1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:03,680 This program is about unsolved mysteries. 2 00:00:03,680 --> 00:00:06,280 Whenever possible, the actual family members and police 3 00:00:06,280 --> 00:00:09,280 officials have participated in recreating the events. 4 00:00:09,280 --> 00:00:11,880 What you are about to see is not a news broadcast. 5 00:00:16,880 --> 00:00:20,720 An unknown killer stalks a family in Denver, Colorado. 6 00:00:20,720 --> 00:00:24,320 In 1985, Roger Dean was gunned down in cold blood 7 00:00:24,320 --> 00:00:25,800 in his own house. 8 00:00:25,800 --> 00:00:29,960 Five years later, he was killed in a car crash 9 00:00:30,720 --> 00:00:32,680 and a killer contacted Dean's widow 10 00:00:32,680 --> 00:00:34,360 and threatened to kill her daughter 11 00:00:34,360 --> 00:00:37,800 unless he was paid extortion money. 12 00:00:37,800 --> 00:00:41,480 December 7, 1941, a Japanese sneak attack 13 00:00:41,480 --> 00:00:43,760 devastates Pearl Harbor. 14 00:00:43,760 --> 00:00:46,640 Nearly 40 years later, a woman under hypnosis 15 00:00:46,640 --> 00:00:49,960 provided a detailed first-hand account of that infamous day, 16 00:00:49,960 --> 00:00:54,760 which occurred a full 10 years before she was born. 17 00:00:54,760 --> 00:00:57,600 In Las Vegas, an eccentric, beautiful con artist named 18 00:00:57,600 --> 00:01:00,840 Liza Montgomery went on a wild two-day Christmas shopping 19 00:01:00,840 --> 00:01:05,480 spree and gobbled up $150,000 worth of jewelry, furs, 20 00:01:05,480 --> 00:01:08,520 and other luxury items. 21 00:01:08,520 --> 00:01:09,560 Join me. 22 00:01:09,560 --> 00:01:12,160 Perhaps you may be able to help solve a mystery. 23 00:01:57,600 --> 00:02:10,760 December 7, 1941, 738 AM, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. 24 00:02:10,760 --> 00:02:12,720 For those who were there and survived, 25 00:02:12,720 --> 00:02:15,840 it was indeed a day that will live in infamy. 26 00:02:15,840 --> 00:02:19,320 Their memories are as vivid today as they were 50 years ago. 27 00:02:22,320 --> 00:02:23,320 You spoke. 28 00:02:23,320 --> 00:02:24,320 Come on. 29 00:02:24,320 --> 00:02:26,320 Come on. 30 00:02:26,320 --> 00:02:27,320 I'm not done with it. 31 00:02:31,320 --> 00:02:34,320 Those are our planes. 32 00:02:34,320 --> 00:02:36,320 They're firing at us. 33 00:02:36,320 --> 00:02:38,320 We just keep coming. 34 00:02:38,320 --> 00:02:42,320 We've got to get them. 35 00:02:42,320 --> 00:02:45,320 We've got to get them done. 36 00:02:45,320 --> 00:02:48,320 There's no way to finish it. 37 00:02:48,320 --> 00:02:50,320 We don't have any ambition. 38 00:02:53,320 --> 00:02:57,320 They're just bombing everybody. 39 00:02:57,320 --> 00:02:59,080 The narrative you have just heard 40 00:02:59,080 --> 00:03:02,440 was related by a woman under hypnosis. 41 00:03:02,440 --> 00:03:07,320 She was born in 1952, 11 years after the attack on Pearl Harbor. 42 00:03:11,320 --> 00:03:13,640 The woman claims no more than a passing knowledge 43 00:03:13,640 --> 00:03:16,520 of the events of that fateful Sunday morning. 44 00:03:16,520 --> 00:03:18,920 Yet much of her account is filled with specific names 45 00:03:18,920 --> 00:03:20,760 and details, which lead some to believe 46 00:03:20,760 --> 00:03:25,960 that she was actually present during the attack in a past life. 47 00:03:25,960 --> 00:03:28,480 Others, however, are convinced that her memories are no more 48 00:03:28,480 --> 00:03:31,600 than a byproduct of hypnotic suggestion. 49 00:03:31,600 --> 00:03:33,400 In either case, the details of the story 50 00:03:33,400 --> 00:03:35,880 defy logical explanation. 51 00:03:35,880 --> 00:03:38,520 The woman at the center of this baffling mystery of the mind 52 00:03:38,520 --> 00:03:40,560 is asked to remain anonymous. 53 00:03:40,560 --> 00:03:42,320 We shall call her Sharon Johnson. 54 00:03:43,320 --> 00:03:47,320 Just step right this way, if you would, please. 55 00:03:47,320 --> 00:03:52,080 In 1979, Sharon Johnson first visited hypnotherapist Frank 56 00:03:52,080 --> 00:03:56,040 Baranowsky because she wanted help losing weight. 57 00:03:56,040 --> 00:03:58,240 In 20 years of practice, Baranowsky 58 00:03:58,240 --> 00:04:01,720 has placed thousands of patients under hypnosis. 59 00:04:01,720 --> 00:04:03,200 Ever been hypnotized before? 60 00:04:03,200 --> 00:04:04,200 No. 61 00:04:04,200 --> 00:04:06,400 When Sharon was hypnotized, she began 62 00:04:06,400 --> 00:04:09,560 to experience a recurring nightmare of smoke and fire, 63 00:04:09,600 --> 00:04:12,200 which had plagued her since childhood. 64 00:04:12,200 --> 00:04:15,440 Three, four, four years old, no, Sharon. 65 00:04:19,440 --> 00:04:21,800 Water's on fire. 66 00:04:21,800 --> 00:04:22,800 Water's burning. 67 00:04:27,040 --> 00:04:27,720 All right, Sharon. 68 00:04:27,720 --> 00:04:28,880 All right, relax. 69 00:04:28,880 --> 00:04:29,800 Relax. 70 00:04:29,800 --> 00:04:30,880 Deeper, relax now. 71 00:04:30,880 --> 00:04:34,440 I don't have dreams like that as much as I used to. 72 00:04:34,440 --> 00:04:36,760 You know, just periodically. 73 00:04:36,760 --> 00:04:39,160 The dream started when I was very small. 74 00:04:39,160 --> 00:04:42,720 I always remember having the dreams about fires and explosions. 75 00:04:47,320 --> 00:04:52,200 Sharon lost 30 pounds, but the dream remained unexplained. 76 00:04:52,200 --> 00:04:55,680 Six months later, she visited Hawaii for the first time 77 00:04:55,680 --> 00:04:58,600 on a group tour with Frank Baranowsky and some of his friends. 78 00:05:01,680 --> 00:05:04,320 It was strange when I was there because there were places 79 00:05:04,320 --> 00:05:05,880 that I went to. 80 00:05:05,880 --> 00:05:08,760 When I was there, then it was like I've been here before. 81 00:05:08,760 --> 00:05:09,760 I've seen this. 82 00:05:09,760 --> 00:05:16,560 I knew where things were that I couldn't have known about. 83 00:05:16,560 --> 00:05:19,280 Sharon's visit to the Battleship Arizona Memorial 84 00:05:19,280 --> 00:05:21,920 at Pearl Harbor triggered the same anxiety 85 00:05:21,920 --> 00:05:24,120 as her recurring nightmare. 86 00:05:24,120 --> 00:05:28,400 She returned to her hotel room and asked Frank to hypnotize her. 87 00:05:28,400 --> 00:05:31,920 During the session, Sharon began to speak as never before, 88 00:05:31,920 --> 00:05:34,280 and a new persona emerged. 89 00:05:34,280 --> 00:05:37,760 His name was John Gillespie. 90 00:05:37,760 --> 00:05:40,760 OK, so we take her to the time when she's now Sharon Johnson. 91 00:05:40,760 --> 00:05:44,080 We go back to age 12, age 10, age 5, down to birth, 92 00:05:44,080 --> 00:05:47,160 and then I ask her to start recalling something that happened. 93 00:05:47,160 --> 00:05:49,000 I say, when I reach the count of 12, 94 00:05:49,000 --> 00:05:52,120 you'll be in the 12th season of your life. 95 00:05:52,120 --> 00:05:54,800 OK, and suddenly when she's there, 96 00:05:54,800 --> 00:05:56,200 she's talking like a 12-year-old. 97 00:05:56,200 --> 00:05:57,040 What's your name? 98 00:05:57,040 --> 00:05:58,320 John. 99 00:05:58,320 --> 00:05:59,640 John Gillespie. 100 00:05:59,640 --> 00:06:01,040 I'm a junior. 101 00:06:01,040 --> 00:06:02,640 Oh, where are you at? 102 00:06:02,640 --> 00:06:04,200 On the farm. 103 00:06:04,200 --> 00:06:05,000 What farm? 104 00:06:05,000 --> 00:06:06,120 I says, where are you at? 105 00:06:06,160 --> 00:06:08,280 This is Omaha. 106 00:06:08,280 --> 00:06:09,280 Omaha? 107 00:06:09,280 --> 00:06:12,000 Well, Omaha, Nebraska. 108 00:06:12,000 --> 00:06:14,680 I'm stintosic. 109 00:06:14,680 --> 00:06:17,120 As the session continued, a chilling account 110 00:06:17,120 --> 00:06:22,040 of the surprised Japanese attack began to emerge. 111 00:06:22,040 --> 00:06:23,680 These bombs dropping everywhere. 