December 1, 2025 • 40 mins
In Part 5 of this multi-part docu-series, award winning host Kelly Jennings brings you into the sleepy community of St. Francisville, Louisiana where single mother Collette Walker became a victim of numerous incidents of stalking at the hands of Derrick Todd Lee (DTL) including a Peeping Tom incident in which Colette’s children were suddenly missing.
Her interactions with DTL would culminate with Lee standing in her bedroom in the middle of the night, awakening herself and her boyfriend, and resulting in Lee’ disappearing into the night through the woods of St. Francisville.
Derrick Todd Lee (DTL) terrorized the Baton Rouge and Lafayette Louisiana. A Serial Killer who took the lives of at least (7) women in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s, Lee’s reign of terror finally ended in late May of 2003 when he was captured in Atlanta, GA after being linked by DNA to several of the murders.
This is DTL Hosted by Kelly Jennings and produced by the experts at Envision Podcast Productions.
For Media or Advertising Inquiries
Envisionpodcaststudios@gmail.com
Timestamps
05:41 The Chase for Justice
09:29 The Elusive Evidence
11:07 A Shocking Confession
13:28 The Night of Surveillance
15:18 The Fear of Colette Walker
19:56 The Encounter
27:13 The Nightmare Unfolds
29:28 A Mother's Desperation
31:15 The Cycle of Violence
33:09 The Aftermath of Abuse
35:57 Derek's Obsession Returns
#DTL #podcast #DerrickToddLee #BatonRouge #SerialKiller #unspeakable #Serial #stfrancisville #ColetteWalker
Her interactions with DTL would culminate with Lee standing in her bedroom in the middle of the night, awakening herself and her boyfriend, and resulting in Lee’ disappearing into the night through the woods of St. Francisville.
Derrick Todd Lee (DTL) terrorized the Baton Rouge and Lafayette Louisiana. A Serial Killer who took the lives of at least (7) women in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s, Lee’s reign of terror finally ended in late May of 2003 when he was captured in Atlanta, GA after being linked by DNA to several of the murders.
This is DTL Hosted by Kelly Jennings and produced by the experts at Envision Podcast Productions.
For Media or Advertising Inquiries
Envisionpodcaststudios@gmail.com
Timestamps
05:41 The Chase for Justice
09:29 The Elusive Evidence
11:07 A Shocking Confession
13:28 The Night of Surveillance
15:18 The Fear of Colette Walker
19:56 The Encounter
27:13 The Nightmare Unfolds
29:28 A Mother's Desperation
31:15 The Cycle of Violence
33:09 The Aftermath of Abuse
35:57 Derek's Obsession Returns
#DTL #podcast #DerrickToddLee #BatonRouge #SerialKiller #unspeakable #Serial #stfrancisville #ColetteWalker
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:09):
In the sultry heat of Louisiana, where the bayous whisper
secrets and the air hangs heavy with the scent of magnolias,
a darkness lurked beneath the surface. Derrick Todd Lee was
a man whose charm masked a sinister reality. He was
a monster. Lee, a seemingly ordinary man with a disarming smile,
led a double life that would unravel in a series
(00:31):
of murders in the capital city of Baton Rouge and
the surrounding areas. As the first reports of disappearances and
murders began to surface, South Louisiana was thrust into a nightmare,
igniting a frantic search for answers. The true horror was
just beginning, and the hunt for a serial killer eventually
known by just three letters, would reveal not only the
(00:52):
depths of Dereck Todd Lee's depravity, but also the resilience
of those most affected by his evil acts, the families
and the survivors. This is DTA. Authorities continued their search
(01:12):
for the missing and presumed dead Randy Meebrewer, but with
not much success. Hindsight's always twenty twenty, and looking back
some previous police interactions with Derek were so blatantly responsible
for saving lives. Although there's no clear way to measure
or prove this, only storytelling could possibly prove this point.
But an incident that never made headlines nor is often remembered,
(01:36):
stands out. Some months prior to Randy's murder, Sergeant Roderick
Innis was on patrol. He was in the neighborhood of
none other than Oak Shadows, the neighborhood of both Connie
Warner and Randy Meebrewer. He lived there himself, and he
was familiar with the people in the area. And don't
you ever underestimate a good cop who knows this patrol area,
(01:59):
because it was just a gut instinct he had when
he noticed a man walking on Job Street. Nothing about
the man screamed a problem. Really. He was dressed in
a black and blue longsleeve flannel shirt and blue jeans.
He was also sporting brown work boots. As the police
unit got closer, the man had pulled on the hood
(02:20):
of his outer sweatshirt and this partially obscured his face.
What caught the officer's attention initially was that he knew
he didn't live there yet he was walking later in
the evening, after nine pm. Well that's not criminal or anything,
but it was curious that he also had brown leather
gloves hanging out of his pockets. Sergeant Innis slowed and
(02:44):
he stopped the man, asking him if he lived in
the neighborhood, and he readily admitted he didn't. The reason
he was walking in the neighborhood was because his truck
had broken down and he was walking to his girlfriend's
house to use her phone. When asked who his girlfriend was,
the man looked at him and said he didn't know,
and he also couldn't point out exactly where she lived. Well,
(03:06):
Ennis knew about the murder of Connie and the Peeping
Tom reports, so the answers he was receiving from the
man weren't gonna work. At this point, Officer Ennis wanted
to see some id, but it was in the broken
down vehicle according to the man, so further questioning would
result in the man giving up his name. He said,
(03:28):
my name is Derek Todd Lee. And during that conversation,
Sergeant Innis noticed he had a leather knife sheath on
his belt, so for Officer's safety, he decided to frisk Derek,
and when he did this, he found a six inch
folding blade knife in his right front pocket. So where's
(03:49):
your broken down vehicle? That really became the next question,
and Derek readily answered, Oh, it's in the Ambrosia parking lot.
With nothing else really to hold him on, he did
the thing all good cops would do. He offered to
help the man and give him a ride back to
his truck, to which the man agreed, and, almost like
(04:10):
a poetic tragedy, Dereck Toddley got in the back of
a police car and he drove away. But he wasn't
under arrest for anything at this point. He was just
a citizen in need. The truck was also right where
he said it would be. As the officer turned into
the parking lot of Ambrosia, Derek got out and there
(04:32):
he went to the vehicle, grabbed his wallet, and presented
his ID to Sergeant Ennis. Not so fast, buddy, hold on,
wait right here. Innis returned to his police unit to
check for any outstanding warrants. Something about this man just
didn't sit right with him, and after a few moments,
the radio buzzed back negative ten twenty nine, simply put
(04:55):
Derek Toddley he was free to go, so once Cutloo,
Sergeant Innis couldn't help but notice that the broken down
truck started right up no issues before driving away. He
wrote a report on this interaction and classified it as
a suspicious person incident. Anyone can likely see that this
(05:17):
proactive officer likely saved a woman's life that very night.
Who she was will never know. Was it a woman
who remains alive today, none the wiser she was a target,
or had Randy Meebrewer been spared more time on earth
because being murdered would happen at a later date. Whatever
(05:37):
the case, everyone had survived that night in the Oak
Shadows subdivision. That said, Detective McDavid refused to ignore the
hunch of who was responsible for Randy's brutal beating, and
he wanted to have a word with Derrick todd Lee,
not only man to man, but face to face. The
(05:58):
reality was that these were extremely personal to the now
promoted detective McDavid. He was personal friends with Connie's daughter Tracy.
Randy's death now adding to that need to find justice.
So he and a few other officers arrived at Derek's
home on April nineteenth, and they knocked on the door.
