- Female narrator: An epic "snapped" story
Unlike any other,
With stunning twists along the way,
That culminates in an exclusive interview featuring
New information never heard before about a case
That rocked a small community.
- This was the most heinous murder investigation.
- He was going running, and he never knew what hit him.
An execution style murder.
- It was obviously an issue of overkill.
- Narrator: Investigators are sent down a trail
Of sordid secrets and cover-ups.
- They suspected that there was an affair going on.
- She'd been caught lying.
- There was a report to one of our detectives,
Alleging that he had been molesting his daughter.
- It was very disturbing.
- Narrator: As the pieces fall into place,
They will reveal a heinous plot, twisted by faith.
- It all seemed to stem from church activities.
- He had prophesied that it was god's will
That he needed to be killed.
- Judy: It's hard to understand, I guess,
Unless you are part of that.
It's like a cult situation.
- You had church scandal, you had an affair
With a pastor, you had sex.
- Narrator: And for the very first time,
One man at the center of this horrific crime
Finally tells his story.
- Mikel: I know it obviously doesn't change a thing,
Or probably bring a whole lot of, uh, comfort,
But maybe at least knowing some things might help.
- ♪
♪♪
- Narrator: December 22, 1992.
It's 3:30 p.M. In junction city, kansas,
A small town of only 23,000, located 2 hours
Outside of kansas city,
When the local sheriff's department receives
A 911 call about a gruesome discovery.
- The call that was received was from a passerby who had--
Had noticed a body on the side of the road.
- [siren wailing]
- Beth: Law enforcement responded to the scene
And found a body of a white male
Lying on his back at the intersection
Of adams road and lyons creek road.
- Originally, there was some thought that maybe he'd been hit
By a car or something like that,
Because the wounds were so severe
And he was next to a road.
Pretty shortly, they were able to determine
That he had been the victim of a homicide.
- The man was deceased because of bullet wounds
To his head and torso.
- Jeffery: It appeared to be a shotgun,
But yet we found no shotgun shell casings.
Someone was trying to hide their tracks.
- [siren wailing]
- Anthony: It wasn't long before a stream
Of emergency vehicles rushed to the scene,
And the sound of the collective sirens caught the attention
Of one neighbor in particular.
He walked down to the scene,
And he was able to identify the victim
As randall sheridan.
Immediately the thought was, "who could have done this?
"why would anyone wanna kill randy,
Especially in broad daylight?"
- Narrator: Born in ellsworth, kansas, in 1952,
Randy sheridan was a cowboy through and through.
- We grew up listening to western music and, uh,
Watching old westerns on tv.
- His dad, uh, was retired as a...Army officer,
And he always had a great love for horses.
- Robert: He was an extrovert.
Friendly, he had a good sense of humor,
He had a lot of friends.
He was a good person, you know?
- He was very engaging, very personable.
He was always the fun, jokester type person.
- Narrator: In 1974, the young cowboy fell in love
With junction city native, judy kay junghans.
- Judy: He always was able to make a person feel like
That he was listening to them and really understanding,
And asking a--good questions.
- Robert: When randy and judy were dating,
They just seemed to get along really well.
Um, judy had a son, and randy was helping raise her son.
They were--all three-- really close.
- Narrator: In 1981, after dating for 7 years,
Randy and judy tied the knot.
- Judy: We moved into this small house
Right after we got married.
It had some acreage with it,
Which had a place for his horses and dogs.
So it was, uh-- and it was close to town.
It was very nice. They were very good years.
- Narrator: Unfortunately, the idyllic family life
Didn't last.
- Judy: Shortly after we were married,
I would say within a year, things did not go so well.
He moved out.
That was a time when...
There was a lot of, um, not getting along, distancing,
Kind of leading parallel lives.
- Narrator: By 1984, while still separated from judy,
32-year-old randy was working as a salesman
In chapman, kansas.
There, he met a woman that stopped him in his tracks:
22-year-old dana dreiling.
- Randy met dana, and they had what I would say is an affair.
- Anthony: Dana was one of five children raised in the small
Kansas town of chapman, a blue-collar type upbringing.
The family had a very strong work ethic.
- Mikel: The household was, um,
A traditional catholic household.
My father was a carpenter, that's what he did for a living.
Uh, and my mother worked in...The healthcare industry.
Later on, she really just raised us kids.
- Narrator: In her early 20s, dana took a job
As a dental hygienist in chapman,
Where she soon met randy.
- I do not know exactly when dana and randy became involved,
But we ended up getting a divorce.
And that was because of the fact that dana--at that time,
He was involved with her, and she was pregnant.
- I don't think randy was ever serious about dana.
Dana was more serious about rand,
But when randy found out that dana was pregnant,
He took full responsibility.
He was fully on board.
He always wanted to have kids.
- Narrator: In 1985, randy and dana welcomed
Their daughter ashley into the world.
- He always was very interested in having a child.
He was excited about that part of it,
But he did not wanna get married, um,
So they were not living together.
- When he would bring ashley over to my folks',
Which is where I would usually see her,
He was, you know, just... Full of joy.
- Narrator: Randy spent the next several years
Striving to be a good father.
He also made amends with his ex-wife, judy.
- Judy: After ashley was born,
We gradually became, um, close again.
And then ultimately, he moved back in.
