48 Hours - The Ring: The Murder of Patrick De La Cerda

Episode Date: November 14, 2021

An undelivered engagement ring leads to murder. "48 Hours" correspondent Peter Van Sant reports.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Wondery Plus subscribers can listen to this podcast ad-free right now. Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app today. Even if you love the thrill of true crime stories as much as I do, there are times when you want to mix it up. And that's where Audible comes in, with all the genres you love and new ones to discover. Explore thousands of audiobooks, podcasts, and originals, with more added all the time. thousands of audiobooks, podcasts, and originals, with more added all the time. Listening to Audible can lead to positive change in your mood, your habits,

and even your overall well-being. And you can enjoy Audible anytime, while doing household chores, exercising, commuting, you name it. There's more to imagine when you listen. Sign up for a free 30-day Audible trial and your first audiobook is free. Visit audible.ca. In 2014, Laura Heavlin was in her home in Tennessee when she received a call from California. Her daughter, Erin Corwin, was missing. The young wife of a Marine had moved to the California desert

to a remote base near Joshua Tree National Park. They have to alert the military. And when they do, the NCIS gets involved. From CBS Studios and CBS News, this is 48 Hours NCIS. Listen to 48 Hours NCIS ad-free starting October 29th on Amazon Music. I was looking forward to getting married. We were going to have, like, the fairytale life. We first met online, it was in June of 2017. Patrick was definitely movie star handsome.

He definitely had the whole package. I am Jessica Devnani, and Patrick de la Cerda was my fiancé. This is your engagement ring. Yes. It's beautiful. Thank you. He never got to give it to me. Patrick DeLicerto is planning his future.

Him and Jessica were looking forward to moving towards West Palm. That's where Patrick's mother, Patricia, lived. And one day he came and he said, this one is the one this one is the one and he was waiting for the ring that morning just started off a normal morning for him and jessica they texted each other good morning i love you he had got a phone call from his dad saying that there was a package being delivered at the gate. He thought it was the ring that was coming in that day. So Patrick then goes down probably looking forward to this, right?

Yes. He would usually call her and it was about the time she was getting to work which you know made her worry and it's like she instinctually knew something was wrong at that point and why were you afraid for patrick i was afraid because of the threats that were made in the past i'm making a phone call i'm giving giving instructions. And I'm going to have my plan put into action. You felt at that moment that something terrible may have happened. Yes. I left work right away to be on my way to check on Patrick.

You get here as quickly as you can? Yes. I got up right along this path. I had to climb the fence. I don't think Patrick de la Serta had any idea what was waiting for him on the other side of that door. There was multiple shots fired. Patrick was hit multiple times.

It appeared that he was killed in ambush style. And I'll never forget the scene. It's still in my head every day. It was just the worst thing you could ever see in your entire life. It was just the worst thing you could ever see in your entire life. Clearly this wasn't a random killing. Someone had a vendetta against Patrick. It was personal and it was planned.

It was an assassination. My whole future was taken away from me. My whole world was taken away from me. My whole world was taken away. Chairs, officers, get in there and come out now! Hot shot Australian attorney Nicola Gaba was born into legal royalty. Her specialty? Representing some of the city's most infamous gangland criminals. However, while Nicola held the underworld's darkest secrets, the most dangerous secret was her own. She's going to all the major groups within Melbourne's underworld, and she's informing on them all. I'm Marha Clark, host of the new podcast, Informants Lawyer X. In my long career in criminal justice as a prosecutor

and defence attorney, I've seen some crazy cases, and this one belongs right at the top of the list. She was addicted to the game she had created. She just didn't know how to stop. Now, through dramatic interviews and access, I'll reveal the truth behind one of the world's most shocking legal scandals. Listen to Informant's Lawyer X exclusively on Wondery Plus. Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. And listen to more Exhibit C true crime shows early and ad-free right now. As a kid growing up in Chicago, there was one horror movie I was too scared to watch.

It was called Candyman. The scary cult classic was set in a Chicago housing project. It was about this supernatural killer who would attack his victims if they said his name five times into a bathroom mirror. Candyman. Candyman? Now, we all know chanting a name won't make a killer magically appear,

but did you know that the movie Candyman was partly inspired by an actual murder? I was struck by both how spooky it was, but also how outrageous it was. We're going to talk to the people who were there. And we're also going to uncover the larger story. My architect was shocked when he saw how this was created. Literally shocked. And we'll look at what the story tells us about injustice in America. If you really believed in tough on crime, then you wouldn't make it easy to crawl into medicine cabinets and kill our women. Listen to Candyman, the true story behind the bathroom mirror murder, early and ad-free with a 48-hour plus subscription on Apple Podcasts.