(06:21):
As it swung open, there stood the very man believed
to be causing chaos, instilling fear, and murdering women around
the community. In an instant, the weight of the women
murdered and injured thus far began pushing down on the
detective's shoulders, not out of fear, but more out of
a duty and a service to those he took an
(06:42):
oath to protect. Can we have a word, sir? Derek
locked eyes with him, studying his face briefly before looking
along the porch as well, taking into consideration the number
of officers that were there at his home. But he played
it cool and he said okay emotion, and he allowed
the officers to make their way inside his home. Some
(07:05):
questions were exchanged back and forth until the men found
themselves in the master bedroom. Now this was a dangerous man,
don't forget this. And wanting to remain safe, Detective McDavid
told another officer, keep your eyes on Derek. I'm gonna
go look about the bedroom. And nothing in particular stood out,
(07:26):
but the closet, the closet of that master bedroom really
pulled his interest. Looking inside, it was very obvious two
different people were sharing this closet. One side was very
neat and orderly and the other side just messy chaos.
But Derek's side, believe it or not, well, that was
(07:49):
the very orderly side. McDavid leaned in. He wanted to
look more in depth, and he was looking about the
items when the hair on the back of his neck
stood up. Because instincts, those are a powerful thing, a
primal tool developed over thousands of years to keep our
(08:10):
species alive and to detect danger even when you can't
see it. And that feeling just became so strong that
Detective McDavid turned to look over his shoulder, and he
jumped when he realized that Derek Lee was right behind
him and leaning over his shoulder, so he told him
(08:33):
get back, but in an instant was unnerved at how
quietly this man had approached him from behind without making
a sound, and aggravated with the officer who had led
him out of his sight. The detective decided it was
time to go. Derek was also becoming pretty antsy and
so something obviously in that closet. It had Derek worried,
(08:57):
and Detective McDavid was obviously getting very close to something
very damning Derek wanted him to leave. He was now
done talking with the officers, so they finished up their
duties and all left, but not before confiscating a pair
of pants once believed to be a match from the
(09:18):
description of a prior incident report. The thought was that
maybe these might hold possible forensic evidence. At least that
was the hope at the time. So trying to find
solid evidence on Lee and getting him off the street
was proving harder than anyone hoped. It was like nailing
jello to a wall because nothing seemed to ever stick.
(09:42):
For example, less than ninety days before Randy Meebrewer was
beaten and murdered, Derek Todd Lee was in court a
captive audience, and there he pled guilty to six counts
of being a peeping tom a result of prior mentioned
escapades already covered in this series. But what was that outcome? Well,
(10:06):
he was sentenced to two years probation and psychological testing.
So between the months of January and February of nineteen
ninety eight, he attended a total of two therapy sessions
with doctor Robert Snyder, who was a psychologist. After those sessions,
(10:27):
he reported to the court that Derek Lee was a
quote good verbal therapy participant end quote, We'll call me crazy.
But the therapy wasn't working, as evidenced by Randy's brutal demise.
If Lee were the one to be responsible, whatever the
courts were doing was not working. On April twentieth, a
(10:50):
man would speak to Zachary Police and make a claim
that was shocking yet completely believable. A local man named
Leroy Schortz to another local, James Odom, that Derek Lee
told him he killed Randy Meebrewer. Now this was something
that although hearsay, it could be built upon in terms
(11:13):
of an investigation. The way the story went, the man
had written with Derek Todd Lee the night after Randy
went missing, and he was complaining to this man that
the police were harassing him about a missing woman. But
there was something police knew that this man didn't. The
(11:33):
thing was no one, no one at the Zachary pde
had contacted Derek nor spoken to him about anything to
do with Randy at that time. The man that was
writing with Derek Todd Lee, well, he put two and
two together when he watched the breaking news of Randy's
(11:53):
abduction and he decided he had to speak up. So
police contacted Leroy short and they proposed something to this man,
what if we pay you as a confidential informant. You
just give us any information you get and in turn
we will give you money. The man accepted, friends may
(12:15):
be friends, but when it comes to killing people, Leroy
was drawing a line. Based on this, Zachary Police Department
decided to set up continual surveillance on Derreck Todd Lee.
If this could possibly prevent another injury or death, it
was worth the manpower on this small agency. Matter of fact,
(12:37):
when the recent rash of peeping tom incidents were being
called in, Detective McDavid was the one of the first
ones to jump into response mode. He was cruising through
the Finwood neighborhood near Oak Shadows looking for the possible
peeper on the run. When wouldn't you know, none other
than Derrick Todd Lee ran a front of his unit
(13:00):
across the street. So he shined his unit spotlight on
him and he followed him, but Derek had continued to run.
But that's the thing about a cop who knows his
town and he knows his menaces. Detective McDavid was familiar
with that junction lounge, a place where Derek liked to
park his truck. So the detective drove to that nearby
(13:22):
bar and saw his vehicle. He ran the plates, and
he confirmed what he already knew that was, in fact
Derek's truck. This complete and total menace wasn't getting away
on this night, not with Detective McDavid on it. He
radioed ahead for a police knine head into the woods,
go out there, I know where he's going to be.
(13:42):
And he also radioed for another unit with night vision
to set up in that cemetery, yes, the same one
where Connie rested and the same one where the teens
were attacked. The plan was perfect, the dogs pushing Lee
out of the woods and the night vision officer able
to to quickly see Lee carefully slinking between the graves
(14:04):
as a quiet mouse. But quiet doesn't matter when night
vision is at play, So keep tiptoeing because peek a boo,
we see you. And just as he got to his truck,
fumbling with those keys, trying to put them in and
unlock the door, Derek Lee was caught, cuffs, supplied, and
taken into custody. And guess what He was dressed to
(14:26):
the nines as usual, but this time he was covered
in mud, all from his attempts at evading the police.
He was charged with those very peeping incidents in which
he had just gotten probation and two therapy sessions. Something
the public often doesn't see is that police work. That
(14:47):
it's so hard. They put everything into bringing these people
to the point of arrest, just for the courts to
slap them on the wrist and let them go. All
of that effort and priceless knowledge of these officers invested
in catching a predator and the courts let them go.
(15:07):
It's the reality of our justice system. Though the separation
of powers at play. The police can only do so much,
but ultimately it's the court's job to impose the sanctions.
When we are soft on criminals, it leads to events
like that of June first, nineteen ninety nine. The very
day Zachary Police Department started their surveillance of Derrick Todd Lee,
(15:34):
it was blazing hot in the Bayou State Mosquitoes. Biding
Anything with a pulse and an ice cold fountain drink
certainly would hit the spot for most people in this
hot weather, and that included Collette Walker. Collette was a
white woman with brown hair and the single mom of
two kids, young Brittany and Justin, both of them at
(15:59):
this point under the aid age of ten years old.
She was working two jobs to make ends meet, and
neither one was high paying. One job had her working
at a diner, but she also at the second job
was serving as the assistant to the local fire chief.
Remember this is a small town country, USA, and this
job combo wasn't anything out of the ordinary. On this day,
(16:22):
Colette pulled into a corner store and she jumped out
to grab a few things. What she didn't know was
that there was a man who instantly felt drawn to her,
and this was more than a physical attraction, This was
a need for ownership. The man approached her and asked
her if he could get a ride just up the street,
(16:43):
and this was honestly off putting because she didn't know
him and no, sorry, I don't give rides to strangers.
But he wasn't swayed by her refusal, and he continued
to speak to her as if he knew her. Do
you have a boyfriend? If not, maybe we could get
a beer sometime or something. But Collette, she was flat
(17:03):
out not interested. He was being a pest. She wanted
him to go away, and, feeling like this pest wouldn't
take a hint, she continued past him when he said
something to her completely unnerving, I've been watching you. What
a cryptic choice of words, and what exactly does that mean?
