1 00:00:08,141 --> 00:00:10,243 - From the outside looking in, Shele had everything-- 2 00:00:11,044 --> 00:00:13,513 beauty, brains-- and it didn't hurt 3 00:00:13,546 --> 00:00:15,882 that she was making some major coin as well. 4 00:00:15,915 --> 00:00:17,884 - A Manhattan mom and exec 5 00:00:17,917 --> 00:00:19,886 found dead in her family bedroom. 6 00:00:19,919 --> 00:00:23,323 - The overriding opinion was that this was an accident. 7 00:00:23,356 --> 00:00:26,726 - The funeral, as in Orthodox Jewish customs, 8 00:00:26,760 --> 00:00:28,194 was within 24 hours. 9 00:00:28,228 --> 00:00:30,897 - 'Cause of her faith, they didn't want an autopsy. 10 00:00:30,930 --> 00:00:33,366 - But was this really a fatal slip and fall 11 00:00:33,400 --> 00:00:35,402 or the perfect crime? 12 00:00:35,435 --> 00:00:38,705 - The family had said Shele felt she was being watched. 13 00:00:38,738 --> 00:00:40,407 - So whoa, let's tap the brakes. 14 00:00:40,440 --> 00:00:42,542 Maybe this wasn't an accident. 15 00:00:42,575 --> 00:00:45,111 - A family desperate for answers... 16 00:00:45,145 --> 00:00:46,579 - She said she's going through hell. 17 00:00:46,613 --> 00:00:48,548 He's acting crazy. She's scared of him. 18 00:00:48,581 --> 00:00:50,450 - Leads New York City investigators 19 00:00:50,483 --> 00:00:53,853 to do something they hadn't done in half a century. 20 00:00:53,887 --> 00:00:56,489 - We want this body exhumed. 21 00:00:56,523 --> 00:00:58,625 - This was a case so twisted, 22 00:00:58,658 --> 00:01:01,194 it shocked even our most seasoned guys. 23 00:01:03,763 --> 00:01:07,801 - It turned to something akin to a horror movie. 24 00:01:07,834 --> 00:01:10,603 - A killer who would stop at nothing. 25 00:01:10,637 --> 00:01:14,574 - It was almost like, "Catch me if you can." 26 00:01:14,607 --> 00:01:16,810 - I've worked on 1,500 murder cases. 27 00:01:16,843 --> 00:01:21,081 He's the worst human being that I've ever had to encounter. 28 00:01:22,716 --> 00:01:25,952 [tense music] 29 00:01:25,985 --> 00:01:32,525 * * 30 00:01:40,934 --> 00:01:44,437 - Every homicide detective knows the first 48 hours 31 00:01:44,471 --> 00:01:46,673 are the most crucial in solving a case. 32 00:01:46,706 --> 00:01:48,174 But in 2009, 33 00:01:48,208 --> 00:01:50,477 the NYPD was put to the test 34 00:01:50,510 --> 00:01:52,779 when everything that could go wrong did 35 00:01:52,812 --> 00:01:55,281 in those first two days. 36 00:01:55,315 --> 00:01:57,684 The victim, Shele Danishefsky Covlin, 37 00:01:57,717 --> 00:02:00,553 the gorgeous power player at the pinnacle of her career, 38 00:02:00,587 --> 00:02:02,422 found dead in her family's million-dollar 39 00:02:02,455 --> 00:02:04,357 Upper West Side high-rise. 40 00:02:04,391 --> 00:02:06,292 This case proved to be more 41 00:02:06,326 --> 00:02:08,261 than anyone could have expected. 42 00:02:19,072 --> 00:02:20,440 It's New Year's Eve morning 43 00:02:20,473 --> 00:02:22,075 when a call comes in to dispatch. 44 00:02:22,075 --> 00:02:24,844 [phone ringing] 45 00:02:24,878 --> 00:02:29,416 - It's probably 7:20 when the 911 call goes in. 46 00:02:29,449 --> 00:02:32,886 Rod Covlin is frantic and panicked. 47 00:02:32,919 --> 00:02:35,121 - Rod had just pulled his unconscious wife, 48 00:02:35,155 --> 00:02:37,757 Shele Covlin, out of a bloody bathtub. 49 00:02:39,793 --> 00:02:43,363 - The 911 operator was telling him to perform CPR, 50 00:02:43,396 --> 00:02:45,498 which he was trying to do. 51 00:02:45,532 --> 00:02:48,735 But he explains that his wife's body was cold 52 00:02:48,768 --> 00:02:53,740 and, in fact, was stiff, indicating rigor mortis. 53 00:02:53,773 --> 00:02:57,110 So he pulled a comforter off of the bed 54 00:02:57,110 --> 00:02:59,746 to cover his wife's body. 55 00:02:59,779 --> 00:03:02,882 [sirens wailing] 56 00:03:05,452 --> 00:03:09,789 - We responded over to 155 West 68th Street. 57 00:03:09,823 --> 00:03:11,458 It's a luxury building. 58 00:03:11,491 --> 00:03:14,561 It's a couple of blocks from Lincoln Center. 59 00:03:14,594 --> 00:03:16,896 So I wasn't thinking much when I responded. 60 00:03:16,930 --> 00:03:21,768 You know, we go probably 15 to 20 DOAs a month. 61 00:03:21,801 --> 00:03:24,070 - When police respond to a death on arrival 62 00:03:24,070 --> 00:03:25,538 in this neighborhood, 63 00:03:25,572 --> 00:03:27,273 it's safe to bet it's an accident 64 00:03:27,307 --> 00:03:29,542 or of natural causes. 65 00:03:29,576 --> 00:03:31,745 - The Upper West Side is thought to be, you know, 66 00:03:31,778 --> 00:03:33,780 among some of the safest neighborhoods 67 00:03:33,813 --> 00:03:35,815 in New York City. 68 00:03:35,849 --> 00:03:37,283 - You have The Met. 69 00:03:37,317 --> 00:03:38,485 You had museums on the West Side. 70 00:03:38,518 --> 00:03:40,320 You have Central Park. 71 00:03:40,353 --> 00:03:42,088 And there's a big Jewish community. 72 00:03:42,122 --> 00:03:45,625 It was really a beautiful place to reside in. 73 00:03:49,963 --> 00:03:52,866 - I went in to the apartment, 74 00:03:52,899 --> 00:03:55,301 walked to the back, 75 00:03:55,335 --> 00:03:57,470 where I observed Shele Covlin 76 00:03:57,504 --> 00:04:01,307 lying on a floor in the bathroom. 77 00:04:01,341 --> 00:04:03,309 There was water on the floor, 78 00:04:03,343 --> 00:04:05,111 and she had some blood running 79 00:04:05,145 --> 00:04:08,415 from the back of her head along the floor. 80 00:04:08,448 --> 00:04:11,851 And then there was a set of cabinets above it 81 00:04:11,885 --> 00:04:13,953 with doors and hinges, 82 00:04:14,054 --> 00:04:16,456 which was partially pulled off. 83 00:04:16,489 --> 00:04:18,124 And it looked like she may have tried 84 00:04:18,158 --> 00:04:21,861 to grab the shelf as she was falling. 85 00:04:21,895 --> 00:04:25,699 - I arrived at the scene around 11:00 in the morning. 86 00:04:25,732 --> 00:04:28,635 I went into the apartment to have a look for myself. 87 00:04:28,668 --> 00:04:30,637 And there were two small children 88 00:04:30,670 --> 00:04:32,472 that lived in the apartment, so there were a lot of toys 89 00:04:32,505 --> 00:04:34,341 and things around. 90 00:04:34,374 --> 00:04:36,443 - There was no signs of forced entry. 91 00:04:36,476 --> 00:04:38,511 There was no signs of a struggle 92 00:04:38,545 --> 00:04:40,480 throughout the apartment. 93 00:04:40,513 --> 00:04:43,850 - The overriding opinion was that this was an accident. 94 00:04:43,883 --> 00:04:47,654 - Detectives sit down with the person who first found Shele-- 95 00:04:47,687 --> 00:04:50,690 her nine-year-old daughter. 96 00:04:50,724 --> 00:04:52,826 - The daughter was, as you would expect, 97 00:04:52,859 --> 00:04:56,096 emotionally distraught about the entire thing. 98 00:04:56,096 --> 00:04:58,098 She and her three-year-old brother 99 00:04:58,098 --> 00:05:00,834 had got in bed with their mother the night before, 100 00:05:00,867 --> 00:05:03,169 which was not an unusual occurrence. 101 00:05:03,203 --> 00:05:05,605 And she woke up a few hours later, 102 00:05:05,638 --> 00:05:08,041 and her mother was not present, 103 00:05:08,074 --> 00:05:11,511 so she got up and went and looked into the bathroom. 104 00:05:13,913 --> 00:05:16,182 - She found her mother was in the tub. 105 00:05:16,216 --> 00:05:19,185 She was obviously in distress. 106 00:05:19,219 --> 00:05:22,122 And then she called her father. 107 00:05:22,155 --> 00:05:25,191 - Rod Covlin, having recently separated from Shele, 108 00:05:25,225 --> 00:05:28,061 lives in his own apartment just across the hall. 109 00:05:28,061 --> 00:05:31,831 - She then let her father into the apartment. 