1 00:00:07,413 --> 00:00:09,793 KATHY: You had to have the looks, 2 00:00:09,793 --> 00:00:12,482 the personality, and it also 3 00:00:12,482 --> 00:00:15,103 depended on who you were friends with. 4 00:00:15,103 --> 00:00:17,000 DEBRA: She was crowned Dairy Princess. 5 00:00:17,000 --> 00:00:20,586 It would be easy to see where someone could be jealous. 6 00:00:20,586 --> 00:00:25,275 The problem in a small town is, if you go out with somebody 7 00:00:25,275 --> 00:00:28,172 and you break up, he's gonna go out with somebody you know. 8 00:00:30,896 --> 00:00:33,000 JENNIFER: She did thrive in that drama. 9 00:00:35,827 --> 00:00:39,793 I felt like I was being brought into a soap opera that I really 10 00:00:39,793 --> 00:00:40,896 didn't want to watch. 11 00:00:40,965 --> 00:00:44,172 What really stood out was anger. 12 00:00:44,172 --> 00:00:48,241 So she was number one in everything she did, even crime. 13 00:00:50,000 --> 00:00:52,068 It's brutal. 14 00:00:52,068 --> 00:00:55,758 [theme music playing] 15 00:01:11,103 --> 00:01:13,793 CLARK: I was the manager at a full-service hotel. 16 00:01:13,793 --> 00:01:17,068 I was still at home, ready to come to work, 17 00:01:17,137 --> 00:01:19,586 [phone ringing] 18 00:01:19,586 --> 00:01:21,172 and the phone rang, 19 00:01:21,241 --> 00:01:23,689 and it was our maintenance engineer, 20 00:01:23,689 --> 00:01:27,103 and he said, "Clark, you gotta get here now." 21 00:01:27,103 --> 00:01:30,448 And I said, "Why, what's up?" He says, "Just get here." 22 00:01:33,378 --> 00:01:34,896 It's about a 15-minute drive. 23 00:01:34,965 --> 00:01:38,172 The back side of the hotel was where the employees parked. 24 00:01:38,241 --> 00:01:41,896 So I pulled in there, and right away, you could see 25 00:01:41,965 --> 00:01:45,689 the confusion, all the squad cars and the activity going on. 26 00:01:45,689 --> 00:01:49,378 And one of the detectives came over to me right away and says, 27 00:01:49,378 --> 00:01:52,344 "I need for you right now to go look in her car." 28 00:01:55,620 --> 00:01:58,586 So I looked in the driver's side, and Lisa's body was laying 29 00:01:58,655 --> 00:02:02,586 in there between the seats. I was shocked. 30 00:02:02,586 --> 00:02:03,758 She'd been murdered. 31 00:02:10,000 --> 00:02:11,586 NARRATOR: Lisa Cihaski was born 32 00:02:11,586 --> 00:02:14,482 into a family of farmers in Marathon County, 33 00:02:14,551 --> 00:02:17,896 a place where cows outnumber people. 34 00:02:17,896 --> 00:02:20,068 LOUISE: In Marathon County, everybody knows 35 00:02:20,137 --> 00:02:23,000 who you are -- their business 36 00:02:23,000 --> 00:02:25,068 is as important as your business. 37 00:02:25,137 --> 00:02:27,103 That's the rules. 38 00:02:27,103 --> 00:02:29,379 JENNIFER: If somebody gets married, 39 00:02:29,448 --> 00:02:31,068 everybody in that community 40 00:02:31,137 --> 00:02:33,000 goes to that wedding. 41 00:02:33,000 --> 00:02:35,689 People, in my opinion, 42 00:02:35,689 --> 00:02:40,586 had nothing else to talk about than other people's stuff. 43 00:02:40,655 --> 00:02:43,689 NARRATOR: And no one loves to gossip more 44 00:02:43,689 --> 00:02:45,965 than the town's teenage girls. 45 00:02:48,930 --> 00:02:50,172 LOUISE: It was the '80s. 46 00:02:50,241 --> 00:02:54,067 We were just like people portrayed in the movies. 47 00:02:54,067 --> 00:02:57,482 Drank with our friends. We partied in the woods. 48 00:02:57,551 --> 00:03:00,482 People had cool cars. 49 00:03:00,482 --> 00:03:04,586 It took a lot to keep your hair looking the way that it did 50 00:03:04,655 --> 00:03:07,862 when you were damaging it with perms in the '80s. 51 00:03:10,206 --> 00:03:12,482 In a town where everybody knows each other, 52 00:03:12,482 --> 00:03:15,689 Lisa went to a consolidated high school. 53 00:03:15,758 --> 00:03:17,896 There were nine buses that took the kids from these 54 00:03:17,896 --> 00:03:19,275 little tiny towns. 55 00:03:19,275 --> 00:03:22,689 And in total, there were 300 kids, 9th to 12th grade. 56 00:03:22,689 --> 00:03:26,034 But even in a school that small, there are cliques. 57 00:03:28,068 --> 00:03:31,379 There were cliques for sports, 58 00:03:31,448 --> 00:03:34,379 cliques for smart kids, 59 00:03:34,379 --> 00:03:36,448 agriculture groups. 60 00:03:42,172 --> 00:03:45,103 I was one of the kids with the jean jacket. 61 00:03:45,103 --> 00:03:48,793 And we'd always go out in the back and smoke. 62 00:03:48,793 --> 00:03:51,482 Of course, you had the jocks. 63 00:03:51,482 --> 00:03:54,000 LOUISE: There was always the high school bully, 64 00:03:55,000 --> 00:03:57,067 mean girl, whatever you want to call it. 65 00:03:57,137 --> 00:04:01,172 They were conceited and self-centered. 66 00:04:01,172 --> 00:04:02,965 You know, that's what you got. 67 00:04:04,896 --> 00:04:08,172 NARRATOR: But you don't always have to be mean to be popular. 68 00:04:09,896 --> 00:04:12,482 KATHY: Lisa was a very popular girl, 69 00:04:13,689 --> 00:04:19,000 very friendly, very pretty, always dressed very nicely. 70 00:04:19,034 --> 00:04:22,896 Lisa was in student council, and she was a cheerleader. 71 00:04:22,896 --> 00:04:25,172 She didn't really like studying, but she made 72 00:04:25,241 --> 00:04:26,482 the National Honor Society. 73 00:04:26,482 --> 00:04:28,586 You know, everything came easy to her. 74 00:04:28,586 --> 00:04:30,689 NARRATOR: And she walked the hallways 75 00:04:30,689 --> 00:04:33,896 with a crown on her head, literally. 76 00:04:33,896 --> 00:04:36,000 DEBRA: When she was crowned Homecoming Queen, 77 00:04:36,000 --> 00:04:40,344 she seemed right in her place, like she fit there. 78 00:04:42,379 --> 00:04:45,586 If you think of The Breakfast Club , Lisa would probably 79 00:04:45,586 --> 00:04:47,896 have been Molly Ringwald. 80 00:04:47,896 --> 00:04:50,965 It would be easy to see where someone could be jealous. 81 00:04:52,103 --> 00:04:53,275 NARRATOR: Especially when she's captured 82 00:04:53,275 --> 00:04:57,172 the heart of the most eligible farmer in town, 83 00:04:57,241 --> 00:04:58,689 Bill Buss. 84 00:04:58,689 --> 00:05:01,379 GINI: In high school, they started dating. 85 00:05:02,206 --> 00:05:03,482 He was cute. 86 00:05:03,482 --> 00:05:06,275 He had blue eyes, he had dark hair, he was tall. 87 00:05:06,275 --> 00:05:08,689 He's not like other guys around here. 88 00:05:08,689 --> 00:05:10,586 He doesn't drink. 89 00:05:10,586 --> 00:05:13,137 You just know he would treat a girl right. 90 00:05:14,517 --> 00:05:17,000 He was a serious farmer, 91 00:05:17,000 --> 00:05:18,689 very serious about his farm. 92 00:05:19,931 --> 00:05:23,482 Farming is a dedicated job. 93 00:05:23,482 --> 00:05:25,689 It's a strict schedule -- milk in the morning, 94 00:05:25,689 --> 00:05:27,896 milk in the evening, 95 00:05:27,896 --> 00:05:29,793 365 days a year. 96 00:05:29,793 --> 00:05:31,586 GINI: Lisa helped him forget his problems. 97 00:05:31,655 --> 00:05:34,896 He felt like he could let loose with her and relax. 