True Crime Evidence Room | "48 Hours" Full Episodes | Forensic Files

[Music] when people think of Los Angeles they think of the glitz the Glamour the
stardom but there's a dark side to Los Angeles my name is Barry Tellus and I'm a retired homicide detective
from the Los Angeles Police Department this is a dangerous dangerous town there are
predators con men people who pretend to be someone they're not and those are the
people who prey on the innocent Christy Giles and Hilda Marcel cabales were two young women in their
20s there were new friends and then together they're sort of getting to know each other and enjoy laay and everything
it has to offer I'm Mary fjun and I'm a former prosecutor and defense attorney Hilda Marcel cabales just moved from
Mexico and she's loving in Los Angeles she was looking for the American dream I guess I was marcela's best friend with
think it was a dream for her to be there and being able to do what she loved being a architect and interior designer
Aloha my wife Christy was a model she was going out for shoots all the time and she traveled the world doing
that and having amazing experiences she was the most fun and interesting person I'd ever met she didn't live inside
society's box definitely not she was a very free spirit they're two gorgeous girls who
are not only pursuing their careers but also wanting to have fun at the same time and they do what a lot of kids do
with their 20s they go out and they party Chris's plan for the evening was to go out with some friends and have a
fun night they went to go see one of their favorite DJs at this event in East LA seems like a weird place to have a
party well it's a warehouse and we have warehouse parties all over Los Angeles and they just have music drugs
alcohol and people and this is a target-rich environment for victims of predators they met a man who passed
himself off as a big shot Hollywood producer and that just clearly wasn't the case and it was just dumb luck that they
met him he doesn't care about other people the longer and longer I didn't hear back
asking her if she's okay the more worried I got we were just waiting for some news any news and at that point
like I'm in real Panic once they left that party that was the last time their loved ones ever
heard from them again [Music] [Music] Hilda Marcela Placencia a doctor in Durango Mexico was used to handling
medical emergencies but nothing prepared her for the call she got about her eldest
daughter and namesake Hilda Marcel cabales I received the phone call in the middle of the
night saying that she was so ill she was very bad she was uh intubated the 26-year-old architect was fighting for
her life in the ICU at Kaiser Permanente Hospital in Los Angeles you are a doctor what was going
on in your mind at the time what happened what what happened to her why is she that bad
another mother in Corner Alabama was also getting shattering news Dusty G's daughter christe was in the ER at a
completely different Los Angeles Hospital the Southern California medical center I was just told I'm very sorry to
inform you miss chars but she was dropped off at our Hospital on the outside kind of like a bag of garbage
and um she didn't make it and I said what do you mean she didn't make it they said it is now a
police matter I hung up and I fell [Music] apart chrisy who had just turned 24 was
dead of a drug overdose but when detectives heard how she was dropped off they immediately suspected Foul Play
Hospital staff told investigators a black Prius without license plates pulled up here to the ER entrance two
men told the staff they found the woman quote passed out on the curb somewhere nearby and were trying to be Good
Samaritans by bringing her to the hospital they left without giving their names or phone
numbers it was appalling to me Barry Tellus a former Los Angeles Police Department homicide detective and CBS
News consultant says nothing about that story made sense nobody just dropped somebody off and say hey by the way we
were driving down the street we found this girl passed out on the sidewalk it was an unfathomable ending
to a life bursting with exuberance when Christy came into her room she was like a
tornado let's do some down her personality was big it was loud you just couldn't help but love her for
it her big sister Misty Welden says life for Christy was one big adventure there was nothing in the world
that she was afraid to do Christy went skydiving yeah how was that huh Christy rode camels in Morocco we rode donkeys
around the Grand Canyon when not out adventuring Christy was traveling the world as a high fashioned model for
Willamina the onetime Soccer Star traded in her cleats for a pair of heels at the
age of 15 she ultimately made La her home chy Giles I live in Venice California and I
am an artist at 21 her life took a dramatic turn I got a text message from her that said I did something don't tell
Mom I thought oh no what has she done and I got a text message that said I got married and I thought to
who to a South African born artist photographer and special effects editor 17 years her senior named Dean cier they
met through friends at an art gallery in La I understand that before all of this
you were not the marrying type um don't know where you heard that but it's true once I was with her you know it was
different Yan planned to pop the question just seven months after meeting at The Burning Man Arts Festival in the
Nevada desert but in the moment they figured why wait instead we just decided to we just got married right
[Music] there Christy's Mom and Dad Leslie never expected to hear their daughter's name
in the same sentence as alope and burning man needless to say it did not go over well chrisy I can't believe
you've done this your dad didn't even get to walk you down the aisle and she goes oh no no no no we got married but
we are full on having a wedding in Alabama the Newly Weds came to Alabama and Christy and her mom found the
perfect wedding dress to wear at a later date back in LA Christie started studying interior
design which led to a new friendship with Hilda Marcela Hilda Was An Architect from Mexico who had just moved
to LA to start her dream job in interior design do you remember when she said she
wanted to go to Los Angeles and how did you feel when she told you that I feel very happy for her but very sad for me
because we we are very close Louise cabales checked in with his daughter every day she was in LA message uh H
daughter I miss you I miss you to father never told me daddy always told me Father no one was surprised that the
Suma Kumar graduate of the prestigious University in monter Mexico was thriving in
La Fernanda cantisani and Alan bonor who call her Marcela or Marse were two of her closest friends in montere she
always gave her 100% in everything she did in her friendships with her family with her job with herself too she had
already lived in South Korea and traveled the world how many countries in all 22 countries 22 countries for such a
young girl she was very determined she also knew how to have a good time she loved to dance she loved to dress up
every single person that met her loved loved Marcel including her dog a w moroner
named Tomas Tomas she left him with Alan when she moved to LA but planned to call
for him when she got her bearings that call would never come just 4 months after moving to La
Hilda was in a coma her life in the balance her frantic parents and sister Fernanda racing to
her side and I thought when we are there things will change she will she will wake up
[Music] [Music] this Hilda Marcella the vibrant young architect Who Loved Laughing With
Friends traveling the world with her sister oh you're in the balloon here yeah we are inside the balloon and
playing with her dog Tomas looked nothing like the Hilda Marcella her family saw when they
arrived at the hospital in Los Angeles my heart broke in thousand pieces because I saw my my baby and
conscience I'm fighting for her life I said is this real Am I Dreaming I took her hand and I said
Mom's here with you you're not alone I was very shocked very impressed I never expected looking at her like
this like Christie Hilda had suffered a drug overdose toxicology reports would later reveal that she had cocaine MDMA
or ecstasy and elevated levels of fentanyl in her system but her friends and family were sure that this early to
bed early to rise health conscious young woman would never have have willingly taken such a toxic cocktail of drugs
when you heard overdose you immediately thought drugged yeah drugged I was sure someone did this to
her when you were told that the cause of death was an overdose did that add up to you
absolutely not definitely not something that she would have done to herself ever that's just not
her christe's autopsy showed she had cocaine Fentanyl and GHB known as the date rape drug in her system in the
hours and days after Christie's death Yan was determined to get the truth I wanted to get to the bottom of what
exactly what happened that night Yan began putting the puzzle pieces together starting on the evening
of Friday November 12th 2021 the night of the warehouse party he made a timeline based on what he knew
about christe's plans conversations with Christy's friends and the digital Trail
she left behind Yan who had gone to San Francisco to visit his dad says christe spent the
early evening doing what she loved most she was enjoying a lovely sunset she took out cat for a walk on the beach
sand Panther s pan oh those were the last pictures she sent me of herself and she said I wish you were here and I
well forever wish that I was there too Christy Hilda and a friend who does not want to be identified had planned a
girls night out they kicked it off at the sohoo house in West Hollywood then moved on to a warehouse party after
midnight where these photos were taken this cell phone video posted on social media shows Hilda and Christy
dancing in the VIP section in a area which is more protected and safer to be in by then Yan had gone to bed when he
woke up the next morning it was now Saturday November 13th he saw that Christy had texted him I texted her back
and sort of didn't hear anything from her at first he just assumed she was sleeping in but after a few hours with
no word he noticed something strange they shared locations on their phones I saw that she was at a location that I
didn't recognize her phone was located at 8641 West Olympic Bullard so a little orange flag at the back of your head I
still hadn't heard back from her and I saw her location had suddenly moved to hospital I called the hospital they told
me that she was in the emergency room and at that point like I'm in raw Panic Yan raced to the airport to catch
a flight back to LA I call her parents let them know that something terrible had happened and that
she's in the emergency room and [Music] then her mom called the emergency room and called me back probably 5 minutes
later uh letting me know that christe passed away in less than 24 hours your world
was turned upside down shattered Yan went straight to the hospital Christian hild's friend who had been at
the warehouse party with them but left early was already here she had been desperately trying to get in touch with
Hilda but could not reach her they were about to find out why she got a call from a different
hospital like 2 hours later saying that H did was just checked in there and then like obviously all our
alarm balls are going off in our heads when both girls are dropped off at two different hospitals 2 hours apart like
something terrible happened that night people like and Yan believed whatever happened took place at that
mysterious address on Olympic Boulevard he put it on Instagram asking for help you blast out this address and very
