Murder in the Bayou: A Trinity River Murder

Summary

Cold Case Files: Murder in the Bayou - A Trinity River Murder

Hosted by Paula Barros | Released on March 11, 2025

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Introduction to the Case

In this gripping episode of Cold Case Files, Paula Barros delves into one of Chambers County, Texas's most haunting unsolved murders: the tragic case of Crystal Jean Baker. Despite the passage of decades, the relentless pursuit of justice by dedicated investigators eventually unraveled the mystery surrounding Crystal's disappearance and murder.

The Disappearance of Crystal Jean Baker

On March 5, 1996, the peaceful wetlands of Chambers County were shattered by the disappearance of 13-year-old Crystal Jean Baker. Crystal, a vibrant and beloved member of her community, left her home in Texas City to spend time with friends but never returned.

Jeannie Escamilla, Crystal's mother, recalls the heart-wrenching moments of her daughter's disappearance:

"[01:51] Jeannie Escamilla: I couldn't find Crystal and I knew there was something wrong. You don't. You don't expect your child to be murdered. It was such a nightmare."

Despite contacting the local police, Crystal was initially dismissed as a runaway, a common assumption that hindered early investigative efforts.

Investigation Begins

Detectives Brad Moon and Katherine Casey, a true crime author, began to uncover unsettling patterns as more young girls went missing in the region. The lush yet treacherous bayous of Chambers County became a dark backdrop to these tragedies.

"[02:10] Katherine Casey: We just kept having girls coming up missing and their bodies being dumped along the bayous, the swamps. We've got a monster somewhere."
"[02:19] Brian Gutjes: It's disturbing that you've got somebody out there that's hunting young girls."

Discovery of the Jane Doe

Two weeks after Crystal vanished, a body was discovered under the Trinity River Bridge. The victim, later identified as Crystal, showed signs of strangulation and possible sexual assault. However, initial forensic technology of the 1990s failed to provide substantial leads.

Brad Moon, reflecting on the discovery, shares:

"[02:59] Brad Moon: It was my first big homicide... There were no witnesses. We found a young white female, and I could tell it was a homicide."

Connection Established

As the investigation stagnated, a breakthrough emerged when Crystal's appearance bore a striking resemblance to an iconic family legend—some believed she resembled her great aunt, Marilyn Monroe. This connection added a layer of emotional depth to the case.

"[07:37] Narrator: The striking teen bears a resemblance to an iconic star who some believe is her great aunt."

Crystal's mother, Jeannie, remained steadfast in her belief that Crystal did not run away, fueling her determination to seek justice.

Arrest and DNA Breakthrough

Years passed without significant progress until advancements in forensic technology provided new hope. In 2010, Chambers County's investigation was revitalized when a DNA match surfaced through the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS).

Brad Moon recounts the moment of truth:

"[23:20] Brad Moon: In September of 2010, we traveled to Port Arthur and with the assistance of Port Arthur PD made contact with the suspect."

Kevin Edison Smith was apprehended in Louisiana on unrelated drug charges. His DNA, collected during the arrest, matched the evidence from Crystal's case, leading to his identification as the prime suspect.

Confession and Trial

During his interrogation, Kevin Smith initially maintained his innocence. However, under mounting pressure and confronting irrefutable evidence, he confessed to Crystal's murder.

Katherine Casey describes the interrogation dynamics:

"[28:01] Brian Gutjes: I was told, Kevin Smith wants to talk to you if you'll take the death penalty off the table... I wanted to hear what he had to say."

Kevin's confession detailed the horrific events of that fateful day:

"[29:31] Brad Moon: ...she started freaking out, you know, and I was like, lord have mercy...I had choked her and everything."

Despite his claims of accidental strangulation, forensic evidence contradicted his account, revealing the use of a ligature.

Aftermath and Justice

The trial culminated in a swift verdict. The jury found Kevin Smith guilty of capital murder, ensuring he would never pose a threat to society again.

"[36:33] Brian Gutjes: They find Kevin Smith guilty of capital murder, which carries an automatic life sentence."
"[36:56] Jeannie Escamilla: How could you do that to my baby?...I can't understand that. I think evil is too good of a word."

