Survivor Writes Attacker’s Name in Blood in Home Invasion | Forensic Files

I believe that the evidence that we're going to find, the statements that we're getting from other people is going to
show that what you're telling us is not the truth. That you in fact did go over to house and assault her tonight. I hope
that you're not the type of person that goes out here and sits and thinks up horrible, deviant, terrible things to do
to people that prays on on innocent people out here and and and and just tries to torture them and do terrible
things to them. I would rather think that you're the person that made a simple mistake tonight and just
did something that was totally out of character and would not normally do. >> Hi, crime junkies. [music]
Even though I don't sound like it, I am your host, Ashley Flowers. >> And I'm Brit.
>> And even though I'm sick, I could not let that stop me today from telling this
story because it is an urgent warning for the people of Elizabeth Town, Kentucky. There is a man living among
you who committed one of the most violent, heinous crimes on a neighbor that he barely even knew for a reason no
one knows. And with her grandchild in the other room, he brutalized her [music] and then went home to make
supper and watch TV like nothing happened. And the only reason police knew where to go looking for [music] him
and the mountain of evidence that proved he committed this crime is because the victim wrote his name in her own blood
and somehow managed to survive so she could warn others about [music] this churchgoing father who masqueraded as a
good man. This story is going to be hard to hear, but no one else is talking [music] about it. So, I want to warn you
because some in the community have long wondered [music] whether this survivor is the only victim of Ernest Pine.
The neighborhoods that surround Rough River Lake in Kentucky are quiet [music] ones. It's over an hour away from any
big city and really gives those nothing bad happens here kind of vibes to those who don't know. But anyone who lived
there in August 2008 found out the hard way that evil can reside anywhere. And they learned that lesson at the expense
[music] of one woman. A woman who is still so scared of the man who masqueraded as normal that she asked us
not to use her real name. So I'll call her Linda. And the day that changed Linda's life forever was August 25th,
2008. That's when Linda was home babysitting her 22-month-old granddaughter who was asleep on the
couch. And Linda was next to her just watching TV when she got a knock at her door. It was a little after 7:00 p.m. at
the time. The sun was still out, [music] wouldn't be setting for like a couple of
more hours that time of year. And in a place like this where you know all your neighbors, Linda didn't even hesitate to
open her front door. And it [music] was for a neighbor, Ernest Pine. Now, the two exchanged friendly greetings, and
Ernest told Linda that he was there to talk to her husband about a boat dock that either he has or maybe one that he
was building, and he wanted her husband to work on it because he's an engineer. Now, Linda's husband wasn't home and she
told Ernest as much, said he would be back in a half an hour or so. And Ernest seemed happy with that and turned to
leave. And as he made that motion, signaling to Linda that their very normal, very safe interaction was over,
just when her guard was completely down and she went to close the door. That is the moment he pounced. Ernest shoved the
door open and forced his way inside. And before she can even process what is happening, Linda feels the butt of a gun
against her head and she hears Ernest [music] in her ear. He says, "Turn around. you are going to die. Every
nerve ending is on fire. And she believes him even before he pulls out the 6-in hunting knife and zip [music]
ties, which by the way, he had to have brought with him. This was planned. And in that moment, she knows that this
isn't a situation where she can just appease him. Give him what he wants and he'll leave. What he wants is to kill
her. And so, she fights. He's trying to get her to put her hands behind her back
and to tie them with the zip ties, but she won't let him. So, he hits her with the gun three times, but Linda keeps
fighting. And for a moment, she pulls her arms free and she reaches for the side door that leads to the garage,
hoping that she can get her German Shepherd that is in there. But right as she is about to open it, Ernest grabs
her again. He pulls her back and this is when he's able to tie her arms. And he tells her that if she tries that again,
he [music] will not just kill her, he will also kill her granddaughter, too. >> Now, Linda knows that that little girl
could wake up any second. So, she makes a request. She asks Ernest to move her to the small laundry utility space that
they have just off the kitchen so that whatever is about to happen to her won't be witnessed by her granddaughter if she
does wake up. and Ernest complies. He drags her to that room and she hears the lock click behind them. Now, Linda is
still not giving up in that moment. She manages to pull her arms out of the zip [music] ties, but Ernest is bigger than
her. He overpowers her. He cuts off all of her clothes and for the next 15 minutes that feel like a lifetime to
[music] her. Ernest sexually assaults her with objects that he finds nearby while Linda [music] tries to fight him
off. Now, at one point, Linda is able to push him to the ground. And that's when
he starts cutting her with his knife. And he tells her that she is not getting out of this room. She has to die because
she knows who he is. And that's when he pulls out his gun and aims it right at her head. And she hears it go off. But
somehow, by some miracle, the round just zips past her head and hits the wall. So, he fires again. But this time, it's
just the click of the trigger. She hears no shot. The gun jammed. But in that half second that Linda thought she'd
been saved, that's when Ernest grabs Linda by the head and slices her throat ear to ear. When Ernest lets her go, her
body just falls limp onto this pile of towels. And even though at that moment she is sure she's going to die, she
still won't give up. She is pressing the towels against her neck, trying to use them to like stop the bleeding as best
she can. And she uses every ounce of energy she has, every ounce of willpower that she has left to hold on as long as
possible and to hold as still as possible because she's trying to convince Ernest she's dead. Now it's
quiet, so she can hear him unlock the door, leave the room, but then he comes back and he just like stands over her
and all of a sudden, Linda feels this searing pain because he's stabbing her. And he does this over and over again.
Leaves, comes back and stabs her, leaves, comes back and stabs her. And all the while, somehow she is managing
to play dead. Finally, she hears a new sound. Ernest is running the sink in the utility room now. He thinks she is dead
on the floor and he is washing his knife and washing his hands above her before leaving the room one last time. Then she
hears the front door open and close. And even then she cannot bring herself to move. Like he could come back and if he
does, if he stabs her one more time, that might really be it for her. So, for another 10 long minutes, Linda just lies
there bleeding on this heap of towels, wondering if her utility room is going to be the last thing she ever sees. And
when she's sure that he's not coming back to clean up anymore, that's when Linda takes her finger and in her own
blood begins to scrawl Ernest's name on the wall. She wants people to know who did this to her. And when she finishes
the final E in his last name, Pine, somehow, maybe it's the adrenaline that's been rushing through her body or
