00:00:09
[Music] our episodes deal with serious and often distressing incidents if you feel at
00:00:17
anytime you need support please contact your local crisis center for suggested phone numbers for confidential support
00:00:23
please see the show notes for this episode on your app or on our website today's episode features a crime
00:00:32
committed against an infant child it won't be suitable for all listeners on July 4th 1956 confetti show at New York
00:00:42
City's Fifth Avenue as soldiers march down the street in celebration of Independence Day people flocked to the
00:00:49
state's beaches and boardwalks settling in to wait for the firework displays planned later in the north baseball
00:00:56
teams the New York Giants and the Brooklyn Dodgers played each other in front of a packed crowd at the Polo
00:01:01
Grounds Stadium in Upper Manhattan radios were blasting a broadcast of a concert in Memphis where Elvis Presley
00:01:08
was performing in front of thousands of adoring fans but the holiday celebrations were far more modest in
00:01:14
Westbury a small suburban village about 30 miles east of Manhattan Westbury was at the time a fairly new
00:01:23
village inland having gone from farmland to a small community in the late 30s when world war ii broke out 20% of
00:01:31
Westbury left to serve the country this was the highest percentage of any comparable community in the United
00:01:36
States after the war with the growth of New York City housing developers set their sights on Long Island and the
00:01:44
Westbury became the perfect area for housing estates aimed at middle-income baby boomers in the ten years between
00:01:50
1950 and 1960 the population doubled going from around 7,000 to 15,000 people then they ran out of land to develop and
00:01:59
the population has stayed about the same ever since for 4th of July celebrations
00:02:06
in Westbury in 1956 families piled in the station wagons and headed to the local park or recreation hall for
00:02:13
communal festivities backyard barbecues and pool parties for common as was the sight of children on push bikes circling
00:02:20
the streets others opted to spend the holiday at home relaxing settling in around their black-and-white televisions
00:02:26
tuned into the local news or their favorite cereals that day 32 year old schoolteacher Betty Weinberger was one
00:02:34
of those who stayed at home Betty lived with her 48 year old husband Boris their two-year-old son Lewis and
00:02:41
their newborn baby Peter the Weinberger family were emblematic of 1950s suburban America they were polite
00:02:48
well respected and proud members of the community they took great pride in their
00:02:54
presentation their home was tidy their lawn was mowed and their clothes were iron
00:03:00
on hot days Betty and Morris would Leon joined her a large beach umbrella in their backyard
00:03:06
as Lewis splashed about in an inflatable kiddie pool they were an unassumingly normal family with the same minor
00:03:13
struggles as others but their life was good they lived on Albemarle Road Westbury Albemarle Road was located in a
00:03:22
suburban block off the heavily traveled Northern State Parkway a multi-lane Road
00:03:26
that cut along the northern half of Long Island and serviced traffic in and out of the small communities along the way
00:03:32
their street was wired lined with cedar and pine trees and featured multiple medium sized family homes phones were on
00:03:40
spacious properties with enough room to give residents privacy lawns were green and well-kept with colorful gardens
00:03:47
surrounded by low hedges it was only a short walk to the main shopping strip of Post Avenue and it was close to Westbury
00:03:55
schools and library making it an ideal street to live for the Weinberger's Betty had only given birth to youngest
00:04:02
son Peter 33 days earlier the blue-eyed sandy haired one month old weighed just knowing peons
00:04:08
he was an affectionate and curious baby and his mother rarely left he saw it [Music]
00:04:15
marwan Booga had left the house earlier that day to take two-year-old Lewis on a
00:04:20
drive around town and Betty remained home with Peter Betty was a naturally maternal woman and she loved being a
00:04:27
mother that day she dressed baby Peter in a yellow on white kimono and matching blue trim to pique yellow cap and a
00:04:34
cloth diaper clipped together with a large safety pin about 3:00 p.m. she carried Peter out to the backyard patio
00:04:41
where she fed him the bottle it was a cool and overcast summer's day so she decided to let Peter have his after
00:04:48
bottle nappy outside amongst the patio furniture was a baby carriage it was pushed against the window that
00:04:55
looked inside into the living area Betty wrapped Peter in a light yellow blanket and placed him into the carriage
00:05:01
once Peter settled Betty pulled a sheet of mosquito netting over the carriage and walked back inside to retrieve a
00:05:07
fresh cloth diaper approximately 10 minutes later Betty looked out the living room window and saw the mosquito
00:05:16
netting on Peters carriage was curled open she immediately went outside to fix it but when she looked into the carriage
00:05:23
her chest tightened and she felt the dizzying sensation of blood draining from her body the carriage was empty
00:05:34
pale and breathless time slow is Betty's mind raced through a variety of illogical explanations
00:05:41
did Peter fall out of the carriage did Morris come home and get Peter while she was inside had she moved Peter elsewhere
00:05:49
and forgotten her numbness turned to terror when she noticed the torn piece of paper on the patio that read
00:05:58
attention I'm sorry this had to happen but I'm in bad need of money and couldn't get it any other way
00:06:04
don't tell anyone who'll go to the police about this because I am watching you closely I'm scared stiff and will
00:06:10
kill the baby at your first wrong move just put two thousand dollars in small bills in a brown envelope and place it
00:06:17
next to the signpost at the corner of Albemarle Road and Park Avenue at exactly ten o'clock tomorrow morning if
00:06:23
everything goes smooth I will bring the baby back and leave him on the same corner safe and happy at exactly 12:00
00:06:29
noon no excuses I can't wait sign your babysitter [Music] detective Edward Curran was scheduled to
00:07:02
take the 4th of July holiday off but he decided to duck into their Nassau County
00:07:06
