00:00:01
ever imagined what it might be like to fake your own death and start all over again you wouldn't be
00:00:07
the first there's a name for it suicide that's also the name of a new spotify exclusive podcast from case file
00:00:16
presents in this series shadowy russian operatives threaten the life of a dissident a
00:00:23
blood-soaked car is found abandoned by a curbside and a bomb explodes in a quiet sydney
00:00:29
suburb a prankster clashes with conspiracy theorist alex jones a forbidden love results in an
00:00:38
escape to the other side of the world and revenge inspires secrets and lies nothing is quite as it seems
00:00:48
all episodes of suicide are available to binge right now for free only on spotify
00:00:55
that's suicide spelled p-s-e-u-d-o-c-i-d-e [Music] 2021 has been a pretty tough year all
00:01:09
round if you're anything like me going for a walk or a run outside can really clear your head and
00:01:15
give you a bit more energy now that the weather is warming up for our listeners in the northern hemisphere
00:01:22
it's a great time to get outside and soak up the sunshine of course a little cold weather won't
00:01:28
stop me from getting outdoors either and now thanks to all birds i've found a pair of shoes
00:01:33
perfect to wear all day and even out for a run i've ordered myself a pair of all birds
00:01:40
men's tree runners sneakers in jet black with white sole all birds have been dedicated to reducing
00:01:47
environmental impact since day one and that's what i love about them all their shoes
00:01:53
are made using sustainable practices and a carbon neutral i can't wait for my pair to arrive they
00:02:00
look super comfortable and i'm looking forward to having a light pair of everyday sneakers to wear
00:02:06
that look great this spring keep things light and breezy with the all birds tree runner
00:02:13
discover your perfect pair at allbirds.com today that's r a-l-l-b-i-r-d s dot com
00:02:39
our episodes deal with serious and often distressing incidents if you feel at any time you need support
00:02:44
please contact your local crisis center for suggested phone numbers for confidential support please see the show
00:02:50
notes for this episode on your app or on our website for newlyweds gail and rick brink
00:03:04
finding a dream home where they could settle down and start a family was at the top of their agenda the
00:03:10
couple met at work in 1984 when gail was 19 years old and rick was 25. with her long
00:03:18
wavy dark hair and athletic figure gail immediately caught rick's attention he knew right away that gail was the one
00:03:26
and told his mother later that day i just met the woman i'm going to marry before long the pair were an item and
00:03:35
were planning their wedding on april 25 1986 the day after gale's 21st birthday they were married in a simple
00:03:44
church service in front of their closest friends and family gail wore an elegant white dress with a
00:03:50
flared skirt and spaghetti straps while rick wore a bright blue suit jacket and matching bow tie
00:03:59
the reception took place at a lakefront country club where guests danced all night long after it was over
00:04:06
the bride and groom departed for their honeymoon a romantic cruise where they would be able to spend lots of time on
00:04:13
the beach soaking up sunshine after gail and rick returned to their hometown of holland michigan
00:04:21
they turned to their attention to buying a house one eventually caught their eye located
00:04:28
on the outskirts of town it was a small weatherboard ranch house that sat on 20 acres of land there was no doubt
00:04:36
the property had seen better days inside cabinets were falling off their hinges paint was peeling and the rooms were in
00:04:45
desperate need of an upgrade but it had great potential and rick was confident he could turn it into their
00:04:52
dream home his job involved training carpenters at a furniture company and he was a
00:04:58
talented handyman with some help from his father rick negotiated a deal and was able to buy the house and land
00:05:06
for a steal after moving into the property in october 1987 the newlyweds set about transforming it
00:05:16
they went through the house room by room scrubbing them from floor to ceiling making repairs and repainting the walls
00:05:25
rick documented their progress with the camcorder he chatted about the house as he filmed
00:05:30
each room and checked in on gail who paused her work to smile and wave at him by november
00:05:38
the couple had been married for a year and a half and were ready to start renovating one room of their house in
00:05:44
particular a nursery in preparation for the baby they hoped to have soon everything seemed to be going perfectly
00:06:07
[Music] gail brink had an office job at an auto parts company where she was well regarded as a
00:06:27
diligent and hard-working employee so when she didn't show up for work on the morning of monday november 23
00:06:35
her absence was immediately noticed there was no sign of rick at his workplace either
00:06:43
knowing how responsible rick was his employer decided to check in with his family garrett and ida brink were
00:06:52
surprised to receive a call informing them that their son hadn't been seen that day
00:06:58
rick and gail had attended a friend's wedding over the weekend but they'd had no plans that would have
00:07:03
kept them from work garrett and dyder decided to drive over to their house to check
00:07:10
that everything was alright when they arrived at the sprawling property north of holland
00:07:17
garrett and ida noticed something rick's suv a chevrolet blazer was parked in the driveway that meant he
00:07:26
must be at home they went over to inspect the vehicle and saw something shocking
00:07:34
rick was inside slumped across the driver's seat with his head pressed against the passenger door
00:07:41
blood was visible from at least one head wound he was dead when officers from the ottawa county
00:07:51
sheriff's department arrived they secured the scene before walking into the home
00:07:56
upon entering they headed down the long hallway that led to the master bedroom the room was tidy aside from some
00:08:05
clothing that was strewn across the floor lying in the couple's water bed was 22
00:08:11
year old gail brink she looked as though she could be asleep except for one thing a blood-stained
00:08:20
pillow had been placed over her head when police lifted it gail's lifeless and bloody face was exposed
00:08:29
she had been shot in the head three times initially officers wondered if they were
00:08:37
dealing with a murder-suicide perhaps rickard killed his wife while she lay sleeping
00:08:44
then gone out into his chevy blazer to take his own life but when investigators moved rick's body
00:08:51
there was no gun lying beneath him nor was there one anywhere else in the car rick couldn't have been the killer
00:09:01
like a gale he'd been shot by someone else execution style with two bullet wounds
00:09:07
in his head judging from the position of his body he'd been sitting in the driver's seat
00:09:14
when he was shot from the left side then he fell to the right his head coming to rest on the passenger seat
00:09:23
the driver's side window was wound slightly down a bullet hole through the passenger
00:09:28
window had shattered the glass the killer had likely stood by the driver's door and aimed at the gun
00:09:36
through the open window aside from the two victims and the few items of clothing lying on their bedroom
00:09:47
floor nothing in the house was out of place there was no sign of forced entry all of
00:09:55
the furniture was upright and the drawers were closed cash was found throughout the home gail's purse had
00:10:03
been left on the kitchen counter as had rick's wallet both had all their contents
