He was able to determine that the fire had multiple points of origin. However, the police arrested David in the mall parking area after finding he carried no license, and officers went to their apartment and brought Carter in for questioning. The video showed what looked to be a male wearing a hoodie entering the back door. | Sign In, Verdict Corrections It is up to the rest of us to take an even harder look at who is minding our children. 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. Police found burn marks on her body and she had been strangled and her throat wasslit. She claimed she spent Thanksgiving cooking dinner for her and Mallory and they watched movies afterward. Communication between Mallory and Cervantez led police to a shallow hole in a town more than a hundred miles away. For that reason, the fire seemed like an afterthought to me, Fort Worth Police Detective Ernie Pate told Snapped.. While Cervantes moved six hours away to Fort Worth, Mallory stayed in Amarillo. Please E-mail suggested additions, comments and/or corrections to Kent@MoreLaw.Com. She was strangled, her throat cut, and ultimately asphyxiated. It was a black Infiniti G35 with a faded toll sticker on its roof. 2018) Court of Appeals of Texas Add Note Filed: November 8th, 2018 Precedential Status: Precedential Citations: None known Docket Number: 02-16-00224-CR Carter Carol Cervantez, 27, testified that she was asleep at the time of the murder of Ashlea Harris and was forced into the robbery by her boyfriend, 21-year-old Clarence David Mallory, the Fort. She admitted to not locking the back door the night of the theft. A. loaded Glock 19 with a bullet in the chamber was found under the driver's seat. Clarence and Carter wereboth charged with capital murder. They found a lock in a kitchen drawer and a TASER box and some strands of duct tape in the trash. She would always find a way at work to make it harder on you, former co-worker Leticia Groen told Snapped.. So what was the motive for such a savage attack? She came from a blended family. He identified it as a black Infiniti G35. They went directly to the safe where the night deposits were kept, unlocked it, and took the cash inside. Im so sorry I forgot. 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 told police he was smoking a cigarette at 6:30 am when he noticed a car in the parking lot he had never seen before. Firefighters managed to control the fire and it was only then they discovered that Ashlea was inside. The prosecution alleged Carter to be the mastermind behind the homicide. Ashlea felt that the perpetrator was Mallory. On Tax Free Weekend and Black Friday, those were our highest deposit days, said Groen. Each is charged with one count of capital murder. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported that 27-year-old Carter Carol Cervantez was convicted of capital murder Thursday and sentenced to life in prison. The key opened the dressing room and storage closet at Hulen Mall American Eagle. She was taken to the station for questioning. He was also a former employee at the same American Eagle store where Ashlea worked and he was Carter's boyfriend. This Record may not reflect actual, complete, or up-to-date data. 1 Comment, "My family and myself are good, decent and very honest people. These included a receipt for a cutaway practice lock that had been mailed to Cervantez & Mallorys apartment and a lock picking instruction manual. Carter would always joke, If I were ever going to steal a deposit it would be after Black Friday or Tax Free Weekend.'. Video from American Eagle picks her up approaching the gate. These included a black trash bag, a sharpening stone for a knife, a 9mm cartridge, a cell phone, a walkie-talkie, a buck knife sheath, a plastic tub, mens boots that had a cell phone in them, clothing, a toboggan with a hole cut in it, a tarp still inside the package and a kitchen knife. / CBS News/AP. <p>Carter Carol Cervantez, 27, enters court on Tuesday, May 17, 2016, with defense attorneys Steve Gordon, right, and Bill Ray, not pictured. Carter Carol Cervantez is a 33 year-old who was listed as being under the supervision of the department of corrections in Christina Melton Crain Unit Prison, Texas. Cravey fired Cervantez because she had left the store unsecured. At that location, Detective Cedillo found what he describes as a human grave. Her feet and hands were bound with duct tape and she was covered in blood, according to Texas Amarillo Globe-News newspaper. Christopher Chris Cravey, Ashlea's boss, heard that police were asking about that vehicle and he told them he knew someone who drove one. Her throat had been cut and she had been set on fire. Close to $18,000 was missing from the safe. He requested that they stop the black Infinity if they witnessed any type of traffic