Unsolved Mysteries with Dennis Farina - Season 5, Episode 21 | Forensic Files

DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Next on Unsolved Mysteries, a Texas man gets life for robbery
that five witnesses say he did not commit, and now even the prosecutor has doubts.
When a young computer whiz hacks into a military computer authorities fear that he's a spy.
A woman learns that the man she married is a convicted con artist. He also has a nasty temper and a taste for violence.
And Sharon Kinne was a woman who knew what she wanted, sex and money, and she was willing to kill for it.
These are stories with intriguing secrets and surprising revelations so stick around I'm Dennis Farina,
and for the next hour this is Unsolved Mysteries. [theme music] DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Garland, Texas, 7:00 PM,
a man enters a gas station and draws a gun on the attendant who is closing up for the day.
DOYLE (VOICEOVER): When he first came in the door, and he was shaking the gun at me telling me he'd kill me,
goddamn, he'd kill me, then I realized it was all for real. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): The attendant, Doyle,
does not want his last name used because his eyewitness testimony put a man in prison.
And if you had a .45 stuck in your face and somebody was telling you they was going to kill you,
it's something that stick with you the rest of your life, and you never forget the person that does it.
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Doyle later identified his attacker as Michael Scott Martin, a 26-year-old welder.
Five other witnesses, however, swear that Martin could not possibly rob that gas station because he spent the whole day
at his home 70 miles away. This is ridiculous. I'm at my house in Fort Worth working on a motorcycle,
and they're saying I'm robbing a gas station in Garland, and I've never robbed anything in my life and I never will.
Michael Martin? Detective Dennis Wheatley. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Based on Doyle's testimony,
Martin was convicted of armed robbery. I'm going to need you to place your hands on that wall for me.
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Because of a previous arrest, he is sentenced to life in prison.
But Martin insists he's innocent. I'm about to the point of giving up. I am innocent.
I've gone all the way to the Supreme Court fighting this, and I just keep hoping and praying that there's a way
and I'll find it. And one day I'll prove that I didn't rob that gas station. The case against Michael Martin
was based entirely on Doyle's eyewitness identification. There was no physical evidence connecting him to the robbery.
No fingerprints were found at the scene, and neither the money nor the gun was ever recovered.
Michel Martin had a clean record until he was 26 years old. Seven months before the gas station robbery,
he was arrested after an incident at a supermarket. Martin and a friend had been drinking,
and were seen eating food taken from the store's shelves. We'll contact the police.
We're not staying anywhere. Here's your lousy money. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): When the manager
threatened to call the police, Michel Martin says he panicked. I don't really know why I pulled a knife.
I guess it was just a desire to get out of the door. I'm drunk, I'm feel a little crazy.
I'd been hassling with this manager, and I was tired of it. [gun shots] I fired well over their heads, I
wasn't meaning to hurt anybody. [engine revs] It was just an adolescent stunt that I'm never should have--
You know, I was 26 years old then, I shouldn't have been out shooting up the town like that.
It just didn't make any sense. I wouldn't call placing knives or shooting at people a prank.
It's a pretty serious offense. You don't expect somebody to get outrageously angry when
they're asked to pay for something that they're eating inside a store. I don't think that should lead to the kind
of reaction on Michael's part that he obviously had. There was testimony that he was intoxicated at the time,
but still an intoxicated person who would go to that length to avoid paying for a Polish sausage,
you have to wonder about. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Martin pleaded guilty to assault with a deadly weapon.
He was fined and given four years probation. Then two weeks after Martin's probation began,
the gas station was robbed. The gunman took $400 and fled the scene in a car stolen from the attendant.
[police radio] At 7:15 p.m. Police spotted the stolen car outside a nearby apartment
where Michel Martin had lived only a month before. 7:25 p.m. Detective Wheatley, who'd investigated the supermarket
incident, claims that he saw Michael Martin in his blue Camaro three blocks from the gas station.
He looked at me, and I look at him, and knew him from the previous offense. And I said to myself that's Michael Scott Martin.
He came close enough to me that I could have reached over the top of my motorcycle,
and slapped him. Doyle, I'm going to show you a stack of photographs here. What I'd like you to do is look through them,
and if you any individuals here that you recognize. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Wheatley asked to be
assigned to the robbery case. The following day he showed the victim, Doyle, a series of mugshots.
