00:00:00
[music playing]
00:00:04
NARRATOR: Next on
"Unsolved Mysteries."
00:00:09
When a woman is pulled
from a fiery car crash,
00:00:11
she begins a lifelong search
to find the men who saved her.
00:00:17
He was a Little League umpire
who attended church on Sunday,
00:00:21
but he was also a ruthless
mob boss, wanted for robbery,
00:00:25
extortion, and murder.
00:00:29
A doctor was sentenced to 20
years for murdering his wife.
00:00:33
But evidence suggests that
he wasn't at the murder scene
00:00:36
when the fatal shots were fired.
00:00:40
And police need your
help in tracking
00:00:43
down two robbers who shot
seven witnesses in cold blood.
00:00:51
Join us for these
five compelling cases.
00:00:54
I'm Dennis Farina, and
this is Unsolved Mysteries.
00:00:57
[music playing]
00:01:33
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Chicago, Illinois.
00:01:39
Donna!
00:01:40
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Just a few days
00:01:42
before Christmas in 1967.
00:01:45
A 41-year-old physician, John
Branion, and his son Jobey,
00:01:50
arrived home to pick
up John's wife Donna.
00:01:52
The family was planning to
go gift shopping together.
00:01:56
Donna?
00:01:57
JOHN BRANION: Jobey and I
returned from nursery school
00:01:59
and went into the house,
and the first thing that
00:02:03
struck me was all
the lights were on
00:02:05
and the two television
sets were on.
00:02:08
And I called out to
Donna, I got no answer.
00:02:13
And then when I got to the
kitchen, I look to the right,
00:02:16
and I see feet,
her legs, really,
00:02:19
sticking out of the utility
room, and she was dead.
00:02:26
She wasn't breathing.
00:02:29
Her legs were askew, and
her skirt was kind of
00:02:34
ruckered up over her legs.
00:02:38
I switched off the
light and reached
00:02:41
around and grabbed Jobey and ran
out of the back of the house.
00:02:45
[sirens]
00:02:47
DENNIS FARINA
(VOICEOVER): Dr. Branion
00:02:49
immediately called the police.
00:02:51
Five months later,
he was convicted
00:02:53
of first degree murder and given
a sentence of 20 to 30 years
00:02:57
in prison.
00:02:58
But John Branion
always maintained
00:03:01
that he was innocent.
00:03:03
JOHN BRANION: I couldn't murder
my mother of my children.
00:03:07
I couldn't murder my
high school sweetheart.
00:03:08
Donna and I had known each
other since the age of 14.
00:03:13
I didn't murder her.
00:03:15
I think it was
extremely unfair.
00:03:18
I feel that it was a setup.
00:03:20
My father was
railroaded, because he
00:03:23
didn't kill my mother.
00:03:25
I think he's innocent, because
the evidence shows that he
00:03:27
could not have physically
been there at the time
00:03:29
these events were going on.
00:03:31
I think the jury was
emotionally caught up
00:03:34
in the case and just didn't--
00:03:36
forgot or didn't pay
attention to the evidence
00:03:39
that overwhelmingly
proved that John
00:03:41
couldn't have been the killer.
00:03:45
DENNIS FARINA: John Branion was
the son of a prominent attorney
00:03:48
and worked at a
community clinic.
00:03:50
At one time, he was the personal
physician to Dr. Martin Luther
00:03:54
King Jr. Nothing about his life
could have predicted the events
00:03:58
of December 22nd, 1967.
00:04:02
[sirens]
00:04:04
DENNIS FARINA
(VOICEOVER): The Chicago
00:04:05
police arrived at
the Branion home
00:04:07
after being called by John.
00:04:10
POLICE OFFICER:
You notice anything
00:04:12
missing, anything that might
been taken from the apartment?
00:04:14
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Investigators found four shell
00:04:16
casings from a 9-millimeter gun
that was next to Donna's body.
00:04:22
John was a gun collector and
says that the police asked him
00:04:24
for any weapon in his
collection that could have
00:04:27
fired a 9-millimeter bullet.
00:04:32
He gave them a Luger pistol.
00:04:34
Test
00:04:36
POLICE OFFICER: Wait, Dr.
Branion, let me get that.
00:04:38
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Police determined that the gun
00:04:40
had not been fired recently.
00:04:42
They later claimed
that John had denied
00:04:44
owning any other gun capable
of firing 9-millimeter bullets.
00:04:51
Have a seat here, gentlemen.
00:04:52
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
That same evening,
00:04:54
at the police station, John
gave detectives his alibi.
00:05:00
John told police that
he had left the clinic
00:05:03
where he worked at 11:30 AM.
00:05:05
Morning.
00:05:06
Good.
00:05:07
Listen, I'm on my
way to pick up Jobey.
00:05:08
I won't be back
anymore this afternoon.
00:05:11
Merry Christmas.
00:05:12
DENNIS FARINA
(VOICEOVER): He then
00:05:14
drove to his four-year-old son's
nursery school to pick him up.
00:05:17
Here's your coat.
00:05:19
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
After leaving the school,
00:05:21
they want to see his wife's
cousin, Maxine Brown,
00:05:24
to meet her for lunch.
- Hi.
00:05:25
Hi.
00:05:26
Ready to go?
00:05:27
Oh, goodness, I can't go.
00:05:29
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
But she had to cancel.
