Episode 167: Tyler Cardiel (Part 2 of 2)

0:14 Hello, and welcome to the Catch My Killer Podcast. Thank you for listening. My name is Mark. Since twenty fifteen, I've written a weekly newspaper column about true crimes and unsolved comm sides for the Claremont Sun newspaper in Ohio. Tyler Cardial was an eighteen year old young man who was considered a good guy who was loved by his family and friends. Tyler was a kind of person any parent would love to have as a son. He lived in Arizona, enjoyed video games with his buddies, and planned on attending college. He worked at a local circle case store and worked many hours to save up money for a truck. According to his mother, Monique, he had saved several thousands of dollars towards his truck. On Christmas Day twenty twenty, while walking home from work, he was shot and killed by an angry homeless man seeking a victim. This is the conclusion of a two part story. If you haven't listened to the first half, please go back and listen to it.

1:26 Tyler Cardiel was an eighteen year old young man who was considered kind and friendly. He was someone who didn't have a criminal background. Any known enemies or any alcohol or drug issues. His mother said that he hated the Arizona heat and spent much of his time indoors playing video games with his friends when he wasn't working. Tyler had plans on attending college. He lived with his mother, Monique, and his younger brother. Tyler was able to find a job at a circle k near his home. He was scheduled to work on Christmas Eve and then get off Christmas Day, go home and spend time with his family, and then return to work to Christmas shift. So Christmas morning, Tyler's mother and brother were waiting at their apartment for Tyler to arrive home so they could open Christmas presents. Unfortunately, Tyler never made it home. His mother began frantically calling around trying to find her son. Monique Cardio, Tyler's mother never wanted her son to work at that circle k. She was fearful that something might happen to him. She had told the local media's source that it was Tyler's first Christmas away from home. She remembered asking him if he really had to go to work on Christmas. He told his mother that he had already agreed to go to work and needed to go, but before leaving on Christmas Eve, he gave his mother a hug and reassured her that he'd be back home later to open Christmas gifts. When he didn't return home,

2:59 Monique went out looking for her son. She followed the path that he would take home, only to discover Phoenix police officers near her son's job. They had cordon off a street and put up crime scene tape. Monique saw a dead body covered with a blue blanket. Her gut instinct told her that this was probably her son. Monique would find out that someone had murdered her son. As he had walked home from work, someone had shot him to death. Law enforcement later learned that a young man was assaulted and nearly killed at another circle k two days prior to Tyler's death. The attacker had stolen this young man's gun. The police found out that there was a connection between that attack in Tyler's death. The same man who had assaulted this other young man was the same man who had killed Tyler. It was a homeless man named Timothy Bell. He had shot Tyler to death with a nine millimeter glock.

3:58 His motivation he was angry about being homeless and decided that he was going to take it out on someone. Unfortunately, that someone just happened to be Tyler as he walked past Bell on that Christmas morning. Bell would eventually be captured after a failed suicide attempt where he shot himself in the head. Although he survived, he lost an eye. Bell's trial was supposed to start last year, but hasn't. His legal strategy is that he suffered immense brain damage in his suicide attempt and isn't mentally competent to stand trial today. Tyler Cardial's family is still waiting for justice. Bell has not gone on trial yet. A Monique Cardial is fearful that her son's killer won't face justice and now on with the conclusion of Tyler Cardial's story as told by his mother, Monique Cardial, Christmas is a time for families. The Cardial household, they always spent Christmas Eve and Christmas Day together. Monie did not want her son to go to work. She didn't feel right about him going to work on that day.

5:04 However, he was an adult, so she kept her reservations to herself. Little did she know that when he would walk out the door on Christmas Eve, she would never see her son again. We will pause for a moment and be right back with Monique Sharon her thoughts about the final moments that she spent with her son Tyler. So, I'm a parent. I was sad.

5:49 I was proud of him, but really sad. And so he was just getting ready for work Christmas Eve. I was in my room wrapping some prisons said I had got him and his brother, and he knocked the door and told me he was going to get ready to go, and I said, okay. So he went in the bathroom and did his hair and came out and brought his food from dinner and went in the kitchen and he was standing there by the trash Karen in the sink. And then he's like, I'll see you later. And I was in the hallway. I was like, what do you mean. And he's like, I gotta go to work. I'm gonna's late. You're just gonna say, you know, i'll see you later. I like, it's Christmas. Do you have to go?

6:30 He's like, I have to. I'm on the schedule. And he's like, mother, it'll be fine. I'm just going to work. I'll be home. And I don't know. I don't know what it was. I just didn't feel right, and so I started to cry and he came over to me and he's like, mom, i'll be fine. I'll be home after work, and then he gave me a hug. And when he normally left the work, he never hugged me. It was like in passing, he does okay leaving and sometimes I was at home so it went like an everyday thing where he'd hugged me goodbye. But that night he hugged me and he like held on for ten seconds, twenty seconds, and then he left and when he got to the door, he's like, I'll text you later with my schedule. And then his brother goes, oh, Tye, you're gonna miss Christmas. And he's like, it'll be fine, I'll home tomorrow.

