Secrets and Lies | "48 Hours" Full Episodes | Forensic Files

[Music] [Music] Cass is a rare person she didn't care what you thought of her she didn't care
if you liked her she didn't care if she was too loud or too in your face she just was she was your best friend right
yeah yeah for years I got a pair of new shorts this t-shirt two ety nail polishes she got into these things
called haul videos where you would go shopping I will show you what I got and then I'll tell you how much everything
cost kind of spread the word about deals 99 $7.99 $8.99 $3.50 she never really left home I got
this for my mom I got this for my mom to go with the slippers I also got this for
her she was always there so we were really good friends on August 25th 2020 Cassandra's
mom Marie Smith got up she left for work everything was fine when I came home it was clear that
she had used the master bathroom to get ready to go all of her makeup was in there and then I didn't hear from
her I knew she had a shopping day planned and her friend Alexandra was going to be meeting with her the next
day I remember I was late by about 15 minutes I texted her hey where are you hey I'm sorry I'm late I got no response
I left panicked messages until her voicemail box was full she never just went dark like that
before the morning of the 27th I had text from Marie that said to Cass spend the night with you is she at your place
are you with her she's not with you I thought she was with you and that's when I realized there was
something wrong when did you call the police I called them later that day get started out like uh any other
adult missing person case the majority of those calls are resolved with no nefarious
activity maybe she's out there the world is so wired with cameras there is just no way
that somebody didn't see something we're able to see the white car Cassandra's car Cassandra's car you
can see a subject getting out of the vehicle and start walking away that's damning evidence that's incredibly
valuable evidence for us you can see him walking across the street he's dressed in all black black shoes black pants
black T-shirt blue surgical gloves and a black fedora he knew something he was involved
but there was something going on there we didn't know about yeah she was Keeping a Secret she didn't want to tell
[Music] me [Music] [Music] this is Ruby I called everybody anybody I could think of this is going to be a
complete Pet haul only and nobody had heard from her this I got for $8 and change it was $9 and change
$5.98 I was hoping that she might be alive somewhere for Marie Smith the realization that her daughter Cassandra
Cantrell had been missing for more more than 2 days was almost more than she could take I never thought that I'd be
the person sitting here talking about my [Music] daughter I wanted her found I don't even know how to explain
how wrenching it is Marie's close friend Christy Sinclair says it was Agony this
can't be happening this isn't real she lost her phone she lost her car she had no money I don't know anything
but what you don't want to think about anything but that I'll show you this I made it this was only $5 as Cassandra's
family and friends grappled with her disappearance police got to work Pierce County Sheriff's detective France helmy
was assigned to the case his first step talk to those who knew Cassandra best how did Marie describe Cassandra normal
I got her these pajamas they're to cute responsible yeah responsible she would you know call let her know you know
where she was going detective helmy learned Cassandra was close with her family and good about staying in touch
they're selling me for $15 she enjoyed making those YouTube shopping videos and love being on stage she'd even joined a
local production of the rocky horror pictures show where people act alongside the
movie Marie says it was a perfect fit for her daughter she was with a group of people who were a little wacky like her
she was good and she was adorable Sher Mueller the show's producer recalls Cassandra's natural Talent she was
playing a character by the name of Janet Weiss she also learned the character of
Colombia by all accounts at the time of her disappearance Cassandra was a happy 33-year-old and not someone who would
run off this wasn't the the typical missing person that was going to come home in a in a couple days detective
helmy canvased the area around where Marie and Cassandra lived and found on a neighbor security camera a clip of
Cassandra's white Mazda on the morning of August 25th it was seen leaving the neighborhood did you see any video of
the car coming back no as the hours ticked by with no sign of Cassandra her family and friends
tried to remain hopeful it was particularly difficult for Sandra's twin brother Rob growing up the two were
inseparable and would stay up late at night to watch scary movies she was never scared of that stuff no wow we
laughed at most of it okay she's tough girl then yeah as they got older their shared passion for movies evolved into
collecting memorabilia they even dreamed of opening their own collectible shop Half Price $2 it was only five bucks but
as close as they were Rob couldn't imagine where his sister went and he was filled with remorse about their last
conversation we were having an argument she wanted to actually come over on the 25th but I ignored her the 25th of
August 2020 the day Cassandra went missing that's a big regret I imagine still for you yeah cuz then she probably
would have told me what she was doing that day and I would have at least known where she had
gone Cassandra's family and friends organized searches I can't imagine what that must feel like like to be out there
searching and and knowing what you could possibly be looking for you put it in the back you don't think about that it's
just help me find a clue help me find a clue and then 3 days after Cassandra vanished police found her white Mazda
unlocked with the keys still inside it was almost underneath Interstate 705 which goes into the heart of the
downtown Tacoma it's an industrial area where groups of homeless people off in Camp her cars in the area did something
happen down here strange place for a young woman to park a car and then go missing yeah our alarm Bells going off
then yeah increasingly she had clearly gotten ready to go somewhere where did she go
who did she go to see detective heli had ordered an emergency trace on Cassandra's cell phone to try and find
her last known location and he discovered her phone last last pinged about 2 miles south of a tower on Bashon
island in the Puget Sound one of the first things I did was just get on Google Earth and strike an arc from that
Tower to see where it lands and it showed his landing around this Shoreline at Owen Beach or Point Defiance Park and
when you're seeing this huge body of water you thinking we're just never going to be able to find this
yeah [Music] [Music] [Music] investigators chasing that last ping from Cassandra's cell phone knew it was
somewhere here in the vast Waters of the Puget Sound which is nearly 100 m long what's the next step about trying to
recover that we debated about that because it's a needle and a hay stack it's a huge body of water this is the
vicinity that it showed up as it being at but detective helmy had a starting point he knew someone likely had tossed
the phone into the water from Owen Beach finding it was a long shot but Detective
seant Brent van djk was up for the challenge he brought the Pierce County Metro dive team out to the beach on a
summer day we got lucky with the tides that day the tide was extremely low so it made our search area a little less
van djk had a plan to dramatically reduce the area where the phone might be first he asked members of his team to
throw stones from the beach to simulate how far someone could throw a cell phone
if you picture throwing something from here it limits the distance that I would have to search for what he threw the
dive team then formed a line essentially creating an underwater draget we had a boat out in the water and a line of
people on snorkel that day just looking down they were told that Cassandra's phone had a case decorated with glitter
this is the actual underwater footage the dive team was in the water for little more than an hour when
incredibly one of the guys on the line said hey I think I got it they saw a sparkle I think I got the phone and it
was the phone the phone was sent to a specialist to determine if any information could be
recovered the hunt to find Cassandra was intensifying as detectives learned more
about her she felt like she could tell you pretty much everything about what was going on in her life right yes even
her deepest darkest secrets she would tell you first yep and a month before she disappeared
Cassandra confided a secret to her best friend she texted me a positive pregnancy test and said I think I might
be prar and the day she was supposed to meet Alexandra but never showed up it was going to be her first
ultrasound for detective France helmy learning Cassandra had been pregnant at the time of her disappearance changed
everything this is what is now peing my my interest normally in a situation where a pregnant woman disappears you
look at who the partner is first correct Cassandra had also told her mother she was pregnant but didn't provide details
I asked Maria did she tell you who the father was and she says well was some guy she met online or through a dating
app she told me it was not somebody that she was actually seeing and that he didn't even live in the area it was no
secret Cassandra was actively dating using apps like Tinder and Marie told detectives about
an old boyfriend Cassandra was still in touch with Colin Dudley the two had dated back in 2006 while in The Rocky
Horror acting group the show's producer Sher Mueller Colin played a character called a
criminologist on stage outside of the stage when he wasn't performing he was the head head of Tech and he kind of ran
the cast but after dating for several months Colin and Cassandra broke up Colin started a relationship with
another cast member Rebecca Fischer and the two eventually moved in together Steve Ammon hung out at their
home regularly to play a game called Dungeons and Dragons explain what Dungeons and
Dragons is it's not a board game right no not a traditional board game uh it's more of a theater of the Mind type
gameplay doing things that you wouldn't normally do in real life role play a wizard a rogue a
fighter the game always took place in Colin's basement Colin was kind of the dungeon master of it the one who ran the
show and Steve liked being around him Colin was quick to help if someone needed money he says and he still
remembers the meals Colin cooked for game nights he was a chef by profession so it was nice food in 2014 after
Colin's father died he rekindled a friendship with Cassandra she assured me you know that she was just there to be a
friend she's like he's got a girlfriend according to Marie Cassandra and Colin would sometimes watch movies
or grab a bite to eat at some point Alexandra says even though Colin was living with Rebecca his
relationship with Cassandra once again turned romantic and Cassandra told Alexandra
that Colin was the father of her baby she was very excited she talked about you know names and games she wanted at
the baby shower she had she had a Amazon registry already made Cassandra's only hesitation whether she should tell Colin
he was with Rebecca and had mentioned he didn't want to have kids but but Alexandra says Cassandra did tell Colin
she was pregnant and he was okay with it she called me and uh she said well I told him and it went better than
expected he was calm and said not to worry about it and that they would talk detective helmy wondered if Colin
knew where Cassandra was we're just trying to follow up with people who knew Cassandra you know places she likes to
go that we could maybe look Colin sat and talked with Detective helmy on his front porch and the
conversation was recorded this is a recorded statement we're going to be taking from Colin Patrick Dudley so you
know we just kind of begin with just simple hey tell us about you and Cassandra how did you meet I met her at
The Rocky Horror Picture Show we were in a relationship for a couple of months and then we broke up in 2006 I then
started kind of running some of these things by him that that people were telling me talking to other people
talking to to Cassandra's family and some other friends they reported that she was about 10 weeks pregnant and what
we've been hearing is that she's been telling people that you are the father no way no hell no Colin was adamant he and
Cassandra were not in a relationship and he was most definitely not the father of her child I asked him are you
sure you know no one night stands no you know hookups after the fact or anything
like that no absolutely not he says in fact Colin insisted he hadn't seen or spoken to Cassandra since they broke up
back in 2006 except once when he ran into her at the mall you hav't any no contact with no messages or no Facebook
or anything no helmy believed Colin was lying but could he prove it it turned out a clue
