♪ ♪
( indistinct voices ) ( drill buzzing )
Captioning sponsored by CBS, C.S.I. PRODUCTIONS
♪ Who... are you? ♪ ♪ Who, who, who, who? ♪ ♪ Who... are you? ♪ ♪ Who, who, who, who? ♪ ♪ I really wanna know ♪ ♪ Who... are you? ♪ ♪ Oh-oh-oh ♪ ♪ Who... ♪ ♪ Come on, tell me who are you, you, you ♪ ♪ Oh, you! ♪ Female, early 30s, Hispanic descent, vitreous potassium was 11.74 milli-equivalents per liter, so PMI's approximately six hours. So time of death roughly 1:00 a.m.
C.O.D.? From what I got here, I can't tell you much. Minimal dilation in the pupils indicates decapitation was postmortem. Scalp shows naked follicles without hairs, no inflammation around them indicates removal was postmortem as well. Ripped out in chunks.
Takes time and dedication to do something like that. And a lot of hatred. So her eyebrows have been shaved off and drawn back on with eyeliner. I know that's popular among Latinos in 28th Street. She could be a banger or a girlfriend of one. Either way at least, she took good care of her teeth.
What is that, nine digits? Social Security number. Dentists usually put on some form of identification on removable bridgework. It's better than a license plate.
Pulled a couple of likely palm prints on the newspaper the head was on, but I don't think that's going to be our best bet. Okay, start with those, but make sure you run the partials off the box as well 'cause I got Ecklie looking over my shoulder, so, uh... Cover your ass. Yes. My pleasure. WOMAN: Large, elevated vertebral scales. Definitely not your typical U.S. Crotalus. Herpetologists always throwing the Latin around. What's wrong with just calling him "rattlesnake"? My specialty, my jargon. Stripes at the base of the neck makes it Crotalus simus, indigenous to southern coastal Mexico. Apparent Mexican vic on a Mexican newspaper with a Mexican snake. You don't find a whole lot of these buzz-worms around Vegas anyway, do you? Nowhere outside a zoo. These snakes like to burrow in damp soil. They like it hot and humid. We're hot and dry. For a snake, big difference. What are the chances that thing just crawled in their on its own? In a newspaper dispenser in the middle of a desert city? No way. I think it was dead when it was shoved down the victim's throat.
BRASS: The only car up here. Security called it in. Is that a handicap van? Dead guy's in the driver's seat. Any witnesses? Nope. And no surveillance either. We ain't on the Strip, baby. 500 bucks and a Nevada license. Vincent DeCarlo, 28. Take care.
It's an expensive-looking Italian suit just to be a chauffeur.
It's a wheelchair. Any indication he's handicapped?
He's not wearing prosthetics and his soles are worn. Somebody's missing their wheels. Gunshot wound to the head. Looks like it came through the windshield.
Crater on the windshield faces out. Which means that the shot came from inside the van.
So he's tapped out. Catherine asked if I could lend a hand. Thanks.
BROWN: You see that blood spot on the lapel? It's inconsistent with the head wound. To avoid cross-contamination, you think you could cut that out for me? Oh, sure.
Possible GSR.
Which means the shot was fired from the wheelchair. How'd he shoot him in the face? Hey, Vinnie. ( mimics gunshot ) ( gunshot ) So we got a guy who fired a shot from a wheelchair and then escaped on foot.
VEGA: Social came back on the dental work of Veronica Juarez. No immediate family in the States. Apartment's leased in her name. Well, that's why bangers have girlfriends; sign things they can't. This is a pretty nice place. A long way from 28th Street. Sure is.
Catherine, Nick.
Gangbanger girlfriend with a degree? Sounds like a rock band.
Hey, Vega?
Check out these pics.
Think she liked to party? That barely looks like the same girl. I know. I'm going to check out the kitchen. Okay. Well, there's no signs of sexual activity.
Oh, hang on now.
That looks like pure crystal meth. You could be up for a week straight on that stuff and not even know it. Perfect drug for this town.
Hey, you think that our vic was a groupie?
Looks like a mariachi band with artillery. I had a big dose of them when I worked with a gang unit in LA. The band? The scumbags who listen to that music. Sinaloa cowboys. Big drug producers. Okay. We've got a female victim with a degree, Mexican artwork, drugs and Sinaloan cowboys. ( music playing in club )
♪ No me puedes negar, lo que te hago sentir ♪ ♪ No me puedes negar ♪ ♪ Lo que sientes por mi ♪
( song ends ) ¿Que paso, que paso, que paso?! Hacienda Corona! ¿Como estan, como estan, como estan, como estan todos? Que bueno, que bueno, que bueno! Otra cancion! Otra cancion! ♪ Yo me paso las noches tomando ♪ ♪ Quierendo olvidar ♪ ♪ Su recuerdo ♪ ♪ Buena aquella noche maldita... ♪ Carnal, conoces esta muchacha?