When we did get back together, it was--it was good.
It was very good.
- A few years after that reconciliation,
Judy and randy actually had a daughter together.
- Narrator: In 1987, dana decided to follow
Randy's lead and take a second chance on love herself.
- Mikel: Steve flynn was an old classmate of hers in school,
And...Reconnected later. It happened real fast,
I think they reconnected, dated for a few weeks,
And they were getting married.
- Two years later, steve and dana had a son.
- Narrator: The couple also began attending
The fountain of life church in salina, kansas,
Led by pastor jerry rollins,
Where dana became an active member of the congregation.
- My parents end up selling their house
And moving to salina.
We started attending that church in salina, kansas,
When I was 16.
My family was lower middle class, very common,
But jerry had a way of making them feel like, well,
God looked at them with particular favor
And was really going to bless them,
And they were special people.
- Narrator: Through the years, randy sheridan maintained
A cordial relationship with steve and dana
For the sake of his daughter, ashley.
- Judy: Typically, what would happen is he would pick her up,
And dana and steve would come to pick ashley up at our home
On the return side.
As the girls got older, they would play together.
Um, those were very good times.
Unfortunately, everything changed.
- Narrator: On December 22, 1992,
Randy sheridan, a beloved father of two,
Has been found dead less than a mile from his home.
- What made it difficult: You're in a rural area
Where there's no houses, so there's no neighbors,
No potential for witnesses.
- Narrator: With no witnesses, detectives will have to look
To their victim to find his killer.
- It was apparent from the scene, um,
He had received five shotgun wounds.
- With the wounds inflicted, it was indicative that it was
A emotional crime and that it was overkill.
- Anthony: It just screamed out this was a personal killing.
They wanted to make sure that he was dead.
- Jeffery: We have to rule everyone out.
And loved ones or people that are close to a murder victim,
Are someone you look at,
Because that's often who perpetrated it.
- Narrator: Coming up,
Was a cryptic call days before the murder
A prank or a warning?
- The only word she could make out was "die."
'cause she said the caller was trying to disguise their voice.
- Narrator: And a surprising source of evil emerges.
- He had voiced concern that the pastor of the church
Was trying to drive a wedge between randy and his daughter.
- The way it was done was textbook for cult doctrine.
- ♪
- Narrator: On December 22, 1992,
Authorities in geary county, kansas, are investigating
The roadside slaying of randy sheridan.
- At the conclusion of the investigation
At the crime scene, randy's body was taken
To our local funeral home, where the autopsy was conducted.
- Chris: What takes place any time there's a murder is,
They will start looking at that person,
And looking at their life,
Looking at the people in their life.
- Jeffery: His wife would naturally be a suspect.
You know, I mean, were they having an argument?
Were there problems, you know?
- Narrator: Detectives don't have to wait long to find out.
- Judy: I took off early
And was, uh, driving home and saw all of these cars
Around our house.
There was a, um, sheriff's car
That was sitting at the end of the driveway.
And that person, uh, flagged me down.
[crying] I'm sorry.
- We spoke to her, told her that her husband had been murdered.
- At the time, it's hard to take in that information.
I was in shock.
It was, um...Very difficult.
I basically was just shaking.
It was hard to, um, not shake.
It was just, uh, devastating.
- Robert: The phone rang.
And I recognized my father's voice on the other end.
And he just said, "they've shot and killed randy."
It was like an atomic bomb goes off inside of you.
Just--[sobs]-- just devastation.
- Narrator: While randy's loved ones grieve,
Investigators waste no time searching for leads.
- We did check the house to make sure
That it had not been, you know, burglarized.
But his house was intact, there appeared to be no--
Anything amiss within the residence.
So, you know, it, uh, came down to investigating
What was going on with his life.
- Narrator: Detectives start by asking judy
When she last spoke to randy.
- He called me at my office around 3 o'clock, and said
He was gonna go for a run.
That was, of course, the last conversation I had with him.
- Narrator: Judy says that the only conflict
In randy's life stemmed from a past affair.
- Jeffery: She told us that randy had had an affair
With a woman by the name of dana flynn.
In that affair, he had a--a child.
- Judy also told detectives that randy was going through
A very nasty custody situation,
Uh, with the mother of his young daughter.
- Narrator: Judy explains that earlier that month,
Randy had tried to pick up his daughter
For a scheduled visitation, but her mother, dana flynn,
Refused to drop her off.
- She was not there at the place
Where he was supposed to pick her up.
So, this went on for a while, and he, of course,
Hired an attorney, um, to see what could be done.
- Jeffery: She said they had a court hearing coming up
And it was to be a change of custody to where ashley
Would be given to randy on a more permanent basis
Instead of just on visitation.
- Judy let detectives know that, on December 22,
The day that randy was killed,
Dana was scheduled to bring their daughter to randy
So that they could go on a vacation.
- Jeffery: According to his wife, he said, "when I get back,
"I'll call my attorney and hopefully I'll know
When we're to pick up ashley."
And it was while he was out jogging
That, uh, he was murdered.
- Narrator: Judy also tells detectives about
A mysterious late-night phone call
She received ten days ago.
- Judy: It was at 1:30 in the morning.
I happened to be awake, so I went and answered the phone.
And at that time, I heard someone say
Something like "die."
