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foreign [Music] there's so much wealth here you want to be a part of it [Music] everybody wants to have fun everybody
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wants to be with somebody there was a very strong personality she was always looking for someone to be
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with as most single women are she was very confident [Music] she would talk to everybody
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coming up to Palm Beach you got a dress to the nines and she was doing that she was coming up to Palm Beach three nights
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a week I'm Michael Jamrock and my aunt was Linda Fishman she knew what she wanted and she would go after it she
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like younger men we're in Palm Beach try to find an older woman that doesn't have
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a younger man I don't always would have agreed with who she picked up and made part of her life she kept her dating
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life separate from family she didn't think it was any of our business and it probably wasn't in this case I think she
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put her trust in someone that ultimately she shouldn't have I'm detective Eric Key through the Palm Beach County
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Sheriff's Office foreign the fire department responded to a an alarm and when they got there
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firefighters went in once they made entry and cleared the house they found Linda Fishman dead on
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the floor of her living room there were deep literature marks around her neck a crime scene also found about a six inch
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piece of brown twine that turned out to be the ligature the length of time it takes to strangle somebody in that
00:01:35
fashion this is something that took time and determination to do I cried for weeks
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you know she was a very important person to me because most homicides are committed by
00:01:49
people known to the victim that's where we start okay who did Linda know who were her
00:01:55
family members who had opportunity while most of the family members kind of fell by the wayside as far as being
00:02:02
suspects we had some problems with Michael I was closer to my aunt at that time than I was my own mother he seemed
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to have a few skeletons in his closet that didn't put him in the best light I know she lented money I know he has to
00:02:14
for more money you really never know what people do murderers they don't walk around with a
00:02:20
you know Scarlet Letter on them a lot of times like werewolves it was frightening
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to think anyone that we had met socializing is this the person that murdered Linda
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secrets of Palm Beach [Music] [Music] [Music] she was a great woman caring compassionate giving
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funny she was Linda she was Linda she gave off this Aura you had to get to know her to know her was to love her she
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was like the Mother Hubbard Penny chamowitz was Linda Fishman's hairdresser she was always taking care
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of everybody else and when she was going through a nasty divorce it was Linda who
00:03:31
came to her rescue emotionally and financially I was so grateful for what she did for me
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words can't can't I can't can't describe it Linda had grown comfortable in the role of caregiver she never had children
00:03:46
of her own but was considered the matriarch of her extended family this is the four of us when we were little kids
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and here's Linda she was the head of our family anybody in the family had a problem my nieces nephews my kids my
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mother my breath we all went to Linda Linda took care of everything Bernice ferency is Linda's older sister and
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Michael jamrock's mother no matter what it was we went to her you know because she understood everything even though
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she was the youngest here's my sister Linda she used to take the nieces and do makeup parties she's really going to be
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missed by everybody for years Linda had a successful career as the chief court administrator in
00:04:33
Hartford Connecticut it was there she met and married Superior Court Judge Milton Fishman a
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wealthy man 16 years her senior how was their marriage it was good marriage yeah
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and he was funny he was and he always made her laugh but their happiness would be short-lived Milton died of heart
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failure just eight years into the marriage at 39 Linda was widowed and alone years later determined to make a fresh
