1 00:00:06,931 --> 00:00:09,068 [birds squawking] 2 00:00:18,689 --> 00:00:20,275 The Lassen National Forest 3 00:00:21,103 --> 00:00:24,586 is located approximately 130 miles north 4 00:00:24,655 --> 00:00:26,586 of Sacramento, California. 5 00:00:28,793 --> 00:00:31,793 It is 1,800 square miles, 6 00:00:32,586 --> 00:00:35,068 which means if you like remoteness, 7 00:00:35,137 --> 00:00:36,896 that would be your location. 8 00:00:40,068 --> 00:00:43,689 January 21st of 2000, the middle of winter, 9 00:00:43,689 --> 00:00:45,551 a man named Jerry Levitoff 10 00:00:46,517 --> 00:00:49,275 went fishing around Lake Almanor. 11 00:00:49,275 --> 00:00:52,689 He was going to see if the ice had broken loose 12 00:00:52,689 --> 00:00:55,000 into a stream that flows into the lake, 13 00:00:55,000 --> 00:00:56,448 but he didn't come home. 14 00:00:57,103 --> 00:01:01,896 [phone ringing] 15 00:01:01,965 --> 00:01:04,482 His fiancee tries to call him on his cell phone. 16 00:01:04,551 --> 00:01:06,896 [line ringing] 17 00:01:08,827 --> 00:01:09,965 There's no answer. 18 00:01:11,275 --> 00:01:13,862 And I thought, "There's something wrong here." 19 00:01:15,000 --> 00:01:16,896 I waited until the next day 20 00:01:16,965 --> 00:01:18,344 and I said, "We're gonna go look for him." 21 00:01:19,689 --> 00:01:21,586 So they began to mobilize themselves 22 00:01:21,655 --> 00:01:23,172 into a search party. 23 00:01:24,000 --> 00:01:25,275 They are familiar 24 00:01:25,344 --> 00:01:27,172 with his fishing holes in the area. 25 00:01:27,172 --> 00:01:29,344 We went all the way around the lake. 26 00:01:30,896 --> 00:01:32,068 Jerry! 27 00:01:32,068 --> 00:01:34,689 And then finally found his truck on the west shore. 28 00:01:35,378 --> 00:01:36,758 [women] Jerry! 29 00:01:37,620 --> 00:01:38,862 Jerry! 30 00:01:39,517 --> 00:01:40,586 He was nowhere. 31 00:01:41,378 --> 00:01:42,689 [dog whimpering] 32 00:01:42,758 --> 00:01:43,793 Jerry? 33 00:01:44,689 --> 00:01:46,000 As they walk up to the truck, 34 00:01:46,000 --> 00:01:47,896 they hear a whimpering sound. 35 00:01:47,896 --> 00:01:49,378 Hey! 36 00:01:49,448 --> 00:01:51,172 -Hi, buddy! Hi! -[dog whimpering] 37 00:01:51,241 --> 00:01:53,000 Where's Daddy, huh? 38 00:01:54,793 --> 00:01:57,586 [Johnson] And our pup Stormy was in the back. 39 00:01:57,586 --> 00:01:59,172 Jerry loved that pup, 40 00:01:59,172 --> 00:02:00,448 and I kept thinking, 41 00:02:01,620 --> 00:02:03,379 why didn't he take Stormy with him? 42 00:02:03,379 --> 00:02:05,586 I couldn't make sense of anything. 43 00:02:07,379 --> 00:02:09,275 He's not gonna abandon a puppy 44 00:02:09,344 --> 00:02:12,068 in an unheated pickup truck for two days. 45 00:02:12,068 --> 00:02:13,241 [Johnson] Jerry! 46 00:02:14,689 --> 00:02:15,896 Jerry! 47 00:02:15,965 --> 00:02:17,482 Now, they're terribly frightened. 48 00:02:17,482 --> 00:02:19,172 Where is Jerry? 49 00:02:19,172 --> 00:02:20,965 And what has happened to him? 50 00:02:30,724 --> 00:02:33,172 [Kenda] I spent my career closing murder cases. 51 00:02:35,067 --> 00:02:38,067 But I'm not the only one who answered the call. 52 00:02:39,827 --> 00:02:43,793 It takes a rare breed to solve the unsolvable, 53 00:02:43,862 --> 00:02:46,241 to catch a ruthless killer, 54 00:02:46,827 --> 00:02:49,275 to find justice for the dead. 55 00:02:50,517 --> 00:02:53,067 That's what it takes 56 00:02:53,137 --> 00:02:55,758 to be an American Detective. 57 00:03:03,103 --> 00:03:04,482 My name is Greg Hagwood. 58 00:03:04,551 --> 00:03:07,379 I am a retired sheriff 59 00:03:07,379 --> 00:03:09,172 and former investigator 60 00:03:09,241 --> 00:03:11,586 with the Plumas County Sheriff's Office. 61 00:03:11,586 --> 00:03:14,793 Growing up, my father was good friends with the sheriff. 62 00:03:14,793 --> 00:03:17,068 I got the opportunity to tag along. 63 00:03:17,137 --> 00:03:20,379 I thought that was a really, really neat job 64 00:03:20,379 --> 00:03:23,275 and kind of fell in love with it at the time. 65 00:03:23,344 --> 00:03:24,482 And so, I got my bachelor's degree 66 00:03:24,482 --> 00:03:25,482 in criminal justice. 67 00:03:25,551 --> 00:03:27,379 In December of 1988, 68 00:03:27,379 --> 00:03:28,689 went to the academy. 69 00:03:28,689 --> 00:03:31,000 Was a patrol deputy in my hometown. 70 00:03:31,000 --> 00:03:34,275 From there, I became the investigation sergeant. 71 00:03:34,275 --> 00:03:35,379 Couldn't ask for anything better. 72 00:03:35,448 --> 00:03:37,448 It was just the best job in the world. 73 00:03:38,620 --> 00:03:40,793 In my time at the sheriff's office, 74 00:03:40,793 --> 00:03:43,482 we had about 100% solve rate on our homicides. 75 00:03:45,103 --> 00:03:48,275 That's a reflection of our dedication, our commitment. 76 00:03:48,344 --> 00:03:50,896 It leaves you with having a real sense of purpose. 77 00:03:50,896 --> 00:03:51,965 It makes you feel good. 78 00:03:54,620 --> 00:03:56,758 [phone ringing] 79 00:04:06,896 --> 00:04:08,000 Detective Hagwood. 80 00:04:09,172 --> 00:04:10,586 I am made aware 81 00:04:10,655 --> 00:04:12,275 that Mr. Levitoff's truck 82 00:04:12,275 --> 00:04:16,793 is located very near the shores of Lake Almanor, 83 00:04:16,862 --> 00:04:19,586 in the winter time cold. 84 00:04:19,654 --> 00:04:20,620 Mm-hmm. Got it. 85 00:04:20,620 --> 00:04:22,379 [Kenda] The greatest danger in January, 86 00:04:22,379 --> 00:04:23,379 in those mountains, 87 00:04:23,448 --> 00:04:26,068 in the wilderness, is hypothermia. 88 00:04:26,068 --> 00:04:28,172 You only have a few hours to survive 89 00:04:28,172 --> 00:04:31,000 before hypothermia makes you unconscious 90 00:04:31,034 --> 00:04:32,758 and you never wake up. 91 00:04:42,172 --> 00:04:44,275 [police radio chatter] 92 00:04:52,000 --> 00:04:54,000 When Hagwood arrives on the scene, 93 00:04:54,000 --> 00:04:56,965 deputies brief him on the man they're searching for. 94 00:04:57,896 --> 00:05:01,275 Jerry Levitoff has been missing for two days. 95 00:05:01,344 --> 00:05:02,896 He is a 26-year employee 96 00:05:02,965 --> 00:05:04,137 of the United States Forest Service. 97 00:05:05,172 --> 00:05:09,068 He was very serious and connected to his job. 98 00:05:09,137 --> 00:05:11,793 His work life was really important. 99 00:05:13,000 --> 00:05:15,172 [Alice Baltimore] He was very athletic 100 00:05:15,172 --> 00:05:18,068 and loving to be out and fish. 101 00:05:18,896 --> 00:05:21,172 One of the encouragements for him 102 00:05:21,172 --> 00:05:23,275 to go into the Forestry 103 00:05:23,275 --> 00:05:25,000 is that he was out with nature. 104 00:05:25,034 --> 00:05:30,551 And eventually, he was signed up in the Hotshot crew. 105 00:05:31,517 --> 00:05:34,379 [Kenda] A Hotshot crew are firefighters 106 00:05:34,379 --> 00:05:36,689 that go back into the deep wilderness, 107 00:05:36,689 --> 00:05:39,068 with your physical ability only, 108 00:05:39,068 --> 00:05:42,241 to cut a fire line to stop a fire. 109 00:05:45,793 --> 00:05:47,379 [Baltimore] And they would jump 110 00:05:47,379 --> 00:05:50,379 from helicopters and planes into fire. 111 00:05:53,896 --> 00:05:56,482 Smoke jumpers, you go through weeks of training. 112 00:05:56,482 --> 00:05:59,655 He really enjoyed that kind of thing. 