20/20 - Lost in the Night: Who Murdered Jessica Currin?

Episode Date: October 25, 2025

Two key witnesses now say they lied about the murder of a young mother. Could this free a convicted killer? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

I'm John Quignores. Vanessa Guillaen, a 20-year-old soldier, vanishes while on duty at an army base in Texas. Her family demands answers. How can she go missing on a military base? That's too ridiculous. The search goes on for months. And a dark story starts to unfold.

She told her family that she was being sexually harassed. and wasn't reporting it out of fear of retribution and retaliation. What investigators finally uncover is horrifying. Find out how one soldier, a beloved sister and daughter, ignited a movement and sparked a reckoning in the U.S. military. Listen to Vanished. What happened to Vanessa? A new series from ABC Audio in 2020.

Listen now wherever you get your podcast. The new evidence that came out, nobody can't ignore it. There is a lot on the line today. He wants justice for his daughter. I want justice for my son. Police don't know, even if the crime happened here. We would not be here working on his case. We didn't truly believe that the state got it wrong.

The courtroom was packed, definitely tense. Just hours ago, breaking new developments in the Jessica Curry case. Today was a huge step. They're also fighting for us as well. I beg you. I'm so, so sorry. Stories about what happened to Jessica don't quite match up. I believe that the people that were involved,

we brought them to justice. We stand by the investigations that we did. I just don't know why it's taken so long. It's just been a long, long, 25 years. This case is not going to be got the bar. I've gotten enough right now to take all of you down. But I come to you for the truth. Hopefully someone come forward and tell what they know and the truth will come out.

Gene Curran hung her head in disbelief. Why did they get you? You tell me, didn't know or never met her, never seen her. Because I didn't know her or anything, man. I kept telling them, I don't know anything. Leave me alone. I didn't do it. She kept straight ahead down that road and down that hill.

That's the last time. That's the last time I saw Jessica. These roads are so dark. anyone in a car could have pulled up and scooped her. Why should we believe you now, after all, the lies you told? A large tornado looks like it is going to have almost a direct hit here on Mayfield. This is a confirmed tornado on the ground. The small Kentucky town of Mayfield, population of about 10,000 reduced to rubble.

This sounded like a bright train. It is scary. You can see this trailer just completely uplift. Their downtown devastated. The courthouse, the clock tower, ripped off. Much like that tornado, which left so many victims, this story has had a long-lasting impact on Mayfield, Kentucky. It involves an unspeakable crime,

a father who was a firefighter and nearly a dozen suspects. The investigation ripped through this tight-knit community, fueling rumors and leaving so many unanswered. many unanswered questions about what exactly happened to 18-year-old Jessica Curran this is our fire truck here this is a picture of the crew this is all the captains you're a captain at this fire station yes for how long well I made captain three years before I retired did you always want to be a firefighter no I I really never dreamed of being a firefighter.

No? No. No, I didn't. How did it turn out this way? Well, I was just needing a job at a time where it was hard to find one. And I ended up being a firefighter, which is something I really love, because I like helping people. I used to walk from school just down the street here, and I used to cut across here, where the fire department is. Little did you know.

A little did I know. Someday I would be in there. My name is Joe Curran and Jessica Kern was my daughter. I have four kids. Jessica is the second one. Joe, how would you describe your daughter, Jessica? She was outgoing and she was very thoughtful, friendly, passionate. She was really a person that you would want for a friend.

My name is Venetia Stubblefield. Jessica was my cousin. She was a sweet girl. She really was. She was an awesome friend. She was somebody you could sit down, laugh, talk to about eating everything, because she kept to herself. She was a beautiful girl.

Jessica Curran. Yes. How did you get to know her? She was friends with a few of my cousins. cousins. Her family owned like a fishing pond. We used to go fishing there. She was a very nice person. She's very helpful. She was very friendly. She had a baby. That's Zion. This is this is Zion. Yes, that's Zion. Jessica was 18 when she had the baby. She was a good mother. She'd check on him. She'd keep him. She'd hold him. She'd play with him. She didn't

really like to leave him much. Because that that was her first child, she adored that baby. She really did. After she got pregnant, she decided she wanted to move out all at once. And me and her brother helped her move in to the plaza apartments. And all I wanted was her to go back to school, and she had did that. She was finishing up her GED. I was a GED instructor.

And Jessica was one of my students. She was a fun loving child. And then on July 29, 2000, she vanishes. Yes. I got off work that night. My wife had I re-talked. She had told me to go by and pick up Zion. And when I went by Jessica's apartment,

she was talking with her friends, and they told me that they most likely would go over to. would go over to Venetia and her friend's house and play some cards. She got me the baby, and I put him in the car and brought him on home. We were just sitting there playing spades and listening, you can not see it, and having a couple of drinks because it was just like a basically lady's night. So take me back to July 29th. Was Jessica in a good mood that night?

Yes, she was. Yes, she was actually happy. I was actually happy. She was happy that she got to get out for a little bit and enjoy the weather and enjoy sunlight and get some air and take a break because she had been at home with her kid. I always had her little earrings in her ears,

little rings on her finger, necklaces and bracelets. What time does she decide to head out to leave the... Probably about one, 1.130-ish, almost two. I try to get her a ride home, even offer to help walk her home. And she's like, no, I'm fine, I got it. Trust me, she's like, trust me, because I got it. It would be three or four miles.

It was on the opposite side of town. That's where the plaza apartments were, at least 30 minutes, 30 to 45 minutes, I would say. We stood right here and watched her walk until we didn't see her walking no more. And she kept straight ahead down that road and down that hill. Jessica decides to head out on foot. According to Venetia, Jessica says goodbye to her friends right around here and then heads off into the darkness.

It's really crazy to me that she decided to make this walk. It's a really scary walk. And that's when we became very nervous. You knew something was wrong. And that was it, and that's the last time I saw her. There's a saying I heard on a recent trip to the south. A half-truth is a whole lie. And if there's a place that breathes life into that proverb,

it's the town of Mayfield in Graves County, Kentucky. You had to come to this town. Why did you have to physically be here in Mayfield? Anytime you come to a location, it helps you understand the scene better. Well-known podcaster Maggie Freeling dug into the Jessica Curran case. What did you wind up getting? Well, what I think we got was the lengths we go to to get justice. Her reporting culminated in the new installment of the Bone Valley podcast, season three, Graves County.

This is Graves County Chapter 1. My name is Maggie Freeling. I'm a Pulitzer-winning journalist and producer who has spent years. reporting on the criminal legal system. That's how I first heard about this case. Coming to a place like this is so important to gather information, especially in a small town where everyone's talking.