98 00:05:34,896 --> 00:05:38,586 NARRATOR: It may seem like Lisa is living a teenage dream, 99 00:05:38,655 --> 00:05:41,655 but heavy is the head that wears the tiara, 100 00:05:42,206 --> 00:05:44,379 especially in a town where the glory days end 101 00:05:44,379 --> 00:05:46,172 with high school. 102 00:05:46,172 --> 00:05:51,000 And in June of 1986, Lisa is at a crossroads. 103 00:05:52,827 --> 00:05:55,379 LOUISE: In Marathon County, you don't leave your territory. 104 00:05:55,379 --> 00:05:59,896 You go to school, get married, buy a house, have some kids. 105 00:05:59,965 --> 00:06:04,275 It's kind of how the process works. 106 00:06:04,275 --> 00:06:06,068 Lisa wasn't sure it's what she wanted. 107 00:06:07,275 --> 00:06:10,379 So many women, you know, think about that. 108 00:06:10,448 --> 00:06:12,896 Is this something really I'm cut out for? 109 00:06:12,896 --> 00:06:15,275 Is this going to be my life? 110 00:06:16,586 --> 00:06:19,482 Do I want to just sit back and just have babies? 111 00:06:21,172 --> 00:06:25,241 I think Lisa wanted to do more with her life. 112 00:06:28,172 --> 00:06:31,586 Exploring the world is where she was at. 113 00:06:31,586 --> 00:06:34,586 Lisa wanted to go to somewhere warm, 114 00:06:34,655 --> 00:06:37,482 because it's always cold in Wisconsin. 115 00:06:37,551 --> 00:06:40,379 We talked about going lots of places. 116 00:06:40,379 --> 00:06:43,344 You dream of that nice blue water and palm trees. 117 00:06:44,275 --> 00:06:45,896 NARRATOR: But leaving town means 118 00:06:45,965 --> 00:06:48,586 she'll have to part ways with Bill. 119 00:06:48,586 --> 00:06:52,000 GINI: It was more Lisa's idea to break up. 120 00:06:52,000 --> 00:06:54,482 She was just like, okay, I'm graduating high school, 121 00:06:54,482 --> 00:06:58,172 I need to kind of experience something besides us. 122 00:06:58,172 --> 00:07:01,172 But they remained great friends. 123 00:07:02,172 --> 00:07:04,793 NARRATOR: In the fall, Lisa enrolls in 124 00:07:04,862 --> 00:07:06,689 Dakota County Technical College, 125 00:07:06,689 --> 00:07:09,689 three hours away from Marathon County. 126 00:07:09,689 --> 00:07:13,793 She had gone away to school in Minnesota to be a travel agent, 127 00:07:13,793 --> 00:07:16,068 you know, trying to find herself. 128 00:07:16,137 --> 00:07:19,172 NARRATOR: Lisa was a talented and beautiful young woman 129 00:07:19,172 --> 00:07:20,689 with big dreams, 130 00:07:21,793 --> 00:07:25,689 the kind other girls want to see fail. 131 00:07:25,689 --> 00:07:29,379 DEBRA: In Marathon County, there's a little bit of snark 132 00:07:29,448 --> 00:07:32,689 from girls about kids who leave. 133 00:07:34,206 --> 00:07:37,655 It's, we'll see how well she does out in the world. 134 00:07:39,586 --> 00:07:41,172 Like, oh, you're going there? 135 00:07:41,241 --> 00:07:43,482 Oh, well, I would never go there. 136 00:07:45,586 --> 00:07:48,586 NARRATOR: But after completing her program in six months, 137 00:07:48,655 --> 00:07:53,793 Lisa finds the place she most wants to go to is back home. 138 00:07:53,862 --> 00:07:55,793 GINI: She decided she didn't want to move. 139 00:07:55,793 --> 00:07:58,793 God bless these people, a lot of them don't move away. 140 00:07:58,793 --> 00:08:01,689 A lot of kids in Birnamwood live with 141 00:08:01,689 --> 00:08:04,586 their parents by choice. That's what Lisa did. 142 00:08:13,000 --> 00:08:16,000 SCOTT: On the morning of September 21st, 1989, 143 00:08:16,034 --> 00:08:18,586 I was off duty. 144 00:08:18,586 --> 00:08:21,793 And as I drove past the parking lot of this hotel complex, 145 00:08:21,862 --> 00:08:25,275 I noticed a lot of commotion taking place. 146 00:08:25,344 --> 00:08:28,172 I made contact with the lieutenant on the scene, 147 00:08:28,172 --> 00:08:30,586 who told me to go home, put on a suit, 148 00:08:30,586 --> 00:08:32,895 because we have a homicide. 149 00:08:32,895 --> 00:08:36,172 Lisa Cihaski was in her 20s. 150 00:08:36,172 --> 00:08:39,068 She was employed by one of the local hotels 151 00:08:39,136 --> 00:08:40,379 in Marathon County. 152 00:08:41,517 --> 00:08:43,068 LOUISE: Lisa worked at the front desk. 153 00:08:43,068 --> 00:08:46,379 We were the people who checked you in. 154 00:08:46,448 --> 00:08:49,000 My initial thought was 155 00:08:49,034 --> 00:08:51,448 maybe it was somebody from the hotel. 156 00:08:52,620 --> 00:08:55,689 I think some of the detectives were thinking that right away, 157 00:08:55,689 --> 00:09:00,586 because they wanted all the hotel records and all 158 00:09:00,586 --> 00:09:03,689 garbages from rooms and who's checked out already. 159 00:09:03,689 --> 00:09:08,172 And then one of the detectives, he said to me too, he says, 160 00:09:08,241 --> 00:09:09,896 "Are you willing to be fingerprinted 161 00:09:09,896 --> 00:09:11,275 and give a hair sample?" 162 00:09:11,344 --> 00:09:13,689 Because realistically, you're a murder suspect, 163 00:09:13,689 --> 00:09:16,275 as is all the employees here. 164 00:09:16,275 --> 00:09:19,275 If you didn't agree to it, you're gonna go high on 165 00:09:19,275 --> 00:09:20,586 the list of suspicion. 166 00:09:21,689 --> 00:09:23,862 The interviews started right away. 167 00:09:27,310 --> 00:09:30,275 I told detectives I worked that day, September 20th. 168 00:09:30,275 --> 00:09:34,275 It was busy, Wednesdays are always a busy day. 169 00:09:34,275 --> 00:09:36,896 I left probably around 5:30, 6 at night. 170 00:09:36,965 --> 00:09:40,689 There was still light outside, and I remember seeing Lisa. 171 00:09:40,689 --> 00:09:42,068 I said, "I'm calling it a day." 172 00:09:42,137 --> 00:09:43,965 And she said, "I'll see you tomorrow." 173 00:09:44,586 --> 00:09:48,137 And that was the last that I seen her that night. 174 00:09:50,275 --> 00:09:53,689 GINI: That evening, after Lisa's shift ended, about 8:30, 175 00:09:53,689 --> 00:09:55,379 she went, and she changed her clothes 176 00:09:55,379 --> 00:09:57,379 into jeans and sneakers. 177 00:09:57,379 --> 00:09:59,862 She said good night to people, went out the door. 178 00:10:01,000 --> 00:10:03,482 There was a problem with the car, like a light was going 179 00:10:03,482 --> 00:10:06,689 on or something, and she was concerned about it. 180 00:10:06,758 --> 00:10:08,172 CLARK: She had just bought that car. 181 00:10:08,172 --> 00:10:11,379 But I remember her saying, once in a while, something was 182 00:10:11,379 --> 00:10:12,551 acting up on it. 183 00:10:13,620 --> 00:10:16,275 GINI: That night, Lisa didn't arrive home. 184 00:10:16,344 --> 00:10:18,379 She didn't call. She didn't say she'd be late. 185 00:10:18,448 --> 00:10:20,586 And this was highly unusual. 186 00:10:20,655 --> 00:10:22,896 Mrs. Cihaski started calling around. 187 00:10:22,896 --> 00:10:24,793 And she called the hotel. 188 00:10:24,862 --> 00:10:29,172 She called friends of hers, and nobody had seen her. 189 00:10:29,241 --> 00:10:31,172 Her mom really started to worry. 