Detectives expressed profound relief and a sense of closure, knowing that justice was finally served for Crystal and her family.

Legislative Impact

Crystal's tragic story not only concluded with her murderer behind bars but also spurred significant changes in Texas law. Her mother, Jeannie Escamilla, advocated tirelessly for the implementation of mandatory DNA collection for felony offenders, a law that has since helped solve over 250 cold cases in Texas.

"[37:35] Jeannie Escamilla: He took everything from me when he took my daughter...I don't want any other parent to go through what I went through."

The passing of Crystal Baker's Law in 2019 marked a pivotal shift in criminal justice, enhancing the capacity to prevent and solve similar crimes through improved forensic practices.

Conclusion and Legacy

Crystal Jean Baker's memory lives on not only through her family's unwavering pursuit of justice but also through the enduring impact of legislative reforms that continue to protect future generations. Her case stands as a testament to the power of persistence, technological advancement, and the enduring spirit of a mother's love.

"[38:42] Jeannie Escamilla: This is a bench that we dedicated to Crystal. ... I try my very best to think about the good things of Crystal... she was a joy to be around."

Crystal's legacy is one of resilience and change, ensuring that her story contributes to a safer and more just society.

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Notable Quotes:

• "I couldn't find Crystal and I knew there was something wrong. You don't. You don't expect your child to be murdered. It was such a nightmare."
  — Jeannie Escamilla [01:51]

• "We just kept having girls coming up missing and their bodies being dumped along the bayous, the swamps. We've got a monster somewhere."
  — Katherine Casey [02:10]

• "How could you do that to my baby? How could you do that? I can't understand that. I think evil is too good of a word."
  — Jeannie Escamilla [36:56]

• "Crystal Baker's law has already helped a lot, but this would even help more. We need to get these criminals off the streets."
  — Jeannie Escamilla [38:18]

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This detailed exploration of Crystal Jean Baker's case highlights the profound challenges and ultimate triumphs in cold case investigations. Through dedicated effort and advancements in forensic science, rare justice was achieved, offering hope to families enduring similar tragedies.

Transcript

[Narrator]

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[Jeannie Escamilla]

I couldn't find Crystal and I knew there was something wrong. You don't. You don't expect your child to be murdered. It was such a nightmare.

[Katherine Casey]

She just disappeared. Then her body was found under the Trinity River Bridge.

[Brad Moon]

I can still see her, just like it was yesterday. I still see it here.

[Katherine Casey]

We just kept having girls coming up missing and their bodies being dumped along the bayous, the swamps. We've got a monster somewhere.

[Brian Gutjes]

It's disturbing that you've got somebody out there that's hunting young girls.

[Brad Moon]

I just grabbed it, you know, I just went berserk.

[Jeannie Escamilla]

We're going to go find the man that killed my daughter and he's going to have to pay for what he did.

[Narrator]

There are over 100,000 cold cases in America, only about 1% are ever solved. This is one of those rare stories. Brad Moon is a former investigator for the Chambers County Sheriff's Office.

[Brad Moon]

I moved down here in 1976. This is home now. Down here you've got a lot of bios, you got a lot of marshland. Chambers County, I think we actually have more water than we do land.

[Narrator]

Cheryl Lee Henry is a Chambers County District attorney.

[Brian Gutjes]

Being on the Texas Gulf coast, it's very green, it's very lush, It's a lot of fishing, a lot of crabbing. It's a big place for birders.

[Narrator]

Brian Gutjes is a former detective with the Texas City Police Department.

[Katherine Casey]

I see the beauty of the swamps, but also I'm aware of the beast. I see the other side of it as a dangerous place alive with death.

[Narrator]

It's March 5, 1996 in Chambers County, Texas. The sun is starting to set on the wetlands of Chambers County. The sheriff's office receives a call about a body found along the marshy banks of the Trinity River.

[Brad Moon]

It was almost time to go home. It was 4:34,45. I left and went to the scene. When I arrived, the victim is about 150 yards at that time down to the bank of the river. We had a young white female. Her dress was pulled up. So I'm thinking sexual assault and I can clearly see it's a homicide. She didn't have any kind of identifying information. I could tell that she had been strangled with something just because of the abrasions on the throat. I can still see her just like she was laying, just like it was yesterday. I still see it here. To be as young as she was and then dumped. In my mind there's no excuse for that.

