They become just super paranoid. They'll think
people are following 'em. They'll think people
are trying to kill 'em. It makes these people crazy. Man, that's a lot of blood. (male narrator)
An innocent father
brutally stabbed. (Ritter)
With meth being involved,
anything's possible. (narrator)
A city in the grip
of a dangerous addiction. (Walker)
Their driving force is to get their drugs, and they'll do whatever it takes
to get there. To me, it looks like
you have set something up and are a part of this. (narrator)
A detective determined... (Ritter)
Do you think he's a danger
to anybody else right now? (narrator)
To stop a killer on the edge. (narrator)
And the clock is ticking. [dramatic music] For homicide detectives, their chance of solving a murder
is cut in half if they don't get a lead within the first 48 hours. [electronic beep] There he is. [laughs] (narrator)
Tulsa Homicide takes advantage
of a quiet moment between cases. Why pay for a haircut when your buddy
can do it for you? [clippers buzzing] That's how we roll
in Oklahoma. (Leatherman)
Bam, there we go. (narrator)
Before signing on
with Tulsa PD, Detective Justin Ritter
served six years in the Army Reserves. He joined Homicide in 2013 after spending two years
undercover in Narcotics. How many times
have you done this? - This is number one.
- [laughs] (man)
You're not nervous about him
screwing it up, are you? No. (Leatherman voice-over)
Justin Ritter is a good cop,
number one. We were partners together
working SID, which was our narcotics unit. I trust him completely. He's mouthy and sarcastic. (Walker)
He just doesn't care
about Justin Ritter; he cares about the other people
in the squad, other cases. (Frazier)
He follows everything through all the way through to the end,
no matter what. If it means staying here
for four days, he'll do it. (Walker)
He's very levelheaded. He doesn't get, really,
too up, too down. And he has a way
of letting people know that they're lying to him without having to come
across the table. [clippers buzzing] - You good with it?
- Yeah. Looks pretty damn good. (Leatherman)
I guess we'll see,
when I get home, what the wife says, see if she notices
anything. If this whole
detective thing doesn't work out
for you... I could always be a barber. [solemn dramatic music] ♪ (narrator)
Police and EMS respond... And find a man stabbed
in the neck. But it's too late to save him. It's 2:30 in the morning. Got a male stabbed
out in West Tulsa, and, really,
that's all I have right now as we roll out there. We'll have to see
what's going on. [indistinct
police radio chatter] Wow. [radio beeps] (Walker)
Who is he? He's Wesley Westcott. (narrator)
The victim, 29-year-old Wesley Westcott, was an avid outdoorsman who loved fishing, camping,
and deer hunting. He leaves behind a large family, including
a six-year-old daughter. Oh, wow. Man, that's a lot
of blood. This attack looks
real vicious. (Walker)
And we've got everybody here
canvassed and... (man)
All these canvassed. This one was watching a movie. They just heard
the fire truck. (narrator)
None of the neighbors
saw or heard anything. (Walker)
Caller is Cali Copeland. She's downtown at this time. (narrator)
The victim's friend Cali
called 911 after finding Wes bleeding
in his car. All right,
the rundown is, this house and that back house
are vacant. They use it, probably,
as their dope house. There's some crank
in there now. (narrator)
In the back house, investigators found a small bag
of methamphetamine. The nuts and bolts of it is,
is that Cali says she goes into the back
to go use the bathroom. She comes out.
He's in the car, stabbed. We need to get downtown
and get Cali interviewed. (Ritter)
Nobody deserves
to be stabbed like that and just left to bleed out
in their car. It's a bad deal. (narrator)
With no witnesses
at the scene... (Ritter)
We're gonna go interview the female witness
that was here, Cali, and see if we can't tie this
together a little bit better. One of the reasons I wanted
to get into Homicide, 'cause I do feel like
it's the ultimate crime. If somebody's willing to take
somebody else's life, that's as bad as it gets. That's the worst of the worst,
and that motivates me to want to catch
the worst of the worst and hopefully
help the families out, you know, however I can
and get some closure. (Ritter voice-over)
When you first go to a scene and you see a victim
laying there dead, especially the more brutal ones, it definitely motivates you. You're like, "Man, we got
to catch who did that." (narrator)
Ritter and Detective
Ronnie Leatherman needed Wes's friend Cali to tell them
how Wes ended up dead. - Hey, you all right?
