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Unsolved Mysteries with Dennis Farina - Season 4, Episode 21

March 09, 2017 / 42:53

This episode of Unsolved Mysteries covers the wrongful conviction of Tommy Ziggler, ghost stories from The Comedy Store, and fortune-telling scams in Illinois.

Tommy Ziggler, a wealthy furniture store owner in Winter Garden, Florida, was convicted of murdering his wife Eunice, her parents, and a customer on Christmas Eve. Ziggler maintains his innocence, claiming he was attacked and found the victims already dead. Despite his assertions and a lie detector test suggesting he was truthful, prosecutors present evidence including blood types and witness testimonies that contradict his account.

The Comedy Store in Hollywood is featured for its ghostly tales, with employees sharing experiences of paranormal activity. Former waitress Lori Jacobson recounts stories of chairs moving and ghostly figures, while comedians like Blake Clark share their own eerie encounters, leading many to believe the venue is haunted.

The episode also highlights a fortune-telling scam in Peoria, Illinois, where a mother-daughter duo defrauded victims out of significant sums of money by claiming they could remove curses. Victims like Karen and Joan describe how they were manipulated into giving away their money and possessions under the guise of spiritual cleansing.

Finally, the episode touches on the mysterious disappearance of Mickey Joe West in St. Joseph, Missouri, and the subsequent letters that surfaced, allegedly from a witness to her murder. The case remained unsolved for years until a suspect was arrested based on these letters.

TL;DR

Tommy Ziggler's wrongful conviction, haunted Comedy Store, and fortune-telling scams are featured in this episode.

