00:00:00
[Music] [Music] what do you think the most striking part of her young personality was to you her
00:00:20
confidence her confidence in who she was she could bring light to any situation she was just full of beauty
00:00:31
she was just like H I'm unstoppable she stood out cheerful caring down for Adventures she had hopes and dreams and
00:00:47
aspirations for her life that there was a big future ahead for her I was getting ready to go into work
00:01:00
someone text me call the police Nikki's gone in the first week I figured she was
00:01:07
just hanging out somewhere lost her phone or something we start making pliers and putting up
00:01:17
pliers I just knew that she was being held against her will or or Worse one of the first clues in this
00:01:28
case came from 17 y- old Nikki kousen herself when investigators discovered messages on Snapchat a social media
00:01:37
platform about someone she had met that night a man named David bonov all right this is detective David
00:01:47
Jensen with Vancouver Police and I have with me uh David bogdanov do I have your
00:01:52
consent to record this conversation y I saw her walking I walked up to her asked her why is she walking alone in
00:02:03
the middle of the night and she said that she had some big fight with her boyfriend and she's really upset and uh
00:02:09
I was just trying to be a nice guy you know so so you're the last person to ever see
00:02:17
her after she left with you no one ever saw her again I don't know what I what I
00:02:22
can tell you David is kind David is caring they had made everyone laugh he was everyone's
00:02:37
friend I try to keep my hopes high but after 6 months it's a little hard for that when you heard that her remains
00:02:48
were found what was your initial reaction it was devastating stand up for me please
00:02:55
investigators say David boganov killed 17-year-old Nikki kunh after suspected killer David bogdanov
00:03:03
made his first court appearance by the time we got to trial now we had three different versions of
00:03:09
what [Music] happened Mr banov will testify to what happened that night the whole time I was just yelling
00:03:19
for her to stop he was lying and he was full of anger she's trying to fight me and just reaching back and scratching at
00:03:26
my face he had no regard for her life at all there's a struggle going on here trying to gouge my eyes there's a life
00:03:34
or death struggle going on his actions and his words show that he intended to kill Nikki and he intended to kill her
00:03:42
because of who she was a transgender young woman this is a narrative and a story
00:03:48
that plays out all the time when trans people go missing they're usually found deceased
00:03:56
[Music] [Music] Lisa Woods will never forget the day her life changed forever it was June 6 2019
00:04:53
that's when her daughter Nikki kousen seemingly vanished Lisa says they talked daily before work I would call her every
00:05:02
day and talk to her before my shift she stopped answering immediately her mother's
00:05:11
intuition kicked in Lisa had a bad feeling that first day I took her sweatshirt and I made it into a
00:05:20
pillowcase and I slept with her picture and my Bible did you fear that something
00:05:25
had happened I knew something had happened Lisa filed a missing person's report at
00:05:33
first friend Ariel Fox wasn't too concerned lost her phone or something classic Nikki
00:05:42
move Ariel knew all about Nikki's moves after all they'd been best friends since
00:05:48
childhood she's like the Lively friend that's just always high energy when I first met Nikki she was
00:05:57
still going by Nick but she was definitely still Nikki at heart we lived across straight from each
00:06:04
other I want to say third and fourth grade Taylor Watts was a childhood friend as well she stood out you know
00:06:13
she was like cheerful was caring she was just Nikki becoming Nikki would be something
00:06:23
of an evolution but Lisa says she and her large family always knew very r did anybody call her Nicholas Nikki began
00:06:32
life as Nicholas but from a young age Lisa says Nikki had a strong sense of self there's this one picture with a
00:06:39
blonde wig on because the babysitter was a hairdresser and she snuck into her wigs so she always knew who she was MH
00:06:47
yeah she broke her arm and she had a pink cast her brothers were so mad that I let her get a pink cast I'm like she
00:06:54
picked the color it's her broken arm it was around sixth grade that Nikki made her gender identity public she
00:07:02
decided that she was going to be Nikki all the time not just at home so she started dressing as herself as a woman
00:07:10
young woman as a young woman Lisa says Nikki was widely accepted for who she was especially among a certain In Crowd
00:07:19
the cheerleaders loved the way that she did her makeup and they wanted her to do
00:07:24
their makeup as well and she hoped that passion would one day turned into her dream job she
00:07:31
wanted to be Nikki Minaj's hair makeup artist so that was her goal like Most teens Nikki loved to Post
00:07:40
online one day she came home and told me Mom I'm Facebook famous especially tributes to her Idol that other
00:07:47
[Music] Nikki how important do you think social media was to Nikki it was pretty
00:07:55
important she loved doing selfies she loved how many likes she got Lisa says Nikki also like fighting for
00:08:03
the underdog I was called to the school on many occasions because she had been suspended for hitting someone but it was
00:08:09
always a situation where she was defending someone else Nikki's parents had divorced when
00:08:16
she was young mother and daughter remained close as Nikki became a teen we would go get our nails done we would
00:08:22
just drive around and go by the water and walk by the water but in high school they things
00:08:30
would begin to change Nikki was going to school but she wouldn't make it all the
00:08:35
time and she'd be hard to get a hold of sometimes she just wouldn't wake up she'd miss the bus Lisa says she knew
00:08:42
what was wrong Nikki had started abusing drugs she said to me Mommy I don't think
00:08:47
I can do my homework without being high and she was 16 friends say Nikki had started using
00:08:57
methan phetamine that's when I realized I was was talking to an addict instead of my daughter Lisa says there were many
00:09:03
attempts to get Nikki into rehab to help her kick drugs for good but nothing seemed to stick for months Nikki
00:09:12
continued to struggle just how dangerous Nikki's addiction was became app parent
00:09:17
to Lisa in 2018 I got a call at work from a detective Lisa was told Nikki had been shot six times
00:09:29
Lisa raced to the hospital expecting the worst but when she arrived she's so excited two of her
00:09:38
girlfriends were there and she had her makeup all done she was sitting up laughing and they were doing selfies and
00:09:47
I looked at the detective and I'm like I thought you said she was shot six times it was a miracle says Lisa none of
00:09:55
Nikki's injuries were life-threatening it missed every major artery in her neck in her thigh
00:10:02
twice in the stomach in her leg in the back of her calf Lisa says Nikki told her she was shot during a dispute over
00:10:09
drugs what do you think it says about Nikki she was able to survive being shot six times she was a tough cookie
00:10:17
yeah very tough the man responsible for Nikki's shooting was never apprehended Lisa
00:10:26
hoped Nikki's brush with death would serve as the inspiration ation for Nikki to turn her life around and did you
00:10:32
think okay you know we're on a different path now I did I mean she knew it was a miracle she
00:10:39
knew now a year later Nikki was missing and Lisa was hoping for another miracle [Music]
00:11:02
the mother of a missing Vancouver teenager not giving up hope that her child will be found safe in June 2019
00:11:10
Lisa Woods had just one goal finding her daughter Nikki coonen all of Nikki's social media accounts had gone
00:11:20
silent we start making fers I remember there are Flyers everywhere Clark County prosecutor Kristen Arno you couldn't go
00:11:28
to the grocery store with without seeing that flyer news of Nikki's Disappearance
00:11:32
in Vancouver Washington started to get more attention she vanished more than 2 weeks ago and today was listed on the
00:11:39
national Center for missing and exploited children website police talked to Nicki's
00:11:45
roommates and learned the last time they'd seen her was the day she vanished Nikki was heading out the door to meet a
00:11:54
man she'd met just hours before but who was he Clark County prosecutor Colin Haye says her social media messages
00:12:03
provided investigators with their first clue about who Nikki was seeing that night we have their Snapchat messages so
00:12:10
we know that he picked her up would have been somewhere 5:00 a.m. is or so he doesn't want to pick up the crumbs he
00:12:16
was this man 25-year-old David bonov who worked at his family-owned construction
00:12:22
business their exchanges gave police their first glimpse of a timeline when he and and Nikki met that was the last
00:12:30
time she was seen Alive by anyone else so detectives were looking to talk to him within a couple weeks of Nikki going
00:12:37
missing the investigators tried his home they left cards I think they also tried
00:12:44
calling him weren't able to get a hold of him they also sent Snapchat messages but bogdanov did not reply it seemed he
00:12:51
had vanished just like Nikki weeks grew into months without any leads I just knew that she was being
00:13:02
held against her will or worse in late September nearly 4 months after Nikki went missing investigators
00:13:12
finally heard from David bogdanov he said he had had phone problems and had just gotten their messages detectives
00:13:21
asked him to come in for questioning hoping he could help the investigation until you talk to him and get the story
00:13:28
you don't necessarily know if there might be maybe there was someone else after that may have seen her so on
00:13:32
October 2nd bdon voluntarily met with Detective David Jensen of The Vancouver Police Department David were you aware
00:13:40
that this is recording yep in their recorded interview bogdanov told Jensen he was out drinking with his brothers on
00:13:46
June 6th when he noticed a young woman it was on this Vancouver block around 3:00 a.m. that David bogdanov claims he
00:13:54
first spotted Nikki alone he says he walked over to her to check to see if she was okay they started
00:14:01
talking I offered her my jacket cuz it was really cold outside bonov also offered Nikki a drink I said do you want
00:14:10
some vodka cuz I got some if you want to have a drink just to relax a little bit
00:14:14
and she said sure So I just gave her that bottle to take with her he also gave Nikki his contact information I did
00:14:23
give her my Snapchat name I wanted to just exchange Snapchat since she didn't have a phone with her
00:14:30
bogd donov says he and Nikki then parted ways a few hours later Nikki sent him the address where she was staying with
00:14:38
friends bonov drove over and picked her up he said he was going to help her find
00:14:44
her phone cuz her phone was missing later that morning bonov says he and Nikki found themselves alone in his car
00:14:52
kind of just parked there in the driveway chitchatting a little bit and then she told me that she's not
00:14:59
she bonov says that's when Nikki revealed she was transgender I was shocked to find that out and just
00:15:08
uncomfortable and really really Disturbed and I asked her to please get out of the car cuz this is just really
00:15:14
weird for me she just got out of the car and I took off he's pretty vague about the details at that point and just says
00:15:19
that was the last I saw ever while he was uncertain about some details of that night Arno says bonov
00:15:28
was clear on one topic he went out of his way to make sure that they knew that he found that anyone who was part of the
00:15:34
lgbtqi community that he found them disgusting lgbtqi is an abbreviation to refer to
00:15:41
lesbian gay bisexual transgender queer and intersects people and communities for me it's even disturbing
00:15:50
when I'm around gay person or somebody by or transsexual or something you know so I just got disgusted and I asked her
00:15:56