quickly you get responses yeah what are those responses that there's somebody that lives at this location that is a
very unsavory person um that there's a lot of stuff out on the internet about him his name was David Pierce Hilda and
Christie were believed to have met him for the first time at the warehouse party David Pierce flew under the radar
for a long time but his past was about to catch up with him as he faces serious charges says former prosecutor Mary
fan so at best a con man at worst a criminal a sexual predator a drug dealer a murderer a
[Music] murderer as Hilda Marcella lay in a hospital bed fighting for her life in
La Dusty and Giles were preparing to bury their daughter christe in Alabama half her ashes would go to Yan
to scatter in the places they loved Dusty placed the rest in an N inside a butterfly box and gently
wrapped it in the wedding dress she never had the chance to wear it was important as I know how
happy she was when she found it she swirled like a prince is literally in it within hours of Christy's death
detectives on the case were following Clues from christe herself her pinging phone had led them straight to the
apartment of this man David Pierce 8641 West Olympic Boulevard please drive over there oh my God there's the car
boom there's the car same car tell us said says police believed it was the same black Prius with no license
plates that dropped Christie off at the hospital and it's like okay I think we have our man they retraced the movements
of the women that night which would become the basis of a police affidavit when they comb through those pictures
from the party at the warehouse there was David pierce with Hilda partying it up in the VIP section it sounds like VIP
access gave David Pierce instant credibility absolutely it's all part of the manipulation he must be a good guy
he's in the VIP section it was likely all part of a plan to meet women a plan that included drugs
says the retired detective based on the witness's statements and the police investigation David Pierce comes with a
bag of cocaine an ounce estimated and David Pierce came here to share it with whoever he could meet
according to Tellus cocaine is a hot ticket at these parties at least on that night even for Hilda and Christy the
police recovered this text exchange between the two women starting at 4:21 a.m. while still at the warehouse party
do you want Coke asks Hilda yes replies christe Hilda texted back I'm in the kitchen let's do a line according to the
police affidavit a witness observed Pierce provide what looked like cocaine to Giles and cabales who consumed
it police say half an hour later this surveilance video obtained by 48 Hours shows Hilda and Christie leaving with
David Pierce and two other men his roommate brand Osborne and their friend photographer Michael ansbach they all
get into Osborne's car at 511 a.m. according to the police affidavit surveillance video which has
not been released because of the ongoing investigation shows Osborne's car arriving here in front of the apartment
according to the affidavit several people got out of the vehicle and headed to the entrance of the
residence 19 minutes later at 5:30 a.m. Christie sends from inside Pierce's Apartment A wide-eyed emoji text to
Hilda saying let's go Hilda replies I'll call an Uber 10 minutes away 133 minutes later according to to
the affidavit a car believed to be the Uber pulls up after waiting 5 minutes it drives
away without Christy and without Hilda how did you process that I mean it's just confirming my worst fears again
that they were there at that place against their will they didn't want to be there they wanted to
leave Mary fulan a former Federal prosecutor and defense attorney and CBS News consult
has reviewed the police affidavit and court documents she says this text is an important piece of evidence something or
someone stopped them in their tracks because they never got out and they never left no one knows exactly what went on
inside that apartment for the next 13 hours but according to the affidavit a neighbor heard someone in pain and
moaning on and off during the hours of 10:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. for reasons not known the neighbor did not call police
she's clearly in a distressed state that everyone seems to just be ignoring and when I say everyone not just Pierce or
Osborne but there's a third individual that appears to have been at that apartment at least for part or all of
the night and that's Michael ANS book whatever happened inside the apartment was hidden from public view not so
outside the apartment another key piece of evidence images captured on security cameras but the cameras are in the
adjacent building right next door pointing right in this direction being able to C although Tellis has not seen
the video the police affidavit describes it in detail at 4:19 in the afternoon 11
hours after they'd arrived at the apartment Pierce and Osborne are caught on camera carrying christe down the back
stairs it shows Pierce exit the door the back door looks in both directions making sure the coast is clear making
sure there's not going to be any witnesses that sees me carrying this body to my
car both men get into the Prius according to the affidavit the men are captured on security cameras trying to
disguise themselves you see them putting on a hat a mask and a hoodie and then they drive away and they drive to a
hospital Southern California medical center shortly after according to police ansbach leaves the residents carrying
bags of unknown items Pierce and Osborne return to the apartment to get Hilda they carry her partially clad body out
to the Prius and again they leave they don't go to the same hospital they go to a different hospital Kaiser Permanente
why not bring them at the same time to the same Hospital who knows they're trying to conceal their actions they're
trying to keep the police at Bay and they don't want to hit the radar and they do the same thing they
drop the body they tell the same story and then they take off without leaving their name their phone number or
anything to identify themselves with and Hilda what is her State at this point Hilda was still alive they got her to
the hospital and she was declared what we call brain dead how did you process that when you
heard that news the worst day of my life [Music] after almost 2 weeks on life support it
was time for Hilda Marcel's family to say goodbye Hilda what were your final moments with your
daughter they were so hard you know and I just was asking God to not let her suffer
more I remember telling her that you can leave and just thanking her for being my
sister I told her baby when I pass away I will see you [Music] again and I give you a big hug a
ke the family decided to donate Hilda marcela's organs her mom remembers the medical staff lining the Halls as the
family accompanied Hilda to the O the medical team was clapping to honor her to say thank you
for giving life to others Hilda Marcela cabales was pronounced dead one day before her 27th
birthday back in moné Mexico her friends gathered to remember her all dressed in
white at her favorite Park we brought her favorite thing to drink and her favorite
cake at first we were crying but at some point we put her favorite music on and we just started dancing and we we
were laughing and hugging and it was beautiful I felt like she was there 3 weeks after Hilda's death a
break in the case police have arrested three men in connection with the deaths of a model and her friend lastma David
Pierce 39 brand Osborne 42 and Michael ansbach 47 were arrested in connection to Hilda and christe's deaths but not
officially charged Osborne on the left and ansbach were eventually released but not Pierce he was held on four unrelated
sexual assault charges new tonight A Beverly Hills man has been charged with sexually assaulting four different women
when this case hit the media more victims showed up I know that guy he did this to me the prosecution is alleging
in cases dating back to 2010 that pierce lured four different Jane do to his apartment and gave all but one a a
special drink causing them to get dizzy or black out the allegations include forcible rape sexual penetration with a
foreign object having sex with someone who's unconscious Erica Bergman who also goes
by Erica Poe is not one of the Jane does but she says she was so traumatized by Pierce she tried to warn other women
about him on a Blog called the dirty as far back as 2013 she discovered she had a lot of
company there's a lot of commonalities in our stories Erica says she met Pierce at a low point in her life she was
getting a divorce and money was tight initially she says she was taken in by him he would talk a lot about
celebrities that he knew and introduced himself as a producer for Paramount Pictures so he was really larger than
life kind of personality but she says it didn't take long for her to realize that
Pierce who often introduced himself as Dave from Paramount Pictures lied he never worked at the movie studio David
Pierce is a very bad person Erica believes that one night he drugged her she slept till 400 p.m. the next day and
woke up feeling strange and groggy and Dave is bouncing around the room kind of laughing and Giddy and he started to
tell me how while I was passed out he had assaulted me while I was sleeping sexually assaulted me and the things
that he had done to me and it was incredibly degrading Erica says she wanted to leave
but felt trapped she says he threatened to send compromising pictures to her estranged husband whom she was battling
in divorce court she reluctantly stayed but says the violence only got worse he slammed my head onto the the marble
floor and the sound in my ears was like an egg cracker and I can't get that sound out of my ears Erica says she was
too scared to press charges but soon left for good then it all came rushing back when she heard about Christy and
Hilda my first gut instinct was that this was not an accident that he had his name all over it in May of 2022 the
prosecution added three more counts of sexual assault against David Pierce we've added three additional sexual
assault charges with three additional victims and there was more 40-year-old David Pierce has been charged with
murder in connection with the women's deaths after a 7-month investigation the da had enough evidence to indict David
Pierce on two counts of murder claiming David Pierce gave Christy and Hilda lethal amounts of fentanyl a deadly
synthetic opioid drug dealers often mix with other drugs unbeknown to the user it took months before David Pierce was
charged with murder what was your reaction I mean definitely a relief but also very
sad the police did not find any fentanyl lace drugs in Pearson Osborne's apartment just drug paraphenalia but
Osborne who has been charged as an accessory to murder after the fact may have unwittingly explained why according
to the police affidavit Osborne told co-workers if cops had found the drugs hidden underneath the cash inside the
car they would have been in big trouble not finding fentanyl lace drugs creates a big challenge for the
prosecution says fan they're going to have to prove that David Pierce gave the girls these drugs and he knew at the
time that it could harm them and he did so with conscious disregard so they're going to have to prove that David Pierce
intended to kill these young women and that's not an easy threshold to overcome especially in light of witness
statements that the women were doing drugs willingly cocaine at the warehouse and earlier in the evening as well
friends toce Christy and Hilda both had taken cocaine and ketamine a popular club drug how does this work in the
