Veteran Dallas police homicide detective Dwayne Thompson is on desk duty pending an internal investigation. Chasing a trail of clues, Thompson and the Dallas homicide team are always one step behind their suspect. His blood must have dripped off her clothes. He studied the call histories on the phones and took some notes. Burnsides father showed up to let her in, and when Lord tried to tell him she had not murdered his son, he cut her off. Olivia kept saying, I wasnt going to leave him. Jaffe told him that Mikey was a good ol boy who liked hunting and fishing. As one Dallas County prosecutor put it, They can, even for the most well-intentioned of reasons, get too focused on making an arrest at the detriment of the true story., Mitchell began evaluating Thompsons case against Lord. Outcome: Plaintiff's verdict for $800,000.00. She added a detail about their relationship that she hadnt told Thompson, saying that she had been disappointed that Burnside hadnt proposed to her the previous Christmas. A retired Dallas police officer acting as an expert witness for Lord told the jury there was no evidence that Lord shot Burnside. You fing shot him! he bellowed, nearly coming out of his chair. Lord seemed shocked. The Reid method has been challenged as being primed for pushing people to give false confessions and many argue that it should not be used by law enforcement agencies. Nearly a year after the shooting, a grand jury met and heard the evidence. He also said he had seen Burnside act recklessly with a gun only two or three times over the past fifteen years. Thompson started his career in law enforcement as a corrections officer in a maximum-security prison in South Carolina. When Michael Burnside was found dead in his Dallas home after an argument with his girlfriend, detective Dwayne Thompson decided that the victim's girlfriend, Olivia Lord, had pulled the trigger. Im innocent.. Shed given her telephone to her aunt, who was screening her calls. She did her own interviews, speaking, for instance, with a firefighter who said he believed he had accidentally kicked the gun away from Burnsides body. Thompson, a 21-year veteran of the Police Department, has been a homicide detective since 2006. I wasnt in the room when that young man got shot, she would later say in an interview. They had not laid eyes on each other since he had interrogated her. Im still going to suffer for the rest of my life for this, she said. He also had run up some debt: he owed a rental car company money for crashing one of its vehicles, and he had received letters from the IRS demanding that he pay more than $50,000 in back taxes. Shearin got Lord out of jail on bail. If the detectives thought they had noticed the smell of chemicals on her, it must have come from the paint thinner and the floor stripper that she and Burnside had been using that day. Only Burnside and Lord were in the apartment where they lived at the time. By the end of the interview, Thompson had returned from his lecture and walked into the room. Lord explained again and again that while she was in the bathroom, her boyfriend shot himself (they had been fighting, he was drunk). But, Jaffe added, Burnside didnt wave the gun around. Will detectives be able to catch the killers before they strike again? For several seconds, the courtroom was quiet except for Lords muffled sobs. The lawyer was reluctant to open the door. Just because the words were less strong doesnt mean they were any less true.. Thompson stormed out of the room and asked Lundberg to see what he could get out of Lord. Tired of fighting, she stopped talking to Burnside and went into the bathroom to take off her makeup. You think they are going to accept this bullshit you are giving me?, For the next hour, Thompson continued to berate Lord, trying to get her to crack. According to Jaffe, Lord overheard the conversation and started to get upset. She told Burnside she was hurt that he would go to the trouble of organizing a friends birthday party when he had done next to nothing for her own birthday a few months earlier. Shearin paid a visit to Reade Quinton, the medical examiner who performed the autopsy on Burnside, to ask him why, just prior to Lords arrest, he had changed his ruling about the cause of death from pending to homicide. Quinton replied that Thompson had informed him about the statement made by Rastegar. She wanted to not only vindicate herself but also make sure the public knew just what Thompson had done to her. Im not even sure the word accident was used. He said he later surmised that Lord had shot Burnside because he had heard a story going around the neighborhood that Burnside had been shot in the back of the head, which would suggest he had been murdered. An officer came over to Thompsons cubicle and handed him Lords and Jaffes cellphones. | Recent Lawyer Listings I cant say any more, but its insane.. She had loved dogs and painting. Then Tittle fired back. Shearin questioned Lord about the drops of blood around the house. Lord spent 9 days in jail before a Dallas Grand Jury refused to indict her for the crime. A&E | Air Date: unknown. She cooked, she cleaned, he was happy.. Rastegar ran outside and asked her what had happened. Thompson, Andie - Thony, Steve > Thompson, Dorothya - Thompson, Elexus > Thompson, Dwanna - Thompson, Dweese > Thompson, Dwayne 1-25 of 112 Contacts Contact Name "You look at that. And, Thompson guessed, she had wiped down her hands and arms with the towels he had seen on the kitchen