113 00:06:01,275 --> 00:06:02,793 [Kenda] Very difficult work. 114 00:06:02,793 --> 00:06:05,275 Physically demanding to the maximum, 115 00:06:05,275 --> 00:06:06,482 and dangerous. 116 00:06:06,482 --> 00:06:08,068 Extremely dangerous. 117 00:06:09,103 --> 00:06:10,379 [Mike Madden] It's a very critical job, 118 00:06:10,379 --> 00:06:15,000 required a certain aptitude and skills to do that job. 119 00:06:17,379 --> 00:06:21,172 Jerry was a highly qualified and experienced firefighter. 120 00:06:21,172 --> 00:06:23,586 What makes this case so interesting 121 00:06:23,655 --> 00:06:26,689 is Jerry Levitoff would be one of the persons required 122 00:06:26,689 --> 00:06:29,758 to search for someone missing in the wilderness. 123 00:06:30,172 --> 00:06:31,896 And now, it is Jerry 124 00:06:31,896 --> 00:06:33,965 that is missing in that same wilderness. 125 00:06:34,827 --> 00:06:36,379 This is very ominous. 126 00:06:37,586 --> 00:06:39,034 And Hagwood knows it. 127 00:06:40,000 --> 00:06:41,448 [radio chatter] 128 00:06:42,724 --> 00:06:45,793 Something was very, very wrong 129 00:06:45,793 --> 00:06:48,000 about the totality of all these circumstances. 130 00:06:50,482 --> 00:06:52,103 For Jerry to go missing, 131 00:06:52,103 --> 00:06:54,482 it was just incredibly out of character. 132 00:06:54,551 --> 00:06:55,896 The most common reason 133 00:06:55,896 --> 00:06:58,482 that someone is missing in this national forest 134 00:06:58,482 --> 00:06:59,655 is they get lost. 135 00:07:00,827 --> 00:07:03,586 Jerry can't get lost, 136 00:07:03,586 --> 00:07:05,000 not there, 137 00:07:05,000 --> 00:07:07,172 'cause he knows every inch of it. 138 00:07:07,172 --> 00:07:08,379 We've got to figure out what's going on, 139 00:07:08,379 --> 00:07:10,000 what happened to Mr. Levitoff. 140 00:07:12,517 --> 00:07:14,275 [Kenda] There is freshly fallen snow 141 00:07:14,275 --> 00:07:16,103 over this whole area. 142 00:07:16,103 --> 00:07:18,000 So everything is obscured. 143 00:07:18,000 --> 00:07:19,586 There's no footprints. 144 00:07:19,586 --> 00:07:21,103 The area is white. 145 00:07:21,103 --> 00:07:23,275 If you made a scan, 146 00:07:23,344 --> 00:07:24,689 you didn't see anything 147 00:07:24,689 --> 00:07:27,000 that really looked out of ordinary 148 00:07:27,000 --> 00:07:28,034 except for the truck. 149 00:07:30,620 --> 00:07:32,344 Are there signs of a struggle? 150 00:07:34,000 --> 00:07:35,862 Hagwood looks inside the cab. 151 00:07:43,275 --> 00:07:44,896 He finds nothing out of the ordinary. 152 00:07:44,896 --> 00:07:47,448 There's no blood, no evidence of anything. 153 00:07:57,689 --> 00:07:59,275 He walks around the other side of the truck 154 00:07:59,275 --> 00:08:02,896 and he sees cables hanging from under the hood. 155 00:08:06,103 --> 00:08:08,758 [Hagwood] Jumper cables were attached to the battery. 156 00:08:09,689 --> 00:08:10,689 It was strange. 157 00:08:11,827 --> 00:08:14,275 You naturally start evaluating 158 00:08:14,344 --> 00:08:15,551 and you go, "Okay, 159 00:08:15,551 --> 00:08:19,103 somebody's car break down, he offers them a jump start." 160 00:08:19,103 --> 00:08:20,482 Hagwood's own experience 161 00:08:20,482 --> 00:08:22,068 and his instincts as a policeman 162 00:08:22,137 --> 00:08:23,965 are now kicked into high order. 163 00:08:25,000 --> 00:08:26,586 This is where this began. 164 00:08:26,586 --> 00:08:27,793 This missing person 165 00:08:27,862 --> 00:08:29,793 may not be missing. 166 00:08:29,793 --> 00:08:32,379 They may be a victim of violence. 167 00:08:32,448 --> 00:08:34,793 Something really bad is going on here. 168 00:08:36,206 --> 00:08:38,379 Well, if that's where this began, 169 00:08:38,379 --> 00:08:41,172 then Jerry Levitoff may be very close. 170 00:08:45,482 --> 00:08:48,068 [Hagwood] A couple of my officers, 171 00:08:48,137 --> 00:08:49,137 they called me over. 172 00:08:54,275 --> 00:08:57,793 They said, "Take a look at that lump in the snow 173 00:08:57,793 --> 00:08:59,068 right over there." 174 00:09:04,000 --> 00:09:05,068 I looked. 175 00:09:07,379 --> 00:09:10,172 And I said, "Uh-oh." 176 00:09:11,103 --> 00:09:13,379 There are moments in criminal investigations 177 00:09:13,379 --> 00:09:16,379 that a bad feeling comes over you. 178 00:09:16,448 --> 00:09:18,896 And that's what was going through Hagwood's mind 179 00:09:18,896 --> 00:09:20,689 when he saw that lump in the snow. 180 00:09:20,689 --> 00:09:23,551 He suspected what that lump was. 181 00:09:25,620 --> 00:09:27,344 I brushed away the snow. 182 00:09:30,482 --> 00:09:31,862 CSI here, please! 183 00:09:34,827 --> 00:09:36,241 It was Jerry Levitoff. 184 00:09:39,000 --> 00:09:43,172 He had a very catastrophic wound to the head 185 00:09:43,172 --> 00:09:45,241 consistent with a shotgun blast. 186 00:09:48,586 --> 00:09:50,000 [Kenda] Jerry didn't get lost. 187 00:09:50,000 --> 00:09:52,172 Jerry didn't die from hypothermia. 188 00:09:52,172 --> 00:09:54,275 Jerry wasn't attacked by a bear. 189 00:09:54,275 --> 00:09:55,655 Jerry was murdered 190 00:09:56,586 --> 00:09:59,379 in the most cold-blooded manner possible. 191 00:10:05,517 --> 00:10:07,655 [siren wailing] 192 00:10:09,413 --> 00:10:11,275 [Kenda] Sergeant Hagwood now realizes 193 00:10:11,344 --> 00:10:13,172 he's standing in a crime scene. 194 00:10:13,172 --> 00:10:14,241 We found Jerry Levitoff. 195 00:10:15,793 --> 00:10:17,862 It appeared that 196 00:10:17,862 --> 00:10:21,034 he had been struck with a shotgun blast. 197 00:10:24,793 --> 00:10:27,689 He has a massive gunshot wound to the back of his head. 198 00:10:32,000 --> 00:10:34,000 This is close contact. 199 00:10:34,000 --> 00:10:35,275 The muzzle of the weapon 200 00:10:35,275 --> 00:10:37,758 is placed within two inches of the head, 201 00:10:37,827 --> 00:10:39,275 and the trigger is pulled. 202 00:10:39,344 --> 00:10:41,482 He's been killed execution-style 203 00:10:41,482 --> 00:10:43,379 and dropped face-first 204 00:10:43,379 --> 00:10:44,482 dead to the ground 205 00:10:44,482 --> 00:10:47,172 and covered by the overnight snow. 206 00:10:47,241 --> 00:10:48,758 [indistinct chatter] 207 00:10:48,758 --> 00:10:50,068 [Hagwood] He doesn't have a wallet. 208 00:10:50,068 --> 00:10:52,172 Everybody says he always carries his wallet, 209 00:10:52,172 --> 00:10:53,586 so maybe this is a robbery. 210 00:10:53,586 --> 00:10:56,275 Okay. Let's say it's a robbery. 211 00:10:56,344 --> 00:10:57,586 Then how do you explain 212 00:10:57,586 --> 00:11:00,896 the execution-style killing of this individual? 213 00:11:00,896 --> 00:11:02,379 Why not just order him 214 00:11:02,379 --> 00:11:03,793 to surrender his wallet? 215 00:11:03,793 --> 00:11:06,241 There's something very odd about this. 216 00:11:09,482 --> 00:11:11,275 So now we've got a crime scene, 217 00:11:11,275 --> 00:11:12,586 but it's covered in snow. 218 00:11:13,206 --> 00:11:14,482 Hmm. 219 00:11:16,482 --> 00:11:20,275 So we commandeered some propane torches 220 00:11:20,275 --> 00:11:21,448 from the road department... 221 00:11:24,103 --> 00:11:26,000 and we undertook the process... 