Shocking Murders Overseas | "48 Hours" Full Episodes | Forensic Files

[Music] we were a bunch of women who came from all over the world to Soul in 1988 to
teach English Korea was transforming and opening up its doors to the West the 1988 Olympics really
represented South Korea debut on the world stage we were helping teach English to
Koreans so that they were prepared for the new world coming into their Peninsula it was an interesting time it
was a dangerous time there was Sandra she took me under her wing and we definitely bonded Kathy
Patrick she was the head teacher kind of our boss I was definitely a party girl and then there was Carolyn Abel she
was sparkly she was beautiful really funny she had a wicked sense of humor my sister Caroline was an
adventure people did notice her she was vibrant she attracted people's attention she had become friends with
all of us but particularly with Kathy they were like sisters life that year was great we had
so much fun we worked hard we played hard we party at night everything was going so
well all our fun came to a sudden crashing halt when one of us Carolyn Abel was murdered it was absolutely horrible
brutal violent there were multip stab wounds I can't even begin to describe what that loss has
been like somebody had detonated a nuclear bomb in the middle of the family so whoever killed Carolyn is
still out there we're at Newark Airport about to head overseas to try to find some
answers what happened to this woman Carolyn Abel and where did Carolyn live Caroline
lived over there um out in this direction here out in this direction I've been asking questions for
30 years what happened the night that Carolyn was killed everybody loved Caroline who was in the
room who put the knife in why should anybody be able to get away with murdering somebody and never face
charges more than 30 years later our investigation has brought us here to a university in Bellingham Washington
where Carolyn Abel's alleged killer works we just got worried we're going to make our move now okay this is the
building we were so sure the enemy was on the outside that never occurred to any of
us that the killer was Among Us [Music] [Music] [Music] 48 Hours Out Of Reach reported by Peter
vanent for writer and author Nancy burha flying to South Korea in the winter of 2018 reopened a painful chapter in her
life one of murder loss and fear not only were we Deb devastated about the loss of Caroline we of course wondered
who's [Music] next back and soul where should be our first stop well I think we should go to the
school to El where we all taught El is the English language school this is is the neighborhood where Nancy met fellow
teacher Carolyn Abel back in 1988 this is the school and the world was never the same for any of us who
were in that building together on December 20th the events of that day have haunted
Carolyn Abel's family for more than 30 years and the Damage that's been done was just so
devastating Wanda Abel remembers her younger sister Carolyn as the center of attention from an early age this is our
very first passport photo Carolyn is on the right this is a passport picture with three people in it yeah she was the
youngest and the cutest and the baby of the family the youngest daughter of professors Dr Francis and Evelyn Abel
Carolyn had a love of Photography and a wander lust that took her around the world my mother said in
retrospect it was almost like she knew she didn't have a lot out of time she wanted to do as much as she could in the
time she had and not waste a second by the time she graduated from college Carolyn had already lived in
Pakistan East Asia Germany and France she would get Restless she didn't like being just in one place for too long
that restlessness compelled Carolyn to join the Peace Corp after college serving in Nepal where she taught
English in 1987 Carolyn took another teaching job in Japan where she met this man tomoyuki aaki a customs agent she's
always cheerful did she make you laugh yes she's funny Carolyn and tomoyuki began a relationship that very quickly
became serious did you fall in love with Carolyn oh yes Tomy Yuki did propose to
Carolyn and what was her answer do you know carollyn was trying to decide whether she would be happy being married
and staying in Japan well contemplating a future life with tomoyuki Carolyn received an offer for another job 330 Mi
away and across the Sea of Japan and in the fall of 1988 Carolyn set out on her next great adventure in
life teaching English here in Soul South Korea and from the minute she walked into the staff room she was just breath
of fresh air she sort of looked a little bit like Farah faucet that's where Carolyn quickly fell in with Nancy burha
and the other American teachers at school like Sandra Ames who requested that we alter her current appearance for
this interview she was making her students laugh and sing and and have fun learning English and Tamara do she made
friends with everybody she was very very friendly so this is Kathy Carolyn also hit it off with the head teacher at the
school Kathy Patrick carollyn and Kathy Patrick were extremely good friends they
were considered if I can use a modern term besties the women taught traveled and
partied together expat life in Soul in the late 80s was wild and one place where our world's collided and that was
Ewan the red light district this is where Kathy and Sandra and Carolyn and Tamara and I would come so what we did
is we danced and drank like crazy [Music] people on the weekend of December 17th
1988 just 3 days before the murder Sandra Cathy Carolyn and some Korean students took a trip into the mountains
Carolyn took these pictures we spent the time looking at temples and hiking and then partying in the
evenings classes were winding down for the winter break tomoyuki was getting ready to fly to Soul hoping to get an
answer to his marriage proposal on Tuesday December 20th Carolyn never made it to work and a lot of us missed work
on occasion for various reasons I was not at that point concerned but Kathy was concerned about Carolyn because she
couldn't get her on the phone Kathy was asking all of us had any of us heard from Carolyn no Kathy was very upset
convinced that something had happened to Carolyn and I said well maybe we should
go over there at that point some of our students drove us to Carolyn's apartment we went into the apartment and
Kathy discovered the body she was murdered brutally and horribly and in a way that she did not
deserve and we were just all in shock just trying to figure out what [Music] happened I think we all just felt like
what the heck hell is going to happen now are we in danger how would Sandra and Kathy ever
recover from the shock of seeing their dead friend where do we go from here [Music]
carlyn's apartment was on the 15th [Music] floor so here we [Music] are I'm Peter vanand and I'm a reporter
for CBS News and we are working on a story about a woman named Carolyn who used to live in your apartment and we
came by to ask you if if we may have permission to come into your apartment to take some video
pictures early in the afternoon on December 20th 1988 colleagues and students of Carolyn
Ables came to this apartment building after she failed to show up for work Kathy Sandra and three Korean men
walked down this hallway surprisingly the door was unlocked and they went [Music]
inside who was the first person into the apartment Kathy she went did a beline right to the
bedroom Kathy came out of the room and said Carolyn's dead we need to call an ambulance no we need to call the cops
and she didn't want me to go look at the body so we have our shoes off and we're ready to check out the
murder scene this is the room where Carolyn Abel left this world and she put up a
fight in her last minutes of life she had a number of defensive wounds and she took the brunt of it more than 30 stab
wounds including a cut from ear to ear on on the throat and there was blood everywhere in here on the walls on the
bed it was a mess Korean police and press swarmed the apartment which had been rans sacked and
within hours the murder led the national news in South Korea and I remember watching the news
and the cameras panning around the room and they kept going in on this teddy bear and it was really
horrible the impact of seeing her body wheeled out in a body bag really made it quite real it wasn't a
dream it became the nightmare that it really still is to this day how did you get the news of what had
happened to your sister I was at home and my mother called me she told me that Carolyn had been murdered and I just I
screamed we were just crying trying to figure out I mean how could this happen who
would want to do this to her everybody Lov Carolyn why with the killer still out there
Carolyn's friends wondered could they be next we were all certain that perhaps a
Korean had probably killed her if a Korean hated an American this much was he coming after
the rest of us the shocked friends turned their attention to Kathy and Sandra who had discovered Carolyn's body
they seemed horrified I was so concerned about them they were hysterical it seemed as if they were
having a nervous breakdown Days Later Kathy Patrick led a memorial service for Carolyn I think it was quite
moving even now thinking about it you tear up a bit Kathy also wrote Carolyn's parents Wanda
still has that letter please know that I love Caroline as a sister and a dear friend my roommate and I are the two
people who found Caroline in her apartment let me know if I can tell you anything in Japan Tomo Yuki learned the
love of his life was gone but he decided to make his trip to South Korea any way he stayed with Kathy and
Sandra even today after all these years 30 years this still gets to you doesn't it
yeah sorry in Soul rumors were swirling and South Korean police cast a wide net we were all suspects every single
teacher on the staff was interviewed you know the Korean police were in our faces
just like where were you how did you know Caroline what's your story why are you here why did you come to our country
are you secretly FBI we just kept thinking why are you asking me this get out there and find the real
killer then Nancy took a phone call in the teacher Lounge that moved the investigation in a whole new
Direction of like a Korean woman and then very quickly she said I know who killed Caroline I said what she said an
American military officer Nancy told the South Korean police who brought in detectives from the US
Army and very quickly therea John Boatright walked in John Boatright was a legendary chief of detectives for the
Army's criminal investigation division in South Korea he quickly eliminated the US military officer who was pegged as a