to just get out bonov offered up another piece of information though he was never
00:16:04
asked I wish I could help you more but it's I don't know I'm not a kind of person to I'm not even a violent person
00:16:12
you know at all nothing bdon of's interview ended and he left the police station then on December 7th
00:16:22
2019 6 months after Nikki vanished a man walking on nearby by Larch Mountain found something that
00:16:31
would change this case forever nobody goes about their day expecting that they're going to find a
00:16:36
[Music] body I had made her a Christmas card that morning because I had hoped that
00:16:57
she was coming home it was nearly Christmas 2019 and Lisa Woods was aching for one miraculous gift
00:17:06
the safe return of her 17-year-old daughter Nikki kousen she'd been missing for six unbearable months and I prayed
00:17:15
and I prayed to bring my baby home just bring my baby home to me but the unsettling discovery of a
00:17:24
human skull on December 7th 2019 brought a swarm of local authorities to thickly
00:17:31
wooded Larch Mountain including Detective Joe Swenson from the Clark County Sheriff's Office this was the
00:17:37
trail that we actually entered into the area and there were items found immediately inside the tree line
00:17:45
underneath the dense canopy of trees the remnants of a human life had been scattered by animals down a Steep Ravine
00:17:53
there were a bunch of clothing items found down there specifically like a green jacket some underwear there was a
00:17:59
bandana there were more bones jewelry you also found a phone cord correct what's the significance of that when we
00:18:08
found the the phone charging cord it was tied in a knot but it was in a circle about 4 in in diameter Tangled inside
00:18:16
the knotted cord were artificial multicolored hair extensions so looking at the cord in conjunction with the hair
00:18:24
it seemed pretty obvious that if it were placed around somebody's neck that's how
00:18:28
the the hair would have gotten caught up in it after combing the rugged terrain for 2 days detectiv suspected someone
00:18:37
had been murdered you know we had a couple of missing persons cases that were kind of on our mind we started
00:18:43
talking with more detectives and other agencies and learning hey this could be Nikki kousen and oh come to find out
00:18:49
she's been missing for six months that's when The Vancouver Police began another exhaustive search says
00:18:57
Swenson comparing evidence photos taken on the mountain to Nikki's personal photos found online looking for
00:19:10
matches and actually found a lot of images of her wearing the exact items that we had found up
00:19:17
here and so it was a good confirmation initially to be able to say yeah we're pretty sure this is Nikki about a week
00:19:25
later dental records verified the victim's identity it was Nikki kousen and it was murder
00:19:34
the medical examiner determined that Nikki had been strangled to death with that cell phone charger
00:19:41
cord sorry for interrupting your commute this morning um December 17th 2019 Vancouver police detective David Jensen
00:19:50
once again questioned the last known person to see Nikki alive David bagdanov sound like you said that you were going
00:19:58
to go your job side went to work yeah he went to work bonov stuck to his story on
00:20:04
the morning of June 6th after Nikki devold she was transgender he said he was shocked and Disturbed and that's
00:20:13
when you're like I'm not basically kicked her out I'm not into this and kicked her out of the van sent her on
00:20:19
her way bonov said he then drove straight to work in nearby Portland Oregon so at the
00:20:27
time that we talked I didn't have uh the benefit of all of your your phone records okay but but now there's been
00:20:33
some initial analysis done so you left your phone left and then went East out past large
00:20:47
mountain what happened on that trip his cell phone record suggested he had never driven to work
00:20:56
that morning but actually traveled in the opposite direction to Larch Mountain that trip took about an hour
00:21:05
round trip up some logging roads and then back again I think I want to to with the
00:21:15
Lord okay all right so you were being arrested today for the murder of Nikki whose remains have been
00:21:24
discovered who was strangled to death okay stand up for me please a few hours later detective David Jensen told
00:21:42
Lisa they had found Nikki and I fell on my knees and start screaming and he came
00:21:49
in and held me until I could gain my composure after I calmed down Dave told me I want you to know that I arrested
00:22:00
David this morning I wanted to make sure he was charged and behind bars before I came and told
00:22:12
you charges were murder in the second degree and malicious harassment which is now called hate crime in
00:22:18
Washington what were your First Reactions when you heard he had been arrested I mean truthfully I was pretty
00:22:24
surprised clinical social worker Devin Davis Williamson and Lynden walls are transgender activists they launched the
00:22:32
justice for Nikki task force most of the time in our culture in our country if a
00:22:38
trans person is killed there is not an arrest made we think it's right around 30% of trans people who are murdered
00:22:45
have someone arrested and fully prosecuted having someone held accountable I think only that can start
00:22:53
the healing and also bring attention to some of the things that the trans Community
00:23:01
is burdened with part of their burden says Lyndon is living with fear fear of being
00:23:11
misunderstood fear of being attacked a recent UCLA law school study concluded that transgender people are
00:23:20
four times more likely than non-transgender people to become victims of violent crime and explosion of hate
00:23:29
the American Medical Association has called an epidemic of [Applause] violence a transgender woman was found
00:23:39
shot and killed over the weekend we need this to [Applause] stop there was a vigil for
00:23:50
her it was um really overwhelming to see how much love that the trans Community had come together
00:23:59
for my daughter and that's where I met Devon she helped me find Focus then purpose she told me that she was going
00:24:11
to make sure that nobody forgot Nikki's name and it was going to make a difference with help from her new
00:24:18
friends Lisa's Focus slowly shifted from the horror of facing her daughter's violent death to the hope of finding
00:24:27
Justice for her murder Lisa was so driven to see Justice and to do right for her child and I think that's given
00:24:40
Lisa purpose and drive to stay alive she was a rainbow of light she was so confident in who she was at a press
00:24:53
conference just days after bogdanov's arrest Lisa Woods became activist she was I believe this man I believe he
00:25:02
killed her because she was a transgender I believe that with all my heart by August 2021 David bogdanov's Day of
00:25:09
Reckoning was fast approaching his murder trial was just 2 weeks away when prosecutors learned he had changed his
00:25:16
story dramatically you solemnly swear or affirm the and he would take the stand to tell it himself she's jumping from my
00:25:26
gun and all I can think is oh my God I'm going to get shot right [Music] [Music]
00:25:44
now always there for everyone no matter what Vicky matsuk David bogdanov's niece
00:25:54
does not believe her uncle is capable of the murder he's accused of committing he
00:26:00
would always get along with everyone just days before the trial he reassured his sister Lily I just remember him
00:26:10
telling us not to worry he was ready to just face whatever is coming and Lisa was also ready I just
00:26:25
prayed I prayed for God to have his hands it the red light is the microphone the court supplied a zoom feed as the
00:26:32
trial got underway in August 2021 each day family and friends rallied around Lisa wearing pink masks to court
00:26:42
Le have a seat I think sitting in a room with the man that murdered your kid is hard impossibly
00:26:50
hard Now ladies and Gentlemen please give your attention opening statements began with a bold claim from the defense
00:26:57
our client did not strangle Nikki kousen causing her death because she's transgendered Nikki kousen is now
00:27:05
deceased because Mr bogdanov had to defend himself against her attacking him and possibly killing him but the
00:27:13
prosecution argued that was not the case defendant murdered Nikki after finding out she was
00:27:20
transgender they insisted Nikki was the victim of a hate crime the defendant murdered Nikki because his respect for
00:27:27
human life was outweighed by his hatred for those who are gay and those who are transgender the prosecution laid out its
00:27:34
case with experts testifying about those Snapchat exchanges leading up to the murder and cell phone records placing
00:27:41
bogdanov's phone at Larch Mountain just hours later jurors were shown evidence found at the scene including that phone
00:27:50
charging cord the defense called just one witness the defense calls David BOGO bogdanov
00:28:01
himself attorney Aaron melier questioned bogdanov about his religious upbringing
00:28:07
and his views about lgbtqi people yeah I was I was taught that um it is a sin and it's not okay it's not David's
00:28:19
lifestyle but if David comes across anybody whoever it is there's no hate bonov told the jury what happened when
00:28:31
he and Nikki were alone in his car and what was Nikki doing at that point she was smoking something out of a pipe
00:28:38
bonov said Nikki asked him to join her in the back seat before he did he said he wedged the gun he carried between the
00:28:48
driver's seat and center console that transitioned into us making out is there touching or anything
00:28:56
else is okay who was touching who was a a little bit of both at first um where was she touching
00:29:12
you [Music] her she started touching me um my private area bonov said the sexual encounter
00:29:26
escalated quickly and that's when he realized Nikki was transgender bogdanov's testimony may be
00:29:34
disturbing to some viewers I was in shock I just been deceived I freak out and I
00:29:48
uh push her push her back and start freaking out saying you didn't tell me you're a dude and it started yelling at
00:29:57
her to I said she's a disgusting disgusting piece of piece of crap he said he told
00:30:05
Nikki to get out of his car and he said she reacted with violence she got picked
00:30:12
up her foot and tried to just kick me with her foot from the passenger side and she just jumps up and goes towards
00:30:20
the center console towards my gun I'm thinking you know I just was deceived by this person and
00:30:28
this person's high on meth and all I can think is oh my God I'm going to get shot
00:30:33
right now the suggestion that Nikki might have gone for the gun kind of defies logic bonov said he
00:30:42
tried to restrain Nikki by grabbing her jacket but the material was too slippery
00:30:48
to get a good grip he claims in a desperate attempt to save himself he reached for a cell phone charging cord I
00:30:56
grabbed that cable and put it around her and pull her back like that and hold her
00:31:02
hold her from from going keep going forward with the gun bonov said he placed the phone cord
00:31:09
around Nikki's arms and chest during their struggle but as he pulled the cord slipped up to her neck the whole time
00:31:17
she's trying to fight me and just reaching back and scratching at my face trying to gouge my eyes so at some point
00:31:24
does she stop struggling yes the ligature that was used to kill Nikki was a phone
00:31:33
cord that was tied to a space of 3.97 in which ends up being about like this and if you can imagine the physical
00:31:45
sensation of having your throat constricted to a space this size and then have it triple
00:31:53
knoted after realizing Nikki was dead bonov said he panicked first thing I think is I need to call the
00:32:01
police and and then I think that they're not going to believe me you know I've been
00:32:08
up all night not sober um there's drugs in the car there's a dead person's in the back seat
00:32:16
at that point I thought I need to get rid over the body this was a very humiliating thing
00:32:25
that happened to me I just wanted to put this behind me like wishing it was it never happened BD donov said that's when
00:32:32