222 00:11:28,482 --> 00:11:30,862 of melting all the snow. 223 00:11:38,172 --> 00:11:40,689 Now, we have a rather confined area 224 00:11:40,689 --> 00:11:42,965 to see if any evidence can be located. 225 00:11:50,172 --> 00:11:51,655 We made some discoveries. 226 00:11:55,000 --> 00:11:56,758 There was a shotgun shell 227 00:11:56,827 --> 00:11:59,172 in close proximity to his vehicle. 228 00:12:01,275 --> 00:12:04,482 And then there was a second shotgun shell 229 00:12:04,482 --> 00:12:08,068 in very close proximity to Mr. Levitoff's remains. 230 00:12:09,379 --> 00:12:10,586 [camera clicks] 231 00:12:10,586 --> 00:12:12,344 They also find something interesting. 232 00:12:15,931 --> 00:12:18,758 We located a hood emblem 233 00:12:18,827 --> 00:12:20,275 from a Honda car, 234 00:12:21,103 --> 00:12:23,103 where the jumper cables were. 235 00:12:23,103 --> 00:12:24,482 [Kenda] What could have happened here? 236 00:12:24,551 --> 00:12:28,172 So is it possible that we have someone with a shotgun... 237 00:12:32,586 --> 00:12:35,896 who drives a Honda with a weak battery? 238 00:12:35,896 --> 00:12:37,482 Yes, it is. 239 00:12:37,551 --> 00:12:40,758 We're entertaining endless ideas. 240 00:12:40,827 --> 00:12:42,758 Are we dealing with a set of circumstances 241 00:12:42,758 --> 00:12:43,862 that could be related 242 00:12:43,931 --> 00:12:45,862 to his employment with the Forest Service? 243 00:12:45,931 --> 00:12:47,758 There are some very dangerous people 244 00:12:47,827 --> 00:12:49,068 there in those woods. 245 00:12:51,931 --> 00:12:54,379 And they're there for a reason. 246 00:12:54,379 --> 00:12:56,275 To avoid human contact. 247 00:12:56,344 --> 00:12:58,586 Plumas County continues to have 248 00:12:58,655 --> 00:13:02,172 a presence of cartel drug activity 249 00:13:02,172 --> 00:13:05,862 in terms of large marijuana grows 250 00:13:05,931 --> 00:13:07,482 and methamphetamine. 251 00:13:07,482 --> 00:13:09,689 [Kenda] If you do encounter these people 252 00:13:09,758 --> 00:13:10,758 in a national forest, 253 00:13:10,758 --> 00:13:12,862 you're dealing with professional criminals. 254 00:13:12,931 --> 00:13:15,379 What if Jerry becomes a witness 255 00:13:15,379 --> 00:13:17,034 and has to be eliminated? 256 00:13:19,172 --> 00:13:20,689 Somebody was here. 257 00:13:20,689 --> 00:13:21,862 Somebody had a gun, 258 00:13:21,862 --> 00:13:24,896 and for some reason, decided to take a life. 259 00:13:24,896 --> 00:13:26,793 So, now the question is open. 260 00:13:26,793 --> 00:13:28,655 What caused this to take place? 261 00:13:29,758 --> 00:13:32,379 After we had moved his remains... 262 00:13:36,172 --> 00:13:38,344 his girlfriend, Melany, had been there. 263 00:13:42,689 --> 00:13:45,586 We let her know that we had located him deceased. 264 00:13:45,586 --> 00:13:47,241 [indistinct chatter] 265 00:13:50,896 --> 00:13:53,862 [Hagwood] The grief and shock, it was very present. 266 00:13:55,275 --> 00:13:57,172 It was like I just couldn't believe. 267 00:13:57,241 --> 00:13:58,068 I just felt like 268 00:13:58,068 --> 00:14:00,379 I needed to see him 269 00:14:00,448 --> 00:14:01,862 and I never got that chance. 270 00:14:04,379 --> 00:14:06,068 [Baltimore] We were all in shock. 271 00:14:06,137 --> 00:14:08,379 How could this happen 272 00:14:08,379 --> 00:14:09,482 to this nice man 273 00:14:09,482 --> 00:14:11,379 who served his country, 274 00:14:11,379 --> 00:14:13,068 who loved people? 275 00:14:15,206 --> 00:14:19,068 Jerry was born in Pasadena in 1946. 276 00:14:19,896 --> 00:14:22,482 He was always interested in the service. 277 00:14:22,482 --> 00:14:24,758 So, in 1963, 278 00:14:24,827 --> 00:14:26,655 he enlisted in the Air Force. 279 00:14:28,103 --> 00:14:29,896 [Danny] He loved flying. 280 00:14:29,896 --> 00:14:33,000 I know, in Vietnam, he couldn't talk about much 281 00:14:33,000 --> 00:14:35,758 because he worked on some of the radar 282 00:14:35,758 --> 00:14:37,068 on the jets 283 00:14:37,068 --> 00:14:38,586 that you weren't 284 00:14:38,655 --> 00:14:39,862 supposed to know about. 285 00:14:39,862 --> 00:14:42,172 He came home real stern. 286 00:14:42,172 --> 00:14:44,275 It was like something changed. 287 00:14:44,275 --> 00:14:46,275 He took me aside 288 00:14:46,275 --> 00:14:47,862 and he told me, 289 00:14:47,931 --> 00:14:50,931 "You don't understand what it was like. 290 00:14:52,000 --> 00:14:53,103 "Two days ago, 291 00:14:53,103 --> 00:14:56,586 I was sitting in a helicopter with a machine gun, 292 00:14:56,586 --> 00:14:59,965 and I had to shoot people I didn't want to shoot." 293 00:15:00,896 --> 00:15:02,275 And... [sniffles] 294 00:15:03,482 --> 00:15:07,275 He wanted to get to a place where he could find a way 295 00:15:07,344 --> 00:15:08,586 to really heal, 296 00:15:08,655 --> 00:15:10,896 and he headed up north. 297 00:15:10,896 --> 00:15:12,758 I think was a good place for him to be. 298 00:15:12,827 --> 00:15:15,000 It is a beautiful place. 299 00:15:15,000 --> 00:15:17,896 Forest and streams and lakes 300 00:15:17,896 --> 00:15:20,068 and a place to refresh your soul. 301 00:15:22,000 --> 00:15:24,586 Jerry was a consummate, well-aimed firefighter. 302 00:15:24,586 --> 00:15:26,275 It really hit home, 303 00:15:26,344 --> 00:15:29,379 and we were really sad and anxious 304 00:15:29,379 --> 00:15:31,275 to find out what happened, 305 00:15:31,344 --> 00:15:34,551 and bring whoever did this to justice. 306 00:15:36,793 --> 00:15:39,241 [horn honking] 307 00:15:42,482 --> 00:15:44,896 [Hagwood] The examination of his remains 308 00:15:44,896 --> 00:15:47,689 were very preliminary at the scene. 309 00:15:48,482 --> 00:15:50,586 [Kenda] The body is frozen solid 310 00:15:50,586 --> 00:15:52,586 like a side of beef in a cooler. 311 00:15:52,586 --> 00:15:54,379 You can't move joints. 312 00:15:54,379 --> 00:15:56,000 You can't move legs. 313 00:15:56,034 --> 00:15:59,758 The technique is to literally allow it to thaw. 314 00:15:59,827 --> 00:16:02,275 The autopsy confirmed that the cause of death 315 00:16:02,275 --> 00:16:03,655 was gunshot wound to the head. 316 00:16:06,379 --> 00:16:08,103 [Kenda] Are there any other injuries? 317 00:16:08,103 --> 00:16:10,068 Any other evidence of torture 318 00:16:10,137 --> 00:16:12,758 or defensive wounds or anything like that? 319 00:16:14,758 --> 00:16:17,172 [Hagwood] Mr. Levitoff had what appeared to be 320 00:16:17,241 --> 00:16:19,103 a very, very close-range 321 00:16:19,103 --> 00:16:21,344 shotgun wound through his hand. 322 00:16:23,482 --> 00:16:25,103 [Kenda] Well, this is odd. 323 00:16:25,103 --> 00:16:27,689 Did the pain of that injury cause him to fall? 324 00:16:27,689 --> 00:16:29,172 The working theory 325 00:16:29,172 --> 00:16:31,965 was he was running away from the truck. 326 00:16:35,000 --> 00:16:37,275 He has put his hand up to shield his face. 327 00:16:37,275 --> 00:16:39,068 -[gunshot] -[man screams] 328 00:16:40,620 --> 00:16:42,000 Got shot. 329 00:16:42,034 --> 00:16:43,689 The grazing wound knocked him down. 330 00:16:43,689 --> 00:16:45,068 The shooter puts the muzzle 331 00:16:45,068 --> 00:16:46,862 to the back of the victim's head... 332 00:16:46,862 --> 00:16:49,137 And basically executed him right there. 333 00:16:52,000 --> 00:16:54,689 This crime is beyond weird. 