NEW ORLEANS HOMICIDE DETECTIVE SLEUTHS "THE WORST OF THE WORST"

Summary

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Crime Stories with Nancy Grace

Episode: “NEW ORLEANS HOMICIDE DETECTIVE SLEUTHS ‘THE WORST OF THE WORST’”

Air date: December 30, 2025
Guest: Detective James Fife, New Orleans Homicide Division
Host: Nancy Grace, Crime Stories by iHeartPodcasts and CrimeOnline

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Episode Overview

In this gripping episode, Nancy Grace sits down with Detective James Fife, a New Orleans homicide detective with an extraordinary track record, having solved 24 consecutive homicide cases. The conversation delves into the harrowing realities of major crimes in New Orleans, the pressures and burdens of homicide investigation, and Fife’s notable cases—including parade shootings, community tragedies, and the emotional toll of violent crime. The discussion shines a light on policing in high-crime environments, challenges in gaining community trust, and the weighty aftermath that families and detectives carry after a murder is solved.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Detective Fife’s Background & Why He Chose New Orleans

• Journey to NOPD: Fife left a background in Massachusetts security screening and federal background checks to pursue law enforcement in New Orleans, driven by a lifelong passion for public service and the pursuit of more excitement in his career.
  • “My parents were teachers and social workers, so I've always had like a public service drive. But I think maybe I needed a little bit more excitement to what I chose to do.” – Detective Fife (08:12)
• Immediate immersion into violence: New Orleans’ high crime rate led to Fife being pulled into heavy caseloads almost immediately, handling far more cases annually than many detectives elsewhere.

2. Notable Streak: 24 Consecutive Homicide Solves

• Record-breaking clearance rate: Fife’s success is so prominent, colleagues track it on a whiteboard, jokingly called the “fifometer”—his work helped raise NOLA’s clearance rate from about 40% to over 76%.
  • “Since 2022, Fife closes 24 consecutive cases he is assigned to. His co-workers keeping track on a whiteboard they've dubbed the fifometer.” – Crime Story Narrator (09:21)
• Perspective on ‘victories’ in homicide work: Both Grace and Fife reflect on the lack of celebration in solving murder cases, as the sense of loss, grief, and finality is inescapable.
  • “Even when you've done your job well, the worst has already happened and somebody has died. So to take like a victory lap sometimes feels a little tone deaf.” – Detective Fife (06:24)

3. Insights into Homicide Investigations

First Case: Tulane Avenue Triple Shooting (04:08 – 07:59)

• Case Details: Fife’s first homicide as a detective involved a masked shooter carrying out a premeditated “hit” outside a bar.
  • “My first case was a shooting of three individuals on Tulane Avenue outside of a bar... shooter was masked... pretty planned and partially organized.” – Detective Fife (04:08)
• Techniques: Heavy reliance on video surveillance due to uncooperative or unreliable witnesses.
• Weapon of choice explained: The shooter used a “Draco” firearm—a weapon favored by youth for being both distinctive and concealable.

Challenges at Crime Scenes (11:37 – 14:03)

• Reality vs. TV: Crime scenes are far messier, emotionally heavy, and difficult compared to TV portrayals.
  • “I've seen a rookie cop start vomiting from the smell of a dead body. Hadn't even gone into the scene yet, because it really is enough to make you throw up.” – Nancy Grace (11:37)
• Emotional toll: Detectives must balance emotional sensitivity with the necessity of compartmentalizing trauma to keep functioning—cases often "creep into your dreams."
  • “If you're going to do, like, what we do... you need to strike that balance between compartmentalizing work and your home life.” – Detective Fife (15:02)

Motive (29:14 – 29:54)

• Importance & difficulty: Motive is rarely straightforward or available—solidity of facts often outweighs proving motive, but digital tools can now reveal context and intent.
  • “Sometimes you get clues to it. Conversations the person's had with other people. We get a lot of help from social media, sometimes phone record history and such.” – Detective Fife (29:14)

4. Major Cases Discussed

The Second Line Parade Shooting (18:31 – 21:23)

• Incident summary: Massive parade, chaotic double shooting, challenging investigation due to crowd size and confusion.
  • “Because my shooting, the homicide that you mentioned, occurred during one of these events, it had a lot of extra scrutiny... This also could have had way more victims when you see the crowd's present.” – Detective Fife (19:24)
• Breakthrough: Surveillance footage, phone records, and forensic evidence (shell casings, gun tied to suspect’s mother), led to an arrest.
  • “Recovered shell casings match a gun registered to his mother. There is enough evidence to charge Gray with Rashawn and Malachi's murders.” – Crime Story Narrator (21:23)
• Issue of family complicity: Suspect’s mother tried to hide evidence, raising the issue of family aiding and abetting suspects.
  • “When you have, you know, whole groups or families sort of circling and protecting defendants in some of these cases, it can be hugely problematic.” – Detective Fife (25:55)

The Murder of Thon Vu (33:02 – 35:51)

• Victim: Pillar of the NOLA Vietnamese community, killed in her store during an armed robbery.
  • “Ms. Vu was sort of a fixture of the Vietnamese community... just one of those senseless, you know, botched robberies as we understand it.” – Detective Fife (33:54)
• Grace rebukes ‘botched robbery’ terminology:
  • “I don't like that terminology going forward because somehow it lessens the degree of intent to have a group of men enter a grocery store and confront an unarmed, defenseless female...That was intentional. And I take umbrage at anyone describing as, oh, it was a botched robbery, she's dead.” – Nancy Grace (35:47)
• Under-advocated victims: Extra pain when communities feel unrepresented or that their sufferings are ignored.
  • “It's really important to make inroads with them and sort of establish some trust. And that can be hard when certain groups don't feel like they've had the support of police...” – Detective Fife (37:42)

The Raven Francis Case (39:14 – 44:31)

• Victim: Mother of four killed by stray gunfire in a parking lot altercation; her child, collateral victim.
• Grace emphasizes the ripple effect on families and children.
  • “One bullet caused... this little boy just 10 years old... there were times I'd have to pull over on the side of the road and just sit there and try to process all the suffering one bullet caused.” – Nancy Grace (42:17)

Leah Perry Drive-by Shooting (44:42 – 45:16)

• Victim: Teen mother, killed as an unintended target. Social media and distinctive clothing (red striped pants) aided in nabbing suspect.
  • “Surveillance footage shows a newer model Infiniti with no plate and dark tint. Pull up to the teen and fire several shots... same striped red pants as in suspect’s online photos.” – Crime Story Narrator (44:42)
  • “So he's posting online the red striped pants with a gun stuck down the pants... Sometimes they throw you a bone. Heaven just drops a fact in your lap.” – Nancy Grace (45:16)

5. Emotional and Psychological Toll

• Caseload pressures: Overwhelming and relentless; older unsolved cases haunt detectives, with families desperately awaiting answers.
  • “They continue to follow you and they haunt you... Parents of those cases will call, you know, sometimes weekly for an update.” – Detective Fife (47:52)
• Maintaining optimism: Critical not to give in to cynicism or treat the work as an assembly line.
• Superstition and ritual: Fife doesn’t rely on superstitions, instead emphasizing preparation as the best defense against anxiety and error.

