Two Ivy League professors attacked in their own home | Forensic Files

[Music] our episodes deal with serious and often distressing incidents if you feel at any
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and for a more detailed list of content warnings please see the show notes for this episode on your app or on our
website on the evening of Saturday January 27 2001 roxan of Verona drove to the small town of vetna New Hampshire
and turned onto trescot Road it was a long stretch of bitchman flanked by brush low stone walls and Tall thickets
of trees on either side there was also roughly an inch of fresh snow on the ground occasionally picturesque homes
could be seen through the dense foliage but most of the roads houses were hidden
from view although it was only just after 6:30 p.m. the area was already cloaked
in darkness due to the midwinter season Roxana pulled up at a gravel driveway and turned following the curved
50 yard driveway downhill and parking at its base next to the driveway was was a
garage and behind it was a two-story house built just 16 years earlier in 1985 the property was Modern and
surrounded by Gardens and woods making it an ideal home for residents seeking a peaceful
Retreat the couple who lived in the house were roxana's good friends Hoff and Susanna zantop our warm social pair
they had invited Roxana over for dinner Roxana grabbed her handbag and salid she'd made before getting out of
the car and walking to the front door she rang the doorbell then placed a hand on the door knob to her surprise the
door was unlocked despite being the sort of people who often hosted guests Hoff and
Susanna were also security conscious and always locked their house up Roxana wondered if Susanna had left the door
unlocked for her benefit Susanna had me mentioned that Hoff would be out at a birthday party
when Roxana arrived perhaps Susanna had decided to take a shower and wanted roxan to be able to let herself
in Roxana turned the door knob and entered the house calling out I'm in as she did so she hung her coat and handbag
up at the end of the hallway then placed the salad on the dining room table all of the house lights were on but Roxana
noticed how strangely quiet it was she couldn't hear the shower running or the sound of someone bustling about
getting ready walking into the kitchen she found it empty some bread cheese and chopped
vegetables were out as though someone was midway preparing a meal but there was no cooking
Aroma Susan Susan Roxana called there was no reply the house felt empty then Roxana noticed that the study door
was open and a light was on inside she headed towards the room which was usually a neat and tidy space with
hundreds of books lining floor to ceiling bookshelves and Hoff's desk with everything in place yet on this occasion
it was in total disarray papers and photographs were strewn all over the floor and a card
table was knocked over Roxana immediately noticed that Hoff and Susanna were there too
both lay on the floorboards and both were covered in blood [Music] [Music] at the house next door Bob McCollum was
celebrating his 76th birthday with his wife his daughter and his son-in-law just as the group were
raising their glasses in a toast to Bob they heard someone pounding at the front
door and a woman screaming they found Roxana Verona outside crying about the grizzly
Discovery she'd had just made at the zantop residence Bob's wife called 911 while Bob a doctor ran next door to see
if he could help Roxana and Bob's daughter went with him while Roxana hid in the zantop
kitchen waiting for police Bob went to check on his neighbors 55-year-old Susanna lay on her stomach near the
study door the card table that had been knocked over was resting on her carves there was a large puddle of blood pulled
beneath her head which faced away it appeared the blood came from a large slash made across her throat
Susanna was wearing a brown and black jumper and tan corduroy trousers which were also covered in
blood Bob McCollum checked Susanna's wrist for a pulse but found none her husband Hoff who was 62 was a
few feet away from Susanna sprawled on his right side his head rested on the base of a bookshelf which was splattered
with blood like Susanna Hoff's clothes were blood soaked there there was a cut in the left
leg of his jeans and he had been stabbed repeatedly in the chest and head Hoff's
face was white and completely drained of blood it was clear to Bob that he too was
deceased the Fate the couple had met was an extremely violent one spots and splatters of blood covered books
paperwork chairs and an oriental rug that was beneath Hoff's feet there was also a clear clue as to
the weapon used to inflict the violence lying on top of a bloody Birkenstock sandal that had come off
Susanna's foot was a black plastic knife sheath it was more than a foot long and
3 in wide a second matching sheath also lay under a nearby chair within several minutes multiple
police officers from Hanover Police Department had arrived at the scene Han was a large town that lay 4 miles west
of ETA right near the border of New Hampshire and Vermont its biggest claim to fame was
that it was home to the ivy league university Dartmouth College many residents of ETA were
employed in Hanover and despite its semi-rural appearance trescot Road was a popular thoroughfare for commuters
between the two towns the Hanover officers were also joined by members of the New Hampshire
State Police and officers from the Grafton County Sheriff's Department they conducted a sweep of the
Zeno's home to ensure the coup's attacker wasn't hiding somewhere in the residence before turning their attention
to the crime scene there was a trail of blood leading from the study out of the house in the
foyer was a partial bloody print left by a boot two more prints were found outside and eventually a total of five
full or partial blueprints were identified 19 full or partial finger and pal prints were also
collected Hoff and Susanna had both suffered numerous knife wounds as well as having her throat cut Susanna had
been stabbed in her head and abdomen Hoffs injuries were mostly to his chest including to the heart and
lungs both of them would have died within seconds or minutes forensic technicians ComEd
surfaces for hair and took samples of multiple blood droplets other investigators seized
numerous items from the home that they hoped might offer up evidence including a desktop computer and a
laptop judging from the scene in the kitchen it looked as though the attack had taken place earlier that day at
around lunchtime there was a pot of homemade soup being prepared on the stove chopped
to vegetables and herbs lay nearby along with a loaf of bread and two blocks of cheese interviews with the couple's
loved ones would reveal they tended to follow followed the same routine each weekend Hoff would get up early bring
his wife a cup of tea in bed and they would sit and chat then Susanna would see the
household chores while listening to the radio they had morning tea together at 11:00 a.m. then homemade soup at 1:00
p.m. on that particular Saturday records would show that the couple had emailed some friends at 8:30 a.m. and Susanna
called Roxana Verona at 10:30 to invite her over for dinner that was the last time anyone had
spoken to the couple Hoff and Susanna had both moved to the United States from Germany but
met while they were studying at California's Stanford University during the 1960s they were an intelligent couple
who spoke multiple languages and were passionate about education and Progressive
politics Hoff who was 6' tall and an aid Outdoorsman earned a PhD in geology Susanna was petite at 5T but described
as a bundle of energy she obtained her masters in political science before later achieving a PhD in comparative
literature the couple married in 1970 had two daughters and later became professors at Dartmouth
College Susanna was chair of the University's German faculty while Hoff taught geology and Earth
Science they were popular with the students and staff alike and made friends easily the zops loved hosting
