There were also no signs that a taser had been used on her. Around 8 am Ft. Worth Fire Department Lt. Jarrod Pavlechko arrived on the scene. Patrick testified that he thought about what he should do. . He spotted the black Infinity in the apartment parking lot. But surveillance video confirmed she was not being truthful and it showed her leaving the mall and walking towards her home. By
Inside he found 2 shovels and a box of plastic sheeting. 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.
Carter was a former employee at the American Eagle store where Ashlea worked but she was fired in August. On the day after Thanksgiving known in the retail world as Black Friday Harris's. Upon searching Mallorys cell phone there were text messages that contained latitude and longitude coordinates. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports that 27-year-old Carter Carol Cervantez was convicted of capital murder Thursday and sentenced to life in prison . They had been dating which was a violation of store policy. He was able to unlock the trunk of Mallorys Cadillac using keys found in the black Infiniti. Hetestified that it looked like a human grave. At that point, no one other than law enforcement knew that there was any keys missing. The inside of the apartment and Ashlea's body led police to believe that the fire was not an accidental fire. January 25, 2022, "The effects of abuse are devastating and far reaching. Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. 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. He heard a scream at around 7.30am. Cervantez said Mallory put the gun in her face and tried to make her steal money from the store. Then he gathered up some belongings, moved his car away from the building, and waited for the fire department to arrive. Police spoke to him. Im so sorry I forgot. Cerevantez and Mallory had previously worked with Harris at the American Eagle store, but this summer were suspected of stealing $18,000 dollars from it. He told police that Carter had gone into the mall to collect some papers but when police searched the mall, she wasn't there. Mallory drove her back to their apartment and friends of Mallory were waiting inside. She told the Jury that he controlled her and even told her when she could eat or drink. He told the Court that he lived in an apartment justbelow Ashleas apartment. They both pleaded not guilty. In looking at a police department database, Cedillo found that Cervantez and her boyfriend, Clarence Mallory had been suspects in an August 24, 2014 theft at America Eagle. Cervantez asked to speak to the regional manager about her firing, but in the end, handed over her store keys. There was a cut on the right side of Ashlea's neck which was caused by a knife and bruises and abrasions on her neck, chest and right arm. Please enter valid email address to continue. 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. He testified that at around 7.30am on the 28th of November, he woke when heheard a loud scream. Carter Carol Cervantez faces capital murder charges in connection with the death of Ashlea Harris. 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 . Today it marks the beginning of the Christmas shopping season. Police argue that the couple beat Harris and then set her body on fire, taking the keys to the Hulen Mall American Eagle Outfitters store in order to steal up to $50,000 in profits from a Black Friday sale. She was convicted of capital murder and sentenced to life in prison without the chance of parole on May 26, 2016. The M.E. Ashlea had been murdered and her body and apartment had been set on fire. They founda plastic tub that contained bungee cords and arope. At 6:56 am Alexis noticed a missed call from Ashlea. The police also analyzed their mobile phones to find they had exchanged texts planning the murder and methods of disposing of the corpse. One neighbor, Steven Lee, told police that he had a cigarette on his balcony at around 6.30am that morning and saw a car parked outside. This was most likely a lighter and the accelerant was rubbing alcohol. Detective Cedillo wanted to search Ashleas pick-up truck. One suspect in 2014 Black Friday slaying gets life in prison, Clarence David Mallory, Jr. v. The State of Texas Appeal from 297th District Court of Tarrant County (memorandum opinion), Woman gets life for beating, binding, burning co-worker at Fort Worth mall in robbery plot, Police: Couple beat, strangled, burned woman News, Ashlea Harris Obituary Fort Worth, TX | Star-Telegram, Benbrook man gets life for killing Hulen Mall manager, Carter Carol Cervantez v. State CourtListener.com, Defendant in American Eagle murder trial testifies, Belle Gunness The Mistress of the Murder Farm, Kendall Francois The Poughkeepsie Killer, Dateline Podcast Black Friday November 29, 2019. So what was the motive for such a savage attack? I need to take care ofthat. That was a term the brand used toindicate that the person should not be hired at any location. App. A bottle of it found near the body. Cravey and Ashlea watched the store surveillance video. Filed: Ashlea Harris arrived home to her apartment around 3:25 am. The most likely thing that caused that was being pistol whipped.. Take out all the trash andleave that. It was approximately 6 ft. long, 2 ft wide and 3 feet deep. She was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Read the crime and public safety news your neighbors are talking about. 