A City on the Edge

Summary

48 Hours – “A City on the Edge”

Podcast: 48 Hours
Host: CBS News
Date: September 11, 2025

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Episode Overview

This episode of “48 Hours” delves into the wave of violence that swept post-Katrina New Orleans, told through the tragic stories of filmmaker Helen Hill and band director Dineral Shavers—two beloved residents who returned after Hurricane Katrina to help rebuild, only to become high-profile homicide victims. The episode scrutinizes the city’s failing criminal justice system, the enduring trauma for survivors, and the ways these murders galvanized a desperate search for justice and change.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Helen Hill: A Life Cut Short

[00:46 – 11:12]

• Background: Helen Hill, a creative, bohemian filmmaker devoted to New Orleans, returned with her husband Paul and son Francis a year after Katrina, determined to help rebuild the city.
• Family and Career: Raised in South Carolina, Helen’s animated films captured a childlike wonder and depth. She and Paul, after meeting at Harvard, settled in New Orleans—Paul caring for the underserved as a doctor, Helen as an artist and mother.
• Katrina’s Impact: The family fled Katrina, losing most possessions and Helen’s films. Despite safety concerns, Helen insisted on returning:

  “Helen was very, very determined to move back...I think she wanted to be part of that rebuilding of New Orleans.” — Narrator [08:05]

• Murder: On January 3, 2007, Helen was murdered in her home during a break-in, having heroically tried to protect her son. Paul recounts the horror:

  “I saw right away that there was a man restraining her...She was struggling and she yelled out, ‘Call 911.’” — Paul (as narrated) [09:32]
  “She was lying there and wasn’t moving and her eyes were closed...There was blood by her head and Frances saw it too.” — Paul (as narrated) [10:33]

• Aftermath: No suspects, few leads, and a broken system left the case cold, fueling anger and despair among family and friends:

  “My sister was just murdered and I’m going to meet with detectives in trailers.” — Jake Hill [24:46]

2. Dineral Shavers: Hope Through Music, Lost to Violence

[12:45 – 20:31]

• Backstory & Talent: Dineral (“De Niro”) Shavers was the vibrant drummer of the Hot 8 Brass Band, growing up in the Ninth Ward where music and community shaped his path.
• Katrina’s Aftermath: The band and his family, like many, were dispersed by the hurricane, but reassembled to restore New Orleans’s musical soul.
• Educational Mission: At Rob Wynn High School, Shavers started a band program from scratch, inspiring dozens of students:

  “I want to start a band here.” — Shavers (relayed by principal Kevin George) [18:58]
  “He was like an angel. Dinero touched so many people.” — Former student [19:46]

• Murder: On December 28, 2006, Shavers was killed in a drive-by shooting while trying to protect his stepson. The loss devastated students, family, and the music community:

  “To take him away from us, the way that happened was very difficult for a lot of us.” — Yolanda, De Niro’s mother [21:42]

3. A City in Crisis

[02:29, 23:07, 25:27, 32:20, 36:03]

• Escalating Violence: The episode underscores New Orleans’s soaring murder rate post-Katrina (“17 murders a month, highest in any city” [02:29]) and neighborhoods now patrolled by the National Guard.
• A Broken Justice System:
  • Police resources gutted (“working in trailers” [24:46]), lack of crime lab, hundreds fewer officers
  • Abysmal prosecution rates: out of 162 homicides in 2006, only 5 convictions [31:47]
  • Witness fear rampant, leading to collapsed prosecutions:

    “No one wants to testify because they're afraid that this guy’s gonna be out of jail.” — Lt. Mike Glasser [32:49]

  • Public defender William Boggs alleges police corner-cutting under pressure:

    “You had a rumor...that the police seized upon and then declared the case solved.” — William Boggs [33:58]

• Systemic Failure:

  "If we don't remove the power structure and rebuild it, the whole system will fall apart. Shame on you, Mayor Nagin, Superintendent Riley, District Attorney Jordan. You have really let us down." — Garland Robinette, radio host [36:14]

4. Calls to Action: Grief Becomes Protest

[27:09 – 28:50]

• Community Organizing: Musician Beatty Landis and others, shocked by the killings, started the “Silence is Violence” initiative, prompting thousands to march on City Hall:

  “But that day, not dozens, not even hundreds, but thousands of people came marching from neighborhoods all over New Orleans.” — Interviewer [28:25]

• Demand for Change:

  “We have come to declare that a city which could not be drowned in the waters of a storm will not be drowned in the blood of its citizens.” — Pastor John Raphael [41:49]

5. Aftermath: Unanswered Questions, Enduring Spirit

[40:47 – 45:19]

• Open Wounds: Neither case is resolved. Helen Hill's killer remains unidentified; Shavers’s accused killer, David Bonds, was twice arrested and ultimately acquitted after key witnesses recanted ([38:42], [39:48]).
• Personal Loss: Both families struggle to heal. Paul moves away, feeling betrayed by a city that failed to protect them:

  “Everything’s completely different and empty without her.” — Paul [41:10]

• Legacy: Dineral’s students keep playing, the band he formed now thriving—his vision endures:

  “But, like, something hit me, like, keep on going, Rashad. You started, keep on going.” — Former student [44:02] “Katrina couldn’t kill New Orleans. But the continuing storm of murder just might.” — Interviewer [45:08]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Returning After Katrina:

  “Helen was not naive. She was concerned about coming back to a city that was recovering and was still broken... But Helen and Paul came back to be part of the rebuilding. And I admire them for that.” — Jake Hill [00:46]

• The Trauma of Witnessing Loss:

  “She was lying there and wasn’t moving... There was blood by her head and Francis saw it too.” — Paul [10:33] “To take him away from us, the way that happened was very difficult for a lot of us.” — Yolanda Shavers [21:42]

• On the Broken System:

  “My sister was just murdered and I’m going to meet with detectives in trailers. Our offices are in a FEMA trailer in the middle of the tennis court.” — Jake Hill [24:46]

• On Civic Mobilization:

  “Thousands of people came marching from neighborhoods all over New Orleans.” — Interviewer, on the Silence is Violence march [28:25] “We have come to declare that a city which could not be drowned in the waters of a storm will not be drowned in the blood of its citizens.” — Pastor John Raphael [41:49]

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Timestamps of Key Segments

• [00:46 – 11:12] — Helen Hill’s life, work, and tragic murder
• [12:45 – 20:31] — Profile of Dineral Shavers, his role in the community, and his murder
• [23:07 – 26:47] — Failings of the justice system and the context of law enforcement struggles
• [27:09 – 28:50] — The “Silence is Violence” protest and demand for justice
• [31:12 – 40:15] — Attempts at prosecution, failure of the system, and community frustration
• [41:49 – 45:19] — Reflections, unresolved grief, and the hope carried by the next generation

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Conclusion

In “A City on the Edge,” 48 Hours provides a heart-wrenching, deeply reported look at post-Katrina New Orleans—humanizing its violent crime crisis, exposing deep cracks in its criminal justice system, and capturing the resilience and heartbreak of a community that refuses to quit, even as the answers and justice they seek remain elusive.
Helen Hill and Dineral Shavers’ deaths became a rallying point, but as the episode poignantly observes, the wounds of violence outlast even the city’s hardest storms.

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Transcript

[Narrator]

This episode is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Fiscally responsible financial geniuses, monetary magicians. These are things people say about drivers who switch their car insurance to Progressive and save hundreds. Visit progressive.com to see if you could save Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates. Potential savings will vary. Not available in all states or situations. Is this a hit it situation? It's whatever kind of adventure we want it to be. Now streaming on Paramount plus it's an all new season of adventures. We have to stop this invasion, get into this shit. This crew is a team. We are going to find our way out of this together.

[Interviewer]

Hang on.

[Narrator]

It's one in a thousand. We get it done right or don't blow ourselves up along the way. I like those odds. We'll just turn it off before we blow up. Star Trek Strange New Worlds. New season. Now streaming on Paramount + I understand Helen's adoration of New Orleans. It was so Helen. Helen was very Southern, bohemian, a creative soul. And filmmaking was her passion. She and Paul came here, I guess, in 1991 and they sort of fell in love. Helen was not naive. She was concerned about coming back to a city that was recovering and was still broken all the way up. But Helen and Paul came back to be part of the rebuilding. And I admire them for that. My name is Jake Hill. Helen was my younger sister. And it was 5:30 in the morning. Paul woke up and he heard Helen shouting, screaming, get out. Get out. Don't hurt my baby. And Helen saw Paul screamed at him to call 911. At that point he heard a shot. Helen was shot once in the neck. It was clear that she died right away.

[Interviewer]

It happened last night in the 2600 block of Murdering the Street. 2000 block of Josephine.

[Narrator]

It's been a violent weekend in New Orleans. Six shootings in less than 24 hours. We're averaging about 17 murders a month. And that is the highest murder rate of any city. It's about stopping the violence. I mean, come on now. Don't use your energy to be evil. You know what I'm saying? You know, when you envision New Orleans, you think of somebody like De Niro. Someone who's upbeat, positive, loves music. I mean, that embodies New Orleans. My name is Kevin George. I'm principal here at Le Robin High School. Dinelle Rashavis was my band director and my friend. It was December 28th. Dinero's stepson was in some sort of trouble. He came to help as he always would. The stepson got into the vehicle. The gunman came out about 30 minutes later. He had died. And that was. I'll never forget that moment. What happens when Dinero Shavers get killed? What happens when Helen Hill gets killed? My sister was just murdered. There's people out there that know exactly who did this.

[Interviewer]

If we can't find justice for Dineral Shavers, then the citizens of New Orleans have very good reason to be alarmed and frightened.

[Narrator]

I feel a lot of guilt. I feel guilty that we moved back to New Orleans and I feel guilty that, that it was Helen and wasn't me.