dinner parties where they would debate ideas and discuss arts and culture after their daughters grew up
they decided to leave Hanover for a more rural setting and bought the trescot road property in
atar they loved how natural light streamed in through its large windows and the way it was surrounded by
Nature the fact that the house wasn't visible from the outside LED investigators to suspect the couple had
been killed by someone who knew them a stranger passing by the road wouldn't see the home down below moreover there
was no sign of a Breakin and aside from the mess in the study the house hadn't been ransacked or rummaged through Hoff
and Susanna owned a number of extremely valuable works of art yet none were stolen Hoff's wallet was missing but
nothing else the scene didn't look like a burglary gone wrong plus the attack had taken
place in the late morning or early afternoon in broad daylight that seemed like an odd time
for thieves to strike then there was also the extremely brutal nature of the murders stabbing
was a particularly violent way to kill someone and involved up close direct contact both Hoff and Susanna were
victims of Overkill with some wounds made postmortem this suggested a personal motive and a murderer driven by a
rage everything seemed to be pointing to a targeted attack word of the double homicide
spread like wildfire through the Dartmouth Community as well as Hanover and etar more
broadly when reporters at the college's student newspaper learned that two professors had been murdered they
published an article on their website and distributed it to all students via an email
bulletin violent crimes were rare in this community where many residents left their doors permanently
unlocked fear spread along with speculation as to who could be responsible some wondered if an angry
student might have committed the crime others suspected a jealous colleague investigators were tight
lipped and wouldn't say if there was an ongoing risk to the community or not more than 30 officers from multiple law
enforcement agencies were assigned to the case making it one of the largest investigations in New
Hampshire in a media conference about the killings members of the public were asked to keep an eye out for anyone in
their Circle who was behaving suspiciously that included having a particular fixation on the case sudden
absence from work altered sleeping patterns a change in drinking or smoking habits or seeming nervous and irritable
during an interview with investigators several days after the murders Hoff's teaching assistant said he could only
think of one person who might want to kill the professor that individual was another
geology Professor who worked on the other side of the country at Arizona State University Stanley Williams was 14 years
younger than Hoff is anop and although he was based in Arizona he had obtained his PhD in geology at Dartmouth
his work had been overseen by Professor dick stobber who was also responsible for hiring Hoff
zantop on the afternoon of Saturday January 27 Hoff had been planning to drop in on Professor stober's 90th
birthday celebrations prior to having dinner with his wife and Roxana Verona Stanley Williams was somewhat
famous amongst the geology circles due to an incident that had taken place 8 years earlier in
1993 will had been leading a small group of scientists engineers and tourists to
a crater by an active volcano when the volcano erupted nine of the 15 attendees were
killed and Williams was Gravely injured after a rock struck his head he nearly died and was left with permanent brain
damage he began to have Angry outbursts and suffered bouts of depression according to Hoff xanto's
teaching assistant Williams had been open about the fact that he wanted a job at Dartmouth but the only one he was
qualified for already belonged to Hoff on the day of the zantop murders Stanley Williams had actually been in
town to attend Professor stober's birthday party he had caught a flight from Arizona then rented a white Deo
sedan to get around Hoff's teaching assistant said Williams had been in a strange mood at
the party he seemed tense and angry before suddenly becoming friendly and celebratory
offering the assistance of champagne straight from the bottle it was the first lead detectives
had they tracked down the rental car Williams had used and searched it thoroughly in the boot was a cardboard
box with a reddish brown stain that looked like blood several investigators wound up
flying to Arizona to interview Williams and his wife Williams admitted that he'd
run into Hoff the day before the murders but firmly denied being involed D when asked if he'd hired anyone to kill the
zops Williams was adamant that he hadn't investigators remained suspicious and took blood samples from Stanley
Williams but they couldn't find any evidence tying him to the crime testing would reveal that the
blood likee stain from the Box in his High car was actually the remnants of a stew Williams had taken a pot of the
stew to a friend's house and placed it in the Box to prevent a at staining the car's
upholstery 2 weeks after he first entered investigator sites Stanley Williams was ruled out of the
investigation meanwhile in the absence of any arrests or worthwhile developments the rumor mill went into
overdrive the xanto's Nextdoor neighbors told reporters that the couple had recently been counseling a troubled
student Hoff had told them that the student was a young man experiencing distress but didn't give a name his
neighbors had warned him to be careful as in their opinion the student sounded like he was suffering from
paranoia they wondered if he could be responsible for the couple's murder other people also talked about a
student possibly being behind the crime the day before the murders Hoff was seen in his office engaged in a
shouting match with a student both were speaking in Spanish at the time the student was tracked down it
turned out that he was completing a double major in English and Spanish he said he'd taken Hoff's Earth Sciences
course sometime earlier and the two had become friends what had sounded like a heeded
argument to Outsiders who didn't understand Spanish was actually them loudly teasing each
other other leads involving various students were pursued then dismissed as they went nowhere
in mid-February 3 weeks after the murders the Boston Globe ran a front page story with the
headline love affair eyed in New Hampshire killings husband involved with unidentified woman officials
say the article went on to quote unnamed sources who claimed detectives believed
the murders were a crime of passion that resulted from an affair Hoff was having investigators suspected a lone
man was behind the attack as the weapon used was Heavy the person most likely responsible
was the husband or partner of the woman Hoff was involved with this article outraged Friends of
the xops who wrote angry letters to the newspaper in response they were adamant that Hoff and
Susanna were deeply in love and committed to one another and there was no indication of any
infidelity 2 Days Later New Hampshire's attorney general publicly uted the contents of the article saying that
investigators did not think an affair was the motive for the murders the Boston Globes subsequently
ran a retraction at the time they had believed the information they had was accurate
but they now apologized to the zantop family and friends for inadvertently causing more
pain from the outside it looked like detectives weren't making any progress on the case however they they had kept
the biggest clue they had tightly under wraps from the media and the public two crucial items had been
recovered from the crime scene the matching knife sheaths these had not belonged to the
xenops and were clearly left behind by the killer or Killers the fact that there were two indicated they were
looking for more than one perpetrator an examination of the foot long hard plastic sheaths revealed that
they were high unique they were designed to fit a very particular knife called an so seal
