1 00:00:01,609 --> 00:00:04,830 A cherished family at the center of a small town... 2 00:00:04,830 --> 00:00:06,701 They laughed and they joked around 3 00:00:06,701 --> 00:00:08,268 and they were happy together. 4 00:00:08,268 --> 00:00:09,878 They were loved and well respected 5 00:00:09,878 --> 00:00:11,141 in our community. 6 00:00:11,141 --> 00:00:13,404 ...is gunned down in cold blood. 7 00:00:13,404 --> 00:00:16,059 I'll never forget walking into the house that morning 8 00:00:16,059 --> 00:00:17,712 and seeing what I saw. 9 00:00:17,712 --> 00:00:18,757 Who could have done this? 10 00:00:18,757 --> 00:00:20,324 Was it somebody that they knew? 11 00:00:20,324 --> 00:00:23,544 Maybe this person had sought some type of revenge. 12 00:00:23,544 --> 00:00:26,547 Detectives pursue a trail of suspects. 13 00:00:26,547 --> 00:00:30,943 He was actually set to gain from the death. 14 00:00:30,943 --> 00:00:33,076 And then his behavior was alarming. 15 00:00:33,076 --> 00:00:34,164 During the polygraph, 16 00:00:34,164 --> 00:00:36,383 he started tearing this stuff off. 17 00:00:36,383 --> 00:00:39,560 I know they had had issues within their relationship. 18 00:00:39,560 --> 00:00:41,823 They said, "Well, I could take care of that problem 19 00:00:41,823 --> 00:00:43,129 "for the right sum of money." 20 00:00:43,129 --> 00:00:45,218 But the killer remains elusive. 21 00:00:45,218 --> 00:00:47,394 What are we missing? What are we not doing? 22 00:00:47,394 --> 00:00:51,529 Until a shocking confession reveals the true culprit. 23 00:00:51,529 --> 00:00:54,097 Then she agreed to wear a recording device, 24 00:00:54,097 --> 00:00:56,403 and elicit some more information. 25 00:00:56,403 --> 00:00:59,667 I mean, it was just incredible, it was disturbing. 26 00:00:59,667 --> 00:01:04,759 The killer was about the most unexpected thing, 27 00:01:04,759 --> 00:01:06,631 it was such a shock. 28 00:01:17,337 --> 00:01:18,556 Columbia, Kentucky, 29 00:01:18,556 --> 00:01:22,342 is a small but tight-knit rural community. 30 00:01:22,342 --> 00:01:24,388 Everyone knows everyone else. 31 00:01:24,388 --> 00:01:27,173 Your neighbors feel like family. 32 00:01:27,173 --> 00:01:29,175 People watch out for one another. 33 00:01:29,175 --> 00:01:31,134 Not uncommon, you'd be walking downtown, 34 00:01:31,134 --> 00:01:33,136 you'll stop, run into friends or family. 35 00:01:33,136 --> 00:01:36,269 Very, uh, friendly atmosphere. 36 00:01:36,269 --> 00:01:38,967 One of the most beloved families in Columbia 37 00:01:38,967 --> 00:01:40,273 are the Wellnitzes. 38 00:01:40,273 --> 00:01:41,927 They own a veterinary clinic 39 00:01:41,927 --> 00:01:44,321 just steps away from their home. 40 00:01:44,321 --> 00:01:46,671 I just remember that environment at the clinic 41 00:01:46,671 --> 00:01:49,891 was a place that I, as a kid, wanted to spend 42 00:01:49,891 --> 00:01:52,503 every spare moment that I had 43 00:01:52,503 --> 00:01:55,332 just because it was a great place to be. 44 00:01:55,332 --> 00:01:58,335 Joe and Beth, their kids Dennis and Meg, 45 00:01:58,335 --> 00:02:01,555 they were kind, they were loving, 46 00:02:01,555 --> 00:02:04,950 and they were fun to be around. 47 00:02:04,950 --> 00:02:07,909 On February 26th, 1993, 48 00:02:07,909 --> 00:02:09,389 the town forever changes 49 00:02:09,389 --> 00:02:12,000 after two of Joe and Beth's employees 50 00:02:12,000 --> 00:02:13,480 make a grim discovery 51 00:02:13,480 --> 00:02:17,180 just after 8 a.m. at the Wellnitz home. 52 00:02:17,180 --> 00:02:20,139 Two employees had shown up for work. 53 00:02:20,139 --> 00:02:22,185 But Joe and Beth were not at the clinic. 54 00:02:22,185 --> 00:02:25,666 The clinic was adjacent to the residence. 55 00:02:25,666 --> 00:02:28,191 So, the gentleman walked over to the house, 56 00:02:28,191 --> 00:02:29,757 went in the back door, 57 00:02:29,757 --> 00:02:31,368 and discovered Joe's body 58 00:02:31,368 --> 00:02:34,545 in the, uh, in the downstairs area of the home. 59 00:02:36,721 --> 00:02:39,289 The lady that had also shown up for work that morning. 60 00:02:39,289 --> 00:02:41,204 She then went to the house, 61 00:02:41,204 --> 00:02:43,554 uh, discovered two bodies upstairs. 62 00:02:46,252 --> 00:02:49,821 Joe and Beth and their son, Dennis, 63 00:02:49,821 --> 00:02:51,214 they'd been shot. 64 00:02:52,737 --> 00:02:55,566 Then she ran out and called the police. 65 00:02:57,176 --> 00:02:59,396 Investigators rush to the scene. 66 00:03:00,919 --> 00:03:03,878 I'll never forget walking in the house that morning 67 00:03:03,878 --> 00:03:05,837 and seeing what I saw. 68 00:03:05,837 --> 00:03:08,361 It was just total shock. 69 00:03:08,361 --> 00:03:10,320 I knew what kind of people they were. 70 00:03:10,320 --> 00:03:12,365 I knew how kind they were 71 00:03:12,365 --> 00:03:13,888 and how compassionate they were 72 00:03:13,888 --> 00:03:17,327 with their work that they did, I couldn't believe it. 73 00:03:19,111 --> 00:03:20,373 When we entered the house, 74 00:03:20,373 --> 00:03:21,983 there was Joe laying on the floor. 75 00:03:21,983 --> 00:03:23,507 He was on his stomach. 76 00:03:23,507 --> 00:03:25,900 His hand was underneath his chest. 77 00:03:25,900 --> 00:03:28,338 He had a pair of- of gray sweat pants on 78 00:03:28,338 --> 00:03:30,470 and a white T-shirt. 79 00:03:30,470 --> 00:03:32,733 It looked like he came out of the bathroom 80 00:03:32,733 --> 00:03:36,955 and had been shot and fell face first, 81 00:03:36,955 --> 00:03:39,087 blood had pooled around the body. 82 00:03:39,087 --> 00:03:41,829 My initial reaction was shock. 83 00:03:41,829 --> 00:03:44,267 But then I realized shortly thereafter 84 00:03:44,267 --> 00:03:45,877 that I had a job to do 85 00:03:45,877 --> 00:03:48,183 and my job was to take care of the scene 86 00:03:48,183 --> 00:03:49,272 to see if we could find out 87 00:03:49,272 --> 00:03:52,100 who did this horrible thing. 88 00:03:52,100 --> 00:03:53,972 Around the scene where Joe was found, 89 00:03:53,972 --> 00:03:55,669 there was multiple shell casings, 90 00:03:55,669 --> 00:03:59,760 and you could see bullet holes in the walls. 91 00:03:59,760 --> 00:04:03,111 We went from there to the upstairs 92 00:04:03,111 --> 00:04:07,855 and we found Dennis's body laying there in his bedroom. 93 00:04:07,855 --> 00:04:09,030 He had no shirt on. 94 00:04:09,030 --> 00:04:12,382 You could see bullet holes in his back. 95 00:04:12,382 --> 00:04:15,428 There was also shell casings laying around it, 96 00:04:15,428 --> 00:04:16,908 looked like he was crawling on the floor 97 00:04:16,908 --> 00:04:19,563 and was executed by the killer at that point. 98 00:04:24,568 --> 00:04:26,657 Entering into the back bedroom, 99 00:04:26,657 --> 00:04:29,790 that belonged to Joe and Beth, 100 00:04:29,790 --> 00:04:33,446 you could see multiple shell casings back there. 101 00:04:33,446 --> 00:04:35,883 Beth was found on the side of the bed, 102 00:04:35,883 --> 00:04:37,581 nearest to the doorway, 103 00:04:37,581 --> 00:04:39,974 she appeared to have been standing 104 00:04:39,974 --> 00:04:41,541 when she was shot 105 00:04:41,541 --> 00:04:44,457 with multiple gunshot wounds to her head and upper torso. 106 00:04:45,850 --> 00:04:48,679 The Wellnitzes were all found either in, 107 00:04:48,679 --> 00:04:50,463 or near a bed, or in clothes 108 00:04:50,463 --> 00:04:54,380 that suggested they had been sleeping. 109 00:04:54,380 --> 00:04:55,903 So it was apparent that it had happened 110 00:04:55,903 --> 00:04:59,211 during the night at some point or early morning hours. 111 00:04:59,211 --> 00:05:00,821 After examining the bodies, 112 00:05:00,821 --> 00:05:03,563 police scour the rest of the house for clues, 113 00:05:03,563 --> 00:05:06,653 but there's no sign of a murder weapon. 114 00:05:06,653 --> 00:05:08,307 There were no broken windows. 115 00:05:08,307 --> 00:05:10,353 There was no furniture turned over. 116 00:05:10,353 --> 00:05:12,093 The house had not been ransacked. 