1 00:00:05,940 --> 00:00:09,408 [Bernice Gray speaking] 2 00:00:11,846 --> 00:00:15,114 Stephanie sees a horse, she loves it. 3 00:00:15,950 --> 00:00:17,349 [Robert Pann speaking] 4 00:00:17,451 --> 00:00:18,550 [Jean Ulmer speaking] 5 00:00:18,652 --> 00:00:20,619 [Bernice speaking] 6 00:00:20,621 --> 00:00:24,189 That was the horse that Robert got her for Christmas. 7 00:00:24,191 --> 00:00:25,824 [Earl Gray speaking] 8 00:00:25,826 --> 00:00:27,760 Yea, horsey! [exclaims] 9 00:00:27,861 --> 00:00:29,962 [chuckles] Riding hard. 10 00:00:31,899 --> 00:00:33,665 [Bernice speaking] 11 00:00:33,667 --> 00:00:39,238 Stephanie definitely got spoiled because she was the first baby in the family. 12 00:00:41,709 --> 00:00:45,044 Bernice was a great mother. She was always there. 13 00:00:45,046 --> 00:00:46,311 You know, it totally changed her. 14 00:00:47,415 --> 00:00:48,747 [Jean] She was happy. 15 00:00:48,849 --> 00:00:51,350 She adored and loved Stephanie... 16 00:00:51,419 --> 00:00:53,252 Come here, look! 17 00:00:53,353 --> 00:00:57,756 [Jean] ...but I, at that point, did not reali 18 00:00:57,825 --> 00:01:00,726 the severity of the situation. 19 00:01:02,563 --> 00:01:05,097 [Earl] We knew something was wrong immediately. 20 00:01:05,099 --> 00:01:08,100 You started feeling, like, a sinking feeling. 21 00:01:08,102 --> 00:01:09,534 Where could she have went? 22 00:01:10,838 --> 00:01:15,040 I felt we could deal with it, and obviously, um, we were wrong. 23 00:01:16,510 --> 00:01:21,513 I will never get to acceptance 'til the day I die. 24 00:01:39,500 --> 00:01:43,535 [narrator] It's Christmas Day, 1973, in Warren, Michigan. 25 00:01:46,607 --> 00:01:50,242 Five-year-old, Bernice Gray and her six-year-old brother, Earl, 26 00:01:50,344 --> 00:01:53,445 celebrate with their extended family. 27 00:01:53,547 --> 00:01:55,214 [Earl] All our Christmas's 28 00:01:55,216 --> 00:01:56,715 when we were young and growing up 29 00:01:56,717 --> 00:02:01,854 were always at my grandmother's house with all my other cousins. 30 00:02:03,357 --> 00:02:06,058 I remember it was always a little chaotic. 31 00:02:06,594 --> 00:02:08,127 It was a big event. 32 00:02:09,930 --> 00:02:12,731 We loved our grandparents. We were very close with them. 33 00:02:14,201 --> 00:02:18,103 My grandmother was just, like, a big kid, like one of us. 34 00:02:19,006 --> 00:02:20,171 She was an awesome woman. 35 00:02:21,809 --> 00:02:25,711 When we were all together, I enjoyed it very much. 36 00:02:27,348 --> 00:02:28,714 Those were good times. 37 00:02:29,950 --> 00:02:32,518 We had fun, my mother cooked 38 00:02:34,788 --> 00:02:38,323 Bernice was always excited about Christmas. 39 00:02:38,325 --> 00:02:40,826 She loved opening gifts. She loved playing. 40 00:02:43,697 --> 00:02:45,364 That's me with long hair. 41 00:02:46,500 --> 00:02:50,235 This is Bernice, just opened a present, 42 00:02:50,304 --> 00:02:51,703 a little doll. 43 00:02:53,641 --> 00:02:57,442 [laughing] Yeah, she just loved her dolls. 44 00:03:03,517 --> 00:03:06,418 [narrator] Bernice and Earl live a few miles down the ro 45 00:03:06,420 --> 00:03:08,053 with their 26-year-old parents, 46 00:03:09,223 --> 00:03:11,623 mom, Jean, and dad, Tom. 47 00:03:14,228 --> 00:03:18,063 Tom and I, um, were childhood sweethearts. 48 00:03:18,165 --> 00:03:21,099 By the time we were 21-years-old, 49 00:03:21,101 --> 00:03:23,302 we were married with two children. 50 00:03:24,605 --> 00:03:26,505 Tom was a skilled tradesman 51 00:03:27,341 --> 00:03:28,941 I was a registered nurse. 52 00:03:31,145 --> 00:03:33,512 Bernice was very close with her father 53 00:03:33,514 --> 00:03:35,647 and loved her father very much. 54 00:03:35,716 --> 00:03:40,419 She was a beautiful child, a loving child. 55 00:03:42,856 --> 00:03:48,126 She was a little bit more reserved than Earl and quiet. 56 00:03:48,128 --> 00:03:52,564 [Earl] I think maybe I was a little bit more over the top than she was, 57 00:03:52,633 --> 00:03:55,801 but, you know, she had her moments. 58 00:03:57,838 --> 00:04:01,039 [Jean] My brother, Jerry, had three boys, 59 00:04:01,041 --> 00:04:06,311 and Earl and Bernice played with them constantly 60 00:04:07,414 --> 00:04:08,814 They were very close. 61 00:04:10,050 --> 00:04:12,317 They weren't just cousins, they were brothers. 62 00:04:14,054 --> 00:04:15,254 My uncle David was... 63 00:04:16,423 --> 00:04:19,558 Was, like, the mischief-y uncle. 64 00:04:19,627 --> 00:04:23,629 He was in between the age of our parents and us. 65 00:04:23,631 --> 00:04:26,265 So he was like a bigger brother. 66 00:04:30,804 --> 00:04:33,505 Our first home in Warren was a really nice home, 67 00:04:33,507 --> 00:04:36,308 and it was a very safe neighborhood. 68 00:04:36,310 --> 00:04:39,111 Lot of kids to play with and go hang out with. 69 00:04:41,548 --> 00:04:45,017 [Jean] Bernice was a tomboy She loved the outdoors. 70 00:04:46,620 --> 00:04:51,957 She loved animals, and she loved dogs. 71 00:04:52,026 --> 00:04:56,928 She would bring stray dogs home, a couple of them we kept. 72 00:04:56,930 --> 00:04:59,264 We always had a dog that I can remember. 73 00:05:02,836 --> 00:05:05,737 [narrator] Eight-year-old Bernice is still animal craz 74 00:05:05,806 --> 00:05:09,107 when Christmas 1976 rolls around. 75 00:05:10,210 --> 00:05:12,311 [Earl] Yep. This is at my grandmother's house. 76 00:05:14,448 --> 00:05:17,115 Yeah, that's all of us. 77 00:05:17,117 --> 00:05:19,351 That would be Garrett, Michael, Jerry, and Bernice 78 00:05:20,120 --> 00:05:21,520 and me. 79 00:05:22,289 --> 00:05:23,555 [chuckles] 80 00:05:24,958 --> 00:05:27,459 [Jean] Very close cousins. There they are, fighting. 81 00:05:27,527 --> 00:05:28,827 [chuckles] 82 00:05:29,963 --> 00:05:33,465 [laughs] And there's Bernice hugging her dog 83 00:05:33,533 --> 00:05:35,534 or her stuffed animal. 84 00:05:37,404 --> 00:05:41,640 She used to take about an hour before she went to b 85 00:05:41,709 --> 00:05:45,911 to align all them, make sure all the animals were comfortable. 