Killing Sprees | “48 Hours" Full Episodes | Forensic Files

[music] I began writing as a process of healing. The writing [music] I found really
helped me deal with what had happened. [music] Since as far back as I can remember,
I've had the [music] same dream. I'm running. I was constantly running away from
someone. We lived on 13 acres, so I could never get someone to hear my screams or run fast enough. I would run
down the hill of the front to our house across the fields. There were many mornings that I would
wake up after a night of running all night in my dreams, but then run [music] down the stairs to play with my younger
sister. We had a great time growing up together. We had that special bond that you hear people talk about. We were so
close. >> I didn't get to hear the answering machine until I got home [music] that
night. I remember there being an oddly high number of calls, but three of the messages were from my dad.
>> [music] >> The room was dark and she woke up. She was lying on her side and I put my head
to her face and just held her. It was there that she told me the worst story that I had heard in my life.
[music] In late August 1997, [music] I was a student at the University of Kentucky.
[music] It was about the second night of classes. It was a Thursday night and I went to a party with my boyfriend Chris
Meyer, not far from campus. It was a little bit boring. So, we packed up Chris's backpack with some beers and we
were going to head down to the tracks. We sat there and talked for a while. I'm not sure how long, but we got up to
leave um and go back to the party and we started walking along the tracks. And when we got to an electrical box beside
the tracks, a man came out from behind it. [music] He asked us for money. We of course said, "We don't have any money.
We're poor college kids." And I don't know if it was an ice pick, if it was a screwdriver, but he had it
on Chris really the whole time. He asked Chris to get down on his hands and knees. Uh he [music] went through
his backpack and didn't find anything that he wanted. Uh and I didn't realize realize it, but he was tying up Chris's
hands with the backpack behind his back. and he took off my belt and tied up my hands behind my back with my [music]
belt. And he actually pulled Chris from the tracks on the gravel into the [music] grass beside the tracks.
In my head, I was panicking and I was [music] like saying my last prayer and thinking I'm going to die.
Maybe this [music] is what I have been running from in all those dreams as a child. this horrific story that happened
to my sister. It was very dark and you couldn't see very well. So, it was very startling to see someone
come out that was crouched behind an electrical box. Chris and I were looking [music] at each
other, I think, in disbelief that this was actually going on. Like we we were looking at each other very [music]
confused, like what in the heck is happening? You know, I remember saying, "Why are
you doing this? What do you want? Do you want uh credit cards, ATM cards? You can
have our car. It's just parked down the street." You know, we were just trying to figure out what he wanted.
>> [music] >> And at this point, um, the our attacker [music] ripped a shirt and he gagged us.
I actually stuck my tongue out so that the gag wouldn't work. It just fell off. We had [music] split seconds in where
our attacker would go back up to the tracks and we were down in the grass and so we could talk to each other [music]
and um Chris and I started strategizing, you know, saying, "Okay, should I run? Can I can you get untied?" [music]
Um I got my hands untied. I couldn't get my feet untied. I ripped Chris's gag off
of his mouth. [music] Um, and so we were talking to each other, trying to figure
out how we were going to get away because Chris kept saying, you know, if you can get yourself untied, get away.
[music] Run away. And cuz he couldn't get his arms were all tied up in his backpack and he couldn't get untied.
[music] And I really don't know how much time passed before our attacker came down [music] carrying
a rock. Um, and he came over and literally just dropped it on Chris's head. [music]
I think at that point I went into survival mode. I um, you know, see him drop this rock on Chris's head and he
climbed on top of me. I realized at that point that he was going to rape me. I fought him. I tried to hit him. I tried
to kick him. I tried to scream. Um, that's when he took that weapon that he had and he held it to my neck and he
said, "Look how easily I could kill you." And that's when he stabbed me in my neck. So, I just stopped. I I was
like, "Okay, well, you know what's going [music] to happen is going to happen. [music]
I was staring at every scar he had, every [music] tattoo he had. I was thinking,
"Let me remember everything about you that I can >> [music] >> um because we'll get you at some point."
And I tried to [music] um rip off my fingernails and dig in the dirt so that if I was taken away,
someone would know that I had been there. I started saying, you know, what do what
do you where have you been? What do you need? You know, how can I help you? Um, you know, I really have a family that
wants to see me again. I said, do you have friends? Do [music] you have a family?
I was begging him, please don't hurt me. You know, [music] I will let you go. I won't tell anybody what happened here.
Just don't hurt me. And that's when he started hitting me. I don't remember being hit. I I was hit
with some sort of wooden board. Um I think I put my hand up to block it, but I was hit five or [music] six times in
the front of my face and then I turned over and I was hit five or six times in the back of my head.
[music] I'm positive that he probably knocked me unconscious and my breathing was shallow enough that he thought he
had killed me. >> [music] >> I I don't know how long I laid there. Um, but at some point I got up and I
realized that he was gone. I knew that I was injured. I knew that I was hurt. I don't think I knew what my
injuries were. Um, you know, I kind I realized that my mouth wasn't shutting right and I I was covered in blood.
[music] I walked about 200 yards or so maybe on the rocks um along the tracks. [music]
It was probably 1 2 in the morning. It was between 1 and 2. I was sitting [music] on sitting in my chair studying
>> and out of the corner of my eye just glimpsed something [music] go across the
front yard. She was covered in blood from head to toe and [music] I could not figure out
where all the blood had come was coming from. her her face. It it looked like [music] a boxer whenever they get cut
during a boxing match. At that [music] point, I brought her in and set her down on the couch and she
collapsed on the couch. I I thought she was going to die that there was no doubt in my mind. And she
started [music] she I kept losing her a little bit here and there and I just kept talking to her because I definitely
didn't want her to pass out, you know. You know, I was just trying to keep keep [music] her awake until the the
paramedics got there. >> And I did [music] keep saying to him, "My friend's still out there." I the you
know, like be sure they know my friend's still [music] out there. My friend's still out there.
[singing] [music] >> [music] >> On August 29th, 1997, I received a call at home about 3:00 in the morning that
there had been an attack on two students on along the railroad tracks. Uh my lieutenant asked me to come out and said
it was a bad one. Another [music] detective and I were sent over to the University of Kentucky Hospital to uh
check in on the [music] victim. Uh on the way we learned her name was Holly Dunn.
>> Her face was disoriented. She had a broken eye socket, a broken jaw, lots of cuts [music] across her face. Um, and
then of course staples of where they could just to stop the bleeding, they couldn't even, [music] you know, cut her
hair. They just stapled on top of her hair. [music] And even in that state of her looking
the way that she did, I can just remember this [music] feeling of overwhelming gratitude and love that she
was alive. Just feeling so thankful that she was alive and that she [music] was there. It just I have felt so guilty to
not be there to know that your sister is begging for her life. She is begging someone for her life and you are you're
sleeping. [music] I remember they weren't talking about Chris and and eventually I asked my dad.
I just said, "Chris is [music] dead, isn't he?" And my dad was like, "Yes, he is."
It was very hard to accept the fact that [music] I lived through this and Chris didn't. Um, and you know, it was just I
just felt like it wasn't fair that it's not fair that that I'm still alive and that Chris isn't.
Chris was so friendly. [music] He was very uh laidback and down to earth. He loved the outdoors. [music] He uh didn't
have a care in the world. I couldn't attend the funeral. Um, I was really upset about that only because I I really
wanted [music] to attend. I had, you know, never really got the chance to say goodbye and I wanted to, you know, have
that chance to to have some peace. [music] Despite her uh state, she was ready and
willing to to try to communicate what had happened to her. I [music] was really trying to remember
every detail about my attacker. And I remember hearing his accent, thinking that is a Mexican accent.
>> Holly described the suspect as a male, possibly Hispanic, uh 5'6, 5'8 in height. Um kind of a a wavy [music]
black hair. Um wearing glasses. Uh she said that uh he wasn't muscular, but he seemed somewhat wiry.
>> They um repaired my jaw. Uh they actually kind of just re aligned it and wired my mouth shut. Um and really that
was the only thing that they could fix, the broken eye socket. There was nothing
they could do. As soon as I could get the surgery to get my jaw wired shut and my jaw fixed, my parents took me home.
I definitely think that there's parts of me that wanted to retreat away. Right. Right after this attack happened, I just
wanted to lay in bed and not get out of bed again. Um, but you know, there's always something that's pulled me out of
that. My sister was my rock throughout this entire process and she doesn't maybe didn't even realize how much she
was helping me by what she was doing. [music] We received a lot of phone calls and a
lot of tips and we followed up on a lot of people who thought they had seen this
person. We were able [music] to establish that we had DNA sample of the suspect from
the rate. The sketch was the the best thing we had and the DNA evidence of course. And then we also uh entered it
into the uh national database for violent offenders in the hopes that maybe someday down the road there would
be some similarities to to other cases that uh I could become aware of to to try to track this fellow down.
[music] >> [music] [music] >> Yeah. In December of 1998, uh, a doctor was murdered, [music] uh, in the Houston
area. She was, uh, had suffered [music] both stab wounds and blunt trauma to the, uh, to the head
and, uh, she had was also the victim of a sexual assault. >> [music] >> And then uh pastor and his wife were
killed in Wymer. And uh the pastor and his [music] wife were murdered in their bed with a
sledgehammer that was found in a tool room there [music] at the house. When we first started working it, we
approached it from the standpoint of a fugitive investigation. And that was trying to learn as much as we could uh
about the the subject at hand. Uh we knew that we had forensic evidence, we had fingerprint evidence that linked to
a particular suspect and both houses were in the in the near vicinity of of railroad tracks.
