They found a lock in a kitchen drawer and a TASER box and some strands of duct tape in the trash. He was also found found guilty of capital murder and sentenced to life in prison without parole, according to the, For more on this case and others like it, watch. Bill Ray, one of the attorneys who represented Cervantez, said none of the more than 400 exhibits prosecutors filed placed her in Harris' apartment at the time she was killed, the paper reports. She would always find a way at work to make it harder on you, former co-worker Leticia Groen told Snapped.. Jeffcrawled midway to the kitchen before he was forced to get out for some air. Police arrested him as he could not produce his driver's license when asked. While the homicide took place nearly 6 hours. 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Documents say the only thing missing from Harris' apartment were her keys, which contained the keys to the American Eagle store as well as the safe. December 10, 2014 / 11:07 AM Ashlea Ann Harris was murdered Nov. 28, 2014, by Clarence David Mallory, 22, and his co-defendant, Carter Carol Cervantes, 28. He ruled out accidental causes for the reason for the fire and concluded that the fire was set on purpose. She switched his first name with his middle name and changed two digits of his social security number. The apartment belonged to 31-year-old Ashlea Harris who resided there with her dog, Nala. However, they were never charged or arrested for allegedly committing the robbery. Detective Cedillo entered the mall looking for Cervantez but was unable to find her. 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When Detective Cedillo follows up with a manager who happened to be in that morning at Aeropostale, he told police that Carter Cervantez did not work there. Police set up surveillance outside Carter's home and the next morning, the Saturday morning, at 8 am they saw her leave her apartment and getinto her Infiniti G35 with a man. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. During a break in questioning, Cervantes was given a bottle of water and left alone in the interrogation room. Mark Sedwick, a special agent with the FBI and a member of the Cellular Analysis Survey Team, testified as to the content of texts that had been sent at 11.52amon the 28th of November between Clarence's phoneandCarter's phone: Carter's phone-Hey, remember that thing you said I didnt clean well?Did you clean it? Police set up surveillance outside Carter's home and the next morning, the Saturday morning, at 8 am they saw her leave her apartment and get into her Infiniti G35 with a man. Police searched their apartment. Hetestified that it looked like a human grave. One of her former co-workers, Leticia Groen, explained, They werent supposed to be dating because she controlled his pay, she controlled how much he worked, and she would just give him more preferential treatment. ", Sign up to get the latest true crime stories, new product releases and more, Sign up to get the latest on sales, new releases and more . He called 911 as he realized there must be a fire. Carter was arrested the following day by Tarrant County deputies. Zach Shallcross Struggles to Watch Himself Dancing Terribly on The Bachelor, Breville Barista Express Espresso Machine, Alison Brie on Sex Scenes: 'We Are Actors, This Is Our Job'. Ashlea suspended Carter and one week later, Chris called Carter and told herthat she had beenterminated for leaving the store unsecured. He thought that somebody had collected Ashlea for work. She was wearing a grey sweatshirt and a black hat. When he went to touch her, he saw that her wrists and ankles were duct-taped. I think theres a fire upstairs in the apartment above me, the caller said in his 911 call, which was obtained by Snapped.. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. They are not hiding in shadows. He spotted the black Infinity in the apartment parking lot. They were scheduled to make a deposit that morning of the proceeds from the Black Friday sales. Harris was born in 1983 and grew up in Fort Worth, Texas. They discovered that on Thanksgiving Day, she went to dinner withher friendAlexis Torres and other friends at an apartment inside her complex. She bends down to unlock it but is unable to. FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) - A woman charged in connection to the death of a former co-worker who was beaten, bound, strangled and set afire has been found guilty. In addition, he did not call in to request off. It was the proceeds from the sales during