1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:03,600 This program is about unsolved mysteries. 2 00:00:03,600 --> 00:00:06,300 Whenever possible, the actual family members and police 3 00:00:06,300 --> 00:00:09,200 officials have participated in recreating the events. 4 00:00:09,200 --> 00:00:11,900 What you are about to see is not a news broadcast. 5 00:00:16,400 --> 00:00:18,400 Tonight on Unsolved Mysteries, 6 00:00:18,400 --> 00:00:20,800 Tim McClure and his mother were inseparable 7 00:00:20,800 --> 00:00:23,000 until Terry McClure was found shot to death 8 00:00:23,000 --> 00:00:25,400 in a casino parking lot, and her son became 9 00:00:25,400 --> 00:00:27,600 the number one killer in the world. 10 00:00:28,400 --> 00:00:33,000 Tonight, Tim McClure wants to tell his side of the story. 11 00:00:33,000 --> 00:00:36,200 In 1973, America was crippled by the gas shortage. 12 00:00:36,200 --> 00:00:38,200 Liz Carmichael raised $3 million 13 00:00:38,200 --> 00:00:40,200 for her revolutionary three-wheeled car, 14 00:00:40,200 --> 00:00:43,200 which she claimed would get 70 miles to the gallon. 15 00:00:43,200 --> 00:00:47,800 The government claimed fraud, and Liz has disappeared. 16 00:00:47,800 --> 00:00:50,800 In Georgia, a feud between two rival restaurant owners 17 00:00:50,800 --> 00:00:52,600 competing for the same customers 18 00:00:52,600 --> 00:00:54,200 ended in a contract killing. 19 00:00:54,200 --> 00:00:57,400 One of them was a man who was a victim of a car accident. 20 00:00:57,400 --> 00:01:00,600 One of the murderers is still at large. 21 00:01:00,600 --> 00:01:04,400 Four mysteries with no endings, but they can be solved. 22 00:01:04,400 --> 00:01:06,800 Last November, we presented the story of the kidnapping 23 00:01:06,800 --> 00:01:09,400 of a wealthy Mississippi woman whose husband was told 24 00:01:09,400 --> 00:01:11,700 to send $1 million to 12 people named 25 00:01:11,700 --> 00:01:13,600 in a bizarre ransom note. 26 00:01:13,600 --> 00:01:16,200 He paid out, but his wife was not released. 27 00:01:16,200 --> 00:01:19,300 Tonight, an update on this extraordinary case. 28 00:01:19,300 --> 00:01:22,800 Join me. You may be able to help solve a mystery. 29 00:01:57,400 --> 00:02:05,400 MUSIC 30 00:02:14,200 --> 00:02:18,200 In 1977, T.K. Hardy's saloon was a popular bar and restaurant 31 00:02:18,200 --> 00:02:22,800 catering to the student crowd in the University town of Athens, Georgia. 32 00:02:22,800 --> 00:02:26,800 The saloon's owner was Ted K. Hardy, nicknamed T.K. 33 00:02:26,800 --> 00:02:28,800 He rented space from a group of businessmen 34 00:02:28,800 --> 00:02:31,500 who were converting an abandoned train depot into a complex 35 00:02:31,500 --> 00:02:35,400 of restaurants and trendy shops. 36 00:02:35,400 --> 00:02:38,800 T.K. Hardy was an obnoxious Yankee when you first met him. 37 00:02:38,800 --> 00:02:40,900 He came on really strong. 38 00:02:40,900 --> 00:02:44,000 And when he came to town, it took me a little while 39 00:02:44,000 --> 00:02:45,920 to get used to him so that I would even 40 00:02:45,920 --> 00:02:49,400 want to have him as a tenant. 41 00:02:49,400 --> 00:02:52,800 When you got to know T.K., he was just a real teddy bear. 42 00:02:52,800 --> 00:02:54,400 Just a really nice guy. 43 00:02:54,400 --> 00:02:58,600 He was enthusiastic about the complex and doing it right. 44 00:02:58,600 --> 00:03:00,000 What's going on this week? 45 00:03:00,000 --> 00:03:02,900 Hardy's arch rival was a man named John Mooney, 46 00:03:02,900 --> 00:03:05,300 who also leased space in the remodeled train station 47 00:03:05,300 --> 00:03:09,200 for his restaurant called Somebody's Pizza. 48 00:03:09,200 --> 00:03:12,500 Mooney and T.K. Hardy had a long history of animosity 49 00:03:12,500 --> 00:03:14,160 because both their restaurants were going 50 00:03:14,160 --> 00:03:18,000 after the same student clientele. 51 00:03:18,000 --> 00:03:20,000 When John Mooney came to town, he 52 00:03:20,000 --> 00:03:25,100 was the preppy out of college cool guy, 53 00:03:25,100 --> 00:03:28,000 was full of vigor and enthusiasm about what he was going 54 00:03:28,000 --> 00:03:30,100 to do down there and how he was going to make his millions 55 00:03:30,100 --> 00:03:32,560 of dollars and what all he had to offer. 56 00:03:32,560 --> 00:03:36,700 And that lasted until he got the lease signed and got the place. 57 00:03:36,700 --> 00:03:39,120 And then he started, well, I just need this. 58 00:03:39,120 --> 00:03:40,000 I just need that. 59 00:03:40,000 --> 00:03:41,120 And I can't pay the rent. 60 00:03:41,120 --> 00:03:44,000 And then John kind of got greedy. 61 00:03:44,000 --> 00:03:47,320 Hey, come see us next door, Nickel Beer, Somebody's Pizza. 62 00:03:47,320 --> 00:03:49,080 Come to Somebody's Pizza right next door. 63 00:03:49,080 --> 00:03:50,240 Good deal on beer. 64 00:03:50,240 --> 00:03:53,720 John started wanting to infringe on everybody else's 65 00:03:53,720 --> 00:03:54,680 business. 66 00:03:54,680 --> 00:03:57,920 His idea was to go up to T.K.'s pass out 67 00:03:57,920 --> 00:04:00,400 flyers on the deck for Nickel Beer 68 00:04:00,400 --> 00:04:04,360 and draw T.K.'s crowd down his place. 69 00:04:04,360 --> 00:04:05,680 John, what do you think you're doing here? 70 00:04:05,680 --> 00:04:07,400 Hey, what is it looking at? 71 00:04:07,400 --> 00:04:09,320 That just went all over T.K. 72 00:04:09,320 --> 00:04:10,400 I mean, he couldn't stand that. 73 00:04:10,400 --> 00:04:12,320 That was the last straw. 74 00:04:12,320 --> 00:04:13,720 I'll tell you what this is. 75 00:04:13,720 --> 00:04:15,520 This is private property. 76 00:04:15,520 --> 00:04:17,880 I want you out of here right now. 77 00:04:17,880 --> 00:04:21,080 John Mooney and T.K. Hardy despised each other. 78 00:04:21,080 --> 00:04:22,760 They really had gotten to the point 79 00:04:22,760 --> 00:04:27,720 that there was no reconciliation between the two people. 80 00:04:27,720 --> 00:04:30,120 The feud between T.K. Hardy and John Mooney 81 00:04:30,120 --> 00:04:32,720 started out as a dispute between restaurateurs going 82 00:04:32,720 --> 00:04:34,840 after the same customers. 83 00:04:34,840 --> 00:04:36,820 But after three years, on the original lease 84 00:04:36,820 --> 00:04:39,320 on the train station expired, T.K. Hardy 85 00:04:39,320 --> 00:04:41,520 took over the entire complex. 86 00:04:41,520 --> 00:04:43,320 It was then that his feud with John Mooney 87 00:04:43,320 --> 00:04:45,920 escalated into a full-scale war. 88 00:04:45,920 --> 00:04:48,520 The end result was murder. 89 00:04:48,520 --> 00:04:52,520 When we decided to not pick up the lease, 90 00:04:52,520 --> 00:04:54,320 we had to sell the place. 91 00:04:54,320 --> 00:04:56,440 Ted came up with the money, and Ted 92 00:04:56,440 --> 00:04:59,840 bought the station complex, the shops, everything, 93 00:04:59,840 --> 00:05:01,600 which included John Mooney's place. 94 00:05:04,680 --> 00:05:07,200 He said he was going to evict John as soon as we signed 95 00:05:07,200 --> 00:05:08,080 the paper. 96 00:05:08,080 --> 00:05:11,360 And he did that on a Friday afternoon. 97 00:05:11,360 --> 00:05:13,920 This is your eviction notice. 98 00:05:13,920 --> 00:05:14,720 Eviction notice? 99 00:05:14,720 --> 00:05:16,120 This is your eviction notice. 100 00:05:16,120 --> 00:05:17,600 You're out of here. 101 00:05:17,600 --> 00:05:18,400 Wait a minute. 102 00:05:18,400 --> 00:05:21,560 T.K. Hardy had made mention to several members of his family, 103 00:05:21,560 --> 00:05:25,080 to his girlfriend, that he was concerned, not to the extent 104 00:05:25,080 --> 00:05:27,520 that he would harm him physically, perhaps, 105 00:05:27,520 --> 00:05:30,040 but that he was really concerned about the attitude 106 00:05:30,040 --> 00:05:33,040 of John and Mooney against him concerning the eviction. 