00:00:04
DENNIS FARINA: Next on
"Unsolved Mysteries"--
00:00:07
a Las Vegas millionaire is
found dead by his girlfriend.
00:00:11
Was it an overdose or murder?
00:00:14
A huge explosion takes the lives
of six Kansas City firemen.
00:00:18
MAN: 106.
00:00:19
DENNIS FARINA: See how your
tips helped solve this case.
00:00:23
After a young couple
mysteriously disappears,
00:00:26
a human skeleton is
found in their backyard.
00:00:30
And a Fender bender and an
argument turns to road rage.
00:00:34
[interposing voices]
00:00:35
DENNIS FARINA: And
then to murder.
00:00:37
[gunshot]
00:00:40
DENNIS FARINA:
I'm Dennis Farina,
00:00:41
and this is
"Unsolved Mysteries."
00:00:43
[theme music]
00:01:19
DENNIS FARINA: Las Vegas,
Nevada-- they say what happens
00:01:24
here stays here.
00:01:28
But not when showgirls,
drugs, and a possible murder
00:01:31
are involved.
00:01:32
That gets everybody talking.
00:01:37
SANDY MURPHY: I need
somebody to help me.
00:01:38
DENNIS FARINA: It's 4:00 PM,
and former model and dancer
00:01:41
Sandy Murphy is calling 911.
00:01:44
He's just not breathing.
00:01:45
I don't know.
00:01:47
DENNIS FARINA: But
it was too late.
00:01:49
Her boyfriend, Ted
Binion, was dead.
00:01:53
Binion was a multimillionaire.
00:01:55
He was also a
frequent heroin user.
00:01:58
And it looked like he OD'ed.
00:02:00
Was it an accident?
00:02:02
Suicide?
00:02:04
Or murder?
00:02:08
When they discovered that
Binion might have been dead
00:02:11
for as long as nine hours
before Sandy Murphy called 911,
00:02:15
police began to wonder.
00:02:21
Ted Binion was the
flamboyant co-owner
00:02:23
of the Las Vegas Casino
that bore his family
00:02:26
name-- Binion's Horseshoe.
00:02:29
JOHN SMITH: In its
heyday, Binion's Horseshoe
00:02:31
was unlike any other
casino in Las Vegas.
00:02:33
It was literally the place you
went when you wanted to place
00:02:37
that sky's the limit wager.
00:02:39
Ted was a part owner
of Binion's Horseshoe
00:02:41
at a time when it was the most
successful casino in Las Vegas.
00:02:46
He liked the atmosphere.
00:02:48
He really had
passion for that job.
00:02:51
DENNIS FARINA: But times
have changed in Las Vegas.
00:02:54
Casinos turned corporate.
00:02:56
And Ted Binion's
wild ways-- they
00:02:58
get him into trouble with the
Nevada State Gaming Commission.
00:03:02
Number one, he had
the heroin problem.
00:03:05
He also liked to hang
out at adult nightclubs.
00:03:07
He used to pal around
with wise guys.
00:03:11
And you just don't do that
in Las Vegas these days
00:03:15
and expect to keep your license.
00:03:17
DENNIS FARINA: Six months
before his death, the Gaming
00:03:19
Commission revoked Binion's
license, and Binion
00:03:23
was forced to sell his share
of the Horseshoe to his sister.
00:03:27
He was shut out of the
place he loved the most,
00:03:30
the world where he belonged.
00:03:32
But was that the
cause for suicide?
00:03:35
JEFF GERMAN: Everybody I
have spoken to has indicated
00:03:38
Ted loved life, and
wanted to continue living,
00:03:41
and had all kinds of
other goals that he
00:03:43
wanted to pursue in life.
00:03:45
DENNIS FARINA: Perhaps the
overdose was an accident.
00:03:48
Toxicology reports revealed
heroin and the prescription
00:03:51
drug Xanax.
00:03:52
But according to some,
it was a very unlikely
00:03:56
combination for Ted Binion.
00:03:59
JEFF GERMAN: Ted only took Xanax
to get himself off of heroin.
00:04:03
He would not have taken
both at the same time.
00:04:05
And then we find out
through the coroner
00:04:07
that there was a
large amount of heroin
00:04:10
in the contents of his stomach.
00:04:13
That's curious, again,
because Ted was known
00:04:15
to smoke heroin, not ingest it.
00:04:20
DENNIS FARINA: At the
time of his death,
00:04:22
Ted was living with his
girlfriend, Sandy Murphy.
00:04:25
She was a woman half his age.
00:04:27
They'd been together
for about three years.
00:04:29
When they met, she
was 23, and she was
00:04:32
working as an exotic dancer.
00:04:36
JEFF GERMAN: They really
had a stormy relationship.
00:04:38
It was kind of a love-hate
relationship over the years.
00:04:40
They were always
fighting off and on.
00:04:42
And yet, there were times when
he would say he loved her.
00:04:45
And then there were times
when he couldn't stand her
00:04:47
and wander out of the house.
00:04:49
DENNIS FARINA: At 9:00
in the morning on the day
00:04:51
Ted Binion died, Sandy
Murphy reportedly
00:04:54
called their housekeeper
with an odd request.
00:04:57
Listen, I don't
think we're gonna
00:04:59
need you to come in today.
00:05:01
Oh, I know.
00:05:02
Um, but Ted, he's just
not feeling real well.
00:05:04
And-- and things are crazy.
00:05:06
So we're not gonna
need you to come in.
00:05:10
DENNIS FARINA: Later--
00:05:11
Is Ted there?
00:05:12
DENNIS FARINA: About
noon, Barbara Brown,
00:05:13
Ted's friend and
real estate agent,
00:05:15
tried to reach Ted by phone.
00:05:17
She says that Sandy
told her that he
00:05:19
was very ill, even vomiting.
00:05:23
BARBARA BROWN: I was
really surprised with this.