Episode

42:53
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[Music]
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next on Unsolved
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Mysteries a man faces execution for a
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murderous rampage that left four people
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dead but he claims that he was wrongly
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convicted at the comedy star in
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Hollywood the price of admission can get
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you laughs from the performers and
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chills from the ghosts
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meet a mother and daughter fortune
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telling team they have stolen more than
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$100,000 from unsuspecting
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victims during World War II a
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kindhearted GI brings joy to a destitute
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family and now they'd like to say thank
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you these are stories with intriguing
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secrets and surprising Revelations I'm
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Dennis finina and this is unsolved
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mystress
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[Music]
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[Music]
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for convicted murderers on death row in
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Florida only a few steps separate their
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C from the electric chair it sits ready
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to exact the ultimate price for the
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ultimate crime and unless convicted
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killer Tommy Ziggler wins his appeal he
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will make that short walk to the
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electric chair
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himself I did not kill Unice I did not
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kill Mr Edwards and I did not kill
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Charlie mace I have not killed
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anybody Winter Garden
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Florida Tommy Ziggler was wealthy and
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wellknown his family owned Ziggler's
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furniture stores and several apartment
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buildings in town Ziggler was married
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attended church and was friendly with
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the mayor and the chief of
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police however according to prosecutors
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all all of this wasn't enough for Tommy
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Ziggler they claimed that he murdered
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his wife Eunice in his furniture store
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on Christmas Eve his motive to cash in
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on a life insurance policy worth half a
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million
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dollars my marriage was very
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good Unice and I loved each other
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greatly I couldn't kill her there's just
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no way I could kill her I loved her she
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was she was my life that was just all
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there was to it the prosecutors say
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Ziggler didn't stop
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there he then killed Eunice's parents
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Perry and Virginia Edwards who were also
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in the store that
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night they say Zigler had pre-arranged
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to have a customer named Charlie Maize
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stop by to pick up a television set
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Ziggler's plan was to kill maiz and then
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frame Maize for robbing the store and
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murdering Unice and her
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parents Maize would later be found dead
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with story receipts and cash stuffed in
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his
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pockets supposedly Ziggler ended the
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bloodbath by shooting himself in the
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side making sure that he also looked
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like a
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victim Ziggler was still in the hospital
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when he was charged with all four
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killings soon after he was convicted and
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condemned to death I think that Tommy
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Zigler will ultimately die for killing
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those four people and I believe he is
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the right man to die for it and I
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believe that he will deserve
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it Tommy Ziggler disagrees he tells a
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different story he says that he planned
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to meet Eunice and her parents at the
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store that night and he claims that he
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didn't know that they were already dead
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when he opened the door and found the
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lights not
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working I walked from there into the
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main showroom through the door and I was
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hit in the back of the
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head as I was getting up there were two
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blurs coming at me one was a shorter
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stocky man one was a big Burly
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man I was just being bounced around
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glass was breaking things were being
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knocked over and knocked down I was
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thrown back into the hallway Ziggler
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kept a lot of money at the store and
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always carried a handgun for protection
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he believes that he may have wounded one
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of the
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asants and
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then he himself was shot in the
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side before filming this segment we
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insisted that Tommy Ziggler take a lie
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detector test with one of the country's
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most respected polygraph experts after
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talking to Tommy Ziggler for the period
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of time that I did in assessing all of
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the other information that I had it was
