1 00:00:03,437 --> 00:00:06,266 She had heard them speaking Yugoslavian 2 00:00:06,310 --> 00:00:09,443 and Jelka said, "You would like my son." 3 00:00:10,357 --> 00:00:11,706 They kissed on the first date. 4 00:00:11,750 --> 00:00:13,578 And from that day forward, 5 00:00:13,621 --> 00:00:15,580 they were pretty much inseparable. 6 00:00:16,494 --> 00:00:18,844 It was the perfect match. 7 00:00:18,887 --> 00:00:21,542 They were just totally smitten with each other. 8 00:00:21,586 --> 00:00:23,501 It was really quite romantic. 9 00:00:23,936 --> 00:00:26,069 Or so it seemed. 10 00:00:26,852 --> 00:00:29,333 Often, Alex would call me with, 11 00:00:29,376 --> 00:00:31,596 "Oh my God, his mom wants me to do this." 12 00:00:32,684 --> 00:00:35,600 Either Joe stood up to his mom and family, 13 00:00:35,643 --> 00:00:37,341 or that was it. 14 00:00:37,384 --> 00:00:40,431 Until an overbearing mother-in-law... 15 00:00:40,474 --> 00:00:41,780 I wouldn't wish that on any man 16 00:00:41,823 --> 00:00:44,609 to be stuck between his mother, who he loves, 17 00:00:44,652 --> 00:00:47,090 and his wife, who he loves. 18 00:00:48,395 --> 00:00:50,571 It was a bitter custody battle. 19 00:00:50,615 --> 00:00:53,792 She was to blame for absolutely everything. 20 00:00:54,227 --> 00:00:56,751 Turned this model marriage 21 00:00:56,795 --> 00:00:59,537 into a killer relationship. 22 00:01:00,538 --> 00:01:03,497 I knew she'd been shot 23 00:01:03,541 --> 00:01:05,195 and I knew that it wasn't good. 24 00:01:06,674 --> 00:01:07,936 It's so twisted. 25 00:01:07,980 --> 00:01:10,809 This family is evil. 26 00:01:11,810 --> 00:01:13,594 Absolute evil. 27 00:01:29,958 --> 00:01:32,352 If you've ever seen me on Divorce Court, 28 00:01:32,396 --> 00:01:35,268 you know that I often deal with a recurring theme, 29 00:01:35,312 --> 00:01:36,443 in-laws. 30 00:01:36,487 --> 00:01:38,750 They can be a couple's greatest ally, 31 00:01:38,793 --> 00:01:40,447 or their worst enemy. 32 00:01:40,491 --> 00:01:44,234 The story of a young Canadian couple in the Vancouver suburb 33 00:01:44,277 --> 00:01:48,151 of Burnaby, British Columbia is a prime example. 34 00:01:48,673 --> 00:01:51,980 Alexandra Ignatovic could never have imagined 35 00:01:52,024 --> 00:01:54,287 that when she married Joe Pesic, 36 00:01:54,331 --> 00:01:57,986 she'd inherit a true monster-in-law. 37 00:02:08,475 --> 00:02:12,305 Alex was blonde, beautiful, striking. 38 00:02:12,349 --> 00:02:14,438 She had a wicked sense of humor. 39 00:02:14,873 --> 00:02:16,309 All the guys flocked to her. 40 00:02:16,353 --> 00:02:17,223 She was tall. 41 00:02:17,267 --> 00:02:18,659 She was beautiful. 42 00:02:18,703 --> 00:02:21,401 She could charm herself into anything. 43 00:02:22,446 --> 00:02:24,665 She won the Miss Burnaby Pageant. 44 00:02:24,709 --> 00:02:26,580 It was 1984, 45 00:02:26,624 --> 00:02:28,713 the year that we graduated high school, 46 00:02:28,756 --> 00:02:32,847 which then led to her being part of the Miss Canada Pageant. 47 00:02:32,891 --> 00:02:33,935 Ladies and gentleman, 48 00:02:33,979 --> 00:02:35,850 please welcome the 42 contestants 49 00:02:35,894 --> 00:02:39,724 for the title of Miss Canada, 1985. 50 00:02:39,767 --> 00:02:42,683 She would kind of laugh about it. 51 00:02:42,727 --> 00:02:45,338 And she said it just made her feel more confident. 52 00:02:45,382 --> 00:02:46,948 Good evening, everyone. 53 00:02:46,992 --> 00:02:50,256 My name is Alexandra Ignatovic and I represent Burnaby, BC. 54 00:02:51,431 --> 00:02:53,694 The pageants are a fun diversion, 55 00:02:53,738 --> 00:02:57,002 but as a child of working-class immigrant parents, 56 00:02:57,045 --> 00:02:59,570 20-year-old Alex is expected to have a job 57 00:02:59,613 --> 00:03:01,615 and be self-sufficient. 58 00:03:02,486 --> 00:03:03,878 She does just that, 59 00:03:03,922 --> 00:03:06,490 working as a dentist assistant during the week 60 00:03:06,533 --> 00:03:09,754 and spending time with her mom on the weekends. 61 00:03:13,018 --> 00:03:16,326 So, one thing Alex and her mom, Zdenka, loved to do 62 00:03:16,369 --> 00:03:19,764 would go to local open houses. 63 00:03:19,807 --> 00:03:21,592 And this one particular Sunday, 64 00:03:21,635 --> 00:03:23,507 they went to an open house 65 00:03:23,550 --> 00:03:28,599 and another person heard them speaking Yugoslavian 66 00:03:28,642 --> 00:03:30,775 and came up and started chatting with them, 67 00:03:30,818 --> 00:03:34,082 saying, "Oh, I'm also Yugoslavian. 68 00:03:34,126 --> 00:03:35,780 I'm Jelka Pesic." 69 00:03:36,607 --> 00:03:39,914 And they immediately became friends. 70 00:03:39,958 --> 00:03:42,787 Jelka was explaining that they had a family business. 71 00:03:42,830 --> 00:03:44,919 It was a car mechanic shop. 72 00:03:44,963 --> 00:03:47,444 And Alex was like, "Oh, perfect. 73 00:03:47,487 --> 00:03:49,010 My car needs to be serviced." 74 00:03:49,054 --> 00:03:51,665 Jelka was, "Oh, you've gotta go bring it to my son. 75 00:03:51,709 --> 00:03:52,840 You would like my son." 76 00:03:52,884 --> 00:03:55,408 Right away started playing matchmaking. 77 00:03:55,452 --> 00:03:59,412 The next week, Alex drops her car off for tune-up 78 00:03:59,456 --> 00:04:02,676 and meets 27-year-old Joe Pesic. 79 00:04:02,720 --> 00:04:04,939 Soon after, she had called me to say, 80 00:04:04,983 --> 00:04:06,027 "We're going on a date. 81 00:04:06,071 --> 00:04:08,291 Oh my God, he's so cute." 82 00:04:09,596 --> 00:04:11,119 I remember her telling me 83 00:04:11,163 --> 00:04:12,904 that they had kissed on the first date 84 00:04:12,947 --> 00:04:15,123 and he was a really good kisser. 85 00:04:15,167 --> 00:04:18,431 That she was really falling for him. 86 00:04:18,475 --> 00:04:22,000 From that day forward, they were pretty much inseparable. 87 00:04:23,567 --> 00:04:26,570 I think they were just totally smitten with each other. 88 00:04:26,613 --> 00:04:27,919 It was really quite romantic, 89 00:04:27,962 --> 00:04:30,138 the way that she had described it. 90 00:04:30,182 --> 00:04:32,924 He always showed up with flowers, 91 00:04:32,967 --> 00:04:35,622 took her to the nicest restaurants. 92 00:04:36,841 --> 00:04:38,582 Joe had a motorcycle, 93 00:04:38,625 --> 00:04:40,714 so they'd go riding a lot. 94 00:04:40,758 --> 00:04:43,064 They'd go on little weekend trips. 95 00:04:43,108 --> 00:04:46,633 Always up to planning the next adventure. 96 00:04:47,765 --> 00:04:49,462 Alex and Joe are falling hard 97 00:04:49,506 --> 00:04:51,464 and fast for each other. 98 00:04:51,508 --> 00:04:54,815 And after one blissful month of romance and excitement, 99 00:04:54,859 --> 00:04:56,426 Joe proposes. 100 00:04:56,469 --> 00:05:00,734 It was a dream come true for both Zdenka, Alex's mother, 101 00:05:00,778 --> 00:05:03,171 and Jelka, Joe's mother. 102 00:05:03,215 --> 00:05:06,653 I think that Jelka saw Alex as a very good fit 103 00:05:06,697 --> 00:05:07,872 for her son. 104 00:05:07,915 --> 00:05:10,353 I think she was very impressed with her. 105 00:05:10,788 --> 00:05:13,007 Jelka so overjoyed with Alex, 106 00:05:13,051 --> 00:05:16,446 that she leaps head first into planning the wedding. 107 00:05:16,489 --> 00:05:18,404 I remember Alex wanted blue dresses, 108 00:05:18,448 --> 00:05:22,060 but Jelka had envisioned red. 109 00:05:22,669 --> 00:05:28,545 Alex got her way, but Jelka was a little bit annoyed. 110 00:05:28,588 --> 00:05:31,635 Often, Alex would call me with, 111 00:05:31,678 --> 00:05:34,768 "Oh my God, his mom wants me to do this. 112 00:05:34,812 --> 00:05:36,117 I don't wanna do that." 113 00:05:36,161 --> 00:05:37,728 The night before the wedding, 114 00:05:37,771 --> 00:05:41,471 Alex started doubting if she was making the right decision. 