Unsolved Mysteries with Dennis Farina - Season 7, Episode 16 | Forensic Files

[music playing] NARRATOR: Next on "Unsolved Mysteries." When a woman is pulled from a fiery car crash,
she begins a lifelong search to find the men who saved her. He was a Little League umpire who attended church on Sunday,
but he was also a ruthless mob boss, wanted for robbery, extortion, and murder. A doctor was sentenced to 20 years for murdering his wife.
But evidence suggests that he wasn't at the murder scene when the fatal shots were fired.
And police need your help in tracking down two robbers who shot seven witnesses in cold blood.
Join us for these five compelling cases. I'm Dennis Farina, and this is Unsolved Mysteries.
[music playing] DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Chicago, Illinois. Donna! DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Just a few days
before Christmas in 1967. A 41-year-old physician, John Branion, and his son Jobey,
arrived home to pick up John's wife Donna. The family was planning to go gift shopping together.
Donna? JOHN BRANION: Jobey and I returned from nursery school and went into the house, and the first thing that
struck me was all the lights were on and the two television sets were on. And I called out to Donna, I got no answer.
And then when I got to the kitchen, I look to the right, and I see feet, her legs, really,
sticking out of the utility room, and she was dead. She wasn't breathing. Her legs were askew, and her skirt was kind of
ruckered up over her legs. I switched off the light and reached around and grabbed Jobey and ran out of the back of the house.
[sirens] DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Dr. Branion immediately called the police. Five months later, he was convicted
of first degree murder and given a sentence of 20 to 30 years in prison. But John Branion always maintained
that he was innocent. JOHN BRANION: I couldn't murder my mother of my children. I couldn't murder my high school sweetheart.
Donna and I had known each other since the age of 14. I didn't murder her. I think it was extremely unfair.
I feel that it was a setup. My father was railroaded, because he didn't kill my mother.
I think he's innocent, because the evidence shows that he could not have physically been there at the time
these events were going on. I think the jury was emotionally caught up in the case and just didn't--
forgot or didn't pay attention to the evidence that overwhelmingly proved that John
couldn't have been the killer. DENNIS FARINA: John Branion was the son of a prominent attorney
and worked at a community clinic. At one time, he was the personal physician to Dr. Martin Luther
King Jr. Nothing about his life could have predicted the events of December 22nd, 1967.
[sirens] DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): The Chicago police arrived at the Branion home
after being called by John. POLICE OFFICER: You notice anything missing, anything that might been taken from the apartment?
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Investigators found four shell casings from a 9-millimeter gun that was next to Donna's body.
John was a gun collector and says that the police asked him for any weapon in his collection that could have
fired a 9-millimeter bullet. He gave them a Luger pistol. Test POLICE OFFICER: Wait, Dr. Branion, let me get that.
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Police determined that the gun had not been fired recently.
They later claimed that John had denied owning any other gun capable of firing 9-millimeter bullets.
Have a seat here, gentlemen. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): That same evening, at the police station, John gave detectives his alibi.
John told police that he had left the clinic where he worked at 11:30 AM. Morning.
Good. Listen, I'm on my way to pick up Jobey. I won't be back anymore this afternoon.
Merry Christmas. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): He then drove to his four-year-old son's nursery school to pick him up.
Here's your coat. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): After leaving the school, they want to see his wife's cousin, Maxine Brown,
to meet her for lunch. - Hi. Hi. Ready to go? Oh, goodness, I can't go. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): But she had to cancel.
John told police that he then went home and that's when he discovered his wife's body.
Dr. Branion, would you submit to a lie detector test? John, I don't think that's such a good idea.
No, but I would like to have a nitrate test, though. POLICE OFFICER: We don't have a--
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): A nitrate test could have determined whether he had fired a gun,
but the Chicago police were unable to conduct the test. That night, John was released without being charged.
One month later, the police showed up at John's clinic. Dr. Branion, you're under arrest
for the murder of your wife. You'll have to come with us right now. JOHN BRANION: I think that the police were
under a great deal of pressure from the black press at the time. And I think they saw a chance, because 85% of murders
are committed by either the family or friends, close friends. They saw a chance to arrest me.