- Mm-hmm. (Ritter)
How old are you? (Ritter)
OK. Obviously, trying to figure out
what's going on here, so... How did you end up over at
that residence tonight? I was riding with Terry. Terry... Hansen. He had called, wanted to know
if I could deal him some dope. When you say "dope,"
we're talking meth, right? Yeah. (narrator)
Cali says earlier that night, she took her friend Terry
to buy meth from a dealer she knows. What was the amount
you were getting? $300 worth. Terry handed me
the money. I got out. I got in the other vehicle. I traded out, and I got back in the van
with Terry, and I handed it to him,
and that was it. (narrator)
She says they went back
to Terry's apartment, where he and his brother,
Patrick, tried to smoke the meth. And they realized
that the dope ain't what they
wanted it to be. They said it was fake. And I got ahold of the guy
that did sell it to him. And you say, "Hey,
their dope's bad," or what? Yeah. He said,
"No, it's not. No, it's not." And I was like,
"Well, this guy says it is." (narrator)
She says she, Terry, and Patrick went to meet the dealer
on 55th Street at a vacant house
her grandmother owns. I had called Wes,
and I told him to meet me at the house
on 55th, 'cause I was scared that they was gonna
do something to me. (narrator)
Cali says the victim, Wes, agreed to come get her. Wes pulled up
as soon as we got there. I get in the car with Wes, and I'm telling Wes
what's going on. Does Wes know Terry? I don't know. Terry was asking me, "Well, where's he at?
Where's he at?" I don't know where he's at. I tried calling him
from my phone. (narrator)
Cali says the dealer
never showed up. Terry said, "Well, do you know
where I can find this guy?" (narrator)
She says Wes tried
to calm Terry down by offering to help them look
for the dealer. I feel like we're missing
something here. You've taken him
over to the house to meet this guy
that supposedly ripped him off
on the dope deal, and he's not there. You've got a guy in the car that's agreeing
to help Terry out. So what's he
so agitated about? I don't know. I said, "I'm going to run
to the restroom real quick." I went inside the back house
to use the restroom. When I came back outside,
the van is gone, and Wes is bloody. I mean... How long were you
using the bathroom? (Cali)
It was probably,
like, 15 minutes. Why does it take
that long even, though? (Cali)
I was scared. I was stalling,
maybe hoping they would leave. So you go in,
do your thing-- Thinking
they're gonna leave, and...they do
something like that. (Ritter)
We're missing something here. You didn't see any
of the actual assault. I wish I did so that I could say who-- you know,
'cause Wes is, like... Good friend of yours?