115 00:05:41,688 --> 00:05:46,214 Despite Alex's doubts, on June 11th, 1988, 116 00:05:46,258 --> 00:05:47,738 the couple take their vows 117 00:05:47,781 --> 00:05:50,915 in front of hundreds of friends and family in Vancouver. 118 00:05:50,958 --> 00:05:52,743 She was absolutely beautiful. 119 00:05:52,786 --> 00:05:53,918 It was a fantasy wedding. 120 00:05:53,961 --> 00:05:57,225 And everything went as planned. 121 00:05:57,269 --> 00:05:59,619 A lovely, lovely day. 122 00:06:00,968 --> 00:06:03,884 After a sun-soaked week in Hawaii, 123 00:06:03,928 --> 00:06:05,799 the honeymooners returned to Canada 124 00:06:05,843 --> 00:06:07,801 and settled into a routine, 125 00:06:07,845 --> 00:06:09,716 Joe at his parent's garage 126 00:06:09,760 --> 00:06:12,632 and Alex at the dental practice. 127 00:06:12,937 --> 00:06:15,548 But Alex quickly discovers her mother-in-law 128 00:06:15,592 --> 00:06:17,463 also has a routine, 129 00:06:17,507 --> 00:06:20,640 stopping by the couple's apartment while they're at work 130 00:06:20,684 --> 00:06:23,208 to drop off groceries and clothing -- 131 00:06:23,817 --> 00:06:25,602 things they never asked for. 132 00:06:26,994 --> 00:06:30,171 Jelka wanted control over any decisions that they made, 133 00:06:30,215 --> 00:06:32,173 anything that Alex was doing, 134 00:06:32,217 --> 00:06:34,915 what Alex was wearing. 135 00:06:34,959 --> 00:06:36,526 Alex felt that as a couple, 136 00:06:36,569 --> 00:06:38,223 they should be making their own decisions 137 00:06:38,266 --> 00:06:41,487 and leading their life the way that they wanted to lead it. 138 00:06:41,531 --> 00:06:45,622 I can't imagine that it was easy for Joe either. 139 00:06:45,665 --> 00:06:46,971 A few months later, 140 00:06:47,014 --> 00:06:49,277 the generous, but unwanted gifts 141 00:06:49,321 --> 00:06:52,542 are topped by something way more extravagant, 142 00:06:52,585 --> 00:06:54,282 when Joe's parents offer the couple, 143 00:06:54,326 --> 00:06:57,590 a substantial down payment on a new house. 144 00:06:57,634 --> 00:06:59,592 But there are strings attached. 145 00:07:00,114 --> 00:07:02,769 It was a little bungalow block and a half away 146 00:07:02,813 --> 00:07:04,945 from the Pesic family home. 147 00:07:04,989 --> 00:07:08,732 But neither Joe nor Alex had a say 148 00:07:08,775 --> 00:07:10,995 in which house it would be. 149 00:07:12,605 --> 00:07:14,607 This is a bit delicate, right? 150 00:07:14,651 --> 00:07:16,522 This could be a dream home 151 00:07:16,566 --> 00:07:19,003 for Alex and Joe to raise a family, 152 00:07:19,046 --> 00:07:21,266 but would it ever truly be their own, 153 00:07:21,309 --> 00:07:23,616 free from Jelka's meddling? 154 00:07:23,660 --> 00:07:25,096 It's a tough decision. 155 00:07:25,139 --> 00:07:27,011 But after thinking it over carefully, 156 00:07:27,054 --> 00:07:28,969 the young couple accepts. 157 00:07:29,013 --> 00:07:32,103 Still, almost as soon as they move in, 158 00:07:32,146 --> 00:07:33,626 issues arise. 159 00:07:35,193 --> 00:07:37,891 There was a definite huge fallout 160 00:07:37,935 --> 00:07:40,633 when it came to the kitchen. 161 00:07:40,677 --> 00:07:44,115 Alex wanted a strip of a red tile in the back splash 162 00:07:44,158 --> 00:07:47,640 and Jelka wouldn't have it. 163 00:07:47,945 --> 00:07:49,729 It's one of many instances 164 00:07:49,773 --> 00:07:53,298 where Jelka's interference upsets the young couple. 165 00:07:55,822 --> 00:07:57,781 First year or so, 166 00:07:57,824 --> 00:08:00,174 Joe would go weeks without talking to his parents 167 00:08:00,218 --> 00:08:04,309 or with his mother because they had interfered in something 168 00:08:04,352 --> 00:08:07,617 that Alex was upset about. 169 00:08:07,660 --> 00:08:09,270 I wouldn't wish that on any man 170 00:08:09,314 --> 00:08:12,709 to be stuck between his mother, who he loves, 171 00:08:12,752 --> 00:08:14,798 and his wife, who he loves. 172 00:08:15,233 --> 00:08:16,887 It's a tricky situation 173 00:08:16,930 --> 00:08:19,193 for both sides of their relationship, 174 00:08:19,237 --> 00:08:22,588 but Joe's efforts at maintaining distance from his mother 175 00:08:22,632 --> 00:08:27,071 go a long way in making Alex feel loved and supported. 176 00:08:27,114 --> 00:08:30,683 So much so that by the end of 1989, 177 00:08:30,727 --> 00:08:33,947 they announced that a new addition to the Pesic family 178 00:08:33,991 --> 00:08:35,906 is on the way, 179 00:08:35,949 --> 00:08:37,647 baby Brandon. 180 00:08:37,690 --> 00:08:39,605 Everybody was jubilant. 181 00:08:39,649 --> 00:08:43,217 She had a fantastic pregnancy and Joe doted on her. 182 00:08:43,261 --> 00:08:45,872 They really were thrilled. 183 00:08:46,438 --> 00:08:49,093 But the bliss surrounding Brandon's arrival 184 00:08:49,136 --> 00:08:50,573 is short-lived. 185 00:08:51,269 --> 00:08:52,966 A grandson opens the door 186 00:08:53,010 --> 00:08:56,840 for Jelka to become even more involved 187 00:08:56,883 --> 00:08:59,190 in Alex and Joe's lives. 188 00:08:59,712 --> 00:09:03,237 Jelka was constantly after Alex 189 00:09:03,281 --> 00:09:05,109 about whether she was breastfeeding correctly, 190 00:09:05,152 --> 00:09:07,981 what she should feed him, how often. 191 00:09:08,025 --> 00:09:10,897 Jelka was doubting her as a mother. 192 00:09:10,941 --> 00:09:13,596 And that really hurt Alex. 193 00:09:15,467 --> 00:09:16,990 Like most new parents, 194 00:09:17,034 --> 00:09:18,862 Joe and Alex barely leave their home 195 00:09:18,905 --> 00:09:21,995 for the first six months of Brandon's life. 196 00:09:22,039 --> 00:09:23,867 But in the winter of 1990, 197 00:09:23,910 --> 00:09:26,913 dad knows just what he and mom need -- 198 00:09:26,957 --> 00:09:28,741 a little bit of fun. 199 00:09:28,785 --> 00:09:32,397 Joe wanted to take Alex out on a date night 200 00:09:32,440 --> 00:09:34,355 and also give an opportunity 201 00:09:34,399 --> 00:09:37,358 for his mother to take care of Brandon. 202 00:09:39,143 --> 00:09:41,972 Upon dropping Brandon off, 203 00:09:42,015 --> 00:09:44,278 Jelka began to boast on, 204 00:09:44,322 --> 00:09:46,672 "Don't worry, he's in good hands 205 00:09:46,716 --> 00:09:49,022 because I've just made him this tea 206 00:09:49,066 --> 00:09:51,155 that's gonna really make him sleep." 207 00:09:52,504 --> 00:09:55,159 And Alex was very adamant 208 00:09:55,202 --> 00:09:59,816 that she was not to give anything outside of breast milk. 209 00:09:59,859 --> 00:10:03,167 And Brandon was only maybe five, six months old. 210 00:10:03,210 --> 00:10:04,124 They go. 211 00:10:04,168 --> 00:10:05,778 They have a great time. 212 00:10:05,822 --> 00:10:07,127 They come back, 213 00:10:07,171 --> 00:10:09,913 Brandon is fast asleep. 214 00:10:09,956 --> 00:10:14,178 And Alex asked her, "Did you give my son that tea?" 215 00:10:14,221 --> 00:10:16,920 And she said, "Yes, because I know it's gonna help him. 216 00:10:16,963 --> 00:10:18,791 Look! Look how good it's working." 217 00:10:20,488 --> 00:10:24,318 With a sleeping child, you prod them or they'll squirm. 218 00:10:24,362 --> 00:10:26,843 Alex pinched his skin. 219 00:10:26,886 --> 00:10:29,802 There was no response to him whatsoever. 220 00:10:30,542 --> 00:10:32,762 And she could barely feel a pulse. 221 00:10:32,805 --> 00:10:35,068 She was terrified he wouldn't wake up. 222 00:10:37,331 --> 00:10:41,074 Alex was in a panic because she couldn't even rouse him. 223 00:10:41,466 --> 00:10:42,859 She constantly said, 224 00:10:42,902 --> 00:10:44,469 "I think they're really gonna kill me." 225 00:10:44,512 --> 00:10:47,211 And that's when I would say, "Are you crazy?" 