Unsolved Mysteries with Dennis Farina - Season 3, Episode 15 | Forensic Files

[Music] next on Unsolved Mysteries put your hands above your head he's a convicted bank robber who says
his name is Jose Antonio Gonzalez but he's lying and no one knows his true identity Richard mins was a flashy
millionaire Barbara Petroski a former beauty queen it seemed like a perfect match but it would end like this
in a frightening arson case a house fire takes the life of a 79-year-old woman a
young man confesses but then says his confession was coerced The House of the infamous Lizzie
bord the scene of a brutal double murder [Music] Li some say it's haunted by the
victims five cases with strange clue bizarre twists and with secrets you would never expect I'm Dennis finina and
this is Unsolved Mysteries [Music] Anchorage Alaska two Bank employees arrive at a
local mall to restock the automated teller machine the security guard takes the cash into a small secluded room behind
the machine see you in a few minutes the teller goes outside to reprogram the ATM don't turn around do exactly what I
say and you won't be heard open the door put your hands above your hand you over here you open the ball
turn around there was nothing about this robbery that this individual wasn't prepared to handle on your face he knew
the entrance into this back room back hallway in order to get into the tent machine he knew that no one could see
him from there put the money in the bank put your hands behind your back and he knew exactly what it took in order to
open up the machine where the money was stored inside a machine and also instructed to tell her to take a video
tape out of the video machine so as not to be caught on film get the surveillance tape
now I know what your name is I know where you live do you understand both of you silent for
5 minutes the guard believed that this robber was very relaxed the FBI believed the robbery was
an inside job they suspected a former security guard named Jose Antonio Gonzalez Gonzalez was already being
investigated in connection with a similar robbery but Gonzalez had conveniently disappeared
2 days later and 1,500 mil away a postal worker noticed a partially opened package oh wait a minute this one's
torn wait a minute looks like a gun in there the address that was on top of the box was an address to a gentleman named
Jose Antonio Gonzalez in Redmond Washington the return address was Anchorage Alaska hey
Jim a second box was found in the same shipment also addressed to Jose Antonio Gonzalez postal inspectors obtained a
warrant to search both boxes and discovered a small Arsenal look at this fck loaded as well Bretta loaded they
also found cash $5,542 make sure he gets an 1849 and we'll just wait for him postal inspectors set up what they
call a controlled delivery basically it was a sting operation man see some ID please sure there you go just 3 Days
Later Jose Gonzalez stepped right into their trap gz hands in the air postal inspectors
back away from the car what's going on back away from the car get down your knees Gonzalez was charged with armed
bank robbery and four counts of illegal transportation of firearms using the US mail once in custody Gonzalez seemed
Cooperative he told authorities his life story born in Puerto Rico graduated from
nickach high school in New York City attended college at West Virginia University Gonzalez then rattled off his
social security number his date of birth and other Vital Statistics this man was almost too good
with his background everything was right there on the tip of his tongue from where he went to high school to where he
was brought up but nothing Gonzalez said was true there was no nicker Bacher High
School in New York City and no one named Jose Antonio Gonzalez had ever attended
West Virginia University you ever been in the service yes I have French Foreign Legion French Foreign Legion yes Mr
Gonzalez uh indicated that he would a former French Foreign legionaire that he seen action in Chad and Beirut he
claimed to be a martial arts expert uh and an expert with various types of weapons where were you born Puerto Rico
City the FBI also discovered he had two Social Security numbers one belonged to an 11-year-old boy obviously a fake but
the others seemed real it had been issued to a Jose Antonio Gonzalez we located a birth certificate
in Puerto Rico under the name Jose ant Gonzalez but then that child died of tetus and we have the death certificate
so we know who he is not we don't know who he is the man calling himself Gonzalez was convicted of armed bank
robbery and sent to prison but his true identity remained a mystery investigators believe that two
mysterious women might hold the key hi I can I help you yes I'm here to pick up the car for Jose
Gonzalez after the bank robber was arrested his car was impounded by the Redmond police the next day a woman
showed up to clim it attorney yes I don't understand he asked me to come and pick up his car there a problem
according to police the woman was a possible accomplice of the mysterious robber she went by the name naen
Castell naen appears to be the person who acquires identification for Mr Gonzalez almost like somebody that looks
over him and has the documentation that he would need she has disappeared absolutely
disappeared as far as we know in the United States another woman Brenda peninger was
Gonzalez's girlfriend at the time of the robbery a few days after Castell was unable to get Gonzalez's car pager
showed up at the impound lot with all the right papers pener pener the FBI expected her arrival and asked the
attendant to serve her with a subpoena I've been asked to give this P what is it that's a subpoena so you
come before the grand jury a few days later the car was found abandoned in the parking lot at the