OK. And I'm--hey, seriously,
I'm sorry for your loss. This is early on
in this deal, and we just--
I need to kind of get my head
wrapped around what took place
out there, OK? Well, you know
quite a bit. You got anything
for now or... OK. Hey, what are the odds that she's just in there
for 15 minutes? [police radio chatter] (narrator)
Detectives Justin Ritter
and Ronnie Leatherman look up
their potential suspects: Terry Hansen
and his brother, Patrick. (Ritter)
Terry Hansen. That's him. I've got enough
with what Cali said to definitely look at them
as persons of interest and bring them in to talk to. As far as arresting them
right now, I don't think
I'm quite there yet. If she saw the murder,
I need her to tell me that so I can get the guy
that did this off the streets. (Leatherman)
It could be she's not BS'ing and she's just
really traumatized 'cause her best friend
was killed. Legitimate possibility. Two: she has some involvement
in her friend's death, whether it be the drug angle
or a money angle. All right. Terry. Patrick. But he always has glasses on. Oh... Some of this just isn't
adding up right. It doesn't make sense
that Terry and Westcott would be... Exactly. Can y'all not talk to Terry? (Ritter)
Well, it'd be nice. But right now,
we're talking to you. (Leatherman)
I got to tell you, I worked Narcotics
for a long time, and I never knew anybody
who had a return policy-- "You don't like my stuff,
come on back." It's early in the morning. Let's cut out all the BS, and let's hear
what really happened, because from where I'm sitting,
to me, it looks like-- a little bit like you have
maybe even set something up and are a part of this. Is it possible
that you and Wes were trying to rip off Terry
for his dope? No. And another thing-- Wes had nothing to do
with it until I called him and asked him
to please come get me. So did you
just rip Terry off? I didn't
rip Terry off. (Ritter)
There's more to this. It just doesn't make sense
why Wes shows up. Honestly, why did you
call Wes over there? To come get me. To get me away from them. (Leatherman)
Just tell us
what really happened. I'm telling you
what happened! (Leatherman)
If Wes is really
this close to you... He is! Then let's hear
what happened... I don't know what happened. So we can get these people
off the street. I really wish I did know
what happened. I honest to God do. I really do. My friend got killed
just because, pretty much... I asked him to come help me. (Ritter)
I kind of believe
what she's telling me now just by her demeanor. She's pretty upset. It looks like that Wes may have just gone
over there to help her and was truly innocent
in this deal, and he ends up
getting stabbed to death. (narrator)
Wes is Tulsa's third
meth-related homicide in three months. (Walker)
Well, I'd say methamphetamine is our biggest problem
since I've been here in 2011. That is the drug of choice where people just can't
keep it together. They get so addicted
that they have no sense about right, wrong, or what
they're even actually doing. Their driving force
is to get their drugs, and they'll do whatever it takes
to get there. (Ritter)
Meth will destroy
somebody's life. I've got friends
who have family members that have been sent to prison, and the effect that bothers me
the most is the kids, 'cause these people eventually just stop taking care
of their kids. We've seen some bad stuff: no food in the house,
the house is just dirty. You go in; they're running
around in their diapers. You can tell they haven't bathed
in days. Pets using the bathroom
on the floor, the couches. It's some nasty stuff. At this point,
I don't know for sure what's happened exactly. With meth being involved,
anything's possible. I just know that, right now, we need to find Terry
and Patrick and see what
they've got to say. (narrator)
Terry Hansen is 38 years old. (Ritter)
Assault, forgery,
fraud activity, damage to property,
assault with a deadly weapon. Between tickets and arrests, he's made contact with us
at least 75 times. (narrator)
His 31-year-old brother,
Patrick, has convictions for fraud
and stolen property. Sergeant Dave Walker calls in
the fugitive warrants squad to find Terry and Patrick. Ritter enlists Leatherman
and Detective Jason White to help check the brothers'
last known addresses. (Ritter)
If I'm trying to catch somebody, I'm just really focused on it
and don't stop. If I just stay on something
and stay on it and stay on it, eventually I'm gonna get 'em. [laughs] I like it.
I like that. I don't like that. "Oh, there's something else
over there." That is not cool.
