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[Music] hello Melissa hi it's been boy more than a decade since I first met you mhm when
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we first met did you ever think you'd still be here this long no why am I still in
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here I just don't understand you may remember in 2009 Melissa kazinski was working at a
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Lincolnshire daycare she was given 31 years in prison for the death of a 16-month-old who was in her care since
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then she and her supporters have been fighting back calling this a wrongful conviction it
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hurts she doesn't blind there she's the kind of person that would take her shirt
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off her back and help other people this is my baby this is my youngest I just want her
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home I used to work at the minie daycare I think it was definitely more than a job to her the kids were her
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number one priority I feel like the kids brightened her day do you believe that Melissa kazinski
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had anything to do with Ben kingan's death zero she had nothing to do with it I am Melissa kosinski's current attorney
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she loved Ben Ben loved her and what she told the police was that she threw him to the floor you
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threw him on the floor yeah show us how hard you threw him on the ground like that did you hurt that baby no I did not
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I would never do that you've got her isolated in a small room with these two men for hours I never put my she's
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trying so hard to be the good girl the compliant girl I want to help you guys so much she's not equipped to deal with
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a situation like that we're not going anywhere until we get the facts here the only way for me to get out was to make a
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confession a false confession is there any evidence that corroborates the confession that Melissa
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made zero we would never take someone to trial with just a confession this child
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had a fractured skull there was extensive injuries to this child internally it's clear that she killed
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Benjamin do you believe there was a skull fracture there is no fracture the evidence had been manipulated
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if I take these sliders here you can manipulate this photo so somebody went in and they altered the
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contrast to make it look like that on screen somebody took x-rays that were completely clear and turned them into
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unreadable images yes I can't think of an innocent explanation so you're saying that either the prosecutor's office or
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the coroner's office but somebody representing the state did this yes yes a former daycare worker convicted of
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killing a toddler tries again today to be released from prison their case was before the prisoner Review Board in an
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effort to get clemency people have to know the truth I have to keep pushing fighting no matter how much it hurts I
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want people to know I'm innocent [Music] [Music] Melissa kazinski has served 16 years of
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a 31-year prison sentence for the death of Benjamin kingan a 16-month-old whom she cared for at an Illinois daycare
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center she has long insisted she is innocent this is not where I belong I'm going to
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continue to fight no matter what cuz I did not do this we've been covering this case for
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more than a decade and over the years Melissa's appeals have failed but she and her attorney Kathleen
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zelner are not backing down now they're taking their fight out of the court system and straight to the governor of
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Illinois JB pritsker and his prisoner review board we're asking them to declare that she's
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actually innocent and release her we are also saying commuter sentence the story began on January 14th
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2009 Melissa then 22 years old was working as a teachers assistant at the mini subbi daycare in Lincolnshire an
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affluent suburb of Chicago Ben King and attended daycare there along with his twin sister and
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their two older siblings I came to work and uh I saw Ben he was fine normal happy
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playful late that afternoon after the kids were fed a snack and cleaned up Melissa says she put Ben down on the
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carpet and he crawled into his bouncy seat on the floor he's sitting in his bouncy chair playing with his blanket
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and he was uh starting to kind of fall asleep which was normal the teacher working with Melissa
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stepped out of the room briefly leaving Melissa alone with the children that's when Melissa says she
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noticed something wrong with Ben he didn't look right I took his little hand and I touched his hand and I'm like Ben
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Ben he did not wake up at all I saw orange foam coming out of his nose and um I'm
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sorry Melissa called for help her older sister Crystal kusinski also worked at the daycare at the time I hear on the
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intercom someone help me help me help me I ran in then started CPR immediately was that like for you Crystal um I dream
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about it a lot like I see it in my you know my head 911 was called I have a child who was uh
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who's foaming who's not breathing paramedics responded Ben was taken to the hospital
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he was pronounced dead an hour later me and my sister fell to the floor and we're just we're just Bing what
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happened to him and how I don't I don't understand an investigation was launched
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according to this police report during an autopsy the pathologist Dr yup Choy told a detective that he observed a
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skull fracture extensive bleeding inside Ben's head and that the injury was caused by another person using strong
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force within hours prior to Ben's death and yet Ben had no Cuts or obvious wounds on the outside of his body no
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serious bruises the pathologist listed the autopsy as pending further studies police brought in the daycare
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workers who had been with the toddler on the day of his death somebody did something determined to find out what
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happened to Ben after Melissa was read her rights it's routine and protocol for us detectives began pressing her for
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answers I have a good idea that you've seen what happened or you were involved with what happened cuz you were the only
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only one in the room at the onside of this Melissa denied over and over again more than 60 times doing anything to B I
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never put my I did not drop him but the detectives didn't stop you're there it's
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not like there were 50 people in that room with you all these years later Melissa still remembers what it was like
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being in that room they weren't listening to anything I said after 9 hours under pressure and without an
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attorney Melissa changed her story she said she thought if she told the investigators what they wanted to hear
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they would let her go home we're not going anywhere until we get the facts here the only way for me to get out was
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to make a confession a false confession I wasn't thinking at all you weren't thinking of the consequences of doing
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something like that no all I could think about was just going home he starts acting
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up and you get mad at him and you throw him on the floor you threw him on the floor yeah really hard when Melissa was
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taken to another station for booking she repeated the same story to another investigator okay after spending 14
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hours with police Melissa kusinski was arrested for the murder of Benjamin and kingan even though she almost
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immediately took back the story she told police no I'm innocent Melissa's parents Paul and
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Cheryl kusinski still remember receiving the news and I said what did you think possibly not at all she had hurt this
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baby Noe Noe she is the kind of person that would never never put her hand on someone
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else's child but Melissa had told investigators that she did and after that the manner
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of death on Ben's death certificate was listed as homicide law enforcement announced they
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had solved the case Miss kazinski uh admitted to police that she had taken the infant boy uh and thrown him on the
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ground they made her look like a bad person and she's not that type of a person Melissa's family would make it
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their mission to clear her name my parents sold everything that they had I put all my effort into getting her freed
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they had no idea how much of a fight they were in for he was very healthy baby just a happy
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happy little boy in November 2011 nearly 3 years after the death of Ben kingan Melissa kusinski went on trial for
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murder the state argued that Ben was a perfectly healthy toddler leading up to his death Matthew D martini and Steven
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sheller prosecuted the case how would you describe what the parents have gone through when somebody takes Challenge
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from you I don't think there's anywhere to describe what they have gone through Dr Choy the pathologist who
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conducted the autopsy testified about that skull fracture he said he had seen and how he believed the child's injury
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was recent and consistent with having been thrown to the floor by someone but Melissa's trial attorney Paul DeLuca
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told the jury about a head injury Ben had previously received it was noticed at the daycare 3 months earlier Melissa
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was not even working there at the daycare center after Ben's death multiple people including daycare
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teacher Nancy kinger told investigators about it head I we called Mom called the