[Interviewer]

Exactly one year after Hurricane Katrina drove them away, Paul Gay Lunas and his wife Helen Hill, full of hope, had moved back to New Orleans.

[Narrator]

She embraced it, she really did. She loved everything about New Orleans and she loved the city. She loved it. It was her imagination, I think, was helped, was shaped in part by it.

[Interviewer]

Helen's imagination was just one of the qualities that made her so endearing.

[Narrator]

I think of that wonderful, smiling, sunshine face coming at me. She was always right there with you.

[Interviewer]

Well, she was also fun. She was so much fun. Helen was raised in Columbia, South Carolina by her mother, Becky, and her stepfather Kevin, both college professors.

[Narrator]

She was such a happy child.

[Interviewer]

Helen was only nine years old when she discovered what she wanted to do with her life.

[Narrator]

That's when she decided she wanted to become an animator.

[Interviewer]

Helen's first film won an award and the quirky animated movies that followed always retained a sense of playfulness and wonder.

[Narrator]

She wanted their films to have a childlike appearance and wanted that to come through in her mature adult films, which are full of ideas.

[Interviewer]

When Helen was in college at Harvard, she met Paul Galunis. They just seemed to be right for each other. They were just friends when they moved to New Orleans after graduating. But there the friendship deepened into something more.

[Narrator]

Oh, this is the one about Helen.

[Interviewer]

And Paul inspiring her sweet film Tunnel of Love.

[Narrator]

PAUL SINGS THE SONG it's about two people finding each other, becoming best friends, growing into love with you.

[Interviewer]

They shared a love for New Orleans as well. And so after they got married, they made the city their home. Paul, now a doctor, opened a clinic that served the poor. Helen taught and worked on her films at home.

[Narrator]

Found myself in this bohemian town. All the neighborhood kids got to know us because we had this pet pig, a pet pig? Uh huh, pot bellied pig named Rosie. So you know, these kids came over every day and they just really loved Helen so much.

[Interviewer]

Life seemed complete when in 2004, Helen and Paul had a child of their own, Frances.

[Narrator]

She just adored this little boy Hey, I bet you look good in the sunshine. She was just the most wonderful mother in the entire world.

[Interviewer]

It was about one year later that Katrina hit. The day before the storm arrived, they bundled up their one year old son, their pet pig and drove to Helen's parents house.

[Narrator]

We just thought we were going to be back in about two or three days.

[Interviewer]

Things didn't turn out that way. It wasn't until weeks later that Paul was even able to wade to their house.

[Narrator]

Everything was just completely thrown in every direction in the house. And her films, a lot of her films were ruined.

[Interviewer]

They lost everything. But Helen had no doubt what she wanted to do.

[Narrator]

Helen was very, very determined to move back to New Orleans. I think she wanted to be part of that rebuilding of New Orleans.

[Interviewer]

How did you feel about her going back?

[Narrator]

Well, I would have preferred her to stay.

[Interviewer]

In fact, Helen's mother begged her not to return.

[Narrator]

I was aware of bad things happening.

[Interviewer]

There and even Paul had his doubts. Paul didn't want to move back to New Orleans.

[Narrator]

Well, I think he was a little bit more cautious.

[Interviewer]

And when Helen and Paul did go back, Paul was unnerved by how different the city felt.

[Narrator]

There's huge areas that are kind of ungoverned. It's not a city where you can feel entirely safe anywhere.

[Interviewer]

It was January 3rd. Paul and Helen put 2 year old Francis to bed.

[Narrator]

We stayed up and looked at these pictures of him and he just looked so cute and we just laughed and laughed and that was pretty much my last night.

[Interviewer]

The Nightmare began around 5.30am I was.

[Narrator]

Woken up by the sound of Helen's voice sounding very anxious and frightened and yelling, get out. Get out. Don't hurt my baby. Get out right now.

[Interviewer]

Alarmed, Paul grabbed his son.

[Narrator]

So I had Frances in one arm and I got up and I called out, helen, are you okay? And I saw right away that there was a man restraining her at the front door. And she was struggling and she yelled out, call 911.

[Interviewer]

But it was too late. Helen was shot. With his son in his arms, Paul ran to the back of the house and tried to hide.

[Narrator]

And it was only a few moments later that I saw a man walk into the kitchen. And he walked, took a few steps towards us and held out a gun. And at that point I turned my head down to protect myself and Francis. And I heard, you know, two or three shots, gunshots.

[Interviewer]

And then everything went silent. The gunman was gone. But the horror for Paul was just beginning.

[Narrator]

She was lying there and wasn't moving and her eyes were closed and There was blood by her head and Frances saw it too.

[Interviewer]

Helen was killed instantly, one gunshot to the neck. Paul, too had been shot three times. Frances had somehow escaped injury. Helen's stepfather and mother were at home in South Carolina when they got the news.

[Narrator]

It was just an awful day.

