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 . When he left for work around 7:30 am the car was still there. Knives and a loaded gun were found inside Cervantes Infiniti while the shovels and other items were in the trunk of Mallorys vehicle. Murder trial begins in slaying of Hulen Mall store employee He thought that somebody had collected Ashlea for work. When he went to touch her, he saw that her wrists and ankles were duct-taped. judgment. One suspect in 2014 Black Friday slaying gets life in prison | Fort Carter Carol Cervantez is on trial this week on a capital murder charge in the slaying of Ashlea Ann Harris, 31, on Nov. 28, 2014, the day after Thanksgiving, known commercially as Black Friday. The term Black Friday originated in Philadelphia to describe heavy pedestrian and vehicle traffic on the day after Thanksgiving. The keys seemed to be the only thing missing from her apartment. Then he gathered up some belongings, moved his car away from the building, and waited for the fire department to arrive. Patrick was thinking about trying to find out what was going on when he heard Ashleas front door open and then close. They later found her at her apartment complex doing laundry. Alexis left after4am. 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'. Cravey fired Cervantez because she had left the store unsecured. What did they all have in common on Black Friday 2014? Via the Star-Telegram: Cervantez testified that she and Mallory went to Cleburne and rented a motel room on Nov. 28, but later that day Mallory had her drive to Hulen Mall while he toyed with a 9 mm Glock handgun he held in his lap. Alexis usually watched Ashleas dog Nala when she worked. Carter Carol Cervantez, 25, was taken into custody by Tarrant County Sheriffs on Saturday. 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. Jeff was a neighbor and friend of Ashlea's. They found ample evidence in both places, including a gun used to pistolwhip Ashlea, receipts for a murder kit, including the duct tape used to bind her, and her blood on the floor mat of their vehicle. She claimed that when Ashlea was murdered that she was in bed asleep and she didn't know where Clarence was. Cervantez was the first to go to trial in May 2016. She stole Ashleas keys to commit another theft with an even bigger payoff. 04:27 GMT 25 Aug 2017. At Carter's Trial, her Defense was that she was not involved in Ashlea's death. Video surveillance of the mall showed that at 2 am on Saturday morning someone tried to open the security gate at American Eagle. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. This was somebody who killed her out of anger. 1 Comment, "My family and myself are good, decent and very honest people. They were caught within days after several witnesses identified their vehicle to be present at the crime scene and supplied the police with a strong motive for them to commit the homicide. He called 911 when his carbon monoxide detector wentoff and he realized there was a fire. They raped her for not following through with the robbery. Before fire and rescue workers arrived a neighbor, Jeff Kayser, kicked in her door calling out for her and Nala. When police looked at mall surveillance the video showed a person wearing a grey sweatshirt and black hat arrive at the security gate at American Eagle. Patrick testified that he thought about what he should do. Ashleas friend Alexis, who was the last to see her at close to 5 am, told police that Ashlea usually left her keys and wallet on her kitchen counter. In her testimony, Cervantez describes abusive behavior from Mallory, who she says threatened to kill her family if she didnt comply with his orders. When he realized it was Ashlea's apartment and when he observed her car was still parked outside, he ran upstairs and kicked her door down. In reviewing the malls video surveillance Detective Cedillo saw Cervantez enter the mall wearing the same clothing he had seen her leave her apartment in. There were extensive text messages between the two as they watched the store. Surveillance cameras caught her wiping down the bottle after drinking from it in order to remove any traces of DNA. Detective Jerry Cedillo with the Ft. Worth Police Department Homicide Unit arrived at 10:22 am. He went searching for the reason it was going off and then noticed water dripping from the bathroom ceiling. Whoever was the last person to leave had locked the door behind them. She told the Court that she left Ashlea's apartment after 4am the morning of the 28th of November and that when she left, Ashlea locked the door. She transferred to the Hulen Mall location and held an assistant store manager position. Police retraced Ashlea's movements. Update: A correction was. 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. Law Project, a federally-recognized 501(c)(3) non-profit. She told Chris police were asking about an Infiniti G35. He testified that the presence ofpetechiae in Ashleas eyes reflected asphyxia or strangulation and that afractured cricoid is: the least common place wesee fractures in asphyxia or strangulation-type deaths because it consists of cartilagethat is pliable.". Due to that, they wanted to speak to the owner of the Infiniti G35. It was then he saw a body. Carter was arrested the following day by Tarrant County deputies. Detective Cedillo spoke to Chris Cravey, who was Ashleas boss at American Eagle, and asked if he knew anyone who drove a black Infinity. Her lover, David, continued working at the Amarillo store but began to miss shifts regularly. A bottle of it found near the body. Her throat had been cut and she had been set on fire. Prosecutors charged Cervantez with murder one and did not seek the death penalty. January 25, 2022, "The effects of abuse are devastating and far reaching. Another neighbor also told police something disturbing. A medical examiner found blunt force trauma to her face and head and trauma related to strangulation on her neck and throat, according to the Amarillo Globe-News. Another apartment in the complex was on fire. Saturday Tarrant County Sheriffs arrested 25-year-old Carter Carol Cervantez. He requested that they stop the black Infinity if they witnessed any type of traffic violation. Cervantez received life in prison without the possibility of