Randy had heard the phone ring also, so he came out
And he grabbed the phone from me.
I heard him say on the phone, something about "mikey."
Sh--uh, something mikey.
- When they hung up, he said that was dana's brother, mikel,
Who was calling.
- I said, "what did he-- did he say something to you?
What did he say?" and he did not tell me anything
About what he heard on the phone.
I think he just didn't wanna worry me.
- Jeffery: In that interview, she's thinking that
Randy's murder had to do with the child custody dispute.
You know, I mean, it's just too coincidental
That they've had all these problems having visitation,
And he's murdered on that same day
He's to pick up his daughter?
- Narrator: Immediately after wrapping up with judy,
Police receive a telling phone call
From randy sheridan's attorney.
- Jeffery: He thought I needed to investigate this church
That, uh, randy sheridan's estranged girlfriend,
Mother of his child, was involved in.
- Narrator: A church run by a 54-year-old pastor
Named jerry rollins.
- Anthony: Apparently, randy had voiced concern
That the pastor of the church was trying to drive a wedge
Between randy and his young daughter.
- Jeffery: The attorney told me that he was very suspicious
That the pastor is the one who
Would have masterminded the death of his client.
And he said, "I think that's who did it."
- Narrator: Coming up, investigators piece together
Randy's terrifying final moments.
- Those first two blasts were from some distance,
And the shotgun blasts get closer and closer.
- Narrator: And police follow a litany of suspicions
And accusations.
- When there's a murder in a small town,
That's huge, huge news.
The rumors were flying very, very rampantly.
- ♪
- Narrator: After speaking to judy junghans,
Investigators now believe her partner, randy sheridan,
May have been murdered in connection with an ongoing
Custody battle with his former girlfriend, dana flynn.
- Randy was involved in this very contentious custody battle,
Detectives, of course, wanted to talk to dana.
- Narrator: While detectives begin tracking down dana
For questioning, randy's autopsy report comes in.
- The forensics pathologist's determination was that randy
Was originally shot from a moving vehicle
By a 12-gauge shotgun.
He was shot five times.
- Beth: The injuries sustained included a major gunshot wound
To his right wrist area,
And that it had gone through his wrist into his chest wall.
The second wound was to his back
And both of those shots were likely fired
At the height of a car door.
- Anthony: And then the suspect got out of the vehicle,
And just to make sure that he was dead
And for that vengeance style killing,
Got very close to him, point-blank range,
And fired those two shots to the head.
- Beth: This was the most heinous murder investigation.
It was obviously an issue of overkill,
Which of course indicates a strong emotional contact
Of some sort with the victim.
- Narrator: The gruesome autopsy report leads detectives
To an important piece of information.
- According to the forensic pathologist,
The shooter was in the passenger seat
Of a moving vehicle,
And so someone else had to be driving.
- Narrator: So far, investigators have
Three potential suspects:
Randy sheridan's ex-girlfriend, dana flynn,
Dana's brother, mikel dreiling, who investigators believe
Had made a threatening call days before the murder,
And dana's pastor, jerry rollins.
- We immediately went to salina, kansas,
To speak with the pastor.
When I first asked him where he was
Around 3 o'clock that day,
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a receipt
From walmart that--where he had bought a toothbrush,
As I recall.
That was a little strange.
- Police asked pastor rollins if they could search his home,
And he agreed to it.
One of the things they found were shotgun shells.
12-gauge shotgun shells.
And, again, it was determined that randy had been killed
By a 12-gauge shotgun.
- When we asked him about, "where's the shotgun?
You've got shells, where's the gun?"
And he said that he had a son and that he had sold it
Before he went to the navy.
- Narrator: Police obtain contact information
For jerry's son, david, and seize the shotgun shells
As evidence.
- Jeffery: As soon as we were done at the pastor's house,
We immediately went down to dana flynn's house.
As I recall, it was 1 in the morning.
I sat down and spoke to her, she didn't appear shocked at all
Or devastated that the father of her child had been murdered
And gunned down, even though her daughter was to have
Gone to him that day.
I said, "well, where were you today?"
- Chris: Dana flynn admitted that she got a call
From her lawyer, uh, that upset her,
About noon on the day of the homicide.
She advised her folks at work that she didn't feel well,
And that she left work.
And she called her mother and told her mother
To pick up her children after school.
- Jeffery: She said she had gone to the gas station and got gas,
And then went immediately to her mother's house
To stay there while she didn't feel good.
And didn't leave until, I believe,
7 o'clock that evening.
- Narrator: With dana's children still sleeping,
Detectives ask her to come in for further questioning
The next morning.
- Jeffery: I said, "come in and take a polygraph
"and let's get to the bottom, and, say, if you pass, hey,
"you know, you're able to take that polygraph and show that
You had no knowledge or no participation."
And she said that she would like to do that.
- Anthony: They had it all set up, but then they got a call
From her lawyer that, "guess what? Dana wasn't gonna
Show up and take that lie detector test."
- Her attorney said that she would be making no statements
Or having any other conversations
With law enforcement.
- Narrator: After dana's change of heart,
Detectives pivot their focus to her brother, mikel dreiling.
- Randy sheridan received a threatening phone call
To his residence on December 12,
Which was 10 days before the murder.
- Randy told his wife it was mikel dreiling on the phone.