(17:27):
Like since I pulled up? But the man clarified this
when he added, I've been watching you at work. You're
at Feliciana Seafood right, Collette stopped, stunned. The scary part
She did work at Feliciana Seafood, a market in Delhi,
(17:47):
right there on Highway sixty one. It was a town favorite,
with boiled crabs and crawfish, even sandwiches and a two
fa all cooked by real Southerners who knew you don't
put tomatoes and you damn gumbo. But people just got
there eats and left. This guy really seemed to know
about her, specifically, so a bit disgusted and now more
(18:12):
freaked out than anything, she made distance and decided to leave,
but not before he equipped one last thing. As she
walked off, he said, hey, I like the way you look.
Colette decided to ignore the comment and to get out
of there and she went straight home. So as she
got home, the truth really started coming to her because
(18:34):
she did remember him now that she was continuing to
think about it. He had come in and put his
keys on the counter, offering to sell her his car.
This was a while back at the diner where she
was working, and he offered to allow her to test
drive it. But she didn't know this man. Yes, she
(18:55):
was hoping one day to get a very similar car
to the one that he had, but she had never
said that to this man before. How could he possibly
have known that? And it really really bothered her, so
she continued to mull it over, and that's whenever she
started thinking back. She had mentioned it, But it was
(19:18):
to a coworker one day while they were serving at
the diner. He must have been eating there when she
said it. How unnerving for a stranger to be listening
like that without you even realizing. And the reality was
that that had been weeks ago. She had no way
of knowing the violence that this man had inside of him,
(19:43):
And luckily the encounter was brief that day, but it
wasn't over. Is that what you thought? A rapist killer?
Just giving up like that? How cute. Nightmares don't end
like that, now, do they? Because thirteen days later she
(20:03):
would see him again, but not at a corner store.
She had been working a double and she arrived home
that day tired and smelling like the cooked food, and
she just was ready for a bath. What a day.
Her feet ached and she was just ready to slide
into bed and go to sleep. So she walked up
(20:25):
her steps and she unlocked the door. He was dark
out and she just needed to get inside, so she
pushed open the door to make her way inside. In
a flash, a man pushed past her, rushing straight into
her home, through her living room and standing now into
her kitchen. Whatn't the actual hell? Almost instinctively she followed
(20:50):
in to see who it was, her mind in an
instant wondering if she had forgotten was she supposed to
have company come over? But when the man turned around,
his face stopped her dead in her tracks. It was
the man with the car, the same man at the
gas station, and now that very same man was in
(21:12):
her home, uninvited. Stunned, nearly stiff, she listened as the
man casually addressed her. Look, I know we just met
and all that, but I like you. And I know
your kids. I know they're at their dad's house and
you're free. So let's go now and get a drink.
How could he possibly know this? Had he been stalking
(21:34):
her because she had only moved there nine months ago?
How did he know her patterns? How did he know
her life like this? He was a complete and total stranger.
Her instincts told her though in that moment, do not panic.
She had to remain calm, and she would listen to
(21:54):
those instincts. I've got to get away, but I have
to remain calm. He then casually looked at her and
asked for a glass of water, so she fixed it
for him, and as he took a sip, he introduced
himself as Derek. Not knowing what to do, she just
looked at the man and said hi, And that's when
he asked, are you scared of me? She just looked
(22:19):
and quickly quipped no, and he told her I know
you white women. I know all you white women want
a black man. She didn't know what to say to that.
She didn't know this man, and as that happened, he
locked eyes with her and he said, I could rape
and kill you, and no one would ever know. That
sentence was so scary that she decided now was the time,
(22:43):
and she calmly but swiftly headed outside her door, right
out onto her porch, but the man followed her. She
was calm but utterly terrified, so as the conversation one
sided as it was continued, she carefully made her outside
of the home, creating distance from the house, and she
(23:03):
was eventually able to get up to her car. She
opened it and he continued to talk, and right as
she shut the door, he remained there. But she put
the car in reverse and she was leaving house. Be damned.
But she didn't really know anyone. She didn't have anywhere
to go. She was newer to the area, so she
went to a well lit gas station to try and
(23:25):
calm her nerves. Unsure of what to do, she stayed
at that very gas station until after one am, hoping
that maybe the man would be gone by the time
she returned. When she got back to the house, he
was still there, but she rushed inside and she locked
the door. He continued from the outside, harassing her and
(23:46):
begging her to come back outside, but she said, no,
go away, I'm not coming back outside, and he would
continue around the house, looking in the windows, knocking, trying
to get her attention, but she refused to respond to him.
And look, I know what you're thinking right now. Why
didn't she call the police? Well, not everybody responds the
(24:06):
same way. Not everybody grows up in the same type
of environment. Not everyone wants to call the police. And
luckily for her, he did eventually leave. The following day,
her kids returned home from their dad's house, and she
was so happy to see the kids, wrapping them up
in a hug, happy that they were back at her house.
The whole time, she felt like someone was watching her though,
(24:30):
even though she never saw signs of anyone, she just
felt it. It was almost like the instinct to let
her know danger lurked somewhere in the distance. She and
the kids settled in, though, and they were going about
their daily tasks, and her daughter wanted to go get
some fingernail poulus she had left in the car, So
as she went outside to get it, Kala decided, you
(24:52):
know what, I'm going to follow you out. Call it
motherly instincts, call it what you want, but whatever it is,
it's real. Because if someone was watching her, someone was
watching all of them, because as Collette supervised her daughter
to the car, Dereck todd Lee appeared from behind a
tree and he started to approach young Britney. Scared out
(25:13):
of her mind, Colette rushed in just as Derek said,
is that your daughter? She looks just like you and
wide eyed in a mama bear mode. She directed her
daughter back into the house and she told Derek leave
them alone and leave now. He left, but it didn't
make her feel any better. The following day, Collette was
talking to a friend at the fire chief's office, and
(25:34):
when she recounted what was going on, the friend demanded
that she tell police, and Collette she agreed, so she
reported it and police promised her that they were going
to keep an eye on her because if this was
Derek todd Lee, he was dangerous. Collette decided to continue
her life as normal, but also keeping her eyes peeled
(25:55):
at all times. She also didn't want to frighten her children,
so she kept the information at a minimum to keep
them calm. But just a few days later, her neighbor
Diane Holloway called her, really upset. What's going on, Diane,
what's wrong? Well, Diane let her know Collette, your boyfriend
barged into my apartment and he's been harassing me. But
(26:18):
Collette was confused because she didn't have a boyfriend. Diane
went on and explained that she had been told by
the man that he was dating Collette her next door neighbor.
Oh my god, was he a black male in like
his thirties or forties. Diane confirmed, yes, that's what he
looked like, to which Collette responded, he's not my boyfriend.
Oh my god, he's a stalker. The neighbor immediately called
(26:42):
police and she too made a report of the incident,
and the neighbor then told Collette the police said, look,
they're on their way. They're gonna go try and arrest
this guy. Thank god, they're gonna go get him. Both
women felt so much safer now believing that he was
gonna be behind bars. Police went a step further and
they collected a footprint that was right outside of Collette's window,
(27:04):
and they were able to match it to that of
Derreck Todd Lee. A warrant was issued for him, and
this warrant was for stalking and unauthorized entry of a dwelling.
But now the police had to find him The very
next day, Collette would arrive home to a nightmare. Police
cars were outside of her home and her children were missing.
(27:25):
Immediate dread took over because she knew this Derek guy.
He's got to be involved in this, and the worst
thoughts filled her mind. Did he take my kids? Where
are my kids? Oh? My god? And she thought to herself,
he stole my children. He took my children because I
refused his advances. Oh my god, I should have called
the police sooner. So she jumped on the phone. She's
(27:47):
talking to detectives and everybody's arriving at the home at
this time. But the detective seemed to be confused because
they thought he was already arrested, already in jail. How
could he have possibly taken your children? Guess what he
wasn't This was a miscommunication because Derek was not behind bars.