he drove Nikki's body to Larch Mountain hey pulled her out of the car and there was that spot by the road the hill just
00:32:41
went down really steep I just kind of pushed her pushed her down that then can you tell the jury why why
00:32:50
you left the country bonov told the court he left the country just hours after killing Nikki
00:32:58
buying a last minute ticket to Ukraine I was scared emotional wreck I was thinking I need to I need to quit my
00:33:10
drinking and that I likely would have not have been in this situation if I hadn't been drinking and just wanted to
00:33:19
get away the fact that he had multiple different stories that he had had at least two opportunities to give this
00:33:25
explanation to detectives and hadn't the fact that he dumped the body the fact that he ran from the country all things
00:33:31
kind of point to a guilty conscious and not someone who thinks that their actions are Justified good
00:33:37
afternoon both sides made their case one last time during closing arguments his motivations his entire time have been
00:33:46
about his hate his rage and his shame for for finding out that Nikki was transgender it's not about fear this
00:33:54
case is not about self-defense I want to start by saying defense attorney Matthew Hoff strongly
00:34:01
disagreed Nikki kousen is not here today not because she was transgendered but because Mr bnov was put in a life and
00:34:10
death situation [Music] [Music] she just loved the camera you know seemed like the camera liked her
00:34:36
back mhm Nikki was just Nikki she kind of led the way I just followed she was very empowered and very
00:34:47
steadfast in her identity and I think very strong probably in a way that Society struggles to handle
00:35:00
after 2 weeks of an emotional trial and more than 2 years after Nikki Ken's death would jurors believe David
00:35:08
bogdanov's claim of self-defense David is not the person that they made him out to be David is
00:35:15
kind David is caring or the prosecution's case that he murdered Nicki after he learned she was
00:35:24
transgender she was so strong in our identity and that's ultimately why she was killed the jury deliberated for more
00:35:32
than 2 days we weren't sure how it was going to go there was possibility of a hung jury finally on day
00:35:41
[Music] three they informed the judge they had reached a unanimous decision we the jury find the above
00:35:51
named defendent guilty of the crime of Murder in the second degree as charged in count one verdict Forum count two we
00:35:59
the jury find the above named defendant guilty of the crime of malicious harassment a hate crime in Washington
00:36:08
it's a win it's a really big win I'm just happy to get Justice for Nikki's family two weeks later Lisa would ask
00:36:18
the judge to impose the maximum sentence or see her style watch her graduate see
00:36:25
her married or watch her parents I wanted to show how Nikki could have been and so many things that were stolen
00:36:32
from us so many Milestones that she'll never get to do and I miss her every [Music]
00:36:40
day before handing down the sentence Judge David Gregerson addressed the court saying he was quote struck by the
00:36:48
darker nature of this crime it conjures up old childhood Legends of the boogeyman of trust gone terribly wrong
00:36:57
fighting back tears the judge continued for almost 15 minutes and the movement towards something resembling Justice may
00:37:05
be seen as a step in the greater overall movement from Darkness toward light in this Court's view that can and should be
00:37:16
Nikki kon's Legacy bonov was sentenced to the maximum 19 1/2 years for Nikki's murder
00:37:25
with 12 concurrent months for the malicious harassment charge I think it was appropriate in
00:37:34
this case doesn't necessarily seem like a long amount of time when you think about what he took from Nikki and
00:37:39
Nikki's family after sentencing family friends and supporters gathered outside the
00:37:46
courtroom she was just a baby she was just a teenager he took her life and you know he he got the maximum and that's
00:37:57
what he deserves Nikki's story has allowed us to take a giant leap forward Lisa and
00:38:06
Nikki's supporters have tried to find a way for her Legacy to help and protect others finding a way to memorialize
00:38:13
Nikki and Empower other trans teenagers to pursue their dreams um I think is is the next step I want to thank Nikki's
00:38:23
family and that happened with the passing of legislation in Washington state known as Nikki's law I am happy to
00:38:31
sign this bill it's designed to prevent defendants charged with violent crimes from relying on a victim's gender
00:38:39
identity or sexual orientation the so-called gay or trans Panic defense Nikki's law makes it impossible to use
00:38:47
What's called the trans Panic defense in court where someone says that they were
00:38:52
so out of control when they found out that someone was trans that you essentially aren't
00:38:58
culpable for your actions Washington is one of 16 states to pass similar legislation Nikki's supporters hope her
00:39:06
law will inspire even more states to follow suit what's it like to know that your daughter's legacy there's a law
00:39:13
named after her I'm glad it will help other people I want her death to mean something to someone who may
00:39:22
contemplate hurting another transgender person Deon and Lyndon are proud of what they achieved with the
00:39:29
justice for Nikki task force and hope Nikki's story will help the transgender Community My Hope Is that this work has
00:39:37
has created a domino effect and this will hopefully lead to other trans kids and teens having a
00:39:49
different life outcome as Lisa moves forward without Nikki she carries a special reminder of
00:39:56
her daughter a necklace she wears every day I just got this for my birthday from my son
00:40:02
Alex and he made it to put Nikki sashes in you always have Nikki close to your heart
00:40:08
[Music] yes how do you want Nikki remembered for her loyalty to what she believed in
00:40:15
staying true to who she was staying true to her her family and friends no matter
00:40:26
what unconditional love for [Music] everyone 48 hours to miss it would be a crime were you at all prepared for what
00:40:42
happened in this case [Music] [Music] The Story begins with an American couple Dr Larry Rudolph and his wife
00:41:40
Bianca Larry Rudolph is a well-known dentist in the Pittsburgh area Larry and Bianca got married after
00:41:48
he graduated from dental school and they were both Avid Hunters they traveled several times a year internationally
00:41:58
Lawrence and Bianca Rudolph traveled from the US here to Zambia in 2016 heading to a safari hunting trip no one
00:42:06
would have imagined Bianca would never make it home and that that Journey would end years later with allegations of
00:42:13
coverups infidelity fraud and murder on the morning of October 11th 2016 Lawrence Rudolph and his wife
00:42:23
Bianca were preparing to return to the United States and just just after 5:00 in the morning Lawrence was in the
00:42:29
bathroom when he heard a shotgun and his wife scream and came out to find her on
00:42:35
the floor as he says with a shotgun blast that killed her almost instantly Larry Rudolph told police that his wife
00:42:42
Bianca was packing up and she was trying to put the shotgun into the soft shell case that's when he said he heard that
00:42:50
gunshot the Zambian officials did rule that it was an accident they said that it appeared that it was an accidental
00:42:57
discharge from the weapon once the hunting trip was ended the weapon should have been rendered
00:43:03
safe it boggles the mind that two experienced hunters for this to have been an accident people trusted him I'm Dr Larry
00:43:13
Rudolph and they knew of him they knew his face they knew his commercials well help you overcome your fears if he was
00:43:19
in the office they all felt like they were meeting a celebrity you know the man on TV the dast on TV no sights no
00:43:25
sounds and no fear years we had people come to the office and asked about Bianca and asked if she really did pass
00:43:33
away you know what happened and we had to say we didn't know there was a friend of Bianca who called the FBI and said
00:43:40
that she was suspicious that her friend accidental death was not really accidental Lawrence Rudolph made sure
00:43:48
Bianca's body was cremated within 3 days the friend suggested that there were a number of troubling things M Rudolph was
00:43:56
a about Catholic and it expressed to her explicitly that she would never consider
00:44:01
being cremated there were some certain things that just did not seem to add up well-known local dentist is in jail
00:44:09
in Colorado tonight FBI agents believe their investigation will prove he killed his wife while on
00:44:15
vacation this case is about whether Lawrence Rudolph killed his wife with a shotgun or did his wife accidentally
00:44:23
shoot herself while packing the shotgun to leave why did he want to kill his wife there's a financial motive we're
00:44:30
talking about almost $5 million in life insurance proceeds and he's had a long-term apparently affair with the
00:44:38
manager of his [Music] office was it an accident or did he do this nobody knows what happened truly to
00:44:49
Bianca but Dr Rudolph [Music] [Music] nearly 2 weeks after Bianca Rudolph's death while on a hunting trip in Zambia
00:45:45
family and friends in Arizona gathered to remember her at her funeral but at husband Larry Rudolph's
00:45:53
Pennsylvania dental practice there was a hush in the air Larry never talked about Bianca's death
00:45:59
ever he was saying to everyone not to talk about it and it made it sort of suspicious Sher hul worked as a dental
00:46:09
assistant in Dr Rudolph's Three Rivers Dental Group for nearly 8 years the lucrative practice with five officers in
00:46:17
the Pittsburgh area specializes in sedation dentistry providing anesthesia for fearful patients I liked everything
00:46:26
about how we treated our patients and I really believed in everything we did and
00:46:31
how he did it after years building his successful Practice Dr Rudolph says Sherry was now
00:46:41
spending limited time in the office he and Bianca had lived in homes in both Pittsburgh and Arizona the couple had
00:46:49
met while Larry was in dental school and Bianca was at the University of Pittsburgh Larry and Bianca got married
00:46:57
in the early 80s shortly after she graduated from college Megan Schiller is a reporter at Pittsburgh CBS television
00:47:04
station KD Ka they proceeded to have two kids they had Julian who's their son who's now an attorney in Florida and
00:47:13
they had a daughter Anna who is now following in her Father's Footsteps Anna a friend of sher's is
00:47:20
also a dentist at the practice Anna described her mom as like an angel she loved her mom
00:47:27
people that knew Bianca Rudolph described her as a very kind caring person Sher never met Bianca and there
00:47:35
may have been a reason why she says Larry was having an affair with the woman who managed the offices lorri
00:47:43
Mard Larry and Lor's Affair just seemed like it was just very open as far as I know it was probably going on for 20
00:47:51
years it was just uncomfortable and you just didn't talk about it in the office Sherry saw different sides of Larry
00:48:00
Larry could be very nice and he could change attitude within a matter of minutes that erratic Behavior Sher says
00:48:12
was one of the reasons she left her job he could throw tempers and we' sort of just call it like he was going
00:48:22
Rudolph something Larry did enjoy talking about in the office and took pride in was his hobby big game
00:48:31
hunting Larry Rudolph and Bianca Rudolph for Avid Hunters that was a huge part of
00:48:37
their life they were both like very well known for it hi my name is Dr Larry Rudolph and it's my privilege to be
00:48:45
serving as your president of Safari Club International Rudolph served for several
00:48:50
years as the president of Safari Club International a group that promotes hunting we are first for hunters period
00:48:58
first for hunters he traveled the world recording messages for members I'm here on the banks of the curri river in
00:49:06
Zambia I've been doing some lion hunting and just having a great adventure his term though would be tainted by claims
00:49:14