107 00:05:38,240 --> 00:05:40,760 10 days later, in the early morning hours of August 108 00:05:40,800 --> 00:05:45,360 the 30th, 1977, T.K. Hardy arrived home as usual 109 00:05:45,360 --> 00:05:47,360 after closing up his saloon for the night. 110 00:05:51,120 --> 00:05:57,160 A man lurked in the shadows of T.K.'s kitchen, watching him. 111 00:05:57,160 --> 00:06:01,000 When Hardy left to walk into his study, the man followed him. 112 00:06:11,400 --> 00:06:14,200 T.K. Hardy was shot one time in the head. 113 00:06:14,200 --> 00:06:15,160 He died instantly. 114 00:06:18,480 --> 00:06:20,720 Four hours after Hardy's body was found, 115 00:06:20,720 --> 00:06:24,320 police picked up John Mooney for interrogation. 116 00:06:24,320 --> 00:06:27,040 At first, Mooney was very cooperative. 117 00:06:27,040 --> 00:06:30,680 John, do you know why you're here tonight? 118 00:06:30,680 --> 00:06:35,200 Well, I guess it's about the shooting of T.K. Hardy. 119 00:06:35,200 --> 00:06:36,400 Yeah? 120 00:06:36,400 --> 00:06:37,400 How did you know? 121 00:06:37,960 --> 00:06:40,640 News of Hardy's murder had not been released to anyone, 122 00:06:40,640 --> 00:06:43,840 yet Mooney seemed to know exactly why he was being questioned. 123 00:06:46,840 --> 00:06:49,640 When John Mooney told me that he was aware 124 00:06:49,640 --> 00:06:52,680 that T.K. Hardy had been shot, I told him 125 00:06:52,680 --> 00:06:56,360 that we had not released that information 126 00:06:56,360 --> 00:06:59,560 and that nobody knew that except the police department 127 00:06:59,560 --> 00:07:02,160 and the people that were investigating this murder. 128 00:07:02,160 --> 00:07:05,360 I told him that we had not released that information 129 00:07:05,360 --> 00:07:08,200 and the people that were investigating this murder, 130 00:07:08,200 --> 00:07:12,240 that he had been killed or how he had been killed. 131 00:07:12,240 --> 00:07:14,800 At that time, he did become nervous. 132 00:07:14,800 --> 00:07:17,960 He said, I think I need to talk to my lawyer. 133 00:07:17,960 --> 00:07:19,280 All right, thanks. 134 00:07:19,280 --> 00:07:21,240 Bye. 135 00:07:21,240 --> 00:07:23,960 Hold on just a second. Sit down. 136 00:07:23,960 --> 00:07:25,800 When he hung up the phone, he said, 137 00:07:25,800 --> 00:07:27,840 my lawyer said for me to get up and walk out 138 00:07:27,840 --> 00:07:29,560 if I wasn't under arrest. 139 00:07:29,560 --> 00:07:31,240 I'm going to allow you to leave. 140 00:07:31,240 --> 00:07:34,640 I want to tell you something before you go, though. 141 00:07:35,080 --> 00:07:39,080 Police did not have sufficient evidence to arrest Mooney. 142 00:07:39,080 --> 00:07:40,480 Go ahead. 143 00:07:40,480 --> 00:07:41,880 No other leads surfaced. 144 00:07:41,880 --> 00:07:43,320 And three weeks after the murder, 145 00:07:43,320 --> 00:07:45,320 the authorities were still at a dead end. 146 00:07:48,320 --> 00:07:51,160 On the fourth week, another local restaurant manager 147 00:07:51,160 --> 00:07:53,600 who had known both T.K. Hardy and John Mooney 148 00:07:53,600 --> 00:07:57,000 called the police with a bizarre story. 149 00:07:57,000 --> 00:07:59,800 He said he was cleaning up behind the bar one night 150 00:07:59,800 --> 00:08:02,400 when an Atlanta electrician named Elmo Florence 151 00:08:02,440 --> 00:08:06,440 began to drop hints that he was willing to kill people for money. 152 00:08:06,440 --> 00:08:07,440 You're a what? 153 00:08:07,440 --> 00:08:08,840 I'm a hit man. 154 00:08:08,840 --> 00:08:11,840 You don't need to call New Jersey if you want somebody good. 155 00:08:11,840 --> 00:08:12,840 Give me a call. 156 00:08:12,840 --> 00:08:13,840 Yeah? 157 00:08:13,840 --> 00:08:17,840 Elmo was bragging to me about the fact that he was a hit man 158 00:08:17,840 --> 00:08:19,840 and his services were for hire. 159 00:08:19,840 --> 00:08:21,840 At first, I thought he was kidding me. 160 00:08:21,840 --> 00:08:22,840 T.K. Hardy. 161 00:08:22,840 --> 00:08:23,840 He murdered T.K. Hardy. 162 00:08:23,840 --> 00:08:25,240 You're a baddie. 163 00:08:25,240 --> 00:08:28,240 You have to understand, Elmo, I just thought he was kidding around 164 00:08:28,240 --> 00:08:31,240 with me some sort of warp sense of humor. 165 00:08:31,800 --> 00:08:36,880 And then we started to go on and, you know, I just said to him, 166 00:08:36,880 --> 00:08:39,040 I said, all right, how'd you get in the house? 167 00:08:39,040 --> 00:08:40,400 Piece of cake. 168 00:08:40,400 --> 00:08:41,640 Busted out the glass. 169 00:08:45,980 --> 00:08:48,280 Winnie, swept the glass up in the pile. 170 00:08:51,160 --> 00:08:52,080 Waited around for it. 171 00:08:57,080 --> 00:08:58,880 Telephone signal. 172 00:08:58,880 --> 00:08:59,680 Two rings. 173 00:09:02,200 --> 00:09:03,680 I knew he was on his way. 174 00:09:07,080 --> 00:09:07,880 I waited. 175 00:09:11,320 --> 00:09:13,280 Saw the car lights. 176 00:09:13,280 --> 00:09:16,080 Heard the car. 177 00:09:16,080 --> 00:09:17,080 I waited for him. 178 00:09:20,080 --> 00:09:24,880 Elmo Flarks began to describe the inside of the house 179 00:09:24,880 --> 00:09:26,080 where the murder took place. 180 00:09:26,080 --> 00:09:30,080 He began to tell the point of entry. 181 00:09:30,640 --> 00:09:35,480 He told what type of weapon was used to kill Ted Hardy. 182 00:09:35,480 --> 00:09:40,400 He told where the bullet entered the head and where it exited. 183 00:09:40,400 --> 00:09:42,360 There was basically in the statement 184 00:09:42,360 --> 00:09:46,800 that we received from the manager of the restaurant, 185 00:09:46,800 --> 00:09:50,400 there were 21 different points that we had not 186 00:09:50,400 --> 00:09:52,160 released to the public. 187 00:09:52,520 --> 00:09:59,400 We knew at that time that we had a very hot suspect here. 188 00:09:59,400 --> 00:10:00,320 Mr. Flarks. 189 00:10:00,320 --> 00:10:01,240 Yeah. 190 00:10:01,240 --> 00:10:02,120 Elmo Flarks. 191 00:10:02,120 --> 00:10:03,000 That's right. 192 00:10:03,000 --> 00:10:05,040 If you're under arrest for murder, don't move. 193 00:10:05,040 --> 00:10:06,040 Don't move. 194 00:10:06,040 --> 00:10:08,240 All right, get out of here. 195 00:10:08,240 --> 00:10:10,360 OK, get him on, sir. 196 00:10:10,360 --> 00:10:11,240 Yeah. 197 00:10:11,240 --> 00:10:13,240 Elmo Flarks had told the restaurant manager 198 00:10:13,240 --> 00:10:17,000 that John Mooney hired him to kill T.K. Hardy. 199 00:10:17,000 --> 00:10:19,040 But when the police tried to arrest Mooney, 200 00:10:19,480 --> 00:10:21,160 they found that he had left the country. 201 00:10:21,160 --> 00:10:24,920 The Elmo Flarks had not walked into the bar 202 00:10:24,920 --> 00:10:26,720 and started telling the different things 203 00:10:26,720 --> 00:10:29,200 that we later determined to be true. 204 00:10:29,200 --> 00:10:31,760 Possibly the investigation into this murder 205 00:10:31,760 --> 00:10:34,120 would have never been solved. 206 00:10:34,120 --> 00:10:37,120 John Mooney had already been established as a suspect, 207 00:10:37,120 --> 00:10:38,760 but there was no connection at that time 208 00:10:38,760 --> 00:10:40,440 between Mooney and Florence. 209 00:10:40,440 --> 00:10:42,120 I don't know how long that would have taken 210 00:10:42,120 --> 00:10:45,880 if it were ever uncovered. 211 00:10:46,600 --> 00:10:48,120 This was a terrific break. 212 00:10:48,120 --> 00:10:50,280 It was lucky. 213 00:10:50,280 --> 00:10:52,640 And we took advantage of it. 214 00:10:52,640 --> 00:10:55,320 So are there going to be flags? 215 00:10:55,320 --> 00:10:57,600 Two weeks later, police were tipped off 216 00:10:57,600 --> 00:10:59,320 that Mooney had returned to the United States 217 00:10:59,320 --> 00:11:01,880 and was staying at a friend's apartment. 