Ghost Boat

The cutter's crew found the empty Joe Cool after a daylong search. They quickly turned up four 9 mm shells, Zarabozo's ID and cell phone and blood on the boat's stern. About twelve hours later, on the morning of Tuesday, September 25, the Coast Guard found Archer and Zarabozo in the life raft. They were carrying a blow gun, some darts and 22 $100 bills.

Helicopter rescuers lifted the men from the raft onto the cutter. Interviewed separately, they told a wild story of Cuban pirates who came out of nowhere and attempted to hijack the yacht, killing the crew but somehow sparing the passengers. "They further described a third boat that subsequently arrived, took the three hijackers off the Joe Cool, and sped away," a federal report said.

But the men hadn't coordinated their alibis properly. "According to Archer, two hijackers wore shorts and T-shirts, while an older hijacker had on dark cargo pants and a T-shirt," the report continued. "[Zarabozo] said the three hijackers were all in polo shirts and jeans.... Zarabozo stated that the female was shot prior to Archer being on the fly bridge [the steering area of the boat], and Archer said he was next to the female on the fly bridge when she was shot."

Zarabozo also told investigators he was forced to clean up the blood after the shootings. Then, he claimed, he napped for eight hours. "He was sure of the length of time he had slept because he had set his stopwatch."

Other disturbing details emerged. Federal agents discovered the four spent shell casings matched a box of ammunition Zarabozo had bought in February 2007. They also found an empty handcuff box at his mother's house — and authorities assumed the small key found aboard the Joe Cool fit a pair of handcuffs. Meanwhile, local and national reporters swarmed Zarabozo's mother's house. She spoke briefly to America TeVe, a Miami-based network, about how her son met Archer in Cuba; neighbors told newspaper reporters that Zarabozo was a quiet kid who would never harm anyone.

Jake Branam's family in Miami began to learn of the horror about the Joe Cool. So did Kelley's. In Kalamazoo, Donna Van Laar was making a batch of peanut-butter cookies when her husband David came up from the basement. "I just saw Kelley's picture on TV," he said. The Coast Guard, they would all soon learn, had given up the search for bodies after only three days.

U.S. District Judge Paul Huck's court is on the tenth floor of the federal building in downtown Miami. The walls are dark mahogany, and the carpet is the color of rust. Seven round Art Deco chandeliers hang from the ceiling. Heavy curtains cover the windows. It's uncomfortably cold.

Judge Huck is best known for overseeing the trial of lobbyist Jack Abramoff, whom he sentenced to five years in prison for the SunCruz Casino fraud case in 2006. But worldwide media attention returned to his courtroom when Archer and Zarabozo were charged with murdering the Joe Cool's crew.

When the two men file into the room for a December hearing, Huck doesn't look up.

Five lawyers represent the men — three for Zarabozo and two for Archer — and everyone huddles around two tables facing the judge. Federal lockup has not been kind to Archer: His spine is rounded, almost in the shape of the letter C, and his eyes have shrunk into narrow slits. His once-blond hair has turned a dull brown. He wears a perpetual smirk and a goatee that appears ridiculous in the serious courtroom.

Zarabozo, on the other hand, looks fresh. He's tall and strapping, with latte-color skin and a neatly trimmed buzz cut. He smiles at his lawyers and turns to grin at his mother and sister, who are sitting on benches a few rows back from the defense table. He looks like a Labrador puppy, eager and naive. And naive he may be: During this court hearing, the lawyers and the judge discuss whether to admit as evidence his description of the crime to the jailhouse snitch.

Both Zarabozo and the snitch (whom thesmokinggun.com identified as a "Miami thug" named Antwan Hall) are represented by the federal public defender's office. Prosecutors claim this is a conflict of interest. More snags are anticipated. The state must try a murder case with no bodies — just DNA from the blood on the boat and circumstantial evidence.

The trial is months away, so relations between the government and the defense are still cordial. "You're all great lawyers," Judge Huck gushes. "That's the great thing about this case."

When the hearing ends, Archer walks from the courtroom first, led by federal agents. He passes within a few feet of Zarabozo's family but doesn't make eye contact.

Guillermo Zarabozo grins and gives his mom a thumbs-up.

A week later, on the 23rd floor of the county courthouse, a less-watched drama is playing out. Judge Sandy Karlan ponders where Taylor and Morgan Branam will live. There are more lawyers and even more complexities involved in this action than the federal murder case. Leanne as well as Kelley's sister Genny filed for custody. So did Jeannette Branam — the children's great-grandmother — and her son Jeff. Great-grandfather Harry Branam Sr. is also seeking custody.