00:10:09
including credit cards and the driver's licenses gail and rick were still wearing their
00:10:15
wedding rings and other jewelry and two watches were also found in the home clearly robbery hadn't been the killer's
00:10:24
motive the entire crime scene was unsettlingly clean and there was little physical evidence
00:10:32
to go on gail and rick had both been shot with a 22-gauge revolver but there was no sign of the murder
00:10:40
weapon anywhere in the house nor were there any bullet casings detectives didn't recover any suspicious
00:10:48
clothing or any strands of hair only six usable prints were recovered from the crime scene
00:10:55
four fingerprints belonged to the two victims another print was found on a toilet and
00:11:01
there was also one on the telephone but these didn't match anyone in the police database
00:11:09
faced with this dearth of physical evidence detectives knew they would need to dig
00:11:14
into the victims lives the last time anyone had seen gail and rick alive was on the night of saturday november 21
00:11:24
when they attended the wedding of one of rick's high school friends it seemed as though they had a good
00:11:30
night rick had a few drinks and the gale became rather tipsy before they left at around 11 pm
00:11:38
the following day gail's brother ryan weingarten tried to call her at home but there was
00:11:45
no answer ryan had thought nothing of this at the time but investigators speculated that the couple
00:11:53
had been killed in the early hours of sunday morning after arriving home from the wedding
00:12:00
the couple's family and friends were left in shock over the brutal slaying with ryan weingarten telling local
00:12:07
newspaper the holland sentinel they were the nicest people in the world i've never seen a couple get along
00:12:15
better than they did gail had been one of eight children her family was close but they struggled financially which led
00:12:25
to gail dreaming of the day when she could finally be self-sufficient she used to tell her big sister cheryl
00:12:32
how she planned to work as hard as she needed to so she would always have enough money to
00:12:37
buy herself whatever she wanted her first job was waitressing at a restaurant where she earned
00:12:45
excellent money despite the low wages gail was so funny friendly and charming that her customers always tipped
00:12:53
generously and when she met rick it seemed as though everything was falling into place
00:13:00
not only were the young couple head over heels in love but they were compatible too both were
00:13:07
ambitious and didn't mind hard work their dream was a simple one they wanted to raise a family and create
00:13:15
a home where they could live for the rest of their lives rick swept the gale of her feet spoiling
00:13:23
her and giving her whatever she wanted the young couple loved to travel and during the summer
00:13:29
months they would visit rick's parents house on the shores of lake michigan rick kept a boat out there and
00:13:36
introduced the gail to waterskiing his friend bill whedon later told the television program
00:13:43
a wedding and a murder that gale was like liquid sunshine to rick she was the kind of person who
00:13:50
could light up a room just by entering it but despite the idyllic life the pair had together
00:13:58
the beginning of their relationship hadn't exactly been smooth sailing prior to meeting rick gale had another
00:14:10
serious boyfriend named lars she'd moved in with him when she was 18 years old and they built a house together they'd
00:14:19
been living together for about a year when gail met rick at work she quickly ended her
00:14:25
relationship so she could be with rick but lars didn't take the news well as she was packing her belongings to
00:14:33
move out he slammed a draw closed on her hand he also hit gail giving her a black eye
00:14:42
after hearing about the assault gail's protective big brother ryan came to her rescue
00:14:49
he punched lars breaking his nose then warned him don't you touch my sister again
00:14:58
when police started looking for a suspect ryan suggested they speak with gail's ex-boyfriend
00:15:05
he believed lars was still in love with gail and was furious that she'd married someone else
00:15:13
investigators quickly tracked lars down he admitted to a salting gail but strongly denied having anything to do
00:15:22
with the double homicide when detectives asked if he would be willing to sit a polygraph test
00:15:29
lars agreed he passed the test he also provided an alibi for the time of the murders
00:15:37
had checked out and lars was dismissed as a suspect investigators went back to the drawing
00:15:45
board gail and rick brink were farewelled in a joint funeral and are laid to rest in a shared plot
00:15:57
the detectives working the case spoke extensively with the couple's friends and family
00:16:02
but nobody raised any red flags they even tracked down every person who'd been a guest at the wedding the
00:16:09
couple attended on their last night alive they couldn't find anyone who held a grudge against the young newlyweds
00:16:18
they had no criminal histories or connections whatsoever by all accounts they were well-liked
00:16:25
upstanding citizens who'd had no bad blood with anybody in fact there was only one thing in
00:16:32
their lives that seemed it could be the source of some tension their newly acquired home
00:16:39
the ranch house sat on the eerily named ransom street and before the couple had bought it it
00:16:46
belonged to a bikey who went by the nickname shotgun sid sid was a somewhat notorious figure
00:16:54
throughout michigan's criminal circles he trafficked illicit drugs from the city of detroit to the western part of
00:17:02
the state for a bikey gang named the highwayman but cida grew disturbed after he saw
00:17:09
dealers selling drugs to teenagers at local high schools he began a double life as an informant
00:17:16
providing federal agents with the names of individuals who were selling to children
00:17:21
[Music] when word got out that sid was working with the authorities his life was threatened he was shot at
00:17:30
on multiple occasions one time three people turned up with a shotgun at his ransom street address
00:17:38
sid pulled out a firearm of his own and convinced the intruders to drop their weapon
00:17:45
it later turned out that these individuals had been looking for a car that sid was holding as collateral for a
00:17:51
drug death in addition to enduring physical threats shotgun sid was struggling financially
00:17:59
and failed to make the repayments on his house eventually the bank foreclosed on his
00:18:05
mortgage and sid was forced to vacate the property this was the reason gail and rick brink
00:18:12
had been able to buy it for such a bargain investigators began to wonder if the couple hadn't been the killer's
00:18:20
targets at all perhaps the person who murdered them hadn't realised that shotgun sid no longer lived there
00:18:29
maybe it was a case of mistaken identity detectives looked into the detroit bikey
00:18:38
gangs that sid was connected to despite all their digging they couldn't find anything that tied the double
00:18:45
homicide to a gang crime sid tried to help as well by placing some phone calls asking for information he couldn't find
00:18:55
any evidence that anyone had actually been trying to kill him the seemingly promising lead reached a
00:19:02
dead end [Music] early on the morning of december 24 just over a month after gail and rick were murdered a man named
00:19:15
rock wilson was making his way home rock worked at sintered metal products in the michigan city of zealand
00:19:24
and had gone straight from a shift to his work christmas party before going to the party he'd called