[music] Somewhere around May or June of 1999, uh I got a call from Fia, which was the
uh the national database that we we put the info in. Got a call from them saying, "Listen, we've had a another
homicide near railroad tracks in Texas. [music] It's a loose [music] connection at best,
but it was near railroad tracks. And after 2 years, we hadn't had anything of substance [music] anyway. So, we chased
any lead. >> Detective Surell called and uh we uh compared details about [music] the the
cases and realized that we not only had a serial killer that was within [music] 150 mi radius of Houston, but we had one
that was in other states as well. They were able [music] through fingerprint analysis to have a suspect.
The suspect [music] at that point had been identified as Raphael Resendes RmIrez.
>> The majority of his his attacks were by surprise. Uh often the people were in
bed asleep uh when he was getting them. So he's like the boogeyman coming into your house. He supports the fact that
true evil does exist in this world. [music] to know that he was doing it again, that
he was more violent, that he was killing more people. I started to feel like, wow, this is a lot bigger than me. It
was almost like my worst nightmare coming [music] true. That was when it became a national
serial killer manhunt. We were driven. We had to catch him before he killed somebody else.
>> [music] [bell] >> We knew then we had a serial killer on the loose. We knew that he was extremely
violent. Uh and we had no information as to where he was. Our last clue was Texas. [music] So, it was an allout race
then to try to figure out where he was and get hands on him. So, everybody went to Texas.
From what I've come to learn of, he was a an immigrant uh transient. He he had done a lot of odd jobs um migrant work.
He was a prone to violence at least 20 years prior to this killing spree. He was nicknamed by the media as the
railroad [music] killer. And he he got that moniker just by the fact that most of his uh murders [music] happened in
and around railroad tracks and that that was a a mode of transportation that he used to to travel across the country.
>> The drag net for the suspected rail riding serial killer now stretches from Ohio to the Mexican border. As part of
the [music] search there, there there was actually a huge operation set up to stop trains. A bunch of Texas agencies
[music] participated, had helicopters in the air to fly over various train tracks. [music] Uh if they saw somebody,
we get the train stopped and identify anybody on it. >> The sense of urgency was
it was unbelievable because people were dying. He was continuing [music] to kill and he
was killing effortlessly. No one was stopping him. [music] He killed two women in one day, 90 m apart.
4 days later, he's in a different state. People were scared. >> We are here today to announce that
[music] Raphael Rescendes Ramirez has been elevated to the FBI's 10 most wanted list. Ramirez [music] is the
457th person to be placed on. >> I just got really scared because it it got so big and they still couldn't find
him. They didn't know where he was. And that that was, you know, a very scary time because I [music] just I knew that
he knew I was still alive. I felt that. So I just I was afraid. I I thought he would come back and get me.
I was so scared that I had to get out of the country. I signed up that day to go
to school in England. >> [music] >> the FBI, all the local agencies, >> there is evidence,
>> everybody was running leads. So, the volume was huge and you just started piecing the things together. But
truthfully, the the tip that made the case was a call from a family relative [music] to America's Most Wanted.
>> Tonight, we've got breaking news on a suspected serial killer. This is the man
police have been looking for. >> This is a picture of him from 1995. He has >> based on information from that phone
call, it led us to [music] go to New Mexico to uh speak with his sister. She hadn't been in touch with her brother,
but she had been in touch with someone that was in touch with her brother and uh that's where we started the
discussions uh about Recendes [music] and and the fact that he was tired and uh that uh that he might be willing to
surrender. She became the liaison [music] between United States law enforcement and the serial killer.
>> I believe that his uh his [music] options were limited. Uh this man had no friends. I mean, he was a loner. Uh he
had a high price on his head [music] and he had an entire nation, really two nations looking for him. And [music] uh
I think the uh amount of pressure that was put on him uh ultimately led to him to have to make a choice.
[music] It was early in the morning and Drew was on one side of the international bridge
waiting. I mean, on the Texas side and not knowing, I assume, whether he was going to show up or not, if he was going
to show up armed. I mean, who knew? And so then, you know, the the doubt sets in
like, all right, you know, [music] is this going to happen? Amount of time passed and you see a
pickup truck driving up, driving across the bridge and there's three people in that old pickup truck and the center
passenger immediately recognized as Recendis. [music] And uh that's kind of when I thought to myself, man, this is
really gonna happen. >> [music] >> I closed my [music] door and started crying because I was so relieved. There
wasn't I don't I don't want another case to prove up. I don't want another dead body. It was it was such a sense of
relief. >> At the time of his arrest, uh Versendis was [music] linked to six murders in
Texas, two in Illinois, and one in Kentucky. For 2 years, we had operated under the belief that his name was
[music] Raphael Recendes RmIrez. Uh we learned that he had a variety of names, but ultimately it was determined his
name [music] was Angel Matino Recendes. I had been waiting to see this guy. So when they walked him in,
it was a it was a great [music] moment. But he was so scary. He was a little guy, but wiry and strong, ropey muscles
on his arms and curious. He would look He'd look at everybody in there. He'd looked at me and there's nothing there.
There was nothing there. No humanity, no emotion. [music] It's like somebody took
a black magic marker and colored his eyes. They were flat black and a expressionless face
on December 17th, 1998 in Harris County, Texas. >> But I just buckled down [music] and just
decided this is going to be it's got to be about the victims and it's got to be about getting this guy [music]
dead. Honestly, it's got to be about convincing a jury to give him [music] the death penalty because he so richly
deserved it and earned it. I knew that I was going to testify and I always wanted to testify. I just wanted
the chance to [music] tell what had happened to us and that was my chance. [music] And I wish I could have seen his
face when he heard that someone was living. I wish I could have seen [music] his face when he knew she was coming to
testify against him. I just would love to know what he what he thought when he found that out.
I don't have things [music] that I think about all the time. I can't [music] forget about Chris being hit, the rock
hitting him. That really [music] is probably the part that I try the hardest and and can't
forget. She was definitely our star witness. She was our only living witness. Nobody else could speak out against him
in first person. This is what happened to me. This is what he did to me. We didn't have anybody else.
I can't comment. >> Well, if what we know about him is true, he is everyone's worst nightmare.
>> Trial started in May of 2000. It was held here in Houston. [music] He was so different at trial.
I guess sitting in jail, [music] he got fat. He got the jailhouse power. It grew
his hair greasy. There was not a shred of humanity about this man. He did not deserve to live
among us. I wanted to put [music] him down. >> Prescendes faces capital murder charges
in the stabbing death of Dr. Claudia Benton. >> She had been sexually assaulted,
stabbed, beaten in the head. He was only charged with one because that's all you
need to get the death penalty. He ultimately plead not guilty by reason of insanity. The evidence was
overwhelming as to his guilt. So that was really his only out was the insanity [music] defense.
We knew we were battling with the jury not wanting to believe that [music] someone could do these horrible things
to people and be sane. A lot of people did not want to believe. You have to be crazy to do that to somebody. You'd have
to be crazy. [music] >> The jury reached a verdict after many hours of deliberation.
>> Mr. Rosendez, would you please rise? It was pretty nail-biting. >> We need a jury find a defendant unheld.
Matarino Rosendez guilty of capital murder is charged in the indictment. >> I actually got involved during the
penalty phase of the trial. That's, [music] you know, when they say whether he gets the death penalty or life in
prison. [music] >> We're going to tell you about the people, the people who've been murdered, most of
whom murdered in their own homes. I knew that I wanted Holly to testify last. So,
by the time she took the stand, the jury had heard the gruesome details of all the other murders that we had solved at
that point. It was a horror show. Heads beaten to a pulp, knives put all the way
through the body. That's how much force was used. Just horrific [music] violence.
>> We were the last of the cases [music] presented. I testified as to the evidence at the scene, presented the
pictures, and then lastly, uh, Holly testified as the only surviving victim. [music]
>> I flew into Houston with my family the night before I was going to testify, [music]
and I woke up during the middle of the night screaming and crying. [music] I talk about the trial as the hardest
day of my life. What I was most worried about, [music] I think, when I testified was seeing him
again. >> I cannot imagine the amount of courage [music] she had to to marshall to come
into that courtroom to walk in and face him. >> She told me, "Don't look at him. Look at
me. I'll be right in front of you. Look at your family. They'll be right behind [music] me. He'll be off to your left.
Just do not look at him." The first question was, "What did you do last weekend?" [music] And so I was
like, I graduated from college. It felt good for me to be able to say, you know, I graduated from college
[music] in front of the guy who basically could have ruined my life and destroyed it. And not that he cared, cuz
I don't think he did. For me to be able to say, "You didn't destroy me. I'm still here. I'm still
strong. I'm still the same person I was." It felt good. It felt, you know, like I I finally had my chance.
I told all the details of what I knew, what I remembered and cried through the entire testimony. I was crying. The all
the jury was crying. >> Sometimes you don't always have the human picture. There's no victim to
stand in front of you to tell you what they experienced, what they went through. Holly gave that to Chris and
all the others that have been murdered. She was able to give a real live person to to give them a real feeling of the
brutality of this man. They got to the moment in the trial when they say, "Is the person who attacked
you in the courtroom today?" I [music] hadn't looked at him yet. I knew he was there. I said, "Yes."
I wanted it to be the last thing that jury heard and the last thing they saw was Holly Dunn sitting on that witness
stand saying, "That's [music] the man." They said, "Well, [music] could you tell
us what he's wearing?" And I turned and looked at him. It was surreal. I I said, "He's wearing
