Killer Performance | Full Episode | Forensic Files

[Music] Julie Kibuishi was a beautiful, smart, vivacious 23-year-old young woman who is
a dancer and an aspiring fashion designer. And everybody who met her fell in love with her.
May 21st, 2010 is a beautiful night in Southern California. Julie went to have dinner in Long Beach and suddenly
disappeared. Julie's friends were texting her frantically, text after text. Hey Julie,
your mom called me. Can you call me? Hey Julie, is everything okay? By the next day, Julie's mom was desperate.
>> This kind of thing never happened to my daughter. So we called the police and I said, "I
don't care. I don't care where you find her, but I need to find her." At the same time, there's another family
who is looking for their beloved son, Sam her, who was supposed to come over that weekend and also never showed up. I
said, "I'm going to drive down and make sure Sam's okay cuz he's not answering his phone."
I had the key to his apartment. I walked in. It looked clean. Everything was fine.
Then I glanced into the bedroom and that's where I saw a body there. >> There's a body in my apartment.
>> There's a what? >> A body? A dead body. >> A dead body. Are you sure, sir? >> I'm sure.
>> And first thought is, what did he do? Within a few minutes, it's not Sam wouldn't do something like this.
>> Police enter the apartment and they see a young woman laying face down on the
bed with her jeans cut off. >> Written on her back was a message saying, "All yours. F you."
>> They very quickly learned that the woman on the bed was Julie. Being a mother, you would do anything to
protect your child. >> At that point, did you have a prime suspect, >> Sam? >> Sam's friends could not believe that
this happened because his relationship with Julie, they were very close. They were like brother and sister. However,
all of the evidence pointed at Sam. Julie was found shot in Sam's apartment. Sam's car is missing. His passport is
missing. We launched a massive manhunt trying to find Sam her. >> We believed he was armed and dangerous.
We believed he could kill a gang. >> I know that from the bottom of my heart, from the pit of my stomach, he would not
harm a woman. >> We started interviewing all of Sam's good friends. And that led us to Daniel
Waznjak. >> He was like, "Dude, it's not good." Was like, "There's a body in my apartment."
>> Daniel Waznjak had a fiance named Rachel Buffett. At a certain point, you reach
your shock level you can't handle anymore. >> We quickly learned that nothing was as
it seemed. Even the most demented Hollywood writers would not have dreamed up an ending like this.
[Music] [Music] [Music] I feel >> May 22nd, 2010. Steve hair's mind was reeling.
>> Does your son know who it is? >> He's not here. >> 23-year-old Julie Kibuishi lay dead in
his son Sam's apartment. >> What happened? This happened. This happened. I'm seeing how she's
positioned. >> What had Sam done to his friend? >> Julie was there. The white sheets were
just full of blood. She was right on tiara, very dark, full head of hair, just covered in blood.
>> Deceased with a gunshot wound to her head. >> Detectives Ed Everett, Jose Morales, and
Mike Cohen took on a case laced with mystery. Starting with that scrolled obscenity, all yours, FU, punctuating
the already obscene murder scene. >> I've never seen anything like that before. It seemed like there was a
message, maybe possibly a love triangle uh happening. It didn't seem right. >> What do you mean it didn't seem right?
>> The pieces just didn't fit correctly at the time. >> You had to break the news to her
parents. >> Yes, I did. >> Was tough. >> Are you Mrs. Kibishi and M Mr. Kipishi?
And he said yes. And then he came in and one of them told me, "Okay, Mrs. Kibish,
I want you to sit down." My hands were started shaking and then uh they told us that they found her and
you know she was was shot in the head. Yeah. >> Yeah. >> But first I said no no that's not my
daughter. No that's not my daughter. Julie, a dancer and fashion designer with her own style.
>> She's such a goofball. >> A goofball. >> Mhm. When she's home, you know she's
home because she's singing or she's the music on. >> What do you want people to know?
My daughter was such um she's the person that always kind of take care of the friends.