00:05:31
John told police that
he then went home
00:05:34
and that's when he
discovered his wife's body.
00:05:39
Dr. Branion, would you
submit to a lie detector test?
00:05:42
John, I don't think
that's such a good idea.
00:05:45
No, but I would like to
have a nitrate test, though.
00:05:48
POLICE OFFICER:
We don't have a--
00:05:49
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
A nitrate test
00:05:50
could have determined
whether he had fired a gun,
00:05:53
but the Chicago police were
unable to conduct the test.
00:05:58
That night, John was released
without being charged.
00:06:04
One month later, the police
showed up at John's clinic.
00:06:09
Dr. Branion,
you're under arrest
00:06:11
for the murder of your wife.
00:06:13
You'll have to come
with us right now.
00:06:16
JOHN BRANION: I think
that the police were
00:06:17
under a great deal of
pressure from the black press
00:06:21
at the time.
00:06:22
And I think they saw a
chance, because 85% of murders
00:06:30
are committed by either
the family or friends,
00:06:33
close friends.
00:06:34
They saw a chance to arrest me.
00:06:37
And they did.
00:06:39
I don't think they thought
they were going to convict me,
00:06:42
but they arrested me anyway.
00:06:45
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
John Branion's trial
00:06:46
was set to begin in
Chicago during May of 1968.
00:06:52
Dr. Martin Luther King
had been assassinated
00:06:55
in Memphis, Tennessee
only one month earlier.
00:07:00
In Chicago, as in many
other American cities,
00:07:04
the murder of Dr. King triggered
days of violent race riots.
00:07:07
It was in this
charged atmosphere
00:07:10
that the trial of
John Branion began.
00:07:12
Would you state your
name, please, sir?
00:07:14
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Only one of Branion's jurors
00:07:16
was African-American.
00:07:18
Although the murder
weapon was never found,
00:07:21
prosecutors claimed that the
bullets that killed Donna
00:07:24
could have been fired
from a Walther PPK.
00:07:28
John had a Walther
in his collection,
00:07:30
but police said that
he denied owning one.
00:07:33
PATRICK TUITE: Detectives
testify they went back to him
00:07:35
and said, do you
have a Walther PPK,
00:07:37
and he said no,
he never had one.
00:07:40
And it turned out that a Walther
PPK had been sold about a year
00:07:47
before to a man named Hooks,
who was one of the good friends
00:07:51
of Dr. Branion.
00:07:52
Police then went to
Hooks and they asked him
00:07:54
where his gun was,
and he said, no, he
00:07:55
bought that gun for Branion
as a Christmas present
00:07:58
the year before.
00:07:59
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Donna's brother, Nelson Brown,
00:08:01
was among those who
testified at the trial.
00:08:04
Brown claimed that on the
day that Donna was murdered,
00:08:07
John had told him that
the Walther PPK had been
00:08:11
stolen from his bedside table.
00:08:13
There were two guns missing.
00:08:14
One was a PPK and the other
was a collector's item worth--
00:08:17
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): John
said that during the confusion
00:08:19
following his wife's
death, he did not notice
00:08:22
that the gun was missing.
00:08:24
So you know that--
00:08:26
DENNIS FARINA
(VOICEOVER): Prosecutors
00:08:27
introduced additional evidence.
00:08:29
They said that the four
shell casings that were found
00:08:32
by Donna's body had come
from a box of bullets
00:08:35
that they found when they
searched John's closet.
00:08:39
Four shells were missing
from that same box.
00:08:43
Finally, prosecutors med
that John had a motive
00:08:46
for wanting his wife dead.
00:08:48
For six years, he
had been having
00:08:50
a romantic affair with
a nurse at his clinic
00:08:53
named Shirley Hudson.
00:08:55
His wife knew about
the affair, but they
00:08:58
decided not to divorce.
00:09:00
PATRICK TUITE: Our
theory at the trial
00:09:01
was that it was planned for--
00:09:03
why that day, we don't know--
00:09:05
to kill his wife.
00:09:06
And that he was going
to leave the hospital,
00:09:08
come home, and kill her,
do it silently, when that
00:09:12
didn't work, he used the gun.
00:09:14
Then pick up his
son at school, then
00:09:17
pick up Maxine for
the luncheon date
00:09:19
that was made at the very
last minute the night before,
00:09:22
have lunch, have an alibi for
the period of time involved,
00:09:27
and then have either someone
or himself find the body
00:09:31
and have a very good alibi.
00:09:34
DENNIS FARINA
(VOICEOVER): At the trial,
00:09:35
prosecutors produced the
motive for the murder,
00:09:38
as well as physical
evidence that
00:09:40
suggested that John was guilty.
00:09:43
But then the trial
took a surprising turn.
00:09:46
While you were
putting away the s--
00:09:50
DENNIS FARINA
(VOICEOVER): Coming
00:09:51
up, one of John's neighbors
provides strong testimony
00:09:55
that he is innocent.
00:09:57
[music playing]
00:10:04
In December of 1967,
physician John Branion
00:10:08
had told police that he
found his wife murdered
00:10:11
in their Chicago home,
but ultimately, the police
00:10:15
arrested him for the crime.
00:10:17
John's defense rested largely
on the time frame of events
00:10:21
on the day of the murder.