[Interviewer]

I don't remember a lot about that time.

[Narrator]

We haven't been able to explain why this happened to someone who intended so much good in the world. An independent filmmaker is the latest victim of New Orleans homicide epidemic. There are many angry people in New Orleans that took this personally. And they want to find the person that did this to Helen. This episode is brought to you by LifeLock. Between two factor authentication, strong passwords and a VPN, you try to be in control of how your info is protected. But many other places also have it and they might not be as careful. That's why LifeLock monitors hundreds of millions of data points a second for threats. If your identity is stolen, they'll fix it, guaranteed or your money back. Save up to 40% your first year. Visit lifelock.com podcast for 40% off terms. Apply. Limu Gabu and Doug Limu and I always tell you to customize your car insurance and save hundreds with Liberty Mutual. But now we want you to feel it. Cue the email music Lemu Save yourself money today. Increase your wealth. Customize and save. We see that may have been too much feeling. Only pay for what you [e-mail] Liberty Liberty Liberty Liberty Savings Ferry Underwritten by Liberty Mutual Insurance Company and affiliates Excludes Massachusetts.

[Interviewer]

It happened last night in the 2600 block of Dumaine Street. Officers found the body of 25 year old Daniro Shavers lying in the middle of the street.

[Narrator]

He was so young, so intelligent, so vibrant. And we had this gunman just take him away.

[Interviewer]

Just eight months earlier, Dineral Shavers and the Hot 8 Brass Band were celebrating the first Mardi Gras since Katrina.

[Narrator]

He was a great drummer. He was a great drummer.

[Interviewer]

Big Benny Pete plays the tuba and is the leader of Hot 8.

[Narrator]

And he was always finding new ways to express the music.

[Interviewer]

De Niro, just like Helen Hill, knew what he wanted to be from a very young age.

[Narrator]

And he was playing drums and I was playing trumpet.

[Interviewer]

Shemar Allen.

[Narrator]

We wanted the same thing. We wanted to be good at music, you know.

[Interviewer]

Growing up in the tough ninth Ward, Shemar and De Niro were best friends along with their buddy Joe Williams. Music was their playground. They were all barely into their teens when they were asked to join the Hot 8 Brass Band.

[Narrator]

And Every morning he would wake up and play the drum and wake everybody up. I mean, he really reached into it.

[Interviewer]

De Niro's mom, Yolanda.

[Narrator]

I was very proud of him. And when I first went to one of their performances, I was like, oh, this man is amazing.

[Interviewer]

This 1995 film documents Hot 8 as they were growing into a musical force in New Orleans.

[Narrator]

We used to go out in the French quarters on the weekends and playing the quarters, it was cool. It was real cool. The drummers really is the vibe, like, if we coming down the street here.

[Interviewer]

Dineral shavers is only 14.

[Narrator]

Sometimes people dance to what the drummers are playing. It's like something that's coming from the inside.

[Interviewer]

As De Niro grew up, so did Hot 8.

[Narrator]

Give it up, New York.

[Interviewer]

The band started to tour the country and cut CDs at the same time. De Niro was also going to college and paying the bills with a variety of jobs. For a time, he was a civil sheriff. But the violent crime that had always plagued New Orleans took its toll on him.

[Narrator]

He would get very upset when every time he called Mama, there's another murder in the city.

[Interviewer]

And then In August of 2004, his close friend Joe Williams was shot and killed by New Orleans police officers.

[Narrator]

They shot him over 15 times, you know, and he didn't have anything but a trombone and a cell phone to cost.

[Interviewer]

De Niro, in uniform, was at the scene where he talked to a news crew.

[Narrator]

And something need to be done about it. It's a damn shame. It's the third police shooting in three days.

[Interviewer]

It was Joe's death that inspired De Niro to write a song that challenged the people of New Orleans.

[Narrator]

I have a song that I wrote entitled Get Up. It's about stopping the violence. I mean, stopping the violence. And let's get up and dance. It's about to go down. It's about to go down.

[Interviewer]

Chad Honore plays the trumpet in Hot 8.

[Narrator]

When I first learned the words, it just broke me down. It was a part. He said, my people keep the peace. Bring this murder rate down. Bring this murder rate down.

[Interviewer]

But the music stopped with Katrina.

[Narrator]

The house is blowing away. I lived on 5,000, 430. My sister Chevelle lived at 5428.

[Interviewer]

Yolanda brought us back to the 9th Ward to see what's left of her house.

[Narrator]

And it just was, you know, home. It just is home. And I guess we find no other place like the Lower Naiwar, just home.

[Interviewer]

De Niro's relatives, like so many Others were scattered across the country. So was the band.

[Narrator]

Come on, man. Hot eight got fired. Hot eight got fired.

[Interviewer]

A few months after the storm in Atlanta, Georgia, Hot 8 reunited.

[Narrator]

The most important thing is playing the music, being together. It's just us being a hottie, that's the most important thing.

