Death and the Dentist | Full Episode | Forensic Files

I found it Thomas Coleman was dead in a vehicle in a parking lot of a Fitness Plaza
the car was sitting here yes actually this particular spot right in front of us there was nothing in the car that would
suggest anything of him being attacked or anything obvious of physical trauma when I was told that my father died
everything I had ever known changed in a second my dad was an amazing father to four
kids and a great man at first we thought it was a heart attack something natural but sudden
[Music] after the autopsy we knew something was wrong something happened to him the
doctor labeled as acute midazolam poisoning poisoning yes midaza what is midazolam it's a
conscious sedative it's used in hospital settings also in dentist office who do Oral Surgery
there was no reason for it to be in his system is it like that that you change your mind and go this is right homicide
basically yeah when new Kohl's had video on the corner of their building tell them I need this
video Once you pull it up real quick we'll take a look at it see if there's any cars that meet him there
and uh sure enough there's a car that pulls in Parks first so he shuts the car down
this is uh Tom Coleman's car pulling in right there it's 4 54 a.m our victim Tom
Coleman pulls up side by side that was basically holy [ __ ] somebody had knowledge of literally
speaking with our victim that morning see the white SUV here leaving we started thinking with the circle of
people close to Tom Coleman and the only person with a white SUV was uh Gilberto Nunes
they suspected Gil Nunez who was my dad's best friend who we had met who we knew
it was shocking it's emotional for you of course very emotional because Tomo is my best friend truly we had Nunes con
meet us for an interview no I know you were there you know I wasn't there but all I said it over a
hundred times Well I wasn't there you gave him a drug that you have access to Mr Nunes his profession was a dentist
hello I'm Dr Gilberto Nunez besides treating my patients with dignity and doing everything I do for
them I just like to serve people I not to hurt anybody you know yes you did I'm innocent I haven't
done anything wrong this is a murder case without a murder [Music] [Music] foreign
[Music] it was unusual this individual the way he was positioned in the car and where
he was parked it was unusual on November 29 2011 detective Michael Thomas answered the call when 44 year old Tom
Coleman was found dead in his car he was actually in the driver's seat but yet he
was laying almost flat as you would as if you were sleeping it was in the Kingston Planet Fitness parking lot in
Ulster County New York wasn't parking or building that's the strange thing if you're gonna go work out in the morning
you're going to park close to the building the car's location caught the attention of fellow detective Brian
reevey and Lieutenant Kyle Berardi I think we are intrigued interested this whole case was odd
1800 miles away in Colorado Tom is dead and I couldn't process it Tom's ex-wife Michelle could not believe that Tom who
seemed healthy had died never crossed my mind that it could be anything other than something tragic health related
Michelle and Tom had been divorced for 12 years but they remained close they had two children Julian who was then 15
and Bradley who was 17. Michelle had to tell the kids their father was dead I didn't know how I was going to say it
so I just figured just get it over with you heard the words your dad is dead [Music]
my immediate Instinct was no I'm gonna call him and he will answer because he always has he has to be fine
that's just he has to be [Music] he just had a kindness of Adam and it's just always there for everybody
Tom's mother Marie and his father Tom senior were proud of their son who had a doctorate in physical therapy you're
raising somebody you have hopes and they fulfill those hopes and they become successful
that's great Tom was more focused on spending time with his family than with friends but he
did have one very close friend Gilberto Nunez Nunez was going through a divorce but was still a devoted father he met
the colemans at their kids school and soon Tom Gill and Tom's wife Linda all grew close
it was Linda who found Tom after she learned he didn't show up for work she went out searching Linda knew that Tom
went to Planet Fitness most mornings so that's where she went and it's where Gill went when he said he heard
something bad had happened when he initially got there he ran towards Thomas Coleman's vehicle what
happened what happened he's my best friend I didn't see anybody trying to do CPR I didn't see anybody doing anything
so I'm like what's going on this is nunez's only television interview and that's when I found out that Tom is
dead you know there's nothing you can do for him he dropped to his knees I was just
really upset that you know my best friend was was dead did it seem over dramatic to you over dramatic
absolutely 110 percent Gilberto Nunez is originally from the Dominican Republic he is well known in
Kingston he's a volunteer firefighter with a thriving dental practice Dr Nunez is one of the best dentists that I've
ever worked for Mary Ellen McManus spent 13 years as Dr nunez's dental hygienist
I have never heard him raise his voice be angry or fly off the handle but detectives had questions about Nunez
they were still waiting for the final autopsy results but they remembered something from the day they met him he
arrived at the scene in a white SUV and they believed that surveillance footage though very blurry also showed a white
SUV bells and whistles went off it's very hard to see but that's Tom's car next to it in the nearly empty parking
lot so police called Nunez in for an interview three days after Tom's death we're trying to figure out what happened
at that point it was an informational meeting kind of seeing what you need help what he wanted us to know and he
wanted them to know a lot especially about his love life and Tom's wife [Music] um
