1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:04,000 This program is about unsolved mysteries. 2 00:00:04,000 --> 00:00:06,800 Whenever possible, the actual family members and police 3 00:00:06,800 --> 00:00:09,800 officials have participated in recreating the events. 4 00:00:09,800 --> 00:00:12,800 What you are about to see is not a news broadcast. 5 00:00:17,800 --> 00:00:20,600 Richard Minns was a flashy bodybuilding millionaire who 6 00:00:20,600 --> 00:00:22,600 always got what he wanted. 7 00:00:22,600 --> 00:00:27,000 In 1977, he set his sights on Barbara Petrovsky, a former 8 00:00:28,000 --> 00:00:30,000 beauty queen from California. 9 00:00:30,000 --> 00:00:33,000 Three years later, their love affair disintegrated, and 10 00:00:33,000 --> 00:00:36,000 Barbara descended into a personal hell which culminated 11 00:00:36,000 --> 00:00:39,000 in a brutal attack. 12 00:00:39,000 --> 00:00:42,000 For years, Catherine Bennett lived in virtual seclusion, 13 00:00:42,000 --> 00:00:45,000 apparently on the edge of poverty. 14 00:00:45,000 --> 00:00:48,000 When she died, she left behind a past shrouded in mystery 15 00:00:48,000 --> 00:00:52,000 and an estate worth more than $125,000. 16 00:00:52,000 --> 00:00:55,000 Perhaps someone watching tonight's show 17 00:00:56,000 --> 00:00:59,000 is a rightful heir. 18 00:00:59,000 --> 00:01:03,000 Also, we'll update you on the unusual case of a Canadian 19 00:01:03,000 --> 00:01:06,000 man who disappeared in 1987. 20 00:01:06,000 --> 00:01:09,000 Thanks to our broadcast, he has finally been located and 21 00:01:09,000 --> 00:01:11,000 reunited with his family. 22 00:01:11,000 --> 00:01:15,000 Join me. Perhaps you may solve a mystery. 23 00:01:56,000 --> 00:02:00,000 Janney Smith of Irvine, California is a registered nurse, 24 00:02:00,000 --> 00:02:03,000 a marathon racer, and a new bride. 25 00:02:03,000 --> 00:02:07,000 She is also paralyzed from the chest down, the result of 26 00:02:07,000 --> 00:02:10,000 a brutal attack. 27 00:02:10,000 --> 00:02:14,000 15 years ago, Janney had another name, Barbara Petrovsky, 28 00:02:14,000 --> 00:02:16,000 and another life. 29 00:02:16,000 --> 00:02:19,000 She was a woman who was born in the United States 30 00:02:19,000 --> 00:02:22,000 and was a woman who was a woman who was a woman 31 00:02:22,000 --> 00:02:25,000 named Barbara Petrovsky and another life. 32 00:02:25,000 --> 00:02:30,000 She was a beauty queen and a straight-A pre-med student. 33 00:02:30,000 --> 00:02:34,000 In 1977, she became involved in a passionate, obsessive 34 00:02:34,000 --> 00:02:37,000 love affair with a man twice her age. 35 00:02:39,000 --> 00:02:43,000 By 1979, that love affair began to self-destruct. 36 00:02:43,000 --> 00:02:46,000 Barbara Petrovsky found herself in broad and a bitter dispute 37 00:02:46,000 --> 00:02:49,000 with her former lover Richard Minnes. 38 00:02:49,000 --> 00:02:52,000 Minnes, a multimillionaire from Texas, was a one-man 39 00:02:52,000 --> 00:02:55,000 Barbara had loved unconditionally, the man whose child 40 00:02:55,000 --> 00:02:58,000 she had carried, the man who had promised her a bright 41 00:02:58,000 --> 00:03:00,000 and limitless future. 42 00:03:00,000 --> 00:03:03,000 Incredibly, she is certain that the attack which left her 43 00:03:03,000 --> 00:03:06,000 paralyzed was a murder attempt and that Richard Minnes 44 00:03:06,000 --> 00:03:08,000 was responsible. 45 00:03:10,000 --> 00:03:13,000 They met in January of 1977 on the ski slopes 46 00:03:13,000 --> 00:03:15,000 of Aspen, Colorado. 47 00:03:15,000 --> 00:03:20,000 Barbara Petrovsky was just 23 and admittedly naive. 48 00:03:20,000 --> 00:03:23,000 Richard Minnes was 47, a sophisticated, 49 00:03:23,000 --> 00:03:28,000 smooth-talking chameleon who could adjust to any situation. 50 00:03:28,000 --> 00:03:32,000 Richard Minnes, when he first approached me, was very loud 51 00:03:32,000 --> 00:03:33,000 and belligerent. 52 00:03:33,000 --> 00:03:36,000 He was dressed very loudly in a bright fluorescent yellow 53 00:03:36,000 --> 00:03:38,000 ski suit. 54 00:03:38,000 --> 00:03:41,000 He was bragging about what a great guy he was. 55 00:03:41,000 --> 00:03:44,000 And when he saw how that affected me, he just very, 56 00:03:44,000 --> 00:03:48,000 very quickly changed his persona and was very quiet, 57 00:03:48,000 --> 00:03:51,000 charming, almost seemed a little shy. 58 00:03:51,000 --> 00:03:55,000 And eventually, I did not only, I didn't just fall in love 59 00:03:55,000 --> 00:03:58,000 with him, I fell head over heels in love with him. 60 00:03:58,000 --> 00:04:01,000 Richard Minnes was anything but shy. 61 00:04:01,000 --> 00:04:05,000 He was a dedicated flamboyant bodybuilder who'd made 62 00:04:05,000 --> 00:04:08,000 millions from a chain of upscale health spas based in Texas. 63 00:04:08,000 --> 00:04:11,000 Minnes was a man who always got what he wanted 64 00:04:11,000 --> 00:04:14,000 and he wanted Barbara. 65 00:04:14,000 --> 00:04:15,000 What's the two most beautiful moments you've 66 00:04:15,000 --> 00:04:19,000 done in the last four months? 67 00:04:19,000 --> 00:04:27,000 Aspen in March and Acabocca. 68 00:04:27,000 --> 00:04:30,000 Within three months, Barbara Petrovsky had moved from 69 00:04:30,000 --> 00:04:33,000 Los Angeles to Houston to live with Richard Minnes. 70 00:04:33,000 --> 00:04:36,000 He hired her as a model for his health spas, 71 00:04:36,000 --> 00:04:38,000 lavished her with attention, and in general, 72 00:04:38,000 --> 00:04:41,000 made her the center of his life. 73 00:04:41,000 --> 00:04:44,000 Minnes even bragged that his contacts guaranteed Barbara 74 00:04:44,000 --> 00:04:47,000 a spot in medical school. 75 00:04:47,000 --> 00:04:50,000 It was incredibly romantic and it was too good to be true. 76 00:04:50,000 --> 00:04:52,000 You know, things like this don't happen in real life. 77 00:04:52,000 --> 00:04:54,000 They happen in a story. 78 00:04:54,000 --> 00:04:56,000 They happen in a movie, but they don't happen to you. 79 00:04:56,000 --> 00:04:59,000 And I felt so incredibly lucky. 80 00:04:59,000 --> 00:05:01,000 We seemed to have a very good relationship. 81 00:05:01,000 --> 00:05:04,000 Certainly, it was magical. 82 00:05:04,000 --> 00:05:06,000 So there was no indication whatsoever in the beginning 83 00:05:06,000 --> 00:05:10,000 that there was anything that was really a miss. 84 00:05:10,000 --> 00:05:14,000 Knock, knock, knock, knock, knock. 85 00:05:14,000 --> 00:05:17,000 Knock, knock, knock, knock, knock. 86 00:05:21,000 --> 00:05:26,000 My husband is in your house and I want to see him right now. 87 00:05:26,000 --> 00:05:27,000 I know he's here. 88 00:05:27,000 --> 00:05:28,000 I saw his car. 89 00:05:28,000 --> 00:05:31,000 Richard Minnes had neglected to tell Barbara one small detail. 90 00:05:31,000 --> 00:05:32,000 I'll go get him. 91 00:05:32,000 --> 00:05:33,000 Dick! 92 00:05:33,000 --> 00:05:34,000 He was married. 