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The Miseducation Tara Correa McMullen · Minor Mischief Podcast

• Kiki George: What happens when the quest to find your own way ends in irreversible consequences? This is the Minor Mischief Podcast and this is the Miss Education of Tara Correa McMullen. Welcome back. Welcome back. Welcome back. Welcome back. Welcome back to the Minor Mischief Podcast. I'm your host and home girl for the time being, Mrs. Kiana Amir. And thank you for hanging out with me. Happy May and all that. Even though, like, May, sister, are you okay? Like, May had places to be. She had people to see. She dipped a toe in the pool and was like, hey, y'all, I'm about to head back inside. Like. May flew by and maybe she just wanted to get out of the way so that we can enjoy our summer. I'm not sure, but May like phew. She like it was just May 1st and now it's it's May 21st. Like what in the world? Anyway, whether you're having a hot girl summer, a lukewarm summer, a busy summer, a frigid summer, a summer where you're keeping your head down and minding your business, or a summer where you are going to be outside, be safe. That is all I ask. So today's episode, child, I feel like I go through this every week. Like I'm literally searching up and researching children's crime stories and I get surprised when I find them. And then I get even more surprised when I read them and I'm just like, what the hell? What I guess cause like when I look at my kids and my kids are not perfect. They are not. They have they have all collectively put me through collectively and individually. They are not perfect. But just reading some of these stories, I'm just like, what when did you start thinking like this, you know? But regardless, today we are headed over to the beautiful state of California, Florida. You are off the hook this week. California, my eyes are on you because I do believe this is our third case in California, which would make you second most crime-ridden states for minors that we can find. I should actually look up the statistics on that. But anyway, this week we're in California, where we meet our mischief maker, who also unfortunately just so happens to be our victim, Miss Tara Correa McMullen. Tara Correa McMullen was born Shalva McMullen on May 24th, 1989. So happy birthday to you, Miss Tara. And she was born to her mother, Mary Deborah Correa and her father Thomas McMullen. And as a mother to a young lady born in May, I want to Take my crown off and hand it over to Miss Mary. Because that May baby is turning me every which way but loose. And she's been like that since birth. I love her, but she be putting me through it. Now, Tara was born in Westminster, Vermont, and this is where she spent her childhood with her mom and her older sister Abigail. Because according to sources, Thomas was not very present in her life. So Mary was the sole parent. financier, like she, it was all on Mary. And so in 1996, when Tara, you know, Tara's about six or seven, and her Mary packs up, her and the girls, and they move over to California. Now, they lived in different parts of California, but when you search like where they're known for being from, most articles say Venice. And I do believe it's because that's where Tara went to high school. So we'll focus on Venice this week. And Venice, California is known for its vibrant beach culture, its thriving art scene. And apparently, if you're living in Venice, you better have some money because it's expensive. But I think Vermont's expensive too, if memory serves me right. Venice is also known for its world renowned boardwalk and some really good shopping and dining. So shout out to Venice. can't wait to get on that boardwalk. So Tara was said to be a challenging kid, but a very talented kid. She was described as a real sour patch kid. Like Someone who could be super sweet in one instant and in another moment be real sour. There are other ways we can say that, but for the sake of today's story, we're gonna say she could be real sour. And like I said, I understand because I have one of those too. I literally had to tell her this morning that it's not her place to give her brother a pow pow. She had my baby crying. And why would she do that, right? So Tara was said to be the girl that stood out in a crowd and she had an infectious personality. And I've told y'all about that. Now she did finish up elementary school and middle school in California. And at the time of this story, she was a student of Venice High School, Go Gondoliers, which is no lie, probably the most unique mascot we have covered thus far. But don't get it twisted. Venice High School is lit. It was the scene of the movie Grease. it was the scene of the movie A Nightmare on Elm Street, Matchstick Men, several glee episodes, and Britney Spare's classic video for Hip Me Baby One More Time was also. filmed in Venice High School, just to name a few. Tara, you know, got in there and she was a lover of the arts. So she got in there, she auditioned for the choir, got into that, you know, did lots of performing arts things and was very passionate about her craft. Sometimes she would spend her lunch breaks practicing instead of eating. She was said to be a pretty good student whose passion was for her craft. You know, she was super talented in performing arts, super talented singer, super talented musician And, you know, she just really had a knack for the things that she was interested