226 00:10:47,515 --> 00:10:48,603 She'd been out with friends 227 00:10:48,647 --> 00:10:51,476 and she heard footsteps behind her. 228 00:10:51,519 --> 00:10:53,391 And he chased her to the front door. 229 00:10:58,004 --> 00:11:00,703 It always amazes me how often I see couples 230 00:11:00,746 --> 00:11:05,229 in Divorce Court whose marriages are impacted negatively 231 00:11:05,272 --> 00:11:07,361 by overbearing in-laws. 232 00:11:07,971 --> 00:11:10,451 For 21-year-old, Alex Pesic, 233 00:11:10,495 --> 00:11:13,454 a controlling mother-in-law is ruining 234 00:11:13,498 --> 00:11:15,979 what is otherwise a perfect marriage. 235 00:11:16,022 --> 00:11:18,590 Though it's not as often as Alex would like, 236 00:11:18,633 --> 00:11:20,984 Joe frequently takes his wife's side 237 00:11:21,027 --> 00:11:23,551 and keeps the peace in their home. 238 00:11:24,422 --> 00:11:26,816 But that peace turns into pandemonium 239 00:11:26,859 --> 00:11:29,819 when Grandma Jelka is babysitting 240 00:11:29,862 --> 00:11:31,734 and Alex and Joe come home 241 00:11:31,777 --> 00:11:34,345 to find their six-month-old Brandon 242 00:11:34,388 --> 00:11:35,912 unresponsive. 243 00:11:37,435 --> 00:11:40,830 Alex was in a panic because she couldn't even rouse him. 244 00:11:40,873 --> 00:11:43,528 And she rushed him to the hospital. 245 00:11:45,878 --> 00:11:47,837 Brandon finally woke at the hospital, 246 00:11:47,880 --> 00:11:49,490 but Alex wouldn't quite figure out 247 00:11:49,534 --> 00:11:52,406 what Jelka had given the child. 248 00:11:52,798 --> 00:11:54,626 Alex told that in her mind, that was it. 249 00:11:54,669 --> 00:11:58,761 She just no longer trusted Brandon with Jelka. 250 00:11:59,805 --> 00:12:02,634 That was the straw that broke the camel's back for Alex. 251 00:12:02,677 --> 00:12:04,941 A big fight ensued. 252 00:12:04,984 --> 00:12:06,377 That night, she took the baby 253 00:12:06,420 --> 00:12:07,770 and went and stayed with her mother. 254 00:12:08,683 --> 00:12:13,514 Alex clearly outlined that she was not gonna live like this 255 00:12:13,558 --> 00:12:17,518 and that either Joe stood up to his mom and family, 256 00:12:17,562 --> 00:12:18,868 or that was it. 257 00:12:18,911 --> 00:12:20,608 She had hit her end. 258 00:12:20,652 --> 00:12:23,655 I think she was disappointed because at some point, 259 00:12:23,698 --> 00:12:27,964 a young man has to cut the apron strings from his mother. 260 00:12:28,660 --> 00:12:30,880 I know that Joe really loved Alex, 261 00:12:30,923 --> 00:12:32,664 but he was torn in the middle. 262 00:12:32,707 --> 00:12:35,580 And we saw that Joe was not manning up. 263 00:12:37,103 --> 00:12:38,539 Caught once again 264 00:12:38,583 --> 00:12:40,541 between two women in his life, 265 00:12:40,585 --> 00:12:41,891 his wife and his mother, 266 00:12:41,934 --> 00:12:44,676 Joe was finally forced to pick a side. 267 00:12:44,981 --> 00:12:48,419 There was pressure from the family business side. 268 00:12:48,462 --> 00:12:50,073 They held the purse strings. 269 00:12:50,116 --> 00:12:52,075 If he wasn't talking to his family, 270 00:12:52,118 --> 00:12:54,904 he didn't get that part of his pay. 271 00:12:54,947 --> 00:12:57,820 So, at some point, he had no more fight in him. 272 00:12:58,690 --> 00:12:59,996 She was very disappointed 273 00:13:00,039 --> 00:13:03,826 that Joe did not put her first before his parents. 274 00:13:03,869 --> 00:13:06,654 Their decisions held more sway with him 275 00:13:06,698 --> 00:13:09,092 than she did as his wife. 276 00:13:09,135 --> 00:13:11,921 She could not continue living like that. 277 00:13:11,964 --> 00:13:13,705 And she didn't wanna raise a child 278 00:13:13,748 --> 00:13:17,404 in that kind of stressful environment. 279 00:13:18,666 --> 00:13:22,583 In the spring of 1989, just two years into their marriage, 280 00:13:22,627 --> 00:13:24,716 Alex files for divorce. 281 00:13:24,759 --> 00:13:27,588 Joe and his traditional parents are appalled 282 00:13:27,632 --> 00:13:32,680 by what they see as Alex's betrayal of sacred marital vows. 283 00:13:32,724 --> 00:13:35,118 And they view her, resentfully, 284 00:13:35,161 --> 00:13:38,599 as the reason the family is ultimately torn apart. 285 00:13:38,643 --> 00:13:41,559 In court, the claws come out. 286 00:13:41,776 --> 00:13:44,605 It's a story I've seen countless times. 287 00:13:44,649 --> 00:13:48,958 When couples get too caught up in revenge, everyone loses, 288 00:13:49,001 --> 00:13:52,004 especially when children are involved. 289 00:13:52,918 --> 00:13:55,486 Once they had officially separated, 290 00:13:55,529 --> 00:13:57,488 he did not put Brandon first. 291 00:13:57,531 --> 00:14:00,621 He was more caught up in his rights 292 00:14:00,665 --> 00:14:02,754 than in really being a dad. 293 00:14:02,797 --> 00:14:05,975 I started to lose a lot of respect for him. 294 00:14:06,018 --> 00:14:09,848 Joe and his parents fought at every turn over money, 295 00:14:09,892 --> 00:14:12,895 over custody, over visitation, 296 00:14:12,938 --> 00:14:16,159 over who was gonna control Brandon's life. 297 00:14:16,202 --> 00:14:17,900 It was a mess. 298 00:14:17,943 --> 00:14:19,771 They wanted the house 299 00:14:19,814 --> 00:14:22,034 and they wanted custody of Brandon. 300 00:14:22,643 --> 00:14:24,776 His parents had put the down payment on the house, 301 00:14:24,819 --> 00:14:26,386 the matrimonial home, 302 00:14:26,430 --> 00:14:29,781 and they had helped buy some of the appliances and things. 303 00:14:29,824 --> 00:14:31,609 So, his parents took the position 304 00:14:31,652 --> 00:14:34,786 that those were all their possessions 305 00:14:34,829 --> 00:14:37,397 and they didn't want her to get anything. 306 00:14:40,574 --> 00:14:42,533 The one lawyer that finally took her case 307 00:14:42,576 --> 00:14:45,144 told her that she had the most contentious divorce 308 00:14:45,188 --> 00:14:48,756 that he had ever encountered in 20 years. 309 00:14:50,019 --> 00:14:52,151 Although it was a hard fought battle, 310 00:14:52,195 --> 00:14:53,805 when the dust settles, 311 00:14:53,848 --> 00:14:56,764 Alex wins full custody of Brandon 312 00:14:56,808 --> 00:14:58,549 and is awarded child support 313 00:14:58,592 --> 00:15:02,161 as well as possession of the home the Pesics helped purchase 314 00:15:02,205 --> 00:15:03,946 for her and Joe. 315 00:15:03,989 --> 00:15:07,036 The Pesics really saw this as a slap in the face. 316 00:15:07,079 --> 00:15:11,605 They saw it as, "How dare you live in our house." 317 00:15:12,128 --> 00:15:13,216 The grandparents were ordered 318 00:15:13,259 --> 00:15:15,653 not to have anything to do with them 319 00:15:15,696 --> 00:15:19,178 because they didn't seem to be very good influences 320 00:15:19,222 --> 00:15:20,484 on the child. 321 00:15:20,527 --> 00:15:21,398 They were shocked. 322 00:15:21,441 --> 00:15:23,052 I think that it made them angry. 323 00:15:23,095 --> 00:15:25,968 I think it made them just dig in their heels 324 00:15:26,011 --> 00:15:27,839 and direct all of their anger at her. 325 00:15:27,882 --> 00:15:31,147 That she was to blame for absolutely everything. 326 00:15:32,104 --> 00:15:33,801 Joe was ordered to pay child support. 327 00:15:33,845 --> 00:15:35,064 He failed to do that. 328 00:15:35,107 --> 00:15:36,979 He was in arrears. 329 00:15:37,022 --> 00:15:39,764 Had to be in another court appearance to explain why, 330 00:15:39,807 --> 00:15:41,592 and he said he was unemployed, 331 00:15:41,635 --> 00:15:45,465 which was kind of odd because he worked for his father. 