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- In the criminal
justice system,
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detectives and prosecutors
face daunting challenges
3
00:00:12,312 --> 00:00:14,748
when money
is the motive for murder.
4
00:00:14,781 --> 00:00:16,516
[dramatic sting]
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- A call come in as
the possibly missing couple.
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He said that they had gone to
New York on a secret mission.
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They just vanished.
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- Years after a young couple
goes missing,
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00:00:27,927 --> 00:00:31,631
new evidence reignites
a bizarre and twisted case.
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- They found the remains
of a human.
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- Could the discovery
of a body
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be the key to unlocking
both a cold-case murder
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and a con man's true identity?
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- He kept changing his name,
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so we were one step behind him
the whole way.
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- And it becomes national news
because of the last name--
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Clark Rockefeller.
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Suddenly, it's everywhere.
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- This was
a master manipulator.
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This is someone who had to run.
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- These men and women dedicate
their lives to law and order.
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- There's a lot
of unanswered questions yet.
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- These are
their true stories.
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* *
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- Of all the cases
that I've worked on,
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the Sohus case really stands
out because of the mystery.
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There's this
Agatha Christie-esque tale.
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There's a great
con artist involved.
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There's wealthy people.
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There's a community
that's seeing something
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it's never seen before...
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A community that enabled it.
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[dramatic sting]
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[soft music]
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* *
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- April '85, I was a patrol
officer in San Marino.
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And I was inside
the police department,
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and a call come in
as a possibly missing person
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or missing couple--
John and Linda Sohus,
40
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down on Lorain Road.
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They'd been missing
for a couple of months.
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They just vanished.
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I did some more digging,
and I did
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personal interviews
with some of the people
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00:02:12,599 --> 00:02:15,869
that knew
John and Linda Sohus.
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- In July of 1982,
Linda met John Sohus.
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Linda was a smart individual.
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She was really interested
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in the art world
and science fantasy.
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00:02:27,580 --> 00:02:31,217
John was
a Dungeons & Dragons freak.
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They started going
to games together,
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and she may not have played,
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but she was there hanging out
with him.
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And then out of the blue,
they were engaged.
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- It was an odd match.
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But in my opinion,
there is a lid for every pot.
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I believe she was happy,
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but Linda and I did not have
the kind of relationship
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where we would call each other
and say, how you doing?
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We did not have that.
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- This book is the chronology
of everything
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about John and Linda that
I've kept through the years.
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On Halloween 1983,
they got married.
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There they are
on their wedding day.
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- As the newlyweds
got on their feet,
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00:03:13,827 --> 00:03:17,664
they moved in with John's
adoptive mother, Didi.
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- John's mom, his adopted mom,
Didi Sohus,
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00:03:21,368 --> 00:03:24,070
was a socialite
in the '40s and '50s.
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Really high
on the echelon there.
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It was an awesome house.
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00:03:29,075 --> 00:03:31,611
- Some of the homes
that these people live in
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are some of the largest
mansions on the West Coast,
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00:03:34,314 --> 00:03:36,616
if not even
in the United States.
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00:03:36,649 --> 00:03:38,685
When they moved in with Didi,
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00:03:38,718 --> 00:03:42,322
they're living in basically
a guest bedroom in the house.
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But this house
has a granny flat,
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but they can't move in there
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because there's a renter there
named Christopher Chichester,
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who's kind of persuaded
their mom
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that he's going
to pay the rent
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and help her keep
her home together.
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Linda wanted to be
with her husband alone.
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The income wasn't there
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00:04:04,377 --> 00:04:06,680
for them to be able
to make that move.
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Then this dream job
sort of falls out of the sky.
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00:04:11,317 --> 00:04:14,654
- The last time I saw John and
Linda was when they came over
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to my house in Orange County
in their new car...
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a white Nissan truck.
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00:04:21,661 --> 00:04:25,298
And she says,
I have to go to New York.
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00:04:25,331 --> 00:04:27,534
John had an opportunity
to interview
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00:04:27,567 --> 00:04:31,438
for a high-level,
high-security government job,
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and she was going with him.
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* *
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Okay, it's a little odd,
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but you guys have always had
an odd life.
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Why not?
97
00:04:40,747 --> 00:04:43,383
- It seemed like it was
going to be a good thing.
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They would be back
in a week or so.
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Okay, great.
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[dramatic music]
101
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- March 1985,
I call Linda and John
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00:04:55,195 --> 00:04:58,331
at home in San Marino.
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His mom, Didi, informs me
that they have gone away,
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and she doesn't know
if they will ever come back.
105
00:05:04,871 --> 00:05:08,308
- Sue and I had a conversation
on the phone.
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You know, we shared
what we each knew.
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We thought if we put
our heads together,
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we could figure it out.
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It's hard to imagine, you know,
two adults just going missing.
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- I wanted to chat with Didi,
John Sohus's mother.
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* *
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She said they were gone
on a secret mission.
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I thought that was
kind of unusual,
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00:05:34,768 --> 00:05:37,871
so I went ahead
and wrote that in my notes.
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00:05:37,904 --> 00:05:40,740
- I spoke
with Didi several times.
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The conversations
were unreasonable,
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because she was a drinker.
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I said, can you give me
contact information?
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She said,
I cannot contact them.
