06x02 - No Place Like Home

[bunniefuu]

Narrator: a young professional mysteriously vanishes

On a night out.

Zimek: my mind starts racing.

What happened?

Narrator: her friends and family turn to the police for help.

Narrator: the case is headline news.

Caputo: after this breaks, it quickly becomes

A national and an international story...

Narrator: leaving a community in fear.

And people are freaked out about this.

Narrator: investigators are desperate for clues.

There weren't any signs of forced entry.

Narrator: so they turn to surveillance video...

Caputo: she's not walking. She's running.

Narrator: to reveal a sinister truth.

It was almost, like, out of a scene

Of a horror movie.

Hi, I'm sasha with 407 apartments tv.

We're here at the edge orlando apartments, near ucf.

Let's go see what they have to offer.

Narrator: 27-year-old sasha samsudean

Is the social media manager

For an orlando real estate agency.

[ Laughter ]

Zimek: she started as a part-timer

And eventually became our director of operations.

Roper: she would advertise the amenities of an apartment,

What they had to offer and everything.

Cameraman: you want to use your hands a little bit?

[ Muffled speaking off-camera]

I don't know how to do that without looking really awkward.

Sasha's personality on camera matched

Her personality in real life.

Green: sasha's beautiful.

She just has a unique look to her,

And her smile would light up a room.

Zimek: I think a lot of people underestimated sasha.

They would see a pretty face.

Hey, guys and gals! Okay.

Zimek: I don't think that they understood

Just how smart she was.

Whoo-hoo! I don't know what else to say.

[ Laughs ]

Narrator: sasha has recently moved

Into a high-end downtown apartment.

Green: sasha was very excited to move downtown.

She was very independent,

Didn't have hesitations to live alone at all.

Narrator: and she's loving it.

Green: sasha worked hard, and then she would enjoy

Every second of the day.

I guess they say, work hard, play hard,

Always making the most of each moment.

Narrator: she loves to socialize, and today provides

A perfect opportunity to see her friends.

Roper: on friday, october 16th it was the last day

Of orlando city's soccer season.

Narrator: every soccer fan in town is watching the game.

Roper: the color of orlando city lions is purple.

And so she was wearing the shirt

To match the theme of the team.

Narrator: when the lions win, it's time to celebrate.

[ Music pulses ]

Roper: we felt like letting our guard down

And just having a good time.

[ Music pulses ]

Sasha is always dancing, always the life of the party.

She got along with everybody.

Narrator: after a few hours dancing,

Sasha heads for the exit.

Roper: it was about 12:30.

Sasha decided to leave.

I wasn't sure if she was gonna either go home

Or go to another bar,

And meet up with some more friends.

We did that often.

We'd separate for a little bit,

Or meet back up.

See you later.

I didn't think anything of her leaving the club.

Narrator: the next morning,

Sasha has plans to meet anthony for breakfast,

But she doesn't show.

Roper: I sent her a text message asking if she was okay.

I didn't hear back,

So I assumed that she was hungover,

Still sleeping.

Narrator: hours pass by

And anthony still hasn't heard from sasha.

Roper: it was very out of the ordinary to not hear from her

Because sasha is very, very active on social media,

Text messaging and everything.

So I reached out to her closer friends.

Nobody else had heard from her.

Hey, katie.

I decided to gather her friends katie and meghan

To just go to her apartment and see if she was okay.

Narrator: in the parking garage,

They spot sasha's car.

Roper: she was supposed to go to a baby shower that day

And we noticed that the gift was still

In the back of the car.

It was at that point where I started

Getting really suspicious that something was very wrong.

Narrator: sasha's friends need to know if she's at home,

So they slip inside the building to find out.

Roper: we went to her door, and we knocked.

[ Knocks on door ]

Sasha.

No response.

Worry was just boiling over at this point.

So we ended up calling the authorities.

[ Phone rings ]

I'd let them know that we called every hospital,

Called every jail,

That we went to her door to go knocking,

That we saw her car.

[ Siren wails ]

Narrators: officers are dispatched to sasha's apartment.