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doctor but prosecutor Steven sheller argued that the earlier injury was insignificant the pediatrician actually
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examined Benjamin's head had felt around um said there was no issues that Mom should just keep an eye on him then
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never had an issue after that that's not what defense experts said they noted that after the injury
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there were possible signs of head trauma medical records showed that in the days
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after the injury Ben was lethargic and had a persistent fever and another daycare employee Holly who asked that we
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identify her by her first name only only testify for the defense about the last time she saw Ben 2 days before his death
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Melissa walked into the room and she was holding Ben and she said like he's not feeling well and it was almost
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immediately after she said that that he threw up like everywhere the next day one day before
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he died Ben was kept home from daycare prosecutor Matthew de Martini argued it was a stomach bug or a winter cold he
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was given Pedialite and put to bed he woke up the next day and he was fine but the defense maintained that Ben's prior
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injury was so serious that any new impact could have had major consequences and then did have a habit of throwing
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his head back he would be sitting on the ground and he would just kind of LUN his
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body backwards and hit his head you know I guess you call it like he was a headbanger Nancy calinger recalled that
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Ben had done that twice on the day of his death I put him on the floor and he immedately and then I walk toward the
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sink and he himself again prosecutors insisted that Melissa had hurt Ben this child did not explode or implode on his
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own and they pointed to her confession she became frustrated holding Ben she threw him to the floor
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prosecutors told the jury that the fall was so severe it caused that skull fracture at trial they mentioned a skull
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fracture more than 30 times but was there one well most of the experts who testified from both sides agreed there
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appeared to be a fracture in autopsy photos one defense expert said she couldn't say for sure and according to
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Melissa's attorney Paul Deluga the x-rays the prosecution had provided before the trial were unreadable for
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trial I said Do we have any better images and it was no the state's Final witness pathologist Dr Manny Montes gave
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the most Vivid and damaging testimony at trial he said he examined the body and felt the fracture with his bare hands Dr
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Mon say said he put his finger in the skull and threw the fracture I mean it was devastating the jury deliberated for
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7 hours before convicting Melissa kusinski of aggravated battery of a child and first-degree murder my heart
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sunk I know I didn't do this Melissa's family remained determin to prove her innocence I didn't accept
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the verage I I knew it was wrong and in 20 12 a year after the conviction Dr Thomas Rudd the then newly elected Lake
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County coroner agreed to review the autopsy evidence at the urging of Melissa's trial attorney I saw a
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membrane and I thought my God what do you mean when you say you saw a membrane you you see a scab similar to what forms
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on your skin except it's in the brain this is a slide of a part of this infant's brain correct by definition if
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you have a membrane you have an old injury at Melissa's trial Dr Choy had told the jury he observed no sign of an
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old injury but according to Dr Rod Dr Choy had simply missed it he called in Dr Nancy Jones a well-regarded
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pathologist for a second opinion and she agreed with Dr rud and noted that the old injury had been healing for about 2
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or 3 months a time frame consistent with that bump on Ben's head that was noticed
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at daycare how they let that go is beyond me like the defense experts at trial doctors Jones and rud believe that
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the old injury was further exacerbated by Ben's headbanging the added fluid of the recent injury pushes that brain down
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and shuts down the breathing system that is the the cause of the child's death it
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was the old injury the old injury was massive Dr rud phones the now retired Dr Choy who signed a sworn affidavit
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conceding that he had missed that Ben had suffered an old injury but he crossed out the word significant and
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when asked if he would have changed his testimony at trial Dr Choy said no there's no indication that anything in
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there is significant but Dr Rudd suspected that Dr Troy may have also been wrong about another major issue in
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the case that alleged skull fracture what should have been done was that whole section
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should have been cut out to look under the microscope to see if in fact it is a skull fracture and they didn't Dr rub
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believed what Dr Choy and the other medical experts thought was a skull fracture may have instead been a normal
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part of Ben's growing skull but it couldn't prove it then in 2015 Melissa's father said he received an
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anonymous call that there was a set of X-rays at the coroner's office that had never been turned over to the defense
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when Dr rud's staff searched the computer archives they came across these startling
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images that were never shown at trial I was dumbfounded there's definitely no skull fracture here
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[Music] I've shown this to various pathologist and a radiologist they've all called me
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and say there is no skull fracture at in this child at all in 2015 4 years after
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Melissa kosinski's conviction and short after those clear X-rays of Ben kingan were found Dr Rudd changed the manner of
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death on Ben's death certificate from homicide to undetermined by this point defense
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attorney Kathleen zelner had taken on Melissa's case I don't know of a case in America where someone's serving a
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31-year prison sentence for a death that was undetermined zelner who has built a
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career on getting the Rock wrongfully convicted out of prison was intent on getting Melissa's conviction overturned
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and in 2016 Melissa was granted an evidentiary hearing to present what zelner argued
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was New Evidence before judge Daniel shanes the same judge who presided over Melissa's trial the New Evidence was
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that the images that had been given to Paul DeLuca had been darkened remember the state gave Melissa's trial attorney
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Paul Luca a disc containing these dark unreadable x-rays before trial at the evidentiary hearing Dr rud testified
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about finding the clear x-rays x-rays that he and other defense experts said showed no skull fracture x-rays that
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zelner argued would have changed the outcome of Melissa's trial the skull fracture was the pivotal point in the
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states case to convince the jury it was a homicide but at the evidentiary hearing
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prosecutors argued that this wasn't new evidence in the case they said that disc
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provided to DeLuca had software that could enhance the x-rays and that he simply didn't do enough to brighten them
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DeLuca says he couldn't even open the software I call in a secretary call in somebody else in the office no one could
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get any better images zelner with the help of an Imaging expert argued that it didn't matter what Duca did that the
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x-rays that he had been given had been modified and were inferior to the ones on the coroner's office
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computer she also called a witness whom she believed raised more questions about
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the prosecution's case Paul foran the deputy coroner during Ben kingan's autopsies Foreman disputed the testimony
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of one of the most important Witnesses at Melissa's trial Dr Manny Montes remember Dr Montes was the state's Final
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witness who testified that he felt a fracture in Ben kingan's skull but Foreman who said he was there
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when Montes came to the coroner's office testified that Montes never physically examined Ben's body or actually touch
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the child's skull could he have somehow gone in and looked at Ben's body examined the body without you knowing no
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I was with him from the moment he came in the door to the moment he left the state tried to discredit foran by
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questioning his memory as well as his mental health Foreman told us he had been treated for bipolar disorder and
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depression well it was a personal attack but Foreman wasn't the only defense witness who raised questions about Dr
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montes's testimony name Dr Robert Zimmerman a renowned pediatric neuroradiologist who examined the
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readable x-rays testified that if that skull fracture had existed it would be clearly visible wasn't there on the
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X-ray so I don't think he could have actually seen it but prosecutors stood by their trial Witnesses Dr Mones and Dr
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Choy who said they saw and felt a skull fracture we reached out to both doctors for this broadcast but they did not
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respond to our requests for comment when the evidentiary hearing ended judge shanes ruled against Melissa
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she was dealt a devastating setback today in court that's when a judge ruled she would not get a new
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trial in his ruling judge Shane stated that he didn't find Paul Foreman's testimony regarding Dr Montes credible