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my professional opinion that Tommy
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Ziggler was telling the
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truth even though the LI detectors
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suggest that Ziggler is innocent
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prosecutors believe that a number of
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Clues suggest that he is in fact the
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Killer is anyone here first there's the
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position of Eunice's
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body her oddly unruffled pose suggested
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to police that she knew her
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killer I think it's very unlik likely
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that any unknown as salant could get in
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a position where they could surprise
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Unice Zigler in that kind of
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circumstance and shoot her in the back
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of the head uh and catch her in that
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way secondly there was the blood found
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on Ziggler's
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shirt it was type
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A which was his father-in-law's blood
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type and type O which was his blood type
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his story didn't account for that as to
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how he got someone else's blood on his
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shirt the blood type matched Perry
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Edwards during the course of his
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struggle in the store when Tommy first
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came
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in he was in a fight with a couple of
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people one of those people he had a
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struggle with and was hitting him with a
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gun it would have caused bleeding and it
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could have caused the blood
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there five handguns were also found at
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the crime scene four had been wiped
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clean of fingerprints two of the guns
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were were inexpensive Saturday night
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specials made by a company named RG of
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the five guns found in the store three
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of them were documented as belonging to
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Tommy Zigler the other two that were
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there which was the cheaper guns were
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not uh registered to him but they were
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connected to him through another witness
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I bought good highquality guns when I
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bought guns and I had good highquality
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guns uh from what I understand and from
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what I saw at trial those RGS are are
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garbage
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St your name please Felton Thomson one
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of the key Witnesses for the state was a
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man named Felton Thomas A friend of
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victim Charlie ma Ziggler said Thomas's
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version of what happened that night was
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a lie from start to
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finish Thomas testified that on the
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night of the murders he went the Zigler
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store with Charlie Maz Charlie sorry I'm
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late oh that's all right hey this is f
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Thomas he come to help me get the TV set
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listen the guy with the keys isn't here
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yet but uh while we're waiting for him
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why don't we take a ride I uh got
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something want to show you Thomas told
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the court that Ziggler took them to a
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nearby Orange Grove to show off some new
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guns clean action on that all right I'm
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going to step out and fire off no no no
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no no no
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here just do it from the window
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prosecutors charged that Ziggler's plan
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was to expose Thomas and
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to gunshot residue and cover the weapons
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with their fingerprints if in fact that
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was his purpose for doing that so that
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he could set up Charlie Maye and Felton
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Thomas and have their prints on the guns
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why were all of the guns wiped clean
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what happened later at the store ma
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Thomas testified that once they got back
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to the store Ziggler asked him to turn
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off the power and then burglarize the
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store
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all right come over the fence no I'm not
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come on okay Charlie pick yourself up a
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piece of pipe and help us out
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prosecutors said that it was all part of
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Ziggler's plan to make the killings look
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like they happened during a robbery
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maybe I got an extra key back home why
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don't we go and pick it up Thomas also
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told the court that they next drove to
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Ziggler's house for the key and then
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they went back to the store at that time
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F you're going to come in and help us
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with the TV Thomas said Ma and Ziggler
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went inside and he
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left prosecutors say that once inside
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the story Zigler killed
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Maz the defense completely dismissed
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Thomas's account to begin with they
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claimed his entire scenario would have
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had to happen in less than 21 minutes
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get out belon Thomas is a joke I have no
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idea why Felton Thomas would make up a
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story like that I had never laid eyes on