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. Ashlea Ann Harris was murdered Nov. 28, 2014, by Clarence David Mallory, 22, and his co-defendant, Carter Carol Cervantes, 28. Fire investigator, Wallace Hood, with the Ft. Worth Fire Department arrived on the scene around 8:45 am. The only thing missing from Ashlea's apartment were her keys. Ashlea felt that the perpetrator was Mallory. We may earn a commission from links on this page. Clarence David Mallory (age 19) had previously worked for American Eagle at their Amarillo location. He thought that somebody had collected Ashlea for work. Joyce Marshall jlmarshall@star-telegram.com FORT WORTH. Police also saw what appeared to be a fresh injury to his lower lip and his lower lip was swollen. She enters the mall at 7:56 am on November 29th. It is the13th largest city in the US. Harris was born in 1983 and grew up in Fort Worth, Texas. 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. The fire had been extinguished by then. He heard the door of Ashlea's apartment close and when he looked out his window, he saw a, black Infiniti G35 driving away. Police asked Mallory to see his drivers license which he told them he did not have on him. Her truck was still in the apartment complexs parking lot. He requested that they stop the black Infinity if they witnessed any type of traffic violation. Police also found a damaged deadbolt lock, phone, a walkie talkie and a Buck knife with a, a toboggan with a hole cut in it, a tarp still, inside the package and a kitchen knife. It was a latenight due to Black Friday sales and Alexis looked after Ashlea's dog Nala while Ashlea was working. The manner of Ashlea's death was ruled as a homicide. The trial for the horrific murder of an American Eagle employee on Black Friday began this week in Fort Worth, TX. Police arrested him as he could not produce his driver's license when asked. Jeans with FWPD Crime Scene Unit. At a minimum, this took at least a month of planning. One of Harris friends had stopped by after Ashlea got off work on Thanksgiving night and stayed until around 5 a.m. Another video from Texas Appliances on the north side of the mall captures Cervantez walking away from the mall towards her apartment. They stalked Ashlea Harris like people stalk a deer.". Cervantes also received a sentence of life without parole at a. Both are held on a $100,000 bond. They also found another lock labeled lock picking practice lock. Both suspects were booked . Jeff was a neighbor and friend of Ashlea's. At that point is where it all becomes apparent why they killed Ashlea Harris. The Prosecutor,Kevin Rousseau,told the Jury: "There are no good murders. No charges were filed against the two. Communication between Mallory and Cervantez led police to a shallow hole in a town more than a hundred miles away. Detective Cedillo went back to Cervantez apartment and found her in the laundry room this time wearing pink scrubs. She told police that she didnot leave the apartment complex at all that day. Her throat had been cut and she had been set on fire. Cervantez was recently found guilty of her involvement and sentenced to life in prison without parole in May 2016, reported the Star-Telegram. Harris boss told investigators the car was similar to a vehicle owned by former American Eagle Outfitters employee Carter Cervantes. 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. He followed them as Mallory drove to the Hulen Mall. 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. She raises three points on appeal: (1) the trial court erred by denying her counsel's motion to withdraw based on the State's failure to comply with the Michael Morton Act; (2) the trial court erred by admitting recorded statements of her .
February 04, 2022, "The criminal justice system will take a hard look at what happened to Matthew Eappen. 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. He opened a window in the bedroom to air it out. A neighbor told police that he had heard a thump and screaming from the apartment, the police affidavit said. Jeff Kayser to testify. However, her loyalty to the store where she was employed would tragically lead to her death. It was the Prosecution's case that Carter and Clarencehad a couple of different reasons to want to harm Ashlea. When he went to get her keys he was unable to locate them. David, 27, is incarcerated at the Jim Ferguson Unit in Midway, Texas. There was no smoke in her lungs indicating she was not alive when the fire was set. by Chilling Crimes They believed that Carter and Clarencekilled Ashlea as they knew she had the keys for the safe and the plan was to take the keysand go to the American Eagle store to steal the tens of thousands of dollars they knew would be in the safe after Black Friday.