Sordo, contestame! That's Carla. Carla? Not Veronica? Nah. The girl in the picture told me her name was Carla. Yeah, well, the bouncer says that she hangs out here a lot. Yeah, I guess so. Yeah. ♪ ...que por ser poderoso ♪ ♪ Que mi vida jamas pasaria ♪ She, uh, friends with the band? I don't know about friends. I mean, her and every other girl in here jocks 'em. I mean, Extremo, bro, they're the best. Come on. ♪ Yo soy malo ♪ ♪ Y no puedo negar ♪ ♪ Que desde me acuerdo no he sido ♪ ♪ La vieja resulto mentirosa... ♪ I know my Spanish is a little rusty, but I think he just said, "She was a liar, she wasn't who she said she was." ♪ ... pero en cambio le robe su vida ♪ "She stole my heart, so I stole her life." ♪ ...otra vibora por ser... ♪ "I made the snake... eat a snake."
...esta cancion... ( applause )
Oye. LVPD. We need to talk. Leave your card, I'll send you a picture and autograph, huh? That's not really what I'm after, my man. Whoa, whoa, whoa. Excuse me. I'm their manager. El jefe. You want to ask my band questions, you can ask me first. Great. What can you tell us about the song they just played? What do you want to know? Quite frankly, the lyrics are very similar to a homicide we're investigating. That narcocorrido was written ten years ago. It's a classic. Surprised you haven't heard it. I don't listen to crap about doing drugs and killing cops.
Why don't you buy a CD on the way out. Yeah, I might do that. Hey, listen, one more thing, if you could. This girl, you know who she is? That's Carla. She's dead? Yeah. That's too bad. Yeah. She was a loyal fan. She knew the words to every song we did.
Anything else?
Yeah. Your name and number.
( knocking on door ): Hi.
You got a minute? Sure. We really haven't had a chance to talk since the staff changes. I, uh... I wanted to let you know that I said some things to Ecklie that might have done the team a disservice. Ecklie wanted to break up the team, and he did. He asked me if you and I had had our post-PEAP counseling session. And we didn't. Regardless, you should never have to cover for your boss. I'm sorry. You've always been a little more than a boss to me.
Why do you think I moved to Vegas?
Look, I know our relationship has been complicated. It's probably my fault. It's probably definitely my fault. You completed your counseling, right? Yeah. Yes. And...? Let's just say that... I sometimes... I look for validation in inappropriate places.
Look... Let's, um... It's okay. Okay. You know what, we did our session.
Don't forget to document this for Ecklie. Right. Thanks.
Bullet entered through the left zygomatic arch, then penetrated the brain, then fragmented up. ( bullet drops onto tray ) The bullet never exited? Not even close. The right ear injury is a separate wound unrelated to the entry in the face. So he was shot twice. Yeah, can you identify the weapon off these? It's highly unlikely. The frags are too small. I'll go back to the scene, see if I can find the AWOL bullet. All right. So I hear you found a wheelchair. Yeah. No identifiable prints, only smudges. Did you check the serial number? No. You know, wheelchairs are registered with medical supply companies.
It's not something the average person would know. Thanks. Good looking out.
WOMAN: Mrs. Bakerset's grandson bought her a top-of-the-line chair about a year ago after her stroke. We need to talk to her. I'm sorry, she passed away last week. Really? That's strange. We found her wheelchair at a crime scene downtown. Any idea how it got there? No, no, no, Bonnie hadn't left hare in at least six months. Her place is right over here. When the residents pass, their property remains in the room until their family picks it up. Her grandson said he'd swing by next week. The woman loved to shop. I'll see if I can get you some info on that wheelchair. Loved to shop? Looks more like a compulsion. BRASS: Fly fishing rods... air purification systems, vitamins, yoga tapes... cleaning products... Most of these boxes have the same return address. N.Z.A., Inc. It's local. It's in Henderson. Scumbag telemarketers. ( knocking on window ) ( mumbles ) Watch your fingers.
