1 00:00:08,208 --> 00:00:11,678 - She was someone that sees what they want in life, 2 00:00:11,711 --> 00:00:13,113 goes after it. 3 00:00:14,047 --> 00:00:17,050 [Faith] In the game of love, the stakes are high. 4 00:00:17,083 --> 00:00:19,986 - She's a lovely young lady, he's a handsome man, 5 00:00:20,020 --> 00:00:21,654 sparks were flying from both sides. 6 00:00:22,222 --> 00:00:24,391 [Faith] Everilda Duran risks everything 7 00:00:24,424 --> 00:00:27,193 when she bets her future on John Watson. 8 00:00:28,261 --> 00:00:31,865 - Her parents couldn't do anything to stop her 9 00:00:31,898 --> 00:00:34,367 from moving to the US with John. 10 00:00:35,602 --> 00:00:36,569 - They were happy. 11 00:00:37,704 --> 00:00:39,806 [Faith] Until a celebratory trip to Las Vegas. 12 00:00:39,839 --> 00:00:41,141 [tense music] 13 00:00:41,174 --> 00:00:43,410 - "Where is Evie, where is Evie?" 14 00:00:44,010 --> 00:00:45,712 - She was nowhere to be seen. 15 00:00:45,745 --> 00:00:47,414 [Faith] When her luck runs out. 16 00:00:47,881 --> 00:00:50,216 - There was blood spatter on the driver's side 17 00:00:50,250 --> 00:00:53,386 and bloodstains on the left rear seatbelt. 18 00:00:53,420 --> 00:00:55,321 [dramatic music] 19 00:00:55,355 --> 00:00:57,857 - Is there something buried out here? 20 00:00:57,891 --> 00:01:00,593 [Faith] Revealing a killer relationship. 21 00:01:02,195 --> 00:01:06,332 - It was so disturbingly evil. 22 00:01:06,366 --> 00:01:07,567 [tense music] 23 00:01:08,835 --> 00:01:20,413 [dramatic music] 24 00:01:21,181 --> 00:01:23,249 - Love at first sight, 25 00:01:23,283 --> 00:01:25,752 it's something I'm frequently asked about. 26 00:01:25,785 --> 00:01:27,420 Does it exist? 27 00:01:27,454 --> 00:01:28,755 Does it last? 28 00:01:28,788 --> 00:01:30,623 Well, it does for John Watson, 29 00:01:30,657 --> 00:01:35,161 who was instantly smitten with Everilda Duran or Evie, 30 00:01:35,195 --> 00:01:39,165 the moment he lays eyes on her in Guatemala in 1971. 31 00:01:40,433 --> 00:01:43,837 Young but mature, Evie falls for John as well 32 00:01:43,870 --> 00:01:48,274 and the couple spends 33 years together building a family 33 00:01:48,308 --> 00:01:51,644 miles away from their fateful first encounter. 34 00:01:52,479 --> 00:01:54,614 [birds chirping] 35 00:01:54,647 --> 00:01:58,118 [upbeat music] 36 00:01:58,151 --> 00:02:01,488 - Everilda was born on a coffee plantation, 37 00:02:01,521 --> 00:02:03,423 where many families lived. 38 00:02:03,456 --> 00:02:07,794 Even though we didn't have access to running water 39 00:02:07,827 --> 00:02:08,661 and electricity, 40 00:02:08,695 --> 00:02:10,363 we still were happy. 41 00:02:11,731 --> 00:02:16,503 And then Everilda moved to the big city, Guatemala City, 42 00:02:16,536 --> 00:02:19,839 because there were so few opportunities 43 00:02:19,873 --> 00:02:22,075 at the coffee plantation. 44 00:02:24,911 --> 00:02:30,183 - My dad was interning with a professor over in Guatemala 45 00:02:30,216 --> 00:02:32,352 and he met my mother there. 46 00:02:32,385 --> 00:02:34,654 She was working as a housekeeper, 47 00:02:34,688 --> 00:02:37,157 but she was 15 years old 48 00:02:37,190 --> 00:02:40,493 and so he does come back two years later when she's 17 49 00:02:40,527 --> 00:02:43,496 and at that point, she's a lovely young lady, 50 00:02:43,530 --> 00:02:45,732 he's a handsome man. 51 00:02:45,765 --> 00:02:47,400 Sparks were flying from both sides. 52 00:02:50,637 --> 00:02:54,841 - Everilda saw in John that he was a smart guy. 53 00:02:54,874 --> 00:02:57,444 - My father learned Spanish. 54 00:02:57,477 --> 00:03:00,046 He would sing her songs pretty often, 55 00:03:00,046 --> 00:03:02,315 it was his version of a love language. 56 00:03:02,349 --> 00:03:07,287 [soft romantic music] [singing in Spanish] 57 00:03:07,320 --> 00:03:10,156 - My dad fell in love with her spirit, 58 00:03:10,190 --> 00:03:13,259 her feistiness, her brilliance. 59 00:03:13,927 --> 00:03:16,229 - She fell in love with him 60 00:03:16,262 --> 00:03:19,265 and she wanted to come to the US with him. 61 00:03:22,435 --> 00:03:25,805 [Faith] In the early 1970s, it's customary for men 62 00:03:25,839 --> 00:03:29,209 to ask the parents' permission before proposing. 63 00:03:29,242 --> 00:03:31,644 So the couple makes the five-hour journey 64 00:03:31,678 --> 00:03:35,081 to the coffee plantation where 34-year-old John 65 00:03:35,081 --> 00:03:37,250 plans to ask for Evie's hand. 66 00:03:38,184 --> 00:03:40,754 - I think Everilda's family was surprised 67 00:03:40,787 --> 00:03:43,890 about her relationship with John. 68 00:03:43,923 --> 00:03:46,926 Everilda was 17 years old. 69 00:03:46,960 --> 00:03:50,597 They did not approve their relationship, 70 00:03:50,630 --> 00:03:55,101 because they didn't know much about John Watson, 71 00:03:55,101 --> 00:03:57,103 so they were not in agreement 72 00:03:57,103 --> 00:03:59,472 for her to move to the United States. 73 00:04:01,074 --> 00:04:03,043 - My mom was independent, 74 00:04:03,076 --> 00:04:05,812 She saw a future with my father 75 00:04:05,845 --> 00:04:08,181 and went after that. 76 00:04:09,082 --> 00:04:12,419 [Faith] Everilda takes a risk in the name of love. 77 00:04:12,452 --> 00:04:16,389 She says goodbye to everyone and everything she knows 78 00:04:16,423 --> 00:04:18,858 and sets off on a romantic journey with John 79 00:04:18,892 --> 00:04:23,096 a world away to California where the couple is married 80 00:04:23,129 --> 00:04:26,666 on September 24th, 1973. 81 00:04:27,567 --> 00:04:30,637 - My father started working as a math teacher. 82 00:04:30,670 --> 00:04:33,473 My mom went to high school specifically to finish it out 83 00:04:33,506 --> 00:04:36,476 and she was the popular girl. 84 00:04:37,577 --> 00:04:40,080 He said, "You have to go, make friends, 85 00:04:40,113 --> 00:04:41,681 come back home to me." 86 00:04:41,715 --> 00:04:43,883 [soft upbeat music] 87 00:04:43,917 --> 00:04:46,653 - She loved to live in California. 88 00:04:47,253 --> 00:04:49,089 - For her, it was a brand new kingdom, 89 00:04:49,122 --> 00:04:52,325 where she could just go and be a princess. 90 00:04:53,360 --> 00:04:54,861 [Faith] The storybook relationship 91 00:04:54,894 --> 00:04:58,498 writes another chapter in 1979. 92 00:05:00,133 --> 00:05:02,102 - My oldest brother, Juan, was born. 93 00:05:02,135 --> 00:05:03,703 My mother was a stay-at-home mom. 94 00:05:03,737 --> 00:05:07,874 They moved to Ontario where my father taught math 95 00:05:07,907 --> 00:05:09,409 at Ontario High School. 96 00:05:09,843 --> 00:05:11,578 [Faith] Two more boys follow, 97 00:05:11,611 --> 00:05:13,446 Michael, in 1983, 98 00:05:13,480 --> 00:05:17,183 and the youngest, Richard, in 1989. 99 00:05:18,485 --> 00:05:21,354 - Growing up, there was a lot of love in the family. 100 00:05:22,155 --> 00:05:23,823 - We would get together and watch TV, 101 00:05:23,857 --> 00:05:25,592 "Xena: Warrior Princess" 102 00:05:25,625 --> 00:05:29,195 and they would hold hands, they would laugh, 103 00:05:29,729 --> 00:05:33,266 but my parents had very little in common. 104 00:05:34,467 --> 00:05:37,771 My mom was the biggest life of the party, 105 00:05:37,804 --> 00:05:40,473 she would belt out laughs, 106 00:05:40,507 --> 00:05:42,475 you could hear it from across the house. 107 00:05:42,809 --> 00:05:45,679 - My mom was younger and would go out with her family, 108 00:05:45,712 --> 00:05:48,682 with her friends and stay out all night. 109 00:05:49,649 --> 00:05:52,619 - And then my dad, completely opposite, 110 00:05:52,652 --> 00:05:56,089 introvert, where he liked to be on his own 111 00:05:56,089 --> 00:05:57,691 and that was fine with both of them. 112 00:05:58,958 --> 00:06:00,727 - One of my dad's little quirks 113 00:06:00,760 --> 00:06:03,930 was that he was absolutely frugal, 114 00:06:04,030 --> 00:06:05,799 a little on the stingy side. 115 00:06:05,832 --> 00:06:07,867 - My dad does love money. 