police precinct to sort through a pilot paperwork anyway with most of his co-workers on holiday the office was
00:07:12
quiet and the day was uneventful it didn't surprise the few officers that were on duty to see Karen at his desk on
00:07:19
his day off Karen was considered a one of a kind a top-shelf detective fully dedicated to his job that afternoon the
00:07:30
precincts received an unusual emergency call distressed parents were reporting their one month old child missing the
00:07:37
baby had been abducted from the back yard of their home in Westbury and the kidnapper had left her a ransom note
00:07:43
even though the kidnapper had instructed the family not to contact the police they still call as they thought it would
00:07:49
be the best way to get their son back when news of the kidnapping reached detective Curran he said quote they got
00:07:57
a baby missing out in Westbury to me that was a logical we had no serious crime how the hell could a baby
00:08:04
been missing in the new suburbia we were a youngest society with young children and only the rich babies were kidnapped
00:08:13
in the suburban village of Westbury the threat of local children being kidnapped
00:08:18
for ransom didn't exist town life in Westbury was harmonious no one was a stranger it attracted everyday families
00:08:26
of moderate income not the sort of families criminals would usually target for a ransom
00:08:32
with little threat from outsiders Westbury residents didn't even bother locking their doors children were free
00:08:39
to wander the streets without adult supervision this sense of community safety allowed mothers like Benny Wong
00:08:45
burger to leave they're napping babies alone on their backyard patios without concern detective Edward current took
00:08:52
the lead of The Wanderer kidnapping investigation his superiors permitted him a team of eight detectives the
00:09:00
Weinberg is one story ranch-style house sat on an angle to a curve to turn on Albemarle Road it featured a steep roof
00:09:07
wine white window shutters a brick facing front and an attached garage when approaching the house Curran noticed
00:09:16
that at a very specific spot on Albemarle Road he could see clean into the Weinberger's fenceless backyard and
00:09:22
from there he could clearly see the patio where Peter had been snatched meeting Betty and Morris Wong burger
00:09:30
didn't give detective Curran any answers as to why they would be targeted for a kidnapping and ransom
00:09:35
neither Betty or Morris were wealthy well-known or influential they lived off Morris's modest income as a pharmacist
00:09:42
as Betty was on maternity leave and they didn't exude affluence at all their property and belongings were humble
00:09:51
memories of previous high-profile kidnapping cases throughout the country flashed through detectives nines
00:09:57
12 year-old Mary Ann Parker was abducted in December 1927 her father was a prominent banker in Los Angeles 20 month
00:10:06
old Charles Lindbergh jr. was taken from his home in March 1932 his father was renowned aviator Charles Lindbergh 22
00:10:15
year old Brookhart was abducted in November 1933 his father was the owner of a department store six year old June
00:10:22
Robles was abducted in April 1934 her father owned an electric company with these high-profile kidnappings in
00:10:31
mind police considered the ordinary Weinberger family an atypical target so they started to consider the grim
00:10:38
possibility that the kidnapping story was a cover maybe the Weinberger's harmed their own
00:10:44
baby and set up a fake kidnapping it seemed unlikely but as Karen questioned the couple his team searched
00:10:52
the home for any signs of foul play they found nothing detective Karen thought Betty looked
00:11:00
like any other ordinary mother she was wearing a long dress in cardigan and her hair was tightly curled into a short
00:11:06
sophisticated style she certainly didn't look like she could have harmed her child as he questioned her she inhaled
00:11:14
one cigarette after another the sticks dangling loose in her shaking hands Karen felt her inability to hold it
00:11:21
together was indicative of her intense care for her baby he was starting to believe the kidnapping was genuine
00:11:27
despite the unusual choice of family that was targeted Morris Weinberger had the stark opposite
00:11:35
reaction to his wife wearing an hi and collared shirt tucked into slacks the lean older man barely spoke and kept his
00:11:42
emotions internalized running his hands across his thin slicked back graying hair Morris had little to say to
00:11:49
detectives his weary glassy eyes indicated a staunch father suffering a lot of internal pain as detectives put
00:11:59
together a profile of the Juan burger family it became clear that the parents were good people who loved their
00:12:04
children detective Curran concluded that the Weinberger's had nothing to hide and
00:12:09
there was a kidnapper at large [Music] Caron inspected the ransom note left on the patio curiously it didn't appear to
00:12:20
be the hasty scribblings of a lowly young educated criminal the handwriting was neat and consistent words were
00:12:27
written in straight lines across the page spelling and grammar were correct the lettering was small except for the
00:12:34
loops of longer letters the kidnapper signed to the notice babysitter but the Weinberger's had never employed a
00:12:41
babysitter to look after their children to Curren the $2,000 ransom was unusually specific $2,000 wasn't a large
00:12:49
sum of money in a kidnapping case in previous cases ransom demands hid five figures and hire Peter Weinberg his
00:12:57
kidnapper claimed they were in bad need of money and it looked like they were only seeking the specific amount they
00:13:03
needed Betty and Morris were under immense pressure to make an incredibly difficult decision how were they going
00:13:11
to respond to the kidnappers demands authorities were reluctant to pay ransoms as it rewarded the kidnappers
00:13:19
and encouraged copycats but the Weinberger's decision was unwavering they would pay the kidnapper
00:13:25
whatever it took to get Peter back home safe due to the fourth of July holiday all the banks were closed but detectives
00:13:34
arranged to have one opened to release money for the ransom the Weinberger's didn't have enough savings to pay the
00:13:41
complete amount so detectives improvised by wrapping wads of paper with banknotes
00:13:45
