Forensic Files - Season 9, Episode 6 - Burning Desire - Full Episode | Forensic Files

NARRATOR: Investigators search through the remnants of a house fire that killed the wife of a policeman.
At first, carelessness looked like the probable cause. But when pathologists, toxicologists, and chemists
took a closer look around they found the cause was far more complicated. [theme music]
On a cold February morning in Green Bay, Wisconsin, Lola Cator drove to her daughter's home
and discovered there had been some sort of accident. -It was just totally black.
Just totally full of soot. I couldn't find Sandy and I ran all over that house, calling for her.
And then I saw that she was on the couch. She was totally burned. NARRATOR: Sandy Maloney was just 40 years old.
-It hurt. I was shocked. I didn't really, you know, didn't at first register that
actually, that Sandy was dead. -I walked in the room and my dad just started crying
and I kind of assumed what happened. Then he just told me there was a fire at the house
and they found someone inside, and they think it's my mom. NARRATOR: Sandy lived alone, since she
was separated from her husband. It appeared the fire started at 7:30 the night before.
The clock had stopped when the fire melted its inner-workings. Local fire officials identified the fire's origin
by the distinctive v-shaped pattern on the wall. DANIEL HUGHES: When fire burns, it burns upward and outward.
And it leaves telltale signs on the walls, furniture, ceiling, and that type of thing.
In this particular situation I did observe a v-pattern consistent with the fire burning on the couch.
NARRATOR: Which is where Sandy's body was found. The fire didn't spread beyond the living room.
DANIEL HUGHES: The supply of oxygen appeared not to have been sufficient to allow
that fire to burn freely. And when the oxygen had been depleted in the structure,
the fire burned itself out. NARRATOR: The living room was littered with empty vodka bottles and cigarette butts.
JAMES MUNGER: A lot of overflowing ashtrays, cigarettes that had just been laid down on table tops
and phone books that literally burnt themselves out in scorched surfaces. NARRATOR: Investigators knew Sandy Maloney,
since her husband was a fellow police officer. JOHN: Sandy was the love of my life.
It's like your soul mate that, you know, that the one time that you meet someone in your life
that, you know, you feel like you're going to spend the rest of your life with them.
NARRATOR: In the early '90s Sandy injured her back and became addicted to pain killers.
She also started drinking heavily. Two separate hospital visits failed to cure her addiction.
JOHN: It totally consumed who she was. She was no longer that fun wife and great mother.
The kids would get home from school and Sandy would already be totally intoxicated.
You know, at the point of staggering, you know, not really being able to talk all that well even.
-I knew things were wrong. I mean, one, there's bill collectors calling and things like that.
And when you have an addiction you're losing money to feed that addiction. And they didn't have money to pay their bills.
And that's what most of the arguments that my mom and dad had were surrounding. So I wasn't totally oblivious it what was going on.
NARRATOR: Not surprisingly, when the Maloneys separated, John got custody of their three children.
Sandy continued on a downward spiral. LOLA: There was arguing and John was just swearing and just angry all the time.
And things got worse all around. That house was like it was going to explode. MATT: She just mostly stayed in the house
and kept the phone off the hook, and pretty much lost contact with everyone who she used to talk to.
NARRATOR: The preliminary indications were that the fire started by a cigarette Sandy left burning carelessly.
But Sandy's autopsy said something quite different. To find out for certain what killed Sandy Maloney,
her body was sent to the medical examiner for an autopsy. -When you look at a fire death, what you're looking for
are injuries that are not consistent with the fire. NARRATOR: Sandy had a history of alcohol and drug abuse,
so blood samples were sent for toxicology testing. Using gas chromatography, scientists
could identify all of the elements present in Sandy's system. Sandy's blood alcohol level was 0.25,
more than twice the legal limit in Wisconsin. -Forensic pathologists, for the most part,
do not consider a blood alcohol level to be in the lethal range until it gets up above 0.4, especially
in someone that was a chronic drinker. NARRATOR: Sandy was discovered face down on the sofa.
GREGORY SCHMUNK: That's not a common scenario for someone that is just intoxicated.
They would tend to collapse and, and even though they are intoxicated, the lower brain stem functions, if you will,
will sort of make their face move to the side so they can get some air. She was face down into that pillow.
NARRATOR: And there was something else suspicious. The carbon monoxide levels in her blood were only 8%.
-When a person dies as a result of a fire, their carbon monoxide levels are usually up 70% or higher.
Uh, so the carbon monoxide levels of Sandra Maloney at the time of death were consistent with her being dead prior to the fire.
And the medical examiner found even more evidence to support this view. GREGORY SCHMUNK: You would expect the entire trachea
to have a black lining of soot, all the way from the upper portion of the throat all the way down
and spreading out into the two lungs. Sandy only had a very small amount of soot in her airway.
Much less than we would normally see. NARRATOR: And there were bruises in the muscles
around Sandy's neck and her back. GREGORY SCHMUNK: This would be very consistent with someone
being on top of her, maybe a knee, maybe arms, as she is being held down into the cushion of the couch
and strangled. NARRATOR: They also found a vertical, not horizontal, gash on the back of Sandy's head.