But now, Julie Kibuishi, the young woman her mom lovingly calls a goofball, had been shot dead and possibly raped here
in Sam's apartment. And investigators were about to make another discovery. >> We learned that he was involved in a
homicide. Sam had been arrested and charged with murder before. At 18, he got mixed up
with a rough crowd that included gangbangers. A >> person was killed, murdered, and then
another person was killed in retribution to that. And Sam amongst uh 23 others were accused of being participating in
that. When he went to court, he was acquitted. He was exonerated. And that was it. That's that part of that part of
life was over with. Was he ever in a gang? >> No. >> No. >> No. >> But to the cops, Sam's past confirmed
all their current suspicions. Sam was their killer. >> Sam was our guy. Was his apartment.
>> And when cops checked Julie's cell phone, it was loaded with messages from Sam, begging her to come over.
>> He was just a very caring guy. That's the one thing that I learned is how someone could care so much about
everyone else. >> Here's a photo. Yeah. Photo. >> Miles Folultz met Sam as he was turning
his life around. Leaving his bad choices behind, fighting for his country, enlisting in
the army and deploying to Afghanistan. >> We were both stationed at a base out in
the middle of nowhere. >> How good of a friend was Sam? He >> He was my best friend.
>> This is riding in styles, bro. I hope you taping this for my mommy back home.
>> Miles and Sam would travel the world together. >> Aiza, we went to Israel, Prague,
Oktoberfest, and Munich. >> Sam always finding the cheapest hotels, always saving his money.
>> He always wanted to go places, but he always wanted to be a cheapkate about it.
>> What did Sam do with his money? >> Saved it. >> How much money had he saved? >> Over 60,000. And it was all from
Afghanistan. He saved every penny. >> And when they finished fighting a war, the best friends headed home to Southern
California where Sam shared his world with Miles. >> Did you meet Julie? >> Yeah, I did.
>> What was she like? >> She was a really sweet girl. They were kind of like brother and sister.
>> Sam's mother, Raquel. We met her once because she was tutoring Sammy with anthropology, which by the way got an A
on the in that class. >> And she was an angel. She was very, very nice. >> And according to his parents, the bottom
line on Sam. >> Just a typical guy. Just fun, loving guy. >> What' you love about Sam?
>> Everything. But police are certain both parents and friends don't know the dark truth about
Sam. >> We wanted to find him pretty bad. >> There was no activity on his phone, so
we assumed it was turned off. >> And the cops aren't the only detectives on this case.
>> You pulled up Sam's bank account, >> correct? >> And what did you see? >> Money was being withdrawn every day.
cash from this ATM in Long Beach, California. >> At an ATM at Chase, >> a Chase ATM and then a pizza place
called >> Echos. >> So, you decided to go there. >> I did go there. I was hoping to see
either Sam come in maybe ordering something or see his car. >> But did you see >> I saw nothing? No, I saw nothing.
>> You actually went out looking for him? >> Yeah. >> And nothing. >> Nothing. Did you think it was possible
that Sam could have killed this woman and been on the run? >> No. There was never a thought in my mind
that that was possible. >> Exhausted past midnight at the kitchen table, Steve and Raquel start dialing
Sam's friends, one of whom gives them a phone number for someone they'd never heard of, Daniel Waznjak. It was the
only number they had with a Long Beach area code. And the money was being withdrawn
>> from Long Beach. The area code belonged to Dan Mosnjak. >> Help me. Help me. >> Dan Waznjak, a local actor with a
magnetic personality. >> Who would soon be starring in a real life police drama?
>> I'll tell you anything you want to know. Julie Kibuishi was dead and Sam Hair was
still nowhere to be found as police investigators spread across Orange County and loved ones tried to make
sense of the impossible. >> Where is Sam? What's going on? because he's not a guy
to to, you know, go and uh murder someone. >> Who killed her? Don't know. >> There's still still
>> still investigations ongoing. >> The first thing that they said was Sam killed my daughter and then ran away.
