00:00:00
Aer, please just come outside. How you doing? Is Martha here? >> No, she's probably in her boyfriend's
00:00:07
house. >> 30 days ago, 53-year-old David Callahan killed his girlfriend Martha and buried
00:00:15
her body in his own backyard. David thinks he's gotten away with his horrific crime. Martha was mentally ill,
00:00:24
had few friends, and no one was supposed to come looking for her. Martha's daughter Kim was the only person
00:00:32
concerned about her mother's whereabouts. >> If I come up missing or dead, it is no
00:00:37
accident. And he has told her before, if I I'm going to get your ass and nobody's
00:00:41
ever going to find you. >> What's your concern? >> That he killed her. >> Kim thinks David had something to do
00:00:47
with her mother's disappearance. But with no proof of a crime, officers don't believe her.
00:00:54
>> Would you have been surprised at all if she's laying dead in there or shoved in
00:00:57
a tunnel? Nothing surprises you. >> That's like a horror movie. >> However, in the weeks that follow, Kim
00:01:05
will do everything in her power to find Martha, force police to act, and lead them to one of the most gruesome
00:01:12
discoveries of their lives. >> Seems like a body part. In the early hours of a Monday morning,
00:01:27
police in Akran receive a call from a woman asking for a restraining order against her boyfriend. The caller is
00:01:34
53-year-old Martha Robin Freightag. She's already known to officers for her history of schizophrenia and the
00:01:42
frequent domestic disputes involving her boyfriend, David Callahan. Their relationship was unstable, constantly
00:01:51
breaking up and getting back together, leaving officers unsure whether each new call was a real emergency or just
00:01:58
another one of their fights. But this time would be different because when officers arrive at the couple's house,
00:02:06
they have no idea that a murder will take place just minutes from now. And this will be the last time Martha is
00:02:14
ever seen alive. to go. Really? >> No, I don't like that. >> I know. I really don't like it.
00:02:24
>> Hi. Hi. >> Hi. What's going on? >> Us. >> Huh? >> Did you call us? >> Yes, I did.
00:02:30
>> What's going on? >> I'm looking to reinstate some 14 months ago. I think 10 years, right?
00:02:36
>> So, you want to restate something you already and they're already investigating it and
00:02:41
you're just telling us about it again. Is that correct? >> Well, I don't know if they're
00:02:44
investigating or not. All I know is I cry training order them and then I give a way for her to get some mental help
00:02:49
because he's supposed to go went down first path. First of all, it's wasn't supposed to be exploited at all. As
00:02:54
Martha speaks, her words are scattered and she makes little sense to officers. Her behavior just seems erratic, like
00:03:02
another episode of confusion or paranoia. But in reality, Martha is masking genuine fear that officers don't
00:03:09
pick up on. Because what they don't know is that her boyfriend David is standing
00:03:15
inside the house waiting for the moment officers drive off so he can make sure this is the last time she ever calls
00:03:23
them. Can you come out and do that with a madman? Right. >> Uh I got a restraining order against him
00:03:30
and then uh I don't know what what are you doing over there? >> I'm talking to you. Why are you over
00:03:37
there like that? >> Cuz I want to be. Okay. Walk off to the guy downtown. >> Okay.
00:03:42
>> Okay. >> As strange as it looks, officers don't think much of the interaction. They walk
00:03:49
away, dismissing Martha as unstable, unaware they've just left her alone with the very man who's about to kill her.
00:03:59
In the hours after police left, David snapped. Inside, he was furious that Martha called the police on him again.
00:04:08
He grabbed a wooden axe handle and struck her in a fit of rage. When she collapsed, he wrapped a rope around her
00:04:14
neck and pulled until she stopped moving. Once Martha was dead, David sealed her body inside a plastic bag and
00:04:23
waited for nightfall. Then, under the cover of darkness, he carried her outside, burned her body, and buried it
00:04:31
in a shallow pit behind the house. To David, it was over. a woman with schizophrenia, few friends, and a
00:04:40
history of false alarms. No one would ever come looking for her. What he completely overlooked is that Martha's
00:04:47
daughter, Kim, will soon be on to him, slowly solving her own mother's brutal murder.
00:04:55
Over the next few days, Martha stops responding to everyone, including her daughter, Kim. And after several days of
00:05:02
silence and no sign of her mother, Kim contacts police, explaining that something bad may have happened to
00:05:09
Martha. Officers arranged to meet her at the house later that day to check on her
00:05:13
mother's welfare. But when Kim and her husband arrived to meet the officers, it quickly seems that their concerns won't
00:05:20
be taken seriously at all. >> Neither is a cousin of ours that she calls all the time. Her brother that she
00:05:26
calls all the time. Nobody's heard from her. >> She lives here. >> Yeah. You been in?
00:05:31
>> No, I came earlier and knocked and banged on the door and she was having a lot of problems with her boyfriend.
00:05:37
>> Yeah. >> At some point there was some kind of a protection order and I don't know
00:05:41
against him. She's paranoid schizophrenic. So I went around to different hospitals. I went everywhere
00:05:46
to see if she was like in a psychiatric unit. I can't. Everybody says no. She's not here.