93 00:05:34,000 --> 00:05:37,000 You better get out here right now! 94 00:05:38,000 --> 00:05:43,000 At that point, he explained to me that he had loved me so much 95 00:05:43,000 --> 00:05:48,000 that he knew if he had admitted that he was not divorced 96 00:05:48,000 --> 00:05:50,000 that I never would have consented to come to Houston 97 00:05:50,000 --> 00:05:53,000 and that he loved me so much that he would have done anything. 98 00:05:53,000 --> 00:05:57,000 He would have even compromised his own integrity and lied to me 99 00:05:57,000 --> 00:05:59,000 because he loved me so much that he wanted to convince me 100 00:05:59,000 --> 00:06:01,000 to come to Houston to be with him. 101 00:06:01,000 --> 00:06:07,000 And he explained that he was legally separated but not divorced. 102 00:06:10,000 --> 00:06:14,000 After a short breakup, Barbara decided to accept Richard's explanation 103 00:06:14,000 --> 00:06:18,000 and his peace offering, a townhouse for the two of them to share. 104 00:06:18,000 --> 00:06:19,000 Beautiful. 105 00:06:19,000 --> 00:06:20,000 Yeah. 106 00:06:20,000 --> 00:06:24,000 To prove his devotion, Minnes even gave Barbara papers 107 00:06:24,000 --> 00:06:27,000 stating that the townhouse and his contents belong to her. 108 00:06:27,000 --> 00:06:30,000 I decided to do something with this that I asked him. 109 00:06:30,000 --> 00:06:34,000 He really didn't want me to be working for anyone other than him. 110 00:06:34,000 --> 00:06:36,000 This was his way of dealing with that, 111 00:06:36,000 --> 00:06:41,000 was by giving me every assurance that these were things I didn't have to worry about, 112 00:06:41,000 --> 00:06:46,000 that instead I should concentrate on our relationship, 113 00:06:46,000 --> 00:06:50,000 on finishing my own education 114 00:06:50,000 --> 00:06:54,000 and not worrying about holding down a job that wouldn't pay me 115 00:06:54,000 --> 00:06:57,000 nearly what he could make in a day. 116 00:06:58,000 --> 00:07:03,000 Six months later, Barbara discovered that Richard Minnes was not legally separated. 117 00:07:03,000 --> 00:07:06,000 In May of 1978, his wife filed for divorce 118 00:07:06,000 --> 00:07:10,000 after she found out about the townhouse arrangement. 119 00:07:11,000 --> 00:07:13,000 When Dick was going through his divorce, 120 00:07:13,000 --> 00:07:15,000 he just became a completely different person 121 00:07:15,000 --> 00:07:20,000 and it was something that really shocked me. 122 00:07:20,000 --> 00:07:22,000 It really appalled me. 123 00:07:22,000 --> 00:07:24,000 How does something like this happen right now? 124 00:07:24,000 --> 00:07:31,000 Suddenly I saw a very paranoid, violent side of his personality. 125 00:07:31,000 --> 00:07:34,000 Barbara, will you stop it? 126 00:07:34,000 --> 00:07:36,000 You know what? This silly little thing you blame school. 127 00:07:36,000 --> 00:07:38,000 You think that has something to do with... 128 00:07:38,000 --> 00:07:41,000 Do you think it has something to do with economics? 129 00:07:41,000 --> 00:07:44,000 Don't worry about it. Don't worry about it. 130 00:07:44,000 --> 00:07:45,000 Ha! 131 00:07:45,000 --> 00:07:48,000 Richard Minnes' temper became worse and worse, 132 00:07:48,000 --> 00:07:51,000 especially after the divorce settlement was finalized. 133 00:07:51,000 --> 00:07:54,000 His wife, who built the health spa business with him, 134 00:07:54,000 --> 00:07:56,000 was awarded nearly six million dollars. 135 00:07:56,000 --> 00:07:59,000 Barbara, I don't want to talk about you. 136 00:07:59,000 --> 00:08:03,000 At around the same time, Barbara had discovered she was pregnant. 137 00:08:03,000 --> 00:08:06,000 Minnes suddenly put his plans to marry her on hold. 138 00:08:06,000 --> 00:08:07,000 I'll do something. 139 00:08:07,000 --> 00:08:09,000 I'll take you here, please. 140 00:08:09,000 --> 00:08:10,000 Yes! 141 00:08:10,000 --> 00:08:12,000 Dick, will you just calm down, please, and be careful? 142 00:08:12,000 --> 00:08:15,000 Remember, I told you I was pregnant. 143 00:08:15,000 --> 00:08:19,000 Yeah. Good. Good. Good. 144 00:08:19,000 --> 00:08:20,000 Right, I told you that. 145 00:08:20,000 --> 00:08:21,000 Abort it to you. 146 00:08:21,000 --> 00:08:22,000 No. I don't want to talk about it. 147 00:08:22,000 --> 00:08:23,000 No! 148 00:08:23,000 --> 00:08:24,000 Abort. 149 00:08:24,000 --> 00:08:25,000 I won't abort it. 150 00:08:25,000 --> 00:08:26,000 I'm not going to. 151 00:08:26,000 --> 00:08:29,000 I'm not having a child. I don't want it. 152 00:08:29,000 --> 00:08:31,000 I thought we were ever family! 153 00:08:31,000 --> 00:08:32,000 Abort it! 154 00:08:32,000 --> 00:08:33,000 Get out of my house! 155 00:08:33,000 --> 00:08:35,000 You gonna be Barbara? 156 00:08:35,000 --> 00:08:36,000 Okay. 157 00:08:42,000 --> 00:08:43,000 The couch is definitely... 158 00:08:43,000 --> 00:08:44,000 Yeah, no, not the piano. No, I... 159 00:08:44,000 --> 00:08:45,000 Or the clock. 160 00:08:45,000 --> 00:08:46,000 All right, we won't take the clock. 161 00:08:47,000 --> 00:08:50,000 Barbara feared for herself and her unborn child. 162 00:08:50,000 --> 00:08:53,000 In a panic, she decided to move out. 163 00:08:53,000 --> 00:08:57,000 Barbara took almost everything in the townhouse. 164 00:08:57,000 --> 00:08:59,000 At the time that I decided to leave, 165 00:08:59,000 --> 00:09:04,000 my emotional state was one of complete confusion. 166 00:09:04,000 --> 00:09:07,000 I didn't know if I was doing the right thing. 167 00:09:07,000 --> 00:09:09,000 I didn't want to be doing what I was doing. 168 00:09:09,000 --> 00:09:10,000 I really didn't want to... 169 00:09:10,000 --> 00:09:13,000 At this point, even, I still didn't want to leave him. 170 00:09:13,000 --> 00:09:17,000 I thought it was as if I was tearing myself away from part of myself. 171 00:09:17,000 --> 00:09:19,000 I was ripping my own arm off. 172 00:09:19,000 --> 00:09:22,000 When Barbara moved out of the townhouse, 173 00:09:22,000 --> 00:09:26,000 she took all of the furniture in the townhouse with her. 174 00:09:26,000 --> 00:09:29,000 Suzanne Finstead spent more than three years 175 00:09:29,000 --> 00:09:31,000 researching and writing Sleeping with the Devil, 176 00:09:31,000 --> 00:09:36,000 the book which pieces together the complex story of Richard and Barbara. 177 00:09:36,000 --> 00:09:41,000 She did this thinking she needed to do something to jolt him 178 00:09:41,000 --> 00:09:43,000 and she moved out several other times 179 00:09:43,000 --> 00:09:46,000 and the relationship had pretty much remained the same 180 00:09:46,000 --> 00:09:49,000 and she felt she needed to get his attention in a very dramatic way, 181 00:09:49,000 --> 00:09:51,000 which, unfortunately, she did. 182 00:09:51,000 --> 00:09:53,000 Barbara? 183 00:09:53,000 --> 00:09:55,000 Barbara? 184 00:10:00,000 --> 00:10:02,000 Barbara? 185 00:10:04,000 --> 00:10:06,000 Barbara went into hiding. 