Harris was found dead in her apartment several hours later when firefighters responded to a fire alarm. Police set up surveillance outside Carter's home and the next morning, the Saturday morning, at 8 am they saw her leave her apartment and get into her Infiniti G35 with a man. One of Harris friends had stopped by after Ashlea got off work on Thanksgiving night and stayed until around 5 a.m. 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. There are a lot of people at her apartment complex, which says a lot about the defendants in this case.'. Her truck was still in the apartment complexs parking lot. She denied being at the Hulen Mall that morning. Carter Carol Cervantez, 27, enters court Tuesday, May 17, 2016, with defense attorneys Steve Gordon, right, and Bill Ray, not pictured. He called 911 as he realized there must be a fire. Clarence David Mallory, 22, was sentenced to spend the rest of his life behind bars in the death of Ashlea Ann Harris, 31, in a Fort Worth, Texas, courtroom on Thursday. She told the Court she did not kill Ashlea and played no part in her death. Carter's testimony also included an account of a time that she claimed she was raped by two men. (Joyce Marshall)</p> Author: WFAA Staff Published:. Does Alan Cumming Really Live in a Scottish Castle? While they were let go initially, the investigators had search warrants for their apartment and car. 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 met his girlfriend Carter Cervantez there. When she was unable to get in the store the first time she walked back to the car. However, her loyalty to the store where she was employed would tragically lead to her death. When he went to touch her, he saw that her wrists and ankles were duct-taped. Detective Cedillo radioed dispatch and asked them to send a marked patrol call to the mall. Chris was in the parking lot and had been talking to Alexis Torres, who was the last person to talk to Ashlea Harris. A Friday. Christopher Chris Cravey, Ashlea's boss, heard that police were asking about that vehicle and he told them he knew someone who drove one. She would always find a way at work to make it harder on you, former co-worker Leticia Groen told Snapped.. Both Cervantez and Mallory worked with Harris at the American Eagle store before being fired. Communication between Mallory and Cervantez led police to a shallow hole in a town more than a hundred miles away. Video from American Eagle picks her up approaching the gate. The district manager decided to give Cervantez a fresh start. Our district manager basically gave her the option to quit or to get transferred, said Groen. He was eventually labeled as non-rehirable in the American Eagle system. They raped her for not following through with the robbery. He forced her to enter and rob American Eagle at gunpoint and threatened to kill her family if she didnt do what he asked. Steven W. Conder. Then they turned their sights on Harris, who held the store keys, for their plot to make off with tens of thousands of dollars. There are predators everywhere. Cervantez was the assistant store manager who was to lock up the night of the theft. She claimed she spent Thanksgiving cooking dinner for her and Mallory and they watched movies afterward. As a result of his incompetency, he was fired, and American Eagle put him on the Do Not Hire Again list. A friend of hers, Alexis Torres came over. David received the same sentence on August 24, 2017. At 6:56 am Alexis noticed a missed call from Ashlea. It was a latenight due to Black Friday sales and Alexis looked after Ashlea's dog Nala while Ashlea was working. Thats not good. Carter was a former employee at the American Eagle store where Ashlea worked but she was fired in August. A mysterious fire, missing keys, and a black sports car. CourtListener is sponsored by the non-profit Free Law Project. It was the proceeds from the sales during the recently concludedTexas Sales Tax Holiday Weekend in August. Prosecutors charged Cervantez with murder one and did not seek the death penalty. Who Killed Her? Her friend left around 4:40 am with Ashlea locking the door behind her. Police believed they were used for practice as theywerelabeled lock picking practice lock.. Patrick Sweet lived in the apartmentbelow Ashlea's apartment and hetold police that he heard a thump, screaming and heavy breathing. The Prosecutor,Kevin Rousseau,told the Jury: "There are no good murders. She claimed that when Ashlea was murdered that she was in bed asleep and she didn't know where Clarence was. 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. Cervantez was the first to go to trial in May 2016. Prosecutors say Cervantez and her. Though Mallory was arrested for driving without a license, he was also released from custody. Detective Cedillo drove there and he found a hole that had been dug that measuredsix feet long, two and a half feet wide, and three feet deep. FWPD Fort Worth Police Department FORT WORTH Pictures of tools that could be used to pick locks, the front cover of the book Practical Lock. Detective Cedillo wanted to search Ashleas pick-up truck. 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 . 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Detective Cedillo went back to Cervantez apartment and found her in the laundry room this time wearing pink scrubs. 