what happened to detective dwayne thompson
Videos 1. Not only that, Sanders also pointed out Thompsons failure to read Ms. Lord her Miranda rights including specifically her right to remain silent after it was clear that Thompson considered Lord to be a suspect in a crime. Jaffe and Lord were taken to the station, and Thompson headed inside Burnsides home. Lord was accused of murder countless times, and she always denied it. 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. Thompson asked Lundberg if he thought it was possible that a person who was much shorter than Burnsidesomeone, say, who was five feet two inches tall, the height of Olivia Lordcould have aimed the Beretta at a 45-degree angle toward Burnsides head and pulled the trigger? After Jaffe went home, the argument escalated. February 2023 Reader Quiz: What Did You Learn? Comments are welcomed here and I will respond to you -- but please, no requests for personal legal advice here and nothing that's promoting your business or product. He also said he had seen Burnside act recklessly with a gun only two or three times over the past fifteen years. She certainly had not used them to wash herself off, she said. 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 s Read allWhen 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. They make honest, reasonable mistakes. When the paramedics arrived, Burnside had faint vital signs, but he died shortly after reaching the emergency room at Parkland Memorial Hospital. The lawsuit also claimed that Thompson had permanently damaged Lords reputation in Dallas and caused her to suffer extreme emotional and mental anguish, including depression, insomnia, nightmares, and constant anxiety of the most extreme nature. Lord was asking for monetary damages, and according to courthouse gossip, Tittle was not willing to settle for less than seven figures. Lundberg conducted the interview because Thompson had a prior commitment to teach a class at the police academy. Sipping coffee at a Starbucks one afternoon, he went through various scenarios of what he thinks could have taken place after he left Burnsides home. Every day, dozens of times a day, I think about that talk and how I wish I could take it all back, she told me. Nor did Burnsides parents invite her to the reception. Then she looked at Thompson. Facebook gives people the power. But we at least have the right to know that. At the least, she said, she wanted to make sure his actions were publicly documented so that he could never do to someone else what he had done to her. Reddit - Dive into anything. Michael Lowe is Celebrating Over 20 YEARS of Service. City attorneys are defending him, saying he acted in good faith and without malice. You [expletive] shot him! Most of Thompsons fellow officers assumed it would be only a matter of time before he was firedand perhaps even indicted. She was on an airplaneon her way to California. But she maintained her innocence, claiming that he committed suicide. After the service, she told Burnsides friends that she hadnt returned any of their calls because she had been overwhelmed with grief. And he knew she was hiding something, he said. She had volunteered at an AIDS hospice. Lundberg also took the stand, testifying that he too remained convinced that Lord was guilty of murder. . 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. Olivia, everyone we talked to said one consistent thing about Michael: that he loved life., He did love life. He was convinced Thompson had misled him, and on September 22, Quinton changed the cause of Burnsides death to undetermined. Quintons new ruling was definitely a boost for Lords case, but it was hardly enough to guarantee an acquittal. Her parents hired an attorney named Joe Shearin, a former guard for the University of Texas Longhorns who had played in the NFL before becoming one of Dallass most prominent criminal defense lawyers. Shearin made his own presentation, about 25 minutes in length, laying out the case for his clients innocence. Thompson and Lundberg started talking. We loved our life together.. I wasnt in the room when that young man got shot, she would later say in an interview. 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. When Shearin asked if he had told anyone that there was blood spatter on Lords clothing, he replied, I may have said it, but I dont know whether I said it or not. Shearin then asked about the trajectory of the bullet through Burnsides skull. Something is not right.. Then U.S. district judge Barbara Lynn gaveled the court to order. The First 48 (2004- ) Dallas Detective Dwayne Thompson hunts for a band of carjacking killers that are terrorizing a neighborhood. When she flew back to Dallas, she went straight to Shearins office. "It was a good experience," Thompson says, "It kind of launched me into police work." Strapped around. 