186 00:10:06,000 --> 00:10:08,000 Richard Minns was furious. 187 00:10:08,000 --> 00:10:11,000 He had lost his wife and half his fortune. 188 00:10:11,000 --> 00:10:13,000 Now Barbara. 189 00:10:19,000 --> 00:10:24,000 He had called his sister, begging her to have me come meet him 190 00:10:24,000 --> 00:10:27,000 on a particular evening. 191 00:10:27,000 --> 00:10:31,000 And even though I knew that it was a big mistake, 192 00:10:31,000 --> 00:10:35,000 I felt as if I had to at least see what he had to say. 193 00:10:36,000 --> 00:10:40,000 When Barbara arrived at Richard's hotel room, he wasn't there, 194 00:10:40,000 --> 00:10:42,000 hoping they could work something out. 195 00:10:42,000 --> 00:10:46,000 She waited in the hallway until well after midnight. 196 00:10:46,000 --> 00:10:48,000 See? 197 00:10:48,000 --> 00:10:50,000 Yes, no, man. No. 198 00:10:50,000 --> 00:10:52,000 Tell me. No. 199 00:10:52,000 --> 00:10:54,000 Yes. 200 00:10:57,000 --> 00:10:59,000 Whoa. 201 00:10:59,000 --> 00:11:01,000 Come on. 202 00:11:01,000 --> 00:11:03,000 Come on. 203 00:11:03,000 --> 00:11:05,000 Barbara? 204 00:11:05,000 --> 00:11:07,000 Barbara, I thought you said you loved me. 205 00:11:07,000 --> 00:11:09,000 I wanted you to come here. 206 00:11:09,000 --> 00:11:11,000 Barbara? 207 00:11:11,000 --> 00:11:15,000 He grabbed me first forcibly and wouldn't allow me to leave. 208 00:11:15,000 --> 00:11:18,000 And then while he held me forcibly, 209 00:11:18,000 --> 00:11:20,000 begged me to just come in and talk, 210 00:11:20,000 --> 00:11:22,000 said that he still loved me. 211 00:11:22,000 --> 00:11:24,000 We had a lot to talk about. 212 00:11:24,000 --> 00:11:26,000 That somehow or another, if we just sat down and talked, 213 00:11:26,000 --> 00:11:28,000 that we could work things out. 214 00:11:28,000 --> 00:11:32,000 So he brought me in to his suite 215 00:11:32,000 --> 00:11:35,000 and we started to talk a little bit. 216 00:11:35,000 --> 00:11:37,000 Okay. 217 00:11:37,000 --> 00:11:42,000 He put his arms around me, 218 00:11:42,000 --> 00:11:44,000 was telling me how much he loved me, 219 00:11:44,000 --> 00:11:47,000 and all of a sudden the door burst open. 220 00:11:47,000 --> 00:11:49,000 It was the police. 221 00:11:49,000 --> 00:11:52,000 He threw me from his arms toward them and said, 222 00:11:52,000 --> 00:11:55,000 take her. You have a warrant for her arrest. 223 00:11:55,000 --> 00:11:57,000 Call her if you don't believe it. 224 00:11:57,000 --> 00:11:59,000 She's an employee of mine. She stole my jewelry. 225 00:11:59,000 --> 00:12:01,000 She stole my shotgun. 226 00:12:01,000 --> 00:12:03,000 After the police set up, 227 00:12:03,000 --> 00:12:07,000 Minns had used his connections to obtain a warrant for her arrest. 228 00:12:07,000 --> 00:12:10,000 One of his associates had called the police. 229 00:12:10,000 --> 00:12:12,000 Are you going to take her away? 230 00:12:12,000 --> 00:12:14,000 What are we standing here talking about? 231 00:12:14,000 --> 00:12:16,000 Don't tell me how to do my job. 232 00:12:16,000 --> 00:12:18,000 It's a valid warrant signed by a judge. 233 00:12:18,000 --> 00:12:20,000 Well, it's not true. God, Richard. 234 00:12:20,000 --> 00:12:22,000 This man is lying. 235 00:12:22,000 --> 00:12:24,000 Just talking about downtown. 236 00:12:24,000 --> 00:12:28,000 What he did to me that night was like taking a knife 237 00:12:28,000 --> 00:12:32,000 and just ripping my heart straight open. 238 00:12:32,000 --> 00:12:34,000 But believe it or not, 239 00:12:34,000 --> 00:12:36,000 even after what he did that night, 240 00:12:36,000 --> 00:12:38,000 I was still in love with him. 241 00:12:41,000 --> 00:12:44,000 Four and a half hours later, at daybreak, 242 00:12:44,000 --> 00:12:47,000 Barbara was visited by a police detective. 243 00:12:47,000 --> 00:12:50,000 Barbara? Barbara Trotsky? 244 00:12:50,000 --> 00:12:52,000 How you doing? 245 00:12:52,000 --> 00:12:54,000 You okay? 246 00:12:54,000 --> 00:12:55,000 No. 247 00:12:55,000 --> 00:12:56,000 How about a smoke? 248 00:12:56,000 --> 00:12:57,000 No, thank you. 249 00:12:57,000 --> 00:12:59,000 Listen, Barbara, I heard about your case, 250 00:12:59,000 --> 00:13:00,000 and I thought I'd come down here 251 00:13:00,000 --> 00:13:02,000 and see if I couldn't give you a hand. 252 00:13:02,000 --> 00:13:03,000 How? 253 00:13:03,000 --> 00:13:04,000 If you'll settle up with Digmins, 254 00:13:04,000 --> 00:13:06,000 we can forget about this whole thing. 255 00:13:06,000 --> 00:13:08,000 What are you talking about? 256 00:13:08,000 --> 00:13:10,000 I've got a little piece of paper here. 257 00:13:10,000 --> 00:13:12,000 You read this, you sign it, 258 00:13:12,000 --> 00:13:14,000 we might slate clean. 259 00:13:14,000 --> 00:13:16,000 I'll get you out of here tonight. 260 00:13:16,000 --> 00:13:18,000 The detective carried a statement, 261 00:13:18,000 --> 00:13:22,000 which he said Richard Minns wanted Barbara to sign. 262 00:13:22,000 --> 00:13:25,000 That I never knew Richard Minns, 263 00:13:25,000 --> 00:13:27,000 that I never had a relationship with him, 264 00:13:27,000 --> 00:13:28,000 and I'm not carrying his child? 265 00:13:28,000 --> 00:13:30,000 No, I'm gonna sign it. 266 00:13:30,000 --> 00:13:31,000 There's some money in there for you. 267 00:13:31,000 --> 00:13:34,000 No, it's lies. 268 00:13:34,000 --> 00:13:35,000 Think about it. 269 00:13:35,000 --> 00:13:38,000 I have. 270 00:13:38,000 --> 00:13:40,000 Okay, then. 271 00:13:43,000 --> 00:13:45,000 Barbara Petrosky was formally charged 272 00:13:45,000 --> 00:13:47,000 with felony grand theft, 273 00:13:47,000 --> 00:13:49,000 and aggravated assault, 274 00:13:49,000 --> 00:13:51,000 because she had slapped at Richard Minns 275 00:13:51,000 --> 00:13:53,000 with her purse in the hotel. 276 00:13:53,000 --> 00:13:56,000 Less than 36 hours later, Barbara miscarried. 277 00:13:56,000 --> 00:14:01,000 She told her doctors, but not Richard Minns. 278 00:14:01,000 --> 00:14:04,000 I think that Digmins got the arrest warrant, 279 00:14:04,000 --> 00:14:06,000 got the attention of the authorities, 280 00:14:06,000 --> 00:14:09,000 because of who he was. 281 00:14:09,000 --> 00:14:12,000 Because it's always been my opinion 282 00:14:12,000 --> 00:14:14,000 that the district attorney's office 283 00:14:14,000 --> 00:14:17,000 would never take any charge unless they felt 284 00:14:17,000 --> 00:14:20,000 that they could make a prima facie case 285 00:14:20,000 --> 00:14:22,000 and get a conviction. 286 00:14:22,000 --> 00:14:26,000 And I felt, when I reviewed these facts, 287 00:14:26,000 --> 00:14:29,000 that this would be an easy case to defend. 288 00:14:29,000 --> 00:14:31,000 Have you been up? Have you been to the door? 289 00:14:31,000 --> 00:14:35,000 Barbara was released, and again went into hiding. 290 00:14:35,000 --> 00:14:36,000 You're gonna be here in a second. 