in. Like they basically made it seem like she can do anything. She can do all things. and I love that for her. Even though things were looking up for them, life was still pretty challenging for Tara and her family at this time. I'm not sure if this was always the career or if Miss Mary got this job after they moved to California, but she landed a role as a casting. it's not a casting director, it's like a casting cons a casting agent. Thank you. That was gonna drive me crazy. So she got a job as a casting agent. Unfortunately, I was unable to find what company she was working for. Now, I thought that casting agents made a lot of money because you know, when you think about that life, like you're discovering talent, you're giving people opportunities, you're working on these movies. But in today's day and age, like in the year of our Lord, twenty twenty-six, on May twenty-first. The average casting agent makes about $70,000 a year, which should be a good income. But by today's inflation standards and by the cost of living in the state of California, you're gonna need more than that. $70,000 don't even take you far in North Carolina. So I can only imagine. Regardless, Tara and her family were said to live in a hotel in a very poor neighborhood near her high school. And I'm sure that there were days where they just felt hopeless or upset because when you're going through a hard time. On the outside of it, things always get better. Right? Things will always get better if you let it. But when you're going through that and you're in this CD hotel, you know, as a mom and you're with your two young daughters, you're going to feel like you're gonna feel like you failed. You're going to. So for me, I had moved to Virginia back in 2019. No plan, just vibes in the Lord. And We didn't have a place to live. And you know, me and my kids ended up in a hotel for from like June to August. So two months. And it wasn't all bad. But at the end of the day, it was hard. And I cried a lot of tears. And it was impossible to do anything because what was it? There was something I needed to do. Even for my job, because I did get a job in Virginia, I was just like, I don't have an address. I'm living at a hotel. And they like, Well, we gotta put something in the system. You know, it's just it's hard. Cause it's just like you can't get the job because you don't have an address, but you don't have an address because you don't have any money. And so I just I empathize and I understand. So regardless, they made it work. And even though things were pretty tight at home, as Mary was a single mom who works too hard, who loves her kids and never stops. Love and determination simply does not pay the bills. So now it's 2004. Facebook had just launched. Usher released the confession album. And that confessions album had me in a choke hold. George Bush was just elected president. Gas started rising uncontrollably. Seems like not much has changed in 22 years. Motorola Razor signaled big changes in tech. Shrek 2 was released, and the hit show Friends. just came to an end. And in 2004, we find Miss Mary busy at work in her casting agent job, and a role comes up for a female basketball star in a new movie starring Martin Lawrence. And so they were looking for a young girl, but they were looking for a young girl that could hold her own around the boys, who was tough, but also had a soft side that would really be seen through the screen, you know? And so they're getting Different child actors coming in. And, you know, child actors are typically petite. They're typically, you know, because they want you to look young. They want you to look innocent. They want you to be small around these big adults. And so, you know, the these actors are coming in, these child actors, and they're just like, nope, you don't look like what we envisioned. No, you you're not as tough as we envisioned. No, you're too tough. We need you a little softer around the edges. And so Mary's looking at all this going on, and she's like, I feel like my daughter would be perfect for this role. And so she goes to her boss and she's just like, listen, I'm just gonna take a stab in the dark here. I think my daughter might be perfect for this role. Would it be okay if she came and auditioned? And so her boss is like, Listen, girl, what is the worst that can happen? And so they schedule Tara to come in and she comes in and blows the producers away. She came into the office and read for the role of Big Mac in the movie Rebound. And the producers loved her. They were like, no, like this role literally was made for you. And I love when all things come together. So Tara at this point, she gets the role. She's shooting. She's, you know, on set with Martin Lawrence. And what was the guy from Even Stevens, the little boy? What was his name? It's not Gibby. That was iCarly. And I'm not gonna hurt my head about this. But you know, she's. A real like bona fide actor now, actress. And after Rebound was released, Tara was on top of the world, honey. She started earning money. And soon the places and experiences that seemed so impossible and the things that she wanted and yearned to do, but it's just like we don't have the money for that. Like we're living in a freaking pay by hour motel. Suddenly those things became accessible. And she was truly living her dream life. And her family and friends were super proud of her. And Mary was able to move her and the girls out of the