Lethal Secrets | "48 Hours" Full Episodes | Forensic Files

[Music] she was incredibly Charming she was attractive I don't even want to entertain why she did what she
did you had a beautiful home you didn't work you had cleaning ladies you pool people you had cars money you had it all
Monica seen Tilly homicide investigators say she conspired to murder her husband they said when they talked to
her she lied and lied I was hearing about break-ins at the time in that particular area there
were a lot of what they call knock knock burglaries I was hearing about home invasion it was assumed that it was a
couple guys that had jumped to the fence and it was a robbery what happened on the day of the
murder at night at about 5 something I got a text saying come to my house I need you I get the phone and and I'm in
disbelief saying what what what cuz I can't believe it and it was uh Monica she was crying and distro brought
and she was saying they killed Fabio Fabio's F Tilly Fabio was an executive in the
beauty business was a former hairdresser my queen he called her he would come home drop his bags sweep her
off her feet and dance with her he was the love of her life and he loved his kids it looked like a textbook
breaking a robbery gone wrong there was immense suspicion as to the explanation of a robbery from my
perspective didn't sound right didn't sound right we're here to announce the arrest
of two individuals in connection with the murder of Fab centi over the past several months
investigators have developed information and identified Robert Baker and Monica cimenti who is the wife of our homicide
victim as responsible for his murder detectives say Monica simonelli had been having an affair her boyfriend
was arrested and charged with murder but so was she I'm like you sure there's no effing
way now the boyfriend has been convicted he has been sentenced to life without parole and Monica seanell is about to go
on trial for murder according to the prosecutor she was the one with all the information and intelligence and she fed
it to him and he was the Executioner the daughters she shared with Fabio are standing by her we want
to clearly state that we will continue to stand by our mother as we have done for the last 6 years and we will fight
for her innocence the defense is going to say there is no hard evidence by by the way
there's no evidence that Monica sementelli conspired to kill her husband [Music]
[Music] in 2017 Monica simonelli had an enviable life a luxurious house with a pool and a
Porsche in the driveway in a posh area of Los Angeles but after spending almost 7
years behind bars waiting through legal delays and Co Monica cimenti is scheduled to go on
trial for the murder of her husband celebrity hairdresser and Beauty executive Fabio
simeni it's a tangled story her Defenders say Monica simeni is an innocent victim but if you believe
prosecutors she's a criminal authorities describe a case of lust greed and murder
whichever it is the drama unfolded on January 23rd 2017 [Music] there were fire tracks outside of her
house and I was like oh gosh there was no police yet it was just the First Responders Elise bluel was a friend of
Monica simen Tilly's we spoke with her in 2018 she says Monica texted her to come over the night Fabio was killed it
was her and her daughters she just kept saying that he's gone that I'm not a wife anymore I just held her I just held
her it was so painful just the Weeping the not being able to breathe she was beyond
devastated Beyond devastated Monica's husband Fabio was slumped over his chair by the pool had
you seen the body had you seen didn't I just wanted to be the best possible comfort
I didn't know how to comfort that she couldn't speak in complete sentences until like the fourth day
detectives quickly learned the victim Fabio cimeni had been a superstar in the beauty business Welcome to
Hollywood you're on he was a happy man whoa we spoke with those who knew him best in
2017 Bobo's sister aota and he wanted everybody around him happy all right and now it'll go backwards you say the best
way to describe my dad oh my god really is like a cup of coffee in the morning Luigi cimenti Bobo's son from an earlier
marriage he gets you going he lifts your spirits he gets you determined to charge
the mountain of Life did your friends say hey Luigi is that your dad absolutely yeah it was kind of a fun
thing you know uh it's hard to to avoid him when you type in seilly on on Google
it's very hard in fact when you type in my name Luigi SEI the first thing that comes up is his profile yeah Fabio and
his sister Morel began cutting hair in Toronto Canada good that's beautiful I love it that's where Fabio met Monica a
customer and makeup artist he married in 1997 the wedding was incredible restaurant tour Joe Mercurio grew up
with Fabio he was best man at Fabio's wedding to Monica we were dancing right to the very end we saw their
relationship as a love story Fabio was also in love with his career he and his sister Mela were
getting famous hey welcome FB look at this in 2008 Fabio was promoted to an executive job at the beauty giant Wella
I'd love to recommend something new and moved his family to La Pete castios was Fabio's colleague what happened was this
was the opportunity to really allow the things that he wanted for his family to come to life by taking in a bigger role
he and Monica settled into a life most of us can only dream about well there won be snow in Africa this
Christmas he's r a Porsche yeah what man doesn't want a Porsche in Los Angeles you're absolutely right they were living
the life and raising their two teenage daughters Jessica and Isabella my own family unit is uh the most most dear to
me then came that January day it was late afternoon as he sat by the pool Fabio was stabbed to death his then
16-year-old daughter Isabella discovered his body to investigators the Simmon Tilly
case started out a mystery but from early on they had at least one intriguing clue from a neighbor's security camera
they could see two figures and hoodies running close to Simon Tilly's House at the time of the murder a little while
later Fabio's porch being driven away back then investigators didn't suspect Monica had anything to do with Fabio's
death she wasn't even home at the time he was killed instead they looked at those two hooded figures and thought
they seemed a lot like these guys what do you call these guys well we call them the knock knock burglars at the time of
Fabio's murder in 2017 La was plagued with break-ins from notorious teams of criminals so this is
LAPD footage yeah they know what they're doing and they know what they want I mean they're running wild yeah they were
hitting homes of celebrities all over Los Angeles police say this may have been a case of him being in the
wrong place at the wrong [Music] time at least seven celebrities had hundreds of thousands of dollars worth
of jewelry taken it was 27 17 and for years the homes of La celebrities were targeted high-profile victims include
$300,000 from former Laker star Derek fiser $175,000 for Nicki Minaj and 2 million
from Alanis Mor sets Brentwood home they're moving just as quick as they can in and out in about 3 minutes
they ransack a bedroom find some jewelry and get out William Dunn a Los Angeles Police
Department detective at the time had hours of videotape of the knocknock burglars in action all over wealthy Los
Angeles neighborhoods this one comes from a home just a few miles from Fabio's months after his murder they
seem to know what to look for right they're looking for jewelry they're looking for cash look at him yeah he's
checking clothes he's feeling the clothes to see if somebody's put jewelry or cash in some of the pockets see now
he's seeing that safe ah see and now he gets he tells his buddy hey look at what
we found now look at how many seconds and this is a a real heavy safe but they're very determined they put a lot
of effort into it and it's so heavy he can't he can't lift the thing but look at how he's just going to slide that
thing out so they got the safe that's Pay Dirt they go g yep you see they're gone
to detectives those two hooded figures recorded on a neighbor surveillance camera near Fabio's house right around
the time of his murder looked a lot like the knocknock burglars and the Simon Tilly home had
its own cameras detectives hoped they would find even more video of those hooded figures on those tapes there were
four cameras outside the Simmon Tilly house but when police came to look for the video it was gone a DVR like this
was in the garage it stored all the surveillance whoever broke in must have taken it strangely besides taking
Fabio's Porsche that black box was one of the only things stolen from the house say investigators Monica told them she
thought some inexpensive jewelry and $11,000 in cash was possibly missing but she wasn't sure detectives say the home
safe hadn't been touched the only thing I thought that was unusual is why didn't
they take more why didn't they take his watch the suspected burglars left behind
an $88,000 Rolex on Simmon Tilly's [Music] wrist but within months the knock knock
burglars began to fade as police suspects because the police were hanging on to a big secret nobody
except investigators knew it at the time but they discovered blood at the crime scene that did not belong to Fabio cimen
Tilly that meant detectives had DNA to work with DNA that eventually led to a suspect we were able to develop forensic
evidence some of that was DNA which identified Robert Baker Robert Baker he had been a
racketball League director at a Los Angeles gym not far from Fabio's house and Monica's friend Elise knew him we
spoke to her about him in 2018 how would you describe Rob Baker he was cool we all really liked him he was
one of those gy guys you know Elise played in his League he was very Alpha he was a very alpha male there was also
kind of a sexually thing about him there was something sexual about him you know how
some guys just have this sexual kind of I don't know he's very manly he was in shape and he was kind of
you know kept everything he was in charge he was also Tangled Up in the porn industry even doing some acting
Elise didn't know much about Baker's background but she did hear about his movie career from a friend who happened
to spot him in an adult film that's like the kind of Gossip you just need to tell
someone who did you tell I told Monica Monica was also in Robert Baker's racket ball league what was her reaction
well it was pretty anticlimactic I'll tell you really yeah cuz a lot of times when we would have girl talk she' get a
little prudy like a little prude what Elise didn't know was that Robert Baker was also a registered sex offender
Robert Baker has a 1993 conviction out of a Long Beach case it's for luden lascivious acts with a minor police say
baker serve time for that offense against a teenage girl for months police watched Baker and
they discovered two things first he was definitely not one of the knock knock burglers and second he made thousands of
calls and texts to EV all people people Monica cimenti in fact just days after Fabio's
death Monica held a wake in her backyard and Robert Baker actually showed up you
did meet him I did morela says she saw Monica hanging out with Baker I saw her back outside again the drink smoking and
talking to this guy I found out that that was his name Rob and um she introduced me to him Luigi noticed him
too Robert and Monica were in the corner talking to each other sort of away from
