User blog:UnderAPineapple/Hamilton: Justice Waits (Episode 1, Part 2)

This is the second part of the four-part episode of Hamilton: Justice Waits. Previously you learned about the life of the homicide victim, 45-year old David Michael Moore, a sheriff's deputy who was shot and killed after pulling over a car on August 30, 2007. Today, you will hear about the investigation, and the eventual arrest of an unlikely suspect.



Story
(commercial break)

Jesse Jackson (to Susan): I know how much of a violent person this man is... I saw Robert shoot an officer to death.

"anarchy"

- This is 40-year old Jesse James Jackson, a former drug dealer, and according to him, a close friend of Robert Woods.

Susan Summers (to Jesse): When did you first meet Robert?

Jesse Jackson (to Susan): I first met Robert back in late 2006.

"anarchy"

- Back then, Jesse claims Robert, was severely depressed, and knew about Jesse's history, dealing drugs.

Jesse Jackson (to Susan): He came up to me and he said, "I'm having a hard time at the moment. I just got back from Iraq, back to home, and I just really need something to numb the pain away". So I told him, I got some meth and some coke, and if you got the money, I can give it to you. He pulled out two fifties, and said "bring me that ".

"anarchy"

- According to Jesse, a distraught Robert, was a drug addict, and was hiding this, from everybody. Even his own parents weren't in the know about his alleged drug use.

Jesse Jackson (to Susan): Robert told me, if I ever told anyone, he'd pretty much kill me and nobody would know where I was, or what happened to me.

Susan Summers (surprised): He said that?

Jesse Jackson (nodding his head): I'm dead serious.

Raymond Woods (to Susan): I think that story is absolutely preposterous.

"anarchy"

- Raymond Woods, is Robert's father.

Raymond Woods (to Susan): I didn't even know who the hell this kid (referring to Jesse) was. The only Jesse I ever knew was the reverend.

"anarchy"

- Raymond says that his son would never become addicted to any substances, and stated that Robert showed no signs that he was ever depressed. We asked Robert about Jesse's allegations, and here's what he had to say.

Susan Summers (to Robert):' A man by the name of Jesse James Jackson, I'm sure you've heard of him. He told me that you confided in him, a known dealer, to hand you cocaine, methamphetamines, possibly other drugs. Is any of this true?

Robert Woods (to Susan): No, none of this is. But at the same time, he's a career criminal, so he's obviously going to try and sneak his way out of things and throw others under the bus.

Susan Summers (to Robert): What is your relationship with Jesse Jackson?

Robert Woods (to Susan): (takes a deep breath)... Jesse Jackson is the man who put me where I'm at right now.

"anarchy"

- Jesse Jackson and Robert Woods did in fact, know each other. Jese even made a mindblowing accusation, that would lead into an investigation.

Jesse Jackson (to Susan): August 30, I was in the passenger's seat of the car we were in.

"anarchy"

- The accusation? Murder.

Jesse Jackson (to Susan): We were going at least 85 an hour, and a cop car, ended up noticing us.

"anarchy"

- Jesse states that the police car, driven by David Moore, pulled the car over, intending to hand a speeding ticket to the person driving the vehicle.

Jesse Jackson (to Susan): Officer Moore gets out of his car, and I can see Robert's face getting red. He's got beads of sweat coming off his face.

Susan Summers (to Jesse): Was he nervous that he was going to get caught with any type of drugs or illegal substances?

Jesse Jackson (to Susan): Most likely.

"anarchy"

- According to Jesse, Robert had been doing cocaine, and feared that the officer would spot the cocaine, in a glove compartment in the driver's side of the vehicle.

Jesse Jackson (to Susan): Officer Moore walks up to the driver's side door - Robert rolls down the window. And right next to us, is a loaded gun, looking like a semi.

Susan Summers (to Jesse): Semi-automatic?

Jesse Jackson (to Susan): Yes. (pauses) Moore's getting his notepad and paper, and Robert is getting his hand on the gun, where the officer couldn't see it. Before he can even ask for license and registration, Robert pulls out the gun and starts firing.

(six gunshots are heard in the background)

Jesse Jackson (to Susan): I believe there were five to six shots, but I might not be sure.

"anarchy"

- David Moore had been shot multiple times in the chest. Not being able to defend himself, he collapsed on the road.

Jesse Jackson (to Susan): And right after he fired the gun at him, Robert put the gun back where it was, rolled up the window, and took off like a bat out of hell.

"anarchy"

- It was after driving off, Jesse claimed, that he, and his two friends, Joseph Nichols and Aaron Jones, were dropped, and Robert went back to his house.

Jesse Jackson (to Susan): We were all stunned at what happened. I remember telling Joe, "this mother really killed somebody!".

"anarchy"

- In fact, the same day, Jesse went to police and let htem know what they saw.

(actual police interview - AUG. 30, 2007)

Detective Lynch: Why don't you go back to when Officer Moore was killed?

Jesse Jackson (to Lynch): We was ridin' at Interstate 30, you know what I mean? And, we had a bunch of coke in the front seat.

Detective Lynch (to Jesse): Who had been driving the vehicle?

Jesse Jackson (to Lynch): That would be Robert.

"anarchy"

- Jesse went to the Rockwall County Police Department, where he told detective James Lynch, everything he knew.

Jesse Jackson (to Lynch): We got pulled over... I think Robert had his hand on the, the, um, the gun.

Detective Lynch (to Jesse): You were in the passenger's seat, am I correct?

Jesse Jackson (nodding his head): Yes, we were. I mean, I was, yes.

Detective Lynch (to Jesse): When you guys pulled over, the officer stepped forward to, uh, see Bob. What was Bob's reaction?