110 00:05:31,865 --> 00:05:35,201 And Rod ran into the bathroom, pulled her out of the tub, 111 00:05:35,235 --> 00:05:37,404 and began giving CPR. 112 00:05:39,239 --> 00:05:40,674 - After speaking with Rod, 113 00:05:40,707 --> 00:05:43,076 police find her story matches her father's. 114 00:05:43,076 --> 00:05:45,111 This appears to be a tragic accident, 115 00:05:45,145 --> 00:05:48,214 which is what police tell Shele's family. 116 00:05:48,248 --> 00:05:52,085 - Shele's sister and brothers arrived. 117 00:05:52,085 --> 00:05:54,954 And they were, as you would expect, 118 00:05:54,988 --> 00:05:58,091 devastated. 119 00:05:58,124 --> 00:06:02,062 - Shele was from a prominent family of the Upper West Side. 120 00:06:02,095 --> 00:06:04,864 I met Shele in the 1980s. 121 00:06:04,898 --> 00:06:07,934 We were part of the same Upper West Side Jewish community, 122 00:06:08,034 --> 00:06:09,202 where everybody knows everybody. 123 00:06:09,235 --> 00:06:13,039 She grew up in a religious Orthodox Jewish household. 124 00:06:13,073 --> 00:06:15,241 She would go to shul regularly. 125 00:06:15,275 --> 00:06:16,743 I know she'd eat kosher. 126 00:06:16,776 --> 00:06:18,778 She had a fine sense of humor 127 00:06:18,812 --> 00:06:21,114 and a strong interest in public service 128 00:06:21,147 --> 00:06:24,117 and charity events. 129 00:06:24,150 --> 00:06:26,953 - Shele began working at UBS, 130 00:06:27,053 --> 00:06:29,356 a private wealth management company, 131 00:06:29,389 --> 00:06:32,859 and quickly rose to the top. 132 00:06:32,892 --> 00:06:37,163 She was managing millions of dollars for her clients. 133 00:06:37,197 --> 00:06:39,065 - In February of 1998, 134 00:06:39,065 --> 00:06:43,470 the 36-year-old VP met 25-year-old Rod Covlin. 135 00:06:43,503 --> 00:06:46,973 - They met at a singles Jewish party. 136 00:06:47,073 --> 00:06:50,143 Rod worked in the same industry as Shele. 137 00:06:50,176 --> 00:06:53,279 He was a stockbroker, smart. 138 00:06:53,313 --> 00:06:56,116 - Despite Rod being 11 years her junior, 139 00:06:56,149 --> 00:06:58,284 they immediately hit it off. 140 00:06:58,318 --> 00:07:00,186 - She told her sister that night 141 00:07:00,220 --> 00:07:01,654 that she wanted to elope. 142 00:07:01,688 --> 00:07:03,690 Her sister talked her down, 143 00:07:03,723 --> 00:07:07,027 but the two of them married in weeks. 144 00:07:07,027 --> 00:07:09,529 [glass shatters] 145 00:07:09,562 --> 00:07:11,197 - She fell for him. 146 00:07:11,231 --> 00:07:12,732 She fell for him. 147 00:07:12,766 --> 00:07:15,669 - They were really active at their local synagogue 148 00:07:15,702 --> 00:07:17,737 and in the Jewish community. 149 00:07:17,771 --> 00:07:21,141 And it just appeared to be the perfect match. 150 00:07:21,174 --> 00:07:23,710 - They've got two beautiful children 151 00:07:23,743 --> 00:07:26,513 and, like, the happiest marriage in the world. 152 00:07:28,048 --> 00:07:30,116 - A beloved mother, sister, and wife 153 00:07:30,150 --> 00:07:32,852 tragically dead in the prime of her life. 154 00:07:32,886 --> 00:07:36,089 For NYPD, it's an open-and-shut case 155 00:07:36,122 --> 00:07:38,692 with just one final step. 156 00:07:38,725 --> 00:07:40,226 - This may have been an accident, 157 00:07:40,260 --> 00:07:41,227 that she slipped in the tub, 158 00:07:41,261 --> 00:07:43,930 but the only way that I'm going to find out 159 00:07:43,963 --> 00:07:46,966 is I need the evidence that can be discovered in autopsy. 160 00:07:47,067 --> 00:07:49,536 And so, this autopsy was going 161 00:07:49,569 --> 00:07:52,505 to take place the next morning. 162 00:07:52,539 --> 00:07:56,743 - The next day, Detective Mooney gets jaw-dropping news. 163 00:07:56,776 --> 00:07:59,846 - I called Carl to see what time 164 00:07:59,879 --> 00:08:03,350 he was going to go to the medical examiner's office. 165 00:08:03,383 --> 00:08:05,285 And he just said to me, he goes, 166 00:08:05,318 --> 00:08:07,354 "Well, no, there's no autopsy happening." 167 00:08:07,387 --> 00:08:11,091 And I was like, "What do you mean there's no autopsy?" 168 00:08:11,124 --> 00:08:13,426 And then he explained the whole sequence of events. 169 00:08:15,395 --> 00:08:19,299 - The rabbi from Shele's temple had contacted Misaksim, 170 00:08:19,332 --> 00:08:20,834 a local organization whose job 171 00:08:20,867 --> 00:08:23,570 is to ensure a proper Orthodox burial. 172 00:08:23,603 --> 00:08:26,039 The organization then contacted the NYPD 173 00:08:26,072 --> 00:08:29,676 and got the OK to enter the apartment. 174 00:08:29,709 --> 00:08:32,178 - A rabbi showed up 175 00:08:32,212 --> 00:08:34,581 and essentially wiped the scene clean. 176 00:08:38,685 --> 00:08:40,820 - They take everything that they perceive 177 00:08:40,854 --> 00:08:42,922 to be part of the body. 178 00:08:42,956 --> 00:08:46,726 If there's blood, tissue, or hair, 179 00:08:46,760 --> 00:08:49,629 it goes with the body so that it's all buried, 180 00:08:49,662 --> 00:08:51,531 all at the same time. 181 00:08:57,137 --> 00:08:59,272 - The rabbi also impresses on the family 182 00:08:59,305 --> 00:09:02,409 another key tenet of Jewish burials. 183 00:09:02,442 --> 00:09:04,277 - In the Orthodox faith, 184 00:09:04,310 --> 00:09:09,115 it's forbidden to do an autopsy when somebody dies. 185 00:09:09,149 --> 00:09:12,819 - They do not want to desecrate the body. 186 00:09:12,852 --> 00:09:14,921 - The rabbi convinced the family 187 00:09:15,021 --> 00:09:17,257 to prevent the autopsy from happening. 188 00:09:17,290 --> 00:09:19,826 I don't think that they had any intention 189 00:09:19,859 --> 00:09:21,594 to interfere with the investigation. 190 00:09:21,628 --> 00:09:23,430 I think that their understanding 191 00:09:23,463 --> 00:09:26,533 was that this was an accidental death. 192 00:09:29,336 --> 00:09:32,605 - The funeral, as in Orthodox Jewish customs, 193 00:09:32,639 --> 00:09:35,175 was within 24 hours. 194 00:09:37,677 --> 00:09:40,447 I was in such pain, I said, 195 00:09:40,480 --> 00:09:42,115 "I'm not even gonna go to the funeral. 196 00:09:42,148 --> 00:09:44,050 I can't be there." 197 00:09:46,186 --> 00:09:47,654 But I did go. 198 00:09:47,687 --> 00:09:50,390 I did go to the funeral. 199 00:09:50,423 --> 00:09:52,892 There were hundreds and hundreds of people. 200 00:09:52,926 --> 00:09:55,462 The entire community was there. 201 00:09:55,495 --> 00:10:00,467 To be honest with you, my mind was totally, totally in shock. 202 00:10:00,500 --> 00:10:02,002 She's dead. 203 00:10:02,035 --> 00:10:04,704 The woman is 47 years old. 204 00:10:15,048 --> 00:10:19,686 After the funeral, as I'm thinking over the days, 205 00:10:19,719 --> 00:10:21,755 it was obvious to me 206 00:10:21,788 --> 00:10:26,059 that there should be some investigation here. 207 00:10:26,092 --> 00:10:28,161 When people fall in their bathtubs, 208 00:10:28,194 --> 00:10:30,130 they get hurt, they break a leg. 209 00:10:30,163 --> 00:10:33,066 But to die in a bathtub? 210 00:10:33,099 --> 00:10:35,969 It just didn't make any sense to me. 211 00:10:39,539 --> 00:10:42,275 - As the shock of the death begins to wear off, 212 00:10:42,308 --> 00:10:43,977 Shele's family also begins 213 00:10:44,010 --> 00:10:46,146 to share a deeply unsettled feeling. 214 00:10:46,179 --> 00:10:48,248 [phone ringing] 215 00:10:48,281 --> 00:10:52,385 - Their lawyer calls our private investigation agency. 