190 00:10:36,413 --> 00:10:39,068 The next morning, no word from Lisa. 191 00:10:39,137 --> 00:10:42,068 So her mother gets up, she drives the road going by 192 00:10:42,068 --> 00:10:45,275 the hotel, and she looks, and she sees her daughter's car 193 00:10:45,344 --> 00:10:46,482 still in the lot. 194 00:10:48,689 --> 00:10:50,896 So she parks, and she gets out, and she looks through 195 00:10:50,896 --> 00:10:53,000 the window, and her daughter is lying 196 00:10:54,482 --> 00:10:55,655 slumped over. 197 00:10:57,103 --> 00:10:59,379 And she reaches in, and she touches her daughter. 198 00:10:59,379 --> 00:11:01,344 And she's cold. 199 00:11:04,896 --> 00:11:06,862 DEBRA: She was such a genuine... 200 00:11:08,827 --> 00:11:10,689 She was such an innocent person. 201 00:11:12,482 --> 00:11:14,275 I don't know why this had to happen to her. 202 00:11:18,000 --> 00:11:21,172 SCOTT: You could see that Lisa Cihaski's body was seated 203 00:11:21,172 --> 00:11:23,000 in the driver's seat. 204 00:11:23,000 --> 00:11:27,689 There was a smudge of some sort on the driver's side mirror. 205 00:11:27,689 --> 00:11:32,482 She was either trying to fend off her attacker or trying to 206 00:11:32,482 --> 00:11:34,000 save her own life. 207 00:11:34,034 --> 00:11:38,000 It was obvious that she had suffered a strangulation injury 208 00:11:38,000 --> 00:11:41,793 due to ligature marks around her neck. 209 00:11:41,793 --> 00:11:45,103 What really stood out, as far as motive, was anger. 210 00:11:45,103 --> 00:11:50,000 To do a strangulation death where someone is trying to 211 00:11:50,000 --> 00:11:52,379 struggle against you, you have to have a lot of anger 212 00:11:52,379 --> 00:11:53,758 to continue doing that. 213 00:11:59,793 --> 00:12:01,172 SCOTT: We wanted to focus on 214 00:12:01,172 --> 00:12:03,379 the first 72 hours, definitely, 215 00:12:03,448 --> 00:12:05,896 on a homicide where you try to task as many people as 216 00:12:05,896 --> 00:12:07,379 you can to it. 217 00:12:07,379 --> 00:12:11,068 The sheriff's office was not as large as what it is today. 218 00:12:11,068 --> 00:12:13,379 And the pool of detectives available would have been 219 00:12:13,379 --> 00:12:14,586 less than seven. 220 00:12:14,586 --> 00:12:18,896 And the pool of potential suspects was huge. 221 00:12:18,896 --> 00:12:21,379 We were trying to determine individuals that would have 222 00:12:21,448 --> 00:12:24,103 a suspicious background from that particular hotel complex. 223 00:12:24,103 --> 00:12:25,689 We had to take a look at 224 00:12:25,758 --> 00:12:27,758 the number of guests that were present. 225 00:12:27,827 --> 00:12:31,482 Then you have the open parking lot next to a restaurant that 226 00:12:31,482 --> 00:12:32,689 is very popular. 227 00:12:32,758 --> 00:12:35,068 And could someone have been waiting out there? 228 00:12:37,000 --> 00:12:38,482 REPORTER: The initial shock surged 229 00:12:38,482 --> 00:12:40,379 through this area September 20th, 230 00:12:40,379 --> 00:12:43,172 when Lisa Cihaski was found in her car 231 00:12:43,241 --> 00:12:45,482 strangled to death. -She's a very nice person. 232 00:12:45,482 --> 00:12:47,448 I can't imagine anyone wanting to hurt Lisa. 233 00:12:49,275 --> 00:12:52,793 KATHY: When I heard about Lisa's death, I was at home. 234 00:12:52,793 --> 00:12:56,586 My mom and I were in the living room watching the noon news. 235 00:12:56,586 --> 00:13:00,172 And my mom and I just looked at each other, and we were just 236 00:13:00,172 --> 00:13:03,275 like, oh my god, how could this have happened and who would 237 00:13:03,275 --> 00:13:05,068 have done such a thing? 238 00:13:08,206 --> 00:13:11,379 SCOTT: When you're talking about a young female killed in 239 00:13:11,379 --> 00:13:14,379 a parking lot that's well lit, that does cause a lot of 240 00:13:14,379 --> 00:13:16,758 individuals to be concerned about themselves 241 00:13:16,827 --> 00:13:18,793 or their loved ones. 242 00:13:18,793 --> 00:13:21,862 We changed our security procedures. 243 00:13:21,862 --> 00:13:24,068 All the female employees were walked out 244 00:13:24,137 --> 00:13:26,551 by a night manager or the chef. 245 00:13:27,172 --> 00:13:29,068 They made sure they got in the car, 246 00:13:29,137 --> 00:13:31,241 started the car, and waved goodbye. 247 00:13:33,689 --> 00:13:35,758 We didn't have a clue yet who did this. 248 00:13:37,379 --> 00:13:39,137 The whole town was speculating 249 00:13:40,275 --> 00:13:42,172 what happened. 250 00:13:42,172 --> 00:13:43,689 Was it a drifter from the hotel? 251 00:13:43,689 --> 00:13:45,689 Was it just some guy from the neighborhood? 252 00:13:45,689 --> 00:13:48,068 Was it a couple guys? 253 00:13:48,137 --> 00:13:51,172 So the speculation was running real high. 254 00:13:51,241 --> 00:13:53,068 I mean, we worked in a hotel. 255 00:13:54,275 --> 00:13:56,689 You see strange things. 256 00:13:56,689 --> 00:13:59,482 There were a lot of men that flirted with the staff members, 257 00:13:59,482 --> 00:14:01,655 people at the front desk and bar. 258 00:14:03,000 --> 00:14:06,241 We had a box of lost and found wedding rings in the safe. 259 00:14:08,413 --> 00:14:11,586 I remember the detectives asking me, do you know 260 00:14:11,586 --> 00:14:16,275 who could have done it? No. I couldn't imagine who. 261 00:14:16,344 --> 00:14:17,586 It had to be a stranger. 262 00:14:17,655 --> 00:14:21,586 NARRATOR: That same day, a hotel employee 263 00:14:21,586 --> 00:14:24,482 gives investigators their first big break. 264 00:14:27,000 --> 00:14:29,482 They learned that someone who had worked with Lisa had 265 00:14:29,482 --> 00:14:31,586 seen her in the car after work. 266 00:14:31,586 --> 00:14:34,862 While she was pulling out, her headlights went 267 00:14:34,862 --> 00:14:36,379 into Lisa's car. 268 00:14:36,448 --> 00:14:39,689 She saw somebody in there with Lisa, who she thought was 269 00:14:39,689 --> 00:14:43,896 a man -- she said they had a halo of blonde hair. 270 00:14:43,896 --> 00:14:47,275 So they put out a sketch based on her description, and then 271 00:14:47,275 --> 00:14:48,965 they put it in all the media. 272 00:14:50,172 --> 00:14:53,689 NARRATOR: Twenty-four hours after Lisa's body is discovered, 273 00:14:53,758 --> 00:14:57,482 a tip comes in close to home. 274 00:14:57,551 --> 00:15:01,172 GINI: The bartender said there was one individual named George 275 00:15:01,172 --> 00:15:02,551 who would hang out at the bar. 276 00:15:03,793 --> 00:15:06,275 He was there for a sales training, who was kind of 277 00:15:06,275 --> 00:15:09,000 a partier, hung out at the bar all day, flirted with all 278 00:15:09,034 --> 00:15:11,689 the girls and the staff. 279 00:15:11,689 --> 00:15:14,655 He actually had a date the same night that Lisa died. 280 00:15:16,000 --> 00:15:21,172 But he left abruptly. He stood the date up. 281 00:15:21,241 --> 00:15:23,379 The next morning, he checked out 282 00:15:23,379 --> 00:15:26,896 really early and vanished. I think he was like 5' 6". 283 00:15:26,896 --> 00:15:29,275 His hair was a little shaggy. 284 00:15:29,275 --> 00:15:33,137 So maybe that's the individual she saw in the car with Lisa. 285 00:15:36,068 --> 00:15:39,275 We had to take a look at if there was any opportunity for 286 00:15:39,344 --> 00:15:41,758 Lisa Cihaski to have had contact with that particular 287 00:15:41,827 --> 00:15:45,482 guest, because maybe they had some type of confrontation. 