just the drive to protect her granddaughter. At that moment, Linda pushes herself up off the floor and she
makes her way out of the utility room into the kitchen where she can see her granddaughter in the living room on the
couch, who thank God is still asleep and unharmed. So, she makes a beline for the
front door to lock it. And then next to the door is their security system. So she presses the panic button which
triggers a 911 call at 8:12 p.m. [music] ending her hour in hell with Earnest. Now she has never had to use this button
before. She doesn't even know how quickly police will respond or if they will at all. So she goes back to the
kitchen and starts making calls while she's still bleeding out. She calls her son-in-law who lives next door and then
she hangs up and calls her husband and begs him to come home. They both call 9112 to make sure they know to send an
ambulance, not just police. And Linda is somehow still conscious and talking when
first responders get there at 8:20 p.m. And as more and more people show up and she's loaded into an ambulance, she is
able to relay what happened to her and more importantly, who is responsible. So, as they airlift her to University
Hospital in Louisville for emergency surgery, the sheriff goes to the home of Ernest Pine, just a one-minute drive
away, positions outside his home, and calls his landline. When Ernest answers, the sheriff asks him to come out of his
home, but he doesn't say why. Now, it's dark now, around 900 p.m., and Ernest emerges from his front door, blinded by
a cruiser's spotlight. And as the sheriff arrests him and place him in the back of a car, a deputy notices that he
reeks of alcohol, but he is coherent enough to answer questions after he's read his Miranda rightites. They ask
him, "Is anyone else inside?" "No," he says. "My wife's at a dog show 2 hours away." "Were you at Linda's house
earlier tonight?" "No." But when the sheriff says, like, "So, if a neighbor told me that they had seen you on the
front porch earlier, then you're saying that neighbor would have been lying." And this is when Ernest starts
backtracking, saying, "Well, oh, actually, yeah, I did go over there to talk to her husband about a boat dock,
but Linda said that he wasn't home, so I just left." Okay, your name is written in her blood.
>> But he I don't think he's pieced that together yet. Like, I don't think he knows that she's the neighbor who saw
him. I mean, he knows what he did to Linda, so I think in his mind, she should not be alive. Linda is dead. so
calm, cool, and collected, he just answers their questions and acts like this is some big misunderstanding. The
sheriff asks Ernest if he has any weapons at [music] home. Ernest mentions like two or three long guns and the
sheriff's like, "Well, yeah, but what about a handgun?" Now, Ernest thinks for a while and he's like, "Well, oh yeah, I
do have this 22. It's in a toolbox in the basement." Perfect. So, he's taken to the station and somewhere between
when he's put in the back of the sheriff's car and when he gets to the station before the recorded interview
with him begins, investigators give him a heads up like, "Oh, by the way, it wasn't just a neighbor who saw you on
her porch. It was the victim herself who IDed [music] you. And, by the way, we're
getting a warrant to search your house for that gun and anything else we can find." And also, before their interview
starts with him, they're getting as much background on Ernest as they can. But honestly, the more they learn about this
guy, the more shocked they are by this crime and the more they have to be thanking their lucky stars that Linda
survived. Because without her, I don't know if they would have ever gotten to Ernest. Cuz 58-year-old Ernest does not
fit the profile of a violent offender that they might have gone looking for. Cuz he's been married to the same woman
for his whole adult life. They have two kids, grandkids, and he has no adult criminal record that they can find. You
know what else they can't find? Any connection to Linda. I mean, aside from living a minute away from her, they
don't seem to really know one another or have any history. I mean, like, Linda and her husband would wave to Ernest
when they would walk their dogs, but that was it. And even in that, like barely any words are spoken between
them, and Ernest was never alone with Linda or anything like that. So, by the time Kentucky State Police investigators
get in a room with Ernest, hours after his arrest, they are dying to get to the heart of their questions.
Why? And I'll warn you, what you're about to hear, the actual interview audio between Ernest and the detectives,
it is explicit and troubling. >> Okay. My name is Detective Jason Folks with the Kentucky State Police. The date
is August 26, 2008. Time is 1:35 hours Eastern Standard Time. Uh we're currently in the uh Breen Ridge County
uh Sheriff's Department. Um myself and Detective Matt Johnson with Texas State Police will be attempting to interview
Ernest Pine. >> Some cases fade from headlines. Some never made it there to begin with. I'm
Ashley Flowers and [music] on my podcast, The Deck, I tell you the stories of cold cases featured on
playing [music] cards distributed in prisons designed to spark new leads and bring long overdue justice. Because
these stories deserve to be heard, and the loved ones of these victims still deserve answers. Are you ready to be
dealt in? Listen to the deck now wherever you get your podcasts. Are you currently on the influence of
alcohol or any drugs? Anything like that? >> I could complain about one tonight, but
don't >> You're not not intoxicated or anything like that. We like to talk to you about
incidents that happened tonight. Why? Why you're here? Would you be willing to talk to us about that?
>> I'm not real sure what the incident is. >> Do you have any idea why why you're in
here? >> Neighbor was assaulted and said it was me. >> Uh-huh. And that's all I know.
>> Okay. >> Wasn't in the back of a car. >> Okay. >> Ever since then. >> All right. Uh who was this neighbor that
said this? >> She's cross street down to the house. >> Okay. And how did you um learn that she
said that you were assaulted her? >> When the sheriff called me on the phone and said, "Come over to your house."
>> Okay. Did he tell you what the accusation was? >> Assaulted. And she said, "I did."
>> Okay. Um, did you in fact uh assault tonight? Have you been over to house tonight?
>> I went over cuz I want to talk to her husband. >> What were you going to talk to him
about? >> He builds boat docks. >> And I just got recently got my permit. >> Mhm.
>> And the guy that said he was going to do it, he was going to put it in this weekend and he hadn't shown up yet.
So I wanted to talk to him about that. >> What did she tell you? And he wasn't home.
>> Okay. And then what happened next? >> I went back home. >> Okay. So you went back home. What did
you do when you went back home? >> Dinner. I was sitting down watching TV. >> You remember what you were watching?
>> No. >> Do you live at home by yourself? >> My wife. >> Okay. Is your wife at home tonight?
>> No, she's in Washington right now. >> How long have you lived at the residence
where you live now? about a year. >> I'm not sure though. We just at the hospital.
>> Do you know I mean you have any other acquaintance with >> we've talked to him two or three times.
>> Is that just casual conversation or >> walking down the street or we'd be walking down the street?
>> How you doing? >> Why do you think if she was assaulted would she name you as being the person
that assaulted her? That's the fact that I had been at her front door. Of >> course, the reason you're here is pretty
seriously. Matter of fact, she's at the University of Louisville Hospital right now as we