suspect by his ex-girlfriend he did not know carollyn abble and it appeared that
she was just trying to get revenge on him for the bad breakup 3 weeks after the murder an
autopsy revealed the cause of death a stab wound to her right lung the report also confirmed her throat was cut in my
opinion her throat was cut after she was deceased after how unusual is that based on your
experience very unusual so what did happen at Carolyn's apartment and I was convinced that
whoever did this probably knew Carolyn why because there was no signs for to enter into the apartment it appeared
that whoever was in that apartment knew her there were two coffee cups found in the room if there's a to break in
generally a criminal would not say hey let's let's have a cup of coffee before I ransack your place and and attack you
that certainly would not be normal like his South Korean counterparts boat Wright decided to
question Carolyn's colleagues who told him you really should look at the two girls who found the
body those two women Sandra Ames and Kathy Patrick [Music] we assumed that a Korean had probably
killed her but little did we know that the enemy was inside that staff room with us
[Music] [Music] just weeks after Carolyn Abel's murder the investigation by John Boatright was
focusing on the two friends who had discovered her body roommates Kathy Patrick and Sandra Ames and do you get a
chance to question each of them no Kathy Patrick had already got on a plane left
Korea we had encouraged her to go she must have lost 15 lbs she just looked like someone who was
about to to break Kathy returned home to Washington State but Sandra was still in Soul I
took a statement from her and then I asked her uh did you kill Carol and she just sort of sat there and
stared at me she's just staring at you that's correct after about 30 seconds she was
very quiet but she said no that was just just not normal s maintains she had nothing to
hide so 2 months after the murder she waved her right to an attorney and agreed to take a light detector
test I remember being hooked up to all the wires in a darkened room he asked her do
you know where the murder weapon is and she said no and she really peaked out on that
indicating that she was not being truthful I said I'm not lying I'm telling the truth so we took it again with the same
results and at that point I said let me tell you about this picture in my head the picture was a dark shape on a
bed covered in a quilt that I knew was a body Sandra described that picture in her head as a fragmented memory of that
night as Boatright asked her for more details she told a new story it was nothing short of a bombshell the story
began with being in bed and having Kathy at the door of my room and coming in and
saying I think I killed Carolyn what with I asked and she said a knife where is it I asked
in the kitchen sink Sandra said she was in disbelief and asked Kathy to take her to Carolyn's
apartment where she saw her friend's brutalized body on the bed covered in blood to the best of my
recollection we sat in the living room at Carolyn's apartment and she convinced me manipulated me to help her make it
look like a robbery though she didn't mention it when we spoke with her Boatright says that
during their interview Sandra made another statement about her own actions that night after she walked in and saw
Carolyn's body she says I touched her arm and it was warm and at that point I realize that
she may be still alive and that she might testify against Kathy and so I went to the kitchen got a knife and came
back and I cut her throat to make sure she was dead remember Boatright believed that
wound was inflicted after Carolyn was already dead from the stab wound to the lung so what Sandra is telling you is
actually forensically matching up what was done to Carolyn's body absolutely but
Sandra's story quickly changed in these official statements Sandra wrote that Kathy had admitted to cutting Carolyn's
throat and today Sandra claims that the only reason she made that admission was due to false memories implanted by
investigators but she doesn't deny going to the crime scene or handling the murder weapon you did tell authorities
at the time that you cleaned a bloody knife I did I did and that was because I remembered putting the clean
knife into the dish rack Kathy had said that that was the knife she had used to kill
Carolyn it may seem far-fetched but Sandra claims those memories had been suppressed deep in her subconscious mind
until the interview with Boatright so are you telling me the truth yes yes because some of these
lapses in memory are kind of convenient oh they're very convenient but no this is the truth as I lived
it though Sandra story was bizarre to say the least investigators believed the core
details which never changed that Kathy woke her up and confessed to killing Carolyn and the two of them staged it to
look like a robbery and the evidence they collected appeared to back that up each time that she was interviewed later
she kept changing the facts to to limit her involvement in the murder but she never denied that uh Kathy did the
murder and she never denied that she was present uh just after the murder who do
you believe held the knife and murdered Carolyn Abel Kathy Patrick after her confession Sandra Ames
was kept in house arrest here in Soul five months later in July of 1989 she pleaded guilty to harboring a criminal
and depressing evidence I was fingerprinted photographed and put into a holding cell but why would Kathy want
Carolyn dead investigators uncovered a secret which provided a potential motive Kathy really fell for Carolyn Tamara do
was one of the few teachers who knew Kathy was gay and she would confi to me you know I really like this woman I
think she's into me and and I'm like Kathy I don't really think she's gay you should really be careful Kathy told me
that she was in love with Carolyn and that her feelings were not necessarily returned I believe that Kathy and
Carolyn were alone uh during that initial attack the thing that makes most sense
to me is Kathy tried to kiss Carolyn and Carolyn pushed her away and rejected that kiss I think Kathy was so enraged
and angry that she lost control Kathy Patrick was now the prime suspect in Carolyn ael's murder a murder
warrant for her arrest was issued in South Korea back in Japan Carolyn's boyfriend
tomoyuki heard the news you stayed with Kathy at her apartment yes for her part in the alleged crimes
Sandra was sentenced to one year in prison meanwhile Kathy Patrick was back at home in Washington
state the South Korean government made diplomatic requests to return her to soul from the US to face a murder charge
but hit a wall there was no extradition treaty with Korea at the time and when she left they couldn't get her back
there why couldn't we see through Kathy and Sandra it's just unreal you know so in in one Fell Swoop you learn that your
friends are involved in this crime and that the one who might have been the Killer is free because of this loophole
and American law in the States Carolyn's family pushed for an arrest the US attorney in
Washington state said no you can't arrest her because she hasn't committed a crime in the United States there was
no jurisdiction to arrest her for murder and that's what pushed my family to say
wait a minute this isn't right but American authorities weren't finished with Cathy Patrick and soon
they would come fa face to face with her did you ask Kathy Patrick flat out did you murder Carolyn Abel yes I
[Music] did so this is one of the last pictures taken of her alive right right [Music]
in the days after Carolyn's murder Wanda worked overtime during the holidays to bring her
home we got her back in time to hold the funeral on New Year's Eve gone but never
forgotten Wanda Abel and her family were pushing the government to pursue a case
against Kathy Patrick who had left South Korea just weeks after Carol L's murder so do you believe this sudden
move from South Korea to the United States was in a way a an expression of consciousness of guilt yes well Kathy
knew she did it so she had to suspect that sooner or later somebody was going to put it together or the sander was
going to crack and tell on her so she spent as little time in South Korea as possible after she killed
Carolyn with Kathy Patrick back in Washington state Carolyn Abel's family was fearful they could be
targeted I was worried that Kathy would try to kill us because Kathy wrote these
letters to my parents that she was her great friend and that you know she'd loved to meet them and I was working
through my mind what would I do if I saw this person or if she showed up at my house despite the lack of an extradition
treaty there was still that South Korean arrest warrant for murder for Kathy Patrick my name is Steven schroer I'm a
retired assistant United States Attorney and I worked in Seattle they also asked
the US government for help what did the South Koreans want you to do among other
things they wanted me to take a deposition of Kathy Patrick and ask her some questions about the murder that
occurred in Soul it was 1989 when Scher was assigned the case with John Boatright and FBI
agents along with her lawyer Kathy Patrick willingly sat down with them to be questioned did you ask Kathy Patrick
flat out did you murder Carolyn Abel yes I did what did she say she said she did
not and did you present her with what her roommate had said yes and what did she say about that simply it wasn't true
and did Kathy try to shift blame at all did she point the Finger of Suspicion at
all at Sandra not with me Kathy also denied under oath that she was in love with Carolyn
Abel do you believe Kathy Patrick lied to you there was enough indication of that
to justify us doing further investigation yes my strategy at that point was if the
Koreans did not prosecute her then to look whether we could for basically false statements perjury
obstruction and Justice even though lie detector tests are inadmissible in federal court they
are a tool used by investigators to confirm deception Kathy Patrick willingly agreed
to take one and answer questions about Carolyn's murder The Examiner concluded that she was deceptive and deception is
why lying after the polygraph Kathy Patrick whom South Korea still wanted to arrest
for murder was free to leave is that frustrating it was very frustrating compounding Carolyn's
family's grief Sandra AMS was released from a South Korean prison after serving just 6 months of her one-year sentence
and it wasn't because of good behavior is it true you got out of prison because someone bribed a judge to