- After randy's death, two days later,
They--they showed up to my work to interview me.
- They spoke to mikel and asked, "where were you this day?"
And he said he had a knee injury
And said that he had gone to stat care.
- Anthony: Mikel told detectives
That on the morning of December 22,
He was home and then, later in the morning,
His girlfriend took him to go visit dana.
And after visiting with dana,
He then headed to the doctor to get his knee checked out.
- Narrator: Investigators quickly realize
That mikel's story contradicts dana's alibi.
- He said that he had seen dana at her house,
But dana had said that she was at her mother's house.
How could she be two places at the same time?
- He said he went at 4 o'clock in the afternoon
To have his knee checked.
We, of course, went to the care facility
That he indicated, and their records indicated
He didn't show up until 4:30 that day.
He had more than enough time, driving the speed limit,
To go from the murder scene to the care facility
And arrive by 4:30.
So, it appeared to me to be, you know,
An attempt to come up with an alibi.
That's when we knew we were on the right track.
- Narrator: Coming up, another family is torn apart
In this small town.
- His son looked at him and said, "you serve the devil."
And he knew that that could only come from one place.
- Narrator: And the intimate details
Of a scandalous love affair are exposed.
- Anthony: There was pastor rollins,
Partially clothed, and he said, "take it easy, dear.
We're just praying. We're just praying together."
- Mikel: My mother received flyers in her mailbox
About jerry ordering some kind of sexual toys or products.
- You can imagine what a stir that caused.
- ♪
- Narrator: Detectives investigating the murder
Of randy sheridan have just discovered inconsistencies
In the alibis of 31-year-old dana flynn
And her 20-year-old brother, mikel dreiling.
- There were indications they weren't being truthful
About all of it.
So it definitely put them in suspicion.
- Narrator: Detectives decide to dig deeper into mikel
And his sister dana.
They start by contacting steve flynn,
The father of dana's son
And her husband from 1987 to 1989.
- Anthony: When detectives went to talk to steve flynn,
He was very candid in saying that basically he was fighting
Not only dana in regards to custody of their son, uh,
But the whole family too,
And felt like the whole family was ganging up.
- Narrator: Steve flynn tells police that he and randy
Had actually been in contact the past several months.
- They discovered that there were things in common
With the visitation
And what was happening, you know, with the children.
- Steve and randy actually became quite close,
Because they both found themselves
In similar circumstances: Fighting dana,
Fighting her family, and fighting pastor rollins.
- Dana and her whole family had joined this church.
Steve, as I understood, quit going to the church.
- Narrator: Steve tells detectives he feared
Dana was getting a bit too involved in the church.
- Chris: There was a concern in the underlying
Child custody matter that the pastor
Was having a negative influence on the children,
In teaching that their-- their fathers,
Who were involved in trying to get visitation,
Were evil or somehow served the devil.
- Robert: Dana began withholding ashley
From some of the visitation with randy.
Before long, ashley began changing
From a happy little girl to someone who would tremble...
In our presence.
- Steve knew things had gotten really, really bad
When he went to go get his son,
And his son looked at him and said, "you serve the devil."
And he knew that that could only come from one place.
- Jeffery: It all seemed to stem from church activities,
That was where it all appeared to begin and end.
- Narrator: Hoping to learn more about the inner workings
Of the fountain of life church,
Investigators pay a visit
To pastor jerry rollins' ex-wife.
- Anthony: She played a big, big role in detailing
The relationship that she believed had been ongoing
Between her husband and dana for quite a while,
Beginning back in 1989.
- Jeffery: After dana had broke up with her husband,
Dana moved in with the pastor and his wife.
At one point, his wife woke up early in the morning
And didn't find her husband in bed.
She went to walk around the house, didn't find him.
Went over to the bedroom of dana, knocked on the door,
And said, "is the pastor in there?"
And she said, "no, I think he's outside."
She then went outside, checked outside the house
For her husband, didn't find him.
- Anthony: She raced down to dana's room,
She opened the door, and there was pastor rollins...
Partially clothed.
And of course, his wife said, "what's going on here?"
And he said, "take it easy, dear.
We're just praying. We're just praying together."
- Chris: Jerry rollins' wife was concerned about them
Having a relationship, and then she found a receipt
From an adult mail-order company called adam and eve.
- The receipt was for sex toys that were sent to dana
From her husband.
She left her husband after that incident.
- Narrator: Jerry rollins' ex-wife tells investigators
That she gave the receipt to her lawyer,
Who passed it on to steve flynn and, ultimately, randy sheridan.
- Randy sheridan then took this mail-order receipt
That he had with jerry rollins' name on it and dana's name on it
And he made a bunch of copies of it.
And then he mailed that out to church members.
- Mikel: At some point, my mother received flyers
In her mailbox about jerry ordering some kind
Of sexual toys or products for him and dana
With his credit card and in her name, mailed to her.
I remember family members defending dana strongly
And thinking that it--it couldn't have been
What it appeared to be.
- You can imagine what a stir that caused.
- Narrator: Coming up, detectives uncover a hotbed
Of cover-up and corruption.
- People closed ranks. People were not cooperating.
- Narrator: And a dark conspiracy comes to light.
- Randy was demonized more and more as time went on.
- Chris: It did seem to indicate to us that jerry rollins
Did have some control over people.