7:16 And his little brother got up and ran over and gave him a hug, and I just remember that he gave us both hugs and then he left and he text me at work to the schedule, and I was sad, and he's like, i'll be home, and I told him, how about if I get you a lift in the morning, even though it's not even a full mile walk, just so he can get home faster since he was going to only be able to sleep for like less than six five hours. So he's like, no, because I can't leave until the other employee comes in and she's always late. They don't call a lift because what if I can't even it's sitting here waiting. So I was like, okay, so call me then, and he's like, I'll get home because the man manager, Christine, she also gets off. She comes in for a few hours and she gets off when I get off, She'll give me a ride home.

8:05 And he was like, I'm not even worried about him, but there I'm fine. So I'm like, okay, just call me in the morning before you leave, and he's like okay, so lot Grim present and they may you know. I text him Marry Christmas, honey, I wish you were here. I love you, and replied back to me that they loved me, and then he told me he might have to stay till six thirty. He didn't know for sure, and so I was like, okay. Well, he's like, I have a ride home, and I was like, are you sure and he said yeah. I said, I just want you to get home so you can get some rest because you have a long day ahead of you. So he got off that six and because he was gone for the open presents at midnight, his brother and I had moved the Christmas tree into his bedroom right by the door, so right when he would open the door, he'd be blocked by the Christmas tree and all of his presence. And then we hung up lights in his room and we were just excited. And you're hanging up lights and putting the tree in there, and then I started cleaning. I get his laundry and wiped everything down, took out his trash. It was all clean, and would put his presence out.

9:11 And so I unplugged the tree and went to bed about three o'clock in the morning and set my alarm for six twenty so that I could wake up and then plug the lights in and be here when he got home so I could watch him open his presence. And I was sleeping and I jumped up, And it's that feeling you get when when you're like, oh my gosh, I overslept. I slept through my alarm and your heart's pounding and you're in a panic, and that's what happened. I jumped up, and I was like looking everywhere in the dark for my phone because I thought I had slept through my alarm and that I didn't get to see him open his presence. And then I looked at my phone and it was six sixteen, and I was like, oh, I'm just a few minutes before it's going to go off on he's not home. I'm good. So I got out of bed and as I was walking to his room, my legs were shaking, but at the time I didn't think anything of it because I slept with my window open and it was cold, and so I'm trembling as I'm putting the lights on and getting things ready. And so six thirty comes and he's not here, and so I'm like, okay. He said he might have to stay till six thirty. So then I went in my room and I just stayed in my room. My door opened, and he didn't come home.

10:26 Finally, I get up a seven ten and I'm like, okay, if he was going to stay till six thirty, he would be home. It was like twenty to twenty five minute walk at the most. So I got out, checked his room, nothing, went in the living room, walked around nothing, and I grabbed my phone, and I was like, okay, where are you? How can we not here? Because we have been having those discussions about him being treated like a baby and he didn't like it. So I was like, okay, I'm not going to start bombarding him yet with calls and text messages. I'm going to give him some space. He's going to be here. Never in my mind did I think anything was going to happen. Never, nothing but expecting my son to just come home. I wasn't worried at that point. So at seven fifteen, seven twenty, and I'm just pacing and I don't normally pace, but I was just pacing the apartment because we're in an apartment. And finally, like seven thirty, I'm like, all right, something is wrong. And when he is late because he has to work because this girl doesn't come in on time, he has texted me and said I'm gonna be a little late. So I hadn't gotten a text or a call and at seven thirty and so I'm like, okay, something's wrong. So I text him, hey, son, where are you? Nothing seven forty I text him again, I'm like, are you still working? Are you going to still work from noon until the next day, like you need to get home to get sleep, and then nothing. It's about seven fifty I called and nothing. So I was like,

11:56 okay, maybe he's busy. But my heart was just pounding and I don't know what it was, but something just made me go and take a shower and I had my phone in the shower and it was just weird idea. It was off. Everything was off that morning. So I'm getting ready and I'm doing it fast. It's almost like my body or my soul knew something's about to go down. Get ready. It was weird. So I got out. I didn't get all maked up in hair like I normally would. I just got myself together and by then it was about eight thirty almost, and so I texted him again. I'm like where are you? You need to get home and then I put hello and I a question mark and I'm like ty where are you? And nothing. And then I called and it went to voice him out, and I called and called it. It was a voicemail and I'm like, what is happening? So I call his job. The girl answers and I'm like, hello, it's Tyler there.

12:50 It's like no, I'm like, do you know when he left. She's like, I have no idea, And I was like, are you sure and she's like yeah. And it didn't make sense to me because this was the girl that was late and he couldn't leave unto a shot there, So I was confused as to why he wasn't there when she got there. It didn't make sense. She just kept saying he wasn't here when I got here, and she got mad and she hung up because I was questioning it. I didn't make sense to him, I don't know, so she hung up on me. So I was irritated. Then I started calling my son and nothing. I started calling hospitals. I called three hospitals. Nobody had heard of them. Nobody was brought in with his description or his name or anything.

13:30 And then this lady like, are you sure he's just not late? And I told her this is hours late. We're just down the street. Something's wrong. She's like, have you called the jail. I was like, jail, you don't know my son. She's like, yeah, but you never know. I was like, no, absolutely not. So we hung up, and my mind's just spitting everywhere and there was nothing to do. I called them, text them nothing. So I'm like, I'm going to see if the jails and see if they had heard anything, and of course they didn't, and so I was like, okay, no hospitals, no jail. He's not at work, he's not answering our calls. Something's wrong. So I woke up my younger son and told him, your brother's not home. He's not at work, he's not answering calls or tech.