86 00:05:48,148 --> 00:05:50,949 [narrator] The Gray family gathers in warmer months too 87 00:05:54,154 --> 00:05:58,056 Uncle Jerry hosts a get together in summer 197 88 00:06:00,728 --> 00:06:03,228 [Earl] We had a giant family picnic every year. 89 00:06:04,031 --> 00:06:05,163 It was huge. 90 00:06:06,333 --> 00:06:08,400 [Jean] It was in my brother's back yard, 91 00:06:08,402 --> 00:06:12,037 and, um, it was just a summer picnic. 92 00:06:12,039 --> 00:06:16,742 Um, lots of people, and children were there, 93 00:06:16,810 --> 00:06:18,810 and they played. 94 00:06:22,149 --> 00:06:23,615 Tom played a lot of sports. 95 00:06:25,052 --> 00:06:29,020 He interacted with the children. 96 00:06:29,823 --> 00:06:32,958 Tom tried to be a good dad. 97 00:06:35,062 --> 00:06:37,729 We had a very good relationship 98 00:06:37,731 --> 00:06:41,433 probably through the first 10 years of our marriage. 99 00:06:43,303 --> 00:06:45,404 And it began to deteriorate. 100 00:06:49,410 --> 00:06:54,746 Marital troubles probably began in '77 and '78. 101 00:06:56,617 --> 00:06:58,150 I wanted to be a nurse. 102 00:06:59,019 --> 00:07:01,219 Tom wanted a homemaker. 103 00:07:01,221 --> 00:07:03,955 That was a bone of contention between us. 104 00:07:05,392 --> 00:07:08,727 [Earl] They argued a lot, and things were escalating. 105 00:07:09,797 --> 00:07:12,364 We just tried to cope with it... 106 00:07:13,434 --> 00:07:14,766 ...pretty much. 107 00:07:17,504 --> 00:07:19,838 [Jean] It took me four year to file for divorce. 108 00:07:19,907 --> 00:07:24,309 It was a bad time for all of us really, 109 00:07:24,311 --> 00:07:25,811 especially for the children. 110 00:07:27,948 --> 00:07:30,749 [narrator] The couple separates in 1981, 111 00:07:30,851 --> 00:07:33,418 and dad, Tom, moves out of the family home. 112 00:07:34,755 --> 00:07:35,854 [Earl] Me and Bernice... 113 00:07:37,124 --> 00:07:40,325 ...we really didn't talk about it. 114 00:07:40,327 --> 00:07:44,529 My sister was 16 and had a hard time dealing with it. 115 00:07:46,400 --> 00:07:51,503 I think Tom and I probably didn't handle... 116 00:07:51,505 --> 00:07:55,440 ...the divorce with the children in the best way. 117 00:07:55,542 --> 00:07:58,710 We were too tied up with our own issues. 118 00:07:58,712 --> 00:08:02,814 And that's when I think Bernice became the most rebellious. 119 00:08:05,819 --> 00:08:10,055 [Karen Stinson] I had met Bernice back around 1983. 120 00:08:11,124 --> 00:08:13,558 She was... 121 00:08:14,828 --> 00:08:19,965 ...outgoing, she always enjoyed to try new things. 122 00:08:21,735 --> 00:08:25,937 I remember she was partying quite a bit. 123 00:08:26,006 --> 00:08:28,106 Our ages, we didn't want any rules. 124 00:08:30,410 --> 00:08:32,244 [Earl] She wanted to do her own thing, 125 00:08:32,345 --> 00:08:37,048 and, uh, she didn't realize, you know, the troubles that she was causing. 126 00:08:39,119 --> 00:08:42,420 [Jean] She would run away and take off for days. 127 00:08:43,924 --> 00:08:48,527 I believe she drank, um, a lot. 128 00:08:49,830 --> 00:08:51,263 I tried to get help. 129 00:08:52,933 --> 00:08:54,199 It didn't seem to help. 130 00:08:55,602 --> 00:08:56,801 She was not happy. 131 00:08:58,438 --> 00:09:01,139 She hated me, of course, 132 00:09:01,208 --> 00:09:04,676 because of course, I was there, and I was a disciplinarian. 133 00:09:05,612 --> 00:09:09,214 And it was a very difficult time. 134 00:09:12,419 --> 00:09:16,721 [narrator] Bernice moves in with her grandparents in Warren in 1983. 135 00:09:19,626 --> 00:09:22,961 [Earl] My grandfather, he didn't make any exception 136 00:09:22,963 --> 00:09:25,764 So it worked. He kept her in line. 137 00:09:27,434 --> 00:09:29,801 My grandparents really helped her out a lot. 138 00:09:29,803 --> 00:09:33,138 Living there was a real solid thing for her I believe. 139 00:09:34,708 --> 00:09:39,444 I think she was happy. She had a place. She was grounded, you know. 140 00:09:39,513 --> 00:09:43,715 She was just learning who she was, what she wanted to do. 141 00:09:46,453 --> 00:09:49,354 School was easy for her. She was smart. 142 00:09:49,423 --> 00:09:52,023 I struggled myself in school... 143 00:09:53,126 --> 00:09:54,826 ...where she excelled. 144 00:09:56,730 --> 00:09:58,330 She had tons of friends through high school 145 00:09:58,332 --> 00:09:59,931 that were really close to her. 146 00:10:01,735 --> 00:10:03,935 I could see those guys goofing off... 147 00:10:05,038 --> 00:10:06,338 ...being silly. 148 00:10:09,443 --> 00:10:12,143 She was just willing to make the best of every situation, 149 00:10:12,212 --> 00:10:13,511 you know, and have fun. 150 00:10:15,048 --> 00:10:18,950 And life just generally just went on, you know, 151 00:10:18,952 --> 00:10:21,019 things weren't really bad. 152 00:10:23,924 --> 00:10:28,259 We just took it in stride and just lived life, you know. 153 00:10:35,602 --> 00:10:38,503 [Jean] Bernice got along with my mother much better. 154 00:10:39,706 --> 00:10:41,840 I think my mother understood her. 155 00:10:43,110 --> 00:10:46,511 I loved her very much, and I guess I just didn't kn 156 00:10:46,513 --> 00:10:52,417 how to deal very effectivel with a quite rebellious teen 157 00:10:53,320 --> 00:10:57,322 I would visit my mother quite frequently, 158 00:10:57,324 --> 00:11:00,425 uh, two or three times a week actually, 159 00:11:00,427 --> 00:11:05,263 and, um, Bernice seemed pretty content and happy. 160 00:11:08,902 --> 00:11:11,503 At least she was talking to me. 161 00:11:12,739 --> 00:11:15,407 Her behavior changed. She was more stable. 162 00:11:17,210 --> 00:11:21,246 I had moved into an apartment, and at that point, 163 00:11:21,347 --> 00:11:24,149 Bernice moved into the apartment with me. 164 00:11:25,352 --> 00:11:29,521 I was glad to have her back with me. 165 00:11:31,625 --> 00:11:33,258 We became closer... 166 00:11:34,461 --> 00:11:35,827 ...talked more. 167 00:11:36,730 --> 00:11:39,431 [Earl] It wasn't like a strict mother 168 00:11:39,433 --> 00:11:41,132 coming down on a daughter anymore. 169 00:11:41,234 --> 00:11:45,303 It was more like just two friends coexisting, living life, 170 00:11:45,305 --> 00:11:49,207 learning, you know, through the mistakes made. 171 00:11:52,813 --> 00:11:56,414 [narrator] Jean goes on a blind date in September 1986. 