It turns out that Clarence was also a former employee of American Eagle. After more evidence is gathered they are arrested on December 4, 2014. Detective Cedillo wanted to search Ashleas pick-up truck. Firefighters found her strangled and burned body early in the morning on Nov. 28. His name was Clarence David Mallory. They had been dating which was a violation of store policy. It was evident to us that Carter was the mastermind behind this and I think David was the muscle. Precedential, Citations: 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.". They found a lock in a kitchen drawer and a TASER box and some strands of duct tape in the trash. She is described by the store manager, Chris Cravey, as being a phenomenal employee who was loved by everyone.. terminated for leaving the store unsecured. Cervantez is arrested in Lubbock and Mallory is taken into custody in Amarillo. The apartment belonged to 31-year-old Ashlea Harris who resided there with her dog, Nala. Officers found Mallory waiting in Cervantes car in the Hulen Mall parking lot and took him into custody. And Ashlea discovered that Carter was the person due to lock up the night it was stolen and had left the back door open. Cervantez asked to speak to the regional manager about her firing, but in the end, handed over her store keys. Authorities discovered Harris' body face down on her scorched bed with her ankles and wrists bound on Nov. 28, 2014, the. Carter Carol Cervantez v. State - CourtListener.com Carter Carol Cervantez v. State, 02-16-00224-CR (Tex. The video showed what looked to be a male wearing a hoodie entering the back door. Both suspects were booked . There was a significant amount of blood around her body which indicated she had been beaten and her hands were bound with duct tape behind her back. Harris apartment showed no signs of forced entry and none of her valuables were missing. He requested that they stop the black Infinity if they witnessed any type of traffic violation.
Video surveillance of the mall showed that at 2 am on Saturday morning someone tried to open the security gate at American Eagle. Then he heard a loud thump right above him as Ashleas bedroom was directly above his. Patrick was thinking about trying to find out what was going on when he heard Ashleas front door open and then close. Police tracked Cervantes and Mallory to an apartment near the Hulen Mall. Around 8 am Ft. Worth Fire Department Lt. Jarrod Pavlechko arrived on the scene. The next day, Mallory drove her back to try again. 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. At that point, the firefighters had arrived. January 25, 2022, "The effects of abuse are devastating and far reaching. Greed and Hatred Uncovered in Ashlea Harris Murder, A First Look at the Murder of Ashlea Harris, Co-worker Describes Clarence David Mallory: He Seemed Genuine, 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, Firefighters put out the blaze and found 31-year-old Harris dead on her bedroom floor. Alexis Torres Bunch. David, 27, is incarcerated at the Jim Ferguson Unit in Midway, Texas. Police spoke to all of Ashlea'sneighbors. The Court heard that police believed that over the course of a few weeks, Carter and Clarence planned to kidnap Ashlea and steal the keys. 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 . She admitted that she tried to access the American Eagle store but claimed she only did so because Clarence threatened to kill her if she didn't . Mallory threatened to hurt her parents and relatives if she did not do what she was told, Cervantez said. She claimed that when Ashlea was murdered that she was in bed asleep and she didn't know where Clarence was. Fire investigator, Wallace Hood, with the Ft. Worth Fire Department arrived on the scene around 8:45 am. He had looked at his alarm clock and saw the time was 7:30 am. 04:27 GMT 25 Aug 2017. The apartment was filled with smoke. She was savagely beaten. He testified that at around 7.30am on the 28th of November, he woke when heheard a loud scream. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! The most likely thing that caused that was being pistol whipped.. Malloy is being held in a Potter County Jail and will be. 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. One of the investigators alleged, It was evident to us that Carter was the mastermind behind this and I think David was the muscle. Listen to the story of how Ashlea Harris fought for her life upsetting the plans of two nefarious killers who wanted a big pay off. Jason Kidd hopes Mavs star stays patient in preseason play, Spring training cuts are incoming, but these Rangers prospects have impressed in camp. He was also a former employee at the same American Eagle store where Ashlea worked and he was Carter's boyfriend. Ashlea Harris Murder: How Did She Die? Carter did hold this against Ashlea, because Ashlea was the one that turned them in, said Groen. He continued to lie in bed wondering what was going on in his upstairs neighbors apartment (Ashleas apartment). 