334 00:16:54,689 --> 00:16:57,586 To kill with that level of violence 335 00:16:57,655 --> 00:16:59,482 and that amount of coldness, 336 00:16:59,482 --> 00:17:02,172 there's more to this than the theft of a wallet. 337 00:17:05,172 --> 00:17:08,896 You naturally start looking at the circumstances, 338 00:17:08,896 --> 00:17:11,862 the evidence, the scene, the location, the individual. 339 00:17:13,413 --> 00:17:17,172 You need to try to understand as much as you possibly can... 340 00:17:17,172 --> 00:17:18,482 [phone ringing] 341 00:17:18,482 --> 00:17:20,862 ...about the person that was the victim. 342 00:17:22,172 --> 00:17:24,275 There was a phone call from Hagwood 343 00:17:24,275 --> 00:17:26,931 and told me they would be coming to question me. 344 00:17:33,172 --> 00:17:34,586 [Hagwood] Talking with Melany, 345 00:17:34,586 --> 00:17:37,482 it seemed Jerry Levitoff was a much loved, 346 00:17:37,482 --> 00:17:39,379 very liked person. 347 00:17:39,379 --> 00:17:40,482 He was just really kind 348 00:17:40,482 --> 00:17:41,586 and he was funny. 349 00:17:41,586 --> 00:17:43,000 He was really loving. 350 00:17:43,000 --> 00:17:45,068 He had a sparkle in his eyes. 351 00:17:45,137 --> 00:17:46,586 It was magic. 352 00:17:46,586 --> 00:17:49,758 [Hagwood] At this juncture in Jerry Levitoff's life, 353 00:17:49,827 --> 00:17:52,275 he had been separated 354 00:17:52,275 --> 00:17:55,103 and going through a divorce process 355 00:17:55,103 --> 00:17:57,758 with his former wife. 356 00:17:59,103 --> 00:18:00,379 Hmm. Interesting. 357 00:18:00,379 --> 00:18:04,482 You want to go back and reverse engineer 358 00:18:04,551 --> 00:18:08,000 in time and place and people, 359 00:18:08,000 --> 00:18:10,068 everything that they were doing. 360 00:18:10,068 --> 00:18:12,862 "When was the last time you saw Mr. Levitoff?" 361 00:18:13,482 --> 00:18:15,275 "What was he doing?" 362 00:18:15,275 --> 00:18:16,896 He was going to Lake Almanor. 363 00:18:16,896 --> 00:18:18,068 So who would have done this? 364 00:18:18,068 --> 00:18:19,758 I don't know. He was well liked. 365 00:18:19,827 --> 00:18:22,000 He didn't have enemies. 366 00:18:22,034 --> 00:18:23,862 There was absolutely no evidence to support 367 00:18:23,862 --> 00:18:26,896 that anybody out there has any reason to do him harm. 368 00:18:26,896 --> 00:18:27,896 So what do you do? 369 00:18:27,896 --> 00:18:29,862 [indistinct chatter] 370 00:18:29,931 --> 00:18:31,172 Well, let's search the place. 371 00:18:32,379 --> 00:18:33,896 Maybe there is something there 372 00:18:33,896 --> 00:18:36,379 that can give us somewhere to go next. 373 00:18:36,448 --> 00:18:39,482 Because right now, we don't have a place to go. 374 00:18:39,482 --> 00:18:42,068 [Hagwood] When you have unfettered access 375 00:18:42,068 --> 00:18:43,689 to a person's house, 376 00:18:43,758 --> 00:18:47,448 you can start to understand their habits. 377 00:18:48,379 --> 00:18:49,862 [Kenda] It is a bizarre thing 378 00:18:49,862 --> 00:18:52,586 to search the belongings of a dead person. 379 00:18:52,586 --> 00:18:56,275 You feel sometimes like you're violating their grave. 380 00:18:56,275 --> 00:18:58,793 But you're not doing it for that reason. 381 00:18:58,793 --> 00:19:01,275 You're trying to find out who did them harm. 382 00:19:05,482 --> 00:19:09,172 We discovered Jerry did have a life insurance policy. 383 00:19:10,103 --> 00:19:12,758 [Kenda] And the beneficiary of said policy 384 00:19:13,793 --> 00:19:15,586 is not his live-in girlfriend. 385 00:19:15,655 --> 00:19:17,000 It's none of his siblings. 386 00:19:17,000 --> 00:19:18,275 It's his ex-wife. 387 00:19:21,172 --> 00:19:23,275 Now that raises a red flag. 388 00:19:23,344 --> 00:19:24,862 You're the ex-wife, 389 00:19:24,931 --> 00:19:26,758 and yet, you're entitled to all this money 390 00:19:26,758 --> 00:19:28,379 if Jerry winds up dead. 391 00:19:28,379 --> 00:19:29,896 Well, you have, obviously, 392 00:19:29,896 --> 00:19:32,586 thousands of reasons to see Jerry dead 393 00:19:32,586 --> 00:19:35,689 because you're gonna benefit by this policy. 394 00:19:35,689 --> 00:19:39,241 And it's obvious that somebody really wanted him that way. 395 00:19:45,586 --> 00:19:48,000 [Kenda] Sometimes, in cases of divorce, 396 00:19:48,000 --> 00:19:50,448 you have simmering emotion after the fact, 397 00:19:50,517 --> 00:19:53,344 and a level of hatred begins to build. 398 00:19:53,413 --> 00:19:54,241 Does it build 399 00:19:54,310 --> 00:19:55,551 far enough to kill? 400 00:19:55,620 --> 00:19:56,862 We need to find out. 401 00:19:58,448 --> 00:20:01,068 So, the first stop is the ex-wife. 402 00:20:02,482 --> 00:20:05,586 [Hagwood] At this juncture in Jerry Levitoff's life, 403 00:20:05,586 --> 00:20:08,241 he had been separated 404 00:20:08,241 --> 00:20:11,551 and going through a divorce process 405 00:20:11,620 --> 00:20:14,517 with his estranged wife, Kris Levitoff. 406 00:20:15,482 --> 00:20:17,758 [Kristine] I just remember telling my daughter, 407 00:20:17,827 --> 00:20:19,172 "Well, the sheriffs are gonna come over 408 00:20:19,172 --> 00:20:21,344 to ask questions about Jerry." 409 00:20:21,344 --> 00:20:23,655 And he was very close 410 00:20:23,655 --> 00:20:24,827 to my daughter. 411 00:20:26,379 --> 00:20:28,586 So I made her go into the bedroom 412 00:20:28,586 --> 00:20:29,551 'cause I wasn't sure 413 00:20:29,620 --> 00:20:30,965 what they were gonna talk about. 414 00:20:31,655 --> 00:20:33,344 And we found this 415 00:20:33,344 --> 00:20:35,551 while we were searching his house. 416 00:20:35,620 --> 00:20:37,758 [Kristine] I do remember them asking me 417 00:20:37,827 --> 00:20:40,793 if I knew who he left his life insurance to. 418 00:20:40,793 --> 00:20:42,137 I was very surprised. 419 00:20:44,379 --> 00:20:45,620 [Hagwood] Are you aware of this? 420 00:20:48,000 --> 00:20:49,379 [Kristine] And I said no. 421 00:20:49,379 --> 00:20:51,758 [Kenda] She never knew that a policy existed. 422 00:20:51,758 --> 00:20:53,241 He apparently never told her. 423 00:20:54,172 --> 00:20:56,034 [Hagwood] She wasn't even aware of that, 424 00:20:56,034 --> 00:21:00,241 and didn't seem even remotely interested. 425 00:21:00,310 --> 00:21:02,689 It wasn't like it was a bad, 426 00:21:02,689 --> 00:21:05,310 devastating breakup or anything. 427 00:21:05,965 --> 00:21:07,586 We got along just fine. 428 00:21:07,586 --> 00:21:09,862 He would still come over 429 00:21:09,862 --> 00:21:12,724 and sit by the campfire and visit my daughter. 430 00:21:14,034 --> 00:21:15,172 He was a good guy. 431 00:21:15,172 --> 00:21:16,344 We all love and miss him. 432 00:21:16,344 --> 00:21:17,965 He didn't deserve that. 433 00:21:17,965 --> 00:21:19,551 There's absolutely no reason 434 00:21:19,620 --> 00:21:21,689 why somebody would want to kill him. 435 00:21:21,689 --> 00:21:23,068 She is totally shocked, 436 00:21:23,068 --> 00:21:24,068 and Hagwood 437 00:21:24,068 --> 00:21:25,793 is experienced enough to know 438 00:21:25,793 --> 00:21:29,000 that all of those emotions and expressions from her 439 00:21:29,000 --> 00:21:31,241 are absolutely appropriate. 