Beyond Belief - Season 3, Episode 4 - Full Episode | Forensic Files

[Music] beyond belief fact or fiction [Music] hosted by jonathan frakes tonight your challenge is to separate
what is true from what is false five stories some real some fake can you judge which
are fact and which are fiction to find out you must enter a world of both truth and
deception a world that is beyond belief the truth is often difficult to recognize take this illusion
hidden among this confusion of lines is the outline of a bird yet it's impossible to see but by simply
sliding this glass plate our bird begins to fly before our eyes this example can apply to our stories
tonight remember some stories are inspired by actual events while others are totally made up but
like the bird their reality may be hidden from sight beyond the alert and you may capture
truth in flight all you have to do is look between the [Music] lines these are the inner workings of a
typical computer how can this arrangement of circuits and wires produce everything from
three-dimensional drawings to email is this really just hardware or as in the world of physical science
are there some unexplained mysteries in the field of computer science richard austin loves computers but his
wife vicki can't afford to buy him a new one what she does next will have a profound
effect on both her life and the life of her husband and it's not going to stop there
i went against my best instincts on richard's 30th birthday i bought him a previously owned computer
i knew it would make richard happy but he wasn't so sure about me i don't believe this it's a new computer
not exactly i bought it used i hope it's okay it's great vicki thank you sweetheart
happy birthday honey i'm gonna set it up right now right now but i made reservations for dinner
order in a special birthday dinner just for the two of us i guess i couldn't blame him even though
the computer was used it was much more sophisticated than the one richard had before
my gift was a big hit but that was just the beginning he spent the rest of the day and well
into the evening setting up all his old programs and a few new ones [Music] richard your food is getting cold
i can't believe how fast this thing is it has so much more power than my old one i was afraid he'd become obsessive
about it and all my fears were coming true wow look at it go that night i prepared to do battle with
my new electronic rival richard that's enough come to bed it's your birthday what did you say something honey
come to bed i've been working on that thing for the past eight hours it's got so many new features why would
anybody sell this this is a great computer i just put all my student files on it
this is gonna save me so much time at school honey that's all wonderful don't be offended if i fall asleep just
give me five more minutes five more minutes turn into hours 2am had to get so late
what was that the computer came back on by itself by itself yeah i turned it off
i was coming to bed and it just popped back on i'll try it again [Music] well there must be something wrong with
it oh okay with the warranty i'll call a store in the morning now pull the plug richard what
nothing let's just go to sleep i should have told richard about the pharah's face but i was hoping that i
was just imagining things what happened the next morning showed me i wasn't imagining things after all
well it checks out fine there's nothing wrong as far as i can tell of course not i knew it wouldn't act up
with the repair guy here i'm telling you i turned it off and it came back on twice well it's staying off
now um maybe you were doing something wrong i wasn't doing anything wrong [Music]
ah see there it is maybe you did something wrong what's it doing i don't know i've never seen anything
like this before those are hieroglyphics what's going on here there's mail that's weird how can i get
mail it's probably just junk mail it can't be i haven't plugged the modem in yet
your mailbox seems to be working you might want to check it what should i do find out who it is
[Music] dr stadler that's the guy that sold us this computer i remember he said he was an
archaeologist and he was going away on a dig egypt i'm trapped in thiebin's tomb i'm
dying please help me we have to do something i'll call the state department and have them get in
touch with the egyptian embassy ask dr statler how much time he's got left on his laptop battery
[Music] how is that possible i don't know i don't know anything anymore what's wrong
after i reported the incident dr david statler was found and rescued from theben's tomb
there was no computer anywhere in sight the rescue of dr david stattler has been
documented but one question still remains how is the doctor able to send email without a computer
does the mind have enough power to send out a signal that can be received through cyberspace
is there such a thing as esp mail and how do you explain the hieroglyphics that appeared on the screen
were dr statler's thoughts somehow being channeled by the spirit of the pharaoh and now the decision is yours did we
program the truth in this tale or is it merely garbage in garbage out we'll tell you whether this story is
true or false at the end of our show next hallucinations of murder haunt an accident victim
on beyond belief fact or fiction do you have a favorite method of falling asleep some prefer a cup of