172 00:11:57,951 --> 00:12:01,119 [Jean laughing] It went pretty well, 173 00:12:01,121 --> 00:12:04,956 except Sandy talked all the time. 174 00:12:04,958 --> 00:12:08,326 Tom was extremely quiet and reserved. 175 00:12:08,328 --> 00:12:12,130 Sandy was just the opposite, and I guess maybe I needed that. 176 00:12:13,734 --> 00:12:17,602 Probably within a month of dating Sandy, 177 00:12:17,604 --> 00:12:20,338 I introduced him to the children. 178 00:12:21,208 --> 00:12:23,641 Sandy and Bernice got along pretty good. 179 00:12:25,545 --> 00:12:29,147 [narrator] The stable home life allows Bernice to thrive at school 180 00:12:30,751 --> 00:12:34,152 Bernice was 18 when she graduated from high school. 181 00:12:34,721 --> 00:12:36,454 She had several jobs. 182 00:12:36,490 --> 00:12:39,724 She was always a pretty industrious hard worker. 183 00:12:41,161 --> 00:12:46,531 She was hired in as a clerk in the Henry Ford Home Care. 184 00:12:48,401 --> 00:12:50,802 [Karen] She was very excited 185 00:12:50,804 --> 00:12:55,240 She was just starting a different part of her life, 186 00:12:55,308 --> 00:12:57,842 and she was ready to settle down. 187 00:13:00,046 --> 00:13:01,613 [Jean] She had several boyfriends, 188 00:13:01,615 --> 00:13:04,682 um, you know, during her teen years. 189 00:13:04,684 --> 00:13:08,553 She was getting into adulthood, and she met Robert. 190 00:13:10,624 --> 00:13:14,959 [narrator] 29-year-old, Robert Pann, is 10 years Bernice's senior. 191 00:13:16,997 --> 00:13:21,833 [Jean] I remember him coming in, standing in our doorway. 192 00:13:21,902 --> 00:13:26,204 Bernice introduced him. I think I did crack some joke 193 00:13:27,040 --> 00:13:29,974 about their age, I'm not sure. 194 00:13:29,976 --> 00:13:32,510 Um, but he seemed very reserved, very polite. 195 00:13:33,814 --> 00:13:37,282 I was happy. I thought she might have 196 00:13:37,284 --> 00:13:41,619 found somebody decent and mature. 197 00:13:43,056 --> 00:13:46,624 He was a solid guy, you know, he was older than us. 198 00:13:47,260 --> 00:13:49,427 He has a house and everything, 199 00:13:49,429 --> 00:13:53,798 and had his little construction business. 200 00:13:53,800 --> 00:13:57,302 And I think I was very impressed, you know, 201 00:13:57,304 --> 00:13:59,304 like, wow, you know, good for her, you know, 202 00:13:59,306 --> 00:14:02,941 I thought she found somebody that's reliable and solid, you know. 203 00:14:05,345 --> 00:14:07,712 [narrator] Bernice moves into Robert's large home. 204 00:14:07,714 --> 00:14:11,850 in up-market St. Clair Shore in November 1987. 205 00:14:15,021 --> 00:14:18,423 18 months later, she has big news for her family. 206 00:14:19,559 --> 00:14:20,925 [Jean] She told me she was pregnant. 207 00:14:21,862 --> 00:14:24,429 I was very excited. 208 00:14:25,632 --> 00:14:27,899 She was happy and, uh... 209 00:14:28,935 --> 00:14:31,135 ...looking forward to being a mother. 210 00:14:33,406 --> 00:14:37,208 I went to the hospital when Bernice delivered. 211 00:14:38,712 --> 00:14:42,213 Robert and I had a little altercation, very slight. 212 00:14:44,417 --> 00:14:47,151 He didn't want Stephanie to have an epidural. 213 00:14:49,456 --> 00:14:51,589 He said, well, my mother's a nurse, 214 00:14:51,591 --> 00:14:55,727 and she said she shouldn't have any medication. 215 00:14:55,729 --> 00:14:59,364 And I said, you know, Robert, that's, uh... 216 00:15:00,400 --> 00:15:02,600 That's Bernice's decision. 217 00:15:04,604 --> 00:15:10,541 She had an epidural. Robert came back and was very angry at me. 218 00:15:11,611 --> 00:15:15,513 It was unexpected for sure. 219 00:15:15,515 --> 00:15:18,216 I mean it wasn't a real aggressive interaction. 220 00:15:18,218 --> 00:15:21,619 It was just, you know, he was upset. 221 00:15:25,625 --> 00:15:28,293 [narrator] On February 12th, 1990, 222 00:15:28,295 --> 00:15:30,862 Bernice gives birth to a baby girl. 223 00:15:30,931 --> 00:15:33,197 She and Robert name her Stephanie. 224 00:15:33,199 --> 00:15:36,434 [Jean] I remember when she gave birth, and she was holding Stephani 225 00:15:36,536 --> 00:15:41,606 And I came in and she said, "Do you want to hold her, mom?" 226 00:15:41,608 --> 00:15:45,643 She was just thrilled. Stephanie was a beautiful baby, 227 00:15:45,745 --> 00:15:49,047 and she was just thrilled to be a mother. 228 00:15:50,750 --> 00:15:54,052 Stephanie was Bernice's lif at that point. 229 00:15:54,153 --> 00:15:57,322 [crying] 230 00:15:59,125 --> 00:16:00,725 [Bernice speaking] 231 00:16:05,732 --> 00:16:07,932 Bernice was a natural mother. 232 00:16:09,002 --> 00:16:10,702 She was very caring and very attentive. 233 00:16:11,404 --> 00:16:13,538 [Bernice speaking] 234 00:16:28,822 --> 00:16:32,557 [Karen] I remember Stephanie's head just being so full of hair. 235 00:16:32,625 --> 00:16:34,826 It looked like she had a little wig on her head. 236 00:16:34,828 --> 00:16:39,430 She was adorable, and Bernice was so excited and proud of her. 237 00:16:40,300 --> 00:16:42,000 Good job, yeah. 238 00:16:42,002 --> 00:16:44,035 [Stephanie Newcomb] I was told that I was a good baby. 239 00:16:44,037 --> 00:16:45,737 Um, I was happy, 240 00:16:45,805 --> 00:16:50,742 and the relationship between me and my mother was very good. 241 00:16:50,843 --> 00:16:52,310 She was extremely loving. 242 00:16:52,312 --> 00:16:54,545 [Bernice speaking] 243 00:16:54,614 --> 00:16:57,415 [Earl] Robert raising and taking care of his famil 244 00:16:57,417 --> 00:16:59,650 or whatever, you know, with my sister, 245 00:16:59,719 --> 00:17:01,953 he wasn't gonna be the part-time father. 246 00:17:03,957 --> 00:17:05,123 [Bernice speaking] 247 00:17:06,393 --> 00:17:09,927 He loved Stephanie, and he, um... 248 00:17:09,929 --> 00:17:13,464 You know, he did the typical dad things with your little girl. 249 00:17:16,803 --> 00:17:18,236 [Bernice speaking] 250 00:17:21,107 --> 00:17:22,340 Ba! 251 00:17:23,443 --> 00:17:24,942 Ba-ba! 252 00:17:26,946 --> 00:17:29,414 [narrator] Bernice is planni her next career move, 253 00:17:29,416 --> 00:17:32,917 just a few weeks after she gives birth. 