1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:10,000 Tonight on Unsolved Mysteries. 2 00:00:10,000 --> 00:00:14,480 Peace, harmony, enlightenment, and 11 on timely deaths. 3 00:00:14,480 --> 00:00:18,000 This is a legacy of an obscure spiritual movement. 4 00:00:18,000 --> 00:00:20,760 When a respected young English professor joined up, 5 00:00:20,760 --> 00:00:22,800 his family became concerned. 6 00:00:22,800 --> 00:00:27,120 Now he's disappeared, and they're asking for your help. 7 00:00:27,120 --> 00:00:29,120 To Elizabeth Jesscheck, Jonathan Palmer 8 00:00:29,120 --> 00:00:31,880 was dashing, sophisticated, and fearless. 9 00:00:31,880 --> 00:00:34,000 Everything you'd expect a world-class race car 10 00:00:34,000 --> 00:00:35,560 driver to be. 11 00:00:35,560 --> 00:00:38,120 Elizabeth fell madly in love and headlong 12 00:00:38,120 --> 00:00:41,360 into a bizarre mystery. 13 00:00:41,360 --> 00:00:45,760 In Georgia, a secluded lover's lane, a burst of gunfire, 14 00:00:45,760 --> 00:00:47,720 a young couple's slaying. 15 00:00:47,720 --> 00:00:52,640 Now two witnesses disagree on the identity of the killer. 16 00:00:52,640 --> 00:00:54,960 Once upon a time, a young boy tossed a message 17 00:00:54,960 --> 00:00:57,360 in a bottle into a landlocked lake. 18 00:00:57,400 --> 00:00:58,960 He never dreamed he was launching it 19 00:00:58,960 --> 00:01:02,720 on an improbable, around the world journey. 20 00:01:02,720 --> 00:01:04,960 Also tonight, an exciting update. 21 00:01:04,960 --> 00:01:07,040 See how a viewer tip thought about the capture 22 00:01:07,040 --> 00:01:09,000 of an accused killer. 23 00:01:09,000 --> 00:01:14,040 Join me, perhaps you will be able to help solve a mystery. 24 00:01:44,640 --> 00:01:46,360 My name is Rock thanks. 25 00:01:47,200 --> 00:01:50,960 I'm from STETH and I'm 23 years old. 26 00:02:01,520 --> 00:02:02,860 I'm a man and a person. 27 00:02:02,860 --> 00:02:15,620 I'm sure you've heard of my death, 28 00:02:15,620 --> 00:02:20,620 and I'm sorry to have to put you through this, this way. 29 00:02:20,620 --> 00:02:22,820 In this haunting message to his family, 30 00:02:22,820 --> 00:02:26,380 50-year-old Don Hoffman revealed he had terminal cancer. 31 00:02:26,380 --> 00:02:29,500 A diagnosis he said three different doctors had confirmed. 32 00:02:29,500 --> 00:02:34,500 He ran some tests and found that I had terminal nonoperable 33 00:02:34,500 --> 00:02:35,580 cancer. 34 00:02:35,580 --> 00:02:37,860 Just hours after making this video, 35 00:02:37,860 --> 00:02:41,620 Hoffman took his own life. 36 00:02:41,620 --> 00:02:45,820 An autopsy, however, found absolutely no trace of cancer. 37 00:02:45,820 --> 00:02:47,500 Hoffman's children have never been 38 00:02:47,500 --> 00:02:49,860 able to learn the names of his three doctors, 39 00:02:49,860 --> 00:02:52,780 or even if they existed. 40 00:02:52,780 --> 00:02:55,100 On the videotape, Don Hoffman said goodbye 41 00:02:55,100 --> 00:02:57,420 to five different family members. 42 00:02:57,420 --> 00:03:00,340 There was no farewell to the heir to Hoffman's estate, 43 00:03:00,340 --> 00:03:03,860 his second wife, Terry, founder of a spiritual movement known 44 00:03:03,860 --> 00:03:08,420 as conscious development of body, mind, and soul. 45 00:03:08,420 --> 00:03:11,300 Today, Terry Hoffman is a woman at the center of what 46 00:03:11,300 --> 00:03:15,060 some might call a circle of death. 47 00:03:15,060 --> 00:03:19,820 Among the victims, Mary Levinson, drug overdose, 48 00:03:19,820 --> 00:03:23,380 David and Glenda Goodman, shot to death, probable double 49 00:03:23,380 --> 00:03:28,540 suicide, Jill Bounds, bludgeoned to death, 50 00:03:28,540 --> 00:03:32,220 Sandy Cleaver drove off a cliff in broad daylight, 51 00:03:32,220 --> 00:03:35,100 Sandy's 14-year-old daughter, Deverell, drowned. 52 00:03:38,780 --> 00:03:43,100 11 untimely deaths, 11 people with a direct or indirect link 53 00:03:43,100 --> 00:03:45,140 to Terry Hoffman. 54 00:03:45,140 --> 00:03:46,740 Now, some believe a 12th name should 55 00:03:46,740 --> 00:03:48,940 be added to this somber list. 56 00:03:48,940 --> 00:03:52,620 Charles Southern Jr., a respected English professor, 57 00:03:52,620 --> 00:03:56,060 Southern mysteriously disappeared more than seven years ago, 58 00:03:56,060 --> 00:03:58,420 and his family believes it may be no coincidence 59 00:03:58,420 --> 00:04:00,340 that he was a disciple of Terry Hoffman. 60 00:04:03,380 --> 00:04:06,380 Call upon your master. 61 00:04:06,380 --> 00:04:07,660 Visualize him. 62 00:04:07,660 --> 00:04:11,140 Peace, harmony, enlightenment. 63 00:04:11,140 --> 00:04:14,540 Terry Hoffman offered all this and more to Charles Southern 64 00:04:14,540 --> 00:04:18,460 and the many others who joined her group conscious development. 65 00:04:18,460 --> 00:04:23,100 The Lord of the Fifth Plane to guide you at this time. 66 00:04:23,100 --> 00:04:25,220 Part of the belief system Terry taught us 67 00:04:25,220 --> 00:04:31,460 was that death was really just another state of consciousness. 68 00:04:31,460 --> 00:04:32,540 And it wasn't a bad thing. 69 00:04:32,540 --> 00:04:35,180 It wasn't anything to fear. 70 00:04:35,180 --> 00:04:40,900 Peter Mooth belonged to Hoffman's sect for more than a decade. 71 00:04:40,900 --> 00:04:43,940 The other thing we learned was that the dark forces out there 72 00:04:43,940 --> 00:04:45,060 in the universe had a name. 73 00:04:45,060 --> 00:04:47,540 They were the Black Lords, Black Overlords. 74 00:04:47,540 --> 00:04:48,460 They worked for Satan. 75 00:04:48,460 --> 00:04:52,060 And fight those dark lords and I. 76 00:04:52,060 --> 00:04:55,060 The group we worked with was the White Brotherhood, 77 00:04:55,060 --> 00:04:57,100 or good benevolent characters. 78 00:04:57,100 --> 00:04:59,660 They're on God's side, good guys. 79 00:04:59,660 --> 00:05:05,100 And we worked with them to combat the dark forces. 80 00:05:05,100 --> 00:05:08,660 Terry Hoffman cultivated followers around the country. 81 00:05:08,660 --> 00:05:11,220 Among those who joined the Chicago branch of conscious 82 00:05:11,220 --> 00:05:15,500 development was Charles Southern Jr. 83 00:05:15,540 --> 00:05:18,060 Southern was assistant chairman of the English Department 84 00:05:18,060 --> 00:05:20,180 at a local junior college. 85 00:05:20,180 --> 00:05:22,900 Joining Hoffman's group was his most recent foray 86 00:05:22,900 --> 00:05:25,900 in an ongoing search for spiritual truth, 87 00:05:25,900 --> 00:05:28,660 an odyssey that had taken Charles Southern as far away 88 00:05:28,660 --> 00:05:32,980 from home as India and Africa. 89 00:05:32,980 --> 00:05:36,900 Charles was very interested in Eastern religions 90 00:05:36,900 --> 00:05:38,020 and various religions. 91 00:05:38,020 --> 00:05:42,220 In fact, he studied all the different religions that he 92 00:05:42,220 --> 00:05:44,060 could. 