Newark New Jersey airport we have to this day never located Miss Pinger we've talked to her mother we've talked to
everyone that we could knew that had contact with her and there has been no contact that we can verify since 3 days
after she picked up the car update an alert viewer called to identify the mystery robber as mow Red's
zovich a French national authorities also located and question his two female friends neither
has been charged with any wrongdoing in this case zakovich was released from prison after serving 8 years and
deported to France next a fairy tale romance turns into a living nightmare when a man
targets his girlfriend for murder jany Smith of Irvine California is a registered nurse and a marathon racer
she is also paralyzed from the chest down as the result of a brutal attack jany used to have another name
Barbara petrovski and another life she was a beauty queen and a straight A Premed student but that was all before
she became involved in a passionate love affair his name was Richard mins Richard was the one man that
Barbara ever really loved the one man whose child she carried the one man who had promised her a bright future and now
she knows him as the one man who tried to have her killed they met in Aspen Colorado on the
ski slopes Barbara was just 23 Richard was a 47 year- old sophisticated smooth talking
millionaire when he first approached me was uh bragging about what a great guy he was and when he saw how that affected
me he just very very quickly changed his his Persona and was very quiet charming and eventually I fell head over
heels in love with him Richard was a bodybuilder who had made his money from a chain of Health Spas based in Texas he
was a man who always got what he wanted and he wanted Barbara Barbara moved from Los Angeles
to Houston in March to live with Richard and um he hired her as a model for his health spies and made her the center of
his life happy anniversary it was incredibly romantic and it was too good to be true I mean we seem to have a very good
relationship certainly it was U magical so there was no indication whatsoever in
the beginning that there was anything that was really a miss my husband is in your house and I
want to see him right now Richard Ms had forgotten to tell Barbara one small detail dick he was married you better
get out here right right now at that point he explained to me that he had loved me so much that he knew if he had
admitted that he was not divorced that I never would have consented to come to Houston he explained that he was legally
separated but not divorced Barbara bought men's story and accepted a peace offering a townhouse
for the two of them to share it's beautiful Barbara says that he offered to give her papers stating that the
townhouse and its contents belong to her how do something like this happened right now with everything when dick was
going through his divorce he just became a completely different person and it was
something that really shocked me why will you stop it suddenly I saw a very paranoid violent side of his personality
don't worry about it huh men's temper became worse after the divorce settlement was finalized his wife who
had built the health spa business with him was awarded nearly $6 million Barbara I don't want to at about
that same time Barbara discovered she was pregnant Min suddenly put his plans to marry her on
hold you here dick will you just calm down we told you I was pregnant good good right I told told you
that abor no I don't want no not the or the clock Barbara was afraid for herself
and her unborn child she moved out and took almost everything in the townhouse with her not that
bar Barbara Barbara went into hiding min's was Furious Barbara he had already lost
half his fortune and now Barbara was gone [Music] he had called begging to have me come
meet him on a particular evening and even though I knew that it was a big mistake I felt as if I had to
at least see what he had to say when Barbara arrived at Men's hotel room he wasn't there she waited in the hallway
until well after midnight tell me whoa come come on bar I can see it didn't take you very long
Barbara want to talk wait a minute I wanted you to come here wait Barbara who is that he grabbed me at first forcibly
and wouldn't allow me to leave begged me to just come in and talk so he brought me in to uh his suite
and um he was telling me how much he loved me and all of a sudden the door burst open it was the police he threw me
from his arms toward them and said take her I have a warning Barbara had been set up Men's
obtained a warrant for her arrest sign by judge I'm going to have it's not true God he said that she had stolen his
belongings from the townhouse dick why are you doing this to me Barbara Barbara was thrown in jail
and at Daybreak a police detective came to see her okay if you'll settle up with
dick mans we can forget about this whole thing I've got a little piece of paper here read this you sign it when white
slate claim he wanted a finality of their relationship and he wanted in writing and he wanted the peace of mind
I guess that he considered was uh necessary for him to go on without any concerns about her instituting any
litigation with respect to a marriage or paternity that I never knew Richard mins that I
never had a relationship with him and I'm not carrying his child no I'm going to sign it bar refused to sign the
statement and men's refused to drop the charges okay then Barbara was formerly charged with
felony grand theft and aggravated assault because she hit men's with her purse in the
hotel when she was released on bond she went into hiding less than 30 6 hours later Barbara Miss
carrier when we come back their obsessive love affair ends in tragedy when she was just 23 Barbara