116 00:06:08,368 --> 00:06:10,570 He set himself up in a way 117 00:06:10,603 --> 00:06:12,405 to where he does not have to worry about anything 118 00:06:12,439 --> 00:06:15,875 when he's retired and anything that messed with that 119 00:06:15,909 --> 00:06:17,477 made him extremely angry. 120 00:06:18,211 --> 00:06:20,480 Tension starts when my mother 121 00:06:20,513 --> 00:06:22,849 wants to do more with the house 122 00:06:22,882 --> 00:06:25,618 and my father is saying, "It's not in the budget." 123 00:06:26,219 --> 00:06:28,388 - Most of the time, they argued in Spanish 124 00:06:28,421 --> 00:06:31,458 to kind of shield, because none of us spoke Spanish. 125 00:06:31,491 --> 00:06:34,094 Financial stress was a huge part of it, 126 00:06:34,127 --> 00:06:35,595 things were very, very tight. 127 00:06:35,628 --> 00:06:39,599 [dramatic music] 128 00:06:39,632 --> 00:06:41,634 I was nine. 129 00:06:41,668 --> 00:06:44,137 They called us into the master bedroom. 130 00:06:44,704 --> 00:06:47,874 "Your mom and I are thinking of getting a divorce 131 00:06:47,907 --> 00:06:50,210 and we wanna know your input." 132 00:06:50,243 --> 00:06:52,479 And my reaction was to just say, you know, 133 00:06:52,512 --> 00:06:53,913 "Stay together, stay together." 134 00:06:54,681 --> 00:06:56,950 - Even though they had grown apart at that point, 135 00:06:56,983 --> 00:06:59,219 my parents still loved each other 136 00:06:59,252 --> 00:07:00,787 and so my parents said, 137 00:07:00,820 --> 00:07:02,455 "We'll take another shot." 138 00:07:03,790 --> 00:07:07,460 [Faith] For John and Everilda, it's an unorthodox approach 139 00:07:07,494 --> 00:07:11,031 to ask their children whether they should get divorced, 140 00:07:11,031 --> 00:07:15,035 but it won't be the last time John lays an emotional burden 141 00:07:15,035 --> 00:07:16,670 on one of his boys. 142 00:07:17,237 --> 00:07:19,239 In March of 2006, 143 00:07:19,272 --> 00:07:22,742 John shares a secret with his youngest son. 144 00:07:24,277 --> 00:07:26,246 - When I was 16 years old, 145 00:07:26,279 --> 00:07:28,248 we're sitting in his Jeep 146 00:07:28,281 --> 00:07:32,652 and he mentions, "Hey, I have colon cancer." 147 00:07:33,486 --> 00:07:36,256 Me, I'm thinking, "Oh, my dad's dying, what's going on?" 148 00:07:36,289 --> 00:07:39,726 And I say, "Did you tell Mom yet?" 149 00:07:39,759 --> 00:07:43,163 He says, "I wanna keep it a secret for now, 150 00:07:43,196 --> 00:07:45,098 but I just wanted you to know." 151 00:07:46,466 --> 00:07:48,068 I said, "Okay, Dad, 152 00:07:48,068 --> 00:07:49,636 I'll keep my mouth shut." 153 00:07:50,203 --> 00:07:51,204 [Faith] Two months later, 154 00:07:51,237 --> 00:07:52,906 still hiding his cancer diagnosis 155 00:07:52,939 --> 00:07:54,507 from the rest of the family, 156 00:07:54,541 --> 00:07:57,577 John retires from teaching after 37 years. 157 00:07:58,244 --> 00:08:00,213 He remains frugal and introverted 158 00:08:00,246 --> 00:08:02,549 and Evie is still the life of the party, 159 00:08:02,582 --> 00:08:06,086 but somehow the couple always seems to meet in the middle. 160 00:08:06,119 --> 00:08:09,289 - They found a way to make it work. 161 00:08:09,322 --> 00:08:10,757 [Faith] And the following month, 162 00:08:10,790 --> 00:08:14,027 Everilda reaches her own milestone, 163 00:08:14,060 --> 00:08:15,695 a 50th birthday. 164 00:08:16,696 --> 00:08:19,532 - On July 9th, John helped prepare 165 00:08:19,566 --> 00:08:22,602 a surprise party for Everilda. 166 00:08:22,635 --> 00:08:25,205 - She was surprised, happy, 167 00:08:25,238 --> 00:08:26,840 he doesn't throw parties like that. 168 00:08:28,508 --> 00:08:31,044 - Their relationship was on solid ground. 169 00:08:31,044 --> 00:08:33,313 They seemed to have more fun. 170 00:08:33,346 --> 00:08:36,249 - Almost at the end of the party, 171 00:08:36,282 --> 00:08:40,053 John said that he was going to take Evie 172 00:08:40,053 --> 00:08:43,957 to Vegas for five days and he also bought a ticket 173 00:08:44,057 --> 00:08:48,361 for Evie to travel to Guatemala on July 15th, 174 00:08:48,395 --> 00:08:50,130 to visit her family. 175 00:08:53,266 --> 00:08:55,235 - My mom does not like long drives, 176 00:08:55,268 --> 00:08:57,737 so my dad leaves on Monday 177 00:08:57,771 --> 00:09:01,107 and then my mom goes to fly out on Tuesday, July 11th. 178 00:09:01,141 --> 00:09:02,609 I drop her off at the airport, 179 00:09:02,642 --> 00:09:05,011 give her a kiss and say, 180 00:09:05,011 --> 00:09:09,049 "Hey, I love you, I'll see you when you get home." 181 00:09:11,017 --> 00:09:12,652 - We figured that they would be having fun 182 00:09:12,686 --> 00:09:14,654 and staying up all hours of the night, 183 00:09:14,688 --> 00:09:16,656 so we tried not to bother them. 184 00:09:16,690 --> 00:09:19,592 But on Wednesday, July 12th, 185 00:09:19,626 --> 00:09:23,296 my dad calls home and he says, "Your Mom is missing." 186 00:09:23,329 --> 00:09:26,099 [tense music] 187 00:09:26,132 --> 00:09:29,035 At the time, I really thought it was just gonna be okay. 188 00:09:29,035 --> 00:09:31,538 After being married as long as they were, you know, 189 00:09:31,571 --> 00:09:33,106 you both go gamble on your own 190 00:09:33,139 --> 00:09:35,375 and meet up hours later. 191 00:09:35,408 --> 00:09:37,711 [soft dramatic music] 192 00:09:37,744 --> 00:09:40,380 My dad said that he was handling it, 193 00:09:40,413 --> 00:09:42,816 so we just waited for him to call us. 194 00:09:42,849 --> 00:09:46,252 [tense music] 195 00:09:46,286 --> 00:09:47,153 - But the next day, 196 00:09:47,187 --> 00:09:49,956 we are starting to get a little worried. 197 00:09:50,590 --> 00:09:51,791 We'd call her cell phone, 198 00:09:51,825 --> 00:09:54,661 it would just ring and ring and ring 199 00:09:54,694 --> 00:09:57,163 and then we'd call my dad, 200 00:09:57,197 --> 00:09:58,832 straight to voicemail. 201 00:10:00,100 --> 00:10:01,034 - At that point, 202 00:10:01,067 --> 00:10:05,238 I knew something had happened to my cousin. 203 00:10:05,271 --> 00:10:07,640 dramatic music] 204 00:10:07,674 --> 00:10:10,410 - Las Vegas is a very dangerous place for a woman 205 00:10:10,443 --> 00:10:12,712 to be walking around intoxicated late at night. 206 00:10:13,246 --> 00:10:15,281 - And then fast forward, 207 00:10:15,315 --> 00:10:18,585 we have a house full of police. 208 00:10:18,618 --> 00:10:20,320 They're rummaging through our rooms, 209 00:10:20,353 --> 00:10:22,155 they're looking for evidence. 210 00:10:22,789 --> 00:10:25,058 - Underneath the carpet was just saturated in blood. 211 00:10:25,458 --> 00:10:27,827 - It was like a "CSI" moment from television. 212 00:10:34,133 --> 00:10:37,403 - Just days after her 50th birthday celebratio 213 00:10:37,436 --> 00:10:40,739 Everilda Watson has vanished in Las Vegas, 214 00:10:40,773 --> 00:10:43,842 while there on a trip with her husband of 33 years, 215 00:10:43,876 --> 00:10:45,377 John Watson. 216 00:10:45,411 --> 00:10:47,746 Though no one can get ahold of Evie, 217 00:10:47,780 --> 00:10:49,848 John assures their three children 218 00:10:49,882 --> 00:10:51,984 that he's looking for their mother 219 00:10:52,017 --> 00:10:53,419 and so they wait. 220 00:10:53,452 --> 00:10:56,789 [somber music] 221 00:10:56,822 --> 00:10:59,158 - At this point, I wanna go to Vegas and find my mom, 222 00:10:59,191 --> 00:11:00,859 but I'm in high school, 223 00:11:00,893 --> 00:11:05,164 so Saturday my brother goes off and calls the police 224 00:11:05,197 --> 00:11:08,434 and says, "Can I put in a missing person's report? 