Mayfield, Kentucky. What is that place like? It's a very small town. It's pretty much like everybody knows everybody. I'm Tina Schlosser, and I taught at Mayfield Middle School. Mayfield is a nice place to live. I raised three boys there.

The people all seem to be friendly. Mayfield to me was like, although it's small and country-ish, it still reminded me like a little city. I was born and raised in Mayfield. One thing that my family was kind of big on, be careful who you party with and hang with, because you never know what they'll do to you. It wasn't a lot of crime or anything. like that. We knew that there were some kind of call themselves gangsters, little guys that, you know, try to sell drugs and stuff like that, and they got in trouble. Mayfield, Kentucky is in the area where the KKK is based out of in Kentucky.

And so there is a bit of segregation, I guess, that took place in that city. Did you face discrimination growing up? I would have to tell you the truth, yes. I had some of the teachers said that they didn't really want me in their class. It's just how it was back in those days. Sunday, July 30th, it's the morning after Jessica had gone to that card game with her friends, and her parents stopped by her apartment. We went by to pick her up to go to church that Sunday morning.

We knocked on the door, we didn't get any answer, so we went to church. And then after we got out of church, we kind of went back to her house and started asking some of the people around the neighborhood if they had seen her. And of course none of them said that they had seen her. You knew something was wrong. My wife had already said it because she hadn't called, but she normally called and checked on Zion. When I told her she's a young lady, 18, she just moved out like a week before.

That's where she had an apartment, huh? Yeah. What happens when her parents coming here that day? Jessica's not here. They instantly were worried, not wrong for her. She would never leave her son. She would never leave her son. She was in love with her son's side.

Jessica had just moved to her apartment and had plans to go to college, so things were looking up for her. But the streets had been talking about her new baby boy. What was the talk around town about her baby? That it belonged to a guy by the name of Jeremy Adams. Jeremy Adams is the father of Jessica Kern's son. I knew Jeremy, we weren't friends, but we knew each other. So he got a vibe, you know, and his vibe just never was a good vibe to me, so I never hung around him.

He was always nice. He was a sweet person, you know what I'm saying? But it's like certain people that he hung with, it's what gave him a bad name and a bad reputation. There was no relationship between Jessica and Jeremy Adams, just kind of a one-time kind of thing. He didn't want to see her anymore. She didn't want to see him anymore.

She had another boyfriend, and that was Lolo Saxton. And he seems to be a pretty good guy and, you know, pretty thoughtful. She and Joe went up in my mom's house asking about Jessica. We didn't really know what to do, so we decided we'd check around and see what we could find out. Jessica's family searches for two days, and then there's news of a startling discovery behind the middle school. On August 1st, 2000, school had an official started. We had planted some plants out back, and I wanted to check on them.

And so I was walking out back. And when I opened the door, I saw this shoe laying on the ground, and it was a sandal, and it looked like somebody had just walked out of it or ran out of it. And I looked to my left, and there was a body laying there. And I was, you know, it was just floored me to no end. The body had been burned. I mean, it was a horrible sight to see. And then you hear that a body has been found.

Yes, a body was found. And then that's when we became very nervous. We went on straight to the police department. They had completely or exactly identified her yet. Then they showed some of the jury that she had on. And most of it was my wife. It was a total shop. I mean, we didn't, never dreamed that it would be her.

It was like in shocked, like, are you serious? And it was like, wow, we just dropped our cups and just fell to ground and just cried. I can only imagine what it must be like to process your daughter being gone. Yeah, it's not easy. It's hard. Especially hard on my wife.

It's something that, stays deep in your soul. Jessica Curran gets murdered. Mm-hmm. How did you find out? It was the talk of the town. A teacher found a burned body behind Mayfield Middle School. They say it looks like a homicide.

It's scary that somebody could dump a body right almost in your front door. Somebody get killed and burned up. Definitely a big deal. I was shocked. I was angry. And it hurt. All agencies are working basically around the clock. My thought was who could have killed her. Police start hearing about rumors ripping through Mayfield. So far, police say there are no motives and no suspects.

It was like the crucible. I mean, everyone was out for everyone. This show is supported by Lazarus, a new thriller series from Amazon Prime Video. In Lazarus, best-selling mystery writer Harlan Coben returns to television with a twisted tale of lies, murder, and long-buried family secrets. The series focuses on forensic psychiatrist Dr. Joel Lazarus, known as Las to his friends. When Las first hears of his father's death, the initial theory is it was a suicide. But the suspicious circumstances tell a different story. Soon, Laz finds himself drawn into a world of murderous conspiracies and a race to find

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This looks like the police station. Wow. This is the police station. This is the police station. Like a small little house. Podcaster Maggie Freeling and I drove through Mayfield, Kentucky following the alleged path of the crime. of the crime.

Her apartment was right back here. You see it? Oh, yeah. The last building right there. On the left? And she had just moved in. She had just moved in. She had barely spent any time there.

Police video documents the day Jessica Curran's body was discovered in that schoolyard, in a place where children play, murder investigators are now at work. Police don't know how long the body has been here or even. has been here or even if the crime happened here, they do know the body had already started decomposing and there were signs of a struggle. Jessica's sandals are there, and her ripped underwear, untouched by fire,

apparently removed before she was burned. Her dress is above her waist. The middle school is about a 20-minute walk from where Venetia Stubblefield says she and Jessica said goodbye. It's a long way from her home at Mayfield. Plaza apartments. It's the middle school. We're going right over there.

So Mayfield Middle School, huh? This is the Mayfield Middle School. And back in 2000, none of this was here. So it was just this building. So right back here, we're going to walk up to this gate, there was a little garden area. area and she was found right between there. Did police initially believe she was killed here?

Initially, this is what they believed was the crime scene. Seems like someone was trying to run. Her sandal was found a little farther away from her body. It's been approximately two years since we've had our last homicide here in Mayfield. The Kentucky State Police and the state medical examiner are all called in to help work the case. A Mayfield patrolman already tapped to make detective is promoted on the spot. The day that they found her body is the day I was made a detective. Rookie detective Tim Fortner is appointed lead investigator and with the help of more experienced detectives, he will run

the case. Because I still in the uniform, they said go home and put your, you know, get you some khakis in a white shirt. And so they sent me home to do that. He came to the house and told me and my wife that he had absolutely no experience, and he didn't know what he was doing. He don't know why they put him on the case, but he was on the case and he was trying to do it. On the day that he assigned you to the Jessica Curran murder investigation, did you feel like you were qualified to handle that investigation?

Absolutely not. There was some physical evidence. There was a bell. that came into play later in the case that was found. The braided belt also, that was kind of burnt a little bit. It was kind of really, really crazy for us to find out that she'd been beaten, stringled, and then set on fire. That shows a lot of extreme hate.