That's not cool. [dramatic music] (Walker)
Finding the people that are
addicted to methamphetamine is a challenge, because
they don't want to be found. ♪ (narrator)
After coming up empty at the brothers'
known addresses... The fugitive squad
spotted Patrick driving and pulled him over. Have a seat. (Ritter)
Patrick. We're early in this deal. I don't know for sure that you were involved
in anything. Man, tonight, at what point
do you run into this Cali girl? (narrator)
Patrick says he was at the apartment
he shares with Terry when Terry and Cali came back
with some meth. (narrator)
He says he, Terry, and Cali drove to the house where Cali had arranged
to meet the dealer. (narrator)
He says Terry asked Cali to help him look
for the dealer. (narrator)
Patrick says Terry suddenly attacked the victim. (Leatherman)
So Terry believed that Cali
and the dude that pulls up ripped him off
for the dope. Yeah. Why were you wanting
out of the van? (narrator)
He says Terry dropped him off on the side of the highway and drove away. (Leatherman)
What did he tell you
really happened? (Leatherman)
Where do you meet him at to give him the medicine,
or did you? (Leatherman)
Where's your brother at
right now? (Ritter)
So he thinks that Cali knows
this dope's bad and buys bad dope
from this guy... And then ends up calling the guy
that ends up dying... (Ritter)
Yeah. (Ritter)
Mm-mm. That's why we're here, man. Your brother's
in some trouble, and that's why
we need to find him. (narrator)
He says Terry has
two young daughters who live an hour and a half
north, in Kansas. (Ritter)
I really appreciate you doing the right thing and just being honest
with me. You're in a bad spot,
and I understand that. So for whatever that's worth,
I appreciate it. And I-- (narrator)
Patrick recently
moved in with Terry and claims his life started
to unravel. (Ritter)
Uh-huh. (Ritter)
Well, do you think
he's a danger to anybody else right now? [siren wails] (Ritter)
Having the brother
just lay it on the line, I think, was uncommon. He was an ex-con
and had gotten out of prison. He's got a pregnant wife,
and I think he just figured that it was better
to tell the truth off the bat than get himself involved
in the case itself. (narrator)
Detective Justin Ritter will keep Patrick in custody until they can locate Terry. (Ritter)
As far as the evidence
is showing, Terry stabbed the guy
in the neck for pretty much no reason. So I would consider him
definitely dangerous. Supposedly, he's probably going
up to Cherryvale, Kansas, where his kids are. Freaking out... (narrator)
The fugitive squad will alert
Kansas State Troopers to be on the lookout
for Terry. Terry texted him at 4:40. (narrator)
Corporal Matt Hart
searches Patrick's phone for clues
on Terry's whereabouts. (Hart)
It says, "Get the clothes first. Pillows and blanket
and hair dye." (narrator)
Terry's last text to his brother was sent
more than two hours ago. (Ritter)
Not only are we trying
to find him because he's a threat
to the public right now and more than likely
committed a murder, but if he doesn't get
his medication, then, I mean, he could be in some serious
medical trouble himself. (narrator)
Five hours after
Wesley Westcott's murder, authorities in two states
are on a manhunt for his alleged killer... as the search intensifies. We're gonna unfortunately have to go tell
the victim's grandmother that he's passed away. So I guess he's living
with Grandma and Grandpa. It's not easy telling somebody that their kid or their parent
or something is dead, but somehow you just kind of
departmentalize it. It's definitely difficult
when you have to do it, but you can't dwell on it
and let you affect you. [knock at door] I'm Justin Ritter
with Tulsa Police Homicide. Do you mind if I talk to you
for a minute? (Ritter)
When we told 'em,
she almost fainted. Wesley's grandpa
had to hold her up. So, yeah, I mean, it was tough. You could just tell
they were good people. Just a bad deal for them. (narrator)
Meanwhile, the hunt for Terry
continues. Meth's the craziest drug
I've ever been around. When people are on meth, they become
just super paranoid. They'll think people
are following them. They'll think people
are trying to kill them. They'll take a statement
that somebody says to them and completely turn it around
to where they think that somebody's threatening
their life. I'm telling you, it just--
it makes these people crazy. (narrator)
An hour later... Good deal. (narrator)
The fugitive squad found Terry hiding out at a friend's house
in Tulsa. (Ritter)
He's definitely got
some explaining to do. So I think his best bet
is probably just to tell me the truth. Will that happen?