225 00:11:08,467 --> 00:11:09,935 We haven't heard from her." 226 00:11:10,736 --> 00:11:13,672 - Then something strange happens. 227 00:11:13,706 --> 00:11:16,575 Early Sunday morning on July 16th, 228 00:11:16,608 --> 00:11:19,778 240 miles from Sin City, 229 00:11:19,812 --> 00:11:22,748 Everilda's cousin receives a knock on her door. 230 00:11:23,082 --> 00:11:27,086 Standing there is the last person she expects to see. 231 00:11:27,820 --> 00:11:30,689 - Around six a.m., John showed up to my house, 232 00:11:30,723 --> 00:11:33,192 which really surprised me. 233 00:11:33,225 --> 00:11:35,394 As soon as I opened my door, 234 00:11:35,427 --> 00:11:37,396 the first question that he said, 235 00:11:37,429 --> 00:11:40,232 "Where is Evie, where is Evie?" 236 00:11:40,265 --> 00:11:42,401 And I tell him, 237 00:11:42,434 --> 00:11:45,637 "You should know where she is, because she was with you." 238 00:11:46,939 --> 00:11:52,611 John said that Evie got drunk and that she walked away 239 00:11:52,644 --> 00:11:55,314 and that he didn't know where she went. 240 00:11:58,117 --> 00:11:59,618 I was confused. 241 00:11:59,651 --> 00:12:01,854 I didn't know what to think at that moment. 242 00:12:02,721 --> 00:12:05,157 [Faith] After the unexpected visit to Miriam, 243 00:12:05,190 --> 00:12:08,761 John Watson heads home to see his three sons. 244 00:12:09,795 --> 00:12:12,965 - My first feeling was disappointment 245 00:12:13,065 --> 00:12:16,368 and like, "Why are you here if she's not found?" 246 00:12:17,970 --> 00:12:22,641 - He explains she had met someone in Vegas. 247 00:12:22,675 --> 00:12:25,811 "Your mom found a way to leave to Guatemala already." 248 00:12:26,745 --> 00:12:29,081 We're like, "She would've called us." 249 00:12:30,549 --> 00:12:32,918 - It really made my heart drop, 250 00:12:32,951 --> 00:12:35,354 because it meant that we didn't know where she was. 251 00:12:36,955 --> 00:12:40,092 - My dad does not seem upset at all that she's missing. 252 00:12:41,093 --> 00:12:44,329 So as my dad's talking with my brothers, 253 00:12:44,363 --> 00:12:46,665 one of them steps out so that way they can call the police. 254 00:12:46,699 --> 00:12:51,103 [dramatic music] 255 00:12:51,103 --> 00:12:54,106 - On Sunday, July 16th, a little after four p.m., 256 00:12:54,139 --> 00:12:56,542 we responded down to the Watson House 257 00:12:56,575 --> 00:12:58,110 in the city of Ontario. 258 00:13:00,179 --> 00:13:04,083 We asked John to tell us what had happened in Las Vegas. 259 00:13:06,585 --> 00:13:09,288 He said that he left for Las Vegas on Monday, 260 00:13:09,321 --> 00:13:11,190 drove to the Circus Circus 261 00:13:11,223 --> 00:13:14,760 and Tuesday, she arrived at the hotel by cab. 262 00:13:15,861 --> 00:13:18,697 John said that Tuesday night, 263 00:13:18,731 --> 00:13:20,966 they went to Arizona Charlie's, 264 00:13:21,066 --> 00:13:23,335 which is one of her favorite gambling spots. 265 00:13:23,369 --> 00:13:27,072 There, she won a little bit of money and had some drinks. 266 00:13:27,940 --> 00:13:30,075 Then John said they had had a fight over something 267 00:13:30,109 --> 00:13:32,845 that Everilda had found in his car, 268 00:13:32,878 --> 00:13:36,382 literature from the cancer group. 269 00:13:36,415 --> 00:13:38,584 John told me that Evie didn't know he had cancer 270 00:13:38,617 --> 00:13:39,952 and she was very mad at him 271 00:13:39,985 --> 00:13:42,755 because he had lied to her about this. 272 00:13:43,322 --> 00:13:45,457 She was drunk, upset 273 00:13:45,491 --> 00:13:47,092 and she took off. 274 00:13:47,126 --> 00:13:50,796 John told us that he hung around looking for her, 275 00:13:50,829 --> 00:13:52,831 going in and out of casinos, 276 00:13:52,865 --> 00:13:54,500 she was nowhere to be seen. 277 00:13:54,533 --> 00:13:56,535 - He didn't tell me that he was sick, 278 00:13:56,568 --> 00:13:58,904 he didn't tell my mom that he was sick, 279 00:13:58,937 --> 00:14:00,906 but I could've absolutely imagined, 280 00:14:00,939 --> 00:14:02,608 that if the fight were to happen, 281 00:14:02,641 --> 00:14:04,610 that she would wanna walk away 282 00:14:04,643 --> 00:14:07,079 and perhaps even get her own room. 283 00:14:08,280 --> 00:14:11,917 - John told me that she had 12 to $1,400 in cash 284 00:14:11,950 --> 00:14:14,286 and just raised our level of concern 285 00:14:14,319 --> 00:14:17,856 for a woman to be walking around intoxicated late at night. 286 00:14:17,890 --> 00:14:20,459 Las Vegas is a very dangerous place. 287 00:14:20,492 --> 00:14:23,328 [dramatic music] 288 00:14:23,362 --> 00:14:26,265 And then John tells me that he received a call 289 00:14:26,298 --> 00:14:29,768 the following morning, the 12th, from Everilda. 290 00:14:29,802 --> 00:14:31,937 He told me that Everilda said she had met someone 291 00:14:31,970 --> 00:14:35,407 from Guatemala and that that person, a female, 292 00:14:35,441 --> 00:14:37,976 was going to take her to LAX 293 00:14:38,077 --> 00:14:39,878 to make her flight on Saturday. 294 00:14:40,946 --> 00:14:43,515 - But my mom didn't make it to Guatemala. 295 00:14:44,283 --> 00:14:48,120 - John seemed like he had a story 296 00:14:48,153 --> 00:14:50,823 that he wanted to give to us, 297 00:14:50,856 --> 00:14:54,927 but he is giving off indicators 298 00:14:54,960 --> 00:14:57,296 that he is not being truthful with us. 299 00:14:58,831 --> 00:15:01,033 There were a lot of little points in the case 300 00:15:01,033 --> 00:15:03,335 that didn't make sense 301 00:15:03,369 --> 00:15:04,436 and the first one was that 302 00:15:04,470 --> 00:15:07,306 John Watson never reported her missing in Las Vegas. 303 00:15:08,140 --> 00:15:11,276 The fact that he wasn't really looking for her 304 00:15:11,310 --> 00:15:12,511 was very suspicious. 305 00:15:14,380 --> 00:15:17,883 - It's a well known fact, when someone goes missing, 306 00:15:17,916 --> 00:15:20,853 the first 48 hours are critical. 307 00:15:20,886 --> 00:15:24,923 After that, the chances of finding the person diminish 308 00:15:24,957 --> 00:15:28,727 and it's now been five days since Evie was last seen. 309 00:15:29,061 --> 00:15:30,262 With increased urgency, 310 00:15:30,295 --> 00:15:34,133 detectives received John's permission to search his home. 311 00:15:35,734 --> 00:15:37,636 - They're rummaging through our rooms, 312 00:15:37,670 --> 00:15:39,071 they're rummaging in the master bedroom 313 00:15:39,071 --> 00:15:40,973 where my parents slept. 314 00:15:41,073 --> 00:15:44,443 So to me, the police thought my dad was involved. 315 00:15:45,678 --> 00:15:47,546 They're looking for evidence. 316 00:15:49,181 --> 00:15:52,618 - And then Watson gave us consent to look in the car. 317 00:15:53,719 --> 00:15:57,723 During our search of the car, we found electronic key cards 318 00:15:57,756 --> 00:16:02,027 to the Circus Circus and the Tuscany Hotel. 319 00:16:02,027 --> 00:16:03,162 I didn't feel that it was unusual 320 00:16:03,195 --> 00:16:05,764 he had key cards to the hotels, 321 00:16:05,798 --> 00:16:07,700 I think it's common that people keep them, 322 00:16:07,733 --> 00:16:09,835 but it was also an investigative lead. 323 00:16:10,202 --> 00:16:13,372 In addition, we found bleach, air freshener, 324 00:16:13,405 --> 00:16:15,908 plastic sheeting similar to what you would put down 325 00:16:15,941 --> 00:16:17,743 if you were painting, 326 00:16:17,776 --> 00:16:19,411 antifreeze, 327 00:16:19,445 --> 00:16:20,612 incense. 328 00:16:21,580 --> 00:16:23,682 When I found all this stuff, 329 00:16:23,716 --> 00:16:24,750 that was an eye-opening, like, 330 00:16:24,783 --> 00:16:26,085 what-the-F moment. 331 00:16:27,252 --> 00:16:30,456 It made me wonder if things are about to get worse. 