to finding the answer was in Marie's [Music] paperwork detective helmy believed Colin
Dudley was lying when he said he had not seen or spoken to Cassandra for years but it was Cassandra's mother
Marie Who provided some proof she had been combing through Cassandra's old phone bills where she noticed a mystery
number that kept reappearing we didn't know whose it was cuz it didn't have a name attached to it
going back how far in the past oh we looked back months and months you know as far back as we could see this number
kept popping up and the last time it popped up Marie told detective helmy was the morning
Cassandra disappeared I said so okay so what what's that number and she tells me
I immediately know it's colins humy wanted forensic investigators to take a closer look at
Dudley's phone which detective helmy had taken when they had met on Dudley's front porch I told him you know I have a
warrant to seize your phone I read him the warrant grabbed the phone and we left
investigators later obtained the phone records for both Cassandra and colins's phones they were turned over to
Detective Ryan salmon the cell phone forensics analyst for the sheriff's department salmon noticed something
curious the name Cassandra never appeared in Colin's phone what name was he using right for Cassandra he had it
under Velma why Velma we learned later through Cassandra's mother that she had gone as Velma from
Scooby-Doo as a Halloween costume and it's likely sammon said that Colin Dudley did not want his living
girlfriend to know he was still in touch with Cassandra even without the information from her water logged phone
salmon was able to see when and where she and Colin interacted simply by having those phone records it's
extremely helpful in determining where somebody was during a critical time frame people have a cell phone with them
almost all day every day the phone records showed Cassandra's white Mazda driving to the spot where it
was found but had Cassandra or someone else parked it there detective helmy knew the city's light rail system was
nearby and asked their security people if they could find any footage of Cassandra's car what they found proved
Cru crucial we have the video you want you need to get down here and look at it these videos have never been shown
publicly in this video from a moving Light Rail train taken the late morning of August 25th helmy could see a man in
a black hat walking away from where Cassandra's car was parked then a different camera shows that same man
from a much closer angle he'll cross right in front of this camera so he comes walking across and you can see
all black the blue gloves in the Fedora and he just sits down at the stop the time was 1150 a.m. the man sits for 4
minutes and then keeps walking now he gets up and continues walking his face covered by some type of
mask is hard to see but based on his build and gate helmy suspected that Colin Dudley was the man wearing that
fedora the detective had been told that Colin often had asked demanded even that
people call him hat or hatman was he always wearing a hat he would put it on and switch into his
Persona of the hatman and preferred to be called the hatman Alexandra McCary had heard all about it from
Cassandra the Persona was basically the main character from Clockwork Orange hi hi hi there little droogies
very dark uh intentionally so morally dubious did you see the security video at all of the man in the Hat I did get
to see it and did you look at it and say that's Colin well who else would it be in that video from the light rail
system the man in the Hat keeps walking right into the Tacoma Dome station parking garage only blocks away from
where Cassandra's car was found helkey asked security Personnel at the garage if they had any
footage the answer was a resounding yes they find him walking into the parking garage to a truck you can see
him using a remote control opener gets into the truck and then as he exits the parking garage you can see pretty
clearly in the video the license plate which comes back to Mr Dudley that was Colin Chevy TR
proving the detective said that the man in the video and Colin Dudley were one and the
same detective helmy was convinced that Colin had done something to Cassandra and he wanted to get into Dudley's house
immediately we don't have a body we don't have any true evidence that Cassandra is dead we're still hoping
maybe she is tied up in the basement 6 days after Cassandra kentell vanished a SWAT team burst into Colin Dudley's
house what do you think is the strongest piece of evidence connecting Colin Dudley to Cassandra's disappearance chat
now with the 48 Hours team on Facebook and X authorities were out in force after
they raided Colin Dudley's house house but they found no sign of Cassandra Cassandra was not found inside but Colin
was detained temporarily for us to do the fingerprints and DNA investigators seized several items from the house
including Colin's Chevy Colorado truck and a black fedora I don't know if it's the same one he's wearing in the video
or not there were numerous areas that they identified in the basement where there was possible DNA blood evidence
they said that the Cav Dogs showed particular interest in the basement specifically a brown sofa in the
basement detective helmy believed something terrible had happened to Cassandra dadley had stopped talking to
investigators but his living girlfriend Rebecca fiser a carpenter agreed to sit down for an interview do you think he
would be capable of hurting Cassandra after a 13c pause physics would say yes he's got size and
strength on her MH I don't think he would no he would not and investigators could not prove
otherwise Dudley was free to go why can't you arrest him well he's guilty of something but what is he
guilty of detective helmy wanted to know every move Dudley made on August 25th the day Cassandra went missing and he he
said it became clear that Dudley had hatched a wellth thought out plot to get rid of Cassandra he had planned this and
probably was pretty meticulous in his planning in his police interview Dudley said that early on the morning Cassandra
disappeared he visited Costco so the first stop he makes is at a Costco gas station then he went to a second Costco
to pick up supplies for what he had told detectives was a spring cleaning investigators subpoenaed receipts and
the store provided video here surveillance cameras pick up Dudley in the store around 7 a.m. this is where he
said he stopped cuz he needed supplies for his spring cleaning correct yes the video is so Crystal Clear we think that
probably the garbage sacks store records show that Dudley purchased a box of heavyduty trash bags goes back to his
house right detectiv say then Dudley dropped off the supplies at home and drove to the Tacoma Dome station parking
garage arriving at 887 a.m. we have surveillance video for that too which shows that truck again now in the back
you'll see a bike and then you'll see him get out and put on a helmet and get on a bike and ride it
away Dudley left his truck in the garage and began pedling home it's about a 20-minute ride investigators believe he
wanted to be home by 9:00 a.m. because as it turns out he and Cassandra had made plans at his house sure enough text
records show that Cassandra was outside Colin's house at 8:49 a.m. she said I'm a bit early that okay and he says he
says yep come on down and those two messages were both deleted out of his phone and so the two phones are then
pinpointed in that same location at the house for a couple of hours right for a little more than two hours neither phone
showed any movement and it was during this period of time investigators believe Colin Dudley likely killed
Cassandra Cantrell shows you the amount of premeditation that went into planning
this right it appears investigators say that around 11:48 a.m. Dudley turned off
his cell phone as Cassandra's phone shows it moving away from the house detective salmon says that's because
Dudley had her phone with him as he drove her car to the spot where he abandoned it near the Light Rail station
he turns his cell phone off mhm but doesn't turn her cell phone off and is driving around with it what was he
thinking apparently he wasn't he wasn't thinking well enough not as smart as he thought he was you'll see Cassandra's
car is that it right there yep that white one coming down and then you see Dudley in the Hat
walking away from her car remember how he paused for a few moments and sat down detective salmon
believes he was gathering himself after murdering Cassandra I think he's just physically
tired because of probably how violent the incident was detectives say Dudley then retrieved his truck from the garage
where he had stashed it earlier that day drove to Owen Beach and tossed Cassandra's phone into the Puget
Sound and what time roughly was that last ping it was around 12:45 p.m. but while investigators had
discovered her phone in the water they still hadn't found Cassandra they had no idea what Dudley had done with her but
they did have his Chevy Colorado truck and helmy had an idea as an investigator been exposed to
different Technologies and we knew cars had electronic evidence contained in them
almost every car or truck has reams of data that can be extracted as Illustrated
here so this is where the major break in the case came through you can turn your cell phone off and not
necessarily be able to track but you can't turn your car's Black Box off exactly Hy got a warrant to remove the
truck's Black Box essentially a computer that tracks and Records nearly every move a vehicle makes he reviewed the
data which confirmed much of what they already knew from the phone records but there was something new that caught
everyone's attention the Black Box had a record of Colin Dudley's movements on August
26th the day after Cassandra visited his house and this is the next morning correct so now we're at 6 a.m. and then
of course we noticed where the vehicle stops that there's a large wooded Ravine on September 22nd 2020 detective
Sergeant Brent Van Dyk rushed to that Ravine which is 8 Miles from Dudley's house it was nearly a month since
Cassandra had gone missing I uh got there first and looked over the Hillside and uh you could
clearly see that there was a garbage can halfway down the hill you could see that the garbage can
had a a bag liner and uh some ropes around it he also spotted blood so you clearly at this point knew you had
remains oh absolutely helmy also at the scene wanted to make a quick identification and he knew that
Cassandra had a distinctive tattoo I asked them to take a picture of it so they took a picture and came walking up
the hill helmy recognized the tattoo immediately Cassandra Cantrell was dead Helm's heart sank when he thought about
calling Cassandra's mother so I called Marie and and uh told her that I had information uh that I
needed to share with her my first question was is she okay and he said you don't no I'm
sorry she's not Cassandra's twin brother Rob overheard that phone call the second I
heard her screaming I knew that they had found her Colin Dudley was arrested that night and
later charged with first-degree murder investigators felt they had built a strong case so strong that they
decided not to try and retrieve the information on Cassandra's waterlogged phone the case barreled toward trial for
2 years and then Cassandra's friends and family heard that prosecutors were considering ing making a plea deal with
Dudley they could not believe it it was premeditated it was literally coldblooded I have no
words a lot of anger though a lot see more evidence of how the case against Colin Dudley came together at 48
hours.com [Music] she was an optimist she never lost that even up until the end I believe
that she entered his house hopeful hopeful that Colin Dudley was getting comfortable with her pregnancy
instead investigators believe he brutally murdered her an autopsy revealed exactly how brutal the
were fractures major fractures to her skull so hit over the head yeah yeah cause of death was a blunt force
trauma investigators say they were never able to identify a murder weapon but they did find those traces of blood
likely Cassandra's in Dudley's basement basement floor walls a stainless steel table and the laundry room
sink police suspect Colin cleaned cleaned the basement multiple times after killing Cassandra and kept her
body there overnight before dumping her in that Ravine the next morning and they
believe Colin's living girlfriend Rebecca was home during some of that time and thinking about you know
Rebecca's there in the house too that was my next question yeah was there any thought that she had to have been
involved there was no I mean some people thought that investigators confronted Rebecca
did you have anything to do with The Disappearance of Cassandra on any level nope we did not find any information
that she knew that it went on that she had anything to do with it they kept separate areas of the house and so I
could see you know her doing her own thing and not going down the basement yeah but Rebecca did confirm to police