00:05:25
I said, well, do you want me
to come over and help you?
00:05:28
And she said, oh, god, no.
Don't come over here.
00:05:30
And he doesn't want
anyone to see him.
00:05:31
He's lost so much weight lately.
00:05:33
And I said, well,
that's strange.
00:05:35
I talk to him every night, and
we have an appointment tomorrow
00:05:38
at 1:00.
00:05:39
She clearly did not
want me over there.
00:05:41
And the call really
distressed me.
00:05:45
DENNIS FARINA:
Barbara Brown says
00:05:46
that she called back
twice that afternoon
00:05:48
at 2:00, and again at 3:40.
00:05:51
But there was no answer.
00:05:53
And then I got the
call from a friend
00:05:55
of mine who said, Barbara,
have you heard the news?
00:05:57
Ted is dead.
00:05:59
DENNIS FARINA: Shortly
before he died,
00:06:01
Ted Binion allegedly
had some suspicions
00:06:04
about his girlfriend Sandy.
00:06:06
The first thing
that we learned
00:06:08
was that he called a private
investigator in Las Vegas,
00:06:11
someone who had done
work for him previously,
00:06:14
and asked the investigator
to follow Sandy around town.
00:06:21
The implication
was that he thought
00:06:23
she was cheating on him.
00:06:25
DENNIS FARINA: The man
that Ted Binion reportedly
00:06:27
suspected was one
of his own business
00:06:29
associates, Rick Tabish.
00:06:32
According to Las
Vegas newspapers,
00:06:34
Sandy was allegedly seen with
Tabish at a Beverly Hills Hotel
00:06:38
just the weekend
before Binion died.
00:06:43
Also the day
before Ted died, he
00:06:45
telephoned his
lawyer, Jim Brown,
00:06:47
who was handling his estate.
00:06:49
And he instructed Brown to
cut Sandy out of his will.
00:06:57
DENNIS FARINA: Just one day
after Ted Binion was reported
00:06:59
dead, sheriff's deputies in
Pahrump, Nevada, 60 miles west
00:07:04
of Las Vegas, made a
startling discovery.
00:07:07
It's the last one.
00:07:08
DENNIS FARINA: It was
the middle of the night,
00:07:10
and Rick Tabish was loading
a truck on Binion's property.
00:07:15
What are you guys
doing out here?
00:07:17
Uh, nothing, you know.
00:07:18
Just, uh, moving a little dirt.
00:07:19
- Moving a little dirt?
- Yeah.
00:07:21
DENNIS FARINA: But
along with just
00:07:22
a little dirt was
a lot of silver.
00:07:26
Just a load of dirt, huh?
00:07:28
DENNIS FARINA: Several tons
of silver in coins, ingots,
00:07:31
and solid silver bricks, silver,
valued at roughly $4 million.
00:07:38
This was silver that Ted
himself had buried and hired
00:07:42
some friends to build
an underground vault
00:07:44
and put it in there.
00:07:46
DENNIS FARINA: Only
a few people knew
00:07:47
the exact location of the silver
vault. One of those people
00:07:52
was Rick Tabish.
00:07:53
I put the vault
in for Ted Binion.
00:07:55
He told me if anything
ever happened to him,
00:07:57
I was to take this,
turn it into cash,
00:08:00
and put it in a trust fund
for his daughter, Bonnie.
00:08:03
Really?
00:08:04
Why don't we put the
cuffs on these three guys
00:08:05
and get them out of here?
00:08:06
DENNIS FARINA: Nye
County sheriff's
00:08:08
deputies didn't buy his story.
00:08:10
JOHN SMITH: I think that
Rick Tabish is either
00:08:12
one of the bigger
victims of circumstance,
00:08:15
or he's got some
explaining to do.
00:08:17
And people who
know him and people
00:08:19
who don't care for him now will
wonder about his motivations,
00:08:23
for sure.
00:08:25
DENNIS FARINA: News leaks, not
to mention rumors and gossip,
00:08:28
convince the Binion family to
hire private investigator Tom
00:08:31
Dillard.
00:08:33
Dillard discovered that Sandy
Murphy took a phone call
00:08:35
from Rick Tabish
just eight minutes
00:08:38
before she called 911 one to
report Ted Binion's death.
00:08:42
Based upon my experience and
based upon the interviews I've
00:08:46
conducted, I personally
believe that Ted
00:08:49
Binion's death was a homicide.
00:08:52
DENNIS FARINA: Six months
after Ted Binion's death,
00:08:55
the coroner ruled that it was
not an accidental overdose,
00:08:59
nor was it suicide.
00:09:01
He believes that
the fatal dose was
00:09:04
most likely administered by
someone other than Ted Binion.
00:09:08
The death was reclassified
as a homicide.
00:09:12
Sandy Murphy and Rick Tabish
were arrested and charged
00:09:16
with the murder of Ted Binion.
00:09:20
The prosecution presented
medical testimony that Binion
00:09:23
was actually suffocated.
00:09:27
But for some, the most
persuasive evidence
00:09:30
was this videotape.
00:09:32
It features Sandy Murphy, taken
one day after Ted Binion died.
00:09:36
SANDY MURPHY: This is
my personal property.
00:09:38
MAN: OK.
SANDY MURPHY: It was a gift.
00:09:40
But I'll leave it so
that Jimmy doesn't
00:09:42
throw a [bleep] tantrum.
00:09:43
DAVID WALL: And she
is hardly a grieving
00:09:45
widow in this videotape.
00:09:46
She is narcissistic.
00:09:49
She is possessive.
00:09:50
She is angry.
00:09:52
She is unpleasant.
00:09:53
SANDY MURPHY: We're taking
this, for certainty,
00:09:55
because this is too valuable
to leave in the house.
00:09:58
MAN: No, you're not.
00:09:59
SANDY MURPHY: OK, leave it.
