00:00:04
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Next on "Unsolved Mysteries,"
00:00:07
the charming stranger in
a singles bar turns out
00:00:10
to be a rapist and a killer.
00:00:13
There's only one lead,
and it takes police
00:00:15
to a list of 32,000 names.
00:00:19
What happened to the
crew of the famous ghost
00:00:21
ship, the "Mary Celeste?"
00:00:24
Was it murder, a tragic
accident, or something
00:00:27
that cannot be explained?
00:00:30
To his neighbors
he's a businessman
00:00:32
who loves horses,
to the DEA he's
00:00:36
an international drug smuggler.
00:00:40
And thanks to our
viewers, a violent rapist
00:00:44
is tracked down
more than 500 miles
00:00:46
from the scene of the crime.
00:00:50
Five cases, some
without endings.
00:00:53
Our team is working on them
and perhaps you can help.
00:00:57
I'm Dennis Farina and this
is "Unsolved Mysteries."
00:01:00
[theme music]
00:01:37
Alexandria, Virginia.
00:01:40
Excuse me.
00:01:41
Is anyone sitting here?
00:01:42
No.
00:01:43
Go right ahead.
00:01:44
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
On a march evening,
00:01:45
a divorced 43-year-old
named Hilda Roche meets
00:01:49
a man at a popular single' bar.
00:01:53
Jack Daniels
Black, straight up.
00:01:55
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Hilda room later tells friends
00:01:57
that she had dinner with the man
and plans on seeing him again.
00:02:01
But oddly, she never
tells anyone his name.
00:02:06
Hilda had said that the guy
was single, he was attractive,
00:02:10
he had a lot of money.
00:02:12
And she was impressed that he
was driving this beautiful car.
00:02:16
I started to tell her,
don't believe everything
00:02:18
this guy is telling you.
00:02:20
The car is probably
rented, anybody
00:02:22
can make up a big story.
00:02:24
You don't know
anything about him.
00:02:26
Watch out.
00:02:30
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
One week later,
00:02:31
the nude body of
a woman is found
00:02:33
in a wooded area near a school.
00:02:36
She's been sexually assaulted
and then shot execution style.
00:02:40
Her identity remains unknown.
00:02:45
Four days after
the body is found,
00:02:48
police enter Hilda Roche's
apartment after co-workers
00:02:51
report her missing.
00:02:53
It doesn't look like
there's anybody here.
00:02:54
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
In the living room,
00:02:56
officers find her wallet.
00:02:58
We've just
identified our victim.
00:03:00
Got her picture on her
driver's license right here.
00:03:02
DENNIS FARINA
(VOICEOVER): It is now
00:03:03
clear that Hilda Roche is the
woman who was found murdered.
00:03:08
Do a 360 of the room, get--
00:03:09
DENNIS FARINA
(VOICEOVER): Evidence
00:03:11
in Hilda's bedroom confirms
that she was sexually molested.
00:03:16
DON CAHILL (VOICEOVER): The
bed and the whole bedroom
00:03:17
was in disarray.
00:03:19
And we found her blouse
and a pair of slacks
00:03:21
and some pantyhose and
some adhesive tape,
00:03:24
and that's indicative
of a struggle.
00:03:27
And other evidence that
we located in the room
00:03:30
also indicated that some type
of sexual activity took place.
00:03:35
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Because there are no signs
00:03:37
of a break-in, detectives
conclude that Hilda was
00:03:39
murdered by someone she knew.
00:03:45
Most detectives was agree that
the first 48 hours of a murder
00:03:48
case are the most crucial.
00:03:51
Beyond that, leads grow
cold and suspects disappear.
00:03:55
After the killing
of Hilda Roche,
00:03:57
nearly three months
passed before police
00:03:59
could zero in on a suspect.
00:04:03
It's up to you.
00:04:04
No, that would be great.
00:04:05
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): When
detectives interviewed Hilda's
00:04:07
his friends, they learned
about the mysterious man
00:04:10
that she met at the singles' bar
just one week before her death.
00:04:14
DON CAHILL (VOICEOVER):
Hilda had told her friends
00:04:16
that the fellow was from
Florida, drove a nice car,
00:04:19
he was a consultant
for the government,
00:04:22
and that he lived in these
apartments over in Alexandria.
00:04:25
As a matter of fact, she told
her that she even went over
00:04:28
to the apartment that evening.
00:04:31
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
The 1,400-unit
00:04:32
apartment complex was the only
clue to the man's identity.
00:04:37
Investigators searched three
years of lease agreements
00:04:40
looking for any resident,
past or present,
00:04:43
who matched the description
of the man that Hilda had met.
00:04:47
DON CAHILL (VOICEOVER): We
went through probably 25,000
00:04:48
to 30,000 files,
and out of that,
00:04:52
we came up with
32 possible names
00:04:55
that fit the profile
of the person
00:04:57
that Hilda had
described to her friend.
00:05:01
DENNIS FARINA
(VOICEOVER): All police
00:05:03
needed was one piece of evidence
that could link any of the 32
00:05:07
suspects to the victim.
00:05:10
Three months into
the investigation,
00:05:13
they got their break.
00:05:15
My wallet's missing.
00:05:17
Excuse me?
00:05:18
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Authorities learned
00:05:19
that Hilda had lost
her wallet on the night
00:05:21
that she met the man.
00:05:23
She's lost her
wallet, she thinks.
00:05:24
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
For some unknown reason,
00:05:26
the man insisted
that he be contacted
00:05:29
if the wallet was found.
00:05:30
- I'll check with the bartender.
- He's down at the end?
00:05:32
OK.