get you out yep absolutely we just couldn't believe it I mean 6 months for assisting a murderer and
covering up the crime scene and making it look like a burglary and not even telling anybody not talking I I don't
understand I when Sandra returned to the United States she was recruited by the FBI to
to go undercover and secretly record a reunion with Kathy Patrick in hopes of eliciting a
confession I didn't even call I simply went to her house and what does she say to you Sandra what are you doing here
probably and I think I said something along the lines of how could you have done that how could you have killed
Carolyn and she said I don't know what you're talking about without incriminating statements
from Kathy the feds were not able to press charges for perjury as long as she stays Within
These borders she's a free woman that's that's correct yes and with no extradition treaty in
Place South Korean authorities put the murder case on the Shelf I think the South Koreans were
taking the attit ude that this is a US problem it's two US citizens meanwhile Carolyn's family carried on with their
Quest For Justice my dad contacting every Congressman every Senator he wrote to news stations 60 minutes because he
was hoping that if that happened then there would be more publicity more pressure while Kathy Patrick carried on
with her life if it is true that Kathy Patrick murdered your sister is she a a danger today to the public I I think she
probably is and who knows what would trigger some kind that kind of violence again Kathy declined to meet with 48
hours so we went to her in Bellingham Washington where today she's a counselor at Western Washington
University okay guys we're going to make our move now to Kathy Patrick's office hi hi Kathy Patrick hi hi Peter
Van sand with CBS [Music] News my sister never got to live her life why does Kathy get to live a full
life for almost three decades Kathy Patrick has lived a quiet life in Bellingham
Washington north of Seattle where for the last 18 years she has worked as a student adviser at Western Washington
University okay this is the building okay so when we get in let's move quickly to her office Cathy turned
down our request for an interview saying Carolyn's murder was too painful to talk
about but on this day her past was fast approaching hi Kathy Patrick Peter Van Sant with CBS News there are
investigators from two countries that have now are certain that you murdered Carolyn Abel what do you have to say um
I have to say that I'm innocent and that I don't know what happened after I found
Carolyn's body these are Kathy Patrick's first public words on the murder of Carolyn Abel in 30 years now your
roommate says just the opposite that you confessed to her and that the two of you
then went back over to Carolyn's apartment and staged the scene as a burglary no that never happened no so
she's lying to us when she told us that I believe she is you flunked a polygraph
test how did that happen I don't know the science of poly graphs I'm not surprised that I would um flunk it in
retrospect given how clammy and nervous I am right now and I'm even shaking it was a frightening
experience and I absolutely do not know what happened before I went to her apartment
and found her body it has been it has been 30 years since this isn't it time to come clean about this investigators are
certain that you committed this murder they are wrong if you didn't who did I believe it
must have been GES Sandra ases she says you did it and you had her go over and help manipulate
the room to make it look like a burglary that's not true another circumstance in all of this is that
people have you want these people to leave um can we stop right now these are important questions to be asked about
this um there were 30 stab WS on Carolyn's body and friends say that you attacked her after she rejected you your
romantic advances no this has to stop now please um you're really sidelining me here and I'm not prepared to answer
questions here at my place of work this happened 30 years ago I have been a available to investigators in Korea and
in the US in her interviews with South Korean police a deposition and a polygraph test with American
investigators Kathy Patrick did not point a finger at Sandra Ames Steven schroer had a question about that for
Kathy well why didn't you tell us that 29 years ago when we recently contacted Sandra
Ames she told us she wasn't so surprised that Cathy tried to blame her and denied
having participated in Carolyn's murder if it went to trial I would be willing to testify I would need to
testify where should Kathy Patrick be today in your opinion she should be in prison plain and
simple thanks to the able family's lobbying efforts in 1994 Congress passed a law that allows for the US prosecution
of us Nationals who kill other Americans in foreign countries and so today American families if their loved ones
are murdered abroad by an American um will have a very different experience in Carolyn Abel's family did
and I think I think we all owe them a debt of gratitude but in Carolyn Abel's case any trial seems highly unlikely in
South Korea the statute of limitations for her murder M has expired and the AEL family says investigators told them the
physical evidence in the case has been destroyed evidence that would have been crucial for a trial in the United
States no one should have to go through what my family went through how do we live in a world where a US citizen can
go murder a US citizen and then come back and live like nothing happened that's the outrage of this in a
case where nothing is simple the long path to Justice may never reach its destination I honestly can't picture
[Music] old cuz she was just always so so vibrant and so energetic and I I I think she still
would be you know I miss her she was like my best friend we've all continued Our Lives as adventurous
people but you know we kind of carry the memory of Carolyn behind us whatever ground we
walk on it's hard not to remember that there's another one of us who could be out there on the same path
48 Hours don't miss an episode [Music] people perceive me as being a billionaires and this entitled spoiled
rich girl this wild crazy party girl that's hanging from Rafters that's not it at
all I'm a business woman I'm a mother I'm a friend I'm a wife there are a few that think that I'm
a murderer surely the crime of the young decade a respected senior officer dead he was hoping to be promoted to senior
superintendent but the Lord Our God wanted to promote him to become an angel my brother he was
playful he was a very happy person Henry jamot from everything we know was a very
jovial guy he loved his family he loved Sports he Lov music he go all the way for his friend Henry was my
friend that was an accident terrible accident I it will haunt me for the rest of my life the shooting took place where
at that dock these two people wind up on a lonely peer in the dark together why are
they there I I remember saying you really need your gun just we're going right here to the
pier and he's like I always have my gun and so he brought it with him the moon was beautiful so we just wanted to come
sit by the pier put our feet in the water was there anyone else on that Pier besides the two of you no did you have a
finger around the trigger not that I thought I just remember trying to see next thing I know
the gun went off he fell on top of me and all I could feel was warmth and I later then
realized he was bleeding on me she feels this warmth you know when we talk about
warmth we think about warm cookies or a blanket we don't think about the warmth of
death didn't know if he was dead there's not a night that goes by I don't dream about that incident and relive it people
are wondering was this an accident was this murder Jasmine Harden was arraigned in
the San Pedro magistrates court on a single charge of manslaughter by negligent my brother was shot behind the air
execution style she should be charged for murder murder murder I'm not a murderer that's
ridiculous miss Aron do you have anything to see my freedom is at stake my relationship with my children is at
stake why won't you let me see the kids Andrew she gives so many stories so who knows when she's telling
the truth [Music] [Music] I think a lot of people misjudge me her name is jasman Haron seen by many
as one of the most wealthy and controversial people they don't see my wholesome side in one of the most
alluring places on Earth when I decided to come to bise I thought that I was moving from the cold
North into a paradise bise is a tiny Central American Tourist Mecca that's also a Haven for the super rich where
jet Setters and Beach comers rub elbows every day and it's where Jasmine 32 was Raising twins with her partner Andrew
Ashcraft a real estate developer and Son of a British billionaire a woman with one of the most prominent names on the
island is at the police station I've never had a story like this before Sharice houseall is a news reporter and
anchor at Channel 7 in believ and a CBS News consultant she has been covering the case since it broke on May 28th 2021
reports tonight are that Harton was flattered in the officer's blood authorities detain Jasmine Harton after
finding her dazed and drenched in blood on a deserted pier near her exclusive beachfront Resort home it's a mystery
for which the Intrigue is escalating in the water was Police Superintendent Henry jamat with a fatal gunshot wound
behind his right ear a man beloved by his five children and says his sister Cherry by the
country he'd spent his life serving he had done a great job for the country of B we will purchase Shoes for some of the
needy kids within the villages around with a respected police officer dead and a wealthy powerful woman in a
concrete jail cell there were rampant rumors about Jasmine Harton and Henry jamat were drugs or infidelity
involved the speculation was fueled by reports that Jasmine's account of that night had changed according to channel 7
the first account she told was the Fatal shot may have come from a passing boat why would she have ever told such a
wild story about a boat after a jailhouse visit with a lawyer Harton admitted she fired the Fatal shot
accidentally Harton was charged with manslaughter by negligence and eventually released on
bail the things that are at stake right now is my relationship with my children my
freedom my business my money my my character my reputation and my my life is at [Music]
stake tonight you will hear Jasmine Harton tell her side of the story it's a story that begins in her childhood she
insists she was never a spoiled rich kid I think because I grew up the way I did