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and he agreed with the state that Paul deuca could have brightened the x-rays and made them
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readable it was another let down for Melissa and her family you clearly made a mistake I just don't
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understand zelner appealed the ruling but again a disappointment and then 4 years later in
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2022 there was a development that few saw coming Eric Reinhardt a new States Attorney in Lake County the county where
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Melissa was convicted had taken office zelner says he wanted more information on the discrepancy over the X-rays so he
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recommended she retain the digital forensics company Garrett Discovery we paid for him but he recommended him
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Andrew Garrett is the CEO of Garrett Discovery Brian Bowman is a digital forensics expert who works for him they
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concluded the x-rays were manipulated by someone using a software tool used to view
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x-rays how did Paul Duca the defense attorney end up with these very dark pictures I can show you so if I take
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these sliders here and I drag them all the way down or all the way up you can manipulate this
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photo so somebody went in and they altered the contrast to make it look like that on
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screen and then exported that file on the Corner's computer on the Corner's computer Bowman agrees there was little
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Duca could do the defense council could have adjusted some of the contrast on the jpegs that they were given but they
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couldn't make the images bigger and they wouldn't be able to go in and zoom into
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the the depth and have the clarity of the image that the original is but if Ben kingan's X-rays were manipulated who
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did it in their report Garett and Bowman pointed to the state you put in here the
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state adjusted the settings of the images that resulted in Black washed out images you're saying that either the
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prosecutor's office or the coroner's office but somebody repres representing the state did this yes yes this is not a
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kiosk computer sitting in a Lobby this is in their custody and control you have to be in the coroner's office to get
00:27:39
access to this what do you make of Garrett Discovery findings chat now with the 48
00:27:47
Hours team on Facebook and X [Music] in late 2022 when Lake County State's Attorney Eric Reinhard met with the
00:28:06
forensic experts experts he recommended and learned of their findings attorneys Kathleen zelner and Paul Duca were also
00:28:16
there Eric was just indignant he was saying whoever had done this manipulation should be held accountable
00:28:26
I believed after the meeting that he believed in Melissa's innocence and he he was going to try to rectify this I
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thought um he was going to do something about it but nothing happened say zelner
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and Duca and as the months stretched on zelner decided to also look more closely
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at Melissa's confession that's the only evidence against her there's nothing that tips this as being a homicide
00:28:55
absolutely nothing hmer asked Dr Saul cassen a psychology professor and leading expert
00:29:02
on false confessions to review the case Dr kson had first analyzed the interrogation back in
00:29:12
2016 when he was a CBS News consultant he told us then and now that it appears police went into that room determined to
00:29:22
get a confession the reason that we were called in in this incident is cuz Ben's
00:29:28
skull was fure what we need to know right now is if this was done by accident or did somebody
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intentionally hurt him yeah I I would never put my hands on it her denials were emphatic I've never put my hand on
00:29:46
the chest ever and they plowed over all of them and you know what medical evidence is just doesn't lie okay
00:29:54
remember a detective reported that during the autopsy the pathologist Dr Choy told him that Ben had a skull
00:30:03
fracture and that the injury was recent and was caused by another person using strong force they did an autopsy on B
00:30:13
yeah we're talking a skull fracture there's sometimes accidents happen and I mean they're unavoidable they launch
00:30:22
into an accident scenario I did not drop them did you lose your patience and hit him no did you push him into a
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wall mm after nearly 6 hours with investigators you didn't come to work that day with the intent of hurting
00:30:38
anybody Melissa told them it was an accident did you drop the baby yes I wasn't paying attention he
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flipped out of my hands but that didn't satisfy the detectives who had left the room periodically to phone Dr Choy that
00:30:56
story you're giving us is a there's no way no way that that would have caused that traumatic of an injury
00:31:03
all you need to do is tell us the truth and we're done they're not saying nothing will happen to you but it's
00:31:10
implied after 9 hours in that room the investigators were finally getting Melissa to tell a story that could
00:31:19
account for a skull fracture you were angry I was angry and aggravated show us how angry you were and show us what
00:31:27
happened and let let's just get this over with and move on okay so I got angry yeah and I went boom I'm going
00:31:33
tell you something right now we this is very specific this is going to leave a specific Mark like a fracture then they
00:31:42
gave Melissa a scenario of why she got angry we think in this situation the other babies are screaming crying and
00:31:51
what she did he starts acting up and you get mad at him and you throw on the floor you threw him on the floor yeah
00:32:02
she needs to get out of there she can't take it anymore I so sorry okay we understand the detectives who
00:32:10
interrogated Melissa did not respond to our request for comment Dr cassen raises
00:32:16
concerns about how long Melissa was in that room approximately 10 hours and how particularly vulnerable she
00:32:26
was about 2 and a half years before Ben kingan's death Melissa had reported she was
00:32:33
raped she was enclosed in a small space pinned down and sexually assaulted now she's pinned into the corner of her room
00:32:42
I can only imagine that while this would be normally stressful for the average person it would be even more stressful
00:32:50
for somebody with that history the defense recently had Melissa evaluated by a psychologist and psychiatrist
00:32:58
they diagnosed her with post-traumatic stress disorder they also assessed her as having borderline intellectual
00:33:07
functioning she scored at a 4.8 grade level in sentence comprehension which could help explain
00:33:16
why she believed she could go home even after she had confessed to murder I'm just kind of curious how long much more
00:33:24
cuz not much longer we're on the phone right now we're trying to get this done as quick
00:33:28
because I just want to go home spend time with my parents and puppy let me get she had no idea what was happening
00:33:35
the confession in my mind is worthless there are multiple reasons why she might have given this confession this isn't
00:33:42
just a vulnerable suspect it isn't just interrogation tactics that are highly deceptive it's
00:33:48
both the jury at Melissa's trial heard about her low IQ but the judge would not allow a false confession expert to test
00:33:57
testify zelner believes that testimony might have changed the verdict if Melissa kazinski had not walked into
00:34:07
that room as she had insisted on attorney would she be imprisoned today no absolutely not they had absolutely
00:34:15
nothing there's no eyewitness there was no video the reason Melissa kazinski got
00:34:21
charged is she confessed but if Melissa didn't harm Ben kingan what happened to the toddler it
00:34:29
raises more questions about that earlier injury the one that was discovered at the daycare months before his death
00:34:37
several employees there remembered a coworker she was working at the that happened her name is BR what I
00:34:47
believe I only heard I didn't see anything is that she put it in the crib and I believe he threw himself back she
00:34:54
quit the day after Brenda didn't have testify at Melissa's trial and the defense was
00:35:00
never able to track her down but we did a number of people have said that Ben was hurt when he was with
00:35:16
[Music] you Melissa ciny was interrogated for hours about the injury Ben kingan received just before his death
00:35:28
but what about the daycare worker who was reported to be with Ben a few months earlier when he got a lump on his head
00:35:36
she didn't return our calls but when we located her she agreed to speak to us on
00:35:42
the condition we obscure her face and identify her only by Brenda her first name on October 27th
00:35:51
2008 there was a report of an injury on Ben King and do you remember that that no I don't the way it's been described
00:36:00
is from some people is that Ben was with you and you were putting him in the bed
00:36:05
they heard a bump and and then he had a bump on the back of his head no did that
00:36:11
happen with you no but you did stop working the very next day I did I I was just kind of tired of being there I
00:36:21
don't recall a bump and I don't recall ever bumping him so do you say it didn't happen or you don't remember it
00:36:28
happening it didn't happen Brenda has never been charged with harming Ben intentionally or accidentally but
00:36:36
attorney Kathleen Zelmer is adamant the Ben sustained a serious injury that day I think that his parents were misled by
00:36:46
the daycare center about that incident and according to these police reports it wouldn't be the first time that the
00:36:54
daycare allegedly tried to cover up the seriousness of a child's injury the daycare was shut
00:37:01
down by state authorities shortly after Ben died in April 2024 more than 12 years
00:37:09
after Melissa's conviction with no success in the court system zelner filed this clemency petition asking Illinois
00:37:18
governor JB pritsker to exonerate Melissa or release her for time served I believe this is her best chance for
00:37:29
Freedom before a scheduled hearing Lake County State's Attorney Eric Reinhardt spoke to an attorney representing Ben
00:37:37
kingan's family and then he wrote this letter to the prisoner review board stating his office strongly opposes
00:37:46
Melissa's clemency petition were you shocked by that totally I believe he thinks in his heart that she's
00:37:54
innocent Reinhardt would not do an on camera interview or speak to us on the record but in that letter to the board
00:38:02
he stated that there is no new evidence in the case and that Melissa's petition for clemency does not establish
00:38:12
innocence on July 9th 2024 zelner went before the prisoner review board to make her case for Melissa's Freedom what we
00:38:22
want to do today is focus on who is this person and how did she end up in the position that she's in convicted of the
00:38:31
first degree murder of a child but also they are making an impassion blea for Ben kingan's parents
00:38:40
my name is Amy K and I am here with my H we are the parents of Benjamin pingan who was murdered from Melissa cinsky
00:38:49
threw him to the ground back his because of her actions Andy and I are adamantly
00:38:55
opposed to Melissa kusit released we continue to read about how there's no justice for Melissa but where is the
00:39:03
justice for V and for Andy and myself and our surviving children we hope that you as the prison review board and the
00:39:12
governor will deny her petition for Clowny Amy and Andy kingan declined our request for an
00:39:21
interview following Amy's statement zelner was then given the chance to respond there is no question that the
00:39:28
death of a child is probably the worst thing that could ever happen to a parent but the only way that a parent get
00:39:38
closure is with the truth and the truth has not come out on this case I know that she is
00:39:47
innocent after the hearing it was up to the prisoner review board to make a confidential recommendation to Governor
00:39:55