00:10:00
Just take a video of it.
00:10:01
Make sure you count the pieces.
00:10:02
There's two pieces here
and two pieces here.
00:10:05
DAVID WALL: You see a cold,
steely, self-centered woman
00:10:10
who is concerned with nothing
but her own possessions.
00:10:13
The video played a strong role
in characterizing for this jury
00:10:17
exactly who Sandra Murphy was.
00:10:20
DENNIS FARINA: Sandra
Murphy and Rick Tabish
00:10:22
were convicted of murder,
burglary, and grand larceny.
00:10:26
They were both sentenced
to life in prison.
00:10:32
Update-- at a second trial,
they were both convicted
00:10:38
only on the robbery charges.
00:10:41
Murphy was sentenced
to one to five years,
00:10:44
but was released for
time already served.
00:10:48
Tabish, who was already serving
time for unrelated crimes,
00:10:52
received up to 10 years.
00:10:55
He served his time,
and has been released.
00:11:04
Next, a fatal case of
arson kills six firemen.
00:11:09
Your tips helped bring
the case to a close.
00:11:22
You may recall these
dramatic scenes
00:11:24
from a previous broadcast.
00:11:26
Firefighters in
Kansas City, Missouri,
00:11:29
volunteered to help us recreate
an unsolved crime that left
00:11:33
six of their brethren dead.
00:11:37
[siren, horns]
00:11:39
At the time, pumpers
30 and 41 were
00:11:42
called to a construction
site where a trailer
00:11:45
had been torched by arsonists.
00:11:49
Firefighters had
been told that there
00:11:51
were explosives at the site.
00:11:53
But they believed
that they were safely
00:11:55
stored in fire-resistant
bunkers that
00:11:57
were well away from the blaze.
00:12:00
Just the fact that the
bunker was there-- in fact,
00:12:02
there was two bunkers
there-- led that captain
00:12:04
to believe that's where
the explosives was,
00:12:07
and this trailer was just a
regular, normal construction
00:12:10
trailer with tools
and equipment in it.
00:12:12
And therefore,
there was no danger.
00:12:15
DENNIS FARINA: When the
department supervisor arrived,
00:12:17
he learned that
there were, in fact,
00:12:19
large quantities of
explosives inside the trailer.
00:12:24
Well, let's get them
out of there, John.
00:12:28
One oh--
00:12:29
[explosion]
00:12:40
MAN: Pumper 41 or
pumper 30, answer.
00:12:43
Pumper 41 or pumper 30.
00:12:51
DENNIS FARINA: As the
sun rose over the scene,
00:12:53
the worst was confirmed.
00:12:56
Six firefighters were dead.
00:12:59
This shocking crime
triggered the biggest
00:13:01
manhunt in the city's history.
00:13:04
But after nearly eight
years, those responsible
00:13:07
were still running free.
00:13:09
Then Kansas City
firemen pushed aside
00:13:11
their painful memories to help
us get their story on the air.
00:13:19
Update-- the efforts of the
Kansas City Fire Department
00:13:23
paid off in a big way.
00:13:25
More than 600 viewers
contacted us here
00:13:28
at "Unsolved Mysteries,"
and their tips
00:13:30
led directly to the
indictment of five suspects.
00:13:37
When the long-awaited
news was announced
00:13:38
at a press conference,
the excitement was
00:13:41
tempered by lingering emotions.
00:13:44
Jackson county.
00:13:45
Even though it is very
difficult for many of us who
00:13:48
participated in that
recreation of that event,
00:13:52
it came at a time when many
of our spirits were down,
00:13:55
[inaudible], and we needed
a lift, and we got a lift.
00:14:01
DENNIS FARINA: All five
suspects were found guilty
00:14:03
on federal arson charges.
00:14:05
They are George Frank
Sheppard; his brother, Earl;
00:14:10
their nephew, Bryan
Sheppard; Frank
00:14:13
Sheppard's girlfriend, Darlene
Edwards; and Richard W. Brown.
00:14:21
At the trial, prosecutors
said the fires
00:14:23
had been set deliberately
during an attempt
00:14:25
to steal equipment and dynamite
from the construction site.
00:14:30
Each of these defendants
is now serving
00:14:33
a life sentence in prison.
00:14:42
On a busy highway in
Fishkill, New York-- it
00:14:47
started as a minor fender
bender, hardly worth recording.
00:14:49
What's the matter with you?
Are you blind or something?
00:14:51
[inaudible] easy.
00:14:52
Geez, I don't
freaking believe it.
00:14:53
I was in my own lane
doing the speed limit.
00:14:55
You apparently hit
me, which makes--
00:14:56
- What are you telling me?
- Hey, just settle down.
00:14:58
First you run me off
the highway, and now you
00:14:59
pull this self-righteous crap?
00:15:01
You piece of garbage.
00:15:02
Hey, you haven't got the
right to talk to me like that.
00:15:04
Let me see your license.
- Yeah.
00:15:05
You wanna see my license?
00:15:06
RICHARD ADERSON: Yes, I--
00:15:07
[gunshot]
00:15:10
DENNIS FARINA: 47-year-old
Richard Aderson
00:15:12
had been shot in the chest.
00:15:15
What you are about to hear is
his desperate plea for help.
00:15:19
911 OPERATOR: State
police, [inaudible] 911.
00:15:41
LAURA ADERSON: I couldn't
believe that he had been shot.
00:15:45
You live in an area
that you think is safe.
00:15:49
We came from New York City.
00:15:51
We moved north.
00:15:54
I couldn't believe
that something
00:15:56
like that could happen here.
00:15:59
DENNIS FARINA: Richard Aderson,
beloved father and husband,
00:16:01
respected educator,
died less than one
00:16:04
hour after making his
futile call to 911.
00:16:11
It happened during rush
hour on eastbound I-84
00:16:14
in Fishkill, New York, about two
miles past the Newburgh Beacon
00:16:18
toll plaza.