291 00:14:36,000 --> 00:14:38,000 You asked me to do a job or do the job? 292 00:14:38,000 --> 00:14:40,000 Earlier, Minns had hired a private investigator 293 00:14:40,000 --> 00:14:42,000 named Dudley Bell, who was notorious 294 00:14:42,000 --> 00:14:45,000 for operating on the edge of the law. 295 00:14:45,000 --> 00:14:48,000 Bell had no trouble finding Barbara, 296 00:14:48,000 --> 00:14:51,000 and the police were close behind. 297 00:14:51,000 --> 00:14:53,000 Don't touch me. 298 00:14:53,000 --> 00:14:57,000 On April 17, 1980, two Houston police detectives 299 00:14:57,000 --> 00:14:59,000 served Barbara with a search warrant. 300 00:14:59,000 --> 00:15:01,000 We'll have somebody up here in a minute to identify. 301 00:15:01,000 --> 00:15:03,000 Hey, why is he going in there? 302 00:15:03,000 --> 00:15:04,000 Just have a look around. 303 00:15:04,000 --> 00:15:05,000 All right. 304 00:15:05,000 --> 00:15:08,000 Barbara was about to find out that Richard Minns 305 00:15:08,000 --> 00:15:10,000 had engineered the entire episode. 306 00:15:10,000 --> 00:15:12,000 I want my attorney here, OK? 307 00:15:12,000 --> 00:15:13,000 I'm gonna wait for him. 308 00:15:13,000 --> 00:15:14,000 If you want to call him. 309 00:15:14,000 --> 00:15:15,000 I don't want him in here. 310 00:15:15,000 --> 00:15:17,000 I don't want to be standing up here all day long. 311 00:15:17,000 --> 00:15:19,000 I don't want him in this place. 312 00:15:19,000 --> 00:15:20,000 Come on in, Dick. 313 00:15:20,000 --> 00:15:21,000 This is my place. 314 00:15:21,000 --> 00:15:22,000 These are my things. 315 00:15:22,000 --> 00:15:23,000 We got an orange. 316 00:15:23,000 --> 00:15:25,000 Just get the couch out right now. 317 00:15:25,000 --> 00:15:26,000 Those are my things. 318 00:15:26,000 --> 00:15:28,000 The couches, both the couches are mine. 319 00:15:28,000 --> 00:15:29,000 The table is the dishwasher. 320 00:15:29,000 --> 00:15:30,000 You gave all this stuff to me. 321 00:15:30,000 --> 00:15:32,000 Get all this wallpaper away. 322 00:15:32,000 --> 00:15:35,000 Get these movers in here. 323 00:15:35,000 --> 00:15:38,000 Richard Minns put the furniture in storage. 324 00:15:38,000 --> 00:15:40,000 He continued to demand that Barbara 325 00:15:40,000 --> 00:15:43,000 sign papers promising never to sue him. 326 00:15:43,000 --> 00:15:44,000 Just calm down. 327 00:15:44,000 --> 00:15:47,000 He wanted a finality of their relationship, 328 00:15:47,000 --> 00:15:50,000 and he wanted in writing, and he wanted the peace of mind, 329 00:15:50,000 --> 00:15:55,000 I guess, in his, that he considered was necessary for him 330 00:15:55,000 --> 00:15:58,000 to go on without any concerns about her 331 00:15:58,000 --> 00:16:03,000 instituting any litigation with respect to a marriage 332 00:16:03,000 --> 00:16:05,000 or paternity. 333 00:16:05,000 --> 00:16:09,000 Barbara Petrovsky's fairytale romance with Richard Minns 334 00:16:09,000 --> 00:16:11,000 had disintegrated into a nightmare. 335 00:16:15,000 --> 00:16:18,000 I had been told by people who knew him well 336 00:16:18,000 --> 00:16:23,000 that he was so embarrassed and angry that I had left him 337 00:16:23,000 --> 00:16:25,000 that he had to teach me a lesson 338 00:16:25,000 --> 00:16:27,000 and that he had to teach everyone else a lesson. 339 00:16:27,000 --> 00:16:30,000 I told her to be careful, to not be alone, 340 00:16:30,000 --> 00:16:34,000 to watch what she did and where she went. 341 00:16:34,000 --> 00:16:38,000 Unfortunately, no safeguard is enough. 342 00:16:38,000 --> 00:16:41,000 If someone's after you, they can find a way to get you. 343 00:16:42,000 --> 00:16:43,000 Good evening. 344 00:16:43,000 --> 00:16:44,000 How can I help you? 345 00:16:44,000 --> 00:16:46,000 I want to get an apple fritter, please. 346 00:16:46,000 --> 00:16:49,000 Finally, on October 20, 1980, 347 00:16:49,000 --> 00:16:51,000 Barbara's love affair with Richard Minns 348 00:16:51,000 --> 00:16:54,000 reached its violent climax in the parking lot 349 00:16:54,000 --> 00:16:55,000 of a Houston donut shop. 350 00:17:02,000 --> 00:17:06,000 As I was getting back into my car, a black man approached me, 351 00:17:06,000 --> 00:17:10,000 and I knew, I knew immediately what was going to happen. 352 00:17:10,000 --> 00:17:14,000 It was essentially the moment that I had been afraid of. 353 00:17:18,000 --> 00:17:23,000 Barbara Petrovsky was shot four times and left for dead. 354 00:17:23,000 --> 00:17:25,000 The bullets collapsed her lungs 355 00:17:25,000 --> 00:17:27,000 and severed her spinal cord, leaving her paralyzed 356 00:17:27,000 --> 00:17:29,000 from the chest down. 357 00:17:33,000 --> 00:17:35,000 Initially, it seemed that Barbara Petrovsky 358 00:17:35,000 --> 00:17:38,000 was a victim of a random street crime. 359 00:17:38,000 --> 00:17:41,000 Nothing could have been further from the truth. 360 00:17:41,000 --> 00:17:43,000 Miraculously, on the night of the attack, 361 00:17:43,000 --> 00:17:45,000 Barbara never lost consciousness. 362 00:17:45,000 --> 00:17:48,000 When paramedics asked who was responsible, 363 00:17:48,000 --> 00:17:53,000 she gave the name of her former lover, Richard Minns. 364 00:17:53,000 --> 00:17:56,000 Within minutes of the shooting, two small-time hoods 365 00:17:56,000 --> 00:17:59,000 from California, Nathaniel Ivory and Patrick Steen 366 00:17:59,000 --> 00:18:02,000 were arrested for attempted murder. 367 00:18:02,000 --> 00:18:04,000 You're going to do a lot of time. 368 00:18:04,000 --> 00:18:06,000 Under interrogation, they were closed mouthed 369 00:18:06,000 --> 00:18:08,000 and gave no support to Barbara's contention 370 00:18:08,000 --> 00:18:10,000 that Richard Minns was involved. 371 00:18:10,000 --> 00:18:12,000 I don't know, man. 372 00:18:12,000 --> 00:18:14,000 Oh, no. 373 00:18:14,000 --> 00:18:16,000 Then the following night, detectives met 374 00:18:16,000 --> 00:18:19,000 with one of Richard Minns' former bodyguards. 375 00:18:19,000 --> 00:18:21,000 I want to know if you were hired to go to the public. 376 00:18:21,000 --> 00:18:24,000 The man refused to go public, but claimed that one month earlier, 377 00:18:24,000 --> 00:18:27,000 a contract had been put out on Barbara's life. 378 00:18:27,000 --> 00:18:29,000 10 grand? 379 00:18:29,000 --> 00:18:30,000 By who? 380 00:18:30,000 --> 00:18:32,000 Dudley? 381 00:18:32,000 --> 00:18:34,000 Dudley, who? 382 00:18:34,000 --> 00:18:37,000 Come on, man. How many Dudleys do you know? 383 00:18:37,000 --> 00:18:38,000 Dudley Bell. 384 00:18:38,000 --> 00:18:40,000 Okay. 385 00:18:40,000 --> 00:18:42,000 So, who does Dudley Bell work for? 386 00:18:42,000 --> 00:18:44,000 He works for Richard Minns. 387 00:18:46,000 --> 00:18:51,000 So that Richard Minns offer you the money? 388 00:18:51,000 --> 00:18:53,000 No, man. Dudley did. 389 00:18:53,000 --> 00:18:55,000 Dudley works for Richard. 