254 00:17:32,919 --> 00:17:36,754 [Stephanie] My mother changed her life around after I was born 255 00:17:36,823 --> 00:17:38,990 by enrolling in nursing school. 256 00:17:38,992 --> 00:17:42,527 She was going to better herself in that career aspect. 257 00:17:43,696 --> 00:17:45,830 She was following my grandmother's footsteps. 258 00:17:47,333 --> 00:17:49,634 [Earl] She wanted to work, you know, so much. 259 00:17:50,804 --> 00:17:53,137 She wanted to be around people, 260 00:17:53,206 --> 00:17:54,705 and she wanted her life, you know, 261 00:17:54,707 --> 00:17:56,908 she wanted the independence that she had. 262 00:17:57,710 --> 00:17:59,710 Things were good back then. 263 00:17:59,712 --> 00:18:03,815 Life was different, you know, we didn't think about the things we do now. 264 00:18:16,629 --> 00:18:18,362 [Stephanie] This is Christmas 1990. 265 00:18:19,432 --> 00:18:21,332 Yeah, I don't think I was one yet. 266 00:18:23,837 --> 00:18:27,105 [Stephanie] My mother is helping me open up a present. [laughs] 267 00:18:27,107 --> 00:18:30,942 She looks really engaged, really happy. 268 00:18:32,212 --> 00:18:33,945 [Jean] Yay! 269 00:18:36,015 --> 00:18:39,016 You can just see pure joy in her eyes, 270 00:18:39,018 --> 00:18:40,218 how much she loved me. 271 00:18:41,121 --> 00:18:42,986 [Bernice] Ah! 272 00:18:44,524 --> 00:18:48,326 [narrator] Robert and Earl sit together on the couch with gifts of their own. 273 00:18:55,301 --> 00:18:58,903 [Earl] Robert, he got along pretty good with everybody. 274 00:19:00,006 --> 00:19:03,708 Yeah, I was pretty impressed by him, definitely. 275 00:19:03,710 --> 00:19:05,409 Wine stuff. Look. 276 00:19:05,411 --> 00:19:07,512 [Robert] And, uh, my sister seemed happy. 277 00:19:08,715 --> 00:19:10,047 Everything seemed good. 278 00:19:12,218 --> 00:19:13,918 [narrator] But away from the camera, 279 00:19:13,920 --> 00:19:17,121 Bernice and Robert's relationship takes a bad tur 280 00:19:18,725 --> 00:19:23,227 She was not as happy as she was at the beginning of the relationship. 281 00:19:23,229 --> 00:19:25,730 There were things that started to get her down. 282 00:19:27,433 --> 00:19:33,237 [Jean] We started to see some of the signs of his anger, 283 00:19:34,007 --> 00:19:36,307 his controlling temper. 284 00:19:40,113 --> 00:19:42,813 [phone ringing] 285 00:19:44,050 --> 00:19:46,250 [Jean] I got a call from their neighbors. 286 00:19:46,352 --> 00:19:52,423 Robert had pushed Bernice out of the house, naked. 287 00:19:55,061 --> 00:19:57,828 All I know is they were arguing. 288 00:19:58,831 --> 00:20:00,731 I, at that point... 289 00:20:01,901 --> 00:20:06,037 ...did not realize the severity of the situation. 290 00:20:09,909 --> 00:20:11,909 Bernice went to the neighbor's house, 291 00:20:11,911 --> 00:20:16,214 and he gave her a blanket to cover her up. 292 00:20:18,418 --> 00:20:19,917 I went and picked her up. 293 00:20:21,154 --> 00:20:23,721 Bernice was in tears... 294 00:20:24,824 --> 00:20:26,724 ...and then I took her home to my home. 295 00:20:31,030 --> 00:20:34,398 Bernice said she wanted to get out 296 00:20:34,400 --> 00:20:37,201 of the relationship with Robert. 297 00:20:38,705 --> 00:20:44,942 She was beginning to see what type of a person Robert was... 298 00:20:46,112 --> 00:20:48,946 ...and she wanted to distance herself. 299 00:20:50,016 --> 00:20:56,921 She just wanted her life back without Robert. 300 00:21:01,427 --> 00:21:03,861 [narrator] Bernice and Stephanie move in with Jean 301 00:21:03,929 --> 00:21:05,830 in September 1991. 302 00:21:07,300 --> 00:21:09,333 I was pleased that she moved back home. 303 00:21:10,937 --> 00:21:15,206 Sorry for the reason she moved back home, but, uh... 304 00:21:16,809 --> 00:21:20,378 ...I felt like at least she was making moves 305 00:21:20,380 --> 00:21:25,516 to correct the situation or to get away from him. 306 00:21:28,021 --> 00:21:31,622 [Karen] She wasn't happy about going home, 307 00:21:31,624 --> 00:21:34,525 which nobody usually is, 308 00:21:34,527 --> 00:21:37,128 but she was gonna make the best of it, 309 00:21:37,130 --> 00:21:41,299 and that's where she was gonna get the most help at the time 310 00:21:41,301 --> 00:21:43,934 to be able to get back out on her own feet. 311 00:21:47,507 --> 00:21:51,842 Robert was having a difficult time with the separation, 312 00:21:51,944 --> 00:21:56,947 but we had no idea the exten of his control issues. 313 00:22:04,424 --> 00:22:08,926 [Karen] He would drive by her mother's house 314 00:22:08,928 --> 00:22:11,962 and just seeing if she was there or not. 315 00:22:15,234 --> 00:22:18,135 And she was like, "There he goes again." 316 00:22:18,237 --> 00:22:21,105 And we heard him up and down the street a few times. 317 00:22:22,709 --> 00:22:25,009 We knew he was, you know, watching her. 318 00:22:27,246 --> 00:22:29,747 He was not happy that she moved out. 319 00:22:31,417 --> 00:22:33,818 He had lost that control over her. 320 00:22:35,054 --> 00:22:37,521 She didn't want anything to do with him, 321 00:22:37,523 --> 00:22:41,425 but obviously she had to because they had the child together. 322 00:22:46,132 --> 00:22:48,599 [Jean] Robert was trying to get Bernice back, 323 00:22:48,601 --> 00:22:50,801 um, any way he could. 324 00:22:52,805 --> 00:22:57,641 He presented Bernice with a proposal, an engagement ring. 325 00:22:59,612 --> 00:23:03,814 [Earl] I just looked at it as his last-ditch attempt 326 00:23:04,851 --> 00:23:09,220 to get the control back and get what he had back. 327 00:23:11,924 --> 00:23:13,858 [Karen] He wanted to get married to her, 328 00:23:13,926 --> 00:23:15,726 and she would never have to work again, 329 00:23:15,728 --> 00:23:18,329 and he would take care of her and Stephanie. 330 00:23:21,334 --> 00:23:23,701 She did not want that. 331 00:23:25,705 --> 00:23:28,105 [narrator] Robert appears to accept the rejection. 332 00:23:30,042 --> 00:23:33,010 And he chooses to spend Christmas Day with Bernice 333 00:23:33,012 --> 00:23:34,745 for the sake of little Stephanie. 334 00:23:37,316 --> 00:23:41,719 [Earl] I was surprised that Robert showed up dressed as Santa Claus... 