Hi. >> Hi. How are y'all doing? >> Where's your mama at? >> She's asleep. >> She's asleep. Is she okay? Well, >> she locked the door so we can't get in. >> So, >> okay. >> Would you mind waking her up? Tell her that the police are here. It's May 1st, 2019 in Alvin, Texas at the Sunrise Apartments, unit 204. Officer [snorts] Windown is talking to the two girls, trying to figure out what's going on inside that apartment. >> 01073958 073958. >> Hi, how are y'all doing? >> Two little girls, ages four and 9 years old, are standing alone in the doorway of their apartment. Officer Earl Windown knocked on apartment as a routine welfare check. The mother hadn't dropped the kids off at school and her phone was going straight to voicemail for 2 days straight. The 9-year-old girl answered the door. >> Where's your mama at? >> Oh, she's asleep. >> She's asleep. Is she okay? >> She locked the door so we can't get in. >> So, >> okay. >> Would you mind waking her up? Tell her that the police are here. >> We just want to talk. >> We just want to talk to her. >> She's not in trouble. We just want to talk. You not going in jail? >> No, of course not. >> Where's your daddy at? >> Um, he's not here, I think. >> He's not here. >> No. >> You think? >> He's at a trip at the town. >> Oh, okay. >> Out of town. >> I don't know. >> I don't know where he's going to come at. >> Um, is your mommy okay? >> Yeah. Y'all supposed to be in school today? >> Yeah, but my mom's not awake. >> When's the last time y'all saw her awake? >> She was awake um yesterday. >> Yesterday? Was your dad home yesterday? >> No. >> Okay. Did you see if she can wake up? We can talk to her. 99. >> Is the door locked? >> Yeah. >> Ma'am, police department need to speak with you real quick. >> I think she can't hear you. >> Can you bang on the door loud? >> You did, but She's still not coming. >> No, >> we're just trying to make sure she's all right. >> Someone called and said that y'all weren't at school today, so they wanted to come make sure y'all were okay. >> Officer Windown calls dispatch and reports the situation. >> Um, apparently a previous night or night before the husband came by, kicked the door open. Kids are still here in the house. Kids seem fine. House is in decent shape. The mom's in the back room asleep. She they saw her awake last night. They're knocking on the door. Door's locked and they can't get a hold of her. Okay, we good to enter the house. All right, thanks. >> And his supervisor gives him permission to enter the apartment. Not to make an arrest, but just to check on the mother's well-being. >> See any of her doors open for me? Okay. >> What's her name? >> Jessica. >> Jessica. The girl tells him her mom's name is Jessica Taylor Sullivan, 34 years old, and her phone has been ringing, but she's not answering. A single mother who worked at the local library with no criminal record and no prior police calls. >> Jessica, this is Officer Win Police Department. You okay? Is this her room? >> She can't share. She's asleep. >> Okay. Well, we're going to try to wake her up, okay? Make sure you guys are okay. >> Watch cartoons or something. >> Go put it on. >> Jessica, this is Officer Earl went down police department. We're here for a welfare concern. Check on your well-being. >> You okay in there? >> That's my dad and my mom's room. >> Tell him to go sit. >> Yeah. Y'all go sit in y'all's room, please. >> I think she's in the bathroom. >> Yeah. You'll go sit in the room. >> Okay. >> Y'all go sit down for me. >> Hey, the information we got was the boyfriend was arguing with the mom and uh left. They haven't seen the kids or the mom in 24 hours to 48 hours and she's in here and face down in the bathtub not breathing. >> Can I come in? >> No. >> No, not right now. Okay. I'm going to have another officer come by. Okay. Where is she at? >> She's in the bathroom. >> Um, I'm in my car. What's your location? >> Say again. >> Where you at? >> Yes, she is. >> She was face down. >> Oh, she was in it. >> Yeah, she was in it, but the candles were on and stuff, so I had to make sure she wasn't. The little girl told me, the oldest one, the nine-year-old, told me that her grandma, she overheard her grandma saying that her she had a neck injury and that she was trying to go to the hospital because her neck was hurting. And when her dad came back in town, her grandma was saying that her dad was trying to kill her. Okay. So, >> but 2 days earlier on April 29th at this same apartment, there was a domestic violence call. Jessica called 911 and said her boyfriend choked her and sent her to the hospital. That boyfriend was Brandon Garrett, 36 years old with prior prison time and a previous domestic assault conviction. Officer Windowown knows this history because dispatch briefed him before he arrived. And that's why he's not waiting anymore. >> Stop. Down on your knees. Down on your knees. Down on your knees. >> Hands up. We can see them. Okay. >> Hands back in the car. >> Anybody else in the car? any weapons on you? >> When I was like, I've been calling I've been calling her job all day. I've been calling I called the school to check the girls at school. I've been calling her mom. I've been calling her phone messages. I've been