The police were still looking for him. They hadn't yet
(28:09):
located him. Well. As everything is unfolding and Collette's world
is crashing around her, by the grace of God, she
looked up and her daughter Britney appeared out of the
tree line. A collective sigh of relief was rushed across
everyone standing there. Where have you been? What's going on?
And young Britney explained that Mom, I've been looking for
(28:32):
my brother. He took off in the woods earlier he
was chasing someone. Trying to understand this and take it
all in, the adults were discussing the incident when just
a while later, Justin too came out of the woods.
So obviously, tears of joys are flowing and everyone's hugging
and they're so glad to see the children. But what
had happened? And it was then further explained young Justin
(28:55):
had caught a man looking into their home and he
decided he had to be the man of the house.
That young boy took it upon himself to protect his
home and to save his mama. He chased that man
away from their home until he lost him in the woods.
Her young son having no clue the level of danger
(29:17):
he had just put himself in, but it was all
for the love of his mama. He knew that his
mama was being followed by somebody and this man was
going to leave his mama alone. Well. Police were eventually
able to catch up with Derek and he was finally arrested. Thankfully,
now he was behind bars. But let's not forget that
(29:38):
whole innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
If someone paid his bill, he was allowed to leave
the jail, allowed to be free until he went to trial.
Derek Toddley only remained locked up for roughly three months
before Colette would get a phone call from a friend,
(29:59):
did you know that Derek is out? Collett had no clue.
Derek was in a local bar and he was running
his mouth to anyone that would listen about how mad
he was at Collette, and the friends were now scared
for her. They needed her to be on high alert.
And Collette was stunned. What the hell? How was he out?
(30:22):
How could he possibly be out? He's breaking into homes,
He's coming into homes that women are in. He's saying
he could rape me and kill me, and he's out.
How well, it turns out someone after three months, had
bonded Derek out of jail. With that in mind, Collette
(30:43):
was done. She threw up her hands and she decided
to move in now with her new boyfriend to make
sure and keep them all safe. Shortly thereafter, Derek went
to court, and it was December seventeenth, nineteen ninety nine,
where he pled guilty to the charges and sentence to
six months in jail, but incredibly, he would receive credit
(31:06):
for time served. This many was still free to go.
He was put on two years probation. Derek wasn't stupid.
Realizing now that the police had him good on his
obsession with Collette Walker, he would decide to move on
and apply his obsessions elsewhere. Not because he was rehabilitated,
(31:28):
not because he had learned his lesson, but because the
police would know it was him if he did anything
further to Collette. Later that very same day, this same
day he walked out of court a freeman on time
served nine to one one would receive a call from
a woman named Cassandra green Well. Who was Cassandra. Let's
(31:51):
flash back for a minute, and let's go back to
the part of this series where I told you that
Derek Lee was married. Okay, but guess what. He wasn't
married to Cassandra. No, Cassandra was his side piece, his
side chick, not the woman he vowed to marry and
(32:13):
love and cherish. His wife knew about their assorted affairs,
but she chose to just turn the other cheek for
whatever reason, but Grass it's not always greener on the
cheating side, which would be evidenced by this nine one
one call. Derek and his side piece Cassandra had gotten
into a huge fight and now he was threatening to
kill her. Police would arrive and the dispute would be settled,
(32:36):
the two separating for the evening to cool down, But
just a month later Cassandra would begin inquiry as to
how to get a protective order against Derek Lee. Things
had obviously not improved, and three days from then he
would prove this a local bar it's known as Liz's Lounge.
(32:58):
They made a phone call to nine one needing help,
and when police arrived they found a badly beaten Cassandra Green.
Derek was responsible for the beating and he was promptly arrested,
but when the case went to court, Cassandra refused to
testify against him again. Derek was sentenced to one year
in jail, and he would begin to serve that, eventually
(33:21):
being released on January first, two thousand and one. By
now Lee was thirty two years old, but nowhere close
to slowing down. He would put in applications for jobs
for about two months before being hired at a temporary
position at the Dow Chemical plant in Brooley, Louisiana, just
over the Grand Mississippi River from Baton Rouge. He was
(33:44):
hired on March first, but his job wasn't the only
thing on the forefront of his mind. It may have
been a year, but obsession knows no time limit. Jail
was just a pause, a temporary setback, because as soon
as he got off of work, he was on the hunt.
Colette Walker may have moved, she may have denied his
(34:05):
advances and refused to go on a date, but he
was gonna find her. In his mind. Just because he
didn't know where she was, well, that didn't mean she
didn't want to be found. Colette's fears were that when
he was released, he may come for her, and I
think we all would harbor that same fear if in
her same position. Her fears were well warranted too, because
(34:27):
he was doing just that. Between the months of March
and April. Derek was going to find Colette Collette. By
this point, she had quit her job at the Feliciana
Seafood and she was now the full time assistant to
the fire chief. That said her job would require her
to travel for dispatch training. Her boyfriend was upset that
(34:48):
she may have to be traveling alone, and he decided
that he wanted to go with her on the trip,
but Colette wanted him to stay back. She was afraid
something might happen at home while she was gone. Well,
her boy at the time he had a son, and
that grown son was a police officer. That police officer
said he was willing to look over the house while
the two of them were away, but as an extra precaution,
(35:12):
the kids were sent to stay with friends while the
two adults were gone for the training trip. The trip
went well, but unbeknownst to Collette, the parents of the
friends watching her son dropped off Justin and their son
at Justin's house without any parents there. The only reason
(35:33):
Colette found out that the two boys were at her
home without supervision was because Justin had just called nine
to one one a black man was looking into their
windows at their new house. Police rushed to the house.
Justin scared out of his mind, but when police got there,
the man looking in the windows was gone upon arrival.
(35:56):
But the fact was this, Derek Lee had found Collette
and her children. How had he found them? What was
he doing? Would he never stop? What could Collette do?
That helpless feeling set in once again as she rushed home.
But the kids were safe, thank god. Collet and her
(36:16):
boyfriend decided, we've got to get a weapon, and they
got a gun, deciding that if Derek wasn't going to stop,
they were at least going to be able to protect
themselves if he came into the home. That fear was
monumental and it was never ending. The days and nights
would pass not knowing who was in the woods. Was
(36:36):
someone watching them? Could the children walk to and from
the house, Were they safe going to their cars? What
was the noise in the night? Why did the dog bark?
It was just unnerving. Some nights later after the incident,
everyone in the home was asleep, they were resting. It
was quiet, only the ticking of the clock making a sound.
(36:58):
But those instincts, they were something, and Collette opened her
eyes in bed to realize that someone was in their home.
She was scared, She was startled. She screamed out and
scared her boyfriend awake. And they didn't have to see
the person to know who it was. But this time
her boyfriend was there and he was not playing games.
(37:19):
He jumped out of bed, grabbed the gun, and pore
off after the person in the house. The person, realizing
it wasn't Colette, retreated immediately ran through the yard, taking
off into the woods, and the suspect got away clean.
But had Collette's boyfriend not been there, who knows would
have happened to her. There was no evidence now though,
(37:42):
nothing that pointed directly to Derek, and that would be
required by a court of law, but everyone there knew
what had just happened. On April first, two thousand and one,
Derek Todd Lee was having a great day. He was
really excited. He and his wife were buying brand new
car together, a Hyundai Accent. They were excited for the
(38:04):
new car smell and the unique feeling of knowing everything
is in perfect condition. Not only that, but he had
now made up with his mistress. Life was good for
Derek Lee. A few months of bliss would pass until,
as usual, the honeymoon phase ended and Derek would be
arrested in September for simple battery on his wife. But
(38:26):
as you can probably imagine, those charges were eventually dropped.
