00:00:04
[water sloshing]
00:00:06
[theme music]
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NARRATOR: Sitting close
to the Florida coastline,
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the city of Pensacola is
the magnet for tourists.
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[stirring music]
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JOHNATHAN THACKER:
Our beaches are beautiful.
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People come here
for vacations a lot.
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You know, we have a lot of
up-and-coming small
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businesses downtown.
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Our downtown is thriving.
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NARRATOR: Often dubbed
the Cradle of Aviation,
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a large swathe of Pensacola
and its waterways
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is home to the US
Navy's aviator training
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school and air station.
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This military base sits
in sheltered waters
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to the southwest of the city,
overlooking the Gulf of Mexico.
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- We're heading to an area
called Navy point.
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And it's a body
of water that is around
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the outside of the Navy base.
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You can see a lot of people
out here walking their dogs.
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This is an area
where you can come
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and enjoy outdoor activities.
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The water is over here.
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Jet skiers do use that.
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[stirring music]
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NARRATOR: And it's
jet skiers who
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made a discovery around 3:00
PM one November afternoon.
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A large, overly stuffed duffel
bag washed up on the shoreline.
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[stirring music]
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SHANNON BRIARTON: They thought
maybe it was, you know,
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money or drugs or something
of that nature.
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But as they got closer
to it, they could smell
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a foulness coming from it.
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JOHNATHAN THACKER:
They didn't open it.
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It was actually a small
lock on the duffel bag
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that would prevent
somebody from opening it.
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They could see that
there was insect activity
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on and around the duffel bag.
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[water sloshing]
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[stirring music]
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SARAH MORMINO: The fact that
the bag was surrounded by flies
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and other insect
activity leads us
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to believe that there is more
in that bag than just
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maybe luggage.
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It could be remains.
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Blow flies and other
insects, they
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can smell decomposing
flesh from miles away.
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Once that odor is
exposed to air,
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it does not take them
long to find the body.
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Having those flies
swarm that bag
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is a key indication that
there is something that we
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need to look more into.
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[water sloshing]
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JOHNATHAN THACKER:
They could see fluids
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coming out of the duffel bag.
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Some very unpleasant things.
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So they knew enough to call
the Sheriff's Office.
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[stirring music]
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We're on a trail right now.
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And this is the way we actually
went to recover the bag.
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- When they got close to the
duffel bag and opened it,
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they were able
to see that there
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was a body of a female inside.
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JOHNATHAN THACKER: It
was found right over here
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in the duffel bag
washed on the shore.
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[stirring music]
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It was a little chill
in the air, a little overcast.
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Yeah, this reminds
me a lot of exactly
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what it was like that day.
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NARRATOR: Faced with
a suspicious death,
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police quickly cordoned
off the shoreline.
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JOHNATHAN THACKER:
It is a process
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of documenting
the scene, collecting
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evidence from the scene.
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At that time, it was
a Sheriff's Office
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assisting, as well with
their crime scene unit.
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[stirring music]
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- Especially in large
bodies of water,
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you never know where
the body exactly came from.
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So when you're trying
to secure the scene,
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you don't know what
you're securing
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because you don't know what's
involved versus what isn't.
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It's always better
to be safe than sorry,
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and to tape off as much area
as you can, and thoroughly
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examine all of those areas.
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JOHNATHAN THACKER:
A body in the water,
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it adds a level
of complexity to the case,
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makes that much more
challenging to investigate.
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- Typically, when
a body is discovered,
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the medical examiner
or forensic pathologist
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is called out to the scene.
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That body is then
placed in a body bag,
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usually on some type
of a clean white sheet.
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That sheet is also taken
to the morgue with the body,
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and it is examined
for trace evidence.
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Oftentimes, the hands are
also wrapped in baggies
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to preserve any evidence
that may be there in order
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to help solve the case.
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SHANNON BRIARTON: When we
got the body to the morgue
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and opened the duffel bag,
she was crammed in there.
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JOHNATHAN THACKER: She was in
that bag in the fetal position,
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so her knees were up
close to her chest.
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And she was clothed
only with a bra.
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She had nothing else on.
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JONI JOHNSTON: Whenever you
find a young woman, especially
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who is nude and she's
deceased, I think immediately,
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this raises
the question of is there
00:06:42
some kind of sexual component.
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NARRATOR: Police
needed to establish
00:06:50
whether the victim
was alive or dead
00:06:52
when she entered the water.
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MICHELLE DUPRE: One
of the techniques
00:06:56
that we use is we
actually float the lungs.
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If the lungs float
in a pail of water,
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then there is no
water in the lungs.
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If they don't float, then
they are water-laden.
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There was no water
in the lungs,
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and so we know that she
was already dead before she
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was tossed into the water.
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[water sloshing]
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She was strangled.
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And we can tell that because we
look for things like petechiae
00:07:23
in the eyes, petechiae
around the eyelids.
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Petechiae are very
small, punctate
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hemorrhages that appear
because of pressure.
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And that pressure
occurs because
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of tightening around the neck.
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SHANNON BRIARTON: She
was also duct-taped
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around her entire face.
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Her wrists were duct-tied.
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JONI JOHNSTON: I think
as a psychologist,
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when you have somebody's
face covered up,
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you always wonder why.
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If there is a sense
of wanting to kind of,
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you know, cover this person up.
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Maybe they knew her.
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Maybe there's a sense of shame.
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And, of course, there's
also the obvious question,
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how did she die?
