Conspiracy Theories, Cults, & Crimes

00:01 Hi listeners, it's Vanessa. Before today's episode, I want to tell you about another show I think you'll love. Crime House and A&E are teaming up on the podcast version of the famous true crime series, The First 48. Each week, Carter Roy takes you inside a landmark homicide case. the interrogations, the dead ends, and the breakthroughs in the critical first 48 hours. Listen to and follow The First 48 every Thursday on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, or wherever you listen to podcasts. 00:35 Hi Crime House community, it's Vanessa. I have something exciting to share with you today that I know you'll love. Crime House and A&E are teaming up for the official podcast version of the famous true crime series, The First 48. Each week, Carter Roy will take you inside the critical first 48 hours of a homicide case. The interrogations, the dead ends, and the breakthroughs that crack a case wide open. Real detectives, real cases, real stakes. This is Crime House. 01:32 There's a large grassy field behind a gas station in Tulsa, Oklahoma. 01:37 Around its overgrown edges, unhoused people find shelter from the elements. 01:44 Georgette Lake is one of those people, and so is her husband, Mark, aka Smalls. She reflects on what brought them to this place. 01:54 We're right to the entrance of the field. 01:57 Over the years, we've been together. Me and Smalls always end up back over in this area. 02:03 He was an amazing man. Think you can ever find a man that would make you just come out here to this and be like, OK, babe, I love you. I'm happy and comfortable. This is my home. 02:12 But while the field gives them a place to stay, it's also full of danger. 02:17 It feels like this place just devours everything that touches it. 02:21 And he knew it was coming. He'd tell me a week before that something was about to change, something's about to happen. 02:31 Out here is where I lost my best friend, my heart. 02:35 I lost my whole world. 02:40 For homicide detectives, their chance of solving a murder is cut in half if they don't get a lead within the first 48 hours. Welcome to The First 48, presented by A&E Global Media, ITV America, and Crime House Studios. 02:58 Adapted from the hit TV show, every episode features a high-stakes homicide investigation in the critical hours that define it. Today's episode brings us to Tulsa, Oklahoma. When an unhoused man is shot dead near his shelter, homicide detectives have to work fast to solve the case before his killers disappear. 03:22 With little evidence and only a couple of witnesses, it's a race against the clock, counting up to 48 hours. 03:32 A note, this program documents actual homicide investigations. Criminal charges are often dropped or reduced, and all suspects covered on this podcast are presumed innocent unless proven guilty. In some episodes, certain details have been changed to protect the identities of witnesses or the integrity of the investigation. 03:56 Listener discretion is advised. 03:59 This case is called The Dark Trail. 04:07 At 9.15 p.m. on August 29, 2020, a 911 dispatcher in Tulsa, Oklahoma receives a call. 04:16 911, Judy, please fire medical. Police, directly behind me. I heard the screaming and my dog was barking like crazy. They just fired a gunshot. 04:28 Did you see it happen or just hear it? I heard it, but I seen the flash from the gunshot. Some woman is screaming and I went out there to see what was going on. We'll get out there. 04:41 Officers rush to the crime scene, a field behind a gas station. 04:47 When they arrive, the count to 48 hours begins. 04:53 After the area is cordoned off and the evidence is documented, homicide detective Jason White inspects the scene. Hey. 05:10 Detective White ducks under the police tape and heads down a darkened path, using his flashlight to illuminate the surroundings. 05:19 After a short walk, he spots the victim. Lying face up on the ground, he suffered a gunshot wound to the chest. 05:29 The victim's name is Mark Clifford Lake, also known as Smalls. Described as a good-hearted guy, Mark and his wife Georgette called this encampment home while they searched for a permanent place to live. 05:45 Aside from getting off the streets, Mark wanted to create a stable environment for himself, Georgette, and his three stepchildren. 05:55 But before he got the chance, someone took Mark's life. 06:00 And now, it's up to Detective White and his team to solve his murder. 06:05 Around the crime scene, they find some evidence. Two bicycles, a couple knives, and a backpack. 