Roper: when the officers arrived, a large part of me

Was still just like, hey, she's playing a joke on us,

Or she just felt like havin' a day away from everything.

Narrator: accompanied by the building's security guard,

Police go inside.

An initial sweep reveals nothing alarming,

But there's no sign of sasha.

Then one of the officers who was in the master bedroom

Turned and saw that

There was a tuft of hair and a hand sticking out

From underneath the comforter.

[ Music crescendos ]

Sasha samsudean has been brutally m*rder*d.

The comforter was lifted up just enough to be able

To see what appeared to be strangulation marks

On miss samsudean's neck.

Roper: we were waiting for the response from the officers

To see if they found her inside of her apartment.

And, um,

Just based on the body language

Of the officer that was approaching me,

I knew right away.

The emotions were a lot of confusion,

A lot of anger, a lot of disappointment,

And I didn't know how to handle it.

[ Police radio chatter ]

Narrator: csi and detectives analyze the crime scene.

Jay: there were a lot of evidence early on

That it was a homicide.

Narrator: they discover that sasha's purse, cell phone,

And key fob are missing.

And there's something else.

Jay: there was an unusual smell of cleaning supplies.

[ Camera shutter snaps ]

There was an open door to one of her cupboards

[ Camera shutter snaps ]

Where cleaning supplies were kept.

One of the things that is suspicious about smelling

Cleaning supplies on someone is that

Chemicals like bleach can destroy dna evidence.

Narrator: csi move into the bathroom.

Jay: investigators found two latent fingerprints

On the underside of the toilet seat lid.

For a woman who lived by herself, it was very unusual

For the toilet seat lid to have been left up.

Narrator: detectives now look for signs of a break in.

Jay: there weren't any signs of forced entry.

They believe that she either invited somebody inside

Or somebody had access to get in.

Narrator: as evidence is collected,

Investigators turn their attention

To the building's security.

Jay: one of the highlights of a place like

The uptown apartments is they also did have

A security guard walking around patrolling the building.

Are there any cameras?

Through here.

Narrator: the security guard explains that the building

Is monitored by several surveillance cameras.

There was cameras at each entrance, each exit,

And then in the stairwells.

There. And there.

Jay: and I believe on each floor.

So there's about 15 different cameras

That we were able to use.

Narrator: with so many cameras,

Detectives hope that surveillance footage

Will reveal sasha's k*ller.

Narrator: 27-year old sasha samsudean has been found

Brutally m*rder*d in her own apartment.

Detectives hope the building's security cameras

Will show them what happened.

There. And there.

Narrator: but the footage is stored off-site

And will take time to recover.

The tragic news is hard for sasha's friends to take.

Roper: we wanted to notify her parents that sasha was -- was --

Had passed away.

I'm so sorry.

Green: when you first get the text message,

It's almost a denial. It doesn't seem real.

You'll never fully understand why something like that

Has to happen.

But we went over to her parents' house that day

With some of her other close friends and family

Just to be there for them, and, you know, bring food,

And just be with them at that time.

Uh, mr. Samsudean, I'm sorry. I have to go.

The police are here.

My mind starts racing. Like what -- what happened?

Who -- who did this? How did this happen?

It doesn't make any sense to me.

Narrator: detectives want to know how a k*ller gained access

To the uptown apartments.

So to fully understand the building's security systems

They turn to the security guard who was on duty.

He recalls seeing sasha coming home.

He did remember seeing miss samsudean

Trying to gain entry into the building

But he did not let her in.

Narrator: the security guard explains that sasha

Then slipped into the building behind another resident.

Narrator: sasha is clearly intoxicated,

So he offers to help.

Narrator: that was around 3 a.m. And there's something else.

Narrator: the security guard has provided a detailed picture

Of sasha's movements from arriving at the building

To entering her apartment.

While they wait on the cctv, detectives turn their attention

To sasha's journey home from the nightclub.

Jay: we have cameras all over orlando.

They're called iris cameras

It was learned that miss samsudean had been downtown

So there's going to be footage along

Orange avenue, which is the main strip in downtown orlando

That runs north to her apartment complex.