00:05:01
start she moved to Florida where Linda became a fixer on the charity circuit even attending events at Donald Trump's
00:05:07
Mar-A-Lago Mansion here in Palm Beach she could work a room like nobody I know worked alone she was honestly giddy with
00:05:15
the popularity um meeting so many people Barbara Wolfe and Linda Marchese were part of Linda's
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Inner Circle of well-to-do women who are often part of the Palm Beach Social Scene if you were a person close to her
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there was there wasn't anything she wanted to feel 100 and one of those closest to Linda was
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her nephew Michael Jamrock who had also moved to Florida and made a name for himself as a radio disc jockey I love
00:05:49
when I come to work and I just start giving stuff away and off the air Jamrock had a reputation as a bit of a
00:05:56
wild man which sometimes got in the way of steady employment this is Jamrock can
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I just get no doubt tickets you have no clue what the hell's going on do you I'm No Angel
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what do you mean by that you're no angel I like to go out and party I drink a lot
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you know go out with a lot of girls you know I'm just sort of like a party animal
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so I'm like sort of looked down upon as you know the low life radio guy that may
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be putting it mildly Jamrock also had run-ins with the law including two arrests for drunk driving a jail term
00:06:32
and a restraining order stemming from an old girlfriend who accused him of domestic violence
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[Music] despite his setbacks that didn't stop John Rock from borrowing forty thousand
00:06:44
dollars from Aunt Linda to open the now defunct Jamrock Cafe he gets a lot of money and never once from the time that
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she gave me that money did she ever ask me once are you gonna pay me back when are you gonna start paying me back
00:06:59
you want to play with these the swan and this one and when he was embroiled in a bitter custody battle once again it
00:07:09
was Linda who helped Shamrock out this is a woman who since I was a baby has never said no to me about anything
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for anything ever but did that generosity cost Linda her life you had a lot of free time in your hands to get
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into trouble oh absolutely and you did get into trouble I did you're parting that the night that she was killed right
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[Music] at the time of the homicide his Alibi he's about a mile away at a bar drinking heavily according to the people
00:07:50
there [Music] Eric Keith of the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Department is the lead
00:07:58
detective on the Fishman case so Michael is at a bar his house is at the far end
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of Linda's home and her house is right in the middle so he's passing by there give or take
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within 15 minutes of the murder and apparently detective Keith wasn't the only one questioning jamrock's possible
00:08:16
involvement some of the family members had some concerns based on the way he became isolated following the homicide
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he wasn't socializing with the rest of the family so there was some definite concerns in the periphery of his family
00:08:27
that he may have had some involvement doesn't sound like he had too many Defenders
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no I mean these are my family members I mean people don't understand that it's my family that have known me since I've
00:08:40
been born you know that's what the problem is to some degree they all felt that he was
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using her for money in a type position finally I'm always in the tight position financially you
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believed Michael Jamrock was capable of murder yes if she were to tell Michael enough is enough you know the purse is
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closed you know I've got my own problems you've got him inebriated he's got the opportunity because he's passing by
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there about the right time circumstances don't look good for Michael he's an obvious suspect at that point
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[Music] well in the very beginning I had no idea I was a suspect not a clue every single
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time I went to the to the police station I just assumed I was doing my best to help them with the case
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Michael had motive he had opportunity and it wasn't looking good so as a tool to try to clear him as a suspect we
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asked him to submit to a polygraph examination and what were the results it showed deception
00:09:45