14:13 I'm gonna go walk his route to work, which is just a straight line, and when I get there, I'm gonna ask questions because they said that he wasn't even there when she got there. And he's like okay, And I told him if he comes in or he calls or replies to your text messages, you call me immediately. You tell him to wait, and he said, okay, mom. So then my boyfriend and I started to go out to the street. We're an apartment, so we had to walk a couple of buildings to the main road. And there's a fire station right in front of our apartment. And as soon as you get to the fire station, you'd just make a left and then you just walked right down for less than half a mile. That's where his job is and normally and I would go out there. I could see him walking. So we got to the street and I made the left and all I could see in the distance is a police barricade, all these cup cars and the tape up and do not pass and the street closed everything, And my heart dropped and I started writing.

15:07 And my boyfriend's like, calm down, and I was like, that's my son, and he's like, you don't know that. I'm like, it's my son. And we just ran and we got to the barricade and I just went to the cop car and I was like, excuse me, my son hasn't come home and he walks this street. He should have been home by six thirty. I need to know who that is. Because when we got really close to the barricade, in the far off distant at a light, you could see a blue blanket on the ground and I just knew. And cop was like, we don't know who it did. What's your son's name? And I was like Tyler Cartio. And he was looking in the computer and looking like I've seen any things, and he's just going through screens and I'm watching his face and his face changes and he's like, oh, I don't see anything, but let me get a detective to come over and talk to you. And I was like okay. So I'm standing there waiting, pacing, and I'm like if someone going to come. He's like, someone will come. Hold on and Auntie, I want to know what's happening. Ry anxieties high and I'm starting to get angry and I'm like, I need to know who that is. And he was like, someone's coming.

16:06 So I'm standing there. It's forty five minutes. I'm standing there and all of a sudden, a red van pulls up and it says being Expide Department and two women get out of the stand and they're like, hello, are you MONI? I said yes, and she's like, we're here for you. I was like what. She's like, we're from crisis response and we're here for you. I was like, why are you here for me? And she's like, oh, because aren't used the family of the victim. And I was like, so that's my son and she's like, oh, I don't know who that is. I'm like, then, why are you here for me? So she's like I don't know. Like she was so confused. I jumped over the barricade and ran, and the cop that I was talking to get information he was like stop, and I just kept running, and pretty soon all the detectives and cops that were down the road looked over because he yelled stopped and I'm running. So they all start staying stop and they start running towards me, and I make it all the way to the light called Glenn Rosa and maybe third Avenue on the south side of the light, and the blue blanket on the ground is on the north side, and so I'm standing there and they're like, you need to go back behind the line, and I was like, I need someone to tell me who that is, and they're like, we don't know. I'm like, I need to know who that is. I need for someone to tell me.

17:22 I said, is that is he Tyler Cardio? Someone at least tell me that. If you can't tell me who it is, tell me if that's Tyler Cardio. And it's like, we don't know, we'll talk to you. You need to just go back to the light. And I was like, I'm not going to leave here until somebody tells me who that is. And a cop put his hands up and he was like motioning me to go back, and he dropped something and I swear it fell in slow motion and it was the loudest drop and look and there was an ID face up with my son, So of course I was like, who is that? Why do you have its ID? And I'm like, somebody tell me something, and they kept telling me to go back, and I'm like, I'm not leaving. I started screaming, I'm crying, and then a detective said, okay, yes, that is Tyler. He has been shot and he has not survived. And I don't really remember a whole lot from that point because I dropped to the ground. I remember that because the crisis response came running to me and they're trying to help me up and try to give me water, and I'm crying. I'm hysterical, I'm been shot. I don't believe it. I don't understand, and they're like, you need to go back. We'll come talk to you. And I was like, where was he shot? And the guy sit in the chest and it didn't make sense.

18:33 So I go back and then they say a detectives on his way and I'm standing there and I'm hysterical, standing behind a stupid barricade while my child's on the floor. And I made a couple of calls to family. When I called my grandma and she's like, marry Christ and his baby, and I'm like, Grandma, and I'm hysterical. She's like, what's wrong, and I was like, it's tie. He was shot and she's like where is he? Is he at the hospital and I'm like, no, Grandma, he didn't live. He's dead, and she just drops the phone. And I had to make some of these calls. And I, of course, I didn't want to It's Christmas. I didn't want to be ruining everybody's Christmas. But I need to tell these people. I needed to tell my family, and it was horrible. It was so horrible. So at eleven o'clock, I'm sitting on the side of the road and the christis response when he's trying to help me and talk to me, and I'm just like, get away from me. I don't want anybody talking to me. And I'm waiting for my younger son to call me or text me. Now, I had just gotten him his phone that night at Christmas, and I didn't program his number in my phone because he was using my phone a lot to talk with his friends, so I didn't want him to happen to see in my phone Matthew and give away that I had just got him a phone for Christmas, so I didn't program it. I was like, I'll do it later, so I didn't have his new number in my phone as I'm standing on the side of the road, and when I left, I had told him text your brother to ask him where he's at. See if he repl to you. So I'm sitting there waiting. It's one o'clock. The detective fund

20:03 that comes and takes me back to a little command center in the van, and I'm across the street from where my son's at and I go on the span and he starts with the questions, is your son in the game? No? Is he in the drugs? No? And this other cop was like, I think it's going to be drug related. No, my son isn't into that. He's like, that's what all the parents say, and then they're shocked when they find out that it's drug related. I was like, that is not what happened. My son is not on drugs. And he's like, Okay, calm down, we'll just have to see. He was real jerk about it and it got me mad. So I'm answering the detective questions and he's like, who could have done this? I have no idea. Did you have enemies? Absolutely not? And he was just asking you the questions and I was giving him these answers, but he just kept looking at me and he's like, so you don't have any idea who would have done this? I'm like, no, are you close with your son?