Narrator: sasha had to travel ten blocks north

On orange avenue to get home.

It's likely her journey was caught on cctv.

They start with a camera next to the attic nightclub.

Jay: if they can see anything on that footage as to who

She is with, is a stranger involved?

Any of that information will help solve the case.

Narrator: they know from anthony what time she left.

Detective: okay, let's start with orange avenue

And central boulevard around 12:30 in the morning.

Narrator: they start scanning the footage.

Miss samsudean's friend had indicated that she

Had left the bar alone.

Narrator: it's a busy night in downtown orlando.

Pinpointing sasha will be tough.

I don't see anything.

Narrator: they rewind and play it frame by frame.

There's no sign of her, so they switch cameras.

[ Music crescendos ]

Detective: stop.

Punch in.

That's her.

Jay: eventually the iris cameras were able to pick up

Miss samsudean because she was wearing white pants

That evening.

It didn't appear that there was anybody that was following her.

She appeared to be alone.

[ Music builds ]

Detective: she's stumbling, but she's heading

The right direction if she's going home.

Narrator: as she leaves shot, detectives switch cameras again.

Do you have anything going further north?

[ Music crescendos ]

That's her.

Narrator: they see her in the corner of shot.

Only now she's running.

They wait to see from who.

But suddenly she vanishes.

What?

The rewind and watch again.

Six seconds are missing.

It's a glitch in the footage.

Investigators have no idea where sasha has gone.

Desperate to find her again,

They switch to a camera further up orange avenue.

Detective: that's her.

Narrator: they find her.

Detective: she's with somebody.

It looks like they know her.

Looks like two women.

Narrator: they punch in, hoping to make an i.d.

Detective: I can't see their faces. It's -- it's too grainy.

Detective: let's go to the next one.

Narrator: all three continue their journey together

Until they move out of view.

Investigators need to identify who sasha was with.

Well, it's important to try and track down the two individuals.

Narrator: they turn to the news media for help.

Press releases are important to police investigations

Because when they hit walls, they need the public's help.

Zimek: sasha's m*rder was the top story in orlando.

It was everywhere.

These type of horrific stories, you see on tv or you hear about,

But you never think it would hit so close to home.

And to be somebody that you love.

I think it still doesn't seem real.

After this story breaks and local media start covering it,

It quickly becomes a national and an international story.

People cared about this.

What you have is an attractive, intelligent young girl

In a safe apartment, and she winds up dead,

And people are freaked out about this.

Narrator: the media attention pays off.

Having recognized sasha on the news, two girls come forward.

Narrator: the two girls are just good samaritans.

Narrator: the girls' story explains how sasha made it home,

But it doesn't reveal her k*ller.

Investigators now turn to the cctv from sasha's building.

Over here. The video's in.

What investigators will always hope for

On video footage is the suspect.

And if you can't see the actual suspect, maybe you can see

People who did see or hear something unusual.

Narrator: they press play

Hoping to catch a m*rder*r.

Narrator: witness confirm that sasha samsudean made it home

Safely the night she was m*rder*d.

Now cctv from the apartment building

Will show what happened next.

Detectives start with the camera covering the entrance.

The first time sasha's seen on surveillance video

Is at 1:46 a.m.

It appears she's alone.

A couple seconds later behind her comes another man

In a black shirt and gray shorts.

Man:

Sasha:

Jay: on the surveillance video you can hear

An unknown male voice asking her whether or not she's okay

And her answering back that she was.

Narrator: they switch cameras.

Jay: the next bit of footage showed her entering a stairwell,

A couple of minutes later at about 1:48,

And going up the stairs.

And with the audio -- particularly in a cement stairwell --

You could really hear her flip flops.

Rewind it.

Narrator: they keep watching to see if sasha

Is still being followed.

[ Music crescendos ]

Jay: there doesn't appear to be anybody following her.

Yeah, let's go to the next.

Narrator: detectives switch cameras again.

But sasha doesn't come into view.

They troll through footage from the multiple cameras,

Anxious to find her.