He's on the run. >> What was going through your head? >> I hope Sammy's fine. That he's safe. I thought maybe they got
him as a tied down somewhere, ransom or something. >> It's hard in that sense that you know
that there's something going on and you don't know all the pieces and you just want the answer and you're willing to do
anything to figure out the answer. The answer would begin with Steve Hair dialing that Long Beach number. One of
Sam's friends had mentioned Dan Waznjak answered the call >> and he he sounded nervous and that's
when he told me Sam had problems. He was having family problems. >> Family problems.
>> Family problems. >> Why was that such a red flag to you? >> Because of the closeness Sam, myself,
and Raquel had. >> There was no family problems. Are you kidding me? >> And then along came Wesley Fry. So,
how'd you meet Daniel Waznjak? >> My mom was a theater teacher, so by nature, I drifted towards acting as an
extracurricular activity. >> The actors met on stage back when Wesley was in middle school.
>> Fantastic guy. One of those guys that you actually wanted to be around, made you laugh, very sweet person.
And in 2010, Waznjak was a small town star in the play Nine down at the community theater.
>> Did you trust Dan? >> Yeah. >> Dan told then 17-year-old Wesley he could make fast money using a bank card.
>> I was just like, "Yeah, why not?" >> Even though the name on the card read Sam Hair.
So, I went to the ATM, did exactly like he told me, and withdrew money, and then
came back and gave him the money. >> So, his credit card was still active. >> Yes.
>> It was being used in the Long Beach area. >> It wasn't Sam taking out the money.
>> It wasn't Sam. >> What did the person look like? >> A young 17 to 20year-old white male,
baseball hat. Wesley in disguise flashing Sam hair's bank card. Somebody ordered a pizza on Sam's credit
card. >> Yes. >> So I ordered a pizza. >> What did you think when you saw that? >> Well, we thought Sam was getting sloppy
because he used his credit card to get a pizza. >> So of course you went to that house.
>> Yes. >> Finished the pizza. Was inside. Heard a helicopter. Look outside. two cop cars,
FBI van, helicopter, and then that's when I open up the door and they say, "Get on the ground." And then that's
when they all come in. >> Shaken and scared, Wesley told investigators all about Daniel Waznjak.
how Waznjak insisted it was perfectly okay for Wesley to withdraw money from that ATM in Long Beach.
It turned out Waznjak was Sam's neighbor and he was getting married in a few days
when police showed up at his bachelor party. Daniel seemed surprised to see us. Seemed somewhat a little nervous. Uh,
you could see the blood just drained from his his face and he made a statement to me that he would tell us
everything. >> What were you thinking? >> We thought at that point he was going to
lead us to Sam. [Music] >> Waznjak's wedding looked like it might just have to be postponed. Fellow actor
and blushing bride to be Rachel Buffett would later tell Dr. Phil all about it. I first met Dan doing a play and I
quickly fell for him in late 2008. He asked me to marry him. I looked at it as though we were going to have an awesome
future, but the curtain was about to come down on those plans. >> I will talk to you about anything if it
gets me to my wedding on Friday. That's what I will promise. >> Convinced Waznjak is somehow covering
for Sam. >> You're not going to be leaving here anytime soon. Okay. >> He is charged as an accessory to the
murder of Julie Kibuishi. >> Yes, I helped Sam get away. Yes, I did not know what he was planning till then.
>> Wnjak first tells detectives he saw Sam the same day Julie was murdered. And he
claims Sam drove off with a mysterious man in a black hat. But then >> he told us that there was a light. There
really wasn't a person with a black hat in the car and it was him and Sam initially.
>> No guy with the black hat. >> No guy with the black hat. >> The interrogation wears on.
>> Did you see Julie >> dead in the apartment? >> No, I did not. >> Were you there when she was shot?
>> No, I was not. >> You sure about that? >> I don't even know when she was shot. No.
>> Under the spotlight. Sit down. Sit down, Daniel. >> The actor heightens the drama.
>> You're driving with Sam and he tells you that he did something bad. >> He did something bad. I'm on the freeway
when he tells me this. And it >> telling detectives Sam had actually confessed to him.
