Wild Witness Testimony | "48 Hours" Full Episodes | Forensic Files

[Music] it's never dull in Palm Beach [Music] County we have some of the most famous
people in the country or the world living here in our [Music] backyard this is my County this is my
town and catching criminals I enjoy it this case began back in March of 2020 the Corona virus pandemic shuts
down schools sporting events and businesses at the time everyone was preoccupied with the Corona virus
lockdowns had started gret and Anthony was a resident of a well-to-do community in Jupiter
Florida right here in pal meach County I met David and gret and Anthony several years ago at a local gym
here the first thing that you noticed about her just big blue eyes and a giant smile blond hair tan
athletic David's very attractive man very Charming he had a big smile as well there was magic there and the energy
between them was [Music] amazing local officials issued an order not to leave your home unless absolutely
necessary Gretch and Anthony starts to send text messages to friends and family members stating that she has been
diagnosed with the Corona virus and she describes it as being an acute case a serious case
yes they're very concerned they've only talked to her via text no one ever spoke with Gretchen on
the phone and she never answered her phone who would go to voicemail yes so efforts were made to speak with
her spouse so there's a dual track here where is Gretchen and Anthony and where is her husband David Anthony yes neither
one can be found please did A Ware check of Gres and Anthony and what they learned was
disturbing so this is where the investigation began investigators were approached by a
neighbor she heard a blood curdling scream something horribly nefarious had happened
this case really hit differently I mean we are talking about someone who is a mother a daughter a sister a
friend all I wanted to do was to be able to find her and I wanted to find her alive and so the chase was on
[Music] [Music] back in March 2020 friends and family of Gretchen Anthony were alarmed when they
began receiving texts from her saying she had tested positive for Corona virus you know the news is saying it's serious
the town of Palm Beach announced a state of emergency and then all of the sudden
numbers are being reported and people are dying the number of confirmed cases continues to grow with 2 it was hard for
Gretchen anon's friends like Kelly Hannah to picture her dying of anything much less this frightening virus at 51
years old Gretchen was a picture of Fitness she worked out at the gym very hard she took her health very seriously
Gretchen is someone who is tremendously heart-c centered she's just radiant and just a very caring beautiful
spirit but above all else she was a devoted mother to her 12-year-old daughter Gretchen was Raising her child
in this house in Jupiter Florida while sharing custody with an ex-husband Gretchen's daughter was her
world she was everything to her cret Mixon an assistant State's attorney for Palm Beach County got involved in
Gretchen's case early on there was nothing that Gretchen wouldn't do for her daughter she hated being away
from her after her divorce friends say Gretchen fell in love with David Anthony the two met at a local gym where he was
a trainer G Anthony here don't forget the 90minut workout coming this Sunday was he kind of a rock star at the
gym oh he was the young hot trainer for sure he has a huge presence David was a popular trainer at a gym
owned by Tabitha Hopkins nice job guys your hustle she says he brought in lots of new members he was intelligent well
spoken he was Charming she didn't have to tell anybody that there was an attraction there there was absolute
Sparks there was magic there no question about it that attraction soon led to the
couple getting married at an Elvis Chapel in Las Vegas in 2015 they seemed like the happiest couple ever did you
feel like she'd found the man of her dreams absolutely David in all appearances was
a phenomenal stepparent she called him bonus dad but friends say the couple's dream life came apart in late 2019 when
they separated and David moved out of their home and it kind of sounded like they both lost themselves a little bit
and they were searching more for their own self-identity now Gretchen's Inner Circle was dealing with a potential life
or death situation and then all of a sudden there's bizarre cell phone messages over several days starting on
March 23rd friends and family received a series of texts from Gretchen who said she was at home in quarantine she sent
this one to her daughter who was staying with her ex-husband good morning tested positive
for Corona virus early this morning that means I have to stay here for at least 2
weeks her daughter replied okay I really hope you get better crochet Mixon says there were
multiple texts from Gretchen's phone over the next 3 days describing her deteriorating condition I consulted with
the virus screening hotline and admitted myself into to the Jupiter Medical Center's emergency room so this is
serious stuff what does the family do with these texts the family finds the text messages that they're getting from
Gretchen to be worrisome alarming what Disturbed everyone receiving these texts is that no one not even Gretchen's
daughter had received a phone call from her that just there's so many things that are so wrong including these TX
claiming that she'd been transferred to an off-site medical facility being run directly by the CDC in belade more than
an hour away in Central Florida but there's a problem there is no CDC facility in belade Florida so this text
message allegedly from Gretchen's own phone apparently was not sent by Gretchen it definitely was not sent by
Gretchen Dave aronburg the state attorney for Palm Beach County agrees clearly whoever had sent those text
messages were trying to take advantage of this pandemic of the fear out there trying to exploit the situation so
things were not adding up and things were not adding up very quickly the family along with friends
made the decision to reach out to law enforcement to do a welfare check on Gretch and
Anthony I need get help for my friend that's missing I don't know how to put into words but I know she's in very
great danger right now Jupiter police detective Jared kerson caught the case on the night
shift we reached out to the Jupiter Medical Center and they did not have a record of Gretch and Anthony being a
patient at their facility during that time period so all of a sudden this is getting serious yeah that's a huge
concern of mine desperate for Clues police checked out the Jupiter Medical Center's parking
lot they hit Pay Dirt gret and Anthony's Mini Cooper was recovered in the parking
lot of Jupiter Medical Center detective kenerson says what they found inside Gretchen's car was
worrisome her purse sitting in plain sight I think a woman normally carries their purse with them if gret and
Anthony is not in a facility in a hospital anywhere being treated for Co if she doesn't have covid then where is
Gretchen that was a million doll question no one knew where Gretchen was [Music]
[Music] [Applause] 5 days had passed since anyone had seen gret and Anthony Jupiter police
investigators were determined to find her so they canvased her neighborhood wearing body cameras looking for
Clues they were stunned when a resident approached them to say that early on the
morning of Saturday March 21st she heard something terrifying I heard a really serious
woman scream like um just screaming like she was being attacked and then I heard her scream no
and then I heard something about it hurts stop it the scream was really serious did this woman call 911 she did
not some people are apprehensive about calling the police when you heard that story what are you thinking I'm thinking
that something definitely happened at Gretchen Anthony's home Saturday morning officers became even more concerned when
another neighbor told them he later noticed a soapy substance flowing from underneath Gretchen's garage door
somebody was in there cleaning that's what I take from that we discovered that um her entrance door that leads from her
patio into her garage that door was locked and it had the key broken off in the in the dead bolt could Gretchen be
inside investigators wasted no time finding out they forced entry into the garage and there was no Gretchen inside
however they noticed that there was a strong pungent smell of a cleaning agent in the garage with body cameras rolling
investigators searched the home several times they found evidence suggesting a violent
struggle a broken picture frame shards of glass on Gretchen's bed and a stained towel there was a piece of cloth that
had what is referred to as BLS a blood-like substance on it they got a huge break when they discovered
neighbors had taken photos of a black Nissan pickup truck parked near Gretchen's home after the terrifying
screams and who owns a black Nissan pickup truck I'm David Anthony David Anthony Gretchen's
estranged husband his vehicle was there that morning investigators learned from Friends and family that Gretchen had
filed for divorce in February of 2020 and David had moved in with his mother that's when David's former boss
Tabitha Hopkins says he became increasingly unstable he regressed behavior-wise um slowly became more hard
to manage Gretchen's family told investigators she worried about her safety after the separation and had
security cameras installed throughout her home and garage who was she afraid of I was told that she had the cameras
installed because David had returned to her home after he left after they'd separated that's
correct kenerson discovered those cameras had been removed from the walls possibly to destroy incriminating
evidence but he learned that while the cameras were gone the images they once recorded could be recovered from the
cloud and we sent a search warrant to her camera provider It is believed that this
could potentially be the best piece of evidence at this point that could give us some direction as to where is Gretch
and Anthony while they waited for that crucial evidence investigators scrambled to find out just what David Anthony knew
about Gretchen's disappearance they went to look for him at his mother's home again with with body cameras
rolling Jupiter police hello hi hi Jupiter police sorry to bother you David's mom said she too
had received a concerning text from Gretchen Gretchen's been in touch with me cuz she's in the CDC Center she has
the virus okay what CDC Center is she at I don't know she texted me this morning
and said she was in there I have the text would you like to see it i' would love to thank you
all right no problem okay when officers asked her where her son was they became alarmed he had said he
was going to Costa [Music] Rica David's mother told them that he packed up his truck and on Tuesday March
24th 3 days after Gretchen disappeared he grabbed his dog Kobe and hit the road once they know that he is attempting to
flee the country he definitely becomes a suspect they are very suspicious of him adding to their suspicion what they
discovered on the video retrieved from the Jupiter Medical Center parking lot where Gretchen's car was
found there was security footage that showed Gretchen Anthony's Mini Cooper pulling into a parking space and there
is a tall figure walking away from her vehicle David Anthony is about 6768 and does that look like somebody