288 00:15:45,551 --> 00:15:49,000 GINI: So when they get ahold of George, George said, 289 00:15:49,000 --> 00:15:52,758 "I had partied so much that I fell asleep. 290 00:15:52,758 --> 00:15:55,000 "I didn't go to my date because I was just 291 00:15:55,034 --> 00:15:56,379 "sleeping from partying. 292 00:15:56,379 --> 00:15:59,758 "And the next day, I got up and thought, I don't need to be 293 00:15:59,827 --> 00:16:02,758 here for the training anymore. It's over, so I left." 294 00:16:02,758 --> 00:16:05,275 NARRATOR: It's not the most convincing story, 295 00:16:05,275 --> 00:16:08,689 but his manager is able to corroborate his alibi. 296 00:16:10,275 --> 00:16:13,482 CLARK: At that time, the detectives started looking 297 00:16:13,482 --> 00:16:16,758 at hotel employees and seeing if there's any surprising names 298 00:16:16,827 --> 00:16:20,862 from warrants or other police departments. 299 00:16:20,862 --> 00:16:24,689 And then they interviewed a few guys from the kitchen. 300 00:16:24,689 --> 00:16:28,275 There was an individual who she had known from high school, 301 00:16:28,344 --> 00:16:31,793 his name was Mark, who wound up working as a dishwasher. 302 00:16:31,793 --> 00:16:34,862 And he would pinch her on the arm and say, 303 00:16:34,862 --> 00:16:36,275 "You're a pretty little thing." 304 00:16:36,275 --> 00:16:39,379 KATHY: He was a year younger than me. 305 00:16:39,448 --> 00:16:42,586 It was kind of a rough upbringing for him. 306 00:16:42,586 --> 00:16:45,379 I remember him being on drugs in school. 307 00:16:45,379 --> 00:16:48,758 Lisa was wary of strangers and wouldn't have let 308 00:16:48,827 --> 00:16:50,103 a stranger in the car. 309 00:16:50,103 --> 00:16:52,172 But perhaps if Mark asked for a ride, she might have let 310 00:16:52,172 --> 00:16:54,586 him in the car -- maybe he fit the description. 311 00:16:54,586 --> 00:16:58,000 So they brought this guy Mark in for questioning. 312 00:16:58,000 --> 00:17:01,586 And the police asked him, "Where were you that night?" 313 00:17:01,655 --> 00:17:05,378 And he said, "I was in Milwaukee with my dad." 314 00:17:05,448 --> 00:17:07,000 And they go, "Well, do you have proof of that?" 315 00:17:07,034 --> 00:17:09,896 And he goes, "Yeah, I got a speeding ticket." 316 00:17:09,896 --> 00:17:14,378 So he was able to show that, so he was written off. 317 00:17:14,378 --> 00:17:18,896 None of the investigation came out with an obvious person 318 00:17:18,896 --> 00:17:20,689 who would have a motive to kill her. 319 00:17:20,689 --> 00:17:24,378 So I think there was a lot of frustration to try to figure 320 00:17:24,448 --> 00:17:25,689 out who it was. 321 00:17:27,103 --> 00:17:30,379 People were freaked out because they thought it was a person 322 00:17:30,379 --> 00:17:33,068 who probably was traveling through, had stopped in 323 00:17:33,068 --> 00:17:37,172 the hotel, and followed her out and killed her. 324 00:17:37,172 --> 00:17:40,379 DEBRA: It was at a point where everybody was worried because 325 00:17:40,448 --> 00:17:44,172 there was some crazed killer on the loose. 326 00:17:44,241 --> 00:17:46,586 NARRATOR: With hotel employees and guests written off 327 00:17:46,586 --> 00:17:48,482 as potential suspects, 328 00:17:48,482 --> 00:17:51,862 detectives dig deeper into Lisa's personal life. 329 00:17:53,620 --> 00:17:57,379 You do start to take a look at relationships that 330 00:17:57,448 --> 00:17:59,896 the individual would be involved with and how those 331 00:17:59,896 --> 00:18:02,000 relationships could have impacted what occurred on 332 00:18:02,034 --> 00:18:03,172 that particular day. 333 00:18:04,206 --> 00:18:07,103 You have to think, well, it could have been 334 00:18:07,103 --> 00:18:08,862 someone inside her circle. 335 00:18:09,793 --> 00:18:12,379 It's very seldom that it's a whodunit. 336 00:18:12,379 --> 00:18:14,586 On most homicide investigations, 337 00:18:14,586 --> 00:18:16,586 the perpetrator is someone that is a spouse 338 00:18:16,655 --> 00:18:20,689 or a significant other who killed in a fit of anger. 339 00:18:20,758 --> 00:18:23,172 NARRATOR: All eyes turn to Lisa's old high school 340 00:18:23,172 --> 00:18:26,068 boyfriend, Bill Buss. 341 00:18:26,137 --> 00:18:28,793 Lisa told me she was getting back with Bill when I met 342 00:18:28,793 --> 00:18:30,586 her at the Howard Johnson restaurant. 343 00:18:30,586 --> 00:18:34,172 The breakup after high school was traumatic. 344 00:18:34,172 --> 00:18:38,103 I do believe that she wanted to be a farmer's wife. 345 00:18:38,103 --> 00:18:40,862 She just needed to explore a little bit more. 346 00:18:40,931 --> 00:18:43,758 When she moved back, she definitely wanted to get 347 00:18:43,827 --> 00:18:45,172 back with Bill. 348 00:18:45,172 --> 00:18:48,758 NARRATOR: Police learn that Lisa's been back in Bill's arms 349 00:18:48,758 --> 00:18:50,379 for the past three months. 350 00:18:50,379 --> 00:18:52,931 Now he's a suspect in her murder. 351 00:18:53,896 --> 00:18:56,137 So they brought Bill in for questioning. 352 00:18:57,793 --> 00:19:00,586 When police asked Bill about his whereabouts that night, 353 00:19:00,586 --> 00:19:03,793 he had explained to them that earlier in the evening, 354 00:19:03,793 --> 00:19:06,793 he called Lisa at work. 355 00:19:06,793 --> 00:19:09,172 He said, "Okay, I'm going to go play darts till 11. 356 00:19:09,172 --> 00:19:10,827 I'll talk to you later." 357 00:19:12,517 --> 00:19:15,275 And they were able to confirm that Bill, through one of 358 00:19:15,275 --> 00:19:17,068 his friends that was indeed playing darts. 359 00:19:17,068 --> 00:19:19,689 And the police ruled out Bill pretty quickly. 360 00:19:19,689 --> 00:19:24,000 And they didn't feel that he had anything to do with it. 361 00:19:24,034 --> 00:19:25,586 Bill seemed so distraught. 362 00:19:26,379 --> 00:19:28,275 NARRATOR: But they soon learn that Bill and Lisa's 363 00:19:28,275 --> 00:19:31,689 relationship is more complicated than meets the eye. 364 00:19:31,758 --> 00:19:36,172 The problem in a small town is if you go out with somebody 365 00:19:36,172 --> 00:19:39,275 and you break up, he's gonna go out with somebody you know. 366 00:19:39,275 --> 00:19:44,172 And so Bill told police that he was dating Lisa. 367 00:19:44,172 --> 00:19:49,482 But prior to that, he had dated Lori Esker for about a year. 368 00:19:49,482 --> 00:19:53,862 Bill had met Lori just like he met Lisa in high school. 369 00:19:53,931 --> 00:19:56,862 Lisa was older than Lori. 370 00:19:56,931 --> 00:19:59,275 They had lockers near each other, and they were friends 371 00:19:59,275 --> 00:20:00,482 with each other. 372 00:20:00,482 --> 00:20:04,379 Lisa and Lori's moms knew each other from school. 373 00:20:04,448 --> 00:20:07,586 After Bill and Lisa broke up and Lisa was at college, 374 00:20:07,655 --> 00:20:10,758 Bill almost immediately started dating Lori. 375 00:20:10,827 --> 00:20:12,586 She was smitten with him. 376 00:20:12,586 --> 00:20:15,000 Bill had loved Lori. 377 00:20:15,000 --> 00:20:17,689 LOUISE: That was an uncomfortable situation 378 00:20:17,758 --> 00:20:22,172 for Lisa -- Lisa didn't like he was dating someone else. 379 00:20:22,172 --> 00:20:23,448 It hurt, I'm sure. 380 00:20:24,517 --> 00:20:27,862 NARRATOR: Turns out Farmer Bill has a type. 381 00:20:29,379 --> 00:20:31,068 GINI: Both of these girls were popular. 