00:00:04
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Next on Unsolved Mysteries,
00:00:08
a Texas man gets
life for robbery
00:00:10
that five witnesses
say he did not commit,
00:00:14
and now even the
prosecutor has doubts.
00:00:17
When a young computer whiz
hacks into a military computer
00:00:22
authorities fear
that he's a spy.
00:00:25
A woman learns that
the man she married
00:00:27
is a convicted con artist.
00:00:29
He also has a nasty temper
and a taste for violence.
00:00:35
And Sharon Kinne was a woman
who knew what she wanted,
00:00:39
sex and money, and she was
willing to kill for it.
00:00:46
These are stories with
intriguing secrets
00:00:48
and surprising revelations so
stick around I'm Dennis Farina,
00:00:53
and for the next hour this
is Unsolved Mysteries.
00:00:57
[theme music]
00:01:33
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Garland, Texas, 7:00 PM,
00:01:38
a man enters a gas station and
draws a gun on the attendant
00:01:42
who is closing up for the day.
00:01:45
DOYLE (VOICEOVER): When
he first came in the door,
00:01:47
and he was shaking the gun at
me telling me he'd kill me,
00:01:50
goddamn, he'd kill me, then I
realized it was all for real.
00:01:55
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
The attendant, Doyle,
00:01:57
does not want his last name
used because his eyewitness
00:02:01
testimony put a man in prison.
00:02:05
And if you had a .45 stuck
in your face and somebody
00:02:09
was telling you they
was going to kill you,
00:02:11
it's something that stick with
you the rest of your life,
00:02:14
and you never forget
the person that does it.
00:02:18
DENNIS FARINA
(VOICEOVER): Doyle later
00:02:19
identified his attacker
as Michael Scott
00:02:22
Martin, a 26-year-old welder.
00:02:25
Five other witnesses, however,
swear that Martin could not
00:02:30
possibly rob that gas station
because he spent the whole day
00:02:33
at his home 70 miles away.
00:02:36
This is ridiculous.
00:02:37
I'm at my house in Fort Worth
working on a motorcycle,
00:02:41
and they're saying I'm robbing
a gas station in Garland,
00:02:44
and I've never robbed anything
in my life and I never will.
00:02:49
Michael Martin?
00:02:50
Detective Dennis Wheatley.
00:02:51
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Based on Doyle's testimony,
00:02:53
Martin was convicted
of armed robbery.
00:02:55
I'm going to need you to place
your hands on that wall for me.
00:02:57
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Because of a previous arrest,
00:02:59
he is sentenced
to life in prison.
00:03:03
But Martin insists
he's innocent.
00:03:06
I'm about to the
point of giving up.
00:03:09
I am innocent.
00:03:11
I've gone all the way to the
Supreme Court fighting this,
00:03:15
and I just keep hoping and
praying that there's a way
00:03:18
and I'll find it.
00:03:19
And one day I'll prove that I
didn't rob that gas station.
00:03:26
The case against
Michael Martin
00:03:27
was based entirely on Doyle's
eyewitness identification.
00:03:31
There was no physical evidence
connecting him to the robbery.
00:03:35
No fingerprints were
found at the scene,
00:03:37
and neither the money nor
the gun was ever recovered.
00:03:43
Michel Martin had a clean record
until he was 26 years old.
00:03:48
Seven months before the
gas station robbery,
00:03:50
he was arrested after an
incident at a supermarket.
00:03:54
Martin and a friend
had been drinking,
00:03:57
and were seen eating food
taken from the store's shelves.
00:04:00
We'll contact the police.
00:04:01
We're not staying anywhere.
00:04:02
Here's your lousy money.
00:04:03
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
When the manager
00:04:05
threatened to call the police,
Michel Martin says he panicked.
00:04:10
I don't really know
why I pulled a knife.
00:04:13
I guess it was just a desire
to get out of the door.
00:04:17
I'm drunk, I'm feel
a little crazy.
00:04:19
I'd been hassling with this
manager, and I was tired of it.
00:04:25
[gun shots]
00:04:29
I fired well
over their heads, I
00:04:31
wasn't meaning to hurt anybody.
00:04:32
[engine revs]
00:04:34
It was just an adolescent stunt
that I'm never should have--
00:04:37
You know, I was
26 years old then,
00:04:39
I shouldn't have been out
shooting up the town like that.
00:04:43
It just didn't make any sense.
00:04:46
I wouldn't call placing knives
or shooting at people a prank.
00:04:51
It's a pretty serious offense.
00:04:53
You don't expect somebody
to get outrageously angry when
00:04:57
they're asked to pay for
something that they're
00:04:59
eating inside a store.
00:05:00
I don't think that
should lead to the kind
00:05:01
of reaction on Michael's
part that he obviously had.
00:05:05
There was testimony that he
was intoxicated at the time,
00:05:07
but still an intoxicated person
who would go to that length
00:05:10
to avoid paying for
a Polish sausage,
00:05:12
you have to wonder about.
00:05:16
DENNIS FARINA
(VOICEOVER): Martin
00:05:17
pleaded guilty to assault
with a deadly weapon.
00:05:20
He was fined and given
four years probation.
00:05:25
Then two weeks after
Martin's probation began,
00:05:28
the gas station was robbed.
00:05:30
The gunman took $400 and
fled the scene in a car
00:05:34
stolen from the attendant.
00:05:39
[police radio]
00:05:40
At 7:15 p.m.
00:05:42
Police spotted the stolen car
outside a nearby apartment
00:05:46
where Michel Martin had
lived only a month before.
00:05:51
7:25 p.m.