he damaged the club's reputation through alleged misconduct including supposed adultery Larry denied the claims and
00:49:22
sued for defamation the case was ultimately settled but Larry was aled as a club
00:49:33
member but his passion for hunting endured and in 2016 he and Bianca headed to a favorite location cfu National Park
00:49:43
in Zambia kafui National Park is considered a big game Paradise the oldest and the most prestigious national
00:49:51
park in that area of southern Africa just to put it in scale it's the SI of New Jersey the park has one section that
00:50:00
is a protected wildlife sanctuary and an adjacent area referred to as game management that allows hunting on the
00:50:09
trip the Rudolph stayed in this two room cabin consisting of a bedroom and a bathroom Bianca wants to finally hunt a
00:50:18
leopard she's been trying for years to hunt a leopard the trip lasted about 10 days
00:50:26
time that was happy according to Spencer kakoma the local game Scout accompanying
00:50:32
the couple they were laughing at each other kissing each other hugging each other did you think they were a happily
00:50:38
married couple I I was even ad admiring that because I'm also married and did you see any tension between Larry and
00:50:47
Bianca Rudolph no I didn't see any tension Bianca never did shoot a leopard and on the final day of the Safari
00:50:55
before the Rudolph went to their cabin Spencer says as his daily protocol the guns were emptied of all ammunition and
00:51:04
you saw Bianca Rudolph cleaning her gun of I saw bian Rudolph doing that it was cleaned or it was C there was no an
00:51:12
ammunition which was there you saw it with your own eyes yes it was the end of the Rudolph Zambian hunting trip they
00:51:19
were supposedly packing up and getting ready to fly home but then Bianca Rudolph suffered a fatal gunshot wound
00:51:28
Spencer was working about 30 yards away when he heard the gunshot and ran to the
00:51:33
cabin finding 56-year-old Bianca Rudolph dead on the floor shot in the heart the
00:51:40
weapon was a 12 gauge shotgun similar to this Spencer says the gun partially in a
00:51:46
softsided case was next to her and Larry Rudolph seemed inconsolable sobbing bu a
00:51:53
crying PR let me just kill myself because my wife she has committed suicide she has killed herself want to
00:52:00
kill myself also Spencer says Larry first claimed Bianca died by suicide shooting herself intentionally while he
00:52:08
was in the bathroom and he says Larry was so distraught that he ran to a nearby River saying he wanted to jump in
00:52:15
and kill himself Spencer says he calmed Larry down and they went back to the cabin but
00:52:22
now Larry had a different version of events it was no longer a suicide but that Bianca accidentally shot herself
00:52:31
packing up the gun were you surprised that a shot had gone off yeah that's one of the thing which made me to suspect I
00:52:40
saw Bianca Rudolph removing the ammunition from the the or Gans so how do you think ammunition got into the
00:52:48
shotgun I think there's must be just someone who loaded it somebody loaded that gun yes things were not adding up
00:52:56
for space he and Larry Rudolph went to the local police station Rudolph was interviewed
00:53:01
for about 30 minutes by now retired police Commander Roston yena and Larry told him Bianca accidentally shot
00:53:10
herself while packing the gun he had a gun shot and he scream weide he rushed to the
00:53:18
bedroom and then he found the wife lying down in a poor blood did you believe him
00:53:28
I believed him because I wasn't there I wasn't there Commander yenga sent his investigators to the scene who
00:53:37
told him it matched Dr Rudolph's description of events they believe the shotgun found approximately 3 ft from
00:53:45
Bianca's body was discharged while inside its case and reported that Dr Rudolph had tried to resuscitate his
00:53:53
wife it was decided that this was an accident yes this is the report that we received the police report dated 2 days
00:54:03
after Bianca's death concluded Dr Lawrence Rudolph rushed to the bedroom only to find his wife lying on the floor
00:54:10
bleeding the findings further suggested the firearm was loaded from the previous
00:54:15
hunting activities causing the firearm to accidentally fire this is to me a little bit astounding that they would
00:54:22
have made that conclusive declarative statement that uh this was absolutely an accident so soon after uh Miss Rudolph
00:54:43
[Music] died Bianca Rudolph's death in Zambia was devastating for her daughter Anna
00:54:53
Anna always said Bianca was like the best mom and just did everything was like a very good person and was very
00:55:02
wholesome and kind dentler assistant Sheri hul says Larry Rudolph didn't tell Anna or her
00:55:10
brother Julian about their mother's passing for nearly a week Anna had troubling questions about what had
00:55:17
happened she had no idea whether her mom got shot in the face or the chest or anywhere she just would say I want to
00:55:25
know what happened to my mom mom and at the cfu national park there were doubts too from the moment The
00:55:33
Gunshot rang out early that October morning it's a loud boom David Catz is a ballistics expert
00:55:46
and former special agent at the drug enforcement agency we asked him to review documents in this case he says
00:55:53
the blast from the Rudolph's 12 gauge shotgun would have been ferocious Bianca rudov screamed after
00:56:00
The Gunshot game Scout Spencer kakoma instantly knew that sound meant trouble she didn't scream help or she screamed
00:56:12
ah then that's how we rushed there within 15 seconds we reached there she was dead already from the beginning
00:56:20
Spencer said he had questions about Larry's version of events including when Larry told him he was in the bath when
00:56:27
he heard the gunshot and raced out to find Bianca dead but when you saw him he was fully dressed dressed with with
00:56:36
shoes it confused me 15 seconds to be fully clothed with shoes is pretty quick exactly but local police say Larry told
00:56:44
them he was wrapped in a towel when Spencer arrived cfu National Park investigator masu Muses also had
00:56:53
questions about what he saw in the couple's cabin he says he observed the wound on Bianca's chest the gun nearby
00:57:00
and wondered how she could have accidentally shot herself in the heart while handling the long barreled weapon
00:57:08
what did you think what was your theory um to me I suspect that this should be a
00:57:14
foul play because the way the firearm was lying the way the deceased was lying the way the bullet went through because
00:57:22
to me to say that she shot herself I I doubt it so Mr Mesi did you ever voice your suspicions of Foul Play to the
00:57:31
Zambian police I voiced my suspicion to the police and what did they say in response in response the Zambia police
00:57:41
told me that the police will really investigate up the bottom of the issue but did
00:57:47
they ah they didn't within days says reporter Megan Schiller local officials allowed
00:57:56
Bianca's remains to be crated in Zambia even the paper over there reported what had happened as an accidental shooting
00:58:04
and the comments on social media were people saying that it seems suspicious to them one reader suggested this
00:58:11
doesn't sound right something fishy here and it was suspicious to one of Bianca's friends certain Bianca was
00:58:19
opposed to cremation for religious reasons the friend made a call about 2 weeks later and said a change of events
00:58:27
in motion there's one point when this case became an active International investigation and that is when Bianca's
00:58:34
friend called the atache of the FBI in South Africa and said that she suspected Foul Play Mary fenti is a former Federal
00:58:44
prosecutor and CBS News consultant she says Bianca's friend told the FBI about Larry's Affair said Larry had been
00:58:52
verbally abusive to Bianca and reported that har and Bianca had fights about money she opened a Pandora's Box as to
00:59:01
why Lawrence would want to kill his wife even the consulate Chief at the US Embassy in Zambia had suspicions he
00:59:09
spoke on the phone with Larry Rudolph just hours after Bianca's death the counselor Chief had a bad feeling Isa
00:59:16
because Lawrence quickly turned into cremation and getting out of the country which he thought was highly
00:59:22
suspect the consulate Chief was a former Marine with Decades of experience with weapons unbeknownst to Larry he decided
00:59:30
to inspect Bianca's body before it was cremated he measured the shotgun wound and took photos the conselor chief said
00:59:39
based on looking at Bianca's body he didn't think there was any way that she could have done this to herself that she
00:59:45
could have been leaning on the shotgun he said it looked like someone was holding the shotgun several feet away
00:59:51
and fired it at her the con Chief turned his photos into notes over to the FBI an
00:59:57
inquiry into Bianca's death was underway retired FBI supervisory special agent and CBS News consultant James gallano
01:00:08
says International investigations take time this case is being investigated outside of the United States it presents
01:00:16
a ton of different problems that you have to deal with back home life went on for Larry
01:00:22
the FBI kept working the case both in the US and in Zambia and investigators eventually made their way back to game
01:00:30
Scout Spencer kakoma so 5 years later that's when they you heard from the FBI yes that's when they called me were you
01:00:38
surprised yes I was surprised over the course of 5 years FBI investigators interviewed numerous
01:00:47
people reviewed documents photos and conducted forensic tests eventually filing a complaint listing evidence of
01:00:56
possible Foul Play in Bianca Rudolph's death the complaint lays out a neat road map of a lot of circumstantial evidence
01:01:05
that points in the direction of Lawrence Rudolph as the murder of his wife Bianca
01:01:10
[Music] [Music] Zambia's cfu National Park vast stunning Serene but retired police Commander
01:01:37
Roston yena will never forget the day back in 2016 when that gunshot rang out from this cabin killing Bianca
01:01:48
Rudolph when your officers went to the scene what did they see yeah what they told me was that they found the dead
01:01:55
board line facing upwards and years later he still recalls his conversation with Dr Rudolph
01:02:03
he seemed to be sorrowful you know he was very sorrowful yeah you know when you lose your beloved one you can't be
01:02:11
in that mood I could even see some tears in his eyes yena says the initial investigation
01:02:20
was not rushed and says at the time no one told him they suspected had anything to do with his wife's death what was the
01:02:29
most powerful thing that he said to you that convinced you this man is innocent to say he
01:02:37
innocent that was his story you're so easily convinced I just have to tell you a story and you believe me it's coming
01:02:46
from your own mouth I can believe you whatever story will tell me I can believe it but could
01:02:53
an experienced Hunter like Bianca accidentally shoot herself in the heart while placing a long barreled shotgun
01:03:00
into a gun case for the for the shooters out in the audience everyone's going to
01:03:04
understand immediately there's a visceral feeling no don't do it ballistics expert David Kat says if that
01:03:10
happened Bianca would have been pointing the muzzle at herself ignoring safety protocol whether the gun is loaded or
01:03:17
unloaded if you know your way around guns you would never under any circumstances point that weapon towards
01:03:22
you or another human being cats often works with fire arms at the company he owns Global Security Group at our
01:03:30
request he reviewed the initial FBI complaint the complaint In fairness to to Larry Rudolph it's it's it's just a
01:03:37
government's version of events it's a one-sided document so I want I want to be completely fair to to Larry Rudolph
01:03:45
in the complaint the FBI interviewed a Zambian ballistics expert who performed what's called a drop test to determine
01:03:53
if the gun could have accidentally misfired if Bianca dropped it on the ground the question is if you slam the
01:04:01
weapon hard enough if you drop it if you bang it on the on the ground will that weapon discharge the Zambian ballistics
01:04:07