216 00:10:52,419 --> 00:10:53,653 And she's like, 217 00:10:53,687 --> 00:10:56,289 "I need you to get in here, and I need you here yesterday." 218 00:10:59,492 --> 00:11:02,962 - The family had time to take a really deep look at it 219 00:11:03,063 --> 00:11:06,099 and listen to each other, sharing different stories 220 00:11:06,132 --> 00:11:09,669 that Shele might have told one sibling but not the other. 221 00:11:09,703 --> 00:11:11,738 As they were comparing all their notes, 222 00:11:11,771 --> 00:11:14,074 they started putting together a picture 223 00:11:14,074 --> 00:11:16,376 that didn't quite meet with the narrative 224 00:11:16,409 --> 00:11:19,379 that she accidentally slipped and fell. 225 00:11:23,917 --> 00:11:25,885 - He was becoming unhinged. 226 00:11:25,919 --> 00:11:28,621 God only knows what his next plan will be. 227 00:11:31,191 --> 00:11:34,994 - He drafted an email in her email account 228 00:11:35,095 --> 00:11:37,163 confessing to the death. 229 00:11:37,197 --> 00:11:40,000 - I've seen many people put in the ground, 230 00:11:53,112 --> 00:11:55,447 [tense music] 231 00:11:55,714 --> 00:11:58,017 * * 232 00:11:58,117 --> 00:12:00,552 - A week after 47-year-old Shele Covlin 233 00:12:00,586 --> 00:12:02,187 was found dead in her bathtub, 234 00:12:02,221 --> 00:12:04,923 her family's grief turns to suspicion. 235 00:12:06,091 --> 00:12:07,793 - Some of the people in the family 236 00:12:07,826 --> 00:12:09,862 said, "Whoa, let's tap the brakes a minute. 237 00:12:09,895 --> 00:12:13,198 "Maybe this wasn't as accidental 238 00:12:13,232 --> 00:12:17,936 as we all were led or wanted to believe." 239 00:12:17,970 --> 00:12:19,972 - Though the case isn't officially closed, 240 00:12:20,072 --> 00:12:21,607 with the crime scene wiped clean 241 00:12:21,640 --> 00:12:24,076 and without an autopsy to rule it a homicide, 242 00:12:24,109 --> 00:12:27,346 NYPD has no reason to continue investigating, 243 00:12:27,379 --> 00:12:31,850 so Shele's parents enlist the help of private investigators. 244 00:12:31,884 --> 00:12:34,720 - We went to Shele's brother-in-law's home 245 00:12:34,753 --> 00:12:36,588 on the Upper West Side. 246 00:12:36,622 --> 00:12:39,491 Father was there, her sisters, her brother. 247 00:12:39,525 --> 00:12:41,493 You know, everybody had a little bit to add 248 00:12:41,527 --> 00:12:45,431 about what they knew about Rod and Shele's relationship. 249 00:12:45,464 --> 00:12:49,335 - We were told that it was around 2008 250 00:12:49,368 --> 00:12:51,437 and around their 10-year wedding anniversary 251 00:12:51,470 --> 00:12:54,640 that things started taking a downward turn. 252 00:12:54,673 --> 00:12:56,809 - He was in and out of jobs 253 00:12:56,842 --> 00:12:59,812 and began gambling a lot 254 00:12:59,845 --> 00:13:03,482 and losing their money. 255 00:13:03,515 --> 00:13:08,287 - A hobby of Rod's was becoming a compulsion. 256 00:13:08,320 --> 00:13:11,423 - Backgammon took over his life. 257 00:13:11,457 --> 00:13:14,760 He would go all across the country joining tournaments. 258 00:13:14,793 --> 00:13:16,528 He would stay up all night online 259 00:13:16,562 --> 00:13:18,530 in different tournaments. 260 00:13:18,564 --> 00:13:20,165 - But as Shele found out, 261 00:13:20,199 --> 00:13:23,535 Rod wasn't just in it for the gameplay. 262 00:13:23,569 --> 00:13:26,538 - He would always arrange to have women 263 00:13:26,572 --> 00:13:28,841 in whatever city he was gonna be in. 264 00:13:28,874 --> 00:13:31,910 Shele managed to see an open email. 265 00:13:31,944 --> 00:13:36,181 And she realized that he wasn't being faithful to her. 266 00:13:36,215 --> 00:13:38,684 - Gathering information from Shele's family, 267 00:13:38,717 --> 00:13:43,789 we were told that Shele sought and received a Jewish divorce, 268 00:13:43,822 --> 00:13:45,157 which is known as a "get." 269 00:13:45,190 --> 00:13:48,694 But they still weren't legally divorced 270 00:13:48,727 --> 00:13:50,362 in the eyes of New York State. 271 00:13:50,396 --> 00:13:53,732 - They were pending the finalization of their divorce. 272 00:13:53,766 --> 00:13:56,168 And at that point, for the sake of the kids, 273 00:13:56,201 --> 00:13:59,571 he moved into an apartment right across the hall. 274 00:13:59,605 --> 00:14:01,907 - But even with a joint custody agreement 275 00:14:01,940 --> 00:14:04,510 and a seemingly amicable living situation, 276 00:14:04,543 --> 00:14:07,880 the animosity between them escalated. 277 00:14:07,913 --> 00:14:09,748 - Shele complained to her sister 278 00:14:09,782 --> 00:14:15,120 that Rod would get really angry and seemed out of control. 279 00:14:15,154 --> 00:14:17,089 - She said she's going through hell. 280 00:14:17,122 --> 00:14:20,192 He's acting crazy. She's scared of him. 281 00:14:20,225 --> 00:14:22,227 - He was living across the hall. 282 00:14:22,261 --> 00:14:25,064 And even though she had changed the locks, 283 00:14:25,064 --> 00:14:27,066 she believed that he had a key. 284 00:14:27,066 --> 00:14:30,235 When she originally got her phone, he set up the password. 285 00:14:30,269 --> 00:14:32,871 And so, she felt that he was hacking in, 286 00:14:32,905 --> 00:14:34,106 reading her emails. 287 00:14:34,139 --> 00:14:38,077 And the family had said Shele felt she was being watched. 288 00:14:38,077 --> 00:14:40,446 She felt that he had some kind of a camera 289 00:14:40,479 --> 00:14:41,580 set up in the hallway. 290 00:14:41,613 --> 00:14:45,351 She'd show up or leave, and he would be right there. 291 00:14:47,086 --> 00:14:48,954 - Her family can't help but wonder. 292 00:14:48,987 --> 00:14:50,956 If Shele's death wasn't an accident, 293 00:14:50,989 --> 00:14:54,159 could Rod actually be capable of murder? 294 00:14:54,193 --> 00:14:57,129 - There was still a lot of unanswered questions. 295 00:14:57,162 --> 00:14:59,565 And I knew I had to get into that apartment. 296 00:15:05,037 --> 00:15:07,906 The apartment was still sealed. 297 00:15:07,940 --> 00:15:11,543 - Part of the department procedure, in any death, 298 00:15:11,577 --> 00:15:13,946 if there's nobody else in the apartment, 299 00:15:14,046 --> 00:15:16,215 we seal the apartment. 300 00:15:16,248 --> 00:15:19,151 - So we got permission from the court. 301 00:15:19,184 --> 00:15:22,888 And we were able to go there supervised with the NYPD 302 00:15:22,921 --> 00:15:25,090 to document it. 303 00:15:25,124 --> 00:15:28,093 We had the key, but it was a tricky lock. 304 00:15:28,127 --> 00:15:29,962 And after multiple attempts had been made 305 00:15:30,062 --> 00:15:31,630 to get into the apartment, 306 00:15:31,663 --> 00:15:35,601 the door across the hall opens, and out comes Rod Covlin. 307 00:15:35,634 --> 00:15:37,970 The first thing that went through my mind 308 00:15:38,070 --> 00:15:40,806 was that we were being monitored. 309 00:15:40,839 --> 00:15:42,207 He saw that we were there. 310 00:15:42,241 --> 00:15:44,309 He wanted to know who we were, what we were doing. 311 00:15:44,343 --> 00:15:48,313 And surprisingly, he walked over and took the key. 312 00:15:48,347 --> 00:15:50,916 And jiggle, lift up, lift down. 313 00:15:50,949 --> 00:15:52,951 And he knew exactly what to do. 314 00:15:55,320 --> 00:15:57,956 - Upon entering, Swain begins looking 315 00:15:57,990 --> 00:16:00,125 for any indications of foul play. 316 00:16:00,159 --> 00:16:01,627 And at the family's request, 317 00:16:01,660 --> 00:16:03,929 he's also looking for Shele's cell phone, 318 00:16:04,029 --> 00:16:06,031 which the NYPD hadn't found 319 00:16:06,065 --> 00:16:08,600 in their original search of the apartment. 