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And if this is
the way that she died,
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if this person actually covered
her face up to asphyxiate her,
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that really does suggest
a very sadistic way
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of murdering somebody.
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It is a very personal
way to murder somebody.
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You are putting
your hands on that person.
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And you are watching
that person's eyes.
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And you can see their
expression as you do that.
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And it does take
several minutes
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for that person to suffocate.
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And you are wrapping that tape.
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So it is a very gruesome
and brutal and really sadistic
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way to kill somebody.
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[stirring music]
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NARRATOR: Knowing they were
now dealing with a murder,
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detectives searched
for any clues that
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might lead them to the killer.
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SHANNON BRIARTON:
We were concerned
00:08:52
that she was in the saltwater
for any length of time.
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Really, you know, you
lose DNA evidence.
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You lose any evidence
of a sexual assault.
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JOHNATHAN THACKER:
Within the bag,
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there was at least
one paper towel.
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Once it was allowed
to be dried out,
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you could see very
clearly that it had a very
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distinctive pattern on it.
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There was also what looked
to be a Clorox type wipe.
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Every time you need one,
you just pull the next one.
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It was one of those types.
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- We noticed that she was
also missing one earring.
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She had one gold hoop in,
and then one that was not in.
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JOHNATHAN THACKER: It had a bit
of a distinctive design to it.
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It was not so normal that it
would be just any earring.
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It could have very
well been matched
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to another had it been found.
00:09:49
So the thought was that perhaps
that earring had come off
00:09:54
of her ear someplace
where the murder
00:09:56
occurred, or maybe even in the
vehicle that transported her.
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A lot of possibilities.
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- Finding the Clorox
wipes and discovering
00:10:09
that she might be missing
an earring was very crucial.
00:10:14
NARRATOR: It was a starting
point for investigators.
00:10:17
But one big question remained--
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who was
the unidentified victim?
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[stirring music]
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NARRATOR: In Pensacola,
police are investigating
00:10:36
a gruesome discovery.
00:10:39
A duffel bag has washed ashore
containing a woman who's been
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bound with tape and strangled.
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- It's very common for killers
to dispose of a body close
00:10:51
to an area where they
live, whether they work.
00:10:54
And also if it's water,
oftentimes a place
00:10:56
they're familiar
with that's in water.
00:10:58
And so here we have
this duffel bag
00:11:00
that's washed up very close
to a local Naval base,
00:11:03
which I think immediately
gives investigators a clue.
00:11:06
Could this be somebody
who is actually working
00:11:08
or affiliated with
this location?
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[water sloshing]
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- For this case, with her being
off of the Gulf of Mexico,
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a salt water that is
high on crustaceans.
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Eventually, crustaceans
could have found their way
00:11:25
into the bag, thus eating
some of the remains,
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causing more trauma to the body
that was not already there.
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Her remains were found to not
have a lot of animal activity.
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That leads us to believe
that the body was not
00:11:40
in the water for an extended
period of time,
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because the aquatic
life did not
00:11:44
have time to access the bag.
00:11:49
NARRATOR: Now
police must urgently
00:11:50
find out who the victim is.
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[stirring music]
00:11:59
BRIDGETTE MYERS JENSEN:
I was in contact
00:12:00
with our medical examiner who
was conducting the autopsy
00:12:04
of the body that was found.
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It was learned, once
the body was removed,
00:12:08
that it was a Black female.
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NARRATOR: They
started by reviewing
00:12:15
missing person reports
recently filed in the county.
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[stirring music]
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JOHNATHAN THACKER:
As the detective on duty,
00:12:33
I was alerted
to a suspicious call
00:12:37
that our patrol
officers had gone to.
00:12:43
NARRATOR: The call was
from Sylvia Watkins,
00:12:45
who hadn't seen her 25-year-old
sister Samira, a mother of one,
00:12:49
for several days.
00:12:52
SHANNON BRIARTON: She hadn't
been seen or heard from.
00:12:54
It was very unusual.
00:12:56
She didn't show up
to see her child.
00:12:58
It was around Halloween
time, so she wasn't there
00:13:01
to take him trick-or-treating.
00:13:03
We decided that we should
go ahead and start looking
00:13:06
into her disappearance.
00:13:10
BRIDGETTE MYERS
JENSEN: Samira Watkins
00:13:11
was working
as a shift supervisor
00:13:13
for a local restaurant.
00:13:16
She was also going to school
at night for dental hygienists.
00:13:20
It was very much out
of the ordinary for Samira
00:13:23
not to have any contact
with her family.
00:13:25
They were very close knit.
00:13:27
So the fact that no one had
heard from Samira for some time
00:13:30
was very alarming.
00:13:36
NARRATOR: Police started
putting together a timeline
00:13:38
of Samira's last movements.
00:13:42
JOHNATHAN THACKER: Samira's
sister reported that Samira had
00:13:45
gotten off from work around
9:00 PM and drove all the way
00:13:49
to, roughly, the downtown
area of Pensacola,
00:13:52
where they all lived.
00:13:55
She was responsible.
00:13:56
She didn't disappear
without notice.
00:13:59
She had a good job.
00:14:01
We reached out to her employer.
00:14:03
And they had also expressed
concern because she had
00:14:06
not showed up for her shift.
00:14:08
We talked to the school
and found out that she also had
00:14:11
not shown up to her classes.
00:14:14
We knew what her
car looked like.