- I would call him a very evil man.
- ♪
- Narrator: Police in junction city, kansas,
Have decided to center their murder investigation
Around dana flynn's pastor, jerry rollins.
- Jeffery: There were suspicions that it was the pastor
Who was involved because they suspected that
There was an affair going on between the pastor and dana.
- It was also very curious that we did know it was
A 12-gauge shotgun involved in the murder,
And we knew jerry rollins had 12-gauge shotgun shells.
- Pastor rollins had said that one of his sons had sold
A--a 12-gauge shotgun prior to entering the navy.
- Narrator: On December 28, 1992,
Less than a week after randy's body was found,
Detectives turn their attention to pastor rollins' son, david,
For clarity.
- I contacted naval investigative services
And asked them to question him
About the location of that shotgun.
- His story changed minute by minute.
He sold the gun. No, he didn't sell the gun.
And then basic--basically said he didn't know
Where the gun was.
- Narrator: Though david's demeanor is suspicious,
Detectives are forced to take another approach.
In February 1993,
After working the case for 2 months,
Investigators take a closer look at the fountain of life church.
- Jeffery: We wanted to find out what was going on in the church.
Were there discussions of any magnitude
That would indicate conspiracy to commit murder?
We began to interview everyone we could find that had been--
At least attended church there or was--
Had been a regular member.
- Chris: People closed ranks. People were not cooperating.
It very much turned into a dead end when we talked
To church members, except it did seem to indicate
To us that jerry rollins did have some control over people.
- Narrator: But those who recently left the church
Following the pastor's shocking affair scandal
Are more forthcoming.
- We learned that there were several prophecies
From jerry rollins.
Uh, one was that, uh, randy sheridan was evil,
And that god should, uh-- they would pray
That god would intervene.
- Pastor rollins had prophesied that it was god's will
For randy not to, uh, see his daughter.
- It's hard to understand, I guess, unless you are part
Of that, or of-- of that mindset.
Basically, it's-- it's like a cult situation.
- Jeffery: The indications of a cult are separation,
Trying to get people separated, you know,
From their past loved ones and moving 'em apart,
And this was all part of that.
- Randy was demonized more and more as time went on.
That created, I think,
A--a thought in people's minds that he was less than human.
Or if something were to happen, it really wouldn't be a loss.
It really--it really wouldn't affect people.
- Narrator: After interviewing ex-followers of the church,
Investigators wonder just how far
Pastor rollins' influence had reached.
Reviewing old police reports,
Detectives discover a history of demonizing allegations
Against randy that seem to echo
The pastor's so-called prophecies.
- Beth: In 1989, dana flynn came to the geary county
Sheriff's department and made a report
To one of our detectives, alleging that randall sheridan
Had been molesting his daughter ashley.
- Jeffery: These allegations, they had been investigated
By the sheriff's office, they had been investigated
By kansas srs-- social rehabilitative services--
And no one had found any indication of an actual
Sexual or child molestation having occurred.
- The evaluators were concerned that there was coaching going on
With the child,
And that the allegations and the manner in which
They were being made was done in an effort by dana
To try to gain an advantage in the child custody dispute.
- Judy: Dana didn't want him to have shared custody.
She did not want him to have any influence over her daughter,
And this was a way to have that, uh, come to be.
It was very disturbing.
- There was a very important court hearing that was going
To be taking place just before the day he was murdered,
Where it was likely that she might lose custody of her child
Because she was refusing visitation.
She did not want to attend or have that hearing take place,
So she obtained a continuance.
There was clearly motive in this case
For randy sheridan to be killed by dana flynn.
- Narrator: Although investigators have established
A motive and a suspicious pattern of behavior,
They still don't have any physical evidence
That dana flynn murdered randy sheridan.
- People want physical evidence that links someone specifically
To that scene, specifically at that point in time,
Or they want a confession.
And we had none of those.
- Narrator: The case languishes on for nearly two years.
- Jeffery: We investigated well over a hundred and some people.
You know, thousands of pages of reports.
We had to investigate everything that came up.
- Chris: You always have a risk in these kind of cases
Of when you go forward, you know,
"have we got enough evidence now or do we need to continue
The investigation for an additional period of time?"
- When you know who is responsible, but the time
That it takes for the investigation
And for that to finally, uh, be resolved,
It's very frustrating.
- Narrator: But a phone call is about to change everything.
- Anthony: A witness came forward and told detectives
That on 5 p.M. The day of the murder,
That she saw dana going through a salina carwash
Not once, but twice.
- Narrator: Coming up,
A calculated plot rises to the surface.
- There was sufficient time to commit the murder
That afternoon and be able to get back to salina in time.
- She wanted her way, and it didn't matter how she got it.
- Narrator: And in an exclusive interview,
A killer tells all for the very first time.
- Judy: I still would be interested to know basically
Just what happened.
The story behind the story.
- ♪
- Narrator: After nearly two years of investigation,
Detectives in geary county, kansas, finally have
The break they need in their case against dana flynn
For the murder of her ex-boyfriend, randy sheridan.
- Chris: One of the members of the church who was no longer
Attending the church observed dana flynn going
Through a carwash twice on a day when she's supposedly
Too upset and sick to pick up her kids.