00:16:19
Damage to the car indicates
Richard was side swiped
00:16:22
by the other driver,
and then both men
00:16:24
pulled over to the shoulder.
00:16:27
I have never come
across another crime
00:16:30
that parallels this one.
00:16:32
We're speaking here about
a minor property damage
00:16:35
automobile accident
that escalates
00:16:38
into an argument and
results in the death
00:16:40
of one of the individuals.
00:16:41
Yeah, you wanna
see my license?
00:16:42
RICHARD ADERSON: Yes, I--
00:16:44
I don't think we
are dealing with it.
00:16:46
I don't think that you
can deal with this.
00:16:49
My youngest son this morning
told me when I came here,
00:16:53
how long are you going to be?
00:16:54
You have to be really
careful in the car.
00:16:56
Something could happen to you.
00:16:58
Those are the fears
that he has, because I'm
00:17:00
his only parent that's left.
00:17:03
My two older daughters
can't even speak about this.
00:17:11
DENNIS FARINA: Richard
Aderson's family still
00:17:13
hopes the killer can be caught.
00:17:14
Though no one saw the
accident or the shooting,
00:17:18
there were witnesses
to the argument.
00:17:21
The gunman was middle-aged,
balding, and wore glasses.
00:17:25
Richard added another detail.
00:17:28
His assailant had a beard.
00:17:30
The gunman drove a
green 1997 Jeep Cherokee
00:17:34
with New Hampshire plates.
00:17:36
If you have any information
that can help solve this case,
00:17:40
please log onto our
website at unsolved.com.
00:17:49
Next, the dramatic
account of a young pilot's
00:17:51
mysterious close encounter.
00:17:54
It's not an aircraft.
00:17:56
DENNIS FARINA: And later, meet
a man who spied for the CIA
00:17:59
using psychic powers.
00:18:11
Just south of
Melbourne, Australia,
00:18:15
a single engine Cessna lifted
off from Moorabbin Airport.
00:18:20
The pilot was 20-year-old
Frederick Valentich.
00:18:24
Valentich had been
flying for two years
00:18:26
and logged over 150
hours of solo time.
00:18:31
He was headed for King Island.
00:18:34
His flight plan called
for a 40-minute trip west
00:18:36
along the Australian coast.
00:18:39
And then at Cape Otway, he
would head south for a half hour
00:18:42
run over Bass Strait.
00:18:44
KEN LLEWELYN: It was a
fairly normal exercise.
00:18:47
He had an appropriate
instrument rating for the trip.
00:18:49
It was a very
straightforward flight.
00:18:52
And I mean, I could see no
reason why it shouldn't have
00:18:56
been concluded successfully.
00:19:00
What happened three quarters
of an hour into that flight
00:19:03
I think'll be one of
the great mysteries
00:19:04
of Australian aviation.
00:19:07
DENNIS FARINA: Valentich was
in contact with the flight
00:19:09
service center on the ground.
00:19:10
Delta Sierra Julie.
00:19:11
DENNIS FARINA: The
following recreation
00:19:12
is based on the actual
transcript of his exchange
00:19:15
with the air traffic controller.
00:19:19
Ah, Delta Sierra
Juliet, there seems to be
00:19:22
a large aircraft below 5,000.
00:19:23
It is a large aircraft.
00:19:25
Confirm.
00:19:27
Is there any Air Force
aircraft in this vicinity?
00:19:29
Delta Sierra Juliet, no
known aircraft in the vicinity.
00:19:32
Ah, Delta Sierra Juliet, it
seems as though he's playing
00:19:34
some sort of game up here.
00:19:36
He's traveling over at
me at two and three times
00:19:38
at speeds I cannot identify.
00:19:41
Delta Sierra Juliet, as it
passes by, it's a long shape.
00:19:45
STEPHEN ROBEY: He wasn't to the
point where he was panicking,
00:19:48
but he was genuinely
concerned with what he saw.
00:19:52
He was worried.
00:19:53
He sounded confused.
00:19:55
Then, as he described what
the aircraft was doing--
00:19:58
FREDERICK VALENTICH: This
thing's just stationary.
00:20:00
STEPHEN ROBEY: --now I become
a little bit concerned too.
00:20:03
What I'm doing
now is orbiting.
00:20:04
And this thing's just
orbiting on top of me.
00:20:07
It's got a glowing light.
00:20:08
[breathing heavily]
00:20:09
FREDERICK VALENTICH:
[inaudible].
00:20:10
And it's sort of metallic.
00:20:16
It's just disappeared.
00:20:19
Is this some sort of
military aircraft or what?
00:20:21
Delta Sierra Juliet, is
the aircraft still with you?
00:20:30
I've got it set on 23, 24,
and this thing's just coughing.
00:20:35
Melbourne, this
strange aircraft's just
00:20:36
hovering on top of me again.
00:20:39
It's hovering, and it's--
it's not an aircraft.
00:20:43
DENNIS FARINA: Suddenly, an
unidentifiable clicking noise
00:20:47
came over the radio.
00:20:48
[clicking]
00:20:49
DENNIS FARINA: The sound lasted
17 seconds, then silence.
00:20:53
Delta Sierra Juliet,
this is Melbourne.
00:21:01
DENNIS FARINA: For four days,
a flotilla of search vessels
00:21:04
criss-crossed Bass Strait.
00:21:08
There was absolutely no sign
of Valentich or his aircraft.
00:21:13
There was no evidence to suggest
there had even been a crash.
00:21:16
All that remained was a final
baffling radio transmission.
00:21:24
It's hovering, and
it's not an aircraft.
00:21:27
These were Frederick Valentich's
final, haunting words.
00:21:31
So what was it, then?
00:21:33
Well, people can only
speculate, until a witness
00:21:35
came forward with this
startling firsthand account.