hot chocolate or tea others take a warm bath listen to music read but as you can see by the number of
sleep remedies available at any drugstore or supermarket sleep doesn't come easily to millions of
people jeff is having lots of trouble sleeping these days and he can't figure out why
his dreams are filled with haunting images of unexplained violent acts and his waking moments are about to be
filled with real nightmares i'd been living with katie for about six months i was happy and comfortable with
our relationship but nothing prepared me for what was in store for both of us i had been in a serious motorcycle
accident spent the last two weeks in the hospital recovering from my injuries the doctor said i was going to be fine
but i noticed a complete turnaround in my personality i finally told katie that i was
hallucinating about a man committing murders it wasn't me in these dreams but they
were so real they left me shaking do i call he said they'll be using that story you
did before the accident in the next issue isn't that good news yeah great hot tomato soup
good for the soul i'm not real hungry jeff you you've got to snap out of this i'm sorry katie
i know i'm trying i really am i really am i love you i love you too what would you try to eat something
please here [Music] jeff my god it's happening again jeff jeff [Music] jeff [Music]
painting you killed her you're here with me now it's okay it's okay [Music] it was so real like i was there watching
the whole thing it was the same man that i saw stabbing at a woman with a knife it was horrible
[Music] what's happening to me katie i don't know i know this is going to sound strange
but the hallucination started right after i had that blood transfusion what does that have to do with anything
what if there was something in the blood something evil and it takes possession of my mind
anytime it wants to jeff that's crazy a blood transfusion can't do that i know i i know
but something's wrong katie something is definitely wrong the hallucination didn't come back that
night and i finally got some sleep i was hoping that it was over but it wasn't what is it
another woman was murdered last night a few miles from here she was stabbed to death no witnesses
there's a picture [Music] it's her katie it's the same woman i saw being murdered
[Music] are you sure yeah something is drawing me to the killer [Music] and i think it's because i have his
blood inside me after reading that story in the newspaper i became obsessed with finding
out who my blood donor was i learned a few dirty tricks while i was in college and one of them was how to
hack into databases the hospital records were very secure but after lots of tries i was getting
close to breaking into the files it was always a challenge to find the right combination but i had plenty of
[Music] time i got it what that's my blood donor lowell germain 1201 norwell boulevard
that's less than a mile from here i'm scared jeff we should call the police no not until i'm absolutely sure it's the
same man [Music] it's him that's the face i keep seeing what are you doing call the police i'm
going to follow yeah jeff i don't believe this is happening there was a woman walking alone luckily
i was watching jermaine's every move jermaine lowell jermaine died instantly stabbed
in the heart by his own knife i was called a hero for saving a young woman's life and stopping a killer's
reign of terror but i'm no hero it was something i had to do something that was in my blood
could the donated blood of a killer cause images of murder in the recipient's mind
certainly the chemical components of our own blood such as sugar levels can affect our personalities
then again maybe jeff was just hallucinating but why did those hallucinations start
right after his blood transfusion and how do you explain the accuracy of those hallucinations
could it have been a mere coincidence is this story of the murderous donor flowing with
reality or is it just another bloody lie we'll tell you whether this story is true or false at the end of our show
next a cemetery is the setting for the unexplained on beyond belief fact or fiction
observe the tools of the trade that is if your trade happens to be carving headstones for grave sites
it's an honorable craft because it honors the memory of the dearly departed it is with these tools that otto chenkel
has carved headstones for the past four decades and although he's proud of the dignity
he's provided for hundreds of families he's getting ready to retire and take a well-deserved rest from his daily grind
but his next job is about to prevent any immediate plans for otto to spend that rest
in peace [Music] i'd been a stone cutter for almost 40 years and i took great pride in what i
did i approached each tombstone as if it were a work of art i always tried to satisfy the wishes of
my clients but you meet all kinds of people in this business and well some of them just don't appreciate
fine craftsmanship [Music] mr schenkel excuse me mr shankle did you find something you like mrs
richards yes i believe i have this one this is exactly what my poor john would have wanted something simple
tasteful nothing ostentatious i looked at her choice it was simple all right well if i may suggest perhaps a
marble or granite will hold up much better than the uh the cement stone you chose and how much