00:19:30
his wife 30 year old deborah wilson but she was planning to stay at home it was around 5 a.m when rock arrived at
00:19:40
their residence which sat three miles north of holland the house was ablaze with lights
00:19:48
when rock walked inside he found every single light switch had been turned on there was no
00:19:55
sign of deborah as rock made his way to the sliding door that led to their enormous backyard
00:20:03
he realised it was open rock peered outside the large field-like space that sat behind the
00:20:12
house had a swimming pool a garage a trailer and a vegetable garden but rock couldn't see anyone out there
00:20:22
worried about his wife rock called his father and asked him to come over his father agreed and soon the two men
00:20:30
were searching together for deborah finally rock's father spotted her she was lying fully clothed outside near
00:20:41
the vegetable garden her throat had been slashed police were summoned and it didn't take
00:20:49
long for comparisons to be made to the brink case the couple's houses were approximately
00:20:55
half a mile from each other and could be reached on foot within five minutes if you cut across the fields
00:21:01
between them like the brink murders there was no sign of forced entry nothing had been stolen from the
00:21:09
property and deborah hadn't been sexually assaulted the wilsons were regarded as upstanding
00:21:16
hard-working citizens just as the brinks had been debra had attended the same high school
00:21:23
as rick and the couple's shared mutual acquaintances it wasn't long before the victims
00:21:31
neighbours began to fear there was a serial killer amongst them terrified locals began petitioning the
00:21:41
ottawa county sheriff's department for a stronger police presence on their streets
00:21:46
brutal murders like these weren't common for the peaceful holland area they no longer felt safe in their homes
00:21:54
in the wake of two violent crimes taking place so close together in such a short space of time
00:22:02
detectives considered whether the cases could be related in addition to these two crimes which
00:22:09
occurred within a month of each other there was also an older homicide that remained unsolved
00:22:16
ten years earlier in 1977 twenty-year-old deborah polinski had been sexually assaulted and stabbed to death
00:22:26
she'd lived less than half a mile north of the brink residence given how quiet and safe ottawa county
00:22:35
tended to be having three brutal homicides take place within a stone's throw of each other
00:22:41
seemed more than a little suspicious however investigators found nothing tying the brink murders to those of
00:22:50
debra wilson or deborah polinski the execution-style slaying of the newlyweds convinced
00:22:58
detectives that they'd been deliberately targeted yet without a motive discovering why
00:23:04
they'd been killed was near impossible the case remained front-page news throughout west michigan for months
00:23:15
tips came in from the public steadily averaging around four or five a day but none ever led
00:23:22
anywhere one of gail's colleagues reported that although she'd always been a happy-go-lucky person
00:23:30
her demeanor suddenly changed about two weeks before her death she suddenly seemed reserved as though
00:23:37
she had a lot on her mind behavioral experts from the fbi and michigan state police were consulted
00:23:46
but no breakthroughs followed months turned into years and eventually the case went cold
00:23:55
gail and rick's loved ones began grappling with the upsetting notion that their case might never be solved
00:24:05
on november 29 1997 a decade after gail and rick were murdered local newspaper the marshall chronicle
00:24:13
published an article reminding readers about the unsolved crime the county's undersheriff who'd been
00:24:21
lead investigator on the case described the double homicide as cold and lacking emotion
00:24:29
rick's mother ida also gave an interview stating you're thinking all the time is that person around here does he look
00:24:39
us in the face and know that he killed our son it took more than another decade before
00:24:51
there was further development in the case in 2007 the ottawa county sheriff's department launched a new
00:24:59
cult case unit a team of investigators who would dedicate 100 of their time to solving old crimes
00:25:08
detectives dave blakely and a venus rapper would lead the unit the two detectives first started working
00:25:16
on the deborah wilson case which also remained unsolved they honed in on a prime suspect but
00:25:24
when he died before an arrest could be made they turned their attention to the brink
00:25:29
murders when news broke that the case was being reopened gail's mother dorothea told reporters
00:25:38
how she kept hoping the person responsible would be found i would try my best if they had a trial
00:25:46
to be there detectives blakely and repper threw themselves into the case some of the paperwork from the previous
00:25:56
investigations had deteriorated over time so they taped them back together and handled each document with care
00:26:03
as they examined them they began conducting hundreds of interviews with individuals
00:26:10
connected to the brinks occasionally traveling interstate to speak with people they
00:26:16
scoured every statement keeping an eye out for anything that seemed suspicious at the very beginning of the
00:26:25
investigation detectives had made sure to speak with those closest to the victims
00:26:30
checking for alibis and motives no one had seemed suspicious at the time two decades later as detectives blakely
00:26:43
and rapper examined the old case notes they started to notice a pattern some of gail's family members mentioned
00:26:51
that after the couple's murder one individual who was close to gail had said some strange things
00:27:00
in one instance the family had been gathered together just three days after the murders
00:27:07
in the middle of a conversation about the tragedy one of gail's relatives told another how
00:27:13
he could picture someone walking down the hallway of the couple's home [Music] the person saw gail lying in bed and
00:27:22
turning over on her left side then told her i'll be right back he described the chilling scene as
00:27:31
though he'd seen it himself and then he also remarked you know sometimes i wonder if i could
00:27:40
have done this the person who made these comments was ryan weingarten gail's older brother
00:27:54
investigators had no idea why gail's own brother would say such things according to the case notes ryan
00:28:03
weingarten said that on the night of the murders he and his then-girlfriend named pam had been doing laundry
00:28:12
ryan had been living in an apartment at the time and typically did his washing at a laundromat but he and
00:28:18
pam didn't have enough change on that particular day so they'd gone to a friend's house to
00:28:24
use her washing machine and also helped out by babysitting her kids pam had confirmed this alibi
00:28:35
but as detectives blakely and repper went through their documents they suddenly noticed the discrepancy
00:28:43
pam's statement supported ryan's version of events but during the course of the investigation she'd also agreed to sit
00:28:51
for a polygraph test when asked by the polygraph examiner if she had been with ryan on
00:28:57
the night of the murders pam had answered no the two detectives decided they should pay
00:29:06
ryan and pam a visit back in november 1987 the couple had only been dating for a
00:29:13
few months at the time pam was a single mother to a six-month-old son pam and ryan married in 1989
00:29:24
and later went on to have three children together by the time detectives blakely and
00:29:31