who could be 6768 absolutely investigators were convinced David Anthony was somehow involved in
Gretchen's disappearance Now tracking Gretchen's cell phone could be the key to finding David they find the
Gretchen's phone is panging off a tower um in the area of Pensacola Florida that's like 600 miles away yes her phone
is on the Move there's a lot of moving Parts here right so we're trying to still answer
the question where is gret and Anthony where is David Anthony and so these cell phone records become a very critical
part in in locating David Anthony investigators say phone records help track David across Florida as he left a
paper and video trail cameras recorded him stopping at jewelry stores to sell Gretchen's jewelry one store owner
shared a memorable conversation that he came in wanting to sell some jewelry um that had been left
to him by a family member that had died from covid-19 Co yes Co strikes again Co
strikes again and in all these videos that we were able to obtain from these different
businesses nowhere was Gretchen seen while David Anthony was leaving a tantalizing trail of electronic
breadcrumbs he had one huge Advantage remember they had learned from his mother that he was on his way to
Costa Rica and could be long gone we are not operating days behind David Anthony
under understanding that his intentions at this point are to leave the country so it's now from his perspective Catch
Me If You Can yes now we're on the hunt for David [Applause] Anthony tour friend Kelly Hannah
Gretchen Anthony was someone who connected instantly with everyone she met oh she was so radiant and just had
this gentle gracefulness about her had the most beautiful laugh someone who should somehow be
protected from harm in a perfect world you would hope and pray those people have Angels around
them to keep them safe but now Gretchen had been missing for 6 days what is going on and why is my beautiful
friend missing assistant prosecutor cret Mixon knew the key to finding Gretchen was
finding her estranged husband David Anthony she had been told David was on the run to Costa Rica and had a head
start we're trying to make up time we're trying to move quickly and play catchup investigators tracked Gretchen
and D David's cell phone signals which appeared to place both phones traveling together heading Westward across Texas
now does that suggest the two of them maybe on a trip together that she could possibly still be alive it suggests that
their phones are pinging together to me detective Jared kenerson didn't know what happened to Gretchen but feared the
worst as he waited for evidence taken from Gretchen's home to come back from the lab
he issued a bolo an alert to be on the lookout for David's black Nissan truck his vehicle was listed as a felony
vehicle investigators dug into David's past and what they learned was stunning so David Anthony originally was
known as David Anthony Deutsch and then later changed his name to David Anthony nobody knew that he's local here to the
Palm Beach area he went to the same High School my children went to it was weird
that nobody realized that there was a difference nobody realized for instance that as David Anthony Deutsch a star
college basketball player he held up a Blockbuster Video Store armed with a squirt gun and assaulted a police
officer he reached a plea deal in each case and spent a short stint in jail David Anthony has had a history of of
criminal conduct it's not that uncommon for someone with a Criminal past to try to escape that past Tabitha Hopkins
David's former boss at the gym in Jupiter had noticed something odd about David he's very talented and his skill
level was amazing but his moods could be high or low do you feel as though he does have this jual and hide personality
100% Tabitha says he became so difficult to manage she was forced to fire him in
2017 she gave him a second chance a few years later but by early 2020 he was increasingly unstable I basically said
what's going on what's wrong with you you you are not the same person that I knew Tabitha says she was forced to fire
him again and this time she caught a glimpse of David's frightening rage that look I'd never seen before he was angry
shaken tab texted Gretchen at the time separated from David with a warning stay away from him she had said that he is
crazy and that's the last time I talked to Gretchen that was February of 2020 then a few weeks later just 7 days
before Gretchen disappeared this happened can I get up no get down I'm standing up get down police received a
report that David was allegedly following teenage girls at a nearby shopping center once again police body
cameras were rolling when they approached him get out now get out with Kobe sitting quietly in the
truck he's got a dog in the car David lashed out and was charged with resisting arrest resisting me sir
on your out like an airplane David spent just a few days in jail you have the right to remain silent anything you say
can and will be used against you in the court of law investigators learned he posted bail and was released just 3 days
before Gretchen disappeared we're going to stand up all right now as they tracked him cross
country they knew they had a volatile man on the loose and he was being KY he would turn turn on cell phones um and we
would be able to get a location and then he would turn cell phones off David's phone pinged here in posos
Texas more than 1600 miles away from Jupiter the next day David's phone pinged here in Los cruus New
Mexico kerson immediately reached out to Los crusis police for help still tracking his phone and armed
with a description of the truck Los cruus police located David and pulled him over Put Your Hands Up Up When
officers asked David about Gretchen he told them she had covid um last I heard she was in a CDC facility getting
treatment for uh Corona virus Los cruus police seized David's truck and his possessions including his phone and
Gretchen's phone but they did have enough evidence to bring David in for questioning so along with Kobe he was
allowed to just walk away where does he go I don't know where he went but I knew
that he he was in Las cruus on foot and you're here in Florida what do you do we
are waiting the results of gret and Anthony's video cameras Jupiter police finally received
the electronic recordings from Gretchen's home they released portions of that evidence like this video from
security cameras revealing a tall figure hidden in the Shadows on the patio waiting to Ambush her the figure moves
throughout the patio area other footage was too disturbing to release to 48 hours including the moment Gretchen
appears on the patio and the figure forces her into the garage investigators also retrieved recordings from
Gretchen's Alexa device where she can be heard calling out for help she was screaming for Alexa to call 911 she's
calling out to that electronic box call 911 in other words call the police Gretchen didn't know it but unless you
specifically program your Alexa device to do so it does not call the police in an emergency do you think if the Alexa
unit had called 911 that gret and Anthony might be alive today it's possible video retrieved from cameras in the
garage show the last images of Gretchen alive there comes a point where this person that we see grab Gretchen muffle
her screams and take her into the garage this person looks up at the camera realizes that it's a camera and proceeds
to take that camera and snatch it down off the wall and throws it on the floor and what do you
see we see David Anthony looking up into the camera we knew that David Anthony killed Grant Anthony he was the
killer investigators finally had the proof they needed to make an arrest detective kenerson raced to Los crusis
to look for David Anthony we searched um homeless areas we searched hotels were you n nous he's going to get
away I was very nervous I didn't know where he could have [Music] gone that evening officers got a lucky
break when they spotted David walking his dog Kobe David was detained and Kobe was taken to a
shelter hey David who are you my name is Jared kenerson I'm a detective with the
Jupiter Police Department with all 6' 7 in of David Anthony crammed into the back seat of a small police car
detective kenerson knelt down and looked directly in the eyes at the man he was certain had killed
Gretchen there's a warrant for your arrest and I'm going to explain that when we get bound back to the excuse me
what homicide for who who do you think that's why I as a question we'll talk about at the
headquarters okay okay all right kerson had his man but still had one looming question we still don't have a body
where is gret and Anthony [Music] right handcuff right handcuff gotting to cut off situation after a Manhunt
Crossing Six States spanning nearly 2,000 miles David Anthony was finally in custody for the murder of his estranged
wife Gretchen i d it my name is Kelly Jupiter detectives Kelly Sanders and Jared kenerson would interrogate him
here at the State Police Headquarters in Los crusis New Mexico they had one goal get David to
reveal the location of Gretchen's body we were in search of the truth we're in search of where is Gretchen Anthony I
wanted to be able to tell her family tell her daughter I know where she is and that was very important to us right
away David made it clear it wouldn't be easy we have obtained a warrant for your
arrest for murder okay she's a liar kenerson was stunned when David claimed Gretchen wasn't dead I I was in
disbelief I I I knew that she wasn't with us anymore but he's defiant with you that's correct defiant and dishonest
police say the story David told was pure fiction she was in with me okay up until
Al Paso we were driving separate vehicles so she she she bolted he said Gretchen was on the run because she
discovered illegal activities at the company where she worked and someone was after her are you buying any of this I'm
not buying it now when asked about the text messages sent from Gretchen's phone claiming she had covid David was evasive
there was no record of her being at any Hospital hospital for covid-19 okay zero
record doesn't doesn't mean anything when the detectives pushed harder insisting David sent the messages he
pushed right back you have her phone you sent the text messages you planted her car at Jupiter Medical Center because
you're on video doing it have all that information do it she had me do it kenerson and Sanders even
confronted David with the evidence captured on Gretchen's own video system you put your hand hand over her mouth
and dragged her into the garage it's on video David still alive David's story never changed he repeatedly told the
detectives Gretchen was alive Gretchen's still alive in fact during the course of
the interrogation David Anthony made that claim she's still alive Bron's alive I told you that she's still alive
she's still alive 35 times in fact he says that over and over and over that she's alive why is he saying that he's
trying to deflect David is trying to deflect away from himself with each denial the detective's
anger Rose it's very frustrated because we know she's not alive we have evidence
of her not being alive so kenerson switched tactics and tried to appeal to David's bond with Gretchen's young
daughter you see that little girl right there I want you to look at I love her de I know look at her real good and for
