Page 21 - John Creech News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

Her boyfriend, john creech. >> i discovered he had scrapes on his hands and on his arms. >> she didn't think he had a eng to do with the disappearance. >> reporter: but when detective o'brian heard about creech's scrapes, she thought about gavin smith's wounds. he needed to talk to him again. he found him in jamie serving eight years on a cocaine charge, his second conviction for dealing drugs. not exactly an upstanding citizen. could they prove he murdered gavin smith. >> he went to him. didn't ask him questions, put a picture down in front of him with the shallow grave. >> reporter: how'd he...

People, very intensely. >> reporter: so like three or four or five calls to the same person over and of? >> exactly. >> reporter: some of the calls were to creech's buddies at the power house gym. >> we did a multi-location search warrant. we hit everybody we believed might have helped on that evening. we hit all those houses all at once. >> reporter: one by one those buddies turned. they told detectives how a frantic creech showed up and persuaded one friend to get rid of gavin's cell phone. another friend to hide gavin's car and body in his garage and yet another told detectives she saw chan...

Appalling crime scene in gavin's car. but did it add up to first degree murder? gavin smith had been dead five years. >> he was killed in his mercedes benz in an act of almost stunning brutality by the defendant john creech who is sitting here in the courtroom. this game became gavin smith's tomb. >> reporter: what happened wasn't merely an outburst of rage, said the prosecutor, no, creech had been plotting for two years, ever since he found out about chandy and gavin. ever since that day in december, 2010, when at their mother's request, gavin's sons met with john creech at his house. >> we j...

>> yes. >> did that include kissing? >> yes. >> and while you were kissing gavin, did something happen that caught your attention? >> yeah. >> what happened? >> just something popped up, like appeared. >> was that something the defendant john creech? >> yes. yes. >> reporter: gavin didn't have a chance, she said. >> he repeatedly punched him in the face. >> reporter: so then she ran back to her car terrified. >> i wanted to get away. i was scared. >> reporter: but before she drove away, she looked back. >> john had gavin pinned down. >> reporter: later, she said, creech wanted her to drive him...

Defendant john creech not guilty of the crime of first degree murder of gavin smith. >> reporter: not guilty of first degree murder. but the jury wasn't done. >> guilty of the crime of voluntary manslaughter. >> reporter: a verdict, guilty of voluntary manslaughter, in other words, they believe john creech killed gavin smith in a moment of blinded passion. >> i was devastated by the verdict. i am still devastated by the verdict. because he did absolutely plan on murdering my husband and thought about it for years and did it. >> what about creech's friends, jorge and stan who helped creech cove...