218 00:11:01,880 --> 00:11:04,120 Cobb County police Lieutenant Lee Moss 219 00:11:04,120 --> 00:11:06,600 went to the apartment building and approached two men who 220 00:11:06,600 --> 00:11:07,640 were drinking in the parking lot. 221 00:11:10,640 --> 00:11:14,240 By the time I arrested John Mooney, all I knew was that he 222 00:11:14,240 --> 00:11:20,680 was named and a general description. 223 00:11:20,680 --> 00:11:23,560 And I knew that the one was from murder. 224 00:11:23,560 --> 00:11:27,120 So I saw the two individuals drinking beer. 225 00:11:27,120 --> 00:11:29,440 This gave me a perfect out. 226 00:11:29,440 --> 00:11:33,080 I figured to approach them from this angle, 227 00:11:33,080 --> 00:11:35,640 because I knew if he knew he was one, 228 00:11:35,640 --> 00:11:41,920 he would probably flee from us or else they'd pull a gun on us. 229 00:11:41,920 --> 00:11:43,440 I tell you, all these cans here, it kind of 230 00:11:43,600 --> 00:11:44,080 upsets me. 231 00:11:44,080 --> 00:11:45,920 I was littering, y'all sitting out here drinking. 232 00:11:45,920 --> 00:11:48,000 Officer Moss ascertained that one of the men 233 00:11:48,000 --> 00:11:49,400 was indeed John Mooney. 234 00:11:49,400 --> 00:11:53,240 I tell you what, put your hand on the car. 235 00:11:53,240 --> 00:11:57,040 He arrested Mooney and charged him with murder. 236 00:11:57,040 --> 00:11:59,720 When the police inventoried Mooney's belongings, 237 00:11:59,720 --> 00:12:01,520 they found several incriminating notes 238 00:12:01,520 --> 00:12:03,840 he had jotted to himself. 239 00:12:03,840 --> 00:12:06,960 Incredibly, Mooney had written, see Elmo, 240 00:12:06,960 --> 00:12:08,760 offer to him if worse comes to worse 241 00:12:08,760 --> 00:12:12,000 to take the whole rap and say robbery was the motive. 242 00:12:12,000 --> 00:12:16,880 We have agreement for me to take care of his wife and family. 243 00:12:16,880 --> 00:12:20,120 Elmo Florence's trial lasted only one week. 244 00:12:20,120 --> 00:12:22,640 He was sentenced to life at a maximum security prison 245 00:12:22,640 --> 00:12:24,920 in Georgia. 246 00:12:24,920 --> 00:12:26,800 John Mooney was also sentenced to life 247 00:12:26,800 --> 00:12:28,640 in a maximum security prison. 248 00:12:28,640 --> 00:12:30,720 But three months later, he was moved 249 00:12:30,720 --> 00:12:33,920 to a minimum security facility. 250 00:12:33,920 --> 00:12:35,920 After six months of observation there, 251 00:12:35,920 --> 00:12:39,720 prison officials gave Mooney the job of kitchen clerk. 252 00:12:39,760 --> 00:12:42,880 Now he had access to areas that were not available to most 253 00:12:42,880 --> 00:12:43,880 prisoners. 254 00:12:43,880 --> 00:12:45,320 How's the count today? 255 00:12:45,320 --> 00:12:46,320 Pretty good. 256 00:12:46,320 --> 00:12:47,440 245, 245. 257 00:12:47,440 --> 00:12:51,640 John Mooney was a what you call an ideal inmate. 258 00:12:51,640 --> 00:12:55,400 He fit in well with the inmate and staff. 259 00:12:55,400 --> 00:12:57,680 He didn't complain about the rules and regulations. 260 00:12:57,680 --> 00:13:00,200 He just worked hard. 261 00:13:00,200 --> 00:13:05,120 And he gained a confidence of the staff and myself. 262 00:13:05,120 --> 00:13:07,880 So he had proven himself. 263 00:13:07,880 --> 00:13:11,360 But now we see he was a con artist. 264 00:13:11,360 --> 00:13:12,440 And he was con in the saw. 265 00:13:16,040 --> 00:13:19,600 On March the 16th, 1980, after serving only 19 months 266 00:13:19,600 --> 00:13:23,080 of his life sentence, John Mooney engineered his escape. 267 00:13:28,920 --> 00:13:31,120 When the prisoners went back inside and the guard 268 00:13:31,120 --> 00:13:34,920 locked the gate and walked away, Mooney made his break. 269 00:13:38,400 --> 00:13:44,080 An accomplice was waiting in a car park nearby. 270 00:13:44,080 --> 00:13:46,720 As Mooney ran toward the car, he discarded his prison 271 00:13:46,720 --> 00:13:50,520 wardrobes piece by piece. 272 00:13:50,520 --> 00:13:52,720 Two hours went by before prison officials 273 00:13:52,720 --> 00:13:54,920 noticed Mooney was missing. 274 00:13:54,920 --> 00:13:57,000 By then, it was too late. 275 00:13:57,000 --> 00:13:58,760 John Mooney had made his getaway. 276 00:14:02,440 --> 00:14:04,520 He has not been seen for over nine years. 277 00:14:08,880 --> 00:14:12,800 Without the actions of Mooney and actually hiring somebody 278 00:14:12,800 --> 00:14:17,360 to take another person's life, T.K. Hartley would be here today. 279 00:14:17,360 --> 00:14:19,880 Unless John Henry Mooney is captured, 280 00:14:19,880 --> 00:14:23,120 he got away with murder. 281 00:14:23,120 --> 00:14:26,240 These photographs were taken in 1979. 282 00:14:26,240 --> 00:14:28,720 Today, John Mooney would be 40 years old. 283 00:14:28,720 --> 00:14:32,800 He is 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighs about 170 pounds. 284 00:14:32,800 --> 00:14:36,520 Mooney has a fair complexion, green eyes, and sandy blonde hair. 285 00:14:36,520 --> 00:14:38,440 He may be living in the Dayton, Ohio area. 286 00:14:42,360 --> 00:14:44,560 Update, Scottsdale, Arizona. 287 00:14:44,560 --> 00:14:46,920 Within minutes of our broadcast, two viewers 288 00:14:46,920 --> 00:14:49,920 called our telecenter to report that John Mooney was 289 00:14:49,920 --> 00:14:53,200 living in this house under the assumed name Robert J. Kelly. 290 00:14:55,920 --> 00:14:58,720 On August 8, John Mooney, alias Robert Kelly, 291 00:14:58,720 --> 00:15:01,520 was arrested at his home by the Mesa police. 292 00:15:01,520 --> 00:15:04,800 Mooney had been living in Arizona since 1982. 293 00:15:04,800 --> 00:15:07,480 He was enrolled at Arizona State University. 294 00:15:07,480 --> 00:15:09,360 For the past several years, he'd been working 295 00:15:09,360 --> 00:15:11,080 as an accountant for various companies 296 00:15:11,080 --> 00:15:12,920 in the Scottsdale area. 297 00:15:12,920 --> 00:15:15,760 Mooney married six years ago and has a one-year-old child. 298 00:15:19,080 --> 00:15:23,160 On September 16, 1989, over nine years after he escaped, 299 00:15:23,160 --> 00:15:24,920 John Mooney was returned to Georgia. 300 00:15:24,920 --> 00:15:35,160 In a moment, the story of Liz Carmichael, 301 00:15:35,160 --> 00:15:38,240 visionary, automotive genius, and wanted fugitive. 302 00:15:48,480 --> 00:15:51,800 In 1973, America was faced with an oil crisis 303 00:15:51,800 --> 00:15:54,440 that nearly crippled the country. 304 00:15:54,440 --> 00:15:56,440 It created a gas shortage, and motorists 305 00:15:56,440 --> 00:15:59,600 had to wait hours to fill up their tanks. 306 00:15:59,600 --> 00:16:02,280 Consumers wanted a solution, cheaper gas 307 00:16:02,280 --> 00:16:05,080 or more economical cars. 308 00:16:05,080 --> 00:16:08,240 One visionary claimed she had just such a car, 309 00:16:08,240 --> 00:16:12,520 a startling new three-wheeled vehicle called the Dale. 310 00:16:12,520 --> 00:16:14,680 It was claimed that this revolutionary car would 311 00:16:14,680 --> 00:16:19,120 get 70 miles to the gallon and cost less than $2,000. 312 00:16:19,120 --> 00:16:21,240 Made of a special aerospace plastic, 313 00:16:21,240 --> 00:16:23,680 its creator claimed it could withstand an impact 314 00:16:23,680 --> 00:16:26,200 against a brick wall at 50 miles an hour 315 00:16:26,200 --> 00:16:29,240 and was impossible to tip over. 316 00:16:29,240 --> 00:16:32,160 It seemed the perfect answer to the gas crunch. 317 00:16:32,160 --> 00:16:34,840 It was a new idea, something we all 318 00:16:34,840 --> 00:16:37,800 heard of the gas guzzlers coming from Detroit. 319 00:16:37,800 --> 00:16:39,840 And here's somebody could put out an automobile that 320 00:16:39,840 --> 00:16:42,920 could get 60 miles to a gallon of gas 321 00:16:42,920 --> 00:16:45,680 and travel all over the city without a problem. 