>> But I pull up the freeway and I'm like, "What the what what have you what have
you gotten me into? What are you doing?" He was like, "Dude, it's not good. There's a body in my apartment. I shot
somebody. Daniel said that Sam had told him that Julie Kubio was in in his room and that
he had killed her. >> Then according to Waznjak, Sam hair issued a death threat >> and then he said, "Well, I know where
you live." Okay. He's like, "You wrap me out, I'm going to kill you." >> Wnjak spun the tail. Sam as a killer on
the run, desperate for cash. Wesley Fry made the withdrawals and Waznjak in exchange for his silence took a cut of
Sam's money as Sam plotted his escape. >> Did it seem like Daniel was willing to
tell you where Sam was? >> No, not at all. >> Did you think Daniel knew where Sam was?
>> My gut instinct, yes. >> And there's more to this than you're telling us. There's a whole lot more.
Prosecutor Matt Murphy would eventually be tasked with putting all the pieces together in a case that shocked even the
veteran DA. >> As far as the cases I've done, this is as ugly and as ruthless and as horrific
as anything I've ever seen. >> Do you want to talk to us? Yes or no? Yes. [Music]
It's almost 2:00 a.m. 4 hours after getting arrested as an accessory to murder. >> You're lying.
>> And Daniel Waznjak is still insisting he doesn't know where Sam hair is. You >> want to talk about what happened to Sam?
I don't know what happened to Sam. >> Sometimes whispering, sometimes yelling. >> I don't know what else you want me to
say. >> I don't know. >> I don't know. >> Waznjak stuck to the script. >> But what I just told you is the honest
to god truth. >> He dropped Sam off and was expecting to hear from him soon. >> You're done.
>> Suspecting he was lying, the detectives turned up the heat. >> You always want to have that good guy,
bad guy kind of cop thing going, and it always works. You can't even keep your lies straight.
>> In our case, it worked real well. >> The harder they pushed, >> man up. >> The more his story changed. He went from
saying he never entered Sam's apartment to this. >> He came down and said, "Help me. I went
upstairs and yes, I saw the goddamn body." Is that what you want to hear? >> Waznjak goes on to make his biggest
mistake yet. >> What did you see? >> Saw two gunshots in her head. >> Red flag. >> Yes. Not beyond red flag. Alarm bells
going off. >> It was that statement, says senior deputy district attorney Matt Murphy,
that put Daniel Waznjak in a whole new category. Prime suspect. >> You can't see the bullet holes. What you
saw on the back of her head actually was brain matter. That's what you saw. You can't see bullet holes in the back of
her head. That's really where it turned. >> Detectives now believed he knew more
than he was saying, but they still didn't know what. >> You can go over and sit right there.
They decided to bring Rachel in to see if that would tell them more. >> They want to see what she's going to do.
They want to test and see could she be involved in this. >> This is true, isn't it?
>> Rachel barely reacted to the news that the man she was set to marry the following day was under arrest for
covering up a murder or that her wedding was off. >> Did she scream at him? Did she cry?
>> No. Not one time. Another huge red flag to the detectives. >> Daniel told you that Rachel knew
nothing. Did it seem like she knew nothing? >> No. It it it seemed like she knew more.
>> Why did you lie to me? >> It almost seemed to us that she was trying to figure out what have you told
them that I need to know. >> Hello. >> Hi, baby. >> When the two talked on a recorded phone
call from jail, it was clear she at least knew about one thing. This backpack Danielle had given it to his
brother Tim to throw away. >> Tim says he has evidence with him or or he knew where it was or something.
>> Then I'm doomed. >> Do you know that Tim had some evidence? >> Yeah. Oh god. Oh god. Oh god.
>> This is ridiculous. And I have to go tell the detectives the truth. >> That can't be found. Babe, um, listen to
me. I'm going to go do something right now. And you're not going to see me for the rest of your life. Do you understand
that? >> No. No. >> I have to tell the truth on what I did and I think you now know what it is and
it's bad. Imagine the worst and that's what I did. >> The police did find that backpack and
just as Waznjak had said, it led to his doom. >> He knows what's in that backpack because
he put it there. Shell casings from Julie's murder. Sam's wallet. Sam's ID. The checkbook. Sam's bloody clothes.