[Interviewer]

And so by Mardi Gras 2006, the band was back and playing a part in the rebirth of their city. De Niro wanted to do more. He believed music could teach.

[Narrator]

Beginning of the school year, we had no textbooks. We had trouble staffing our school with teachers.

[Interviewer]

Kevin George is the principal of Rob Wynn High School. In the fall of 2006, he was trying desperately just to provide basic education for hundreds of kids from all over New Orleans.

[Narrator]

Dinero began working with us as a day to day substitute.

[Interviewer]

Dinero had bigger plans and he came.

[Narrator]

To me, he said, look, I got this idea. I said, what do you got? He said, I want to start a band here.

[Interviewer]

I mean, did you have any instruments in this school?

[Narrator]

Not one instrument.

[Interviewer]

Not a problem to De Niro. He was sure he could get instruments, but now he had to get the kids.

[Narrator]

And he saw me in the hallway, he said, he said, you want to be in a band? And I was like, yeah, I'll be in a band. I was like, who you is? And he said, I'm the new band director. He said, you want to join the band? And I was like, I don't know how to play. He said, I'll teach.

[Interviewer]

Rashad, Devon and rufus were just three of the more than 70 kids who gave up their lunch hours and stayed after school to be part of De Niro's band.

[Narrator]

He brought me up one day and he had the drum line all lined up and they were beating on the desk. And I'm looking at this, I'm like, okay, this guy is something special. He was always open to any questions that you had for him. You know how when you want to talk to somebody but you don't want to talk to your parents? You could go talk to Mr. Schae, but he'll do anything you ask him. He was like an angel. Dinero touched so many people.

[Interviewer]

Dinero's sister Nikita.

[Narrator]

That was his purpose in life, to try to reach, you know, these kids. I just focus on doing the right thing at all times. I mean, I stay positive.

[Interviewer]

De niro, at only 25, had a lot going on.

[Narrator]

Yay.

[Interviewer]

He had a six year old son, DJ.

[Narrator]

This is my wife Tiffany.

[Interviewer]

And he had recently married and added two stepchildren to his family. December 28, 2006. Hot 8 had just played another New Orleans funeral.

[Narrator]

After we finished performing, we was talking and then it just started raining. We all ran to our cars. We was like, we'll see you tomorrow or whatever.

[Interviewer]

On his way to pick up his wife, De Niro got a call his.

[Narrator]

Stepson was in some sort of trouble. He came just to pick the stepson up from where he was.

[Interviewer]

His stepson was visiting a girl outside of his neighborhood and some of the local boys didn't like it.

[Narrator]

The stepson got into the vehicle, the gunman came out. The gunman shot into the back of the car trying to shoot the stepson. And it actually shot De Niro in the back of the head.

[Interviewer]

Band members and De Niro's family rushed to the hospital. Hospital. His mother Yolanda got there too late.

[Narrator]

And they had him laying on his table and he just looked like he was sleeping and his arm was hanging down. And I just said to that room, please wake up and tell me you love me like you did last night. To take him away from us, the way that happened was very difficult for a lot of us.

[Interviewer]

Is it hard to be here?

[Narrator]

It is. Knowing that this where he took his last breath.

[Interviewer]

Daniel Shaver's sister Nikita took us to the street to piece together what happened the night a gunshot took her brother away. What did his stepson see? What did he tell the police?

[Narrator]

He just saw somebody running towards the car and he said, go. But it happened too fast, really. See anything?

[Interviewer]

De Niro's stepson might not have seen anything, but Nikita believes there were plenty of people on this street who did. And as far as you know, there were people who saw this.

[Narrator]

Yeah.

[Interviewer]

Those witnesses made may be the key to finding Danirle Shavers assailant. But in Helen Hill's case, there is much less to work with. Her husband described the killer as a black male believed to have entered the house through the back door. Do the police have anybody, even a possible suspect in this case?

[Narrator]

I don't believe at this point they do. But I have confidence Helen's older brother.

[Interviewer]

Jake Hill, went to her now empty house to find a pile of unopened mail.

[Narrator]

This is sad. This is their 15th year reunion at Harvard. This is the class report.

[Interviewer]

And in that report, Helen's own words about her wonderful life with no idea that it was about to end.

[Narrator]

We made it back to New Orleans after a year in South Carolina and I love being back here. Every single person has a Katrina story and folks are still having a hard time. We feel Lucky we have little Francis to keep us busy and happy.

[Interviewer]

Did anyone have a reason to want to kill Helen?

[Narrator]

Absolutely not. It's absurd.

[Interviewer]

Police ruled out Paul as a suspect.

[Narrator]

And then we could all move on to finding the son of a bitch who did this.

[Interviewer]

But when Jake met with investigators, he was shocked and troubled by what he saw.

[Narrator]

The day we arrived here, you know, I thought I was going to the police station to meet with the detectives. And then I understood the detectives were working out of temporary facilities. And I guess I didn't quite understand what that was until I got there. And they were working in trailers. It's been 500 days, you know, since Katrina. My sister was just murdered and I'm going to meet with detectives in trailers. Our offices are in a FEMA trailer in the middle of the tennis court.