322 00:16:45,680 --> 00:16:48,800 Would have been the ideal automobile. 323 00:16:48,800 --> 00:16:50,720 The entrepreneur who unveiled the Dale 324 00:16:50,720 --> 00:16:54,240 was a remarkable and forceful woman named Liz Carmichael, who 325 00:16:54,240 --> 00:16:58,440 saw herself as a cross between Howard Hughes and Henry Ford. 326 00:16:58,440 --> 00:17:03,040 We have pledges from private individuals for private stock. 327 00:17:03,040 --> 00:17:06,840 Elizabeth Carmichael was very positive, 328 00:17:06,840 --> 00:17:11,840 a very command presence, a very powerful appearing person. 329 00:17:11,840 --> 00:17:15,560 A big woman, a massive woman, but that was part of her appeal. 330 00:17:15,560 --> 00:17:16,920 She wanted to be a man. 331 00:17:16,920 --> 00:17:18,640 She wanted to wear a man's pants. 332 00:17:18,640 --> 00:17:19,680 She acted like a man. 333 00:17:19,680 --> 00:17:20,440 She was strong. 334 00:17:20,480 --> 00:17:21,840 She was determined. 335 00:17:21,840 --> 00:17:25,920 She had the ability to incite this fire in you, 336 00:17:25,920 --> 00:17:27,760 not wimpish in any way. 337 00:17:27,760 --> 00:17:30,400 She's a very dynamic, strong person. 338 00:17:30,400 --> 00:17:34,840 And she did things that impressed us. 339 00:17:34,840 --> 00:17:37,840 Liz achieved celebrity status while raising over $3 million 340 00:17:37,840 --> 00:17:40,800 through advanced purchases of her car. 341 00:17:40,800 --> 00:17:44,680 Then on May 29, 1975, Geraldine Elizabeth Carmichael 342 00:17:44,680 --> 00:17:46,480 was indicted by the Los Angeles County 343 00:17:46,480 --> 00:17:49,320 grand jury for grand theft and fraud. 344 00:17:49,320 --> 00:17:52,200 She was later found guilty on 34 counts. 345 00:17:52,200 --> 00:17:56,360 Liz Carmichael's car, the Dale, turned out to be a sham. 346 00:17:56,360 --> 00:17:57,880 Was this a case of someone simply 347 00:17:57,880 --> 00:18:00,000 feeling to live up to their dreams? 348 00:18:00,000 --> 00:18:01,440 Or did Liz Carmichael deliberately 349 00:18:01,440 --> 00:18:06,280 set out to swindle millions from naive investors? 350 00:18:06,280 --> 00:18:09,920 In 1973, Liz was a housewife living in Los Angeles 351 00:18:09,920 --> 00:18:12,160 with her five children. 352 00:18:12,160 --> 00:18:14,920 She claimed she had a degree in mechanical engineering. 353 00:18:14,920 --> 00:18:18,640 And in 1974, formed 20th century motor car corporation 354 00:18:18,640 --> 00:18:23,040 to produce her three-wheeled car, the Dale. 355 00:18:23,040 --> 00:18:25,160 I've called you all together to try and give you 356 00:18:25,160 --> 00:18:27,560 some update information on what we're doing here 357 00:18:27,560 --> 00:18:30,480 at 20th century motors and with the Dale. 358 00:18:30,480 --> 00:18:33,120 Liz Carmichael told investors in the press 359 00:18:33,120 --> 00:18:35,840 that her company was running three large aircraft hangers, 360 00:18:35,840 --> 00:18:37,560 where they would soon start production. 361 00:18:37,560 --> 00:18:38,920 In our first year. 362 00:18:38,920 --> 00:18:40,120 What about the cost? 363 00:18:40,120 --> 00:18:41,120 Cost factor. 364 00:18:41,120 --> 00:18:42,920 Any American can afford our car. 365 00:18:42,920 --> 00:18:45,240 And the questions that were asked were not, 366 00:18:45,240 --> 00:18:47,760 well, if you've got a manufacturing facility, 367 00:18:47,760 --> 00:18:49,040 where is it? 368 00:18:49,040 --> 00:18:50,440 And how long have you been making cars? 369 00:18:50,440 --> 00:18:51,560 And who are your engineers? 370 00:18:51,560 --> 00:18:52,800 And we're not the tough questions. 371 00:18:52,800 --> 00:18:56,000 The questions were basically, well, Liz, we're behind you. 372 00:18:56,000 --> 00:18:58,000 And where can I send my money? 373 00:18:58,000 --> 00:18:59,240 It was just so exciting. 374 00:18:59,240 --> 00:19:00,320 And it was unbelievable. 375 00:19:00,320 --> 00:19:03,440 We used to get male sacks full of mail dragged 376 00:19:03,440 --> 00:19:06,440 into that office almost every day. 377 00:19:06,440 --> 00:19:09,760 News of Liz and her infamous car spread across the country. 378 00:19:09,760 --> 00:19:12,080 And soon she was being interviewed by Newsweek 379 00:19:12,080 --> 00:19:14,800 and People Magazine. 380 00:19:14,800 --> 00:19:17,600 Back at Liz's headquarters in Encino, California, 381 00:19:17,600 --> 00:19:20,960 the authorities began to question her claims. 382 00:19:20,960 --> 00:19:24,320 I'd like to see Liz Carmichael. 383 00:19:24,320 --> 00:19:26,520 The California Department of Corporations 384 00:19:26,520 --> 00:19:29,920 accused Liz of illegally selling both dealer franchises 385 00:19:29,920 --> 00:19:32,080 and cars that did not yet exist. 386 00:19:32,080 --> 00:19:32,980 Corporations? 387 00:19:32,980 --> 00:19:34,280 How do you do it? 388 00:19:34,280 --> 00:19:36,440 I have a desist and refrain order issued 389 00:19:36,440 --> 00:19:39,560 against 20th century motor car corporation. 390 00:19:39,560 --> 00:19:41,800 It orders 20th century to desist and refrain 391 00:19:41,800 --> 00:19:45,520 from the further offer and sale of securities. 392 00:19:45,520 --> 00:19:46,420 Thank you. 393 00:19:48,480 --> 00:19:50,920 The Department of Motor Vehicles discovered the company 394 00:19:50,920 --> 00:19:53,600 had no state permit to manufacture cars 395 00:19:53,600 --> 00:19:55,240 and even questioned whether the lab was 396 00:19:55,240 --> 00:19:57,400 developing a vehicle at all. 397 00:19:57,400 --> 00:19:59,320 We went to the Research and Development Lab 398 00:19:59,320 --> 00:20:02,280 and observed what appeared to be people appearing to be busy. 399 00:20:02,280 --> 00:20:05,120 But in wandering through the lab, 400 00:20:05,120 --> 00:20:07,440 I saw no evidence that they were designing a vehicle 401 00:20:07,440 --> 00:20:09,760 or in the process of making a vehicle. 402 00:20:09,760 --> 00:20:12,280 Everyone in the Research and Development Lab, 403 00:20:12,280 --> 00:20:15,160 without a doubt, was sincere, believed in the car, 404 00:20:15,160 --> 00:20:19,120 and there was even talk if the company should fold. 405 00:20:19,120 --> 00:20:20,920 There was a group of us that wanted to get together 406 00:20:20,920 --> 00:20:22,240 and continue with the car. 407 00:20:22,240 --> 00:20:23,720 We believed that much in the car. 408 00:20:28,600 --> 00:20:30,920 Bill Hall went to check out the three hangers where 409 00:20:30,920 --> 00:20:33,480 Liz claimed she was gearing up to make the cars. 410 00:20:38,280 --> 00:20:40,160 I went to this airport. 411 00:20:40,160 --> 00:20:42,880 Upon entering, I discovered the factory were nothing. 412 00:20:42,880 --> 00:20:44,920 The hangers were absolutely empty. 413 00:20:44,920 --> 00:20:49,480 No tools, no machinery, nothing but a little dirt on the floor. 414 00:20:49,480 --> 00:20:51,960 They had rented this for only one month, 415 00:20:51,960 --> 00:20:54,160 and the rent had now expired. 416 00:20:54,160 --> 00:20:56,000 So they actually did not have a factory 417 00:20:56,000 --> 00:20:57,280 if they were representing the ad. 418 00:21:00,640 --> 00:21:03,720 With the authorities closing in, Liz decided it was time 419 00:21:03,720 --> 00:21:05,440 to move her headquarters to Dallas. 420 00:21:09,600 --> 00:21:12,400 But there, two and a half weeks later, 421 00:21:12,400 --> 00:21:14,600 the district attorney filed criminal charges 422 00:21:14,600 --> 00:21:18,400 against Elizabeth Carmichael for grand theft. 423 00:21:18,400 --> 00:21:21,320 One week later, Bill Hall went to the Research and Development 424 00:21:21,320 --> 00:21:23,880 Lab with a search warrant. 425 00:21:23,880 --> 00:21:25,960 Upon inspection of this vehicle, 426 00:21:25,960 --> 00:21:28,360 it was not a viable vehicle at all. 427 00:21:28,360 --> 00:21:30,320 It had no engine. 