The State waived their right to seekthe death penalty and instead looked forlife in prison without parole. He was able to unlock the trunk of Mallorys Cadillac using keys found in the black Infiniti. Read the crime and public safety news your neighbors are talking about. Clarence David Mallory (age 19) had previously worked for American Eagle at their Amarillo location. The perpetrators had stolen Ashleas store keys and were allegedly planning to break into the store again and steal more money. Ashlea worked on November 27th from 5:30 pm until 3:12 am to prep the store for Black Friday. They discovered that on Thanksgiving Day, she went to dinner withher friendAlexis Torres and other friends at an apartment inside her complex. He testified that at around 7.30am on the 28th of November, he woke when heheard a loud scream. He asked him why he was in the parking lot so early in the morning. Christopher Chris Cravey, Ashlea's boss, heard that police were asking about that vehicle and he told them he knew someone who drove one. Patrick testified that he thought about what he should do. 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. Joyce Marshall jlmarshall@star-telegram.com FORT WORTH. It was a direct violation of the company policy, and she started facing flak for her relationship with a subordinate. This was somebody who killed her out of anger. The scream was followed by a loud thud and hecould hear labored breathing. The manner of Ashlea's death was ruled as a homicide. The Court heard that inJune 2014, Ashleawas appointed to run the store while Chris was on medical leave. Under the drivers seat was a 9mm Glock with a round still in the chamber. Prosecutors showed video surveillance from Home Depot a week before Ashlea Harris was murdered. Ashlea has suffered numerous injuries to her face and head indicating that there were multiple blows. He testified that he wokethat morning when he heardthe sound of the fire alarms. Detective Cedillo entered the mall looking for Cervantez but was unable to find her. His name was Clarence David Mallory. That was a term the brand used toindicate that the person should not be hired at any location. Mallory threatened to hurt her parents and relatives if she did not do what she was told, Cervantez said. Mallory drove the car to another mall exit. The comments below have not been moderated, by Chilling Crimes . First published on December 10, 2014 / 11:07 AM. 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. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. But surveillance video confirmed she was not being truthful and it showed her leaving the mall and walking towards her home. Harris friends told investigators that she had been working around the clock in anticipation of the Black Friday sales event which started that morning. According to local news reports,the opening manager discovered $17,850.32 had been stolen from the safe. It was a latenight due to Black Friday sales and Alexis looked after Ashlea's dog Nala while Ashlea was working. Police asked Alexis if she knew who drove a black Infiniti G35. It was the Prosecution's case that Carter and Clarencehad a couple of different reasons to want to harm Ashlea. The keys seemed to be the only thing missing from her apartment. Dr. Richard Fries, deputy M.E. The couple had been fired from the American Eagle store at the Hulen Mall after being suspected of stealing nearly $18,000 from the store's safe in August 2014. In August 2016, Clarence David Mallory was found guilty of murder one after one hour of jury deliberation. Police were contacted when the theft was discovered, but I dont know if they questioned Mallory or Cervantez. On November 29th search warrants were obtained for Cervantez and Mallorys apartment, the black Infinity, and Mallorys Cadillac. Jeff Kayser to testify. Ashlea's ankles were also bound with duct tape. If you believe this Record is in error (i.e. So he laid back down to try to fall back asleep, but thats when the carbon monoxide detector went off. 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. It was a black Infiniti G35 with a faded toll sticker on its roof. | Articles For more on this case and others like it, watch "Snapped," airing Sundays at 6/5c on Oxygen, or stream episodes here. She was later found in her apartment complex. This case has not yet been cited in our system. Detective Cedillo radioed dispatch and asked them to send a marked patrol call to the mall. 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. 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. While the homicide took place nearly 6 hours. Mallory and his girlfriend Carter Carol Cervantez, 28, plotted to kill Harris Harris, 31, was the store manager of an American Eagle store in Fort Worth, TX Mallory and Cervantez bound Harris . The next day, Mallory drove her back to try again. Ashlea suspended Carter and one week later, Chris called Carter and told herthat she had beenterminated for leaving the store unsecured. And in Fort Worth, Carter Carol Cervantez begins to rethink her priorities when she finds love at the workplace. Dr Richard Fries, a deputy medical examiner at the Tarrant County MedicalExaminers Officer, performed the Autopsy on Ashleas body. Police spoke to him. Ashlea went through the surveillance footage and alleged Carter and David to be the burglars, as Carter was seen leaving the back door of the store unlocked when she took the garbage out the night before. Cervantes helped Mallory falsify documents so she could hire him at the Hulen Mall location where she worked with Harris. 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. Officers found Mallory waiting in Cervantes car in the Hulen Mall parking lot and took him into custody. He called 911 when his carbon monoxide detector wentoff and he realized there was a fire. Harris and other workers helped identify them as suspects, KHOU reports. Mark Sedwick, a special agent with the FBI and a member of the Cellular Analysis Survey Team, testified as to the content of texts that had been sent at 11.52amon the 28th of November between Clarence's phoneandCarter's phone: Carter's phone-Hey, remember that thing you said I didnt clean well?Did you clean it? He met his girlfriend Carter Cervantez there. We At 6:56 am Alexis noticed a missed call from Ashlea. Posted on May 27, 2016. On the day after Thanksgiving known in the retail world as Black Friday Harris's. carbon monoxide detector went offand he sawwater dripping from the ceiling in his bathroom. 