[Narrator]

40 miles across the bay in the Gulf coast town of Texas City, the family of 13 year old Crystal Jean Baker is on edge. Earlier that day Crystal left the house while under her grandmother's career. Jeannie Escamilla is Crystal's mother.

[Jeannie Escamilla]

She wanted to go be with her friends but her grandma said no and of course she got an argument with her. She walked down the street and she called me and I was at work.

[Narrator]

Crystal tells her mother that she's calling from the corner store.

[Jeannie Escamilla]

I was a little angry at Crystal when I talked to her and I told her, I said Crystal, I said, you need to go back to your grandma's. But about an hour later my mom calls me and tells me she didn't show up. I was trying to get in touch with everybody and I kept calling her friends. There was no sign of Crystal. And I knew there was something wrong, that she would be here right now if something went wrong.

[Narrator]

Crystal's mom, Jeannie, contacts her local police department in Texas City.

[Katherine Casey]

When we first got the call with Crystal Baker, we assumed that she had run away. Crystal was 13 years old. She rebelled against her grandmother. Seemed she had just gone somewhere and didn't call home. And back then, we didn't really address runaways the way you would do today. 99.9% of the time that the child returns home. And the Texas City Police Department, they made a report. They gave out a BOLO to the patrol officers to be on the lookout for Crystal Baker.

[Jeannie Escamilla]

They just kept telling me, oh, she's a runaway. And I kept telling them, no, she's not.

[Narrator]

Katherine Casey is a true crime author.

[Jeannie Escamilla]

Historically, along the Gulf coast, there had been a real problem with the police assuming that someone who gone missing had run away. Working on this book about Crystal's case, I spent a lot of time with Jeannie. Jeannie knew that Crystal had not run away, and she was really scared. I really felt like something bad happened to her. I just had this feeling in my stomach and in my heart because me and Crystal had such a good connection.

[Narrator]

Like many residents of the Texas bayou region, Crystal and her mother have spent much of their time enjoying the water.

[Jeannie Escamilla]

Texas City Dike is like a beach, and then there's a little bayou where you go fishing and you go with your family and go out and have a good day. We'd swim in the ocean, and sometimes Crystal would go a little farther than I wanted her to, and I had to tell her, come on in, you know, And I like the spunk in her good spirit. A beautiful smile. She was just a natural beauty.

[Narrator]

The striking teen bears a resemblance to an iconic star who some believe is her great aunt.

[Jeannie Escamilla]

We found out through my husband's side that Crystal was related to Marilyn Monroe. I think she does look a little bit like Marilyn Monroe. The connection to Marilyn Monroe is kind of a family legend. Nobody knows if it's true or not, but some of the pictures of Crystal, she's this very vulnerable, very beautiful young girl breaking out into the world. And it reminded me a little bit of portraits of Marilyn at that age. That's what stays with you about these cases. When Crystal went missing, this was a young girl just at the very beginning of her life. It's heartbreaking to not know where your kid's at. You want your kid home.

[Narrator]

Across the bay, deputies are investigating the Murder of the Jane Doe found in the boggy wetlands of Chambers County.

[Brad Moon]

It was basically my first big homicide. To say I was overwhelmed would be an understatement. There's no witnesses. We're looking around for any kind of evidence. We picked up cigarette pack, cold drink bottle, anything that was in probably about a 50 foot radius. As I'm looking around the area, I don't see signs of a scuffle in the dirt.

[Brian Gutjes]

I think it was pretty clear that she was killed somewhere else and then dumped because the crime scene was just her.

[Brad Moon]

I don't have anything that tells me who she is. Knowing that there's parents somewhere wondering where she's at, that's frustrating. After we found the victim, we tried to reach out to other agencies in the area, asking if anyone had any missing persons. This was 1996. We did not have the computer system to network like we do now.

[Narrator]

Finally, two weeks after the dead Jane Doe was found, Investigator Moon gets a call from the Texas City police about a missing girl.

[Brad Moon]

They had the missing person that was very similar to what I had described. Height, weight, and there was a birthmark. So I left and went to Texas City. I'm thinking in my mind we're going to be able to make a positive identification.