And they did. I don't think they thought they were going to convict me, but they arrested me anyway.
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): John Branion's trial was set to begin in Chicago during May of 1968.
Dr. Martin Luther King had been assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee only one month earlier.
In Chicago, as in many other American cities, the murder of Dr. King triggered days of violent race riots.
It was in this charged atmosphere that the trial of John Branion began. Would you state your name, please, sir?
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Only one of Branion's jurors was African-American. Although the murder weapon was never found,
prosecutors claimed that the bullets that killed Donna could have been fired from a Walther PPK.
John had a Walther in his collection, but police said that he denied owning one.
PATRICK TUITE: Detectives testify they went back to him and said, do you have a Walther PPK,
and he said no, he never had one. And it turned out that a Walther PPK had been sold about a year
before to a man named Hooks, who was one of the good friends of Dr. Branion. Police then went to Hooks and they asked him
where his gun was, and he said, no, he bought that gun for Branion as a Christmas present
the year before. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Donna's brother, Nelson Brown, was among those who testified at the trial.
Brown claimed that on the day that Donna was murdered, John had told him that the Walther PPK had been
stolen from his bedside table. There were two guns missing. One was a PPK and the other was a collector's item worth--
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): John said that during the confusion following his wife's death, he did not notice
that the gun was missing. So you know that-- DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Prosecutors
introduced additional evidence. They said that the four shell casings that were found
by Donna's body had come from a box of bullets that they found when they searched John's closet.
Four shells were missing from that same box. Finally, prosecutors med that John had a motive
for wanting his wife dead. For six years, he had been having a romantic affair with a nurse at his clinic
named Shirley Hudson. His wife knew about the affair, but they decided not to divorce.
PATRICK TUITE: Our theory at the trial was that it was planned for-- why that day, we don't know--
to kill his wife. And that he was going to leave the hospital, come home, and kill her, do it silently, when that
didn't work, he used the gun. Then pick up his son at school, then pick up Maxine for the luncheon date
that was made at the very last minute the night before, have lunch, have an alibi for the period of time involved,
and then have either someone or himself find the body and have a very good alibi.
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): At the trial, prosecutors produced the motive for the murder,
as well as physical evidence that suggested that John was guilty. But then the trial took a surprising turn.
While you were putting away the s-- DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Coming up, one of John's neighbors provides strong testimony
that he is innocent. [music playing] In December of 1967, physician John Branion
had told police that he found his wife murdered in their Chicago home, but ultimately, the police
arrested him for the crime. John's defense rested largely on the time frame of events
on the day of the murder. John claimed that the prosecution's scenario was impossible.
It required that he be in two places at the same time. When you got home, did you have
occasion to look at your clock? Yes. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): John's alibi was confirmed when his next door neighbor testified that she
heard gunshots at 11:20 AM, while John was still at his clinic. THERESA KENTRA: If Dr. Branion left the hospital at 11:30,
and I heard the shots at 11:20-- and I'm sure of it. I was sure then and I'm sure now--
then it's impossible for him to shoot his wife, to be there at that time. When you heard those sounds while you
were putting away the-- DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): However, this testimony had little impact on the jury.
The prosecution still contended that the murder took place after John left his clinic.
Police testified that they had driven and timed John's route on the morning of the murder and had determined that he did,
in fact, have just enough time to kill his wife before he picked up his son. John's defense challenged this timetable.
By the way, officer, when you arrived at the nursery school, whose little boy did you use?
I don't understand your question, sir. Well, I assume that you went to the nursery school
to cover some time about checking on a kid. Now, how much time did you allow for him to pick up his son
from the nursery school? We allowed no time for that. You didn't allow that. PATRICK TUITE: I can remember feeling
a chill in the courtroom when he said this. And that you are moving a lot slower
when you've got a child in tow than when you're by yourself. So I thought that was an effective point,
the point of-- the other point is, would he walk into the house knowing his wife was dead with the kid?