the party and there was something else Luigi noticed about Baker he had uh bandages on his hands one guest even
snapped these pictures of Monica and Robert Baker together if you look closely you can just make out a bandage
on Baker's finger police would later conclude Baker cut that finger when he killed Fabio and that's how his blood
was at the scene detectives visited Monica at home using what they called aruse telling her they
were investigating the knock knock burglar when in fact they were investigating her and secretly following
Monica and Robert Baker and according to authorities it paid off they say they found evidence that Monica and Baker
were having an affair and conspired to kill Fabio over the past several months months investigators have developed
information and identified Robert Baker 55 years old of Koga Park and Monica cimenti 45 years old of
Woodland Hills who was the wife of our homicide victim as responsible for his murder he said uh we arrested Monica for
the murder of your brother and Robert Baker for the murder of your brother and I was in shock I'm like they
you sure you know I I was in shock according to the prosecution these two were plotting and planning to kill Fabio so
they could live their life together Mary fulan is a former Federal prosecutor and a 48 Hours consultant it
was a very complicated investigation as author hustled Robert Baker and Monica simonelli into court
they each pleaded not guilty people versus Robert Baker but almost 6 years later Robert Baker
changed everything when he came to court that day people were stunned [Music] Monica simonelli was being accused of
cheating on Fabio with that racket ball coach Robert Baker and then along with Baker planning fao's murder my instant
and thorough and complete reaction was there's no effing way I was there she was
decimated after months of crying and grieving alongside Monica Bobo's family couldn't believe it either 20 some years
in my life she like a sister she was a cool aunt to my kids she was lovable whole family felt that way about her
then in 2023 Baker skipped trial all together and pleaded no contest Robert Baker pleads no contest and that's in
essence accepting responsibility for the murders he's ultimately sentenced to life without
parole the maximum sentence in this case is life in prison without the possibility of parole plus one year you
understand this yes sir but while Baker was accepting responsibility for Fabio's
death Monica wasn't what he and Monica did to my brother Fabio is unfor forgivable but Monica's own daughters
Isabella and Jessica supported their mom we will continue to stand by our mother
as we have done for the last 6 years and we will fight for her innocence as Monica prepared to go to
tribe her defense attorney Leonard Lavine made a statement we are confident that Robert Baker's guilty pleas and his
truthful testimony will finally establish once and for all that Monica simonelli had nothing to do with the
planning or the murder of Fabio simonelli her husband Monica's defense team wasn't
answering questions before trial so we asked New York based defense attorney Julie rendelman to review Monica's
defense team's pre-trial motions there's no witnesses that we know of so far that
are going to come forward and testify that she planned this Murder She says Monica's relationship with Baker doesn't
prove anything it seems to strengthen the DA's case that not only did she have an affair but the person she was having
the affair with is the killer I hear you but the problem is is that simply because an individual is having an
affair the you cannot take the leap to get to um an individual being responsible um for the death of their
loved one certainly not Beyond Reasonable Doubt but the prosecution says the affair is key to establishing a
conspiracy between Monica and Robert Baker an alleged conspiracy detective spent months
tracking how long was that investigation 5 months 5 to 6 months while the da also declined an interview
before going to trial former prosecutor Mary fulan reviewed the case against Monica so this is the scene of the crime
yeah you this is where the two joggers you know came according to the video from a neighbor uh running up here
toward the house prosecutors say that first hooded figure in the green sweatshirt is Robert Baker so what about
that accomplice we don't know who that person is it's a mystery what does this indictment say about Monica centilli
yeah this indictment is a very detailed outline and timeline of the plot to kill
fabios selli the motive here is simple I mean this is love and money this is one of
the oldest crimes in the book where you know two lovers desperately wanting to be together and they try to get rid of
one of the spouses so they can be together for what for financial benefit and that would mean the 3/4 of a million
life insurance policy the house 401ks police say the plan was to Stage the scene to make it look like the work of
the knocknock burglars and throw police off their Trail and they believe Monica was deeply involved they believe she was
one the coordinated everything the one that showed him you know where the house was where the DVR was so that he knew
where to go to rip it out of the walls how to get into the house and that's not all the prosecutor says 6 months before
before the murder Monica forwarded this email sharing details of her home security system with Baker she provided
the password the username the logging credentials as well as the user manual to Robert Baker the same day that she
received it from the surveillance company and then there's the day of the murder prosecutors say Monica's behavior
that day is a key element of her role in The Conspiracy to kill faia according to
prosecutors this surveillance video shows Monica left home at 326 p.m. driving the family's black Ford F-150
pickup this is where she came according to prosecutors to establish her Alibi so that happens in
this parking lot she pulls in here in her Ford 150 pickup truck right in front of this store stops for just a few
minutes prosecutors say they have video where it appears an individual gets into
Monica's truck they say that person was Robert Baker Monica then goes alone into the
Target store and begins shopping but as she leaves prosecutors say this surveillance photo shows her fixated on
her phone they would tell a grand jury it appear years she was streaming video from her home a lot of it but what was
Monica watching how do you think Robert Baker's plea will affect Monica cen's trial for
a look at a timeline of the case go to 48 hours.com [Music] so what was Monica simonelli watching on
her phone that afternoon at about the time her husband was being murdered the phone records and data show
that she's connecting to a unique IP address it happens to be the IP address of the house and there's a large amount
of data that's being consumed and that large amount of data is consistent with video streaming I.E the surveillance
video that surveillance video according to the DA it might have been video from her
home security cameras but could Monica have been watching the actual murder no the surveillance cameras on
the house are are facing outside but they're not facing in the pool area which was where Fabio was located at the
time so they didn't actually capture the murder but they would capture obviously
who was coming and going Monica could have been watching everything else prosecutors say they're
going to argue she's watching the scene the scene of the crime to see the comings and going of when Baker and the
accomplice are going into the house when are they leaving the house so that she knows when she can leave here and go
home prosecutors say while she's watching the feed Baker and his accomplice were on the simen Tilly
property stalking Fabio according to the prosecution quote it was a very targeted attack that was
done with the intent to kill they also go on to say that quote he was stabbed in the
neck it cut his jugular vein cut the carded artery and there's more evidence of the
plot to kill Fabio prosecutors say baker was planning a future with Monica the da said say that about 2
months before the murder uh Baker told a friend that he'd been dating this woman
for about a year uh and that he sent a picture of that woman and that woman was Monica and then two months later Fabio
was killed authorities also say Monica's Behavior after the murder is suspect she
didn't move her teenage daughters out of the [Music] house or have her security system
repair and the prosecutors argue that the reason why she had no concern because she knew who the killer was and
she was with them this is a woman who is pretending to be a grieving Widow and making all
these posts on social [Music] media who at the same time is carrying on a Tor love affair with the man who
actually killed her husband prosecutors made explicit photos public in court filings some we can't show you
they say it's evidence the secretive romance continued after Fabio's death I mean that's a double life the da
presented a photograph of Monica and and Baker to the grand jury and it was a photograph of Monica actually grabbing
his crotch and this was one uh that was taken in Vegas there was also this this photo of
a mirror right and it was a photo of the back of Monica with Mrs Baker uh written
a lipstick on the mirror the lipstick and the mirror what does that tell them again this all goes
to motive I mean Mrs Baker she wanted to be Mrs Baker but when detectives asked Monica
about Robert Baker prosecutors say she told them she wasn't even sure of his last name they say she also told them
she wasn't sure how to work the home security cameras to quote the prosecution here they say quote she's a
liar she's a manipulator she's a cheater and everything that comes out of her mouth has to be taken with a large grain
of salt large enough so that you could choke on it if they can show that Monica lied about her lifestyle about the
affair about a variety of other things that they'll convince the jury that she's also lying about her involvement
in this conspiracy to kill Fabio and they say when she was later confronted about why Baker's blood was
found in her house she continued to lot she comes up with some cockin story about you know playing rocketball with
Baker and hitting him in the finger and that it was bleeding and there was a bloody towel and she had to bring it
home and and that's why his blood was at the house but full Jan says one of the biggest his pieces of evidence against
Monica is what happened when police came up with a plan to secretly record the couple it began when they pulled them
over as they were driving it's a ruse by the police they say that they think the
car that they're in is stolen and they wanted to you know just check it out and you know probably isn't and they
handcuff them per protocol put them into the police vehicle but what they don't know is that vehicle's wired and that
there's a van up the street with police in it listening to the every word and it's at that point Monica says and I'm
going to quote here somebody must have talked somebody is doing this to us and then she said they must have something
they must have something that's pretty damning evidence as a former prosecutor that is close to
an Omission to being involved in this conspiracy according to detectives Monica was also recorded telling her
cellmate he's not just my lover he's my Confidant he's my everything detectives also intercepted
letters Monica wrote to Baker from behind bars saying I'm always amazed how we both know what the other is thinking