inexpensive hotel where they had been living and they got an apartment in LA. Now, something about LA that the locals know, but outsiders such as myself don't, is that you can literally walk through anywhere in LA and it's gonna look nice and safe. And I can truly attest to this. So my sister-in-law was, I'm pretty sure she was born and raised in Compton, right? Ooh, if she heard me say Compton, she would be so mad. She was born and raised in Bompton, right? And so we went to Bompton for her family reunion. And we were walking through, you know, just going, we had rented a car and we drove from the airport at LAX and we drove out to Bompton. And I'm like, these houses are beautiful. Like the lawns were very well maintained, the grass was green, it's just sunny, the weather's nice, the trees are beautiful. And we were in the middle of the hood. And it was truly like, I was like, this cannot be, because I'm from New York. And in New York, you can tell. You can tell. When I lived in Florida, you can tell. And maybe there are certain parts of LA. I I was there for four days. I did not see everything. But there are certain, like, I feel like in Florida you can tell. New York you can damn sure tell. And I feel like in North Carolina. 50-50, because some of the hood in North Carolina actually looks really nice. But you can tell when you're in the country in North Carolina. Anyway, so they move into this apartment, they go and they're just like, okay, this neighborhood is nice. It's sunny. The lawn is nice. The grass is well maintained. Yes, we'll take it. But they soon found out that at night, their neighborhood was a hotbed for gang violence. And so after the success of Rebound, Tara was cast in a recurring role in season five and six of the hit Emmy Award-winning TV show Judging Amy. So in Judging Amy, she played Graciela Reyes, who was a child gang member who found herself in some trouble for having a knife in her backpack. And as an actress, Tara was said to be authentic and innovative, and she had no issue taking risks or changing things on the spot while on set. So the role was written for only one episode, but after working with Tara for that one episode, they were like, no, we have to keep her on the show. And they called her the spine of season six, and they decided to basically revolve season six around her character. And I guess this is the point where her life starts to imitate the art. After starring on Judging Amy, Tara began to show up to school less and less. Part of her absence was her work schedule because she filmed episodes for judging Amy for eight-day stretches at a time. And the other part, I'm guessing, was like, listen, I'm making money. What do I need you for? Like, I don't need to know reading, writing, and arithmetic. I know acting. I know ball. I know money. You know, and I listen, I'm just saying, I would have probably just put her in homeschool at that point. And With her absences, Tara started stepping further, further, and further and further away from those close to her, and she started hanging out with, you know, a different crowd. Now, she had been in a relationship with this young man, and his name is Maurice. And her and Maurice, like, they were dating for about a year and a half and they were inseparable. Like, he thought she was the most beautiful girl in the world. She was all about him. They spent a lot of time together. And so Tara, you know, she's filming, she's hanging out with these new friends, and finally she's just like, Maurice, I love you real bad, but let's just be friends, okay? And he said, you know, he was like, I'm crushed, but he respected it and chose to remain their friends. Now, after her and Maurice broke up, she gets into a relationship with a twenty six year old man by the name of Christopher Avery. Tara was fifteen years old at the time that they started dating. Now, Chris was very much not like Maurice. Maurice was, you know, a straight lace high school student. And Chris was a very well-known gang member in LA. And he was known as a dangerous person who found himself on LAPD's radar a lot. Specifically for a case where I guess there's this building, it's a known like hangout for the Crips. And Christopher Avery, he's blood affiliated. He was part of his neighborhood blood gang. And there's this known hangout for the Crips. At at least at this time in life, and it's called the blues, and it's like this apartment building. And I don't I guess they call it the blues because it's like a crypt hangout, but also like the building I think was pink. So I was very confused. But that's kind of like the pink houses, I think, in Miami, because I don't think those are pink either. Anyway. so Griss Avery is out, he's doing what he does, and he's just like, you know what? Today's a great day to cause some trouble. And so he goes and he shoots up the building, and a person dies as the result of their injuries. Now, the rumor is that Chris shot up the building. We don't know that for sure, and that's why he wasn't in jail. So Tara and Chris start dating, and Tara is getting further and further and further away from who she was. And I'm not gonna lie, if I was Tara's mother, I might have had to go over there and lay Chris on I might have had to go over there and lay into Chris's ass about my child. But she said that he was very volatile. He was very aggressive and she was scared. I'm gonna let y'all know. I'm never scared. I don't care. I will