Stunning Conclusions | “48 Hours" Full Episodes | Forensic Files

[Music] All rise. Court statements show that on March 13th, 2003, David Lee was killed by a single gunshot
wound to his forehead. North County 911. Help me. Help me. My husband's hurt himself. The report uh on the 911 call
was that he had shot himself. Gentleman's laying in a bed. guns laying beside him. Look, look right here.
Here's another hole. He's fired more than once. Look right over above his head there. There's also a shot into the
bed, which is a little suspicious in itself. There was more than one shot. And while that's not unheard of, well,
it didn't look like a suicide scene. And the state will show that the person who
delivered that fatal blow was the defendant Reel Lee. He was shot almost in the middle of his forehead, but right
above his his left eye. There were no signs of forced entry. There were no signs of a struggle. And there was no
one else at the residence but the defendant. Can you connect Rella to that weapon?
Fingerprints? Anyone see or pick up the gun? No. To any of the bullets that were
used in that gun? No. That's a problem, isn't it, in this case? [Music] Everything good about this woman was
twisted. Everything good about this woman was turned around to be evil. There's not any real evidence to suggest
a homicide. And if I were to pull the trigger in this direction, I could strike myself the left eyebrow. Am I
right? Yes, you could. There was only one person who who wanted to harm David and at that point it was David. He was
acting suicidal. And he makes his decision and he takes aim. He's a great lawyer. He's super
prepared. Fantastic lawyer. Fantastic. A bad actor. I just tried to focus on the evidence
and where that was leading me. It was hard for me to determine. You'll tell me if that's approximately 1 ft. Where we
were going with certain things and trying to piece those things together. Decide each line is an individual stain.
But you're not making a decision just by yourself. You're making a decision as a
group. This is a decision never to be taken lightly. And I assure you that this court takes this responsibility
very seriously. [Music] As a senior judge, most every case that I try is somewhat controversial. Now, in
this case, it's it's kind of simple. If it was a homicide, did the evidence show
that Rainella Leaf committed the homicide? Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I really could not believe what he
was saying as he said it. You're not quite sure if this is really where this is going. I personally have studied
every shred of evidence or testimony just like you have. Oh, I got to breathe. No matter where we think we're going
here, that can't be how this ends. [Music] [Music] 48 hours. The widow on Sway Road
to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God,
indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Inside this courthouse in Knoxville, Tennessee, let the record
reflect that all the jurors are in the box. And uh all parties are are are present.
A real life drama is taking place that rivals any southern gothic novel. I'm Josh Hedrickk. We haven't met before,
have we? No, we haven't. It's a pleasure. This is not a story that would happen in a sleepy New England town.
It's too southern. He would bring her a rose once a week and they would go out to dinner. There is the gentility.
With your permission, I'll remove my coat because I had some difficulty with it previously. And underneath that very
respectable surface, it seems like everything's rotting to the core. Unless you really know what's
inside somebody's mind. If I were to then place it here, you don't really know why they do what they do, do you?
Best-selling author Diane Fanning has written about this case and the players. This is something that a fiction writer
would write about. Give us your name, please, ma'am. Rainella Leaf. Rainella Leath, a 68-year-old
grandmother, is at the center of this extraordinary tale. Have you decided whether or not you wish to testify in
your trial? I do not wish to testify. Very well. You've got an unbelievable character. There were people she knew in
college who said, "Well, she was great. She was a lot of fun. as long as she didn't cross her.
[Music] And ever since 2003, the former nurse has been the prime suspect in the death
of her second husband, David Le. Help me. Help me. My My husband hurt himself. It was Rainella's 911 call on the
morning of March 13, 2003 that sent police rushing to the Leaf home. This is Detective Morris with the
sheriff's department. We're out on a uh possible suicide, gunshot wound. These are audio and video recordings made by
police at the scene. No sign of a nose or anything lying around anywhere. Listen to investigators
as they begin wondering about that death called in as a suicide. The guns laying next to his left hand
which is curled underneath him. We got three fired rounds. What I have a problem with is one is where the rounds
at and the way he's lay. I'm not saying it it stinks. I'm just saying it strikes. Detectives wanted to establish
where Rella had been all morning and she agreed to talk. the only time she's spoken on the record. She remembers
watching television with her husband David that morning before leaving his breakfast on the nightstand.
He kissed me goodbye and he said if I'm not here when you get back I'll be at the Y. I said okay. It
was close to 9:30 she says when she headed to the hospital to visit her mother-in-law. Just call fourth floor. I
can tell you. When she arrived home shortly after 11, she found her husband laying in a bloody
bed with a gunshot to his head. I could tell something was wrong when I looked at him. I mean, I've worked in
emergency. I know. Where'd he keep his gun at? I don't know where that gun is from. I've
never seen that gun in my whole life. The gum was believed to have belonged to David's parents.
David's sudden death left Reinella a grieving widow for the second time. Her first husband, Ed Dosset, had died 11
years earlier. Reinella and Ed met at East Tennessee State University where she was on the rifle team and studying
to be a nurse. He planned to go to law school. What drew those two together? Reella was such a confident woman. She
had presence and I think that Ed was really drawn to that. They married and moved to Ed's 165 acre family farm in
the tight-knit community of Sway just outside Knoxville where they raised cattle
and three children, Maggie, Eddie Jr., and Katie. Rainella was extremely protective of her children. They became
the power couple in town when Ed was elected Knox County District Attorney General. Reanella was director of
nursing at Park West Hospital. But their lives took a tragic turn when at the age of 43, Ed was diagnosed with
terminal cancer. 9 months later, he died not from his illness, but in a freak farming accident.
But Reinella wasn't a widow for long. Six months later, she shot friends and family when she remarried. David Leath
was a local barber. And Ed Dosit's best friend and neighbor. She fixed his food and start his car in the morning and she
just treated him like a king. David's daughter Cindy Wilkerson and his cousin Beth Roberts say the whirlwind romance
was all the talk in Sway. What do you think he saw in Rainella? She's charming. I said to my mother, I thought
he'd hit the jackpot with this girl because she was so pretty and so interesting. I just thought this is
going to be a great fit. But Reella's newfound happiness was short-lived. Less than 2 years after she remarried, her
11-year-old son was killed in a car crash. She was very sad and very, very heartbroken.
Cindy says she began seeing changes in Reinella and her father's relationship. They didn't seem as happy as they were
when they first got married. 5 years later, more heartbreak. David was hospitalized. He began seeing a
neurologist for signs of dementia and depression. In early 2003, Reella says David's
behavior became more erratic. Concerned, she began making notes in a private journal. On January 19th, she wrote,
"Dave hateful today. I cried and cried." 3 days later, things hadn't improved. "Dave hateful, controlling, his way or
no way. I cried." Seven weeks after writing those words, David was dead. What did you think had happened to your
dad? Somebody had shot him, but I knew that he didn't do it. [Music] Do you miss your dad
every day? Every haircut, every styling in the middle chair at this Knoxville barber
shop reminds Cindy Wilkerson of her father, David Le. It's the same chair he used for 39 years. My dad was fun,
loving, caring, and it's a joy to use the same chair he did. Cindy inherited the chair in 2000 when
her father suddenly retired at the age of 54. What he kept secret were all those
visits to the neurologist. If he was suicidal over dementia, Cindy never saw it. When Reinella said your dad
committed suicide, did you initially think, well, well, maybe he did, but it's just hard to believe. No, I never
did think that my dad was scared to death of guns, and I knew that he couldn't have done that. And Cindy
questioned why her right-handed father would have used his left hand to shoot himself above his left eye. He was
totally blind out of that eye. As her doubt soared, so did her suspicions about her stepmother's role. And she
wasn't alone. Within 24 hours, Dr. Darinka Malusnik, the Knox County Medical Examiner, discounted Reella's
claim of suicide and ruled David Lee's death a homicide. Reella became the focus of attention.
It was clear to David's family what should happen next. Investigation, indictment,
trial. But it doesn't. I know. Not even close. Remember Ranella was the widow of a district
attorney general. Crime writer and 48 hours consultant Diane Fanning says that was the problem. Almost everybody
working in that office either worked with Ed knew Ed or knew Reinella. There was a conflict of interest. Finding an
outside prosecutor to take the Leath case dragged on, making things more difficult. No one could figure out the
motive. Murder doesn't always make sense. Cindy was becoming more and more frustrated. She wanted something to be
done about her father's murder. With the criminal case stalled in March 2006, Cindy filed a civil suit against
Reinella to stop her from inheriting David's estate. Prosecutors took notice. Three and a half years after David Lee's
death, Reanella was charged with his murder. And that's when old suspicion surfaced about the death of her first
husband. Ed Dosset had been found in a field in July 1992, surrounded by his cattle. He had
apparently been trampled to death. Did anyone wonder about how Ed Doss died? Yes, the reports were an agricultural
accident, but some folks in the community had a problem with that scenario. Ed grew up
on a farm. For him to have been trampled by his own cattle, that just didn't make
sense. What's more, folks wondered how Ed, weak with cancer and heavily medicated, even
managed to get all the way from his house to the cattle. He died in a way that almost sounded like something you'd
hear on a soap opera. Diane Fanning says there had been a theory going around Sawway that Doss's
death was actually about insurance. Rainella and the kids would get a bigger payout if it was an accident instead of
cancer. It might have even been Ed Doss's idea himself. Couldn't it have been? It could have been Ed Dos's idea
and that's what stopped some of the other people from wanting to pursue it because if Ed knew he was about to die,
but he wanted his family to be more secure financially, he might have said, "Take me out there.