all of that has prepared me for what I've just endured she says she grew up poor in Canada as one of nine siblings
in a small farming Community do you remember being hungry as a child of course yeah many times Jasmine's mother
Candace cleone says food was in such short supply she'd trick a local doughnut shop to give her stale pastries
to feed her kids I went in and told them I was a pig farmer I needed the for my pigs the kids thought it was
awesome she went to high school in a hard scrabbled neighborhood of Kingston onario and set her sights on a career in
dentistry hoping to help the needy I started to do dental missions and Biz I saw an opportunity to come
down and do a mission here for Dentistry she arrived in bise in 2014 she set up shop on an excl exclusive
island called Amber key and made a splash on the social scene acquiring a reputation as a party
girl and in 2015 she met someone who would change her life by then she was working as a realtor and he was a
potential client there was something intriguing about his level of confidence it was Andrew
Ashcroft I thought he was very clever very funny very witty Andrew is a son of Lord Michael Ashcroft a well-known
conservative political figure in his native Great Britain who built a billion dooll business Empire with extensive
Holdings in B they reportedly have included ownership stakes in the phone company two of the biggest banks a TV
station even the main Port once you learned that Andrew Ashcraft is the son of a billionaire how
did that impact you in your relationship so I was curious about it were you in any way attracted to his wallet no but
the potential I wanted to build something together I wanted us to be partners they got engaged in 2016 and
the next year had twins Charlie and Ella it was just months earlier at a brunch that Jasmine had met the other man who'
become a central figure in her future a high-ranking police official on the island Henry jamat Henry is a lot of fun
and we would get together often um with groups Jasmine says he was on the island
for about another year before being transferred and they got to know each other well he loved his food loved my
cooking often came to the house for dinner she says Andrew ashro already knew Henry so jamaat's name was on the
invite list in May 2021 when the couple cut the ribbon on their professional dream thank you a Marriott branded
Resort worth millions it was just weeks before the shooting for Jasmine and I it
marks the Fulfillment of a dream to create the eliar resort Jasmine Harton seemed to have it all opulent lifestyle
lovely family and links to a powerful Dynasty her life may have looked perfect but she says by then behind the curtains
of the five bedroomroom beachfront condos she shared with Andrew and the children there was trouble Andrew and I
have had a very Rocky Road they tried to make it work says Jasmine though they never officially
married we weren't even sleeping in the same rooms and she says they were essentially leading separate lives so on
a dark night in May 2021 when Jasmine Harton suddenly found herself in trouble at a party she called for her friend
Henry jamat I said please come pick me up this is [Music] [Music] bad set the scene for us this is a very
special place for you yeah it used to be a very special place but now brings back
a lot of very sad sad memories this is Grand Colony so that building in the back is
where I lived at the glittering Center of jasman Harton's world was a fantasy the luxurious beachfront hotels
of the Ashcraft Empire in San Pedro on ambergis key believ San is where all that money comes in rolls in and rolls
out here accommodations can go for upwards of $11,000 a night it is just a few Barefoot steps across the sand but a
world away from everyday life in this Central American Nation where the average salary is around $800 a month
there's an element of race in that expats do not tend to socialize Within in the black community I'm standing in
but reporter Sharice housea says Jasmine Harton and Henry jamaat's life Journeys
cut a path that straddled Both Worlds Henry jamat is friends with a wide range of bisan
society as at ease with the ashcs and their enormous wealth as he was with the workingclass people he grew up with you
called him King yes he's the king yes he's the king my parents name him King because
he's one and only boy in the family a king who followed in the footsteps of his sister Cherry yes we are both police
officers and was your brother a good cop a very good cop very strict we're trying to bridge the gap
between the community and the police Henry jamat is an upstanding officer and I believe that
by a senior police official and a family man dedicated father to four girls and a
boy son brother friend to many like Jean Lopez he was a big fellow but he was friendly but Stern tell me about the
Henry that you knew he would assist anybody if they need assistance he's a very good man loved by
many he have a extended his love beyond the family limits did you become good friends well
yes the more I got to know him we had a lot in common there has been a lot of talk around bise that you and Henry
jamont were more than friends that you may have been lovers that's not true that's not true at all you guys never
had a sexual relationship no still the nature of their relationship would become the heart of this story and the
question is what was such a prominent man prominent yes but working class middle class doing on a pair with
someone who's from the 0.01% of wealthy expats it just seemed like a mashup and a friendship that
almost shouldn't exist whatever their relationship it was Jasmine's reliance on the Man known as
king that set in motion the final days of Henry jamaat's life it was May 22nd 2021 Jasmine says she was at a party
some 70 M from home a man followed me into the room and was quite aggressive with me verbally physically physically
um in a sexual manner so in that moment I fought him off me I called jamut right
away the man Jasmine calls her protector didn't hesitate he drove an hour to come
pick me up and he kept saying we need to really work on getting your firearms license she says Henry jamont wanted her
to have a gun for protection and you agreed to that yes and when he had that conversation did he show you his Glock
pistol yes he wanted me to handle it to get a feel for it this is what a Glock 17 looks like when you got home did you
share what happened happened to you with Andrew no we weren't really sharing a lot with each other at all and Henry
jamat posted on Facebook that he was now single he posted something about being single like after 14
years and so some 3 days later it was Jasmine's turn to help her friend the next thing I know I get a text message
from Henry saying hey can you hook me up at Grand Colony I need to come out there
for a couple days and just blow off some steam he checked in on Wednesday May 26
correct the next day Henry went fishing with his best friend Francisco Penny Aro
he was happy as happy I said so what's up tonight he said will I have a date I said who he said that one I'm taking it
to my grave but he was smiling when he tell me that were you that date that's hard to say if he called me a date he
may have just been pulling their leg or exaggerating truth I'm not sure her but I'm I'm definitely not a date she says
Andrew was supposed to join them but as a full moon settled over the tropical Caribbean night Jasmine met Henry
alone I had a police report that superintendent jamot had been killed on a pier in San
Pedro just offshore from this pier floating in the dark Caribbean Sea Henry jamat shot dead next thing I know the
police are there she had called the police herself they took her into custody where Jasmine reportedly spun
her first version of how Henry jamat Died her story is that a passing boat shot jam and that story is from Jasmine
herself from Jasmine herself I don't remember saying that like it was such a blur um you know and I think I was in
shock were you intentionally trying to mislead police at that moment to protect yourself no not at
all later on the day of the shooting Henry jamaat's body was brought across the shimmering Waters and home by his
best friend panny in this same boat they'd been fishing in just a day before I said can't be cannot be I'm
still still hurt still bothered still very hurt you were crying yeah of course yes the King was dead the woman with
connections to a wealthy powerful family sat in a Cell at the police station and
then reportedly that story she told about the bullet fired from the boat began to change it's past midnight now
at the end of the pier what happens [Music] there are only two people who know what
happened on that Pier on ambergris key one is forever silenced allegedly shot with his own gun a Glock 17 like this
one 42-year-old superintendent of police Henry jamut is dead more than 2 days after being taken into police custody
the other person in this Twisted drama Jasmine Harton made a startling admission you have admitted shooting and
killing Henry jamat yes so but let me just finish my question was it an accident or was it murder it was
absolutely not murder Henry was my friend that day changed everyone's lives documents from the cops courts and
forensic experts in Jasmine Harton's case have not been made public so much of her account of that night cannot be
independently corroborated she told her story in detail for the first time on TV to 48
Hours how did you and Henry jamat end up on that Pier well we were sitting on the
balcony of unit 1 which is ocean front she says they were drinking cinnamon whiskey yeah he
took his like a shot you know I was sipping on mine then we went it was a full moon the
stars were gorgeous so we decided let's go down sit on the pier we were sitting on the edge our legs kind of dangling
just talking as he done after rescuing her from that party Jasmine says Henry jamat
again pulled out his 9mm Glock 17 and handed it to her I am not an expert with 9 mm by any means so Jasmine says Henry
began teaching her how to eject and reload the magazine clip and bullets he said let's see if you can do you know
unload the clip load it so helped me get the clip out I was unloading it then he
took the bullets and put them beside him I was under the impression that the gun
was completely empty at the time it doesn't make sense to people why are you doing this in the
darkness it just kind of happened in that moment Jasmine claims Henry was a little
inebriated but says she wasn't I had had a few drinks yeah I wasn't drunk it's past midnight now we're approaching
12:45 a.m. mhm what happens what unfolds we're sitting on the end of the pier together he makes the comment about how