332 00:16:36,963 --> 00:16:38,665 - Five days, 333 00:16:38,698 --> 00:16:42,168 that's how long Everilda Watson has been missing 334 00:16:42,202 --> 00:16:45,438 after a trip to Las Vegas with her husband, John. 335 00:16:46,172 --> 00:16:48,775 - When you get told your mom is missing 336 00:16:48,808 --> 00:16:50,377 and your dad is telling you 337 00:16:50,410 --> 00:16:52,512 that he really doesn't know where she's at, 338 00:16:52,545 --> 00:16:54,614 that's a very scary feeling. 339 00:16:55,348 --> 00:16:57,484 [Faith] Detectives searching John Watson's car 340 00:16:57,517 --> 00:16:59,119 have a similar feeling. 341 00:16:59,152 --> 00:17:00,687 They discover bleach, 342 00:17:00,720 --> 00:17:01,821 air freshener, 343 00:17:01,855 --> 00:17:02,822 incense 344 00:17:02,856 --> 00:17:03,723 and a tarp. 345 00:17:04,357 --> 00:17:07,227 Separately, these items seem innocuous. 346 00:17:07,260 --> 00:17:10,697 Together, they suggest something sinister. 347 00:17:11,264 --> 00:17:15,101 But what detectives find next is even more disturbing. 348 00:17:17,337 --> 00:17:21,408 - There was blood spatter on the driver's side 349 00:17:21,441 --> 00:17:24,377 and bloodstains on the left rear seatbelt. 350 00:17:25,512 --> 00:17:27,480 Blood was found in the storage area, 351 00:17:27,514 --> 00:17:30,050 the back compartment of the car on cardboard. 352 00:17:32,318 --> 00:17:34,587 John's narrative about what happened 353 00:17:34,621 --> 00:17:38,358 was that Everilda had been in the backseat of the car 354 00:17:38,391 --> 00:17:41,061 using his pocket knife to open a container 355 00:17:41,061 --> 00:17:42,896 or a plastic box of flashlights 356 00:17:42,929 --> 00:17:45,098 and that she had cut her finger 357 00:17:45,131 --> 00:17:46,766 and she bled a little bit. 358 00:17:48,201 --> 00:17:53,340 John's demeanor is not anywhere near what I would expect. 359 00:17:53,707 --> 00:17:59,079 He is very concerned about what his consequences will be 360 00:17:59,079 --> 00:18:01,681 versus what has happened to his wife. 361 00:18:02,882 --> 00:18:04,384 He is afraid that he will become 362 00:18:04,417 --> 00:18:06,553 the suspect in her disappearance. 363 00:18:07,454 --> 00:18:10,390 After we discovered the amount of blood in the car, 364 00:18:10,423 --> 00:18:13,193 which was excessive for what would ever be considered 365 00:18:13,226 --> 00:18:14,394 a pocket knife wound, 366 00:18:14,427 --> 00:18:18,164 John Watson's taken into custody for investigative purposes 367 00:18:18,198 --> 00:18:20,233 and transported to the Ontario Police Department. 368 00:18:21,134 --> 00:18:23,069 [Faith] Once there, they find something 369 00:18:23,103 --> 00:18:26,906 in John's possession that raises another red flag. 370 00:18:27,774 --> 00:18:32,078 - His wallet is found to contain two California ID cards 371 00:18:32,112 --> 00:18:34,581 with the name Joe Nunez 372 00:18:34,614 --> 00:18:37,050 slightly spelled different and his picture. 373 00:18:37,083 --> 00:18:39,085 [dramatic music] 374 00:18:39,119 --> 00:18:41,788 - Folks, John Watson was an unassuming math teacher 375 00:18:41,821 --> 00:18:46,226 for 37 years before retiring just a month earlier. 376 00:18:46,259 --> 00:18:48,461 At this point, Detective Bristow and his team 377 00:18:48,495 --> 00:18:52,565 have to be wondering what the heck is going on here? 378 00:18:55,735 --> 00:18:59,272 - We learned that John Watson was using the fake identities 379 00:18:59,305 --> 00:19:01,141 to count cards in Las Vegas. 380 00:19:02,142 --> 00:19:04,577 John knows that the casinos frown upon people 381 00:19:04,611 --> 00:19:06,212 that are counting cards, 382 00:19:06,246 --> 00:19:09,482 so he had fake IDs to check into rooms 383 00:19:09,516 --> 00:19:12,452 so no one would know who he truly was. 384 00:19:13,453 --> 00:19:17,290 Those cards are a felony as false identification. 385 00:19:19,325 --> 00:19:22,062 So on Sunday, July 16th, 386 00:19:22,095 --> 00:19:25,565 John Watson was booked at the jail for the forgery 387 00:19:25,598 --> 00:19:28,535 of the two California state-issued ID cards. 388 00:19:29,302 --> 00:19:32,272 [Faith] Detectives have many more questions for John, 389 00:19:32,305 --> 00:19:34,941 but he asked for a lawyer. 390 00:19:35,041 --> 00:19:39,045 - So we'd lost every opportunity then to ever talk to him. 391 00:19:39,045 --> 00:19:40,814 We moved on with our investigation, 392 00:19:40,847 --> 00:19:43,817 obtaining search warrants on John Watson's phone 393 00:19:43,850 --> 00:19:45,518 and several computers. 394 00:19:46,486 --> 00:19:49,289 [Faith] Investigators impound John's Jeep the next morning 395 00:19:49,322 --> 00:19:51,858 to collect blood samples for testing, 396 00:19:51,891 --> 00:19:54,060 but the DNA and the phone records 397 00:19:54,060 --> 00:19:56,296 will take time to process. 398 00:19:56,329 --> 00:20:01,301 Then on July 18th, seven days since Everilda goes missing, 399 00:20:01,334 --> 00:20:04,170 a piece of evidence surfaces. 400 00:20:04,204 --> 00:20:06,272 [dramatic music] 401 00:20:06,306 --> 00:20:10,010 - I was looking through for some extra clothes 402 00:20:10,043 --> 00:20:12,178 and I saw this old gun. 403 00:20:12,212 --> 00:20:14,014 My dad didn't have a gun. 404 00:20:14,047 --> 00:20:16,282 So, what was this doing here? 405 00:20:16,316 --> 00:20:18,318 Let's turn it over to the police. 406 00:20:19,252 --> 00:20:22,589 - So the gun was taken into evidence. 407 00:20:22,622 --> 00:20:26,226 It was swabbed and gunpowder residue was located, 408 00:20:26,259 --> 00:20:29,929 which means it'd more than likely recently been fired. 409 00:20:29,963 --> 00:20:32,065 The gun is now going to be processed, 410 00:20:32,098 --> 00:20:34,267 trying to recover DNA. 411 00:20:35,368 --> 00:20:37,604 - I remember not being able to sleep well that night, 412 00:20:37,637 --> 00:20:40,674 kind of like had a churning in my stomach. 413 00:20:40,707 --> 00:20:45,045 I started to think that something wasn't right, 414 00:20:45,078 --> 00:20:46,780 that my dad was involved now. 415 00:20:47,747 --> 00:20:51,885 - On July 18th, we got ahold of the Las Vegas Metro PD 416 00:20:51,918 --> 00:20:54,421 and gave them the information about what we were doing 417 00:20:54,454 --> 00:20:56,122 so they would be aware of it. 418 00:20:56,790 --> 00:21:00,527 - The Ontario had already done a lot of legwork, 419 00:21:00,560 --> 00:21:03,663 so I sent an alert out to all the hotels in Vegas 420 00:21:03,697 --> 00:21:06,466 to see if John was ever a guest there. 421 00:21:06,700 --> 00:21:08,835 We didn't get any response on that. 422 00:21:09,936 --> 00:21:14,074 Ontario also asked if we would go to the Circus Circus, 423 00:21:14,074 --> 00:21:17,410 but there was really nothing there that was of any benefit. 424 00:21:18,611 --> 00:21:22,082 - On the 19th of July, we made our first trip to Las Vegas 425 00:21:22,082 --> 00:21:23,583 to work on the investigation. 426 00:21:24,651 --> 00:21:26,886 We were able to obtain surveillance videos 427 00:21:26,920 --> 00:21:28,555 from Arizona Charlie's 428 00:21:28,588 --> 00:21:32,292 where we could see John and Everilda in the casino. 429 00:21:32,859 --> 00:21:35,328 At that point, there was nothing to indicate 430 00:21:35,362 --> 00:21:38,732 that she had poor coordination, balance. 431 00:21:40,400 --> 00:21:43,003 [Faith] However, detectives have better luck 432 00:21:43,103 --> 00:21:46,106 when a search warrant for Watson's credit card information 433 00:21:46,139 --> 00:21:49,743 reveals he was at a Walmart on July 13th, 434 00:21:49,776 --> 00:21:53,279 two days after Everilda disappeared. 