That day we were at the office, kind of going through casework and paperwork and things like that. What started as a slow Tuesday morning back in 2018 for Volusia County, Florida, Sheriff's Detective Chad Weaver changed dramatically. 911, where's your emergency? When this fragmented 911 call from a neighbor reporting Patrick DeLaSerta's death came in. Um, um, has been shot and killed. When did that happen? I don't know. death came in. Within minutes, sheriff's deputies, wearing body cameras, entered this lush, nine-acre compound on the outskirts of deltona

worried that the killer may still be here when the deputies showed up they had their guns out and preparing for the worst but hoping for the best with the gunman still at large detective weaver took charge of the crime scene as TV news choppers hovered above. As we walked up to that area, you could see a male, looked like he was in his early 20s, appeared to have suffered from multiple gunshot wounds. Deputies say someone shot right through his front door. 25-year-old Patrick De La Serta had been shot four times by a high-powered rifle right in the doorway of the house he shared with his father, Max, who was out of town that day.

I never got to say goodbye to my son. I never got to talk to him. Nothing. You could see the front door was open. There was glass all over the place. There was a lot of blood. You know, right off the bat, you're going, okay, this is probably going to be a whodunit. At the scene, Detective Weaver and several deputies approached a traumatized Jessica Devnani, Patrick's 29-year-old fiancée. My boyfriend's house is a cat's house.

I was just walking in circles around, like, the front yard, just pacing up and down. Ma'am, come over here. Stay here behind the tree. Just two months earlier, at this very location, Patrick had popped the question to Jessica and presented her with this temporary engagement ring. It just came out of nowhere. He just asked, like, you know, will you marry me? And what did you say? Of course I said yes. I was so excited.

The marriage proposal couldn't have come at a better time for Jessica, who worked as a bank teller. Months earlier, she had ended a tumultuous eight-year relationship and then met Patrick on a dating app. We just fell in love like right away. It was a connection from the beginning, so it was kind of like love at first sight. Jessica and Patrick, who worked a construction job with his father, part've got the builder. partied and played together as their romance blossomed. Patrick ordered this custom-made work of art to be delivered to his home for Jessica's permanent engagement ring.

He was a romantic, says his mother, Patricia Rons. Patrick was a wonderful son, and he loved kids, he loved babies, and I really was looking forward to have grandchildren from him. Jessica and Patrick lived in different cities. She was in Orlando, while Patrick lived with his father in Deltona, 30 miles away. On the night of February 26, 2018, Patrick left her this sweet voicemail. It would be the last voicemail she would ever receive from her love. The next day, a series of what seemed like random

events would change everything. The first came when Patrick's father, Max, who was 70 miles away working on a construction job, received a phone call. So Max gets a phone call from an unknown person stating that they have a package to deliver to his son, Patrick. Max hangs up the phone. He tries to call Patrick. Patrick doesn't answer, so he sends him a text message. Hey, there's someone with a delivery. Max never hears from Patrick again after that. He never answers, never responds.

Meanwhile, Max and Jessica kept calling Patrick with no luck. Jessica feared the worst because of those disturbing threats the couple had received. You're thinking he's been harmed? Yes. Yes, for sure. Max and Jessica rushed to the house. She got there first. I'm approaching the front door, and that's where his body laid. Patrick just laying there in this big pool of blood, and just, he was just lifeless. Soon after Jessica discovered her fiancé's body, Patrick's dad arrived.

He took us back to the crime scene with Jessica. My son was lying down there. His head was right there. His foot was still on top of this. So that means that he fell back. And that tells you the gunman was right here. Yes, that tells me the gunman was exactly... Because no bullet can take a right-hand turn. Exactly. The guy was right there.

My son saw this guy. He turned around, and the guy shot him, because my son was just like this. My son was like this. Wow. Detective Weaver's team combed through the house. They soon discovered that the killer had taken Patrick's computer. We got a camera above us too. And the hard drive from the home security camera system. Investigators also recovered unique shell casings from 300 blackout ammunition, bullets often used in semi-automatic weapons like an AR-15. When we saw the shell casings

with how close they were to the body, with how close they were to the body. Immediately realized that this was a calculated murder. This was planned. But why would anyone want to kill Patrick DeLacerda? Weaver learned about a bizarre incident in 2017. In a strange twist, News 6 discovered the young man has been shot at before. When Patrick called police, saying his neighbor had fired some bullets after arguments back and forth about trespassing, Patrick wasn't harmed. There had been some complaints, and Patrick felt that the neighbor was shooting towards their house.