390 00:18:55,000 --> 00:18:57,000 One plus one equals two, man. 391 00:18:59,000 --> 00:19:02,000 The next day, police learned that a California trucker 392 00:19:02,000 --> 00:19:04,000 named Robert Jess Anderson 393 00:19:04,000 --> 00:19:08,000 owned a getaway car used by Steen and Ivory. 394 00:19:08,000 --> 00:19:11,000 A guy named Anderson Huyvers, Bob Anderson. 395 00:19:11,000 --> 00:19:13,000 Bob Anderson. 396 00:19:13,000 --> 00:19:16,000 Steen and Ivory were questioned again. 397 00:19:16,000 --> 00:19:19,000 They identified Robert Jess Anderson as the man 398 00:19:19,000 --> 00:19:21,000 who had hired them to kill Barbara. 399 00:19:21,000 --> 00:19:24,000 He was gonna pay us, then he gave us a gun 400 00:19:24,000 --> 00:19:27,000 and said it would be better if she was dead. 401 00:19:27,000 --> 00:19:30,000 That just happened to know his little mode here. 402 00:19:30,000 --> 00:19:34,000 The following day, Dudley Bell's ex-wife gave police a note 403 00:19:34,000 --> 00:19:37,000 which seemed to connect Richard Minns and Dudley Bell 404 00:19:37,000 --> 00:19:39,000 with Robert Jess Anderson. 405 00:19:39,000 --> 00:19:42,000 The note, printed in Dudley Bell's own hand, 406 00:19:42,000 --> 00:19:45,000 was on Richard Minns' hotel stationery. 407 00:19:45,000 --> 00:19:48,000 A list of guns which later turned out to belong to 408 00:19:48,000 --> 00:19:51,000 Robert Jess Anderson was on the back. 409 00:19:53,000 --> 00:19:58,000 On October 28th, 1980, eight days after Barbara had been shot, 410 00:19:58,000 --> 00:20:00,000 police arrested Robert Jess Anderson 411 00:20:00,000 --> 00:20:03,000 in charges of conspiring to commit a murder. 412 00:20:03,000 --> 00:20:05,000 Wait outside with us. 413 00:20:05,000 --> 00:20:10,000 What is your relationship with Patrick Steen and Nathaniel Ivory? 414 00:20:10,000 --> 00:20:13,000 Relationship, I mean, I don't know from no relationship. 415 00:20:13,000 --> 00:20:15,000 I mean, you throw these names at me, 416 00:20:15,000 --> 00:20:17,000 I don't know many relationships. 417 00:20:17,000 --> 00:20:19,000 With what I have, the fact they have confessed, 418 00:20:19,000 --> 00:20:21,000 they have implicated you, 419 00:20:21,000 --> 00:20:24,000 they were apprehended while driving your car. 420 00:20:24,000 --> 00:20:26,000 It all boils down to one thing, Mr. Anderson, 421 00:20:26,000 --> 00:20:31,000 we've got you, their testimony and the other evidence is that strong. 422 00:20:31,000 --> 00:20:37,000 I happen to be in a position to cut you a deal 423 00:20:37,000 --> 00:20:42,000 to where you were more than likely not serving any time at all for this crime. 424 00:20:42,000 --> 00:20:46,000 If you'll cooperate with me and give me the information that I want to know. 425 00:20:47,000 --> 00:20:49,000 Yeah, sure. What do you want to know? 426 00:20:49,000 --> 00:20:52,000 We solicited at that time his cooperation 427 00:20:52,000 --> 00:20:55,000 because the information that we had in this particular case 428 00:20:55,000 --> 00:20:59,000 certainly indicated that there were people far above Robert J. Anderson 429 00:20:59,000 --> 00:21:02,000 that were involved and we felt that it was necessary 430 00:21:02,000 --> 00:21:06,000 to get his assistance to try to move up that ladder. 431 00:21:06,000 --> 00:21:09,000 Well, I tell you, Dudley's a private eye, you know, 432 00:21:09,000 --> 00:21:11,000 and he was working for this guy. 433 00:21:11,000 --> 00:21:14,000 Anderson confirmed that it was Dudley Bell who had hired him. 434 00:21:14,000 --> 00:21:19,000 Anderson also admitted that he in turn had approached Steen and Ivory to make the hit, 435 00:21:19,000 --> 00:21:22,000 but he said he called it off in the end. 436 00:21:22,000 --> 00:21:26,000 Anderson's suspect is that Dudley Bell was working for Richard Minns, 437 00:21:26,000 --> 00:21:27,000 but he had no proof. 438 00:21:27,000 --> 00:21:30,000 He stiffed me for the bill. How about that, you know? 439 00:21:30,000 --> 00:21:35,000 Despite Anderson's cooperation, the DA claimed he simply did not have enough evidence 440 00:21:35,000 --> 00:21:38,000 to indict either Dudley Bell or Richard Minns. 441 00:21:38,000 --> 00:21:44,000 In fact, throughout the entire investigation, Minns was never questioned once. 442 00:21:45,000 --> 00:21:49,000 Amazingly, he continued to press a theft case against Barbara. 443 00:21:50,000 --> 00:21:53,000 She appeared in court on November 17, 1980, 444 00:21:53,000 --> 00:21:55,000 less than one month after the shooting, 445 00:21:55,000 --> 00:22:00,000 which Minns now insisted Barbara's new attorney at stage as a publicity stunt. 446 00:22:00,000 --> 00:22:04,000 Mr. DeGaron, I understand you have a motion to present today. 447 00:22:04,000 --> 00:22:08,000 Yes, Your Honor, we'd like for you to rule on our motion to suppress. 448 00:22:08,000 --> 00:22:12,000 I was shot, I was paralyzed, I was sitting in the wheelchair. 449 00:22:12,000 --> 00:22:16,000 He wasn't being questioned, he wasn't being indicted. 450 00:22:16,000 --> 00:22:19,000 Neither were any of the other people who were involved, 451 00:22:19,000 --> 00:22:21,000 yet here I was sitting in a courtroom, 452 00:22:21,000 --> 00:22:23,000 my first trip out of the hospital, 453 00:22:23,000 --> 00:22:27,000 facing theft charges that he had fabricated. 454 00:22:28,000 --> 00:22:29,000 I have your motion. 455 00:22:30,000 --> 00:22:33,000 Barbara would never get the chance to prove that she was innocent. 456 00:22:34,000 --> 00:22:38,000 The theft charges were dropped on a technicality involving the search warrant. 457 00:22:38,000 --> 00:22:39,000 Thank you, Your Honor. 458 00:22:40,000 --> 00:22:47,000 On March 30, 1981, Nathaniel Ivory and Patrick Steen were convicted of attempted murder. 459 00:22:47,000 --> 00:22:50,000 Each was sentenced to 35 years in prison. 460 00:22:52,000 --> 00:22:57,000 Just over one year later, Barbara Petrosky filed a civil suit for wrongful injury 461 00:22:57,000 --> 00:23:03,000 against Richard Minns and his alleged confederates, Steen, Ivory, Anderson and Bell. 462 00:23:04,000 --> 00:23:08,000 Before depositions could be taken, Richard Minns left the country 463 00:23:08,000 --> 00:23:09,000 and disappeared. 464 00:23:10,000 --> 00:23:15,000 He has been in hiding ever since, evading the civil suit by pleading ill health, 465 00:23:15,000 --> 00:23:19,000 even though witnesses have reported him water-skiing in the Bahamas. 466 00:23:21,000 --> 00:23:24,000 Richard Minns remains a suspect in this case, unfortunately, 467 00:23:24,000 --> 00:23:27,000 an unindicted suspect in this case, 468 00:23:27,000 --> 00:23:30,000 because we don't have sufficient evidence in order to indict 469 00:23:30,000 --> 00:23:32,000 nor try Richard Minns for the offense. 470 00:23:33,000 --> 00:23:39,000 There have been many cases of indictments returned in Harris County 471 00:23:39,000 --> 00:23:44,000 on less evidence than the state has against Dick Manns. 472 00:23:45,000 --> 00:23:48,000 I don't know why Dick Manns hasn't been charged. 