DET. WHEATLEY (VOICEOVER): He's the type of witness that you wish you had on every case.
His intensity, his quick reaction to picking Michael Scott Martin made him a good witness.
[inaudible police radio] DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Michael Martin was arrested, charged with aggravated armed robbery
and held without bail. It's a depressing experience, but I feel like I would prove my innocence.
I mean, I didn't rob this gas station. I knew I didn't rob this gas station. I thought I had sufficient proof in just having people
that knew where I was at. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Martin claims that he was at Lake Worth, 70 miles from Garland,
at the time of the robbery. Five separate witnesses, three who barely knew Martin,
backed up his claim. The day that they say the robbery happened, I worked on my car and he worked on his motorcycle.
And other than about two hours that afternoon, when he ran for parts, he was here at all times from the time
and got up in the morning, until the time he went to bed at night. He was there with me and with George at the time
he was accused of robbing this gas station. He just couldn't have done it. He just didn't do it.
When I left my house, it was after 6:00 before 6:30, and I saw Mike out in front of his house.
I was surprised to see that Mike was arrested because I knew I'd seen him so close to the time that the crime was
supposed to be committed. It takes well over an hour to drive from here to Garland.
I saw him around 6 o'clock, and there's no way he would have had time to leave and commit
this crime by 7:00 o'clock. At 7:00 o'clock Saturday night, I remembered real well because there was a television
show that I wanted to catch. It was Battlestar Galactica, so I made sure that at 7 o'clock
I was there in front of the television. Mike, show's starting. GEORGE MACFARLANE (VOICEOVER): And Mike came in,
and watched the show with me. How could he have been at my house at 7:00 p.m. If he was in Garland at 7:00 p.m.
75, 80 miles away? DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): The trial was held in the same courtroom where Michael Martin had
been sentenced to probation. The turning point came when his supermarket conviction
was admitted into the court record, possibly swaying the jury against Michael Martin.
I don't know if we could have gotten a guilty conviction in the second offense if the jury had not
known about the first offense. I think that works great psychological influence on the jury.
I know that my witnesses were positive. I also know that the defense witnesses were positive,
and it was one of those cases back then when I simply had to put on the case and let the jury make their decision.
That's what our system is all about. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): It took the jury only 15 minutes
to find Michael Martin guilty of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and aggravated robbery.
They gave him the maximum sentence possible under the law. I have to do 20 flat years because I supposedly took
$400 from this gas station. I don't think I got a fair trial. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Even the prosecutor
is troubled by the case. Could the jury have put an innocent man behind bars? It always bothered me that we were not able to come up
with the clincher. There were no fingerprints found at the scene or on the getaway car, no recovery of the stolen items.
There was nothing that conclusively tied Michael Martin to the commission of the offense besides the eyewitness
testimony. And it's for that reason that I think I always had a little doubt in my mind about this case.
I'm still sure that I put the right man in jail. There was no doubt in my mind then,
and there is no doubt in my mind now. Why would five people, three of whom barely knew him,
why would they lie in a court of law to protect him? Back at the time, I leaned toward thinking
that Michael Martin was guilty, and today in retrospect, I simply don't know. I thought my witness was positive,
but also the witnesses who testified for Mark Martin were positive that they were with him at the time
of the offense 70 miles away. So it's one of those that I guess we'll never know the true answer to.
I've never stopped trying to prove my innocence because I don't know what else I have right now.
I can really appreciate what freedom is. Before I came here, it was a big abstract, you know?
It was always there. When it's taken away you really appreciate it. I want what I lost, what I feel I had taken from me.
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Update, Michael Martin has been released from prison, but will remain on parole
for the rest of his life. He is still determined to clear his name. So if you have any information about the gas station
robbery in Garland, Texas, please log on to our website at unsolved.com Next, she's called the Black Widow of Missouri.
The baddest of bad girls, have you see Sharon Kinne? Fast, loose and ruthless. Sharon Kinney was the very definition of a bad girl,
and she would soon be wanted for murder. Independence, Missouri. Mrs. Kinne? DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): A Sheriff's deputy
is summoned by a distraught Sharon Kinne then only 20 years down. Calm down Mrs. Kinne, calm down.