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him until he walked in that courtroom to
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testify against
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me next we'll hear from a close friend
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of the Ziggler family who testified
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against Tommy Ziggler in
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court Tommy Ziggler stood accused of
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killing his wife
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her parents and another man in his
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family's furniture store on Christmas
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Eve he insisted that he was innocent but
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the testimony of a key witness for the
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prosecution makes his claim hard to
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believe I know Tommy Zigler Ed Williams
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had known and worked for the Zigler
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family for 10 years Williams testified
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that on the night of the murder Zigler
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gave him a handgun later that same night
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Williams turned the weapon over to
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authorities they confirmed that the
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bullets from that gun killed Perry and
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Virginia
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Edwards Edward Williams in the last 20
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years as far as we know he's been an
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upstanding citizen hasn't done anything
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wrong U and there's no reason not to
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believe Edward Williams I was however
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Ziggler testified that the gun was
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stolen from his truck 2 weeks before the
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murders and that Ed Williams had easy
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access to his car another witness also
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tied Williams to the gun that killed
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Unice
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Ziggler he testified that he bought the
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two guns Saturday night specials for
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Ziggler but gave them to Ed
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Williams not Tommy
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Ziggler Edward Williams is in fact the
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one purchase the two Saturday night
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specials that did The Killing and the
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only person that was found with a murder
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weapon only him was Edward Williams the
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defense claims that there were two
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witnesses that verified Ziggler's story
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who were never called to
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testify a uh husband and wife reported
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to the Sheriff's Department that they
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had been driving by the Zigler furniture
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store on the night of the crime uh and
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that they had seen four cars not two as
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the state had contend
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outside the furniture store including a
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white Cadillac all of which is
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completely inconsistent with the state's
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version of events in addition they saw a
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man who generally fit the description of
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Charlie Mays who we believe was one of
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the perpetrators and none of that was
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reported to the court none of it was
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presented to the jury and none of it was
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reported to the uh trial lawers for Mr
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Ziggler any witness who comes by and
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claims to be an eye or ear Witness at
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the time of a murder is going to be
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interviewed is going a statement is
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going to be taken so I think they're
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claim that they went by the police
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department to talk about the case um is
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not very
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credible Ziggler's trial lasted for four
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weeks and filled nearly 3,000 pages of
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transcripts in the end the jury voted to
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convict they recommended that he'd be
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sentenced to life in prison but they
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were about to be overruled by judge
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Maurice Paul it is the sentence of the
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law and the Judgment of this court that
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you William Thomas Ziggler Jr shall be
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put to death by means of electrocution
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as nobody in their right mind that can
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look at that trial transcript can say
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that there was a fair trial in zigg
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versus state it was a railroad from day
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one and judge Paul orchestrated the
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whole thing Ziggler believes that judge
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Paul had held a grudge against him ever
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since they testified for opposing sides
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in a bitter legal
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dispute within months thereafter Tommy
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Zigler was standing at the defendant
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table accused of murder and judge Paul
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was sitting on the bench making
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decisions that would affect his life
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judge Maurice Paul was a very respected
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member of the Judiciary of Orange County
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and his his reputation and ethics have
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never been subject to question no one
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has even ever alleged he is anything
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other than an honest
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man after 11 years on death row Ziggler
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was 24 hours away from the electric
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chair when he was granted a stay of
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execution previously undisclosed
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evidence had been located you're about
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to hear parts of a tap recorded
