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childhood cancer. >>> NEW TONIGHT AT
10:00 O’CLOCK, IT WAS A 1997
MURDER CASE THAT DIDN’T GET THAT
MUCH ATTENTION AT THE TIME.
A NEIGHBORHOOD DICE GAME ENDING
IN GUN FIRE.
MORE THAN 20 YEARS LATER, THERE
ARE NEW QUESTIONS ABOUT THE
INVESTIGATION AND THE MAN
CONVICTED OF THE CRIME.
>> CHANNEL 2 DISCOVERED A
FEDERAL AGENT INVOLVED IN THE
CASE IS NOW IN TROUBLE FOR LYING
AND SOMEONE ELSE HAS COME
FORWARD CLAIMING HE WAS ONE OF
THE TRIGGERMEN.
THE TRIGGERMEN. >> TONIGHT CHANNEL 2’S BRANDON
WALKER LAYS OUT THE NEW EVIDENCE
IN THE CASE IN A CHANNEL 2 NEWS
EXCLUSIVE AND HE HAS A PRISON
INTERVIEW WITH THE MAN WHO HAS
MAINTAINED HIS INNOCENCE FOR
MORE THAN TWO DECADES.
>> 911, WHAT’S YOUR EMERGENCY?
>> Reporter: AN EMERGENCY
SPILLED ABOUT A FIFTH WARD
PARKING LOT.
PARKING LOT. A DICE GAME BELIEVED THE
BEGINNING OF WHAT WOULD BE EARL
PERRY’S FINAL MOMENTS, A DICE
GAME, THE FOCAL POINT OF ONE
DEADLY DILEMMA.
DEADLY DILEMMA. >> MR. BERKS, HOW ARE YOU?
>> Reporter: ONE FOR WHICH LAMAR
BURKS HAS DONE HARD TIME.
NEARLY 19 YEARS FOR MURDER.
CONVICTED OF A CRIME BURKS SAYS
HE DIDN’T COMMIT.
COULDN’T HAVE COMMITTED, HE
INSISTS.
INSISTS. >> DID YOU AT ALL EVEN KNOW
EARLY PERRY?
EARLY PERRY? >> NO.
>> NO. NEVER SEEN THE GUY.
NEVER MET HIM A DAY IN MY LIFE.
>> Reporter: JUNE 30, 1997, THE
PARKING LOT OF T’S RESTAURANT,
THE SCENE.
THE SCENE. THE AFTER HOUR SPOT FOR FOOD
AFTER A NIGHT OUT ACROSS
CAVALCADE STREET AT MR. A’S
CLUB.
CLUB. THAT’S WHERE A GROUP STOPPED BY
FOR A DICE GAME.
EARL PERRY AMONG THEM.
AFTER A DISAGREEMENT, BULLETS
FLEW.
FLEW. PERRY WAS SHOT THREE TIMES,
ACCORDING TO HIS AUTOPSY.
THE FATAL BLOW, TO THE BACK.
WHERE WERE YOU?
>> WELL, I WAS IN LOUISIANA.
IN LOUISIANA.
IN LOUISIANA. ENROUTE TO MY SISTER’S WEDDING.
>> Reporter: BURKS’ ALIBI HASN’T
CHANGED SINCE HIS FIRST ARREST.
SHORTLY AFTER THE KILLING.
ALTHOUGH PROSECUTORS EVENTUALLY
DROPPED THE CHARGE AFTER THEIR
SOLE WITNESS SAID IT WAS A CASE
OF MISTAKEN IDENTITY.
SO HOW DID THEY CIRCLE BACK TO
BURKS?
BURKS? SEEMS A LARGER MORE COMPLEX TALE
STRINGS THAT TOGETHER.
BURKS CLAIMS A CROOKED DEA AGENT
LOCKED HIM UP.
NOW OTHERS WHO SAY THEY WERE
THERE THAT EARLY MORNING SUPPORT
HIS CLAIMS.
HIS CLAIMS. HAD YOU HEARD OF THEM PRIOR TO
YOUR CASE?
YOUR CASE? >> SURE.
>> SURE. THEIR NAMES WERE IN THE STREET,
YOU KNOW.
YOU KNOW. ESPECIALLY IN THE HIP-HOP
COMMUNITY.
COMMUNITY. ♪
♪ >> Reporter: IN THE 1990S, THE
HIP-HOP COMMUNITY THRIVED IN
HOUSTON.
HOUSTON. AND NONE MOVED THE NEEDLE MORE
THAN RAP A LOT RECORDS.
BURKS WAS RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF
IT WITH HIS OWN LABEL.
>> I STARTED IT IN 1992.
ONE OF THE FIRST GROUPS I HAD
WAS THE INSANE CLAN.
I HAD A GROUP PLUTO AND A FEW
MORE.