defense's favor because fentol is a problem in this country and people are dying from fentanyl that they take
recreationally because they believe that they're only taking cocaine if you're the defense that's the point you want to
continue to drive home is how do you hold these two men responsible for an epidemic that's really plaguing the
entire country that does not mean it will be an easy defense says Josh Ritter the former
Los Angeles assistant DA is advising Yan on legal issues and is now a practicing
defense attorney the problems that they're going to have though is how do you get around how those girls retreated
afterwards and how do you get around the history that this man has and how do you
get around the fact that Christy had the so-called date rape drug GHB in her system is GHB is the date rape drug
something these women would have taken knowingly absolutely not that is a drug that's usually used by sexual predators
guys that want to take advantage of women and don't want them to remember or know about it Hilda and Christie were
still coherent at 5:30 a.m. on Saturday morning when they exchanged that text about calling calling an Uber the text
punctuated with a wide-eyed Emoji something happened inside those 10 minutes between them calling the Uber
and the Uber leaving that incapacitated them according to the timeline in the affidavit christe remained in that
apartment for the next 11 hours Hilda for 13 with one of them according to a neighbor moaning and groaning in pain
most of the day these two women could still be alive had David Pierce or Mr Osborne called
911 three digits on a phone that could have changed everything [Music] [Music] if found guilty of all charges against
him David Pierce could face 128 years to life in prison what is David Pierce currently charged with David Pierce is
charged with 11 counts seven counts of drugging and sexually assaulting forcibly raping Andor sodomizing several
women two counts of murder and two counts of providing uh a controlled substance that being
Fentanyl and a bold decision the state will combine the sexual assault and murder charges in one
trial why include sexual assault charges in a murder case if you look at this case in its totality mean this is David
Pierce's Mo he lurs wom back to his apartment he provides them with a drink and then they start to feel dizzy or
they black out and he sexually assaults them while Christy and Hilda's autopsy stated there was no physical or sexual
trauma nurses who treated Hilda noted slight bleeding in her vagina and a review of her sexual assault examination
found a small abrasion I know this is a difficult conversation do you think Hilda and
christe were potentially raped that night of course I believe that that's the reason they why they druged them
Josh Ritter believes the testimony of the women who were allegedly drugged and raped by Pierce will help dur see a
dangerous pattern of behavior their testimon is going to be huge one woman perhaps the defense can poke holes and
that two women it begins to sound like is this really a coincidence or not but three or four women or more and you
realize you're dealing with a with a monster it turns out David Pierce had been on the police raadar for years
according to the police affidavit he was arrested in 2014 for sexual assault along with an additional rape case but
these cases are often difficult to prove and were ultimately rejected by the District Attorney's
Office something Christy's sister Misty finds unforgivable to know that he had been arrested and had been
released was just appalling to me it's really sad that two beautiful girls had to
die in order for him to be in jail right now David Pierce has pleaded not guilty
to all charges against him Walter osor brand Osborne who is charged as an accessory to murder after the fact has
also pleaded not guilty and is out on bail we caught up with him outside of court do you have any comment I have no
comment I'm innocent Pier's lawyer also had no comment but at the time of the incident
Pierce told detectives at the end of the day I didn't do anything wrong I just tried to make the situation you know
right so far the prosecution has declined to charge Michael anbu 48 Hours has learned that he's cooperating with
prosecutors and will likely testify against his two friends but until the case goes to trial
Dusty and Leslie Giles thanks to a social media campaign will be at every court hearing Never Letting David Pierce
forget that chrisy was more than just a name on a court docket she was a real person she was a
daughter a sister a grand daughter she was her daddy's best friend I miss my daughter well we love
you in Mexico Hilda marcela's friends and family cherish the momentos she left behind a lock of hair it's part of her a
diploma so she wasn't just smart she was the top of her class she was the top of
the top a dog named to toas who now lives with a l the love we have for Mar it's
going to Tomas he reminds us about her so much and he has become my emotional support my emotional Fortress I would be
very lost so yeah there is always and will always be a whole and nothing can fill it she loved
to live and I think that's the way we can honor her living our lives in the best
way Hilda and Christy's families hope the deaths of these young friends will not be in
vain she's here this is a tragedy but maybe this was the way to stop them that's the only Justice we can
[Music] get 48 Hours don't miss an episode [Music] Tory Pines is a beautiful piece of
nature in Southern California what's beautiful about a beach is also what's dangerous about it there's a very
different vibe of what it feels like to be there in the middle of the day versus
10 at night there is a little feeling of you don't know exactly what's out there
1978 Barber nante and Jim Mal decided to go on a camping trip to the beach at Tory Pines stole my heart the minute I
saw her you know it's that feeling everyone gets you know when you when you find that person that
fits they were really good together they loved each other they had so much fun together and you could see it Barbara
she was outspoken very popular funny Jim great personality he was the life of the
party and my sister was like that too Barbara and Jim set up their sleeping bags on the beach itself and it was
sometime in the night after they had fallen asleep that they were attacked Jim Al had been beaten and was
very severely injured I was knocked unconscious I couldn't protect her I couldn't defend myself my dad looked at
me and said your sister's been murdered I didn't find out till years later how bad it really was I'm going to say the
body was around this position here somewhere they found her lying here nude and she also had some uh some cut marks
on one of her breasts who would want to kill her and and why 6 years later in 1984 another young
woman Clare Hoff who was 14 was found murdered on Tory Pines at nearly The Identical location I just said don't go
down there alone I think about her just about every day you she was my best friend you get
to this crime scene look at the body and see what again there was a mutilation of
the breast my first thought was hey this is very similar to the one that happened
6 years ago how much evidence was there how many leads not any at all really I just remember going crazy in my
mind is there something I'm not remembering is there something I saw I want to put a face to this crime
cuz it's been faceless for almost 37 years there really was no big break until 2012 when police finally got hits
on the DNA evidence that they had from the crime scene San Diego Police have identified a former San Diego Police
criminalist as one of two suspects to the 1984 murder of 14-year-old CLA Huff it was a big surprise that of all people
in the world you could find as a suspect that it would be somebody who had actually worked for the police
department he had a nickname and in that crime lab right you know what that was his nickname was kinky he liked strip
clubs he liked taking pictures of women my husband didn't do it he didn't go after teenagers I knew they were
wrong this has multiple suspects there are a variety of motives as a murder mystery this has everything you would
want [Music] [Music] every morning for the last 37 years Jim alt wakes up terrified thinking that
it's 1978 that he's just been brutally attacked on Tor Pines beach when I become aware that I'm awake I do not
open my eyes I put my hands on the bed and I feel for that sheet or I feel for sand of a beach
you still do that yes sir I before my eyes are open I want to know where I'm at it wasn't always this way the beach
used to be Jim's second home a safe place a fun place and you were a big Surfer absolutely there's not a feeling
on earth like surfing it's just there's a a big rush in inside your body Rick selga has felt that Rush he
was one of Jim's good friends back then who is the better Surfer between the two
oh probably he was do you remember what he was like back then he was a big strong funny
happy guy he was probably the the guy that everybody looked up to and this is probably one reason why Jim was featured
in a wet suit ad in Surfer magazine we were rock stars all of us in there when that that when that uh magazine that
issue came out we we autographed quite a few and he had a lot of girls that liked
him but he didn't see anybody else but her Jim alt only had eyes for 15-year-old Barbara Nantes they were the
All American couple Jim the surfer had been dating Barbara the cheerleader for 9 months man just a beautiful girl brown
hair brown eyes eyes eyes was in love with her the minute I saw her they were introduced by Barbara's sister Sue she
was outspoken really stubborn and set in her ways we had lots of arguments and fights and disagreements as sisters do
Barbara's parents Ralph and Judy NES knew they had their work cut out for them pretty early on so she wasn't just
another pretty face no she wasn't she was tough as Nails she was a popular defiant
beautiful pain in the ass wonderful daughter you know God gave her to me to keep me humble and it worked on the
weekend of August 12th 1978 Ralph and Judy Nantes left town to visit some friends a family friend was looking
after Barbara and her three siblings before leaving Ralph Nantes took Jim alt aside what did you tell him take care of
my girl okay and uh make sure that she's safe I told her father and mother you know that we would stay put and um again
that that you know I've said it before it's the biggest mistake or the biggest lie I've ever told my
life almost as soon as Barbara's parents left she and Jim hopped into a station wagon with Rick Sela and his girlfriend
and they all drove off to the beach I remember as they pulled off though just saying you guys better be careful you
know and they're kind of like yeah haha my sister's like see you the four friends eventually
ended up at Tor Pines beach parking lot was filled with people it was like a big
party around 9:30 p.m. the friends called it a night Rick and his girlfriend decided to sleep in the
station wagon and Jim and Barbara went down to the beach for some privacy I zip the sleeping bags together and and we we
crawl in them and uh and went to she was in my arms um that's the last thing I remember the next morning Jim woke up
cold and alone and wet he was covered in blood I'm freezing I'm I'm feeling for Barbara don't know where she is I don't
know anything I can't see anything don't hear anything he was blinded and disoriented so Jim had to feel his way
along a fence up the Sandy Hill to the parking lot where his friends were sleeping in the car Jim came up here and
he he was down low like this and he wrapped on the window and what did he look like then his face was swollen