his shoulder's really stiff and he's like just rub my shoulder so I kind of scooched back behind him Jasmine says
she agreed to give Henry jamat a shoulder massage and then let's head inside he said so I said okay so he has
the bullets to his left he asked me to hand him the clip from the gun and that's when I picked it up I'm still
kind of behind him a little bit like he's sitting like this I'm kind of sitting like this who's holding the
gun at that point me so I reached for the gun to take the magazine or the clip out cuz he was going to reload it he had
the bullets there and all of a sudden it went off and yeah he it's it's hard to talk about
this still take me through that moment by moment so I lean over I pick up the gun and I'm
trying to click out the magazine and it's not working so I'm holding it like this and I'm trying to use the Moonlight
or whatever to see if I'm clicking the right button Jasmine says the barrel of the
gun was pointed to the left where Henry was sitting next thing I know the gun went off and did you have a finger
around the trigger not that I thought somehow you must have pulled the trigger I I I don't
know I I I mean it was an accident or the gun misfired but consciously did I pull the trigger no she says Henry jamat
never made a sound so the shot went off and he fell on top of me and all I could feel was warmth and I
later then realized he was bleeding on me Jasmine says after the shot she struggled to get out from under Henry I
was shaking him I didn't know what to do as I'm trying to wiggle my way free to render
Aid his body was slipping into the water from the dog I didn't know what to do I
didn't know if he was dead she says it took time to make sense of what had happened it was a horrible
accident taking Jack into custody authorities discovered she was carrying a small amount of cocaine they didn't
charge her with possession that night because it hadn't been tested yet had you used cocaine that evening no do you
use cocaine do you have a drug problem I definitely do not have a drug problem at
all and I will say that the substance that they found was not mine whose was it then I don't think I can say that she
said it wasn't hers it's in her purse Cherry jamat the police officer who inspired her younger brother King to get
his badge isn't buying any of it do you believe that your brother on a darken night at the end of a pier at 12:45 in
the morning was actually showing her how to use his Glock 9mm pistol my brother would never do a thing like that when it
comes to firearm he is so skillful and he is so careful you don't believe in any possible way this could have been an
accident I cannot believe that cherry is hopeful that when the ballistics report is revealed it will
lead prosecutors to upgrade the charge Jasmine Hardin should be charged for murder and not
manslaughter either way Jasmine Harton was about to run into a world of trouble a lot Clos closer to home this is
absolutely war war with the billionaire family she once called her own tonight we continue with The Saga of Jasmine
Harton versus Andrew ashro Andrew is inside hiding my kids inside why won't you let me see the kids
Andrew why won't you let me see the children [Music] [Music] from the swaying Palms to the silent roads journalist
Sharice Hol and I went looking for Henry jamaat's Hometown routs Peter this is the hummingbird
Highway in Biz and it's the road to the culture Capital which is dangriga that's
where Henry jamot grew up and where his family still lives we followed the dusty
colorful streets of Dan griga let's stop at that greenhous there I'm looking for
where Henry jamot used to live and we led to Henry Jam's nephew eel this is it he is clear on how his uncle died murder
and the whole family feels that way everybody feels that way but authorities charge Jasmine Harton with manslaughter
not murder and publicly investigators have never suggested any motive for her to have intentionally killed Henry I had
no motive to do that to my friend but Henry's family believes the truth is revealed in how and where he was shot my
brother was shot behind the air execution style that shot echoed through a town famous for its music and drums the beat
Henry jamont loved the Heritage he was passing on to his children we're getting close to the
church where Henry jamat Funeral was held as he had in life the 42-year-old public
servant United the people of Biz wherever he goes wherever he did he shared that love with all of us but how
to comfort sisters who lost the brother they lovingly called King and how to answer 6-year-old Henry
III's question how comes my dad haven't called me well Henry jamat was mourned by a
nation Jasmine Harton was getting a different kind of attention and according to a prison
official the 32-year-old who will be dealt with like any other untried prisoner will become the only Caucasian
among 1,041 inmates still the people of B couldn't help but wonder if Jasmine's race stature and wealth might benefit
her then she was locked up for 13 days myself was infested with cockroaches Miss Aron do you have
anything to see when she finally made bail roughly $15,000 it was paid for by an employee
of the ashcs but Jasmine was already getting the feeling that her partner Andrew wanted her out of sight the day
that I got out I was expecting to be reunited with my children at home but instead I was sent to a house in the
middle of nowhere by myself without my children without a phone Andrew arranged for the house and for the twins to visit
but Jasmine claims he only allowed them to see her one time Andrew claims Jasmine left the house before he could
arrange another visit and being apart from your children what has that been like for you that's one that will get me
to cry um 2 weeks after making bail Jasmine tried to visit the twins herself my son and my daughter at the
Grand colony where she had lived with Andrew Ashcroft it was then that chaos broke out so this is me recording this
is part of the video Jasmine shot Andrew's running so I can't see my children security is literally stopping
me from seeing my children right now in a statement Andrew later wrote that Jasmine was shouting and cursing
and behaving aggressively toward the hotel staff you've been instructed by Andrew to stop me from seeing my
children that's correct he's inside hiding why won't you let me see the children she is startled 2 days later
when she's arrested again this time for assaulting a hotel staff member that day
all I did was tried to collect my personal belongings and see my children and authorities at a charge for cocaine
possession from the night of the Henry jamat shooting this is absolutely ridiculous her bail is then revoked and
she's locked up again but not for long tonight after four more nights Behind Bars Jasmine was out again her bail
restrictions mandated she check in with police every day a 4-Hour round trip drive across believes from where she is
staying and so when you go in what do you say um they ask me a series of questions where I'm staying uh my date
of birth but this day's check-in just two weeks after the confrontation at the hotel why are you keeping my children
from me Andrew would prove anything but routine authorities hand her an order to
appear at a custody hearing reciting Andrew's allegations for reason that that the mother of the children hardly
spends any time with the children first of all I was in jail Andrew Ashcraft seeks full custody of
his children because Jasmine is charged with causing the death of a police officer by negligence as well as the
assault of that hotel employee and claims she is addicted to nonprescription and illegal drugs and a
habitual drunkard it's a vividly different description of the woman Andrew once welcomed into his rarified
world in my opinion this is absolutely War this is absolutely gloves are off the war would be about the custody of
the children a powerful family and a building International Scandal money power image and reputation
mean absolutely everything to that family next up in the war of the Ash cof's money according to Jasmine she's
been cut off financially you didn't have a bank account a trust fund nothing that you
could draw upon not at all Mr Ash is she an mother Andrew Ashcraft declined to speak with 48 hours and his attorney
says with legal proceedings underway it would be quite ill advised to Grant an interview the wheels had come off
Jasmine Harton's life in paradise and she was running scared I've been through what I would
consider hell on Earth but the jamat family says they're the ones going through hell as they continue to mourn
the kind conscientious man they believe Jasmine murdered she gave so many stories so who knows when she's telling
the truth Central to Jasmine's story is that she knew very little about handguns and
that Henry wanted to teach her but recently images have appeared of jasmine in Biz with a
shotgun what does that video tell you that video tell me that Jasmine is well ver have wide knowledge of bigger
Firearms this is you with a semi automatic rifle yes it has a magazine a clip so I'm guessing you know how how to
take out a magazine and reinsert it into a weapon that picture was from 2012 when I was at a Las Vegas shooting
range they don't let you load your Firearms what the video doesn't show is that it really was probably my 10th
attempt at the watermelon I'm not very good with Firearms Jasmine says she knew next to
nothing about handguns I do not know how to handle a 9mm properly at all as we can tell it would come down to this was
the gun used to kill Henry jamat fired by accident we asked an expert is it easy
to accidentally fire this weapon [Music] there's a lot writing on Jasmine Harton's account of Henry jamaat's
shooting so we wanted an expert opinion about whether her story lines up what are you holding in your hand
this is a Glock 17 9mm pistol it's the same type of weapon that was used in the shooting incident that occurred in bise
David Katz is a former DEA agent and a veteran Firearms instructor who taught at the FBI DEA Academy in
Quantico if used properly how safe is a Glock 17 these are an extremely safe cat
says Glock handguns are designed to withstand almost any amount of jostling without accidentally firing I could bang
it I could drop it it's not going to go off but cat says there's one notable exception a potential key to
understanding what happened on that Pier we showed him portions of my interview with Jasmine I'm trying to get
the magazine out as you can see from Jasmine's gestures she says she was fumbling around to release the Guns
Magazine if her finger was on the trigger and the trigger moved to the rear with 5 lbs of pressure the gun's