117 00:05:12,093 --> 00:05:15,749 It was significant that there was no forced entry 118 00:05:15,749 --> 00:05:17,838 that at least gave the impression 119 00:05:17,838 --> 00:05:20,363 that it was somebody with some degree of familiarity 120 00:05:20,363 --> 00:05:23,322 with the home and with the Wellnitz family. 121 00:05:23,322 --> 00:05:25,063 It appeared this family had been targeted. 122 00:05:26,456 --> 00:05:27,805 Who could have done this? 123 00:05:27,805 --> 00:05:30,416 You know, who is the person that would have done 124 00:05:30,416 --> 00:05:32,331 such a horrible crime in this community 125 00:05:32,331 --> 00:05:35,421 that that is usually so gentle. 126 00:05:35,421 --> 00:05:37,031 Was it somebody that they knew? 127 00:05:37,031 --> 00:05:40,600 Maybe this person had sought some type of revenge. 128 00:05:40,600 --> 00:05:43,690 Once we saw that these three people had been murdered, 129 00:05:43,690 --> 00:05:45,866 we immediately wanted to know, 130 00:05:45,866 --> 00:05:48,782 where is Meg Wellnitz at, so we can find her 131 00:05:48,782 --> 00:05:50,697 to make sure she's safe, first of all. 132 00:05:50,697 --> 00:05:53,483 Make sure she's not a victim. 133 00:05:53,483 --> 00:05:54,962 We were able to locate her. 134 00:05:54,962 --> 00:05:58,836 She was at school in Lexington and was unharmed. 135 00:05:58,836 --> 00:06:01,534 Officers are tasked with breaking the news 136 00:06:01,534 --> 00:06:03,449 to Joe and Beth's daughter. 137 00:06:03,449 --> 00:06:06,539 Meg was told that her mom and dad and brother 138 00:06:06,539 --> 00:06:09,760 were murdered, were dead, I really felt sorry for her. 139 00:06:09,760 --> 00:06:11,457 I thought now how is she gonna go on? 140 00:06:11,457 --> 00:06:13,807 You know, how does she recover from this? 141 00:06:16,767 --> 00:06:19,552 We got a phone call just a little while after I got up 142 00:06:19,552 --> 00:06:24,775 and they said, "Beth and Joe have been killed." 143 00:06:24,775 --> 00:06:27,299 And at that moment, we didn't know 144 00:06:27,299 --> 00:06:29,519 Dennis also had been killed. 145 00:06:29,519 --> 00:06:33,479 And I just stayed in my room that day and just cried. 146 00:06:33,479 --> 00:06:38,484 Just couldn't believe that they were gone. 147 00:06:38,484 --> 00:06:41,618 They were like a second set of parents for me. 148 00:06:41,618 --> 00:06:44,838 One of my family members had called. 149 00:06:44,838 --> 00:06:46,666 They gave me the horrible news 150 00:06:46,666 --> 00:06:51,976 that Joe and Beth and Dennis had all been murdered. 151 00:06:51,976 --> 00:06:54,935 And that's... that's a day you don't forget. 152 00:06:59,505 --> 00:07:02,595 Joe Wellnitz was born in 1942 153 00:07:02,595 --> 00:07:04,815 and grew up in Louisville, Kentucky. 154 00:07:04,815 --> 00:07:07,426 From a young age, he always loved animals 155 00:07:07,426 --> 00:07:09,950 and turned that passion into a career. 156 00:07:09,950 --> 00:07:12,779 Not many rural communities anywhere 157 00:07:12,779 --> 00:07:16,783 would have been able to boast of having a veterinarian 158 00:07:16,783 --> 00:07:20,395 with the background that Joe had. 159 00:07:20,395 --> 00:07:23,311 Joe was one of the most caring, 160 00:07:23,311 --> 00:07:27,359 kindest gentleman that you will ever meet. 161 00:07:27,359 --> 00:07:30,144 In his 30's, Joe met Beth Preston, 162 00:07:30,144 --> 00:07:32,495 a woman 10 years his junior. 163 00:07:32,495 --> 00:07:35,541 Both divorced, they married in 1979, 164 00:07:35,541 --> 00:07:39,980 and Joe adopted her two kids, Dennis and Meg. 165 00:07:39,980 --> 00:07:42,505 Two years later, they moved their family 166 00:07:42,505 --> 00:07:45,290 and Joe's clinic from Lexington to Columbia. 167 00:07:47,031 --> 00:07:49,163 Meg would come in and out of the clinic. 168 00:07:49,163 --> 00:07:51,775 Dennis would mostly I would just see him outside. 169 00:07:51,775 --> 00:07:53,820 He was only 20 years old. 170 00:07:53,820 --> 00:07:56,823 Dennis was popular in school. 171 00:07:56,823 --> 00:08:00,566 He had worked in town. He had attended college. 172 00:08:00,566 --> 00:08:03,743 He was a just a well-liked young man. 173 00:08:03,743 --> 00:08:06,180 Beth was the one I was closest to. 174 00:08:06,180 --> 00:08:07,834 She was the face of the clinic. 175 00:08:07,834 --> 00:08:09,401 She was the person everyone saw 176 00:08:09,401 --> 00:08:10,576 when they walked in the door. 177 00:08:10,576 --> 00:08:12,926 Always had a smile on her face. 178 00:08:12,926 --> 00:08:15,581 The relationship between Joe and Beth 179 00:08:15,581 --> 00:08:18,018 was perfect to me. 180 00:08:18,018 --> 00:08:19,977 They laughed and they joked around 181 00:08:19,977 --> 00:08:21,761 and they were happy together. 182 00:08:21,761 --> 00:08:23,894 They were a very happy family. 183 00:08:26,244 --> 00:08:30,030 But one horrific night has changed everything. 184 00:08:30,030 --> 00:08:33,686 Who could have wanted to kill the Wellnitzs, and why? 185 00:08:36,950 --> 00:08:39,039 The two employees that discovered the bodies 186 00:08:39,039 --> 00:08:41,607 were certainly interviewed that morning. 187 00:08:41,607 --> 00:08:43,174 There was really no motive. 188 00:08:43,174 --> 00:08:44,871 And the way the two of 'em arrived that morning, 189 00:08:44,871 --> 00:08:46,481 there was really no opportunity 190 00:08:46,481 --> 00:08:48,788 for either of them to commit the murders. 191 00:08:48,788 --> 00:08:52,226 They were dismissed as suspects. 192 00:08:52,226 --> 00:08:54,359 In Lexington, police ask Meg 193 00:08:54,359 --> 00:08:58,189 to help them piece together her family's last movements. 194 00:08:58,189 --> 00:09:01,714 She says she visited them for dinner two days ago, 195 00:09:01,714 --> 00:09:04,717 but had returned that night as she had school. 196 00:09:04,717 --> 00:09:06,893 Meg told the police that she'd been in Lexington 197 00:09:06,893 --> 00:09:08,721 the night before the bodies were found 198 00:09:08,721 --> 00:09:09,809 and that she'd been playing cards 199 00:09:09,809 --> 00:09:12,159 with some friends, her boyfriend, 200 00:09:12,159 --> 00:09:15,598 as well as another couple, Bill Meece, 201 00:09:15,598 --> 00:09:17,643 and then Bill Meece's wife. 202 00:09:17,643 --> 00:09:21,038 When asked if Meg was aware of any problems at home, 203 00:09:21,038 --> 00:09:23,780 she gives police their first lead. 204 00:09:23,780 --> 00:09:27,435 There was a couple that were tenants of Joe and Beth's 205 00:09:27,435 --> 00:09:29,612 they may had had issues with 206 00:09:29,612 --> 00:09:33,572 and their names Brenda and Dave Cowell. 207 00:09:33,572 --> 00:09:35,661 The Cowells had been living in a cabin 208 00:09:35,661 --> 00:09:37,794 on the Wellnitz property. 209 00:09:37,794 --> 00:09:39,752 They were living there rent-free 210 00:09:39,752 --> 00:09:43,669 in exchange for doing some work for Joe and Beth. 211 00:09:43,669 --> 00:09:45,323 There was some discrepancy there 212 00:09:45,323 --> 00:09:48,805 about whether they were doing the work sufficiently or not. 213 00:09:48,805 --> 00:09:50,197 Joe and Beth, felt like they weren't. 214 00:09:50,197 --> 00:09:54,637 so they gave them a bill for $1,800 for the rent. 215 00:09:54,637 --> 00:09:57,335 And ultimately they never paid it. 216 00:09:57,335 --> 00:09:58,945 They filed bankruptcy. 217 00:09:58,945 --> 00:10:03,210 Were the Cowells angry enough to want the Wellnitzs dead? 218 00:10:03,210 --> 00:10:04,821 Was this murder payback? 219 00:10:04,821 --> 00:10:06,126 They were persons of interest, 220 00:10:06,126 --> 00:10:08,302 people that we needed to talk to. 221 00:10:08,302 --> 00:10:09,652 We needed to prove or disprove 222 00:10:09,652 --> 00:10:11,784 whether they were involved in it or not. 223 00:10:13,351 --> 00:10:14,439 Coming up... 224 00:10:14,439 --> 00:10:16,659 Fear races through the community. 225 00:10:16,659 --> 00:10:17,834 We thought, 226 00:10:17,834 --> 00:10:19,705 if this could happen to the Wellnitzes, 227 00:10:19,705 --> 00:10:21,141 it could happen to any of us. 228 00:10:21,141 --> 00:10:23,709 Who would be next? People were scared. 