00:14:16
That vehicle was
nowhere to be found.
00:14:21
All these things are
continuing to build
00:14:24
concern about her well-being.
00:14:29
NARRATOR: The sudden
disappearance of Samira and
00:14:32
her car prompted
police to take a closer
00:14:34
look at those who knew her.
00:14:39
SHANNON BRIARTON: After
looking into Samira's life,
00:14:41
we discovered that her son's
father had been very abusive,
00:14:46
and he had been
arrested for it.
00:14:50
JONI JOHNSTON: She was involved
with him for about three years.
00:14:53
It was just incredibly
horrible relationship for her.
00:14:56
He, in fact,
as a matter of fact,
00:14:57
ended up going to prison
for domestic abuse
00:14:59
when he kidnaps her and won't
let her go for days.
00:15:04
JOHNATHAN THACKER: That
was an incident that
00:15:06
occurred here in Pensacola.
00:15:09
He had gotten out
of prison not too long
00:15:13
before Samira went missing.
00:15:17
There is now that possibility--
00:15:20
could that have been
what happened to Samira?
00:15:23
Could the father of her child,
having gotten out of prison,
00:15:27
could he have done
something to her?
00:15:31
SHANNON BRIARTON:
So, obviously, we
00:15:32
wanted to talk to him as well.
00:15:37
JOHNATHAN THACKER: Some of
the main things we were doing
00:15:39
was looking at his
criminal history,
00:15:41
trying to pull
together all the cases.
00:15:45
Anything that would
show us that he
00:15:47
had those violent tendencies.
00:15:49
We're looking at his
probation status.
00:15:52
Is he on probation
or on parole?
00:15:55
Where he's checking in?
00:15:57
Where does he live now?
00:15:59
What address did he give?
00:16:01
And once he was out
of prison, you usually give
00:16:03
an address looking at that.
00:16:07
NARRATOR: It didn't
take detectives
00:16:09
long to track him down.
00:16:12
JOHNATHAN THACKER:
Samira's ex-boyfriend,
00:16:14
his alibi was that when
he got out of prison,
00:16:17
he began to work doing
overnight cleaning.
00:16:22
Him and his crew, they would go
into offices, things like that.
00:16:28
And they would clean all
throughout the night.
00:16:32
SHANNON BRIARTON: Samira's
ex-boyfriend had a solid alibi.
00:16:36
We were able to determine that
he worked in different office
00:16:38
buildings, and we were
able to confirm that he was
00:16:41
there through his coworkers.
00:16:44
NARRATOR: Investigators
hit a dead end.
00:16:47
But soon another name
came to their attention--
00:16:50
a man known as Ricky Littleton.
00:16:55
JOHNATHAN THACKER: So when I
interviewed Samira's sister,
00:16:57
she kept talking about this
boyfriend of Samira's, and
00:17:01
she kept calling him Ricky.
00:17:03
She didn't know his
last name, but she
00:17:04
knew he was in the military.
00:17:06
And she had explained
to me that Samira and Ricky
00:17:10
had been seeing each other.
00:17:12
That the relationship had
turned sexual at some point,
00:17:17
and that Samira was pregnant.
00:17:20
And she had said that
the baby was this guy Ricky's.
00:17:27
She told her sister, I'm
going to go meet with Ricky,
00:17:31
and we're going to talk
about our future.
00:17:35
And specifically the fact
that Samira was pregnant.
00:17:41
BRIDGETTE MYERS
JENSEN: Samira just
00:17:42
happened to meet Littleton
when she was going on
00:17:44
to the Naval Air
Station in the earlier
00:17:46
part of the summer of 2009.
00:17:49
They met at the front gate.
00:17:50
There was a little
bit of flirting
00:17:52
exchanged back and forth.
00:17:54
Littleton was a very
handsome young man,
00:17:56
was obviously in the military
and responsible.
00:17:59
And certainly this was
someone that Samira could see
00:18:01
building a relationship with.
00:18:06
JONI JOHNSTON: She
has found somebody
00:18:07
who is the exact opposite
of her abusive partner,
00:18:11
or ex-partner.
00:18:13
This is somebody
who is not only
00:18:14
in the military,
who's a stable career,
00:18:17
has no black marks
on his record.
00:18:19
He's a police officer
in the military.
00:18:22
So I would imagine that
when she first met him,
00:18:25
it must have been so exciting.
00:18:30
NARRATOR: Detectives asked
Samira's new boyfriend Ricky
00:18:33
to s with their enquiries.
00:18:37
JOHNATHAN THACKER:
There's a couple of things
00:18:38
that were odd with Ricky.
00:18:40
When I called him to ask
him to come to talk to me,
00:18:43
he actually-- when I said,
hey Ricky, he corrected me
00:18:46
and said, no, this is Zac.
00:18:48
Well, it was the same guy.
00:18:50
So right off the bat,
we're being--
00:18:52
I'm finding out that he's
using a fake name while dealing
00:18:54
with Samira and her family.
00:18:59
NARRATOR: Not only had Zach
been calling himself Ricky,
00:19:03
he was also married,
with a child of his own.
00:19:08
[stirring music]
00:19:16
SHANNON BRIARTON: Initially,
he wouldn't admit to being
00:19:19
even intimate with her.
00:19:20
And he goes on to say
that the reason
00:19:23
why is because he was accused
of adultery several
00:19:27
months back.
00:19:29
And the military
really frowns on that.