destined and I miss you so much my love when you look at these pieces in the totality it's going to put together a
pretty perfect puzzle here and the puzzle will paint this picture that Monica conspired with Baker that he did
not do it alone that they did it together but Monica's Defenders say the case against her is flimsy and they say
baker did it without her Robert Baker may have killed him because he wanted him out of the way
maybe he did it because he hoped that by killing him he would get Monica Tim himself himself that in and of itself
does not establish that Monica was in on the [Music] murder Monica simen Till's defense is
adamant she had absolutely nothing to do with Fabio's murder the defense's position is that there is no hard
evidence actually no evidence that establishes Monica citelli participated in a conspiracy and if you can't prove a
conspiracy you can't prove Monica's guilt says rendelman the sheer number of circumstances that seem to weave
together the parking lot meeting the walking into the store and watching video that is streamed live from the
home the password being given to the killer all of those things the sum of them wouldn't a jury believe is just too
much of a coincidence obviously I can't answer for what a jury's going to say um
the defense I can promise you is going to attempt to poke holes holes in every single piece of evidence you just spoke
about so let's go step by step the sharing of that password for the surveillance video so there is no
question that she shared the password let me says there's no connection between sharing that password and a
murder plot there's absolutely no evidence between the 6 months that she shared it and the day he was killed that
establishes there was any plan in place between them whatsoever to have her husband killed not a text not an email
not a conversation with her best friend saying she's over her relationship the second issue is there's absolutely no
evidence that Robert Baker downloaded the app or ever even used the app let's talk about the actions in the
parking lot the day of the markers someone appears to be getting into the car keep a couple things in mind one is
from the defenses perspective the video footage is so grainy that you can't make
out who if anybody is getting into Monica Celli's car and what about the allegation that she was watching video
of the house as the murder took place once she went inside the target there was a point in time where she
seemed fascinated fixated on her phone well I'll tell you one thing the prosecution doesn't know what she was
watching on her phone they cannot articulate nor will they ever be able to articulate what was going on on in that
phone but it was being streamed from her home she could be watching a show just like any one of us watched a show while
we're walking along the prosecution really digs in on Monica's character fact that she's
having an affair well let me quote what the defense says in regards to that quote the prosecutor's evidence of M
Simon tell's Affair and specifically the sexist and Lord manner in which it was presented was irrelevant improper and
unfairly prejudicial to M simentelli they go on and say the sexual and romantic details of their Affair were
simply irrelevant to the question whether they conspired to murder Fabio Celli but then why lie to investigators
allegedly saying she was unsure of Robert Baker's last name the question becomes why is she lying is she lying
because she committed a murder or is she lying because she has been in a trist with someone for quite a while and
doesn't want the world to know particularly law enforcement prosecutors did find it
suspicious that on the night Fabio died Monica was already inquiring about his life insurance but rendelman says it's
not odd I understand um how it could look insensitive to start asking about a life insurance
policy so soon after but if you're uh an individual that is not financially sound
you have two girls at home you have potentially a mortgage to pay you have bills to pay you are going to be worried
about the Financial Security of your family and come trial says rendleman what may really help Monica is that she
won't be tried with Baker the jury will not see the man who committed the actual
murder at the defense table next to Monica and that could make the case harder for prosecutors says Mary fan and
the fact that he's her lover and the killer the one that the DNA is around the house I mean that there is a
spillover effect and that all would have you know potentially impacted I think the jury in this case and he's no longer
there would you say it was his last gift to Monica yeah I would cuz there's absolutely no other reason for him
actually to plead straight up without any real plea bargain here to life without the possibility of parole except
I guess his last murderous chivalrous act but it seems Baker may have an even bigger impact on Monica's case 48 Hours
went to see him in jail and he told us Monica had nothing to do with the murder of Fabio and she never knew that he was
Fabio's killer Baker also told us that he's no longer in touch with Monica and he has not decided if he will
testify another factor that could help Monica says rendleman the daughters Monica shared with Fabio are standing
behind their mother and so there's an argument to be made that the jury's looking at the daughter saying if they
believe her after all this shouldn't we as for Monica herself she's never spoken publicly except at a
memorial for her deceased husband how lucky am I to have lived the greatest love story of all
time the story that people only read about the story that movies are made of thank you so much
[Music] [Music] need more time with 48 Hours go deep behind every True Crime episode with
firsthand accounts from 48 Hours investigations were you at all prepared for what happened in this case shock is
the word that comes to mind get inside the twists and turns and get in on the case listen to postmortem from 48 hours
now available wherever you get your [Music] podcasts real people real crimes real
life drama Brian Binger was a typical Marine that kind of an All-American kind of
persona he was assigned to a color guard in Washington DC there's pictures of him in the white
house with President George W bush from the out looking in it seemed like Brian brimager
had everything going for him in 2011 after having served s years in the Marine Corps Brian brimager
leaves the Marines and he decides to go uh to Panama and his plan is to decompress uh
take some time off my sister was deeply in love with the man named Brian brimager all she
wanted was to be with him and love him they were so madly in love I think she was very proud of him because he was a
marine she used to say things like I'm with a marine Ivonne went down to Panama with
Bryan to start a new life that's where Ivonne wanted to be it was perfect I am Michelle Valenzuela and
my sister is Ivon baldelli she likes a karaoke she likes to dance did Ivon like it here she love it here just love it
here places with cheap beers and happy hour it's beautiful she's got the water right
in front of her house where are we right now okay we're on Isla Carino in baselo
this is the the house they were renting in uh Brian bager and Ivan belli Ivon told her family members that
everything was good she painted a very happy picture through email she made it seem like everything was fine and well
the reality of it was that her and buringer were fighting constantly after I'd heard stories of
the fights I could understand why she would want to leave she fell off the radar screen she just went away one day
her emails stopped her communication stopped everybody lost contact with her there's no immigration records that
indicates that she left Panama there's no book for this there no book for dummies on what to do when your sister
has gone missing kiner from the outside appears to be a Tropical Paradise but it's a swampy
Hill I call it Devil's Island because some Terrible Things took place on that island Brian brimager has done nothing
zero to help with the search Ron we are in Central America in some jungle in some swamp looking for ION that to the
middle is really deep this is unbelievable what no one knew is that Brian Binger
had a secret he was living a double life Brian Binger moved to California hooked
up with christien woven and they got married christien worked at the White House and that's where she and Brian
met and his life is going on like normal and her life will never be the same what did you do to her
Brian we knew that there had been Foul Play we knew he was the last one to see her alive Brian's coming out with his
golf clubs let's go let's go guys and this is what I know okay you're rolling let's go my sister went down to Panama
with Brian Brian returned and my sister didn't Brian brimage was exceptionally arrogant but what he didn't account for
was this family's fervor to find what happened to their daughter and their sister Brian Peter vanent with CBS News
we'd like to ask a couple questions it's an easy thing to tell the truth he told a lot of
lies that's what led to his demise I'm Peter vanand tonight on 48 Hours Devil's Island
[Music] [Applause] [Music] 48 hours we'll be back in 90 [Music] seconds in the spring of 2012 Brian
Bremer was living the high life in southern Califoria California just months removed from a decorated Marine
Corps career brimager was happily married and living in the suburbs when I look at the pictures of
Brian and Kristen I just see a couple in love and and super sincerely happy and just
enjoying the day at the beach in La Hoya these joyful newlywed photos of Brian and Christen brimager were a shock to
Ivonne bald deli's family they expected her to be in the picture it wasn't their
wedding day but they came in their wedding attire in a limousine and champagne flowing photographer Jack
English had no idea of the Intrigue Behind These happy images that Brian had proposed to Kristen just days after
Ivonne disappeared in Panama she looked very happy very in love as if she found her prince
charming Prince Charming a man who had just left Ivon baldelli in Panama 2 weeks earlier how could this happen we
traveled to the remote islands off the Caribbean coast of Panama to find out up ahead is the island of kinero
where Ivonne and Brian who the locals called brim came to live in September 2011 it's a place where they could chase
their [Music] dream why did they decide to go to Panama she liked the fact that they
could live on the beach you know pretty pretty reasonably priced down there ivonne's sister Michelle Valenzuela says
Brian wanted to become a singer performing in bars and clubs with her beloved dog Georgia May
in hand Ivonne brought two sewing machines in hopes of starting a clothing business stepmother Lillian fost she was
going to make bathing suits and sell them to tourists I knew she was excited and she she didn't have any reservations
it sounded like she had a real plan for the future she did and she thought that she found her Paradise her Perfect Place
Michelle recalls how her younger sister Ivonne recently divorced was smitten with Brian when they first started
dating in 2009 in Southern California do think she was physically attracted to him that was a big part of it and while
Ivon seemed be falling in love with Brian big sister Michelle wasn't so sure as far as emotionally from my sister yon
would put 100% into you and she would expect that back and I didn't get that impression that she was receiving that