MORE. >> Reporter: THE DEA, INCLUDING
ONE OF THEIR BIG GUY, CHAD
SCOTT, TOOK NOTE OF THAT SCENE.
MADE ARRESTS, TOO.
>> THEY WERE JUST -- IT’S HEART
BREAKING.
BREAKING. IT’S FRIGHTENING.
IT’S FRIGHTENING. I’M GLAD THEY’RE TAKEN OFF THE
STREET.
STREET. >> Reporter: THESE DAYS AGENT
CHAD SCOTT FINDS HIMSELF ON
HOUSE ARREST.
HOUSE ARREST. A JURY IN NEW ORLEANS CONVICTED
HIM LAST MONTH ON SEVEN COUNTS.
OVERALL, CORRUPTION WAS THE CASE
PROSECUTORS GAVE HIM.
PERJURY, OBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICE,
FALSIFYING GOVERNMENT RECORDS.
THE ALLEGATIONS STEM FROM
SCOTT’S WORK AS A DEA AGENT
NORTH OF NEW ORLEANS AFTER HE
TRANSFERRED OUT OF THE HOUSTON
AREA.
AREA. AND SINCE FEDERAL INVESTIGATORS
ZEROED IN ON SCOTT, CONVICTED
FELONS HAVE WALKED FREE.
PROSECUTORS ASKING A JUDGE TO
DISMISS THEIR CHARGES, CLAIMING
SCOTT COERCED WITNESSES INTO
GIVING FALSE TESTIMONY.
AS FOR LAMARQUE BURKS, THE
PROSECUTION HAD THREE KEY
WITNESSES.
WITNESSES. THE FIRST WHO TESTIFIED ONLY TO
A GRAND JURY NOW SAYS IN A SWORN
STATEMENT SCOTT COERCED HIM,
RESULTING IN BURKS BEING
RECHARGED IN 2000.
THE SECOND, ONE OF TWO GUNMEN ON
THE SCENE THAT NIGHT.
>> THAT NIGHT THAT I NEVER SEEN
LAMAR NOT ONE TIME.
>> Reporter: THAT’S RIGHT.
THE SECOND WITNESS HAS FLIPPED,
TOO.
TOO. BROWN WAS ALSO CONVICTED IN THE
SHOOTING DEATH.
SHOOTING DEATH. WHO PULLED THE TRIGGER?
>> I PULLED THE TRIGGER.
>> Reporter: BROWN SERVED FIVE
YEARS, SAYS HE SAW A COMMOTION
AT T’S, RAN TO HELP HIS FRIEND,
ACTIONS BROWN SAYS HE NOW
REGRETS.
REGRETS. WHEN YOU SAY YOU FIRED YOUR GUN,
WHY DID YOU DO THAT?
>> ’CAUSE MY FRIEND, THE GUY
FROM THE HOOD THAT I GROWED UP
WITH.
WITH. I FELT LIKE HE WAS IN HARM WAY.
>> Reporter: NOW IN SWORN
TESTIMONY, BROWN CLAIMS HE
PROVIDED A FALSE STATEMENT.
SAYS HE DID SO OUT OF FEAR.
>> AFTER I HEARD THIS GUY GOT
LOCKED UP AND WAS CHARGED, I WAS
LIKE, I HAVE TO TELL THE TRUTH
NOW.
NOW. WE AIN’T GOT TO WORRY ABOUT
SOMEBODY COME KICK OUR DOOR IN
AND KILL US ’CAUSE THEY SAY THIS
CHAD SCOTT, THAT’S WHAT HE WAS
KNOWN FOR DOING.
>> Reporter: LAMAR BURKS IS
SERVING A 70 YEAR PRISON
SENTENCE.
SENTENCE. ONE BEHIND WHICH THE HARRIS
COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY’S
OFFICE STANDS.
OFFICE STANDS. IN A STATEMENT TO CHANNEL 2
INVESTIGATES, A SPOKESMAN FOR
DISTRICT ATTORNEY KIM OGG SAID
IN PART, QUOTE, WE HAVE NO
REASON TO DOUBT THE INTEGRITIES
OF BURKS’ CONVICTION.
A EVIDENTIARY HEARING IS
SCHEDULED AND WE WILL MAKE OUR
POSITION KNOWN TO THE COURT AT
THAT TIME.
THAT TIME. MEANTIME, THERE IS MUCH MORE TO
THIS STORY AND WE WILL SHARE IT
IN THE DAYS AND WEEKS LEADING UP
TO THAT EVIDENTIARY HEARING.
AS FOR AGENT CHAD SCOTT, HE’S
SET TO BEGIN A NEW TRIAL IN NEW
ORLEANS ON SEPARATE COUNTS NEXT
MONTH AND SENTENCED ON LAST
MONTH’S CONVICTION IN DECEMBER.