00:05:53
Detective Wheatley, who'd
investigated the supermarket
00:05:56
incident, claims
that he saw Michael
00:05:58
Martin in his blue Camaro three
blocks from the gas station.
00:06:04
He looked at me,
and I look at him,
00:06:07
and knew him from
the previous offense.
00:06:10
And I said to myself that's
Michael Scott Martin.
00:06:13
He came close
enough to me that I
00:06:15
could have reached over
the top of my motorcycle,
00:06:17
and slapped him.
00:06:19
Doyle, I'm going to show you
a stack of photographs here.
00:06:21
What I'd like you to do
is look through them,
00:06:23
and if you any individuals
here that you recognize.
00:06:25
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Wheatley asked to be
00:06:26
assigned to the robbery case.
00:06:28
The following day he
showed the victim,
00:06:30
Doyle, a series of mugshots.
00:06:34
DET.
00:06:35
WHEATLEY (VOICEOVER):
He's the type of witness
00:06:36
that you wish you
had on every case.
00:06:38
His intensity,
his quick reaction
00:06:41
to picking Michael Scott
Martin made him a good witness.
00:06:47
[inaudible police radio]
00:06:49
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Michael Martin
00:06:50
was arrested, charged with
aggravated armed robbery
00:06:54
and held without bail.
00:06:57
It's a depressing
experience, but I feel like I
00:07:01
would prove my innocence.
00:07:02
I mean, I didn't rob
this gas station.
00:07:04
I knew I didn't rob
this gas station.
00:07:06
I thought I had sufficient
proof in just having people
00:07:12
that knew where I was at.
00:07:14
DENNIS FARINA
(VOICEOVER): Martin claims
00:07:15
that he was at Lake Worth,
70 miles from Garland,
00:07:19
at the time of the robbery.
00:07:21
Five separate witnesses,
three who barely knew Martin,
00:07:25
backed up his claim.
00:07:27
The day that they say
the robbery happened,
00:07:29
I worked on my car and he
worked on his motorcycle.
00:07:32
And other than about two
hours that afternoon,
00:07:35
when he ran for parts, he was
here at all times from the time
00:07:38
and got up in the
morning, until the time
00:07:40
he went to bed at night.
00:07:41
He was there with me and
with George at the time
00:07:45
he was accused of
robbing this gas station.
00:07:48
He just couldn't have done it.
00:07:49
He just didn't do it.
00:07:51
When I left my house, it
was after 6:00 before 6:30,
00:07:54
and I saw Mike out in
front of his house.
00:07:57
I was surprised to see that Mike
was arrested because I knew I'd
00:08:00
seen him so close to the
time that the crime was
00:08:02
supposed to be committed.
00:08:05
It takes well over an hour
to drive from here to Garland.
00:08:08
I saw him around 6
o'clock, and there's
00:08:10
no way he would have had
time to leave and commit
00:08:13
this crime by 7:00 o'clock.
00:08:15
At 7:00 o'clock
Saturday night,
00:08:17
I remembered real well
because there was a television
00:08:21
show that I wanted to catch.
00:08:22
It was Battlestar Galactica, so
I made sure that at 7 o'clock
00:08:26
I was there in front
of the television.
00:08:28
Mike, show's starting.
00:08:29
GEORGE MACFARLANE
(VOICEOVER): And Mike came in,
00:08:31
and watched the show with me.
00:08:34
How could he have been
at my house at 7:00 p.m.
00:08:36
If he was in
Garland at 7:00 p.m.
00:08:39
75, 80 miles away?
00:08:43
DENNIS FARINA
(VOICEOVER): The trial
00:08:44
was held in the same courtroom
where Michael Martin had
00:08:47
been sentenced to probation.
00:08:49
The turning point came when
his supermarket conviction
00:08:53
was admitted into
the court record,
00:08:55
possibly swaying the jury
against Michael Martin.
00:09:00
I don't know if we could have
gotten a guilty conviction
00:09:04
in the second offense
if the jury had not
00:09:06
known about the first offense.
00:09:08
I think that works great
psychological influence
00:09:12
on the jury.
00:09:16
I know that my
witnesses were positive.
00:09:20
I also know that the defense
witnesses were positive,
00:09:23
and it was one of
those cases back then
00:09:26
when I simply had
to put on the case
00:09:28
and let the jury
make their decision.
00:09:30
That's what our
system is all about.
00:09:34
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): It
took the jury only 15 minutes
00:09:36
to find Michael Martin
guilty of aggravated assault
00:09:40
with a deadly weapon
and aggravated robbery.
00:09:44
They gave him the
maximum sentence
00:09:46
possible under the law.
00:09:49
I have to do 20 flat years
because I supposedly took
00:09:53
$400 from this gas station.
00:09:56
I don't think I
got a fair trial.
00:10:00
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Even the prosecutor
00:10:02
is troubled by the case.
00:10:04
Could the jury have put an
innocent man behind bars?
00:10:08
It always bothered me that
we were not able to come up
00:10:12
with the clincher.
00:10:13
There were no fingerprints
found at the scene
00:10:15
or on the getaway car, no
recovery of the stolen items.
00:10:21
There was nothing that
conclusively tied Michael
00:10:23
Martin to the commission of the
offense besides the eyewitness
00:10:26
testimony.
00:10:27
And it's for that
reason that I think
00:10:29
I always had a little doubt
in my mind about this case.
00:10:33
I'm still sure that I
put the right man in jail.
00:10:38
There was no doubt
in my mind then,
00:10:40
and there is no
doubt in my mind now.
00:10:43
Why would five people,
three of whom barely knew him,
00:10:47
why would they lie in a
court of law to protect him?