435 00:21:54,614 --> 00:21:57,584 - We were able to recover the video and found 436 00:21:57,617 --> 00:22:02,589 that he had used his credit card to buy antifreeze 437 00:22:02,622 --> 00:22:05,792 and we discovered that he had made a second purchase 438 00:22:05,825 --> 00:22:09,596 paying cash for bleach, plastic sheeting, 439 00:22:09,629 --> 00:22:11,264 air freshener, 440 00:22:11,297 --> 00:22:12,532 all items that we had recovered 441 00:22:12,565 --> 00:22:14,467 from the back of John Watson's car. 442 00:22:16,636 --> 00:22:19,739 He was making preparations for not being able 443 00:22:19,773 --> 00:22:23,076 to have his credit cards identify that purchase. 444 00:22:23,109 --> 00:22:25,345 [dramatic music] 445 00:22:25,378 --> 00:22:27,847 [Faith] While detectives continue searching for evidence 446 00:22:27,881 --> 00:22:31,284 and wait for the phone records and DNA results, 447 00:22:31,317 --> 00:22:33,787 John Watson is out of jail, 448 00:22:33,820 --> 00:22:37,891 free, after posting bail on the forgery charge. 449 00:22:38,324 --> 00:22:41,161 - John was put under surveillance by Ontario, 450 00:22:41,194 --> 00:22:43,430 to keep an eye on him. 451 00:22:43,830 --> 00:22:46,566 - During this time, we don't see him. 452 00:22:46,966 --> 00:22:48,101 He... 453 00:22:48,101 --> 00:22:52,372 stays in contact via phone calls to us periodically. 454 00:22:53,506 --> 00:22:56,009 He says that he doesn't want to come back 455 00:22:56,109 --> 00:23:00,747 because he feels like the police are tracking him. 456 00:23:02,349 --> 00:23:04,417 We think he's just being paranoid. 457 00:23:05,518 --> 00:23:08,521 My dad wasn't expressing any worry about my mom, 458 00:23:08,555 --> 00:23:11,057 but he expressed he wants to find her. 459 00:23:11,391 --> 00:23:14,160 - I'm not managing very well. 460 00:23:14,194 --> 00:23:15,595 I kind of shut down. 461 00:23:15,628 --> 00:23:18,331 I personally have been calling my mom's cell phone 462 00:23:18,365 --> 00:23:20,834 just to hear her voicemail at this point. 463 00:23:20,867 --> 00:23:24,137 [Faith] Richard's calls go unanswered, 464 00:23:24,170 --> 00:23:25,505 but on July 20th, 465 00:23:25,538 --> 00:23:28,475 one of the warrants yields a possible clue, 466 00:23:28,508 --> 00:23:31,511 which could lead to Everilda's whereabouts 467 00:23:31,544 --> 00:23:33,847 miles from the Las Vegas Strip. 468 00:23:34,948 --> 00:23:37,217 [Brad] We discovered that on the morning of July 12th, 469 00:23:37,250 --> 00:23:39,519 there were 15 calls from Everilda's phone 470 00:23:39,552 --> 00:23:41,755 to John's cell phone. 471 00:23:41,788 --> 00:23:45,692 We knew the last location of her phone 472 00:23:45,725 --> 00:23:48,661 based on cell phone records 473 00:23:48,695 --> 00:23:52,499 and her phone pinged off a cell tower in Jean, Nevada. 474 00:23:53,800 --> 00:23:56,369 [Faith] Roughly 30 miles south of Las Vegas, 475 00:23:56,403 --> 00:23:58,872 Jean, Nevada is on I-15, 476 00:23:58,905 --> 00:23:59,472 the main route 477 00:23:59,506 --> 00:24:01,741 from Sin City to Ontario. 478 00:24:03,243 --> 00:24:05,211 - There is no way for us to identify 479 00:24:05,245 --> 00:24:06,780 if she was with anyone or not. 480 00:24:08,081 --> 00:24:09,883 We did the due diligence, 481 00:24:09,916 --> 00:24:11,251 but there was no proof 482 00:24:11,284 --> 00:24:13,586 Everilda made those calls herself. 483 00:24:14,521 --> 00:24:15,822 [Faith] And there is no evidence 484 00:24:15,855 --> 00:24:19,125 that Everilda actually left Las Vegas, 485 00:24:19,159 --> 00:24:23,063 but Detective Bristow recalls finding a room key card 486 00:24:23,096 --> 00:24:26,766 for the Tuscany Hotel in John Watson's Jeep. 487 00:24:27,434 --> 00:24:30,403 - So I sent two detectives to the Tuscany Hotel. 488 00:24:30,437 --> 00:24:32,272 - They inquired about him staying there, 489 00:24:32,305 --> 00:24:34,941 the dates that they were known to be in town. 490 00:24:35,642 --> 00:24:38,078 - No one by John Watson had stayed there. 491 00:24:39,779 --> 00:24:43,616 [Faith] Detectives try another name and hit the jackpot. 492 00:24:44,451 --> 00:24:48,455 - Joe Nunez was one of the false IDs 493 00:24:48,488 --> 00:24:51,591 that he was found to have in his possession. 494 00:24:51,624 --> 00:24:55,261 - They found that Joe Nunez had rented multiple rooms 495 00:24:55,295 --> 00:24:58,331 at the hotel on two different occasions. 496 00:24:58,965 --> 00:25:01,167 I think that John Watson had a plan 497 00:25:01,201 --> 00:25:05,171 that he was working off of to commit the crime. 498 00:25:11,044 --> 00:25:15,115 [somber music]] 499 00:25:15,148 --> 00:25:18,618 - Tuesday, July 20th, it's been a little more than a week 500 00:25:18,651 --> 00:25:21,354 since Everilda Watson disappeared. 501 00:25:21,388 --> 00:25:23,723 Her beloved boys are worried sick. 502 00:25:23,757 --> 00:25:27,060 They haven't heard from her and can't help but wonder, 503 00:25:27,060 --> 00:25:28,561 is their mom safe, 504 00:25:28,595 --> 00:25:30,597 is she in danger, 505 00:25:30,630 --> 00:25:32,298 is she still alive? 506 00:25:34,434 --> 00:25:37,070 - I'm thinking, "Mom, we miss you, 507 00:25:37,103 --> 00:25:38,638 your boys miss you. 508 00:25:38,672 --> 00:25:39,639 Please come home. 509 00:25:39,673 --> 00:25:41,074 We don't know where you are." 510 00:25:42,409 --> 00:25:44,377 [Faith] Not knowing is the hardest part 511 00:25:44,411 --> 00:25:46,079 for Everilda's boys, 512 00:25:46,079 --> 00:25:49,249 but detectives are working diligently to find answers. 513 00:25:49,282 --> 00:25:52,318 In fact, they'd just discovered that John Watson 514 00:25:52,352 --> 00:25:56,389 rented multiple rooms at the Tuscany Hotel in Las Vegas 515 00:25:56,423 --> 00:25:59,559 under the alias Joe Nunez. 516 00:26:00,093 --> 00:26:03,797 - When they gave them the Joe Nunez identity, 517 00:26:03,830 --> 00:26:05,799 they found on a trip in June, 518 00:26:05,832 --> 00:26:09,235 Joe Nunez checked into the hotel and stayed in room N120. 519 00:26:11,905 --> 00:26:13,640 Before he left on that trip, 520 00:26:13,673 --> 00:26:19,946 he reserved room N120 for July 10th through the 14th. 521 00:26:20,647 --> 00:26:23,249 He paid for the room cash in advance. 522 00:26:23,283 --> 00:26:26,853 [dramatic music] 523 00:26:26,886 --> 00:26:29,222 - When John returns to Las Vegas in July 524 00:26:29,255 --> 00:26:31,124 for Everilda's birthday trip, 525 00:26:31,157 --> 00:26:36,596 he adds a second room, N118 to his reservation 526 00:26:36,629 --> 00:26:40,700 or to be more precise, Joe Nunez's reservation, 527 00:26:40,734 --> 00:26:42,869 because John and Everilda Watson 528 00:26:42,902 --> 00:26:44,571 are booked at a different hotel. 529 00:26:44,604 --> 00:26:47,073 [ominous music] 530 00:26:47,073 --> 00:26:48,975 - They're supposed to be at Circus Circus. 531 00:26:49,909 --> 00:26:51,845 - Detectives scrub through hours 532 00:26:51,878 --> 00:26:54,414 of Tuscany Hotel surveillance footage 533 00:26:54,447 --> 00:26:57,384 from July 11th to the 14th 534 00:26:57,417 --> 00:26:59,085 and make a bizarre discovery. 535 00:27:00,320 --> 00:27:02,622 - The detectives obtained video 536 00:27:02,655 --> 00:27:05,492 showing John Watson in a disguise. 537 00:27:05,892 --> 00:27:09,029 He was using a cane to walk and wearing a dark-colored wig 538 00:27:09,029 --> 00:27:11,898 and mustache while he checked into the Tuscany Hotel. 539 00:27:12,766 --> 00:27:15,335 - Each time he was seen at the Tuscany, 540 00:27:15,368 --> 00:27:17,070 he was wearing a disguise 541 00:27:17,103 --> 00:27:19,439 and that's what really sparked our attention. 542 00:27:20,173 --> 00:27:21,775 - There was no surveillance of John Watson 543 00:27:21,808 --> 00:27:23,476 going in or out of the room. 544 00:27:23,510 --> 00:27:26,079 The only thing that gives us any indications of activity 545 00:27:26,112 --> 00:27:30,050 in the room were the electronic key card log 546 00:27:30,050 --> 00:27:32,852 that's generated every time you swipe your card at the door. 547 00:27:35,055 --> 00:27:37,323 - From July 11th through the 14th, 548 00:27:37,357 --> 00:27:39,826 the Tuscany log shows what you'd expect to see 549 00:27:39,859 --> 00:27:41,628 from a hotel guest, 550 00:27:41,661 --> 00:27:45,732 periodic random entries in room N118 551 00:27:45,765 --> 00:27:48,234 and in room N120. 