The autopsy report notes Jessica suffered blunt head trauma, and based on the braided belt, found next her body strangulation. There was an issue about in particular address that Jessica had on at the time of her body being found. One of the garments that she was wearing was just basically thrown away. And I remember holding it up at the time of the autopsy asking somebody, I'm not sure who was present at the autopsy. Do you want this article of clothing? And the answer was no. Mayfield police acknowledged that Jessica's dress was not preserved. It was just, it doesn't make sense. It was just really not good.

Two days earlier, soon after authorities believed Jessica Kern was killed, a deputy sheriff encountered a man named Quincy Cross just outside Mayfield. And to ask him what the problem was, he stated, run out of gas. The deputy noted that Quincy kept pulling up his pants because he didn't have a belt on. He had a pair of dark pants on with no belt. It was a belt that was found near Jessica's body. That belt is used to kill Jessica. He was holding a gas can, attempting to try to say he spilled some gas on his pants.

They could see a little residue on the car. The accelerant that was used to... that was used to burn Jessica's body was gasoline also. The deputy gives Quincy a ride to a nearby home on Chris Drive, where Quincy had been partying earlier. He ultimately was found in possession of cocaine. He was arrested. Quincy Cross is in the county jail on drug charges

when Jessica's burned body is discovered. Correct call. All these years later, I spoke to Quincy on the phone. Do you remember being questioned about Jessica's murder in 2000? Yeah, but it didn't really bother me, you know what I'm saying? To hear, somebody asked you me questions. I kept telling I don't know nothing about that. I don't know nothing about that.

Quincy Cross says he's no killer, with little evidence to prove him wrong. Detectives turn to Jessica's cousin, Venetia, and a startling allegation. Is the person who says she last saw Jessica walking off alone, keeping secrets about her death. I was like, Mom, the police is here. She's like, what? I was like, the police is here.

The investigation in the police is here. The investigation. to the murder of Jessica Curran, who was found dead behind the Mayfield Kentucky Middle School, graduates to high school. When administrators alert police that two students may have information. When the situation happened with Jessica,

Victoria went back and allowed on me to the school's resource police officer. 17-year-old Venetia Stubblefield and 15-year-old Victoria Caldwell, two schoolmates who will be at the center of this case for the next 25 years. So how would you describe what you've been through? I was describe it as being very traumatic and not easy going at all and very hard. What was going on?

There was a lot of sexual abuse, physical abuse, mental. It was just a lot. traumatized teenager is then caught up in a murder case. When they discover Jessica's body, you were interviewed by investigators. Yes. It's about 47 p.m. Thursday, the 7th of September. I'm at the Mayfield High School in the conference room outside the principal's office. Present is myself, Detective T.M. Fortner, and also Victoria Caldwell.

Detectives pull Victoria out of class for an interview. had given me some information that possibly that you might have ever heard a conversation between somebody about the murder or homicide, whatever you want to call it, of Jessica Perrin. She tells them that before the murder, she overheard Jeremy Adams, the father of Jessica's baby, talking to Jessica's boyfriend, Carlos Saxton, nicknamed Lolo. Okay, what were they saying? Do you remember? All of them is that first journey said payback for the be worth. Paybacks, bitch?

Yeah. Okay. And he said, we're going to get a good. But what Victoria says next is more astonishing. She says Venetia, the cousin who had said Jessica walked off alone that night, was now saying Jessica was taken for a ride by Jeremy Adams. She went and told them that I approached her and told her, that I know something about a girl's body being behind the school

and a better girl being killed. No, she was walking that way. And Vanessa and Jerry, and some of the people that were in the car, I think it was like, two more people that was in the car. I guess they put it in the car or something, and I guess she was trying to fight with him. And Vanessa told him to stop the car and let me out

because I don't want to do anything. And that's why she went. That's when we get a knock at the door. And mom's like, see what he is at the door. I was like, Mom, the police is here. She's like, what? I was like, the police is here. Venicia tells detectives Victoria is lying. Victoria tells police that you said you were in a white car with Jeremy Adams that night.

Is that true? No, sir, it was not. Why was she lying? Because that's the typical person that she was, and that's the type of person, the type of stuff that she did to her friends. Six months after the murder, Grangering indicts Jeremy Adams and Carlos Saxton. Adams is charged with murder,

Saxton with complicity to commit murder. Both pled not guilty, denying any involvement in Jessica's death. Saxton and Adams, do you think the police did a good job of investigating them? I don't know. I was hoping that they did. The case relied largely on two inmates,

who police say told them Adams had confessed and implicated Saxton. A trial is set for Adams, with Saxon's trial to follow. But between crime and punishment, it all falls apart. The murder trial of Jeremy Adams was supposed to start this week, but Judge John Daudet dropped the charges. The police and prosecutors do not hand over at least 18 tapes of interviews to the defense. So the case winds up being dismissed.

The charges against Jeremy and Lolo are dropped. The case is in shambles. So is the police department. The chief and assistant chief have left the force for unrelated reasons. Mayfield hands over the case to the Kentucky State Police. This case is not going to be forgotten about by the family and friends of Jessica and current. And I can assure you this case is not going to be forgotten about Kentucky State Police.

Victoria moves to California. Detective saying the state was to take state police. Venetia is questioned repeatedly by state police. We are here today to offer you full immunity, okay? You can tell me today that you killed her, okay? And you are immune. I'm not here to charge you with anything. I will not charge you with anything, okay?

Every time she insists she had nothing to do with the death of Jessica Curran. The night that she was murdered, that night after she left us, that was it. I didn't see her no more. So whatever statements y'all got saying that I did, well, you're wrong. Because I did not see her no more that night. I had stuck with my story from the beginning when they first questioned me.

I never skipped a beat. I never switched it up. I've never changed anything out of my story. But you're telling us right now that you were not there. If y'all give me a Bible right now, I put my right hand on the God on that Bible to let y'all know that I was not done. My right hand on this Bible, but I was never in that car. in that car and I never was around. Jessica may not be here today in body,

but she is definitely here in spirit. Now an unofficial investigator emerges, a cape-wearing crusader. Susan Galbraith is one of those people who's kind of pushy and kind of just really knows everyone from around town. Again, it's a small town. She knows people.

She knows law enforcement. The day Jessica's body was found, Susan Galbrae, Susan Galbraith, who's not a police officer, was right there at the crime scene. That's when Susan says her curiosity turned into an obsession. If the cops weren't going to crack the case, she would. I am 99% sure that I know exactly what happened the night that Jesse died. Okay.