2000 these knives were Commando weapons with a 7-in blade and a 5-in black contoured handle they had only been on
the market for 5 years and were made in the state of Washington by a company called s so specialty
knives theog seal 2000 was named for the US Navy sales and the one sold with the
sheaths found at the zanto residents had only been around for the past 10 months this meant detectives were
looking for two knives purchased within less than the last year unfortunately the knives were widely available in a
variety of stores and online retailers investigators obtained a list of shops and mail order cataloges that
sold the knives in New Hampshire as well as the neighboring states of Connecticut
Vermont Maine and New York they began calling Merchants one by one to ask for their records of s so
seal 2000 sales since March 2000 detectives also contacted a large number of online retailers requesting
their sales records roughly two weeks after the murders s so provided them with a
69-page list of buyers merchants and Distributors where they had shipped knives to during the relevant
period the list accounted for almost 5,000 knives detectives began the painstaking process
of going through the list on Wednesday February 14 a detective noticed that a Massachusetts based company called Fox
Firearms had purchased 124 s so seal 2000 knives which was a far higher number than any other name on the
list the detective contacted the owner of Fox Firearms and learned he operated an online store out of his home he'd
received his order of 24 knives the previous June and had so far sold 84 of them he faxed the detective a list of
all he sales as the detective scanned the list one particular purchase stood out to
him less than 4 weeks before the zantop murders a buyer who lived just 35 mi from etner had purchased not one but two
knives the buyer's name was James Parker and he went by the online handle of Jimmy
Bruce he resided in Chelsea a small town in Vermont almost 35 Mi directly north of
etner Three Investigators drove immediately to Chelsea to make some inquiries they were stunned to learned
that James Parker was a high school student and he was just 16 years old just before 700 p.m. on Thursday
February 15th the investigators pulled up at the address James Parker had supplied when buying the knives it was a
red A-Frame house situated on a 38 acre lot the detectives knocked on the front door and it was answered by the home's
owner John Parker the detectives introduced themselves and explained that they were
there to discuss some knives which his son had bought John Parker invited them in and
took them through to the kitchen sitting on a stool there was a cleancut teenage boy with spiky dark hair it was
James whose friends called him Jim one of the detectives explained that they were under no obligation to speak
with them but both John and James Parker agreed that it would be fine sitting at the kitchen table with
his father and the three officers James explained that he and his friend Robert tulk had purchased the knives to use
while camping the two boys loved the outdoors and had dreams of traveling to Colorado and even
overseas to go rock climbing they thought the knives would be useful for cutting down branches to build
forts however when they tried using the foot long weapons they found that they were too big so they decided to resell
them not long after receiving the knives the previous month James and Robert had
driven to an army goods store in the largest city of Burlington to see if the shopper owner was interested in them he
wasn't but a customer overheard their conversation and offered the boys $60 per knife the teenagers weren't thrilled
with the offer as they'd hoped for more than double that but they ultimately agreed when asked what the customer
looked like James described him as scruffy looking with dark hair either black or brown the man was between 5'9
and 6 ft tall at first the James said he was in his early 20s but then added he might
have been in his 30s when asked if he'd heard about the murder of two Dartmouth professors in
the neighboring state of New Hampshire James said he hadn't the detectives asked if James
would be willing to provide them with his fingerprints he said he would he and his father accompanied the
detectives to the local sheriff's office to do so right away James Parker seemed like a nice
nice young man with a supportive family who'd grown up in a lovely middle class home he was in his second to last year
of high school with no criminal history and the detectives found it highly unlikely that he could be behind the
brutal murder of Hoff and Susanna zantop officers paid a visit to James Parker's friend Robert tulk to get his
version of the knife story they chatted with Robert's parents before meeting the 17-year-old who was 6
feet tall and lanky he seemed calm and mature for his age while James had appeared slightly
nervous to be speaking with police Robert was relaxed and articulate he repeated what James had
told them about the knives but couldn't describe the man who' bought them as James had looked after that Robert
explained that they hadn't told their parents about buying the two weapons because they knew they wouldn't
approve Robert told the detectives how he and Jane liked to rock climb they asked if the pair had done any climbing
lately Robert said he'd recently clambered over a snow bank and had an accident cutting his leg on a metal
spigot that was jutting out of a maple tree these spigots were used to tap maple trees for syrup which is a big
industry in Vermont like his friend Robert readily agreed to provide his fingerprints detectives also asked if
they could take a look at Robert's shoes he showed them two pairs he wore often some Nike sneakers and a pair of vasque
hiking boots the boots were the same size as those that had left Prince at the zantop
house prompting detectives to ask if they could take them again Robert agreed he too went to the Sheriff's
Office to provide his fingerprints then both boys were permitted to return home with their
parents at around 11: a.m. the following day of Friday February 16 the case's lead investigator received a phone call
from John Parker James's Father John didn't beat around the bush telling the detective Jimmy's
gone John and his wife Joan had been woken at around 3:00 a.m. by the sound of James's 1987 silver Audi starting up
JN and Joan lapped out of dad and ran to the window and called out to their son to stop but he ignored them and drove
away the couple later discovered a note that James had scribbled and left for them it read I just had to talk to
Robert alone I will be back in the morning don't call cops this reassured a John and ajan
somewhat their son had been through a shocking experience the day prior and it made sense he would want to discuss it
with his friend who was going through the same thing however they had told James he
shouldn't speak to Robert for the time being and Robert's parents had done the same John decided to head out and go
looking for the boys he drove around town for an hour but found no trace of them he and Janes spoke with Mike and
dianic Robert's parents and while they all initially shared the same hope that their sons were just talking together
somewhere as the hours continued to pass they began to worry Jon eventually made the decision
to ignore James's request and phone the police the news that the teenagers had taken off came as a shock to detectives
they had seen no signs that the two had any intention of running away and were still unsure if they were even involved
in the zantop murders the cut on Robert's leg had seemed suspicious as did his vasque
boots but the boys hadn't seemed like killers at most they had suspected maybe one of the teenagers was covering for
someone a search was immediately launched for the teens and word began to spread through the small close-nit
community of Chelsea that two local boys were wanted by police their high school
was contacted but no one there had seen Robert or James they hadn't shown up for