112 00:06:23,680 --> 00:06:25,080 They're everywhere. 113 00:06:25,080 --> 00:06:26,040 It's playing simple. 114 00:06:26,040 --> 00:06:27,360 Well, the bomb is with it. 115 00:06:32,640 --> 00:06:34,920 In the account, several men were named 116 00:06:34,920 --> 00:06:38,200 who were on board the Nevada at the time of the attack. 117 00:06:38,200 --> 00:06:41,640 Among them, a Captain Stan, a Paymaster Cooper, 118 00:06:41,640 --> 00:06:42,840 and an ensign Tosick. 119 00:06:42,840 --> 00:06:44,360 Don't wave on me. 120 00:06:44,360 --> 00:06:45,240 Take him forward. 121 00:06:45,240 --> 00:06:46,040 Take him forward. 122 00:06:46,040 --> 00:06:47,320 I'm scared of the main guns. 123 00:06:47,320 --> 00:06:48,240 They're going to be blasted. 124 00:06:48,240 --> 00:06:51,480 In Sharon's memory, Tosick was particularly prominent. 125 00:06:51,480 --> 00:06:53,400 He was apparently the son of an admiral 126 00:06:53,400 --> 00:06:54,600 and was badly injured. 127 00:06:54,600 --> 00:07:05,600 A few minutes later, the story came to an abrupt end. 128 00:07:11,080 --> 00:07:14,200 With great pain, Sharon realized that John Gillespie 129 00:07:14,200 --> 00:07:16,160 had been killed. 130 00:07:16,160 --> 00:07:18,800 Very good. 131 00:07:18,800 --> 00:07:20,600 Deeper relax for me. 132 00:07:20,600 --> 00:07:26,640 Up to that point, I had not had a past life regression. 133 00:07:26,640 --> 00:07:28,960 I wanted to know more about what had happened 134 00:07:28,960 --> 00:07:31,480 and who the person was that I felt 135 00:07:31,480 --> 00:07:36,040 I was in this traumatic experience I just had. 136 00:07:36,040 --> 00:07:37,000 How about your grandfather? 137 00:07:37,000 --> 00:07:38,440 What's his name? 138 00:07:38,440 --> 00:07:40,680 They call him Rad. 139 00:07:40,680 --> 00:07:42,360 Over the next few months, Sharon 140 00:07:42,360 --> 00:07:45,800 underwent regressive hypnosis 20 more times. 141 00:07:45,800 --> 00:07:48,080 Frank recorded the details of these sessions 142 00:07:48,080 --> 00:07:51,040 and then set out to see if the story of John Gillespie 143 00:07:51,040 --> 00:07:54,120 could be documented. 144 00:07:54,120 --> 00:07:57,840 In one hypnosis session, Sharon, speaking as John Gillespie, 145 00:07:57,840 --> 00:08:02,040 listed the names of nine men serving on the USS Nevada. 146 00:08:02,040 --> 00:08:04,440 She also gave John Gillespie's serial number. 147 00:08:07,440 --> 00:08:10,440 Frank Baranowski turned to the office of Congressman John 148 00:08:10,440 --> 00:08:12,160 Rhodes for help. 149 00:08:12,160 --> 00:08:14,560 Bob Scanlon, senior aide to the Congressman, 150 00:08:14,560 --> 00:08:16,000 was assigned the case. 151 00:08:16,000 --> 00:08:16,900 Have a chair. 152 00:08:16,900 --> 00:08:17,880 Thank you. 153 00:08:17,880 --> 00:08:20,820 When he first asked for our help and briefed me 154 00:08:20,820 --> 00:08:23,420 on the problem, I was pretty skeptical. 155 00:08:23,420 --> 00:08:26,300 I thought, you know, we get a lot of strange requests 156 00:08:26,300 --> 00:08:29,060 and this has to be one of the strangest. 157 00:08:29,060 --> 00:08:32,100 I know it's rather incredible, but she gives me names, dates, 158 00:08:32,100 --> 00:08:33,700 and places of people. 159 00:08:33,700 --> 00:08:34,820 I have no way of checking. 160 00:08:34,820 --> 00:08:35,500 Here. 161 00:08:35,500 --> 00:08:38,500 When I heard the story and listened to the tapes, 162 00:08:38,500 --> 00:08:40,460 I figured that our office in Washington 163 00:08:40,460 --> 00:08:43,620 certainly should be able to get into naval archives 164 00:08:43,620 --> 00:08:46,700 and either prove or disprove what this young lady had said. 165 00:08:48,620 --> 00:08:51,060 Using congressional privileges, Scanlon 166 00:08:51,060 --> 00:08:53,180 obtained the Nevada's roster of officers 167 00:08:53,180 --> 00:08:55,540 from the National Archives in Washington, DC. 168 00:08:58,260 --> 00:09:02,100 Amazingly, eight of the nine men Sharon mentioned were listed. 169 00:09:04,580 --> 00:09:07,980 I remember when I received that and first read it, 170 00:09:07,980 --> 00:09:10,460 I told my secretary that I don't know whether to point 171 00:09:10,460 --> 00:09:12,220 with pride or view with alarm. 172 00:09:12,220 --> 00:09:16,860 This was a strange result that I really didn't expect. 173 00:09:16,880 --> 00:09:18,640 However, the Ensign Tossick, who had 174 00:09:18,640 --> 00:09:21,880 placed such a prominent part in Sharon's past life memory, 175 00:09:21,880 --> 00:09:25,160 was not included on the list. 176 00:09:25,160 --> 00:09:29,560 Ensign Tossick was originally shown in all naval records 177 00:09:29,560 --> 00:09:31,360 to have been in Long Beach, California, 178 00:09:31,360 --> 00:09:34,400 the morning of the attack on Pearl Harbor. 179 00:09:34,400 --> 00:09:37,040 When, in fact, he was onboard the Nevada 180 00:09:37,040 --> 00:09:41,440 and was tragically injured that morning. 181 00:09:41,440 --> 00:09:43,960 In fact, I think as we found later, 182 00:09:43,980 --> 00:09:46,780 he lost a leg due to the attack on Pearl Harbor. 183 00:09:49,540 --> 00:09:53,140 Unsolved mysteries contact at Robert Tossick, a former Ensign 184 00:09:53,140 --> 00:09:55,260 in the United States Navy. 185 00:09:55,260 --> 00:09:57,700 Tossick declined to be interviewed on camera, 186 00:09:57,700 --> 00:10:02,260 but incredibly confirmed many details of Sharon's account. 187 00:10:02,260 --> 00:10:04,660 He was onboard the Nevada that day 188 00:10:04,660 --> 00:10:06,860 and, in fact, had to have his leg amputated. 189 00:10:09,780 --> 00:10:12,340 The name John Gillespie does not appear on any 190 00:10:12,360 --> 00:10:13,520 of the ship's rosters. 191 00:10:16,080 --> 00:10:18,720 The Navy admits the only records that they carried 192 00:10:18,720 --> 00:10:20,880 were the Paymasters' records on board that ship. 193 00:10:20,880 --> 00:10:24,160 The fires raged incessantly for two days. 194 00:10:24,160 --> 00:10:27,080 Oh, that was destroyed. 195 00:10:27,080 --> 00:10:29,280 Fire would also frustrate any attempt 196 00:10:29,280 --> 00:10:32,760 to verify the serial number of John Gillespie. 197 00:10:32,760 --> 00:10:37,200 In 1973, flames ravaged the Naval Warehouse in St. Louis, 198 00:10:37,200 --> 00:10:39,840 destroying the service records of thousands of seamen 199 00:10:39,840 --> 00:10:40,920 from World War II. 200 00:10:42,400 --> 00:10:44,640 How about your grandmother? 201 00:10:44,640 --> 00:10:47,560 Sharon's past life memory also included information 202 00:10:47,560 --> 00:10:50,560 about John Gillespie's personal life. 203 00:10:50,560 --> 00:10:54,000 Under hypnosis, she stated that he was born in 1921 204 00:10:54,000 --> 00:10:57,840 in Omaha, Nebraska, the son of John Gillespie Sr. 205 00:10:57,840 --> 00:11:01,200 and grandson of Harry Gillespie. 206 00:11:01,200 --> 00:11:04,280 In Census records, 1899, Frank found 207 00:11:04,280 --> 00:11:09,160 what he believes is proof that John Gillespie did exist. 208 00:11:09,160 --> 00:11:12,940 When we came across this frame, we found it, Harry Gillespie, 209 00:11:12,940 --> 00:11:16,900 wife, Ida May, son, Benjamin, son, John, 210 00:11:16,900 --> 00:11:20,340 and that John was John Gillespie's father. 211 00:11:20,340 --> 00:11:21,860 And he would have been 24 years old 212 00:11:21,860 --> 00:11:24,360 when John was born, exactly the right age. 213 00:11:25,580 --> 00:11:27,300 Yes, you can read about Nebraska, 214 00:11:27,300 --> 00:11:28,980 you can read about the farmlands, 215 00:11:28,980 --> 00:11:31,260 you can read about Omaha and Lincoln 216 00:11:31,260 --> 00:11:32,820 and all of those places, 217 00:11:32,820 --> 00:11:35,580 but unless you have experienced something, 218 00:11:35,720 --> 00:11:39,320 where do you get specific names, specific places? 