I will go there. Okay. All right. But Mary said that she was so uncomfortable with Chris in general that she didn't even want him in her home. She went on record to say that she called the police on Chris again and again and again and again and again. To where the people down at the police department were like, Y'all Mary's calling again. Y'all Tara's mom calling about Chris again. Y'all, Mary's on the phone again and she was just she was just like they're not doing a whole lot. Like she reported the age difference. She reported the fact of what he was into and she was like, they just did not give her any, not a rice grain of help. And I'm really sorry that happened because he should have been in jail for statutory rape at the very least. But I digress. After dating Chris, like I said earlier, Tara's personality changed completely. Like she went from floral age appropriate bright colored dresses and skirts to baggy clothing, gang attire, darker clothing. She went away from having these beautiful bright blue eyes to her eyes just being dark and sad and just empty. And Tara never quite admitted to being in a gang, but she did surround herself with gang members and gang affiliates. The story of how her relationship with Chris began or how they met is unknown, but once Chris got his raggedy hands on Tara, Her life changed and not in the direction that we would have hoped for. Now I'm only calling Chris Raggedy because he is. And also, what 26 year old man is interested in a 15, 16 year old girl? She is a child. You nasty bastard. He should have been under the jail, in my opinion. She was a child and he was a grown ass man. He should have never been allowed around her and they should have arrested him. when her mom called. But you know how that goes. So, you know, at this time she's still working on judging Amy and her fellow c cast members and the showrunners, they're just like, something's up with Tara, like. And so, you know, they're talking to her. When she comes on set, they're just like, you know, Tara, you okay? What's going on? Like, talk to me. And she did. She opened up about her relationship and, you know, just Being in a weird space in life. And the you know, they really talk to her and they're just like, listen, we are family on this set. You don't have to live this life. You have a good job. Like you're, you know, at this point, she's turning 16. It's like you're 16 years old. You like you're an actor, like any child in America will want your life. And baby, they're correct because in 2004, Kiana would have wanted that life too. I'm just saying. But no, you know, I had to go to school every day. Unfortunately. None of their attempts to pull Tara out of the relationship with Chris worked. And Tara was determined to live her life in her own way on her own terms. Well, in some heavily influenced by Chris terms. Now the people on The Judging Amy said they felt partially responsible for the path that Tara was going down because they felt like, you know, had we not had her play this character and h had she not been studying on what it's like to be a gangster and what it's like to be these things, maybe she wouldn't have found herself in this crowd. And to that I say, I mean, she probably would have, because of honestly the neighborhood they were in. And the only person that could have stopped Tara from doing that would have been Tara. Eventually, Miss Mary decided that a change of address and a change of scenery was an order. And that for things to get better, she was just like, listen, we need to get out of this neighborhood. I found someplace away from here. And I think, you know, let's move. And so they, you know, begin packing up and Tara w she was like, No, no. I'm gonna stay in Englewood and I'm gonna live with Chris. They would have had to peel me off her. I'm not gonna lie, they would have had to peel me off her. They would have had to peel me off of her 'cause I probably would have jumped on her. I'd have been like, My you are not stupid. I did not raise you stupid. I did not raise you stupid. You're being stupid and I know I didn't raise you stupid. They would have had to peel me off her. I'm just I'm just saying to like Tara wasn't going for none of that, but neither would I. Regardless, I don't know what the context of that conversation was, but Mary let her live her life, and her and Abigail ended up moving. And Tara stayed and she got her own place and she moved in with Chris. Over the course of her Tara's relationship with Chris, Tara's loved ones began noticing like bruising and scratches on her. And so they're constantly like, Tara, you don't have to live this life. Like you don't have to be with him. And I guess, you know, Tara was like, What Lil Wayne say, Ray Charles to the bull. Mary recalled a time where Tara came to visit her and she was super upset. And she questioned her and she's just like, Tara, like, what is going on? Like if something is going on in that apartment, you need to let me know. And Tara was just like, Chris, lock me in a room. And he threatened to blow my brains out if I leave. And I'm sure Mary was like besides herself. We would have had to move again. I'm not even gonna to I'll be like, maybe let's get out of California. Like, what one thing about me, one thing's for certain, two things for sure, a girl will move. I hate moving, but I will. I'm not staying anywhere where I feel unsafe. I'm not. Now Maurice, remember Maurice is Tara's