expert repeatedly dropped the Rudolph's gun most likely loaded with a dummy round about 4 and 1/2 ft onto cement and
01:04:16
reported the gun did not misfire the complaint lists some of the other FBI findings including the results of a
01:04:24
series of tests using a 12 gauge shotgun of the same make and model as the gun that killed bianor and a softsided gun
01:04:33
case like the Rudolphs they did gun tests they did a study with people who were about the same height as Bianca and
01:04:41
had similar arm lengths the FBI performed a reach study which cat says would determine if Bianca could have
01:04:48
reached the trigger while packing the shotgun into a gun bag 15 women who were near Bianca's height were tested none
01:04:57
was able to reach the trigger of the shotgun while zipping the case this is not a live weapon we asked cats to
01:05:04
demonstrate how the test might have been done with the help of this woman who is
01:05:09
5' 4 1/2 in Bianca was 5' 4 in so I'm going to measure your arm FBI analysts used a photo of Bianca to measure her
01:05:19
arm length they estimated Bianca's longest possible right arm length at 28.7 25 in 29 in so your reach is
01:05:29
slightly longer than the maximum reach as estimated by the FBI the gun used in this demonstration is not the same Mak
01:05:38
model as the Rudolph's gun it is not a weapon it just looks like one it's a prop gun nonfunctional and not capable
01:05:45
of holding a bullet according to the FBI the model of gun the Rudolphs had was approximately
01:05:53
31.875 in from trigger to muzzle we attached a wooden dowel to the barrel of the prop gun to make it match that
01:06:02
length so I'm going to take this weapon I'm going to point it at your chest right where the wound on the victim was
01:06:09
placed the idea is that somehow the weapon could be discharged accidentally as if it was being pushed
01:06:16
into a gun case so let's bend over keep going keep going can you even if you can
01:06:22
touch the ground even with it now try to stretch out and touch the trigger you're
01:06:27
not on the trigger you're close to the trigger okay next cats added a gun case similar to the one the Rudolph's owned
01:06:34
all right let's say you were zipping can you reach your hand in and touch the trigger the woman in our demonstration
01:06:41
was able to reach the trigger just about just about difficulty yeah I guess what
01:06:47
I'm left with is this conclusion possible unlikely but you know with sufficient leaning
01:06:53
forward but that would then suggest without without any doubt a contact shot a contact shot is a gunshot wound
01:07:03
occurring when the muzzle of the gun is in direct contact with the body at the moment the gun fires this is a 12 gauge
01:07:10
shotgun shell it contains pellets of double art buck shot in a contact shot there is no time for the pellets to
01:07:17
spread instead they go straight into the tissue in one tight group the same diameter as the gun barrel contact shot
01:07:26
you're going to get this further away you're going to get this further away you're going to get this cat says those
01:07:31
photos of Bianca's body taken by the consul Chief in Zambia May rule out death by a contact shot the most
01:07:39
critically important issue in this case is how far from her body was the muzzle of that shotgun when the rounds were
01:07:46
fired when the consulate Chief took those photos he also measured Bianca's shotgun wound and noted the pellets
01:07:53
covered approximately six cm in diameter roughly 2 and A2 in that pattern would be impossible if the muzzle had been
01:08:03
pressed against the victim's body so from what distance would a weapon have to be fired to cause a 2 and 1/2 in
01:08:10
wound shot we ask cats to use this real shotgun to show us how rounds fired from
01:08:17
different distances can make different sized wounds we didn't have access to key information about Rudolph's gun but
01:08:25
the long barrel of this gun measures the same distance from trigger to muzzle approximately
01:08:32
31.875 in fire cats fired into a block made of ballistic gelatin designed to simulate the effects of bullet wounds in
01:08:43
human tissue fire when I fired the last round that was from 10 ft there are discernable
01:08:53
pellet wounds here here here here this is why the Consular Chief was suspicious when
01:09:01
he saw the wound because he saw wound that was more like this FBI investigators also compared
01:09:09
shot patterns created by firing from various distances and estimated that Bianca's wound depicted in the
01:09:15
photographs was created by a shot from a distance of between 2 and 3 and 1/2 ft the complaints conclusion Bianca rudol
01:09:25
was not killed by an accidental discharge and it wasn't just ballistics catching the attention of the
01:09:34
FBI this is a case that's going to be made on the totality of the circumstances Anna always said how she wish she had
01:09:59
more time with her mom Sher haul says Bianca's death continues to haunt the Rudolph's daughter
01:10:07
Anna she was devastated that she couldn't even say goodbye door it appears Larry Rudolph wasted no
01:10:19
time setting up house with his longtime rumored girlfriend lri milon in Paradise
01:10:24
Valley within weeks she had moved into their home in Arizona Rudolph's business continued to
01:10:32
thrive no sights no sounds and no fears only at Three Rivers Den he and Lori split their time between Pittsburgh
01:10:42
Arizona and a vacation home in Cabo San Lucas Mexico after a while I thought well if it wasn't an accident wouldn't
01:10:50
he have been arrested by now nothing's really happened but in December 2021 more than 5 years after Bianca's death
01:11:00
Rudolph's new life with Lori was about to change and that FBI complaint would turn out to be the key the federal
01:11:09
prosecutors and the FBI agents had decided that they had enough information to essentially charge Larry with
01:11:17
crimes Lui milon's Attorney John Dill says the PIR was at the Cabo home they were going down there for vacation and
01:11:25
having a return flight he wasn't fleeing or disappearing or anything like that but their holiday came to a sudden and
01:11:32
surprising end when local authorities arrested Rudolph Lor's reaction when he was
01:11:39
arrested obviously she was shocked Mexican police executed a warrant for Lawrence Rudolph's arrest for the
01:11:46
foreign murder of Bianca Rudolph and for male fraud relating to Rudolph collecting Bianca's life insurance
01:11:55
the FBI said the insurance never should have been paid because it believed Rudolph murdered Bianca Larry Rudolph
01:12:03
was the beneficiary and he was the recipient of nearly $5 million of insurance money those billions were spread out
01:12:12
over nine separate policies one of the insurance companies where Larry mailed a claim is located in
01:12:21
Colorado so that's where the case would be tried Bianca died on October 11th and the
01:12:28
first claim was submitted on October 31st I'm not sure if there's a time period when there's an accidental death
01:12:35
that somebody's supposed to wait so it doesn't look wrong in a court filing the defense claimed there was no Financial
01:12:42
motive for the alleged crime asserting that Rudolph's dental practice alone was worth $8
01:12:49
million what's more Dill says the fact that all nine policies were paid proves be an's death was as Rudolph described
01:12:58
and Zambian officials ruled an accident you'll see insurance companies went through a full investigation
01:13:05
including going to Africa but Mary fanti says not so fast for one thing the FBI's resources would
01:13:14
have allowed for a much more thorough investigation into Bianca's cause of death they just have access to more
01:13:22
things they have ballistic experts access to the counselor Chief and other Witnesses in Africa that I'm not sure
01:13:29
the insurance firm had access to to talk to within days of his arrest Rudolph was
01:13:36
extradited to Denver a grand jury was convened there to hear evidence about his case everyone in Pittsburgh was
01:13:44
talking about how this dentist who was a well-known respected dentist could possibly be accused by the FBI Sher says
01:13:52
word of Rudolph's erase hit Anna hard she was just devastated I called to check on her and she would not talk
01:13:59
about her dad being arrested she just talked to me about anything but that Lori Millar followed Rudolph to Denver
01:14:08
she was about to become involved in the cas as well by way of a subpoena she was
01:14:14
called to go before the grand jury and she was in town for his bond hearing and went and
01:14:19
testified about 2 weeks after Rudolph's eras that B jury handed down their indictment FBI agents believe their
01:14:29
investigation will prove he killed his wife while on vacation before allegedly collecting millions in insurance money
01:14:36
it seemed that the multi-million dollar windfall of insurance money Rudolph received wasn't the only motive the FBI
01:14:44
believes was behind Bianca's murder in the complaint it says lorri mil iron had given Rudolph an
01:14:52
ultimatum you have one year to get rid of the practice and leave your wife Dill says there was no
01:15:00
ultimatum that allegation came from a disgruntled employee according to a defense motion all we can just say is
01:15:07
that's not what the evidence is going to be as for the speed of Bianca's cremation Rudolph's attorney says that's
01:15:15
no attempt at a cover up that both he and Bianca had expressed their final Wishes the defense is going to argue
01:15:23
well they have a will and in the will it was the directive of both parties to be
01:15:27
cremated as Mary fulan explained before the trial murders on foreign soil are difficult to prove and the length of the
01:15:35
investigation might actually be a liability what the defense is going to do is try to make it look like this case
01:15:43
which is five plus years old has stale testimony stale Witnesses stale everything but it turns out that years
01:15:53
after Bianca Rudolph died there would be something new after all another arrest that no one saw
01:16:02
[Music] [Music] coming the truth about the death of Bianca Rudolph wife and mother has
01:16:21
remained as elusive as the Zambian leopard she Hunted Ed her husband stood charged with murder and male
01:16:29
[Music] fraud then come February 2022 this case would grow even more complex when Lori milon was
01:16:41
charged as if the story couldn't get any stranger now we know that his alleged longtime girlfriend Lori mil iron is now
01:16:50
facing federal charges seven Federal counts alleging she provided false and misleading
01:16:59
testimony to a grand jury sitting in the district of Colorado just over a month after that testimony Lori milon was
01:17:10
arrested She's accused of lying about her relationship with Larry She's accused of lying about what Larry said
01:17:17
in the days and months following Bianca's sudden death I think she was shocked she did not expect this to
01:17:24
happen a 64 yearold woman she faces as much as 30 years in prison for those charges but
01:17:32
her attorney John Dill emphasizes there's no allegations by the government that she was somehow involved or had
01:17:40
anything to do with what happened to Bianca Rudolph in 2016 Dill says that the speculation and the charges against
01:17:48
his client are all false I the truth is Lori M iron is not a criminal she didn't
01:17:55
purer herself didn't lie to the grand jury but former prosecutor Mary fanti says there may be another reason the
01:18:03
government filed those seven counts against Lori milon they might have also charged her because they would like to
01:18:11
put some pressure on her to cooperate pressuring Rudolph's longtime girlfriend to be the star witness
01:18:19
against him well if I was the prosecutor in this case I would absolutely be h in that she
01:18:25
was going to come forward and and possibly cooperate against him and she's the one witness that could possibly do
01:18:31
him in hi I'm Dr Larry Rudolph president of Safari Club International meanwhile from home
01:18:38
detention in Arizona Lori mil iron was still connected with Rudolph running his multi-million dollar Dentistry practice
01:18:46
but forbidden to contact him still attempting to work yeah from where she is it's a lot more difficult
01:18:53
obviously the government plan to try them together in the same courtroom an outcome their lawyers fought against and