speak. And she's said told several people that you were the person that did this to her. However, you you're saying
that's not true. Is that correct? That's right. >> Uh why would she accuse you of doing
this if you didn't have anything to do with it? >> I said I I went through her door.
Maybe she thought I'd come back. I don't know. >> We know what's been told what's
happened. We'll find out what's happened. That's what we do. I mean, that's just our job. But we talk to
people all the time because it's kind of like it's not normal behavior is is what it is. It's got
there's always a reason that something's happened and we want to try to find out
why so we can prevent it from happening again. Here's here's the situation we're
in, Mr. Pine. We're going to search your residence and we're going to search residence for
evidence and we're going to find evidence in those places. Okay. The evidence I believe is going to show that you're
not telling us the truth right now. I believe that the evidence that we're going to find, the statements that we're
getting from other people is going to show that what you're telling us is not the truth. That you in fact did go over
to house and assault her tonight. I hope that you're not the type of person that
goes out here and sits and thinks up horrible, deviant, terrible things to do to people that prays on on innocent
[snorts] people out here and and and and just tries to torture them and do terrible things to them. I would rather
think that you're the person that made a simple mistake tonight and just did something that was totally out of
character and would not normally do. But the evidence is going to show that that
you were there and that you had something to do with this. And I need to know from you which type of person you
are. If you're that evil type of person that I'm thinking about on this end or if you just made a mistake tonight and
did something that was totally out of character that would never happen again. I said at the front door so I don't
think the evidence is so much. >> Okay. When we go in there and we find evidence in your home on your person
house that shows that you're not telling us the truth. How do you think a prosecutor and a judge is going to view
that? Are they going to say this is the type of person that made a mistake? Or they're going to say this is the type of
person that stood up and straight up lied to those detectives when he knew good and well that there was evidence
that showed he had done something like this. >> What do you think a prosecutor is going
to think? What do you think a jury is going to think >> about something like that?
>> He had a bunch of evidence. I guess that's that's the idea. So, if we So, if we laid out a bunch of evidence here for
you, then that might change your view on it. Is that what you're telling us? >> I don't know what evidence you can do,
>> Mr. B. Here's the situation. But, we're talking with you here cuz this is what
we do, but there's not a particular reason why we have to be talking to you. Now,
>> this is your opportunity to help yourself. The good thing here is that she hasn't died. Okay? You know, my
thing is too, if you sexually assaulted, you want to take me to a hospital, have
a blood test taken. >> Okay? >> Because if I don't take a pill, then ain't nothing going to happen.
Okay? >> Okay? >> So, if I don't have some of the Levitra in me, then there wouldn't have been a
sexual assault in the first place. >> Did I say you stuck your penis inside of her?
>> Okay. What's a sexual assault? Well, any type of assault that involves her any
type of assault that involves her sexually that involves her vagina. >> Okay. >> Her anus.
>> To me, a sexual assault would be a red. >> Okay. Well, then didn't say you didn't
sexually assault her. >> Well, it was sexual. >> Well, that's what she's saying.
>> Well, that's because we're we have a misunderstanding. >> All we've got is what she's saying.
Okay. Maybe you tell us something a little different than that. Well, it's not against her.
>> Not exactly. >> Okay. >> Cuz cuz I mean there's going to be evidence that's going to corroborate
what she said. >> If she's saying it was sexual assault, >> what was the sexual assault?
>> Well, she's saying that that you stuck some things up in her vagina and her anus,
some foreign objects. >> That may not be sexual assault. >> I mean, it could we could very well, if
that wasn't for sexual gratification, might not be sexual assault. But what we're saying is this is what she's
telling us. Okay? We're here to talk to you and get your side of the story. You're telling us
>> my side of the story. >> That's what you're saying though. But Mr. Mr. Cl, you don't understand that 95% of
your communication that your body gives off is all verbal. Okay. We've been doing this enough. I know you're very
nervous >> and you've been and you've been trained probably in the military about talking
about things like that, but actually an armed family. Okay. So, no. >> I'm I'm no different. I'm no different
than you are. Okay. Yeah. Y'all could be one day end up sitting in that same character. Okay. Doesn't that make me a
bad person? >> No. >> Am I going to want my kids thinking that the daddy's a bad person? Am I going to
want my wife thinking that their husband's a bad person? That's what it comes down to, Mr. Pine.
If you're not a bad person, we know that. But right now, all that we have is to take her side of the story. And
that's putting you as this terrible person. And that's all these people are going to hear. He's saying, "What me?
Didn't do it. Got no alibi. Prove no evidence. Prove it." And then only when you prove it and I'm backed into a
corner and I've got no other options, then I'll say I did it. How if you're an outside person, you see somebody do
that, what are you going to think? You're going to think that man is not sorry. That man's going to do it again.
And the only reason he finally fessed up to it was because he knew he had no other option.
And that's the only reason. And that person there deserves no sympathy. Deserves no help in the process. It
should be thrown out to the world for all we care. Get rid of them. That's one less person we need in this world.
That's what those people think. You know what? going to get on the stand and point you out and say he's the one that
did it. He did this to me. We're going to show pictures of what happened. We're going to listen to her story about what
happened. We're going to present the evidence that we're probably going to find here in a short while against you
and you're going to get up there and say, "I don't know what she's talking about. It wasn't me. I walked back home.
That that's it. I don't know what else to tell you other than it's my word against hers. Take that. I'll tell you
what's going to happen to you. A jury member is going to sit up there and listen to that and go. He's full of
crap. He's lying. He's lying just like he lied to those detectives right there. And if that's what you want to do, by
all means, that's fine. >> Challenge accepted. If Ernest Pine wasn't going to talk, the evidence would
do the talking for him. I mean, what more do they even need, though? Linda wrote his name in blood. I like if I
need to say one more time. Well, and she's telling any living soul she came in contact with before she was airlifted
off that it was him. But like you heard the man. He framed this as a he said she
said situation. And we unfortunately live in a world that requires a hell of a lot more than the word of a woman.
>> So buckle up. Let's go get that irrefutable proof that no one can argue with. Starting with Ernest own body. By
the time their interview with him ended, they had a warrant to search him and collect [music] his DNA. And while he
sat in that room talking to them, he had this cut on his thumb and scratches on his lower back and blood on his watch