440 00:21:35,689 --> 00:21:38,379 One of the aspects that was very important 441 00:21:38,379 --> 00:21:41,482 and had to be addressed in a very timely manner, 442 00:21:41,482 --> 00:21:43,241 was his wallet is gone. 443 00:21:43,241 --> 00:21:45,241 [line ringing] 444 00:21:45,310 --> 00:21:47,241 Given the absence of his wallet 445 00:21:47,310 --> 00:21:48,689 and the credit cards, 446 00:21:48,689 --> 00:21:51,241 the next day, at the sheriff's office, 447 00:21:51,310 --> 00:21:52,413 I pick up the phone 448 00:21:52,413 --> 00:21:53,862 and I just start calling these credit card companies. 449 00:21:53,862 --> 00:21:55,000 You know, I've got to see 450 00:21:55,000 --> 00:21:56,862 if there's been any activity on it. 451 00:21:57,862 --> 00:22:00,137 Hello, this is Detective Greg Hagwood. 452 00:22:00,758 --> 00:22:02,448 When you have someone 453 00:22:02,448 --> 00:22:06,448 engaged in such a brutal act of senseless violence... 454 00:22:08,068 --> 00:22:09,448 against, apparently, 455 00:22:09,448 --> 00:22:11,137 one of the nicest guys in the world... 456 00:22:13,896 --> 00:22:16,448 you've gotta kick it into the next gear. 457 00:22:16,517 --> 00:22:18,241 Gerald, or Jerry. 458 00:22:20,241 --> 00:22:22,655 I explain to them who I am, what I'm doing. 459 00:22:22,724 --> 00:22:23,862 -[line ringing] -Hello, 460 00:22:23,862 --> 00:22:25,931 this is Detective Greg Hagwood. 461 00:22:28,068 --> 00:22:30,655 Bingo. Landed on the right credit card. 462 00:22:30,724 --> 00:22:33,448 Now we have something we can chase. 463 00:22:33,517 --> 00:22:37,172 Let's get a look and see if there's been any activity 464 00:22:37,172 --> 00:22:39,000 since he's been reported missing. 465 00:22:40,689 --> 00:22:42,965 [Kenda] They provide a date and a time 466 00:22:42,965 --> 00:22:45,551 that is after the date and time 467 00:22:45,620 --> 00:22:47,241 of Jerry's death. 468 00:22:47,310 --> 00:22:49,103 So, wherever that card was used, 469 00:22:49,103 --> 00:22:50,655 it was most likely used 470 00:22:50,655 --> 00:22:52,448 by the person who killed Jerry. 471 00:22:54,758 --> 00:22:56,586 [Hagwood] One of the initial purchases 472 00:22:56,586 --> 00:22:58,379 that our suspect had made 473 00:22:58,379 --> 00:22:59,896 with our victim's credit card 474 00:22:59,896 --> 00:23:04,448 was at a car parts store in Elko, Nevada. 475 00:23:04,517 --> 00:23:06,551 He bought a car battery. 476 00:23:06,620 --> 00:23:08,827 Leads right back to those jumper cables. 477 00:23:09,586 --> 00:23:11,344 Here's a guy that needs a battery 478 00:23:11,344 --> 00:23:12,655 and he's willing to kill for it. 479 00:23:12,724 --> 00:23:13,931 This is him. 480 00:23:15,137 --> 00:23:17,448 [Hagwood] The credit card use, 481 00:23:17,448 --> 00:23:20,793 it's sequentially marching across the state of Nevada 482 00:23:20,793 --> 00:23:21,965 and then into Utah. 483 00:23:21,965 --> 00:23:25,862 It looks like our shooter is eastbound and down. 484 00:23:25,862 --> 00:23:27,655 [Hagwood] I'm on the phone 485 00:23:27,724 --> 00:23:29,379 with a credit card representative. 486 00:23:29,379 --> 00:23:31,586 He goes, "Holy smokes, 487 00:23:31,586 --> 00:23:33,965 that credit card's being used right now 488 00:23:33,965 --> 00:23:36,241 at a gas station in Flaming Gorge, Utah." 489 00:23:37,379 --> 00:23:38,862 Well, I'm awake now. 490 00:23:43,068 --> 00:23:46,000 That's a huge sense of urgency 491 00:23:46,000 --> 00:23:47,379 when you know 492 00:23:47,379 --> 00:23:49,965 your bad guy, at that moment in time, 493 00:23:50,000 --> 00:23:51,275 are at this address, 494 00:23:51,275 --> 00:23:53,551 engaged in this behavior, making this purchase. 495 00:23:53,551 --> 00:23:56,448 There is a moment in every case 496 00:23:56,448 --> 00:23:58,241 when the smoke will clear, 497 00:23:58,310 --> 00:24:01,137 and you get this distinct feeling in you 498 00:24:01,137 --> 00:24:03,448 that "We're on to something here." 499 00:24:03,448 --> 00:24:08,000 I very quickly identified the law enforcement agencies 500 00:24:08,000 --> 00:24:09,103 that have jurisdiction 501 00:24:09,103 --> 00:24:11,862 and the information I'm trying to blast out to them 502 00:24:11,931 --> 00:24:13,758 as rapidly as I can 503 00:24:13,827 --> 00:24:15,586 is, "Be on the lookout 504 00:24:15,586 --> 00:24:18,655 for anybody in possession of these credit cards." 505 00:24:20,000 --> 00:24:21,655 [Kenda] So our man, our shooter, 506 00:24:21,655 --> 00:24:23,275 was at this gas station 507 00:24:23,275 --> 00:24:24,551 at three o'clock in the morning, 508 00:24:24,620 --> 00:24:27,172 and Hagwood is three states away. 509 00:24:27,172 --> 00:24:29,551 He'd like to close that gap instantly, 510 00:24:29,551 --> 00:24:30,862 but instantly isn't gonna happen. 511 00:24:30,862 --> 00:24:32,689 So I called my sergeant, 512 00:24:32,689 --> 00:24:33,965 told him to get a bag packed, 513 00:24:34,000 --> 00:24:36,379 and get down here to the office. 514 00:24:36,379 --> 00:24:38,655 We have to go to Utah right now. 515 00:24:44,275 --> 00:24:46,551 [Kenda] Sergeant Greg Hagwood 516 00:24:46,551 --> 00:24:47,758 is a man of perseverance. 517 00:24:47,758 --> 00:24:49,344 He's a homicide detective. 518 00:24:49,413 --> 00:24:50,689 He won't stop. 519 00:24:50,689 --> 00:24:52,034 He won't give up. 520 00:24:52,034 --> 00:24:54,172 He will do anything until he has his hands 521 00:24:54,172 --> 00:24:57,068 around the throat of who killed Jerry Levitoff. 522 00:24:58,689 --> 00:25:00,068 [Hagwood] So, my sergeant arrived 523 00:25:00,068 --> 00:25:02,655 and we drove from Quincy to Reno, Nevada, 524 00:25:02,724 --> 00:25:04,758 which is the closest airport. 525 00:25:11,379 --> 00:25:14,000 And we flew to Salt Lake City, rented a car. 526 00:25:14,000 --> 00:25:16,241 We're setting the land speed record. 527 00:25:18,172 --> 00:25:19,551 [Kenda] And they hammer that car 528 00:25:19,551 --> 00:25:21,241 at 100 miles an hour-plus 529 00:25:21,241 --> 00:25:23,137 until they reach Flaming Gorge, Utah. 530 00:25:25,689 --> 00:25:27,758 [Hagwood] We went to the truck stop 531 00:25:27,827 --> 00:25:30,068 where Mr. Levitoff's credit card was used. 532 00:25:34,275 --> 00:25:35,482 -Hey. -[shopkeeper] Hi. 533 00:25:35,482 --> 00:25:38,344 We start talking and interviewing staff. 534 00:25:38,413 --> 00:25:40,482 [Kenda] Well, the midnight clerk is still on duty. 535 00:25:40,482 --> 00:25:43,379 They asked, "Do you remember this particular transaction?" 536 00:25:43,379 --> 00:25:45,862 They said, "Yeah, I think I remember." 537 00:25:45,862 --> 00:25:48,620 "It was that guy, and another guy was with him." 538 00:25:49,275 --> 00:25:50,862 Another guy? 539 00:25:51,965 --> 00:25:53,241 Okay. Uh... 540 00:25:54,379 --> 00:25:56,655 Wow, we may have another suspect. 541 00:25:59,551 --> 00:26:02,000 [Kenda] They look at their surveillance tape 542 00:26:02,000 --> 00:26:03,655 and there is a clear image 543 00:26:03,724 --> 00:26:07,172 of a disheveled-looking person 544 00:26:07,172 --> 00:26:10,379 as if he is a kind of person that lives in the woods, 545 00:26:10,379 --> 00:26:12,551 and the other guy's an average guy, 546 00:26:12,620 --> 00:26:15,344 a little older, maybe, than this first guy. 547 00:26:15,344 --> 00:26:16,482 They paid separately. 