sexual relationship police had heard rumors of an affair between Nunez and Linda Coleman but they
hadn't confirmed anything turns out they got all the help they needed with that from of all people Nunez himself
he told them all about their 11-month liaison [Music] like moving like easily or or just yeah
um or like I don't know two and a half three weeks and this was a guy who was sitting with detectives saying oh by the
way I had an affair with the wife of the Dead Guy oh he's still in love with her
too he right he wanted to make that clear so that seems to me anyway to be to be unusual am I wrong here yeah this
is very unusual I didn't want to like keep something that I knew they were going to find out anyway first to begin
with and second would make me look like you know I'm not being honest with them about anything I'm saying to them did it
bother you that she was married I guess at the time no this guy was your friend yes it was my friend that's
awkward that is that is really awkward it might have been awkward but it didn't stop Gill or Linda when they weren't
together they texted constantly more like teenagers than middle-aged lovers love you I miss you I wish you were here
they celebrated anniversaries monthly with cards like this from Linda to Gill her little devil stud muffin did you
urge her to leave her husband no I wasn't you know we're not thinking or talking about that we wanted to ask
Linda about her relationship with Tom and Gill but she declined our request to be interviewed Gill says the affair was
going well and kept going even after Linda's husband the man he called his best friend learned all about it not my
definition of a best friend how did he hear about it that is one of the most peculiar parts of this case nothing kind
of surprises us anymore but that was definitely at the top of the list [Music] thank you
thank you [Music] I wanted to talk to him so I can explain to him that this is not something that I
plan on or something it was just something that happened chances are pretty good you've never heard of an
affair quite like the one Dr Gilberto Nunez was having with his best friend's wife Linda Coleman
for one thing Nunez wanted to tell his friend Tom Coleman all about it how did Tom Coleman find out about the
relationship through through me actually he told them not directly not quite directly in July 2011 Tom and Linda
Coleman both got text messages from a number neither of them recognized the messages told each of them that the
other was having an affair the one saying Tom was cheating was a lie but of course the one saying Linda was cheating
was the truth so they they figured out all of these messages were coming from the same phone
yeah and did they figure out who had that phone yes they did and who had that phone Gilberto Nunes
the unknown number was a burner phone that belonged to Gil Nunez he admitted sending the texts he said he was feeling
guilty about the affair and that's why he told Tom how did he react to that well first uh he confronted her one day
and said like I know you're having an affair uh you know with Gill and uh so she she acknowledged that and to say yes
you know having an affair so probably like three four days or something he didn't talk to me I tried to call him
not surprisingly the friendship was damn it and I felt horrible because I was like he wasn't he actually he was my
friend you know and and and I don't have too many friends a few days later Gil says he went to beg Tom for forgiveness
I actually got on my knees and I said you know I'm really really sorry you got on your knees literally yes I did I I
literally did so he said get up so I get up and he actually gave me a hug you know gave you a hug hug he gave me a hug
is that the reaction you were expecting no I thought he was going to hit me what's strange is Tom and Gill's
friendship continued what's even stranger is the affair continued too and perhaps strangest of all according to
Gill both relationships grew even stronger from that moment on every time he'll ask me you know did you
see Linda today and I would say yes he will know that I was being honest to him that I wasn't like you know and then we
started getting like more like uh closer together you and Tom Sawyer yeah yeah because Tom and I came to a point where
we uh we used to text a lot a lot I mean hundreds of tax every day the love triangle was news to the rest
of the Coleman family who did not learn about the affair until after Tom's death
do you believe that he approved this affair that's one of the hardest things for me to believe
and um Tom's not here to tell us the man that I knew probably would have done anything to keep his family together and
I I could understand where he was thinking it would work out in the end in fact Tom did seem okay with things in
text messages Tom and Gil called each other bro and sometimes signed off love you and in a text Tom referred to Linda
his own wife as Gil's girlfriend telling Gil your girlfriend is baking to which Nunez responded great I love her so much
people can say you know anything they want or feel whichever way they want but he was truly my best friend
Tom was not just Gill's friend he was also his patient and Gil told police about Tom's medical history in that
interview three days after Tom's death that I know he had to be Batman Gil told detectives Tom suffered from sleep apnea
that can cause people to stop breathing in their sleep it was something I share trying to help
them to maybe help the medical examiner or something figure out what could have happened to him you know if it was a
heart attack if it was or whatever the case might be in fact the autopsy did note Tom suffered from an enlarged heart
and Mild obesity but two weeks later the toxicology report came back finding that
midazolam in Tom's body did you use midazolam no dentists do though right oral surgeons that do
sedation do and there are some some dentists that they they specialize in sedation but uh I I never use Midas this