floor. She claimed that Thompson show a reckless disregard for her rights in having Plaintiff arrested in 2010 for the shooting death of her boyfriend, Mcihael Brunside. Thompson said he had heard that Burnside was making money. Thompson formed his hand into the shape of a gun and pointed at his jawline, aiming upward at a 70-degree angle, which infuriated Shearin, who accused Thompson of wildly exaggerating the location and angle of the shot. How are you going to explain that to his family? But as the case made its way through the courts, she maintained her innocenceand claimed Thompson was the one who should go to prison. Do I want to know an answer? Personal details. If I was guilty, would I really have gone out and filed a lawsuit, knowing everything would be brought up again, giving Thompson and all the other naysayers one more chance to come after me?, A few weeks later, I called Lord and asked her again about Burnsides death. But she maintained her innocence and claimed Thompson was the one who should go to prison. In his opinion, it was perfectly plausible that in the heat of the argument with Burnside, she had taken his pistol, slipped up behind him, and pulled the trigger. Police interrogations happen all the time here in Dallas, and over in Fort Worth as well as the rest of Texas and around the country. These actions are allowed constitutionally under their police powers; however, what can happen during a police interrogation is supposed to follow certain legal requirements and more often than not, they are undertaken while being recorded via video or audio. He eventually learned about my arrest, and he was so bothered by what he read that he never called me again. Strapped around. But Lords attorney, Don Tittle, said the detective was wrong that police records show she called 911 immediately after trying to reach the friend. | Sign In, Verdict Corrections Required fields are marked *. If you have or may be questioned by the police, know your rights. A couple of clerks grinned at him. I want him brought down.. S8, Ep2 8 Jan. 2009 Shearin then asked if she was included in Burnsides will or his life insurance policy. A jury in federal civil court ruled Friday that a Dallas homicide detective, Dwayne Thompson, violated Lord's civil rights by maliciously having her arrested for a killing she didn't commit,. | Advertising He was so compelling in front of the cameracajoling witnesses to open up and then lashing out at a suspectthat he looked like a television actor playing a detective. He then asked them to ride down to Dallas police headquarters in separate squad cars to give their statements. You were very disappointed. Jaffe called Thompson back the next day and said that he had reached Lord. A Right-wing Cabal Took Over Odessas Municipal Government. Thompson sat in another chair and asked about Burnside. Political career [ edit] In 2014, Thompson ran for election to represent District 10 in the Tennessee House of Representatives, but lost to Republican incumbent Steve McManus. Most of Thompsons fellow officers assumed it would be only a matter of time before he was firedand perhaps even indicted. Detective Dwayne Thompson quietly retired from Dallas PD. And thats hurtful. The report could be interpreted several ways: Maybe, as Shearin believed, after Burnside had pulled the trigger, some of the gunshot residue had been transferred onto Lord when she held him in the kitchen. Join Facebook to connect with Dwayne Thompson and others you may know. And youd say, you know, Thats not a toy., Jaffe said that Burnside had pulled out a gun that night. Her fight for justice here began around 3 years ago and ended with last weeks jury verdict. We understand that people get upset, get scared, get angryand when all those emotions are happening at once, people do things., He paused and kept his eyes on Lord. Who do you fing think you are?. Tittle said that Thompson told one of Burnsides friends within 12 hours of the death that he would bet his career that Lord killed Burnside. In truth, she had called 911 seconds after she had tried to reach Jaffe. I dont work cases for the sexiness of them, Thompson snapped. Thompson repeatedly asked Lord during the interview why she waited seven minutes to call 911 after trying to reach a friend of Burnsides by phone. And then theres Jaffe, Burnsides best friend, who says he remains convinced that Lord is hiding something. If I discover anything that substantiates what I believe, Im going to charge you with murder., He glared at her for a moment. She said that she had phoned Jaffe because she initially thought Burnside had fallen and was hurt. When Quinton studied the gunshot residue report, he concluded that the trace amounts of residue on Lord did not necessarily indicate handling or firing the weapon. But he couldnt say for sure that she didnt fire the Beretta. The way Lord had described it, she and Burnside were deeply in love, and they had been talking about marriage. When Dallas Detective Dwayne Thompson checks out a missing persons apartment and finds it covered in blood, he's launched into one of the strangest cases in his career--a case that he must solve without the victim's body. Jaffe was sitting in a plastic chair next to a small table pushed against a wall. And then Thompson pounced. At the end of the interrogation, he had discarded her like trash.. Don't be scared to look at. The idea that she would put a gun to his head and pull the trigger is just unfathomable.. Thompson did his