to give the illusion there was more money than there actually was the serial numbers on the banknotes were recorded
00:13:52
to ensure they could be traced detectives also bugged the Wando his telephone to record incoming calls
00:13:58
as they were getting ready to drop the money Curran realized the rancid note carried flawed instructions it demanded
00:14:06
the money be left at the corner of Albemarle Road and Park Avenue but the kidnapper failed to realize that
00:14:12
Albemarle Road winning a semi-circle and the road intersected with Park Avenue twice at either end of the semicircle
00:14:19
18o section featured a signpost meaning there were two possible drop zones to be
00:14:26
safe detectives prepared to ransom packages one for each possible drop zone [Music]
00:14:34
within the hours of the kidnapping the local media heard whispers of the unusual crime in Westbury and began to
00:14:40
pry around Nassau County police headquarters looking for a scoop Betty and Morris made a private plea to the
00:14:47
five major New York City newspaper publications please hold off printing news of their
00:14:53
son's kidnapping while they are in negotiations with the kidnapper they feared if the media announced news of
00:14:59
the crime and may scare the kidnapper and put their son in danger police supported Betty and Morris and
00:15:04
request that a one-day news blackout on the crime the media outlets agreed to comply
00:15:13
as the July 4th evening newspapers appeared on stands and doorsteps Betty and Morris one bogus settled in for a
00:15:20
long emotional night without their baby the media outlets honored the request to
00:15:25
keep Musa pitas kidnapping out of the papers except one the New York Daily News evening edition newspaper took
00:15:34
advantage of their competitors silence and featured a front-page story on Peter Weinberger's kidnapping in an act that
00:15:41
had the potential to sabotage the ransom drop and the police operation scheduled
00:15:45
the following morning the article detailed the kidnappers ransom demands and revealed the involvement of police
00:15:51
in the case Betty and Morris Weinberg awoke from a restless night to morning newspapers featuring bold front page
00:15:59
headlines detailing Peters kidnapping the article in the evening edition of the New York Daily News had opened the
00:16:06
media floodgates the following morning every other media outlet released a story as well they didn't want to miss
00:16:13
out on the huge sales the kidnapping story it would provide reporters swarmed the front lawn of the
00:16:20
Weinberger family home detectives were trying to prepare for the ransom drop but were bombarded by interfering media
00:16:26
whose presence jeopardized the entire operation extra police were called in to try and disperse the media before the
00:16:33
kidnapper arrived to collect the ransom at 9:55 a.m. Betty and Morris dropped a ransom package at each of the two
00:16:42
possible drop locations the packages were placed against the street signposts as ordered by the kidnapper they then
00:16:50
returned home to await the outcome what police staked out at each location there
00:16:56
were few places to hide along the Albemarle Road the wired road and open front lawns lacked decent cover making
00:17:03
it difficult for police to maintain discreet surveillance of the drop locations to any keen and watchful eye
00:17:09
their presence would have been noticeable 10:00 a.m. arrived and there was no sign of the kidnapper 10 minutes
00:17:18
slowly tick by with nothing then a taxi carrying a female passenger circled the street multiple times passing the
00:17:26
Weinberger house three times before driving away a red station wagon with a female driver then pulled up at one of
00:17:33
the drop locations but drove away moments later police didn't follow either the taxi or the red station wagon
00:17:40
they didn't want to blow their cover as time passed no one appeared to claim me the ransom package the drop had
00:17:49
failed the kidnapper was a no-show [Music] reporters flanked the weinberger home
00:17:57
Betty emerged surrounded by a police escort emotionally volatile Betty blamed the media for sabotaging the ransom drop
00:18:05
I could cuddle your throat she yelled between gut-wrenching sobs the Weinberger's were taken to Nassau County
00:18:13
Police Headquarters Peters kidnapping was now making national news and was thrusting the quiet town into the media
00:18:21
spotlight Westbury locals were struck by a fear they never knew doors were locked
00:18:27
and children were kept inside all the while Betty and Morris battled with the uncertain fate of their baby boy in the
00:18:34
hands of a kidnapper who no longer trusted them at 2:00 p.m. that afternoon police hold a press conference
00:18:41
since the media had preemptively exposed their investigation police decided to be
00:18:46
up front the family is awaiting further instructions they told the media we have
00:18:52
made no progress at all we've had several vague leads but all have gone nowhere betty was near-collapse she was seated
00:19:02
on a bench as the media crowded her she held a written statement in shaking hands and spoke in a low unsteady voice
00:19:10
quote I am the mother of Peter Weinberger who was taken from me yesterday whoever you are I now plead
00:19:18
for the return of my baby who needs the care of his mother I assume you are desperately in need of
00:19:23
money and I am willing to cooperate in any way I can to get my baby back most of all liar Betty broke down sobbing she
00:19:34
dropped her a written statement and then spoke candidly off-script directly to Peter's kidnapper
00:19:40
please please please call anyone leave a note anywhere I shall see that you get what you want
00:19:47
Betty then fainted and was gently carried away by family detective Curran picked up Betty's written statement
00:19:56
stood before the media and finished it on her behalf quote most of all I am concerned for the
00:20:04
well-being of my son who is in need of a special feeding which I will now give you
00:20:10
Karin read out the ingredients of a special baby formula PETA required 17 ounces of sterile water one and a half
00:20:19
level tablespoons of sugar and one 13 ounce can of evaporated milk this was to be divided into feedings of five ounces
00:20:26
each and given six times a day at intervals of four hours Peter was also in need of vitamin b12
00:20:32
and five drops of doze X Karin explained that Peter needed the special formula to survive and the