335 00:23:41,721 --> 00:23:46,023 ...'cause that, to me, was a little out of his character. 336 00:23:48,961 --> 00:23:51,395 [Earl] They put aside their differences 337 00:23:51,397 --> 00:23:57,301 to put on the Christmas sho pretty much. 338 00:23:57,303 --> 00:23:58,903 [Bernice] Did you see what they did to your presents? 339 00:23:58,905 --> 00:24:03,240 [Jean] Knowing the situation it was not a pleasant day, 340 00:24:03,309 --> 00:24:04,708 having Robert there. 341 00:24:06,345 --> 00:24:07,845 [Tom speaking] 342 00:24:09,048 --> 00:24:12,650 [Jean] I believe Robert tried his best to make it normal, 343 00:24:12,751 --> 00:24:14,718 but Bernice was so uncomfortable. 344 00:24:14,720 --> 00:24:18,155 We all were uncomfortable that day. 345 00:24:19,525 --> 00:24:22,726 [Bernice speaking] 346 00:24:23,930 --> 00:24:26,330 [narrator] The family heads down to the basement 347 00:24:26,332 --> 00:24:28,299 to see Robert's surprise for Stephanie. 348 00:24:28,301 --> 00:24:30,100 -[Bernice speaking] -[Stephanie gasps] 349 00:24:30,102 --> 00:24:30,801 [all chuckling] 350 00:24:32,104 --> 00:24:33,838 [Robert Pann] 351 00:24:33,906 --> 00:24:35,039 [Jean] 352 00:24:35,041 --> 00:24:36,340 [Bernice] 353 00:24:36,409 --> 00:24:38,809 [Jean] He gave her a rocking horse. 354 00:24:38,811 --> 00:24:39,944 Oh, she loved it! 355 00:24:40,012 --> 00:24:43,914 I mean, what one-and-a-half-year-old child 356 00:24:43,916 --> 00:24:45,716 doesn't like a rocking horse 357 00:24:48,421 --> 00:24:50,120 [Robert] 358 00:24:50,223 --> 00:24:51,922 [Earl] 359 00:24:51,924 --> 00:24:53,057 -Dusters. -[all chuckling] 360 00:24:53,059 --> 00:24:54,124 [Jean] 361 00:24:59,432 --> 00:25:00,698 [Jean] 362 00:25:00,700 --> 00:25:03,200 [Stephanie] The footage of me on the rocking horse, 363 00:25:03,202 --> 00:25:04,401 it made me really happy. 364 00:25:05,238 --> 00:25:07,104 It was a lot of fun. 365 00:25:07,106 --> 00:25:10,608 I felt like my father was a lot happier that day, 366 00:25:10,610 --> 00:25:13,644 and I felt like the two of them were a lot closer... 367 00:25:15,815 --> 00:25:17,114 [all chuckling] 368 00:25:18,017 --> 00:25:20,551 [Bernice] 369 00:25:20,620 --> 00:25:22,720 ...but, you could tell, that Christmas, 370 00:25:22,722 --> 00:25:25,523 her main focus was me, and to make me happy. 371 00:25:31,230 --> 00:25:35,232 I was listening to the news, about 11:15, 372 00:25:35,301 --> 00:25:39,436 and Bernice and Robert were upstairs. 373 00:25:40,640 --> 00:25:44,441 They were arguing over going out New Year's Eve. 374 00:25:46,379 --> 00:25:48,112 Bernice refused Robert. 375 00:25:49,515 --> 00:25:51,448 He was very persistent, 376 00:25:52,852 --> 00:25:54,718 but she said no. 377 00:25:56,522 --> 00:25:58,055 He was not happy. 378 00:25:59,425 --> 00:26:01,625 Robert left the house, very angry, 379 00:26:03,963 --> 00:26:06,263 slammed the door very hard. 380 00:26:07,767 --> 00:26:08,432 It was 381 00:26:08,935 --> 00:26:09,633 tense. 382 00:26:12,705 --> 00:26:15,105 The day after Christmas, 383 00:26:15,107 --> 00:26:18,242 I remember, I was lying on the couch, 384 00:26:19,278 --> 00:26:22,012 and Bernice and Stephanie we 385 00:26:22,014 --> 00:26:24,248 um, you know, at the door. 386 00:26:25,518 --> 00:26:27,785 Bernice said to Stephanie, 387 00:26:27,787 --> 00:26:30,721 "Say goodbye to Mee-Ma." 388 00:26:31,624 --> 00:26:33,223 Stephanie called me "Mee-Ma. 389 00:26:34,727 --> 00:26:36,060 They said goodbye, 390 00:26:37,863 --> 00:26:39,964 and that's the last time I saw Bernice. 391 00:26:49,308 --> 00:26:50,708 [telephone ringing] 392 00:26:50,710 --> 00:26:52,710 [Jean] I was in my office, 393 00:26:52,712 --> 00:26:54,010 [telephone ringing] 394 00:26:54,012 --> 00:26:57,214 [Jean] and my girlfriend called me and said that 395 00:26:57,216 --> 00:27:00,851 Bernice had not shown up to work. 396 00:27:00,953 --> 00:27:05,055 Bernice made it a point to show up to work on time. 397 00:27:07,293 --> 00:27:11,462 She would have dropped Stephanie off at daycare, 398 00:27:11,497 --> 00:27:13,964 and then would have gone to work. 399 00:27:15,401 --> 00:27:18,602 If there was something that was prohibiting her, 400 00:27:18,604 --> 00:27:20,638 she would have called in and reported 401 00:27:20,706 --> 00:27:22,206 that she would have been late. 402 00:27:22,208 --> 00:27:23,841 That did not happen. 403 00:27:26,746 --> 00:27:28,212 At that point, 404 00:27:28,914 --> 00:27:30,047 I panicked. 405 00:27:30,616 --> 00:27:32,616 [cell phone ringing] 406 00:27:32,618 --> 00:27:34,451 I checked in to make sure 407 00:27:34,553 --> 00:27:38,122 that Stephanie had been dropped off. 408 00:27:38,124 --> 00:27:39,256 [cell phone ringing] 409 00:27:39,358 --> 00:27:42,459 The daycare told me that 410 00:27:42,561 --> 00:27:44,828 Bernice dropped Stephanie off. 411 00:27:45,564 --> 00:27:47,264 [cell phone ringing] 412 00:27:47,332 --> 00:27:48,899 We called the hospitals, 413 00:27:48,901 --> 00:27:53,337 and there was no report of Bernice being hospitalize 414 00:27:55,708 --> 00:27:58,742 That morning, we went over to Robert's hom 415 00:27:59,612 --> 00:28:03,847 because I needed Bernice's registration 416 00:28:03,949 --> 00:28:05,749 and the title to the car, 417 00:28:05,818 --> 00:28:08,018 so I could give that to the police. 418 00:28:09,021 --> 00:28:12,322 Robert seemed irritated with me. 419 00:28:12,324 --> 00:28:14,324 He had to get to work. 420 00:28:14,326 --> 00:28:16,260 He did not seem concerned. 421 00:28:17,596 --> 00:28:18,962 [Earl] Where could she have went? 422 00:28:20,533 --> 00:28:21,665 I didn't know what to think, 423 00:28:22,702 --> 00:28:25,202 and as the day progressed, 424 00:28:25,204 --> 00:28:28,105 we started feeling, like, a sinking feeling. 425 00:28:29,241 --> 00:28:31,809 When she never picked up Stephanie at the daycare, 426 00:28:31,811 --> 00:28:33,243 at the end of the day, 427 00:28:33,312 --> 00:28:35,913 the true worry started setting in. 428 00:28:36,515 --> 00:28:38,382 That was not like her. 429 00:28:38,450 --> 00:28:40,918 We knew something was wrong immediately. 430 00:28:43,355 --> 00:28:46,123 My husband and I went to the police station, 431 00:28:46,125 --> 00:28:48,125 and made a police report. 