classes that day police warned the principal that if they did show up they should not be
allowed into the school they should lock the doors and call the police immediately less than 2 years earlier
the United States had been shocked and forever altered by the Columbine massacre a tragedy in which two friends
had committed a mass shooting at their high school now facing their own violent crime perpetrated by a pair of teenage
boys New Hampshire investigators were scared of what might happen next but friends and teachers of the
boys couldn't understand why they would be sought by law enforcement the worst they could imagine
was that Robert and James had maybe done something online like posted a joke that
was misinterpreted James Parker had an active happy childhood with his parents and older sister he loved to build forts
go fishing play basketball and ride his dirt bike he lost interest in playing organized Sports as he got older instead
becoming interested in music he also wanted to stand out and could be a bit of a showof or Class
Clown James was intelligent but he found School boring and began dreaming of living a bigger life in some place more
exciting than Chelsea he became friends with Robert TK in middle school after Robert's family
relocated to Vermont from Florida even though Robert was one year older than James and in another class
they had the same loud talkative energy and outdoorsy interest s the two became even closer as they got older spending
more time together without other friends one of their favorite ways to pass the time was rock
climbing by mid 2000 it was obvious to everyone that the pair were best friends those who knew them said that
Robert was the leader of the two and the younger James seemed to be more of a follower but it had never seemed UNT war
or toxic both boys were bright and doing quite well in school James was a talented musician and a drama student as
well as a well-liked Class Clown Robert was a gifted member of the school's debate team and had been
elected student council president in fact he was so far ahead on his credits that he was on track to graduating high
school without having to attend many of his senior year classes neither boy was interested in
partying drinking or drugs the only criticism some people had of them was that they seemed to think they were
smarter than everyone else something strange that had happened recently was that the two boys had
abruptly taken off on an impromptu road trip on the morning of Wednesday January
31 4 days after the xenops were murdered that night James had called his parents to tell them he and Robert had
caught a bus into State he wouldn't say where they were headed the next morning he called began
to say they were in St Louis Missouri but they wanted to come home their parents booked them flights
back to New Hampshire when friends grilled them about the trip all they would say was that they'd intended to go
rock climbing in Colorado investigators kept a watch over the teenagers parents and homes by late
afternoon they received word that James Parker's fingerprints matched a print found on one of the knife sheet found in
the zantop home this confirmed that the knives the teenagers had bought were the same ones
used to murder the professors detectives secured search warrants for the Parker and tulic homes
and later that night two separate teams of forensic investigators headed to each
house the primary focus was on the teenagers bedrooms Robert tulk's room was upstairs
alone in the front corner of the house clothed were strewn across the floor along with a mattress there was also a
closet a chair and a bookshelf rock climbing equipment was attached to one wall investigators seized books pieces
of paper computers and items of clothing one investigator noticed a cardboard box on the floor in a corner
next to a small bin a few notebooks and writing pads lay on top of the box the investigators moved the notebooks aside
and opened up the box inside was a large stash of comic books lying on top of the comics were
two items almost entirely wrapped in Fabric and duct tape but a portion of the items were
exposed the black handles of two s so SE 2000 knives the knives were subsequently
unwrapped one had been taken up inside a sock and the other was inside a mitten there appear to be blood stains on the
blades testing would later confirm that the blood belonged to Susanna zantop by now the story of the two
fugitive teens was big news across New England a massive search was underway across the
region an off-duty officer near Sturbridge in Massachusetts recall giving directions to two young men who
matched the teen's description at a gas station before news of their fugitive status had broken this prompted
investigators to focus on the Sturbridge area late on Saturday February 17 a massachusett State Trooper was keeping a
lookout for any sign of the runaway teens during his shift at a truck stop in Sturbridge he noticed a silver Audi
parked in the lot that was covered in snow indicating it had been there a while it also had a Vermont license
plate worried that the teenagers might be hiding inside the trooper cautiously approached the
vehicle the license plate details matched Jim Parker's Audi but aside from some belongings and crackers spread
across the seats it was empty it appeared that the boys had abandoned it shortly after running away and found
another way to keep fleeing Rowdy Kyle Tucker was a 30-some truck driver from Alabama who'd stopped for a
bite to eat at the Sturbridge truck stop on the evening of Friday February 16 he was accompanied by his wife Nancy
who was helping Rowdy out with the drive the couple noticed two teenage boys carrying backpacks and begging for
a ride from other truckers Nancy was Keen to help them out Rowdy agreed and they offered the
young men a lift in their 1999 white Peterbuilt truck which had green Flames painted on the Bonnet the teenagers
introduced themselves as Sam and Tyler and said they were planning to hitchhike all the way to Southern California in
search of work the Tuckers empathized with the two young men and Nancy even offered to give
them the number of her sister in California in case they needed help when they got there the couple took them as
far as Colombia new Jersey which was a distance of 220 mi from where they'd picked them up they reached the Columbia
truck stop in the middle of the afternoon on Saturday February 17 before dropping them off and
continuing on their way the Tuckers let Sam and Tyler used their CB radio to ask
if any other truckers in the area could give them a lift one trucker named James Hicks
responded saying he didn't think he could offer a ride but the teenagers were welcome to hang out in his trucks
cab if they needed somewhere warm to rest until they found one they accepted his
offer James was watching his satellite television when they got in and a news report came on about two Vermont
teenagers On The Run who were wanted for questioning in relation to a double murder the teenagers asked James to
switch over to the Weather Channel and he obliged the teens were clearly exhausted
and soon fell asleep James felt s sorry for them he had three teenage sons of his own one of
whom had died just 4 months earlier in a motorbike accident it went against company policy
to pick up hitchhikers and James had never done so before but he decided he'd give these boys a lift after
all he was headed west which was the general direction the young men wanted to go they left New Jersey on Sunday
morning as they headed towards a truck stop in Spiceland in Indiana James used his CB radio to put a call out for
anyone who could take the teens from here his final destination was North in Chicago but the teenagers wanted to keep
going west can anybody give a ride to two boys who want to go to California James
asked he added that he'd picked up the young Hitchhikers in New Jersey after a brief moment a reply
crackled through sure I can said a man's voice it was 3:45 a.m. on Monday February 19 when James hicks's truck
