Page 5 - Ic Styles News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

>> 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...

As they had done with c-styles, michelle and monica now tried to find derek. >> i didn't know derek's name. i thought his name was myers. >> and i was spelling derek the wrong way. and looking for him, like, i mean, just forever. >> reporter: if they had managed to tail derek they would have found a guy who didn't seem to fit the profile of a killer. he was doing well, says his sister danielle. >> he had gotten his bachelor's degree in business, he had went on to start his own company. he was doing great. he was always happy, he was always in good spirits, he was driven. >> reporter: he still ...

Because he wasn't guilty. during those ten years from 2001 to 2011, what's derek doing and how is he? does he seem like a guy with a cloud over his head? >> no. he seems like a man who's flourishing. >> reporter: derek's sister danielle was shocked by the arrest. she says the way she and derek grew up was a world away from people like c-styles and from crimes like murder. >> we played, we were into sports, we had two extremely active parents that were a part of all of our sports leagues that were taking us to summer camps. >> she says derek did go off track in high school. he was just 16 when ...

He got away with it. or so it seemed. help was about to come from the last place anyone expected. on the day crystal was murdered when robbie williams first saw derek smyer at anderson park, derek wasn't alone. >> there was a group of men sitting near a cement picnic area talking. >> you hadn't even heard the name c-styles at that point. but months later after c-styles was arrested and detective williams got a good look at him, he thought the gangbanger looked familiar. >> you think the first time you saw derek smyer, you think he was with c-styles at that point? >> yes, i think he was in the ...

>> um, after that, i seen him -- not immediately after that. >> reporter: then they called c-styles to testify. but instead of tying a bow on the case, he lobbed a grenade and blew it to pieces. c-styles told the jury, everything he said on that tape was a lie. >> people have false confessions all the time. it happens all the time. >> reporter: derek smyer's defense attorney calvin schneider says c-styles made up a story that the cops wanted to hear. he was hoping to get better treatment in prison. >> he came in and admitted that they made these offers to him. and that -- that's why he did it....