6. Public Perceptions & Policing

• Misconceptions about police conspiracies:
  • “I didn't have time to even think about framing somebody. I could hardly keep my nose above water, handling all the cases I was given.” – Nancy Grace (49:02)
• Community mistrust: The legacy of misconduct elsewhere affects all police, even those doing good work.
  • “One of the frustrating things about this line of work is that the system's often seen as like, this monolithic thing... if something happens in Oklahoma, and then the community here in New Orleans now loses trust in police.” – Detective Fife (49:58)

7. Teamwork and Humility

• Credit to unit: Fife insists his success is a team effort, not individual heroics.
  • “Again, I need to take the opportunity to praise my homicide unit in general, we have, I think, an 80% clearance rate this year, which is very high, as I understand it, nationally.” – Detective Fife (30:28)
  • “I'm glad to know that you're not a show horse. You are a workhorse, and I'm very proud that you are humble. I notice you never take credit. And you're right you wouldn't be where you are if it wasn't for what they are doing. It's a team.” – Nancy Grace (51:09)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the lack of closure for victims’ families (09:49):

  • “It's not like solving the homicide or getting the guilty verdict fixes things. I think victims' families think that's going to fix everything and it doesn't.” – Nancy Grace

• On crime scene realities (11:37):

  • “You go to a murder scene. I've seen a rookie cop start vomiting from the smell of a dead body... when you get in there, it's a lot grimier and dirtier and stickier than any TV show that I know of has ever portrayed.” – Nancy Grace

• On the emotional burden (15:02):

  • “If you're going to do, like, what we do... you need to strike that balance between compartmentalizing work and your home life.” – Detective Fife

• On dealing with unsolved cases (16:02):

  • “Did I handle that interview the right way? Could it have been this other thing? And when you find the time, a lot of it's sort of a juggling act.” – Detective Fife

• On the futility of “celebrating” homicide clears (06:24):

  • “Sometimes it can feel a little like, insensitive to sort of celebrate any success in this field because even when you've done your job well, the worst has already happened and somebody has died.” – Detective Fife

• On community trust (37:42):

  • “There are certain demographics that are affected more by violent crime. And those groups, it's really important to make inroads with them and sort of establish some trust...not just write people off...” – Detective Fife

• On the team’s importance (30:28):

  • "We have... an 80% clearance rate this year, which is very high, as I understand it, nationally. We’re looking for any source of enthusiasm or motivation. A lot of the times, very supportive of one another’s successes..." – Detective Fife

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Fife’s background and joining NOPD: 02:05 – 03:43
• First homicide case in New Orleans: 04:08 – 07:59
• On handling the grim reality of murders: 11:37 – 14:03
• Balancing work and emotional health: 14:03 – 15:36
• Superstition and rituals: 30:28 – 32:03
• The Second Line Parade shooting: 18:31 – 21:23
• Family complicity in violent crime: 25:04 – 26:47
• The Thon Vu case: 33:02 – 35:51
• Underserved victims and communities: 36:13 – 38:19
• Raven Francis and impact on children: 39:14 – 44:31
• Addressing public conspiracy theories: 49:02 – 49:58
• Final remarks on teamwork and humility: 51:09 – 52:49

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Episode Tone & Language

• Direct and candid: Both host and guest speak frankly about the violence, tragedy, and daily grind of homicide work.
• Empathic toward victims and families: Repeatedly acknowledges the suffering and neglect often endured by victims’ communities.
• Unfiltered realism: Rejects sanitized TV portrayals in favor of honesty about gore, pain, and emotional aftermath.
• Professional but heartfelt: Mixes procedural expertise with compassion and personal reflection.

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For Listeners

This episode is an unflinching window into the realities of high-stakes homicide investigation in New Orleans, capturing the burdens, complexities, and ethical nuances detectives like James Fife confront daily. Nancy Grace and Detective Fife take listeners beyond headlines to the real lives and emotions behind the numbers, underscoring the importance of community, accountability, and humanity in the criminal justice system.

Transcript

[Nancy Grace]

This is an iHeart podcast.

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[Detective James Fife]

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[Detective James Fife]

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[Detective James Fife]

This is where mindset comes in.

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Someone will be eliminated.

[Crime Story Narrator]

Pressure is coming down.

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[Nancy Grace]

Crime Stories with Nancy Grace, A New Orleans homicide detective. The modern day Hercule Poirot sleuth. The worst of the worst. Now hold on right there. Number one very high crime city New Orleans. The Big Easy. So are some murders worse than other murders? How bad can it be? This guy has the answer to that. I'm Nancy Grace. This is Crime Stories. I want to thank you for being with us.

[Mint Mobile Advertiser]

Detective James Fife began his career with the New Orleans Police Department as a patrol officer before advancing to detective in the fall of 2021. Since his promotion, he has successfully solved overdue 24 consecutive cases, showcasing his dedication.

[Nancy Grace]

And skill it's not just dedication. It's not just hard hours to close 24 consecutive homicides in a row. That takes serious sleuthing. Who is this guy? Listen.

[Crime Story Narrator]

James Fife leaves his Massachusetts security screening job to follow his dreams of becoming a cop. New Orleans catches Fife's eye, actually circulating help wanted posters. Amid a hiring slump, Fife begins as a patrol officer in Algiers and works his way up the 4th district task force into property crimes. After time on the violent crime abatement investigation team, Fife finally gets a shot in the homicide division, just as NOLA sees a huge spike in violent crime.