00:05:52
>> And I know that there's been a lot going on between her and her boyfriend. Yeah.
00:05:56
>> Okay. >> He has made death threats to her. So >> that's okay. >> He has made threats to her that he was
00:06:05
going to make sure nobody ever found her. >> Yeah. >> According to Kim, Martha's boyfriend,
00:06:10
David, was the most likely suspect in her disappearance. In addition to the death threats, police also knew David
00:06:17
had a lengthy criminal history and outstanding warrants for drug abuse, theft, and trespassing, making him
00:06:24
someone officers needed to question right away. But before the officers could get a full story from Kim, a
00:06:30
sudden noise from inside the house put them instantly on high alert. >> You don't have a key to her place?
00:06:37
>> What was that? >> Did you hear that? >> Yeah. Earlier the air conditioner was on
00:06:43
but now it's not. [Music] >> Agro police. >> Unbeknownst to the officer, the sound
00:06:56
wasn't just his imagination. It was David hiding in silence and waiting for the police to leave. But this is when
00:07:04
the officers would make their first critical mistake. Despite the very real possibility that Martha was in active
00:07:11
danger, they would give Kim the worst piece of advice. >> And what happens with like a missing
00:07:18
person's report or whatever, >> but she but she is a grown woman. However, she has these, you know, the
00:07:22
paranoid schizophrenia issues. If for whatever reason she has gone into this state where she doesn't want anybody to
00:07:27
contact her, even family, the hospital is legally not allowed to tell anybody anything, even her kin. I just don't
00:07:34
think we're quite at the heightened alert level that we need to force entry or do anything like that yet. You know
00:07:38
what I mean? >> The way that she calls us constantly kind of gives me a false >> she calls I mean she's always every day
00:07:46
calls her mother. >> When did it stop? >> Uh well her brother said she stopped about a month ago. My cousin said two
00:07:53
weeks but I don't know if I'm thinking about a month ago forever. >> She still called my phone every day
00:07:58
leaving voicemails. >> Yeah. While the officer's explanation is factually accurate, the suggestion not
00:08:05
to file a missing person's report will prove to be a serious oversight, and it won't take long before Kim realizes
00:08:12
she's been inadvertently coerced into making a grave mistake. For now, though, officers leave the scene, letting Kim
00:08:20
carry on her own investigation. For the next few days, she keeps calling Martha and David, but with neither of
00:08:27
them answering their phones. Growing increasingly worried, Kim begins gathering information on her own. She
00:08:34
learns that David has recently been seen at a place where he worked on and off, so she contacts police once again,
00:08:41
urging them to check it out. Following up on Kim's tip, a group of officers are dispatched to investigate. But they hear
00:08:48
about David will finally start to give her suspicions some credibility. How you doing?
00:08:55
>> You guys know David? >> Uh probably in his 50s. >> What's the girl's name? >> Caligan or something?
00:09:05
>> I think his last name. >> Have you seen Martha or Robin? >> Martha or Robin? >> I don't even know those names.
00:09:13
>> Do you know who those are? >> No. Not much. >> You just saw David move in over his
00:09:17
girlfriend was in jail or something, but she was >> But he's in like his 50s. >> Yeah,
00:09:25
>> I think it's not the new guy that lived in here. I think what about Jai? >> Dave
00:09:33
kind of guy. >> He's older. >> Yeah, probably. >> His name Hey, what is that dude's name?
00:09:38
Dis the other night. Yeah, his name is David, too. >> We got a whole bunch of Daves around
00:09:46
here. >> We could pull up a picture and see if you guys >> I think we're going to try to find one.
00:09:55
>> That's not that Dave. >> That's how David stays here. Does he come around here?
00:10:01
>> This guy? >> Yeah, he's been around. So, >> he's not the one that lives here.
00:10:08
>> When was the last time you saw him? >> Need to get it out. [Music] this week. Last week,
00:10:15
>> something like that. >> 3 4 days. >> 3 days. >> He say 3 or 4 days ago, maybe.
00:10:23
>> According to the workers, they've seen David in recent days, meaning he's still
00:10:28
in the area. Now, police just need to locate him and ask him where Martha might be. Despite this lead, officers
00:10:36
still sound convinced Martha will eventually turn up on her own and David is just another name in a domestic
00:10:42
dispute. Unbeknownst to them, this is giving David exactly what he wants, time. Because as the case stalls, he's
00:10:51
keeping a low profile, only leaving Martha's house at night and using the lack of scrutiny to cover his tracks and
00:10:59
refine his story. And over the next several weeks, what began as one oversight will snowball into a series of
00:11:07
missteps that will [ __ ] the investigation and ultimately pave the way to a discovery far more tragic than
00:11:14
anyone imagined. The following week, after repeated calls and pressure from Kim, police finally
00:11:25
agreed to conduct another welfare check. This time, however, they make another critical error. They send a new pair of
00:11:34
officers unfamiliar with the full context of the case. This is where the mistake of not filing a missing person's
00:11:41
report catches up with the police and causes David to slip off the hook again. It doesn't Yeah, they didn't add any
00:11:47
notes. It just said that they were here. >> Well, it was actually it came in as a
00:11:51
missing person because >> Okay, that's probably the daughter then. >> Yeah, but then it said she checked okay
00:11:56
and there was no report made. So they must have had contact. >> If it came in as a missing person, they
00:12:11
cleared it without a report number. That means they determined where she was at.