I know who killed her. The self-appointed detective interrogates Venetian. People that I've talked to are saying that you were at the scene. So they're on this with you still? I had no part in none of this. I did not. Still ahead, the citizen detective claims there's a witness willing to come forward, but in fear, for their life. She messages saying she has information, but she's scared to talk, and she doesn't know who she should talk to.

She was afraid that she was going to be hurt, injured, or killed. The Mayfield Police Department had the case for three years and didn't solve it. The state police had the case for about three years. It's now six years after Jessica Curran's murder, and Victoria Caldwell resurfaces. received was from Victoria. Victoria indicated to the police that they should look at Jeremy Adams, the father of Jessica Curran's son, and also Carlos Saxton, who is her boyfriend at the time.

Remember, charges were dropped against both men. Now living in California, Victoria reaches out to the state police and says her sister Rose has passed on an alleged threat to Victoria's life. She was yelling at you, I told you they were going to kill you. She was yelling at you that she told you they were going to kill you. Yes. That who was going to kill you? Quincey Cross, the man who was arrested reeking of gasoline just hours after Jessica vanished.

Police then speak to Rosie about that alleged death threat. Quincey directly said that you what? that he wanted to kill my sister. Okay. And do you tell you why? Due to that case, because she was running her mouth. Has Quincy or anybody else directly told you that they were involved in the murder of Jessica Curry? Judge Quincy, Quincy has told me he was involved in the murder.

I have been there when they're discussing the murder and stuff like that, him and Tamara. My name is Tamara Caldwell. Rosie and Victoria were my first cousins. We never talked to each other, really. I just didn't hang out with him. Has Tamara ever told you that Quincy was involved in this murder? Quincy never asked me or talk to me about anything, about dealing with Jessica Her and murder.

He never did. Tamara called well. Your relationship with her? That's my cousin. We really never really got along. got along just because our moms really butted heads a lot. Tamara had dated Quincy back in the day. Yeah, I thought Quincy was cute. We got along great. My kids loved them. They still love them. How odd would it be for you to call Tamara? Can you get her talking about Quincy?

Yeah, I could probably get her talking about Quincy. That same day, at the request of the state police, Rosie calls her cousin Tamara on the phone. Because you know the cops are hot on Quincy. Okay. Did you know he was involved in that murder? Yes. Okay, because I didn't know.

Somebody said that they was going to try to kill Victoria, so. Not only... Tamara doesn't acknowledge any threat against Victoria, and today, she says she doesn't even remember the call. I do not recall that conversation, that Rosie Help with me. No, I don't. The state police continue following leads and interviewing people.

Then, three months later, they speak to Quincy Cross. Who do you think killed this? I don't know, I didn't know her. Detectives honed in on that morning after Jessica disappeared. When Quincy says he left that party on Chris Drive, ran out of gasoline, spilled some on himself, and encountered a deputy on the road. He smelled gas on me.

You know what I'm saying? He's going to put that on the paper, a strong odor of gasoline like I was spending, like I'm done something. What's gasoline going on your cold? Got anything to do with anything? Oh, no, she was burnt up for one. Everybody led them to believe I had something to do with that.

Detectives also tell Quincy, they believe his belt was used to kill Jessica Curry. And I can take your belts around her neck. Oh, well. Why ain't do it? Your belt, for a minute. It's there, dude. Hey, I don't believe it's mine.

I'm telling you. You're going to be saying, yeah, it's your, okay. If it's mine, convict me. After the interview, Quincy is free to leave. The state police continue investigating, and so does Susan Galbra. The gas, the belt, and his demeanor, the night Jessica went missing. These three things made citizen investigator Susan Galbraith hone in. hone in on Quincy.

She just needed to figure out how, why, and with whom. Quincy came from out of town to this party at Chris Drive. So when Susan Galbraith starts her own citizen investigation, she finds that at this party at Chris Drive, there were two white boys, one of which turns out to be Jeff Burton. They were saying that I was seeing at a party. A lot of times people have a little house parties and stuff. I'm a teenager, so I'm able to pop in and pop out.

You know, who knows? So Susan decides she's going to make a MySpace. MySpace is the before Facebook. It was a social media platform that people used to communicate and meet each other on. If anybody had any information, she was trying to collect it to turn that over to the police. The police had not spoken with Jeffrey Burton. with Jeffrey Burton when Susan Galbraith posed his name, among others,

and what she labeled as a person of interest list on that MySpace page. She would describe that list later in court. I didn't say they did it. It was just, I just had a person of interest, but it didn't say they did anything. I could have been interested in what kind of shoes they were. A friend of mine had called me,

and he's like, you might want to get on MySpace. They're talking about your name in connection with a murder just occurring. current and I'm like button row you know this makes no sense so I'm I'm kind of freaking out and I call my mom and call my uncle when Susan Galbraith lists on my space that your nephew Jeffrey Burton is a key person of interest what goes through your mind I couldn't believe it it's don't make sense at all these aren't people that are hung around nothing like that at all a new story about what happened to Jessica

emerges. She hit over the back and put her head. She was conscious. Involving a surprising number of new suspects. They tried to make it like I was the one to struck the match and I threw it on her. I kept telling them. I don't know anything. This was the beginning of the end for me.

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So where are we here? So this is Jeff Burton's house. This is a house where they took Jessica to. She was allegedly killed. A friend of mine had called me. We're talking about your name in connection with the murder of Jessica Curran. And I'm like, what in the world? This makes no sense.

I didn't know her or anything, man. I mean, you might have got some people to write some statements against me saying whatever. I don't understand, man. Jeffrey, what does it feel like to be back here? Honestly, it kind of makes my nerves a little shaky. You want to go charge with murder, but now you tell me which way you want to go with. I didn't do nothing. I didn't do nothing.

We know what happened. No, you think you know what happened. He's an innocent man and spent all this time in prison. There's nothing physical that puts him there. There's no DNA. You told the jury that Jessica was strangled. Jessica was strangled with a belt. Yes.

Victoria's story has now changed. How much of what you testified under oath was true? None of it was true. Zero. The tornado ripped through this town and destroyed Mayfield. What it did to people was so similar to the tornado of Jessica's death that came into this town. Police don't know how long the body has been here or even if the crime happened here.

I didn't hear anything. I didn't say anything. Very spooky. So she walks off into the darkness and that's the last you hear of her. Yes, she kept straight ahead down that road and down that hill. the deal so many people were embroiled in this they had dropped the case on the two main guys we got a case here this went for years and nobody had done anything and we wanted to see you know something done with seemingly little movement in the case the current family organizes marches and the story makes headlines but reverend sharpton's national action

network plans to make Jessica Curran's murder a national concern. Around that same time, Susan Galbraith had started working with the state police. We know exactly who killed Jessica Curran. There's a lot of people that are feeling comfortable right now because they think they've got away with it, but they haven't. What do you think of Susan Galbraith? Just down this street is Mayfield Middle School, where Jessica's body was found three days after she was last seen.

