TX - Kendra Hatcher, Dallas, 02 Sept 2015 - Media & Timeline Thread *NO DISCUSSION*

Dallas police ID woman slain in Uptown apartment garage, release photo of ‘vehicle of interest’
Robert Wilonsky Dallas Morning News
Published: September 3, 2015 3:10 pm

[...]
According to police 35-year-old dentist Kendra Hatcher pulled into the parking garage of the Gables Park 17 on Cedar Springs Road.

According to police, “Sometime prior to her arrival, a vehicle of interest described as an older model Jeep Cherokee with damaged or faded paint on the hood and displaying a paper buyer tag, pulled into that garage — following another vehicle through the gate.”

[...]
Hatcher was found next to her car, dead of a single gunshot wound.

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Dallas police searching for Jeep in Uptown garage murder
Posted:Sep 03 2015 03:21PM CDT - Updated:Sep 03 2015 10:06PM CDT
FOX 4 News

[...]
Dallas police are searching for a Jeep Cherokee caught on camera leaving the scene of an Uptown apartment tower garage moments after a woman was murdered.

Dallas police officials said they're looking for an older model Jeep Cherokee they believe that followed another car into the garage.

---

Additional links

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/dallas-woman-executed-murder-mystery-article-1.2347005

http://m.nydailynews.com/news/natio...s-identified-kendra-hatcher-article-1.2348457

Woman murdered in Uptown Dallas parking garage
Marie Saavedra, WFAA 1:48 p.m. CDT September 3, 2015

[...]
"We saw the lady laying down next to her car on the floor, and then the cops showed up," said a man who did not want to be identified. "My son, he was telling me that a black Jeep Cherokee drove by... a guy with a mask put a bullet in her and just drove off."

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Woman Killed in Uptown Garage Identified; Driver of Jeep Cherokee Wanted by Dallas Police
Police searching for the driver of an older model Jeep Cherokee with paint damage and paper tags
By Frank Heinz 5NBC-DFW
Updated at 11:17 PM CDT on Thursday, Sep 3, 2015

[...]
Sometime before Hatcher arrived home, the driver of a Jeep Cherokee followed another driver into the garage and parked, according to Sgt. Max Geron, with the Dallas Police Department's Crimes Against Persons Division.

While Hatcher parked, Geron said, someone got out of the Cherokee and appeared to approach Hatcher. Police said witnesses then described hearing a gunshot and the person who exited the Cherokee then returned to the vehicle and drove away.

[...]
"We believe that the occupant or occupants of that vehicle have information that would be of benefit to detectives investigating the case," Geron said. "I'll stop short of even saying that that individual was the one that fired the shots. We simply don't know -- we don't have a motive at this point."

Geron would not specify how many shots were fired and would not comment on what gender the person who exited the Cherokee appeared to be.

News of a homicide in Dallas had many people in central Illinois reeling Thursday.

SNIP

Lisa Sato, Hatcher's aunt, said Hatcher viewed Springfield as her hometown, and the family plans to have her buried here. She described Hatcher as a very smart, driven, beautiful and loving person.

Right now, everyone is still stunned about what happened, she said.

Kendra Hatcher was 35

Dallas dentist, a Pleasant Plains High School graduate, shot and killed
By Jason Nevel, Staff Writer - The State Journal-Register
Posted Sep. 3, 2015 at 6:40 PM Updated Sep 3, 2015 at 10:41 PM

[...]
"The detectives called and told us they thought it was her, but we were still holding out hope it wasn't going to be her," Sato said. "Since we found out (late Thursday afternoon), it's brought on another wave of shock and sadness."

[...]
Sato said family members believe Hatcher's death wasn't random and that the killer was a former boyfriend, but they can't be sure.

---

Coworkers: Murdered dentist was vibrant, friendly
Carla Wade, WFAA
3:45 p.m. CDT September 4, 2015

[...]
"We just wanted her to know we remember her," said Ariel Ramirez. "And we wanted to do something for her."
They described her as a vibrant and outgoing young woman with a beautiful smile.