00:10:23
John claimed that
the prosecution's
00:10:25
scenario was impossible.
00:10:28
It required that he be in
two places at the same time.
00:10:36
When you got
home, did you have
00:10:38
occasion to look at your clock?
00:10:40
Yes.
00:10:41
DENNIS FARINA
(VOICEOVER): John's alibi
00:10:42
was confirmed when his next
door neighbor testified that she
00:10:46
heard gunshots at
11:20 AM, while John
00:10:50
was still at his clinic.
00:10:52
THERESA KENTRA: If Dr. Branion
left the hospital at 11:30,
00:10:56
and I heard the shots at
11:20-- and I'm sure of it.
00:10:59
I was sure then
and I'm sure now--
00:11:02
then it's impossible for
him to shoot his wife,
00:11:04
to be there at that time.
00:11:06
When you heard
those sounds while you
00:11:09
were putting away the--
00:11:10
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
However, this testimony
00:11:11
had little impact on the jury.
00:11:13
The prosecution still contended
that the murder took place
00:11:17
after John left his clinic.
00:11:20
Police testified that they had
driven and timed John's route
00:11:24
on the morning of the murder
and had determined that he did,
00:11:27
in fact, have just enough
time to kill his wife
00:11:32
before he picked up his son.
00:11:35
John's defense challenged
this timetable.
00:11:38
By the way, officer, when you
arrived at the nursery school,
00:11:42
whose little boy did you use?
00:11:44
I don't understand
your question, sir.
00:11:47
Well, I assume that you
went to the nursery school
00:11:49
to cover some time
about checking on a kid.
00:11:52
Now, how much time did you
allow for him to pick up his son
00:11:55
from the nursery school?
00:11:57
We allowed no time for that.
00:11:59
You didn't allow that.
00:12:01
PATRICK TUITE: I
can remember feeling
00:12:04
a chill in the courtroom
when he said this.
00:12:08
And that you are
moving a lot slower
00:12:11
when you've got a child in tow
than when you're by yourself.
00:12:17
So I thought that was
an effective point,
00:12:20
the point of-- the
other point is,
00:12:22
would he walk into
the house knowing
00:12:23
his wife was dead with the kid?
00:12:26
It's a shocking thing to
see if he knew it happened.
00:12:29
So I thought those
were the strong points
00:12:31
they had going for them.
00:12:33
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): After
deliberating for eight hours,
00:12:35
the jury reached its verdict.
00:12:39
We the jury find the
defendant, John Branion Jr,
00:12:43
guilty in manner and form as
charged in the indictment.
00:12:48
JOHN BRANION: When the
judge said I was guilty,
00:12:51
I felt hollow.
00:12:54
But I know what I did do.
00:12:55
I remember kind of
sticking my head up.
00:12:58
I don't know why,
but I remember that.
00:13:00
I did that.
00:13:02
I know my shoulders got
a little straighter.
00:13:05
But it certainly hurt
when he said that.
00:13:08
It really hurt.
00:13:11
DENNIS FARINA
(VOICEOVER): John was
00:13:13
free on bail for three years
while he appealed his verdict.
00:13:16
During this time he'd married
his former girlfriend,
00:13:19
Shirley Hudson.
00:13:21
SHIRLEY HUDSON: I
could not desert him,
00:13:25
as people were beginning to do.
00:13:28
He was a walking shell.
00:13:32
He loved both of us.
00:13:33
He loved Donna and he loved me.
00:13:37
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
In April of 1971
00:13:39
John's appeal was denied, and
he was ordered to begin serving
00:13:43
his 20- to 20-year sentence.
00:13:46
A few days later,
after the Supreme Court
00:13:49
declined to hear his
case, John jumped bail
00:13:52
and left the country.
00:13:55
He lived in Africa
for 12 years before he
00:13:58
was captured and brought back to
Illinois to serve his sentence.
00:14:04
JOHN BRANION: An
innocent person should be
00:14:06
found innocent in this country.
00:14:08
We've been taught that
ever since we were kids.
00:14:11
So because of that, I had
to flee because I couldn't
00:14:13
get justice anywhere else.
00:14:16
The evidence against me
proves that I couldn't have
00:14:19
done the crime, yet I'm here.
00:14:21
We printed up the crime
scene photos from the negatives
00:14:23
for me to look at.
00:14:25
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Anthony D'Amato,
00:14:26
a prominent law professor
from Northwestern University,
00:14:29
and his wife, author
Barbara D'Amato,
00:14:32
decided to take on John's case.
00:14:36
They claimed that by
reconstructing the events that
00:14:39
took place on the
morning of the murder,
00:14:41
it can be proven that John
did not shoot his wife.
00:14:46
ANTHONY D'AMATO: The fact
is that when his wife was
00:14:49
murdered, he was a mile
and a half away, treating
00:14:51
patients in a hospital.
00:14:53
And that's proven.
00:14:54
That's a fact.
00:14:55
So there's no--
there's no legal rule
00:14:57
whatsoever that says an innocent
man has to stay in prison.
00:15:02
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Because no one can prove
00:15:03
that the fatal shots were
fired at exactly 11:20,
00:15:07
it's possible that Donna
was murdered later.
00:15:10
John's guilt or innocence seems
to rest on the 10-minute window
00:15:15
between 11:30, when
he left his clinic,
00:15:18
and the time he arrived at
the school to pick up his son.