repper went to speak with them they'd been married for 23 years the detectives pulled up at the trailer
00:29:40
where the couple resided they were met by ryan who explained that pam wasn't home
00:29:47
the three of them chatted for a little while but ryan seemed to have difficulty recalling much detail about
00:29:53
the time of his sister's murder detectives blakely and repper explained that they also wished to speak with pam
00:30:03
so they arranged for her to attend the sheriff's department for an interview ryan escorted her there he also
00:30:11
insisted that he be allowed to sit in on the interview the detectives refused to permit this
00:30:18
explaining that they needed to speak to pam alone once they were seated in an interrogation room
00:30:26
pam repeated the same story she'd originally told investigators she and ryan had been together on the
00:30:34
night of november 21 1987 doing laundry at a friend's house but the investigators didn't believe her
00:30:48
feeling as though they were finally on track to cracking the case detectives blakely and repper began
00:30:54
digging into ryan and pam weingarten's backgrounds they discovered that in november 1987
00:31:02
ryan's life had been somewhat difficult he'd been making money by dealing drugs but was struggling financially
00:31:12
he'd also been juggling multiple relationships having started dating pam while he was
00:31:18
still involved with a long-term ex-girlfriend named crystal [Music] crystal and ryan weingarten had known
00:31:26
each other for years and remained friends even after splitting up for a few months
00:31:33
she and pam were seeing ryan at the same time though crystal's relationship was waning
00:31:39
while pam's was just beginning investigators realised that crystal might be able to shed some light on
00:31:47
ryan's situation at the time of his sister's murder they called her in for an interview
00:31:56
crystal was happy to speak with the police but didn't provide them with anything of much interest
00:32:03
she said she had remained good friends with ryan over the years nothing new came up detectives blakely
00:32:11
and repper were disappointed they'd hoped they were finally making some progress
00:32:18
now it looked as though they were stalled yet again the pair of them began wrapping up the
00:32:25
interview and prepared to call it a day as detective repper later told the television program
00:32:32
a wedding and a murder they thanked crystal for her time and was starting to rise from their
00:32:38
seats when crystal blurted out well there is this one other thing the two detectives exchanged a glance
00:32:50
then sat back down what crystal said next set the investigation on an entirely new trajectory
00:33:13
so you started your own online store you're doing what you love selling products people want
00:33:20
and orders are coming in fast now the hard part shipping these products out luckily shipstation makes it easy
00:33:30
with shipstation it's simple to import manage and ship your orders out fast for a lot less money it's no wonder
00:33:39
shipstation is the number one shipping software for e-commerce sellers with more five-star reviews than anyone
00:33:46
else you can automate just about any shipping task so you'll spend a lot less time shipping
00:33:52
and a lot more time growing your business and now the number one e-commerce shipping solution in the
00:33:59
states is available in the uk australia and canada no matter where you're selling
00:34:06
like amazon etsy or your own website shipstation funnels all your orders into one simple interface
00:34:14
making it really easy to manage even from your phone you'll even get access to amazing
00:34:20
discounts with major carriers even internationally ship more in less time just use offer code case file to get a
00:34:29
60-day free trial that's two months free of no hassle stress-free shipping just go to
00:34:38
shipstation.com click on the microphone at the top of the page and type in case file that's shipstation.com
00:34:47
enter offer code case file ship station make ship happen are you hiring for spring what type of
00:34:57
role are you hiring for maybe you need to hire someone to wear many hats which can be challenging
00:35:04
or you might have a simple position to fill but it's taking forever to find someone who's a great fit for your
00:35:11
company that's where zip recruiter comes in zip recruiter can help you find qualified candidates
00:35:18
fast and now you can try it for free at ziprecruiter.com slash case file whether you need to hire a civil
00:35:28
engineer in new york a pediatric nurse in nebraska an attorney in colorado or even a mascot in missouri
00:35:37
zip recruiters matching technology finds people with the right experience for your job
00:35:42
and actively invites them to apply it's so effective that four out of five employers who post on zip recruiter get
00:35:51
a quality candidate within the first day from accountant to zoologist and to everything in between
00:35:59
ziprecruiter makes hiring easier and right now you can try it for free at our only our listeners get it link
00:36:09
ziprecruiter.com file if you go to ziprecruiter.com case file today to try ziprecruiter for free case file
00:36:19
gets credit for sending you once again that's ziprecruiter.com c-a-s-e-f-i-l-e simply safe is an award-winning home
00:36:34
security system so you know it's engineered with the latest technology you want to keep your
00:36:40
family safe but what really sets simplisafe apart is its people highly trained security experts who are
00:36:48
always there for you when you need them most these are people who truly care about
00:36:53
keeping you safe when an alarm goes off a person who cares is there for you with a phone call
00:37:00
to make sure you're okay when an emergency happens a person who cares is there for you by getting fire
00:37:07
and police responders to your front door right away even if you're just having a problem
00:37:12
setting up your system a person who cares is there for you with a friendly chat and a quick resolution
00:37:19
the bottom line is when you need the most simplisafe is there 24 7 with people who
00:37:25
care and experts trained to not only keep you safe but to make you feel safe to learn more
00:37:33
about how simply safe can help protect you and your family visit simplysafe.com case file today to customize your system
00:37:43
and get a free security camera you also get a 60-day risk-free trial so there's nothing to lose that's simply
00:37:52
safe dot com slash case file we deserve to know what we're putting in our bodies and why
00:38:01
especially when it comes to something we take every day rituals clean vegan friendly
00:38:07
multivitamin is formulated with high quality nutrients in bioavailable forms your body can actually use you know what
00:38:16
you won't find sugars gmos major allergens synthetic fillers and artificial colorants plus the fresh
00:38:25
taste and delayed release capsule design make taking your vitamins easy now available
00:38:31
for men women and teens ritual multivitamins are scientifically developed to help support
00:38:38
different life stages you'll always know what nutrients you're taking and where they come from
00:38:44
thanks to rituals one of a kind supply chain your multivitamins are delivered to your
00:38:50
door every month with free shipping always i'm still waiting for my first shipment to arrive
00:38:56
but i can't wait to get started their website is super easy to navigate and has so much information about
00:39:04
choosing the right multivitamin for you you can start snooze or cancel your subscription at
00:39:10
any time and if you don't love ritual within your first month they'll refund your first order get
00:39:18