[Nancy Grace]

And joining us now, Homicide Detective James. Detective Fife, thank you for being with us.

[Detective James Fife]

Thanks for having me. It's an honor.

[Nancy Grace]

Detective 5. 24 consecutive homicides. That's extremely rare. Do you recall the first homicide you investigated with New Orleans?

[Detective James Fife]

Of course. Yeah. A case like that stays with you. I mean, each of them, really. But your first case, you know, you're. You're analyzing every little step, and for sure, that's not something you forget. It was in September of 2021. My first case was a shooting of three individuals on Tulane Avenue outside of a bar at the location which was successfully cleared.

[Nancy Grace]

Detective five, what do you recall of that first homicide investigation?

[Detective James Fife]

Basically every little detail. You know, I was micro analyzing everything I was doing under, you know, management of more veteran officers, making sure you don't take any missteps because the stakes are high, and on your first case, that pressure really sinks in.

[Nancy Grace]

So that was a triple shooting outside of a bar, I assume, at night. I have found in my own investigations, it's really hard to pin down bar goers to get a statement out of them. How did you do it?

[Detective James Fife]

Yeah, well, in this case, the witness testimony, you know, provided some sequencing of events, but it was mostly video footage, and it's sort of one thing led to another, and it was one of those cases that unraveled really well, got some momentum. But our shooter was masked at the time, so it wasn't even as though we needed a witness to point to an individual and say, that's the guy.

[Nancy Grace]

It was a masked shooter?

[Detective James Fife]

Yes, sort of a. I mean, a hit, you could call it. But it seemed pretty. Pretty planned and partially organized on the part of the perpetrator.

[Nancy Grace]

Now, when you say it seemed planned, how do you know the difference between your routine bar shooting and a planned hit? See, that's just like you, Fife. You toss it off as your first homicide. When I find out, now it was a planned execution, what happened?

[Detective James Fife]

Yeah, and I don't mean to ever sound flippant about any of the cases I talk about. I think one of the side effects.

[Nancy Grace]

Is no, you're modest. I mean it in that way. You never take credit for all of your work. You make it sound like I didn't have that much to do with it. It solved itself, but no, you solved it. I didn't know the first case was a planned assassination and execution. What happened?

[Detective James Fife]

Yeah, and not to digress, but real quick, sometimes it can feel a little like, insensitive to sort of celebrate any success in this field because even when you've done your job well, the worst has already happened and somebody has died. So to take like a victory lap sometimes feels a little tone deaf. But you do have to allow yourself to appreciate the wins when you get them. But getting to this incident, when you watch the video footage, and again, it's still in phases of trial, so I can't really speak into too much detail, but the method approach of the incident itself shows that this is not a spontaneous thing. This is definitely just the donning of a mask. And the use of like a, a Draco firearm, you know, sort of implies that this is something with some level of organization beforehand.

[Nancy Grace]

To those that are not familiar with a Draco firearm, could you explain?

[Detective James Fife]

Oh, yeah, it's so it's, it's. It looks like an assault rifle, but technically it's an automatic pistol, but it's very much in favor or it's a chic weapon, I guess, at least it was a few years ago among some of the youth. But it has like a wood grip. It's a very distinctive looking weapon.

[Nancy Grace]

You know, to me it looks like a Draco. Looks like a sawed off shotgun with a fancy handle because the butt's not that long, is it?

[Detective James Fife]

Yeah, I think, you know, it could be argued that it's favored because it's, it's concealable for a big weapon. It's still something you can kind of stuff into a jacket or down your pants if need be. But yeah, it could easily be mistaken for something else like a, a sawed off shotgun or what have you.

[Nancy Grace]

I understand that you left Massachusetts security screening to follow your dream of becoming a homicide detective. When in life did you decide I want to solve murders?

[Detective James Fife]

Oh, that's a tough one. Not exactly sure like when, when that switch flipped, but for sure. My parents were teachers and social workers, so I've always had like a public service drive. But I think maybe I needed a little bit more excitement to what I chose to do. So Wanted policing from sort of since high school, much to my parents dismay at the time. But chase that down. Those jobs back in the early 2000s were a little harder to come by, especially in New England. But if you do believe in that mission driven work, I think you need to be willing to move where you're needed.

[Nancy Grace]

At that time, did you have a family?

[Detective James Fife]

No, not. I was not married, no children at that time yet. So it was a bit easier to pick up and move across the country to chase something like this.

[Nancy Grace]

What were you doing in your security screening job?

[Detective James Fife]

I worked for a federal contract company that was doing background checks for people that needed security clearances, like top secret.

[Nancy Grace]

Security clearance or what have you guys listen to this.

[Crime Story Narrator]

While many detectives only handle about five homicide cases a year, Fife is assigned to nearly 40 cases over three years because he keeps clearing them. Since 2022, Fife closes 24 consecutive cases he is assigned to his co workers, keeping track on a whiteboard they've dubbed the fifometer. Fife's work helps the homicide division bring its clearance rate from 40% in 2022 to above 76% today.

[Nancy Grace]

I know you're probably too humble to comment on the 50th meter, a tally that people keep within your off within your office at Homicide. I never, never while I was prosecuting counted wins, if you can call them that, and I think it's hard to get, but you were alluding to it earlier. Detective 5 When you solve a homicide or when I would prosecute a homicide and the jury would return a guilty verdict, I didn't really feel any joy or celebration. I didn't go out and have a night on the town. I turn around, you know, feeling half dead myself after, you know, weeks of trial and there would be the victim's family just completely wrung out, just having endured so much. And it's not like solving the homicide or getting the guilty verdict fixes things. I think victims, families think that's going to fix everything and it doesn't. And I never felt, I didn't feel like doing it. But in retrospect, I don't think it's appropriate to go out and celebrate a win when the victim's family just moves on to their next step of grieving. I agree with you.

[Detective James Fife]

Yeah, that's exactly right. You know, sometimes at its worst, this job just feels like we're kind of mitigating the damage that's already been done, trying to provide some sort of relief to the family. But you're right. When it's all said and Done. The dust settles, you know, that loved one's still gone, and there's nothing we can do to undo that. I guess it's just about general public safety, making sure somebody who's able and willing to do that can't do it again. Among other things.