more money would that be it's about twice the price for that side stone twice the price i see
i think we'll stay with the cement my husband wanted a very simple funeral and headstone and
i want to honor his wishes all right and uh yeah how would you like that engraved
you charged by the letter yes all cutters do well this isn't about what i want this
is about what my husband would have wanted just his name and and date of birth and death
nothing more all right the funeral is in five days and uh mr dunbar from the sunny hill cemetery will be coming by to
approve the work thank you for everything especially in this trying time thank you thank you i had learned over
the years not to try and figure out why people pick the stones they do and mrs richard seemed to know exactly
what she wanted that's why i was so surprised by what happened next you are those jingle
yes uh hi motto shankle can i help you i'm here to say about mr richard's tombstone
but it seems i'm a bit late you must be mr dunbar from sunny hills yes i'm from sunny hills
i'm sorry but this just won't do it it won't do at all but it's exactly what mrs richards
wanted she said something simple she had a change of heart we're gonna pay you for all the work you've
completed already but she's decided on a more elaborate modulus i don't understand she was so certain
this woman's prerogative changed her mind mr shankle she's prepared to pay a lot of money for
a much better tombstone something more befitting her late spouse i didn't really understand what made mrs
richards change your plans but like i said i never tried to figure out why mr dunbar wanted everything first class
and he spared no expense [Music] when it was completed he was the happiest man i ever saw and was gracious
with his praise he even added a generous bonus to the new contract i went to the gravesite the day of the
funeral anxious to unveil my work it was one of the finest monuments i'd ever created
i thought it's strange that mr dunbar wasn't present but the burial proceeded on schedule
couldn't wait to see mrs richard's reaction [Music] as the crowd hooed and odd mrs richard
seemed to be speechless i was very moved [Music] this was one of those moments that makes
my work worthwhile when the family expresses their personal thanks what have you done that's not the
headstone i ordered this is it uh i was instructed by by your representative to do this mr dunbar
he said you'd had a change of heart you authorized this no i'm nathan dunbar and
i didn't order any of this but it can't be mr dunbar came to my studio three days ago he authorized the work
wait that's the man there that's the man that ordered the new tombstone that's mr dunbar that's my dead husband
you idiot what are you trying to pull the signature on the contract for the new stone turned out to be not nathan
dunbar but john l richards the dead man it was examined by a handwriting expert and found to be authentic
the contract was predated three days prior to his death mrs richards had no choice but to pay me
the full price of the new stone 48 thousand dollars i guess i mentioned it before i never
try to figure why did john l richards hire a look-alike to carry out his final instructions
or did he have a twin brother that nobody knew about but then who signed the contract remember it was
authenticated by a handwriting expert maybe it was the ghost of john l richards who showed up to defy the
wishes of his loveless wife do you think this mysterious tale of the grave marker a fleeting lie
or is it carved in stone we'll tell you whether this story is true or false at the end of our show
next a single mother is visited by a midnight vision on beyond belief fact or fiction
[Music] the fine art of sewing by hand once a necessity now an example of the highest quality of work
when you see a label that reads hand sewn you're assured that care and craftsmanship went into the final
product many people so at home comfortable in knowing that their gifts will be handed
down to future generations and that way they maintain a presence in the lives of their families long after
they have passed on olivia schwab's mother was an expert at sewing she passed the skill down to her
daughter but now unlike the strong stitches that hold together her mother's work
olivia's life has begun to unravel this is what it was like on one of the saddest days of my life
i was being forced to move out of the house i had lived in since i was a little girl as i stood there
all the happy memories washed over me only to be dashed against reality i was a single mother with no job
so it was moving day my husband tim was sick for almost a year i sold everything to pay the
medical bills things were hard for a long time after he died i moved to a small apartment
the only place i could afford i didn't want my daughter to see it but i was losing all hope i can't sleep
mommy can i sleep with you tonight come over here sweetie [Music] you know i used to love to climb into my
mother's bed too sometimes she'd be reading or sewing and i'd pretend to be asleep
did she ever catch you i'm sure i never pulled her but i think she enjoyed having me there
just like i enjoy you sometimes she would tell me stories about the family [Music]
or we talk or just snuggle up just like we do that's right just like we do [Music]
[Music] um i just can't believe that in a few short weeks you're going to be married