boyfriend from high school. He also recalled a time where Tara missed his birthday, which is something that she would never do. And when he saw her text, well, no, not her text. When he saw her like the next time they saw each other. He said she had bruises all over her. She was wearing sunglasses. And he asked her to take them off. And when she took them off, her eyes were like completely black and blue. And he questioned her, like, what's happening to you? And she's just like, you know what? I I got put on with a gang and you know, this is such is gang life. Her family does deny that she was gang affiliated, though. In a last attempt to pull Tara off the path that she was going down. The producers of Judging Amy made an attempt to bring her on the show as a regular and give her more scenes. So they're just like, listen, let's rewrite this, put her in more. That way she can rededicate herself to her craft. And so they called and they're just like, listen, we're gonna take up more of her time so that she has less time for this. And her rep and her mom reached back out to the show and was just like, hey, she's not interested in playing this role anymore. And they were literally like, winded by this. They said this like came out of nowhere because again, what kid doesn't want to make money? What kid doesn't want to be a star? What kid doesn't want to be in Hollywood? And Tara like has this opportunity at her feet and she's just like, I'm good, you know? And as they're trying to like rewrite the show, they're just like, we gotta figure out how to I guess get rid of all these scenes, Tara walks in and she's just like, you know I I'd rather do this face to face, but yeah, I'm I'm really interested in just stepping back from the show. And so they're just like, Hey, hey girl, can you at least finish out the season? Can you at least like just give us the episode that you signed up for? I don't know how TV works, but I I figured like, wasn't the contract in order? Like, hey, I'm you're signing this and you're gonna work these episodes. And if he breaches contract, it's gonna be a problem. I don't know, but regardless, they were willing to let her go if she was determined not to. And so She's in there, she's talking to them and they're just like, hey girl, like at least finish out the season. Like give us what we paid for. And she's just like, Mm, I just I don't know if I can do this. Like, I don't know if I could be on TV. I just I did something that I can't get away from. you know, the in my relationship and my boyfriend, he's in a gang and I don't wanna be targeted and I just I can't be affiliated with the show because You know, there's this rumor going around that I can't get away from. And apparently the rumor began to swirl around the community that Tara had actually killed someone to be in this not gang with Chris. And so, you know, they talk and they're going back and forth. And finally at the end of the conversation, they're just like, okay, listen, just give us one day and one day only. And Tara's just like, okay, one day and one day only. And they got to work. And so the day comes and Tara shows up for her one day. They said that like the mood in the place was so thick. Security was heightened. There were just people, like extra measures in place just to make sure that Tara was safe, just to make sure that nothing was happening outside the building, that no one that didn't belong came inside the building. Like it was just very, very heightened security that day. And so Tara, you know, she's sitting in her dressing room and like someone, I can't remember, it was one of the showrunners. I can't remember her name. I didn't write it down. But she said she was sitting with Tara and she's just like, you know, you don't have to do this. And Tara was just like, no, this it's all over. Like, it's all over. I'm gonna finish this and then this is it. This is it. My life, like, it's over. And so they tried again, they're just like, don't quit your calling, like. Don't do this. Don't go down this path. But like any sixteen-year-old girl madly in love with her partner, or like any sixteen-year-old girl deathly afraid of their partner. Her attempts, their, you know, their attempts to get her to not go down this path, it all went in one ear and out the other. But they felt everyone on set collectively said they felt that this was the last time they were gonna see Tara alive. As part of my research for this episode. I watched the show Death by Fame. It was season two, episode one, which tells Tara's story. And the showrunner from Judging Amy, like I mentioned, she said when they got done filming the episode, she was in the room with one of the writers. And she says she don't she doesn't know what made her do this, but she turned to the writer and she was just like, I really do not want to put an in memoriam on this last episode. I don't want to do that. And, you know, the writer is just like, What you know, why would you say that? She's just like, Tara's living a dangerous life. And I'm just, I'm concerned about her and the company that she's keeping. So now it's October twenty first, two thousand five. And I remember this night vividly because it was the night of my sweet 16. And my mom threw me a surprise party. And I thought everybody had forgotten my birthday. So I was in a pissy mood because there were these other girls that had a their birthday was two days after mine. And I remember word of their