229 00:10:23,709 --> 00:10:25,885 Everybody wanted to know who did it, 230 00:10:25,885 --> 00:10:28,148 why they did it, and how they did it? 231 00:10:28,148 --> 00:10:31,499 Everybody was just guessing, you know, gossiping. 232 00:10:31,499 --> 00:10:34,415 And police unearth family secrets, 233 00:10:34,415 --> 00:10:36,809 indicating a potential motive. 234 00:10:36,809 --> 00:10:38,681 It was a surprise to me 235 00:10:38,681 --> 00:10:41,727 to learn that there was another child involved. 236 00:10:41,727 --> 00:10:45,296 There was actually a will giving him so much money 237 00:10:45,296 --> 00:10:47,515 out of the estate. 238 00:10:47,515 --> 00:10:49,692 Before a shocking confession... 239 00:10:54,044 --> 00:10:57,177 ...reveals a killer no one could have imagined. 240 00:10:57,177 --> 00:11:00,093 It was a bombshell. I couldn't believe it. 241 00:11:07,971 --> 00:11:10,930 Police investigating the homicide of Joe, Beth, 242 00:11:10,930 --> 00:11:14,107 and Dennis Wellnitz have their first suspects, 243 00:11:14,107 --> 00:11:17,937 tenants who had recently clashed with the family over money. 244 00:11:17,937 --> 00:11:19,852 When we learned about the bankruptcy, 245 00:11:19,852 --> 00:11:22,376 about the-- uh, them living on the property, 246 00:11:22,376 --> 00:11:24,727 this discrepancy about the work they were doing, 247 00:11:24,727 --> 00:11:26,772 whether it was sufficient or not, you know, 248 00:11:26,772 --> 00:11:28,818 especially when it came to the money 249 00:11:28,818 --> 00:11:31,255 and then this bill for $1800, you know. 250 00:11:31,255 --> 00:11:33,997 We thought, well, this could be a motive for them 251 00:11:33,997 --> 00:11:35,563 wanting to do something. 252 00:11:35,563 --> 00:11:37,827 We knew that we had to talk to them. 253 00:11:37,827 --> 00:11:40,133 We had to see if we, if they were involved. 254 00:11:40,133 --> 00:11:42,919 Police learn the Cowells no longer live on 255 00:11:42,919 --> 00:11:44,616 the Wellnitz property. 256 00:11:44,616 --> 00:11:46,618 Maybe they left there disgruntled. 257 00:11:46,618 --> 00:11:48,925 We went on that theory 258 00:11:48,925 --> 00:11:51,623 maybe they had went to the Wellnitz house that morning 259 00:11:51,623 --> 00:11:53,059 and got into it with them 260 00:11:53,059 --> 00:11:56,671 and then that's when all this escalated from there. 261 00:11:56,671 --> 00:11:58,978 While detectives track down the Cowells, 262 00:11:58,978 --> 00:12:02,025 officers canvass the area for witnesses. 263 00:12:02,025 --> 00:12:04,288 We did a neighborhood canvass to talk to people 264 00:12:04,288 --> 00:12:05,506 to see if they-- 265 00:12:05,506 --> 00:12:06,899 anybody in that area had heard anything, 266 00:12:06,899 --> 00:12:09,772 seen anything, or had any other information 267 00:12:09,772 --> 00:12:10,903 that they could provide. 268 00:12:10,903 --> 00:12:12,992 We were not able to-to identify anybody 269 00:12:12,992 --> 00:12:15,908 that did hear anything that went on that night 270 00:12:15,908 --> 00:12:20,043 during the shooting or anything. 271 00:12:20,043 --> 00:12:23,307 Four days after the murder, detectives locate the Cowells 272 00:12:23,307 --> 00:12:25,875 and bring them in for separate interviews. 273 00:12:25,875 --> 00:12:28,529 Brenda claims she didn't hold any grudge 274 00:12:28,529 --> 00:12:30,880 against the Wellnitzes. 275 00:12:30,880 --> 00:12:34,448 She told us, even though they had not paid the money 276 00:12:34,448 --> 00:12:36,973 t-that Joe and Beth felt like they owed, 277 00:12:36,973 --> 00:12:39,018 they had worked out the discrepancy 278 00:12:39,018 --> 00:12:41,934 and everything had moved on from that. 279 00:12:41,934 --> 00:12:44,415 Police ask Brenda where she was 280 00:12:44,415 --> 00:12:46,069 the night of the murder. 281 00:12:46,069 --> 00:12:48,419 They ended up, moving off the farm. 282 00:12:48,419 --> 00:12:50,551 She said she was not there. 283 00:12:50,551 --> 00:12:53,946 She was at home when it happened. 284 00:12:53,946 --> 00:12:56,949 When detectives speak with Brenda's husband Dave, 285 00:12:56,949 --> 00:12:59,560 he's unable to confirm her alibi, 286 00:12:59,560 --> 00:13:01,345 because of his own. 287 00:13:01,345 --> 00:13:04,087 Dave was working in Louisville, Kentucky, 288 00:13:04,087 --> 00:13:05,828 which is almost in Indiana, 289 00:13:05,828 --> 00:13:09,875 probably 100 miles from where this happened at. 290 00:13:09,875 --> 00:13:13,748 He adamantly denied any involvement in this. 291 00:13:13,748 --> 00:13:16,839 He didn't want to do harm to them. 292 00:13:16,839 --> 00:13:19,667 Investigators speak to friends of the Wellnitzes 293 00:13:19,667 --> 00:13:24,194 to confirm the dispute with the Cowells had been resolved. 294 00:13:24,194 --> 00:13:27,110 When we were talking to-to friends in that area, 295 00:13:27,110 --> 00:13:28,981 we were able to determine that 296 00:13:28,981 --> 00:13:31,636 that situation where those hard feelings were 297 00:13:31,636 --> 00:13:32,942 had been resolved 298 00:13:32,942 --> 00:13:34,682 and a long time prior to this happening. 299 00:13:34,682 --> 00:13:36,771 They were ruled out as far as having anything to do 300 00:13:36,771 --> 00:13:38,512 with this murder. 301 00:13:38,512 --> 00:13:42,865 With no arrests made, fear begins to grip the town. 302 00:13:42,865 --> 00:13:44,257 We thought if this could happen 303 00:13:44,257 --> 00:13:47,043 to the Wellnitzes, it could happen to any of us. 304 00:13:47,043 --> 00:13:48,566 It could happen to anyone. 305 00:13:48,566 --> 00:13:51,264 They were loved and well respected in our community. 306 00:13:51,264 --> 00:13:55,486 And so if they could be killed, who would be next? 307 00:13:55,486 --> 00:13:57,009 People were scared. 308 00:13:57,009 --> 00:13:59,011 Everybody wanted to know who did it, 309 00:13:59,011 --> 00:14:01,753 why they did it, and how they did it? 310 00:14:01,753 --> 00:14:03,059 Word travels fast. 311 00:14:03,059 --> 00:14:05,539 Everybody was expressing their opinion 312 00:14:05,539 --> 00:14:09,108 as to what may or may not have contributed to this. 313 00:14:09,108 --> 00:14:12,459 But everybody was just guessing, you know, gossiping. 314 00:14:12,459 --> 00:14:15,027 It's got the whole community in an uproar 315 00:14:15,027 --> 00:14:16,768 about what happened, 316 00:14:16,768 --> 00:14:18,901 we had to get some answers pretty quickly 317 00:14:18,901 --> 00:14:21,207 to make sure that it wasn't some random killing 318 00:14:21,207 --> 00:14:24,254 and that other people may be coming next. 319 00:14:24,254 --> 00:14:28,432 When we started thinking about who could have done this, 320 00:14:28,432 --> 00:14:32,175 we started thinking about, the veterinarian business. 321 00:14:32,175 --> 00:14:34,438 People get very sensitive about their pets. 322 00:14:34,438 --> 00:14:36,831 So we thought, well, maybe somebody had 323 00:14:36,831 --> 00:14:38,398 gotten disgruntled over that. 324 00:14:38,398 --> 00:14:40,270 We learned from the employees there 325 00:14:40,270 --> 00:14:43,577 that there was an issue between Jerry Yarberry 326 00:14:43,577 --> 00:14:47,973 and-and the Wellnitzes where he had brought in his dog 327 00:14:47,973 --> 00:14:49,322 to have treatment done to its eye 328 00:14:49,322 --> 00:14:51,977 and the dog ultimately was blind. 329 00:14:51,977 --> 00:14:54,980 So we thought, well, maybe this might be a motive 330 00:14:54,980 --> 00:14:57,635 for somebody to do harm to them. 331 00:14:57,635 --> 00:15:00,333 Some of the key questions that we wanted to know from-- 332 00:15:00,333 --> 00:15:02,770 from Jerry was, how did he feel now, 333 00:15:02,770 --> 00:15:05,904 toward-toward the Wellnitzes and how did he feel toward 334 00:15:05,904 --> 00:15:09,473 what had happened between them? 335 00:15:09,473 --> 00:15:11,997 Police bring Jerry into the station 336 00:15:11,997 --> 00:15:13,999 for questioning. 337 00:15:13,999 --> 00:15:17,829 He told us that he-- he was very upset about his pet. 338 00:15:17,829 --> 00:15:22,790 He refused to pay the bill that was owed to the Wellnitzes. 