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. They also found another lock labeled lock picking practice lock. He told police that Carter had gone into the mall to collect some papers but when police searched the mall, she wasn't there. Ashlea Ann Harris was murdered Nov. 28, 2014, by Clarence David Mallory, 22, and his co-defendant, Carter Carol Cervantes, 28. Ashlea immediately contacted loss prevention, Chris Cravey, and the district manager. He testified that he wokethat morning when he heardthe sound of the fire alarms. Inside he found 2 shovels and a box of plastic sheeting. . On Tax Free Weekend and Black Friday, those were our highest deposit days, said Groen. Mallory drove the car to another mall exit. She came from a blended family. App. Carter Carol Cervantes worked as a store manager of an American Eagle Outfitters outlet in Amarillo, Texas. Carter would always joke, If I were ever going to steal a deposit it would be after Black Friday or Tax Free Weekend.'. A bottle of it found near the body. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. 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 also found a damaged deadbolt lock,two other locks that had been used for practice. The inside of the apartment and Ashlea's body led police to believe that the fire was not an accidental fire. They were arrested and charged with capital murder, according to the, 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, Clarence David Mallory, 22, would meet a similar fate in August 2017. | Privacy Statement. Cheyenne Roundtree For Dailymail.com Carter and David were convicted of beating, strangling, and bounding Ashlea and setting fire to her4701 King Ranch Road apartment onNovember 28, 2014, morning. SHARE NEXT UP Young Woman in the Center of a Murder | For My Man S6/EP27 | Airdate: Nov 29, 2021 <span>Runtime: 00:01:30</span> It was the Prosecution's case that Carter and Clarencehad a couple of different reasons to want to harm Ashlea. One week later Cravey called Cervantez. Chris told police that a former employee at American Eagle, Carter Carol Cervantez, drove a similar car. Clarence David Mallory, 22, would meet a similar fate in August 2017. He continued to lie in bed wondering what was going on in his upstairs neighbors apartment (Ashleas apartment). Fort Worth Police Detective Jerry Cedillo was staking out the apartment on the morning of November 29 when he saw Cervantes and Mallory get in her car and drive to the Hulen Mall. He asked him why he was in the parking lot so early in the morning. 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's case was heard first. From Free Law Project, a 501(c)(3) non-profit. Ashlea worked on November 27th from 5:30 pm until 3:12 am to prep the store for Black Friday. 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. 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. He requested that they stop the black Infinity if they witnessed any type of traffic violation. This key was not in the trash during the first search. The Court heard that inJune 2014, Ashleawas appointed to run the store while Chris was on medical leave. November 8th, 2018, Precedential Status: Cervantez is arrested in Lubbock and Mallory is taken into custody in Amarillo. He determined the source of all the smoke was coming from the bedroom and specifically the bed. Joyce Marshall jlmarshall@star-telegram.com FORT WORTH. At that point, the firefighters had arrived. When Ashlea arrived for work she discovered that a theft had occurred sometime overnight. ", Sign up to get the latest true crime stories, new product releases and more, Sign up to get the latest on sales, new releases and more . She bends down to unlock it but is unable to. our Backup, Combined Opinion from She testified at her own Trial and told the Court that she was afraid of Clarence. 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. He also described seeing the dark-colored vehicle driving away shortly after hearing Ashleas front door close. Police had to establish if they were involved in Ashlea's death what the motive was. When he went to get her keys he was unable to locate them. On December 4, arrest warrants were executed, and David was arrested at a private residence in Amarillo on December 5. Another store employee watched the video and agreed with Ashlea based on the suspects physical appearance. This was most likely a lighter and the accelerant was rubbing alcohol. 2018) Court of Appeals of Texas Add Note Filed: November 8th, 2018 Precedential Status: Precedential Citations: None known Docket Number: 02-16-00224-CR By 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. Next, he heard what sounded like heavy labored breathing. David, 27, is incarcerated at the Jim Ferguson Unit in Midway, Texas. Alexis Torres Bunch. Dr Richard Fries, a deputy medical examiner at the Tarrant County Medical. Cervantes was later located at her apartment and agreed to meet with detectives. Saturday Tarrant County Sheriffs arrested 25-year-old Carter Carol Cervantez. All were missing. In the meantime, Detective Pate, Cedillos partner, made contact with Mallory. 