[Interviewer]

City park almost two years after Katrina.

[Narrator]

Yes, actually, I got to see what street we're on. Most of the street signs are missing.

[Interviewer]

A cop for 27 years, Lt. Mike Glasser also leads the police association.

[Narrator]

Here's a beautiful corner. An excellent place to be shot.

[Interviewer]

Since the storm, he says police have fewer tools than ever to stop criminals.

[Narrator]

We're operating with nothing and trying to combat an escalating problem. There was something almost jarring about that, that my sister has just been killed and the United States of America, you expect there's a competent legal system that's going to take charge and then you come somewhere like this and you know they don't have a crime lab.

[Interviewer]

Last summer the city finally did open a new crime lab. But the police department still struggles to replace the more than 500 police officers it lost.

[Narrator]

Looks like the National Guard is on duty.

[Interviewer]

Nearly three years after the storm, there are still sections of New Orleans that have to be patrolled by the National Guard.

[Narrator]

The American military patrolling the the streets of American city is not a sign of success.

[Interviewer]

Helen Hill's killer could be anyone anywhere. Before Katrina, this house where Paula and Helen lived was in a neighborhood considered safe. But now, police say a new breed of criminal roams the city. Young, cold blooded killers who have no fear they'll ever pay for their crimes.

[Narrator]

Police say they found an unidentified man lying on the ground with multiple gunshot wounds. Officers found a 33 year old man shot several times. Identified 31 year old man Unidentified 57.

[Interviewer]

Year old man lying on the floor.

[Narrator]

Inside of vacant house.

[Interviewer]

I actually heard it on the radio. Music professor and cafe owner Beatty Landis had tuned out the violence until she heard a friend's name, 25 year old Daniro Shavers. It's one of those things that you can't believe you've actually heard it.

[Narrator]

They couldn't be talking about dinero.

[Interviewer]

Then on January 4, one week later, another name weeping.

[Narrator]

Friends and neighbors identified the victim as.

[Interviewer]

Filmmaker Helen he, her neighbor, Helen Hill. To hear that when I was so raw from Dinero's death, it felt for.

[Narrator]

That moment like an unfathomable statistic.

[Interviewer]

Beatty decided she had to do something with a few friends. She launched an organization called Silence is Violence with a march on City Hall. I was thinking a few dozen and maybe 60, 75 people from the neighborhood would walk with us. But that day, not dozens, not even hundreds, but thousands of people came marching from neighborhoods all over New Orleans.

[Narrator]

We have come to lodge our complaints.

[Interviewer]

So many New Orleans were finding the means to express their own grief and.

[Narrator]

Their own anger and their own fear. I ask that you not let the death of my brother, Mrs. Helen Hill, and all the rest of my New Orleans citizens go in vain.

[Interviewer]

It was a cry for change.

[Narrator]

Criminal justice system and the government is.

[Interviewer]

Broken that city officials like me, Mayor Rainigan couldn't ignore.

[Narrator]

I heard everything that you said and this city will focus on murders.

[Interviewer]

There was a lot at stake as the investigations into Daniral and Helen's murders continued. A lot of people would be watching. Obsessed with true crime cults or conspiracy theories? Conspiracy Theories Cults and Crimes is a weekly podcast from Crime House and Pave Studios that that dives into the darkest.

[Narrator]

Corners of human behavior.

[Interviewer]

Every Wednesday, we uncover the true stories behind the world's most shocking crimes, deadly ideologies and secret plots. Follow and listen to conspiracy theories, Cults and crimes. An odyssey podcast in partnership with Crime House. Available now wherever you get your podcasts. Before Christmas 2006, members of the Rob Wynn High School band were still practicing on school books and desks. The instruments at their band leader, Daniro Shavers had worked so hard to get finally arrived just days after he was murdered.

[Narrator]

A lot of the horns and the drums were sitting in the office as soon as I opened the door, Principal Kevin George, he would always show me the list of things that you. He ordered. And when I saw that in my office, it really touched my heart.

[Interviewer]

Dineral Shavers never got to hear Rashad Lee play his first notes on baritone.

[Narrator]

I just said I wanted to cry, but I, I was like, nah, couldn't do it.

[Interviewer]

Why not?

[Narrator]

It's like I heard it so bad. If I cry, I'm gonna keep on crying. Crying, crying, crying. Today police arrested 17 year old David Bond. I ain't do it.

[Interviewer]

On December 29th of 2006, police made an arrest in. In the murder of Dineral Shavers.

[Narrator]

I don't know that man. David Bonds is 17 years old.

[Interviewer]

Lt. Joe Meish was head of homicide for the New Orleans Police Department. He said three witnesses, all young girls, named David Bonds as the gunman. At this point, how many witnesses do you have that are willing to go to trial?