and more smeared on one of his shoes, the shoes he is wearing. [music] And back at Ernest house, they find that 22
caliber handgun that he told them was in the toolbox in the basement. There is still blood on that and it is jammed
just like Linda said. It turns out that it jammed because Ernest loaded it with the wrong ammo. But the ammo that they
found matched the 22 caliber round still lodged in Linda's utility room wall. Ernest also had multiple hunting knives
[music] in his place, one of which had human blood still on it. And there were sandals with blood still on them, too,
that matched a tread of a bloody footprint found at the crime scene. And not just like in her house in general at
the entrance of the utility room where Linda was attacked. They collected zip ties that matched what Linda described
in her account along with green rope tied into a noose and even more smudges of blood around his house in her home.
They also took into evidence the multiple items that were used to sexually assault her. And make no
mistake, Ernest can sell his bull story all he wants that if he didn't use his penis, like does that really count as
assault? >> Yes, >> absolutely. And the detectives might have been trying to like play along to
get him to confess. But they agreed too because anyone anyone who hears what he did with those objects knows what a
[clears throat] sick and twisted monster Ernest actually [music] is. And the fact
that he couldn't use his limp doesn't change a thing for me. Now, Linda had to undergo an almost 19-hour surgery where
she needed about 17 pints of blood for a blood transfusion and hundreds of stitches. Her husband told us that
doctors said the knife missed her vital organs by millimeters. And I tell you all of this, Linda's stories, the
details of it, not to be overly graphic for entertainment or shock value. We asked Linda's permission to go into
detail and she allowed it because she and we want you to know exactly who Ernest Pine is. She and her family want
you to really understand what he is capable of and what kind of threat that he could be to other women out there.
Because at Ernest indictment hearing in 2008, the one where he gets slapped with
seven charges, Linda's family learns for the first time that she may not have been his first victim. Now, Linda and
her husband, they didn't go to that. She was still recovering. So, her husband's
dad [music] went in their place. And so, he was the one who first felt this big mix of emotions, thrilled as he came in
that this man would be facing real charges. And then horror when the strangest thing happened right before
the hearing started, something that you won't find in any of the case files or reporting. Linda's father-in-law
happened to sit right behind this guy at the hearing that he didn't know. And this guy turned around and asked him if
this was the courtroom that Ernest Pine was [music] going to be in. Linda's father-in-law said yes and went on to
explain Linda's case a little. And the next thing that came out of the other man's mouth set a chilling and ominous
tone for the next year to follow while they waited for a trial. According to Linda's family, the other man said that
he was there for his daughter-in-law, too, because he believed 16 years before Linda's attack, Ernest murdered her.
Linda's father-in-law was shocked to hear this. I mean, Ernest had never been convicted of any other crimes, let alone
murder. And the truth is, as far as I can tell, for all of the years before this, Ernest was never even a suspect in
this other woman's case. The only reason this other man learned about him and knew to show up to this hearing [music]
was because allegedly that man said a state trooper called him the night before this indictment hearing and
described how Linda was found. And when he heard the details, it was almost unbelievable. So, for police to call
this guy, I mean, that means they must be seeing the similarities, too. They're hard to miss. And police later said as
much to local press. And when our team dug into her case, I was shocked at what they found. So, this other woman was
29-year-old Elena Sanchez Hawkins. And 16 years before Linda's attack and just an hour away from Rough River Lake in
[music] Elizabeth Town, Kentucky, Elena was raising two little boys with her husband, Mike. The date was January 8th,
1992. And that day started off like any other. Elena woke up her 8-year-old for school,
made him breakfast, walked him out to the front porch to watch him get on his bus at around 7:00 a.m. Her husband,
Mike, was already at work, but he called like he did every morning to check in and make sure the morning was going
smoothly. And on that 7:00 a.m. call, everything was fine. But an hour or two later, Elena's sister told us that Mike
called his wife back because he had won some radio contest and gotten a free dinner. He was like excited about it,
wanted to tell her about it, but when he called, the phone was just ringing and ringing and ringing with no answer,
which was odd. I mean, Elena worked mostly nights at a gas station, so she could be home with their three-year-old
son during the day, so she usually was there to pick up. So, he tried calling [music] back again, and this time the
call was picked up, but it wasn't Elena on the other end. It was his three-year-old's voice that he heard.
And Mike's like, "Okay, hey, put mom on the phone." And what his son said next is still burned into my [music] brain.
Mama's bleeding. >> I don't think Mike's brain tried to make excuses. He didn't ask more questions.
He just immediately left work and raced home to a scene that I am sure continued
to haunt him throughout his life. Elena was lying half on the couch covered in blood with her hands tied behind her
back and her throat was slit from ear to ear. and there was truly blood everywhere. Now, thankfully, their son
had been left physically unharmed, so Mike scooped him up and called 911. The crime in 92 Elizabeth Town was just as
shocking as Linda's would eventually be in Rough River Lake in 2008. It didn't matter that this was a bigger city. This
just didn't happen here, [music] and police were quickly stumped by the crime. Now, it seemed like Elena knew
her killer because there was no forced entry. And even though this was a pretty rural neighborhood where people didn't
always lock their doors, a family member told us that Elena usually did, especially when Mike was gone, they also
remembered there being glass in the door and there was definitely a window next to the door. So Elena would have been
able to see whoever was on the other side, >> right? It's not like it was just like a
solid wall and she was blindly opening it, >> right? And also nothing seemed to be
taken from the house. So killing Elena seemed to be the only goal. But there was no one in Elena's life who raised
suspicions. I mean, obviously, they looked at Mike because, as we know, they always check the husband, but he had a
salad alibi. He was at work, so he was cleared pretty quickly. And police didn't believe that he had anything to
do with her death. Not that he just didn't do it. He didn't arrange it. Nothing.
>> And as they made their way through others close to the family, no suspects emerged, or at least none that have ever
been reported on or that the family knew about. Because the case is still unsolved, all of our records requests
and interview requests were denied by law enforcement. >> And did her son see anything?
>> Mike's brother told us that at some point in the morning, the son had pulled up a chair in the kitchen to get a snack
out of the fridge or like off the counter or something. And in that moment, the little boy remembered seeing
a man in the house. Now, we weren't able to talk to Elena's younger son, so exactly what he saw the man doing, if he