a white button-down shirt." I mean, I literally I felt my hearing going into my head. He had like this smug look on
his face and I I mean I I was so close to figning when I looked at him again that I mean I don't know how I didn't.
[music] It was devastating and and it was the best part of our case. I mean she basically [music]
from his perspective came back from the grave to nail him. Should we give him some points? Because
Holly didn't die. >> The jury did find that he was a future danger to society. [music] So, the judge
sentenced him to death. >> I felt, I guess, relieved. I mean, it [music] just felt good to know he would
never be able to hurt anyone ever again. After the trial, [music] Rosendez was sent to death row in Huntsville, Texas.
He was not tried for any other crimes. He had gotten the ultimate penalty. When the last appeal [music] was denied,
he was put to death in June 2006. [screaming] I chose not to attend the execution.
Send represented all those angry feelings that I had and I decided to stay with my family. I had already seen
one person die in front of me and I did not need to see [music] another. I read an account of the execution
[music] and it said that right before they injected him, his feet were shaking under the sheet.
And I hoped that he experienced some of the fear just that Holly did. I that gave me a small sense of
satisfaction that that he was scared. [music] I definitely feel like I have another
opportunity at [music] life. I want to live it to the fullest. [singing] I can't explain how this changes you. I
am [music] a stronger person because of it. I'm my whole life focused changed because of it. I'm um a different person
today because this happened. I knew that I had to heal physically first and then I had to deal with Chris
dying. I had to deal with myself almost dying and then I had to deal with being [music] raped.
Your brain works in amazing ways and it kind of sort of let me deal with each thing as I could.
[music] In 1997, I met Jacob Pendleton at uh the outdoor store that I was working at. He was the first guy that I
dated after the attack. [music] He just like reintroduced me to the world. I don't think Jacob even knows like how
much he helped me. There'd be days that I would literally cry to him and he would just listen to
me and, you know, really wouldn't judge me at all, which was great [music] [music]
to see Holly happy, married. It it is wonderful. [music] She has led our family in how we have recovered from
this. It could have gone a completely different way where our family [music] was devastated by this and instead, you
know, we are just so happy for how she has led her life. >> Please welcome Holly.
[applause] >> It was August 28th, 1997, the second day of classes [music] at the University of
Kentucky. I started speaking about 2 years after the attack. He said, "Look how easily I could kill you." [music]
And then he raped me. >> To me, it felt like part of my healing process to talk about it and to cry
about it and to be emotional because for so long I had to kind of detach emotion
from it. >> The way that I went on with my life was I had to forgive [music] him and look
for the good that could come from this. >> When I was speaking, I didn't have to
worry about that. I could work through my emotions and and that really helped me in my healing process.
[applause] Being a survivor is one thing, but helping other survivors and knowing how
to do that in a professional manner was another thing. Holly's House is a child and adult
advocacy center [music] in Evansville, Indiana that provides a safe reporting location for victims of intimate crimes.
We opened on September 2nd of 2008 and we have served over 300 victims since that time.
>> How are things? >> They've been pretty [music] steady. >> Holly is a hero because she did not let
what happened to her destroy her. She decided to make it her reason to live or her reason to help people.
>> How are you? >> Fine. It's important to me for victims to [music] be supported. For them to
know that they're not going through what has happened to them alone. I get support through victims that come
through Holly's House. I feel like through helping others, they're helping me. We sort of [music] do it together.
This case for me has become one that I have looked back on many times. I keep a little bit of a reminder on my desk. A
rock from our crime scene [music] and a railroad spike that I got from down in Texas.
Not so much as a reminder of the largest case at work, but more a reminder that if you stick with a case and follow up
on everything that you [music] can be successful. So, be determined. Don't give up.
I've stayed in touch with Holly [music] since it began. She's really just an amazing person individually. She is the
model of Survivor. >> I remember Chris in a lot of ways. >> I like to keep things around me that
remind me of him. I'm [crying] lucky enough to have my amazing husband and have [music] Chris be a part of our
lives. >> What was that? I think to [music] get over my survivor's guilt that I had, I had to
know that I live my life not just for me and not just for Chris. I'm living my life for all of Brundes's
victims, for all of them. and that I have to or I want to be the best person I can be
and live the best life I can because they didn't get that chance and I did. So, I want to live for them. I want them
to be remembered. I want them to [snorts] and I want I would want them to be proud of, you know, me.
Heat. [music] Heat. [music] >> [music] [music] >> July 1997. Man's been shot. Johnny Versace.
[music] There's something inherently sexy in a Versace design. [music] There is a flamboyance that is contained
and [music] controlled. [music] The clothes we wear sent a message about how the world perceives us. It's a real
wow factor. I'm Tim Gun and I [music] am the mentor on Project Runway. The Versace customer was not faint of heart.
One of the most iconic Versace pieces was the gown that he made for Elizabeth Hurley. Two stars were born with that
dress. Princess Diana wanted a a whole new look for the world and [music] Courtney loved it also. I
mean, he took her from trashy to sophisticated. >> Versace helped put Miami on the
international map. My name is Tara Solomon and I am the Miami Herald's former nightlife
correspondent. Versace brought his entire world of fabulosity. And while he may have had homes all
around the world, he came to Miami Beach to relax. Do you remember where you were when you
heard that Versace had been murdered? >> Oh, I remember profoundly. I opened up my computer and it flashed before me
that Jenny Versace had been murdered. I was stunned. >> When Versace was killed, there was pure
pandemonium. On that particular morning, Johnny Versace decided to go over to the
news cafe and it was on his return home approaching the [music] door. He was he was shot and killed
>> and all of a sudden we hear bang bang two shots. >> 116 shot please immediately please.
>> Do you remember where roughly he was? >> He was right right here. >> And there was obviously blood. Yes,
plenty of blood. If you mention Johnny Versace, um people still don't remember those names of the
first few people that were killed. >> There was uh the homicide of Jeff Trail and David Matson.
There was the murder of Lee Miglin. Then there was the murder of William Reese. We have what we typically call a spree
killer. This wasn't a haphazard crime. Mr. Versace was targeted. >> [music] >> World famous fashion designer Giani
Versace fatally shot >> gunned down outside his mansion in Miami Beach, Florida.
>> Turned into a gruesome crime scene early this morning. 5 days before he was [music] murdered,
Johnny Versace and his partner Antonio Demoiko had arrived at Kasa Kazarina, their lavish Miami Beach retreat. They'd
been in Paris and New York. Versace could not have known it, but his killer was already in town.
Ocean Drive. The 911 call came in about 8:45 the morning of July 15th, 1997, just as Carlos Noriega, then a
lieutenant with the Miami Beach Police Department, was heading to work. >> I drove over to the scene and
encountered an area just flooded with police officers. There was uh evidence at the front
steps. There was blood. There was uh clothing. Giani Versace was an icon. You have a
worldrenowned fashion designer, a celebrity who was tragically killed. This was all hands on deck.
>> Yeah. You don't want to screw this case up. >> Exactly. >> It all happened in broad daylight.
Versace had gone out alone to a local cafe to buy magazines and then he walked home as [music] he was putting the key
in the door lock and he was shot twice once in the face point black ridge and the other one was behind the left ear in
the neck and that was a through and through shot. >> Noriega believes the gunman approached
Versace from behind or from the side. I believe he was shadowing him. It was a very strategically timed, strategically
placed attack uh to to kill Giani Versace. >> The question was who would want to kill
him? >> One of the first motives that we felt was a possibility was that it was a
contract hit organized crime mafia if you will uh because there was a dead bird found next to the body.
>> Is that a sign that to to us that's a sign of a mafia hit? But the bird, it turned out, was in the wrong place at
the wrong time. Hit by a fragment from [music] a bullet that killed Versace. And that left police with not much to go
on. But not for long. They got a break from Lazero Quintanana, who was a friend of
Versace. >> He used to call me Lazaretta. >> Lazero was at the mansion that morning.
He was in the dining room with Antonio when he heard the shots. >> Antonio got up and he went to the window
that faces the gate to enter the mansion and he yelled out, "No, no." And I ran out.
>> You came here? >> I came here. Johnny was right here. >> Versace was already dead on the front
steps. >> And then Antonio came and he was he's crying and he was destroyed. He was destroyed
and he's he's who did this? Who did this? And there was there was a lady standing here and she's pointing but she
couldn't speak and Jonah said go get him. So I went after him. >> Lazero followed the gunman.
>> We're talking this pace real fast. >> I yelled, "You bastard. Why did you do this? Why did you do this?"
>> He makes a left turn. >> As he makes the left turn. Yes, he makes the left turn. And we're still going.
We're still going all the way through. He turns over to the right and car is coming so I couldn't get across. Car
stops. >> Uhhuh. >> And they yell, "He's got a gun." He stops right across here.
>> Yeah. >> At the alley. And that's when he's pointing the gun at me. >> Show me how he pointed the gun at you if
I'm you. >> So he didn't even look at you. >> No. Never looked at >> You never saw his face.
>> I never saw his face. >> But you saw his clothes. >> Yes. The shooter cut through this alley while
Lazero raced around the corner. He [music] remembered seeing a police officer there earlier.
>> I reached him and I said to him, "Mr. Versace has just been shot." >> Were you calm? Were or were you?
>> No. >> No. >> No. A friend of mine was just shot. Nor was I calm. I was nervous. I was upset.
>> You came down this street with the police officer. >> I did. Luckily, he came upon some men in
front of this building and asked them if they saw a man running >> and they pointed they pointed to the
garage. >> They said he went in here. >> He went in here. So, that's when I told
the officer, I said, "He's in there. Go get him. Go get him." And then we heard over the radio the commotion and and