00:12:14
>> Exactly. >> That was what I was. >> Yeah. After only a few unanswered knocks, officers decide to leave the
00:12:21
scene, assuming that since no missing person report was filed, someone must have already made contact with Martha.
00:12:29
This is exactly why dissuading Kim from filing a report had been such a catastrophic blunder. So, with no sign
00:12:35
of Martha or David and police convinced nothing is wrong, the investigation quietly stalls. Days pass with no
00:12:43
progress until eventually the case goes gold. A week passes and it seems Martha might
00:12:53
never be found as police have completely written off her disappearance. But then
00:12:58
something strange starts to happen. Kim begins receiving response messages from her mother. The texts are brief and
00:13:07
unsettling. I'm busy. I'm with my friends. I'm fine. It doesn't sound like her mother. And something about the way
00:13:17
she's texting feels off to Kim. Growing suspicious, Kim asks police to meet with
00:13:22
her again. This time demanding that they break in and check the house or she'll do it herself.
00:13:30
>> Make an official missing person here. I've talked to so many officers. Everybody she knows, her friends,
00:13:37
family, none of them has seen her face or talked to her in over a month. So, I was sending her messages from her
00:13:43
mother's phone. Say, "This is your daughter. I want to know where you're at." "Oh, I'm at the Kingdom Hall in
00:13:48
Kent with friends." I said, "Okay, stay there. I'm coming right now." "Oh, I'm not there. You don't know where I am."
00:13:53
"Well, you just said you were there. Where are you?" "Oh, I'm eating now." The way she types is completely
00:13:58
different. She says she's angry at the family. >> But the issue is we were we were
00:14:01
pounding on the door earlier and no one answered and we didn't have enough to kick the door in and go look for her.
00:14:07
>> She owns this property. If I need to break in here with you guys here and if she's going to if you think she'll press
00:14:13
charges on me, that's fine. I want to know what happened to her. She's not going to press charges on me. That's not
00:14:18
a problem. >> She has mental illness. >> Yes, she does. >> Do you know if she's taking her meds?
00:14:23
>> No, I don't know. But I do know that she does not do this kind of thing. She my
00:14:28
the last time her mother talked to her, she was walking through this field over here and told my grandmother, "If I come
00:14:35
up missing or dead, it is no accident." And she said it to me. This has been said to us several times and he has told
00:14:40
her before if I I'm going to get your ass and nobody's ever going to find you. >> What's your concern?
00:14:46
>> That he killed her. >> Kim appears confident that she has solved her mother's disappearance,
00:14:51
accusing her lover, David, of both murder and impersonation. While officers still doubt Kim's story, they agree to
00:14:59
break into the house, if only to put her mind at ease. But what awaits them inside will leave Kim even more furious
00:15:08
with police, making her question whether they are truly on her side. >> Anybody in here?
00:15:18
>> Come outside. >> It's day one in the shirt. Day two. >> You're not going to get another day out.
00:15:25
>> Supposed to be a big black dog that might not be friendly. >> You'll put me back on the call on the
00:15:31
phone. for that dirty one. >> Good already. >> Police. Anybody in here? >> The police? Nobody's been here cuz the
00:15:44
bells are taken in. I mean, >> oh, he's good here. The question is what he did to her.
00:15:50
>> Not a single pair of her shoes anywhere around here. >> If I were you, I mean, I'm not telling
00:15:54
you how to feel, but this will be a relief. You know, she's not here, but it doesn't look like there's any sign of
00:15:59
distress or, you know, all her stuff's not >> thrown around. First sign of distress
00:16:03
really is the fact that there's no Pepsi in that refrigerator. >> So that means she hasn't been staying
00:16:07
here. >> No, she has not been here. I'm telling you, he has done something to her.
00:16:11
>> Inside the house, police find no sign of Martha or her belongings. Something Kim
00:16:18
finds deeply suspicious. Still, the officer reassures her that everything is fine and there are no obvious signs of
00:16:25
foul play. However, as police exit the house, an officer makes an off-hand remark that reveals what they really
00:16:34
think happened to Martha. >> Would you have been surprised at all if she's laying dead in there or shoved in
00:16:40
a tuition? >> Yes, I would have been surprised. >> Yeah, >> nothing surprises. >> That would have surprised me.
00:16:48
>> Although officers briefly consider the worst case scenario for Martha, their tone makes it clear they don't really
00:16:54
believe it. Even with Kim insisting that something is wrong, their doubt remains.
