1 00:00:03,263 --> 00:00:05,439 [Narrator] A good-natured, fun-loving man. 2 00:00:05,483 --> 00:00:08,094 He was just a wonderful person. 3 00:00:08,138 --> 00:00:10,705 He was so funny and so charming. 4 00:00:10,749 --> 00:00:13,404 [Narrator] Enjoying his retirement years. 5 00:00:13,447 --> 00:00:16,189 At that point in his life, he was very content, 6 00:00:16,233 --> 00:00:19,410 very close to his family, his nieces and nephews. 7 00:00:21,107 --> 00:00:22,761 [Narrator] Is brutally gunned down 8 00:00:22,804 --> 00:00:24,763 a month before his wedding. 9 00:00:24,806 --> 00:00:27,331 It was point blank, assassination. 10 00:00:33,772 --> 00:00:35,426 [Narrator] Investigators pieced together 11 00:00:35,469 --> 00:00:37,384 a series of clues. 12 00:00:37,428 --> 00:00:39,560 We had to look at what role had that upcoming wedding had 13 00:00:39,604 --> 00:00:41,519 and what happened. 14 00:00:41,562 --> 00:00:43,390 They had their arguments, they had their differences. 15 00:00:43,434 --> 00:00:44,739 Was the scene staged 16 00:00:44,783 --> 00:00:46,741 to cover up unintentional killing? 17 00:00:46,785 --> 00:00:49,092 The investigation kept hitting dead end 18 00:00:49,135 --> 00:00:50,528 after dead end. 19 00:00:50,571 --> 00:00:52,791 [Narrator] And chase down multiple suspects. 20 00:00:52,834 --> 00:00:54,401 It was a whodunit. 21 00:00:54,445 --> 00:00:56,447 We were hoping for that break to come. 22 00:00:56,490 --> 00:00:59,232 [Narrator] Revealing a plot fueled by greed. 23 00:00:59,276 --> 00:01:01,756 He was somebody who had had a criminal history 24 00:01:01,800 --> 00:01:03,671 of theft and assault. 25 00:01:03,715 --> 00:01:07,110 [Narrator] Just when police are close to making an arrest. 26 00:01:07,153 --> 00:01:09,199 It was like he had just got smacked in the head 27 00:01:09,242 --> 00:01:11,114 with a baseball bat. 28 00:01:11,157 --> 00:01:12,767 [Narrator] They uncovered damning evidence pointing 29 00:01:12,811 --> 00:01:14,769 to a surprising suspect. 30 00:01:14,813 --> 00:01:16,771 You never expect anything like this. 31 00:01:16,815 --> 00:01:18,251 And then all the sudden the killer 32 00:01:18,295 --> 00:01:20,340 was right in front of us. 33 00:01:20,384 --> 00:01:22,821 [light music] 34 00:01:28,218 --> 00:01:31,525 [Narrator] On a warm July afternoon in 2014, 35 00:01:31,569 --> 00:01:34,702 the sleepy Pittsburgh suburb of Kennedy Township 36 00:01:34,746 --> 00:01:37,879 is rocked by a panicked call to 911. 37 00:01:37,923 --> 00:01:40,665 [ominous music] 38 00:02:08,693 --> 00:02:09,781 [Narrator] The woman who made 39 00:02:09,824 --> 00:02:11,913 the 911 call, Carol Lapaglia, 40 00:02:11,957 --> 00:02:14,438 says the victim is her soon-to-be husband, 41 00:02:14,481 --> 00:02:17,310 59-year-old Jack Parkes. 42 00:02:19,312 --> 00:02:21,227 When I arrived on scene, 43 00:02:21,271 --> 00:02:23,229 the first thing I noticed is that the victim's head 44 00:02:23,273 --> 00:02:24,535 was covered in blood. 45 00:02:26,232 --> 00:02:28,669 It was on closer examination that you could see 46 00:02:28,713 --> 00:02:30,367 it was a gunshot wound. 47 00:02:31,759 --> 00:02:33,631 One challenge we had right out of the gate 48 00:02:33,674 --> 00:02:37,287 was that there was no casing or gun found. 49 00:02:38,897 --> 00:02:42,727 We don't move his body until it can be photographed. 50 00:02:42,770 --> 00:02:44,946 It was possible there was a gun underneath him 51 00:02:44,990 --> 00:02:46,513 that no one had seen. 52 00:02:46,557 --> 00:02:49,516 So, we weren't 100% sure if the gunshot wound 53 00:02:49,560 --> 00:02:53,868 at that point had been self-inflicted or homicide. 54 00:02:53,912 --> 00:02:56,219 We looked for awhile. 55 00:02:56,262 --> 00:02:59,222 Unfortunately, we didn't find any type of gun. 56 00:02:59,265 --> 00:03:01,354 [Narrator] Detectives search for any signs 57 00:03:01,398 --> 00:03:05,228 of what happened to Jack and who pulled the trigger. 58 00:03:05,271 --> 00:03:07,621 It was pretty clear right off the bat that this was 59 00:03:07,665 --> 00:03:12,496 some type of a home invasion or robbery that occurred. 60 00:03:12,539 --> 00:03:15,977 It didn't look like a struggle had ensued in the room, 61 00:03:16,021 --> 00:03:19,242 but once you walked through the victim's house, 62 00:03:19,285 --> 00:03:20,895 the further you got into it, 63 00:03:20,939 --> 00:03:23,637 the more you realized the level of disarray it was in. 64 00:03:23,681 --> 00:03:25,726 And as you went into the dining room, 65 00:03:25,770 --> 00:03:28,773 you started to see jewelry box here, 66 00:03:28,816 --> 00:03:31,471 a drawer gone through here, papers rifled through, 67 00:03:31,515 --> 00:03:33,734 upstairs there was just complete disarray. 68 00:03:33,778 --> 00:03:35,345 The drawers were all pulled out. 69 00:03:35,388 --> 00:03:37,303 The clothing that was inside the drawers 70 00:03:37,347 --> 00:03:41,568 was strewn everywhere, jewelry boxes flipped open, 71 00:03:41,612 --> 00:03:43,962 empty watch boxes laying there. 72 00:03:44,005 --> 00:03:46,965 We were trying to be determined was the scene staged? 73 00:03:47,008 --> 00:03:48,445 Was someone just trying to make it look 74 00:03:48,488 --> 00:03:49,924 like a robbery or a burglary 75 00:03:49,968 --> 00:03:52,753 and when in fact they're just trying to cover up 76 00:03:52,797 --> 00:03:54,625 an intentional killing 77 00:03:54,668 --> 00:03:57,671 where they intended just to walk in and execute somebody? 78 00:03:57,715 --> 00:04:01,675 The house was dusted and processed for DNA and fingerprints. 79 00:04:03,721 --> 00:04:07,333 We then began to process the outside of the residence, 80 00:04:07,377 --> 00:04:09,727 looking for any type of forced entry 81 00:04:09,770 --> 00:04:12,033 and none of that was found. 82 00:04:13,818 --> 00:04:15,602 Our first thoughts were the victim either Knew 83 00:04:15,646 --> 00:04:17,909 the actor or was familiar with him. 84 00:04:17,952 --> 00:04:19,519 That's just our first impression. 85 00:04:19,563 --> 00:04:21,782 So, you know, who was friends with the victim, 86 00:04:21,826 --> 00:04:23,610 who would have access to the victim, 87 00:04:23,654 --> 00:04:26,831 who had opportunity to the victim, and who would he trust? 88 00:04:26,874 --> 00:04:28,963 It really was a shocking case. 89 00:04:29,007 --> 00:04:31,662 He was killed execution style. 90 00:04:31,705 --> 00:04:33,403 This homicide happened in an area 91 00:04:33,446 --> 00:04:36,928 that we don't normally have murders. 92 00:04:36,971 --> 00:04:39,060 [Narrator] Jack's death is the first homicide 93 00:04:39,104 --> 00:04:41,933 in Kennedy Township in 10 years, 94 00:04:41,976 --> 00:04:44,718 the news stuns his family and friends. 95 00:04:45,806 --> 00:04:47,417 When I got that phone call 96 00:04:49,593 --> 00:04:51,551 and I heard Carol's voice, 97 00:04:52,813 --> 00:04:54,685 I knew something was wrong. 98 00:04:55,860 --> 00:04:57,775 And she said, "Jack's gone." 99 00:05:01,431 --> 00:05:03,084 I said, "What do you mean gone?" 100 00:05:03,128 --> 00:05:04,608 She said, "He's dead." 101 00:05:08,525 --> 00:05:10,527 And then she said, "He was murdered." 102 00:05:12,529 --> 00:05:14,444 And I just went into shock. 103 00:05:18,578 --> 00:05:21,755 [Narrator] Jack Parkes was born the second of five kids 104 00:05:21,799 --> 00:05:24,671 in Pittsburgh in 1955, 105 00:05:24,715 --> 00:05:26,934 friends and family where everything to him. 106 00:05:28,458 --> 00:05:29,981 Jack always made friends. 107 00:05:30,024 --> 00:05:33,985 He was one of the best people I've ever known. 108 00:05:34,028 --> 00:05:36,640 He would do anything for anybody. 109 00:05:36,683 --> 00:05:38,685 We first met in first grade, 110 00:05:38,729 --> 00:05:41,384 we hit it off all through high school. 111 00:05:42,559 --> 00:05:45,431 After that it was a good ride. 112 00:05:46,606 --> 00:05:49,392 Jack was so well liked. 