It's a shocking thing to see if he knew it happened. So I thought those were the strong points
they had going for them. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): After deliberating for eight hours,
the jury reached its verdict. We the jury find the defendant, John Branion Jr, guilty in manner and form as charged in the indictment.
JOHN BRANION: When the judge said I was guilty, I felt hollow. But I know what I did do.
I remember kind of sticking my head up. I don't know why, but I remember that. I did that.
I know my shoulders got a little straighter. But it certainly hurt when he said that.
It really hurt. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): John was free on bail for three years while he appealed his verdict.
During this time he'd married his former girlfriend, Shirley Hudson. SHIRLEY HUDSON: I could not desert him,
as people were beginning to do. He was a walking shell. He loved both of us. He loved Donna and he loved me.
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): In April of 1971 John's appeal was denied, and he was ordered to begin serving
his 20- to 20-year sentence. A few days later, after the Supreme Court declined to hear his case, John jumped bail
and left the country. He lived in Africa for 12 years before he was captured and brought back to Illinois to serve his sentence.
JOHN BRANION: An innocent person should be found innocent in this country. We've been taught that ever since we were kids.
So because of that, I had to flee because I couldn't get justice anywhere else. The evidence against me proves that I couldn't have
done the crime, yet I'm here. We printed up the crime scene photos from the negatives
for me to look at. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Anthony D'Amato, a prominent law professor from Northwestern University,
and his wife, author Barbara D'Amato, decided to take on John's case. They claimed that by reconstructing the events that
took place on the morning of the murder, it can be proven that John did not shoot his wife.
ANTHONY D'AMATO: The fact is that when his wife was murdered, he was a mile and a half away, treating
patients in a hospital. And that's proven. That's a fact. So there's no-- there's no legal rule
whatsoever that says an innocent man has to stay in prison. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Because no one can prove
that the fatal shots were fired at exactly 11:20, it's possible that Donna was murdered later.
John's guilt or innocence seems to rest on the 10-minute window between 11:30, when he left his clinic,
and the time he arrived at the school to pick up his son. [music playing] The trial focused on these details.
John spent the morning of December 22nd at his clinic, where he saw 14 different patients.
At around 11:30, he left the clinic, located here, and stopped outside to talk with the hospital's administrator.
He was next seen by a teacher at his son's nursery school, here, approximately 10 minutes later.
In order to murder Donna, John would have had to drive home, shoot his wife, and then raced back to his son's school,
all in less than 10 minutes. ANTHONY D'AMATO: You know, there's no way the police could
have made this in six minutes. The police testified that they got it down as low as six
minutes, but they also said that sometimes it took them 12 minutes. That's a huge disparity, between six and 12.
And I just wonder how they could have pulled off that six minutes. And they certainly couldn't have done it
at a time when there were other cars on the street, or pedestrians, or snow, or anything else,
like the conditions that John Branion had to drive it in. Out of the bedroom, around the corner--
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): More evidence that John could not have shot his wife came when the D'Amatos consulted
pathologist Dr. Douglas Shanklin. Dr. Shanklin believes that he can prove that Donna Branion
was assaulted at least a half hour before John had even begun to drive home. DOUGLAS SHANKLIN: It's very important
to note that there were bruises and other marks on her body, the most particular of which
is a groove in her neck. It was a very deep groove that began in the anterior neck
and moved laterally, and then disappeared behind, as though somebody was standing
in back with a taut cord. Not strong enough to strangle a person, but strong enough
to hold them, to move their body as you wished them to move, and to restrain them from escape.
And, of course, as soon as she was shot, the cord was released. This groove stayed there.
It's not going to continue to form after death, because of the loss of circulation.
It takes at least 15 minutes for such a groove to be formed, and possibly longer.
So you've got a minimum of 15 minutes before the gun is used. The latest time and testimony for those sounds
was approximately 11:25. [gunshots] So that pushes the beginning of the cord around the neck
15 minutes earlier. And seems to me that the crime began probably around 11:00 or a few minutes before that.