432 00:28:49,328 --> 00:28:53,130 Jean Gray was very, very frightened that 433 00:28:53,132 --> 00:28:56,834 something bad had happened to her daughter 434 00:28:56,935 --> 00:29:00,037 The first person being looked at as the suspect, 435 00:29:00,139 --> 00:29:02,706 in any case, is going to be 436 00:29:02,708 --> 00:29:06,009 the person that they're having conflict with 437 00:29:06,011 --> 00:29:07,811 In this particular case, 438 00:29:07,813 --> 00:29:09,713 there was exceptional volatility 439 00:29:09,715 --> 00:29:12,015 between Bernice Gray 440 00:29:12,017 --> 00:29:15,619 and her then-boyfriend, Robert Pann. 441 00:29:17,123 --> 00:29:19,423 The relationship is sour, 442 00:29:19,425 --> 00:29:22,860 and the family describes how volatile he is 443 00:29:25,531 --> 00:29:28,098 [narrator] Investigators invite Robert to the station 444 00:29:28,100 --> 00:29:29,433 to answer their questions. 445 00:29:32,037 --> 00:29:34,138 Well, Robert acted appropriately. 446 00:29:34,206 --> 00:29:35,506 You know, he seemed to care. 447 00:29:35,508 --> 00:29:38,609 He wasn't crying excessively. 448 00:29:38,611 --> 00:29:40,043 He said the right things, 449 00:29:41,514 --> 00:29:43,614 but he did not have an alibi 450 00:29:44,316 --> 00:29:46,617 He started cooperating, 451 00:29:46,619 --> 00:29:48,619 and then quickly stopped. 452 00:29:50,556 --> 00:29:53,423 His attorney stopped him from having any contact 453 00:29:53,425 --> 00:29:54,825 with the police department, 454 00:29:54,827 --> 00:29:58,228 which automatically told us something wasn't right. 455 00:29:58,230 --> 00:30:00,330 The fact that somebody obtains a lawyer 456 00:30:00,332 --> 00:30:02,933 to protect his rights, that's not an illegal act, 457 00:30:02,935 --> 00:30:05,836 but here you have the woman that you love, 458 00:30:05,938 --> 00:30:07,805 the woman you want to marry 459 00:30:07,807 --> 00:30:10,107 the woman who gave birth to your child. 460 00:30:10,109 --> 00:30:13,110 You would think that he would cooperate to the utmost. 461 00:30:16,715 --> 00:30:19,249 On December 30, 1991, 462 00:30:19,318 --> 00:30:21,819 four days after Bernice disappeared, 463 00:30:21,821 --> 00:30:24,721 the police discover Bernice's car. 464 00:30:24,723 --> 00:30:26,223 It's parked in Detroit, 465 00:30:26,225 --> 00:30:29,326 approximately 20 miles away from the daycare center. 466 00:30:30,329 --> 00:30:32,796 The vehicle has the windows rolled down, 467 00:30:32,798 --> 00:30:33,931 the keys in the car. 468 00:30:36,135 --> 00:30:37,434 Blood had been found in the car 469 00:30:37,536 --> 00:30:38,735 on the passenger seat. 470 00:30:39,805 --> 00:30:42,606 The amount of blood is such a quantity 471 00:30:42,608 --> 00:30:46,210 that a person could not survive that type of injury 472 00:30:48,314 --> 00:30:50,948 The blood indications seemed to all of us 473 00:30:50,950 --> 00:30:53,383 that she was slumped or pushed 474 00:30:53,385 --> 00:30:55,719 towards the passenger side of the vehicle. 475 00:30:57,056 --> 00:30:58,856 The vehicle was wiped down. 476 00:31:00,159 --> 00:31:04,027 There was two bullet casing fired from the gun. 477 00:31:04,029 --> 00:31:06,430 One bullet was found inside the car. 478 00:31:08,033 --> 00:31:10,801 [Steve Kaplan] The bullet is found in the door. 479 00:31:10,803 --> 00:31:14,705 That told us that she was shot while in the vehicle, 480 00:31:14,707 --> 00:31:15,972 probably in the head. 481 00:31:17,509 --> 00:31:19,810 DNA testing, even though primitive at that time, 482 00:31:19,812 --> 00:31:21,478 showed that that blood 483 00:31:21,480 --> 00:31:23,046 was our victim, Bernice, 484 00:31:23,115 --> 00:31:25,549 because it matched the mother and the father. 485 00:31:28,921 --> 00:31:32,422 [Jean] It was definitely a confirmation in our minds 486 00:31:32,424 --> 00:31:34,424 that she was dead. 487 00:31:35,227 --> 00:31:36,960 She was murdered. 488 00:31:41,700 --> 00:31:43,800 [Karen tearfully] I knew tha 489 00:31:44,603 --> 00:31:46,336 she wasn't gonna be around. 490 00:31:49,541 --> 00:31:50,641 I knew that 491 00:31:51,343 --> 00:31:53,243 something bad had happened. 492 00:31:55,414 --> 00:31:56,646 [sniffles] 493 00:31:59,618 --> 00:32:03,320 [Earl] The anger comes, and all the feelings of 494 00:32:04,423 --> 00:32:06,023 "Why didn't I see this?" 495 00:32:06,025 --> 00:32:10,294 and "What could I have done," you know, "to prevent this?" 496 00:32:10,296 --> 00:32:11,662 "Why didn't I help?" 497 00:32:14,633 --> 00:32:16,800 [Kaplan] On the date Bernice disappeared, 498 00:32:16,802 --> 00:32:18,936 a neighbor living 499 00:32:18,938 --> 00:32:21,939 within seven, eight houses of the daycare center 500 00:32:21,941 --> 00:32:24,441 is clearing his car of snow. 501 00:32:24,510 --> 00:32:26,510 It's 6:25 in the morning, 502 00:32:26,512 --> 00:32:28,512 the time that Bernice would take the baby 503 00:32:28,514 --> 00:32:29,947 to daycare center, 504 00:32:29,949 --> 00:32:31,248 and he hears "Bang!" 505 00:32:31,283 --> 00:32:32,950 [gunshot] 506 00:32:32,952 --> 00:32:35,953 Hearing the gunshot helps u with the time of the murder 507 00:32:36,922 --> 00:32:39,056 It also shows us that 508 00:32:39,157 --> 00:32:41,258 a gun was involved. 509 00:32:41,327 --> 00:32:43,860 It also displays that 510 00:32:43,929 --> 00:32:46,430 it happened in St. Clair Shores. 511 00:32:47,433 --> 00:32:49,700 And, incidentally, 512 00:32:49,702 --> 00:32:51,935 Robert Pann owned weapons. 513 00:32:54,340 --> 00:32:56,807 [narrator] Investigators trace Robert's movements 514 00:32:56,809 --> 00:32:58,942 on the morning that Bernice disappeared. 515 00:33:00,079 --> 00:33:03,413 They discover that he visited a jewelry store. 516 00:33:03,415 --> 00:33:05,615 [Kaplan] He returned the engagement ring 517 00:33:05,617 --> 00:33:07,417 that he had purchased for Bernice. 518 00:33:08,120 --> 00:33:09,453 So, what's noteworthy here is 519 00:33:09,554 --> 00:33:11,621 he returns the ring at 9:00 in the morning 520 00:33:11,623 --> 00:33:14,825 on December 26, 1991. 