00:10:52
Back at the time, I
leaned toward thinking
00:10:55
that Michael Martin was guilty,
and today in retrospect,
00:10:59
I simply don't know.
00:11:01
I thought my witness
was positive,
00:11:03
but also the witnesses who
testified for Mark Martin
00:11:06
were positive that they
were with him at the time
00:11:09
of the offense 70 miles away.
00:11:11
So it's one of those
that I guess we'll
00:11:12
never know the true answer to.
00:11:16
I've never stopped
trying to prove
00:11:19
my innocence
because I don't know
00:11:21
what else I have right now.
00:11:24
I can really appreciate
what freedom is.
00:11:27
Before I came here, it was
a big abstract, you know?
00:11:31
It was always there.
00:11:33
When it's taken away you
really appreciate it.
00:11:37
I want what I lost, what I
feel I had taken from me.
00:11:45
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Update, Michael Martin
00:11:47
has been released from prison,
but will remain on parole
00:11:51
for the rest of his life.
00:11:53
He is still determined
to clear his name.
00:11:57
So if you have any information
about the gas station
00:12:00
robbery in Garland, Texas,
please log on to our website
00:12:05
at unsolved.com
00:12:09
Next, she's called the
Black Widow of Missouri.
00:12:13
The baddest of bad girls,
have you see Sharon Kinne?
00:12:28
Fast, loose and ruthless.
00:12:31
Sharon Kinney was the very
definition of a bad girl,
00:12:36
and she would soon
be wanted for murder.
00:12:42
Independence, Missouri.
00:12:45
Mrs. Kinne?
00:12:46
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
A Sheriff's deputy
00:12:47
is summoned by a
distraught Sharon Kinne
00:12:50
then only 20 years down.
00:12:52
Calm down Mrs.
Kinne, calm down.
00:12:53
Where is he?
00:12:54
He's in the back bedroom.
00:12:56
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Sharon's husband
00:12:57
James has been shot once
in the back of the head.
00:13:01
A .22 Caliber target
pistol is in plain sight,
00:13:05
there is no sign of a struggle,
and 25-year-old James Kinne
00:13:10
dies on the way to the hospital.
00:13:13
Mrs. Kinne, I realize how
difficult this time is for you,
00:13:16
but if you could tell us
exactly what happened--
00:13:18
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
The next day, Kinne
00:13:20
was interviewed by detectives.
00:13:22
James was cleaning
his gun in the bedroom.
00:13:24
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Her grief was convincing.
00:13:26
Her bizarre story, believable.
00:13:29
She said that James
was in the bedroom
00:13:32
cleaning his pistol while she
was in the bathroom putting
00:13:35
on makeup.
00:13:37
James, she said,
laid down for a nap.
00:13:40
Dana, their
two-year-old daughter
00:13:43
wandered into the bedroom.
00:13:45
Daddy, show me this.
00:13:48
Show me this.
00:13:49
Show me this.
00:13:51
[gun shot]
00:13:53
And then I heard the
shot, and I ran in there,
00:13:56
and there he was
just lying there.
00:13:59
I thought she was credible.
00:14:00
And she was very distraught
and it was very genuine.
00:14:04
And then for me it
became a problem
00:14:06
of if the little girl
did it, what a shame,
00:14:08
what a terrible tragedy.
00:14:11
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Even
though Kinne herself seemed
00:14:13
credible, police
did have trouble
00:14:16
believing a two-year-old
had fired the fatal shot.
00:14:19
JAMES R. BROWNING
(VOICEOVER): We
00:14:20
were skeptical about
that little girl,
00:14:22
but unfortunately, they were
the only witnesses there.
00:14:25
There was no one else to
talk to accept Sharon Kinne.
00:14:29
All they could do is
just buy into whatever
00:14:30
it was Sharon was telling them,
and she was very convincing.
00:14:34
And that's not to
their discredit.
00:14:36
When Sharon told you
something, you were
00:14:38
just expected to believe it.
00:14:40
She was that good.
00:14:43
The insurance company bought
into Sharon Kinney's story
00:14:45
as well.
00:14:47
She collected on policies
totaling more than $200,000.
00:14:51
Kinne paid cash for
a new Convertible,
00:14:54
and allegedly having an
affair with a married man
00:14:57
that she had bought it from.
00:14:59
And Sharon Kinne was
just getting started.
00:15:03
JAMES C. HAYS
(VOICEOVER): She wanted
00:15:04
the salesman to leave
his wife and his children
00:15:07
and take care of her.
00:15:08
Hi, sweetie.
00:15:09
JAMES C. HAYS (VOICEOVER):
She wanted it,
00:15:10
and in her mind, whatever
Sharon wanted, Sharon got.
00:15:14
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
But the salesman apparently
00:15:16
had no intention of leaving
his family even though Kinne
00:15:20
told him that she was pregnant.
00:15:24
Sharon was determined to
separate the car salesman
00:15:27
from his wife permanently.
00:15:30
Hello, Patricia Jones?
00:15:33
I'm sorry to have
to tell you this,
00:15:34
but I have some information
about your husband.
00:15:37
He's been having an
affair with my sister.
00:15:40
I'd like to get together
with you if I could,
00:15:42
and talk about
this a little more.
00:15:44
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Patricia Jones
00:15:45
agreed to a meeting.
00:15:46
She asked a friend
to go with her.
00:15:49
I'm going to take a
quick ride with her and--
00:15:51
Are you sure?
00:15:52
I need to do this.
00:15:53
OK, just be careful.
00:15:55
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Patricia Jones
00:15:57
never made it home that night.
00:15:59
The next day Sharon
herself volunteered
00:16:02
to help in the search.