party going around school. And I'm just like, everybody got invited but me. Because there were these invites going around school. And then finally, I found out that the invites were for me. And I had a great time. But I was in a pissy mood all day. And leading up to because my bonus dad was the one that took me to the party. And so he's just like, Come on, let's just go out. Like, I know you like forgiveness steak. Let's go out to forgiveness steak. And I'm like, all right, whatever. So I'm in a bad mood. And we pull up and he's just like, I just gotta grab something from my friend real quick. It was like this building. There were no cars outside. And I'm like, all right, go get your stuff from your friend. I'm staying right here. And he's like, can you please at least indulge me and just walk in the building with me? And I was whatever. So I get out and I have an attitude and I walk in and like my family's there, my friends are there. It was a great time. Anyway, while I was in the pissy mood slash in a very surprised mood, a 911 cult goes out in California that three people were shot outside of an apartment building. So police and medics report to the scene and they find a frantic crowd gathered outside the apartments. And Tara and two of her friends, Jonathan Turnage and Jakari Smith, were laying in the hallway. Shot. Now, take it back a little bit. Tara and Jonathan and Jakari, they're outside and they're sitting on like these planter boxes on the sidewalk outside their apartment building. And like the planter boxes, I guess, they're just like tall boxes with like some grass and stuff in them. In New York, we sit on the stoop, you know, stupid kids afraid to leave the stoop. But I think in California, people kinda like sit In front of their apartment on the planter box? I don't know, but they were sitting on like this area outside the apartment building. And so they're chilling, which also boggles my mind because Jonathan and Jakari are grown. Why are you all in the company of a 16-year-old girl? Like somebody in this situation gotta use wisdom. But I digress. Anyway, so they're sitting outside on this planter box and this gray Toyota pickup truck pulls up. And so they're sitting there and they're talking amongst themselves. And one of them, I'm not sure if it was Jonathan or Jakari, it wasn't specified. One of them looks back and sees a guy exit the pickup truck with an assault rifle. And so he grabs the other two and they take off running. Unfortunately, when they turn the corner into the hallway that would lead to the apartment, he fires into all of them and just completely sprays them with bullets. Responding officers arrive to the scene and they're just like, okay, we have three people severely injured. Medics come, take them to the hospital, and they get there and they're like kind of observing the scene and they're just like, there were eight shell casings on the floor and tons of bullet holes in the walls and the ceilings surrounding Tara, Jonathan, and Jakari. And so Tara was rushed to the local hospital. She was shot five times in the torso. So she's in an ambulance, she's being rushed to the hospital. Jonathan's in an ambulance, he's being rushed to the hospital. Jakari also being rushed to the hospital. Now Jonathan and Jakari were treated for their wounds and they were released and they survived. But unfortunately, three hours after the shooting, Tara succumbed to her injuries and was pronounced dead at the hospital. Police, they're just like, okay, we need to figure out. Who this girl even is. She has no idea on her. There's no one, you know, saying that they know her name. They just know she's a girl that lives here. And so they're in the neighborhood, they're processing the scene, and someone comes out and hands one of the investigators a VHS tape of the movie Rebound. And they're just like, hey, that girl that was shot here, she was in this movie. I don't know her name, but I know she was in this movie. If you watch it and match the character to the name, then you'll be able to find out. Who she is, and then you know, you'll be able to notify her family and whatnot. So the detective, he goes back, he pops the movie in, and he's like within the opening credits, he sees her and her name. And he's just like, okay, now I know what we're working with. The following Monday, the news of Tara's death spread through the hallways of Venice High School and shocked everyone. Maurice was devastated. Her friends were devastated. Her teachers were devastated. And it was just truly a sad and emotional day for every student, teacher, counselor, and staff member of Venice High School. Tara's funeral was held on October 28th, 2005, at the Forest Lawn Mortuary in Hollywood Hills, California. She was cremated thereafter. And fun fact, the majority of her life insurance money went to the age appropriate boyfriend that we talked about earlier, which makes me wonder. I'm just like, is she not was she just male centered? Because I couldn't imagine at sixteen leaving my life insurance money to my ex boyfriend from high school. I just I would immediately I would just leave it to my parents. And can 16-year-olds like legally list their beneficiaries on life insurance? Like my 16-year-old, he he knows nothing about his life insurance policy. And I'm gonna keep it that way until he's 21. And he's not gonna know nothing about my life insurance policy until he moves out this house. So detectives