is a general practitioner office we don't use any sedation at all we don't even have nitrous oxide
the amount of midazolam and Tom's system would not normally kill somebody but because there was no explanation for why
the drug would be there his death was classified acute midazolam poisoning I'm not a chemistry guy but in terms of
that being a lot no volume wise no however the effects are different on people that have medical conditions I
mean I guess the real question is is that enough to kill a guy I think it is yes because uh especially it's almost
sleep apnea that they shut down his uh respiratory system but remember it was Nunez himself who
first alerted police to Tom's sleep apnea okay the midazolam in his system did change everything Murray Weiss who was a
48 Hours consultant has written about murder cases for decades police believe that Dr Nunes met Tom Coleman outside
his gym and while sitting with him and talking to him gave him a cup of coffee that was laced with the midazoland
the detectives would routinely have to eliminate other people who might have access to midazolam
there was obviously people and that goes with every investigation people of Interest
so detectives also looked at other people in Tom's life including his wife Linda who worked at a local hospital
how long was she looked at quite some time families always looked up in front you always start close to home
[Music] [Music] foreign police still could not prove much about Tom Coleman's death how did that
midazolam get into his body if it was in a cup of coffee where was the cup was that Gilberto nunez's white car next to
Coleman's in the surveillance tape and why was Coleman's body found this way his pants were undone and his fly
was I think parsley down or not always down that looked kind of staged police were thinking Gilberto Nunez
staged the scene to make it look like Tom was having a sexual encounter when he died
by now Nunez was their only suspect we uh looked at them both equally Linda and Gill Linda had passed a polygraph test
eventually ruled out Linda Linda and Tom's house was never searched a search of the hospital where Linda
worked as an administrative assistant found no missing midazolab so in February of 2012 two months after
Tom's death police called Nunez in again we were just trying to get the background and
had from somebody that was close with him but soon the tone of the interview turned
at Planet Fitness early that morning and I kept saying I wasn't there no I wasn't there if I
would have been there I would have said something this was the first time you'd heard that you were a suspect yes
I know you were there then I'm telling you that you don't know because it's not true I have you in your vehicle parked
in the Planet Fitness parking lot with time that morning they also had this surveillance video from local businesses
showing what they say is his car driving on the way to the parking lot okay you fed him something that killed
him to take him out of the picture hoping you would have lived it for the rest of your life yes you did
Nunez never wavered through nearly seven hours of questioning willingly without a lawyer I
didn't think that I needed an attorney to just to speak you know the truth he quickly changed his mind when he found
out that while he was being questioned police were searching his office and home when I left that I went home how my
plays destroyed it doesn't really kind of like came into me that oh my God these people really
believe that I did something to Tom and the next morning I decided to get an attorney
investigators seized the office computer and files but what really caught their attention
were two emergency medical kits and when you open it up what did you see two two vials of midazolam midazolam the
drug found in Tom's body the vials in nunez's office were full and unopened and they did not have nunez's
fingerprints on them neither did Tom's car in fact when police examined it there was no trace of Nunez whatsoever
no outside DNA nothing absolutely out of the ordinary still the police thought evidence against Nunez was piling up
they believe he wanted Linda all to himself and Linda gave them a strange email she received months earlier from
nunez's mother supposedly that was him claiming to be his mother his mother his mother
yeah he was pretending to be his mother yes sending his girlfriend messages yes the email which Nunez later admitted to
writing pleaded with Linda to leave Tom saying Linda and Gill would only be happy if they spend the rest of your
lives loving each other any idea why he would have sent a message pretending to be his mother to break up the commons
why would you opposed as your mother I just the stupid things that that we do in life you know can I tell you doctor
I've done a lot of stupid things in my life yeah I've never sent a text saying I was my mother trying to get a woman to
fall in love with me I understand that so was that manipulative was that obsessive no I think that probably was
uh looking into getting a closer relationship I guess between my mother and her police also learned from Linda
that Gil did something possibly even more preposterous he gave her a letter from what he described as his contacts
inside the CIA supposedly reporting on charges that Tom was having an affair police also found this fake CIA ID on
nunez's computer that was just like a stupid game that's all it was it's a stupid game but
detectives say it was all part of an elaborate plan they say Nunez hired a friend to pose as a CIA agent to
presumably intimidate Tom well that never happened that never happened no I did a lot of stupid things in the
relationship you know it made Nunez look wacky but not necessarily guilty that that doesn't make me a murderer police
needed to prove that car in the parking lot next to Tom's was nunez's when we're
looking at Vehicles so investigators hired Grant Frederick looking at physical characteristics that we can
compare Fredericks has spent decades analyzing forensic video for law enforcement this is the we'll call it