339 00:15:22,790 --> 00:15:26,620 They ended up having to file a-a lawsuit against him 340 00:15:26,620 --> 00:15:29,232 in order to recoup the funds. 341 00:15:29,232 --> 00:15:32,148 While Jerry admits he was angry with Joe, 342 00:15:32,148 --> 00:15:34,411 he says he isn't a killer. 343 00:15:34,411 --> 00:15:37,414 He adamantly denied doing anything 344 00:15:37,414 --> 00:15:41,200 to the Wellnitzes as far as going to that extreme. 345 00:15:41,200 --> 00:15:43,637 When we talked to Jerry, we learned that 346 00:15:43,637 --> 00:15:46,510 he's home watching TV with his wife and kids. 347 00:15:46,510 --> 00:15:50,427 And we were able to confirm that that's where he was at. 348 00:15:50,427 --> 00:15:52,211 And therefore, we were able to 349 00:15:52,211 --> 00:15:55,693 eliminate him as a suspect in this case. 350 00:15:58,348 --> 00:16:00,350 There's frustration on the part of the police 351 00:16:00,350 --> 00:16:03,570 because they want to see a crime solved. 352 00:16:03,570 --> 00:16:07,531 They want to see a murderer in this case held accountable. 353 00:16:07,531 --> 00:16:09,446 They wanna see that person punished 354 00:16:09,446 --> 00:16:11,187 and there's frustration because 355 00:16:11,187 --> 00:16:13,798 we don't know if justice is ever gonna be served. 356 00:16:13,798 --> 00:16:16,061 As the case threatens to stall, 357 00:16:16,061 --> 00:16:19,021 a friend of the Wellnitz family contacts police 358 00:16:19,021 --> 00:16:21,545 with pertinent information. 359 00:16:21,545 --> 00:16:23,373 I said, "I'm a real estate broker 360 00:16:23,373 --> 00:16:26,506 and now we're getting the property ready to sell." 361 00:16:26,506 --> 00:16:29,248 There was an indenture, kind of a rectangle 362 00:16:29,248 --> 00:16:32,469 in the floor of that master bedroom closet. 363 00:16:32,469 --> 00:16:35,689 I knew for a fact Joe and them kept a floor safe 364 00:16:35,689 --> 00:16:38,170 upstairs in their bedroom, in the closet. 365 00:16:38,170 --> 00:16:39,911 I'm assuming, that's where he kept 366 00:16:39,911 --> 00:16:43,306 all his important papers his deed, 367 00:16:43,306 --> 00:16:45,786 anything that was of significance. 368 00:16:45,786 --> 00:16:47,223 It gives you the opinion that 369 00:16:47,223 --> 00:16:49,399 the safe was part of the plan all along, 370 00:16:49,399 --> 00:16:53,838 that they-- that the killer knew where that safe was at. 371 00:16:53,838 --> 00:16:55,448 It was not sitting out in the open 372 00:16:55,448 --> 00:16:57,929 where you would commit these three murders 373 00:16:57,929 --> 00:16:59,235 and say, "Okay, there's a safe. 374 00:16:59,235 --> 00:17:01,193 I'm gonna take t-that with me." 375 00:17:01,193 --> 00:17:03,935 It was hidden back in-in a closet. 376 00:17:03,935 --> 00:17:05,415 It certainly caused the officers 377 00:17:05,415 --> 00:17:08,505 to focus their attention on who would want that safe, 378 00:17:08,505 --> 00:17:10,550 who would know the safe was there, 379 00:17:10,550 --> 00:17:13,249 and who would stand to have some benefit 380 00:17:13,249 --> 00:17:15,903 from removing the safe, especially in light of the fact 381 00:17:15,903 --> 00:17:19,124 that nothing else was taken, nothing else was disturbed. 382 00:17:19,124 --> 00:17:21,779 If we could locate that safe then very easily 383 00:17:21,779 --> 00:17:26,131 that's gonna put us on the trail of whoever committed this crime. 384 00:17:33,747 --> 00:17:36,750 Police investigating the first triple homicide 385 00:17:36,750 --> 00:17:38,274 in Columbia, Kentucky 386 00:17:38,274 --> 00:17:41,277 are searching for an object stolen from the scene 387 00:17:41,277 --> 00:17:43,757 they hope will lead them to the killer. 388 00:17:43,757 --> 00:17:46,412 The missing fire safe was certainly 389 00:17:46,412 --> 00:17:48,980 a critical piece of evidence 390 00:17:48,980 --> 00:17:51,025 that the officers were investigating. 391 00:17:51,025 --> 00:17:53,289 They tried to determine more specifically 392 00:17:53,289 --> 00:17:55,682 what the contents of the safe were, 393 00:17:55,682 --> 00:17:57,031 what was in there, 394 00:17:57,031 --> 00:17:59,164 what was going to perhaps turn up 395 00:17:59,164 --> 00:18:01,384 that might then be a clue. 396 00:18:01,384 --> 00:18:04,691 In talking to the family, we were able to learn that 397 00:18:04,691 --> 00:18:05,823 there was possibly, 398 00:18:05,823 --> 00:18:08,217 could be insurance papers in that safe 399 00:18:08,217 --> 00:18:11,568 maybe even up to around $1,000. 400 00:18:11,568 --> 00:18:13,657 In this case, the only motive 401 00:18:13,657 --> 00:18:18,052 was to either cause the death o-of the Wellnitz family 402 00:18:18,052 --> 00:18:20,359 or to take the safe out. 403 00:18:20,359 --> 00:18:23,797 As detectives put out an APB for the safe, 404 00:18:23,797 --> 00:18:25,930 the autopsy results come in. 405 00:18:25,930 --> 00:18:28,062 One of the crucial things that we need to know 406 00:18:28,062 --> 00:18:29,586 is the time of death. 407 00:18:29,586 --> 00:18:31,631 As far as the timeframe of the death 408 00:18:31,631 --> 00:18:34,765 the internal examination of the bodies was consistent 409 00:18:34,765 --> 00:18:39,030 that they had been killed within a few hours 410 00:18:39,030 --> 00:18:41,380 prior to the bodies being discovered. 411 00:18:41,380 --> 00:18:44,340 It's estimated Joe, Beth, and Dennis 412 00:18:44,340 --> 00:18:46,603 were murdered around 4 a.m... 413 00:18:46,603 --> 00:18:50,041 The medical examiner was able to determine that-- 414 00:18:50,041 --> 00:18:53,000 that each victim died as a result of 415 00:18:53,000 --> 00:18:55,220 multiple gunshot wounds. 416 00:18:55,220 --> 00:18:57,135 None of the victims had defense marks 417 00:18:57,135 --> 00:18:58,528 on their bodies, 418 00:18:58,528 --> 00:19:01,748 meaning they had likely been taken by surprise. 419 00:19:01,748 --> 00:19:04,708 Additional projectiles were recovered from the bodies 420 00:19:04,708 --> 00:19:06,100 during the autopsy. 421 00:19:06,100 --> 00:19:07,754 The firearms examiner did determine that 422 00:19:07,754 --> 00:19:12,063 all of the shots were fired from a nine millimeter handgun. 423 00:19:14,457 --> 00:19:17,111 It did seem likely that they were all fired 424 00:19:17,111 --> 00:19:19,766 by the same person, given the fact that 425 00:19:19,766 --> 00:19:23,553 they were all fired from the same gun. 426 00:19:25,903 --> 00:19:27,383 Obviously from there, we're gonna start 427 00:19:27,383 --> 00:19:30,516 doing multiple interviews to try to eliminate 428 00:19:30,516 --> 00:19:33,737 or show who has killed these three people 429 00:19:33,737 --> 00:19:37,044 who could have that much of a grudge against them? 430 00:19:37,044 --> 00:19:39,786 During our investigation, we were able to-to learn that 431 00:19:39,786 --> 00:19:42,702 Joe had another son by the name of Eric. 432 00:19:42,702 --> 00:19:44,617 From my previous personal experience 433 00:19:44,617 --> 00:19:47,881 with Joe and Beth, I didn't know about Eric 434 00:19:47,881 --> 00:19:49,535 until after the murder. 435 00:19:49,535 --> 00:19:52,103 Joe had adopted him much the way that he did 436 00:19:52,103 --> 00:19:57,587 with Meg and Dennis and then that marriage broke apart. 437 00:19:57,587 --> 00:20:00,459 It was a surprise to me to learn that 438 00:20:00,459 --> 00:20:02,331 there was another child involved 439 00:20:02,331 --> 00:20:06,509 that-that Joe had adopted at a young age. 440 00:20:06,509 --> 00:20:09,294 We started receiving information, documentation 441 00:20:09,294 --> 00:20:11,818 showing that-that Eric was actually 442 00:20:11,818 --> 00:20:16,301 still set to gain from the death of Joe. 443 00:20:16,301 --> 00:20:20,349 There was actually a will giving him so much money 444 00:20:20,349 --> 00:20:22,176 out of the estate, 445 00:20:22,176 --> 00:20:23,743 to the tune of a quarter million dollars. 446 00:20:23,743 --> 00:20:26,833 Eric was somebody that we needed to talk to 447 00:20:26,833 --> 00:20:28,835 because that much money, obviously, 448 00:20:28,835 --> 00:20:34,406 would be a motive for somebody to do something like this. 449 00:20:34,406 --> 00:20:36,843 Police track the nineteen-year-old down 450 00:20:36,843 --> 00:20:38,584 at his home in Lexington. 