00:17:01
And when Kim insists on filing a missing person report, something that should have been done weeks ago, officers still
00:17:08
seem convinced there is no real cause for alarm. >> I need to make an official report.
00:17:14
>> Yeah, that can happen. That's not a problem. But it's going to be very vague.
00:17:18
>> I don't know what to think about none of her stuff being in her house. Shoes. She
00:17:22
always had shoes all over right there with this, too. All right. This is the report and I can go get a hard copy. And
00:17:27
what do I do? I mean, just keep if I hear any more texts. >> I mean, it's pretty much pointless
00:17:32
unless it's pointless talking to him anymore at this point. >> I guess this is what happens. But I
00:17:38
mean, [Applause] >> just let us know if you think she's somewhere and we can go check for her.
00:17:44
Okay. >> Okay. >> By now, you can hear the hopelessness in Kim's voice. It seems like her
00:17:50
investigation has hit a dead end as she watches officers leave once again, advising her to call if new information
00:17:58
comes up. But a few hours later, one officer decides to return and speak with the neighbors, hoping to learn where
00:18:05
David or Martha might be. It's a small decision, but one that quietly marks the first step in turning things around for
00:18:12
police because one of the neighbors he talks to is unknowingly holding a piece of information about David that will
00:18:19
finally confirm Kim's claims. >> Do you know anything about this house next door?
00:18:24
>> There's some woman that used to live in there. She asked me a couple times for
00:18:28
some money or some cigarettes. I told her I didn't smoke. What's going on? >> Well, someone sent us out here to check
00:18:33
on her and she's not answering the door. She have a car or anything, you know? >> I don't think so. But she seen a car.
00:18:39
She was walking the first time I started cutting the granite. >> How you doing? You've been living in the
00:18:46
garage here. >> I call her living. >> Where do you sleep at? >> Do you know who lives here?
00:18:54
>> Robin Fly Talk, I think. >> When did you see her last? >> About four weeks ago.
00:19:00
>> And you haven't seen her in four weeks? >> No. Last night. >> Have you seen him over there? Oh, yeah.
00:19:05
>> Does he uh does he drive a car? >> No. >> Is he home now? >> I have no idea. >> Okay.
00:19:13
>> The neighbor's statement finally confirms what Kim's been suspecting all along. David hasn't disappeared. He's
00:19:20
been coming and going from the house while police and Kim struggled to reach him. With that information, police begin
00:19:27
coordinating surveillance around the property, assigning patrol units to quietly monitor the area and wait for
00:19:33
the moment David shows up again. 2 days later, the opportunity finally comes when officers spot a car parked beside
00:19:41
the house. The first sign of activity in days. They approach carefully, hoping to
00:19:47
finally make contact with Martha and put Kim's fears to rest. However, the person
00:19:52
they're about to find is the very suspect they've been unknowingly helping all along. But before we get to that,
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00:21:05
the scene where officers are about to come face to face with the man they've been searching for all this time. Aer,
00:21:12
please just come outside. How you doing? Is Martha here? No, >> she's probably at her boyfriend's house.
00:21:21
>> What's your name, bud? >> David. >> David. David Callahan. All right, come on down
00:21:27
here for me. Why do you think she's at her boyfriend's house? >> Oh, that's where she stays most of the
00:21:31
time. >> Where's that at? >> I don't know. I don't even know who it is, really. >> Are you the only one here?
00:21:37
>> Hi, She's here maybe a couple times a week anymore. We've actually been split
00:21:43
up for a year. >> She's schizophrenic. She's been off her medic on and off her medication I don't
00:21:47
know how many times. >> This is David Callahan, the man Kim had been desperately trying to warn the
00:21:55
police about. According to him, Martha was not at the house, but at her new boyfriend's. But now, David is about to
00:22:02
surprise the officers, explaining why they shouldn't necessarily take Martha's family's word at face value. Guess her
00:22:10
daughter's fighting again. >> 604 computer. Well, that's part of the reason we're out here cuz no one in her
00:22:15
family's talked to her since July. >> I don't know how. I know. I know. She just texted her.
00:22:21
>> When's the last time you talked to her? >> I don't know. Probably five, six days
00:22:26
ago, maybe. >> Where was that at? >> It was here. >> And Martha's not in the house right now.
00:22:31
>> No, I mean a month. >> Obviously, we're we're concerned about Martha, like you said, if she's off her
00:22:37
meds and everything, right? We'd like to find her right now. She's missing person. So, we'd like to uh
00:22:42
>> I didn't know it was all that cuz I mean they've >> you didn't know it was all that missing
00:22:47
person because her and the family they've fallen out numerous times. You know, the family is just gone as far as
00:22:54
changing their phone numbers and not giving them. They treated her horribly over the years
00:22:59
>> and her not talking to him right now doesn't surprise me. >> David claims Kim is not a trustworthy
00:23:04
person and has never gotten along with Martha. With David tarnishing Kim's character and Kim doing the same to
00:23:11
David, the officers weren't sure whose story to believe. But this is when the officer would get a brilliant idea. They
00:23:17
knew David had outstanding warrants, something they could use as reasonable grounds to detain him. Their next move
00:23:24
would catch David offg guard and prove to be the police's smartest decision yet.