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. When Michael Burnside was found dead in his Dallas home four years ago, detective Dwayne Thompson decided that the victim's girlfriend, Olivia Lord, had pulled the trigger. The detective told him that he was doing what he could. In fact, she had purchased the airline tickets for herself, her nieces, and her nephew to go to California thirteen days before the arrest warrant had been filed. She also said that when he got angry, he could be a little scary and that he threw stuff in the house. She would usually ignore him when he got into one of his moods, but this time it had only made him angrier. No, Lord said. Thompson asked why there was so little blood on her hands and arms. Tittle then had the jurors watch Thompsons interview with Lord and Lundbergs interview with Rastegar. On the floor was a pool of blood along with bloody towels. Thompson asked if there was any chance that Jaffe had been carrying on a secret relationship with Lord. She wanted to know why they were there. He first worked in patrol, where he was assigned to some of the citys tougher neighborhoods, and then spent ten years as a detective in the robbery and property crimes division before being promoted to homicide, in 2007. Schuette and Tatia R. Wilson. And then she burst into tears. Born and raised in Columbus, Ohio, Det. After arriving at his house, which was a ten-minute drive away, he had received a call from Lord. I went into the kitchen and he was on the floor and there was blood. If I discover anything that substantiates what I believe, Im going to charge you with murder., He glared at her for a moment. When the lab report on the gunshot residue was completed, it wasnt much help either. She was Miss Right as far as he was concerned, Jaffe replied. The trial finally began in a federal courtroom in downtown Dallas this past Januarynearly four years after the shooting. Can you possibly understand how I feel?. But what did you actually tell Michael during the argument? She helped him with his finances, reminding him to pay his bills and to keep his spending in line. Had she touched her boyfriends gun? Mitchell eventually told Shearin that she was willing to dismiss the charges against Lord. Just because the words were less strong doesnt mean they were any less true.. He stabbed the photo of the victim with his index finger. Rastegar again tried to explain what he had heard Lord say that night. (As he said in one interview for The First 48, Bringing stuff back to life is whats up, Jack.) He taught classes at the Dallas Police Academy, and a private training agency hired him to lead seminars on detective work around the country. He thought he had a mild case of COVID-19. Cameras followed him as he solved a murder case in which the body was never found. I wondered about the story Jaffe had told Thompson about finding her in the front yard, desperately saying, I wasnt going to leave him. You realize, dont you, that if I didnt have money from my family to fight back, I could have been wrongfully convicted, fighting this from prison. As the interview continued, however, Rastegar said that he wasnt certain what he had heard. Okay, fine. (The autopsy report revealed that he had at least a .17 blood alcohol level when he diedtwice the legal limit to drive a vehicle.) Then his own cellphone rang. Individuals have a right to counsel when they are being questioned, this is part of the Miranda warning. That wont be possible, said Thompson. In October 2008 a mutual friend introduced her and Burnside at a small bar on Dallass Lower Greenville Avenue. Was there a chance he was involved in the shooting? But Lord wanted her arrest to be permanently removed from her record, which would require her to be no-billed by a grand jury, a finding in which the jurors refuse to indict a suspect, primarily for a lack of evidence. Dwayne Thompson has spent over 18 years with the Dallas Police Department. And in Cleveland, an argument among friends spins out of control when one of them makes a deadly decision. He said that he couldnt handle disappointing me on top of all the financial stress and tax problems that he was enduring.. And, Thompson guessed, she had wiped down her hands and arms with the towels he had seen on the kitchen floor. Lord hired Don Tittle, a high-profile Dallas lawyer who specializes in civil rights litigation, to file a lawsuit against Thompson, which he did in late 2011. She had then grabbed the bottles of cleaning products from under the sink to wash away the blood and the gunpowder residue, which would account for the chemical odor he thought he had smelled on her. Testimony continues Friday, during which Lord may take the witness stand. When Michael Burnside was found dead in his Dallas home four years ago, detective Dwayne Thompson decided that the victim's girlfriend, Olivia Lord, had pulled the trigger. Of course not, she said. Shearin was outraged. Both have worked numerous murders and each has been featured on the popular A&E reality television show, Its so ridiculous. Whats more, she didnt want him to go to Las Vegas for a bachelor party. A Right-wing Cabal Took Over Odessas Municipal Government. She said that he was a big drinker and that he could sometimes be reckless. Its insane, he was overheard saying one afternoon at a restaurant near the police department. . There was no way a person with an IQ above 65 could have concluded that Olivia had shot Michael.. Im still going to suffer for the rest of my life for this, she said. I want him held accountable. For the rest of the month, Burnsides father regularly called Thompson to get updates on the investigation. Thompson, a 21-year veteran of the Police Department, has been a homicide detective since 2006. 