20/20 - Death of a Showgirl

Episode Date: April 18, 2026

A Vegas dancer disappears just hours before the biggest break of her career, leaving behind a trail of mystery. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices...

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Starting point is 00:01:25 She landed a spot on one of the strips of biggest shows called Family. sometimes being pretty puts you at risk. I can tell you from personal experience how scary Vegas can be. Debbie was never late to practice. She was always on time. But then the last practice before the opening act, Debbie didn't show up. Red flags immediately started popping off. We have an employee that's been missing for about 24 hours.
Starting point is 00:01:58 about 24 hours now. We have to find her. Could she have been taken? Could she have been kidnapped? Everyone knows that she would not have missed the final dress rehearsal. This was her dream. And for her to not show up to rehearsal that day,
Starting point is 00:02:15 it just wasn't right. It wasn't going to turn out good. My name is Celeste Flores Narvaez. My sister's name is Deborah Flores Narvaez. She loved dancing. It was her passion. She loved being in the spotlight. She loved performing and she loved showcasing her ability
Starting point is 00:02:50 and her creativity. Debbie decided that I'm gonna pursue my dream of dancing and acting and modeling. And she moved to Las Vegas. Las Vegas is a city of lights. spectacle and major entertainment. Debbie wanted to conquer the world. I remember right when she moved to Vegas,
Starting point is 00:03:32 she was posting auditions. She was posting tryouts. She could do jazz, she could do hip-hop, ballet. She was so graceful, but she had so much personality in her movement. Debbie's ultimate goal in Las Vegas was just like the rest of us to star in a big Las Vegas show. She wanted to turn the ballroom.
Starting point is 00:03:52 theatrical arts, and also a Vegas showgirl style. She looked with her costume and a real tight bikini, a real sexy body. Texas sales in Las Vegas, if you're not sexy, you're not gonna get hired. Debbie had that Vegas showgirl quality, and she was a hard worker. So in Debbie Lansai coveted role as a background dancer on fantasy, it is a dream come true. When Debbie got a part in fantasy at the Luxor, she called all of us. She was so excited. She couldn't stop talking about it.
Starting point is 00:04:26 Fantasy is an institution in Vegas. It's one of the strip's most popular burlesque shows. It's lasted decades, and it features dance performances with top musical artists. I was so proud of her. So proud of her. Because she just felt as if she was now on the same playing field as many of us featured in major productions in Las Vegas.
Starting point is 00:04:50 Debbie's ambition doesn't stop at Fantasy. Well, she starts out as a background dancer, Debbie quickly earns her way to the front of the dance line and lands a solo alongside Grammy-nominated artist, Cisco. Debbie called and told me she was excited because she was going to be doing the show with Cisco. And we all know Cisco as this dynamic entertainer. He's so talented, so popular. And his song, The Thong Song, was everywhere. The Thong Song was the Big Sing. The Thong song was the big thing. was the biggest hit Top 100.
Starting point is 00:05:39 Dancing as a soloist with the pop star Cisco is the biggest break of Debbie's career. Debbie and Cisco, shown here, practiced for weeks to perfect their routine. They practiced to make sure that they got the roll down. There's a part where I think he has to like smack her on her butt. And he kind of like patted it. And she was like, no, no, no, no, no.
Starting point is 00:06:07 You got a susser. Smack it! They had practiced that day, and then they took a break. Everyone went home. They were to reunite back that night so they could have a final practice before the red carpet opening. The final rehearsal is going to be at midnight, very, very normal for a Las Vegas show. And Debbie didn't show up.
Starting point is 00:06:41 I'm like, this is not right. It's not right at all. There's no way she's going to give up her dream opportunity and not show up for rehearsals. It was just so surprising because Debbie is a very timely and professional person. Everybody was looking for her, all the dancers. Debbie doesn't just miss midnight rehearsal. She can't be found. And when she doesn't show up to the premiere, the show has to replace her.
Starting point is 00:07:13 I get a call from my mom and she says, hey, I'm worried. I haven't heard from your sister, been trying to call her. I immediately called my sister and I went straight to voicemail. And I sent her a Facebook message and I said, hey, mom and dad are looking for you. Just please call them back. As fantasy goes on without her, Debbie has not been heard from for 24 hours. Nobody knew anything.
Starting point is 00:07:46 I decided to call her roommate, who then told me, I put a missing report out on your sister. I haven't heard from her. This is serious. And who is the person you to file it on? My roommate. Okay. How long has it been since you saw this person? Oh, I'm 30 hours. Sunday night. I had around like 7 o'clock ago. And what is this person's name? Deborah, Debbie, Flores, S.L.
Starting point is 00:08:24 I started getting anxious. I went on her Facebook and I put a message out saying, if anybody's heard from my sister, just let me know. Debbie went out of phone or her social media was unheard of. She was so very active on social media. She had a Facebook account with so many fans and she took pictures every night. And that was a dangerous thing to do
Starting point is 00:08:52 because you're letting thousands of people know where you work. It can be very, very, very dangerous for many showgirls in Las Vegas. These women are exposing themselves physically to much of male audiences. I was certain that someone had snatched her. One of her fans, maybe someone was rejected and decided to maybe seek revenge. She's a beautiful woman. She's a dancer. She's missing. Surveillance footage of Debbie leaving her apartment, walking out into the Vegas night, night where she disappears without a trace.
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Starting point is 00:12:26 which is rice and chicken, arrof con polloo. My sister, it was a terrible cook. There were times when she would try to make a meal for like her boyfriend. for like her boyfriend. We were both born in Puerto Rico. My mom was a housemaker taking care of me and my sister and my father. He worked for the military. And when we were seven and eight, we moved to Maryland,
Starting point is 00:12:58 which was completely new to us. We were in a different world. We didn't speak English, so it was like, oh my God, two new girls, and they don't speak English. We want to know what they're like. My sister and I were really close. My mother always dressed us alike. We were only a year and four months apart,
Starting point is 00:13:21 so we always had twin outfits on. She was just like a little ball of fun. She was just tiny. It's a little Debbie. Everybody always called her Little Debbie. When we were little, we would always perform in front of my mom. I just remember. I just remember doing these like Michael Jackson dances that we would practice in our room.
Starting point is 00:13:46 And then we would go present these dances to my mom. She just loved it. I met Debbie in seventh grade. I think I fell in love with Debbie probably the moment I met her. Before you even see her, you're going to hear her voice. She has this very, very loud, raspy voice. Even the way she talked, it had this like accent. It had this like spiciness to it.
Starting point is 00:14:12 Debbie really did love her friends. If I told her that I needed something for anything, she was like, I got you. Debbie always had a smile on her face, but she also had a very sexy look to her. She could really charm you with just a single look. When you look at her, you see this dark hair and these dark eyes, and she's beautiful.
Starting point is 00:14:33 She is beautiful. Of course, as friends, we all talked about goals and things we want to do. And she said she wanted to be a day. to be a dancer, but I think she didn't think that dancing would pay the bills, let's say. So she buckled down, did good in school, went to college, got her degree. Debbie went to school for international business, and during that international business, she fell in love with law, and she took several classes.
Starting point is 00:15:05 She was working at a very prominent firm in Baltimore downtown and was doing very well. very well. She had a nice condo, you know, things like that, all the things that you aspire, except she wasn't fulfilled. That one thing I think was missing. That was the dancing. Dancing at night in the club is fun, but it didn't fulfill her. She would go to salsa classes, and while she was working, she also decided to try to audition for the red-skinned cheerleaders and ended up. as a Redskins ambassador. Debbie was hired as a cheerleader ambassador.
