The Murder of Ivanice ‘Ivy’ Harris
For this case, I watched an episode of See No Evil. It’s season 8 episode 6, titled ‘The Three of Us.’
A woman disappears in Hawaii, while on vacation celebrating her birthday.
Background
Ivanice ‘Ivy’ Harris was originally from Portland, Oregon. She was very close to her family, and was described as being like a second mom to her young nieces.
Ivanice, along with her boyfriend Mark Miles Jr., and friend Jillian Gibides went to Hawaii to celebrate Ivanice’s 29th birthday. They were described as all very close, but tensions would flare over the love the women both had for Mark.
Ivanice ‘Ivy’ Harris
The Disappearance
On May 16, 2013, Ivanice left her hotel room around 1am. She told Mark and Jillian that she was going to go to Kelly O’Neil’s Bar.
Ivanice and Jillian were brought to Hawaii to work as sex workers, so they weren’t allowed in the bar. Ivanice was later seen on surveillance footage from the bar, standing outside.
Jillian went out later that night, and returned to the hotel room at 6am. Ivanice was not there, so Jillian and Mark started to call her phone. Ivanice’s phone rang once, before going to voicemail several times. They then contacted the Honolulu police.
Detective Dru Akagi, questioned both Mark and Jillian. Jillian admitted that she and Jillian both liked Mark, and that they were there for sex work. Jillian said she and Ivanice were always there for each other, no matter what.
Mark told the police that he and Ivanice had a small argument due to jealousy. Mark had done something for Jillian, but not Ivanice. Mark took a polygraph test, and passed. He and Jillian were ruled out as suspects.
The Unknown Male
In Mark’s interview, he told the police that the last message he received from Ivanice was at 3:43am. Ivanice had said she was going to the Aston Hotel.
The area had 13 Aston hotels. Some of the hotels had surveillance, and others didn’t. There was one, the Aston Waikiki Beach, that required a subpeona before they handed over their surveillance footage.
While the subpeona was being worked on, the police went to Kelly O’Neil’s Bar to check their surveillance.
At 3am, Ivanice can be seen standing outside of the bar holding a bag. At 3:28am, a white male exits the bar, but turned back around when he noticed Ivanice. Ivanice and the male then walked off together at 3:29am.
The police were able to go back in the surveillance footage to find this man. He walked into the bar at 11:35pm, wearing a white t-shirt, and dark sunglasses on his bald head.
The Discovery
When the police finally obtained the surveillance footage from the Aston Waikiki Beach, they realized they had the right hotel.
At 3:41am, Ivanice, and the man, can be seen walking towards the elevator. They appeared friendly, even holding hands at one point. The hotel had surveillance footage in the elevator, and the two kiss, before getting off on an unknown floor. The hotel didn’t have surveillance cameras on the floors.
On May 20, 2013, Ivanice’s nude body was found at the bottom of a hill in Waianae, Hawaii. Ivanice was identified through her tattoos, a winged tattoo on her back, and a tattoo of Mark Miles’ hip hop name on her chest.
The police turned back to the Aston surveillance footage. The same male can be seen on the elevator again at 5:58am, carrying a heavy duffel bag. He was now wearing a long sleeved shirt, jeans, and a full brimmed hat with the tag still on it.
The police discovered that Ivanice’s body was put into that bag. He can be seen loading the bag into his rental car. The car shook when the man put the bag into the trunk. He drove away, and returned back at the hotel after 9am.
The Case Against Cosby
The police were shocked to learn that the man was a U.S. Marine. After he returned to the hotel at 9am, he changed into his uniform, and left again for work.
A subpoena for the guest list was obtained. There was only one male that had a single room, and declined housekeeping service. The room belonged to Nathaniel Cosby, a Master Sergeant from California.
The Honolulu PD contacted the NCIS. The surveillance footage from the hotel proved that Cosby was the same man that had met Ivanice at the bar on May 16. He checked out on May 17, and was now in Beijing, China. The police didn’t have the jurisdiction to arrest in a foreign country, so they made sure they had an airtight case before he returned.
The police were able to get Cosby’s license plate number from the hotel valet service. They obtained the rental agreement and records from the rental car place. Cosby had the rental car for four days, and had driven about 400 miles.
The area where Ivanice was found was a 55 minute drive from the Aston hotel. It appeared like he was driving around looking for a place to get rid of Ivanice.
Cosby’s hotel room, room 924, was searched. It had since been cleaned, and only a small amount of blood was found on the curtains. It was tested, but the sample was inconclusive.
Cosby’s phone and bank records were searched too. His phone pinged off a tower in the area just a few miles from where Ivanice was found. On May 16, Cosby withdrew money, and was caught on surveillance from the ATM. He had a cut above his eyebrow, which the police believed was from Ivanice’s fingernails, from when she fought for her life.
The Conviction
On June 5 (one report says June 3), the police and NCIS, were told that Cosby was on his way back to Honolulu. They picked him up at the Honolulu Airport, and brought him in for questioning.
Cosby was asked about Ivanice. He asked if they were going to tell his wife. Yes, this man was married, and had four children. The police said no, and wanted to know about his interaction with Ivanice. Cosby said he did “meet up with an Ivy girl,” and described her as being a black woman.
Cosby was asked where he met her. He said he didn’t remember, but that she had told him that she was a sex worker. They then went back to his hotel room, and when he woke up the next morning, she was gone.
Cosby said he woke up thinking he was late for work, but went back to sleep. He was then shown the surveillance footage from when he loaded Ivanice’s body in the duffel bag into his car.
Cosby reacted by saying he was done speaking. The police were able to arrest him.
Cosby was tried in a military court, and was convicted of Ivanice’s murder while engaging in a inherently dangerous act, obstruction of justice, and patronizing a sex worker. He was also dishonorably discharged, and sentenced to life in a military prison.
Cosby tried to claim he had been drinking, and that he killed Ivanice in self-defense, but that’s obviously a load of shit.
Nathaniel Cosby
Other
Mark Miles Jr., was sentenced to 3 years in prison for human trafficking.
Ivanice’s family believed she was around 4 months pregnant at the time of her death, but it’s never been confirmed.
FINAL THOUGHTS
My heart breaks for Ivanice’s family. They obviously loved her so much, and her life was taken too soon.
I didn’t like that the show focused so much on her being a sex worker. I understand it had to do with the case, but I felt like I didn’t learn a lot about her. Ivanice tried to fight back, but this man overpowered her, and she died for no reason. He deserves to rot in prison.
Sources
https://thecinemaholic.com/ivanice-harris-murder-where-is-nathaniel-cosby-now/
https://www.oregonlive.com/portland/2014/04/marine_found_guilty_of_murderi.html
https://www.oregonlive.com/topic/ivanice%20harris/
https://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/crime/article34052052.html