01:19:02
lost the two on trial together was a powerful image that could impact lri millon lorri Miller does not want to be
01:19:10
sitting next to Lawrence rol at trial because he's charged with murder and she wants nothing to do with that and she
01:19:15
doesn't want any of that prejudice to spill over to her which will ultimately say oh well she was a part of it I mean
01:19:20
if she's she's the lover and in a pre-trial effort David filed by Rudolph's attorneys and signed by lri
01:19:27
she wrote that Larry and I were romantically involved and Mrs Bianca Rudolph was aware of that the suggestion
01:19:35
the affair was an Open Secret not a motive for murder but the prosecution would soon taste the loyalties of lri
01:19:43
Millar and Larry Rudolph and see if they stay aligned or if at the end of the day
01:19:48
she does timely cooperate our defense is basically that what their government is
01:19:53
saying not only can't they prove it that's not the facts over the years and across an ocean
01:20:05
facts have been hard to come by in this case retired FBI special agent James gallano knows time can be a
01:20:14
prosecution's toughest challenge memories get rusty and cloudy documents get lost or destroyed with every day
01:20:22
that passes it gets more and more difficult to close a loop here get the evidence you need and make a conviction
01:20:28
there's a lot of hurdles that have to be overcome here so it it it's by no means
01:20:33
an easy prosecution 7,000 miles and a world away Bianca Rudolph's death has impacted
01:20:46
those who barely knew her former police Commander Roston yena still thinks it was all a terrible accident there will
01:20:54
be no evidence connecting to the Mur there'll be no evidence connecting Dr Rudolph to the murder I don't think
01:21:01
so from the experience that I had know but one time Scout SP spener kakoma was so shaken by this experience that he
01:21:14
quit his job he believes that in his beautiful country as Bianca Rudolph hunted she became the prey yes just
01:21:25
happy with the American investigation you wanted to escape but they have managed to Corner you Larry Rudolph's
01:21:31
Leal team provided 48 hours with the following statement Dr Rudolph is innocent the Zambian authorities who
01:21:39
were there and investigated said so the insurance companies who paid the claim after they investigated said so
01:21:47
strangely 5 years later the feds brought charges without any real evidence no eyewitness wies no forensics no anything
01:21:58
except for some speculation sprinkled into a Chasm of conjecture Anna and Julian have lost
01:22:08
their mother sources tell us they have expressed support for their father and next what really happened in the country
01:22:17
Bianca Rudolph cherished would be decided in a Colorado courtroom [Music] 48 Hours don't miss an episode
01:22:55
[Music] I'd like to make a to to Todd and bar hope you live a long and happy life
01:23:37
here's the Todd and bar all right Jessica I be girl I always said when I was younger you know God I be
01:23:46
just like my parents there's my son Jordan how old are you Jordan I want to be married young and have kids and well
01:23:51
off just totally in love with my partner just like them right ladies and gentlemen is my
01:23:59
understanding you've reached the verdict is that correct yes did it ever occur to
01:24:03
you that your dad would be blamed for the death of your mother Mr Ken hmer if you please rise absolutely not we the
01:24:09
jury find the defendant Tad Ken Hammer guilty a first-degree intentional homicide is charged in the information
01:24:16
husbands kill their wives all the time the husbands kill their wives where only they know the motive every day but it
01:24:23
happens all the time11 what is the emergency I have an emergency Todd K never called 911 at 806
01:24:37
a.m. on a Friday morning it was in a car accident no a pipe or something came through a windsh he reported that there
01:24:43
was an accident where a truck lost a pipe and it hit his wife and he needed help she's got blood coming out of her
01:24:49
nose and mouth he tried to do CPR while she bled all over doing great I think he was just
01:25:02
[Music] frantic this is the driver this is Todd I got to see if she's okay well just
01:25:10
wait let them do their work okay the only thing he really cared about was what's happening to Barbara and when can
01:25:16
I see her she no I don't want to go [Music] the injuries on Barbara did not occur by
01:25:30
a pipe coming through the windshield do you believe that Todd kendhammer murdered his wife
01:25:36
yes and they exhaustively searched for a motive in this case no infidelity no financial trouble no life insurance no
01:25:46
domestic violence history no argument history do I know why he did it all I don't but know what didn't happen from a
01:25:55
pipe coming off a truck because there was no truck and none of his story is true what are we looking at here here's
01:26:04
the area where the pipe went through the windshield you can tell standing right next to it it's pretty easy to take a
01:26:08
pipe and hit it just like that it only makes sense one way is that he caused her injuries caused her death and tried
01:26:14
to cover it up there was a sensational narrative the way the state wanted to present it a man
01:26:22
kills his wife stages it accident the jury was given a very narrow view of what really happened and what the
01:26:29
evidence really showed love what do you want people to know about your father that he's not a bad
01:26:39
person he didn't do this and he deserves to come home do you think that Todd kendhammer
01:26:47
got a fair trial no I don't all right Dad we'll get you out don't worry about it if this could happen to a tide kin
01:26:54
hammer it could happen to anybody [Music] [Music] every year where the Mississippi widens
01:27:48
out on its steady Journey South alongside the Rivertown of Lacrosse Wisconsin bald eagles
01:27:58
gather lofty symbols of Freedom they saw close to the remote country road where 46-year-old Barbara kendhammer was
01:28:07
fatally injured the circumstances so unusual made headlines and sent her husband Todd
01:28:16
to prison for life I just became fascinated by the story that I saw unfolding here I'm looking for the
01:28:23
actual exhibit here now Todd kand Hammer's appeals team says his murder conviction is the true Injustice that
01:28:31
occurred in this controversial case do you believe that Todd Cammer had anything to do with the death of his
01:28:38
wife no this was an accident you don't believe there was a murder at all not at all this is not a murder case it was
01:28:46
because of this man right here right lawyer Jerry Bey is best known for defending Steven Avery on Netflix making
01:28:53
a murder and now along with attorney Kathleen stilling who also happens to be his wife they've taken on Todd's case
01:29:02
which they say should be measured by his marriage to Barbara their relationship was really special and that was one of
01:29:09
the things that really drew me to this case the idea that out of the blue he would snap and kill his wife and then
01:29:16
stage the accent it just seems so implausible to me they insist this isn't a murder
01:29:23
mystery it's an old-fashioned love story that ended in a tragic accident I want to talk to about bar
01:29:33
during his trial Todd told the court that he fell for Barbara at First Sight just one of these things where you you
01:29:40
know immediately um that's the girl you want both were just 16 friends at first they began dating in
01:29:52
1989 and in August AUST 1991 they sealed the deal good night good night night soon
01:30:02
Jessica and then Jordan came along hey Witnesses they say to a romance how would you describe your dad well mom
01:30:13
always called him a wild hair he's always always always on the go always has some new crazy idea and she
01:30:22
just like was all about going with him or anything to the kids it was clear Todd adored Barbara he's just always
01:30:30
like doning on her with stuff did your parents argue more than any other couple definitely not I would
01:30:39
say no basically whatever my mom wanted my dad gave it to her Barbara worked in the cafeteria at
01:30:47
the West Salem Middle School Todd at a factory making aluminum soda cans on the side he flipped houses with Barb that
01:30:57
was like the biggest out on a whim thing he was like let's buy a house and flip it we're just like okay for extra income
01:31:04
Todd also worked with glass replacing people's smashed and broken windshields they paid their bills and live
01:31:11
comfortably they were just in a really good time in their lives cuz they had their first grandchild and they were
01:31:17
well off in 2016 Jessica Jordan threw their parents a surprised 25th anniversary party
01:31:28
everything was perfect it was good until it wasn't yeah it was a month later September 16th
01:31:38
2016 the kendhammer family Was preparing for their annual camping trip the plan was to leave later that day after Barb
01:31:47
finished work I woke up in the morning M and dad were still home I heard mom in the kitchen it was it was early that
01:31:54
morning Jordan home from college says he heard the garage door open and his parents' car leave no arguing nothing
01:32:03
unusual he says just his dad likely driving his mom to work at school if he had off he'd take her to work and he'd
01:32:11
go about doing his errand things and then when he got done he'd pick her up a little after 7:45 the couple
01:32:20
stopped at the home of a neighbor they were looking after her house while she was away and stayed just a few minutes
01:32:27
and then surprisingly instead of heading to Barb's School Todd headed north away
01:32:34
from it why he did would become a critical question 911 what at 8:05 a.m. a distraught Todd made
01:32:44
that call to 911 he said there had been a horrible accident and Barbara was badly hurt she's hitting a head in the
01:32:53
throat I thinking Ed something at the scene Todd began to tell his version of what happened there was a pipe in the
01:33:00
ground no come on that tree off a truck off a truck a truck or a trailer or something Barb was rushed to the
01:33:07
hospital is she okay I can't tell you that I don't know placed by cops into a squad car Todd continued with his
01:33:15
account I thought it was a bird at first and then at the last minute I seen it said it was a
01:33:22
pipe s soon Jessica and Jordan met their father he seemed devastated his T-shirt
01:33:29
soaked in blood he was kind of pale and shaky and panicky and wanted to know how
01:33:36
she was doing like all the time tell me what he told you about the accident they
01:33:40
were driving and something came and it and it hit mom I was like how did a pipe hit her he
01:33:47
said it came through the windshield and I pulled it out of the windshield how did you find out how
01:33:53
serious ly your mom was really injured the neurosurgeons kept coming in and giving us updates but the way that
01:34:01
they're talking her prognosis was pretty poor the start of a family holiday fast
01:34:08
turned into an allight bedside vigil it wouldn't last long it was like 4 or 5 or
01:34:15
something when they actually pronounced her like brain dead how did your father deal with that
01:34:22
news he was was just very upset as Dawn broke over the Mississippi Barbara kendhammer wife mother
01:34:34
grandmother took her last breath she was gone the family mourned they had already made the tough
01:34:45
decision to donate Barbara's organs but things would soon get even tougher police were already suspicious
01:34:55
of Todd take pictures of Todd his front all the blood his knuckles everything at
01:35:00
the scene of the incident cops had noticed Todd's blooded Knuckles and he had what appeared to be scratch marks on
01:35:08
his neck the police kept finding one more step and one more step that would disprove his story
01:35:21
[Music] so how big is this pipe Tim 53 in long and it weighs about 10 lb this thing is heavy this is the pipe
01:35:41
that Todd Cammer says flew off a truck smashed into the windshield of the car he was driving and caused his wife
01:35:48
Barbara's death a story that prosecutor Tim grinkie says is simply Preposterous our theory is that he used
01:35:56
that himself to put the hole in the windshield it didn't fly off of a a truck going by Todd said he was