Let the cows trump on me. Nearly a year after Ray Nella was charged with David Lee's murder, the same medical examiner
who ruled that death a homicide reviewed Ed Doss file. Dr. Malucus determined it
wasn't cattle that killed him. It was a morphine overdose. It was a huge story. The widow of a
district attorney general was now charged with murdering two husbands. Reella was now being described as a
black widow even though she had never gone to trial on any death. No, it was just suspicions were gathering around
her. Which is why Diane Fanny called her book her deadly web. Is it possible that
Relo is just a very unlucky woman? Yeah, but coincidence makes me itchy. Prosecutors decided to try her for David
Lee's murder first. In 2009, 6 years after his death, Reanella finally went on trial. But it turns out that was only
the beginning. The jury deadlocked 11 to1 11 to1 to convict. The judge was forced to declare a mistrial. It was
here in Knox County, so it it wasn't shocking to me. A year later, Reella was back in court
for trial number two. The case was the same, but this time jurors were unanimous.
Reinella was convicted of firstdegree murder and sentenced to life in prison. I felt like justice had been served and
I was happy. So were prosecutors. With Reinella behind bars, they dropped the murder charges for the death of her
first husband, Ed Doset. Never expecting what came next. I would describe her as
lucky. Very lucky. After she served six years, Reella's conviction was tossed out. The reason,
the trial judge had been seriously impaired with a drug addiction and was kicked off the bench. What was your
reaction when you heard the verdict had been overturned? I was devastated. Couldn't believe it.
14 years after the death of David Le call the jury in please. It's now trial number three. Statements show that on
March and prosecutor Steve Crump's turn to try Rainella Le. Is there a way to describe this case? I'm snake bit
because what can go wrong will go wrong. [Music] It's May 2017. [Music] Everyone is ready.
The trial, one of the last of Senior Judge Paul Summer's career, is set to begin.
First to present, District Attorney General Steve Crump in what all sides hope will be the last trial in this
case. The person who delivered that fatal blow was the defendant, Rainella Leaf. He
argues Reella's murderous plan unraveled the moment she fired that first shot and
missed. Once she missed, it changed the whole dynamic. She ended his life with that second shot and then in an attempt
to cover up, she fired that third shot to get gunshot residue on him. You're describing a pretty coldblooded killer.
Yes, that's what I think she is. We'll show you what's been marked previously as exhibit 36 and ask if you can
identify that. For the prosecution, the gun, a Colt 38 police special revolver, reveals some of the most important
clues. May I step down? Don Carman is a former Tennessee Bureau of Investigation
agent. Like I say, it's a very old, simple firearm. However, very effective. This picture of the cylinder was taken
at the scene. The three fired rounds have small indentations or hammer strikes in the center of the casing. The
unfired rounds do not. For each particular shot, it goes to the next chamber. As you look at it right now, it's going
clockwise. Yes, your honor. Prosecutors say that clockwise rotation of the cylinder tells
the order of the shots. The first cartridge fired would be this one. The second would be this one,
and the third would be this one. The first two cartridges are from silver Remington bullets. Fragments of those
were found in the wall and David Lee's head. But the third is different. It's a gold Winchester found shot through the
mattress. If that gold bullet was fired last, as the prosecution believes, that means it came after David Leath was
already shot in the head, severing his brain stem. Knox County Medical Examiner Dr. Dinka Malusnik. Was David Lee
in any way capable of any sort of voluntary movement after that bullet transsected his brain? None whatsoever.
Next, prosecutors turn to the blood spatter. These round drops of blood on the wall tell investigators that David's
head had to be raised nearly a foot above the mattress when the bullet was fired. The only way that all of this
works together is that if Rel is standing at the side of the bed and she misses with that first shot, and we know
that the first shot was the one that went into the headboard, he raises up, the second shot occurs, and he falls
straight back down to where he was found. You cannot lay in this bed and face that direction and get that blood
spatter on the wall. Blood doesn't turn corners. But the defense insists that the same evidence
points to David Leath as the shooter. Multiple shot suicides are not impossible.
They happen. Reella's team consists of Knoxville criminal attorney Josh Hedrickk along
with Rebecca Lrand, a Washington DCbased lawyer with a background in science. She was taking care of a sick husband
who she loved. And for that to get twisted into what it did is is upsetting. She's got hope that the
justum system isn't so broken that it won't eventually realize the truth, which is that she's an innocent woman.
With no clear motive presented by the state, the defense starts with those three shots. Each and every one of these
shots could have been accomplished by David Leaf himself. and then raises doubts to Don Carman about the order of
those three shots. You don't know for certain whether the gun was opened or the cartridges manipulated prior to that
photo being taken? I do not. And as a result, you're unable to say with any degree of scientific certainty what
order the shots were fired in. That's correct. Because in my discipline, they would be not testable.
But even if the prosecution's order of shots is correct, Kentucky State Medical Examiner and defense consultant Dr. Greg
Davis says David Leath still could have been the shooter. I'll give it to you. It's unusual. But
to say because of that it has to be a homicide, I just can't go that far. There is a phenomenon called cataaric
spasm where a person can actually their hands can squeeze immediately upon death. What would you have ruled this? I
would have ruled this undetermined which is what he believes Dr. Malusnik should
have done in this case. Remember within 24 hours of David Lee's death, Dr. Malucus called it a homicide. She had
not yet seen records from his neurologist or received a complete medical history. Didn't have toxicology,
didn't have ballistics, didn't have medical records. It went from, "Can we figure out what happened?" to, "Can we
prove this was a homicide?" In a previous trial, Dr. Malusk testified that medications found in David's system
would have rendered him, and I quote, incapacitated. In other words, he would have been
unable to kill himself. But in trial number three, Dr. Musnik did not repeat that claim. I'm glad that she reassessed
and didn't try to make the same claims about toxicology at the third trial, but it's 6 years too late for my client. Dr.
Malusnik declined 48 hours request for an interview. But in Reinella's third trial, she stands firm that David Lee's
death was a homicide. I was very confident and um 14 years later, I'm even more so confident. Yes.
Dr. Davis, can you say unequivocally that she didn't kill her husband? No, I cannot. But there's not enough evidence
to say she did it. Right. As a forensic pathologist, at least on the evidence that I've been privy to, there's no way
on earth I think she's guilty. But there is information Dr. Davis was not privy to. If anybody has any doubts as to
whether David was murdered by Renella, maybe they need to talk to Steve Walker. Well, I see a killer cuz she tried to
kill me. [Music] In a final and dramatic attempt to convince a jury of suicide, the defense
brings the blood stained bed to the courtroom, still preserved. If the record could reflect, I'm pointing to
the hole in the middle of the headboard. Defense forensic expert Celia Hartnett.
I've marked the portion where shows jurors how David Leath could have fired all three shots.
If I were to lie in bed and I were to aim at my head and pull the trigger and miss high and create this. Yes. And then
frustrated that I've missed sat up and pulled the trigger. It would enter my head here. Yes. And then if I
fell and my hand squeezed again, it would be consistent with this direction. Uh not just with the
direction, but also with the distance. We're not saying we know exactly what happened. We're just saying we know
there are multiple ways that all of this makes sense that don't have anything to
do with the homicide. There was only one person who who wanted to harm David. And at that point, it was
David. He was acting with his physicians suicidal. He's becoming useless. And a proud man doesn't want to be
useless. But for the prosecution, the most incriminating evidence isn't at the crime scene.
It's at the barber shop where Reinella called Cindy Wilkerson on the morning of the shooting.
Reella had already left David at home. She made the call from Park West Hospital where she was visiting David's
mother. She asked me if I had seen my dad and that he had went to work out on an empty stomach. Was that normal? No.
She never called me at work. That was the first indication on March 13th, 2003 that anything was unusual about David
Lee. The prosecution says the call was part of Reinella's elaborate alibi to prove
she wasn't at home with David, but they say she miscalculated. Remember, Rainella told police she put
breakfast by the bed and left the house around 9:30. She made the call to Cindy just 20
minutes later. There would have been no reason to say, "Have you seen him?" There would have
been no reason to ask if he had worked out. And there certainly would have been no reason to say he didn't eat his
breakfast because there's no way she could have known that unless she had been there. And unless the only reason
she knew he hadn't eaten breakfast was because he was dead. Have you seen your father today? That's
the question the prosecution once burned into juror's minds as both sides make their final case. It's the only
explanation. Ranella Leaf is guilty of the first-degree premeditated homicide of David Lee.
We can't say that the facts exclude the theory that David Le shot himself as I demonstrated for you. Be as diligent as
you have been since we started and to return a verdict of not guilty. Murder David Le.
As all eyes turn to the jury, there are things about Reella Le they'll never hear. They don't know about Ed Dosset.
And they don't know about Steve Walker. I'm a crouton on a real big salad here. And this is a big salad in this town.
Steve Walker's ex-wife was Ed Dosset's secretary. Their relationship, as it turns out, was more than just
professional. In 1995, 3 years after Ed's death, Steve found out during divorce proceedings that the
son he raised was actually Ed Doss's biological child. It came as a terrible shock to Steve and Reella.
I mean, in some ways, you felt that you were on her side. Uh, Ray Ellis. Yes. I thought we was on the same team. He
could not have been more wrong. According to a police report filed by Rainella on the morning of May 26 of
that year, she found Steve quote acting psychotic near Ed's grave on the farm. Probably trying to piss on my husband's
grave. She told police she began firing warning shots into the ground to chase him away
and that Steve then took the weapon and fled on foot. But when Steve filed his own report, he told a very different
story. He says that same morning, Ranella picked him up at the auto shop where he
works and drove him to the farm to talk about the affair. Till I seen the gun, we was as friendly as me and you right
now. When they got to Rainella's barn, Steve says she suddenly pulled out a revolver.
