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Ashlea Harris, a 31-year-old assistant manager at American Eagle Outfitters in Fort Worth, Texas, was killed in November 2014. Her killing was both brutal and shocking, capturing national attention and eventually becoming the subject of true crime TV. Harris was found dead in her apartment the day after Thanksgiving, a day historically famous for Black Friday store sales.
The police probe uncovered that her killing was not random but the result of a premeditated plan by two former co-workers, David Mallory and Carter Cervantes, to get back at her and gain money. The case facts, as emerged from police and court records, provide a chilling tale of deception, brutality, and premeditation.
According to investigators, Harris had previously identified Cervantes and Mallory as suspects in a shoplifting incident at the store, leading to their termination. This act of loyalty to her boss made her the target. On the evening of the murder, Harris reportedly was attacked at her apartment—tied up, beaten, and strangled—and her apartment was burned in an attempt to mask the crime.
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The motive was clear: the assailants wanted the store's keys and safe keys, intending to steal the Black Friday profits. The investigation revealed cold-blooded evidence, including text messages detailing the planned crime, video surveillance, and a so-called "murder kit" bought days before the attack.
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The Dateline: Secrets Uncovered episode, titled Black Friday, covers the murder of Ashlea Harris. It aired on the Oxygen network on May 28, 2020, at 9:00 PM, according to TV Insider. The show is also available for streaming on platforms such as DirecTV and YouTube TV.
Five of the most chilling facets of Ashlea Harris's murder
1) Harris was targeted by former co-workers seeking revenge
As per Oxygen, Ashlea Harris was killed by Carter Cervantes and David Mallory, both of whom had previously worked with her at American Eagle Outfitters. She had helped identify them as suspects in a store theft involving $18,000, and as a result, they were fired.
Police and court records indicate this act of reporting them made Harris the target of their vengeance. The killing was not a random act but a premeditated attack by individuals who believed they had been wronged by her.
2) The assault was savage and systematic
As per CBS, the crime scene showed that Ashlea Harris had suffered greatly. Firefighters discovered her body after they put out the fire in her apartment. Her feet and hands were bound with duct tape, and she had blunt force injuries to the head and face, along with trauma to the throat and neck compatible with strangulation.
As per Oxygen, authorities stated that the autopsy indicated a "rage killing" and that Harris was tortured before her death. The brutality of the assault shocked both investigators and the public.
3) The killers used fire to destroy evidence
As per Oxygen, after murdering Harris, Cervantes and Mallory set fire to her apartment in an attempt to conceal their crime. Investigators later concluded that the fire began in Harris's bedroom and that rubbing alcohol had been employed as an accelerant, even though it is of low flammability.
Police characterized the blaze as an "afterthought," intended to destroy evidence and slow the identification of Harris' murder. However, the fire did not eliminate evidence from the crime scene.
4) The motivation was to rob Black Friday earnings
As per CBS, the motive for the murder was money. The only items stolen from Ashlea Harris' apartment were keys to the American Eagle store and its safe. As per Oxygen, Cervantes and Mallory intended to use these keys to break into the store and rob the Black Friday bank deposit.
Surveillance footage later showed Cervantes attempting to break into the store with the stolen keys, not realizing that the locks had been recently changed following the death of Harris. The scheme was thwarted, but the motive was evident: the murder was carried out to enable a robbery.
5) The crime was carefully planned
As per Oxygen, police evidence confirmed that the murder was premeditated. Their text messages showed meticulous planning for the attack in the form of purchases like shovels, gloves, duct tape, rope, and a tarp—referred to by the prosecutor as a "murder kit." The duo even identified a possible burial ground to bury Harris, but instead decided to set the fire.
The inquiry also revealed Ashlea Harris's DNA on firearms in Cervantes' vehicle, and undercover cameras recorded Cervantes cleaning evidence to delete fingerprints. These acts demonstrated a high level of planning and intent.
For more details about the murder of Ashlea Harris, watch Dateline: Secrets Uncovered.