blood all over his blonde hair you know and uh his head was probably about that big Jim had been savagely beaten with a
rock and a log from a fire pit on the beach did he say anything to you he goes go find Barb so I ran down to the
beach looking for her and she was [Music] there Barbara's nude lifeless body lay
on the beach I was thinking what do I do I I think that I just yelled at some people to call the Police Homicide
officers say what started out as an evening with friend turned out to be a night of death Paul
ibero was a sergeant for the San Diego Police Department he was one of the first investigators on the scene when we
uncovered the body it was uh uh covered with sand she had some very uh severe looking wounds on her head uh looked
like she'd probably been struck with something perhaps the rocks that we found nearby Barbara's murder had been
vicious there was sand in her mouth and the killer left a gruesome mark it appeared that somebody had taken a sharp
instrument and cut around the areola of her breast and also around the nipple of
the breast so she'd been sort of mutilated mutilated later on it was uh determined that she had been raped and
and sodomized soon after Barbara's parents were notified and I just started screaming no no no I I must have said it
50 times like somebody took a sledgehammer and hit me in the head because we didn't even know that the
kids were down there we have no idea Jim alt had been rushed to the hospital he had suffered a traumatic brain injury
and was in a coma for days when he awoke he had no memory of the attack I've got
titanium in the cranium stainless steel um I've got that that plate that runs right about there this was a serious
life threat threatening sir attack yes sir I almost did not make it Jim was briefly investigated but ruled out as a
suspect his injuries were too severe Paul Iber and other investigators Tracked Down other leads but police
could not find the killer the bloody attack and murder haunted everyone for years they were just kids you know that
stuff didn't happen but a few years later Clare Huff's body was found on Tor pin's Beach
she was murdered identically to barbar Judy and Sue NES share their memories of Barbara on Facebook at 48
hours in the Years after Barbara nantz's murder her family struggled with the overwhelming loss and pain there was
situations you know where I'd wake up in a cold sweat crying just the sadness at
losing this child that you loved when you're the mom you just carry that I felt like I was a complete failure as a
mother Barbara's parents were both sad and angry at their daughter for lying to them but Ralph Nantes was especially
furious at Jim alt I didn't want to see him and I didn't want to talk to him that's exactly what I felt you didn't
keep my little girl safe yeah I was very very upset it hurts I didn't bring their daughter
home 6 years later Clare Huff's loved ones faced the same pain that originated in the same place
she was like Bara Nantes a year younger just 14 smart and spirited and she loved the
beach she just had a inner light a Joy about her it's hard to explain unless you've met
her Kim jamer was Clare Hoff's best friend very gentle funny kind Claire's parents Sam and and
Penny Huff were and are immensely proud of her she was the class mediator kids who got into arguments would ask Claire
to adjudicate a couple of times she got in trouble in school because the teacher
had accused someone wrongly and CLA wouldn't put up with it she fought back Claire learned to love the ocean
early on she grew up on the coast of Rhode Island and spent as much time as she could walking along the shore with
Kim we grew up looking for treasures and bringing her mom pretty things home from
the ocean seal glass and pretty shells Claire had also spent a lot of time on San Diego's beaches her grandparents
lived just a few blocks away from Tory Pines beach one of the first pictures of Claire was taken there she was still
small enough to be carried this may be her first introduction to real ocean surf the Huffs had always considered it
a safe place and in the summer of 1984 they sent Claire and her brother out to California for a visit with their
grandparents Kim jamer went along too we could just be silly and nobody knew us and it didn't matter how goofy we got
and it was just really fun the night before Kim was supposed to head home Claire convinced her to sneak
out of her grandparents house and go to the beach after dark but once they got there and settled near their favorite
spot by the bridge Kim almost immediately had a panic attack it was just an awful feeling I knew how freaked
out I was how somebody could just walk right up and by you without you even knowing
they were there you asked Claire to make you a promise when you were back the house what was the promise I just didn't
want her sneaking out by herself again 2 days later after Kim went back to Road Island Claire broke that promise and on
August 24th 1984 Clare Huff's body was found by a beach comber near the bridge retired
detective Paul iando also worked on this case and was interviewed by our CBS local station back then we are
evaluating all the evidence we recovered at the CLA had been found just a few hundred
yards from where Barbara Nantes had been killed to me it was a a lot of similarities there like Barbara Nantes
Clare Huff also had been beaten strangled and sexually assaulted it was determined at the autopsy that this girl
had a lot of sand packed in her mouth in larynx area our other victim had sand in
her mouth but perhaps most chilling like Barbara's Claire's breath rest had also
been mutilated we either have a serial killer or a Repeat Performance by the person that probably did the first case
it didn't take long to find a promising suspect as soon as they heard about their daughter's death Sam and Penny
Huff went to Tory Pine State beach before long they were approached by a man named Wallace wheeler he was the
beach comr who had found Claire's body he said I'm Wally wheeler I'm a psychic with his hand out stretched Sor so what
did you make of Wally wheeler the psychic he was strange so then we called the police to tell them tell them that
the police encouraged Claire's parents to keep communicating with wheeler thinking he might confess or at least
give them some useful information wheeler wrote long and rambling letters to the Huffs one of them saying Claire
was coming to him in visions that was why she let me see her smiling face and her eyes were
radiant this is a guy who found a bloody mutilated body and he's talking about smiling face and radiant eyes the
letters were odd very odd the police questioned wheeler but he never confessed to anything and the letters
eventually stopped what was the last thing you heard about Wallace wheeler that he had killed himself
threw himself off the top of a building 13-story building and died investigators
would later tell the Huffs that they had ruled wheeler out as a suspect but the Huffs were convinced for years that
wheeler was their daughter's killer you thought he was involved somehow oh yeah yeah we assumed that Willer he had that
he had done it for all the Intrigue surrounding Wallace wheeler the loved ones of the first victim Barbara nante
had never even heard of him at the time in fact the families did not even know about each other but around 2008 the San
Diego Police Department posted the cases on its website and for the first time said publicly that the police believed
Clare huff and Barbara Nantes had likely been murdered by the same killer I was mad that that it happened to Claire and
that we weren't informed but who may have been responsible would remain a mystery for four more years until
Advanced DNA testing revealed two suspects and one of them was one of their [Music]
own for decades after the murders of Barbara Nantes and Clare Huff the San Diego Police Department kept
investigating sporadically but nothing had ever materialized Claire's friend Kim jamer
kept waiting for some news did you think about this case a lot all the time I mean you know nothing's going to bring
your friend back and you just hope that no one is out there hurting other people
in 2012 there was finally a promising development the cases were reopened investigators hoping Advanced DNA
technology would change the course of things it was encouraging for Barbara's parents Judy and Ralph
Nantes I was cautiously optimistic they would be disappointed the new DNA test would find nothing
useful on their daughter but Clare Huff's friend Kim would soon get a visit from a
detective he brought several pictures did you see any of these people during your I didn't recognize anything Kim was
given few details but she had a feeling that investigators were finally on to something I was like finally somebody's
really looking into this 48 Hours obtained the San Diego Police Department's case affidavits and search
warrants and here's what Kim jamer didn't know police had found two DNA hits on Clare Hoff blood on her jeans
was linked to a convicted rapist named Ronald Tetro the other DNA a tiny microscopic amount reportedly found
inside Claire was linked to a man named Kevin Brown police knew Kevin Brown he was a former criminalist in their lab I
was getting ready for work and there was the knock and two detectives were there
Rebecca Brown a Catholic school teacher had been married to 61-year-old Kevin Brown for more than 20 years Kevin
retired from the San Diego Police Department in 2002 so I thought okay they're talking about some case that he
worked on the Browns had led a quiet life revolving around Church travel and their pets before that visit by
investigators in January of 2014 the detective showed Brown a picture of Ronald Tetro and asked if he
knew him what did he say he said I've never seen this man I don't know him journalist James vlahos wrote about the
case in October 2015 for the Atlantic magazine he is a CBS News consultant did the police go and talk to Ronald Tetro
when they found his DNA in Clare Hof's body they would have liked to have done that but Ronald Tetro was already dead
Tetro had drowned in what was ruled a boating accident in Tennessee in 2011 but to this day there is susp ion
it was a suicide his wallet had been placed on the seat his glasses had been placed on
the seat and they said it looked as if he intended to go into the water another thing that certainly raises eyebrows is
that his death took place on the anniversary of Clare Huff's murder Kevin Brown the retired criminalist was now
the only living suspect police showed him a picture of CLA Huff what did he say oh sure I remember
her the detectives told Brown that his DNA had been found in the evidence they didn't tell him where how they found it
the police maintain that it was Kevin who first mentioned the possibility of it being found on a vaginal swab the
investigation ramped up quickly that same afternoon investigators served a search warrant on his property looking
for any evidence related to the murders of both Clare Hoff and Barbara NES because they were so similar I said you
got to clear this up this is crazy and he said I tried telling them I don't know what they're talking about I never
killed anybody in my life you know that and I do know that in my deep core I know he never killed anybody but
investigators believed Kevin Brown had a dark side at the time of Clare Huff's murder Kevin was a bachelor in his 30s
and had a Randy reputation at the crime lab he had had a nickname kinky Kevin Brown and that was because we knew that
he frequented uh strip clubs they called him kinky Kevin yeah I would call him his nickname was kinky retired