113 00:05:50,784 --> 00:05:52,395 He'd be charming when he wanted to. 114 00:05:52,438 --> 00:05:56,877 And funny, he was just a wonderful person. 115 00:05:58,444 --> 00:06:00,881 [Narrator] In 1989, a chance encounter 116 00:06:00,925 --> 00:06:02,840 changed Jack's life. 117 00:06:02,883 --> 00:06:05,669 Jack met Carol at the local bar 118 00:06:05,712 --> 00:06:07,801 and I guess they hit it off. 119 00:06:08,889 --> 00:06:11,022 They were two peas in a pod. 120 00:06:11,065 --> 00:06:14,417 Soon as he brought Carol, we fell in love with Carol. 121 00:06:15,766 --> 00:06:17,811 Jack was very close to his family. 122 00:06:17,855 --> 00:06:21,728 He had about nine nieces and nephews. 123 00:06:23,513 --> 00:06:27,038 Jack and Carol used to have their nieces and nephews 124 00:06:27,081 --> 00:06:29,083 over for sleepovers, 125 00:06:29,127 --> 00:06:32,173 making the popcorn and just having a good time. 126 00:06:32,217 --> 00:06:36,569 You'd a swore that Jack and Carol were the parents. 127 00:06:36,613 --> 00:06:41,182 They didn't have kids, so when those kids were around, 128 00:06:41,226 --> 00:06:42,532 they were their kids. 129 00:06:44,142 --> 00:06:45,926 [Narrator] Jack had recently retired, 130 00:06:45,970 --> 00:06:48,146 but had big plans for the future. 131 00:06:49,495 --> 00:06:51,454 At that point in his life, 132 00:06:51,497 --> 00:06:52,890 Jack was very content. 133 00:06:52,933 --> 00:06:55,719 Him and Carol we're gonna get married. 134 00:06:55,762 --> 00:06:59,505 They'd been together for over 25 years. 135 00:06:59,549 --> 00:07:02,813 Carol in the beginning really wanted to get married 136 00:07:02,856 --> 00:07:04,858 and Jack didn't. 137 00:07:04,902 --> 00:07:06,643 And then at one point, 138 00:07:06,686 --> 00:07:09,776 Jack wanted to get married and Carol didn't. 139 00:07:09,820 --> 00:07:10,864 And I used to tell Jack, 140 00:07:10,908 --> 00:07:12,518 "You know what? 141 00:07:12,562 --> 00:07:14,128 I'd like to be living when you get married, 142 00:07:14,172 --> 00:07:16,130 when you say I do." 143 00:07:16,174 --> 00:07:18,829 And then when they set the date, 144 00:07:18,872 --> 00:07:23,834 I was so happy, it was gonna be an exciting, 145 00:07:24,791 --> 00:07:26,010 very exciting day. 146 00:07:29,274 --> 00:07:31,537 [Narrator] Tragically Jack was murdered 147 00:07:31,581 --> 00:07:34,975 a month before the ceremony was to take place. 148 00:07:35,019 --> 00:07:38,196 Her and Jack we're going to be married on August 31st 149 00:07:38,239 --> 00:07:43,244 of that year and it just, it was really sad. 150 00:07:44,028 --> 00:07:44,985 It was so close. 151 00:07:47,814 --> 00:07:50,513 [Narrator] At 5:00 PM on July 21st, 152 00:07:50,556 --> 00:07:53,211 two hours after Carol found Jack dead, 153 00:07:53,254 --> 00:07:55,300 police question her at the station. 154 00:07:57,084 --> 00:08:00,087 Talking to Carol was so important because first of all 155 00:08:00,131 --> 00:08:03,134 we had to determine whether she was or wasn't involved. 156 00:08:03,177 --> 00:08:05,919 And we wanted to just get the best timeline from her. 157 00:08:07,747 --> 00:08:09,183 During the interview with Carol when she explained it, 158 00:08:09,227 --> 00:08:12,056 she had left for work as usual, her normal time, 159 00:08:12,099 --> 00:08:14,798 about 5:40, she starts work at six. 160 00:08:14,841 --> 00:08:17,583 Everything was fine when she left for work, 161 00:08:17,627 --> 00:08:21,848 it wasn't until a realtor called her about a potential buyer 162 00:08:21,892 --> 00:08:24,111 for Jack's late mother's home. 163 00:08:24,155 --> 00:08:26,679 And when the realtor couldn't get ahold of Jack, 164 00:08:26,723 --> 00:08:28,942 Carol started to worry. 165 00:08:28,986 --> 00:08:32,206 She tried to call Jack and there was no answer. 166 00:08:34,252 --> 00:08:36,036 So, then she got concerned. 167 00:08:36,080 --> 00:08:37,690 He always called her back every time 168 00:08:37,734 --> 00:08:39,779 that she tried to get ahold of him. 169 00:08:39,823 --> 00:08:41,694 So, I think it was approximately about two o'clock, 170 00:08:41,738 --> 00:08:45,916 she left work and then come over and find Jack of course. 171 00:08:48,353 --> 00:08:50,181 [Narrator] Detectives know that spouses 172 00:08:50,224 --> 00:08:53,227 are always the first suspect and must determine 173 00:08:53,271 --> 00:08:56,013 if they can trust Carol's version of events. 174 00:08:57,797 --> 00:09:01,584 We have a timeline between 6:00 AM to 3:00 PM 175 00:09:01,627 --> 00:09:03,324 when she returns home. 176 00:09:03,368 --> 00:09:06,763 In some cases, if a person is a cold-blooded killer, 177 00:09:06,806 --> 00:09:10,070 they would have killed him before she left the house 178 00:09:10,114 --> 00:09:13,117 and then all of a sudden she finds him and you know, 179 00:09:13,160 --> 00:09:15,075 and the killer was right in front of us. 180 00:09:15,119 --> 00:09:17,251 Her demeanor, she was very upset, 181 00:09:17,295 --> 00:09:19,906 but you can't take a chance by skipping a stone 182 00:09:19,950 --> 00:09:22,039 and not trying to look at her. 183 00:09:22,082 --> 00:09:23,736 [Narrator] Detectives are suspicious 184 00:09:23,780 --> 00:09:25,738 of why it took the couple so long 185 00:09:25,782 --> 00:09:27,174 to decide to get married 186 00:09:27,218 --> 00:09:29,220 and if someone had cold feet. 187 00:09:29,263 --> 00:09:31,048 Something that we thought 188 00:09:31,091 --> 00:09:35,356 is are either one of them having affairs with someone else, 189 00:09:35,400 --> 00:09:37,141 could that be a possible motivation? 190 00:09:37,184 --> 00:09:39,709 And is this upcoming wedding triggering that? 191 00:09:41,667 --> 00:09:44,931 [Narrator] Coming up, detectives uncover a family feud. 192 00:09:44,975 --> 00:09:47,107 They just decided to distance themselves 193 00:09:47,151 --> 00:09:49,283 and not let him come to the house. 194 00:09:49,327 --> 00:09:51,634 [Narrator] And learn Jack's inner circle 195 00:09:51,677 --> 00:09:54,811 isn't as loving and devoted as it first seems. 196 00:09:54,854 --> 00:09:56,943 Things got more contentious. 197 00:09:56,987 --> 00:10:00,860 [Narrator] As police keep digging, more suspects surface. 198 00:10:00,904 --> 00:10:03,297 We learned of several burglaries. 199 00:10:03,341 --> 00:10:05,648 They had concerns about the employees. 200 00:10:05,691 --> 00:10:07,040 They hire criminals. 201 00:10:07,084 --> 00:10:08,694 [Narrator] Just when the investigation 202 00:10:08,738 --> 00:10:10,391 is about to hit another dead end. 203 00:10:10,435 --> 00:10:13,873 We had no idea who would have done this. 204 00:10:13,917 --> 00:10:16,876 [Narrator] Detectives make a crucial discovery. 205 00:10:16,920 --> 00:10:19,792 It was exactly what we needed. 206 00:10:19,836 --> 00:10:24,841 When we got the phone records back, it was, oh my God. 207 00:10:33,284 --> 00:10:35,590 [Narrator] Kennedy Township police are investigating 208 00:10:35,634 --> 00:10:38,768 the area's first homicide in a decade. 209 00:10:38,811 --> 00:10:41,553 59-year-old Jack Parkes was found dead 210 00:10:41,596 --> 00:10:44,208 in his home by his fiance Carol 211 00:10:44,251 --> 00:10:46,732 in what appears to be a robbery. 212 00:10:46,776 --> 00:10:49,169 But since there was no forced entry, 213 00:10:49,213 --> 00:10:51,128 investigators try to determine 214 00:10:51,171 --> 00:10:54,131 if this was actually a staged attack. 215 00:10:54,174 --> 00:10:56,873 And if the motive was something more personal. 216 00:10:59,440 --> 00:11:02,661 When we've interviewed Carol, we had to look at what role, 217 00:11:02,705 --> 00:11:06,230 if any, that upcoming wedding had in what happened. 218 00:11:06,273 --> 00:11:09,799 We had to start looking at every aspect of their lifestyle. 219 00:11:09,842 --> 00:11:12,192 What were the family dynamics? 220 00:11:12,236 --> 00:11:15,326 We had to chip away at a number of things in their life, 221 00:11:15,369 --> 00:11:16,849 things that happened that day, 222 00:11:16,893 --> 00:11:18,808 but also things that might've happened in the past 223 00:11:18,851 --> 00:11:21,854 that could be a motivation for this murder. 