93 00:05:44,060 --> 00:05:45,820 And that was his curiosity. 94 00:05:45,820 --> 00:05:48,660 I think it got him in trouble. 95 00:05:48,660 --> 00:05:51,300 My feeling is that his interest in Terry 96 00:05:51,300 --> 00:05:53,340 was he felt a power there. 97 00:05:53,340 --> 00:05:56,780 And that was real to him. 98 00:05:56,780 --> 00:05:59,540 The fact that this power might not necessarily 99 00:05:59,540 --> 00:06:03,420 have a good will or not, that was sort of irrelevant to him, 100 00:06:03,420 --> 00:06:05,100 I guess. 101 00:06:05,100 --> 00:06:07,980 I will be able to relax. 102 00:06:07,980 --> 00:06:10,380 Charles rose quickly to a position of influence 103 00:06:10,380 --> 00:06:13,460 in Terry Hoffman's organization, teaching classes 104 00:06:13,500 --> 00:06:15,340 and leading meditation sessions. 105 00:06:15,340 --> 00:06:17,220 At your own pace. 106 00:06:17,220 --> 00:06:21,500 Eventually, he was invited to her home in Dallas. 107 00:06:21,500 --> 00:06:25,980 The darkest of the Lord comes and he is bright in his evil. 108 00:06:25,980 --> 00:06:28,620 By then, Terry Hoffman had begun to portray herself 109 00:06:28,620 --> 00:06:32,500 as a target of attack by the so-called Black Lords. 110 00:06:32,500 --> 00:06:34,700 During special meditation sessions, 111 00:06:34,700 --> 00:06:36,940 Hoffman exorted her trusted inner circle 112 00:06:36,940 --> 00:06:40,700 to erect, quote, a psychic shield around her. 113 00:06:40,740 --> 00:06:45,260 Peter Muth says he saw Charles at one of these meetings. 114 00:06:45,260 --> 00:06:46,900 It continues. 115 00:06:46,900 --> 00:06:48,100 I just met him briefly. 116 00:06:48,100 --> 00:06:50,620 But the reason it sticks in my mind 117 00:06:50,620 --> 00:06:54,020 is he came as a visitor to one of these closed meetings 118 00:06:54,020 --> 00:06:57,420 at Terry's house where she's having psychic surgery 119 00:06:57,420 --> 00:07:00,380 to repair damage to her done by the Black Lords 120 00:07:00,380 --> 00:07:01,980 who have been attacking her. 121 00:07:01,980 --> 00:07:05,700 Now I see the intertwining of light and dark. 122 00:07:05,700 --> 00:07:09,660 I felt that if Charles or any of us who are in that room, 123 00:07:09,700 --> 00:07:12,900 Terry's master bedroom would only be there 124 00:07:12,900 --> 00:07:14,940 at Terry's invitation and only be there 125 00:07:14,940 --> 00:07:17,980 because they're true believers in the reality 126 00:07:17,980 --> 00:07:22,380 she is selling us about creation and her role in it 127 00:07:22,380 --> 00:07:24,340 as a godlike figure. 128 00:07:24,340 --> 00:07:27,940 The shield is strong, but it must be stronger. 129 00:07:27,940 --> 00:07:30,140 Our inner core group for fighting the battles 130 00:07:30,140 --> 00:07:33,100 lived in a kind of constant state of fear 131 00:07:33,100 --> 00:07:35,860 because we're always under attack from Black magicians 132 00:07:35,860 --> 00:07:39,180 who supposedly could kill us, who could drive us insane. 133 00:07:39,220 --> 00:07:42,260 And as the years went by, you saw people in your group 134 00:07:42,260 --> 00:07:45,180 actually start to show signs of the strain, 135 00:07:45,180 --> 00:07:48,260 show signs of mental and emotional problems. 136 00:07:49,380 --> 00:07:51,700 Charles Southern was apparently one of those 137 00:07:51,700 --> 00:07:53,300 who buckled under the pressure. 138 00:07:54,780 --> 00:07:57,540 We found Charles wandering on the street 139 00:07:57,540 --> 00:08:00,900 carrying a newspaper stating, I lived for art. 140 00:08:02,020 --> 00:08:06,260 We got him in the car and took him to Michael Reese Hospital 141 00:08:06,300 --> 00:08:10,860 for examination, stating that he might be suicidal 142 00:08:10,860 --> 00:08:12,780 and he also seemed to be reciting something 143 00:08:12,780 --> 00:08:15,580 in a strange language over and over and over again. 144 00:08:17,540 --> 00:08:21,300 During Charles' recovery, his mother visited every day. 145 00:08:21,300 --> 00:08:23,660 So did two members of Hoffman's sect. 146 00:08:24,740 --> 00:08:25,820 You're looking good. 147 00:08:25,820 --> 00:08:28,580 I'm feeling much better, much better. 148 00:08:28,580 --> 00:08:30,180 This is my mother. 149 00:08:30,180 --> 00:08:32,900 Later I was to find out from my mother 150 00:08:32,900 --> 00:08:36,540 who stayed with my brother during the whole five days 151 00:08:36,540 --> 00:08:40,420 that whenever she was there at the hospital and they came, 152 00:08:40,420 --> 00:08:43,300 she was asked to leave the room and stay out. 153 00:08:45,980 --> 00:08:47,220 How are you? 154 00:08:47,220 --> 00:08:50,820 Upon his release, Charles resumed his normal activities. 155 00:08:50,820 --> 00:08:52,820 He remained active in Hoffman's group, 156 00:08:52,820 --> 00:08:55,300 though friends say he eventually became disillusioned 157 00:08:55,300 --> 00:08:57,300 with Hoffman herself. 158 00:08:57,300 --> 00:08:59,740 As 1987 drew to a close, 159 00:08:59,740 --> 00:09:01,980 Charles made arrangements for a trip to India 160 00:09:02,020 --> 00:09:03,500 during the Christmas break. 161 00:09:06,780 --> 00:09:08,980 Charles talked to his family several times 162 00:09:08,980 --> 00:09:11,420 in the days before his scheduled departure. 163 00:09:11,420 --> 00:09:14,260 His mother believed something was very wrong. 164 00:09:16,020 --> 00:09:17,860 Hello, Charles. 165 00:09:17,860 --> 00:09:19,740 This is your mother. 166 00:09:19,740 --> 00:09:20,940 I was concerned. 167 00:09:24,460 --> 00:09:26,340 Mother. 168 00:09:26,340 --> 00:09:27,260 Yes, it's me. 169 00:09:29,300 --> 00:09:31,300 No, no, I'm fine. 170 00:09:31,380 --> 00:09:33,260 I told him that I was disturbed 171 00:09:33,260 --> 00:09:37,860 and I felt that I should come to Chicago. 172 00:09:37,860 --> 00:09:40,060 And he said no. 173 00:09:40,060 --> 00:09:42,140 He said you don't need to come to Chicago 174 00:09:42,140 --> 00:09:45,060 because I'm perfectly all right 175 00:09:45,060 --> 00:09:49,740 and I would be leaving for India in three days. 176 00:09:50,980 --> 00:09:53,540 So he assured me that everything was all right 177 00:09:53,540 --> 00:09:56,820 and without assurance, I didn't go. 178 00:09:58,940 --> 00:10:00,620 It was the last time Mrs. Southern 179 00:10:00,620 --> 00:10:02,540 spoke to her son. 180 00:10:02,540 --> 00:10:03,700 Two weeks passed. 181 00:10:05,780 --> 00:10:09,660 We, of course, wondered why we didn't hear from him, 182 00:10:09,660 --> 00:10:12,700 but he had traveled so much and so often 183 00:10:12,700 --> 00:10:15,340 to so many parts of the world. 184 00:10:15,340 --> 00:10:19,420 I wasn't overly concerned until he was overdue. 185 00:10:25,340 --> 00:10:29,060 Charles' parents drove the 300 miles from Cincinnati 186 00:10:29,060 --> 00:10:30,980 when they broke into their son's house. 