Unsolved Mysteries with Dennis Farina - Season 3, Episode 7 | Forensic Files

[Music] next on Unsolved Mysteries it's a dark Forbidden World inhabited by black magic and Mystical
Creatures two people visit and never come back meet the osens a family that seems
to be a magnet for bolts of lightning why is that like a real life thalma and Louise
a middle class mother and her best friend go on a rampage terrorizing unsuspecting
men a guard is taken hostage during a prison break authorities wonder if she was part of the
plan five intriguing stories stories that you won't want to miss I'm Dennis finina and this is Unsolved Mysteries
[Music] [Music] Tacoma Washington and I believe that takes that one night four young people were
playing a game that involves mystical creatures fantasy and Magic you know I'm getting kind of tired I think we should
call it a night you got to go yeah what time is it what you got it's it's like 11: is it it's early I got to
go the next night two of them were dead the victims of a hideous devil murder 25-year-old Michael Johnston was
married with two children Melle Robinson 19 was studying to be a teacher a detective soon
discovered that Michael and relle had been lovers detectives think the motive for
the double murder was jealousy over the affair others believe that the couple was lured by a charismatic killer into
the dangerous world of the occult Michael Johnston's body was found near Rochelle's car less than 6 hours
after they left the card game his throat had been cut and he had been shot once in the head at Point
Blank Range Michelle's body was was found later that day on a remote Road 5 miles
from where Michael's body had been found she had been stabbed repeatedly and her
throat was slashed to the Bone a large cardboard box covered Michelle's body police believe that sometime after
1:00 a.m. Michael and Michelle parked their car on a quiet Road near a popular shooting range called the Tacoma
Sportsman's Club they were alone for a while they were forced to dress hastily uh relle Robinson had Michael Johnson's
t-shirt on inside out when her body was found and uh they were removed uh from her vehicle probably at gunpoint all
right look look evidence suggest that that Michael was handcuffed then forced to kneel near the front of Rochelle's
car don't need to do this no please law enforcement believes that Michael Johnson was a passive victim the real
Target was relle Robinson there were several knife Pricks in her neck which would indicate to me that somebody held
a knife to her throat to force her to accompany him detective ranicki believes the
killer then drove relle to an isolated Road and brutally murdered her he also believes that it was a crime
of passion you just killed my what did I just do for you just killed my I did it
for you I did it for you no investigators believe that the perpetrator of this crime knew Rochelle
well and probably wanted to have a boyfriend girlfriend relationship ship with her or was an ex-boyfriend of hers
relle felt that she was being stalked by a guy that came into her work approximately 3 or 4 months before they
found her um she felt that that he had followed her home several times that he'd came to
work and just stared at her until she left work this sketch of the stalker is based
on eyewitness descriptions his connection to the crime is unknown [Music] after a year with no new leads Michael's
wife Janet hired private investigator Jim Wright Janet uh as part of this investigation I'm going to have to ask
you some uncomfortable questions first Jim had de cleare the victim's family starting with Michael's wife Janet he
asked her about life insurance policies what type of an insurance policy did you
have on Michael and we both had very large life insurance policies on each other and that was at my insistence
because I was felt if something happened to me I wanted to make sure that Mike had the financial stability so that he
wouldn't have to work so that he could take care of the kids were you ever aware of any uh extramarital
relationships that Michael's had he and Michelle were seeing each other I don't know how long it had been
going on I don't know if they were going to stop soon or if he was going to leave
me or what a case like Janet passed a polygraph test Jim Wright concluded that she wasn't involved in the
crime but he did discover that Michael loved the world of Fantasy games black magic and the
Occult Jim believes that's how Michael and Rochelle met their killer because of the nature of this
crime we believe that people who are involved in possible occult type activities could be the kind of people
that would commit this type of a Murder [Music] another year passed and still no leads
Jim decided to employ an unorthodox approach Wright turned to Nancy Meyer a well-known psychic who has helped police
on more than 300 homicides it was very hard on Jim because I said you will not tell me
anything because it has no validity if you tell me things ahead of time I don't want someone else's theories