[Narrator]

Investigator Moon and the Texas City police ask Crystal's mom to view some photos at the station.

[Jeannie Escamilla]

I thought I was going to go down there and look at pictures of Crystal, you know, good pictures, you know, to put in the newspaper or something. And then they put down all these graphic pictures of my daughter, how they found her, what she looked like for me to identify her. And I seen the little freckles she had right here. I knew it was my daughter. I almost passed out and she didn't even look like herself. There was so many bruises on her body and even on her face. It was like, who did this? This is my baby that's lying in here dead. You know, it felt like I was just in a daydream in a nightmare. I didn't know I was going to look at pictures of my daughter dead and murdered. It was heartbreaking. It was evil.

[Narrator]

With Crystal's death now confirmed, detectives set out to find the killer who disposed of her body in the thick marshlands of Chambers County.

[Katherine Casey]

The suspect had a two week head start. And it's a swamp, it's desolate. We know it's rough terrain. If there's a body dumped out there for us to obtain any sort of evidence.

[Brian Gutjes]

In other words, if you want to dispose of a body, that's the perfect place to do it.

[Katherine Casey]

We started taking statements and knocking on doors to see if we could determine what happened to her. Crystal Baker went to the corner store and used a payphone.

[Brian Gutjes]

At some point she got off the phone and left. It was right in the middle of the day, big busy street, busy convenience.

[Katherine Casey]

Store, and she just disappeared. Then her body was found about 10 after 5 in the afternoon, 46 miles away under the Trinity River Bridge.

[Brad Moon]

We needed to know how she got there, how she met her demise, who it was that brought her there. It was during that time that we spoke with Crystal's family, hoping they could point us to some potential suspects.

[Narrator]

The family shares that Crystal had been spending time with a local boy named Randall Robbins.

[Jeannie Escamilla]

She's 13. And of course, Crystal being a little teenage girl, it was my puppy love.

[Narrator]

According to Crystal's mother, Randall claimed to be 15 years old. Yet while digging into his background, detectives discover that he's actually 19.

[Katherine Casey]

That was a major turning point. We're going, wow, we got a 19 year old with a 13 year old. You know, this is unusual.

[Narrator]

Police then uncover an even more unsettling find. It turns out Randall has a wife.

[Brad Moon]

It's a very big red flag when I find out he was married. He may have been separated at the time, but nonetheless he was married and he was substantially older.

[Jeannie Escamilla]

After I found out how old he was, his real age, I freaked out. I thought he was a little boy, had a baby face. I assumed that he was telling me the truth when he even told me he was 15. And Crystal, she didn't know that he was married. She didn't know any of that stuff.

[Brad Moon]

The fact that he was married. It could have been that the wife discovered his relationship with Crystal and may have instigated what happened to Crystal.

[Katherine Casey]

At this point, he was the primary suspect. He was the number one person we were going to look at.

[Narrator]

When questioned, Randall claims that he struck up a friendship with Crystal while separated from his wife.

[Katherine Casey]

He told us of his relationship with Crystal. You know, this is unusual, but the police didn't get a report of indecency with the child or anything like that. He had an alibi for the whole day. There were documents that were provided from the business that he was in. He had dates and times. Randall Robbins was an immature 19 year old having a relationship with a 13 year old. We did a solid investigation and cleared them.

[Narrator]

As police search for new clues, the medical examiner releases his findings.

[Brad Moon]

It was ligature strangulation was the cause of death. She was strangled with something other than the hands just because of the abrasions on the throat because of the injuries. It did look like she'd been sexually assaulted, but they didn't found any kind of traces, any body fluid on her person. Her address was sent to the crime lab as well as the fingernail scrapings and clippings. The lab told us that there just wasn't enough there for them to tell you what you needed to know.

[Katherine Casey]

Back in the 90s, it was a general rule for law enforcement that you needed at least a dime size bodily fluid to get a DNA reading. And a dime size is a lot and you got to be able to see it. Nowadays you're swiping something and you get DNA when you swab it with a Q tip.

[Brad Moon]

The clothing and the fingernail scrapings and clippings were all put into evidence and secured at our facility. I was hoping we may eventually have technology that would help us find something useful in the evidence that we had.