Excuse me... What's going on? And you are? Stuart Manslow. And I'm Betsy Lewis. You shouldn't be in here. Well, Betsy, I'm Detective Jim Brass, Las Vegas police. And this is Warrick Brown with the Crime Lab. Hi, folks. Could you all tell me what's the deal with all these boxes? Buying things made Bonnie happy. After her husband died, she was lost. Then a nice salesman kept calling. They would talk for hours. If you ask me, she liked the attention. Ma'am, do you know what happened to Bonnie's wheelchair?
It was a gift from her grandson. Yeah. He's not a doctor, but he does all right for himself.
Off we go into the wild, blue yonder.
( clears throat ) Why are you here? Grissom said it'd be okay for me to come help. I need the experience. Well, if we can't find the bullets, we find the shell casings. I'm thinking the shooter had the driver at gunpoint, forced him to drive up to the roof 'cause it was deserted.
Give me your pen.
You don't shoot a man with the door open.
Keep your eye on this.
You got it? The shooter had to open the door when he took off.
Okay, stop.
Nine-millimeter. Photograph it.
Hi. Oh, hey. What is this? Oh, it's, uh, it's an old case from San Diego. "They were found "the next dawn, in a dry river bed, "their intestines exposed, and many cats feasting upon them." Yeah, now you put that to music, sing it in Spanish, and you have a narcocorrido. Narco what? A corrido is a Mexican ballad. A narcocorrido... A drug ballad. Kind of more or less, except their songs include actual events, like specific dates, names... Here. Come over here, check this out.
This girl was shacked up with a local drug lord. He dumps her, she rats him out to the authorities. The rest of the body was never found. But the song was a big hit. So apart from having her hair removed, Veronica Juarez's murder was life imitating art. Yeah, and if that's the case, anyone who knows this song could... could be the killer. We don't even know that much about the victim, other than she was somewhere between art lover and meth user.
Something I said? Huh? Oh, no, no, no. Sorry. It was actually something I saw.
MAN: Veronica had been here since last summer. Maybe six months. We ran Ms. Juarez's social. She wasn't an employee. She was more of a freelancer. The narcocorridos piece was her first major story. Makes me sick to think she's not going to finish it. She was working undercover? She figured it was the only way to get these guys to open up to her. She was right. Yeah, her article came down pretty hard on the music, huh? Narcocorridos glamorize a criminal lifestyle. Veronica felt the songs were poisoning our young people. She used the intern's desk right there.
I warned her that it was a vicious subculture. Had she receive any threats? Well, there was this one incident right after part one was published. Nombre de Jesus Malverde... Nombre de Jesus Malverde... ( gasps ) Silencio! EDITOR: We didn't call the cops, but it was unsettling. I'm kind of superstitious.
Good thing Veronica wasn't.
Hello?
LVPD.
Anyone here?
( speaking Spanish ) ( knocking ) Elindio Zapata. Elindio Zapata.
No hablo ingles. Oh, de veras? Well, that's funny, because the Border Patrol said you spoke perfect English.
We're going to take a look around, coyote.
You break it, you bought it.
Vayate. That belongs to Jesus Malverde.
What do you got? Veronica Juarez had a jacket just like this one. Minus the tire tracks.
This jacket? It's coming with me. And you're going with him. ( handcuffs clicking )
We know that you went to the newspaper office and you threatened her. Si, señor. I went to the oficina. Her mentals were going places they need not. You want to tell me what this is?
ELINDIO: Pollo bone. Religious. ( chuckles ) My right in America. I don't know, it looks more like a human finger to me. It's been burned. Eyes can fool you. That's right. That's why I do a lot of tests. And I'm also gonna match the blood found on Veronica's jacket right here.
ELINDIO: I know nothing about this. Nice... muchacho gave it to me. ¿Como se llama? Don't know name, only... face. Cara.
Mm, people give me things all the time. Now, why would they do that? Maybe they like me. ( chuckles ) Or for proteccion.
When you look at me, you see un hombre pobre, sucio. Poor, dirty man. Pero soy mas. I am much more.
I am descendent... of Jesus Malverde. God... Dios. Angel of the poor. The Mexican Robin Hood, a thief and a killer, hung May 3, 1909. He is the reason... you cannot touch me.
No me puedes tocar. You're a disgrace to our community. You're a greedy fence who will do or say anything to make a buck. No, señor. No, I may warn, I may protect, I may harm, I may do many things. But not for money. Okay, hold out your hands-- we're gonna get some prints.
You got lucky with the blood-stained lapel. I didn't match the vic, but I got a hit in CODIS. Great. Dax Blanchard? Assault and battery against a police officer in '96. Served two years. No current address. Thanks.