are getting to work. They're trying to figure out, like, okay, we need to find out the identity of Taurus Killer. And then so they're going through like the scene of the crime and then they're looking at, Other things and they're just like, wait a minute, there were two other very similar shootings in the surrounding areas. And everyone thought that Chris Avery was involved in some way because this has to have something to do with him, right? So police receive a tip from an eyewitness at the scene of the first shooting, and they're just like, hey, we saw a gray pickup truck driving away from the scene of this shooting, and they matched it with the gray pickup truck at the scene of Tara shooting. And it was at that point that they identified Taurus Killer as Damian Watts, aka Lil Chop. After the Chopper. Chopp a stop, chop, chop, choppa stop. Lil Chop. Lil Chop was born on March 29th, 1985, and he is a very decorated member, honey, of the Roland 60s Crips in LA. And apparently, I don't know much about this, but the Roland 60s Crips were apparently one of the first Crips sets in the LA area. they were formed in the late 70s, and some notable members and affiliates are people you may know, like I don't know, Nipsey Hustle, corrupt, and rapper Kwando Rondo, which no shade, I've never heard of that last person. He's from Savannah, Georgia. I've just never heard of him. On May 1st, 2006, they were just like, okay, now that we know who this person is, let's find him and let's arrest them. And they did not have to look far because Lil' Chop was already. In the LA County jail after being charged with the shooting death of 31 year old Thomas Sanders, who was just loading laundry in his car when he was shot and killed. So they added the charges of one count of murder and two counts of attempted murder on him and they set his bill at three million dollars, which was not posted. The first thing they wanted to figure out though is why? Why would this man randomly pull up to Tara's apartment building and target her? Then even though no clear connection was ever made, the speculation was that this was in retali in retaliation for Chris shooting up the blues. Now, a question that I'm sure you guys want to know is while Tara was outside getting shot, where was Chris? Where was Chris, you ask? Baby Chris ran. Mind you, Chris was outside with Tara, Jonathan, and Jakari. And when that car pulled up, Chris, his ass took off in a very punk move. And he ran through the security gate and slammed it shut so that nobody can come in behind him. Chris ran. He took off. Did not look backwards. He did not collect go, did not collect $200. Chris was out of there. And I'm I like I said, I feel like that's a punk ass move because Chris, if you're gonna be about that life, be about that life. Be about that life because you brought her into it, and then you left her to die. I have no respect for you. You can go to hell. So Damien's trial started in February 2009, and Damien could not care less about what he was being charged with. He couldn't care less about these people. He couldn't care less about none of that. He was relatively unbothered the whole time. He showed no emotion. He showed no remorse. And he was just like, go ahead and give me my time. I'm I'm good, give me my time. Which honestly, I'll give him a little credit for that. I feel like I would have loved for him to show remorse because at the end of the day, you killed two people at least. But hey, those probably were not the first two people he killed. And but I do, I can appreciate the honesty because if you don't care, then just don't care. What I don't like is when people get up on the stand. And it's not that you Mackenzie Sherilla. It's not that you care she stay catching straight. I'm sorry. It's not that you cared about the person or what you did. You cared that you got caught and that you're having to face the consequences. So I'll at least give him a little credit for taking the consequences and just rolling with it. Because he really could have been Mackenzie Sherilla. I'm just saying. So during the trial, an eyewitness testified, the same person that said they saw him in the gray pickup truck, who was unnamed, praise the Lord. Keep her her or him safe at all costs. And they were not scared. And they testified against him. They walked into that trial, pointed his direction, and said he was the one that did it. And that was all they needed. He was sentenced to consecutive life sentences in prison without the possibility of parole. So he is going to die there. Which brings me to where are they now? Christopher Avery was shot and killed on September sixth, two thousand eight, at the age of twenty nine, almost exactly four years after Tara's death. And I'm here to tell you that karma gon'eat y'all up every time. I promise you. I have seen it happen too many times. Keep your heart pure, keep your intentions pure, and love all people. Because whatever you put out, you are going to get back. He was apparently walking home and these two men walked up to him and one of them shot him in the head. R. I. P. to Chris. Only because he was a human being. Rot in hell to Chris, because I feel like you didn't serve enough consequences for what you did to our girl Tara. I could not figure out if his killers were ever found because when I was searching up Chris Avery's case, apparently there's a local story here in North Carolina about a young man the same