petrovski fell in love with Richard mins a Texas millionaire 3 years later their romance
fell apart calm down please and be careful remember I told I told you I was pregnant men's had Barra briefly thrown
in jail I had been told by people who knew him well that he was so embarrassed and
angry that I had left him that he had to teach me a lesson hey look men's had a private eye
named Dudley Bell follow her I told her to be careful to not be alone to uh watch what she did and Where She
Went unfortunately no Safeguard is enough if someone's after you they can find a way to get you eventually someone
did get Barbara petrovski as I was getting back into my car a man approached me and I knew I knew immediately what
was going to happen Barbara was shot four times and left for dead the bullets collapsed her lungs and
severed her spinal cord leaving her paralyzed from the chest down at first it appeared to be a random street crime
but nothing could have been further from the truth on the night of the attack when paramedics asked Barbara who was
responsible she gave them the name of her former lover Richard mins within minutes of the shooting two
smalltime Crooks from California Nathaniel Ivory and Patrick Steen were arrested for attempted
murder you're going to do a lot of time when questioned they said nothing about Richard min's being
involved the next night detectives met with one of min's former bodyguards he claimed that one month earlier a
contract had been put out on Barbara's life so what were you offered 10 grand by
Who police learned that a man named Robert just Anderson owned the getaway car used by Steen and
ivory hiis Bob Anderson Steen and ivory were questioned again they identified Anderson as the man who had hired them
to kill barbar then he gave us a gun and said it would be better if she was dead
[Music] I just happened to notice little little note here the following day Dudley
Bell's ex-wife gave police a note it seemed to connect men's and Dudley Bel with Robert Jess
Anderson the note was in Dudley Bell's handwriting and was printed on Richard min's Hotel stationer a list of guns was
on the back the guns belong to Robert Jess Anderson police arrested Anderson on charges of
conspiracy to commit murder I don't know from no relationship I mean we solicited
at that time his cooperation because the information that we had in this particular case certainly indicated that
there were people far above Robert Jess Anderson that were involved Dudley's private eye you know he was working for
this guy Anderson confirmed that Dudley Bell had hired him then Anderson found the two Hitmen Anderson suspected that
Bell was was working for men's but had no proof despite Anderson's cooperation the
da still claimed there was not enough evidence to indict either Richard mins or Dudley Bell mins was never even
questioned in the case Nathaniel Ivory and Patrick Steen were convicted of attempted murder each
was sentenced to 35 years in prison order just over a year later Barbara filed a civil suit for wrongful
injury against mins and his alleged accomplices Steen Ivory Anderson and Bell but before depositions could be
taken Richard mins left the country Richard Ms remains a suspect in this case unfortunately an unindicted
suspect in this case because we don't have sufficient evidence in order to indict nor try Richard mins for the
offense I don't know why dickm hasn't been charged he should have been and no fair
jury that hears that case would find anything other than dickm was responsible several years later in an
unrelated investigation the FBI tape recorded Anderson bragging about the petrovsky hit he was convicted of
soliciting a murder and sentenced to 38 years you asked me to do a job I did a job dudy Bell was also arrested when a
former employee testified in court that Bell had tried to hire him to kill Barbara like Anderson Dudley Bell was
sentenced to 38 years the court is noting at this time and I want the record to show on 17
different occasions men's fail to appear in court to respond to Barbara's civil suit ultimately a jury ordered him to
pay Barbara more than $50 million judgment in the amount of $58 million plus cost but men's was still out of the
country I think it's a consensus in the DA's office and the homicide division that there is at least one person that
has not been indicted and has not been convicted and uh until that happens this case will not close
update Richard mins who is not an American citizen was arrested at a Dallas airport on charges of passport
fraud after serving a 4-month prison turn mens was deported Barbara's civil suit against
Mims was eventually dismissed so he paid no damages Barbara Petroski has since changed her name to jany Smith she
attended medical school and is married she now works with disabled children next a Young Man convicted of
murder claims that his confession was [Music] coed it was a Sunday night fire and
rescue squads raced to a raging house fire in Aurora Missouri when the fire was out they
found the body of 79-year-old Pauline Marts she had been bound gagged and left to die investigators concluded that the
fire had been deliberately set I say I wasn't what if we had a witness that says he was police
questioned a local 20-year-old named Johnny Lee Wilson Wilson is mentally challenged with an IQ in the mid
60s you was there before that fire started after a grueling 4-Hour interrogation Wilson confessed a
confession he would later recant at the end of the interrogation he he forced my
head back and that's that's when I said okay okay I did it but when I really didn't that's that's when I
lied Johnny's attorney recommended that he plead guilty to avoid the death penalty in doing so he waved his right
to a trial by jury Johnny Lee Wilson was sentenced to life in prison over the years the case against