428 00:21:30,320 --> 00:21:33,520 Two by fours were holding up the rear wheel. 429 00:21:33,520 --> 00:21:35,800 The accelerator was just sitting on the floor. 430 00:21:35,800 --> 00:21:38,120 It wasn't even attached. 431 00:21:38,120 --> 00:21:40,320 The windows were not safety glass. 432 00:21:40,320 --> 00:21:42,480 They were bent back and forth. 433 00:21:42,480 --> 00:21:46,080 The doors were put on by regular door hinges 434 00:21:46,080 --> 00:21:48,760 like one might find on a house door. 435 00:21:48,760 --> 00:21:51,160 The vehicle just absolutely did not exist. 436 00:21:55,000 --> 00:21:57,200 Under the search warrant, the Dallas police 437 00:21:57,200 --> 00:21:58,920 arrived at Liz's home. 438 00:21:58,920 --> 00:22:02,840 This is Carmichael, police officers. 439 00:22:02,840 --> 00:22:03,520 We have a warrant. 440 00:22:07,280 --> 00:22:08,760 Police officers, ma'am. 441 00:22:08,760 --> 00:22:09,640 This is Carmichael. 442 00:22:13,440 --> 00:22:14,440 Police officers. 443 00:22:19,400 --> 00:22:21,320 What are you making this? 444 00:22:21,320 --> 00:22:23,040 It's a cold one. 445 00:22:23,040 --> 00:22:24,960 This is Carmichael. 446 00:22:24,960 --> 00:22:26,240 We have a warrant. 447 00:22:26,240 --> 00:22:28,360 The police searched the house. 448 00:22:28,360 --> 00:22:31,080 It appeared Liz and her five children had left in a hurry. 449 00:22:34,240 --> 00:22:36,800 Can you look at this stuff? 450 00:22:36,800 --> 00:22:38,560 Looking through Liz's belongings, 451 00:22:38,560 --> 00:22:41,800 the police found evidence that Liz Carmichael was not 452 00:22:41,800 --> 00:22:43,240 what she seemed. 453 00:22:43,240 --> 00:22:45,320 What do you got there? 454 00:22:45,320 --> 00:22:47,160 Looks like some kind of padded girdle. 455 00:22:47,160 --> 00:22:48,560 It is incredible. 456 00:22:48,560 --> 00:22:51,320 This is Carmichael? 457 00:22:51,320 --> 00:22:53,960 I don't know. 458 00:22:53,960 --> 00:22:56,600 You know, we better call this stuff in. 459 00:22:56,600 --> 00:22:58,000 Out here, honey. 460 00:22:58,000 --> 00:22:58,900 No. 461 00:22:58,900 --> 00:22:59,800 Liz, away. 462 00:22:59,800 --> 00:23:00,480 Let's go. 463 00:23:00,480 --> 00:23:02,360 Nine weeks later, Liz Carmichael 464 00:23:02,360 --> 00:23:06,200 was discovered living in Miami with her five children, 465 00:23:06,200 --> 00:23:08,280 a neighbor recognized her from a news photo 466 00:23:08,280 --> 00:23:09,480 and called the authorities. 467 00:23:12,160 --> 00:23:13,800 She was working for a dating service 468 00:23:13,800 --> 00:23:17,440 and going by the name of Susan Reigns. 469 00:23:17,440 --> 00:23:20,280 They also learned that Liz Carmichael had another identity. 470 00:23:24,360 --> 00:23:29,520 She was really a man, Jerry Dean Michael. 471 00:23:29,520 --> 00:23:32,560 Michael claimed he had begun hormone treatments and preparation 472 00:23:32,560 --> 00:23:34,760 for a sex change operation. 473 00:23:34,760 --> 00:23:36,000 It was later learned that Michael 474 00:23:36,000 --> 00:23:38,520 was wanted by the federal authorities for counterfeiting 475 00:23:38,520 --> 00:23:43,320 in 1961 and jumping bail in 1962. 476 00:23:43,320 --> 00:23:47,880 We had no doubt that this was a woman. 477 00:23:47,880 --> 00:23:49,680 You just didn't question it. 478 00:23:49,680 --> 00:23:51,560 You just didn't question it. 479 00:23:51,560 --> 00:23:53,800 I never thought that Liz was a man. 480 00:23:53,800 --> 00:23:56,080 I always thought that, and she is today, 481 00:23:56,080 --> 00:23:57,880 she still lives to me. 482 00:23:57,880 --> 00:23:58,680 Still a female. 483 00:24:02,160 --> 00:24:07,040 Miss Carmichael, we have a warrant for your arrest. 484 00:24:07,040 --> 00:24:10,600 On April 12, 1975, Jerry Dean Michael, 485 00:24:10,600 --> 00:24:14,760 alias Geraldine Elizabeth Carmichael, was arrested. 486 00:24:14,760 --> 00:24:19,640 She was extradited to Los Angeles, where she went on trial. 487 00:24:19,640 --> 00:24:25,240 Liz arrived in court every day in the miniskirts. 488 00:24:25,240 --> 00:24:28,120 Now, here is somebody who's over 200 pounds and over six 489 00:24:28,120 --> 00:24:36,120 feet tall and has a demeanor of, I am a new Henry Ford. 490 00:24:36,120 --> 00:24:39,640 It was rather bizarre. 491 00:24:39,640 --> 00:24:42,840 You can see that Liz did not give one quarter 492 00:24:42,840 --> 00:24:44,320 in the course of the trial. 493 00:24:44,320 --> 00:24:49,440 There was never once when Liz gave up her position 494 00:24:49,440 --> 00:24:54,200 that the people who supported her would vindicate her. 495 00:24:54,200 --> 00:24:57,720 Why did you tell the public that that car could go 70 miles 496 00:24:57,720 --> 00:25:01,000 an hour and still get 70 miles per gallon? 497 00:25:01,000 --> 00:25:03,240 Because it can, sir. 498 00:25:03,280 --> 00:25:06,400 This car is the car of the future, sir. 499 00:25:06,400 --> 00:25:09,520 Without all these trial proceedings, 500 00:25:09,520 --> 00:25:12,520 this car would now be in production. 501 00:25:12,520 --> 00:25:16,200 Well, then why did you collect 1995 from over 5,000 people 502 00:25:16,200 --> 00:25:18,240 when there was no car existing? 503 00:25:18,240 --> 00:25:20,880 The car has yet to roll off the line. 504 00:25:20,880 --> 00:25:22,400 As soon as the car rolls off the line, 505 00:25:22,400 --> 00:25:24,240 the cars will be delivered. 506 00:25:24,240 --> 00:25:27,320 As soon as this thing is over, we will be rolling. 507 00:25:27,320 --> 00:25:28,440 The idea was valid. 508 00:25:28,440 --> 00:25:29,360 It was sound. 509 00:25:29,360 --> 00:25:30,680 It could be done today. 510 00:25:30,680 --> 00:25:32,160 It could still go back in production. 511 00:25:32,160 --> 00:25:34,040 And still, it would be a great car. 512 00:25:34,040 --> 00:25:35,520 There's no doubt about it. 513 00:25:35,520 --> 00:25:37,720 If you were to walk in this room and say, let's go again, 514 00:25:37,720 --> 00:25:40,600 I'd go right with her. 515 00:25:40,600 --> 00:25:43,720 Has the jury reached its verdict? 516 00:25:43,720 --> 00:25:45,720 Yes, we have, Your Honor. 517 00:25:45,720 --> 00:25:48,360 What is your verdict? 518 00:25:48,360 --> 00:25:51,680 We find a defendant guilty. 519 00:25:51,680 --> 00:25:54,720 On January 24, 1977, Carmichael 520 00:25:54,720 --> 00:25:58,120 was convicted of conspiracy, grand theft, and fraud. 521 00:25:58,120 --> 00:26:00,360 She was released on $50,000 bail, 522 00:26:00,360 --> 00:26:03,120 which was paid by a prominent television production company 523 00:26:03,120 --> 00:26:05,480 in exchange for the rights to her story. 524 00:26:05,480 --> 00:26:08,600 For four years, Liz appealed her conviction. 525 00:26:08,600 --> 00:26:11,080 Finally, in 1980, she failed to show up 526 00:26:11,080 --> 00:26:13,000 in court for sentencing. 527 00:26:13,000 --> 00:26:16,320 And Liz Carmichael and her five children vanished again. 528 00:26:16,320 --> 00:26:19,960 They have not been seen for over eight years. 529 00:26:19,960 --> 00:26:22,840 If I were Liz, I would be living as a man. 530 00:26:22,840 --> 00:26:26,540 Because all of this publicity and all of these victims 531 00:26:26,540 --> 00:26:28,600 know Liz as a woman. 532 00:26:28,640 --> 00:26:31,160 So I can't see how anybody could now 533 00:26:31,160 --> 00:26:33,480 imagine, with the passage of the years, 534 00:26:33,480 --> 00:26:35,440 what Liz would look like. 535 00:26:35,440 --> 00:26:39,840 And if I were Liz, I think I'd be a man. 536 00:26:39,840 --> 00:26:44,440 This is what Liz Carmichael looked like as a man in 1960. 537 00:26:44,440 --> 00:26:47,120 And using the FBI computers to age his appearance, 538 00:26:47,120 --> 00:26:49,880 how he may look today. 539 00:26:49,880 --> 00:26:54,600 This is Liz Carmichael dressed as a woman in 1975, 540 00:26:54,600 --> 00:26:56,320 and how she may look today. 