552 00:27:48,568 --> 00:27:50,804 But on Saturday, July 15th, 553 00:27:50,837 --> 00:27:53,807 four days after ever Everilda disappears, 554 00:27:53,840 --> 00:27:57,243 the log reveals something highly unusual. 555 00:27:57,277 --> 00:28:00,714 - With John in room 120 at the Tuscany, 556 00:28:00,747 --> 00:28:04,217 that room was entered 20 times within an hour. 557 00:28:05,251 --> 00:28:09,022 - That slot of late night after midnight activity 558 00:28:09,055 --> 00:28:12,759 of the door opening and closing less than 10 minutes apart. 559 00:28:13,760 --> 00:28:17,731 So the detectives search rooms N120 and 118. 560 00:28:17,764 --> 00:28:21,034 They used swabs to check the bathroom and shower, 561 00:28:21,034 --> 00:28:24,504 which give a positive presumptive test for blood 562 00:28:24,537 --> 00:28:27,207 and it was sent to the crime lab in San Bernardino for testing. 563 00:28:28,908 --> 00:28:32,545 It started out as a suspicious circumstances 564 00:28:32,579 --> 00:28:34,948 missing person case... 565 00:28:36,049 --> 00:28:39,219 but now it was pretty much set in my mind 566 00:28:39,252 --> 00:28:41,921 that Everilda had been the victim of a homicide. 567 00:28:43,957 --> 00:28:46,559 - We were convinced that that's where everything happened, 568 00:28:46,593 --> 00:28:48,094 that was our crime scene. 569 00:28:48,128 --> 00:28:50,130 [dramatic music] 570 00:28:50,163 --> 00:28:54,200 We noticed that Room 120 was an end room, ground floor, 571 00:28:54,234 --> 00:28:58,304 so if you came out of that room, the exit of the building 572 00:28:58,338 --> 00:29:00,306 was immediately right there within 10 feet. 573 00:29:00,340 --> 00:29:03,743 There was parking available right outside that door. 574 00:29:03,777 --> 00:29:06,012 Room 118 was a buffer zone, 575 00:29:06,012 --> 00:29:08,915 so that the noise wouldn't be carried over to the next room. 576 00:29:09,015 --> 00:29:11,451 He had his time to do what he wanted to with her. 577 00:29:12,819 --> 00:29:14,721 - And that's why he wanted N120. 578 00:29:14,754 --> 00:29:17,590 [ominous music] 579 00:29:17,624 --> 00:29:19,159 - There is obviously some sort of 580 00:29:19,192 --> 00:29:22,328 decomposing biological material on it, 581 00:29:22,362 --> 00:29:23,930 which is a very unique smell 582 00:29:24,030 --> 00:29:26,466 to anybody who's been in law enforcement. 583 00:29:26,499 --> 00:29:28,635 - My dad breaks it down to me, 584 00:29:28,668 --> 00:29:30,036 "Your mom shot herself." 585 00:29:30,870 --> 00:29:32,439 - I am really concerned that John Watson 586 00:29:32,472 --> 00:29:33,873 is on the way out of town. 587 00:29:44,050 --> 00:29:46,219 is now a potential homicide. 588 00:29:46,252 --> 00:29:50,123 But if John Watson did murder his wife, Everilda, 589 00:29:50,156 --> 00:29:51,224 where is she 590 00:29:51,257 --> 00:29:52,425 and what happened? 591 00:29:53,460 --> 00:29:56,062 Investigators know that John scouted hotel rooms 592 00:29:56,096 --> 00:29:58,898 a month before Evie's birthday trip 593 00:29:58,932 --> 00:30:00,567 and he paid cash 594 00:30:00,600 --> 00:30:02,369 and wore disguises. 595 00:30:03,670 --> 00:30:06,172 These are all signs of premeditation, 596 00:30:06,206 --> 00:30:09,209 which elevates this case to another level. 597 00:30:10,343 --> 00:30:13,880 - Once you know it's our murder, it happened in Las Vegas, 598 00:30:13,913 --> 00:30:15,615 we're gonna be responsible for putting it together 599 00:30:15,648 --> 00:30:16,649 and getting it prosecuted. 600 00:30:18,284 --> 00:30:22,222 - I am a young lawyer assigned to the Homicide Unit 601 00:30:22,255 --> 00:30:24,124 and my boss says, 602 00:30:24,157 --> 00:30:26,493 "I think we need a DA on this early enough." 603 00:30:28,395 --> 00:30:30,330 - So with everything pointing to John Watson 604 00:30:30,363 --> 00:30:33,366 as the suspect in Everilda's disappearance, 605 00:30:33,400 --> 00:30:37,537 it was decided to put a GPS tracker on his car 606 00:30:37,570 --> 00:30:39,673 and we'd also executed a warrant 607 00:30:39,706 --> 00:30:42,008 for a wiretap of John Watson's phone. 608 00:30:42,475 --> 00:30:46,246 On July 25th, Watson leaves the city of Ontario 609 00:30:46,279 --> 00:30:50,116 and heads up to the Northern California area of Kernville. 610 00:30:51,951 --> 00:30:55,188 [Faith] Kernville is about 200 miles from Ontario, 611 00:30:55,221 --> 00:30:56,656 but why would John be taking 612 00:30:56,690 --> 00:30:58,391 a trip to this remote area 613 00:30:58,425 --> 00:31:00,060 so far from home 614 00:31:00,093 --> 00:31:01,928 and especially right now? 615 00:31:02,829 --> 00:31:06,700 - The surveillance unit follows him up to the hills there, 616 00:31:06,733 --> 00:31:09,602 noting different locations where he stops 617 00:31:09,636 --> 00:31:12,138 and appears to be checking a map. 618 00:31:12,172 --> 00:31:14,441 - He pulls off on the side of a road 619 00:31:14,474 --> 00:31:18,311 and is out there for a little while looking around, 620 00:31:18,345 --> 00:31:21,081 then he gets back into the car and drives off again. 621 00:31:22,382 --> 00:31:24,284 - We get ahold of the Sheriff's Department, 622 00:31:24,317 --> 00:31:27,187 who sends an officer out there. 623 00:31:28,421 --> 00:31:32,625 He starts looking around the site for anything disturbed. 624 00:31:34,127 --> 00:31:37,197 He saw some plastic sticking out of the ground. 625 00:31:37,964 --> 00:31:40,667 - It's a large rollout like a paint tarp 626 00:31:40,700 --> 00:31:43,903 and when they pull the tarp out, 627 00:31:43,937 --> 00:31:46,172 [dramatic music] 628 00:31:46,206 --> 00:31:48,108 there is obviously some sort of 629 00:31:48,108 --> 00:31:51,111 decomposing biological material on it, 630 00:31:51,111 --> 00:31:52,846 which is a very unique smell 631 00:31:52,879 --> 00:31:55,115 to anybody who's been in law enforcement. 632 00:31:56,549 --> 00:31:58,985 - They bring it back to the Ontario Police Department 633 00:31:59,019 --> 00:32:01,087 so that it could be processed for DNA. 634 00:32:01,755 --> 00:32:04,057 This was plastic sheeting that, to me, looked like the sheeting 635 00:32:04,057 --> 00:32:06,326 that was found in John Watson's car. 636 00:32:07,127 --> 00:32:09,629 When they matched the pieces of plastic together 637 00:32:09,662 --> 00:32:12,632 and they were an exact match, 638 00:32:12,665 --> 00:32:15,068 it was like a "CSI" moment from television. 639 00:32:15,068 --> 00:32:18,338 [dramatic music] 640 00:32:18,371 --> 00:32:20,073 [Faith] With this new discovery, 641 00:32:20,073 --> 00:32:22,976 it's critical to keep John Watson in their sights 642 00:32:23,076 --> 00:32:24,911 at all times, 643 00:32:24,944 --> 00:32:27,547 but they also can't afford to show their hand. 644 00:32:28,481 --> 00:32:31,885 - The hope was that he was gonna lead us to Everilda's body. 645 00:32:32,786 --> 00:32:36,756 - At some point, the GPS unit was knocked off the car, 646 00:32:36,790 --> 00:32:39,426 so we didn't have that asset anymore. 647 00:32:40,160 --> 00:32:41,961 John Watson left Kernville 648 00:32:41,995 --> 00:32:44,464 and he made his way north toward Las Vegas. 649 00:32:44,497 --> 00:32:45,732 The next morning, 650 00:32:45,765 --> 00:32:47,200 he was driving very fast 651 00:32:47,233 --> 00:32:48,802 and then slowing down, 652 00:32:48,835 --> 00:32:50,804 stopping on the side of the road 653 00:32:50,837 --> 00:32:52,238 for significant amounts of time, 654 00:32:52,272 --> 00:32:54,174 like he was checking traffic. 