06:14 But none of it is conclusive. 06:17 However, two people witnessed the crime. Mark's wife, Georgette, and one of the camp's other residents, Rowdy Peterson. 06:27 Detective White asked them to go down to the station so he can talk to them. 06:32 But before he leaves, he has another idea. 06:35 We may have video of these guys at a quick trip. We might get video of the actual suspects coming down the trail. 06:42 They got officers, you know, working on that right now. 06:44 All right. Well, I definitely want that footage. I'm going to start going downtown and start interviewing these people. 06:50 It's been one hour and 14 minutes. 06:54 Detective White arrives at the station and begins his questioning. 06:58 He wants to talk to Rowdy Peterson first. Detective White figures he'll be a little less emotional and can break down what happened. 07:07 All right, buddy. 07:10 I'm the detective that's handling this case, all right? 07:13 Where are you living? The trees. 07:15 Where you kind of stand up there in that field? 07:17 All right. Just tell me what happened. 07:21 Earlier, they asked me if I could say nothing for 20 minutes and watch the dog. 07:25 Because there can't be been getting built for these people. It's still as dope. 07:29 According to Rowdy, Mark and Georgette had asked him to keep an eye on their things while they went on an errand. And everything was quiet until it wasn't. 07:40 I heard some rustling in by his head. A lot of dogs and dogs. He can't come out of nowhere with guns. He says two men approached Mark's tent. They both had guns. 07:53 They had to flash up my face. She had to ask me questions about, is he going to come back soon? 07:59 Who you got with him? Where'd he go? 08:02 If you recall, Smalls was Mark Lake's nickname. Did you see them shoot tonight? Did you see those guys over there right before this happened? 08:31 I see them. They have families off in that neighborhood, not too far away. 08:36 Rowdy says he's seen the two men in the area before, and that right before Mark and Georgette came back, he overheard one of the suspects on the phone with a woman. The conversation was heated. 08:50 They were very upset that his wife was going to come back with him. 08:53 For sure, they were going to kill him. They were planning to kill him, and they didn't want to have to kill the wife. 08:58 In the end, it seems like they decided to only go after Mark and leave Georgette alone. 09:04 Sergeant Nathan Schilling asks Rowdy more about the murder itself. 09:10 Between the time they find the guns and cheese and frogs got shot, did you see or hear from the smalls? 09:16 I heard, like, what the you doing out here? 09:20 I shot twice. 09:22 I jumped up. I was scared. I thought they were going to kill me. I heard just pop, pop, pop. I heard about five shots. 09:31 I think both of them shot their weapons. 09:35 Can you describe them for me? One at a time. 09:40 He was wearing the tank top and blue rag on his face. Does he have any tattoos? I don't know. 09:46 What about the other guy? The other guy has dark skin, dark brown, dark clothing, blue jeans, I believe. 09:54 Would you be able to identify either one of these guys? Yes. 10:00 They live up in that neighborhood. Yeah, they live in that neighborhood. 10:04 I don't know where. Even though Rowdy doesn't know where the possible suspects live, he thinks he knows someone who does. Mark's wife, Georgette. 10:13 The wife does. She's saying she doesn't. She's going to lie. She's giving sure she's going to want to do something to these guys. 10:21 She knows who goes to Denmark. She knows where they live. She knows their families. Yeah. 10:27 So hopefully she'll do the right thing. 10:31 I appreciate you being forthcoming with us. That's a lot of really good information for being worked with, okay? 10:38 Before they finish the interview, Rowdy has one more thing to tell Detective White, something that adds an additional heartbreaking element to this case. 10:48 There's laws in your life. Third day, you're ready to get money to get a house. After two weeks, you get a house and you lose your own kids. 10:55 Just two hours in, 11:16 We've got a pretty decent description. 11:19 The teen puts out a bolo on the suspects, while White turns to the victim's wife, Georgette. 