541 00:26:59,280 --> 00:27:00,360 Update. 542 00:27:00,360 --> 00:27:02,880 Within minutes of our broadcast, our telecenter 543 00:27:02,880 --> 00:27:06,040 received a tip from a viewer who recognized Liz Carmichael 544 00:27:06,040 --> 00:27:09,320 as a flower vendor named Catherine Johnson. 545 00:27:09,320 --> 00:27:12,400 Curiously, she had chosen the small community of Dale, Texas 546 00:27:12,400 --> 00:27:14,040 as her new home. 547 00:27:14,040 --> 00:27:16,760 Shortly thereafter, Elizabeth Carmichael, 548 00:27:16,760 --> 00:27:21,040 AKA Jerry Dean Michael, was arrested at her home. 549 00:27:21,040 --> 00:27:22,760 Eight years after she jumped bail, 550 00:27:22,760 --> 00:27:24,600 Carmichael was returned to California 551 00:27:24,600 --> 00:27:27,640 to face sentencing for her prior conviction. 552 00:27:27,680 --> 00:27:31,040 A judge reimposed a sentence of one to 10 years. 553 00:27:31,040 --> 00:27:32,800 Carmichael served two and a half years 554 00:27:32,800 --> 00:27:34,600 and was released from prison. 555 00:27:34,600 --> 00:27:36,680 She is currently living as a private citizen 556 00:27:36,680 --> 00:27:38,080 in an undisclosed location. 557 00:27:38,080 --> 00:27:59,300 On a previous broadcast, we examined the case of 72-year-old 558 00:27:59,300 --> 00:28:02,280 Annie Laurie Heron, wife of Robert Heron Sr., one 559 00:28:02,280 --> 00:28:04,680 of the wealthiest men in Mississippi. 560 00:28:04,680 --> 00:28:07,880 On the afternoon of July the 26th, 1988, 561 00:28:07,880 --> 00:28:11,680 Mrs. Heron was abducted from her home in Jackson, Mississippi. 562 00:28:11,680 --> 00:28:14,680 The kidnapper left behind a bizarre ransom note, 563 00:28:14,680 --> 00:28:16,600 demanding that Robert Heron pay money 564 00:28:16,600 --> 00:28:20,160 to 12 people who had all been sued by a company he controlled. 565 00:28:23,680 --> 00:28:26,240 Neighbors reported seeing a suspicious white van 566 00:28:26,240 --> 00:28:29,760 with Florida license plates, driving by the Heron home 567 00:28:29,760 --> 00:28:34,000 just before Annie Laurie was kidnapped. 568 00:28:34,000 --> 00:28:35,760 Robert Heron held a press conference 569 00:28:35,760 --> 00:28:39,120 on the steps of his home to make a personal plea to the kidnapper 570 00:28:39,120 --> 00:28:41,720 for his wife's safety. 571 00:28:41,720 --> 00:28:46,560 My children, I appeal, to whom I have my wife, 572 00:28:46,560 --> 00:28:49,880 that they may say that she may be safe to return to us. 573 00:28:49,880 --> 00:28:50,880 Thank you. 574 00:28:53,440 --> 00:28:55,280 Eight days after the press conference, 575 00:28:55,280 --> 00:28:58,520 Robert Heron received a letter postmarked at Lata, Georgia. 576 00:28:58,520 --> 00:29:01,640 He recognized the handwriting as his wife's. 577 00:29:01,640 --> 00:29:05,040 Bob, if you don't do what these people want you to do, 578 00:29:05,040 --> 00:29:07,720 they are going to seal me up in the cellar of this house 579 00:29:07,720 --> 00:29:10,080 with only a few jugs of water. 580 00:29:10,080 --> 00:29:11,120 Please save me. 581 00:29:14,320 --> 00:29:17,480 Robert Heron sent out checks totaling nearly $1 million 582 00:29:17,480 --> 00:29:20,080 to the people named on the kidnapper's list. 583 00:29:20,080 --> 00:29:23,440 He never again heard from the kidnapper or from Annie Laurie. 584 00:29:26,600 --> 00:29:27,680 Update. 585 00:29:27,680 --> 00:29:31,080 Last month, Luton Alfred Wynn, a 65-year-old lawyer, 586 00:29:31,080 --> 00:29:34,200 was arrested by the FBI in Florida on charges relating 587 00:29:34,200 --> 00:29:36,800 to the abduction of Annie Laurie Heron. 588 00:29:36,800 --> 00:29:39,120 Wynn was one of the 12 men named in the ransom 589 00:29:39,120 --> 00:29:41,280 note left at the Heron home. 590 00:29:41,280 --> 00:29:43,840 Also less than one month before the kidnapping, 591 00:29:43,840 --> 00:29:46,800 he allegedly purchased a van which matched the description 592 00:29:46,800 --> 00:29:50,520 of the vehicle seen in the Heron neighborhood. 593 00:29:50,520 --> 00:29:53,800 A woman told the FBI that Wynn had promised her $500 594 00:29:53,800 --> 00:29:55,760 of travel from Florida to Atlanta, Georgia, 595 00:29:55,760 --> 00:29:58,360 and mail a letter for him, just 16 days 596 00:29:58,360 --> 00:30:00,880 after Annie Laurie Heron was kidnapped. 597 00:30:00,880 --> 00:30:02,920 He handed her a Manila envelope. 598 00:30:02,920 --> 00:30:06,360 Inside was the letter wrapped in a gray linen napkin. 599 00:30:06,360 --> 00:30:09,360 Wynn instructed her not to look at or touch the letter, 600 00:30:09,360 --> 00:30:11,120 but to deposit the letter in a mail slot 601 00:30:11,120 --> 00:30:13,040 she had to ease the napkin off, and she 602 00:30:13,040 --> 00:30:16,000 was able to observe the writing on the envelope. 603 00:30:16,000 --> 00:30:18,400 Later, she identified a photograph of the envelope 604 00:30:18,400 --> 00:30:21,760 Robert Heron had received from his wife as a one she 605 00:30:21,760 --> 00:30:24,000 had mailed in Atlanta. 606 00:30:24,000 --> 00:30:50,600 I think about my mom all the time, 607 00:30:50,600 --> 00:30:53,680 and I'm sure my daddy does too. 608 00:30:53,680 --> 00:30:57,960 There's no real way to quantify how enormous 609 00:30:57,960 --> 00:31:00,240 a tragedy and ordeal this has been to him 610 00:31:00,240 --> 00:31:01,720 and to the rest of the family. 611 00:31:10,520 --> 00:31:13,760 In 1983, Terri McClure was discovered murdered. 612 00:31:13,760 --> 00:31:15,920 Her son Tim was a key suspect when 613 00:31:15,920 --> 00:31:18,720 he took a polygraph test and flaunt. 614 00:31:18,720 --> 00:31:20,320 Tonight, he tells why. 615 00:31:24,480 --> 00:31:31,680 This is the Unsolved Mysteries Telephone Center, where 616 00:31:31,680 --> 00:31:33,920 our viewers call with information. 617 00:31:33,920 --> 00:31:36,840 They also call with suggestions for stories. 618 00:31:36,840 --> 00:31:40,160 Six months ago, we received a highly unusual call. 619 00:31:40,160 --> 00:31:42,520 It came from a man who was a leading suspect 620 00:31:42,520 --> 00:31:43,960 in the murder of his own mother. 621 00:31:48,000 --> 00:31:51,000 38-year-old Tim McClure lived with his mother Terri off 622 00:31:51,000 --> 00:31:53,560 and on throughout his 20s. 623 00:31:53,560 --> 00:31:56,040 Tim and his mother were often seen together around town 624 00:31:56,040 --> 00:31:58,720 gambling at the slot machines or dining out. 625 00:31:58,720 --> 00:32:00,720 Even after Tim moved away from Reno, 626 00:32:00,720 --> 00:32:03,280 he remained close to Terri. 627 00:32:03,280 --> 00:32:06,160 She'd do anything for anybody. 628 00:32:06,160 --> 00:32:10,000 She'd give the shirt off her back or last nickel to anybody. 629 00:32:10,000 --> 00:32:15,600 She was just a real kind-hearted woman, very gentle. 630 00:32:15,600 --> 00:32:18,960 She was just a very calm person. 631 00:32:18,960 --> 00:32:23,160 In 1983, Terri McClure was 62 years old and living alone. 632 00:32:23,160 --> 00:32:25,560 She was thrilled when Tim called to tell her he was getting 633 00:32:25,560 --> 00:32:26,560 married. 634 00:32:26,560 --> 00:32:30,400 His wedding took place on Friday, January the 14, 1983 635 00:32:30,400 --> 00:32:34,080 at Lake Tahoe, Nevada. 636 00:32:34,080 --> 00:32:36,600 I was totally ecstatic. 637 00:32:36,600 --> 00:32:38,840 And I mean, the person we'd saw their life to get married. 638 00:32:38,840 --> 00:32:41,600 And it's the big moment in their life. 639 00:32:41,600 --> 00:32:45,800 It wasn't an elaborate wedding, but to me, 640 00:32:45,800 --> 00:32:47,680 it was the big moment. 641 00:32:47,680 --> 00:32:52,520 And it was great. 642 00:32:52,560 --> 00:32:54,320 The newlyweds and their parents celebrated 643 00:32:54,320 --> 00:32:56,880 by doing a little gambling. 