00:23:28
>> Did you get your warrants taken care of? >> No, I need to go down there and take
00:23:33
care of them. I got a couple misses. through actor. >> All right. Well, we're going to help you
00:23:40
out with that today. >> You still have those warrants. We'll send you down to court. You can get them
00:23:45
taken care of today. >> All right. Here's what we're going to do. We're going to, if it's all right
00:23:48
with you, we're going to walk through. We'll let you get some clothes and then you're going to go down to court and get
00:23:51
taken get these warrants taken care of. >> Hey, I got a big dog in here. >> No problem.
00:23:57
>> Do you get the whole thing? >> Yeah. Nothing but the thing. >> Do you do the returns or do I do that
00:24:01
later? animal do it or whoever's up one of those. >> Following his arrest, David is
00:24:07
transported to the station and placed in jail, but not for murder. The only thing
00:24:11
holding him there are his unrelated warrants. For investigators, this is a temporary win that will quickly turn
00:24:18
into a problem. Because despite finally having David in custody, they know their
00:24:23
case against him is painfully weak. There's no body, no confession, not even physical evidence proving Martha is
00:24:31
dead. Weeks of police inaction and hesitation have left detectives with little more than suspicion, and time is
00:24:38
running out. So, to make up for it, they decide to hold David as long as legally
00:24:43
possible under the existing warrants, hoping they could buy themselves time to rebuild the case and find something
00:24:49
concrete. Detectives don't know it yet, but the clue they so desperately need to
00:24:54
solve the case won't come from their investigation, but from Martha's own family.
00:25:02
Several days later, while David remains in custody, Martha's family receives a mysterious message. The anonymous note
00:25:10
reads, "If he was going to get rid of someone, he would bury them in the backyard." At first, no one knew what to
00:25:18
make of it. It could be a cruel prank or maybe a genuine tip. Either way, Martha's cousin Angela and a few
00:25:26
relatives contact police and ask them to meet at the property. For the first time
00:25:31
in the investigation, the police and Martha's family finally joined forces. >> Who's the caller?
00:25:38
>> You are. >> What made you uh come to think it was >> they came and arrested him? I believe it
00:25:45
was Thursday or Friday they arrested him. other charges contempt and they're holding for like 30 days.
00:25:53
>> So they they questioned him about this two or two times. I think I got a text
00:25:57
message here. I've been putting these flyers up on all the polls and I get a text message
00:26:01
>> a sergeant and a couple other units coming here. >> Um if he was ever to get rid of someone
00:26:07
bury them across the very backyard. >> I know I know her role. You came over with her and what did you
00:26:14
>> come over to get because she suspected some stuff going on back there and >> I hope it's not her.
00:26:19
>> There's something there. >> Yeah. >> With police now briefed on the situation, officers begin coordinating a
00:26:25
search of the property, focusing on the backyard mentioned in the message while others canvas the neighborhood looking
00:26:31
for anyone who might have seen something suspicious. As the search gets underway, word of the
00:26:38
mysterious message quickly makes its way back to the station. Detectives realize
00:26:43
this could be their only real lead and decide to seize the opportunity to question David again. However, David
00:26:51
isn't stupid. He's already denied any involvement in Martha's disappearance, and he knows that acting clueless won't
00:26:59
convince detectives he has nothing to hide. He also knows that as long as he keeps denying everything and doubles
00:27:05
down on blaming Martha's family, there's nothing detectives can pin on him. Clearly, the stakes couldn't be higher
00:27:13
on both sides. And if David plays his cards right, he'll walk free. >> Hey, sit right here, D.
00:27:21
>> So, when was the last time you actually talked to her? >> Beginning of last month.
00:27:27
>> So, I didn't see she had a restraining order against you. A TPO or a CPO? >> So temporary one.
00:27:34
>> Lasted like six months, I think. >> Did you get arrested? Cuz you >> No. And here's here's the thing.
00:27:40
>> Yeah. She's, you know, she's called the cops on me a half a dozen times. And I've never raised a hand to her. She's
00:27:48
never had a scratch on her. Any any report you you would read will tell you the same thing. She gets mad and I
00:27:54
leave. She thinks I'm out humping everything with a pulse out there that's female. you know that that's just what
00:28:00
you know why she originally got mad at me. You know, she just want to argue all the time and I just you know I just felt
00:28:08
you know leaving day or two at a time you know would just calm everything down and it normally did. I mean we've always
00:28:15
worked things out. I don't understand why she's not back. I I really don't. I mean we've we've had problems over the
00:28:22
years. Like I said we've been together since 2002. >> Sure. You know, every everybody has a
00:28:28
problem. >> Yeah, everyone's got problems. That's for damn sure. So then I guess your
00:28:33
theory is David, she's staying with whoever she's dating, this new person, not and not at the house. Is that what
00:28:39
you're saying? >> As expected, David sticks to his story, insisting Martha is with her new
00:28:47
boyfriend in Florida. But David knows exactly what he's doing. Realizing detectives have little evidence to work
00:28:54
with, he decides to take control of the conversation and tarnish Martha's character, paint her as unstable, and
00:29:01
dismiss her disappearance as the result of her own mental state. Detectives can't push back without proof or a body.