11:26 You know, my heart goes out to you. 11:28 I know this is life changing for you. And your kids? 11:31 How old are your kids? 11:37 She says the oldest is 15, then 10 and 11. So you guys have been together a long time? 11:42 He's not the birth partner of the kids, but we met together eight, eight and a half years ago. 11:51 Okay, I got to be able to get these people off the streets, and that's starting with that, okay? And then we can get you in touch with somebody to try to get you in line to get you in a better position in your life. Does that sound like a pretty good idea? 12:02 Georgette agrees to tell Detective White what she knows. All right, tell me what happened. 12:09 My husband talked about our clothes being over at a friend's house. 12:12 She says she and Mark, who she calls Baby, rode their bikes over to a friend's house to get their laundry. When they returned to their encampment, they heard their dog barking. 12:23 He was like, someone's there. I was like, baby, there's nobody there. 12:28 So he zoomed in front of me. 12:31 And then I looked up, and two guys come running out from the tent area, and Baby's screaming, and he, like, tackles Baby off the bike. 12:41 And he fell on the ground and started saying, I'm sorry bro, no, no. 12:45 No, please. At any point, I guess it was a pistol at him. They looked at me and pointed right at me. 13:03 But nothing happened. And they got involved and started running. 13:10 Who are these guys? 13:11 I don't know. There's people that are walking down the street. He always helps everybody. 13:20 Georgette said she didn't know who they were, but Detective White remembers what Rowdy said. He still isn't sure if Georgette is telling him everything. Listen to me. 13:30 Rowdy seems to think that you're not going to be completely honest with us because he thinks that you're going to want to take care of business on your own. 13:37 I think you know more than that. 13:40 It's been two hours and nine minutes, and Detective White is still searching for a lead. 13:53 On August 29th, 2020, 32-year-old Mark Clifford Lake was shot dead at his encampment in Tulsa, Oklahoma. 14:02 Following his death, homicide detective Jason White takes charge of the investigation. 14:08 So far, he's learned from one witness, a man named Rowdy Peterson, that two men shot Mark. Rowdy knows the two men live somewhere nearby, but he's not sure where. 14:20 But the witness says that Mark's wife, Georgette, does. Detective White sits down to talk to her, hoping that she'll tell him everything she knows. 14:30 Rowdy cares a lot about you, and he cares a lot about your husband. 14:35 He tells me that you know them pretty well. 14:38 I need to know who these guys are. 14:42 Hey, Jake. 14:46 I don't know who the other guy was, where he came from. He looked like a little miniature knockoff version of AJ, I guess. 14:56 Where do they live? 14:58 Uh, Latimer. 15:05 Okay, but you know who AJ is, and AJ was there, period, okay? 15:10 Do you know any more to his name? 15:13 No. 15:15 He just came up from California. 15:16 Does he have any tattoos? 15:18 A Grim Reaper on his shoulder. 15:21 Thankfully, Georgette provided Detective White with three pieces of valuable information. 15:28 One of the suspects is named AJ. He has a tattoo of the Grim Reaper on his shoulder, and he lives off a street called Latimer Place. 15:39 He passes this information along to Sergeant Nathan Schilling. 15:43 Search our database for AJ Latimer. 15:51 It'll search all our reports and field interviews. And maybe we'll get lucky where someone mentions his nickname. 16:04 This holds some promise. 16:08 Andres J. Martinez. 16:13 So we will find him and trace us. 16:19 And there we are. 16:22 And he lists the address in East Latimer Place. 16:26 So he just got arrested like three weeks ago and plans to be homeless. 16:33 37-year-old Andres J. Martinez grew up in Riverside County, California. He has no prior convictions. Based on what the investigators have learned so far, Sergeant Schilling thinks this may be the AJ Georgette is referring to. 16:49 He wants to see if she recognizes him. 16:53 Sergeant Schilling brings this information to Detective White, who's still in the interrogation room with Georgette. Detective White shows her a photo of Andres Martinez. Is that him? 17:10 Yes. Check your shoulder. 17:14 Okay, so this is the guy that's got the Grim Reaper tattoo on his shoulder? 17:17 Yes. 17:19 Was he getting dope in exchange for bringing you guys stuff? 17:24 Yeah. But he would never show up with the stuff. 17:27 He would just show up himself. Everything's in the car. Everything's in the garage. 17:48 And they end up arguing, bickering. There's a kid ambush that a baby took from AJ. He made him walk home. What did he take? A kid ambush. It's a bike. 18:02 She says that AJ was supposed to pay Mark for drugs that he'd been fronted. 