[ Suspenseful music plays ]
Narrator: This is the story of a woman who's always center stage...
With her flaming red hair
and her blue Thunderbird,
it was quite a picture.
...ready for her audience...
She was always dressed to the nines.
...and forever young.
The glamour never stopped.
[ Laughs ]
Bob: If she's happy, you know,
age, what the hell does it matter?
But the high life comes with a price.
There were lots of sharks circling
in Florida down there,
and it just seemed she was vulnerable.
♪♪
[ Music-box lullaby plays ]
It's September 1993,
in Greenwich village, New York,
and Richie and Charlene Schwarzkopf
are having a dinner party.
The hosts film the guests of honor
over on the couches...
Charlene's parents on the right;
and Richie's mom, Jean Schwarzkopf, on the left.
♪♪
Richie would love to entertain, have us all in the city,
and it would always be quite festive.
We would all fret over what to wear.
[ Laughs ]
Right.
Woman: A lot of... you know, a little bit of everything.
Richie learned everything he knows about entertaining
from his mother.
The original party queen, she's led a remarkable life.
She is born Jean Pipola
to Italian immigrants uptown in the Bronx.
Richie: It was a very typical Italian family.
Life revolved around the kitchen and cooking
and I learned how to cook at a young age, from them.
Narrator: Age 19, she marries Michael Pelle,
also Italian American,
and they have two sons, Richie and his younger brother, Bob.
They were kids when they married.
Then, world war ii started and my father was drafted.
Narrator: After the war, their relationship broke down
and they each went their separate ways.
♪♪
In 1947,
Jean falls in love with a level-headed
German immigrant, Henry Schwarzkopf,
and, together, they build a new family.
My mother, she introduced us as, "this is your father,"
and we just sort of accepted him and I never looked back.
And, in 1951,
the family is completed by the arrival of daughter Renee.
She was the little Princess.
I mean, they dressed her up
and she was [ Laughs ]
Always decked out, like a little mom.
♪♪
Narrator: Henry owns and runs a diamond drilling factory,
giving him access to the best diamond brokers in town.
Perfect for someone who likes to look her best.
When it came time to buy gifts for my mother,
he always picked out
the highest-quality, handpicked stones.
Narrator: One gift in particular stands out.
Renee: She had a eight-carat diamond ring
and, you know, it became part of her everyday put-on
in the morning... [ Laughs ]
"Put my ring on."
[ Laughs ]
♪♪
Narrator: The family lives in the suburbs of New York,
in affluent Pelham,
where there lavish parties are the talk of the neighborhood.
♪♪
My mother loved to entertain and, for some reason,
it seemed like our house was where everybody gathered.
My mother would open up the front door
and the whole party would form a line,
hold on to each other and go out onto the property
and out towards the street
and they would do this limbo line.
And, yeah, I think it cornered the attention
of the neighborhood, yeah.
♪♪
Narrator: In 1977,
with the kids having flown the nest,
Henry and Jean take a trip to visit friends in Florida,
and they're as spontaneous as ever.
And we get a phone call, saying, "hi, rich.
We just bought a house."
"Mom," I said, "you just went out for the weekend."
"No, no, we bought the house."
So they bought this very beautiful, ranch-style house
on the water in new port Richey, Florida.
We thought it was a good idea.
Get my father to retire, sell the business,
and they wanted to travel.
[ Suspenseful music plays ]
Narrator: But in 1991,
Henry falls ill and passes away,
leaving Jean a 72-year-old widow.
♪♪
I mean, she's had two husbands
and been married almost all her life and, now,
you know, she's alone down there.
It was quite difficult, when my father died,
for her to...
Carry on.
♪♪
Narrator: So when Jean makes the trip
from Florida to New York in September 1993,
she's the center of attention.
While Charlene films the occasion...
Everybody is here.
...Richie tackles the food...
...and Jean leads the conversation.
Bob: You know, we were sad that my mother,
you know, was sort of alone.
We had all asked her, somehow,
if maybe she wanted to move back up north
and she was very happy with her house in Florida
and not going to leave.
♪♪
Narrator: Just five weeks later,
Jean finds herself traveling again,
this time, to Connecticut,
for the wedding of her oldest grandchild,
Richie's son Eric.
My father just flew off.
She didn't like to travel alone, I know,
so I think even getting her up for the wedding,
you know, took some asking.
Narrator: Despite her reservations,
74-year-old Jean still knows how to make an entrance.
♪♪
You always knew when my mom walked in
because she was always dressed to the nines,
so she always looked great.
