The Heartbreaking Case of Grant Hendrickson and Michele Cartagena | True Crime Documentary

this dramatic story began in 1995 the bodies of Two Lovers were found on the shore of Juliet Lake in the state of Georgia it took the authorities almost two years to identify and arrest the criminal the last word in this case was said 18 years after the crime was committed Juliet is an unincorporated community and census designated place in Monroe County Georgia just a couple of days ago the new year of 1995 came along and many people were still in their holiday mood but it was a hard time for a local sheriff who got used to thinking he had an easy job on January 3rd a man called the police and reported that he stumbled upon two lifeless bodies when he was taking a walk near Juliet Lake the sheriff and his Deputy went to the crime scene you can understand the scale of Juliet by taking a look at the Sheriff's Office nothing more severe than a fight or a theft has happened here that's why the sheriff and his Deputy were shocked by what they saw there was a white Honda on the shore of the lake inside of which was the body of the man and not far from it the body of a young woman was lying on the ground you didn't have to be an expert to know that both of them died from gunshot wounds there were personal belongings of the victims inside the car including their documents thanks to which it became apparent that the male body in the driver's seat was that of 22 year old Grant Hendrickson the second victim of this violent crime was 19 year old Michelle Cartagena the police of the state were notified about the incident and soon the officers from the major crimes unit arrived at the lake as well as forensic experts the first thing that caught the attention of detectives and could have been a possible motive for the crime was that Michelle's body was partially exposed with her skirt pulled up judging from the location of bullet holes on the body of the car detectives made the assumption that the criminal opened fire at the couple while they were sitting inside Grant was hit by three bullets unfortunately he had no chance of surviving Michelle was shot twice and presumably remained conscious when the criminal pulled her out of the car the position of her body with her legs spread wide open suggested that the criminal might have wanted to take advantage of her helplessness but didn't as life has left her forensic experts found dark mucus on the internal part of her thighs which turned out to be saliva with chewing tobacco particles the samples of this saliva were sent to the lab for analysis during examination of the crime scene the police found important evidence namely bullet cases of two different calibers 13 casings of 223 caliber and four casings of nine millimeter caliber if two types of weapons were used during the crime then it is not out of the realm of possibility that there were two criminals both grants and Michelle's families were shocked when they heard about what happened they couldn't even imagine who or why would want to do something like this to their kids Grant just like Michelle was the only child of his parents Michelle Cartagena was born on 2nd of May 1975 in Monterey California she was in the school marching orchestra band as well as the top singles tennis player the leader of her school softball team and a member of the National Honor Society in her free time Michelle worked as a volunteer for the Red Cross society and an Animal Welfare Association and visited elderly people her father described her as a gifted and talented woman full of love and life striving to make a medical career to help others and contribute to society Grant Hendrickson was born on September 20th 1972 in Macon Georgia he liked fishing golf canoeing and camping like his girlfriend he was also involved in community life and worked as a volunteer at the Museum of Arts and Sciences in Macon from 15. those who knew the couple assumed that it was their active Lifestyles that attracted them to each other who was it who could commit such a cold-blooded crime residents of Monroe County seriously feared for their safety because the man who dealt with a young couple by the lake was walking free and could possibly strike again Grant and Michelle studied At Mercer University Grant was in his fifth year and Michelle was in her second year they had been dating for a little over a year and they had already made plans for their future together and were about to have a wedding detectives had to find out who ruined their plans when their relatives couldn't name anyone who would wish evil upon them the investigators headed to Mercer University in Macon talking with Grant and Michelle's classmates the officers hoped to learn something useful for the investigation both Michelle and Grant were in good standing at the university did not have conflicts with anyone and were generally described as good kind people the detectives assumed that the crime could have been committed by a man who had feelings for Michelle but was rejected but this version was not confirmed and was pushed to the background this way visiting Mercer University did not give the police any clues that could have helped them get on the criminals Trail reconstructing the chronology of the events preceding the deaths of Grant and Michelle detectives found out that on 2nd of January they visited a restaurant then after a meal they headed to the cinema after the movie ended they went to a holiday camp at Juliet Lake this Camp was open 24 hours a day and included a boat launching area parking lot small Dock and picnic tables the