320 00:16:08,634 --> 00:16:10,369 - You know, we started looking around, 321 00:16:10,402 --> 00:16:12,838 you know, looking in drawers, the side of the bed-- 322 00:16:12,871 --> 00:16:14,873 the usual places. 323 00:16:14,907 --> 00:16:16,642 You know, there was the charger, 324 00:16:16,675 --> 00:16:19,678 where people would normally plug in the phone, 325 00:16:19,712 --> 00:16:21,513 but no phone attached to it. 326 00:16:21,547 --> 00:16:24,049 So we couldn't find it. 327 00:16:24,049 --> 00:16:26,051 We then focused on the bathroom. 328 00:16:27,286 --> 00:16:29,154 - And when he inspects the cabinet door, 329 00:16:29,188 --> 00:16:32,057 Mike Swain has an epiphany. 330 00:16:32,057 --> 00:16:34,059 - I just was trying to grasp 331 00:16:34,059 --> 00:16:36,962 how this small, 332 00:16:37,062 --> 00:16:39,298 light woman 333 00:16:39,331 --> 00:16:42,634 was going to be able to yank that out of the wall. 334 00:16:42,668 --> 00:16:47,072 And it would have taken tremendous force. 335 00:16:47,072 --> 00:16:50,242 How, during this accidental slip and fall, 336 00:16:50,275 --> 00:16:53,078 arms going up in the air, 337 00:16:53,112 --> 00:16:57,282 were you able with one hand to grab that little knob? 338 00:16:57,316 --> 00:17:00,486 I was convinced this is a staged crime scene. 339 00:17:02,154 --> 00:17:03,188 - With no witnesses 340 00:17:03,222 --> 00:17:04,857 and only circumstantial evidence, 341 00:17:04,890 --> 00:17:06,625 there's only one way the NYPD can 342 00:17:06,658 --> 00:17:08,193 revive this investigation. 343 00:17:08,227 --> 00:17:10,062 We need that autopsy. 344 00:17:11,764 --> 00:17:13,532 - You're exhuming a body. 345 00:17:13,565 --> 00:17:15,901 That may lead to absolutely nothing. 346 00:17:15,934 --> 00:17:19,605 And so, there was a lot of debate back and forth. 347 00:17:19,638 --> 00:17:21,774 - Amongst the Orthodox Jews, 348 00:17:21,807 --> 00:17:25,778 to desecrate a body is disturbing to them. 349 00:17:25,811 --> 00:17:28,247 For Shele's family, you can only imagine 350 00:17:28,280 --> 00:17:31,116 the inner conflict they had. 351 00:17:31,150 --> 00:17:34,153 But they just wanted to find the truth. 352 00:17:34,186 --> 00:17:37,556 - In the end, the family actually advised the NYPD 353 00:17:37,589 --> 00:17:39,525 that "we want this body exhumed." 354 00:17:44,396 --> 00:17:47,299 - I've seen many people put in the ground in coffins. 355 00:17:47,333 --> 00:17:49,635 I've never seen anybody coming back out of the ground. 356 00:17:49,668 --> 00:17:52,304 In New York City, they haven't exhumed a body 357 00:17:52,338 --> 00:17:54,673 since, like, 1977. 358 00:17:54,707 --> 00:17:57,743 You have to petition the DA to say, 359 00:17:57,776 --> 00:18:00,579 "We think it's a homicide." 360 00:18:03,015 --> 00:18:04,316 - Three months later, 361 00:18:04,350 --> 00:18:06,418 the district attorney signs off on the warrant. 362 00:18:12,791 --> 00:18:14,526 For the first time in decades, 363 00:18:14,560 --> 00:18:18,030 a body is exhumed and sent to the medical examiner's office. 364 00:18:19,331 --> 00:18:21,233 - The findings at autopsy 365 00:18:21,266 --> 00:18:25,304 was asphyxiation by neck compression. 366 00:18:25,337 --> 00:18:28,040 - Shele had been strangled so forcibly 367 00:18:28,040 --> 00:18:30,342 that it broke the bones in her neck. 368 00:18:32,177 --> 00:18:35,848 - So now, it's officially a homicide. 369 00:18:35,881 --> 00:18:38,350 - It wasn't an accident. 370 00:18:38,384 --> 00:18:41,854 I remember punching the air, saying, "Mission accomplished." 371 00:18:41,887 --> 00:18:44,123 Things were gonna accelerate. 372 00:18:53,900 --> 00:18:56,536 [tense music] 373 00:18:56,803 --> 00:19:00,507 * * 374 00:19:00,540 --> 00:19:02,842 - Three months after 47-year-old mother of two, 375 00:19:02,876 --> 00:19:05,645 Shele Covlin, was found dead in her bathtub, 376 00:19:05,679 --> 00:19:08,381 an autopsy proves it was a homicide. 377 00:19:09,115 --> 00:19:11,718 Finally, the NYPD have a go-ahead 378 00:19:11,751 --> 00:19:14,187 to begin investigating. 379 00:19:14,220 --> 00:19:16,723 - We asked for lots of records-- 380 00:19:16,756 --> 00:19:18,458 bank records, phone records, 381 00:19:18,491 --> 00:19:21,628 things that we couldn't get earlier 382 00:19:21,661 --> 00:19:23,430 because we had no crime. 383 00:19:24,831 --> 00:19:26,866 - Investigators don't waste any time 384 00:19:26,900 --> 00:19:28,768 speaking with family and friends, 385 00:19:28,802 --> 00:19:30,503 digging deep into Rod and Shele's 386 00:19:30,537 --> 00:19:32,405 contentious relationship. 387 00:19:32,439 --> 00:19:35,375 - We interviewed people that were in the apartment-- 388 00:19:35,408 --> 00:19:37,344 babysitter, the maid, 389 00:19:37,377 --> 00:19:40,747 and victim's attorney. 390 00:19:40,780 --> 00:19:43,450 - They learned that it's May of 2009, 391 00:19:43,483 --> 00:19:45,218 seven months before Shele's murder, 392 00:19:45,251 --> 00:19:48,054 when things began to really spiral. 393 00:19:48,054 --> 00:19:49,723 - Once Rod was 394 00:19:49,756 --> 00:19:52,759 served with the divorce papers, it got a little bit ugly. 395 00:19:54,060 --> 00:19:57,797 - Rod was largely dependent on Shele. 396 00:19:57,831 --> 00:20:00,300 And so, he told a judge 397 00:20:00,333 --> 00:20:04,304 that he could not afford to pay child support. 398 00:20:04,337 --> 00:20:08,341 The judge grew really angry and told Rod 399 00:20:08,375 --> 00:20:12,112 that he could not attend any more backgammon games. 400 00:20:15,081 --> 00:20:18,084 - Enraged at the ruling, Rod channeled his anger at Shele 401 00:20:18,118 --> 00:20:21,921 and embarked on a mission to ruin her life. 402 00:20:21,955 --> 00:20:24,090 - He called her employer. 403 00:20:24,124 --> 00:20:27,594 Said that she was stealing money 404 00:20:27,627 --> 00:20:30,230 from their children's college fund, 405 00:20:30,263 --> 00:20:32,732 that she was using drugs. 406 00:20:32,766 --> 00:20:35,502 - He was alleging that she was a drug user, 407 00:20:35,535 --> 00:20:39,906 obviously to benefit himself for purposes of child custody. 408 00:20:39,939 --> 00:20:42,275 He had an endgame. 409 00:20:42,308 --> 00:20:43,910 - Even more insidious, 410 00:20:43,943 --> 00:20:46,112 an allegation is made by Rod 411 00:20:46,146 --> 00:20:49,883 that Shele was sexually abusing her own son. 412 00:20:51,885 --> 00:20:54,454 - So there was a whole investigation. 413 00:20:54,487 --> 00:20:55,789 And there was an examination. 414 00:20:55,822 --> 00:20:58,792 There was zero evidence discovered 415 00:20:58,825 --> 00:21:01,561 that this was an actual thing that happened. 416 00:21:01,594 --> 00:21:05,699 - But the investigation does reveal something sinister. 417 00:21:05,732 --> 00:21:10,603 - Their son admitted that Rod had coached him on what to say 418 00:21:10,637 --> 00:21:14,507 and that none of it was actually true. 419 00:21:15,508 --> 00:21:18,678 - To allege that the mother of your child 420 00:21:18,712 --> 00:21:21,948 sexually abused your child, that was a new one for me. 421 00:21:21,981 --> 00:21:24,818 It was becoming obvious that he was somebody 422 00:21:24,851 --> 00:21:27,887 that without a doubt could have snapped 423 00:21:27,921 --> 00:21:31,491 and taken it to the next level. 424 00:21:31,524 --> 00:21:33,827 - His devious plan to discredit Shele 425 00:21:33,860 --> 00:21:36,463 to get custody of their children backfires. 