criminalists Jim Stam and John darina worked with Kevin in the lab for years did he brag about going to the strip
clubs mean did he make any secret of it early on I don't think he kept it a secret but he did have friends that
would go with him to either a movie or a strip club I believe he would go to what
dirty movies I I believe it was a a porn movie yes darina and Stam never saw any
inappropriate behavior by Brown in the lab but he made some female colleagues uncomfortable there was a criminalist
who worked with Kevin Brown and she describes how Kevin took a report of a violent rape and when she was alone in
the lab with him read it aloud to her and made a remark along the L L of isn't that funny after that she never felt
comfortable being alone with him in the lab again as they dug into Brown's background investigators learned more
about his Hobbies he enjoyed photography and in the 80s he went to lingerie and budoir shoots advertised in a local
magazine photographer Rocky forguson took photos of aspiring models with Kevin so they pose for the photographer
and in return they get a free picture yes but Rocky says that sometimes certain photographers would make
arrangements for private sessions that were more racy and and and Kevin did that Kevin did his own thing if he likes
somebody he'll hire his own models in these private sessions what would happen adult type stuff adult stuff naughty
stuff yes explicit photos Kevin Brown's pastimes as a bachelor may have raised detectives eyebrows but his statements
during the investigation May made them even more suspicious although he initially denied having actually met
Clare Hoff Brown later seemed to make a startling admission he had done some thinking and
that he now did recall having met someone named Claire in the 1980s and possibly having sex with her and then he
got himself into even deeper trouble according to the affidavit Kevin Brown volunteered to take a lie detector test
he failed and after the polygraph an investigator talked to him about Clare Huff saying I don't believe for a second
that you thought she was 14 and brown reportedly responded I had no idea then police learned Kevin Brown had
called a friend and told him allegedly the police are looking at me as a suspect this girl I photographed on the
beach ended up dead [Music] [Music] ever since investigators got that DNA hit on Clare Huff in
2012 they had been quietly trying to build a case against Kevin Brown but his wife Rebecca Brown stood by him but I
never thought he was a killer never never this is a man who didn't have a mean bone in his body well you know all
those things that people are saying about he was going to strip clubs and taking photographs of naked women um he
hadd shown me some and majority were just like just cutesy poses glamour shots and that was back when he was
single and he would have thought wow this is great if everybody whoever looked at a photo of a scantily clad
woman or if everybody who ever went to a strip Club is likely to be a serial killer I'm afraid we're going to have to
build quite a few more prisons we do not convict people on their character HED on
the police proed attorneys Jee ardale and Gretchen Von Helms represent the Browns this was a violent sadistic
choking killing the scope of what happened to these poor young women who were brutally
sexually assaulted and murder murdered is quite different from going to a strip club or going into a porn shop or
reading an off color story The Lawyers argue that there is almost no case against Kevin Brown for starters they
say investigators could never say if or when or how Kevin Brown the mild mannered criminalist met Ronald Tetro
the violent convicted rapist zero evidence that they had ever seen each other or met at any time
zero they say there are perfectly innocent explanations for Kevin Brown's actions and statements like the one he
made when detectives showed him a picture of Clare Huff he said at one point oh I remember her why did he say
that it was a well-known case and that photograph that they showed him had been one that had been in the newspaper but
Brown also said he may have met someone named Claire in the80s and that he might
have had sex with her iale says Brown was just being honest I think that he said he had met a CLA but the CLA that
he was talking about was a woman who was 30 years old even the investigators seem
to acknowledge in the affidavit that this woman did not sound like Claire Huff but remember Brown had allegedly
also told a friend that he photographed a girl who was found dead on the beach the man to whom this statement is
attributed says he never said such a thing Gretchen Von Helms argues investigators had tunnel vision and
interpreted everything Kevin Brown said as evidence of his guilt she says that's
what happened when Brown told the detective he had no idea Claire was 14 they immediately think the the
suspicious guilty version of that versus oh my God you're telling me that's awful
CME a normal citizen when they're told about this awful crime and say oh my gosh this poor child was 14 how awful
this is the attorneys admit Kevin Brown's personality did little to help him during the
investigation he was one of the worst public speakers let's say in the history of the San Diego Police Department lab
he was kind of like a nervous Nelly retired criminalist John dorina and Jim Stam say Kevin Brown was at best a shaky
witness for the police in court cases whenever he got confronted he got very nervous and very upset he wanted to
agree he wanted to please them but Kevin Brown's shyness or awkwardness cannot explain his DNA on that swab several
swabs were taken from inside CLA during the autopsy the medical examiner tested one of them in
1984 and found nothing another swab was sent to the San Diego Police Department lab and that's where the lawyer ERS say
the trouble began it was not kept in a way that would ensure the Integrity of the evidence it was the early 80s before
much was known about DNA and the procedures now used to prevent contamination did not exist how
different were the procedures back then a lot I we didn't wear mask for sure Kevin Brown did not work on the clar
Huff case but he worked near the criminalist who processed the evidence including that swab where a minute
amount of Brown's DNA was later found the swab itself was put to dry in the open air without a cap on a table near
where Mr Brown worked everything that was able to be airborne could have gone and touched that swab the the the
problem though with this case is seems to me that the allegation is that this isn't sweat or spit it's his seen how
how would his seen get on a swab you can still have cross-contamination of seen because they had to have fresh samples
of semen in the San Diego Lab at the time of Clare Huff's murder criminalists would often bring their own seminol
fluid to the lab and use it to ensure the chemicals used to detect seamen were working correctly darina and Stam
believe that all the criminalists in the lab did it I I think Kevin was doing that same thing the San Diego Police
Department however insists that contamination was not possible but the retired criminalists know what they saw
most likely Kevin's Seaman standard was in that lab and several analysts may have even had it it may have been even
used on that particular on on Miss Hoff's case we didn't switch gloves back then either so let's say the analyst
took Kevin's Seaman sample wearing the same gloves and then handled the deep vaginal swab there is a logical
explanation for the contamination cross-contamination does happen there have been cases of lab
technicians DNA ending up on evidence documented in several States and at least four other countries so given the
lab procedures in effect at the time and the lack of other solid evidence Kevin Brown was assured the case against him
was weak and I believed that they lacked the evidence necessary to charge Mr Kevin Brown with these murders but by
mid 2014 the stress of the investigation which was dragging on was making Kevin Brown very anxious I said call him and
get it straightened out and he said they just said you know you killed her and you may as well
confess and he hung up the phone and he said I didn't even say anything back to him back cuz I didn't know what else to
say at this point he said I didn't do it and they're not going to ever believe me
Rebecca hoped their nightmare would soon end but it would not end in a way that anyone
[Music] expected on the morning of October 20th 2014 Rebecca Brown came home from work
and found her husband's Bible sitting on the table in it he had underlined a Psalm about being wrongfully accused his
watch was there and his cell phone was there and so I asked my mother where is Kevin and she had just said he went
somewhere he went out he was cleaned up he' shaved he' showered looked nice and said I have
things to do Kevin didn't come home that night and the following day Rebecca got
the news she feared most and I was just sitting there waiting and then there was
the door knock and it was the detective and he said we found your husband and he's gone a ranger at a
state park near where the Browns had a vacation cabin had found Kevin hanging from a
tree were you surprised even after everything that he'd been through we tried to I tried to
keep his spirits up you thought you had kept him safe oh my yeah Rebecca Brown is adamant that her
husband's suicide was not an admission of guilt I totally understand why he did it he knew there would be people who
would think even if he went to court and was found not guilty that would believe it this was going to
tarnish his reputation that he prided himself in he didn't Escape that of course after he died the police held the
news conference yeah 3 days after his death the San Diego Police Department publicly named Kevin Brown as one of two
suspects in Clare Huff's murder we were able to establish a very strong case that Ronald Tatro and Kevin Brown were
the suspects in the murder of Claire huff and also an arrest for brown would be forthcoming you never had enough to
arrest him in his lifetime and now that he's gone you're going to just say he did it case solved it's done Rebecca has
answered the police charges with charges of her own she's filed suit against two
police detectives for misconduct and wrongful death he was not a rapist and a killer he was
a quiet good man and I'm hoping the legal system will help set things right the San Diego Police Department refused
our request for an interview but Penny and Sam Huff Claire's parents have the answers they need we're confident in the
San Diego Police Department and their discoveries the Huff family says after 30 years the details surrounding their
daughter's death are not as important to them as remembering her life we've learned to live with her death we've
learned to live without her physical presence in our family to us what's important is what Claire was and what
Claire meant to us and and to the people around her and this is sort of a still life I guess that's a ninth grade one
Claire left her mother and father with a lot of memories well it looks like all her favorite rock groups and at 14 she
had the foresight to leave a will telling her family and friends that she loved them and not to be
sad you've made me realize how precious and beautiful life is thank you I wish I
could list all the wonderful things you've done but everyone would fall asleep I love you both what did it mean
to you that she had done this and she had written this it's always a puzzle why she did it but it is also a
treasure but the family of Barbara Nantes the first victim in this case still has as many questions about her
murder as they did in 1978 reality what happened to her it's just so hard to I want to know her I