Starting point is 00:15:50 That's a very important public facing role, really just a brand ambassador for one of the league's leading franchises. It's a big role to fill. She loved being with other girls, you know, like wearing the cheerleader outfit who doesn't love a good cheerleader skirt. He loved being the fans happy, you know, making them smile.
Starting point is 00:16:10 People are cheering you on and that's what she wanted. I couldn't believe it, but it let me know. know how much potential she had. But still, this was not enough for Debbie. I remember her personally calling me one day and say, Hey, Celeste, I'm thinking about moving to Vegas. What do you think? I told her absolutely not.
Starting point is 00:16:33 I was so upset with her. I'm like, you're going over there by yourself. My thoughts of Vegas was Sin City. You don't know anybody out there. Your friends ain't there. Your family's not there. Who is out there? Nobody wanted her.
Starting point is 00:16:44 But Debbie would not be discouraged. She was going to take a big risk. She was convinced she could do it. She was going to head west, and she was going to go and follow her dreams to Las Vegas. I first met Debbie after our initial auditions for what was the Michael Jackson. This Is It, release of his documentary film.
Starting point is 00:17:07 What stood up to me about Debbie when we first met was how much she talked. She just had so much to say, so many questions to ask, and so many ideas. So many ideas. When you're in a situation of creating a project like that, it's wise to keep your place. But Debbie was one to always just like jump in and say,
Starting point is 00:17:27 why don't we do this this way? Debbie's specific goal at that time was to be at the front of the dance line. Every time she had a big show, she was just so excited, so excited. And then of course, Debbie's promoted to that feature role with Cisco. So for those that know her, when Debbie doesn't show up for the final rehearsal, they know something must be wrong. And the alarm started going off.
Starting point is 00:18:00 She would have never not showed up. Or there's no other reason that she came to Vegas except to be at this point in time. Debbie's been missing now for 24 hours. And the police are involved after the roommate called 911. Hi, I want to try that missing person report. And what is this person's name? Debra, Debbie, Flores, S.O.
Starting point is 00:18:26 So detectives go to the apartment to talk to Debbie's roommate to learn more about what happened the night Debbie disappeared. The roommate said she was going to visit her boyfriend and then was going to work, but she never showed up to work. Detectives then obtained the surveillance video from the apartment complex, and it shows Debbie leaving her apartment just before 6 p.m. The security footage shows Debbie. dressed nicely and she's walking down the hallway and gets into the elevator in her apartment complex. She was wearing knee-high boots, dark-colored clothing. She carried a bag with her. In my opinion, it was going to be her dance clothes to go to the rehearsal late at night. Further on, there's footage of her vehicle driving out of the parking area.
Starting point is 00:19:13 If Debbie was planning to stop by her boyfriend's place on the way to this final rehearsal, detectives are going to have to go find that boyfriend and find out what he knows. Me personally, I'm thinking Debbie must have needed a break. She probably just left, didn't want to tell anybody. Parents haven't talked to her either. Nobody in Vegas has talked to her either. Well, nobody in Baltimore has talked to her. It's Christmas holidays, I should be thinking about my son's gifts and Christmas and family
Starting point is 00:19:58 And now, on my mother's birthday, I flew out there. My main focus was to find where my sister was. I didn't care who, what, when, where. I just wanted to find her alive. I was out there night and day. From the moment I woke up in the morning, I was constantly driving around. I was putting her face out there,
Starting point is 00:20:20 setting up volunteer groups to pass out flyers. Anytime that I would go outside, I would see the desert. I'm like, because she'd be out there somewhere. Look, this is Vegas. What's the old slogan they were using? That what goes in Vegas stays in Vegas or something like that? Since Vegas was invented, it was a place that people disappear to. And it's, you know, by extension, a place that people disappear from.
Starting point is 00:20:44 And it doesn't mean that a crime's been committed. Again, she could have just left. There could have been some issue. We don't know. The media is all over this. There's pressure from every direction. Debbie's disappearance attracted so much media attention. On the news, Nancy Grace.
Starting point is 00:21:03 What happened to Debbie Flores? She doesn't show up for rehearsal. She doesn't show up for a show. Seeing Celeste crying and pecking for her little sister's return was so hurtful. There's no hope or her parents. She is okay. She was everybody's sister, everybody's friend. She couldn't have an enemy.
Starting point is 00:21:26 So absolutely, let's find this. find this girl. Detectives learned from Debbie's roommate that she left her apartment prior to her final rehearsal for her show to visit her boyfriend. He was another successful Vegas performer, Jason Griffith, who was also called Blue Griffith. So when you become an artist, you have a nickname as you evolve as an artist in the entertainment entry. And so Jason Blue Griffith is known as Blue.
Starting point is 00:21:55 I learned that Jason was a very skilled and trained and professional dancer. I learned that they were dating and they were dating for a while. He danced with Tony Braxton and he was in Search to Salaid Love. And, you know, these are like made shows in Las Vegas. So the missing persons detectives contacted Jason Griffith. Well, we went to the house where Jason and another man by the name of Louis, we're living. Jason said Debbie was there. Debbie was there, but he said that she never exited her vehicle, that he only spoke to her through the open window on the driver's side of the vehicle.
Starting point is 00:22:33 She was only in the driveway for a few minutes and then left. Police also learned from Jason that he had many on-again, off-again girlfriends, and Debbie was just one of them. After detectives speak with Jason, they find that he's cooperative and not particularly suspicious. Other than that, detectives have very little to go on until Debbie's car. spotted across town. Police found her car, a 1997 Chevy prism, a nearby residents, said it sat for several days. It's awful that it has happened, and I just wish that somebody, you know, could have found her or something. The interesting thing about her car, it was kind of hidden in the backyard of an abandoned house,
Starting point is 00:23:16 so it couldn't be seen from the street, but a neighbor had realized that it shouldn't have been there and called it in. I noticed that there was a maroon car parked over there. Grab my binoculars and I went out, so I looked through the binoculars and I wrote down the license plate number. First thing I noticed that it said Maryland. I called Tuesday morning, I noticed that the license plate was missing Wednesday morning. So sometime between Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, somebody come and took the plate. When officers in that area of town recovered the car, they found clothing in the back seat. back seat that matched the clothing on the video that she had been wearing.
Starting point is 00:23:54 They found the boots that she was wearing when she left her apartment the night that she went missing. When the police found her car, it was very upsetting. She would never leave her purse, her dance bag, you know, those types of things in the car. She's a girl, you know, I gotta have lipstick, I gotta have my, whatever you need. That was a shock for me. I had been in that car many, many times with Debbie and with her belonging. and everything, that to me was, that just indicated that this was, this wasn't going to be good.
Starting point is 00:24:28 It wasn't going to turn out good. They searched the car, they searched the trunk. The properties around it were searched. We looked for video, nothing. There was no forced entry into the car. There was no blood in the car. Except for the plate being removed and put inside the trunk, there wasn't much there. Discovery of Debbie's car was a critical piece of information in this investigation, and it also
Starting point is 00:24:50 started steering the investigation towards a homicide rather than just a straight out missing person case. My parents are in distress. They're anxious, they're worried, but they're hopeful. There were times where they kind of gave up and thinking that she had already passed. And I wouldn't allow that. So the days pass. There's no body. There's no obvious crime scene. It's as if, Debbie just up and vanished into thin air. So detectives hold a news conference, and they want to encourage the public to come forward.