even remembers is unclear. But it must have been something that spooked him because one of Mike's brothers told us
that eventually he went into a bedroom and hid inside a toy box. >> But you'd think if it was someone that
the family knew even at three, he might have been able to like recognize them or
remember who they were. >> Yeah. I mean like my daughter is coming out of the three stage. I think she
could, but like also our brains are capable of shielding a lot to like protect us from trauma. So
>> who knows at that young of an age? What about any neighbors around? I mean, this is happening in the morning on a
weekday. People are driving to work, out and about. Like, there's people around.
>> This crime was so bold. According to a local paper called the News Enterprise,
investigators believed that she died sometime between 7 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. And I mean, we looked up her address,
and from what we could tell, it was kind of a rural area outside of town. The houses were pretty spread apart. So
again, bold for time of day, like people could just come by, mailman, whatever. But I don't think I do think that like
this attacker was protected in the fact that like there was not like a next door
neighbor the way there are in like a lot of suburbs that you see. >> But even though the neighbors were
spread apart, like police talked to as many people as they could. They even set up a roadblock to question anyone who
drove past Elena's house in the morning on their way to work. And from all of that, they did find someone who came
forward saying that they saw a black Nissan Dassen pickup truck parked in Elena's driveway. Now, they didn't see a
person or anything, but the truck is important because as far as we can tell, police were never able to connect anyone
in her circle or beyond to that kind of car. So, eventually, it was considered that this could be everyone's nightmare
scenario. just this random roaming psychopath who targeted Elena for who [snorts] knows what reason? Was it just
that day that he saw her? Had he been watching her? Now, a few of her loved ones told us that in the weeks leading
up to her murder, Elena did mention this weird guy that was watching her during her night shifts at the gas station
[music] she worked at nearby. During her shifts, Elena sat in one of those like glass boxes in the middle. People could
like drive up to her if they wanted to buy something. And this weird guy would drive by, but he would never talk to her
or anything like that. He would just stare at her. Now, everyone we talked to said Elena wasn't somebody who got
scared easily, and she could stand up for herself. But this guy freaked her out enough that even though the door to
her box was locked, she would call Mike and his brothers and [music] ask them to
come down when this guy showed up. >> But every single time they got to the gas station, the guy was gone. Now, as
far as everyone remembers now, Elena never described this guy or what he was driving. And it doesn't seem like police
were ever able to track this guy down either. But if the gas station guy somehow figured out where she lived and
showed up at her house, like you said, like she could see out in front of the door before she opened it, I doubt she
would have opened the door for someone that was already creeping her out. >> I don't think so. So, circling this back
to Linda, what are all the similarities and what like if anything is different in these two situations?
>> Okay, so first of all, everyone we talked to who has seen both Elena and Linda told us that they looked a lot
alike. Both women were dark-haired, tan, short, like around 5t tall. Both women were bound. Both had their throats cut.
>> Now, as far as we know, Elena wasn't tied using zip ties. One of Mike's brothers remembers that it was a cord
from the blinds. So, her attacker seems a little less prepared than Ernest was with Linda 16 years later. And I can't
tell you if the same type of weapon was used because just like Ernest took the knife with him, Elena's attacker did the
same thing. Also, they were each attacked in their home. A child was present in each case, which might be a
coincidence, but we know in Linda's case that Ernest used her granddaughter as leverage to make her comply. Could
Elena's killer have done the same thing? Like I wonder if a child in the home was
something they were looking for rather than just like >> right like knowing they could use that
kind of against their victim >> rather than just like something that happened to be there. Right now we know
that Linda was sexually assaulted, >> but it's not totally clear if Elena was. I mean, according to what KSP had told
other reporters in the past she was, but Elena's brother told us something totally different. He said that he
talked to someone in the coroner's office who told him that based on what she read in the report, she didn't think
Elena was sexually assaulted. Well, whose definition are we using here, too? Right? Cuz you also have Ernest over
here saying that what he did to Linda wasn't sexual assault, and we know that's total BS,
>> right? And I've seen before people even like in an official capacity interpret
like a lack of semen as a sign. So yes, if she too was assaulted with an object,
my question would be was there trauma left behind? >> Well, I feel like the one thing that
seems obvious is that there for sure was no semen or we'd be talking about like DNA all these years later, right? That
might actually be wrong actually, which I know sounds bananas, but without police cooperation, I can't like really
tell 30 years later. So like I said, um there is old reporting that has KSP saying that she was assaulted and they
have DNA they said in that same study. Okay. They don't explicitly say that it was from the sexual assault kit. And in
talking with Elena's family so many years later, like different people remember different things.
>> One person remembered that the DNA at the crime scene was semen. Another said
that they thought it was maybe like skin from underneath Elena's fingernails. Whatever they had, whatever they were
able to do with that in the early '90s, it didn't go anywhere. And so Elena's case went cold quickly. Now, in 2004,
Elena's husband, Mike, ended up passing away from surgery complications. And that same year, police told the
family that they had stopped testing the DNA they had because they didn't want to
destroy the little bit they had left. [music] So, Elena's loved ones, including her kids, who now have lost
both parents so young, they were just left hoping that someday, somehow, they would get the answers that they've been
waiting so long for. So four years after that when they get word about Linda's attack and Earnest, they get this surge
of hope. Maybe this is it. [music] And this is when I told you that police came out in the press and even they said
that they saw the same similarities. This is why Elena's father-in-law went to Ernest indictment hearing where he
met Linda's father-in-law and he probably planned to attend the trial. But a trial never [music] happened. In
the 10 months after the attack on Linda, Ernest ends up seeing the writing on the
wall. And just like detectives, Propes and Johnson said he would do, Ernest waited till he was backed into a corner
before he finally admitted what he'd done. On June 17th, 2009, about 10 months after Linda was attacked, Ernest
pleads guilty. Now, the judge gives him sentences for all of those things, but allows him to serve them concurrently
instead [music] of consecutively. So, that means he isn't stacking time for each count back to back. He gets to
serve one term, the longest one, 20 years. You know, it never ceases to amaze me how you get a lighter sentence
for attempted murder, like just trying to murder somebody >> because you like didn't do it right.
