1 00:00:03,503 --> 00:00:04,087 - This was a blood bath. 2 00:00:04,796 --> 00:00:06,506 - There was two murders. 3 00:00:06,548 --> 00:00:08,425 - He was really trying to make something of--of himself 4 00:00:08,466 --> 00:00:11,511 and build a really good business for his family. 5 00:00:11,553 --> 00:00:13,555 - Clyde was also my brother's godfather. 6 00:00:13,596 --> 00:00:15,974 Clyde was definitely a major part of my dad's life. 7 00:00:16,016 --> 00:00:18,852 That's when I kind of knew what--what death meant. 8 00:00:18,893 --> 00:00:21,229 And it was permanent. 9 00:00:21,271 --> 00:00:25,358 - A male subject had a portion of his skull blown open. 10 00:00:25,400 --> 00:00:26,568 [suspenseful music] 11 00:00:26,609 --> 00:00:28,486 - He had emergency surgery, 12 00:00:28,528 --> 00:00:31,698 and he was in a coma fighting for his life. 13 00:00:31,740 --> 00:00:35,076 A miracle happened, he wakes up from his coma. 14 00:00:36,244 --> 00:00:38,830 - There were witness identifications 15 00:00:38,872 --> 00:00:43,084 suggesting two assailants fleeing the scene. 16 00:00:43,126 --> 00:00:44,961 - Here's the dying man's declaration. 17 00:00:45,003 --> 00:00:46,212 They're asking, "Who did it? 18 00:00:46,254 --> 00:00:48,548 Do you know who did this to you?" 19 00:00:48,590 --> 00:00:52,719 He had said to the paramedic, "Tom shot me." 20 00:00:52,761 --> 00:00:56,681 - The police began to believe that Tom must've been involved. 21 00:00:56,723 --> 00:00:59,601 And so he is arrested and charged. 22 00:01:01,269 --> 00:01:03,646 - The victimization is not limited 23 00:01:03,688 --> 00:01:06,441 to the person whose life was taken. 24 00:01:06,483 --> 00:01:08,443 - They found a piece of evidence 25 00:01:08,485 --> 00:01:11,404 that was not introduced. It's a bombshell. 26 00:01:11,446 --> 00:01:13,281 The verdict is wrong. 27 00:01:13,323 --> 00:01:15,742 - An eyewitness, he is shown a lineup, 28 00:01:15,784 --> 00:01:20,914 and he tells the investigators, "That's not the guy." 29 00:01:20,955 --> 00:01:24,042 [dramatic music] 30 00:01:24,084 --> 00:01:31,174 * * 31 00:01:40,266 --> 00:01:43,770 - Newport Beach is a sophisticated, 32 00:01:43,812 --> 00:01:45,271 cosmopolitan place 33 00:01:45,313 --> 00:01:49,109 with extraordinarily high-end values. 34 00:01:49,150 --> 00:01:52,862 - Newport Beach is like Beverly Hills by the sand. 35 00:01:52,904 --> 00:01:54,656 Very high class. 36 00:01:54,698 --> 00:01:57,325 If you drive down Pacific Coast Highway, 37 00:01:57,367 --> 00:02:00,412 you'll see yachts, exotic car dealerships, 38 00:02:00,453 --> 00:02:02,414 huge estate homes. 39 00:02:02,455 --> 00:02:06,209 - Newport Beach is a place where there's almost no crime 40 00:02:06,251 --> 00:02:09,129 and where violence is not heard of. 41 00:02:09,170 --> 00:02:11,381 [suspenseful music] 42 00:02:11,423 --> 00:02:13,299 narrator: If Orange County is the seat 43 00:02:13,341 --> 00:02:15,552 of Southern California royalty, 44 00:02:15,593 --> 00:02:18,805 then Newport Beach is its crown jewel. 45 00:02:18,847 --> 00:02:21,641 This serene ocean-side community is home 46 00:02:21,683 --> 00:02:24,811 not only to those seeking to enjoy their fortunes, 47 00:02:24,853 --> 00:02:26,688 but those seeking to make them. 48 00:02:28,648 --> 00:02:29,983 - My name is Richard Long. 49 00:02:30,025 --> 00:02:33,778 Back in 1989, I was the detective sergeant 50 00:02:33,820 --> 00:02:36,948 for the Newport Beach Police Department. 51 00:02:36,990 --> 00:02:40,952 We were getting ready to end our day on March 14th 52 00:02:40,994 --> 00:02:45,457 when the broadcast from communications came out 53 00:02:45,498 --> 00:02:48,335 that there was what's referred to as a 211, 54 00:02:48,376 --> 00:02:53,381 it's typically a bank robbery, in progress at the coin store. 55 00:02:55,175 --> 00:03:00,889 The officer that arrived on scene had a male subject 56 00:03:00,930 --> 00:03:04,893 who had a portion of his skull blown open 57 00:03:04,934 --> 00:03:08,313 come walking out, almost Frankenstein style, 58 00:03:08,355 --> 00:03:10,440 with the gun smoke behind him 59 00:03:10,482 --> 00:03:13,276 into the arms of the police officer. 60 00:03:15,070 --> 00:03:18,239 The officer got him outside, 61 00:03:18,281 --> 00:03:22,369 was calling for paramedics for the injured gentleman. 62 00:03:22,410 --> 00:03:24,913 Then other officers that arrived on scene, 63 00:03:24,954 --> 00:03:26,289 they cleared the location, 64 00:03:26,331 --> 00:03:29,709 and they found a female victim behind the counter. 65 00:03:29,751 --> 00:03:33,630 She was a victim of multiple gunshot wounds. 66 00:03:36,174 --> 00:03:39,678 And they found another male down on the ground, 67 00:03:39,719 --> 00:03:45,433 who was the victim of double-tap gunshot execution. 68 00:03:47,602 --> 00:03:49,396 Both of them were dead at the scene. 69 00:03:49,437 --> 00:03:52,649 narrator: With one deceased female, one deceased male, 70 00:03:52,691 --> 00:03:55,235 and a third victim clinging to life, 71 00:03:55,276 --> 00:03:56,861 the scene is chaotic. 72 00:03:56,903 --> 00:03:59,698 Investigators are able to identify the two dead victims 73 00:03:59,739 --> 00:04:02,033 as Renee King and Clyde Oatts 74 00:04:02,075 --> 00:04:05,120 and the surviving victim as Bill king. 75 00:04:05,161 --> 00:04:06,621 - I'm Sharon Katchen. 76 00:04:06,663 --> 00:04:10,250 I was the Orange County Bureau Chief for KFWB Radio 77 00:04:10,291 --> 00:04:12,919 from 1986 through 2002. 78 00:04:12,961 --> 00:04:16,381 Bill King was 36 years old, an entrepreneur. 79 00:04:16,423 --> 00:04:17,924 He and his wife, Renee, 80 00:04:17,966 --> 00:04:20,218 had two children, ages five and two. 81 00:04:20,260 --> 00:04:25,515 And they bought the Newport Coin Exchange in 1985. 82 00:04:25,557 --> 00:04:26,933 Bill King wanted to make money. 83 00:04:26,975 --> 00:04:29,686 He figured out that if you buy gold and silver 84 00:04:29,728 --> 00:04:31,521 and coins, rare coins, 85 00:04:31,563 --> 00:04:33,481 those are things that will appreciate in value. 86 00:04:33,523 --> 00:04:35,650 So he bought and sold them. 87 00:04:35,692 --> 00:04:38,194 His wife, Renee, was his bookkeeper, 88 00:04:38,236 --> 00:04:39,696 worked with him in the business. 89 00:04:39,738 --> 00:04:41,781 And he was really trying to make something of himself 90 00:04:41,823 --> 00:04:45,702 and build a really good business for his family. 91 00:04:45,744 --> 00:04:47,704 Clyde Oatts was 45 years old. 92 00:04:47,746 --> 00:04:49,748 He was Bill King's best friend. 93 00:04:49,789 --> 00:04:52,125 Also, he was a commodities broker 94 00:04:52,167 --> 00:04:53,960 and a family man. 95 00:04:56,504 --> 00:04:57,964 narrator: The Newport Coin Exchange 96 00:04:58,006 --> 00:05:00,633 had been the dream business of Newport resident 97 00:05:00,675 --> 00:05:02,927 and father of two, Bill King. 98 00:05:02,969 --> 00:05:05,722 But that dream has suddenly and violently 99 00:05:05,764 --> 00:05:08,308 turned into a nightmare. 