He stopped showing up for work at Dial Chemical and
he was eventually laid off by January two thousand and two.
What they didn't think he was a good enough employee ridiculous.
Nobody lays me off of a job. I have skills,
(38:46):
some so good people don't even know about them. And
unfortunately for one woman, just three days after he was
laid off, she would be the next in line to
learn about these very unspoken skills firsthand, coming up on
the next episode of DTL. She had already bathed, so
(39:18):
with a quick change into her PJS, she slipped into
the bed for the night. Gina's peaceful sleep wouldn't last
long when at three forty seven am, her house alarm
shattered the silence. About that time, her phone rang, and
(39:38):
it was the alarm company calling to check on her.
If this stranger wanted her, he was gonna have to
work for it because she was in straight survival mode.
The fight took place in nearly every room of the house.
He slung her around like a rag doll, but a
(39:59):
doll that refus to give up. As Gina was on
her back, struggling and kicking and pulling herself away, all
the while her clothes being violently ripped from her body,
so he walked up and he turned the doorknob in
a last ditch attempt, and to his surprise, it opened.
(40:21):
Instincts at this point told him something he didn't want
to know. There was a problem.
In the sultry heat of Louisiana, where the bayous whisper
secrets and the air hangs heavy with the scent of magnolias,
a darkness lurked beneath the surface. Derrick Todd Lee was
a man whose charm masked a sinister reality. He was
a monster. Lee, a seemingly ordinary man with a disarming smile,
led a double life that would unravel in a series
(00:31):
of murders in the capital city of Baton Rouge and
the surrounding areas. As the first reports of disappearances and
murders began to surface, South Louisiana was thrust into a nightmare,
igniting a frantic search for answers. The true horror was
just beginning, and the hunt for a serial killer eventually
known by just three letters, would reveal not only the
(00:52):
depths of Dereck Todd Lee's depravity, but also the resilience
of those most affected by his evil acts, the families
and the survivors. This is DTA. Authorities continued their search
(01:12):
for the missing and presumed dead Randy Meebrewer, but with
not much success. Hindsight's always twenty twenty, and looking back
some previous police interactions with Derek were so blatantly responsible
for saving lives. Although there's no clear way to measure
or prove this, only storytelling could possibly prove this point.
But an incident that never made headlines nor is often remembered,
(01:36):
stands out. Some months prior to Randy's murder, Sergeant Roderick
Innis was on patrol. He was in the neighborhood of
none other than Oak Shadows, the neighborhood of both Connie
Warner and Randy Meebrewer. He lived there himself, and he
was familiar with the people in the area. And don't
you ever underestimate a good cop who knows this patrol area,
(01:59):
because it was just a gut instinct he had when
he noticed a man walking on Job Street. Nothing about
the man screamed a problem. Really. He was dressed in
a black and blue longsleeve flannel shirt and blue jeans.
He was also sporting brown work boots. As the police
unit got closer, the man had pulled on the hood
(02:20):
of his outer sweatshirt and this partially obscured his face.
What caught the officer's attention initially was that he knew
he didn't live there yet he was walking later in
the evening, after nine pm. Well that's not criminal or anything,
but it was curious that he also had brown leather
gloves hanging out of his pockets. Sergeant Innis slowed and
(02:44):
he stopped the man, asking him if he lived in
the neighborhood, and he readily admitted he didn't. The reason
he was walking in the neighborhood was because his truck
had broken down and he was walking to his girlfriend's
house to use her phone. When asked who his girlfriend was,
the man looked at him and said he didn't know,
and he also couldn't point out exactly where she lived. Well,
(03:06):
Ennis knew about the murder of Connie and the Peeping
Tom reports, so the answers he was receiving from the
man weren't gonna work. At this point, Officer Ennis wanted
to see some id, but it was in the broken
down vehicle according to the man, so further questioning would
result in the man giving up his name. He said,
(03:28):
my name is Derek Todd Lee. And during that conversation,
Sergeant Innis noticed he had a leather knife sheath on
his belt, so for Officer's safety, he decided to frisk Derek,
and when he did this, he found a six inch
folding blade knife in his right front pocket. So where's
(03:49):
your broken down vehicle? That really became the next question,
and Derek readily answered, Oh, it's in the Ambrosia parking lot.
With nothing else really to hold him on, he did
the thing all good cops would do. He offered to
help the man and give him a ride back to
his truck, to which the man agreed, and, almost like
(04:10):
a poetic tragedy, Dereck Toddley got in the back of
a police car and he drove away. But he wasn't
under arrest for anything at this point. He was just
a citizen in need. The truck was also right where
he said it would be. As the officer turned into
the parking lot of Ambrosia, Derek got out and there
(04:32):
he went to the vehicle, grabbed his wallet, and presented
his ID to Sergeant Ennis. Not so fast, buddy, hold on,
wait right here. Innis returned to his police unit to
check for any outstanding warrants. Something about this man just
didn't sit right with him, and after a few moments,
the radio buzzed back negative ten twenty nine, simply put
(04:55):
Derek Toddley he was free to go, so once Cutloo,
Sergeant Innis couldn't help but notice that the broken down
truck started right up no issues before driving away. He
wrote a report on this interaction and classified it as
a suspicious person incident. Anyone can likely see that this
(05:17):
proactive officer likely saved a woman's life that very night.
Who she was will never know. Was it a woman
who remains alive today, none the wiser she was a target,
or had Randy Meebrewer been spared more time on earth
because being murdered would happen at a later date. Whatever
(05:37):
the case, everyone had survived that night in the Oak
Shadows subdivision. That said, Detective McDavid refused to ignore the
hunch of who was responsible for Randy's brutal beating, and
he wanted to have a word with Derrick todd Lee,
not only man to man, but face to face. The
(05:58):
reality was that these were extremely personal to the now
promoted detective McDavid. He was personal friends with Connie's daughter Tracy.
Randy's death now adding to that need to find justice.
So he and a few other officers arrived at Derek's
home on April nineteenth, and they knocked on the door.
(06:21):
As it swung open, there stood the very man believed
to be causing chaos, instilling fear, and murdering women around
the community. In an instant, the weight of the women
murdered and injured thus far began pushing down on the
detective's shoulders, not out of fear, but more out of
a duty and a service to those he took an
(06:42):
oath to protect. Can we have a word, sir? Derek
locked eyes with him, studying his face briefly before looking
along the porch as well, taking into consideration the number
of officers that were there at his home. But he played
it cool and he said okay emotion, and he allowed
the officers to make their way inside his home. Some
(07:05):
questions were exchanged back and forth until the men found
themselves in the master bedroom. Now this was a dangerous man,
don't forget this. And wanting to remain safe, Detective McDavid
told another officer, keep your eyes on Derek. I'm gonna
go look about the bedroom. And nothing in particular stood out,
(07:26):
but the closet, the closet of that master bedroom really
pulled his interest. Looking inside, it was very obvious two
different people were sharing this closet. One side was very
neat and orderly and the other side just messy chaos.