pulled into the Spiceland truck stop he'd agreed with the other trucker to drop the teenagers off at the fuel desk
as James said goodbye to Sam and Tyler he handed over a $10 note and told them to use it to buy some
breakfast the teens clambered out of James's truck and stood by the fuel pumps waiting for their red to their
surprise two deputies from a local sheriff's department approached instead they separated the young men and
began speaking to them separately asking them for their names birthdays and identification neither had ID on them
one said his name was Tyler J Jones when asked what the J stood for he paused noticeably before stating Jeffrey
the other boy said his date of birth was March 40 1982 before clarifying that he
meant March 30 then a message came over the deputy's dispatch radio which included the name
Robert tulk upon hearing this the boy who'd claimed to be Sam said it's me you are looking for you've
got us after James Parker's silver Audi was found at a Sturbridge truck stop in Massachusetts investigators had reviewed
CCTV footage from the location it showed James Parker and Robert tulk climbing into a white 1999
Peterbuilt truck with green flames on the Bonnet they traced the truck to its company which led them to Rowdy Kyle and
Nancy taker because detectives weren't sure if the teenagers were still traveling with
the couple or not they didn't try calling Rowdy cell phone for fear of spooking them instead they tracked the
truck via a global positioning system when the couple stopped in Pennsylvania for arrest investigators
swooped they learned that the Tuckers had already dropped off the boys at a stop in New Jersey where they'd met up
with a trucker heading west meanwhile Sergeant Bill Ward of the Henry County Sheriff's Department in
Indiana was following the case he'd heard a news report about about the fugitive teens and how they were
supposedly fleeing West Sergeant Ward thought that might make it likely that they'd passed through his jurisdiction
on their way as the busy East West Highway Interstate 70 cut right through the county during a shift Sergeant Ward
decided to patrol the nearby Flying J truck stop and to keep an ear out on his radio for any CB
chatter he heard James hix's request for someone to offer two teenage boys a lift
without hesitating Sergeant Ward replied sure I can then he put in a call for backup and waited for the truck to
arrive the Sergeant's hunch proved correct and the two teens turned out to be the fugitives he was looking
for after seeing the depuy's Handcuff James and Robert then placed them in their Cruisers trucker James Hicks
approached he asked why they were being arrested and was told that they wanted for
murder angered by this Revelation James told the deputies that he'd given the teens $10 for breakfast but now he
wanted it back the deputies retrieved it for him a press conference was soon held to
notify the public that the suspects and the zantop murders had been apprehended but when asked by
journalists what the motive for the crime was detectives still didn't have an answer ABC News had reported that
detectives found books related to white supremacy and Nazism in Robert tulk's bedroom the xenops had always been
outspoken in their belief that their native of Germany should make amends for the Holocaust and its Nazi
past reporters speculated whether the teenagers had chosen the couple because of their political beliefs but
detectives had found no evidence of that James Parker and Robert tck were taken to the Henry County Jail in Indiana
rather than hold the teenagers with the other inmates James was taken to an interview room and Robert was held in a
wait room both cried heavily for hours under guidance from his parents and their lawyer Jim didn't speak to
investigators Robert was taken to speak with an FBI agent and sobbed throughout the interrogation saying if it was
pretty easy to throw my life away at one point he repeated the words I'm so sorry Jim I'm so sorry Jim over
and over but he said nothing about the crimes he was in custody for both teenagers agreed to wave
extradition and voluntarily return to New Hampshire back in Chelsea their parents
were interviewed by investigators all four of them told detectives that they had no idea hear
who Hoff and Susanna zantop were and knew of no reason why their sons would murder them as far as they were aware
there was no connection between Jim and Robert and the couple the teenagers families found it
impossible to believe they were involved even when they leared that the knives used to kill the couple were found in
Robert's room a bootprint recovered at the scene also matched Robert's left boot despite popular opinion that the
teenagers had always been well behaved investigators discovered this wasn't their first brush with the
law almost a year earlier in April of 2000 a Chelsea resident named Robin mix had returned home to find Jim Robert and
two other boys in his basement cooking spaghetti and watching a movie it turned out the boys were
friends with Robin's twin daughters who had invited them over when the teens arrived at the house no one was home but
one of the doors was unlocked so they let themselves in and stayed all afternoon Robin wasn't happy about the
intrusion but he didn't report the incident however a few months later there was another similar
situation Jim Robert and some of their friends let themselves into the home of another classmate whose family was on
vacation they later said they did so was a prank nothing was taken from the house
and when the family found out about it like Robin mix they were reluctant to report it but when the property's owner
who rented the house to the family heard about the matter she phoned the police the teenagers were subsequently
referred to a court diversion program for juveniles which they completed they were also questioned in
relation to a series of other break-ins in the area but weren't charged for any even though these incidents pointed
to a pattern of misbehavior they were nothing like the grizzly scene discovered at the zantop
residence a few months later in June of 2001 A sheriff's deputy was transferring
an inmate from Grafton County Jail to a different County where he was being charged with passing bad checks and
forgery the two chattered as they drove with the inmate whose nickname was Ranger telling the deputy about how he'd
ended up in jail Ranger added that he'd been housed in a Cell close to Robert tulk who was
being held on remand until it was time for him to face trial for the Dartmouth murders the deputy told Ranger that the
double homicide was a shame and said that while the evidence against the two suspects was strong investigators still
hadn't figured out what their motive could have been Ranger told the deputy that not
only had Robert admitted to committing the crime he had told him what the motive
was apparently it was because Robert had never killed anyone before and quote he
was nervous and wanted to get a few under his belt as for why the xenops were chosen
that had been totally random Robert and Jim had initially intended to attack the couple's Nextdoor
neighbors but they hadn't been home Ranger also mentioned that the only thing the teenagers had taken from the
scene was Hoff xanto's wallet the deputy passed the information on to a member of the team handling the
zantop case who was immediately struck by Rangers Revelations it was true that the only
item missing from the zantop residence was Hoff's wallet and that information had been withheld from the
public a meeting with Ranger was arranged where he shared more insight into the crime apparently Robert had told Ranger
that he and Jim had gained access to the xanto's home by pretending they were conducting an environmental survey for a
school project they'd already tried this ruse sometime earlier on another intended
victim in Rochester Vermont but he had turned them away Hoff zantop however was a geologist
and Earth Sciences Professor so the topic was right up his alley he'd welcomed the two young men into his home