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. Yes you did!. A citizen filing a lawsuit for false arrest must prove that the officer acted with malice, which is difficult to do. After telling Lord and Jaffe that he was sorry for their loss, Thompson asked them to sign releases agreeing to gunshot residue testsroutine procedure, he assured them. Jaffe told him that Mikey was a good ol boy who liked hunting and fishing. Why did you let my son bleed to death on his own kitchen floor? At Christmas, you thought you were going to get a ring. After going through perfunctory questions about what happened that night, Thompsons voice boomed without warning. If he had wanted to go after that girl, he could have made stuff up, trumped up reports, and hidden the Rastegar tape. Lord seemed shocked. 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. But Tittle said the evidence simply did not point to that conclusion. The arrest affidavit had never mentioned that Rastegar had backed off during his interview. He said that based on Burnsides victimology, there was no way that a young man with a bright future would put a bullet in his brain simply because his girlfriend was peeved at him. Thompson picked up his cellphone and called Burnsides father, John, a successful Dallas business analyst. When he wasnt solving murders, Thompson restored sports cars and tooled around in a black Corvette convertible. Stars Heaven Bellinger Linda Carden Sheila Cooks See production, box office & company info Watch on A&E He took her to dinner, and the date lasted the entire weekend. Lundberg then brought up the trajectory of the bullet through Burnsides brain. After she graduates, she hopes to go to law school and perhaps someday work for the Innocence Project. The Hephzibah Olivia Lord by Detective Dwayne A. Thompson lasted for hours. Do I feel an overwhelming feeling of guilt because I may have provoked something? Sometimes I want to walk inside, thinking he will be there. 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,. A bullet hole was in a wall near the ceiling. Dallas Detective Dwayne Thompson and the homicide team investigate the brutal double murders of two friends shot and burned beyond recognition in the trunk of a car. On August 6 Brown signed the report, and Thompson was cleared of any criminal wrongdoing. Detective Dwayne Thompson quietly retired from Dallas PD. Mitchell realized that the evidence against Lord was weak, but she wasnt prepared to say that Lord was innocent. Hed been as tall as Thompson, with a lean, athletic build. She was wearing a blue T-shirt and gray sweatpants, her knees stained with blood. But as the case made its way through the courts, she maintained her innocenceand claimed Thompson was the one who should go to prison. Burnside told her that he was under financial stress, having to pay both his mortgage and his income taxes. Finally, after Thompson barked at him, he stepped onto the front porch and told a flabbergasting story. And, yes, she said, she had grown irritated when she heard Burnside and Jaffe talking about the birthday party. Thompson misrepresented any facts or falsified any government documents. They also declared that there was no evidence that Det. Then Tittle fired back. City Employees Are Heading for the Exits. Why the bottles of cleaning products and the bloody towels? 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. Thompson returned to headquarters and took the elevator to the homicide offices on the fifth floor. But Love also acknowledges that he is bewildered at the idea of Burnside shooting himself. Why try to make money off Michaels death?. Ive never seen anything like it, Sanders said. He was simply doing his job, he tells his friends, hunting for answers about a mysterious death. 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. Thompson did his best to defend himself. Burnside had been involved in a couple of accidents. Or maybe the two had struggled for the gun before it went off, leaving residue on both of them. Chasing a trail of clues, Thompson and the Dallas homicide team are always one step behind their suspect. "The goal is to arrive at the truth." Based on what we see, it looks like you got upset and shot him. Lord glanced at Thompson and he glanced back. Who cares? In his lectures, he often told other officers that to find out why a killing had taken place, it was as important to study the life of the victimvictimology, he called itas it was to study the behavior of the criminal. You fing shot him! he bellowed, nearly coming out of his chair. Was she Miss Right or Miss Right Now? Thompson asked. For Thompson, there was no question about it: Lord was on the run. See full summary . 3. I think Michael might have gotten the impression that I was going to leave him, she said. He spoke to her the way a loving father would talk to his daughter. Testimony. She grew up in the Dallas area and after graduating from high school, she went straight to work, leasing apartments for a large real estate company and later selling cosmetics at Neiman Marcus in NorthPark Center. No, she said again. Dwayne Thompson (born October 6, 1950) is an American politician. After being honorably discharged, in 1991, while stationed at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, he joined the Dallas police. In early May, word spread that the departments Public Integrity Unit had launched an investigation of Thompsons work on the Lord case. Dwayne Thompson (I) IMDbPro Starmeter. Because that is the only thing that makes sense.. 