In a police interview, Steve told investigators Rainella then said, "I'll kill you, son of a [ __ ] Then I'll
raise the sun." She had a tail around her hands and she comes up with it and starts shooting.
But the former marksman missed. Steve started running but tripped and fell. I'm defenseless. She said, "I used
to be a better shot there, but I can hit you from here." And she aimed that gun and I closed my
eyes. She pulled the trigger. I I knew I was gone. But the gun click was out of bullets.
There was no doubt in my mind. If she hadn't run out of bullets, I'd be dead. The police believed Steve Walker's
story. And Rainella was arrested and charged with attempted murder, but she took a deal and plead guilty to a lesser
charge of assault. After six years, her record was cleared. Why would she plead guilty? It's the same thing I would have
told her is this is a plea that will get expuned. There is no jail time. Take this deal and walk away. Reella Leaf did
walk away. And I thank you for your time and attention. and Miss Lee thanks you for your time and attention. 22 years
later, she's hoping to walk away again. But as the jurors are ready to have their voices heard as jurors, you are
the ones that will decide the case. Something happens that no one sees coming. If you can picture like a
cartoon, you know, of someone's jaw hitting the floor. [Music] I really really tried to pay attention
and and took notes. So, I was really looking forward to deliberating. With her daughter by her side, Rela Le
arrives at court for the final time. Let the record reflect that all parties are
present in the courtroom, including the defendant before the jurors can decide her fate.
There's just one more piece of business. If it please the court, it's a defense motion called a rule 29. Pursuant to
rule 29, a routine request made in nearly every trial to throw out the case for lack of evidence.
In most cases, the judge simply denies the motion and gives the jurors the case. Only two words are required.
Either motion granted or motion denied. But then, like so many times in the story of Rella Le, something completely
unexpected happens. In short, the state has failed to meet their burden. The defendant's motion for judgment of a
quiddle is granted. The defendant, Rainella Leaf, is not guilty. Case against Rainella Leaf is dismissed.
Not guilty. The judge on his own acquits Reel Le of murder after 14 years of suspicion,
six years behind bars, and three hardfought trials. Just like that, it's all over. As the defense celebrates,
she's free. She's done. The end. David Lee's daughter, Cindy, sits stunned. The prosecution does, too. I don't
understand it. I don't have an explanation. And under Tennessee law, there's no appeal either because the
judge made his extremely rare decision before the jury began deliberations. Put your money. These jurors, initially
shocked, become angry. We were just used. I mean, they just used us as set pieces pretty much. If Judge Summers was
so convinced that he was right about the evidence, why not let us deliberate it? And how do
you explain that? I can't. Only Judge Summers can. So, we asked Judge Summers, now retired,
to make his case to 48 hours. and he agreed strictly based on the evidence that I
heard on both sides, but particularly on the state side, if I'd have been the district attorney general, I would not
have brought the case to trial. Did you choose to do this? To end this case, to finally end this case? Yes, you did. I
did. When I realized the evidence was legally insufficient, I decided to end this case by doing my job and granting
the motion for judgment of a quiddle. Judge Summers believed that there was enough evidence for the jury to decide a
homicide may have occurred, but he was convinced the prosecution didn't meet its burden to prove that Reanella Le had
the time or the opportunity to commit it. There was no gunshot residue found on her clothes or around her. Uh she had
an alibi that the state could not prove the time of death. the evidence was clearly insufficient to show that she
was the perpetrator of the crime. And finally, the the there was no evidence to show that she was even the last
person ever to see David Le alive. If you were so sure that there wasn't enough evidence for the jury to convict
her beyond a reasonable doubt, wouldn't the jury have come to the same conclusion? I was simply doing my job,
not trying to pass the book to the jury. Judges sometimes make these extraordinary decisions when they fear
jurors might be swayed by emotion and not evidence. And that may have been a factor in this case. While we will never
know for sure what the whole jury would have done, we have a clue. If you had gotten to vote, how would you have
voted? Guilty. How would you have voted? Guilty. How would you have voted? Guilty. Do you feel Rayell Le got away
with murder? I absolutely feel she got away with murder. For William Mcichael, Jesse Caps, and Michael Persano, it was
the gun that pointed to Rainella as the killer. There's no way David Lee fired that third shot. And you don't believe
the defense witness who said, "Well, you can have this spasm after death that pulled the trigger the third time."
That's fantasy. What most convinced you, Jesse, that this wasn't just a murder, but that Rainella Leaf was the one who
killed her husband. When Joshua Hedrickk was sitting on that bed and he was twirling that cylinder on that gun,
a burden to my family, it was just so corny. A proud man doesn't want to be a burden. It was fake. He was trying so
hard. After that, I was like, "All right, this they're trying so hard that it's so obvious now." It wasn't just
these three. They say shortly after the judge's decision, a majority of jurors gathered near the courthouse and came to
the same conclusion. Admittedly, they did not deliberate, but they would have found her guilty.
Um, does that make it worse? Yeah, I guess so in some ways, but in another sense, it tells me I did the right
thing. And more importantly, our work as trial attorneys was spot on. For David Lee's family, it's little
consolation. He stole that verdict from the family, from the prosecution, from the jury. It
was a theft. Some in this town will always call her a black widow, but for Rainella Le, none
of that matters. How do you feel, Reella? How do you feel? Do you want to talk to us? Because as she leaves
courtroom number two, how are you doing, Rainella? You guys weren't worried about
her before, so leave her alone now. She walks away a free woman. Do you have any
Please leave my mom alone. Did it cross your mind you might be letting a killer go free? You know, there's a difference
between being not guilty and being innocent. If the state does not prove its case, they are found not guilty.
doesn't say that they're innocent. So, you're not saying that Reella Leaf is innocent. You're saying not guilty.
There are two entities of which I'm aware that know the answer to that question.
One is the good Lord above and the other one is the defendant Rayella Le. [Music]
My name is Reggie Reed. Salonia Reed is my mother and Regginal Reed Senior is my father. My mother, she
was the love of my life, my first love. And I was her everything. It was very rare I wasn't by her side.
Take me back and tell me what you remember about that day. That day we went to the mall. That's one of the
things to do in Hammond. Just go to the mall. Even though if you're not buying anything, window shop, if you will. Went
to the mall, came home, and my mom went out and she never came home. My beeper went off and it was Reginal
and he asked me had I seen Salonia and I said no not since yesterday. I was a patrol officer for the H police
department. I was dispatched to a missing person's call on Apple Street in Hammond, Louisiana. The complainant,
Reginald Reed, explained to me that his wife had left home the night before and had not returned and he was concerned
and wanted to file a missing person's report. I had received a description of the car from Reginald.
I started to drive a range road and I noticed the car, walked up to the car and noticed
Salonia's body inside the car. It was very, very, very obvious that she was deceased.
Salonia was 26 years old at the time. When I watched the crime scene video and saw Salon's body in that car,
immediately I was sad. I was mad. It was pretty apparent to me right away that whoever did this homicide hated this
woman. So I called Regina back. I says, "Regina, have you heard anything?" He told me, he said, "Yes." He said they
found her in her car. And he said that she was dead. And that was I was interviewed after she was murdered
as a six-year-old. Okay. Can you tell me your name? What's your name? When I watch that video over and over
again. Okay. The day before Sunday, what would you do? What I see is a a six-year-old boy that
that life has been ch changed. He doesn't understand the magnitude of it yet. [Music]
And you're asking me, you trying to find out who killed my mother. Do you remember seeing her?
You did. Anytime a young woman Salon's age is killed the way she's killed, I think most people right away would
assume the husband did it, right? And that's the easy way. That's the stereotypical way.
But it's also not out of the realm of possibility that this was some killing for another reason. From that day on, my
life changed forever. It just begs a question why [Music] [Music] After my mother was murdered, things
moved fast. couldn't really understand like why would somebody kill her? Like what did
she do? It's been decades since Reggie Reed Jr. last saw his mother Salonia. I feel like I missed out on a huge part
of life that I'll never get back. Reggie was only 6 years old on August 22nd, 1987.
One of the last things he remembers is his mother buying him a chocolate chip cookie here at the Hammond Square Mall
in Louisiana. He told police his mother kissed him when she left the house later that
night. But the rest, he says, is a blur. When you think about that, what does that feel like? When I think about how
my mother's life was shortened and how my experience was shortened, I feel empty. If somebody says to you, "Who is
Salonia?" What do you say? Someone asked me, "Who is Salonia?" I would say, "You looking at her.
Because based on the description, the memories and what things people have shared.
When I look in the mirror, I see my mother. Reggie's memories are at the heart of
the memoir he's written about his mother's murder. The day my mother never Came home. Within these pages, you will
find the memories of a six-year-old boy whose mother was murdered. a 15-year-old
young man searching for his place in the world without the guidance and encouragement of his mother. The night
my mother went out and never came home, life for me and my father was basically flipped
upside down. Charles Muse, now retired, was the police officer who found Salonia's body
after taking the initial missing person's report from her husband, Reginald Reed.
Salonia's body was in between the bucket seats of the car with her torso over into the back seat of the car.
She had 16 pinpoint like stab wounds in her upper torso, shoulder, and neck. Her
blouse had been torn off. Her pants had been removed from her. She had been sexually assaulted as well. Louisiana
State Police Lieutenant Barry Ward would eventually be assigned to the case years
later. He was only 16 years old when Salonia was murdered. In 1987, I was a sophomore in Marshall County High School
in Western Kentucky. When he eventually did pick up the case file, he took note of the lack of blood in the car. It
would suggest that she was murdered in another location and then transported to where her body was later discovered at
the John's Curb Market. That market was about 1 and a half miles from the Reed House on Apple Street.
At the scene, Officer Muse noticed something else about Salonia's naked body. I did see a substance uh that had
been placed on the body. It was a white liquid type substance on her torso and stomach area.