00:15:22
[music playing]
00:15:29
The trial focused
on these details.
00:15:32
John spent the morning of
December 22nd at his clinic,
00:15:36
where he saw 14
different patients.
00:15:40
At around 11:30, he left
the clinic, located here,
00:15:45
and stopped outside to talk with
the hospital's administrator.
00:15:49
He was next seen by a teacher
at his son's nursery school,
00:15:53
here, approximately
10 minutes later.
00:15:56
In order to murder
Donna, John would
00:15:59
have had to drive
home, shoot his wife,
00:16:01
and then raced back
to his son's school,
00:16:04
all in less than 10 minutes.
00:16:06
ANTHONY D'AMATO: You know,
there's no way the police could
00:16:08
have made this in six minutes.
00:16:11
The police testified that
they got it down as low as six
00:16:13
minutes, but they also
said that sometimes it
00:16:16
took them 12 minutes.
00:16:18
That's a huge disparity,
between six and 12.
00:16:20
And I just wonder
how they could have
00:16:22
pulled off that six minutes.
00:16:24
And they certainly
couldn't have done it
00:16:25
at a time when there were
other cars on the street,
00:16:27
or pedestrians, or
snow, or anything else,
00:16:30
like the conditions that John
Branion had to drive it in.
00:16:33
Out of the bedroom,
around the corner--
00:16:34
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): More
evidence that John could not
00:16:36
have shot his wife came
when the D'Amatos consulted
00:16:39
pathologist Dr.
Douglas Shanklin.
00:16:44
Dr. Shanklin believes that he
can prove that Donna Branion
00:16:47
was assaulted at least
a half hour before John
00:16:51
had even begun to drive home.
00:16:54
DOUGLAS SHANKLIN:
It's very important
00:16:55
to note that there were
bruises and other marks
00:16:57
on her body, the most
particular of which
00:17:00
is a groove in her neck.
00:17:02
It was a very deep groove that
began in the anterior neck
00:17:06
and moved laterally,
and then disappeared
00:17:08
behind, as though
somebody was standing
00:17:10
in back with a taut cord.
00:17:13
Not strong enough to strangle
a person, but strong enough
00:17:16
to hold them, to move their
body as you wished them to move,
00:17:20
and to restrain
them from escape.
00:17:23
And, of course, as
soon as she was shot,
00:17:25
the cord was released.
00:17:27
This groove stayed there.
00:17:28
It's not going to continue
to form after death, because
00:17:32
of the loss of circulation.
00:17:34
It takes at least 15
minutes for such a groove
00:17:36
to be formed, and
possibly longer.
00:17:41
So you've got a minimum of 15
minutes before the gun is used.
00:17:48
The latest time and
testimony for those sounds
00:17:50
was approximately 11:25.
00:17:51
[gunshots]
00:17:52
So that pushes the beginning
of the cord around the neck
00:17:56
15 minutes earlier.
00:17:58
And seems to me that the crime
began probably around 11:00
00:18:02
or a few minutes before that.
00:18:05
I think Dr. Branion is
innocent of this crime,
00:18:08
because there were two people,
at least, involved, one of whom
00:18:11
held the victim for
a period of time,
00:18:13
but could not have
shot at the same time.
00:18:16
Bang, bang, bang, she falls.
00:18:18
So there had to be two
parties to the final action
00:18:21
of this scenario.
00:18:24
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): By
1989, John and the D'Amatos
00:18:27
had exhausted all their appeals.
00:18:29
John's only hope was clemency
from the governor of Illinois.
00:18:36
On July 4th, 1990, John Branion
was admitted to the hospital
00:18:41
after doctors discovered
that he had a brain tumor.
00:18:46
DENNIS FARINA: In August of that
year, the governor of Illinois
00:18:48
granted clemency to
Branion in consideration
00:18:51
of his failing health.
00:18:53
John Brennan died
one month later.
00:18:56
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Coming up, the search
00:18:58
for two robbers who
killed four people
00:19:00
in a holdup of a bowling alley.
00:19:03
And later, a
cold-blooded mob boss
00:19:06
orders his henchmen to shoot
patrons of a rival business.
00:19:11
[gunshots]
00:19:12
[music playing]
00:19:21
Las Cruces, New Mexico.
00:19:23
[music playing]
00:19:26
8: 00 AM, an hour before opening
time at a local bowling alley.
00:19:31
The cook is in the
kitchen, preparing
00:19:33
for the lunch hour rush.
00:19:36
The day manager,
Stephanie, is adding up
00:19:38
the previous night's receipts.
00:19:40
Her 12-year-old
daughter, Melissa,
00:19:42
and Melissa's friend Amy have
come with her to the office.
00:19:49
This is a holdup.
00:19:50
Come with me.
00:19:52
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
At around 8:20,
00:19:53
the cook is surprised
in the kitchen
00:19:55
by a stranger with a pistol.
00:19:57
He forces her towards the office
where Stephanie and the girls
00:20:01
are being held by
a second gunman.
00:20:05
COOK: When I went
in the office, I saw
00:20:09
Stephanie, Melissa, and Amy.
00:20:13
- Where's the rest of the money?
- It's in there.
00:20:16
COOK: I just thought they're
going to get money and take
00:20:18
off, especially when
they told us, all of you
00:20:22
put your heads down.