219 00:11:39,320 --> 00:11:40,200 I mean, your history. 220 00:11:40,200 --> 00:11:44,400 How valid are Sharon's so-called past life experiences? 221 00:11:44,400 --> 00:11:46,440 At least one expert feels that Sharon 222 00:11:46,440 --> 00:11:48,720 may have absorbed details from books 223 00:11:48,720 --> 00:11:50,640 from the power of hypnotic suggestion. 224 00:11:53,760 --> 00:11:55,880 Well, the information about TOSC 225 00:11:55,880 --> 00:12:01,440 is easily available to anyone who looks for it 226 00:12:01,440 --> 00:12:03,120 in a book that tells a story. 227 00:12:03,180 --> 00:12:06,900 The events at Pearl Harbor 228 00:12:06,900 --> 00:12:10,900 have probably been as a written about 229 00:12:10,900 --> 00:12:13,860 as any incident in this century. 230 00:12:13,860 --> 00:12:16,460 No, she never did any reading about Pearl Harbor. 231 00:12:16,460 --> 00:12:19,420 It was one of those things that she just didn't care for. 232 00:12:19,420 --> 00:12:20,460 When somebody would mention to you, 233 00:12:20,460 --> 00:12:22,700 just shut her out and just walk away. 234 00:12:22,700 --> 00:12:26,700 He asks leading questions of his subjects. 235 00:12:28,620 --> 00:12:32,940 He seems to take control of the subject 236 00:12:33,880 --> 00:12:38,880 rather than allowing the person involved 237 00:12:39,160 --> 00:12:43,440 to be in control and to volunteer information. 238 00:12:46,000 --> 00:12:47,920 In an attempt to refute the critics, 239 00:12:47,920 --> 00:12:49,880 both Frank and Sharon agreed to undergo 240 00:12:49,880 --> 00:12:52,440 polygraph tests with Glen White side, 241 00:12:52,440 --> 00:12:54,640 a polygraph examiner for 20 years 242 00:12:54,640 --> 00:12:57,240 who has been board certified in four states. 243 00:12:59,040 --> 00:13:01,240 In my opinion, Sharon and Frank 244 00:13:01,340 --> 00:13:05,420 absolutely are not conducting a hoax. 245 00:13:05,420 --> 00:13:09,740 They did not get their information out of records books. 246 00:13:09,740 --> 00:13:14,740 They are not using mind conditioning 247 00:13:17,780 --> 00:13:19,740 or hypnotic suggestion. 248 00:13:19,740 --> 00:13:22,620 They are not perpetrating a hoax in any way. 249 00:13:24,940 --> 00:13:27,700 Under hypnosis, Sharon revealed that John Gillespie 250 00:13:27,700 --> 00:13:30,580 had a Hawaiian girlfriend named Sugar. 251 00:13:30,580 --> 00:13:33,920 This composite was made from Sharon's description. 252 00:13:33,920 --> 00:13:37,120 John met Sugar while he was stationed at Pearl Harbor. 253 00:13:37,120 --> 00:13:40,720 If she exists, Sugar would today be 70 years old. 254 00:13:44,000 --> 00:13:46,240 For most of us, the incredible facts of this story 255 00:13:46,240 --> 00:13:47,500 seem hard to accept. 256 00:13:48,480 --> 00:13:51,280 How could a woman living today have such vivid memories 257 00:13:51,280 --> 00:13:53,960 of someone else's life and death at Pearl Harbor 258 00:13:53,960 --> 00:13:55,880 50 years ago? 259 00:13:55,880 --> 00:13:58,320 Is there any way to prove the details of Sharon's account 260 00:13:58,340 --> 00:14:00,500 beyond a shout of a doubt? 261 00:14:00,500 --> 00:14:02,020 Probably not. 262 00:14:02,020 --> 00:14:04,560 But for believers, there is no need to. 263 00:14:07,780 --> 00:14:11,100 Next, a killer has returned to torment the family 264 00:14:11,100 --> 00:14:12,440 of the man he murdered. 265 00:14:12,940 --> 00:14:18,940 Littleton, Colorado is an affluent suburb 15 miles from Denver. 266 00:14:19,740 --> 00:14:21,820 Its residents are, for the most part, 267 00:14:21,820 --> 00:14:23,780 business and professional people. 268 00:14:25,140 --> 00:14:27,020 Roger Dean was typical. 269 00:14:27,020 --> 00:14:30,980 He and his wife, DJ, had lived in Littleton for 15 years. 270 00:14:32,180 --> 00:14:34,020 He was a very good person. 271 00:14:34,020 --> 00:14:35,860 He was a very good person. 272 00:14:35,860 --> 00:14:37,860 He was a very good person. 273 00:14:37,860 --> 00:14:39,860 He was a very good person. 274 00:14:40,080 --> 00:14:43,360 Littleton, Colorado, was a very good person for 15 years. 275 00:14:45,360 --> 00:14:49,600 November 21st, 1985 seemed like an ordinary Wednesday morning, 276 00:14:49,600 --> 00:14:52,120 except for the car nobody recognized parked 277 00:14:52,120 --> 00:14:54,160 outside the Dean home. 278 00:14:54,960 --> 00:14:57,360 Some remembered it as a 68 Pontiac. 279 00:14:57,360 --> 00:14:59,800 Others as a 76 Oldsmobile. 280 00:14:59,800 --> 00:15:02,200 But all agreed on one thing. 281 00:15:02,200 --> 00:15:06,040 They had never before seen the lone man who sat inside. 282 00:15:06,040 --> 00:15:08,640 At the time, they thought nothing of it. 283 00:15:08,780 --> 00:15:10,940 Roger Dean was still alive. 284 00:15:12,300 --> 00:15:13,580 DJ, come out here. 285 00:15:16,100 --> 00:15:20,180 At approximately 7 AM, Roger Dean called his wife, DJ, 286 00:15:20,180 --> 00:15:21,140 into the bedroom. 287 00:15:21,140 --> 00:15:22,180 DJ, come out here. 288 00:15:23,300 --> 00:15:24,580 What is it, Roger? 289 00:15:24,580 --> 00:15:25,340 All right, lady. 290 00:15:25,340 --> 00:15:26,620 Shut up and get on the bed. 291 00:15:26,620 --> 00:15:27,420 Oh! 292 00:15:27,420 --> 00:15:28,260 Roger! 293 00:15:28,260 --> 00:15:29,060 Get on the bed. 294 00:15:29,060 --> 00:15:29,980 Shut up! 295 00:15:29,980 --> 00:15:31,260 Oh, God! 296 00:15:31,260 --> 00:15:32,580 Tie her hands. 297 00:15:32,580 --> 00:15:36,260 The masked intruder forced Roger to tie him blindfold DJ. 298 00:15:37,200 --> 00:15:39,120 Then he took Roger into another room. 299 00:15:41,680 --> 00:15:44,240 As DJ lay bound helplessly on her bed, 300 00:15:44,240 --> 00:15:46,520 she could hear Roger and the gunman talking, 301 00:15:46,520 --> 00:15:48,280 but she could not tell what they were saying. 302 00:15:52,120 --> 00:15:53,320 You had enough time to think about it? 303 00:15:53,320 --> 00:15:55,520 How much money have you got in your savings account? 304 00:15:55,520 --> 00:15:56,320 I don't know. 305 00:15:56,320 --> 00:15:58,960 How much money have you got in your savings account? 306 00:15:58,960 --> 00:15:59,760 I don't know! 307 00:16:00,500 --> 00:16:01,400 Oh! 308 00:16:01,400 --> 00:16:02,300 Oh! 309 00:16:02,300 --> 00:16:03,200 Oh! 310 00:16:03,200 --> 00:16:04,100 Oh! 311 00:16:04,100 --> 00:16:07,980 DJ heard the gunman rifling through drawers. 312 00:16:07,980 --> 00:16:10,260 Then a loud noise made him bolt from the room. 313 00:16:10,260 --> 00:16:11,160 Shut up! 314 00:16:11,160 --> 00:16:13,660 I don't want to get into your place. 315 00:16:13,660 --> 00:16:14,660 I don't know. 316 00:16:14,660 --> 00:16:16,220 How much money do you have in your savings account? 317 00:16:16,220 --> 00:16:17,380 I have $30,000. 318 00:16:17,380 --> 00:16:19,540 I want it, and I want it now! 319 00:16:19,540 --> 00:16:20,740 It's not here. 320 00:16:20,740 --> 00:16:21,940 All right, we're going to the bank. 321 00:16:21,940 --> 00:16:22,620 Let's go. 322 00:16:22,620 --> 00:16:23,420 All right, I'll give you the money. 323 00:16:23,420 --> 00:16:25,620 Go! 324 00:16:25,620 --> 00:16:28,460 Suddenly, the gunman fired. 325 00:16:28,480 --> 00:16:33,160 The bullet ricocheted, striking Roger Dean in the arm. 326 00:16:33,160 --> 00:16:36,120 At the front door, he fired again five times 327 00:16:36,120 --> 00:16:37,320 at point blank range. 328 00:16:37,320 --> 00:16:38,220 Go! 329 00:16:45,640 --> 00:16:50,600 Roger Dean died before paramedics could be summoned. 330 00:16:50,600 --> 00:16:53,040 After I started hearing the gunshots, 331 00:16:53,040 --> 00:16:58,280 I made my way down the steps, and I did get out. 332 00:16:58,280 --> 00:17:01,140 I was on the outside. 