00:19:31
So he was really scared that
he was going to get in trouble.
00:19:34
- In the military, you can
be dishonorably discharged
00:19:37
for having an affair.
00:19:39
And he knows this.
00:19:41
His wife has been
stationed out of state,
00:19:44
and so he is basically
living a double life.
00:19:47
- It was a red flag that he
showed very little concern.
00:19:51
He seemed more put off or
annoyed that he had to be here.
00:19:57
As opposed to somebody
that would at least say,
00:19:59
hey, I really hate to hear that
this young lady is missing.
00:20:02
Maybe I can do
something to help.
00:20:04
It's more like, hey, I
need to get out of here.
00:20:06
I got to get back to work.
00:20:09
BRIDGETTE MYERS
JENSEN: He mentioned
00:20:10
that the last time
he had seen Samira
00:20:12
was the Wednesday before
she was reported missing.
00:20:19
JOHNATHAN THACKER: I know
from talking to her sister
00:20:22
that, now the day
of her disappearance,
00:20:24
she indeed was leaving to go to
Zachary Littleton's apartment.
00:20:34
BRIDGETTE MYERS JENSEN: When I
reviewed the first interview,
00:20:36
he tried to distance himself
from any sort of relationship
00:20:39
or contact with her.
00:20:42
When I reviewed
the second interview,
00:20:44
he seemed to be a little
more forthcoming
00:20:47
as far as his
relationship with her,
00:20:50
his sexual relationship
with her, and the fact
00:20:53
that he knew she was pregnant.
00:20:56
He also was using terms
in the past tense,
00:21:00
so that was a little unusual.
00:21:03
NARRATOR: Despite
their suspicions,
00:21:05
police still didn't
have anything
00:21:07
concrete against Littleton.
00:21:10
- Yeah, I didn't have
sufficient evidence
00:21:12
to be able to arrest him
or do anything further,
00:21:14
so I had to let him go.
00:21:16
[stirring music]
00:21:20
NARRATOR: In Florida, police
investigating the disappearance
00:21:24
of mother of one
Samira Watkins are
00:21:26
waiting to identify
the body of a woman
00:21:29
washed up in a duffel bag
on the Pensacola shoreline.
00:21:35
- This body that was
found in a duffel bag
00:21:38
was identified
by using fingerprints.
00:21:41
[stirring music]
00:21:46
MICHELLE DUPRE: Some
of the challenges
00:21:47
when a body has been
in water, in particular,
00:21:49
are things like
identifying that person.
00:21:53
However, we can often
get fingerprints,
00:21:55
even if bodies have been
in water for some time.
00:21:58
Because we can infuse that
finger with other water to
00:22:02
puff it up, if you
will, and actually
00:22:04
obtain that fingerprint.
00:22:07
Another technique
that we often use
00:22:09
is something called
degloving, and
00:22:11
that's where the skin actually
slips off of the hand.
00:22:14
We put on a gloved hand, and we
put that skin over our glove,
00:22:18
and then we can actually roll
that person's fingerprint
00:22:22
onto a fingerprint
identification card
00:22:24
and hopefully get
an ID that way.
00:22:28
BRIDGETTE MYERS JENSEN:
At the time of our autopsy,
00:22:29
only one gold
earring was found.
00:22:32
There was an impression
in the other ear,
00:22:33
but the earring was not there.
00:22:35
Samira's family
represented to us
00:22:37
that she wore a gold pair
of earrings all the time.
00:22:41
They were very unique
set of gold earrings.
00:22:45
NARRATOR: Together with
DNA and physical evidence
00:22:48
found at the scene,
the body was
00:22:50
confirmed to be that of missing
young mom Samira Watkins.
00:22:58
SHANNON BRIARTON: When we found
out that it was definitely
00:23:00
Samira in the bag,
we knew that she
00:23:03
was very close to the family.
00:23:04
They all lived
in a house together.
00:23:06
Her young child
stayed there with her,
00:23:08
so we knew that
telling the family
00:23:11
was going to be very
difficult and very emotional.
00:23:16
NARRATOR: With Samira no
longer a missing person,
00:23:18
but the center
of a homicide case,
00:23:21
detectives focused their
investigation on her boyfriend,
00:23:24
Zach Littleton.
00:23:27
- When Samira told
Zach she was pregnant,
00:23:30
he was not supportive.
00:23:33
Didn't want anything to do
with co-parenting with her.
00:23:37
In fact, he didn't
believe it was his.
00:23:40
He said that he always
used protection.
00:23:43
And he asked her
to have an abortion.
00:23:46
And his wife was soon to arrive
here in Pensacola as well.
00:23:51
BRIDGETTE MYERS
JENSEN: The other thing
00:23:52
that also focused our attention
on Zachary Littleton
00:23:55
was the fact that he
was in the military.
00:23:58
And having
extramarital affairs is
00:24:00
against the code of conduct
for the military,
00:24:03
so that certainly
raised some concerns.
00:24:05
- It's very, very clear he has
no intention of having any kind
00:24:08
of long-term
relationship with her
00:24:10
by the fact that he
uses a false name
00:24:12
when he introduces himself.
00:24:14
So this is somebody
who's used to deception
00:24:17
and deceiving women.
00:24:20
- Once the body was identified
to be Samira Watkins,
00:24:24
obviously, the investigation
at that point sort of ramps up.
00:24:27
Now, we are pretty certain
that this is, in fact,
00:24:31
Zachary Littleton's doing.