getting what's going on. She can just not answer the phone. She doesn't want to talk and it doesn't matter. She'll send a text message saying I I don't want to talk. So to go all day I've been calling talking to managers at work. They don't want We've been in communication. They don't know what's going on. I don't know what's going on. I mean I woke up I was at my my coworker's house. I woke up. I was text messaging her. She didn't answer the phone. I went to work cuz I I mean I had a paperwork. I I actually did the FMLA because I was going to put myself in a mental hospital because that's what that's one of the things that the officer uh instructed me to do. that was supposed to that's why Monday what Monday happened I mean I have mental health issues and I went off of my meds so that's what happened like well at least get on your meds he was saying that he would let me know if there was a warrant so I didn't I had no idea that there was a warrant issues from my so I'm not I mean my intention I wasn't that's why I stayed in the Alvin area I was over here I I wasn't running I was just like I don't know what's going to happen I was afraid of that if I had any intention to run I would have never come to Alvin that's just dumb if you're going to run why come I'm trying to trying to cooperate as much as possible. Yeah. I mean, I know I had that warrant now. I know, but I need to clear my name. That's what I want to I want to kill my name and I want to see my wife. I do. I haven't seen her in person since Monday. I mean, I never made it out here. I feel like it may be a good thing that I didn't come out here and find her whatever position that she was in. I don't know how it was able to protect that. >> In the interrogation room over the next six hours, Brandon Garrett's story would fall apart piece by piece and lie by lie. >> This morning, I actually I just remember waking up like around early, like 3:00, and I just felt this cold feeling in my body. And I text her like, "Are you okay? Um, what's going on?" And I got no response. >> If it wasn't a homicide or if she wasn't killed by someone, then what happened? I don't I don't know what she did. I haven't I wasn't at the house. I asked how was she found? What happened? I don't have any knowledge of anything. So, I couldn't give her an answer of what she did. I just know that I just know that she was upset the last time I talked to her. >> Well, she was she was found face to face down in a full bathtub. That's how she was found. And she didn't just fall in that bathtub. She didn't put herself down in that bathtub. They found a bathtub. Her face was in the bathtub and the other half of her body was outside of the bathtub. You can imagine how that looks. I know that you've mentioned uh suicide several times, not only to the school, but to the Detective Jackson in here. It's not a suicide. So, if we're being honest and it's not you, if you didn't have anything to do with it, who did? You're her husband. You know her. You know her contacts, her friends. >> I don't know her, but her I don't know a lot of her friends. >> Okay. You've been together since been married since November. Correct. >> She She's going to tell you she's going to tell you things as her husband about people she doesn't like, people that don't like her. If if there's something that bad, she probably probably would have known about it. Who Who's pissed off enough at your wife to do that to her? I'm telling you, it was not accidental. She didn't do it to herself. Those two little kids in that apartment did do it to her. >> Brandon, this this is this is your opportunity to be honest. I am I am I've been honest with you the whole time. Let us know what's going on. >> I've been honest with you the whole time. >> The whole time. I've been honest with you. >> I I don't think you have been honest. >> I have. Yes. >> Cuz for one, 95% of this time that we've been talking to you, you haven't looked at us. You stared at the ground the whole time. >> Um >> you've only looked when you look when you want to see our reaction to things that you say. That's the only time that you looked at us. >> Yes. >> That's that's not true, sir. >> Yes, sir. It is. This is This is not my first rodeo. No, it's not yours. But there's there's things that we look for that are indicative that someone's not telling us the truth. >> I I >> So far, man, you've been spot on on almost every one of them. >> I'm having a problem with that. >> So, this is your opportunity. Maybe you made a mistake. >> Maybe something bad happened. Maybe y'all had an argument. We don't know. We need you to fill in those details. But if you want to play games and if you want to say that I don't know what happened, I wasn't there. Later on, we get results from the autopsy. We get your cell phone records. We get all this evidence. It says otherwise, it's not going to be good for you, man. You know what I think happened? I think you messed up. I don't think you meant to do anything in your life. Just judging by the way you've acted all day, by the way you're acting now. I think you know you screwed up. You did something stupid. You went a little too far and now your wife's dead because of it. I mean, you're only telling