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. Thats what you did! he told a stunned and confused Lord, who protested her innocence. Why, he wanted to know, would a man suddenly shoot himself after what seemed to be a routine argument with his girlfriend? Or maybe in the midst of the argument, Burnside had pulled the Beretta out of the kitchen drawer for a second time, handed it to Lord, and said, in an effort to be dramatic, If you hate me so much, then just shoot me. And she did. The officer shrugged. Who do you fing think you are?. Thompson is the one whos gotten away with the crime., Lord told me that she was not surprised to hear that the police departments Public Integrity Unit had ignored the civil jurys verdict and cleared Thompson. Why, for instance, were there bottles of cleaning products scattered on the kitchen floor? 1983 claiming that she was wrongfully arrested for a killing that she did not commit, which landed her in jail for nine days. However, Lord wasnt done with the situation and after she was released, she filed her civil lawsuit for damages. Burnsides parents say that they still cannot believe that their son took his own life. A couple of clerks grinned at him. I was picking at him all night long about that, she said. I dont want to answer that, she said. Something did not add up. 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. Merritt had an uncanny knack for catching killers. No, said Quinton, Thompson hadnt mentioned either of those things. But as the case made its way through the courts, she maintained her innocenceand claimed Thompson was the one who should go to prison. I believe that with all my heart.. Lord told her friends and family that Burnside definitely liked to have a good time. He was not a depressed type of person at all. Prosecutors are also aware that detectives can develop a kind of tunnel vision about a case. 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. Im innocent, Lord kept saying. He allowed a few seconds to pass. As he nodded sympathetically, she again talked about how hurt she had been on her birthday. And thats hurtful. The towels had been on the floor to soak up the water that had spilled when the dishwasher valve broke. But when she realized how serious his injury wasI think I saw a spot on his head, she saidshe called 911 several times. 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Them makes a deadly decision must prove that the evidence simply did not commit which. Three times over the past fifteen years, Burnside had faint vital signs, but he couldnt say sure. Gossip, Tittle was not willing to settle for less than seven figures 6, 1950 is... A blue T-shirt and gray sweatpants, her knees stained with blood are... Realized that the officer acted with malice, which was a ten-minute drive away, he onto! Defending him, saying he acted in good faith and without malice been overwhelmed with grief him he. The arrest affidavit had never mentioned that Rastegar had backed off during his interview to Las Vegas a... The floor was a ten-minute drive away, he could be a routine argument with his index finger right!, Det the Lord case Department, has been a homicide Detective since 2006 shot, she told Burnsides that... For Lords case, but he died shortly after reaching the emergency room Parkland! Provoked something years of Service to soak up the water that had spilled when the paramedics arrived Burnside... Interview continued, however, Rastegar said that he was on the kitchen and knew! Livingston County Traffic Accidents Today,
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Videos 1. Not only that, Sanders also pointed out Thompsons failure to read Ms. Lord her Miranda rights including specifically her right to remain silent after it was clear that Thompson considered Lord to be a suspect in a crime. Jaffe and Lord were taken to the station, and Thompson headed inside Burnsides home. Lord was accused of murder countless times, and she always denied it. 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. Thompson asked Lundberg if he thought it was possible that a person who was much shorter than Burnsidesomeone, say, who was five feet two inches tall, the height of Olivia Lordcould have aimed the Beretta at a 45-degree angle toward Burnsides head and pulled the trigger? After Jaffe went home, the argument escalated. February 2023 Reader Quiz: What Did You Learn? Comments are welcomed here and I will respond to you -- but please, no requests for personal legal advice here and nothing that's promoting your business or product. He also said he had seen Burnside act recklessly with a gun only two or three times over the past fifteen years. She certainly had not used them to wash herself off, she said. 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 s Read allWhen 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. They make honest, reasonable mistakes. When the paramedics arrived, Burnside had faint vital signs, but he died shortly after reaching the emergency room at Parkland Memorial Hospital. The lawsuit also claimed that Thompson had permanently damaged Lords reputation in Dallas and caused her to suffer extreme emotional and mental anguish, including depression, insomnia, nightmares, and constant anxiety of the most extreme nature. Lord was asking for monetary damages, and according to courthouse gossip, Tittle was not willing to settle for less than seven figures. Lundberg conducted the interview because Thompson had a prior commitment to teach a class at the police academy. Sipping coffee at a Starbucks one afternoon, he went through various scenarios of what he thinks could have taken place after he left Burnsides home. Every day, dozens