public could use this place for free which is why there was no Personnel or Security on the night of the crime there were other people around different parts of the lake some of them said that they heard loud popping noises but since it was January 2nd they mistook the sound for firecrackers somebody also said that he saw how a 1980s Honda CRX was leaving the parking lot at a high speed meanwhile experts managed to extract a DNA sample from saliva found on Michelle's thigh but at that time the DNA database was in its infancy the DNA identification act which allowed the FBI to create a national DNA database of convicted criminals as well as separate databases containing information about missing people and forensic samples collected from crime scenes was passed by the U.S Congress only in 1994. that's why there was nothing to compare the DNA sample extracted from the saliva discovered on Michelle's body with it could have only shown a match if compared directly to the DNA of the Criminal the survey of personnel at the restaurant and Cinema that Grant and Michelle visited before their deaths did not provide any results either there were no conflicts or anything out of the ordinary at both of those places the authorities speculated that Grant and Michelle could have been either accidental victims or had crossed someone not long before their deaths the detectives did not see any other reasons the young couple studied well were not associated with any Shady people and did not use illegal substances and the fact that the criminal did not take money and other valuables from the car points to the fact that the motive of the crime wasn't greed but something else the state forensic lab reported that the weapons used for the crime were likely an AR-15 rifle and a nine millimeter Ruger pistol the police questioned over 100 people and a few dozen potential suspects were ruled out after they voluntarily provided samples of their DNA for comparison as a result the investigation has reached a dead end more than a year and a half after the crime in the fall of 1996 agent Randy Upton of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation took control of the case having thoroughly studied the case he decided to change his approach and started looking not for the criminal himself as did his predecessors but for his weapon which was used during the attack on Grant and Michelle agent Upton went to the largest gun store in Macon and asked for a list of people who had bought an AR-15 rifle in the period from 1985 to 1995. now the agent had a list of 108 names he began to call people from that list telling them that they would be a great help to the investigation if they let their weapon be examined and provided a DNA sample for analysis most of the people Upton called agreed to cooperate the list of potential suspects was gradually shrinking after the experts conducted the appropriate tests on November 27 1996 Upton called 22 year old Andrew Allen cook who was on that same list in conversation with Andrew agent Upton explained the goal of his call and asked Cook's permission to examine his rifle Andrew replied that it would be impossible as he sold it back in April 1994 which was eight months before Grant's and Michelle's deaths but according to data from the gun store Andrew cook could not sell his rifle in April 1994 as he had only bought it in August of the same year agent Upton realized that his interlocutor was lying when Upton asked cook to provide his DNA sample he said that he would need to speak with his father who is an FBI agent before doing so and after that he hung up Upton immediately realized that Andrew cook may be the exact person he is looking for it was discovered that five months after the deaths of Grant and Michelle in May 1995 cook pawned his rifle in one of the gun stores the police also found out that in December 1993 Cook's acquaintance bought a Ruger pistol for him since he was too young at the time to buy it himself he got rid of the pistol by selling it to one of his friends in July 1995 right after he pawned the rifle to sum up everything said above it can be stated that in the course of six months after the deaths of Grant and Michelle Andrew cook got rid of both his Rifle and Pistol which was hardly just a coincidence the more the police learned about cook the more they became certain that they were moving in the right direction as it turned out soon after the deaths of Grant and Michelle he did not only get rid of his weapons but his car as well a 1987 Honda CRX this vehicle matched the description of a car seen near the crime scene cook worked in a diaper Factory and agent Upton decided to visit this organization Andrew was not at the job but the agent spoke with his friend and colleague according to court documents a colleague said that recently they talked about the worst thing they had ever done and Andrew said that he shot somebody with a rifle the colleague didn't believe the story but asked why he did it to which cook replied that he wanted to see if he could do something like this and get get away with it the colleague also said that Andrew chewed tobacco very often another friend testified that cook told him in late November 1996 that he needed to leave town because it was getting hot this many coincidences could not be accidental and agent Upton started looking for Andrew cook who had not lived in his parents home for a few years now on December 4th 1996 Randy Upton contacted his father and arranged a meeting John Cook was indeed an FBI agent with 29 years of service during the meeting agent Upton explained to John