20:56 I'm like, I'm very close. Do you know what he was wearing? And I described every single thing that he was wearing, and he's like, to be have anything on him? I'm like, he would have had his headphones, his phone, and his wallet, and he kept his wallet on his left side pocket of his pants and he kept his phone in his earbuds. I would tell him, and that's where they were. And he's like, do you know what was in his wallet? I had everything down. I was only off by three dollars on the amount of money that was in his wallet. So he's like, you do know your son? I do. And he's like, Okay, go back behind the line, let me see what's going on. I'm like, you know what it could have happened? I'm like, do you know anything? And he's like, you don't know anything. We just got a call that there was a man with a gun. I was like what. I'm like, who you know?

21:41 What? Time? I didn't know anything about this. I'm asking these questions. She's like, I can't give any information right now because I can't jeopardize the paint. And I'm like, that is my child. I need some information. So I go back behind the line and I'm so irritated and sad, and then shock and it's three o'clock and finally my son called me. He's like, Hi, Mom, guess what TI read my message? Isn't that great? And I just stayed quiet because you know, on androids, when you send a message, it'll say red. So that's what he got on his phone was red. And he was like, isn't that great? And obviously not. And I was like, oh my gosh. I'm like Mark is going to come and get you. I need you to get in the car with him, because Tie's friends also showed up. Two of his best friends since they started school together showed up with their parents, so the parents drove Mark back to our apartment, brought my son, and went back over there and he got out of the van and we're the only people on the street because it's all blocked off, and he's like, mom, wears tie and he's looking around and I'm just like, come here, and he's like, no, where's tie? And I start crying. He's like, Mom, where is he? I was like, oh, honey, he was shot. He's like, well, hospitals be at let's go now.

22:57 And I'm hysterical. I'm like, baby, he died and he just dropped on the ground two instead of crying. So we were there crying on the side of the road at three o'clock in the afternoon, went on Christmas and there's a crowd for me, and people are back and forth trying to see people are looking over the wall to see what's going on, and we just sat there. And luckily they had removed Hi's body five minutes before he called me at three o'clock, and I feel like that was probably meant to be, so that he didn't show up and see that his brother was laying underneath that blanket on the side of the road, so they had taken him. And then my son came and we sat there and we cried, and I called their father, and he came with their parents and they were crying.

23:38 Everybody was crying. And then his parents were like, maybe it's not him. Had you have proved did you see him? I'm like no, but they have his idea it's him. And they kept trying to argue with me, and I wasn't in trying to have any of that at that moment, and so I just started yelling, I just want everybody to leave me alone. So they did. More of his friends came. Three more friends came, so there was five total, and about forty five minutes later, two more came and they all sat there with us on the side of the road, and they hadn't blocked off still because they were trying to clean up where my son was. So the guy finally cleans up and pulled his truck down and stretched driving towards the barricade, and then he gets out and I'm like, can I go over there? And he's like, go ahead, and I just went running. I went running to where he was, and of course it was horrible because there was a big pool of blood that my son was laying in, and it was just all the blood was there, and I sat in it I felt like I dropped. I was sitting in it.

24:33 I was crying, and I just stayed there until a cop was like, we're going to have to open the street. And I just sat there crying, and his brother was crying on the side of the road, and we just sat there. Then they opened the street, and the first car that ran over the blood spot, my son, Matthew, was like duh. He started yelling, you're running over my brother. It was horrible. I hadn't try to keep it together to help him when I was losing my mind. So we lived there. It was about eleven o'clock and all of a sudden, the lady was like hey, and I turned around and she was leaning over the wall from her backyard because it faced the streets that my son was on, and she's like here, and she gave me a candle and a little bear. I was like, thank you. So I put the candle by this tree and the bear by the tree, which is maybe seven to ten feet from where on the road where my son was at.

25:26 As parents, it's easy for us to overlook the shortcomings of our children. We raise them to be strong and we love them unconditionally, and sometimes it can be easy to overlook their kindness, thoughtfulness, and the traits that make them special. Sometimes it takes perspective from others to realize the positive effect our children have on the lives of other people. After Tyler's death, strangers would come forward and share stories with Monique about how kind Tyler was to them. We'll take a final break and be back. So we just sat there.

26:15 I was crying, and then this guy and his mom came and they had candles, and he's like, I just wanted to tell you I'm sorry, and my mom wants to stay sorry too. We didn't know your son, but we always talked to him and saw him every time we'd go into Circle K. And this guy's like, your son was cool. Every time I'd walk in, he'd already have my cigarettes ready, he had everything I needed ready. You already knew I'm really going to miss him. And I was like, thank you. You know. The mom was like, I'm so sorry, and she hugged me and she was crying. And then more people have started coming and next thing, I know, that whole entire tree at forty nine candles outside of it from people bringing them and all strangers. Nobody that we knew, so we didn't go home until after midnight. We spent all of Christmas on the side of a road, and of course I didn't sleep. My son cried himself to sleep. I just laid there and shocked, crying. And the next day we had to start the funeral talk and I'm still out of it. My grandma came, She's like, let me help you. And I wasn't even paying attention. I didn't know what was happening. And we left to the store and we came back and that was a man and two new people that had already set up their cameras and everything at the bottom of our stairs and they were just standing there waiting, and I pulled into the spot with my grandma and they're like, are you Monek And I was like yeah. They're like, we'd like to talk to you about your son. So of course I did it because I wanted to put