pritsker as to whether Elissa should be released if you had a chance to talk to Governor pritsker yourself M what would
00:40:04
you say I would say just please look at my case I didn't do this Holly who worked at the daycare
00:40:12
with Melissa believes her so much so that she wrote this letter to the Governor from the time Melissa was
00:40:19
arrested for Benjamin's murder I have always thought she was innocent the evidence does not point to
00:40:26
Melissa I can only imagine how Ben's family is going to feel knowing that I'm saying Melissa's Innocent but an
00:40:40
innocent person should not be in jail when we first met the kusinski family back in
00:40:50
2014 5 years after Melissa's arrest they still had her bedroom set up today that room is still set up just as
00:41:01
it was Paul and cherl kazinski haven't given up hope that their daughter will be home soon she's daddy's little
00:41:15
girl we did ever see again and we're just going to keep on until she comes home [Music]
00:41:34
[Music] CBS next Saturday a young grad student is shot and killed it still doesn't feel real was
00:41:47
this just a random act of road rage it's not a violent crash no or was it something much more personal W there's
00:41:54
our connection 48 hours is all new CBS next Saturday 109 Central and streaming on Paramount
00:41:59
[Music] plus she doesn't do the in-your-face type of uh homicidal maniac kind of
00:42:12
thing she's not a shooter she's not a stabber but I haven't seen somebody this ruthless in a long time I've seen a lot
00:42:20
of murders I've seen people killed with knives and machetes and guns with vehicles
00:42:27
strangulation Suffocation I have never seen anyone try to kill another person with a piece of
00:42:34
cheesecake until now until now I'm a private investigator here in New York City I was hired to hunt down
00:42:43
and assist in the apprehension of Victoria Nasi rova as a perpetrator she's one in a
00:42:52
million there was a call from Patrol stating that we have a woman Olga who's lying in bed who appears to be under the
00:43:00
influence of something and she's advising that there are items missing from her bedroom then she tells me this
00:43:06
tale of how this woman Victoria nazarova came to her home she arrived with what she described as the best cheesecake in
00:43:15
New York she says please have this cheesecake Elga says okay I'll try the piece of the cheesecake immediately she
00:43:22
felt extremely ill nauseous um sweaty dizzy and she said I've never felt like that before I don't know what was going
00:43:30
on she passes out within a very short amount of time Olga is fighting for her life someone was trying to kill you who
00:43:39
did you think Victoria Victoria nazarova yep it's vazer pan in the cheesecake a sedative primarily used in
00:43:50
Russia apparently it has no taste and a little bit too much can produce an overdose Victoria found someone that
00:43:57
resembled her I think she wanted to kill this woman and assume her identity Victoria nerova is dangerous arrogant
00:44:06
cunning I didn't know how dangerous she was until I found out the trail of bodies that she was leaving behind in an
00:44:12
unconscious State the only thing I remember I just took one bite of fish and I was out of it in 5 minutes for a
00:44:21
week I was in the hospital police tune discovered that she was wanted for something far more serious
00:44:27
this is for murder this is for murder right here I believe that Victoria felt the
00:44:33
the walls were closing in on her Victoria nasirova had to be taken off of these streets I'm not a killer I'm
00:44:42
woman only woman I think anybody that trusts Victoria has something to fear [Music]
00:45:24
[Music] she is a very colorful criminal in his 20-year career as a New York police
00:45:39
detective Kevin Rogers says he never met the likes of Victoria nazarova extremely
00:45:45
Brazen diabolical and even the street smarts of a career cop left him unprepared for what he says she did I've
00:45:56
never dealt with a case where cheesecake that's laced with poison is utilized it started on September 2nd
00:46:05
2016 with what seemed like a routine call it was a call from Patrol saying that we have a woman advising that there
00:46:13
are items missing from her bedroom the woman was a Beauty Stylist named Olga svick who did eyelash
00:46:20
extensions at a nearby salon Patrol officers told Rogers she'd reported items including purses had vanished from
00:46:29
her home grabbed my partner and we headed out to this uh woman's house she told him she had just returned home from
00:46:36
the hospital where she said she'd been in and out of Consciousness with severe dizziness and nausea Olga's bedroom is
00:46:44
the top right window when he got to the scene Olga a Ukrainian immigrant still seemed a bit woozy can you remember at
00:46:52
all the police asking you questions no I don't remember the only thing she remembered was that a
00:46:59
frantic client from the salon had come to her house a Russian woman named Victoria nazarova who had wanted her
00:47:07
eyelashes extended in a hurry I need an emergency eyelash repair done please please please Olga said I I never have
00:47:15
done that before every bit of work that I do is in my salon Olga had told her client she had no appointments available
00:47:23
but she says Victoria was in the habit of being pushy she'd repeatedly suggested they spend time together
00:47:30
outside of work she started acting like she's my friend you know feeling uneasy Olga refused Victoria's offers to hang
00:47:38
out and she noticed something else about Victoria something visually unsettling I thought she's look like me
00:47:47
an uncanny physical resemblance while Olga turned down socializing with Victoria she relented
00:47:56
to her plea these for eyelash help and told her to come over Olga's uneasy feeling returned when Victoria showed up
00:48:04
at her door with three small slices of Cheesecake it's from like famous bakery like famous
00:48:12
cheesecake Olga says Victoria quickly gobbled up two of the slices and then insisted Olga try the last one did you
00:48:21
eat the entire piece yeah it's like small piece and what happened I got she says she threw up
00:48:30
violently and then after that I don't remember anything so she tells you this story
00:48:38
what are you thinking I'm suspicious with Olga acting wozy Rogers wondered if she was a drug user I said to her I say
00:48:47
all I said I want to believe you however this doesn't add up but she was adamant
00:48:53
adamant this 100% happened and this woman is up to something in the garbage Rogers did see something I
00:49:03
walked over to the wastepaper basket and right there was this plastic container with what appeared to be the remnants of
00:49:11
a pastry something that look good Olga identified it as the cheesecake box Rogers told his evidence team to bag it
00:49:20
and tag it whatever had been in that box Olga said it had made her very sick you
00:49:27
almost died yeah I was in K 34 minutes but Olga admits doctors didn't find anything suspicious in her system still
00:49:37
she told Rogers she was hospitalized twice he called the hospitals to confirm but says they wouldn't divulge patient
00:49:46
information which again led me to believe that maybe she wasn't telling the truth Rogers did try to find Victoria
00:49:55
nazarova but couldn't well it sounds like at that point this case is is almost over dead but a few months later
00:50:03
the case came back to life when Rogers found a new witness a neighbor of Olga's who reported seeing a woman visiting her
00:50:11
the day after the alleged cheesecake incident he told me that a woman had come and gone a few times the neighbors
00:50:19
said the mysterious woman had told him Olga was sick and when he went to check on Olga he walked into a Sur scene and
00:50:28
called an ambulance her room was like a sauna someone had turned the heat on full blast even though it was a Hot
00:50:36
August day and Olga was passed out in the bed barely dressed when she's discovered she's discovered
00:50:44
in this sort of racy lingerie Olga was stunned by this detail because she had been wearing sweatpants so someone
00:50:55
changed you you yeah changed your clothes yeah and there was more pills were strewn all over the floor Rogers
00:51:05
wondered had someone tried to kill Olga and then staged the scene to make it look like a
00:51:10
suicide Rogers realized that Olga had probably been telling the truth all along I do have to make that sort of
00:51:19
uncomfortable apology to her of I'm truly sorry for not believing you 100% at first
00:51:28
Rogers now turned his attention again to finding the suspect in this case Olga's
00:51:34
client Victoria nazarova but where was she Rogers had no way of knowing that someone else was also trying to find her
00:51:46
his name is Herman Weissberg he's a private eye and a retired New York City detective Weissberg was tracking
00:51:53
Victoria through ads on Russian dating sites and social media where he says some of her Outreach seemed designed for
00:52:02
a niche audience she was advertising her Services as a dominatrix you could call
00:52:08
it/ escort he believed Victoria was using online ads to commit crimes of opportunity she would knock out with
00:52:17
knockout drugs taking money watches jewelry whatever she can get and he suspected Victoria had done something
00:52:26
much worse who murdered your mother Victoria [Music] the with the fog of her mysterious
00:52:48
illness behind her Olga fix says she went back to work sharing the story of her heroine ordeal that's when another
00:52:57
client told her something she never expected to hear she said you know one of my uh husband
00:53:05
friend I think somebody also drag him his name is Reuben meet Reuben borov hi Tina how are
00:53:17
you about 2 months before Olga ate that cheesecake Reuben who ran a nearby dry cleaning business met a woman on a
00:53:25
Russian dating site her name Victoria nazarova she said she's a good cook and I said I love to
00:53:32
eat the two arranged to meet at her place for dinner I just took one bite of fish and I was out of it in 5 minutes
00:53:41
Reuben says he passed out and Victoria allegedly went on a shopping spree she took like $800 maybe $1,000 in my all
00:53:50
together in cash 2400 in American Express so she's living high on the Hog on on your money absolutely and then she
00:53:58
brought me here 2 Days Later Reuben was still out of it when Victoria literally took him to the cleaners one of Ruben's
00:54:07
employees took this video she was walking here and there and making some stories to my workers oh we had wine he
00:54:16
drank two bottle of wine I don't remember nothing as Victoria talks to the workers maybe take pill or something
00:54:24
right the camera catches a glimpse of her sitting in the boss's chair luckily Reuben's sister called an
00:54:33
ambulance Victoria would flee the scene before it arrived but not before cleaning him out I had some money in the
00:54:42
basement couple hundred here she took it she took the watch and Ruben believes Victoria nearly took a lot more than
00:54:50
that did you almost die I think so that's how I was oh he was a sick man but private eye Herman Weissberg says
00:55:00
when it comes to Victoria nazarova Olga and Ruben may have been the lucky ones in 2017 Weissberg began working
00:55:10
with this woman Nadia Ford Nadia said her mother Allah alexenko with whom she was very close had gone missing back
00:55:19
home in Russia and so every day you would talk to her every day Nadia says before her mother disappeared she had
00:55:27
mentioned making a new best friend the friend's name Victoria nazarova before Victoria came to New York she was living
00:55:36
in Russia and had become Allah's neighbor in the apartment next door here is your mother mhm standing next to you
00:55:44
right and here is Victoria right and they seem like an Odd Couple you just wouldn't think they'd hang out with each
00:55:52
other she was always trying to be very friendly to her you know and my mom she trust everyone in the fall of 2014 Allah
00:56:01
had told Nadia she would be sending her daughter special gifts her new best friend Victoria would bring them
00:56:09
Victoria would be carrying $6,000 in cash and other valuables including two fur coats to be hand delivered to Nadia
00:56:18
but Victoria never showed and on October 5th Nadia tried to call her mother but couldn't reach her how many times did
00:56:27
you call your mother that day October 5th oh a lot a lot about 100 really 100 times at least at least I tried
00:56:35
everything and she would not answer no so what are you thinking I got afraid because for 8 years she never happened
00:56:42
that she didn't answer the phone never Nadia says she had found Victoria's sudden friendship with her mom
00:56:50
suspicious and that suspicion only grew when she accessed her mother's cell phone records online and I saw the last
00:56:58
person who called her it was Victoria the call had come in at 11:00 p.m. and there were no other calls after it and
00:57:06