Okay, now there is a manh hunt. When police searched the 13th Street garage, they discovered a pile of
clothes, a gray t-shirt and black shorts, just what Lazero had seen the shooter wearing. He had obviously changed
clothes. When he walked out of this garage just shortly after the murder, nobody knew who the shooter was. Nobody
knew what he looked like. Nobody knew what he was wearing. He was able to just vanish. But he left a mountain of
evidence for investigators. Next to that pile of clothes was a truck that had been reported stolen in New Jersey. And
inside the truck were documents with a name. >> I mean, he left his identification in
the truck. That's correct. He had his passport, um, ID, a whole lot of items that connected him right away.
101. >> By 12 noon, some 3 hours after Johnny Versace was murdered, police had a
suspect. His name, Andrew Kunanan. And as it turned out, the Miami Beach Police Department was not the only one
looking for him. [music] In Milan, Italy today, those who knew and admired Johnny Versace said goodbye
to the murdered fashion designer. One week after Johnny Versace was murdered, celebrities and friends from
around the world gathered inside this Gothic cathedral in Milan, Italy for his funeral. I saw Versace's funeral on
television and I cried. It was It was hard. It was tough. >> Princess Diana was there at the funeral.
Sting Trudy Elton >> in Miami, not far from where he was murdered, there was a small intimate
service to celebrate the designer's life. >> The flowers left on the steps of Versace's opulent mansion served as one
somber reminder of what had happened. that we consider Andrew Kunan to be armed and to be extremely dangerous.
>> The police activity was another. >> They were tracking every lead they could, hunting for Johnny Versace's
suspected killer, 27year-old Andrew Kunanan. >> You had a very good suspect. >> Michael Band was the prosecutor assigned
to this case. And our first step was to go out into community with pictures of Canadan and start beating the bushes and
looking for this guy, looking to figure out, is this the guy? >> Authorities were starting to learn all
about Andrew Kunanan. 3 months before Versace's murder, Kunanan was living in San Diego and his
life was, to say the least, complicated. >> I thought he'd be a very successful businessman or maybe in, you know, the
fashion industry or something star quality like. >> Back in the 80s, Robert Erenss remembers
his seventh grade classmate Andrew Kunanan as a good-looking kid with a keen fashion sense. I remember Andrew
[music] would put dimes in his penny loafers. It was always that little extra something that made him sort of stand
out and get noticed. Andrew sort of had this air about him that I thought was kind of beyond his years at that time.
According to Erands, Andrew Kunanan grew up in a workingclass San Diego suburb and did not share much about his home
life. I had no idea who his mom was, his dad, whether he had brothers or sisters.
I had no idea who was half Filipino. >> Andrew's father, Modesto, was a former Navy man turned stockbroker. He and
Andrew's mother, Maryanne, raised four children together. But Andrew stood out. He had a genius IQ. So he enrolled in
the pricey and prestigious Bishop School in the Tony Beach enclave of La Hoya. >> When I heard that he was going to La
Hoya and transferring to Bishops, I thought, well, you've got to have money. It's a private school.
>> The class of 1987 mentioned Andrew Kunanan as most [music] likely to be remembered.
He chose a quote from King Louis X 15th to accompany his senior photo. A premo luge
after me. The deluge. Turns out those words could have been an omen. A year after Andrew's high school
graduation, his father was facing embezzlement charges. He fled the country, leaving his family abandoned
and broke. He was openly gay in high school and very flamboyant. And >> when 48 hours first spoke to Nicole
Murray Ramirez back in 1997, he knew Andrew Kunanan. Today, he still remembers Kunanan as the young man who
didn't have a job, but was a big spender and an even bigger talker. >> Andrew Cananan was basically known in
the gay community's night life and the bar scene. He would walk in with entourage and
always pay for the bill. He wanted the illusion that it was his money. He tried to brag that he came from a Filipino
family and he knew the Mald Marcos. >> Michael Williams owned a local restaurant and knew Andrew Kunanan. He
also knew where Kunanan really got all that money. >> He had a very wealthy older partner who really provided for
him. How much older? >> I would say probably by 40 years. >> What did you make of that relationship?
>> I stopped trying to figure that out. I was like, you know, here's this young,
attractive, good-looking guy with this extremely older man. I mean, I can't imagine what the connection was there.
>> I would imagine that you had an idea what the connection was there. I did. You know,
>> Michael Williams was introduced to Andrew through their mutual friend, a young Anson named Jeff Trail.
>> Andrew was very pretentious, loud, you know, always had to be the center of the the party.
[music] Jeff was opposite of that. Jeff was pretty conservative and quiet, always helping people.
Trail was an Annapolis graduate and a Gulf War veteran living in San Diego. He was also gay as out as was possible.
>> Tonight on [music] 48 hours, the battle over homosexuals in the military. >> In 1993, when he appeared in Silhouette
for a 48 hours interview, he talked to us about issues affecting gay people in the military.
>> We're not here to be feared. We just want to do our jobs. That's all we're asking for.
>> While Trail and Kunanan were friends, to the best of anybody's knowledge, that is
all they were. >> Jeff was always had the contagious personality that where you just wanted
to be around him. And I think that, you know, in a way, Andrew wanted that in his life. So surrounding himself around
Jeff, he always seemed very happy and and up. >> You did not like Andrew. >> No.
For reasons known only to Cananan, he sometimes used the name Andrew Dilva. [music] That's how Michael Williams knew
him. And he would soon learn a lot more about Andrew. Who he was and what he would do would
change the life of Michael Williams and end the lives of five innocent victims. Tracing Andrew Kunanan's blood soaked
path to Johnny Versace's front door means following a series of unexplainable events
punctuated with unfathomable viciousness. None of the dots are easily connected except in the mind of the murderer.
The road begins with Jeff Trail. >> He just had that charisma about him. >> It was Trail who befriended Andrew
Kunanan. And Michael Williams believes his friend knew Kenan had lived a dangerous life.
>> Andrew had a past of dealing drugs. He had a past of prostitution. [music] And I really think that Jeff was trying
to pull him out of that. Williams says Jeff Trail had left the Navy and was training to join the
California Highway Patrol. And then suddenly, and with no explanation, in the fall of 1996,
Trail moved to Minneapolis. The day that he got in the car to leave, I said, "Please be safe." And he reached under
the seat and he he pulled out his handgun and he said, "I'm going to be safe. I've got this
Around that same time, Jeff Trail's friend Andrew Kunanan was struggling. According to Nicole Murray Ramirez,
>> he was not good-looking anymore. He had to have looked in the mirror and saw what I saw, which was a a six going down
to a four. What was left for his life? >> Kunanan had gained weight and given away
much of his expensive [music] designer wardrobe. >> He had dabbled into drugs. He was now an
older young man with average looks. >> On top of that, his older, wealthy partner broke up with him.
>> I surmise that Andrew one day woke up after his older boyfriend broke up the relationship and what's next? How was he
going to live? >> He lost the money, the mansion, and all that went with it. >> He lived off other people. He also was
someone who was revengeful. >> Former FBI profiler Mary Elano Tulle. >> This is not someone that you break up
with easily because when you're grandiose and you're the center of the world, people don't break up with you.
>> And then for reasons Kunanannon never fully explained, on Friday, April 25th,
1997, he went to Minneapolis. He flew from San Diego on a one-way ticket. >> Do you think that he went up to
Minneapolis with murder on his mind? >> Yes, I think that he did. >> Kunanana knew people in Minneapolis.
Jeff Trail was there and Michael Williams thinks something happened between the two of them.
>> I called to check on Jeff and he was just really depressed. It alarmed me. We've never had a conversation like
that. I uh I asked him, "Have you spoken to Andrew?" And he said, "Uh, no, and I'll never speak to him again."
That's odd. Kunanan knew somebody else in Minneapolis, a 33-year-old architect named David Madson. Kunanan and Madson
had had a relationship. >> He loved to laugh. >> I just got a little lunch. Okay.
>> And he always had big energy. >> Julie Hland was David Madson's friend and coworker.
>> He liked problem solving. We talked about world issues. He was a downto- earthth person.
>> Did David ever mention Andrew Cananan? >> Um, yes, he did. I think he had a fling
with Andrew. Um, I don't think it was anything serious because there were other people in his life that he cared
about more. He didn't care about Andrew um that much really. >> But according to Kunanan's friends,
Andrew believed David was the love of his life. Julie Hlin didn't talk to David Madson
over the weekend. On Monday, she was surprised when he didn't show up at work. And by Tuesday, everyone was
worried. >> I called them, went to voice messaging, and um a couple of my co-workers went to
his house over lunch hour on Tuesday. Um heard his dog barking in the apartment.
She didn't know it, but Kunanan's killing spree had already started. >> It was noticeable as soon as you'd open
the door and walk in. Nobody made any effort to try and conceal it or hide it. >> When retired Minneapolis homicide
detective Dale Bars arrived at Madson's apartment, what he saw was gruesome. There was a bloody body wrapped in a
rug. I thought he was dead that day. I pretty much cried the whole night and then later we found out that um it
wasn't David's body in the the carpet. >> How did you feel when you heard that? >> Um [gasps]
shocked. But then oh, what happened? The body in David Madson's apartment was Jeff Trail. He had been beaten to
death with a hammer. And not far from the body, police found a duffel bag with a name on it. Andrew Kunanan.
>> This is the travel bag that we believe uh Andrew Kunanan brought to Minneapolis
on April 25th. >> But where was Andrew Kunanan and where was David Madson? The trail stayed cold
for just 4 days. [music] And then on Saturday morning, two fishermen found the body of a young man
on the shores of East Rush Lake, about an hour north of Minneapolis. It was David Madson. He'd been shot in the
head. >> We learned that David died pretty soon after Jeff Trail. >> Oh my gosh. you know, to be in the
situation that David's in with this crazy person, you know, and how scary for him. I'm sure he tried to calm
Andrew down, you know. I I mean, I'm sure there was survival mode going on, like how do you
diffuse this situation? But he obviously failed at that. Um, and he lost his life because of that.
Ballistic tests showed the bullets used to kill Madson came from a 40 caliber gun like the one Jeff Trail had taken to
Minneapolis. Police believe Kunanan took that gun. >> Presumably, when you were able to link