[Narrator]

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[Jeannie Escamilla]

I had bought her a dress that covers up her neck, covers up her hands. I've seen the bruises on her face and I had to get into my purse, put some makeup, a little bit of makeup where the bruises were at and put a little, little bitty eyeshadow, little lipstick that's light. I wasn't gonna let her go out there looking like they had had her. And I knocked down a whole bunch of flowers because I was so mad about everything. I was mad. I was heartbroken and I was devastated. I kept telling her, I'm so sorry, baby, you went through this. I'm so sorry, Crystal, you went through this. I'm so sorry.

[Narrator]

As leads dry up, one year after Crystal was murdered, the investigation stalls. Then the sheriff's office learns of a chilling development further up the coast. Another young girl has gone missing. In the soggy marshlands just 30 miles from where Crystal had disappeared, Laura Kate Smither told her parents she was going out for a quick run.

[Jeannie Escamilla]

The 12 year old, who was homeschooled, was last seen around 9 in the morning. Laura Kate Smither. Like Crystal, she disappeared on the side of a road. They were about the same age, they were about six months. Laura was about six months younger.

[Narrator]

Three weeks after she vanished, Laura's body is found in a nearby weedy pond. Like Crystal, she too had been strangled.

[Jeannie Escamilla]

And then three months after Laura's body was found, Jessica Kane's truck was found on i45. Just gone. She had vanished. There was a lot of speculation that perhaps the three killings, Crystal's, Laura's and Jessica's, were all connected.

[Brian Gutjes]

It's disturbing that you've got somebody out there that's hunting young girls. It just seemed like every time you turned on the news, some young girl was missing. It was almost like we were living in the twilight Zone. It was just like every day we were thinking, who's going to go missing today?

[Katherine Casey]

We just kept having missing persons come up. 1996, where we have Crystal Baker. And then in 1997 we had Laura Smithers and Jessica Kane. We've got a monster somewhere.

[Narrator]

With the disappearance of three young girls in the Texas marshlands, fear hangs heavy in the thick bayou air.

[Brian Gutjes]

I just remember everyone being in disbelief and in horror, actually thinking that it's out of control, that there's some serial killer out there who's obviously not going to stop.

[Brad Moon]

With these murders happening as the way they did, I did reach out to other agencies. Maybe we can pool our information and come up with a suspect.

[Katherine Casey]

Also, we were in constant contact with the FBI and they were the profilers. They were the persons that could examine someone's characteristics.

[Brad Moon]

But after talking with the other agencies, there's no leads that are developed at that time to take us any further than what we already were.

[Jeannie Escamilla]

The police eventually concluded that Crystal's murder was not connected to Jessica Cains or to Laura Smithers. They had a DNA profile. There was a man named William Lewis Reese who was ultimately charged with their murders.

[Narrator]

With no new leads, the investigation into Crystal's death goes cold.

[Jeannie Escamilla]

Everybody kept telling me it's a cold case and there was no evidence.

[Narrator]

Back in 1996, lab results failed to detect any foreign DNA on Crystal's body. But Jeannie holds out hope that one day there will be a clue.

[Jeannie Escamilla]

My child actually fought for her life in every way with her legs, her arms, everything. She had bruises all over her. So I knew that there had to be some evidence on her. I said I need to hire a private investigator. So I call him and they went to investigate.

[Narrator]

The PI digs into Crystal's file at the Chambers County Sheriff's Office. He finds nothing.

[Brad Moon]

An evidence officer, she pulled the case after this private investigator contacted her. She got, she pulled the case and she started reading through it, got interested in it.

[Brian Gutjes]

She remembered Crystal being murdered. She was a high school student. It stuck with her.

[Brad Moon]

It was after this that we get what could be a major break in the case.

[Narrator]

Brian Hawthorne is the sheriff of Chambers County.

[Brad Moon]

I became the sheriff after the sheriff's office started this case back from what had relatively turned cold and making that cold case hot again.

[Jeannie Escamilla]

It was a major case.

[Brad Moon]

Anytime you have a 13 year old body that is disposed of like it was, it's really never put away. It's usually kind of waiting for that tip. In 2009, our state police lab, the Department of Public Safety laboratory, was making great strides with some of the new.