I think Dr. Branion is innocent of this crime, because there were two people, at least, involved, one of whom
held the victim for a period of time, but could not have shot at the same time. Bang, bang, bang, she falls.
So there had to be two parties to the final action of this scenario. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): By 1989, John and the D'Amatos
had exhausted all their appeals. John's only hope was clemency from the governor of Illinois.
On July 4th, 1990, John Branion was admitted to the hospital after doctors discovered that he had a brain tumor.
DENNIS FARINA: In August of that year, the governor of Illinois granted clemency to Branion in consideration
of his failing health. John Brennan died one month later. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Coming up, the search
for two robbers who killed four people in a holdup of a bowling alley. And later, a cold-blooded mob boss
orders his henchmen to shoot patrons of a rival business. [gunshots] [music playing]
Las Cruces, New Mexico. [music playing] 8: 00 AM, an hour before opening time at a local bowling alley.
The cook is in the kitchen, preparing for the lunch hour rush. The day manager, Stephanie, is adding up
the previous night's receipts. Her 12-year-old daughter, Melissa, and Melissa's friend Amy have come with her to the office.
This is a holdup. Come with me. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): At around 8:20, the cook is surprised in the kitchen
by a stranger with a pistol. He forces her towards the office where Stephanie and the girls
are being held by a second gunman. COOK: When I went in the office, I saw Stephanie, Melissa, and Amy.
- Where's the rest of the money? - It's in there. COOK: I just thought they're going to get money and take
off, especially when they told us, all of you put your heads down. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): The second gunman
takes $4,000 from the safe. Put your heads down. Put your heads down. COOK: When he said that, I thought, you know,
these guys are leaving, you know, so we did. And that's when I felt they had shot me in the head.
Get inside. Get in the corridor. [child crying] DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Just seconds later, employee Steven
Teran arrived at the bowling alley with his two young children. [gunshots] VOICEOVER: We were just both shot in a holdup.
Please help me. Whoa, slow down. All of us are hurt. I think I'm the only one conscious.
OK, we'll get an ambulance-- DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Each person, adults and children,
were shot in the head. Steven, his two children, and Melissa's friend Amy were all killed by the robbers.
Stephanie, Melissa, and the cook all survived this vicious attack. FRED RUBIO: We assessed the scene immediately,
we canvassed the neighborhood, and thank God that we were able to come up with a couple of witnesses
that were able to give us some pretty decent composites. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): One of those
was Stephanie's brother, who we'll call Michael. He had stopped by the bowling alley on his way to school.
MICHAEL: I saw two Hispanic gentlemen walking from the back of the building towards the front.
The older gentleman handed the younger gentleman a small case. The older gentleman squats down and looks right at me
as I'm driving towards them. I took notice of what they were wearing, their descriptions, hair color, skin, eyes.
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Based on eyewitness accounts, police drew up these composites of the killers.
Suspect number one is Hispanic, 5 feet 10, and about 170 pounds. He speaks perfect English with no Spanish accent.
Suspect number two is also Hispanic, 5 feet 7, and about 140 pounds. He speaks with a slight Spanish accent.
If you can help solve these brutal murders, please log on to our website at unsolved.com.
DENNIS FARINA: Even among the most hardened criminals on the FBI's 10 Most Wanted list,
Leo Koury stands out. His case file runs to an astonishing 38 volumes. Extortion, robbery, arson, fraud, racketeering, and murder
were just tools of the trade for Leo Koury. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): In Richmond, Virginia,
hired gunmen killed a bodyguard named Chuck Kernighan and placed his body in a trunk.
Police later discovered that the killers had driven the trunk to the Rappahannock River, weighed it
down with a bumper from a 1957 Chevrolet, and threw it overboard. Kernighan's body was never found.
Authorities believe that local businessman Leo Koury was responsible for this contract killing.
This same Leo Koury was a volunteer softball umpire and active in his local church.
He was married with four children and a member of the American Legion. JACK COLWELL: Leo was a nice guy to many people.
There are people that are close to him that characterize him as a caring, sensitive individual.