548 00:26:16,482 --> 00:26:17,931 -Thank you. -[shopkeeper] Thank you. 549 00:26:19,172 --> 00:26:21,172 [line ringing] 550 00:26:22,655 --> 00:26:23,965 Hey, it's Hagwood. 551 00:26:23,965 --> 00:26:26,551 [Kenda] So they run those credit cards, 552 00:26:26,551 --> 00:26:28,655 and the other person's name is Greg Cook. 553 00:26:28,655 --> 00:26:30,586 Now we're gonna want to get to know 'em a little bit, 554 00:26:30,586 --> 00:26:32,862 so you're gonna run a criminal history on 'em, 555 00:26:32,862 --> 00:26:33,931 run a credit check. 556 00:26:35,241 --> 00:26:36,344 Lo and behold, 557 00:26:36,413 --> 00:26:37,758 that individual had been arrested 558 00:26:37,758 --> 00:26:40,586 for a charge of drunk and disorderly conduct 559 00:26:40,586 --> 00:26:42,172 in Plumas County 560 00:26:42,172 --> 00:26:43,793 many years earlier, 561 00:26:43,793 --> 00:26:47,000 and had been booked into the Plumas County Jail. 562 00:26:47,000 --> 00:26:48,482 Plumas County, California, 563 00:26:48,482 --> 00:26:50,241 is where our victim was killed, 564 00:26:50,310 --> 00:26:53,275 eight hundred miles and three states away 565 00:26:53,275 --> 00:26:54,172 from this gas station. 566 00:26:54,172 --> 00:26:55,586 Is that a coincidence? 567 00:26:55,586 --> 00:26:57,482 No one in the homicide business 568 00:26:57,482 --> 00:26:58,862 believes in a coincidence. 569 00:26:58,862 --> 00:27:01,241 Well, there's our connection to Plumas County, right? 570 00:27:01,241 --> 00:27:02,448 [Kenda] Now our man 571 00:27:02,517 --> 00:27:04,793 is in the same gas station with the shooter 572 00:27:04,793 --> 00:27:07,275 using the victim's credit card. 573 00:27:07,275 --> 00:27:08,862 He's got to be part of this. 574 00:27:08,931 --> 00:27:11,655 He's got to be a suspect in a homicide. 575 00:27:16,689 --> 00:27:19,448 It turns out that Greg Cook has an address on file. 576 00:27:19,448 --> 00:27:20,758 He's from Wyoming. 577 00:27:20,827 --> 00:27:23,344 Ten minutes north in Flaming Gorge, Utah, 578 00:27:23,344 --> 00:27:24,655 and he's not hard to find. 579 00:27:24,655 --> 00:27:26,448 [dogs barking] 580 00:27:26,448 --> 00:27:28,172 [car doors closing] 581 00:27:32,586 --> 00:27:34,758 [Hagwood] Hi, there. Are you, uh, Greg Cook? 582 00:27:34,827 --> 00:27:36,172 [Cook] Yes, sir. 583 00:27:40,448 --> 00:27:42,827 They ask him what happened in the gas station. 584 00:27:45,448 --> 00:27:47,758 He was struck by the confusion. 585 00:27:48,172 --> 00:27:49,241 "What do you mean?" 586 00:27:49,310 --> 00:27:51,000 "Well, you were in the store with another guy." 587 00:27:52,275 --> 00:27:53,931 It was just me and this guy talking. 588 00:27:54,965 --> 00:27:56,862 That's it. 589 00:27:56,931 --> 00:28:00,758 Cook informs these officers that he is a chatty person. 590 00:28:00,827 --> 00:28:03,482 He bumped into this guy in this gas station 591 00:28:03,482 --> 00:28:04,965 at three o'clock in the morning, 592 00:28:04,965 --> 00:28:06,793 he struck up a conversation with him. 593 00:28:06,793 --> 00:28:09,000 Nothing more than that. Didn't know him from Adam. 594 00:28:11,000 --> 00:28:13,827 He had no idea who this person is. 595 00:28:15,137 --> 00:28:17,758 Even though he doesn't have an alibi, 596 00:28:17,827 --> 00:28:19,000 he doesn't have a real way 597 00:28:19,000 --> 00:28:20,034 to prove anything, 598 00:28:20,034 --> 00:28:21,965 what he says makes perfect sense. 599 00:28:22,000 --> 00:28:24,655 He's somewhat of a vagabond who wanders around 600 00:28:24,655 --> 00:28:26,344 and talks to perfect strangers. 601 00:28:26,413 --> 00:28:27,448 Lots of people do that. 602 00:28:28,758 --> 00:28:30,344 [Hagwood] Thank you for your time. 603 00:28:30,344 --> 00:28:31,758 We went back 604 00:28:31,827 --> 00:28:33,344 and we double checked the video tape. 605 00:28:33,413 --> 00:28:34,448 As it turned out, 606 00:28:34,517 --> 00:28:37,241 this other guy had absolutely no affiliation, 607 00:28:37,241 --> 00:28:39,517 connection or anything to do with our case. 608 00:28:40,689 --> 00:28:42,965 We were about that far 609 00:28:42,965 --> 00:28:46,103 from taking this person into custody, 610 00:28:46,103 --> 00:28:48,758 but you dot your "I's" and you cross your "T's". 611 00:28:53,034 --> 00:28:55,827 [phone ringing] 612 00:28:57,137 --> 00:28:58,275 Hagwood. 613 00:29:00,137 --> 00:29:04,000 Hagwood gets a phone call about the APB he put out. 614 00:29:04,000 --> 00:29:05,137 It was one of my partners. 615 00:29:05,137 --> 00:29:07,793 He goes, "Hey, Fish and Wildlife officer 616 00:29:07,793 --> 00:29:08,965 up in Flaming Gorge, Utah, 617 00:29:08,965 --> 00:29:10,034 they've made an arrest." 618 00:29:12,551 --> 00:29:13,689 [Kenda] The Forest Service officer 619 00:29:13,689 --> 00:29:14,862 tells Hagwood on the phone, 620 00:29:14,931 --> 00:29:16,586 he and a Fish and Game warden 621 00:29:16,586 --> 00:29:20,344 responded to a report of illegal fishing. 622 00:29:20,413 --> 00:29:22,068 You have a fishing license with you, out here fishing? 623 00:29:22,068 --> 00:29:24,344 [Hagwood] So this Fish and Wildlife officer 624 00:29:24,413 --> 00:29:26,965 encounters this guy in violation 625 00:29:26,965 --> 00:29:28,344 of some fishing regulations. 626 00:29:29,068 --> 00:29:30,586 [Kenda] They're looking at this kid, 627 00:29:30,586 --> 00:29:31,758 writing him his ticket, 628 00:29:31,758 --> 00:29:34,000 the officer looks in the window of the car 629 00:29:34,000 --> 00:29:35,965 and sees credit cards on the dash. 630 00:29:38,344 --> 00:29:43,448 The Fish and Wildlife officer says, "Holy smokes. 631 00:29:43,517 --> 00:29:44,862 "Hmm." 632 00:29:46,000 --> 00:29:47,103 [Kenda] On the credit card, 633 00:29:47,103 --> 00:29:49,344 he sees "Gerald Levitoff." 634 00:29:49,344 --> 00:29:50,586 [officer] Put your hands on the hood. 635 00:29:50,586 --> 00:29:53,241 Right now! Put your hands on the hood! Do it. 636 00:29:53,241 --> 00:29:55,275 [Hagwood] He takes this individual 637 00:29:55,275 --> 00:29:56,241 down at gunpoint. 638 00:29:56,310 --> 00:29:57,965 Now Hagwood feels so good. 639 00:29:58,000 --> 00:29:59,034 This is the guy. 640 00:29:59,034 --> 00:30:02,931 A young man named Rain Dancer Dickey-O'Brien. 641 00:30:05,034 --> 00:30:07,000 This guy's wanted for murder, 642 00:30:07,000 --> 00:30:10,275 but his crime is fishing without a fishing license. 643 00:30:10,275 --> 00:30:12,275 Little things can catch up to you. 644 00:30:12,275 --> 00:30:14,827 [police radio chatter] 645 00:30:17,793 --> 00:30:19,758 We went to the Daggett County Jail. 646 00:30:22,172 --> 00:30:24,275 Sat down across the table 647 00:30:24,275 --> 00:30:28,103 from this Rain Dancer Dickey-O'Brien. 648 00:30:28,103 --> 00:30:29,931 He looked disheveled. 649 00:30:30,862 --> 00:30:31,965 Unkempt. 650 00:30:32,000 --> 00:30:34,862 Did not have what you would call a healthy glow. 651 00:30:34,931 --> 00:30:36,862 There just didn't seem to be a whole lot there. 652 00:30:36,862 --> 00:30:38,241 You look into their eyes, 653 00:30:40,586 --> 00:30:42,034 and, you know, you're coming up zeros. 