Starting point is 00:25:29 Has anybody seen her, heard from her? Anything that they could go on that might be a lead. Good morning. Thank you for you attending this press conference this morning to discuss the disappearance of Deborah. We believe that Deborah was last seen on Sunday, December 12th. If anyone has any information regarding the disappearance of Deborah that they please contact, the police
Starting point is 00:25:51 department through crime stoppers. While detectives wait for tips to come in, they decide to pay Jason Griffith another visit. All we really knew at this point was he was the last person reportedly to have seen her alive. During the interview with Jason, he did indicate that he knew that there was a domestic violence case where Debbie hadn't been beaten.
Starting point is 00:26:17 And Jason suggests to police that if anyone had a reason to hurt Debbie, it might be her former boyfriend. I mean, I could make that assessment that, like, you know, this is somebody that hurt her. I think it's a horrible feeling when you don't know where your loved one is and you don't have no answers. Because the longer you're out there looking for her,
Starting point is 00:26:55 the more you're thinking of possibilities and you just keep going and going and going because she'd be out there somewhere. What we know is on December 14th, A missing person's report was filed by Deborah's roommate stating that she had not seen Deborah for a couple of days. Investigators are looking at Debbie's romantic relationships to unearth any clues that might help them figure out where she is, including Jason Blue Griffith. Jason Griffith was Debbie's last known boyfriend when she disappears, and he is completely willing to cooperate with the investigation. All we really knew at this point was he was the last person.
Starting point is 00:27:36 reportedly to have seen her a lot. They have surveillance video of her leaving her apartment alone in her geoprism, and she tells everybody she's going to Jason's house and they're gonna watch Dexter. It's a TV show, and that's the last time anybody sees her. We're never hopeful to discover someone dead, but at this point, we have a firm belief that Debbie is, in fact, dead, not just missing.
Starting point is 00:28:07 We have some inconsistencies in how she was last scene, i.e. Jason Griffin's house. We have her car hidden on a different area of town from where she went missing and where she's last seen. So at this point, we're suspecting foul play. The reason we're here is Deborah, a very close friend of yours, has gone missing. And from all accounts that we have at this point, you had the last person to have seen her. Is it correct as far as you know? Yes, as far as you know. We all sat down and we did a rather lengthy interview of Jason Griffith. She's standing at your door.
Starting point is 00:28:45 You know, answer the door. You say, oh, you're there. What is she wearing? As much as you can remember, it'd be extremely helpful for us. Hair was down wearing black. Some kind of a black shirt. Some kind of a black top with everything else was black. There was nothing that stood up.
Starting point is 00:29:02 So it's like everything you say to us is going to be extremely important. to us. And I let him talk as much as he wanted to talk. There was no confrontation of any kind, and we just gathered information. Jason tells detectives that Debbie left his apartment that night, and he never saw her again. During the interview with Jason, he did indicate that he knew that there was a domestic violence case where Debbie had been beaten. It was hard for her because she had went through an abusive relationship. Jason brings up a situation from over a year prior between Debbie and one of her ex-boyfriends named Jamil McGee
Starting point is 00:29:43 I was just told that he had beat her up so there was a lawsuit that was going on we can't overlook anything you have to run everything down she said that she was you know beat up bruised and stuff like that and then she had told me that she had a case coming up so Debbie and Jamil they met in Baltimore, and they dated for a while.
Starting point is 00:30:10 And he was on the show so you think you can dance. It's going to show the world what I got, you know what I'm saying? They both decide to move across the country to Las Vegas in search of achieving their dancing dreams. But it isn't as romantic as it seems. They had a relationship that at times was slightly tumultuous. Debbie liked Broken Birds, as I would say. When she saw something wrong with someone, she always tried to do the most in trying to fix people.
Starting point is 00:30:47 Was she afraid? I could make that assessment that, like, you know, this is somebody that hurt her, this is somebody she would be afraid of. According to family and friends, the relationship was a concern. And I remember her getting, like, just crazy calls from him, and I would go to her apartment and stay with her. And I would just, like, be there just to stay with her just so. guy can be there with her. There was an allegation of abuse on his part, and he put his hands on my sister, and she took him to court.
Starting point is 00:31:19 Debbie was granted a judgment of $250,000. In the suit, she claims that Jamil committed battery against her, leaving physical scarring that limited modeling and dance work that she would have been able to be hired for. Jamil denied those claims in court. He had really messed up things with her career. because the things that she was doing, you know, she wouldn't be able to do anymore. That's what she thought. But Debbie had healed enough to be back on stage.
Starting point is 00:31:47 Those close to Debbie say she was planning to collect on that $250,000 judgment before she went missing. Wait a minute, that's $250,000. People have gone missing, have gotten hurt for less than that. That to me is a huge flag. Detectives did look at him. He alibied. He was not in Las Vegas at the time, but he was fully investigated. Jamil is completely cleared, so investigators decide to circle back and take another look at Jason. He was her most recent love interest. Who is Jason Blue Griffith?
Starting point is 00:32:24 Debbie seemed to be attracted to Jason and only Jason. Jason was attracted to all pretty girls. But if Debbie wanted a monogamous relationship, Jason was not the guy for that. I mean, at one point he told me he had six or seven girlfriends going at the same time. And his excuse for this was, this is Vegas, baby. Jason. Jason Blue Griffith.
Starting point is 00:33:00 Everyone loved him. He was very well respected in the dance community. People had nothing but great things to say about him as a person, as an artist. Debbie called me and she said, I met this guy. He's a dancer like me. What drew the two of them together? initially was the fact that they were both dancers,
Starting point is 00:33:22 and taught physical shape, good at what they did, and they were both fairly attractive. Not many people understand being an entertainer and using your body to express yourself creatively and in a passionate way. And both Blue and Debbie expressed themselves in that way. When it came to Blue, Debbie really loved his passion and how talented he was, how much fun they would have together,
Starting point is 00:33:51 how much they laughed, their ebbled. Inside jokes. She felt like they were soulmates. The problem here was that while Debbie may have felt that she and Jason were soulmates, Jason was playing the field. Debbie seemed to be attracted to Jason and only Jason. Jason was attracted to all pretty girls.
Starting point is 00:34:08 I learned that he was a playboy. He had several girlfriends. Debbie did want her relationship with Blue to be exclusive. There were rumors that there was another girl or there was others and she was being cheated on. And Debbie didn't like that. She loved them. She cared about him deeply.
Starting point is 00:34:25 He told me he had six or seven girlfriends going at the same time. And his excuse for this was, this is Vegas, baby. One of those many girlfriends is Anya's Rue, an aerialist at a show called Zumanity. And she seems to have captured Jason's heart. She was French. She's such a sweetheart.
Starting point is 00:34:44 I remember her and I did a couple industrial gigs together in Las Vegas. And I just loved her. She was very talented. You do want to look at Anyas to see if maybe she could be involved in Debbie's disappearance, or even if she can just provide information. I wanted to start off by asking about your relationship with Jason and Griffith, who you know as Blue, B-L-U. Well, that means girlfriend.
