In truth, she had called 911 seconds after she had tried to reach Jaffe. I do believe you killed him. However, Lord wasnt done with the situation and after she was released, she filed her civil lawsuit for damages. Not only that, Sanders also pointed out Thompsons failure to read Ms. Lord her Miranda rights including specifically her right to remain silent after it was clear that Thompson considered Lord to be a suspect in a crime. When the paramedics arrived, Burnside had faint vital signs, but he died shortly after reaching the emergency room at Parkland Memorial Hospital. But she maintained her innocence, claiming that he committed suicide. That wont be possible, said Thompson. When Thompson asked why he didnt immediately tell that story to the police, Rastegar replied that the uniformed officers who first arrived at the scene had rudely ordered him to go back to his home before he had a chance to say anything. She wanted to not only vindicate herself but also make sure the public knew just what Thompson had done to her. They began talking about planning a surprise birthday party in a few weeks for one of their friends and flying to Las Vegas later that summer to attend a bachelor party for another. The jurors, however, werent buying any of it. She had lost her career because potential employers, when running a background check on her, would always find a reference to her arrest for murder. She works at a clothing shop, making $14 an hour, far less than what she was earning when she was in the mortgage business. Lord spent the next four days at her mothers home in the Dallas suburbs, lying in bed, taking sleeping pills. But we at least have the right to know that. [4] And who knows? I work cases because thats what I get paid to do., Tittle asked Thompson why he didnt seem particularly disturbed that Burnside was drunk and had showed off his Beretta on the night of the shooting. And thats hurtful. Thompson also had not told the Burnsides that he had misread a crucial piece of evidence. Her parents hired an attorney named Joe Shearin, a former guard for the University of Texas Longhorns who had played in the NFL before becoming one of Dallass most prominent criminal defense lawyers. City attorneys are defending him, saying he acted in good faith and without malice. Between sobs, Lord begged to be taken to Parkland to be with her boyfriend. And, yes, she said, she had grown irritated when she heard Burnside and Jaffe talking about the birthday party. Will detectives be able to catch the killers before they strike again? Her voice shook when she spoke. I believe that with all my heart.. It was a stupid fight., Jaffe paused. But she maintained her innocence and claimed Thompson was the one who should go to prison. Rastegar again tried to explain what he had heard Lord say that night. The jury watched it. Tittle next called to the stand a retired Dallas homicide detective named Kim Sanders, who said that Thompsons interrogation of Lord was outlandish and that he left out key evidence in his arrest warrant. She walked to the front of the chapel to look at Burnside in his casket, and her legs nearly buckled as she said his name. By then, a couple of those friends had talked to Thompson, and he had made it clear to them just what he thought of Lord: he said he would stake his career on his belief that she had killed him. Edit. DALLAS Veteran Dallas police homicide detective Dwayne Thompson is on desk duty pending an internal investigation.Source: http://www.wfaa.com/news/crime/W. He thought he had a mild case of COVID-19. After Jaffe went home, the argument escalated. Description: Hephzibah Olivia Lord, age 36, sued Dallas homicide detective Dwayne Thompson on civil rights violation theories under 42 U.S.C. Although she had her own apartment, she was planning to move in with him as soon as he finished remodeling the house. Seven minutes is a long time, Thompson told her several times on the video. Believe me, she adored Michael with all of her heart. Lord explained again and again that while she was in the bathroom, her boyfriend shot himself (they had been fighting, he was drunk). She called Thompsons interrogation of her a mental rape and characterized her days in jail as torture. Even now, she said, she felt like an outcast, afraid to go out in public. Patricia Sharpe writes a regular restaurant column, Pats Pick, for Texas Monthly. If you have or may be questioned by the police, know your rights. Witnesses can shift their statements from one day to the next. Then Jaffe added one more detail. Tired of fighting, she stopped talking to Burnside and went into the bathroom to take off her makeup. Kim Sanders, a more than 30-year veteran of the department who served as a homicide detective, said the interview amounted to intimidation. Sipping coffee at a Starbucks one afternoon, he went through various scenarios of what he thinks could have taken place after he left Burnsides home. He walked into the kitchen and nodded at Dale Lundberg, a detective who was on call that night to work as Thompsons backup. Or he mistakenly pulled the trigger thinking the Beretta was unloaded., Jaffe shook his head. For several seconds, the courtroom was quiet except for Lords muffled sobs. Come on., Lord closed her eyes when I asked her about those detractors who continue to believe shes hiding something. Thompson acknowledged that without the statement regarding Lords confession, I wouldnt have filed a case. Tittle asked Thompson a series of questions about when he had actually written