the suspect vehicle Okay police had that surveillance footage from businesses along a road leading to the parking lot
that showed a car they believe was the same one seen next to Coleman's they could not find in any video of a car
leaving nunez's home still they believe the car on the surveillance tapes was this car a Nissan Pathfinder that
belonged to Gil Nunez and I'm looking through this to try to determine any features that would be consistent
Fredericks thinks he can identify the car caught on the tapes with this database look at this this is like
facial recognition yes so this is a Pathfinder which is the same make model and year of the Nunez vehicle this might
be a Nissan Pathfinder but Fredericks could not say it was nunez's his car had decals it also had emergency lights
inside the car because he was a volunteer fireman and you don't see any of those on the surveillance there just
isn't enough resolution so we can't say whether or not those features exist but Fredericks did notice something he
thought might be unique to the car in the surveillance tape an unusual pool of light on the road coming from one of the
headlights in most cases you'll see two uniform uh headlight patterns from most Vehicles this was different Fredericks
specializes in what is called headlight spread pattern analysis he believes cars
can be identified partly by their headlight beams is this what you're talking about this is the pool of light
right here yes Frederick's needed to see if nunez's car projected the same kind of light pool as the car in the
surveillance video so police got nunez's car this is the car that Dr Nunez owned
yes and videotaped it driving along the same route Fredericks compared the headlight spread pattern with the
vehicle on the surveillance tape he compared two other Nissan Pathfinders to see if their headlights projected that
same pool of light they did not and Fredericks feels he has enough to make a conclusion it is bad for Nunez
the science says that the vehicle is indistinguishable from Dr nunes's vehicle for years we only knew five percent of
what they knew they were convinced that gill was guilty and at this point I wasn't you were not
not really no for four years Jillian Coleman didn't know exactly what had happened to her father
the police weren't sharing many details with the Coleman family I didn't want to
push him because I didn't want to aggravate them how hard was it to be patient it was it was very hard
they'd all struggled with Tom's loss but his son Bradley took it the hardest according to his mother Michelle and one
year anniversary came up in late 2012 and a few weeks later Brad attempted suicide with
over-the-counter medications of sleeping pills and he said I just wanted to go to
sleep and wake up with Dad what happened next [Music] Bradley was just 18. the colemans were now coping with two
deaths but life went on for Gilberto Nunez he continued working and dabbled in online
dating where on match.com he met the woman who would become his new wife Jameel I knew he was innocent
but it was always looming over our heads over our relationship [Music] oh yeah and then what they feared would
happen happened just a year into their marriage in October 2015 police arrested Gilberto
Nunez charged him with second-degree murder he was also charged with forgery because of
the fake CIA report and ID they're trying to make a way out of no way in a case out of no case Nunez
retained top New York City criminal defense attorneys Gerald chargell and Evan Lipton here's the detective at the
scene they got Nunez out on one million dollars bail he had spent one month in jail
we don't believe that Tom Coleman was murdered session in May of 2016 four and a half
years after Tom Coleman's death Gilberto Nunez was obsessed with Linda Coleman Gilberto nunez's trial began
he used deception and he used manipulation to get Linda for himself senior assistant District Attorney Mary
Ellen Albanese told the jury the only person who would want Tom Coleman dead is Gilberto Nunez
[Music] ladies and gentlemen chargell's argument Gill had no reason to kill his best friend who accepted the
affair there was no bad blood between Tom and Gill absolutely none and Tom died chargell says of natural
causes may have been a heart attack because he had an enlarged heart but Tom did have midazolam in his body
and police found those two unused vials of it in Dr nunez's office that was found was an amount that was
too small to cause anyone's death except the prosecution argues it was enough to
stop someone from breathing if like Tom they had sleep apnea but the DA's had no DNA or fingerprints
tying Nunez to the car so they had to rely on Grant Fredericks and his headlight spread pattern analysis
the vehicle was consistent in shape color the same kind of vehicle they had the pool of light and the timing matched
perfectly they matched it was I remember sitting there thinking oh my God he he it's true he did it it was a lot of
Hocus Pocus and in my view junk science Nunez did not take the stand but the woman in the middle of the love triangle
did Linda said she planned on staying with her husband and was working on their marriage
she was still in love with Tom she was in love with the family she wanted to keep that but emails Linda
sent to Gill seemed to tell a different story that her marriage was crumbling and that gill was still very much in the
picture did you get the impression that she might break up with you no no not at
all it's a key point for the defense that undercuts any motor for him to want to kill Tom Coleman because he didn't
know that he was going to be dumped in fact just the day before Tom died he and Gil texted 62 times Gill says the texts
were about a football game police recovered Tom's phone the next day and curiously all the texts were missing did
you delete those texts no of course not how did they how do these texts end up being deleted well you know you tell me
they touched the phones do you believe that the police deleted those texts I do to be honest with you I do it was not