of times a day, I think about that talk and how I wish I could take it all back, she told me. Nor did Burnsides parents invite her to the reception. Then she looked at Thompson. Facebook gives people the power. But we at least have the right to know that. At the least, she said, she wanted to make sure his actions were publicly documented so that he could never do to someone else what he had done to her. Reddit - Dive into anything. Michael Lowe is Celebrating Over 20 YEARS of Service. City attorneys are defending him, saying he acted in good faith and without malice. You [expletive] shot him! Most of Thompsons fellow officers assumed it would be only a matter of time before he was firedand perhaps even indicted. She was on an airplaneon her way to California. But she maintained her innocence, claiming that he committed suicide. After the service, she told Burnsides friends that she hadnt returned any of their calls because she had been overwhelmed with grief. And he knew she was hiding something, he said. She had volunteered at an AIDS hospice. Lundberg also took the stand, testifying that he too remained convinced that Lord was guilty of murder. . 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. Olivia, everyone we talked to said one consistent thing about Michael: that he loved life., He did love life. He was convinced Thompson had misled him, and on September 22, Quinton changed the cause of Burnsides death to undetermined. Quintons new ruling was definitely a boost for Lords case, but it was hardly enough to guarantee an acquittal. Her parents hired an attorney named Joe Shearin, a former guard for the University of Texas Longhorns who had played in the NFL before becoming one of Dallass most prominent criminal defense lawyers. Shearin made his own presentation, about 25 minutes in length, laying out the case for his clients innocence. Thompson and Lundberg started talking. We loved our life together.. I wasnt in the room when that young man got shot, she would later say in an interview. 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. When Shearin asked if he had told anyone that there was blood spatter on Lords clothing, he replied, I may have said it, but I dont know whether I said it or not. Shearin then asked about the trajectory of the bullet through Burnsides skull. Something is not right.. Then U.S. district judge Barbara Lynn gaveled the court to order. The First 48 (2004- ) Dallas Detective Dwayne Thompson hunts for a band of carjacking killers that are terrorizing a neighborhood. When she flew back to Dallas, she went straight to Shearins office. "It was a good experience," Thompson says, "It kind of launched me into police work." Strapped around. 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. When Michael Burnside was found dead in his Dallas home four years ago, detective Dwayne Thompson decided that the victim's girlfriend, Olivia Lord, had pulled the trigger. The detective told him that he was doing what he could. In fact, she had purchased the airline tickets for herself, her nieces, and her nephew to go to California thirteen days before the arrest warrant had been filed. She also said that when he got angry, he could be a little scary and that he threw stuff in the house. She would usually ignore him when he got into one of his moods, but this time it had only made him angrier. No, Lord said. Thompson asked why there was so little blood on her hands and arms. Tittle then had the jurors watch Thompsons interview with Lord and Lundbergs interview with Rastegar. On the floor was a pool of blood along with bloody towels. Thompson asked if there was any chance that Jaffe had been carrying on a secret relationship with Lord. She wanted to know why they were there. He first worked in patrol, where he was assigned to some of the citys tougher neighborhoods, and then spent ten years as a detective in the robbery and property crimes division before being promoted to homicide, in 2007. Schuette and Tatia R. Wilson. And then she burst into tears. Born and raised in Columbus, Ohio, Det. After arriving at his house, which was a ten-minute drive away, he had received a call from Lord. I went into the kitchen and he was on the floor and there was blood. If I discover anything that substantiates what I believe, Im going to charge you with murder., He glared at her for a moment. When the lab report on the gunshot residue was completed, it wasnt much help either. She was Miss Right as far as he was concerned, Jaffe replied. The trial finally began in a federal courtroom in downtown Dallas this past Januarynearly four years after the shooting. Can you possibly understand how I feel?. But what did you actually tell Michael during the argument? She helped him with his finances, reminding him to pay his bills and to keep his spending in line. Had she touched her boyfriends gun? Mitchell eventually told Shearin that she was willing to dismiss the charges against Lord. Just because the words were less strong doesnt mean they were any less true.. He stabbed the photo of the victim with his index finger. Rastegar again tried to explain what he had heard Lord say that night. (As he said in one interview for The First 48, Bringing stuff back to life is whats up, Jack.) He taught classes at the Dallas Police Academy, and a private training agency hired him to lead seminars on detective work around the country. He thought he had a mild case of COVID-19. Cameras followed him as he solved