The glamour never stopped.
[ Laughs ]
Narrator: After photos on the beachfront,
the whole family lets loose.
♪♪
There's Richie and Bob, trying out their moves.
♪♪
Well, I think we always knew how to have a good time
and you get good friends, family,
so it was really a happy event.
Narrator: During the festivities, Jean and Renee retire
to a nearby bar for some catching up.
I saw Renee and Jean having drinks
and I come up from behind them
and Jean sees me and sort of taps Renee on the shoulder.
♪♪
And I have to say, out of all of the videos
I've ever taken of Jean, that is my favorite [ Chuckle ]
Because it shows a little bit of her personality.
I also think she was saying,
"oh, there's Charlene with the video camera again."
Narrator: What the camera doesn't capture is that Jean's got big news.
She's seeing someone,
and he's more than 20 years her junior.
He's a successful contractor named Athanakos Gerikondakis,
known to all as Tommy.
♪♪
She would tell me, but say, "don't tell your brother,"
so you play along
and then call your brother.
[ Laughter ]
Narrator: But the romance is moving faster than Jean lets on.
♪♪
Narrator: When 74-year-old Jean Schwarzkopf
reveals to her children that she has found love,
they're unsure what to make of it.
You know, we all sort of looked at each other and go,
alright, mom, you know.
Have a good time, but just be careful.
My sister and I are like, "if she's happy, you know,
age, what the hell does it matter?"
♪♪
Narrator: Just months later,
Jean and Tommy pay Renee a visit in New York.
The news she brings leaves Renee speechless.
I remember her saying, "let's go to the ladies' room,"
and saying to me,
"what would you think if we got married?"
And I said,
"I'm going to tell you what you always told me.
Marriage, you can always get."
And she looked at me and said, "well, we already are."
[ Laughs ] So that's how I found out.
♪♪
It was quite a shock. [ Laughs ]
♪♪
Narrator: Bob and Renee accept their mom's news,
but Richie is more apprehensive.
My mother said, "well, I didn't want to tell you.
I knew you'd be upset."
And I was now concerned about, you know, "what's going on?"
Narrator: Richie checks up on his mom's investments
and what he discovers is alarming.
I kept track of a lot of my mother's finances,
being on wall street,
and found out that she had signed over
a $100,000 CD that came due to Tommy.
♪♪
I was not happy and I told my mother
that CD had to be signed back to my mother immediately.
Narrator: Tommy returns the money.
But Jean explains she was just trying
to help him feel like the man of the relationship.
She wanted him to feel like he had money,
so, yeah, she would put things in his name.
♪♪
Narrator: Tommy's financial demands escalate.
♪♪
It got to a point,
when he wanted the house put in his name,
that she said, "enough. No.
The house is for my family."
So, yeah, I think things started to crumble.
♪♪
Narrator: And, in 1995,
Jean decides to file for divorce
and her money is safe from Tommy.
But, Jean being Jean, the two stay friends.
♪♪
I thought, "well, you know,
that's one albatross off her neck
and, hopefully, life will get better after that."
So I thought it was a good thing.
Now,
be careful what you wish for.
♪♪
Narrator: In February 1995,
Richie and his wife, Charlene,
make a trip to check up on his newly single mom.
♪♪
And Charlene's camera is always at the ready...
♪♪
...to capture Jean's upscale lifestyle.
♪♪
Her house in Florida
was that, you know, clean, elegant, sort of modern.
Narrator: But some new decorations raise questions.
That suggest Jean's no longer single
and ex-husband Tommy's artwork indicates
he could still be on the scene.
He used her lipstick to draw that on the wall
and I think those kinds of actions
make me feel like there's something more going on.
♪♪
Jean wants to show off her Florida social scene
to Richie and Charlene.
And there's someone else Jean wants Richie to meet...
♪♪
...and it's not Tommy.
I called this person up.
I had never met, didn't know,
and, "so-and-so,"
and, "would you join us?"
Narrator: The voice on the phone is Sergio Volpe,
and, while Richie might not know Sergio,
he's clearly important to Jean.
I thought it was just another, you know, wounded puppy
that she was going to take care of.
Narrator: Jean straps on her most impressive jewelry
for the occasion.
I don't think there'd be an evening
she would go out to dinner and not have
at least one or two nice pieces on.
♪♪
Charlene's camera follows them on their night out.
After dinner, the group hits the bar
at Eleni's, Jean's favorite hangout.
Everybody knew my mother when we walked in.
♪♪
Sergio has made it.