655 00:32:54,207 --> 00:32:57,677 - Obviously that was a ruse to try to draw them out 656 00:32:57,711 --> 00:33:00,880 into the open so he knew they were being followed. 657 00:33:01,581 --> 00:33:04,050 - John's driving became so erratic and dangerous, 658 00:33:04,084 --> 00:33:06,052 that the surveillance was canceled at that point, 659 00:33:06,086 --> 00:33:09,189 because of the danger to citizens in the area. 660 00:33:10,623 --> 00:33:13,326 [Faith] Detectives have to hope they can find John 661 00:33:13,360 --> 00:33:16,096 when he uses his cell phone again. 662 00:33:16,129 --> 00:33:18,798 Three days later, on July 31st, 663 00:33:18,832 --> 00:33:21,101 the blood samples from John's Jeep 664 00:33:21,134 --> 00:33:24,070 and the shower drain in room N120 665 00:33:24,070 --> 00:33:27,107 both come back as matching Everilda. 666 00:33:28,241 --> 00:33:31,978 But without a body, prosecutors want more evidence. 667 00:33:32,078 --> 00:33:33,213 - Anytime you're doing this job, 668 00:33:33,246 --> 00:33:35,248 you know, you're playing hunches 669 00:33:35,281 --> 00:33:37,751 and they found the plastic out there in Tulare County 670 00:33:37,784 --> 00:33:39,519 with her decomp on it 671 00:33:39,552 --> 00:33:40,987 and then went to Tuscany, 672 00:33:41,087 --> 00:33:42,288 20 times, he went to that door, 673 00:33:42,322 --> 00:33:44,090 opened it and went into the room. 674 00:33:45,325 --> 00:33:46,326 You start putting that together, it's like, 675 00:33:46,359 --> 00:33:49,629 "Okay, something more happened in that room." 676 00:33:49,662 --> 00:33:54,601 And we speculated during that time he was carrying his wife 677 00:33:54,634 --> 00:33:56,569 out to the car in pieces 678 00:33:56,603 --> 00:33:58,138 in the bags. 679 00:33:58,638 --> 00:34:00,473 Now, to dismember a body, 680 00:34:00,507 --> 00:34:03,843 it takes a lot more than your Case knife, 681 00:34:03,877 --> 00:34:06,112 so how did he do that? 682 00:34:06,146 --> 00:34:09,849 [dramatic music] 683 00:34:09,883 --> 00:34:12,852 And you're standing near where he bought cleaning supplies 684 00:34:12,886 --> 00:34:13,853 and you look over there, 685 00:34:13,887 --> 00:34:15,922 there's a home improvement store. 686 00:34:16,389 --> 00:34:19,092 - So Detective Hanna begins to watch surveillance. 687 00:34:19,859 --> 00:34:20,827 [Larry] And sure enough, 688 00:34:20,860 --> 00:34:24,431 he came in and purchased a bandsaw with cash. 689 00:34:25,098 --> 00:34:28,668 - He also bought tools to assemble the bandsaw, 690 00:34:28,702 --> 00:34:32,639 suggestive that he's going to utilize the bandsaw 691 00:34:32,672 --> 00:34:33,840 before going home. 692 00:34:34,908 --> 00:34:36,109 - What's he gonna do with that? 693 00:34:36,142 --> 00:34:37,110 He's out of town. 694 00:34:37,143 --> 00:34:38,611 That means he gonna start remodeling a room 695 00:34:38,645 --> 00:34:40,380 at the motel or what? 696 00:34:41,181 --> 00:34:43,883 - Well, once he's bought cleaning supplies 697 00:34:43,917 --> 00:34:45,251 and he's bought a bandsaw 698 00:34:45,285 --> 00:34:47,153 and his wife is missing, 699 00:34:47,187 --> 00:34:50,757 there's no question that John dismembered Everilda. 700 00:34:50,790 --> 00:34:55,095 [ominous music] 701 00:34:55,095 --> 00:34:57,697 - On August 2nd, the Las Vegas Metro PD 702 00:34:57,731 --> 00:35:00,600 Detective Hanna returned to room N120 703 00:35:00,633 --> 00:35:03,303 to conduct a deeper investigation into the room. 704 00:35:05,672 --> 00:35:06,706 - Our CSIs saw some 705 00:35:06,740 --> 00:35:08,575 dark spots on the rug. 706 00:35:08,608 --> 00:35:10,910 They did a presumptive test for blood 707 00:35:10,944 --> 00:35:12,712 and they came back positive. 708 00:35:13,346 --> 00:35:15,215 I'm thinking the room doesn't look 709 00:35:15,248 --> 00:35:16,883 like a slaughterhouse or anything, 710 00:35:16,916 --> 00:35:19,753 so we went and cut the carpet back 711 00:35:19,786 --> 00:35:22,589 and underneath the carpet was just saturated in blood. 712 00:35:24,324 --> 00:35:28,294 - The samples are sent over for DNA analysis. 713 00:35:28,328 --> 00:35:30,163 John Watson doesn't get arrested 714 00:35:30,196 --> 00:35:34,067 until that DNA is confirmed to be Everilda's DNA. 715 00:35:34,100 --> 00:35:37,504 [dramatic music] 716 00:35:37,537 --> 00:35:40,607 - As someone who spent time in a district attorney's office, 717 00:35:40,640 --> 00:35:43,510 I love what the prosecutor is doing here. 718 00:35:43,543 --> 00:35:45,278 Thanks to great police work, 719 00:35:45,311 --> 00:35:48,248 he's preparing an airtight case 720 00:35:48,281 --> 00:35:51,117 for premeditated capital murder 721 00:35:51,151 --> 00:35:52,619 and in the state of Nevada, 722 00:35:52,652 --> 00:35:56,256 that could mean the death penalty for John Watson. 723 00:35:57,357 --> 00:35:58,858 - The more we looked into the case, 724 00:35:58,892 --> 00:36:01,594 the more it became obvious that John had a plan. 725 00:36:01,628 --> 00:36:05,031 He made hotel reservations paying cash, 726 00:36:05,031 --> 00:36:06,399 which were untraceable, 727 00:36:06,433 --> 00:36:08,735 he had concocted false identities, 728 00:36:08,768 --> 00:36:11,037 he wore disguises. 729 00:36:13,606 --> 00:36:16,443 [Faith] Watson knows he's being followed. 730 00:36:16,943 --> 00:36:19,746 The walls seemed to be closing in. 731 00:36:20,413 --> 00:36:23,483 He makes a call to his youngest son, Richard. 732 00:36:25,151 --> 00:36:28,154 - My dad breaks it down to me, 733 00:36:28,188 --> 00:36:30,857 "Your mom shot herself. 734 00:36:30,890 --> 00:36:32,158 I had to cut her up 735 00:36:32,192 --> 00:36:34,694 because she's so big 736 00:36:34,728 --> 00:36:36,896 and she's gone." 737 00:36:38,064 --> 00:36:40,233 I'm shocked to the core. 738 00:36:41,601 --> 00:36:45,071 There's no way my mom would've committed suicide. 739 00:36:45,071 --> 00:36:46,406 She was happy. 740 00:36:46,439 --> 00:36:47,941 She was living life. 741 00:36:48,641 --> 00:36:51,444 And I say, 742 00:36:51,478 --> 00:36:54,447 "Okay, did you tell the police this? 743 00:36:54,481 --> 00:36:57,183 I don't know what you want me to do." 744 00:36:57,217 --> 00:36:59,386 I start panicking. 745 00:36:59,419 --> 00:37:01,554 He talks to me for another 20 minutes, 746 00:37:01,588 --> 00:37:03,590 that's when the phone drops. 747 00:37:04,691 --> 00:37:08,261 My oldest brother, Juan, calls the police, 748 00:37:08,294 --> 00:37:11,331 lets them know what happened. 749 00:37:11,364 --> 00:37:13,066 We get brought in. 750 00:37:13,099 --> 00:37:18,772 Detective breaks the news to us that our mom's dead for sure, 751 00:37:18,805 --> 00:37:20,040 that my dad did it. 752 00:37:21,641 --> 00:37:25,612 - I felt devastated that my mom was not coming back. 753 00:37:25,645 --> 00:37:29,916 It felt hard to believe that this person who I call Dad, 754 00:37:29,949 --> 00:37:32,452 could murder our mom. 755 00:37:34,220 --> 00:37:36,589 - But the fact that he confessed to the crime 756 00:37:36,623 --> 00:37:40,393 was not legally sufficient to convict him of the crime. 757 00:37:41,094 --> 00:37:42,262 [Faith] On August 9th, 758 00:37:42,295 --> 00:37:46,633 almost four weeks to the day since Everilda went missing, 759 00:37:46,666 --> 00:37:49,836 investigators get the DNA results they need. 760 00:37:51,504 --> 00:37:53,206 - The blood underneath the carpet 761 00:37:53,239 --> 00:37:56,643 taken from room N120 at the Tuscany Hotel 762 00:37:56,676 --> 00:37:59,813 and the plastic sheet from John Watson's car 763 00:37:59,846 --> 00:38:04,317 and the Kernville dump site came back to Everilda Watson. 