00:24:34
NARRATOR: Now, detectives
had to find evidence
00:24:36
to support their suspicions.
00:24:38
At
00:24:40
- That point in time, in 2009,
the cell phone technology
00:24:44
analysis was pretty new.
00:24:46
So, at that point, law
enforcement reached out to NCIS
00:24:51
because they had some
newer technology,
00:24:53
and they were able
to analyze Samira and
00:24:55
Zachary's cell phones.
00:24:57
- Samira's cell phone showed
that shortly after she
00:25:01
left her home and left
her child with her sister,
00:25:06
you can see her
travels using mapping
00:25:09
and the cell tower hits.
00:25:11
And you can see her
leaving and going really
00:25:14
across town to a tower
that is located
00:25:18
basically adjacent to Zachary
Littleton's apartment.
00:25:27
BRIDGETTE MYERS JENSEN: When
Zachary Littleton was initially
00:25:29
interviewed, he mentioned
to law enforcement
00:25:31
that he had two
different cell phones.
00:25:34
He had one with
an area code of 843
00:25:36
that he never let Samira have.
00:25:39
He also had another number
that started with a 777,
00:25:42
and that was the primary
phone that he
00:25:44
communicated with Samira.
00:25:50
NARRATOR: Detectives
also discovered
00:25:51
an unidentified phone number
on Samira's cell phone.
00:25:56
JOHNATHAN THACKER:
There is a brand
00:25:58
new phone number that Samira
is calling at that time.
00:26:02
There ended up being
47 calls in that
00:26:05
9-day period
to this, what I would
00:26:08
call a mystery phone number.
00:26:12
Equally concerning was the fact
that that number of a sudden
00:26:15
just went cold.
00:26:18
It really implied that whoever
owns that number knew something
00:26:24
happened to Samira,
and she wasn't
00:26:25
going to be able to answer
the phone, even if they called.
00:26:29
BRIDGETTE MYERS
JENSEN: Once they
00:26:31
got the cell phone records
for this unknown number,
00:26:33
it turned out to be a track
phone or a prepaid phone.
00:26:37
JOHNATHAN THACKER:
So it's rather
00:26:39
difficult sometimes to get
information on those phones.
00:26:44
But we did get
lucky, and we did
00:26:46
discover that this particular
phone number was registered
00:26:51
to a Zach Littleton.
00:26:57
- So I learned a lot of things
from Zach's friends
00:26:59
and coworkers.
00:27:01
One thing I learned is
that he had a reputation
00:27:03
of being a womanizer.
00:27:05
That Samira was
not the only girl
00:27:07
who he had had
a relationship with,
00:27:11
even though he was married.
00:27:13
That he had skirted some
punishment with the military
00:27:19
previously for infidelity.
00:27:22
- This was somebody who was
willing to break the rules, who
00:27:26
was willing to lie,
who was willing to have
00:27:30
relationships with women
under false pretenses
00:27:33
to get what he wanted.
00:27:37
He's somebody who,
on the surface,
00:27:39
is an upstanding police
officer and military guy.
00:27:45
From the very beginning,
while Samira sees him
00:27:48
as somebody who
could be a knight
00:27:49
in shining armor
in some ways, he sees
00:27:51
her as just another fling.
00:27:53
He tells investigators so many
different lies about his alibi,
00:27:58
about his relationship with
Samira, about where he was.
00:28:03
I mean, he is,
obviously, somebody who's
00:28:04
very comfortable with lying.
00:28:07
And I think, this,
of course, backfires.
00:28:09
And so all this deception
really becomes more
00:28:12
damning evidence against him.
00:28:16
[stirring music]
00:28:20
BRIDGETTE MYERS
JENSEN: They started
00:28:21
canvassing the apartment
complex where Zachary lived.
00:28:24
And they were able to speak
with one of the tenants, who
00:28:26
mentioned that they had
seen a male and a female
00:28:30
arguing close to Zachary
Littleton's apartment
00:28:33
the night that
Samira went missing.
00:28:36
Coupled with everything else
that law enforcement had
00:28:38
at that point, they had
enough probable cause
00:28:42
to obtain a search
warrant to search
00:28:44
Zachary Littleton's home.
00:28:48
NARRATOR: Officers
descended on the apartment
00:28:50
where they believed
the suspect lived at the time
00:28:53
Samira went missing.
00:28:58
BRIDGETTE MYERS JENSEN:
The original apartment
00:28:59
of Zachary Littleton was
searched by law enforcement.
00:29:02
But because he had
already moved out of it,
00:29:04
there was not
anything found that
00:29:06
was significant
to the investigation.
00:29:08
- Furniture was gone.
00:29:10
The belongings were
picked up and moved.
00:29:12
- There were no obvious
signs of a struggle
00:29:14
or blood or anything
of that nature,
00:29:16
because he had already
moved and the apartment
00:29:18
had been cleaned out.
00:29:22
NARRATOR: It was a blow for
police desperate to get justice
00:29:25
for the victim and her family.
00:29:29
JOHNATHAN THACKER: It's
a cold-hearted thing
00:29:30
to do, to place
somebody in a bag
00:29:34
and to throw them
in this waterway
00:29:36
like their life
wasn't worth anything.
00:29:40
And that is very sad.
00:29:42
[stirring music]
00:29:49
NARRATOR: Despite
a lack of hard evidence
00:29:50
linking him
to the crime, police
00:29:52
were still convinced
Zachary Littleton had killed
00:29:56
Samira Watkins and dumped
her body in water
00:29:59
near the Pensacola Naval base.