that concerned me she deserved that after Ivonne was laid off from her management job with Proctor and Gamble
and Brian ended his career in the Marines the two decided to make a fresh start and re invent themselves in Panama
settling in this house they quickly fell in with the local expats did you think they were in
love apparently it seems so Joan and Steven Crabtree own the cosmic crab a funky Resort and Waterfront Bar where
Brian would sing for his supper he played here at the cosmic crab um couple of nights a week and they were frequent
visitors here they were very nice people people Penny Tom owner of another Waterfront Bar also let Brian play for
food and free booze lots of booze they used to drink a lot so they were always happy what's a lot a
lot and Jim Merton says Brian's drinking may have gotten in the way of his singing he played the guitar good but
when he started to sing that's when it went away what was it like M like a hound dog on
porch she looked very happy in the pictures and she was really enjoying herself there and I I knew it would be a
place that she would like for ivonne's Father Jim fa the constant stream of Joyful phone calls and emails describing
the couple's Panama Adventures was reassuring yvon's emails were stories of exactly what her life was like down
there and I could picture it and I could close my eyes and it it was like I was there I couldn't imagine the whole thing
emails like this one she says hi sis Brian already working at local restaurants and bars we love it we wake
up and go running then swim in the ocean every morning and so yvon's family thought all
was well in paradise and that Brian might be the one for Avon I believed that they were going to get married
that's what I thought was going to happen when they got down there but then right around Thanksgiving
2011 3 months after they arrived in Panama the happy emails and calls from Ivonne
started to drop off for Michelle a sisterly Instinct started to kick in that's what set me off was the fact that
um they were becoming less frequent the emails from her and then they stopped completely two weeks passed then on
December 14th Michelle finally got a text but it wasn't from Ivon there was a number I didn't recognize and a text
message on there said this is Brian May I make arrangements to pick up my truck Michelle was shocked Brian was back in
the US I sat up called that number for only thing out of my mouth was where's my sister he says didn't you get my
email I said I haven't received any emails from anybody it's been a few weeks I said I'll call you back so I
went to my computer Michelle discovered an email she had overlooked it was from Brian who had never written before the
one from him stated I'm sure you've heard by now that Vonnie and I are no longer together I called him right back
so I asked him point blank what happened and he said they had got in a fight because she had found out that he had a
child from somebody else that's somebody else Kristen work Hoven the two had a baby girl in
2010 since Evon was unable to have a child because of a medical condition the discovery must have been Earth
shattering Brian then said Ivonne just up and left I said do she leave a note no has she tried to call you since no do
you know where she's at no and I said I haven't heard from her Brian and he said well I'm sure she's
fine but Michelle had her doubts about that story and 10 days later when Brian called and still wanted to pick up his
truck Michelle said she had another plan I said when you come to pick up the truck I'll be here that's no problem and
I think it's a good idea that you go with me to the police department since you're the last one to see her and we
can fill out a missing person's report cuz now we're already the mid December and I haven't heard anything from her
and that's not right something's wrong in December of 2011 Michelle Valenzuela was still worried about her missing
sister so she went back to her computer where she found another overlooked message this one from Ivon hi sis just
an update Brian and I are no longer together I should have trusted my instincts that he is a lying cheating
I'm headed to Costa Rica with a man I met when we first got to bcus what' you think when you read this email
I just wasn't sure there's some things in there that didn't feel right to me her head was spinning could Ivonne
really have run off with another man after learning that Brian had a l child all yvon ever wanted to do was be a
mother that's all she ever wanted to do was be a mother to find out that Brian had a child you know she sold everything
she had to go to the other ends of the world to be with his man and he didn't tell her about that I'm questioning what
her mental state is right now she's heartbroken in Upstate New York Jim and Lillian fa also felt the turn of events
was just so out of character for their daughter for her life to change so abruptly and she's like oh well I'm
going with this guy and to Costa Rica Costa Rica that made absolutely positively no sense to me also making no
sense 3 weeks had passed since Ivonne had emailed from Panama but then out of the blue she sent a new email it was
strange miss you and everyone at home I'm starting to get a little homesick I'm working on plans to get home as
early as the second week of January I've been living with Cliffhangers for a while love you sis Ivon while strange
the email was also reassuring for her family who is happy to learn Ivonne would soon return to California so I
stopped worrying I figured okay she knows that in January we're having a family get together she's going to be
there do you feel she's safe at this at this point I was still worried but I was
satisfied with it for the the moment on the same day that email arrived so too did Brian brimager knocking on the front
door of Michelle's La home to pick up his truck what did you see on his face what was his demeanor like he was just
in a hurry he was calm it was very brief all business yes get his stuff get his truck and
leave after Brian got his pickup truck yvon's emails stopped 16 long days p pass until on January 6th 2012 Michelle
wrote her sister the subject worried I just want to make sure you weren't kidnapped or someone pretending to be
you haha there's my paranoid Suspicious Mind or maybe too many 48 hours did you ever hear back from your
sister again no that's the last email Michelle was still hopeful that she would appear at that family reunion
but avonne never showed up well at that point when we met up with my dad and I told him we haven't heard from her he
said oh no something's wrong something's wrong and I told my dad she did not leave Panama that's just my
Feeling by now Michelle was convinced her sister never ran off to Costa Rica with another man so her Instinct was to
learn where ivonne's emails were really coming from so I went to my cousin and asked him to please check check it out
cuz like I said I haven't had I haven't got a clue the cousin a technology whiz said tracking ivonne's emails would be
easy all he needed was their IP addresses so we searched the emails Ivonne had supposedly sent from Panama
and Costa Rica as well as that email Brian had sent from near Dana Point California the cousin made a startling
Discovery the ones from Panama came from Panama and then the one that was supposed to be with her being in Co Rica
came from the United States where in the United States one of them looked like they were coming from Dana Point that
email Michelle says originated from where Brian was now living near Dana Point California it was the evidence
Michelle had been looking for they were sharing the same IP address so ivonne's email is coming from Brian's computer
yes the family's worst fear had come true it appeared Brian had had hacked into ivonne's email account and was
impersonating her but why that's when I knew that he did something to her and it's not missing person it's murder now
it's murder I said my sister's dead and I'm never going to see her again but Michelle had no time to mourn she took
that new evidence down to the FBI where she met with special agent Andrew Masters Michelle Val's way she was a
Spitfire when they brought that to us we knew that there was absolutely Foul Play
involved the FBI immediately launched an investigation into ivonne's disappearance with Masters taking charge
ivonne's family then contacted the state department I call the Embassy and the embassy tells us there is no record of
her ever leaving Panama and no record of her ever entering Costa Rica ivonne's family couldn't wait any longer they
traveled to pan to find answers the FBI made a move as well targeting Brian brimager as a
person of interest Brian didn't realize what exactly the FBI is capable of with the FBI investigation underway
in the states ivonne's family met up with legendary investigator Don winter in Panama City why is it when something
goes bad with an American citizen in Panama you get the phone call I've already put away or helped to put away
three serial killers so when bad things happen they know that to come to me when
when they don't know what else to do winter is an ex us intelligence officer with an uncanny ability to solve murders
Jim and Lillian tell Dawn the story of their daughter's disappearance and Brian's claim that she's run off with
another man I think the chances that she's running around in Costa Rica somewhere with some other dude are damn
near zero here's the deal this is what happened this is what we think is going on it's not the first time winter a CBS
News consultant has worked on a case with 48 hours all right we're going to go take a look at this uh yellow traran
the intrep investigator helped solve the murder of American sailor Don North as 48 Hours reported in 2011 just on a
personal side in all of this can you believe you and I are doing this again no absolutely not I tell you what uh
it's it's it's it's amazing winter is convinced Brian Binger is involved his strategy put pressure on
the Panamanian government to act when Don winter speaks the people listen yeah Winner's game plan also called for Jim
and Michelle to give blood for DNA tests should any remains be found and when ivonne's family travels
hundreds of miles from Panama City to the tropical island where she disappeared the Panamanian police are
persuaded to hold a press conference to plead for information the family has been experiencing a living nightmare for
quite a few months and we continue to appeal to anyone who knows absolutely anything about Ivan's disappearance to
come forward Panamanian police announced for the first time that Ivonne is the victim of Foul Play and named Brian
brimager as the suspect this news conference reverberated around the world police say
within weeks of her disappearance brimager returned to the US got engaged and married another woman
tonight the FBI is calling him a person of interest writing the momentum of the press conference they printed
Flyers fanned out to neighborhoods and the village searching for their own Clues
own it's a Bittersweet search for Avon's niece Lauren berer in a place that is no
longer a paradise there's nothing here for us until we find her that's why we're
here but the family's Quest is starting to get results Witnesses who knew the couple come out of the woodwork
describing Brian's verbal and physical abuse to me he was a scary person he was uh not the kind of person I wanted to be
around local bar owner Jeff solsman saw it firsthand on ivonne's face as I recall it was black eyes and and