Where is he? He's in the back bedroom. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Sharon's husband
James has been shot once in the back of the head. A .22 Caliber target pistol is in plain sight,
there is no sign of a struggle, and 25-year-old James Kinne dies on the way to the hospital.
Mrs. Kinne, I realize how difficult this time is for you, but if you could tell us exactly what happened--
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): The next day, Kinne was interviewed by detectives. James was cleaning his gun in the bedroom.
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Her grief was convincing. Her bizarre story, believable.
She said that James was in the bedroom cleaning his pistol while she was in the bathroom putting
on makeup. James, she said, laid down for a nap. Dana, their two-year-old daughter
wandered into the bedroom. Daddy, show me this. Show me this. Show me this. [gun shot]
And then I heard the shot, and I ran in there, and there he was just lying there.
I thought she was credible. And she was very distraught and it was very genuine.
And then for me it became a problem of if the little girl did it, what a shame, what a terrible tragedy.
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Even though Kinne herself seemed credible, police did have trouble
believing a two-year-old had fired the fatal shot. JAMES R. BROWNING (VOICEOVER): We
were skeptical about that little girl, but unfortunately, they were the only witnesses there.
There was no one else to talk to accept Sharon Kinne. All they could do is just buy into whatever
it was Sharon was telling them, and she was very convincing. And that's not to their discredit.
When Sharon told you something, you were just expected to believe it. She was that good.
The insurance company bought into Sharon Kinney's story as well. She collected on policies totaling more than $200,000.
Kinne paid cash for a new Convertible, and allegedly having an affair with a married man
that she had bought it from. And Sharon Kinne was just getting started. JAMES C. HAYS (VOICEOVER): She wanted
the salesman to leave his wife and his children and take care of her. Hi, sweetie.
JAMES C. HAYS (VOICEOVER): She wanted it, and in her mind, whatever Sharon wanted, Sharon got.
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): But the salesman apparently had no intention of leaving his family even though Kinne
told him that she was pregnant. Sharon was determined to separate the car salesman
from his wife permanently. Hello, Patricia Jones? I'm sorry to have to tell you this,
but I have some information about your husband. He's been having an affair with my sister.
I'd like to get together with you if I could, and talk about this a little more.
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Patricia Jones agreed to a meeting. She asked a friend to go with her.
I'm going to take a quick ride with her and-- Are you sure? I need to do this. OK, just be careful.
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Patricia Jones never made it home that night. The next day Sharon herself volunteered
to help in the search. All right, well, where should we check next? I don't know--
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Kinne got some help from yet another lover. A man named John Boldizs.
They didn't find Patricia, at least not yet. According to John, Kinne suggested that they end that evening at a popular lover's lane.
It's been a while since we've done this. It's bee too long since we've done this.
Yeah, I think you're right. What? Do you see that? My God, my friend's wife was wearing a yellow dress
just like that yesterday. JAMES C. HAYS (VOICEOVER): She makes this young man get out and look.
And it scares the living bejesus out of him because there is the salesman's wife laying
shot and dead in the grass. - We've got to go to the police. - Why? Because she's dead.
We have to go to the police. All right, fine. Go to the police, but you know what?
Drop me off at home first, and don't tell them I was with you. Straight away he told them, well I wasn't out here
by myself, I was out here with Mrs. Sharon Kinne, and the name just set off all kinds of bells and whistles
in the investigator's head because they remembered her story from just a couple of months before that.
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Prosecutors wasted no time. Kinne was charged with the murder of Patricia Jones
and also her husband James. Across Missouri, Sharon Kinne became a household name.
The Patricia Jones murder trial was first and Kinne easily charmed the all-male jury.
Sharon had control of that courtroom. She had control of the jury. She had control of the spectators.
Everybody's attention was focused on Sharon Kinne. Even to the point of the second day of the trial
after the trial started, Sharon came moseying in late, fashionably late, probably in her mind.
The trial went on for about 10 days. The jury came back after deliberating only an hour and a half for the verdict of not guilty.
The courtroom erupted in cheers. Jurors came out of the jury box went over and got Sharon's autograph.
People in the audience came and got Sharon's autograph. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): But Kinne's trials were not over.