because to me if you're going to work psychically and do it purely you should not pre-read you should go out there and
work at Cole without telling her where they were going Jim took Nancy to the road near
the Sportsman's Club where Michael had been murdered I Can Feel Michael here I can feel his pain I can feel the
fear I can feel him bleeding we don't need to do this no no please I can also get images of what's
just happened to relle so I feel he must have died second because I can feel that the awful images in his mind of
what Melle has gone through please I would not be able to agree with the theory that would have Michael as an
innocent bystander not the object of this killing to me from what I can sense it's the other way around Michael was
the actual object man don't do this come on Nancy felt that Michael and the murderer knew each other from their
involvement in Black Magic as she saw the crime Michael and Michelle were parked on an isolated Road
the killer a man in his late 30s and two young accomplices crept up on the unsuspecting lovers
come on out Mikey I need to talk to you man no I need to talk coming they seem to be accusing him of
violating some kind of regulations it almost felt like a cult type of situation Nancy said that after the
killer stabbed relle he and his accomplices drove Michael to the sportsman's club shut up shut up
feeling of of a Nancy was able to vividly picture all three asants and artists sketched her
impressions she believes the killer might teach at a local college and has probably killed
before these are nany's impressions of the two accomplices both in their early to mid
20s Nancy also saw this dragonwing Medallion she feels the symbol somehow links Michael and the killers
the authorities however do not agree with nany's Theory they remain convinced that the killer knew relle and was a
friend or acquaintance meanwhile relle and Michael's families can only hope that
the mystery will someday be solved it's a horrible horrible feeling it's almost like a marry go around and some days you
just want to say let me off I can't take it and you can't you'll never never get
off of it I know these people whoever did it they're going to pay either in this life or the next and I have
complete faith that that's going to take place authorities believe a key clue in
this case is the cardboard box that covered Michelle's body originally the Box held large sheets of professional
printing paper forensics revealed that the killer brought the box to the scene after storing it in his home or office
for several years perhaps someone watching tonight has seen the Box before a $166,000 reward has been
offered in this case if you have any information please log on to our website at unsolved.com
next an entire family seems to attract bolts of lightning only a lucky few have lived to
tell their story it's a force of nature so powerful that it's been called The Finger of God no
one knows where or when it will strike but one Illinois family seems to have been targeted time and time again for
them every thunderstorm means possible death I think the lightning likes us once in a while would get a bolt that
strikes you know real real close and uh start thinking about it since I've told you know co-workers
and friends this they tend to they tend to kid me a lot and uh you know nobody wants to give me a ride home when it's
raining out I think it'll strike me again and that someday is going to get me and kill
me 1941 I stayed with her El in the country meet the Olen family of Elgen Illinois
was there anybody else early on they um over the last four generations at least 10 members of the Olsen family have had
close encounters with lightning two of them have died the first person that was um killed
by lightning was chryst Olson and he died in 1899 that day in May of 1899 it was very
very St Army drct Chris is here come in Chris come in Chris Dolson was just 23 years old that afternoon he visited his
fiance and her father rain I hear you having trouble on the farm yeah yeah the north fence
shifted hi hello Chris Christ Olsson died instantly the lightning never touched the others
oh CHR more than two decades later Chris's older brother oie went out to feed the
animals during a summer storm lightning struck him dead at the barn door it was then that the Olsen
began to wonder if death by lightning was a fate they all shared Christine Olsen Chris and oie's
sister lived her life terrified of lightning I came out for the summer my summer visit and uh had a day that was
very cloudy outside and it uh was dark early and so she put me to bed and I was laying there probably a half hour and
then could hear thunder in the background and the lightning start bolts of it coming
down come Billy quickly we've got to go outside but why well because we we' got to get away from the lightning we'll go
out to the old car more got out the bedroom door and his Bat of lightning hit blew a hole in the