00:20:40
recipe required a pharmacist knowledge the media in public were unaware that the recipe was completely fabricated by
00:20:49
police Peter didn't require a special formula at all police concocted the recipe hoping it
00:20:56
would compel the kidnapper to visit a pharmacy if the pharmacist recognized the very specific formula requests they
00:21:02
could tip off detectives the following day a heavyset man walked into a pharmacy in Stamford Connecticut about
00:21:13
40 miles away from Westbury the man inquired about two of the ingredients listed in Peters phoney baby formula
00:21:19
vitamin b12 and doze X the pharmacist didn't have the items available so the man quickly left when police were
00:21:28
informed the unknown man was long gone and never identified in the meantime police started a thorough search for
00:21:38
Peter in Westbury despite believing with utmost certainty that their son was still alive Betty and Morris felt
00:21:45
increasingly anxious as more than 100 police officers canvassed the streets around their home peed down drains
00:21:51
lifted manhole covers ripped apart bushes and sifted through piles of soft dirt the wooden have quelled Betty and
00:21:59
Morris's anxiety when the media spun the police search as proof law enforcement assumed Peter was dead this was
00:22:06
incorrect it was simply a step police had to take they didn't mean Noah treating it as a homicide to Betty and
00:22:13
Morris's relief no sign of Peter was found the media continued to stalk the family their front yard was full of
00:22:22
reporters and photographers who bombarded them with intrusive and insensitive questions whenever they
00:22:27
appeared police canvassed the Albemarle Road to see if any residents noticed anyone suspicious in the area on July
00:22:34
4th two young boys came forward who were walking down Albemarle Road on their way
00:22:39
to play baseball that afternoon they saw a bushy head shabbily dressed me in reading a newspaper in a green car
00:22:45
parked near the wand ogre home the boys were able to identify the green car as a Chrysler Plymouth no one in the
00:22:53
street owned a car that matched that description detectives noted this as their first
00:22:58
major clue beyond the ransom note three days passed with no new compelling leads
00:23:05
and concern grew for Peters well-being the longer Peter was gone the less likely his basic needs such as feeding
00:23:12
cleaning and sleeping were being met if the kidnapper chose Peter because he was
00:23:17
an easy target to snatch they might not have considered the newborn baby would also be a difficult hostage to tend to
00:23:23
so with each new day came an increased sense of urgency determined to crack the case detective Curran worked day and
00:23:33
night he didn't even go home he slept on a cot at police headquarters Betty and Morris called another press conference
00:23:41
it was held in the back yard of their home Betty was dry eyed and emotionally exhausted Morris stood silently beside
00:23:49
her covered in a thick blanket behind them was the courage Peter had been snatched from Betty said once again in
00:23:58
desperation we appeal to you who have our baby we beg you to let us have word is the baby will please take care of him
00:24:06
he needs attention so much we don't want any revenge we want our baby please please use the church or clergyman to
00:24:15
make contact with us drop a note in the collection box the clergy men are all committed to us not to turn over the
00:24:22
information to police the police have given their word they won't interfere tomorrow is Sunday and the churches all
00:24:29
over the city will be open New York churches and synagogues supported the Weinberger's by keeping
00:24:38
their doors open all day and all night however the kidnapper didn't show up days later a telephone operator in New
00:24:46
York received a call the male caller said the kidnap baby will be left in the 168 Street subway station he then hung
00:24:56
up police swooped on the station in Washington Heights witnesses at the station described seeing a man in a
00:25:03
light grey suit carrying a package police searched for the man in gray but concluded the call was a hoax and the
00:25:10
meaning great was not related to the kidnapping this was the start of a spate of hoax calls and letters that bombarded
00:25:18
the Weinberger's Betty and Morris received over 10 prank calls a day the calls came from as far away as Chicago
00:25:25
and Michigan callers claimed to be pitas kidnapper and attempted to take advantage of the desperate mother and
00:25:31
father during one call Betty was instructed to take the ransom money to a movie theater in Queens
00:25:38
police were worried that it was another hoax but Betty was determined she was going to attend the job with or without
00:25:45
them so 30 undercover police officers went to the theater and took seats throughout to keep an eye on the
00:25:51
exchange Betty arrived at the theater with the ransom payment in her purse she took a
00:25:57
seat alone in the second-last row within minutes I mean sprinted at her snatched
00:26:03
her purse and attempted to escape all 30 undercover police left from their seats
00:26:08
and jumped on the men but they later discovered he was nothing more than an opportunistic petty criminal totally
00:26:15
unrelated to the kidnapping into the phone call he targeted Betty not knowing who she was but because she was alone in
00:26:22
the theater and he thought she was an easy target for a robbery the initial caller who orchestrated the
00:26:29
theater ransom job wasn't heard from again at 10:45 a.m. on July 10th six days after Peter was taken the telephone in
00:26:41
the Weinberger house rang once more Morris answered and a male voice instructed him to place ransom money in
00:26:47
a mailbox off exit 26 on the Northern State Parkway Morris followed through with the mailbox drop but no one arrived
00:26:55
to collect the money police put the core down to yet another hoax but later that
00:27:01
same afternoon the Weinberger's telephone rang again betty answered this time as police secretly listened in and
00:27:08
recorded the conversation the male caller said listen do you want to see a kid or don't you who is this Betty asked
00:27:18
well it's the party you would be interested in I called up earlier and I don't know who answered I made an
00:27:25
appointment and nobody showed up but he said he made an appointment with my husband what did you ask him to do go