violation. The locks at American Eagle were for precautionary reasons, Cedillo told Snapped.. Investigators determined the fire started in Harris bedroom and that rubbing alcohol had been used as an accelerant, despite its low flammability. The Prosecution called Jeff Kayser to testify. Police were contacted when the theft was discovered, but I dont know if they questioned Mallory or Cervantez. The man drove to Hulen Mall and when they got there, he dropped off Carter at the door and parked. One of the investigators alleged, It was evident to us that Carter was the mastermind behind this and I think David was the muscle. Unsure of her career path, Harris began working in retail in her early 20s. On December 4, 2014, arrest warrants were issued for Carter Carol Cervantez and Clarence David Mallory Jr. Police asked Alexis if she knew who drove a black Infiniti G35. Chris was in the parking lot and had been talking to Alexis Torres, who was the last person to talk to Ashlea Harris. But surveillance video confirmed she was not being truthful and it showed her leaving the mall and walking towards her home. When Ashlea arrived for work she discovered that a theft had occurred sometime overnight. previously worked at an American Eagle store in Amarillo and was listed in the American Eagle system as, Ashlea suspended Carter and one week later, Chris called Carter and told her. By this time, Mallory had failed to show up for work on three consecutive days when he was scheduled. Police "developed probable cause" to make the arrests, according to a release. 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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. by Chilling Crimes Detective Cedillo decided to stake out Cervantez and Mallorys apartment arriving around 3:45 am on Saturday, November 29, 2014. 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. Clarence David Mallory took the 5th when he was brought in to testify. The two. The Ashlea Harris murder. judgment. Chris told police that a former employee at American Eagle, Carter Carol Cervantez, drove a similar car. Keith Morrison. 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 . He moved to Ft. Worth and reunited with Carter, who allegedly falsified his social security number to cheat the system and get him employment at the Ft. Worth store. 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. The manner of Ashlea's death was ruled as a homicide. The keyring also had the front gate key and store key on them. Dr Richard Fries, a deputy medical examiner at the Tarrant County MedicalExaminers Officer, performed the Autopsy on Ashleas body. Then he gathered up some belongings, moved his car away from the building, and waited for the fire department to arrive. Her friend left around 4:40 am with Ashlea locking the door behind her. And in Fort Worth, Carter Carol Cervantez begins to rethink her priorities when she finds love at the workplace. Mallory drove the car to another mall exit. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. They were there to get the keys, said Cedillo. He called 911 when his carbon monoxide detector wentoff and he realized there was a fire. This key was not in the trash during the first search. However, they were never charged or arrested for allegedly committing the robbery. There was no smoke in her lungs indicating she was not alive when the fire was set. The Court heard that inJune 2014, Ashleawas appointed to run the store while Chris was on medical leave. Our district manager basically gave her the option to quit or to get transferred. Carter chose to get a transfer and was shifted to a store in the Hulen Mall in Fort Worth, Texas. Carter Carol Cervantez faces capital murder charges in connection with the death of Ashlea Harris. Ashlea had been murdered and her body and apartment had been set on fire. At that point, the firefighters had arrived. She told police that she didnot leave the apartment complex at all that day. In her testimony, Cervantez describes abusive behavior from Mallory, who she says threatened to kill her family if she didnt comply with his orders. The Jury heard that Clarence was arrested in the car park at the mall . I became interested in this case after listening to Dateline Podcast from November 29, 2019 episode entitled Black Friday. I had some questions that werent answered on the show and thought Id see what I could find. Mallory claimed that he was waiting for his girlfriend, who worked at Aeropostale. What did they all have in common on Black Friday 2014? The State waived their right to seekthe death penalty and instead looked forlife in prison without parole. Harris friends told investigators that she had been working around the clock in anticipation of the Black Friday sales event which started that morning. 