This is a bonanza of evidence. He knows he's done. >> You've indicated to me that you want to
talk to us. Correct. >> That afternoon, Daniel Waznjak sent word to the detectives that he wanted to
talk. >> He looked emotionally drained. He just he started speaking to us. >> What did he say?
>> That he did it. >> I'm crazy and I did it. >> You did what? >> I killed Julie and I killed Sam.
>> The detectives couldn't believe what they were hearing. Sam Hair, the man they believed killed Julie, was dead.
Not a murderer, but another victim in Waznjak's twisted scheme. >> What went through your head at that
point? >> Well, we knew that now we just had to listen to him, ask him some questions.
What he did with Sam? That was our biggest thing cuz we wanted to find Sam. >> Sam is decapitated. Okay. In a cold,
matter-of-fact tone, Waznjak told detectives where to find Sam, at least pieces of him. After shooting the war
hero, Waznjak dismembered him with an axe and saw, and then tossed some of the body parts across this park, not even
bothering to bury them. >> I was in shock. And then to hear the grizzly part of the dismemberment and
then discarding the body parts in the park and then this just overall attitude was just chilling for me.
>> They said, "Steve, we got to come over. We got to see you." They pulled up and
they came in and they said, "Sam was murdered." >> That's when I ran upstairs to the room
and I lost it. The detectives didn't tell the grieving parents, the grizzly details of their
son's murder until the next day. >> They called me up and said, "See, before you find out by the news, Sam was
dismembered." And that that's when I just went off the ant deep end. I was angry. I was angry.
>> The police were able to find all of Sam's body parts except his hand and head. The next day, the Saturday was his
birthday. And I was praying for them to find Sam's head. A father has to pray on his son's birthday that
they find his head. Go ahead and tell me how I feel. Sam's head was found in the park under
scattered leaves on his 27th birthday. His hand was never found. Sam Hair was given a hero's burial with
full military honors. His alleged killer, Daniel Waznjak, was immediately charged with two counts of
firstdegree murder. Daniel's brother, Tim and Rachel Buffett, would also be arrested, not for murder, but as
accessories after the fact. Tim for hiding that backpack, and Rachel, cops say she lied to them. Is that your true
name, Mr. Wosak? >> Either to protect Daniel or to cover her own tracks. >> We always felt Rachel was a part of
this. She's living with him. >> Do you think that Rachel was involved in this from the beginning?
>> Yes. Yes. That she knew about it. She knew about it before this happened. >> I absolutely feel like I was duped by
Dan. >> While awaiting trial, Rachel, by then out on bail, made that appearance on Dr.
Phil telling everyone she didn't know a thing. >> Did you know that he had any involvement
in these murders at all? >> Not until after the police did. >> Steve Hair was not about to let Rachel
Buffett go on national TV without confronting her. >> I was a guest when I get a call saying,
"You're going on TV. My son is dead. He was cut up into pieces and you to come on here and and go on the TV stations.
Poor me. That offends me. I understand and maybe I made a bad judgment call by coming on here, but I didn't come out
when everything first happened and said, "Oh, look at this horrible situation. I'm the victim." You know, you didn't
see me selling my story to Hollywood to make a movie. >> Not yet. >> No Hollywood version could be worse than
what you're about to hear. >> Coming up, >> relax. You'll see the killer describing
how and why he did it. >> The motive behind killing Sam was Okay. Stop it. Pull yourself together.
>> Hi, my name is Dan Waznjak. I'll be playing the role of John Davis. Orange cat.
This is the face Daniel Waznjak presented to the world. >> I'll just say Orange County. I can't say
>> a happy, fun-loving actor, >> hamming it up alongside fiance Rachel Buffett. A real nice guy. But that is
not who he is, says prosecutor Matt Murphy. >> So, what's the real face of Daniel
Waznjak? >> The real face of Daniel Waznjak is dark and manipulative and flatout evil. A man
so evil he planned and executed two savage murders. Why? To pay for his honeymoon.