00:29:08
And every minute they let him talk, he builds a stronger defense for himself, one that might just help him walk free
00:29:15
in court. I believe she's relapsed on, you know, back to smoke crack again cuz, you know, I found a paraphernellia at
00:29:24
the house. >> I mean, tomorrow is her birthday. >> I tried, I don't know, three or four
00:29:31
times over the last couple years to get her the 3-day evaluation or whatever they call it.
00:29:36
>> Yeah. >> You know, the police had come out, the paramedics. She'd be standing on this
00:29:40
porch, you know, screaming at them, screaming at me. They tell me she don't fit the criteria for the evaluation.
00:29:47
Well, what does >> got to be homicidal? >> Does she have to stab me in my sleep or
00:29:52
do something, you know, really crazy? Yeah. >> And they say, "Well, she's an adult. We
00:29:56
can't take her medication, so why don't you leave?" >> So, it didn't sound like her and Kim had
00:30:01
some problems, too. >> Absolutely. I mean, they would go months on end without speaking to each other.
00:30:06
It was at one point, you know, Robin didn't even have phone number to talk to her mom and dad or her for periods of
00:30:13
time. >> Yeah. No, I you're you're absolutely true. I I I sensed they had some hard
00:30:18
times now and then and it sounded like she communicated her with her a lot through her Facebook Messenger.
00:30:23
>> She >> The mention of Martha's Facebook messages clearly catches David off guard. He's surprised that detectives
00:30:31
even know about them, unaware that Kim already accused him of impersonating her mother weeks earlier. But that isn't the
00:30:39
only surprise waiting for him. Detectives have been holding something back. Evidence they saved for this exact
00:30:46
moment. When David was first arrested, police recovered Martha's phone from inside the house along with several of
00:30:54
her security checks that he'd allegedly withdrawn. So, with David already on edge, detectives decide to push their
00:31:01
advantage and confront him with what they claim is hard evidence. It's a risky gamble. If they push too hard,
00:31:09
David could demand a lawyer and shut down the interview entirely. But if the pressure works, he might finally slip,
00:31:15
contradict himself, or even confess. >> Yeah. I mean, you know, obviously her family is real worried about her and
00:31:22
loves her a lot, and I can see that you love her a lot, right? >> Yeah, absolutely. I mean,
00:31:27
>> well, Dave, I think there's some little piece missing here, bud. That's what I
00:31:31
think. And I I I think you'd feel better if you just told us what it is. >> I don't I don't know. I mean, I don't
00:31:36
know what to say. >> Well, I I think there's a little bit more to the story, Dave. You're not
00:31:41
giving us. >> There's nothing else I can tell you. I mean, I've told you everything I know.
00:31:45
>> I don't think you told us everything, man. >> Okay. Well, I have. >> Don't you think you'd feel better if you
00:31:49
told us the truth, Dave? I mean, let it go. And >> you're not going to be able to celebrate
00:31:53
her birthday tomorrow, Dave. There there's some pieces missing in your story, Dave. And as you know, that is
00:31:58
your girlfriend, the love of your life, Robin's handwriting. That is September where you paid the rent so we can keep
00:32:05
up this farce that Robin is still around. Tell us the part about being on her phone pretending that you're her.
00:32:12
>> Oh god. >> Tell us about that. >> Have her phone. >> Where's her phone? >> I did. I don't know.
00:32:17
>> You know where her phone is? >> No, I don't. >> You put it. We found it where you put
00:32:21
it. Why don't you just tell us the truth? What happened? You'll feel better. >> Did you guys feel better?
00:32:26
>> I don't have >> Did you guys share a bedroom? >> My time now. >> Needless to say, David is starting to
00:32:34
visibly get worked up over the accusations. He's defensive, irritated, but still talking. Luckily for
00:32:41
detectives, he doesn't seem close to shutting down or asking for a lawyer, but they can tell they've pushed the
00:32:47
limit for now. If they press any harder, the interview could end before they get
00:32:51
anything useful. So, detectives decide to take a break, let David step outside for a smoke, hoping it will calm him
00:32:58
down and make him more willing to cooperate when he returns. In the meantime, back at Martha's
00:33:06
residence, officers continue coordinating the backyard search and canvasing the neighborhood for anyone
00:33:12
who might have seen or heard something useful. That's when a familiar face approaches one of the officers. The same
00:33:19
neighbor from days earlier who'd reported seeing David coming and going from the house. This time he shares a
00:33:27
chilling detail about the days following Martha's disappearance. >> A fire pit back there of some sort.
00:33:35
>> Right. >> But you know, I didn't even know she was missing until a few days ago.