a brief moment it seems like it might work I was the one who taught her how to ride a bicycle and she hoop and use her
awareness yep and that is awesome then do what's right for her I would never hurt her not I would never hurt either
one of them well you're hurting her indirectly by not letting us know where her mom is you have to ask her we can't
ask her she's dead she's dead her mother is still alive that's she she not alive
and then David tried a new tactic he dared them to prove their case you don't have video of me killing
her how do you know what we have show it to me show me the video herad show me the video her dead body is right there
show me the video I know that it exists okay then show it to me the detectives decided it was time to
take a break they left and sent officers to adjust David's handcuffs givey water
kerson came back alone this time quiet and friendly he made one last emotional plea by
playing an audio recording of Gretchen's daughter begging David to tell them where they could find her
mother even that didn't work raised the girl since she was 2 years old David claimed falsely that it wasn't
Gretchen's daughter's voice infuriated kerson decided to let him have it you had nothing to do with it you didn't
even like you didn't even you're not even doing your homework monster for your homework Jared you are
a monster for what you did and everybody is going to look at you like that after
more than 2 hours David abruptly ended the interview I'll ask for a lawyer no problem I'm not asking any more
questions I'm still wondering where Gretchen is um I wasn't able to leave that interview um knowing where she was
um and that didn't necessarily sit well with me David Anthony was charged with second
deegree murder and extradited to Florida Days Later his dog Kobe was adopted by new
owners in Jupiter David's arrest made the news according to a just released arrest report a neighbor heard of
woman's blood curdling scream at about 6:00 in the morning March 21st when Kelly Hannah saw the story she
says it broke her heart I just sat down on my bedroom floor and just cried my eyes out cried my eyes out for her
daughter for her sisters for her parents for everyone that loved her David's former boss Tabitha Hopkins felt she'd
lost two friends it was just shocking I wanted to believe it wasn't true but it was
[Music] obviously prosecutor Dave aronberg had evidence and a suspect in custody but he
knew getting a conviction wouldn't be easy the most troubling thing for the family and for all of us quite frankly
was that we did not have Gretchen's body and when you don't have a body those are
challenging cases to prosecute and David Anthony knew it while David Anthony was held in
custody in Palm Beach County Florida a grand jury indicted him on the charge of kidnapping and raised the murder charge
from second degree to First could he have faced the death penalty with these charges potentially yes for first Dee
Murder One traffic one but the search for Gretchen Anthony's remains continued that was the thing he had in his favor
if this ever went to trial it was almost as though it was his ticket it was the worst part of it for
me the fact that he was able to use evidence of his crime as leverage that fact also weighed heavily
on Gretchen's family the thought of Gretchen being out there alone forever was very unsettling for
them I think the family wanted life in prison but they wanted gret him December 2020 with the winter
holidays looming it was becoming tragically apparent that authorities may never find Gretchen without her alleged
Killer's help and so we entered into negotiations with David Anthony's defense lawyer and were're able to work
out a settlement of 38 years in prison that settlement required David Anthony to plead guilty to Second
deegree murder and reveal the location of Gretchen's remains David Anthony appeared in court today
pleading guilty David Anthony pleads guilty 9 months to the day after gret and Anthony went missing David Anthony
finally admits what everyone already knew he murdered his wife we were able to find Gretchen that
day it was a relief because I know that is what her family wanted and to be able to give that to
them it meant a lot David Anthony chose this nondescript patch of grass just a few miles from
Gretchen's House behind a Walmart and next to a retirement home to hide his wife's remains detective Jared kenerson
took us there how does someone bury a body here and not get caught I I I don't know I don't know this discovery that
must have been quite a moment for you it it was very emotional for me it was very
emotional for um for all of us that were involved after months of uncertainty Gretchen's family could finally lay her
to rest and I could see as hard of a time as this has been or had been for the family I could see that there was some
sort of Peace an autopsy was performed which explained why that neighbor heard screams the morning Gretchen
disappeared what was the cause of death cause of death um was stab wounds to the
neck and to the Torso there were some defensive wounds she fought for her life you used what you did to negotiate
something for yourself you are pure evil Gretchen's Sister Sarah Cary and the rest of their family came face to
face with David Anthony at his sentencing hearing you stole a mother away from her child a daughter away from
her mother you are a monster you are a coward you can never be forgiven then it came time for the man
who created all this pain to speak and he gave a bizarre explanation for his actions my illusion s the C pandemic as
an end of the world prophecy an armag again that I felt compelled to escape no matter the
cost instead of being a man I chose to be a coward I tried to steal what wasn't mine and in the process I ended the
life her life had value her life had meaning and I st that life I'll call BS on that
hard hogwash that's appalling absolutely appalling and he left so many questions
unanswered we will never know we will never know we will never know why he ended Gretchen's
life I think that's the hardest question to ask is why and sometimes you just need
to believe that there are higher powers in place that have a bigger plan and now Gretchen's friends and
family are left trying to make sense of it all how is Gretchen's daughter doing you know are resilient she is blessed to
have her father in her life and she appears to be doing well if one person was touched by how
much she loved people by how much she loved her child by how much she just loved living life to the fullest then
her life mattered [Music] 48 hours to miss it would be a crime were you at all prepare for what
happened in this case [Music] hello you have an emergency there's a house that's on fire on the other side
of the fence there's Fire coming out of the window I think I heard screaming and
crying I don't know it sound like it was coming from the resent yeah I think so the lead detective called me he
said um there was an accident in your parents [Music] house and he said there was a fire your
parents didn't didn't make it I just started hysterically crying so I flew up on the first flight
I'm out the next day and that's when they told us um what had really happened the fire wasn't an accident my parents
had been shot and the fire was a cover how why and who Neighbors on this usually quiet street are stunned it's
not real I wanted to know why this happened to Scott and Janet I wanted to know who did this they were great people they
were giving people and it's not the way it's supposed to go did your parents have any kind of conflict with people
that might want to hurt them not that I'm aware of no it didn't make sense that this could or would
happen how soon did investigators focus on Brandon petet as the killer instantly
they focused on Brandon as soon as one of the neighbors said oh they have a son that's weird is there any physical
evidence that TI your brother to the murder no there is no DNA there are no fingerprints there is no blood but what
you do have here is a Litany of statements and actions that point to Brandon the most damaging evidence
against Brandon came out of his own mouth he terrible um in his ability to figure out what's appropriate he
referred to his parents as and that he wanted his dad dead I mean and this is like just a few weeks before
the murder and you have more than once where your parents di said wish my parents
foret people say that about their parents it's clear that your brother isn't like everyone else isn't it mhm he
told them he had Asbergers when somebody's autistic they're different than you he's doesn't act the same way
as you I might act if you your de on the body bag you what you're already pass it
I'm not pass it you have no emotional response you want me to break down and cry because I don't normally
cry autism is the reason I focused on him it's the reason that they became convinced that he was guilty I don't
know who killed my parents no I don't no yes no your brother was working that night right he has an alibi yeah you
murdered your pars I didn't do anything he intended it he desired it and he did it I think there's a lot more to this
story I love my parents words don't make you a murderer [Music] [Music] the morning of August 8th 2013 had
started out full of promise for then 28-year-old Lauren Pettit living in Los Angeles I remember I had texted one of
my best friends that morning today's going to be a good [Music] day what she did know was that 300 miles
away in Modesto California firefighters had been called to her parents' home at 3:00 in the morning their bedroom had
gone up in flames fire crew is still trying to determine where that fire started we were
investigators Lauren's parents Scott and Janet Pettit were found dead inside how would you describe your mom
and dad you really miss them don't you they were [Music] amazing two of the family's dogs also
didn't make it but but one Bailey survived is it kind of a miracle she's even here it's insane mhm Bailey means a
lot to you now everything she's like my lifeline Mike Anderson a close friend of
the family had arrived at the scene after getting a call that something terrible had happened when I turned on
to Scott and Janet Street there was fire trucks ambulances and so my heart [Music]
sank I to say it's like losing an arm or something you lose a part of your soul a
part of your body and that's what it felt like this can't be happening but it was and things only got worse
investigators soon determined the fire was no accident Scott and Janet had been shot a total of seven times and evidence
of an accelerant was found throughout their upstairs room more than 12 hours after firefighters made the gruesome
Discovery police investigators remain sifting through clues in what they are now calling a pair of suspicious deaths
the community lost two people that did more for their communities than hundreds of people will ever do
Scott was an avid car collector and owner of a martial arts studio in nearby Riverbank the local paper once called
him citizen of the Year Janet a neonatal nurse had recently earned her PhD when you think about your mom what
comes to mind she was just incredible you know very caring and selfless my D was very sarcastic very witty loved to
give back loved to help everyone the couple had been in their late 20s when they first met Scott was working as a
paramedic then I believe the story is he was bringing a baby in from the ambulance and she was the receiving one