convenient for them to see that all me and Tom were talking about was football police testified they were able to
recover a few texts and they were just about the football game and in an unexpected move the last
person the defense calls to the stand was the police supervisor who oversaw the case against Nunez I think they're
trying to undermine the investigation they're trying to undermine my oversight of the
investigation by things that we didn't do one thing police didn't do was look into an unopened email Tom received on
the day he died be naughty it was from an adult website called be naughty.com does this spam email basically if that
had been followed up I think that the investigation would have by necessity taken a different direction so you match
benaughty.com with the way in which his body was found reclined and with his pants open
something wasn't kosher if their theory is going to be that he met a lady from benaughty.com that drove a white SUV and
had access to midazolam at 5 30 in the morning at Planet Fitness they ought to start playing a lot on that one if
that's the case three weeks after the trial began it was time for closing arguments this
investigation started and ended with Gilberto Nunez and much about Thomas Coleman remains unknown
ladies and gentlemen this man Roberto Nunez is not Thomas Coleman's best friend prosecutors know they have only
circumstantial evidence against Nunez but they say it's more than enough to convict
the evidence of the defendant's guilt is overwhelming I'm anxious and um unscare I'm the one
saying I'm not scared with the case in the hands of the jury Gilberto Nunez can do nothing but wait knowing if he is
convicted it could mean life in prison [Music] this is the most important day of
Gilberto nunez's life the jury in his murder trial is deliberating I'm scared and I'm anxious in this please second my
whole life can change the rest of his life could be spent in prison if he's convicted of killing his friend Tom
Coleman I get up in the morning and I said to my wife you know this might be the last time I sleep in my bed we'll
never know it's out of our hands we hope the jury sees what we all see after a four-year investigation a
three-week trial and testimony from more than 50 Witnesses the jury reached a verdict in just six hours I was thinking
him that's a guilty verdict all right you're re-entering it feels like your heart is coming out of your chest my
whole body was shaking Mr poor person as they used to count One charging the defendant Gilberto Nunez with murder in
the second degree if I'm defendant not guilty it's that bird unanimous yes sir not guilty of murder
Tom Coleman's wife Linda is livid believing her former lover got away with murder sociopaths
you are officially legally not guilty of murder yes I I knew it that I was innocent my family knew it but everybody
now knows it so what are you going to do now work let me understand this you've just been
acquitted of murder yes and just like that you're going back to yes drilling people's cavities yes I'm going back to
what I love to do nothing so when you heard the verdict what did you think I couldn't believe it shocked I was
shocked under disappointment the colemans say the police did their jobs but the jurors did not I felt like
the jury betrayed us Justice was not done the words not guilty haunt me to me there was holes in all of it
I don't think the midazolam is what killed him the jurors say there were too many questions left unanswered too much
Reasonable Doubt what do you think caused his death which is a ticking Time Bomb more
natural causes than murder yes but the jury did find Nunez guilty of forgery because of the fake CIA documents
he was guilty he was guilty he did it for those convictions Nunez is facing up to 14 years in prison are you ready for
that you know we haven't finished fighting that's because there were even more charges to come and potentially more
prison time while detectives were investigating Nunez for murder they found what they believed to be a false
Insurance claim for eighty four hundred dollars that Nunez filed in 2014 and they accused him of lying on an
application for a pistol permit jury selection is underway and the third trial involving Kingston dentist
Gilberto Nunez the new charges meant two more trials for Nunez over the next year
I'm scared about our future I'm scared that he might go to prison I'm scared of for my children Kingston dentist
Gilberto Nunez is found guilty of perjury and making he was found guilty in both trials and immediately taken
into custody in February of 2017 nearly eight months after he was acquitted of murder Nunez
was sentenced for those forgery insurance fraud and perjury convictions Society deserves protection from his
sociopathic narcissistic behavior prosecutor Mary Ellen albinays argued for the maximum sentence 25 years while
nunez's attorneys fought for leniency presenting the judge with 130 letters Dr nunez's supporters friends and former
patients but judge Donald Williams was unmoved tragically you believe that society's rules do not apply to you
I see no chance in Rehabilitation nunez's sentence two and one-third to seven years in prison
obviously he's deeply disappointed he was going to file notices to appeal very severe sense
I like this picture too it's cute for the Coleman family there is some comfort in knowing that even though
Gilberto Nunez was not convicted of murder he will spend time Behind Bars we've disrupted his life now
just trying to get through it nothing's ever going to bring Tom back or Bradley and that is what Tom's daughter Jillian
can never forget she is now a college student facing a life that has seen tremendous pain but still holds
tremendous promise it's hard not having them here and I don't think that any verdict
I mean he could be in prison for the rest of his life dad's still gone my brother's still gone
I carry Brad with me every day I try to make Dad proud every day and I think that I do
[Music] [Music] foreign [Music]