18:08 But when AJ failed to come through, Mark took his bike. Is that why AJ came back probably pissed off? 18:15 Probably. My husband made him empty his pockets and... 18:18 and leave his bike. 18:21 Does your husband have a knife? 18:23 He has a knife that slides in and out, but I think he left it at the tent when we left. I had my knife on me. 18:30 What kind of knife do you have? 18:32 I have a, like, switchblade type knife. 18:36 It's black and silver. 18:37 Mm-hmm. All right, so let's talk about the second guy. Describe him for me. 18:44 He's like a 5'5". 18:50 Did you happen to notice any tattoos on that guy? 18:53 No. 18:55 Did you get a decent look at him? 18:57 No. 18:58 But you definitely got a good look at AJ. 19:05 If you didn't catch that, she said, usually if someone pulls a gun in my face, I try to remember what the F they were looking like. All right, sit tight. 19:15 Thank you. 19:16 Thank you. 19:17 Although they still have to identify the second suspect, Detective White has enough to get a warrant for AJ's arrest. But he and Sergeant Schilling aren't sure where to find him. According to a recent incident report, AJ's address on Latimer Place is vacant. 19:34 AJ shows to be homeless in our database. So I was trying to figure out his address on Latimer. 19:41 On the 10th, a call went in. 19:45 of a burglary at the location. 19:48 The tenants moved out, so that address is probably not gonna be good anymore. 19:54 We'll find him. 19:55 Three hours in, the case takes a turn. 19:59 Officer Dylan Myers was patrolling the area around the crime scene when he spotted a man fitting the description of the second suspect, AJ's unnamed friend. 20:11 Officer Myers pulled him over to talk to him, and he could sense something was off. He tells Detective White about their interaction, and why he decided to bring the man in for questioning. So how did Tattoo God come into this situation? 20:25 He was, like, looking around really nervously, so I stopped him. 20:31 He was like, man, I just came from a quick trip over there on Sheridan. He was super nervous. 20:39 It's been two hours and 44 minutes. 20:42 Detective White looks up the suspect. 38 year old Jason Enrique Arce, also known as Loco, is from Compton, California. He has a prior conviction for assault and battery with a dangerous weapon. And he's listed as a known member of the Cerreños gang, which originated in Southern California and has spread across the country. 21:06 I've had a little contact with the Cerreños in a previous case. You have the Mexican Mafia. Below the Mexican Mafia, you're going to have the Cerreños. Here in Tulsa, I know that you're going to have a variety of different Cerreños cliques or sets. 21:19 For him to be certified as a gang member in the city of Tulsa, that says something right there in and of itself. He's been certified for a reason. 21:27 He's got a mother load of tattoos on his face. 21:30 I don't know specifically if there's any significance to those tattoos. It's impressive. It's kind of scary. 21:38 We don't run across hardcore people like him. 21:41 Detective White shows Mark's friend Rowdy a photo of Jason Loco Arce to see if Rowdy recognizes him. He shares the result of that conversation with Sergeant Schilling and another police officer. I'm thinking tattoo. 21:55 It's not going to be, you know, nothing. So I take it into Rowdy. I'm like, hey, dude, do you know this guy? The moment I show him a picture, I mean, that's him. 22:03 But he didn't say nothing about any tattoos on this guy's face. This guy's got freaking tattoos all over the place. 22:12 It's been two hours and 54 minutes. 22:15 Detective White decides to show Georgette a photo of Jason Enrique Arce as well. 22:21 I want to see what her reaction's going to be when I show her the photo of this guy. 22:26 You know that guy? 22:28 White shows the victim's wife a photo of Jason Arce. 22:34 Are you sure? 22:35 He kind of looks almost like the guy, the same way his hair was cut. 22:41 I don't know his face. I mean, everything else about him seems familiar. It makes sense why I can see all his hair was look great. 22:48 Now, Georgette says it makes sense why she couldn't see him clearly with how dark it was out there. Detective White decides he needs to talk to Arce himself. 22:58 From his dealings with other gang members, he knows the way to get respect is to give respect. 23:05 And then hopefully, Arce will tell Detective White and Sergeant Schilling the truth. 23:11 All right, well, first of all, I'm Detective White. This is Sergeant Schilling over here. 23:16 You from California? Yeah. Where at? 23:19 East LA. You got some serious tattoo work, man. Serious. 