Madson's death to Trail's death, that changed the whole investigation. >> And now we're down to Where's Andrew?
There were tire tracks near Madson's body and his car, a red Jeep, was missing. [music] But it would not stay
missing for long. >> 72-year-old Lee Miglin was found tortured and stabbed to death in the
garage of his mansion on Chicago's Gold Coast. >> On the morning of May 3rd, 1997, Steven
and Barbara Byer found the body of their neighbor, Lee Miglin. He was a wealthy real estate developer.
>> I can still picture it today. I could see the points of his shoes and I said,
"It is right there." I mean, it was absolutely um chilling. >> Inside Lee Miglin's townhouse, there was
some money and other things missing, and there was evidence the killer had stayed
a while. Police photos show he had shaved and taken a bath. debris in the kitchen sink. Uh melted ice cream coming
out of their containers. Then in uh Lee's library, finding this uh large ham uh sliced sitting on his desk. That was
plenty to recognize that uh something very very bad had gone on. [music] >> Around the corner from the murder scene,
police would discover David Madson's red Jeep. But now Lee Migglin's green Lexus
was missing. To this day, police do not know what, if any, connection Kunanan had to Miglin, but they feared Kunanan
would strike again. [music] [music] >> I do know it's not a random act of violence. A nationwide man hunt is still
underway for Kunan. >> After Andrew Kunanan murdered Jeff Trail, David Madson, and Lee Migglin,
the gay community was terrified, especially in San Diego. >> I think everybody was in a state of
shock. I think some people were in a state of fear. People didn't answer their doors. People
that knew him the most stayed other places. >> Michael Williams relocated to Scottdale,
Arizona. >> Everybody was on very high alert >> cuz he didn't know where he was going to
strike again. >> Yeah. Just 6 days after he killed Miglin, while Kunanan was on the run in Miglin's
green Lexus, police believe he realized the FBI was tracking the car phone's signal and he needed a new vehicle.
>> He's believed to have struck here in Pensville Friday afternoon at the remote
Fins Point Cemetery at Fort M Park. >> FBI is going to work concurrently with the New Jersey State Police. The Lexus
was found at this cemetery in southern New Jersey. Inside the office lay victim number four. He was 45year-old William
Reese. He'd been shot in the head and his red pickup was gone. >> Yeah. He all he was is a caretaker at a cemetery.
>> Minneapolis Detective Dale Bars says William Reese was killed simply for his truck. You know, he just was a very
honorable man >> in the wrong place. >> Absolutely. >> At the wrong time >> and alone.
>> You're in scon somewhere in Scottsdale. He's last heard of in New Jersey. Can
you relax? >> No. >> Until he's caught, you don't relax. As Johnny Versace was in Europe working
on what would be his final collection, Andrew Kunanan was the focus of a nationwide manhunt. He was featured on
America's Most Wanted. >> Police say Kunanan may be wearing glasses [music] >> and earned a spot on the FBI's 10 most
wanted list. >> You think he enjoyed the the attention that he got? >> Oh, I absolutely do.
>> Former FBI profiler Mary Elano Tulle. He basically held the United States hostage
because we were looking for him everywhere. We didn't know where he was. >> Otul says having murdered four men in
three states over 12 days, Kunanan was now considered a spree killer. >> A spree killer continues and continues
and continues and does not go back into their normal life. Life as they know it.
It's done. So Otul believes Kunanan knew he had nothing to lose. >> There's no way to undo what he's done
now. Absolutely no way. So he's really boxed himself into a corner. From a behavioral standpoint that makes him
more dangerous. >> But then for 2 months there was no sign of Kunanan until July 15th, 1997
when he struck again. This time was different because this time his victim was Johnny Versace.
When you heard that he had done it again, do you remember how you felt? >> Every time there was another killing, it
was almost like you're being stabbed. You know, it it's that rush of pain and you're just automatically, oh my god,
why can't they catch him? >> There's no question that he knew that we were hot in this trail.
>> Carlos Noriega remembers that within hours, hundreds of police officers piled
onto Miami Beach. >> We all but locked down uh the causeways and the ways in and out of the city. And
I believe that created that bottleneck where he felt uncomfortable trying to leave the city.
Crime Stoppers. >> With all the attention on this case, every day brought a flood of tips.
>> How long ago? >> The tips that were coming in were overwhelming at times, >> especially since this was Detective Gus
Sanchez's first homicide investigation. >> Were you nervous at all? >> Of course, I was.
>> Yeah. >> We know already that he had killed numerous people. I remember going to
different locations, knocking on doors, and it always crosses your mind that Kunan can be in there armed and he can
shoot through the door. >> Detectives soon learned Kunanan had been in Miami Beach for about 2 months.
>> He was sort of hiding in plain sight. Exactly. >> The police had missed several
opportunities to get him. About a week before he killed Versace, Kunanan pawned a gold coin stolen from Lee Miglin.
How'd the pawn shop know it was him? He told them >> on the coin about a week before the
homicide >> and used his own name. >> Used his own name. >> What's more, Kunanan's name was on a
form the pawn shop was required to send to the Miami Beach Police Department. It
arrived 5 days before the murder. >> We did not have an automated system at the time.
>> It was just one of many forms and unfortunately nobody looked at it. Did you think
why didn't we know about this before Johnny Versace was killed? >> That thought went through my mind
several times because apparently he was on the beach for a period of time. >> Kunanan listed his address as the
Normandy Plaza Hotel. >> It was a dump. You and I wouldn't stay in that hotel. >> He'd registered under his own name. Must
drive you nuts to know that this guy was walking around free as a bird, >> right? I I mean, just the fact that this
guy [music] was being looked for speaks to the fact that he was able to blend in
and change his appearance and successfully just stay one step ahead that way. >> Things might have turned out differently
if police had a little more luck. 4 days [music] before Versace was killed, someone at this subshop recognized
Kunanan from the America's Most Wanted story. He called the police, but they arrived too late.
>> I was disappointed. I was frustrated. It's just unfortunate that we didn't catch him before it happened.
>> After Versace's murder, with Kunanan on the loose, anxiety grew. [music] >> Let me assure you that Miami Beach and
Dade County are safe. >> I was afraid. >> Remember, Versace's friend, Lazero Quintana, had chased Kunanan. So I told
the officer, "Go get him. He's in there. Go get him." >> He knew who I was, but I didn't know who
he was. >> How did you behave when you were out? >> Scared, cautious, looking over my
shoulder a lot. >> Literally. I mean, >> absolutely. Oh, yeah. I was Yeah. I mean, I got goosebumps on it.
Absolutely. This man had a gun. This man knew what he was doing. >> The longer Kunanan dodged police, the
more intense the hunt became. I think the police were getting anxious. Where could he be? What kind of resources did
he have? >> Former prosecutor Michael Band. >> That's a lot of pressure. >> That's a lot of pressure on law
enforcement. The whole world's watching, but we don't want anybody else dead. >> There was a sense that maybe we lost him
by some people. I just thought that he was hiding out. >> Yeah. Go ahead, Tom. >> And then the tip came in that would
change everything. Here we go, guys. Here we go. >> I get a call. Michael, >> I think we found him.
>> What's your emergency? >> Got and they're shooting. I heard over the police radio that there had been a
shot fired, that they were surrounding a housebo. [music] >> You think what? >> We got him.
>> After a 9-day manhunt, Miami Beach detective Gus Sanchez believed Andrew Kunanan was finally cornered on a
housebo just 40 blocks from where he had shot down Johnny Versace. [music] When Sanchez arrived, it was a standoff.
At this point, nobody's seen Kunan on the housebo. >> No, there's no confirmation at this
point. >> The houseboat's caretaker saw signs of a breakin and when he went inside, a shot
was fired. >> Police quickly surrounded the housebo. >> They are communicating by bullhorn with
the housebo. >> After a 4hour siege, the SWAT team fired tear gas. and went on board.
[music] When it was safe, prosecutor Michael Band followed them. >> It was a mess. It was just a mess.
>> In an upstairs bedroom, they found a body. >> I just recall an individual lying on the
bed looking up. He had a bullet wound in his head. There's a gun next to him. >> When you looked at that face, what did
your gut tell you? >> My gut told me it's him. >> But that wasn't enough. >> I wanted fingerprints.
>> As band waited, an expert at the scene compared fingerprints from the corpse with Kunanins.
>> He looks up and he says, "It's him. The reign of terror brought upon us by Andrew Kunanan is over.
>> It turned out Kunanan shot himself with the same gun he used to kill Johnny Versace, William Ree, and David Madson.
It was the gun he had taken from his friend and first victim, Jeff Trail. >> There's a sense of relief.
>> But this was not the outcome Michael Williams hoped for. I didn't want him to do anything but go to jail and rot.
>> Andrew Kunanan's suicide left the world with a pile of questions. Was there any
connection between Johnny Versace and Andrew Kunanan? There have always been rumors. There is no hard evidence.
>> Do you think they knew each other? >> I I think there's a strong possibility that they they crossed paths before.
>> And that plays into his motive. >> I I think so. I think they knew each other or he wanted to be in his circle
and maybe he was rejected and this this is all speculation. >> There is some sense it's not complete.
Why' he do it? What was the folks in Minnesota? Why Chicago? Why New Jersey? Why Versace? Was there a connection
there? Was this just some sort of serendipitous unfortunate occasion where just two lives intersected at the wrong
time? >> And we'll never know. >> We'll never know. >> 20 years after Versace's death, Tim Gun
says Versace's influence still lives. >> Sexy, alluring, gorgeous red carpet gowns. It's all attributable to Johnny
Versace. Singer Bruno Mars not only wears Versace, he mentions Versace in one of
his songs. >> If guys like Bruno Mars are singing about Johnny Versace 20 years after his
death, what in your mind does that say about Johnny Versace? >> That he's fully embedded in our society
and culture and has a has a profound legacy. I feel his presence uh when I'm designing.
>> Lyanna Aguilar, a Project Runway contestant, was just a teenager when Versace was killed.
>> There are Versace elements in what you're wearing today, right? >> Yes. Tim Gun saw this and he said, "This
looks like Versace." And I was like, "Yes, mission accomplished." >> Of course, the memories are infinitely
more personal for Michael Williams who lost his best friend. And two decades later, it still hurts.
>> This hasn't left you. >> I'm better. It's taken me years. You know, if it was just Jeff being
killed would be one thing, but then you got David and Lee Miglin and William Ree