how do you explain that I I can't if you've never had a lie detector test done it's a very bizarre process
00:09:54
they say okay is your name Troy yes do you live at this address yes is this what you have do for an occupation yes
00:10:02
did you kill your aunt well of course you're gonna jump it's sort of like you're on a carnival ride
00:10:07
and holy crap of course you're gonna like freak out but I I don't I don't have an
00:10:14
explanation for that I really don't I have no idea a shaky Alibi a failed lie detector test and a possible motive
00:10:23
together it was shaping up to be a powerful case against Michael Jamrock did you kill Linda Fisher of course not
00:10:45
[Music] thank you come pulling down the street we could see smoke coming out of the garage heavy
00:11:02
heavy smoke just after midnight on February the 7th 2003 Lieutenant Tim McCabe and chief Richard Lounsbury
00:11:12
responded to a fire alarm at Linda Fishman's house we're looking for victims if if there's you know that's
00:11:18
our first priority but even before the firemen entered the house something didn't seem right why is
00:11:27
the garage door open no car in the garage once inside their instincts were confirmed as we go to the left of that
00:11:35
front door inside there There She lays Linda fish Linda Fishman it was it was a shocker
00:11:44
I could tell something is is you know around her neck what struck me odd was the way her body was laid out perfectly
00:11:52
flat on her back Arms by her side with a blue cloth over her face it instantly becomes a crime scene
00:12:04
firefighters found the body of Linda Fishman while putting out a fire in her Western Boca Raton home we believe the
00:12:10
perpetrator arrived at the house sometime before 10 30 at night police learned Linda had been out that night
00:12:16
for dinner and drinks with a friend in Palm Beach we went into the case initially
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believing that she knew the person based on the way she was dressed she was in her pajamas while there were no signs of
00:12:26
forced entry detective Keith did find other strange Clues there's a broken plate of pancakes on the table Linda had
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just eaten before she came home who were those for I mean who's that hungry is it
00:12:38
her who just ate or is it the guy that's waiting for her to come home at some point things turned ugly and the killer
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strangled Linda with that piece of twine it takes a long time and a lot of effort
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to strangle somebody with a ligature to continue to apply that pressure the fire
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rescue people found a cloth over her face that could be some effort on the part of the suspect to depersonify the
00:13:01
the victim they don't want them staring at them when they're doing whatever they're doing
00:13:08
the killer stole jewelry paintings and attempted to set the house on fire detective Kenneth Buss why did the
00:13:17
suspect start a fire do you think there was a an interest in some in some form a cover-up
00:13:24
of the of the homicide [Music] it appeared that it was started by using a rubbing alcohol isopropyl alcohol that
00:13:34
was also found in the house why is rubbing alcohol significant what else can it be used for it can also be
00:13:41
used to to destroy the the evidence that that we were so much looking for how alcohol if you think about it Doctors
00:13:50
medical examiners they all use alcohol to clean instruments during the performance of their duties and it it
00:13:57
destroys the DNA it can destroy the fingerprints anything left behind you recovered no evidence
00:14:05
nothing not even a fingerprint that was valuable no in the early morning hours deputies
00:14:13
tried to locate Linda's next of kin that's when nephew Michael Jamrock who lived less than a mile away first
00:14:20
appeared on their radar screen he doesn't answer the door the first time the deputy goes there
00:14:26
and the second time with some prodding he answers the door the deputies noted that he did smell of alcohol cheers
00:14:35
he basically was was shocked that she was dead but didn't necessarily inquire as to the means of her death or how she
00:14:43
died but was you know interested in where the jewelry was taken where her cat was in fact you asked that question
00:14:50
where is her jewelry before inquiring how she was killed is that true I don't remember
00:14:57
I could have I know what she kept in her house but you you asked about the jewelry several
00:15:02
times that's going to be a priority for you I wanted to make sure that everything was
00:15:08
Secure in her house because I knew what she had in her home you know that that line of questioning
00:15:13
raised some eyebrows I'm sure it did I'm sure it did does that mean we thought he did it
00:15:21
not necessarily does it make us suspicious obviously detectives learned that Linda was
00:15:27
growing tired of financially supporting Jamrock and some other family members now they had a theory well in his
00:15:34
inebriated state does he stopped by his aunt's house on the way home and she asked for money and she says no and in a
00:15:40
fitive rage he kills her sets the place on fire and tribes home problem with that scenario is the vehicle
00:15:47
where's the vehicle go Linda's stolen car was found at this train station an 80 mile round trip from