23:26 Here's what I want to talk to you about. So you were over there at the quick trip, is that right? 23:28 I always just happened to be out there because my girl was digging up. 23:32 I don't know if it was her cousin or her friend or something. He says he rode with his girlfriend to the gas station earlier that night. What kind of car was it? It was a white BMW. She was driving. And I was drunk and me and her started arguing. 23:47 I took her out and bought a trash can. He says after they got in a fight, he stormed out of the car and she drove off. 23:54 There was like a field on right there, like grass and stuff and grass. I waited for his hour. Okay. 24:01 Then I fucking came back out. Then I called her up. 24:05 I was back and forth. I was waiting for her. She didn't come back. We were arguing. 24:11 So... 24:13 Did you see anybody or see anything go on while you were in that field? 24:19 Did you hear any gunshots? Yeah. He shakes his head, no. You didn't hear anything like that? 24:29 Well, we had a situation where there was kind of an incident that happened with a homeless person. I'm not saying you were involved in that in any way, shape, or form, OK? 24:39 Did you happen to meet up with a friend of yours that was a male, like a homeboy or anything like that over there? Okay, who would that be? 24:52 How about AJ? 24:53 Detective White shows Arce a photo of Andres AJ Martinez. 24:59 Arce doesn't show any emotion either way. You like that guy? 25:06 You know him? 25:09 No. 25:11 You don't know him? 25:15 Have you fired a gun today? Again, Arce shakes his head no. Perfect. I've got a test that I want to basically rub your hands to tell me whether or not you fired a gun. Is that cool? Yeah, there was a shooting. Yeah. 25:37 When you said you ran into some homeless people back in the back, how far back? 25:44 Did you go down the trail at all? 25:52 Marce says not far, just by the parking lot. He didn't go down the trail to the encampment. It was too dark. And he agrees to take the gunpowder residue test. 26:05 It will take some time for the results to come back. 26:08 Let me see your hand right quick. 26:10 So that's what this is all about? Yeah. So if you don't got nothing to do with it, you got nothing to worry about? 26:17 Somebody got hurt or something, unfortunately. 26:20 Yeah. 26:24 What's your girlfriend's phone number? 26:26 It's on my phone. 26:27 OK. What's her name? 26:29 Arce tells Detective White and Sergeant Schilling her name, which we aren't disclosing, but he doesn't want them to call her. 26:38 We're going to call your girl. We're going to verify that with her. 26:42 We'll look at your phone. You've given me your gunshot residue test. That's pretty helpful. I mean, I really don't think you calling her is going to solve this. I think it's going to help us out big time. 26:55 We just need to call her just to verify we were your story. Sit tight. As they exit the interrogation room, Detective White says he has a feeling that Arce is involved. And if he can't find the answer soon, time could be running out. 27:32 It's been three hours and 39 minutes. Detective Jason White is making progress in Mark Lake's murder case. He has one of the two suspects in custody, a man named Jason Enrique Arce. But he also needs to find Arce's suspected accomplice, Andres A.J. Martinez. 27:52 Sergeant Nathan Schilling agrees. But Arce isn't telling them what they need to know. So Sergeant Schilling calls Arce's girlfriend to try and learn more. Detective White listens in on the call, along with Lieutenant Brandon Watkins. 28:07 What did he be in question for, if you don't mind me asking? 28:12 There was a incident that happened over there behind the quick trip. 28:18 Please don't tell me he's in trouble, because Was there anyone else with him? Who's his friend? 28:23 I don't know his fucking name. I just know it's not a Mexican bull. 28:51 How long was he in the car with you guys? 29:00 You know that you can get in trouble if you lie to the police to hinder an investigation, correct? 29:05 Did he tell you anything about what happened while you were gone? 29:21 Someone was shot tonight. 29:23 And if you're lying for him... What's his friend's nickname? Come on. Don't play dumb. 29:32 I don't like his friend. I don't even like him being around that shit. I knew the stupid shit was gonna happen. 29:55 So they weren't talking about being mad or looking for somebody? 30:00 All right. 30:03 Bye. Bye. 30:06 She's saying just enough to make it sound like she's telling the truth. And she said the word honestly 14 times. She's lying. 