[Nancy Grace]

You know, I think we've. Well, not we. Not you and I, but I think the world has seen too many crime shows on tv because it's not like that at all. You go to a murder scene. I've seen a rookie cop start vomiting from the smell of a dead body. Hadn't even gone into the scene yet, because it really is enough to make you throw up. But when you get in there, it's a lot grimier and dirtier and stickier than any any TV show that I know of has ever portrayed. What it's really like. And, you know, on the movies, that's all fake blood. It's all fake. And anybody that's been in the homicide business knows what it's really like. And the celebrations they have in movies and TV when a case is solved. I don't get it. Could you explain what a homicide scene is really like? I try, but I don't think I convey it very well.

[Detective James Fife]

Yeah, of course. Just getting back to what you said earlier, I should say there are moments of, like, excitement and adrenaline rush in this job that are truly fun, like cracking mysteries. Right. But at its core, homicide detective, the work we do is kind of profoundly grim and sad at times. And it takes a good deal of, like, emotional intelligence and endurance to sort of balance, you know, handling these cases with the sensitivity and the gravity that they deserve, but also not letting it haunt your dreams every night. You know, because you do this job long enough, there are a lot of unsolved cases that continue to follow you. But that said, these cases, the crime scenes themselves are hugely varying in what they look like and the issues that are posed by each one. But in addition to the actual active homicide scenes, we respond to any unclassified death. So just a deceased person, and we don't really know what happened to them. We go out and provide support to the district units on that, and some of those, as well as some of our homicides, can be pretty. Pretty grisly, especially when it's something that hasn't been addressed for several days. Someone's been sitting in a spot, and you get pretty used to, I guess, encountering and stomaching that.

[Nancy Grace]

Detective Fife, you mentioned these cases, your cases, creeping into your dreams, and I remember that very well. You eat, drink Breathe, live a case. And I don't know how other trial lawyers do it. I couldn't go out to dinner.

[Detective James Fife]

I couldn't.

[Nancy Grace]

I couldn't do anything during a trial or preparation for a trial, because you have one shot, you have one swing that trial. And if you don't do it all, try it all, give it 200%, you'll never get to do it again. There's no do over for the state. And, yeah, I would dream about my cases a lot. And even now, all these years later, still dream about some of them. Fife.

[Detective James Fife]

Yeah, I can relate to that, for sure. And again, I think it's a balance. If you're going to do, like, what we do or have done for a long enough period of time, you need to strike that balance between compartmentalizing work and your home life. But not getting so checked out or cynical to the point where, you know, people can tell and they're like, oh, this detective doesn't care, and you're not as invested as you ought to be. But, yeah, especially early on, I'm up at night thinking about what I could have missed or just that case that I haven't solved for sure.

[Nancy Grace]

When you say you're up at night thinking about what you could have missed, you know, like, a lot of people, they leave the house and go, oh, did I turn off the coffee pot or did I close the garage door? What are the kind of things that go through your mind at night? You know, like, oh, my stars, did I fill in the blank?

[Detective James Fife]

Yeah, for sure. Did I handle that interview the right way? Could it have been this other thing? And when you find the time, a lot of it's sort of a juggling act. But you do circle Back to your 2021, 2022 cases in my case, and, you know, give. Give them another look, see if there's anything else I could do. But when you do have a city with, you know, sort of ongoing caseload, it can be hard to sort of jump back and find time to do that. We also have a very effective cold case unit here in NOPD which provides some support for that. But there's nothing like the initial detective that handled the case to know the. The ins and outs and what might have slipped through the cracks. I think anybody who's been a homicide detective knows that. That there is a degree of luck.

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Right.

[Detective James Fife]

But followed up by hard work. To be opportunistic about the lucky breaks you are given.

[Crime Story Narrator]

Detective Fife has cleared 24 cases in a row stretching back to December 2022.

[Detective James Fife]

That's a lot in a row that have some kind of at least short term resolution. You know, they all have to proceed through court. A clearance is, you know, at the detective level, what we're always trying to shoot for.

[Mint Mobile Advertiser]

Throughout his time with the nopd, Detective Fife has played a key role in reducing crime crime across New Orleans. His efforts have directly contributed to a dramatic increase in the city's homicide clearance rate, which has risen from 40% to an impressive 75%.

[Nancy Grace]

Joining us is veteran homicide detective Detective Fife, who has now racked up 24 consecutive solves. Detective Fife, have these cases gone to trial yet?

[Detective James Fife]

Many not. And it's generous when you say veteran detective. I've been doing homicide work for just four years now, so a lot of those cases are still haven't been adjudicated. It takes several years in many cases for these to actually go through your trial.

[Nancy Grace]

I would say that 24 consecutive homicide investigations cracked qualifies you as a veteran. It's like saying, I've only been in Vietnam for four years. You're a veteran. How did you pick New Orleans?

[Detective James Fife]

My girlfriend at the time, now wife, had moved down here and I followed just for a visit and saw the hiring posters for NOPD and thought I'd just give it a shot. And yeah, it worked out pretty well for me.

[Nancy Grace]

Let's talk about the Second Line shooting.

[Crime Story Narrator]

Listen, it seems almost all of New Orleans has turned out for the nine times Social Aid and Pleasure Club's annual Second Line, a parade featuring brass bands and dancers dressed to the nines. Thousands of revelers scramble for safety when gunfire rings out, injuring eight. Just 45 minutes later, a mile down the parade route, another shooting, this time killing two. The victims are identified as nephew Rashawn Carter, 21, and uncle Malachi Jackson, 19.

[Nancy Grace]

You know, we can't say that because they were 45 minutes apart and different kind of approach of how the shooting was. So we don't know. Could be, but right now don't know that that is New Orleans PD commissioner speaking. And that's my friends at wdsu. The so called second Line shooting. What is the annual Second Line Parade? Fife?

[Detective James Fife]

Yeah, so New Orleans as a city, right, is very proud of and kind of protective of their very unique cultural traditions, right? One of which are Second Line parades, which are sort of these big on foot processionals where people can jump in and just march to music and just generally socialize. A lot of fun. Highly recommend. If anybody's visiting, you come check these out. But because this shooting occurred or two actually Two separate incidents. But because my shooting, the homicide that you mentioned, occurred during one of these events, it had a lot of extra scrutiny upon it. Besides the fact that two individuals were deceased, which is terrible. This also could have had way more victims when you see that the crowd's present. And I think the public had a very strong interest in making sure that this was dealt with very quickly so that people could feel safe at these second line events, again, which, again, is one of the things that make our city great and unique.