Starting point is 00:35:09 Okay. And how has your relationship with Blue progressed? How has it been recently? Recently. In the last couple of months. Ah, okay, no, because I was very, very happy with him for the first six months when I've discovered that he, in fact, kept three other,
Starting point is 00:35:34 at least three other girls at the same time as me. One is Debbie Flores, not Vez. Debbie learns about Añez and Jason dating, and she calls her. Debbie has always kind of been in contact with me since the first three weeks I did, we started dating. Aneyes did receive a phone call from Debbie, where Debbie is warning her about being involved
Starting point is 00:36:01 in a relationship with Jason. She was warning me because she had been hearing from common friends that I was a great girl, and she was like warning me not to do the same mistake she did. It seems that Debbie wants Añez to know who Jason really was, in her mind. He was a serial dater. Certainly Debbie was not okay with Jason seeing any other women.
Starting point is 00:36:25 She was aware of them. She was aware of Añez, and Anez was aware of Debbie. And there was conflict in their relationship on both relationships because of the other woman. They weren't okay with it. But apparently that's how Jason wanted to live his life. And if they wanted to be with him, they were going to have to deal with it. At some point, Anya's had enough of Debbie and the volatility. of that particular relationship.
Starting point is 00:36:51 And so she had broken things off with Jason. Anyes and Jason get back together just in time to celebrate Jason's birthday on December 10th. The same weekend Debbie goes missing. They spent parts of the weekend together at a hotel. We slept at an hotel called Rhemer. We wanted to do something different for his birthday.
Starting point is 00:37:14 He's not partying or he's not going out to club and stuff. So we went to eat and we went to eat and we went to sleep at murder. What did he say about Debbie that night? Well, that night he was saying that he explained her for real, that not even to be friends is cool. He's telling me that he explained her and that she understood. And then did you have any contact from Debbie after that?
Starting point is 00:37:41 No. Detectives quickly determined that Anyaz is not a suspect. She was pretty much cleared as being a person in interest or, you know, possibly being a suspect. Police are stuck. At this point, they have no solid leads. And then, just before Christmas, they receive a call from the Arizona State Police.
Starting point is 00:38:05 Metro received a notification that there had been a burned body found over the state line just past the Hoover Dam on the Arizona side of the river. A female with long, dark hair, with a very thin build, which matched the description. of Debbie Flores. The body had been just dumped in the middle of nowhere
Starting point is 00:38:28 just off the highway and doused with the flammable liquid and sat on fire. A gruesome discovery today investigating a possible connection between the missing dancer and a body found out at Hoover Dam. We heard that they found the body
Starting point is 00:38:46 in Arizona. I was scared. A source close to do three saying it's likely the body belongs to missing dancer. Debbie Flores-Nor-Vayez. Everyone was on pins and needles to find out if this was Debbie or not. At this point, we're suspecting foul play.
Starting point is 00:39:03 This is going to be Debbie. Every second is agonizing. The body is brought back to Las Vegas, Clark County Coroner's office. At autopsy, I learned that it was not Debbie. When it was confirmed that it was not Debbie, it kind of gave people a sigh of relief. There was a glimmer of hope that left sister's still out there, she's alive.
Starting point is 00:39:31 We have to find her. What investigators are learning is that as a couple, Debbie Flores Narvaez and Jason Griffith may have brought out the very best and also the very worst in each other. We learned that Jason and Debbie's relationship was toxic. The more we learned about their relationship, very contentious, very volatile.
Starting point is 00:40:12 I don't give a f***. I know legally. What is legally wrong? And he recorded her, unbeknownst to her, and he questioned her. He videotaped her confession. Yeah, I slashed her time. I mean, he got the whole thing on tape. My tires is not legal.
Starting point is 00:40:30 Slashing my tires is not legally legal. It is damage to property that no one witnessed. But I knew that when you came out, I am admitting it. I am admitting it. So you're admitting to property damage? Yeah. Debbie and Jason had a very fight. had a very fiery relationship.
Starting point is 00:40:47 They were either on or they were very much off. Debbie's friend Bethany suspects that the tension exists between Debbie and Jason because they have different expectations of the relationship. She wants monogamy and is exacting revenge on her cheating boyfriend. Debbie for sure wanted a serious monogamous relationship. Debbie was not the type of woman
Starting point is 00:41:13 that was not going to agree with her girl. was not going to agree to just be someone's side piece. Throughout their relationship, both Jason and Debbie call 911 on each other. 911 emergency. I'm having a domestic problem. My girlfriend would not leave my house. She just locked me out of one of my rooms.
Starting point is 00:41:36 She doesn't live there? Nope, doesn't look here. And then just a week later, another 911 call from Jason. Yeah, I just need a squad call, please. Okay, what's going on? My girlfriend just came to the house and punched out my window. And she needs to go. What's he used?
Starting point is 00:41:55 Her fist. Does she need an, is he bleeding? Um, she's bleeding, but that's her responsibility. I'm more so worried about the window. Okay. It's unusual in the moment that you would make that reaction when you're reporting that someone is hurt. But I do know that ultimately, Debbie did a lot of dance. to Jason's property.
Starting point is 00:42:16 His calls to the police paint Debbie as someone who's emotional, unstable, that possibly wants to do harm to herself because the relationship isn't going the way that she wants. Now, on the other side, you have Debbie's accusations where Jason is unfaithful, Jason is violent, you know, Jason is somebody to be feared. And you can hear in the background of this call, Debbie is clearly upset. And what's her name?
Starting point is 00:42:49 Oh, her name is Debbie. Okay. What's her last name? Okay. What's her last name? Flood. What's your... What's your...
Starting point is 00:42:58 What's her last name? You're not. Because they're going to go against you. I have no... You are a coward. Excuse me. You are a cowards. Do you hear me?
Starting point is 00:43:05 No, I can't. What's her last name? My name is Debbie Flores. In that video that Jason secretly records of Debbie, the confessions continue. I can't, no, I couldn't take it, I slapped you. Okay, oh, so you, now you assaulted me. This was after a huge fight they had, he was caught cheating, lying, manipulating, and gaslighting her.
Starting point is 00:43:28 So you're admitting that you're assaulting you? I'm admitting that I hate you? Did I look in your house? Did I look at your laptop? Then I poured egg whites on your car. did I slash three of your tires because I said, I'll give him one left. I am not going to lie by anything I'm doing.
Starting point is 00:43:46 And it was the weirdest thing to see her admitting, yes, I slashed your tires and I did only three of the four on purpose. I don't know why someone would do that, but it made perfect sense to her at the time. I learned this from Debbie. If you want to really get under someone's skin, Instead of slashing all four tires, slash three,
Starting point is 00:44:11 you have to buy your tires in sets. But I did it because you got it. You do this because you think I can't prove it? You think when I'm slashing tires, I'm like, oh, no. Do you think I had to actually tell you a slashed tire? No, you knew what's gonna be mean when you walked out. Basically, slashing the tires is this.
Starting point is 00:44:28 If you think you can be fucking me and hurt with me, right to me, I'm gonna be at me. But you, but you do it and you make sure that there's no proof that you did it, so I can't do any, take any legal action. There's going to be a breaking point. And she reached that breaking point where she slashed his tires because she's had enough.