"She was just very friendly you know," said Ramirez. "Every time you came into work, she always said good morning. She said goodbye. She was silly sometimes."

[...]
"Kendra had so much to give, and we are so thankful her 35 years were lived to the fullest. We will miss Kendra tremendously, especially her laugh and smiles," the family said. "But we cannot fully mourn and celebrate her life until the authorities apprehend the person(s) responsible for committing this senseless act."

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Police hunt gunman who shot dead glamorous pediatric dentist, 35, in cold blood as she parked her car in the garage of her luxury Dallas apartment building
By Regina F. Graham and Kelly Mclaughlin For Dailymail
Published: 23:58 EST, 3 September 2015 | Updated: 09:00 EST, 4 September 2015

[...]
[Dallas Police Department Major Max] Geron added that the shooting does not appear to be random.

The victim's brother, Neil Hatcher, told KXAS that his sister was one of five children and her murder is 'absolutely unfathomable.'
He added that his sister was a pediatric dentist who 'liked to travel, loved her family and loved working with children.'

Neil Hatcher stated that she had recently visited San Francisco and planned to buy a home in the city.

http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2015/09/04/neighbor-heard-gunshots-found-dentist-dead-in-uptown-garage/

DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) – Dallas Police announced the arrest early Saturday of a 22-year-old woman in the murder of Uptown dentist Dr. Kendra Hatcher.
Crystal Cortez is being held on a $250,000 bond.

“Arrestee Crystal has admitted her involvement in the murder and has given detectives information that other unidentified suspects may have been involved,” said Dallas Police Senior Corporal Melinda Gutierrez.

An arrest warrant affidavit released by Dallas Police indicates a person contacted a DPD officer after seeing pictures of his Jeep Cherokee on local news reports in relation to the murder.

<modsnip>

The Dallas Police Department's page is updated and has the warrant on it

http://dpdbeat.com/2015/09/05/homicide-vehicle-of-interest-sought/

http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/Wo...ng-Garage-Murder-Dallas-Police-324687081.html

Editor's note: Police originally stated that Cortez was 22. They have since corrected her age to 23.

Click to expand...

RE Witnesses:

One of the first witnesses to come forward was a man inside the apartment parking garage. The man, who doesn&#8217;t want to be identified, said he heard Dr. Hatcher scream, heard gunfire, and then saw a white man hurry from the garage and get into a beat up black Jeep Cherokee. The witness said the man was wearing a black hoodie and had it pulled forward to cover his face.

http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2015/09/04/search-for-killer-who-gunned-down-woman-in-uptown-continues/

As Hatcher parked, a figure emerged from a nearby Jeep Cherokee and appeared to approach her. Witnesses described hearing a gunshot and saw the figure getting back into the Cherokee and driving away, police said.

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...s-police-detain-charge-crystal-cortez-n422276

"First, it was a loud scream and then a 'Boom,'" the father said. "And he didn't hear anything after that."

That's what the man says his son heard when 35-year-old Kendra Hatcher was gunned down inside the garage at her residence, the Gables Park 17 apartments on Cedar Springs Road. The witness is a teenager and his father wants to keep both of their identities concealed since the killer is still on the loose.

http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/Witness-Describes-Hearing-Fatal-Uptown-Shooting-324624031.html

The father's voice is on the video at this link describing what his son saw

Suspect Arrested in Murder of Dallas Dentist. Dallas police have made an arrest in the murder of a dentist who was shot and killed in the parking garage of her apartment.

According to an arrest affidavit released Saturday morning, authorities arrested Crystal Cortez and charged her with capital murder in the death of Kendra Hatcher. Cortez, 22, is being held on $250,000 bail.
https://gma.yahoo.com/suspect-arrested-murder-dallas-dentist-151522384--abc-news-topstories.html

http://www.scribd.com/doc/278621646/Signed-PCA-1700-Cedar-Springs
warrant of arrest and detention

--bond increase


http://www.dallascounty.org/jaillook...ale&race=White
Cortes, Crystal

Total Bond Amount: 500,000.00 as of 2015-09-05 14:59:15.126

New details from the earwitness and his son:

A neighbor who didn't want to be identified recalled what he saw and heard the night Hatcher, 35, was shot dead inside her parking garage at the Gables Park 17 apartments.