[Narrator]

Actually, in this case, we have several. Several witnesses that are very strong witnesses. And I'm 100% confident that David Bonds will be convicted of this case.

[Interviewer]

As confident as the police say they are. The truth is, convictions for murder in New Orleans are rare. Just how rare? Well, Daniral Shavers was one of 162 homicides in 2006. Police made arrests in a third of those cases, but there have only been five convictions. The numbers don't lie. In New Orleans, a lot of people are getting away with murder. How important is it that these cases actually go to trial and someone is held accountable?

[Narrator]

That is the biggest thing here. And I think that's why so many of these killers are so callous. They very rarely see anybody go to trial and go to jail.

[Interviewer]

In 2007, nearly 3,000 killers, suspects ranging from alleged drug dealers to murderers, were simply released because the district attorney failed to file charges. But even when charges are filed, cases often fall apart. And what's the effect?

[Narrator]

I think the effect is no one wants to testify because they're afraid that this guy's gonna be out of jail. No one wants to put themselves out there.

[Interviewer]

And even De Niro's students understand that fear. So if any of you witnessed a crime, would you be afraid to come forward and say what you saw?

[Narrator]

Because I wouldn't want to jeopardize my life or my family life. So I wouldn't. I wouldn't come forward. We have to think about after I talk, what are we going to do now? How would the police protect my. Where they gonna be at?

[Interviewer]

Still, police say they're confident that in Dineral Shaver's case, witness testimony will put away the alleged killer. It sounds like in this case the witnesses are crucial to convicting David Bond.

[Narrator]

Absolutely. Absolutely. The witnesses are crucial. I think they have the wrong guy.

[Interviewer]

William Boggs, a public defender, is David Bond's lawyer. He claims the overtaxed police department did a shoddy investigation.

[Narrator]

You had a rumor which was repeated by a 15 year old, maybe two 15 year olds, that the police seized upon and then declared the case solved. I believe they did that because of the pressure that was on them to solve murders in the city.

[Interviewer]

According to Boggs, there's no physical evidence to connect Bonds to to the murder. Police found the murder weapon, a semiautomatic handgun like this. But they can't connect it to Bonds and the several witnesses Lt. Maish was so confident about, they begin to back out.

[Narrator]

There were by all accounts up to 20 on the street.

[Interviewer]

And it would stand to reason that if you've got all those people, there should be lots of witnesses who saw what happened.

[Narrator]

There should be lots of witnesses.

[Interviewer]

And how many witnesses did the prosecution offer?

[Narrator]

One witness.

[Interviewer]

That witness was a 15 year old girl. And with all the pressure on her, her mother refuses to let her testify. She called a local television station to explain.

[Narrator]

They should have been getting all these witnesses instead of depending on one. One little child.

[Interviewer]

In June 2007, De Niro's sister Nikita and Beatty Landis come to court only to see the case against the man accused of killing De Niro fall apart. Today DA Eddie Jordan dropped the second degree murder charges against 18 year old David Bonds. Beatty and Nikita leave in shock. Like so many other suspects, David Bonds is simply released without going to trial.

[Narrator]

There isn't anything that they could say to me that would justify them dropping the case. Anything at all. Who's running the train? Who's flying this plane?

[Interviewer]

New Orleans popular radio talk show host Garland Robinette believes the entire justice system in New Orleans is failing and he blames city leaders.

[Narrator]

Why won't these witnesses come through? Why can't this DA and police chief find more witnesses? Because they prove to us on a regular basis that they're going to put them back on the street. Whether it's police that can't write a report that the DA can accept, whether it's the DA that doesn't know how to file the charges to keep them off the street, or whether it's a judge that turns them loose. If we don't remove the power structure and rebuild it, the whole system will fall apart. Shame on you, Mayor Nagin, Superintendent Riley, District Attorney Jordan. You have really let us down. To learn each day that the system.

[Interviewer]

Is more broken than you believed it had been the previous day is very discouraging. It's so deeply, so fundamentally broken. This message is sponsored by Greenlight.

[Narrator]

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[Interviewer]

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[Interviewer]

Just one month after charges were dropped and David Bonds was released, Bonds is.

[Narrator]

Charged with second degree murder.

[Interviewer]

He was re indicted for the murder of Dineral Shavers.

[Narrator]

We have the cooperation of several witnesses.

[Interviewer]

Prosecutors had three critical witnesses, including the 15 year old who had allegedly seen the murder but who had earlier refused to testify. When the trial began in April, everyone was sure that their testimony would convict Bonds of murder.

[Narrator]

Prosecutors began making their second degree murder case against David Bonds this afternoon, saying three teenage witnesses identified him as the shooter in separate photographic lineups.

[Interviewer]

Then a bombshell. The day the key eyewitness took the stand, the prosecution's case fell apart. Again, the 15 year old would only say, quote, I don't see nobody, end quote. But Another witness, just 13 years old, testified she did see the shooting. The stark contradiction left the jury deadlocked. And then a decision.