Starting point is 00:44:46 And they broke up. It had broken things off completely for several months and didn't have any contact with each other. In October, just two months before Debbie's disappearance, she and Jason get into another fight. She was in his face. He grabbed her and threw her down and ended up pulling some of her hands. some of her hair out. So at that point she had contacted the police and he was arrested for domestic violence. When Jason was arrested, she had got a restraining order against him. And even though he wasn't supposed to be anywhere near, she
Starting point is 00:45:25 would come to his house, watch TV. It's been almost a month since Debbie's disappearance. Police don't have a body, they don't have a crime scene, they don't even have proof that Debbie's been harmed until they receive a tip about a woman who has information vital to solving the case. When we were talking to her, and that was my first thought, is why didn't you tell somebody about this? I'm scared making a statement to you. And what she tells detectives is bone-chilling.
Starting point is 00:45:56 Because obviously, if Blue can do that to her, he could do it to me. ESPN, live from Pittsburgh. The blueprint for football greatness was built here by hometown legends like Namath, Montana, and Marino. Now Fernando Mendoza, Jeremiah Luff, and the next generation are ready to show the world what they're made of. We're the first pick in the NFL draft. The 26 NFL draft, April 23rd through 25th on ABC ESPN and NFL Network. Also streaming on the ESPN app. 9-1-1, where is the emergency?
Starting point is 00:46:38 It's the middle of the night in a small town on the Jersey Shore. Someone reports an abandoned car on a bridge. Search gets underway for the missing driver, 19-year-old Sarah Stern. Is it a missing person? Is it a suicide? At this point, nobody knows. Old friendships, buried cash, and a sinister plot that was once pitched as a movie, plays out in real life. I'm Jiu Chang from 2020 and ABC Audio. Listen now to Bridge of Lies, wherever you get your podcasts. Four weeks after Debbie's disappearance, Las Vegas detectives tracked down a former girlfriend of Jason Griffith in a suburb outside of Vegas. And Calais Casorso reveals information that will break the case wide open.
Starting point is 00:47:42 We tracked her down at her place of work and got an interview from her. I'm just nervous. I'm scared. She wanted to remain anonymous, which tells me that she has information that she wants to put out there, but she wants to protect herself as well. I'm scared making a statement to you because obviously if Blue can do that to her, he could do it to me. They know where I live.
Starting point is 00:48:07 She has been involved in a relationship with Jason so she knows how he is. Clay explains that she is terrified because she believes that Jason killed Debbie and that someone else may be involved. Him and his roommate. Which roommate? You're talking about, Louis? Yeah, the big Puerto Rican guy.
Starting point is 00:48:26 Louis Colombo was Jason's roommate. Jason was popular, would have a lot of women. Louis Colombo was complete opposite, but he really cared about Jason. They were best friends. And he was willing to pretty much do anything that Jason asked him to do. It was imperative to us. Find Louis Colombo. That was our goal.
Starting point is 00:49:02 I talked to the problem with Daniel Kelly. It cannot be overstated how important. important Louis' interview was to ultimately finding Debbie. There was just an avalanche of information that Louis gave to the police helped give Debbie's family some well-deserved answers. Now you have the opportunity to do the right thing and have that girl's family know what happened and at least have that closure. You could tell he was scared. But he was playing the, you know, I don't know what you're talking.
Starting point is 00:49:37 talking about, you know, I don't get it. I don't know why I'm here. Louis Colombo did not want to be involved in the investigation at all. So what do you want? Tell us what you want right now. I just don't want to be involved. Oh, it's too. What he's trying to tell you is, it's too late.
Starting point is 00:49:55 We knew he was going to be the weak link, but we had to have something to enticing with, and the deal was the enticement. We made the decision. We're going to tell him they're not going to arrest him. I can guarantee this. You tell us what happened, and you're not getting arrested. That's my guarantee to you.
Starting point is 00:50:11 I don't know if he would ever talk if we didn't give him the deal. No. I don't want to say you're making a deal with the devil, but we wanted the information that he had. We know you wish you could rewind up. You can't. Now you've got to go forward. You need to tell us what happened. From the beginning, all the way to the end.
Starting point is 00:50:30 Lewis, did you kill the devil? No. He'll talk to him. You need to tell us what happened. Early on in the interview, there was obvious that he 100% knew what it taken place. Debbie showed up to the house. There was an argument.
Starting point is 00:50:47 Just walk us through with, what were they arguing about? I don't know. They were just arguing. They were just yelling at each other. Okay. You know, they were pushing and shoving. You know, he grabbed her. She grabbed him.
Starting point is 00:51:01 I split them apart. I saw him choke him. During the argument? During the argument. And I pulled him off her. That's why I got some water. And I asked him if they were going to be all right. try to tell her no more arguing, no more fighting.
Starting point is 00:51:16 She's still breathing, she's still talking? She is. All right? What she said to you? She said that she was all right. He's worried. And he asks both of them, can I leave you two here alone?
Starting point is 00:51:26 And can you two be civil with each other and they both say yes. Colombo says he leaves the house for about two hours. When he came home, he saw Debbie laying on the floor with a plastic bag over her head and she was not moving. and did not appear to be breathing. What he said?
Starting point is 00:51:46 He was like, like, what are you talking about? And then we watched the studio and I saw it. Like, I was in shock, you know, I was shaken. He was like, you know, this is one of those diaper change moments.
Starting point is 00:52:01 Jason said something to Louis about this being a change your diaper moment. So we had him explain that. It was a change your diaper moment. You know, hey, when I raised you, I used to change your diapers and now it's payback time. You know, I took care of you,
Starting point is 00:52:13 now it's time to take care of me. He's done a lot for me, like favors and stuff, like financially and stuff. So he was like, you know, this is one of those moments. He was very specific about what happened afterwards. He said they had a big bin that they wind up putting her in there. You helped her in the bin? Yeah. Was she cold?
Starting point is 00:52:34 Was she? You know, Debbie had driven her car over to the house to watch Dexter. And so Jason decides that we need to get rid of her car. And so Jason drove her car clear across town with Louis following him, just parked her car there in this little desert dirt lot kind of area. And then Jason gets in the car with Louis and they drive back to the house. That night, Colombo goes to his job as a bouncer at a club. Jason had a date that night.
Starting point is 00:53:04 He and Louis Colombo placed my sister in the garage. Jason went out that night with Ange to celebrate. To celebrate his birthday, they had a hotel room, he stayed the night, they had a good night as if nothing happened while my sister laid dead. We're a bag over our head in his garage. Colombo says that in the following days, Jason Griffith devises a plan to entomb Debbie's body in a block of concrete. And then Jason winds up going to Home Depot and getting a bunch of cement. His idea was to put in the concrete. So, you know, it tells me to start mixing the concrete.
Starting point is 00:53:51 I started mixing the concrete. Where? The garage. We brought it into the garage. Okay. You know, put her in the bin, put the concrete in it. How is she positioned in the bed? Like, sort of curled up, like it was an awkward fit.
Starting point is 00:54:07 It's your typical blue sterolite storage container. So when you put a 120-pound body, in there and then fill the rest up with concrete. Obviously, it's heavy. It weighed at the minimum 600 pounds. How long do you let it sit? Until the next day. Okay.
Starting point is 00:54:23 I think that's when we went to the U-Hall. We rented the U-O and what else? Dolly and a Henshaw. They rent the U-Haul and then Jason comes with a plan. They then drive it out to Jason's ex in Henderson. He called and asked me, if I would store some stuff for him. I said, all right, you know, what is it?
Starting point is 00:54:50 He's like, it's just a tub. She sees a U-Haul truck, and she looks inside, and she sees Louis and Jason trying to manhandle this big blue sterolite storage tub. So I'm like, whoa, what is that? Because I kind of got a bad feeling. And he just gave me this look, like, do you want me to tell you?