that Colin never wanted to be a father he does not want to be a dad Pierce County Deputy prosecutors
Brian won carry and Patrick Vincent went to work on proving Collins's guilt I thought this was a very strong case at
least circumstantially I mean oddly it's not one in which we had a great deal of
physical evidence it was a case that relied on essentially digital records like that video of Colin leaving
Cassandra's car those phone records placing Cassandra at colins's house the morning she disappeared
and the data showing Colin's truck where Cassandra's remains were eventually found for the prosecutors it seemed like
a lot but they were concerned about convincing a jury at trial we don't have an eyewitness we
don't have a murder weapon we don't have a confession so when the defense offered
to accept a plea deal the prosecutors negotiated eventually Colin Dudley agreed to plead guilty to murder in the
first degree for killing Cassandra the prosecutors brought the deal to Cassandra's family they were
Furious but on November 14th 2022 Colin Dudley formally entered his guilty plea with regard to the charge murdering the
[Music] first he was sentenced to 26 years in prison I I I have no words that would
even Encompass the frustration anger sadness heartache Cassandra's family and friends
had wanted a trial where the full story was told they're also obset that someone
guilty of murdering a pregnant woman would only get 26 years in prison you think the system is broken very broken
in this case how is it that somebody can do what he did and not have to spend his
life in prison it was a sentiment Steve Ammon shared he felt betrayed by his one-time friend and had even written a
letter to the judge saying he should not be out at all he won't learn from this Colin Dudley likely will get out
and with good behavior he could be free again as early as 2044 you should never see the light of
di again because when he gets out he could be in his early 60s yeah and he's still got all that time to
live Cassandra's family wants to make sure that no one else suffers the way they say they have they would like a law
in Washington state that if someone is guilty of knowingly killing a pregnant woman they would automatically get a
life sentence no possibility parole you die in jail until there's any sort of resemblance of Justice I'm not letting
this go and while the family wages that fight Cassandra's twin brother is trying to
honor his sister in other ways she would have loved you did though finally open that dream that you had together your
own store yes and I got a big M of her hanging in the window and then photos throughout the store of her it's a
living tribute to her the store is not far from Cassandra's grave where he and his mom
go to visit her you know say hi keep her headstone clean bring your flowers do you think what life could be
like with her now if she had had the chance to live her life and be a mom yeah I think about it a lot because she
had all of these plans you know she had all of these sweet plants Marie says her daughter lived
life to the fullest immortalized by that distinctive tattoo she had of her favorite quote we don't stop playing
because we grow old we grow old because we stop playing she always had something up her
sleeve she spring little surprises on me and that's what I miss most it's just a happy
[Music] presence a loving mother of two fatally shot in her home but how I knew something was wrong with this case from
the start there were so many things that were not done a father's Relentless pursuit of the truth he just led us for
9 years still leading us 48 Hours next on CVS streaming on Paramount [Music] Plus
[Music] you go back to the first days after the murder this might have been a dispute
between teenagers it might have involved a girl it might have involved drinking whoever knew about John's killing kept
this secret for over 40 years that's one small step for man one Le for [Music] man September 26th
1969 is the day that changed the lives of Bill and Neville and mccab forever [Music]
I I don't think I've had a whole night's sleep since it's happened if it's not too painful can you
tell me about his last day Winter Dance his second dance 15-year-old John mccab was looking forward to going to the
Nights of Columbus dance that evening took a shower scrubbed his hair put his father's After Shave on he didn't shave
but put his father have to shave on oh yeah he got all spruced up 11:00 I started looking out the
window that's when the dance closes he should be home by midnight so I went down to the dance and
checked the road screaming out the window John John no John I started praying at that
point the day after John mccab went missing three young kids were cutting through a
vacant lot when they made a horrifying discovery which was the body of John mccab he had been bound and gagged and
tied with rope after John's body was found Bill mccab a Pillar of Strength had to do the
Unspeakable that was identify the body of his dead son never forget it people keep talking about closure you can't
shake it he then had to go home and inform his family of what had happened Bill said honey my son's
dead well I was a senior in high school were you fearful yes they hadn't caught the people that killed my brother did
you think when you looked at kids in your classes maybe it's him maybe it's him maybe it was them maybe they knew
something how could they not know anything without physical evidence without a witness this
case remained unsolved for several years and several years became decades ready this is it I pray every
day Justice will be served there was only one way this case was going to be solved do you solemnly
swe the and how old were you in 1969 17 and that's if someone came forward and talked how do you know how
John mccab died I was there I'm Richard slesinger tonight on 48 Hours the [Music]
[Applause] pack [Music] it took almost every ounce of strength left in his 85-year-old body to get to
the witness stand but Bill mccab waited 43 years for this day and the start of this trial in January
2013 good morning Mr mcab do you remember September 27th 1969 yes sir how old was John at that
day he was 15 years 6 months and 2 [Music] weeks I always visualized him as being a
big shot somewhere John Joseph mccab my son JJ you know but I never got to see any of those
things in the fall of 1969 two men had just landed on the moon beautiful just beautiful thousands had just crashed at
Woodstock and John mccab 15 years 6 months and 2 weeks old was living with his family in tobery Massachusetts I
think we have a right to be proud of him yeah John's father bill was an engineer
his mother Evelyn worked at the school library his sisters Roberta who was six and Debbie who was 17 remember a brother
who was always busy doing what brothers do it was pretty interesting you open the closet door and your closet's filled
with grasshoppers I just remember his hands were always dirty like with oil or grease or a frog in his hand so he
brought home a goose once too oh yeah Canadian goose big sucker it's fun to watch you talk about this cuz your eyes
light up I mean you have very fond memories of those days yeah Evelyn holds on to any reminder of her son I have
John's money I can't spend it and you've had it all these years yeah 45 years every now
and then I the smell's gone off of it now it I almost put it in the casket with them and then I thought no I'll
just keep it with me and when I see him again I'll give it to him [Music] when she last saw John Evelyn gave him
permission to go to that dance at the kns of Columbus Hall I let him go I let him go out the door I shouldn't
have the next day police came to the house and took Evelyn's husband to the basement to talk they didn't want me to
know anything but you heard I heard them Evelyn got on her knees and impressed her ear to a vent in the
bathroom this is where I could hear everything that was going on down s the police were telling her husband
Jon's body was discovered in a vacant lot in the neighboring gritty city of LEL what did you hear I heard that he
was tied up and there was tape on his eyes and his mouth I heard a lot I cried I laid there and
cried a huge investigation was launched by the LOL tkes bery and Massachusetts State Police what evidence did they
collect at the scene the rope that was used to tie John up a tape that was used to tape his eyes and his mouth um all of
his clothing um his shoes Jerry Leone was the local da who years later took on the case today he's a partner in the law
firm Nixon Peabody there was forensic evidence but it wasn't really meaningful because it you couldn't tie it to anyone
in particular but the case looked promising at first a witness had spotted a car near
the crime scene that night I believe the way he had described it was was a 1965 Chevy Impala colored uh Plum or
maroon then another tip LED police to a schoolmate of John's 16-year-old Mike Ferrera who says he barely knew John I
probably seen him like a handful of times in my life I don't you know I didn't really he wasn't a friend ferera
and his friend Nancy Williams were questioned because they had picked up John when he was hitch hiking on his way
to the dance I picked him up and I gave him a ride to the corner and I never saw
him again Ferrera told police that while the dance was underway he left Nancy and
met up with his best friend Walter Shelly me Walter and Barb Ryan took a ride to LOL try to get some beer they
were in Walter Shelly's car it was maroon and it was a 1965 Chevy Impala police searched it but found no
evidence still Walter Shelly was now A Person of Interest he was brought in for questioning and later polygraphed five
times the test showed he was lying in all vital areas of the questioning if you read the reports now you start
seeing Ferrera and Shelly Shelly and Ferrera Ferrera was questioned multiple times I know where they were going not
totally stupid but Ferrera wasn't helping himself at one point while joy riding with some friends he suddenly
blurted out that he killed John I was 16 we're drinking joking and I said yeah I
did it they knew I was joking I was a joker Leone says police were not amused but there was no way to corroborate what
Ferrera said without physical evidence without a witness statement putting him at the scene the Ferrera lead kept
drying up there were dozens of other people police investigated other teens local drug dealers and pedophiles
detectives worked this case hard for two years while Bill mccab worked on a record of his son's
[Music] life I wasn't trying to be an author or anything like that I I I was just
looking a ways to hold on of them keep his keep his memory he also tried to make sure the
police never forgot his son I was always on the phone talking to the police I'd be up in the middle of the
night she'd be saying what the hell are you thr up get back to bed despite Bill's persistence and the intense
police effort there were no arrests Shelly and Ferrero went into the service in 1970 so the following year the two of
them left the area and the mcab family was left without any answers for [Music] [Music]
decades this is the little Compass so he can find his way home with each passing season John
McCabe's case grew colder but his mother kept asking the most painful questions about how he
died I tried to strangle myself just to visualize what it felt like I wondered did he call for
me what kind of a mother was I I wasn't there for him for a Time Evelyn set a place for
John at the dinner table his absence was a constant presence in the house you can't just do
something wrong and not have to pay for it the case stalled for some 30 years until November 2000 John and I went just
about everywhere you know when Jack w w a childhood friend of John's made good on a decades old promise to Bill
mccab he would say Jackie have you hear anything about John you keep your eyes out you let me know I says have I ever
hear anything you know I'm going to tell you ward had been at a cookout at this house in tuxbury where he ran into a kid
from the old neighborhood Mike Ferrera this photo was taken that day we're all sitting around drinking
and that's when he just bled out I know who killed John and he said it to me again I know who killed John and you
know finally I said who and he says Walter I said Walter Shelly he says yeah Walter
Shelly I said what would be Walter's motive kill John he said Mala because of Mala Mara Shiner Ward said she was
Walter Shell's girlfriend back then but he said the trouble was Mara also seemed
to like John McCabe and by all accounts Walter Shelly was one very jealous young
man the footage you see was taken a few years after the murder Ward admits he sat on the information for a while
worried about how to tell Bill mccab you go knock on somebody's door and say hey I know kill told your son
you better have it right I was shocked when he told me so I scribbled it on a piece of paper I put it in the Bible on
the page beginning the book of joint so it wouldn't forget it and I immediately called the
police but it took many more calls from Bill McCabe and three more years for police to show up at ferrera's door it