But Derek's side, believe it or not, well, that was
(07:49):
the very orderly side. McDavid leaned in. He wanted to
look more in depth, and he was looking about the
items when the hair on the back of his neck
stood up. Because instincts, those are a powerful thing, a
primal tool developed over thousands of years to keep our
(08:10):
species alive and to detect danger even when you can't
see it. And that feeling just became so strong that
Detective McDavid turned to look over his shoulder, and he
jumped when he realized that Derek Lee was right behind
him and leaning over his shoulder, so he told him
(08:33):
get back, but in an instant was unnerved at how
quietly this man had approached him from behind without making
a sound, and aggravated with the officer who had led
him out of his sight. The detective decided it was
time to go. Derek was also becoming pretty antsy and
so something obviously in that closet. It had Derek worried,
(08:57):
and Detective McDavid was obviously getting very close to something
very damning Derek wanted him to leave. He was now
done talking with the officers, so they finished up their
duties and all left, but not before confiscating a pair
of pants once believed to be a match from the
(09:18):
description of a prior incident report. The thought was that
maybe these might hold possible forensic evidence. At least that
was the hope at the time. So trying to find
solid evidence on Lee and getting him off the street
was proving harder than anyone hoped. It was like nailing
jello to a wall because nothing seemed to ever stick.
(09:42):
For example, less than ninety days before Randy Meebrewer was
beaten and murdered, Derek Todd Lee was in court a
captive audience, and there he pled guilty to six counts
of being a peeping tom a result of prior mentioned
escapades already covered in this series. But what was that outcome? Well,
(10:06):
he was sentenced to two years probation and psychological testing.
So between the months of January and February of nineteen
ninety eight, he attended a total of two therapy sessions
with doctor Robert Snyder, who was a psychologist. After those sessions,
(10:27):
he reported to the court that Derek Lee was a
quote good verbal therapy participant end quote, We'll call me crazy.
But the therapy wasn't working, as evidenced by Randy's brutal demise.
If Lee were the one to be responsible, whatever the
courts were doing was not working. On April twentieth, a
(10:50):
man would speak to Zachary Police and make a claim
that was shocking yet completely believable. A local man named
Leroy Schortz to another local, James Odom, that Derek Lee
told him he killed Randy Meebrewer. Now this was something
that although hearsay, it could be built upon in terms
(11:13):
of an investigation. The way the story went, the man
had written with Derek Todd Lee the night after Randy
went missing, and he was complaining to this man that
the police were harassing him about a missing woman. But
there was something police knew that this man didn't. The
(11:33):
thing was no one, no one at the Zachary pde
had contacted Derek nor spoken to him about anything to
do with Randy at that time. The man that was
writing with Derek Todd Lee, well, he put two and
two together when he watched the breaking news of Randy's
(11:53):
abduction and he decided he had to speak up. So
police contacted Leroy short and they proposed something to this man,
what if we pay you as a confidential informant. You
just give us any information you get and in turn
we will give you money. The man accepted, friends may
(12:15):
be friends, but when it comes to killing people, Leroy
was drawing a line. Based on this, Zachary Police Department
decided to set up continual surveillance on Derreck Todd Lee.
If this could possibly prevent another injury or death, it
was worth the manpower on this small agency. Matter of fact,
(12:37):
when the recent rash of peeping tom incidents were being
called in, Detective McDavid was the one of the first
ones to jump into response mode. He was cruising through
the Finwood neighborhood near Oak Shadows looking for the possible
peeper on the run. When wouldn't you know, none other
than Derrick Todd Lee ran a front of his unit
(13:00):
across the street. So he shined his unit spotlight on
him and he followed him, but Derek had continued to run.
But that's the thing about a cop who knows his
town and he knows his menaces. Detective McDavid was familiar
with that junction lounge, a place where Derek liked to
park his truck. So the detective drove to that nearby
(13:22):
bar and saw his vehicle. He ran the plates, and
he confirmed what he already knew that was, in fact
Derek's truck. This complete and total menace wasn't getting away
on this night, not with Detective McDavid on it. He
radioed ahead for a police knine head into the woods,
go out there, I know where he's going to be.
(13:42):
And he also radioed for another unit with night vision
to set up in that cemetery, yes, the same one
where Connie rested and the same one where the teens
were attacked. The plan was perfect, the dogs pushing Lee
out of the woods and the night vision officer able
to to quickly see Lee carefully slinking between the graves
(14:04):
as a quiet mouse. But quiet doesn't matter when night
vision is at play, So keep tiptoeing because peek a boo,
we see you. And just as he got to his truck,
fumbling with those keys, trying to put them in and
unlock the door, Derek Lee was caught, cuffs, supplied, and
taken into custody. And guess what He was dressed to
(14:26):
the nines as usual, but this time he was covered
in mud, all from his attempts at evading the police.
He was charged with those very peeping incidents in which
he had just gotten probation and two therapy sessions. Something
the public often doesn't see is that police work. That
(14:47):
it's so hard. They put everything into bringing these people
to the point of arrest, just for the courts to
slap them on the wrist and let them go. All
of that effort and priceless knowledge of these officers invested
in catching a predator and the courts let them go.
(15:07):
It's the reality of our justice system. Though the separation
of powers at play. The police can only do so much,
but ultimately it's the court's job to impose the sanctions.
When we are soft on criminals, it leads to events
like that of June first, nineteen ninety nine. The very
day Zachary Police Department started their surveillance of Derrick Todd Lee,
(15:34):
it was blazing hot in the Bayou State Mosquitoes. Biding
Anything with a pulse and an ice cold fountain drink
certainly would hit the spot for most people in this
hot weather, and that included Collette Walker. Collette was a
white woman with brown hair and the single mom of
two kids, young Brittany and Justin, both of them at
(15:59):
this point under the aid age of ten years old.
She was working two jobs to make ends meet, and
neither one was high paying. One job had her working
at a diner, but she also at the second job
was serving as the assistant to the local fire chief.
Remember this is a small town country, USA, and this
job combo wasn't anything out of the ordinary. On this day,
(16:22):
Colette pulled into a corner store and she jumped out
to grab a few things. What she didn't know was
that there was a man who instantly felt drawn to her,
and this was more than a physical attraction, This was
a need for ownership. The man approached her and asked
her if he could get a ride just up the street,
(16:43):
and this was honestly off putting because she didn't know
him and no, sorry, I don't give rides to strangers.
But he wasn't swayed by her refusal, and he continued
to speak to her as if he knew her. Do
you have a boyfriend? If not, maybe we could get
a beer sometime or something. But Collette, she was flat
(17:03):
out not interested. He was being a pest. She wanted
him to go away, and, feeling like this pest wouldn't
take a hint, she continued past him when he said
something to her completely unnerving, I've been watching you. What
a cryptic choice of words, and what exactly does that mean?
(17:27):
Like since I pulled up? But the man clarified this
when he added, I've been watching you at work. You're
at Feliciana Seafood right, Collette stopped, stunned. The scary part
She did work at Feliciana Seafood, a market in Delhi,
(17:47):
right there on Highway sixty one. It was a town favorite,
with boiled crabs and crawfish, even sandwiches and a two
fa all cooked by real Southerners who knew you don't
put tomatoes and you damn gumbo. But people just got
there eats and left. This guy really seemed to know
about her, specifically, so a bit disgusted and now more
(18:12):
freaked out than anything, she made distance and decided to leave,
but not before he equipped one last thing. As she
walked off, he said, hey, I like the way you look.
Colette decided to ignore the comment and to get out
of there and she went straight home. So as she
got home, the truth really started coming to her because
(18:34):
she did remember him now that she was continuing to
think about it. He had come in and put his
keys on the counter, offering to sell her his car.
This was a while back at the diner where she
was working, and he offered to allow her to test
drive it. But she didn't know this man. Yes, she
(18:55):
was hoping one day to get a very similar car
to the one that he had, but she had never
said that to this man before. How could he possibly
have known that? And it really really bothered her, so
she continued to mull it over, and that's whenever she
started thinking back. She had mentioned it, But it was
(19:18):
to a coworker one day while they were serving at
the diner. He must have been eating there when she
said it. How unnerving for a stranger to be listening
like that without you even realizing. And the reality was
that that had been weeks ago. She had no way
of knowing the violence that this man had inside of him,
(19:43):
And luckily the encounter was brief that day, but it
wasn't over. Is that what you thought? A rapist killer?