This is night footage of the man being tackled and arrested by police for that incident. It was an intriguing lead until Weaver learned the man was in custody on the day Patrick was murdered. So we were able to check him off the list. Detective Weaver then focused on some ominous voicemails that had been discovered. Call me back and talk to me. Which led them to a man that Patrick and Jessica knew quite well. I'll talk to you soon, I hope. I was really scared because, like, he was always shadowing my life. Learn more about Jessica and Patrick's relationship at 48hours.com.

Learn more about Jessica and Patrick's relationship at 48hours.com. A couple in love with everything in front of them. Dreams of marriage and family about to come true. Jessica, look this way. Then came February 27, 2018, when Jessica Devnani came upon her fiancé, Patrick De La Cerda, in a pool of blood at his home, shot four times at close range by an assassin. I think my mind just doesn't want to accept it.

My whole future was taken away from me. My whole world was taken away from me. My whole world was taken away. The ambush-style assault of Patrick made it seem like the killer was lying in wait. Detective Chad Weaver was hoping Jessica might have a lead that would jumpstart his investigation. And we were speaking to her about any enemies or any problems with anyone that Patrick had had. The detective learned that there was someone who wasn't happy with Jessica and Patrick's whirlwind romance. Who was that person? My ex, Gregory Bender. Jessica told Detective Weaver that right before she met Patrick, she broke up with Bender, her ex-boyfriend of eight years.

It was a breakup that he was not happy with. He was not accepting of it. It's almost like he never left. He was always shadowing my life. He was not accepting of it at all. He was very controlling. And as Weaver was about to learn, Jessica and Bender had a very complicated love-hate kind of relationship over the eight years they were together.

He could be very charming and manipulative. At 42 years old, Bender was almost twice Jessica's age when they first met online in 2009. He was a successful hedge fund manager who lived in this house in Windermere, a wealthy suburb outside of Orlando. He had a very charismatic personality. He was very intelligent. It felt like we'd known each other all our lives. He became my best friend. Was he a down-to-earth kind of guy? Not so much in the sense that he did like to show off. He loved fast cars and he loved guns as well. that he did like to show off. He loved fast cars and he loved guns as well. But what, if anything, did Gregory Bender have to do with Patrick's death? Detective Weaver wanted to know more.

Patrick was middle class, blue collar, hardworking young man. Gregory, on the other hand, who's white collar, well-educated, lived in a three quarter of a million dollar house. Totally different people from totally different walks of life. Jessica told the detective that Greg Bender simply couldn't tolerate the idea of any other man in her life. She told a story about what happened when she briefly dated someone else after first meeting Greg. He did stalk the person that I was dating, and he described exactly where he lived, and he said that he would tie him up and harm him. So a relationship that had love in it

now had a little bit of terror in it. I never feared what he could do to me, but I feared what he could do to other men. Despite his jealousness and verbal threats, Jessica accepted Greg's proposal to marry a few years into their relationship. I was in love with him at the time, and maybe I was a little bit naive at the time. I didn't want to find someone else. And there is another twist in Jessica's twisted relationship with Greg. In early 2016, he was having a procedure done at a local hospital. Jessica decided to drop by for a surprise visit.

When she entered Greg's room, another woman was there. I was like, what are you doing here? She's like, what are you doing here? And I told her, I'm like, I'm his fiance. And I showed her the ring. And then she showed me her ring. She's like, I'm his wife. She was this woman, Damera Sanchez. He's secretly married to this woman? Yes. My heart just dropped. I couldn't believe it. I was in shock. Several days passed when Bender finally called Jessica and tried to explain that he had only married Sanchez

so her son could go to school in the district where his house was located. He said, I'm so sorry, and he told me that he had only married her as like a business marriage. He was just trying to help her out, and they had an arrangement together. At that point, Jessica had sort of had enough. So you end up giving Greg Bender an ultimatum. What was that? Yes. I told him that he had till the end of the year to leave her. He had to divorce her, not only leave, but divorce. Yes. But that business marriage line was just another of Bender's lies, and he stayed married to DeMera. With that, Jessica finally ended the relationship in 2017.