00:05:33
No problem.
00:05:35
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): A
few days later, the restaurant
00:05:38
found the wallet.
00:05:39
Yeah, I called before.
00:05:40
You found a ladies wallet,
tan, belonging to Hilda Roche.
00:05:44
She had called
and said that he was
00:05:46
going to bring the wallet back.
00:05:47
And I'm saying, why did
he go to the management
00:05:51
to find out about the wallet?
00:05:52
Why did management call him
when they found the wallet?
00:05:57
My first impression was,
the guys putting you on.
00:06:01
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
The restaurant
00:06:02
the manager couldn't
remember much about the man,
00:06:05
but she did agree
to undergo hypnosis
00:06:08
and was then able to
recall a phone number.
00:06:11
DON CAHILL (VOICEOVER):
The hypnotist
00:06:13
told us that this would not
be the exact phone number.
00:06:17
He said, now, most
of the numbers
00:06:18
are going to be the same.
00:06:19
They're going to
be right, he says,
00:06:21
but they might be
transposed or something.
00:06:23
You're going to have
to work with it.
00:06:24
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): When
detectives compared the phone
00:06:26
number with those of the
32 apartment residents,
00:06:30
they came up with a
nearly perfect match.
00:06:33
The number belonged to
38-year-old Gregory Barker.
00:06:38
He had moved out of
the apartment complex
00:06:40
soon after Hilda's murder.
00:06:44
Based on a psychological
profile of Barker,
00:06:47
along with crime scene
evidence, Detective Cahill
00:06:50
developed a chilling scenario
of what happened that night
00:06:54
Hilda Roche was murdered.
00:06:56
I though you were
going to come tomorrow.
00:06:58
Look what I have.
00:06:58
My wallet.
00:06:59
Thank you.
00:07:01
DON CAHILL (VOICEOVER): I
believe that Gregory Barker
00:07:02
came over to the house
with the intention
00:07:04
of returning the wallet
to Hilda and possibly
00:07:07
something else in mind.
00:07:09
Yes, come in.
00:07:10
Come in, I'm sorry.
00:07:13
DON CAHILL (VOICEOVER):
During his visit with Hilda,
00:07:14
he had a violent
altercation with her down
00:07:17
in the living room and sometime
later up in the bedroom,
00:07:22
her clothes were taken off and a
sexual activity occurred there.
00:07:28
He at that time took her against
her will out of the house,
00:07:32
down to the school which was
located about nine and a half
00:07:35
miles away from the house.
00:07:40
Get out.
00:07:41
DON CAHILL (VOICEOVER): She
was taken out of the vehicle
00:07:43
and she was naked
and led up a path
00:07:46
about 150 feet to a wooded area
between a housing development
00:07:50
and the school, at which time
he just brutally murdered
00:07:57
her with a gunshot to the head.
00:07:59
[gunshot]
00:08:03
From doing a background
investigation on Mr. Baker,
00:08:07
we don't believe that
this is the first murder
00:08:09
that he committed.
00:08:10
We don't believe that this was
the last murder he committed.
00:08:13
We believe that he
could be responsible
00:08:15
for numerous murders.
00:08:17
We feel that possibly he could
even be a serial murderer.
00:08:22
We're very sure of the
fact that he's smart
00:08:25
and he's very dangerous.
00:08:32
DENNIS FARINA
(VOICEOVER): The night
00:08:33
we profiled Hilda Roche's
story, a viewer in Phoenix,
00:08:38
Arizona recognized Gregory
Barker as a local businessman
00:08:42
who used the alias Alex Graham.
00:08:46
The next morning, FBI agents
arrested him at his office.
00:08:50
After standing trial in Las
Vegas on unrelated charges,
00:08:54
Barker was brought
back to Virginia.
00:08:56
A jury found him guilty
of first degree murder
00:08:59
and he was sentenced
to 60 years in prison.
00:09:02
Gregory Baker will not be
eligible for parole until 2023.
00:09:12
Next, what happened to the
missing crew of the ghost
00:09:17
ship "Mary Celeste?"
00:09:28
On a crisp November
morning in 1872,
00:09:31
a clipper ship sails out of New
York Harbor and into legend.
00:09:35
Her name was the "Mary
Celeste," the most infamous
00:09:38
of all the ships.
00:09:40
By December, she was floating
off the coast of Portugal
00:09:44
with no one on board.
00:09:47
Mrs. Brinks, you must
be looking forward--
00:09:49
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
The evening before the "Mary
00:09:51
Celeste" was set to
embark, her captain,
00:09:53
Benjamin Briggs, his
wife, and a guest
00:09:55
sat down for a farewell dinner.
00:09:59
He came from a
family of seafarers
00:10:01
and was considered
quite a religious man.
00:10:04
Captain Briggs was
a noted captain.
00:10:06
He could be stern
and so on, but he
00:10:08
was always noted as being fair.
00:10:10
Are you bringing the children?
00:10:11
Sophie will be
coming with and Arthur
00:10:13
will remain here in school.
00:10:15
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
The guest that evening
00:10:16
was Captain David Morehouse.
00:10:19
His ship, the "Dei
Gratia," was scheduled
00:10:21
to sail for Europe more than a
week after the "Mary Celeste."
00:10:26
Morehouse would soon
become deeply involved
00:10:28
in the bizarre events
that were about to unfold.
00:10:31
Well, here's to a smooth
crossing and calm sea.
00:10:34
God willing.
00:10:38
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
The next morning,
00:10:39
the "Mary Celeste"
set sail with Briggs,
00:10:41
his wife, their two-year-old
daughter, and seven
00:10:44
crew members on board.