the recently concludedTexas Sales Tax Holiday Weekend in August. Firefighters managed to control the fire and it was only then they discovered that Ashlea was inside. Harris' hands and feet were bound in duct tape, reports CBS affiliate KHOU, which cites court documents filed by Fort Worth police. He called 911 when his carbon monoxide detector wentoff and he realized there was a fire. Ashlea had been murdered and her body and apartment had been set on fire. previously worked at an American Eagle store in Amarillo and was listed in the American Eagle system as, Ashlea suspended Carter and one week later, Chris called Carter and told her. A 911 call was made by a resident at an apartment complex in Fort Worth, Texas, United States to ask for help. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Detective Cedillo spoke to Chris Cravey, who was Ashleas boss at American Eagle, and asked if he knew anyone who drove a black Infinity. Then they turned their sights on Harris, who held the store keys, for their plot to make off with tens of thousands of dollars. They soon determined that Ashlea Harris had suffered blunt force trauma to her face and head, her throat had been cut, and her body partially burned. I said, Thats Ashleas tattoo,' said Naylor. Carter Carol Cervantez faces capital murder charges in connection with the death of Ashlea Harris. Domestic violence speaks many languages, has many colors and lives in many different communities. BestsellerThe Barista Express grinds, foams milk, and produces the silkiest espresso at the perfect temperature. He forced her to enter and rob American Eagle at gunpoint and threatened to kill her family if she didnt do what he asked. Read More: Ashlea Harris Murder: How Did She Die? Another apartment in the complex was on fire. Sign up to receive the Free Law Project newsletter with tips and announcements. Cervantez claimed that the grave was not for Ashlea Harris, but for her. It didn't last long. Prosecutors charged Cervantez with murder one and did not seek the death penalty. Cedillo went to the American Eagle store where Harris' boss was waiting for the owners to open up. Police could not find Carter inside the mall even though they saw Clarence drop her off at the door. I said, Can you tell me anything? He said, Ill ask you a question, does Jeremiah 29:11 mean anything to you? And I just fell down. He asked if she would be willing to go downtown to be interviewed and she agreed. Dr Fries testified that the injuries on Ashlea's face were caused by multiple blows. She admitted to not locking the back door the night of the theft. The trial for the horrific murder of an American Eagle employee on Black Friday began this week in Fort Worth, TX. I mean, my knees gave out. That was a term the brand used toindicate that the person should not be hired at any location. A few minutes later, Patrick's. Court: Court of Appeals Second Appellate District of Texas at Fort Worth, Defendant's Attorney: William H. "Bill" Ray This was torture, prosecutor Kevin Rousseau told Snapped.. The Court heard the two of them returned to the mall at 8am and at that point, were being followed by the police, unbeknownst to them. Carter Cervantez, 27, who was an assistant manager at the Hulen Mall store, is on trial this week, accused of killing Ashlea Ann Harris, 31, on the day after Thanksgiving 2014. All were missing. As a result of his incompetency, he was fired, and American Eagle put him on the Do Not Hire Again list. Read the crime and public safety news your neighbors are talking about. Cravey fired Cervantez because she had left the store unsecured. The deposit was somewhere between $40,000 to $50,000. She admitted to not locking the back door the night of the theft. The Court heard that when police searched Clarence's car, which was a Cadillac, they found two shovels, a box of plastic sheeting, and a box of Craftsman sockets. Who Killed Her. When he looked out the window he witnessed a dark-colored vehicle driving away. The day after Thanksgiving Day. She was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Chris looked at Clarence'spersonnel fileanddiscovered thatwhen Carterhired him, she changed his Social Security number and his name in the system so that it would not be detected or show up any red flags. They also found another lock labeled lock picking practice lock. It is the13th largest city in the US. On the day after Thanksgiving known in the retail world as Black Friday Harris's. Various documents were found. Chicwanda Forbes; Carter Cervantez: With Iyana A. Campbell, Jordan