00:33:40
>> I mean, had you noticed any activity by anybody back there in the backyard recently? Uh just the guy who lived
00:33:45
there. >> What was he doing >> in the middle of the night? Was burning the things and I could smell it. The
00:33:50
horrible statue coming from everywhere. >> And I thought that's even trash day. So
00:33:56
the >> woman there is the cousin of the woman who's missing. >> Okay. >> She's been missing about 30 days.
00:34:02
>> Somebody sent her a message saying check the backyard for your cousin. >> You're kidding.
00:34:07
>> According to David's neighbor, every night he could see flames rising from David's backyard. accompanied by a
00:34:14
horrendous smell. Acting on this information, officers request firefighters, EMS, and forensic teams to
00:34:22
assist at the scene. Treating the backyard as a potential crime scene in case human remains are found. And as the
00:34:28
teams prepare to begin the search no one could have expected, they were only feet
00:34:34
away from confirming the horrific nightmare Kim had feared all along. pretty positive it's a body buried under
00:34:45
their fire pit. They dug it up. You could see what looks like to be about a knee or or an elbow. And you touch it,
00:34:51
you can tell it's something. We didn't really dig anymore. Gentlemen, >> you tell me.
00:34:59
>> Well, here's the deal. Highly suspicious. >> Seems like a body part, but we didn't
00:35:04
want to dig it out anymore till you guys got here. >> Yeah. I think you know all of us would
00:35:08
want it dug out a little bit more before you guys can say >> check. >> Was it dug out when you guys got here?
00:35:15
>> That guy. >> What made him did he say what made him start digging? >> Yeah, he gave the whole story of the
00:35:19
other officer and us. But uh she got anonymous text saying if this guy who you guys have arrested recently that if
00:35:26
he wanted to get rid of somebody who would bury it back here by the fence. Oh, >> so she came back and saw this loose dirt
00:35:33
ash >> that guy to come over and help her. >> And they say this gentleman is already
00:35:38
arrested. >> Yeah, that's what both of those two people are telling. >> This is the wife
00:35:42
>> person that they think it is. >> Come and guy's arrested. It was a suspect in
00:35:48
>> Was this her husband did? >> I don't know if they were her husband wife >> cuz I know she had a protection order
00:35:53
against me. >> Well, he was he was staying here. >> She went missing. you was staying here.
00:35:59
>> They they've been on and off. I've been out here a couple times where she had a
00:36:03
protection order, but it goes back and forth cuz then she invites her back over and stuff like that. So, uh let me go
00:36:10
talk to these guys real quick and then we'll let you know what he >> following their initial observations of
00:36:17
what appear to be human remains. One of the officers steps away from the dig site to speak with the family. Because
00:36:24
they arrived without a search warrant, they must explain what's been found so far and request formal consent to
00:36:31
continue the excavation. At the same time, Martha's daughter, Kim, and her husband finally arrive at the scene
00:36:38
anxious, it isn't what they think it is. Though officers avoid making any premature statements, Kim can already
00:36:45
sense the truth. This would be the worst day of her life. >> She doesn't know her.
00:36:51
>> Did you find a person? Well, we don't know yet. Okay. So, we're we're not we're not saying yes and we're
00:36:57
not saying no. Okay. We we don't know. Okay. >> Have you been on scenes like this
00:37:01
before? How do you not know? >> I mean, I can't wait to know. >> Listen. >> Well, we don't want to we don't want to.
00:37:08
What we're saying is we don't want to contaminate anything. >> Will I be told as soon as they know
00:37:13
whether or not there's a body back there of a person? Well, they they have whole
00:37:18
process they have to go through >> to tell me if they found a person back there.
00:37:23
>> Yeah, >> they would know. I mean, wouldn't they? >> No, not necessarily. >> Kimmy, look. There's about a piece of
00:37:29
this that was uncovered. No, I'm just saying a piece of some plastic or something.
00:37:35
>> Chloe, I'm going to have to leave real quick. Okay, I'll just give you, you know, the
00:37:43
confirmation. I'll be back. >> We'll have them tell if it's her. >> Uh, not not now. No.
00:37:52
>> I don't even think we're They don't even have the person back there that's going
00:37:55
to be digging it up yet. Might might be a little bit better to talk to somebody like that. Okay.
00:37:59
>> I don't think I want to talk to anybody. >> I don't think that I want to right now.
00:38:05
>> It doesn't help to talk to strangers. >> I have to ask you. Um, I'm not positive
00:38:10
that you're the one I should ask, but I'm going to ask you since you say you have power of attorney. if you allow us
00:38:15
to go back in the yard, check that out. >> Yes. >> Okay. I have to ask. Okay. >> Um, so you're giving me consent and the
00:38:22
officers and we're going to have medical examiner come out as well. Okay. >> After receiving permission from the
00:38:28
family, officers resume the excavation. Inside the shallow fire pit, they find the remains of Martha. Her body is
00:38:36
wrapped in bedding, sealed by a plastic bag, burnt and showing a clear blunt force injury with a rope still tied
00:38:44
around her neck. Everyone at the scene is shaken by the discovery. After weeks of uncertainty,
00:38:52
Martha's disappearance is finally resolved, but the reality offers little comfort.