want I want police now say Barbara and Claire's cases are not connected I would like a viable suspect
but we don't have one Ronald Tetra was in prison for rape at the time of Barbara's murder and Kevin Brown was
attending college in Sacramento 500 miles away Barbara's boyfriend Jim alt what has it done to you over the years
especially with the developments in Claire's case to see this case still remain open it's devastating we want
answers we want to know what they're doing to solve this even today Jim alt says he's suffering
from survivors guilt it has stayed with him even though Barbara's father Ralph sent him a letter long ago apologizing
for having blamed him for her death I want you to know that I don't hold you responsible for Barbara's death when I
was grieving over her death I needed to blame someone and since she was with you
I lashed out at you Jim you were trying to be alone with Barbara is probably what every red blooded American Boy
dreams of unfortunately the time you spent together turned out to be a disaster but the chance of that
happening was probably one in a million Yours Truly Ralph NZ it still is hard for you to read that
without choking up yes sir he's absolving you in a way does that help you when I first read
it it did but you can't hide what what happened because of a decision Barbara and I made
she never came home so I I own part of that decision and I'll take that the grave with
[Music] me CBS next Saturday 48 Hours brings you back back to back episodes all summer
long next week Dressed to Kill the evil clowns you've seen in the movies well it
came to life the public knew this man as the zombie hunter 48 Hours Crime Time double feature next Saturday on CBS and
streaming on Paramount Plus [Music] [Music] because come on tell us it's [Music]
got my name is Jane dtic I spent 20 years in prison for a crime I did not commit I thought truth and Justice was
at the front of everything and it certainly has not been in my case [Music] I wish I just knew what really happened
I wish there was some way to piece it together somebody to come forward with the
truth on February 13 2000 Jane and Bob dork are living together in North San Diego he said he was going out for a jog
that was it that was the last I talked to him she reports her husband missing there was a search for him as a missing
person the next day he was found in a location 2 or 3 miles away from their home and I stop about right here I could
see the body and I said this is Mr Doric he was found to have blunt force trauma
to his head he was found to have injuries consistent with strangulation it was obvious to me that
it was a homicide they found Bob's blood in his bedroom the detectives decided because they saw some blood that they
were in the crime scene and that Jane was the only only one with access to that bedroom and to Bob there was only
one person that could have done this to Mr doorack and that was his wife Jane DCH he said you're under arrest I was
like what I would never hurt my husband police say circumstantial and blood evidence links Jane dtic to her
husband's murder the bedroom was not a crime scene I don't doubt that this occurred at the home and I don't doubt
that she's involved there was blood on the comforter there was blood Blood on the pillow shamp there was blood on the
headboard when you have a home that's a working Ranch you're going to find blood
around it's just problem on top of problem on top of problem I would declare this crime scene very
contaminated they focused on one person and turn a blind eye to anything else Jane dtic chose murder over divorce it
felt like a nightmare and I kept saying when am I going to wake up do you believe that Jane dork got a fair trial
no I I'm in no position to say who did what I don't have a crystal ball to tell you
what happened to that man what do you believe happened to Bob I believe Bob somehow fell into some kind of situation
I don't know I lost my husband and then I lost my freedom [Music] [Music] Jane how would you describe what the
last 22 years have been like for you it's been torturous in many ways I suppose many moments when I thought how do I
keep going I always used to say this is the most peaceful place on the face of the
Earth nothing feels peaceful anymore when we first met Jane dork in 2000 the stress of all of it on everyone
has been incredible um the life she had once found so Serene in the Foothills outside of San Diego a life she had
shared with her husband Bob had taken an unimaginable turn how can this be how can this happen surely I'll wake up and
it's a dream Jane had become the prime suspect in Bob's murder authorities believe that she viciously attacked him
in their home I certainly didn't do this I loved my husband Jane 53 years old at
the time and Bob 55 share more than half their lives together I was 23 when we were married Bob was a wonderful loving
creative person and welcome everyone here those that who' been mared before and those who haven't Bob spent most his
career as an engineer Jane worked as a nurse and later as an executive in the health care industry the couple raised
three children Alex Claire and Nick the family is has always been incredibly important to both of us also important
to Jane were their horses you while Jane's passion was breeding and writing I'm having a good old time here Bob was
an avid jogger and that says Jane is the last image she has of her husband Bob was sitting
actually in this chair facing the TV although Jane was Under Suspicion she allowed us into her home he said he was
going out for a jog and he was actually had his jogging suit on was tying his shoes that was the last I talked to him
it was around 10000 p.m. on February 13th 2000 when Jane says Bob left to go for that run as hours passed without any
word from him Jane says she grew concerned it was beginning to get dark I decided to go out and look this is the
route Jane says she took to search for Bob driving up and down the hill where he sometimes ran by 7:45 p.m. Jane's
concern turned to fear I said enough this is enough something is wrong and that's when I made the call to the
Sheriff's Department my first thought that night was maybe this man had a heart attack and fell
down the embankment along Lake Wolford Road as Deputy James Blackman and others from the San Diego County Sheriff's
Department search for Bob concerned friends and family gathered at the door house the minute I saw my mom's face I
knew right away something terrible had happened the DK's daughter Claire 24 at the time had spent the weekend visiting
her aunt and returned home to a distraught chane she was freaked out she was scared she was nervous she
was crying it was a horrifying feeling that got more and more horrifying when he wasn't
found and then in the pre-dawn hours of February 14th Deputy Blackman turned into this driveway several miles from
the door Teck home and noticed a body off the road at this point I could see the shirt the pants and he was uh laying
on his back from Jane's description he immediately knew it was Bob dtic I got there a little after 7 in the
morning San Diego County Sheriff's detective Rick emson was called to the scene there was no evidence of any type
of vehicle accident the evidence Epson did find suggested something else I could see that he had uh blood on his
face there was blood near the back of his head and I could see that there was a rope around his neck Bob dork had been
bludgeoned and strangled the one-time missing person case had turned into a homicide
investigation is there anybody you could think who would want to see your husband
dead nobody nobody as law enforcement asked Jane questions about Bob she let them into
her home come in search look for anything detective emson noticed a piece of rope hanging from the porch that
caught his attention thinking he had just seen something similar on Bob dtic it appeared to be the exact same type of
rope that was found around his neck uh the sliding glass door going into the master bedroom and when investigators
got to Bob and Jane's bedroom they found something more troubling they believe they were looking at blood
spatter there was no question our M that this uh assault occurred in the master bedroom they documented their findings
in this diagram taking photos along the way of what they believed to be blood on
various items in the bedroom and of what appeared to be a large blood stain on the underside of the mattress I do know
when Bob had a nose bleed he made a comment about getting some blood on the mattress
I Jane says there was a logical explanation for some of the other blood too they had dogs who were injured and
have blood this little dog had an abscess on her cheek that was openly draining at the time and little drops of
blood we'd find as she sat on the couch the carpet pieces are what the detectives removed feeling that there
was blood on the carpet the spots of blood investigators said they found all over the bedroom surprised Jane do you
have any other explanation of how that blood spatter could have gotten there on the ceiling on the window on the walls
no adding to Authority's suspicions was this bloody syringe found in the bathroom garbage Jane told us she used
it to medicate her horses I know that I give the horses shots all the time if you go look in my fridge right now
you'll find horse syringes invest instigators theorized that Jane hit her husband with an object
in the bedroom and strangled him she then dressed him in his jogging suit put him in their truck and dumped him along
the side of the road where his body was found why do they believe you killed your husband you
know I guess I've been through that one a billion times I don't know but investigators thought they knew
believing the motive was money and and escaping a troubled marriage Jame was the main bread winner and they learned
the couple had split up for a year in 1997 I don't make any apologies for the fact that we had rough times but that
doesn't change the fact that we loved each other and that love says Jane is why they reconciled they have been back
living together as a couple for a year and a half before Bob was killed I really think the separation
caused us to really regroup and think about what was important they were getting along better than they ever had
in the past I was living there I can tell you that but law enforcement was unmoved and 3 days after Bob DK's body
was found Jane was arrested and charged with first-degree murder I know I didn't
do this I know there's a killer out there but how am I going to clear myself well she's back baffled cuz I don't
think she knows what happened released on bail Jane started preparing her defense hiring Attorney K stiger Walt
she knows that she's placed as the Killer and she's not the Killer and at trial Jane's attorney would present a
surprised suspect who he felt was responsible for Bob DK's murder [Music] come on I know that I'm innocent but I don't
have any more faith in the legal system I believe I could be convicted for something that I didn't do and that's
very scary while Jane worried about her outcome at trial Claire dork was much more confident about her mother's
chances my mom could not have done this crime she didn't have the motive and she
didn't have the opportunity but when the case went to trial in 2001 a year after the murder
prosecutor Bonnie Howard rean described the doric's marriage as seriously troubled and told jurors that Jane
didn't want to pay Bob alimony in a divorce Bob dork never went jogging and he never left that residence
alive according to the state Bob had actually been killed s Saturday night nearly a day before Jane reported him