She still faced the charge of killing her husband James. The star witness for that prosecution
was none other than Sharon's former boyfriend, John Boldizs. He testified that Sharon had once offered
him $1,000 to kill her husband. This time Kinne was convicted and sentenced to life in prison.
But the Missouri Supreme Court overturned her conviction on a legal technicality.
Sharon Kinne was released on a $25,000 bond pending retrial. Does that look too short for you on that side?
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Sharon soon had a new lover, a man who listed that his occupations as a hairdresser,
and a blacksmith. Well, you know, I'm full of surprises. You are. They fall in love.
They decide what they're going to do is they're going to go to Mexico on a pre-marriage honeymoon.
Frankie, I'm so excited. I've never been to Mexico before. I want margaritas, and pinatas.
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Once in Mexico, a series of misadventures landed Sharon in a seedy hotel room
with yet another man. When he turned up dead, she told police that she had acted in self-defense.
Mexican authorities didn't believe her story. Kinne was convicted of murder and sentenced
to 13 years in prison. However, after serving less than five, she escaped by squeezing through an unguarded window
and she hasn't been seen since. Sharon Kinne could have been somebody. She could have used her intelligence, and used her wit.
She could have been a pioneer woman in politics or academia or anything. But she chose to go the other way around.
She let greed, avarice, and promiscuity rule her life. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Some say that Kinne
is still alive and well. She may have stayed in Mexico or she may have gone to Alaska
where she has relatives. This photograph shows how Kinne might look today. Among Kinne's belongings found in Mexico,
was the .22 caliber target pistol that killed Patricia Jones. But because of double jeopardy laws, Kinne cannot
be retried for that crime. If you have any information about Sharon Kinne, please log on to our website at unsovled.com.
Next, a woman was losing her battle with cancer until she touched the headstone of a young woman who died
more than 30 years earlier. Lourdes, Fatima, and Medjugorje, every year millions
make the pilgrimage hoping to be healed. Now, there's a new mecca for miracles that's much closer to home.
It's the tomb of a young girl in Louisiana named Charlene Richard. Many people say that even from the grave
she has the power to heal. Donald Leger is a believer. A Sergeant in the army, he had a fall that
shattered both of his heels. Doctors doubted that he would ever walk again. And then Donald started praying to Charlene.
To everyone's surprise, he didn't just walk he started running. Without the intersession of Charlene,
I feel that I would not be able to walk. I truly believe this. I believe in miracles.
I do. Richard, Louisiana, it was 1959, Charlene had leukemia and was in great pain.
Yet, when Father Brennan found the courage to tell her that she was dying, it was she who comforted him.
Father Brennan, when I see the blessed Mother, I'll tell her that you said hello.
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Charlene had always believed that one person's suffering can save another.
And though she was dying, she offered her own pain as redemption for other patients in the hospital.
When the sickness came and the pain came, she grew in crisis. She became great. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Every day for two weeks,
even as her own time was running out, Charlene prayed for others. I will be gone tomorrow.
I want to say goodbye. I will be praying for you. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Charlene died the next day.
I felt a presence in that room of the divine. There was an aura of piece in that room.
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Over the years, word spread of Charlene's courage and her saintly ways.
People started praying to her and asking her to intercede for them with God. Each year more and more people say they've experienced
Charlene's power to heal. One of them is Tara Roy, who was diagnosed with colon cancer
when she was just 21. She was diagnosed with a Dukes class C, stage 3 carcinoma.
And I've done enough research and reading about it to where I know that you don't come back from those.
Tara started heavy doses of chemotherapy. I didn't want this to interfere with my life.
I didn't want it to totally take over, and dictate what I would do and how I would do it.
I just wanted to be a college student and go to class and do my job. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): But every day she felt worse.
Tara and her parents started making frequent trips to Charlene's grave. On their last trip, Tara was so sick that she thought
she might die within weeks. With accumulative chemotherapy kicking in real strong
we almost turned around and came home. I didn't want to go. I felt terrible. It was probably one of those days I just
didn't want to do anything. Laying in bed was a challenge. Deep down I wanted to go to the grave
that day, I just didn't physically feel up to it at all. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Tara knelt by Charlene's grave
as usual, and then some impulse inspired her to do something that she had never done before.