Police believe the white lotion may have spelled out a word, but if there was a message, it had become illeible in the
Louisiana heat. The windows were rolled up. It was August at the time. It was very hot out.
Detectives bagged any potential evidence, including the butt of a cigarette. A Winston cigarette.
Police canvased the area, but Ward says they didn't find any eyewitnesses or a murder weapon.
The following day, on Monday the 24th, a neighbor went to his mailbox and discovered a crucifix and a screwdriver.
Given the nature of Salonia's injuries, police at first believed the screwdriver
might be the murder weapon, even though it had no visible blood on it. It was early in the investigation, and
detectives looked at all the angles, including Salonia's job at Citizens National Bank. She was a teller in the
commercial section. She was described as being polite, kind, had a nice smile. Here
she is taking part in a community fashion show just one week before her murder. Salonia and Reginald, who was a Marine
and later a car salesman, met during their high school years. Salonia was known for being devoted to little
Reggie, as everyone called him. But the night she disappeared, she left the six-year-old at home with his father.
According to what Reginald told police, he and his son uh Reginald Jr. were going to stay and play video games while
she went out to a local bar with her girlfriend. Officer Muse interviewed that friend who denied she and Selonia
had plans that night. Reginald told police he suspected Salonia had a boyfriend and admitted he
and his wife had personal differences. But Ward says the police found no evidence of an affair. Based on the
research that I had conducted, her co-workers, the people that knew her, said that she just went to work and came
home, that she was always seen with her little boy. The day after her body was found, investigators searched the family
home on Apple Street. The chief of police said that when he went in, it smelled like bleach in the house.
Detectives looked for evidence that Salonia may have been killed there, but all they found was a freshly vacuumed
carpet and the gold clasp of a necklace. Regginal gave investigators permission to interview little Reggie, the only
other person in the home the night of the murder. In this police video, a detective questions Reggie as his father
fidgets with a bean bag intended for his son. Tell me what you remember about that knife. Reggie Jr. became his
father's alibi. The boy said he and his father played video games and then slept
together in the same sofa bed on that August night. Did anybody come over? Did anybody leave?
Everybody stay home that night. When little Reggie agrees that everybody stayed home, his father looks at him.
Everybody, everybody stay home that night. Don't be afraid. Just, you know, when
she talk, don't be don't don't be afraid. Just we just talking. I don't want to talk.
She just she ask just a few more questions. You What's the matter, baby? He said he want to talk no more. Oh, you
don't want to talk no more? Just the emotional Yeah. part of it. Okay, that's all right. Look, didn't I tell you
before that I'm I'm your friend? Oh, he's here, baby. [Music] Okay, darling. I won't talk no more. You
don't have to. I just can't imagine what it's like as a six-year-old to have to sit there and
looking at that. It's still hard to believe that that's me. Watching that video just brings back so
so many questions and and pain because I see me crying. In the aftermath of Salonia's murder,
her family came forward with more information. Some of it directed at one of Regginal's friends, Jimmy Ray Barnes.
Turns out Barnes smoked Winston cigarettes, the same brand found in Salonia's car. And Salonia's sister,
Gwen Smith, said that Salonia did not like Jimmy Ray. Apparently, she knew Jimmy Ray's voice cuz she started
screaming, "Come inside. I don't trust him." So, she was scared of him. In the days after Salonia's murder,
there was one name police kept hearing. Jimmy Ray Barnes, a friend of Regginal Senior. Jimmy Ray Barnes was an
acquaintance of Regginal Reed. He hung out with him. He worked with him. Lieutenant Ward learned about a
disturbing incident at a local beach where Salonia was swimming with little Reggie just days before the murder. They
were on inner tubes. Jimmy flipped Salonia over. She didn't feel that it was a playful thing. She
felt that it was uh deliberate and intentional. Uh she was not a good swimmer and uh she said she struggled to
make it to the bank. The next night, her sister Gwen said Salonia became frightened when a relative who was
visiting Salonia spotted Jimmy Ray Barnes near her home. And she said Salon went into hysterics like, "No, no, don't
go out there. Don't go out there." And within a few moments, Jimmy Ray Barnes walked around the corner of the house.
Jimmy told her that he was checking on Stonia and she ran him off. Ward would learn that Jimmy Ray along
with Reginald came under even more scrutiny 2 days after the murder. A witness came forward to say she had seen
two men around John's Curb Market on the night Selonia was murdered. She became suspicious and later wrote down on a
piece of scrap paper the license plate. As it turns out, that was the vehicle that Reginal Reed was known to um
operate in. That was his car. Some 2 weeks later, police assembled this photo array and showed it to the witness. The
witness identified the driver as Reginal Reed and the passenger as Jimmy Ray Barnes. Jimmy Ray was given a polygraph
test and police at the time said he passed. But it wasn't long before Jimmy Ray left Hammond.
Reginald denied having anything to do with Salonia's murder. But neighbors told police the marriage was trouble.
Family members say Salonia had accused her husband of physical abuse and there was talk of divorce.
The police continued investigating, but prosecutors never brought the case to a grand jury. There's a lot of
circumstantial evidence in 1987 that pointed to Reginal Reed and Jimmy Ray Barnes. Um, as far as a a smoking gun,
it it it was not there at that time. I started feeling like nothing was going to be done about her murder and we would
not get justice. Time passed and Reginal continued to live in Hammond. He even ran for mayor
in 1998. Ariel Reggie Reed, number eight. You can count on me. Thank you. He lost that race, but he and little
Reggie stayed in the family home, which today has fallen into disrepair. So, this is it. What's it like for you to
just come back here? I know you don't like to, but what does it feel like? I feel numb. Yeah, I feel numb. This is
where it all started. You know, this is the halls I used to run. This is the TV room. This was the TV room. When you
were playing Nintendo with your father the night that your mother was murdered, was that here? That was in this room.
Reggie went on to attend college and later got an MBA. He moved out of Hammond and began working for a
pharmaceutical company. There were no new developments on his mother's murder until 2011 when Lieutenant Barry Ward of
the Louisiana State Police got involved. After I started interacting with Selonia's family, her sisters, I
realized how important it was. Before Barry Ward came into the picture, I just felt like nobody cared about Salon's
case. This was just the last opportunity I felt before more witnesses passed away
that we would have a chance to find justice for this terrible crime that happened to Sloania.
As far as Ward could determine, the crucifix and screwdriver found within days of the murder led nowhere. But the
detective was drawn to several life insurance policies Reginal had taken out on Salonia that paid out more than
$700,000. Some of those policies were taken out the same month that Selonia was murdered.
Ward wanted to reinter Reggie Jr. in 2012. Reggie was 31 years old and living in Texas. Ward sent a Texas Ranger to
begin the questioning. He told me why he was here and it was to discuss my mother's murder. And the
ranger then told Reggie something. He said he'd never heard before. He was not aware that his father was a suspect in
the murder of his mother. I was like, "Where is this coming from?" Like, it's been over three decades. You talking
about my dad like killed my mom. Like, seriously. I remember asking, is there any new evidence that was surfaced? And
it was nothing new. It's true that the insurance policies had been discovered by the original detectives, but
Lieutenant Ward had organized them in a way that he felt was damning. The Texas Ranger asked Reggie about those
policies. He showed me a graph, a timeline that showed these insurance policies that were taken out close to
her death. Did you all of a sudden say, "I need to get to the bottom of this or what?" It was eye opening cuz I'm like,
"Well, that doesn't look good. I got to learn more like what's all this." Reggie struggled to make sense of it
all. I did talk to my dad about it over the phone and his response was, "He he took our policies on everyone." Reggie
said he finds it hard to square what the investigation revealed with the loving father who raised him. I look back, I'm
like, man, he really he really did do some great stuff for me. He was a great provider.
Ward took a deep dive into the case file and focused on that Winston cigarette butt found in Salonia's car. He sent it
out for DNA testing, something that was not widely available in 1987. There was a match in the National Crime
DNA database, COTUS, but not to Jimmy Ray. It came back to a man by the name of Billy Ray Barnes. Billy Ray was Jimmy
Ray's identical twin brother. And the DNA supervisor had another surprise. He let me know that identical twins share
identical DNA. Lieutenant Ward decided he had to interview Jimmy Ray. And it turned out
that Jimmy Ray had been holding on to some key information all these years. Jimmy Ray Barnes did tell me that Regin
offered him $50,000 to quote unquote knock off his wife. [Music] In July 2012, Lieutenant Barry Ward went
on the hunt for Jimmy Ray Barnes, who had become a prime suspect in the Salonia Reed murder case after his DNA
was linked to the crime scene. Ward found Barnes in the Atlanta area, where he said Barnes told him he'd fled
Hammond because he was afraid of Reginal Reed. Barnes said back then he'd been shot at three times and hit once in the
neck. Barnes suspected the shooter was Reginal, but had no proof. Jimmy said he was known to carry a gun, but you fast
forward 25 now 30 years, Reginald Reed was now an old man. We are. Okay. Barnes was ready to talk
about Reed without a lawyer. I ain't got nothing to Barnes told Ward that a few days before Selonia was killed, Reed
asked him if he would quote, "Knock off his wife. Reginald asked you if you would quote by
your term knock off his wife and that that mean you took that to mean to kill her to murder her right. What was your
response to that? Hell no. Did he discuss any money with you? Yeah, he had he discussed money. Ward pressed
Barnes to tell him how much money. More than 5,000? Yeah. More than 10,000? Yeah. More than 50,000. 50,000. He
offered you $50,000. Is is that is that a guess or is that the amount he offered? That was the amount he offered.