332 00:15:46,814 --> 00:15:49,817 The proceedings are contentious to the bitter end, 333 00:15:49,861 --> 00:15:53,256 but six months later, in November, 1991, 334 00:15:53,299 --> 00:15:55,606 the divorce is finalized. 335 00:15:55,649 --> 00:15:57,738 With full custody of Brandon, 336 00:15:57,782 --> 00:16:00,698 Alex moves back in with her mom, Zdenka. 337 00:16:00,741 --> 00:16:03,875 And feeling supported, begins to find a rhythm again, 338 00:16:03,918 --> 00:16:06,617 balancing work, life, and motherhood. 339 00:16:07,661 --> 00:16:09,098 Eight months after the divorce, 340 00:16:09,141 --> 00:16:11,013 it's a bright and warm evening 341 00:16:11,056 --> 00:16:13,232 when Alex and her friend, Bernice, 342 00:16:13,276 --> 00:16:16,627 make their way to Alex's car across the parking lot 343 00:16:16,670 --> 00:16:19,630 at the dentist office where they both work. 344 00:16:19,673 --> 00:16:21,284 We were kind of laughing and talking 345 00:16:21,327 --> 00:16:23,808 as we went to the car. 346 00:16:24,722 --> 00:16:28,030 She got into her side and I'd walked around the other. 347 00:16:28,073 --> 00:16:31,685 I was stuffing my gym bag between my feet... 348 00:16:32,382 --> 00:16:35,124 and that's when I heard the first bullet. 349 00:16:39,693 --> 00:16:41,043 I knew she'd been shot. 350 00:16:43,175 --> 00:16:45,569 And I knew that it wasn't good. 351 00:16:50,313 --> 00:16:52,793 As a trial attorney and prosecutor, 352 00:16:52,837 --> 00:16:56,101 I've often been amazed and deeply moved 353 00:16:56,145 --> 00:16:57,624 by hearing people relive 354 00:16:57,668 --> 00:17:00,758 the absolute worst moments of their lives 355 00:17:00,801 --> 00:17:03,500 while remaining calm and collected. 356 00:17:03,543 --> 00:17:05,371 People like Bernice Courson, 357 00:17:05,415 --> 00:17:10,115 whose coworker and friend, 25-year-old Alex Pesic, 358 00:17:10,159 --> 00:17:14,815 has just been shot from close range while sitting in her car 359 00:17:14,859 --> 00:17:18,210 with Bernice right beside her. 360 00:17:21,431 --> 00:17:24,086 Her shoulder and her head hit my back. 361 00:17:24,129 --> 00:17:27,393 And as soon as I felt like the bullets had stopped, 362 00:17:27,437 --> 00:17:30,527 I could hear wheels of a car pulling away. 363 00:17:34,705 --> 00:17:37,838 And I looked at her really quickly 364 00:17:37,882 --> 00:17:39,840 and I jumped out of the car 365 00:17:39,884 --> 00:17:41,277 and I ran to the office 366 00:17:41,320 --> 00:17:44,323 to get the doctor that we worked for. 367 00:17:48,327 --> 00:17:50,068 It was a nightmare. 368 00:17:51,156 --> 00:17:53,158 Alerted by passersby, 369 00:17:53,202 --> 00:17:56,292 paramedics and police quickly arrive on the scene. 370 00:17:56,683 --> 00:18:00,296 Alex is rushed to the nearest hospital. 371 00:18:00,339 --> 00:18:03,212 But she never regains consciousness 372 00:18:03,255 --> 00:18:06,389 and is pronounced dead a short time later. 373 00:18:12,438 --> 00:18:14,875 It was scary, it was surreal, 374 00:18:14,919 --> 00:18:16,312 it was numbing. 375 00:18:16,355 --> 00:18:18,705 It was just, 376 00:18:19,793 --> 00:18:22,144 there were no, I can't, I can't even explain it. 377 00:18:22,187 --> 00:18:23,362 I can't. 378 00:18:23,406 --> 00:18:25,321 It's horrific. 379 00:18:29,629 --> 00:18:33,198 Alex's death just destroyed her mother. 380 00:18:33,242 --> 00:18:34,547 She loved her daughter. 381 00:18:34,591 --> 00:18:37,159 Her daughter was the light of her life. 382 00:18:41,728 --> 00:18:43,382 Minutes after the shooting, 383 00:18:43,426 --> 00:18:45,602 police arrive on scene. 384 00:18:46,298 --> 00:18:48,213 People were rushing around. 385 00:18:48,257 --> 00:18:50,346 It was a bit chaotic, of course. 386 00:18:50,389 --> 00:18:53,740 The first priorities were to secure the vehicle. 387 00:18:53,784 --> 00:18:56,221 There were four bullet recovered from the fender 388 00:18:56,265 --> 00:18:57,918 and the door. 389 00:18:57,962 --> 00:19:00,312 There were two in Alexandra. 390 00:19:00,356 --> 00:19:02,271 They were a .380 caliber. 391 00:19:03,446 --> 00:19:05,752 The first question police want answered 392 00:19:05,796 --> 00:19:08,190 is who could have committed such a brutal crime 393 00:19:08,233 --> 00:19:09,887 in such a public area? 394 00:19:10,714 --> 00:19:12,629 And why was Bernice spared? 395 00:19:12,672 --> 00:19:15,371 Was Alex the intended target? 396 00:19:17,329 --> 00:19:19,505 One thing that was significant 397 00:19:19,549 --> 00:19:21,464 aside from the bullet holes in the car, 398 00:19:21,507 --> 00:19:24,336 there was a telephone bill laying in the console 399 00:19:24,380 --> 00:19:26,425 that had a license plate number written on it. 400 00:19:27,339 --> 00:19:29,254 Corporal Goodall collects the bullets 401 00:19:29,298 --> 00:19:31,735 and the slip of paper with the license plate number 402 00:19:31,778 --> 00:19:35,739 and wonders why would Alex have written down this number 403 00:19:35,782 --> 00:19:38,220 and whose vehicle might it belong to? 404 00:19:38,872 --> 00:19:40,526 With the crime scene secured, 405 00:19:40,570 --> 00:19:43,747 investigators question the numerous witnesses. 406 00:19:45,836 --> 00:19:49,274 It was very unusual. 407 00:19:49,318 --> 00:19:51,885 This was a brazen daylight shooting 408 00:19:51,929 --> 00:19:55,324 of a beautiful young woman in a residential neighborhood. 409 00:19:55,976 --> 00:19:57,282 Where were you at the time? 410 00:19:57,326 --> 00:19:58,979 I was right over on that corner over there. 411 00:20:01,286 --> 00:20:02,983 People saw two characters sitting down the street 412 00:20:03,027 --> 00:20:04,550 in this red vehicle. 413 00:20:04,594 --> 00:20:07,814 They had face coverings, sunglasses, ball caps. 414 00:20:07,858 --> 00:20:10,643 They kind of stood out on a warm summer day. 415 00:20:10,687 --> 00:20:12,993 In fact, more than 30 people 416 00:20:13,037 --> 00:20:15,779 noticed a flashy red car parked nearby 417 00:20:15,822 --> 00:20:18,477 in the neighborhood earlier that day, 418 00:20:18,521 --> 00:20:20,653 three hours before the murder. 419 00:20:20,871 --> 00:20:22,176 They were young men, 420 00:20:22,220 --> 00:20:26,920 two Caucasian men with dark hair in a red car. 421 00:20:27,921 --> 00:20:31,273 And the police officer and myself held towels 422 00:20:31,316 --> 00:20:32,317 one on each side of her head. 423 00:20:32,361 --> 00:20:33,666 She had two holes in her head. 424 00:20:33,710 --> 00:20:35,015 How are you feeling right now? 425 00:20:35,059 --> 00:20:36,843 Shaken up a little bit. 426 00:20:49,856 --> 00:20:51,467 Then it sped away. 427 00:20:52,772 --> 00:20:55,340 And he saw the license plate number. 428 00:20:56,733 --> 00:20:58,343 Investigators wonder 429 00:20:58,387 --> 00:21:01,041 if the plate number reported by the eyewitness 430 00:21:01,085 --> 00:21:04,741 could be a match to the one found in Alex's car. 431 00:21:04,784 --> 00:21:06,743 Unfortunately, it's not. 432 00:21:07,700 --> 00:21:10,529 But when they run the plate from the red Camaro 433 00:21:10,573 --> 00:21:11,878 through their database, 434 00:21:11,922 --> 00:21:14,881 they immediately get a hit. 435 00:21:14,925 --> 00:21:16,709 There was a report that the red vehicle 436 00:21:16,753 --> 00:21:20,844 had been stolen a few days before from the Burnaby area, 437 00:21:20,887 --> 00:21:22,628 not all that far away. 438 00:21:23,934 --> 00:21:26,763 The flashy stolen car is puzzling, 439 00:21:26,806 --> 00:21:29,853 but investigators know one thing for certain. 