With her fingers, she traced the letters of Charlene's name. In about 20 seconds, she turned around
and she was transformed. And I saw her, I was stunned. I felt like a lot had been lifted right then.
Just like a weight off my shoulder was lifted right then. Papa, I'm going to be OK.
I just felt that I definitely would be healthy again, and I would beat this. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Tara did beat the cancer.
She got back to being a healthy and happy young woman, finished college and went on to get a master's
degree in social work. I saw the hand of God. I saw what I needed to see that day.
We saw a miracle, no doubt. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Since Charlene Richard's death,
locals have petitioned the Catholic church to canonize her as a Saint. Regardless of how the church responds,
those in need of healing will likely continue to seek the help of Charlene Richard.
Coming up, when his charm wears thin and his money runs out, a con man gets violent.
[buzzing] Ow! Why are you doing this? DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Baltimore, Maryland.
The usual table, please. Well this looks very nice. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): When Beth Smith met Sal
Oliverio she had one weak spot. Oliverio found it, and latched on to it. Thank you.
Tony, your best ship champagne. BETH SMITH (VOICEOVER): I was a single mother of two children.
Financially, I was very stable. Career wise, I was very stable. And I guess the only thing that was really
missing in that equation was a husband and a father for my children. You're gorgeous.
Thank you. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Beth was a computer consultant. Oliverio ran a physical therapy business.
Beth says that he told her about his distinguished navy career, including two years as a POW in Vietnam.
You can't understand it unless you were over there. BETH SMITH (VOICEOVER): He told these war stories to me.
He told them to my children. My children thought of him as a war hero. The only thing I knew was I was I not going to die there.
When he would tell these stories, he would cry. He would literally cry. He would be very believable.
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Beth fell in love with the man that Sal Oliverio pretended to be.
They were soon married and Beth quit her own job to run Oliverio's company, which
appeared to be in trouble. BETH SMITH (VOICEOVER): The bottom line numbers always showed him in the red.
And it was just amazing. Sal, could you come in here for a minute? Yes, dear? You know, I have been over and over these numbers,
and I just don't understand what's going on. Don't worry about it. What do you mean, don't worry about it?
Where's the money going to come from? Don't worry about it. I've got some checks coming in.
Sal, what about the quarterly taxes? You don't understand this business. I'll take care of it.
It's not your problem. Things were not as they appeared to be before we were married at all.
And his personality and his background, it changed. He changed. The true him came out.
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): The true him was stuffed in a box in the basement. Beth found it just before their third anniversary.
BETH SMITH (VOICEOVER): It had written on it, Lexington Correctional Institution,
and I had never seen that before. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Oliverio's past was
spelled out in bold headlines. So was his real name, Salvatore Spinnato. He had done time in Kentucky for bank fraud,
and had run business scams for years. One investor alone lost a quarter of a million dollars.
BETH SMITH (VOICEOVER): It told me that I was married to someone that was very deceptive, very
manipulative, and everything that he told me about what he wanted and who he was, was a lie.
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Beth moved out a few days later. Eventually she got a divorce.
We still maintained a relationship at that point because he still owed me a significant amount of money.
And he was making payments on that. Not consistently and not by court order at all,
just occasionally he would call and say I have some extra money, and give me a few hundred dollars
towards what he owed me. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Several years after the divorce, Beth had to leave town for 10 days.
Her boyfriend had his own plans to be away, so she asked Spinnato to keep an eye on her 17-year-old son.
Sal, I've got a favor to ask. Sal, and my son had a good relationship. When we were married and before we were married,
they got along well together. And he said that was fine, and he would do that. A couple of days after Beth left the country,
I got a call out of the blue from Sal. He called me and said that he needed to talk to me right away.
That he was very concerned about her son. That he was involved with some drugs. Yeah, it's drugs.
The kids going to get in trouble. She's out of the country. I don't know what to do.
GREG (VOICEOVER): He was very concerned about his welfare, his health and well-being.
It was his stepson. He said, there's a house that I just bought around the corner.
Would I mind just following him there and he'd give me some more information. I thought this would be a little more private.
Let me show you what I found. [grunts] [screaming] Let go! Hit him with it. GREG (VOICEOVER): The club had an electric shock to it.