But Barnes told Ward that he would not repeat the story in court. I don't trust the law no more. Ward confronted Barnes
about that polygraph test from the original case file. Barnes allegedly had passed that polygraph, but Ward
suspected Jimmy Ray secretly had asked his identical twin, Billy Ray, to take that test.
I talked to Billy and he said he took that polygraph test and if Billy looked like you and was
questioned over a murder that you took part in and he doesn't know anything about it, he's probably going to pass
that polygraph test. Would that be fair to say? I don't know. I'm not going to answer
that cuz I know I'm the one who took the polygraph test. Ward believed he had a solid case to
finally bring charges. He had Jimmy Ray's DNA connected to the crime scene and his videotape statement about Reggie
offering him $50,000 to kill Selonia. But Ward said prosecutors always wanted more. I would get phone calls through
the years from prosecutors who had asked me to rein family members, find out additional information, test more
evidence. It was busy work. Then in 2018, a newly hired prosecutor, Taylor Anthony, got assigned the case.
Why reopen a 35year-old case? What was the trigger? Well, why reopen it? It's an interesting question. This was a case
to me right away when I looked at it that there was a story to be told. Anthony was impressed by all the
investigative work done by Lieutenant Ward. So, he reached out. But Ward told Anthony he was too busy and that he felt
he'd been let down by other prosecutors. My initial response was to just get this
guy off the phone. He said, "Look, I've already poured hundreds of man hours into that case and y'all didn't do
anything." And he said, "You're wasting your time, kid. Have a nice life, basically." But Anthony was undeterred
and promised war that this time things would be different. I think he saw what I saw. I think that made all the
difference in the world. Like Ward, Anthony was sure Jimmy Ray Barnes knew a lot more. So he and Ward
took a road trip to Atlanta. We're able to locate Jimmy. He was staying in a camper at his employer's place. We
pulled up early in the morning when the sun was coming up and he was coming out of this camper putting a belt in his
pants and he said, "Uh, hey, who y'all looking for?" I said, "You, Jimmy." And he goes, "Oh, you again." But this time,
the new prosecutor had with him an agreement approved by a judge giving Barnes complete immunity if he testified
to everything he knew about Salonia's murder. So to the lay person, you offered him a deal. So I offered him
what I would say would be the golden ticket. But Barnes rejected the offer. He did not trust me. He did not believe
me. He did not want to talk to us. Ward and Anthony were about to drive back to Louisiana when Barnes said
something that took them by surprise. As Barry and I were getting back at the car, Jim Ray Barnes came over to us and
he said, "I want you boys to know that I'm the key to it all." And he said, "If you think you can indict me for murder,
then do it." Anthony was quick to take him up on that challenge. A couple of weeks later, grand jury in Tensville
Parish returned seconddegree murder indictments for both Regginald Reed and Jimmy Ray Barnes.
Immediately, we went to Reginald's home. I knocked on the door, identified who I
was, and that I had an arrest warrant for him for the murder of his wife. He really had no emotion.
The date was June 21st, 2019, more than 30 years after Salonia's murder. When Reginal was arrested,
it was like it's like a burden just got my chest like a burden was lifted off. I got a call that my father was indicted
for seconddegree murder and conspiracy along with a codefendant for my mother's murder.
Reggie Jr. put up his father's $250,000 bail bond. My dad being my rock for so many years, I felt the need to try to
help him. Now that you are both adults, did you ever ask him those questions that you have that you're questioning
even now as we sit here? Yeah, I asked him. I asked him and he he he maintains his innocence.
Sitting in another Hammond jail cell was Jimmy Ray Barnes. He now had a lawyer and asked to speak with Detective Barry
Ward and Taylor Anthony. So Barry and I went and met with him again, and in exchange for him telling us everything
he knew, he was offered a deal to plead to accessory after the fact to murder and was given a 5-year prison sentence.
The homicide trial of Reginal Reed was scheduled for November 2022, and Jimmy Ray had agreed to testify. Reggie Jr.
hoped to hear never before revealed details of what had happened to his mother. I want to know what happened.
[Music] In November 2022, the murder trial of Regginal Reed began in Ameat, Louisiana.
Reed was represented by the mother and daughter defense team of Vanessa Williams and Latoya William Simon.
What makes you think that he did not murder Salonia? Their entire case is circumstantial. William Simon says the
state's case was weak. There was no murder weapon. No fingerprints or DNA tying Reed to Salonia's homicide. I was
confused as to how they were really going to prove their case. There's no direct evidence.
But prosecutor Taylor Anthony believed his prosecution would deliver justice to Salonia.
The reason I became a prosecutor is to fight for people like this. I see a woman whose body's been desecrated,
violated, mutilated, and nobody spoke up for her and fought for her. And there's
a quote that I love, and it goes, "The dead cannot cry out for justice. It is the duty of the living to do so for
them. And that's my job." Anthony told jurors about the $700,000 from the insurance policies on Salonia's
life. So, what was your theory once you put all these pieces together? My theory was
that Salon and Regginald were in a marriage that was about to come to an end. There was a history of abuse and
that Selonia was tired of it and she was ready to leave Reginald. I think he was
angry and he saw an opportunity for some money. I think that's why he killed this
woman. the case that they're presenting, which is this man takes out all these life insurance policies on a young,
healthy 26-year-old woman. What is his rationale for having done that? But they're missing the biggest part of it.
It wasn't just on her. It was on himself. It was on the child. It was family policies. So, it's not like he
just went and took out policies on Salonia only. Prosecutor Anthony was frank with
jurors, telling them that the state would not produce a murder weapon or the exact location where Salonia was
stabbed. He focused on what the prosecution did have, including that white lotion found on Salonia's body.
Later, police were able to find a bottle of lotion in the Reed household that matched that type of lotion that was on
her body. The prosecutor also showed jurors a photograph of some scratches on Reed's neck taken on the day Salonia's
body was found. They wanted to take photographs of his neck, and he was very hesitant. Anthony said Reed told police
two different stories about how he got those scratches, but after forensic testing, it was determined that none of
Reed's DNA was found under Salonia's fingernails. They believe that the killer is Mr. Regginal Reed. Anything
that goes to contradict that, they're going to completely block out. William Simon pointed to Jimmy Ray's long
criminal record of arrests. It couldn't be introduced at trial. And the reason why his criminal rap sheet couldn't be
introduced at trial is because these aren't convictions. But William Simon says Jimmy Ray's arrests were for
violent crimes. False imprisonment and aggravated assault, aggravated battery with a dangerous weapon, murder. These
are things that the jury had a right to know, but because of the law, they didn't find out.
Jimmy Ray Barnes ultimately took the stand as part of his plea agreement. Jimmy, will you please tell me there
were no cameras in the courtroom. So, this recording is taken from Barnes's police interview conducted by Ward
before the trial. He told the same story when he testified. On the night of the murder, Barnes said
he promised to meet Reed in the parking area outside John's Curb Market where Salonia's body had been found. Oh, when
I got there, he was getting out the little blue car. The blue car was parked there. Barn said Reginald asked for his
help in moving Salonia's body. I said, "No, I I wasn't getting involved in that. He wanted me to move the body and
I didn't want to move and I didn't move the body." Barnes says that Salonia was fully clothed when he saw her and
sitting in the passenger seat. I did see the body in there and uh I panicked. My
understanding after the fact is that Jimmy Ray Barnes talked to Reggie and said, "Where's the money? You told me
$50,000." He says he never got a penny of it. Prosecutor Anthony contends that after
the men drove away, Reed returned and staged the crime scene, stripping off Salonia's clothes, covering her with
that white lotion, and leaving other evidence to make it appear as a sex crime. And what does your dad say to
that? He say it's completely BS. He say it's it's no way. We were at home playing Nintendo.
William Simon had her own theory of what happened that night. All of the information that we've received about
Jimmy Ray Barnes is that he was borderline obsessed with Salonia. I believe that maybe he encountered her,
tried to make a pass at her, that was rejected, and that's where you see that anger, that rage, that hatred.
Sitting through the trial, Reggie admitted that the relentless focus on his mother's murder was upsetting,
especially as he watched that crime scene video, which he had never seen before. And it really struck a card by
just seeing my mother there um lifeless and just alone and dead. Regginal Reed never took the stand and
after less than a week of testimony, the case went to the jury. Reggie Jr. braced for the verdict.
[Music] As a prosecutor, when the jury deliberates, it's painstaking. You're just waiting and waiting and waiting.
Some of Reginal Reed's brothers and sisters were waiting as well. Kennedy Reed, Belinda Reed Cox, and Claude Reed.
Claude, you don't believe your brother murdered Salonia? No, I don't. I don't believe Reggie did
that. My brother is not a murderer. He's not. But on this day, November 18th, 2022,
Reginal Reed was found guilty of seconddegree murder after the jury deliberated for just over 3 hours. When
he was found guilty, I feel like he died without dying. And I saw myself at that same
six-year-old crying out for my dad as I did in that video. [Music] And I just wanted to end. Reggie tried
to recapture the moment his father was found guilty in his book. My father grabbed me up into a big hug. I wanted
to stay there forever. He pulled back for a moment, looked me in the eyes, and kissed me on the forehead. We embraced
once more and then they took him away from me. I wanted to tell him, "I'm sorry for the
loss of your mother. I'm sorry for your father going to prison." I can't even imagine the grieving process that he's
got to gone through. Reggie says sitting through the trial was excruciating. But when it was over, he still wanted
answers. That's what I passed from. Lieutenant Ward has told you that one of his
theories is that your mother may have been killed in this room. In this room? I just go back thinking of the manner
and the way which she was killed. If she was killed here, how is it possible that they couldn't
find anything? I mean, it's Where was I? Did you leave the house after I fell asleep?
questions Reggie cannot answer because he simply cannot remember. On January 30th, 2023, everyone piled
back into the same courtroom where Reginal Reed was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of
parole. He did not offer any kind of explanation or statement and said nothing. You know, I want justice, but I didn't
think justice was going to come at the price of my dad going to prison for life.