187 00:10:30,980 --> 00:10:33,180 A nagging concern for his well-being 188 00:10:33,180 --> 00:10:36,940 turned to outright fear. 189 00:10:36,940 --> 00:10:40,820 Charles' passports show no sign of entry stamps from India. 190 00:10:40,820 --> 00:10:43,460 If he had not flown overseas, then where 191 00:10:43,460 --> 00:10:47,380 was Charles during the previous two weeks? 192 00:10:47,380 --> 00:10:49,940 Stashed in a drawer was a vial containing 193 00:10:49,940 --> 00:10:53,340 a powerful medication similar to the lethal South American 194 00:10:53,340 --> 00:10:56,300 poison, curare. 195 00:10:56,300 --> 00:10:59,860 We don't know why my brother had this vial, which was later 196 00:10:59,860 --> 00:11:03,260 identified to be a ganglionic blocker, which 197 00:11:03,260 --> 00:11:07,500 is a medicine used in anesthesia which causes total muscle 198 00:11:07,500 --> 00:11:09,180 paralysis. 199 00:11:09,180 --> 00:11:13,420 It has to be injected, too, not eaten. 200 00:11:13,420 --> 00:11:16,860 Precisely arranged on a ceremonial stool from Africa 201 00:11:16,860 --> 00:11:19,700 where Charles' winter dress hat and his coat 202 00:11:19,700 --> 00:11:22,300 neatly folded inside out. 203 00:11:22,300 --> 00:11:24,980 Only later would the family learn the tabloh 204 00:11:25,020 --> 00:11:28,220 was a Nigerian tribal symbol of death. 205 00:11:28,220 --> 00:11:32,700 But who might have left this sinister display? 206 00:11:32,700 --> 00:11:36,260 And finally, there were two scribbled notes, barely legible, 207 00:11:36,260 --> 00:11:39,740 but appearing to constitute a last will and testament. 208 00:11:39,740 --> 00:11:42,180 This is Charles' handwriting, because it doesn't make sense. 209 00:11:42,180 --> 00:11:45,460 One said in part, I came under a bad influence, 210 00:11:45,460 --> 00:11:48,180 and I was trying to fight it myself. 211 00:11:48,180 --> 00:11:50,780 Terry Hoffman was mentioned twice and named executor. 212 00:11:51,300 --> 00:11:56,060 There was just a lot of death and unhappiness 213 00:11:56,060 --> 00:11:59,460 around this woman, and Charles' disappearance simply 214 00:11:59,460 --> 00:12:00,740 fits into that pattern. 215 00:12:03,140 --> 00:12:04,620 Is there a pattern? 216 00:12:04,620 --> 00:12:08,620 If so, it is marked by stunning coincidence. 217 00:12:08,620 --> 00:12:12,020 Over a 12-year period, two of Hoffman's four husbands, 218 00:12:12,020 --> 00:12:16,620 her only son, six followers, and two people related to or 219 00:12:16,620 --> 00:12:19,580 employed by a follower came to an unnatural end. 220 00:12:19,780 --> 00:12:23,860 Causes of death, one murder, four fatal accidents, 221 00:12:23,860 --> 00:12:24,860 and six suicides. 222 00:12:27,860 --> 00:12:31,020 In over half of these deaths, Terry Hoffman had been recently 223 00:12:31,020 --> 00:12:34,780 named heir or beneficiary, designated to receive well 224 00:12:34,780 --> 00:12:38,100 over a half a million dollars in cash, plus hundreds of 225 00:12:38,100 --> 00:12:42,660 thousands more in real estate, fine art, and jewelry. 226 00:12:42,660 --> 00:12:46,500 Should Charles' southern be added to the list, or can his long 227 00:12:46,500 --> 00:12:48,500 absence be added to the list? 228 00:12:48,540 --> 00:12:51,620 Could his long absence be otherwise explained? 229 00:12:51,620 --> 00:12:54,980 Perhaps another mental break and a descent into the silent 230 00:12:54,980 --> 00:12:56,460 world of Chicago's homeless. 231 00:13:02,620 --> 00:13:04,900 It is important to note that authorities have not directly 232 00:13:04,900 --> 00:13:07,660 linked Terry Hoffman to any of the deaths, and no charges 233 00:13:07,660 --> 00:13:09,380 have been filed. 234 00:13:09,380 --> 00:13:11,980 Our letters and calls to Hoffman inviting her to participate 235 00:13:11,980 --> 00:13:14,580 in this broadcast were not answered. 236 00:13:14,580 --> 00:13:17,380 As for Charles' southern, at the time he vanished, 237 00:13:17,420 --> 00:13:20,420 Hoffman assured his family that she had no idea what had 238 00:13:20,420 --> 00:13:21,180 happened to him. 239 00:13:24,580 --> 00:13:27,820 Next, if you're young, attractive, and female, 240 00:13:27,820 --> 00:13:30,420 look out for a man named Jonathan Kern. 241 00:13:30,420 --> 00:13:32,580 He may be out to steal more than your heart. 242 00:13:48,340 --> 00:13:51,140 In the high octane world of Formula One auto racing, 243 00:13:51,140 --> 00:13:53,540 danger and destruction may lurk around any curve. 244 00:13:57,340 --> 00:14:00,100 Those who emerge triumphant can win fame, fortune, 245 00:14:00,100 --> 00:14:03,220 and the kind of adoration usually reserved for rock stars 246 00:14:03,220 --> 00:14:04,020 and royals. 247 00:14:06,380 --> 00:14:09,860 Big-time racing has spawned its own special breed of criminal. 248 00:14:09,860 --> 00:14:13,300 Case in point, alleged con man Jonathan Kern, 249 00:14:13,300 --> 00:14:16,260 he has reportedly made a career of impersonating a noted 250 00:14:16,300 --> 00:14:18,660 Formula One racer named Jonathan Palmer. 251 00:14:20,780 --> 00:14:23,820 The real Jonathan Palmer was a medical doctor before he became 252 00:14:23,820 --> 00:14:25,980 a world champion driver. 253 00:14:25,980 --> 00:14:29,660 He is all too familiar with Jonathan Kern. 254 00:14:29,660 --> 00:14:33,900 He is most at home wearing Versace clothes, 255 00:14:33,900 --> 00:14:36,500 eating caviar and smoked salmon, and driving Mercedes-Benz 256 00:14:36,500 --> 00:14:39,340 sports cars and being escorted by gorgeous women. 257 00:14:39,340 --> 00:14:44,260 And as he cannot do that through genuinely earned income, 258 00:14:44,300 --> 00:14:49,420 he resorts to fraud to achieve his desired lifestyle. 259 00:14:49,420 --> 00:14:53,340 Beginning in 1989, Kern reportedly crisscrossed Europe, 260 00:14:53,340 --> 00:14:56,500 racking up bills for designer clothes, elegant restaurants, 261 00:14:56,500 --> 00:15:00,500 and five-star hotels, all in the name of Jonathan Palmer, 262 00:15:00,500 --> 00:15:01,540 all unpaid. 263 00:15:04,220 --> 00:15:07,420 Police say that in 1994, Kern brought his masquerade 264 00:15:07,420 --> 00:15:08,780 to America. 265 00:15:08,780 --> 00:15:12,860 Elizabeth Jesczyk met him at a hotel in Miami, Florida. 266 00:15:13,020 --> 00:15:14,260 Hello. 267 00:15:14,260 --> 00:15:15,460 Hi. 268 00:15:15,460 --> 00:15:16,260 I'm sorry. 269 00:15:16,260 --> 00:15:18,060 I don't usually do this, but I couldn't help 270 00:15:18,060 --> 00:15:19,660 but notice that book you're reading. 271 00:15:19,660 --> 00:15:20,860 I read it myself some time ago. 272 00:15:20,860 --> 00:15:22,100 I loved it. 273 00:15:22,100 --> 00:15:23,260 I'm wondering how you like me. 274 00:15:26,260 --> 00:15:27,140 I'm Jonathan Palmer. 275 00:15:30,060 --> 00:15:33,060 There's a race car driver by that name, Jonathan Palmer. 276 00:15:33,060 --> 00:15:33,980 That's me. 277 00:15:33,980 --> 00:15:36,460 Elizabeth, who happened to know about car racing, 278 00:15:36,460 --> 00:15:38,820 had some initial doubts. 