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. He was able to unlock the trunk of Mallorys Cadillac using keys found in the black Infiniti. Clarence David Mallory took the 5th when he was brought in to testify. The video showed what looked to be a male wearing a hoodie entering the back door. It was the 28th of November 2014. From what he could make out it was a female lying face down on the floor in front of the bed. Ashlea Harris Murder: How Did She Die? She claims that Mallory drove her to the Hulen Mall not once, but twice. We Her throat had been cut and she had been set on fire. He heard the door of Ashlea's apartment close and when he looked out his window, he saw ablack Infiniti G35 driving away. 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. Clarence Mallory Jr. and Carter Cervantez are accused of murdering Ashlea Harris after she left her job late at night at a mall in Fort Worth. At 7:45 am he witnessed Cervantez and Mallory exit their apartment and get into the black Infinity. Keith Morrison. Alexis usually watched Ashleas dog Nala when she worked. An older man offers Chicwanda Forbes the attention she craves in exchange for her loyalty. Ashlea Harris worked as an assistant store manager for American Eagle Outfitters located in the Hulen Mall. (Fort Worth PD) Harris, who was a manager at the store, had. Filed: Police spoke to all of Ashlea'sneighbors. This was torture, prosecutor Kevin Rousseau told Snapped.. He tried again a second and a third time but the smoke made it an impossible task. She purchased what Im going to describe as a murder kit, said Rousseau. On November 29th search warrants were obtained for Cervantez and Mallorys apartment, the black Infinity, and Mallorys Cadillac. 02-16-00224-CR. Ashlea has suffered numerous injuries to her face and head indicating that there were multiple blows. The deposit was somewhere between $40,000 to $50,000. No charges were filed against the two. Clarence David Mallory, 22, would meet a similar fate in August 2017. December 10, 2014 / 11:07 AM None known, Docket Number: s asphyxia and blunt force trauma to the head and neck. Police conducted a second search of the apartment on December 4th and found a key in the kitchen trash can. Once there, she re-hired Mallory. 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. Ashlea identified Clarence as the person who took the money from the safe from the surveillance footage. After that, she went to work. The next day, Mallory drove her back to try again. Text messages obtained from Cervantes and Mallorys phones showed them plotting Harris murder as part of a planned Black Friday heist. She told police that she didnot leave the apartment complex at all that day. All were missing. The jury did not believe her. The day after Thanksgiving Day. 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. He was unable to find a pulse. He noticed it because he never saw it parked there before. Fort Worth Police Detective Jerry Cedillo was staking out the apartment on the morning of November 29 when he saw Cervantes and Mallory get in her car and drive to the Hulen Mall. Whoever was the last person to leave had locked the door behind them. Chris testified that Carter and Clarence would have known that Ashleaidentified Clarence and informed him of the theft. They stalked Ashlea Harris like people stalk a deer.'. He testified that he wokethat morning when he heardthe sound of the fire alarms. He told the Court that he lived in an apartment justbelow Ashleas apartment. Police asked Mallory to see his drivers license which he told them he did not have on him. 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. Combined Opinion from 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. I think theres a fire upstairs in the apartment above me, the caller said in his 911 call, which was obtained by Snapped.. A coworker was slapped with life in prison for beating and burning to death a store manager on Black Friday so that he could take her store keys and steal $50,000. He was able to determine that the fire had multiple points of origin. On the day after Thanksgiving known in the retail world as Black Friday Harris's. 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 Court. Carter Carol Cervantez v. The State of Texas Case Number: 02-16-00224-CR Judge: Mark T. Pittman Court: Court of Appeals Second Appellate District of Texas at Fort Worth Plaintiff's Attorney: Joseph W. Spence Defendant's Attorney: William H. "Bill" Ray Steven W. Conder Description: Cervantez also testified that Mallory raped her when she didn't do what he wanted. 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. Cervantes had hired 19-year-old David Mallory and soon began dating him, in violation of company policy. August 20, 2021, "Evil people always support each other; that is their chief strength.". A downstairs neighbor, Patrick Sweet, was lying in bed when he heard a loud scream. . He testified that when he entered the apartment, itwas full of smoke and water was spraying from the sprinkler system. Cervantez pleads not guilty. Clarence's phone-We left it. The trial for the horrific murder of an American Eagle employee on Black Friday began this week in Fort Worth, TX. Home Cervantes also received a sentence of life without parole at a. Carter Carol Cervantez appeals from her jury conviction for capital murder and automatic life sentence. Cervantez asked to speak to the regional manager about her firing, but in the end, handed over her store keys.
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