333 00:17:01,140 --> 00:17:04,620 And from there, things were a little blur. 334 00:17:04,620 --> 00:17:06,980 I think someone that was driving by 335 00:17:06,980 --> 00:17:10,540 must have come by and taken my blindfold off. 336 00:17:10,540 --> 00:17:13,460 I'm really not even sure of that. 337 00:17:13,460 --> 00:17:18,060 I just knew that Roger, I saw Roger went over to him, 338 00:17:18,060 --> 00:17:20,940 and he was lying in the street. 339 00:17:20,940 --> 00:17:25,100 And then he was taken away, and I was taken to the neighbors. 340 00:17:28,580 --> 00:17:29,980 From the start, authorities were 341 00:17:29,980 --> 00:17:32,980 struck by several oddities in the case. 342 00:17:32,980 --> 00:17:36,500 Roger had twine fiber embedded in only one wrist. 343 00:17:36,500 --> 00:17:38,140 It appeared that Roger had never actually 344 00:17:38,140 --> 00:17:39,460 been tied up by the gunman. 345 00:17:42,500 --> 00:17:45,740 Also, Roger was wearing contact lenses when he was shot. 346 00:17:45,740 --> 00:17:47,220 Look at these glasses here. 347 00:17:47,220 --> 00:17:49,340 Yet strangely, in an upstairs bedroom, 348 00:17:49,340 --> 00:17:53,660 his eyeglasses were found covered with duct tape. 349 00:17:53,660 --> 00:17:56,460 Police began to theorize that the twine and the glasses 350 00:17:56,480 --> 00:17:59,360 were both red herrings, planted to give the impression 351 00:17:59,360 --> 00:18:04,120 that Roger had been blindfolded and bound. 352 00:18:04,120 --> 00:18:06,160 We believe that Roger hired an individual 353 00:18:06,160 --> 00:18:10,800 to come over to basically kidnap him, 354 00:18:10,800 --> 00:18:16,880 take him to his bank, withdraw $30,000 from their account, 355 00:18:16,880 --> 00:18:20,440 and then obviously drop Roger off someplace 356 00:18:20,440 --> 00:18:22,560 so Roger could report a robbery. 357 00:18:22,580 --> 00:18:25,340 And he would have that $30,000 to himself. 358 00:18:28,020 --> 00:18:32,420 During the investigation, two other unusual facts emerged. 359 00:18:32,420 --> 00:18:34,380 In the year prior to his death, Roger 360 00:18:34,380 --> 00:18:37,380 Dean had taken nearly $30,000 from his business 361 00:18:37,380 --> 00:18:39,620 and deposited the money in a private account 362 00:18:39,620 --> 00:18:40,940 unbeknownst to his wife. 363 00:18:44,420 --> 00:18:46,820 Also, on the day of his murder, Roger 364 00:18:46,820 --> 00:18:50,500 was seen sipping coffee in his garage at 7 AM. 365 00:18:50,500 --> 00:18:56,480 On most weekdays, Roger left the house no later than 6.15. 366 00:18:56,480 --> 00:18:59,560 What we make of that timing is that he was waiting 367 00:18:59,560 --> 00:19:03,480 for this individual to come and meet him at his house. 368 00:19:03,480 --> 00:19:05,640 We also believe that the individual was probably 369 00:19:05,640 --> 00:19:09,440 sitting in his car when Roger left the garage door, which 370 00:19:09,440 --> 00:19:12,280 was a signal for this individual to get out of his car 371 00:19:12,280 --> 00:19:15,480 and walk over to Roger's home. 372 00:19:15,480 --> 00:19:19,720 This is the man that I was married to for 26 years. 373 00:19:19,780 --> 00:19:24,700 And yes, there had been personal problems 374 00:19:24,700 --> 00:19:28,220 in the last few years, especially 375 00:19:28,220 --> 00:19:31,460 since the death of our son. 376 00:19:31,460 --> 00:19:34,740 But I knew the man too well. 377 00:19:34,740 --> 00:19:36,780 In my heart, I cannot believe that Roger 378 00:19:36,780 --> 00:19:38,820 had anything to do with this. 379 00:19:42,780 --> 00:19:46,180 Tragedy was not new to DJ Dean. 380 00:19:46,180 --> 00:19:47,780 Two years earlier, her son had been 381 00:19:47,840 --> 00:19:50,840 killed in an automobile accident. 382 00:19:50,840 --> 00:19:52,560 Within a few months, another accident 383 00:19:52,560 --> 00:19:55,120 took the lives of her parents. 384 00:19:55,120 --> 00:19:57,400 DJ and her daughter Tammy tried desperately 385 00:19:57,400 --> 00:19:59,480 to rebuild their lives. 386 00:19:59,480 --> 00:20:02,160 Then five years after Roger Dean's murder, 387 00:20:02,160 --> 00:20:05,200 DJ received a chilling, anonymous letter. 388 00:20:05,200 --> 00:20:08,400 Its author claimed to be the man who had killed her husband. 389 00:20:12,640 --> 00:20:16,840 The letter arrived on July 21, 1990. 390 00:20:16,900 --> 00:20:19,620 It demanded $100,000. 391 00:20:19,620 --> 00:20:22,020 If Roger's murder did not get the money, 392 00:20:22,020 --> 00:20:24,580 he planned to kill again. 393 00:20:24,580 --> 00:20:26,860 Do you know that I've met your daughter, Tammy, 394 00:20:26,860 --> 00:20:29,060 on a few occasions? 395 00:20:29,060 --> 00:20:33,140 She is a very attractive blonde and a very good model. 396 00:20:33,140 --> 00:20:35,940 Do not make me kill her. 397 00:20:35,940 --> 00:20:37,260 Your son is dead. 398 00:20:37,260 --> 00:20:39,100 Your husband is dead. 399 00:20:39,100 --> 00:20:40,900 Do not risk your daughter. 400 00:20:40,900 --> 00:20:44,700 She is the last one left. 401 00:20:44,700 --> 00:20:48,680 I was in total shock. 402 00:20:48,680 --> 00:20:52,080 I mean, this was like something that doesn't happen to you. 403 00:20:52,080 --> 00:20:54,280 This only happens in the movies. 404 00:20:54,280 --> 00:20:55,760 It makes me angry that we had just 405 00:20:55,760 --> 00:20:59,280 started to get on with our lives and put the past in the past. 406 00:20:59,280 --> 00:21:01,600 And it's all brought up to you again. 407 00:21:01,600 --> 00:21:03,360 This person isn't letting us continue, 408 00:21:03,360 --> 00:21:06,160 and we never did anything to deserve this. 409 00:21:08,920 --> 00:21:12,960 DJ and Tammy notify the local authorities and the FBI. 410 00:21:12,980 --> 00:21:15,700 The FBI had no doubt that the extortionist was 411 00:21:15,700 --> 00:21:18,980 who he claimed to be, Roger Dean's killer. 412 00:21:18,980 --> 00:21:21,740 DJ and Tammy were given round the clock protection. 413 00:21:25,260 --> 00:21:27,100 The killer had told DJ that he would 414 00:21:27,100 --> 00:21:31,060 telephone her on July 27, 1990. 415 00:21:31,060 --> 00:21:36,420 FBI agents moved into DJ's home and set up a wiretap operation. 416 00:21:37,400 --> 00:21:38,880 Wait for the second ring now. 417 00:21:42,720 --> 00:21:44,120 OK, DJ, pick it up. 418 00:21:46,720 --> 00:21:47,600 Hello? 419 00:21:47,600 --> 00:21:51,920 Listen, your husband owns me money, and I want my money. 420 00:21:51,920 --> 00:21:54,400 If my husband owed you money, I'll pay you what he owed you. 421 00:21:54,400 --> 00:21:56,160 I want my money. 422 00:21:56,160 --> 00:21:57,360 I'll give it to you. 423 00:21:57,360 --> 00:22:00,160 The FBI traced the call to a phone booth in Denver. 424 00:22:00,160 --> 00:22:01,160 All right, I'll call you tomorrow, 425 00:22:01,160 --> 00:22:03,640 and I'll tell you where to take it, except for you. 426 00:22:03,640 --> 00:22:05,280 But before they could get there, 427 00:22:05,340 --> 00:22:06,740 the killer had disappeared. 428 00:22:09,540 --> 00:22:12,660 I don't believe my husband owed anyone this money, 429 00:22:12,660 --> 00:22:15,900 but that was what he said. 430 00:22:15,900 --> 00:22:19,500 And the phone calls continued and continued and continued. 431 00:22:22,860 --> 00:22:24,700 After nearly a dozen phone calls, 432 00:22:24,700 --> 00:22:27,660 the extortionist told DJ to drive to a supermarket 433 00:22:27,660 --> 00:22:33,060 20 miles north of her home and wait for further instructions. 434 00:22:33,060 --> 00:22:34,780 OK, DJ, be calm. 435 00:22:36,260 --> 00:22:39,740 With an FBI agent hidden in her car and surveillance trucks 436 00:22:39,740 --> 00:22:42,580 in a SWAT team for backup, DJ attempted 437 00:22:42,580 --> 00:22:44,740 to lure the killer into a trap. 438 00:22:44,740 --> 00:22:46,340 OK, she's out of the car. 439 00:22:49,100 --> 00:22:51,580 And she's headed across the parking lot now. 440 00:22:51,580 --> 00:22:54,140 She's headed towards the phone booths. 