00:15:56
her house it was a significant piece of evidence but just not against Michael Jamrock police couldn't figure out how
00:16:03
he could drop off his aunt's car here and make it back to Boca Raton before deputies came knocking at his door
00:16:11
it was a roadblock but cops continued to keep the heat on Jamrock I was walking out of the police station and there was
00:16:18
a uniform police officer and he yells out Jamrock of course I turned around don't go far if you're going to jail
00:16:26
that freaked me out despite their threats investigators weren't solely focused on Jamrock they
00:16:35
were also digging into Linda Fishman's private life just like some people's Hobbies get them killed maybe she was
00:16:42
looking for that part of her life some excitement or some Adventure dating Mr Wrong
00:16:47
to spice her life up I mean there's no telling I guess only Linda can tell us that
00:17:06
she liked being in the center of attention and the weight loss obviously was giving
00:17:13
all the way back in there for her confidence blossomed at 55 Linda Fishman was just
00:17:21
hitting her stride after undergoing gastric bypass surgery and losing 70 pounds six months before her murder and
00:17:30
seeing her in Palm Beach in the weeks leading up to this she was surrounded by people that she was meeting and coming
00:17:37
over for me to meet all of her new friends and all these gentlemen friends say it was a remarkable transformation
00:17:45
in more ways than one so how did Linda change after the surgery she was more outgoing more
00:17:53
positive more peppy she felt better health-wise her hairdresser Penny chamowitz helped Linda through her
00:18:01
recovery her self-esteem was better you know she just you know she had a little pick-me-up
00:18:07
but those close to her say the newly confident and improves Linda was still missing something she was very happy the
00:18:15
only thing she was very lonely she wished she had somebody in her life for people that are not familiar with
00:18:22
the dating scene here in Palm Beach how difficult is it it's difficult most of the women I know
00:18:30
are still single as you get older in my group of friends you're not dating as much did she have good judgment
00:18:38
when it came to men no she seemed to be a little she didn't seem to be as what's the word I want to use discerning
00:18:49
when it came to Mass detective case investigation was now shifting from Jamrock to Linda's love
00:18:57
life some of the men that she dated I mean from our perspective were probably a high risk type man just days before
00:19:06
she was murdered Linda had gone to the movies on her first date Linda brought the popcorn bag back to her mom that
00:19:12
night her mom has still had it so he collected it for fingerprint processing on the back police found fingerprints
00:19:20
belonging to this man Linda State James Bell someone she had met days earlier at
00:19:27
a stoplight and she leans out of her window and what does she say to you she just said I was
00:19:32
a handsome man she was picking you up well I guess in a way yes Barbara Wolfe was with Linda that night
00:19:38
she met Belle he passed by in a truck I tell you she was very outgoing and she was waving out the window
00:19:46
you know he caught that up and I think she threw out her number and he called her
00:19:52
these are his arrest histories things that we focus in on battery DWI improper exhibition of a firearm turns out James
00:20:01
Bell had quite a past did you tell Linda Fishman about your criminal record I don't think I really knew her that one
00:20:09
and that night at the movies he definitely didn't mention his guilty plea for attempted second-degree murder
00:20:16
years earlier he shot somebody following an altercation up around a pawn shop that he either ran or owned which showed
00:20:23
a propensity of being a hothead I mean same kind of scenario did Linda do something that upset him and he killed
00:20:29
her in a fit of rage so you thought you had your guy at that point when with his history we think he might
00:20:36
be the guy would it surprise you to learn that that man was charged with second degree
00:20:41
attempted murder really she was very forward she was very forward how does that square was someone who had
00:20:52
a legal background was married to a judge I think your personality is your personality to me I looked at it as
00:20:58
being outgoing sometimes a little bit Reckless I want to say she lived on the edge all
00:21:04
the time but she was out there she was out there [Music] detectives brought Bell in for
00:21:12
questioning things weren't looking that good no they weren't for you no James Bell was released when
00:21:19
detectives realized he really had no motive and didn't even know where Linda lived it was an up and down roller
00:21:27
coaster ride from start to finish and there seemed to be no shortage of men from Linda's past to question into
00:21:34
investigation it led us to a person named Donnie Saxon who the previous New Year's Eve had actually spent the night
00:21:40
over her house Donnie Saxon was a man Linda had met during a night out in Palm Beach several months before her death
00:21:47
you brought him in for questioning yes and what did he say as an aside basically oh this is uh ironic that this
00:21:55
happened to me in the past that happened to him in the past yes and he'd been brought in for questioning regarding
00:22:00