00:16:03
All right, well, where
should we check next?
00:16:05
I don't know--
00:16:06
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Kinne got some help
00:16:07
from yet another lover.
00:16:09
A man named John Boldizs.
00:16:12
They didn't find Patricia,
at least not yet.
00:16:17
According to John,
Kinne suggested
00:16:19
that they end that evening
at a popular lover's lane.
00:16:24
It's been a while
since we've done this.
00:16:26
It's bee too long
since we've done this.
00:16:28
Yeah, I think you're right.
00:16:33
What?
00:16:35
Do you see that?
00:16:37
My God, my friend's wife
was wearing a yellow dress
00:16:40
just like that yesterday.
00:16:41
JAMES C. HAYS (VOICEOVER):
She makes this young man
00:16:43
get out and look.
00:16:44
And it scares the living
bejesus out of him
00:16:47
because there is the
salesman's wife laying
00:16:50
shot and dead in the grass.
00:16:54
- We've got to go to the police.
- Why?
00:16:56
Because she's dead.
00:16:57
We have to go to the police.
00:16:58
All right, fine.
00:16:59
Go to the police,
but you know what?
00:17:00
Drop me off at home first, and
don't tell them I was with you.
00:17:04
Straight away he told
them, well I wasn't out here
00:17:06
by myself, I was out here
with Mrs. Sharon Kinne,
00:17:09
and the name just set off all
kinds of bells and whistles
00:17:12
in the investigator's
head because they
00:17:13
remembered her story from just
a couple of months before that.
00:17:16
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Prosecutors wasted no time.
00:17:18
Kinne was charged with the
murder of Patricia Jones
00:17:21
and also her husband James.
00:17:24
Across Missouri, Sharon Kinne
became a household name.
00:17:29
The Patricia Jones
murder trial was first
00:17:31
and Kinne easily charmed
the all-male jury.
00:17:37
Sharon had control
of that courtroom.
00:17:39
She had control of the jury.
00:17:41
She had control
of the spectators.
00:17:42
Everybody's attention was
focused on Sharon Kinne.
00:17:46
Even to the point of the
second day of the trial
00:17:49
after the trial
started, Sharon came
00:17:50
moseying in late, fashionably
late, probably in her mind.
00:17:55
The trial went on
for about 10 days.
00:17:57
The jury came back
after deliberating
00:17:59
only an hour and a half for
the verdict of not guilty.
00:18:02
The courtroom erupted in cheers.
00:18:04
Jurors came out of
the jury box went over
00:18:06
and got Sharon's autograph.
00:18:07
People in the audience came
and got Sharon's autograph.
00:18:10
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): But
Kinne's trials were not over.
00:18:13
She still faced the charge
of killing her husband James.
00:18:17
The star witness
for that prosecution
00:18:20
was none other than Sharon's
former boyfriend, John Boldizs.
00:18:25
He testified that
Sharon had once offered
00:18:27
him $1,000 to kill her husband.
00:18:32
This time Kinne was
convicted and sentenced
00:18:36
to life in prison.
00:18:38
But the Missouri Supreme Court
overturned her conviction
00:18:41
on a legal technicality.
00:18:43
Sharon Kinne was released on a
$25,000 bond pending retrial.
00:18:49
Does that look too short
for you on that side?
00:18:51
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Sharon soon had a new lover,
00:18:54
a man who listed that his
occupations as a hairdresser,
00:18:58
and a blacksmith.
00:19:00
Well, you know, I'm
full of surprises.
00:19:05
You are.
00:19:06
They fall in love.
00:19:07
They decide what
they're going to do
00:19:09
is they're going to go to Mexico
on a pre-marriage honeymoon.
00:19:13
Frankie, I'm so excited.
00:19:15
I've never been
to Mexico before.
00:19:16
I want margaritas, and pinatas.
00:19:18
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Once in Mexico,
00:19:20
a series of misadventures landed
Sharon in a seedy hotel room
00:19:24
with yet another man.
00:19:27
When he turned up dead,
she told police that she
00:19:31
had acted in self-defense.
00:19:33
Mexican authorities
didn't believe her story.
00:19:37
Kinne was convicted of
murder and sentenced
00:19:39
to 13 years in prison.
00:19:42
However, after serving
less than five,
00:19:45
she escaped by squeezing
through an unguarded window
00:19:50
and she hasn't been seen since.
00:19:54
Sharon Kinne could
have been somebody.
00:19:56
She could have used her
intelligence, and used her wit.
00:19:58
She could have been a
pioneer woman in politics
00:20:02
or academia or anything.
00:20:04
But she chose to go
the other way around.
00:20:05
She let greed, avarice, and
promiscuity rule her life.
00:20:11
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Some say that Kinne
00:20:12
is still alive and well.
00:20:14
She may have stayed in Mexico
or she may have gone to Alaska
00:20:18
where she has relatives.
00:20:21
This photograph shows how
Kinne might look today.
00:20:26
Among Kinne's belongings
found in Mexico,
00:20:29
was the .22 caliber
target pistol
00:20:32
that killed Patricia Jones.
00:20:34
But because of double
jeopardy laws, Kinne cannot
00:20:38
be retried for that crime.
00:20:42
If you have any information
about Sharon Kinne,
00:20:45
please log on to our
website at unsovled.com.
00:20:52
Next, a woman was losing
her battle with cancer
00:20:56
until she touched the headstone
of a young woman who died
00:20:59
more than 30 years earlier.
00:21:11
Lourdes, Fatima, and
Medjugorje, every year millions
00:21:15
make the pilgrimage
hoping to be healed.
00:21:18
Now, there's a new
mecca for miracles
00:21:21
that's much closer to home.