441 00:22:59,740 --> 00:23:04,180 I waited, and I waited, and I waited. 442 00:23:04,200 --> 00:23:06,240 I could not believe I was really 443 00:23:06,240 --> 00:23:08,640 having to go through this terror. 444 00:23:11,560 --> 00:23:16,840 And then finally, when I did get a call, 445 00:23:16,840 --> 00:23:21,880 I was given instructions as to which streets to take 446 00:23:21,880 --> 00:23:23,320 and where to make the drop. 447 00:23:26,320 --> 00:23:30,280 The extortionist told DJ to leave $100,000 in an alley 448 00:23:30,300 --> 00:23:34,900 behind an apartment complex in downtown Denver. 449 00:23:34,900 --> 00:23:40,420 At 10 PM on August 19, 1990, DJ left the money once again 450 00:23:40,420 --> 00:23:41,620 shadowed by the FBI. 451 00:23:53,780 --> 00:23:54,380 Hello? 452 00:23:54,380 --> 00:23:56,260 You haven't followed instructions. 453 00:23:56,260 --> 00:23:57,060 Yes, we have. 454 00:23:57,060 --> 00:23:58,020 No, you haven't. 455 00:23:58,020 --> 00:23:59,500 You haven't followed instructions, 456 00:23:59,560 --> 00:24:01,400 and now I'm going to hurt you. 457 00:24:01,400 --> 00:24:04,200 He called about, it seemed like forever, 458 00:24:04,200 --> 00:24:08,400 but a couple of hours later and was using a lot of profanity 459 00:24:08,400 --> 00:24:12,640 and said that she had basically not followed his instructions, 460 00:24:12,640 --> 00:24:15,280 had not done what he had told her to do, 461 00:24:15,280 --> 00:24:20,320 and that now he was going to do what he had said 462 00:24:20,320 --> 00:24:21,680 that he would do to me. 463 00:24:21,680 --> 00:24:25,360 Because of that, he would hurt me. 464 00:24:25,380 --> 00:24:29,780 The FBI kept the bundle of cash under surveillance until dawn. 465 00:24:29,780 --> 00:24:32,380 It was never picked up. 466 00:24:32,380 --> 00:24:35,340 Whether or not he spotted something, 467 00:24:35,340 --> 00:24:38,060 whether or not he just took for granted 468 00:24:38,060 --> 00:24:40,900 that the law enforcement was involved, 469 00:24:40,900 --> 00:24:43,580 or whether or not he got cold feet, 470 00:24:43,580 --> 00:24:46,900 and although he didn't detect any type of law enforcement, 471 00:24:46,900 --> 00:24:51,740 he just was too scared to actually make the pick up. 472 00:24:51,740 --> 00:24:53,620 I think all those are possibilities. 473 00:24:53,620 --> 00:24:56,080 When he didn't pick it up, I was devastated 474 00:24:56,080 --> 00:24:58,160 because I thought this is not over. 475 00:24:59,280 --> 00:25:01,720 I was totally devastated. 476 00:25:01,720 --> 00:25:04,320 There's nothing more that either one of us want 477 00:25:04,320 --> 00:25:06,840 than for this to be solved, 478 00:25:06,840 --> 00:25:09,640 and for whoever murdered my dad to be caught. 479 00:25:10,640 --> 00:25:15,280 And at the same time, for him to be also caught 480 00:25:15,280 --> 00:25:17,960 for the fact that he's still terrorizing us. 481 00:25:17,960 --> 00:25:20,520 He is still making us live a nightmare 482 00:25:20,520 --> 00:25:23,120 that continues on and on all the time. 483 00:25:24,520 --> 00:25:27,280 In his last call, the extortionist told Tammy 484 00:25:27,280 --> 00:25:29,520 he still planned to kill her, and that he would strike 485 00:25:29,520 --> 00:25:31,760 when she least expected it. 486 00:25:31,760 --> 00:25:34,960 Authorities know only the suspect is about six feet tall 487 00:25:34,960 --> 00:25:37,760 and uses an extensive vocabulary. 488 00:25:37,760 --> 00:25:40,160 Interestingly, they feel that the extortion letters 489 00:25:40,160 --> 00:25:43,360 are written by a man and a woman working in conjunction. 490 00:25:53,620 --> 00:26:10,040 In the past four years, 68 wanted fugitives, profile, 491 00:26:10,040 --> 00:26:12,440 and unsolved mysteries have been captured, 492 00:26:12,440 --> 00:26:16,340 thanks to vital information provided by you, our viewers. 493 00:26:16,340 --> 00:26:18,920 One recent case is out of a convicted con man 494 00:26:18,920 --> 00:26:20,920 wanted by Nevada police for murder. 495 00:26:21,420 --> 00:26:23,580 Joe, come on out, Joe. 496 00:26:23,580 --> 00:26:26,420 On October 6, 1990, Henderson, Nevada police 497 00:26:26,420 --> 00:26:29,620 entered the home of 50-year-old Joe Weldon Smith. 498 00:26:29,620 --> 00:26:32,220 Inside the house, they found the bodies of Smith's wife, 499 00:26:32,220 --> 00:26:35,660 Judith, and his two stepdaughters. 500 00:26:35,660 --> 00:26:39,300 All three victims had been strangled and bludgeoned to death. 501 00:26:43,300 --> 00:26:44,200 Hello? 502 00:26:44,200 --> 00:26:46,600 Two hours after the bodies were discovered, 503 00:26:46,600 --> 00:26:49,140 Joe Smith telephoned his wife's daughter-in-law. 504 00:26:49,760 --> 00:26:52,140 He denied any involvement in the murders. 505 00:26:52,140 --> 00:26:53,800 Joe, what's going on? 506 00:26:53,800 --> 00:26:55,200 She called her on the phone and told her 507 00:26:55,200 --> 00:26:59,200 that he had killed one of the people that did the killing 508 00:26:59,200 --> 00:27:01,040 and knew who the other ones were. 509 00:27:01,040 --> 00:27:02,480 I'm going to find the guys who did it. 510 00:27:02,480 --> 00:27:06,240 I know who they are, and I'm going to kill them. 511 00:27:06,240 --> 00:27:09,480 In my opinion, it was a ruse by Mr. Smith 512 00:27:09,480 --> 00:27:13,520 to get support from Judith Smith's family members 513 00:27:13,520 --> 00:27:16,520 and make them believe that he was not involved in the killings. 514 00:27:19,800 --> 00:27:22,240 Joe Weldon Smith was charged with three counts 515 00:27:22,240 --> 00:27:23,840 of first-degree murder. 516 00:27:23,840 --> 00:27:25,880 His whereabouts remained a mystery 517 00:27:25,880 --> 00:27:27,680 until the night of our broadcast. 518 00:27:31,320 --> 00:27:33,880 Just minutes after we profiled Smith's case, 519 00:27:33,880 --> 00:27:36,080 an anonymous viewer called our telecenter 520 00:27:36,080 --> 00:27:39,120 to report that the fugitive was living near Los Angeles, 521 00:27:39,120 --> 00:27:41,520 California. 522 00:27:41,520 --> 00:27:43,800 Smith was hiding out at this motel 523 00:27:43,800 --> 00:27:48,300 but managed to escape before he could be apprehended. 524 00:27:48,320 --> 00:27:50,320 Once we established that Joe Weldon Smith was 525 00:27:50,320 --> 00:27:53,200 in the Los Angeles area, we focused our attention 526 00:27:53,200 --> 00:27:57,040 to his brother, who we knew that he had close contact with. 527 00:27:57,040 --> 00:27:59,400 After five days of surveilling this brother, 528 00:27:59,400 --> 00:28:04,100 we established where the suspect was residing. 529 00:28:04,100 --> 00:28:06,540 20 minutes later, Joe Weldon Smith 530 00:28:06,540 --> 00:28:09,880 was arrested at another local motel where he was registered 531 00:28:09,880 --> 00:28:10,980 under an assumed name. 532 00:28:13,780 --> 00:28:16,820 Inside Smith's room, detectives recovered several credit 533 00:28:16,840 --> 00:28:18,780 and identification cards. 534 00:28:18,780 --> 00:28:22,020 Smith told police that he was in the process of creating 535 00:28:22,020 --> 00:28:24,380 a new identity. 536 00:28:24,380 --> 00:28:26,580 At the time of his arrest, Joe Smith indicated to me 537 00:28:26,580 --> 00:28:28,900 that he had seen the last hearing of the Unsolved Mystery 538 00:28:28,900 --> 00:28:29,900 Program. 539 00:28:29,900 --> 00:28:33,700 He also told me that it was very tough being a fugitive 540 00:28:33,700 --> 00:28:35,860 and he always knew that someone would be knocking 541 00:28:35,860 --> 00:28:38,500 at the door one day is kind of glad it's all over at this point. 542 00:28:38,500 --> 00:28:50,820 Next, a beautiful young con artist 543 00:28:50,820 --> 00:28:52,860 embarks on a wild shopping spree. 