00:27:34
over to exit 26 the caller responded yes we kept that appointment my husband went
00:27:41
no nobody was there I was there for over an hour well near on exit 28 if you want right
00:27:49
by the sign I'll be there in at most the half-hour you'll find a blue bag there put the money in and take the note and
00:27:56
it'll tell you where you'll find the baby in any hour's time although the possibility of this being another hoax
00:28:03
crossed the tech t'v currents mind he dressed several police officers in ragged clothing and sent them to exit 28
00:28:10
they would pretend to be workers picking up rubbish along the Parkway whilst maintaining a visual on the drop site to
00:28:17
their surprise there was a large blue duffel bag resting by the base of the exit twenty-eight sign just like the
00:28:23
caller had said there would be the undercover police lined the Parkway as Betty and Morris approached the bag with
00:28:30
the ransom package inside the bag was a handwritten note Betty and Morris collected the note and placed the ransom
00:28:38
money in the bag before driving away undercover police kept a close eye on the bag for an extended period of time
00:28:45
but no one showed up to take the money police retrieved to the bag and abandoned of the operation
00:28:53
however the drop wasn't the futile hopes police had suspected to their surprise the note Betty and Morris retrieved from
00:29:00
the bag featured the exact same handwriting as the ransom note left on their patio finally after six long days
00:29:08
pitas kidnapper was communicating even though the kidnapper had made no previous attempt to retrieve the ransom
00:29:17
packages this new note demanded a larger sum of $5,000 the instructions were for
00:29:23
the money to be left underneath a pile of old car seat covers further down the Northern State Parkway
00:29:28
the note ended with quote if everything goes smooth the baby will be left wrapped in an army blanket and placed at
00:29:36
the exit of the parkway closest to your house in exactly one hour signed your babysitter Betty and Morris
00:29:46
found the pile of car seat covers and placed the five thousand dollar ransom underneath them as the kidnapper had
00:29:51
instructed but again to the detectives frustration that was ignored the kidnapper didn't show up to collect the
00:29:59
money so police grabbed to the car seat covers and left police felt the kidnapper was playing with them but for
00:30:06
what purpose they couldn't determine Polk was starting to fade amongst everyone that Peter would be found safe
00:30:13
everyone except his parents Betty and Morris firmly believed Peter was still alive
00:30:27
during the 1950's the FBI only got involved in kidnapping cases after one week they could act earlier if the
00:30:34
victim was taken across state lines but there was no evidence of that in this case so the FBI didn't become involved
00:30:40
until July 11th exactly one week after Peters kidnapping 55 FBI agents from the New York office
00:30:48
swarmed to Nassau County professional jealousy and personal pride created an immediate rift between local detectives
00:30:55
and FBI agents the FBI's arrival signified the inability of local detectives to solve the case and they
00:31:02
weren't eager to hand over their investigation to dispel the tension between the two groups detective Curran
00:31:09
asked his superiors to match the FBI's presence with an equal number of local officers this would help Nassau County
00:31:16
Police feel like that was still an integral part of the investigation Curran was given the additional
00:31:22
personnel which enabled each FBI agent to be teamed up with a local officer this eased the tension and the extra
00:31:29
manpower provided a much-needed boost to the failing investigation the to ransom notes written by the
00:31:35
kidnapper were the biggest leads they had so they were analyzed by handwriting experts from the FBI their analysis
00:31:43
showed that 16 letters in the kidnappers handwriting had what were considered distinctive characteristics these were
00:31:49
habitual or unavoidable patterns in the style of writing that were unique to the
00:31:53
author most notably the kidnapper had a very unusual way of angling the letter M
00:31:58
which made it look like it was the letters ed the handwriting experts created what they called the happy
00:32:05
birthday letter it was a scripted birthday greeting that used every letter of the alphabet when people were under
00:32:11
suspicion by investigators they were asked to rewrite the happy birthday letter their writing sample was then
00:32:17
compared to the ransom notes dozens of happy birthday letters were written by potential suspects including
00:32:24
close friends and relatives of the Weinberger's but there was no match copies of the kidnappers handwriting
00:32:31
were distributed to law enforcement agencies across the country detectives worked around the clock for weeks
00:32:37
cross-checking the kidnappers handwriting to large volumes of court documents driver's license registrations
00:32:43
voting registrations tax records and probation files while this was happening technicians inspected the car seat
00:32:52
covers retrieved from the most recent ransom drop site from the wear and indentations on the fabric they were
00:32:58
able to determine that the car seat covers were frequently used by someone weighing approximately 160 pounds they
00:33:05
also established the brand of vehicle the seat covers came from an early 1950s Chrysler Plymouth the same car that
00:33:12
witnesses saw parked near the Weinberger home on the afternoon of the kidnapping
00:33:20
on August 22nd almost seven weeks after the kidnapping a probation officer based
00:33:25
in Brooklyn arrived at Nassau County Police Headquarters he carried a pile of documents
00:33:30
pertaining to a man who lived in plain view a suburb less than six miles away from Westbury the Plainview man had
00:33:37
recently completed a year of probation for bootlegging in Suffolk County the probation officer had been sent the
00:33:44
information regarding the kidnappers handwriting and as he read through his monthly probation reports he kept the
00:33:50
sample close by in case he noticed a match while reading a report he came across the signature of a man on
00:33:57
probation named Angelo Lusaka but the probation officer examined the signature more closely and realized he had misread