and Johnny Versace, five people that you're now connected to. It is a connection no one would ever
seek. The world lost an icon, but five families lost loved ones. [music] Friends, lost friends. All for a reason
we'll never know, if there ever was one. >> [music] [music] >> Heat. Heat. [music]
Personally, [music] [music] I could sort of relate to Kathy Blair and just thinking about what that would
be like as a woman to be home alone. >> That is the boogeyman story for every woman, right?
>> It's awful. >> An intruder is in your house. >> Yeah. >> Someone is stabbing you.
>> What's happening? I think my mom is dead. You killed my mom. >> This is a case that sticks with you
throughout your life. My name is Derek Israel. I was working in the homicide unit when this case occurred.
>> Uh my name is Carrie Scandan and I was the lead investigator on the Kathy Blair
murder. >> Kathy was a larger than life. [music] >> She's my big sister. I have always
thought everything Kathy did was amazing. How would you describe her from a student's perspective?
>> She was so kind. [music] Um, just believed in me wholeheartedly. It still makes no sense.
>> Who kills a choir director? Who does that? >> She's a monster. >> Uh, I get notified that there's been
another murder. >> The victims are an elderly couple. >> They were the best parents you could
ever want. They were just sweet people like anybody's grandmother and grandfather.
>> Right from the get-go, it started sounding really familiar. >> It's so violent and it's eerily similar
to Kathy Blair's >> and when we saw the connection, we just continued to work the investigations
together. You know, Carrie and I both kind of came to the conclusion that there was a
serial killer working here in Austin. >> I was uh out testing a thermoscope. I needed to get some video of some deer.
[music] >> Rob Leaf has this thermal imaging scope. It's a night vision rifle scope.
>> So, I saw the car pull up and park. I zoomed in with the scope and by the time
I had zoomed in, someone had gotten out. walked over to the sidewalk. >> That is just unbelievably chilling.
>> The last thing they were expecting was high resolution thermal video. >> This video showed the murderer walking
towards Kathy Blair's house. >> The actual killer. >> The actual killer. >> [music]
[music] >> These days in Texas, it seems like all roads lead to Austin. The sleek skyline of the Lone Star
Capital glittering. A boom town that welcomes newcomers chasing dreams. It's a city charged with life. An
unlikely place to find tragedy as dark as the death of a dreamer like Kathy Blair.
>> She loved life. You loved being around her. What were the things that were important to her?
>> She had, I think, a sense of justice, right and wrong. >> Kirsten Mat is Kathy's younger sister.
Um, she was bossy [laughter] >> and even as kids in California, it was clear Kathy had a passion.
>> She was always singing. She had a god-given talent, which was her voice. >> It was music that led Kathy to Austin.
>> Kathy went to UT Austin to get her master's degree in vocal performance. She loved Austin.
>> But love didn't always work out for Kathy. She divorced twice. Still, her affair with Austin held firm.
And by 2013, Kathy was renting a house on a quiet street here on Tamarak Trail. It was home. She loved the people here.
She loved the vibe. In a city known around the world for music, Kathy Blair fit right in. She had
melody and rhythm in her soul. But you wouldn't find her singing the blues here on Austin's famed Sixth Street. Instead,
she chose a more spiritual stage for her talents. >> Christian Coral Society was a positive
social setting. The kids were kind to each other. Barbara Sally's daughter was one of
hundreds of students touched by Cathy's talent as a choir director and teacher. >> I think she lived, breathed, ate, slept
music. >> Barbara along with Kathy's student Kristen Degrroot met with us to share
their memories of Kathy. >> She was so kind. Um just believed in me wholeheartedly, which uh was something I
really needed. And for Kristen, Kathy was a role model. >> She and I were the same. Music needed to
be in our lives or we would die. >> She was their teacher and their mentor. One of her friends called it the Kathy
Nation. >> The Kathy Nation. >> The Cathy Nation. >> It was December 6th, 2014. Kathy's son, Joe, was staying with her
while waiting for his assignment from the Navy. After a night out, he came home to Tamarak Trail. What he found was
shattering and echoed across that Kathy nation. I think my mom is dead. There's a lot of
blood. She's a broken. She killed my mom. >> Joe, what's your mom's name? >> Her name is Kathy Blair.
>> This case was clearly different really right from the right from the get-go. Starting with the
location. >> Oh, this is a nice neighborhood. This is a place where people I think feel safe.
>> Up until this case, which would frighten and chill Austin and shock veteran detectives Scanland and Israel,
>> one of the first things I thought of, I'm like, why this house? >> Yeah, why this house?
>> There's nothing that uh makes this house stand out from all the other ones. This
is the living room right here. Then in Kathy Blair's bedroom, >> there's a full-size [music]
jewelry case right here. Large drawers. All the drawers have been pulled out and
they're stacked up. So, it's like someone dumped them out and [music] then put them in a pile right here.
>> Someone who had time to do that. >> Correct. >> A jewel thief who had time because Kathy Blair was already dead.
>> This murder started right here on the bed. 53-year-old Kathy Blair lay alone asleep
in her own bed. She awoke to the ultimate nightmare. >> Yeah, Kathy Blair fought like hell.
>> Choked, stabbed, and finally slashed across the neck. >> The wound is a fatal wound, but she
still has time, you know, to put up that fight. >> She She fought for her life. Kathy's
here, and there's blood all around her. So much blood that it formed the timeline of a murder.
>> There's a light switch and on that light switch we saw blood like a a blood swipe
that told us that the perpetrator had come in here after the murder and and switched that light on. There are more
blood swipes on these drawers. That tells me the murder of Kathy Blair occurs before these drawers were
removed. >> Word soon spread across Austin and across Kathy Nation. I just said, "No, that's not what
happened. That cannot possibly be what happened." >> Was Kathy Blair the kind of woman who
might have an enemy who would do that? >> No. >> She didn't have a malicious bone in her
body. >> Why does someone come in here and and murder someone in order to steal a
little bit of jewelry? >> You know, it doesn't make sense. It would be the first in a hideous
series of senseless events. >> It's just one of those moments where you're in disbelief. You think you're
living in a dream. This does not happen. >> But it did happen. And the killer left
almost no evidence, no DNA, >> no fingerprints. >> No fingerprint. >> And no blood from the killer.
>> No. Israel and Scandan would need all their street smarts and then some because just 9 days later
>> I get notified that there's been another murder [music] for Austin Detectives Israel and
Scandlin Images of Kathy Blair's death were harrowing. >> Attacked in the middle of the night and
it was a really horrific scene, [music] >> but there was no physical evidence from
a killer who made virtually no mistakes. And that meant there was no clear suspect.
Then suddenly, the search for a suspect changed in a way no one could imagine. It was around 1:30 a.m. on the night
that Kathy Blair died. One of her neighbors was out for a late night walk. What he saw and what he did would give
the detectives their first big break in the case. >> I was out testing a thermoscope. I
needed to get some video of some deer. And we've got some deer up and down the street.
>> Rob Leaf lived a few short blocks from Kathy Blair. >> So it's a thermoscope so it picks up a
heat signature. >> Wow. It's like daytime >> except it was the dead of night and Rob
was only looking for deer. >> I saw the headlights of a car coming up. I saw the car pull up in park and
>> on this street >> on this street. >> Rob kept recording. This is video he recorded that night
with a scope like this one. >> I zoomed in with the scope and by the time I had zoomed in, someone had gotten
out and walked over to the sidewalk. >> You can flip the setting to red to see the image more clearly. Did you focus in
on the car? >> I first focus in on the person and turns left on Tamrock. >> Kathy Blair Street.
>> The next day, Rob flew to Las Vegas on a planned trip with old friends. >> Reading the news on my phone and saw a
murder story. I clicked on it. I saw the address. >> Rob raced back to Austin. He checked the
video of that stranger on his street >> and I called Austin police. >> How important does the video end up
being in Kathy Blair's case? very very important. >> The video was tantalizing but blank on images that did not give
off heat. So you couldn't actually identify the man, a license plate number or even if there was anyone else inside
the vehicle. Still, there was one important clue. >> It gave us an idea of what kind of
vehicle our murder suspect arrived at the crime scene with, and it was a sedan of some sort.
These cops needed much more evidence. Then 9 days after Kathy Blair's murder in another peaceful Austin neighborhood
just 15 minutes from Cathy's home, they would get it. >> The victims are an elderly couple
murdered overnight. >> Viciously. >> Viciously. >> Sydney Jr., Johnny and Brenda want their parents to
be remembered as the outstanding people they were, not the grim headlines they became. Billy and Sydney Shelton were
hardworking and happily married for 64 years. >> We were never rich, but not once did
daddy ever complain about it. Not once did mama ever complain about it. A life well-lived and peacefully slowing
down. Billy was 83. Her husband Sydney 85. >> These are sweet people that'll, you
know, send you on your road with some cookies. >> Home nurse Dao Catola was making her
scheduled visit on December 15th, 2014. >> I knocked. Nobody answered. Front door
was splintered. It It was clearly had been busted open. Dow nervously headed to the Shelton's modest bedroom
>> and their room had been ransacked and then to the left I saw him on the bed and I I ran. I just turned around and I
ran. >> Sydney and Billy Shelton had been beaten and stabbed. >> The knife is still present.
>> Yes. >> In one of the victims. >> That's correct. >> Is it clear that it's also a burglary?
>> Yeah, I was seeing some of the same things. The same things found at Kathy Blair's
murder scene. Starting with an empty jewelry box. >> And again, the drawers were pulled out.
They had been emptied and stacked. >> Three people had been slaughtered in their own beds. The crime scenes were
eerily similar, and investigators were privately wondering, was there a serial killer loose on the streets of Austin?
If word gets out that there's a serial killer, it kicks it to an entirely different level.
>> So, investigators kept their worst fears to themselves. But why would any killer
target Kathy or Billy and Sydney, who cops determined didn't even know each other?
>> None of these people had any enemies that we could figure out. What is it that connects these people together
besides the killer? >> Every lead was chased down. Then almost 3 weeks after Kathy was killed, the name
of a stranger surfaced, Tim Paron. He'd done yard work at Cathy's house, and a friend reported Parland was weird and
rude. >> I go to our computer system. >> It was a simple and easy search. Tim Paron had spent decades in prison.