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. . At Carter's Trial, her Defense was that she was not involved in Ashlea's death. However, her loyalty to the store where she was employed would tragically lead to her death. 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. In August 2016, Clarence David Mallory was found guilty of murder one after one hour of jury deliberation. 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. They stalked Ashlea Harris like people stalk a deer.'. | Recent Lawyer Listings It was a latenight due to Black Friday sales and Alexis looked after Ashlea's dog Nala while Ashlea was working. The two disappeared after the theft and were not arrested until police tracked them down on Dec. 6. The couple were arrested this weekend Cervantez in Fort Worth and Mallory in Amarillo on warrants accusing them of capital murder for Harris's slaying and theft $1,500 to $20,000 for the. December 10, 2014 / 11:07 AM This was done while Chris Cravey was out on medical leave. The couple lived only two miles from Ashleas apartment. Assuming that there may be a fire in Ashleas apartment he dialed 911. She transferred to the Hulen Mall location and held an assistant store manager position. On December 4, 2014, arrest warrants were issued for Carter Carol Cervantez and Clarence David Mallory Jr. She enters the mall at 7:56 am on November 29th. The day after Harris' murder, Cervantez was caught by surveillance cameras trying to open the doors to the store, but they had already changed the locks. Police could not find Cervantez inside the mall but found her later in the laundry room at her apartment; surveillance video confirmed she had walked the two miles home. On the 24th of August 2014, at 1.14am, $18000 was stolen from the safe in the American Eagle store. By 2011, she was an assistant manager at an American Eagle Outfitters store at Fort Worths Hulen Mall. Ashlea Ann Harris loved working in retail where she could meet new people every day. The neighbor attempted several times to get into Ashleas apartment but was forced out each time due to the heavy smoke. Police also saw what appeared to be a fresh injury to his lower lip and his lower lip was swollen. Then they turned their sights on Harris, who held the store keys, for their plot to make off with tens of thousands of dollars. A key belonging to another assistant store manager was left in the night deposit box. When he went to see why the smoke detector had not gone off he noticed it had been removed and placed under the mattress. Cervantezs 21 year-old boyfriend Clarence David Mallory has also been charged. They stalked Ashlea Harris like people stalk a deer.". He had looked at his alarm clock and saw the time was 7:30 am. Our district manager basically gave her the option to quit or to get transferred, said Groen. We . She admitted to not locking the back door the night of the theft. Dr Fries testified that the injuries on Ashlea's face were caused by multiple blows. A break came when one of Harris neighbors told police that on the morning of the murder, he noticed a black, two-door Infiniti parked in the apartment complexs parking lot which didnt belong to any of the residents. He told the Court thathe sawa black Infiniti G35 with a faded Toll tag sticker on its roof parked outside. The Jury heard that at 6.56am,Alexishad a missed call from Ashlea and when she noticed it, just a few minutes later, she called her back but there was no answer. 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 . When he left for work around 7:30 am the car was still there. So why did they kill Ashlea? Video surveillance of the mall showed that at 2 am on Saturday morning someone tried to open the security gate at American Eagle. In May 2016, 27-year-old Carter Carol Cervantes was found guilty of capital murder and sentenced to life in prison without parole, according to The Dallas Morning News. The Prosecution believed that the original plan was to kidnap Ashlea using a pistol to threaten her and kill her at a different location but she put up a fight when they entered her apartment and they killed her there instead. He noticed it because he never saw it parked there before. s asphyxia and blunt force trauma to the head and neck. August 20, 2021, "Evil people always support each other; that is their chief strength.". The Court also heardpolicefoundlatitude and longitude coordinates on the cell phones. So he laid back down to try to fall back asleep, but thats when the carbon monoxide detector went off. Law enforcement officials arrested 19-year-old Clarence Malloy and 25-year-old Carter Carol Cervantez in the murder of Ashlea Harris, the victim of an early morning fire. Fort Worth police, who had been staking out Cervantez s residence, followed the pair to the mall and arrested Mallory in his car outside