426 00:21:36,496 --> 00:21:38,998 In July, the couple appear at divorce court. 427 00:21:39,099 --> 00:21:41,334 And when the judge learns about Rod's schemes, 428 00:21:41,368 --> 00:21:43,636 she makes a severe ruling. 429 00:21:43,670 --> 00:21:46,439 - Rod cannot be around his children alone. 430 00:21:46,473 --> 00:21:49,275 He was only permitted to see the children 431 00:21:49,309 --> 00:21:52,512 so long as there was supervision. 432 00:21:52,545 --> 00:21:54,214 - The consequences of Rod's actions 433 00:21:54,247 --> 00:21:55,882 would continue to haunt him. 434 00:21:55,915 --> 00:21:58,418 Five months later, after Shele is killed, 435 00:21:58,451 --> 00:22:01,588 the kids are still not allowed to be in his care. 436 00:22:01,621 --> 00:22:04,557 - Rod assumed that when Shele died, 437 00:22:04,591 --> 00:22:07,427 he would automatically get custody of his children. 438 00:22:07,460 --> 00:22:10,363 And so, he became really enraged 439 00:22:10,397 --> 00:22:12,799 when that didn't happen. 440 00:22:12,832 --> 00:22:14,968 - Instead, a social worker at the crime scene 441 00:22:15,068 --> 00:22:17,270 sent the kids home with Rod's parents 442 00:22:17,303 --> 00:22:19,072 as a temporary solution, 443 00:22:19,072 --> 00:22:22,409 one that Shele's family is not happy with. 444 00:22:22,442 --> 00:22:24,878 - There was a battle in court 445 00:22:24,911 --> 00:22:27,447 over who would get custody of the children. 446 00:22:27,480 --> 00:22:30,250 Shele's sister really wanted to have the children. 447 00:22:30,283 --> 00:22:34,721 - But the children went to the custody of Rod's parents 448 00:22:34,754 --> 00:22:36,523 up in Scarsdale. 449 00:22:38,458 --> 00:22:41,428 - Children were obviously very, very devastated. 450 00:22:41,461 --> 00:22:44,497 Felt very isolated. Felt alone. 451 00:22:45,932 --> 00:22:48,101 - Rod had even cut them off from their beloved, 452 00:22:48,101 --> 00:22:51,671 longtime nanny, Rose, unceremoniously firing her. 453 00:22:51,705 --> 00:22:54,441 But that wasn't even the most important piece of intel 454 00:22:54,474 --> 00:22:57,277 our men learned when they sat down with her. 455 00:23:01,448 --> 00:23:03,083 - Rose mentioned 456 00:23:03,116 --> 00:23:06,953 that Shele had a very expensive hair treatment done 457 00:23:07,053 --> 00:23:08,955 that day on the 30th, 458 00:23:09,055 --> 00:23:10,757 the day of her death. 459 00:23:10,790 --> 00:23:12,625 - It was a keratin treatment, 460 00:23:12,659 --> 00:23:15,795 which I wasn't familiar with at the time. 461 00:23:15,829 --> 00:23:18,865 - And she was specifically instructed 462 00:23:18,898 --> 00:23:22,102 no humidity, no shower, no heat. 463 00:23:22,135 --> 00:23:24,537 It would destroy the treatment. 464 00:23:24,571 --> 00:23:27,240 - There was no way on Earth that a woman 465 00:23:27,273 --> 00:23:30,110 who had just spent probably a couple hundred dollars 466 00:23:30,143 --> 00:23:34,280 would ever wash their hair for probably three or four days. 467 00:23:34,314 --> 00:23:39,819 That dispelled the notion that Shele was taking a bath. 468 00:23:41,721 --> 00:23:43,523 - This is the type of evidence that worked 469 00:23:43,556 --> 00:23:46,292 in "Legally Blonde," but it's still circumstantial. 470 00:23:46,326 --> 00:23:48,361 If we didn't have something more concrete, 471 00:23:48,395 --> 00:23:50,630 we needed a rock-solid motive. 472 00:23:50,663 --> 00:23:51,898 And when our guys started digging 473 00:23:51,931 --> 00:23:53,633 around Shele and Rod's finances, 474 00:23:53,667 --> 00:23:56,469 the case is blown wide open. 475 00:23:57,837 --> 00:24:00,640 - They still weren't legally divorced 476 00:24:00,674 --> 00:24:02,742 in the eyes of New York State. 477 00:24:02,776 --> 00:24:04,744 And what that means, 478 00:24:04,778 --> 00:24:07,147 in case of an untimely death, 479 00:24:07,180 --> 00:24:10,884 unless otherwise determined specifically in the will, 480 00:24:10,917 --> 00:24:16,156 he would receive everything that she owned. 481 00:24:16,189 --> 00:24:18,825 - Total was about 5.2 million. 482 00:24:18,858 --> 00:24:22,862 That she was basically worth dead to him. 483 00:24:22,896 --> 00:24:25,165 - And what investigators learned next 484 00:24:25,198 --> 00:24:28,068 changes everything. 485 00:24:28,068 --> 00:24:30,670 - Shele's trust and estate attorney told us 486 00:24:30,704 --> 00:24:33,707 that she made an appointment to go and see him 487 00:24:33,740 --> 00:24:35,675 on New Year's Day of 2010, 488 00:24:35,709 --> 00:24:39,145 the same day that Shele was found dead. 489 00:24:39,179 --> 00:24:43,249 And she was going to take Rod out of her will. 490 00:24:44,184 --> 00:24:47,520 - He was about to be cut out and lose everything. 491 00:24:47,554 --> 00:24:50,190 He was gonna be penniless, divorced. 492 00:24:50,223 --> 00:24:51,524 He was gonna have nothing. 493 00:24:51,558 --> 00:24:53,393 That was his last opportunity 494 00:24:53,426 --> 00:24:55,595 to save his tie to her money. 495 00:24:55,628 --> 00:24:57,197 - He was desperate. 496 00:24:57,230 --> 00:25:01,034 And he knew that something had to happen that day. 497 00:25:04,571 --> 00:25:08,074 - There were many plots that Rod had. 498 00:25:08,108 --> 00:25:10,143 And if you read this in a book, 499 00:25:10,176 --> 00:25:11,411 you wouldn't believe it. 500 00:25:11,444 --> 00:25:14,547 - He was willing to kill his own parents 501 00:25:25,958 --> 00:25:28,360 [tense music] 502 00:25:28,627 --> 00:25:32,064 * * 503 00:25:32,064 --> 00:25:35,501 - NYPD investigators have finally discovered a motive 504 00:25:35,534 --> 00:25:36,869 in a twisted case 505 00:25:36,902 --> 00:25:39,438 of murdered 47-year-old mother of two 506 00:25:39,471 --> 00:25:41,740 Shele Covlin. 507 00:25:41,774 --> 00:25:44,076 - If anything had happened to Shele, 508 00:25:44,076 --> 00:25:47,413 Rod stood to gain over $5 million. 509 00:25:47,446 --> 00:25:51,517 - And the timing of her death confirms a certain suspicion 510 00:25:51,550 --> 00:25:54,420 that Shele had shared with her family. 511 00:25:54,453 --> 00:25:55,888 - He would never have 512 00:25:55,921 --> 00:25:58,891 known that she was going to see an estate attorney 513 00:25:58,924 --> 00:26:01,660 unless he was monitoring her communications. 514 00:26:05,164 --> 00:26:07,232 He was already setting it all up. 515 00:26:07,266 --> 00:26:09,168 He knew exactly what he was gonna do. 516 00:26:12,271 --> 00:26:14,039 - As a suspect in Shele's murder, 517 00:26:14,073 --> 00:26:16,241 Rod can't touch that $5 million. 518 00:26:16,275 --> 00:26:18,610 It's wrapped up in trust until he's cleared. 519 00:26:18,644 --> 00:26:20,412 And investigators need to work fast 520 00:26:20,446 --> 00:26:22,047 to make sure that doesn't happen. 521 00:26:23,449 --> 00:26:25,784 With the case classified officially a homicide, 522 00:26:25,818 --> 00:26:27,119 now they're able to get their hands 523 00:26:27,152 --> 00:26:29,688 on that surveillance footage from the apartment building 524 00:26:29,722 --> 00:26:31,690 on the night Shele was killed. 525 00:26:33,058 --> 00:26:36,061 - There was extensive video in the building 526 00:26:36,061 --> 00:26:37,730 and outside of the building, both at the front door 527 00:26:37,763 --> 00:26:39,064 and the back door. 528 00:26:40,599 --> 00:26:43,602 - That night, at 4:00 in the morning, 529 00:26:43,635 --> 00:26:47,606 we have Roderick Covlin coming down. 530 00:26:51,477 --> 00:26:53,545 - We interviewed the doorman. 