of the receiving nurses the two would later marry and start a family Lauren was 2 years old
when her brother Brandon was born and the family was complete your mom writes Lauren was so excited
to have her baby brother home you do look very happy to have a little brother first kiss from a big sister M I think I
thought I had a new toy growing up Lauren says Brandon L playing pranks on people but when it
came to Career aspirations that was something he was serious about what did he want to do he really enjoyed like
firefighting I guess just like helping people in some way shape or form police force things
like that she says Brandon was smart but struggled socially do you remember how old you
were when you noticed any difference with Brandon when you started realizing that he wasn't quite like everybody
else's little brother Early Childhood definitely I was under the age of 10 for sure like sevenish what do you think you
first noticed um him being really stubborn and disobedient in a sense and she says he
had trouble making friends you know he was almost looked down upon or looked looked at as if he just didn't fit in
and that was hard was he lonely I'm sure so lonely says Lauren that he would tell stories and make things up just to
get attention I don't think he ever thought that he was telling a story or lying it was just you know I can do this
or I can do that or you know I can get This and like okay let's come back down to earth and like let's figure out
whether or not it's reality Scott and janard had long been aware of Brandon's struggles they took
him to see numerous Specialists and when Brandon was in high school he was diagnosed with aspergers a developmental
disorder affecting his ability to communicate and at times read social cues now Asbergers falls under autism
spectrum disorder what with Asbergers I think it's really difficult for him to be aware of how he's presenting himself
and what he's saying and how he's saying things and how he's reacting to certain
things or not reacting and whether or not he's doing what people would consider the norm so when Lauren called
Brandon then 25 shortly after they both learned of their parents' deaths his unusual reaction she says was usual for
him how is he dealing with it in his normal manner which is you know very emotionless when he's sad kind of just
keeps it all in but it was a red flag to police who soon zeroed in on Brandon the day after
the murders before Lauren even got to see him Brandon ended up in a police interrogation room for 9 and 1 half
hours and he went along with it mhm and why do you think he was so willing to talk to the police probably the same
reason I was like just wanting answers Brandon was again called in for questioning just over a week after the
murders Lauren drove him to the station did the investigators give you any idea that your brother was a suspect M he was
by them wasn't he mhm if you had known what was going on if you had any idea your brother was a suspect would you
have taken him over there so willingly I wouldn't have taken them there period we
would have had an attorney after nearly 4 hours police arrested Brandon for the murder of his
parents I think I lost my voice and my breath for a little bit I was like what why
just over a week after suddenly losing her parents Lauren now had to deal with the news that her brother had been
arrested and charged with the murders I think I just started to hyperventilate and was like I don't even know what's
going on in addition to Brandon a man named Felix Val had also been arrested and charged Lauren had never heard of
Felix Val but Brandon and Felix were both members of a group called The clampers a more than Century old for
etal organization dedicated to the historical preservation of the American West but clampers are also known for
enjoying getting together to drink I think his the only reason he was a part of that was because he thought
they he thought he would have friends did your parents ever express concern about any of these people that your
brother might be hanging out with mm I never heard about them Brandon was staying at his parents house but on the
night of the fire he was outworking the graveyard shift as a security guard and there are people who can say he was
there yep he has an alibi his boss or his Superior confirmed he was there but his Alibi didn't seem to matter to
investigators they believe that Brandon paid Felix to commit the murders the alleged motive to inherit his parents'
money but Lauren couldn't make sense of it she said says Brandon loved their parents and actually benefited more with
their parents alive they paid his bills my brother didn't even know the value of
a dollar if anything happened to your parents was your brother going to inherit anything not that he knew of not
that I know of either police first began looking at Felix after Brandon in his first
interview with police mentioned other friends but curiously failed to mention and Felix that led to a search of
Felix's apartment where their suspicions paid off they found keys to the petted home Scott and Janet's wallets a box of
ammunition and seven spent shell casings concealed in a planter outside significant because Brandon's parents
were shot a total of seven times hours later police called Brandon in for that second taped interview and confronted
him how would he come up with the key to kill your parents I don't know be gave him to I didn't give him but the
detective told Brandon that Felix was telling a different story phix says she gave him the keys and the keys both fit
the garage door and the front door Brandon if you think for a minute that anybody anybody is going to believe your
story including your sister and you what the think about Felix is your life to make him more
believable he's I mean remorseful hell do that mean sorry the detective also told Brandon
that he had phone records showing that Brandon and Felix spoke the night of the murders my bra I was asking him what
we're doing until the weekend despite the pressure brand and repeatedly denied having anything to do
with the deaths of his parents I don't know who killed my parents yes you do no I don't just no yes no but in that
second interview Brandon made incriminating admissions Brandon said that he gave Felix bullets sometime in
the weeks leading up to the murders he had asked me for the box of bullets that I had because my 22 hasn't
been fired in 2 years because I don't have a than and he admitted giving Felix $100 just days after the
murders but the most jaw-dropping part of Brandon's story was when he told detectives that about a month before The
Fire Felix had threatened to kill Brandon's parents unless Brandon paid him $10,000 and you haven't told us
something that is this important and you're telling us now I'm remembering a you know
what and where'd you go did you go to the police station no my par oh no instead you give a box of
bullets I can see that was a bad idea that was a bad idea that's a bad excuse that's even worse
lie even if it was the truth why would Brandon wait 9 days after the murders to tell them all of this
why I didn't want to talk to anybody do you not want to solve that crime I wanted to do it myself oh wow did I
wanted to find out who did it myself and more damaging why did Brandon remain friendly with Felix not only after the
threat was made but even after Brandon's parents wound up dead so he tells you he's going to kill his parents you give
him ammunition and then you give him 100 bucks he said he had paid his bills and
needed some money I had a 100 bucks so I figured I'd help him out until he got paid to the guy that just was
threatening to kill with your parents if you didn't pay money you're helping them
out matter fact you're hanging out with them afterwards all buddy buddy I didn't
believe he would actually do it investigators were convinced that Brandon was The Mastermind behind his
parents' deaths but Martha Carlton mag an attorney appointed to represent Brandon after his arrest says the
interview proves nothing he didn't have anything to do with it he doesn't know what happened she says detectives
weren't interested in the truth and they lied to Brandon when they told him that
Felix had already confessed they've already decided he's the suspect and they're really trying to
feed him a lot of information so that he'll regurgitate it back she says the detectives knew Brandon had asked bers
in this whole asers thing I'm not buying any and suggests they mishandled the interview do you believe they were
taking advantage of his condition I think they were doing what they always do and because of Brandon's condition he
was more uh vulnerable to that kind of interrogation everything in that second interview needs to be taken with a grain
of salt Lauren agrees and firmly believes her brother is innocent he really is a good person does
this seem at all in your brother's character to have your parents killed not at all but Brandon statements in that
interview wouldn't be the only hurdle that his defense would have to overcome a young woman by the name of Sarah
Wilson had surfaced in the weeks leading up to the Murder She says Brandon had been promising her the world things that
only money could buy what do you make of Brandon's statements to police Sarah Wilson and Brandon pet met
when they were in high school but Sarah says they reconnected online in the summer of
2013 shortly before the murders we got to talking seeing how we were doing throughout the year years Brandon had
just gone through a messy breakup with a woman named Susan Sanchez Susan was pregnant with
Brandon's child how did your brother feel about becoming a dad very excited the family was everything to him so but
with his relationship with Susan over Brandon was apparently ready to shift his attention to someone new I had some
inclinations that he had a little crush on me but I didn't pursue anything with them I didn't give him any hints that I
was attracted to him in that way that didn't seem to deter Brandon who ended up making her an offer
she says she couldn't refuse he had mentioned that his parents were going to buy him a million dooll home in Georgia
and he said that I can move in with him I of course said yes who wouldn't want to live in a million doll
home I was going through a lot of stuff in my personal life I just really wanted
to get out of California as enticing as it all was Sarah suspected it might be too good to be true I took it with the
grain of salt I didn't think it was really going to happen but Sarah says Brandon would send her real estate
listings daily oh the houses had a shower the size of my bedroom now they were just
gorgeous and he showed her the email conversation he was having with a realtor which kind of made me think okay
this is really going to happen and the promises didn't stop there he one day mentioned that oh my mom seeing how
happy I am how excited I am to be moving with you that after we move she will open a boutique for you to run yourself
I did find it kind of strange that his parents would spend this amount of money on a business for me when I had never
met them Sarah says she thought she'd finally meet them since Brandon told her his parents had bought planing tickets
to take them all to Atlanta to look at homes but a couple of days before that supposed trip Sarah received a strange
text from Brandon I got a text out of nowhere from Brandon saying you're getting a boob job for Christmas