another girlfriend that had been murdered somewhere in the Las Vegas area I think that case was unsolved
00:22:07
but the fact that he'd been questioned by another girlfriend that had been murdered ironic
00:22:11
again bad timing yeah now we have not one but two people um with circumstances of violence
00:22:19
overshadowing them in the past Saxon was never charged in the Las Vegas case and also denied any involvement in
00:22:27
Linda Fishman's murder what does her dating history say about her judgment that I think she was
00:22:34
a lonely individual that in the circumstances that we found while doing our investigation she she more often
00:22:42
than not ran across men that that weren't her type and that included men who were not always age-appropriate she
00:22:52
had a tendency to go for the younger guys younger guys would it be unusual to see her in the company of a much younger
00:23:00
man no no she like younger men by the way we're in Palm Beach try to find an older woman that doesn't
00:23:09
have a younger man in Linda's case though there seemed to be several young suitors it seems like
00:23:16
my sister went after somebody that needed her help or her guidance if they asked for help she always helped them
00:23:24
she trusted too much that was her problem she trusted I think her hairdresser knew about some younger men
00:23:31
she may have dated but when it came time to tell her mom to tell her family members if one's closest to her nobody
00:23:37
could give us a name I just know he was a young guy good looking kid I know that my aunt helped
00:23:43
pay for his schooling I think he's a chiropractor or a massage therapist or something
00:23:49
his name is Frederick Gurney a massage therapist 18 years younger than Linda Fishman they dated and at one point live
00:23:58
together detectives could never find Gurney but 48 Hours tracked him down in Texas
00:24:04
he is now unemployed and listed as a sex offender for indecency with a child Fred Gurney wouldn't speak to us on
00:24:11
camera but did say Linda was always a generous person he claims he was living in Texas and nowhere near Florida at the
00:24:19
time of her murder and you were hitting some walls right a lot of dead ends until four
00:24:24
months after the murder on June 18 2003 when detective Keith would receive a bombshell Anonymous letter that would
00:24:34
turn the Linda Fishman case on its head I do not have any proof I just want to point you the right direction I hope
00:24:42
this information helps your investigation thank you foreign we always believe that the person that
00:25:10
did this was known to Linda ultimately we didn't know that the person that did this wasn't known to the
00:25:16
rest of her family or friends you didn't know too too much from Linda you know like she kept things private
00:25:27
Linda Fishman was a woman with many secrets especially when it came to some of the men in her life
00:25:36
there was the financially strapped nephew there was a former Lover now a registered sex offender and there were
00:25:45
some men she met that could have used a background check but then there was the biggest secret of
00:25:53
all a man 27 years Linda's Jr named Fred kritzner she kept Fred pretty much below
00:26:00
the radar screen he never really surfaced as far as being a name that some of someone that we knew that Linda
00:26:05
dated or had a casual relationship with as a friend and Fred kretzmer probably would have remained a secret if not for
00:26:12
the anonymous letter written by a former girlfriend of his I heard that night February 6 2003 a guy named fredsmer was
00:26:21
driving her car and had a few pieces of her journey with him I do not have any proof I just want to point you the right
00:26:28
direction this is the first time joselosmina has spoken publicly about her difficult decision to tip off police
00:26:34
you have that feeling inside that has the right thing to do is now something that you can cover you know
00:26:42
so I wrote the letter the letter was critical absolutely without her help the case would be cold after four months of
00:26:50
dead ends giselle's letter finally gave detectives a red hot lead into who killed Linda Fishman
00:26:59
basically we start peeling back the onion on Fred kritzman Fred had a troubled childhood had some
00:27:08
possible molestation issues when he was younger of some possible alcohol abuse in his family
00:27:14
um as he Grew Older he had a substance abuse issue with cough syrup and other drugs and at some point I think he came
00:27:22
to Florida to try to distance himself with that substance abuse problem he lived here for seven eight years Mario
00:27:29
segora became close to Fred kretzmer when they worked together after crests were moved from New Jersey to Florida in
00:27:35
the mid-1990s this was his house his IDs he's his bank everything and this was his only house
00:27:42
to stay that as far as I know because we were his family he quickly fit in with Mario's family
00:27:48
and friends which is how he met Giselle he was always great always like a really
00:27:54
nice boy you know the ones that moms like that type of Boy crossword made ends meet through various
00:28:02
odd jobs including working as a maintenance man at the Marriott Hotel police learned it was here that Linda
00:28:09
Fishman met him in 1999 when she and her sister Bernice stayed for a weekend Arts
00:28:15
Festival and see I went back up to the room um around 10 or 11 and she went back
00:28:20
down to the Katya Lounge you know and I don't know maybe she met him down there later I don't know later that night