00:10:48
Below deck were more than
1,000 barrels of pure alcohol,
00:10:52
highly prized in the
Italian wine trade.
00:10:55
It was a dangerous cargo.
00:10:57
Alcohol fumes were volatile
and could easily explode.
00:11:02
From New York,
the "Mary Celeste"
00:11:04
was scheduled to sail more than
5,000 miles past the Azores,
00:11:08
through the Strait of Gibraltar,
and into the Mediterranean,
00:11:12
finally docking at Genoa, Italy.
00:11:18
10 days out of port, the ship
was hit by a severe storm.
00:11:23
Captain, I've taken
in the topsails,
00:11:25
but she's still freezing up.
00:11:27
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
The ship was battered by winds
00:11:28
and rain for more than a week.
00:11:30
I'd like to take in more sail.
00:11:31
Let's have a look.
00:11:32
DENNIS FARINA
(VOICEOVER): According
00:11:34
to the captain's
log book, the "Mary
00:11:36
Celeste" stayed on course.
00:11:40
After 10 days, the
weather cleared.
00:11:43
In his log, Briggs
placed the "Mary Celeste"
00:11:46
just six miles off the Azores.
00:11:49
The date of the entry
was November 25, 1872,
00:11:54
the last entry ever
made by Captain Briggs.
00:11:59
10 days passed.
00:12:02
Something strange off
the starboard bow, Captain.
00:12:04
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
On board the "Dei Gratia,"
00:12:06
the crew made a
surprising discovery.
00:12:08
Looks like she's floundering.
00:12:09
A couple of sails
have blown away.
00:12:12
It's the "Mary Celeste."
00:12:15
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Captain David Morehouse
00:12:16
chose the "Dei Gratia's"
first mate, Oliver Deveau,
00:12:20
to lead a boarding party
to the "Mary Celeste."
00:12:22
They came near,
saw no one on deck.
00:12:26
They thought maybe at first that
it might have been what they
00:12:28
called a fever ship
and they thought
00:12:30
maybe people were
aboard down below dead
00:12:32
of some sort of fever.
00:12:35
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Deveau discovered
00:12:36
that one of the ship's
lifeboats was missing
00:12:39
and its compass was shattered.
00:12:41
And he was puzzled
by a long road
00:12:44
that snaked across the deck
and off the stern of the ship.
00:12:48
In the cabins, personal
possessions, money, and
00:12:51
gold jewelry were left behind.
00:12:54
The captain's navigation
instruments and the ship's
00:12:57
papers were missing.
00:12:59
But Deveau says that he found
no evidence of foul play
00:13:02
and no reason for
the "Mary Celeste"
00:13:05
to have been abandoned.
00:13:06
But one thing was certain, the
ship and her cargo of alcohol
00:13:11
could be worth a fortune
in salvage rights
00:13:13
to whoever brought
her back to port,
00:13:16
and that's exactly what Captain
Morehouse decided to do.
00:13:22
In England, Captain
David Morehouse
00:13:24
prepared for a straightforward
salvage claim in court.
00:13:28
But Morehouse soon found himself
facing government accusations
00:13:32
that he was involved
in the disastrous fate
00:13:35
of the "Mary Celeste."
00:13:37
And you were the
first to board the "Mary
00:13:39
Celeste," is that correct?
00:13:42
That's right, myself and
my second mate, Mr. Wright.
00:13:44
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): The
government's chief investigator
00:13:46
was a flamboyant Irishman
named Frederick Solly Flood.
00:13:51
He was very suspicious.
00:13:53
He had certainly been
for the dramatic.
00:13:55
I think he kind of
immediately saw foul play.
00:13:58
And all during the
proceedings, he
00:14:00
tried to indicate that
there had been some sort
00:14:05
of conspiracy involved here.
00:14:07
When Captain Morehouse
and Captain Briggs--
00:14:09
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Flood first tried
00:14:10
to prove that Morehouse
and Briggs had
00:14:13
planned the events in advance.
00:14:14
Do you think it's possible
that the two of them
00:14:19
might have been in collusion?
00:14:22
Sir, Captain Morehouse
is an honorable man.
00:14:25
Yes, of course.
00:14:26
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Faced with a lack of evidence,
00:14:28
Flood came up with
a more sensational
00:14:30
scenario, mutiny and murder.
00:14:35
And how many are empty?
00:14:37
I've found five
or six right here.
00:14:38
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): The
"Mary Celeste" was impounded
00:14:40
and Flood's
inspectors discovered
00:14:42
that nine of the alcohol
barrels were empty.
00:14:44
No.
00:14:46
I think it more likely that
the crew of the "Mary Celeste"
00:14:48
opened up these casks.
00:14:49
Well, maybe we should--
00:14:50
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
In the captain's cabin,
00:14:52
Flood found what he believed
was proof of a mutiny,
00:14:55
blood stains on Brigg's sword.
00:14:57
And what was a
sword like this--
00:14:58
DENNIS FARINA
(VOICEOVER): Flood tried
00:15:00
to prove that the crew
of the "Mary Celeste"
00:15:02
had broken into the
alcohol and in a drunken
00:15:05
fury murdered Briggs
and his family
00:15:08
before fleeing in a lifeboat.
00:15:11
Look at the
stain on the sword.
00:15:14
Begging your pardon,
sir, but I think
00:15:16
you'll find that to be rust.
00:15:18
Well, I'll have
a medical expert.
00:15:19
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
The test will later showed
00:15:21
that the stains were not blood.