You know, maybe not. But that's what we'll shoot for. What's up, dude? (Walker)
To unlock that vault of a methamphetamine head is an art. (narrator)
In Tulsa, innocent father Wes Westcott
was allegedly murdered by Terry Hansen
during a meth-fueled rage. Now Detective Justin Ritter
needs to get Terry to talk. OK. Are you under the influence
of anything right now? Are you drunk, high? OK. What do you need
to talk to Patrick about? You said it was urgent. We'll see if we can't
get that accomplished. Well, Terry, man,
let's just go ahead and get into
what happened tonight. Yeah, it's time
to be a man. We were supposed to go over
to this place off of West 55th Street. (narrator)
Terry admits
driving to the house with Cali and Patrick
to meet the dealer. (Terry)
Cali called this guy
named Wes, I guess, to meet us over there too. I don't know too much
about the dude. Didn't really know him,
to be honest with you. Mm-hmm. He pulls up. She goes out there
and sits in the car. Then I walked over
by his car. He had the window down
about halfway or so. (narrator)
Terry says when the dealer
didn't show up, he asked Cali and Wes
to help him track the guy down. 'Cause you felt like they were
putting you off? Right. So you're standing
out there. You're getting pissed off
'cause you feel like you're getting
[bleep] with. Right. Then she gets out
and goes inside the house. (narrator)
Terry says Cali told him she needed to use the bathroom. I mean, she's in there
for, like, 15 minutes. What were you doing
the whole time? You know, I'm getting tired
of waiting. Kept asking me if I wanted
some hot coffee. I guess he was gonna try
to throw it in my face or... Psssh! You know? (Ritter)
I know, man. These chemicals
make you do [bleep] that you wouldn't
normally do. They affect your brain
and the way you act. This is a lot
of built-up stuff that's gone on over your life
and a lot of drug use. I know. And what happened, man? I know you just felt like they
were messing with you and... At what point
did you stab the tires? (Ritter)
At what point
did you stab the tires? Before I sprayed him
with the mace. (Ritter)
And what happens? Do you know
where you stabbed him? I think, like, somewhere
around this area. Somewhere.
I don't know exactly where. And where's Cali
this whole time? She's inside the house. What do you do
after you poke him? For stabbing the guy? Where's the knife? (Ritter)
To make it right? You've taken the first step
by being honest about it. You're just gonna
have to own it and offer your apology
to the family. Do you still want
to see your brother? Yes. (Ritter)
That's crazy how matter-of-fact he was
about that, isn't it? It was really kind of odd
that he just comes out with what I think is the truth--
version of events right off the bat, you know? I'm kind of surprised,
to tell you the truth. Usually,
they're not that easy. (narrator)
In less than 12 hours, Detective Justin Ritter
has closed his case. [door opens] I love you. I love you too, man. Of course. You hear me? Yeah. [sniffles] (Ritter)
This is a wild case. It's a bad deal for Wes, 'cause his efforts and focus
was on helping Cali, and, unfortunately, Terry, in the meth-induced state
that he was in, perceived statements
that Wes was making as threats that were not threats at all. It's crazy that he truly wasn't
involved in this deal and got killed over it. I'm sorry... things turned out
the way they did. And, you know, I just had enough
of people doing that to me. And he is just the one
that caught the... breaking point,
I guess you could say. I apologize. [wind chimes jingling] (narrator)
Seven months
after Wes's murder... (Andrea Fisher)
That's Wes and his daughter. Jozi was his world. He had the biggest heart. He would do anything
for anybody, and that's how he got
in this situation. He just had a way
of working things out. So it's very saddening
and heart-wrenching that the guy didn't even
give him a chance. As much as it hurts me, I have to choose
forgiveness. (Brian McCurley)
The tree, it's just a place to come and remember him, something you can physically
see, touch, watch it grow. Even though he's gone,
he's never forgotten. The whole family
is just grieved. Wesley touched so many lives,
so many people. He was the kind of person
that was there. (McCurley)
Seeing the tree, it hurts. It's just a reminder
I'll never see him again. (Carl Westcott)
Wesley has left a huge hole in our hearts. We love him.
We'll miss him.