LOL the text came in at 10:43 p.m. on August 7th just a few hours later Brandon's parents were discovered dead
he delivered the news to Sarah the next morning I got a text from Brandon saying
my parents died last night in a house fire I didn't press them for any information I just figured that's a
touchy subject his parents had just died on August 9th after Brandon's first interview with detectives Sarah says he
called her and they met up he told me that his aunt had canceled the flight tickets and they just want to keep that
under wrap so don't tell the detectives that I thought that was very odd that's when I started to think you know
something's kind of weird Sarah would later learn there were no airline tickets no trip to Georgia
planned and Brandon's parents didn't die in a house fire they were murdered it wasn't long before detectives showed up
at her door they just started asking me questions about Brandon she told them everything about those million dooll
homes the supposed trip to Georgia and the text Brandon sent promising her a breast enhancement just hours before his
parents were killed for police it amounted to a financial motive for murder but Lauren Pettit believes it
actually amounts to nothing do you believe your brother really told her those things possibly but I mean that
was just who my brother was Brandon's defense attorney agrees and says Brandon's conversations with Sarah
shouldn't be given much weight at all that was a fantasy he was playing out with a girlfriend to impress her which
he'd always done Brandon actually called a realtor and actually pinpointed some houses is it possible that Brandon
decided he was going to make that fantasy come true true and killed his parents so he'd have the money to
actually buy that house I don't see that as being realistic I see that as being something that Brandon
did in order to impress friends what about the fact though right before his parents died he had texted Sarah Wilson
and said for Christmas you're going to get breast enhancement surgery just a coincidence
Martha yeah honestly yeah I'm not sure it was the was the first time he said it either you
know somebody could say you know Brandon lies a lot he lies to girlfriends you know he lies to the police if you're
right how do you know when to believe Brandon then you don't Brandon lies a lot and very badly
there's no question about that so you don't you look to the evidence and hard definitive evidence directly time
Brandon to the murder of his parents says Martha just isn't there Lauren pet stood by her brother
Brandon he's so much bigger than I am as he awaited trial convinced of his innocence but as the case dragged on she
was all too aware there was a possibility she might end up losing him too it's a huge burden on your shoulders
isn't it mhm I mean it's not really about me anymore my brother depends on me what do you think your parents would
want you either too I mean fight for my brother absolutely cuz that's what they would
do I take care of myself on the 4year anniversary of her parents' deaths we were with Lauren as
she made the trip to the cemetery on that same day she visited Brandon in jail as well
instead of it being face to face it's video visitation and I see him on a screen for 30
minutes one Court delay after another it was seven long years from the time of the murders of Scott and Janet Pettit to
when Brandon pettit's trial finally began on September 1st 2020 cameras were not allowed in court defense attorney
Robert Winston was now representing Brandon and he was up for the challenge I've had a lot of cases over the years
so the basic case wasn't that unusual the fact that Brandon had Aspergers that put a new dimension on
the case Brandon was initially supposed to be tried alongside Felix vality but about a month before the trial the judge
made a rare finding that valarity was incompetent to stand trial that means the man man who may have actually done
the killing is unavailable to the defense how can Brandon be put on trial when the the person who police believe
actually did the killing is considered incompetent that's our law I mean is that fair to Brandon sadly fairness
rarely enters into it valver was placed in psychiatric treatment with the hope that he might be able to go on trial at
a later date due to Val's still pending case the prosecutor's office declined our request
for an interview we asked Mary fulan a CBS News consultant and former Federal prosecutor to analyze the state's case
you have to look at the totality of the evidence and as you look at the totality
of his statements and his actions I think it's very difficult to say he did not plan it he did not plot it he did
not desire it he did not intend it he did not want it but the physical evidence only connects Felix
vality the prosecution began by calling investigators who detailed all that evidence found at Felix's apartment
Scott and Janet's wallets the box of ammunition those seven spent shell casings and most important they would
argue keys to the pet at home how would Felix get a hold of the keys to the house the keys were given to him by
Brandon and that was so that he could access the house so he get into the house and and kill his parents easily
the prosecution also called Witnesses who knew Felix and testified that he had obtained a new gun like this one in the
weeks leading up to the murders that gun however says defense attorney Robert Winston was never
found it was a western style 22 revolver we certain don't know that that was the
murder weapon it wasn't recovered don't know where it is we don't even know if that type of weapon was consistent with
the bullet fragments that were found in the bodies there was no hard evidence of
anything they don't know if a 22 was used to kill the B well what they do know though and this is critical in a
circumstantial evidence case they do know they were shot seven times they found Seven 22 caliber shell Cas casings
and a planter outside of Felix Val's house in an effort to directly tie Brandon to the murders the prosecution
called Mike Anderson the pettit's close family friend he testified about a conversation he says he had with Brandon
a few months before the murders he just told me if my parents weren't here my life would be
better Mike says he didn't think much of it at the time but with Scott and Janet
now gone and and Brandon on trial for their murders that comment carried a whole new weight I felt like I didn't
help him but I had to tell the truth it it it was hard it was sad and that wasn't all Mike testified to he
also told the jury that in the days following the murders Brandon was looking to sell his dad's prize cars
including a 1961 Corvette vet he wanted to sell the vet and move to Georgia it made me feel very uneasy it made
me question everything the prosecution also called Susan Sanchez Brandon's ex-girlfriend the mother of his then
six-year-old daughter who still had a strain relationship with him she said Brandon once mentioned that Corvette to
her too he couldn't wait for his dad to be dead so that it would be all his and he's also told Susan Sanchez on at least
five or six occasions she testified to that he wanted his parents dead and there was more Susan testified she had
an ex-husband whom she had mentioned to branded he said look if you want to make
him disappear I've Got a Friend Felix belverde who you can pay $500 to and your ex will
disappear coincidences too many Brandon's high school friend Sarah Wilson also took the
stand and testified about all those promises Brandon had made her and the lead detective detailed what Brandon had
said in that second interview so he tells you he said he his parents you give him ammunition and then
you give him a 100 bucks he said he had paid his bills and needed some money it's a circumstantial
case the strongest evidence against Brandon his own words and actions before and after the murders has there ever
been a moment though through any of this that you've been wondering maybe my brother did it no but you I'm not going
to lie I'm not naive I still believe that my brother is Innocent but if someone can prove to me that he's not
with actual evidence not just words you know then it is what it is and I'll deal with that
Brandon did plan and plot the murder of his parents he wanted the Corvette he wanted the house he did it for money but
would Brandon kill the parents he loved and leaned on the defense has to raise delts with their star witness who knows
Brandon best you're testifying for someone you love so much and in your head all you think about is what if I
say the wrong [Music] thing see more of the evidence against Brandon peted at 48
hours.com 7 years after both of her parents were murdered Lauren petett took the stand to try to save the man accused
of killing them her own brother now 32 years old there's so many things going through
your head and there's no coaching there's no nothing you're just here you go good
luck defense attorney Robert Winston wanted the jury to see a very different side of Brandon and his family this was
not a family where there was hatred there was animosity that there was a motive to
kill it just didn't exist Lauren described how important family was to her brother it was his
whole world and the dogs who died in the fire she says Brandon loved them too I have photos and videos glore of him with
his dogs he would skip out on family vacations just to stay home and make sure the dogs were safe and okay Lauren
also questioned the alleged Financial motive telling the jury that her parents were actually in debt at the time of
their death and that Corvette that brenon supposedly wanted she says it was already partially in his name but
perhaps the most crucial part of her testimony cast doubt on the prosecution's theory that Felix vality
got into the pet at home with house keys that Brandon gave him my parents had a an extra large size dog door um on their
back sliding glass door which is how I gotten into the house the day after they passed how the detective told us he had
gotten into the house earlier that day and he was a much larger so the detective himself went through
the doggy door and that was never considered as the way the killer might have gotten into the house correct but
then how did Felix get those keys to the peted home I think the keys were probably in my parents
wallets Lauren says her parents had digital door locks where you punch a code to enter but in the event the
battery powered locks died she says her parents kept spare keys tucked inside their wallets and left those wallets out
in the open on the kitchen counter picture it this way Felix Val goes to the house he crawls in now he's inside
he sees a purse he sees a wallet he either thinks I'll get these on the way out or he picks them up right
then and he goes upstairs and he does what he does but when he when he picked up the
wallet of Scott petett it had a key in it when he picked up the wallet of Janet pet it it had a key in it if Brandon
didn't hire Felix if he didn't ask him to kill his parents why would Felix do it on his own two motives one Felix
thought there was money in the house the other theory is that he heard Brandon say these things about his
parents and he thought that Brandon would be happy with him but there was one big
problem with the defenses theory in a section of Brandon's videotaped interview not shown in court he admitted