missing the autopsy performed by Dr Christopher swell showed undigested food consistent with what Jane said they had
for dinner that night are you able to give us an estimate of how long after Mr dork ate how long after that he he was
killed yes it was very shortly after he ate I would say it probably within a couple of
hours and he wasn't killed on the side of the road the prosecutor said there wasn't enough blood there instead she
said Bob's blood was all over the bedroom lead detective Rick empson testified he had asked Jane to explain
that she had indicated initially that she had a dog that um had been bleeding and then indicated that approximately a
week prior Bob had a bloody nose over in the corner by the stove and that Bob had cleaned it up there was
evidence someone cleaned the bedroom the carpet next to the pop belly stove and tile floor was wet and had blood stains
underneath did any of the blood from his nose bleed go on the carpet mhm do you know where mhm right next to
the tile cuz I'm the one that helped him clean it authorities dismissed Jane's explanations their theory was that Jane
hit bob in the head head in their bedroom with an object while he was lying in bed although they never
identified or found any weapon Charles Merritt a criminalist and bloodstain pattern analyst for the San
Diego County Sheriff's crime lab recounted 20 locations where he saw blood stains on one of the pillows on a
lamp this particular nightstand on the pot belly stove was on the ceiling itself been on the underside of the
mattress the jury was also shown this evidence of tire tracks found near Bob's body the states expert Anthony Di Maria
said he matched the three different types of tires Ono deex truck are you saying the measurements taken at the
scene were equal to the measurements taken off the actual vehicle yes the most telling evidence connecting Jane to
the murder according to the prosec computer was that syringe found in the bathroom it had traces of a horse
tranquilizer inside and even though there was no evidence that Bob had been injected with anything it had Bob's
blood and a bloody fingerprint on it the evidence will show that the fingerprint
on this syringe was Jane dtic can you explain that I can't really explain it other
than um I know that I helped Bob clean up a nose bleed and if that's the same time when I took the syringes and threw
them in the trash and there was some blood on my hand that could have made that happen but perhaps the most
powerful Witnesses were the doric's two sons Nick and Alex they both testified against their
mother did you say anything specifically about the syringe well I asked her um how it got
there and what it was doing there and what was your mother's response she said that uh her biggest fear in all of this
was that the that us family members would start questioning her your mother always settled things logically tried to
no you wouldn't agree with that statement nope it would be my mom basically saying this is what you have
to accept and then my dad would either accept it or there would be threats of divorce or
something that's what I remember from growing up Jane's attorneys carries Zer Walt and
Cole casy admitted it was a big blow would you say that's been the most damaging testimony yeah it's not what
they said it's the fact that they were there testifying for the prosecution when it came time for the defense to
present its case stiger Wald actually agreed with the prosecution on a major point that the murder took place in the
bedroom but he had a jawdropping alternative suspect Flair d itic ladies and gentlemen CLA hated her
father he claimed Claire an avid horsewoman hated her father because he threatened to sell the animals she loved
and suggested that she was capable of murder that's what Claire is a hot-tempered
explosive individual it was a risky strategy that Jane reluctantly agreed to all I can do
is trust what Carrie says is the best way to go are you at all concerned that the jury will wonder about a woman who
would allow herself to be defended by pointing the finger at her daughter could that work against the two of you
it may I don't know I think it is the most viable defense and I think it's supported by the best evidence stiger
wal insisted Jame wasn't physically able to commit the murder but Claire was she
runs marathons and she's a personal trainer she is as fit a woman as you will see at the age of
24 but remember Claire and her aunt said they were together 2 hours away they call the ant that's the extent of the
investigation on The Alibi of clar Dork did Miss clar dork please step forward that alibi is nonsense uh you are going
to assert your freck moment right the jurors never heard from Claire or Jane who chose not to
testify but they did hear from a woman who said she thought she saw Bob the day he disappeared sitting between two men
in a black pickup truck not far from where his body was found who killed Robert dork was it Claire
dork or ladies and gentlemen was it someone else in his closing argument stiger wal accused investigators of
dismissing Witnesses like that woman and focusing only on Jane the prosecution had focused on one person and that's not
the way to conduct an investigation it's not the way to run a case Jane dork and
Bob dork were the only two people in that home that weekend Bonnie Howard Regan says there's no need to
investigate further when you have sufficient evidence they searched that bedroom and they saw all the blood and
they knew that was the crime scene what more investigation do they need to do it
took the jury 4 days to return a verdict we the jury in the above title cause find the defendant Jane Margaret dork
guilty of the crime of Murder in the First Degree in violation of pin code section when did Jane dork get a fair
trial no no because fairness means that you're presenting things accurately and it it appears like it was not done
accurately juror number eight yes juror number n yes jur number 10 yes go behind
the scenes with the 48 Hours postmortem podcast it almost didn't register for a minute it's like no this can't be I was
so certain that I was walking out I thought they would see the truth Jane dork never imagined she'd be found
guilty it's hard to keep going at the time of her conviction for the murder of her husband she was 54 years old and
sentenced to 25 years to life I mean I just I can't see my way clear to a life in prison I just can't see it determined
to prove the jury got it wrong Jane became her own Advocate working on her case for many years we spoke with Jane
again two decades later about her efforts all through the prison my prison journey I continued to write all
innocence projects I could think of asking for help at the same time realized that I had to fight for myself
Jane filed motions from prison citing such issues as in insufficient evidence an ineffective assistance of counsel I
would describe my defense as limited and inadequate in her filings Jane indicated
that she wanted to testify at her trial but had left that decision up to her attorney and that had she testified she
could have explained Bob's stomach contents stating that he sometimes ate leftovers from the previous night she
also described her attorney's alter its suspect Theory pointing to her daughter Claire as the killer as
absurd do you believe that your daughter Claire had anything to do with the death
of her absolutely unequivocally not and my defense attorney everybody knew she was away for that
weekend okay in regard to that defense strategy Claire later wrote in a book how could I be angry at my mother when
all I did was worry about her Jane's lawyer whom we interviewed at the time of her trial did not speak with us
again that was the worst strategy of my life ever I said to my attorney if anything happens to Claire I'm going to
stand up and say I did it in her filings Jane also questioned why her defense attorney accepted the bad forensics
pointing to the bedroom as the murder scene rather than presenting other scenarios as to where and how Bob dork
could have been murdered did the defense too easily accept the bedroom as a crime scene that
is a very legitimate argument CBS News consultant Matthew tryano a former prosecutor and
current defense attorney was not involved in the DOR case but he reviewed some of the court documents at our
request the defense made a strategic decision are we going to dispute that a crime happened in this location or are
we essentially going to concede that it happened there and then come up with a different Narrative of how it happened
there and they chose the latter and that decision trano says likely led the defense to point the finger at Claire
for the murder they had to blame somebody else for something that happened in a specific location and they at least as
it relates to the daughter you know went back to her having some disagreement with her father about something and it
was it was a risk have you ever seen that kind of Defense you you don't you don't see it I mean you could happen
when there are clear facts and evidence to support it but when there are none that's you know that's a
showstopper and in fact Claire was never charged with any wrongdoing in connection to her father's murder the
defense accepting the bedroom as the murder scene scene is especially puzzling to troyano as there were
reports from several eyewitnesses who said they saw a man jogging that day accounts consistent with Jane's
depiction of events not the prosecutions that's critical critical evidence and all of that was really not
pursued and I didn't know of all of the witnesses had there been a thorough investigation initially all of that
would have come out Through The Years in filings Jane raised problems with the entire case against
her arguing that authorities focused on her from the very beginning of the investigation and failed to follow other
investigative leads but motion after motion was denied and regarding Jane's ineffective Council Claims the judge
rejected them all ruling that her attorney's performance was not deficient and that his actions had not affected
the outcome of the case there were many moments where I doubted when is this ever going to turn
around many many moments still jane didn't give up she continued looking for new evidence to clear her especially as
DNA testing became more advanced in 2012 she filed a petition for DNA testing of
that rope found around Bob's neck and other items like Bob's fingernail clippings which had been saved but never
tested and in 2015 the motion was granted is that unusual that she finally even got testing based on her filing
motions on her own yes it's it's very atypical it was at this time that Jane finally got the attention of a wrongful
conviction group lyola law school's project for the innocent I get this wonderful letter from Lola saying you've
contacted us and we're interested in your case and after that lyola took over got the testing done and what that
testing revealed as well as a fresh examination of other evidence would change the course of the case that's
really what flips the script to say that there's more here this is more than just
an inadequate investigation there is a different narrative that's running through these
test results there is physical evidence that another person could be [Music] involved when you talk about the
evidence in this case the subsequent testing reveals that you might have a different explanation for things that
really shed light on what may have happened here Jane dork spent years behind bars asking
for a new examination of the evidence used to convict her of her husband Bob's murder now working with a team from
lyola project for the innocent the court allowed them to have new DNA testing on