i'm so excited do you think we'll be ready there's still so much to do honey even
though it's a slip stitch it has to be done just so just like in life a stitch in time saves
nine i love the colors you chose we'll surround you both with warmth i hope it gives you a feeling of
security and comfort let it remind you of what hard precise work can bring there'll always be challenges but every
cloud has a silver lining if you know where to look oh go it's the florist you've done a beautiful job i can see
you've learned well i'll finish it alone now after all it is my gift to you every cloud has a silver lining if you
know where to look with my mother's voice still ringing in my ears something pulled me over to our
old hope chest [Music] as my sleep left me i realized i was looking for something i hadn't thought
of for a while until that dream just then something caught my eye that's your wedding quilt who is on your
bed in the old house grandma and i made it here let me wrap you up in it [Music]
look mommy thread is loose a whole row of stitches can come off be careful don't pull anything
i'll get the sewing basket and fix it stitch in time saves nine what's that mean anyway nine
what nine more stitches silly if you fix it right away you can avoid doing more work later
[Music] it looks like there's more than a few wait i feel something strange [Music]
oh my god there's more [Music] these are stock certificates mommy it's grandma's of the whining
i know please put the table in the dining room lengthwise the way it used to be [Music]
and so it's moving day again but this time i'm moving back in thanks mom was it just coincidence that olivia
remembered the quilt in her dream and how do you account for the loose stitching on the quilt after all
she had worked in that quilt hand in hand with her mother she knew exactly how carefully it was sewn together
did her mother sneak the money in the quilt sometime before the wedding or as little cali believes did grandma's
spirit come back in the middle of the night and plant the money for them to find in their time of need
is this story of the prophetic dream stitched together by the threads of truth or is it merely a crazy quilt of lies
we'll tell you whether this story is true or false at the end of our show next a wounded soldier is surrounded by
the ghosts of war on beyond belief fact or fiction in the military they call it the uniform
of the day it's the order of what to wear that goes out from your commanding officer
millions of americans have proudly worn a version of this uniform in the various
armed forces for some caught in the nightmare of battle it is the last clothing they will
ever wear kevin yablonsky is one of the lucky ones that is if you consider severe injuries and constant medication
lucky but kevin's alive he has survived a situation that had him marked for certain death and the amazing tale
of how he survived is what our next story is all about the year was 1966 and the vietnam war
was showing no sign of ending i'd been assigned to working at the base hospital for the last six months
it wasn't easy work but i felt honored to do it [Music] i worried about all the men in my care a
lot of them were my age and some weren't gonna make it this'll help you sleep for some reason i
was especially drawn to one young private kevin yablonsky i wasn't sure why at the time
so do you have a date tonight i did but captain bonafil extended my shift no no no no
watch out incoming get over we're having a nightmare i was in the jungle it was that day all of them again
and i lived do you want to talk about it i want to help you you never believe it
try me you can trust me kevin me and a couple of the guys cal and jimmy we were on short time another week and
we'd be on our way home the unit was doing a suite for vc a couple of clicks from the river
[Music] we were in heavy bush when they opened up on us we didn't even see it coming
and they were everywhere oh god there were everything take your time it's okay [Music]
firefight lasted just a couple of minutes we took a direct hit from a mortar and
we didn't even have a chance when it was all over my buddies were dead jimmy and cat everybody
i was the only one still alive i knew that i was in bad shape i thought for sure that i'd be dead soon
i was in a lot of pain but i tried to stay awake i couldn't feel anything in my hands
i knew i didn't have much time i i had to get out of there the vc were getting closer i knew they
were cleaning up making sure we were all dead i started thinking about my mom and home
how much i missed it and then i started thinking about my dad means a lot to you
he was reported missing in action in korea 13 years ago i'm sorry i was six years old and i
i loved him so much i mean he was my hero i was thinking about him a lot while i
was laying out there in the mud and that's when it happened what [Music] i sensed that there was someone standing
behind me i was sure it was vc i reached from my rifle but my hands weren't working
i got ready to die that's so horrible and i heard a voice and it wasn't me see hello kevin
the voice seemed so familiar i rolled over trying to get a look at him he was wearing combat fatigues from the
50s and he was carrying an m1 rifle and then finally i saw his face he carried me out of the jungle and into
a clearing he popped a flare and a medic chopper came and picked me up that soldier saved my life did you ever