00:21:41
Around the time of
Valentich's disappearance,
00:21:43
an eye witness and his
family were returning
00:21:46
from an afternoon
outing when they noticed
00:21:49
unusual activity in the sky.
00:21:51
- Hey, that's-- that's a plane.
- No, I can see the plan.
00:21:53
It's the green light
above the plane.
00:21:55
Up there.
00:21:57
DENNIS FARINA: The
witness has asked that we
00:21:58
do not reveal his identity.
00:22:00
EYEWITNESS: And
I looked up and I
00:22:02
saw this lime green light--
about 1,000 or 2,000 feet
00:22:06
above the aircraft.
00:22:09
So I sat there and watched
it for a few seconds.
00:22:12
And the green light got
closer to the plane.
00:22:15
I said, that plane is coming
down pretty steep [inaudible]
00:22:18
a 45 degree angle.
00:22:19
I said, I think
it's going to crash.
00:22:21
DENNIS FARINA: The
eyewitness account
00:22:23
suggested that perhaps Valentich
had an encounter with a UFO.
00:22:29
He never saw whether
the plane crashed.
00:22:33
The only certainty was that
Valentich had vanished.
00:22:38
Six weeks later, an
amateur photographer
00:22:41
came forward with even
more startling evidence.
00:22:45
On the evening of the
flight, Roy Manifold
00:22:48
had been setting
up to photograph
00:22:49
a sunset at Cape
Otway, almost directly
00:22:52
under Valentich's flight path.
00:22:54
ROY MANIFOLD: I'd
done the normal thing,
00:22:55
and I just had the camera
on automatic exposure.
00:23:00
And I took six
photographs of the sun
00:23:03
disappearing into the sea.
00:23:07
When developed, one of
Manifold's photographs
00:23:10
displayed a peculiar blemish.
00:23:13
ROY MANIFOLD: I
observed this mark
00:23:14
on the print that looks like
a developing or something
00:23:18
or they just mucked it up.
00:23:19
And I said, just a minute,
that was taken-- that night I
00:23:22
took that sunset is
exactly the night
00:23:25
that this guy disappeared.
00:23:28
DENNIS FARINA: A leading
Australian photo lab
00:23:30
found neither dirt nor
damage on the negative,
00:23:33
determining that
the strange mark
00:23:34
was actually in the picture.
00:23:37
The negative was later
sent to the United States
00:23:40
for computer analysis by
a team of UFO researchers.
00:23:44
They claim that the
blot was actually
00:23:46
a solid, metallic object.
00:23:48
To them, it appeared
to be enveloped
00:23:51
in a cloud of exhaust situated
about a mile from the camera.
00:23:56
A second analysis, however,
stated that the mark
00:24:00
could be a developing error.
00:24:02
Either way, Roy Manifold
believes the photograph does
00:24:06
show something of consequence.
00:24:08
[camera shutter]
00:24:10
ROY MANIFOLD: Unfortunately,
I didn't see it.
00:24:12
And I didn't hear anything
that particular night, either.
00:24:15
The first time
I've had something
00:24:17
on any of my printing-- and I've
done thousands of photographs,
00:24:20
and without any incidents of
anything like that on them.
00:24:25
DENNIS FARINA: Many
years have passed
00:24:26
since Frederick Valentich flew
off to his uncertain fate.
00:24:30
FREDERICK VALENTICH:
Before me right now--
00:24:32
DENNIS FARINA:
However, the questions
00:24:33
raised by his
mysterious disappearance
00:24:35
are just as disturbing today.
00:24:37
FREDERICK VALENTICH: This
thing's just stationary.
00:24:39
DENNIS FARINA: What exactly did
Valentich see in the minutes
00:24:41
before his radio
contact was lost?
00:24:45
Perhaps the secret of
Frederick Valentich
00:24:48
does lie many fathoms
beneath Bass Strait.
00:24:51
Or perhaps it lies far from
our planet, light years
00:24:56
beyond our understanding.
00:25:01
Next, workmen digging
a pool unearth
00:25:04
clues to a mysterious
disappearance,
00:25:06
and the case is reopened.
00:25:18
San Marino, California--
while digging a swimming pool,
00:25:21
a workman made a
grim discovery--
00:25:23
[grunting]
00:25:25
DENNIS FARINA:
--three plastic bags
00:25:26
in a fiberglass box full
of dismembered sections
00:25:30
of a human skeleton.
00:25:32
DETECTIVE RONNIE
LANCASTER: We didn't really
00:25:34
know who this person was.
00:25:36
And we were later told
by uniformed officers
00:25:39
from San Marino that
in 1985, the people
00:25:42
that lived in that house had
reported two people missing.
00:25:46
DENNIS FARINA: The two
missing persons who were
00:25:48
John Sohus and his wife Linda.
00:25:51
They had once lived in that
house with John's mother.
00:25:54
Their sudden disappearance 10
years earlier had mystified
00:25:58
everyone who knew them.
00:25:59
Now, it appeared that
either John or Linda
00:26:03
or both may have been killed and
buried in their own backyard.
00:26:10
According to their
friends, John and Linda
00:26:13
felt trapped living
with John's mother,
00:26:15
and looked forward to escaping
to a place of their own.
00:26:18
Oh, wow.
00:26:20
That looks great.
00:26:21
DENNIS FARINA: John held several
part-time computer programming
00:26:23
jobs.
00:26:24
And Linda was beginning to
find success as an artist.
00:26:28
Now in their late
20s, it appeared
00:26:30
that the young couple had
finally gotten the break
00:26:32
they'd been hoping for.
00:26:34
Linda announced
that she and John
00:26:35
had been asked to interview
for important new jobs.
00:26:41
SUE: Linda called
me and informed me
00:26:43
that we have to go to New York.
00:26:44
All she could tell
me was that he's
00:26:46
got a job with the government,
and they want us both.