531 00:26:53,579 --> 00:26:55,247 And he said it was very unusual 532 00:26:55,280 --> 00:26:57,683 for him to go out at that time of night. 533 00:26:59,718 --> 00:27:02,154 - It was kind of odd. He asked the doorman 534 00:27:02,187 --> 00:27:05,024 if he needed anything. 535 00:27:05,057 --> 00:27:08,227 In New York, there's stores open 24 hours a day. 536 00:27:08,260 --> 00:27:10,896 But this was strange 537 00:27:10,929 --> 00:27:13,599 because he would always talk down to the doorman. 538 00:27:13,632 --> 00:27:16,568 - They declined to have him bring them anything, 539 00:27:16,602 --> 00:27:19,204 but he came back with, like, candy bars. 540 00:27:19,238 --> 00:27:22,675 Like, "Here, take these. You'll like--this'll be good." 541 00:27:22,708 --> 00:27:24,443 For him to buy something for them 542 00:27:24,476 --> 00:27:26,912 was just completely out of character. 543 00:27:26,945 --> 00:27:28,313 And I think that, 544 00:27:28,347 --> 00:27:30,716 without tremendous planning, 545 00:27:30,749 --> 00:27:33,952 he attempted to set up an alibi. 546 00:27:34,053 --> 00:27:36,822 - We also found Shele on tape from earlier that night, 547 00:27:36,855 --> 00:27:38,323 just before 8:00 p.m. 548 00:27:38,357 --> 00:27:41,694 The footage captures her arriving home from work. 549 00:27:42,594 --> 00:27:43,896 - The victim came home. 550 00:27:43,929 --> 00:27:47,099 And she was on camera. 551 00:27:47,132 --> 00:27:48,967 She was alone. 552 00:27:49,068 --> 00:27:52,338 - Investigators note one important detail. 553 00:27:52,371 --> 00:27:54,707 - She was on the phone when she walked into the building. 554 00:27:54,740 --> 00:27:56,241 She had the phone. 555 00:27:57,810 --> 00:28:00,212 You know, like, where could this phone be? 556 00:28:02,247 --> 00:28:04,350 - With proof that Shele had her phone that night 557 00:28:04,383 --> 00:28:07,353 and suspicious that Rod had put cloning software on it, 558 00:28:07,386 --> 00:28:09,855 investigators make one last Hail Mary attempt 559 00:28:09,888 --> 00:28:11,290 to locate it. 560 00:28:11,323 --> 00:28:15,160 - So my partner and I went back in the apartment. 561 00:28:17,830 --> 00:28:20,866 We started looking around. 562 00:28:20,899 --> 00:28:23,035 We went into the bedroom. 563 00:28:24,403 --> 00:28:27,840 And right by the nightstand... 564 00:28:29,842 --> 00:28:32,177 We saw a phone... 565 00:28:32,211 --> 00:28:33,679 plugged in. 566 00:28:34,947 --> 00:28:38,384 I looked at my partner. He looked at me. 567 00:28:38,417 --> 00:28:39,918 We go, "That wasn't there." 568 00:28:39,952 --> 00:28:42,287 We know we didn't miss it. 569 00:28:42,321 --> 00:28:45,057 We had taken a picture, 570 00:28:45,057 --> 00:28:47,059 and you could clearly see from the picture 571 00:28:47,092 --> 00:28:49,294 there was no phone there. 572 00:28:50,829 --> 00:28:54,133 - And the apartment was sealed. 573 00:28:54,166 --> 00:28:57,202 We couldn't prove that Rod put it back in there, 574 00:28:57,236 --> 00:29:00,239 but we eliminated any other possibility 575 00:29:00,272 --> 00:29:02,374 that it could have occurred in any other way. 576 00:29:02,408 --> 00:29:06,011 - It was almost like, "Yeah, I know what you're doing. 577 00:29:06,011 --> 00:29:09,014 Catch me if you can." 578 00:29:14,586 --> 00:29:17,790 We did try to interview Rod Covlin again, 579 00:29:17,823 --> 00:29:20,292 but he hired an attorney 580 00:29:20,325 --> 00:29:23,028 who obviously advised him not to speak to the police. 581 00:29:24,596 --> 00:29:26,265 - If Rod won't talk to us, 582 00:29:26,298 --> 00:29:28,600 we need to find out who he is talking to. 583 00:29:28,634 --> 00:29:31,203 And when his email and phone records finally come in, 584 00:29:31,236 --> 00:29:33,339 a number in Jacksonville, North Carolina, 585 00:29:33,372 --> 00:29:36,041 appears again and again. 586 00:29:36,041 --> 00:29:39,178 It belongs to a woman named Debra Oles. 587 00:29:40,612 --> 00:29:44,316 - Debra Oles was a married mother of three children. 588 00:29:44,350 --> 00:29:48,354 She met Rod at a backgammon game. 589 00:29:48,387 --> 00:29:50,189 - Five months before Shele's murder, 590 00:29:50,222 --> 00:29:53,225 not long after Rod is served with divorce papers, 591 00:29:53,258 --> 00:29:57,162 he begins a relationship with Debra, 14 years his senior. 592 00:29:57,196 --> 00:29:59,298 Besides seeing each other at competitions, 593 00:29:59,331 --> 00:30:01,467 she visits him frequently in New York. 594 00:30:01,500 --> 00:30:03,435 And when they aren't physically together, 595 00:30:03,469 --> 00:30:06,305 they are playing backgammon online. 596 00:30:06,338 --> 00:30:09,108 - On the night of Shele's murder, 597 00:30:09,141 --> 00:30:11,744 she's on the computer with him playing backgammon. 598 00:30:11,777 --> 00:30:14,480 And there was an exchange of messages 599 00:30:14,513 --> 00:30:16,382 between the two of them 600 00:30:16,415 --> 00:30:18,450 that were deleted. 601 00:30:18,484 --> 00:30:20,786 So I call her, and I explain who I am. 602 00:30:20,819 --> 00:30:24,289 But she said, "My lawyer says that I cannot speak to you." 603 00:30:26,091 --> 00:30:28,861 - And when our guys find out who her lawyer is, 604 00:30:28,894 --> 00:30:31,530 it's clear where the gameplay has led. 605 00:30:31,563 --> 00:30:35,901 - It was Rod's lawyer as well, same attorney. 606 00:30:35,934 --> 00:30:37,970 So for obvious reasons, 607 00:30:38,003 --> 00:30:40,072 Debra Oles becomes a serious focal point 608 00:30:40,105 --> 00:30:41,874 in this investigation. 609 00:30:41,907 --> 00:30:44,009 - But with Rod's lawyer by her side, 610 00:30:44,043 --> 00:30:47,112 Debra is not talking. 611 00:30:47,146 --> 00:30:49,381 Their only hope now is that he unwittingly 612 00:30:49,415 --> 00:30:51,817 admitted something in an email or text. 613 00:30:51,850 --> 00:30:54,019 Investigators execute search warrants 614 00:30:54,053 --> 00:30:57,222 on Rod's phone and computers. 615 00:30:57,256 --> 00:30:59,258 But everything, including the phone 616 00:30:59,291 --> 00:31:01,694 that mysteriously reappeared in Shele's apartment, 617 00:31:01,727 --> 00:31:03,529 has been wiped. 618 00:31:03,562 --> 00:31:06,965 - His devices were cleaned up. 619 00:31:07,066 --> 00:31:08,434 And so, we weren't really 620 00:31:08,467 --> 00:31:11,270 finding much useful information 621 00:31:11,303 --> 00:31:14,673 despite some of the smartest tech wizards on Earth 622 00:31:14,707 --> 00:31:17,076 working on these things for us. 623 00:31:17,109 --> 00:31:19,078 - Why can't we find a smoking gun? 624 00:31:19,111 --> 00:31:20,746 It's obvious who did it. 625 00:31:20,779 --> 00:31:23,415 Why can't we just prove it? 626 00:31:35,095 --> 00:31:37,497 [tense music] 627 00:31:37,764 --> 00:31:44,871 * * 628 00:31:47,540 --> 00:31:49,409 - With only circumstantial evidence 629 00:31:49,442 --> 00:31:51,244 linking the murder of Shele Covlin 630 00:31:51,277 --> 00:31:53,179 to her estranged husband, Rod, 631 00:31:53,213 --> 00:31:56,282 weeks turned into months, and months turned into years. 632 00:31:56,316 --> 00:31:58,985 And the investigation goes cold. 633 00:32:02,222 --> 00:32:05,058 - Typically when someone is killed, 634 00:32:05,091 --> 00:32:08,061 there's a ton of evidence that's collected. 635 00:32:08,094 --> 00:32:09,562 In this case, 636 00:32:09,596 --> 00:32:12,599 this was initially treated as an accident, 637 00:32:12,632 --> 00:32:14,567 and so, there was no DNA. 638 00:32:14,601 --> 00:32:18,071 There were no fingerprints collected. 