wall across the metal ceiling and the ceiling lit up like a neon sign but I think after that we didn't
stop too long we just tore out the back door and ran out to the car bill and his grandmother stayed in
the car for the rest of the night but Against All Odds this wasn't Bill's last brush with death by
lightning ball lightning was shot in through the window hit the toaster blew the toaster off the table went over
missed the little girl in the he chair this one buyer his ball hit the phone on the wall and knocked the phone off the
wall and went out through the phone area during the summerstorm 5 years later lightning struck yet again this
time it was Bill's Cousin Connie she was waiting to be picked up from work by her
sister Karen as is often the case with lightning the charge actually shot up from the ground there was a different
kind of feeling about the atmosphere it felt like it was full of um electrical charges and it was like an
eerie kind of feeling Connie every single joint in my body violently jerked Connie I don't remember anything after
that because I was knocked unconscious Connie's boss helped her to Karen's car to everyone's complete surprise
Connie was unharmed when I came to in the car my body had a tingling sensation um my arms
in my chest area were numb when my sister told me that um I was struck by lightning I was just
really surprised I had absolutely no idea that that's what happened but then I thought well that's what lightning
feels like lightning has always kind of scared me and I'm sure some of it's due to that
when when that occurrence that happened when I was young Bradley hample is a fourth
generation Olen when he was 15 he visited his grandmother's Farm in Burlington Illinois he didn't know anything about
the family's with lightning the light was so bright that I couldn't see for a second finally when
it kind of shook off and I realized what had happened you know lightning hit somewhere and there was a probably a
10-in diameter charred circle on the door that was [Music] smoking since that time I have been very
scared of lightning it wasn't necessarily A life-changing experience I didn't turn good or anything because of
it but it it was something that uh it was probably the first time in my life that realization is wow you could have
just you could have just been killed do you have being struck by lightning next to your name no I don't
probably should add that we should put a little lightning bolt on what is the link between this family
and lightning I've never heard of another family where two family members had been
killed by lightning whether the whole Olsen family has a genetic predis disposition to be struck by lightning I
would answer no because from a scientific point of view the lightning starts in the cloud has no idea what's
going on in the ground uh just works its way down randomly and then hits what's under uh wherever it gets
to I believe that um there's an organic reason why lightning strikes my family Connie and I also feel that what you
fear most is what you attract and many members of my family fear lightning and therefore
they attract lightning to them everybody squeeze together so we can get a good family picture here given their family
history the Olen can't help but wonder who's next one more let's say lightning this time for the
[Music] occasion next a woman leaves a bar with with a man and disappears he claims he's
innocent the trouble is he's killed before when we first heard this story millions of viewers watched our profile
of accused killer Dennis Keith Smith who knew that one of those viewers was Smith
himself at the age of 22 Dennis Keith Smith brutally murdered his own sister he was sentenced to life in
prison but served only 10 years shortly after his release Smith then became a suspect and The Disappearance of Carolyn
Kilby of Vancouver Washington eyewitnesses saw Smith leave a Vancouver bar with Carolyn she had had
several drinks and that was the last time she was seen [Music] alive what happened when he was
questioned by police Smith said he had nothing to do with her disappearance what's going on like what happened
detectives didn't believe him especially after they impounded his pickup truck oh man that's more than a
cigarette Burn yeah it looks like he took a torch to it there was a huge hole on his front
seat and the seat cover was gone also every inch of carpeting had been stripped off the
floor at that point basically I knew that Dennis was hiding something from us maybe any evidence that Carolyn was in
his truck or that something bad happened to her in the truck but suspicions alone were not
enough to keep Smith locked up by the time authorities had enough evidence to charge him with murder Smith
had already left town [Music] update on the night of our broadcast two viewers Tracy hodman and John Cummings
had gotten together with a new friend to watch Unsolved Mysteries the friend said