30:16 Detective White and Sergeant Schilling agree with Lieutenant Watkins. He's involved, isn't he? 30:21 Yeah, he's number two. Okay, I figured he was. Yeah, Tim and AJ. 30:26 She told us that? No, no, but she does say his friend's in the car. 30:31 A male friend that she doesn't like, that's nothing but trouble, is in the car with him. They get out, and they walk away, and then she leaves. 30:43 Four hours after Mark's murder, surveillance video from the gas station comes in. Detective White and Sergeant Schilling take a look at it. 30:53 The video shows a white BMW pulling into a parking spot, the same car the suspect Jason Arce described. 31:02 A moment later, a large man in dark clothes, matching AJ's description, gets out of the back seat. 31:10 After that, Jason Arce gets out of the front passenger seat and follows him. 31:16 Detective White spots something else in the video, a contradiction from what he's been told. 31:23 Both Arce and his girlfriend said they were fighting, but in the video, Detective White sees something that brings that into question. Hang on, go back a little bit real quick. See right there, they just kiss. 31:38 That's a little contrary to what he was telling you. 31:40 So he said that they had a big fight, but then they just kiss in the car and he's getting out of the car. 31:46 8.45, so 18 minutes before the 911 call? 31:50 Yeah. 31:51 He claims that he just went right over into the field and that was it, and then he left. 31:56 Okay, so let's look at the south view of that. 31:59 Like 9.03? Yeah, probably. The 911 call initially comes in at 9.02. 32:05 They check the footage from just a minute or two after the shooting. 32:10 Two men come running into the frame. They're in the distance, but it looks like Jason Arce and his friend, the man they believe is AJ Martinez. That's going to be them. That's going to be AJ. 32:24 So they're together. That's huge. 32:28 Huge video. 32:29 I guess we could see if AJ's phone number's in his phone. 32:33 Using a phone number they have for AJ from a prior report, Sergeant Schilling searches Jason Arce's contacts. He confirms. 32:42 AJ's number is in Arce's phone. 32:45 All right, that's good. That's good. 32:49 And I was looking at his location data, and it puts him at AJ's house on Latimer. 32:56 So he was back at the house doing something after he no longer lives there. That's good. 33:03 Yeah, we're cooking. It feels like they're on the verge of cracking this case. So they return to the interrogation room and confront Jason Arce. You didn't tell us that there was a guy in the car with you. 33:15 You said it was a chick, man. Yeah. Yeah, you were in there with a guy that goes by AJ. I don't know AJ. You've got AJ's number in your phone, man. 33:26 You were lying to me about being with this guy, and it's causing you some problems. You've got three people, AJ, AJ, and AJJ. 33:38 Well, maybe, but it's the same number that we have for AJ, Andreas Martinez. 33:44 It's been five hours and 49 minutes. And then the other problem is the fact that I've got you on video running from that field with the other dude. 33:55 The information that we've got from the witnesses that were up there at the scene, that you were with this other guy, was that you both were shooting, okay? 34:06 That's what we were told. 34:09 Murder. 34:12 Yeah, I'm dead serious. 34:16 These guys are gonna take your clothes. It is a homicide. The guy did die. 34:24 So we're going to talk to AJ. We're going to find him, and we'll talk to him as well. 34:30 Best of luck, OK? 34:32 We're going to book Jason Arcee. 34:36 These are two violent individuals, so it's gonna be nice to be able to get these people off the street for this victim's wife. In large part, this is because of that alert police officer, Officer Myers, noticing this guy walking down the street. 34:52 And sure enough, he's one of the two suspects. 34:56 So I'm probably going to be on first 48. Yeah. The next thing is we're going to be looking for AJ, who is going to be Andres Martinez. My hope is that we're going to be able to locate him relatively quickly. 35:08 They decide to arrest Arce for killing Mark Lake. And the search for his accomplice, AJ, is on. 35:16 The patrol officer scanned the neighborhood for AJ and the area around his old address on Latimer Place. 35:23 Just 13 hours in, AJ is brought down to homicide. 35:29 Detective White is running on fumes. 35:32 He talks to the officer who brought AJ in. All right, tell me what happened this morning. 