440 00:21:29,896 --> 00:21:31,158 Well, you've got these two characters 441 00:21:31,202 --> 00:21:33,726 sitting down the street in a stolen vehicle 442 00:21:33,770 --> 00:21:36,642 in the middle of the day and then they just roll up 443 00:21:36,686 --> 00:21:38,905 when Alexander comes out of work 444 00:21:38,949 --> 00:21:40,907 and lean out the window and shoot at her 445 00:21:40,951 --> 00:21:42,953 and then drive away. 446 00:21:44,433 --> 00:21:45,782 There wasn't much doubt in my mind 447 00:21:45,825 --> 00:21:47,914 that it was a targeted shooting. 448 00:21:51,875 --> 00:21:54,747 But who would target a 25-year-old mother 449 00:21:54,791 --> 00:21:56,749 and former beauty queen? 450 00:21:56,793 --> 00:22:00,797 To find an answer, investigators attempt to question Bernice 451 00:22:00,840 --> 00:22:03,974 who was seated beside Alex when she was shot. 452 00:22:04,496 --> 00:22:05,889 The police just came in. 453 00:22:05,932 --> 00:22:08,500 I remember just sitting on the floor of the office 454 00:22:08,544 --> 00:22:10,676 and I wasn't crying. 455 00:22:10,720 --> 00:22:12,765 I was in so much shock that I just, 456 00:22:12,809 --> 00:22:14,680 I couldn't respond to anything. 457 00:22:15,507 --> 00:22:17,030 With Bernice too traumatized 458 00:22:17,074 --> 00:22:19,119 to talk right after the murder, 459 00:22:19,163 --> 00:22:21,470 Alex's grief-stricken employer, 460 00:22:21,513 --> 00:22:22,645 the dentist, 461 00:22:22,688 --> 00:22:25,430 points his finger squarely at a suspect. 462 00:22:25,474 --> 00:22:28,433 He said she'd had a long ongoing marital dispute 463 00:22:28,477 --> 00:22:31,828 with her ex-husband, Joe Pesic. 464 00:22:31,871 --> 00:22:35,614 And he felt he would have some responsibility 465 00:22:35,658 --> 00:22:37,486 somewhere in the mix of it. 466 00:22:39,705 --> 00:22:41,620 There was this bitter custody battle. 467 00:22:41,664 --> 00:22:45,407 Alexandra had been awarded full custody by the court. 468 00:22:45,450 --> 00:22:46,799 She had been awarded alimony. 469 00:22:46,843 --> 00:22:50,107 She got most of the matrimonial home. 470 00:22:50,150 --> 00:22:51,978 So, there was reason to believe 471 00:22:52,022 --> 00:22:55,025 that Joe was angry and upset. 472 00:22:55,678 --> 00:22:57,419 He clearly had motive. 473 00:23:00,204 --> 00:23:03,468 And so the next day, the police went to find him 474 00:23:03,512 --> 00:23:04,730 and to interview him 475 00:23:04,774 --> 00:23:07,429 to see where he was and what he was doing. 476 00:23:08,212 --> 00:23:09,735 When they arrive, 477 00:23:09,779 --> 00:23:14,740 investigators quickly realize Joe was young, in his 20s, 478 00:23:14,784 --> 00:23:17,613 Caucasian, and has dark hair, 479 00:23:17,656 --> 00:23:19,658 the same description witnesses gave 480 00:23:19,702 --> 00:23:22,531 of the men in the red vehicle. 481 00:23:24,533 --> 00:23:28,014 The interviewer described his emotional state 482 00:23:28,058 --> 00:23:30,147 as unemotional and not overly upset 483 00:23:30,190 --> 00:23:33,498 about the death of the mother of his child. 484 00:23:34,586 --> 00:23:37,502 But in this case, Joe had an alibi. 485 00:23:38,242 --> 00:23:42,115 He was at a swimming pool, a number of miles away. 486 00:23:42,159 --> 00:23:47,469 And he produced a receipt of his admission to the pool 487 00:23:47,512 --> 00:23:48,774 with a time on it. 488 00:23:49,949 --> 00:23:52,865 He had it and ready to show the police right away. 489 00:23:52,909 --> 00:23:55,215 And that was actually a suspicious thing 490 00:23:55,259 --> 00:23:57,783 because who keeps receipts from a pool? 491 00:23:57,827 --> 00:24:00,612 Nobody would do that ordinarily. 492 00:24:01,265 --> 00:24:02,875 It was like he might have known 493 00:24:02,919 --> 00:24:04,790 exactly what was going to happen. 494 00:24:04,834 --> 00:24:07,750 And that's why he had come up with this convenient alibi. 495 00:24:14,670 --> 00:24:16,976 Just days afte 496 00:24:17,020 --> 00:24:19,979 of former beauty queen, Alexandra Pesic, 497 00:24:20,023 --> 00:24:21,241 friends and family gather 498 00:24:21,285 --> 00:24:24,070 on the outskirts of Vancouver, Canada 499 00:24:24,114 --> 00:24:27,160 for a sad and untimely farewell. 500 00:24:30,642 --> 00:24:32,514 We were standing graveside. 501 00:24:33,558 --> 00:24:35,560 It was an open casket funeral. 502 00:24:37,170 --> 00:24:38,998 I could not look at her 503 00:24:39,042 --> 00:24:43,133 because I don't want to remember her being in that casket. 504 00:24:43,176 --> 00:24:45,135 I just wanna remember the girl that I knew. 505 00:24:47,964 --> 00:24:51,010 You could see her mother's grief. 506 00:24:51,576 --> 00:24:54,927 Oh, it was, it was heartbreaking. 507 00:24:58,627 --> 00:25:00,106 It was horrible. 508 00:25:00,150 --> 00:25:02,021 We were so upset. 509 00:25:02,065 --> 00:25:06,243 It was really, for me, it was 510 00:25:07,200 --> 00:25:08,550 heart-wrenching. 511 00:25:10,029 --> 00:25:13,555 They were going to lower her casket into the ground. 512 00:25:13,598 --> 00:25:17,428 And at the top of the hill was somebody on a motorcycle 513 00:25:17,471 --> 00:25:19,299 just watching the funeral. 514 00:25:19,343 --> 00:25:20,649 It was a hot day 515 00:25:20,692 --> 00:25:23,303 and this person was in full black leather gear 516 00:25:23,347 --> 00:25:25,523 and a helmet that they didn't take off. 517 00:25:25,567 --> 00:25:28,570 And then I realized that it was Joe... 518 00:25:29,614 --> 00:25:32,312 watching Alex be buried. 519 00:25:33,618 --> 00:25:35,185 It really shook me. 520 00:25:38,188 --> 00:25:39,581 Bernice isn't the only one 521 00:25:39,624 --> 00:25:42,627 who finds Joe's actions bizarre. 522 00:25:42,671 --> 00:25:45,674 His claim of being with his son at a pool 523 00:25:45,717 --> 00:25:48,633 during the time of his ex-wife's murder 524 00:25:48,677 --> 00:25:52,115 and the unusual fact that he kept the receipt, 525 00:25:52,158 --> 00:25:54,073 makes police suspicious. 526 00:25:54,334 --> 00:25:56,467 Was Joe an occupant in the red Camaro 527 00:25:56,510 --> 00:25:58,643 that was spotted firing the weapon? 528 00:25:58,687 --> 00:26:02,342 Or if he wasn't, did he put a hit out on his ex-wife 529 00:26:02,386 --> 00:26:05,519 out of spite after the nasty divorce? 530 00:26:07,739 --> 00:26:09,436 The alibi that Joe provided 531 00:26:09,480 --> 00:26:13,615 was just a little too convenient from everybody's thoughts. 532 00:26:13,658 --> 00:26:17,053 So, they continued their investigation to see if, 533 00:26:17,096 --> 00:26:18,576 whether it was a false alibi 534 00:26:18,620 --> 00:26:21,666 or whether, in fact, he was there at the swimming pool 535 00:26:21,710 --> 00:26:23,625 as he said he was. 536 00:26:28,673 --> 00:26:31,502 As investigators hunt down the shooter's car, 537 00:26:31,545 --> 00:26:33,112 the red Camaro, 538 00:26:33,156 --> 00:26:35,506 they turned to Alex's best friends. 539 00:26:35,549 --> 00:26:37,639 They want to know more about the divorce 540 00:26:37,682 --> 00:26:39,597 and its aftermath. 541 00:26:39,641 --> 00:26:43,601 And what they learn is an extraordinary story. 542 00:26:44,515 --> 00:26:45,777 From the minute it happened, 543 00:26:45,821 --> 00:26:49,781 this was 100%, no doubt in our minds, 544 00:26:49,825 --> 00:26:51,522 from the hands of the Pesic family. 545 00:26:52,828 --> 00:26:54,743 Angie provides more insight 546 00:26:54,786 --> 00:26:56,658 about the failed marriage 547 00:26:56,701 --> 00:27:00,270 and tells investigators about Alex's overbearing 548 00:27:00,313 --> 00:27:02,533 mother-in-law, Jelka. 549 00:27:02,838 --> 00:27:05,797 She also shares details of the disturbing events 550 00:27:05,841 --> 00:27:09,671 of Alex's last few weeks, which started 551 00:27:09,714 --> 00:27:13,762 when Alex received an anonymous package in the mail, 552 00:27:13,805 --> 00:27:15,546 a paperback book. 553 00:27:18,157 --> 00:27:22,161 It was a book about a woman being hogtied and tortured. 