yourself no, you didn't do it. You're not telling me that. >> I just don't be blamed for this. >> You what? >> I was doing now. I'm being blamed for this. That's why I was like, when you told me that coming to have question, I was like, I wouldn't. >> Well, Brandon, you're married to her and you're gone. I'm getting information that you're making some strange phone calls that you normally don't make. When I do talk to you on the phone, you tell me you're going to be here after you find out that your wife's deceased and then you drive around for another 5 hours and you tell us that you were afraid. If I just found out that my wife was dead, I would have been there as quickly as I possibly could have. >> When I first got I was on my way when I got back to my car, I was on my way out here as soon as I possibly >> Hey, man. Right. Stop. Stop. Stop feeding us the line, playing games. Detective Jackson is right. Any normal person, they found out their wife was dead. warrant or not, whether or not you knew you had a warrant or not, you're still going to go to to the police and try to find out what what the hell happened. >> Detective Jackson starts with the simplest question about where Brandon was Tuesday night, the night before they found Jessica. >> Regarding Tuesday night, this is the night before you turned yourself in here. This is the night uh of the the night prior to the morning that we found uh uh Jessica's body. Okay. And some of the discrepancies are the fact that I think you told Detectives Jackson and Kelly that you weren't at the apartment. Is that correct? >> Yeah. >> Okay. I need you to look at the eye. >> I wasn't there. I wasn't at the apartment. >> You're talking about out here in Alban, right? >> Yes, sir. >> No, sir. >> Okay. Because your phone hooked up with the Wi-Fi in that apartment Tuesday night. >> Tuesday night. >> So, is there an explanation why if you weren't there why your phone would have >> Because I have an app on my phone and what I can do is I can check all the the hi- it's called uh Infinity Hi-Fi and that could be possibly why cuz I can look I can look and see what's connected to the Wi-Fi on from my Wi-Fi and I I hit that uh app a few times the night before. >> Yeah. But no, your phone was connected to the app to the Wi-Fi. >> My phone. Yeah, my phone has the app is on my phone, >> but it's not through the app. It just automatically synced with the with the uh Wi-Fi. >> Oh, no. My phone wasn't I wasn't there. So, >> the license plate readers picked your car up coming to Alvin about 9:00. >> Oh, I didn't I didn't drive my phone. >> You said nobody else drives your car. >> No, but I I wasn't >> Okay. Okay. Hold on a second. Now >> I don't know. >> Are you saying somebody else drove your car? >> No. I just I didn't drive my fire. I didn't I didn't I didn't come to Albic on Tuesday. >> I can't hear you. >> I didn't I don't feel like you hurt my wife on Tuesday. >> Brandon, we've established that you have >> more than once. >> Can for sure move her. So you're driving down six. What's going what's going through Brandon's head at this point? Please help me remember. Were you try Were you trying to patch things up? She wanted me to see her. >> She asked you to come She wanted you to come see her. Okay. So, she wanted to see you and then um then where did you go from six, which obviously I know. I just have to to get your statement driver to the house. >> I can't hear you. >> He's riding. And when you got there, where where did you park at the uh apartment complex of t Tuesday night? >> She told me not to to text her to come in for a while, but was still awake. >> Okay. Did you have a key or was the door unlocked? >> She unlocked it. I gave her my key on the window. >> She unlocked the door. And what was what was the first words out of her mouth? I didn't talk to her. Okay. So, she unlocked the door and then where did you go from there? Are you you walked in? Where'd you go from there? I >> walked in. I saw that the bedroom door was locked. >> You saw her bedroom door locked. And what happened from there? >> I didn't go in the bedroom. That's fine. I don't >> Was she in the bedroom? >> I I I assume. I don't know. That's why [snorts] that's why Wednesday. That's all I kept checking on everybody. I didn't know what was going on. Best you can do is to move forward. So you said you walked in and she is in the there are the bedroom door is locked. You said okay. So then where where did you go from there? I just ran my bag cuz I had my bag there. I'm in the green and black bag. I grabbed it. got just sat in the living room for a while and I kept I didn't want to wake the girls up and I came and knocked on the door and I was just like I didn't want to repeat of what happened during the night. >> Sure. >> So I knocked and I sat there for a while and she wouldn't open the door. So I just >> You did You did talk to her. >> You did talk to her. So, walking through the door, tell me what happened to you, please. >> I just remember my bag was sitting on the ground. And when I knocked on the door, I was like, "Babe, can I see you?" She was like, "No." I was like, "Babe, I want to see you." She was like, "No, just I just go." So, I sat on the couch and then