00:15:24
Flood just absolutely refused
to admit that there hadn't been
00:15:28
a murder, but he never
did get any satisfaction
00:15:31
from the government and
they just repudiated
00:15:35
everything that he said.
00:15:37
The "Mary Celeste" is
released from custody.
00:15:40
A salvage settlement is
awarded to David Morehouse
00:15:43
in the amount of 1,700 pounds.
00:15:48
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
What really happened
00:15:49
aboard the "Mary Celeste?"
00:15:52
Many believe that
the answer lies
00:15:53
with the ship's explosive cargo
and the nine empty barrels.
00:15:58
That many barrels of
alcohol leaking into the hold
00:16:02
would have created
a lot of fumes.
00:16:05
DENNIS FARINA
(VOICEOVER): Conrad Byers
00:16:06
believes that on
November 25, the last day
00:16:09
Briggs and his crew were
known to be on board,
00:16:12
the weather had finally
cleared enough to allow
00:16:15
the hatches to be opened.
00:16:17
Terrible odor in there.
00:16:18
We'll have to
vent the hatches.
00:16:19
I'll alert the captain.
00:16:20
CONRAD BYERS (VOICEOVER): I
think immediately he sounded
00:16:22
the alarm, knowing the dangers
of this cargo and his chances
00:16:25
of spontaneously combusting.
- What's to be done?
00:16:28
[inaudible]
00:16:29
CONRAD BYERS
(VOICEOVER): I think
00:16:30
he planned to get
everyone in a lifeboat
00:16:33
and trail behind the
main ship with the idea
00:16:36
that the cargo would either vent
itself and cool off or explode.
00:16:41
You, man the peak.
00:16:43
Let's go!
00:16:45
DENNIS FARINA
(VOICEOVER): Conrad
00:16:46
believes the sails were
lowered to prevent the "Mary
00:16:48
Celeste" from picking
up speed once everyone
00:16:51
had abandoned ship.
00:16:53
A single rope was all
that tied the lifeboat
00:16:56
to the "Mary Celeste."
00:16:59
What destroyed
their plan, really,
00:17:02
was that they didn't
have time to get
00:17:03
all the sail off the vessel.
00:17:06
They piled into the boat
and started trailing behind,
00:17:09
and suddenly a gust of wind
came up and started moving them.
00:17:13
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
When the "Mary Celeste" lurched
00:17:15
forward, the lifeline snapped.
00:17:18
Watch the line!
00:17:19
CONRAD BYERS
(VOICEOVER): The vessel
00:17:21
just sailed on without
them and left them there.
00:17:26
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
The "Mary Celeste
00:17:28
drifted another 380 miles before
Captain Morehouse found her.
00:17:33
No trace of Captain Briggs,
his family, or the crew
00:17:36
was ever found.
00:17:37
The "Mary Celeste's" fate
was sealed as the most
00:17:41
legendary of all ghost ships.
00:17:51
Next, a newcomer to town is
revealed as the mastermind
00:17:54
behind a worldwide drug empire.
00:18:08
West Glover, Vermont.
00:18:11
This is where wealthy
New Yorker Brian
00:18:13
Brophil decided to buy a 30-acre
farm to escape the big city.
00:18:18
He told people that he
had made his fortune
00:18:21
manufacturing toothbrushes
and had come to the country
00:18:25
to settle down.
00:18:26
He loved Vermont and
he really became friendly
00:18:29
with a lot of the local people.
00:18:32
He had this easy
way about him that
00:18:34
made people very comfortable.
00:18:36
Bye-bye, baby.
00:18:38
- Tough to part with this one?
- Oh, yeah.
00:18:39
DENNIS FARINA
(VOICEOVER): Nancy Buckley
00:18:41
met Brophil when he
called about a puppy
00:18:42
that she advertised
in the local paper.
00:18:46
He was open and
friendly and was either
00:18:49
knowledgeable in an area
that you were interested in
00:18:53
or he was very curious and
wanted to learn about something
00:18:57
that you knew a lot about.
00:18:59
And both of those things
ingratiate him to you.
00:19:04
He was an accident waiting
for a place to happen.
00:19:08
He knew nothing
about country life,
00:19:11
but he was willing to learn.
00:19:13
He was very
obviously a city boy.
00:19:15
He couldn't hide that.
00:19:16
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Brophil impressed his neighbors
00:19:18
by spending thousands of
dollars on a special breed
00:19:22
of horse called a warmblood.
00:19:24
That warmblood,
he is wonderful.
00:19:27
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Brophil then paid
00:19:28
thousands more to board the
horse with another neighbor,
00:19:32
Peggy DuPont.
00:19:34
There were a couple
of things about Brian
00:19:36
that seemed a little strange.
00:19:39
The first was that he paid
in cash for his board.
00:19:42
He had two horses so he
would pay me $500 in cash.
00:19:46
My husband immediately said,
oh, he's a drug dealer.
00:19:49
And I said, he's
not a drug dealer,
00:19:50
you're out of your mind.
00:19:51
He's a nice person.
00:19:53
And besides, he had to go to
the bank first to get the money.
00:19:55
He told me so.
00:19:58
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Peggy's husband
00:20:00
had no idea how right he was.
00:20:02
One February day,
20 Vermont State
00:20:06
Police, DEA agents,
and US Marshalls
00:20:09
paid a visit to Brophil's farm.
00:20:15
The agents found a crop of more
than 2,000 marijuana plants.
00:20:22
Brophil was visiting
Susan and Frank Medor
00:20:25
at their firm in
Virginia when a friend
00:20:28
called with news of the raid.
00:20:31
There was a marijuana
bust in West Charleston.
00:20:36
They're looking for you, Brian.