654 00:30:42,034 --> 00:30:44,379 And personally and professionally, 655 00:30:44,379 --> 00:30:46,448 I wanted to know. 656 00:30:46,517 --> 00:30:49,448 I wanted him to tell me what he did, why he did it. 657 00:30:49,517 --> 00:30:50,965 What was going through his mind? 658 00:30:51,000 --> 00:30:53,586 [Kenda] Why would anybody kill this forest worker 659 00:30:53,586 --> 00:30:55,448 in the most brutal manner possible 660 00:30:55,517 --> 00:30:58,379 over a misdemeanor theft of a wallet and credit cards? 661 00:30:58,379 --> 00:31:00,275 I have, in the past, 662 00:31:00,275 --> 00:31:03,275 enjoyed a tremendous measure of success 663 00:31:03,275 --> 00:31:06,275 getting people to tell me what they did. 664 00:31:06,275 --> 00:31:07,655 You have the right to remain silent... 665 00:31:07,655 --> 00:31:09,241 And I read him his rights. 666 00:31:09,241 --> 00:31:10,758 Do you understand your rights? 667 00:31:15,896 --> 00:31:17,172 I want a lawyer. 668 00:31:22,758 --> 00:31:26,172 He decided he did not want to make a statement, 669 00:31:26,172 --> 00:31:28,655 and that was really, really disappointing. 670 00:31:32,586 --> 00:31:35,758 And so, I kind of felt a sense of personal defeat 671 00:31:35,827 --> 00:31:37,586 that Rain Dancer Dickey-O'Brien 672 00:31:37,586 --> 00:31:38,551 wouldn't talk to me. 673 00:31:38,620 --> 00:31:40,172 That's always frustrating. 674 00:31:40,172 --> 00:31:42,137 But often, it's also common. 675 00:31:42,137 --> 00:31:44,034 Confessions are very rare 676 00:31:44,034 --> 00:31:45,689 and everybody wants a lawyer. 677 00:31:45,689 --> 00:31:46,965 It's the way it is. 678 00:31:49,379 --> 00:31:51,586 Hagwood is faced with the ultimate problem. 679 00:31:51,586 --> 00:31:53,551 If you don't have a confession 680 00:31:53,551 --> 00:31:55,655 or an incriminating statement from your suspect, 681 00:31:55,655 --> 00:31:57,965 you better have compelling evidence. 682 00:31:58,000 --> 00:31:59,965 And in this case, we did not. 683 00:32:00,068 --> 00:32:01,068 The only evidence 684 00:32:01,068 --> 00:32:03,758 that Dickey-O'Brien has in his possession 685 00:32:03,827 --> 00:32:06,068 that makes him arrestable in this case 686 00:32:06,068 --> 00:32:07,448 are the victim's credit cards. 687 00:32:07,448 --> 00:32:08,344 Does that constitute 688 00:32:08,344 --> 00:32:09,379 a murder case? 689 00:32:09,379 --> 00:32:10,275 It does not. 690 00:32:10,275 --> 00:32:12,241 If they don't find something else, 691 00:32:12,310 --> 00:32:14,000 they're gonna have to turn loose 692 00:32:14,000 --> 00:32:15,448 Mr. Dickey-O'Brien, 693 00:32:15,448 --> 00:32:17,758 and let him pay his fishing ticket 694 00:32:17,827 --> 00:32:19,172 and move on with his life. 695 00:32:25,551 --> 00:32:26,793 [Kenda] Being in possession 696 00:32:26,793 --> 00:32:29,103 of a homicide victim's credit cards 697 00:32:29,103 --> 00:32:31,310 is, of course, enormously suspicious, 698 00:32:32,172 --> 00:32:35,758 but Rain Dancer Dickey-O'Brien, 699 00:32:35,758 --> 00:32:38,655 he can explain that away in a courtroom. 700 00:32:38,655 --> 00:32:40,689 You can leave no stone unturned. 701 00:32:40,689 --> 00:32:42,137 Failure is not an option. 702 00:32:43,793 --> 00:32:45,758 [Kenda] Hagwood presents his information 703 00:32:45,827 --> 00:32:47,068 to a Utah judge, 704 00:32:47,068 --> 00:32:49,827 and that judge signs a search warrant for the car. 705 00:32:51,482 --> 00:32:53,344 [Hagwood] So, we went to the arrest site, 706 00:32:53,344 --> 00:32:54,344 to the campground. 707 00:32:54,344 --> 00:32:55,931 [police radio chatter] 708 00:33:01,344 --> 00:33:02,482 [Hagwood] When I arrived, 709 00:33:02,482 --> 00:33:05,241 I'll never forget talking to the officer up there. 710 00:33:05,241 --> 00:33:07,000 And I said, "He's driving a Honda, isn't he?" 711 00:33:07,000 --> 00:33:08,379 And he goes, "Yeah." 712 00:33:08,379 --> 00:33:09,862 I go, "Go to the front... 713 00:33:13,137 --> 00:33:16,344 and tell me it's missing the hood emblem." 714 00:33:16,344 --> 00:33:17,758 [chuckles] And he goes, 715 00:33:17,758 --> 00:33:18,965 "How'd you know that?" 716 00:33:18,965 --> 00:33:20,241 I go, "I've got it." 717 00:33:23,172 --> 00:33:25,379 So check one on this list. 718 00:33:25,379 --> 00:33:26,965 Clear and convincing. 719 00:33:27,000 --> 00:33:29,551 [indistinct chatter] 720 00:33:30,172 --> 00:33:31,655 [Kenda] He opens the trunk... 721 00:33:34,172 --> 00:33:35,965 and concealed inside... 722 00:33:40,758 --> 00:33:43,413 is a 12-gauge sawed-off shotgun. 723 00:33:46,896 --> 00:33:50,551 And we've got very compelling evidence 724 00:33:50,551 --> 00:33:53,965 that this is, in fact, our guy. 725 00:33:56,344 --> 00:33:58,862 We spent a day long processing his camp. 726 00:33:59,758 --> 00:34:01,413 We had the sawed-off shotgun. 727 00:34:01,896 --> 00:34:03,793 We had matching ammunition. 728 00:34:03,793 --> 00:34:05,793 We had the items that he purchased 729 00:34:05,793 --> 00:34:08,241 with Jerry's cards, 730 00:34:08,310 --> 00:34:10,862 and his car had a brand new battery. 731 00:34:12,482 --> 00:34:13,862 [Kenda] Two and two equals four, 732 00:34:13,862 --> 00:34:16,655 or in this case, two and two equals Dickey-O'Brien. 733 00:34:21,757 --> 00:34:23,241 [Hagwood] Rain Dancer Dickey-O'Brien 734 00:34:23,310 --> 00:34:26,413 was sent to Atascadero State Penitentiary, 735 00:34:27,688 --> 00:34:30,620 which is a medical facility in central California, 736 00:34:32,137 --> 00:34:34,000 where they treated him 737 00:34:34,000 --> 00:34:37,965 in an effort to bring him to a level of competency 738 00:34:38,000 --> 00:34:39,241 to stand trial. 739 00:34:39,310 --> 00:34:41,275 He has a history of mental illness. 740 00:34:41,275 --> 00:34:44,172 Dickey-O'Brien was diagnosed as being bipolar, 741 00:34:44,172 --> 00:34:45,447 and has been taking 742 00:34:45,447 --> 00:34:48,241 antipsychotic medication for years. 743 00:34:50,000 --> 00:34:52,551 [Hagwood] And after a lengthy period of time, 744 00:34:52,620 --> 00:34:55,447 Atascadero said, "Hey, 745 00:34:55,447 --> 00:34:56,965 he's competent now to stand trial." 746 00:34:58,551 --> 00:34:59,655 [Kenda] In order to plead 747 00:34:59,724 --> 00:35:01,068 not guilty by reason of insanity, 748 00:35:01,068 --> 00:35:03,241 you've got to show some demonstration 749 00:35:03,310 --> 00:35:05,655 of how insane you actually probably are. 750 00:35:08,241 --> 00:35:10,344 So he had to explain what he was doing 751 00:35:10,344 --> 00:35:12,379 when he shot this man, 752 00:35:12,379 --> 00:35:13,689 and he explained... 753 00:35:13,689 --> 00:35:15,068 He is in the woods. 754 00:35:16,482 --> 00:35:18,137 [owl hooting] 755 00:35:21,896 --> 00:35:23,655 It turns out that Dickey-O'Brien, 756 00:35:23,655 --> 00:35:26,379 in the past several months, ran out of money completely. 757 00:35:26,379 --> 00:35:28,758 So he stopped buying his medication. 758 00:35:30,689 --> 00:35:33,275 So he is spiraling into psychosis. 759 00:35:33,275 --> 00:35:34,758 [mumbling incoherently] 760 00:35:34,827 --> 00:35:38,862 And he explained that he has voices in his head 761 00:35:38,862 --> 00:35:41,241 and the voices told him 762 00:35:41,310 --> 00:35:43,241 that the government was out to get him, 763 00:35:43,241 --> 00:35:44,275 and they were 764 00:35:44,275 --> 00:35:45,241 surveilling him constantly 765 00:35:45,241 --> 00:35:46,275 and eventually, 766 00:35:46,275 --> 00:35:47,448 they were gonna kill him. 767 00:35:47,448 --> 00:35:50,310 Their voices also tell him he should stay in the woods. 