639 00:32:18,104 --> 00:32:23,543 And then a rabbi wiped all of that evidence away. 640 00:32:23,576 --> 00:32:27,380 - If, in fact, Rod Covlin killed his wife, 641 00:32:27,414 --> 00:32:30,917 he was never going to confess. 642 00:32:30,950 --> 00:32:33,486 - And so, it was really difficult 643 00:32:33,520 --> 00:32:36,089 for the prosecution to build a case 644 00:32:36,122 --> 00:32:39,592 from which there was no evidence. 645 00:32:39,626 --> 00:32:41,194 - It's kind of frustrating 646 00:32:41,227 --> 00:32:43,430 that, you know, five years are passed 647 00:32:43,463 --> 00:32:46,733 and there's no arrest in the case. 648 00:32:46,766 --> 00:32:50,370 - One can only imagine the frustrations for the family. 649 00:32:50,403 --> 00:32:53,573 Almost growing numb to it. Will this ever end? 650 00:33:01,314 --> 00:33:03,583 - But in the summer of 2014, 651 00:33:03,616 --> 00:33:06,453 detectives get a phone call that renews hope. 652 00:33:06,486 --> 00:33:08,621 [phone ringing] 653 00:33:08,655 --> 00:33:11,191 - Debra Oles, Rod's girlfriend, 654 00:33:11,224 --> 00:33:13,460 calls me and says, 655 00:33:13,493 --> 00:33:15,195 "I need to talk to you." 656 00:33:17,397 --> 00:33:20,633 - Debra and Rod had broken up a few months earlier. 657 00:33:20,667 --> 00:33:22,635 Free from Rod's tyranny, 658 00:33:22,669 --> 00:33:25,071 she could finally come forward. 659 00:33:26,439 --> 00:33:29,075 - For the next three days, 660 00:33:29,075 --> 00:33:31,111 we interviewed her extensively. 661 00:33:32,612 --> 00:33:35,415 - Rod told her about his plans and schemes 662 00:33:35,448 --> 00:33:39,552 to gain custody of his children by any means. 663 00:33:39,586 --> 00:33:42,956 - But it's not about any sort of desire to be a father. 664 00:33:42,989 --> 00:33:44,924 - Rod Covlin's motivation in all of this 665 00:33:44,958 --> 00:33:46,659 is always about money. 666 00:33:46,693 --> 00:33:49,095 - Rod can't access his inheritance 667 00:33:49,129 --> 00:33:50,864 until the district attorney deems 668 00:33:50,897 --> 00:33:53,333 that he's no longer a suspect in Shele's murder. 669 00:33:53,366 --> 00:33:55,635 But Shele had put money aside for the kids 670 00:33:55,669 --> 00:33:57,637 in their own trusts. 671 00:33:59,439 --> 00:34:03,276 - In order for him to have control of that trust, 672 00:34:03,309 --> 00:34:06,112 he had to have custody of his children. 673 00:34:06,146 --> 00:34:07,681 - Debra saw firsthand 674 00:34:07,714 --> 00:34:09,449 the lengths Rod was willing to go to 675 00:34:09,482 --> 00:34:10,850 to get control of the money 676 00:34:10,884 --> 00:34:12,819 and tells us everything. 677 00:34:12,852 --> 00:34:15,655 - The plans that this man had, 678 00:34:15,689 --> 00:34:19,292 what he was prepared to do-- 679 00:34:19,325 --> 00:34:22,429 the only one-word adjective that I can give towards Rod 680 00:34:22,462 --> 00:34:24,297 is "evil." 681 00:34:28,401 --> 00:34:31,971 - He has this plan to convince his daughter 682 00:34:32,072 --> 00:34:33,673 to use a cucumber 683 00:34:33,707 --> 00:34:37,077 to simulate a rape 684 00:34:37,077 --> 00:34:39,312 and blame her grandfather. 685 00:34:39,346 --> 00:34:41,081 And then he would go to jail. 686 00:34:41,081 --> 00:34:45,618 At this point, the little girl is about 11 or 12 years old. 687 00:34:45,652 --> 00:34:49,122 Thank God, the little girl couldn't bring herself 688 00:34:49,155 --> 00:34:50,924 to do this whole thing. 689 00:34:50,957 --> 00:34:53,126 And so, that never occurred. 690 00:34:53,159 --> 00:34:54,928 - As he continues to scheme for the trust, 691 00:34:54,961 --> 00:34:57,330 Rod takes money from the kids' college funds, 692 00:34:57,364 --> 00:34:59,766 the one family account he has access to. 693 00:34:59,799 --> 00:35:02,469 And when his parents catch on, a fight breaks out, 694 00:35:02,502 --> 00:35:05,105 secretly recorded by Debra. 695 00:35:22,655 --> 00:35:24,758 - His rage shifted 696 00:35:24,791 --> 00:35:28,294 from being about Shele when she was alive 697 00:35:28,328 --> 00:35:30,697 to now being focused on his parents 698 00:35:30,730 --> 00:35:34,534 because they stood in the way of him getting Shele's money. 699 00:35:34,567 --> 00:35:36,569 - He's beginning to dissemble. 700 00:35:36,603 --> 00:35:39,205 And he starts planning to kill his parents. 701 00:35:43,276 --> 00:35:46,079 - In 2012, he had come up with a plan 702 00:35:46,112 --> 00:35:47,614 that he shared with Debra 703 00:35:47,647 --> 00:35:50,583 that he would have his daughter 704 00:35:50,617 --> 00:35:54,487 put rat poison in his parents' tea. 705 00:35:54,521 --> 00:35:57,257 And he told Debra that his daughter 706 00:35:57,290 --> 00:36:00,026 would not get that much time in jail based on her age 707 00:36:00,060 --> 00:36:01,561 if she were caught. 708 00:36:01,594 --> 00:36:04,497 - Debra dissuaded him from doing that. 709 00:36:04,531 --> 00:36:07,801 But Debra told us that there was another plan 710 00:36:07,834 --> 00:36:09,402 in the fall of 2012 711 00:36:09,436 --> 00:36:14,708 where he buys an Afro wig and blackface makeup. 712 00:36:14,741 --> 00:36:17,477 So he was going to go ring the doorbell. 713 00:36:17,510 --> 00:36:19,612 And he knew that his mother would answer the door. 714 00:36:19,646 --> 00:36:22,816 He was gonna punch her in the throat and kill her. 715 00:36:22,849 --> 00:36:24,784 But that never happened. 716 00:36:24,818 --> 00:36:29,155 - He also considered setting his parents' home on fire. 717 00:36:29,189 --> 00:36:32,359 - His parents would both die in the flames. 718 00:36:32,392 --> 00:36:36,262 - The plots and plans that Rod had-- 719 00:36:36,296 --> 00:36:38,164 you couldn't write something like this. 720 00:36:38,198 --> 00:36:40,133 It wouldn't-- if you read this in a book, 721 00:36:40,166 --> 00:36:42,402 you wouldn't believe it. 722 00:36:42,435 --> 00:36:43,670 - We felt like we had 723 00:36:43,703 --> 00:36:46,673 to really accelerate our investigation 724 00:36:46,706 --> 00:36:49,442 because he was becoming unhinged. 725 00:36:49,476 --> 00:36:52,846 God only knows what his next plan will be. 726 00:36:52,879 --> 00:36:56,349 - And Debra doesn't just give detectives the horror stories. 727 00:36:56,383 --> 00:37:00,553 She's got proof to back everything up. 728 00:37:00,587 --> 00:37:03,857 - She had five or six external hard drives 729 00:37:03,890 --> 00:37:06,526 that were all filled 730 00:37:06,559 --> 00:37:10,363 with stuff from his computers and his phone 731 00:37:10,397 --> 00:37:14,134 that Rod had given her to keep for him. 732 00:37:14,167 --> 00:37:16,870 - Now it's a matter of good, old-fashioned legwork. 733 00:37:16,903 --> 00:37:18,204 Our guys tracked down 734 00:37:18,238 --> 00:37:20,807 every person he corresponded with over email, 735 00:37:20,840 --> 00:37:23,176 whether it was a backgammon buddy or girlfriend. 736 00:37:23,209 --> 00:37:25,478 And they got people talking. 737 00:37:25,512 --> 00:37:27,647 - There was a woman that he used to work with. 738 00:37:27,681 --> 00:37:30,583 And he told her he had a key for Shele's apartment 739 00:37:30,617 --> 00:37:34,120 and he could come and go whenever he wanted, 740 00:37:34,154 --> 00:37:37,457 which, of course, was a huge revelation. 