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. She was the youngest of three girls. The Court heard testimony from Steven Lee. No charges were filed against the two. When he went to touch her, he saw that her wrists and ankles were duct-taped. She admitted to not locking the back door the night of the theft. Somehow they avoided looking up at the camera. ", by Chilling Crimes The day after Thanksgiving Day. He heard the door of Ashlea's apartment close and when he looked out his window, he saw a, black Infiniti G35 driving away. They discovered that Ashlea's missing keys had the store keys on them too. He testified that when he entered the apartment, itwas full of smoke and water was spraying from the sprinkler system. She was raised in a large and loving family and made friends wherever she went. that the smoke detector had been removed and was underneath the mattress. There were extensive text messages between the two as they watched the store. She said that he held the gun up to her and told her to do it and that he also claimed there was somebody waiting outside her parent's home and they would be killed also if she didn't steal the money. This was two weeks before Ashleas murder. Examiners Officer, performed the Autopsy on Ashleas body. 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. There was no smoke in her lungs indicating she was not alive when the fire was set. Cervantes also received a sentence of life without parole at a. Jeff Kayser to testify. Police have charged Carter Cervantez, 25, and her boyfriend Clarence "David" Mallory, 19, with capital murder in the death of Ashlea Harris, 31. She was inside getting some paperwork she needed to complete. It had its lights off as it left the parking space in front of Ashleas apartment. He noticed it because he never saw it parked there before. Steven W. Conder. She was blamed as the mastermind behind the murder plot by prosecutors. Police spoke to him. 2023 Chilling Crimes. Wallace E. Hood Jr., an arson investigator, told the Court thathe locatedmultiple origins of the fire, including in the bed, on Ashleas body, and in the closet. Mallory drove her back to their apartment and friends of Mallory were waiting inside. Police conducted a second search of the apartment on December 4th and found a key in the kitchen trash can. By
She would always find a way at work to make it harder on you.. If you believe this Record is in error (i.e. Another video from Texas Appliances on the north side of the mall captures Cervantez walking away from the mall towards her apartment. At the apartment, detectives found a box containing a taser in the trash, strands of duct tape, and a damaged deadbolt lock. Her lover, David, continued working at the Amarillo store but began to miss shifts regularly. Police believed that Ashlea was killed between 4.15am and 7.30am. Dr Friesexplained that cricoid fractures are seen mostly in motor vehicle accidents or something involving a significant amount of force. But on the morning of November 28, 2014, a call came into the Fort Worth Fire Department from the River Ranch Apartments, where Harris lived. Im so sorry I forgot. Prosecutors also showed evidence that Cervantez and Mallory were planning to rob the American Eagle in Abilene (where they had previously worked). our Backup, Combined Opinion from But Carter never forgave Ashlea, with Leticia saying, She was the one that you wanted to like you because if you got on her bad side, there was no coming back from it. / CBS News/AP. Cravey fired Cervantez because she had left the store unsecured. However, her loyalty to the store where she was employed would tragically lead to her death. Inside he found 2 shovels and a box of plastic sheeting. 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. Ashlea Harris arrived home to her apartment around 3:25 am. 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. Jeff, Wallace E. Hood Jr., an arson investigator, told the Court that, multiple origins of the fire, including in the bed, on Ashleas body, and in the closet. Ashlea Ann Harris was murdered Nov. 28, 2014, by Clarence David Mallory, 22, and his co-defendant, Carter Carol Cervantes, 28. Cervantes was allowed to go home. <p>Carter Carol Cervantez, 27, enters court on Tuesday, May 17, 2016, with defense attorneys Steve Gordon, right, and Bill Ray, not pictured. Patrick thought that perhaps someone had come to pick Ashlea Harris up for work as her pick-up truck remained in its parking space. 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. He told the Court that he lived in an apartment justbelow Ashleas apartment. Water was spraying from the overhead sprinkling system, but Ashlea did not answer when he called out to her. In the parking lot was a black two-door infiniti like the one seen at the crime scene. So what was the motive for such a savage attack? Carter was a former employee at the American Eagle store where Ashlea worked but she was fired in August. Cervantes helped Mallory falsify documents so she could hire him at the Hulen Mall location where she worked with Harris. He then radioed for police and a crime scene unit to come to the scene. She denied being at the Hulen Mall that morning. According to news reports, Carter was an assistant store manager at the time, along with 31-year-oldAshlea Ann Harris. It was a latenight due to Black Friday sales and Alexis looked after Ashlea's dog Nala while Ashlea was working. So he laid back down to try to fall back asleep, but thats when the carbon monoxide detector went off. Police retraced Ashlea's movements. reunited in Fort Worth and moved in together. While Cervantes moved six hours away to Fort Worth, Mallory stayed in Amarillo. 