00:21:23
It's the tomb of a
young girl in Louisiana
00:21:26
named Charlene Richard.
00:21:28
Many people say that
even from the grave
00:21:31
she has the power to heal.
00:21:39
Donald Leger is a believer.
00:21:42
A Sergeant in the army,
he had a fall that
00:21:45
shattered both of his heels.
00:21:48
Doctors doubted that he
would ever walk again.
00:21:52
And then Donald started
praying to Charlene.
00:21:56
To everyone's surprise,
he didn't just
00:21:58
walk he started running.
00:22:02
Without the
intersession of Charlene,
00:22:03
I feel that I would
not be able to walk.
00:22:06
I truly believe this.
00:22:10
I believe in miracles.
00:22:11
I do.
00:22:13
Richard, Louisiana, it
was 1959, Charlene had
00:22:19
leukemia and was in great pain.
00:22:21
Yet, when Father Brennan
found the courage
00:22:24
to tell her that she was dying,
it was she who comforted him.
00:22:30
Father Brennan, when I
see the blessed Mother,
00:22:33
I'll tell her that
you said hello.
00:22:37
DENNIS FARINA
(VOICEOVER): Charlene
00:22:38
had always believed
that one person's
00:22:41
suffering can save another.
00:22:43
And though she was
dying, she offered
00:22:46
her own pain as redemption for
other patients in the hospital.
00:22:51
When the sickness came and the
pain came, she grew in crisis.
00:22:57
She became great.
00:23:01
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Every day for two weeks,
00:23:03
even as her own time
was running out,
00:23:05
Charlene prayed for others.
00:23:08
I will be gone tomorrow.
00:23:10
I want to say goodbye.
00:23:15
I will be praying for you.
00:23:18
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Charlene died the next day.
00:23:23
I felt a presence in
that room of the divine.
00:23:29
There was an aura of
piece in that room.
00:23:34
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Over the years,
00:23:35
word spread of Charlene's
courage and her saintly ways.
00:23:39
People started praying
to her and asking her
00:23:42
to intercede for them with God.
00:23:45
Each year more and more
people say they've experienced
00:23:48
Charlene's power to heal.
00:23:52
One of them is Tara Roy, who
was diagnosed with colon cancer
00:23:57
when she was just 21.
00:23:59
She was diagnosed with a Dukes
class C, stage 3 carcinoma.
00:24:05
And I've done enough
research and reading
00:24:07
about it to where I know that
you don't come back from those.
00:24:12
Tara started heavy
doses of chemotherapy.
00:24:16
I didn't want this to
interfere with my life.
00:24:18
I didn't want it to totally
take over, and dictate what I
00:24:22
would do and how I would do it.
00:24:24
I just wanted to be a college
student and go to class
00:24:27
and do my job.
00:24:30
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
But every day she felt worse.
00:24:33
Tara and her parents started
making frequent trips
00:24:36
to Charlene's grave.
00:24:38
On their last trip, Tara
was so sick that she thought
00:24:41
she might die within weeks.
00:24:44
With accumulative chemotherapy
kicking in real strong
00:24:47
we almost turned
around and came home.
00:24:49
I didn't want to go.
I felt terrible.
00:24:51
It was probably one
of those days I just
00:24:52
didn't want to do anything.
00:24:53
Laying in bed was a challenge.
00:24:56
Deep down I wanted
to go to the grave
00:24:57
that day, I just
didn't physically
00:24:59
feel up to it at all.
00:25:02
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Tara knelt by Charlene's grave
00:25:04
as usual, and then some impulse
inspired her to do something
00:25:09
that she had never done before.
00:25:13
With her fingers, she traced
the letters of Charlene's name.
00:25:19
In about 20 seconds,
she turned around
00:25:24
and she was transformed.
00:25:26
And I saw her, I was stunned.
00:25:30
I felt like a lot had
been lifted right then.
00:25:33
Just like a weight off my
shoulder was lifted right then.
00:25:37
Papa, I'm going to be OK.
00:25:39
I just felt that I definitely
would be healthy again,
00:25:41
and I would beat this.
00:25:46
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Tara did beat the cancer.
00:25:48
She got back to being a
healthy and happy young woman,
00:25:51
finished college and
went on to get a master's
00:25:54
degree in social work.
00:25:57
I saw the hand of God.
00:25:58
I saw what I needed
to see that day.
00:26:01
We saw a miracle, no doubt.
00:26:05
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Since Charlene Richard's death,
00:26:07
locals have petitioned
the Catholic church
00:26:10
to canonize her as a Saint.
00:26:12
Regardless of how
the church responds,
00:26:15
those in need of healing
will likely continue to seek
00:26:18
the help of Charlene Richard.
00:26:24
Coming up, when his charm wears
thin and his money runs out,
00:26:28
a con man gets violent.
00:26:31
[buzzing]
00:26:32
Ow!
00:26:33
Why are you doing this?
00:26:43
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Baltimore, Maryland.
00:26:44
The usual table, please.
00:26:47
Well this looks very nice.
00:26:49
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
When Beth Smith met Sal
00:26:50
Oliverio she had one weak spot.
00:26:53
Oliverio found it,
and latched on to it.
00:26:56
Thank you.
00:26:58
Tony, your best
ship champagne.
00:27:00
BETH SMITH (VOICEOVER): I was a
single mother of two children.
00:27:03
Financially, I was very stable.
00:27:05
Career wise, I was very stable.
00:27:07
And I guess the only
thing that was really
00:27:08
missing in that
equation was a husband
00:27:10
and a father for my children.
00:27:12
You're gorgeous.
00:27:14
Thank you.