that's it and then my heart dropped I just started to have this feeling that something
00:57:13
happened something terrible something terrible happened Nadia decided she had to go to Russia to find out the truth
00:57:22
about 2 years later 48 Hours went with Nadia to retrace her steps we brought her back to her
00:57:31
hometown of krasnodar about 800 Mi south of Moscow near the Black Sea to show us how she
00:57:39
launched her own investigation into her mother's disappearance first Nadia convinced
00:57:46
Victoria to meet her outside her mom's apartment building where she confronted her she says Victoria loudly insisted
00:57:54
Allah was alive and then she ran up the stairs and then I'm like where you going
00:57:59
why are you running and she runs up here are you chasing her exactly yeah Nadia told us she notified police and took
00:58:07
them inside her mother's apartment so when I walk into the apartmentment she quickly realized the place had been
00:58:14
looted nothing credit card's gone nothing nothing family heirloom an expensive jewelry gone everything and
00:58:23
whoever did this also stole most of her mother's life savings $40,000 all kept in a secret Hideaway if
00:58:32
you take this off it was gone this and as far as Nadia could tell what so is Victoria what are the police and the
00:58:43
district attorney and what are these people saying to you just wait she's going to go she's going to come back
00:58:49
undaunted Nadia carried on her search Chris crossing the country posting Flyers like this
00:58:57
one she pleaded with Victoria by text listen I give you everything my apartment money you name it please just
00:59:07
give me my mom back Nadia feared she was getting nowhere when she had an idea Nadia where are we right now we're in
00:59:16
the highway that Victoria had my mom she noticed that most main roads had traffic
00:59:23
cameras what if one of them had photographed vict Toria the night Nadia's mother went missing but you got
00:59:29
to get access to these photographs how do you do that it's Russia you buy things you have money you buy things
00:59:35
Nadia got access to images from local traffic cameras about 100 Mil from the apartment that's the camera I see right
00:59:44
there Nadia hit Pay Dirt that's the camera that showed that my mom was with with Victoria these are the pictures
00:59:52
that changed everything the pictures look blurry but Nadia was certain that this is Victoria nazarova behind the
01:00:00
wheel and equally sure she knew who was sitting in the passenger seat her mom no
01:00:06
doubt in your mind what's the date that this picture was taken October 5th in the morning 10:00 October 5th the day
01:00:14
that you lost all communication with your own mother if the picture could be believed it meant her mother could still
01:00:21
be alive this camera gave me hope Nadia called Russian police about the pictures
01:00:29
and was shocked at their response what does the detective say he said I know I have these pictures with investigators
01:00:36
now working the case Nadia says they confirmed Victoria rented this car with these plates tracked her down and
01:00:45
brought her in for a lie detector test but before the results could come back unbeknownst to the cops Victoria caught
01:00:54
the first flight out of Russia she cannot get away with this with Victoria on the Run Nadia
01:01:18
desperately continued her search for her mother hoping against hope to find her alive I dedicate my life to that I quit
01:01:27
everything and everyone I didn't believe that my mom is not alive but hope turned a heartbreak in
01:01:34
April of 2015 when she got a disturbing phone call charred human remains had been found in a remote area about a
01:01:43
2hour drive from Allah's apartment authorities called Nadia in to make an identification I said no it's not her no
01:01:53
it's it's just remains and then a few minutes later I started looking her teeth and you knew you knew it was your
01:01:59
mother yeah and yeah so I basically recognized my mom by her teeth behind me is the Russian town of
01:02:09
armavir it's about 110 mil from cadar and it's important to this case because it's where Victoria nerova grew up why
01:02:18
is that significant because less than a quar mile from where I'm standing right now is where Allah's body was dumped
01:02:30
the body was here Victoria took everything for me my family my life my mom everything by this time interpole
01:02:44
already had issued an International arrest warrant for Victoria nazarova in Allah's
01:02:51
murder Nadia went home to Brooklyn determined as ever to track down Victoria nazarova on a whim she turned to
01:03:00
Facebook and you'll never guess whose face popped up on the screen Victoria was posting pictures all over Facebook
01:03:09
checking in at this place that place beautiful life she flew to Mexico having a great time yeah from Mexico she flew
01:03:18
to New York Nadia reported all this to us police and immigration officials but they couldn't find Victoria that's when
01:03:27
Nadia started working with private investigator and former New York City detective Herman Weissberg he combed
01:03:34
through Victoria's Facebook profile with an experienced eye for detail I I never
01:03:41
look at what people want me to see on these sites I'm I'm used to looking at everything except for what's supposed to
01:03:46
draw your attention in late at night Weissberg meticulously studied every photograph and made a remarkable
01:03:55
discovery right on Victoria's face this particular picture was the most beneficial she's wearing the Rayband
01:04:02
sunglasses that are mirrored and she took a great picture for us to see the dashboard of the car but more
01:04:08
importantly the stitching on that back headr yeah that's just black leather with a light gray stitching on it I
01:04:16
decided the next morning I was going to be at a big parking lot at a train station he walked row after row of
01:04:24
vehicles peering into Windows hoping to find the make and model that had that stitching and it's a big hub for the
01:04:32
railroad of cars in here yeah probably thousands all over the place so it's real easy to look for the kind of detail
01:04:39
I was looking for then a Chrysler sedan caught his eye so you look inside the car and what do
01:04:47
you see all right it's got the same stitching and show me on your phone there's her mirrored sunglasses the
01:04:53
stitching over here turns out that only a Chrysler 300 had this stitching and dashboard layout now the hard part
01:05:03
finding the specific car Victoria was driving again this was such a wild goose chase at this point but Weissberg saw
01:05:10
that a series of likes on Victoria's Facebook page were clustered around sheep's head Bay a Russian neighborhood
01:05:17
in Brooklyn so you sent some of your investigators to look for one of these Chrysler 300s did they have any luck
01:05:25
well yeah we found a bunch of them then uh the next day I had somebody run the license plates and luckily we found one
01:05:31
that came back to a Russian sounding name Weissberg took our 48 Hours crew into the area he searched and called me
01:05:39
to the scene when he again found the Chrysler 300 at the heart of this investigation this is it yeah this is
01:05:47
the car this is the car yeah take a look inside do you see the stitching yep it's
01:05:52
hard to miss now oh there it is now you see how how unique it is right yeah this
01:05:58
is only an area of 8.5 million people and you found the car it wasn't a needle in a Hy stack you had to find a Hy stack
01:06:06
first and when Weissberg went to the address connected to that car the building looked familiar Weissberg had
01:06:14
seen it before in another one of Victoria's selfies when you look at it and you see that that telephone pole and
01:06:23
the location of that manhole cover and that manhole cover and if you look over there you got the telephone pole and
01:06:29
you've got the two manhole covers this is brilliant Herman through that reflection in her in her glasses
01:06:37
you figure out this is the apartment building where the man who owns that Chrysler 300 lives and with Victoria in
01:06:46
the picture you thinking she might be living with this guy it she looks like she took a selfie there and it it all
01:06:53
starts to make sense amazingly the woman Russian authorities wanted for the murder of Nadia's mother was now living
01:07:00
with her boyfriend in Nadia's own backyard four or five blocks away you got to be kidding me no did you try to
01:07:09
go find her no why cuz I would kill her we got lucky early on and we spotted Victoria and her boyfriend out here the
01:07:20
boyfriend was the owner of the Chrysler 300 and lived in that apartment building that boyfriend told us that he
01:07:29
eventually became one of Victoria's victims himself he says not only did she steal from him but that she killed his
01:07:37
beloved beagle Joey apparently Victoria got very jealous of uh the the dog getting some of the spotlight in their
01:07:44
house and uh decided to poison the Beagle allegedly on the beagle's birthday I'm a dog lover so that stuff
01:07:52
that boy I've seen him on TV and Jo the beagle's demise didn't sit well with Victoria's neighbors either she killed
01:08:00
his dog that [ __ ] killed his dog every time you learn something else about this woman you realize that if she
01:08:10
was left unarrested this could have really ended poorly for Brooklyn but now Weissberg knew the hunt
01:08:19
was finally over he says he called interpole and Homeland Security but but neither one agreed to take action so he
01:08:28
alerted the NYPD and on March 20th 2017 the police made their move the woman who
01:08:35
had once posed as a dominatrix suddenly found herself in handcuffs I just cried I I couldn't
01:08:45
believe that it's actually happened it's a miracle detective Kevin Rogers couldn't
01:08:54
believe it when his phone rang Brooklyn advises us that they had this woman Victoria nazarova in their custody Roger
01:09:03
says the cheesecake case suddenly started making sense Olga had something that Victoria wanted and it wasn't money
01:09:10
and it wasn't handbags he says the instant he started reviewing police evidence photos he saw something that
01:09:16
made it clear exactly what Victoria was after this ID of Olga was found in Victoria's apartment the looked eily
01:09:26
similar to Victoria herself I think she wanted to kill this woman and assume her
01:09:34
identity to back up his theory Rogers knew he would need to prove that Olga's cheesecake had been poisoned when he
01:09:42
sent the container found in Olga's house to a lab they found nothing but when Rogers decided to send it for more
01:09:49
extensive testing he got a hit faaza Pam is a sedative primarily used at the time
01:09:58
in Russia it makes you sleepy yeah sleepy then K then death Rogers learned that fasap Pam is
01:10:08
especially dangerous in a hot environment remember the heater in Olga's room had been left on high and
01:10:16
Victoria's DNA was on the cheesecake box all these pieces of the puzzle they've come together absolutely and so you
01:10:23
think this was a planned murder absolutely Victoria was charged with attempted murder for the attack on Olga
01:10:31
assault and Grand lony before trial she agreed to sit down with us at New York's
01:10:38
Riker's Island jail Victoria nazarov yes what do you make of Herman Weber's investigation to see more go to 48
01:10:50
hours.com [Music] we'd heard cruel and colorful stories about Victoria nazarova for months so in
01:11:10
2017 when we interviewed her in jail as authorities investigated her for attempted murder in Olga's case Victoria
01:11:19
nazarova yes Peter vanent please have a seat thank you we weren't sure what to expect
01:11:26
don't you look at this yeah this is Allah yes she insisted she had nothing to do with The Disappearance of Nadia's
01:11:35
mother Allah Victoria did you kill Allah no you did not no there's a woman named
01:11:45
Olga who looks a lot like you who claims that you tried to kill her by giving her
01:11:52
a piece of poisoned cheesecake cake you wanted her dead so you could steal her identity Victoria delivered her answer
01:12:01
using the careful language of someone with a lot to lose I know whom you mean I know this
01:12:10
young woman I can tell you that um I did not force her to eat it you're telling me all of these accusations
01:12:19
against you all of that is false no I admit doing a part of it but I will only talk about it at the
01:12:28
trial Victoria nazarova would be in custody for nearly 6 years as the pandemic caused delays all right can we
01:12:36
bring the defendant out before she stood trial for the poisoning of Olga [ __ ] when the case went to court in
01:12:45
January of 2023 the trial of a woman accused of poisoning her look alike with cheesecake the media were watching
01:12:55
there are elements of this case that you won't find anywhere else the buan the cheesecake in all the evidence you have
01:13:01
what is the most important in your opinion we're looking at it right here it's this container the cheesecake box