There's no sign of her. Until...



Caputo: at 2:06 another camera in the building picks sasha up,

But she's not walking. She's running.

Police want to know who she's running from.

It could be the person that k*lled her.

It was almost like out of a scene of a horror movie.

Narrator: but as they play on, a familiar figure comes into view.

Jay: that's when they realize

That he's wearing a security uniform.

Narrator: it's the security guard, stephen duxbury.

When interviewed, he stated that when he caught up to sasha,

He offered to help her get inside her apartment.

He said sasha thought her keys were in her car,

So detectives switched to the camera covering

The parking garage to see if his story checks out.

Caputo: at 2:25, the pair are seen walking towards

The first-floor parking garage.

[ Indistinct speaking ]

Jay: you can hear that they're speaking to one another,

You just can't make out the content of what they're saying.

[ Indistinct speaking ]

Narrator: they exit the building.

Caputo: this corroborates the security guard's story

That he's helping sasha find her key fob.

Jay: shortly after, they both return in

From the parking garage.

Narrator: his story checks out.

So detectives now turn their attention to the mystery man

The security guard thought he saw with sasha later that night.

He couldn't be sure of a time,

So they'll need to search through hours of footage

To find him.

Three days after sasha's m*rder,

Her family prepare to say goodbye.

The gathering for sasha's funeral was massive.

Zimek: I don't think anyone knew quite how popular

Sasha samsudean was until her funeral.

We were able to gather video clips from sasha

Showing that gregarious, just amazing personality.

You want me to start talking?

Ready to go? Cameraman: yeah.

Hey, guys and girls, I'm sasha here --

I don't know what I'm -- sorry.

Woman: that's okay.

Green: after the service, when we walked out,

There was a huge rainbow and just -- like a sign that

She's okay.

Narrator: at orlando p.d., The medical examiner's report

Is ready to view.

Jay: in addition to collecting evidence in the apartment,

There's evidence that is collected from the body,

And dna swabs were taken on miss samsudean's body,

And foreign dna belonging to a male suspect was found on her.

The cause of death is confirmed as strangulation.

Jay: one would generally expect that to be a crime of passion

And potentially with somebody who knew her.

Narrator: investigators focus on all of sasha's ex-boyfriends.

Caputo: police want to speak to taylor unsinger.

They dated from 2013 to 2015.

Narrator: sasha's ex-boyfriend, 27-year-old taylor,

Is a downtown bartender who works just a few blocks away

From the apartment building.

Narrator: the buccal swab is sent for analysis

And police follow up on taylor's alibi.

It checks out, and his dna isn't a match,

So he's dismissed as a suspect.

Desperate for new leads, detectives hope data recovered

From an ipad found in sasha's apartment

Might ignite the investigation.

During a homicide investigation,

Almost every piece of digital evidence

Is going to be collected at the scene,

And the reason is we keep all sorts of different information

On our phones and on our ipads.

Thanks for the call.

Jay: you can have the same data on your ipad

As you do with your phone.

And so in this particular case,

With her phone missing, the ipad was more important

Than it normally would have been.

Narrator: they focus on a text message exchange that occurred

Almost three hours after sasha was last seen on camera.

Could this be a conversation with a k*ller?

Narrator: detectives investigating the m*rder

Of sasha samsudean...

These ones here?

Have discovered a text message that could reveal the k*ller.

Sasha sent a text at 5:12 a.m.



The communication simply says "ben."

Narrator: the ipad contains his contact details.

They dial the number.

Ben answers and agrees to come in for questioning.

Narrator: they press ben for an alibi.

While dna is sent to the lab,

Detectives turn back to the surveillance video

To see if ben's story checks out.

They scour footage, moving from floor to floor.

They watch closely, focusing on every face.

But there is no sign of ben.

[ Indistinct speaking ]

Caputo: after reviewing hours of this surveillance video,

Police come up empty-handed.

We gotta be missing something.

Narrator: ben is ruled out as a suspect,

And the search is about to go cold...

When suddenly a man walks into view.

Security guard doing his rounds.

Detective: go back. Let's see him walk.