00:20:38
He just was real calm.
00:20:40
He said, jeez, I better
make a phone call.
00:20:42
So he went and made
a quick phone call
00:20:44
and he came back
and said, you're
00:20:47
going to have to take
me to the airport,
00:20:49
he said, because I want to
straighten this mess out.
00:20:52
He said that he was
worried about his reputation
00:20:54
and what is somebody
trying to do to him
00:20:57
and this can't be right, I've
got to get home to straighten
00:20:59
out my reputation.
00:21:01
I sincerely believed him.
00:21:04
DENNIS FARINA
(VOICEOVER): The Medors
00:21:06
didn't know that they were
driving Vermont's biggest
00:21:08
pot dealer to the airport.
00:21:10
Brian Brophil then
dropped from sight.
00:21:13
Back in Vermont, authorities
were just beginning to realize
00:21:16
the scope of his operation.
00:21:19
The agents' initial reaction
was just one of pure awe.
00:21:23
Nobody's ever seen
such an operation.
00:21:25
Nationwide, it was one of the
most sophisticated operations
00:21:28
that has ever been seen.
00:21:31
DENNIS FARINA
(VOICEOVER): Brophil's
00:21:32
marijuana plantation
featured automated irrigation
00:21:35
and lighting.
00:21:36
A heating system to
protect the plants
00:21:38
from Vermont's hard winter.
00:21:40
Authorities estimated
that the operation
00:21:43
had been taking in as much as
a quarter of a million dollars
00:21:46
a month.
00:21:51
Agent Andre LaBier then
contacted the international law
00:21:55
enforcement agency Interpol.
00:21:57
He was stunned to discover
that the giant marijuana
00:22:00
farm was just a small part of
Brophil's massive drug empire.
00:22:06
He got involved with
a group of people who
00:22:08
were living a good lifestyle.
00:22:10
He traveled to a few exotic
places with these people
00:22:13
and got addicted
to their lifestyle.
00:22:15
He wanted to become a playboy.
00:22:17
The quickest way
he could do that
00:22:18
was to become a
narcotics smuggler.
00:22:24
Initially, Brian traveled
to southeast Asia
00:22:26
and the South Pacific,
where he procured
00:22:28
small amounts of narcotics.
00:22:30
He would take these narcotics
and tape them to his body
00:22:33
and walk through customs.
00:22:35
He did this in
countries that execute
00:22:37
people for drug activity.
00:22:40
Brian would walk through
customs without sweating a beat
00:22:43
and making friends.
00:22:47
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
After months of work,
00:22:49
agent La Bier was able
to find an informant who
00:22:51
was part of Brophil's world.
00:22:53
All right.
00:22:54
This is what I found out.
00:22:55
He's working on his motherlode.
00:22:57
His motherlode?
00:22:58
Yeah, his motherlode.
00:22:59
He talked about this
one for a while.
00:23:00
This is the one he's
going to retire on.
00:23:03
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
According to the informant,
00:23:05
Brophil planned to
smuggle $20 million
00:23:07
worth of heroin into the
United States, most likely
00:23:11
along the Oregon coast.
00:23:13
But La Bier could never pin
down the exact place or time.
00:23:18
He confirmed our
speculation that Brian
00:23:21
is a major narcotics
smuggler and is continuing
00:23:23
to smuggle narcotics.
00:23:26
What we didn't learn
is the specifics.
00:23:29
When all of this
happened, I was in shock
00:23:33
and I just couldn't
believe that he
00:23:35
could live such a double life.
00:23:38
He lived this life so
perfectly that he obviously
00:23:42
had no life of his own.
00:23:44
The Brian that we
liked did not exist.
00:23:46
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Federal agents
00:23:48
pursuing Brophil might have also
thought that he didn't exist.
00:23:52
Three years passed with no sign
of the fugitive drug dealer.
00:24:02
On the night this
story aired, viewers
00:24:04
in Paso Robles, California
recognized the fugitive
00:24:07
as one of their neighbors.
00:24:09
Authorities immediately
moved in to make an arrest,
00:24:12
but Brophil had vanished again.
00:24:16
Our understanding is that
Brian watched the show.
00:24:19
The show aired at 8:00 and
Brian was gone at 8:15.
00:24:22
He had left all his
personal belongings behind
00:24:25
and was just gone.
00:24:27
He was living comfortably
with no fears.
00:24:29
We weren't even close to him.
00:24:31
He could have wrote a
textbook on how to hide,
00:24:35
he was that good.
00:24:37
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
But not good enough.
00:24:39
After Brophil left Paso
Robles, tips from our viewers
00:24:42
helped authorities
track him to the city
00:24:44
of Carlsbad in
southern California,
00:24:47
where he was finally arrested.
00:24:50
He was brought back to
Vermont and convicted
00:24:52
of the manufacture,
possession, and intent
00:24:55
to distribute narcotics.
00:24:57
Brian Brophil served seven
years of a 10-year sentence
00:25:02
and has since been
released from prison.
00:25:08
Next, a woman discovers
she has two siblings
00:25:11
that she has never met.
00:25:13
And later, a trusted apartment
handyman commits a brutal rape.
00:25:28
On a previous
broadcast, we brought
00:25:29
you the story of Sue Scribner.
00:25:32
When Sue was 13 years old,
she learned of a secret
00:25:35
that her mother,
Calista, had been
00:25:37
keeping for more than 15 years.
00:25:40
When I asked her why
she had been crying,
00:25:43
she told me about
having a boy and a girl
00:25:47
twin that had been adopted.
00:25:49
It's time I told you.
00:25:51
Told me what?