01:13:08
from Olga's garbage still has crumbs left inside outlandish as it is assistant district attorney Dino Loris
01:13:17
tells jurors in opening statements this is not a joke it's not just a story they should
01:13:25
see it as a potential murder weapon this defendant intended to kill this woman and steal her identity he calls Olga
01:13:35
first to highlight the human consequences and she's going to explain to you everything that happened to her
01:13:42
everything that she can remember of course she was poisoned with something that impacted her memory cameras were
01:13:49
not allowed to record witness testimony Olga makes it clear that talking about the details of her ordeal is still like
01:13:58
reliving a bad dream and testifying in front of her alleged attacker traumatizes her all the more was she
01:14:06
looking at you oh yeah she looked at me what did you see on her face in her eyes you know she's
01:14:15
smiling she was smiling she was smirking the state also calls Nadia Ford I was trying to get her look look at me look
01:14:25
at the person who mother you killed look look into my eyes remember them for the
01:14:30
rest of your life the judge has strictly limited prosecutors from going into specifics about the murder charges
01:14:37
facing Victoria in Russia so they're hoping Nadia can finesse the details and still get the point across I'll tell you
01:14:46
it was a risky strategy what has she told them that you think helps your case what she told the jury is that something
01:14:54
serious happened in Russia it's one thing for me to say the crime was serious and it's another thing for a
01:15:00
witness to come in and show with her body language with her eyes with her overall demeanor that this was an
01:15:06
incredibly serious crime that Victoria nerova was wanted for I was staring at her I just want her to look at me she
01:15:15
she didn't look at me once it was almost certain in the beginning of the trial that Victoria was
01:15:22
going to testify and I know that she likes to talk as it turned out Victoria declined to
01:15:28
testify and answer questions but something she did say made it into the trial something she said to me in a part
01:15:36
of her 48 Hours interview published online it's in evidence Peter VanZant asked this woman in English there is a
01:15:44
woman named Olga there's a woman named Olga who claims that you tried to kill her by giving her a piece of poison
01:15:52
cheesecake Loris has someone read Victoria's answer into the record I know whom you mean I know this
01:16:03
young woman I can tell you that I did not force her to eat it I did not force her to eat it for me
01:16:12
as an individual she's guilty with that statement where in that answer does she say I didn't poison
01:16:20
anybody miss nazarova is not guilty of these chares but defense attorney Christopher Hoy
01:16:28
doesn't call a single witness to help him prove it instead he argues the spectacle of this case obscures the
01:16:37
specifics details that amount to reasonable doubt there's no direct evidence of anyone seeing Victoria
01:16:45
nazarova putting fanza Pam and she's Kake he reminds the jury Olga's doctors didn't find anything unusual in her
01:16:55
system and he says there was nothing particularly unusual about Victoria's life in New York either she's been just
01:17:03
living in the US using her normal name that's just the point says the prosecutor Victoria's US Visa was set to
01:17:13
expire she was scared of facing charges in Russia and needed a new identity to help her hide there's only two
01:17:23
categories of people that need need someone else's ID you have college kids under the age of 21 who want to borrow
01:17:31
their Buddy's ID to go drink and then on the other hand you have international fugitives who need someone's ID as a
01:17:38
Lifeline to stay in this country and not go back to Russia this is not a case about what
01:17:45
happened in Russia and the defense insists that even if Victoria poisoned the cheesecake it's not enough to prove
01:17:53
she wanted old good dead I submit to you that they have not proven that intent this case has more than you need to
01:18:01
conclude Beyond a reasonable doubt that this defendant is guilty but will the jury
01:18:09
agree as they file back in what are you seeing on their faces [Music] [Music] when this jury goes off to deliberate
01:18:37
what's going through your mind what's going through my mind is that they understand the Diabolical calculation
01:18:45
that occurred for this crime Queen's district attorney Melinda Katz says Victoria nazarova is a lot smarter and
01:18:53
more committed than the average criminal defendant it takes patience and it takes
01:18:59
planning but it takes the jury in her trial only an hour and a half to reach a verdict how say us to
01:19:08
count number one of the indictment charging the defendant Victoria nerova with attempted murder in the second
01:19:15
degree guilty or not guilty guilty guilty of attempted murder in the second degree were there tears
01:19:26
[Music] yeah at sentencing Olga tells the court her suffering went on long after
01:19:38
Victoria's attack she costus me to lose trust in people I have difficulty trust people
01:19:46
and I cannot know for sure what their true intentions are I'm grateful that this person will
01:19:55
be punished for what she did to me the maximum punishment she can stand up is 25 years in prison you are an extremely
01:20:06
dangerous woman I sentenced you to 21 years in jail judge Kenneth holder decides a 21-year sentence is enough
01:20:15
with credit for time served Victoria may be out in 15 even so she has some Choice
01:20:22
words for the court as she is l way barely audible under her mask she's a narcissistic homicidal
01:20:34
maniac that's what narcissistic homicidal Maniacs say when they something everything goes bad for them
01:20:40
Victoria's time Behind Bars has already been rough in 2018 at Riker's Island in New York she was assaulted by fellow
01:20:48
inmates and suffered multiple injuries to her face and when she's done serving her
01:20:55
time in America Victoria faces deportation and murder charges back in Russia I know there's great satisfaction
01:21:05
for you that Victoria is finally going to prison but it's not for what she did to your
01:21:12
mom is that still an emptiness inside for you I I feel better at least I know now that for next 15 years she's not
01:21:20
going to hurt anyone two of the people Victoria had has hurt most have resolved to draw strength from each other since
01:21:29
tragedy unexpectedly brought them together Nadia and Olga have become the best of friends when we met I feel like
01:21:38
I knew Nadia all my life she's very kind very nice openhearted like you know kind
01:21:45
of remind me of my mom n she's went through hell they seem to know it takes one victim of Victoria nazarova to
01:21:58
truly understand another do you think the two of you will be friends for life I think yes
01:22:08
[Music] a beautiful heart a gentle gentle Spirit a woman found dying from a gunshot wound
01:22:34
crime scene evidence that doesn't add up there's definitely Mysteries involved in
01:22:38
this case then prosecutors take a creative approach a psychological autopsy 48 hours Saturday on CBS and
01:22:44
streaming on Paramount Plus [Music] my name is Carol Dodge and I am the mother of Angie
01:23:08
Dodge who was brutally murdered in June of 1996 and for 23 years I've traveled every road there is turned every stone
01:23:23
there is to find Justice for my [Music] daughter as the officers arrived at the crime scene and found Angie Dodge laying
01:23:37
on the ground and it was obvious that there was a very brutal murder that had happened a lot of blood during the
01:23:43
investigation we came across a significant amount of DNA that we believe is from the
01:23:49
killer would you say that this crime scene provided really good evidence excellent
01:23:58
evidence for nearly two decades police could not find a match to the Killer's DNA so in 2014 they went way outside the
01:24:08
box and searched a public DNA database owned by ancestry.com it led us to this Michael
01:24:18
lre Jr who just happened to be a filmmaker films of homicide um kind of a murder mystery filmmaker then he cuts
01:24:33
off her head my name is Michael ushery uh I'm a filmmaker and was a suspect in the Angie
01:24:41
Dodge case murder abilia it was then I knew it was a girl and she was young got me the reputation of being a
01:24:52
person who is really in to murder and things like that and I shoved her body over in the
01:24:59
shower and just kept stabbing her it was pretty creepy we had uh Louisiana State
01:25:04
Police call him he had agreed to come down to the estate offices there in New Orleans the majority of the time that I
01:25:17
was in the interrogation room I just didn't know what they were talking about they finally had to look at me and
01:25:25
go no we think that you Michael ushery you know we think that you're involved in this murder
01:25:32
case my whole purpose is to find uh who killed Angie Dodge the ability to kill is obviously
01:25:41
somewhere in all of us because it happens every day [Music] [Music] grief has no time limit I just can't I
01:26:43
can't let go I can't let go of her Carol Dodge lost her daughter Angie when she was just a teenager she was
01:26:54
just discovering who she truly was and wanting Independence she says just let me grow
01:27:01
up let me make my own mistakes so you know you don't need to watch me you know you don't need to be my
01:27:09
shadow it was the summer of 1996 in Idaho Falls Idaho a mostly Mormon Community where neighbors knew each
01:27:19
other by name and doors were rarely locked says former chief of police Mark McBride but it was very really very
01:27:28
quiet peaceful Town overall just 3 weeks before her death 18-year-old Angie got her own apartment in this house I saw
01:27:38
her the night that she was killed she said it's so hard growing up and she laid her head on my shoulder and we just
01:27:45
kind of rock back and forth and I'm so grateful for that moment extremely grateful
01:27:52
that my last words were that I love her the next morning Angie didn't show up for work at a local beauty supply
01:28:02
store now we got a phone call on 911 Center about 11:00 in the morning and one of her friends at were
01:28:10
came to check on her and the door was unlocked she went in and she found a body laying there on the floor in a very
01:28:15
bloody crime scene there were no signs of forced entry but there were signs of a struggle you think she fought for her
01:28:23
life yes I do Angie was stabbed and cut 14 times and left half naked the killer ejaculated on her leaving behind what
01:28:36
DNA expert Greg hampikian calls a pristine profile it's a single profile uh complete identification one man to
01:28:47
the exclusion of everyone on the planet police began collecting the DNA of doz of local men and spent months
01:28:56
interviewing everyone Angie knew including this young man Christoper tap although his DNA didn't match and tap
01:29:05
denied any involvement after more than 28 hours of interrogation over 23 days tap confessed to participating in
01:29:15
Angie's murder you were there correct correct did you know Christopher tap no didn't
01:29:21
know had no clue tap told police that the night of Angie's death he and two friends stopped
01:29:30
by her apartment during an argument tap claimed one of his friends started stabbing Angie while he held her down
01:29:39
you hold her down okay while she's being cut you're holding her down while she's
01:29:46
[Music] being but when tap went before a judge he pled not guilty of raping and murdering Angie Dodge I said you Beast
01:29:57
you horrible Beast how could he do this to my daughter defense argued tap's DNA didn't match the killers but on May 28th
01:30:08
1998 it took a jury approximately 13 hours to reach a verdict [Music] guilty nearly 2 years after Angie Dodge
01:30:23
was murder murdered Chris tap faced his punishment with Carol Dodge glaring at him you are guilty of the crimes of
01:30:31
Murder in the first degree and rape his sentence 30 years to life but the murder
01:30:39
of Angie Dodge was still an open case Chris tap did not match the DNA and he wouldn't tell police who
01:30:48
did I just couldn't understand why he would go to prison and take a life sentence and not give the other person
01:30:58
up tap did give authorities several names including someone named Mike how sure are you that he's first name is
01:31:07
Mike I'm dead said positive but police could never make a DNA match so the case went cold but not for Carol Dodge I
01:31:18
never stop looking for the actual person who matches the DNA by 2009 the Killer's DNA had been
01:31:28
entered into the national criminal database known as codus but there was still no match so Carol called
01:31:36
well-known DNA expert Greg hampikian I had this message they don't know who killed my my daughter by then there had
01:31:46
