I Am a Killer Season 2, Episode 9 recap: A Silent Order

Netflix/Crime+Investigation UK’s I Am a Killer: Brandon Hutchinson.

In the previous episode, I Am a Killer examined the story of Cavona Flenoy. Episode 209 details the murders of Brian and Ronald Yates at the hands of Brandon Hutchinson and two accomplices. As the episode begins, Brandon told us he can’t believe he committed murder (and we’ll use past tense referring to him, as Brandon Hutchinson actually died in 2019).

At the time of the interview, Brandon Hutchinson was speaking from the South Central Correctional Center in Licking, Missouri. He resided there for shooting and killing the Yates brothers on January 1st, 1996. This was his first time publicly speaking about it.

I Am a Killer: How did Brandon become a killer?

Brandon was born in Ventura, Cali in 1974. He left home in his late teens, telling us he had faced sexual abuse. In addition to some conventional therapy, Hutchinson turned to meth and alcohol. Before age 18, Brandon Hutchinson ended up having a child. However, he says he was too busy with drugs to take care of his kids.

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Hutchinson ended up in Mount Vernon, Missouri, supposedly for a new start. A man named Freddy Lopez married his cousin, and Brandon ended up working in his garage/detail shop.

However, Lopez dealt drugs, along with someone named Michael Salazar, which made it harder for Brandon to say away. It was in this area that the murder took shape.

On Dec. 31, 1995, there was a New Year’s Eve party in Freddy’s garage. Brian and Ronald Yates were at the party playing dominos. According to Hutchinson, they made disparaging racial comments, which he told Freddy about. He says Freddy started shooting, then Michael Salazar stabbed Ronald Yates.

Then, when Ronald was trying to escape, Brandon dragged him away and kicked him. The two bodies were put in the trunk. When they realized one was alive, the vehicle was stopped, and Brandon went out, opened the trunk, and executed them. In retrospect, Brandon says he should have “stuck up” for the Yates brothers.

Other voices

I Am a Killer provides other perspectives, of course. Walter Metevier, who was a Deputy Sheriff at the time, shows where the bodies were found. He also notes that Brian Yates was identified by teeth from a department of corrections number. We also hear from Freddy’s ex-wife, Kerry Lynn Lopez, who says Brandon talked the others out of bringing the Yates brothers to a hospital

We’re then whisked away to Mount Vernon, Missouri, where we hear from Matthew Hutchinson (Brandon’s brother), who thinks Brandon was a fall guy. He says Freddy was a “bad, bad dude” and suggests Brandon is a “gentle giant.” Michelle Strand, Brandon’s ex-wife, tells us she moved to Missouri to support Brandon, and so he could have some interaction with their kids. Hutchison, Lopez, and Salazar were all tried separately, with Brandon initially being sentenced to death in 1996.

Salazar

I Am m a Killer also interviews Michael Salazar, who resides in the Southeast Correctional Center in Charleston, Missouri. Salazar admits to shooting the Yates brothers initially, saying he was not thinking. He received life without parole. In a bit of irony, he suggests that he originally left California due to gangs and drugs, only to end up imprisoned for murder “in the middle of nowhere.”

Odd luck?

We learn that Freddy Lopez testified against them in exchange for a lesser charge of 2nd-degree murder. On that note, Kerry (who, again, is his ex-wife), still blames Freddy for his role in what transpired. There’s an odd twist of fate, however: Along the way to being sentenced, members of Freddy’s family actually won the lottery, allowing them to get a high-priced lawyer named Dee Wampler.

It paid off, as Wampler got Freddy to serve two 10 year sentences, which was eventually reduced to 8 years. According to I Am a Killer, Freddy put money in a trust fund for the Yates family, as a way to make amends.

Back to Brandon

Other details are revealed about Brandon Hutchinson. His sentence was reduced to life without parole. He divorced Michelle in 2001.   He also said he thought Freddy Lopez manipulated the system.

In a confessional moment, Hutchinson admitted that he didn’t feel remorse for his acts until he watched a mother crying about a murder on TV, which made him think of the Yates’ mother. He also said he didn’t set out to harm anyone that New Years’ night.

What are your thoughts on I Am a Killer? Let us know in the comments!