his name was Dave sandborne he kind of started getting nervous and I said oh my gosh Johnny I said look who that looks
like and he was sitting right next to me and um they started describing the color
of his tattoos that were on his arm and I said I looked over and I said you have those color tattoos you know and he
asked me is there anything else on he didn't want to watch the show and I said no I like this show I'll watch it and he
you know got up and went in the kitchen he started pacing around their new friend Dave sandborn
turned out to be Dennis Keith Smith Smith asked to borrow their car but he never returned John and Tracy
called the police authorities caught up with Smith two days later at this intersection he did
not give up easily he turned and charged the officers in a fight ensued during the course of that fight he attempted to
remove the firearm from one of the officers the Second Officer fired a single shot striking Mr Smith in the
neck Smith was also shot in the wrist after 2 weeks in the hospital he appeared in a Florida court and was then
and extradited to Washington State Dennis Keith Smith was charged with the murder of Carolyn kbby because
police never found Carolyn's body they turned to a new form of DNA testing they compared her mother's and daughter's DNA
with blood found in Smith's truck the samples were indeed related and it was enough for a conviction
Smith was sentenced to 70 years in prison for the murder and an additional 99 years for violating Pearl after 6
years behind bars he committed suicide by hanging himself with a bed sheet attached to an air vent in his
cell Carolyn yeah okay we're running a little late they met while working as nurses at
a psychiatric hospital in Houston Texas almost immediately the two women were up to no good eventually the police
would come to know them as thalma and Louise by day Rose turford was a loving wife devoted mother and dedicated
professional but by night here we are got the Y the key the Rim's right here oh good rose began meeting men through
personal ad and then she would lure her dates to out of the way motel rooms a little soft music a good bottle
of wine and it was time for her friend Carolyn Stevens to [Music] enter sit down on the
bed the Felman Lou Bandits moved quickly and methodically now take off your clothes
I'm going to the bank Carolyn would stand guard while Rose ran out to use the victim's credit
[Music] cards Rose and Carolyn from the onset wanted to be the real life th Lou that
they wanted to experience that thrill and the spontaneity and only thing is I don't believe they ever considered what
they were going to do to their families in 3 months Rose and Carolyn robbed at least 10 men of more than a
quar of a million dollar but eventually their luck ran out Carolyn and Rose were
caught and arrested bail was set at $250,000 each it seems as though prior to both
Rose and Carol and going to jail and being arrested they had this pack that if one got out they both got out look
I'm sorry I have to keep calling you but Avery is putting pressure on me Carolyn
repeatedly begged Rose's parents to bail them both out she claimed that a mysterious private investigator named
Avery was threatening Rose's children but Rose and I know what he's capable of and we should all take him
seriously probably the weirdest part part of this whole scenario was the man named Avery I never bought that he was
real it was just too far-fetched but Rose's Family believed Avery was real and so did her husband's family
they even put up their house and restaurant for bail I tried to convince the parents
don't make both bonds and um it's not often that you sit and try to speak to someone about not
giving you $25,000 but I I just knew it was a problem and I knew it wasn't going to
work and it didn't sure enough after posting bail Rose and Carolyn took off again this time they left a letter
behind which claimed they had been kidnapped by the mysterious Avery in reality the Thelma and Louis
Bandits were on the run and now Rose's in-laws were in danger of losing their home and their business we wanted to
help in any way we could I never once once entered my mind that they would disappear
never I really hope that Rose and Carolyn just stop and think they're going to basically throw really really
good honest hardworking people out in the streets and if they have to go to jail
well that's just kind of the price you pay for making a mistake but it's a lot better to pay price once than to pay it
all your life update a few months later the Royal Canadian Mounted Police received a tip
and arrested Carolyn Stevens and Rose turford both women were extradited to use them there they were charged with
aggravated robbery and kidnapping Rose turford was convicted of robbery and given 30 years she served her time and
has been released Carolyn Stevens was also convicted of robbery but because of a plea bargain arrangement she was given
10 years she served nine of those years and was released next a well-respected child therapist