Starting point is 00:55:13 And I was like, yeah, you think you're storing that at my house, you're going to tell me what it is. And he was like, it's Debbie. And I was like, whoa, that's, no, you need to go right now. And I was very upset. So once they leave Calais,
Starting point is 00:55:31 they have to do something immediately. What they did was found this house that they knew was abandoned on Vananza Way. The body has been in this container now for a few days, and it's starting to decompose. and now you have all this decomposition fluid starts leaking out of the crack in this tub.
Starting point is 00:55:53 Yeah, so it leaked out a little bit. And there's a trail of it from the sidewalk all the way up to the front door and inside the house. And then Jason came up with Plan B, and they bought more bins, they bought more cement, they bought a, like a mini sledgehammer. So we basically like broke it out of the concrete. Dubai. Okay.
Starting point is 00:56:16 So you actually break up the cement. that's men, break up the son out, and take her out. What does she look like? Louis tells us that he can take us to where the body is. So I'm not going to abandon house. Now, the big question is, where's the house? On banana. Take us to it?
Starting point is 00:56:34 You don't have to go in, but can you take us to the house? We gotta go. We've got to get it. Lewis Colombo leads detectives to a vacant house. And what they find inside takes this case, takes this case from missing to monstrous. Jason Griffith and Louis Colombo's problems are mounting. The bin they have Debian is cracked and it's leaking all over the wood floors
Starting point is 00:57:27 in the living room of a vacant house. They came up with a plan. They bought more bins, they bought more cement, gloves, bleach, sealants, plastic bags, garbage bags. They bought a wood saw, a mini sledgehammer to chip her out of the cement. and a crowbar. Louis says that they chipped her out of the cement
Starting point is 00:57:51 and then Jason dismembered her by cutting her legs off. Had it on to two separate bins. He cut her legs off. He did. Okay. With what? I saw. Okay, then what?
Starting point is 00:58:07 Put it in plastic bags. They'll put it in the bin and put more concrete on it. Okay. You know, and put in the closet. They put the legs. in one bin and then her upper body in the other bin and put cement in with those. Then they take all the tools that they used and put in the closet of the other bedroom and seal that closet door close as well.
Starting point is 00:58:29 But they leave all the cleaning agents and odor masking agents that they had to buy so that they had worked with the body. They leave that all out in plain view in the living room. So you store her in the closet and let it send in the closet. Then he asked me to go back a couple days later just to check on it. So I bought some great stuff, like door sealing, because it's in a closet. I don't want to smell, so I sealed the door. Like, that was it. It takes a lot of coaxing for Louis Colombo to reveal what happened.
Starting point is 00:59:02 And police tell him that because he cooperated, he won't be criminally charged. And while that's a relief, he is haunted. That doesn't change how responsible I feel. Like, you can say, oh, you don't have to feel responsible. doesn't change the things that I've done that I have to live with the rest of my life. It doesn't change any of that. It doesn't change, you know,
Starting point is 00:59:24 the sleepless nights that I'm gonna have. The smell that I still smell. And it doesn't change any of that. Like, no, the thing that changes, as Jay goes to jail, possibly for the rest of his life. And, like, now I feel like, that's my fault, too. He admits to his involvement to the detectives, and he admits that he admits that,
Starting point is 00:59:46 knows where the body's at. So he ultimately takes two of our detectives to the location of the body. They have a house where they can put her body, and it's not going to be connected to them, supposedly. They knew somebody that had this house that had been deported and that the house was empty. After the interview with Louis, he jumped into my truck, and we had a caravan going. He was directing me and he pointed out the house and he said 100% she's in there. So we're pulling into the neighborhood. This is Benanza Way. This is where the house is. And we pulled up and Louis told me that's the house where her body will be, this house right here. It's one of the original houses built downtown probably back in the 30s or 40s.
Starting point is 01:00:48 It's just this tiny two bedroom house, but it had wood flooring throughout. When we got here, they opened the door. There was an odor of decomp, but it was mixed with chemical. You could literally smell it from my vehicle. You could smell bleach and other chemicals. And they noticed that there was decont drips on the walkway itself. I walked in. There was the original bin, which was this gigantic bin,
Starting point is 01:01:16 that they had about 600 pounds of cement in with her, that you couldn't lift. That was in the living room. First thing I saw was the long black hair. You could see her hair mixed in with the cement because it removed all the hair from her body. There was chunks of cement that were in the bin and some plastic. The two smaller green, 45-gallon bins were stacked inside of one of the closets which had been sealed. And they had taken them out and got them open enough to where they found the body.
Starting point is 01:01:47 She had been dismembered in two parts and put in the two bins with the two bins. cement and plastic thinking that would help with the odor but it it never does. They literally did the whole Dexter thing. If you know anything about Dexter, the way he disposed of bodies was dismembering them. It's kind of fitting, don't you think? And that was Jason's favorite TV show. After almost a month missing, Debbie is finally found. January 7th, I was in a car with my first.
Starting point is 01:02:30 friend at the time. She had taken me out to kind of relax a little bit. And I get a call on my phone and it says private number and I knew right away. I answered and he said, this is a detective. And I said, you found her? Said you found her. I knew it was that phone call. One of my friends called and said, you know, they found Debbie. And I'm thinking, good, where the hell has she been? She's like, she's not here with us anymore. Okay, what does that even mean? And she said, yeah, like they found her body,
Starting point is 01:03:18 and they definitely confirmed that it's her. But somebody with such a big personality, you don't picture things like that happen into them. I did not fathom that that was where it was going to go. When I found out what happened to her, I couldn't sleep. It was all over the news 24-7. The remains of a missing local dancer have been discovered. Sources have confirmed that the body of that missing dancer, Debbie Flores-Narvias,
Starting point is 01:03:49 was found dismembered in tubs filled with concrete. I can't believe this has got to be a bad dream. And I was hoping that Debbie would call me one day and say, you're ready to rehearse, but I never got that call. All I have is memories of her. You have someone who dances for a living. Their job depends on their beauty, their athleticism, of their gracefulness,
Starting point is 01:04:18 and to have a body just destroyed in the manner that her body was destroyed. It's a cruel irony. It's horrible. Detectives now have Debbie's body, and with the evidence pointing firmly to Jason, it's time to quickly move in. As Jason finishes his evening performance, detectives haul him back to the station for another chat. I'm going to be January 3 8, 2011 and 0.008 hours.
Starting point is 01:04:51 We're here to ask you some more questions about what happened to Debbie. 2011 and 2011 and 0.008 hours. We're here to ask you some more questions about what happened to Debbie. At this point, we knew where the body was. We knew his involvement. We didn't say, say Kalei told us these things and we didn't go, Louis mapped all this out, you know, told us all these things because we were going to parse those details out and get his reaction to them. Not much further ado, I'd like for you to tell me what happened to her.
Starting point is 01:05:42 What do you mean what happened to her? I've given my, like, what I saw. What was that? That she came to my house and then she left. I gave that account already. When you're dealing with somebody who thinks they're smarter than everybody else, You have to play them a little bit. You got to give them enough rope to run with before you can yank them back to reality. On that night when she came over,
Starting point is 01:06:04 there was an argument and it became physical and ultimately she didn't live through it. And this is, you guys are putting this together based on a lot of things, but that she didn't live through it. If you come in mean, angry, or heavy-handed, they're not going to cooperate with you. They're going to shut down. the ultimate goal is to elicit a confession.