00:26:49
DENNIS FARINA: Linda told
Sue that the trip was
00:26:50
scheduled to last two weeks.
00:26:53
But Linda and John
never returned.
00:26:56
The mystery would deepen
in the coming months.
00:27:01
LINDA SOHUS: Hi, there.
WOMAN: Hi.
00:27:02
Um, I'm gonna be gone
for about two weeks.
00:27:04
DENNIS FARINA: Linda
had boarded her six
00:27:06
cats been paid in advance
for the two week stay.
00:27:09
But at the end of
eight weeks, she
00:27:11
still had not claimed her pets.
- Come here.
00:27:13
DENNIS FARINA: The
kennel owner tracked
00:27:14
down Linda's sister, Kathy.
00:27:16
You be good.
00:27:17
I'll miss you.
00:27:19
KATHY: I immediately thought
that something was wrong.
00:27:21
I feel that inside very
strongly that Linda would not
00:27:25
have left her animals behind.
00:27:28
DENNIS FARINA: Kathy telephoned
John's mother, Didi Sohus,
00:27:31
hoping that maybe she
had an explanation.
00:27:34
Hello?
00:27:35
Is Linda back
from her trip yet?
00:27:37
I'm not supposed
to tell you anything.
00:27:40
DENNIS FARINA: In
several phone calls,
00:27:41
Didi kept insisting that John
and Linda were on some sort
00:27:45
of a secret mission.
00:27:48
Well, that's all
I can tell you.
00:27:49
KATHY: So it did appear to me
as though she had been drinking.
00:27:52
Sometimes, it depended
on what time of the day
00:27:54
you called as to how
wild the story became.
00:28:01
DENNIS FARINA: Linda's family
filed a missing persons report.
00:28:04
And San Marino police
started an investigation
00:28:07
Ma'am, we have
a missing persons
00:28:08
report on John and Linda Sohus.
Do you know where they are?
00:28:11
They're not missing.
00:28:13
They're on a secret mission.
00:28:15
Can you tell us how
we can reach them?
00:28:17
DENNIS FARINA: Didi refused
to identify the person
00:28:19
that she called her source.
00:28:20
And I keep telling
them the same thing.
00:28:23
DENNIS FARINA: With no
further evidence of foul play,
00:28:25
the police were powerless
to investigate further.
00:28:29
Finally, a full three
months after the Sohuses
00:28:32
had supposedly left for New
York, Linda's friend Sue
00:28:36
received this picture postcard.
00:28:39
SUE: I have no clue as
to how going to New York
00:28:42
could ever wind up being France.
00:28:44
I was just like, I can't wait.
00:28:46
She's finally gonna tell me
where she is, what's going on.
00:28:48
And I read the back of
it, and all it said was,
00:28:52
dear Sue, kinda miss New York.
00:28:55
Oops.
00:28:56
But this can be lived with.
00:28:57
John and Linda.
00:28:59
It just didn't sound like her.
00:29:01
DENNIS FARINA: Then
another card was sent
00:29:03
from France to Linda's family.
00:29:05
KATHY: My mother received
a postcard from Linda.
00:29:08
It did not say when
she would return
00:29:10
or how she had come
to be in Paris.
00:29:13
If they were planning
a trip to Europe,
00:29:15
she would have been
very excited about going
00:29:18
and would certainly have
expressed that to my mother,
00:29:21
and perhaps myself as well.
00:29:24
I have a source.
00:29:25
DENNIS FARINA: Three months
after refusing to help police,
00:29:28
Didi Sohus had a
change of heart.
00:29:30
Well, can we talk to your--
00:29:32
DENNIS FARINA: She too
filed a missing persons
00:29:34
report on John and Linda.
00:29:35
You see, I had to talk
to John and Linda myself.
00:29:37
Have you had any contact
at all since they left?
00:29:39
Well, I've been sending
their mail through my source.
00:29:43
DENNIS FARINA: Didi reveal
that her source was actually
00:29:46
the tenant in her guest
house, a man who called
00:29:48
himself Christopher Chichester.
00:29:51
He'd lived there for
the past two years,
00:29:53
but suddenly moved out,
leaving no forwarding address.
00:29:57
The man has been
in contact with me.
00:29:58
DENNIS FARINA: Didi also
reported that her son's pickup
00:30:00
truck was now missing,
although she had
00:30:03
no idea when it disappeared.
00:30:06
There was, however,
no proof that a crime
00:30:08
had been committed.
00:30:09
And therefore, the
investigation stalled again.
00:30:12
If I think of anything
else, I'll call you.
00:30:14
[inaudible].
00:30:15
Thanks a lot.
00:30:16
DENNIS FARINA: Soon after
finding her missing persons
00:30:18
report, Didi would
sell her house
00:30:21
and move to a trailer park.
00:30:23
Thanks a lot.
00:30:23
You're welcome.
00:30:25
DENNIS FARINA: She died
two years later, the fate
00:30:26
of her son is still a mystery.
00:30:31
The case sprang to life again
nine months after Didi died.
00:30:35
The Sohuses truck turned
up 3,000 miles away
00:30:38
in Greenwich, Connecticut.
00:30:39
Well, this is it.
00:30:40
DENNIS FARINA: A
man calling himself
00:30:42
Christopher Crowe tried
to sell the pickup
00:30:45
to the son of a local minister.
00:30:48
Rather than buy the
truck, the minister's son
00:30:51
reported it to the police.
00:30:53
SERGEANT DANIEL ALLEN:
The reverend's son
00:30:54
decided not to purchase the
vehicle based on the fact
00:30:57
that there was an outstanding
lein on the truck.
00:31:00
My continued
investigation ultimately
00:31:02
ended in me discovering that
Mr Chichester and Mr. Crowe
00:31:06
were the same individuals.