was now 2003 Ferrera worked as a for lift operator lived in Salem New Hampshire and Nancy Williams his friend
back in the day was now his wife Mike wouldn't hurt a fly no I know he wouldn't Ferrera says he remembers the
cookout conversation with Jack Ward very differently Jackie went and told them I
said Walter Shelly killed him I never said that and at this cookout you know I already had a few
drinks and he's running his mou shy it Shelly did it and this went on all afternoon and finally I got sick of
hearing it I just he probably did it next thing I know 3 years four years later I had the cops down my house
wanted to talk to me about John McCabe Ferrera also denies discussing the jealousy motive with Ward that's his
theory I never said that but again there was no corroborating evidence so again the case stalled well what did they tell
you about about the investigation it's going fine it was always going fine and how long did they tell you that for and
you know what it was sitting on a freaking shelf but the police had not forgotten
John mccab all right thanks in January of 2007 37 years after the murder Jerry Leone was sworn in as middle sex County
district attorney the Lowel Police Department took it upon themselves to visit me weeks after I'd been elected to
say we'd actually like you to focus on this one and and take a hard look at it with
us investigators had gone back over the files and a name jumped out at them in Mike ferrera's latest interview with
police in recounting the night of the murder Ferrera said he was with Walter Shelly but this time he added a name and
said the other guy with them was Alan Brown Edward Allen Brown's name surfaces as someone who we're going to focus
on Edward Allen Brown was 17 and lived not far from the macbes when John was killed he had long since moved away but
when police tracked him down he said he knew nothing about the murder never even
heard of it so How likely is it that he would never even heard of the murder of John mccab in a town the size of tubry
I'd say curious at the time and police got a call from Brown's wife that was even more Curious his wife told police
that she thought he was lying his wife said that she thought he was lying right Carolyn Brown indicates to police that
20 to 25 years earlier her husband had told her about an evening um where he was involved in a young man being
killed but even that wasn't enough it was the same old story there was no corroborating evidence and no real
movement in the case until 2011 when detective Linda Coughlin was assigned to find the killers you think
this case really took off when you met detective Linda Coughlin yes definitely why did you feel that way because of her
attitude she she said I'm going to get them and she did detective Coughlin zeroed back in on Edward Allen Brown he
was retired from the Air Force and living in New Hampshire Coughlin interrogated Brown just twice but when
Brown learned he failed a polygraph he suddenly broke down he confessed that he was there when
Walter Shelly and Mike Ferrera killed John McCabe why LEL police brought in the mccabes
and told them Brown's story about John's Final hours my dad started crying he killed
over on the [Music] table on April 15th 2011 nearly 42 years after John McCabe's body was found in
that vacant lot his father's perseverance finally paid off Mr mccab held our feet to the fire he never let
us forget John mccabes murder the DA's office announced the indictments of Edward Allen Brown for manslaughter and
Michael Ferrera and Walter Shelly for first deegree murder two names known to police since day one two names also
Gathering dust here in John's book of mourners the murderers came to the wake and they came to the
[Music] funeral it would take almost 2 years to bring the man accused of killing John
mccab to trial two more years the mccabes would have to wait do you solemnly swear the test January 18th
2013 would you please be seated Edward Allen Brown was called to testify against his onetime friend Mike Ferrera
the first defendant to go on trial do you see Michael Ferrara in the courtroom today yes over there Mr Brown for the
first time publicly shared the details of the night John died Brown says he was at home
watching television when Mike Ferrera and Walter Shelly pulled up to his house they wanted me to go with them to help
them help them do what I didn't know at the time until I got in the car and we left Brown testified they were on their
way to the Knights of Columbus Hall when he learned of their plan they said they
wanted to go um find this kid that had been uh you know messing around with Mara to teach him a lesson and how did
you know Mara Shiner that was Walter's girlfriend Michael noticed John mccab was thumbing and he said there he
is and we pulled up next to John Michael got out and grabbed him and uh pushed him in the back seat where I
was Michael was facing back um at John trying to to to smack him and John had his arms up to try to to stop him from
doing that we went under the spaghetti bill Bridge Brown says they drove up a dirt
road to the vacant lot and pulled over and we got him outside the car who pushed John out of the car I did I
thought they were just going to slap Mor what happened next then Michael and Walter uh wrestled John tripped him up
and got him on the ground Brown testified that he and Shelly held John mccab down while Ferrera tied him up
Michael tied his ankles then went around and tied his his uh wrist together then
he took another piece of rope around his ankles and attached it up to his neck they had put tape on his mouth John's uh
squirming wiggling trying to get out he's lying on his belly uh with his legs up in the air and his um his head turned
sideways then they said um that this this will teach you to uh to mess with maror
anymore and we got in the car and left Brown says they drove around drinking beer for a
while then um I I told him that we we should go back and let him go Brown says they eventually returned to the
lot Michael and Walter got out of the car and went over to him they were there for about 30 45 seconds
and they came quickly back to the car we started to drive off and one of them said that he wasn't
breathing John mccab had died of [Music] strangulation I wonder I wonder what he thought of that
night then they uh they brought me home what did you do I don't remember I think I
[Music] cried Brown says he kept the murder a secret for 41 years because he was
afraid of Michael Ferrera Michael said if anybody talks to anybody about this I'll kill him H Brown's a freaking liar
and I mean they know that according to the prosecutor he's been Iraq in Afghanistan five to us maybe he's got
something wrong in his head they talk about these people that give false confessions either he did
it with somebody else or by himself or he is really a messed up human being my sense of Edward Brown was he was easily
LED Eric Wilson Michael ferrera's attorney believes that police pressured Edward Allen Brown because he was
someone they could force into confessing to a crime CRI he did not commit they also offered him a deal no jail time
Edward Brown did not walk into L Police Department headquarters and say look I got to get this off my chest after being
interrogated by trained detectives over the course of many days he was faced with the threat of spending the rest of
his life in jail uh or he could tell the police what they wanted to hear Walter Shelly and Mike Ferrera picked you up at
your house at 10:30 right yes the question that I had to answer for the jury is why would he tell them that if
he didn't do it did you think you could do that that's a tough sell it was a tough
sell um but Ed Brown gave me a lot to work with you were fed information it was a dirt
lot right yes over the course of two days ferrera's attorney grilled Brown relentlessly and in your four or five
trial prep sessions until Brown admitted that the prosecution had fed him parts of his story you f that it was near a
railroad tower right yes and you're being told that shell was jealous over Marla Shiner right yes there are certain
pieces of information that an investigator May provide to someone who they're interviewing to see whether or
not they know anything about that to see whether or not it jugs their memory well
but couldn't that also be a way of telegraphing to the witness what you want them to say well in this case that
didn't have to happen because Brown was the one who talked about the Rope the tape The Binding of John however Brown
got his story Wilson claims it cannot be true because it does not fit the evidence in fact in the 1969 police
reports detectives noted that they were unable to find any evidence of a scuffle
there was no suggestion anywhere around John McCabe's body or the scene that that struggle described by Edward Brown
ever took place why would Edward Allen Brown lie and implicate himself so directly in what happened unless it was
the truth your testimony has not always been 10:30 has it Wilson thought it was not enough to try to discredit Brown he
also had to punch holes in the alleged motive jealousy over a girl he'll do it by calling that girl my name is Mara
Shiner to the witness stand that you would have known each other from being [Music]
Mr Brown you've lied under oath when you're scared right yes you've lied under oath when you're nervous right yes
you've lied under oath when you're frightened right correct prosecutors had a problem with their star witness Edward
Allen Brown he seemed to wither under strong cross examination from the defense you still can't get your fact
straight can you no so prosecutor Tom O'Reilly called detective Linda Coughlin to counter accusations that she'd forced
Edward Allen Brown to confess and fed him details at any point did you feed him information as to the investigation
never But Eric Wilson says Coughlin also had tunnel vision and ignored evidence of other suspects there were a number of
investigative reports and material that you either overlooked or didn't even know about true
I don't know what you're referring to how about Richard Santos Richard Santos was flagged in this Tukes bery police
report as a suspect in the macab murder in 1974 Santos was arrested for committing
a crime eerily similar to John McCabe's murder this young woman was abducted on Route 38 her feet were bound her hands
were tied behind her back her mouth was duct taped and her eyes were taped shut all of the
facts that surround Santos as a possible subject lead you to be suspicious but there was never anything tying him to
mode of opportunity means information on Richard Santos still the judge allowed the jury to hear about Santos and
another Suspect with respect to Robert Morley Robert Morley a local 25-year-old who reportedly knew both Ferrera and
Shelly and was suffering from mental illness he was labeled long before you were assign this
case as a strong suspect right there is a report that uses the word for him strong suspect in the very same report
mentions Mr Ferrera as a prime suspect but it's how Morley became a strong suspect that makes him so interesting
police learned about him shortly after the crime from his own Brothers Morley's own Brothers went in and said that they
thought he might have been involved in it yeah they thought he might have former da Jerry Leone says Morley's
brothers were mistaken I think what happens in matters like this is people will say um sure you should take a look
at X or why because they have a profile of somebody who would do something like this and they were around the area at
the time but then you have to look at the evidence and see whether or not the evidence lead you to believe that they
had anything to do with it did the brothers have any specific evidence that you're aware of they did not he split to
Florida the day after he was questioned by police Mr Morley years later in my estimate committed suicide you learned
of his death is suicide right he jumped off a bridge right his brother says he fell off a bridge the defense also tried
to punch holes in the alleged motive for the murder and called a surprising witness to do it my name is Mara Shiner
and my spelling of my last name is s sh i n e r thank you Mara Shiner the girl who Walter Shelly and
Mike Ferrera allegedly killed for Edward Allen Brown had just testified that Mara
was Shell's girlfriend in September of 69 and Shelly was jealous because John was flirting with her but Mara says John
never flirted with her did you ever go to a dance with John mccap never ever conveyed to you that he had any type of
romantic interest in you in August or September of 1969 none the mcab say it doesn't matter if
the flirting was real or imagined she could have been just stopped and said hello to
John and Shelly could have walked by and seen it and he's going to explode next Mara threw the prosecution
a curveball September 26 1969 were you dating Walter Shelly no I was not dating Walter when when John
mccab died when did you start dating him then I believe it was after that death how old were you 13 you 13 September 69
I don't know I can't do the math right here but according to police Mara told them she was dating Shelly at the time