451 00:20:38,584 --> 00:20:41,979 When Eric was interviewed, he was shocked that it occurred. 452 00:20:41,979 --> 00:20:44,938 They had had issues within their relationship, 453 00:20:44,938 --> 00:20:46,026 him and Joe, 454 00:20:46,026 --> 00:20:47,637 it was a very distant relationship 455 00:20:47,637 --> 00:20:50,509 and then nonexistent after a while. 456 00:20:50,509 --> 00:20:51,771 Eric also indicated that 457 00:20:51,771 --> 00:20:56,123 he-he felt like he was replaced by Dennis. 458 00:20:56,123 --> 00:20:59,039 They had completely become estranged after so long 459 00:20:59,039 --> 00:21:02,521 and had stopped any contact with each other. 460 00:21:02,521 --> 00:21:04,218 One of the things that we learned 461 00:21:04,218 --> 00:21:06,264 was that Eric did resent Joe. 462 00:21:06,264 --> 00:21:09,789 Part of that resentment was because of this estrangement. 463 00:21:09,789 --> 00:21:13,140 Had Eric settled a score and inherited a fortune 464 00:21:13,140 --> 00:21:14,707 by killing the family? 465 00:21:14,707 --> 00:21:17,144 When police question him about the will, 466 00:21:17,144 --> 00:21:20,017 they're taken aback by his response. 467 00:21:20,017 --> 00:21:21,105 When he learned that 468 00:21:21,105 --> 00:21:23,977 he was a beneficiary to this will, 469 00:21:23,977 --> 00:21:27,720 he was actually surprised that he was included in it, 470 00:21:27,720 --> 00:21:29,940 you know, because of the-- they've been estranged 471 00:21:29,940 --> 00:21:31,550 for that many years. 472 00:21:31,550 --> 00:21:34,945 But detectives can't just take Eric at his word. 473 00:21:34,945 --> 00:21:37,208 The motive is there, the possibility. 474 00:21:37,208 --> 00:21:40,385 So we needed to know whether he had any type of alibi 475 00:21:40,385 --> 00:21:42,387 that we could substantiate to make sure that 476 00:21:42,387 --> 00:21:44,911 he wasn't in Columbia that morning. 477 00:21:44,911 --> 00:21:47,784 We learned during our interview with Eric Wellnitz 478 00:21:47,784 --> 00:21:51,048 that he had worked that night and then once he got off work, 479 00:21:51,048 --> 00:21:55,400 he went to a friend's house and slept at that friend's house. 480 00:21:55,400 --> 00:21:58,577 Eric says he was in Lexington the entire night, 481 00:21:58,577 --> 00:22:01,275 two hours away from Columbia. 482 00:22:01,275 --> 00:22:03,190 So we were able to talk to that friend 483 00:22:03,190 --> 00:22:06,411 and determine that he did not have the opportunity 484 00:22:06,411 --> 00:22:08,413 to commit this crime. 485 00:22:08,413 --> 00:22:12,417 We felt pretty certain that he was not a suspect 486 00:22:12,417 --> 00:22:14,506 at this point. 487 00:22:14,506 --> 00:22:18,336 We eliminated him and moved on. 488 00:22:18,336 --> 00:22:22,296 I was shocked, and it was an odd situation 489 00:22:22,296 --> 00:22:24,429 being questioned by the police officers. 490 00:22:24,429 --> 00:22:26,649 The fact that I was named in the will, 491 00:22:26,649 --> 00:22:28,607 if that was something that I had known, 492 00:22:28,607 --> 00:22:31,784 then that for sure gives me a motive. 493 00:22:31,784 --> 00:22:33,046 But, there's no way in the world 494 00:22:33,046 --> 00:22:35,440 I could have ever done anything like that. 495 00:22:35,440 --> 00:22:38,312 Yes, I was angry as a child. 496 00:22:38,312 --> 00:22:41,794 You know, having your dad disappearing out of your life, 497 00:22:41,794 --> 00:22:45,668 you know, kinda in a snap of a finger. 498 00:22:45,668 --> 00:22:50,455 It was hard and I was angry, but not that kind of anger 499 00:22:50,455 --> 00:22:53,458 where I wished, wished anything bad. 500 00:22:53,458 --> 00:22:55,895 Detectives learn that Meg, 501 00:22:55,895 --> 00:22:58,507 the only other surviving member of the family, 502 00:22:58,507 --> 00:23:00,639 is also named in the will. 503 00:23:00,639 --> 00:23:04,426 Could she have anything to do with the murder? 504 00:23:04,426 --> 00:23:07,341 I really felt bad for Meg at that time 505 00:23:07,341 --> 00:23:09,300 because I knew Meg. 506 00:23:09,300 --> 00:23:10,997 But, we had to get some answers. 507 00:23:10,997 --> 00:23:12,651 When we when we approached her about the will, 508 00:23:12,651 --> 00:23:14,610 she didn't know about it. 509 00:23:14,610 --> 00:23:17,569 She also wanted answers you know. 510 00:23:17,569 --> 00:23:21,007 She loved 'em, Joe and Beth and Dennis. 511 00:23:21,007 --> 00:23:24,837 She was so bright, and-and intelligent, 512 00:23:24,837 --> 00:23:26,578 and loving. 513 00:23:26,578 --> 00:23:29,407 Police ask Meg about her relationship 514 00:23:29,407 --> 00:23:30,843 with her parents. 515 00:23:30,843 --> 00:23:35,152 She says it was good, but she raises one concern. 516 00:23:35,152 --> 00:23:38,677 Officers did learn that that Beth and Meg 517 00:23:38,677 --> 00:23:42,028 had had some disagreements over some of the people 518 00:23:42,028 --> 00:23:44,640 that she was now spending a lot of time with. 519 00:23:44,640 --> 00:23:46,859 One person in particular, 520 00:23:46,859 --> 00:23:49,862 Meg's boyfriend Randy Appleton. 521 00:23:49,862 --> 00:23:52,691 Beth and Joe didn't want him around 522 00:23:52,691 --> 00:23:55,607 so we needed to talk to Randy. 523 00:23:55,607 --> 00:24:00,177 Randy, became a viable person of interest. 524 00:24:07,793 --> 00:24:10,100 After three members of the Wellnitz family 525 00:24:10,100 --> 00:24:12,537 are gunned down in their own home, 526 00:24:12,537 --> 00:24:14,757 police now have a new suspect, 527 00:24:14,757 --> 00:24:17,455 the boyfriend of surviving daughter Meg, 528 00:24:17,455 --> 00:24:19,413 20-year-old Randy Appleton. 529 00:24:19,413 --> 00:24:23,809 Joe didn't go into any details, but he had a concern, 530 00:24:23,809 --> 00:24:26,812 I think, of the direction that Meg had taken 531 00:24:26,812 --> 00:24:29,728 as far as who she was associating with. 532 00:24:29,728 --> 00:24:32,601 That could be a motive for Randy Appleton. 533 00:24:32,601 --> 00:24:34,864 Detectives ask Randy where he was 534 00:24:34,864 --> 00:24:36,518 the night of the murder. 535 00:24:36,518 --> 00:24:38,563 He was leery about talking to us. 536 00:24:38,563 --> 00:24:40,913 Randy tells police he was playing cards 537 00:24:40,913 --> 00:24:43,612 with Meg and her friends until 2 a.m. 538 00:24:43,612 --> 00:24:45,439 the night of the murder. 539 00:24:45,439 --> 00:24:49,966 Then he mentions something that grabs detectives' attention. 540 00:24:49,966 --> 00:24:53,491 We learned that he was interested in firearms. 541 00:24:53,491 --> 00:24:57,147 We had learned that he had frequented a firing range. 542 00:25:00,106 --> 00:25:02,587 If the murder weapon had been used 543 00:25:02,587 --> 00:25:04,067 at the same firing range, 544 00:25:04,067 --> 00:25:06,809 where he in fact acknowledged having been practicing 545 00:25:06,809 --> 00:25:08,288 with a nine millimeter, 546 00:25:08,288 --> 00:25:10,290 it would be a very critical part of the investigation 547 00:25:10,290 --> 00:25:13,032 if if those shell casings collected from the range 548 00:25:13,032 --> 00:25:16,253 match to the murder weapon that was believed 549 00:25:16,253 --> 00:25:19,648 to have been used to kill the Wellnitz family. 550 00:25:19,648 --> 00:25:22,346 We're starting to see red flags at this point. 551 00:25:22,346 --> 00:25:25,001 Randy was one that liked guns. 552 00:25:25,001 --> 00:25:27,003 He did like to go to that firing range 553 00:25:27,003 --> 00:25:29,005 and did use a weapon there. 554 00:25:29,005 --> 00:25:32,182 We actually ended up going to the firing range 555 00:25:32,182 --> 00:25:36,186 and collecting several spent shell casings. 556 00:25:36,186 --> 00:25:38,667 All of them were submitted to the crime lab. 557 00:25:38,667 --> 00:25:42,279 Our hope was that we could match those rounds 558 00:25:42,279 --> 00:25:44,673 through the laboratory, 559 00:25:44,673 --> 00:25:47,414 to some of the nine millimeter shell casings 560 00:25:47,414 --> 00:25:49,547 that we had located. 