The man said when he heard the gun go off he was headed for the elevators and thought someone had either dropped something heavy or slammed a door.

"I heard the shot, I didn't think much of it," he said.

It wasn't until his son, who was also in the garage, called frantically that he confirmed something horrible had just happened.

"He told me a lady just got shot in our parking lot," he said.

The neighbor rushed back down and saw Hatcher, still wearing her black scrubs, laying near her car.

"She was not breathing so we figured ... we backed off and waited for the cops," he said.

Once police arrived, he said they described seeing the black Jeep Cherokee. The arrest warrant affidavit identifies Cortez as the driver of that SUV.

Click to expand...

Family Says Crystal Cortes Is Small Part Of Larger Conspiracy
UPDATED | September 6, 2015 7:50 PM
CBS-DFW

[...]
Last night the cops came, took my little nephew out of my mom&#8217;s custody claiming that he was involved in this,&#8221; Aguilar said.

Dallas Police would not comment on whether they interviewed Cortes&#8217; son, but a spokesperson for the Department of Family and Protective Services confirms the boy is in protective custody.

&#8220;He is a very intelligent kid, so he would tell them exactly if he was in the car, he would tell them exactly what happened,&#8221; Aguilar said.

[...]
Cortes&#8217; brother Eric Garcia believes his sister was a small part of a much bigger conspiracy.

&#8220;You know she didn&#8217;t rob anybody. She was just the driver. I don&#8217;t know if she knows what she was doing, or if she got threatened to do it,&#8221; Garcia said.

[...]
&#8220;If she was involved with this like they say, we do want her to come forward to come clean and let them know who else was involved in it, who else set it up, who else was&#8230; who actually was the shooter,&#8221; Aguilar said.

Dallas woman admits role in Uptown killing; unidentified shooter at large
By JULIE FANCHER and NAHEED RAJWANI
Staff Writers The Dallas Morning News
Published: 05 September 2015 10:15 PM - Updated: 07 September 2015 12:13 AM


Crystal Cortes, 23

[...]
Crystal Cortes of Dallas, herself a dental assistant, was being held Saturday on a capital murder charge after she told investigators she drove Kendra Hatcher&#8217;s killer to the Gables Park 17 garage on Cedar Springs Road on Wednesday.

Police have not indicated whether they think Cortes knew the victim, and they have not identified who else they&#8217;re looking for.

[...]
Police homed in on Cortes after a man and woman told them they recognized the Jeep Cherokee that was seen when Hatcher was killed. The woman had borrowed the Jeep from the man and then let her friend Cortes use it.

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Woman arrested in Dallas dentist murder case
Sebastian Robertson and Walt Zwirko, WFAA
8 p.m. CDT September 6, 2015

Editor's note: Jail records initially misspelled Cortes' last name. The error was corrected, but capital murder charges were listed under both spellings over the holiday weekend, totaling $1 million bond. The charge filed under the misspelling will be dropped Tuesday and records will show $500,000

[...]
Jorge Cortez, 20, learned Saturday morning that his sister is facing a capital murder charge.

"I broke down in tears, I really broke down in tears, because me knowing my sister, she's not capable of something like that," Cortes said.

Family members said Cortes turned herself in on Friday, and that officers went to her home late Friday night to take her six-year-old son into custody.

---

Dallas Woman Held in Dentist Slaying; Other Suspects Sought
DALLAS &#8212; Sep 6, 2015, 5:06 PM ET
Associated Press

[...]
Cortes remained in jail Sunday. Jail records don't list an attorney for her.