and taken them to his study to chat while Susanna prepared lunch in the kitchen Ranger also elaborated on the
motive as well as wanting to practice killing someone Robert and Jim had wanted money that's why they'd chosen a
neighborhood near Dartmouth which was wealthy and home to people who were relaxed about home
security but after they had murdered the xops they panicked and left the house without taking anything other than
Hoff's wallet r had asked Robert whether the crime was his idea or Jim's Robert said
it was kind of mutual but described the dynamic between the two friends as one where he called the shots and Jim went
along this matched what those who knew the teenagers had said about their relationship Ranger also provided
details about the crime scene that could have only come from someone with firsthand knowledge of it
Rangers Insight gave investigators the closure they needed regarding a motive and they finally stopped trying to find
a link between the killers and their victims Robert tulk was old enough to be charged as an adult under New Hampshire
state law but Jim Parker who was 16 at the time of the murders was a juvenile nevertheless the severity of the crime
led to prosecutors charging him as an adult as well Jim's attorneys pushed back against
this and the matter went to court ultimately the prosecution won out following this Jim Parker's defense
team wanted to make a play deal in early December 2001 Jim Parker agreed to plead guilty to being an
accomplice to second degree murder he would be sentenced to 25 years to life state law would allow him to later apply
for a sentence reduction meaning he may only have to serve a minimum of 16 years
and 8 months in exchange he agreed to testify against Robert tulk at trial and tell
investigators everything they wanted to know Jim Parker spent 5 hours giving a detailed
confession over time his and Robert's friendship had become increasingly insular the two teenagers felt a sense
of superiority over everyone else believing themselves much smarter than their peers in a school paper Robert described
himself as having a Divine intellect in one of his class papers Jim wrote that if he had to have a letter
burnt under his chest it would be the letter i for incredible the boys dreamt of escaping
Vermont but they weren't Satisfied by the thought of leaving for college Robert thought higher education was a
waste of time and led to a boring life of Conformity and 9-to-5 careers he and Jim wanted to go fur
further a field they talked about traveling to Italy or France before settling on
Australia Australia was appealing because the people there spoke English but it still seemed exotic to them there
were also lots of outdoorsy things for them to do and a variety of climates to explore gradually their conversations
about travel evolved into actual plans they speculated about how much money they would need to live overseas
and came up with a budget they thought that $10,000 would be enough to cover their plane tickets
and to support them for one year Robert began trying to think of easy ways they could raise the cash
quickly all of the ideas he came up with involved criminal activity they began stealing mail in
search of credit cards but gave up after 15 attempts with no results Robert suggested they steal ATM
machines or rubber Bank the plans evolved to the point where the friends visited some banks together to
sus them out but they abandoned the idea Robert and Jim continued to double with criminal activity they discussed
carjacking a vehicle and robbing its occupants after talking about stealing a car to go for a joy ride for some time
Robert gradually convinced a gym to give it a go the pair came across a truck at a
quarry they liked to drive to some sometimes which was unattended with its key in the ignition the pair drove it
around for a bit before leaving it at the Quarry and going back home they returned to the Quarry another
day to do the same thing but this time a quarry worker found them Jim managed to
jump out and hide without being seen but Robert who was behind the wheel got caught the police gave him a verbal
warning but that was it in late May 20 they stole an allterrain vehicle that was parked at a residence then hid it in
some Woods near Jim's house and listed it for sale on the online Commerce site eBay but no one wanted to buy it without
registration [Music] papers months passed and the teenagers made no progress in their plans Robert
began to grow frustrated one day while driving around with the gym he suggested they break
into a house and steal something they had entered other people's homes without permission before on the two occasions
they'd gone into the residences of school friends with other boys as they drove through the streets
looking for a place to break into they spotted an elderly couple Robert suggested they rob the couple saying
they could use rocks to bash their heads and then we take their money and run Jim said no telling Robert theyd get
caught but the seed was planted and Robert began to talk more often about how easy it would be to rob people then
kill them to prevent being identified over several weeks he talked to Jim into the
plan at first the idea was to attack people out on the street but eventually they decided it would be safer to Target
them at home that way no one else would see them they would Tor their way into a
house by claiming their car had broken down and they needed to use a phone then they would tie up at the residence they
would steal their ATM and credit cards before killing them and dumping their bodies in a pre-dug
grave because neither of them had ever been violent towards anyone before Robert said they should practice taking
a life he suggested he kill his pet dog Ruby Robert thought Ruby was stupid and Jim had seen him hit her before
but he rejected Robert's idea believing they should only kill for financial gain
and to not take an innocent animal's life for the sake of it finally on the evening of Wednesday
July 19 2000 Robert and Jim decided they were ready to try out their plan they went to an abandoned house
outside of town that they liked to hang out at sometimes and dug a large grave they changed into Commando
clothing they had purchased from army surplus stores and slid knives into their boots they also packed a backpack
with the duct tape and rope then they headed to a house just down the road it was a holiday house that
belonged to a couple from New York so it was off and empty but on this particular
night the owner Andrew was staying there with their young son Robert and Jim arrived at the house
just after 10 p.m. Robert used a wire cut to cut the Home's phone lines while Jim hid in some
bushes wearing a ski mask then Robert knocked loudly and urgently on the front door Andrew's face appeared at a window
next to the door and he asked what Robert wanted I have car trouble can you help
me out Robert replied Andrew was suspicious and told Robert no Robert asked if he had jumper cables
and repeatedly pleaded to be let in to use the phone Andrew refused certain that the
tall teenager was up to no good when Robert continued to stand there Andrew brought his right hand out
from behind his back he was holding a 9mm Glock pistol that he always carried with
him at the sight of the gun Robert stated whoa whoa whoa whoa I just wanted to use your
phone but he didn't seem scared and didn't leave Thief Andrew said he would call a local
garage for him Robert enthusiastically encouraged him to do so right away Andrew went to dial the number and
found the phone was dead realizing that the teenager outside must have cut the wires Andrew suspected
that now he would be lying in wait for Andrew to go outside and checked the phone
line instead Andrew sat low on the living room floor with his son and his pistol on high alert for any noise
indicating that Robert might be breaking in but none ever [Music] came after Andrew had made it clear that
he was armed and had no intention of letting Robert in Robert and Jim gave up on their plan that night but they