279 00:15:38,820 --> 00:15:41,300 Wasn't your hair a little blonder? 280 00:15:41,300 --> 00:15:42,180 It was bloddy. 281 00:15:42,180 --> 00:15:43,460 Yes, you're right. 282 00:15:43,460 --> 00:15:45,620 And I asked a few more questions, and I said, well, 283 00:15:45,620 --> 00:15:47,540 what did you do before you raced cars? 284 00:15:47,540 --> 00:15:49,660 And he said I was a medical doctor. 285 00:15:49,660 --> 00:15:51,260 And I said, that's right. 286 00:15:51,260 --> 00:15:52,380 I knew some background. 287 00:15:52,380 --> 00:15:53,660 I said, who did you race for? 288 00:15:53,660 --> 00:15:55,940 And he told me Tirol, which I knew was a British team. 289 00:15:55,940 --> 00:15:59,580 And I thought, wow, it really is you. 290 00:15:59,580 --> 00:16:01,300 Hair. 291 00:16:01,300 --> 00:16:03,940 Proof. 292 00:16:03,940 --> 00:16:05,780 Kern's passport was a clincher. 293 00:16:05,780 --> 00:16:12,140 So I started having some doubt as to whether he was Jonathan 294 00:16:12,140 --> 00:16:13,140 Palmer. 295 00:16:13,140 --> 00:16:15,180 But it seemed easier to believe he was Jonathan Palmer than 296 00:16:15,180 --> 00:16:17,580 someone impersonating Jonathan Palmer. 297 00:16:17,580 --> 00:16:20,140 That never entered my mind that someone would be doing that. 298 00:16:22,980 --> 00:16:25,380 Elizabeth Jesschek wasn't the only one impressed 299 00:16:25,380 --> 00:16:27,260 by Jonathan Kern. 300 00:16:27,260 --> 00:16:30,780 The car dealer provided Kern with a $78,000 Jaguar 301 00:16:30,780 --> 00:16:33,060 free of charge. 302 00:16:33,060 --> 00:16:34,780 They dropped the keys at the desk, 303 00:16:34,780 --> 00:16:37,260 and they said, this is for Mr. Palmer for his use 304 00:16:37,260 --> 00:16:38,820 while he's in America. 305 00:16:38,820 --> 00:16:40,580 And please make sure that he gets it. 306 00:16:40,580 --> 00:16:42,300 And we always believed him. 307 00:16:42,300 --> 00:16:45,620 And that just made us more convinced that everything was OK. 308 00:16:45,620 --> 00:16:46,520 I know. 309 00:16:46,520 --> 00:16:48,300 It's all your two sweet. 310 00:16:48,300 --> 00:16:50,660 For Elizabeth Jesschek, Jonathan Kern 311 00:16:50,660 --> 00:16:54,140 was almost too good to be true. 312 00:16:54,140 --> 00:16:57,300 Don't toy with me, Jonathan. 313 00:16:57,300 --> 00:16:58,860 If it's a fling that you're looking for, 314 00:16:58,860 --> 00:17:02,340 you're going to have to look somewhere else. 315 00:17:02,340 --> 00:17:06,140 Elizabeth, I'll put my hand on my arm and promise 316 00:17:06,140 --> 00:17:08,260 that if this is what we really want, 317 00:17:08,260 --> 00:17:09,740 nothing will keep us apart. 318 00:17:12,740 --> 00:17:13,940 Do it. 319 00:17:13,940 --> 00:17:15,860 I couldn't understand intellectually 320 00:17:15,860 --> 00:17:17,100 why he was interested in me. 321 00:17:17,100 --> 00:17:18,820 I've been to a lot of the Formula One races, 322 00:17:18,820 --> 00:17:21,180 and I know a lot of them have beautiful girlfriends 323 00:17:21,180 --> 00:17:22,540 and wives, and they're wealthy. 324 00:17:22,540 --> 00:17:24,900 And I'm just a nobody. 325 00:17:24,900 --> 00:17:27,300 And I said to him, why are you interested in me? 326 00:17:27,300 --> 00:17:31,140 And he told me he just wanted a steady relationship. 327 00:17:31,140 --> 00:17:32,620 He didn't want the jet set life. 328 00:17:32,620 --> 00:17:35,540 And he convinced me over the next few days 329 00:17:35,540 --> 00:17:37,860 that I was what he was looking for. 330 00:17:41,740 --> 00:17:44,420 With Jonathan Kern, Elizabeth saw close up 331 00:17:44,420 --> 00:17:47,500 the busy life of an international star, or so 332 00:17:47,500 --> 00:17:48,380 a scene. 333 00:17:48,380 --> 00:17:49,540 I'm going to stay here for a week. 334 00:17:49,540 --> 00:17:52,940 I thought I'd visit you at the end of the day. 335 00:17:52,940 --> 00:17:54,260 Want anything else for dinner? 336 00:17:54,260 --> 00:17:55,460 No, thank you. 337 00:17:55,460 --> 00:17:58,860 Indeed, everyone at the hotel, from Bellhops to the manager, 338 00:17:58,900 --> 00:18:02,820 have been totally snowed by Kern's performance. 339 00:18:02,820 --> 00:18:07,500 He just was aware of intrigue around us 340 00:18:07,500 --> 00:18:11,580 and managed to stay, have a very nice holiday at the hotel 341 00:18:11,580 --> 00:18:15,500 for five days, and run up a huge bill in the restaurant 342 00:18:15,500 --> 00:18:18,700 and have bottles of champagne delivered to his room. 343 00:18:18,700 --> 00:18:21,100 And we always believed him, despite the fact 344 00:18:21,100 --> 00:18:23,100 that he was already having a little bit of a problem 345 00:18:23,100 --> 00:18:25,900 with my front desk about how he was going to pay his bill. 346 00:18:25,900 --> 00:18:26,460 Excuse me. 347 00:18:26,460 --> 00:18:27,340 David, how are you? 348 00:18:27,340 --> 00:18:28,140 I'm fine. 349 00:18:28,140 --> 00:18:30,020 We have some business to attend to at the front desk. 350 00:18:30,020 --> 00:18:31,780 It's all bid arrangements, my office is in Italy. 351 00:18:31,780 --> 00:18:35,100 Well, I know, but we still haven't received an imprint. 352 00:18:35,100 --> 00:18:36,660 I will call them tonight, immediately. 353 00:18:36,660 --> 00:18:37,980 Well, if you would just take a moment, 354 00:18:37,980 --> 00:18:38,900 it won't take long at all. 355 00:18:38,900 --> 00:18:40,700 I wish I could have a bit of a rush right now. 356 00:18:40,700 --> 00:18:41,620 I will call the office. 357 00:18:41,620 --> 00:18:42,780 I will have them ring you in the AFR. 358 00:18:42,780 --> 00:18:45,020 One week later, Kern left the hotel 359 00:18:45,020 --> 00:18:47,780 without paying a dime on his $3,000 bill. 360 00:18:52,700 --> 00:18:54,380 Eventually, Elizabeth invited Kern 361 00:18:54,380 --> 00:18:56,540 to stay at her home in Connecticut. 362 00:18:56,540 --> 00:18:59,020 She still believed he was Jonathan Palmer, 363 00:18:59,020 --> 00:19:01,140 still believed he had put his career on hold 364 00:19:01,140 --> 00:19:02,900 to spend time with her. 365 00:19:02,900 --> 00:19:04,020 Come on inside. 366 00:19:04,020 --> 00:19:06,780 But Kern's thoughts had apparently turned to money, 367 00:19:06,780 --> 00:19:07,620 Elizabeth's money. 368 00:19:07,620 --> 00:19:08,620 Here's your malaria. 369 00:19:08,620 --> 00:19:10,820 Thanks. 370 00:19:10,820 --> 00:19:12,420 Elizabeth says that Kern convinced her 371 00:19:12,420 --> 00:19:14,580 to accept a personal check. 372 00:19:14,580 --> 00:19:17,180 It was drawn on an Italian bank for $11 million 373 00:19:17,180 --> 00:19:21,180 lira, nearly $8,000. 374 00:19:21,180 --> 00:19:23,580 At the time, I was nervous about it. 375 00:19:23,580 --> 00:19:26,020 And the first question out of my family and friends 376 00:19:26,020 --> 00:19:28,660 when I told them was, did you give him any money? 