[Nancy Grace]

Another thing regarding a shooting in a large group, like at a festival or a parade, it has its own set of difficulties in finding the shooter. How did you find the shooter? Was there just one shooter or more?

[Detective James Fife]

Yeah, in my incident, there was one shooter. And you're right, hugely chaotic scenes. Generally, you know, everybody is watching and it's broad daylight. But because there's so many people involved, it can be difficult for anyone to sequence exactly what happened or who was responsible. So we had to get at it a different way in this case. And again, this is one of those cases that's still in court, so it's not something I can get too into the nitty gritty. But it again got its own momentum and one thing led to another and we were able to make two arrests related to the homicide part of this.

[Nancy Grace]

Detective Fife is refusing to comment on the facts of the case so as not to taint the investigation. I, however, can comment on the facts. Listen.

[Crime Story Narrator]

Investigators learn of an ongoing feud between West Wago and Marrero, where Shawn and Malachi's neighborhood. Surveillance footage and phone records place Curtis Gray on the Almanaster Bridge at the time of the shootings. And recovered shell casings match a gun registered to his mother. There is enough evidence to charge Gray with Rashawn and Malachi's murders. And his mother, Ashley Gray, is charged as an accessory for trying to dispose of the gun and fabricate an alibi for her son.

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[Trainer Games Narrator]

10 athletes will face the toughest job interview in fitness that will push past physical and mental breaking points. You are the fittest of the fit. Only one of you will leave here with an IFIT contract worth $250,000.

[Nancy Grace]

This is where mindset comes in.

[Trainer Games Narrator]

Someone will be eliminated.

[Crime Story Narrator]

Pressure is coming down.

[Public Investing Advertiser]

Trainer Games on Prime Video January 8th watch the trailer on trainergames.com did you.

[Mint Mobile Advertiser]

Know Microsoft has officially ended Support for Windows 10? Upgrade to Windows 11 with an LG Gram laptop voted PCMag's Reader's Choice Top Laptop Brand for 2025. Thin and ultra lightweight, the LG Gram keeps you productive anywhere and Windows 11 gives you access to free security updates and ongoing feature upgrades. Visit lgusa.com iheart for great seasonal savings on LG Gram laptops with Windows 11. PCMag reader's choice used with permission. All rights reserved.

[Public Investing Advertiser]

Support for the show comes from Public, the investing platform for those who take it seriously. On Public you can build a multi asset portfolio of stocks, bonds, options, crypto and now generated assets which allow you to turn any idea into an investable index with AI. It all starts with your prompt. From renewable energy companies with high free cash flow to semiconductor suppliers growing revenue over 20% year over year, you can literally type any prompt and put the AI to work. It screens thousands of stocks, builds a one of a kind index and lets you back test it against the S&P 500. Then you can invest in a few clicks. Generated assets are like EFTs with infinite possibilities, completely customizable and based on your thesis, not someone else's. Go to public.com podcast and earn an uncapped 1% bonus when you transfer your portfolio. That's public.com podcast paid for by Public Investing Brokerage Services by Open to the Public Investing Inc. Member finra SIPC Advisory Services by Public Advisors, LLC SEC Registered Advisor Generated Assets is an interactive analysis tool. Output is for informational purposes only and is not investment recommendation or advice. Complete disclosures available at public.com Disclosures Crime.

[Nancy Grace]

Stories with Nancy Grace. You know Detective Fife, it's sometimes for some people hard to blame a mother who is trying to help her defendant son. So let's step away from the exact case and talk about that bond. In general, very often, prosecutors and cops are attacked for pursuing a mother or father who's trying to protect their child. But on the other side of the pendulum is the victim and the victim's mother and father. So when you get a mother, for instance, trying to get rid of evidence to clear the sun, you got to go after them. And sometimes that's a hard thing to do, to go after somebody's mother.

[Detective James Fife]

Yeah, for sure. And understandably, the motive for that is something a lot of parents can relate to. But I think, you know, as a parent, we all have a point at which, you know, you need to draw a line and say, no, I am not supporting my child if xyz. And there needs to be community buy in for a lot of these homicides. When you have, you know, whole groups or families sort of circling and protecting defendants in some of these cases, it can be hugely problematic. So you need community buy in and everyone to be invested and concerned about the outcomes of these investigations. I think our district attorney, Jason Williams, addressed this issue very well regarding this case specifically in a press conference where, you know, enough is enough at some point, and if you provide aid, shelter, or seek to. To obfuscate an investigation, even for a loved one, you are potentially culpable.

[Nancy Grace]

Detective Fife, of course, as you know the state, the prosecution never has to prove motive. The state is not expected to get into the mind of a murder defendant and poke around like you're in granny's attic and find the motive. However, when you go to trial, very often the jury will want a motive. Here's a good example. The Alex Murdaugh double murder trial that went down in South Carolina. His wife and son were murdered. And I'm sure the jurors may have wondered, well, why would a dad murder the wife and the son? I mean, we see domestic homicides all the time where spouse kills spouse. But the wife and the son, the state did not have to prove the motive, but they did. An upcoming divorce would have called for financial legal discovery. And Alex Murdaugh's multimillion dollar con on his clients, his family, his wife, and many others. His law partners would have been found out. So his answer, Kill them both. Here's another example. Brian Kohberger. I'm sure you're familiar with the quadruple homicide in Idaho, where the defendant, Brian Kohberger, had no ostensible connection, no link to the victims. So what would be the motive? That would have been a hurdle for the State, the defense could have argued, he doesn't even know these people. Why would you believe he came in in the middle of the night and killed them, so slaughtered them? Well, as it turned out, he was a criminology student and was obsessed with murder and what it would feel like and what would go through the mind of the killer. He wanted to feel it, and he did. And I'm very interested in your second line homicide case because no one knew that there was a feud going on. And the defense could have argued, hey, they pulled my guy off a bridge, and now they're trying to pin this on him. You would never have known what was behind it. You had to get to the feud, the motive. How difficult is it for you to ferret out a motive in your cases, Detective Fife?