>> It was all just about the money. >> That was it. >> Desperate to impress his bride. The
groom to be set his sights on friend and neighbor Sam Hair, who he knew had saved
all that money as a soldier. Waznjak told the police that he lured Sam to the attic of this theater,
pretending he needed help moving something. Sam being Sam obliged, says mom Raquel.
>> He loved to help people, but he also was very naive. He just trusted people. >> He trusted Waznjak enough to turn his
back on him. That's when the actor shot him. >> I shot him once and then he was still
alive, saying, "I need help. I need help. Something hit me. It sounded It felt like an electric shock.
>> Uhhuh. And then what'd you do? >> I reloaded and fired again. >> Waznjak stole Sam's phone and credit
cards, then left his body in the attic, then unbelievably performed his starring
role in Nine that night. Cara Kessner was the stage manager. >> How did he seem?
>> He seemed just like any other day. He seemed fine. He did a great job. [Applause]
>> This is the actual performance. Castmate Deborah Kennedy. >> Like I remember getting goosebumps and
going, "Yeah, Daniel, nail it." >> It was that good. [Music] >> After the performance, by then about
10:30 p.m. on Friday night, Daniel and Rachel returned to their apartment. Then he turned to covering up his crime,
texting Julie on Sam's phone, pretending to be Sam. >> I was saying, "You need to come over
tonight. You need to come over tonight." >> Julie, wearing the tiara she was to wear
in her brother's wedding, went to Sam's around midnight. Daniel appeared, unlocked the door. She
followed him in >> and said, "Oh, by the way, did you see this in Sam's bed?" And she's like,
"What? He led her into the bedroom. >> I said, "Read lean over. Look at it right there." When she was leaned over,
I put two bullets in the back of her head. >> He then wrote, "All yours, f you." And
cut her pants off. >> He wanted to set up Sam. He wanted to make Sam look like a rapist and a killer
so the police would be looking for him. >> Why? >> Because the man has no heart and he has
no soul. And he loved the idea of how clever he was. His murderous plot didn't end there. The next morning, Saturday,
he returned to the theater where Sam lay dead and began the devil's work of hacking his body apart. An act he tells
the detectives he found funny. >> I was actually smiling and laughing. I reached a point where I couldn't even
believe I was doing this. >> How tragic was this murder plot? A greedy groom. The pursuit of ill ill
gotten gain dismembers a young man and discards him like a piece of garbage. >> The prosecution deemed the crime so
heinous it warranted the death penalty. But Waznjak's defense team was not rolling over. In spite of his confession
to police, Waznjak pleaded not guilty. Incredibly, it would take 5 and 1/2 years to go to trial.
>> No victim's family should have to be put through that. None. They're in contempt
of court from my perspective. >> The families blame defense attorney Scott Sanders for filing numerous
motions accusing prosecutors and the sheriff of misusing informants to elicit damning evidence against his clients.
>> You got an informant. He's talking. >> Even though prosecutor Matt Murphy told
the court he was not going to present evidence from any informant at Waznjak's trial.
While the families waited, Daniel Waznjak made the most of his newfound celebrity.
>> I want people to know that I'm a good guy. >> Appearing on the show Lockup. >> I enjoy long walks on the beach. I'm an
Aries. >> For 5 and 1/2 years, I have watched that man come into court wearing an orange
jumpsuit, bounding in with a smile on his face like Tigger the Tiger. >> What is up with that smile?
>> Daniel Wac's smile is a point of manipulation. You know, he gets things that way.
>> Do you feel like Sam and Julie have been forgotten in all of this? >> Unless we mention their names for 5
years for over 100 hearings, their names are not mentioned. We've addressed the court a number of times. This case is
about Samuel Herren and Julie Kibushi. You got to put their names. >> In December 2015, finally, their names
would be spoken. >> Sam, her and Julie Kibuishi. The Daniel Waznjak. He murdered them both. And
ladies and gentlemen, we are going to get to a penalty phase. >> Daniel Waznjak went on trial for the
double murder of Julie Kibuishi and Sam Hair. If found guilty, a jury could sentence him to die. Not good enough for
this prosecutor. >> The death penalty is not enough for Daniel Waznjak on this. For justice to
be done in this case, personally, I would prefer proof of hell. I'd prefer proof that there's that there's
something that is awaiting him after he dies. There are searches on Google. Matt
Murphy presented the evidence, painting a chilling portrait of a killer with no conscience.