[Jeannie Escamilla]

Technology from DNA in this particular case, because it was a cold case for.

[Brad Moon]

A long time, they were able to.

[Jeannie Escamilla]

Get that evidence resubmitted and reanalyzed the.

[Brad Moon]

Dress and some fingernail scrapings.

[Brian Gutjes]

This time, when the sample was tested, they got a profile. Then it was loaded into CODIS, the national database.

[Narrator]

It's now 2010, 14 years after Crystal Jean Baker's murder.

[Brad Moon]

In September of 2010, we got the call we had been waiting for all those years.

[Brian Gutjes]

Brad is the one that called me and told me, you know, you're not going to believe this. We had a hit on Crystal's killer.

[Brad Moon]

When we got the CODIS hit, it was a huge moment. Everybody was ecstatic that we now had a suspect for Crystal Baker's murder. So we finally get a name, and then we start trying to track him down.

[Brian Gutjes]

The sheriff's office sent me a picture of him, and they said his name is Kevin Edison Smith. In 2010, Kevin Smith got arrested in Louisiana.

[Narrator]

Smith was arrested on a drug charge in Pointe Coupee Parish, located in Louisiana's bayou country, 300 miles from Texas City.

[Brad Moon]

He subsequently had his DNA taken and put in the CODIS database, which subsequently wound up matching up with our suspect information.

[Brian Gutjes]

In Texas, we were only taking DNA samples from people who had been convicted of certain sex offenses. But in the state of Louisiana at that time, they would take your DNA upon arrest, even for misdemeanors. The fact that we had his genetic profile in the system, it's huge. I mean, it's a big deal. Once we got a hit on Kevin Smith, they started doing some background on him. Kevin Smith was under the radar. No criminal record except for the drug charge.

[Brad Moon]

I come to find out he's from the Texas City area. He's worked all up and down the Interstate 10 corridor.

[Jeannie Escamilla]

In 1996, he was working as a.

[Brad Moon]

Contractor at the time at one of.

[Jeannie Escamilla]

The refineries, very close to where Crystal.

[Brad Moon]

Baker's body was discovered.

[Narrator]

Detectives discover that Kevin Smith is back in Texas and working in Port Arthur, an industrial coastal town near the Louisiana state line.

[Brad Moon]

In September of 2010, we traveled to Port Arthur and with the assistance of Port Arthur PD made contact with the suspect. The day we arrested him, I was actually able to put my handcuffs on him, which is something I'd been waiting for all those years. When our suspect was arrested, he maintained his innocence, said he didn't know what.

[Brian Gutjes]

We were talking about. Very quiet, very unassuming. And then they took his DNA.

[Brad Moon]

Myself and one of the rangers were in there with him. We explained to him, you know, we tried being nice. You know, we've got a court order to get your buckle swabs. All right, Kevin, here's what we're going to do.

[Katherine Casey]

We can put these swabs inside your mouth.

[Brad Moon]

This is to compare the evidence that.

[Katherine Casey]

We have, you know?

[Brad Moon]

Evidence from what? If your stuff, if your DNA got mixed up with somewhere, that's what these swabs today will tell the tale. Okay?

[Katherine Casey]

Now, we're asking you, as just as.

[Brad Moon]

A courtesy, just to be cooperative.

[Narrator]

Open your mouth.

[Brian Gutjes]

Open your mouth.

[Brad Moon]

Can't do that.

[Narrator]

Open your mouth.

[Brad Moon]

Angus, hold you down, man. Open your mouth. I pretty much held him down while the ranger swabbed his cheeks. Y'all setting me up. Calm down. Y'all setting me up? You need to cool your heels right now. Y'all setting me up, man. We got his DNA. We done with him? Yeah, he's done. Let's go.

[Narrator]

Later that week, lab results for the DNA sample come back.

[Brad Moon]

Sure enough, it's confirmed. He is our man. Around the time we rode to Jeannie's house, Crystal's mom, we were able to tell her that we'd found the person responsible for her daughter's death. It got very emotional for everybody.