00:34:04
the surname what he first interpreted as the letter Z was actually an M written on a sloping angle it was a distinct
00:34:12
writing characteristic associated with Peters kidnapper the men's name was actually Angelo
00:34:18
LaMarca FBI handwriting experts compared Angelo LaMarca handwriting on his probation
00:34:25
documentation compared his ransom notes they spotted several more substantial similarities
00:34:33
when they did a background check on Angelo LaMarca they discovered he owned a green 1951 Chrysler Plymouth the same
00:34:40
vehicle witnessed neither weinberger home around the time of the kidnapping previous police reports on LaMarca had
00:34:47
him weighing 160 pounds the exact weight which correlated to the wear of the seat
00:34:52
covers recovered from the final unsuccessful ransom drop that was enough for detective Curran in
00:34:59
the early hours of August 23rd 51 days after Peters kidnapping police took up positions surrounding lemarcus home and
00:35:07
the properties belonging to his known relatives detective Curran screamed go over the radio and police stormed each
00:35:15
of the properties simultaneously [Music] it was 2 a.m. when 8 detectives rushed into the LaMarca family home on
00:35:26
Richfield street in Plainview Angelo LaMarca was inside his quaint house with his wife Donna
00:35:32
the couple had the night to themselves as lemarcus parents were babysitting his two young children LaMarca didn't put up
00:35:40
a fight the scrawny man was half asleep his eyelids were heavy his dark hair was
00:35:45
unkempt and his lower face was shady with stubble police kicked open doors and searched closets and cupboards
00:35:52
inside the house but they found a no sign of Peter LaMarca denied any involvement in the crime with a suspect
00:36:03
in custody the cooperation between nasa county police and the FBI broke down the
00:36:09
FBI took lamarka away without notifying Nassau County they took him straight to their FBI headquarters on Manhattan's
00:36:15
East Side detective Curran stormed into the FBI office and demanded custody of LaMarca he said the FBI couldn't lay
00:36:24
claim to him because there was no indication he had violated federal law the FBI relented and permitted current
00:36:31
to lead the questioning of lamarka as FBI agents watched through two-way glass detective Curran entered the
00:36:38
interrogation room currently introduced himself and attempted to establish a connection to
00:36:45
lamarka but divulging that they grew up in the same area and that the detective actually lived on the same street as
00:36:51
LaMarcus parents he told him he was the only friend he had and encouraged him to
00:36:56
start talking but LaMarca continued to deny involvement he paid his kidnapping so detective Curran brought lemarcus
00:37:04
wife Donna into the interrogation room she was distraught and said Angelo did you kidnap this child think of that
00:37:12
baby's mother Angelo if you did this and all as the mother would want to know where he is
00:37:18
LaMarca barked at the detective to get his wife here current thought that LaMarcus agitated voice sounded very
00:37:25
familiar current through a copy of LaMarcus probation report that contained his handwriting under the table he then
00:37:31
placed a copy of the ransom notes next to it the similarities in the handwriting were undeniable LaMarca
00:37:39
remained silent for a long time he then nodded and admitted that he wrote the ransom notes he explained he wrote them
00:37:49
along with several others in jest for friends afterwards he threw them in a wastebasket he said that someone must
00:37:56
have taken them out of the wastebasket and used them in pitas kidnapping the explanation was far-fetched the best but
00:38:03
LaMarcus stood by it so detective current considered his next play Karin had recognized LaMarcus distinct
00:38:11
voice the moment he heard the man snap at his wife so he asked for a reel-to-reel tape recorder to be brought
00:38:16
into the room Curran played the recorded telephone calls the kidnapper had made to the Weinberger's when LaMarca heard
00:38:24
his voice on the recordings he crumbled and started the talk 31 year old Angelo LaMarca swage of $1 80 Pereira was
00:38:37
barely enough to provide for his young family the LaMarcus were struggling to pay off
00:38:42
their 116 dollar monthly mortgage as well as several other debts including $900 on a freezer $500 for the storm
00:38:50
windows on their home and $400 owed to a loan shark unpayable bills swamped the couple and the loan shark was
00:38:58
threatening the family when the marker wanted to take his wife Donna out for dinner in a movie to celebrate their
00:39:05
10th wedding anniversary on June 9th 1956 Donna protested she felt they couldn't afford it
00:39:12
this led to their first heated argument about money by the end of the night Donna noticed the change in her husband
00:39:19
from that moment on Angelo lost sight of himself and was constantly nervous and prone to arguments he would regularly
00:39:26
yell at their two children something he rarely did before he stopped communicating with Donna and it seemed
00:39:32
like his mind was constantly elsewhere Donna lamarka quote he didn't sleep very well he would get up at night and walk
00:39:42
around go downstairs then he would come up and try to sleep again then get up and go downstairs again I know he needed
00:39:50
a haircut badly he used to pull his hair and his fists against the table finally Angelo LaMarca fell into a long
00:39:59
bout of what Donna described as a sullen mood LaMarca was desperate for quick money to protect his family seemingly
00:40:07
out of his mind and incapable of understanding the consequences of such actions he devised
00:40:12
the plan to kidnap a baby for ransom but only for the $2,000 he needed to get out
00:40:17
of his immediate debts he didn't want the police to get involved as he intended to return the child back to his
00:40:23
family once his ransom demands were met on the day of July 4th 1956 lamarka drove the residential streets of
00:40:31
Westbury in his Chrysler Plymouth looking for a target when cruising down Albemarle Road he glimpsed Betty
00:40:38
Weinberger on the patio in her back yard feeding a newborn baby he pulled over in
00:40:43
a spot that allowed him to inconspicuously observe the mother and son when Betty placed Peter in the
00:40:48
carriage and went inside lamarka was watching he tore a piece of paper from a notebook and scrawled the