27:47 it out there. I wanted someone to tell me if they knew anything, because they didn't have any suspects at that point. So yes, I'll talk to you, and we did the interview. They said it was going to air that night. They left, and my sons came and said, look, at this thing online that I saw and then said man found dead on the side of the road. Man hadn't been shot. The man is unidentified, and he wasn't a man. He was my baby. So I emailed the lady who did the story and I said, Hi, my name is Moni Cartiel, and that man that you keep referring to wasn't a man. He was eighteen. He was my son. He was my baby, and his name was Tyler. And she replied, we need to check to make sure this is that. These are facts. They're facts. I'm his mom.

28:34 And then she's like, would you like to do an interview? I said yes, and she said, okay, I'll get in contact with you in a little bit. This was through email. I said, okay, We left to the story. We came back and there was another news crews sitting out here. I did about three or four interviews that night and just trying to get the word out what happened and please somebody just with anything. That's pretty much how it went over. That whole weekend was interviewed and just everything was a messing made sense. I don't know. It was horrible, and especially to happen on a day as special as Christmas, and I had friends this year asked me, what are you going to do for Christmas?

29:14 And you know what, I don't do anything anymore because I was really close with my grandmother. I mean my entire life, I was close with her. I really loved her a lot. Even as a grown man. I used to call her and ask her for her advice on different topics. Yeah, and she passed away in two fifteen. I believe December the fifteenth. I just knew it was some time right before Christmas. So my Christmas of two thousand and fifteen involved me doing the funeral planning and me serving as a pallbearer for my grandmother. And that's kind of how I spent the Christmas holiday that year. And like I said, this was in two fifteen, and since then, I really haven't thought too much about Christma. I just treated as another day. I mean, I celebrate it from my grandson, but for me personally, I don't think about it too much. Yeah. Yeah, it's just how I feel. And I'll go to my grave probably never really caring about it too much. Because every time I think about Christmas, I think about my grandmother passing away right before Christmas and me being her pall bearer. So I know you had a more traumatic experience because your son died on Christmas Day. So I'm not sure how you would feel about Christmas.

30:33 But if you weren't celebrating it or thought didn't think much of it, I certainly could understand it. Well. My aunt and I both feel the same way. Regarding my aunt, she's my grandmother's daughter, So yeah, we both don't like Christmas. We both dislike Christmas. So so when you lose a loved one and you're bearing that person around that time, that holiday just really doesn't mean a whole lot to you anymore. And I hope that you maybe don't feel that way because you have another son, but you might feel that way too, Or he might even feel that way that Christmas just isn't the same anymore. The meaning of it is just changed. Yeah, he knows. He says it's not the same, and he gets worried because he's like, I get excited to open presents, but then I feel so bad because I'm excited to open them, but that's when my brother was killed.

31:30 I'm like, it's okay to be excited. You can still enjoy things. You're supposed to do. He would want you to, I said, But as for me, you don't mind me if you know I'm crying. I'm sad because I can't hold this in. I can't hide it, I can't pretend. So I'm going to be crying a lot and probably forever. On Christmas. Yes, and it's been what three years? Two years, justice past Christmas? Two years? It's hard to tell because it's right there on New Year's draft. So after your son passed away, tell me more about the details. He said that when he spoke to his co worker, this co worker said that he wasn't there when she arrived. What was that all about? So I went to his job the next day and spoke with the manager, Christine. I was like, I need to know what happened, because this is what happened on my end and what people told me. And I'm confused as to how this girl came to work, but my son wasn't here when she got here. And then she said, oh, that's not the girl that's always late. The girl that was supposed to be here called out. So I had called this other girl to come and take her plate, and she was like, I was still here, and then I told Tiler to go home because he had to work all those hours and he needed sleep, so I told him to go home. I would stay here and wait until this other person that was going to come in and cover that girl's

33:01 shift. I was like, Oh, that makes sense. And then she's like, we have no idea what it was they questioned us. They were asking us for information about customers and if we had your information, and I was like, when was this and she was like about seven o'clock in the morning. I was like, so you knew at seven o'clock in the morning that my son was dead and she's like, yeah, they were already here before seven. And I was upset because she knew. I didn't know. I didn't know until it wasn't confirmed until eleven o'clock, so I was upset. I'm assuming that law enforcement probably asked her not to say anything. I'm sure they wanted to be the one that told you about your son. I think that's how that works. But see, they never called me, and they never came over to let me know that my son is dead on the side of the road. Nobody contacted me. I found out because I went looking for my son that was at home and it was abnormal. That's how I found out. Yeah, what a way to find out. And I'm guessing that you still live in the area, so you probably drive past that crime scene all the time. Yeah. I still live in the apartment because I can't see myself to move because this is the last place that he lived.