561 00:25:49,547 --> 00:25:50,940 Two weeks later, 562 00:25:50,940 --> 00:25:54,204 police receive the results on the shell casings. 563 00:25:54,204 --> 00:25:56,206 They were not able to find any casings 564 00:25:56,206 --> 00:25:58,991 that matched as having been fired from the murder weapon 565 00:25:58,991 --> 00:26:01,864 that that was used to kill the Wellnitz family. 566 00:26:01,864 --> 00:26:05,171 It was very disappointing that we were unable to tie 567 00:26:05,171 --> 00:26:09,785 any of those shell casings to Randy Appleton. 568 00:26:09,785 --> 00:26:12,570 It suggested either that they used a different weapon 569 00:26:12,570 --> 00:26:16,879 at the firing range than was used to to murder the family, 570 00:26:16,879 --> 00:26:19,359 or that it could have been somebody else. 571 00:26:19,359 --> 00:26:20,578 Despite the setback, 572 00:26:20,578 --> 00:26:24,495 Randy's love of guns and familiarity with 573 00:26:24,495 --> 00:26:26,671 means he is still a suspect. 574 00:26:26,671 --> 00:26:28,804 Police look to confirm his alibi 575 00:26:28,804 --> 00:26:30,719 with those he and Meg claimed 576 00:26:30,719 --> 00:26:32,851 to have been with the night of the murder, 577 00:26:32,851 --> 00:26:34,723 Bill and Regina Meece. 578 00:26:34,723 --> 00:26:39,249 We had to talk to them to see if that was 579 00:26:39,249 --> 00:26:40,511 what they were doing, 580 00:26:40,511 --> 00:26:41,947 playing cards during the early morning hours, 581 00:26:41,947 --> 00:26:45,255 because that was Randy's alibi. 582 00:26:45,255 --> 00:26:46,648 Bill was cooperative. 583 00:26:46,648 --> 00:26:51,000 Bill had agreed to talk to us about certain things. 584 00:26:51,000 --> 00:26:53,437 Bill corroborates Randy's alibi. 585 00:26:53,437 --> 00:26:55,700 They were all four together playing cards 586 00:26:55,700 --> 00:26:58,616 'til you know the early morning hours. 587 00:26:58,616 --> 00:27:01,750 He agreed to take a lie detector test. 588 00:27:01,750 --> 00:27:03,926 During the process of the polygraph, 589 00:27:03,926 --> 00:27:06,929 the polygraph examiner asked him if he knew anything 590 00:27:06,929 --> 00:27:09,888 about what happened, if he had any involvement 591 00:27:09,888 --> 00:27:11,629 about what happened. 592 00:27:11,629 --> 00:27:14,458 And then his behavior was was something that was alarming, 593 00:27:14,458 --> 00:27:18,027 it was something that caused some concern with the officers. 594 00:27:18,027 --> 00:27:21,552 He started tearing this stuff off that you put on 595 00:27:21,552 --> 00:27:25,382 during a polygraph and just shut it down right then. 596 00:27:25,382 --> 00:27:28,124 And then the polygraph was over at that point. 597 00:27:28,124 --> 00:27:31,388 So he did not complete the polygraph. 598 00:27:31,388 --> 00:27:33,042 He was just very mad. 599 00:27:33,042 --> 00:27:35,000 Definitely raised red flags with us 600 00:27:35,000 --> 00:27:36,872 that he knows more than he's telling us 601 00:27:36,872 --> 00:27:39,613 and that he's afraid of that polygraph, 602 00:27:39,613 --> 00:27:41,224 'cause that polygraph might tell us 603 00:27:41,224 --> 00:27:43,879 more than he wants us to know. 604 00:27:43,879 --> 00:27:45,315 Despite his behavior, 605 00:27:45,315 --> 00:27:47,970 police have nothing concrete on Bill 606 00:27:47,970 --> 00:27:50,755 and are forced to let him go. 607 00:27:50,755 --> 00:27:52,322 We tried to talk to Regina, 608 00:27:52,322 --> 00:27:54,541 but Bill did not want us to interview her. 609 00:27:54,541 --> 00:27:57,806 He, you know, he would get very controlling with her. 610 00:27:57,806 --> 00:28:02,201 It's over at this point. 611 00:28:02,201 --> 00:28:03,986 We were still running down leads. 612 00:28:03,986 --> 00:28:07,424 Obviously, you always get leads that you're gonna follow. 613 00:28:07,424 --> 00:28:11,428 But one of the things that I thought early on was 614 00:28:11,428 --> 00:28:13,299 if we ever get to a point 615 00:28:13,299 --> 00:28:17,347 where Regina and Bill are not talking 616 00:28:17,347 --> 00:28:21,525 we need to go back and reapproach her. 617 00:28:21,525 --> 00:28:23,396 Lacking any new developments, 618 00:28:23,396 --> 00:28:26,791 months turn into years, leaving detectives 619 00:28:26,791 --> 00:28:29,794 and the Wellnitz's loved ones frustrated. 620 00:28:29,794 --> 00:28:32,928 What are we missing? What are we not doing? 621 00:28:32,928 --> 00:28:34,016 They're friends of mine. 622 00:28:34,016 --> 00:28:35,452 And this was one of those cases 623 00:28:35,452 --> 00:28:39,325 that you wanna solve before your career is over. 624 00:28:39,325 --> 00:28:40,849 It was just like you're at a dead end. 625 00:28:40,849 --> 00:28:42,807 And we couldn't figure that out, you know. 626 00:28:42,807 --> 00:28:43,982 When the case went cold, 627 00:28:43,982 --> 00:28:46,028 it was very disheartening just knowing 628 00:28:46,028 --> 00:28:48,508 that someone had committed this terrible crime 629 00:28:48,508 --> 00:28:52,382 and that they may possibly never have to pay for that. 630 00:28:52,382 --> 00:28:56,386 I just remember feeling so sad. 631 00:28:56,386 --> 00:29:00,129 Beth and Joe were just such a light in our community. 632 00:29:00,129 --> 00:29:03,436 You don't have any answers when it happened, 633 00:29:03,436 --> 00:29:05,874 I had no idea of who could have done it 634 00:29:05,874 --> 00:29:08,006 or why they would have done it. 635 00:29:08,006 --> 00:29:09,747 There was so little information coming out, 636 00:29:09,747 --> 00:29:13,490 it just kind of fell to the wayside. 637 00:29:13,490 --> 00:29:16,536 It's just sad. 638 00:29:16,536 --> 00:29:21,454 The case remains cold for nearly a decade. 639 00:29:21,454 --> 00:29:25,502 But in 2002, detectives decide to take a fresh look 640 00:29:25,502 --> 00:29:27,765 at the triple homicide. 641 00:29:27,765 --> 00:29:29,767 This case is still on my mind. 642 00:29:29,767 --> 00:29:31,813 I had never forgot it. 643 00:29:31,813 --> 00:29:33,336 I said, okay, what's the condition 644 00:29:33,336 --> 00:29:37,427 or what's the status of Bill and Regina 645 00:29:37,427 --> 00:29:41,344 and I learned at that point that they were separated. 646 00:29:41,344 --> 00:29:45,087 That was the thing that we were waiting on before, 647 00:29:45,087 --> 00:29:48,394 is when this separation occurred, to go see 648 00:29:48,394 --> 00:29:54,139 what Regina had to say outside of the control of Bill Meece. 649 00:29:54,139 --> 00:29:57,055 Police track Regina down 650 00:29:57,055 --> 00:30:00,015 and what she has to tell them is shocking. 651 00:30:00,015 --> 00:30:02,104 When we met with Regina in Lexington, 652 00:30:02,104 --> 00:30:04,671 she told us that she had proof 653 00:30:04,671 --> 00:30:07,370 of who killed the Wellnitzs. 654 00:30:15,334 --> 00:30:18,642 Nine years after the murder of Joe and Beth Wellnitz 655 00:30:18,642 --> 00:30:20,078 and their son Dennis, 656 00:30:20,078 --> 00:30:23,125 police finally have a break in the case. 657 00:30:23,125 --> 00:30:26,693 One of their surviving daughter Meg's best friends, 658 00:30:26,693 --> 00:30:30,001 Regina Meece, says she knows who the killer is, 659 00:30:30,001 --> 00:30:32,003 and has proof. 660 00:30:32,003 --> 00:30:34,005 When we approached her, she immediately said, 661 00:30:34,005 --> 00:30:36,094 "I've got this piece of evidence." 662 00:30:36,094 --> 00:30:38,444 She essentially wanted some assurance 663 00:30:38,444 --> 00:30:41,404 that she wouldn't be charged with tampering with evidence. 664 00:30:41,404 --> 00:30:43,449 And I assured her that if if she, 665 00:30:43,449 --> 00:30:45,234 in fact, turned it over to law enforcement, 666 00:30:45,234 --> 00:30:47,540 I didn't think it would even constitute a crime. 667 00:30:47,540 --> 00:30:50,326 Now, at that time, we didn't know if she had photographs 668 00:30:50,326 --> 00:30:53,503 that perhaps were taken during the commission of the crime. 