[Jeannie Escamilla]

They showed me a picture of him. I have already lived through 14, 15, almost 15 years of not knowing who it was. And then all of a sudden, I have a face to who murdered my daughter. I've never seen him. I don't understand why he did this to my daughter. Thank God. The detectives went and made sure that the cold case got looked at. It was a miracle that we caught this guy. It was just remarkable.

[Brian Gutjes]

Kevin Smith was charged with capital murder because he could committed a murder during or in the commission of an aggravated sexual assault. It would be a death penalty case.

[Narrator]

As prosecutors prepare for trial, they receive a surprising request.

[Brian Gutjes]

I was told, Kevin Smith wants to talk to you if you'll take the death penalty off the table. And of course, I think my first reaction was, oh, shit, you know, I mean, this was a big deal. We still don't know what really happened on the day that Crystal was abducted. Maybe I can get some answers. I thought, hell, yeah, I'll go talk to him. I wanted the son of a bitch to confess. Kevin Smith wanted to confess. If I took the death penalty off the table, I knew that a confession would help. We would use it in trial. And I wanted to talk to him. I wanted to hear what he had to say.

[Brad Moon]

Okay, and we reached our Kevin Edison Smith, correct? Yeah. Kevin, myself, one of the rangers and prosecutor, were all in a room, and Cheryl did the majority of the talking. She was asking the questions.

[Brian Gutjes]

Kevin said that he wanted to be very clear that he was not the same man today that he was back in 1996, that he was a Christian man, and that he was a good person. If you get into their faces and you start berating them, they're not going to tell you anything. So I sat there and listened to him and agreed with him, trying to be his friend and being nice and sympathetic. And then we talked about Crystal.

[Brad Moon]

Obviously, I was riding, you know, and I was drinking with my buddies earlier. So I seen her walking down the highway and picked up, you know, hey, what's going on?

[Brian Gutjes]

Somehow he got her in his truck. He said that she asked him for a ride. Her family says there's no way in hell she would have done that. I guess at some point he wants to have sex.

[Brad Moon]

She just started freaking out, you know, and I was like, lord have mercy. And, man, I'm drunk and full of alcohol and stuff, and I'm just like, please, please, please. And trying to restrain her. And then she started, you know, hitting me and everything and kicking me and all that kind of stuff. And then I just grabbed her, you know, and I had choked her and everything. Next thing I know, she stopped, you know, she stopped breathing.

[Brian Gutjes]

He says that he used his hands. Then that goes more in line to it being an accident, you know, like, oh, I just. I freaked out because she was freaking out, so I just choked her. And before I knew it, she was dead. Which I knew all of that was bullshit because you don't accidentally strangle somebody for four minutes.

[Brad Moon]

Okay.

[Brian Gutjes]

The only thing, though, about you choking.

[Narrator]

Her with your hand is the information.

[Jeannie Escamilla]

That we got is that she was.

[Brian Gutjes]

Strangled with something else.

[Jeannie Escamilla]

Something was put around her neck.

[Brian Gutjes]

Because usually when you choke somebody, your thumbs will break that bone right there.

[Katherine Casey]

Yeah, hers was.

[Brad Moon]

It was.

[Brian Gutjes]

Something was wrapped around her neck.

[Brad Moon]

I had, like a. Just a leather strap, you know, grabbed it. Cause like I said, she kept. And I was trying to calm her down. I was like, lord, please.

[Narrator]

So you tell her with that.

[Brian Gutjes]

Well, yeah, but it's so funny how he quickly remembered when I told him that he did not strangle her with his hands. Then all of a sudden, he just starts telling it just like it was yesterday. I just want to know how you knew about The Trinity River Bridge.

[Brad Moon]

Oh, I just drove. I just drove. And then when I got over that bridge, I just took an exit.

[Brian Gutjes]

Nobody was there.

[Narrator]

So you decided that you wouldn't get caught?

[Brad Moon]

Yeah, I got out of my trucking, picked her up, laid her down there, and I, you know, got my truck and I just drove. Oh, God. Ain't never did nothing. Nobody.

[Brian Gutjes]

When they get to the part where they're like, oh, wait a minute, I'm supposed to be upset right now, then the tears will come. He knows what he's doing. He knew what he was doing.