It was a Taser weapon. I knew that I was in a real bad situation. I mean, nobody saw me go in.
Nobody knew where I was. I knew I was history. We're going to kill you. You ain't walking out of here.
You ain't never seeing your kids again. I thought this was about the kid. You idiot, it ain't about him.
It;s about my wife. She's still my wife, capiche? I realized that this had nothing to do with her son.
The whole purpose in Sal's mind was for me to stop seeing his ex-wife. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Greg recognized Sal's accomplice
as a man who had come to see him earlier about a house he was selling. So, I got your agent's number, and we'll be in touch.
Sure thing. Thanks. GREG (VOICEOVER): He mentioned his name, but I didn't remember it, so as he pulled away
I wrote down his license plate number. [engine revs] OK, Sal. I was willing to do anything, say anything
to get out of that house. The whole conversation shifted. He had decided that he had decided that he
was going to let me live. That he wasn't going to kill me. We're going to go for a little ride.
You got to come up with a plan. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Greg had another plan.
He went straight to the police. They identified Homer Paul Shaffer, Spinnato's accomplice from the license number Greg wrote down.
Shaffer was convicted of multiple crimes and sentenced to 32 years in prison. Spinnato was arrested, booked and then released on bail.
But on his scheduled court date, Salvatore Spinnato was nowhere to be found. I think he's a very desperate man.
I think he's gone over the edge of what he's done in the past. I think he's a very dangerous person.
And if he would do this, what else would he do? And now he's moving into the realm of manipulating
people by using violence. There is no reason to conclude that he won't do it again
in the future, especially if he sees from some point of view he's got nothing to lose.
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Update, after a seven month search, Salvatore Spinnato was
captured in Lewisville, Texas. He was convicted of kidnapping and assault, and was sentenced to 25 years in prison.
He served his time and has been released. Next a computer hacker searches for secrets in military
and government computers. Is he a spy? Menlo Park, California. We recently told you the story of Kevin
Poulson, a computer hacker who called himself Dark Dante. Inside his storage locker , authorities found
thousands of dollars worth of stolen telephone company equipment. For more than a year, Poulson had
been accessing sensitive government and military computer programs. A search of his home turned up phone tapping equipment stolen
from a communications company. Poulson had even taken photographs of himself breaking
in, and using the equipment at a phone company transmitting station. Inside his storage locker were print-outs containing
classified military information, and the unlisted phone number of the Soviet Consulate.
His penetration in the United States Army government computer, his obtaining of a non-published number
of the Soviet consulate, gave us grave concern as to how far Poulson was going with these criminal acts.
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Poulson was indicted on 18 felony counts of computer related crimes,
but before his trial he jumped bail and disappeared. Update, as the result of our broadcast,
the FBI received information that Poulson was living near Los Angeles. Poulson had some acquaintances in the Los Angeles area.
One of them advised us that he had been seen in the not too distant past at Hugh's Market.
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Three weeks later, Poulson returned to the supermarket.
I walked past Kevin, and adrenaline was pumping in me. I felt really nervous and didn't want
to be-- let any suspicion onto Kevin that we were on to him. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Brian called the FBI,
but Poulson left before agents arrived. Kevin Poulson had been seen at the capiche?
Hugh's Market at about 10:00 or 10:30 in the evening. I decided to surveil the market, thinking
Kevin may show up again. At about 10 minutes til midnight, Kevin Poulson arrived.
Once Kevin was in the store, I asked the security guard to go find Brian Bridges, the evening
manager, so I could tell him that Kevin Poulson was in the store. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Believing
that Poulson would get away again, two store clerks made a daring move. Security.
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): A security guard took Poulson to a storeroom where he was
held until FBI agents arrived. We found some handcuffed keys in his eyeglass cases.
During the time that he was in custody, he claimed that his contact lenses were drying out,
and he asked for his eyeglass cases to be sent to him. So I'm assuming that he was looking for the handcuff keys.
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Poulson pleaded guilty to seven counts of conspiracy,
fraud and intercepting wire communications. He was sentenced to 51 months in federal prison.
After serving his time, Kevin Paulson became a senior editor for the online service
of Wired magazine. Poulson also assistant law enforcement, creating a program to find registered sex offenders who
have Myspace pages. Over 700 were found and nearly 500 of them had sexually assaulted children.