00:31:08
DENNIS FARINA:
Crowe, Chichester--
00:31:11
by any name, the ex-tenant
seemed to be the one person who
00:31:15
might be able to shed some light
on the Sohuses' disappearance.
00:31:19
But he vanished, again.
00:31:22
The investigation stalled
until the dismembered skeleton
00:31:26
was discovered five years later.
00:31:30
At that time, a
forensic anthropologist
00:31:32
examined the remains.
00:31:34
He determined that they fit
the physical description
00:31:37
of John Sohus.
00:31:39
A lack of dental records,
however, prevented
00:31:42
a conclusive identification.
00:31:46
Police are still
trying to figure
00:31:48
out how the bones
came to be buried
00:31:50
in the Sohuses' backyard.
00:31:53
DETECTIVE RONNIE LANCASTER:
Nothing about the bones
00:31:55
themselves that say
there was murder--
00:31:57
there was no bullet holes.
00:31:58
But the fact that
the bones were buried
00:32:00
in three separate plastic bags
and the head in a separate bag
00:32:04
makes one think that
there was murder involved.
00:32:08
DENNIS FARINA: Detectives
hoped to learn more
00:32:10
by using a chemical
called luminol
00:32:13
which, emits a
distinctive glow when
00:32:14
it comes in contact with blood.
00:32:19
Luminol was applied
to the cement floors
00:32:21
in the guest house on the
former Sohus property.
00:32:24
Within moments, it would
become apparent if there
00:32:27
was evidence of a murder.
00:32:29
[inaudible].
00:32:32
DENNIS FARINA: The telltale
glow was unmistakable.
00:32:34
MAN: Yeah, what do
you think about that?
00:32:37
Looks like it could be blood.
00:32:39
MAN: There's a lot
of blood around.
00:32:41
DETECTIVE ROBERT CARR: Although
luminol can detect chemicals
00:32:44
and other compounds,
this was not
00:32:47
just a trace element situation.
00:32:50
There was a copious amount of
something put on that floor.
00:32:54
In our opinion, that was blood.
00:32:57
DENNIS FARINA: But whose blood?
00:32:59
Was John Sohus murdered
in the guest house
00:33:01
and then buried in the backyard?
00:33:03
And if so, what
happened to Linda?
00:33:06
Officially, both John and
Linda are still missing.
00:33:11
Authorities would like
to speak to this man.
00:33:14
They have since learned
that his real name
00:33:16
is Christian Gerhartstreiter,
a native of Germany.
00:33:21
Update-- more than 20 years
after John and Linda Sohus
00:33:26
disappeared, a man
calling himself
00:33:29
Clark Rockefeller was identified
as a person of interest
00:33:33
in the investigation.
00:33:35
Rockefeller was arrested in
a parental abduction case.
00:33:39
Fingerprints prove that
he was, in fact, Christian
00:33:42
Gerhartstreiter, alias
Christian Chichester,
00:33:46
the man who'd lived
in the guesthouse
00:33:47
next to John and Linda Sohus.
00:33:50
There are new
developments in this case.
00:33:52
Here's one of our
staff with details.
00:33:56
STAFF MEMBER: After
further investigation,
00:33:57
the Los Angeles County District
attorney recently filed charges
00:34:01
against Christian
Gerhartstreiter
00:34:02
for the murder of John Sohus.
00:34:05
Gerhartstreiter has denied
any involvement in the case.
00:34:09
However, he was convicted
of the murder of John Sohus
00:34:12
and sentenced to
27 years to life.
00:34:14
No trace of Linda
Sohus was ever found.
00:34:20
DENNIS FARINA: Next--
00:34:21
PSYCHIC: It's him.
00:34:22
DENNIS FARINA: See how one
man's psychic powers made him
00:34:24
a top secret spy for the CIA.
00:34:38
Fort Meade, Maryland-- a
nondescript wooden building
00:34:41
may have been the
headquarters for a
00:34:44
bizarre clandestine operation.
00:34:46
It's hard to believe, but
according to published reports,
00:34:49
the CIA secretly studied
people with psychic powers,
00:34:54
and then used them to spy on
our enemies all over the world
00:34:58
without ever leaving the base.
00:35:01
Keep your focus.
00:35:02
There's a great
deal of emotion here.
00:35:04
DENNIS FARINA: It's
called remote viewing.
00:35:06
AGENT: Relax.
00:35:09
PSYCHIC: My god, it-- it's him.
00:35:12
Remote viewing is
the ability to witness
00:35:15
distant events by using the
psychic powers of the mind.
00:35:20
Code-named Stargate, it
was a top secret espionage
00:35:24
program the government never
wanted us to know about.
00:35:27
And we wouldn't, if it
hadn't been for one man
00:35:30
with a very unusual story.
00:35:34
David Morehouse was
gung-ho military.
00:35:37
His father and grandfather
were career officers.
00:35:41
He graduated from
Bringham Young University
00:35:44
at the top of his class and
went straight into the Army.
00:35:47
[explosion]
00:35:49
Morehouse quickly
became a company
00:35:50
commander with the Army's elite
fighting unit, the Rangers.
00:35:55
He and his company were on
a desert training exercise
00:35:58
when a freak accident occurred.
00:36:02
[bullets ricocheting]
00:36:03
OFFICER: Cease fire!
Cease fire!
00:36:04
DENNIS FARINA: A bullet
lodged in Morehouse's helmet,
00:36:06
knocking him out cold.
00:36:08
It was then that he
claims he experienced
00:36:11
a vision of overwhelming power.
00:36:16
DAVID MOREHOUSE:
I had a messenger,
00:36:17
or I could call it
an angel or a spirit
00:36:20
that came to me during this
time that I was knocked out.
00:36:23
I had spent some
13 years of my life
00:36:27
practicing the art and
science of taking human life.
00:36:30
And yet, here I stood, in
the presence of something who
00:36:33
said to me-- very vividly,
I recall-- said to me,
00:36:37
the path you have chosen
in life is the wrong path.