Starting point is 01:06:29 We're in a situation where if, if when confronted with some things, that you end up saying, okay, all right, look, okay, look, this is what happened, it went too far, it was, I don't know, it was an accident, I didn't realize what happened, and then I panicked. Let's see what you guys are saying, and like, I'm just at a point, like, what are you reaching for right now? I'm not reaching for anything. And now the interview becomes an interrogation.
Starting point is 01:06:56 And everything changes in the interview, and now you start hitting them with facts, and you ask them direct questions. Did you kill Debbie? No, I didn't kill Debbie. Not on a purpose or an accident? Not on purpose or not an accident. You didn't strangle her to the point where she stopped reading?
Starting point is 01:07:10 No. There came a point in the interview where Jason decided that he wanted his lawyer present before answering any other questions. You guys are going to do your jobs. You're going to do what you're supposed to do. I don't have anything else. All right. And so we shut it down.
Starting point is 01:07:26 He was placed under arrest. You are under arrest for Debbie's murder. At the end of the interview, he was taken into custody, booked into the Clark Iron Detention Center. Four days later, Jason was charged with Debbie's murder. However, he was not charged with dismembering her body. Morning, Judge, we received a copy of the indictment with waive its formal meeting. It's going to be a not guilty plea.
Starting point is 01:07:50 I was scared to go with the arraignment. I didn't know what I was going to face, but I was sitting there. And I'm looking at this evil person, and I was trying to control myself, and I just couldn't, to the point where I just couldn't, and I screamed out. I hope you rot in hell, because exactly where I wanted to put him was in hell. And I just wanted him to rot in there the way that he allowed my sister to run. rot for weeks. Most of the families we have to deal with, this is the worst day of their life.
Starting point is 01:08:38 The losing of a loved one. I can only imagine what goes through victims' minds when they see the killer for the first time. And for those two seconds, it felt so good, but at the same time, I was stuck in a situation where I couldn't do anything about it and I had to wait. Most people would be very surprised to know how much has to go on behind the scenes in order to get a case to trial. The delays in the criminal justice system can be difficult for families. When you watch Law and Order, it takes like two weeks, right?
Starting point is 01:09:08 Reality is that it took about four and a half years to go to trial. He had no defense to, I didn't kill Debbie. The evidence was overwhelming. And so then how do you beat self-defense? In Nevada, we have to disprove self-defense beyond a reasonable doubt. This isn't going to be a case about self-defense. It's going to be a case about murder, a choice to commit that murder because he wanted something. Thank you.
Starting point is 01:09:41 Let's go ahead and have you proceed, Mr. Banks. The government does not have proof of criminal intent for first-degree murder. Our main points were Jason was afraid, and there's a hell of a lot more going on in this case. Okay, this guy killed his girlfriend, tried to hide the body of him. it's not that simple. It's a case about state of mind, self-defense, and it's about second-guessing. And the evidence is going to show that he was scared, that he was afraid, that she was violent, and that Jason Griffin was defending himself in December 12, 2010.
Starting point is 01:10:28 Prosecutors call almost two dozen witnesses to help reconstruct the events leading up to Debbie's death and its aftermath. One of those witnesses was Clay Casorso. Callaicisorso was a former lover of Jason who both Jason and Louis Colombo were going to attempt and store Debbie's body in the cement on her back patio. What did you do seeing this item that they wanted to place in your house? Of course, they didn't tell her immediately that Debbie was inside. Asked what the heck it was. And what did the defendant say? He asked if I really wanted to know.
Starting point is 01:11:08 And I said, yes, if you're going to put that here, I need to know what it is. And kind of, he just said, it's Debbie. And what was your reaction? I was shocked. My head kind of started to spin. Like, I couldn't comprehend. it. State's next witness?
Starting point is 01:11:30 Louis Columbo. Louis Columbo was present for the beginning of the incident and was one of the essential witnesses to what happened that night. When I walked in the door, I had to just look at him for a second. He was just sitting there and then he said something like, he's like, I messed up. When you walk back to the studio, what did you see? So Debbie laying on the ground of the studio. Did she appear alive or dead here?
Starting point is 01:12:03 She appeared dead. Who does the cutting? Jason dead. What are you? A hand saw. On cross-examination, Jason's attorneys don't hesitate to tell the jury that Louis Colombo was given immunity in return for his cooperation in this case. Our attempts to undercut the credibility of testimony is number one,
Starting point is 01:12:29 Anytime a person testifies with a grant of complete immunity, that automatically makes that person's testimony potentially suspect. That is a big factor in what a jury will look at on whether they believe Mr. Colombo or not. I was so upset that he was on the stand. Did he take her breath? No. But do I consider him just as bad as Jason? Absolutely. Ultimately, could he have been prosecuted?
Starting point is 01:13:05 He could have. And that's often the case in the criminal justice system. We oftentimes have to make that choice, which is how badly do we need this person? It cannot be overstated how important Louis's statement was with regard to the prosecution of Jason. So after four days of presenting evidence, we were confident that there was no doubt that the jury knew Jason killed Debbie.
Starting point is 01:13:32 It was really at that point we turned it over the defense that the real fight in the trial started. Jason was a born performer. He was comfortable in front of a crowd. And certainly as he made his calculation about whether or not he should take the witness stand, I'm sure he looked at those jurors and he thought to himself, I got this. It was about two and a half weeks, I think the trial lasted. And I have to portray this strong woman when inside I'm breaking down slowly, but I'm still holding it together, hoping that we will get justice for my sister. I ask at this time if the defense is prepared to call their first witness. We are, Judge. While the defense calls Debbie's ex-boyfriend Jamil, and they call Jason's
Starting point is 01:14:30 ex-girlfriend Anyes to the stand, their case really comes down to judge. just one person. The defense calls Jason Griffith. In claiming self-defense, Jason was compelled to testify, and his lawyers quickly sought to portray Debbie as someone that he was genuinely fearful of. And we never argue to the jury that Jason is, you know, Mother Teresa, an outstanding citizen. What we argue to the jury is he acted reasonably.
Starting point is 01:14:59 Do you recognize that? It was a note that was left on my car at the mirage. What's your understanding of who left you? Debbie left me that note. I will kill you before I let another bitch have you. I will find you wherever you hide. Love always your destiny. Is that what it says, Jason?
Starting point is 01:15:15 Yes, sir. The prior acts of domestic violence than the 911 calls would lead any reasonable person to believe when there's another incident of violence that perhaps your life might be at risk. What's going on? My ex-girlfriend is, she gets my job today,
Starting point is 01:15:34 harass me at work. at work. She's been making threats. She's following me around town. Like, just harassing stuff, we can stop. You said on the 911 call that Debbie was making threats. Tell the jury what kind of threat she was making to you. Oh, she talked about slashing my tires again. She talked about burning my house. Talked about killing me. I'll kill you. I'm not going to let nobody be with you. The volume of calls, I thought we did a decent job at showing that that was part of a pattern. He's on the receiving end of the harm. Debbie's history and Jason's history and the tumultuous nature of it was particularly relevant in this case to the defense because they, of course, wanted Debbie to look as crazy as possible, as volatile as possible.