224 00:11:23,726 --> 00:11:26,511 They had their differences, they'd have their arguments, 225 00:11:26,554 --> 00:11:31,559 but it wasn't my point to get involved in their squabbles. 226 00:11:33,344 --> 00:11:35,476 We kept talking more and more about any kind of problems 227 00:11:35,520 --> 00:11:37,740 that they had had in their home 228 00:11:37,783 --> 00:11:40,699 and I asked her do either of them have a gun? 229 00:11:40,743 --> 00:11:42,353 And she said that they did not. 230 00:11:43,920 --> 00:11:45,922 [Narrator] Carol says she would never do anything 231 00:11:45,965 --> 00:11:47,750 to hurt the love of her life. 232 00:11:47,793 --> 00:11:49,708 She wanted to marry him. 233 00:11:49,752 --> 00:11:51,884 Jack was her soulmate. 234 00:11:51,928 --> 00:11:54,495 Jack and Carol, they loved each other. 235 00:11:54,539 --> 00:11:56,541 They felt they were already married. 236 00:11:56,584 --> 00:12:00,545 To everybody they were husband and wife years before 237 00:12:00,588 --> 00:12:02,242 the wedding was planned. 238 00:12:03,853 --> 00:12:06,203 Carol was very upset. 239 00:12:06,246 --> 00:12:08,248 It was very difficult to talk to her 240 00:12:08,292 --> 00:12:09,946 while she processed that emotion, 241 00:12:09,989 --> 00:12:12,644 but then to still get the information we needed 242 00:12:12,687 --> 00:12:16,213 to keep moving the investigation forward. 243 00:12:16,256 --> 00:12:18,606 To me, that was a sign that she wasn't involved. 244 00:12:20,434 --> 00:12:22,872 [Narrator] With suspicion shifting from Carol for now, 245 00:12:22,915 --> 00:12:26,614 investigators explore whether theft was the main motive. 246 00:12:27,702 --> 00:12:28,791 The bedroom was ransacked. 247 00:12:28,834 --> 00:12:30,401 The mattress with disturbed, 248 00:12:30,444 --> 00:12:31,924 things were emptied out of drawers. 249 00:12:33,970 --> 00:12:37,887 Carol had indicated to me some items that should be there. 250 00:12:37,930 --> 00:12:39,889 Their wedding rings that they had bought, 251 00:12:39,932 --> 00:12:41,804 Jack collected some coins, 252 00:12:41,847 --> 00:12:43,980 he had some expensive watches. 253 00:12:44,023 --> 00:12:48,419 She indicated that the watches should be in the boxes. 254 00:12:48,462 --> 00:12:51,726 When we first processed the areas of disarray, 255 00:12:51,770 --> 00:12:53,772 none of those items were there. 256 00:12:53,816 --> 00:12:56,470 That was our first big clue to go off of. 257 00:12:57,820 --> 00:12:59,822 I knew that if we could find that jewelry, 258 00:12:59,865 --> 00:13:02,737 we could find who was involved. 259 00:13:02,781 --> 00:13:04,783 We didn't know if the person who took it 260 00:13:04,827 --> 00:13:06,437 might've given it to someone else, 261 00:13:06,480 --> 00:13:08,831 but we had to start with where is it? 262 00:13:08,874 --> 00:13:09,832 Who has it? 263 00:13:09,875 --> 00:13:10,920 And how did they get it? 264 00:13:13,357 --> 00:13:16,403 [Narrator] The next morning, the autopsy report comes in. 265 00:13:17,491 --> 00:13:19,493 He was taken out with one shot 266 00:13:19,537 --> 00:13:21,626 to the right side of his head. 267 00:13:21,669 --> 00:13:23,846 It took it to a level where you know that as someone 268 00:13:23,889 --> 00:13:25,804 who probably came there with the intent 269 00:13:25,848 --> 00:13:30,635 to either use that weapon to intimidate or control Jack. 270 00:13:30,678 --> 00:13:33,986 There was a projectile that was recovered from his skull 271 00:13:34,030 --> 00:13:35,727 and we were able to determine 272 00:13:35,770 --> 00:13:37,990 that we were looking for this .380. 273 00:13:39,600 --> 00:13:41,472 So, that was a good start for us. 274 00:13:41,515 --> 00:13:42,690 Now, we knew what kind of gun we were looking for. 275 00:13:43,778 --> 00:13:45,650 During the victim's autopsy, 276 00:13:45,693 --> 00:13:49,349 you could see that there were no wounds on his hands at all. 277 00:13:49,393 --> 00:13:50,742 There were no scratches. 278 00:13:50,785 --> 00:13:52,918 There were no broken fingernails, 279 00:13:52,962 --> 00:13:54,702 nothing that seemed to indicate that he had 280 00:13:54,746 --> 00:13:57,314 had a chance to fight back. 281 00:13:57,357 --> 00:13:59,707 He had been caught completely off guard. 282 00:14:01,448 --> 00:14:03,059 [Narrator] During Carol's interview, 283 00:14:03,102 --> 00:14:06,976 she indicated to police that Jack's nephew, Bradley Johnson, 284 00:14:07,019 --> 00:14:09,065 is someone they should look into. 285 00:14:10,675 --> 00:14:11,981 Bradley was living across the street 286 00:14:12,024 --> 00:14:13,460 with his mother and father, 287 00:14:13,504 --> 00:14:15,506 across the street from Jack. 288 00:14:15,549 --> 00:14:17,943 And he was always over there. 289 00:14:17,987 --> 00:14:19,553 And from what I understand, 290 00:14:19,597 --> 00:14:21,729 he was one of the last ones to see Jack alive. 291 00:14:22,817 --> 00:14:24,515 We made contact with Bradley 292 00:14:24,558 --> 00:14:26,647 and Bradley had told us 293 00:14:26,691 --> 00:14:29,999 that he had gone over to Jack's house on the 21st. 294 00:14:30,042 --> 00:14:33,393 And he said he got there around 10:30 in the morning. 295 00:14:35,004 --> 00:14:38,355 [Narrator] Detectives find that timing suspicious. 296 00:14:38,398 --> 00:14:40,052 They know Jack was killed sometime 297 00:14:40,096 --> 00:14:44,361 between 6:00 AM and 3:00 PM that day. 298 00:14:44,404 --> 00:14:46,015 I asked him, I said, 299 00:14:46,058 --> 00:14:48,017 "Bradley, what did you go over there to talk to him about?" 300 00:14:48,060 --> 00:14:50,715 He said, well, Jack's mother had passed away. 301 00:14:50,758 --> 00:14:54,501 And he knew that Jack was looking to sell the home, 302 00:14:54,545 --> 00:14:58,375 but Bradley wanted to negotiate a deal with Jack 303 00:14:58,418 --> 00:15:00,725 and he wanted to talk to Jack alone 304 00:15:00,768 --> 00:15:02,422 because he said, "You know, I just, 305 00:15:02,466 --> 00:15:03,902 I don't want Carol weighing in on this. 306 00:15:03,946 --> 00:15:06,470 I want this to be a Parke's family matter 307 00:15:06,513 --> 00:15:08,994 and I wanna discuss it with him." 308 00:15:09,038 --> 00:15:12,563 In his words, "I didn't want her putting her two cents in." 309 00:15:12,606 --> 00:15:14,782 And that was a phrase that seemed to hint 310 00:15:14,826 --> 00:15:17,046 at some kind of animosity. 311 00:15:17,089 --> 00:15:18,743 [Narrator] Bradley tells investigators 312 00:15:18,786 --> 00:15:21,441 that he finds Carol too controlling 313 00:15:21,485 --> 00:15:24,444 and that she shouldn't have a say in this family decision. 314 00:15:25,445 --> 00:15:26,925 Jack wanted to wait 315 00:15:26,969 --> 00:15:28,753 until he could talk with Carol about it 316 00:15:28,796 --> 00:15:30,581 which sort of defeated the purpose 317 00:15:30,624 --> 00:15:33,149 of why Bradley had gone there when she wasn't home. 318 00:15:33,192 --> 00:15:35,020 So, he said he ended up leaving 319 00:15:35,064 --> 00:15:38,589 and they were gonna revisit the conversation later. 320 00:15:38,632 --> 00:15:40,721 [Narrator] As investigators press him further, 321 00:15:40,765 --> 00:15:43,507 Bradley reveals an alarming fact. 322 00:15:43,550 --> 00:15:46,510 We did ask him about any firearms that he owned. 323 00:15:46,553 --> 00:15:50,470 And when Bradley told us he owned a .380 caliber pistol, 324 00:15:51,863 --> 00:15:54,039 kinda was like, okay, this may be something. 325 00:15:54,083 --> 00:15:55,954 Maybe something broke bad 326 00:15:55,998 --> 00:15:58,870 'cause now we know Carol leaves for work at 6:00 AM 327 00:15:58,913 --> 00:16:01,829 and Jack's alive at 10:30 because Brad's telling us 328 00:16:01,873 --> 00:16:03,614 he's over there. 329 00:16:03,657 --> 00:16:06,138 He indicated he had left about 11:15. 