644 00:32:56,880 --> 00:32:58,640 Then around 10 o'clock in the evening, 645 00:32:58,640 --> 00:33:02,640 Tim left to walk his mother to her car. 646 00:33:02,640 --> 00:33:04,720 Terri planned to drive straight home to Reno, 647 00:33:04,720 --> 00:33:07,960 about an hour's drive from Lake Tahoe. 648 00:33:07,960 --> 00:33:09,360 Tim told her that he and his wife 649 00:33:09,360 --> 00:33:11,120 was stopped by to visit the next day. 650 00:33:16,120 --> 00:33:18,480 When the newlyweds went to visit Terri at 6 PM 651 00:33:18,480 --> 00:33:20,440 the next evening, they noticed signs 652 00:33:20,520 --> 00:33:21,560 that she was not at home. 653 00:33:29,960 --> 00:33:31,360 Oh, it's strange. 654 00:33:31,360 --> 00:33:33,400 I wonder why she didn't take the paper in this morning. 655 00:33:33,400 --> 00:33:37,280 It just appeared as though she hadn't been home. 656 00:33:37,280 --> 00:33:40,120 And it was at that point I just had the strangest feeling 657 00:33:40,120 --> 00:33:41,600 that something was wrong. 658 00:33:41,600 --> 00:33:45,480 I didn't know, but I knew she hadn't been home. 659 00:33:45,480 --> 00:33:48,760 And to me, that was just real odd strange, 660 00:33:48,760 --> 00:33:53,840 because there I was on my honeymoon up there to get married. 661 00:33:53,840 --> 00:33:56,880 And she'd taken time off of work. 662 00:33:56,880 --> 00:34:01,240 And to not find her at home, I couldn't understand it. 663 00:34:03,840 --> 00:34:07,080 Tim called various family members and friends of his mother. 664 00:34:07,080 --> 00:34:11,960 No one had seen or heard from Terri, so he called the police. 665 00:34:11,960 --> 00:34:16,480 Yes, I'd like to report a missing person. 666 00:34:16,520 --> 00:34:19,720 Three days later, on Monday, January the 17th, 667 00:34:19,720 --> 00:34:22,560 Terri McClure's car was found in the parking lot of a Carson 668 00:34:22,560 --> 00:34:24,560 City, Nevada, casino. 669 00:34:24,560 --> 00:34:28,040 Only a half hours drive outside Lake Tahoe. 670 00:34:28,040 --> 00:34:29,840 The keys were in the ignition. 671 00:34:29,840 --> 00:34:31,240 The doors were locked. 672 00:34:31,240 --> 00:34:34,920 And Terri McClure was sitting in the front seat, dead. 673 00:34:34,920 --> 00:34:38,760 She had been shot twice in the head. 674 00:34:38,760 --> 00:34:40,240 The day after they found the body, 675 00:34:40,240 --> 00:34:43,360 Carson City detectives questioned Tim. 676 00:34:43,360 --> 00:34:44,680 He was shocked when they asked him 677 00:34:44,680 --> 00:34:46,840 if he wanted to have an attorney present. 678 00:34:46,840 --> 00:34:51,880 But slowly it dawned on Tim that he was considered a suspect. 679 00:34:51,880 --> 00:34:53,160 I started to feel like a victim. 680 00:34:53,160 --> 00:34:55,240 And I thought, why should I have an attorney? 681 00:34:55,240 --> 00:34:57,000 And I mean, this is my mother's death. 682 00:34:57,000 --> 00:34:59,840 You should be investigating it on another level, 683 00:34:59,840 --> 00:35:02,840 rather than thinking of me as doing it, which I found out 684 00:35:02,840 --> 00:35:04,880 they were looking towards me. 685 00:35:04,880 --> 00:35:05,720 I couldn't understand why. 686 00:35:05,720 --> 00:35:08,880 I started to feel like the victim. 687 00:35:08,880 --> 00:35:12,680 And it just didn't make sense. 688 00:35:12,680 --> 00:35:14,240 Tim told the police that after he'd 689 00:35:14,240 --> 00:35:16,360 walked his mother to her car at 10 PM 690 00:35:16,360 --> 00:35:17,960 on the night of his wedding, he'd 691 00:35:17,960 --> 00:35:19,400 return immediately to the casino. 692 00:35:24,600 --> 00:35:27,000 Tim said his wife was still gambling with her parents, 693 00:35:27,000 --> 00:35:31,200 so he gambled alone for two hours, then rejoined his wife. 694 00:35:31,200 --> 00:35:34,920 They went out dancing till dawn. 695 00:35:34,920 --> 00:35:37,960 Police have not been able to substantiate Tim's or his wife's 696 00:35:37,960 --> 00:35:41,120 whereabouts that night. 697 00:35:41,120 --> 00:35:44,000 Although they couldn't provide specific locations 698 00:35:44,000 --> 00:35:46,320 where they went, we made every attempt 699 00:35:46,320 --> 00:35:50,480 to determine which bar or which dance hall they had gone to 700 00:35:50,480 --> 00:35:52,560 that night, and we were unsuccessful. 701 00:35:52,560 --> 00:35:55,960 They indicated that they partied from approximately midnight 702 00:35:55,960 --> 00:36:00,360 until 6 AM the following morning, none of which 703 00:36:00,360 --> 00:36:03,640 we were able to substantiate one way or another. 704 00:36:03,640 --> 00:36:05,480 So we kind of went on what he said. 705 00:36:06,400 --> 00:36:11,520 Tim also told the police that two days before his mother's 706 00:36:11,520 --> 00:36:14,000 body was discovered, he'd searched the main highway 707 00:36:14,000 --> 00:36:16,200 between Lake Tahoe and Reno. 708 00:36:16,200 --> 00:36:19,160 The police became suspicious when Tim said he was looking 709 00:36:19,160 --> 00:36:20,400 for his mother's purse. 710 00:36:22,920 --> 00:36:24,440 You know, we again found this odd 711 00:36:24,440 --> 00:36:28,600 that he would attempt to retrace his mother's steps 712 00:36:28,600 --> 00:36:30,240 for the purpose of finding something 713 00:36:30,240 --> 00:36:32,640 that nobody knew was missing. 714 00:36:32,640 --> 00:36:37,120 On the 16th, nobody had any idea her purse was missing. 715 00:36:37,120 --> 00:36:41,240 But he felt a specific need to go out and look for that purse. 716 00:36:41,240 --> 00:36:45,280 Yeah, oddly enough, she was found with only her purse missing. 717 00:36:45,280 --> 00:36:48,240 She was fully clothed, had all her jewelry. 718 00:36:48,240 --> 00:36:50,600 The only thing missing was her purse. 719 00:36:50,600 --> 00:36:52,680 They put together the fact that I said 720 00:36:52,680 --> 00:36:54,840 I was looking for some evidence of her purse 721 00:36:54,840 --> 00:36:56,640 along the side of the highway. 722 00:36:56,640 --> 00:37:00,760 And the only reason I said that was because my older sister 723 00:37:00,760 --> 00:37:03,080 had put the idea that maybe somebody had commandeered her 724 00:37:03,080 --> 00:37:06,920 vehicle and stolen her purse. 725 00:37:06,920 --> 00:37:09,520 Tim also drove through the parking lots of the casinos 726 00:37:09,520 --> 00:37:11,400 along his mother's route. 727 00:37:11,400 --> 00:37:15,440 He proceeded at a slow crawl through the lots of every casino, 728 00:37:15,440 --> 00:37:16,320 except one. 729 00:37:18,960 --> 00:37:21,640 Sometimes you get a gut feeling. 730 00:37:21,640 --> 00:37:25,280 You could maybe think of the Holy Spirit, if you will. 731 00:37:25,280 --> 00:37:27,480 Just kind of guiding you. 732 00:37:27,480 --> 00:37:31,600 There was perhaps a feeling of keeping me away from there, 733 00:37:31,600 --> 00:37:33,760 to save me from finding her. 734 00:37:33,760 --> 00:37:35,600 I thank God I didn't find her. 735 00:37:35,600 --> 00:37:41,320 That destroyed me to find her. 736 00:37:41,320 --> 00:37:43,760 That casino parking lot was a very spot 737 00:37:43,760 --> 00:37:46,720 where Terry McClure's body would be found two days later, 738 00:37:46,720 --> 00:37:49,760 on Monday, January the 17th. 739 00:37:49,760 --> 00:37:53,160 Police estimated that Terry had been dead since Friday, 740 00:37:53,160 --> 00:37:56,640 the night of Tim's wedding. 741 00:37:56,680 --> 00:37:59,440 Police are also puzzled by a call Tim made to cancel 742 00:37:59,440 --> 00:38:02,280 one of his mother's credit cards. 743 00:38:02,280 --> 00:38:05,480 Tim claimed he made the call on Monday, January the 17th, 744 00:38:05,480 --> 00:38:08,240 the day his mother's body was found. 745 00:38:08,240 --> 00:38:11,560 But the credit card company says he called on Friday 746 00:38:11,560 --> 00:38:14,520 before his mother had disappeared. 