Clifford, Herbert Lee Frazier III, Reginald Garner. ", by Chilling Crimes Ashlea was the mom of the store. On November 29th search warrants were obtained for Cervantez and Mallorys apartment, the black Infinity, and Mallorys Cadillac. They had been dating which was a violation of store policy. He noticed it because he never saw it parked there before. Surveillance cameras caught her wiping down the bottle after drinking from it in order to remove any traces of DNA. Carter Carol Cervantez appeals from her jury conviction for capital murder and automatic life sentence. Authorities discovered Harris' body face down on her scorched bed with her ankles and wrists bound on Nov. 28, 2014, the. Cervantes helped Mallory falsify documents so she could hire him at the Hulen Mall location where she worked with Harris. However, their jobs did not last long when they were allegedly found suspects of a robbery that took place in the store on August 24, 2014. Close to $18,000 was missing from the safe. He observed. Carter was a former employee at the American Eagle store where Ashlea worked but she was fired in August. According to the show, Carter was recorded being very careful about leaving forensic evidence, even wiping a water bottle after drinking to remove her fingerprints. Cervantez also testified that Mallory raped her when she didn't do what he wanted. Cravey fired Cervantez because she had left the store unsecured. The investigators hypothesized setting the residence on fire had been an abrupt change of plans. For that reason, the fire seemed like an afterthought to me, Fort Worth Police Detective Ernie Pate told Snapped.. A key belonging to another assistant store manager was left in the night deposit box. The Jury heard that at 6.56am,Alexishad a missed call from Ashlea and when she noticed it, just a few minutes later, she called her back but there was no answer. She enters the mall at 7:56 am on November 29th. | Recent Lawyer Listings | Editor The following opinions cover similar topics: CourtListener is a project of Free 27-year-old old Carter Carol Cervantez is on trial for capital murder in the. Steven W. Conder. Though the theft remained an open case with the Fort Worth Police Department, American Eagle believed it had enough evidence to fire Cervantes and Mallory. Police tracked Cervantes and Mallory to an apartment near the Hulen Mall. She would always find a way at work to make it harder on you.. There are a lot of people at her apartment complex, which says a lot about the defendants in this case.'. Ashlea Harris worked as an assistant store manager for American Eagle Outfitters located in the Hulen Mall. Police observed that she hadsuperficial scratches on her arms. The couple bound Harris, brutally beat her and burned her body and apartment building in order to take the woman's store keys and steal $50,000. He told police he was smoking a cigarette at 6:30 am when he noticed a car in the parking lot he had never seen before. Investigators believed Cervantes and Mallory were planning to rob the American Eagle store. Ashlea Ann Harris loved working in retail where she could meet new people every day. Both denied knowing anything about the homicide and claimed to be together on Thanksgiving, having dinner and watching movies. Aloaded Glock 19 with a bullet in the chamber was found under the driver's seat. Get Driving Directions to Christina Melton Crain Unit Prison, Texas. | Advertising Ashlea felt that the perpetrator was Mallory. Dr Friesexplained that cricoid fractures are seen mostly in motor vehicle accidents or something involving a significant amount of force. Clarence Mallory Jr. and Carter Cervantez are accused of murdering Ashlea Harris after she left her job late at night at a mall in Fort Worth. They originally planned to bury Harris at a grave site detectives found north of Abilene, Texas. Wallace E. Hood Jr., an arson investigator, told the Court thathe locatedmultiple origins of the fire, including in the bed, on Ashleas body, and in the closet. Ashlea worked on November 27th from 5:30 pm until 3:12 am to prep the store for Black Friday. Police have said they believe that Cervantez, 27, and Clarence David Mallory, 21, beat and bound Harris and then set her body on fire to steal her keys . Her bond was set at $500,000. Joyce Marshall jlmarshall@star-telegram.com FORT WORTH. Carter's phone:Well, damn. Powered by WordPress.com VIP. They were not able to open the gate and promptly left. He thought that somebody had collected Ashlea for work. Crime News is your destination for