going to go bang pulling the trigger on Glock pistols can be easier than on some other handguns says
cats this is a GL for and accidental trigger pulls could happen to anyone even to Veterans like this DEA agent who
who accidentally shot himself let me get a sense of how much force it'll take to to fire this
weapon that feels pretty light to me yeah it's 5.5 lb consciously did I pull the trigger no even though Jasmine says
she doesn't remember she had to have pulled the trigger there's no doubt about it she pulled the
trigger cat says trigger accidents can result from something called sympathetic contraction in which Contracting one
hand muscle triggers others too let's assume you put your finger on the trigger in this position you squeeze the
bottom fingers your trigger finger is going to similarly squeeze as well another possible Factor alcohol Jasmine
says both she and Henry jamat had been drinking that night there is no better way to get
yourself hurt than by messing with firearm when you are impaired I was under the impression that the gun was
completely empty at the time one or both of them could have unloaded the magazine
says Catz forgetting there was a bullet ready to fire in the chamber based on what you've heard her
say and what you know about the Glock 17 could this have been an accidental shooting yeah it could have been it's a
troubling story from so many aspects starting with why why know why she practicing in the dark but then when she
talks about where her hand was when the round went off could it have been an accidental discharge absolutely yes we
don't know what forensics ballistics or other tests authorities have conducted prosecutors aren't saying I have no idea
what evidence they have against me because they haven't released any of it [Music]
yet but Jasmine says Henry's sister Cherry confronted her when the two women met by chance in July of
2021 I said Jasmine why did you kill my brother her response was I'm sorry it was an accident I told
her Jasmine you don't know what you have done to my family do you believe you deserve any sort of legal punishment for
what happened on that Pier I believe that it's an it's it was an accident and I do accept any punishment M that comes
my way under basian law she could get as much as 5 years for negligent manslaughter but also as little as a
fine without any more jail time it would be an injustice to the family ever since his funeral Henry
jamat has watched over his family from a portrait on the wall the children would
sit in the sofa and they play with him up there Jasmine lost custody of her children in
2022 and is not allowed to visit them anymore and giving the enduring mystery of exactly what happened that night
Jasmine Harton May forever live under a cloud of Suspicion It's haunting me I think about how his poor kids must
feel being without their dad and I wish I could take it back [Music] 48 Hours don't miss an episode
[Music] he was brilliant phenomenally handsome he was everything that to me symbolized a future with a capital
f it just clicked and from that first day there was never any doubt that we were meant to meet
[Music] I saw the outline of the gun he was going to die that night no matter what this is a story about two people
John and Anne Bender Who from the outside world seemed perfect John Bender was a Wall Street genius and very
quickly made upwards of half a billion dollars by the time he was in his early 30s there whole worlds were each other
and when they found each other they really didn't need anything else we built the house with the idea of
it being our home to our taste they said let's Retreat to Costa Rica to the deepest part of the
rainforest and set up a nature preserve not many people are willing or want to live in a house that has no
walls our architect said we were nuts you were happy I loved it and John was happy yes as happy as John could
be what you think is Paradise isn't necessarily paradise John and an had problems that money just couldn't fix
they were living a very inward life they had cut off the world he had decided that the world would be better off
without it there were no lights on all I knew was he had a gun and I tried to get it
away from him and I couldn't and it went off it comes down to basically two people in a room with a gun I tried to
stop him it sure looked like this guy was shot in the back of his head while was
sleeping I was framed I was set up to be accused of the death of my [Music] husband I refuse to give up I'm I'm just
not going to [Music] [Music] [Music] 48 Hours Paradise [Music] Lost I had accepted the fact that I
would have to live the rest of my life with somewhat of a question mark over my head Anne Bender has lived under a cloud
of Suspicion since 2010 when her husband John was shot to death in the Costa Rican
rainforest in 2015 she went to prison for murder but now says total Vindication is so close she can taste it
I've been waiting a long time for [Music] this it was in 2001 that the Benders moved to this remote corner of Central
America to live an extravagant idilic dream in a way the strip is like going home it is going home home was this
that's the house oh my Lord called borak Kayan rising from the middle of the Costa Rican
rainforest it was once an and John Bender's vision of paradise the phrase over the the top
doesn't begin to do this house Justice it's like some bizarre combination of Disneyland an art museum and something
you'd really only see in a James Bond [Applause] [Music] movie does this strike you as
astonishing every time you're here or are you just totally used to it I'm used to it by now it's home you can see four
floors there he oh my goodness I just saw a bird nearly 50,000 Square ft this is your kitchen tons of gleaming Granite
kitchen that was the dining room and the living room is on the other side and no
windows or walls at all I think that's one of the things I miss the most is the sounds of the
birds where is the bathroom right here we built the house to our taste which is crazy John and and always had
been a bit eccentric from the moment a friend introduced them in Virginia in 1998 it was love at first sight for both
of us the daughter of an international Banker she'd grown up all over the world and he was smitten he proposed after
just two weeks they married the next year we both found in each other a future they shared many interests and
one un fortunate problem both struggled with depression specifically in an's case with bipolar mood disorder I had
just been diagnosed with bipolarity he could go from being extremely happy to extremely sad very
quick his friend Pete delisi says John hated doctors and dealt with his problems mostly in private he was
absolutely a genius John Bender had been a math and science whiz in high school then studied physics at the University
of Pennsylvania his looks got him work as a male model and his smarts helped him
beat the odds of the local casinos he had an unusual talent for making money a talent that blossomed at the
Philadelphia Stock Exchange in just about 5 minutes he developed a way of trading options that had never been done
before and within just a few years he was one of the top Traders by the time he was 25 I think he had amassed about
80 million by the time he was in his early 30s uh he set up a hedge fund that was worth 5 to 600
million Ned Zan is a reporter and CBS News consultant he says that by 1998 Bender was looking for both a safe haven
for his money and a purpose for his life and that for all his Brilliance and his
bank balance he never really fit in with the Wall Street crowd he just walks away
from it just walked away but not without a plan he and an both animal lovers decided to use their
Fortune to start a refuge for wildlife in the dense rainforest of Costa Rica they found the ideal location 5,000
pristine Acres they named it boracayan after a native plant I mean this is as out there as you can get
setting up a sanctuary for wildlife gave the vendors a sanctuary too an escape to
an extravagant private Universe of exotic flowers animals and waterfalls here nothing was ordinary not
even the lights in the house many were customade of stained glass how many lamps are we talking about here
approximately 400 you just said 400 yeah she says John thought the lamps would brighten her outlook on the
world Depression was an immense bond between them it's a very isolating disease and people tend to pull away
from society although construction of the house brought in running water reliable
electricity and dozens of jobs to the area the project and the vendors got a chilly reception there was definitely a
degree of who are these rich Ringo and who the hell do they think they are coming down and doing all of
this then came April 2001 it happened on this Mountain Road an says armed men in an unmarked car
forced them onto the shoulder the men claimed to be police but wore no uniforms I thought it was a
kidnapping one pulled Jon from his car and when he protested this guy fired the gun between Jon's legs and held up the
gun to John's head I was terrified that's when our entire lives changed she says an attempted Breakin at
the house months later only made things worse the couple bought guns hired guards and turned the Refuge into a
virtual Fortress they lived in fear it makes me very sad to think back on how painful
life could be for him in 2005 perhaps trying to write the ship Bender set up a $70 million trust to manage The Refuge
and provide for an's living expenses he named this man attorney Juan Alvarez to run it Alvarez was then a trusted
advisor later Ann would point to him as a key figure in the events surrounding Jon's
death but neither the trust nor nor the guards nor the guns stopped the couple's
continuing slide into depression and says John saw a psychiatrist but refused anti-depressants she however was taking
an enormous amount of medication and by the fall of 2009 says she had all but stopped eating I was 40
lbs lighter than I am now by the next year they had become prisoners in their own par Paradise the
natural beauty that brought them here lost in irrational despair an says John became convinced
that every problem her illness even the death of a pet bird was his fault he became suicidally
depressed the stage was set he wanted to die [Music] I'm sure this seems as real to you today
as it did that night so what happened John brought a gun to bed it was January 7th 2010 I opened my eyes
and I saw the outline of the trigger of the gun and he had it pointed at his head at his
at himself horrified Anne Bender says she recognized their 9mm Ruger pistol from what I could tell he was holding it