So, my question is, do you believe that your father murdered your mother? I don't know.
Another question. Do I think my dad had some involvement? Maybe. I don't know though. I don't know. So
that's where I'm just It's like a tugof-war game. Just knowing the type of father he is. I
can't just turn a page and just look at my father as a complete monster. Salonia's sister, Gwen Smith, always
believe Reginal was Salonia's killer. Although she and Reggie Jr. are estranged. She still worries about him.
I just kind of feel bad for him, you know, because his mom was taken away from him when he was a little boy. What
do you want people to know about this case? If you could sum it up for me. I know one thing. My brother did not
commit this murder. For Barry Ward, who worked on the Salonia Reed case for a decade, the conviction was just, and he
appreciates that Jimmy Ray Barnes agreed to testify. Jimmy Ray Barnes was the key. Barnes served his sentence for
being an accessory after the fact to murder. He was freed from prison and shortly after on January 27th, 2024, he
was killed in a car accident. He was in Hammond to attend the funeral of his identical twin.
There are several cases throughout my career that stick out to me and this is probably the the main one.
Charles Muse, the Hammond police officer who found Salonia's body, is pleased he
got to see the outcome of the case. I mean, her death, you know, didn't just go and vain. I find some peace in that.
You say that you wish you would have gotten to know her better, but then you realize too, you must, that she's living
through you, that she's here because you're here. Absolutely. And I think about that she's in a place where
she's consistently watching over me. As for Reggie's father, he calls Reggie from a Louisiana state prison once or
twice a week. This call is not private. It will be recorded and may be monitored.
Hey Re. Hey. How you doing, man? Good. How you? A 48 hours producer was present during a recent call. Do you think you
got a fair trial? No, of course not. Of course not. Was no evidence. What you got to tell us about your son?
Oh, remarkable. I thank the Lord for him every day that he was able to understand
some something that was going on, but that I would never leave him. These days, Reggie has his own family.
His son, Lean, is nearly the age he was when Selonia was killed, and they often play games just as Reggie did with his
father. And in January 2024, Reggie and his wife Paula were blessed with a baby girl.
When our daughter was born, we both agreed there's no other name that we should name her
except Salonia. You know, give that name an opportunity to live life and be recognized
in a positive way. Wow. It's beautiful. [Music] Something happened at the house. We are
very worried about your dad. A daughter's forbidden love. There's blood everywhere. Turns deadly. We found
several murder plans. Who's the mastermind of all of this? Where were you? 48 hours is all new CBS next
Saturday, 10:9 central and streaming on Paramount Plus. [Music] This is a case about betrayal, murder,
and a cover up. On April 16th, 1960, Irene God went to Sacred Heart Church in Macallen seeking to save her soul.
Instead, she was suffocated. And you're going to find out that the man who did this is John Fe.
There may be people who don't understand why an old man is being prosecuted. He looks like everyone's grandfather. But
make no mistake, this is an evil man. He was a predator. He was a wolf in priest's clothing looking to attack.
She was not only beautiful physically, she had a beautiful soul. I think she just loved her faith. I
don't think she thought of it in terms of, oh, look how religious I am. It was like, this was my life.
Down here, it's a primarily Catholic community and and Easter is the high holiday.
Irene on Holy Saturday with the church packed with everybody trying to cleanse their soul in this
confessional about 7:00 walked in. She would never again be seen leaving that church. They'd later find her body
in an irrigation canal thrown like a piece of trash. Irene was found 5 days after she disappeared. And what had the
killer done to her? She was uh sexually assaulted, physically assaulted, and she died of
suffocation. Back then, the the church was very powerful. It was unheard of to be accusing a priest. You know, you just
didn't do that. My father that was a deputy sheriff at that time. He approached his superior and asked him
why is nothing being done and he was told to just step away from the case. Just step away. Let us take care of it.
Did the Catholic Church in those days have the power to prevent a suspect in a murder case from being arrested? Yes.
The case died. It was a cold case. [Music] Is this the man that you knew as John
Fe? Yes. He was perhaps the key witness in the case. He assaulted her, bound her, and gagged her. As he left, he
could hear her saying, "I can't breathe. I can't breathe." We got a word for that
in Texas. What's that? There isn't any forensic evidence that affirmatively linked John Fight to this
crime in any way. You will see her clothing. Is there any evidence of DNA? The evidence will show you no. You will
see her purse. Is there any evidence of fingerprints? The evidence will show you
no. You will see her shoes. There wasn't enough evidence then. There won't be enough evidence now. I
don't expect that there'd be another case like this ever come around in my lifetime. The institution who was in the
business of seeking salvation was complicit in covering up this murder. It was a case worth losing. It was worth
taking a risk. It's a story that needed to be told. [Music] [Music] 48 hours. Sins of the Father.
Assistant [Music] District Attorney Mike Garza is not part of Irene Garza's family, but Irene
Garza's story has been part of almost everyone's life in Macallen for generations. kind of grew to folklore,
kind of grew of legend about a girl that, you know, went to confession and, you know, never left.
The story of the priest accused of killing a parishioner is finally being heard in a courtroom after nearly 60
years. Does your Catholicism make it more difficult for you to go after this guy? The church seeks to do good. It's
the men in the church and the men at that time that did wrong. It became clear that on April 16th,
1960, John Fe murdered Irene Gasa. He did this with malice of forethought. At 85 years old, former priest John Fe
hardly looks like the heartless killer the state says he was. In 1960, it was a rainy Easter Sunday.
Sylvia Asdo Stern was then 18 when she received some news about her childhood friend Irene that she has difficulty
talking about still. We were all very scared and it was just this scary unknown that someone you knew and that you loved
had disappeared. 25-year-old Irene Garza had gone to confession at Sacred Heart Church the
night before and had failed to return to her parents' home where she still lived.
That was not like Irene. She checked in all the time. Parishioners had spotted Irene earlier
that night putting on a lace veil, kneeling in a pew, and in a confession line, but no one ever said they saw her
leaving the church grounds. Uh, people remembered her. Whether she was your neighbor, whether your wife was jealous
of her, people knew her. Irene had been crowned prom and homecoming queen at the local college
and Miss All South Texas sweetheart. No, Pon Seagler was part of Irene's extended
family. Do do you remember how you felt about her? I mean, what what she meant to you? She stood out. She was elegant.
But Irene was far more than just a pretty face. She was a trailblazer, says her cousin, Linda Deavvenia. She and her
sister Josie were the first uh Mexican-American twirlers in history of Macallen High School. And then
ultimately she became the drum majorette, the first Mexican-American drum majorette. Irene had been the first
in her family to go to college and graduate school. She became a second grade teacher and chose to work with
Macallen's poorest students. Often times she would use part of her salary to buy
buy them school supplies to buy them things that they needed. And Irene was generous with her own family. Linda was
just nine, but she still remembers their last conversation. She had Easter baskets for us and my brother and I were
excited and jumping up and down because we just knew that she would not have forgotten us. But before Easter Sunday,
Irene had to go to confession at Sacred Heart Church. Religion played a central role in her life. Every Sunday she'd go
to church. Every Sunday, every Saturday she'd go to confession. It was a little bit of a family thing.
Irene's going to confession whether she needs it or not. You know, when she disappeared, the search for Irene Garza
was huge. 70 members of the Hidalgo County Sheriff's Posi, many on horseback, fanned out looking for Irene, and one of
them was Noamy's father. That man wouldn't even sleep trying to find Irene. Sylvia remained at the Garza home for
days after Irene vanished. She says at first everyone tried to hold on to hope, but then Irene's purse was found near a
dirt road. Is this the purse that you recall that was brought to the house? Yes.
The news only got worse. Just up the road, they found Irene's shoe. Is that Irene's shoe? Yes, sir.
And the shoe was it was a killer. Then 5 days after she vanished, everyone's worst fear was confirmed when
Irene's body was found floating in an irrigation canal. And I just remember her mother just dissolving. I mean, I
just saw her just bending over in pain. Irene was still partially dressed, but her blouse was unbuttoned and her
underwear was missing. The autopsy showed she had been beaten and sexually assaulted. That was showed that she was
killed by exfixiation, probably suffocation. At first, there were few leads at the crime scene, just an
imprint of Irene's pett coat on the canal bank and a partial heel print from a man's shoe. But two weeks later,
police discovered a curious clue. They drained the canal and on the bottom, they found this, a photo slide viewer.
The police turned to the public for help in identifying the owner. Two days later, they received a note from Father
John Fe, a visiting priest from the missionary oblates of Mary Immaculate. John Fe writes a letter saying that
slide viewer belongs to me. Why in the world would he tell the police, "Yeah, that's that's my slide viewer." I think
it was taunting. Taunting the police. Taunting the police. Police only grew more suspicious of the 27year-old priest
when he gave them different stories about that night. At first, he said he had not heard her confession at all. He
changes it by saying later, "I took her confession in the rectory." And there were other peculiarities. Fight had been
staying temporarily at the rectory to help with the busy Easter holiday, but he kept going back to the pastoral house
where he lived just a few miles away. Six times in a 24-hour period. He used excuses like breaking his glasses,
needing to get clean clothes, u different things that became very suspicious. And father Joseph O'Brien, the assistant
pastor, told police that fight had some injuries the night Irene disappeared. He noticed some scratches on his hands,
some scratches that ran vertically down his hands and on the top of his arms. Father fight said he had been locked out
of the pastoral house and had scratched his hands climbing up to the second floor balcony. They were on the back of
his hands and I guess this gentleman climbs the wall like this. But he said he got them climbing a wall.