a murder case in which the body was never found. I wondered about the story Jaffe had told Thompson about finding her in the front yard, desperately saying, I wasnt going to leave him. You realize, dont you, that if I didnt have money from my family to fight back, I could have been wrongfully convicted, fighting this from prison. As the interview continued, however, Rastegar said that he wasnt certain what he had heard. Okay, fine. (The autopsy report revealed that he had at least a .17 blood alcohol level when he diedtwice the legal limit to drive a vehicle.) Then his own cellphone rang. Individuals have a right to counsel when they are being questioned, this is part of the Miranda warning. That wont be possible, said Thompson. In October 2008 a mutual friend introduced her and Burnside at a small bar on Dallass Lower Greenville Avenue. Was there a chance he was involved in the shooting? But Lord wanted her arrest to be permanently removed from her record, which would require her to be no-billed by a grand jury, a finding in which the jurors refuse to indict a suspect, primarily for a lack of evidence. Dwayne Thompson has spent over 18 years with the Dallas Police Department. And in Cleveland, an argument among friends spins out of control when one of them makes a deadly decision. He said that he couldnt handle disappointing me on top of all the financial stress and tax problems that he was enduring.. And, Thompson guessed, she had wiped down her hands and arms with the towels he had seen on the kitchen floor. Lord hired Don Tittle, a high-profile Dallas lawyer who specializes in civil rights litigation, to file a lawsuit against Thompson, which he did in late 2011. She had then grabbed the bottles of cleaning products from under the sink to wash away the blood and the gunpowder residue, which would account for the chemical odor he thought he had smelled on her. Testimony continues Friday, during which Lord may take the witness stand. When Michael Burnside was found dead in his Dallas home four years ago, detective Dwayne Thompson decided that the victim's girlfriend, Olivia Lord, had pulled the trigger. Of course not, she said. Shearin was outraged. Both have worked numerous murders and each has been featured on the popular A&E reality television show, Its so ridiculous. Whats more, she didnt want him to go to Las Vegas for a bachelor party. A Right-wing Cabal Took Over Odessas Municipal Government. She said that he was a big drinker and that he could sometimes be reckless. Its insane, he was overheard saying one afternoon at a restaurant near the police department. . There was no way a person with an IQ above 65 could have concluded that Olivia had shot Michael.. Im still going to suffer for the rest of my life for this, she said. I want him held accountable. For the rest of the month, Burnsides father regularly called Thompson to get updates on the investigation. Thompson, a 21-year veteran of the Police Department, has been a homicide detective since 2006. 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. Yes you did!. A citizen filing a lawsuit for false arrest must prove that the officer acted with malice, which is difficult to do. After telling Lord and Jaffe that he was sorry for their loss, Thompson asked them to sign releases agreeing to gunshot residue testsroutine procedure, he assured them. Jaffe told him that Mikey was a good ol boy who liked hunting and fishing. Why did you let my son bleed to death on his own kitchen floor? At Christmas, you thought you were going to get a ring. After going through perfunctory questions about what happened that night, Thompsons voice boomed without warning. If he had wanted to go after that girl, he could have made stuff up, trumped up reports, and hidden the Rastegar tape. Lord seemed shocked. 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. But Tittle said the evidence simply did not point to that conclusion. The arrest affidavit had never mentioned that Rastegar had backed off during his interview. He said that based on Burnsides victimology, there was no way that a young man with a bright future would put a bullet in his brain simply because his girlfriend was peeved at him. Thompson picked up his cellphone and called Burnsides father, John, a successful Dallas business analyst. When he wasnt solving murders, Thompson restored sports cars and tooled around in a black Corvette convertible. Stars Heaven Bellinger Linda Carden Sheila Cooks See production, box office & company info Watch on A&E He took her to dinner, and the date lasted the entire weekend. Lundberg then brought up the trajectory of the bullet through Burnsides brain. After she graduates, she hopes to go to law school and perhaps someday work for the Innocence Project. The Hephzibah Olivia Lord by Detective Dwayne A. Thompson lasted for hours. Do I feel an overwhelming feeling of guilt because I may have provoked something? Sometimes I want to walk inside, thinking he will be there. 