Just giving up like that? How cute. Nightmares don't end
like that, now, do they? Because thirteen days later she
(20:03):
would see him again, but not at a corner store.
She had been working a double and she arrived home
that day tired and smelling like the cooked food, and
she just was ready for a bath. What a day.
Her feet ached and she was just ready to slide
into bed and go to sleep. So she walked up
(20:25):
her steps and she unlocked the door. He was dark
out and she just needed to get inside, so she
pushed open the door to make her way inside. In
a flash, a man pushed past her, rushing straight into
her home, through her living room and standing now into
her kitchen. Whatn't the actual hell? Almost instinctively she followed
(20:50):
in to see who it was, her mind in an
instant wondering if she had forgotten was she supposed to
have company come over? But when the man turned around,
his face stopped her dead in her tracks. It was
the man with the car, the same man at the
gas station, and now that very same man was in
(21:12):
her home, uninvited. Stunned, nearly stiff, she listened as the
man casually addressed her. Look, I know we just met
and all that, but I like you. And I know
your kids. I know they're at their dad's house and
you're free. So let's go now and get a drink.
How could he possibly know this? Had he been stalking
(21:34):
her because she had only moved there nine months ago?
How did he know her patterns? How did he know
her life like this? He was a complete and total stranger.
Her instincts told her though in that moment, do not panic.
She had to remain calm, and she would listen to
(21:54):
those instincts. I've got to get away, but I have
to remain calm. He then casually looked at her and
asked for a glass of water, so she fixed it
for him, and as he took a sip, he introduced
himself as Derek. Not knowing what to do, she just
looked at the man and said hi, And that's when
he asked, are you scared of me? She just looked
(22:19):
and quickly quipped no, and he told her I know
you white women. I know all you white women want
a black man. She didn't know what to say to that.
She didn't know this man, and as that happened, he
locked eyes with her and he said, I could rape
and kill you, and no one would ever know. That
sentence was so scary that she decided now was the time,
(22:43):
and she calmly but swiftly headed outside her door, right
out onto her porch, but the man followed her. She
was calm but utterly terrified, so as the conversation one
sided as it was continued, she carefully made her outside
of the home, creating distance from the house, and she
(23:03):
was eventually able to get up to her car. She
opened it and he continued to talk, and right as
she shut the door, he remained there. But she put
the car in reverse and she was leaving house. Be damned.
But she didn't really know anyone. She didn't have anywhere
to go. She was newer to the area, so she
went to a well lit gas station to try and
(23:25):
calm her nerves. Unsure of what to do, she stayed
at that very gas station until after one am, hoping
that maybe the man would be gone by the time
she returned. When she got back to the house, he
was still there, but she rushed inside and she locked
the door. He continued from the outside, harassing her and
(23:46):
begging her to come back outside, but she said, no,
go away, I'm not coming back outside, and he would
continue around the house, looking in the windows, knocking, trying
to get her attention, but she refused to respond to him.
And look, I know what you're thinking right now. Why
didn't she call the police? Well, not everybody responds the
(24:06):
same way. Not everybody grows up in the same type
of environment. Not everyone wants to call the police. And
luckily for her, he did eventually leave. The following day,
her kids returned home from their dad's house, and she
was so happy to see the kids, wrapping them up
in a hug, happy that they were back at her house.
The whole time, she felt like someone was watching her though,
(24:30):
even though she never saw signs of anyone, she just
felt it. It was almost like the instinct to let
her know danger lurked somewhere in the distance. She and
the kids settled in, though, and they were going about
their daily tasks, and her daughter wanted to go get
some fingernail poulus she had left in the car, So
as she went outside to get it, Kala decided, you
(24:52):
know what, I'm going to follow you out. Call it
motherly instincts, call it what you want, but whatever it is,
it's real. Because if someone was watching her, someone was
watching all of them, because as Collette supervised her daughter
to the car, Dereck todd Lee appeared from behind a
tree and he started to approach young Britney. Scared out
(25:13):
of her mind, Colette rushed in just as Derek said,
is that your daughter? She looks just like you and
wide eyed in a mama bear mode. She directed her
daughter back into the house and she told Derek leave
them alone and leave now. He left, but it didn't
make her feel any better. The following day, Collette was
talking to a friend at the fire chief's office, and
(25:34):
when she recounted what was going on, the friend demanded
that she tell police, and Collette she agreed, so she
reported it and police promised her that they were going
to keep an eye on her because if this was
Derek todd Lee, he was dangerous. Collette decided to continue
her life as normal, but also keeping her eyes peeled
(25:55):
at all times. She also didn't want to frighten her children,
so she kept the information at a minimum to keep
them calm. But just a few days later, her neighbor
Diane Holloway called her, really upset. What's going on, Diane,
what's wrong? Well, Diane let her know Collette, your boyfriend
barged into my apartment and he's been harassing me. But
(26:18):
Collette was confused because she didn't have a boyfriend. Diane
went on and explained that she had been told by
the man that he was dating Collette her next door neighbor.
Oh my god, was he a black male in like
his thirties or forties. Diane confirmed, yes, that's what he
looked like, to which Collette responded, he's not my boyfriend.
Oh my god, he's a stalker. The neighbor immediately called
(26:42):
police and she too made a report of the incident,
and the neighbor then told Collette the police said, look,
they're on their way. They're gonna go try and arrest
this guy. Thank god, they're gonna go get him. Both
women felt so much safer now believing that he was
gonna be behind bars. Police went a step further and
they collected a footprint that was right outside of Collette's window,
(27:04):
and they were able to match it to that of
Derreck Todd Lee. A warrant was issued for him, and
this warrant was for stalking and unauthorized entry of a dwelling.
But now the police had to find him The very
next day, Collette would arrive home to a nightmare. Police
cars were outside of her home and her children were missing.
(27:25):
Immediate dread took over because she knew this Derek guy.
He's got to be involved in this, and the worst
thoughts filled her mind. Did he take my kids? Where
are my kids? Oh? My god? And she thought to herself,
he stole my children. He took my children because I
refused his advances. Oh my god, I should have called
the police sooner. So she jumped on the phone. She's
(27:47):
talking to detectives and everybody's arriving at the home at
this time. But the detective seemed to be confused because
they thought he was already arrested, already in jail. How
could he have possibly taken your children? Guess what he
wasn't This was a miscommunication because Derek was not behind bars.
The police were still looking for him. They hadn't yet
(28:09):
located him. Well. As everything is unfolding and Collette's world
is crashing around her, by the grace of God, she
looked up and her daughter Britney appeared out of the
tree line. A collective sigh of relief was rushed across
everyone standing there. Where have you been? What's going on?
And young Britney explained that Mom, I've been looking for
(28:32):
my brother. He took off in the woods earlier he
was chasing someone. Trying to understand this and take it
all in, the adults were discussing the incident when just
a while later, Justin too came out of the woods.
So obviously, tears of joys are flowing and everyone's hugging
and they're so glad to see the children. But what
had happened? And it was then further explained young Justin
(28:55):
had caught a man looking into their home and he
decided he had to be the man of the house.
That young boy took it upon himself to protect his
home and to save his mama. He chased that man
away from their home until he lost him in the woods.
Her young son having no clue the level of danger
(29:17):
he had just put himself in, but it was all
for the love of his mama. He knew that his
mama was being followed by somebody and this man was
going to leave his mama alone. Well. Police were eventually
able to catch up with Derek and he was finally arrested. Thankfully,
now he was behind bars. But let's not forget that
(29:38):
whole innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
If someone paid his bill, he was allowed to leave
the jail, allowed to be free until he went to trial.
