MIAMI – Police investigating Miami police officer Carl Ronald Patrick's homicide said they found two handwritten notes related to the crime. One implied that the killer had time to listen to Patrick talk about his last wishes, as he was dying.
The note police found on the kitchen table in his house, 2180 NW 93 Ave. in Pembroke Pines, was short -- "It was an accident we had a fight."
The other note was inside Patrick's black BMW, police said. It was not entirely legible. Detectives think a portion of the note said, "we had a fight. We struggle with the gun, so please know that I was scared to call the police. Oh, he left his money to Andrea."
READ: Warrant for Tiniko Thompson's arrest
Pembroke Pines Detective Carl Heim said in his statement that all the evidence pointed to Patrick's girlfriend Tiniko Braddy Thompson, 46. It took them 21 days to arrest her on a charge of second-degree murder.
"Some evidence has come back that's allowed us to prepare the case," Pembroke Pines police Capt. Al Xiques said. Miami Police Chief Manuel Orosa said the homicide was "a terrible tragedy for us all."
Thompson was being held in Broward County jail without bond Thursday. Her attorney, Rod Vareen, said she was acting in self-defense, but police believe the May 7 murder was premeditated.
The evidence shows that the gunshot wound did not kill him immediately, and that there was time to call for help to save his life, police said. Thompson took his Samsung cellphone away from him, after she shot him, so that he couldn't call for help, police said.
The One and Only Local 10 News Crime Specialist John Turchin obtained a copy of the Broward County arrest warrant for Thompson's arrest.
Here is what police say happened after Thompson killed Patrick:
WEDNESDAY, MAY 7
Thompson was lying to Miami police: When the Miami police officer did not show up to work that Wednesday, as he was scheduled to, his supervisors called his cellphone. Thompson answered and did not tell them he was dead.
Instead Patrick's supervisors said she told them that she was with him and that he was driving her to the hospital. The supervisor asked to talk to Patrick; Thompson hung up. Another supervisor called again and said Thompson claimed she was in the hospital with Patrick, but that he had walked out of the room.
Pembroke Pines police said that instead of calling for help, she took off her clothes tainted with blood and changed. She then put the clothes she was wearing when Patrick was shot in a plastic bag, police said. And she put them in his car with a towel that was also tainted with his blood, and put his phone in the car.
Thompson drove Patrick's car to self-storage facility Value Store It, 901 N. Miami Beach Blvd. in North Miami Beach. About 8:45 a.m., she parked his BMW at the storage facility, and for about four hours, she calmly unloaded and stored items.
Miami-Dade police officers later searched the storage unit and found documents, women's clothing, bedding and boxes full of new supplies for a newborn baby.
THURSDAY, MAY 8
Surveillance video shows that Thompson returned to the storage unit in North Miami about 3:13 p.m., a day after Patrick died, and was there only for a few minutes.
FRIDAY, MAY 9
Police have a parking receipt that shows Thompson was at Bella Vista Park in North Miami at 8:56 a.m. May 9. That Friday, Thompson's mom, Anne Braddy, called police at 2:47 p.m., and said she had talked to her daughter on the phone. Her daughter was threatening to commit suicide, she said.
Witnesses told police they saw Thompson arrive at her mother's house, 2097 York St. in Opa-locka, about 3 p.m.
Opa-locka police officers were dispatched to Braddy's home. Officers said they noticed Thompson had minor injuries. She told the officers she would not talk to them unless her attorney was present.
Meanwhile, Pembroke Pines police officers were dispatched to Thompson and Patrick's home. His Miami police car was in the driveway and they learned from Miami police that he hadn't been to work in three days.
CRIME SCENE
Officers broke into the home, and here is what they said they found:
There was blood on the master bedroom door's frame and on the bathroom's door frame. Inside the bedroom room, there was a man's body and a semi-automatic firearm. The man was on his back on a tiled floor that had blood. His body was between the bed and a wall, which also had blood marks.
The body was wrapped in bed sheets and a comforter that had burn marks. It looked like something was lit on fire and then placed on top. He wasn't wearing shoes. The comforter did not cover his feet. His right foot was missing a sock.
When police removed the bedding, they saw the victim was wearing a Miami police uniform, and had suffered a gunshot wound.
According to the medical examiner the bullet entered his right inner biceps area, and pierced through the back of the arm in the shoulder area. His body was pressed against a hard surface when it happened.
The medical examiner also confirmed Patrick was shot once, and the injury would have been survivable with medical assistance.