been many advances in DNA technology and so with hampikian help Carol Dodge pushed authorities to use a new
01:31:54
controversial search process called familial DNA it looks for anyone who may be related to Angie's killer which means
01:32:03
going into that database in Idaho of the convicted offenders and looking for a family member that might match this DNA
01:32:15
[Music] partially Idaho doesn't allow familial searches in their criminal database so
01:32:23
hemp pinkan made an even more controversial suggestion a familial search through public
01:32:31
databases I'm the one that went to the idol Falls Police Department and the prosecution saying we need to do this
01:32:39
imagine your one of millions of Americans to open up a kit like this spit into a test tube like this and then
01:32:45
send your DNA off to a commercial database well now that database owns your DNA profile and you may not realize
01:32:54
it but police may be able to access it we're interested in solving a crime and we're going to use any Technique we
01:33:03
can that we can legally use in the summer of 2014 detective surged a public DNA database owned by
01:33:14
ancestry.com they got a hit I was told they got 34 out of 35 markers I believe is that good yeah that's that's a good
01:33:24
investigative lead it was a close enough match to make detective Patrick McKenna
01:33:29
think they had found a relative of Angie's killer so police got a warrant for Ancestry.com to reveal his identity
01:33:38
it was a man named Michael usri senior we know it's not that individual or we would have had 35 out of 35 on
01:33:47
that so that's when we started doing research into the family that led investigators to supect Us's
01:33:56
son Michael usri Jr detective McKenna wondered if this could be the mic that Chris tap once
01:34:07
named and then we started researching him and the films that he was making was a little eery to uh try to think that
01:34:16
that could possibly be a solid suspect in the case [Music] [Music] I have to ask you this question yes do
01:34:42
you have a particular interest in Murder I I don't have a particular interest in Murder um it sure seems like
01:34:50
it based on your film I know it does but I I really have quite an aversion to it
01:34:56
but authorities investigating the brutal murder of Angie Dodge weren't so sure precisely at 2:00 three uh
01:35:06
gentleman came to my door in December of 2014 more than 18 years after Angie's murder Michael usri Jr was living in New
01:35:16
Orleans when two detectives from Idaho Falls and a Louisiana State Police Officer brought us to a state police
01:35:25
office near the New Orleans super doome and started grilling him they said so what about your travels
01:35:33
to Idaho have you ever been to Idaho and um I had in fact actually went up there with some friends for just one
01:35:41
night he was 19 years old back then and he and his friends drove to Rexburg Idaho passing right through Idaho Falls
01:35:51
well they were really interested in that a little surprised that we were were able to actually Place him in Idaho
01:35:58
Falls it was a big red flag for detective Patrick McKenna it's kind of weird but I just really didn't didn't
01:36:07
get it then one of the officers pulled out a warrant and swabbed his cheek for DNA at that point I went hey what what's
01:36:19
going on here you guys should I get a lawyer once they had his DNA they drove Michael usri home without any
01:36:28
explanation I just basically stood on my sidewalk in a days it was a call to a close friend that finally shed some
01:36:37
light and uh he said well what's the case what what is this and I go well they wouldn't tell me anything except
01:36:43
that it was a high-profile murder case in Idaho Falls so he gets on the computer and within 20 seconds he's like
01:36:51
oh yeah this is the case right here it's some girl named Angie Dodge the filmmaker whose movie featured
01:36:57
a convict describing how he stabbed a woman to death watched her inside spill out all over the floor was now suspected
01:37:06
of doing just that to Angie Dodge I mean it was very much a case of an Overkill they stabbed her and cut her and it was
01:37:15
just a a Butchery people were like wow what does this imply you know for your career what
01:37:22
is for your life life for your family for your family's name usri remembers being terrified spending days hold up at
01:37:30
home worried what police would do next pretty sure that they were tapping my phone
01:37:37
calls uh possibly staking me out certainly checking my computer searches but usri knew he hadn't killed
01:37:47
anyone and he wanted answers a local newspaper reporter showed him a copy of the warrant invest instigators used to
01:37:54
obtain his DNA and right there the answer to the question why him dated back about 17 years and I went wow this
01:38:04
is because of my dad the filmmaker's father Michael estri senior participated in a genealogy project at his local
01:38:13
church a sample of his DNA went to that public data base which was later purchased by
01:38:20
ancestry.com and that's where police came across it there are 34 out of 35 LLS that match it seems shocking to me
01:38:32
34 out of 35 DNA markers sounds like a stunningly close match to Angie Dodge's killer but the reasons police honed in
01:38:42
on him instead of any of his other relatives are detailed in the warrant I told you was Mike is the first
01:38:49
name okay remember Chris tap told police police a guy named Mike was involved in
01:38:56
the murder police took to Facebook and found his profile Bingo Facebook showed asri had friends living in the Idaho
01:39:04
Falls area and then there's 's films and then bludgeons her to death with this very
01:39:12
Hammer the more usri read the more Furious he grew that anyone would think he was a killer but even more troubling
01:39:21
was the idea that Angie dodges killer might be someone in his family just knowing that somebody in my
01:39:29
family would possibly do something like that is disturbing I mean to say the least you know
01:39:41
[Music] [Music] Michael usri worried every day he knew that Idaho Falls Police suspected him of
01:40:05
murdering Angie Dodge and the uncertainty of what would happen next kept him up at night until January 13th
01:40:14
2015 more than a month later they sent me an email and it says Michael ushery Jr we just wanted to let you know that
01:40:23
your DNA did not match our crime scene DNA something you already knew in an email from police Michael lri was
01:40:31
officially cleared of the murder of Angie Dodge but he was still thoroughly traumatized you were angry at
01:40:39
ancestry I was angry at everybody the police scientists you know these database companies you know how could
01:40:48
they misfire so bad 48 Hours asked ancestry.com about Us's experience in a statement they said they will not share
01:40:58
any information with law enforcement unless compelled to by a court order or search warrant usry's case they say was
01:41:06
unique and the only time they have received a formal legal request for DNA related
01:41:14
information after what happened to usri ancestry.com told us they took action the public database used by authorities
01:41:22
was made private and can no longer be accessed by the public or police can't control fate and what happens to you so
01:41:31
I just figured that this was there was a reason for this uh happening Michael usri decided he wanted to try and
01:41:40
prevent it from happening to anyone else by making a documentary about his experience he was shocked when Angie
01:41:47
Dodge's mother was willing to talk what he didn't realize is that Carol Dodge had an agenda of her own she's fairly
01:41:55
certain that a killer is in my bloodline I remember Mike and I sitting down and I
01:42:01
says okay Mike here's a piece of paper now I want you to write down from your great-grandfather to your grandfather to
01:42:08
your dad and he did me a genealogy sheet my grandfather he had six other brothers
01:42:14
Carol just wonders hey maybe it's somebody you don't even know maybe it's an illegitimate son of one of your papy's
01:42:22
brothers despite all that Carol Dodge and Michael usri have forged a rather odd close Bond
01:42:31
you're a really special person you are too Carol and after hearing Carol and Angie's Story the focus of Us's
01:42:39
documentary changed dramatically to Carol Dodge's search for her daughter's killer he immersed himself in the case
01:42:48
starting with the man who had confessed Chris tap I times to be stab before you let go that first time usri quickly
01:42:58
learned that Chris tap was now claiming his confession was forced and the Idaho Innocence Project headed by that DNA
01:43:06
expert Greg hampikian was now working to set tap free based on the DNA is there any way that Chris could have been in
01:43:15
that room no not based on the DNA the more Carol Dodge learned about DNA the more she questioned questioned Chris's
01:43:24
confession that he held Angie down while she was being stabbed it wasn't until I
01:43:30
started studying science that I said it's impossible how could Chris admit in doing what he said he did and there be
01:43:41
no physical evidence but it wasn't just the science that bothered Carol Dodge she believed Chris tap's confession was
01:43:50
coerced by the detectives who interrogated him I mean come on man I mean you're the Heat of the Moment she's
01:43:56
putting up the fight do you know you're caught you're right there in the middle I watch it right and it's so frustrating
01:44:03
this was Chris tap when we first met at 40 years old he'd been inmate number 56265 for 20 years you look at that
01:44:14
20-year-old kid you know and you realize God I was just an idiot think hard about
01:44:19
it I know it's I know it's there you know says his confession was a lie a story fed to him by police and then
01:44:28
forced back out of him on tape you can see them specifically pointing out facts to me or or giving little inuendos there
01:44:37
should be the stairs going up okay so you went up these stairs or hints of how the murder went down well it's a porch
01:44:45
that goes outside it all started because Chris tap's friend a man named Ben who also
01:44:52
knew Angie was arrested in Eli Nevada for assaulting a woman at knife point to investigators the crime seemed
01:45:02
similar to the attack on Angie so while Ben was in custody in Nevada investigators brought chrisen for
01:45:11
questioning emphatically I said I had nothing to do with it I don't know what you're talking about I'm going no way
01:45:17
but instead of leaving it at that tap then just 20 years old operated I felt like trust him they're not going to do
01:45:26
anything wrong he doesn't know they can lie to him and most innocent people have
01:45:30
no idea that the interrogators can lie to you first tap was told there was irrefutable evidence that his friend Ben
01:45:39
killed Angie and that tap was there when it happened pretty sure we're we know what
01:45:45
happened and who did what how when where and why tap kept denying all knowledge of the crime did you or scream or
01:45:53
anything like that I wasn't there but detectives persisted and even though he had a lawyer tap kept talking and so
01:46:02
when they offered you a polygraph seemed like a good idea yeah seemed like a great idea I had nothing
01:46:08
to hide no no reason not to do it but tap was told he was being deceptive and detectives promised him
01:46:18
full immunity no jail time in exchange for the truth as long as he hadn't participated in the actual
01:46:25
murder that's when tap says he started telling police what he thought they wanted to hear now are you sure Ben's
01:46:33
there yes you positive yeah yes okay tap told detectives he was there when Ben killed atie Dodge God he told him no
01:46:43
don't do it don't do it yeah okay so did did he have the knife [Music] then yeah but just hours later
01:46:52
detectives learned that Ben did not match the Killer's DNA A desperate Chris tap started changing his story blaming
01:47:01
several other friends for the murder I continue to lie I continue to give them story after story and it they should
01:47:08
have just stopped but they didn't but Chris why didn't you stop I didn't think I could when none of the men he named
01:47:17
match the DNA tap says police still refus to let up after 23 days and seven interrogations Chris tap confessed to
01:47:28
participating in Angie's murder and authorities voided his immunity agreement you're holding her down okay
01:47:36
while she's being cut you're holding her down while she's been cut that's what was the end of it all
01:47:49
that's what brought me to prison authorities have repeatedly dismissed tap's claims of a forc
01:47:55
confession until an astonishing Discovery would change the game you're fine never before seen videotapes of
01:48:05
seven polygraph exams administered to Chris tap tapes that convinced even Carol Dodge that Chris tap is innocent
01:48:14
Chris tap basically just got railroaded Carol Dodge took on a new mission to free the Man convicted of her
01:48:27