00:40:55
ransom note on it within the ten minutes Betty was inside the house lemarcus snatch Peter from the patio left the
00:41:01
note and drove away what lamarka did with Peter directly after the kidnapping is unclear he
00:41:10
claimed he didn't take Peter back to his own home and when police questioned his
00:41:13
wife Donna they absolved her of any involvement LaMarca said he had an accomplice who
00:41:19
kept the baby overnight and fed it he named the accomplice but then recanted and confessed he just
00:41:26
named an acquaintance he didn't like to cause the man grief he then provided another name for his accomplice shorty
00:41:33
but he couldn't provide any further details about shorty and police couldn't find a match detective Karen firmly
00:41:40
believed lamarka was lying about having an accomplice he was making up the story
00:41:45
as a means to deflect responsibility away from himself nevertheless LaMarca continued to shape
00:41:52
his version of events around this unknown accomplice on the morning of July 5th the day of the first ransom
00:42:00
drop lamarka claimed he waited at exit 31 of the Northern State Parkway about two miles away from the Wando kohonen he
00:42:09
said surely drove Peter to Albemarle Road to pick up the ransom while he waited at exit 31 Shirley returned at
00:42:16
10:15 a.m. and lamarka was surprised to see Peter was still in the car shorty said he abandoned to the ransom because
00:42:23
there were too many police and reporters around the drop zone LaMarcus spoke with
00:42:28
shorty for about 15 minutes and then drove to a diner to continue their conversation leaving Peter in the car
00:42:34
the men decided they didn't want to go through with the kidnapping Claude any further and contemplated leaving Peter
00:42:40
at a nearby church but then changed their minds LaMarca ended his statement with the following quote the baby was
00:42:50
left on July 5th 1956 still alive in the bushes by exit 37 on Northern State Parkway at about 11:40 a.m. detectives
00:43:02
weren't buying lemarcus story about shorty the accomplice they believed the evidence suggested
00:43:07
lamarka acted alone but they checked out his story about leaving Peter and exit 37
00:43:15
it was nearing 7:00 p.m. on August 23rd when the marker was taken to exit 37 by detectives he pointed to a small dirt
00:43:23
track leading off the service road that curved into a goldenrod meadow the meadow was a tangle of vines and
00:43:29
shrubbery shadowed by tall wild cherry and scrub oak trees LaMarcus said it was to the right where
00:43:36
the baby was left police marched arms-length from each other but the bushland was so dense they couldn't see
00:43:45
anything under the tall growth of overgrown scrub the search had to be temporarily abandoned at 8:30 p.m. when
00:43:52
the darkness of night blanketed the area early the following day August 24th 60 local detectives and FBI agents came
00:44:01
together on a nun seasonably cold morning to trudge through the thick bush land to search for Peter hours passed
00:44:08
with no find one detective who felt the underbrush was too thick the scene - from a standing position got on his
00:44:17
hands and knees and started crawling he tore at an overgrown honeysuckle and he noticed the glimmer of a metallic object
00:44:24
when he what the dirt away from the item he identified it as a large safety pin it was closed and not yet rusted Betty
00:44:34
and Morris Weinberger were informed of the arrest of Angelo LaMarca surrounded by handful of supportive friends and
00:44:40
family they waited a home for updates as Angelo wasn't initially charged with murder they held out hope Peter would be
00:44:48
found alive Betty stated there's no question in my mind that my baby is still alive
00:44:57
the detective who found the safety pin kept searching if he had pieces of faded yellow decomposed cloth then beyond the
00:45:05
cloth he found the skeletal remains of an infant child Betty and Morris received word only five minutes later
00:45:17
one relative said there was a profound silence and Betty and Morris looked at each other
00:45:23
there was little any of us could say their reaction was very very severe Betty was asked to identify the items
00:45:33
that were discovered around the infant's remains the large safety pin confirmed nothing there was a standard diaper pin
00:45:40
used by many parents it wasn't until Betty was shown the second item that she broke down the decomposed cloth found by
00:45:49
the remains was from an infant's kimono and hat originally a bright yellow and white color Betty loved the way the
00:45:57
color yellow complemented her baby's bright personality medical examiner's confirmed Peter had been placed beneath
00:46:06
the honeysuckle bush approximately fifty days of earlier this match lemarcus confession that he abandoned Peter the
00:46:12
day after he kidnapped him the cause of death couldn't be confirmed science showed Peter could have died from either
00:46:18
asphyxia starvation exposure or a mixture of all of those things the definitive time of death could not
00:46:25
be determined Angelo LaMarca was charged with kidnapping and first-degree murder
00:46:32
at the time the federal kidnapping Act made the death penalty mandatory for convicted kidnappers who physically
00:46:39
harmed their victims the indictment stated the defendant honor about the fourth day of July 1956 willfully and
00:46:48
feloniously did take carry away entertain one Peter Wong burger with intent to keep and conceal sent Peter
00:46:56
Weinberger from his parents and to extort and obtain money and reward for the return and disposition of said Peter
00:47:02
Wong burger whilst then and there engaged in the commission of a felony did it kill said a Peter Wong burger
00:47:09
[Music] the marker applied to have the trial heard outside of New York on the basis
00:47:16
that the crime was so widely publicized popular opinion of him was biased the saturation coverage on television radio
00:47:23
and newspapers had already resulted in people forming the opinion that he was guilty meaning it would be impossible
00:47:29
for him to get a fair trial but his application was denied the trial commenced on November 5th 1956 lamarka
00:47:39
pled not guilty by reason of insanity the defense argued that LaMarcus spiraled into a deep depression spurred
00:47:46
on by overwhelming and increasing debt in a moment of temporary insanity that diseased his otherwise sane mind he
