[music playing]
I was about to settle down to bed.
We just worked our shift.
And I was laying down.
Next thing you know, I got the call.
[music playing]
[police radio chatter]
[indistinct conversations]
CEDRIC SMITH: 29-year-old Antavious
Kurtz, known as "Tay," was the youngest of four children.
He still lived at home with his parents.
[music playing]
Now, the bullet exited out over there into the house.
[music playing]
RAYMOND LAYTON: It's not at close proximity.
I don't see no kind of soot or either gunshot powder.
I don't see no prints nowhere on the glass or in the vehicle.
[music playing]
CEDRIC SMITH: Apparently he must have stopped at a McDonald's
on the way home.
RAYMOND LAYTON: He was sitting there, eating his sandwich.
He was sitting there, chilling.
He had his cellphone on him.
Had his wallet on him.
[music playing]
RAYMOND LAYTON: And the red Cadillac on the other side
of the van is his father's.
CEDRIC SMITH: OK.
All right.
NARRATOR: Tay worked as a night supervisor
at a nearby warehouse.
RAYMOND LAYTON: All right.
What we know so far, man, is that he came home from work,
pulled up in the driveway.
The person shot him three times.
[music playing]
RAYMOND LAYTON: You feel it.
Your heart goes out.
I would imagine if I lose one of my sons, I'd be a total mess.
Right now, we have no witnesses, no suspects.
Maybe he had a confrontation somewhere.
CEDRIC SMITH: I don't know.
I don't know.
RAYMOND LAYTON: We'll turn over every rock
that needs to be turned over.
[music playing]
But they just rolled up on him from the back of this
and just popped it in.
Sounds like it's personal.
That's what I'm thinking.
NARRATOR: Detective Smith finds a text
from one of Tay's co-workers.
Apparently there ws a cat that he works with.
They made him resign.
Some kind of investigation going on.
NARRATOR: The co-worker says he quit when his other friend
was forced to resign.
Hm.
NARRATOR: Tay responded.
Apparently, this guy seemed to think
the victim might've snitched on him and got him fired.
[music playing]
Can we talk to you about what's going on at work?
NARRATOR: The victim's girlfriend
confirms Tay had been blamed after some
of the warehouse employees were accused of robbery.
[music playing]
NARRATOR: Detective Smith gets a hold of one
of the warehouse employees.
Mhm.
NARRATOR: He says one of the men forced to resign
had allegedly threatened other employees in the past.
What did he say that he he would do?
Appreciate it.
MAN (ON PHONE): Text me, or I'll text you.
CEDRIC SMITH: Thank you.
Ugh.
0-4.
Apparently, he has a dismissed murder charge.
He served time for drug charges.
He put this threat out, saying if anyone crossed him,
he'll kill them or hurt.
If you say it so often, you know, people take notice of it.
There's a strong possibility that it could be
carried out, without a doubt.
A viable candidate at this point.
[music playing]
[knocking]
If you get some information, please contact us.
Detective Smith.
I'm here looking for help from any angle.
You never know anyone to make any kind
of threats against Tay?
[music playing]
NARRATOR: Finally, after seven months, Smith gets a break.
CEDRIC SMITH: We're going the US District
Attorney's office to interview this inmate
in the federal penitentiary.
NARRATOR: A man arrested in another case
wants to give information on Tay's murder in exchange
for a lesser sentence.
CEDRIC SMITH: It can be very, very huge.
I'm hoping, man.
I want to be able to close this thing.
[music playing]
PRODUCER: How'd it go?
Went pretty good, man.
This guy pretty much said that the suspect
told him that he did it.
The words out of his own mouth.
Said he was aware of the theft problem,
and that the threats were there against Tay,
that snitching was the reason for getting shot.
Let's see if we can get somebody to confirm the story.
But it's promising.
NARRATOR: Smith still needs corroboration
in order to charge the co-worker with murder.
[music playing]
We're getting ready to do a "Crimestoppers" piece regarding
information on this case.
Somebody knows something, man.
Somebody knows something.
[music playing]
ERNESTINE KURTZ: Antavious was a wonderful child.
And he always was the type of person
who always wanted to make a difference in the world.
Two weeks prior to him being murdered,
he loaded up his pickup, went downtown, and fed the homeless,
out of his own pocket.
So whoever did it, come forward, so we can know why it happened.
So whoever knows, come forward.
[music playing]