>> How to hide a body, quick ways to kill people, and Sandals Resorts. This is a
guy who's planning to murder two human beings so he can have an awesome honeymoon down in in Mexico.
>> Then there was the physical evidence, the gun he stole from his own father to
kill his victims. And that backpack jammed with evidence. Now, from a forensic, cold, sterile analysis of
evidence, it doesn't get any better than that for a jury. >> The prosecution put on 23 witnesses over
4 days, including Wesley Fry, who was arrested, but never charged for his role in Daniel Waznjak's scheme. What was it
like to see Daniel in court? >> Disturbing. He was smiling at me. The man that murdered two people just sat
there and just gave you this little just like this like acknowledgeable smirk. Just
>> The defense declined to put on any witnesses. After a 5-day trial, Daniel Waznjak's fate was in the hands of the
jury. [Music] It's been like to be sitting behind him. >> Steve Hair knows that nothing can bring
his son Sam back. >> He's gone. I want now justice. I'll grieve for the rest of my life, but
but it doesn't run my life. The justice for it runs my life. >> And has the jury reached unanimous
verdict? >> Yes. After waiting five and a half years, >> the people of the state of California
plainif versus Daniel Patrick Waznjak. >> It takes the jury just two hours to reach a decision.
>> We the jury in the above entitled action find the defendant Daniel Patrick Waznjak guilty of the crime of
>> Daniel Waznjak sits emotionless as a jury finds him guilty of murdering Sam Hair and Julie Kibuishi. A verdict that
is a relief, but it's not enough for the hair and Kibuishi families. >> What he did to Sam and then of course
what he did to Julie, it warrants the death penalty. The quicker the better. >> Just two weeks later, the same jurors
are back in the same courtroom for what's called the penalty phase. They will have to determine whether Waznjak
should be given life in prison or be sentenced to death. Prosecutor Matt Murphy, who has tried
seven other death penalty cases in his career, says his strategy is simple. >> It is get Kibuishi's and the hers on the
witness stand so that the jury can understand their pain. Ladies and gentlemen, he knew that Sam and Julie
were loved. Now, you get to think about those people and you get to think about those moms and what they have gone
through and you get to assign a weight to that. And that's the beautiful thing about a penalty phase because it's not
his show anymore. It is Sam and Julie's show and it's about the families now. It's not about him.
>> Six people testify on behalf of Sam and Julie, but not one of Waznjak's family
members ever showed up to support him. >> By all accounts and everything that we
did in the investigation, he has very nice parents. And that might be why they're not here. They're nice people.
They gave him every possible advantage, which to a certain extent is one of the things that makes this case so heinous.
When you're making a determination about death, >> Waznjak's defense attorney, Scott
Sanders, tries to shift blame to Rachel Buffett, Waznjak's former fiance. But remember, she's not been charged with
committing or planning the murders, just as an accessory after the fact. >> You'll see very soon. She's the smarter
of the two by far. >> Their strategy is try to get as much attention away from Daniel Waznjak and
what he did. >> Pin it on Rachel as much as they can. >> Yeah, they need a villain.
It takes a week before the case goes again to the jury. Matt Murphy recalls what he was feeling at that moment.
>> Are you optimistic? >> Oh gosh, no. I'm I'm They call it PAPV psychosis. >> What is that?
>> Post-argument pre-verdict psychosis. Every prosecutor turns into Woody Allen and underneath their skin when a jury is
out. Everybody is neurotic and they're self-doubting and self-loathing. You're terrified that you did something to
screw it up. >> To everyone's surprise, the jury comes back quickly in just a little over an
hour. We, the jury, in the above entitled action determined that the penalty to be imposed upon defendant
Daniel Patrick Waznjak to be death. >> It's been a long five and a half years. They kind of waited for this day.