key nutrients without the bs ritual is offering case file listeners 10 off during your first three months
00:39:27
visit ritual.com case file to start your ritual today in the week after gail and rick brink
00:39:46
were murdered ryan weingarten paid a visit to his ex-girlfriend crystal he invited crystal to get in his
00:39:54
car suggesting that they'd go for a drive he explained that he wanted to go by the
00:40:01
house where his sister had been killed to take a look at it this scared crystal she didn't want to see the place where
00:40:09
two people had been brutally murdered just a few days earlier and refused to go ryan offered a
00:40:17
compromise saying they could drive somewhere else instead they wound up heading to the northern
00:40:24
side of holland and pulled over at a park then ryan spoke he said he had something terrible to share
00:40:35
he hesitated to speak further it took another five minutes before he finally proceeded
00:40:44
ryan told crystal that he'd had sex with his sister gail it had started as sexual curiosity when he was 12 years
00:40:54
old and gail was nine initially there had just been some touching but during their adolescence it progressed
00:41:03
to intercourse he was adamant that it had been consensual though he became tearful when describing
00:41:11
the last time he'd been intimate with gail she had been sitting on a bench behind
00:41:17
the garage at their family home when ryan walked up behind her he tried initiating sexual contact and
00:41:26
gail refused ryan wouldn't take no for an answer in crystal's words he pretty much forced her to do it
00:41:38
ryan had also shown crystal a photograph of him and gale that was taken while they were out
00:41:43
on a boat with gail's husband rick gail was wearing a bikini and ryan remarked look how hot she is
00:41:54
crystal was taken aback by this comment ryan continued speaking while they'd been on the boat he had
00:42:03
been so captivated by gail's appearance that he openly stared at her in what he described as a lustful way
00:42:11
at one point he tore his eyes away from his sister only to realise that he's ogling hadn't
00:42:17
gone unnoticed rick was watching him this was the breakthrough investigators had been looking for
00:42:30
finally they suspected they had a motive for the double homicide despite ryan telling crystal that his
00:42:38
encounters with gail had been consensual detectives were certain they hadn't been
00:42:45
if ryan had raped his sister during their childhood and adolescence then perhaps he resented her marriage to
00:42:52
another man moreover he may have been fearful that as gale grew increasingly comfortable
00:42:58
with her new life and her husband she would confide in wreck telling him the truth
00:43:04
about the abuse she'd endured the fact that rick hadn't noticed the way ryan looked at gail suggested he may
00:43:12
have already had some idea but crystal's story wasn't enough detectives blakely and rapper knew that
00:43:21
if they were ever going to solve this case then they needed testimony from someone
00:43:26
even closer to ryan his wife pam [Music] further appointments were made to interview pam and ryan
00:43:38
the two arrived at the sheriff's department together though they'd driven in separate cars
00:43:44
while his wife came across as mild-mannered and somewhat meek ryan seemed abrasive and controlling
00:43:53
convincing him to wait outside while his wife spoke with detectives was a difficult
00:43:58
task pam seemed reluctant to open up the minutes dragged on turning into hours finally she made an admission
00:44:12
the alibi she'd provided for her husband for the night of the murders had been false they had gone to a
00:44:21
laundromat together on saturday november 21 leaving between five and six pm but they were home no later
00:44:29
than eight at that point ryan went out by himself for a few hours pam didn't ask where he
00:44:38
was headed he returned later on and the two smoked cannabis then had sex ryan soon left again
00:44:48
and pam didn't see him until the following morning of sunday november 22 he'd insisted that she provide him with
00:44:58
an alibi over the years before they'd gone to their interviews that day he reminded her yet again of where they
00:45:07
had supposedly been on the night in question though pam conceded that the alibi had
00:45:15
been false she remained silent on other matters she said nothing about an incestuous
00:45:22
relationship her husband might have had with his sister nor did she say that she suspected him
00:45:29
of committing murder detectives had been questioning pam for close to three hours
00:45:36
by this stage ryan who thought the interview was only supposed to take 30 minutes
00:45:41
was enraged he banged on the glass window of the interrogation room demanding that pam be let go
00:45:50
[Music] it was ryan's turn to speak with the detectives next now that they knew his alibi was false
00:46:01
they were eager to interrogate him as detailed in the television show a wedding and a murder
00:46:09
detective blakely was the one who raised the subject of ryan's feelings towards his sister
00:46:15
gail when he asked ryan about the sibling's relationship ryan gazed back at him with a hostile
00:46:23
expression on his face what do you mean he asked blakely stared back at ryan without
00:46:31
saying a word for several long moments then he replied you know exactly what i mean sexually
00:46:44
a long silence followed [Music] detective rapper estimated that 40 seconds went by
00:46:52
with no one speaking then finally ryan said well it was just kids play he claimed that as children the two of
00:47:05
them had merely explored each other's bodies comparing the encounters to a game of
00:47:11
doctors and nurses neither detective blakely nor detective rapper believed ryan they were certain he had assaulted his
00:47:21
sister and was now attempting to downplay the abuse the interview concluded and orion went
00:47:30
home over the next few days he started placing numerous phone calls to detective blakely
00:47:38
[Music] most of the time these calls went to voicemail so ryan would leave a message he spoke of his
00:47:46
gratitude that blakely was working on his sister's case while also expressing feelings of hatred
00:47:53
towards him and his policing partner on one occasion he greeted the detective by stating
00:48:01
this is ryan weingarten i don't know why i'm calling you again i guess because i hate you and
00:48:08
appreciate you at the same time [Music] ryan described the detectives as sons of
00:48:15
[ __ ] while conceding simultaneously that they were a necessary evil other messages were
00:48:23
more direct in one he demanded you go find my sister's killer you're barking up the
00:48:30
wrong tree here i know nothing about it he suggested that motorcycle gangs were responsible
00:48:38
for the slayings another time he warned digging up dirt from our family history childhood indiscretions that's not gonna
00:48:50
shed any more light on it ryan accused both detectives of harassing his wife and called them [ __ ] for what they'd
00:49:00
put her through as the calls and messages continued to stream in detectives blakely and rapper realised
00:49:08
that ryan was unstable and unpredictable they needed to act soon pam weingarten had already shown signs
00:49:21
of opening up at her prior interview the detectives knew that if they could convince her to speak
00:49:28
again she might be the one to blow the case wide open but now their efforts to reach out to
00:49:35
pam were being blocked by ryan to gain a deeper understanding of the dynamic at play
00:49:43
blakely and repper consulted a psychologist who was familiar with domestic abuse and
00:49:49
coercive control finally in january 2013 they decided to approach pam while she was at work
00:50:00