However, our investigation turned up another Leo Koury and that is the leader of a racketeering enterprise
who made a living committing crimes. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Koury was a fiercely
competitive restaurant owner. He tried to force his rivals out of business by sending his thugs to terrorize their customers.
[gunshots] [screaming] [gunshot] One January night, Koury's gunmen attacked innocent customers at the Mailbox Restaurant.
One person died and several were injured. The FBI suspected Koury was responsible,
but could not indict him because his inner circle was too loyal. JACK COLWELL: It became apparent, after a few months'
investigation, that Leo Koury was in the very center of a racketeering enterprise.
That means that he ran an organization that their primary income was through illegal purposes,
be it fraud, extortion, murder, whatever, but their income was from crime. I want you to kill a man for me.
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): In another incident, Koury asked one of his cohorts to kill a restaurant
owner named Jim Hilliard. A few days later, Koury's plan backfired when the gunman was
caught outside Hilliard's home. [sirens] Time's up. Put them up. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): This arrest
was the turning point for the FBI and directly led to Koury's indictment. JACK COLWELL: We later learned that he was there, allegedly,
at Leo Koury's behest, to kill Hilliard, to eliminate Hilliard as competition in the restaurant business.
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Koury was charged with murder, attempted murder, extortion, assault,
racketeering, fraud, and arson. But the day before he was to be arrested, Koury left town.
Update. 13 years after Koury was indicted, a man calling himself William Franklin Biddle
was admitted to a San Diego hospital. The next day, the man died of a brain hemorrhage.
The hospital received a tip claiming that the man was actually Leo Koury. The FBI made a positive ID and finally closed
the file on one of the most elusive fugitives in American history. Next, a woman is pulled from a fiery car crash
and spends 15 years searching for her rescuers. [music playing] Newport, Rhode Island.0
Hi, Colleen. Hi. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): This is Colleen Frangione. She's been paralyzed for more than 30 years.
Colleen is a very special woman with a very simple message. --rest of your lives.
It's very simple. Buckle up. I didn't. It's my slogan, my motto-- DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): She has spoken about driver safety
to more than 10,000 high school and junior high school students. But driver safety isn't Colleen's only mission.
She's also searching for two heroes, the men who pulled her from a burning car and from certain death.
Colleen was 26 years old, recently divorced, and struggling to support two young sons.
One night she was driving home from an evening out. Just before 1:00 AM at a traffic light,
Colleen came to a full stop, but the carload of teenagers behind her did not. [smashing]
[tires squealing] COLLEEN FRANGIONE: The hit of that second car just twisted me beyond the normal range, and that twist
was so forceful that it broke two lower vertebrae and severed my spinal cord. And I'm glad I don't remember it.
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): As flames engulfed Colleen's car, Patty and Joe Trifero, who lived across the street,
rushed to help. The door's locked. The door's jammed, Joe. It won't open. PATTY TRIFERO: The fire was spreading really fast.
The whole back of the car was on fire, the backseat was on fire, and as we were trying to pull open the doors,
they wouldn't open because of the crash. They were jammed. And I heard in the background, get a crowbar.
Get a crowbar! JOE TRIFERO: I glanced over to my right, and there were two men standing there.
My wife and I ran to our garage to get a crowbar. The time while we were gone, I believe either one or both
of those gentlemen pulled Colleen from the car and brought her up onto the sidewalk.
They were the only two, I felt, that were physically able to have gotten her out of the car at that point.
She's in shock. Guys, call 911 and get a blanket. JOE TRIFERO: When we returned, there was a woman there,
must have had some type of nursing background, that said that she was in shock, to get her feet up.
And shortly after that, entire car was in flames. [sirens] DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): While the fire was being put out,
the two men who saved Colleen vanished. For 10 days, Colleen hovered between life and death.
She awoke to the terrifying reality that she was paralyzed from the waist down. COLLEEN FRANGIONE: Once I had to deal with not
being able to walk, I was hurt. It was like I was heartbroken. That was my first feeling inside.
And then it went from that to how am I going to do everything that I never even thought about?