00:30:03
JOHNATHAN THACKER: So I do
have a theory on how Samira
00:30:06
got placed in the water.
00:30:11
There is a bridge there.
00:30:13
That's the bridge that enters
into the Navy base itself.
00:30:18
I don't really
think that Littleton
00:30:20
used that bridge to throw
her body into the water.
00:30:23
I think that there's just too
much security on that bridge.
00:30:26
There's cameras.
00:30:28
I think what he actually did
use is this bridge over here.
00:30:33
And this bridge would have
been a more quaint bridge.
00:30:38
It doesn't have all
the traffic on it.
00:30:41
This one barely has the first
car going across it.
00:30:44
And I think that that
makes better sense also,
00:30:47
because I think that
this body of water
00:30:49
tends to want
to flush things out.
00:30:51
I think that she went
into the water there,
00:30:53
and that duffel
bag made its way
00:30:55
through that short period
of distance over to the spot
00:31:00
where it was found.
00:31:05
NARRATOR: But detectives needed
more proof before they could
00:31:07
arrest Littleton for murder.
00:31:10
Could the waters
at the crime scene help
00:31:12
prove that Samira's
body was dumped
00:31:14
not far from the Naval base
where Littleton worked?
00:31:19
[water sloshing]
00:31:24
- Anytime we find evidence
or a body in the water,
00:31:27
we always collect
a water sample.
00:31:29
In that way, if we ever need
to compare them, we can.
00:31:33
Ideally, what we want to see
is that the organisms,
00:31:37
the bacteria, and the water
makeup found within the lungs,
00:31:41
sinuses, or around the remains
match that type of water
00:31:45
where the remains were found.
00:31:48
In this case, it's believed
that Samira's remains were
00:31:51
not dumped too far from shore.
00:31:54
[stirring music]
00:32:01
NARRATOR: Detectives
now turn their attention
00:32:03
to the next address Zachary
Littleton had lived at that.
00:32:08
JOHNATHAN THACKER:
What we learned
00:32:09
was that Zachary, when
he left that apartment,
00:32:12
he moved into a home.
00:32:15
He was looking to bring his
wife, their child to this home.
00:32:20
So it wasn't an apartment.
00:32:21
It was an actual house.
00:32:25
- When law enforcement
executed a search warrant
00:32:27
at Zachary
Littleton's new home,
00:32:29
they found some Lysol wipes.
00:32:31
They found gray duct tape.
00:32:35
They found paper
towels that were
00:32:36
consistent with
the pattern of the paper
00:32:39
towel that was found in the
duffel bag with Samira's body.
00:32:42
- I was tasked to search one
of the front rooms of the home.
00:32:46
And in there was
one of those clear,
00:32:49
like comforter bags that
a comforter comes in,
00:32:51
with just miscellaneous
stuff in it.
00:32:54
And I sort of scooped my hand
down and got a handful.
00:32:59
And there was the gold
earring that she
00:33:01
had been wearing, that matched
the earring that was on her.
00:33:07
- It was just kind
of one of those almost
00:33:09
Eureka moments, that
it was the nail that
00:33:12
was going to seal his coffin.
00:33:14
Because this gold earring
was unique, and so important
00:33:17
to the investigation.
00:33:18
[stirring music]
00:33:22
NARRATOR: The discovery
of the earring
00:33:24
was a major breakthrough
in the case against Littleton.
00:33:28
But there was more to come.
00:33:32
- Every investigator
was tasked with
00:33:34
little things to follow-up on.
00:33:36
We knew that her
car was missing.
00:33:38
So the thought was,
you know, if somebody
00:33:41
did do something to her, they
had to get rid of her car.
00:33:46
And then after
a little while, her car
00:33:48
was discovered
at a vacant house
00:33:50
over an area called Bellview.
00:33:53
And then they had
to get a way back home.
00:33:56
So back then, taxicabs
were still pretty popular.
00:33:59
We didn't have
the Uber or the Lyft.
00:34:02
So I went to the local
yellow cab location,
00:34:05
and asked if they kept
records of their fares
00:34:09
and where they
picked them up at,
00:34:10
what phone number they called
from, maybe they had a name.
00:34:14
And sure enough,
there was a person
00:34:17
named Zack who called
to get picked up
00:34:21
from the Waffle House that
was not too far from where
00:34:24
her car was discovered.
00:34:28
JOHNATHAN THACKER: I
went to that restaurant
00:34:30
to look at their video.
00:34:31
They pulled up
the date and time
00:34:34
that matched when that taxicab
had picked up this individual.
00:34:39
And what it showed
was Zachary Littleton.
00:34:43
He's holding in his
hands a canister
00:34:46
of wipes, the exact
kind that you
00:34:48
would use to clean up things.
00:34:51
SHANNON BRIARTON: So by seeing
the Clorox wipes in his hand,
00:34:53
we figured that was pretty
immediately after the crime.
00:34:58
He was probably wiping
the car, steering
00:34:59
wheel down, or whatever
to remove DNA or fingerprints.
00:35:03
JOHNATHAN THACKER:
Well, he walks in.
00:35:04
And he asks one
of the employees
00:35:06
if he could borrow their phone.
00:35:08
They get the phone for him.
00:35:10
And that's when he
calls the taxi right
00:35:13
there from the restaurant.