Blackness around the face and and bruises was she self-conscious about it she was trying to hide it and and not
speak of it it was very painful to learn that he had hid her that she had bruises
that she had black eyes those things were very difficult to learn the realization that Ivonne may have been
murdered is setting in where could ivonne's body have been dumped well just feed in front of that house you've got
thousands of square miles of water while if you just go not 20 yards from the shoreline this impenetrable
swamp try to find something in there but that's exactly what ivonne's family investigators and volunteers set out to
do entering what could be EV 's swampy graveyard describe this area that has to be searched just how difficult a place
is it okay it's jungle it's tropical so you have every kind of bug and Critter that you can think of spiders and snakes
and you know it's not a place to go slogging around through struggling through the mck the
spiders and the rancid water the smallest Discovery raises hope a purse a medicine bottle a mysterious
sinkhole I kept asking myself I want to find Ivon but do I want to find Ivonne I mean
I want to know where she is but do I want to see her in these swampy areas then they find a passport yeah we
find a US passport uh the P here none of it is yvon's but back in the United States the FBI confronted
Brian brimager we went and knocked on his door he answered and invited us in said
that he was expecting us FBI special agent Andrew Masters questioned Brian brimager for more than
4 hours while he babysat his young daughter this is special agent Andrew Masters along with special agent Gabriel
Ramirez approaching apartment m in an attempt to have a consensual monitored interview with Brian biter we weren't
sure if he was going to break down and confess to having a part in her disappearance and murder or if he was
going to become angry if he was going to kick us out Brian stuck to his story Ivonne left him for another man I come
back home and there was a note that said and I quote um going to Costa Rico with a man I've
been talking to um a few but when confronted with Michelle's email evidence Brian began to stumble
Brian I'm just going to kind of laid it out there man um the IP addresses are not coming back from Costa Rica or
Panama okay they're coming back from look here look okay so here mm okay so if if she's not hanging out around here
then somebody sent those emails right how did those emails get sent do you know anybody that would have her email
account hacked into her account no then something caught Master's eye as soon as I walk in I see a white son Vio
which is a computer a laptop computer exactly and we knew that Yvonne owned a white Sony VIO laptop that she had taken
with her to Panama what do you thinking I'm thinking we may very well have yon computer right
here Master's hunch was spot on it was ivonne's computer but why was it in Brian's condo and would it help unravel
the mystery of yvon's disappearance take the journey with Avon's family as they search the jungles
of Panama now at 48 hours.com even though he was under the FBI's microscope Brian Bremer remained a free
man living with his family on the outskirts of San Diego Kristen worked for a defense contractor while Brian
unemployed spent much of his time golfing recognize that man yes I do that's Brian in the summer of 2012 we
showed yvon's sister Michelle this video of Brian's New Life what goes through your mind when you see
him well honestly it's not surprising now that I know what he's capable of he thinks he got away with murder so what
you have here is a person killed my sister and can walk away Scott free get ready come out with
this golf club let's go guys okay roll just a few months after that FBI interview we came face to face
with the suspected killer Brian Peter vanent with CBS News we'd like to ask a couple
questions would you please talk to us did you murder Ivon baldelli you can speak to us you can
answer that question ran why why won't you speak with us did you have anything to do with her
disappearance well Brian heads off to enjoy another careful free day on the greens the FBI was turning his life
upside down interviewing everyone he knew including his wife Kristen what had Brian told her about why he was living
in Panama uh he told Kristen that he is going down to Panama to decompress from after leaving the Marine Corps and that
he was going with some Marine Corps friends did Christen urg Brian to leave Ivonne no Kristen didn't even know Ivon
existed so he lied to Kristen absolutely apparently all those lies didn't matter
to Kristen according to her Brian was the greatest thing to ever happen to anybody but that's something she didn't
want to share with us when 48 Hours knocked on her door hi Christian Christen I'm Ryan with CBS
News is there any way we can [Music] talk meanwhile as special agent Masters took several investigative trips to
Panama a different portrait of Brian Bremer emerged we talked to uh many people that would socialize with him at
bars uh and we learned about all the domestic violence uh that uh that he brought upon her uh the choking the the
the dragging uh the Bering after speaking with friends and neighbors of Ivonne and Brian special
agent Masters became certain the couple had a violent fight on November 26 2011 after Ivonne learned that Brian had
fathered a child with Kristen the argument probably escalated and at some point Brian decided he was done with her
and he was going to kill her crucial evidence was also discovered on yvon's laptop the very computer Master saw when
he first questioned Brian about 2 weeks before her murder Ivonne took this disturbing selfie that photo shows a
massive black eye on her left eye and swelling in her left cheek in a way from the grave Ivonne helped you in this
investigation Ivon helped us tell the story yes absolutely and there was more chilling evidence we found the Yahoo
searches in which he searches how to uh remove blood from a mattress uh when did
he do that he did that about 10:30 in the morning the night after Ivonne was murdered Masters discovered even more
evidence in Costa Rica where Brian is seen withdrawing cash from yvon's account we were able to obtain those ATM
photos so we have Brian using Ivan's debit card to extract money from her account and master says there is no
doubt that Brian used ivonne's laptop to send those emails to were family so we went looking for Brian bemer again to
get answers hey Brian I need to talk to you how do you explain the fact that ivonne's email
that said she was in Costa Rica that she sent to people was actually sent by you
from here in California can you answer that you knew she was dead when you sent that email didn't
you Bri we really want you to talk to us answer some questions he's never said a word never said a word
to us he will not answer any questions and what about ivonne's dog Georgia May which had not been seen
since she disappeared Don winter has a theory he knew that she loved that dog and that if the dog was running around
he knew that anything she said about her taking off with some guy to Costa Rica everybody would immediately know it was
crap so he had to get rid of the dog too in his investigation Don witer unwittingly found a key piece of
evidence on Brian's Facebook page where he had sold this machete after Ivon disappeared imager made a comment about
that knife he's like yeah that used to be mine I brought it down with me when I came down from the states and the
chilling part is he made a comment that said I've only used it to chop up one stripper that's just chilling
special agent Andrew Masters needs to get his hands on the machete to see if it was used in ivonne's
Murder incredibly he was able to track down the person who bought it from Brian in Panama this is the machete that Brian
bought in the United States and took down with him uh to Panama can you pick it up for me sure it's very heavy uh
it's it's weighted and uh it would inflict a lot of damage investigators had the machete they had
the email and they had caught Brian in multiple lies soon someone would stumble upon the most important evidence of
all Don winter shares some of the details of his investigation now at 48 hours.com
[Music] we seek answers Justice and help summer 2013 nearly 2 years have passed since
Ivon bald deli's disappearance you feel like you're reading a book a terrible mystery or murder mystery and there's no
end to it on June 26th 2013 the final chapter of this mystery began to unfold a former Marine who
family members say murdered his girlfriend before FBI special agent Andrew Masters slapped the cuffs on
Brian Bremer what did you say to him you're under arrest he said turn around put
your hands behind your back he needed the answer for his crime how did you learn that Brian had been arrested truth
be told I received a text from my dad said they got the S so and I sat down and a sense of relief because now they
believed us Brian briter was charged with 13 felonies relating to the coverup of ivonne's death but not murder
assistant us attorneys Shane herrian and Mark Conover were lead prosecutors at that point without having found the body
we didn't have quite enough to bring in the murder charge but that would soon change human
remains have been found on a Panamanian Island local worker clearing some brush on the island where Brian and Ivonne
lived Came Upon This duffel bag and when he unbuckled the clasp he found ivonne's
skeletonized Remains by the time she was found two years later she it was only bones a DNA test confirmed it was Ivonne
her remains were found just a few hundred yards from where the family had spent days searching I wanted to tell
Michelle personally when I I first heard the possibility that they found Ivonne my first reaction was for me it's good
news because I just feel good we can nail this bastard while the family's prayers had been answered an autopsy
confirmed the hellish fact that Ivon had been dismembered this is the actual device that was
used to dismember Ivonne the most likely cause of death was being stabbed in the
back at least twice despite overwhelming evidence and proof that bature had repeatedly lied his wife
Kristen continued to stand by him Kristen may I ask do you still believe in your husband's innocence can you just
tell us that don't touch the camera then for ivonne's family another cruel tragedy struck in the spring of
2004 14 Michelle who had dedicated her life to finding Justice for her sister now faced another deadly enemy she was
diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer I'm still alive to fight for my life and I'm still alive to fight for my
sister this was Michelle in June of 2014 and this was her just 3 months later today uh we're
going I'm going to be giving a deposition weakened by cancer and given just weeks to live do you saw me swear
or AFF Michelle a crucial witness agreed to tell her story while she still could
Brian Bremer would sit directly across from her try to ignore him best I can and who was Brian Bri
major the defendant do you see him in the courtroom here today yes I do would you please point to him and describe
where he is seated for the record he's sitting at the end te outfit the end Michelle passed out after the exhausting
testimony it was a courageous Act of love for her sister this might be the last thing I
get to do for her over and over and over again because it'll be on camera forever days later
she [Music] died it took years of diplomatic and legal wrangling but in early 2015 the government of Panama finally