00:25:52
I was really surprised
because I was 13
00:25:56
and it's a shock to
find out that you
00:25:58
have a brother and sister
that you didn't know about.
00:26:01
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
The twins were both born
00:26:03
with congenital heart
defects and Calista
00:26:06
felt that she couldn't
provide them with the care
00:26:08
that they needed.
00:26:12
Three weeks after they were
born, the twins were adopted.
00:26:16
Calista never saw them again.
00:26:19
The twins being adopted, it
just stayed with her forever.
00:26:23
She never got over it.
00:26:27
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
For 10 frustrating years,
00:26:29
Sue searched for the
twins but could never find
00:26:31
any information about them.
00:26:39
10 days after we featured
this story, one of our viewers
00:26:42
reported that Sue's
brother and sister were
00:26:45
living in Orlando, Florida.
00:26:47
The twins had no idea
they had been adopted
00:26:50
and were shocked to learn about
the family they never knew.
00:26:57
Finally, Sue met her brother
and sister for the first time.
00:27:04
The reunion brought
together six of the Scribner
00:27:07
children and their families.
00:27:09
The very first time I met
them, I think all of our knees
00:27:13
were shaking.
00:27:15
It is emotional, but I think
we've all cried enough tears
00:27:19
and we didn't need a lot today.
00:27:21
I can't wait to
get to know them.
00:27:23
I'm really very
excited about it.
00:27:27
You have all these
questions in your mind--
00:27:30
gee, what did I miss
out on all these years
00:27:32
and what they
really like as kids?
00:27:34
I think that my newfound
family is wonderful.
00:27:37
I think they're
absolutely adorable.
00:27:40
You can lose me for
another 50 years now.
00:27:44
It's like we've known each
other all around our lives
00:27:46
even though we haven't
been around each other more
00:27:49
than five hours.
00:27:53
It doesn't really matter now
what kind of life any of us
00:27:59
had because it's what's
left that counts.
00:28:02
We know where all of
the children are now.
00:28:12
Our next story is about a
courageous woman who was raped,
00:28:15
who we'll call Deedra.
00:28:17
Dierdre has decided
to come forward
00:28:20
with the goal of
finding her attacker
00:28:22
and putting him behind bars.
00:28:25
Deedra lived on the Upper
East Side in New York City.
00:28:29
It's an expensive area, but
Deedra had been lucky to find
00:28:32
a rent-controlled apartment.
00:28:35
She lived there
for several years
00:28:38
until the building was
scheduled to be torn down.
00:28:41
As the leases ran out,
the tenants moved away.
00:28:45
Eventually, Deedra
was the only person
00:28:47
living in the building, which
was badly in need of repairs.
00:28:54
In the end, it was
one of those repairs,
00:28:56
a leaky ceiling, that led to
Deedra's violent encounter.
00:29:01
It's me again, sorry.
00:29:02
It's just a mess today.
00:29:04
DENNIS FARINA
(VOICEOVER): The landlord
00:29:05
hired a 31-year-old
handyman named David Gause.
00:29:09
DEEDRA (VOICEOVER):
When he was first hired,
00:29:11
it didn't seem strange at all.
00:29:13
It was just somebody else
coming in to do some work
00:29:15
in the building, that's all.
00:29:18
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
After Gause fixed the ceiling,
00:29:20
the landlord gave him more work.
00:29:22
While doing the repairs, he
lived in a basement apartment.
00:29:26
[knocking at door]
00:29:28
At 9:30 one morning, Gause
knocked on Deedra's door.
00:29:32
I thought you coming up
yesterday to paint the ceiling.
00:29:35
I had other things to
do, I couldn't make it.
00:29:38
I came up to borrow
a frying pan.
00:29:40
Oh, OK.
00:29:40
Just a second.
00:29:47
Here you go.
00:29:49
What are you doing?
00:29:50
Is this a joke?
00:29:51
No, it's no joke.
00:29:52
Stop!
00:29:57
DEEDRA (VOICEOVER):
After he raped me,
00:29:58
it seemed like he was calmer.
00:30:00
But then he got a crazy
look in his eye again
00:30:04
and he took an icepick
out of his pocket.
00:30:08
I thought for sure that
he was going to kill me.
00:30:13
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Hoping to save her life,
00:30:15
Deedra came up with a plan.
00:30:17
No, no.
00:30:18
Listen, you don't understand.
Wait.
00:30:19
No, we could be together.
00:30:20
DEEDRA (VOICEOVER):
I made him believe
00:30:22
that he was my boyfriend.
00:30:23
It totally disarmed him.
00:30:25
He got really confused
about the whole thing.
00:30:27
Here, I have this.
I have the money.
00:30:29
Take this, too.
- Really?
00:30:29
Yes.
Go find those guys.
00:30:31
Pay them the money
and come back.
00:30:32
We'll go for breakfast,
we'll be together.
00:30:34
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Gause claimed that he
00:30:35
needed the money to pay a debt.
00:30:37
Deedra gave him all she had.
00:30:46
Deedra's call to 911 brought
an immediate response.
00:30:50
Here, I'm up here.
00:30:52
I'm coming right up.
00:30:54
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
But David Gause was long gone.
00:30:59
The police background
check on Gause
00:31:01
turned up a long list of
previous arrests and felony
00:31:05
convictions, including
armed robbery,
00:31:08
assault, and grand larceny.
00:31:11
After we identified
David Gause,
00:31:13
I also contacted other
police departments
00:31:15
and learned that Gause was also
wanted for a rape that occurred
00:31:18
in Nassau County, Long Island.