find out who he was yeah i did i thought that i was delirious and that i had imagined the
whole thing but i didn't that soldier was my father kevin it was him and i'm sure of it
after the medics loaded me in the chopper they found something in my fist and what was it
these read them robert yablonsky regular army one 421-2918 nine they're my father's dog tags kevin i'd
i know do you believe me diana [Music] yes i do [Music] kevin and i began seeing each other
after he was discharged from the hospital we fell in love and eventually got married
at our wedding we left an empty space next to kevin's mother where we hung his father's dog tags
what really saved private kevin jablonski there have been documented cases of people who in extreme danger
focus their thoughts on a loved one and somehow survive is that what happened to private
jablonski or was he saved by another soldier who resembled his father but then what about those dog tags how
did they wind up in kevin's hands wasn't his father missing in action as you judge the credibility of this
story it's up to you to declare the victor in the battle between fact and fiction
next you'll find out which of our stories are fact and which are fiction when beyond belief
fact or fiction returns now it's time to find out which of our stories tonight are inspired by
actual events and which ones are totally false let's take a look back at the computer that
seemed to communicate email through telepathy was this one a real well it checks out fine there's nothing
wrong as far as i can tell of course not i knew it wouldn't act up with the repair guy here
i'm telling you i turned it off and it came back on twice well it's staying off now
um maybe you were doing something wrong i wasn't doing anything wrong [Music] [Applause]
ah see there it is maybe you did something wrong what's it doing i don't know i've never seen anything
like this before if you thought this one was too outrageous to be true you're right it's a work of fiction
[Music] what about the story of the man who seemed to receive evil blood from a transfusion
true or false [Music] jeff [Music] if you thought this one sounded like it might be true
we got you this one's made up [Music] how did you judge the story of the dead man who returned to see that he had a
proper headstone what have you done that's not the headstone i ordered this is it uh i was instructed by by
your representative to do this mr dunbar he said you'd had a change of heart you
authorized this no i'm nathan dunbar and i didn't order any of this it can't be mr dunbar came to my studio three days
ago he authorized the work hey that's the man there that's the man that ordered the new tombstone
that's mr dunbar did this one sound like one we might have made up well we did it never happened
[Music] how about the story of the mother and daughter who were saved from poverty by
a prophetic dream and a special quilt was this one fact or fiction if you fix it right away
you can avoid doing more work later [Music] it looks like there's more than a few
[Music] wait i feel something strange if you guessed this one was based on an actual event you're right
our research shows it happened to a family in ohio [Music] what did you make of the story about a
wounded soldier whose life was saved by the spirit of his dead father fact or illusion after the medics loaded
me in the chopper they found something in my fist and what was it fish read them
robert yablonsky regular army 421-291-89 they're my father's dog tax according to
our research a similar story happened in south vietnam it's inspired by an actual event
were you able to recognize the truth tonight or were you thrown off by lies that were disguised as truth we
are bombarded by so much deception in our daily lives that sometimes truth becomes a stranger
we hope that our stories tonight have demonstrated that very often stories that seem like lies may simply
be truth that is beyond belief i'm jonathan franks the story entitled stitches in time is
true based upon firsthand research conducted by author robert treylands for beyond belief fact or fiction this
is don lafontaine [Music] you

This episode features the following cases: E-Mail, Blood Donor, Epitaph, Stiches in Time, Soldier.

Brief Summary

The episode features stories about a haunted computer, a blood transfusion's dark effects, and a soldier saved by his father's spirit.

Key points

Hosted by Jonathan Frakes. Join Jonathan Frakes as he challenges viewers to discern fact from fiction.
The Mystery of the Computer. A used computer leads to strange occurrences and a mysterious email from an archaeologist.
Hallucinations of Murder. Jeff, recovering from an accident, begins to hallucinate violent acts, leading to a chilling discovery.
The Tombstone Mystery. A widow's change of heart leads to a shocking revelation about her late husband's wishes.
A Mother's Legacy. Olivia reflects on her mother's teachings as she faces life's challenges.
A Mysterious Quilt. Did a quilt hold secrets of money from the past?

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

I went against my best instincts on Richard's 30th birthday.

2:11WatchJan 20, 2021

Tension

65/ 100Some tension

More from True Crime Files

Solve the Crime

Read a real case one clue at a time, then see how your call held up against the investigators.