weren't deterred in the long term a few months went by and Robert continued to plot
by January of 2001 they felt ready to try again on New Year's Day they placed an online order for two soog seal 2000
combat knives they also came up with an alternative ruse instead of one pretending their car had broken down
while the other hid in the bushes they would knock on the front door together during broader
daylight they'd say they were conducting an environmental survey for a school project figuring people would be less
spooked by Clean Cut high school students in the middle of the day on Saturday January 20 2001 Jim
Parker borrowed his mother's green Subaru then he and Robert drove to a nice neighborhood in Granville
Vermont they chose the biggest house on a street called North Hollow Road which sat at the top of a hill they went up to
the front door and knocked it was answered by an older man the teenagers asked if they could
interview him for an environmental survey the man abruptly refused saying he was too busy and shut the
door Robert and Jim were frustrated by yet another failure but they refused to give
up they decided they'd try again but next time they target a whole new area Hanover a New Hampshire was only a
40-minute drive from Chelsea and was home to wealthy people who might fall for their story also they had no
connection to the area and as they lived in the next state over there would be nothing to tie them to the
crime a week later on Saturday January 27 Robert and Jim set out again after they arrived on leafy
trescot road just outside of Hanover they tried one house but no one was home so they decided to try the next door
neighbors Hoff is zantop had opened the door to his home and was very friendly he seemed interested in their survey and
invited the teenagers inside taking them to his study Robert began asking questions
while Jim pretended to take notes they hadn't prepared a proper survey so most of Robert's questions were made up on
the spot but Hoff was patient and helpful about 10 minutes into their conversation Jim Parker was struck by
how nice Hoff was and began to rethink their plan as Robert wrapped up the interview Hoff offered him some
constructive criticism saying you need to be more prepared he offered to put them in touch
with a friend who might be able to help them improve their survey and when he turned to his desk to look for the phone
number Robert struck he pulled out one of the knives they' brought and when Hoff turned
around he stabbed him in the chest Hoff screamed and fell to the floor where Robert continued to stab him
Hoff's wife Susanna came running in from the kitchen when she saw Robert lying on
top of her husband stabbing him she began screaming too and tried to grab at Robert Jim grabbed Susanna and pulled
her away telling her to shut up then Robert told Jim to slit suzanna's throat and he
did during the Frid attack Rob sustained a deep cut to one leg the teenagers hadn't remembered to threaten their
victims into handing over the pins for their debit cards but there was $340 cash in Hoff's wallet which they
stole in the rush to leave their house they left their knife sheaths behind on the drive home they realized their
mistake later that evening they decided to go back for the sheaths but when they
drove past the xanto's house they saw police cruisers parked [Music] outside after all their plotting to
commit the perfect crime the error of leaving the knife sheaths behind LED detectives to Jim Parker and Robert tulk
within 3 weeks it has been speculated that Hoff ano's constructive criticism of Robert tulik was what led to Robert
abruptly and violently attacking him the plan had been to tie up their victims to
obtain Bank details but Robert seemingly became angry after being told he needed
to be better prepared those who knew him have described other incidents in his life
where he lashed out aggressively out of wounded Pride most of the money stolen from the
xenops was spent during their two failed attempts to go on the run while Jim Parker agreed to a ple
deal Robert tulk's attorneys were preparing to argue he was not guilty by reason of insanity
a psychiatrist hired by Robert's defense diagnosed him with bipolar disorder and
the defense said he'd been in the middle of an extreme manic episode that turned
into psychosis at the time of the murders Robert's family were opposed to this strategy as it would require them
to testify in extreme detail about private family matters there was huge public interest in the case and the
trial was going to be a media circus those who knew Robert were also doubt about his diagnosis saying that
he'd never displayed any signs of manic episodes let alone psychosis after Robert found out Jim
would testify against him he realized he was unlikely to win his case on Friday April 5th 2002 he pleaded guilty to two
counts of first-degree murder and was sentenced to life without the possibility of
Parole in their Victim Impact statement Veronica and Mariana anop reflect Ed on how tragic it was that their parents
generous natures and love of teaching had been taken advantage of by their Killers Veronica stated
quote my father's name was Hoff which in German means to help my father lived up
to his name that their desire to help to teach and to open their home to Perfect
Strangers was abused in such a horrific way makes their deaths seem like the greatest violation
rather than focus on the inhumanity and monstrosity and the sheer stupidity of their brutal and senseless deaths I've
tried to console Myself by trying to perpetuate the essence of my parents two people with true open-heartedness and
generosity who fought for positive change and my sister and I will continue that
fight as Robert tulk listened to this statement he stared directly at both wom with a blank
expression later that afternoon Veronica and Mariana read the statement again at
Jim Parker's sentencing unlike his friend Jim rocked back and forth and began to cry as he
listened he subsequently asked permission to speak it took him almost a minute before
he managed to get out the words I'm sorry there's not much more I can say than that
Jim Parker and Robert tulk were initially sent to different prisons but later both began to serve at the New
Hampshire state prison for men they were held in different areas of the facility
and not permitted contact with one another in 2012 the United States Supreme Court ruled that it was
unconstitutional to sentence offenders who committed crimes as juveniles to life imprisonment without
parole consequently Robert tulk became one of five inmates in the state of New Hampshire who was eligible for
resentencing his resentencing hearing is scheduled to take place in July of 2024 in April of 2024 James Parker was
granted parole Veronica zantop spoke with the Valley news about the development stating that while she misses her
parents deeply she isn't motivated by revenge against their Killers quote since it happened I've become a
mother I've become a psych iatrist and I realized that the world is complex and teenagers are
complex and maybe some of the thoughts I had at the time have changed in terms of
compassion for his family and even him at age 16 doing something terrible Veronica said that neither She
nor her sister felt it was their place to decide whether James Parker should receive
perole they had already acknowledged the trauma his crime had created and felt that maybe he should have the chance to
make something of his life adding I wish James's family the best and hope that they are able to
heal the Legacy left by Hoff and Susanna zantop lives on at the Dartmouth College every year the university holds
a comparative literature lecture in Susanna's honor a garden named for the couple was also planted near the heart
of the campus between a school chapel and a hall it features trees Ferns and perennial
flowers and was designed as a place where students and staff could go for contemplation and
Remembrance it lives as a permanent reminder of Hoff and Susanna Zeno's passion for justice learning and
community [Music] [Music] for