00:31:20
In that rape, he raped
an acquaintance of his
00:31:23
and a warrant was
issued for his arrest.
00:31:25
DEEDRA (VOICEOVER): It
still affects my life.
00:31:28
I don't trust anybody.
00:31:30
There's no enjoyment left.
00:31:33
I know that he's
raping other women
00:31:35
and I know that other
lives are being destroyed.
00:31:38
I'd like to see him
off the streets.
00:31:42
I'd like to see him
put away forever.
00:31:46
Rape is a crime that is
usually repeated until they're
00:31:50
caught and put away.
00:31:52
So there's no doubt in my
mind if David Gause is not
00:31:55
caught that he will
go on doing what he's
00:31:57
used to doing, raping women.
00:32:01
DENNIS FARINA
(VOICEOVER): Update--
00:32:03
after this story aired,
we received numerous tips
00:32:06
from our viewers
reporting that Gause
00:32:08
was living under the name David
Johnson in Lawrenceburg, North
00:32:12
Carolina.
00:32:14
He was then arrested
at his home.
00:32:16
Part of the healing
of a rape victim
00:32:18
is the person being apprehended
and her getting her chance
00:32:21
to gain her power back.
00:32:22
I was happy for the victim's
sake that after five years,
00:32:25
she now gets a chance for
justice in the court system.
00:32:29
DENNIS FARINA
(VOICEOVER): Davis Gause
00:32:31
was returned to New York,
where he was convicted of rape,
00:32:35
sodomy, burglary, and robbery.
00:32:38
Gause was sentenced to a
prison term of 20 to 40 years
00:32:41
and will not be eligible
for parole until 2017.
00:32:50
Coming up, a man
has only one clue
00:32:53
to the identity of his father,
a monogrammed handkerchief.
00:33:05
Previously we brought you the
case of 18-year-old Lisa Marie
00:33:09
Kimmell of Denver, Colorado.
00:33:14
Lisa left home on
a Friday afternoon
00:33:16
to visit her boyfriend in
Cody, Wyoming and her parents
00:33:19
in Billings, Montana.
00:33:25
That night, a Wyoming
Highway Patrol
00:33:27
officer stopped
Lisa for speeding
00:33:29
about 60 miles south of Casper.
00:33:32
I was patrolling
southbound on March 25
00:33:35
and noted a small car
northbound at 88 miles an hour,
00:33:38
according to my radar.
00:33:40
I turned around and
pursued the car.
00:33:42
I stopped her near
Oren Junction.
00:33:45
Miss Kimmell, I
had you on my radar
00:33:47
back there at 88 miles an hour.
00:33:48
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Lisa signed her ticket
00:33:50
and drove off, but she
never arrived in Cody.
00:33:54
As days passed with no word, her
family began to fear the worst.
00:33:59
As the week went
on, we realized
00:34:01
the gravity of the situation.
00:34:04
The outlook was
looking a little grim.
00:34:07
But even at that, even if the
outcome wasn't as we hoped,
00:34:12
we still needed to find her.
00:34:16
DEEDRA (VOICEOVER): One
week after Lisa disappeared,
00:34:18
a man fishing on the North
Platte River in Casper
00:34:21
found a body in the water.
00:34:25
She was found nearly nude.
00:34:27
She was sexually assaulted
and there were seven
00:34:30
stab wounds in the chest area.
00:34:32
And I can't tell you how
they were done to the body,
00:34:35
but it would leave the
appearance that somebody
00:34:37
took their time in doing this.
00:34:40
It's hard to
understand why somebody
00:34:42
would do something like
that to another human being.
00:34:46
DENNIS FARINA
(VOICEOVER): Police
00:34:47
discovered Lisa's blood
on an old highway bridge
00:34:50
a quarter of a mile away.
00:34:52
They suspected that the
killer had bludgeoned
00:34:54
and stabbed Lisa there and then
dumped her body into the river.
00:35:00
There was no trace
of Lisa's car.
00:35:05
Update-- 14 years after Lisa
Marie Kimmell was murdered,
00:35:10
authorities cracked the case.
00:35:12
Their check of the
Wyoming DNA database
00:35:15
matched an inmate named
Dale Wayne Eaton, who was
00:35:19
in prison on a weapons charge.
00:35:21
When police searched Eaton's
property about an hour's drive
00:35:24
from where Lisa was
last seen, they found
00:35:27
Lisa's car buried underground.
00:35:30
It had been there for 14 years.
00:35:33
They also learn that Eaton
had kept Lisa at his house
00:35:37
for six days.
00:35:39
The jury found Eaton guilty
and he was sentenced to death.
00:35:45
Lisa's parents were awarded
Dale Eaton's property
00:35:48
in a civil suit.
00:35:50
They burned all the
buildings to the ground
00:35:53
on what would have been
Lisa's 36th birthday.
00:36:06
Clues about family history you
can turn up in unlikely forms.
00:36:10
For a man named Charles
Stubin, the clue
00:36:12
was embroidered on
a handkerchief that
00:36:14
was tucked away in
a dusty old file
00:36:17
more than a half a century old.
00:36:20
Los Angeles, California.
00:36:22
Charles Stubin was born in
1935 and grew up an only child.
00:36:27
When he was a teenager,
Charles discovered
00:36:30
a clue that made him question
his place in his own family.
00:36:36
I found a photo of my parents
together on vacation in 1935.
00:36:41
The picture is annotated
September 1935,
00:36:45
but my mother's not pregnant.
00:36:46
So I began to think,
well, if I was
00:36:49
born on the 17th
of September, that
00:36:52
would have to be after that.