after 3 Cervantez went inside. Harris boss told investigators the car was similar to a vehicle owned by former American Eagle Outfitters employee Carter Cervantes. Carter Carol Cervantes worked as a store manager of an American Eagle Outfitters outlet in Amarillo, Texas. She was the really cute, fun, outgoing person and so a lot of people were attracted to her, regardless of whether they were a boy or a girl, Ashleas best friend Stephanie Naylor told Snapped," airing Sundays at 6/5c on Oxygen. He then radioed for police and a crime scene unit to come to the scene. They originally planned to bury Harris at a grave site detectives found north of Abilene, Texas. They discovered that on Thanksgiving Day, she went to dinner withher friendAlexis Torres and other friends at an apartment inside her complex. He forced her to enter and rob American Eagle at gunpoint and threatened to kill her family if she didnt do what he asked. Patrick testified that he thought about what he should do. Ashlea immediately contacted loss prevention, Chris Cravey, and the district manager. This was different. Ashlea Harris arrived home to her apartment around 3:25 am. Cervantez said Mallory put the gun in her face and tried to make her steal money from the store. It was a direct violation of the company policy, and she started facing flak for her relationship with a subordinate. Investigators obtained a search warrant for Cervantes and Mallorys apartment and found a shopping receipt from November 21 for shovels, gloves, duct tape, rope, and a tarp. Carter Carol Cervantez appeals from her jury conviction for capital murder and automatic life sentence. Cervantez is being held in the Fort Worth Jail. 'They slash her throat and then, when she is finally dead, they set her place on fire. Police believed she saw them talking with Clarence in the car park and walked the two miles home. a plastic tub that contained bungee cords and arope. Alexis usually watched Ashleas dog Nala when she worked. A friend of hers, Alexis Torres came over. , updated Domestic violence speaks many languages, has many colors and lives in many different communities. Harris apartment showed no signs of forced entry and none of her valuables were missing. 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She was blamed as the mastermind behind the murder plot by prosecutors. A Friday. Cervantez is arrested in Lubbock and Mallory is taken into custody in Amarillo. Around 7:30 am several residents of the River Ranch Apartments located at 4701 King Ranch Road called 911 to report smoke coming from apartment #1505. Police believed they were used for practice as theywerelabeled lock picking practice lock.. The inside of the apartment and Ashlea's body led police to believe that the fire was not an accidental fire. Ashlea identified Clarence as the person who took the money from the safe from the surveillance footage. He took photos of the various items found in the car. He told the Court that he lived in an apartment just, below Ashleas apartment. Then he heard a loud thump right above him as Ashleas bedroom was directly above his. Carter was a former employee at the American Eagle store where Ashlea worked but she was fired in August. They discovered that Ashlea's missing keys had the store keys on them too. Ashlea's ankles were also bound with duct tape. They went to the store as planned on the Saturday morning with the keys but the lockshad already been changed. Harris reported Cervantes and Mallory as the likely suspects after Carter was seen leaving a door in the back of the store unlocked, according to the Amarillo Globe-News. We may earn a commission from links on this page. Ashlea Harris Murder: How Did She Die? FORT WORTH, Texas -- A woman whose burned body was found in her Fort Worth apartment Thanksgiving weekend had been strangled and beaten, allegedly by former co-workers, according to court documents. Take out all the trash andleave that. The scream was followed by a loud thud and he, could hear labored breathing. NBCs Black Friday chronicles how Ashlea Harris was murdered by two spiteful former co-workers, Carter Cervantez and David Mallory, in Fort Worth, Texas, in November 2014. Police believed that Ashlea was killed between 4.15am and 7.30am. Check out never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! The keys seemed to be the only thing missing from her apartment. Police have charged Carter Carol Cervantez, 25, and her boyfriend Clarence "David" Mallory, 19, with capital murder in the death of their former co-worker, Ashlea Harris, 31. Carter Carol Cervantez, 27, enters court Tuesday, May 17, 2016, with defense attorneys Steve Gordon, right, and Bill Ray, not pictured. Chris testified that Carter and Clarence would have known that Ashleaidentified Clarence and informed him of the theft.