[Detective James Fife]

Yeah, that's a good question. And for sure, you were right to characterize motive not always being available to us. It can be seen sometimes as, like, a bonus in our investigations. But if the facts of the incident speak for themselves, and if it's clear that this person did it, then a lot of times, we don't need to know what was going on in their heads, as you said. But sometimes you get clues to it. Conversations the person's had with other people. We get a lot of help from social media, sometimes phone record history and such. And in this case, the second line incident, there was some. Some contextual stuff that we unraveled digitally that sort of did back up what we had been hearing on the street, as it were.

[Nancy Grace]

And again, Fife, I don't want to push you on any facts sensitive to the case, because that case is pending, and if you were to comment on it, any of those facts, that could be a problem. And I don't want you to have a problem. Let's move on to another case. But one of your cases. But before that, I want to go back to the first FIFO meter, the tally that is on big whiteboard that other people within the homicide unit are keeping on your cases. You're not worried that might jinx you? Let me guess. You're not superstitious.

[Detective James Fife]

Well, so, just as a point of clarification, that whiteboard exists in our public affairs office and not in homicide per se. But, yeah, there's a lot of superstition in the field, policing in general, but in homicide in particular, we talk a lot about the homicide gods and what you've done to anger them, which resulted in this terrible case, even given sometimes. But, yeah, again, I need to take the opportunity to praise my homicide unit in General, we have, I think, an 80% clearance rate this year, which is very high, as I understand it, nationally. But we're looking for any source of enthusiasm or motivation. A lot of the times, very supportive of one another's successes and reaching out to try and provide help whenever somebody seems to be faltering and keeping track of a clearance streak. Yeah, that might be seen as a potential jinx, but again, I guess it can be something that provides some enthusiasm and motivation.

[Nancy Grace]

You know, I have found that, like baseball players, I was extremely superstitious during every trial. And I would stick to certain behavior, stick to certain rituals before I would go to trial. Every single trial. Now, I don't know if it's too personal, but do you have superstitions that you follow in your investigations?

[Detective James Fife]

I don't. I guess I'm kind of boring in that regard. I'm not a very superstitious person. I do. I find that the best cure for any anxiety about a case is to just like dive into the material itself. If you spend hours going over something before you have to appear in court, that can kind of calm me down. Nothing's worse than just going into something feeling unprepared. But beyond that, you know. No, there's no.

[Nancy Grace]

There's no worst feeling unprepared. Oh, never, never. Have you ever watched someone work that's unprepared? It's the worst. You just see it. It's like a slow motion train wreck.

[Detective James Fife]

Yeah. You need to be master of your own case to sort of be the single best source of that narrative and everything that was done have an answer for everything. For sure, we all get caught off guard, but I guess you want to try mitigate that and just be the guy who knows everything about this incident that can be known.

[Nancy Grace]

Which leads me to the Thon View case. When I saw the blood on her head, I tell myself that no way she could be a liar.

[Crime Story Narrator]

In the final hours of 2024, Ton Vu tends her supermarket. A pillar of the Nola Vietnamese community since she opened 30 years ago. But three customers are seeking more than groceries. Tan held at gunpoint while the thieves empty the register and pocket cigarettes. When Tan fights back, she's shot and left for dead. Her killer is quickly brought to justice. Ingenue Henny Davis, Adrian Harris and Nathaniel Carpenter, all charged in the fatal robbery. Carpenter confessing to the crime.

[Nancy Grace]

That original sound from her friends. 8 Detective 5 what happened to Thon Vu?

[Detective James Fife]

Yeah, that was a tough case. Again, we try not to qualify any of our murders. You know, none are any better or worse than any others. But Ms. Vu was sort of a fixture of the Vietnamese community in the New Orleans east area and was a longtime owner of a convenience store at that area that had stood the test of time other businesses opened and closed. That store has been around for as long as many people can remember. And this is sort of just one of those senseless, you know, botched robberies as we understand it. Again, this is another one that is still in court proceedings, but you had the right of it as you explained that there were three people charged with this.

[Nancy Grace]

Detective Fife, I don't like what you just said. You refer to the murder of Thanvu as a botched robbery. I don't like that terminology going forward because somehow it lessens the degree of intent to have a group of men enter a grocery store and confront an unarmed, defenseless female in order to rob her, and then, oops, she got shot. Like the gun just went off on its own. That was a big accident. I botched that BS. That is an intentional murder. Under the law, the time for formation of intent can be as brief as a twinkling of a moment, the blink of an eye, much less at time it takes to raise a gun and pull the trigger. That was intentional. And I take umbrage at anyone describing as, oh, it was a botched robbery, she's dead.

[Detective James Fife]

You're not wrong.

[Nancy Grace]

They pull the trigger.

[Detective James Fife]

Right? And it's no less terrible, the context or the motive behind it. But that's just, I suppose, in the business, one of the ways in which we would describe a certain type of incident. But you're right that they're just as culpable as any other homicide, whether it was a robbery or somebody that you just loathed and wanted to put out of this world just as bad.

[Nancy Grace]

Hey, Fife, you know what hurts me? On top of dealing with crime victims, in my line of business, it was always a violent felony. Either homicide, family left behind, or rape victims, child molestation victims, arson victims. But it made it worse for me when the victim would come from a part of our world that is not really represented as it should be. It could be a minority. It could be a woman, an infant. In this case, the Asian community, many of them not advocated for as strongly as for other people. Right? And so it kind of heaps insult to injury, pain upon pain. When I saw Nguyen Vu Thong's husband speaking and he said, I saw the blood on her head, I told myself, there's no way she can still be alive. They must sometimes feel like no one cares about them. Do you ever hear that from minorities or women?

[Detective James Fife]

Yeah, for sure. I mean, the data is out there. There are certain demographics that are affected more by violent crime. And those groups, it's really important to make inroads with them and sort of establish some trust. And that can be hard when certain groups don't feel like they've had the support of police or the criminal justice system in general in the past. So you have to sort of find a way to show somebody you do care and you are invested. And look, I'm here to help, not to hinder and, you know, not just write people off because maybe that's what they've been getting up until now.