554 00:27:22,205 --> 00:27:25,425 And they highlighted inserts. 555 00:27:29,778 --> 00:27:33,129 My book, it was about a psychiatric nurse 556 00:27:33,172 --> 00:27:35,566 who was found dead. 557 00:27:36,872 --> 00:27:40,571 There had been a number of incidents over eight years. 558 00:27:40,614 --> 00:27:44,314 Harassing phone calls and there were some bush set on fire 559 00:27:44,357 --> 00:27:45,750 in front of her house. 560 00:27:45,794 --> 00:27:48,840 And she was being terrorized before she was killed. 561 00:27:52,365 --> 00:27:54,846 A few days after she receives the book, 562 00:27:54,890 --> 00:27:58,328 Alex and Angie are sitting in Alex's living room 563 00:27:58,371 --> 00:28:00,591 when they hear a strange noise. 564 00:28:01,331 --> 00:28:03,202 I was just feeding Brandon a bottle. 565 00:28:03,246 --> 00:28:06,553 And Alex said, "Did you hear crackling in the front yard?" 566 00:28:06,597 --> 00:28:08,251 I'm like, "What was that?" 567 00:28:08,294 --> 00:28:09,426 And we look out 568 00:28:09,469 --> 00:28:12,211 and the front yard is in flames. 569 00:28:14,518 --> 00:28:16,607 She got really freaked out. 570 00:28:16,650 --> 00:28:18,740 And she goes, "This is in the book." 571 00:28:20,916 --> 00:28:24,746 Everything that had happened to that woman 572 00:28:24,789 --> 00:28:26,748 that was underlined in the book, 573 00:28:26,791 --> 00:28:29,707 was systematically happening to her. 574 00:28:32,797 --> 00:28:34,494 It's so twisted. 575 00:28:34,538 --> 00:28:36,453 As time went on, 576 00:28:36,496 --> 00:28:40,239 she started to notice a car that kept following her. 577 00:28:40,631 --> 00:28:43,373 We were talking about it over lunch one day 578 00:28:43,416 --> 00:28:45,505 and she said, "The next thing that they're going to do 579 00:28:45,549 --> 00:28:47,812 is they're going to arrange to have me shot. 580 00:28:48,204 --> 00:28:50,510 They, being the Pesic family, 581 00:28:50,554 --> 00:28:52,774 that's the only thing that they haven't done to me 582 00:28:52,817 --> 00:28:54,384 and that's what's coming." 583 00:28:56,821 --> 00:28:58,388 So, at that point, I said, 584 00:28:58,431 --> 00:29:02,131 "Well, would you be open to hiring like somebody privately?" 585 00:29:03,306 --> 00:29:05,308 Bernice suggests a family friend 586 00:29:05,351 --> 00:29:08,528 and private investigator named Ozzie Kaban. 587 00:29:09,268 --> 00:29:10,748 Two weeks before her murder, 588 00:29:10,792 --> 00:29:13,490 Alex meets with Kaban and hires him, 589 00:29:13,533 --> 00:29:17,494 hoping his team will find out exactly who is tormenting her. 590 00:29:17,537 --> 00:29:20,540 Alex also provides Kaban with the license plate number 591 00:29:20,584 --> 00:29:23,282 of the car that had been following her. 592 00:29:23,326 --> 00:29:26,677 Ozzie Kaban started to watch her ex-husband 593 00:29:26,720 --> 00:29:30,855 because of the very bitter series of events between them. 594 00:29:31,464 --> 00:29:34,816 Two weeks later on August 5th, 1992, 595 00:29:34,859 --> 00:29:37,949 Alex is murdered in broad daylight. 596 00:29:37,993 --> 00:29:39,559 And the following evening, 597 00:29:39,603 --> 00:29:42,258 Ozzie Kaban reaches out to law enforcement 598 00:29:42,301 --> 00:29:44,869 to share the information he and his team gathered 599 00:29:44,913 --> 00:29:46,828 before Alex's death. 600 00:29:46,871 --> 00:29:50,701 What he has to say surprises the investigators. 601 00:29:51,310 --> 00:29:54,923 Ozzie Kaban told me that that day on August 5th, 602 00:29:54,966 --> 00:29:58,361 he had a surveillance team following Joe Pesic. 603 00:29:58,404 --> 00:30:00,972 They were able to tell me that Joe picked up the child 604 00:30:01,016 --> 00:30:03,453 at 5:00 PM or thereabouts 605 00:30:03,496 --> 00:30:06,717 and went to a swimming pool in Burnaby. 606 00:30:07,892 --> 00:30:10,460 The PI also provides an alibi 607 00:30:10,503 --> 00:30:13,593 for Joe's domineering mother, Jelka. 608 00:30:14,681 --> 00:30:17,597 Ozzie Kaban's crew had noticed the parents 609 00:30:17,641 --> 00:30:20,687 outside their repair shop at the time of the shooting. 610 00:30:20,731 --> 00:30:22,951 So, it was quite apparent that they weren't actually 611 00:30:22,994 --> 00:30:24,996 the ones pulling the trigger. 612 00:30:26,780 --> 00:30:29,914 While the PI's evidence corroborates Joe's alibi, 613 00:30:29,958 --> 00:30:33,875 it proves neither he or his mother fired the weapon, 614 00:30:33,918 --> 00:30:36,834 investigators believe Joe still may have had a hand 615 00:30:36,878 --> 00:30:39,619 in orchestrating his ex-wife's murder. 616 00:30:40,446 --> 00:30:42,622 Their next stop is to the Pesics, 617 00:30:42,666 --> 00:30:45,756 where they interview Jelka and her husband, Sam. 618 00:30:46,800 --> 00:30:48,498 Jelka played it pretty low key. 619 00:30:48,541 --> 00:30:51,718 They didn't know anything about it and thought the divorce, 620 00:30:51,762 --> 00:30:53,895 they said that was all Joe's thing. 621 00:30:53,938 --> 00:30:56,027 And they didn't really know too much about it. 622 00:30:56,071 --> 00:30:58,638 And didn't think that Joel was too upset by it. 623 00:30:59,030 --> 00:31:04,035 Jelka's description of her son's divorce is 100% at odds 624 00:31:04,079 --> 00:31:07,299 with the descriptions given by Alex's friends. 625 00:31:07,343 --> 00:31:09,040 So, with their suspicions raised, 626 00:31:09,084 --> 00:31:12,914 the investigators put a surveillance team on the Pesics. 627 00:31:14,437 --> 00:31:16,787 Meanwhile, police urgently scoured 628 00:31:16,830 --> 00:31:19,790 Vancouver and its suburbs for the red vehicle 629 00:31:19,833 --> 00:31:22,575 and lean heavily into the trove of information 630 00:31:22,619 --> 00:31:25,404 Alex's PI is providing. 631 00:31:26,144 --> 00:31:28,538 One of Ozzie Kaban's employees 632 00:31:28,581 --> 00:31:32,498 was sitting outside of Brandon's daycare, 633 00:31:32,542 --> 00:31:34,283 keeping an eye on him. 634 00:31:34,848 --> 00:31:38,504 There was a white vehicle that was sitting there 635 00:31:38,548 --> 00:31:40,071 with a young man in it. 636 00:31:40,115 --> 00:31:43,074 And he noticed that this young man was wearing sunglasses 637 00:31:43,118 --> 00:31:44,946 and it was a cloudy day. 638 00:31:44,989 --> 00:31:47,426 He also didn't appear to be going anywhere. 639 00:31:47,470 --> 00:31:49,646 And he thought that was suspicious. 640 00:31:50,603 --> 00:31:52,344 So, he happened to make a note 641 00:31:52,388 --> 00:31:56,435 of the description of the car, the person, 642 00:31:56,479 --> 00:31:58,437 and wrote down the license plate number. 643 00:31:59,438 --> 00:32:01,092 The careful work by the PI 644 00:32:01,136 --> 00:32:04,400 turns out to be a critical lead in the case, 645 00:32:04,443 --> 00:32:06,924 when just days after Alex's murder, 646 00:32:06,968 --> 00:32:10,362 a red IROC Camaro is finally spotted, 647 00:32:10,406 --> 00:32:12,712 abandoned in a McDonald's parking lot. 648 00:32:12,756 --> 00:32:15,672 It has the same license plate witnesses jotted down 649 00:32:15,715 --> 00:32:17,108 at the crime scene. 650 00:32:17,152 --> 00:32:18,588 A palm print was recovered 651 00:32:18,631 --> 00:32:20,807 from the gear shift of the vehicle, 652 00:32:20,851 --> 00:32:23,810 a fingerprint from the license plate. 