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conversation between a prosecution
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investigator and a
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witness the witness was staying at this
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Motel on the night of the murders his
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room faced the back of Ziggler's store
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the man said that at around 8:30
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p.m. he saw a policeman with a gun in
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his hand crouched behind the store at
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around 900 p.m. he heard shots heard
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what we figured were probably shot this
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is obviously significant because if it
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was 9:00 this was 20 minutes at least
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before the time Tommy called for help it
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would mean that Tommy would have been in
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the store at this time and if there was
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the policeman outside with his gun drawn
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and there were shots going off then the
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police had to have been
00:15:36
involved it appears to have shots being
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fired after the police arrive which
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clearly couldn't be related to the
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murder um maybe some sound that sounded
00:15:46
like a gunshot so the information itself
00:15:48
is meaningless was there a police
00:15:51
officer involved well we may never know
00:15:54
but the prosecution did not inform
00:15:57
Ziggler's attorneys about the witness or
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his story and they did not ask him to
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testify at the trial as long as you
00:16:05
heard the gunshots after you know you
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saw the police cars and that wouldn't
00:16:10
help us a
00:16:11
bit Tommy Ziggler has appealed his
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verdict eight times but has never
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produced enough evidence to clear his
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name he has lost all eight appeals and
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remains on Florida's death row awaiting
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execution he still maintains means his
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innocence if you have any information
00:16:33
about this case please log on to our
00:16:35
website at unsolved.com
00:16:40
next could Hollywood's famous nightclub
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The Comedy Store be a meeting place for
00:16:46
visitors from Beyond the Grave
00:17:01
for years The Comedy Store on Hollywood
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Sunset Strip has played host to
00:17:06
Legendary comedians like Jim Carrey
00:17:08
Robin Williams and arcenio Hall this
00:17:12
right here now that's Don King okay
00:17:13
where where the one I'm at I'm to fight
00:17:15
each got their big break on this stage
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but some say that the best part of the
00:17:19
show takes place when the crowd goes
00:17:22
home and there's hardly a living Soul
00:17:25
around many employees past and present
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say that the comedy stores Halls are
00:17:31
haunted author Lori Jacobson who once
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worked here as a waitress has collected
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these stories for a book that she was
00:17:39
writing this place is haunted from the
00:17:42
basement to the rafters when I was a
00:17:45
waitress here the waitresses would have
00:17:47
to set up the showroom by putting
00:17:49
tablecloths on the table and we would
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put an ashtray on every table and on
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occasion girls would set up the room
00:17:57
leave for a moment come come back and
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everything would be put
00:18:02
back and we all knew exactly what we
00:18:06
were dealing with here Dave that what
00:18:10
was happening in those rooms being set
00:18:12
and unset was was being done by
00:18:16
ghosts when he was just starting out
00:18:19
Joey ganner worked as a dman at the club
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most nights he was the last one to leave
00:18:24
the building or so he thought
00:18:29
one night I was going to shut the lights
00:18:31
in the building takes 5 Seconds
00:18:34
tops walk back out chairs all these
00:18:37
chairs are just piled in the middle of
00:18:39
the
00:18:40
aisle I never heard anything nobody
00:18:42
could have come in and done that in 5
00:18:45
seconds even if it had been 10 seconds
00:18:47
if you compile 8 10 chairs in that
00:18:50
amount of
00:18:51
time uh you should be in Vegas because
00:18:54
that's a pretty that's pretty amazing
00:18:56
born and raised in Georgia and I fought
00:18:57
in Vietnam that's like being punished
00:18:59
for the same thing twice like Joey
00:19:01
Gainer comedian Blake Clark says that
00:19:04
he's been the target of the club's
00:19:06
ghostly pranksters he claims that one
00:19:10
night a stool mysteriously glided across
00:19:13
the stage I was a person who did not
00:19:15
believe in ghost absolutely
00:19:17
unequivocally undeniably did not believe
00:19:21
in any sort of paranormal
00:19:25
manifestation until I started working
00:19:27
here
00:19:31
when Blake realized that he was the only
00:19:33
one in the building he knew that a
00:19:35
supernatural force was responsible and
00:19:38
that made him a
00:19:40
Believer I was always skeptical because
00:19:43
we're talking about comedians telling
00:19:46
stories it didn't take Michael Becker
00:19:48
very long to be convinced that the club
00:19:50
was indeed haunted yeah hi it's Mike
00:19:53
Becker as I was standing there I saw
00:19:56
someone with a kind of a Tweed 4
00:19:59
jacket just walk right into my office
00:20:02
get that guy out my office can you hold
00:20:04
it please thanks who is that guy what
00:20:06
guy the guy that just came in here there
00:20:09
was nobody there except the guy that was
00:20:10
on the phone originally nobody came in
00:20:12
here nobody and to top it off the guy
00:20:15
that was on the phone didn't see
00:20:17
anything it was not a guy but it was
00:20:21
something that walked in my
00:20:23
office that something has been prowling
00:20:26
the club for decades or so they
00:20:29
say long before The Comedy Store moved
00:20:32
in this place was home to the nightclub
00:20:34
zeros a hangout for movie stars like
00:20:37
Tyrone Power Betty Davis and Lucille B
00:20:41
SOS was the most popular nightclub in
00:20:45
Hollywood and when a club is that
00:20:47
popular the mob is often
00:20:50
involved Mickey Cohen was the most
00:20:52
notorious of the club's mob regulars
00:20:55
it's been said that more than a few
00:20:57
unfortunate Souls who made him mad ended
00:21:01
up as
00:21:02
ghosts it kind of all fits together that
00:21:04
something happened back in the 40s
00:21:07
perhaps because it's never like a hippie
00:21:09
looking guy or it's never somebody from
00:21:11
the 80s or or anything like that it the
00:21:13
clothing is always
00:21:15
40s once you rule out all the prosaic
00:21:18
logical explanations such as the hoax
00:21:20
the fraud misinterpretation of natural
00:21:22
events um you know seismic you know
00:21:25
transients electrical transients you're
00:21:27
left with some that is totally
00:21:29
inexplicable in terms of modern science
00:21:32
modern science would have a hard time
00:21:34
explaining what Blake Clark claimed he
00:21:36
and a coworker saw late at night do you
00:21:40
see that
00:21:43
yeah you look back and I saw the gate
00:21:46
and it just started just bending out
00:21:48
into the to the
00:21:52
hallway they're making that kind of
00:21:54
noise and as I was looking at it I
00:21:57
thought this is certainly approaching
00:22:00
the boundary of physical possibility
00:22:02
that something can do that most of the
00:22:05
ghosts at The Comedy Store are not
00:22:08
dangerous at all but there is something
00:22:11
in the
00:22:13
basement and you'll have a hard time
00:22:16
convincing people to go down there at
00:22:18
least alone it was a challenge that Joey
00:22:21
Gainer and Blake Clark could not resist
00:22:24
late one night they visited the
00:22:27
Forbidden basement