100 00:05:08,350 --> 00:05:09,768 - This was a bloodbath. 101 00:05:09,809 --> 00:05:11,811 Bill King had obvious head trauma, 102 00:05:11,853 --> 00:05:14,022 but he was also shot in the chest, 103 00:05:14,064 --> 00:05:15,857 and he was shot in the back. 104 00:05:15,899 --> 00:05:19,361 - Part of his skull was dislodged. 105 00:05:19,402 --> 00:05:21,654 Any sort of time that you see brain, 106 00:05:21,696 --> 00:05:23,865 you are not going to see somebody survive. 107 00:05:25,533 --> 00:05:26,868 - Here's the dying man's declaration. 108 00:05:26,910 --> 00:05:28,161 They're asking, "Who did it? 109 00:05:28,203 --> 00:05:29,871 Do you know who did this to you?" 110 00:05:29,913 --> 00:05:33,458 And here is Mr. King, and he says, "It was Tom. 111 00:05:33,500 --> 00:05:35,043 Tom shot me." 112 00:05:37,921 --> 00:05:40,090 narrator: With Bill going in and out of consciousness 113 00:05:40,131 --> 00:05:42,175 and unable to answer questions, 114 00:05:42,217 --> 00:05:46,304 investigators have no way of clarifying who Tom is. 115 00:05:46,346 --> 00:05:50,225 Hoping for answers, they focus on the gruesome crime scene. 116 00:05:50,266 --> 00:05:52,811 - The evidence that was collected included 117 00:05:52,852 --> 00:05:57,190 numerous casings from a semi-automatic pistol, 118 00:05:57,232 --> 00:05:59,067 the typical fibers, the blood. 119 00:05:59,109 --> 00:06:01,236 A lot of rounds that had been fired. 120 00:06:01,277 --> 00:06:05,990 There was a counter that was dusted for fingerprints, 121 00:06:06,032 --> 00:06:08,159 and we ended up with a palm print. 122 00:06:09,953 --> 00:06:13,873 There were witness identifications suggesting 123 00:06:13,915 --> 00:06:16,835 two assailants that were fleeing the scene. 124 00:06:16,876 --> 00:06:19,212 They were described as young men 125 00:06:19,254 --> 00:06:21,756 with high and tight type haircuts. 126 00:06:23,842 --> 00:06:26,136 narrator: While robbery appears to be a motive, 127 00:06:26,177 --> 00:06:28,555 authorities wonder, is there a chance 128 00:06:28,596 --> 00:06:30,724 these killers could strike again? 129 00:07:28,031 --> 00:07:30,450 narrator: The murders leave the idyllic community 130 00:07:30,492 --> 00:07:31,826 reeling in shock 131 00:07:31,868 --> 00:07:35,205 and a young family desperate for answers. 132 00:07:35,246 --> 00:07:37,123 - My name is Kyle William King. 133 00:07:37,165 --> 00:07:42,253 I am the son of William Daniel King and Renee Emilia King. 134 00:07:42,295 --> 00:07:45,757 I was five years old, and I was at karate practice, 135 00:07:45,799 --> 00:07:47,842 and somebody very nervously says, 136 00:07:47,884 --> 00:07:49,552 "Kyle, a policeman's here." 137 00:07:49,594 --> 00:07:52,138 And I kind of was excited like, "Oh, cool. 138 00:07:52,180 --> 00:07:54,808 A policeman, yeah, sick." 139 00:07:54,849 --> 00:07:57,143 He brought me to his car. 140 00:07:57,185 --> 00:07:58,728 He let me sit up front with him. 141 00:07:58,770 --> 00:08:00,772 And we--we got to drive fast to the station, 142 00:08:00,814 --> 00:08:03,024 and I--I just kind of remember 143 00:08:03,066 --> 00:08:05,652 how nice he was, and that was just, 144 00:08:05,694 --> 00:08:07,821 I guess maybe the first red flag. 145 00:08:09,322 --> 00:08:12,659 I think it was my grandma and my Auntie Pat. 146 00:08:12,701 --> 00:08:15,120 They told me, you know my dad had been shot 147 00:08:15,161 --> 00:08:18,707 and my mom is dead. 148 00:08:18,748 --> 00:08:21,251 And I didn't really know what dead meant just yet, 149 00:08:21,292 --> 00:08:22,836 I think, you know? 150 00:08:22,877 --> 00:08:24,921 I--I think I remember there was a time 151 00:08:24,963 --> 00:08:27,757 running around the house afterwards 152 00:08:27,799 --> 00:08:29,342 and just being like, "Where's she at? 153 00:08:29,384 --> 00:08:30,510 "She's gotta be here. 154 00:08:30,552 --> 00:08:33,013 Like, I don't know where she is." 155 00:08:33,054 --> 00:08:35,765 It's--and I feel--feel like... 156 00:08:37,851 --> 00:08:40,687 That's when I kinda knew what--what death meant. 157 00:08:40,729 --> 00:08:42,022 And it was permanent. 158 00:08:45,400 --> 00:08:46,901 Yeah. 159 00:08:52,782 --> 00:08:55,118 - Having three people shot in one night 160 00:08:55,160 --> 00:08:59,039 in a robbery-homicide, that was unusual. 161 00:08:59,080 --> 00:09:01,207 They're rare in the context of working 162 00:09:01,249 --> 00:09:04,377 in a clearly massively affluent area 163 00:09:04,419 --> 00:09:06,755 like Newport Beach. 164 00:09:06,796 --> 00:09:09,716 - Those things don't happen in Newport Beach. 165 00:09:09,758 --> 00:09:15,347 - Those acts of premeditation ramp this kind of criminality 166 00:09:15,388 --> 00:09:18,099 up into the varsity levels of prosecution. 167 00:09:19,851 --> 00:09:21,186 We didn't have an answer. 168 00:09:21,227 --> 00:09:23,146 Somebody has to be held accountable. 169 00:09:26,107 --> 00:09:27,859 This is somebody who is very well-versed 170 00:09:27,901 --> 00:09:30,111 in handling a pistol. 171 00:09:31,988 --> 00:09:35,825 - I'm being screamed on from every direction, 172 00:09:35,867 --> 00:09:38,953 freeze, stop, get down. 173 00:09:41,915 --> 00:09:45,126 [dramatic music] 174 00:09:50,173 --> 00:09:50,632 [dramatic music] 175 00:09:52,926 --> 00:09:54,594 * * 176 00:09:54,636 --> 00:09:57,013 narrator: On March 14th, 1989, 177 00:09:57,055 --> 00:09:59,057 the Newport PD Homicide squad is 178 00:09:59,099 --> 00:10:00,725 on the hunt for Tom, 179 00:10:00,767 --> 00:10:03,812 the man they believe may have gunned down three people 180 00:10:03,853 --> 00:10:06,064 inside a local coin store. 181 00:10:06,106 --> 00:10:08,942 While store owner Bill King lost his wife, Renee, 182 00:10:08,983 --> 00:10:11,319 and best friend, Clyde Oatts, in the shooting, 183 00:10:11,361 --> 00:10:14,739 he still clings to life at a local hospital. 184 00:10:14,781 --> 00:10:16,700 - Bill King was shot in the head. 185 00:10:16,741 --> 00:10:20,662 Clyde Oatts was shot in the head and in the chest. 186 00:10:20,704 --> 00:10:24,332 And then Renee King, who was behind the counter, 187 00:10:24,374 --> 00:10:27,627 was shot through her neck while trying to run and flee. 188 00:10:27,669 --> 00:10:31,965 The precision in the gunshot wounds suggested training, 189 00:10:32,007 --> 00:10:34,759 suggested somebody who was skilled with a firearm. 190 00:10:34,801 --> 00:10:37,012 It was the most skilled shooting incident 191 00:10:37,053 --> 00:10:41,641 that I had investigated with my team. 192 00:10:41,683 --> 00:10:46,563 There was a counter that was dusted for fingerprints, 193 00:10:46,604 --> 00:10:49,274 and we ended up with a partial palm print. 