that he's investigating the crime committed at Juliet Lake and this is why he wants to talk with his son Andrew but cannot find him John heard about the case of Grant and Michelle from the mass media he himself did not participate in the investigation he told Upton that he does not consider his son a suspect but promised that he would definitely find him and talk with him later that day John managed to reach Andrew on the phone he told his son that the detective in charge of the Juliet Lake crime was looking for him and asked if he knew anything about it his son's response turned his entire world upside down Andrew said Daddy I can't tell you you're one of them you're a cop when asking the next question John Cook was praying for his son to say no was it you shooting he asked after a short pause Andrew said yes he told his father that on the night he was fishing at Juliet Lake when the couple drove there and he had an argument with a guy behind the wheel according to him Grant threatened him with a pistol he got angry took his rifle and did something that cannot be undone John Cook asked his son to reach out to the authorities but Andrew said that he would just disappear John was shocked by his son's story it was very hard for him but he still acted professionally the next day John visited the Monroe County Sheriff's Office and told them about his son's confession at that time no one knew that Andrew had been arrested that morning in the neighboring County for shooting deer in Turkey outside the hunting season he introduced himself under an assumed name but it became immediately apparent when agent Upton found out that Andrew cook had been arrested he went to Jones County to speak with him Upton didn't know yet that the day before Andrew had confessed everything to his father having arrived at the Jones County Sheriff's Office Upton introduced himself and asked Andrew cook if he could answer a couple of questions to which he replied two years have passed and you guys don't have anything I once had a Honda I once had a rifle and I once had a Ruger but now you are trying to set me up then he said that if they called his father and found him a lawyer he would confess everything Andrew was delivered to Monroe County the sheriff allowed John Cook to talk with Andrew one-on-one when John hugged his son they both cried John said that he couldn't believe that Andrew had told him the truth to which Andrew replied that he was not fishing that night and that when he arrived at the lake the car of the victims was already there Grant and Michelle didn't even see how he walked to the car with his rifle and opened fire then according to him he fired a few more shots from his pistol and pulled the woman out of the car to confuse the police he spat on Michelle on purpose just to confirm that the police wouldn't find him by his saliva Andrew cook was charged in the case of grand Hendrickson and Michelle Cartagena in addition to his confession the police have identified the current owners of the Rifle and Pistol that Andrew used when he committed the crime a forensic ballistic examine Nation found that Michelle's and Grant's lives were taken with these same guns Andrew also had his DNA sample taken which matched the sample extracted from the saliva found on Michelle's body the trial began in 1998. John Cook was a speaker at the trial he repeatedly apologized before grants and Michelle's families while also saying that his apologies would hardly bring them peace he said that he dedicated his whole life to his service and did not notice how evil consumed his son on March 19 1998 Andrew cook was found guilty he was given a death sentence which later after cook used all his attempts to appeal the sentence was scheduled for February 22nd 2013. three days before this date on February 19 2013 the State Board of Pardons and paroles gathered to consider a clemency appeal filed by Andrew's attorneys on his behalf the attorneys tried to convince the board that Andrew is mentally unhealthy and needs treatment after considering the appeal the State Board voted against clemency on the day of execution February 22nd 2013 the family visited Andrew in prison to say goodbye to him he was also allowed to order his last meal he chose a steak baked potatoes fried shrimp lemon pie and soda as he was strapped to a gurney in the death chamber he used his last words to say I'm sorry I'm not going to ask you to forgive me I can't even do it myself he thanked his family for their support and for being with him and added I'm sorry I took so much from you all the injection was performed at 1108 PM 14 minutes later 38 year old Andrew cook was pronounced dead after the execution Grant's mother Mary Hendrickson said that she had been waiting for justice for 18 years she added I think that's what it was the devil's work when all that was going on I was just thinking to myself well the devil is not going to win he's not going to win over my heart he is not going to win on June 21 2023 the media reported that John Cook had died at the age of 81. 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Channel: Checkered Sky - True Crime

Views: 243,609

Keywords: True, crime, true crime, true crime documentary, investigation, detective, disappearance, girl disappeared, crime investigation, case solved, solved, disappearance of girl solved, detective stories, bedtime stories, documentary, Case of Michele Cartagena, Michele Cartagena, Grant Hendrickson, Michele Cartagena case, true crime channel, The Heartbreaking Case

Id: LkvyvZtVtk8

Length: 17min 39sec (1059 seconds)

Published: Wed Jun 28 2023