give him sex, or money, or both if he would take

Out and k*ll devon, that she wanted to get rid of her.

Narrator: in the end, brandon bloss and

Michelle hetzel were both convicted of devon guzman's

m*rder.

They were both sentenced to life in prison.

Had it not been for the forensic evidence, an innocent person

Might have been punished...

Once they thought that I was the one that did it, so we

Really actually needed the forensics to actually put them

Away.

Narrator: ...and the guilty may have gone unidentified.

But for the science, we would not have made an arrest in this

Case, and we certainly could not have gotten a conviction.

It was really quite amazing.

As time goes on, I find that it becomes more amazing what they

Do.

I find myself watching these kind of shows myself because --

Well, because.

Well, I think that this was excellent investigation work by

Detective golazeski, who really, as I said, cracked this case and

Deserves a lot of the credit for the successful prosecution of

It.

It was kind of the first time I've ever had a homicide case

Where the victim actually had evidence that came from her own

Mouth in order to convict her k*ller.