34:16 So for now, I'm not ready to move. You may feel differently after your son gets justice, then you can close that chapter in your life and start focusing on healing from the loss of your son. Until Timothy Bell is locked up and the key is thrown away, you'll still have to deal with the stress of seeing him in court and have him to listen to him or his attorneys give a sob story about how his life's difficulties should keep him out of prison. So tell me about the investigation into Tyler's homicide. Well, it dragged out for probably a whole week. I was getting no answers and was getting irritated because it would talk to him and they say, Okay, we'll give you a call. Do you have any questions for And I'm like, yes, was it a white man and a black man? We can't tell you? Was it more? Than one. We can't tell you.

35:07 Where was he at when you guys found him. We can't tell you. I'm like, what way was he facing? We can't tell you. I was like, don't ask me if I have questions, if you're not going to answer my questions. That's how it was for that whole week. I could call and we're on it. We're doing what we can because it knew no, there's not And it was irritating because they weren't telling me anything. So I'm a distraught mom whose son just died and they're not telling anything. So I'm going to take this on myself. So I start walking the streets at night. From eleven o'clock at night until seventy eight in the morning. I would just walk and see these homeless people and ask questions. She'll pictures, ask if anybody knew anything, and I ran into a lot of them. One lady saw my son on the ground, This homeless lady, she said that she saw him and the cups had just arrived, and so she saw him on the ground. And another person was like, we heard the gunshots and we jumped over the wall and then we saw this guy running.

36:06 We were just telling me all this stuff. So then I would call the detective and I'm like, okay, I heard it. They saw some guy run and that he was a white man with black hair. And then he's like, thank you, we'll look into it. But he just founded whatever. And I was like, this could be something. They saw it, and he's like, we'll look into it. So it was nothing, and I would call and I would be like, okay, how about this person. People in this area said that there's this guy named Frankenstein. He's got a Frankenstein tattoo on his cheek and that he runs the streets and if anybody knew anything would be him. And then they're like, okay, we'll look into it. I was getting irritated because I was getting nowhere, and then we had a press conference at the police station, where as soon as I got there, they lit a picture over and said do you know who this is? And it was a black man that I had never seen in my life. I had no idea. I'd just stare at the picture and I looked at them and they're like, who is it. I'm like I don't know. They're like you've never seen him. No, They're like, is your son? Friends? With him. I'm like, no, I don't know him, and they're like, okay, this is who we believe.

37:09 Give me the suspect. And I was like, why, we can't tell you, and they're like, we're gonna do the news conference. We're gonna put the picture and the video of this man out and we'll see what happens. So we go into a room, all the newspaper are there, and the sergeant starts telling the story and then brings me up to talk and they released the pictures and the video and all the people start asking me questions and I broke down and I was crying. So a couple of days, I'm by. I was getting messages from everybody around here on Facebook, on the text message email of just all these black people they believe could be this guy in this picture. And the pictures weren't that great, so it's hard.

37:57 It was hard to even know who you're looking for. Oh, it just continues. And then that day it just happened to run into this lady. I was like, excuse me, do you know anything about this boy he was killed dunk Smith And she's like, oh, he's the one that they think the suspect. That black eye. I was like, yes, She's like, what I do know is we saw the pictures because they were posted all over the stores on here. We saw the picture of that man in the purple sweater and we think that on the twenty third he robbed and tried to kill a guy. I was like, what where And she's like, at circle pre right here on eighty third Avenue in Indian School. It wasn't throwing my son worked out, so I was like, at what time?

38:39 Tell me everything. She's like, it was almost one thirty in the morning. We were outside and her daughter does drug and they were out there with people that did drugs. So they're out there at Subust stop doing these drugs and she says she's standing there and she hears yelling and she looks over and she just sees this black man in a purple sweater on top of this young looking white male and he's got a gun and he's screaming and said, next thing she knew, employees were coming out yelling hey, and this guy got up and ran north towards the direction of my son's circle. Okay, And that was the first time they had seen him. And when the cops pulled up too. She said everybody took off because they all had drugs, so they left. I was like, thank you so much. So then I emailed the detective and I'm sure he was tired of hearing my stories, and I'm like, this is what I heard, and I taped it all out exactly how she told me that this guy was on top of him and he had a gun and then he ran. I sent it. One minute later, he's like, Monique's detective still, I guess. He's like, can you meet me today down here at the office. I was like, yeah, but what time? And he's like, come an hour. So I go down there and he takes me into a room and then he says, what I'm going to tell you need you to not say anything. I know how you've been this past week, and I know you're trying to find out what you can and you're doing everything you can, but I need you to not do that and let us do our job. And I'm gonna tell

40:14 you this in confidence that you're not gonna spread it around at all. And I was okay, and he's like, we've arrested him. I was like what. I start crying and he's like, we actually arrested him ways ago. I was like, why didn't you tell me? I've made so many calls to him those three or four days, asking questions, and he never went even said they had anything. He's like, I needed to not tell you because we didn't want the news to find out and then be bombarded with news media at the hospital. I'm off the hospital. He's like, he tried to kill himself. I was like what. He's like, yes, he shot himself from the head. He survived, but he shot his eye out. And then I was crying. I was like, why did he shoot myself? And then he showed me the picture of the guy the mud shot with his eye covered, and I'm just scared at it. As he's telling me what this I tells him, which is he was having a bad night because it was so cold. It was like thirty nine or something and he couldn't get warm, and he was walking down the neighborhood and he was so tired, and he started to sleep somewhere, and just as he fell asleep, it started to rain a little bit, not really hard. I mean we're in Arizona, so it's not hard rain. And I guess that enraged him because it was already cold, and now there's harder falling. So he said that he became enraged. He was tired of being homeless, tired of sleeping on the street, tired of being out in the cold, and