And just up the street, Susan Galbraith, that citizen sleuth, found a house she strongly believed was connected to Jessica's murder. It was the home of Jeff Burton. In the year 2000, I was 20 years old. I just had a little daughter that February. A lot of the time I spent smoking, drinking, just being young, probably kind of wild a little bit. So where are we here?

So this is Jeff Burton's house. This is where it used to be. And it has since been demolished. Why did Susan Galbraith want to come here? Susan kind of honed it on Jeff. She saw that there were two white boys at this party, and that's how she got Jeff's name. And from there, she realized his house,

how close it is to the middle school. In fact, she wrote about it in an email. She did. As I walked around the house, I saw a garage. It was so eerie, felt as though time stood still. I crept over to the door and was over overwhelmed with a feeling of dread. I didn't go in for fear of tainting the scene.

I was so excited I knew I had finally found where they had Jessica. Susan would share her impressions of the visit with investigators from a third agency that's now leading the investigation. I had gotten in touch with the attorney general. And he said, I want to put somebody on that case. And then he sent down the KBI. The Kentucky Bureau of Investigations was the law enforcement arm of the Kentucky Attorney General's Office.

The two investigators were Lee Wise and Robert O'Neill. At the AG, my main function was in the drug unit. I was brought into the case, mainly because of my ability to do investigations. And part of it was that the director, David James, felt like that Afro-American black person would probably have better inroads into getting people to come. come forth and talk. These agents had not worked homicide cases, and these two agents are now working this homicide.

The one person that was instrumental in ultimately helping out on the case, Susan Galbraith, who was just a lady that was in the community, that kind of took the weight of this case, and she really wanted to see something done on it. She was on the internet, and ultimately, she got in contact with Victoria. Susan was convinced Victoria was the key to cracking the case.

What were your interactions like with Susan Galbraith? She would text me on MySpace and try to communicate with me. Asking things like what? About Jessica Kern or if I really knew anything. Victoria read one of her messages to Susan in a BBC radio program reporting on the case. I am afraid for my life. I'm sorry about what happened. I will help the police as much as I can,

but I really don't know who to trust. You ultimately decide to talk to the KBI to come forward with them. I told them a different story. This interview is being conducted at the Radisson Inn, Santa Maria, California. Victoria turned out to be Susan's missing puzzle piece. She would not only point the finger at Quincy, but at many others, including her own family. Quincy and Tamara and this white guy had pulled up to my house. You said you remember this first name?

Yeah. It was Jeffrey. And my cousin asked me if I wanted to take a ride with them. And I was like, yeah. We got right back to the same area of the little school area. They picked up Anisha. And then, Victoria says, they go pick up Jessica. Jessica gets into the car, which she got up front, in the middle of who? In the middle of Quincy and Tamara. As we were driving, I remember Quincy was Lebanon once, and Tamara was Lebanon the other side,

and she kept pushing their hands away. So I remember Quincy got mad. When we got to the White Guy's house, She had pulled up, Jessica to get out the car with them, kind of like forcing her, and they go inside, and then they go into this bedroom. And I heard yelling, and excuse me, so I was wondering what the hell was going on. And so I opened the door, and that somebody had seen Tamara quoting Jessica down and Quincy over her with the belt around her neck. I touched her neck, and I told him that she was dead. I think Quincy lifted the head and the white guy lived with the feet,

and I beat the hammer put the blanket up under her to wrap her body in it. And now they wrapped her leg, took her out of the house, put her in the back of the car. And we all got into the car, and Quincy stops to get gas, he got a cup, and he put the gas in a cup. And he gets back in the car, and that's when we ended up back at the middle school. I remember they had laid the body down, went to through the gas on her. And we should do the match. And what happens after that?

The dominoes start falling. Don't kill me, right? You want to go charge with murder? I just do nothing. This is what's last, man. This is... This is... This is...

This is... The day. This is... The day. In the vehicle, is Victoria Caldwell. A few days after, Victoria tells the KBI

how she says Jessica was murdered. Agents take her back to Mayfield, to the alleged crime scene. This is a house where they took Jessica to. She was allegedly killed. But all that's left there is a concrete slab, and no evidence is found. This is where Jeff Burton resided. The crime scene went from the middle school.

This is now the crime scene. The day after that ride-along, Victoria has taken into the Attorney General's office where she provides a videotaped statement. We're conducting a videotape interview of Victoria Caldwell. We stopped at the White Guy's house. Had you ever been in that house before? Yes. What were you doing over in his house?

My sister used to mess up. Which one? What was it? Victoria says she knew Jeffrey's house because she says her sister, Mr. Rosie was seeing Jeffrey at one point. Then, Victoria gives authorities a different version of what she says happens in the car, and how Jessica is taken inside the house.

Quince, she hit her with a bat in her head. A bat? It's kind of bad. Like a little... Where did it? Back here. What she did? She wanted conscious.

Huh? In one of the versions of the story, Jessica is hit in the car with what looks like a souvenir baseball bat. She is unconscious and carried inside. Victoria adds that Jessica was not only killed, but she says multiple people, including herself, also sexually assaulted her. It's also questionable whether she was dead or not when sexual activities were happening.

What exactly happened when and who did what? Finally, Victoria alleges a shocking motive that points the finger at the former assistant chief of the Mayfield Police Department, Ronnie Lear. Quincy could talk care on the cell phone. Who's counting to? Ronnie. My favorite. Lear. She did kept in us taking care of it.

So I remember what he said, Ms. Stanker. I want to know why this is the current word that night, do you know? She was going to tell why he'd like to go to sleeping together. Lear tells the KBI what he'd earlier told the state police that he said, that he simply did not know Jessica. I never knew who the girl was. Never seen her fool in my life? I mean, they showed me in picture,

I didn't have close who Jessica turn was. Lear also adds he didn't know Cross, and actually considered him the number one suspect. We looked at Ronnie Lear, but as far as him being active in the murder, we had no information as related to that. We took all the evidence we had, put it all together, and we sat down

with the special prosecutions, at the Attorney General's Office. That's how it all came together as we were ready to go forward with the indictments. So we started bringing people in and talking to them. Just 30 minutes north of Mayfield is the Drury Inn and Suites in Paducah, Kentucky. This low-key hotels conference room becomes ground zero for intense questioning by the KBI, the Kentucky Bureau of Investigation. of investigation.

Jeffrey, what does it feel like to be back here? Honestly, it kind of makes my nerves a little shaky again. Of course, it brings back one of the worst days of my life. It affects you even now. Yes, yes, sir. Why? Well, just because, I mean, this was the beginning of the end for me, so to speak. Today is Friday, March 23rd.