[Nancy Grace]

Detective 5 the vast, vast majority of victims that I represented in felony court were women, children and minorities. And they felt like nobody cared about them and that nobody would fight for them. Nobody cared about their cases. So on top of trying to investigate and prosecute the case, I felt this burden of trying to convince them that someone did care. That's a big burden that you are now carrying. And I want to talk about another case that you handle which is dear to my heart, the case of Raven Francis. Listen, I miss my mama a lot. She's pretty funny. She was a nice person. She loved us very much. She would do anything for us and she will always be with me.

[Crime Story Narrator]

Raven Francis, a mom of four, enjoys one of her first nights out since welcoming her youngest six months ago. Raven and friends head to the Shamrock, but an argument breaks out with another group and the friends try to escape in their car. As they pull out, gunfire erupts. Raven's sister is just grazed, but Raven is shot in the head, bleeding profusely. In the resulting panic, the driver clips a fire hydrant, flipping the car. By the time first responders can get everyone out, Raven is gone.

[Nancy Grace]

That was from our friends at Fox 8.

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[Trainer Games Narrator]

10 athletes will face the toughest job interview in fitness that will push past physical and mental breaking points. You are the fittest of the fit. Only one of you will leave here with an IFIT contract worth $250,000.

[Nancy Grace]

This is where mindset comes in.

[Trainer Games Narrator]

Someone will be eliminated.

[Crime Story Narrator]

Pressure is coming down.

[Public Investing Advertiser]

Trainer games on Prime Video January 8th.

[Mint Mobile Advertiser]

Watch the trailer on trainergames.com did you know? Microsoft has officially ended Support for Windows 10? Upgrade to Windows 11 with an LG Gram laptop voted PC Mag's Reader's Choice Top Laptop Brand for 2025. Thin and ultra lightweight, the LG Gram keeps you productive anywhere and Windows 11 gives you access to free security updates and ongoing feature upgrades. Visit lgusa.com iheart for great seasonal savings on LG Gram laptops with Windows 11. PCMag reader's choice used with permission. All rights reserved.

[Public Investing Advertiser]

Support for the show comes from Public, the investing platform for those who take it seriously. On Public, you can build a multi asset portfolio of stocks, bonds, options, crypto and now generated assets which allow you to turn any idea into an investable index with AI. It all starts with your prompt. From renewable energy companies with high free cash flow to semiconductor suppliers growing revenue over 20% year over year, you can literally type any prompt and put the AI to work. It screens thousands of stocks, builds a one of a kind index and lets you back test it against the S&P 500. Then you can invest in a few clicks. Generated assets are like EFTs with infinite possibilities, completely customizable and based on your thesis, not someone else's. Go to public.com podcast and earn an uncapped 1% bonus when you try transfer your portfolio. That's public.com podcast paid for by Public Investing Brokerage Services by Open to the Public Investing Inc. Member finra SIPC Advisory Services by Public Advisors, llc SEC Registered Advisor Generated Assets is an interactive analysis tool. Output is for informational purposes only and is not investment recommendation or advice. Complete disclosures available at public.com Disclosures Crime.

[Nancy Grace]

Stories with Nancy Grace I thank another issue and I want to find out how you deal with it. Fife Are the tangential murder victims the collateral victims of murder like Raven's 10 year old little boy? I mean I remember when the twins were born, they were extremely premature. My children and I would pray every night, Lord, please just help us get out of the hospital. Please help us get out of the hospital. Okay, we got out of the hospital. Then it went to Lord, please let me get them stabilized, let me get them eating. Lucy weighed 2lbs 5, 2lbs as small as a kitten. All right, then we get to one year. I'm like lord, please help me get, help me get them into school. Just let me live long enough. Now it's let me get them through high school. Then it's going to be college. Let me get them, help me help them find their way. I mean it never ends. So for a mother to be wrenched away from her children and this little boy just 10 years old, I mean, when you get in your car and you leave the crime scene, there were times I'd have to pull over on the side of the road and just sit there and try to process all the suffering one bullet caused. How do you deal with that?

[Detective James Fife]

Yeah, for sure. There's. There's almost a little bit of like survivor's guilt in this job sometimes if you let yourself really think about it, like what. What right do I have to be unaffected by violence like this? You know, when you. You go home and if you have kids, like hug your kid after something like this and just, you know, feel. Feel it. But yeah, you're right that so many are affected by these murders beyond just the victim. And that isn't really always clear immediately, but as you start talking to family, you establish that relationship, it really becomes evident. And then, you know, these cases take years in court. Sometimes I'll show up to court and I'll see a kid that's grown up, like, hugely in the interim. And it, like you said, it really just hits you that this timeline, that this child is going to live, you know, their whole life and grow up in all these milestones without a parent. It's hard to stomach, especially once you have kids of your own.

[Nancy Grace]

We were just showing photos of Raven Francis, a mom of four, rinsed away from four children. And then there is a teen girl, Leah Perry.

[Crime Story Narrator]

Leah Perry, 17, is the latest victim in a string of drive by shootings. Leah, mom to five month old Peyton, was clearly not the shooter's intended target. Surveillance footage shows a newer model Infiniti with no plate and dark tint. Pull up to the teen and fire several shots. Detective Fife digs up more video of the alleged driver wearing a distinct pair of striped red pants. The same exact pair. Kenneth Salisbury posts photos in with a gun tucked in the waistband. Salisbury already behind bars for two other shootings, charged with an additional count of murder.

[Nancy Grace]

So, Fife, I'm not going to ask you to comment on the facts of the case. I'll do it. Idiot. Idiot. So he's posting online the red striped pants with a gun stuck down the pants. I had a guy that wore a red leather ensemble the night he gunned somebody down dead. He was a dope lord. He came to court. Some idiot. Another idiot. There's so many to pick from. Gave him a bond. 5. What did he wear on day one of court? The red ensemble. I was so happy. I stood behind him and, like, was literally pointing to him in front of the jury. So sometimes they throw you a bone. Heaven just drops a fact in your lap for you to run with those red striped pants. I'm sure that's something you'll never forget. 5. I know you have to leave the studio and get back to the streets, but I want to understand how you deal with a crushing caseload. I remember I had been on trial for about three weeks straight, and I would take all my evidence, all my files with me. I would carry them around on rollers and those giant postal white plastic boxes that sit around the courthouse that the mail people leave and stack them up and take them back and forth to my car after court because I didn't want to leave them anywhere for them to be tampered with. Long story short, I wasn't back in my office for about two weeks. I could just go straight to the courtroom. That said, when I got back to my office, there was still a jug of milk in there that I had left there two weeks before. Uneaten Krispy Kreme doughnuts. And every other day, the indictment division record, the court records would bring in new files while I was on trial. And the stag had gotten so tall on my desk, it had fallen over like an accordion and started going down the side of my desk. When I walked back in, I'm like, how am I going to keep up? And then I realized I couldn't. So I just took the next homicide case and started working, because that's the only thing I knew to do after I threw away the milk and the Krispy Kremes. But how do you deal with a crushing caseload?