473 00:23:48,000 --> 00:23:54,000 He should have been, and no fair jury that hears that case 474 00:23:54,000 --> 00:23:57,000 would find anything other than Dick Manns was responsible. 475 00:23:58,000 --> 00:24:03,000 In 1984, the FBI, in an unrelated investigation, 476 00:24:03,000 --> 00:24:08,000 tape-recoded Robert J. Anderson bragging about the Petrosky hit. 477 00:24:08,000 --> 00:24:13,000 He was subsequently convicted of soliciting a murder and sentenced to 38 years. 478 00:24:15,000 --> 00:24:18,000 Dudley Bell was also arrested for soliciting a murder. 479 00:24:18,000 --> 00:24:23,000 In 1987, he was convicted when one of his former employees testified in court 480 00:24:23,000 --> 00:24:27,000 that Bell had tried to hire him to kill Barbara Petrosky. 481 00:24:27,000 --> 00:24:32,000 Like Anderson, Dudley Bell was sentenced to 38 years. 482 00:24:32,000 --> 00:24:37,000 He was released on parole in 1991 after serving only four and a half years. 483 00:24:39,000 --> 00:24:42,000 There's nothing new before this court on this motion, 484 00:24:42,000 --> 00:24:45,000 and the court is noting at this time, and I want the record to show... 485 00:24:45,000 --> 00:24:49,000 On 17 consecutive occasions, Richard Minns failed to appear in court 486 00:24:49,000 --> 00:24:52,000 to respond to Barbara Petrosky's civil suit. 487 00:24:53,000 --> 00:24:56,000 Ultimately, Minns was found in default, 488 00:24:56,000 --> 00:25:00,000 and a jury ordered him to pay Barbara more than $50 million. 489 00:25:00,000 --> 00:25:03,000 The amount of $58 million plus cost. 490 00:25:03,000 --> 00:25:05,000 That will be all, gentlemen. 491 00:25:05,000 --> 00:25:09,000 It is a civil judgment against Richard Minns. 492 00:25:09,000 --> 00:25:14,000 It's a curiosity of the law that one could get a civil judgment against someone 493 00:25:14,000 --> 00:25:18,000 and not a criminal judgment, but that's what's happened in this particular case. 494 00:25:19,000 --> 00:25:23,000 All of the responsible parties in the shooting of Barbara Petrosky 495 00:25:23,000 --> 00:25:27,000 have not been indicted and have not been convicted and sent to the penitentiary. 496 00:25:27,000 --> 00:25:35,000 At least four of them have, and I think it's a consensus in the DA's office 497 00:25:35,000 --> 00:25:42,000 and the homicide division that there is at least one person still there. 498 00:25:42,000 --> 00:25:46,000 A higher person than anybody else that has not been indicted 499 00:25:46,000 --> 00:25:53,000 and has not been convicted, and until that happens, this case will not close. 500 00:25:57,000 --> 00:26:00,000 Barbara said about rebuilding her life. 501 00:26:00,000 --> 00:26:04,000 She changed her name to Janice Smith and eventually moved to Ohio. 502 00:26:04,000 --> 00:26:09,000 Above all, she refused to accept the limitations of her paralysis. 503 00:26:10,000 --> 00:26:16,000 You cannot go through something as devastating as what happened to me and dwell on it. 504 00:26:16,000 --> 00:26:20,000 You cannot, if you do, if you dwell on it, it will destroy you. 505 00:26:20,000 --> 00:26:24,000 You have to go on. You have to find a way to find meaning in life, 506 00:26:24,000 --> 00:26:26,000 to do something meaningful with your life. 507 00:26:26,000 --> 00:26:30,000 And I swore when I was shot that if I lived through it, 508 00:26:30,000 --> 00:26:34,000 that I would find a way to make my life rewarding, fulfilling and productive. 509 00:26:34,000 --> 00:26:37,000 And I've tried to do that since the time of my injury. 510 00:26:40,000 --> 00:26:47,000 In 1983, Barbara, now Janice Smith, began rehabilitation with Dr. Gerald Petrovsky, 511 00:26:47,000 --> 00:26:53,000 who was experimenting with a device which allows a paralyzed person to walk independently. 512 00:26:53,000 --> 00:26:57,000 As collaborators, it perfected the system. 513 00:26:57,000 --> 00:27:01,000 It operates by means of computer-induced electrical impulses. 514 00:27:01,000 --> 00:27:07,000 Today Janice Smith is president and co-founder of the Petrovsky Centers in Irvine, California 515 00:27:07,000 --> 00:27:10,000 and Scranton, Pennsylvania. 516 00:27:10,000 --> 00:27:17,000 As a nurse, she works personally with patients at the centers, especially children. 517 00:27:17,000 --> 00:27:23,000 On November 30, 1991, Janice Smith and Dr. Gerald Petrovsky were married. 518 00:27:23,000 --> 00:27:27,000 It was a remarkable turn of events for a woman who had been left paralyzed 519 00:27:27,000 --> 00:27:30,000 and near death by an assassin's bullet. 520 00:27:31,000 --> 00:27:38,000 Richard Minz has been seen in Texas, the Caribbean, Israel and London, 521 00:27:38,000 --> 00:27:40,000 but is based in Switzerland. 522 00:27:40,000 --> 00:27:42,000 Minz has also changed his name. 523 00:27:42,000 --> 00:27:47,000 Today he goes by Richard O'Toole and builds himself as an international tax attorney. 524 00:27:47,000 --> 00:27:52,000 Minz has reportedly transferred all his assets offshore to dummy corporations. 525 00:27:52,000 --> 00:27:56,000 Janice Smith has never collected a penny. 526 00:28:00,000 --> 00:28:07,000 The next is a search for the heirs of an elderly recluse 527 00:28:07,000 --> 00:28:11,000 who left an estate worth more than $125,000. 528 00:28:31,000 --> 00:28:37,000 It seems like every town in America has a village recluse, 529 00:28:37,000 --> 00:28:42,000 a mysterious soul who chooses to remain alone, isolated from the community. 530 00:28:42,000 --> 00:28:46,000 Catherine Bennett of Portland, Oregon was just such a person, 531 00:28:46,000 --> 00:28:51,000 an eccentric, nearly destitute pack rat who dressed in men's clothing, 532 00:28:51,000 --> 00:28:56,000 rarely left her home and refused to discuss her past with anyone. 533 00:28:57,000 --> 00:29:02,000 For years, Catherine Bennett was viewed with curiosity by sympathetic neighbors. 534 00:29:02,000 --> 00:29:06,000 But no one suspected it was that Catherine had amassed a modest fortune 535 00:29:06,000 --> 00:29:09,000 worth more than $125,000. 536 00:29:09,000 --> 00:29:14,000 But on the day she died, Catherine Bennett was a woman with few friends and no family. 537 00:29:14,000 --> 00:29:19,000 Perhaps one of our viewers can help find the heir to her estate. 538 00:29:20,000 --> 00:29:25,000 Little is known about Catherine before 1941. 539 00:29:25,000 --> 00:29:29,000 That year she met a handsome young soldier named Gilbert Bennett. 540 00:29:29,000 --> 00:29:32,000 Six months later they were married. 541 00:29:32,000 --> 00:29:36,000 After the Second World War, the couple settled in Portland, Oregon, 542 00:29:36,000 --> 00:29:39,000 where Gilbert worked as a commercial photographer. 543 00:29:39,000 --> 00:29:42,000 Catherine became his favorite subject. 544 00:29:42,000 --> 00:29:45,000 Oh yeah, this is the spot. 545 00:29:45,000 --> 00:29:49,000 The two shared a love for the great outdoors. 