35:37 We drove by Latimer Place. He was asleep in a chair outside the house. 35:41 Okay. 35:43 If he's a man of character, then he's going to step up for his buddy. And he's going to tell me what really was going on. 35:49 This is the final piece of the puzzle, the key to closing the book on Mark Lake's murder. Detective White conducts the interrogation with Lieutenant Brandon Watkins. 35:59 All right, buddy. 36:01 My name's Jason White. This is Lieutenant Watkins over here next to us. 36:05 And I'm one of the detectives that's up here, OK? 36:09 Where were you last night? 36:10 I'd been out all night. 36:13 Do you know a guy that has a street name of Loco? 36:19 Detective White shows AJ pictures of Jason Arce and Jason's girlfriend. 36:25 AJ doesn't betray much emotion. 36:29 Would it be that guy? 36:34 Have you ever seen that girl before? 36:39 Did she happen to give you a ride with her boyfriend? 36:44 Dropped you off over to Quick Trip, which has cameras everywhere? 36:49 She had another girl with her. He says she had another girl with her. Well, here's the problem with that, because we've already talked to her, and she's told us that both you and him were together in the car. And then the two of you guys got out. 37:03 I was there with her in the park. 37:07 And I told him that's it, so I didn't want him. 37:10 He claims he was there with her in the car, then he walked home. That's it. All he did was walk home. 37:15 There's a guy by the name of Mark Lake. 37:17 Him and his wife, they live in a tent along the trail from along that quick trip ride. 37:23 Confirmation, he walks down that trail. 37:26 I know. 37:26 So you know the trail? 37:32 Yes, he knows there are unhoused people who stay there and he says hi to them. Well, Mark is dead. 37:38 It had nothing to do with this situation. 37:41 AJ says he had nothing to do with this situation. When you're around somebody that fired a gun, but that's you, and that's Loco. Yeah, he was running. 37:53 Okay. 37:54 This is called a gunshot residue test. It allows me to basically scrub your hands. 38:02 Does that sound agreeable to you? 38:07 AJ says he doesn't mind because he didn't shoot anyone. Well, I've got two witnesses that watched you do it. Detective White is close to finishing this interrogation. 38:17 And then he can make his final arrest. 38:22 It's been 13 hours and 44 minutes. Detective Jason White has already arrested one suspect, Jason Enrique Arce, for the death of Mark Lake. Now he's focusing on the second suspect, Andres AJ Martinez. 38:40 AJ says he didn't kill somebody. How would he do that? You pulled out a gun and you shot. 38:46 Do you have any tattoos? 38:50 Is one of them a grim reaper on the side of your shoulder? 38:54 Let me see it if you don't mind. AJ shows him. 38:57 It's just like Georgette described. 39:00 AJ tells him he saw Mark riding a bicycle on the trail at some point before the shooting. He says they bumped into each other but that's it. 39:10 However, as Mark's wife, Georgette, already told Detective White, it went well beyond that. 39:17 So, essentially, there was a situation that happened over there a few days ago where they accused you of stealing something or some weed. 39:28 Ring a bell? 39:30 And he told me that when I was walking by, but I didn't know what you were talking about. 39:33 He accused you of being a thief. He took your bike. He made you empty your pockets And he sent you home. Like, get out of here. 39:44 AJ says he wasn't even worried about it. 39:48 He's not worried because he knows he didn't do anything wrong. 39:52 Essentially, that's kind of, that falls into the category for me, that he was being disrespectful to you. 39:57 Yeah. 40:05 I have no guns at all. 40:06 That's not what I do. I don't kill people. 40:09 Detective White isn't buying it. He officially places AJ under arrest. 40:15 Okay. 40:17 Loco got charged with murder, so you're going to give the same thing. 40:22 Why are you charged with murder for it? 40:24 The only people that were close to Mark when the gun went off was you and Loco. 40:30 Yeah, but I did not do anything. That's what I'm telling you. 40:33 If you didn't do it, then who does that leave? 40:38 Which is who? 40:41 Lieutenant Walkins presses him further on it. 40:44 You've got one opportunity to tell the truth, and you're just pissing that away. 40:49 Are you scared of Loco? 40:53 He's a Serenius from East Los Angeles. Are you scared of the man? 40:59 The interrogation is over for now. Detective White performs the same gunshot residue test he did on Jason Arce. 41:07 Now, they just have to wait for the results. 