parole. Harris' hands and feet were bound in duct tape, reports CBS affiliate KHOU, which cites court documents filed by Fort Worth police. It didn't last long. He had looked at his alarm clock and saw the time was 7:30 am. We may earn a commission from links on this page. Filed: The keyring also had the front gate key and store key on them. Carter Carol Cervantez Archives - TV One Harris boss told investigators the car was similar to a vehicle owned by former American Eagle Outfitters employee Carter Cervantes. Cervantes helped Mallory falsify documents so she could hire him at the Hulen Mall location where she worked with Harris. She was taken to the station for questioning. In addition, he did not call in to request off. He identified it as a black Infiniti G35. Ashlea Harris Killed By Former Hulen Mall Employees | Crime News Cheyenne Roundtree For Dailymail.com The detectives talked to two American Eagle employees who had been locked out due to the locks being changed. Ashlea Harris - Chilling Crimes Cervantez was recently found guilty of her involvement and sentenced to life in prison without parole in May 2016, reported the Star-Telegram. . They told authorities Harris usually left her keys on the kitchen counter, and that her home and car keys were on the same keychain as the keys to the American Eagle store where she worked. Patrick testified that he thought about what he should do. . 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. Christopher Chris Cravey, Ashlea's boss, heard that police were asking about that vehicle and he told them he knew someone who drove one. Police say Harris worked a late night Black Friday shift at the American Eagle store in a mall in Fort Worth and arrived home around 3:15 a.m. A neighbor below Harris told police that he heard a thump, screaming and heavy breathing around 7:30 a.m. His carbon monoxide detector then went off, and water from the sprinklers in Harris' apartment came through his ceiling. Her name was Carter Carol Cervantez. On December 4, 2014, arrest warrants were issued for Carter Carol Cervantez and Clarence David Mallory Jr. Did we leave it behind? Jeffcrawled midway to the kitchen before he was forced to get out for some air. Aloaded Glock 19 with a bullet in the chamber was found under the driver's seat. But Tarrant County prosecutor Kevin Rousseau told the jury that Cervantez was the one who tried to control Mallory, whose trial is pending. 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. This key was not in the trash during the first search. The Court also heardpolicefoundlatitude and longitude coordinates on the cell phones. Steven Lee was an ex-cop who lived downstairs and diagonally across from Ashlea Harris. He was arrested for not having his driver's license on him. Thats not good. 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. CBS DFW - Fort Worth Police arrested two suspects in the | Facebook He told the Court thathe sawa black Infiniti G35 with a faded Toll tag sticker on its roof parked outside. These included the bed, the closet, and Ashleas body. It was the 28th of November 2014. Shes the one that coordinated everything and came up with the plan.As per official court records, she, 34, is serving her sentence at the Dr. Lane Murray Unit in Gatesville, Texas. The Jury heard that Clarence was arrested in the car park at the mall . 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. Cervantes was allowed to go home. Cervantez v. State, No. 02-16-00224-CR | Casetext Search + Citator 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. Prosecutors also showed evidence that Cervantez and Mallory were planning to rob the American Eagle in Abilene (where they had previously worked). In August 2014, a hooded burglar had stolen $18,000 from the American Eagle Hulen Mall store following Texas Sales Tax Holiday Weekend. The Autopsy revealed that Ashleahad numerous injuries on her body including but not limited to, Dr Fries testified that the injuries on Ashlea's face were caused by multiple blows. Please enter valid email address to continue. Each is charged with one count of capital murder. A few minutes later, Patrick'scarbon monoxide detector went offand he sawwater dripping from the ceiling in his bathroom. 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. 02-16-00224-CR. Cops say Texas woman killed by former co-workers in sick Black Friday Surveillance footage from the Hulen Mall captured Cervantes trying to break into the American Eagle store on the morning of November 29 with Harris stolen keys, unaware that the locks had been changed. Police discovered that thirty one year old Ashlea Ann Harris lived in the apartment that was on fire. 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. The only thing missing from Ashlea's apartment were her keys. She switched his first name with his middle name and changed two digits of his social security number. Powered by WordPress.com VIP. One of Harris friends had stopped by after Ashlea got off work on Thanksgiving night and stayed until around 5 a.m. The prosecution alleged Carter to be the mastermind behind the homicide. He called 911 when his carbon monoxide detector wentoff and he realized there was a fire. Powered by Shopify. Rousseau added: 'Imagine the horror, someone is probably sitting on you while someone else is taping up your hands and then your ankles. Cervantez is being held in the Fort Worth Jail. Carter Carol Cervantez was arrested Dec. 6, 2014. When he looked out the window he witnessed a dark-colored vehicle driving away. He determined that Ashlea'scause of death was asphyxia and blunt force trauma to the head and neck. Shes the one that coordinated everything and came up with the plan, said Cedillo. He testified that at around 7.30am on the 28th of November, he woke when heheard a loud scream. At the apartment, detectives found a box containing a taser in the trash, strands of duct tape, and a damaged deadbolt lock. February 04, 2022, "The criminal justice system will take a hard look at what happened to Matthew Eappen. by Chilling Crimes So what was the motive for such a savage attack? This was most likely a lighter and the accelerant was rubbing alcohol. On December 4, 2014, arrest warrants were issued for Carter Carol Cervantez and Clarence David Mallory Jr.