We're here conducting an interview with Jeffrey Burkman. Jeffrey's house was the location where they brought Jessica Kern's body. That's where bad things happened to her. The same people are going to stand across from you and point at you and say, meets his house, you can look as the few. I'm just kidding, it's more than certain. That's not concern. That's fear.

It has a... If that's the case, you might as well take me to do that. If that's the case, you might as well take me to jail now because I did not know her or anything, man. I mean, you might have got some people to write some statements against me saying whatever. I don't, I don't understand, man. I'm freaking out, you know what I mean? I'm really on the inside, you know, freaking out. I know I didn't rape anybody and nobody was murdering around me any time.

I'll tell you something, Jeff, anytime. Remember, Victoria says she knew Jeffrey's house because she'd been there with her sister Rosie. Jeffrey tried to deny it that he knew Rosie or that he knew Victoria. Step right up. Here we go. You ever seen this gentleman before? She was already there, so we thought we'd just bring her in. Didn't we go to school in?

We never had sex? What he's saying? And I didn't ever call me. And we never went together? No. Hey, hey. Come on now. You know that's a lie.

That's a lie. I didn't even know her. So to have her in front of me, and she's kind of looking at them and then looking back at me. Well, the last time that you were contacted by death burglings? Two months ago? Two months ago? Two months ago?

You go and take me to jail. So I'm just like, man, just if you're going to take me to jail, just take me to jail. You know what I mean? I was just over it. The truth is going to come out. What's done in the dirt. Ultimately, it's going to come to the life. That's it.

And then you're arrested. You're just end up. You're under arrest or murder. You got to go. What was it like to be led out of that hotel room in handcuffs? Just surreal. Like, I couldn't believe it was happening. It felt like a nightmare.

It was like, there's no way this is real. There's no way. But it was real. Jeffrey is arrested for multiple charges, including murder, kidnapping, and rape, and is carted off, passing Tamara Caldwell as she enters the room. It was drained.

You said I didn't do nothing, but you lied. Yes, you did. And now Quincy Cross is in the hot seat. You said Jeff Burton, you say you don't know. How can a person lie on you that you don't know? Man, look, you figured it out. That's for you. You investigated.

You figured that you. You figured that you. I was down in the cruiser for, like, for like hours. The first time I went up to the room, it was probably 1 o'clock in the morning. The detectives questioned Tamara Caldwell about knowing Jeffrey Burton. Tamara, did you know the guy just walked out of here? You ever seen it before? The one that was just in this chair?

No, I don't. I promise. I don't know, no. I don't know nothing. You wasn't with him in the night? Chesa girl was my wife? No, I was not. I didn't hang out with Jeff Bergen. I knew him from school. That's it. Those interviews were brutal.

It was draining because I kept telling them. I don't know anything. Leave me alone. I don't know anything. You want to go charge with murder, or you want to just be charged with being there and sexually molesting that girl. Now, you tell me which way you want to go with.

I didn't do nothing. I didn't do nothing. I didn't do nothing. Do that. I'm saying about it. Y'all have promised. I didn't do nothing. I don't know nothing about this.

I don't know nothing about it. I was at home when this happened. The detectives hammer home that they believe Tamara and Quincy were the ringleaders of this crime. Q. Murder. Jessica. It's up to you whether you go to jail on the charge that you can get out on or whether you go on murder.

But you go on murder. So we're giving you the opportunity. You the captain, right along with Quincy. I don't know nothing about this. All I know is I met him in jail. How could I have anything to do with it? And this happened in 2000. I didn't know Quincy Cross until 2002.

So how could I have anything to do with it, period? How did I get brought into this, period? Tamara says she and Quincy parted ways in 2005. You know, with them being charged together, obviously they want to make as much distance between themselves as they can. Both Tamara and Quincy are being charged with murder, kidnapping, and rape. At the time, Quincy was 30 years old, born and raised in Tennessee, and from a big family, he'd been in trouble before with the law.

Quincy Cross was involved in narcotics and drugs. That's verified. He's known as drug dealer. We come from a close-knit family. Quincy is my protective big brother. He was fun. He was definitely outspoken, but he also was nurturing.

He didn't meet many strangers because he was funny. He was a jokester. He had conducted this interview with Quincy Cross, who is currently present with us. We interviewed him for probably two hours. We know what happened.

No, you think you were We know what happened. Okay. All right. We might have missed the point. We might have missed the point here and there. But we know what happened? If you know, what about it?

We're giving you a chance to come clean. Ain't no need to come clean when you already know. We're giving you a chance to have a piece with yourself. Well, I'm just what piece is. I don't want to have it. I ain't got nothing to do with it. You said Jeff Burton. You say you don't know.

How can a person lie on you that you don't know? You're investigating. You're fucking . I have to ask you, did you kill Jessica Kerri? Jessica Curran. No, I did not kill Jessica Kern. Or have anything to do with kissing Jessica Kern.

Or do anybody they killed Jessica Kern. Did you rake Jessica Oh, I did not kill Jessica? I did not rape Jessica. I didn't even know Jessica's. Let's get that in line. I never knew Jessica. Were you involved in any way with Jessica's murder?

No, I was not. No, I was not. Anyway, no kind of way. Were you in the car with Venetia the night Jessica was murdered? I didn't even know Venetia. Yet according to the KBI, Venetia is just one of several eyewitnesses who places Quincy at the center of this case. The story that we got from Victoria

and the story that we got from Venetia was consistent in a lot of areas. Venetia, what was that? Like, was scuffling and... So what's stuff? Quincy and Jessica. Full to her. And who?

Tamara. What's your bird doing? He was walking in the house behind me in Victoria. Anacia, she was another hard interview because she was very emotional. I have ADHD and then I have a comprehension disorder. And it's like a lot of things, it's hard for me to comprehend. After almost five hours of interrogation, Venetia admits that she was there the night Jessica was killed.

Look at you know, Jessica wasn't entirely all the way. Because she was what? I think it. She was dead. Y'all killed her, right? But you too, you know, slow in the mind. slow in the mind you can't remember nothing else right around I was thinking who brought that car over there you know you know it's just talking it's

confusing me I asked you what happened to be just in that car you know it seems like she was trying to remember what happened that she was kind of befuddled. What you do to the body? To get a move that you'll do for some. Where did you move to then? I'm going to understand. Victoria and Venetia are charged with evidence tampering

and abuse of a corpse. They both pleaded guilty. Venetia and Victoria will testify against the others. Being locked up behind bars, it took like a big toll on me. Despite their repeated denials and a lack of forensic evidence, Quincy, Jeffrey, and Tamara head to trial, their lives in the balance, and a wrench thrown into the case.