00:27:15
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Beth was a computer consultant.
00:27:17
Oliverio ran a physical
therapy business.
00:27:20
Beth says that he told her about
his distinguished navy career,
00:27:24
including two years
as a POW in Vietnam.
00:27:28
You can't understand it
unless you were over there.
00:27:31
BETH SMITH (VOICEOVER): He
told these war stories to me.
00:27:33
He told them to my children.
00:27:35
My children thought
of him as a war hero.
00:27:37
The only thing I knew was I
was I not going to die there.
00:27:40
When he would tell these
stories, he would cry.
00:27:42
He would literally cry.
00:27:44
He would be very believable.
00:27:48
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Beth fell in love with the man
00:27:50
that Sal Oliverio
pretended to be.
00:27:53
They were soon
married and Beth quit
00:27:54
her own job to run
Oliverio's company, which
00:27:58
appeared to be in trouble.
00:28:01
BETH SMITH (VOICEOVER):
The bottom line numbers
00:28:03
always showed him in the red.
00:28:04
And it was just amazing.
00:28:07
Sal, could you come
in here for a minute?
00:28:10
Yes, dear?
00:28:12
You know, I have been
over and over these numbers,
00:28:13
and I just don't
understand what's going on.
00:28:16
Don't worry about it.
00:28:17
What do you mean,
don't worry about it?
00:28:18
Where's the money
going to come from?
00:28:19
Don't worry about it.
00:28:19
I've got some checks coming in.
00:28:21
Sal, what about
the quarterly taxes?
00:28:23
You don't understand
this business.
00:28:25
I'll take care of it.
00:28:26
It's not your problem.
00:28:28
Things were not as
they appeared to be
00:28:31
before we were married at all.
00:28:32
And his personality and
his background, it changed.
00:28:36
He changed.
00:28:37
The true him came out.
00:28:39
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
The true him was stuffed
00:28:41
in a box in the basement.
00:28:43
Beth found it just before
their third anniversary.
00:28:46
BETH SMITH (VOICEOVER):
It had written
00:28:47
on it, Lexington
Correctional Institution,
00:28:50
and I had never
seen that before.
00:28:53
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Oliverio's past was
00:28:55
spelled out in bold headlines.
00:28:57
So was his real name,
Salvatore Spinnato.
00:29:01
He had done time in
Kentucky for bank fraud,
00:29:04
and had run business
scams for years.
00:29:07
One investor alone lost a
quarter of a million dollars.
00:29:10
BETH SMITH
(VOICEOVER): It told me
00:29:12
that I was married to someone
that was very deceptive, very
00:29:15
manipulative, and
everything that he
00:29:18
told me about what he wanted
and who he was, was a lie.
00:29:23
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Beth
moved out a few days later.
00:29:25
Eventually she got a divorce.
00:29:28
We still maintained a
relationship at that point
00:29:31
because he still owed me a
significant amount of money.
00:29:34
And he was making
payments on that.
00:29:37
Not consistently and not
by court order at all,
00:29:40
just occasionally he
would call and say
00:29:41
I have some extra money, and
give me a few hundred dollars
00:29:44
towards what he owed me.
00:29:45
DENNIS FARINA
(VOICEOVER): Several years
00:29:46
after the divorce, Beth had
to leave town for 10 days.
00:29:50
Her boyfriend had his
own plans to be away,
00:29:53
so she asked Spinnato to keep
an eye on her 17-year-old son.
00:29:58
Sal, I've got a favor to ask.
00:29:59
Sal, and my son had
a good relationship.
00:30:03
When we were married and
before we were married,
00:30:05
they got along well together.
00:30:06
And he said that was fine,
and he would do that.
00:30:10
A couple of days after
Beth left the country,
00:30:12
I got a call out of
the blue from Sal.
00:30:15
He called me and
said that he needed
00:30:17
to talk to me right away.
00:30:18
That he was very
concerned about her son.
00:30:21
That he was involved
with some drugs.
00:30:24
Yeah, it's drugs.
00:30:25
The kids going to
get in trouble.
00:30:26
She's out of the country.
00:30:27
I don't know what to do.
00:30:28
GREG (VOICEOVER): He was very
concerned about his welfare,
00:30:30
his health and well-being.
00:30:31
It was his stepson.
00:30:34
He said, there's a house that I
just bought around the corner.
00:30:36
Would I mind just following
him there and he'd
00:30:40
give me some more information.
00:30:42
I thought this would
be a little more private.
00:30:43
Let me show you what I found.
00:30:45
[grunts]
00:30:47
[screaming]
00:30:49
Let go!
00:30:50
Hit him with it.
00:30:52
GREG (VOICEOVER): The club
had an electric shock to it.
00:30:54
It was a Taser weapon.
00:30:58
I knew that I was in
a real bad situation.
00:31:00
I mean, nobody saw me go in.
00:31:02
Nobody knew where I was.
00:31:04
I knew I was history.
00:31:05
We're going to kill you.
00:31:06
You ain't walking out of here.
00:31:07
You ain't never seeing
your kids again.
00:31:09
I thought this
was about the kid.
00:31:11
You idiot, it ain't about him.
00:31:13
It;s about my wife.
00:31:15
She's still my wife, capiche?
00:31:17
I realized that this had
nothing to do with her son.
00:31:20
The whole purpose in
Sal's mind was for me
00:31:23
to stop seeing his ex-wife.
00:31:26
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Greg
recognized Sal's accomplice
00:31:28
as a man who had come
to see him earlier
00:31:31
about a house he was selling.
00:31:33
So, I got your agent's
number, and we'll be in touch.
00:31:36
Sure thing.