with both hands and what' you do I got up on my knees and reared towards him and I tried to grab the gun were you
able to get it no I was able to get my hands around his and the gun slipped and it went
off just minutes later their security guard asalo agular was first on the scene she said to me I tried to stop him
and I couldn't do it he told us was there a long Struggle No was it just instant almost instantaneous
I remember it as being instantaneous it couldn't have been any more than 2 seconds when it went off who was holding
it I don't think anyone was holding it how does a gun go off when no one's holding it I think that it fell he
dropped it I never touched the gun and told roughly the same story to the First Responders who arrived here at
boracayan some 2 hours later but reporter Ned Zan says that their examination of the scene actually raised
more questions than it answered why does somebody who's suicidal shoot himself back here they said first of all that
John was left-handed and how does a left-handed person lying in bed shoot himself here
prosecutor Edgar Ramirez has a simple answer he doesn't if somebody wanted to commit
suicide he says the way do it is here here or here but if a left-handed person did
fatally shoot himself behind the right ear the gun presumably would end up on the same side as The Bullet Hole just to
be clear the gun is on the opposite side from the wound yes the the wound is on this side of Jon's head he's laying on
his back the gun is over there on this side of his bed near his arm so you know that doesn't look good there were no
lights on all I knew is he had a gun and I tried to get it away from him and I couldn't and it went
off but investigators puzzled over the bullet's path entering just below the right ear and ending up behind the left
eye odd to was the location of a spent cartridge found some 13 ft behind the bed all they thought inconsistent with
an's story of a struggle did you move anything touch anything change anything in that room the only thing I remember
doing is using the radio unlocking the elevator and touching John but as far as the gun the shell
casings pillow remember I don't remember anything a pillow near Jon's head had a
tear with gunpowder in it which means the pillow was positioned over his head and the gun was fired the prosecutor
told us within hours investigators began to think John Bender may have been shot in
his sleep and died where he lay there were pools of blood on both sides of his body the earplugs he always wor still in
place starting from the fourth floor down we started looking says inspector Luis agular who led a sweep of the house
and quickly discovered something that stopped him cold we found a great amount of jewels
precious stones gems thousands of them diamonds rubies Opals some on display others in suitcases worth roughly $20
million when you talk about the jewelry collection you know I have jewelry I don't think that's what you're talking
about no no no in no way shape or form investigators didn't see it as a jewelry collection either to them it looked a
lot more like a smuggling operation do you think that the fact that when the police got here they find all these
amazing Jewels do you think that it it prejudiced them um you know so what strange doesn't mean that you're a
criminal an says the gems were merely a hobby and an investment and says she did
her best to cooperate that night I was falling to pieces within hours of Jon's death after calling her family and
Juan Alvarez the trustee of boracayan I went into some sort of shock mode she was rushed to the hospital
emaciated and covered with sores my understanding is they were giving me a 40% chance of survival for the first two
weeks what was her condition then terrible in what way dehydrated extremely thin her
psychiatrist Carlos Lano who Anne authorized to speak with us met her in intensive care just hours later was she
in touch with reality in and doubt do you think she was even physically capable of doing
what the prosecution alleged no and could not even hold a fork when she was here Ann Bender would
remain hospitalized for 7 months under Dr lano's care and under a growing cloud of
Suspicion they were beginning to say this doesn't look like an accident this doesn't look like suicide this looks
like a lot like a murder and they began looking at her as a suspect did you for one second until it actually happened
think that you were going to be charged no [Music] she was Skin and Bones I mean she looked
horrid the Bender friend Paul Meyer visited an in the hospital just days after her arrival she weighed 84 lbs she
literally looked like someone who had just walked out of a concentration camp sick or not she already was
investigator's number one murder suspect police confiscated her clothes and her computer
but it's unclear if they examined John's messages or ever saw these chilling excerpts dated just weeks before he died
I wish I were effing dead it reads I feel so effing horrible I want to kill everyone and then myself a window an
says on a tormented soul John was the most tortured person I've ever met he had been wanting to kill himself for
weeks she thinks the lawyers Bender trustee Juan Alvarez hired for her should have used Jon's messages in her
defense they wouldn't comment on strategy they never manifested that I was innocent so their position was oh
yeah she did do this by not doing anything they were making it inevitable that I would be charged 19 months after
Bender died an was officially charged with murder convinced the jams have been smuggled into the country
authorities later also charged her with possessing Contraband all she is sure just what
Juan Alvarez wanted why to hide the fact she claims that he had siphoned money from the 70 million
Bender trust I'm the only person that can stop him or bring scrutiny into what he's
done in July 2012 with murder charges hanging over her head an Bender took Juan Alvarez to court for
fraud the suit claimed Alvarez used the Bender trust as his personal piggy bank buying horses for his horse farm and
paying his credit card bills authorities raided his office and confiscated 135 boxes of documents the court then
removed Alvarez as trustee this investigation will go nowhere because the accusations are
bogus he told us but whatever Juan Alvarez did or did not do he did not shoot John Bender and
prosecutors see an's lawsuit as an attempt to distract them from their firm belief that she did they just didn't see
how that gunshot could have been in that part of his head by Suicide was this suicide or an accident
or murder the forensic evidence is so vital in this case it's incredible we brought in outside experts to Bora Kion
and ask them to take a look at it this was the bedroom this is where John Bender died in the rarified world of
forensic science you can see there's a lot of blood on the crime scene Selma and Richard eelen bom are
internationally recognized but sometimes controversial experts known for stirring
debate in high-profile cases once thought open and shut like this and this one from the start they say some Costa
Rican authorities had a preconceived idea that this was murder the pathology report is very straight from the
beginning this is a homicide and let's prove it's a homicide he does look like he's sleeping a lot of people who die
with their eyes closed look like they're sleeping and they might have been wide awake when it happened the prosecutor
said if you're going to shoot yourself everyone knows it's here or it's here or it's here well that's completely
unscientific if that's an example of the logic they used in this case then I'm really very worried they cite other
Monumental mistakes not immediately testing for gunpowder residue not fingerprinting the gun not testing the
sheets for blood spatter what is the most vital thing that they missed I think the trajectory then you can place
the shooter on the scene in relation to the victim it's like this they told us the trajectory the path the bullet
followed was critical to understanding where the gun was when it was fired and if an or John fired it looking at this
investigation how would you grade it um very [Music] poor in January 2013 a three-judge panel acquitted Anne
Bender of murder she was safe but not for [Music] long after her AC quiddle Anne Bender
hoped for a new start hey uh-uh but never thought of leaving Costa Rica moving instead to a small apartment when
the truck trust stopped paying her bills friends and family helped she began dating a new boyfriend another American
Greg Fisher she has never not done what his court system has asked her to do never not done what his government has
asked her to do so she says she was shocked in May 2014 when the Costa Rican government put
her on trial for murder a second time it may seem odd to Americans but in Costa Rica there is no Double Jeopardy
rule so if a prosecutor doesn't like a verdict he can appeal and if he wins try the defendant all over again with the
same charges the same evidence and the same Witnesses this time there are new judges
but prosecutors repeat their case arguing that the evidence from the body the bullet casing the entry wound blood
stains and pillow case prove this was murder defense attorney Fabio okon Trio is just as insistent it was suicide in
all homicide there's a reason in this case there's no reason and in a risky move he decides
there is nobody better able to make that point than Anne Bender herself I want to
make a statement and make a statement she certainly does I was so happy here when we moved here she stays on the
stand the entire day he was talking about suicide every day for at least 4 weeks it was an issue of getting through
every day you you seem to be saying that there was no way to prevent him from attempting
suicide I tried my hardest not saying just no way for you there was no Avenue open no period this was this was
destined to be he wanted to [Music] die in his testimony security guard and first responder Oswaldo agular describes
the scene but he also raises questions about one of the prosecutor's key assumptions the main point of evidence
for the prosecution was Jon was left-handed the bullet wound is behind the right side of his head you're lying
in bed how does a suicidal man possibly end up shooting himself like this agular
has an answer pointing out that though a lefty John Bender carried his gun on the
right side but testifying for the prosecution forensic pathologist Gretchen Flores
doesn't care if John Bender was right or left-handed she and says suicide is inconceivable another person she says
would have have to fire the weapon her conclusion from the blood evidence and the position of the body John Bender