669 00:30:53,503 --> 00:30:56,332 We didn't know if she may have had the firearm 670 00:30:56,332 --> 00:30:59,291 that was used in the commission of the crime 671 00:30:59,291 --> 00:31:01,163 or what piece of evidence that she had. 672 00:31:01,163 --> 00:31:03,382 But she shared with us that she had, in fact, 673 00:31:03,382 --> 00:31:07,647 retained possession of the fire safe that had been removed 674 00:31:07,647 --> 00:31:10,302 from the back closet in the bedroom upstairs 675 00:31:10,302 --> 00:31:14,045 of Beth and Joe's home. 676 00:31:14,045 --> 00:31:17,005 When police ask Regina how she got the safe, 677 00:31:17,005 --> 00:31:19,442 she says the person who gave it to her 678 00:31:19,442 --> 00:31:22,749 is the one who shot the Wellnitzs. 679 00:31:22,749 --> 00:31:25,927 Regina is the one who started the ball rolling. 680 00:31:25,927 --> 00:31:27,798 Everything started to fall in place. 681 00:31:27,798 --> 00:31:31,671 Regina told us that Bill Meece was the one responsible 682 00:31:31,671 --> 00:31:33,412 for the death of Dennis 683 00:31:33,412 --> 00:31:36,894 and the death of Joe and Beth Wellnitz. 684 00:31:40,985 --> 00:31:43,422 It was very shocking. Very shocking. 685 00:31:43,422 --> 00:31:46,773 She had been interviewed by the police before, 686 00:31:46,773 --> 00:31:49,907 but had been told by her then husband, now ex-husband, 687 00:31:49,907 --> 00:31:52,997 not to talk to the police, not to tell them anything 688 00:31:52,997 --> 00:31:57,132 and it certainly appeared, at least, to be a burden lifted, 689 00:31:57,132 --> 00:31:59,699 that she was able to share this information. 690 00:31:59,699 --> 00:32:03,051 It was a huge deal when we heard what she had to say 691 00:32:03,051 --> 00:32:05,618 that was the part that we needed to happen 692 00:32:05,618 --> 00:32:09,231 and that from there on it steamrolled from there. 693 00:32:09,231 --> 00:32:11,233 Regina takes police to her home 694 00:32:11,233 --> 00:32:13,931 to see the fire safe. 695 00:32:13,931 --> 00:32:16,325 It was the same type and everything 696 00:32:16,325 --> 00:32:19,371 that we were missing from the house that night. 697 00:32:19,371 --> 00:32:21,808 It was the same measurements, that same dimensions 698 00:32:21,808 --> 00:32:24,637 that we had measured when we were in the Wellnitz house 699 00:32:24,637 --> 00:32:27,118 and discovered that the safe was missing. 700 00:32:27,118 --> 00:32:30,121 When we later compared the bottom impressions 701 00:32:30,121 --> 00:32:32,471 on that fire safe to the imprints 702 00:32:32,471 --> 00:32:37,041 taken from the closet, it was-- it was a perfect match. 703 00:32:37,041 --> 00:32:39,652 And in fact, it was the the fire safe 704 00:32:39,652 --> 00:32:41,741 that was stolen from the Wellnitz home. 705 00:32:41,741 --> 00:32:44,614 Nothing of significant value is found in the safe. 706 00:32:44,614 --> 00:32:48,226 But Regina delivers another explosive revelation 707 00:32:48,226 --> 00:32:49,662 to police... 708 00:32:49,662 --> 00:32:53,405 She tells them that Bill is planning to kill again. 709 00:32:53,405 --> 00:32:56,321 Interviewing Bill Meece's ex-wife, 710 00:32:56,321 --> 00:32:58,062 it came to the attention of the police 711 00:32:58,062 --> 00:32:59,672 that-that a mutual friend 712 00:32:59,672 --> 00:33:01,457 had had an encounter with Bill Meece, 713 00:33:01,457 --> 00:33:03,720 where he had offered to kill her boyfriend. 714 00:33:06,375 --> 00:33:07,767 Bill had told her 715 00:33:07,767 --> 00:33:12,120 that he would commit this murder for her for $500. 716 00:33:12,120 --> 00:33:15,123 I mean, it was just i-incredible. 717 00:33:15,123 --> 00:33:17,255 It was disturbing. 718 00:33:17,255 --> 00:33:20,693 Was Bill some kind of twisted serial murderer? 719 00:33:20,693 --> 00:33:24,436 Police decide to move before he can strike once more. 720 00:33:24,436 --> 00:33:26,525 We initiated this investigation 721 00:33:26,525 --> 00:33:30,573 and, uh, contacted that lady that Bill had approached. 722 00:33:30,573 --> 00:33:33,315 She agreed to wear a recording device, 723 00:33:33,315 --> 00:33:34,925 speak with Bill Meece. 724 00:33:34,925 --> 00:33:38,407 He was provided a certain sum of money as a down payment. 725 00:33:38,407 --> 00:33:41,366 And the police then arrested him, 726 00:33:41,366 --> 00:33:46,067 for offering to kill this mutual friend's boyfriend. 727 00:33:46,067 --> 00:33:48,417 With Bill in jail, police question him 728 00:33:48,417 --> 00:33:50,723 about the Wellnitz triple homicide. 729 00:33:50,723 --> 00:33:54,727 There was no statements made, um, about the Wellnitz murder, 730 00:33:54,727 --> 00:33:57,948 um, that-that he was willing to make at that time. 731 00:33:57,948 --> 00:33:59,428 When we interviewed him there, 732 00:33:59,428 --> 00:34:01,473 I mean, we did not get a confession from-- 733 00:34:01,473 --> 00:34:03,649 he denied it at that point. 734 00:34:03,649 --> 00:34:07,871 Even though we knew, uh, that, uh, we were on the right track, 735 00:34:07,871 --> 00:34:12,397 it still takes evidence to-to put this together. 736 00:34:12,397 --> 00:34:14,617 As detectives work on building their case 737 00:34:14,617 --> 00:34:18,142 with Bill still in custody, news spreads quickly 738 00:34:18,142 --> 00:34:20,492 about his arrest, and possible involvement 739 00:34:20,492 --> 00:34:23,974 in the shooting of Joe, Beth, and Dennis. 740 00:34:23,974 --> 00:34:27,195 When I first heard about Bill being a suspect, 741 00:34:27,195 --> 00:34:31,938 it sent shivers up my spine 742 00:34:31,938 --> 00:34:36,160 because I-I immediately am flooded with the memories 743 00:34:36,160 --> 00:34:41,209 of being in junior high with Bill and, uh, 744 00:34:41,209 --> 00:34:45,561 having very, very strange interactions with him. 745 00:34:45,561 --> 00:34:47,258 I was 13, 14 years old, 746 00:34:47,258 --> 00:34:50,740 he at one point stabbed me in the leg with a pencil. 747 00:34:50,740 --> 00:34:56,615 He had been open about talking about murder and- 748 00:34:56,615 --> 00:34:58,487 and proceeded to threaten me 749 00:34:58,487 --> 00:35:00,402 that if I said anything about it, 750 00:35:00,402 --> 00:35:02,055 that he'd kill me and my family. 751 00:35:02,055 --> 00:35:06,582 I hadn't seen my dad in years when I went to school with Bill. 752 00:35:06,582 --> 00:35:11,543 Um, I don't know how they knew each other. 753 00:35:11,543 --> 00:35:13,980 One question remains for police: 754 00:35:13,980 --> 00:35:17,897 if Bill murdered the Wellnitzs, what was his motive? 755 00:35:17,897 --> 00:35:21,553 Detectives learn another piece of shocking information 756 00:35:21,553 --> 00:35:25,166 when Regina tells them Bill might have pulled the trigger, 757 00:35:25,166 --> 00:35:28,430 but someone else masterminded the killings. 758 00:35:28,430 --> 00:35:29,866 She did share with us that Meg 759 00:35:29,866 --> 00:35:32,216 had-had been involved in the planning of this murder, 760 00:35:32,216 --> 00:35:33,739 and that she had wanted it done. 761 00:35:36,220 --> 00:35:38,788 Certainly that was shocking to everybody. 762 00:35:38,788 --> 00:35:41,138 She said that Meg had ridden with Bill Meece 763 00:35:41,138 --> 00:35:45,360 from Lexington down to Columbia late night, early morning 764 00:35:45,360 --> 00:35:47,188 when these murders occurred. 765 00:35:47,188 --> 00:35:49,494 Meg was a big part of the planning 766 00:35:49,494 --> 00:35:54,499 and, uh, execution of the-the plan at her parents' house. 767 00:35:54,499 --> 00:35:57,154 What we also learned was that they had been planning this 768 00:35:57,154 --> 00:36:00,679 three months prior to the murders, before they did it. 769 00:36:00,679 --> 00:36:04,030 We believed at this time that Meg and Bill Meece 770 00:36:04,030 --> 00:36:05,858 were the ones responsible for the murders. 771 00:36:05,858 --> 00:36:11,081 We had ruled out Regina and Randy Appleton at this time. 772 00:36:11,081 --> 00:36:15,651 It was a bombshell for us to-to learn that information. 773 00:36:15,651 --> 00:36:17,827 I couldn't believe it, totally unexpected. 