Patrick was thinking about trying to find out what was going on when he heard Ashleas front door open and then close. Her truck was still in the apartment complexs parking lot. Woman Convicted in Death of Former Co-Worker in Fort Worth One of the investigators alleged, It was evident to us that Carter was the mastermind behind this and I think David was the muscle. I didnt touch it. Though Mallory was arrested for driving without a license, he was also released from custody. At Carter's Trial, her Defense was that she was not involved in Ashlea's death. The Autopsy revealed that Ashleahad numerous injuries on her body including but not limited toa laceration on the right side of her scalp, on her cheek and the left side of her face and a patterned bruise on the right side of her face, a bruise between her eyes and around her left eye. The 31-year-old was an assistant manager at the American Eagle Outfitters store in the Abilene mall in Texas. This was most likely a lighter and the accelerant was rubbing alcohol. There was a significant amount of blood around her body which indicated she had been beaten and her hands were bound with duct tape behind her back. There are predators everywhere. The detectives talked to two American Eagle employees who had been locked out due to the locks being changed. Ashlea had been murdered and her body and apartment had been set on fire. Clarence David Mallory, 22, would meet a similar fate in August 2017. I became interested in this case after listening to Dateline Podcast from November 29, 2019 episode entitled Black Friday. I had some questions that werent answered on the show and thought Id see what I could find. He testified that when he entered the apartment, itwas full of smoke and water was spraying from the sprinkler system. He determined that Ashlea'scause of death was asphyxia and blunt force trauma to the head and neck. Police argue that the couple beat Harris and then set her body on fire, taking the keys to the Hulen Mall American Eagle Outfitters store in order to steal up to $50,000 in profits from a Black Friday sale. Christopher Chris Cravey, Ashlea's boss, heard that police were asking about that vehicle and he told them he knew someone who drove one. When he went to touch her, he saw that her wrists and ankles were duct-taped. Carter Carol Cervantez, 27, testified that she was asleep at the time of the murder of Ashlea Harris and was forced into the robbery by her boyfriend, 21-year-old Clarence David Mallory, the Fort. Posted on May 27, 2016. Cervantes was allowed to go home. The scream was followed by a loud thud and he, could hear labored breathing. They told authorities Harris usually left her keys on the kitchen counter, and that her home and car keys were on the same keychain as the keys to the American Eagle store where she worked. Please enter valid email address to continue. While the homicide took place nearly 6 hours. that the smoke detector had been removed and was underneath the mattress. He was able to determine that the fire had multiple points of origin. In May 2016, 27-year-old Carter Carol Cervantes was found guilty of capital murder and sentenced to life in prison without parole, according to The Dallas Morning News. They discovered that on Thanksgiving Day, she went to dinner withher friendAlexis Torres and other friends at an apartment inside her complex. He followed them as Mallory drove to the Hulen Mall. They stalked Ashlea Harris like people stalk a deer.". It was the proceeds from the sales during the recently concludedTexas Sales Tax Holiday Weekend in August. The district manager decided to give Cervantez a fresh start. The Court also heardpolicefoundlatitude and longitude coordinates on the cell phones. Harris was an assistant manager at the store. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! The scream was followed by a loud thud and hecould hear labored breathing. Harris boss told investigators the car was similar to a vehicle owned by former American Eagle Outfitters employee Carter Cervantes. Cervantez v. State, No. 02-16-00224-CR - Texas - Case Law - VLEX 888293893 Cervantez was the first to go to trial in May 2016. Police: Texas woman strangled by fmr. co-workers - CBS News ", by Chilling Crimes Alexis usually watched Ashleas dog Nala when she worked. Though the theft remained an open case with the Fort Worth Police Department, American Eagle believed it had enough evidence to fire Cervantes and Mallory. And in Fort Worth, career-driven Carter Carol Cervantez begins to rethink her priorities when she finds love at the workplace. | Recent Lawyer Listings 'They slash her throat and then, when she is finally dead, they set her place on fire. Ashlea Ann Harris loved working in retail where she could meet new people every day. Ashlea went through the surveillance footage and alleged Carter and David to be the burglars, as Carter was seen leaving the back door of the store unlocked when she took the garbage out the night before. He called 911 as he realized there must be a fire. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. He heard the door of Ashlea's apartment close and when he looked out his window, he saw a, black Infiniti G35 driving away. Patrick thought that perhaps someone had come to pick Ashlea Harris up for work as her pick-up truck remained in its parking space. Saturday Tarrant County Sheriffs arrested 25-year-old Carter Carol Cervantez. Police believed that Ashlea was killed between 4.15am and 7.30am. Police had to establish if they were involved in Ashlea's death what the motive was. Ashley Harris - Murdered By American Eagle Co-Workers - CDP Helived downstairs and diagonally across from Ashlea. He then radioed for police and a crime scene unit to come to the scene. CourtListener is sponsored by the non-profit Free Law Project. The Prosecution believed that the original plan was to kidnap Ashlea using a pistol to threaten her and kill her at a different location but she put up a fight when they entered her apartment and they killed her there instead. It included her mother, Monica Cassity, stepfather Daddy Chuck, her father Tommy Harris Sr. and her stepmom Mary Reddy. She was the youngest of three girls. However, their jobs did not last long when they were allegedly found suspects of a robbery that took place in the store on August 24, 2014. After Ashlea Harris pointed to David Mallory and Carter Cervantes as the most likely culprits to have robbed an American Eagle store, the couple was furious. Her feet and hands were bound with duct tape and she was covered in blood, according to Texas. Listen to the story of how Ashlea Harris fought for her life upsetting the plans of two nefarious killers who wanted a big pay off. Forth Worth was originally settled in 1849 as a US Army outpost to protect pioneers settling out west. In August 2016, Clarence David Mallory was found guilty of murder one after one hour of jury deliberation. Dateline: Ashlea Harris' Parents Wanted Mallory, Cervantez Executed January 17, 2022 below Ashlea's apartment and hetold police that he heard a thump, screaming and heavy breathing. That was a term the brand used toindicate that the person should not be hired at any location. Around 7:30 am several residents of the River Ranch Apartments located at 4701 King Ranch Road called 911 to report smoke coming from apartment #1505. Our district manager basically gave her the option to quit or to get transferred, said Groen. In August 2014, a hooded burglar had stolen $18,000 from the American Eagle Hulen Mall store following Texas Sales Tax Holiday Weekend. Cervantez claims that Mallory dug the grave for her. He was eventually labeled as non-rehirable in the American Eagle system. She and her. Harris apartment showed no signs of forced entry and none of her valuables were missing. Chris testified that Carter and Clarence would have known that Ashleaidentified Clarence and informed him of the theft. Cervantez is arrested in Lubbock and Mallory is taken into custody in Amarillo. Police have said they believe that Cervantez, 27, and Clarence David Mallory, 21, beat and bound Harris and then set her body on fire to steal her keys . He ruled out accidental causes for the reason for the fire and concluded that the fire was set on purpose. Mallory claimed that he was waiting for his girlfriend, who worked at Aeropostale. After that, she went to work. Police tracked Cervantes and Mallory to an apartment near the Hulen Mall. She raises three points on appeal: (1) the trial court erred by denying her counsel's motion to withdraw based on the State's failure to comply with the Michael Morton Act; (2) the trial court erred by admitting recorded statements of her . Then he gathered up some belongings, moved his car away from the building, and waited for the fire department to arrive. judgment. Greed and Hatred Uncovered in Ashlea Harris Murder, A First Look at the Murder of Ashlea Harris, Co-worker Describes Clarence David Mallory: He Seemed Genuine, She was the really cute, fun, outgoing person and so a lot of people were attracted to her, regardless of whether they were a boy or a girl, Ashleas best friend Stephanie Naylor told, Firefighters put out the blaze and found 31-year-old Harris dead on her bedroom floor. Protect yourself and those you love. Cervantez alleges that she did not commit the murder and was asleep in her apartment when Harris was robbed and killed. The police also analyzed their mobile phones to find they had exchanged texts planning the murder and methods of disposing of the corpse. Ashlea Ann Harris was murdered Nov. 28, 2014, by Clarence David Mallory, 22, and his co-defendant, Carter Carol Cervantes, 28. Details emerge in killing of Hulen Mall store employee - Dallas News Ashlea Harris Murder: How Did She Die? Detective describes trailing defendant in Hulen Mall The two. The couple had been fired from the American Eagle store at the Hulen Mall after being suspected of stealing nearly $18,000 from the store's safe in August 2014. David, 27, is incarcerated at the Jim Ferguson Unit in Midway, Texas. He told the Court that he lived in an apartment just, below Ashleas apartment.