41:45 he wanted to take it out on somebody. And it could have been anyone, and it just happened to be my son that walked up on his way home. And he said that the man shot the gun. He didn't know how many times he had shot my son, but he knew he pulled the trigger more than once. So when I went to the funeral home, that was when I found out my son was shot four times and once in the back of the head. You know, I would tell me anything from the beginning, just everything was kept. Had I solved this case myself, do you think about it? I got this information and the story that the lady told me was right, and that's why he told me to come down. So Bell ended up being the guy who attempted to kill the nineteen year old at the other circle. K. He then managed to get away and would then kill your son days later. Is that correct? Yeah? On the twenty third, he asked this young kid who was nineteen years old. He asked to do have any money, and this kid said no, I'm sorry, I don't. And he was sitting in his car and he had a gun in the console and he saw that. This guy looked at his gun, then looked at him, and then he just go for the gun and this kid tried to wrestle with him, and then Timnitsy Bell, the man ended up being on top of this kid. He said he put the gun underneath his mouth, his chin and put the trigger that he said f you, and then pulled the trigger. But because it wasn't holstered, he didn't have one in the chamber, and that's the only reason why he was alive.

43:13 And so when he had pulled the trigger, that's when everyone came out. And then you could hear the police the sirens, and that's when he got up and ran. Now did they know who he was after this happened? Did anyone know that it was Timothy Bell at the time? Oh? Wow, they just knew who this guy. They knew because when they got the call that somebody tried to commit suicide and it was downtown, he had left the whole area. I guess he was laying based down ground shooking. A runner that was just running underneath this little bypass area downtown saw him and all this blood and called the cop and so they take him to his hospital. They picked the gun, and I guess they took the gun downtown to run test. Another sergeant that had been off all week because of all.

44:00 They came in and said, when he was getting briefed on everything, he's like, this sounds like it's the guy that was on eighty third Avenue in Indian School that tried to kill the kid. And it was. And then they said that they have found out his name was Tim, but they didn't anything that was just from a homeless person. This guy said he didn't get serious because it was somebody on drugs. He was homeless and rambling, but he didn't take it serious. But if he would have, I don't know if that even would have made a difference. But I don't know. I feel like they probably wouldn't even have caught this man. If this guy didn't try to kill himself. That's the only reason why they caught him. Yeah, and it's too bad they didn't capture him after he attempted to kill this other guy, because had they captured him then and put him in jail.

44:47 Then your son would probably still be alive today. Yes, so after all this, haddn't The mother of that kid contacted me and she still checks on me often, and she said that her and her husband went down to the Circle Kate because their son calls and the cops for him, and he was scared, and the mom and dad were both like, are you going to go find this guy? He went this way, and the cops told them, no, We'll just let him do whatever and he'll come back out. He's homeless, he's gotten nowhere to go. We'll get him. So they didn't even attempt to go looking for this guy at all. So after Bell survives his suicide attempt, is he arrested immediately after. Yeah, he's finally out of surgery. He's going to be released, and I guess they had cops down the thought outside the rooms that he wasn't going to go anywhere.

45:36 But then they officially arrest him and it's at the hospital and he charged with second degree murder and he was on probasial. He got in trouble for having the gun a prohibited weapon, and an armed robbery from taking the gun from the other kid, and so he's got these charges and everything starting to come into place, and it all starts to make sense. And then he's looked into the Fourth Avenue jail and then I get the phone call, and then they want my email so they could send you some paperwork about him being a resident. And then I get a paper that says that he's been charged with first degree premeditated murder. And they did that because he in his own words, he said, rage made me shoot someone. It could have been anyone.

46:22 And he saw my son coming, so he stood where he was and waited, and my son got close and he said hey, and my son had his headphones on and he didn't hear. And then the guy waved his hand and said hey. Emerson said hello, and this guy, I said hey, what's up? And my son said what's up? And the guy just pulled off the gun and start shooting him. So that was the encounter. There was no reason rage made him shoot someone. That's what he tells everybody that pushtions him. At all the reports and all the notes that I have from the cops, that's rage made me shoot someone. I saw in an article that he was supposed to have gone on trial last November, So tell me about that. Did he go on trial last November? There's not even been a trial. Weird at the very beginning, we've been going to court for about a year now. Every other month there's court, like a case management. It's like less than five minute. They just go in and say what motions are firing and this and that, and then they're like, okay, we'll set a date, and they set a date and then that's it. Always less than five minutes. So you're still waiting for a trial date. Yeah, that's because that's a death county case in Arizona. They're supposed to have two lawyers, so we had to wait for one lawyer and then we had to set off all these court dates to wait for another one.