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. Since this was a violation they took him into custody. January 17, 2022 At 6:56 am Alexis noticed a missed call from Ashlea. | Privacy Statement. FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) - A woman charged in connection to the death of a former co-worker who was beaten, bound, strangled and set afire has been found guilty. There was a scrape and lacerations of her lip, a scrape on her chin and a star-shaped laceration with a surrounding bruise behind her left earwhich the medical examiner was caused by being struck by the pistol. One of Harris friends had stopped by after Ashlea got off work on Thanksgiving night and stayed until around 5 a.m. The Jury heard that Clarence was arrested in the car park at the mall . The scream was followed by a loud thud and hecould hear labored breathing. Chris went over to Detective Cedillo to tell him what he knew. He was able to unlock the trunk of Mallorys Cadillac using keys found in the black Infiniti. The comments below have not been moderated, by Chilling Crimes It was then he saw a body. The Autopsy revealed that Ashleahad numerous injuries on her body including but not limited toa laceration on the right side of her scalp, on her cheek and the left side of her face and a patterned bruise on the right side of her face, a bruise between her eyes and around her left eye. Filed: 23:46 GMT 24 Aug 2017 He met his girlfriend Carter Cervantez there. He ruled out accidental causes for the reason for the fire and concluded that the fire was set on purpose. The Court heard testimony fromAlexis Torres Bunch. This manager did not close the store that night and did not appear to have the same build as the person in the video. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. On November 29th search warrants were obtained for Cervantez and Mallorys apartment, the black Infinity, and Mallorys Cadillac. The jury did not believe her. . 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. Rousseau added: 'Imagine the horror, someone is probably sitting on you while someone else is taping up your hands and then your ankles. App. 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. Police had to establish if they were involved in Ashlea's death what the motive was. A woman was found guilty of capital murder Thursday for helping to beat, bind and set fire to another woman as part of a Black Friday robbery scheme in 2014. Each is charged with one count of capital murder. Today it marks the beginning of the Christmas shopping season. None known, Docket Number: Her bond was set at $500,000. The perpetrators had stolen Ashleas store keys and were allegedly planning to break into the store again and steal more money. Take out all the trash andleave that. Cervantez said Mallory put the gun in her face and tried to make her steal money from the store. However, things went awry after she hired a teen employee named Clarence David Mallory Jr., then 19, and started dating him, as per local reports. Blood was found on the floor mats of Cervantes car. Police were contacted when the theft was discovered, but I dont know if they questioned Mallory or Cervantez. Clarence's phone-We left it. Cedillo went to the American Eagle store where Harris' boss was waiting for the owners to open up. Ashlea identified Clarence as the person who took the money from the safe from the surveillance footage. Detective Cedillo decided to stake out Cervantez and Mallorys apartment arriving around 3:45 am on Saturday, November 29, 2014. Kevin Rousseau, Tarrant County prosecutor, said of their crime: 'At a minimum this took at least a month of planning. The manner of Ashlea's death was ruled as a homicide. The investigation revealed that the fire was not accidental and that rubbing alcohol had been poured in different areasthroughout the apartment including on Ashlea's bed. Cravey indicated that he did. He opened a window in the bedroom to air it out. For that reason, the fire seemed like an afterthought to me, Fort Worth Police Detective Ernie Pate told Snapped.. Patrick testified that he thought about what he should do. Due to that, they wanted to speak to the owner of the Infiniti G35. On Tax Free Weekend and Black Friday, those were our highest deposit days, said Groen. Cheyenne Roundtree For Dailymail.com, 'Multiple' US Army drill sergeants at Fort Benning suspended after sexual assault allegations surface, 'It's tough to watch him struggle': Hugh Hefner's son opens up about his dad's health struggles as reclusive Playboy founder hasn't been seen in public in over a year, Pavement where disabled woman gestured at cyclist before fatal crash, TN residents say Jack Daniel's distillery spews black mold, Incredible footage of Ukrainian soldiers fighting Russians in Bakhmut, Pro-Ukrainian drone lands on Russian spy planes exposing location, 'Buster is next!' So why did they kill Ashlea? August 20, 2021, "Evil people always support each other; that is their chief strength.". That was a term the brand used toindicate that the person should not be hired at any location. Clarence David Mallory, 22, would meet a similar fate in August 2017.
Dr Richard Fries, a deputy medical examiner at the Tarrant County MedicalExaminers Officer, performed the Autopsy on Ashleas body. judgment.