and was just 12 years old when they started seeing each other you didn't tell the police that you were dating
Walter shell in 1969 when John mcab was killed I no I don't believe I did tell him that
why lie about dating someone unless it was because of her that John was murdered 48 Hours had questions for
Marlo Shiner too but she declined our request for an interview Mara eventually married Walter Shelly but it didn't let
asked she said he was very violent M sh was Walter shell a jealous man absolutely it appears that we're ready
to proceed then judge at this point in time the defendant would rest this was a hard fought trial till the end and then
it was up to the jury to decide did Mike Ferrera help Walter Shelly kill John mccab over a girl or was Edward Allen
Brown telling a story the prosecution wanted to hear it only took jurors 5 hours to decide I told Michael that we
had to hope for the best but be prepared for the worst and uh he was ready for that may I have the vertic slip please
for the mccab family more than four Decades of waiting and working came down to this
moment what did you think the verdict was going to be guilty my God he was guilty if for no other reason he was
there it's hard to understand how the jury could you know anticipate otherwise bill mccab was too nervous and too sick
to sit in the courtroom that day so he waited in another room while Evelyn and their daughters heard the
verdict what say you to this indictment ma'am is the defendant guilty or not guilty not guilty jur upon not
guilty everyone including Mike Ferrera was so stunned it took a while to sink in when the verdict came in when you
heard that that Ferrera had been I had to go tell my husband that were you afraid to tell him yes why I was afraid
he was going to die tragically Evelyn was right just 4 days after the verdict Bill
McCabe's heart gave out and he gave up what do you think killed your husband stress the stress of the
trial while Evelyn mccab laid her husband to rest next to their son the DA's office had a decision to make after
losing the case against Mike Ferrera would it go ahead with the trial of Walter Shelly
[Music] down to Lan all the girls are singing Love Songs All the Boys those Wedding Bells I I still don't
believe Bill's gone I can still hear him snore in the night and then I I feel the bed he's not
there Evelyn McCabe was determined to honor her husband's dying wish he laid in the
hospital bed I says I'll pick up and take over for you she'd see to it someone would pay for John's murder the
juror find Michael Ferrera not guilty watching Michael Ferrera Go free was tough for some jurors too so how hard
was it for you to acquit him it was very difficult one of the jurors Michael duette says the biggest problem was
Edward Allen Brown plan was to teach him a lesson for messing with Marlin did the
majority of the jurors believe him no why not they just felt that he was not telling the truth I thought they were
just going to slap around they felt that he had been fed information and that didn't make a ton of sense to me maybe
he wasn't the best witness but I just can't see somebody saying I did it when they didn't do it do Jette came to
believe Brown and wanted to find Michael Ferrera guilty of something but the only
choices the jurors had were first and second degree murder so what did you want to convict him of manslaughter and
it wasn't an option we are extremely pleased with the jury's verdict despite the Ferrera loss prosecutors decided to
try to convict the other suspect in the murder Walter Shelly the acquittal in the Ferrera cas didn't do anything to
lessen our belief that we had the right people who were responsible for killing John McCabe all right September 3rd
2013 7 months after Michael ferrera's acquit this murder was about John McCabe it was Walter Shell's turn to stand
trial Shelly was 17 the night of John's murder he's now 61 remarried and has lived quietly in tkes bery ever since
just a few miles from Evelyn mccab Walter shell is sitting on small of his back holding the hands down if convicted
of first-degree murder Shelly could spend the rest of his life in prison they wrestle him to the ground it was
the same case prosecutors presented against Michael Ferrera the same motive jealousy and the same evidence ropes
that came off the victim's body presented by the same Witnesses Mara Shiner detective Linda Coughlin and once
again the state star witness Edward Allen Brown I heard one of them say he's not breathing was it any easier to sit
through the second trial no I want to say it was harder Dad wasn't there for backup up you were called a liar
repeatedly yes I was brown seemed less rattled this time more confident and the maves allowed themselves to hope I can
keep my fingers my toes everything cross during closing arguments the defense called Brown a liar happened he'll tell
you whatever you want to hear but the prosecution argued that brown would never implicate himself in a crime he
did not commit what did he confess for he was talked into it a week-long trial went to the jury this would be the
mccabes last chance to see someone held accountable for killing John we had faith that the jury would is going to
come with the right answer this time finally 2 Days Later a verdict person has a jury agreed upon its verdict yes
we have pass the verdict of Sol please Walter Shell's wife and family waited nervously Evelyn mccab couldn't bring
herself to even sit in the courtroom and had to wait outside she couldn't hear another not
guilty and the verdicts be reported she was scared she was going to drop dead charging the defendant Walter shell with
the offense of murder what say was the defendant guilty or not guilty guilty murder guilty of what
first guilty and life behind bars for Walter Shelly this jury believed Brown so when you heard guilty do you
remember the first thing you thought I thought my father would be proud We got one of
them let just it was the final twist in a mystery filled with them for the same crime and
on the same evidence one man walked free one man went to [Music] prison hey John guess
what we got him Billy it turned out beautifully he didn't live to write about it but Bill McCabe finally got the
end he was looking for to the story he wrote about John's life and death a story that took four decades to play out
he was 15 years 6 months and 2 weeks about his boy who will be 15 years 6 months and 2 weeks old
forever please John please take great care of him until I get back please and then I
[Music] will [Music] [Music] there's so much wealth here you want to be a part of
it everybody wants to have fun everybody wants to be with somebody Linda was a very strong
personality she was always looking for someone to be with as most single women are she was very confident Linda fish
[Music] she would talk to everybody an elegant baby coming up to Palm Beach she got
address to the nines and she was doing that she was coming up to Palm Beach three nights a week I'm Michael Jamrock
and my aunt was Linda Fishman she knew what she wanted and she would go after it she like younger men we're in Palm
Beach try to find an older woman that doesn't have a younger man I don't always would have agreed with who she
picked up in made part of her life she kept her dating life separate from family she didn't think it was any of
our business and it probably was wasn't in this case I think she put her trust in someone that ultimately she shouldn't
have I'm detective Eric Keith of the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office the fire department responded to
a an alarm and when they got there the firefighters went in once they made entry and cleared the
house they found Linda Fishman dead on the floor of her living room there were deep ligature marks around her neck
crime scene also found about a 6-in piece of brown twine that turned out to be the ligature the length of time it
takes to strangle somebody in that fashion this is something that took time and determination to do I cried for
weeks you know she was a very important person to me because most homicides are committed
by people known to the victim that's where we start okay who did Linda know who were her family
members who had opportunity while most of the family members kind of fell by the wayside as
far as being suspects we had some problems with Michael I was closer to my aunt at that time than I was my own
mother he seemed to have a few skeletons in his closet that didn't put him in the
best light I know she lent him money I know he asked her for more money you really never know what people
do murderers they don't walk around with a you know Scarlet Letter on them a lot
of times they're like werewolves it was frightening to think anyone that we had met socializing is this the person that
murdered Lindon secrets of Palm Beach [Music] [Music] this [Music] she was a great woman caring
compassionate giving funny she was Linda she was Linda she gave off this Aura you had to get to
know her to know her was to love her she was like the mother hubard Penny chamowitz was Linda Fishman's
hairdresser she was always taking care of everybody else and when she was going through a nasty divorce it was Linda who
came to her rescue emotionally and financially I was so grateful for what she did for me words can't can't I can't
can't describe it Linda had grown comfortable in the role of caregiver she never had children of her own but was
considered the matriarch of her extended family this is the four of us when we were little kids and here's Linda she
was the head of our family anybody in the family had a problem my nieces nephews my kids my mother my brother we
all went to Linda Linda took care of everything Bernice feny is Linda's older sister and Michael jrock's mother no
matter what it was we went to her you know cuz she understood everything even though she was the youngest here's my
sister Linda she used to take the nieces and do makeup parties she's really going
to be missed by everybody for years Linda had a successful career as the chief court
administrator in Hartford Connecticut it was there she met and married Superior Court Judge Milton Fishman a wealthy man
16 years her senior how was their marriage how was good it was good marriage yeah he was funny he was and he
always made her laugh but their happiness would be short-lived Milton died of heart failure just 8 years into
the marriage at 39 Linda was widowed and alone years later determined to make a fresh start she moved to Florida where
Linda became a picture on the charity circuit even attending events at Donald Trump's marago Mansion here in Palm
Beach she could work room like nobody I know worked at room she was almost like giddy with the
popularity um meeting so many people Barbara wolf and Linda maresi were part of Linda's Inner Circle of well-to-do
women who were often part of the Palm Beach Social Scene if you were a person close to her there wasn't there wasn't
anything she wouldn't do for you y 100 what's going on Miami it's Michael Jamrock hope you had a great weekend and
one of those closest to Linda was her nephew Michael Jamrock who had also moved to Florida and made a name for
himself as a radio disc jockey jro and I love when I come to work and I just start giving stuff away and off the air
Jamrock had a reputation as a bit of a wild man which sometimes got in the way of steady employment this is Jamrock did
I just get no D tickets you have no clue what the hell's going on do you I'm No Angel what do you mean by
that you're no angel I like to go out and party I drink a lot you know go out with a lot of girls you
know I'm just sort of like a party animal so I'm like sort of looked down upon as you know the lowlife radio guy
that may be putting it mildly Jamrock also had run-ins with the law including two arrests for drunk driving a jail
term and a restraining orders stemming from an old girlfriend who accused him of domestic
violence despite his setbacks that didn't stop Jamrock from borrowing $40,000 from Aunt Linda to open the now
defunct Jamrock Cafe he gets a lot of money and never once from the time that she gave me that money did she ever ask
me once are you going to pay me back when are you going to start paying me back you want to play with these this one and
this Swan and when he was embroiled in a bitter custody battle look once again it
was Linda who helped Jamrock out big squee this is a woman who since I was a baby has never said no to me about
anything for anything ever but did that generosity cost Linda her life you had a
lot of free time in your hands to get into trouble oh absolutely and you did get into trouble I did mhm you were
partying that the night that she was killed [Music] right at the time of the homicide of his
Alibi he's about a mile away at a bar um drinking heavily according to the people
[Music] there Eric Keith of the Palm Beach County Sheriff's apartment is the lead
detective on the fisherman case so Michael is at a bar his house is at the far end of Linda's home and her house is
right in the middle so he's passing by there give her take within 15 minutes of the murder and apparently detective