768 00:35:51,379 --> 00:35:52,551 Away from people 769 00:35:52,551 --> 00:35:55,275 and away from any sort of technology, 770 00:35:55,275 --> 00:35:57,275 and he selects the woods 771 00:35:57,275 --> 00:36:00,137 where our victim likes to go fishing. 772 00:36:00,137 --> 00:36:02,344 [music playing on car radio] 773 00:36:02,413 --> 00:36:04,034 [Hagwood] Rain Dancer Dickey-O'Brien 774 00:36:04,034 --> 00:36:06,689 had been driving kind of aimlessly 775 00:36:06,689 --> 00:36:07,827 into the next morning, 776 00:36:09,482 --> 00:36:12,103 and he ended up at Lake Almanor. 777 00:36:14,137 --> 00:36:16,275 And his battery dies in his car, 778 00:36:16,275 --> 00:36:17,793 because of course, he's broke, 779 00:36:17,793 --> 00:36:19,413 and he can't afford to fix it. 780 00:36:23,482 --> 00:36:25,655 Along comes a man in a pickup truck. 781 00:36:29,965 --> 00:36:31,689 Hey, can I help you? 782 00:36:31,689 --> 00:36:33,551 "Have you got any battery cables and a jump?" 783 00:36:33,551 --> 00:36:35,068 "I have cables." 784 00:36:35,068 --> 00:36:38,034 And he goes into his truck and he gets his cables. 785 00:36:38,034 --> 00:36:40,448 [Hagwood] Jerry, in an act of good citizenry 786 00:36:40,517 --> 00:36:41,482 and just kindness... 787 00:36:41,482 --> 00:36:43,758 [indistinct chatter] 788 00:36:44,758 --> 00:36:46,000 [Hagwood] ...created this encounter 789 00:36:46,000 --> 00:36:48,482 with a psychotic homicidal person. 790 00:36:48,482 --> 00:36:49,965 What are you doing all the way out here? 791 00:36:50,000 --> 00:36:52,724 Oh, I'm in the Forestry Service. 792 00:36:56,793 --> 00:36:58,862 [Kenda] And he explains he's on his off time 793 00:36:58,862 --> 00:37:00,758 and he's gonna fish today, 794 00:37:00,827 --> 00:37:04,137 but he identifies himself as a federal employee. 795 00:37:05,689 --> 00:37:09,862 In the twisted brain of our man Dickey-O'Brien, 796 00:37:09,931 --> 00:37:12,862 this is a CIA assassin. 797 00:37:24,586 --> 00:37:26,758 He pulls out his shotgun 798 00:37:26,827 --> 00:37:28,482 and says, "Stand over there by that tree 799 00:37:28,482 --> 00:37:29,517 so I can kill you." 800 00:37:30,793 --> 00:37:31,758 [Jerry] Hey, man. Whoa, whoa. 801 00:37:31,827 --> 00:37:33,448 -I didn't do anything. Hey. -Move! 802 00:37:33,517 --> 00:37:34,482 Hey, just take my money. 803 00:37:34,482 --> 00:37:35,448 [Dickey-O'Brien] Now! Go! 804 00:37:35,517 --> 00:37:36,965 Here, here. Take it. Take it! 805 00:37:37,793 --> 00:37:39,758 Jerry Levitoff threw his wallet at him. 806 00:37:46,448 --> 00:37:47,758 Our man opens fire. 807 00:37:47,827 --> 00:37:49,448 [Jerry screaming] 808 00:37:50,551 --> 00:37:52,241 The first blast hits him in the left hand 809 00:37:52,241 --> 00:37:53,310 and knocks him down. 810 00:37:54,689 --> 00:37:57,172 [Jerry screaming] 811 00:38:02,586 --> 00:38:04,103 He puts the muzzle to the back of his head. 812 00:38:05,137 --> 00:38:06,137 No... 813 00:38:16,689 --> 00:38:17,758 [gunshot] 814 00:38:26,241 --> 00:38:28,689 Mr. Rain Dancer Dickey-O'Brien, 815 00:38:28,689 --> 00:38:32,034 having just committed the most brutal homicide, 816 00:38:33,586 --> 00:38:35,137 probably slammed the hood down 817 00:38:35,137 --> 00:38:36,896 with a measure of enthusiasm 818 00:38:36,896 --> 00:38:38,620 that caused the hood ornament to break off. 819 00:38:39,793 --> 00:38:41,551 Which wound up at the scene 820 00:38:41,620 --> 00:38:43,793 along with the two expended casings 821 00:38:43,793 --> 00:38:44,862 from his shotgun. 822 00:38:46,896 --> 00:38:49,241 Jerry Levitoff is alone, 823 00:38:49,241 --> 00:38:51,965 covered by the overnight snow. 824 00:38:54,379 --> 00:38:55,758 The courts determined... 825 00:38:58,275 --> 00:39:00,896 that Rain Dancer Dickey-O'Brien 826 00:39:00,896 --> 00:39:02,586 was, in fact, mentally ill, 827 00:39:02,586 --> 00:39:03,793 but not insane, 828 00:39:03,793 --> 00:39:05,448 in the sense that he understood 829 00:39:05,448 --> 00:39:08,344 what he was doing to the victim, Jerry Levitoff. 830 00:39:12,379 --> 00:39:15,172 Eventually, he pled guilty. 831 00:39:15,172 --> 00:39:17,344 He's been sentenced to life without parole. 832 00:39:31,000 --> 00:39:33,379 Jerry was so well known in the community, 833 00:39:33,379 --> 00:39:34,758 and so well connected. 834 00:39:36,482 --> 00:39:38,965 I asked the family if we could do a fireman's funeral, 835 00:39:39,000 --> 00:39:39,965 and they said yes. 836 00:39:44,000 --> 00:39:45,931 The whole community was there. 837 00:39:49,482 --> 00:39:51,517 I presented the family with the flag. 838 00:39:55,896 --> 00:39:57,275 Everyone thought that was probably 839 00:39:57,275 --> 00:39:59,034 the perfect thing for Jerry. 840 00:39:59,034 --> 00:40:00,000 He deserved it. 841 00:40:00,000 --> 00:40:01,068 So we did. 842 00:40:01,896 --> 00:40:03,000 [Johnson] We got his ashes, 843 00:40:03,000 --> 00:40:06,344 and the family and I 844 00:40:06,344 --> 00:40:10,448 went down in the water to Lake Almanor, 845 00:40:10,517 --> 00:40:11,620 which we both loved... 846 00:40:15,172 --> 00:40:17,344 and released the ashes. 847 00:40:20,586 --> 00:40:22,275 [Baltimore] He loved the outdoors. 848 00:40:22,275 --> 00:40:23,620 He loved his life. 849 00:40:24,275 --> 00:40:26,448 Why he was taken away, I don't know. 850 00:40:28,068 --> 00:40:29,137 I don't know. 851 00:40:29,793 --> 00:40:31,344 [sniffles] 852 00:40:31,413 --> 00:40:34,034 Some people's tanks are filled to the top 853 00:40:34,034 --> 00:40:36,000 and they've got a good measure of life, 854 00:40:36,000 --> 00:40:38,965 and Dickey-O'Brien's tank was empty. 855 00:40:39,000 --> 00:40:41,241 There just wasn't anything there. 856 00:40:41,241 --> 00:40:42,586 And that might help explain 857 00:40:42,586 --> 00:40:46,551 a willingness to engage in such horrific behavior. 858 00:40:48,068 --> 00:40:50,896 [Kenda] Dickey-O'Brien stands out from all the others 859 00:40:50,896 --> 00:40:52,689 in one simple way: 860 00:40:52,689 --> 00:40:54,896 his lunacy overtook him 861 00:40:54,896 --> 00:40:57,103 and he became violent 862 00:40:57,103 --> 00:40:59,034 and exceedingly dangerous. 863 00:40:59,034 --> 00:41:01,448 Hagwood was able to stop the pattern. 864 00:41:02,793 --> 00:41:05,275 Because Detective Sergeant Hagwood 865 00:41:05,275 --> 00:41:06,758 was relentless, 866 00:41:06,758 --> 00:41:07,758 which is what 867 00:41:07,827 --> 00:41:09,310 homicide detectives need to be 868 00:41:10,448 --> 00:41:12,655 until they have the person responsible 869 00:41:12,724 --> 00:41:14,172 where they want him, 870 00:41:14,172 --> 00:41:16,344 which is standing in front of a judge. 871 00:41:18,172 --> 00:41:19,965 Next time on American Detective... 872 00:41:20,000 --> 00:41:22,034 Even before I walked up to the pile 873 00:41:22,034 --> 00:41:23,689 you could just smell that smell. 874 00:41:23,689 --> 00:41:26,965 It looked like something you would see in a horror show. 875 00:41:32,034 --> 00:41:36,241 If you think this is going to end well you're sorely mistaken.