disappears and everyone fears the [Music] worst Cherry Hill New [Music] Jersey it seemed like the beginning of
an ordinary weekend at a neighborhood biker bar what's that but bartender Gloria Brown would soon
become a key witness in a bizarre missing person's [Music] case can I get you something honey no
thanks I'm sorry if you're going to sit here if you have to order something I don't have any
money do you want a soda she seemed very depressed she didn't smile she didn't hard they
speak and very strange very strange several days later Gloria saw this missing person's flyer it was a
girl who looked just like the stranger she had seen in the bar her name was Dei Rosenthal and she
had vanished a week earlier Gloria's encounter was the first clue that Dee might still be alive
Gloria called the police but they were never able to track down the young woman from the bar and since then there have
been conflicting Clues unexplained phone calls and not one but two possible sightings of
Dei 32-year-old D Rosenthal was a well-respected therapist who worked with autistic
children one of her co-workers reported her missing one day when she didn't show
up for work police met at DD's apartment it was immediately clear that something was wrong the front door was
unlocked the Sunday paper was untouched inside everything seemed to be in order there were no signs of
ransacking or a struggle but investigators soon learned that Dei was being evicted from her
apartment the missing girl had been having some financial difficulties though it gave rise to the belief maybe
uh became overwhelming and she left of her own valtion Dei just would not be the person
just to take off if she was going to take off or was going to go away she would either call her mom or she would
call me curiously dei's purse had been left behind with her keys identification and
credit cards inside there's a cat out here John and she had abandoned her cat Dei took her
cat everywhere Where She Went she would never have let it let alone alone in the
apartment but let it alone sitting out on a balcony she would not have put it out the door and say all right goodbye
I'm leaving that that's not that's totally out of D's character police found de's car parked
in its usual spot but oddly her briefcase with all her clients records had been left in the car if dii were to
take off on her own why wouldn't she take her car I knew something was horribly wrong with this
scenario investigators worried that Dei had been kidnapped and perhaps murdered sometime between 10 p.m. Friday and
early Sunday morning that conclusion was supported by one of dei's neighbors she said that she
was awakened around 3:45 a.m. on Sunday by strange sounds coming from Diddy's apartment she heard what it sounded like
a scream followed by a thud and she likened it to uh someone falling out of bed and being startled
5 hours later the same neighbor heard the balcony door open she just assumed it was Dei but it could have been her
kidnapper but a week later unexpected evidence surfaced that Dei was still alive when the young woman visited the
biker [Music] bar do you want a soda I do believe it was her I really do you go she she looked so much like the
picture if she had only smiled I I would have known definitely but it looked like
her hi hi you're uh not from around here are you she said her name was Lori and that
she was trying to get to Florida she left with one of the bikers he told police that he dropped her off the next
day at a liquor store near a major [Music] highway just one week later de's Aunt
Celia received a mysterious phone call Mama who is this mama mama Didi I'm okay didy is that
you sheilia called me she was very excited uh she told me that she just received a phone call from someone that
she swore was my sister Dei 5 weeks went by with no more news then dei's brother received the tip that
his sister was in Florida they said we've seen Dei in the Fort Lauderdale area as I started talking the phone
disconnected a year passed and the woman who called herself Lori returns to the biker
bark she had dyed her hair blonde and claim to have been in Florida my impression was that she had
had a nervous breakdown excuse me is your name deei no it's La well if you are deei you better get
in touch with your mother she's pretty upset she just turned away from me because she didn't want want to have
anything to do with what I was saying because I knew and she knew that I knew a customer from the biker bar
dropped her off at a nearby Tavern it was the last time the woman known as Lori was ever seen once again she
disappeared before she could be interviewed by authorities many people including the police are skeptical that
Dei and Lori are the same person update almost 5 years after Dei Rosenthal disappeared Charles reddish
the maintenance man in her apartment complex confessed to killing her he said he entered de's apartment and smothered
her he returned 2 Days Later picked up her body and dumped it in a field of weeds her remains were never