I had my spare key. I picked it up off the tables and I closed and locked the door and I left. >> No, no, no, no, no. Tell us about the argument that you had. >> We didn't have an argument. >> The neighbors heard. >> Please tell us about the argument you had. >> We didn't have an argument. We had an argument. >> Discussion, if you would call it a discussion. >> There was no spring match, no nothing. >> Well, then tell me what happened. So, you're telling me, let me get this straight cuz this is what a a quarter judge jury would hear. You're telling me that there was no screaming match? No. You're telling me that there was no argument. So, what you're telling me is you snuck in there and killed her. What you're telling me is you snuck in there and killed her like a serial killer would. No, sir. >> You're not telling me you did it out of sudden passion, which is a defense. You didn't do it out of sudden passion. You didn't do it out of anger. You did it because you're evil is what you're telling me. Because there's no doubt what you did. >> Brandon shakes his head and denies it. But Detective Jackson's voice goes cold and tells him that's exactly what happened. And he knows it and they know it. So he should stop lying to himself, to them, and to those two little girls. Brandon, was it on purpose or accidental? You know that makes all the difference in the world, don't you, Brandon? Was it on purpose or accidental? You all right, >> Brandon? Was it on purpose? >> Or accidental? >> She told me. >> I can't hear you. She told you to. >> Who told you to? >> Brandon, look at me for a second. Brandon, look at me. Brandon, >> tell me. Answer this. Was it on purpose or accidental? Was it on purpose or accidental? >> Oh, Jesus. She didn't want to live anymore. >> She said she didn't want you anymore. >> Yeah. She don't want to live anymore. >> She didn't want to live anymore. >> She stood into it until I killed a girl that she didn't need to live no more. You >> think she wanted you? She wanted you to kill her. You said her family disowned her. >> You said her family disowned her. >> You said that all she had >> was her family and me. >> Was it intentional or was it accidental? >> Was it accidental? I didn't >> So, how did it happen accidentally? >> I guess it I guess she was from the injury prior on Monday, my Sunday night. Excuse me. Sunday night. It was >> She pressed her hands against my I mean her neck against my hands >> on Tuesday. She pressed her neck against your hands on Tuesday. Tell me tell me what happened then. Let's go back to when you open you walked in the door. Tell me what happened. >> I walked in the door and we was speaking and she was crying. >> You walked in the door and what? I couldn't hear you, sir. >> Was she was crying. Sit. Please sit up. So >> she was crying. >> Okay. >> And then what happened? >> Cried and she she kept saying repeatedly. She didn't want to live no more. >> She was saying she didn't want to live anymore. >> She kept saying her family disowned her. We're going to disown her. She took me back and she said she loved you and she like I've done everything for her. >> So what happened? >> She was sitting by the restaurant. just don't understand it eventually. But I was sitting the side of the bed on my side of the bed talking to her and my side of the bed is the sign with the the big uh night stand. I don't know if you were in there with the uh if you're looking at the bed, the left side of the bed on my side. >> Yeah. >> And I was sitting on that side and we were talking and she was saying she don't want to lose me. She said, "But she just doesn't want to live anymore." And I was like, "What you ain't going to want to live anymore?" and she walked over, picked my hand up, walked with the restaurant, and it was already water in the bathtub. [snorts] And I was like, I'm thinking she going to take a bath. She was like, "No." >> You were thinking what? >> I was I mean, it was water in the bathtub. So, I was like thinking she doesn't take a bath and I was weird when she takes showers. I felt like that was weird already. [snorts] And I was like, "Well, what's what's wrong?" and she couldn't she looked in the mirror and I just to look on her face she was crying like I've never seen her cry so hard be so nice but she put my hand on her neck and she said I don't know live anymore and she started squeezing and she was saying it >> she started squeezing what >> she start squeezing my hand like she at first they were just sitting here like that >> cuz I was trying to snap them down she was like no and I didn't want to snatch she said don't >> and I put my hands up and she said she just started squeezing my hand. She said do it and she stood there and she said do it and she said but this what you started because I can't live anymore. >> How long did you squeeze her neck? >> Not long at all. >> What would be your guess? >> Probably not even a minute. >> So what happened then? >> Well, she kind of like fainted and fell in the tunnel. And then what happened? >> And then I don't after like she didn't move. It was like she was already gone and it wasn't even that long. >> So then what happened? >> I just left the apartment. She told me to do it. I didn't