544 00:28:52,860 --> 00:29:02,100 The city of light in the desert, a seductive town of high rollers 545 00:29:02,100 --> 00:29:07,460 and big spenders where money flows quickly and easily. 546 00:29:07,460 --> 00:29:10,380 On the weekend shortly before Christmas 1990, 547 00:29:10,380 --> 00:29:13,300 an eccentric young woman named Liza Montgomery 548 00:29:13,300 --> 00:29:15,300 was arrested for her murder. 549 00:29:15,300 --> 00:29:17,300 She was a victim of a murder. 550 00:29:17,300 --> 00:29:19,300 She was a victim of a murder. 551 00:29:19,500 --> 00:29:21,860 On the weekend after Christmas 1990, 552 00:29:21,860 --> 00:29:24,380 an eccentric young woman named Liza Montgomery 553 00:29:24,380 --> 00:29:27,980 began a bizarre and most unusual shopping spree, 554 00:29:27,980 --> 00:29:30,780 remarkable even in freewheeling Las Vegas. 555 00:29:35,620 --> 00:29:38,100 On Friday afternoon, December 21st, 556 00:29:38,100 --> 00:29:41,820 Liza, dressed to the nines, visited local businessman Mark 557 00:29:41,820 --> 00:29:43,940 Hughesby. 558 00:29:43,940 --> 00:29:45,700 She was responding to his newspaper 559 00:29:45,700 --> 00:29:48,620 full length mink coat and a two carat diamond ring. 560 00:29:51,620 --> 00:29:52,520 Hello. 561 00:29:52,520 --> 00:29:53,460 Hi, Liza. How are you? 562 00:29:53,460 --> 00:29:54,360 Come on in. 563 00:29:54,360 --> 00:29:55,260 Oh, thank you. 564 00:29:55,260 --> 00:30:00,100 Liza's personality was like that of a excited schoolgirl. 565 00:30:00,100 --> 00:30:01,700 Here is your cashier's check. 566 00:30:01,700 --> 00:30:02,660 My god, there it is. 567 00:30:02,660 --> 00:30:04,060 And there's the ring. 568 00:30:04,060 --> 00:30:05,860 Liza, I told you to bring cash. 569 00:30:05,860 --> 00:30:08,300 I know, but the bank was closing enough. 570 00:30:08,300 --> 00:30:09,420 Anyway, that's just as good. 571 00:30:09,420 --> 00:30:10,460 I mean, don't worry about it. 572 00:30:10,460 --> 00:30:11,460 And it's a good check. 573 00:30:11,460 --> 00:30:13,660 Well, can I see your ID, please? 574 00:30:13,660 --> 00:30:14,540 Oh, sure. 575 00:30:14,540 --> 00:30:16,300 I asked to see her identification, 576 00:30:16,300 --> 00:30:19,380 because I had told her when she came to the home here 577 00:30:19,380 --> 00:30:20,300 that I did want cash. 578 00:30:20,300 --> 00:30:23,020 But I settled for the cashier's check. 579 00:30:23,020 --> 00:30:24,580 Well, let me walk you to the car. 580 00:30:24,580 --> 00:30:25,620 Oh, all right. 581 00:30:25,620 --> 00:30:27,300 Thank you. 582 00:30:27,300 --> 00:30:30,180 As I was saying goodbye to Liza, 583 00:30:30,180 --> 00:30:32,860 and I walked her out to her car, it 584 00:30:32,860 --> 00:30:35,380 seemed very unusual to me that she, how she treated 585 00:30:35,380 --> 00:30:37,260 the mink coat. 586 00:30:37,260 --> 00:30:40,500 She just literally shoved it in the car, 587 00:30:40,500 --> 00:30:42,220 as if it meant nothing to her. 588 00:30:42,220 --> 00:30:43,860 Have a nice Christmas. 589 00:30:43,860 --> 00:30:46,140 You too. 590 00:30:46,140 --> 00:30:48,620 Liza's shopping marathon was just beginning. 591 00:30:48,620 --> 00:30:50,260 Oh, hello. 592 00:30:50,260 --> 00:30:52,420 That same evening, she purchased two rings 593 00:30:52,420 --> 00:30:54,660 which she had selected the previous week. 594 00:30:54,660 --> 00:30:58,420 She paid with a cashier's check in excess of $39,000. 595 00:30:58,420 --> 00:30:59,340 Cashier's check? 596 00:30:59,340 --> 00:31:00,860 And here are your rings. 597 00:31:00,860 --> 00:31:02,100 Oh, thank you. 598 00:31:02,100 --> 00:31:03,620 They're just beautiful. 599 00:31:03,620 --> 00:31:06,260 Liza had been coming to us for about three months. 600 00:31:06,260 --> 00:31:08,660 She was always well-dressed, so we 601 00:31:08,660 --> 00:31:10,180 had never had a problem believing whether or not 602 00:31:10,180 --> 00:31:12,220 she could actually afford anything she wanted to. 603 00:31:12,220 --> 00:31:13,260 That's good. 604 00:31:13,260 --> 00:31:15,820 You know, you're very fortunate to get both of these diamonds 605 00:31:15,820 --> 00:31:17,220 at this price. 606 00:31:17,220 --> 00:31:19,900 Well, that's why they call me lucky. 607 00:31:19,900 --> 00:31:21,620 Here's your cashier's check. 608 00:31:21,620 --> 00:31:22,520 Oh, great. 609 00:31:22,520 --> 00:31:23,420 This looks fine. 610 00:31:23,420 --> 00:31:25,340 The next day, Liza continued her rounds, 611 00:31:25,340 --> 00:31:27,820 clad in the mink coat she had bought from Mark Huseby, 612 00:31:27,820 --> 00:31:30,220 and driving an old battered moving van. 613 00:31:30,220 --> 00:31:31,900 Honey, if you could just write down that number. 614 00:31:31,900 --> 00:31:35,340 She purchased what she called a surprise gift for her husband, 615 00:31:35,340 --> 00:31:37,860 $23,000 worth of furniture. 616 00:31:38,380 --> 00:31:45,060 Throughout the weekend, Liza continued her seemingly endless 617 00:31:45,060 --> 00:31:49,180 Christmas shopping, always paying with cashier's checks. 618 00:31:49,180 --> 00:31:50,880 At nine different stores, she picked up 619 00:31:50,880 --> 00:31:55,900 an additional $100,000 worth of jewelry, furs, and luxury items. 620 00:31:55,900 --> 00:31:58,420 All along the way, Liza made a big impression 621 00:31:58,420 --> 00:32:00,700 and raised quite a few eyebrows. 622 00:32:00,700 --> 00:32:04,260 People were becoming suspicious, starting with businessman 623 00:32:04,260 --> 00:32:06,180 Mark Huseby. 624 00:32:06,180 --> 00:32:07,080 Wonderful. 625 00:32:07,520 --> 00:32:08,600 Very Christmas. 626 00:32:08,600 --> 00:32:11,040 Oh. 627 00:32:11,040 --> 00:32:13,600 Shortly after selling Liza the mink coat and ring, 628 00:32:13,600 --> 00:32:18,320 Huseby began to question where the Liza's check was good. 629 00:32:18,320 --> 00:32:20,600 He drove to an exclusive gated community, 630 00:32:20,600 --> 00:32:24,760 looking for the address printed on Liza's identification card. 631 00:32:24,760 --> 00:32:25,660 Hi. 632 00:32:25,660 --> 00:32:27,960 Do you have a Liza Montgomery living here at 2901 633 00:32:27,960 --> 00:32:29,320 Rancho Billaire Drive? 634 00:32:29,320 --> 00:32:30,720 No, sir. 635 00:32:30,720 --> 00:32:31,640 Are you sure? 636 00:32:31,640 --> 00:32:35,520 I'm positive that address doesn't even exist. 637 00:32:35,520 --> 00:32:40,840 Huseby immediately returned home and called the police. 638 00:32:40,840 --> 00:32:44,240 I explained to him that unless or until the bank received 639 00:32:44,240 --> 00:32:46,640 that check and officially notified him 640 00:32:46,640 --> 00:32:49,000 that it was counterfeit or somehow forged, 641 00:32:49,000 --> 00:32:51,240 there was really nothing we could do at that point. 642 00:32:51,240 --> 00:32:52,680 Even if we were able to find her, 643 00:32:52,680 --> 00:32:54,840 we'd have no authority to detain her simply 644 00:32:54,840 --> 00:32:58,000 because the address on a cashier's check was somehow 645 00:32:58,000 --> 00:33:01,480 an error and that we couldn't detain her just based on that. 646 00:33:01,480 --> 00:33:02,520 Be careful with that. 647 00:33:02,520 --> 00:33:04,480 Meanwhile, back at the furniture store, 648 00:33:04,520 --> 00:33:06,840 Liza was having difficulty squeezing everything 649 00:33:06,840 --> 00:33:08,280 she had bought into the van. 650 00:33:08,280 --> 00:33:09,080 This is all going to fit. 651 00:33:09,080 --> 00:33:10,480 If you want, you can borrow one of our trucks 652 00:33:10,480 --> 00:33:11,880 and we can follow you over there. 653 00:33:11,880 --> 00:33:12,960 No, thank you. 654 00:33:12,960 --> 00:33:13,360 Are you sure? 655 00:33:13,360 --> 00:33:14,600 I mean, after you surprised your husband, 656 00:33:14,600 --> 00:33:16,400 I'd be glad to help you set up some of the furniture. 657 00:33:16,400 --> 00:33:17,400 I don't care what you have to do. 658 00:33:17,400 --> 00:33:18,520 Just get it in there. 