330 00:16:06,182 --> 00:16:08,053 With Bradley's timeline, 331 00:16:08,097 --> 00:16:11,491 it definitely seemed that Bradley was very close in time 332 00:16:11,535 --> 00:16:13,928 to when Jack would have been killed 333 00:16:13,972 --> 00:16:15,669 and he put himself there. 334 00:16:15,713 --> 00:16:17,976 He had the same type of gun. 335 00:16:18,020 --> 00:16:19,586 [Narrator] Had the discussion 336 00:16:19,630 --> 00:16:22,111 about Jack's mother's house turned fatal? 337 00:16:23,895 --> 00:16:26,985 With the timing of Bradley's conversation with Jack, 338 00:16:27,029 --> 00:16:30,815 it made me wonder whether things got more contentious 339 00:16:30,858 --> 00:16:33,861 than he was alluding to in my interview with him. 340 00:16:33,905 --> 00:16:35,907 Or did he leave there upset? 341 00:16:35,950 --> 00:16:39,650 Or did somebody else come back and do something to Jack? 342 00:16:39,693 --> 00:16:41,173 It had to be looked into. 343 00:16:42,914 --> 00:16:45,525 [light music] 344 00:16:49,181 --> 00:16:52,271 [Narrator] 12 hours after Jack Parkes was found dead, 345 00:16:52,315 --> 00:16:54,273 investigators chase down leads 346 00:16:54,317 --> 00:16:56,580 around their latest person of interest, 347 00:16:56,623 --> 00:16:59,148 Jack's nephew, Bradley Johnson. 348 00:17:00,714 --> 00:17:04,675 When I found out that Bradley was a suspect, I was mad. 349 00:17:04,718 --> 00:17:08,983 I was really upset knowing that they thought that. 350 00:17:09,027 --> 00:17:12,248 But then again, when it comes to an investigation, 351 00:17:12,291 --> 00:17:13,727 police are doing their job. 352 00:17:15,338 --> 00:17:17,122 [Narrator] Bradley and Jack had a disagreement 353 00:17:17,166 --> 00:17:20,473 and he admits to owning the same caliber gun. 354 00:17:20,517 --> 00:17:23,476 So that definitely stepped up our interest in Bradley. 355 00:17:23,520 --> 00:17:26,697 This is a gun that we needed to take a look at. 356 00:17:27,741 --> 00:17:30,179 Bradley's gun was collected, 357 00:17:30,222 --> 00:17:32,311 taken to the lab where it was test fired. 358 00:17:32,355 --> 00:17:35,532 the ballistics on the gun did not match the projectile 359 00:17:35,575 --> 00:17:39,144 that was recovered from Jack during the autopsy. 360 00:17:39,188 --> 00:17:41,233 [Narrator] With nothing concrete linking Bradley 361 00:17:41,277 --> 00:17:44,541 to the murder, he is dropped as a suspect. 362 00:17:44,584 --> 00:17:47,544 Detectives also corroborate Carol's alibi. 363 00:17:49,502 --> 00:17:51,113 On the day that this happened, 364 00:17:51,156 --> 00:17:53,332 we were able to verify that she was at work 365 00:17:53,376 --> 00:17:56,161 and she was accounted for at that time. 366 00:17:56,205 --> 00:17:59,121 We were able to eliminate Carol as a suspect. 367 00:18:01,427 --> 00:18:03,081 [Narrator] Looking for new leads, 368 00:18:03,125 --> 00:18:05,475 detectives speak to the other nieces and nephews 369 00:18:05,518 --> 00:18:07,520 who were close to Jack. 370 00:18:07,564 --> 00:18:09,435 During our interview of Carol, 371 00:18:09,479 --> 00:18:12,438 she had told us about her nephew, Michael Lapaglia, 372 00:18:12,482 --> 00:18:15,137 who was almost like a son to her 373 00:18:15,180 --> 00:18:17,487 and he had been at the house a lot. 374 00:18:18,836 --> 00:18:20,142 They got along good. 375 00:18:20,185 --> 00:18:22,361 Michael joined the military. 376 00:18:22,405 --> 00:18:24,102 Jack was very proud of Michael. 377 00:18:25,408 --> 00:18:28,237 Jack took pride in the nieces and nephews 378 00:18:28,280 --> 00:18:30,369 because he watched them grow up. 379 00:18:30,413 --> 00:18:33,198 Michael was brought in to the homicide office 380 00:18:33,242 --> 00:18:35,635 and interviewed about Jack's murder. 381 00:18:35,679 --> 00:18:37,376 And during that interview, 382 00:18:37,420 --> 00:18:39,726 Michael had said that he was unemployed. 383 00:18:39,770 --> 00:18:44,122 He was trying to seek help through the VA hospital due 384 00:18:44,166 --> 00:18:47,604 to his PTSD from being in the Army. 385 00:18:49,345 --> 00:18:51,303 Michael had been discharged from the military due 386 00:18:51,347 --> 00:18:54,437 to his use of cannabis. 387 00:18:54,480 --> 00:18:56,613 [Narrator] Michael also admits he'd fallen out 388 00:18:56,656 --> 00:18:59,529 with the family, including his aunt and uncle 389 00:18:59,572 --> 00:19:01,400 and hadn't seen them in a year. 390 00:19:03,272 --> 00:19:06,753 He specifically denied being over near the victim's house 391 00:19:06,797 --> 00:19:10,279 and he made reference to them being estranged. 392 00:19:10,322 --> 00:19:12,455 Michael had a bit of a drug problem 393 00:19:12,498 --> 00:19:14,631 and Carol and Jack decided 394 00:19:14,674 --> 00:19:16,415 to distance themselves from Michael 395 00:19:16,459 --> 00:19:18,287 and not let him come to the house. 396 00:19:20,724 --> 00:19:22,334 [Narrator] Detectives still need to know 397 00:19:22,378 --> 00:19:25,859 where Michael was when Jack was killed. 398 00:19:25,903 --> 00:19:29,123 We knew Carol left around 6:00 AM. 399 00:19:29,167 --> 00:19:32,431 We knew that Bradley was there about 10:30. 400 00:19:32,475 --> 00:19:35,391 We knew Carol found him around three o'clock. 401 00:19:35,434 --> 00:19:40,396 So, there's a window of opportunity of about four hours. 402 00:19:41,788 --> 00:19:43,442 He told us he was at home in Sharpsburg 403 00:19:43,486 --> 00:19:46,445 on the day of the incident July 21st, 404 00:19:46,489 --> 00:19:49,448 20 minutes away from Jack's house. 405 00:19:49,492 --> 00:19:51,276 He said that his girlfriend 406 00:19:51,320 --> 00:19:53,322 had kind of unexpectedly taken the day off 407 00:19:53,365 --> 00:19:55,237 and they spent the day together, 408 00:19:55,280 --> 00:19:57,674 nothing out of the ordinary. 409 00:19:57,717 --> 00:20:00,285 He gave us some landmarks on our timeline 410 00:20:00,329 --> 00:20:01,504 that we could check out. 411 00:20:02,853 --> 00:20:04,463 Michael and his girlfriend, Melanie, 412 00:20:04,507 --> 00:20:07,814 had gone and done some shopping in the town 413 00:20:07,858 --> 00:20:09,425 that they lived in. 414 00:20:09,468 --> 00:20:12,384 He said that he had had a doctor's appointment 415 00:20:12,428 --> 00:20:15,474 at the VA hospital later that afternoon. 416 00:20:16,867 --> 00:20:20,174 These were things at businesses and locations 417 00:20:20,218 --> 00:20:22,655 that we could check from doing surveillance video 418 00:20:22,699 --> 00:20:25,702 or getting sales transactions. 419 00:20:26,746 --> 00:20:27,878 Michael's girlfriend, Melanie, 420 00:20:27,921 --> 00:20:29,793 did corroborate his activities 421 00:20:29,836 --> 00:20:32,622 and she stated they had spent the day together. 422 00:20:32,665 --> 00:20:35,277 It was determined that his alibi had checked out. 423 00:20:37,409 --> 00:20:39,368 [Narrator] A day into the investigation 424 00:20:39,411 --> 00:20:41,587 with Jack's closest circle clear, 425 00:20:41,631 --> 00:20:43,676 investigators escalate the search 426 00:20:43,720 --> 00:20:44,982 for the missing jewelry. 427 00:20:46,505 --> 00:20:48,812 We were physically going to many pawn shops 428 00:20:48,855 --> 00:20:52,424 to try to see if anybody had sold this jewelry. 429 00:20:52,468 --> 00:20:54,339 We didn't get any traction with that. 430 00:20:56,254 --> 00:20:59,257 That's when we started doing a canvas of the neighborhood. 431 00:20:59,301 --> 00:21:01,955 When we were doing our neighborhood canvas, 432 00:21:01,999 --> 00:21:04,480 so many people had mentioned near their house 433 00:21:04,523 --> 00:21:06,351 there's a meat factory 434 00:21:06,395 --> 00:21:09,223 and they had concerns about the employees. 435 00:21:09,267 --> 00:21:12,357 We had heard things like, "They hire people with records. 436 00:21:12,401 --> 00:21:14,359 They hire criminals." 