382 00:20:31,137 --> 00:20:34,379 And both of these girls had won contests. 383 00:20:34,448 --> 00:20:37,379 Lisa was the Homecoming Queen of Birnamwood. 384 00:20:37,448 --> 00:20:42,758 And Lori Esker was crowned Dairy Princess in June of 1989. 385 00:20:42,758 --> 00:20:46,379 NARRATOR: In Marathon County, a Dairy Princess 386 00:20:46,379 --> 00:20:48,655 outranks a Homecoming Queen. 387 00:20:52,068 --> 00:20:56,000 DEBRA: So a Dairy Princess is someone who is very involved in 388 00:20:56,034 --> 00:20:58,793 agriculture and have a real desire of 389 00:20:58,793 --> 00:21:00,896 staying in the industry, 390 00:21:00,896 --> 00:21:04,482 and it also means that you're very popular. 391 00:21:04,551 --> 00:21:08,000 It's a county award, so she was representing 392 00:21:08,034 --> 00:21:10,379 all the dairy farms of Marathon County. 393 00:21:10,379 --> 00:21:13,379 Here you guys go! You get another cow! 394 00:21:13,448 --> 00:21:17,172 They go to a lot of different functions and try to get other 395 00:21:17,172 --> 00:21:20,896 young ladies to get involved in the agricultural business. 396 00:21:20,896 --> 00:21:26,000 To be a Dairy Princess would be an absolute honor. 397 00:21:26,000 --> 00:21:27,758 NARRATOR: Every farmer's daughter 398 00:21:27,827 --> 00:21:31,000 would do anything to wear that crown and sash. 399 00:21:31,034 --> 00:21:34,896 The person who won would become a spokesperson for the industry. 400 00:21:34,896 --> 00:21:37,758 I mean, Lori was perfect for it, she was a shoe-in. 401 00:21:37,827 --> 00:21:40,275 It symbolized her as an icon of the industry. 402 00:21:40,275 --> 00:21:44,896 There's some true legitimacy to whoever holds the title, 403 00:21:44,896 --> 00:21:46,482 you know, a real honor. 404 00:21:46,551 --> 00:21:50,275 NARRATOR: The Dairy Princess and the Homecoming Queen. 405 00:21:50,275 --> 00:21:52,482 GINI: There was overlap between the two women. 406 00:21:52,482 --> 00:21:55,103 Bill was kind of walking a tightrope. 407 00:21:55,103 --> 00:21:58,344 NARRATOR: How could Farmer Bill possibly choose? 408 00:22:00,620 --> 00:22:02,551 It seems he didn't have to. 409 00:22:10,689 --> 00:22:13,068 Lori and Lisa were people who were former 410 00:22:13,068 --> 00:22:17,241 friends, they were wholesome and well-liked. 411 00:22:17,241 --> 00:22:19,482 NARRATOR: After learning about Farmer Bill Buss's 412 00:22:19,482 --> 00:22:21,551 ex-girlfriend, Lori Esker, 413 00:22:22,862 --> 00:22:25,862 investigators take a closer look into her background. 414 00:22:29,586 --> 00:22:32,689 KATHY: Lori was a pretty girl, 415 00:22:32,689 --> 00:22:36,862 always looked nice, had hair done, makeup on, dressed nice. 416 00:22:36,931 --> 00:22:39,344 Lori and I got closer senior year. 417 00:22:39,344 --> 00:22:41,655 We sat next to each other in class. 418 00:22:42,896 --> 00:22:46,551 To be popular in our school, you had to have the looks, 419 00:22:46,620 --> 00:22:49,862 you had to have personality and friendliness, and it also 420 00:22:49,862 --> 00:22:51,655 depended on who you were friends with. 421 00:22:52,793 --> 00:22:55,034 NARRATOR: Lisa may have been queen of the cool kids, 422 00:22:55,034 --> 00:22:56,448 but Lori ruled 423 00:22:56,448 --> 00:23:00,310 her own circle of friends, the Agriculture Club. 424 00:23:01,689 --> 00:23:03,965 KATHY: At that time, we called them Dirts. 425 00:23:05,275 --> 00:23:07,551 I was a Dirt. 426 00:23:07,551 --> 00:23:10,862 All of us farm kids, you had to go home after school and do 427 00:23:10,931 --> 00:23:14,620 your chores, so Lori had to go home and help on the farm. 428 00:23:16,000 --> 00:23:20,965 DEBRA: Lori definitely was a hard-working farm girl, 429 00:23:21,000 --> 00:23:25,103 expected to be able to carry two pails of milk. 430 00:23:25,103 --> 00:23:28,103 She was very strong, she was really, 431 00:23:28,103 --> 00:23:30,000 really into agriculture. 432 00:23:30,000 --> 00:23:34,034 Lori was in 4-H, Future Farmers of America. 433 00:23:34,034 --> 00:23:37,965 She was good at what she did. She was determined. 434 00:23:40,000 --> 00:23:44,655 She won awards for these groups that weren't just local, 435 00:23:44,655 --> 00:23:48,137 they were district or statewide contests. 436 00:23:48,137 --> 00:23:51,551 In school, she was student council president. 437 00:23:51,551 --> 00:23:53,655 She was used to being a winner. 438 00:23:54,551 --> 00:23:57,241 Lori wasn't conceited, 439 00:23:57,241 --> 00:23:59,000 but she was self-centered. 440 00:23:59,000 --> 00:24:02,586 She talked nonstop, and the subject of the conversation 441 00:24:02,586 --> 00:24:03,931 was usually Lori. 442 00:24:05,103 --> 00:24:07,241 Her friends called her Ratchet Jaw, because 443 00:24:07,241 --> 00:24:10,896 it would never stop -- she was known for exaggeration. 444 00:24:10,896 --> 00:24:12,344 Some might call it lying. 445 00:24:12,413 --> 00:24:15,965 I'm gonna get a new truck, I'm gonna have the best farm. 446 00:24:17,482 --> 00:24:20,413 Everybody thought Lori kind of told tall tales. 447 00:24:22,275 --> 00:24:26,965 NARRATOR: With looks, brains, and brawn, Lori makes an ideal 448 00:24:27,000 --> 00:24:30,896 Dairy Princess of Marathon County, a title she wins after 449 00:24:30,896 --> 00:24:34,448 graduating high school in June of 1989. 450 00:24:34,448 --> 00:24:38,137 When I saw Lori in the paper for being the Dairy Princess, 451 00:24:38,137 --> 00:24:40,172 I thought, oh my God, good for her. 452 00:24:40,172 --> 00:24:43,482 She was so into it. 453 00:24:43,482 --> 00:24:47,000 So she was a perfect candidate in that position. 454 00:24:47,000 --> 00:24:48,758 I remember her having a great big smile on 455 00:24:48,758 --> 00:24:50,965 her face, big accomplishment. 456 00:24:52,448 --> 00:24:55,275 NARRATOR: But Lori has already won the greatest prize, 457 00:24:55,275 --> 00:24:58,000 the hand of farmer Bill Buss, 458 00:24:58,000 --> 00:25:00,482 whose heart had been broken when Lisa 459 00:25:00,482 --> 00:25:02,103 left for college. 460 00:25:02,103 --> 00:25:04,000 GINI: Lori wanted to be a farmer, 461 00:25:04,000 --> 00:25:06,068 and Bill wanted to be a farmer. 462 00:25:06,068 --> 00:25:08,793 He was kind of perfect for her. 463 00:25:08,793 --> 00:25:11,448 He represented everything she wanted. 464 00:25:21,758 --> 00:25:26,655 I went to college at UW-River Falls, and its nickname was 465 00:25:26,655 --> 00:25:31,275 Moo U, because there were a lot of agriculture students there. 466 00:25:31,275 --> 00:25:35,655 My roommate Anne and I had a three-bedroom apartment, 467 00:25:35,655 --> 00:25:38,379 and Lori ended up living with us. 468 00:25:38,379 --> 00:25:42,586 She was going to school for agriculture and journalism. 