>> And he stole jewelry. >> Adding stolen jewelry. >> Specifically jewelry >> at night.
>> Are you hopeful at this point? Yeah, I am. >> So, this is the in town suites. Tim
Parlland where he was living at the time the murders happened. >> Israel and Scandan went to look up the
lifelong convict. The detectives snapped these photos of Tim Parland. >> Told them we're homicide detectives.
>> So, he asked us a few questions as well >> about the murder. >> Well, yeah. Like, so how'd she die?
>> Wow, that's bold. you know, stuff like that. >> He's sussing it out to see >> what we know.
>> Cat and mouse. >> It is. >> Harland spoke to the cops in the hotel's parking lot, but when they asked to see
his room, he refused, claiming his wife was inside and asleep. >> And you drive away. And what's the
conversation? >> I said, "This is our guy." >> You did? >> Yeah. And Derek says, "I don't know
yet." A return trip to the in town suites just a few days later pays off. Paron wasn't
home, but his wife was. >> Explain what we were investigating and she knew the Shelton. His wife knew the
Shelton. >> Tim Parlland's wife knew the Shelton from church. [music] And Tim Parlin had
worked in Kathy Blair's yard. It was tenuous, but he was a connection. >> She gave us permission to search the
apartment. Did you find anything? >> We did a pawn receipt. >> This is that pawn receipt
>> for a piece of jewelry, a a nugget pendant. And it turns out that pendant belonged to Kathy Blair. It was pawned
on the same night that Kathy Blair was murdered. >> We found out that his sister had a green
Toyota. >> Haron had been using his sister's car, a green Toyota. Its outline appeared
similar to the car in Rob Leaf's video. and one caught on security footage approaching that Austin pawn shop
[music] less than 24 hours after Kathy was murdered. >> We took it. We had it towed
>> towed and tested on the passenger [music] seat. Traces of dried blood. >> Blood belonged to Kathy Blair that was
in that car. >> Austin was on edge. >> Kathy Blair was found dead inside her home,
>> hoping for an arrest. The wait for justice has been troubling for her students, family, and friends. My name
is Ha Müller and I'm an anchor at [music] CBS Austin News. It was very, very shocking in the community, and it
was really unsettling. >> But now, justice was closing in on one man, Tim Parlin.
>> But you're thinking one guy still. >> Oh, yeah. When Kathy Blair's blood was found in
Tim Parland's car, detectives Israel and Scanland were convinced that he had killed her.
>> At that point, we're all jubilant. We're super excited. We got our guy. >> Parland fit the bill perfectly. He had
done yard work for Kathy Blair and was a career criminal with a long wrap sheet of burglaries.
>> Now I just need to question him. confront him. Hopefully, he'll confess, but if he doesn't, we have hard physical
evidence to tie this guy to the murder. >> Israel had Parliament arrested for an
unrelated parole violation and brought in for questioning. >> Seemed like a pretty short and straight
road to charging Tim Paron with murder. It turned out it wasn't a short road, and it certainly wasn't a straight road.
>> The first step was to get Parland to corroborate some of the details of Cathy's murder. I just straight up told
him that, you know, we knew that he had killed Kathy Blair. >> What's his response?
>> I didn't do it. And this was the thing he really liked to say. These hands didn't kill anyone.
>> So, the detectives asked him who did, but Parlin wasn't giving up that information so easily.
>> So, after hours of this conversation, he finally says, "Okay, I'll tell you who
it was." And that's when he said, "Sean Gant and Alcazar." >> Who is that? >> That's what I said. Who is that?
>> Did you think he was stalling? >> Oh, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. This sounded completely made up. And I knew as soon
as he said it that he had screwed us >> cuz now you had to >> cuz now we got to go hunt some mystery
guy down and prove that he didn't commit a murder. >> With their lead suspect behind bars for
now, the detectives reluctantly contacted Parland's mystery man. Shaun Gant Benelkazar had never been in
trouble with the law. He had a degree in microbiology, was once a high school science teacher, and seemed an unlikely
acquaintance of a serial jewel thief. >> This guy lived in Galveastston. He didn't cause any trouble.
>> Gampelazar readily agreed to meet with them that night at the Galveastston Police Department.
>> All right. We're investigating a murder in Austin. And in particular, we're looking at Tim Parlin as the person that
we we believe committed the murder. >> I'm completely in the dark on this. Um, who was murdered?
>> He tells the detectives he barely knows Parland, that he just met him a few months earlier when his sister began
dating Parland's [music] nephew. >> So, we started talking. Okay, when's the last time you were in Austin? Well, I've
been in Austin a few times for the last month. He was in town during [music] the
the weekends of both of those murders and on top of it he was staying with Tim Paron.
>> The thing is honestly I want to help you guys out because this guy Wolf and Sheep's clothing basic didn't tell me
anything about his past and I'm starting to feel like he set me up like a psy. >> The detectives knew from Parland's
criminal record that he did have a history of being a master manipulator. Did Tim ever approach you about doing
burglaries? >> And before long, the mystery man who initially said he knew nothing slowly
started to crack. Gant Benelkazar now says he was sitting in the car when Parl went into Kathy Blair's house.
>> So where are you sitting in the car? Passenger seat. >> Well, if he's sitting in the passenger
seat, then why is there blood in the passenger seat? >> But Ganelkazar had an explanation. He
says Parland came back to the car clutching a bloody pillowcase. >> Came back with a sack had blood on it.
Threw it in the passenger floorboard and I took a peek at it. Had jewelry in it and I didn't want anything to do with
it. >> When did you figure out that it had something to do with the murder? >> The fact that it had blood on it was not
a good sign. >> Then about 4 hours into the interview. No, I'm just wondering the restroom.
>> As he walked down a hallway >> and he was walking in front of me. I looked up and it just I mean I got a
chill because I was like that's the same walk as the guy in the video. >> Remember that spooky thermal video that
the cops think accidentally caught Kathy Blair's killer amling down the sidewalk?
>> You know, it was just the broadness, the deliberate steps. I thought it was him. I definitely
believed it could be him. >> Was it actually Gamp Benelkazar and not Parland who had gone into Cathy's house?
>> We started pursuing, you know, the line of questioning along the lines of maybe
he was in the house. >> Did he bully you into going into the house or I was scared and you know he he
was taking a threatening tone. He told me to go in the house and get the stuff. >> And finally he admitted I did go into
the house and I did [music] steal the jewelry. >> Came in through where? The back door you
said. >> Yeah, it was open. >> Okay. Open. Unlock. >> Unlock. >> Yeah. I looked around and kind of
prowled and snuck through quietly. I turned on a couple lights um in rooms where I didn't see her. I found the room
where she was and she was fast asleep. That was the room her jewelry box was in.
>> Okay. >> And so I I opened the jewelry box, took the stuff out, put it in the the thing.
Maybe he went back. I don't know. But I didn't kill her. >> I told him that's that's impossible.
Everything you said is true except that it's not possible she was still alive when you left. And I explained that the
person who turned on those light switches, you talked about turning on. The person who removed that pillowcase,
you talked about removing. The person who removed those drawers, you talked about removing.
That person had Kathy Blair's blood on his hands. So the person who did all that killed
Kathy Blair. I kept pushing him for the reason. Something happened in that room when you were there. What happened? And
that's when he said, "I was standing there. I was looking at her." >> With no room left to lie, he breaks
down. >> She woke up. She lunged at me, grabbed the knife, started trying to wrestle it
out of my hand, and then it was a struggle, and I stabbed her in the neck. >> The confession came unexpectedly.
The witness was now the prime suspect. >> We had gone to clear the guy and instead
he confessed to capital murder. >> Gampen Elkazar kept talking and claimed that after murdering Kathy Blair, he
handed off her jewelry to Parl. >> Did you get to keep any of it? >> No, he didn't give me anything. I got
nothing. You're going to have to ask him where he fenced it. Shawn Gampanelkazar appears to have
gained absolutely nothing from this senseless murder. >> I've never met anyone who would go into
someone's house and sneak in at night and and murder them in their bed. >> For what reason?
>> None. For their own gratification. That's it. >> We're going to place you under arrest
for capital murder. Detectives immediately read Gant Benelkazar his rights, but they still wanted to learn
what he knew about the murder of the Shelton. >> We started talking again and asked him
about the Sheltons. >> Try as they might, Gabanelazar wasn't talking anymore. >> Well, I wasn't there for that one. I
don't know anything about that one. By this point, everyone is exhausted. So, eventually, he just he terminated the
interview. >> He said, "I'm done." >> Done. >> Wish this all had never happened. After
the arrest, Detective Scandlin made this video of Gamp Benelkazar on his cell phone.
His hunch seemed right. >> That's the moment that you think >> that's him. That's when I thought it was
him. >> Two men are in jail in connection with the murder of a beloved choir teacher.
>> 4 days later, Austin police announced that they had made two arrests. >> 30-year-old Shawn Gan Ben Alkazar of
Galveastston is charged with capital murder. 49year-old Timothy Parlin is also expected to face charges related to
Blair's murder. >> Sean Gant Benelkazar, he was a UT graduate. He had no criminal record of
any kind. How did he get involved with a crime like this? >> Tim Parlin had an answer. Later, while
in custody, Parland admitted to the cops that he had driven Gamp and Alkazar to Kathy Blair's house and to the Shelton
residence on the nights they were murdered. And Parlland says he knew all along that Gamp and Elkazar had killed
all three of them. Investigators now thought they understood what had happened. >> Shawn murdered the Shelton's. Tim
Parland was a party to that murder and he planned it. He facilitated it. He profited from it. He assisted in it.
>> But you are 100% convinced that it was Shawn who murdered that couple? >> Yes.
>> Will he ever be brought to trial for it? It seems unlikely. >> Unlikely because there was no direct
evidence linking Gamp and Alcazar to the Shelton murders and he would always deny
he had killed them. Prosecutors would focus instead on building their strongest case using Gampanelkazar's
confession to convict him of killing Kathy Blair. But when Shawn Gampanelkazar finally
gets his day in court, no one could have anticipated what would happen next. >> Makes you worry because this guy cannot
be out on the streets. Okay. Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. We're here to start trial in
the state of Texas versus Shaun Gant Ben Alcazar this morning >> 3 years after Shawn Gant Benelkasar