546 00:29:49,000 --> 00:29:55,000 At every opportunity they would escape to the unspoiled rivers of the Pacific Northwest. 547 00:29:55,000 --> 00:29:58,000 It's beautiful. I can smell the fish. 548 00:29:58,000 --> 00:30:04,000 They loved the outdoor life and they fished every chance they'd get. 549 00:30:04,000 --> 00:30:10,000 They're very devoted to each other. Truly. 550 00:30:10,000 --> 00:30:14,000 They were inseparable. 551 00:30:14,000 --> 00:30:20,000 Every place they went they went together and they fished together and they hunted together and what have you. 552 00:30:20,000 --> 00:30:24,000 I'm sure that they were very much in love with each other. 553 00:30:26,000 --> 00:30:29,000 Gilbert and Catherine never had children. 554 00:30:29,000 --> 00:30:32,000 Instead they built a loving private universe for two. 555 00:30:32,000 --> 00:30:37,000 Catherine lavished attention upon her husband, her garden and her pets. 556 00:30:37,000 --> 00:30:41,000 Yet she remained intensely private about her past. 557 00:30:41,000 --> 00:30:44,000 She never spoke of a past. 558 00:30:44,000 --> 00:30:48,000 And I have since talked to all my brothers and sisters and they said the same thing. 559 00:30:48,000 --> 00:30:51,000 They just didn't know anything of Katie's past. 560 00:30:53,000 --> 00:30:58,000 In 1980, after 38 years of marriage, Gilbert Bennett died. 561 00:30:58,000 --> 00:31:01,000 Catherine's world began to crumble. 562 00:31:02,000 --> 00:31:07,000 When she lost Gilbert she just lost everything I guess. 563 00:31:07,000 --> 00:31:13,000 And I had talked to Katie concerned about her future. 564 00:31:13,000 --> 00:31:18,000 And I asked her if she had any living relatives and she said no she didn't have a family. 565 00:31:18,000 --> 00:31:23,000 She was raised in an orphan home and she didn't know anything about a family. 566 00:31:24,000 --> 00:31:31,000 And she just withdrew some holidays and things like this. 567 00:31:31,000 --> 00:31:36,000 We asked her to come to dinner and stuff like this and she wouldn't do that. 568 00:31:36,000 --> 00:31:44,000 And we just couldn't keep in contact with her too long as a result of this. 569 00:31:45,000 --> 00:31:52,000 Catherine rarely left the home where she and Gilbert had spent so many years together. 570 00:31:52,000 --> 00:31:58,000 In the end, only the charity of neighbors kept her from total seclusion. 571 00:31:58,000 --> 00:32:02,000 We just finished dinner and we have few leftovers so I made up a little plate for you. 572 00:32:02,000 --> 00:32:03,000 Oh, thank you. 573 00:32:03,000 --> 00:32:06,000 Look, is there anything you need from the store? 574 00:32:06,000 --> 00:32:09,000 Oh, I don't think so. Thanks. 575 00:32:10,000 --> 00:32:17,000 Finally in June of 1990, after 10 years alone, Catherine Bennett passed away. 576 00:32:17,000 --> 00:32:22,000 She was 80 years old. 577 00:32:22,000 --> 00:32:28,000 When no blood relatives could be located, representatives from the Oregon Division of State Lands 578 00:32:28,000 --> 00:32:31,000 were dispatched to Catherine's house to sort out her estate. 579 00:32:31,000 --> 00:32:33,000 There's a place in pretty poor condition. 580 00:32:33,000 --> 00:32:35,000 It really needs to be artwork. 581 00:32:35,000 --> 00:32:36,000 That's for sure. 582 00:32:36,000 --> 00:32:41,000 Almost no one had entered the house in the 10 years since her husband had died. 583 00:32:46,000 --> 00:32:48,000 Oh, boy, look at this. 584 00:32:48,000 --> 00:32:49,000 A mess. 585 00:32:49,000 --> 00:32:54,000 Her home was unkept. It was cluttered. It was dirty. It was flee infested. 586 00:32:54,000 --> 00:32:56,000 It's been like this. 587 00:32:58,000 --> 00:33:03,000 It had an odor. It was as if a hermit had lived there. 588 00:33:03,000 --> 00:33:08,000 Mr. Bennett's clothing was still draped over the back of the chairs in the bedroom. 589 00:33:08,000 --> 00:33:12,000 You could hardly even walk through it. It was such a mess. 590 00:33:12,000 --> 00:33:16,000 Papers and bottles and trash and garbage and uneaten food. 591 00:33:16,000 --> 00:33:21,000 She had several animals, cats. There was cat food everywhere and cat food tins. 592 00:33:21,000 --> 00:33:26,000 The fleas were unreal. You could just fill them all over you as you walked in. 593 00:33:26,000 --> 00:33:28,000 It was really bad. 594 00:33:29,000 --> 00:33:33,000 Our first job is to locate a will or locate heirs. 595 00:33:33,000 --> 00:33:37,000 And when we enter the home, we quickly sift through the personal papers, 596 00:33:37,000 --> 00:33:42,000 looking for letters, insurance policies, anything that might lead to an heir. 597 00:33:43,000 --> 00:33:47,000 The investigators never did find a will, but they were surprised to discover 598 00:33:47,000 --> 00:33:51,000 that despite the surroundings, Catherine Bennett was anything but destitute. 599 00:33:51,000 --> 00:33:56,000 They came across unopened social security checks dating back to 1981 600 00:33:56,000 --> 00:34:00,000 and valued it more than $30,000. 601 00:34:00,000 --> 00:34:07,000 In addition to a large amount of loose change, they found a number of rare coins worth $1,500. 602 00:34:07,000 --> 00:34:12,000 Finally, investigators discovered that Catherine had scurled away nearly $60,000 603 00:34:12,000 --> 00:34:14,000 and two separate bank accounts. 604 00:34:14,000 --> 00:34:21,000 After her house was sold, the value of Catherine's estate rose to more than $125,000. 605 00:34:22,000 --> 00:34:27,000 Officials in Oregon have launched an extensive search for Catherine's heirs. 606 00:34:27,000 --> 00:34:33,000 Because her husband is dead, state law requires that the estate go to the nearest blood relative. 607 00:34:33,000 --> 00:34:39,000 What complicates the settling of Catherine's estate is the fact that almost nothing is known about her past. 608 00:34:39,000 --> 00:34:43,000 And much of what is known is fraught with contradiction. 609 00:34:44,000 --> 00:34:49,000 Catherine Bennett was born in Kansas City, Kansas in 1910. 610 00:34:49,000 --> 00:34:54,000 She once told her in-laws that she was raised in a Catholic orphanage after the death of her parents. 611 00:34:54,000 --> 00:34:59,000 However, in a document notarized in 1945, three years after she was married, 612 00:34:59,000 --> 00:35:03,000 Catherine presented a completely different story about her life. 613 00:35:03,000 --> 00:35:06,000 She declared that her father had died prior to her birth, 614 00:35:06,000 --> 00:35:11,000 but that her mother was still alive and married to Joseph Faeback of Kansas City. 615 00:35:11,000 --> 00:35:18,000 The document also made mention of a brother named Martin Erotovich. 616 00:35:42,000 --> 00:35:48,000 On a previous broadcast, we brought you the baffling case of Alex Cooper, 617 00:35:48,000 --> 00:35:53,000 a devoted husband and father of five who had disappeared without a trace. 618 00:35:54,000 --> 00:36:01,000 In April of 1987, Cooper's car was discovered abandoned a few miles from his home in British Columbia, Canada. 