01:36:02
traveling north on Highway M grinkie says the police became suspicious of Todd when pieces of his story just
01:36:10
didn't seem to add up turned right on the Bergen Road starting with that mysterious truck this is the
01:36:17
description Todd kendhammer gave police it was a older like a bigger flat bed truck like a pickup truck with a flatb
01:36:26
on it what color was the cab I don't even remember it was darker I don't that's all I know dark green or dark
01:36:31
blue so he's going this way and he claims that a truck carrying a pipe what's going this way correct were you
01:36:39
ever able to find a truck no uh police uh spent some time uh looking for the truck and putting out word to the uh
01:36:47
Community to ask if anybody saw a truck that day surveillance video from a horse
01:36:54
ranch down the road does show what appears to be the Kent Hammer car pass by at approximately 757 a.m. on the day
01:37:02
of the incident but at around the same time no truck that matched the description Todd gave police was ever
01:37:10
seen heading in the opposite direction and then 4 days after the incident medical examiner Dr Kathleen
01:37:18
mccubbin conducted an autopsy on Barbara she didn't understand when she first heard a pipe had done it she had called
01:37:26
law enforcement to look at the pipe cuz she didn't understand how that could be Barbara had three lacerations on the
01:37:33
back of her head she said that the injuries to Barb were very inconsistent with a pipe of that size and that weight
01:37:40
coming through windshield she concluded that barb died of blunt trauma injuries of the head and
01:37:46
neck with skull fractures CID cartilage fractures and ultimate brain death the troid is the ring-shaped Bony cartilage
01:37:56
structure that's located in the lower neck what do you believe caused the broken CID cartilage it's consistent
01:38:05
with strangulation the medical examiner also noted that there were countless other injuries on Barbara that suggested
01:38:12
there could have been an earlier struggle she had scratches on her neck a broken nose a laceration on her forehead
01:38:20
and bruising all over her body injuries to her fingers do you need any medical attention Todd also had injuries to his
01:38:29
hands he said that came from striking the windshield when he saw something flying at him and he had what appeared
01:38:36
to be scratches on his neck and chest as well he said he got that cuz he worked with glass turns out he doesn't work
01:38:42
with glass he puts in windshields but he doesn't normally work with glass or broken glass so those injuries seemed
01:38:49
odd it seemed consistent like someone who was in a fight uh a really bad fight police had also interviewed a
01:38:55
construction worker who said he drove by the kendhammer car around 8:00 a.m. but
01:39:01
didn't see any damage to the windshield or any people around he saw the car in the ditch and thought maybe somebody
01:39:09
just driven off the road or tried to make a turn and got stuck so he didn't see anybody he didn't see either Todd
01:39:15
nor Barbara correct could they have been hidden in the High Grass well that's the
01:39:20
only thought is that he was maybe trying to hold her down and keep her from calling for
01:39:24
help there were other red flags on the day of the incident Barbara was scheduled to work at 8:00 a.m. but she
01:39:31
never called to say she'd be late she also did not make her daily call to her mom it's a woman who's never been late
01:39:38
for work who always calls her mom when you look at patterns that's an obvious change of the pattern and where were
01:39:44
Todd and Barbara driving to that morning going in the opposite direction from Barbara's work I'm going to put a
01:39:52
windshield in a truck for for a guy this is what Todd canhammer told investigators on the drive to the
01:39:59
hospital the windshield you're going to replace somebody drier in his truck I was going to take it to my Todd told
01:40:06
police that on the way to drive Barbara to work he decided to drive over to pick
01:40:10
up a truck that needed a windshield replaced he said the truck with keys inside was in the driveway of a person
01:40:18
he knew from work named Justin Heim we do that no I didn't call I was just going to sing over and if it was
01:40:25
there grab it but when the investigators spoke with Justin Heim he told a very different story when the police looked
01:40:34
into that they found Justin Heim never had ordered a windshield from Todd didn't need a windshield Todd didn't
01:40:39
even know where he lived so just one week after Barbara's death and just two days before her
01:40:47
funeral investigators asked Todd to come down to the police station under the roof that they had some leads on trucks
01:40:55
that may have dropped the pipe that day are you okay if I take up I didn't take no medicine this morning yeah that's
01:41:02
fine as investigators began to question him Todd told them he had not taken his anti-anxiety
01:41:09
medication and he appeared confused and forgetful of details I I I just don't I remember I
01:41:16
remember and I don't know how I remember I remember that's and that's how I was and I
01:41:25
don't the pipe was the pipe was there he was trying to help like he thought they
01:41:30
were trying to help him find the cause of the accident how did the pipe get through La you let's start
01:41:37
there I don't it came off the truck but they were closing in on what they believed were Todd's lies there's no
01:41:44
explanations for it you can't the injuries that were on Barbed did not occur from that accident
01:41:54
from a pipe going through your windshield and then when police pressed him about where he was actually going
01:42:00
that day I talked to Justin Todd canhammer changed his story he told a story that he wasn't going to Justin
01:42:07
heim's house it was actually friend of juson police would later find that friend who told them he also didn't need
01:42:14
a windshield and was not expecting Todd the day of the incident isn't it possible he was in shock isn't it
01:42:21
possible that he just can't remember anything from that time part of it I could see somebody not remembering a
01:42:29
detail or two um not remembering uh something traumatic but the things that surround it usually do remember so
01:42:36
things like remembering where you were going after 3 and 1 half hours of questioning Todd investigators let him
01:42:42
go home but they kept building their case do I know exactly blowby blow how it happened no I don't but I know it didn't
01:42:51
happen from a pipe coming off a truck 3 months after Barbara's death Todd kendhammer was arrested we were
01:43:00
basically just like well how do we get him back out cuz he's not supposed to be in there Jessica hoped a jury would
01:43:07
believe her father when Todd took the stand to tell his side of the story at his trial I think he just looked like
01:43:14
somebody who was trying to explain a Way's lies [Music] what started out looking like a tragic
01:43:34
car accident would soon become much more complicated in December of 2017 when Todd kendhammer went on trial for his
01:43:43
wife Barbara's murder almost everyone who attended was there to support him yet his daughter Jessica feared the
01:43:50
worst every day as a in a constant state of anxiety and couldn't eat and couldn't
01:43:57
sleep the cause of Barbara Ken Hammer's death was blunt impact injuries of her head and neck the state star witness was
01:44:05
medical examiner Dr kathle mccubbin I do not believe that these injuries are consistent with the end of a pipe
01:44:12
striking the back of the head Todd's trial lawyer Steven Hurley didn't call a forensic pathologist of his own to
01:44:19
dispute the state's case but tried to create re Reasonable Doubt during cross examination if her head were moving at
01:44:28
the time of the pipe coming through the pipe had the potential because it is some 5 ft long to strike her head in
01:44:38
more than one place is that correct that may be possible yes attorney Hurley asked mccubbin if Barbara's large water
01:44:46
mug could have slammed into her face if she ducked to avoid the pipe and caused some of the injuries yes it could be
01:44:54
it's a possibility but when Hurley questioned Dr mccubbin he didn't focus on one of the critical injuries that
01:45:01
Barbara suffered the cry covid fracture which the prosecution insisted could only have been caused by Todd it could
01:45:09
happened in a multitude of ways but I believe during the fight her CID fracture happens this is a view from the
01:45:16
inside of the car the windshield of the car was as hotly disputed as the medical
01:45:21
evidence the defense has expert Mark melum with over 30 years of experience working with glass believes the evidence
01:45:29
supports Todd's Story by observing the crack branching the fracture patterns on the windshield he said show three
01:45:37
different events the first one was a hand impact when Mr Ken Hammer's fist went into the glass the second event was
01:45:46
the puncture when the pipe broke through the windshield and the third harder to detect was caused he said when Todd
01:45:55
removed the pipe from the windshield the lines that are highlighted in here would
01:46:00
but the state's forensic expert Nick stocky said the impacts didn't occur in the order that mesim said they did De
01:46:09
grinkie argues this is more evidence showing that Tod kendhammer intentionally damaged the windshield and
01:46:16
it was not from a pipe falling off a truck it couldn't have done what he said it did the crime lab found found that
01:46:23
the windshield had two strikes on the outside which is impossible however the pipe comes it's not going to hit and
01:46:29
then back up and then hit again if he wanted to kill ma why the hell would he go through all the work and trouble to
01:46:36
find a pipe drive all the way out to the middle of a busy road he has like 28 guns in the basement more than that this
01:46:44
one's from their Cruise Jessica and Jordan don't believe prosecutors ever answered critical questions about what
01:46:51
happened they never really said how he killed her or what he did to Stage everything if what they're saying is he
01:46:59
staged it and killed her at the same time the time frame doesn't fit up either you don't have enough time to do
01:47:04
all that stuff because that construction worker drove by at 8:00 a.m. that morning Todd had just five minutes to
01:47:12
Stage the crime before he called 911 at 805 so in that short period of time he had the presence of mind to go get the
01:47:22
pipe out of the trunk go around break it twice and call 911 and Minister CPR yes you can do a
01:47:32
lot of damage in two or three minutes so it's more time than people think Mr Hurley you'll be finding your next
01:47:37
witness yes kmer with so much at stake the defense decided to gamble by putting Tod Ken
01:47:46
Hammer himself on the stand did you ever strike Barbara kenam no Todd tried to explain to the jurors why during the
01:47:55
police interrogation he told investigators conflicting stories about where he was going that morning when I
01:48:03
watched that video it's me in the picture but it's not me talking it's not right state of mind talking in that I
01:48:10
wasn't thinking of where I was going or what I was doing I was thinking of Barb Todd seemed to be doing well Mr grinkie
01:48:19
May begin your cross-examination until he had trouble remembering details about that day I don't recall if I said that
01:48:26
or not I don't remember that I can't recall for sure but his most damaging testimony may have been when he changed
01:48:33
his story yet again he told the jury about a third person he was supposedly going to see on the day of the incident
01:48:41
Jared Logan and today you say that you were trying to find the house of Mr loggan
01:48:48
correct that's another kind of odd statement to make that that's why you're going that way way and why you couldn't
01:48:53
have told the police that the first time or the second time or in the year before
01:48:57
the trial and just like the others Todd said he was going to visit that morning loggin said he had never arranged for
01:49:04
Todd to replace a windshield did you change your story for trial because you knew the police had figured out your
01:49:09
lies no we the jury mind the defendant toad Ken Hammer guilty of first degree in the