747 00:38:14,520 --> 00:38:17,600 I had reported her credit cards missing, 748 00:38:17,600 --> 00:38:20,240 thinking maybe that somebody had commandeered the vehicle 749 00:38:20,240 --> 00:38:22,960 and that her purse might have possibly been missing. 750 00:38:22,960 --> 00:38:24,360 I called on Monday. 751 00:38:24,360 --> 00:38:27,960 The woman had written down that I called on Friday, 752 00:38:27,960 --> 00:38:28,960 which I couldn't understand. 753 00:38:28,960 --> 00:38:31,200 It just didn't make any sense to me why she would mix up 754 00:38:31,200 --> 00:38:33,560 from a Monday to a Friday. 755 00:38:33,560 --> 00:38:35,640 The credit memo for that particular company 756 00:38:35,640 --> 00:38:38,240 is now in the possession of the sheriff's office. 757 00:38:38,240 --> 00:38:41,840 And it clearly shows, according to their file, 758 00:38:41,840 --> 00:38:47,320 that Tim called, indicated to the recipient 759 00:38:47,320 --> 00:38:49,280 that his mother was dead. 760 00:38:49,280 --> 00:38:52,120 And the fact that his father was dead, 761 00:38:52,160 --> 00:38:54,720 and to please cancel the account. 762 00:38:54,720 --> 00:38:56,720 It's just, it's one of the strangest things 763 00:38:56,720 --> 00:38:59,040 I've ever heard of, because I called on Monday 764 00:38:59,040 --> 00:39:01,840 and how she could have mistaken that for a Friday 765 00:39:01,840 --> 00:39:04,280 and then mixed up my words like that, 766 00:39:04,280 --> 00:39:05,240 saying she had been murdered. 767 00:39:05,240 --> 00:39:06,520 I had no idea she'd been murdered. 768 00:39:06,520 --> 00:39:09,600 All I knew she was missing, and that's what I told them. 769 00:39:09,600 --> 00:39:13,600 We have a credit memo dated January 14th. 770 00:39:13,600 --> 00:39:18,360 The lady that wrote that credit memo, in her own mind, 771 00:39:18,360 --> 00:39:20,840 is absolutely sure that's the date 772 00:39:20,880 --> 00:39:24,480 she received the phone call from a person identifying himself 773 00:39:24,480 --> 00:39:27,080 as Tim McClure. 774 00:39:27,080 --> 00:39:29,520 Six months before Terry McClure was murdered, 775 00:39:29,520 --> 00:39:34,200 she'd taken out a $10,000 insurance policy on her life. 776 00:39:34,200 --> 00:39:38,240 Tim and one of his sisters were named as co-beneficiaries. 777 00:39:38,240 --> 00:39:42,560 I didn't think my mother would take out an insurance policy. 778 00:39:42,560 --> 00:39:43,840 It just wasn't like her. 779 00:39:43,840 --> 00:39:47,120 I mean, they're thinking that I did this for a reason. 780 00:39:47,120 --> 00:39:50,040 I mean, which my share is only $5,000. 781 00:39:50,040 --> 00:39:51,400 I mean, that's ridiculous. 782 00:39:52,600 --> 00:39:55,880 Well, I can't say that that is the absolute motive in this case, 783 00:39:55,880 --> 00:39:59,200 but I'm here to tell you that people 784 00:39:59,200 --> 00:40:00,680 have been killed for a lot less. 785 00:40:02,480 --> 00:40:06,120 On February the 14th, 1983, the Carson City police 786 00:40:06,120 --> 00:40:08,800 asked Tim and his wife to take a polygraph test. 787 00:40:11,320 --> 00:40:12,600 I was completely cooperative. 788 00:40:12,600 --> 00:40:14,160 I had nothing to hide. 789 00:40:14,160 --> 00:40:15,400 No reason not to take one. 790 00:40:15,400 --> 00:40:17,720 So naturally I said, sure, I'll take a polygraph. 791 00:40:17,720 --> 00:40:19,680 My wife agreed, too. 792 00:40:19,720 --> 00:40:25,840 So it was a strange situation when they were asking the questions. 793 00:40:25,840 --> 00:40:30,080 They made me close my eyes, being all wired up. 794 00:40:30,080 --> 00:40:31,640 It felt like I was in an electric chair, 795 00:40:31,640 --> 00:40:34,640 very hardwood-armed chair sitting there. 796 00:40:34,640 --> 00:40:37,640 And as they asked the question, there was, oh, 797 00:40:37,640 --> 00:40:40,080 it seemed like maybe a minute between each question 798 00:40:40,080 --> 00:40:42,600 with my eyes closed. 799 00:40:42,600 --> 00:40:44,520 Just a number of things are just going around 800 00:40:44,520 --> 00:40:45,800 through my mind at that point. 801 00:40:45,800 --> 00:40:48,160 That's when I started thinking, well, geez, 802 00:40:48,160 --> 00:40:51,120 what if they think I did it? 803 00:40:51,120 --> 00:40:52,920 I'd never taken a polygraph before. 804 00:40:52,920 --> 00:40:54,840 I didn't know how to react. 805 00:40:54,840 --> 00:40:58,760 And it was just a very awkward and uncomfortable situation 806 00:40:58,760 --> 00:40:59,240 for me. 807 00:41:02,280 --> 00:41:05,560 The results of those polygraph examinations 808 00:41:05,560 --> 00:41:08,400 would strongly suggest deception on both the part 809 00:41:08,400 --> 00:41:11,640 of Timothy McClure and his wife. 810 00:41:11,640 --> 00:41:16,600 They were both adamantly confronted about those deceptions. 811 00:41:16,600 --> 00:41:21,360 And in the interviews, they had no response. 812 00:41:21,360 --> 00:41:25,080 They could not respond to why the machine was telling them 813 00:41:25,080 --> 00:41:26,120 they were being deceptive. 814 00:41:26,120 --> 00:41:27,680 They had no answers. 815 00:41:27,680 --> 00:41:30,640 I don't know why, but I flunked the test. 816 00:41:30,640 --> 00:41:34,560 And my wife had flunked only one question, which 817 00:41:34,560 --> 00:41:35,760 didn't make any sense. 818 00:41:35,760 --> 00:41:38,280 Do you know who murdered Terry McClure was a question? 819 00:41:38,280 --> 00:41:42,680 She was asked, and it appeared to be a lie when she said no. 820 00:41:42,680 --> 00:41:46,000 So it looked like she was trying to cover up. 821 00:41:46,040 --> 00:41:49,720 It is unexplainable to me. 822 00:41:49,720 --> 00:41:52,960 All the circumstantial evidence was submitted to the Nevada DA, 823 00:41:52,960 --> 00:41:56,920 but he deemed it insufficient to arrest Tim McClure. 824 00:41:56,920 --> 00:41:58,680 Police questioned friends, family, 825 00:41:58,680 --> 00:42:01,240 and acquaintances of Tim and Terry. 826 00:42:01,240 --> 00:42:03,800 Their testimony indicated that Tim had been genuinely 827 00:42:03,800 --> 00:42:06,520 devoted to his mother, and they believed he would never 828 00:42:06,520 --> 00:42:09,520 have done anything to harm her. 829 00:42:09,520 --> 00:42:11,720 My mother was my best friend. 830 00:42:11,720 --> 00:42:14,880 I mean, all I could think of was taking care of my mother 831 00:42:14,960 --> 00:42:18,120 for the rest of her life after she'd taken care of me all my life. 832 00:42:18,120 --> 00:42:20,920 That's the one thing I wanted to do was take care of my mother. 833 00:42:20,920 --> 00:42:21,840 And I can't. 834 00:42:24,480 --> 00:42:26,160 This picture of Tim and his mother 835 00:42:26,160 --> 00:42:29,680 was taken at his wedding on January the 14th, 1983, 836 00:42:29,680 --> 00:42:31,360 the night she disappeared. 837 00:42:31,360 --> 00:42:34,240 Tim is hoping that someone who was in the casino or the dance 838 00:42:34,240 --> 00:42:36,920 hall in Lake Tahoe that night will remember him 839 00:42:36,920 --> 00:42:39,200 because of his long hair and his unusual height 840 00:42:39,200 --> 00:42:41,280 of 6 feet 5 inches. 841 00:42:41,280 --> 00:42:44,280 He wants his alibi for the night of his mother's murder 842 00:42:44,320 --> 00:42:46,560 to be substantiated. 843 00:42:46,560 --> 00:42:48,960 Perhaps somebody will come forward. 844 00:42:48,960 --> 00:42:50,360 Maybe they were afraid in the past. 845 00:42:50,360 --> 00:42:52,160 Maybe somebody saw something. 846 00:42:52,160 --> 00:42:54,000 There has to be somebody out there 847 00:42:54,000 --> 00:42:57,440 that had seen something that happened to my mother. 848 00:42:57,440 --> 00:43:01,600 Now would be a good time to come out with it. 849 00:43:01,600 --> 00:43:17,160 MUSIC 850 00:43:17,160 --> 00:43:21,600 Join me next week for another edition of Unsolved Mysteries.