Johnny Lee Wilson began to fall apart a key witness against him recanted his testimony a convict in another prison
actually confessed to the crime but Johnny was never granted a trial Johnny Lee Wilson is innocent and if he had a
trial he would probably be acquitted I don't think the jury would deliberate more than an hour before they acquitted
him and it's a shame that he never got a chance to prove his innocence update Johnny's attorneys appealed to
the Missouri governor at the time Mel carahan they requested a pardon on the grounds that there was no evidence
against their client my Council uh reinterviewed the witnesses talked to the prosecutors and
the police looked at the evidence read the transcripts a year-long study and we became convinced that uh it wasn't not
only wasn't appropriate for him to remain in prison but that he was innocent the pardon was
granted after 9 years 5 months and 10 days Johnny Lee Wilson was finally a free man I I never never thought thought that
I would see the day that I would walk out those doors and and be driving away from that place it felt
great following his release Johnny was reunited with his mother and grandmother re hugged each other and all
of us and was really happy could hardly believe it you know after all those years he now lives in his hometown of
Aurora Missouri where he hopes to put his long ordeal behind it I have no bitterness of nothing you
know I got so much Faith you know I I knew sometime somehow that I was going to get out I just I'm just glad I
did you're about to hear an actual 911 call recorded by an emergency operator in Wheeling Illinois the caller spoke
from a pay phone he refused to give his name but police believe that he alone holds the key to solving a
murder police killing yeah get someone to 1765 St Edge Court in Wheeling immediately there's a young woman there
who's not breathing she's turning blue 1765 Stonehenge Stone HED head like a bush Okay and Wheeling yeah what phone
over you calling from I don't know it's public phone when were you at that house
sir sir call the unidentified caller was right 27-year-old Jamie Santos wasn't breeding
she had been smothered with a pillow and nothing would ever revive her Jamie lived just down the street
from her family she was just like a burst of energy when she walked in you knew she was there her presence
just would just radiate I think ultimately she just wanted to get married and have a family
success was important to her I don't think she really had a handle on what she wanted to be successful
at Jamie used her natural good looks to earn a steady income dancing for exclusive parties in and around
Chicago when Jamie first told us that she was going into dancing entertainment it was a little difficult to handle
our main concern really wasn't the the type of work she was doing but was for her safety my God it's okay thanks once
she reassured us that she'd have uh somebody accompanying her at all times the driver bodyguard we felt a little
bit more comfortable I just like to make a little extra money I don't think so it's go it's
okay are you going one evening Jamie didn't feel well she cancelled her bookings rented a couple of movies and
called a friend tired I don't know maybe it's the flu or something mhm the call for help came the next
morning send an ambulance to 1765 Stonehedge Court in Wheeling immediately there a young woman she's not breathing
she's turning blue paramedics found Jamie in her bedroom there were signs of a struggle yet Jamie's head was
carefully propped on a pillow she had not been raped there were few Clues no eyewitnesses no fingerprints nothing
that would yield a DNA profile the only lead was the male voice on the 911 tape there's a possibility
the 911 caller could be an innocent bystander that stumbled upon this there's evidence of a struggle possibly
somebody could have heard a struggle possibly somebody could have seen somebody running from the area and seen
an Open Door anybody home hello 911 caller could be afraid to come forward thinking that they'll be
accused of being the killer when in fact you know they were bystander it is also possible that the
911 call was made by the killer [Music] himself hey hi think can uh come and talk for a while we don't have evidence
that there was forced entry so there's a good chance person wasn't invited guest no don't
don't could be a crime of passion it could have been something that started out innocently and turned bad it could
have been uh a domestic type argument look I'm going to have to ask you to leave what just know things went too far
don't you're hurting me stop it I'm when the person realized that he had hurt Jamie he had remorse he put a
pillow under her head he he made an honest effort to get a medical help for her the 911 caller was very sure of
Jaime's address which seems to show that he knew her to 1765 Stonehedge court and
Wheeling immediately Stonehedge like the bush if the caller did know Jamie he might
have met her while she was working as an exotic dancer perhaps one of Jaime's clients
couldn't take no for an answer I don't think so head heads like a bush Okay and Wheeling yeah well pH over 911 tape is a
very important clue we feel that with the identification of The Voice and this tape we can resolve this
matter here again is the 911 recording please listen closely get someone to 1765 Stone Edge Court and Wheeling
immediately there's a young woman there who's not breathing she's turning blue 1765 Stonehenge Stone head heads like a
bush Okay and Wheeling yeah I feel that this person could give us some information on this and I can't
understand why he doesn't come forward and help us to relieve some of the pain of Jamie's