One month later, Jessica met Patrick and began dating him. But Bender was often on her mind. I was afraid that he would find out about our relationship. But just five months after dumping him... Gregory Bender came across our Facebook page. He immediately started messaging Patrick on his Facebook, threatening him, and he said, I know where you live. I'm going to harm you guys.

Bender left ominous voicemails like this one. I'm giving instructions, and I'm going to have my plan put into action. What's he talking about? At that point in time, he had mentioned to me that he was going to hire a hitman or he was going to do the job himself. And what job was that? To kill Patrick. Enough was enough. Jessica and Patrick had these tapes and text messages presented to a judge who issued this restraining order. Bender was ordered to stay away from Jessica and turn in his large collection of firearms to authorities. Did Greg Bender go away? We thought he did go away. We

didn't hear anything and we felt confident. Until, she told Detective Weaver, on the morning of Patrick's murder, Gregory Bender called for the first time in two months. He called my job that very morning. But Jessica said she didn't answer. So when she got the phone call and saw on the caller ID that it was Gregory Bender, flags started going up, and that's what made her so worried. Flags were also going up for Detective Weaver. He believed he now had a prime suspect in Patrick's death. And Weaver had an idea. Now was the time for Jessica to return Bender's calls,

and investigators would listen in. She really wanted to solve Patrick's murder. She did that without hesitation. Okay. Call him and put him on the speaker. Hello. Hello. Detective Weaver was hopeful Bender might say something to implicate himself. You ruined my life. You got your light. What are you talking about? Hello. Hello. Hi. Hey. It was a tense, awkward moment. Just a few hours after she'd seen her fiance's body, investigators asked Jessica Devnani to call the man they thought may have murdered him. Greg Bender quickly spoke up. I saw what happened on the news. I want to tell you I feel sorry for you. I just wanted to try to do everything I could to help the investigation.

She reminded Bender about his previous threats. And he said, enough is enough. I can't do this. I'm going to hire hitmen. I'm going to kill him. No, that's not, no, no, no. I didn't say that. Did you ask him outright, did you shoot Patrick?

I did. But that's why I want to find out if it is you. No, it's not. I'm your friend. I did not do this. Could you tell he was lying to you? Yes, I could tell he was lying. While Bender denied any involvement in Patrick's death, Detective Chad Weaver says there was enough evidence to arrest him, not for murder, but for violating that restraining order.

We had seen that he had attempted to contact her twice at work, which we found was a violation of that injunction. Even with Bender behind bars for the night, Detective Weaver didn't have much to link him to Patrick's murder. Then he received a phone call from the attorney of Bender's now ex-wife, DeMera Sanchez, the woman Jessica had first met in the hospital. And he said, she has some information that will be valuable to your case. Damera asked to meet Detective Weaver in a parking lot. She was very, very nervous. She didn't want us coming to her house.

It turns out Damera had a pretty good reason to be nervous. She was about to provide a crucial piece of evidence. So we spoke with her, and she had told us that her and Gregory had gotten a divorce and she had moved out in December of 2017. Around that same time, she had discovered what she believed to be a murder plan in a spiral notebook that she had seen Gregory writing in in the past. A murder plan, handwritten in a notebook detailing an elaborate plot to kill. DeMera said when she confronted Bender about it he told her

it was all a fantasy and she forgot about it. 25 year old Volusia County man is dead. Until she saw the report that the man Bender was supposedly fantasizing about killing had just been murdered. But once she told us about the murder plan, and that gave us what we needed to get into the house to see, you know, what else was in there. Volusia County Prosecutor Ashley Terwilliger says learning about the murder plan was a potential game changer, if investigators could find it. game changer if investigators could find it. So the next day, February 28th of 2018, they execute the search warrant at Gregory Bender's home in Orange County, Florida in Windermere. Detective Weaver had some doubts. But almost as soon as he entered Bender's house,

Weaver hit paydirt. He spotted several balls of crumpled up notepaper. I looked in the trash can and I was in shock. There's no way that we just found this murder plan. The first thing I wanted to do was reach in the trash can, grab it. Weaver wisely held off while this paper was bagged and tagged for forensics. Later, when he was able to read the plan, it was just as DeMera said, a detailed roadmap for murdering Patrick DeLaCerta. Some of the first things in it were directions, and it actually had Patrick DeLaCerta's address, Howland Boulevard. Weaver took us to the crime scene to explain how the plan matched the actual murder. This road leads down the side of the property.