00:20:25
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
The second gunman
00:20:26
takes $4,000 from the safe.
00:20:30
Put your heads down.
00:20:31
Put your heads down.
00:20:32
COOK: When he said that,
I thought, you know,
00:20:34
these guys are leaving,
you know, so we did.
00:20:37
And that's when I felt they
had shot me in the head.
00:20:41
Get inside.
Get in the corridor.
00:20:43
[child crying]
00:20:44
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Just
seconds later, employee Steven
00:20:46
Teran arrived at
the bowling alley
00:20:49
with his two young children.
00:20:51
[gunshots]
00:20:56
VOICEOVER: We were just
both shot in a holdup.
00:20:58
Please help me.
00:20:59
Whoa, slow down.
00:21:01
All of us are hurt.
00:21:02
I think I'm the
only one conscious.
00:21:03
OK, we'll get an ambulance--
00:21:06
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Each
person, adults and children,
00:21:08
were shot in the head.
00:21:10
Steven, his two children,
and Melissa's friend Amy
00:21:13
were all killed by the robbers.
00:21:15
Stephanie, Melissa,
and the cook all
00:21:18
survived this vicious attack.
00:21:22
FRED RUBIO: We assessed
the scene immediately,
00:21:24
we canvassed the neighborhood,
and thank God that we were
00:21:28
able to come up with
a couple of witnesses
00:21:29
that were able to give us
some pretty decent composites.
00:21:34
DENNIS FARINA
(VOICEOVER): One of those
00:21:35
was Stephanie's brother,
who we'll call Michael.
00:21:38
He had stopped by the bowling
alley on his way to school.
00:21:42
MICHAEL: I saw two
Hispanic gentlemen
00:21:44
walking from the back of the
building towards the front.
00:21:48
The older gentleman handed the
younger gentleman a small case.
00:21:52
The older gentleman squats
down and looks right at me
00:21:56
as I'm driving towards them.
00:21:58
I took notice of what
they were wearing,
00:22:00
their descriptions,
hair color, skin, eyes.
00:22:06
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Based on eyewitness accounts,
00:22:08
police drew up these
composites of the killers.
00:22:12
Suspect number one
is Hispanic, 5 feet
00:22:14
10, and about 170 pounds.
00:22:17
He speaks perfect English
with no Spanish accent.
00:22:23
Suspect number two
is also Hispanic,
00:22:26
5 feet 7, and about 140 pounds.
00:22:30
He speaks with a
slight Spanish accent.
00:22:36
If you can help solve
these brutal murders,
00:22:39
please log on to our
website at unsolved.com.
00:22:49
DENNIS FARINA:
Even among the most
00:22:50
hardened criminals on the
FBI's 10 Most Wanted list,
00:22:54
Leo Koury stands out.
00:22:56
His case file runs to an
astonishing 38 volumes.
00:23:01
Extortion, robbery, arson,
fraud, racketeering, and murder
00:23:05
were just tools of the
trade for Leo Koury.
00:23:11
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
In Richmond, Virginia,
00:23:13
hired gunmen killed a
bodyguard named Chuck Kernighan
00:23:17
and placed his body in a trunk.
00:23:19
Police later discovered that
the killers had driven the trunk
00:23:22
to the Rappahannock
River, weighed it
00:23:24
down with a bumper
from a 1957 Chevrolet,
00:23:28
and threw it overboard.
00:23:30
Kernighan's body
was never found.
00:23:33
Authorities believe that
local businessman Leo
00:23:36
Koury was responsible for
this contract killing.
00:23:40
This same Leo Koury was a
volunteer softball umpire
00:23:44
and active in his local church.
00:23:47
He was married with four
children and a member
00:23:50
of the American Legion.
00:23:53
JACK COLWELL: Leo was a
nice guy to many people.
00:23:57
There are people
that are close to him
00:23:59
that characterize him as a
caring, sensitive individual.
00:24:05
However, our investigation
turned up another Leo Koury
00:24:08
and that is the leader of
a racketeering enterprise
00:24:12
who made a living
committing crimes.
00:24:16
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Koury was a fiercely
00:24:18
competitive restaurant owner.
00:24:20
He tried to force his
rivals out of business
00:24:22
by sending his thugs to
terrorize their customers.
00:24:27
[gunshots]
00:24:28
[screaming]
00:24:33
[gunshot]
00:24:34
One January night,
Koury's gunmen
00:24:37
attacked innocent customers
at the Mailbox Restaurant.
00:24:40
One person died and
several were injured.
00:24:44
The FBI suspected
Koury was responsible,
00:24:47
but could not indict him because
his inner circle was too loyal.
00:24:53
JACK COLWELL: It became
apparent, after a few months'
00:24:56
investigation, that Leo
Koury was in the very center
00:25:01
of a racketeering enterprise.
00:25:03
That means that he
ran an organization
00:25:06
that their primary income
was through illegal purposes,
00:25:09
be it fraud, extortion,
murder, whatever,
00:25:13
but their income was from crime.
00:25:18
I want you to
kill a man for me.
00:25:20
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
In another incident,
00:25:21
Koury asked one of his
cohorts to kill a restaurant
00:25:24
owner named Jim Hilliard.
00:25:30
A few days later, Koury's plan
backfired when the gunman was
00:25:34
caught outside Hilliard's home.