agreed to let Brian be tried for murder on American soil we came to the conclusion that the only way that Brian
brimager would face Justice for his murderous Act is if he was charged and convicted here in the United States
Brian pleaded not guilty the case was heading for trial in 2016 when investigators made another
dramatic Discovery yvon's blood and DNA were found under the machete handle so these
three screws were undone mhm the handle opens up and inside they find blood right they removed these three and just
pulled it out here and conducted the testing on the blade and the imperior portion of the handle and uh found blood
whose's blood ions Ivon baldelli Ivon baldelli this now is a slam dunk you know that this is the tool used to
dismember her it was that that made Brian finally realize he was not going to get out of the he was not going to
lie his way out it's over it's done he had cleaned the blade but he hadn't cleaned underneath the handle and it was
that additional evidence that I believe eventually LED Mr brimager to plead guilty within a week brimager pleaded
guilty to Second deegree murder while the other charges were dropped and later at his sentencing finally admitted after
nearly 5 years of lies to killing Ivon baldelli and I think if you look up on the dictionary evil and you see Brian's
picture in there he's the ultimate carnate of evil in my mind in open court brimager apologized to V's family but
his words rang Hollow Brian brimager is a con artist he had our daughter con he had his new wife con he had her family
con he was able to live a double life sometimes a triple life and people buy what he says but his actions show that
he's not the person he says that he is Brian was sentenced to 26 years in federal prison
[Music] with the case over ivonne's remains were returned to her family and laid to rest at
[Music] Sea to get her remains back and be able to give her a dignified resting place I
can sleep better at night knowing that she's not rotting in some jungle or deep in the ocean somewhere knowing that she
loved the ocean knowing that we're able to put her in a place that she loved we brought her home and I know that that
was thanks to a lot of work of a lot of unsung heroes I know in a way two people were honored
this day e V and her beloved sister Michelle who battled a marine to the end and
won she's definitely a hero she never gave up to her dying day she gave all she [Music]
had Kristen and Brian brimager are still married she continues to support and visit him in federal prison Brier's
prison term ends in February 2037 [Music] help us solve this crime it was a Savage
murder a stunning model she was quite the trophy married to a multi-millionaire this is where the
asent got her from behind knocked her to the ground they slid her throat 8 years no arrest and there no
fingerprints no nothing at all there are Clues the sketch who is this is this the
guy that murdered my sister the letter and now that was a shock cut out in little bitty individual different
letters I mean why are you talking to me I want to find out who murdered my sister cbsn CBS News always on
now approaching the entrance way via the front door in the family dining room area we
see what appears to be a large pool of blood I learned never let anyone's emotions Cloud your vision when you're
investigating a crime a hammer covered with what appears to be blood and never jumped to any conclusion
semi-automatic handgun until you've had plenty of time to think about it I had seen many crime scenes where
there was a lot of U blood and gruesome sites but none that bad I was at the uh Springfield Police
Department in the major case office and I heard the radio call emergency emergency emergency emergency
this man my wife I shot him please help me detective Cox who was my partner at the time
drove dispatch advises that the second victim that was at the scene was actually believed to be the Intruder and
that the husband had shot the Intruder help me what's the problem I just shot this man in my house he's
inside your house my he beat my wife he had the hammer in his hand and he was standing over
her and I was like oh my God Donna oh my God are you Mark Winger yes I am yes I am and your wife is Donna yes she is I
got to get to my wife please just let me get to my wife [Music] Springfield is a beautiful little town
it's Midwestern it's small the people are sweet it's just a lovely place it's a very friendly and clean City with very
sensitive and compassionate people my name is Sarah Jane drer and I am Donna Winger's
mother Mark and Donna were just so happy we don't know where she's sleeping tonight
I mean she was just so enthused I mean that's all there was to it to be a mommy I mean that was the best for her she's
beautiful my name is Ira dresser and I am down Winger's stepfather Mark told the police
basically what had transpired here he was 31 years old with a 3-month-old child and he had to shoot
a man my gosh our hearts bled for him I don't think there was ever anyone who met her who couldn't love her say hi who
would want to hurt such a beautiful person where's the man at he's laying on the
floor from every case you learn something and this one taught me you never take anything at face value
nothing he was killing my wife invitation to a murder tonight's 48 Hours mystery
[Music] emergency emergency emergency emergency please help me my God my wife's just
breathing okay you need an ambulance I need everything I need everything Mark Winger was calling from
his own home after his wife Donna was attacked on a Hot August afternoon in 1995 who is this man I don't I don't
know who he is so many of the good things have been Stripped Away From [Music] Me almost everyone who knew Mark and
Donna Winger they were terrific together adorable she was crazy about him thought
they were perfect together they were absolutely an adorable model couple they were both respected and
successful members of their Community Mark was a nuclear engineer for the state of Illinois Donna was an operating
room technician I would like to just say hello to Donna and Mark and both sets of
in-laws were delighted when the couple got married in 1989 Donna Mark we love you so
much the Wingers were eager to start a family okay but there was a problem [Music]
they learned Donna could not bear children she's so excited she hasn't slept for days so when Donna and Mark
adopted a baby girl in June 1995 they were elated I mean my heart was just pounding I just couldn't
believe it here's grandma dresser called in our little baby Mark and Donna doted
on their daughter are we on Daddy and here's Dean there's de a de and they showed her off to everyone especially
Donna's best friend Dean Schultz Donna was really special very friendly real exuberant full of
life but just 3 months later the good times ended abruptly it all began when Donna
returned from a visit to her mother and stepfather in Florida when I kiss them goodbye the last thing I always say is
is tell the pilot to drive carefully and I kissed her and off she went Donna Winger and her baby arrived
here at the St Louis airport and got into a shuttle van for the hour and a half long ride back home to
Springfield it was an unusual drive with an unusual driver a man named Roger Harrington who'd been working for the
van company for 6 months the guy scared her she said that he was very frightening he said things about killing
people setting car bombs mutilating people Harrington was also speeding he was telling Donna that
sometimes while he drives this Godlike character would come to him pull him out of his body and he would be flying above
the trees she and the baby made it home but Donna was very rattled she's scared enough to tell me that she was uh very
uneasy and scared to be alone Mark Winger complained to Roger Harrington's boss I blew up at him told him about you
know his van driver speeding you know with my my wife and my baby the inappropriate things he was saying then
less than a week after Donna's Wild Ride Winger says he was on his treadmill in the basement when he heard a
thumb you come up the stairs and it's very dark in that stairwell I'm just starting to hear crying from
sounded like the bedroom the baby he says was alone in the master bedroom and there were strange sounds coming from
the dining room instantly I knew that that wasn't right at all I just grabbed my gun and uh started
going down the hall Winger says when he came down this hallway he saw one of the most
horrifying things any any husband could see his wife was on the floor here in the dining room there was a stranger
over her bludgeoning her with a [Music] hammer you can't imagine it you can't when I came down the hallway I had my
weapon pointed at him and I went to pull the trigger and that's when Winger says
he shot the man in the head when police got to Winger's house the victims were in terrible shape but
alive the male was taking real deep labored breaths and I thought his time was uh limited as paramedics went to
work officer Dave baringer got his Polaroid camera so I thought if we're going to have pictures with the showing
where the bodies were located I'm going to have to take these pictures now because they're going to be gone within
a matter of a few minutes he showed us how quickly he took pictures three pictures I only had three
pictures left in my camera within minutes both Donna and the man were rushed to the hospital I just
knew that she was in Dire Straits and Mark Winger began telling police what happened that day and I was like oh my
God you know I was like Donna oh my God [Music] I've been in criming work a long time
and there's been very few as severe and bloody as this one was homicide detective Charlie Cox knew there was
little hope that either Donna Winger or the man lying near her on the floor would survive their wounds I said a
prayer I do that at all my homicides I stand over the body and say a little prayer yeah Fox grabbed the man's ID
from his wallet and then he got Right to Work questioning Mark Winger in the bedroom I was in shock I was in shock
the whole time they were questioning me I did my best and he's uh more or less rocking back and forth as he's talking
to us and he you can tell he's nervous and upset so I'm trying to be as delicate as I can with my questions
Winger told the detectives the hammer was his left out by Donna as a reminder to hang a hat rack and he had a question
of his own he said who is that guy out there is his name Roger at that point I felt compelled to let him know the truth
and I said yes that's Roger Harrington he says oh my God that's the guy that's been harassing my wife and
me oh my God and I fell over on my side and just cried Harington was the van driver who
drove Donna home from the airport 6 days before Winger told Cox about that harrowing ride he also told Cox about
two Anonymous phone calls that Winger believed were from Harrington I thought I was going to jail cuz I just shot a
man in the head but Winger could not have been more wrong I tried to console him the police had all but cleared him
they didn't consider him a killer they considered him a victim at least here in my mind you're somewhat of a hero I say
you've killed the person who was killing your wife I said uh you said he was a hero yes Cox's partner Doug Williamson
helped to calm Winger I was trying to let him know what we were going to do how the police were going to help him
after Donna and Harrington were taken away Winger managed to give the detectives a detailed statement he told