( line rings ) Detective Jim Brass. ( deep voice): Congratulations, Jim Brass. You're guaranteed one of these five amazing awards. Trip to London, Warrick? a brand-new Caddy, tennis bracelet, plasma TV, water purification system. You finally did it, Jim. Just send NZA a check for $300 and claim your prize. NZA. So, where'd you get the sales pitch, man? From the victim's personal effects. My guess, it's the same boob who was calling Bonnie. The company's address was on the old lady's boxes.
( all talking ) Mrs. Mason, I am standing, which means what? You should be sitting. That's right, because I've got some great news. You just won a Cadillac. Well, does your husband drive? Have you ever shopped on 5th Avenue? Come on. Look, I've been waiting my whole life to make this call. Yes. Yes. Well, as soon as we get that... Come on, people! Let's close these deals! I got a room full of pikers or closers? My grandmother used to say if it sounds too good to be true, it is. Only closers go on that board.
Can I help you gentlemen? I'm Detective Jim Brass, Las Vegas Police, and this is Warrick Brown from the Crime Lab-- we got a couple of questions. We know Vincent DeCarlo's not available-- how about Dax Blanchard? Corner cubicle, burgundy tie. BLANCHARD: You were? You know what I want you to do, Harry? I want you to stand up, and I want you to march over to that checkbook, soldier. It does not sound like you're standing up to me, Harry. You know why we're doing this, Harry? Because we have something called trust, you and me. You trust... Harry, I need you to do me a favor, though, okay? I need you to hang on for me for one second, okay? Okay. You're the greatest. BRASS: Dax, at yakety-yak, you're the greatest. I got a one-time-only offer for you. Should we talk about it here or downtown? Come on, what is this? This is a legal room. What the hell is that?
Are you packing?
This a legal gun? Yeah, it is. Registered to me. BRASS: Okay. Downtown it is. Let's go.
Nine-millimeter. Same as the casings found on the scene. Nothing I'm doing is illegal. In exchange for a small fee, my customers get one of five specified prizes. When was the last time someone won a Cadillac? While ago. Long time ago. Never, all right? Look, I'm only obligated to give one of the prizes. Nothing says it can't be the cheap one. Apparently, you're very good at your job, but you're not the best. I saw the board-- you're number two. Right behind a dead guy. Vinny's dead? When was the last time you saw him?
Yesterday morning. We found your blood on his jacket. Good. 'Cause I thought maybe I missed. I got a room full of people congratulating you here, Dorothy. Yeah, Dorothy! Yeah! I... What in the friggin' hell? I had a live one. You sold my grandmother, you son of a bitch. Took every last cent. Everybody we sell is someone's grandmother.
( spits ) The guy was a mook, all right? He was constantly stealing my leads, stealing my customers. Then I find out he rips off my grandmother? Honor among thieves? For crap's sake, she's living in a nursing home, confined to a wheelchair. So you killed Vincent DeCarlo because he was better than you, because he stole your leads, because he sold your bubby Bonnie, and you wanted him out of the way.
Who the hell's Bonnie? Your grandmother. Bonnie Bakerset. My grandmother's name is Fran. She lives in Daytona Beach. Would you like to call her?
♪ ♪
Hey, Catherine. The palm prints on the newspaper don't match Elindio's. Well, that just means he didn't place the head in the box. The vic's blood was on the jacket in his store. She was run over by a Toyo Open Country MT 38-by-15.5-by-18.
Now, that's a big-ass truck tire. Elindio didn't even own a car, much less a big-ass truck. What other characteristics? Take a look.
That's a retread.
I only know of one place in Vegas that does work like this. So, what is it you need? Invoice copies of any retreads that were done on this type of tire. Oh, yeah. We sell about a hundred of these a month. Really? Yeah. Over here. Thank you.
Hey.
I'll take that autograph now.
Ven aca.
I was seeing Carla... until Veronica Juarez's article came out. I figured out who she was. And then? Then I dumped her ass. What do you think? She put down my music, my band, made it look like everyone involved in narcocorridos was a drug dealer or a criminal.
She lied to me. ¿Asi es como pagas? ( shouting in Spanish ) Narcocorridos are entertainment. The drugs, they're an economic activity woven in the fabric of Sinaloan history. The music does nothing more than reflect that. Narcocorridos also depicts actual events. So does the 6:00 news. A lot of people were pissed off when she wrote that trash. So you're saying that she deserved to die? I'm saying she was a two-faced bitch who got off on our music at night, wrote about how disgusting we were during the day, when she was the one smoking and snorting, screwing everything she could find. After her tox screen, we know that Miss Juarez didn't do drugs. And... I seriously doubt that she was having sex with you. Listen... I didn't kill Veronica. But she was a pocha, a traitor, and people like that aren't taken lightly in Sinaloa. We're not in Sinaloa. When you're inside La Hacienda Corona, you might as well be.