194 00:10:49,315 --> 00:10:51,901 And what it appeared in that particular instance 195 00:10:51,943 --> 00:10:56,656 was the gunmen had put his hand on the counter 196 00:10:56,698 --> 00:11:00,118 to reach over on top before what we believe 197 00:11:00,160 --> 00:11:03,872 was a coup shot into Renee King. 198 00:11:05,331 --> 00:11:09,044 But there was not a match to the palm print 199 00:11:09,085 --> 00:11:11,838 that was in any fingerprint database 200 00:11:11,880 --> 00:11:14,299 that we could identify. 201 00:11:14,341 --> 00:11:17,010 - In addition to the evidence that the police found, 202 00:11:17,052 --> 00:11:18,595 they also were able to determine 203 00:11:18,636 --> 00:11:23,266 that about $45,000 in silver coins had been taken. 204 00:11:24,768 --> 00:11:26,895 - The next thing that we found 205 00:11:26,936 --> 00:11:30,273 that was of significant evidence was a receipt 206 00:11:30,315 --> 00:11:34,778 Renee King had in her hands-- would have used that 207 00:11:34,819 --> 00:11:38,573 to verify some sale information being attached 208 00:11:38,615 --> 00:11:42,827 with an address to the Tustin Marine Corps air station 209 00:11:42,869 --> 00:11:46,289 indicating the identity of an Eric Watt. 210 00:11:49,918 --> 00:11:52,379 narrator: Although Bill King had mentioned the name "Tom" 211 00:11:52,420 --> 00:11:55,131 before slipping into an unconscious state, 212 00:11:55,173 --> 00:11:56,925 the receipt gives investigators 213 00:11:56,966 --> 00:11:58,927 their first solid lead. 214 00:11:58,968 --> 00:12:02,639 Detectives head ten miles east to the Tustin Marine Base 215 00:12:02,681 --> 00:12:04,766 to look for Eric Watt. 216 00:12:04,808 --> 00:12:08,019 - We didn't have any Eric Watt at the base. 217 00:12:08,061 --> 00:12:10,689 There was an Eric Wick 218 00:12:10,730 --> 00:12:13,983 that was assigned to that area of the Marine Corps. 219 00:12:15,985 --> 00:12:18,571 - While the detectives were at the Tustin Marine Base 220 00:12:18,613 --> 00:12:20,657 looking for Eric Watt, 221 00:12:20,699 --> 00:12:22,158 they find a very helpful Marine, 222 00:12:22,200 --> 00:12:23,910 his name is John Brady. 223 00:12:23,952 --> 00:12:28,790 And he did say that a friend of his had confided in him 224 00:12:28,832 --> 00:12:31,376 that he had been at the coin store. 225 00:12:31,418 --> 00:12:34,129 And that he knew about the shooting. 226 00:12:34,170 --> 00:12:36,214 John Brady named Eric Wick. 227 00:12:39,342 --> 00:12:41,636 - The commanding officer ordered every marine 228 00:12:41,678 --> 00:12:45,473 in the unit to submit to a fingerprint card. 229 00:12:45,515 --> 00:12:50,020 And when that was done, we were able to identify Eric Wick 230 00:12:50,061 --> 00:12:53,982 as the individual that left the palm print on the counter. 231 00:12:55,859 --> 00:12:59,195 narrator: As investigators work to track down Eric Wick, 232 00:12:59,237 --> 00:13:03,033 they are notified of an astonishing break in the case. 233 00:13:03,074 --> 00:13:05,827 - So a miracle happened. 234 00:13:05,869 --> 00:13:09,080 Bill King finally awakened 235 00:13:09,122 --> 00:13:10,665 from his medically induced coma, 236 00:13:10,707 --> 00:13:12,667 after about two weeks. 237 00:13:12,709 --> 00:13:15,670 [apprehensive music] 238 00:13:15,712 --> 00:13:18,340 * * 239 00:13:18,381 --> 00:13:22,552 - I'm Bill King, and I was the owner 240 00:13:22,594 --> 00:13:25,555 of Newport Coin Exchange 241 00:13:25,597 --> 00:13:32,228 from 1985 till 1989. 242 00:13:32,270 --> 00:13:36,399 I was the sad victim of a terrible event. 243 00:13:38,193 --> 00:13:41,696 I was in surgery that night, like, nine hours 244 00:13:41,738 --> 00:13:45,617 with eight or nine surgeons working on me the whole time. 245 00:13:45,658 --> 00:13:47,410 I lost my eye as a result. 246 00:13:47,452 --> 00:13:51,122 I have some physical problems as a result 247 00:13:51,164 --> 00:13:53,333 of what happened. 248 00:13:53,375 --> 00:13:56,169 But as far as my mental capabilities, 249 00:13:56,211 --> 00:13:58,588 just as sharp as ever. 250 00:14:01,091 --> 00:14:04,302 - I remember the first time I visited him in the hospital. 251 00:14:04,344 --> 00:14:06,346 Looks like he just got out of war. 252 00:14:06,388 --> 00:14:08,556 He was bandaged up around his head. 253 00:14:08,598 --> 00:14:09,557 He had all these cables. 254 00:14:09,599 --> 00:14:11,226 Had to walk around with a IV thing, 255 00:14:11,267 --> 00:14:13,520 and I remember being scared of him, 256 00:14:13,561 --> 00:14:16,856 but also like, "Thank God you're here." 257 00:14:16,898 --> 00:14:18,566 I was super happy to see him. 258 00:14:18,608 --> 00:14:24,197 It was just such a comfort to know that he was still around. 259 00:14:24,239 --> 00:14:26,157 narrator: Having regained consciousness, 260 00:14:26,199 --> 00:14:28,743 investigators are eager to speak to Bill King, 261 00:14:28,785 --> 00:14:32,247 the massacre's lone survivor, and find out what, 262 00:14:32,288 --> 00:14:35,250 if anything, he remembers about the tragic event. 263 00:14:36,793 --> 00:14:38,253 - Police wanna talk to him. 264 00:14:38,294 --> 00:14:42,465 He was the only eyewitness that truly knew who was there. 265 00:14:42,507 --> 00:14:44,884 - The only memory I have other than, you know, 266 00:14:44,926 --> 00:14:48,096 waking up consciously in the hospital, beyond that 267 00:14:48,138 --> 00:14:50,223 was in the--in the ambulance. 268 00:14:50,265 --> 00:14:54,060 And supposedly one of the guys in the ambulance said, 269 00:14:54,102 --> 00:14:57,022 "Bill, who did this to you?" 270 00:14:57,063 --> 00:15:00,066 Supposedly I said, "Tom shot me. 271 00:15:01,526 --> 00:15:04,487 Tom did it." 272 00:15:04,529 --> 00:15:07,115 - Somebody who's shot in the head 273 00:15:07,157 --> 00:15:11,661 is going to have memory issues, even today. 274 00:15:11,703 --> 00:15:15,749 - I couldn't remember to save my life 275 00:15:15,790 --> 00:15:20,795 who the specific person was that shot me. 276 00:15:20,837 --> 00:15:27,761 I knew it was somebody that I'd met before. 277 00:15:27,802 --> 00:15:31,473 - Whether their statements are accurate, credible, 278 00:15:31,514 --> 00:15:34,851 you can corroborate the evidence that's offered. 279 00:15:34,893 --> 00:15:38,021 Those are all issues that have to be determined 280 00:15:38,063 --> 00:15:40,648 through investigative steps. 281 00:15:40,690 --> 00:15:43,193 - While Bill King is talking to the police, 282 00:15:43,234 --> 00:15:46,738 he starts to answer, "Well, ask my wife, Renee, 283 00:15:46,780 --> 00:15:49,366 she'll be able to tell you what happened." 284 00:15:49,407 --> 00:15:52,494 And it's at that time that they tell him 285 00:15:52,535 --> 00:15:54,412 that his wife was killed. 