00:25:36
[sirens]
00:25:40
Time's up.
00:25:41
Put them up.
00:25:51
DENNIS FARINA
(VOICEOVER): This arrest
00:25:52
was the turning
point for the FBI
00:25:54
and directly led to
Koury's indictment.
00:25:57
JACK COLWELL: We later learned
that he was there, allegedly,
00:26:01
at Leo Koury's behest,
to kill Hilliard,
00:26:05
to eliminate Hilliard
as competition
00:26:08
in the restaurant business.
00:26:11
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Koury was charged with murder,
00:26:13
attempted murder,
extortion, assault,
00:26:15
racketeering, fraud, and arson.
00:26:19
But the day before he was to
be arrested, Koury left town.
00:26:27
Update.
00:26:30
13 years after
Koury was indicted,
00:26:32
a man calling himself
William Franklin Biddle
00:26:36
was admitted to a
San Diego hospital.
00:26:38
The next day, the man died
of a brain hemorrhage.
00:26:42
The hospital received a
tip claiming that the man
00:26:45
was actually Leo Koury.
00:26:48
The FBI made a positive
ID and finally closed
00:26:51
the file on one of
the most elusive
00:26:54
fugitives in American history.
00:27:00
Next, a woman is pulled
from a fiery car crash
00:27:03
and spends 15 years
searching for her rescuers.
00:27:08
[music playing]
00:27:18
Newport, Rhode Island.0
00:27:22
Hi, Colleen.
00:27:23
Hi.
00:27:24
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
This is Colleen Frangione.
00:27:25
She's been paralyzed
for more than 30 years.
00:27:29
Colleen is a very special woman
with a very simple message.
00:27:34
--rest of your lives.
00:27:35
It's very simple.
00:27:36
Buckle up.
I didn't.
00:27:38
It's my slogan, my motto--
00:27:39
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): She
has spoken about driver safety
00:27:41
to more than 10,000 high
school and junior high school
00:27:44
students.
00:27:45
But driver safety isn't
Colleen's only mission.
00:27:49
She's also searching
for two heroes,
00:27:52
the men who pulled
her from a burning car
00:27:55
and from certain death.
00:27:58
Colleen was 26 years
old, recently divorced,
00:28:02
and struggling to
support two young sons.
00:28:05
One night she was driving
home from an evening out.
00:28:09
Just before 1:00 AM
at a traffic light,
00:28:11
Colleen came to a full stop,
but the carload of teenagers
00:28:15
behind her did not.
00:28:21
[smashing]
00:28:23
[tires squealing]
00:28:30
COLLEEN FRANGIONE: The hit of
that second car just twisted me
00:28:34
beyond the normal
range, and that twist
00:28:36
was so forceful that it
broke two lower vertebrae
00:28:40
and severed my spinal cord.
00:28:44
And I'm glad I
don't remember it.
00:28:47
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): As
flames engulfed Colleen's car,
00:28:49
Patty and Joe Trifero, who
lived across the street,
00:28:53
rushed to help.
00:28:56
The door's locked.
00:28:58
The door's jammed, Joe.
00:28:59
It won't open.
00:29:01
PATTY TRIFERO: The fire
was spreading really fast.
00:29:03
The whole back of the car was on
fire, the backseat was on fire,
00:29:07
and as we were trying
to pull open the doors,
00:29:09
they wouldn't open
because of the crash.
00:29:12
They were jammed.
00:29:13
And I heard in the
background, get a crowbar.
00:29:17
Get a crowbar!
00:29:19
JOE TRIFERO: I glanced
over to my right,
00:29:20
and there were two
men standing there.
00:29:22
My wife and I ran to our
garage to get a crowbar.
00:29:26
The time while we were gone,
I believe either one or both
00:29:29
of those gentlemen pulled
Colleen from the car
00:29:31
and brought her up
onto the sidewalk.
00:29:35
They were the only
two, I felt, that were
00:29:38
physically able
to have gotten her
00:29:40
out of the car at that point.
00:29:44
She's in shock.
00:29:44
Guys, call 911
and get a blanket.
00:29:48
JOE TRIFERO: When we returned,
there was a woman there,
00:29:52
must have had some
type of nursing
00:29:53
background, that said
that she was in shock,
00:29:55
to get her feet up.
00:29:58
And shortly after that,
entire car was in flames.
00:30:02
[sirens]
00:30:07
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): While
the fire was being put out,
00:30:09
the two men who saved
Colleen vanished.
00:30:15
For 10 days, Colleen hovered
between life and death.
00:30:20
She awoke to the
terrifying reality
00:30:23
that she was paralyzed
from the waist down.
00:30:27
COLLEEN FRANGIONE: Once
I had to deal with not
00:30:29
being able to walk, I was hurt.
00:30:31
It was like I was heartbroken.
00:30:33
That was my first
feeling inside.
00:30:36
And then it went
from that to how
00:30:40
am I going to do everything
that I never even thought about?
00:30:43
Sitting up, putting a
shoe on, getting dressed.
00:30:50
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Four months later, Colleen was
00:30:51
discharged from the hospital.
00:30:54
She went on to raise two
sons as a single parent
00:30:57
and eventually married again.
00:30:59
But not a day goes
by that she doesn't
00:31:01
think about the accident and
the two men who saved her life.