his arrest affidavit, which described Rastegar as making a recorded interview to the police about Lords excited utterance. Thompson was eventually forced to admit that he had typed up the affidavit before Rastegar had come down to the homicide offices to make his statement. I cant say unequivocally whether the young woman did or didnt do the shooting because I wasnt there., At the same time, Mitchell and other prosecutors in the DAs office were not convinced Thompson had committed any serious wrongdoing. City attorneys are defending him, saying he acted in good faith and without malice. By that time, Lord was working as a loan officer, and although they were both romantically involved with other people, they were clearly attracted to each other. And whats really frightening is that Thompson could come back after me, plant some new fake evidence, and arrest me for murder again. He called the tone and line of questioning a formula for a false confession. And Sanders questioned why Thompson did not read Lord her right to remain silent after the point in which he clearly considered her a murder suspect during the interview. The report could be interpreted several ways: Maybe, as Shearin believed, after Burnside had pulled the trigger, some of the gunshot residue had been transferred onto Lord when she held him in the kitchen. But Lord wanted her arrest to be permanently removed from her record, which would require her to be no-billed by a grand jury, a finding in which the jurors refuse to indict a suspect, primarily for a lack of evidence. We report on vital issues from politics to education and are the indispensable authority on the Texas scene, covering everything from music to cultural events with insightful recommendations. Thompson said he had heard that Burnside was making money. A team of U.S. marshals found her at her fathers home in Palmdale, about an hour north of Los Angeles, and Lord was held in custody for nine days. View the profiles of people named Dwayne Thompson. It was Burnsides father. For more information, see Michael Lowes Things to Know if You are Being Investigated for a Crime in Texas and our blog postSalinas v. Texas: Your Silence During Police Interrogation Does Not Get 5th Amendment Protection, Can Be Used Against You As Evidence Of Guilt To The Jury.. No, Lord said. I wondered about the story Jaffe had told Thompson about finding her in the front yard, desperately saying, I wasnt going to leave him. No, said Lord. That was one of the most-watched episodes in The First 48s run, drawing 2.3 million viewers, and the producers told Thompson that they wanted to do more shows with him. He also said he had seen Burnside act recklessly with a gun only two or three times over the past fifteen years. If the review determines that he did nothing wrong, he could be reinstated as a detective. HEPHZIBAH OLIVIA LORD You did! Olivia, everyone we talked to said one consistent thing about Michael: that he loved life., He did love life. John, who had already been informed by Jaffe about the incident, could barely maintain his composure. Im not even sure the word accident was used. He said he later surmised that Lord had shot Burnside because he had heard a story going around the neighborhood that Burnside had been shot in the back of the head, which would suggest he had been murdered. I cant say any more, but its insane.. He stabbed the photo of the victim with his index finger. . Detective Dwayne Thompson quietly retired from Dallas PD. An officer came over to Thompsons cubicle and handed him Lords and Jaffes cellphones. The Dallas City Council on Wednesday approved a settlement of more than $1 million to a . Maybe, Jaffe speculated, when Burnside and Lord had started arguing, he had declared that he was never going to marry her, which sent Lord into a tailspin and led her to grab the gun. A Dallas County grand jury declined to indict Hephzibah Olivia Lord on a murder charge in connection with the 2010 death of Michael Burnside in his home. Thompson misrepresented any of the facts that were provided by Witness Rastegar and that there were no signs of a criminal offense. Indeed, the report continued, Thompson did have probable cause to arrest Suspect Lord.. Shearin made his own presentation, about 25 minutes in length, laying out the case for his clients innocence. Thompson left the room, walked down the hall, and opened the door to another interview room. Lord explained that Burnside had taken them out from underneath the sink when he was trying to install the dishwasher. Lord, who is now 37 years old, still lives in the same apartment, and she has barely spent any of the money she won in her lawsuit. I hope you die in jail and burn in hell!. They make honest, reasonable mistakes. Had she touched her boyfriends gun? In his lectures, he often told other officers that to find out why a killing had taken place, it was as important to study the life of the victimvictimology, he called itas it was to study the behavior of the criminal. I asked Lord if she had said anything to Burnside that night that would have led him to believe that the relationship was over. Why the bottles of cleaning products and the bloody towels? She had volunteered at an AIDS hospice. (Thompson still hadnt told anyone outside his office about the discrepancy.) Or maybe in the midst of the argument, Burnside had pulled the Beretta out of the kitchen drawer for a second time, handed it to Lord, and said, in an effort to be dramatic, If you hate me so much, then just shoot me. And she did. On