377 00:19:28,660 --> 00:19:29,980 And I said, first I lied. 378 00:19:29,980 --> 00:19:31,180 And I just said, oh, no, no. 379 00:19:31,180 --> 00:19:33,260 And then once the check cleared, I said, see, it was fine. 380 00:19:33,260 --> 00:19:34,780 Yes, I did give him some money. 381 00:19:34,780 --> 00:19:39,340 But now the check has cleared, and I have the money back. 382 00:19:39,340 --> 00:19:40,660 Let's go to meeting tonight. 383 00:19:40,660 --> 00:19:42,780 Jonathan's stay with Elizabeth was punctuated 384 00:19:42,780 --> 00:19:47,100 by frequent business trips to Manhattan. 385 00:19:47,100 --> 00:19:49,100 As usual, he went in style. 386 00:19:49,100 --> 00:19:54,460 Now on a $125,000 Mercedes, lent to him by a local dealer. 387 00:19:54,460 --> 00:19:56,780 He also carried Elizabeth's ATM card 388 00:19:56,780 --> 00:19:59,820 just in case of an emergency. 389 00:19:59,820 --> 00:20:02,340 Sure enough, Jonathan had an emergency. 390 00:20:02,340 --> 00:20:03,240 Hi. 391 00:20:03,240 --> 00:20:04,940 It's Jonathan. 392 00:20:04,940 --> 00:20:05,440 Hi. 393 00:20:05,440 --> 00:20:06,540 What's wrong? 394 00:20:06,540 --> 00:20:07,660 You're not going to believe this. 395 00:20:07,660 --> 00:20:09,700 My wallet was stolen with you. 396 00:20:09,700 --> 00:20:11,300 So what are you going to do now? 397 00:20:11,300 --> 00:20:12,820 I don't know. 398 00:20:12,820 --> 00:20:17,260 Once again, Elizabeth put her own money at Kern's disposal. 399 00:20:17,260 --> 00:20:20,020 You still have my ATM card, don't you? 400 00:20:20,020 --> 00:20:20,900 Yes. 401 00:20:20,900 --> 00:20:22,540 That was in my suitcase. 402 00:20:22,540 --> 00:20:25,420 Why don't you just use that and take it home? 403 00:20:25,420 --> 00:20:26,320 Wonderful. 404 00:20:26,320 --> 00:20:27,220 That's a great idea. 405 00:20:27,220 --> 00:20:29,340 Elizabeth never dreamed Jonathan would use a card 406 00:20:29,340 --> 00:20:33,020 like a spigot to drain her account of cash. 407 00:20:33,020 --> 00:20:35,860 I love you, but I didn't really check up on him. 408 00:20:35,860 --> 00:20:37,940 I could have gone through his things, 409 00:20:37,940 --> 00:20:38,820 but I didn't. 410 00:20:38,820 --> 00:20:43,900 I just continued to try and believe in him. 411 00:20:43,900 --> 00:20:46,860 However, by the time Jonathan returned from Manhattan, 412 00:20:46,860 --> 00:20:50,180 Elizabeth had had a complete change of heart. 413 00:20:50,180 --> 00:20:52,020 I don't want to do this anymore. 414 00:20:52,020 --> 00:20:53,900 Beth, you have to have patience. 415 00:20:53,900 --> 00:20:54,700 I have been patient. 416 00:20:54,700 --> 00:20:55,820 It's not working. 417 00:20:55,820 --> 00:20:56,620 Beth. 418 00:20:56,620 --> 00:20:58,140 You could stay here for a week if you want to, 419 00:20:58,140 --> 00:21:00,540 but I don't want to do this anymore. 420 00:21:00,540 --> 00:21:02,260 You'll have your money on Monday. 421 00:21:02,260 --> 00:21:05,260 It is not the money. 422 00:21:05,260 --> 00:21:06,180 It's us. 423 00:21:11,540 --> 00:21:15,020 Jonathan Kern cleared out the next day. 424 00:21:15,020 --> 00:21:16,100 Is this stuff on your hand? 425 00:21:16,100 --> 00:21:18,620 Elizabeth began calling numbers from her phone bill, 426 00:21:18,620 --> 00:21:22,820 matching them with names Jonathan had mentioned. 427 00:21:22,820 --> 00:21:24,100 Do you know Jonathan Palmer? 428 00:21:24,100 --> 00:21:27,340 Invariably, the answers came back the same. 429 00:21:27,340 --> 00:21:29,780 You don't. 430 00:21:29,780 --> 00:21:30,580 I mean, didn't he call? 431 00:21:30,580 --> 00:21:32,580 I mean, I had your phone number right here. 432 00:21:32,580 --> 00:21:36,340 And that's when I knew this hadn't been Jonathan Palmer that 433 00:21:36,340 --> 00:21:38,740 was staying with me. 434 00:21:38,740 --> 00:21:39,860 Call me when you get in. 435 00:21:39,860 --> 00:21:40,760 I'll try. 436 00:21:40,760 --> 00:21:42,380 Now I realized some of the numbers that I called 437 00:21:42,380 --> 00:21:43,660 were other women. 438 00:21:43,660 --> 00:21:49,100 He'd been romancing other women while he was in Manhattan. 439 00:21:49,100 --> 00:21:50,060 I had been taken. 440 00:21:50,060 --> 00:21:51,340 He hadn't been in love with me. 441 00:21:51,340 --> 00:21:52,620 He was just using me. 442 00:21:52,620 --> 00:21:56,260 I just felt awful. 443 00:21:56,260 --> 00:21:58,460 There was one final insult. 444 00:21:58,460 --> 00:22:00,940 Nearly a year after Elizabeth's bank cleared the check 445 00:22:00,940 --> 00:22:04,340 from Jonathan Kern, the bank learned the check was, in fact, 446 00:22:04,340 --> 00:22:05,900 not good. 447 00:22:05,900 --> 00:22:08,300 They debited Elizabeth's account. 448 00:22:08,300 --> 00:22:12,420 Police say that Kern swindled total some $15,000. 449 00:22:12,460 --> 00:22:15,100 Elizabeth Jesscheck was forced into bankruptcy. 450 00:22:18,180 --> 00:22:19,820 Jonathan Philip Kern has been charged 451 00:22:19,820 --> 00:22:24,540 with forgery, felony criminal impersonation, and larceny. 452 00:22:24,540 --> 00:22:28,860 Kern is 42 years old, 5'10", 180 pounds. 453 00:22:28,860 --> 00:22:33,380 Though he is British, he is not Jonathan Palmer. 454 00:22:33,380 --> 00:22:35,420 I think the most important thing is 455 00:22:35,420 --> 00:22:39,380 to be very, very suspicious if anybody comes to you 456 00:22:39,380 --> 00:22:41,820 wanting something and saying that they are Jonathan Palmer. 457 00:22:41,820 --> 00:22:45,020 The Formula One driver, this, me, is Jonathan Palmer. 458 00:22:45,020 --> 00:22:47,180 Jonathan Kern does not look like me. 459 00:22:47,180 --> 00:22:51,260 And I will have no problem if I'm in the US 460 00:22:51,260 --> 00:22:53,100 in being asked all sorts of probing questions 461 00:22:53,100 --> 00:22:56,580 to make sure that anyone can be sure that it is me who 462 00:22:56,580 --> 00:22:58,380 is going to a hotel or shop or whatever. 463 00:23:01,420 --> 00:23:04,180 When we return, the murder of a young couple 464 00:23:04,180 --> 00:23:09,020 spawns two conflicting theories, but only one known suspect. 465 00:23:09,020 --> 00:23:12,660 But first, an accused killer spent 18 months on the run 466 00:23:12,660 --> 00:23:14,620 until one of our viewers spotted him. 467 00:23:33,340 --> 00:23:36,700 January 11, 1995, Pasco County, Florida. 468 00:23:40,020 --> 00:23:41,020 He's running! 469 00:23:47,020 --> 00:23:49,340 It was a brazen and stunning escape, 470 00:23:49,340 --> 00:23:52,460 and police lingered when accused killer was in the wind. 471 00:23:55,140 --> 00:23:57,740 Albert Leon Fletcher was a career criminal. 472 00:23:57,740 --> 00:24:00,300 He'd been awaiting trial on charges of murder, armed 473 00:24:00,300 --> 00:24:03,380 robbery, and aggravated assault and battering. 474 00:24:03,380 --> 00:24:05,460 All of the charges stem from his activities 475 00:24:05,460 --> 00:24:07,660 during a single 24-hour period. 