469 00:25:42,586 --> 00:25:44,586 NARRATOR: It's the perfect university 470 00:25:44,586 --> 00:25:47,482 for a Dairy Princess and just 471 00:25:47,482 --> 00:25:50,448 a two-hour drive from Marathon County. 472 00:25:50,448 --> 00:25:54,551 Lori did talk about the fact that she was the Dairy Princess 473 00:25:54,551 --> 00:25:56,344 for Marathon County. 474 00:25:56,344 --> 00:26:00,344 I felt that Lori was honored and felt that it was exciting 475 00:26:00,344 --> 00:26:03,758 and an accomplishment for her, but I had never heard 476 00:26:03,758 --> 00:26:05,241 about a Dairy Princess. 477 00:26:06,896 --> 00:26:09,551 NARRATOR: Lori works hard, not just at her studies, 478 00:26:09,620 --> 00:26:12,000 but also at maintaining her new relationship with 479 00:26:12,000 --> 00:26:14,137 the farmer of her dreams. 480 00:26:14,137 --> 00:26:16,655 GINI: While Lori was at college, she called Bill 481 00:26:16,655 --> 00:26:18,137 multiple times a week. 482 00:26:18,137 --> 00:26:20,827 She wrote him letters, and she came home every weekend. 483 00:26:22,000 --> 00:26:26,793 JENNIFER: She was very obsessive and fixated on Bill, 484 00:26:26,793 --> 00:26:29,034 on the fact that they were together. 485 00:26:29,034 --> 00:26:33,241 She talked and talked and talked about Bill and how 486 00:26:33,310 --> 00:26:35,551 Bill could give her certain things. 487 00:26:37,862 --> 00:26:44,551 Lori was going to basically get her MRS degree and marry Bill. 488 00:26:44,551 --> 00:26:47,275 NARRATOR: But sometimes dreams don't come true, 489 00:26:47,275 --> 00:26:49,689 even when you're a princess. 490 00:26:49,689 --> 00:26:52,034 Bill didn't think they were getting along, and he tried to 491 00:26:52,034 --> 00:26:54,689 break up with her several times, and she'd go, 492 00:26:54,689 --> 00:26:55,862 "We'll work it out." 493 00:26:57,344 --> 00:27:00,000 Then the summer between freshman and sophomore year, 494 00:27:00,000 --> 00:27:05,137 Lori went home to see Bill, and he told her that it was 495 00:27:05,137 --> 00:27:07,241 over, that he was breaking up with her. 496 00:27:09,034 --> 00:27:10,655 For Lori, she basically lost 497 00:27:10,655 --> 00:27:13,965 everything she believed she deserved. 498 00:27:17,000 --> 00:27:18,379 He went home, and she decided, 499 00:27:18,379 --> 00:27:20,275 no, I've got to go speak to him. 500 00:27:20,275 --> 00:27:24,068 So Lori drives towards Bill's farm. 501 00:27:26,482 --> 00:27:30,344 NARRATOR: And that's where Lori gets the shock of her life. 502 00:27:30,344 --> 00:27:33,344 Lori gets out, sees Lisa with Bill, 503 00:27:33,344 --> 00:27:36,724 and Lori could see she'd been replaced. 504 00:27:38,482 --> 00:27:40,758 She could not accept the fact that she was a loser 505 00:27:40,758 --> 00:27:42,000 in this situation. 506 00:27:45,379 --> 00:27:49,724 And Lori comes marching toward Lisa and yells, "You bitch!" 507 00:27:55,896 --> 00:28:00,000 Lori had confronted Lisa in front of Bill. 508 00:28:00,000 --> 00:28:02,034 They were yelling at each other. 509 00:28:05,482 --> 00:28:08,000 DEBRA: Lori was very strong, and she could lift 510 00:28:08,000 --> 00:28:09,655 two pails of milk. 511 00:28:09,655 --> 00:28:13,551 Just her strength and her capabilities would have not 512 00:28:13,620 --> 00:28:16,827 been a close mark to what Lisa could produce. 513 00:28:25,586 --> 00:28:28,275 And Bill said to her, "It's not just that I'm with 514 00:28:28,275 --> 00:28:30,172 Lisa, it's that we're not meant to be together." 515 00:28:30,172 --> 00:28:33,241 You know, Lisa said, "I'm sorry that this happened," 516 00:28:33,310 --> 00:28:38,000 and managed to calm her down. Lori's like, "Okay, 517 00:28:38,000 --> 00:28:40,172 I accept this." 518 00:28:40,172 --> 00:28:41,482 By the end of it, they were hugging, 519 00:28:41,482 --> 00:28:43,965 like they were able to calm each other down. 520 00:28:44,000 --> 00:28:45,965 So it ended okay. 521 00:28:46,000 --> 00:28:48,931 Lori went back to school in River Falls that fall. 522 00:28:53,793 --> 00:28:55,862 SCOTT: At that time, we had detectives 523 00:28:55,931 --> 00:28:57,344 taking a look at Lori Esker. 524 00:28:57,413 --> 00:29:01,896 I knew for sure that Lisa Cihaski was 525 00:29:01,896 --> 00:29:02,965 killed by strangulation. 526 00:29:02,965 --> 00:29:04,965 In my mind, it was a fit of anger. 527 00:29:05,000 --> 00:29:07,241 This was only, like, three months after the breakup. 528 00:29:07,310 --> 00:29:11,275 When detectives came to talk with Lori and asked her about 529 00:29:11,275 --> 00:29:14,758 her relationship with Lisa and Bill, she was honest. 530 00:29:15,689 --> 00:29:17,344 She said, "Yeah, I went out with him. 531 00:29:17,413 --> 00:29:19,241 "It was very hard for me. 532 00:29:19,310 --> 00:29:23,000 We had words with each other, but I've accepted it." 533 00:29:23,000 --> 00:29:25,862 The detective wanted to establish where she was when, 534 00:29:25,862 --> 00:29:28,655 so they asked her for the timeline of that evening, 535 00:29:28,724 --> 00:29:31,586 and she said she had gone to the college library to study 536 00:29:31,586 --> 00:29:33,896 until about 9:30. 537 00:29:33,896 --> 00:29:36,965 So she had an alibi, but when they checked it out, 538 00:29:36,965 --> 00:29:40,482 they found nobody remembered seeing Lori. 539 00:29:40,482 --> 00:29:42,448 JENNIFER: You know, back in the late '80s, 540 00:29:42,517 --> 00:29:44,655 it would be easy to go to the library, 541 00:29:44,724 --> 00:29:48,586 not check in and just go there and do their thing. 542 00:29:48,586 --> 00:29:51,965 I know that I did that a number of times where I would just go 543 00:29:51,965 --> 00:29:53,965 in, do my thing, and find a quiet corner 544 00:29:54,000 --> 00:29:55,241 to go study. 545 00:29:56,137 --> 00:29:58,551 NARRATOR: And police find someone who vouches for Lori's 546 00:29:58,551 --> 00:30:00,241 whereabouts on the night of the murder. 547 00:30:01,275 --> 00:30:05,000 Lori said she called her friend back home, Scott, 548 00:30:05,000 --> 00:30:07,068 and they were able to verify that. 549 00:30:07,068 --> 00:30:08,965 They had a record of the phone call. 550 00:30:08,965 --> 00:30:13,241 They found that she had indeed called him from the library. 551 00:30:13,241 --> 00:30:17,137 Lori's alibi checked out. 552 00:30:17,137 --> 00:30:19,758 SCOTT: Lori Esker was always cooperative with the detectives 553 00:30:19,827 --> 00:30:21,344 and was always willing to talk. 554 00:30:22,448 --> 00:30:24,896 GINI: Bill told police, "She's not violent," 555 00:30:24,896 --> 00:30:27,482 and he didn't think Lori did it. 556 00:30:27,482 --> 00:30:30,689 Lisa's mom didn't think she did it. 557 00:30:30,689 --> 00:30:33,551 They thought that she was obsessed, 558 00:30:33,551 --> 00:30:36,172 but there was nothing about her that made you think 559 00:30:36,172 --> 00:30:38,137 this is an evil murderer. 560 00:30:38,137 --> 00:30:39,344 JENNIFER: She was attractive. 561 00:30:39,344 --> 00:30:41,000 I thought she would meet somebody else. 562 00:30:41,000 --> 00:30:44,000 You know, I had guy friends in other circles 563 00:30:44,000 --> 00:30:48,068 that, you know, may be a good match or, 564 00:30:48,068 --> 00:30:52,241 you know, a connection for her, a good distraction. 