Keith wasn't the only one questioning jrock's possible involvement some of the family members had some concerns based
on the way he became isolated following the homicide he wasn't socializing with the rest of the family um so there was
some definite concerns in the periphery of his family um that he may have had some involvement doesn't sound like he
had too many Defenders no I mean these are my family members I mean people don't understand
that this my family that have known me since I've been born you know that's what the problem is to some degree they
all felt that he was using her for money in a tight position financially I'm I was in the tight position
financially you believed Michael Jamrock was capable of murder yes if she were to
tell Michael enough is enough you know the the purse is closed you know I've got my own problems
You' got him inebriated he's got the opportunity cuz he's passing by there about the right time circumstances don't
look good for Michael he's an obvious suspect at that point well in the very beginning I had
no idea I was a suspect not a clue every single time I went to the to the police
station I just assumed I I was doing my best to help them with the case Michael had motive he had opportunity and it
wasn't looking good so as a tool to try to clear him as a suspect we asked him to submit to a polygraph
examination and what were the results it showed deception how do you explain that I I
can't if you've never had a lie detector test done it's a very bizarre process they say okay is your is your name Troy
yes do you live at this address yes is this what you have do for an occupation yes did you kill your aunt
well of course you're going to jump it's sort of like you're on a carnival ride and holy
crap of course you're going to like freak out but I I don't I I don't have an explanation for that I really don't I
have no idea a shaky Alibi a failed lie detector test and a possible motive together it was shaping up to be a
powerful case against Michael Jamrock did you kill Linda Fishman of course not security putting out fire you have a
res come pulling down the street we could see smoke coming out of the garage heavy heavy smoke just after midnight on
February the 7th 2003 Lieutenant Tim mccab and chief Richard Lounsbury responded to a fire alarm at Linda
Fishman's house we're looking for victims if if there's you know that's our first
priority but even before the firemen entered the house something didn't seem right why is the garage door open no car
in the garage once inside their instincts were confirmed Med as we go to the left of that front door inside there
There She lays the Linda fish Linda Fishman it's it was a it was a shocker I could tell something is is you
know round her neck what struck me odd was the way her body was laid out perfectly flat on her back Arms by her
side with a blue cloth over her face it instantly becomes a crime scene firefighters found the body of Linda
Fishman while putting out a fire in her Western Boer Ron home we believe the perpetrator arrived at the house
sometime before 10:30 at night police learned Linda had been out that night for dinner and drinks with a friend in
Palm Beach we went into the case initially believing that she knew the person based on the way she was dressed
she was in her pajamas while there were no signs of force entry detective Keith did find other strange Clues there's a
broken plate of pancakes on the table Linda had just eaten before she came home who were those four I mean who's
that hungry is it her who just ate or is it the guy that's waiting for her to come home at some point things turned
ugly and the killer strangled Linda with that piece of twine it takes a long time
and a lot of effort to strangle somebody with a ligature um to continue to apply
that pressure the fire rescue people found a cloth over her face that could be some effort on the part of the
suspect to depersonification they don't want them staring at them when they're doing
whatever they're doing the killer stld jewelry paintings and attempted to set the house on
fire detective Kenneth bus why did the suspect start a fire do you think there was a an interest in some in some form
of cover up of the uh of the uh homicide it appeared that it was started by using rubbing alcohol I suppose
alcohol that was also found in the house why is rubbing alcohol significant what else can it be used for it can also
be used to to destroy the the evidence that that we were so much looking for w alcohol if you think about it uh Doctors
medical examiners they all use alcohol to clean instruments during the performance of their duties and uh it it
it destroys the DNA it can destroy the fingerprints anything left behind you you recovered no evidence nothing not
even a fingerprint that was valuable no in the early morning hours deputies tried to locate Linda's next of
Ken that's when nephew Michael Jamrock who lived less than a mile away first appeared on their radar screen he
doesn't answer the door at the first time the deputy goes there and the second time with some prodding he
answers the door the deputies noted that he did smell of alcohol cheers he basically was was shocked that
she was dead but didn't necessarily inquire as to the means of her death or how she died but was you know interested
in where the jewelry was taken where her cat was in fact you asked that question
where's her jewelry before inquiring how she was killed MH is that true I don't remember I could have I know what she
kept in her house but you you asked about the jewelry several times MH that's seem to be a priority for you
I wanted to make sure that everything was Secure in her house cuz I knew what she had in her home you know that that
line of questioning raised some eyebrows I'm sure it did I'm sure it did does that mean we thought he did it
not necessarily does it make us suspicious obviously detectives learned that Linda
was growing tired of financially supporting Jamrock and some other family members now they they had a theory well
in his inebriated state does he stopped by his aunt's house on the way home and she asked for money and she says no and
in a fit of rage he kills her sets the place on fire and drives home problem with that scenario is the vehicle where
do the vehicle go Linda's stolen car was found at this train station an 80m round trip from her
house it was a significant piece of evidence but just not against Michael Jamrock police couldn't figure figure
out how he could drop off his aunt's car here and make it back to Booker Raton before deputies came knocking at his
door it was a roadblock but cops continued to keep the heat on Jamrock I was walking out of the police station
and there there was a uniform police officer and he yells out Jamrock of course I turned around don't go far
you're going to jail that freaked me out despite their threats investigators weren't solely focused on Jamrock they
were also digging into Linda Fishman's private life just like some people's Hobbies get them killed maybe she was
looking for that part of her life some excitement or some Adventure dating Mr Wrong uh to spice her life up I mean
there's no telling I guess only Linda can tell us that she liked being in the center of
attention and the weight loss obviously was giving her the way back in there that gave her her
confidence she blossomed at 55 Linda Fishman was just hitting her stride after undergoing gastric bypass surgery
and losing 70 lbs 6 months before her murder and seeing her in Palm Beach in the weeks leading up to this she was
surrounded by people that she was meeting and coming over for me to meet all of her new friends and all these
gentlemen friends say it was a remarkable transformation in more ways than one so how did Linda change after
the surgery she was more outgoing um more positive more py um she felt better healthwise her hairdresser Penny
chamowitz helped Linda through her recovery her self-esteem te was better you know she just you know she had a
little pickme up but those close to her say the newly confident and improved Linda was still missing something she
was very happy the only thing she was very lonely she wish she had somebody in her
life for people that are not familiar with the dating scene here in Palm Beach how difficult is it it's difficult uh
most of the women I know are still single as you get older in my group of friends you're not dating
as much did she have good judgment when it came to men no she seemed to be a little she didn't
seem to be as what's the word I want to use Discerning when it came to me mhm detective Keith's investigation was
now shifting from Jamrock to Linda's love life some of the men that she dated um I mean from our perspective were
probably highis type uh man just days before she was murdered Linda had gone to the movies on her first date Linda
brought the popcorn bag back to her mom that night her mom still had it so we collected it for fingerprint processing
on the bag police found fingerprints belonging to this man Linda's date James Bell someone she had met days earlier at
a stoplight and she leans out of her window and what does she say to you she just said I was a handsome man she was
picking you up I guess in a way yes Barbara wolf was with Linda that night she met Belle she passed by in a truck I
tell you she was very outgoing and she was waving out the window you know he caught that up and I
think she threw out her number and he called her these are his arrest histories things that we focus in on battery DWI
improper exhibition of a firearm turns out James Bell had quite a passed did you tell Linda Fishman about your
criminal record I don't think I really knew her that long and that night at the movies he definitely didn't mention his
guilty play for attempted second-degree murder years earlier he shot somebody following an altercation up around a
pawn shop that he either ran or owned which showed a propensity of being a hotthead I mean same kind of scenario
did Lind to do something that upset him and he killed her in a fit of rage so you thought you had your guy at that
point when with his history we think he might be the guy would it surprise you to
learn that that man was charged with second deegree attempted murder really she was very forward she was very
forward how does that square with someone who had a legal background was married to a judge I think your
personality is your personality to me I looked at it as being outgoing um sometimes a little bit
Reckless I don't want to say she lived on the edge all the time but she was out there she was out
there detectives brought Bell in for questioning things weren't looking that good no they weren't for you no James
Bell was released when detectives realized he really had no motive and didn't even know where Linda lived I was
an up and down roller coaster ride from start to finish and there seemed to be no shortage of men from Linda's pass to
question and through investigation it led us to a person named Donnie Saxon um who the previous uh New Year's Eve had
actually spent the night over her house Donnie Saxon was a man Linda had met during a night out in Palm Beach several
months before her death you brought him in for questioning yes and what did he say as an aside basically oh this is uh
ironic that this happened to me in the past that uh happened to him in the past yes that he'd been brought in for
questioning regarding another girlfriend that had been murdered uh somewhere in the Las Vegas area I think that case was
unsolved but the fact that he'd been questioned about another girlfriend that had been murdered
ironic um again bad timing yeah now we have not one but two people um with circumstances of violence overshadowing
them in the past Saxon was never charged in the Las Vegas case and also denied any involvement in Linda Fishman's
murder what does her dating history say about her judgment that I think she was a lonely individual that in the
circumstances that we found uh while doing our investigation she she more often than not ran across men that that
weren't her type and that included men who were not always age appropriate she had a tendency to go for the younger
guys younger guys mhm would would it be unusual to see her in the company of a much younger man no no she like younger
men by the way we're in Palm Beach try to find an older woman that doesn't have a younger man in Linda's
case though there seemed to be several young suitors it seems like my sister went after somebody that needed her help
or her guidance if they asked for help she always helped them she trusted too much that was her problem she trusted I
think her hairdresser uh knew about some younger men she may have dated um but when it came time to tell her mom
to tell her family members the one's closest to her nobody could give us a name I just know he was a young guy
good-looking kid I know that my aunt helped pay for his schooling I think he's a chiropractor or a massage
therapist or something his name is Frederick gurnie a massage therapist 18 years younger than Linda Fishman they