age, same name, Chris Avery, who was shot in Winston, Salem. And most of the articles I found were about him. So R.I.P. to that Chris Avery. Now Miss Mary went on to become a motivational speaker, warning youth about the dangers of gang life and gang affiliation. She tends to maintain a low profile nowadays and rarely speaks on her daughter's case and does not respond to comment. And Tara's name lives on to this very day, but her family does want y'all to know one thing. And that one thing is that Tara was never in a gang and she killed no one. And you know what? I am going to let you guys have it. She was never in a gang and she killed no one. Tara Korea McMullen would have been 37 years old this month. So happy birthday, Tara, once again. Which brings me to my final thoughts. Out of respect for Tara and her family, I'm not gonna speculate on whether or not I thought Tara was actually in a gang, but let's really unpack the lesson of this story. I think at some point, some young ladies go through, and young men, they go through a phase where they feel like street life is appealing. It's fast money, you feel like you're on top of the world, you earn the respect of everyone around you, and you're feared by everyone around you. But there is that story never ends well. In all of the gang stories I have ever heard, I can only name one person that I know of. That got out unscathed. I'm sure there are others, but there's only one person that I have seen documentary-wise that got out unscathed. Like she literally was just like, I'm getting out of here. It's usually death or jail. The streets do not love anybody. And yes, living life right is hard. Every single day I'm like, you miss the baking soda with the what? Because it's hard. You know, getting paid biweekly. Monthly, semi-monthly, like things happen today. But the truth of the matter is if you plan and use wisdom, you can make it. Everyone else does everyone else does. And yes, some days are hard. But guess what? Some days on the street are gonna be hard. It's better than losing people that you love and care about constantly. It's better than watching your back constantly. Me personally, if I was in Mary's position, I would have dragged Tara and we would have left. wherever like we would have left. And I know that's hard because it's just like, you know, she was established by this point. She had a good job. You know, she had finally gotten out of that area they were in. And I get that, but I just I hate that no one was able to talk her out of it. I would have had to drag her. I'm not even gonna lie to you, I would have like, baby, you have no choice, get in the car now. You can get in willingly, or I'm gonna beat your ass in this car. But you're getting in the car. And I feel like I feel like LAPD failed them because Mary was asking. She was calling. She was reporting over and over. And they were like, ma'am, we don't get involved in things of this manner. You don't get involved in a 26-year-old man dating and living with a 15, 16-year-old girl. She is a child. And I feel like she was unprotected. And I truly do feel like Mary did the best she could. I just, like I said, if it was me. As a last effort, I was beating her ass in the car and we were leaving. We were leaving. Period. If y'all wanted to stay in California, maybe Anaheim. Like I just anywhere else. Anywhere else. Arizona. Arizona. But it's just it was just a very sad story. And just always remember, yes, that life is appealing, but it never ends well. And that is the end of our show. I do have a quick correction to make on the chilling case of Craig Sorger episode. Jake Eakin, who was our mischief maker on that episode, actually reached out to me. And he said that he actually enjoyed the episode. He was like, I don't listen to true crime crime and I don't listen to this case. It's you know, cause I was in it. But I really did appreciate your telling because it was very accurate and it was the most accurate one I've heard. And to that, Jake, I say thank you. Cause I'm an artist and I'm sensitive about my stuff. But he did want to relay that I did get one thing wrong. And he said he did reach out to the Sorger family and he did apologize. And it his apology was accepted. So shout out to you, Jake. He did apologize. He has served his time and he has moved on. And so I was super excited though. Like I was like, my gosh. Look at you found us. Spread the word, seriously. and that's the end of our show. If you are interested in any case suggestions, wanna chat, wanna talk about whether or not you thought Tara was gang affiliated. Because it'll be just us. You can send me an email at minor mischiefpodcast at gmail.com. follow me on TikTok, Minor Mischief Pod, Instagram, Minor Mischief Podcast. And I love you guys so much. Like this, I don't know, this podcast has truly become such a safe space for me. And even though I be, you know, I go on rants and sometimes I say mean things. I truly do appreciate y'all for rocking me. really thought I was a nice person. I thought I was kind. I thought I had a well placed filter. And on yesterday my family sat me down and was like, no, baby, you're mean. And you have no filter and you speak your mind a little too much. I just did not think that was the case. But the people that live in my house and the people that live in Florida say that's the case. So Thank you all for tuning in. love you all to life. And until next week, stay mischievous, friends.