00:39:00
On the other side of town, news of the gruesome discovery quickly travels to the detectives at the station. So, with
00:39:07
this new information at hand, they bring David back into the room and cut straight to the point, directly accusing
00:39:15
him of murder. >> Dave, let me ask you a question. Are you a heartless bastard? >> A heartless cold bastard?
00:39:23
>> No. >> No. people who would look at this look at this event and say that you Dave are
00:39:29
a heartless no- good bastard who put the love of your life in the ground and that
00:39:34
has to be an evil bad person who has to go away for every last day of their life. Every last day. So Dave, are you
00:39:45
that person or are you the person that has struggled with someone who's, as you said, for 16 years, you love her, but
00:39:53
she's schizophrenic and she goes here and she goes there. Cuz there's no reasonable person, Dave, in the world
00:39:59
that wouldn't believe that you harmed Robin. We all know that. Three of us sitting in this room. You should just
00:40:08
get it off your chest, man. >> I've told you everything I know. >> No, you haven't told everything. the
00:40:12
heat of the moment. >> Yeah. >> Did you plan it out? >> Tomorrow was her [ __ ] birthday.
00:40:19
>> Tomorrow was her birthday. For them to sit there and reflect the agony they've
00:40:23
been going through for the last month. >> Heartlessly killed the woman you love more than anything in the world.
00:40:28
>> It's it's it's it's mindboggling to think about it. Something that you said you were going to do.
00:40:35
>> Yeah. And if you said you ever going to kill anybody and bury him in the fire
00:40:39
pit, it seems kind of convenient. I never told anybody. >> You never told anybody that,
00:40:44
>> Dave, we're not [ __ ] stupid, dude. You think we're going to make that up? I'm not making anything up. You think I
00:40:48
made this up? We know everything. We know the answers to the questions we asked, man. I'm trying to get you to say
00:40:55
that you're not an evil, no good bastard. And that was some extenduating circumstances
00:41:01
that you killed the woman you love, pretended that she was alive for over a month. If you look at it, you're like,
00:41:08
"That has to be a heartless, cold bastard that wrapped this woman up like that and put her in this fire pit."
00:41:14
So, >> despite a few half-hearted denials as detectives describe what they believe
00:41:20
happened to Martha, David sits in silence, staring blankly as if the weight of his actions has finally hit
00:41:28
him. Clearly, the interrogation has reached its breaking point, and David seems on the verge of something. Judging
00:41:35
by his earlier denials and the way he now sits, he's either about to ask for a lawyer and end the interview alto
00:41:42
together or finally confess. >> Do you want to see a picture, Dave? >> No. >> You know what you did?
00:41:51
>> All right, go ahead, Dave. >> You want me to go ahead? I need a cigarette. >> Tell us what you're going to tell us.
00:41:58
Then you can have a cigarette. >> I'll give you a cigarette. >> You tell us what's going on, Dave, so we
00:42:02
know you're not a heartless bastard. And I promise you can smoke all you want. All right.
00:42:07
>> Not all you want. >> Not all you want. >> Well, the reason >> get it off your chest, Dave. You feel
00:42:16
better. >> You guys feel a little bit better already. Just knowing that you're going
00:42:19
to make that decision. >> I didn't mean to [ __ ] do it. I didn't. >> Not a very respectful way for a person.
00:42:26
>> I know it's not. I got [ __ ] scared, man. I just snap, man. [ __ ] snap. Meth
00:42:35
love Rob. >> You just got scared. That's why you put her in the fire pit. >> I I dug it out half an axe handle or
00:42:44
something beside the bed. She had it there on a long time. Just >> after you struck her.
00:42:49
>> I ch I choked her. >> What happened after Robin was dead? >> I took her out back and I dug it out.
00:42:56
>> God [ __ ] sore. I believe. >> She's just so relentless. >> Leave me alone, man. She knew I had
00:43:07
nowhere to go. Just kept arging. I give her every dollar I have or whatever she wanted. I never had nothing in my
00:43:15
pocket, man. Nothing. It's never good enough. I didn't I didn't plan on this happen. I
00:43:24
working out so bad with her. I really did, man. >> Spur of the moment. After hours of
00:43:29
questioning, David finally breaks and admits to murdering Martha. In a fit of rage, he struck her in the head,
00:43:38
strangled her, then carried her outside, burned the body, and buried her in the backyard. As David sits in the interview
00:43:46
room crying and claiming to regret what he did, detectives can't help but think about how easily this could have been
00:43:52
prevented, how many warnings were missed, and how many chances they had to save Martha before it was too late. With
00:44:00
his confession secured, David is taken into custody where he's formally charged and set to spend a very long time behind
00:44:08
bars. Hey, just to let you know, uh, they talked to the prosecutor. Uh, for right
00:44:17
now, you're going to be charged with murder, abuse of a corpse, and and tampering with evidence.
00:44:23
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