giving Felix the keys I know how he got the keys you know okay how did he get the keys I got the keys I never intended
him to actually do anything you supposed to scare him okay not hurt them okay it was an admission
that could destroy his defense Brandon actually admitted that he sent Felix to his home to convince his parents to stop
contacting his ex-girlfriend Susan but because Brandon said it after he had asked for a lawyer the judge didn't
allow it in his evidence and as bad as it sounds defense attorney Robert Winston claims that Brandon made it up
in an effort to end the interrogation it seemed as though Brandon was saying I'll tell you anything you want to hear
just let me out of here Winston was determined to show the jury why they shouldn't believe much of what Brandon
said he called Dr Laura Gyer a clinical psychologist appointed by the court who testified that Brandon's Asbergers could
explain his questionable statements and behavior Dr guer does she believe that that Brandon's Asperger's
autism interfered in that police interview to his detriment absolutely people with
Autism take information in differently than we do so when the police ask a question there's always the worry is it
really understood Winston was feeling optimistic when after 9 days of testimony from 23 Witnesses the case
went to the jury deliberation stretched on for about a day and a half and then a
verdict guilty our camera caught a glimpse of Brandon as he was led out of the courtroom how did your brother react to
the verdict he was shocked and then really scared scared of what his future 4 months later Brandon was given
the maximum sentence two life terms without the possibility of parole Lauren was
devastated it was hard not to feel paternal towards her she's lost everything hasn't she really yes she
has Lauren remains convinced her brother is innocent she hopes one day Felix Val
Verity will go on trial and maybe then she'll get the answers she's looking for do you think Felix valver killed your
parents I think he probably had something to do with It Felix has pleaded not guilty and his attorneys
declined our request for an interview as Lauren begins to pick up the pieces she sadly no longer has her
dog Bailey to comfort her he passed away in 20 19 now a new friend jelly is helping to
put a smile back on her face and yet nothing and no one will ever feel that void left by the loss of her once
close-nit family what do you miss the most about your parents everything my dad's
jokes my mom tirelessly working to you know make sure I'm okay I would give anything to haveen
[Music] back a young woman disappears after a Snapchat revu I try to keep my hopes
high but after 6 months it's a little hard for that the murder that inspired HED a law Nikki's story has allowed us
to take a giant leap forward and started a movement 48 hours Saturday at 109 Central on
[Music] CBS you go back to the first days after the murder this might have been a dispute
between teenagers it might have involved a girl it might have involved drinking whoever knew about Jon's
killing kept this secret for over 40 years that's one small step for man one Le for
[Music] man sept member 26th 1969 is the day that changed the lives of Bill and Neville and mccab
[Music] forever I I don't think I've had a whole night's sleep since it's happened if it's not too painful can you
tell me about his last day went to a dance his second dance 15-year-old John mccab was looking forward to going to
the Nights of Columbus dance that evening took a shower scrubbed his hair put his father's after to shave on he
didn't shave but his father have to shave on oh yeah he got all spruced up 11:00 I started looking out the
window that's when the dance closes he should be home by midnight so I went down to the dance and
checked the road screaming out the window John John no John I started praying at that
point the day after John mccab went missing three young kids were cutting through a vacant lot when they made a
horrifying discovery which was the body of John mccab he had been bound and gagged and
tied with rope after John's body was found Bill mccab a Pillar of Strength had to do the
UN speakable that was identify the body of his dead son never forget it people keep talking about
closure you can't shake it he then had to go home and inform his family of what had
happened Bill said honey a son's dead well I was a senior in high school were you fearful yes they hadn't caught
the people that killed my brother did you think when you looked at kids in your classes maybe it's him maybe it's
him maybe it was them maybe they knew something how could they not know anything without physical evidence
without a witness this case remained unsolved for several years and several years became
decades ready this is it I pray every day Justice will be served there was only one way this case
was going to be solved do you solemnly swear the and how old were you in 1969 17 and that's if someone came
forward and talked how do you know how John macave died I was there [Music] n [Music]
[Music] it took almost every ounce of strength left in his 85-year-old body to get to
the witness stand but Bill mccab waited 43 years for this day and the start of this trial in January
2013 good morning Mr mcab do you remember September 27th 1969 yes sir how old was John at that day he was 15
years 6 months and two weeks I always visualized him as being a big shot somewhere John Joseph mccab my
son JJ you know but I never got to see any of those things in the fall of 1969 two men had just landed on the moon
beautiful just beautiful thousands had just crashed at Woodstock and John mccab 15 years 6
months and 2 weeks old was living with his family in tuxbury Massachusetts I think we have a right to be proud of him
yeah John's father bill was an engineer his mother Evelyn worked at the school library his sisters Roberta who was six
and Debbie who was 17 remember a brother who was always busy doing what brothers
do it was pretty interesting you open the closet door and your closet's filled with grasshoppers I just remember his
hands were always dirty like with oil or grease or a frog in his hand so he brought home a goose once too oh yeah
Canadian goose big sucker it's fun to watch you talk about this cuz your eyes light up I mean you have very fond
memories of those days yeah Evelyn holds on on to any reminder of her son I have
John's money I can't spend it and you've had it all these years yeah 45 years every now
and then I the smell's gone off of it now it I almost put it in the casket with him and then I thought no I'll just
keep it with me and when I see him again I'll give it to him when she last saw John Evelyn gave
him permission to go to that dance at the Nights of Columbus Hall I let him go I let him go out the door I shouldn't
have the next day police came to the house and took Evelyn's husband to the basement to talk they didn't want me to
know anything but you heard I heard them Evelyn got on her knees and pressed her
ear to a vent in the bathroom this is where I could hear everything that was going on down
Sol the police were telling her husband Jon's body was discovered in a vacant lot in the neighboring gritty city of
L what did you hear I heard that he was tied up and there was tape on his eyes and his
mouth I heard a lot I cried I laid there and cried a huge investigation was launched
by the LOL tubry and Massachusetts State Police what evidence did they collect at
the scene the rope that was used to tie John up uh tape that was used to tape his eyes and his mouth um all of his
clothing um his shoes Jerry Leone was the local da who years later took on the case today he's a partner in the law
firm Nixon Peabody there was forensic evidence but it wasn't really meaningful because it you couldn't tie it to anyone
in particular but the case looked promising at first a witness had spotted a car near
the crime scene that night I believe the way he had described it was a 1965 Chevy Impala colored uh Plum or
maroon then another tip LED police to a schoolmate of John's 16-year-old Mike Ferrera who says he barely knew John I
probably seen him like a handful of times in my life I don't you know I didn't really he wasn't a friend Ferrera
and his friend Nancy Williams were questioned because they had picked up John when he was hitchhiking on his way
to the dance I picked him up and I gave him a ride to the corner and I never saw
him again Ferrera told police that while the dance was underway he left Nancy and
met up with his best friend Walter Shelly me Walter and Bob Ryan took a ride to L try to get some beer they were
in Walter Shell's car it was maroon and it was a 1965 Chevy Impala police searched it but found no
evidence still Walter Shelly was now a Person of Interest he was brought in for questioning and later polygraphed five
times the test showed he was lying in all vital areas of the questioning if you read the reports now you start
seeing Ferrera and Shelly Shelly and Ferrera Ferrera was questioned multiple times I know where they were going not
totally stupid but Ferrera wasn't helping himself at one point while Joy writing with some friends he suddenly
blurted out that he killed John I was 16 we're drinking joking and I said yeah I
did it they knew I was joking I was a joker Leone says police were not amused but there was no way to corroborate what
Ferrera said without physical evidence without a witness statement putting him at the scene the Ferrera lead kept
drying up there were dozens of other people police investigated other teens local drug dealers and pedophiles
detectives worked this case hard for two years while Bill mccab worked on a record of his son's
life I wasn't trying to be an author or anything like that I I I was just looking ways to hold on to him keep his
keep his memory he also tried to make sure the police never forgot his son I was always
on the phone talking to the police I'd be up in the middle of the night she'd be saying what the hell are
you doing up get back to bed despite Bill's persistence and the intense police effort there were no arrests
Shelly and Ferrera went into the service in 1970 so the following year the two of
them left the area and the mccab family was left without any answers for [Music]
decades this is the little compass so he can find his way home with each passing season John
McCabe's case grew colder but his mother kept asking the most painful questions about how he
died I tried to strangle myself just to visualize what it felt like I wondered did he call for
me what kind of a mother was I I wasn't there for him for a Time Evelyn set a place for
John at the dinner table his absence was a constant presence in the house you can't just do
something wrong and not have to pay for it the case stalled for some 30 years until November 2000 John and I went just
about everywhere you know when Jack Ward a child Ood friend of John's made good on a decades old promise to Bill
mccab he would say Jackie you he anything about John you keep your eyes out you let me know I says if I ever
hear anything you know I'm going to tell you ward had been at a cookout at this house in tuxbury where he ran into a kid
from the old neighborhood Mike Ferrera this photo was taken that day we're all sitting around
drinking and that's where just blurted out I know who killed John and he said it to me again I know who killed John