Starting point is 01:16:30 Throughout the trial, I would see that my mother was angry. I would just kind of grab her and hold her arm. Like, I know, Mommy, and don't let this make you emotional. It was the cross-examination of Jason that the whole case was probably going to come down to. Some of the stuff Debbie did was true, right? She did Slash's tired and all of this other stuff. But when it came to the one thing he's hung his hat on, he was lying and I could prove it. So what he testified to was that one night he came out of the mirage and he came to his car and there was a note on his car.
Starting point is 01:17:12 You find that over the car, right? And so now you believe in what you've said so far. Yes. And you guys continue to have conversations, at least now, unlike before, You have a written threat to kill you, right? Yes. And he told the jury that that was written by Debbie, that he was absolutely terrified,
Starting point is 01:17:40 that this was proof that she wanted to kill him. If I get to this, you want a chance to change your answer? I don't need to change the answer, sir. You recognize that number? Yes, I know that number. Whose number is it? It's a lose number. The morning of May 22nd of 2010.
Starting point is 01:17:58 Okay. Okay, so that's the morning that the incident of the car occurs. Yep. Here's Mr. Colombo's text to you. I really thought you would know it was me. The note was actually written as a joke by Louis. And what we knew from the text messages is that Jason knew that the note was written by Louis. And he absolutely knew it as he sat on the witness stand and he testified before the jury.
Starting point is 01:18:24 His entire testimony, both direct his cross-examination, There was no way around it. He lied. I'm going to ask the officers of the court to please come forward and be sworn to take control and custody of the jury. Once you have given the evidence to the jury and you've given the case to the jury, you literally just sit and wait. The anxiety of what if this doesn't go the right way? What if he gets away with it? There is a roller coaster of emotions while you're waiting for a verdict.
Starting point is 01:18:59 Time kind of stands still. It just felt like forever. And the jury stood up, and when the verdict came in, and they said, guilty of murder of the second degree. It was a moment of justification. That everything I did for her was for that moment. I was able to breathe. And just let go for a second.
Starting point is 01:19:29 And I just remember thinking to myself, I hope that I did her proud. The judge didn't have a lot of discretion. A secondary murder conviction, there's two possible sentences. There's a life sentence, and then there's a term of years, which is 25 years. Both of them have minimum parole eligibility after 10 years. Jason was sentenced for second degree murder to 10 years to life. And I've already had to go to parole twice, to plea with the parole board to keep him in. There is no sense of closure for them, but I certainly think it's better for them to have to show up to a parole hearing than having to realize that he's completely free of the criminal justice system.
Starting point is 01:20:18 Today, Jason continues to serve out his sentence at high desert state prison, waiting for his chance of freedom. Many of the people who helped put him behind bars have long since moved on from the case. But there's one final twist to the story. This is a prepaid debit call from an offender of the Nevada Department of Collections, High Desert Correctional Center. I have great news. Malcolm in the Middle is back. My life is fantastic now. In a four-part event.
Starting point is 01:21:01 All I had to do is stay completely away from my family. Your biggest problem is that we exist? Everyone's invited to the Can't Miss reunion of the year. This family's behavior is toxic to me. We'll just take turns fighting and creating disasters. That's what families do. Malcolm in the middle. Life's still unfair. Now streaming on Hulu and Hulu on Disney Plus for bundle subscribers.
Starting point is 01:21:22 Terms apply. Ready TV 14-0. Hello, darlings. It's Lisa Vanderpump. My Hulu original reality series Vanderpump Villa is back in England, where the standards are high and the chaos unavoidable. And if you think my staff is all drama, wait until you meet the guests. Love Island, Bachelor. The challenge.
Starting point is 01:21:42 This is the white lotus of reality stars. Witness the reality star crossover event you won't want to miss. New season of Vanda Pump Villa is now streaming on Hulu and Hulu on Disney Plus. For bundle subscribers, term supply. This call is from a correction facility and is subject to monitoring and recording. Since his conviction for the murder of Debbie Flores Navajas in 2014, Jason Griffith has been waiting for his chance at parole. Capital behavior. No infractions.
Starting point is 01:22:16 No trouble. working seven days a week, making classes, doing everything I can't end, they won't give me a second chance. Jason has never agreed to a television interview before. He called 2020 from prison to speak for the first time. Debbie will not deserve to responsibility diminish what this situation is by any needs. Jason's most recent parole hearing was in 2025. Debbie's sister Celeste was there ready to oppose his release.
Starting point is 01:22:54 I knew that I would be facing parole for him. And this time around, when I walk in, the assistant at the front desk told me, well, you're the first one here. We're also waiting for his wife. I'm sorry, what? Yeah, his wife, Kaleigh. I thought I was hearing things when she said his wife, and then she said her name Kaleigh.
Starting point is 01:23:27 There was only one Calais. I was damn near shaking because I had to deal with this woman again who knew my sister for three weeks that she was missing. There are no words. I just, I couldn't speak. I was so angry. At the parole hearing, Calais spoke on Jason's behalf. And all I heard was, we just want to apologize to you select. and I'm sorry and I just lost it and I just kept crying.
Starting point is 01:24:08 I will never accept your apology ever. They both deserve each other and I hope karma finds them and delivers it every day fresh on a plate. My sister, how would I feel for accepting my apology also provides her level of peace? Then that's what she deserves. There was anything I could say to Blue. I would let him know that you hurt a lot of people. You took someone from this earth that was very loving, caring, and meant a lot to a lot of people. Why?
Starting point is 01:24:57 There wasn't any other way to resolve whatever it was in that moment. Killing somebody is not the way to resolve anything. I want to say that I am sorry that this situation ended the way that it did. And I'm sorry that it cost everyone involved. It cost them. Depression is, it's an everyday fight. The more I talk about my sister, the easier it has become. The more I talk about my emotions.
Starting point is 01:25:39 I think I thought that if I bottle it in, I don't have to feel it. I don't have to show it when I should have been talking about it and screaming about it and yelling about it and crying about it. I just really miss my friend. I wish she was here. Speaking this. You can hear Debbie come into a room before you see her.
Starting point is 01:26:01 You smile before she even walks into a room if you hear her voice. You already know what's coming in, this energy, this love, this caring person. She was so beautiful inside and out. Her spirit was so warm, so welcoming. It's so tragic that her life was cut so short. It's very hard.
Starting point is 01:26:19 and she had so much to live for her. She was a star. Took her home to Puerto Rico. And we took her to her cemetery where she lays to rest, and she sits on this beautiful mountain where she oversees like this beautiful valley. I was to visit her and I talked to her. I definitely feel as though her spirit is still with me.
Starting point is 01:26:57 It's so clear that Debbie's very It's so clear that Debbie's spirit is still being felt. By now, Jason Griffith has served 15 years of his sentence. He's been denied parole twice, most recently in 2025. And David, Debbie's sister, Celeste says, while it's painful, she is attending every parole hearing in hopes that Jason will spend the rest of his life behind bars. That's our program for tonight. Thanks so much for watching.
Starting point is 01:27:24 I'm Deborah Roberts. And I'm David Muir from all of us here at 2020 and ABC News. Good night. We gather here tonight to bring women back. to their rightful place. The Testaments, a new Hulu original series from the executive producers of The Handmaid's Tale.
Starting point is 01:28:09 It's easier to accept a story than believe that the people around you are monsters. The battle isn't over. There comes a time when you have to take action when you have to choose your own destiny. Never quite as it seems.
Starting point is 01:28:22 Watch the new Hulu original series, The Testaments. Streaming on Hulu and Hulu on Disney Plus for bundle subscribers. Terms apply.

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