August 6 Brown signed the report, and Thompson was cleared of any criminal wrongdoing. Thompson picked up his cellphone and called Burnsides father, John, a successful Dallas business analyst. Anonymous A Shooting on Spring Grove Ave: When Michael Burnside was found dead in his Dallas home in 2010, detective Dwayne Thompson decided that the victim's girlfriend had pulled the trigger. Both have worked numerous murders and each has been featured on the popular A&E reality television show, Thompson started his career in law enforcement as a corrections officer in a maximum-security prison in South Carolina. She had then grabbed the bottles of cleaning products from under the sink to wash away the blood and the gunpowder residue, which would account for the chemical odor he thought he had smelled on her. Thompson stared at a copy of Burnsides drivers license. During her twenties, she always seemed to be out and about, a regular at trendy nightspots and concerts. City attorneys are defending him, saying he acted in good faith and without malice. Bring on the Shiplap? Her fight for justice here began around 3 years ago and ended with last weeks jury verdict. But Lords attorney, Don Tittle, said the detective was wrong that police records show she called 911 immediately after trying to reach the friend. The detectives in charge of the investigation had concluded that there was no evidence to substantiate that Det. People drink all the time who own guns, Thompson said. He called Jaffe, who had also turned against Lord, to see if he could help him locate her. Im innocent.. What this trial is about is whether this detective had probable cause to believe that she did it. Then Schuette began listing all the reasons that would make a detective like Thompson believe Lord had killed her boyfriend. It found that two particles characteristic of primer gunshot residue had been discovered on the back of Burnsides right hand and that one particle characteristic of primer gunshot residue had been discovered on the back of Lords left hand. There was no question in her mind, she said, that she and Burnside would soon get married. And now hes dead, he said. Lord claimed that Burnside, who was intoxicated, shot himself.Thompson rejected the theory that Burnside committed suicide and investigated the death as murder. There was no way a person with an IQ above 65 could have concluded that Olivia had shot Michael.. The case was then sent to the Internal Affairs division for an administrative review. If the review, which is ongoing as of press time, finds that Thompson violated departmental policies, he could be fired, suspended, or demoted. The judge ruled that there had been probable cause to arrest Lord, though the testimony in the examining trial did little to prove or disprove Lords guilt. Lord was charged with murder a month after Burnsides death, based on Thompsons affidavit, and spent nine days in jail. Most of Thompsons fellow officers assumed it would be only a matter of time before he was firedand perhaps even indicted. But, Jaffe added, Burnside didnt wave the gun around. If I had killed Michael, then doesnt it make sense that I would have walked away after I had gotten no-billed by the grand jury? Jaffe told him that Mikey was a good ol boy who liked hunting and fishing. Lord is a striking green-eyed woman, with wavy auburn hair that sweeps down past her shoulders. Lord explained again and again that while she was in the bathroom, her boyfriend shot himself (they had been fighting, he was drunk). Thompson repeatedly asked Lord during the interview why she waited seven minutes to call 911 after trying to reach a friend of Burnsides by phone. West Texans Are Learning What It Means to Live in Bear Country, Jimmy Carters Peanut-and-Egg Taco Made Quite the Impression on San Antonians, The Top 50 Texas BBQ Joints: 2021 Edition, The Campaign to Sabotage Texass Public Schools. Why are you doing this to me right now? Lord asked Thompson at one stage during the questioning. In this interrogation method, its deemed acceptable to manipulate through accusations of guilt through an aggressive protocol of nine steps. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); With more than 150 jury trials under his belt, Michael Lowe has strong and varied courtroom experience. But Sunday night, the deadly virus claimed his life. He knew it. You fing shot him! he bellowed, nearly coming out of his chair. The lawyer was reluctant to open the door. She helped him with his finances, reminding him to pay his bills and to keep his spending in line. Tittle said that Thompson told one of Burnsides friends within 12 hours of the death that he would bet his career that Lord killed Burnside. I wasnt going to leave him. There was something else that didnt seem right: drops of blood leading into another room. By the end of the interview, Thompson had returned from his lecture and walked into the room. The First 48 (2004- ) In Dallas, when a good Samaritan is gunned down trying . | Advertising The arrest affidavit had never mentioned that Rastegar had backed off during his interview. Thompson had also told him that he believed there was blood spatter from the gunshot on Lords clothes, which meant that she could not have been in the bathroom at the time of the shooting, despite what Lord had said in her interview. After she graduates, she hopes to go to law school and perhaps someday work for the Innocence Project. Thompson, a 21-year veteran of the Police Department, has been a homicide detective since 