Law enforcement actually drove the route from
Where they believe dana and mikel would have been,
To, uh, the scene where the murder took place,
And they did that a couple different ways.
Either of the routes would have provided sufficient time
To commit the murder that afternoon and be able
To get back to salina in time for dana to have been seen
Washing her car at the car wash.
- Anthony: Detectives never let up on this case,
They worked tirelessly to bring the people responsible
For this brutal killing to justice.
- Chris: Finally there's enough evidence.
On October 18 of 1994, the geary county grand jury
Indicted jerry rollins, dana flynn and mikel dreiling
For first degree murder,
Conspiracy to commit first degree murder,
And conspiracy to commit perjury.
Dana flynn had a very close relationship with her brother.
There was specific evidence that he had made a threatening
Phone call to randy ten days before the homicide.
We also have him admitting to having contact
With his sister the afternoon that the murder took place.
And then we also have the false alibi evidence.
He was basically playing the role
Of the heavy in helping dana.
- Robert: When they were going to arraign them,
I came over and was standing outside and watched 'em
File from the jail into the courthouse.
I guess that was part of my way of still trying
To take care of my-- [crying]--brother.
- Chris: Pastor rollins entered an alford plea,
Which is basically to say, "I am not admitting guilt,
"but I recognize that there's enough evidence
"if I went forward on these charges I'm pleading to,
That I could be convicted."
- He served, I believe, maybe four months'
Jail time for his participation.
- Anthony: One could easily argue that pastor rollins
Deserved a lot more time,
Because it seemed that he was very, very influential
In this case.
- Pastor rollins was an individual who, in my words,
I would call him a very evil man.
- Narrator: In August 1996,
Siblings dana flynn and mikel dreiling go on trial
For first-degree premeditated murder.
- Chris: As a prosecutor, we often have cases
That you look at and you say that, you know,
In many ways, true life is so much stranger than fiction.
- Anthony: Think about it: You had church scandal,
You had an affair with a pastor,
You had child custody issues,
You had sex, you had adult sex toys.
- The pastor and dana have always maintained
That they never had a relationship whatsoever,
Other than parishioner and pastor.
This was a, you know, complicated case,
Because it was circumstantial,
And you had to show every angle.
- Chris: What we had was a-- a very detailed timeline
For the jury, to show them how things were building
Towards the event that occurred here.
Our inference all along was that dana was the driver
And mikel was the shooter.
That was the circumstantial case that we argued to the jury.
- Anthony: Dana's alibi turned out to be very shaky,
How she said she was at her mom's house,
But then a--a witness sees her
Going through the car wash twice.
Mikel's alibi was very shaky.
And of course, there was also the issue
Of the 12-gauge shotgun shells
Found inside the rollins residence,
And we know that randy sheridan was killed
With a 12-gauge shotgun, but nobody in the rollins family
Could ever say what happened to that gun.
- Narrator: All told, the prosecution builds
A solid argument.
- The jury was only out a matter of hours
Before they reached a verdict,
And I think it was very clear to them
What took place in this particular case.
- They were found guilty.
And it was, like, such a relief.
- Narrator: On January 27, 1997,
Dana flynn and mikel dreiling are both sentenced
To life in prison.
Still, they maintain their innocence.
- Dana, mikel, and the pastor never confessed to any crimes.
Uh, they said that they'd gotten the wrong people
And remained very, very steadfast
In their innocence.
- I think that she wanted her way,
And it didn't matter how she got it.
This was the easiest way for her to get full custody
And get rid of randy.
- Narrator: It's been 27 long years
Since randy's horrific death,
And those close to the case still seek answers.
- There are a lot of unanswered questions in this case.
We don't know who the shooter or shooters were for certain.
- We had no specific evidence of how the murder
Actually took place, other than the inferences
That were made from the autopsy report and what we saw
At the scene of the crime.
- Judy: It would be very, very good if...
Either mike or dana were able to come forward
And explain what happened,
And bring kind of closure for the family.
It would be very good to hear, just, for instance,
How much jerry rollins had to do with this.
- Narrator: Coming up, after 27 years of waiting,
Randy's family hears mikel dreiling speak out
For the first time.
- It's hard to come to terms with it when you've done
Something like this, to-- to be honest and have to tell
The truth about it, because nobody wants to admit
Doing something like this, but it's the truth.
- [gunshot]
- ♪
- Narrator: In 1996, 24-year-old mikel dreiling
Was convicted for the brutal murder of randy sheridan.
On October 16, 2019, he was released on parole.
After 23 years behind bars,
He has decided to tell his story for the first time.
- There is no way to, um...
For this to be a positive experience for me.
Except if someone else gets something out of it.
And someone else being the victim's family.
I know it doesn't--obviously doesn't change a thing,
Or probably bring a whole lot of, uh, comfort,
But maybe at least knowing some things might help.
- Narrator: Now, mikel shares the details of the crime
He committed, and starts at the very beginning.
- Mikel: I was in the military, ended up having surgery
While I was in.
And was medically discharged, and I end up coming home...
I wanna say in April of 1991.
When I say home to--that was salina, kansas, at that time.
- Narrator: Once back at home, he found a new sense of purpose
In his family's church, a pentecostal parish
Led by pastor jerry rollins.
- Mikel: Jerry was charismatic and I think he definitely
Cultivated an atmosphere of...Everybody was special,
Um, that we were chosen, chosen people.