653 00:32:23,854 --> 00:32:26,988 And there was some hair on the passenger seat. 654 00:32:27,684 --> 00:32:30,078 But that's not all detectives discover 655 00:32:30,121 --> 00:32:32,950 when they question employees at the McDonald's. 656 00:32:35,083 --> 00:32:39,826 Within two or three minutes of Alexandra being murdered, 657 00:32:39,870 --> 00:32:41,741 the witness who was working at McDonald's 658 00:32:41,785 --> 00:32:46,398 saw a car come flying up and two young men bail out of it 659 00:32:46,442 --> 00:32:49,880 and get into a white car that she then saw leave. 660 00:32:51,055 --> 00:32:53,362 Well, we had the getaway car. 661 00:32:56,582 --> 00:32:58,410 He stepped out of his vehicle, 662 00:32:58,454 --> 00:32:59,890 a bunch of money falls out of his shorts, 663 00:32:59,933 --> 00:33:02,675 turned out to be $30,000 -- $100 bills. 664 00:33:08,072 --> 00:33:09,987 Law enforcement in Vancouver 665 00:33:10,031 --> 00:33:12,642 has just found the red IROC Camaro 666 00:33:12,685 --> 00:33:16,472 identified in the drive-by shooting of Alex Pesic. 667 00:33:16,515 --> 00:33:20,476 What's more, employees at the McDonald's where it is found 668 00:33:20,519 --> 00:33:23,479 witnessed two men get out of the red car 669 00:33:23,522 --> 00:33:27,352 and into a white one on the day of Alex's murder. 670 00:33:27,396 --> 00:33:31,487 Police suspect the white vehicle is the same one spotted 671 00:33:31,530 --> 00:33:35,491 by both Alex and the private investigator she hired, 672 00:33:35,534 --> 00:33:37,058 Ozzie Kaban. 673 00:33:38,494 --> 00:33:39,886 Yes, the license plate number 674 00:33:39,930 --> 00:33:43,107 that Ozzie Kaban surveillance team member provided 675 00:33:43,151 --> 00:33:44,326 was very similar to the one 676 00:33:44,369 --> 00:33:47,111 that Alexandra had supplied to Ozzie. 677 00:33:47,155 --> 00:33:49,374 And the other thing that connected with that 678 00:33:49,418 --> 00:33:52,160 is the telephone bill I mentioned earlier 679 00:33:52,203 --> 00:33:55,511 on the console of Alexandra's car when she was shot, 680 00:33:55,554 --> 00:33:59,384 it had transposed license plate number written on it. 681 00:34:00,777 --> 00:34:03,606 We found out the registered owner of that license plate 682 00:34:03,649 --> 00:34:05,956 was named Milan Nenadic. 683 00:34:06,478 --> 00:34:08,350 Milan Nenadic was an auto mechanic 684 00:34:08,393 --> 00:34:11,048 and he did have one conviction, 685 00:34:11,092 --> 00:34:12,963 but it was some years before. 686 00:34:13,006 --> 00:34:15,400 So, he wasn't somebody who appeared to be 687 00:34:15,444 --> 00:34:18,403 deep in the criminal world. 688 00:34:18,447 --> 00:34:21,058 Nenadic's fingerprints are in the system, 689 00:34:21,102 --> 00:34:23,060 but it turns out, they're not a match 690 00:34:23,104 --> 00:34:26,150 for the ones found on the red Camaro. 691 00:34:26,194 --> 00:34:27,717 When police run those, 692 00:34:27,760 --> 00:34:30,676 they discover they belong to a different man. 693 00:34:31,242 --> 00:34:34,724 They identified the palm print and fingerprint 694 00:34:34,767 --> 00:34:38,206 on the red IROC as belonging to Lawrence Delorme. 695 00:34:38,597 --> 00:34:41,078 Lawrence Delorme was often stealing cars 696 00:34:41,122 --> 00:34:43,428 or breaking into places, that sort of thing. 697 00:34:43,472 --> 00:34:46,605 So, his fingerprints were on record. 698 00:34:47,128 --> 00:34:49,565 We decided that we should be watching these guys 699 00:34:49,608 --> 00:34:51,436 and put a surveillance team on them. 700 00:34:52,611 --> 00:34:55,745 With Nenadic and Delorme being watched around the clock, 701 00:34:55,788 --> 00:34:57,573 it's now a waiting game, 702 00:34:57,616 --> 00:34:59,575 until five days after the murder, 703 00:34:59,618 --> 00:35:02,012 when the surveillance team watching Nenadic 704 00:35:02,055 --> 00:35:05,450 crosses paths with the surveillance team at the Pesics. 705 00:35:07,583 --> 00:35:12,762 August 10th, mid-afternoon, he goes to the Pesic house 706 00:35:12,805 --> 00:35:15,765 and then Jelka Pesic leaves in her vehicle. 707 00:35:15,808 --> 00:35:19,029 And goes over to the shopping mall in Burnaby, 708 00:35:19,072 --> 00:35:20,683 not all that far away. 709 00:35:20,726 --> 00:35:24,077 And Jelka drives into the underground parking lot. 710 00:35:24,774 --> 00:35:26,602 And Milan sits up in the back seat. 711 00:35:26,645 --> 00:35:29,126 Had been laying down in the back seat. 712 00:35:29,431 --> 00:35:32,564 So, then thinking what the heck's going on here? 713 00:35:33,174 --> 00:35:34,349 And they go into the mall, 714 00:35:34,392 --> 00:35:36,438 but they'd walk separately from each other. 715 00:35:36,481 --> 00:35:38,657 And then when they leave, same thing. 716 00:35:39,615 --> 00:35:41,225 They got back in the car. 717 00:35:41,269 --> 00:35:44,228 Milan once again, got on the floor of the car. 718 00:35:44,272 --> 00:35:47,013 And stays there all the way back to her house. 719 00:35:48,276 --> 00:35:49,799 He got out of the vehicle. 720 00:35:49,842 --> 00:35:52,628 And when he got out of the vehicle, he was wearing shorts. 721 00:35:52,671 --> 00:35:54,064 It was summertime. 722 00:35:54,107 --> 00:35:58,373 And he had a very big bulge in his pants. 723 00:35:58,634 --> 00:36:01,506 So, they followed Milan who got in the car 724 00:36:01,550 --> 00:36:03,378 and had to make a decision 725 00:36:03,421 --> 00:36:06,598 about whether they had reasonable and probable grounds 726 00:36:06,642 --> 00:36:09,384 to pull him over and arrest him or not. 727 00:36:09,427 --> 00:36:12,213 And they decided to take a chance. 728 00:36:12,865 --> 00:36:15,216 He stepped out of his vehicle. 729 00:36:15,259 --> 00:36:17,261 A bunch of money falls out of his shorts, 730 00:36:17,305 --> 00:36:20,133 turned out to be $30,000 -- $100 bills. 731 00:36:21,396 --> 00:36:24,225 The implication was that that was the pay 732 00:36:24,268 --> 00:36:27,532 for planning the murder of Alex. 733 00:36:28,925 --> 00:36:33,277 And the more stunning implication is that Jelka Pesic, 734 00:36:33,321 --> 00:36:35,671 a grandmother and former mother-in-law 735 00:36:35,714 --> 00:36:39,327 is likely the mastermind behind Alex's murder. 736 00:36:39,370 --> 00:36:41,198 It's the belief that's driven home 737 00:36:41,242 --> 00:36:43,505 when a family friend is able to confirm 738 00:36:43,548 --> 00:36:46,203 some incriminating details. 739 00:36:48,466 --> 00:36:51,513 We got a call from a woman named Helen Katona, 740 00:36:51,556 --> 00:36:53,819 who was a friend of Jelka Pesic's. 741 00:36:53,863 --> 00:36:56,866 Helen was over at the Pesic house for dinner one night 742 00:36:56,909 --> 00:36:59,825 and Jelka suggested they go for a walk. 743 00:37:00,739 --> 00:37:04,352 They walked by Alexandra's home. 744 00:37:04,395 --> 00:37:09,139 And Helen was present when Jelka set fire 745 00:37:09,182 --> 00:37:12,273 to the tree on Alexandra's front lawn. 746 00:37:12,490 --> 00:37:16,451 I then asked why Jelka just lit this tree on fire. 747 00:37:17,408 --> 00:37:19,584 Helen had seen a copy of the book, 748 00:37:19,628 --> 00:37:22,587 the Cindy James story in the Pesic household. 749 00:37:23,762 --> 00:37:26,287 According to Helen Katona, 750 00:37:26,330 --> 00:37:28,593 Jelka Pesic was obsessed with this book. 751 00:37:28,637 --> 00:37:30,900 And that book was sent to Alexander 752 00:37:30,943 --> 00:37:32,902 with those words underlined. 753 00:37:38,821 --> 00:37:41,867 Helen Katona was also able to provide a connection 754 00:37:41,911 --> 00:37:44,479 between Milan Nenadic and the Pesics. 755 00:37:44,522 --> 00:37:46,219 She was at Jelka Pesic's house 756 00:37:46,263 --> 00:37:47,482 when Milan came over there. 