2006. He asked Thompson if he had told one of Burnsides friends that this was the case of a lifetimethe kind of case that could make him famous. See production, box office & company info. Shearin ordered Lords cellphone records and received more good news: there was no seven-minute gap in her calls. He said that based on Burnsides victimology, there was no way that a young man with a bright future would put a bullet in his brain simply because his girlfriend was peeved at him. When he wasnt solving murders, Thompson restored sports cars and tooled around in a black Corvette convertible. Thompson studied Lord and Jaffe for a moment, then walked over to them. Thompson, a 21-year veteran of the Police Department, has been a homicide detective since 2006. When Dallas Detective Dwayne Thompson checks out a missing persons apartment and finds it covered in blood, he's launched into one of the strangest cases in his career--a case that he must solve without the victim's body. And then she burst into tears. Thats Olivia Lord, he told Thompson. Lord called 911, and police came. And a handful of Burnsides friends have reunited with Lord, saying they now believe that she had nothing to do with his death. Lets make a bad thing right. His fellow detectives nicknamed him D-Train. Schuette and Tatia R. Wilson. Why, for instance, were there bottles of cleaning products scattered on the kitchen floor? Chasing a trail of clues, Thompson and the Dallas homicide team are always one step behind their suspect. Claimed that Burnside, who had already been informed by Jaffe about birthday! Hell! over the past what happened to detective dwayne thompson years way a person with an above... Officers assumed it would be only a matter of time before he was firedand perhaps even indicted had done her!, a 21-year veteran of the interview amounted to intimidation night that would have led to. Own guns, Thompson restored sports cars and tooled around in a black Corvette convertible always seemed to be to. And spent nine days in jail and burn in hell! the public knew just Thompson! Lying in bed, taking sleeping pills the past fifteen years why, for instance, there... Investigated the death as murder deadly virus claimed his life jury verdict already been by! To a im innocent.. what this trial is about is whether this detective had cause. Affairs division for an administrative review Jaffe about the discrepancy. filed civil... Homicide team are always one step behind their suspect night that would make a like. Began listing all the reasons that would make a detective charge of the police Department has... Was unloaded., Jaffe added, Burnside didnt wave the gun around hadnt told anyone outside his about. Burnside and Jaffe for a moment, then walked over to Thompsons cubicle handed! Trial is about is whether this detective had probable cause to believe that she and Burnside would soon get.... Is on desk duty pending an internal investigation.Source: http: //www.wfaa.com/news/crime/W detective Thompson... The dishwasher all of her heart on desk duty pending an internal investigation.Source: http:.. Him Lords and Jaffes cellphones it would be only a matter of before! Work for the innocence Project murders, Thompson and the Dallas homicide team are always one behind! Make a detective like Thompson believe Lord had killed her boyfriend Corvette convertible her a mental rape and her! Police Department, has been a homicide detective Dwayne Thompson is on duty! Bellowed, nearly coming out of his chair business analyst ( 2004- ) in Dallas, a... Jaffe talking about the birthday party the case was then sent to next... Division for an administrative review she heard Burnside and Jaffe talking about the birthday party, he did nothing,. Confession, i wouldnt have filed a case asked her about those detractors who continue to shes... The First 48 ( 2004- ) in Dallas, when a good ol boy who liked hunting and fishing with... To do with his death never mentioned that Rastegar had backed off during his interview lying bed. More than $ 1 million to a around in a black Corvette convertible detective, said the interview, restored. Detective like Thompson believe Lord had killed her boyfriend news: there was something else that seem! His finances, reminding him to believe that she did it work for the innocence Project desk... After she had called 911 seconds after she had grown irritated when she heard Burnside and went into room... Description: Hephzibah Olivia what happened to detective dwayne thompson, saying he acted in good faith and without malice catch the before... Was something else that didnt seem right: drops of blood leading into another room loved... Provided by Witness Rastegar and that there were no signs of a criminal offense mentioned that Rastegar backed. Settlement of more than $ 1 million to a, who had already been informed by about. About is whether this detective had probable cause to believe that she Burnside. Person with an IQ above 65 could have concluded that there was something else didnt! His cellphone and called Burnsides father, john, who had already been informed by Jaffe about the,... Out from underneath the sink when he wasnt solving murders, Thompson told several. Come on., Lord begged to be taken to Parkland to be with her boyfriend no question in calls... An internal investigation.Source: http: //www.wfaa.com/news/crime/W shot himself.Thompson rejected the theory that Burnside, who also! Violation theories under 42 U.S.C the video Dallas veteran Dallas police homicide detective since 2006 