00:35:15
BRIDGETTE MYERS JENSEN:
We believe the reason
00:35:17
that Zachary Littleton
used the phone
00:35:18
inside of the Waffle
House was so that it could
00:35:20
not be traced back to him.
00:35:22
Obviously, we know that
he had three phones,
00:35:24
and so he could have used
any one of those three.
00:35:26
But instead he decided
to go inside and
00:35:29
use a landline phone
that he probably
00:35:32
hoped wouldn't be traced.
00:35:34
[stirring music]
00:35:38
It was my goal
to present this case
00:35:41
before a grand
jury in an effort
00:35:43
to seek a first degree,
premeditated murder indictment.
00:35:47
[stirring music]
00:35:52
[water sloshing]
00:35:56
NARRATOR: Police in Pensacola
are investigating
00:35:59
the murder of a woman
found washed
00:36:01
up on the Florida coastline.
00:36:04
Their prime suspect, married
military man Zachary Littleton,
00:36:08
has still not been charged with
killing his pregnant lover,
00:36:12
Samira Watkins.
00:36:17
SHANNON BRIARTON: I
think the motive for Zach
00:36:19
doing this was he
wanted to be here and
00:36:21
play until his wife got here.
00:36:24
And I think that
Samira being pregnant,
00:36:26
and now his wife is due
to arrive in Pensacola any day,
00:36:30
was his motive to get rid of,
at least, the baby and Samira.
00:36:38
JOHNATHAN THACKER: My belief
is that Samira likely
00:36:42
was attacked by Littleton.
00:36:46
That he grabbed
her by her throat
00:36:49
and strangled her to death.
00:36:54
He added the tape around
her mouth and nose
00:36:57
when she was unconscious
to make sure that she
00:37:00
was not going to come back.
00:37:04
BRIDGETTE MYERS
JENSEN: The fact
00:37:06
that he dumped the body
and water was obviously
00:37:08
in an attempt to try and get
rid of the body, number one,
00:37:11
as well as any evidence.
00:37:13
[water sloshing]
00:37:18
- It is likely
that Mr. Littleton
00:37:20
put Samira's remains,
as well as the other pieces
00:37:22
of evidence, in that
bag, and dumped her
00:37:24
in the water in hopes
that she would sink,
00:37:27
and none of that evidence
would ever be found.
00:37:31
In most cases, though, bodies,
once they start to decompose,
00:37:35
those gases build
in their system.
00:37:37
And no matter how they're
weighted down, in most cases,
00:37:40
they are going to float.
00:37:42
And that's exactly what
happened in this case.
00:37:46
She floated, along with
all of the evidence
00:37:48
that he had trapped
inside the bag.
00:37:52
[water sloshing]
00:37:58
SHANNON BRIARTON: We discovered
on his computer Google searches
00:38:01
that were to the effect
of, how to speed
00:38:05
up a body decomposition,
do saltwater
00:38:08
speed up body composition.
00:38:10
Those two searches
were made days
00:38:15
before Samira went missing.
00:38:20
- We have to think that
it was a huge surprise
00:38:23
to Zachary Littleton when
Samira's body washes up.
00:38:27
I don't think he was
anticipating that.
00:38:29
And as, you know,
the bag is opened
00:38:32
and they start uncovering all
these clues and the earring
00:38:35
and those kinds of things.
00:38:36
And investigators
began looking at him
00:38:38
more closely because they've
now ruled out her ex-partner.
00:38:43
I think he does have
to scramble around and
00:38:45
start making up things.
00:38:47
And I think what
we start seeing is,
00:38:48
you know, again,
some of the lies
00:38:50
he's telling really
end up becoming
00:38:52
the best evidence against him.
00:38:55
And some of these lies can
be so easily disproven.
00:38:58
He really shoots himself in
the foot by a lot of the lies
00:39:00
that he tells.
00:39:05
- After Samira's
car was discovered,
00:39:08
it then got towed back
to a vehicle impound,
00:39:11
where it is processed for any
sort of evidence and DNA.
00:39:16
The steering wheel
was swabbed for DNA
00:39:19
and was later
determined to have
00:39:21
Zachary Littleton's DNA on it.
00:39:24
JOHNATHAN THACKER:
Zachary Littleton
00:39:25
had told me previously he
had never driven her car.
00:39:28
And his DNA being
on the steering wheel does
00:39:32
tend to show that
he did drive it.
00:39:36
NARRATOR: Police now felt they
had enough evidence, including
00:39:39
phone records and Samira's
earring found at his home,
00:39:42
to charge Littleton
with her murder.
00:39:46
JOHNATHAN THACKER:
It is a good feeling
00:39:48
to know that at that
point that we would
00:39:50
be able to make the arrest.
00:39:52
And I especially felt
good with him knowing
00:39:56
he wasn't going to slide.
00:39:58
He wasn't going
to get past this.
00:40:00
Perhaps he may have been
thinking that at that point
00:40:01
that he was in the clear.
00:40:06
SHANNON BRIARTON:
There was no reaction.
00:40:08
He was as calm as he was
in the interview room
00:40:11
at the time of his arrest.
00:40:15
- As I was putting
all of the evidence
00:40:16
together in preparation for
the jury trial of this case.
00:40:21
I felt relatively
confident that, in fact,
00:40:24
once I could put
everything together,
00:40:27
it would paint a clear picture
that Zachary Littleton was
00:40:30
the one who
committed this crime.