286 00:16:00,543 --> 00:16:03,254 - Looking at this picture here, 287 00:16:03,296 --> 00:16:05,590 it's Renee and our son, 288 00:16:05,632 --> 00:16:08,134 Kyle, and myself. 289 00:16:08,176 --> 00:16:10,512 [sentimental music] 290 00:16:10,553 --> 00:16:15,433 Renee was just bubbly and fun and silly, 291 00:16:15,475 --> 00:16:20,105 and nothing seemed to aggravate or get her down. 292 00:16:20,146 --> 00:16:22,315 She was an extremely good mother. 293 00:16:25,402 --> 00:16:26,861 - My mom was a go-getter. 294 00:16:26,903 --> 00:16:30,073 My mom was nothing but pure comfort and--and smiles. 295 00:16:32,784 --> 00:16:37,497 - And that's when the nurse, she informed me Clyde died. 296 00:16:37,539 --> 00:16:39,541 Clyde Oatts, he was another one of these people 297 00:16:39,582 --> 00:16:41,334 you just felt good to be around. 298 00:16:41,376 --> 00:16:43,628 He's always just fun. 299 00:16:43,670 --> 00:16:46,756 - Clyde was also my brother's godfather. 300 00:16:46,798 --> 00:16:48,967 He was his best friend. 301 00:16:49,009 --> 00:16:53,847 You know, Clyde was definitely a major part of my dad's life. 302 00:16:53,888 --> 00:16:57,434 - We had two little boys, they had three little boys. 303 00:16:57,475 --> 00:17:01,187 Clyde was very proud of his boys. 304 00:17:01,229 --> 00:17:04,149 He would spend time with them and dote on them, 305 00:17:04,190 --> 00:17:06,317 and he was a good father that way. 306 00:17:08,570 --> 00:17:10,739 narrator: With Bill's miraculous awakening, 307 00:17:10,780 --> 00:17:14,451 investigators ask him whether the name Eric rings any bells. 308 00:17:14,492 --> 00:17:16,745 He suddenly recalls a chilling encounter 309 00:17:16,786 --> 00:17:19,289 with a customer named Eric at his coin shop 310 00:17:19,330 --> 00:17:21,583 six days prior to the shooting. 311 00:17:21,624 --> 00:17:24,461 - Eric was at the counter. 312 00:17:24,502 --> 00:17:27,756 He wanted to buy 33 Canadian Maple Leafs, 313 00:17:27,797 --> 00:17:31,634 which are one-ounce gold coins. 314 00:17:31,676 --> 00:17:36,348 I wrote out that purchase ticket, and I said, 315 00:17:36,389 --> 00:17:38,475 "What's your last name, Eric?" 316 00:17:41,770 --> 00:17:45,231 To me, that should've been a red flag. 317 00:17:45,273 --> 00:17:48,109 [dramatic music] 318 00:17:55,867 --> 00:17:56,326 [dramatic music] 319 00:17:58,745 --> 00:18:05,669 * * 320 00:18:07,337 --> 00:18:09,089 narrator: In the spring of 1989, 321 00:18:09,130 --> 00:18:12,008 the only survivor of an execution-style shooting 322 00:18:12,050 --> 00:18:14,177 starts to regain his memory. 323 00:18:14,219 --> 00:18:15,637 From his hospital bed, 324 00:18:15,679 --> 00:18:17,472 Bill King describes an encounter 325 00:18:17,514 --> 00:18:19,974 with a young man named Eric at his coin store 326 00:18:20,016 --> 00:18:22,268 less than a week before the shooting. 327 00:18:23,728 --> 00:18:27,357 - I wrote out that purchase ticket, 328 00:18:27,399 --> 00:18:30,610 and I said, "What's your last name, Eric?" 329 00:18:30,652 --> 00:18:33,238 And he's like, "What do you need that for?" 330 00:18:37,784 --> 00:18:43,289 And he's all, "Okay, it's Watt. W-A-T-T, Watt." 331 00:18:43,331 --> 00:18:45,250 "What's your phone number?" 332 00:18:50,797 --> 00:18:53,425 "I need a phone number, Eric." 333 00:18:53,466 --> 00:18:56,886 And then finally he gave me a number and he said, 334 00:18:56,928 --> 00:18:59,097 "This is the number to the barracks, 335 00:18:59,139 --> 00:19:00,598 "it's like a payphone thing. 336 00:19:00,640 --> 00:19:03,768 You just ask for Eric, everyone knows who I am." 337 00:19:10,233 --> 00:19:15,238 narrator: On March 14th, 1989, six days after that exchange, 338 00:19:15,280 --> 00:19:18,116 the young marine was scheduled to return with cash 339 00:19:18,158 --> 00:19:20,577 to buy the gold coins. 340 00:19:20,618 --> 00:19:24,080 - Around 5:00, Renee and I are more or less 341 00:19:24,122 --> 00:19:27,125 preparing to close the store. 342 00:19:27,167 --> 00:19:31,963 Clyde and his wife Marlyn are gonna come over, 343 00:19:32,005 --> 00:19:34,507 and we're all going to go out together. 344 00:19:34,549 --> 00:19:39,012 So I'm in my office, Eric comes in the store. 345 00:19:39,054 --> 00:19:39,971 I said... 346 00:19:42,557 --> 00:19:43,683 And he's like... 347 00:19:51,232 --> 00:19:53,401 And next thing I know I'm on the floor. 348 00:19:58,656 --> 00:20:00,784 And I look down, and right here, 349 00:20:00,825 --> 00:20:04,079 blood is just squirting out of my sternum. 350 00:20:04,120 --> 00:20:06,706 This guy just shot me. 351 00:20:06,748 --> 00:20:12,712 I became infuriated, and I jumped up on my two feet 352 00:20:12,754 --> 00:20:15,006 and jumped up from behind the counter. 353 00:20:15,048 --> 00:20:17,133 I don't know what I thought I was gonna do, 354 00:20:17,175 --> 00:20:20,845 and he shot me again, and down I went. 355 00:20:22,806 --> 00:20:24,808 Eric was out of my sight, 356 00:20:24,849 --> 00:20:28,478 and with that I crawled into my office. 357 00:20:30,230 --> 00:20:32,148 I had a shotgun in my office. 358 00:20:32,190 --> 00:20:36,361 I was trying to stick shells into the shotgun. 359 00:20:36,403 --> 00:20:39,572 Eric saw me with shotgun. He shot me again. 360 00:20:39,614 --> 00:20:41,116 I got shot in the head right there. 361 00:20:44,536 --> 00:20:48,289 Apparently, then he thought he did the job. 362 00:20:48,331 --> 00:20:50,166 - Bill King was shot in the head. 363 00:20:50,208 --> 00:20:54,170 Clyde Oatts was shot in the head and in the chest. 364 00:20:54,212 --> 00:20:58,508 And then Renee King, who was trying to run and flee, 365 00:20:58,550 --> 00:21:00,927 she ended up getting shot. 366 00:21:00,969 --> 00:21:04,014 So we believe she was the third person shot 367 00:21:04,055 --> 00:21:05,724 within seconds. 368 00:21:05,765 --> 00:21:11,646 And the--and I might say the precision of the gunfire 369 00:21:11,688 --> 00:21:14,566 into the decedents and into Bill King 370 00:21:14,607 --> 00:21:19,696 was--was truly evidence of someone well versed 371 00:21:19,738 --> 00:21:21,197 in handling a firearm. 372 00:21:21,239 --> 00:21:25,201 [suspenseful music] 373 00:21:25,243 --> 00:21:29,414 - The next thing that happened that I'm conscious of 374 00:21:29,456 --> 00:21:32,625 is that I'm going out the front door to my store, 375 00:21:32,667 --> 00:21:35,712 all of a sudden, I'm being screamed on 376 00:21:35,754 --> 00:21:41,092 from every direction, freeze, stop, get down. 377 00:21:41,134 --> 00:21:47,891 And I'm feeling gun barrels against my head. 378 00:21:47,932 --> 00:21:50,727 Apparently, they think I'm the shooter or something. 