best to defend himself. She said Burnside had been drinking heavily, and at some point, in the midst of the fight, he had walked into the kitchen and shot himself. Scattered around the floor were a few bottles of household cleaning products. I asked Lord if she had said anything to Burnside that night that would have led him to believe that the relationship was over. But after her arrest, Lord read The Count of Monte Cristo, the Alexandre Dumas novel about a wrongfully imprisoned man who seeks revenge against those responsible for his imprisonment, and she memorized one of the books famous lines: May the god of vengeance now permit me to punish the wicked! That was her goal, she said. Why try to make money off Michaels death?. Whos that? Thompson asked, pointing to a man kneeling beside Lord in the front yard. Lord, who is now 37 years old, still lives in the same apartment, and she has barely spent any of the money she won in her lawsuit. He had on a dark fedora, a dark suit, a white shirt with a tie, and dress shoes. January 2023 Reader Quiz: What Did You Learn? A light drizzle was falling in the early morning hours of May 9, 2010, when detective Dwayne Thompsonpulled up in front of a modest home on Spring Grove Avenue, in a tree-lined neighborhood in North Dallas. Home Its psychological pressure as opposed to physical force, however many believe that the result, coercion, can be the same even though no blows are struck. Why did you let my son bleed to death on his own kitchen floor? As Lord hugged Tittle and members of her family, Thompson stood at the defense table, his mouth open. I loved my boyfriend.. He then worked for a not for profit organization called "One Community" that's premise is to be a middle man between law enforcement and civilians. It was Lundberg, who had gone to Parkland to examine Burnsides body. Some are arguing that Lord has won this jury verdict because Detective Thompson used a controversial form of interrogation method called the Reid method of questioning. The Dallas Police Department is featured in a national reality TV show on the A&E network called The First 48, (maybe youve seen it if not, watch episodes here) and the detective who interrogated Hephzibah Olivia Lord in a manner that justified Lords civil suit for damages was Dallas Detective Dwayne Thompson, who has been seen frequently on this A&E show. Thompson asked if there was any chance that Jaffe had been carrying on a secret relationship with Lord. Self - Detective; 2009-2014 2 eps; Credits. And Im a person who thinks your behavior tonight doesnt add up. He pointed his finger at her. However, the police may or may not let the person know about this right (remember the experts concerns that Thompson had not told Lord about her right to a lawyer). I cant say unequivocally whether the young woman did or didnt do the shooting because I wasnt there., At the same time, Mitchell and other prosecutors in the DAs office were not convinced Thompson had committed any serious wrongdoing. He saw no high-velocity blood spatter. He asked her why, after finding Burnside on the floor, she had first called Jaffe but then waited seven minutes before calling 911. Jaffe said that he and Burnside had been drinking earlier that evening. Lundberg walked into the interview room, pulled his chair close to Lord, and played the role of the good cop. But he stayed in the bedroom, pacing, walking around, yelling at me, screaming, angry. Finally, after he couldnt get her to respond to him, he left the room. . He calmly explained that his ferocious questioning of Lord after the shooting was nothing more than a technique used by detectives in police departments around the countrythe direct method, he called itin which a suspect is openly accused of a crime to see how he or she reacts. He spoke to her the way a loving father would talk to his daughter. I had the impression that she told me that [Burnside] had nothing to do with it and she did it. But he refused to say, like he had said on his porch, that he had definitely heard Lord confess to the shooting. Lord was charged with murder a month after her boyfriend shot himself. That was one of the most-watched episodes in The First 48s run, drawing 2.3 million viewers, and the producers told Thompson that they wanted to do more shows with him. Finally, after Thompson barked at him, he stepped onto the front porch and told a flabbergasting story. And the bullet had exited toward the top of the left side of Burnsides head. The officer pointed to a woman sitting on a chair in the front yard, her face in her hands. Shearin made his own presentation, about 25 minutes in length, laying out the case for his clients innocence. She fell to her knees and said it was an accident and that she didnt mean to shoot him. Instead, he gave Brandi Mitchell everything he had.. But there was one more turn in the story to come. She was on an airplaneon her way to California. Lundberg also took the stand, testifying that he too remained convinced that Lord was guilty of murder. He often said that victimology was the most overlooked part of a homicide investigation even though it could help explain whether a suspect was guilty or innocent. He remains convinced that he got a raw deal at the civil trial and that Tittle played the video of his interrogation of Lord only to plant in jurors minds the idea that he was an intimidating black man taking advantage of a grieving, attractive white woman. 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