They had a pretty good case against him. Why wasn't he arrested? He was protected
by by the hierarchy of the Catholic Church. [Music] It's always been very difficult.
In the days after Irene Garza's murder, Sylvia Asdo Stern was struggling not just with grief, but also with guilt. On
the Saturday she vanished, Irene called Sylvia's house, hoping she could accompany her to confession.
But Sylvia wasn't home. That day might have been different if I had been with her.
She might not have gone to the rectory. But why had Irene agreed to go to the rectory that night? Your honor, at this
time, the state secretary would call Anna Maria Hollingsworth. A new witness, Anna Maria Hollingsworth, testified that
Father Fight, had pulled Irene out of the confessional before. It's not the same, she says, going to confession
anymore because I don't get to stay in the confessional. He had pulled her out of the confessional, told her she was
too good to confess in a confessional, and took her to the rectory. Anna Maria says her friend Irene seemed confused by
Fight's insistence. If that's true, why would she have gone with him to the rectory on that Saturday evening?
Because he was a priest and you didn't fear priests back then. She had no reason to suspect he was going to do
something violent or sexual to her. What angers Mike Garza is that he says the church had warning signs about fight.
Just 3 weeks before Irene was killed, a woman named Maria America Gara had been attacked in a nearby church,
a man that she had seen came up behind her, tried to stuff a rag in her mouth, threw her to the ground, and at that
point she was able to bite his finger so hard that she tasted blood in her mouth
and get away. Although the church suspected fight, he was not turned in. Mike Garza says a source told him the
solution was to send fight a few miles away to Irene's family parish. What was the point of that? I guess to keep an
eye on him, I guess to protect him at the time. They certainly weren't going to turn to protect him. So, did he
behave himself up until the time that you believe he killed Irene Garza? No. Is that what you looked like when you
were about 20 years old? Yes. Garza found another new witness, Beatatric Garcia, who says in the weeks before
Irene Garza was murdered, she had a bizarre encounter with Father Fight. I was walking to work, a car approached me
and I said, "Can I help you, sir?" And he said, "I would love to take a picture of you dressed in black by the
cemetery." And that man in the car, who was it? He was um the priest. That's him
right there. He liked a certain look in a woman. You know, America, Beatatrice Garcia,
Irene Garza, they all looked the same. America was a violent attack and maybe he got a little taste of it then and was
looking for his next victim. And Garza says that victim ended up being Irene. Yet despite the evidence against fight
at the time, the case seemed to stall. No Pon Seagler recalls finding her father, one of the original
investigators, very upset. One day, I saw him sitting in a chair with a white handkerchief and
he was crying. No says her father had been told his superiors would take over the investigation.
Around that time, Irene's parents got a visit from Father O'Brien of Sacred Heart Church. The church tried to plate
them saying, you know, even if it is him, we're going to take care of him. He would find justice within the church if
it was him. Irene's family had long suspected that there had been a conspiracy between the authorities and
the church to protect fight. They could never prove it then. I'm showing you what's been marked as states exhibit
108. But the state says there is proof now. I was stunned. I felt like I had a smoking gun at that point. It's a letter
written in 1960 from one church official to another. Garza says this is proof that the church and the Catholic sheriff
at the time, EE Vickers, conspired to undermine the Irene Garza investigation. At some point, the sheriff would meet
with the DA and explain to them what a weak case uh they had against him in an effort to get it dropped. In the letter,
they were concerned about how the case might not only affect the church, but also the campaign of Catholic
presidential candidate John F. Kennedy. There are also political implications to
this that could make this a juicy scandal for the opposition to Kennedy. Father Thomas Doyle, a leading expert on
clergy abuse, analyzed the letter for the jury. And I believe I found in every paragraph some element that I found very
unusual, but pointed to an attempt to cover this up, to make it go away. But there was no getting away from Maria
America Gar's accusation because she had identified Fight. A year after Irene's death, he stood trial for attempting to
rape Gara, but the jury deadlocked. Rather than face a second trial, Fight pled no contest in 1962
to a lesser charge, aggravated assault. And what happened to him? He was fined $500.
$500. 500 bucks. The state calls Daryl Davis. And Daryl Davis says he knows how that happened. And who is that young man
standing there? That's Daryl Davis, Channel 5 News. Davis is now a local attorney. But back in 1962, he was a
young TV reporter who had covered the Maria America Gara plea in this very courtroom. that the clock that's on the
back of that wall there still there after 57 years. Davis says around that time he and several other reporters were
summoned to an off thereord meeting with Robert Latimore who was then the district attorney. He said, "We know the
verbatim. We know that father fight killed Irene Garza." And I remember he said and the church
knows that he killed Irene Garza. So we have made some arrangements. Davis says in exchange for that plea in
the Maria America Gara case fight would not be prosecuted in the Irene Garza case and the church would send him away.
He said the church is going to put him in a monastery for disturbed or troubled priests and he will be kept there for
the rest of his life. And so father fight disappeared from the area. The case was buried. Irene's
parents died without knowing that decades later it would be brought back to the surface.
by a former monk. I covered up the evidence. I'm sorry for what I did. [Music] Your honor, the state of Texas were
called Dale Tashnney. Dale Tashnney is 88 years old, a former monk from Oklahoma, and now the star witness at
John Fight's murder trial. Tashnney has waited years to be able to take the stand. Do you remember what you were
feeling at that moment? Relief. Relief. This was my chance to tell what I knew, what I remembered. In 2002, 42 years
after the murder of Irene Garza, Tashnney sent a letter to the San Antonio police saying he had information
about the death of an unnamed woman in the 1960s on Easter weekend. She went to confession to to the priest. After
hearing her confession, he assaulted her, bound her, and gagged her. The priest's name was John Fe.
The San Antonio police knew nothing about the case, but the Texas Rangers did. It just so happened the cold case had
been reopened that year and Ranger Rudy Harmo had been working on it without much luck. And then Dale Tashnney came
along. That's a huge break for you. Right. Harmo got in touch with Tashnney and was amazed by what he heard. Even
though Tashnney didn't know the name of the victim and had the incorrect date and city, Haramo was certain Tashnney
was talking about the murder of Irene Garza. Back in 1963, Tashnney was a monk at the
Assumption Abbey in Ava, Missouri. [Music] He says his superior ordered him to counsel a young priest named John Fe who
had just arrived at the monastery with an unusual story. I was told that he had killed a woman
and then asked if we could see if he would fit in in the monastery and possibly become a monk. And I said a
murderer become a monk as Did that seem odd to you? to me. Yes. Tashnney says over the course of many months, Father
fight told him about that attack. After confession, he took her blouse off. He fondled her breasts and then
after that he took her down in the basement and somehow she remained in the basement. I assumed that he that he tied
her up down there. Tashnney says fight told him he later moved her from the rectory to another location the next day
Easter Sunday I believe it was and he put her in the bathroom put her in the tub and he had put her in
a bag or something overhead some sort of a plastic bag I don't fully remember but
when he was leaving he heard her saying I can't breathe I can't breathe with Daddy, he shut the door and left.
When he came back, he opened the bathroom door and she was dead. And then with the body, he dumped the
body along the road by a canal. Despite hearing all this, Tashnney says he did not call police then because he
felt his only job was to counsel the priest. But it soon became clear that fight was not a good fit at the
Assumption Abbey. And he eventually was sent to another monastery in New Mexico.
Send him out the door. Yes. Knowing what you knew? Yes. Buried as much of it as I
could. Tashnney eventually left the priesthood, got married, and raised a family. But in the early 2000s, he says
he had a crisis of conscience and could no longer carry the burden of John Fight's story.
Did you know Irene Garza? No. As the jury listened, Tashnney shared his story and the pain he felt for denying answers
to Irene's family. Did you know her parents? No, but I knew she had parents. Can we move on to something else?
[Music] But it took 15 years from the time Tashnney first came forward to get him
in front of a jury. And this man, Renee Gara, is a big part of the reason why. But you don't believe fight ever
confessed to him? I don't believe so. Gar was the DA in 2002 when Tashnney came forward. He refused to charge
Fight. We spoke to him in 2013. I mean, why would he make up this conversation? I don't know. But why what makes you
think he did? The fact that he had no specifics. But Tashnney was not the only new
witness at the time. Ranger Harmo had also tracked down Father O'Brien who said fight had also admitted guilt to
him. Harmo recorded an interview with O'Brien in which he matched many of the details
in Tashney's account. Did he put her anywhere that to hide her to place her in, you know, anywhere where he might
have to bet some? Did he tell you how he killed her? She died from the gagging asphyxiation.
Garb did not believe Father O'Brien either. He says O'Brien had been diagnosed with a form of dementia. Is he
misunderstanding and fabricating in his mind a story that he might have heard about, might have read about? Paramo
felt O'Brien was clear-minded, but Renee Gar would not bend. Linda de Lavinha remembers he confronted her as she and
Noamy Pon Seagler tried to push him to prosecute. And I'll never forget, he put his finger
in my in my face and said, "You know, you'll never get an indictment. You'll get one when pigs fly." Linda and No.
Amy refused to back down. And in 2004, Gara finally seemed to give in to the public pressure, and his office took the
case to a grand jury. But jurors would only be given audio tapes and transcripts of what Father O'Brien and
Dale Tashny told investigators. They were never called to testify in person. The charge has been made that you could
have called them and that you didn't do it in this case cuz you didn't want to prosecute this case. Irene Gar's family
is saying that's what the police say. There's some there's some interested parties that are saying that
the grand jury did not charge John fight and he continued to live as a free man.