[Narrator]

After deliberating for five hours and two split votes, a jury clears David Bonds of all charges in the killing of New Orleans musician Dineral Shavers.

[Interviewer]

Once again, David Bonds was released. Dinero's sister was devastated.

[Narrator]

The little bit of hope that we did have in the system and thinking that we were headed in the right direction is gone.

[Interviewer]

As for Helen Hill's case, nearly a year after she was murdered, there were still no suspects.

[Narrator]

Am I disappointed that it's been eight months and it seems like the case is is cold? Absolutely.

[Interviewer]

Desperate, Helen's brother Jake returns to New Orleans.

[Narrator]

My sister was murdered about eight months ago.

[Interviewer]

He's betting a $15,000 reward will motivate someone to talk and help find his sister's killer.

[Narrator]

His sister was killed eight months ago early in the morning. Know anyone that knows Anything. We're pleading with you to come forward to do the right thing, to help solve this despicable crime. I'm afraid for our safety, and I think I'll always have that fear a little bit in me, as long as they haven't found that person.

[Interviewer]

Helen's husband, Paul, struggles to move on without his wife.

[Narrator]

Everything's completely different and empty without her.

[Interviewer]

With his young son, Francis, Paul now lives as far from New Orleans as possible, feeling betrayed by the city that he and his wife once loved.

[Narrator]

You know, Helen just loved that city so much. And, you know, the people responsible for taking care of that city before and after the hurricane, you know, haven't done their jobs. It's a scandal. It's unbelievable. And Helen's death is a result of it.

[Interviewer]

Helen and De Niro's murders served as a wake up call for the city at large.

[Narrator]

We have come to declare that a city which could not be drowned in the waters of a storm will not be drowned in the blood of its citizens.

[Interviewer]

Pastor John Raphael.

[Narrator]

How you doing, man? God bless you.

[Interviewer]

Once a New Orleans cop is still walking a beat.

[Narrator]

How y' all doing this evening?

[Interviewer]

Trying to change attitudes one person at a time.

[Narrator]

We've seen enough murder, enough families destroyed, enough mothers having to bury their children. And we're doing all that we can to bring back the value of life and to save lives in this city.

[Interviewer]

Ironically, it's the same message Daniel Shavers was trying to get out before his own brutal murder.

[Narrator]

Stop the violence. I mean, the hurricane wasn't enough to wake you up. I don't know what it is. I mean, live your life, man. Have fun. I mean, come on now. You're from New Orleans. Act like you're from New Orleans. I think if he had more time, he would have been like the Martin Luther King of music.

[Interviewer]

Shemar Allen says De Niro had a calling.

[Narrator]

He had so much that he wanted to say and so much that he wanted to do, and he would have spent his whole life doing it.

[Interviewer]

Is it still hard to believe?

[Narrator]

It's still hard to believe to this day, especially when his son is always with me. Now, the hardest part is knowing that he ain't gonna be able to see the great musician that his son is gonna be.

[Interviewer]

It's impossible to watch dj @ and not think of his father. My daddy, he was a cool person.

[Narrator]

Everywhere he go, he bring me with him. DJ no longer have a father. I no longer have a brother. How they no longer have a drummer. His students no longer have a teacher. Every time I walk in here, every time I hear the word band, I think about, like, when he died, I was crying.

[Interviewer]

But after De Niro's murder, some of his students thought about leaving the band.

[Narrator]

I was gonna quit. I was like, well, then who gonna teach us why? Ain't no sense to come. But, like, something hit me, like, keep on going, Rashad. You started keep on going.

[Interviewer]

And the marching band that De Niro envisioned long before they even had instruments has now taken root.

[Narrator]

1, 2, 3, 4.

[Interviewer]

They were invited to a band camp held at the University of Southern California with the renowned Trojan marching Band.

[Narrator]

Man, it's a big opportunity. It's like it's a once in a lifetime chance.

[Interviewer]

Daniel Shavers would have been proud.

[Narrator]

We lost someone who truly loved the kids. We just lost a New Orleans treasure. In Dinero Shavers.

[Interviewer]

Helen Hill, and Danirle Shavers came back after the hurricane to save the city they loved.

[Narrator]

You can't kill this spirit, Katrina.

[Interviewer]

Katrina couldn't kill New Orleans. But the continuing storm of murder just might.

[Narrator]

Ellen Hill's murder remains unsolved. I'm Dexter Morgan. I've been through hell. But now I'm back for my curtain call. And what better place to hide than New York City? There may be a new area code, but my code never changes. In a city full of monsters, my dark urges will feel right at home. Dexter Resurrection. Starring Michael C. Hall, Uma Thurman and Peter Dinklage. New series now streaming on the Paramount plus premium plan. Now streaming on Paramount plus. It's an all new season of adventures. We have to stop this invasion. Get into this shit. This crew is a teenager team. We are going to find our way out of this. Star Trek strange new worlds. New season now streaming on Paramount plus.