619 00:36:01,000 --> 00:36:06,000 Despite a massive search, no sign of him was ever found. 620 00:36:07,000 --> 00:36:13,000 A year later, Alex Cooper was legally declared dead. 621 00:36:13,000 --> 00:36:16,000 I'm calling in regards to Alex Cooper, birth certificate. 622 00:36:16,000 --> 00:36:19,000 On his wife, Margaret, tried to obtain his birth certificate. 623 00:36:19,000 --> 00:36:21,000 She made an unsettling discovery. 624 00:36:21,000 --> 00:36:27,000 There were no official records in the name of her husband prior to their marriage in 1952. 625 00:36:27,000 --> 00:36:33,000 As far as anyone could tell, Alex Cooper simply did not and had never existed. 626 00:36:34,000 --> 00:36:41,000 Four years after he vanished, authorities learned that Alex Cooper was alive and well and living in Toronto, Canada. 627 00:36:41,000 --> 00:36:45,000 But before he could be questioned, Cooper disappeared again. 628 00:36:45,000 --> 00:36:47,000 I'd love to get him back. 629 00:36:47,000 --> 00:36:54,000 I want to give him a real big hug and then I kind of want to give him a kick in the butt and then another big hug. 630 00:36:54,000 --> 00:36:57,000 He's got this family that care about him. 631 00:36:57,000 --> 00:37:00,000 And if he's alive, he's going to be a great man. 632 00:37:00,000 --> 00:37:03,000 He's a family that care about him. 633 00:37:03,000 --> 00:37:09,000 And if he's out there living among strangers, he should rethink this thing. 634 00:37:09,000 --> 00:37:13,000 We deserve it. And so does he. 635 00:37:13,000 --> 00:37:15,000 Who was Alex Cooper? 636 00:37:15,000 --> 00:37:22,000 Why had he assumed an alias and, in essence, lived alive for more than 35 years? 637 00:37:22,000 --> 00:37:29,000 Shortly after this story aired, a viewer in Hamilton, Canada recognized Alex Cooper and immediately called authorities. 638 00:37:29,000 --> 00:37:34,000 During questioning, the mystery surrounding his life began to unravel. 639 00:37:34,000 --> 00:37:40,000 Alex Cooper told police that his true name was Albin Arsenault. 640 00:37:40,000 --> 00:37:48,000 In 1948, he was accused of robbing an office of the Canadian Pacific Railroad where he was employed at the time. 641 00:37:48,000 --> 00:37:51,000 I was young and I panicked. 642 00:37:51,000 --> 00:37:59,000 And I said to myself, there is no way I'm going to take the fall for this because I didn't do it. 643 00:37:59,000 --> 00:38:06,000 I took off at that time and I became Alex Cooper at that point. 644 00:38:06,000 --> 00:38:09,000 Four years later, Alex married Margaret. 645 00:38:09,000 --> 00:38:15,000 He had no idea that any criminal charges that might have been filed against him had probably been dropped. 646 00:38:15,000 --> 00:38:20,000 For more than 35 years, his true identity remained a secret. 647 00:38:20,000 --> 00:38:27,000 Then, as a 65th birthday neared, Alex Cooper's past began to catch up. 648 00:38:27,000 --> 00:38:34,000 I was due for pension and you required to submit a birth certificate. 649 00:38:34,000 --> 00:38:38,000 I knew I couldn't produce one. 650 00:38:38,000 --> 00:38:41,000 Several months prior to this, I knew this was coming up. 651 00:38:41,000 --> 00:38:46,000 I couldn't bring myself about to tell my family. 652 00:38:46,000 --> 00:38:49,000 So I walked away. 653 00:38:49,000 --> 00:38:56,000 It was a snap decision and it was a run. 654 00:38:56,000 --> 00:39:07,000 Two days after his question by Hamilton authorities, Alex Cooper returned to British Columbia and was reunited with his family after more than five years. 655 00:39:07,000 --> 00:39:14,000 We were a very close family and this has been very devastating for all of us since reading that. 656 00:39:14,000 --> 00:39:24,000 I'm really hoping that we can work through this and put it back together if not the way it is, maybe something better. 657 00:39:24,000 --> 00:39:29,000 We can't pick up where we left off because things have changed. 658 00:39:29,000 --> 00:39:33,000 But we're going to start fresh, take it a day at a time. 659 00:39:33,000 --> 00:39:40,000 The way I feel, I don't deserve for anybody to accept my apology. 660 00:39:40,000 --> 00:39:49,000 What I'd done, abandonment of your family to me is one hell of a crime. 661 00:39:49,000 --> 00:40:00,000 And the biggest job for me at this point will be to make amends and I would say it'll probably take me the rest of my life. 662 00:40:11,000 --> 00:40:18,000 Several months ago we profiled the case of Charles Morgan who was found dead in the remote Arizona desert. 663 00:40:18,000 --> 00:40:21,000 He had been shot once in the back of the head. 664 00:40:21,000 --> 00:40:28,000 The local sheriff's department ruled his death a suicide even though the medical examiner classified it as unsolved. 665 00:40:28,000 --> 00:40:39,000 In the segment we interviewed Arizona journalist Don Devereaux who discovered evidence that Morgan had been part of an elaborate money laundering operation involving huge amounts of gold. 666 00:40:39,000 --> 00:40:47,000 Devereaux believes Morgan did not commit suicide but was a victim of a professional contract killing. 667 00:40:47,000 --> 00:40:52,000 When the segment aired we received hundreds of calls relating to Morgan's death. 668 00:40:52,000 --> 00:40:58,000 Recording to Devereaux who continued his investigation many turned out to be productive leads. 669 00:40:58,000 --> 00:41:07,000 Three months later a draftsman at a Phoenix computer company, Doug Johnston, was found dead in his car outside his office. 670 00:41:07,000 --> 00:41:14,000 Johnston had been shot once behind the ear and police have suggested it was a possible suicide. 671 00:41:14,000 --> 00:41:21,000 Curiously Johnston worked across the street from Don Devereaux's office and drove a car that almost exactly matched Devereaux's. 672 00:41:21,000 --> 00:41:27,000 In fact Devereaux is now convinced that the bullet which killed Doug Johnston was intended for him. 673 00:41:27,000 --> 00:41:40,000 I got a phone call from a journalist friend of mine from Washington DC who had been briefed by a high level CIA official that in fact that was a botched hit. 674 00:41:40,000 --> 00:41:46,000 That some people thought they were hitting me when they shot the guy across the street. 675 00:41:46,000 --> 00:41:57,000 And in fact there was still a contract outstanding and it was coming around again that whatever I had done was still a problem to someone. 676 00:41:57,000 --> 00:42:06,000 Two other sources in the intelligence community have confirmed to Don Devereaux that he is a target for murder and that the next attempt will be made to look like an accident. 677 00:42:06,000 --> 00:42:11,000 We'll bring you a full report on this intriguing case in the near future. 678 00:42:16,000 --> 00:42:24,000 Join me next time for another intriguing edition of Unsolved Mysteries. 679 00:43:16,000 --> 00:43:17,000 .