Case 287: Half & Susanne Zantop

When Half and Susanne Zantop were found brutally stabbed to death in their Etna, New Hampshire home, friends, colleagues and investigators were all at a loss to understand it. The married couple were both beloved professors at Dartmouth College, and no one could think of a reason why someone would want to harm them. But a crucial clue left at the crime scene would lead investigators directly to some unlikely suspects: two high school students with a deadly plan…

CREDITS

Narration – Anonymous Host Research & writing – Erin Munro Creative direction – Milly Raso Production and music – Mike Migas Music – Andrew D.B. Joslyn

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For all credits and sources, please visit https://casefilepodcast.com/case-287-half-susanne-zantop

Brief Summary

Teenagers James Parker and Robert Tulk murdered professors Hoff and Susanna Zantop in a brutal attack, leading to a complex investigation and trial.

Key points

A Grizzly Discovery. Roxana finds her friends Hoff and Susanna Zantop dead in their home.
The Investigation Begins. Police arrive at the scene of the double homicide, uncovering a bloody crime scene.
Rumors of Infidelity. Speculation arises about Hoff's potential affair leading to the murders, but friends defend him.
Searching for Clues. Investigators find unique knife sheaths at the crime scene, indicating a targeted attack.
The Boys and the Knives. James and Robert bought knives for camping, but later tried to resell them.
The Search for the Teens. After James goes missing, a search is launched for him and Robert.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

It was clear to Bob that he too was deceased.

Bob discovers Hoff's lifeless body.

6:12WatchJun 8, 2024

Tension

85/ 100High tension

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