41:11 He shares his thoughts on how the investigation has unfolded so far. 41:15 What I love about this interview that we did is he corroborates basically everything that the victim's wife had talked about. Everything. Up until the part where this happens, which tells me she's telling the truth, she watches this go down. So I don't see that she would have a motivation to basically make up that he did this. He's there. 41:38 In their world, I think he felt like he got disrespected. And so he probably was telling his buddy about it. And his buddy, you know, being the sereniest gang member that he is, he's like, man, you're going to have to do something about it and prove yourself. 41:52 It's been 14 hours and 14 minutes. 41:56 And this case is closed. 42:00 The gunshot residue tests came back positive for both men. 42:05 In the face of all the evidence, Andres AJ Martinez pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter and was sentenced to 40 years in prison. 42:16 Jason Arce fought the charges and was convicted of first-degree murder. 42:21 He was sentenced to life in prison. 42:24 When it was all said and done, Detective White reflected on the tricky nature of this case. 42:31 You know, this was a challenging case straight out of the gate. Just because you're dealing with the homeless population for starters, sometimes they're afraid. They're afraid to talk. For her to have the courage to step up, I'm extremely proud of her. And I think that she did the right thing for her husband on his behalf. 42:50 Not only did Georgette play a crucial role in solving her husband's murder, she managed to turn her life around after experiencing this horrific tragedy. It's a testament to her resilience and strength, and a powerful way to honor Mark's memory. 43:09 About a year later, she talked about her journey following her husband's death. 43:14 About a week after he had passed, my mom, she was like, well, you can come stay and, you know, whatever you need. And I didn't want to do it. 43:22 I don't like accepting help from people. 43:25 But then my son called me on the phone and he's like, mom, you need to go stay with me. 43:31 I was like, well, that's just Smalls right there telling me to hurry up and get into a place. So I stayed over here last five, six months. 43:41 There's three kids all together and the two youngest were taken away. They're just all the way in Missouri. 43:48 My oldest, she's the one that has seen our life. 43:53 She actually come up to me just the other day and she was like, you know, Smalls is the only actual father figure I've ever had. 44:01 It's been different. I've actually gotten out and started working. 44:05 I'm still trying to readjust to living indoors or living with other people or having to adjust back to being just a respectful, normal person. You know, it's because with Mark, it was living in each other's moment rather than the world. 44:25 I see his face all the time. And I know that Mark didn't like me being out there at all. All he ever wanted was the best for me. So I'm trying little steps at a time. 44:43 Thank you so much for listening to this episode of The First 48. 44:48 Join us next week for another high-stakes homicide investigation and the crucial early hours that define it. 44:57 To learn about how you can help the families of homicide victims, go to www.aetv.com slash 48 resources. 45:13 Thanks for listening to this episode of The First 48. To hear more, follow The First 48 on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, or wherever you listen to podcasts. There's also a link to the show in this episode's description. 45:29 Hi, listeners, it's Vanessa Richardson. On a special four-episode Conspiracy Theories, Cults and Crimes series, I'm taking you to four kinds of getaways where paradise turned deadly. Listen to our special Deadly Destinations series every Sunday on Conspiracy Theories, Cults and Crimes, or join Crime House Plus to listen to all four episodes now, ad-free. To join Crime House Plus, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or at CrimeHousePlus.com. 46:02 Hi listeners, it's Vanessa. Before today's episode, I want to tell you about another show I think you'll love. Crime House and A&E are teaming up on the podcast version of the famous true crime series, The First 48. Each week, Carter Roy takes you inside a landmark homicide case. the interrogations, the dead ends, and the breakthroughs in the critical first 48 hours. Listen to and follow The First 48 every Thursday on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, or wherever you listen to podcasts.