confessed to the murder of Kathy Blair his trial begins >> did then and there intentionally commit
murder by causing the death >> you never know what a juryy's going to do >> but it was a very very strong case
>> you're all here today >> assistant DA's Andrea Austin and David Livingston present the state's case
>> the man who sits among us in this courtroom the defendant Shan Ganazar are is Kathy Blair's killer.
>> How hard was it to be there during that trial? >> It was really hard. [music]
>> There were some pictures throughout that that I saw that I can't unsee. >> There was a car that parked while I was
on the walk. >> Kathy's neighbor, Rob Leaf, testifies about the video he recorded on the night
she was murdered. By the time I zoomed and zoomed back in, someone was already out of the car and was crossing onto the
sidewalk. >> That someone, the prosecutor tells the jury, was Shawn Gampanelkazer on his way
to murder Kathy Blair. >> I just kind of looked through the rooms, you know, and I I turned on a couple
lights um in rooms where I didn't see her. The prosecution's case hinges on G Benelazar's rambling 5-hour confession
where he describes breaking into Cathy's house. >> She woke up. She lunged at me.
>> He had a knife out. They fought over the knife >> and I stabbed her in the neck.
>> He didn't just kind of confessed. He straight up confessed to all the details
of of killing Kathy [music] Blair. >> Signing David right here. >> That confession was vital to the
prosecution's case. >> He gave enough details in this confession that were kept out of the
media so we could show the confession was from the actual killer and that he knew enough about this crime to have
either been there or done it himself. >> There's no question that this is a horrible, horrible crime. But Gapan
Alkazar's defense lawyer, Ariel Pion, makes a bold accusation right off the top.
>> That damning video, >> she [music] just was trying to fight the knife away from me and I was
>> It was all a lie. A false confession coerced by detectives Israel and Scandlin.
>> No, I'm just wondering. The defense tells the jury that during that five-minute bathroom break in the
hallway when Gamp Benelkazar was not being recorded, detectives threatened him. Law enforcement went down there, we
believe the evidence will show, with the express idea, plan, purpose, and intent
to try to get him to confess to something he didn't do. >> They have to come up with something.
They have to argue that it's a involuntary statement, but we obviously knew that wasn't true. The exact words
were, "This is important and we're not you're not going anywhere until we finish."
>> Gampen Alkazar takes the stand to blame the cops for his confession. >> That if I I didn't explain a reason for
having done it, even though I didn't do it, um I would give the death penalty. >> And he maintains that it was actually
Tim Parland who killed Kathy Blair on that chilly December evening back in 2014.
>> Were you worried the jury might always have to worry with juries. >> You don't get blood on your hands and
put it on a jewelry chest. >> At closing arguments, prosecutors insist Gap and Alkazar voluntarily confessed
and offered details about the crime only the killer could have known. >> I think it comes down to credibility
>> and hopefully are sitting there thinking, "This guy confessed. Why are we here?"
>> The case goes to the jury. When the hours started ticking away, two, three, five, six, seven, eight,
nine, you feel you feel awful. Were you worried? >> Yes. The idea that he would get out is just unthinkable. I
mean, Sean is going to kill somebody else if he got out. After 19 hours of jury deliberations,
>> this time I'll declare a mistrial. >> A mistrial. The jury cannot reach a verdict.
>> If one person held out, she didn't want to consider the confession. >> I mean, look, that's what this system is
about. We We're required to get a unanimous verdict. We didn't get a unanimous verdict.
>> How hard was it to hear that there was a mistrial and you would have to go through it all over again? really hard.
Yeah, that was that was tough. >> With a retrial in the works and Tim Parlland's trial less than a month away,
prosecutors were worried. Could they get any jury to convict either of these men?
>> Good morning. This man, Timothy Parland, knew that Sha Gant would go in and murder Kathy Blair.
>> With Shaun Gamp and Elkasar's mistrial still fresh in her mind, prosecutor Andrea Austin is determined to put Tim
Parland away for life. He stands trial for both the murders of Kathy Blair and the Sheltons.
In Texas, if you were part of the crime, then you are also guilty of that crime.
You can convict him even if you don't believe he stepped foot inside that house >> because he was there and he
participated. >> Correct. >> I'm going to ask you to find him guilty of capital murder.
>> Detectives were convinced Gant Vanelazar had killed the Shelton, but had no evidence to charge him with their
murders. So Tim Harland would prove to be an easier target for prosecutors. Parland admitted he drove Gampanelazar
to both murder scenes. And the car Parlin was driving had Kathy Blair's blood in it.
Oh, he did much more than sit in the car. He's the one who targeted Kathy. He's the one, for whatever reason, said,
"Hey, you know what? This would be a good person for you to murder." Morning ladies and gentlemen.
>> Parlland's lawyer, Keith Lowerman, argues that despite his client having confessed to driving Gampalazar to both
murders, there is no evidence placing Parland inside the two houses. >> He never set foot in either one of these
houses. And at the very end, you're going to realize that this man in those hands never participated in any murders.
After a 9-day trial, the jury doesn't take long to reach a verdict. >> We the jury find the defendant Timothy
Parley guilty of defense of capital murder. >> Guilty. Parlin is sentenced to mandatory life in
prison without the possibility of parole for his role in the murders of Kathy Blair and Sydney and Billy Shelton.
Five months later, Gamp and Elkazar went to trial a second time for the murder of
Kathy Blair. >> The nerves were much higher the second round. >> Well, there's a lot at stake. There's a
lot at stake. >> The vehicle parked on the side of the street that it wasn't in front of a
house. >> Again, Rob Leaf's testimony is critical for the prosecution. >> And uh did at some point did you see an
individual get out of that car? >> Yes, sir. I did. I >> want you to watch this. It was a
struggle and I stabbed her in the neck. I I didn't >> Look what he does with his hands.
>> I was just >> He's retrieving a memory, right? Involuntarily, he's doing this. He
remembers doing because he's the one who murdered her. >> The police wouldn't let me go. It was my
understand. >> Once more, Gampanelazar swears the cops coerced his confession. >> And I come out of the bathroom. They
keep saying, "Oh, we we know you did it. There's no doubt you did it. And they keep saying it. Keep saying it. And I
just got worn down. >> This time out, the jury deliberates less than 3 hours. >> We, the jury, find the defendant, Shan
Gamp Alazar, guilty of the offense of capital murder. >> We poured our emotions out into this
case. >> Was justice delayed and >> Yeah. But delivered. but delivered. >> Like Tim Param before him, Shawn
Gampelazar was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. >> We're pleased. Um, we miss Kathy. This
isn't going to bring her back. Our hearts are never going to completely heal. >> A few months after the verdict, I spoke
with Gamp and Elkazar via a prison video phone. I wanted to ask why. Why would a
guy who'd never been in trouble with the law suddenly turn into a vicious killer?
Instead, with no evidence of any remorse, he repeated what he told the jury, that he was innocent, the cops had
forced him to confess, [music] and that Tim Parlin was the one who had killed Kathy Blair.
>> When I went to go see him at 4 4:00 a.m., um, he said, "Well, we're going to go get breakfast." and uh drove me out
to the place and then said that he had killed her and told me about it. >> Tim Parlin confessed to you that he
killed Kathy Blair. >> Yeah, that's right. >> How could you have known the movements
of the killer? >> Anything that um I said was something that either uh you know Tim told me or I
just made up. And not surprisingly, when I visited Parland at a prison in northeast Texas,
>> hello. >> Hello. How you doing? >> He pointed the finger at Gampanelazar and [music] claimed he knew absolutely
nothing about the murder of Kathy Blair. >> After Shawn viciously kills Kathy Blair,
gets back in your car and drives away and he goes back to Galveston. >> He never said a thing.
>> Never said a thing. >> He never said a thing. Stone cold individual actually.
>> Right. You've been described as the master manipulator [laughter] >> that you talked him into doing it.
>> My IQ is very low and I have a big heart. I believe that >> it is. It's very low actually. And I
have a big heart. So I'm not the mastermind behind anything. >> You're just a big teddy bear behind
bars. >> Yeah, pretty much. >> Bob Leaf is the accidental hero of this story. Someone who never knew he'd be
called upon to help solve a murder. And you ended up leaving the neighborhood. >> I did.
>> Need her to change. >> I did. Absolutely. >> I would not be [music] where I am as a a
professional actor and musician without her influence. [music] >> Kathy Blair's student Kristen Degrroot
is moving to New York to pursue her dream of a career in music. >> One of my greatest regrets is that I
never was able to tell her that she did this for me. >> How proud do you think she would be of
you? >> [snorts] >> I I hope she'd be really proud of me. [snorts] >> They're just evil people [music] in the
end. There's just two broken human beings who, you know, basically put a path of destruction
through, you know, two families. >> Two families who will forever share the same tragedy.
They were the best parents you could ever want. >> I just miss her. And at the end of the day, she's gone
and I can't call her tonight. 48 hours. Don't miss [music] an episode. >> [music]
[music] [music] [music]

“48 Hours" reports on killing sprees and multiple murders. Watch the YouTube mini-marathon, which includes "The Railroad Killer," "Murder by Design" and "The Shape of a Killer."

00:00 The Railroad Killer 40:46 Murder by Design 01:22:00 The Shape of a Killer

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.

For video licensing inquiries, contact: licensing@veritone.com

Brief Summary

Holly Dunn shares her survival story after a brutal attack and the investigation of her assailant, serial killer Raphael Resendez Ramirez.

Key points

A Night of Horror. Holly recounts the terrifying night she was attacked while walking with her boyfriend.
The Serial Killer is Found. The manhunt for the serial killer intensifies as he is linked to multiple murders.
Trial Verdict. The jury found Matarino Rosendez guilty of capital murder after hours of deliberation.
Sentencing. The judge sentenced Rosendez to death, ensuring he would never hurt anyone again.
The Rise of Andrew Kunanan. Andrew Kunanan, once a promising young man, spirals into a life of crime.
The First Murders. Kunanan's violent path begins with the murders of Jeff Trail and David Madson.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

I was begging him, please don't hurt me.

7:53WatchNov 15, 2025

Tension

85/ 100High tension

More from 48 Hours

Solve the Crime

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