Deutschland uber alles... I identified the casings recovered at the scene. They don't match Dax Blanchard's 9-mil. So, did he have any other firearms? Nothing registered. Well, head stamp on the casings was a little unusual.
"DWM?" Deutsche Waffen und Munitions fabrik. Well, that's World War II-era German. Well, it's one thing to collect old guns; old ammunition comes from a trophy-- an enemy gun a soldier brings back from battle. So, our shooter's an old soldier.
Hmm. STUART MANSLOW: Bonnie had Alzheimer's, you know. And that son of a monster sold her twice a day. Once in the morning, and again that night, because... he knew she had forgot that she bought the first time. I tried to talk her out of it, but Vincent just kept on calling. And Bonnie just kept on a-buying. So, what did you do about it, sir? Huh? What'd you do about it?
Vincent started calling all of us. I played along. I told him I didn't have a checking account, so the bastard offered to drive me to the bank. I wanted him to think that I was weak. So I borrowed Bonnie's wheelchair. Drove me to the bank. Pushed me right up to the teller. Oh, he was helpful. ( chuckles ) And then he drove me back to the casino. Why did you have him park on the roof?
Why not? Nobody parks on the roof. Here we go. Now all we need is the money. ( yelling ) Missed the first shot. Damn shakes.
( gunshot ) But I got him good the second one. Been a long time since I had to kill someone. Where's your sidearm, sir?
You know, the world has changed. When I was serving my country, I knew who my enemy was.
The gun, please, sir. Now the enemy is... some punk... calls you up on the telephone... and wants your credit card number. Sir? The gun.
( sighs ) Hmm.
( unloads clip ) ( reinserts clip )
( sighing ): Bad news. Rafael's palm prints don't match the one on the newspaper. Worse news, his tire treads don't match the ones on Veronica Juarez's leather jacket, either. Great. Well, you know, there is one place the victim was where there's a whole lot of these tires.
Vega!
What do you think? Run the plates. ♪ ...que sin duda yo fui el dueño de tus sueños ♪ ♪ Gracias, corazón... ♪ Hey, Juanito. Not barbacking tonight? No, I got the night off. I'm gonna go party today. So, you guys, uh, still looking for Carla? No. No? No, we're looking for you. Do you own a 2004 Ford F-150? Gray with panting on it? Uh, yeah, that's the full-blown cocino mobile. Oh, your pig mobile, nice name. Yeah. ( accordion solo plays ) That's a cool belt, Juanito. What's it made out of? Human hair? Ooh, um... You guys want me to show you? ( grunts ) No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no VEGA: Muevanse, muevanse por atras! Muevan... muevanse por atras! Hey, hey, hey, back up!
Calmense, todos. Dejanos hacer nuestro trabajo y no les vamos a molestar. Calmense, ya! Este muchacho mato a una señorita inocente. Inocente! Calmense. Ya. Y tiene que pagar.
Y tiene que pagar! Get him out of here! Ya! Go, go, go! VEGA: Calmense, ya. Tranquilos.
VEGA: I don't understand you, Juanito. You manage to stay out of the gangs, drugs. Making honest money... What? Seven dollars an hour? ( chuckles ) STOKES: Hey, it's better than the joint. I can promise you that. Besides, you didn't prove anything... taking the life of an innocent woman... It was the perfect opportunity, bro... Yeah? To do what? Impress a bunch of fools who don't give a crap about what happens to you, anyway.
( tires squealing ) ( gasps ) Immortality, bro. See, I-I'm not gonna die a barback, or a dishwasher... Mm-mmm. VEGA: You're gonna get the needle, kid. You're gonna die a murderer. Yeah, maybe so, but they're gonna write a song about me. I'm gonna go down in history. No, no, no, no. You see, the song's already been written.
You're just a sad copy. Una copia triste. Well, I gave it my own twist, though. Uh... 'cause I-I'm an original.
Right. ( chuckles ) ♪ Machuque ♪ ♪ El perro ♪ ♪ Con la lengua ♪ ♪ De la culebra... ♪ ♪ Tome ♪ ♪ El premio ♪ ♪ De lo que hecho ♪ ♪ Le pregunte yo a Malverde...♪ Limpia... esta puta! ♪ Que me diere guiansa ♪ ♪ Para quemar mis pecados... ♪
( chuckles ) Immortal.
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