as detective repper later told the television program a wedding and a murder they explained to
00:50:07
pam that they were a cold case unit who worked exclusively on old unsolved crimes that meant
00:50:14
that they wouldn't be going away the only thing they wanted was the truth a human resources representative had
00:50:24
escorted pam to the meeting but she asked that they not sit in on it so she could speak to the detectives in
00:50:31
private pam was finally ready to speak when gail and rick had died pam had only been dating ryan for a few months
00:50:46
she was a new mother and ryan was supportive even though he wasn't the baby's father
00:50:54
reiterated how she and ryan visited the laundromat in the late afternoon or early evening
00:50:59
of november 21 1987. afterwards they returned to her place when at about eight o'clock
00:51:08
ryan went out alone he returned briefly before going out again pam maintained that she didn't see him again
00:51:18
until nine the next morning there was a louder knocking at the door when pam answered it ryan was standing
00:51:26
there crying and holding his head what's wrong pam asked ryan replied that he'd just shot and killed his
00:51:35
sister and her husband shocked and unable to believe what she was hearing pym asked ryan to repeat what he just
00:51:45
said he did pam asked if he'd told the police ryan said no ryan claimed he'd gone over to the
00:51:58
brink's house to discuss some family matter and it had resulted in a heated argument
00:52:04
rick had asked him to leave and ryan initially did so but then he walked back to the house
00:52:12
complaining of car trouble rick went out to his own truck so he could get something to help
00:52:19
and that's when ryan shot him then he went inside and killed gail while she was lying in bed
00:52:27
he told pam that he'd done it because the couple thought they were too good upset and confused by ryan's statement
00:52:38
pam asked him to leave he did but he called her later that day and asked if he could come over pam
00:52:47
reluctantly agreed ryan pulled up at pam's and said he wanted to take her back to his apartment
00:52:57
she got in the car with her six-month-old son but ryan didn't drive to his home instead he took them to the street where
00:53:07
gail and rick lived ryan pulled over a short distance from their house then instructed pam to get out
00:53:18
pam walked with ryan towards the brink residence rick's truck was parked in the driveway
00:53:28
ryan led pam over to the vehicle and she looked inside rick's dead body was crumpled across the
00:53:35
front seats then ryan grabbed pam's wrist and marched her over to the house they walked inside and he led her up the
00:53:47
hallway to the couple's bedroom by this stage pam was crying she saw gail lying in bed
00:53:57
gail looked as though she could be asleep then ryan lifted the blood-stained pillow that covered her head
00:54:05
and asked isn't she beautiful then he added if you go to the police or tell anybody what i did here
00:54:17
this could happen to you pam ran from the house in fear she was too terrified to call for help
00:54:29
or make a sound but she couldn't stand to be in the brink home a moment longer ryan took her back to his place and she
00:54:38
stayed there that night pam woke early the following morning at around 6. she got up to fix a bottle
00:54:48
for her son and noticed that one of ryan's friends a man named jimbo meacham was over
00:54:55
this wasn't unusual jimbo often stopped by before work for a coffee pam overheard ryan tell his friend that
00:55:05
his sister and her husband had just been killed the rest of his family wouldn't learn
00:55:12
about the slayings until later that day after rick's employer alerted his parents to his uncharacteristic absence
00:55:19
from work when investigators laid a query to jimbo about this encounter he said he remembered it but couldn't
00:55:28
recall if it had happened on monday morning or tuesday after jimbo left to go to work pam asked ryan if he
00:55:38
could take her home she needed to get ready for her own job ryan agreed but before they departed
00:55:47
he pulled something out to show her it was a 22 revolver the gun he'd used to shoot gail and rick
00:55:58
[Music] ryan also showed pam a bag filled with clothing which he explained was what he'd been
00:56:06
wearing when he committed the murders he stashed the clothes and gun in the back of his car
00:56:13
before getting in to drive pam home as they headed towards pam's residence ryan again warned pam not to breathe a
00:56:23
word of what he'd told her to anyone else if she did then what happened to gail would happen
00:56:31
to her ryan instructed pam to tell the police that they'd been together on saturday
00:56:39
night at a friend's house doing laundry and babysitting terrified pam agreed at one point she'd asked ryan why he'd
00:56:53
murdered his own sister he admitted that he'd had a sexual relationship with gail
00:56:59
and didn't want rick to find out about it ryan also said he'd been jealous of the
00:57:06
couple the rest of ryan's family soon learned of the murders as pam went through the mourning process
00:57:15
alongside them she felt as though she had swept everything she knew under the rug she attended gail and
00:57:23
rick's funeral with their grieving relatives keeping ryan secret the entire time
00:57:31
in december 1987 investigators questioned pam regarding her and ryan's whereabouts on the day of the murders
00:57:41
she repeated the story ryan had told her to tell and he was ruled out as a possible
00:57:47
suspect occasionally ryan would remind pam of the alibi they'd agreed on and his threat to harm
00:57:55
her if she ever told anyone the truth pair married ryan in 1989 and he became a stepfather to pm's young son
00:58:07
the couple went on to have three children together pam was the family breadwinner working
00:58:14
to support the six of them while ryan homeschooled their children pam wasn't happy with her children being
00:58:22
educated at home but ryan was a controlling husband and she had a little say in the matter
00:58:28
[Music] the more time that passed the less pam felt able to tell the truth she did love ryan despite what he'd done
00:58:40
she was also terrified that if she revealed what had happened after years and then decades of lying
00:58:47
she could lose her children or wind up in prison so she stayed married to ryan for 24
00:58:55
years [Music] finally though the pressure became too much to bear when the cold case unit started looking
00:59:09
into the brink homicides pam started to feel that she couldn't hold everything she knew
00:59:14
inside anymore it was like a heavy burden on her shoulders weighing them down after her first interview with the cold
00:59:25
case detectives in october 2012 when she revealed that the alibi ryan had given was false
00:59:32
ryan was angry with her he called her after his own interview and yelled i can't believe you threw me under the bus
00:59:43
then he started ranting that the detectives must have bullied her pam didn't agree with this accusation
00:59:53
her distress was obvious to detectives blakely and repper she cried constantly while describing
01:00:00
how ryan had taken her to see gail and rick's bodies what was also obvious was the fact
01:00:07
that ryan was desperately trying to contact her throughout the entire interview gail's
01:00:14
phone had been pinging with calls and messages from her husband who was frantically attempting to reach
01:00:19
her it was decided that ryan should be arrested as soon as possible detectives didn't
01:00:29
want to give him any opportunity to flee or dispose of potential evidence officers were dispatched to ryan's place
01:00:38
of employment and took him into custody that same day ryan insisted he was innocent