He made people feel special and unique.
- Narrator: By the time mikel joined the congregation,
Pastor rollins had already taken a special interest
In mikel's sister, dana.
- Mikel: He would just talk her up.
Like, just compliment her, over the top.
And she would do the same thing back to him.
I can see the indicators now that it was more than just
A pastor-parishioner relationship.
- Narrator: In 1989, jerry began counseling dana
About her struggle with ex-boyfriend, randy sheridan,
Over their daughter ashley.
- Jeffery: Jerry's wife had actually overheard
A conversation with dana's daughter
And her husband, the pastor, speaking.
At the end of that conversation,
He came and told everyone that she revealed to him
That she had been sexually molested by her father.
And she goes, "I listened to the whole conversation,
I was keeping my ears in, wondering what's going on,"
And she said, "she never mentioned anything like that."
- Narrator: By the fall of 1992,
As dana's custody battle with randy languished,
Mikel says dana made a plan of her own.
- Mike: Late October, dana calls me and asks me
If I can come over and show her how to shoot this--this gun,
Because she had supposedly experienced some,
Uh, potential break-ins,
People prowling around the property at night.
She wanted to be able to defend herself.
We went out to the country and I, you know,
We loaded the gun, I showed her how to, you know, shoot it,
So she shot it a few times.
- [gunshot]
- The weapon was jerry's.
I don't know where he got it, but it was his
That he had given to dana and I to use.
I couldn't know for sure, but it might've been the plan
For her to kill him by herself.
And then they adapted the plan, or changed it at some point,
And included me.
Dana had several conversations with me
About randy sexually abusing ashley.
I think she wanted to reinforce that idea with me,
And keep reinforcing it a few times,
To where it would build up and finally, you know,
It would make me feel like something had to be done.
Dana wanted to kill randy.
That was the solution to her problem with ashley
Being molested-- or supposedly being molested.
I was complete and totally surprised.
Because it seemed to contradict the religious teachings
That we were, you know--
Were trying to observe in church.
I--I was conflicted.
I didn't know what was right or what was wrong.
She seemed to justify that
Because of ashley's life was at stake.
I had a contradiction inside of me trying to determine
What really was gonna be the right course of action.
- Narrator: Torn by his sister's request,
Mikel says he turned to the one person he was sure
He could trust.
- I sought the counsel of jerry rollins.
I arranged to meet with him
And have a private conversation with him, without dana there.
He said, "let's--let's pray about it."
So, he--you know, we prayed.
And when we finished, he just said,
"you know, brother mike," he goes,
"in all my years in the ministry,
"I've never come across this-- this situation
"or these circumstances, but I believe god wants this--
"wants this to happen, because what he's doing
To that little girl."
He validated the-- and sanctioned--
The killing of randy.
And that--that blew me away, but I did not know
Or even think or consider that those two
Were making that plan.
I--I really didn't know what to do.
I kind--I deferred to that judgement.
A person didn't feel like they were allowed
To question anything, because it's almost like
You're questioning god; that's how that began.
- Narrator: Coming up, despite his inner conflict,
Mikel puts the plan into action.
- Mikel: There was a first initial attempt
Before the murder ever occurred,
That no one really knows about.
- Narrator: And the moment of truth arrives.
- Dana calls me, and told me that today was gonna be the day
That we were gonna kill randy.
- ♪
- Narrator: After 27 years of silence,
48-year-old mikel dreiling has finally revealed details
Of the 1992 murder of his sister's
Former boyfriend, randy sheridan.
- I've attempted to...Not make amends, because I can't,
But offer something by way of just my willingness
To be open and honest about this--about what I did.
- Narrator: According to mikel, in the fall of 1992,
It was his sister dana who first asked him to kill randy.
But it was pastor jerry rollins who gave the murder plot
His blessing.
- Mikel: Ultimately, it was jerry's persuasion
And persistence that...That, um,
Convinced me...
To--to perceive that as a righteous thing to do
And agree to it-- agree to killing randy.
I mean, the way it was done was textbook for cult doctrine.
The irony is, when you're in a cult,
You don't know it.
- Narrator: For mikel, the situation became
A crisis of faith.
- Mikel: I felt like I'd be punished if I was wrong.
"what if he really is a man of god and I'm wrong?"
So, I reluctantly and... With a conflicted heart,
Agreed to it because I thought that it was
The right thing at the time.
That's where I failed huge, is I didn't have the courage
To continue to question that.
- Narrator: On the night of December 12, 1992,
Mikel visited his brother's house with pastor rollins'
Oldest son, charles, and decided to call randy sheridan.
- Mikel: The truth of the matter is, I--
I pranked randy that night.
I was with charles and my brother.
And I think he breathed heavy into the phone,
He might have said "die" or something, I don't remember.
Randy ends up dying ten days later.
I did not know that was gonna happen that way,
I did not--I mean, that was not even in my mind when
That--that prank was made.
Dana said, "I'll let you know when the time is right."
She made it sound like, "you know, when--
"when god wants it done, he'll let me--he'll let us know
And we'll do it," and so...Part of me was hoping
That would never happen or would never come,
But...It--it did.
- Narrator: About a week later,
Mikel says dana told him it was time.