them that Donna was on her knees when he took aim at Harington Harrington looks up at him yes and he shoots and he
shoots him cuz he's getting ready to go down and hit her again and then Harrington from what the position he was
in he said at that point he fell off of her his wife and rolled back like that Cox's investigation of the crime scene
backed up Mark's story basic evidence in here where the crime occurred matched up with what he was
saying everything everything matched up there was blood where Donna was uh killed there was blood where
Harrington's head landed and and gun was on the table as he said it was from when he called
911 what's more Harrington had been a psychiatric patient with a history of delusions and Cox knew him he once broke
up a fight between Harrington and his wife he had her bent over the couch getting ready to hit her again when I
grabbed him Harrington seems to fit the profile of a murder suspect pretty well very
well Harrington died shortly after arriving at the hospital and Donna died minutes later she never regained
Consciousness oh my [Music] God I felt deeply for him I'm a very religious person he seemed to be that as
well Donna's mother and stepfather Sarah Jane and Ira drer were inconsolable when
they heard about her murder I had to hold her because she was wailing howling wailing they were shocked to hear that
Donna's ride from the airport had escalated into a homicide she's a good girl was she scared by this driver she
wasn't scared no she wasn't scared she was just Disturbed Disturbed in a way you know that this was such a crazy
conversation IRA and Sarah Jane rushed to their son-in-law's side we F Terri for him he's lost his wife also and then
he had to turn around and shoot a man he was crying and I said Mark I know you did the best you could and I love you
very [Music] much it was an open and shut case one day after Winger shot Roger Harrington
the prosecutor announced his conclusions Mr Winger acted in self-defense uh when he shot Mr
Harrington and therefore at this time uh no charges will be filed against him and
I anticipate that there will never be any charges filed against Mr Winger yeah I was fine with that case
closed case was closed before then there was an outpouring of support for Mark here in Springfield almost everyone
believed he was a good family man whose life had been Shattered by a Madman but one family wasn't buying that story at
all Roger Harrington's family what were you trying to tell the police I was trying to tell him there is
no way you guys are so wrong I knew he was not capable Harrington's Sister Barbara Howell pleaded with Detective
Cox he was very rude very very rude oh very rude he said ma'am any time you want to know how your kid brother walked
in that home snapped and killed that woman come to my office and I'll show you step by step Roger's mother Helen
felt the shame of a city that believed she had raised a psychotic killer just felt branded
like who are we you know you felt branded how would anybody feel if their son was called a
murderer the harringtons bore their grief quietly believing they were alone they didn't realize that someone else
doubted Winger's story someone close to the investigation how convincing was Mark Winger that night and the night
after it was very convincing detective Doug Williamson were you convinced no Williamson had a lot of questions why
would Donna leave her baby alone on her bed and open the door to Harrington a man she supposedly feared Roger
Harrington was allowed into the house there was no forced somebody let him in and Harrington
parked right in front of the Winger home leaving behind a piece of paper with a puzzling message I saw that there was a
note on the front seat and it had Mark Winger's name his address in 4:30 p.m. he says he doesn't know Roger Harrington
has never met him and he does not indicate any appointment when I have already seen the note which indicates an
appointment there's always things in every house HDE that don't fit so what did you do with those things that
bothered you just let them bother me like they always do Cox saw no reason to doubt that the nuclear engineer
justifiably shot a disturbed Intruder but Williamson wanted to investigate further his bosses turned him down flat
they discounted everything I said how did they discount it they just said the case is going to be closed
that's it and that's the way it stayed for for 3 and 1/2 years until you didn't know what she
wanted to say no but you knew it was going to be big yes a surprise witness came
[Music] forward everyone in Springfield Illinois knew knew Mark Winger's story it was heroic and
heartbreaking but detective Doug Williamson had never believed one word of it I was
argumentative I pointed out what we call red flags pieces that don't seem to fit
at first Williamson couldn't even convince his own partner Charlie Cox that Winger was a murderer but Cox says
he started getting susp supicious when Winger kept showing up here at the police station a few months after the
murder Winger came by to ask for his gun back I released the gun back to Mark and
we sat and talked for about a half hour what did you talk to him about just things in general he was want to know
how how the case was going and as far as I was concerned he should have just accepted it was closed Winger denies it
but Cox remembers him dropping by a second time this time to say he was getting remarried to his daughter's new
nanny whom he had hired just 5 months after Donna's murder and he kept coming in I kept feeling like he
was trying to find out if we were checking into anything and I went back to Doug and said something's wrong here
big time Winger's Behavior was making Cox believe that his partner had been right all along he thought about the
problems in the case like that note in Harrington's car and now Cox also wanted the case reopened fearing that Mark
Winger had duped the police and the boss has said no way we're not going to open
a case of this magnitude with your gut feeling and embarrass the department and embarrass
Mr Winger as the years passed Mark's new wife adopted his child and they had two
other children and then all of a sudden the whole case got turned on its head we got a lucky break what was that
Dean Schultz deian Schultz was Donna's best friend here a Dean there's de and she was deeply troubled I was
hospitalized um I started drinking I um tried to overdose um I I wanted to die for 3 and 1/2 years deian had kept a
secret and what she was finally ready to say would change everything I know the police think that he didn't do it but
they maybe if you know if they knew a little you know just a little bit that I knew um there could be an
investigation so she said that uh her and Mark had been having an affair it was a shock to everyone
especially Cox who right after Donna's murder had written it it was very apparent that he and his wife were very
much in love and that this should have never happened and now Dean Schulz just like that says we we were having an
affair yes what did you make of that detective I said we got the evidence we need Dean told them the affair began a
month before Donna's murder and continued a few months after she died until Winger ended it it was an enormous
burden you sort of wanted to unload this information yes and she dropped an even bigger
bombshell she told police Mark wanted out of his marriage so badly he had talked about killing Donna he mentioned
that it would be um easier if if Donna just died deian said Winger suggested that she could play a role Daddy's
feeding you he had said that he would be out of town and he mentioned me coming and and finding Donna that was the the
gist of the the conversation yes and and I said you're crazy and deian said Winger even talked about the van driver
Roger Harrington according to Dean Schultz he told her he had to figure out a way to get him into the house my my
impression was that he was going to give him a hard time and make sure he never messed with with his family again Winger
admits he had an affair with deian I was a good husband to Donna I made him mistake I'm human it was stupid and it
was wrong but he denies everything else she said you said to her you wish Donna was dead that that's a horrible horrible
lie did you ever say that to her no you never said that it would be easier if Donna would just
die at the time deian says she didn't take Winger's comments seriously but as the years passed she felt mounting
pressure from her own conscience I wish that she would have lived and I would have died I would Tred places why did
you feel that because she didn't deserve to die she she shouldn't have she shouldn't have
died with Dean's dramatic Revelation the case was finally reopened looking at the
detectives went straight to the old files and found yet another surprise those three Polaroids taken by
Officer baringer well didn't did you look at them in '95 no why not didn't know they
existed the Polaroids were taken before Donna and Harrington were moved to the hospital but were never shown to
investigators when the detectives finally saw these photos they were flabbergasted it didn't take but 10
seconds it was a Smoking Gun it was The Smoking Gun why Roger Harrington's body the placement of that body in that photo
blew Mark story out of the water it was over Roger Harrington's head and feet were in the opposite
way of what Mark told us happen help me in the chaos detectives did not have time to note for themselves where Donna
and Harrington lay before paramedics rushed them to the ambulance to understand why the police now thought
Winger had to be lying requires a little forensic fancy footwork Charlie Cox went
with us to the Winger's old house to demonstrate the story that Winger told us Mr Harrington would have been lying
basically like this because he would have fallen backwards when shot and landed that remember police said Winger
told them when he shot Harrington Harrington fell backwards off of Donna so how was he found he was actually
completely 180 180° the different direction police believe it could not have happened as Winger said he would
have had to completely do a flip and land over here land how land like this and it's physically
impossible with a 45 caliber round to have done that flip barringer's three Polaroids were becoming the centerpiece
of the case how could nobody tell you that there were polaroid pictures of the crime scenes I mean we're talking about
the only three pictures of the bodies as they lay I agree how does that get lost
got overlooked and in a case where it was as closed as fast as this one was it was never
thought of again this thing was closed by the 10:30 news that night for all practical purposes four years after the
crime the detectives had no doubt that they had botched the original investigation they had allowed Mark
Winger to Get Away with Murder By pinning the crime on the obvious suspect Roger Harrington Roger Harington was a
perfect py to set up for for this crime police believe Mark Winger began methodically plotting the double murder
immediately after Donna's bizarre ride with Harrington on the way home from St Louis it's a perfect guy to seiz on to
make it look like an intruder had come in and killed his wife he fits Winger's purposes perfectly correct front door
the detectives could not afford any more errors after Dean Schulz came forward forward it took them two more years to
cover every detail and put together a murder case against Mark Winger finally 6 years after his wife Donna was killed