He had left the monastery and the priesthood by 1972. He married and became a father and a
grandfather and had worked for decades at a Catholic charity when we found him near his home in Scottsdale, Arizona in
2014. Um, well, let me just ask you straight out. Did you kill Irene Garza? No. Do
you know who did? Uh, no. Well, Dale Tashnney says that you told him that you did kill is full of I'm sorry. Damn is
full of fight. Could not have known it then, but his time was running out. Get lost, brother.
Shortly after our conversation with him, there was a big development in Macallen.
Renee Gara, who had been DA for 32 years, was defeated by Ricardo Rodriguez, who promised to look into the
case. And in February 2016, Fight was arrested and brought back to Texas to stand
trial. But after nearly 60 years, is it too late? After hearing her confession, he
assaulted her, bound. Dale Tashnney's testimony allowed the prosecution to piece together the last hours of Irene
Garza's life. He put the young lady downstairs in the basement of the rectory at that time. And this is the
rectory. Yes. Prosecutor Mike Garza says because of the recre's thick walls, nobody would hear sounds of a struggle
or any screams for help and left her there and left her there. And Garza says father fight went back to church to hear
confessions. After parishioners left that holy Saturday, Garza says fight moved Irene a few miles away to the
pastoral house. Tashan's story was that he had placed her in a bathtub and had kept left her there while he was going
to go back and say vigil mass. Uh and at that time she said, "I can't breathe. I
can't breathe." Garza says when fight returned from church, Irene was dead. At the point that he left, we believe she
was still alive, but we, you know, with every intent to kill her. Um, that's a depraved heart. That's a pretty cold
heart. That night, Easter night, Dale Tashny believes Irene was moved one last time. He put her in a car and put her
aside of the road near a canal. Tashnney's testimony has some details, but Mike Garza knows it
also has holes. Do you recognize that, sir? Yes, sir. In his letter to police in 2002, Tashnney
said the murder happened in 1962 or 1963 in San Antonio, several years after and
more than 200 miles from where Irene Garza's body was found. Why did you think it was in San Antonio? Father
fight was from San Antonio. He went to school there. Did you know what year this had happened? Since Father Fight
came to the monastery in 1963, I thought it happened in 1963. Did you later find that you were
mistaken? Yes, but I wasn't easily convinced. Defense attorney Renee Flores believes
Ranger Rudy Harmo fed facts to Tashy so he could close the case. Could you have done that? Did you do that? No, sir.
Harmo says he corrected Tashnney only because the former monk was racked by guilt, wanted to find Irene's family and
clear his conscience. I had to set him straight as to when it happened and where. But the defense says Tashnney
isn't simply mistaken. He assaulted her, bound her, and gagged her. Renee Flores
says Tashney is simply lying. Okay. Did you ever told my father fight that she had been bound and gagged?
That's correct. Tashnney admits he assumed that because Irene didn't escape from the rectory. After some time, he
placed her in a cellophane bag and put her into a bathtub. You also talked about a cellophane bag. We know that
didn't happen. Correct. No, we don't know that that didn't happen. We know that he didn't tell me it happened.
Well, if he didn't tell you all of these different things, Mr. Tashy, why would you come forward to law enforcement and
tell them that he did? There were reasonable assumptions. The prosecutors don't think the problems Tashnney has
with details make him unreliable. And they say much of his testimony is corroborated by what Father O'Brien, who
has since died, told the police. Did he tell you how he killed her? She died from the gagging.
But the defense says O'Brien, like Tashnney, got help with his story. I think Joseph O'Brien was fed, given or
confronted with what the investigators believed. May I have a moment? Renee Flores is arguing Fight was never
prosecuted because of a lack of evidence, not a conspiracy. And he questions Daryl Davis's testimony about
that off therecord meeting with the prosecutor at the time. We were talking to the defense attorney and he doubts
this meeting ever really took place. Really? Well, I'll look him straight in the eye
and tell him that I remember it parts of it as clear as a bell. But nobody is clear, according to
Flores, on exactly when Irene went missing. He says witnesses saw her on church grounds more than an hour after
the prosecutors say she was abducted. She had been seen at least an hour and a half to an hour and 45 minutes later.
And if the jurors conclude a priest murdered Irene, Flores wants them to consider a different priest. Father
Richard Junius was also hearing confessions at Sacred Heart that day and knew Irene.
Is Father Junius a reasonable other suspect in your mind? Sure. Flores says Texas Rangers
interviewed Father Junius decades after the crime and he seemed nervous. If I recall correctly, Texas Ranger Hadamu
indicated that uh Richard Junius was not very happy about being interviewed. That
suggests something. And why law enforcement ignored it, I don't know. But Father Junius was never considered a
suspect in the case and he died in 2007. So he can't defend himself. But John Feight can if he decides to take the
stand at his trial. There are several things I'd like to speak to. [Music] Mr. fight. Would you raise your right
hand, sir? Do you swear from the testimony you're about to give in the case now before the court is the truth,
the whole truth, and nothing but the truth? So, help me God. Very well, sir. For years, people have been trying to
get answers from John Fe about Irene Garza's murder. There are several things I'd like to speak to, and it looked like
Fight might be considering taking the stand at his trial. I'm kind of between a rock and a hard place here. During a
break, his attorneys consulted with Fight, who finally announced his decision. Well, it was a wrestling match
between my vanity and common sense, and common sense prevailed. Mr. F, do you wish to testify in your own behalf? No.
You think he would have been a good witness? I think he would have been a great witness, but I think that the
prosecutor would have done his very best to attack and eat him up. Please rise for the jury.
With that settled, closing arguments can begin. May I proceed? Yes, sir. May please the court. Prosecutor Mike Garzo
reminded the jury of the women he says Father Fight prayed upon. He was a wolf in priest clothing waiting
to attack. attacked once, tried to attack again, and finally he got his prey. Ask yourselves this, what evidence was
there that John Fine had any intent to kill? What evidence did you hear? You're here to find facts. And sometimes there
just aren't enough to convince beyond a reasonable doubt. Fight went through the trial alone
without his family. And on December 7th, 2017, after 6 days, the cold case against the former priest was in the
hands of the jury. The jury began their deliberations just this afternoon. And after I was confident. I felt we had the
right jury in the box. And that carried you through the first what, two hours of
the That carried me probably through the first two hours. And then what happened?
It started taking long. We received another note from the jury and I started losing faith.
After 6 and 1/2 hours, there was a verdict. Would the defendant please stand? We the jury find the defendant John
Bernard Fight guilty of the offense of murder with malice of forethought as charged. John fight once a cleric is now
a convict. Guilty. Tell me what you're feeling. Justice was served. Irene finally got her day in court and
that's all we ever wanted. [Music] This is what we've been waiting for. Brought a smile to an old Texas Ranger's
face. After 57 years, we have found justice for Irene. And for today, pigs are flying.
Mr. Fight, any words? No comment. When you heard that Father Feight had finally been convicted, what did that feel like
to you knowing the role you played? The debt is paid both to Irene and Father Fle. Justice has been done for the both
of them. The verdict against John Fight was one thing, but the jury still had to
decide on his sentence. Linda and Noy worried that Fight might be set free. The jury might decide because he is
older and he's frail that they would be somewhat lenient. The morning after the extraordinary
verdict, something else extraordinary happened. It snowed here along the border with Mexico
as the sentencing process began. It's snowing outside morning. And one last time, the lawyers addressed the jury. It
was a time where this man wasn't walking in a walker, where this man wasn't sitting here weak.
It was a time when this man was strong. Prosecutor Mike Garza pulled out the photo of Irene he carried close to his
heart throughout the entire trial. She was a person that was loved. We ask that you assess punishment at 57
years. every year that he was free, having a family, getting married, hiding behind the protection of the
church. Is it a just penalty to impose a sentence upon a man who is different 60 years later?
It's up to you to decide. But do you really think he's going to live 57 years? 4 hours later. The defendant please
stand. The jury announced its decision. We the jury assess punishment and imprisonment for a term of life.
It was a perfect plan. It was a perfect fight. Had the perfect result. Everybody
won except John fight. Well, he was the villain. The villain's not supposed to win.
[Music] I said, "Okay, Irene, I know what your message is. We must get back to respecting, caring, and loving each
other. That's what we have to do. That's the lesson she taught us. She was so good. She was and will be my hero.
[Music] For Mike Garza, this case tested his trust in the church, but in the end, he
kept his faith. I've probably crossed, no, I have crossed the emotional line in this case. This case was very important
to me from my heart. I truly believed that faith would win, and it did. [Music] [Music]

“48 Hours" reports on cases with several twists and turns and stunning conclusions. Watch the YouTube mini-marathon, which includes "The Widow on Solway Road," "The Day My Mother Never Came Home" and "Sins of the Father."

00:00 The Widow on Solway Road 42:02 The Day My Mother Never Came Home 1:23:37 Sins of the Father

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

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Brief Summary

Rainella Leaf's murder trial for her husband David Lee reveals complex evidence and emotional turmoil, culminating in her acquittal after multiple trials.

Key points

The Mysterious Death of David Lee. David Lee was found dead from a gunshot wound, raising questions about suicide versus homicide.
The Long Road to Justice. After years of legal battles, Reinella is finally convicted of murder, but her story doesn't end there.
The Unexpected Verdict. In a shocking turn, the judge acquits Rainella Le of all charges, leaving everyone stunned.
Reggie's Heartfelt Reflection. Reggie Reed shares the emotional impact of losing his mother at a young age.
The Investigation Begins. Investigators search the family home and find evidence that raises suspicions about the murder.
Insurance Policies Raise Eyebrows. Lieutenant Ward discovers life insurance policies taken out on Salonia shortly before her death.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

I could tell something was wrong when I looked at him.

7:56WatchJun 14, 2025

Tension

75/ 100High tension

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