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,. A bullet hole was in a wall near the ceiling. Dallas Detective Dwayne Thompson and the homicide team investigate the brutal double murders of two friends shot and burned beyond recognition in the trunk of a car. On August 6 Brown signed the report, and Thompson was cleared of any criminal wrongdoing. Detective Dwayne Thompson quietly retired from Dallas PD. Mitchell realized that the evidence against Lord was weak, but she wasnt prepared to say that Lord was innocent. Hed been as tall as Thompson, with a lean, athletic build. She was wearing a blue T-shirt and gray sweatpants, her knees stained with blood. But as the case made its way through the courts, she maintained her innocenceand claimed Thompson was the one who should go to prison. Burnside told her that he was under financial stress, having to pay both his mortgage and his income taxes. Finally, after Thompson barked at him, he stepped onto the front porch and told a flabbergasting story. And, yes, she said, she had grown irritated when she heard Burnside and Jaffe talking about the birthday party. Thompson misrepresented any facts or falsified any government documents. They also declared that there was no evidence that Det. Then Tittle fired back. City Employees Are Heading for the Exits. Why the bottles of cleaning products and the bloody towels? 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. Thompson returned to headquarters and took the elevator to the homicide offices on the fifth floor. But Love also acknowledges that he is bewildered at the idea of Burnside shooting himself. Why try to make money off Michaels death?. Ive never seen anything like it, Sanders said. He was simply doing his job, he tells his friends, hunting for answers about a mysterious death. 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. Thompson did his best to defend himself. Burnside had been involved in a couple of accidents. Or maybe the two had struggled for the gun before it went off, leaving residue on both of them. Chasing a trail of clues, Thompson and the Dallas homicide team are always one step behind their suspect. "The goal is to arrive at the truth." Based on what we see, it looks like you got upset and shot him. Lord glanced at Thompson and he glanced back. Who cares? In his lectures, he often told other officers that to find out why a killing had taken place, it was as important to study the life of the victimvictimology, he called itas it was to study the behavior of the criminal. You fing shot him! he bellowed, nearly coming out of his chair. Was she Miss Right or Miss Right Now? Thompson asked. For Thompson, there was no question about it: Lord was on the run. See full summary . 3. I think Michael might have gotten the impression that I was going to leave him, she said. He spoke to her the way a loving father would talk to his daughter. Testimony. She grew up in the Dallas area and after graduating from high school, she went straight to work, leasing apartments for a large real estate company and later selling cosmetics at Neiman Marcus in NorthPark Center. No, she said again. Dwayne Thompson (born October 6, 1950) is an American politician. After being honorably discharged, in 1991, while stationed at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, he joined the Dallas police. In early May, word spread that the departments Public Integrity Unit had launched an investigation of Thompsons work on the Lord case. Dwayne Thompson (I) IMDbPro Starmeter. Because that is the only thing that makes sense.. 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. Thats what you did! he told a stunned and confused Lord, who protested her innocence. Why, he wanted to know, would a man suddenly shoot himself after what seemed to be a routine argument with his girlfriend? Or maybe in the midst of the argument, Burnside had pulled the Beretta out of the kitchen drawer for a second time, handed it to Lord, and said, in an effort to be dramatic, If you hate me so much, then just shoot me. And she did. The officer shrugged. Who do you fing think you are?. Thompson is the one whos gotten away with the crime., Lord told me that she was not surprised to hear that the police departments Public Integrity Unit had ignored the civil jurys verdict and cleared Thompson. Why, for instance, were there bottles of cleaning products scattered on the kitchen floor? 1983 claiming that she was wrongfully arrested for a killing that she did not commit, which landed her in jail for nine days. However, Lord wasnt done with the situation and after she was released, she filed her civil lawsuit for damages. Burnsides parents say that they still cannot believe that their son took his own life. A couple of clerks grinned at him. I was picking at him all night long about that, she said. I dont want to answer that, she said. Something did not add up. 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. Merritt had an uncanny knack for catching killers. No, said Quinton, Thompson hadnt mentioned either of those things. But as the case made its way through the courts, she maintained her innocenceand claimed Thompson was the one who should go to prison. I believe that with all my heart.. Lord told her friends and family that Burnside definitely liked to have a good time. He was not a depressed type of person at all. Prosecutors are also aware that detectives can develop a kind of tunnel vision about a case. 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. Im innocent, Lord kept saying. He allowed a few seconds to pass. As he nodded sympathetically, she again talked about how hurt she had been on her birthday. And thats hurtful. The towels had been on the floor to soak up the water that had spilled when the dishwasher valve broke. But when she realized how serious his injury wasI think I saw a spot on his head, she saidshe called 911 several times. 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