[...]
Cortes told investigators the gunman stole several items from Hatcher.

From the arrest warrant.

"[Cortes] admitted that she conspired with an unnamed individual for $500,
to drive an unknown male suspect to 1700 Cedar Springs Road and
commit the offense of robbery against Complainant Hatcher."

"Suspect Cortez [sic] drove the unknown male suspect to 1700 Cedar Springs Road.
Once there, the unknown male suspect exited the vehicle,
shot Complainant Hatcher and
took several items of her property.
The complainant died at the scene.
Detectives were able to corroborate the suspect's statement through witness statements
as well as surveillance video footage from the offense location."

Second woman questioned in Uptown Dallas dentist's murder
Jason Whitely and Rebecca Lopez, WFAA
5:25 p.m. CDT September 8, 2015

DALLAS &#8211; An ex-girlfriend of slain dentist Dr. Kendra Hatcher's boyfriend allegedly tracked Hatcher using an iPhone and paid an unnamed suspect $500 to bring her Hatcher's drivers license, according to affidavits for search warrants related to the case.

The 33-year-old woman &#8220;ended a two year relationship with [Dr. Hatcher&#8217;s] current boyfriend earlier this year,&#8221; according to the affidavit.

---

Dallas police: Ex of slain dentist&#8217;s boyfriend linked to her slaying in Uptown garage
Naomi Martin - The Dallas Morning News
Published: September 8, 2015 4:34 pm

[...]
During the weekend, police searched the home of a woman who dated Hatcher&#8217;s boyfriend for two years. That apartment is less than two miles away from the Gables Park 17, where Hatcher was ambushed the evening of Sept. 2.

[...]
Investigators took a laptop with them out of the apartment. The woman is not currently being identified because she has not been charged with any crime.

[...]
Cortes told detectives that the ex-girlfriend had an iPhone that they used to track the Hatcher&#8217;s location prior to killing her, according to the affidavit. But police did not state that they recovered the iPhone.

[...]
The alleged shooter, who remains unidentified, may have entered Hatcher&#8217;s white Toyota Camry before killing her, police said. Investigators found a .40-caliber shell casing inside the car. Officers also swabbed for possible DNA.

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Ex-Girlfriend May Be Linked to Uptown Murder Plot: Police
By Scott Gordon
NBC-DFW

[...]
Cortes claims she thought it was just a robbery and drove an unidentified man to Hatcher's apartment that night. She also said the man she drove is the shooter and took several items from Hatcher.

With these revelations, there could be two more people involved in the murder who have not been arrested – the ex-girlfriend and the mysterious man who Cortes claims killed Hatcher.

Police say they have confirmed parts of Cortes' story by looking at surveillance video and talking to witnesses.

---

misc news orgs links covering same basic facts

http://abcnews.go.com/US/love-triangle-link-eyed-texas-dentists-murder-police/story?id=33621432

Police have not made any additional arrests or brought charges against the ex-girlfriend reports the station, but looked for any evidence inside her apartment in connection to the death of Hatcher.
The apartment is less than two miles away from the parking garage at the Gables Apartments where Hatcher was shot and killed last Wednesday, Sept. 2.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/second-woman-questioned-in-the-murder-of-dallas-dentist-kendra-hatcher/

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2015/09/09/cops-eye-love-triangle-in-search-for-kendra-hatcher-killers/

Brother: Crystal Cortes 'taking the fall' for doctor's murder
Rebecca Lopez, WFAA
5:30 p.m. CDT September 9, 2015

[...]
But Cortes' brother says his sister was talked into doing this by one of her girlfriends.

"Basically right now, my sister is kind of taking the fall for it," Angel Fuentes said.

"Crystal was telling me that her friend just got out of a bad relationship," Fuentes said.

---

The article goes on to say that according to Cortes' brother, the two women were very close. The ex-gf gave his sister gifts and even offered to buy her a car.

The ex-gf's name is still being withheld, and police say they cannot comment on her or the search warrants.

Video at the link