476 00:24:09,820 --> 00:24:14,940 On April 2, 1993, Fletcher and his cousin Douglas Porter 477 00:24:14,940 --> 00:24:18,020 embarked on a wild rampage that ended in a brutal murder. 478 00:24:21,460 --> 00:24:22,460 Give me your money! 479 00:24:22,460 --> 00:24:24,060 Claw, give me the wallet! 480 00:24:24,060 --> 00:24:24,940 Give me your wallet! 481 00:24:29,700 --> 00:24:32,700 The victim was 32-year-old Nelson Medina. 482 00:24:32,700 --> 00:24:34,860 He left behind a wife and two young children. 483 00:24:35,740 --> 00:24:38,260 A few hours later, police arrested Albert Fletcher 484 00:24:38,260 --> 00:24:40,260 and Douglas Porter. 485 00:24:40,260 --> 00:24:42,500 Porter was convicted in the case and sentenced 486 00:24:42,500 --> 00:24:44,100 to life in prison. 487 00:24:44,100 --> 00:24:46,740 But Fletcher escaped before he could be brought to trial 488 00:24:46,740 --> 00:24:49,340 and remained at large for 18 months. 489 00:24:49,340 --> 00:24:50,940 But on the night of our broadcast, 490 00:24:50,940 --> 00:24:53,260 he was finally flushed from hiding. 491 00:24:53,260 --> 00:24:56,940 Here's Keely Shea Smith with the details. 492 00:24:56,940 --> 00:24:59,860 Bob, it was a viewer in Delaware who pinpointed 493 00:24:59,860 --> 00:25:02,260 the whereabouts of Albert Leon Fletcher. 494 00:25:02,260 --> 00:25:04,580 She recognized Fletcher as one of her neighbors 495 00:25:04,580 --> 00:25:07,820 and immediately contacted the police. 496 00:25:07,820 --> 00:25:10,660 On April the 29th, I received a telephone call 497 00:25:10,660 --> 00:25:14,860 from the authorities in Delaware advising me 498 00:25:14,860 --> 00:25:18,380 that they had a confidential informant, 499 00:25:18,380 --> 00:25:21,860 and they knew the whereabouts of Albert Leon Fletcher. 500 00:25:21,860 --> 00:25:25,980 At that time, I sent the bullets into Delaware. 501 00:25:25,980 --> 00:25:28,940 And this was around 3 o'clock that afternoon. 502 00:25:28,940 --> 00:25:34,500 And about 3.30 or 4 o'clock, they had a mapper handed. 503 00:25:34,500 --> 00:25:36,980 Authorities arrested Fletcher without incident 504 00:25:36,980 --> 00:25:39,900 at the Holly Hill Estates in Smyrna, Delaware. 505 00:25:39,900 --> 00:25:42,260 He had been living there since his escape 506 00:25:42,260 --> 00:25:44,860 using the alias Kevin Woodside. 507 00:25:44,860 --> 00:25:47,500 Apparently, Fletcher himself had grown tired 508 00:25:47,500 --> 00:25:50,140 of life on the run. 509 00:25:50,140 --> 00:25:54,300 I know when Albert was talking to me, 510 00:25:54,300 --> 00:25:55,900 he was glad he was all over with. 511 00:25:55,900 --> 00:25:57,300 He was very happy. 512 00:25:57,500 --> 00:25:58,860 He was glad he was all over with. 513 00:25:58,860 --> 00:26:03,500 He went back to Pasco County and to Poe County 514 00:26:03,500 --> 00:26:05,500 and faced the charges. 515 00:26:05,740 --> 00:26:06,660 Hi, pequsa town. 516 00:26:06,660 --> 00:26:07,540 Hi. 517 00:26:10,980 --> 00:26:11,700 Salt, no. 518 00:26:20,280 --> 00:26:21,380 It was nice. 519 00:26:21,380 --> 00:26:23,380 I 520 00:26:36,340 --> 00:26:43,700 Really missed you I missed you too so how about an extreme break we go away together just you and I 521 00:26:51,380 --> 00:26:53,380 I 522 00:27:07,900 --> 00:27:11,940 It was a savage double murder as mystifying as it was ruthless 523 00:27:12,540 --> 00:27:14,540 Grant Hendrickson and Michelle Cartagena 524 00:27:15,180 --> 00:27:19,620 Two straight-laced deans less students from Mercer University in Macon, Georgia 525 00:27:20,060 --> 00:27:23,500 Killed in a fearsome barrage of semi-automatic rifle fire 526 00:27:24,420 --> 00:27:26,420 No one knew why 527 00:27:32,900 --> 00:27:38,020 They had been sweethearts for about eight months when they went out for dinner and a movie on January 2nd 528 00:27:38,500 --> 00:27:42,580 1995 it was a beginning of a new year full of promise 529 00:27:44,700 --> 00:27:50,780 Grant was the nicest guy and he treated Michelle just like gold and would do anything for her 530 00:27:52,500 --> 00:27:56,620 Michelle was very serious about Grant and she cared for him a lot 531 00:27:57,500 --> 00:28:01,600 I believe that he had and would have 532 00:28:02,300 --> 00:28:04,300 like to have married her 533 00:28:05,420 --> 00:28:10,940 As Michelle and Grant drove to the movie theater they were seen by a railroad foreman named John Ambrose 534 00:28:11,940 --> 00:28:19,700 Michelle's white Honda Accord was in the right lane and Ambrose was next to her when a blue Honda CRX suddenly swerved in front of them 535 00:28:24,460 --> 00:28:28,060 Blue Honda came up to my left at a high rate of speed 536 00:28:28,500 --> 00:28:35,580 And immediately cut back in front of me and cut into the right-hand lane in front of the white Honda and then started slowing 537 00:28:36,060 --> 00:28:37,740 excessively 538 00:28:37,740 --> 00:28:42,100 As I passed it the driver looked at me like you know like what's up and 539 00:28:42,540 --> 00:28:45,500 there's a light light skinned black male and 540 00:28:46,460 --> 00:28:48,460 appeared he had a white 541 00:28:48,460 --> 00:28:50,900 male or female in the car with brown hair 542 00:28:52,580 --> 00:28:56,340 The blue CRX continued to slow forcing Michelle to drop back 543 00:28:56,820 --> 00:29:00,340 When Ambrose exited the interstate he lost sight of both cars 544 00:29:03,540 --> 00:29:07,420 Despite what happened on the highway Grant and Michelle did get to the movies 545 00:29:08,300 --> 00:29:12,380 Afterwards they drove to a popular scenic overlook at nearby Lake Juliet 546 00:29:15,660 --> 00:29:21,500 In an extraordinary coincidence John Ambrose again found himself witnessing the prelude to murder 547 00:29:22,100 --> 00:29:28,860 Now the co-worker Ambrose happened to be driving near the lake when he spotted both the white Accord and the blue CRX 548 00:29:29,980 --> 00:29:33,220 That's odd. It looks like the car I saw earlier 549 00:29:34,140 --> 00:29:37,700 The blue Honda was sitting there beside the road was parking lights on 550 00:29:37,940 --> 00:29:43,740 And it dawned on me at that time that that was the same car that I'd seen on interstate because it's just such a 551 00:29:44,580 --> 00:29:46,580 outstanding looking car 552 00:29:47,260 --> 00:29:53,980 Just down the road Ambrose saw Michelle's car. It was heading in the direction of the parking area at Lake Juliet 553 00:29:54,980 --> 00:29:58,460 I thought it was strange that I saw these two vehicles at two different times 554 00:29:59,140 --> 00:30:02,740 Within a you know three to four hour span that same particular night 555 00:30:05,420 --> 00:30:11,180 Two other eyewitnesses teenagers parked at the lake were able to pick up the account where Ambrose left off 556 00:30:11,780 --> 00:30:16,660 They told police at the blue CRX drove into the park around 12 30 a.m 557 00:30:24,740 --> 00:30:27,620 What was that turn the music down listen 558 00:30:28,700 --> 00:30:30,300 There 559 00:30:30,300 --> 00:30:33,540 