01:49:20
jury was out just n hours before they reach their verdict 3 months later today is time set for sentencing
01:49:30
and smatter everyone was back in the courtroom the conviction had an automatic life sentence but it was up to
01:49:38
the judge to decide if Todd kendhammer would be eligible for parole I am here today I do not stand alone Jessica and
01:49:47
Jordan were stunned when Jeran Bookner wetstein their mom's cousin spoke out against Todd and read a letter
01:49:56
signed by several other cousins I just remember thinking like wow Barbara Found the courage that day to fight back
01:50:06
therefore we stand here today United with that same courage asking you to sentence her killer to the maximum
01:50:16
penalty possible Jessica says jerianne had been estranged from their mother she basically painted the scene that she
01:50:24
just feels so bad about my mom and her big blue eyes even though her eyes are green my mom hates her we reached out to
01:50:33
jerianne and she denies Jessica's claims that she was a strange from Barbara but
01:50:39
her testimony wasn't the only surprise that day grinkie had some harsh words for the
01:50:46
kendhammer family who had to sell Todd and Barbara's Home in Jessica's house to pay Todd's legal bills pardon my
01:50:54
language but to be perfectly Frank they they need to get their head out of their
01:50:57
ass they need to start looking at this in reality I don't think you should be able to talk to in a courtroom if you
01:51:02
can think that to yourself and that's fine cuz I also think you're an ass but at I'm not going to say that out
01:51:08
different don't you think you might have added to their pain at that sentencing by saying that I think I have to try to
01:51:15
open their eyes and some way I think they're giving him false hope and I think he's dragging them down
01:51:22
with him by using all their money to continue in his lies the judge ruled Todd kendhammer
01:51:29
would be eligible for PE after 30 years but Todd's case is far from over [Music]
01:51:47
[Music] we the jury find the defendant Tod canhammer [Music] guilty Todd Ken Hammer's verdict was
01:52:08
guilty but Jessica and Jordan are determined to clear his name cuz he didn't do it and he doesn't lie
01:52:17
so when he says he didn't do it we believe him that belief is why Barbara and Todd's children brought on beting
01:52:25
and stilling so this is Todd's who understand that undoing a murder conviction is an immense challenge it's
01:52:33
very difficult to reverse a judgment that's become final it's kind of like trying to turn an aircraft carrier it's
01:52:41
slow and difficult to do the defense could have argued still they overcame a big first hurdle getting back in court
01:52:50
good morning judge morning attorney's Jal buing and Kathleen stilling Todd kendhammer was granted an evidentiary
01:52:57
hearing it was a chance to argue that his original defense team had been ineffective and that there was critical
01:53:04
new evidence so we were grateful that the judge was taking the time to see what we had come up with and four years
01:53:14
after his conviction for the intentional homicide of his wife Barbara inmate kendhammer was back in front of Judge
01:53:21
Todd beer president is Mr kendhammer in custody it opened the courthouse doors a crack to
01:53:28
the possibility of a new trial is this the most helpful you have felt that your dad may have a chance to walk out of
01:53:37
prison yeah the burden is now on the defense Jerry beatin starts by calling a forensic pathologist something Todd's
01:53:50
First Defense team had elected not not to do they chose to go a different route and I think that was a a serious mistake
01:53:57
that really damaged Todd's ability to defend himself but now Dr shaku tez Who has performed some 6,000 autopsies would
01:54:07
examine Barbara Ken Hammer's medical records and autopsy photos Did You observe anything on her
01:54:14
body that was consistent with Barbara K dammer having been beaten with fists no or that she was a woman who had been in
01:54:23
a fight no Dr teas contradicted the findings of the medical examiner who had performed
01:54:32
the autopsy and testified a trial Dr mccubbin yes her in some of her injuries certainly could be consistent with an
01:54:39
assault or beating as well yes consistent with strangulation it could be yes but for Dr teas the Stark photos and
01:54:49
Silent sketches tell a different story I don't see any injuries on Barbara that I would say are suggestive or are
01:54:58
consistent with strangulation and dror T suggests that the injury to Barbara's CID could be due to that large travel
01:55:05
mug so if she had that in her lap when she's moving forward could that have caused the the CID fracture it could be
01:55:12
the mug as for the injuries to the back of her head if the pipe is coming in how
01:55:18
would she get severe injuries in the back of her head because she ducked and the pipe came through like that and and
01:55:26
grazed the back of her head Barbara Ken Hammer died as a result of an automobile
01:55:35
accident and teas believes some injuries seen in the autopsy came from the Final
01:55:41
Act of Barbara Ken Hammer's generosity the harvesting of her donated organs but da grinkie doesn't buy the
01:55:50
theories of Dr teas I don't put a lot of faith in her testimony but when it comes
01:55:55
to Todd Ken Hammer's Guild or inocence beauty instilling say there is more than just physical evidence to consider
01:56:04
something very traumatic and attention grabbing had occurred which would likely obliterate any short-term memory that Mr
01:56:16
Ken Hammer would have had the defense hired another expert this time in human memory
01:56:22
Dr Jeffrey Loftus testified that Todd Ken Hammer's various stories could be a result of stress from a terrible
01:56:31
accident would you say that this was a situation that was ripe for an inacurate memory
01:56:41
yes still the most controversial aspect of this story is about that pipe that Todd claims crashed through his
01:56:49
windshield and killed Barbara as part of their initial investigation local authorities had attempted to
01:56:58
reconstruct Todd's story of the deadly incident on County Road M they tested and taped dropping a
01:57:07
similar pipe off a truck to see if it could in fact bounce the idea to determine if a pipe might have bounced
01:57:15
high enough to hit the windshield of Todd's oncoming car but Ken Hammer's lawyers thought the
01:57:23
pipe test was inconclusive they never shared the investigator's video with judge or jury and neither did the state
01:57:31
I didn't think we needed it the defense didn't want it we just agreed not to use
01:57:34
it it was only at the new evidentiary hearing that the pipe test was finally presented in court the first time the
01:57:42
judge ever even heard of those experiments is in our motion Beauty instilling shared the pipe test video
01:57:50
with 48 hours what you're showing me is that the state's own experts did an experiment that if in fact the pipe
01:57:59
bounce like this it could have done exactly what Todd said it did that's right now that one hits on its end and
01:58:07
look how it bounces and comes up really high comes up high in your minds those videos show
01:58:16
it could have happened that's the point yes which contradicts State investigators who from the the beginning
01:58:23
had suggested that a pipe slamming through Todd's windshield was next to Impossible what are the ODS that that
01:58:30
would happen to a guy that changes windshields I mean what he suppos was that there one in a trillion at all
01:58:40
Beauty instilling introduced evidence from across America to prove its more common than you think this one is in
01:58:49
near Bakersville California a pipe looks remarkably similar that went right through this person's vehicle here's
01:58:57
another one this one's Houston okay um and it goes right through and hits would have killed pass a passenger and it
01:59:05
turns out you don't have to be an expert to find a piece of pipe along a country
01:59:10
road there's another pipe on the road up the ways that someone found there was a
01:59:16
pipe and when was that pipe found shortly after and it was very simp SAR to the one that went through the
01:59:23
wind Dam same material what do you think happened I believe a pipe came through and hit
01:59:29
mom that belief in their father would not waver still how could the experts at trial see a case so differently we
01:59:40
decided to ask another forensic pathologist to take a fresh look at the evidence the more I looked at it the
01:59:48
more I understood why it's so complicated ated if it didn't happen the way Todd says it
02:00:11
happened then how did it happen Dr Lindsay Thomas is a forensic pathologist who has performed about 5,000 autopsies
02:00:20
this is the kind of case where it isn't that clearcut 48 Hours asked her to review the medical evidence in this case
02:00:29
including Dr mccubbins autopsy report the original autopsy was very well done and the conclusions that they reached
02:00:37
were very reasonable still Dr Thomas says she wouldn't have reached some of the same conclusions and that's what
02:00:45
makes this case so challenging the most troubling injury for her is that CID fracture on
02:00:53
Barbara's neck she agrees with Dr teas the forensic pathologist who testified for the defense in the evidentiary
02:01:01
hearing and does not believe that Barbara was strangled I've never seen a fractured CCO in strangulation I
02:01:09
wouldn't say it absolutely can't happen but certainly I haven't seen it I haven't read about it I haven't heard
02:01:16
about it it seems more consistent with the kind of thing that would happen in a weird car crash and she believes the
02:01:26
injuries to the back of Barbara's head were too severe to been caused by Todd's fist but says Barbara could have been
02:01:34
hit with a heavy object like her mug yeah it would have to be a pretty substantial coffee cup but I understand
02:01:41
there was a pretty substantial coffee cup in the car ultimately Dr Thomas can't say for sure how Barbara sustained
02:01:49
her injuries based on just the medical evidence alone it wouldn't be one where you could definitely say oh this is
02:01:58
clearly a homicide or clearly an [Music] accident the idea that a man is sitting
02:02:05
in prison does that concern you well it always does when you have a case like this that isn't clearcut you just worry
02:02:16
a little that the evidence was given too much weight one way or the other or the
02:02:22
jury wasn't given all of the relevant materials had you ever served on a murder trial before as a jury member no
02:02:33
no never Tim Brennan the jury Foreman says he found Dr mobin's testimony very convincing we shared with him some of
02:02:42
the new information from the evidentiary hearing including Dr T's conclusions if
02:02:49
you had heard a medical examiner disagree with Dr mccubbin would that have made a difference without hearing
02:02:56
the full extent of of of that it's hard to say still he stands by the jury verdict when Todd Ken Hammer gave his
02:03:05
testimony he just came across as a person with a lot of falsehoods when you say falsehoods did you feel he was lying
02:03:16
definitely I'm very confident that we got it right as the kendhammer family awaits the
02:03:25
judge's ruling Todd is serving his life sentence more than 2 hours away from his
02:03:31
kids what do you miss the most about your mom and having your dad around I used to be annoyed that he would call me
02:03:38
all the time and like always come over but I can't miss it now I just miss having them around all
02:03:50
the time and Jessica's daughter Carlin is growing up without her grandparents their dream
02:03:58
was always to do stuff with their grandkids so this just really hard to not have him with
02:04:07
her now Jess and Jordan and all those who believe in Todd kendhammer continue to wait hoping he gets another shot at
02:04:17
what they believe is Justice do you think your dad will be coming home yes we aren't going to stop
02:04:25
until he can be home prosecutor griny believes justice has already been served for Barbara
02:04:32
kendhammer do you have any concerns at all that you might have convicted an innocent man not in this case no
02:04:42
[Music] 48 hours to miss it would be a crime for you at all prepared for what happened in
02:05:02
this case [Music]