[Brad Moon]

When Kevin started crying, I didn't pity him. I felt like he was crying because he knew he'd been caught and his goose was cooked, so to speak.

[Jeannie Escamilla]

That man wasn't sorry for nothing. He went on about his life. He had no concerns about what he did to Crystal.

[Narrator]

With the suspect's damning statements, prosecutors are confident as they head to trial.

[Brian Gutjes]

We have the DNA. We had his confession, which was everything. But there's never a slam dunk. I don't care what anybody says. You don't know what he's going to do with his defense, and you Never know what 12 people on a jury are going to do. You never know.

[Narrator]

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[Brad Moon]

She just started freaking, freaking out on me.

[Brian Gutjes]

Did you ever tell anybody what happened?

[Brad Moon]

No, I never thinking I'm lucky or oh, I'm getting away with this. I just prayed to God. I was like, just, lord, bless her heart, bless her.

[Brian Gutjes]

I mean, if he was such a chance, why didn't he confess? 1 year, 2 year, 3 year, 4 year, 10 years after he killed her.

[Narrator]

It's now 2012, 16 years after Crystal Jean Baker's murder. With spectators packing the benches of the small county courtroom, Kevin Smith's recorded statements are presented during his trial.

[Jeannie Escamilla]

He confessed that he had hurt Crystal. He confessed that he strangled her. To hear the details, it was such a nightmare. It was devastating.

[Brian Gutjes]

A jury hearing a confession from a defendant is very impactful because a lot of times defendants don't testify. Kevin Smith didn't testify. He basically put on no defense.

[Narrator]

The jury reaches a verdict within 30 minutes.

[Brian Gutjes]

They find Kevin Smith guilty of capital murder, which carries an automatic life sentence. He won't ever get out. I was just glad that it was over, glad that we got the result that we wanted that Crystal deserved.

[Brad Moon]

It felt really good to hear Kevin convicted of the murder of Crystal Baker. It was long Overdue.

[Jeannie Escamilla]

How could you do that to my baby? How could you do that? I can't understand that. I think evil is too good of a word.

[Brad Moon]

He's a monster. We put a monster away.

[Jeannie Escamilla]

I'll probably have a little more peace knowing that that man is never going to get out. Thank God his DNA ended up in the system. If Louisiana hadn't had a law mandating the testing of DNA for all felons, Kevin Edison Smith would never have been found.

[Narrator]

Following the trial, Crystal's mother continues her fight for justice by pushing for a similar DNA law in Texas.

[Jeannie Escamilla]

He took everything from me when he took my daughter and he took everything from her that day. I don't want any other parent to go through what I went through.

[Brian Gutjes]

The Crystal Baker law in Texas passed in 2019. We got 24 felonies that you got that you could be tested for once you get arrested. Even in the short time that that has been the law in Texas, we have solved over 250 cold cases.

[Brad Moon]

And now we just recently were able to pass some additional legislation to now collect the DNA off of all felony arrests.

[Narrator]

Crystal's mother is pushing to expand the law to cover even misdemeanor arrests.

[Jeannie Escamilla]

Crystal Baker's law has already helped a lot, but this would even help more. We need to get these criminals off the streets. So if we could get their DNA like a fingerprint, maybe they might think twice about what they do.

[Brian Gutjes]

Crystal is being remembered and will forever be remembered as changing the law in the state of Texas. That's a big deal.

[Jeannie Escamilla]

This is a bench that we dedicated to Crystal. I come out here to bring my great grandkids and my grandson. Bring the kids out here to play. Coming out here, I really feel close to her. I try my very best to think about the good things of Crystal. Laughing and having fun and enjoying her life. She was a joy to be around. I have dreams of her still. But I dream mostly of her being a little girl. And I like to remember all the fun things we did together and remember all the love I have for her.

[Brad Moon]

Are you looking for your next case?

[Narrator]

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[Jeannie Escamilla]

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[Brad Moon]

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[Narrator]

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[Brad Moon]

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[Jeannie Escamilla]

You can't outrun this.

[Brad Moon]

Someone is gonna pay for all this crime.

[Narrator]

But it's not gonna be you.

[Brad Moon]

Take care of business, fellas.

[Narrator]

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[Brad Moon]

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[Narrator]

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[Brad Moon]

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