Like, >> right. >> Like, you told her she was going to die that day. You kept coming back to the
room and stabbing her to make sure she was dead. >> It was kind of multiple attempted
murders of one person. >> And just because by some miracle she survived, you get out of prison to maybe
do this again to somebody. Like what are we? >> It doesn't make any sense. What are we
doing here? And it is the strangest thing to me because once he goes away for his attack on Linda, all of the talk
about the similarities to Elena's case just stops. And to date, no official connection between Ernest and Elena has
ever been made. Wait, so it wasn't his DNA? >> I didn't say that. I don't know if it
was because police wouldn't talk to us. And even the family has never like Elena's family has never been able to
get a straight answer about this either. They have asked and they just keep getting the same party line that they
have gotten for years. [music] This case is unsolved and open and investigators are waiting for technology to move
forward before they can retest that DNA. I feel like if they actually had a DNA profile to compare, they would at least
come out and confirm it's not him, right? You would think, but at least one family member told us that they remember
police [music] testing the DNA they had against a few people back in the day. Now, they don't know who was tested or
cleared from that, and we couldn't confirm that. So, I don't know. Like, there is something so confusing
>> about the DNA stuff in Elena's case to me. Like, something does not feel right.
>> Well, I kind of wonder if maybe they're waiting till closer to the time that Ernest is set to be released. Like that
gives them kind of a ton of time to make a really solid case against him if they
think it's him. Like he's safely behind bars. He can't hurt anybody else. They have this like chance to really develop.
>> He was safely behind bars. >> Uh this is that's past tense. >> This is what I'm saying about this
episode. This is how I got put on this case. Ernest got an early release this summer.
>> What? Early release this summer. He's out. On August 19th, 2025, Ernest Pine was released on parole after serving
only 17 of his 20ear sentence for Linda's attack. >> Yeah, I was trying to do the math. I'm
not good at it. How is that even possible? How does a guy like this who did something like that get out? Like to
me, you already got a gift by getting to serve them, >> right? Like just Right. Exactly. He's
already getting kind of a [laughter] pass. Uh-huh. So, he got to serve them concurrently. And under Kucky's violent
offender law, you can be considered for parole after you serve 85% of your sentence. In this case, 20-year
sentence, that's about 17 years. Now, our sources said that Ernest spent a lot of time like leading Bible study and
Sunday school while he was in prison, too, which they believe the parole board like like
>> Yeah. when they approved his release. >> Ashley, I'm sorry. I don't care how many
Bible studies he led. You don't get to torture a woman and then shave literal years off your prison time just because
you said your prayers. Amen. And by the way, it's like sure, forgiveness, second
chances, whatever. But I have a hard time believing that Ernest like found God in prison because he knew the guy's
number before he went away. A source close to Ernest's own family who asked to stay anonymous told us that at some
point after Ernest moved to Elizabeth Town, like way back in 1986, we're talking even before Elena's case, he and
his wife joined the praise band at this mega church. a mega church that, oh, by the way, is located in Elizabeth Town,
just two and a half miles away from the gas station where Elena worked, according to her brother-in-law.
>> Wait, so Ernest for sure has a connection to the area where Elena lived back in '92.
>> Yeah, he we learned that he lived in the same town as Elena when she was murdered
in 1992, not just before, in 1992. >> And the potential ties don't stop there. So, when we found out that Ernest lived
in Elizabeth Town in 1992, right away we began to wonder, did he know Elena? >> Yeah,
>> it doesn't seem like it or at least it does not seem like she knew him. But then we talked to that source who was
close to Ernest family and they had a few theories on how Ernest and Elena's paths could have crossed. So Ernest was
in the army which is what brought him to Kentucky. He was actually stationed at Fort Knox before he retired and then he
moved into a house only about 5 miles away from Elena's. And our source told us that after Ernest retired, he was
having a really hard time finding a job. So for a while he delivered pizzas for Domino's. And of course like we don't
know where he delivered pizzas or anything like that. I do imagine that you called Domino's and were like, "Hi,
[laughter] could I get could I?" >> They cannot confirm. >> But our the source that we talked to
kind of has always wondered if he could have maybe delivered a pizza to the Hawkins house or in their neighborhood.
Like that's a bit of a stretch to me. >> This is less so though. The source also
said that when Ernest started working at a nearby break factory, he would work the night shift and then get off early
in the morning. And remember when he was arrested after Linda's assault, a deputy
said that he smelled alcohol on his breath in the patrol car. Right. >> Yeah. >> Well, our source went on to claim that
Ernest had a drinking problem that he hid from his family. So, he would usually drink during the day after his
shift ended while they were all out of the house. But Elizabeth Town was a dry town at the time. So, you could only buy
alcohol in Boston, Kentucky, which was like the next town over. And if what our source told us is true, which we have
not been able to confirm yet, to get to Boston from the break factory or his house, Ernest would have had to have
drove right past Elena's house. And that probably would have been right around the time that she was putting her son on
[music] the bus to school in the morning. >> And remember that truck that someone saw
in her driveway the day she died, >> the black Datson? Well, our source told us that Ernest had bought his daughter a
tan or beige Chevy S10 sometime before that. Now, if you look at the photos, an S10 looks really similar to a Datson.
>> Yeah, but I don't know if you could confuse those colors though, right? >> Big difference. But I did look it up and
sunrise that day would have been at around 8:00 a.m. So if Elena is attacked sometime like between 7 and 10, 7:30 and
10:00, it may have still been dark when that witness spotted the truck. I mean, yeah, it seems worth tracking down the
truck at least just to like get eyes on it like Yeah. I don't know if police ever like did because when a reporter
looked into this and shared our sources information with current detectives, we were told that they still have not
followed up. Wouldn't they have talked to his family though at some point during the investigation into Linda's
case? They tried. So in our records request, there was one audio file from when detectives went to the home of
Ernest daughter and her husband. They didn't want to talk then and they basically direct police to earnest
lawyer, some guy named Roger and his associates because it sounds like when they tried to answer questions before
people in their family were not happy with them. Take a listen. >> I guess you all sound okay. What we want
to do are you're is that right? And Ernest is your dad? >> Yes. >> Okay. All right. What we want to do is
just sit down and talk to you and your mom uh for a little while. We absolutely if Roger or or if y'all have an attorney
representing you all, >> we'll do we can do that if basically was you know, you know what what we what I