00:22:32
what do you
00:22:34
want what do you want it had no features
00:22:37
no features at all just moved and it
00:22:39
started to
00:22:41
snake upwards and down towards us Spirit
00:22:46
demon whatever was down there in that
00:22:48
basement I just don't like
00:22:51
it rumor has it that no one has raced
00:22:54
out of that basement faster than those
00:22:56
two did that night
00:23:01
some might say it would be foolish to
00:23:03
take ghost stories at face value
00:23:06
especially those told by comedians but
00:23:08
if these accounts are true it suggests
00:23:11
that not everything that happens at the
00:23:13
comedy store is a laughing
00:23:17
matter coming up a convincing pair of
00:23:20
fortune tellers uses oils curses and
00:23:23
lots of money to scam innocent people
00:23:30
[Music]
00:23:36
poror
00:23:38
Illinois a respected teacher who we'll
00:23:41
call Karen was mentally and physically
00:23:44
injured in a car
00:23:46
accident her friends encouraged her to
00:23:49
see an cor Chile a fortune teller who
00:23:52
supposedly had psychic
00:23:56
powers the last thought of my my mind
00:23:58
was to go see a psychic but I thought
00:24:01
well if it doesn't work it doesn't work
00:24:04
it's 10 bucks for a half an hour what
00:24:05
have I got to
00:24:07
lose I see that you've had family
00:24:09
problems lately uh have you considered
00:24:11
suicide before she told me that I had
00:24:15
had suicidal thoughts and I hadn't ever
00:24:17
told anyone so I was convinced that she
00:24:20
was psychic and she had the answer to my
00:24:23
problem this is a curse that someone's
00:24:24
put on you and I looked at her like
00:24:29
you have got to be
00:24:31
kidding but she said it so
00:24:34
believably and she held my hand and she
00:24:37
leaned forward and said we can do
00:24:39
something about this I'll help you and
00:24:40
we can overcome this together at the
00:24:43
point she told me there was a curse on
00:24:45
me I think I would have been ready to
00:24:47
believe
00:24:50
anything an told Karen that she had to
00:24:53
follow a strict plan in order to remove
00:24:55
the curse I was taking rich ual baths
00:24:59
and scented oils I was blessing the
00:25:02
doors the windows the cars people with
00:25:06
holy water but I couldn't let anyone
00:25:09
know what was going
00:25:11
on each time that I saw her she gave me
00:25:14
more things to do which was great I
00:25:16
loved it I felt like I was beginning to
00:25:18
get control back of my
00:25:21
life an instructed Karen to come with
00:25:24
her to a nearby bridge and to bring
00:25:27
$4,000 wrapped in a white handkerchief I
00:25:31
brought the
00:25:33
money this money has taken all the evil
00:25:35
from your body she told me that we had
00:25:38
to destroy the money because Satan was
00:25:42
of the Earth in what better way to
00:25:44
control him but with his own dirty
00:25:50
money so we took the bundle of money and
00:25:53
threw it off the bridge is it gone it's
00:25:57
gone it's gone
00:25:58
the money that was in the bundle had
00:26:00
been wrapped in a handkerchief and she
00:26:02
had refolded it several times before it
00:26:05
was ever thrown into the river I never
00:26:07
saw the actual
00:26:10
$4,000 I had my eyes closed in
00:26:13
prayer Karen now believes that she was
00:26:16
kinded by an Corelli who often worked
00:26:19
with her mother Lena Marie Wilson in
00:26:22
bogus fortunetelling
00:26:24
schemes I look at myself and I say how
00:26:27
could I be so stupid I'm a college
00:26:29
educated person I'm a professional I've
00:26:32
seen enough news reports I've lived in
00:26:34
the world long enough to know what real
00:26:35
crime is and that people at any
00:26:37
opportunity are very willing to steal
00:26:39
your money and I cannot believe that I
00:26:42
was a victim of this
00:26:44
crime another victim of the
00:26:46
fortunetelling scam in Poria was a
00:26:49
69-year-old woman will'll called Joan
00:26:52
after her second husband died she was
00:26:54
left with a sizable
00:26:57
estate I think at the time I was very
00:26:59
vulnerable because I had lost my husband
00:27:02
2 years before I was lonely I was
00:27:06
searching maybe for answers in different
00:27:09
places when Joan visited the fortune
00:27:11
tellers they were using the name Kelvin
00:27:15
the first person she met was an
00:27:18
Corelli I can tell that you've had a
00:27:20
recent spiritual crisis in your
00:27:24
life I can also tell that you have a
00:27:28
recent death in the family well yes my
00:27:30
husband 2 years
00:27:32
ago okay I can also see that there's
00:27:34
something evil in your
00:27:36
charts something that I am going to have
00:27:38
to ask my grandmother to help us
00:27:42
with and left the room and brought in
00:27:45
her partner and mother Lena Marie to
00:27:48
help with the con you need help yes have
00:27:51
the power to reveal your problems take
00:27:54
this red and tie three knots three knot
00:27:57
yeah
00:27:59
yes she told me that my life had had a
00:28:03
curse on it for over 40 years that was
00:28:06
put on by a girlfriend of my first
00:28:10
husband and she actually named the
00:28:12
person that my husband went with before
00:28:15
he married me she said will you come
00:28:19
back and bring with you a $1 $5 $10 and
00:28:24
a $20 bill did you bring the money with
00:28:27
you yes just as you ask me Lena Marie
00:28:31
also asked her to bring a sheet which
00:28:33
she tied around both of their necks she
00:28:36
told me to tear these bills in half and
00:28:40
she said if this money will go back
00:28:43
together and become whole then I can
00:28:46
help you otherwise I can't and then she
00:28:48
wrapped them up in the white
00:28:50
handkerchief and tied it all together
00:28:53
Our Father who are in heaven Elina Marie
00:28:57
held the torn money under the sheet and
00:28:59
rubbed it over Joan's arms and legs do
00:29:03
you believe I have the power yes I when
00:29:05
Lena Marie unwrapped the money the bills
00:29:07
appeared to be magically restored they
00:29:10
had even multiplied and to Joan this was
00:29:13
a
00:29:14
miracle I can't believe it I just she
00:29:17
said kneel down and thank God and so I
00:29:21
knelt down before the alar and kept
00:29:23
saying over the are father if you tell
00:29:26
anybody the C will be back on
00:29:28
do you understand oh yes I understand do
00:29:31
you they always associate their special
00:29:33
powers with God or religion or the
00:29:36
church and more importantly with this
00:29:38
particular type of trick with making the
00:29:41
money multiply is to get in the victim's
00:29:44
mind that money means
00:29:46
nothing the next step is to convince the
00:29:49
victim that they are cursed she said
00:29:51
we've got to get rid of this devil it is
00:29:53
in your life and it is all around you
00:29:59
and she said she had to have money
00:30:01
because this would give her more power
00:30:04
and the more money I could give her the
00:30:05
more power she would have to help me for
00:30:08
the next year and a half Joan gave Lena
00:30:11
Marie more than $80,000 in cash and most
00:30:15
of her jewelry she even bought her a new
00:30:19
Cadillac well this money will help to
00:30:21
take the evil out of your body money is
00:30:24
Evil Marie had the type of Personality
00:30:27
that made you feel that she was helping
00:30:29
you and I believed in her finally Lena
00:30:34
Marie asked Joan to give her the last of
00:30:37
her life savings
00:30:39
$40,000 we have to go Vis
00:30:42
evil she said now we have to burn this
00:30:44
money because money is
00:30:47
evil she put it in a garbage
00:30:50
can and then put lighter fluid on it and
00:30:53
burned
00:30:55
it the money that
00:30:58
the individual thinks is going into the
00:31:00
fire uh does not actually go into the
00:31:03
fire kneel down and
00:31:06
pray there might be a $1 bill or a $100
00:31:10
bill wrapped around play money and this
00:31:14
is what actually goes into the fire and
00:31:16
is actually burnt real money never goes
00:31:18
into the fire did you see this the crime
00:31:21
that they're committing is they're
00:31:23
taking valuables from people by the
00:31:25
means of
00:31:26
deception but but the majority of the
00:31:28
people would just assume cut their
00:31:30
losses and not come forward they do now
00:31:33
want to uh suffer the the embarrassment
00:31:35
of the community of their peers of their
00:31:38
family I gave her close to
00:31:42
$150,000 in money possessions and
00:31:46
jeury based on the testimony of Karen
00:31:49
Joan and 16 other victims authorities
00:31:53
arrested Lena Marie
00:31:55
Wilson soon after she jump
00:31:59
bail
00:32:01
update 10 years after Lena Marie Wilson
00:32:04
disappeared she was arrested at her home
00:32:07
in a Boston suburb Wilson served time
00:32:10
for conspiracy to commit fraud and for
00:32:13
bail jumping she has since been
00:32:16
released the statute of limitations has
00:32:19
run out on this
00:32:20
[Music]
00:32:22
case investigators are no longer looking
00:32:25
for an Corelli
00:32:27
[Music]
00:32:31
coming up a nurse's aid disappears and
00:32:34