00:31:37
Thanks.
00:31:39
GREG (VOICEOVER): He
mentioned his name,
00:31:40
but I didn't remember
it, so as he pulled away
00:31:43
I wrote down his
license plate number.
00:31:45
[engine revs]
00:31:47
OK, Sal.
00:31:49
I was willing to do
anything, say anything
00:31:52
to get out of that house.
00:31:54
The whole conversation shifted.
00:31:56
He had decided that
he had decided that he
00:31:59
was going to let me live.
00:32:01
That he wasn't going to kill me.
00:32:03
We're going to go
for a little ride.
00:32:04
You got to come up with a plan.
00:32:05
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Greg had another plan.
00:32:07
He went straight to the police.
00:32:10
They identified
Homer Paul Shaffer,
00:32:12
Spinnato's accomplice from the
license number Greg wrote down.
00:32:16
Shaffer was convicted
of multiple crimes
00:32:19
and sentenced to
32 years in prison.
00:32:22
Spinnato was arrested, booked
and then released on bail.
00:32:26
But on his scheduled court
date, Salvatore Spinnato
00:32:30
was nowhere to be found.
00:32:32
I think he's a
very desperate man.
00:32:35
I think he's gone over the edge
of what he's done in the past.
00:32:38
I think he's a very
dangerous person.
00:32:40
And if he would do this,
what else would he do?
00:32:43
And now he's moving into
the realm of manipulating
00:32:45
people by using violence.
00:32:47
There is no reason to conclude
that he won't do it again
00:32:49
in the future, especially if
he sees from some point of view
00:32:52
he's got nothing to lose.
00:32:55
DENNIS FARINA
(VOICEOVER): Update,
00:32:58
after a seven month search,
Salvatore Spinnato was
00:33:01
captured in Lewisville, Texas.
00:33:04
He was convicted of
kidnapping and assault,
00:33:06
and was sentenced to
25 years in prison.
00:33:10
He served his time
and has been released.
00:33:15
Next a computer hacker searches
for secrets in military
00:33:18
and government computers.
00:33:20
Is he a spy?
00:33:31
Menlo Park, California.
00:33:35
We recently told you
the story of Kevin
00:33:37
Poulson, a computer hacker
who called himself Dark Dante.
00:33:43
Inside his storage locker
, authorities found
00:33:46
thousands of dollars
worth of stolen
00:33:48
telephone company equipment.
00:33:50
For more than a
year, Poulson had
00:33:52
been accessing
sensitive government
00:33:55
and military computer programs.
00:33:58
A search of his home turned up
phone tapping equipment stolen
00:34:02
from a communications company.
00:34:04
Poulson had even taken
photographs of himself breaking
00:34:09
in, and using the
equipment at a phone
00:34:11
company transmitting station.
00:34:14
Inside his storage locker
were print-outs containing
00:34:16
classified military information,
and the unlisted phone
00:34:20
number of the Soviet Consulate.
00:34:24
His penetration in the
United States Army government
00:34:27
computer, his obtaining
of a non-published number
00:34:30
of the Soviet
consulate, gave us grave
00:34:33
concern as to how
far Poulson was
00:34:36
going with these criminal acts.
00:34:40
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Poulson was indicted
00:34:41
on 18 felony counts of
computer related crimes,
00:34:46
but before his trial he
jumped bail and disappeared.
00:34:51
Update, as the result
of our broadcast,
00:34:56
the FBI received
information that Poulson
00:34:58
was living near Los Angeles.
00:35:01
Poulson had some acquaintances
in the Los Angeles area.
00:35:04
One of them advised us that he
had been seen in the not too
00:35:07
distant past at Hugh's Market.
00:35:10
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Three weeks later, Poulson
00:35:12
returned to the supermarket.
00:35:15
I walked past Kevin, and
adrenaline was pumping in me.
00:35:19
I felt really nervous
and didn't want
00:35:22
to be-- let any suspicion onto
Kevin that we were on to him.
00:35:28
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Brian called the FBI,
00:35:30
but Poulson left
before agents arrived.
00:35:33
Kevin Poulson had been
seen at the capiche?
00:35:36
Hugh's Market at about 10:00
or 10:30 in the evening.
00:35:39
I decided to surveil
the market, thinking
00:35:42
Kevin may show up again.
00:35:44
At about 10 minutes
til midnight,
00:35:47
Kevin Poulson arrived.
00:35:48
Once Kevin was in the store,
I asked the security guard
00:35:52
to go find Brian
Bridges, the evening
00:35:54
manager, so I could
tell him that Kevin
00:35:56
Poulson was in the store.
00:35:59
DENNIS FARINA
(VOICEOVER): Believing
00:36:00
that Poulson would get
away again, two store
00:36:02
clerks made a daring move.
00:36:07
Security.
00:36:08
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
A security guard
00:36:10
took Poulson to a
storeroom where he was
00:36:12
held until FBI agents arrived.
00:36:15
We found some handcuffed
keys in his eyeglass cases.
00:36:19
During the time that
he was in custody,
00:36:21
he claimed that his contact
lenses were drying out,
00:36:23
and he asked for his eyeglass
cases to be sent to him.
00:36:26
So I'm assuming that he was
looking for the handcuff keys.
00:36:30
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Poulson pleaded
00:36:31
guilty to seven
counts of conspiracy,
00:36:34
fraud and intercepting
wire communications.
00:36:37
He was sentenced to 51
months in federal prison.
00:36:43
After serving his
time, Kevin Paulson
00:36:46
became a senior editor
for the online service
00:36:49
of Wired magazine.
00:36:51
Poulson also assistant
law enforcement,
00:36:54
creating a program to find
registered sex offenders who
00:36:58
have Myspace pages.