757 00:37:47,525 --> 00:37:49,092 She knew who he was. 758 00:37:49,135 --> 00:37:52,182 She knew that the Nenadic family and the Pesics were friends 759 00:37:52,225 --> 00:37:55,272 and Jelka went and talked to him 760 00:37:55,316 --> 00:37:58,754 in an area where Helen could not hear what was being said. 761 00:37:58,797 --> 00:38:02,845 Milan then left and Jelka said, 762 00:38:02,888 --> 00:38:04,368 "Well, that's good then. 763 00:38:04,412 --> 00:38:06,849 It'll soon be over." 764 00:38:07,980 --> 00:38:09,460 With Helen's story, 765 00:38:09,504 --> 00:38:11,941 police had enough circumstantial evidence 766 00:38:11,984 --> 00:38:15,640 to arrest Alex's mother-in-law, Jelka Pesic, 767 00:38:15,684 --> 00:38:17,163 for her murder. 768 00:38:18,469 --> 00:38:21,516 And when they searched both Delorme's and Nenadic's homes, 769 00:38:21,559 --> 00:38:24,649 most of the puzzle snaps into place. 770 00:38:25,346 --> 00:38:26,956 One thing that came out of Delorme's house, 771 00:38:26,999 --> 00:38:29,654 there was a note recovered from his residence 772 00:38:29,698 --> 00:38:32,962 that had Milan's name, phone number, and address. 773 00:38:33,005 --> 00:38:35,268 So, it connected them. 774 00:38:37,793 --> 00:38:40,404 At the Nenadic's house, 775 00:38:40,448 --> 00:38:43,799 the search ensues and a .380 caliber handgun 776 00:38:43,842 --> 00:38:46,845 is the most significant thing that came out of that house. 777 00:38:47,759 --> 00:38:50,980 It was in a Crown Royal whiskey bag 778 00:38:51,023 --> 00:38:53,330 with a box of shells 779 00:38:53,374 --> 00:38:56,420 and six bullets were missing out of that box of shells. 780 00:39:01,991 --> 00:39:05,081 Law enforcement initially suspected Joe Pesic 781 00:39:05,124 --> 00:39:09,215 orchestrated the incredible daylight execution of his wife, 782 00:39:09,259 --> 00:39:12,262 25-year-old Alex Pesic. 783 00:39:12,305 --> 00:39:14,264 It turns out he didn't. 784 00:39:14,307 --> 00:39:17,093 Instead, a twisted murder-for-hire scheme 785 00:39:17,136 --> 00:39:19,791 was paid for by his own mother, 786 00:39:19,835 --> 00:39:23,186 Alex's mother-in-law, Jelka Pesic. 787 00:39:24,883 --> 00:39:26,755 Alex was enamored by the fact 788 00:39:26,798 --> 00:39:28,452 that they shared this culture 789 00:39:28,496 --> 00:39:30,933 and had the same family values. 790 00:39:30,976 --> 00:39:34,284 So, it really is ironic that it's that family unity 791 00:39:34,327 --> 00:39:36,068 that ultimately killed her. 792 00:39:37,722 --> 00:39:41,291 So, if Jelka Pesic was the instigator of this plot, 793 00:39:41,334 --> 00:39:43,424 Milan Nenadic supplied the murder weapon 794 00:39:43,467 --> 00:39:44,947 and the getaway car, 795 00:39:44,990 --> 00:39:47,297 and Lawrence Delorme was the driver, 796 00:39:47,340 --> 00:39:49,691 who was the second man in the red Camaro? 797 00:39:49,734 --> 00:39:52,824 The man who fired the six shots that killed Alex? 798 00:39:53,085 --> 00:39:55,305 With the three suspects in custody, 799 00:39:55,348 --> 00:39:57,176 the answer comes quickly. 800 00:39:57,960 --> 00:39:59,875 At Lawrence Delorme's home, 801 00:39:59,918 --> 00:40:03,400 they found a note with Milan and his number 802 00:40:03,444 --> 00:40:07,186 and a piece of paper with a partial address 803 00:40:07,230 --> 00:40:08,927 and a name on it. 804 00:40:10,494 --> 00:40:12,061 It was David Segoviano. 805 00:40:14,367 --> 00:40:17,762 Segoviano is a new name for investigators, 806 00:40:17,806 --> 00:40:20,156 and they get a warrant to search his home. 807 00:40:20,852 --> 00:40:22,506 He lived with two or three other people. 808 00:40:22,550 --> 00:40:23,986 A fellow who lived in the house, he says, 809 00:40:24,029 --> 00:40:26,162 "He came home one day and he cut his hair off. 810 00:40:26,205 --> 00:40:28,469 And he said it's still in that garbage can in the bathroom." 811 00:40:28,512 --> 00:40:30,340 So, we seized that hair back 812 00:40:30,383 --> 00:40:34,692 and it's compared to the hair in the red Camaro. 813 00:40:36,215 --> 00:40:37,390 That's the same hair. 814 00:40:39,349 --> 00:40:42,961 And David Segoviano had an address book 815 00:40:43,005 --> 00:40:46,530 that had Milan Nenadic's telephone number in it 816 00:40:46,574 --> 00:40:48,401 as well as Lawrence Delorme's. 817 00:40:49,011 --> 00:40:50,229 But that's not all police get 818 00:40:50,273 --> 00:40:51,796 from their search. 819 00:40:51,840 --> 00:40:54,495 Segoviano's girlfriend who was at home 820 00:40:54,538 --> 00:40:56,366 when law enforcement arrived 821 00:40:56,409 --> 00:41:00,022 tells police that Dave has been acting suspiciously. 822 00:41:00,588 --> 00:41:02,111 Her name was Faye Bremner. 823 00:41:02,154 --> 00:41:06,463 And she agreed to have a wiretap put into her home. 824 00:41:06,507 --> 00:41:09,727 And she got Segoviano speaking about what he had done, 825 00:41:11,076 --> 00:41:14,863 including confessing being the killer of Alexandra Pesic. 826 00:41:17,300 --> 00:41:18,519 In the course of that, 827 00:41:18,562 --> 00:41:20,999 he also spoke about what everybody else did. 828 00:41:22,435 --> 00:41:25,395 In late 1993, the trial begins 829 00:41:25,438 --> 00:41:27,353 of Alex Pesic's murder. 830 00:41:29,007 --> 00:41:32,489 All four of the defendants received the maximum time 831 00:41:32,533 --> 00:41:36,885 for first-degree murder in Canada, 25 years. 832 00:41:41,890 --> 00:41:43,369 People go through divorces all the time. 833 00:41:43,413 --> 00:41:46,155 People lose custody battles all the time. 834 00:41:46,198 --> 00:41:48,026 They don't go about killing people. 835 00:41:48,070 --> 00:41:50,028 But in this particular case, 836 00:41:50,072 --> 00:41:53,902 that generated an incredible hatred in Jelka. 837 00:41:53,945 --> 00:41:57,819 And interestingly, there was never enough evidence gathered 838 00:41:57,862 --> 00:42:00,517 to lay any charges against Joe Pesic. 839 00:42:02,214 --> 00:42:03,476 I think Jelka was jealous 840 00:42:03,520 --> 00:42:06,131 that Alex was the person that she wanted to be, 841 00:42:06,175 --> 00:42:08,046 but never was. 842 00:42:08,090 --> 00:42:11,441 And so, her jealousy and rage with Alex, 843 00:42:11,484 --> 00:42:12,921 it was overwhelming 844 00:42:12,964 --> 00:42:16,402 and she just could not and would not let it go. 845 00:42:19,101 --> 00:42:24,106 I lost my best friend, sister, maid of honor. 846 00:42:28,501 --> 00:42:32,070 Thirty years and it still happens. 847 00:42:33,158 --> 00:42:36,553 We all have really beautiful memories of her as a person. 848 00:42:38,511 --> 00:42:40,470 And I wish she was still here. 849 00:42:43,691 --> 00:42:45,562 Alex Pesic thought that marrying 850 00:42:45,606 --> 00:42:49,958 within her Yugoslavian culture would be the perfect pathway 851 00:42:50,001 --> 00:42:53,091 towards a long fruitful relationship. 852 00:42:53,135 --> 00:42:57,182 Never could she have imagined that Joe's mother, Jelka, 853 00:42:57,226 --> 00:42:59,968 the woman who brought the couple together 854 00:43:00,011 --> 00:43:01,491 would turn out to be the one 855 00:43:01,534 --> 00:43:04,363 who ripped apart their marriage 856 00:43:04,407 --> 00:43:08,237 and ordered the execution of her son's wife. 857 00:43:08,280 --> 00:43:10,935 I've seen some bitter fights between couples 858 00:43:10,979 --> 00:43:12,371 and their in-laws. 859 00:43:12,415 --> 00:43:14,939 And sometimes those disagreements end badly 860 00:43:14,983 --> 00:43:17,333 for all parties involved, 861 00:43:17,376 --> 00:43:19,901 but I've never seen a case like this one, 862 00:43:19,944 --> 00:43:22,512 where a true monster-in-law 863 00:43:22,555 --> 00:43:24,688 turned her son's marriage 864 00:43:24,732 --> 00:43:26,603 into a killer relationship.