Sitting up, putting a shoe on, getting dressed. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Four months later, Colleen was
discharged from the hospital. She went on to raise two sons as a single parent and eventually married again.
But not a day goes by that she doesn't think about the accident and the two men who saved her life.
[smashing] COLLEEN FRANGIONE: How lucky only to be paralyzed. And now I'm saving lives, because they
pulled me from the car. I just believe we're all meant to meet. I would have been killed if it wasn't for you guys,
and I want to thank you both, or just one of you, whichever one. So even if you can just give me a call,
I would really appreciate it. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Update. DENNIS FARINA: After this story aired,
both of Colleen's rescuers called our phone center. They identified themselves as Ray Meyers and Mike Kane.
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Just a few days after Christmas, Colleen was finally able to meet her heroes.
Ray Meyers was the first to arrive. COLLEEN FRANGIONE: Wow. RAY MEYERS: It's like, it's incredible.
That's how I feel about this whole thing. I think it's incredible. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Half an hour
later, Mike Kane showed up. COLLEEN FRANGIONE: Hi. Mike? - Mike. How are you. COLLEEN FRANGIONE: Oh, gosh.
How nice to meet you. Thank you so much. MIKE KANE: I was surprised. You know, why, 15 years later--
I tried to imagine what you'd look like-- MIKE KANE: Why, why, you know, why? But when she said she wanted to thank the people,
and after I spoke to her on the phone, it was like, this lady is really sincere.
And that's what she wanted. She wanted to thank us. --your name that was that was in the Newport--
COLLEEN FRANGIONE: I feel the whole circle, it's all completed. All the pieces of the puzzle are all put together now.
And it's a real peaceful feeling inside. That's-- to me, and in fact, how many times have I said
in the last three weeks, how many people get to meet their guardian angels? And this is how I feel.
[music playing] DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Next, do you believe in angels? Two women claim a heavenly messenger
saved them from certain death. [music playing] Painted Desert, Arizona. Janie Shamo is one of those who believe that angels
watch over us all the time. When Janie was 14, she was vacationing with her brother
and sister-in-law in Arizona. JANIE SHAMO: I had gotten a new camera for the trip,
and I was curious to get some good photographs. And I can remember leaning up against the guardrail,
focusing the camera, and thinking, if I just got on the other side of this guardrail, down there
a little bit, it would be a much better photograph. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): At that same moment,
Janie's mother Shirley, who had stayed home in Michigan, was sitting down to read her Bible, as she did every day.
SHIRLEY RHODES: I really felt that I was led by the Holy Spirit to read Psalm 91.
And I began sobbing, just sobbing, because I knew Janie was going to die. I didn't know why or how, but I knew she was going to die.
[screaming] Alfred! Alfred, Janie's falling! Janie! She's gone over the edge! JANIE SHAMO: Suddenly I just stopped, I just stopped,
and I can remember thinking, I'm so glad I stopped, and thinking, what stopped me?
I was afraid. I was scared that there was no way I was going to get back up to the top.
I could not see the top. I couldn't hear my family yelling for me. I knew I had to be very careful or I would start falling again.
As soon as I had this feeling that Janie was going to die, I began pleading with the Lord to please don't let her die.
And it would be more than what I could bear. I continued to read Psalm 91. It said, "and He shall give His angels charge over thee,
to keep thee in all thy ways, and they shall bear thee up in their hands, lest your foot dash against a stone."
And then a peace just came over me, because I believed it. Janie? Alfred, it's Janie!
You're all right! Oh, Janie, what happened? I don't know. I fell a long ways. I don't even remember coming back up.
JANIE SHAMO: I know I did not climb up myself. Something strange had happened, but I just kind of was glad
I was back up there and-- We had talked among ourselves about calling her mother,
and we decided that she could call her mother, but not to say anything about her fall,
mainly because we didn't want to upset Shirley when we were so far away from home.
Tell me all about your trip. Oh Mom, you should have been there and seen-- DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): But once Janie
was back home in Michigan, the story came out. And here's where I stepped over the guardrail
and I fell down the slope. You what? Well, I just wanted to get a better picture, so I--
SHIRLEY RHODES: When Jamie was telling her story, I realized the whole magnitude of what had happened to me.