It's off of Howland Boulevard. This is important because the dirt road that was drawn on the murder plan runs down the side of the property. It's pretty heavily wooded down this way, so I think he walked on foot until he got to this opening. And this is the area that we believe Gregory Bender accessed to sneak up on our victim. The sketch of the property was spot on.

The plan was evidence of Bender's obsession with detail and compulsion to kill, says Weaver. The plan read, put duct tape on the bottom of a second pair of shoes so no tread prints. Wait for confirm that he is alone. Then turn off cell phones and dispose of clothes, plate, tracker, gloves. With the murder plan in hand, Weaver had a powerful case against Bender. And with the discovery of this ammunition, there was now a direct link to those unique bullet shells found at the scene. They find that arsenal of 300 blackout ammunition. Remember, Patrick was shot four times with that type of unique ammo, but only two shell casings were recovered at the crime scene. That's what made another discovery by investigators at Bender's

house so important. They find a shell casing and a desk drawer, essentially a junk drawer. The casing matched the two recovered shell casings from the crime scene. Short of actually finding the murder weapon, in my opinion, I think that was probably the most important piece of evidence that we found. That's because the murder weapon has never been recovered. Although Jessica remembers seeing a powerful rifle at Bender's house when they dated. The AR-15, the semi-automatic rifle, did he have one of those? Yes, he did. I think it's probably at the bottom of a lake somewhere.

The evidence was overwhelming. Weaver now had a clear and concise theory of the crime. Greg Bender was lying in wait in the bushes just out of view. He made the phone call posing as a delivery man. Patrick receives a text message just thinking that he has a package. As Patrick answered the door, he shot and killed him. Less than 48 hours after Patrick's death, an arrest warrant was issued for Gregory Bender, charging him with the murder. Volusia County Sheriff's deputies had an easy time locating their suspect, who had been released from jail after violating that restraining order. Bender was in his own front yard, says prosecutor Andrew Urbanik. And Mr. Bender actually showed up, bonded out from the Orange County Jail just a short time after they started executing that warrant.

For Patrick's mother, the arrest is just the first step against a man she despises. Psychopath. That's what he is. Do you want me to say his name? I've never pronounced his name. I don't want to pronounce his name. That is hurting my mouth to just say his name. Why did Patrick have to die? Just out of jealousy of a man that was obsessed, he thought that by doing this that I would go back to him. But with no weapon, no eyewitnesses, and no DNA at the crime scene. Ultimately, this case is a circumstantial case. Bender and his attorneys are planning a vigorous trial defense. You started dating Patrick in June. And using undercover video shot by a private eye,

they plan to challenge Jessica on the stand about the real nature of her relationship with Greg Bender. Why are you dining with Greg and going to Greg's house in November of 2017 if you're happily moving on with Patrick. What do you make of Gregory Bender leaving his murder plan in the trash can? Have you ever wondered who created that bottle of sriracha that's living in your fridge? Or why nearly every house in America has at least one game of Monopoly. Introducing the best idea yet, a brand new podcast from Wondery and T-Boy about the surprising origin stories of the products you're obsessed with and the bold risk takers who brought them to life. Like, did you know that Super Mario, the best-selling video game

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In the Pitcairn trials, I'll be uncovering a story of abuse and the fight for justice that has brought a unique, lonely Pacific island to the brink of extinction. Listen to the Pitcairn Trials exclusively on Wondery+. Join Wondery in the Wondery app, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Two months after Patrick de la Cerda was gunned down as he went to his front door, expecting to pick up that engagement ring for Jessica Devnani... He got me the perfect ring. She was finally able to put on the ring at her 30th birthday celebration,

a surprise finally delivered by Patrick's family. Why do you wear that ring today? I wear it because Patrick will always be the love of my life. And Jessica will be wearing the ring at the murder trial of Greg Bender, her former boyfriend who stands accused of stalking and killing the man she had hoped to marry. All rise. This day could not have come soon enough, says Patrick's devastated mother, Patricia. Jessica and I, we felt victimized every single day for three years and a half

because we have no voice, absolutely no voice. Prosecutor Ashley Tuilliger is now the voice Patrick's loved ones had longed for as she began her opening statement. Patrick De La Cerda was the victim of a murder, a detailed and meticulously thought out murder plan, and a tragic ending in which he was shot four times in the head, face, chest, and hip. Defense attorney Richard Parker says the state's case is no slam dunk. In the head, face, chest, and hip. Defense attorney Richard Parker says the state's case is no slam dunk. We'll show that there's more than just one or two people that have motive and opportunity in this case. Jessica is the prosecution's star witness and will be the first to testify. It was really hard. I was really nervous.