01:00:48
yet during an interview with police he finally conceded one thing he said there had been an instance of
01:00:56
quote penetration between him and gail he insisted it was entirely consensual investigators didn't believe this at all
01:01:10
without gail alive to tell her side of the story they could never know the full truth
01:01:17
but it seemed clear that she had been a victim of her older brother in more ways than one
01:01:27
the news that someone had been arrested for murdering gail and rick brink was what their families had long been hoping
01:01:33
to hear for the wine gardens the relief felled upon hearing that the killer had been
01:01:40
apprehended was marred by the fact that he was one of their own ryan and gail's mother refused to
01:01:48
believe that her son could have killed her daughter but other members of the family accepted
01:01:55
the news gail had been particularly close to her older sister cheryl when she was alive the two were
01:02:05
best friends in their last conversation together gail had complained about the fact that
01:02:12
cheryl lived so far away from her cheryl received a call from the police alerting her to ryan's arrest
01:02:23
they also informed her that ryan had sexually assaulted gail throughout their childhood
01:02:30
on the tv show a wedding and a murder cheryl described how she felt literally sick to her stomach
01:02:37
upon learning this the thought that gail had kept the abuse to herself and suffered in silence for all those
01:02:46
years was devastating cheryl believed that gail must not have told her because she'd known cheryl would have
01:02:54
confronted ryan strange things that ryan had said and done in the past slowly began to make sense
01:03:04
in one conversation he mentioned how he'd gone through gail's personal papers after her death he'd found some letters
01:03:12
from men that he didn't want their parents to see so he destroyed them shortly before gail and rick's funeral
01:03:22
ryan gave his own chilling rendition of the crime to cheryl wherein the killer walked down the
01:03:28
hallway of the brink home before coming across gail in bed it ended with the remark you know
01:03:37
sometimes i wonder if i could have done this ryan had said something very similar to
01:03:45
his aunt nava at gail's funeral he asked her do you think i could have killed them
01:03:56
nava had received phone calls from both ryan and gail the day before the murders
01:04:02
gail had complained that ryan owed her money ryan was angry because gail was refusing
01:04:09
to let their parents park their camper van in her driveway they'd recently sold their home and were
01:04:16
temporarily living in the camper they'd initially parked it at ryan's apartment building
01:04:22
but was soon instructed to move it as they were violating local ordinances ryan wanted them to go to gale's house
01:04:30
but she didn't like the idea ryan told his aunt that gale thought she was too good for their family
01:04:40
a little while later after gail's death ryan told another that gail and rick would
01:04:47
probably still be alive if they'd let her parents stay on the property on another occasion he told his other
01:04:57
sister lin that he wished he could apologize to gail because he felt as though he'd raped her
01:05:04
he said something almost identical to one of his nieces he'd even discussed his sexual
01:05:11
feelings for gail with his stepson ryan had described their relationship as touchy feely
01:05:19
but said it was normal adolescent exploration ryan told his stepson that sometimes
01:05:27
gale would say no so he would force her about 13 years after the murders cheryl had been chatting with ryan on the phone
01:05:42
he mentioned how there had been a rodent in his yard so quote i pulled out my 22
01:05:49
and shot it cheryl hadn't been aware that her brother owned a 22-gauge firearm so she queried this statement
01:06:00
ryan quickly corrected himself and said he'd used a different kind of gun not a 22
01:06:07
[Music] in 2006 cheryl and ryan had a falling out their father had passed away and the
01:06:16
fight related to veterans benefits for their mother dorothea who was now an elderly woman
01:06:22
[Music] they barely spoke in the years that followed then all of a sudden in october 2012
01:06:32
ryan called cheryl he wanted to tell her that he'd forgiven her what cheryl didn't know was that ryan
01:06:41
and his wife pam had just been interviewed by the cold case unit at the ottawa county sheriff's
01:06:47
department investigators finally had him in their sights following ryan's arrest detectives
01:06:56
searched his home and found a caliber rifle but they never found the 22 revolver that had been used to
01:07:05
kill gail and rick brink pam told them she'd seen her husband place the same style of revolver in his
01:07:13
car the day after the couple were murdered investigators concluded that ryan had
01:07:19
disposed of it somewhere along with the clothing he'd been wearing that night [Music]
01:07:26
investigators also compared ryan's fingerprints to the ones recovered from a telephone and a toilet in the brink
01:07:32
home neither were a match but despite the lack of physical evidence tying ryan to the crime
01:07:41
they were certain they finally had their killer ryan weingarten was charged with two
01:07:48
counts of first-degree murder his trial began in march 2014 at the ottawa county circuit court in
01:08:00
grand haven michigan the prosecution was arguing that ryan had murdered his sister
01:08:07
and her husband because he was scared gail would reveal his incestuous abuse of her
01:08:14
the killings were also motivated by jealousy he resented gail and rick's success
01:08:22
the prosecution had no physical evidence but they did have 60 witnesses who were willing to testify
01:08:30
chief among them was ryan's wife pam she looked scared as she took the stand but spoke
01:08:39
clearly and firmly about the things ryan had said and done pam denied ever feeling pressured to
01:08:46
turn state's witness against her husband instead she said any pressure she experienced was due entirely to her own
01:08:55
conscience it was difficult for her to testify especially when ryan began shouting
01:09:03
abuse at her from his seat at the defendant's table at one point he called her a
01:09:09
black-hearted evil woman and added i can't believe you're saying all these lies about me pam
01:09:17
the judge had him removed from the courtroom as well as detailing how ryan had taken
01:09:26
her to look at gail and rick's bodies pam described what life had been like with him
01:09:33
ryan had been controlling and abusive he hadn't allowed her to have friends of her own
01:09:41
pam's father had also been emotionally abusive and she thought that must be why ryan
01:09:47
was able to so successfully manipulate her after his arrest he started sending pam
01:09:54
a barrage of letters [Music] sometimes he begged her to go back on her statement
01:10:02
other times he threatened her with god's wrath for going against him in total he sent 29 of these letters while he was
01:10:12
on remand a fellow inmate claimed that while ryan was in custody awaiting trial he'd boasted about committing the double
01:10:22
homicide according to this individual ryan also ranted about one of his other sisters
01:10:30
cheryl he was furious at her because over the past 20 years she'd constantly campaigned for
01:10:38
law enforcement to solve gail and rick's murder ryan supposedly said to the other inmate
01:10:47
if i'd known she was going to cause me trouble like this i would have killed that [ __ ] a long
01:10:53
time ago then he mimed choking a person with his hands [Music] the inmate testified at ryan's trial in
01:11:07
