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. According to the show, Carter was recorded being very careful about leaving forensic evidence, even wiping a water bottle after drinking to remove her fingerprints. Read More: Ashlea Harris Murder: How Did She Die? While Cervantes moved six hours away to Fort Worth, Mallory stayed in Amarillo. Patrick thought that perhaps someone had come to pick Ashlea Harris up for work as her pick-up truck remained in its parking space. 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. 'They slash her throat and then, when she is finally dead, they set her place on fire. 1 Comment, "My family and myself are good, decent and very honest people. Does Alan Cumming Really Live in a Scottish Castle? The keys seemed to be the only thing missing from her apartment. Police arrested him as he could not produce his driver's license when asked. Carter Carol Cervantez faces capital murder charges in connection with the death of Ashlea Harris. But Tarrant County prosecutor Kevin Rousseau told the jury that Cervantez was the one who tried to control Mallory, whose trial is pending. She denied being at the Hulen Mall that morning. He thought that somebody had collected Ashlea for work. Detective Cedillo decided to stake out Cervantez and Mallorys apartment arriving around 3:45 am on Saturday, November 29, 2014. Mallory is awaiting his trial on the same charges. He thought that somebody had collected Ashlea for work. He determined the source of all the smoke was coming from the bedroom and specifically the bed. Police were contacted when the theft was discovered, but I dont know if they questioned Mallory or Cervantez. They both pleaded not guilty. Mallory claimed that he was waiting for his girlfriend, who worked at Aeropostale. Alexis usually watched Ashleas dog Nala when she worked. 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. She came from a blended family. Keith Morrison. Ashlea Harris Murder: How Did She Die? Cervantezs 21 year-old boyfriend Clarence David Mallory has also been charged. Alexis Torres Bunch. That was a term the brand used toindicate that the person should not be hired at any location. A key belonging to another assistant store manager was left in the night deposit box. These included a black trash bag, a sharpening stone for a knife, a 9mm cartridge, a cell phone, a walkie-talkie, a buck knife sheath, a plastic tub, mens boots that had a cell phone in them, clothing, a toboggan with a hole cut in it, a tarp still inside the package and a kitchen knife. Ashlea Harris looked to have severe head trauma. By 2011, she was an assistant manager at an American Eagle Outfitters store at Fort Worths Hulen Mall. 02-16-00224-CR. Wallace also determined that the ignition source was an open flame. Steven W. Conder. The M.E. At Clarence's Trial, he claimed that he was not involved in Ashlea's murder but the Jury also did not believe him and he was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison without parole. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! All were missing. The jury did not believe her. Prosecutors laid out a case that Cervantez wanted revenge and payback for getting fired. Cervantez is being held in the Fort Worth Jail. Today, Ft. Worth is a thriving city of approximately 800,000 residents. He asked if she would be willing to go downtown to be interviewed and she agreed. Since this was a violation they took him into custody. He opened a window in the bedroom to air it out. Firefighters managed to control the fire and it was only then they discovered that Ashlea was inside. Text messages obtained from Cervantes and Mallorys phones showed them plotting Harris murder as part of a planned Black Friday heist. By Her name was Carter Carol Cervantez. 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.". He told the Court that he lived in an apartment justbelow Ashleas apartment. 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. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. He noticed it because he never saw it parked there before. Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! CourtListener is sponsored by the non-profit Free Law Project. Then they turned their sights on Harris, who held the store keys, for their plot to make off with tens of thousands of dollars. Chicwanda Forbes; Carter Cervantez: With Iyana A. Campbell, Jordan Clifford, Herbert Lee Frazier III, Reginald Garner. the Court. Fired One week later Cravey called Cervantez. Before fire and rescue workers arrived a neighbor, Jeff Kayser, kicked in her door calling out for her and Nala. Fort Worth is located in north-central Texas. She switched his first name with his middle name and changed two digits of his social security number. Jeff was a neighbor and friend of Ashlea's. When he went to touch her, he saw that her wrists and ankles were duct-taped. Outcome: Having overruled all three of Cervantezs points, we affirm the trial courts Her feet and hands were bound with duct tape and she was covered in blood, according to Texas Amarillo Globe-News newspaper. She was tentatively identified by her tattoos. Harris autopsy pointed to a rage killing. Dr. Richard Fries, deputy M.E. 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. Domestic violence speaks many languages, has many colors and lives in many different communities. So what was the motive for such a savage attack? Police tracked Cervantes and Mallory to an apartment near the Hulen Mall. Her friend left around 4:40 am with Ashlea locking the door behind her. Authorities discovered Harris' body face down on her scorched bed with her ankles and wrists bound on Nov. 28, 2014, the. She workedas an assistant managerin an American Eagle store in the Hulen Mall. He called 911 as he realized there must be a fire. Ashlea was appointed to run the store while Cravey was out on medical leave. Jeffcrawled midway to the kitchen before he was forced to get out for some air. He testified that he wokethat morning when he heardthe sound of the fire alarms. In August 2014, a hooded burglar had stolen $18,000 from the American Eagle Hulen Mall store following Texas Sales Tax Holiday Weekend. Prosecutors say Cervantez and her. 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. Firefighters found her strangled and burned body early in the morning on Nov. 28. They were arrested and charged with capital murder, according to the Reuters news service. It was approximately 6 ft. long, 2 ft wide and 3 feet deep. 