659 00:33:18,520 --> 00:33:20,600 Just get it in. 660 00:33:20,600 --> 00:33:22,200 OK. 661 00:33:22,200 --> 00:33:25,480 The store owner was troubled by her belligerent attitude. 662 00:33:25,480 --> 00:33:27,240 Once a van was loaded, he decided 663 00:33:27,240 --> 00:33:30,200 to follow in his own car just to see where Liza would go. 664 00:33:35,240 --> 00:33:37,640 Before leaving, the amateur sleuth gave his wife 665 00:33:37,640 --> 00:33:39,920 a walkie-talkie and took one for himself. 666 00:33:43,120 --> 00:33:45,360 She's turning away from Ratchel Valair. 667 00:33:45,360 --> 00:33:46,960 I knew she was lying. 668 00:33:46,960 --> 00:33:47,860 I call the police. 669 00:33:47,860 --> 00:33:49,160 I'm going to keep following her. 670 00:33:49,160 --> 00:33:50,060 OK. 671 00:33:52,200 --> 00:33:54,880 We learned from dispatch that the check had already 672 00:33:54,880 --> 00:33:57,440 been passed at the furniture store 673 00:33:57,440 --> 00:33:59,920 and that it was in the name of Liza Montgomery, which 674 00:33:59,920 --> 00:34:02,760 was the exact same name that Mark Usby had given us. 675 00:34:02,760 --> 00:34:04,240 Based on that information, we felt 676 00:34:04,240 --> 00:34:06,520 that there was enough corroboration now, 677 00:34:06,520 --> 00:34:08,520 since there were two checks floating around, 678 00:34:08,520 --> 00:34:12,960 that she needed to at least be stopped and identified. 679 00:34:12,960 --> 00:34:14,880 Sounds like it only took about 10 minutes away, maybe? 680 00:34:14,880 --> 00:34:17,160 Six if we hurry. 681 00:34:17,160 --> 00:34:19,720 The furniture store owner followed Liza's van 682 00:34:19,720 --> 00:34:23,160 to a residential neighborhood five miles away. 683 00:34:23,160 --> 00:34:26,360 He described each event as it unfolded. 684 00:34:26,360 --> 00:34:28,320 She just pulled over onto a residential street 685 00:34:28,320 --> 00:34:30,520 and met up with a man standing next to her red convertible. 686 00:34:33,720 --> 00:34:35,520 Now, he's getting into the truck. 687 00:34:35,520 --> 00:34:36,640 She's getting into the car. 688 00:34:39,640 --> 00:34:42,960 They're leaving together and heading north on Jones. 689 00:34:42,960 --> 00:34:44,360 OK. 690 00:34:44,360 --> 00:34:46,760 My husband says that the woman made contact with the man. 691 00:34:46,760 --> 00:34:49,520 The store owner's wife attempted to keep authorities abreast 692 00:34:49,520 --> 00:34:50,600 of her husband's whereabouts. 693 00:34:50,600 --> 00:34:52,800 We can advise the store owner to try and keep up with the vehicle 694 00:34:52,800 --> 00:34:55,240 if he can, and we'll be there momentarily. 695 00:34:55,240 --> 00:34:56,160 Within two or three minutes. 696 00:34:59,520 --> 00:35:01,960 The van and the red convertible headed south. 697 00:35:01,960 --> 00:35:03,840 The store owner remained on their heels. 698 00:35:07,360 --> 00:35:09,080 When the vehicles reached an intersection 699 00:35:09,080 --> 00:35:10,800 on the outskirts of town, the van 700 00:35:10,800 --> 00:35:14,760 made an illegal right turn and sped away. 701 00:35:14,760 --> 00:35:16,320 She stopped her car. 702 00:35:16,320 --> 00:35:18,760 Well, I better get out of here. 703 00:35:18,760 --> 00:35:19,760 What is he doing? 704 00:35:22,200 --> 00:35:24,520 The store owner was fearful that this angry woman 705 00:35:24,520 --> 00:35:27,040 in a white-mink coat might be carrying a weapon. 706 00:35:27,040 --> 00:35:29,720 He sped off with a convertible in hot pursuit. 707 00:35:32,800 --> 00:35:35,360 After nearly a three-mile chase, the store owner 708 00:35:35,360 --> 00:35:37,160 pulled to the side of the road. 709 00:35:37,160 --> 00:35:39,160 Liza whizzed by and disappeared. 710 00:35:42,160 --> 00:35:45,520 The police were just minutes away, but it was too late. 711 00:35:45,520 --> 00:35:48,360 They combed a five-mile area searching for Liza 712 00:35:48,360 --> 00:35:49,480 and her accomplice. 713 00:35:49,480 --> 00:35:52,080 They ran checks on various garages and warehouses, 714 00:35:52,080 --> 00:35:54,360 hoping to recover the stolen goods. 715 00:35:54,360 --> 00:35:56,960 But the perpetrators and the property were gone. 716 00:35:57,960 --> 00:36:01,920 In summary, she hit at least 12 places that we're aware of, 717 00:36:01,920 --> 00:36:06,920 and the amount of loss to all of those in total 718 00:36:06,920 --> 00:36:09,120 was over $150,000. 719 00:36:09,120 --> 00:36:14,880 The last of the places she hit was a gaming supply store, 720 00:36:14,880 --> 00:36:17,160 at which time she bought three slot machines, 721 00:36:17,160 --> 00:36:19,360 almost as if she wanted to take a souvenir of Las Vegas 722 00:36:19,360 --> 00:36:20,320 with her out of town. 723 00:36:22,760 --> 00:36:25,360 Eventually, the van was taken to the next store. 724 00:36:26,160 --> 00:36:29,080 Eventually, the van and the convertible were recovered. 725 00:36:29,080 --> 00:36:32,280 Liza had rented both vehicles at local agencies. 726 00:36:32,280 --> 00:36:34,360 In each case, she persuaded the rental clerk 727 00:36:34,360 --> 00:36:38,360 to accept a $500 cash deposit in lieu of a credit card. 728 00:36:38,360 --> 00:36:40,080 The cash was never reclaimed. 729 00:36:44,080 --> 00:36:47,240 Usually, we only find this type of skill 730 00:36:47,240 --> 00:36:50,480 amongst people who are going to get involved in a scam that's 731 00:36:50,480 --> 00:36:52,720 worth thousands upon thousands of dollars. 732 00:36:52,720 --> 00:36:57,520 For the most part, some of these nickel and dime con games 733 00:36:57,520 --> 00:37:00,920 fall through when the victim looks straight through the suspect 734 00:37:00,920 --> 00:37:03,080 and is able to see that it is a con game. 735 00:37:03,080 --> 00:37:04,760 But when we talk about big money like this, 736 00:37:04,760 --> 00:37:06,160 if they're going to get away with it, 737 00:37:06,160 --> 00:37:07,560 they're going to have to be very good. 738 00:37:07,560 --> 00:37:10,360 And Liza was one of the best. 739 00:37:10,360 --> 00:37:13,240 Liza Montgomery did leave behind one significant piece 740 00:37:13,240 --> 00:37:14,320 of evidence. 741 00:37:14,320 --> 00:37:16,000 When she rented the van, the clerk 742 00:37:16,000 --> 00:37:18,440 made this copy of her state ID card. 743 00:37:22,720 --> 00:37:44,000 When we return, an intriguing eyewitness account 744 00:37:44,000 --> 00:37:47,000 may help solve a string of bizarre disappearances. 745 00:37:52,720 --> 00:38:05,920 February 4, 1990, 4.30 AM. 746 00:38:05,920 --> 00:38:08,000 Sheriff's deputies responded to a call 747 00:38:08,000 --> 00:38:12,440 at a convenience store in Orlando, Florida. 748 00:38:12,440 --> 00:38:14,680 Two customers had found the all night market 749 00:38:14,680 --> 00:38:18,000 open but curiously unattended. 750 00:38:18,000 --> 00:38:19,680 No one was minding the store. 751 00:38:22,720 --> 00:38:24,160 And she wasn't here. 752 00:38:24,160 --> 00:38:25,320 I don't know where she is. 753 00:38:25,320 --> 00:38:28,840 She's kind of disappeared. 754 00:38:28,840 --> 00:38:30,960 Deputies immediately searched for any signs 755 00:38:30,960 --> 00:38:34,000 of the missing clerk. 756 00:38:34,000 --> 00:38:36,960 Behind the counter, they found a worksmark neatly folded. 757 00:38:39,740 --> 00:38:41,680 The cash register was locked and there 758 00:38:41,680 --> 00:38:42,960 was no evidence of a robbery. 759 00:38:46,000 --> 00:38:47,920 The store appeared to be just abandoned. 760 00:38:48,920 --> 00:38:51,720 There was absolutely no signs of any struggle. 761 00:38:51,720 --> 00:38:53,640 Nothing appeared to be missing from the store 762 00:38:53,640 --> 00:38:57,000 with the exception of the store clerk. 