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. She admitted to not locking the back door the night of the theft. I didnt touch it. Police began talking to neighbors including Patrick Sweet, who told them about the unusual sounds he heard coming from Ashleas apartment that morning. 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. Her friend left around 4:40 am with Ashlea locking the door behind her. 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. Cervantes was allowed to go home. Carter Carol Cervantez, 25, was taken into custody by Tarrant County Sheriffs on Saturday. Check out never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! that the smoke detector had been removed and was underneath the mattress. The prosecution alleged Carter to be the mastermind behind the homicide. Cervantezs 21 year-old boyfriend Clarence David Mallory has also been charged. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. But prosecutors said Cervantez planned the crime, which involved stealing Harris' keys to the American Eagle Outfitters store at Hulen Mall in Fort Worth so the couple could take the cash from the store. He was also fired per store policy. 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. 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. Carter Carol Cervantez. Both are held on a $100,000 bond. 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. Then he heard a loud thump right above him as Ashleas bedroom was directly above his. November 8th, 2018, Precedential Status: 2023 Chilling Crimes. This was two weeks before Ashleas murder. When she was unable to get in the store the first time she walked back to the car. The fire had been extinguished by then. Carter's case was heard first. She switched his first name with his middle name and changed two digits of his social security number. When Ashlea arrived for work she discovered that a theft had occurred sometime overnight. She quickly walks away. The Court heard testimony from Steven Lee. Firefighters managed to control the fire and it was only then they discovered that Ashlea was inside. below Ashlea's apartment and hetold police that he heard a thump, screaming and heavy breathing. The detectives talked to two American Eagle employees who had been locked out due to the locks being changed. Carter's testimony also included an account of a time that she claimed she was raped by two men. Ashlea Ann Harris loved working in retail where she could meet new people every day. rely on donations for our financial security. 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. She would always find a way at work to make it harder on you.. 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 . Police tracked Cervantes and Mallory to an apartment near the Hulen Mall. The man drove to Hulen Mall and when they got there, he dropped off Carter at the door and parked. Thats not good. After Ashlea Harris pointed to David Mallory and Carter Cervantes as the most likely culprits to have robbed an American Eagle store, the couple was furious. It was evident to us that Carter was the mastermind behind this and I think David was the muscle. Does Alan Cumming Really Live in a Scottish Castle? 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. Detective Cedillo decided to stake out Cervantez and Mallorys apartment arriving around 3:45 am on Saturday, November 29, 2014. Who Killed Her. The Prosecution called Jeff Kayser to testify. s asphyxia and blunt force trauma to the head and neck. She was taken to the station for questioning. Fort Worth is located in north-central Texas. It matched Ashlea Harris' DNA. 27-year-old old Carter Carol Cervantez is on trial for capital murder in the killing of Ashlea Ann Harris, whose body was found on November 28, 2014. Prosecutors for the case showed surveillance video of Cervantez buying shovels and other gear on November 21st, with the intention of digging a grave for Harris. Police believed that Ashlea was killed between 4.15am and 7.30am. She purchased what Im going to describe as a murder kit, said Rousseau. Cervantez is arrested in Lubbock and Mallory is taken into custody in Amarillo. This was done while Chris Cravey was out on medical leave. Though the theft remained an open case with the Fort Worth Police Department, American Eagle believed it had enough evidence to fire Cervantes and Mallory. She stole Ashleas keys to commit another theft with an even bigger payoff. The M.E. The couple lived only two miles from Ashleas apartment. Carter Carol Cervantes worked as a store manager of an American Eagle Outfitters outlet in Amarillo, Texas. On their cell phones, they had images of Ashlea's apartment, her apartment door and her vehicle. Im so sorry I forgot. She was raised in a large and loving family and made friends wherever she went. The term Black Friday originated in Philadelphia to describe heavy pedestrian and vehicle traffic on the day after Thanksgiving. After more evidence is gathered they are arrested on December 4, 2014. It is up to the rest of us to take an even harder look at who is minding our children. Harris was an assistant manager at the store. 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. She was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. This was torture, prosecutor Kevin Rousseau told Snapped.. 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. Combined Opinion from Police discovered that thirty one year old Ashlea Ann Harris lived in the apartment that was on fire. 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. 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. 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. An older man offers Chicwanda Forbes the attention she craves in exchange for her loyalty. Carter Carol Cervantez faces capital murder charges in connection with the death of Ashlea Harris. Investigators believed Cervantes and Mallory were planning to rob the American Eagle store. They were arrested and charged with capital murder, according to the Reuters news service. 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'. The inside of the apartment and Ashlea's body led police to believe that the fire was not an accidental fire. February 04, 2022, "The criminal justice system will take a hard look at what happened to Matthew Eappen. Like Harris, Cervantez was an assistant manager. Harris friends told investigators that she had been working around the clock in anticipation of the Black Friday sales event which started that morning. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! 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. When Detective Cedillo entered the coordinates it came up to a specific location near Lueders, Texas. Another neighbor also told police something disturbing. Chris was in the parking lot and had been talking to Alexis Torres, who was the last person to talk to Ashlea Harris. The manner of Ashlea's death was ruled as a homicide. Police conducted a second search of the apartment on December 4th and found a key in the kitchen trash can. On December 4, 2014, arrest warrants were issued for Carter Carol Cervantez and Clarence David Mallory Jr. Precedential, Citations: From Free Law Project, a 501(c)(3) non-profit. Cervantez claims that Mallory dug the grave for her. The Court heard about Ashlea's injuries. Her name was Carter Carol Cervantez. Unsure of her career path, Harris began working in retail in her early 20s. 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. Prosecutors charged Cervantez with murder one and did not seek the death penalty. The jury did not believe her. Chris Cravey had gotten all the locks changed upon hearing about Ashleas murder. This key was not in the trash during the first search. 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. Alexis Torres Bunch. Her throat had been cut and she had been set on fire. But Tarrant County prosecutor Kevin Rousseau told the jury that Cervantez was the one who tried to control Mallory, whose trial is pending. Harris hands and feet were bound with duct tape, police said. Powered by WordPress.com VIP. Police retraced Ashlea's movements. She told the Jury that he controlled her and even told her when she could eat or drink. Carter Carol Cervantez appeals from her jury conviction for capital murder and automatic life sentence. A 911 call was made by a resident at an apartment complex in Fort Worth, Texas, United States to ask for help. She told police that she didnot leave the apartment complex at all that day. reunited in Fort Worth and moved in together. 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. 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. Then he gathered up some belongings, moved his car away from the building, and waited for the fire department to arrive. | Sign In, Verdict Corrections On Tax Free Weekend and Black Friday, those were our highest deposit days, said Groen. The keyring also had the front gate key and store key on them. Both Cervantez and Mallory worked with Harris at the American Eagle store before being fired. Get Driving Directions to Christina Melton Crain Unit Prison, Texas. Another apartment in the complex was on fire. Law Project, a federally-recognized 501(c)(3) non-profit. Ashlea Ann Harris was murdered Nov. 28, 2014, by Clarence David Mallory, 22, and his co-defendant, Carter Carol Cervantes, 28. They stalked Ashlea Harris like people stalk a deer.'. After missing several shifts, he was fired and barred from working at other American Eagle stores. Detective Cedillo went back to Cervantez apartment and found her in the laundry room this time wearing pink scrubs. 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. Protect yourself and those you love. When he went to touch her, he saw that her wrists and ankles were duct-taped. 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. Police believed she saw them talking with Clarence in the car park and walked the two miles home. Ashlea felt that the perpetrator was Mallory. our Backup, Combined Opinion from A. loaded Glock 19 with a bullet in the chamber was found under the driver's seat. Cervantez received life in prison without the possibility of parole. Carter was a former employee at the American Eagle store where Ashlea worked but she was fired in August. Ashlea identified Clarence as the person who took the money from the safe from the surveillance footage. 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. It had its lights off as it left the parking space in front of Ashleas apartment. On May 26, 2016, twenty-seven-year-old Carter Carol Cervantez was found guilty of capital murder. August 20, 2021, "Evil people always support each other; that is their chief strength.". He was eventually labeled as non-rehirable in the American Eagle system. Both suspects were booked . Their cases were heard separately but the Prosecution case was almost the same for both with the exception that they believed Carter was the mastermind behind the crime. It didn't last long. There was no smoke in her lungs indicating she was not alive when the fire was set. 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. Mallory was found guilty along with his girlfriendCarter Carol Cervantez, 28, of killing the American Eagle store manager, who they both worked with, on Black Friday in 2014. She recalls being raped multiple times by friends of Mallorys and being coerced into the robbery. Detective Cedillo spoke to Chris Cravey, who was Ashleas boss at American Eagle, and asked if he knew anyone who drove a black Infinity. Police asked Mallory to see his drivers license which he told them he did not have on him. 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 . Shes the one that coordinated everything and came up with the plan, said Cedillo. 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. Patrick thought that perhaps someone had come to pick Ashlea Harris up for work as her pick-up truck remained in its parking space. He continued to lie in bed wondering what was going on in his upstairs neighbors apartment (Ashleas apartment). She was savagely beaten. Ashlea Ann Harris was murdered Nov. 28, 2014, by Clarence David Mallory, 22, and his co-defendant, Carter Carol Cervantes, 28. with the Tarrant County Medical Examiners Office testified to Ashlea Harriss cause of death. The Court also heardpolicefoundlatitude and longitude coordinates on the cell phones. He testified that he wokethat morning when he heardthe sound of the fire alarms. The Jury heard that a. t 6.56am,Alexishad a missed call from Ashlea and when she noticed it, Another neighbor, Patrick Sweet, also testified. The deposit was somewhere between $40,000 to $50,000. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more. At 7:45 am he witnessed Cervantez and Mallory exit their apartment and get into the black Infinity. The only thing missing from Ashlea's apartment were her keys.
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