774 00:36:26,662 --> 00:36:29,447 Ten years after Joe, Beth, and Dennis Wellnitz 775 00:36:29,447 --> 00:36:31,275 were shot in cold blood, 776 00:36:31,275 --> 00:36:35,148 police now believe Meg Wellnitz wanted her parents dead 777 00:36:35,148 --> 00:36:38,500 and asked her friend Bill Meece to kill them. 778 00:36:38,500 --> 00:36:41,067 Based upon my prior history with Meg Wellnitz, 779 00:36:41,067 --> 00:36:43,983 I would have never dreamed that she would have been involved 780 00:36:43,983 --> 00:36:46,812 in that murder of her parents and sibling. 781 00:36:46,812 --> 00:36:49,467 She had become that type of person, 782 00:36:49,467 --> 00:36:52,165 uh, not the one that I knew from before, 783 00:36:52,165 --> 00:36:53,906 and now all of a sudden I see her 784 00:36:53,906 --> 00:36:55,995 in a completely different light 785 00:36:55,995 --> 00:37:00,826 when she has no compassion for life. 786 00:37:00,826 --> 00:37:02,828 Before they can lay charges, 787 00:37:02,828 --> 00:37:08,530 detectives need hard evidence against Meg and Bill. 788 00:37:08,530 --> 00:37:10,488 One of the things that we learned 789 00:37:10,488 --> 00:37:13,578 during the investigation, they had purchased 790 00:37:13,578 --> 00:37:16,755 a nine millimeter high power Browning Automatic. 791 00:37:16,755 --> 00:37:17,930 We knew they had done that. 792 00:37:17,930 --> 00:37:21,325 They used a false I.D. and they used it 793 00:37:21,325 --> 00:37:22,892 to make the purchase of the gun. 794 00:37:22,892 --> 00:37:26,504 We were able to-to learn that through a-a report 795 00:37:26,504 --> 00:37:28,637 from, uh, ATF. 796 00:37:28,637 --> 00:37:32,162 And we actually identified who sold that gun to 'em 797 00:37:32,162 --> 00:37:35,165 and that, uh, the person that sold it to 'em 798 00:37:35,165 --> 00:37:39,256 actually identified Meg and, uh, Bill as being 799 00:37:39,256 --> 00:37:43,782 the ones that came in. - On February 27, 2003, 800 00:37:43,782 --> 00:37:48,265 detectives finally have the evidence they need. 801 00:37:48,265 --> 00:37:51,486 This case was presented to an Adair County grand jury. 802 00:37:51,486 --> 00:37:52,748 And the grand jury indicted 803 00:37:52,748 --> 00:37:58,144 both Meg Wellnitz, uh, and Bill Meece. 804 00:37:58,144 --> 00:38:01,234 Meg is arrested at her home in Lexington, 805 00:38:01,234 --> 00:38:04,063 but refuses to speak to police. 806 00:38:04,063 --> 00:38:05,935 Bill, who is serving a 12 year sentence for 807 00:38:05,935 --> 00:38:09,895 the murder for hire plot, is ready to talk. 808 00:38:09,895 --> 00:38:13,029 During his statement, he certainly indicated to us 809 00:38:13,029 --> 00:38:15,771 Meg Wellnitz was involved in the planning. 810 00:38:15,771 --> 00:38:17,903 This was done at her urging. 811 00:38:17,903 --> 00:38:20,993 Uh, this was her idea and that she wanted it done. 812 00:38:35,312 --> 00:38:39,098 We had the motivation, the motivation being money. 813 00:38:39,098 --> 00:38:42,058 What we learned was that Meg and Bill 814 00:38:42,058 --> 00:38:45,931 drove from Lexington that morning down to Columbia, 815 00:38:45,931 --> 00:38:49,761 and that, uh, Meg gave Bill the key to the front door. 816 00:38:49,761 --> 00:38:52,851 She stays in the car. She does not go in the house. 817 00:40:00,092 --> 00:40:03,095 It truly was a-a chilling account 818 00:40:03,095 --> 00:40:06,185 of-of just how cold hearted he was, 819 00:40:06,185 --> 00:40:09,754 not only in doing it, but in talking about it. 820 00:40:09,754 --> 00:40:13,236 Police confront Meg with Bill's confession. 821 00:40:13,236 --> 00:40:16,848 She agreed to then give a statement. 822 00:40:16,848 --> 00:40:19,111 When we met with Meg, you know, 823 00:40:19,111 --> 00:40:22,811 my observation and my perception of her demeanor 824 00:40:22,811 --> 00:40:24,421 and her statements to us certainly 825 00:40:24,421 --> 00:40:27,076 was-was not one of any remorse. 826 00:40:27,076 --> 00:40:30,471 It was a matter of fact description 827 00:40:30,471 --> 00:40:32,037 of-of what she had done 828 00:40:32,037 --> 00:40:36,868 some years prior in having her family killed. 829 00:40:36,868 --> 00:40:40,089 I don't think I could have ever thought of Meg 830 00:40:40,089 --> 00:40:44,397 committing a murder or being a part of a murder plan. 831 00:40:44,397 --> 00:40:47,009 I know that life insurance might seem like a lot of money, 832 00:40:47,009 --> 00:40:51,883 but when you put that cost on lives, it's nothing. 833 00:40:51,883 --> 00:40:56,148 Like that's-- it's unfathomable to think that 834 00:40:56,148 --> 00:41:00,109 she considered their lives that invaluable. 835 00:41:00,109 --> 00:41:01,850 Bill Meece was convicted by a jury 836 00:41:01,850 --> 00:41:05,375 of three counts of murder, robbery, and burglary, 837 00:41:05,375 --> 00:41:07,072 and he was sentenced to death. 838 00:41:07,072 --> 00:41:09,248 Meg Wellnitz was convicted of complicity 839 00:41:09,248 --> 00:41:12,556 to three counts of murder, complicity to robbery, 840 00:41:12,556 --> 00:41:14,123 and complicity to burglary. 841 00:41:14,123 --> 00:41:17,213 And she received a sentence, uh, of life in prison 842 00:41:17,213 --> 00:41:20,303 without the possibility of parole for at least 25 years. 843 00:41:26,527 --> 00:41:29,573 It's very disturbing to know that this little sweet girl 844 00:41:29,573 --> 00:41:31,749 that I remember has been the one 845 00:41:31,749 --> 00:41:35,797 that actually, uh, played such a-such a big role 846 00:41:35,797 --> 00:41:38,451 in, uh, in the-- in this murder. 847 00:41:38,451 --> 00:41:41,759 Meg orchestrated one of the most horrendous crimes 848 00:41:41,759 --> 00:41:43,065 that you could imagine, 849 00:41:43,065 --> 00:41:46,155 killing your mom and dad and also your brother. 850 00:41:46,155 --> 00:41:48,070 I do not think that Meg receiving 851 00:41:48,070 --> 00:41:51,116 25 years was a just sentence. 852 00:41:51,116 --> 00:41:54,859 I think she was as guilty as Bill Meece, 853 00:41:54,859 --> 00:41:57,601 and I think she should have been given the same type 854 00:41:57,601 --> 00:42:01,474 of sentence as Bill Meece. Death. 855 00:42:01,474 --> 00:42:05,304 For their daughter to have been the killer 856 00:42:05,304 --> 00:42:10,135 was about the most unexpected thing. 857 00:42:10,135 --> 00:42:13,965 It was such a shock to try to wrap your head around 858 00:42:13,965 --> 00:42:20,319 how could a daughter carry out or be the mastermind. 859 00:42:20,319 --> 00:42:23,932 It does not get any more heartless than that, 860 00:42:23,932 --> 00:42:27,457 and it does not get any more sickening than that. 861 00:42:27,457 --> 00:42:32,070 She didn't deserve to ever be free again. 862 00:42:32,070 --> 00:42:35,465 In 2014, having served eight years 863 00:42:35,465 --> 00:42:37,032 of her life sentence, 864 00:42:37,032 --> 00:42:40,992 Meg is found dead in her cell of an apparent suicide. 865 00:42:45,083 --> 00:42:47,216 I certainly could never have imagined 866 00:42:47,216 --> 00:42:49,653 that things would have turned out this way. 867 00:42:49,653 --> 00:42:53,831 I just feel sad that 868 00:42:53,831 --> 00:42:55,659 Joe wasn't able to live out his life 869 00:42:55,659 --> 00:42:56,965 the way that he deserved to 870 00:42:56,965 --> 00:42:59,184 and continue to give back to the community 871 00:42:59,184 --> 00:43:02,666 that he was a part of and, uh, 872 00:43:02,666 --> 00:43:05,669 be a father to Dennis and to Meg, even. 873 00:43:05,669 --> 00:43:09,107 I'd-- I wish I'd gotten to spend more time with him. 874 00:43:09,107 --> 00:43:12,023 It's just hard to understand, um, sometimes 875 00:43:12,023 --> 00:43:13,677 why-why things happened 876 00:43:13,677 --> 00:43:16,201 and why-why they had to lose their lives in that way 877 00:43:16,201 --> 00:43:18,203 when they had so much ahead of them. 878 00:43:18,203 --> 00:43:21,119 It was a very tragic ending. 879 00:43:21,119 --> 00:43:24,906 The community lost a cherished family. 880 00:43:24,906 --> 00:43:26,385 And we miss 'em as friends. 881 00:43:26,385 --> 00:43:29,562 We miss 'em as, uh, as part of the community. 882 00:43:29,562 --> 00:43:31,303 They were just fine folks.