exchange for three years being taken off his own sentence ryan's defense team argued that the
01:11:14
prisoner had a history of turning snitch when it benefited him ryan was pleading
01:11:21
not guilty in an attempt to argue for his innocence the defense pointed at other
01:11:27
possible suspects they suggested gail and rick had been murdered by a bikey gang
01:11:34
who mistook rick for shotgun sid the drug-dealing former owner of their property
01:11:42
they also theorized that gail had been targeted by a colleague after she started investigating possible
01:11:49
financial irregularities at work they claimed there had been a file from gail's work at the crime scene
01:11:57
but it was removed before it could be looked into an official from the company where gail
01:12:04
was employed said he had gone to the house after learning of gail's murder but denied taking or asking police for
01:12:12
any documents the prosecution dismissed the suggestion that gail was executed by a workmate
01:12:20
as little green men from mars stuff ryan weingarden testified in his own defense
01:12:31
his testimony was rambling and often irrelevant as he went off on strange tangents
01:12:38
several times the judge had to remind ryan and his attorney to stay on track under cross-examination ryan was grilled
01:12:49
about his relationship with gail despite earlier admitting to police that he'd once had sex with his sister
01:12:57
ryan now claimed he'd only said that unto duress he was adamant that there had only been
01:13:04
three incidents with gail that could be perceived as sexual these incidents involved comparing their
01:13:11
bodies after bathing and touching and groping while clothed as prosecutors continued to pursue this
01:13:21
line of questioning ryan became increasingly upset stating you guys are making it into a mockery
01:13:30
and you need a motive and there is no motive he began to cry and questioned why his
01:13:38
sister cheryl and wife pam had both testified against him he accused investigators of convincing
01:13:47
pam to lie and compared footage of her police interviews to a wolf pack chewing on an innocent
01:13:54
lamb then he suddenly said out of nowhere i feel like i deserved to sue the county
01:14:03
oh absolutely ryan also denied being jealous of gail and rick's success he loved his sister she helped him out
01:14:16
by co-signing a car loan for him and making one of his payments he also said he had a good relationship
01:14:24
with his brother-in-law ryan liked to rick's a dry sense of humor and found him to be a super nice person
01:14:34
ryan maintained that on the night of the murders he and pam had done laundry and babysat
01:14:40
for a friend he denied ever going out by himself in fact he said that pam had gone out
01:14:48
for drinks with a friend and returned home at about 2am ryan said that on the afternoon of
01:14:57
sunday november 22 he was running low on petrol and cigarettes so he stopped at a service station he
01:15:05
used the opportunity to try to call gail from a pay phone he had been planning to discuss
01:15:11
the issue of their parents campervan with her ryan was angry that gail wouldn't let
01:15:17
them parkered at her property but denied wanting to kill her over the matter ryan dialed gail's number no one
01:15:27
answered the phone he decided to go over to pam's house instead he claimed that he first learned of gail
01:15:37
and rick's murders at 5 pm on monday november 23 after he went over to his brother's house
01:15:44
later that evening ryan headed over to pam's house she was watching the news and a story
01:15:52
came on about the double murder [Music] that was my sister and rick ryan told her
01:16:00
then he lay down on pam's bed while sobbing they killed my sister on march 28 2014
01:16:14
the jury delivered their verdict they found ryan weingarten now 51 years old guilty of murdering gail and rick brink
01:16:26
ryan kept his head down as the verdict was read aloud as he was escorted from the courtroom he
01:16:34
said i didn't do this [Music] most members of the victims families welcomed to the verdict
01:16:45
outside court gail's sister cheryl told reporters we're done we finally got him he created this situation and now
01:16:56
he has to pay for it cheryl explained that although she still loved her brother she hated who he had become and what he
01:17:06
did the pain of losing her sister had tormented her for almost 30 years rick's brother bud brink told news
01:17:18
outlet m live we are extremely pleased to have the justice my brother deserves at least this gives
01:17:27
us some closure as to how it happened and why it happened although he said he wished pam had come
01:17:36
forward with the truth decades earlier he appreciated her strength in finally doing so
01:17:42
adding it took a lot for her to come forward ryan's sentencing took place almost a
01:17:52
month later when he was given the opportunity to speak he ranted and raved for an hour at times he stared
01:18:01
cheerfully up at the ceiling and addressed the god directly saying lord why are you doing this to me i'm a
01:18:09
good man why why is this happening [Music] when it was time for his sentence to be
01:18:18
delivered ryan constantly interrupted the judge finally the judge lost his patience and
01:18:26
asked do i need to bind you and gag you sir we'll have the deputies go and duct tape
01:18:32
you if that's what's necessary but you're going to listen he described the murders as a brutal
01:18:40
execution and said ryan was a brutal cold-blooded murderer before sentencing him to two life
01:18:48
sentences with no possibility of parole most were pleased with this conclusion with the exception of gail and ryan's
01:18:59
mother dorothea she didn't believe her son was guilty she was overheard telling one investigator
01:19:09
i don't care what you say you're wrong [Music] ryan weingarten subsequently appealed
01:19:17
his conviction at three different courts including michigan's supreme court he lost all three appeals and remains
01:19:26
incarcerated pam has divorced him in december 2016 a former ottawa county sheriff
01:19:37
declared the murder of deborah wilson solved [Music] debra had been murdered in december 1987
01:19:46
and investigators had initially wondered whether her killing could be connected to the brink case
01:19:53
prior to reopening the brink investigation cold case detectives had been looking at
01:19:58
deborah's case they honed in on an acquaintance of deborah's who was connected to the
01:20:04
murder via some suspicious photographs unfortunately he died before he could be arrested and charged
01:20:13
but detectives remained certain he was responsible debra's family received a detailed
01:20:20
briefing about the suspect and the case is now closed the 1977 murder of deborah polinski
01:20:29
which was also looked at during the original brink investigation remains open detectives from the cold
01:20:38
case unit at the ottawa county sheriff's department continue to investigate the case
01:20:46
those who knew gail and rick brink have spoken of their sorrow at losing two wonderful people
01:20:54
in the television program a wedding and a murder a friend of rex described the double
01:21:00
homicide as a loss to their community and the future he was saddened that they never got the chance to be parents
01:21:10
saying i can't imagine anything but rick being the best dad in the world and i can't imagine gail being anyone
01:21:19
but the most fun mum in the world [Music] gail's sister cheryl says she thinks about
01:21:26
gail just about every day quote she'll flicker through my mind it's not always sad because she was
01:21:37
actually a very funny person and we had a great time together but you don't forget that's how you
01:21:45
keep their memory alive [Music] you