- Mikel: Before randy's death, December 20,
There was a first initial attempt, uh,
Before the murder ever occurred,
That no one really knows about.
The plan was to surprise randy when he came home.
And...When we were there,
We realized that randy wasn't alone.
The sheridan family arrived at home while we were there.
And I--I freaked out.
Here's the thing that no one knows about.
Dana said that everybody had to be killed because
There's no--there can't be any witnesses.
And that's when I changed my mind and--and ran,
Because...I couldn't do that.
- Narrator: The following day, December 21, 1992,
Randy received permission to take their daughter
For the holidays.
But the details remained vague.
- Every other time that they'd had a transfer,
There'd been all this discussion,
Cussing and discussing about the details,
But this time there was none.
- Narrator: Desperate to get full custody of their daughter,
Mikel says dana once again set her plan into motion.
- Mike: The morning of December 22, 1992,
Dana calls me and told me that today was gonna be the day
That we were gonna do that; we were gonna kill randy.
- Narrator: Coming up, mikel's detailed account
Of randy's brutal shooting is finally revealed
For the first time.
- Mikel: She was driving, I was in the passenger side,
And dana brought the car to a stop.
Dana said, "well, there he is. That's--that's the sign
That we're looking for. Now, now!"
The gravity of it really started to sink into me,
Just how wrong it was.
- ♪
- Narrator: Though the murder of randy sheridan
Was 27 years ago, convicted killer mikel dreiling
Remembers the event that changed his life
And the lives of everyone around him like it was yesterday.
But his version of events paints a very different picture
Of the crime, one that his sister dana denies to this day.
- Mikel: It'd have been early afternoon.
We arrived, and we saw him jogging on the road.
Dana said, "well, there he is. That's--that's the sign
"that we're looking for-- he's by himself--you know,
That god wants this done."
She was driving, I was in the passenger side.
And dana brought the car to a stop,
And randy was jogging up the road and he saw us,
And I think he recognized dana.
And--and he started to slow and walk--
And start walking towards the car by the window...
To talk to dana, I believe.
And that's when dana told me, "now, now!"
Randy realizes the situation,
And he puts his hand up like this.
I know that I fired a shot.
- [blast]
- One hit him in the arm, and that kind of spun him around
A little bit to the side, and I shot him--
I fired another shot.
- [blast]
- It hit him in the side.
And then he started to run.
And I fired another shot and he fell down.
- [blast]
- And when randy fell down, that's when I stopped.
The gravity of it really started to sink into me
At that time; just how wrong it was.
My part was over at that point in my head.
My desire and drive to continue on was--was over.
But...But not for dana.
Dana got out of the car and told me to shoot him again.
Randy was on the ground.
And I didn't. I don't remember saying anything.
So she--she took the gun from me and went over and fired
The last two shots.
I remember standing there, just kind of...
In somewhat of a daze, a kind of shock, and...
Dana had told me to help her pick up the shells,
So we picked up the shells, got in the car, and drove away.
The weapon was cut up in pieces with a hacksaw.
And I tossed that out the car window
Driving down the road.
- Narrator: Mikel waited anxiously for two years
For his deed to finally catch up with him.
- Mikel: I knew what happened and I felt like I had to lie.
When I was arrested, in my mind,
Randy was still a bad person at that time.
It wasn't 'til later that I realized dana and jerry
Would lie about anything to... To--to get their way about
Whatever they wanted done.
When I was sitting in court
And hearing the evidence about their affair,
And the things that they did, then I knew,
All of this is not only wrong,
But it's been wrong for a long time.
It was disgusting and sickening
And it made me angry and bitter towards them.
- Narrator: Today, mikel dreiling is a free man,
But he still has to live with the murder he committed
In December 1992.
- Mikel: I served just shy of 23 years.
Over that time, uh,
I learned the value of human life.
Uh...And I wish I had known that sooner.
And I don't want to make excuses or say
That I didn't know better, because I did know better,
But it's not that-- it's not that simple.
I know that dana still claims that she is innocent
And didn't have anything to do with this because
That's what the parole board has reported to newspapers.
I don't understand why not tell the truth at this point,
You know?
It doesn't surprise me that she's still claiming it,
But it amazes me that she is.
- Narrator: Mikel hopes when randy's loved ones
Hear his story, it will bring some closure
To randy's death.
- I hope they're able to see that someone,
At least one of us, is actually remorseful.
I hope they feel something positive out of this.
Just closure of, you know, they finally know, you know,
For a fact, you know, this happened.
- It, I think, helps to finally know a little bit more
About what happened and how it happened.
That he has and is seeming to indicate remorse.
That is very helpful as far as information
I would--am interested in.
- Robert: I don't care what any of them have to say.
I don't care if they're sorry or not.
It--they murdered my brother, and that's the, you know--
That's--that's all I know.
They can go to hell.
- Judy: I have fond memories of the times
That we spent together, the time he spent with my son,
Times later on when the girls were young.
I miss the fact that his daughters, um,
Did not get to know him as their father.
That definitely is very hard.
The fact that ashley was also no longer a part of our lives
After having that connection, that's--that is...
Uh, yeah, very tough.
She may have gone to her mother's sister,
I don't know for sure.
- I always thought we'd grow ol--grow old--
[clears throat]
I always thought we'd grow old together.
- ♪
♪♪