daughter's murder and find the killer who left his DNA even if it turned out to be a member of Michael 's family
01:48:42
[Music] [Music] you always got to have a little faith got to have a little hope I haven't
01:49:01
accepted this as my an I can't imagine spending one day in prison let alone 20 plus years Mike heee
01:49:10
is a retired Superior Court Judge who believes so strongly that Chris tap is innocent he's spent the last four years
01:49:18
trying to prove it when you look at the interrogation videos he knows nothing so Chris tap Ben he struggles let it out
01:49:27
for details let it out you're there why cuz he wasn't there hee runs a wrongful conviction project called judges for
01:49:37
justice and took on tap's case after watching the interrogation tapes I wasn't scared I wasn't even down
01:49:45
the stairs I wasn't nowhere around judge hee became convinced that Chris tap had been coerced to changing
01:49:53
his story an astounding six times and knew that something was missing I was concerned he went from one day saying I
01:50:03
wasn't there and the next day you're standing above her like this like her head's right here yeah I'm at the crime
01:50:09
scene and I stabbed her I couldn't see how he made that jump so I went back to look at the polygraph and my jaw just
01:50:15
dropped help to say that I'm nervous in between Chris's nine interrogations detectives said administered seven
01:50:24
polygraph exams all of them were recorded but no one had ever bothered to look at the tapes because polygraphs are
01:50:32
inadmissible in court and the sound is barely audible your polygraphs are typically used to
01:50:40
assess The credibility of the witness when they're done honestly and how was the polygraph used in this case this
01:50:47
case was used to trick Chris tap into giving false testimony our poly experts says it was used like a psychological
01:50:55
rubber hose to get him to implicate himself in the murder of Angie Dodge judge heee says that detectives in
01:51:04
the case broke the rules in the polygraph room and thought no one would ever notice United States Supreme Court
01:51:11
has held that it's improper to threaten you can't threaten because it leads to false confessions they threaten him with
01:51:18
the gas chamber being accessory to murder and being a conspir to murder know accessory that's being charged with just
01:51:27
like the person do they get person they figured no one's going to look at the polygraphs so it'll be
01:51:35
hidden no one will ever see it hee says Chris tap was brainwashed I'm scared you're scared the reason why is cu you
01:51:44
subconsciously remember Chris tap eventually comes to believe that the polygraph is an all- knowing scientific
01:51:51
instrument that can read his subconscious and is telling the machine that he was at the
01:51:59
crime I wouldn't say this [ __ ] you [Music] trapped Chris finally says yes I stabbed
01:52:13
her because Ben threatened me and then Chris said did I do it the police officer walks over says give me your
01:52:20
hand like he passed the PO and that gets Chris tap 30 Years to Life charged with the death penalty ugly
01:52:30
stuff do you remember that moment yeah scared scared that's pretty much the day my life ended but tap never told anyone
01:52:43
about what happened during those polygraph exams I didn't know what they did in the polygraph tapes was wrong I
01:52:50
didn't know if I would have known these things 20 years 15 10 years ago then maybe we wouldn't be here today Idaho
01:53:01
Falls Police deny any wrongdoing and I don't remember seen in their interrogations or polygraph exams do you
01:53:10
think the polygraph was used as a coercive tool I don't know that was the intent I
01:53:20
think the intent is find out the truth over the years the courts have upheld tap's confession as valid and admissible
01:53:28
and not the product of coercive police conduct I don't think they were trying to cause harm it wasn't any malicious
01:53:35
intent I don't think it's hard for me to wrap my head around what the police are
01:53:40
thinking John Thomas is Chris tap's appellate attorney it's okay you made a mistake just say hey I made a mistake we
01:53:48
got the wrong guy let's all rally around and let's get the right guy Mike heee was hoping that the newly
01:53:57
discovered polygraph tapes would be enough for a judge to Grant Chris tap a new trial those polygraph videos now new
01:54:07
evidence they're the wedge to get Chris in front of a judge to see the coercion that went
01:54:13
on I hope he walks out a free man it's not often you hear the mother of a victim say that about the only man
01:54:21
serving time for her daughter's murder [Music] true it was March 2017 and Chris tap was
01:54:41
just two weeks away from two hearings that his lawyer John Thomas hope would set him free we have too much evidence
01:54:49
showing that Chris tab wasn't there have you ever found DNA that matched Chris tap at the scene no but police
01:54:59
chief Mark McBride maintained that given tap's confession the absence of his DNA
01:55:04
at the crime scene proved nothing then in a stunning turn of events the District Attorney's Office wanted to
01:55:13
make a deal tap's murder conviction would stand but the rape conviction would go
01:55:20
away and there would be no Pro probation Chris tap would just take his lumps on his 20 years and and walk walk
01:55:28
a free man Victory tap took the deal that was in 2017 2 years later I've got a full-time job I'm
01:55:42
married I've actually become that productive member of society that I truly thought I could become meanwhile
01:55:48
Carol Dodge never stopped hunting for Angie's kid killer I've done a lot of research on technology and I was bound
01:55:58
determined when I was going to solve my daughter's [Music] case not long after Chris's release
01:56:05
Carol got some help new police chief Bryce Johnson says he already had his sights set on Angie's case I talked to
01:56:14
all the detectives and I kind of told him let's not worry about what's been done over the past 23 years we have one
01:56:20
Mission it's to find out who left left this DNA sampled it wasn't easy but 2 years later
01:56:28
there was news today we are here to share developments in the homicide investigation of Angie Dodge on May 16th
01:56:36
2019 thank you and thank you for being here Chief Johnson told the world they had finally found and arrested the man
01:56:44
who matched the DNA Carol inspired us all to try harder and to do better the thing about Carol is she knew more about
01:56:51
DNA than I knew about DNA what Carol knew is that this woman good afternoon CC Mo and a company called parabon
01:56:59
nanolabs had been making huge strides in solving cold cases using genealogy and public
01:57:07
databases this is our 56th case this year at parabon using genetic genealogy to identify unknown suspects and victims
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Moore and parabon were able to generate an even more complete DNA profile vangie's killer than ever
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before that profile could now be uploaded to a large public DNA database called Jed match a free website that
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allows people to upload their own DNA Profiles In Search of relatives in return if users opt in their data can be
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accessed by law enforcement when we upload that data we get a list of people that share significant amounts of DNA
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with the unknown suspect Moore found a family tree that she was confident contained a killer and it was
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Michael Us's family tree he apparently was a split off of the usri family from something like over
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a hundred years ago so we're talking about right family tree but the branch is way off on the other side way off
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yeah did you know anything about this sort of offshoot of your family no totally
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not now detective Sage Albright and Captain Bill Squires were laser focused on the men in this way off branch of
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Us's family tree it had been Whitted down to a list of persons that I think was around 10 or 11 people that we were
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able to reduce down further just because they weren't in Idaho at the time or they were 3 years old at the time left
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with six possible suspects Detectives had to secretly collect their DNA following them around for days waiting
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for discarded cigarette butts soda cans or plastic straws one guy was a tobacco chewer the detectives came out kind of
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scooped that up we sent it off the lab came back negative it wasn't the person we're looking for then they started
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running out of men and a fear set in the thing we were concerned about is there a
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child out there that nobody knows about right does someone have a baby and it's not in the genealogy record they were
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right and this obituary miraculously LED CC Moore to a missing Usery this woman Helen Darnell had a daughter who was
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once married to an usri after their divorce a son was born under a different last name Brian
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drips when we looked at that name uh we realized we had talked to him in the first days of the investigation he lived
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across the street from Angie I literally said you got to be kidding Brian drips he was right across
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the street that it took me 23 years when they had it in the first 25 pages of the
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investigation the police report indicates that the day of Angie's murder a young police officer who was canvasing
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the neighborhood had briefly questioned a then 31-year-old Brian drips everyone in that neighborhood got got a knock on
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the door drips denied any knowledge of the crime and police never asked for his DNA about 7 weeks after the murder drips
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left Idaho Falls he was living in Idaho about 300 mil away when a cigarette butt
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linked his DNA to the crime and detectives picked him up for questioning it was obviously he was nervous he he
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put on a pretty good game game face but his his hand started to shake for several hours drips denied any
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involvement in Angie's death and then when we told him we have your DNA at the crime scene uh he there was there was a
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noticeable change in his demeanor and eventually he he told us that he had been involved detective Albright says
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trips also reported that he acted alone that meant Chris tap could not have been there to months after drips
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was arrested tap was back in court there's clear convincing evidence the defendant was convicted of a crime for
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which he not connect this time to be fully [Music] exonerated this case is the world's
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first exoneration by way of genealogical DNA testing I'm extremely happy for him I
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hope that he could piece together his life again but usri says he still has doubts about the use
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of genealogy kind of a scary thing to me to think about what this world is going
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to be like um if all of our genetic codes are in a computer database once it's in a computer uh that's almost like
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more permanent than carving something in stone nowadays but I think that we really really need to be uh cautious and
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and and take a step back and look at this technology Carol Dodge disagrees without technology without genealogy
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research uh we would have never found Angie's killer it is the key that opens the door to Justice
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