Winger was arrested and put in jail awaiting trial being a religious man like I am I haven't gloated on that at
I'm just glad that we've got the right guy in jail that he didn't get away with you haven't gloated not even the teeny
I'm not a perfect Christian I'm not a perfect Christian detective Charlie Cox who once called Winger a hero is Now
intent on proving him a cold-blooded murderer and vindicating the innocent man who was killed I hurt the Harrington
family a lot they buried him as a murderer and yeah that bothered me a lot but Mark Winger is just as
determined to prove that the police got it right the first time Roger and killed
my wife saw with my own eyes I am just so sad how could a normal human being do something like
this nearly 7 years after Donna's death Sarah Jane and Ira dresser came to Mark Winger's trial knowing the evidence
against him was strong but still clinging to the hope that something would exonerate
him why were you so eager for him to prove that he didn't do it because we loved him because he was part of our
family because Donna loved him because they they appeared to have such an incredibly wonderful marriage did you
kill Donna no with that hammer no I did not Mark Winger is a coldblooded calculated uh deceitful person that
planned and staged this event the prosecution team led by John Schmidt said Winger lied from the beginning even
during his 911 call sheld pleas I just saw this man in house who is this man I don't I don't know who he is it is a lie
they say Winger knew very well who that man was he invited him to his house and that was the Crux of their
case the question of the case in a lot of ways is very simple what's Roger Harrington doing in the house the
evidence was very clear that uh it was a meeting that was set to lure Harrington
into the home if it's a meeting it's a murder Ray Duffy who owned the airport Van Company provided the crucial link
for the prosecution it was obvious that he wanted to talk to the driver direct Duffy testified that Winger called to
complain about Harrington's behavior during the ride and afterwards he just wanted to talk to this driver and tell
him to leave his family alone Winger claimed Harrington was making Anonymous phone calls to Winger's house so he
wanted to talk to Roger Harrington yes was that unusual yes it is usually uh when people
have a complaint they just call the office and Duffy said Harrington was eager to work things out I explained to
him that Mr Winger wanted to talk to him and he said that's fine give him my number and have him call me Mark called
Roger Harrington set up an appointment for 4:30 but police believe there's one thing Winger didn't planned for when he
lured Harrington to his house that note detective Williamson found found in Harrington's car if Mark would have told
us there was a meeting and the guy went berserk in the house this case probably would still be closed it would be done
but he didn't when Harrington went in the house police say Not only was he unarmed Mr Harrington had a coffee mug
and a pack of cigarettes he left a far more deadly object behind Roger Harrington had a tire iron fashion as a
weapon in his car if he was going there to bludgeon someone he had a weapon weapon in his car yet he chose a weapon
from inside the house that he would have no idea was there what do you think happened I think that Roger Harrington
showed up they were seated at the table in the dining room and he held a conversation at some point Mr Winger
shoots Roger Harrington in the head I believe that Donna was in the bedroom because she didn't want to be
around Roger she comes running out of the bedroom to see what had happened Mark Winger picks up a hammer
he strikes her several times untangling the evidence in this 7-year-old case was a huge job for the
jurors you wanted to believe he was innocent the timeline of everything going on I just got chills thinking
about it three of them sat down to talk to us the defense told them that unlike Winger who was successful and a
respected member of the community Roger Harrington had a troubled violent past here is testimony that really does make
Roger look guilty I mean Roger was weird Roger showed up at their house you know
there were some phone calls it could have been him the defense also pointed out that at the time of the murder in
1995 detectives had the Polaroids they had the note in the car in fact they had all the same evidence that they now
found so incriminating against Winger trained professionals saw this same scene we saw and they closed the case
the next day Dean Schulz who was given immunity provided the only new evidence testimony
that Winger had talked about killing his wife but she had attempted suicide four
times and had undergone electros shock therapy the defense called her unreliable Roger Harrington killed my
wife the jurors knew what was at stake by now Winger and his new wife had four children and including the baby he and
Donna adopted to tear him away from his family I had a hard time with that but Roger Harrington's family was looking
for justice were you sure that your son didn't do it oh I know he didn't do it no matter what the decision was one
family would feel more pain were you leaning one way or another no no [Music] after nearly two weeks of testimony
Sarah Jane and Ira drer are overwhelmed by the evidence against Mark Winger and what is so hard to understand is that
the way he murdered Donna was so vicious and so violent Roger Harrington's family
h hopes to clear his name I was praying I kept going Raj if you're up there you hear me bring us something good bring us
something so that you know Mom and Dad can sleep good tonight the jury deliberated for 13
hours before reaching its verdict I knew the moment they walked out the door I remember seeing the jury coming in I
remember my heart feeling as though it was going to come out of my chest I can hear judge Zappa's voice we the jury
find the defendant mark Winger [Music] guilty it is the verdict that the dressers both hoped for and
dreaded and papa Ira getting a look now confirmation that they'd been betrayed and deceived Daddy's feeding you by a
man who had been part of their family smile for the camera sweetie I have no idea why he did it and I think I will
never understand why he did it and I think it's a question that will never be answered in my mind Winger's parents who
had spent a small fortune defending their son were stunned by the verdict we believe in the absolute innocence of our
son we got the best help we could inside we're dying by inches the jurors say the case against Mark Winger
was clear and they believe Dean Schulz she was very emotional up there she loved Mark at the time I think she was
sincerely um telling us the truth I feel free I didn't realize just how Powerful
Secrets can be but ultimately the jurors say the state's best evidence was the first evidence police ever
collected those three Polaroids did the defense offer any acceptable explanation to you about how
the bodies ended up in the position that they were no there was no explanation mark Winger didn't offer any
explanations because he didn't testify but 5 months after the verdict he spoke with 48 hours at a prison in
Pontiac Illinois he now claims that he personally saw the paramedics move Harrington although they all denied that
at trial the bodies have been moved before the Polaroids were taken absolutely why should we believe you why
should you not believe me because a jury didn't what's the best evidence of your
innocence the fact that I had a wonderful marriage everybody knows I had a wonderful marriage with
Donna but Winger cannot explain the note in Harrington's car the thing is I I can't offer you any any answers to you
know why why Roger Harrington had 430 written on a note Harrington's family says the
meaning of that note has always been clear Roger went to Winger's home because Mark Winger invited him did you
feel Vindicated yeah yeah how are you doing now pretty good I guess I don't does it still hurt sure it hurts
[Music] are you embarrassed oh yes are you very much so former lead detective Charlie
Cox says he learned a valuable lesson how close did he come to getting away with murder very
close instead Mark Winger was sentenced to life in prison which could have been the end of this
story except it was [Music] wasn't in Spring 2005 an inmate at the prison in Pontiac came forward and said
that Winger tried to involve him in a murder for high plot I knew in my head that he was a murderer but my heart had
a hard time believing it still the intended victim was Dian Schultz and Winger's plot was so
complicated you might say twisted that it took 19 handwritten pages and hours of secretly recorded conversations to
spell it out Dean would be kidnapped and forced to write and record lengthy statements
all scripted by Winger saying that she lied made everything up and believes Winger is innocent then she'd be killed
Winger's notes covered everything only Dean's fingerprints can be on the tape cassette letters and envelopes her
saliva must be found on the stamps and Winger asked for one more victim if possible oh by the way if there's any
money left over kill irod dresser also because he's the son of a gun of a father-in-law that I
dislike in June 2007 Winger stood trial in a Pontiac Illinois courthouse he told
jurors the whole thing was a fantasy he never planned to carry out Ira dresser was there he was chained by his hands
and he was chained by his feet and I looked at him straight in the eye and I said Mark your miserable life is
over this time the jury took less than 3 hours including lunch Mark Winger was convicted of soliciting murder and
sentenced to another 35 years I've always been afraid that he would get out on some Technic Al ity now I know that
he will never be free with Winger locked up for good Sarah Jane and Ira drer are dedicated to
keeping Donna's memory alive Donna really was the ultimate victim of spousal abuse I had to find a way to
keep her Spirit going and they do that by helping other Abused Women raising money for a charity named for Donna we
established a fund at women in distress and not only do we help the women we help the children smile and that is all
in Donna's spirit [Music]

48 Hours" brings you stories of some couples caught up in secrets and lies in this mini-marathon.

00:00 The Monica Sementilli Affair 40:56 Devil’s Island 01:23:54 Invitation to Murder

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

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Brief Summary

Monica Simonelli faces trial for conspiring to murder her husband Fabio with her lover Robert Baker, who has already pleaded guilty.

Key points

Monica's Arrest. Monica Simonelli is arrested for conspiring to murder her husband, Fabio.
Trial and Plea Deal. Robert Baker pleads no contest to the murder, while Monica maintains her innocence.
Monica's Double Life Revealed. Prosecutors argue Monica was involved in a conspiracy to kill her husband, Fabio.
The Affair Exposed. Evidence of Monica's affair with Baker surfaces, complicating her defense.
The Start of a Disturbing Discovery. Michelle finds an email from Ivonne revealing her breakup with Brian and plans to leave.
Evidence of Foul Play. The FBI investigates Brian after Michelle discovers he may have hacked Ivonne's email.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

I can't believe it.

Monica's disbelief upon hearing about Fabio's murder.

1:18WatchJun 1, 2024

Tension

75/ 100High tension

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