true crime stories from around the world, breaking crime news, and information about Oxygen's original true crime shows and documentaries. By Clarence's phone-We left it. The key opened the dressing room and storage closet at Hulen Mall American Eagle. Detective Cedillo went back to Cervantez apartment and found her in the laundry room this time wearing pink scrubs. Another neighbor, Patrick Sweet, also testified. He testified that at around 7.30am on the 28th of November, he woke when heheard a loud scream. Harris and other workers helped identify them as suspects, KHOU reports. He told police that Carter had gone into the mall to collect some papers but when police searched the mall, she wasn't there. Firefighters put out the blaze and found 31-year-old Harris dead on her bedroom floor. David, 27, is incarcerated at the Jim Ferguson Unit in Midway, Texas. He told the Court that he lived in an apartment just, below Ashleas apartment. 23:46 GMT 24 Aug 2017 Lets find out. They werent supposed to be dating because she controlled his pay, she controlled how much he worked, and she would just give him more preferential treatment. According to news reports, Carter was an assistant store manager at the time, along with 31-year-oldAshlea Ann Harris. After more evidence is gathered they are arrested on December 4, 2014. Ashlea Harris was outgoing and personable while the other assistant store manager, Carter was more straight-laced and reserved. Thats not good. Please E-mail suggested additions, comments and/or corrections to Kent@MoreLaw.Com. Carter Carol Cervantez v. The State of Texas Case Number: 02-16-00224-CR Judge: Mark T. Pittman Court: Court of Appeals Second Appellate District of Texas at Fort Worth Plaintiff's Attorney: Joseph W. Spence Defendant's Attorney: William H. "Bill" Ray Steven W. Conder Description: Fort Worth Police Detective Jerry Cedillo was staking out the apartment on the morning of November 29 when he saw Cervantes and Mallory get in her car and drive to the Hulen Mall. Many retailers have special markdowns and people lose their minds trying to snatch up the bargains. Police spoke to all of Ashlea'sneighbors. reunited in Fort Worth and moved in together. She was strangled, her throat cut, and ultimately asphyxiated. Murdaugh is heckled as he leaves court, Two Russian tanks annihilated with bombs by Ukrainian armed forces, Ukraine soldiers shoot down enemy drones with drones of their own, Dozens stuck in car park as staff refuses to open gate for woman, Missing hiker buried under snow forces arm out to wave to helicopter, Insane moment river of rocks falls onto Malibu Canyon in CA, Fleet-footed cop chases an offender riding a scooter, Isabel Oakeshott clashes with Nick Robinson over Hancock texts. She was the youngest of three girls. Carter and David were convicted of beating, strangling, and bounding Ashlea and setting fire to her4701 King Ranch Road apartment onNovember 28, 2014, morning. However, the police arrested David in the mall parking area after finding he carried no license, and officers went to their apartment and brought Carter in for questioning. And in Fort Worth, career-driven Carter Carol Cervantez begins to rethink her priorities when she finds love at the workplace. This was most likely a lighter and the accelerant was rubbing alcohol. She said that he held the gun up to her and told her to do it and that he also claimed there was somebody waiting outside her parent's home and they would be killed also if she didn't steal the money. Her name was Carter Carol Cervantez. Under the drivers seat was a 9mm Glock with a round still in the chamber. / CBS News/AP. Cervantez was the assistant store manager who was to lock up the night of the theft. At Carter's Trial, her Defense was that she was not involved in Ashlea's death. She then walks to American Eagle and goes out of view. It was a latenight due to Black Friday sales and Alexis looked after Ashlea's dog Nala while Ashlea was working. Cervantez was the first to go to trial in May 2016. Her name was Carter Carol Cervantez. He tried again a second and a third time but the smoke made it an impossible task. Cravey indicated that he did. This was somebody who killed her out of anger. Clarence David Mallory took the 5th when he was brought in to testify. Fired One week later Cravey called Cervantez. Harris friends told investigators that she had been working around the clock in anticipation of the Black Friday sales event which started that morning. It was then he saw a body. They founda plastic tub that contained bungee cords and arope. All were missing. January 25, 2022, "The effects of abuse are devastating and far reaching. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. App. The manner of Ashlea's death was ruled as a homicide. Chicwanda Forbes gets the attention she craves from an older man in exchange for her loyalty; Carter Carol Cervantez begins to rethink her priorities when she finds love at the workplace. Police also found a damaged deadbolt lock,two other locks that had been used for practice. Greed and Hatred Uncovered in Ashlea Harris Murder, A First Look at the Murder of Ashlea Harris, Co-worker Describes Clarence David Mallory: He Seemed Genuine, She was the really cute, fun, outgoing person and so a lot of people were attracted to her, regardless of whether they were a boy or a girl, Ashleas best friend Stephanie Naylor told, Firefighters put out the blaze and found 31-year-old Harris dead on her bedroom floor. He took photos of the various items found in the car. At that point, the firefighters had arrived. Police also saw what appeared to be a fresh injury to his lower lip and his lower lip was swollen. After Carters two-door black Infiniti G35 was identified to be on the scene by witnesses and officers followed the couple to the mall the next morning. Another store employee watched the video and agreed with Ashlea based on the suspects physical appearance. | Store Chris Cravey later found out that the key that was used to unlock the safe had been left unattended on a table in an area that Cervantez was folding clothes the day before. So why did they kill Ashlea? Clarence David Mallory, 22, would meet a similar fate in August 2017. He continued to lie in bed wondering what was going on in his upstairs neighbors apartment (Ashleas apartment). The Court heard that police believed that over the course of a few weeks, Carter and Clarence planned to kidnap Ashlea and steal the keys. Home Assuming that there may be a fire in Ashleas apartment he dialed 911. According to local news reports,the opening manager discovered $17,850.32 had been stolen from the safe. , updated (Fort Worth PD) Harris, who was a manager at the store, had. Jason Kidd hopes Mavs star stays patient in preseason play, Spring training cuts are incoming, but these Rangers prospects have impressed in camp. The two men, who were strangers to her, were invited into the apartment by Clarence and she was raped by both of them. Did we leave it behind? He told the Court thathe sawa black Infiniti G35 with a faded Toll tag sticker on its roof parked outside. On December 4, 2014, arrest warrants were issued for Carter Carol Cervantez and Clarence David Mallory Jr. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more. Though Mallory was arrested for driving without a license, he was also released from custody. They discovered that Ashlea's missing keys had the store keys on them too. Around 7:30 am several residents of the River Ranch Apartments located at 4701 King Ranch Road called 911 to report smoke coming from apartment #1505. He also described seeing the dark-colored vehicle driving away shortly after hearing Ashleas front door close. It didn't last long. We Mallory and his girlfriend Carter Carol Cervantez, 28, plotted to kill Harris Harris, 31, was the store manager of an American Eagle store in Fort Worth, TX Mallory and Cervantez bound Harris . He heard the door of Ashlea's apartment close and when he looked out his window, he saw ablack Infiniti G35 driving away. The Black Infiniti G35 was searched by Officer J.J. The most likely thing that caused that was being pistol whipped.. Carter Carol Cervantez appeals from her jury conviction for capital murder and automatic life sentence. Jeff was a neighbor and friend of Ashlea's. FORT WORTH, Texas -- A woman whose burned body was found in her Fort Worth apartment Thanksgiving weekend had been strangled and beaten, allegedly by former co-workers, according to court documents. Next, he heard what sounded like heavy labored breathing. It was a black Infiniti G35. Patrick testified that he thought about what he should do. This manager did not close the store that night and did not appear to have the same build as the person in the video. No charges were filed against the two. She was later found in her apartment complex. Police searched the black Infiniti G35 and found a plastic bag inside a black trash bag, a sharpening stone for a knife, a nine-millimeter cartridge, a cellphone, a walkie talkie and a Buck knife with a sheath.
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