379 00:21:50,769 --> 00:21:55,732 And I just started screaming out, 380 00:21:55,774 --> 00:21:58,109 "I'm the owner of the business, 381 00:21:58,151 --> 00:22:00,779 I'm the victim," you know? 382 00:22:00,820 --> 00:22:03,198 "Back off." And they did. 383 00:22:07,160 --> 00:22:09,579 - So Bill King is able to tell police 384 00:22:09,621 --> 00:22:14,918 that an Eric had purchased the $45,000 in coins 385 00:22:14,959 --> 00:22:17,170 and that he had come to pick them up. 386 00:22:17,212 --> 00:22:19,589 And instead of picking up his coins, 387 00:22:19,631 --> 00:22:21,758 he pulled a gun and started shooting. 388 00:22:25,929 --> 00:22:27,806 narrator: While Bill's memory of the events 389 00:22:27,847 --> 00:22:29,849 don't include anyone named Tom, 390 00:22:29,891 --> 00:22:32,060 his recollection of the exchange with Eric 391 00:22:32,102 --> 00:22:33,937 provides important confirmation 392 00:22:33,978 --> 00:22:37,941 about the investigative trail detectives are following. 393 00:22:37,982 --> 00:22:41,820 - The intentions were to-- to bring him, Eric Wick, in, 394 00:22:41,861 --> 00:22:43,947 and we probably would have interviewed him, 395 00:22:43,988 --> 00:22:47,659 but we came across other information 396 00:22:47,701 --> 00:22:50,620 from his non-commission officer in charge 397 00:22:50,662 --> 00:22:54,290 that he had decided he needed to take an emergency leave, 398 00:22:54,332 --> 00:22:57,127 and so he was fleeing the jurisdiction 399 00:22:57,168 --> 00:23:01,464 and heading what we thought was up 395 to Reno 400 00:23:01,506 --> 00:23:03,258 where he resided. 401 00:23:05,760 --> 00:23:07,137 - Once they knew who they were looking for, 402 00:23:07,178 --> 00:23:10,390 they learn that Eric Wick was a 20-year-old marine, 403 00:23:10,432 --> 00:23:13,518 and he lived in Reno, Nevada. 404 00:23:13,560 --> 00:23:16,980 - He had been very nervous, 405 00:23:17,022 --> 00:23:21,109 obviously concerned that something was wrong. 406 00:23:21,151 --> 00:23:24,279 When Eric Wick fled, we were in a place 407 00:23:24,320 --> 00:23:27,449 of having a direct target now that we're gonna go after. 408 00:23:27,490 --> 00:23:33,621 * * 409 00:23:33,663 --> 00:23:35,415 - He had an accomplice. 410 00:23:35,457 --> 00:23:37,792 He said there was someone with him. 411 00:23:37,834 --> 00:23:40,962 - "We the jury in the above-entitled case 412 00:23:41,004 --> 00:23:43,590 find the defendant..." and then there's a pause. 413 00:23:43,631 --> 00:23:45,884 And the--the clerk's voice trembles 414 00:23:45,925 --> 00:23:48,678 'cause she can't hardly get it out either. 415 00:23:50,221 --> 00:23:53,183 [dramatic music] 416 00:23:57,979 --> 00:23:58,438 [dramatic music] 417 00:24:01,691 --> 00:24:04,652 [tense music] 418 00:24:04,694 --> 00:24:07,947 * * 419 00:24:07,989 --> 00:24:10,075 narrator: Armed with mounting evidence, 420 00:24:10,116 --> 00:24:12,285 Newport Beach Homicide detectives have 421 00:24:12,327 --> 00:24:14,537 a prime suspect for the deadly robbery 422 00:24:14,579 --> 00:24:16,498 at the Newport Coin Exchange: 423 00:24:16,539 --> 00:24:18,500 marine Eric Wick. 424 00:24:18,541 --> 00:24:21,795 - Eric Wick was a 20-year-old marine 425 00:24:21,836 --> 00:24:24,964 serving his country and was the son 426 00:24:25,006 --> 00:24:28,468 of a very well-respected ranking FBI agent 427 00:24:28,510 --> 00:24:30,470 in the Reno field office. 428 00:24:30,512 --> 00:24:33,765 [suspenseful music] 429 00:24:33,807 --> 00:24:36,434 The former police chief of Reno PD 430 00:24:36,476 --> 00:24:38,103 was an--a former captain 431 00:24:38,144 --> 00:24:39,604 from the Newport Beach Police Department. 432 00:24:39,646 --> 00:24:44,401 So we had close personal relationships with this agency. 433 00:24:44,442 --> 00:24:45,777 And so I got on the phone with him, 434 00:24:45,819 --> 00:24:47,237 shared with him that we believed 435 00:24:47,278 --> 00:24:50,156 we had some flight of a wanted felon 436 00:24:50,198 --> 00:24:54,369 responsible for three shooting victims, two dead. 437 00:24:55,829 --> 00:24:57,372 Eric's father was 438 00:24:57,414 --> 00:24:59,499 somebody that the Reno Police Department 439 00:24:59,541 --> 00:25:00,917 had very high regard for. 440 00:25:00,959 --> 00:25:03,336 And they were all crestfallen that his son was now 441 00:25:03,378 --> 00:25:04,754 a suspect in this. 442 00:25:08,800 --> 00:25:10,301 - With the help of Reno police, 443 00:25:10,343 --> 00:25:12,762 the Newport Beach police were able to take Eric Wick 444 00:25:12,804 --> 00:25:14,973 into custody without further incident, 445 00:25:15,015 --> 00:25:17,809 and his father at the time said that he just really 446 00:25:17,851 --> 00:25:20,228 didn't believe that his son could do that, 447 00:25:20,270 --> 00:25:24,315 and that he was gonna get him the finest attorneys possible. 448 00:25:24,357 --> 00:25:27,861 In the meantime, a search warrant is executed. 449 00:25:27,902 --> 00:25:29,529 narrator: The warrant carried out 450 00:25:29,571 --> 00:25:31,197 by the Reno Police Department 451 00:25:31,239 --> 00:25:35,869 gives investigators inside out access to Eric's Chevy Nova. 452 00:25:35,910 --> 00:25:38,705 And what they find helps seal his fate. 453 00:25:40,206 --> 00:25:42,334 - His Chevrolet Nova is searched, 454 00:25:42,375 --> 00:25:45,211 and they find a nine-millimeter pistol, 455 00:25:45,253 --> 00:25:47,547 and they found the gold coins 456 00:25:47,589 --> 00:25:49,841 that matched the description of the coins 457 00:25:49,883 --> 00:25:52,594 taken from the Coin Exchange. 458 00:25:52,635 --> 00:25:54,763 narrator: Eric wick is transported from Reno 459 00:25:54,804 --> 00:25:56,181 to Orange County 460 00:25:56,222 --> 00:25:59,100 where detectives begin their interrogation. 461 00:25:59,142 --> 00:26:01,311 - At first, he tried to deny that he was even there, 462 00:26:01,353 --> 00:26:03,772 but he couldn't really tell them where he was, 463 00:26:03,813 --> 00:26:05,440 or how his fingerprints got there. 464 00:26:05,482 --> 00:26:08,068 Finally, he broke down, and he said it was him. 465 00:26:10,570 --> 00:26:13,406 - I'm John D. Barnett, I'm a criminal defense lawyer. 466 00:26:13,448 --> 00:26:15,909 In the mid-90s, I was representing 467 00:26:15,950 --> 00:26:18,703 people charged with serious criminal offenses. 468 00:26:18,745 --> 00:26:21,790 So Eric Wick confesses he's the lone gunman. 469 00:26:21,831 --> 00:26:25,877 He confessed he shot people. It was just a robbery gone bad. 470 00:26:25,919 --> 00:26:27,879 So he makes a full confession 471 00:26:27,921 --> 00:26:31,216 where he implicates only himself. 472 00:26:31,257 --> 00:26:33,593 narrator: With a full confession from Eric Wick, 473 00:26:33,635 --> 00:26:36,096 the mysterious "Tom" that Bill King named 474 00:26:36,137 --> 00:26:39,224 in the ambulance no longer seems relevant. 