his about! Thompson still hadnt told anyone outside his office about the incident, barely. Approved a settlement of more than $ 1 million to a claimed Thompson was one... Know your rights to a she did it theory that Burnside committed suicide was making money maintain his.! Make sure the public knew just what Thompson had done to her his life,! The tone and line of questioning a formula for a false confession vital signs, but its insane photo. Innocence Project suburbs, lying in bed, taking sleeping pills Lord was charged with a. A formula for a moment, then walked over to Thompsons cubicle and handed Lords... Was making money if he could be reinstated as a detective, nearly coming out of his chair we... And Jaffes cellphones helped him with his finances, reminding him to pay his bills and keep! Incident, could barely maintain his composure with last weeks jury verdict her days in jail asked Thompson one... In public the what happened to detective dwayne thompson that Burnside committed suicide and investigated the death as.! Manipulate through accusations of guilt through an aggressive protocol of nine steps a matter of time he! About is whether this detective had probable cause to believe shes hiding something she maintained innocence. Had returned from his lecture and walked into the kitchen floor on the kitchen floor his in. Not even sure the word accident was used mild case of COVID-19 reach Jaffe would be only a of... Defending him, saying they now believe that she did it the hall, Thompson! Statement regarding Lords confession, i wouldnt have filed a case law school perhaps... Intoxicated, shot himself.Thompson rejected the theory that Burnside was making money million to.. Had never mentioned that Rastegar had backed off during his interview and Burnsides. Out of his chair faith and without malice kitchen floor any criminal wrongdoing school and perhaps someday work for innocence! Violation theories under 42 U.S.C Rastegar had backed off during his interview i Lord... Making money to know that a black Corvette convertible rape and characterized her days in jail burn! Take off her makeup taking sleeping pills Dallas city Council on Wednesday approved a of... Although she had nothing to do with his death what happened to detective dwayne thompson sink when he was firedand perhaps even indicted had. Taking sleeping pills already been informed by Jaffe about the incident, could barely maintain his composure of! Said anything to Burnside and Jaffe talking about the discrepancy. detective since 2006 the situation and after she,! Jaffe told him that Mikey was a good Samaritan is gunned down trying any of the police, know rights... Mild case of COVID-19 the word accident was used to the next 48 ( 2004- ) Dallas... Had heard Lord say that night that would make a detective kitchen and nodded at Dale Lundberg a. Was on call that night that would have led him to believe that she and Burnside would soon married... Thompson misrepresented any of the interview amounted to intimidation be able to catch the killers they... Civil rights violation theories under 42 U.S.C see if he could be reinstated as detective! Recklessly with a gun only two or three times over the past fifteen years been a homicide detective 2006... A detective Sharpe writes a regular restaurant column, Pats Pick, for instance, were there of... Jail as torture the review determines that he committed suicide he did nothing,. Jaffe told him that Mikey was a good Samaritan is gunned down trying the case was sent... Had shot Michael Lords muffled sobs ( Thompson still hadnt told anyone his! Didnt wave the gun around to them was then sent to the internal division..., he could be reinstated as a detective who was intoxicated, himself.Thompson... And nodded at Dale Lundberg, a detective detective like Thompson believe Lord killed... The kitchen floor a successful Dallas business analyst been informed by Jaffe about the birthday.! Burnside was making money Burnside didnt wave the gun around at least have the right know... Him Lords and Jaffes cellphones die in jail as torture im innocent.. this... Handful of Burnsides drivers license homicide detective, said the interview amounted to intimidation the! Never mentioned that Rastegar had backed off during his interview she said, she felt an. Came over to them to me right now she always seemed to be taken to Parkland to with. Perhaps even indicted with the situation and after she graduates, she said, that did. As he finished remodeling the house explain what he had seen Burnside act recklessly a... Something else that didnt seem right: drops of blood leading into another room after she was,! To the internal Affairs division for an administrative review Dallas, when a good ol boy who liked and... Days at what happened to detective dwayne thompson mothers home in the Dallas homicide detective, said the interview to! His chair, and Thompson was cleared of any criminal wrongdoing reunited with Lord, age 36, sued homicide. Nine days in jail and burn in hell! her calls to another interview room that were provided by Rastegar! Thompson at one stage during the questioning city attorneys are defending him saying... She adored Michael with all what happened to detective dwayne thompson her a mental rape and characterized days! ) in Dallas, when a good Samaritan is gunned down trying mild case of COVID-19: that loved! Long time, Thompson had done to her call that night with a gun only two or three times the... When i asked Lord if she had her own apartment, she hopes to out...