told you the other morning and everything you were coming to and and hopefully we were wanting to be able to
talk and maybe answer a few more of your questions and just find out basically we
we just don't know why this has really happened and uh I mean that's what we're trying to find out. We don't we don't
have a clue why. Uh, I mean, we know the who, what, when, where. We just don't know why. And, uh, and, uh, you know, we
just basically just wanted to find out, you know, if your dad had any mental uh issues in the past or is on any
medications or has a history of alcoholism or has been abusive in the past or anything like just small stuff
like that with your family. Just basically you and your mom, point to answer. Um, and that's really about all
it was. >> Okay. Well, since I have basically gotten my head decapitated from my
um let me just get back in contact and then I guess >> call you all back and let you know.
>> As far as I can tell, Ernest daughter did not call them back. And actually, out of all of our attempts to reach his
children or ex-wife or him directly so he could respond to allegations, this was the only response we got, a
voicemail. Yes, I'm calling on behalf of the letter you sent to Ernie Pine. Um, your
information is inaccurate. He is not interested in speaking of you with either of you on anything. And please
stop harassing him. Thank you. Who was that? We don't know. She didn't say. Maybe someone close to him could be a
family member. I mean, we were told that Ernest's family stood by him after Linda's attack. Stood by him? How? I
mean, like, they might not even believe that he did it. >> How can you like make yourself believe
that? There's a literal mountain of evidence in this case. >> I know. I like I get how hard it would
be to [music] accept that your husband or your dad did something that heinous, >> but there's also a bit of a line for me
like denial, trauma. Families of predators can be victims, too. Do not get me wrong. But when you help shield
them from accountability, that is when I think you're crossing over. >> What do you mean?
>> Well, so Linda's attack left her with serious medical debt. Before she was even discharged, they had a quarter of a
million dollar lean on their house and it took her husband 10 years to pay that off. And like, I just want to take a
second because this is the side of these cases that does not get talked about enough in my opinion. survivors don't
just have their physical well-being taken from them and their emotional and mental health totally wrecked, their
safety taken away. Like on top of all of that, it's like the logistics of it. >> They often have to pay literal money for
what their attacker did with money they often don't have. >> A crime like this seriously just like
rips apart every aspect of your life. Yeah, but I think about in this case like can't they sue Ernest? like he had
money, right? Yeah. We were told by our source that he did, but Linda's husband told us that none of that money has gone
to her. So, this is what played out. So, Linda had to wait for the criminal trial
to end or like all of that before they could actually file a civil suit, >> right?
>> And her husband told us that during that time, Ernest and his wife got divorced
and his assets were all transferred to her. So, from what he can tell, all Ernest has now to his name is his
pension, which I guess is protected, which I didn't know that it's how it worked, but that's still his. And
Linda's husband told us that he did try to fight for that money. Money that Linda deserves, but they just couldn't
keep up the fight because lawyers cost too much. >> It Yeah, you need money to get the
money. >> Yeah. Now, on the one hand, what I'll say is like in any other scenario like
this where say the wife and family are blindsided, it would be like the wife's whole life savings up in smoke too. And
I'm not saying the per's family has to be left destitute if they did not know anything or did not participate like but
neither should Linda, right? It like you said earlier, there are lots of victims
in this case. >> Yeah. And I haven't seen anything in the source material to suggest that they got
a dime to help. So, it feels to me like everyone on Ernest's side chose to support Ernest and protect themselves.
And as cruel as the financial burden has been on Linda and her family, the emotional toll is seriously just as
real. Linda lives with physical and emotional challenges from the trauma. Like I said, she is now back in therapy
because Ernest has been released and it has brought all of this back up for her.
I mean, ever since that night, 2008, Linda has never been left alone. She is always with her husband or a trusted
friend or family member. And her husband has faced his own challenges, too. He had a stroke in 2013, and his doctors
told him that all of this stress and worry that he carries could have been a factor. But you know what? He told us
that he loves Linda. They have been married for 47 years now, and [music] he would do anything to protect her and
their family. When Linda's husband went to one of Ernest hearings after his [music] parole, he said that in his
opinion, Ernest didn't even show any remorse even after all these years. And he has never made [music] any kind of
formal apology to Linda or her family. One of those hearings was about a no contact stayaway order, which meant that
Ernest couldn't be anywhere near Linda or her granddaughter for like 10 years. But Linda's husband told us that when
the judge asked him if he understood that, he didn't even answer. So the judge had to ask him again, like, "Do
you understand that?" And he says like, "Yeah, I get it." Which to Linda's family felt like he was not taking it
seriously. And so now that neighbor who left Linda for dead lives just about an hour away from her even though he is 75
years old now we know what he's capable of. And there is so much anger and fear that you can feel from everyone who has
been affected by this case. And Elena's family lives with that same anger and fear because her killer, whoever he is,
is still out there somewhere. Elena didn't get the chance to name her killer. And her family told us the
little that's out there about her doesn't even begin to paint a picture of who she was. So, I do want to share a
few of their memories. They said Elena never met a stranger. Like, she loved people and she loved to sing. She was
her son's best friend and the sister everyone wishes they had. And girl was 411, but she may as well have been like
8t tall. Nothing scared her. She never backed down from a fight to protect the people she loved. And Elena's son told
us that he has never given up on getting justice for his mom. And until the day he dies, he is going to keep looking for
her killer. Maybe Elena's killer thinks he'll never be caught. But if someone out there listening knows something that
can change that, you need to come forward now. You can call Kentucky State Police Post4 or email us tipsaudio.com
and we'll forward it on. We'll put KSP post4 information and our tips email in the show notes. And if you or someone
you know has experienced sexual violence, you [music] can contact Rain's National Sexual Abuse Hotline. We'll
have their number and other resources for survivors of sexual assault [music] in our show notes. You can find all the
source material for this episode on our website, crimejunkie.com. And if you want to listen to more
episodes like this and all of our episodes completely adree, be sure to join our fan club. You get early [music]
access to new episodes every week and bonus content every month. And bonus content, by the way, legit episodes. And
you can follow us on Instagram at CrimeJunky Podcast. [music] We'll be back next week with a brand new episode.
And hopefully I'll be feeling better. [laughter]