00:36:40
And you are now to
choose a path of peace.
00:36:43
And then, it was over.
00:36:45
DENNIS FARINA: But these
sketches by Morehouse show
00:36:47
that it wasn't over.
00:36:50
He began having nightmares
so horrifying that they drove
00:36:53
him to an Army psychologist.
00:36:56
The psychologists
suspected the concussion
00:36:58
had somehow released
in Morehouse
00:37:00
a latent psychic ability.
00:37:05
His commanding officers invited
Morehouse to join a secret CIA
00:37:09
unit studying psychic powers.
00:37:14
Working with a monitor, he
learned to use biofeedback
00:37:17
to control his brain waves
and send his consciousness
00:37:21
to the far points of the globe.
00:37:24
Hell, I don't know.
00:37:26
I think it's a mountain.
00:37:27
DENNIS FARINA: During
David's first session,
00:37:28
his supervisor
concealed a photograph
00:37:30
of Mount Fuji, the target
site, in an envelope.
00:37:34
I missed it, didn't I?
00:37:36
DAVID MOREHOUSE: My first
target was Mount Fuji.
00:37:39
I was shocked.
00:37:41
In that instant, I
had gone to Mount Fuji
00:37:44
and was describing what
I saw, smelled, heard,
00:37:48
and felt at that location.
00:37:51
DENNIS FARINA:
Over the next year,
00:37:52
David Morehouse worked with
seven other remote viewers
00:37:55
at Operation Stargate, steadily
refining his psychic talents.
00:38:03
One of his most
difficult assignments
00:38:05
came when a marine Lieutenant
Colonel named William Higgins
00:38:08
was taken hostage in Beirut
by a group of Shiite Muslims
00:38:12
while working with a United
Nations peacekeeping group.
00:38:17
DAVID MOREHOUSE: My
god, it-- it's him.
00:38:19
AGENT: Are you certain?
00:38:21
Of course I am.
00:38:23
This is Colonel Higgins.
00:38:25
Morehouse and the
other remote viewers
00:38:27
were desperate to find Higgins.
00:38:28
And they began a marathon
series of psychic sessions.
00:38:32
MAN: [non-english speech]
00:38:33
DAVID MOREHOUSE:
He's not doing well.
00:38:36
He looks worse.
00:38:36
MAN: [non-english speech]
00:38:40
DAVID MOREHOUSE: Even though
we could see him being moved,
00:38:42
and we could describe his
surroundings in the room,
00:38:45
and the beatings and his
physical conditioning
00:38:47
and his emotional condition,
we still could not or were not
00:38:51
ever able to provide
an address that
00:38:53
would allow a
rescue team to go in
00:38:55
and affect the hostage rescue.
00:38:57
He's gonna die.
00:38:59
I can taste it.
00:39:04
DENNIS FARINA: Morehouse
claims that the remote viewers
00:39:07
physically sensed
Higgins death a year
00:39:10
and a half into his captivity.
00:39:13
Just a few days
later, the kidnappers
00:39:15
confirmed that Colonel
Higgins had been murdered.
00:39:23
Another major challenge
for the remote viewing unit
00:39:26
came when Pan Am Flight 103
exploded over Lockerbie,
00:39:30
Scotland all 259 people aboard
and 11 more on the ground
00:39:36
were killed.
00:39:37
Hours later, with the cause
of the crash still unknown,
00:39:41
the remote viewers were called
into an emergency session.
00:39:45
They were not given any details.
00:39:47
They were only given
a set of coordinates.
00:39:49
AGENT: The encrypted
coordinates are 18, 75, 29, 38.
00:39:58
DAVID MOREHOUSE: For
us remote viewers,
00:40:00
it was a tremendous
emotional toll to us
00:40:03
to watch that catastrophic
event take place,
00:40:05
and to see the
confusion of these souls
00:40:09
that were instantly there.
00:40:10
As everything that
was physical about
00:40:12
them plummeted to earth,
their souls that remained
00:40:16
there in this ethereal state.
00:40:20
My god.
00:40:21
DENNIS FARINA: Within
a day of the crash,
00:40:23
Morehouse and the other viewers
had pieced together a scenario.
00:40:28
They believed Flight
103 was blown up
00:40:30
by a terrorist bomb
hidden inside a suitcase
00:40:34
in the forward cargo hold.
00:40:37
After two months of
detailed investigation,
00:40:40
the FBI and the Scottish police
came to that exact conclusion.
00:40:47
At Fort Meade, Morehouse
continued his remote viewing,
00:40:51
but he was becoming
disillusioned.
00:40:54
We were starting to
develop the protocols to be
00:40:57
able to access the mind
of another human being
00:40:59
for the purpose of
destruction or death.
00:41:02
And that is when I finally
drew the line and said I cannot
00:41:06
any longer be a part of this.
00:41:07
I can't see this
tremendous gift turned
00:41:10
into a very powerful and
tremendous and very elusive,
00:41:15
dark weapon, which is what
we were going to do with it.
00:41:18
DENNIS FARINA: David Morehouse
decided to go public.
00:41:21
When the government
threatened a court martial,
00:41:24
he resigned his Army commission.
00:41:27
He eventually wrote a
book, "Psychic Warrior."
00:41:31
Since then, the CIA has
admitted the existence
00:41:34
of Operation Stargate.
00:41:37
In the wake of the
negative publicity,
00:41:39
the program lost its
Congressional support
00:41:41
and was shut down.
00:41:44
How great are the untapped
powers of the human mind?
00:41:47
Can remote viewing
really be used
00:41:49
to reveal the secrets of
the past, the present,
00:41:52
or even the future?
00:41:53
If you believe David Morehouse,
the potential is real.
00:42:01
If you have any
information about any
00:42:03
of the cases on this program,
please log onto our website
00:42:07
at unsolved.com.