Jesse Jackson (to Lynch): Robert basically doesn't want to hear any of it. He took out that gun, and started shooting at him. (fast forwards) A lot of us were stunned at what happened. He just dropped us off and went home.

"anarchy"

- With this statement, police began viewing Robert Woods, as a person of interest. However, Detective James Lynch was very suspicious of Jesse Jackson's story. Lynch declined our offer for an interview, but he wrote an email to Hamilton claiming, "I took Mr. Jackson's statements with a grain of salt. I was not going to jeopardize this investigation".

Susan Summers (to Jesse): James Lynch, the man who interrogated you the day the murder occurred, told me that he was weary of you, and how you were portraying what happened. What's your response to that?

Jesse Jackson (to Susan): All I can tell you is that I was telling the truth. I cannot testify on the behalf of the detective. That's out of my control.

"anarchy"

- Jesse Jackson told us off-camera, that he did understand why a detective would be suspicious of him. In his words, he isn't necessarily the most perfect individual.

Jesse Jackson (to Susan): I've had a few run-ins with the law in my life. I mean, what, I was 29, 30 years old back then? I've had a little bit of trouble gaining traction, but I believe I've improved over the years.

"anarchy"

- Saying he had a little bit of trouble, would be an understatement. Jesse Jackson is a career criminal, who was convicted in 1997, of sexually assaulting his 14-year old niece.

Susan Summers (to Jesse): I have court records that show, that you were arrested, charged, and convicted, of the assault of your then, niece, who stayed with you and your girlfriend at the time.

Jesse Jackson (to Susan): I'm not going to comment on that issue at this time. I've... you have the documents and you can make up your mind up from there.

Susan Summers (to Jesse): But with that baggage that you carry with you, it doesn't necessarily make you a godsend witness witness for a murder, doesn't it?

Jesse Jackson (to Susan): I'm not going to comment at this time.

"anarchy"

- Jesse was sentenced to fourteen years in prison, but was paroled after serving only six years. He also had some prior incidents with the law, regarding drug dealing, and armed robbery, dating back to when he was only 12 years old.

Jesse Jackson (to Susan): Like, I'm not gonna sit here and say I'm perfect. I'm not gonna be the next President, you know? But I can say for certain that I'm telling the truth when I say I know who killed this man.

"anarchy"

- And even despite the extensive record that Jesse has, the police began looking into Robert Woods as a person of interest. They wanted to talk to him about whether he knew about anything related to the murder of David Moore.

Robert Woods (to Susan): It was August 31, and it was morning. And I ended up getting a... a knock on the door.

"anarchy"

- That knock, was from the Rockwall County Sheriff's Office. They were interested in searching his home, and they were particularly interested in the car that Robert had parked outside of his house.

Robert Woods (to Susan): I had owned a 2000 white Chevy Silverado, and I remember when they came in, they asked me if I would let them search my car. I told them "sure" because they told me they were investigating a murder scene, and at the time, I felt pretty comfortable that perhaps they were just looking throughout the neighborhood to see if there were any leads.

"anarchy"

- The reason why the car was significant to the investigation, was because Jesse Jackson claimed that the day before, Robert had that same car when he allegedly killed David Moore. It doesn't necessarily link Robert to crime scene, but immediately detectives found something suspicious.

Susan Summers (to Robert): So you were feeling more calm than anything else?

Robert Woods (nodding his head): Yeah. They told me when they came in, "We had a homicide in Rockwall, it was of a police deputy. We are looking at a few people just to make sure we can eliminate them as any persons of interest. And I was very comfortable considering, since I didn't know what happened, they'd eliminate me pretty easily.

"anarchy"

- However, Robert Woods' comfortability would be short-lived. During the search, which Robert consented to, police officers found a drawer, and inside that drawer... was a .357 semi-automatic handgun. The same weapon used to kill David Moore.

Robert Woods (to Susan): They came back to me, and they showed me the gun, and they asked if they could take it and examine it for ballistics, and I said, "absolutely, go right ahead". And then a few officers came into a police car and went to the station, the other few officers waited with me.

Susan Summers (to Robert): What was going through your mind at that moment?

Robert Woods (to Susan): I was getting a bit more nervous but not all that much. For some reason, I think my wife, was more nervous than anything. She looked like she was struggling not to cry.

"anarchy"

- It would take a little more than four hours to come back, and confirm that the .357 handgun was the same weapon that was used to fire shit shots into the body of David Moore. What came afterwards, to Robert, was unexpected.

Robert Woods (to Susan): A few officers came back, and I saw one of them carrying some cuffs. And one of them ended up telling me, "I need you to get your hands behind your back, we got a match".

Susan Summers (to Robert): You have to be thinking, "what's going on here?".

'''Robert Woods (to Susan): That's exactly what I was thinking. He literally told me "you're under arrest". I said, "under arrest for what?!", and he told me, "you're under arrest for murder", I was like "murdering what?!". And he took me to the car with my wife and little girl in the living room. (music intensifies) I was just about to sh*t myself. I didn't know what the hell was going on, or what they were doing. All of a sudden, they just decide to charge me with murder.

"anarchy"

- Less than 24 hours after the murder of Officer David Moore, police believed they had their man. With the statements provided by Jesse Jackson, the car looking like the car used in the murder, and the same type of weapon used to kill Moore, Robert Woods was on his way to the big house.

Robert Woods (to Susan): What evidence was there?! Why did they arrest me?! What the is going on?

(commercial break)

Polls and Questions
Do you believe Jesse Jackson was a credible witness based off of what you know? Yes No

Do you believe the police had enough evidence to arrest Robert Woods? Yes No

'''Comment anything down below about your thoughts on the episode so far. Part 3 will be out within the next few days.'''