00:47:54
devised the kidnapping plot to get out of a hopeless and desperate situation that threatened to the livelihood of his
00:47:59
family in his unstable mindset LaMarcus kidnapping plot seemed like a viable solution to his problems he was so
00:48:08
detached from reality he was unable to perceive right from wrong the defense also argued that he was not technically
00:48:18
a murderer LaMarca had no intention to harm Peter he intended to return him to his parents but was forced to act
00:48:25
otherwise when he discovered the media presence in and around the proposed drop site the defense asked the jury for
00:48:33
mercy as lamarka was himself the father of a nine-year-old boy and a six-year-old girl
00:48:38
the district attorney responded what mercy was shown baby Peter when he was left in the woods on December 7th 1956
00:48:49
the jury found Angelo LaMarca guilty on both counts he was sentenced to death by electric chair when the
00:48:58
sentence was read in court LaMarcus legs buckled and he needed others to support him to stay standing
00:49:03
his wife fainted the district attorney said quote this man lamarka has passed that sentence on himself literally and
00:49:14
actually with the life of that little child in the palm of his hand he determined his own fate when he said to
00:49:20
himself shall that baby live or shall that baby die his hands closed and he chose death when that baby's life
00:49:28
expired lemarcus life expired too after the trial betty and morris warren burger
00:49:37
completely sealed themselves away from the publicity they denounced the mainstream media for interfering and
00:49:42
sabotaging the investigation during its initial stages and for the immoral and heartless way they pursued and
00:49:48
publicized the story the parents traumatic experience raised questions about the ethical obligations of the
00:49:55
media in this particular case they were more interested in selling newspapers than protecting the integrity of a
00:50:01
delicate investigation their abrasive aggressiveness in seeking new information and scoops was done with no
00:50:07
sensitivity to the victims in response the New York public became critical of the media in question if they had
00:50:14
succeeded in murdering an infant Peter's quiet and private funeral was held on September 10th 1956
00:50:23
two months and five days after being kidnapped for the first time since his kidnapping the media honored the
00:50:29
Weinberger's pleased to stay away and give them privacy the Weinberger's later moved and lived the remainder of their
00:50:37
lives in relative obscurity they eventually had another son together the crime changed the village of Westbury
00:50:46
and had a profound effect on other small suburban communities throughout America
00:50:50
nothing like it had ever happened before the assumed sense of communal security was lost forever until America's
00:50:57
conviction didn't relate this sense of fear America's families weren't safe not even in their own backyards years later
00:51:07
a reporter for a Long Island newspaper tracked down an elderly 79 year old Morris Weinberger the reporter asked
00:51:14
Morris if he still thought about the kidnapping Morris replied no he felt no sense in doing so after the death of his
00:51:23
son he had continued to live life as it came along as a direct result of Peters case
00:51:30
Congress changed the law that required seven days to pass before the FBI could enter a kidnapping investigation today
00:51:37
the FBI can get involved within 24 hours of the crime Angelo LaMarca was incarcerated on death
00:51:46
row in New York Sing Sing prison he became severely depressed the prospect of facing the electric chair or what his
00:51:54
fellow inmates called old Sparky consumed his every thought as a distraction he did something he had
00:52:00
never done before he began sketching art and writing poetry the creative outlet gave him peace he wrote a poem called a
00:52:09
love stronger than steel I am trapped in a web of cold iron and steel for something I did when my mind
00:52:18
wasn't right for 18 months lamarka appealed his death sentence on the basis that his trial was unfair vanya some low
00:52:28
to middle income members of the public came to view LaMarca with sympathy they felt that he was not an evil predatory
00:52:34
monster who enjoyed murdering children the suffering that led to his desperate Act was relatable many local families
00:52:42
understood what it was like to be destitute and hopeless they donated money food clothing and toys to lemarcus
00:52:49
wife and children they didn't want their children to suffer for the sins of their
00:52:53
father ultimately Angelo LaMarca sixth and final appeal failed and his execution was ordered to take place on
00:53:02
August 7th 1958 the day of his execution LaMarca was met by his young children he told them to do
00:53:12
well in school and to look after their mother when his play first day of execution was rejected a Catholic
00:53:19
chaplain in to be Sol and the two prayed quietly LaMarca was then led down the corridor to the execution chamber his
00:53:27
whimpers echoed down the hall detective Edward Curran was sitting in the glass tin audience section of the execution
00:53:34
chamber he didn't particularly want to be there but Betty Wong burger had asked him to attempt so he felt compelled to
00:53:41
do so it wasn't in the Weinberg his interest to personally watch la marca door they never sought revenge they just
00:53:50
wanted their baby back for Karen this was the final chapter of a long painful story but as the heavy
00:53:59
door opened and lamarka was marched into the room where he would soon die current
00:54:05
felt nothing lamarka was dressed in a white shirt dark grey trousers and black loafers
00:54:12
when he saw her old Sparky he turned to the chaplain who offered him a crucifix to kiss six guards a isla marker into
00:54:20
the electric chair his limbs were strapped down tight a heavy leather mask was placed over his head to cover his
00:54:27
eyes and mouth before it was tightened he said his final words what are you trying to do choke me to thousand volts
00:54:39
of electricity shot through his body via the electrodes strapped to his head and
00:54:42
lakes within seconds he was unconscious when the electricity was turned off lemarcus mast-heads slump board a
00:54:52
physician pressed the stethoscope to his chest and said this man is dead [Music]
00:55:14
you