He lights Jean's cigarette.
♪♪
The gathering goes well past midnight,
with Jean playing to the camera at every opportunity.
♪♪
The camera.
♪♪
Man: Inhale. [ Laughs ]
Charlene: [ Laughs ]
Despite the fun, Jean's kids still worry
about the new man in her life,
but Jean and Sergio insist they're just friends.
I thought maybe this was just another Mother Teresa case.
It didn't sound like somebody she would go out with.
Narrator: Unsure what to make of their friendship,
especially considering Jean's recent troubles,
Richard decides to appeal to Sergio to look after his mom.
I said, you know, "look," I said,
"my mother is a very vulnerable woman."
And I said, you know, "if you see something wrong,
you know, could you let me know?"
Narrator: Better to have him as an ally.
There were lots of sharks circling in Florida down there
and it just seemed she was vulnerable.
♪♪
[ Engine starts ]
♪♪
Narrator: Saturday, September 20, 1997.
It's a blustery day in Cape Cod, Massachusetts,
and the Schwarzkopfs are gathered
for a very special occasion.
Richie: My son curt was getting married on Cape Cod,
so the whole family went there.
Narrator: But Jean's unable to make the journey from Florida.
♪♪
She just didn't feel up for it.
It was fine. I understood it.
She was 78.
I talked to her while I was packing
and still saying, "wish you were here."
♪♪
Narrator: As Richie waits for the ceremony,
he receives a phone call from Florida.
I got some detective
and they had said, "your... "
♪♪
"Your mother has passed away" or "has died."
And I said, "what happened?"
And, "she was murdered."
♪♪
Renee: Total disbelief.
We had our mother taken away from us in a terrible way.
♪♪
Didn't know what happened.
Didn't want to go through the wedding,
but, yet, we had to carry on.
I was a wreck.
Narrator: The siblings come together, devastated and confused.
♪♪
Richie: Now, I'm the father of the groom.
I've got to go out there and I am worried.
We got 200 people
and I don't want to ruin
this lovely girl's wedding, by even mentioning...
I said, "please, guys, don't mention a thing to anybody.
Let's not ruin this wedding, you know?"
So we all said, "let's try and get through this
and we'll deal with it
after the ceremony, after the wedding,
and we'll make a plan and we'll all get to Florida."
Officiant: For all the days of your life.
[ Cheering, whistling, and applause ]
♪♪
People thought, "oh, my god, you know,
"the father is so emotional about the wedding," you know,
because tears and stuff.
And, of course, they didn't know
anything about my mother being killed.
♪♪
[ Cheering and whistling ]
[ Applause ]
♪♪
Everybody loved my mother, you know, and, of course,
the first question was, "how's your mom?
How's she doing in Florida?"
And we're going, "oh, fine," you know.
Narrator: While everyone celebrates around them,
all Jean's children can think about is who killed their mom.
♪♪
Meanwhile, in new port Richey,
the local sheriff's department are at the crime scene...
♪♪
...and it's down to detective Jim Sessa to investigate.
♪♪
Sessa: So this was actually my very first homicide, Jean's case.
I wanted to do the right job and I wanted to make sure
everything was done the best that it could be
and I didn't want to fail.
♪♪
When I walked in, the first thing I noticed,
there was no forced entry, none, and around the house.
No screens were cut, no doors were kicked in,
no jimmying of any of the locks, nothing to show any force.
The house was immaculate all the way through.
Narrator: But everything changes when he reaches the bedroom.
You saw, on her bed,
several empty jewelry boxes, just scattered.
The drawers were open, disarrayed.
You seen somebody had rifled through them.
♪♪
And I see her body
in the wardrobe/closet of the bedroom.
♪♪
She was face-up and she was wrapped in duct tape,
you know, yards and yards of duct tape.
Narrator: There's no question he's dealing with a homicide.
And we seen right away
how vicious the attack was for her and how vicious...
The perpetrator of this act was heartless.
[ Siren wailing ]
Narrator: And the medical examiner makes a startling discovery.
They removed all the tape and they found flowers
jammed down her throat, and she most likely died
from asphyxia, that she couldn't breathe.
And now we're saying, "okay, why, why the flowers?
Why why would somebody throw flowers down her throat
and then tape her up?"
♪♪
Narrator: Richie, Bob, and Renee arrive the following day.
♪♪
I remember driving up
and yellow caution tape all around the house.
♪♪
My mother and I had a hiding place
[ chuckling ] For some of her jewelry,
so the first thing I wanted to check was
to see if it was still there.