00:31:06
[smashing]
00:31:11
COLLEEN FRANGIONE: How
lucky only to be paralyzed.
00:31:15
And now I'm saving
lives, because they
00:31:17
pulled me from the car.
00:31:19
I just believe we're
all meant to meet.
00:31:22
I would have been killed
if it wasn't for you guys,
00:31:26
and I want to thank you both, or
just one of you, whichever one.
00:31:31
So even if you can
just give me a call,
00:31:34
I would really appreciate it.
00:31:37
DENNIS FARINA
(VOICEOVER): Update.
00:31:39
DENNIS FARINA: After
this story aired,
00:31:40
both of Colleen's rescuers
called our phone center.
00:31:44
They identified themselves
as Ray Meyers and Mike Kane.
00:31:48
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Just a few days
00:31:50
after Christmas,
Colleen was finally
00:31:52
able to meet her heroes.
00:31:55
Ray Meyers was the
first to arrive.
00:31:58
COLLEEN FRANGIONE: Wow.
00:32:01
RAY MEYERS: It's
like, it's incredible.
00:32:05
That's how I feel
about this whole thing.
00:32:06
I think it's incredible.
00:32:08
DENNIS FARINA
(VOICEOVER): Half an hour
00:32:10
later, Mike Kane showed up.
00:32:13
COLLEEN FRANGIONE: Hi.
00:32:14
Mike?
- Mike.
00:32:15
How are you.
00:32:16
COLLEEN FRANGIONE: Oh, gosh.
00:32:17
How nice to meet you.
Thank you so much.
00:32:19
MIKE KANE: I was surprised.
00:32:20
You know, why, 15 years later--
00:32:22
I tried to imagine
what you'd look like--
00:32:24
MIKE KANE: Why,
why, you know, why?
00:32:27
But when she said she
wanted to thank the people,
00:32:29
and after I spoke to her
on the phone, it was like,
00:32:32
this lady is really sincere.
00:32:35
And that's what she wanted.
00:32:36
She wanted to thank us.
00:32:38
--your name that was
that was in the Newport--
00:32:40
COLLEEN FRANGIONE: I
feel the whole circle,
00:32:41
it's all completed.
00:32:43
All the pieces of the puzzle
are all put together now.
00:32:48
And it's a real
peaceful feeling inside.
00:32:52
That's-- to me, and in fact,
how many times have I said
00:32:55
in the last three weeks,
how many people get
00:32:58
to meet their guardian angels?
00:32:59
And this is how I feel.
00:33:01
[music playing]
00:33:05
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Next, do you believe in angels?
00:33:08
Two women claim a
heavenly messenger
00:33:10
saved them from certain death.
00:33:13
[music playing]
00:33:21
Painted Desert, Arizona.
00:33:24
Janie Shamo is one of those
who believe that angels
00:33:27
watch over us all the time.
00:33:30
When Janie was 14, she was
vacationing with her brother
00:33:33
and sister-in-law in Arizona.
00:33:38
JANIE SHAMO: I had gotten
a new camera for the trip,
00:33:40
and I was curious to get
some good photographs.
00:33:44
And I can remember leaning
up against the guardrail,
00:33:49
focusing the camera,
and thinking, if I just
00:33:52
got on the other side of
this guardrail, down there
00:33:54
a little bit, it would be
a much better photograph.
00:33:59
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
At that same moment,
00:34:00
Janie's mother Shirley, who
had stayed home in Michigan,
00:34:03
was sitting down to read her
Bible, as she did every day.
00:34:08
SHIRLEY RHODES: I
really felt that I
00:34:09
was led by the Holy
Spirit to read Psalm 91.
00:34:16
And I began sobbing,
just sobbing, because I
00:34:20
knew Janie was going to die.
00:34:23
I didn't know why or how, but
I knew she was going to die.
00:34:29
[screaming]
00:34:31
Alfred!
00:34:32
Alfred, Janie's falling!
00:34:34
Janie!
00:34:35
She's gone over the edge!
00:34:40
JANIE SHAMO: Suddenly I just
stopped, I just stopped,
00:34:43
and I can remember thinking,
I'm so glad I stopped,
00:34:47
and thinking, what stopped me?
00:34:53
I was afraid.
00:34:54
I was scared that there
was no way I was going
00:34:55
to get back up to the top.
00:34:58
I could not see the top.
00:35:00
I couldn't hear my
family yelling for me.
00:35:05
I knew I had to be very careful
or I would start falling again.
00:35:15
As soon as I had this feeling
that Janie was going to die,
00:35:20
I began pleading with the Lord
to please don't let her die.
00:35:26
And it would be more
than what I could bear.
00:35:30
I continued to read Psalm 91.
00:35:35
It said, "and He shall give
His angels charge over thee,
00:35:40
to keep thee in all
thy ways, and they
00:35:43
shall bear thee
up in their hands,
00:35:46
lest your foot dash
against a stone."
00:35:50
And then a peace just came
over me, because I believed it.
00:36:00
Janie?
00:36:02
Alfred, it's Janie!
00:36:04
You're all right!
00:36:07
Oh, Janie, what happened?
00:36:09
I don't know.
00:36:10
I fell a long ways.
00:36:11
I don't even remember
coming back up.
00:36:13
JANIE SHAMO: I know I
did not climb up myself.