never saw the shot coming it's 6 cm from the midline at boracayan our independent
forensics experts Richard and Selma iin bom tested that idea that Jon's body never moved it would explain the blood
we find over here but it doesn't explain the blood over there in their view it had to have moved for the blood to have
pulled as it did on both sides of his body so his head was completely different this was the position of his
head when he was shot the blood PN analysis uh support the hypothesis that there was some sort of fight they showed
us how a struggle could have happened how Ann's efforts to get the gun could make it
fire vle goes like this and he start bleeding oozing how John's body then might have moved and he slowly falls
back in this position which accounts for the blood on this side on this side I lunged forward towards him with my hands
I fell towards the center of the bed and the gun went off the hypothesis that he was shut in
the position he was found is not supported by this evidence also unlikely the eand bom say is the prosecutor's
theory that Anne shot her husband from behind the bed this trajectory is not very likely it doesn't make any sense no
I mean just look at me if if I would shoot him through the head I would go like this and they showed us why they
think the odd location of the spent cartridge such damning proof according to the
prosecution really proves nothing at all the casing can end up in that position if the gun is Twisted far enough around
correct there is no chance she murdered her husband an's family and friends want
to make sure the judges think so two if I thought an had anything to do with this in any way shape or form I wouldn't
be here but for Ned Zan the case is no longer clear so you can see a scenario where it's an accident yes where it's
suicide and where it might be murder you can see all these yes I absolutely can and I think anybody who sat in that
courtroom would probably say the same thing except for maybe an and her attorney um because it's any of those
make sense in his closing prosecutor Ramirez insists there is only one plausible
scenario an Bender shot her husband defense attorney okono Trio pleads for reason saying an is not an
assassin facing a possible 25 years in prison an herself has the last word I did not kill John
but even after four years and two trials she is unprepared for this verdict translation guilty of
[Music] murder her friends and family sit stunned she is sentenced immediately to 22 years
in prison and she is Led away I really don't remember much after that except the police officers
surrounding me her boyfriend Greg Fisher is devastated I don't think she's going
to live I don't think she's going to survive the reality that I could be here for 22 years have I accepted that I
don't think there's any way that I can [Music] immediately after being sentenced to 22
years for murder Anne Bender appealed her conviction there's no evidence that proves Beyond a reasonable doubt that I
killed John the evidence doesn't exist we met with her 6 weeks later in prison I'm still surviving and I refuse to give
up I'm I'm just not going to and giving up in this place would be tempting there are about 50 women per
room three toilets no hot water no privacy none zero n and no guarantee she won't spend the rest of her life Behind
Bars how did you fight back from something like that when in those surroundings you surviv you do what you
got to do then in the winter of 2015 after 9 months in prison a development almost as stunning as an's conviction
she wins her appeal the court annuls the verdict she will have to face yet another trial but she is released for
now she learns all this from a friendly guard I said you're kidding I can leave and she said yeah you're free I fell to
the ground complet I just lost it but in this story bad news always seems to follow the good and an soon learns she
is not off the hook prosecutors have decided to try her for a third time her third trial begins about 6
months later and not only is an physically more fragile than ever she has suffered a major personal setback
her boyfriend Greg fiser died of an Asma attack while she was in prison but at this trial there is no
shortage of people to lean on an's parents her best friend Seline she's the best human being that I've ever met a
lot of people that are close to me are very invested in my my getting out of this John Bender's old friend Pete
delisi has called in legal reinforcements too two lawyers from the UK and two from the US
paid by an they'll advise her local attorney and closely monitor the trial making sure the judges know they're
watching an's biggest challenge may be just holding herself together in court in contrast to her dayong
testimony in previous trials she is on the stand for only 2 hours and this time she tries to appeal to the
judges by testifying in Spanish once again telling her story is an emotional [Music]
[Music] ordeal prosecutor Edgar Ramirez's approach to this trial is much the same
but he appears to be minus several key Witnesses including his star medical examiner Gretchen Flores she has
mysteriously gone missing and supporters call it an obvious delaying tactic it's part of
their strategy they drag this out as long as they can so that everyone leaves but this time team Bender has some star
Witnesses of its own so he's lying like this and and that's what they say we've come here to uh participate in the truth
finding Selma and Richard Eland B high powerered and controversial they investigated the clothing and there was
no blood there Ann's lawyers hired the Dutch forensic experts after the iand bomes completed their independent
analysis for 48 hours but for the C boms to testify the Costa Rican judges must agree to make an exception
and allow new Witnesses Selma yoland Maria we don't know if we can testify or or not the
prosecution strenuously object the judges decide that Selma can testify here you see the bullet Richard
canot would say okay was this gun but the defense still can use him he will be allowed to cross-examine the state's
medical examiner Gretchen Flores finally has resurfaced after two weeks Richard ikan bom's chance to question this
witness is an opportunity but also a big challenge Flores is as certain as ever that Anne Bender killed
[Music] John we're not lawyers so it's it's a new role here you have a photo Costa
Rican law prohibits American style cross-examination in which lawyers use questions suggesting the answers they
want so Ann's legal team quickly has to train this Dutch scientist to think like
a Costa Rican attorney we have absolutely a lot of work to do to help an he'll have to pointedly ask medical
examiner Flores about her experience expent without seeming to have an opinion either way it seems to me what
we can do is explore what experiments the crown have so the prosecution have not done when did you do this you didn't
do you didn't do this that's fine is providing information and we're not allow it's providing information yes
indirectly how do you get that information after working all weekend the team is
ready now we have to play lawyer games do you know um if this gun was tested for uh the distance of a
missile flame no I don't know am I allowed to show a picture yes go ahead Richard Iken bom
has to tread carefully and the constraints limit what he can accomplish but next it's Selma's turn
she is a witness I remember her walking in and the reaction of the judges you know just seeing her cuz she has such an
amazing presence in the courtroom and as a witness she can go much further I see
no support for the scenario of a homicide her testimony was amazing in my opinion as an
expert all the evidence that is available points clearly in the direction of a suicide
the prosecutor makes a last ditch effort to strike Selma's testimony from the record but for now the judges decide it
can stay you can't unring the Bell they heard what she said it's been three long
weeks at last they are ready to vote on a verdict after three trials and nearly 10
years the judges are looking at me and I hear the words not guilty ab and that translates
absolved absolved [Music] yeah the world believes me finally this time an takes no chance
Es as soon as Costa Rican authorities return her passport she flies home to the US with no intention of ever going
back to Costa Rica regardless of what zealous prosecutors do we caught up with her in Washington I don't see you flying
down to Costa Rica for a fourth trial I don't see it either not a chance no not so fast in a jaw-dropping decision
months later a Costa Rican Court announces yes it intends to try and Bender a fourth time her stunned lawyers
immediately appeal but win or lose it's doubtful prosecutors actually could try her again trials in obena are not
allowed in Costa Rica while there is an extradition treaty in place legal experts say that after three trials they
would be shocked to see the us extradite Anne Bender for a fourth in fact an seems finally to have
put this one-time Paradise behind her her past there as haunted as the abandoned overgrown jungle compound she
left behind I'll never get back everything that was taken for me obviously I'll never get back my husband now it's time
to go after what can be recovered and find a life again [Music]

“48 Hours" reports on cases involving deaths abroad. Watch the YouTube mini-marathon, which includes "Out of Reach," "Jasmine Hartin's Shot in the Dark" and " Paradise Lost."

00:00 Out of Reach 42:10 Jasmine Hartin's Shot in the Dark 1:23:48 Paradise Lost

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

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Brief Summary

The episode examines the 1988 murder of Carolyn Abel in South Korea and the ensuing investigation that implicated her friends.

Key points

The Murder of Carolyn Abel. Carolyn Abel's brutal murder shocked her friends and family, leaving them searching for answers.
The Investigation Begins. As Carolyn's friends grapple with her death, they become suspects in the investigation.
The Search for Justice. Carolyn's family fights for justice as the investigation takes unexpected turns.
Kathy's Denial of Guilt. In a shocking interview, Kathy Patrick insists she is innocent despite evidence against her.
The Outrage of Injustice. The Abel family reflects on the injustice of a murderer living freely.
The Heart of the Story. The nature of Jasmine and Henry's relationship becomes central to the narrative.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

This still gets to you, doesn't it?

15:37WatchMar 1, 2025

Tension

75/ 100High tension

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