A weapon, prosecutors say, was buried in a backyard. How do you know that this is the same pool that was used to hit Jesse? 20th Century Studios presents, Springsteen. One time! Dance like us! Maybe we were born. Witness a true story of risking it all. These new songs, they're the only thing making sense to me right now.

To fight for what you believe in. This is not been good for Bruce. I don't need to be perfect. I just know it to feel right. Springsteen, Ready PG-13. Parental guidance suggested for children under 13. Now playing only in Peter. The motive for Jessica Kern's murder is still unclear at this time.

The connection between the three people arrested for her murder has not been confirmed either. They were going to try me, Quincy, and Tamer together, and they separated it to where they did Quincy by itself. Hundreds of potential jurors showed up today. Quincy Omar Cross sat in court with his attorneys. The Curran family prayed before the trial began. The trial is moved from Graves County to Hickman County because of all of the media attention and how big this case was. The Jessica Curran murder trial began early this morning here in Clinton, Kentucky, which allowed the prosecution to get right into laying their case against Quincy Omar Cross.

Jessica Curran was sexually assaulted and brutally murdered by the defendant, and I will ask you find the defendant, the defendant, Quincy, Omar Cross, guilty. Over the course of the next week, in a trial captured on sometimes grainy VHS tape, the prosecution calls more than 30 witnesses, starting with Jessica's family. You recognize that as Jessica's shoe?

Yes, ma'am. Yes, these are hers. People who are at the Chris Drive party testify about seeing Quincy wave his belt around around and talk about wanting to go find girls. I've been really swinging at any second in the night. Quincy's defense points out that many people were a similar belt. Yes, sir.

Yes, sir. I suppose. Other witnesses testify that Quincy Cross told them he was involved in Jessica's death. And he's like, well, you're told on me for killing that girl. She overheard something that she wasn't supposed to hear. and we had to take care of that. We kind of brushed him off because we thought he's always talking big.

He said, I, which is Quincey Cross, killed Jessica Kern, and he said, if y'all say anything, that I'm going to do you the same way. I did her. Quincy Cross would just kind of sit there in the courtroom like he wasn't really worried about it. And he wasn't scared of nothing. He's just relaxed.

Jessica's cousin, Venetia, who initially said Jessica had walked Jessica had walked home now testifies that she Quincy and others went to Jeffrey's house that night Jessica went in to the house yes to me how did she get in the house he made a walk in there Venetia says that Quincy led Jessica inside and killed her who killed Jessica Gurney Quincy Cross how did he do that We're not saying he was standing over with a bed in his hand around her name. But the star witness for the prosecution is Victoria Caldwell, who has been at the center of the case since the beginning.

Doris, Victoria Caldwell. Were you nervous? Yes, I was very nervous. Victoria testifies over several days, saying that after they picked up Jessica, Quincy knocked Jessica unconscious in the car in the driveway, of Jeffrey Burden's home. You know, Carter, Quincy and Jerry

Jessica's good body to the side of the side door. You told the jury that Jessica was strangled with a belt. Yes. She just kept plowing and flowing, pulling on it. You could, like, hear, like, gasping for air.

It was hard for me to believe that they could have been that cold and callous. Then, Victoria, changes her story. Now saying Quincy Cross struck Jessica twice, once with a bat, the second time with a ratchet wrench. That's the tool that was used. It's a long tool and in the middle because like a little knob that makes the clicking noise. Law enforcement officers say they find the object buried in Victoria's Sister's yard. How do you know that this is the same tool that was used to hit

Jessica? I know that I'm the one of buried it. Nobody mentioned the clicking ratchet until after it was found. They were always saying metal pad until the ratchet was found, and then all of a sudden. Two days later is the first mention of a metal ratchet with clicking sound. Isn't that amazing? There are glaring inconsistencies in Victoria and Venetia's statements. Like, Venetia cannot confidently say if Quincy, Jeff, or Tamara struck Jessica with any object.

When we look at the totality of this case, we have independent cooperation. Talking to Victoria is consistent with the important areas of what Venetia said. We're going to mainly look at the credibility of Victoria and Venetia. And there's no way they both can be telling the truth. They both admitted that they lie to the commonwealth all the way up to the very end. The defense strategy was to question the credibility of everything, from the circumstantial evidence to the prosecution's witness testimony. You always saw the case, no.

You told the police that Jessica was murdered because she was going to tell Ronnie Lear's wife that he was sleeping with her, right? Oh, I guess. That was a lot, too, wasn't it not? Yes. There is no physical evidence that connects Quincy to you. Jessica, to that crime scene at the middle school. When I spoke to Quincy on the phone, I asked him about Jessica's murder.

Why would Victoria and Venetia point the finger at you? Okay. I'd never knew Victoria. I never knew what I'd never knew what he was lying away. The verdict is next, and what happens to those co-defendants? They're going to do the same thing to me over alive. How the hell is this happening? And what those witnesses at the trial told me about their testimony. You're now saying that what you testified to in court was a lie. On the day that the verdict came, I remember being outside with some family. We thought on a capital murder case, it would take a while, but it, it,

It took very little time. We, the jury, find the defendant guilty of murder under instruction number seven. The jury deliberated only three hours and came back with a guilty verdict. My whole family was devastated. How is this real? Like, is this actually happening? What went through your mind when you heard the word guilty? You see, it was heartbreaking to be that person for one.

and for the world to see that of me, and for the people that believe that, you know, that took me down to a dark place right there. I was glad to see somebody, you know, get punishment for it. I told them I didn't want to have a death penalty. I could do life without the possibility in parole, but I wouldn't do a death penalty. After Quincy was convicted, everyone else who was going up for trial was terrified.

Well, certainly we were concerned after that guilty verdict. At first I'm ready, gunhole, ready, and now I'm just like, they're going to do the same thing to me over a line. How the hell is this happening? I was like, they're going to kill me now. What is going on? They convict him? They definitely going to convict us. Jeffrey and Tamara took plea deals for the lesser charge of manslaughter and the abuse of a corpse.

Jeff and Tamara both took what is called an Alford plea and it's basically saying I'm telling you I didn't do this but I'm acknowledging that the state has enough evidence to convict me and I didn't know that they look at it as a guilty plea but I'm scared to death what they've done to Quincy over a lie so I'm like man they're going to do the same thing to me so I did like seven years

I took the Alford plea because my public defender said that I wouldn't get much time I got 15 years, but I served five years, eight months, and two days. It was awful. I had to quit my job to take care of my daughter's kids. They asked for mama every day. So when Jeff took that plea, he agreed to be a convicted felon. Everything kind of fell apart after that.