In his only interview, a New York dentist charged with murdering his lover’s husband vows that he didn’t do it -- but could he go to prison for something else? “48 Hours” Richard Schlesinger investigates. Watch more full episodes of "48 Hours" on Pluto TV.

Crime. Social justice. Impact. "48 Hours" investigates the most intriguing crime and justice cases that touch on all areas of the human experience including greed and passion. "48 Hours," which premiered in 1988, has developed a rich history of original reporting and impact journalism that has helped exonerate wrongly convicted people, caused cold cases to be reopened and solved, and along the way changed lives.

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Brief Summary

Tom Coleman was poisoned, leading to a controversial murder trial of his best friend Gilberto Nunez, who was later acquitted of murder but convicted of forgery.

Key points

Tom Coleman's Mysterious Death. Thomas Coleman was found dead in his car under suspicious circumstances, leading to an investigation.
The Shocking Autopsy Results. The autopsy revealed acute midazolam poisoning, raising questions about how it got into his system.
The Affair Uncovered. Gilberto Nunez reveals his affair with Linda Coleman, Tom's wife, complicating the investigation.
Suspicion Turns to Nunez. Detectives focus on Gilberto Nunez as their main suspect after uncovering key evidence.
The CIA Hoax. Nunez allegedly sent a fake CIA letter to intimidate Tom, adding to the bizarre case.
The Verdict. After a lengthy trial, the jury finds Gilberto Nunez not guilty of murder.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

He just had a kindness of Adam and it's just always there for everybody.

5:44WatchDec 20, 2022

Tension

75/ 100High tension

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