Jessica describes for the jury how Gregory Bender was a man consumed by jealousy who made many threats. He would message me saying if I didn't leave Patrick, he would harm Patrick. And Jessica read one of those threatening texts for the jury. Think about it. If I don't hear from you or the cops call again, I'll just do what I said and move on. Jurors learned that Bender went to extraordinary lengths to poison Jessica and Patrick's relationship. As you can see on this secretly recorded video, it appears Bender and Jessica are at lunch. And then a week later at a restaurant enjoying dinner, just a few months after she started dating Patrick, prosecutor Andrew Urbanik. Did you actually see these videos? I did. The encounters were captured by a private investigator

hired by Bender. There's a scene of the two of them entering and leaving Bender's home. He's seen rubbing Jessica's leg for the camera. They hold hands. And here, he leans in for a kiss. It felt really odd. I felt like he was trying to put on a show because he kept, like, trying to get close to me and trying to hold my hand, which he never used to do. I was like, what are you doing? I was like, we're just friends right now. What are you trying to do? But prosecutors say the video was all a setup. What did he do with it?

He had given it to Patrick. Did that cause some strife between you and Patrick in your relationship? Yes. We had a fight and we had broke up for a few days. Did the two of you end up getting back together after that? Yes. Defense attorneys tried to use their client's video production to convince jurors that Jessica and Bender actually were more than just friends. Why are you dining with Greg and going to Greg's house in November of 2017 if you're happily moving on with Patrick? Because the defendant was threatening

and I was trying to calm him down and he said that if I went to see him he would not harm anyone. The defense tries another tactic, making what prosecutors say is an unfounded allegation that Patrick's father Max was attracted to Jessica. Did Max de la Serda comment in a very positive way regarding your appearance? Same objection, Judge. Still here to say statement. Would you say you have a good relationship with her? I didn't have a relationship with her at all. That led to a combative cross-examination when Max took the stand.

What you're asking is making no sense. I don't think that has nothing to do with Patrick's murder. And the defense implied he may have had the motive and the opportunity to kill his own son because of discrepancies in his whereabouts that day. Your girlfriend said that you were in fact staying with her. Is it her memory that's wrong or is it yours? It might be mine, sir.

I'm constantly on the go. I work here. I work there. I don't keep track of phones. I don't keep track of time. So what point are you trying to make? I don't know. They wanted to blame it on Max.

And you can tell he's angry that his son was killed unnecessarily, violently, horrifically. And now he has to be in a room with his son was killed unnecessarily, violently, horrifically, and now he has to be in a room with his son's killer. Throughout the trial, Bender remained stoic until his ex-wife, Damera Sanchez, took the stand and spoke through an interpreter. Were you married to Mr. Bender? Yes. During Damera's testimony, Bender broke down, showing emotion for the first time in the trial. And jurors heard her audio interview with Weaver about the murder plan. It was a plan to kill the guy, I guess. The guy is Patrick?

Yeah. During a break in her testimony, Bender appears to say I love you to someone in the gallery and is admonished by an official. Don't talk to anybody anymore. When Detective Weaver took the stand, the defense grilled him about the lack of forensic evidence in the case. How about any hair or skin or DNA, anything like that from the scene that was helpful to your investigation? No, sir. DNA, anything like that from the scene that was helpful to your investigation?

No, sir. Prosecutors responded by calling cell phone experts who could connect Greg Bender's personal phone to a burner phone that was tracked to a cell tower near the murder scene. So the burner phone is the cell phone that made the call to Max de la Cerda that morning at 7.18 a.m.? Yes. The state would rest at this time. After the prosecution rested, Greg Bender chose not to testify.

Are you comfortable with the decision you have made? Yes. Thank you, Your Honor. For closing arguments, prosecutors said Greg Bender was the only person who had motive to kill Patrick. He couldn't take that Jessica left him and wouldn't come back to him because of Patrick Davis' service.