dated and at one point lived together detectives could never find gurnie but 48 Hours TR him down in Texas he is now
unemployed and listed as a sex offender for indecency with a child Fred gurny wouldn't speak to us on camera but did
say Linda was always a generous person he claims he was living in Texas and nowhere near Florida at the time of her
murder and you're hitting some walls right a lot of dead ends until 4 months after the murder on June 18th 2003 when
detective Keith would receive a bombshell Anonymous letter that would turn the Linda Fishman case on its head
I do not have any proof I just want to point you the right direction I hope this information helps your
investigation [Music] we always believed that the the person that did this was known to Linda um
ultimately we didn't know that the person that did this wasn't known to the rest of her family or
friends you didn't know too too much from Linda you know like she kept things private Linda Fishman was a woman with
many Secrets especially when it came to some of the men in her life there was the financially strapped
nephew there was a former Lover now a registered sex offender and there were some men she met that could have used a
background check but then there was the biggest secret of all a man 27 years Linda Jr named Fred kretzmer she kept
Fred pretty much below the radar screen he never really surfaced as far as being
a name that some of someone that we knew that Linda dated or had a casual relationship with as a friend and Fred
kretzmer probably would have remained a secret if not for the anonymous letter written by a former girlfriend of his I
heard that night February 6 2003 a guy named frederck kretzmer was driving her car and had a few pieces of her jwy with
him I do not have any proof I just want to point you the right direction this is
the first time jel opina has spoken public about her difficult decision to tip off police you have that feeling
inside that it's the right thing to do is not something that you can cover you know so I wrote the letter the letter
was critical absolutely without her help case would be cold after 4 months of dead ends gazelle's letter finally gave
detectives a RedHot lead into who killed Linda Fishman uh basically we start peeling
back the onion on Fred kretzmer Fred had a troubled childhood had some possible molestation issues
when he was younger of some possible alcohol abuse in his family um as he Grew Older he had a substance
abuse issue with cough syrup and uh other drugs uh and at some point I think he came to Florida to try to distance
himself uh with that substance abuse problem he lived here for seven8 years Mario sagora became close to Fred
kretzmer when they they worked together after creser moved from New Jersey to Florida in the mid
1990s this was his house his IDs his bank everything and this was his only house to stay that as far as I know
because we were his family he quickly fit in with Mario's family and friends which is how he met Jazelle he was
always great always like a really nice boy you know the ones that mom's like that type of
boy creter made 's meet through various oddd jobs including working as a maintenance man at the Marriott Hotel
police learned it was here that Linda Fishman met him in 1999 when she and her sister Bernice stayed for a weekend Arts
Festival and see I went back up to the room um around 10 or 11 and she went back down to the ctail lounge you know
and I don't know maybe she met him down there later I don't know later that night Bernice woke up to kretzmer
Knocking on their door what did he say nothing he just says Linda there that's all and I said no she's sleeping Bernice
had never seen creser before nor did she know Linda would continue a relationship
with him he told me that she had a lot of money and she gave him a computer but he admitted to being intimate with this
older woman who gave him money yeah I think he was probably using her she was vulnerable because she was a lonely
person and you know open to that by 2001 Linda and keter's relationship had fizzled out
he was still working odd jobs when Mario urged him to leave Florida and join the
Navy you thought after he graduated from the training you thought he had his life
on track yeah of course but just 7 months into his service while stationed in California
Fred crr's life went off track when he was arrested after a high-speed chase with a police officer and charged with
being under the influence of a controlled substance resisting an officer drunk driving and petty theft
kretzmer was discharged from the Navy and served 8 months in a California State Prison to his friends back in
Florida kretzmer seemed to have just fallen off the map until the winter of 2003 when he made a surprise call from
New Jersey saying he was coming for a visit how did he look to you like a different human being you
know like that look when someone hasn't slept in days or taking shower or something like dirty like tired like
that look keser's personality had changed dramatically as well he was withdrawn and appeared troubled even
telling Jazelle he was hearing voices in his head and I know the mom told me that
she really really wanted him to go to the psychiatrist but he never made it there
was something that happened that week that I never knew until two three months later something happened with him and my
mother that week Mario's 70-year-old mother says kretzmer made a pass at her when they were alone he sits her at the
edge of the bed and proceeds to lift her blouse over her head to which point she
slaps the blouse down and uh said what are you doing kesar's odd behavior continued when a few nights later he was
staying with jelle's family in Miami the very horrible thing he said is like he wanted to have sex with me and my mother
and what was your reaction I told him he was sick and that was it next day I put
him in the train again and that was it that was the last time I saw him so progressively in the week that he
was here visiting doors kept shutting prosecutor Angela Miller says cr's Behavior then went from disturbing to
dangerous he was inport St Lucy looking for a girlfriend that he had had a relationship with
and when he didn't locate her he ended up committing a crime of violence on a convenience store
clerk who wouldn't give him a pair of sunglasses for free and then came his last night in
Florida when Fred cresmer decided to look up one more old friend I think that Linda Fishman was
the final stop it was just after 1:00 a.m. when Mario heard from ketzer the telephone
ring and it was uh Fred that uh wanted me to come and pick him up from the uh train station that's where the car was
found in the mangonia park Tri Rail station he saw me and then he opened the trunk and took some pictures like frames
or from the car and his small bag Mario said their Fred was holding a black bag with liquor bottles in it and an arm
full of paintings guess what stoen from the house and uh I told him yeah they are in
the garage I'll show them to you we tried to keep our composure in front of Mario saguro but we knew we
were we were getting close we knew Fred was our guy and it wasn't hard to track him down 4 months after Linda's murder
detectives found kretzmer in a Florida jail for the store clerk beating Fred kretzmer was charged with first-degree
murder of Linda Fishman but with no forensic evidence linking him to the crime could they get
a [Music] [Music] conviction it was an evil vicious crime Fred kretzmer is charged with
first-degree murder first deegree arson and robbery Mr kretzmer you've heard my ministering nect Fred kretzmer is an
evil man it took 4 years but in June 2007 Michael Jamrock was finally Vindicated
in the murder of his aunt Linda Fishman we have our day and it'll be today it's been very difficult for me for 4 Years
everybody thinking that my son did it and everything was awful I mean that was his godmother I mean she was like his
mother although the case against Fred kretzmer was mostly circumstantial prosecutor Angela Miller was confident
we didn't have a concern about winning this case at trial we knew that our work was cut out for us at the top of her
witness list former roommate Mario sagora whose account of the morning after the murder was
invaluable Mario walks into Fred's room and sees media coverage of the murder on
the TV and sees Fred holding a jewelry box Fred tries to cover up the jewelry and at that point Fred turns off the TV
and the wheels start spinning in Mario's mind did this guy just kill this woman what did you say to him what did
you ask him say what what is this or what what did you do or something and what did he say he don't say anything
what did your gut tell you it took me many many weeks and many months until until I kind of is this real is this
real it was affecting me my mother everything you know it's just something that I could take anymore you couldn't
take it anymore I don't know so when people are watching this and they're saying how
does this nice man remains silent for so long your answer is I was just SC of that
uh well you know I don't want someone to come and maybe burn my house or come and
er do something to my mother or myself too afraid to tell police Mario instead confided in Jazelle who
then bravely wrote that letter I had to do something you know I just I just couldn't leave with that that in you
know inside [Music] sorry it's been four years four years of of um having all that inside and uh it's
scared and you would do it again yeah definitely Mario and Jazelle stood ready to testify against their former friend
until an unexpected development would change everything we were approached by defense counsel and they said he wanted
to plead guilty and we were shocked we withdraw a prior pleas of not guilty and interent
ple guilty Mr cresmer are you at this time ask according to his public defender cresmer wanted to take
responsibility for his actions then agreed to a plea deal of second deegree murder and first-degree arson and to
give a full confession in open court what caused you to go go to Linda Fishman's home just a touch with an old
feeling that I had that I might catch her at the house and rekindle an old friendship okay so there was no sexual
contact in the context of the crimes that you committed no ma'am were you ever interested in money when you went
to Linda Fishman's home no ma'am my opinion I think he went there to try to use her to get money I think
when Linda didn't go with the program and didn't give him what he wanted he switched to plan B and took it by force
and um she came out of her bedroom and that's where I seen her for the first time and she was frightened to find you
in her kitchen she was frightened because she didn't have any recollection of me she didn't recognize me she didn't
recognize you at all no ma'am that's when Linda threatened to call police the walls were closing in on Fred kretzmer
after a week in which she alienated old friends and savagely beat that store clerk cresmer knew he could go back to
prison and panicked I was caught very very emotionally and I didn't know what to do
so I um I I went at her and and took her from behind I strangled her was there a struggle prior to you
strangling her with the cord there was no struggle um it was more she was turning to move away um still just in a
threatening way just loud yelling and um upset very upset okay and so what is the
next thing that you do I basically try to cover the scene and I and I uh did you pour alcohol on
her I did on her hands and on her neck because I had touched her I did try to close her eyes you tried to close her
eyes but they opened and I uh covered them with um the chair the arm chair cover cover why
did you do that I don't know do I believe some of what he said sure do I believe all of it no not a
chance and then just before sentencing Fred cresmer offers a surprising apology to Linda's family um I just like to
apologize I don't know where you are sitting on T sorry I find each of your too pleased
to be freely and voluntarily given you appear to me to understand the nature of con Michael Jamrock also received an
apology from detective Keith I did what I had to do um was I wrong yes did I apologize yes but no amount of apologies
will ever really be enough for Michael Jamrock who lost so much more than just his aunt that night he lost his family
because I'm a perfect example of family just throw you right in front of a bus of course what they did is just it's
unspeakable one person who's extremely grateful to you is Michael Jamrock mhm you even know he existed when you wrote
this letter she pretty much saved my life but she didn't even realize that she was just doing something that she
thought had to be done she had no idea about me do you consider yourself a hero a heroine
no no I have just come and said s that's it do you thank God that you're a free man I just always think of my aunt and
always think that how strong she was and how positive she was and you know what as bizarre as it may seem I don't think
she would have ever ever allowed it to happen she's taken care of me my whole life you know call Auntie Linda and
everything's going to be all right you [Music] know [Music]