00:37:00
Over 700 were found
and nearly 500 of them
00:37:05
had sexually assaulted children.
00:37:07
We're happy to report that Kevin
Poulson is a bad guy gone good.
00:37:18
Mason City, Iowa 1973.
00:37:22
Christie Wismer is 16.
00:37:25
Her boyfriend Dave
Carlson is 18.
00:37:28
Their youthful romance
is short but sweet.
00:37:32
After six months together
they breakup only
00:37:35
to discover that their
romance has consequences
00:37:39
that will last a lifetime.
00:37:41
Dave, I need to talk to you.
00:37:44
Sure.
00:37:47
What's wrong?
00:37:49
I'm pregnant.
00:37:52
We had broke up
a week before I
00:37:55
found out that I was pregnant.
00:37:56
And all I could think of was how
is Dave going to handle this?
00:38:00
And what about my
folks, you know?
00:38:03
I just thought it was the
end of the world coming.
00:38:05
What the hell was
going on with you?
00:38:07
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Christie's father
00:38:08
was furious when he found out.
00:38:09
You're 16 and
pregnant and you did it.
00:38:13
This isn't helping anything.
00:38:15
He was taking it very hard.
00:38:17
And told me that I was just an
embarrassment to the family.
00:38:23
That he couldn't
possibly love me.
00:38:27
DENNIS FARINA
(VOICEOVER): To Christie,
00:38:28
it seemed the only
thing to do was to put
00:38:31
the child up for adoption.
00:38:32
[screaming]
00:38:34
Christie, you're almost done.
00:38:35
DENNIS FARINA
(VOICEOVER): Christie
00:38:36
gave birth to a beautiful
and healthy baby girl.
00:38:43
But Christie never even
got to hold her baby.
00:38:48
They took the baby
away right away.
00:38:51
After they wheeled me back to
my room and put me into the bed,
00:38:55
my mother come up and talk
to me for a little while
00:38:58
and she asked if I'd walk
down and look at the baby.
00:39:01
She looked so
sweet laying there.
00:39:03
She's beautiful.
00:39:05
CHRISTIE (VOICEOVER):
I knew that I loved her
00:39:07
but I couldn't take her home.
00:39:12
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Before the baby
00:39:13
was 24 hours old, she was
on her way to a new family.
00:39:19
Bless you, Christie.
00:39:20
DENNIS FARINA
(VOICEOVER): For decades,
00:39:21
Christie lived with bitter
sweet memories of her romance
00:39:25
with Dave.
00:39:26
And then she heard from friends
that Dave wanted to see her.
00:39:31
I was really nervous
about contacting him.
00:39:34
I was really glad when I
did make the phone call
00:39:36
though because it
seemed like we still,
00:39:39
the feelings were still there.
00:39:41
And he asked if we could see
each other the following night,
00:39:45
for a date, and
we met and things
00:39:48
were still clicking between us.
00:39:53
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): They
fell in love all over again,
00:39:56
and the following year
Christie and Dave were married.
00:40:00
They knew their happiness
would be complete if they
00:40:03
can only locate their daughter.
00:40:05
I tried to take the
place of her family.
00:40:08
I gave up all my
rights back then,
00:40:11
and I would just like to make
myself available for whatever
00:40:15
purpose she might have.
00:40:18
I've got to at least
attempt to find her.
00:40:21
Let her know that I didn't
give her up for adoption
00:40:24
because I didn't want her.
00:40:25
I gave her up because
of the circumstances.
00:40:33
DENNIS FARINA
(VOICEOVER): Update,
00:40:35
on the night of our broadcast,
one viewer was certain
00:40:38
that her daughter-in-law Katie
Jacobs was the child that Dave
00:40:42
and Christie were seeking.
00:40:45
She called Katie,
who then called us.
00:40:48
KATIE (RECORDING): Are
you my mom for sure?
00:40:50
It sure sounds like it.
00:40:51
KATIE (RECORDING): Oh, my God.
00:40:52
All the clues are,
all the clues are in
00:40:54
and all the clues fit.
00:40:55
I can hardly wait to meet you.
00:40:56
KATIE (RECORDING): Me too.
00:40:57
Can I meet you?
00:40:58
Can I meet you?
00:41:00
Oh, that's terrific.
00:41:01
DENNIS FARINA
(VOICEOVER): Three weeks
00:41:03
later, Christie
and Dave welcomed
00:41:05
Katie into their lives.
00:41:08
How was your flight?
00:41:09
Good.
00:41:10
You made it, in Chicago, huh?
00:41:13
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Katie was accompanied
00:41:14
by her husband Rick
Jacobs, and their 1 and 1/2
00:41:17
year old daughter McKayla.
00:41:21
Here I was talking
to somebody that
00:41:23
was like a major
part of my life,
00:41:25
but I had never met before.
00:41:26
[chuckles]
00:41:27
So it was kind of strange.
00:41:33
It feels real good because it
answers a lot of questions.
00:41:37
Just kind of fill something
that wasn't there.
00:41:43
It's nice to be able
to think about Katie
00:41:44
and be happy, and know
that everything's OK.
00:41:48
She's been goo.
00:41:51
I've been hoping
for this for 22 years
00:41:53
and it's just so hard
to put it into words.
00:41:56
You know, finally, you
know, my life's complete.
00:41:58
I found Katie.
00:42:02
DENNIS FARINA
(VOICEOVER): Of course,
00:42:03
not all stories end happily.
00:42:06
If you have any
information about the cases
00:42:08
we profile, please log on to
our website at unsolved.com.
00:42:12
[theme music]