and you know finally I said who and he says Walter I said Walter Shelly he says yeah
Walter Shelly I said what would be Walter's motive kill John he said Mala because of
Mala Mara Shiner Ward said she was Walter Shell's girlfriend back then but he said the trouble was Mara also seemed
to like John McCabe and by all accounts Walter shell was one very jealous young man the footage you see was taken a few
years after the murder Ward admits he sat on the information for a while worried about how to tell Bill
McCabe you go knock on somebody's door and say hey I know who killed your son you better have it right I was shocked
when he told me so I scribbl it on a piece of paper I put it in the Bible on a page beginning the book of joint so it
wouldn't forget it and I immediately called the police but it took many more calls from
Bill mccab and three more years for police to show up at ferrera's door it was now 2003 Ferrera worked as a
forklift operator lived in Salem New Hampshire and Nancy Williams his friend back in the day was now his wife Mike
wouldn't hurt a fly no I know he wouldn't Ferrera says he remembers the cookout conversation with Jack Ward very
differently Jackie went and told them I said Walter shy killed him I never said that and at this
cookout you know I already had a few drinks and he's running his mouth shy did it Shy did it and this went on all
afternoon and finally I got sick of hair it I says he probably did it next thing
I know three years four years later I had the cops down my house wanted to talk to me about John mcabe Ferrera also
denies discussing the jealousy motive with Ward that's his theory I never said that but again there was no
corroborating evidence so again the case stalled well what did they tell you about the investigation
it's going fine it was always going fine and how long did they tell you that for
and you know what it was sitting on a freaking shelf but the police had not forgotten
John McCabe all right thanks in January of 2007 37 years after the murder Jerry Leone was sworn in as middle sex County
district attorney the Lowel Police Department took it upon themselves to visit me weeks after after I'd been
elected to say we'd actually like you to focus on this one and and take a hard look at it with
us investigators had gone back over the files and a name jumped out at them in Mike ferrera's latest interview with
police in recounting the night of the murder Ferrera said he was with Walter Shelly but this time he added a name and
said the other guy with them was Allan Brown Edward Allen Brown's name surfaces as
someone who we're going to focus on Edward Allen Brown was 17 and lived not far from the mabes when John was
killed he had long since moved away but when police tracked him down he said he knew nothing about the murder never even
heard of it so How likely is it that he would never even heard of the murder of John mccab in a town the size of tuesy
I'd say curious at the time and police got a call from Brown's wife that was even more Curious his wife told police
that she thought he was lying his wife said that she thought he was lying right Carolyn Brown indicates to police that
20 to 25 years earlier her husband had told her about an evening um where he was involved in a young man being
killed but even that wasn't enough it was the same old story there was no corroborating evidence and no real
movement in the case until 2011 when detective Linda Coughlin was assigned to find the killers you think
this case really took off when you met detective Linda Coughlin yes definitely why did you feel that way because of her
attitude she she said I'm going to get them and she did detective Coughlin zeroed
back in on Edward Allen Brown he was retired from the Air Force and living in New Hampshire Coughlin interrogated
Brown just twice but when Brown learned he failed a polygraph he suddenly broke down he confessed that he was there when
Walter Shelly and Mike Ferrera killed John mccab why LEL police brought in the mccabes
and told them Brown's story about Jon's Final hours my dad started crying he killed
over on the [Music] table on April 15th 2011 nearly 4 2 years after John McCabe's body was found
in that vacant lot his father's perseverance finally paid off Mr mccab held our feet to the fire he never let
us forget John McCabe's murder the DA's office announced the indictments of Edward Allen Brown for manslaughter and
Michael Ferrera and Walter Shelly for first deegree murder two names known to police since day day one two names also
Gathering dust here in John's book of mourners the murderers came to the wake and they came to the
[Music] funeral why do you think Edward Allen Brown confessed chat now on Facebook
andex [Music] it would take almost two years to bring the men accused of killing John mccab to
trial two more years the mccabes would have to wait do you solemnly swear the Tes January 18th 2013 would you please
be seated Edward Allen Brown was called to testify against his one-time friend Mike ferera the first defendant to go on
trial do you see Michael Ferrara in the courtroom today yes over there Mr Brown for the first
time Brown publicly shared the details of the night John died Brown says he was at home watching television when Mike
Ferrera and Walter Shelly pulled up to his house they wanted me to go with them to help them help them do what I didn't
know at the time until I got in the car and we left Brown testified they were on their
way to the Knights of Columbus Hall when when he learned of their plan they said
they wanted to go U find this kid that had been uh you know messing around with Mara to teach him a lesson and how did
you know Mara Shiner that was Walter's girlfriend Michael noticed John mccab was thumbing and he said there he
is and we pulled up next to John Michael got out and grabbed him and uh pushed him in the back seat where I was
Michael was facing back um at John trying to to to smack him and John had his arms up to try to to stop him from
doing that we went under the spaghetti bille bridge Brown says they drove up a dirt
road to the vacant lot and pulled over and we got him outside the car who pushed John out of the car I did I
thought they were just going to slap Mor what happened next then Michael and w uh wrestled John tripped him up and got
him on the ground Brown testified that he and Shelly held John mcabe down while Ferrera tied him up Michael tied his
ankles then went around and tied his his uh wrists together then he took another
piece of rope around his ankles and attached it up to his neck they had put tape on his mouth John's uh squirming
wiggling trying to get out he's lying on his belly uh uh with his legs up in the
air and his um his head turned sideways then they said um that this this will teach you to uh
to mess with maror anymore and we got in the car and left Brown says they drove around
drinking beer for a while then um I I told him that we we should go back and let him go Brown says
they eventually returned to the Michael and Walter got out of the car and went over to
him they were there for about 30 45 seconds and they came quickly back to the car we started to drive off and one of
them said that he wasn't breathing John McCabe had died of [Music] strangulation I wonder
I wonder what he thought of that night then they uh they brought me home what did you
do I don't remember I think I cried Brown says he kept the murder a secret for 41 years because he was
afraid of Michael Ferrera Michael said if anybody talks to anybody about this I'll kill him hel Brown is a freaking
liar and I mean they know that according to the prosecutor he's been Iraq and Afghanistan five tours maybe he's got
something wrong in his head they talk about these people that give false confessions either he did
it with somebody else or by himself or he is really a messed up human being my sense of Edward Brown was he was easily
LED Eric Wilson Michael ferrera's attorney believes that police pressure Edward Allen Brown because he was
someone they could force into confessing to a crime he did not commit they also offered him a deal no jail time Edward
Brown did not walk into L Police Department headquarters and say look I got to get this off my chest after being
interrogated by trained detectives over the course of many days he was faced with the threat of spending the rest of
his life in jail uh or he could tell the police what they wanted to hear Walter Shelly and Mike for picked you up at
your house at 10:30 right yes the question that I had to answer for the jury is why would he tell them that if
he didn't do it did you think you could do that that's a tough sell it was a tough
sell um but Ed Brown gave me a lot to work with you have fed information it was a dirt
lot right yes over the course of two days ferrera's attorney grilled Brown relentlessly and in your four or five
trial prep sessions until Brown aded that the prosecution had fed him parts of his story you have had information
that it was near a railroad tower right yes and you're being told that shell was
jealous over Marla Shiner right yes there are certain pieces of information that an investigator May provide to
someone who they're interviewing to see whether or not they know anything about that to see whether or not it jogs their
memory well but couldn't that also be a way of telegraphing to the witness what you want him to say well in this case
that didn't have to happen because Brown was the one who talked about the Rope the tape The Binding of John however
Brown got his story Wilson claims it cannot be true because it does not fit the evidence in fact in the 1969 police
reports detectives noted that they were unable to find any evidence of a scuffle
there was no suggestion anywhere around John McCabe's body or the scene that that struggle described by
Edward Brown ever took place why would Edward Allen Brown lie and implicate himself so directly in what happened
unless it was the truth your testimony has not always been 10:30 has it Wilson thought it was not enough to try to
discredit Brown he also had to punch holes in the alleged motive jealousy over a girl he'll do it by calling that
girl my name is Mara Shiner to the witness stand that you would have known each other from
[Music] being Mr Brown you've lied under oath when you're scared right yes you've lied
under oath when you're nervous right yes you've lied under oath when you're frightened right correct prosecutors had
a problem with their star witness Edward Allen Brown he seemed to with under strong cross-examination from the
defense you still can't get your fact straight can you no so prosecutor Tom O'Reilly called detective Linda Coughlin
to counter accusations that she'd forced Edward Allen Brown to confess and fed him details at any point did you feed
him information as to the investigation never But Eric Wilson says Coughlin also
had tunnel vision and ignored evidence of other Suspects there were a number of investigative
reports and material that you either overlooked or didn't even know about true I don't know what you're referring
to how about Richard Santos Richard Santos was flagged in this tesy police report as a suspect in the mccab murder
in 1974 Santos was arrested for committing a crime eerily similar to John McCabe's
murder this young woman was abducted on Route 38 her feet were bound her hands were tied behind her back her mouth was
duct taped and her eyes were taped shut all of the facts that surround Santos as