Narrator: security guard stephen duxbury

Said he finished work at 6:00 a.m.,

But it's now 6:36.

Detectives wonder why he's still in the building.

Freeze.

Narrator: something doesn't quite fit.

Look at that.

Caputo: they see that he's carrying two plastic bags.

They look like garbage bags.

Narrator: detectives have seen them before.

Caputo: the garbage bags in sasha's apartment

Had red handles too.

Jay: so when we see the security guard leaving with a white bag

That could be from her apartment,

It's definitely suspicious.

He walks directly out towards the second-floor parking garage.

Narrator: a minute later, he walks back in empty-handed.

Detectives head straight back to the uptown apartments

To confront duxbury.

Detective: mind if I take a look?

Duxbury: of course.

Jay: when reviewing all of his security reports,

What it showed was that he did not take people's trash out.

He wrote people up for leaving their trash out.

Narrator: detectives must now consider the unthinkable...

That the security guard assisting in their investigation

Could instead be the man who m*rder*d sasha.

Did you ever go into apartment 345?

No.

Jay: he maintained that he was never in the apartment.

Narrator: stephen duxbury is brought back

To the police department, where he consents

To a polygraph.

Narrator: now detectives hope to get to the truth

And finally bring sasha's k*ller to justice.

Narrator: investigators suspect that security guard

Stephen duxbury is involved in sasha samsudean's m*rder.

To prove his innocence,

Duxbury has agreed to a lie-detector test.

Caputo: they want to see if he's telling the truth,

And what they find really blows up.

When he is asked if he's ever been into sasha's apartment,

The needle jumps.

Narrator: the interviewer turns up the heat.

Caputo: the needle jumped again.

Signs that he's not being truthful.

Police never told the public that sasha was strangled.

That's not a piece of information

Duxbury should even know at this point.

Narrator: the lie detector confirms detectives' suspicions,

But as the results are inadmissible in court,

They need hard evidence.

They turn to the lab results from the dna

Found at the crime scene.

Detective: and which one is the security guard's?

Narrator: it's a match.

Jay: his dna profile was the foreign dna on miss samsudean.

Narrator: and there's something else.

Jay: he had left a latent fingerprint on the underside

Of the toilet seat in her apartment.

Narrator: investigators also turn up one more

Key piece of evidence.

Jay: what we discovered was his phone showed

That he searched the internet that morning about 5:00 a.m.

How to defeat her digital lock.

Narrator: on october 30th 2015,

Two weeks after sasha's death,

Stephen duxbury is arrested and charged

With first-degree m*rder and attempted sexual battery.

Miss samsudean went out with her friends,

Got a ride home from two good samaritans,

And then got into her apartment complex.

Mr. Duxbury took it upon himself a couple hours later

To try and search how to get into her apartment.

I don't think there was motive other than just opportunity.

And maybe she believed that she was flirting with him

Because she talked to him for a little while.

Who knows?

Narrator: in november 2017, he's found guilty

And sentenced to life in prison.

Jay: the way I presented the evidence to the jury at trial

Was very chronological.

It was fantastic to have all that video

To help tell the story of where she was and when downtown.

And then it paints a picture of all of her movements

Inside of the apartment complex.

Man:

Sasha:

It's important to be able to tell a complete story.

It's just a tragic story of somebody who invaded

Somebody else's personal space

In the most awful way and then took that person's life.

She was in her house.

She's sleeping. She has the door locked.

And the person who's supposed to take care of her

Is the person who k*lled her.

Narrator: today, sasha's legacy lives on.

Zimek: a year later, her mom approached a group of us

And said, "I'd like to have a memorial service for sasha."

Green: everybody got dressed up and we released some balloons.

The balloons were red, sasha's favorite color.

We wanted to make it more of a celebration of her life

And all of the amazing qualities that she possessed.

Zimek: sasha was such a beautiful soul

Who cared about so many people.

It is a damn shame that she's not here for us.

But I'll tell you, she made such an impact

In the years that she was alive.

I can't imagine that most people make that impact

In an entire full lifetime.