437 00:21:14,403 --> 00:21:16,318 From talking to Carol, she said 438 00:21:16,361 --> 00:21:20,278 they have a straight view into Carol and Jack's home. 439 00:21:20,322 --> 00:21:22,541 And Jack had mentioned sometimes 440 00:21:22,585 --> 00:21:25,762 he would let people use his phone or use the bathroom 441 00:21:25,805 --> 00:21:27,503 when they were on their break. 442 00:21:27,546 --> 00:21:29,374 And it upset her. 443 00:21:29,418 --> 00:21:32,246 In a case like this, you may see, hey, look at this guy. 444 00:21:32,290 --> 00:21:35,380 He got some gold on, it's a crime of opportunity. 445 00:21:35,424 --> 00:21:37,382 We knew that they got their morning break 446 00:21:37,426 --> 00:21:39,602 right around the time when people stopped hearing from Jack. 447 00:21:39,645 --> 00:21:41,908 So, we definitely wanted to look into that 448 00:21:41,952 --> 00:21:44,998 and see what the consensus was over there. 449 00:21:45,042 --> 00:21:47,392 I think we did like almost 40 interviews 450 00:21:47,436 --> 00:21:49,829 of all the employees to see who they were. 451 00:21:51,788 --> 00:21:53,790 [Narrator] One worker in particular peaks police interest. 452 00:21:55,618 --> 00:21:58,621 Ronald Blevins was a name that came up 453 00:21:58,664 --> 00:22:00,492 from multiple employees. 454 00:22:00,536 --> 00:22:03,539 In the context of people who had gone over to Jack's. 455 00:22:03,582 --> 00:22:05,584 This may be the person that Carol was aware 456 00:22:05,628 --> 00:22:07,456 that had come over there. 457 00:22:07,499 --> 00:22:10,284 Ronald Blevins was somebody who had had a criminal history 458 00:22:10,328 --> 00:22:11,851 of petty theft and assault. 459 00:22:11,895 --> 00:22:14,724 So, he was on our radar for sure. 460 00:22:16,639 --> 00:22:18,380 [Narrator] Investigators work quickly 461 00:22:18,423 --> 00:22:20,382 to bring Ronald in for an interview. 462 00:22:21,731 --> 00:22:23,776 Ronald indicated that he had known Jack 463 00:22:23,820 --> 00:22:25,604 and they were actually friendly 464 00:22:25,648 --> 00:22:27,824 and that's why he was allowed to come into the house 465 00:22:27,867 --> 00:22:29,478 when Carol wasn't home. 466 00:22:29,521 --> 00:22:31,436 Carol said she would get upset with Jack. 467 00:22:31,480 --> 00:22:33,786 She would say, "Jack, don't just let anyone in our house. 468 00:22:33,830 --> 00:22:35,397 You can't do that." 469 00:22:35,440 --> 00:22:37,050 And he would just kind of shrug it off, 470 00:22:37,094 --> 00:22:39,792 but she just didn't want people coming into the house 471 00:22:39,836 --> 00:22:40,880 that she didn't know. 472 00:22:42,665 --> 00:22:44,449 [Narrator] Investigators ask Ronald point blank 473 00:22:44,493 --> 00:22:47,452 if he had anything to do with Jack's murder. 474 00:22:47,496 --> 00:22:49,976 He said he had no involvement in Jack's death. 475 00:22:50,020 --> 00:22:53,850 The day that Jack was killed, Ronald didn't come to work. 476 00:22:53,893 --> 00:22:56,418 He had actually taken scheduled vacation 477 00:22:56,461 --> 00:22:58,550 for Friday and Monday. 478 00:22:58,594 --> 00:23:00,857 Ronald Blevins' alibi checked out 479 00:23:00,900 --> 00:23:04,426 and we were able to eliminate him as a suspect in this case. 480 00:23:05,992 --> 00:23:07,690 [Narrator] Desperate for a new lead, 481 00:23:07,733 --> 00:23:09,822 investigators look for similarities 482 00:23:09,866 --> 00:23:11,824 with other robberies in the area. 483 00:23:12,869 --> 00:23:14,479 After Jack's murder, 484 00:23:14,523 --> 00:23:16,481 we talked to the local authorities. 485 00:23:16,525 --> 00:23:19,092 And during that, we learned of several burglaries. 486 00:23:19,136 --> 00:23:21,791 One of which an older lady was burglarized 487 00:23:21,834 --> 00:23:25,055 and about $5,000 worth of quarters were taken. 488 00:23:26,839 --> 00:23:28,362 [Narrator] Jack's killer had stolen his coins 489 00:23:28,406 --> 00:23:29,929 as well as jewelry. 490 00:23:29,973 --> 00:23:31,844 Is this the same person? 491 00:23:31,888 --> 00:23:33,933 And could they strike again? 492 00:23:33,977 --> 00:23:35,805 The neighbors were very afraid. 493 00:23:35,848 --> 00:23:37,937 We still have a killer out there. 494 00:23:37,981 --> 00:23:39,678 It was a whodunit. 495 00:23:39,722 --> 00:23:41,724 When something like this happens, 496 00:23:41,767 --> 00:23:43,900 you think that anything's possible now. 497 00:23:45,423 --> 00:23:47,773 [light music] 498 00:23:51,255 --> 00:23:54,171 [Narrator] Police investigating the cold-blooded shooting 499 00:23:54,214 --> 00:23:56,826 of Jack Parkes, suspect his murder 500 00:23:56,869 --> 00:23:59,045 could be linked to another recent robbery 501 00:23:59,089 --> 00:24:00,133 in then neighborhood. 502 00:24:01,526 --> 00:24:03,093 We learned that during that burglary 503 00:24:03,136 --> 00:24:05,312 there were some items similar to what Jack had 504 00:24:05,356 --> 00:24:07,880 that were taken and it was a burglary 505 00:24:07,924 --> 00:24:09,316 that happened during the day, 506 00:24:09,360 --> 00:24:10,970 which is the timeline we were looking at 507 00:24:11,014 --> 00:24:12,537 in this particular incident. 508 00:24:14,104 --> 00:24:15,975 Oftentimes in our investigations, 509 00:24:16,019 --> 00:24:20,023 we see that residential burglaries are done during the day 510 00:24:20,066 --> 00:24:21,546 in bedroom communities 511 00:24:21,590 --> 00:24:24,854 where the chance of the people inside the home 512 00:24:24,897 --> 00:24:26,551 being at work are better. 513 00:24:26,595 --> 00:24:28,553 And that way they can go in and they can take what they need 514 00:24:28,597 --> 00:24:30,424 without fear of being caught. 515 00:24:33,210 --> 00:24:36,082 [Narrator] With Jack being retired and home all day, 516 00:24:36,126 --> 00:24:37,997 had he caught the burglar red-handed 517 00:24:38,041 --> 00:24:39,956 and paid the ultimate price? 518 00:24:41,305 --> 00:24:43,002 The neighboring police department already 519 00:24:43,046 --> 00:24:45,483 has a suspect in custody. 520 00:24:45,527 --> 00:24:48,530 Vernon Zelinsky was identified as a possible suspect. 521 00:24:48,573 --> 00:24:49,618 in this case. 522 00:24:49,661 --> 00:24:51,881 He had been recently arrested. 523 00:24:51,924 --> 00:24:54,971 The items that Vernon was accused of taking were coins, 524 00:24:55,014 --> 00:24:57,408 well, Jack had coins that were missing. 525 00:24:57,451 --> 00:25:01,107 So, Vernon Zelinsky was tracked down and he was interviewed. 526 00:25:01,151 --> 00:25:03,109 We really just wanted to do an interview 527 00:25:03,153 --> 00:25:06,460 and determine what connection, if any, he had to Jack. 528 00:25:08,375 --> 00:25:10,247 During the interview, 529 00:25:10,290 --> 00:25:12,423 he said that he had been arrested for the burglary, 530 00:25:12,466 --> 00:25:15,905 but that burglary was at an old employer's house. 531 00:25:15,948 --> 00:25:17,559 He denied knowing Jack. 532 00:25:17,602 --> 00:25:19,604 And he said that the date that this happened 533 00:25:19,648 --> 00:25:21,432 he was actually at work. 534 00:25:21,475 --> 00:25:23,303 We confirmed that through his new employer 535 00:25:23,347 --> 00:25:25,262 that he was working that day 536 00:25:25,305 --> 00:25:27,656 during the timeframe that this would have occurred. 537 00:25:29,527 --> 00:25:31,921 Vernon was somebody we were absolutely able to rule out 538 00:25:31,964 --> 00:25:33,270 of being directly involved. 539 00:25:34,663 --> 00:25:36,360 At that stage in the investigation, 540 00:25:36,403 --> 00:25:39,276 we had no idea who might've done this and why. 541 00:25:43,236 --> 00:25:46,631 [Narrator] 48 Hours after Jack's murder with no arrests 542 00:25:46,675 --> 00:25:50,069 in the case, fear is growing in Kennedy Township. 543 00:25:51,680 --> 00:25:53,464 Everyone was concerned that how in broad daylight 544 00:25:53,507 --> 00:25:55,335 can someone walk into a house, 545 00:25:55,379 --> 00:25:58,512 kill somebody, and walk out without even being seen? 546 00:26:01,167 --> 00:26:04,083 The hardest thing to comprehend was the murder. 547 00:26:04,127 --> 00:26:06,608 It was point blank, assassination. 