00:40:36
NARRATOR: The prosecution
also hoped
00:40:38
to establish that
more than one life was
00:40:40
taken by Littleton that day.
00:40:44
[stirring music]
00:40:47
MICHELLE DUPRE:
In Samira's case,
00:40:49
there is actually some concern
that she may have been pregnant
00:40:51
at the time of her death.
00:40:53
Medically, during
the autopsy, of course,
00:40:55
we always examine
the female uterus.
00:40:58
It was not found that she
was pregnant at this time.
00:41:05
BRIDGETTE MYERS
JENSEN: Samira's body
00:41:06
had been submerged in water
for at least five days,
00:41:10
and so the medical
examiner was not
00:41:12
able to make a determination as
to whether there was a fetus.
00:41:17
We did have evidence
from the doctor
00:41:19
that confirmed Samira's
pregnancy, that she was,
00:41:21
in fact pregnant.
00:41:23
But we could not confirm it
through the autopsy process.
00:41:30
MICHELLE DUPRE: This was very
important because that would
00:41:32
affect the charging process.
00:41:34
Someone could be charged
with two cases of homicide
00:41:38
in that case, but she was not
medically found to be pregnant.
00:41:44
NARRATOR: Littleton was
therefore only charged
00:41:46
with one count of homicide.
00:41:50
- After Zachary Littleton
was arrested, in this case,
00:41:53
he went for a first
appearance in front of a judge
00:41:55
within 24 hours.
00:41:56
And it was at that point that
his lawyers entered a plea
00:41:59
of not guilty on his behalf.
00:42:01
[stirring music]
00:42:09
- So I was nervous
come trial time
00:42:12
because I could see
the picture here,
00:42:15
the story of what happened.
00:42:17
I could see that
because I lived
00:42:18
it and I was involved in it.
00:42:21
But you never know how
a jury is going to see it.
00:42:26
BRIDGETTE MYERS JENSEN:
The case of Zachary Littleton
00:42:28
took approximately three
days to try in front
00:42:30
of a jury in Escambia County.
00:42:33
I believe once the full
picture was painted
00:42:35
for the jury of the different
pieces of evidence-- again,
00:42:38
the gold earring, the Waffle
House video surveillance,
00:42:42
the DNA on the steering
wheel, the neighbor
00:42:45
that saw the two arguing.
00:42:48
Everything put
together, I believe,
00:42:49
painted a clear
picture for the jury
00:42:52
that Zachary
Littleton was guilty
00:42:54
beyond a reasonable doubt.
00:42:59
JOHNATHAN THACKER: The defense
attorneys don't go easy on you.
00:43:02
They don't because it's
not in their best
00:43:04
interest or their client's.
00:43:06
Most of it was
pretty cut and dry.
00:43:09
But they always do try
to find the weak points.
00:43:15
NARRATOR: But the evidence
against Littleton
00:43:17
was overwhelming.
00:43:22
- The jury returned
with a verdict
00:43:23
after approximately three
or four hours of deliberations.
00:43:29
They saw all the evidence.
00:43:33
And they came back
with a guilty verdict.
00:43:37
- It was at that point
that I turned around
00:43:39
and looked in the audience.
00:43:40
And I saw Samira's family
members that just wept openly.
00:43:45
And then the judge sentenced
Zachary to life in prison
00:43:48
without parole.
00:43:50
[stirring music]
00:43:56
- So when I heard
the guilty verdict for Zach,
00:44:00
it was very satisfying.
00:44:03
But it was also overwhelming.
00:44:05
There was a lot of emotion.
00:44:06
This was a very hard
case to investigate.
00:44:08
It involved a young, successful
girl who was pregnant.
00:44:13
[stirring music]
00:44:18
JOHNATHAN THACKER: Very sad.
00:44:19
A victim that
was, in many ways,
00:44:22
had some vulnerabilities that
were exploited by Littleton.
00:44:26
Being at the front gate,
you're wearing a uniform.
00:44:29
You're a person of authority.
00:44:32
Could he be looking for people
that were a little vulnerable?
00:44:35
Absolutely.
00:44:37
He could have been
doing that all along,
00:44:39
and that was part of the way
he would find women.
00:44:45
And Samira would have
been a prime target
00:44:48
for that in many ways.
00:44:52
- It's one thing
to be a police officer
00:44:54
who may be investigating
crimes on the base.
00:44:57
It's another thing to try
to be a sophisticated criminal.
00:45:00
And he wasn't.
00:45:01
He left so many things behind.
00:45:06
Part of that was him, you
know, in that situation,
00:45:11
feeling desperate and trying
to get rid of everything.
00:45:13
And I think
the other part of it
00:45:15
was kind of just being naive
about the fact that, you know,
00:45:19
or either overly
confident about the fact
00:45:21
that he can just put all this
stuff in a bag and dump it.
00:45:27
He wanted to erase
the whole thing.
00:45:29
And maybe by packing
this bag, he
00:45:30
kind of fooled
himself into thinking,
00:45:32
this is my way of just
getting rid of everything,
00:45:35
which was the exact
opposite of what happened.
00:45:41
- The satisfaction faction
from proving this case really
00:45:45
goes for the family members.
00:45:48
Samira was such
a young, beautiful girl
00:45:50
with her whole
future ahead of her.
00:45:52
So to be able to get some level
of justice for this family
00:45:56
is certainly rewarding.
00:45:58
[stirring music]
00:46:07
[theme music]