GREGORY SCHMUNK: There was a broken ashtray there in the room. Whether or not that was the implement that was used,
that is the type of implement-- a heavy, edged object like this ashtray-- that could
have caused this kind of an injury. NARRATOR: Sandy was found on the sofa without a blouse.
In a basement clothes hamper investigators found a corduroy shirt covered with blood.
-Somebody apparently attempted to have that concealed under some other clothing.
But the bleeding on that corduroy shirt was consistent with where her head injury was on her body.
And that raised a lot of red flags. -Given the totality of the evidence that we had
in this case, it was obvious that this was definitely a homicide. This was death at the hands of another.
NARRATOR: At the scene of the fire, investigators found several suspicious items--
a burned book of matches underneath a cloth baseball cap, and tissues rolled and stuffed into the seat cushions.
Arson investigators call them trailers. DANIEL HUGHES: These trailers that I saw on the couch
and in front of the couch indicated to me that whoever committed this crime had some, at least fundamental, knowledge
of fire and how fire burned, and what methods to use to carry fire from one place to another.
NARRATOR: Now, with evidence of a homicide and arson, Sandy's estranged husband, John, became the prime suspect.
But he had an alibi. He was at home with his girlfriend on the night of the fire.
JOHN: My kids were with me all night, and Tracy Hellenbrand was there. -We just thought maybe randomly something happened.
Maybe one of her friends, maybe they were getting into drugs bad or something like that.
NARRATOR: Despite the alibi, investigators noted that John had recently taken classes in arson
investigation as part of his ongoing training as a police officer. JOHN: I can tell you, absolutely,
that I did not have anything to do with Sandy's death. I did not kill Sandy. NARRATOR: To solve the mystery of Sandy Maloney's death,
investigators needed to know as much as possible about the house fire. The evidence clearly showed it started in the living room.
DANIEL HUGHES: The burn patterns on the floor in front of the couch, at the area of deep charring
and back away toward the center of the room, that pattern was very reminiscent of a liquid-type
of accelerant being poured on the floor. It was a very irregular, elongated pattern.
NARRATOR: Debris from the couch area was collected in an airtight can and sent to the Wisconsin State crime lab for testing.
At the lab, scientists placed an activated charcoal strip inside to collect gases from the debris.
Later, it was washed in a sterile solution and analyzed. JAMES MUNGER: A gas chromatograph,
which is a piece of equipment that can actually look for the individual components
inside gasoline, kerosene, et cetera. And they get, basically, a tracing. Looks like, kind of like an EKG, up and down lines.
But those peaks, to the forensic chemist, mean different things, mean different particular chemical
components. NARRATOR: The chromatograph found no accelerants in the debris. But the empty vodka bottle at the fire scene
suggested a possible explanation. DANIEL HUGHES: It would not be unusual for vodka
to have been used as an accelerant, and then have the lab results come back negative,
because the vodka either burned up as a result of the fire or dissipated after the fire.
NARRATOR: There was one piece of evidence that suggested Sandy must have known the person who started the fire.
There were no signs of forced entry, and all of the doors were locked. DANIEL HUGHES: One key to the door
was found on Sandra Maloney's key chain laying on the cupboard in the kitchen. A second key had been given to John Maloney, years
before, when the door was installed, and never returned. And there were only two keys to that door.
So immediately that brought John Maloney into the forefront as a suspect. NARRATOR: Sandy's estranged husband denied this.
JOHN: Her mother and I are not the only ones that had a key to the house. There was a key that the kids had access to,
her friends had duplicate keys. So when I moved out of the house the locks were changed.
So I didn't have keys. I had at-- I had at one point, had a key to an outside storm door lock.
That would be the only thing that I would have a key to. NARRATOR: And investigators found evidence of motive.
John had agreed to pay Sandy $450 a month in alimony, plus half his assets in pension in a divorce settlement.
Police now realized that John's girlfriend, Tracy Hellenbrand, may have had a financial motive as well.
VINCE BISKUPIC: There was some thought that they both do about the homicide, or maybe both participated.
So she was somebody that had some hostility towards Sandy Maloney, and it needed to be looked at.
NARRATOR: Tracy said she was at home with John on the night of the murder. But investigators added some pressure,
telling her she could be charged as an accessory to the crime. So she changed her story.
She now said she was taking a nap and didn't know where John was at the time of the fire.
She also said, John was behaving suspiciously later that night. VINCE BISKUPIC: His girlfriend, Tracy, did point
out some nervous behavior, some shaking when he was back at the residence. And also some smell of smoke on his person.
Tracy agreed to help police by wearing a hidden microphone while she questioned John about the incident.
But during those conversations, John denied any involvement. It wasn't until several months later, while on vacation
in Las Vegas, that the conversations became more interesting. Prosecutors believe that John Maloney
grew angry with his wife, Sandy, because her drug and alcohol addiction had made it difficult to finalize their divorce.
So he went over to talk with her to make sure she was going to be at court the next day for the divorce hearing.
The evidence suggests the two argued. And Sandy suffered a serious head injury, either intentionally or by accident.