Counsel, you may proceed. In his closing, defense attorney Richard Parker insisted that Bender's murder plan did not equate to guilt. This case is about the difference between a fantasy and reality. People should not be judged on their worst thoughts just because they put them to paper. But that's what they're doing in this case. Finally, after four days of testimony, the case went to the jury. Prosecutor Andy Urbanik was uncertain about what verdict they'd come back with.

Once it goes to the jury, we can't make any guarantees. But Jessica Devnani was confident a guilty verdict would finally put an end to Bender's reign of terror. It's my understanding you have a verdict. I just wanted to see the expression on his face. This is where my son lives. We'll follow you. This is his place. This was Patrick's place. Memories.

This is from a Christmas card that he gave me. Tender words from a son. Dad, with all my love, thank you for always being there for me. Too many more years. Love, Patrick. Max de la Serta surrounds himself with reminders of his son. That's Patrick. Taken violently and far too soon. I feel my son's present here.

I haven't moved himself. I have, you know, everything is pretty much the same because I love this kid so much, man. The only reason it makes me feel better is that I lost my child for love. Patrick's mother, Patricia, has found some solace in her suffering. He had love in his heart when he passed. He was going down the stairs to get the ring. And Jessica Devnani still wears that very engagement ring in honor of a marriage that never took place. It's been hard the past three years.

I've been living in respect to Patrick. But now, Patrick's loved ones huddle together, hoping finally, three years after Patrick's murder, the jury will give them justice. State of Florida v. Gregory Bender. During four days of testimony, they relive the horror of his death, listening to excruciating details of Bender's murder plan. We can see an entrance wound on the right side of the face. It's my understanding you have a verdict, is that correct? As the verdict was about to be read, Bender looked directly at Jessica.

He was looking at me. I don't know what was going on in his head. Madam Clerk, if you could please read the verdict. We, the jury, find the defendant, Gregory Bender, as follows, guilty of the charge of first-ender, as follows, guilty of the charge of first-degree murder as charged in the indictment. And it's guilty and he's faced as what? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. In Florida, a conviction of first-degree murder carries an automatic life sentence without parole. So just moments after the emotion of victory,

Patrick's loved ones are allowed to address the court as Greg Bender listens just a few feet away. First, Your Honor. Patrick's mother. I want to thank all of you for having put evil where it belongs. Jessica then spoke, but chose not to look at her tormentor. You will not win. You have only lost. I hope you feel some peace, Patrick.

Rest assured, the man who took your life is going to pay with his own life now. Then it was Max's turn. I will miss my son, and I regret that I wasn't there for him. going to pay with his own life now. Then it was Max's turn. I will miss my son, and I regret that I wasn't there for him. Just remember. Remember that during the trial, the defense shamefully tried to suggest that Max may have been involved in his son's murder.

I hope they keep you in jail until you die there. Until you die. Because the moment you step out, I'm going to finish you off. I'm going to peel you like an onion. The same thing you did to my son. Max, you have to address the judge. You have to address the judge. I will miss my son.

He was a beautiful soul. A beautiful kid. And with that, Greg Bender was carted off to prison for the rest of his life. He lost everything. He's not going to win again, ever again. Jessica and Patricia are angry that this restraining order they felt would offer protection for Patrick turned out to be worthless. My son would be today alive if the restraining order had been enforced by the law enforcement. Bender had been ordered to turn over his gun collection to the Orange County Sheriff's Office. He never did. And without probable cause for a search warrant,

law enforcement lacked the authority to seize those weapons. It failed us. It failed Patrick. Now behind bars, the days of Greg Bender lurking in the shadows of Jessica's life are finally over. Will you go on with life as Patrick would like you to do? I will. I will go on for Patrick. I will live in his happy memories close to my heart. One week after Greg Bender's conviction was what would have been Patrick's 29th birthday.

Patrick's mom and I, we went out to the cemetery in West Palm Beach, and we just celebrate his life. We brought some cake and we brought some champagne. What did you say to Patrick on his birthday when you were at his grave? We finally did it. We got the guilty verdict. We always tell him we love him. We will always love him. Finding a young couple's murderer. They were two mild-mannered, soft-spoken kids. And the root of all evil is hidden.

It was probably the most horrendous, unsolved case that we had. On an innocent woman's family tree. That's the power of genetic genealogy. A new 48 hours, Saturday on CBS. If you like this podcast, you can listen ad-free right now by joining Wondery Plus in the Wondery app. Before you go, tell us about yourself by filling out a quick survey at wondery.com slash survey.