47:43 And then they do this interview process where a judge asks all these questions to these lawyers and they answer, and then the judge determines if these lawyers are capable of handling a capital case. And so there was six months that we just waited with all these questions about these lawyers. I mean, they got to but we will finding him making a lid of the progress and his denying getting evaluated for his mental health. He wouldn't do it. He kept refusing, and then all of a sudden, two months ago, he decides they're gonna plead in. Sanny and his lawyers came in and said, we've already seen two doctors and we have their report saying that he is incompetent of being able to stand trial. And the judge is like, you can't do that. We have to assign these doctors. You can't just take it upon yourself. So they were getting folded by the judge. And now the second lawyer is withdrawing from the case because he's going to move. So now we have to wait two more months for another court date to interview another lawyer to be his second lawyer. So we're rewinding, we're going back. It must be really frustrating for you. It is. The detective said that it's hopp going to be a year after two years, and if there is a trial, I'm assuming that you will be attending. I've been at every single court date this man has, even the ones that he doesn't appear at because he receives this transport. I've been every single one. I'm going to go to every single one. I have been on this since the day my son was

49:16 killed, I had no problem talking to any of these people that were scary or questionable all hours of the night. I did not care. If I could places with him, I would do it in a heartbeat. There isn't anything that I wouldn't have done for him and that I won't do for him. So I'll be there no matter what happens. I'm going to be there. There isn't anything that's going to keep me from it. I don't blame you. I would definitely show up for court. Also, now, is there a Facebook page set up in your son's honor or one dedicated to his case? I have a Facebook, he has his own, but I don't know how to turn it into the memorial thing. I tried to follow the step and it doesn't come up right on my phone, so I don't know. But that's another thing. That Christmas night, I wrote this story.

50:00 I don't know if you saw it on Facebook, and I titled it Justice from my Son, and it had picturesque it told the story and it blew up. Then the news thing showed all of a sudden. It was my phone was being and I would just keep refreshing, and it was getting shared and shared got shared ninety. I'm sure there are a lot of people out there who want to see your son get justice. The world truly lost a fine young man way too early. Yeah. His life hadn't even started yet. As far as I'm concerned, he was still a baby because he didn't have any life experience. Yeah, and in looking back, you had said that you never wanted him to work at the circle K. I'm guessing it's in the back of your mind that this may not have happened had he worked somewhere else. As a parent, I'm sure that this thought has kept you up at night. Yeah. And of course none of this is your fault or even your sons. He just wanted to work and save money or a truck. And I'm sure you've heard the word clos you're mentioned. Unfortunately, there is no such thing. You just learn to live with the loss of your loved one and that's it. You don't have a choice. All you can do is try to carry on and heal from the loss. You and your other son can lean on each other and support one another and getting through Tyler's death. Yeah, I don't think it will and I don't expect it to he was my world and he's gone even worse. The animal who killed your son is still alive and hasn't paid for what he did to Tyler,

51:34 and you may not be getting a resolution anytime soon, so this will probably live in your mind rent free for a while. So there was a court date yesterday and now I am completely stuffed out because two months ago they wanted to tea insanity because they're saying he had schizophrenia. But now do the whole he's inconstant thing because of the physical damage to his head, his brain when he shot himself. And so now I'm married because that is a problem. It's real. He did do a lot of damage to himself. So now I'm scared that you know that he won't be found competent, and then all this research I've done, it says that if they are found incompetent and not able to be restored, then they can't get charged with anything. And if they find him mentally incompetent to stand trial, he could spend some time in a mental facility. Yeah, prosecutor said that he would go to a hospital and stay there for an amount of time until he's rehabilitated enough to be put back out with society, and that just makes no sense. So he's going to be found incompetent when he purposely killed my kid, and he even said it in his own worth, and you're going to release him, And then what if within a year he kills someone else if he was already deemed incompetent because of my son's case, if he's just going to be incompetent all the time, I'm hopeful that your son's killer receives a stiff prison sentence and spend the rest of his life in prison without any chance for parole. So my

53:04 last question that I would have for you is what would need to happen to Timothy Bell for you to feel like your son received justice. He needs to be in prison for the rest of his life. If they decided to give him the death penalty, I wouldn't be opposed to it, But what I want is for him to just be in jail prison. He told the cops he's shot himself because it would either shoot yourself or the rest of your life in prison, and that's not what he wanted. So I want him to live in prison forever, to always just know why he's there. And I don't want him to die necessarily because from a parent, anybody that hurts your child, you'd want to kill them. But I think that would be what he wanted and it would be too easy for him. And I feel like he survived his own attempt at suicide. I feel like that was for a reason. That was because he killed my son. He wasn't going to just get away with death and not to have any kind of consequences. I just don't want him to be free because I know that at some point he's going to hurt someone again. He's got a criminal history and he doesn't care.

54:13 He attempted to kill this kid before he tried to kill my kid, So this guy shouldn't be out at all. And if I could keep him in prison for the rest of his life and keep another family from having to have this kind of encounter with him and save them from this kind of pain that I'm going through, then I will do it. I will do whatever I have to do because I wouldn't wish the feelings that I have from the loss of my son on anybody, not even my worst enemy. And that concludes the story of Tyler Cardial. He was an innocent young man who did nothing but work so that he could save his money and buy a truck. He enjoyed playing video games and wanted to attend college. He was close to his family and friends. He had no criminal record or substance abuse or alcohol issu she's Unfortunately, he would never live to see his dreams become a reality.

55:04 Instead of spending Christmas Day opening gifts with his mother and younger brother, he would be killed while walking home from Mark. For now, Monique Cardiel and Tyler's younger brother both continue to wait for justice and fear that kill or Timothy Bell may not face justice. If you have any information about this case or Timothy Bell that you would like to share with law enforcement, you can contact Silent Witness at four eight zero Witness or you can dial one eight hundred three four three tips. And if you are a parent, law enforcement official, friend, or relative seeking justice for an unsolved homicide case, please visit my website and complete the contact form. You can also contact me through Facebook.

55:51 Thank you for listening.