BWI Investigation Finds Crucial Evidence That Helps Lead to Acquittal in 2021 Brentwood Arson Death

A client of attorney David Raybin and Berry-Waltz Investigations (BWI) has been acquitted of aggravated arson by reason of insanity. The case stemmed from a deadly fire at a Brentwood home in August 2021 that claimed the life of the client’s father.

Local media covered the case after the Metro Nashville Police Department quickly identified a suspect, a young man who was found bleeding and bewildered in the front yard of the burning home. He was charged after arson investigators said the fire started in his bedroom. Police told media they believed the father died searching the burning home for his son.

What the public did not know at the time is that the client, whose name is being withheld, has a lengthy history of mental illness. He is now receiving in-patient treatment for bipolar disease at a mental hospital.

BWI Private Investigator Stephanie Alexander quickly went to work on the case, speaking with family members, canvassing the neighborhood, and interviewing neighbors. She learned that leading up to the deadly fire, the client was in a mental episode in which he thought he was on a movie set. “He started a fire in his room for ‘the movie,’” Stephanie says. “He didn’t realize there was anyone else at home.”

Client’s Prior Recent Erratic Behavior Witnessed By Neighbors And Family

Stephanie also learned that weeks prior to the deadly fire, the client had been acting erratically and had raced his car through multiple neighbors’ backyards, eventually crashing headfirst into a tree and catching his car on fire. During that bipolar episode, “he truly thought he was a NASCAR driver,” Stephanie says. “He wrecked his car and they had to pull him out of the burning car.”

The car crash evidence Stephanie found was pivotal because the young man’s actions were captured on neighbors’ Ring cameras and recorded on 9-1-1 calls, defense attorney David Raybin says.

“Stephanie found there were many people who had seen my client acting in very bizarre ways around the time of this fire, and she found a lot of these people had Ring cameras on their doors, so they actually had pictures of my client in that mental state,” David says. “Before the evidence disappeared, she was able to acquire these Ring camera images and give the pictures to me of my client acting in a very bizarre sort of way. That was very helpful to our defense.”

9-1-1 Call Recorded Client Amid Severe Mental Distress

Another key piece of evidence Stephanie found was 9-1-1 recordings of the car crash episode. Neighbors had called police saying the client was acting oddly, and his own family members had called 9-1-1 for help. Stephanie says the 9-1-1 calls were heartbreaking because they even captured a family member rushing to the client’s aid and expressing concern.

The client is also heard on the 9-1-1 call in severe mental distress.

“It was really bad,” Stephanie says. “I think listening to that, in real-time during an actual episode, there was no question that this young man needs medical help and should not be in prison.”

BWI Private Investigator Stephanie Alexander Found Key Evidence To Help the Defense

Attorney David Raybin says Stephanie delivered what his experience shows is most important to jurors – trusted evidence from laypeople.

“A doctor’s testimony is critical, and jurors rely on experts, but they also want to rely on lay testimony, the testimony of non-experts. So does a district attorney,” David says. “That is extremely difficult to get unless you have an investigator who can go pound the street, so to speak, to find that evidence quickly before it evaporates, and it’s gone forever.

“The value Stephanie brought to the case was, number one, jumping on the case immediately and canvassing the neighborhood to try to find witnesses, and then, secondly, going backward in time to find evidence of other instances where the client had done something bizarre where the police were called.”

This case is the second in which BWI has provided investigative services that helped David Raybin secure an acquittal by reason of insanity. The earlier case – which Stephanie also investigated – occurred eight or nine years ago.

Stephanie Alexander of BWI Treats Clients As She Would Want To Be Treated

Stephanie says she worked this case as she works all her cases – by doggedly following up on every piece of information she learns during her investigation.

“It’s all about following the evidence, being thorough, and working with your team,” Stephanie says. “With David, he assembles a big team for a reason. He sets out a plan, and he’s very eager to know your thoughts. He wants to know everything, and he wants to stay on top of everything. When I told him what I found and that I’d ordered the 9-1-1 calls, he said ‘I can’t wait to listen to them.’ And when I gave him the calls, he said, ‘Oh, my God, I’ve never heard anything like this.’ The client’s mental episode was recorded live on the call.”

Stephanie expressed thanks to the Davidson County District Attorney’s Office and Metro Nashville Police Department for handling the case with sensitivity.

She says the client’s family members were instrumental in helping the defense even as they grieved their tremendous losses. Stephanie says her heart goes out to the young man’s family, and she was grateful to be able to help them.

“I treat them like I would want to be treated if I were in their shoes. There’s someone out there to be in your corner.”