the only Clues are mysterious letters
00:32:37
left in shopping
00:32:46
malls one September morning in the small
00:32:49
town of St Joseph
00:32:52
Missouri a young woman named Mickey Joe
00:32:55
West left for work
00:32:58
she was never seen
00:33:00
again I think I know what happened to
00:33:03
Mickey I think I know who did it and I
00:33:07
think I know why they did it we have a
00:33:09
suspect that we established the day
00:33:10
after The Disappearance we've talked to
00:33:12
him several times we know where he lives
00:33:14
now we know where we can reach him uh we
00:33:17
just simply have no evidence against him
00:33:18
at this
00:33:20
point at the time of her disappearance
00:33:23
Mickey Joe West was just 19 years old
00:33:26
she was a friendly girl who worked as a
00:33:28
nurse's aid at a local hospital she was
00:33:31
funny when I had bad days and I was at
00:33:34
my worst end she'd come in and
00:33:37
everything would be all right cuz she'd
00:33:38
say something
00:33:40
funny shortly before she disappeared
00:33:43
Mickey became involved in a friend's
00:33:45
bitter marital dispute perhaps too
00:33:48
involved she began to receive threats
00:33:52
the last time I talked to Mickey on the
00:33:53
phone she was afraid for her life so she
00:33:56
told me she was going to carry a hammer
00:33:57
to work work with
00:33:59
her that next morning she got up and
00:34:01
left her house and was on her way to the
00:34:04
bus stop and that was a last that anyone
00:34:06
ever heard from her at this point the
00:34:09
only case we have is a missing person we
00:34:11
have no crime we have a missing person
00:34:12
we have no body to establish a murder
00:34:14
case we have evidence that there were
00:34:16
threats made to Mickey that she was
00:34:18
followed by this person that he had a
00:34:21
motive to do this that he could have
00:34:24
done this and we just need the body
00:34:30
for 7 years no new evidence was
00:34:33
found and
00:34:36
then a delivery man at a Kansas City
00:34:39
shopping mall found a
00:34:42
letter it was addressed to the St Joseph
00:34:45
Police it read quote I need your help I
00:34:50
was with and here we cannot mention that
00:34:52
person's name when he killed Micki Joe
00:34:55
West and hid the body I can kill myself
00:34:59
now please help the letter was unsigned
00:35:04
there was a note found at the Oak Park
00:35:05
Mall in Overland Park Kansas that was
00:35:08
the exact date of the anniversary of The
00:35:10
Disappearance of Mickey
00:35:12
Joe the following month a security guard
00:35:15
found another note in the same shopping
00:35:19
mall both of the notes named the
00:35:22
man who has been and is now the prime
00:35:25
suspect the author in these notes said
00:35:27
that he was with the person who had
00:35:29
killed her that he did not kill her
00:35:31
himself that he could not stand this
00:35:33
knowledge that he had and that he needed
00:35:35
help they're both unsigned and so far we
00:35:38
have not come up with any solid leads as
00:35:40
to who the author
00:35:42
is 7 weeks later three more letters were
00:35:45
found this time in St Joseph the town
00:35:48
where Mickey was last seen two were
00:35:51
found in a local
00:35:53
mall and one at a nearby truck stop
00:35:58
all five notes were believed to be
00:36:00
written by the same person but the
00:36:02
police did not have enough evidence to
00:36:05
arrest the suspect that was named in the
00:36:08
letters we've explored the possibility
00:36:10
that the notes are a hoax but we believe
00:36:12
they're genuine because of the details
00:36:14
that he's given us about the crime
00:36:16
because of the way they are written
00:36:18
because of the feelings that they
00:36:20
express they just seem
00:36:23
realistic When We examined these letters
00:36:26
it was obvious to us that the person who
00:36:28
wrote them was intimidated by the person
00:36:30
who killed Mickey Joe these weren't
00:36:32
letters written by a stranger they were
00:36:34
written by someone who was personally
00:36:35
acquainted with the victim their
00:36:37
deep-seated feelings of guilt not guilt
00:36:40
because the writer was personally
00:36:42
responsible for having killed Mickey but
00:36:44
because he was present when it happened
00:36:47
and he wasn't able to stop
00:36:49
it 9 years after Mickey's disappearance
00:36:52
a television reporter named Thurman
00:36:54
Mitchell received a letter addressed to
00:36:56
him personally
00:36:58
in this letter the author said that if
00:37:00
Thurman would come alone he would show
00:37:02
him where Mickey Joe West is he said
00:37:05
that he did not want the reward he said
00:37:07
that he was not himself involved in the
00:37:09
crime but that he needed help again
00:37:12
because this latest letter was mailed to
00:37:13
the station in response to this letter
00:37:15
that Mr Mitchell received he did a news
00:37:18
story asking this person to come forward
00:37:20
and contact him personally Mickey Joe's
00:37:22
death we're asking that witness to call
00:37:24
the telephone number on the screen and
00:37:25
talk to us and we'll pass that that
00:37:27
information on Mitchell's onair request
00:37:30
produced no new
00:37:31
leads if he knows where she is if he was
00:37:35
there the author of these notes is the
00:37:38
most important witness that we could
00:37:40
have in this case we miss Mickey and
00:37:43
it's been 9
00:37:45
years and we just want to know what
00:37:47
happened to
00:37:48
her
00:37:50
update St Joseph Police eventually
00:37:52
arrested Marvin Lee Irvin for the murder
00:37:55
of Mickey Joe West it was Irvin who was
00:37:58
named in the anonymous letters and the
00:38:00
police now believe that he wrote those
00:38:02
letters himself the discovery of two
00:38:06
other bodies and the search of Vin's
00:38:08
home provided the evidence needed to
00:38:10
make the
00:38:12
arrest Irvin confessed and pled guilty
00:38:15
to murdering Mickey Joe West and two
00:38:18
other women he was sentenced to three
00:38:21
consecutive life terms without the
00:38:23
possibility of parole Micki Joe's body
00:38:26
however has never been
00:38:37
found we recently told you a story that
00:38:40
began over 60 years ago in war torn
00:38:43
Eastern
00:38:45
Europe when Hitler's thirdd R crumbled
00:38:48
Carl Dente and his family fled their
00:38:50
home in Budapest Hungary and traveled to
00:38:55
Austria as winter approached the family
00:38:58
was forced to live in a Box Car life was
00:39:02
extremely hard for Carl's 5-year-old
00:39:04
daughter brigita but all that changed a
00:39:08
few days before Christmas an American GI
00:39:11
known only as Phillip asked if he could
00:39:14
take Briget to a children's Christmas
00:39:17
party yes yes yes yes Christmas yes even
00:39:21
though more than 60 years have passed
00:39:24
Briget still remembers that night as if
00:39:26
it were just yesterday Philip made me
00:39:29
feel very very special aside of making
00:39:32
me feel safe and happy he made me feel
00:39:34
like a big
00:39:36
girl well I felt like a
00:39:39
princess it's like someone opened a
00:39:42
Magic
00:39:44
[Music]
00:39:53
Door over the next few months philli and
00:39:56
the dentes developed a close
00:39:59
friendship then one day Philip came to
00:40:01
the camp with news his unit was being
00:40:04
sent back to the United States he gave
00:40:07
Carl a photograph to remember him by the
00:40:10
dentes never saw Philip again but they
00:40:13
never forgot the kindness that he
00:40:15
brought their family on that Christmas
00:40:17
day so many years ago he brought a big
00:40:20
change in our life little happiness you
00:40:24
know give us back lot of confidence of
00:40:26
the human
00:40:28
race more than a decade later the dentes
00:40:32
finally made it to America for 30 years
00:40:35
Carl and beeta searched for Phillip
00:40:38
their only clue was the photograph he
00:40:40
had given
00:40:42
them
00:40:44
update within an hour after we aired the
00:40:47
story a viewer recognized the
00:40:51
GI Phillip was her cousin Philip
00:40:55
pelleter and he lived in Hammond
00:40:59
Indiana we immediately called Carl and
00:41:01
pet and arranged a
00:41:06
reunion Bridget yeah oh
00:41:10
yes oh I can't
00:41:20
believe well it's really pretty hard to
00:41:22
tell you just how I feel after so many
00:41:24
years and trying to recollect everything
00:41:28
that we went through together you know
00:41:31
it's uh very hard it's very
00:41:34
exciting it's uh almost
00:41:37
unbelievable the minute that I saw him I
00:41:40
could see the warmth and the happy look
00:41:43
on his face
00:41:46
smiling like we really never had lost
00:41:48
touch in a way Carl brigeta and Phillip
00:41:51
spent the entire day looking through
00:41:54
photographs that brought back memories
00:41:56
of that special time they spent together
00:41:58
so many years ago we're going to stay
00:42:01
with touch we're going to try to visit
00:42:03
each other as much as possible we're
00:42:05
going to renew the Friendship what we
00:42:08
had before you know it's it's a
00:42:10
friendship forever
00:42:12
[Music]
00:42:28
[Music]
00:42:38
[Music]