548 00:26:08,261 --> 00:26:09,959 Stone-cold killing. 549 00:26:10,002 --> 00:26:12,004 You never expect anything like this. 550 00:26:12,701 --> 00:26:14,050 I know I didn't. 551 00:26:18,402 --> 00:26:21,361 Waiting for an arrest, 552 00:26:21,405 --> 00:26:26,236 you're still in that daze of trying to process it all. 553 00:26:28,194 --> 00:26:29,674 He's not coming back. 554 00:26:30,719 --> 00:26:33,025 It's just too unbelievable. 555 00:26:34,331 --> 00:26:37,377 Is this gonna be another murder unsolved? 556 00:26:39,728 --> 00:26:42,556 We had a lot of information to go on 557 00:26:42,600 --> 00:26:46,473 and we were constantly moving the investigation forward. 558 00:26:46,517 --> 00:26:48,693 People were being eliminated. 559 00:26:48,737 --> 00:26:51,696 Further suspects were being developed. 560 00:26:51,740 --> 00:26:54,612 [Narrator] Three days after Jack was discovered dead, 561 00:26:54,656 --> 00:26:56,570 police get a major break. 562 00:26:58,137 --> 00:27:00,705 A local pawn shop in Sharpsburg, PA, 563 00:27:00,749 --> 00:27:02,533 which is another small little borough 564 00:27:02,576 --> 00:27:04,535 within Allegheny County, 565 00:27:04,578 --> 00:27:08,147 the owner had called the local police due 566 00:27:08,191 --> 00:27:10,106 to some suspicious activity. 567 00:27:11,498 --> 00:27:14,719 On the day of the incident, July 21st, 568 00:27:14,763 --> 00:27:18,418 he said a gentleman came in with a cache of gold 569 00:27:19,768 --> 00:27:20,812 and was trying to sell it to him. 570 00:27:22,596 --> 00:27:24,294 What the employee found to be concerning was 571 00:27:24,337 --> 00:27:27,079 first of all, the jewelry was manipulated. 572 00:27:27,123 --> 00:27:30,779 It was very distinguishable pieces, but they had been, 573 00:27:30,822 --> 00:27:33,738 it seemed to be hammered or just manipulated in a way 574 00:27:33,782 --> 00:27:37,481 that would make them hard for law enforcement to identify. 575 00:27:37,524 --> 00:27:39,309 It threw up a red flag to him, 576 00:27:39,352 --> 00:27:41,485 but also he seemed to think that this was a person 577 00:27:41,528 --> 00:27:44,270 who had sold him stolen jewelry in the past. 578 00:27:45,358 --> 00:27:46,795 So, he didn't buy the jewelry, 579 00:27:46,838 --> 00:27:48,753 but he also had the foresight to know 580 00:27:48,797 --> 00:27:51,408 he wanted to see where this jewelry might've come from. 581 00:27:51,451 --> 00:27:54,193 He knew it was important to get a picture of it. 582 00:27:54,237 --> 00:27:56,761 So, he took a photograph of the items 583 00:27:56,805 --> 00:27:58,632 that this person was trying to sell. 584 00:28:00,112 --> 00:28:02,201 He provided us with the photographs 585 00:28:02,245 --> 00:28:06,075 and they were taken to Carol who viewed them. 586 00:28:06,118 --> 00:28:07,772 She became very upset. 587 00:28:07,816 --> 00:28:09,121 She started crying 588 00:28:10,427 --> 00:28:13,604 and she said, "That's our jewelry." 589 00:28:13,647 --> 00:28:15,737 It felt like we were closing in. 590 00:28:15,780 --> 00:28:17,826 Based upon the photograph of the jewelry, 591 00:28:17,869 --> 00:28:20,480 we were able to get that out to the local department. 592 00:28:20,524 --> 00:28:22,787 They could share with the pawn shop owners in town 593 00:28:22,831 --> 00:28:24,397 if anyone comes in with it. 594 00:28:26,138 --> 00:28:27,357 [Narrator] Investigators hope they 595 00:28:27,400 --> 00:28:29,663 can identify the seller. 596 00:28:29,707 --> 00:28:32,144 The pawn shop owner was able to give a good description 597 00:28:32,188 --> 00:28:34,451 of the person who brought the jewelry 598 00:28:34,494 --> 00:28:39,499 and a younger white male, black hair, and thin build. 599 00:28:40,587 --> 00:28:42,198 That description was provided 600 00:28:42,241 --> 00:28:43,677 to the local police chief in Sharpsburg 601 00:28:43,721 --> 00:28:45,462 and he thought that fit the description 602 00:28:45,505 --> 00:28:47,638 of a white male from that area. 603 00:28:47,681 --> 00:28:49,771 It gave us a very good lead in this case. 604 00:28:50,859 --> 00:28:52,556 A photo array was put together 605 00:28:52,599 --> 00:28:54,732 to include eight individual photographs 606 00:28:54,776 --> 00:28:57,517 and they were shown to the shop owner. 607 00:28:58,910 --> 00:29:01,478 We have a set of instructions that we give them. 608 00:29:01,521 --> 00:29:03,132 And we say, 609 00:29:03,175 --> 00:29:04,263 "The person that we're looking for 610 00:29:04,307 --> 00:29:06,178 may or may not be in here, 611 00:29:06,222 --> 00:29:07,876 but if you see the person indicated on the lineup." 612 00:29:07,919 --> 00:29:09,791 So, once he reviewed the photo array, 613 00:29:09,834 --> 00:29:12,445 he did identify who that person was. 614 00:29:14,230 --> 00:29:15,622 It was a huge break. 615 00:29:15,666 --> 00:29:17,755 It was exactly what we needed. 616 00:29:19,539 --> 00:29:22,151 [Narrator] Coming up, police find stunning evidence 617 00:29:22,194 --> 00:29:23,805 pointing to Jack's killer. 618 00:29:23,848 --> 00:29:27,156 In the video, we knew exactly who it was. 619 00:29:27,199 --> 00:29:29,158 This was a shock to everyone. 620 00:29:29,201 --> 00:29:31,334 You never thought that would happen. 621 00:29:31,377 --> 00:29:33,162 It would be that person. 622 00:29:33,205 --> 00:29:35,686 [Narrator] But, making an arrest wouldn't be easy. 623 00:29:35,729 --> 00:29:39,429 She provided alibis for him and just denials. 624 00:29:39,472 --> 00:29:43,607 [Narrator] Until investigators find proof no one can deny. 625 00:29:43,650 --> 00:29:45,522 Those records don't lie. 626 00:29:46,915 --> 00:29:49,569 [light music] 627 00:29:53,922 --> 00:29:56,141 [Narrator] Detectives have just identified the man 628 00:29:56,185 --> 00:29:59,797 who tried to pawn murder victim Jack Parke's jewelry. 629 00:29:59,841 --> 00:30:02,017 His name, Bryan Gibbons. 630 00:30:03,061 --> 00:30:04,149 He's been a known thief 631 00:30:04,193 --> 00:30:06,021 to the local police department. 632 00:30:06,064 --> 00:30:07,718 We went after that lead strong. 633 00:30:09,372 --> 00:30:12,331 We were feeling pretty confident that Mr. Gibbons 634 00:30:12,375 --> 00:30:15,291 may be our man, or at least know who our man was. 635 00:30:15,334 --> 00:30:19,469 We were very excited and very motivated to go find him. 636 00:30:21,210 --> 00:30:23,299 [Narrator] Bryan has a long history of petty crimes, 637 00:30:23,342 --> 00:30:27,303 but investigators need to determine if he's a killer. 638 00:30:27,346 --> 00:30:29,000 Four days after the murder, 639 00:30:29,044 --> 00:30:31,002 they get a warrant to search his home. 640 00:30:32,047 --> 00:30:33,875 Specifically, we were looking 641 00:30:33,918 --> 00:30:36,181 for any of the very distinguishing items that 642 00:30:36,225 --> 00:30:38,053 Jack Parkes had. 643 00:30:38,096 --> 00:30:40,229 Unfortunately, we didn't find any of the victim's jewelry 644 00:30:40,272 --> 00:30:42,709 in house, but we did find some items 645 00:30:42,753 --> 00:30:46,191 that did turn out to be stolen from someone else. 646 00:30:46,235 --> 00:30:48,933 Based upon the search at Mr. Gibbons' residence, 647 00:30:48,977 --> 00:30:50,369 we were able to arrest him 648 00:30:50,413 --> 00:30:52,458 and have him sent to the county jail. 649 00:30:54,112 --> 00:30:55,897 [Narrator] Investigators question Bryan 650 00:30:55,940 --> 00:30:58,290 about Jack's missing jewelry. 651 00:30:58,334 --> 00:31:01,076 He said that he didn't have anything to do with it. 652 00:31:02,512 --> 00:31:04,383 At that point, 653 00:31:04,427 --> 00:31:06,733 we were trying to determine if perhaps he'd been given 654 00:31:06,777 --> 00:31:10,172 some jewelry to sell that maybe he didn't know its origin 655 00:31:10,215 --> 00:31:11,869 and he went to go sell it. 656 00:31:11,913 --> 00:31:14,045 We really just wanted to see if we could come up 657 00:31:14,089 --> 00:31:16,918 with any connection to rule him either in or out 658 00:31:16,961 --> 00:31:19,311 on the homicide of Jack Parkes. 