475 00:26:39,265 --> 00:26:41,685 Three months after the heinous crime, 476 00:26:41,726 --> 00:26:44,270 on June 14, 1989, 477 00:26:44,312 --> 00:26:47,440 Eric Wick is charged with two counts of homicide, 478 00:26:47,482 --> 00:26:49,192 one count of attempted homicide, 479 00:26:49,234 --> 00:26:51,903 felony robbery, and burglary. 480 00:26:51,945 --> 00:26:54,072 Now detectives hope that Bill 481 00:26:54,114 --> 00:26:56,032 and any eyewitnesses to the crime 482 00:26:56,074 --> 00:26:58,326 will confirm that they have the trigger man. 483 00:26:58,368 --> 00:27:02,080 - One of the witnesses was a baker named Finn Olsen, 484 00:27:02,122 --> 00:27:04,666 who was outside the Coin Exchange 485 00:27:04,708 --> 00:27:07,293 around the time of the shooting. 486 00:27:07,335 --> 00:27:09,838 - I told the police I had seen these two people. 487 00:27:59,429 --> 00:28:03,016 So I could identify him? Said I'd be happy to. 488 00:28:07,312 --> 00:28:09,481 And I walked in the room, 489 00:28:09,522 --> 00:28:11,858 and I just took a quick glance. 490 00:28:11,900 --> 00:28:16,988 They had five guys standing up there behind a glass wall. 491 00:28:17,030 --> 00:28:19,532 I looked, and there was Eric Wick. 492 00:28:21,034 --> 00:28:23,328 Right away I said the number. 493 00:28:23,370 --> 00:28:27,540 * * 494 00:28:27,582 --> 00:28:30,752 "Yeah, that's who did it." 495 00:28:30,794 --> 00:28:33,755 narrator: Four months after the arrest of Eric Wick, 496 00:28:33,797 --> 00:28:35,215 investigators get a call 497 00:28:35,256 --> 00:28:37,425 from Wick's friend and fellow Marine 498 00:28:37,467 --> 00:28:40,929 that threatens to blow the whole case wide open. 499 00:28:40,970 --> 00:28:42,389 - Eric Wick tells John Brady, 500 00:28:42,430 --> 00:28:46,726 yes, he did commit the crime, but he had an accomplice. 501 00:28:46,768 --> 00:28:48,812 He said there was someone with him. 502 00:28:48,853 --> 00:28:51,439 They wouldn't really name the person who was with him, 503 00:28:51,481 --> 00:28:54,359 but he described the person as an older marine 504 00:28:54,401 --> 00:28:56,236 who had taught him martial arts 505 00:28:56,277 --> 00:28:58,947 and had been with him that day. 506 00:28:58,988 --> 00:29:02,492 narrator: And that marine is a man named Thomas Merrill, 507 00:29:02,534 --> 00:29:05,620 or as his friends know him, Tom. 508 00:29:05,662 --> 00:29:08,123 Could this be the same Tom Bill King named 509 00:29:08,164 --> 00:29:10,083 right after being shot? 510 00:29:10,125 --> 00:29:13,003 - Tom Merrill was a 26-year-old sharpshooter 511 00:29:13,044 --> 00:29:14,546 in the Marine Corps, 512 00:29:14,587 --> 00:29:18,675 and he was bunkmates with Eric Wick. 513 00:29:18,717 --> 00:29:20,885 - Detectives learn from John Brady that Eric Wick 514 00:29:20,927 --> 00:29:24,848 shared a storage unit with a man named Tom Merrill. 515 00:29:24,889 --> 00:29:26,808 John Brady and Tom Merrill 516 00:29:26,850 --> 00:29:31,604 had helped Eric move some rifles into that storage unit. 517 00:29:31,646 --> 00:29:34,566 That storage unit has a security code, 518 00:29:34,607 --> 00:29:36,401 and the police were able to determine 519 00:29:36,443 --> 00:29:38,987 that Eric Wick had used that security code 520 00:29:39,029 --> 00:29:43,700 to access that storage unit the days after the shooting. 521 00:29:43,742 --> 00:29:47,412 - John Brady said that he heard Eric and Tom 522 00:29:47,454 --> 00:29:50,915 talking about doing a robbery. 523 00:29:50,957 --> 00:29:53,710 Gaming it out. 524 00:29:53,752 --> 00:29:55,879 - One of the reasons they looked at Tom Merrill 525 00:29:55,920 --> 00:30:00,133 was that Bill King had said to the--to the paramedic, 526 00:30:00,175 --> 00:30:02,761 "Tom shot me." 527 00:30:02,802 --> 00:30:05,263 The Tom could've been Tom Merrill. 528 00:30:05,305 --> 00:30:07,182 - The police began to believe 529 00:30:07,223 --> 00:30:08,975 that Tom must have been involved, 530 00:30:09,017 --> 00:30:10,602 and so they went after him. 531 00:30:19,819 --> 00:30:20,278 [dramatic music] 532 00:30:22,781 --> 00:30:29,704 * * 533 00:30:31,956 --> 00:30:33,249 narrator: More than a year 534 00:30:33,291 --> 00:30:35,377 after a Newport coin store shooting spree 535 00:30:35,418 --> 00:30:37,420 left Bill King seriously injured 536 00:30:37,462 --> 00:30:40,256 and his wife and best friend dead, 537 00:30:40,298 --> 00:30:42,759 20-year-old Eric wick confesses, 538 00:30:42,801 --> 00:30:45,345 but now says he didn't act alone. 539 00:30:45,387 --> 00:30:47,347 Police are on the hunt to find the man 540 00:30:47,389 --> 00:30:50,308 he names as his accomplice, Tom Merrill. 541 00:30:53,770 --> 00:30:55,313 - Tom Merrill was a lance corporal 542 00:30:55,355 --> 00:30:57,941 in the United States Marine Corps. 543 00:30:57,982 --> 00:31:00,068 - Merrill is 26 years old, a bit older. 544 00:31:00,110 --> 00:31:03,488 He is a martial arts expert, and a sharpshooter, 545 00:31:03,530 --> 00:31:07,325 and a bunkmate of Eric Wick. 546 00:31:07,367 --> 00:31:09,661 - What the police knew about Tom is that 547 00:31:09,703 --> 00:31:15,583 he helped move the weapons from his car to a warehouse. 548 00:31:15,625 --> 00:31:19,838 So we know that he helped Eric after the shooting. 549 00:31:19,879 --> 00:31:21,840 - When Thomas Merrill was initially questioned, 550 00:31:21,881 --> 00:31:24,676 he told police that he had nothing to do with it. 551 00:31:24,718 --> 00:31:27,679 The one problem that he had was he didn't have an alibi. 552 00:31:27,721 --> 00:31:29,764 - It is about whereabouts and can you account 553 00:31:29,806 --> 00:31:32,767 for where you were at, you know, 4:00 554 00:31:32,809 --> 00:31:36,688 on a particular afternoon 18 months earlier. 555 00:31:36,730 --> 00:31:40,900 And Tom's recollection of that was not perfect. 556 00:31:40,942 --> 00:31:43,945 - So the police bring a photo of Thomas Merrill 557 00:31:43,987 --> 00:31:46,489 to--to Bill King, and he doesn't recognize him. 558 00:31:46,531 --> 00:31:48,241 He said, you know, here's the man 559 00:31:48,283 --> 00:31:49,909 who said, "Tom shot me," 560 00:31:49,951 --> 00:31:52,162 and now he looks at a picture of--of Thomas Merrill 561 00:31:52,203 --> 00:31:54,289 and he says he had no recollection 562 00:31:54,330 --> 00:31:56,374 of ever seeing Thomas Merrill. 563 00:31:59,085 --> 00:32:02,589 narrator: Nearly 18 months after the violent rampage, 564 00:32:02,630 --> 00:32:07,177 Newport police turn once again to eyewitness Finn Olsen. 565 00:32:10,347 --> 00:32:13,099 - You would think it works in Tom's favor 566 00:32:13,141 --> 00:32:17,228 that neither Finn Olsen or Bill King 567 00:32:17,270 --> 00:32:19,731 could put him at the scene of the crime. 