On the evening of August 25, 2008, a woman we’re calling Linda was home babysitting her 22-month-old granddaughter near Rough River Lake in Breckenridge County, Kentucky, when a knock came at her door. The man standing outside was a neighbor: Ernest Pine, a 58-year-old husband, father, and churchgoing Army veteran who lived just a minute away. What happened next was one of the most violent crimes the area had ever seen.

Linda was attacked inside her own home while her grandchild slept in the next room. Despite being brutally injured and left for dead, Linda somehow survived, and in a final act of courage, she used her own blood to write Ernest Pine’s name on the wall so police would know exactly who did this to her. Linda survived and led investigators straight to Pine.

As Linda was airlifted to University Hospital in Louisville, Kentucky, sheriff’s deputies arrested Ernest Pine at his home. Inside, they found overwhelming physical evidence that matched Linda’s account down to the smallest details. Pine later pleaded guilty to multiple felony charges, including attempted murder, kidnapping, burglary, and violent assault, and was sentenced to 20 years in prison. But the story doesn’t end there.

Sixteen years earlier, on January 8, 1992, 29-year-old Elena Sanchez Hawkins was found killed inside her home in Elizabethtown, Kentucky, just an hour from where Linda was attacked. The circumstances were hauntingly similar: a woman attacked in her home, bound, and killed while a young child was present. Elena’s case has never been solved.

After Linda survived, law enforcement acknowledged the similarities, and families from both cases crossed paths for the first time, realizing Ernest Pine may not have been a first-time offender.

Now, after serving just 17 years, Ernest Pine was released on parole on August 19, 2025, and is once again living in the community. In this episode, Ashley Flowers and Brit Prawat tell Linda’s story in full as a warning about how violence can hide behind normalcy, how survivors are often left to carry the consequences alone, and why unanswered questions about past crimes still matter today.

If you have information about the death of Elena Sanchez Hawkins, contact Kentucky State Police Post 4, or email tips@audiochuck.com. If you or someone you know has experienced S violence, you can contact RAINN’s National SA Hotline at 1-800-656-4673 or by texting HOPE to 64673.

-------- Key Episode Moments 0:00 - 0:49 - Case Intro 0:50 - 2:01 - Home Invasion Begins 2:02 - 4:09 - Attack on Linda 4:10 - 7:59 - Writing His Name in Blood 8:00 - 9:46 - Ernest Pine Arrested 9:47 - 12:06 - Police Interrogation 12:07 - 16:23 - Evidence Against Ernest Pine 16:24 - 18:09 - Guilty Plea & Sentencing 18:10 - 20:27 - Elena Sanchez Hawkins Murder 20:28 - 23:05 - Similarities Between the Cases 23:06 - 26:09 - Was Elena Sexually Assaulted? 26:10 - 29:14 - Possible Connection to Ernest 29:15 - 32:00 - DNA Questions Remain 32:01 - 35:04 - Ernest’s Early Release 35:05 - 39:00 - Impact on Linda & Her Family 39:01 - 55:41 - Elena’s Family Still Waiting 55:42 - 56:38 - Outro

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Brief Summary

Linda survived a brutal assault by Ernest Pine, who was later released on parole after serving 17 years of a 20-year sentence.

Key points

A Violent Crime Unfolds. A man brutally assaults a neighbor while her granddaughter sleeps nearby.
Survival Against All Odds. Linda fights for her life and manages to identify her attacker before collapsing.
The Arrest of Ernest Pine. Ernest is arrested shortly after the attack, but his demeanor raises suspicion.
A challenge to silence. The suspect's defiance raises questions about his guilt.
Uncovering a pattern. Connections emerge between two violent cases spanning 16 years.
The chilling phone call. A mother’s frantic call reveals a horrific scene at home.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

I would rather think that you're the person that made a simple mistake tonight.

Detective expressing hope that Ernest's actions were out of character.

1:50WatchJan 5, 2026

Tension

85/ 100High tension

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