The unthinkable thing happens to you. And then, you know, people that don't know you think you're a murderer, or you killed somebody. Jeffrey's oldest daughter, Shaila, was just seven years old when he went to prison. This is you visiting him in prison. That's probably right after it happened. I was about, I would say eight or nine in that one.

And still just trying to enjoy the moments. Did anybody tell you why he was there? No one told me specifically what had happened. But over the years, I heard stuff, figured stuff out. And as I've gotten older, I totally get it. He's an innocent man and spent all this time in prison. Did you ever wonder maybe my dad did do this? Never.

Never. No. Why not? Because that's my dad. I know him and he wouldn't hurt a fly. For years, Quincy tried appealing his conviction to no avail. But he's now gained an army of advocates. It's a very strong, supportive group of people

who will not take no for an answer. I just believe in giving a voice to the voiceless. My goal is to get Quincy Cross out. He doesn't have a piece of evidence that links him toward anything. And I know in my heart that he's innocent because there's nothing physical that puts him there. There's no DNA. Quincy's supporters have worked to garner attention for his cause. It was very exciting for me to be told that there was a podcast that was going to be done.

There is a new six-part podcast, Bone Valley Season 3, Graves Counts. which explores the Jessica Curran case. This is Graves County, Chapter 6, Something Rotten. Now, more than two decades after the murder of Jessica Curran, the Kentucky Innocence Project has taken on Quincy's case. There were a lot of markers of potential wrongful conviction. We believe we have the evidence to exonerate him and walk him out of prison, so that's our goal.

The Kentucky Innocence Project had their work cut out for them. It's very hard to get a conviction overturned in the state of Kentucky, or in most of the country, really. One of the many hurdles is that Quincy's attorneys have to present new evidence that points to his innocence. They have filed a motion to vacate his conviction that includes new claims about those key witnesses at the trial. Venetia Stubblefield and Victoria Caldwell in particular have, said that they lied at the trial. You're now saying that that story,

that what you testified to in court, was a lie. Yes, I didn't know nothing of that case. I didn't even know nothing about the murder even being took place. So why did you say that? Because I was forced to say it. That's the thing. What did you say at the trial? I was forced to say that Quincy Cross took part in it.

I was forced to say that Jeffrey Burton and Tamara Caldwell had part in it knowing that they didn't. Were you, in fact, involved in that case? No, not at all. How much of what you testified under oath was true and how much was not? None of it was true. Zero. Zero. Nothing was true.

I don't know nothing about this case. I wasn't there. I don't know all the people. You testified about disturbing sexual acts involving Jessica's body. Did those take place? No. Not at all. Like I said, I wasn't there. I don't know. anything at all. But if it never happened, why provide such graphic detail? Because they told me what to say.

In response to the motion, the state denies that witnesses were pressured to fabricate their stories or told what to say. They also point to this affidavit from 2016, where Victoria refutes that she lied at trial or was told to say something that wasn't true. wasn't true. We never tried to get anybody to say anything that was not true. Well, there is this thing called evidence,

justice and juries, and they weighed all the evidence, and Quincy's in prison. There's only been one conspiracy, and that's a conspiracy to kill Jessica Kern and to try to get away with it. The state stands by Quincy's conviction. It argues that Victoria and Venetia's many lies lies to investigators were brought up at the trial and that a jury still convicted him. Why should we believe you now after all the lies you told?

I feel like I should believe because people who really know me know that I'm a genuine person. I would never put innocent people away. I would never do it. Has anyone paid you or pressured you? No. No. Not at all. You're doing this because... I'm tired and I think it's time for the truth to come out.

What would you say to them? I would apologize to them and I would tell them how sorry I am for them to get convicted. But truly and honestly from the bottom of my heart, I hope that each and every one of y'all can forgive me. Can you forgive them? Oh, Stephanie, I can forgive. I already forget. Now, it all comes down. It all comes down to this. A court date just hours ago for a hearing that may lead

to a new trial for Quincy. And I have an interest in the truth coming out. All right, Kip File Room. I think it's probably in one of the these working files. Yeah. Here's the KBI investigation. We are preparing to present all of the new evidence, the mountain of new evidence, all of the

different pieces that we have uncovered since trial that is new that we believe a jury should have heard. It's different, right? It all comes down to this hearing and this makeshift courthouse. It's a big deal, and for a long time we didn't have no voice. The Innocence Project making their case for Quincy to get a new trial. This could be your last chance. Hey, it's a high.

Sometimes we deal cars that we got to play, you know, but I know that I've done no wrong. I am anxious. I'm hoping for the best. There is a lot on the line today and just potentially can free us, so to speak. Oh, rise. Multiple witnesses and co-defendants gave perjured testimony that they have now recanted. And the now recanted statement is the only evidence that ever linked Mr. Cross to this crime. I would just refer the court to the case law that recanted testimony after trial is viewed with distrust.

I know I'm going to have an evidentiary hearing. I'm going to focus only on the recantations of Venetia Stubblefield, Victoria, called well. A major victory for Quincy and his supporters. We are very pleased with the judge's decision. We look forward to being able to put on the evidence in support of Quincy's innocence at the hearing. Witnesses like Venetia and Victoria will be heard

in person to tell their stories to the court. Also what happened in the courtroom, as the judge said, you know, if they get back up on the stand and say we lied, that's perjury. So that's a huge. consideration for them and just outside the court Jeff Burton on his knees pleading with Venetia I'm crazy okay and I'm so so sorry and Venetia said you know they ruined my life too I will do the right thing I always said that through

all of this something good's got to come out of it you know each other you know each other Yes, sir. We know each other. How you doing? Quincy's dad has an unlikely ally joining him in this fight. This is very unusual, the father of the victim and the father of the man convicted of killing her, joining forces, trying to get answers. Everybody thinks that this is a odd couple. We're not a odd couple, because we want the same thing.

He wants justice for his daughter. I want justice for my son. I just don't think he could do the stuff that was done. Tragedy brought you together. Tragedy brought us together. And it's gonna keep us together until we get what we need. Justice. I can't say I feel his pain,

but I know he feels my pain, and I feel some of his pain. Do I think that Joe can find some comfort in knowing He helped Quincy, I think, is the most that he can get. We've suffered through it a long, long time. And we just don't feel like we have a completion. Just for Jessica would be finding the real people that murdered her. Sometimes I do believe she's guiding me.

I do believe that she want me to stay. that she want me to stay on the case all the way to the end to the truth comes out. My promise to her is I won't ever stop. I don't quit. That's our program for tonight. Thanks so much for watching. I'm Deborah Roberts. And I'm David Muir from all of us here at 2020 and ABC News. Good night.