[Detective James Fife]

Yeah, I can totally relate to that. And it's, you know, the caseload itself. You're right to just focus on the task at hand and then sort of juggle some time and bounce back to other cases when you can. But beyond that, it's, you know, when you don't solve these, they. They continue to follow you and they haunt you and families. Parents of those cases will call, you know, sometimes weekly for an update. And you have to tell this parent every week for years that I. There are no updates on the case. I'm sorry. And that can. That sort of collects, and it's like more of a burden on your shoulders every year you do this job. So it's about not giving in to apathy, cynicism, or just treating it like it's an assembly line. You know, try to maintain that whatever optimism you can and not Come with any dramatic conclusions about the nature of mankind or anything like that. And then beyond that, everybody has their own organizational tricks. You have to really know how you work and what makes you effective as an investigator, what your weak points might be, and just try to tread water and hope for a time when the murder rate is down.

[Nancy Grace]

You know, it's interesting to me. Fif. Well, so many things, but we always hear about police conspiracies. For instance, that LAPD framed O.J. simpson. That's a really good example. In my experience, I was inundated like a tidal wave after wave after wave of new cases. I didn't have time to even think about framing somebody. I could hardly keep my nose above water, handling all the cases I was given. Right. What do you. What is your reaction? And yeah, I know they're dirty cops. I know that they're there. But all the theories that. For instance, there's a theory right now that Bryan Kohberger was framed. Really? He just pled guilty. I don't get it. What's your response when everyone points back on the police?

[Detective James Fife]

Yeah, I mean, I think, not totally without justification to be suspicious of the criminal justice system sometimes. If you go back and look at our history, yeah, there are plenty of incidents of egregious actions by many of our DA's police. But that said, one of the frustrating things about this line of work is that the system's often seen as like, this monolithic thing. Like, you know, there are so many different departments, all with varying levels of oversight and different relationships with their communities, that it feels sometimes unfair if something happens in, you know, Oklahoma, and then the community here in New Orleans now loses trust in police. And it's a hard thing to sort of. To pitch to the people that, no, we're different because, you know, we're not them. I'm a person. We're our own department. Please trust us. But when police are all in uniform and sort of seen as the same thing. Yeah, a lot of those scandals sort of follow all departments in the country. It's sort of like we're all in this together as police. Don't screw it up for the rest of us by doing something awful.

[Nancy Grace]

You know, Fife, when I heard about all the specials about you and your solve rates so far, knock on wood, product, I didn't know what to expect. I'm glad to know that you're not a show horse. You are a workhorse, and I'm very proud that you are humble. I notice you never take credit. And you're right you wouldn't be where you are if it wasn't for what they are doing. It's a team. I would never have won a single case if it weren't for my investigator Ernest. Trudging out in the cold and the rain, sometimes the snow, going through crack houses and whorehouses and strip bars and you name it, trying to find witnesses combing through a shooting scene for any ballistics left behind up at 1 o', clock, 2 o', clock, 3 o' clock in the morning. I could never have done it without him. Right. So I really appreciate you saying that. It's your unit and you just happen to be in the chair right now talking about these cases. I wish you the very, very best and your ongoing struggle against violent crime in one of my favorite cities, New Orleans. God bless you and stay safe, Detective Fife. And thank you for your time.

[Detective James Fife]

Yeah, thank you so much for having me. It's been a pleasure.

[Nancy Grace]

We stop now and we remember an American hero. Sergeant Thomas Duran, El Reno PD Oklahoma. Killed in the line of duty after 14 years, leaving behind a grieving wife and children with no dad. American hero, Sergeant Thomas Duran, Nancy Grace signing off. Goodbye. Tonight.

[Trashy Unlimited Advertiser]

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[Trainer Games Narrator]

10 athletes will face the toughest job interview in fitness that will push past physical and mental breaking points. You are the fittest of the fit. Only one of you will leave here with an IFIT contract for $250,000.

[Nancy Grace]

This is where mindset comes in.

[Trainer Games Narrator]

Someone will be eliminated.

[Crime Story Narrator]

Pressure is coming down.

[Public Investing Advertiser]

Trainer Games on Prime Video January 8th.

[Mint Mobile Advertiser]

Watch the trailer on trainergames.com did you know? Microsoft has officially ended Support for Windows 10? Upgrade to Windows 11 with an LG Gram laptop, voted PCMag's Reader's Choice top laptop brand for 2025. Thin and ultralight, the LG Gram keeps you productive anywhere. And Windows 11 gives you access to free security updates and ongoing feature upgrades. Visit lgusa.com iheart for great seasonal savings on LG Gram laptops with Windows 11. PCMag reader's choice used with permission. All rights reserved.

[Public Investing Advertiser]

Support for the show comes from public the investing platform for those who take it seriously on Public you can build a multi asset portfolio of stocks, bonds, options, crypto and now generated assets which allow you to turn any idea into an investable index with AI. It all starts with your prompt. From renewable energy companies with high free cash flow to semiconductor suppliers growing revenue over 20% year over year, you can literally type any prompt and put the AI to work. It screens thousands of stocks, builds a one of a kind index and lets you back test it against the S&P 500. Then you can invest in a few clicks. Generated assets are like EFTs with infinite possibilities, completely customizable and based on your thesis, not someone else's. Go to public.com podcast and earn an uncapped 1% bonus when you transfer your portfolio. That's public.com podcast paid for by Public Investing Brokerage Services by Open to the Public Investing Inc. Member FINRA SIPC Advisory Services by Public Advisors, llc SEC Registered Advisor Generated Assets is an interactive analysis tool. Output is for informational purposes only and is not investment recommendation or advice. Complete Disclosures [e-mail] Disclosures this is an iHeart podcast.

[Nancy Grace]

Guaranteed Human.