00:28:26
Bernice woke up to cressmer Knocking on their door what did he say nothing he just says
00:28:32
Linda there that's all and I said no she's sleeping Bernice had never seen cresser before nor did she know Linda
00:28:39
would continue a relationship with him he told me that she had a lot of money and she gave me my computer what are
00:28:46
your minutes of being intimate with this older woman who gave him money yeah I think he was probably using her she was
00:28:53
vulnerable because she was a lonely person and you know open to that by 2001 Linda and cressmer's relationship had
00:29:01
fizzled out he was still working on jobs when Mario urged him to leave Florida and join the Navy you thought after he
00:29:08
graduated from the training he thought he had his life on track yeah of course but just seven months into his service
00:29:15
while stationed in California Fred kresmer's life went off track when he was arrested after a high-speed chase
00:29:22
with a police officer and charged with being under the influence of a controlled substance resisting an
00:29:28
officer drunk driving and petty theft customer was discharged from the Navy and served eight months in a California
00:29:36
State Prison to his friends back in Florida cressmer seemed to have just fallen off the map
00:29:41
until the winner of 2003 when he made a surprise call from New Jersey saying it was coming for a visit
00:29:53
how did he look to you like a different human being you know like that look when someone hasn't slept
00:30:01
in days or taking a shower or something like dirty like tired like that look customer's personality had changed
00:30:09
dramatically as well he was withdrawn and appeared troubled even telling Giselle he was hearing voices in his
00:30:17
head and I know the mom told me that she really really wanted him to go to the psychiatrist
00:30:24
he never made it there was something that happened that week that I never knew until two three
00:30:30
months later something happened with him and my mother that week Mario's 70 year
00:30:35
old mother says kresper made a pass at her when they were alone he sits her at the edge of the bed and
00:30:41
proceeds to lift her blouse over her head to which point she slaps the blouse down
00:30:47
and I said what are you doing customer's odd behavior continued when a few nights
00:30:51
later he was staying with giselle's family in Miami the very horrible thing he said is like he wanted to have sex
00:30:58
with me and my mother now what was your reaction I told him he was sick and that was it next day I put him in
00:31:06
the train again and that was it that was the last time I saw him so progressively in the week that he was
00:31:15
here visiting doors kept shutting prosecutor Angela Miller says kresser's Behavior then went from disturbing to
00:31:24
dangerous he was in Port St Lucie looking for a girlfriend that he had had a relationship with and
00:31:33
when he didn't locate her he ended up committing a crime of violence on a convenience store clear
00:31:42
who wouldn't give him a pair of sunglasses for free [Music] and then came his last night in Florida
00:31:52
when Fred cressmer decided to look up one more old friend [Music] I think that Linda Fishman was the final
00:32:02
stop it was just after 1am when Mario heard from kretzmer the telephone ring and it
00:32:09
was afraid that wanted me to come and pick him up from the train station that's where the car was found in the
00:32:17
mangonia park Tri-Rail station he saw me and then he opened the trunk and took some pictures like frames or from the
00:32:24
car on his mold back Mario said their Fred was holding a black bag with liquor bottles in it and an arm full of
00:32:32
paintings guess what's stolen from the house and I told him yeah they're not in the
00:32:39
garage I'll show them to you and we try to keep our composure in front of Mario seguro but we knew we
00:32:46
were we were getting close we knew Fred was our guy and it wasn't hard to track him down
00:32:53
four months after Linda's murder detectives found kresmer in a Florida jail for the store clerk beating
00:33:00
Fred kretzmer was charged with first-degree murder of Linda Fishman but with no forensic evidence linking
00:33:08
him to the crime could they get a conviction [Music] [Music] it was an evil vicious crime
00:33:41
Fred kretzmer is charged with first degree murder first degree arson and robbery
00:33:51
Fred kretzmer is an evil man [Music] but in June 2007 Michael Jamrock was finally Vindicated in the murder of his
00:34:05
aunt Linda Fishman we have our day and it'll be today it's been very difficult for me for four
00:34:12
years everybody thinking that my son did it and everything it was awful I mean that was his godmother I mean she was
00:34:20
like his mother although the case against Fred cretzmer was mostly circumstantial prosecutor
00:34:26
Angela Miller was confident we didn't have a concern about winning this case at trial we knew that our work was cut
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out for us at the top of her witness list former roommate Mario segora whose account of
00:34:41
the morning after the murder was invaluable Mario walks into Fred's room and sees
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media coverage of the murder on the TV and sees Fred holding a jewelry box Fred tries to cover up the jewelry and at