found reddish admitted killing DD after police charged them with killing his former girlfriend and raping her
14-year-old daughter reddish is now serving two life sentences plus 60 years in a New Jersey
prison next the story of a bold prison break and two unlikely lovers an escaped convict and his female guard
I like for her to come home and tell me why she did it and to turn herself in cuz I don't want her to get
hurt I do love her just I'm confused right now Lesly being has been in anguish ever
since her mother disappeared K Beeman is either a hostage or she's a criminal Leslie hopes that her mother is Innocent
but no matter what she just wants her mother to come home K Bean was divorced when her son
and daughter were nearly grown for 10 years she had worked as a corrections officer at a local prison in Cumberland
Maryland one night Kay was on duty in the prison control center with another female
officer Michelle pbau Michelle I'll take this round are you sure yeah it was just after 2: in the morning
Kay left the control center to conduct a routine check of the cell block all the
inmates were behind bars except one low security prisoner who was working in a nearby
room everything seemed normal until come on lady coming with us what are you doing in here I said come on you
know how serious this is and how serious I am I ain't got time to listen to this
Barnes just coming down with beam he's got a weapon the escaped inmate was maximum security prisoner Edgar Kars 22
TR and somebody's I didn't know what they were going to do and I saw the bathroom door was standing a jar so I
just darted out out and ran at first I felt a relief that I was at least for the moment
safe but then I was thinking but my God you know what are you going to do here and they have K what are they going to
do to her it appeared that Kay had been taken hostage by James Barnes kar's cellmate that a it which one I heard the
buttons click and the controls and so I I thought well they're gone a couple of days later Kay called
her daughter Lesley it was about4 after 5: in the morning and she called collect and she told me she was all
right and that she loved me and she missed me and not to worry about her that she was all
right and she said she told me she goes I went with them 3 days after the Breakout Barnes
was captured he served his time and was released he told authorities that Kay's car was used in the getaway he said that
she helped plan the Escape because Kay was in love with Edgar Kars Edgar Kars had been convicted of a
theft and forgery in West Virginia he was awaiting sentencing in Maryland for passing bad
checks Barnes said that Kay and Kars had been Roman atically involved for 3 months I haven't complained have I Mr
bnes told us that she would spend sometimes a half an hour 40 minutes in the maximum security area just talking
to Curr so there definitely was a relationship there sleeping as usual I guess you maybe fall in love with
somebody and you do some strange things but uh Kay's pretty well lost about everything that she ever had over this
one incident once there was almost a certainty in my mind of what had happened I felt so
betrayed I felt I just couldn't believe she could do that I want to know why she did it and I
like to have her home so she can explain it to me and um it just hurts a lot update on the night of our broadcast a
hotel owner near Toronto Canada recognized K Beeman and Edgar Kars from our program they were staying at his hotel
he called the police and 6 hours later they were arrested Kars was given 5 years for his
part in the crime and Beaman 41 months after serving their time Kars and Beaman lived together until Beaman died from an
undisclosed disease [Music] [Music]

This, Episode includes: Magic, The Gathering, Lightning Family, Dennis Keith Smith, Thelma and Louise, Dede's Gone and Sweetheart Escape.

Brief Summary

Four stories of murder, lightning, disappearance, and a prison escape unfold in this episode.

Key points

The Tacoma Double Murder. A couple's tragic end leads detectives to suspect jealousy and occult involvement.
The Olsen Family's Lightning Curse. A family in Illinois has faced multiple lightning strikes across generations, raising questions about fate.
Dennis Keith Smith's Dark Past. A man with a history of violence becomes a suspect in a woman's disappearance.
The Disappearance of Rose and Carolyn. Rose and Carolyn vanish after posting bail, leaving their families in turmoil.
Dei Rosenthal's Mysterious Case. A therapist goes missing, leading to a series of strange clues and sightings.
Kay Beeman's Love and Betrayal. A corrections officer's relationship with an inmate leads to a dramatic escape.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

You just killed my... I did it for you.

A chilling confession related to a murder case.

4:40WatchMar 9, 2017

Tension

75/ 100High tension

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