568 00:32:19,773 --> 00:32:21,358 You would think that that would help a lot. 569 00:32:21,399 --> 00:32:24,944 But John Brady said Tom helped Eric. 570 00:32:24,986 --> 00:32:29,949 Bill King told the paramedics that "Tom" shot him. 571 00:32:29,991 --> 00:32:35,205 And the police believed that it could only be Tom Merrill. 572 00:32:35,246 --> 00:32:37,707 And so he is arrested and charged. 573 00:32:39,209 --> 00:32:41,086 narrator: In March 1991, 574 00:32:41,127 --> 00:32:43,463 a preliminary hearing for Wick and Merrill 575 00:32:43,505 --> 00:32:45,256 determines there's enough evidence 576 00:32:45,298 --> 00:32:48,510 for both to face trial. 577 00:32:48,551 --> 00:32:51,262 Three months later, the trial of both Eric Wick 578 00:32:51,304 --> 00:32:52,889 and Tom Merrill begins. 579 00:32:56,518 --> 00:32:59,062 I looked forward to the trial daily. 580 00:32:59,104 --> 00:33:02,565 I had the same anticipation to go to that like I did 581 00:33:02,607 --> 00:33:05,360 when I saw the Beatles when I was in eighth grade. 582 00:33:07,570 --> 00:33:10,532 - Eric's defense was, "I'm not the shooter. 583 00:33:10,573 --> 00:33:13,785 I was just being controlled by Tom Merrill." 584 00:33:13,827 --> 00:33:15,912 He believed that if he could help 585 00:33:15,954 --> 00:33:18,707 the prosecution convict Tom Merrill, 586 00:33:18,748 --> 00:33:23,336 that he himself could then get a reduced sentence. 587 00:33:30,677 --> 00:33:32,178 - Tom Merrill did take the stand. 588 00:33:32,220 --> 00:33:33,680 He did assert his innocence. 589 00:33:33,722 --> 00:33:37,475 But he didn't remember where he was. 590 00:33:37,517 --> 00:33:40,186 And he was vulnerable to cross-examination 591 00:33:40,228 --> 00:33:42,439 on the lack of memory. 592 00:33:44,691 --> 00:33:48,069 Both Tom Merrill and Eric Wick were found guilty 593 00:33:48,111 --> 00:33:50,363 of all the charges brought against them. 594 00:33:53,908 --> 00:33:57,579 They get two very different sentences. 595 00:33:57,620 --> 00:33:59,581 Tom gets sentenced to life 596 00:33:59,622 --> 00:34:01,583 without the possibility of parole. 597 00:34:01,624 --> 00:34:07,589 And Eric gets 36 to life for a single count 598 00:34:07,630 --> 00:34:09,591 of first-degree murder. 599 00:34:13,720 --> 00:34:16,389 narrator: Two murders, two convictions, 600 00:34:16,431 --> 00:34:19,142 two vastly different sentences. 601 00:34:19,184 --> 00:34:23,063 Renee King and Clyde Oatts' killers are now behind bars, 602 00:34:23,104 --> 00:34:25,065 but was justice really served? 603 00:34:25,106 --> 00:34:28,068 [suspenseful music] 604 00:34:28,109 --> 00:34:30,111 * * 605 00:34:30,153 --> 00:34:32,364 - I got a call from the lawyer in LA, 606 00:34:32,405 --> 00:34:36,701 and he asked me to assist in trying to get Tom a new trial, 607 00:34:36,743 --> 00:34:40,330 and if he got a new trial, to try the case with him. 608 00:34:42,791 --> 00:34:45,460 Finn Olsen was an eyewitness. 609 00:34:45,502 --> 00:34:47,921 He's shown a lineup with Tom Merrill, 610 00:34:47,962 --> 00:34:53,510 and he tells the investigators "Not only I can't make an ID, 611 00:34:53,551 --> 00:34:55,261 but that's not the guy." 612 00:34:55,303 --> 00:34:58,723 That evidence did not get presented to the jury. 613 00:34:58,765 --> 00:35:03,103 We had the evidence that was explosive. 614 00:35:03,144 --> 00:35:06,314 The bottom line was Tom was denied that evidence 615 00:35:06,356 --> 00:35:11,194 and showing that would have an impact on the trial. 616 00:35:11,236 --> 00:35:14,155 He was granted a new trial. 617 00:35:14,197 --> 00:35:16,783 narrator: On March 24th, 1995, 618 00:35:16,825 --> 00:35:19,869 nearly four years after getting a life sentence, 619 00:35:19,911 --> 00:35:22,163 Thomas Merrill has a second chance 620 00:35:22,205 --> 00:35:23,790 to fight for his freedom. 621 00:35:23,832 --> 00:35:26,334 This time, Finn Olsen is able to testify 622 00:35:26,376 --> 00:35:29,254 that he did not see Merrill at the crime scene. 623 00:35:29,295 --> 00:35:32,257 The defense also presents surprising new evidence 624 00:35:32,298 --> 00:35:35,927 about where Merrill was right before the murders. 625 00:35:35,969 --> 00:35:38,346 - When Thomas Merrill was initially questioned, 626 00:35:38,388 --> 00:35:39,973 he had a lack of an alibi, 627 00:35:40,015 --> 00:35:44,060 but in going through with dogged determination, 628 00:35:44,102 --> 00:35:46,521 John Barnett finds out that, actually, 629 00:35:46,563 --> 00:35:48,356 Merrill did have an alibi 630 00:35:48,398 --> 00:35:50,817 and had the receipt to show for it. 631 00:35:50,859 --> 00:35:56,072 - It turns out that Tom made a $20 withdrawal from an ATM, 632 00:35:56,114 --> 00:36:00,160 which was about four miles from the robbery before the murder. 633 00:36:00,201 --> 00:36:03,455 And this robbery was planned, and it boggles the mind 634 00:36:03,496 --> 00:36:06,791 to think that if he's going to a robbery that he planned, 635 00:36:06,833 --> 00:36:11,588 that he'd stop off at an ATM to get 20 bucks. 636 00:36:13,590 --> 00:36:17,010 narrator: After six years of anguish for those involved 637 00:36:17,052 --> 00:36:19,095 and eight days of deliberation, 638 00:36:19,137 --> 00:36:22,015 the jury returns with a shocking decision. 639 00:36:22,057 --> 00:36:27,312 - The jury was deadlocked 7 to 5 in favor of conviction. 640 00:36:27,354 --> 00:36:28,980 - A mistrial was declared. 641 00:36:29,022 --> 00:36:31,024 And then they tried him a third time. 642 00:36:31,066 --> 00:36:33,735 So hopefully, the third time is the charm, right? 643 00:36:36,780 --> 00:36:38,740 narrator: Thomas Merrill's attorneys are able 644 00:36:38,782 --> 00:36:40,575 to poke holes in another one 645 00:36:40,617 --> 00:36:42,827 of the prosecution's main theories, 646 00:36:42,869 --> 00:36:45,538 that Bill King told a paramedic at the crime scene, 647 00:36:45,580 --> 00:36:47,332 "Tom did it." 648 00:36:47,374 --> 00:36:51,711 - One of the first responders who was questioning Bill King 649 00:36:51,753 --> 00:36:55,632 had a jacket on, and the jacket had his name on it. 650 00:36:55,674 --> 00:36:59,386 And the name that Bill King was looking at 651 00:36:59,427 --> 00:37:03,473 when he was asked the question, "Who hurt you?" was Tom. 652 00:37:04,933 --> 00:37:08,728 He has been gunshot three times. 653 00:37:08,770 --> 00:37:12,649 He's in terrible pain, he can't form sentences, 654 00:37:12,691 --> 00:37:17,737 but he can see Tom on this paramedic's shirt. 655 00:37:17,779 --> 00:37:19,823 That's where the Tom came from. 656 00:37:19,864 --> 00:37:24,202 So that piece was extremely important. 657 00:37:26,121 --> 00:37:28,832 Bill King, he's sitting with Tom's mom, 658 00:37:28,873 --> 00:37:31,668 Sarah Merrill, during the third trial. 