Then I knew that verses 11 and 12, "that the angels should bear thee up in their hands, lest your foot dash
against a stone", that they were the ones that brought her back to the top. When I heard my mother's story of what had happened that day,
and her feelings that I was going to die, I realized then that it was her prayers that
had sent the angels that had made me stop and had brought me to the top of the canyon.
Oh, well, at least you're all right. DENNIS FARINA: Janie Shamo isn't the only one
to report the intervention of a guardian angel. In another account, a woman named
Estela Vera claims that she actually saw the angel who helped her. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Riverside, California.
On a Saturday afternoon, Estela Vera and her two grown children were on their way home, when they saw an ice
cream truck being robbed. While Estela's daughter ran to call the police, her son rushed to help the truck driver.
He and another man were already fighting a large, muscle-bound assailant. [shouting]
I knew there was absolutely nothing I can do and I saw my mother in the path of his van.
Mama! [smashing] I knew she was in between the two. So I think instantly, I thought she was dead.
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Estela's left leg had been severed below the knee, and she
had suffered a heart attack, but somehow she clung to life. MINGO VERA: The first time I saw my mother after the incident,
I could not recognize her. Her face was completely swollen, and we were just waiting for any word whether or not
she would even survive. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Estela drifted in and out of consciousness
for the next several days. Finally she woke up. It's OK, he's right here. It's good to hear your voice, Mama.
Did you see the man by the truck? Don't worry, Mama, he's in jail. No, the other man surrounded by light in front of the truck.
Was this some dream? MINGO VERA: My father and I looked at each other, kind of puzzled, and possibly looking at her
as if she may have dreamt something within the time she was in the hospital. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): But Estela insisted
that she had not been dreaming. The story she tells is truly astonishing. ESTELA VERA: All I remember is looking at that truck coming so
fast, and just with all my heart I say to God, God, please don't let me die. And then I started reciting psalms that I know.
I said the angel of the Lord takes care of those that loves Him. And I look again, and now, in front of the truck,
there is this beautiful person. He looks so peaceful, so beautiful, he has the most beautiful smile.
You could see him like in slow motion. [music playing] Immediately, I forgot about the ice cream truck.
I forgot about everything that was happening. All I remember was this beautiful face,
and then I grab his hand, I put my face over his hand, and I would go like this, and I remember a couple of times,
I opened my eyes to look at his face, to be sure that he was there, and I could see him right over here, looking at me with a big smile.
I believed her. She was very sincere, very excited, very sure of the fact that the angel was there,
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Estela has no doubt that she is alive today because she was
visited by her guardian angel. I cannot really explain this beautiful experience.
I have no doubt in my heart that God sent an angel to save me. I asked everyone if they saw this beautiful person, pulling
me to the side and helping me, nobody knew what I was talking about. But I knew that it was true, that God
sent an angel to save me. [music playing]

This, Episode includes: John Branion, No One Spared, Leo Koury, Who Saved My Life? and Angels.

Brief Summary

Five cases include a murder conviction, a rescue, a robbery, a mob boss, and angelic interventions.

Key points

The Murder of Donna Branion. John Branion discovers his wife dead in their home, leading to his arrest for murder.
Trial and Conviction. Despite evidence suggesting his innocence, John Branion is convicted of first-degree murder.
John's Escape and Life in Hiding. After his appeal is denied, John Branion flees the country and lives in Africa for 12 years.
Leo Koury's Double Life. Local businessman Leo Koury was suspected of being a ruthless crime boss.
Colleen Frangione's Miraculous Rescue. Colleen was saved from a burning car by two unknown heroes.
Estela Vera's Angelic Encounter. Estela claims she was saved by a guardian angel during a tragic accident.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

I couldn’t murder my high school sweetheart.

John Branion maintains his innocence regarding his wife's murder.

3:07WatchMar 9, 2017

Tension

75/ 100High tension

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