Badges

This episode stands out for the following:

  • 85
    Most heartwarming
  • 80
    Most shocking
  • 80
    Biggest twist
  • 75
    Most dramatic

Episode Highlights

  • Tommy Ziggler's Innocence Claim
    Tommy Ziggler insists he did not kill his wife or her parents, claiming innocence.
    “I did not kill Unice, I did not kill anybody.”
    @ 01m 59s
    March 09, 2017
  • The Comedy Store's Haunting
    Many employees believe The Comedy Store is haunted, sharing chilling experiences.
    “This place is haunted from the basement to the rafters.”
    @ 17m 39s
    March 09, 2017
  • A Skeptic Becomes a Believer
    Comedian Blake Clark recounts his transformation from skeptic to believer in ghosts.
    “I was a person who did not believe in ghosts until I started working here.”
    @ 19m 17s
    March 09, 2017
  • The Curse of Money
    Victims believe they can remove curses by destroying money, leading to devastating losses.
    “Money is evil.”
    @ 30m 24s
    March 09, 2017
  • Mickey Joe West's Disappearance
    A young nurse's aid vanishes, and mysterious letters surface years later, hinting at her fate.
    “I think I know what happened to Mickey.”
    @ 33m 03s
    March 09, 2017
  • A Christmas Miracle
    A young girl remembers a GI's kindness during war, leading to a heartfelt reunion decades later.
    “He made me feel like a big girl.”
    @ 39m 34s
    March 09, 2017

Episode Quotes

  • My marriage was very good. I loved her greatly.
    Unsolved Mysteries with Dennis Farina - Season 4, Episode 21
  • This place is haunted from the basement to the rafters.
    Unsolved Mysteries with Dennis Farina - Season 4, Episode 21
  • I was a person who did not believe in ghosts until I started working here.
    Unsolved Mysteries with Dennis Farina - Season 4, Episode 21
  • What do you want?
    Unsolved Mysteries with Dennis Farina - Season 4, Episode 21
  • I can’t believe it!
    Unsolved Mysteries with Dennis Farina - Season 4, Episode 21
  • It’s like someone opened a magic door.
    Unsolved Mysteries with Dennis Farina - Season 4, Episode 21

Key Moments

  • Murder Case00:07
  • Ziggler's Defense02:49
  • Haunted Comedy Store16:40
  • Ghostly Encounters19:17
  • Victim's Regret26:42
  • Fortunetelling Scam26:46
  • Mysterious Letters34:42
  • Long-Awaited Reunion40:44

Words per Minute Over Time

Vibes Breakdown

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Unsolved Mysteries with Dennis Farina - Season 5, Episode 3
March 09, 2017
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42:54
Unsolved Mysteries with Dennis Farina - Season 5, Episode 3
Unsolved Mysteries with Dennis Farina - Season 3, Episode 15
March 09, 2017
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42:54
Unsolved Mysteries with Dennis Farina - Season 3, Episode 15
Unsolved Mysteries with Dennis Farina - Season 3, Episode 18
March 09, 2017
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42:53
Unsolved Mysteries with Dennis Farina - Season 3, Episode 18
Unsolved Mysteries with Dennis Farina - Season 3, Episode 19
March 09, 2017
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42:55
Unsolved Mysteries with Dennis Farina - Season 3, Episode 19
Unsolved Mysteries with Dennis Farina - Season 2, Episode 12
March 09, 2017
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42:48
Unsolved Mysteries with Dennis Farina - Season 2, Episode 12
Unsolved Mysteries with Dennis Farina - Season 7, Episode 18
March 09, 2017
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42:50
Unsolved Mysteries with Dennis Farina - Season 7, Episode 18
Unsolved Mysteries with Dennis Farina - Season 6, Episode 11 - Updated Full Episode
July 18, 2022
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42:59
Unsolved Mysteries with Dennis Farina - Season 6, Episode 11 - Updated Full Episode
Unsolved Mysteries with Dennis Farina - Season 2, Episode 3
March 09, 2017
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42:47
Unsolved Mysteries with Dennis Farina - Season 2, Episode 3
Unsolved Mysteries with Dennis Farina - Season 2, Episode 8 - Updated Full Episode
July 26, 2021
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42:51
Unsolved Mysteries with Dennis Farina - Season 2, Episode 8 - Updated Full Episode
Unsolved Mysteries with Dennis Farina - Season 1, Episode 7 - Full Episode
March 09, 2017
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42:54
Unsolved Mysteries with Dennis Farina - Season 1, Episode 7 - Full Episode