00:36:19
Something strange had happened,
but I just kind of was glad
00:36:23
I was back up there and--
00:36:26
We had talked among ourselves
about calling her mother,
00:36:30
and we decided that she
could call her mother,
00:36:33
but not to say anything
about her fall,
00:36:37
mainly because we didn't
want to upset Shirley when
00:36:39
we were so far away from home.
00:36:43
Tell me all about your trip.
00:36:44
Oh Mom, you should have
been there and seen--
00:36:45
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
But once Janie
00:36:47
was back home in Michigan,
the story came out.
00:36:50
And here's where I
stepped over the guardrail
00:36:52
and I fell down the slope.
00:36:53
You what?
00:36:54
Well, I just wanted to
get a better picture, so I--
00:36:56
SHIRLEY RHODES: When Jamie
was telling her story,
00:36:59
I realized the whole magnitude
of what had happened to me.
00:37:06
Then I knew that verses 11 and
12, "that the angels should
00:37:12
bear thee up in their
hands, lest your foot dash
00:37:16
against a stone", that
they were the ones that
00:37:21
brought her back to the top.
00:37:24
When I heard my mother's story
of what had happened that day,
00:37:27
and her feelings that
I was going to die,
00:37:30
I realized then that
it was her prayers that
00:37:32
had sent the angels
that had made me stop
00:37:36
and had brought me to
the top of the canyon.
00:37:38
Oh, well, at least
you're all right.
00:37:41
DENNIS FARINA: Janie
Shamo isn't the only one
00:37:44
to report the intervention
of a guardian angel.
00:37:47
In another account,
a woman named
00:37:49
Estela Vera claims
that she actually
00:37:51
saw the angel who helped her.
00:37:57
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Riverside, California.
00:38:00
On a Saturday afternoon, Estela
Vera and her two grown children
00:38:04
were on their way home,
when they saw an ice
00:38:07
cream truck being robbed.
00:38:10
While Estela's daughter
ran to call the police,
00:38:13
her son rushed to
help the truck driver.
00:38:16
He and another man
were already fighting a
00:38:19
large, muscle-bound assailant.
00:38:21
[shouting]
00:38:29
I knew there was
absolutely nothing I can do
00:38:31
and I saw my mother in
the path of his van.
00:38:34
Mama!
00:38:38
[smashing]
00:38:39
I knew she was
in between the two.
00:38:42
So I think instantly,
I thought she was dead.
00:38:47
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Estela's left leg
00:38:49
had been severed below
the knee, and she
00:38:52
had suffered a heart attack,
but somehow she clung to life.
00:38:57
MINGO VERA: The first time I saw
my mother after the incident,
00:39:01
I could not recognize her.
00:39:02
Her face was completely
swollen, and we
00:39:07
were just waiting for
any word whether or not
00:39:09
she would even survive.
00:39:12
DENNIS FARINA
(VOICEOVER): Estela
00:39:13
drifted in and out
of consciousness
00:39:16
for the next several days.
00:39:17
Finally she woke up.
00:39:19
It's OK, he's right here.
00:39:21
It's good to hear
your voice, Mama.
00:39:22
Did you see the
man by the truck?
00:39:25
Don't worry,
Mama, he's in jail.
00:39:27
No, the other man surrounded
by light in front of the truck.
00:39:35
Was this some dream?
00:39:36
MINGO VERA: My father and
I looked at each other,
00:39:38
kind of puzzled, and
possibly looking at her
00:39:42
as if she may have dreamt
something within the time
00:39:45
she was in the hospital.
00:39:48
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
But Estela insisted
00:39:50
that she had not been dreaming.
00:39:52
The story she tells
is truly astonishing.
00:40:00
ESTELA VERA: All I remember is
looking at that truck coming so
00:40:03
fast, and just with all my
heart I say to God, God,
00:40:12
please don't let me die.
00:40:14
And then I started reciting
psalms that I know.
00:40:18
I said the angel
of the Lord takes
00:40:21
care of those that loves Him.
00:40:23
And I look again, and now,
in front of the truck,
00:40:30
there is this beautiful person.
00:40:34
He looks so peaceful,
so beautiful, he
00:40:38
has the most beautiful smile.
00:40:42
You could see him
like in slow motion.
00:40:44
[music playing]
00:40:48
Immediately, I forgot
about the ice cream truck.
00:40:51
I forgot about everything
that was happening.
00:40:55
All I remember was
this beautiful face,
00:40:58
and then I grab his hand, I
put my face over his hand,
00:41:05
and I would go like this, and
I remember a couple of times,
00:41:10
I opened my eyes to
look at his face,
00:41:12
to be sure that he
was there, and I
00:41:15
could see him right over here,
looking at me with a big smile.
00:41:20
I believed her.
00:41:21
She was very sincere, very
excited, very sure of the fact
00:41:25
that the angel was there,
00:41:30
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Estela has no doubt
00:41:32
that she is alive
today because she was
00:41:34
visited by her guardian angel.
00:41:40
I cannot really explain
this beautiful experience.
00:41:45
I have no doubt in my heart that
God sent an angel to save me.
00:41:50
I asked everyone if they saw
this beautiful person, pulling
00:41:55
me to the side and
helping me, nobody
00:41:57
knew what I was talking about.
00:42:00
But I knew that it
was true, that God
00:42:04
sent an angel to save me.
00:42:06
[music playing]