We're happy to report that Kevin Poulson is a bad guy gone good. Mason City, Iowa 1973.
Christie Wismer is 16. Her boyfriend Dave Carlson is 18. Their youthful romance is short but sweet.
After six months together they breakup only to discover that their romance has consequences
that will last a lifetime. Dave, I need to talk to you. Sure. What's wrong? I'm pregnant.
We had broke up a week before I found out that I was pregnant. And all I could think of was how is Dave going to handle this?
And what about my folks, you know? I just thought it was the end of the world coming.
What the hell was going on with you? DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Christie's father
was furious when he found out. You're 16 and pregnant and you did it. This isn't helping anything.
He was taking it very hard. And told me that I was just an embarrassment to the family.
That he couldn't possibly love me. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): To Christie, it seemed the only thing to do was to put
the child up for adoption. [screaming] Christie, you're almost done. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Christie
gave birth to a beautiful and healthy baby girl. But Christie never even got to hold her baby.
They took the baby away right away. After they wheeled me back to my room and put me into the bed,
my mother come up and talk to me for a little while and she asked if I'd walk down and look at the baby.
She looked so sweet laying there. She's beautiful. CHRISTIE (VOICEOVER): I knew that I loved her
but I couldn't take her home. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Before the baby was 24 hours old, she was on her way to a new family.
Bless you, Christie. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): For decades, Christie lived with bitter sweet memories of her romance
with Dave. And then she heard from friends that Dave wanted to see her. I was really nervous about contacting him.
I was really glad when I did make the phone call though because it seemed like we still,
the feelings were still there. And he asked if we could see each other the following night,
for a date, and we met and things were still clicking between us. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): They fell in love all over again,
and the following year Christie and Dave were married. They knew their happiness would be complete if they
can only locate their daughter. I tried to take the place of her family. I gave up all my rights back then,
and I would just like to make myself available for whatever purpose she might have.
I've got to at least attempt to find her. Let her know that I didn't give her up for adoption
because I didn't want her. I gave her up because of the circumstances. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Update,
on the night of our broadcast, one viewer was certain that her daughter-in-law Katie Jacobs was the child that Dave
and Christie were seeking. She called Katie, who then called us. KATIE (RECORDING): Are you my mom for sure?
It sure sounds like it. KATIE (RECORDING): Oh, my God. All the clues are, all the clues are in
and all the clues fit. I can hardly wait to meet you. KATIE (RECORDING): Me too.
Can I meet you? Can I meet you? Oh, that's terrific. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Three weeks
later, Christie and Dave welcomed Katie into their lives. How was your flight? Good.
You made it, in Chicago, huh? DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Katie was accompanied by her husband Rick Jacobs, and their 1 and 1/2
year old daughter McKayla. Here I was talking to somebody that was like a major part of my life,
but I had never met before. [chuckles] So it was kind of strange. It feels real good because it answers a lot of questions.
Just kind of fill something that wasn't there. It's nice to be able to think about Katie
and be happy, and know that everything's OK. She's been goo. I've been hoping for this for 22 years
and it's just so hard to put it into words. You know, finally, you know, my life's complete.
I found Katie. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Of course, not all stories end happily.
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Brief Summary

Michael Martin's wrongful conviction, Sharon Kinne's murders, and miraculous healings at Charlene Richard's grave are featured in this episode.

Key points

Michael Martin's Conviction. Michael Martin is convicted of robbery based solely on eyewitness testimony, despite his claims of innocence.
Sharon Kinne: The Black Widow. Sharon Kinne, known for her charm and manipulation, faces multiple murder charges.
Charlene Richard's Miraculous Healing. Many believe that Charlene Richard, even after her death, has the power to heal.
Tara's Miracle Healing. Tara Roy, diagnosed with stage 3 cancer, experiences a miraculous healing after visiting Charlene's grave.
Reunion After 22 Years. Christie Wismer reunites with her daughter Katie after giving her up for adoption 22 years ago.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

I am innocent.

Michael Martin insists on his innocence after being convicted.

3:09WatchMar 9, 2017

Tension

65/ 100Some tension

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