764 00:38:05,652 --> 00:38:09,889 - We also receive information that there is blow back 765 00:38:09,923 --> 00:38:12,792 or blood down the barrel of John Watson's gun 766 00:38:12,826 --> 00:38:17,330 and that blood matches the DNA of Everilda Watson. 767 00:38:17,364 --> 00:38:19,666 That suggested that John put the gun up 768 00:38:19,699 --> 00:38:22,402 to the head of Everilda and pulled the trigger. 769 00:38:23,603 --> 00:38:24,871 - They started working on an arrest warrant 770 00:38:24,904 --> 00:38:28,708 and by the morning of the 10th, I had it in my possession. 771 00:38:30,543 --> 00:38:32,679 - Because of the pings on his phone, 772 00:38:32,712 --> 00:38:35,682 Watson was staying at a hotel in Santa Ana at the time. 773 00:38:36,483 --> 00:38:37,917 [Faith] Without a second to waste, 774 00:38:37,951 --> 00:38:41,121 the entire investigative team races to the hotel 775 00:38:41,154 --> 00:38:43,757 to catch their suspected killer. 776 00:38:43,790 --> 00:38:44,591 But as usual, 777 00:38:44,624 --> 00:38:47,127 John is one step ahead of the law. 778 00:38:47,460 --> 00:38:49,863 - When the warrant was executed, 779 00:38:49,896 --> 00:38:51,865 John Watson was not found in the room. 780 00:38:52,732 --> 00:38:55,435 Somehow he'd been able to get out of the hotel 781 00:38:55,468 --> 00:38:57,871 and was in the wind. 782 00:38:57,904 --> 00:38:58,972 [sirens wailing] 783 00:39:06,478 --> 00:39:09,314 - On the morning of 784 00:39:09,348 --> 00:39:13,786 just when detectives think they have John Watson in their grasp, 785 00:39:13,819 --> 00:39:16,188 he somehow manages to slip away. 786 00:39:16,221 --> 00:39:18,724 [suspenseful music] 787 00:39:18,757 --> 00:39:20,392 - I am really concerned that John Watson 788 00:39:20,426 --> 00:39:21,794 is on the way out of town. 789 00:39:22,428 --> 00:39:25,030 Mexico is two and a half, three hours away, 790 00:39:25,030 --> 00:39:26,198 depending on traffic. 791 00:39:27,232 --> 00:39:30,602 [Faith] Seven hours later, detectives get a hit. 792 00:39:31,470 --> 00:39:34,039 - His phone had pinged off a cell tower 793 00:39:34,039 --> 00:39:35,140 in Claremont, California. 794 00:39:36,241 --> 00:39:39,778 One of the supervising units remembered that in the past, 795 00:39:39,812 --> 00:39:42,047 John Watson had eaten at a Denny's. 796 00:39:42,648 --> 00:39:45,184 We found John Watson inside having food. 797 00:39:46,518 --> 00:39:51,156 When John Watson exited the Denny's, 798 00:39:51,190 --> 00:39:53,125 I told him he was under arrest for a warrant 799 00:39:53,158 --> 00:39:55,227 out of Las Vegas for the murder of his wife. 800 00:39:57,496 --> 00:39:59,198 - When John's taken into custody, 801 00:39:59,231 --> 00:40:02,534 he has a wig and mustache disguise. 802 00:40:03,869 --> 00:40:07,206 He had a bus ticket to El Paso, Texas, 803 00:40:07,239 --> 00:40:11,510 along with banking information related to Mexican banks. 804 00:40:11,543 --> 00:40:13,112 He was that close to fleeing. 805 00:40:13,779 --> 00:40:16,215 [Faith] On August 10th, 2006, 806 00:40:16,248 --> 00:40:20,185 one month after Everilda Watson said goodbye to her boys 807 00:40:20,219 --> 00:40:22,054 for the last time, 808 00:40:22,087 --> 00:40:24,189 the police have their man, 809 00:40:24,223 --> 00:40:25,958 what they still need 810 00:40:25,991 --> 00:40:27,426 is motive. 811 00:40:27,459 --> 00:40:30,829 [dramatic music] 812 00:40:30,863 --> 00:40:34,733 - When John Watson told his son Richard about having cancer 813 00:40:34,767 --> 00:40:38,303 and asked him not to share that information with his wife, 814 00:40:38,337 --> 00:40:43,942 I believe it was part of the planning for the crime. 815 00:40:43,976 --> 00:40:46,845 [dramatic music] 816 00:40:46,879 --> 00:40:49,882 - I don't believe that he ever had cancer. 817 00:40:51,316 --> 00:40:54,286 - In November of 2006, I spoke to David Guerrero, 818 00:40:54,319 --> 00:40:56,055 a friend of John Watson's, 819 00:40:56,088 --> 00:40:57,790 Guerrero told me about a conversation 820 00:40:57,823 --> 00:41:02,961 where John was making comments about a divorce and money. 821 00:41:03,328 --> 00:41:05,931 - John has gotten his retirement 822 00:41:05,964 --> 00:41:08,734 and he may be giving up half of his money 823 00:41:08,767 --> 00:41:11,270 to Everilda if they get divorced. 824 00:41:11,303 --> 00:41:12,905 So during this conversation, 825 00:41:12,938 --> 00:41:15,307 John makes some sort of statement, 826 00:41:15,341 --> 00:41:16,608 "You know, I could just kill her," 827 00:41:16,642 --> 00:41:17,876 and the friend's response is, 828 00:41:17,910 --> 00:41:19,411 "John, it's cheaper to keep her." 829 00:41:19,778 --> 00:41:21,146 And John's like, "I'm not kidding, 830 00:41:21,180 --> 00:41:23,849 I could kill her and I could put her body 831 00:41:23,882 --> 00:41:25,984 where nobody would ever find her." 832 00:41:26,952 --> 00:41:29,621 When you don't have the body, 833 00:41:29,655 --> 00:41:32,925 it is really difficult to establish the crime. 834 00:41:33,759 --> 00:41:35,627 But by the time I make it to the courtroom, 835 00:41:35,661 --> 00:41:39,331 I am convinced that I'm gonna convict John Watson 836 00:41:39,365 --> 00:41:42,267 of the murder of Everilda Watson. 837 00:41:42,301 --> 00:41:43,869 [suspenseful music] 838 00:41:43,902 --> 00:41:45,904 [Faith] In June, 2010, 839 00:41:45,938 --> 00:41:49,475 John Watson's trial begins and quickly ends. 840 00:41:49,775 --> 00:41:52,478 After two and a half days of deliberations, 841 00:41:52,511 --> 00:41:55,314 the jury makes a unanimous decision. 842 00:41:55,814 --> 00:41:57,850 - John Watson is convicted of first degree murder 843 00:41:57,883 --> 00:41:59,118 with the use of a deadly weapon 844 00:41:59,151 --> 00:42:02,187 and first degree kidnapping with use of a deadly weapon. 845 00:42:03,088 --> 00:42:04,656 The only question is 846 00:42:04,690 --> 00:42:07,092 whether or not he's gonna die of natural causes 847 00:42:07,126 --> 00:42:09,762 or if eventually all the appeals are gonna go by 848 00:42:09,795 --> 00:42:12,965 and he's gonna be executed by lethal injection. 849 00:42:14,133 --> 00:42:18,237 [Faith] There is one mystery that has never been solved. 850 00:42:18,270 --> 00:42:22,107 What did John Watson do with Evie's remains? 851 00:42:23,375 --> 00:42:25,978 - He dismembered her 852 00:42:26,078 --> 00:42:29,181 and dispersed her in various locations 853 00:42:29,214 --> 00:42:31,383 that are probably, other than just luck, 854 00:42:31,417 --> 00:42:32,918 never going to be found. 855 00:42:35,688 --> 00:42:38,390 - John took a big piece of my heart. 856 00:42:39,324 --> 00:42:44,263 He has no idea what he has done to our family. 857 00:42:45,564 --> 00:42:48,701 - When my father murdered my mother, 858 00:42:48,734 --> 00:42:52,805 he took away one of the brightest lights in my life 859 00:42:52,838 --> 00:42:55,407 and it's hard to come back from that. 860 00:42:56,608 --> 00:42:58,644 - I'd love for my mom to be remembered 861 00:42:58,677 --> 00:43:02,414 for the loving woman that she was, 862 00:43:02,448 --> 00:43:07,419 for the personality that she brought with her everywhere. 863 00:43:08,287 --> 00:43:11,123 If nothing else, try to remember her laugh, 864 00:43:11,156 --> 00:43:13,826 because that's what she did most of the time. 865 00:43:16,362 --> 00:43:19,665 - Ultimately, John Watson seemed to love money 866 00:43:19,698 --> 00:43:21,400 more than his wife 867 00:43:21,433 --> 00:43:23,202 and his greed compelled him 868 00:43:23,235 --> 00:43:27,339 to murder the woman who devoted her life to him. 869 00:43:27,373 --> 00:43:28,941 Pure evil. 870 00:43:28,974 --> 00:43:31,443 But Everilda left something behind 871 00:43:31,477 --> 00:43:34,079 in this killer relationship: 872 00:43:34,113 --> 00:43:37,716 her abundant spirit and eternal love lives on 873 00:43:37,750 --> 00:43:40,786 through her three beautiful boys.