"48 Hours" reports on cases involving mysterious secrets. Binge-watch the full episodes, including "Kassanndra's Secret," "The Pact" and "Secrets of Palm Beach."

00:00 Murder by Design 40:56 Justice for Amie Harwick 1:23:16 The Mysterious Death of Casey Kasem

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.

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

Brief Summary

Cassandra Cantrell's disappearance led to Colin Dudley's arrest for her murder after evidence revealed a complex relationship and pregnancy.

Key points

Cassandra's Disappearance. Cassandra Cantrell goes missing, leaving her family and friends in turmoil.
Colin's Denial. Colin Dudley denies being involved in Cassandra's life or pregnancy.
Dudley's Alibi Unraveled. Detectives piece together Dudley's meticulous planning on the day Cassandra went missing.
Cassandra's Family's Fight for Justice. The family advocates for a law to ensure harsher penalties for killing pregnant women.
The Painful Questions. Evelyn McCabe grapples with her feelings of guilt and loss regarding her son John.
A Shocking Confession. A witness reveals knowledge of John's murder, implicating Walter Shelly.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

That's a big regret I imagine still for you.

Rob reflecting on his last conversation with Cassandra.

7:46WatchApr 6, 2024

Tension

75/ 100High tension

More from 48 Hours

Solve the Crime

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