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. December 10, 2014 / 11:07 AM The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports that 27-year-old Carter Carol Cervantez was convicted of capital murder Thursday and sentenced to life in prison . It showed Cervantez buying two shovels, a rope, bungee cords, gloves, and a tarp. He was able to determine that the fire had multiple points of origin. Police have charged Carter Cervantez, 25, and her boyfriend Clarence "David" Mallory, 19, with capital murder in the death of Ashlea Harris, 31. Cervantez alleges that she did not commit the murder and was asleep in her apartment when Harris was robbed and killed. The perpetrators had stolen Ashleas store keys and were allegedly planning to break into the store again and steal more money. The Court heard that inJune 2014, Ashleawas appointed to run the store while Chris was on medical leave. The Court heard that the car was still there when Steven left for work after 7.30am. The manner of Ashlea's death was ruled as a homicide. Surveillance cameras caught her wiping down the bottle after drinking from it in order to remove any traces of DNA. Carter Carol Cervantez, 25, was taken into custody by Tarrant County Sheriffs on Saturday. Chris testified that Carter and Clarence would have known that Ashleaidentified Clarence and informed him of the theft. He testified that the presence of. January 17, 2022 Her name was Carter Carol Cervantez. She admitted to not locking the back door the night of the theft. s asphyxia and blunt force trauma to the head and neck. Carter Carol Cervantez was arrested Dec. 6, 2014. He called 911 when his carbon monoxide detector wentoff and he realized there was a fire. This was somebody who killed her out of anger. 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. On December 4, arrest warrants were executed, and David was arrested at a private residence in Amarillo on December 5. However, her loyalty to the store where she was employed would tragically lead to her death. 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. Read the crime and public safety news your neighbors are talking about. He went searching for the reason it was going off and then noticed water dripping from the bathroom ceiling. Crime News is your destination for true crime stories from around the world, breaking crime news, and information about Oxygen's original true crime shows and documentaries. terminated for leaving the store unsecured. Cervantez asked to speak to the regional manager about her firing, but in the end, handed over her store keys. It was a latenight due to Black Friday sales and Alexis looked after Ashlea's dog Nala while Ashlea was working. They discovered that Ashlea's missing keys had the store keys on them too. It was a black Infiniti G35 with a faded toll sticker on its roof. They are not hiding in shadows. Ashlea has suffered numerous injuries to her face and head indicating that there were multiple blows. The trial for the horrific murder of an American Eagle employee on Black Friday began this week in Fort Worth, TX. A Friday. 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. Carter Carol Cervantez appeals from her jury conviction for capital murder and automatic life sentence. Carter and David were convicted of beating, strangling, and bounding Ashlea and setting fire to her4701 King Ranch Road apartment onNovember 28, 2014, morning. Dr Richard Fries, a deputy medical examiner at the Tarrant County MedicalExaminers Officer, performed the Autopsy on Ashleas body. Clarence David Mallory (age 19) had previously worked for American Eagle at their Amarillo location. | Articles A 911 call was made by a resident at an apartment complex in Fort Worth, Texas, United States to ask for help. Helived downstairs and diagonally across from Ashlea. our Backup, Combined Opinion from The inside of the apartment and Ashlea's body led police to believe that the fire was not an accidental fire. Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. | Link Errors He told the Court thathe sawa black Infiniti G35 with a faded Toll tag sticker on its roof parked outside. Please enter valid email address to continue. I mean, my knees gave out. Carter was a former employee at the American Eagle store where Ashlea worked but she was fired in August. After missing several shifts, he was fired and barred from working at other American Eagle stores. They found ample evidence in both places, including a gun used to pistolwhip Ashlea, receipts for a murder kit, including the duct tape used to bind her, and her blood on the floor mat of their vehicle. Following Harris murder, the locks had been changed and the Black Friday proceeds were still inside. He also described seeing the dark-colored vehicle driving away shortly after hearing Ashleas front door close. The term Black Friday originated in Philadelphia to describe heavy pedestrian and vehicle traffic on the day after Thanksgiving. Police searched their apartment. Each is charged with one count of capital murder. He told the Court that he lived in an apartment just, below Ashleas apartment. Cravey fired Cervantez because she had left the store unsecured. They founda plastic tub that contained bungee cords and arope. 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. Lets find out. The video showed what looked to be a male wearing a hoodie entering the back door. Cervantes helped Mallory falsify documents so she could hire him at the Hulen Mall location where she worked with Harris. She was raised in a large and loving family and made friends wherever she went. Police retraced Ashlea's movements. When she tried to call her back Ashlea didnt pick up. 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 . Ashlea Harris arrived home to her apartment around 3:25 am. It was a black Infiniti G35. The comments below have not been moderated, by Chilling Crimes 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. Her lover, David, continued working at the Amarillo store but began to miss shifts regularly. Cervantez claimed that the grave was not for Ashlea Harris, but for her. On their cell phones, they had images of Ashlea's apartment, her apartment door and her vehicle. Ashlea felt that the perpetrator was Mallory. Patrick testified that he thought about what he should do. Investigators believed Cervantes and Mallory were planning to rob the American Eagle store. Ashlea immediately contacted loss prevention, Chris Cravey, and the district manager. . <p>Carter Carol Cervantez, 27, enters court on Tuesday, May 17, 2016, with defense attorneys Steve Gordon, right, and Bill Ray, not pictured. There were also no signs that a taser had been used on her. 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. Chris was in the parking lot and had been talking to Alexis Torres, who was the last person to talk to Ashlea Harris. Alexis left after4am. They went to the store as planned on the Saturday morning with the keys but the lockshad already been changed. 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. 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.