565 00:30:52,310 --> 00:30:56,000 I didn't think she would've gone home midweek to murder 566 00:30:56,000 --> 00:30:58,241 somebody over Bill. 567 00:30:58,241 --> 00:31:00,862 NARRATOR: Investigators may have let Lori off the hook, 568 00:31:00,931 --> 00:31:04,344 but the small town rumor mill keeps turning. 569 00:31:04,344 --> 00:31:07,551 KATHY: People in the area were starting to point fingers, 570 00:31:07,620 --> 00:31:10,379 and with the triangle of the three, 571 00:31:10,379 --> 00:31:14,103 and to find out it had gotten heated at one point before, 572 00:31:14,103 --> 00:31:17,241 I think that's where people started coming up with that 573 00:31:17,241 --> 00:31:18,689 they thought it was Lori. 574 00:31:18,689 --> 00:31:20,448 NARRATOR: The women of Marathon County 575 00:31:20,517 --> 00:31:21,896 know that Lori hasn't quite 576 00:31:21,896 --> 00:31:26,965 told police the whole truth about her and Bill and Lisa. 577 00:31:28,965 --> 00:31:32,689 I really don't think she could conceive why he would choose 578 00:31:32,689 --> 00:31:34,000 Lisa over her. 579 00:31:34,000 --> 00:31:37,482 And she didn't believe Lisa would stick with the farm. 580 00:31:37,482 --> 00:31:41,862 It's a lifestyle with borders and limits. 581 00:31:41,931 --> 00:31:45,241 You know, you can't travel with cows. 582 00:31:46,448 --> 00:31:49,517 JENNIFER: Lori wanted to become the Dairy Princess, 583 00:31:50,896 --> 00:31:56,137 to become Bill's wife, to become Bill's children's 584 00:31:56,137 --> 00:32:00,931 mother, the farming wife, the queen of the community. 585 00:32:04,068 --> 00:32:07,241 Those goals were shattered by Bill and Lisa. 586 00:32:09,000 --> 00:32:10,827 Lori's world fell apart. 587 00:32:12,034 --> 00:32:13,551 NARRATOR: After the fight with Lisa, 588 00:32:13,551 --> 00:32:15,448 Lori starts a whisper campaign 589 00:32:15,517 --> 00:32:18,551 to make certain Bill sees things her way. 590 00:32:18,620 --> 00:32:20,655 GINI: She was very good 591 00:32:20,724 --> 00:32:23,517 at making people feel sorry for her. 592 00:32:24,586 --> 00:32:26,482 Lori told everybody, "Lisa is gonna marry him, 593 00:32:26,482 --> 00:32:28,103 divorce him, and take half." 594 00:32:29,448 --> 00:32:32,655 Lori had said that Lisa was pregnant 595 00:32:32,724 --> 00:32:36,344 and she was going to marry Bill for that reason. 596 00:32:38,551 --> 00:32:41,551 LOUISE: I don't believe Lisa was pregnant. 597 00:32:41,620 --> 00:32:45,344 She's trying to get Bill back and get everyone on her side. 598 00:32:46,655 --> 00:32:48,793 I think it's just who Lori was. 599 00:32:48,793 --> 00:32:51,758 It was like, okay, there she goes again. 600 00:32:53,034 --> 00:32:55,517 Lori did thrive in that drama. 601 00:32:56,896 --> 00:33:00,000 I felt like I was being brought into a soap opera 602 00:33:00,000 --> 00:33:02,758 that I really didn't want to watch. 603 00:33:04,000 --> 00:33:06,275 NARRATOR: Investigators turn back to Bill Buss 604 00:33:06,275 --> 00:33:10,448 to ask about Lori's behavior after their breakup. 605 00:33:10,517 --> 00:33:14,034 GINI: Bill told police Lori knew how to get into Bill's bedroom. 606 00:33:15,655 --> 00:33:19,862 And she was found in the house sometimes when nobody was home. 607 00:33:19,931 --> 00:33:23,793 She had come on two separate occasions to try to seduce him. 608 00:33:23,793 --> 00:33:28,275 She let herself in, crawled into bed, got on top of him, 609 00:33:28,275 --> 00:33:31,137 and she was wearing a blue teddy, and then one other time, 610 00:33:31,137 --> 00:33:33,586 she was wearing a red teddy. 611 00:33:33,586 --> 00:33:37,620 And he tried to be as kind as he could and dissuade her. 612 00:33:40,379 --> 00:33:44,551 It would be easy to say to Lori, "Why are you putting 613 00:33:44,551 --> 00:33:46,000 yourself through this?" 614 00:33:46,000 --> 00:33:50,000 As pretty as she was, in my opinion, she may have 615 00:33:50,000 --> 00:33:52,655 lacked that self-esteem. 616 00:33:52,655 --> 00:33:56,448 It was just like, well, why do you want a guy that 617 00:33:56,517 --> 00:33:57,758 doesn't want you? 618 00:33:59,586 --> 00:34:01,655 NARRATOR: Detectives are no longer buying 619 00:34:01,655 --> 00:34:05,241 Lori's story that she made up with Lisa. 620 00:34:05,310 --> 00:34:07,586 Five days after her first interview with police, 621 00:34:07,586 --> 00:34:10,655 she's called in a second time. 622 00:34:10,724 --> 00:34:11,757 GINI: The detective asked her, 623 00:34:11,827 --> 00:34:14,034 "Have you ever been in Lisa's car?" 624 00:34:14,034 --> 00:34:16,655 She denied being in Lisa's car repeatedly. 625 00:34:16,724 --> 00:34:22,241 And then she stops, and she goes, "Well, one time, I was 626 00:34:22,310 --> 00:34:23,862 "at Bill's house, I saw the car there. 627 00:34:23,862 --> 00:34:27,000 "So I know this doesn't sound so great, 628 00:34:27,000 --> 00:34:30,655 but I opened the door and looked in." 629 00:34:33,241 --> 00:34:36,655 NARRATOR: Detectives know a red flag when they see one. 630 00:34:36,655 --> 00:34:39,551 They ask Lori to take a polygraph test, 631 00:34:39,551 --> 00:34:42,034 and the Dairy Princess agrees. 632 00:34:42,034 --> 00:34:45,965 On the way to the room, they walked her down a hallway. 633 00:34:45,965 --> 00:34:48,241 And in one of the rooms, Bill was hooked up to 634 00:34:48,310 --> 00:34:51,482 a polygraph machine so that when she walked by, 635 00:34:51,482 --> 00:34:55,344 she would see him, and it might unsettle her. 636 00:34:55,344 --> 00:34:59,103 It was a ploy to have her react. 637 00:35:03,896 --> 00:35:05,137 They hook her up to the machine. 638 00:35:05,137 --> 00:35:06,965 They ask her the questions, 639 00:35:08,068 --> 00:35:09,758 and she fails. 640 00:35:09,827 --> 00:35:12,655 So they let her have another test, 641 00:35:12,724 --> 00:35:14,793 and they ask her questions, 642 00:35:14,793 --> 00:35:15,965 and she fails. 643 00:35:17,034 --> 00:35:20,551 And at that point, the detective said, 644 00:35:20,620 --> 00:35:24,034 sometimes people do terrible things by mistake. 645 00:35:25,068 --> 00:35:27,758 And Lori decided to go ahead and talk. 646 00:35:33,482 --> 00:35:35,793 GINI: After she failed the polygraph test two times, 647 00:35:35,793 --> 00:35:37,758 Lori started crying. 648 00:35:37,827 --> 00:35:39,965 It had to be terrible carrying that around. 649 00:35:41,172 --> 00:35:44,034 I think that she got backed into a corner 650 00:35:44,034 --> 00:35:45,724 and had to confess. 651 00:35:53,034 --> 00:35:54,551 The night of the murder, 652 00:35:54,620 --> 00:35:59,241 Lori was looking for some type of closure, because Bill made 653 00:35:59,241 --> 00:36:01,344 the decision to be with Lisa. 654 00:36:01,413 --> 00:36:04,655 She knew that Lisa was at work. 655 00:36:04,655 --> 00:36:08,551 However, Lori did not have a vehicle. 656 00:36:08,551 --> 00:36:10,896 GINI: That was the other reason why nobody particularly 657 00:36:10,896 --> 00:36:14,689 suspected Lori was she didn't have a car at school. 658 00:36:14,689 --> 00:36:16,862 She was carpooling with people back and forth. 