521 00:33:14,827 --> 00:33:17,027 Two hours after Bernice disappears, 522 00:33:17,029 --> 00:33:18,962 why is he returning a ring? 523 00:33:18,964 --> 00:33:21,398 He should be devoting all of his energy 524 00:33:21,400 --> 00:33:22,599 to locating Bernice, 525 00:33:24,737 --> 00:33:27,604 and the manager of the jewelry store remembered 526 00:33:27,606 --> 00:33:29,940 He said, "That guy came in, the one who returned the rin 527 00:33:29,942 --> 00:33:31,208 and he was full of dirt, 528 00:33:31,210 --> 00:33:32,943 and he left the premises dirty." 529 00:33:34,313 --> 00:33:35,545 So the question becomes, 530 00:33:35,547 --> 00:33:38,849 why was Robert Pann, at 9:00 in the morning, unkempt? 531 00:33:38,950 --> 00:33:41,051 Why was he full of dirt and twigs? 532 00:33:43,756 --> 00:33:46,723 [Frank Troester] The fact th the dirt that was on his boo 533 00:33:46,725 --> 00:33:48,425 tells me that he was somewhere else 534 00:33:48,427 --> 00:33:49,726 with mud on his boots. 535 00:33:49,728 --> 00:33:51,128 Where could that be? 536 00:33:52,731 --> 00:33:54,230 Disposing a body. 537 00:33:56,502 --> 00:33:59,036 [Kaplan] Robert Pann and his family owned properties, 538 00:33:59,104 --> 00:34:00,704 or had access to properties, 539 00:34:00,706 --> 00:34:03,040 in other areas of Macomb County. 540 00:34:04,209 --> 00:34:06,843 [Troester] He had acres and acres of land 541 00:34:06,945 --> 00:34:08,812 at his disposal, 542 00:34:08,814 --> 00:34:10,614 and he had a construction jo 543 00:34:11,316 --> 00:34:13,216 And if he's got an end loade 544 00:34:13,218 --> 00:34:14,851 digging a big, deep hole 545 00:34:14,953 --> 00:34:16,820 wouldn't take 10, 15 minutes, 546 00:34:16,822 --> 00:34:19,656 and covering it back up wouldn't take 10 or 15 more. 547 00:34:21,527 --> 00:34:23,126 If he was digging all day long, 548 00:34:23,128 --> 00:34:26,263 and a hundred people saw him nobody would think that 549 00:34:26,331 --> 00:34:28,698 he's trying to dig a hole to put a body in. 550 00:34:28,700 --> 00:34:30,801 He just looks like everybody else. 551 00:34:32,805 --> 00:34:34,805 And in fact, Robert Pann came in 552 00:34:34,807 --> 00:34:38,241 and made a police report that his backhoe was stolen 553 00:34:38,343 --> 00:34:41,244 He filed that so we wouldn't find it. 554 00:34:41,313 --> 00:34:44,247 Subsequently, it was found elsewhere on the grounds. 555 00:34:44,349 --> 00:34:46,283 He tried to conceal it. 556 00:34:46,285 --> 00:34:48,151 We immediately felt that 557 00:34:48,220 --> 00:34:51,321 Robert Pann, using an end loader, 558 00:34:51,323 --> 00:34:53,957 had dug a hole and buried her body 559 00:34:53,959 --> 00:34:57,127 somewhere in the city of Warren. 560 00:34:59,098 --> 00:35:01,598 [Kaplan] This then led the police to expend 561 00:35:01,600 --> 00:35:06,236 huge resources in attempting to find her body. 562 00:35:06,338 --> 00:35:08,405 [Troester] We had people running all over the place. 563 00:35:08,407 --> 00:35:09,739 We're looking for anything. 564 00:35:09,841 --> 00:35:11,308 It doesn't have to be body parts. 565 00:35:11,310 --> 00:35:13,110 We can be looking for an earring, 566 00:35:13,512 --> 00:35:14,211 a button, 567 00:35:14,613 --> 00:35:15,479 a zipper, 568 00:35:15,481 --> 00:35:17,013 a piece of cloth, 569 00:35:17,416 --> 00:35:19,082 a belt buckle, 570 00:35:19,084 --> 00:35:22,552 We sift through little pieces of dirt all day long. 571 00:35:23,956 --> 00:35:27,524 This is the proverbial needle in a haystack. 572 00:35:28,827 --> 00:35:30,727 We need to find where she is. 573 00:35:38,003 --> 00:35:40,537 [Kaplan] The investigation is at a standstill. 574 00:35:41,406 --> 00:35:43,707 This is a cold case. It's frozen. 575 00:35:43,709 --> 00:35:46,109 It's not going to be solved, 576 00:35:46,111 --> 00:35:49,012 unless Robert Pann talks too much, 577 00:35:50,415 --> 00:35:52,115 but Robert Pann was tight-lipped. 578 00:35:53,819 --> 00:35:55,719 [Earl] I didn't know if we were ever gonna get him. 579 00:35:56,822 --> 00:35:58,054 You can't move on. 580 00:35:58,056 --> 00:36:00,056 You know? Like, you're in limbo. 581 00:36:02,961 --> 00:36:05,462 [Stephanie] I do remember my grandparents 582 00:36:05,531 --> 00:36:09,132 being worried that he might be stalking us, 583 00:36:09,234 --> 00:36:11,034 or trying to see me. 584 00:36:12,237 --> 00:36:15,238 [Jean] All I can remember is thinking to myself, 585 00:36:16,842 --> 00:36:18,708 "He's not gonna get Stephani 586 00:36:19,811 --> 00:36:21,244 If I have to give up my lif 587 00:36:21,847 --> 00:36:23,413 to hide this child, 588 00:36:24,049 --> 00:36:24,948 I will." 589 00:36:27,052 --> 00:36:27,951 So, 590 00:36:29,054 --> 00:36:30,420 lived in terror, 591 00:36:31,023 --> 00:36:32,222 anxiety, 592 00:36:32,224 --> 00:36:33,156 stress, 593 00:36:33,625 --> 00:36:34,791 for years. 594 00:36:37,629 --> 00:36:40,964 [narrator] Fast-forward five years, to 1996. 595 00:36:42,501 --> 00:36:45,001 Robert Pann has moved on with his life. 596 00:36:46,505 --> 00:36:50,207 Robert Pann was married to a woman named Maureen Pann. 597 00:36:51,510 --> 00:36:54,411 Maureen Pann was visiting her friend, 598 00:36:54,413 --> 00:36:56,413 and Robert Pann had been stalking her, 599 00:36:56,415 --> 00:36:57,714 and following her. 600 00:36:59,017 --> 00:37:01,218 When she leaves the home that day, 601 00:37:03,655 --> 00:37:05,522 Robert Pann is in the back seat, 602 00:37:08,126 --> 00:37:10,427 and he tries to choke Maureen Pann, 603 00:37:10,429 --> 00:37:11,828 and said, "I'm gonna kill you." 604 00:37:13,832 --> 00:37:16,299 [narrator] Maureen passes out at the wheel. 605 00:37:16,301 --> 00:37:19,236 Her car swerves toward an oncoming vehicle. 606 00:37:20,305 --> 00:37:21,905 The crash saves her life. 607 00:37:22,941 --> 00:37:25,742 Fortunately, a passerby contacted the police, 608 00:37:25,844 --> 00:37:27,243 and Robert was arrested, 609 00:37:29,648 --> 00:37:33,116 and he was sentenced to pris for approximately five years 610 00:37:33,118 --> 00:37:35,018 for trying to kill Maureen Pann. 611 00:37:35,654 --> 00:37:37,520 This shows his modus operandi, 612 00:37:37,522 --> 00:37:40,824 that this is his style, this is his pattern. 