741 00:37:38,858 --> 00:37:40,427 There was hundreds and hundreds 742 00:37:40,460 --> 00:37:42,462 and hundreds of things that we collected 743 00:37:42,495 --> 00:37:44,764 that, when all put together, 744 00:37:44,798 --> 00:37:47,901 became an extremely formidable case. 745 00:37:47,934 --> 00:37:50,837 - And then investigators discover an email 746 00:37:50,870 --> 00:37:52,572 that brings the case against Rod Covlin 747 00:37:52,605 --> 00:37:54,808 one step closer to home. 748 00:37:54,841 --> 00:37:56,776 - In June of 2013, 749 00:37:56,810 --> 00:38:01,214 he was trying to frame his own daughter 750 00:38:01,247 --> 00:38:04,384 of having killed Shele. 751 00:38:04,417 --> 00:38:08,488 He drafted an email in her email account 752 00:38:08,521 --> 00:38:10,657 confessing to the death. 753 00:38:10,690 --> 00:38:13,326 - It's your child. It's your blood. 754 00:38:13,360 --> 00:38:15,929 I would die for my children. 755 00:38:16,029 --> 00:38:19,699 - Something bad is going to happen because he's desperate. 756 00:38:19,733 --> 00:38:23,403 And if we don't do something before that happens, 757 00:38:23,436 --> 00:38:24,904 that's on us. 758 00:38:26,239 --> 00:38:28,174 - We're gonna get you. 759 00:38:28,208 --> 00:38:29,542 This is endgame. 760 00:38:43,222 --> 00:38:45,858 [tense music] 761 00:38:46,125 --> 00:38:49,461 * * 762 00:38:49,495 --> 00:38:53,065 - Six years after the murder of Shele Danishefsky Covlin, 763 00:38:53,065 --> 00:38:54,199 police finally have enough evidence 764 00:38:54,233 --> 00:38:56,702 against their prime suspect from the beginning-- 765 00:38:56,735 --> 00:38:58,804 her husband, Rod Covlin-- 766 00:38:58,837 --> 00:39:01,507 the icing on the cake, an email he drafted 767 00:39:01,540 --> 00:39:03,142 pretending to be his daughter 768 00:39:03,175 --> 00:39:05,744 confessing to her mother's murder. 769 00:39:07,046 --> 00:39:10,249 - He wrote, "I lied. She didn't just slip. 770 00:39:10,282 --> 00:39:13,786 "That day, we got into a fight about her dating. 771 00:39:13,819 --> 00:39:16,055 "I got mad, so I pushed her. 772 00:39:16,088 --> 00:39:18,924 "The water started turning red. 773 00:39:19,024 --> 00:39:21,460 "And I tried to pull her head up, 774 00:39:21,493 --> 00:39:24,730 but she remained still." 775 00:39:27,866 --> 00:39:31,704 That a father would attempt 776 00:39:31,737 --> 00:39:34,840 to frame his own daughter-- 777 00:39:34,873 --> 00:39:39,278 it is unimaginable. 778 00:39:39,311 --> 00:39:42,214 - We felt we had enough for an indictment, 779 00:39:42,247 --> 00:39:45,284 so we presented the case to the grand jury. 780 00:39:45,317 --> 00:39:47,920 Circumstantial cases are always tricky. 781 00:39:47,953 --> 00:39:50,255 There was an enormous amount of information 782 00:39:50,289 --> 00:39:51,924 that looked bad, 783 00:39:51,957 --> 00:39:53,926 but there was no smoking gun. 784 00:39:55,327 --> 00:39:58,831 And so, he was indicted for murder in the second degree. 785 00:40:02,101 --> 00:40:06,438 - After so many years of pain, doubt, and fear, 786 00:40:06,472 --> 00:40:08,607 on November 1st, 2015, 787 00:40:08,640 --> 00:40:10,275 Rod was arrested 788 00:40:10,309 --> 00:40:13,045 at the Scarsdale train station. 789 00:40:14,546 --> 00:40:16,115 - He went in the cell, laid down on the bench, 790 00:40:16,148 --> 00:40:20,319 and off to sleep he want. 791 00:40:20,352 --> 00:40:22,988 That's always an interesting tell. 792 00:40:23,022 --> 00:40:27,693 It happens almost every single time when someone is guilty 793 00:40:27,726 --> 00:40:29,328 because they're-- psychologically, 794 00:40:29,361 --> 00:40:31,096 they're carrying this weight around. 795 00:40:31,130 --> 00:40:33,899 And there's a sort of sense of relief 796 00:40:33,932 --> 00:40:36,869 that they don't have to play this game any longer. 797 00:40:44,343 --> 00:40:46,478 - I did go to the trial. 798 00:40:46,512 --> 00:40:49,982 But when I saw Covlin sitting there with his attorney, 799 00:40:50,015 --> 00:40:52,818 it really, really upset my whole being. 800 00:40:52,851 --> 00:40:54,319 I just left. 801 00:40:54,353 --> 00:40:59,224 I knew that the government has a strong case. 802 00:40:59,258 --> 00:41:03,128 But he is extremely, extremely manipulative. 803 00:41:03,162 --> 00:41:05,364 The guy could talk his way out of everything. 804 00:41:05,397 --> 00:41:09,335 And if anybody can get away with murder, it's Rod Covlin. 805 00:41:10,536 --> 00:41:12,771 - But Rod had made a critical mistake 806 00:41:12,805 --> 00:41:15,274 shortly after he was arrested. 807 00:41:15,307 --> 00:41:17,343 An inmate informs investigators 808 00:41:17,376 --> 00:41:21,080 that Rod told him that he had murdered his wife. 809 00:41:21,113 --> 00:41:24,683 - We got the video surveillance from that particular day. 810 00:41:24,717 --> 00:41:28,887 And there was Rod demonstrating how you could kill somebody 811 00:41:28,921 --> 00:41:30,856 by putting your arm around their neck like this 812 00:41:30,889 --> 00:41:32,858 and squeezing until they died, 813 00:41:32,891 --> 00:41:36,395 which was exactly fitting the evidence 814 00:41:36,428 --> 00:41:38,931 that was discovered at autopsy. 815 00:41:38,964 --> 00:41:40,632 - Over the next seven weeks, 816 00:41:40,666 --> 00:41:43,369 the jury is presented with chilling testimonies 817 00:41:43,402 --> 00:41:46,705 detailing the horrific lengths that Rod Covlin went to 818 00:41:46,739 --> 00:41:48,240 for Shele's money. 819 00:41:51,377 --> 00:41:53,612 - I've worked on 1,500 murder cases 820 00:41:53,645 --> 00:41:56,615 in the years that I was in the police department. 821 00:41:56,648 --> 00:41:58,417 He's the worst human being 822 00:41:58,450 --> 00:42:01,253 that I've ever had to encounter 823 00:42:01,286 --> 00:42:06,392 because he did so many bad things to his own children 824 00:42:06,425 --> 00:42:10,596 in his infinite greed. 825 00:42:10,629 --> 00:42:12,931 - In March of 2019, 826 00:42:12,965 --> 00:42:15,067 after two days of deliberations, 827 00:42:15,100 --> 00:42:18,570 jurors come back with the verdict. 828 00:42:18,604 --> 00:42:21,874 - When I saw Rod with his defense attorneys, 829 00:42:21,907 --> 00:42:25,077 I saw poker face, 830 00:42:25,077 --> 00:42:28,781 but I knew he was soiling his pants. 831 00:42:30,349 --> 00:42:33,419 - Rod Covlin was found guilty by a jury 832 00:42:33,452 --> 00:42:36,155 for murder in the second degree. 833 00:42:39,491 --> 00:42:40,959 - I was elated, 834 00:42:40,993 --> 00:42:44,096 trying to give closure to the family. 835 00:42:44,096 --> 00:42:46,732 - Shele's family wept, 836 00:42:46,765 --> 00:42:49,401 hugged each other. 837 00:42:49,435 --> 00:42:53,739 It was clearly an emotional time for them. 838 00:42:53,772 --> 00:42:55,107 - They got what they deserved. 839 00:42:55,140 --> 00:42:57,109 You know, they got justice. 840 00:42:57,109 --> 00:42:58,477 It was a good feeling to see that. 841 00:42:58,510 --> 00:43:03,949 - Rod Covlin is sentenced to 25 years to life. 842 00:43:05,351 --> 00:43:07,619 - This is over. 843 00:43:07,653 --> 00:43:10,489 Shele's got her justice. 844 00:43:10,522 --> 00:43:13,325 God has given us justice. 845 00:43:13,359 --> 00:43:17,229 I remember she just had a beautiful smile. 846 00:43:17,262 --> 00:43:20,599 She was a presence in the room. 847 00:43:20,632 --> 00:43:24,169 It was a sense of love 848 00:43:24,203 --> 00:43:28,741 and happiness and joy in the air. 849 00:43:28,774 --> 00:43:32,511 That joy, unfortunately, is gone. 850 00:43:32,544 --> 00:43:34,146 And we miss that. 851 00:43:34,179 --> 00:43:37,516 We miss that very, very much. 852 00:43:37,549 --> 00:43:39,551 This thing should have never happened. 853 00:43:40,085 --> 00:43:41,086 Should've never ever happened. 854 00:43:44,089 --> 00:43:45,090 Never.