659 00:31:19,355 --> 00:31:21,226 [Narrator] Bryan tells detectives 660 00:31:21,270 --> 00:31:24,055 he doesn't know the victim and has never been to his home. 661 00:31:25,839 --> 00:31:28,930 He said he had no connection to Jack at all. 662 00:31:28,973 --> 00:31:33,369 He denied having any knowledge of the Jack Parkes' homicide. 663 00:31:33,412 --> 00:31:34,936 We asked, "Well, what's your alibi?" 664 00:31:34,979 --> 00:31:36,850 And he goes, 665 00:31:36,894 --> 00:31:39,114 I was arrested for entering an abandoned house that day. 666 00:31:39,157 --> 00:31:41,072 And that was confirmed. 667 00:31:41,116 --> 00:31:43,074 Bryan was not the killer. 668 00:31:43,118 --> 00:31:44,946 He had a solid alibi. 669 00:31:46,556 --> 00:31:48,514 It was clear that he was not the same individual 670 00:31:48,558 --> 00:31:51,430 who had come in to the store on that Monday 671 00:31:51,474 --> 00:31:53,302 and tried to sell the jewelry. 672 00:31:53,345 --> 00:31:56,131 [Narrator] The pawn shop owner mistakenly identified 673 00:31:56,174 --> 00:31:58,176 the wrong person. 674 00:31:58,220 --> 00:32:01,484 The investigation kept hitting dead end after dead end.. 675 00:32:01,527 --> 00:32:04,835 We thought we had it, but then once we eliminate him, 676 00:32:04,878 --> 00:32:06,445 we took a pause. 677 00:32:06,489 --> 00:32:09,144 We just step back a minute, not start all over, 678 00:32:09,187 --> 00:32:11,407 but then keep everything else in perspective. 679 00:32:13,104 --> 00:32:15,019 [Narrator] While detectives hunt for new leads, 680 00:32:15,063 --> 00:32:18,109 Jack's loved ones struggle with their grief. 681 00:32:18,153 --> 00:32:21,025 Instead of looking forward to Jack's wedding, 682 00:32:21,069 --> 00:32:24,333 five days after his murder, they attend his funeral. 683 00:32:25,899 --> 00:32:30,295 When he told me he was gonna get married, 684 00:32:30,339 --> 00:32:33,298 his brother and I would have stood up for him. 685 00:32:33,342 --> 00:32:35,997 I was proud 'cause I was never a best man. 686 00:32:36,954 --> 00:32:38,260 And there I was 687 00:32:40,566 --> 00:32:42,481 carrying his casket. 688 00:32:47,095 --> 00:32:49,532 God, to have something like that happen 689 00:32:49,575 --> 00:32:51,882 in such a quick time. 690 00:32:51,925 --> 00:32:53,536 It's devastating to everybody. 691 00:32:56,104 --> 00:32:57,496 You feel the hurt, 692 00:32:59,368 --> 00:33:02,936 but it really doesn't sink in until the funeral's all over. 693 00:33:04,286 --> 00:33:07,376 And then the shock is over, it's reality. 694 00:33:08,899 --> 00:33:09,552 He's gone. 695 00:33:11,075 --> 00:33:13,208 [Narrator] Fearing the case could go cold, 696 00:33:13,251 --> 00:33:16,080 a week after the murder police step up the hunt 697 00:33:16,124 --> 00:33:18,169 for Jack's stolen jewelry, 698 00:33:18,213 --> 00:33:21,129 hoping the culprit is still attempting to sell it 699 00:33:21,172 --> 00:33:22,434 at a pawn shop. 700 00:33:22,478 --> 00:33:24,088 We all just sort of fanned out 701 00:33:24,132 --> 00:33:27,352 and we took particular geographical areas. 702 00:33:27,396 --> 00:33:30,964 We knew there was still a person that was out there trying 703 00:33:31,008 --> 00:33:32,357 to sell Jack's jewelry 704 00:33:32,401 --> 00:33:34,229 and we had to just keep holding out hope 705 00:33:34,272 --> 00:33:38,320 that the pawn shop would take their identification, 706 00:33:38,363 --> 00:33:39,973 that they would keep good records. 707 00:33:40,017 --> 00:33:41,627 That's what kept us going honestly. 708 00:33:43,194 --> 00:33:46,197 There is a detective in the city of Pittsburgh 709 00:33:46,241 --> 00:33:49,548 who is a pawn shop records analyst 710 00:33:49,592 --> 00:33:52,943 and I reached out to her and I told her what items 711 00:33:52,986 --> 00:33:54,379 that we had missing. 712 00:33:54,423 --> 00:33:57,295 And on August 4th I heard back from her 713 00:33:57,339 --> 00:34:00,037 and she told me that she had found the jewelry, 714 00:34:00,081 --> 00:34:01,256 where it had been sold. 715 00:34:04,650 --> 00:34:07,566 [Narrator] Investigators race to the pawn shop. 716 00:34:07,610 --> 00:34:11,179 We had to go take a physical look at it, 717 00:34:11,222 --> 00:34:14,182 see who, if anybody was on camera. 718 00:34:14,225 --> 00:34:16,575 Some store policies, all they have to do 719 00:34:16,619 --> 00:34:19,230 is take an individual's driver's license number. 720 00:34:19,274 --> 00:34:21,667 They don't even have to make a photocopy of it. 721 00:34:21,711 --> 00:34:24,148 So, we were trying to remain optimistic 722 00:34:24,192 --> 00:34:27,586 that somehow we would get an image of the actual person 723 00:34:27,630 --> 00:34:29,197 who tried to sell that jewelry. 724 00:34:29,240 --> 00:34:31,503 It could have been anyone at that point. 725 00:34:31,547 --> 00:34:34,158 [Narrator] The pawn shop has surveillance video 726 00:34:34,202 --> 00:34:38,293 and what detectives see on tape is jaw-dropping. 727 00:34:38,336 --> 00:34:41,209 It was, oh my God. 728 00:34:42,297 --> 00:34:45,169 We knew exactly who it was. 729 00:34:45,213 --> 00:34:47,693 In the video, it was Michael Lapaglia, 730 00:34:49,217 --> 00:34:52,133 which was Carol's nephew that Jack raised 731 00:34:52,176 --> 00:34:53,177 like one of his own. 732 00:34:55,658 --> 00:34:58,008 This was a shock to everyone. 733 00:34:59,531 --> 00:35:01,968 When we first had dealings with Michael early on 734 00:35:02,012 --> 00:35:03,405 in the investigation, 735 00:35:03,448 --> 00:35:05,276 he did provide an alibi of 736 00:35:05,320 --> 00:35:08,453 about businesses he was at, doctor's appointments. 737 00:35:08,497 --> 00:35:10,455 Michael, had his girlfriend, Melanie, 738 00:35:10,499 --> 00:35:12,283 saying that he was with her during the time 739 00:35:12,327 --> 00:35:14,981 that Jack would have or could have been killed. 740 00:35:15,025 --> 00:35:17,549 So, it was kind of going back, trying to rephrase 741 00:35:17,593 --> 00:35:19,986 what he had initially told us. 742 00:35:20,030 --> 00:35:22,293 We still had to do a little bit more digging. 743 00:35:22,337 --> 00:35:24,774 We had to work on if we were missing something. 744 00:35:26,341 --> 00:35:27,733 Early on when we talked to Michael, 745 00:35:27,777 --> 00:35:30,432 he had given detectives his phone number. 746 00:35:30,475 --> 00:35:32,477 I wanted to get his phone records. 747 00:35:32,521 --> 00:35:35,350 [Narrator] While investigators wait for those records, 748 00:35:35,393 --> 00:35:38,091 they call Michael back in. 749 00:35:38,135 --> 00:35:42,487 We are going to interview him and see what he has to say 750 00:35:42,531 --> 00:35:46,230 now that we have him on tape pawning his uncle's jewelery. 751 00:35:46,274 --> 00:35:48,711 We decided that it would probably be ideal 752 00:35:48,754 --> 00:35:51,714 to bring Michael and his girlfriend, Melanie, 753 00:35:51,757 --> 00:35:53,194 in at the same times, 754 00:35:53,237 --> 00:35:54,586 being that she was the person 755 00:35:54,630 --> 00:35:56,632 who was providing an alibi for him 756 00:35:56,675 --> 00:36:01,593 and chip away at that and see where the truth lie. 757 00:36:01,637 --> 00:36:04,117 We took them both back to our office 758 00:36:04,161 --> 00:36:06,381 and they were interviewed in separate rooms. 759 00:36:08,252 --> 00:36:11,647 Michael in his interview was initially very adamant 760 00:36:11,690 --> 00:36:13,344 that he had nothing to do with this. 761 00:36:13,388 --> 00:36:15,433 He denied involvement with the murder, 762 00:36:15,477 --> 00:36:17,348 involvement with the jewelry, 763 00:36:17,392 --> 00:36:21,700 and he just would not deviate from that. 764 00:36:21,744 --> 00:36:24,703 [Narrator] Melanie stands by her story too. 765 00:36:24,747 --> 00:36:28,490 She provided alibis for him and just denials. 