613 00:37:41,827 --> 00:37:43,360 What does he do when a woman leaves him? 614 00:37:43,461 --> 00:37:44,327 He's gonna kill her. 615 00:37:45,464 --> 00:37:46,796 And how does he kill her? 616 00:37:46,798 --> 00:37:48,798 He ambushes her, and surprises her 617 00:37:48,800 --> 00:37:50,033 while she's in her car. 618 00:37:52,504 --> 00:37:56,706 Right away, it was like, okay, this is a rerun, 619 00:37:56,708 --> 00:37:57,941 'cause this is exactly, 620 00:37:58,010 --> 00:37:59,909 probably what he did with Bernice. 621 00:38:01,246 --> 00:38:05,749 Robert Pann and Bernice had a very volatile relationship 622 00:38:05,850 --> 00:38:07,851 She's turned him down for a marriage. 623 00:38:08,854 --> 00:38:11,354 The friends talked about arguments, 624 00:38:11,423 --> 00:38:14,891 aggressiveness on the part of Robert Pann, 625 00:38:14,893 --> 00:38:17,460 and he made a comment that he would kill her 626 00:38:17,529 --> 00:38:19,562 before he'd pay child support to her. 627 00:38:22,000 --> 00:38:24,701 [Kaplan] His murder of her was punishment for Bernice 628 00:38:24,703 --> 00:38:27,537 for rejecting Robert Pann. 629 00:38:27,639 --> 00:38:30,507 Hell hath no greater fury than a scorned man. 630 00:38:31,843 --> 00:38:33,143 "If I can't have her, 631 00:38:33,244 --> 00:38:34,811 nobody else is going to have her." 632 00:38:37,316 --> 00:38:39,549 We have circumstantial evidence. 633 00:38:39,617 --> 00:38:41,418 We have witnesses with good memories 634 00:38:41,420 --> 00:38:43,586 who are available and willing to testify. 635 00:38:43,588 --> 00:38:46,356 Now is the time to bring the charges. 636 00:38:48,493 --> 00:38:50,760 [narrator] Investigators charge Robert Pann 637 00:38:50,862 --> 00:38:53,630 with murder on April 11, 200 638 00:38:56,501 --> 00:38:59,803 His trial begins in January, 2001. 639 00:39:02,607 --> 00:39:03,940 Prosecutors step through 640 00:39:04,042 --> 00:39:06,609 how Robert killed Bernice, 10 years earlier. 641 00:39:09,715 --> 00:39:13,416 [Kaplan] Our theory is, that day, Bernice 642 00:39:13,418 --> 00:39:16,052 pulled up into the driveway of the daycare center 643 00:39:16,054 --> 00:39:17,721 at 6:20 in the morning. 644 00:39:17,723 --> 00:39:19,356 She dropped off her baby. 645 00:39:20,926 --> 00:39:22,258 Robert Pann knew this, 646 00:39:23,128 --> 00:39:24,527 and he was hiding, 647 00:39:24,529 --> 00:39:27,931 and when Bernice entered daycare with Stephanie, 648 00:39:27,933 --> 00:39:29,499 Robert then enters the car. 649 00:39:32,404 --> 00:39:35,605 Bernice returns to her car, and starts driving away. 650 00:39:40,846 --> 00:39:43,146 He then ambushed her. 651 00:39:45,183 --> 00:39:47,250 He shot her, we believe, 652 00:39:48,320 --> 00:39:51,054 and moved her over to the passenger seat, 653 00:39:51,056 --> 00:39:53,323 and then he drove the vehicle into Detroit. 654 00:39:54,960 --> 00:39:56,159 What did he do with her body? 655 00:39:56,261 --> 00:39:57,761 Our theory is that he hid it 656 00:39:57,829 --> 00:39:59,362 in one of the rental homes that he owned. 657 00:40:01,433 --> 00:40:03,400 And then, he returns to St. Clair Shores. 658 00:40:03,402 --> 00:40:05,535 He needs to return as soon as possible, 659 00:40:05,604 --> 00:40:08,138 so he has an alibi, for at least that time. 660 00:40:09,808 --> 00:40:13,309 Then, he returns in the afternoon, 661 00:40:13,311 --> 00:40:16,346 and he then takes the body, 662 00:40:16,415 --> 00:40:18,381 places it in his vehicle, 663 00:40:18,383 --> 00:40:21,217 drives to a location unknown 664 00:40:22,421 --> 00:40:24,254 and he then buries her. 665 00:40:30,195 --> 00:40:31,961 [narrator] The jury finds Robert Pann 666 00:40:32,030 --> 00:40:34,531 guilty of the murder of Bernice Gray. 667 00:40:36,701 --> 00:40:39,536 The judge sentences him to life in prison, 668 00:40:39,637 --> 00:40:40,703 without parole. 669 00:40:42,107 --> 00:40:44,941 [Jean] My son Earl was sitting next to me, 670 00:40:45,010 --> 00:40:48,011 and we both started to cry, 671 00:40:48,713 --> 00:40:50,313 and hug each other, 672 00:40:50,315 --> 00:40:53,049 and I felt that justice 673 00:40:53,852 --> 00:40:55,218 had been served. 674 00:40:55,854 --> 00:40:57,520 I felt relief. 675 00:40:58,824 --> 00:41:00,423 [Earl] That's a day 676 00:41:00,425 --> 00:41:02,158 we thought that we would never see. 677 00:41:03,028 --> 00:41:06,362 It was a sweet victory, basically. 678 00:41:06,464 --> 00:41:08,431 Like, it felt like it was finally over. 679 00:41:10,702 --> 00:41:12,101 [Kaplan] He is a monster, 680 00:41:12,103 --> 00:41:14,537 because he preys on other people, 681 00:41:14,606 --> 00:41:16,706 he's only concerned with his wishes, 682 00:41:16,708 --> 00:41:18,608 he committed monstrous acts. 683 00:41:20,245 --> 00:41:21,811 [Stephanie] He's just a cold-blooded killer, 684 00:41:21,813 --> 00:41:23,913 and unfortunately, he had to cross paths 685 00:41:23,915 --> 00:41:25,114 with our family. 686 00:41:29,054 --> 00:41:31,054 Looking back at home videos 687 00:41:31,155 --> 00:41:33,122 and seeing, like, holidays, birthdays, 688 00:41:33,124 --> 00:41:34,624 it does make me 689 00:41:35,627 --> 00:41:37,327 realize how much I have missed. 690 00:41:39,030 --> 00:41:40,330 You know, I didn't have a mother. 691 00:41:40,398 --> 00:41:41,697 I didn't have a father. 692 00:41:43,835 --> 00:41:45,802 [Karen tearfully] Bernice was part of our family, 693 00:41:45,804 --> 00:41:47,237 for a long time. 694 00:41:49,040 --> 00:41:51,708 If she was still here, we would still be friends. 695 00:41:55,413 --> 00:41:56,946 [Earl] I think of her every day. 696 00:41:57,549 --> 00:41:58,715 You know, I loved her. 697 00:42:00,285 --> 00:42:01,518 I'll always remember her 698 00:42:01,520 --> 00:42:03,419 as one of the greatest people I ever knew. 699 00:42:06,825 --> 00:42:07,957 [Jean] I told my family, 700 00:42:09,194 --> 00:42:11,160 "If you ever find her body, 701 00:42:12,330 --> 00:42:14,264 put her into my grave." 702 00:42:16,835 --> 00:42:19,335 They talk about the stages of grieving, 703 00:42:19,437 --> 00:42:22,539 and the last stage is acceptance. 704 00:42:22,640 --> 00:42:25,708 I will never get to acceptance, 705 00:42:26,444 --> 00:42:27,911 till the day I die.