What was that they can't be gunshots somebody's gonna be playing around 560 00:30:35,460 --> 00:30:38,060 Moments later the CRX raced out 561 00:30:42,020 --> 00:30:44,020 Let's go check it out 562 00:30:59,240 --> 00:31:01,240 The 563 00:31:03,100 --> 00:31:08,500 Next morning investigators faced the carnage more than a dozen bullet holes perforated the car 564 00:31:09,260 --> 00:31:13,940 Michelle and Grant had been killed instantly by multiple rounds of semi automatic rifle fire 565 00:31:14,780 --> 00:31:19,060 Grant was also shot twice in the chest and once in the head with a handgun 566 00:31:22,180 --> 00:31:27,900 Michelle's body had been pulled from the car and dragged nearly 25 feet her clothing had been left in 567 00:31:29,460 --> 00:31:32,980 It was a very horrendous type crime 568 00:31:34,220 --> 00:31:35,780 something that 569 00:31:35,780 --> 00:31:37,780 I've never seen before 570 00:31:38,020 --> 00:31:41,260 It in my tenure of law enforcement 571 00:31:42,940 --> 00:31:50,060 Everything pointed to the blue CRX then yet another witness came forward to spun the investigation in a totally new direction 572 00:31:50,820 --> 00:31:53,380 Towards two young men in a white pickup truck 573 00:31:53,380 --> 00:32:01,980 The night of the murders Steven Boyd was in the theater parking lot just after Grant and Michelle left the movies 574 00:32:11,980 --> 00:32:15,780 How am I being a jerk here some of his custom words was all the slaughtered and 575 00:32:17,260 --> 00:32:21,620 That made me me make me feel like he was he had been drinking a lot 576 00:32:22,300 --> 00:32:29,420 You've been drinking haven't you I've had a few so please just leave us alone. Okay. I am sick of this stop it 577 00:32:30,780 --> 00:32:32,780 You try me the other guy get out of the car 578 00:32:33,300 --> 00:32:35,300 cause to me it felt like 579 00:32:35,660 --> 00:32:38,820 That used to be you know, it felt like someone that she used to go with or something, you know 580 00:32:39,220 --> 00:32:45,180 Hey, come on this friend came and told him so let's go. It's not worth it. That's when I had noticed that 581 00:32:45,820 --> 00:32:48,660 This guy had a knife a gun on the side 582 00:32:49,420 --> 00:32:52,140 Because you just glitter it caught my eye 583 00:32:58,700 --> 00:33:04,380 Steven I'm gonna show you 12 photographs Steven Boyd's information seems solid credible 584 00:33:05,060 --> 00:33:08,900 Police ran a photo lineup hoping for more. They got it 585 00:33:11,820 --> 00:33:16,700 The person that Steven Boyd had picked out of the photo lineup was a fellow college student 586 00:33:16,980 --> 00:33:18,980 Was a friend of Michelle's 587 00:33:20,780 --> 00:33:23,940 Had had a crush on Michelle at one time 588 00:33:24,620 --> 00:33:26,620 he is a very soft 589 00:33:27,140 --> 00:33:28,980 spoken person 590 00:33:28,980 --> 00:33:30,980 but when 591 00:33:31,180 --> 00:33:37,780 You introduce alcohol into a scenario and he's been drinking then he get he has a very 592 00:33:38,780 --> 00:33:40,780 violent temper and 593 00:33:41,540 --> 00:33:43,540 I've seen him do some 594 00:33:44,380 --> 00:33:46,740 Very violent things when he's been drunk 595 00:33:47,580 --> 00:33:49,300 well, he 596 00:33:49,300 --> 00:33:52,740 Denied that he was in the parking lot when he was confronted with this information 597 00:33:53,660 --> 00:33:55,660 he denied 598 00:33:56,660 --> 00:33:58,660 Being anywhere in the area 599 00:34:00,060 --> 00:34:02,060 The alibi that he had provided us 600 00:34:03,340 --> 00:34:05,340 To this day we're still 601 00:34:05,540 --> 00:34:08,380 Unable to eliminate him. He is still suspicious 602 00:34:09,380 --> 00:34:14,900 Why don't you just leave us alone? Okay now everything pointed to the young man in the parking lot 603 00:34:15,140 --> 00:34:19,020 But then there was a blue CRX clearly implicated in the killings 604 00:34:19,700 --> 00:34:21,700 something was missing 605 00:34:22,340 --> 00:34:26,780 Connecting the blue Honda CRX and the the individuals at the parking lot 606 00:34:27,220 --> 00:34:30,460 We have not been able to do that yet. That is 607 00:34:31,060 --> 00:34:37,580 One thing that we are hopes to when we do find this Honda CRX to see if there is a connection 608 00:34:38,380 --> 00:35:03,740 When we return the remarkable story of what may be one of the longest ocean voyages on record 609 00:35:04,060 --> 00:35:06,620 20 years 25,000 miles 610 00:35:08,700 --> 00:35:10,700 Oh 611 00:35:20,220 --> 00:35:22,900 Most unsolved mysteries are fashioned by human hands 612 00:35:23,460 --> 00:35:28,100 But as you're about to see the most capable mistress of mystery may be mother nature 613 00:35:32,580 --> 00:35:36,780 July 16th 1978 the Finger Lakes of upstate, New York 614 00:35:37,780 --> 00:35:44,620 Nine-year-old Kevin Reeder and his mother Merle wild away a lazy summer afternoon with a little homespun whimsie 615 00:35:44,620 --> 00:35:50,500 When you find this bottle, I know please drop me a line 616 00:35:50,980 --> 00:35:52,980 perfect 617 00:35:54,980 --> 00:35:59,160 They sent this out from Elm Beach 618 00:35:59,820 --> 00:36:01,820 Ovid 619 00:36:02,460 --> 00:36:07,820 They signed the note with Kevin's name and address then tucked it inside an old green glass bottle 620 00:36:09,740 --> 00:36:12,740 Okay, all right you go ahead give it a good throw good 621 00:36:15,980 --> 00:36:17,980 Good 622 00:36:19,660 --> 00:36:21,660 How far do you think it could go I 623 00:36:22,740 --> 00:36:26,740 Don't know we thought somebody around Aurora might find it or 624 00:36:27,340 --> 00:36:32,980 We go to the south end of the lake to Ithaca and there's college kids and they might be interested and see 625 00:36:33,060 --> 00:36:36,900 Where it went and right to Kevin and give him a new pen pal 626 00:36:37,820 --> 00:36:41,580 After we toss the bottle into the into the lake it was probably 627 00:36:42,220 --> 00:36:43,700 it was 628 00:36:43,700 --> 00:36:47,420 Part of a daily daily thought process waiting for the mail checking the mail 629 00:36:47,820 --> 00:36:53,380 The anticipation until it progressively faded away until you forgot entirely about it 630 00:36:53,940 --> 00:36:58,860 Kevin grew up and moved away first to Florida then to Texas 631 00:36:59,380 --> 00:37:03,420 Like a bottle in a lake he drifted a bit trying to find his place in the world 632 00:37:04,260 --> 00:37:10,700 Kevin had no idea yet launched the bottle on his own journey a journey that would one day amaze everyone 633 00:37:14,100 --> 00:37:22,700 In 1996 after 18 years Kevin returned to his hometown a letter postmark San Diego, California was waiting for him 634 00:37:23,380 --> 00:37:25,380 It had arrived only days before 635 00:37:26,780 --> 00:37:32,980 Inside Kevin found the last thing he ever expected the message yet put in the bottle almost two decades earlier 636 00:37:33,380 --> 00:37:36,240 It was