Derek Toddley only remained locked up for roughly three months
before Colette would get a phone call from a friend,
(29:59):
did you know that Derek is out? Collett had no clue.
Derek was in a local bar and he was running
his mouth to anyone that would listen about how mad
he was at Collette, and the friends were now scared
for her. They needed her to be on high alert.
And Collette was stunned. What the hell? How was he out?
(30:22):
How could he possibly be out? He's breaking into homes,
He's coming into homes that women are in. He's saying
he could rape me and kill me, and he's out.
How well, it turns out someone after three months, had
bonded Derek out of jail. With that in mind, Collette
(30:43):
was done. She threw up her hands and she decided
to move in now with her new boyfriend to make
sure and keep them all safe. Shortly thereafter, Derek went
to court, and it was December seventeenth, nineteen ninety nine,
where he pled guilty to the charges and sentence to
six months in jail, but incredibly, he would receive credit
(31:06):
for time served. This many was still free to go.
He was put on two years probation. Derek wasn't stupid.
Realizing now that the police had him good on his
obsession with Collette Walker, he would decide to move on
and apply his obsessions elsewhere. Not because he was rehabilitated,
(31:28):
not because he had learned his lesson, but because the
police would know it was him if he did anything
further to Collette. Later that very same day, this same
day he walked out of court a freeman on time
served nine to one one would receive a call from
a woman named Cassandra green Well. Who was Cassandra. Let's
(31:51):
flash back for a minute, and let's go back to
the part of this series where I told you that
Derek Lee was married. Okay, but guess what. He wasn't
married to Cassandra. No, Cassandra was his side piece, his
side chick, not the woman he vowed to marry and
(32:13):
love and cherish. His wife knew about their assorted affairs,
but she chose to just turn the other cheek for
whatever reason, but Grass it's not always greener on the
cheating side, which would be evidenced by this nine one
one call. Derek and his side piece Cassandra had gotten
into a huge fight and now he was threatening to
kill her. Police would arrive and the dispute would be settled,
(32:36):
the two separating for the evening to cool down, But
just a month later Cassandra would begin inquiry as to
how to get a protective order against Derek Lee. Things
had obviously not improved, and three days from then he
would prove this a local bar it's known as Liz's Lounge.
(32:58):
They made a phone call to nine one needing help,
and when police arrived they found a badly beaten Cassandra Green.
Derek was responsible for the beating and he was promptly arrested,
but when the case went to court, Cassandra refused to
testify against him again. Derek was sentenced to one year
in jail, and he would begin to serve that, eventually
(33:21):
being released on January first, two thousand and one. By
now Lee was thirty two years old, but nowhere close
to slowing down. He would put in applications for jobs
for about two months before being hired at a temporary
position at the Dow Chemical plant in Brooley, Louisiana, just
over the Grand Mississippi River from Baton Rouge. He was
(33:44):
hired on March first, but his job wasn't the only
thing on the forefront of his mind. It may have
been a year, but obsession knows no time limit. Jail
was just a pause, a temporary setback, because as soon
as he got off of work, he was on the hunt.
Colette Walker may have moved, she may have denied his
(34:05):
advances and refused to go on a date, but he
was gonna find her. In his mind. Just because he
didn't know where she was, well, that didn't mean she
didn't want to be found. Colette's fears were that when
he was released, he may come for her, and I
think we all would harbor that same fear if in
her same position. Her fears were well warranted too, because
(34:27):
he was doing just that. Between the months of March
and April. Derek was going to find Colette Collette. By
this point, she had quit her job at the Feliciana
Seafood and she was now the full time assistant to
the fire chief. That said her job would require her
to travel for dispatch training. Her boyfriend was upset that
(34:48):
she may have to be traveling alone, and he decided
that he wanted to go with her on the trip,
but Colette wanted him to stay back. She was afraid
something might happen at home while she was gone. Well,
her boy at the time he had a son, and
that grown son was a police officer. That police officer
said he was willing to look over the house while
the two of them were away, but as an extra precaution,
(35:12):
the kids were sent to stay with friends while the
two adults were gone for the training trip. The trip
went well, but unbeknownst to Collette, the parents of the
friends watching her son dropped off Justin and their son
at Justin's house without any parents there. The only reason
(35:33):
Colette found out that the two boys were at her
home without supervision was because Justin had just called nine
to one one a black man was looking into their
windows at their new house. Police rushed to the house.
Justin scared out of his mind, but when police got there,
the man looking in the windows was gone upon arrival.
(35:56):
But the fact was this, Derek Lee had found Collette
and her children. How had he found them? What was
he doing? Would he never stop? What could Collette do?
That helpless feeling set in once again as she rushed home.
But the kids were safe, thank god. Collet and her
(36:16):
boyfriend decided, we've got to get a weapon, and they
got a gun, deciding that if Derek wasn't going to stop,
they were at least going to be able to protect
themselves if he came into the home. That fear was
monumental and it was never ending. The days and nights
would pass not knowing who was in the woods. Was
(36:36):
someone watching them? Could the children walk to and from
the house, Were they safe going to their cars? What
was the noise in the night? Why did the dog bark?
It was just unnerving. Some nights later after the incident,
everyone in the home was asleep, they were resting. It
was quiet, only the ticking of the clock making a sound.
(36:58):
But those instincts, they were something, and Collette opened her
eyes in bed to realize that someone was in their home.
She was scared, She was startled. She screamed out and
scared her boyfriend awake. And they didn't have to see
the person to know who it was. But this time
her boyfriend was there and he was not playing games.
(37:19):
He jumped out of bed, grabbed the gun, and pore
off after the person in the house. The person, realizing
it wasn't Colette, retreated immediately ran through the yard, taking
off into the woods, and the suspect got away clean.
But had Collette's boyfriend not been there, who knows would
have happened to her. There was no evidence now though,
(37:42):
nothing that pointed directly to Derek, and that would be
required by a court of law, but everyone there knew
what had just happened. On April first, two thousand and one,
Derek Todd Lee was having a great day. He was
really excited. He and his wife were buying brand new
car together, a Hyundai Accent. They were excited for the
(38:04):
new car smell and the unique feeling of knowing everything
is in perfect condition. Not only that, but he had
now made up with his mistress. Life was good for
Derek Lee. A few months of bliss would pass until,
as usual, the honeymoon phase ended and Derek would be
arrested in September for simple battery on his wife. But
(38:26):
as you can probably imagine, those charges were eventually dropped.
He stopped showing up for work at Dial Chemical and
he was eventually laid off by January two thousand and two.
What they didn't think he was a good enough employee ridiculous.
Nobody lays me off of a job. I have skills,
(38:46):
some so good people don't even know about them. And
unfortunately for one woman, just three days after he was
laid off, she would be the next in line to
learn about these very unspoken skills firsthand, coming up on
the next episode of DTL. She had already bathed, so
(39:18):
with a quick change into her PJS, she slipped into
the bed for the night. Gina's peaceful sleep wouldn't last
long when at three forty seven am, her house alarm
shattered the silence. About that time, her phone rang, and
(39:38):
it was the alarm company calling to check on her.
If this stranger wanted her, he was gonna have to
work for it because she was in straight survival mode.
The fight took place in nearly every room of the house.
He slung her around like a rag doll, but a
(39:59):
doll that refus to give up. As Gina was on
her back, struggling and kicking and pulling herself away, all
the while her clothes being violently ripped from her body,
so he walked up and he turned the doorknob in
a last ditch attempt, and to his surprise, it opened.
(40:21):
Instincts at this point told him something he didn't want
to know. There was a problem.
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