after you sent the email, people s 51, to derek smyer, did you get a phone call? yes, i did. it was derek smyer, jana said, and he wasn t happy. he just didn t want no kids. he didn t want her to have the baby. did he say anything to you about trying to do something with crystal? yeah. he just said if i can get her to get rid of the baby, he said he will do whatever he can, but he don t want to have a baby. and jana recalled that the day before crystal was murdered, her first day back to work after the trip to texas, derek called again. could you hear anything with respect to the conversation she was having? no. the only thing i heard is before she hung up the phone she was like, whatever. because she was crying and she was like, whatever. she got up from her desk. when she got up from her desk did you see where she went? she went to the bathroom. and when you followed her in the bathroom, what was she doing? crying.
prosecutors then had to connect c-styles with derek smyer. for that they relied on two eyewitnesses. detective williams told the jury he was pretty sure c-styles was with derek at the park on the day crystal taylor was ambushed and murdered. it wasn t until you actually saw him in person that you were able to remember that he resembled the person you saw at the park? objection, leading. it s overruled. yes. as before, crystal s friend and co-worker jana poletto left no doubt with her definitive testimony. as you sit here today, did you see both of those individuals in the park? yes. jana also told the jurors that while crystal was excited to have another son, she was afraid to tell derek she was pregnant, so jana told him for her via email.
the back seat of detective williams police car. the woman derek saw was jana poletto, crystal s friend from work, who d accompanied detective williams. derek said he saw her quite clearly. the look on her face was she was totally distraught, that s what he said. which gave detective lopez an idea. if he is that close to see that she is totally distraught, then she should have a pretty good look at who he was talking to. at the time no one had thought to show jana poletto a photo of c-styles, but now they did. and she said that s who derek was talking to in the park. that was the missing link, a witness who could connect c-styles to derek smyer. then one last piece. the d.a. wanted c-styles interviewed again. how are you? fine, and you? good, good. i m danette meyers, i m the d.a. this time they made sure what he said could be used in court. you have the right to remain silent, do you understand? yes. c-styles told the same story with the same details. h
manipulator. self-centered. and arrogant. reporter: maybe that s why derek never shied away from talking with the cops and why he never asked for a lawyer. or maybe he just wasn t guilty. definitely he thought he was smarter than we were, anyways. i mean, you know, what did we have? reporter: when derek was briefly arrested, detectives asked him who he was with at anderson park on the day crystal was murdered. remember, detective williams thought later it was probably c-styles, but cops had no way to prove it. and then under questioning, derek gave them one. he said he goes, i saw a woman in the backseat. reporter: the backseat of detective williams police car. the woman derek saw was jana poletto, crystal s friend from work, who d accompanied detective williams. derek said he saw her quite clearly. the look on her face was she was totally distraught, that s what he said.
reporter: which gave detective lopez an idea. if he is that close to see that she is totally distraught, then she should have a pretty good look at who he was talking to. reporter: at the time no one had thought to show jana poletto a photo of c-styles, but now they did. and she said that s who derek was talking to in the park. reporter: that was the missing link a witness who could connect c-styles to derek smyer. then one last piece. the d.a. wanted c-styles interviewed again. how are you? fine, and you? good, good. i m danette meyers, i m the d.a. reporter: this time they made sure what he said could be used in court. you have the right to remain silent. do you understand? yes. reporter: c-styles told the same story with the same details. how he met derek and how derek wanted help with crystal taylor. do you talk about when you re going to kill her? i told him i was going to do