death what's going you calling from I don't know it's public phone when were you at that house
sir [Music] sir if you recognize the voice please log on to our website at unsolved.com
[Music] next it was the scene of one of America's most gruesome crimes and now Lizzie Borden's house is a quaint bed
and breakfast and possibly haunted by those who were killed there on August 4th 1892 wealthy businessman Andrew bordon
and his wife Abby were brutally hacked to death in their home Andrews 32-year-old spinster
daughter Lizzy was arrested for the double murder lizy and her mother when she saw what she had done
she gave [Applause] her1 good morning hi Sue welcome to Lizzy B the Boron home is the scene of
one of the most gruesome Unsolved Mysteries in US history now it is the Lizzy bordon bed and
breakfast guests can discuss the sadistic murders over breakfast the same breakfast that Abby and Andrew bordon
ate on their final day then they can hang out in the Parlor where Andrew's head received 11
unexpected blows from an Axe and after a long day of sightseeing they can sleep in the same bedroom where
Abby boron's body was discovered lifeless on the floor some of the guests do try to
figure out you know who did it not surprisingly most people do not sleep easily also not surprisingly many guests
have reported the Inn is haunted I think the apparitions and all the activity that has been happening in
the house it's a possibility that the spirits are trying to communicate through myself my staff or my guests of
who really committed the murders so they can rest in peace put the story to sleep
for once and for all Lizzie bordon was never convicted of the brutal murders nobody knows who committed that Savage
crime nobody except the victims themselves and they're dead and gone or are they when Martha mcin was a teenager she
lived in the boarding house which was purchased by her grandparents in 1947 when I was about 16 years old I was
in my bedroom reading a book and above my room I could distinctly hear footsteps and the sound
of like marbles being played and it almost sounded like little children's laughter shortly afterwards Martha with
wi something even more disturbing I went up the stairway in the window at the end
of the second floor Cara just began opening and slamming shut it was just violently going up and
down I got the creepy crawlies that time Martha wasn't completely sure that there was a ghost in her
home until she made the mistake of going into the basement alone according to Legend Lizzy hid the
axe here the one she supposedly used to butcher her father and stepmother a shadow sort of like a
silhouette floated maybe 4 in above the floor I could tell it was a woman I could tell it was Victorian
clothes I just turned around and ran back up the stairs that experience really did frighten me that actually did
make my hair stand on end years later Martha inherited the boarding house she decided to turn it
into a very unusual bed and breakfast using crime scene photos Martha replicated the home's
exact condition on the day of the murders thank you when we first opened I had hired my staff most of them at the
time did not believe in ghosts or apparitions or anything like that and then odd things started happening to
them I arrived at work to stop cleaning the house I was on my last room and I had made the bed clean dusted and
everything and then I turned around and there was the perfect impression of somebody laying on the
bed the indent in the pillow in the bed I I looked at it for like a couple of seconds and then I I booked it out of
the room I had to leave I I was just it scared me cuz I I had never seen anything like that before in my life
Carrie was white as a ghost forgive the pun but she was really pale and I couldn't get her back in not even to get
her paycheck she would not come in the house it was in this room that Abby bordon received 19 hacks to her
face some are convinced that Abby is now trying to communicate with the living Andrew bordon was killed in this
parlor his halfs sitting half flying body slumped across the Victorian sofa I was sitting in the paror on the
phone and this strange feeling came over me a very eerie feeling hi Sally it's Elanor when I looked up to the kitchen
door I saw what I thought was all this smoke coming out of the kitchen what the heck is
that and I thought to myself well that's strange there isn't anybody in the kitchen cooking why would all his smoke
be coming out the way it traveled very slow until it got to the sofa where Mr bordon was
hacked to death I'm freaking out this is too weird and it just dissipated I know I saw something that
was out of this world it wasn't from this world that's for [Music] sure what's going on in the house today
in terms of things that people are experiencing and seeing and hearing certainly has a lot to do with the fact
that a violent emotional act went on here author and Ghost Hunter Katherine ramsland believes that Andrew and Abby
bordon are trying to tell us who killed them [Music] Catherine and a BNB employee hoped to
document the Paranormal Activity they went to the basement with a voice activated
recorder it was very dark and I just simply said is anybody here and we could see that the recorder
was activated that we could hear nothing it was absolute silence and yet it was clear something was being
recorded so I decided instead of asking any more questions I would just see what
we had gotten is there anyone here with us we shot up the steps because we weren't staying down there with that
whatever it was Catherine feels the recording is the first solid evidence that Lizzy Abby and
Andrew still walk these Halls and haunt these rooms and she hopes that Sunday maybe
one of them will tell us what really happened on August 4th 1892 [Music] [Music]
[Music]