think it was going to happen. I didn't do it long enough for it to happen. I don't think I did. >> Ask you something. With that being said, when she stopped breathing and fell into the bathtub, why did you leave? >> I just didn't know. I just remember her saying she didn't want the girls in the wild. >> So, she stopped breathing and fell in the tub and you snuck out because of the kids. Are you listening to the words that are coming out of your mouth? >> Do they make any sense to you? That sounds stupid, [clears throat] but that's what was going through my mind. >> I think the word I would use is preposterous. You know what I think? I think you pinned her in the tub and you choked her and she sucked in some water and she drowned cuz you know what we got from the autopsy? You want to know what we got from the autopsy? One of the things we got from the autopsy is she has water in her lungs. You know what that means? >> That means she was alive when her head went underwater. She was alive and breathing, making an effort when her head went underwater. So your story about her pressing her hands, your hands to her throat and then passing out and falling into the tub doesn't hold water. I'm going to go out and liare and I'm going to go so far as to say that you are a monster. And I'm going to tell you why. Cuz you choked that girl out, shoved her head into that bathtub until she drowned. Then you politely and quietly grabbed your [ __ ] and you fled the scene. And then you sit here and cried crocodile tears about doing it because she told you to do it. Not only did she tell you to do it, she made you do it. She grabbed those big six foot, whatever you are, 300 and whatever pounds you are, and pressed your hands around her throat until she suffocated, until she strangled to death and fell in that tub and drowned. You know what crocodile tears are? That's like the absence of tears. Grief, you can't fake it. You sit here and cry. Oh, and not a damn tear came out of your face. You can't even be honest right now in this room and accept responsibility for what you did. You going to sit there and lie baldf face to two men that have a combined time in law enforcement of 62 years and try to convince us this little girl choked herself out with your hands and then fell in that bathtub and drowned. I didn't say she choked herself out with my hands. >> Huh? >> I didn't say she choked herself. I ain't think she did. >> You're saying she pressed her hands in. And then she just blacked out. She fainted and she fell in the tub. But >> she fell in the tub. You know what was in the bottom of that tub under her head? Blood. Blood. You know why there was blood? Cuz her face was hitting the bottom of that tub. >> Yeah. >> No. >> That's That's evidence, dude. I got pictures of that. >> Yeah. Yeah. That's not what happened. >> You might not be aware of it. That is what happened. >> That's not what happened, sir. >> Dude, don't sit here and tell me she fainted and fell in that bathtub. >> That's not what happened. >> And drowned. >> That's not what happened. >> Then tell me what happened cuz it ain't what you told me a minute ago. >> That's That's what happened. >> That's not what happened. That's not what happened. Just stop. Just stop, Brandon. You know that's not what happened. And you know, you have not convinced us. You know what? I'm gonna cut Detective White out because he's a nice guy. He wants to give you the benefit of the doubt, but I am I am beyond that at this point. You're a coldblooded killer. What did she do to make you so angry? >> Well, before before it happened, I was in agreements. I was supposed to, but um I kept refusing to do it and she was basically saying, you know, talking about how I was nothing to her anyway and I ruined her life and yo, it's worth, you know, worthless to her. And then angrily, that's when I did it angrily. I went ahead and did it. >> Tell me what your >> It is. >> I choked her. How >> have you Have you committed a murder? Did you kill Jessica? Well, let me let's start there. Did you kill Jessica? >> Is that a yes or a no? >> Yes, sir. >> And did you intentionally kill her? >> Not originally. >> What What is this? Not originally, man. >> I didn't go. That's That wasn't my intent to even I went We went >> Okay. Not originally. You know, not originally. 30 years ago. Not one year. But I'm saying did you when you had your hand thrown, did you intentionally kill her? Brandon Tyrone Garrett was charged with first-degree murder and plead not guilty, claiming suicide, claiming accident, [music] and claiming she made him do it. He was found guilty on all charges and sentenced to life in Texas State Prison with no parole, no appeal, and no way out. The two girls, ages four and nine, were placed with their maternal grandmother and are in counseling and therapy trying to heal. This footage was obtained through Texas DPS public records. All names and locations have been verified through court documents. Brandon Garrett is identified by Texas Department of Criminal Justice ID number 01847562 and the case number is 1 19 CR0847A. Because sometimes the knock on the door comes too late, but the truth always comes out. Stay vigilant. Stay recorded. This is Badge Files.