>> And it wasn't over yet. Before the judge could formally sentence Waznjak, Sanders
demanded more time to explore the informant issue and argue against the death penalty.
>> I'm right. There's not a question. >> Good afternoon. >> It would be eight more months before the
families finally got their chance to address the court and the man who murdered their children. Steve hair
stood surrounded by combat veterans who had served with Sam. >> You, Dan, are a coward and a poster boy
for the need of the effective death penalty in California. My only regret that this state
won't let me kill this coward myself. Thank you. >> Next, it was Julie's mother's turn.
>> You took her precious life and then you disgraced her. Why? What did she do to you? How could you do
anything like that to my baby? >> Judge Connley then turned to Daniel Waznjak and read his decision.
>> It is the order of this court that you shall suffer the death penalty. >> Finally, justice for Julie and Sam.
It would take two years after Daniel Waznjak was sentenced to death for his former fiance Rachel Buffett to face a
judge and jury for lying to police. >> By Monday, she knows her friend Julie Kibuisha was murdered. Knows Sam is
still missing. Knows Waznjak has to be connected by this point. She doesn't want to say anything that's going to
hurt Daniel Waznjak. Rachel is charged with accessory after the fact, trying to help her fiance
escape justice. Remember how Waznjak initially told police he saw Sam on the day of the murder drive off with a
mysterious man in a black hat? Murphy points out Rachel told police the same lie.
And in her videotaped interrogation, the lies continued. >> I do not believe one bit. Okay.
Rachel echoed Waznjak's lie about Sam having problems with his family. She claimed Sam mentioned it to her.
>> There's no way that he could have told you >> this about his family. >> I thought he really did
>> because he does not have problems with his family. >> But defense attorney Dave Medina argues
Rachel is another victim of Daniel Waznjak. In order for you to believe the government's theory in this case, you
have to believe that Rachel knew that Dan butchered two of her friends. You have to believe that
Rachel was okay with that. >> Rachel, >> but Matt Murphy gets the last word. >> All of this stuff goes on right under
her nose. So, she doesn't have to know that he butchered two people and be okay with it. She just has to know he's
involved and tell police things that are not true in an attempt to help him. >> Now, I count 19 separate lies in that
interview. I'm asking you to convict on one of them. >> This past Wednesday, after a week-long
trial, the jury spent a day deliberating and reached its verdict. >> We, the jury, find the defendant, Rachel
May Buffett, guilty. The sweetest sound that I heard was the clicks of the handcuffs going around
Rachel Buffett. [Music] >> Almost 8 and 1/2 years after the murders, the case of Daniel Waznjak and
Rachel Buffett finally ends. But the feelings of loss only deepen. >> This is her sheet.
I can still s [Music] >> What do you miss? >> I miss my boy. It's an honor to be a
father. >> This is the best thing in the world. Forever, the Hair and Kibuishi families
will be linked, always remembering, never forgetting their beautiful children, Sam and Julie.
[Music] I don't know. [Music]

A young woman is murdered, police thought her killer was on the run ... or was he? "48 Hours" correspondent Tracy Smith investigates a case where nothing is as it seems. Watch more full episodes of "48 Hours" on Pluto TV.

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True crime. Real justice. "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

Julie Kibuishi was murdered by Daniel Waznjak, who framed her friend Sam Hair, leading to shocking revelations and a complex investigation.

Key points

The Disappearance of Julie Kibuishi. Julie Kibuishi, a vibrant young woman, disappears after a dinner in Long Beach.
The Shocking Discovery. A body is found in Sam's apartment, leading to a frantic investigation.
The Confession. Daniel Waznjak confesses to the murder of Julie and reveals shocking details.
Chilling Confession. Waznjak reveals the gruesome details of Sam's murder in a matter-of-fact tone.
A Father's Plea. On his son's birthday, a father prays for the recovery of his son's remains.
Justice Served. The court delivers a verdict of death penalty for Daniel Waznjak, bringing some closure.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

There's a body in my apartment.

The shocking discovery made by Sam's friend.

1:17WatchOct 7, 2025

Tension

85/ 100High tension

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