accompanied by a note from two strangers 637 00:37:37,580 --> 00:37:41,300 When I called my mother the first thing that came out of my mouth was you're never gonna believe this 638 00:37:41,700 --> 00:37:47,980 It says hello Kevin. I found your message in a bottle like that song at the beach in San Diego, California 639 00:37:47,980 --> 00:37:50,940 I thought it would be funny to write back pretty cool 640 00:37:51,340 --> 00:37:56,660 You know signed by Rosa and Bruce and it has a ps where the heck is over? 641 00:37:57,380 --> 00:38:00,020 Well, there's no return address or phone number 642 00:38:04,380 --> 00:38:11,140 18 years and more than 3,000 miles the concept of how long and far the bottle had traveled was mind-boggling 643 00:38:11,860 --> 00:38:14,740 Kevin's mother pictured it as a delightful adventure 644 00:38:15,180 --> 00:38:21,940 Bobbing along on a beach here and in a gully there and somebody picked it up and just threw it back in again 645 00:38:21,940 --> 00:38:23,540 Here I go again 646 00:38:23,540 --> 00:38:29,260 Maybe a little bit of heard some Japanese along in the way or spotted a Hawaiian girl sitting on the beach 647 00:38:30,460 --> 00:38:33,820 But I had to bog down in different places with floods and things 648 00:38:34,460 --> 00:38:41,020 reappeared and just keep on moving till somebody finally decided to pick up some trash on the beach and 649 00:38:41,820 --> 00:38:43,820 found it 650 00:38:44,740 --> 00:38:49,900 The idea of a little bottle that could floating its way around the world is very appealing 651 00:38:50,660 --> 00:38:54,820 Take away that romantic image and we are left with an astonishing conundrum 652 00:38:55,340 --> 00:39:04,460 How could an ordinary glass bottle transport itself across an entire continent from an inland lake in upstate New York to the shores of the Pacific Ocean? 653 00:39:06,380 --> 00:39:07,900 That is really amazing 654 00:39:07,900 --> 00:39:14,260 I think it's a bit unlikely because of all the difficulties to get there, but that is a truly amazing but not impossible 655 00:39:14,940 --> 00:39:18,500 Go ahead not impossible the dreamers model 656 00:39:19,420 --> 00:39:23,420 Dr. Richardson is one of the world's top experts on global water currents 657 00:39:24,100 --> 00:39:30,060 Here's how Richardson says the most well-traveled bottle in history might have maneuvered through the waterways of the world 658 00:39:32,460 --> 00:39:35,620 First the bottle would have floated out of the lake through the Erie Canal 659 00:39:36,380 --> 00:39:38,380 into the St. Lawrence Seaway 660 00:39:38,780 --> 00:39:41,860 And out into the Atlantic Ocean near Nova Scotia 661 00:39:42,780 --> 00:39:48,420 That's the hardest part because it's so easy for a bottle to go ashore and be found by someone 662 00:39:49,060 --> 00:39:53,060 Once it gets into the Atlantic, it's easy for a bottle to stay adrift for many years 663 00:39:54,900 --> 00:40:02,500 From Nova Scotia Dr. Richardson speculates the bottle might have floated south down the eastern seaboard and veered east toward Europe 664 00:40:03,660 --> 00:40:08,380 It cruise the west coast of Africa until a current swung at west to South America 665 00:40:08,620 --> 00:40:16,420 Once it managed to cross a northward moving currents at the equator the bottle would proceed back toward African 666 00:40:16,820 --> 00:40:20,300 past the Cape of Good Hope and into the Indian Ocean 667 00:40:21,540 --> 00:40:24,740 It would then move east until it reached the South Pacific 668 00:40:26,260 --> 00:40:33,140 After the bottle managed to again float across the equator it must have drifted north past the Philippine Islands and Japan 669 00:40:33,860 --> 00:40:41,820 After that the bottle would have to travel east again heading down the west coast of North America until it reached its final destination 670 00:40:43,220 --> 00:40:45,220 San Diego, California 671 00:40:47,260 --> 00:40:51,700 I'm a bit skeptical. I think it went to California in someone's pocket or someone's suitcase 672 00:40:51,940 --> 00:40:53,460 so I 673 00:40:53,460 --> 00:40:58,540 Don't think it actually drifted there because of the I think if you threw a million bottles in Lake Cuyuga 674 00:40:59,020 --> 00:41:03,820 You wouldn't have one reach the Atlantic so that's that's our my conclusion 675 00:41:03,820 --> 00:41:06,700 It's very difficult to get out through the canals and rivers 676 00:41:07,260 --> 00:41:09,660 Without going aground or being found by someone 677 00:41:10,140 --> 00:41:15,220 Wind up and give it a throw to Kevin the details of the bottle's journey don't really matter 678 00:41:15,940 --> 00:41:18,660 Whether it went by land or sea or even air 679 00:41:19,260 --> 00:41:25,260 What counts is that once upon a time he sent out a message and at long last he has received an answer 680 00:41:26,260 --> 00:41:32,060 It gave me a sense of closure when I got back home and to find this note to tap back into my childhood 681 00:41:32,380 --> 00:41:37,080 and to kind of parallel it with my life the bottles journey with my life's journey and just kind of 682 00:41:37,700 --> 00:41:39,660 kind of 683 00:41:39,660 --> 00:41:45,700 Reaffirmation that hey, maybe you do belong right here and this is just a little backup little support for you 684 00:41:47,700 --> 00:41:50,660 Bruce and Rosa did not give their last names or a return address 685 00:41:51,260 --> 00:41:55,420 The Kevin's mother feels sure she knows at least a little bit about them 686 00:41:57,140 --> 00:42:03,820 They had to have some kind of a sense of humor to value to pick it up and open it read it and then you know send our note back say 687 00:42:05,300 --> 00:42:07,180 Where the heck is over it? 688 00:42:07,180 --> 00:42:13,660 I like to picture it as a couple strolling the beach and just coming upon it and taking the time and energy to 689 00:42:13,740 --> 00:42:19,740 To allow somebody to revisit their childhood like they like they've allowed me to do and also just to thank them for it 690 00:42:21,660 --> 00:42:28,580 Admittedly the incredible journey of Kevin's message on a bottle is one of our smaller mysteries. It is also one of our most charming 691 00:42:29,260 --> 00:42:36,820 We're hoping Bruce and Rosa will contact us here at unsolved mysteries to fill us in on the final chapter of Kevin Reader's magical bottle 692 00:42:36,820 --> 00:42:38,820 On 693 00:42:46,340 --> 00:42:51,340 Our next unsolved mysteries Bobby Fuller was on his way to rock and roll stonem 694 00:42:51,700 --> 00:42:55,660 Then he turned up dead in the front seat of his car doused with gasoline 695 00:42:57,420 --> 00:43:03,860 In Florida two primitive fertility statutes causing upro one woman after another after another 696 00:43:04,100 --> 00:43:06,340 Comes pregnant with just a simple touch 697 00:43:08,740 --> 00:43:12,460 Join me next time for more unsolved mysteries 698 00:43:33,860 --> 00:43:35,860 You