At some point, he strangled her to death. John removed her bloody shirt and hid it in the hamper.
To cover his tracks, John decided to set fire to the house and make it look like an accidental fire.
He inserted tissues in the sofa cushions to make sure it ignited. And he may have used vodka as an accelerant.
John left the scene thinking the entire house would burn to the ground, and with it
all the evidence of the murder. But he was wrong. There wasn't enough oxygen inside the house
for the fire to spread. And it burned out quickly. DANIEL HUGHES: There's absolutely no doubt in my mind
that John Maloney is the killer. John Maloney did not do very well as an arsonist.
He should have done a little more research. NARRATOR: To cement their case, investigators
asked John's girlfriend, Tracy, to question him about the fire while they listened.
And they placed a hidden camera and microphone in their Las Vegas hotel room while they were there on vacation.
VINCE BISKUPIC: The surveillance in Las Vegas and what showed up on the tape really gave us an insight into,
not only the relationship of John and Tracy, but, you know, his dark side. NARRATOR: And they also revealed John's feelings
towards his estranged wife, Sandy. LOLA: It proves he hated her. He hated her. He called her f-ing slob, and f-ing anorexic drunk,
and he just wanted to be rid of her. NARRATOR: After hours of denials, John eventually admitted he was inside his wife's
home on the day of the fire. DANIEL HUGHES: John Maloney had been maintaining, right
from the beginning, that he hadn't been in the house and hadn't been in the house for a long time.
His admission that he was in the house on the night that the homicide occurred really
pulled everything else together. NARRATOR: At one point in the conversation, it appeared that John would physically assault Tracy.
DANIEL HUGHES: John Maloney has Tracy Hellenbrand backed up against the wall, and he does place
his hands up near her throat. And, you know, it just, it just flashed in my mind
when I saw that, that John Maloney is very capable of committing this crime. JOHN: What people don't realize is
it was like 4:30 in the morning that she woke me out of a sleep to start this interrogation.
I was very angry. I was very angry that I was being accused continually of doing something, killing someone, when I hadn't.
NARRATOR: But to investigators, the tape showed otherwise. John Maloney was arrested and charged with his wife's murder.
At the trial his defense basically conceded the strength of the forensic evidence.
JAMES MUNGER: There was really not much effort made. Matter of fact, no effort made during John's trial
to challenge the state's assertion that this was, in fact, an incendiary fire. He and his defense essentially rolled over and accepted
the state's findings without a scientific challenge. NARRATOR: Instead, the defense pointed their finger
at Tracy Hellenbrand saying, she was the real killer. VINCE BISKUPIC: The physical evidence,
the forensic evidence, the statements of witnesses, their observations, only point to one person,
and that's John Maloney. JURY FOREMAN: We the jury find the defendant, John R. Maloney guilty of first degree--
NARRATOR: John Maloney was found guilty of first degree murder, arson, and mutilating a corpse.
He was sentenced to life in prison. JOHN: I was very much, sort of, shocked by the outcome of my trial.
'Cause I thought there was more than enough reasonable doubt. NARRATOR: John Maloney continues to maintain his innocence.
JOHN: I did not have anything to do with Sandy death. I did not kill Sandy. I'm scared of maybe spending the rest of my life in prison
for something, a crime that I was convicted of and, and didn't do. NARRATOR: His son, Matt, refuses to believe
that his father is a killer. MATT: All evidence in the basement and upstairs point to an accidental death.
I mean, I loved my mom, but I just want everyone to know how my mom did really die
and that my dad's not responsible for it. NARRATOR: But forensic science painted a picture
of what actually happened in Sandy's home before the fire. GREGORY SCHMUNK: The autopsy serves
as the voice of the dead, the silent witness to the crime. Had the autopsy not disclosed what it disclosed about Sandy
death, this could have been put down as an accidental death. VINCE BISKUPIC: This case could not
have been solved without the physical findings of the police investigators at the scene.
And without forensic evidence, we might have a killer still on the loose. LOLA: All of these forensic evidences are so important.
And we were just overwhelmed with the good job that the prosecution had done. DANIEL HUGHES: I think he's a coldblooded killer.
And high school sweetheart or not, he committed this crime. The evidence was there.
He did it and he got caught, and now he's paying for it. [theme music]

Investigators sift through the ashes of a fire which killed a 40-year-old woman. The fire appeared to have been started by an unattended cigarette. On closer look, forensic scientists discover the cause was far more complicated.

Forensic Files is the longest-running true crime series in television history. Evidence and interviews with experts help solve real crimes, disease outbreaks and accidents around the world.

Brief Summary

Sandy Maloney's death was ruled a homicide, leading to her husband John's conviction for murder and arson.

Key points

A Tragic Fire. A fire claims the life of Sandy Maloney, leading to a complex investigation.
Unraveling the Mystery. Investigators discover evidence suggesting Sandy's death was a homicide, not an accident.
The Trial and Conviction. John Maloney is found guilty of murder and sentenced to life in prison.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

It hurt. I was shocked.

John reflects on the news of Sandy's death.

1:30WatchJan 1, 2022

Tension

75/ 100High tension

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