a possible subject lead you to be suspicious but there was never anything tying him to mode of opportunity means
information on Richard Santos still the judge allowed the jury to hear about Santos and another sup ECT with respect
to Robert Morley Robert Morley a local 25-year-old who reportedly knew both fera and Shelly and was suffering from
mental illness he was labeled long before you were assigned this case as a strong suspect right there is
a report that uses the word for him strong suspect in the very same report mentions Mr Ferrera as a prime suspect
but it's how Morley became a strong suspect that makes him so interesting police learned about him shortly after
the crime from his own Brothers well morle his own Brothers went in and said that they thought he might have been
involved in it yeah they thought he might have former da Jerry Leone says Morley's brothers were mistaken I think
what happens in matters like this is people will say um sure you should take a look at X or Y because they have a
profile of somebody who would do something like this and they were around the area at the time but then you have
to look at the evidence and see whether or not the evidence lead you to believe that they had anything to do with it did
the brothers have any specific evidence that you're aware of they did not he split to Florida the day after he was
questioned by police Mr Morley years later in my estimate committed suicide you learned of his death is suicide
right he jumped off a bridge right his brother says he fell off a bridge the defense also tried to punch holes in the
alleged motive for the murder and called a surprising witness to do it yes my name is Marla Shiner in my spelling of
my last name is s sh i n e r thank you Mara Shiner the girl who Walter Shelly and
Mike Ferrera allegedly killed four Edward Allen Brown had just testified that Mara was Shell's girlfriend in
September of 69 and Shelly was jealous because John was flirting with her but Mara says John never flirted with her
did you ever go to a dance with John mccap never never convey to you that he had any type of romantic interest in you
in August or September of 1969 none the mccabes say it doesn't matter if the flirting was real or imagined she
could have been just stopped and said hello to John and shy could have walked by and
seen it and he's going to explode next Mara threw the prosecution a curveball September 26
1969 were you dating Walter Shelly no I was not dating Walter when when John mccab died when did you start dating him
then I believe it was after that death how old were you 13 you 13 September 69 I don't know I can't do the math right
here but according to police Mara told them she was dating Shelly at the time and was just 12 years old when they
started seeing each other you didn't tell the police that you were dating Walter
shell in 1969 when John M was killed I no I don't believe I did tell him that why lie about dating someone unless it
was because of her that John was murdered 48 Hours had questions for Marlo shiner too but she declined our
request for an interview Mara eventually married Walter Shelly but it didn't last
she said he was very violent M sh was Walter shell a jealous man absolutely it appears that we're ready
to proceed then judge at this point in time the defendant would rest this was a hard fought trial till the end and then
it was up to the jury to decide did Mike help Walter Shelly kill John mccab over
a girl or was Edward Allen Brown telling a story The prosecution wanted to hear it only took jurors 5 hours to decide I
told Michael that we had to hope for the best but be prepared for the worst and uh he was ready for
that may I have the verdict slip please for the mccab family more than four Decades of waiting and working came down
to this moment what did you think the verdict was going to be guilty my God he was
guilty if for no other reason he was there it's hard to understand how the jury could you know anticipate otherwise
bill mccab was too nervous and too sick to sit in the courtroom that day so he waited in another room while Evelyn and
their daughters heard the verdict yesterday what say you to this indictment ma'am is the defendant guilty
or not guilty not guilty your upon not guilty fer everyone including Mike Ferrera was so stunned it took a while
to sink in when the verdict came in when you heard that that Ferrera had been I had to go tell my husband that were you
afraid to tell him yes why I was afraid he was going to die tragically Evelyn was
right just 4 days after the verdict Bill mcc's heart gave out and he gave up what
do you think killed your husband stress the stress of the trial while Evelyn mccab laid her
husband to rest next to their son the DA's office had a decision to make after losing the case against m Ferrera would
it go ahead with the trial of Walter [Music] Shelly Jack Lan all the girls are singing Love
Songs those weddding bells I break I still don't believe Bill's gone I can still hear him snore in the
night and then I I feel the bed is not there Evelyn McCabe was determined to honor her husband's dying wish he laid
in the hospital bed I says I'll pick up and take over for you she'd see to it someone would pay for John's murder the
jury find Michael Ferrera not guilty watching Michael Ferrera Go free was tough for some jurors too so how hard
was it for you to acquit him it was very difficult one of the jurors Michael duette says the biggest problem was
Edward Allen Brown plan was to teach him a lesson for messing with Marlin did the
majority of the jurors believe him no why not they just felt that he was not telling the truth I thought they were
just going to slap around and they felt that he had been fed information and that didn't make a ton of sense to me
maybe he wasn't the best witness but I just can't see somebody saying I did it when they didn't do it duette came to
believe Brown and wanted to find Michael Ferrera guilty of something but the only
choices the jurors had were first and second degree murder so what did you want to convict him of manslaughter and
it wasn't an option we are extremely pleased with the jury's verdict despite the Ferrera loss prosecutors decided to
try to convict the other suspect in the murder Walter Shelly the acquit in the Ferrera case didn't do anything to
lessen our belief that we had the right people who were responsible for killing John McCabe all R September 3rd
2013 7 months after Michael ferrera's acquit this murder was about John MCC it was Walter Shell's turn to stand trial
Shelly was 17 the night of John's murder he's now 61 remarried and has lived quietly in tuxbury ever since just a few
miles from Evelyn mccab Walter shell is sitting on small of his back holding the
hands now if convicted of first-degree murder Shelly could spend the rest of his life in prison they wrestle him to
the ground it was the same case prosecutors presented against Michael Ferrera the same motive
and the same evidence ropes that came off the victim bodyy presented by the same Witnesses Mara Shiner detective
Linda Coughlin and once again the state star witness Edward Allen Brown I heard one of them say he's not breathing was
it any easier to sit through the second trial no I want to say it was harder Dad
wasn't there for backup you were called a liar repeatedly yes I was Brown seemed
less rattled this time more confident and the maves allowed themselves to hope I can keep my fingers my toes everything
crossed during closing arguments the defense called Brown a liar happen he'll tell you whatever you want to hear but
the prosecution argued that brown would never implicate himself in a crime he did not commit but he confess one he was
talked into it the week-long trial went to the jury this would be the maves last chance to
see someone held accountable for killing John we had faith that the jury was going to come with the right answer this
time finally two days later a verdict person has a jury agreed upon its verdict yes we have pass the verdict sub
solar please Walter Shell's wife and family waited nervously Evelyn mccab couldn't bring herself to even sit in
the courtroom and had to wait out side she couldn't hear another not guilty May the verdicts be reported you H she was
scared she was going to drop dead charging the defendant Walter Shelly with the offense of murder what say was
the defendant guilty or not guilty guilty Mur guilty of what first agree guilty and life behind bars for
Walter Shelly this jury believed Brown so when you heard heard guilty do you remember the first thing you
thought I thought my father would be proud We got one of them just it was the final twist in a mystery
filled with them for the same crime and on the same evidence one man walked free
one man went to prison [Music] hey John guess what we got him Billy it turned out
beautifully he didn't live to write about it but Bill mccab finally got the end he was looking for to the story he
wrote about John's life and death a story that took four decades to play out he was 15 years is 6 months and 2 weeks
about his boy who will be 15 years 6 months and two weeks old forever please John please take great
care of until I get be please and then I will [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] CBS next a stepdaughter's trust betray
she found naked photos of herself on her stepdad's computer hundreds hundreds then Tom marman is found dead was it
Revenge did you want your stepfather dead 48 Hours Crime Time double feature continues next on CBS and streaming on
Paramount Plus [Music]

Secrets begin to unravel and witnesses come forward in these cases covered by “48 Hours.” Watch the YouTube mini-marathon, featuring "The COVID Cover-Up: Searching for Gretchen Anthony," "A Sister's Fight for her Brother" and "The Pact."

00:00 The COVID Cover-Up: Searching for Gretchen Anthony, 42:44 A Sister's Fight for her Brother 1:24:34 The Pact

Crime. Social justice. Impact. "48 Hours" investigates the most intriguing crime and justice cases that touch on all areas of the human experience including greed and passion. "48 Hours," which premiered in 1988, has developed a rich history of original reporting and impact journalism that has helped exonerate wrongly convicted people, caused cold cases to be reopened and solved, and along the way changed lives.

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Brief Summary

Gretchen Anthony went missing during COVID-19; her estranged husband David was arrested for her murder after evidence surfaced against him.

Key points

Mysterious Texts from Gretchen. Gretchen sends alarming texts about her health, but no one hears her voice.
David Anthony's Alarming Behavior. David's erratic actions raise suspicions as he attempts to flee the country.
The Last Images of Gretchen. Security footage captures the last moments of Gretchen alive before her disappearance.
Gretchen's Body Found. After months of searching, David Anthony reveals the location of Gretchen's remains.
Brandon's Alibi. Brandon, Gretchen's brother, is questioned by police regarding the murder of their parents.
Lauren's Confusion. Lauren struggles to comprehend the arrest of her brother, Brandon, just days after losing her parents.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

Where is Gretchen?

The pivotal question driving the investigation.

10:35WatchSep 21, 2024

Tension

85/ 100High tension

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