659 00:37:31,710 --> 00:37:33,920 They're describing this horrific killing 660 00:37:33,962 --> 00:37:37,465 about his wife being executed and him being shot in the head, 661 00:37:37,507 --> 00:37:41,553 and who's he sitting next to holding their hand? 662 00:37:41,594 --> 00:37:42,971 The defendant's mom. 663 00:37:43,013 --> 00:37:46,933 And that's a more powerful statement 664 00:37:46,975 --> 00:37:50,061 than any other of the pieces of evidence. 665 00:37:50,103 --> 00:37:53,940 narrator: After deliberating for nine hours over two days, 666 00:37:53,982 --> 00:37:56,234 the jury reaches a verdict. 667 00:37:56,276 --> 00:38:00,238 - I can feel Tom's mom, Mrs. Merrill, behind me. 668 00:38:00,280 --> 00:38:06,619 I have Tom next to me, and I can feel the tension. 669 00:38:06,661 --> 00:38:11,583 There's a lot of emotions that go through your head and heart 670 00:38:11,624 --> 00:38:13,585 because you know what the stakes are. 671 00:38:17,672 --> 00:38:20,467 [dramatic music] 672 00:38:24,929 --> 00:38:25,388 [dramatic music] 673 00:38:27,682 --> 00:38:33,188 * * 674 00:38:33,229 --> 00:38:36,232 - "We the jury in the above-entitled case 675 00:38:36,274 --> 00:38:39,194 find the defendant Thomas Merrill..." 676 00:38:39,235 --> 00:38:40,779 and then there's a pause. 677 00:38:40,820 --> 00:38:43,114 And the--the clerk's voice trembles 678 00:38:43,156 --> 00:38:45,742 'cause she can't hardly get it out either. 679 00:38:45,784 --> 00:38:46,910 "Not guilty." 680 00:38:54,751 --> 00:38:56,294 - My name's Tom Merrill. 681 00:38:56,336 --> 00:38:59,089 When the verdict came back "not guilty"... 682 00:39:01,216 --> 00:39:02,926 I was just dazed. 683 00:39:04,344 --> 00:39:06,805 Knowing that I was not someplace, 684 00:39:06,846 --> 00:39:09,724 knowing that I did not shoot any people. 685 00:39:11,059 --> 00:39:12,977 For me to get to the point of view 686 00:39:13,019 --> 00:39:15,105 that they believed I did... 687 00:39:18,942 --> 00:39:22,153 I cannot wrap my head around that. 688 00:39:22,195 --> 00:39:27,951 I met Eric Wick when I came to work at the armory. 689 00:39:27,992 --> 00:39:32,706 We kind of bonded as the new people and most junior. 690 00:39:34,457 --> 00:39:39,170 The amount of storage we had on base wasn't all that much. 691 00:39:39,212 --> 00:39:42,257 We got a storage unit off-base. 692 00:39:42,298 --> 00:39:45,343 Eric had this kind of duffel bag full of stuff. 693 00:39:45,385 --> 00:39:48,930 It was like nunchucks, some wooden swords, 694 00:39:48,972 --> 00:39:51,766 a couple of other things like that. 695 00:39:51,808 --> 00:39:54,728 He also had an AK-47. 696 00:39:56,521 --> 00:40:00,942 Eric Wick murdered two people and tried to murder a third. 697 00:40:00,984 --> 00:40:02,193 He just tried to murder me 698 00:40:02,235 --> 00:40:04,821 using the criminal justice system. 699 00:40:07,615 --> 00:40:12,662 - There is no doubt whatsoever in my mind 700 00:40:12,704 --> 00:40:18,918 that there was one sole robber, shooter, 701 00:40:18,960 --> 00:40:22,672 and that clearly was Eric Wick. 702 00:40:25,508 --> 00:40:28,136 - I spent about five years in prison. 703 00:40:28,178 --> 00:40:32,349 Bill King had a lot to do with me being free. 704 00:40:32,390 --> 00:40:36,102 To give half a damn 705 00:40:36,144 --> 00:40:38,229 about somebody that the police were saying 706 00:40:38,271 --> 00:40:41,524 was guilty of doing that to him. 707 00:40:41,566 --> 00:40:45,487 I--I just don't have words. 708 00:40:45,528 --> 00:40:46,863 I really don't have words. 709 00:40:48,406 --> 00:40:53,286 - Tom, I would view as a friend in that somebody 710 00:40:53,328 --> 00:40:57,499 I feel would watch my back or be in my corner. 711 00:40:57,540 --> 00:41:00,502 [solemn music] 712 00:41:00,543 --> 00:41:03,838 * * 713 00:41:03,880 --> 00:41:06,341 - Since getting out of prison, 714 00:41:06,383 --> 00:41:10,553 I've suffered from chronic PTSD. 715 00:41:10,595 --> 00:41:12,389 Trusting anybody is difficult. 716 00:41:15,058 --> 00:41:18,770 The long-term effects of depression, 717 00:41:18,812 --> 00:41:24,859 the long-term effects of not being able to see the sun. 718 00:41:24,901 --> 00:41:26,861 On a good day, I can walk a mile. 719 00:41:29,656 --> 00:41:32,742 On a bad day, I've trouble making it to the toilet. 720 00:41:39,082 --> 00:41:41,501 Oh, my God, my mother. 721 00:41:43,044 --> 00:41:45,338 I really doubt I'd be free 722 00:41:45,380 --> 00:41:47,424 without everything that she did. 723 00:41:47,465 --> 00:41:51,094 My mom worked day and night on my case. 724 00:41:51,136 --> 00:41:55,056 She always used these steno pads to write notes. 725 00:41:55,098 --> 00:41:57,100 And I remember one, it was like... 726 00:41:58,893 --> 00:42:02,063 "Renew Zoloft, 727 00:42:02,105 --> 00:42:06,151 talk to attorney about this, get eggs." 728 00:42:06,192 --> 00:42:09,904 Yeah. My mom's amazing. 729 00:42:09,946 --> 00:42:13,658 * * 730 00:42:13,700 --> 00:42:17,746 - The victimization is not limited to the person 731 00:42:17,787 --> 00:42:20,415 whose life was taken. 732 00:42:20,457 --> 00:42:23,752 All of the people that are left behind in the Oatts family, 733 00:42:23,793 --> 00:42:26,254 in the King family, those children, 734 00:42:26,296 --> 00:42:29,507 they suffer every day without their parent. 735 00:42:32,635 --> 00:42:34,179 - Eric Wick took my mother. 736 00:42:34,220 --> 00:42:37,474 Eric Wick took a part of my father. 737 00:42:37,515 --> 00:42:40,435 He took away an entire trajectory of my life. 738 00:42:40,477 --> 00:42:44,814 And he sent me down a rabbit hole of trauma. 739 00:42:44,856 --> 00:42:48,485 For--for a long time, for 38 years. 740 00:42:50,653 --> 00:42:52,947 You know, I didn't know if my dad was coming back. 741 00:42:52,989 --> 00:42:54,532 I had my little brother. 742 00:42:54,574 --> 00:42:56,242 So that's why I'm just 743 00:42:56,284 --> 00:42:58,411 so thankful for everything I have now. 744 00:43:00,330 --> 00:43:01,956 - My children couldn't have been blessed 745 00:43:01,998 --> 00:43:04,459 with a better mother. 746 00:43:06,086 --> 00:43:07,545 And that's how I see her. 747 00:43:09,464 --> 00:43:11,591 - You know, when you do your nighttime prayers, 748 00:43:11,633 --> 00:43:14,886 I'd always kinda like call the phone to Jesus 749 00:43:14,928 --> 00:43:17,305 and be like, "Hey, can I talk to my mom?" 750 00:43:17,347 --> 00:43:19,557 And I'd kinda just pray to my mom. 751 00:43:21,267 --> 00:43:24,646 That was super comforting for me growing up. 752 00:43:24,688 --> 00:43:27,816 Just kinda like--like, "Hey, Jesus, what's up? 753 00:43:27,857 --> 00:43:29,150 "Everything's cool, man. 754 00:43:29,192 --> 00:43:30,610 How's my mom doing, can I talk to her?" 755 00:43:30,652 --> 00:43:34,948 And then just kinda just talk to her in my way. 756 00:43:34,989 --> 00:43:36,908 I did that a lot.