items such as the Rope found around Bob DK's neck his fingernails and clothing appeal filing state that foreign male
DNA was found on several items the results of that none of my DNA anywhere there is physical evidence from
fingernail clippings from a rope from his clothing that is foreign to Jane the team from lyola project for the
innocent declined to be interviewed we asked Nathan lent a professor of biology and forensic science at John J College
of Criminal Justice who was not involved in the case to review court documents about new evidence such as the DNA on
the Rope while they didn't get a profile that would be good enough to search a database or even match to a suspect they
did get enough DNA uh that is not attributable to Bob or to Jane but while Jane and her team believed the results
pointed to her innocence the state came to a different conclusion stating in filings the DNA obtained was too low
level to make any reliable interpretation lent agrees the DNA levels were low but he believes it was
enough to exclude Jane and that the absence of Jane's DNA on the Rope as well as under Bob's fingernails or on
his clothing is significant with the theory of crime that they presented you would expect a
lot of Jane's DNA on Bob and if if she had moved his body you know there's a lot of DNA transfer that might have
taken place there that wasn't found the appell team also reviewed the bedroom blood evidence the prosecutor told the
jury was fully tested and was Bob's now the evidence will show that all this blood has been described to you the
observations made in this bedroom that it was all sent out for DNA analysis and it all came back to Bob doric's
blood but according to the appeal not every single spot in the bedroom believed to be blood was tested instead
representative samples were tested there were cases where just simply one swab with a control was taken
and it was representative of a variety of spots that's not good practice it just invites
misinterpretations when you're talking about blood spatter and you're trying to analyze how it got there you need to do
a fairly comprehensive test to be able to draw the conclusion that you're drawing but I think the prosecution
could AR you can't afford to test can you every single drop that looks like blood right but when you say we did
everything and that's not accurate that's where the problem lies in fact the appell team says that
several blood-like stains on items including a pillow sham the nightstand a lampshade turned out not to be blood and
there were those stains on the bed spread which criminalist Charles Merit pointed to a trial and described as
Bob's blood two of the actual stains circled by little red dots Jane's lawyers learned those particular spots
were never tested at all and due to improper storage the beds spread could not be tested again so we don't know
that it was blood at all the handling of the evidence over the course of the entire investigation was also raised on
appeal this one is hard to even look at um you have an investigator who definitely should know better um you
know handling murder evidence with his bare hands in addition to obviously depositing his own DNA all around this
crime scene he's also risking transferring evidence from among the various spots that he's collecting and
there's that syringe with Bob's blood and Jane's fingerprint found in the bathroom garbage something the appell
team and lent thought could be explained and if you throw that syringe in the garbage can Bob throws a bloody Kleenex
in that garbage can they could transfer transfer of DNA from one object to another in a trash can is not unexpected
lent feels the fact that the syringe was even found in the garbage points fingers
away from Jane if you're cleaning up after a murder you won't leave the bloody syringe in the waist backet
basket but the state stood by its original investigation Main maining the bedroom was the murder scene stating
that the evidence still points to Jane dork as the Killer and that the defense arguments are largely derived from
speculation and misstatements of fact Jane's Appel team though maintains the bedroom did not even look like a crime
scene something lent also believes there is not a consistent pattern to the evidence that indicates a violent
bludgeoning that took place in that bedroom if Bob were alive today and investigators had walked in his room no
one would say oh this looks like someone was murdered here if you just look at all of the pieces of evidence that lyola
was able to absolutely take apart and yet we know what was told to the jury in the original conviction so um how can
that happen as her attorneys reviewed evidence Jane dork in 2020 was temporarily and conditionally let out of
prison due to covid health concerns the question now became was the New Evidence
her lawyers were finding enough to make her release permanent what do you think about the
new DNA test results chat now with Erin morti on x [Music] in the summer of 2020 Jane dork and her
team hoped a court would overturn the jury's verdict turning her temporary release from prison into lasting
Freedom what were their major points the testing that was done initially was insufficient the way that that testing
was presented to the jury was inaccurate there were a number of different arguments that they made a hearing was
scheduled but then suddenly the state requested an unplanned virtual hearing the people are willing to concede
petitioners new evidence claim the prosecution admitted what Jane's lawyers had argued all along the DNA evidence as
it exists now in 2020 is much different in quality and quantity than presented at trial
in1 that the new DNA test results as well as issues with how the sheriff's crime lab handled evidence cast doubt on
the verdict but what came next was even more unexpected the state requested that
Jane's murder conviction be overturned and the judge agreed I'm going to Grant the motion for the rent
thank your honor I always believ that at some point the truth would come out but
Jane's ordeal wasn't over 3 months later in another shocking move the DA's office
decided to retry her I don't think any of us thought that San Diego County would attempt to retry me but they did
the state believes that she did this and they want to pursue it but in order to retry the prosecution first had to
demonstrate to the judge that there was still enough evidence to prove Jane killed Bob despite the new DNA results
and the question about the initial testing we are back on the record all party then you have this battle in court
if you're conceding that there were problems how are you going to do it again essentially with the same evidence
it was astounding to sit in that courtroom and see what they try and put forward as actual evidence and then also
thrilling to see my team take it apart the youth only state that the Jane's attorneys question The credibility of
several of the state's experts including Charles Merritt of the sheriff's crime lab the judge ultimately ruled that the
new trial could go ahead but that some key evidence presented in her original trial would not be admissible including
those tire tracks near where Bob's body was found that were linked to Jane's truck you have a number of different
trucks that could be consistent with those fire tracks it's in essence kind of junk sciency in May 2022 just as jury
selection was about to begin the prosecution surprise everyone yet again remain seated and come to order this
courtroom is now in session we go into court as the jury is assembled and ready to come into the courtroom Monday
morning and Everything's changed we no longer feel that the evidence is sufficient to show proof
Beyond A Reasonable Doubt in convinced 12 members of the jury so we are requesting the court dismiss the charges
at this time thank you Store check you are free to go and good luck to you is overwhelming to realize that now
I can determine my own future it's something I've prayed for and hoped for after the hearing Jane's attorney spoke
about her decades long fight Jane's dignity and standing in up and stoically fighting for her innocence against every
risk and every threat that's why this case got dismissed today and as far as we're concerned we're moving on the
District Attorney's office and Sheriff's Department declined to speak with 48 Hours the case against Jane dork was
dismissed without prejudice which means if new evidence surfaces charges could be brought again someday but then
doesn't that leave still a shadow over Jane dork oh sure it does I mean there's no question about it from a practical
perspective do I think it's over yeah I think it's over but from a legal perspective
no Jane dork is working to rebuild her life after spending nearly two decades in prison my entire family has been
blown apart by this hurricane of events it's been hard breaking on so many levels Claire dork did not respond to
our request for comment but Jane says they are still close her son Nick died in 2023 Alex dork did not provide a comment
to 48 hours but according to filings by the state he remains convinced his mother killed his father do you have
hope that your family will come together at some point of course I do of course I
have hope Jane also has hope that she could make a difference in other people's lives as she works with advocacy groups
that help incarcerated women to me it's not just about my story and yes we can all sit here and say this is so
horrendous and how did this happen to this woman but unless we look systemically how many others are we
going to find and to me that's critically important having a good old here many unanswered
questions about this case remain including perhaps the most important one what happened here we don't know
what happened to Bob dorek where's Justice for Bob where's Justice for Robert dorek
[Music] need more time with 48 Hours go deep behind every True Crime episode with
firsthand accounts from 48 Hours investigations were you at all prepared for what happened in this case shock is
the word that comes to mind get inside the twists and turns and get in on the case listen to postmortem from 48 hours
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"48 Hours" reports on forensic examinations and key evidence in investigations for this YouTube mini-marathon. Binge-watch the full episodes, featuring "Christy and Hilda's Last Dance," "Blood in the Sand" and "The Troubled Case Against Jane Dorotik."

00:00 Christy and Hilda's Last Dance 41:53 Blood in the Sand 1:23:50 The Troubled Case Against Jane Dorotik

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Brief Summary

Christy Giles and Hilda Cabales died from overdoses after a night out, leading to an investigation into David Pierce's involvement.

Key points

The Shocking News. Hilda's mother receives a devastating call about her daughter's condition.
The Search for Truth. Yan begins piecing together the events leading to Christy's death.
Remembering Hilda Marcela Cabales. Friends gather to celebrate Hilda's life, sharing memories and laughter despite the tragedy.
Charges Against David Pierce. David Pierce faces multiple charges, including murder and sexual assault, after a lengthy investigation.
The Gruesome Murder of Barbara Nantes. Barbara Nantes was brutally murdered during a camping trip, leaving a lasting impact on her loved ones.
A Chilling Connection. Investigators discover similarities between the murders of Clare Huff and Barbara Nantes.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

It was an unfathomable ending to a life bursting with exuberance.

Barry Tellus on Christy's tragic fate.

6:43WatchSep 14, 2024

Tension

75/ 100High tension

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