00:36:53
But we know that a woman who's
just had a baby first of all
00:36:56
is not going to go on
vacation and she's not
00:36:58
going to leave the baby behind.
00:37:00
And so that's odd.
00:37:02
But when I found it, I was
probably a teenager and I
00:37:05
just, oh, that's
interesting, and filed
00:37:07
it away in the back of my mind.
00:37:10
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): When
Charles earned a Navy college
00:37:12
scholarship, he
wrote to the State
00:37:14
Department of Public
Health for a copy
00:37:16
of his birth certificate.
00:37:18
When it arrived, he
was disturbed to see
00:37:21
that it was mostly incomplete.
00:37:25
There's some
stuff missing here.
00:37:27
I noticed that, too.
00:37:28
I think it's sometimes
when it's a copy they
00:37:30
just don't put everything in.
00:37:32
DENNIS FARINA
(VOICEOVER): There was
00:37:34
no hospital listed, no city,
no attending physician,
00:37:37
and no time of birth.
00:37:38
CHARLES STUBIN (VOICEOVER):
There were more blank
00:37:40
spaces than filled in spaces.
00:37:42
I said, this is a funny-looking
birth certificate.
00:37:44
How come this other
stuff isn't there?
00:37:47
And my mother didn't know quite
how to answer my question.
00:37:51
Mom, they don't even say
what state I was born in.
00:37:53
DENNIS FARINA
(VOICEOVER): Charles
00:37:54
began to suspect that
he had been abducted
00:37:57
but could never bring himself
to ask his mother again.
00:38:04
Charles was 54, with
two grown children,
00:38:07
when his mother passed away.
00:38:09
He decided that it was
time to try to uncover
00:38:12
the secret of his past.
00:38:15
A family friend finally
told Charles that he
00:38:18
had, indeed, been adopted.
00:38:20
Charles visited the Children's
Home Society in Los Angeles,
00:38:24
where the adoption had
been handled in 1935.
00:38:28
He had no idea what
his file would contain.
00:38:32
CHARLES STUBIN (VOICEOVER):
In the envelope
00:38:34
was a handkerchief,
which had been
00:38:36
found with me back in 1935.
00:38:39
On the handkerchief, a purple
W had been embroidered in silk.
00:38:45
Here was a tangible
connection with my past
00:38:48
that someone,
probably my mother,
00:38:50
had put this
handkerchief with me
00:38:53
as a kind of a token, a memento.
00:38:56
To me it meant that I'm
sorry I've got to do this
00:38:59
and maybe someday we'll
get together again.
00:39:03
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Charles' research took
00:39:05
him back to September 25, 1935.
00:39:09
It was a typical
Wednesday evening
00:39:10
in Boyle Heights,
which at the time
00:39:12
was the Jewish neighborhood
of Los Angeles.
00:39:16
At around 8:30 PM,
a woman named Gladys
00:39:20
Roswern went out to move
her car from the street
00:39:23
to her driveway.
00:39:24
Oh, my god.
00:39:28
My god.
00:39:30
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
The abandoned baby
00:39:32
was only a few days old.
00:39:34
He was wrapped in
a blue blanket.
00:39:36
Tucked inside was a
linen handkerchief
00:39:39
with the embroidered
W. Gladys notified
00:39:42
the Children's Home Society.
00:39:49
The baby was eventually adopted
by a Jewish couple, Harry
00:39:52
and Yetta Stubin, whom
Charles would come to know
00:39:55
as his mother and father.
00:39:59
55 years later,
Charles still didn't
00:40:02
know who his
natural parents were
00:40:04
or why they had abandoned him.
00:40:07
he began searching through
the Los Angeles birth
00:40:09
records for September 1935.
00:40:12
His only clue was
the handkerchief.
00:40:16
The W was probably the
last name of my father.
00:40:20
This was a man's handkerchief
and it was the custom
00:40:23
at the time for a man
to have embroidered
00:40:26
handkerchiefs with their initial
of their last name embroidered
00:40:30
on them.
00:40:32
So that allowed us to narrow
our search down to boy children
00:40:36
whose last name began with W.
00:40:39
DENNIS FARINA
(VOICEOVER): Charles
00:40:40
placed several ads in
the "Los Angeles Times,"
00:40:43
and surprisingly
two different people
00:40:45
came forward with
the same information.
00:40:49
The most plausible
story regarding
00:40:51
how I came to be
abandoned is probably
00:40:53
that the father was probably
Jewish and my mother was not.
00:40:59
There was a businessman who
was very prominent in the '30s
00:41:02
and '40s in Los Angeles.
00:41:05
This gentleman had a
number of girlfriends
00:41:09
and it was quite possible
that I could have
00:41:11
been his illegitimate child.
00:41:14
I'm sure that my mother was
put under tremendous duress
00:41:18
and having to make
a very difficult
00:41:20
decision in very
trying times and she
00:41:22
did what she thought was best.
00:41:25
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Charles never gave up
00:41:27
hope that one day he
would discover the truth
00:41:30
about his birth family.
00:41:34
Update-- after this story
aired, Charles was contacted
00:41:39
by a viewer, Dr. Steven Baskin.
00:41:43
He recognized parts
of Charles' story
00:41:45
and suspected that he and
Charles might be half brothers.
00:41:50
DNA confirmed
their relationship.
00:41:53
However, their birth
mother, Rose Wasserman,
00:41:56
has passed away.
00:41:58
This photograph was
found in her scrapbook.
00:42:01
Charles believes that
it may hold a clue
00:42:03
to his father's identity.
00:42:07
If you have information,
please log on to our website
00:42:10
at unsolved.com.
00:42:14
[theme music]