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that point Fred turns off the TV and the wheels start spinning in Mario's mind did this guy just kill this woman
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what did you say to him what did you ask him he said what is this or what what did you do or something and what did he
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say ing what did your gut tell you it took me many many weeks and many months until
00:35:17
I kind of say is this real is this real it was affecting me my mother everything
00:35:28
you know it's just something that I can't take anymore you couldn't take it anymore
00:35:33
I don't know so when people are watching this and they're saying how does this nice man
00:35:40
remain silent for so long your answer is I was just scared of that well you know I don't want someone to
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come and maybe burn my house or come and uh do something to my mind or myself too afraid to tell police Mario instead
00:36:03
confided in Giselle who then bravely wrote that letter they had to do something now you know I
00:36:09
just I just couldn't live with that that in you know inside thank you [Music] it's been four years
00:36:36
for years of of having all that inside and uh scared and you would do it again yeah
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[Music] definitely Mario and Gisele stood ready to testify against their former friend until an
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unexpected development would change everything we were approached by defense counsel and they said he wanted to plead
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guilty and we were shocked we'll withdrawal prior please of not guilty and interplude guilty Mr krasmer are you at
00:37:15
this time according to his public defender cressmer wanted to take responsibility for his actions and
00:37:21
agreed to a plea deal of second-degree murder and first degree arson and to give a full confession in open court
00:37:29
what caused you to go to Linda Fishman's home just a touch with an old feeling that it had that I might catch her at
00:37:37
the house and rekindle an old friendship okay so there was no sexual contact in the context of
00:37:44
the crimes that you committed were you ever interested in money when you went to Linda Fishman's home no
00:37:49
ma'am my opinion I think he went there to try to use her to get money I think when Linda didn't go with the
00:37:55
program and didn't give him what he wanted he switched to plan B and took it by force
00:38:02
and she came out of her bedroom and that's where I seen her for the first time frightened to find you in her kitchen
00:38:10
she was frightened because she didn't have any recollection I mean she didn't recognize him she didn't recognize you
00:38:16
at all no ma'am that's when Linda threatened to call police the walls were closing in on Fred kratzmer after a week
00:38:24
in which she alienated old friends and savagely beat that store clerk Chrysler knew he could go back to prison and
00:38:32
panicked I was caught very very emotionally and I didn't know what to do so I I went at her and and took her from
00:38:43
behind I strangled him was there a struggle prior to you strangling her with the court there was
00:38:53
no struggle it was more she was turning to move away um still just in a threatening way just
00:39:03
loud yelling and um upset very upset okay and so what is the next thing that you do I
00:39:12
basically try to cover the scene and I and I uh did you pour it outside I did on her hands and on her neck because I
00:39:23
had touched her I did try to close her eyes you tried to close her eyes but they opened and I covered them with
00:39:31
um the chair the arm chair cover why did you do that I I don't know do I believe some of what he said sure
00:39:42
do I believe all of it no not a chance and then just before sentencing Fred cressmer offers a surprising apology to
00:39:51
Linda's family um I just like to apologize I don't know where you are sitting out there
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I find each of you are too pleased to be freely and voluntarily given you appear
00:40:04
to me to understand the nature Michael Jamrock also received an apology from detective Keith
00:40:10
I did what I had to do was I wrong yes did I apologize yes but no amount of apologies will ever
00:40:18
really be enough for Michael Jamrock who lost so much more than just his aunt that night he lost his family because
00:40:26
I'm a perfect example of family just throwing it right in front of a bus of course what they did is just it's
00:40:34
unspeakable one person who's extremely grateful to you is Michael Jamrock do you even know he existed never when
00:40:44
you wrote this letter she pretty much saved my life but she didn't even realize that she was just doing
00:40:49
something that she thought had to be done she had no idea about me do you consider yourself a hero a heroine no
00:40:58
no I have just common sense that's it do you thank God that you're a free man I just always think of my aunt and I
00:41:07
always think that how strong she was and how positive she was and you know what as bizarre as it may seem I don't think
00:41:14
she would have ever ever allowed it to happen she's taking care of me my whole life
00:41:18
you know call Auntie Linda and everything's going to be all right you know [Music]
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[Music]