659 00:36:16,862 --> 00:36:20,655 So they didn't have any reason to think she had driven there. 660 00:36:20,724 --> 00:36:24,172 But she confessed to renting a car. 661 00:36:24,172 --> 00:36:26,655 NARRATOR: Detectives run the mileage on the rental, 662 00:36:26,655 --> 00:36:28,551 and it backs up Lori's confession 663 00:36:28,620 --> 00:36:31,275 that she drove two hours each way. 664 00:36:31,275 --> 00:36:35,379 If you'd have taken the mileage from where Lori Esker was 665 00:36:35,379 --> 00:36:38,344 residing at school on the western side of the state, 666 00:36:39,448 --> 00:36:41,862 driving it to the hotel and back, the mileage 667 00:36:41,862 --> 00:36:43,344 is almost perfect. 668 00:36:48,379 --> 00:36:51,000 GINI: As she drove into town, she saw Lisa coming 669 00:36:51,000 --> 00:36:53,448 out from her job. 670 00:36:53,517 --> 00:36:57,172 Lisa seems a little surprised to see her. 671 00:36:57,172 --> 00:36:59,068 CLARK: And Lisa, having known her, 672 00:36:59,068 --> 00:37:00,586 must have let her in the car 673 00:37:00,586 --> 00:37:03,206 where they could hash this thing out. 674 00:37:04,482 --> 00:37:06,344 GINI: Lori got very upset. 675 00:37:06,344 --> 00:37:09,448 Lori said she was shaking her and yelling at her 676 00:37:09,517 --> 00:37:11,241 and calling her names. 677 00:37:11,310 --> 00:37:14,551 And she saw a belt in the back seat, which was Lisa's belt 678 00:37:14,551 --> 00:37:18,965 from work, and put it around her neck. 679 00:37:19,000 --> 00:37:22,172 It's hard to believe a woman would kill another 680 00:37:22,172 --> 00:37:24,344 woman by strangulation. 681 00:37:24,413 --> 00:37:28,000 It's a long time you have to strangle them 682 00:37:28,000 --> 00:37:31,655 for them to die -- a long time. 683 00:37:33,275 --> 00:37:34,655 It's brutal. 684 00:37:41,862 --> 00:37:43,965 SCOTT: Lori Esker was charged with first-degree intentional 685 00:37:44,000 --> 00:37:46,448 homicide as a result of that interview. 686 00:37:46,517 --> 00:37:49,482 GINI: She became the first woman in Marathon County history 687 00:37:49,482 --> 00:37:52,551 to be charged with first-degree murder. 688 00:37:52,620 --> 00:37:56,310 So she was number one in everything she did, even crime. 689 00:37:58,000 --> 00:38:00,896 LOUISE: I was happy they found the person. 690 00:38:00,896 --> 00:38:03,448 So the community would have peace. 691 00:38:04,793 --> 00:38:09,137 NARRATOR: News of Lori's arrest becomes a national sensation. 692 00:38:09,137 --> 00:38:12,034 The title became the Homecoming Queen 693 00:38:12,034 --> 00:38:15,137 was murdered by the Dairy Princess. 694 00:38:15,137 --> 00:38:16,758 GINI: There was even a bumper sticker 695 00:38:16,758 --> 00:38:19,137 that someone made that said, 696 00:38:19,137 --> 00:38:20,896 "Wisconsin, if the cholesterol doesn't get you, 697 00:38:20,896 --> 00:38:24,448 the Dairy Princess will." She had a tiara. 698 00:38:24,517 --> 00:38:28,206 She had her sash and a big smile. 699 00:38:29,689 --> 00:38:32,172 And from there, she went on trial for murder. 700 00:38:33,275 --> 00:38:36,344 NARRATOR: The trial begins in June 1990. 701 00:38:38,758 --> 00:38:41,758 The defendant indicated to her that she still had very 702 00:38:41,827 --> 00:38:43,103 strong feelings for Bill. 703 00:38:43,103 --> 00:38:46,551 It was overwhelming to go to Wausau and testify 704 00:38:46,620 --> 00:38:47,862 in that trial. 705 00:38:47,862 --> 00:38:52,034 I was looking around at Bill and Lori and just 706 00:38:52,034 --> 00:38:54,103 really overwhelmed and shocked. 707 00:38:54,103 --> 00:38:56,896 How is it somebody that lives in the same house 708 00:38:56,896 --> 00:38:59,793 as I do would murder somebody? 709 00:38:59,793 --> 00:39:02,965 It was difficult for me and challenging. 710 00:39:02,965 --> 00:39:08,448 And all along, I had hoped that it was in self-defense. 711 00:39:08,448 --> 00:39:11,758 NARRATOR: After 7 and 1/2 hours of deliberations, 712 00:39:11,827 --> 00:39:14,758 the jury reaches a verdict. 713 00:39:14,827 --> 00:39:17,172 The jury in the Esker case found her guilty 714 00:39:17,172 --> 00:39:19,344 of first-degree intentional homicide. 715 00:39:19,413 --> 00:39:22,655 There is elation whenever you can successfully close 716 00:39:22,724 --> 00:39:25,241 a particular case, because you do give closure to that 717 00:39:25,310 --> 00:39:29,275 family and also hold someone accountable that elected to 718 00:39:29,275 --> 00:39:30,758 steal someone else's life. 719 00:39:32,758 --> 00:39:35,241 NARRATOR: Lori is sentenced to life in prison with 720 00:39:35,241 --> 00:39:37,586 the possibility of parole. 721 00:39:37,586 --> 00:39:42,034 I felt that she got the sentence that was 722 00:39:42,034 --> 00:39:44,137 coming to her. 723 00:39:44,137 --> 00:39:48,034 When I see Lori's parents in church or at a family function 724 00:39:48,034 --> 00:39:50,862 with my brother, I feel for them. 725 00:39:50,862 --> 00:39:53,000 They're innocent. 726 00:39:53,000 --> 00:39:55,689 JENNIFER: Why anybody would go that far 727 00:39:55,689 --> 00:39:59,655 to murder somebody over a stupid guy, you know? 728 00:39:59,724 --> 00:40:04,655 No offense to Bill, but what brings somebody to 729 00:40:04,655 --> 00:40:07,655 that level where they would want to do that? 730 00:40:09,172 --> 00:40:12,000 GINI: The prosecutor argued that Lori 731 00:40:12,000 --> 00:40:14,000 had been an overachiever. 732 00:40:14,000 --> 00:40:16,862 She had this dream that she was going to be a successful 733 00:40:16,862 --> 00:40:19,000 farmer, that she was going to be married 734 00:40:19,000 --> 00:40:20,758 to a successful farmer. 735 00:40:20,827 --> 00:40:24,896 She had basically been awarded everything she ever went after 736 00:40:24,896 --> 00:40:28,034 and that she had a dream, and she felt it was destroyed. 737 00:40:29,896 --> 00:40:33,655 KATHY: There's no winners. Each family lost a child. 738 00:40:34,896 --> 00:40:36,758 Both families lost a daughter. 739 00:40:38,379 --> 00:40:41,758 But one is still here, and one is not. 740 00:40:43,172 --> 00:40:45,551 LOUISE: I would love to hear where Lisa would have traveled. 741 00:40:45,620 --> 00:40:49,068 I wish all of those things could have happened. 742 00:40:49,068 --> 00:40:52,551 Lisa told me, "When I die, I hope I'm a little old lady 743 00:40:52,620 --> 00:40:53,827 with lots of grandkids." 744 00:40:56,862 --> 00:40:58,068 She didn't get her dream. 745 00:41:00,448 --> 00:41:04,241 [crying quietly] 746 00:41:04,310 --> 00:41:13,655 ♪ 747 00:41:18,137 --> 00:41:19,793 On the next Mean Girl Murders... 748 00:41:19,793 --> 00:41:21,862 They both straight A students. 749 00:41:21,931 --> 00:41:23,379 They both wanted the same things. 750 00:41:23,379 --> 00:41:25,034 She's got one up on her. 751 00:41:25,034 --> 00:41:27,965 They was just toxic going back and forth. 752 00:41:28,000 --> 00:41:29,551 Failure was not an option. 753 00:41:29,551 --> 00:41:30,965 It just threw me off 754 00:41:31,000 --> 00:41:33,034 how much hatred was coming through in the voice. 755 00:41:35,655 --> 00:41:36,896 ♪