763 00:38:57,000 --> 00:39:00,640 The missing clerk was 26-year-old Deborah Deanne Poe, 764 00:39:00,640 --> 00:39:02,400 who worked days at a local newspaper 765 00:39:02,400 --> 00:39:03,800 and nights at the store. 766 00:39:06,880 --> 00:39:09,480 Deborah had moved to Orlando just four months earlier 767 00:39:09,480 --> 00:39:13,560 with her friend and roommate, Lori Tillman. 768 00:39:13,560 --> 00:39:16,160 The devi and I were more likely to be in the store 769 00:39:16,160 --> 00:39:18,600 and the devi and I were more like sisters 770 00:39:18,600 --> 00:39:21,480 than I am with my own sister. 771 00:39:21,480 --> 00:39:23,640 We had a very unusual friendship. 772 00:39:23,640 --> 00:39:25,240 We could fight like sisters do. 773 00:39:25,240 --> 00:39:27,360 We could ignore each other like sisters do. 774 00:39:27,360 --> 00:39:29,000 But we were there for each other. 775 00:39:29,000 --> 00:39:31,640 If we ever needed anything, we could count on one another. 776 00:39:31,640 --> 00:39:33,080 Good evening, sir. 777 00:39:33,080 --> 00:39:34,080 That's the dollar a yard. 778 00:39:34,080 --> 00:39:36,800 The most dangerous time for convenience store employees 779 00:39:36,800 --> 00:39:39,000 is the graveyard shift. 780 00:39:39,000 --> 00:39:40,240 This was Deborah's shift. 781 00:39:40,560 --> 00:39:44,440 Five nights a week from 11 PM to 7 AM, 782 00:39:44,440 --> 00:39:46,240 she was behind the counter alone. 783 00:39:49,160 --> 00:39:50,800 Oh, you're all doing treatment late nights 784 00:39:50,800 --> 00:39:52,200 on a Saturday night? 785 00:39:52,200 --> 00:39:53,120 There you go. 786 00:39:53,120 --> 00:39:55,320 She needed to work and get the money 787 00:39:55,320 --> 00:39:57,440 she had a brand new car to pay for. 788 00:39:57,440 --> 00:40:01,160 She wanted to buy a house and she wanted to start a business. 789 00:40:01,160 --> 00:40:02,840 So if it meant working two full-time jobs 790 00:40:02,840 --> 00:40:04,680 that she really didn't like, that's what she'd do. 791 00:40:05,680 --> 00:40:08,080 Just after 11 o'clock on the night she disappeared, 792 00:40:08,080 --> 00:40:10,360 a friend of Deborah's dropped by to discuss some house 793 00:40:10,360 --> 00:40:11,960 plans with her. 794 00:40:11,960 --> 00:40:12,960 This house here? 795 00:40:12,960 --> 00:40:13,760 It's cool. 796 00:40:13,760 --> 00:40:14,560 That's what I want. 797 00:40:14,560 --> 00:40:15,760 I don't know if I can afford it. 798 00:40:15,760 --> 00:40:18,160 Police verified that Deborah waited on customers 799 00:40:18,160 --> 00:40:21,440 from the time her friend left until 3.05 AM. 800 00:40:21,440 --> 00:40:22,440 I got to take care of her. 801 00:40:22,440 --> 00:40:23,360 I'm sorry. 802 00:40:23,360 --> 00:40:24,160 OK. 803 00:40:24,160 --> 00:40:26,880 When her friend returned at 3.50 AM, 804 00:40:26,880 --> 00:40:29,120 Deborah was nowhere to be found. 805 00:40:29,120 --> 00:40:31,120 She was in a car accident. 806 00:40:31,120 --> 00:40:33,080 She was in a car accident. 807 00:40:33,760 --> 00:40:35,100 She was on the road. 808 00:40:39,520 --> 00:40:43,400 Her vehicle was parked where she parked it that night 809 00:40:43,400 --> 00:40:46,720 when she came to work. 810 00:40:46,720 --> 00:40:47,520 Had not been disturbed. 811 00:40:47,520 --> 00:40:49,120 It was locked. 812 00:40:49,120 --> 00:40:53,640 And her purse was sitting on the back seat. 813 00:40:53,640 --> 00:40:55,800 Investigators concluded the Deborah Poe 814 00:40:55,800 --> 00:40:57,400 had probably been abducted. 815 00:40:57,400 --> 00:41:00,440 Looks to be about $25 cash in here. 816 00:41:00,440 --> 00:41:02,120 They soon discovered that Deborah was not 817 00:41:02,160 --> 00:41:04,720 in Florida to disappear on the graveyard shift. 818 00:41:07,640 --> 00:41:11,080 Six months earlier, on August 6, 1989, 819 00:41:11,080 --> 00:41:13,480 29-year-old Donna Callahan disappeared 820 00:41:13,480 --> 00:41:16,960 from a convenience store in Gulf Breeze, Florida. 821 00:41:16,960 --> 00:41:19,400 As in Deborah's case, there were no signs of struggle 822 00:41:19,400 --> 00:41:21,080 at the scene. 823 00:41:21,080 --> 00:41:22,920 Donna was three months pregnant and left 824 00:41:22,920 --> 00:41:24,560 behind a two-year-old daughter. 825 00:41:27,120 --> 00:41:29,600 Five weeks later, on September 18, 826 00:41:29,640 --> 00:41:32,880 36-year-old Darlene Messer was abducted from a Lake City 827 00:41:32,880 --> 00:41:34,760 convenience store. 828 00:41:34,760 --> 00:41:37,000 Two days later, Darlene's body was 829 00:41:37,000 --> 00:41:38,720 found in a nearby creek. 830 00:41:38,720 --> 00:41:40,160 She had been bludgeoned to death. 831 00:41:42,920 --> 00:41:46,720 Three victims, all single females in their 20s or 30s, 832 00:41:46,720 --> 00:41:50,400 all had vanished while working the graveyard shift alone. 833 00:41:50,400 --> 00:41:52,480 Investigators believed that the cases were linked 834 00:41:52,480 --> 00:41:54,360 but had no suspect. 835 00:41:54,360 --> 00:41:56,720 Then three days after Deborah Poe's disappearance, 836 00:41:56,720 --> 00:41:59,280 authorities were contacted by a young woman 837 00:41:59,280 --> 00:42:01,800 read about the case in a local paper. 838 00:42:01,800 --> 00:42:04,120 She came forward after realizing that she may have 839 00:42:04,120 --> 00:42:06,800 stood face to face with Deborah Poe's abductor. 840 00:42:11,040 --> 00:42:13,960 I stopped by a convenience store, about 3.30, 841 00:42:13,960 --> 00:42:15,600 to pick up a pack of cigarettes. 842 00:42:15,600 --> 00:42:18,240 And there was only one person in the store. 843 00:42:18,240 --> 00:42:19,520 And it appeared to be the clerk. 844 00:42:22,960 --> 00:42:26,280 Looking back on it, he didn't know where the cigarettes were, 845 00:42:26,280 --> 00:42:30,520 which isn't that uncommon if it's a new clerk. 846 00:42:30,520 --> 00:42:33,120 And I had to point out which ones I wanted. 847 00:42:33,120 --> 00:42:35,680 No, the regular ones up top over there. 848 00:42:35,680 --> 00:42:38,360 He had long, stringy hair. 849 00:42:38,360 --> 00:42:40,200 He was wearing an earring of a cross. 850 00:42:40,200 --> 00:42:42,240 He really seemed smoky. 851 00:42:42,240 --> 00:42:44,120 And a skulls ring. 852 00:42:44,120 --> 00:42:45,720 Yeah, right. 853 00:42:45,720 --> 00:42:50,320 And he had a rock t-shirt and the name Mega Death 854 00:42:50,320 --> 00:42:51,040 across the top. 855 00:42:51,640 --> 00:42:53,200 We cannot locate anyone else that 856 00:42:53,200 --> 00:42:56,440 has been able to tell us whether or not 857 00:42:56,440 --> 00:42:57,880 this individual was in the store 858 00:42:57,880 --> 00:43:00,480 and when they were in the store. 859 00:43:00,480 --> 00:43:02,520 He might have been a customer that walked in 860 00:43:02,520 --> 00:43:05,320 and was walking around looking for the clerk. 861 00:43:05,320 --> 00:43:07,160 He might have been an individual who 862 00:43:07,160 --> 00:43:11,560 was taking an opportunity to shoplift or steal some things. 863 00:43:11,560 --> 00:43:14,680 Or he might be responsible, or in part responsible, 864 00:43:14,680 --> 00:43:16,040 for the abduction of Deborah Poe. 865 00:43:16,160 --> 00:43:18,440 There's a good possibility that we're dealing 866 00:43:18,440 --> 00:43:22,480 with an individual who is a serial type of person 867 00:43:22,480 --> 00:43:25,680 who abducts these people. 868 00:43:25,680 --> 00:43:29,000 Deborah Poe is officially listed as missing. 869 00:43:29,000 --> 00:43:32,160 She is 26 years old, 5 feet 2 inches tall, 870 00:43:32,160 --> 00:43:37,040 and weighs approximately 105 pounds. 871 00:43:37,040 --> 00:43:41,120 If we don't find her alive, then we can at least 872 00:43:41,120 --> 00:43:46,200 put her to rest, give her a decent service, go after her killer. 873 00:44:11,120 --> 00:44:23,120 Join me next time for an all new edition of Unsolved Mysteries.