There was quite an array
of empty jewelry boxes all over her bed.
♪♪
They informed us that, of course,
the eight-carat ring was missing.
♪♪
With my mother, I mean, it always came down to
jewelry, that had to be the motive.
♪♪
I said, "well," I said, "the one person, you know,
that I didn't know offhand was Tommy,"
and I said, "they've divorced and, you know,
maybe it's Tommy, you know.
I'd look into him."
Renee: He had easy access and access to the house.
He possibly wasn't happy
about the dissolvement of their marriage.
So there were a lot of reasons to suspect Tommy.
Narrator: Tommy is brought in for an interview.
♪♪
Our job is to get to the truth and to find out what we can.
♪♪
Narrator: While Tommy's being interviewed,
officers execute a search warrant on his home.
♪♪
We found some clothing with some blood on it
and the other officers, the other detectives,
had found duct tape,
silver duct tape, in the garage.
♪♪
Narrator: Results are in for the blood found on Tommy's clothing.
And it's not Jean's.
♪♪
I found that he had a medical condition
and that medical condition produced the blood.
Narrator: And the duct tape is a generic brand.
Plus, he was alibied out
for the time frame of the homicide,
so that left us totally in the blank,
as far as Tommy was concerned.
♪♪
And then, Tommy offers detective Sessa a new lead.
He says, is, "I'll tell you right now."
He says, "I'll tell you right now,
I'll bet you I know exactly who did this...
Ottavio."
♪♪
"He's been trying to be with her
and constantly talking about her
and she threw him off.
If anybody did anything, I'll bet you he did."
Narrator: And, when detective Sessa looks into Ottavio,
he discovers a connection...
Ottavio owns a bakery just a mile from Jean's home.
And he's the brother
of Sergio Volpe, Jean's new friend.
♪♪
Man: He said they might realize...
Sessa decides to check into Ottavio Volpe
before bringing him in,
and Jean's family wants to help.
You know, if you get those things removed...
I said, "I'm not leaving until I find out what happened."
Narrator: After forensics have cleared and processed the scene,
Richie, Renee, and Bob set up camp at Jean's bungalow
and film it all.
♪♪
We actually moved in and stayed at the house
and then, we just tried to do detective work.
We spent our time basically trying to get our...
You know, figure out her life a little more,
which we did.
And which almost surprised us,
more than the whole thing. - There she is.
Narrator: The family believe the key to solving Jean's murder
is the stolen diamond ring.
♪♪
But Jean had never mentioned the name Ottavio Volpe before.
You're not going to sell it privately like that.
We found out all sorts of information
that we had no idea,
money that she had loaned people.
Richie: So that was the worry, you know...
One of these people just got overly greedy.
♪♪
Narrator: Two weeks after Jean's murder,
the Schwarzkopfs say their final farewells
with a ceremony in her backyard.
♪♪
Tried to be as,
you know, elegant and simple, but beautiful for my mother,
who would like that.
♪♪
Oh, need help?
Everybody laughed and cried and...
It was a memorable night, actually.
♪♪
Narrator: Before returning to their own homes,
the family decide to take a detour.
♪♪
[ Man sighs ]
♪♪
A few weeks into his investigation,
detective Sessa gets another tip about Ottavio,
from a woman who used to date him.
This fixation on her ring indicates a motive.
And they bring in Ottavio Volpe for questioning.
♪♪
He was working at the time of the murder, you know.
We didn't even say what time it was, whatever,
but he was either home or at work, that's all he was.
Narrator: But then, he offers detectives a lead
and describes a call from a friend called Frankie
a couple of days before.
A friend of his asked this guy, Tony,
to come down from Chicago
and let him hang out with him for a while.
I asked him specifically, "what's his name?"
He said, "I don't know his whole name."
♪♪
Narrator: Detectives have the airline, landing time, and a first name.
♪♪
We check the airline and see a passenger list.
The first Tony was in a wheelchair.
No good. It's not going to be him.
The second Tony was a person by the name
of Anthony Carcione,
from Chicago.
He was scheduled to come in on the day prior to the murder
and he was scheduled to leave
the day of the murder,
but he never made it.
This was the break. This was it.
♪♪
Narrator: Detective Sessa and his team decide
it's time for a trip to Chicago.
They meet Frankie, the man who called Ottavio.
♪♪
Sessa: We told them why we were there.
♪♪
Comes right out and says,
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Do you know an Anthony Carcione?"
He's very hesitant now.
He's thinking.