Carter Carol Cervantez. a plastic tub that contained bungee cords and arope. Shes the one that coordinated everything and came up with the plan, said Cedillo. Then he gathered up some belongings, moved his car away from the building, and waited for the fire department to arrive. The district manager decided to give Cervantez a fresh start. CourtListener is sponsored by the non-profit Free Law Project. They also found another lock labeled lock picking practice lock. Communication between Mallory and Cervantez led police to a shallow hole in a town more than a hundred miles away. Jeff was a neighbor and friend of Ashlea's. On December 4, arrest warrants were executed, and David was arrested at a private residence in Amarillo on December 5. But surveillance video confirmed she was not being truthful and it showed her leaving the mall and walking towards her home. The Court heard that inJune 2014, Ashleawas appointed to run the store while Chris was on medical leave. Fort Worth Police arrested two suspects in the November 28 murder of Ashlea Harris. Saturday Tarrant County Sheriffs arrested 25-year-old Carter Carol Cervantez. Mallory claimed that he was waiting for his girlfriend, who worked at Aeropostale. | Recent Lawyer Listings Today, Ft. Worth is a thriving city of approximately 800,000 residents. At 7:45 am he witnessed Cervantez and Mallory exit their apartment and get into the black Infinity. Chris looked at Clarence'spersonnel fileanddiscovered thatwhen Carterhired him, she changed his Social Security number and his name in the system so that it would not be detected or show up any red flags. Detective Cedillo entered the mall looking for Cervantez but was unable to find her. The inside of the apartment and Ashlea's body led police to believe that the fire was not an accidental fire. The only thing missing from Ashlea's apartment were her keys. At the police station, police observed that he was wearing a ski mask. Cervantez alleges that she did not commit the murder and was asleep in her apartment when Harris was robbed and killed. The scream was followed by a loud thud and he, could hear labored breathing. The Court heard that the car was still there when Steven left for work after 7.30am. 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. Thats not good. Video from American Eagle picks her up approaching the gate. The keyring also had the front gate key and store key on them. with the Tarrant County Medical Examiners Office testified to Ashlea Harriss cause of death. Police searched their apartment. The two men, who were strangers to her, were invited into the apartment by Clarence and she was raped by both of them. It was only at that point that Chris discovered that it was Carter who had hired Clarence and he found out that Clarence hadpreviously worked at an American Eagle store in Amarillo and was listed in the American Eagle system as non-rehireable." She was sentenced / adjudicated in Runnels County, Winters. Fort Worth is located in north-central Texas. Assuming that there may be a fire in Ashleas apartment he dialed 911. Chris was in the parking lot and had been talking to Alexis Torres, who was the last person to talk to Ashlea Harris. | Articles The term Black Friday originated in Philadelphia to describe heavy pedestrian and vehicle traffic on the day after Thanksgiving. They both pleaded not guilty. 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. He was eventually labeled as non-rehirable in the American Eagle system. She came from a blended family. She was strangled, her throat cut, and ultimately asphyxiated. Joyce Marshall jlmarshall@star-telegram.com FORT WORTH. When he went to get her keys he was unable to locate them. A bottle of it found near the body. Powered by Shopify. Outcome: Having overruled all three of Cervantezs points, we affirm the trial courts She claimed she spent Thanksgiving cooking dinner for her and Mallory and they watched movies afterward. 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. Text messages obtained from Cervantes and Mallorys phones showed them plotting Harris murder as part of a planned Black Friday heist. 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 went to see why the smoke detector had not gone off he noticed it had been removed and placed under the mattress. Police asked Mallory to see his drivers license which he told them he did not have on him. Her name was Carter Carol Cervantez. The M.E. Clarence David Mallory took the 5th when he was brought in to testify. The two disappeared after the theft and were not arrested until police tracked them down on Dec. 6. Another neighbor, Patrick Sweet, also testified. At Carter's Trial, her Defense was that she was not involved in Ashlea's death. She told the Court she did not kill Ashlea and played no part in her death. From what he could make out it was a female lying face down on the floor in front of the bed. In addition, he did not call in to request off. Fired One week later Cravey called Cervantez. The couple lived only two miles from Ashleas apartment. Close to $18,000 was missing from the safe. She also accused the black-hooded male, caught on camera breaking into the store safe and stealing the money, as David. On December 4, 2014, arrest warrants were issued for Carter Carol Cervantez and Clarence David Mallory Jr. They were arrested and charged with capital murder, according to the Reuters news service.