Ghost Boat

It's unclear where Archer lived after arriving in Hialeah. Some say he stayed with the Zarabozos, while others contend he resided at the home of another Cuban family in the Miami area. No one is sure how he spent his money or how often he saw Guillermo Zarabozo, but a September 12, 2007, meeting was captured on tape. An in-store camera recorded the two men walking into Lou's Police Supply and purchasing two gun cartridge clips, court records show.

Eight days later, on Thursday, September 20, Zarabozo bought cell phone airtime and a SIM card under the name Michael Zoiou at a local phone store. That evening, the twosome hung out at Monty's, a bar overlooking the Miami Beach Marina. With luxury condos looming above and million-dollar yachts docked just feet from them, Archer and his young friend were a world away from their scruffy lives.

That night the pair checked into a room at a faded Days Inn in Hialeah.

On the morning of September 22, Donna Van Laar's phone rang in Kalamazoo, Michigan. It was her granddaughter. "Did you get your present?" asked Kelley, giggling. She had recently taken the kids to Disney World and then sent her grandma photos and a bottle of orange blossom perfume for her birthday. Donna thanked Kelley for the gift. "I love you," Kelley said happily, and they hung up.

Here's what Kelley didn't mention to her grandmother: Jake had a charter to Bimini booked for that day. She planned to go along to swim in the ocean and fish on the return. She and Jake dropped two-year-old Taylor and four-month-old Morgan off at Jake's grandfather's home and then headed out to sea.

Kelley wasn't the only one excited about the trip. So was Jake; it was his fledgling business' first Bahamas charter. The clients, later identified as Archer and Zarabozo, would pay the $4,000 fare in cash. They said they planned to meet up with girlfriends in Bimini. The two guys had found the Joe Cool while wandering around the Miami Beach Marina, looking for a ride. At least two charter services refused them. Then they came upon Sammy, the 27-year-old first mate, who was hanging out on the boat alone when they approached.

Sammy was a South Florida native, an expert fisherman and a laid-back guy. Friends describe him as unbelievably funny and a fan of the movie Scarface. When the two guys inquired about going to Bimini, Sammy asked why they couldn't fly. Archer explained his girlfriend had accidentally packed his passport.

On September 22, Jake, Sammy and the other first mate, Scott, headed out for an early-morning fishing charter and returned around 1 p.m. Thirty-five-year-old Scott, Jake's older half-brother, was born in Miami, moved to Arizona, and then returned to South Florida in 2006 after a bad breakup. He was like a best friend to Jake, sharing a love of the open water and big-game fishing.

Kelley joined the three men, and they all drank beer while awaiting Archer and Zarabozo. The pair showed up fifteen minutes late, toting six black duffel bags. Jake's cousin, Jon Branam, a co-owner of the charter business, stopped by to collect the fares. Jon later recalled Archer seemed like a "real nice guy, likable ... I didn't really see anything wrong." Archer had frosted blond hair and a goatee; Zarabozo was quiet, dark-haired, and handsome. Before they left, Sammy ran over to a shop at the marina to buy some bait.

Jake piloted the boat past Monty's, the luxury condos and Fisher Island. Halfway to Bimini, an onboard GPS would later show the boat turned 190 degrees back toward Florida. Then it revolved a second time until it was headed 170 degrees south, toward Cuba. This was likely Archer's plan all along, federal agents believe: Go to Cuba and hide out from the child sex abuse allegations, the Arkansas grand theft charges and the custody battle with his ex-wife. After all, the Caribbean nation has no extradition treaty with the United States, and he could live well there off of the duffel bags of cash.

What happened next is something of a mystery, but the following version would come from a jailhouse snitch, who claims Zarabozo recounted events aboard the Joe Cool while he was in a federal lockup:

Archer told Jake to turn the boat around. He refused. They began to shout at one another. Archer pulled out a 9 mm pistol and pointed it at Jake. Kelley yelled frantically to Sammy and Scott. "Call the Coast Guard! Now!"

The young bride likely watched as Archer shot her husband. Then he fired at Kelley, Sammy and Scott.

Zarabozo tossed the four bodies overboard while Archer tried to navigate the boat through the choppy Florida Straits. At that point, his plan collapsed. Maybe he found that piloting the Joe Cool was difficult. Plus Archer was incensed that Zarabozo could find only one shell casing. They decided to abandon ship and float to Cuba on a life raft.

They threw the gun into the ocean and climbed aboard the rubber vessel. It was probably late Saturday or early Sunday; by that time, Jake Branam's family had informed authorities of the yacht's tardiness. The Coast Guard began searching the waters off the Bahamas.