This, Episode includes: Mystery Robber, Magnetic Attraction (Pts. 1 & 2), Johnny Lee Wilson, Call for Help and Borden House.

Brief Summary

Five cases of mystery: a bank robber's identity, a failed murder plot, a wrongful conviction, a suspicious death, and a haunted house.

Key points

The Mystery of Jose Antonio Gonzalez. A bank robber's true identity remains a mystery, leading to a complex investigation.
Barbara Petroski's Tragic Love Story. A beauty queen's romance turns deadly when her lover targets her for murder.
Johnny Lee Wilson's Fight for Innocence. Convicted of murder, Wilson's confession was coerced, leading to a long battle for justice.
Johnny's New Beginning. Following his release, Johnny reunites with family and embraces a hopeful future.
The Mysterious Murder of Jamie Santos. Jamie Santos was found dead under suspicious circumstances, leading to a tense investigation.
Lizzie Borden's Haunted Bed and Breakfast. The infamous Borden house is now a B&B, where guests experience eerie phenomena.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

This man was almost too good with his background.

Authorities are suspicious of Gonzalez's fabricated life story.

5:51WatchMar 9, 2017

Tension

65/ 100Some tension

More from True Crime Files

Solve the Crime

Read a real case one clue at a time, then see how your call held up against the investigators.