He goes, "well, I think so, yeah.
I think I know the guy you're talking about."
♪♪
He said, "well, a friend of mine gave me a call
and said he needed a ride back up from Florida
and then, I took him home and I dropped him off
and that was it."
♪♪
Narrator: Instead of flying back to Chicago,
Frankie collected Anthony and drove him home.
♪♪
We knew we had Ottavio,
we knew we had Frank Gigliotti,
and, now, we have to find Anthony Carcione.
♪♪
Narrator: They track down Anthony to his Chicago home.
I said, "well, could you explain to me
why you went down to Florida
and you drove off with Frankie Gigliotti?"
"I had to go down.
I had to go down to Florida
and I had some trouble with an old lady."
♪♪
"I didn't want to fly, I don't want to fly no more,
so I decided to drive up my good buddy Frankie."
Narrator: Detective Sessa can't believe that Anthony has mentioned
trouble with an old lady.
♪♪
When detective Sessa returns to Florida,
the state's attorney says
there's still not enough evidence to make arrests.
♪♪
Determined to get these dangerous men off the streets,
Sessa has an idea.
In killing her, they took the goods that they stole from her
and they transported interstate,
so that's why I decided to call the FBI.
I knew that we would have a hook
into prosecuting this case federally,
if we could show that stolen property
crossed state lines back to Chicago.
Narrator: Del Fuoco convinces Frankie to take a plea deal,
in exchange for his testimony on moving the stolen jewelry.
♪♪
Frankie pleads guilty to conspiracy to transport,
transmit, and transfer in interstate commerce
and is sentenced to five years in prison.
In October 2000,
the case goes to trial,
in federal court.
I was not able to charge murder,
but I was able to charge all of the other things.
Narrator: Ottavio Volpe pleads guilty to charges of conspiracy,
interstate travel and transportation
in aid of racketeering,
and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
♪♪
Anthony Carcione pleads not guilty to the same charges,
but both are found guilty
and sentenced to life in prison, plus 20 years.
♪♪
Once we got the convictions and had all the evidence,
the key was, "okay, guys,
here's the evidence, wrapped up with a nice bow."
♪♪
Narrator: Detectives won't let the murder charges go,
and pursue the evidence, piece by piece.
♪♪
A year later, Ottavio Volpe and Anthony Carcione
are brought to trial again...
♪♪
...this time, in the state of Florida,
and, finally, on charges of first-degree murder.
Prosecutors lay out
[ camera shutter clicking ] What they believe happened.
After meeting Jean through his brother Sergio,
Ottavio secretly became fixated on her diamond ring.
But knowing Jean would recognize him,
if he attempted to take it, he calls his friend Frankie,
who arranges for Anthony to help.
♪♪
Ottavio parked the car,
Anthony got out with the flowers,
and the gloves, and the tape,
and then walked up to Jean's home.
♪♪
Jean answers it.
He's posing as a delivery man for the flowers.
Once she opens the door, he bulrushes her,
gets her in,
drops the flowers,
drags her into the bedroom,
demanding to know where the jewelry is,
"where's the rock?"
♪♪
After she could do whatever she could do
to give him what he wanted,
he then begins to viciously beat her.
♪♪
Took part of the flowers that he delivered...
♪♪
...put them in her mouth,
after she's been beaten severely,
and then started taping her up like a mummy...
♪♪
...all around her body, everywhere.
♪♪
Takes everything, puts it in her handbag,
along with the flowers that he brought,
and starts walking out of the house like nothing happened.
♪♪
Narrator: Ottavio Volpe and Anthony Carcione
are both found guilty of first-degree murder
and given life sentences.
[ Melancholy tune plays ]
This was a terrible situation on a poor woman
who was a grandmother, a mother, of a family...
♪♪
...that was lost because
a few men thought they could
take care of her and she was an easy Mark.
People were brought to justice, and that's good.
It doesn't bring mom back, but,
it does make you feel better that justice was served.
They took a wonderful woman who was younger than her age
and was living a good life and had many more years to come.
♪♪
Narrator: Even though Jean's life ended tragically,
the Schwarzkopf children remain inspired by her life story.
♪♪
Jean took the years he had left and enjoyed them to the fullest.
♪♪
Renee: I think she would find it ironic, all of a sudden,
that she became one of her own biographies.
♪♪
[ Chuckle ]
She loved reading about people
and people's lives fascinated her
and, all of a sudden,
her story has become everybody else's story.
♪♪
Maybe that would make her happy, in some weird way.
[ Laughs ]
♪♪