766 00:36:30,274 --> 00:36:32,755 Melanie is pretty much telling us that he was with her 767 00:36:32,798 --> 00:36:35,236 during the time that Jack would have 768 00:36:35,279 --> 00:36:36,498 or could have been killed. 769 00:36:37,412 --> 00:36:39,675 She was just defensive 770 00:36:39,718 --> 00:36:43,418 and trying to argue with what we knew was not true. 771 00:36:43,461 --> 00:36:47,248 And that was that he had sold Jack's jewelry. 772 00:36:47,291 --> 00:36:48,727 We showed her a picture of the jewelry 773 00:36:48,771 --> 00:36:50,816 and she tried to say it was hers. 774 00:36:50,860 --> 00:36:53,428 And we knew that was a lie. 775 00:36:53,471 --> 00:36:56,082 With neither Michael nor Melanie cracking 776 00:36:56,126 --> 00:36:57,736 under the pressure, 777 00:36:57,780 --> 00:37:00,391 detectives need something to break the deadlock. 778 00:37:00,435 --> 00:37:02,263 When we got the information 779 00:37:02,306 --> 00:37:04,221 about the cell phone records it was a huge break. 780 00:37:04,265 --> 00:37:06,615 We were very happy that it finally had come through. 781 00:37:06,658 --> 00:37:09,270 It was like everything came full circle. 782 00:37:10,532 --> 00:37:13,143 [light music] 783 00:37:17,278 --> 00:37:19,149 [Narrator] Two weeks after Jack Parkes 784 00:37:19,192 --> 00:37:21,543 was shot to death in his own home, 785 00:37:21,586 --> 00:37:25,329 investigators get the break in the case they needed. 786 00:37:25,373 --> 00:37:28,027 Incriminating cell phone GPS data. 787 00:37:29,768 --> 00:37:32,249 When I got Michael's phone records, 788 00:37:32,293 --> 00:37:35,296 I started to see where generally he spent most of his time, 789 00:37:35,339 --> 00:37:37,733 which was consistent with his home. 790 00:37:37,776 --> 00:37:39,865 He told us he was in Sharpsburg, 791 00:37:39,909 --> 00:37:42,172 20 minutes away from Jack's house 792 00:37:42,215 --> 00:37:43,652 on the day of the incident. 793 00:37:47,264 --> 00:37:50,267 Parts of his alibi checked out cell phone data-wise, 794 00:37:50,311 --> 00:37:53,923 but there was an anomaly where about 11:45 795 00:37:53,966 --> 00:37:56,665 his cell phone pinged over in the area 796 00:37:56,708 --> 00:37:59,145 of Jack and Carol's house. 797 00:38:01,365 --> 00:38:04,629 To me the significance of 11:45 was 798 00:38:04,673 --> 00:38:08,329 it is in this time where Carol can't reach Jack. 799 00:38:09,895 --> 00:38:12,333 It would be impossible to be in Sharpsburg 800 00:38:12,376 --> 00:38:16,206 and your phone ping off a tower in Kennedy Township. 801 00:38:16,249 --> 00:38:18,251 The amount of distance between the two, 802 00:38:18,295 --> 00:38:19,905 it wouldn't be possible. 803 00:38:19,949 --> 00:38:21,342 He was not at home. 804 00:38:21,385 --> 00:38:23,996 He was over near his uncle's house. 805 00:38:24,040 --> 00:38:27,783 So 11:45, Michael's phone being over there 806 00:38:27,826 --> 00:38:29,175 was an aha moment. 807 00:38:30,829 --> 00:38:33,223 Those records don't lie. 808 00:38:33,266 --> 00:38:34,790 [Narrator] Detectives wanna see 809 00:38:34,833 --> 00:38:36,879 how Michael will react when confronted 810 00:38:36,922 --> 00:38:39,316 with his own cell phone records. 811 00:38:39,360 --> 00:38:41,187 It was like 812 00:38:41,231 --> 00:38:42,885 he had just got smacked in the head with a baseball bat. 813 00:38:42,928 --> 00:38:45,801 He became very quiet, 814 00:38:45,844 --> 00:38:49,239 took a second, and he just let it all out. 815 00:39:06,996 --> 00:39:09,172 [Narrator] Michael's explanation of why he went 816 00:39:09,215 --> 00:39:12,393 to see Jack only raises more suspicion. 817 00:39:31,020 --> 00:39:34,023 His story changed to self-defense. 818 00:39:45,426 --> 00:39:48,864 Reconciling that just wasn't possible. 819 00:39:48,907 --> 00:39:53,303 Jack was shot one time, right close to his ear. 820 00:39:53,346 --> 00:39:56,088 Basically someone held a gun to his head and executed him. 821 00:40:08,449 --> 00:40:09,972 [Narrator] Michael tells detectives 822 00:40:10,015 --> 00:40:12,975 he sold the jewelry for $1000. 823 00:40:13,018 --> 00:40:16,108 Even more shocking is what he spent the money on. 824 00:40:30,122 --> 00:40:33,299 Michael was following the path of substance abuse. 825 00:40:33,343 --> 00:40:35,911 It was getting to be more addictive drugs 826 00:40:35,954 --> 00:40:37,216 and his use was increasing. 827 00:40:37,260 --> 00:40:39,001 It wasn't recreational anymore. 828 00:40:39,044 --> 00:40:41,786 It was more of the behavior of an addict. 829 00:40:41,830 --> 00:40:43,222 It was heartbreaking for us to know 830 00:40:43,266 --> 00:40:45,921 that someone who was almost like Jack's son, 831 00:40:45,964 --> 00:40:48,967 very close family member, would do something like that 832 00:40:49,011 --> 00:40:51,970 in exchange for a couple of dollars to get high. 833 00:40:53,798 --> 00:40:56,453 I believe Michael went to that house to take jewelry. 834 00:40:56,497 --> 00:40:58,107 He knew Jack was there 835 00:40:58,150 --> 00:41:00,065 and the only way who's gonna get that jewelry 836 00:41:00,109 --> 00:41:01,327 is if Jack was dead. 837 00:41:02,503 --> 00:41:04,113 He walked up to the house 838 00:41:04,156 --> 00:41:06,332 and as soon as Jack met him at the door 839 00:41:06,376 --> 00:41:07,943 and turned his back to him, 840 00:41:07,986 --> 00:41:11,424 he shot him and he fell and he died instantly. 841 00:41:14,297 --> 00:41:17,169 [Narrator] On August 5th, 2014, 842 00:41:17,213 --> 00:41:20,564 Michael Lapaglia is charged with first degree murder. 843 00:41:22,348 --> 00:41:24,829 To say to Carol, "We know who did this." 844 00:41:24,873 --> 00:41:26,265 It was hard. 845 00:41:26,309 --> 00:41:28,180 But, the hardest answer that we had for her 846 00:41:28,224 --> 00:41:30,443 is when she said, "Michael who?" 847 00:41:30,487 --> 00:41:32,228 And he had the same last name as her. 848 00:41:32,271 --> 00:41:34,491 Really, it was hard to tell her that 849 00:41:34,535 --> 00:41:37,494 it's your nephew and it just hit her 850 00:41:37,538 --> 00:41:39,191 and she was very upset. 851 00:41:40,584 --> 00:41:41,454 You never thought that would happen. 852 00:41:42,368 --> 00:41:43,848 It would be that person. 853 00:41:49,854 --> 00:41:52,161 It's still to this day, 854 00:41:52,204 --> 00:41:56,426 so hard to believe that somebody that they loved, 855 00:41:56,469 --> 00:42:00,082 Michael, could have done something like this. 856 00:42:01,605 --> 00:42:03,607 I mean, what he did, 857 00:42:06,262 --> 00:42:08,612 I can't describe, there's no words. 858 00:42:11,484 --> 00:42:14,923 [Narrator] At trial, Michael is found guilty. 859 00:42:14,966 --> 00:42:18,491 On December 9th, 2015, the 24-year-old 860 00:42:18,535 --> 00:42:20,885 is sentenced to life in prison. 861 00:42:24,106 --> 00:42:26,195 He took a loving, caring man 862 00:42:28,153 --> 00:42:30,025 and just executed him. 863 00:42:30,068 --> 00:42:31,592 There was no winners. 864 00:42:33,028 --> 00:42:35,552 We lost Jack, who won? 865 00:42:35,596 --> 00:42:37,119 Nobody. 866 00:42:37,162 --> 00:42:39,425 I will never forgive him. 867 00:42:39,469 --> 00:42:42,994 Michael took away my best friend, my brother. 868 00:42:45,606 --> 00:42:48,391 He took away a lot from me. 869 00:42:48,434 --> 00:42:52,917 To this day I still hate the guy. 870 00:42:54,266 --> 00:42:56,399 Jack will never be forgotten. 871 00:42:58,227 --> 00:43:00,142 In the beginning, it's hard talking about a loved one 872 00:43:00,185 --> 00:43:03,493 without really breaking down and crying. 873 00:43:03,536 --> 00:43:06,365 But you continue to talk about him. 874 00:43:06,409 --> 00:43:08,890 You keep their memory alive. 875 00:43:08,933 --> 00:43:11,022 And that's how he stays with us. 876 00:43:12,415 --> 00:43:15,505 Every day he's here 877 00:43:15,548 --> 00:43:18,421 in my mind, my heart, and my dreams. 878 00:43:18,464 --> 00:43:22,251 I see his face, always smiling. 879 00:43:22,294 --> 00:43:24,427 I know he's flying with the angels. 880 00:43:25,471 --> 00:43:28,126 [light music]