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This third party
is the only one
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who contacts me.
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It seems as though
the third party
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was Christopher Chichester,
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00:06:01,494 --> 00:06:04,397
who was living
in the guesthouse.
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- He was half-British,
half-American royalty,
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somewhere between a baron
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and an earl.
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He was the 13th Baronet
of Chichester.
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- Chichester,
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00:06:16,643 --> 00:06:18,878
because of his social status
in the community,
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00:06:18,912 --> 00:06:21,948
had grown to be a trusted
confidant of John and Linda.
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Officer Yankovich made
his way to the guesthouse
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to follow up on this lead.
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- I knocked on the door,
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and this little short guy
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answered the door,
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and he was nude.
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And I said, can I come in?
And he said, yeah.
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And I asked him to
put some clothes on.
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He said, no.
He says, I'm a nudist.
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I prefer to stay nude.
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I've been on calls before
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where you encounter
both male and female, nude.
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00:06:53,813 --> 00:06:56,683
Some of them would put
a robe on or grab a towel.
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Some of them
would just stay nude.
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It's something you have to put
up with in police work.
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He was pale,
kind of skinny-looking.
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He was sweaty.
He was dirty.
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His hair was messed up.
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Looked like he'd been
out gardening.
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I asked him where
John and Linda Sohus were.
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He said that they had gone to
New York on a secret mission.
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I said, what type
of secret mission?
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He goes, it's something
involving satellites.
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But that was, like,
two months ago
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that they were supposed
to be back.
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And I asked him
if he had any ID,
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and he showed me
his driver's license.
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It said
Christopher Chichester on it,
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and
Christopher Gerhartsreiter.
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He was going
by a different name.
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And I didn't notice any accent.
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Things just didn't make sense.
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I was with him for probably
a good 15, 20 minutes,
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then we walked outside.
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On the way back
out the driveway,
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I saw a Nissan truck.
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We ran the license plate.
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It come back
to John and Linda Sohus.
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So I came back to the office
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to run Christopher Chichester's
driver's license number.
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- While Christopher was,
at the very least,
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00:08:06,653 --> 00:08:09,356
an eccentric character,
a check on both names--
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00:08:09,389 --> 00:08:12,926
Christopher Chichester and
Christopher Gerhartsreiter--
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00:08:13,026 --> 00:08:16,629
showed no criminal history.
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- My mom did receive
a postcard.
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"Looks like we
made a wrong turn.
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Linda."
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Not "Love, Linda."
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Not "See you soon, Linda."
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And the handwriting looked
like her handwriting.
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My mom's reaction
to the postcard was confused.
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She didn't understand
what was happening
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and how come Linda wasn't
calling on the phone.
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* *
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I do think it was odd,
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and I have a suspicion that...
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she was forced to do that.
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I don't know what he was
telling John and Linda,
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00:09:03,910 --> 00:09:07,414
but whatever it was, apparently
they were falling for it.
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* *
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- Didi calls the police
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00:09:13,453 --> 00:09:16,656
and files a missing persons
report of her own,
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because now Chris,
who lived in back, is gone,
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and so is John's truck.
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She's now
sufficiently concerned.
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Chris was the connection
that she had to her son,
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00:09:28,335 --> 00:09:30,804
or at least to news
about her son.
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00:09:30,837 --> 00:09:34,140
Now everybody's gone.
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00:09:34,174 --> 00:09:36,609
- Now we have
a missing couple,
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a missing tenant,
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00:09:38,478 --> 00:09:41,047
and a missing pickup truck
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00:09:41,047 --> 00:09:43,683
that were not
to be found anywhere.
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- Three grueling years pass by
205
00:09:46,152 --> 00:09:50,623
with no sign of Linda, John,
or Christopher Chichester.
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00:09:50,657 --> 00:09:53,059
Refusing to let
the case go cold,
207
00:09:53,059 --> 00:09:55,762
Officer Yankovich combs
through reports
208
00:09:55,795 --> 00:09:57,931
and uncovers
that John and Linda's truck
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00:09:57,964 --> 00:10:01,034
was recently sold
in Greenwich, Connecticut.
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00:10:01,067 --> 00:10:03,670
- That's when
I contacted detectives
211
00:10:03,703 --> 00:10:05,805
from Greenwich, Connecticut.
212
00:10:05,839 --> 00:10:08,808
- Detective Yankovich, he had
given a couple of addresses--
213
00:10:08,842 --> 00:10:10,477
John and Joann Bishop,
214
00:10:10,510 --> 00:10:15,382
who supposedly had purchased
the truck in July of 1988.
215
00:10:15,415 --> 00:10:19,352
So I responded there.
216
00:10:19,386 --> 00:10:20,754
- The Bishops didn't know
217
00:10:20,787 --> 00:10:22,856
a Chichester
or a Gerhartsreiter
218
00:10:22,889 --> 00:10:24,824
but said they had bought
the truck
219
00:10:24,858 --> 00:10:26,659
from a hedge-fund manager
at their church
220
00:10:26,693 --> 00:10:28,495
named Chris Crowe.
221
00:10:28,528 --> 00:10:30,730
- Now that I have a name,
Chris Crowe,
222
00:10:30,764 --> 00:10:33,099
I am trying to run him down.
223
00:10:33,133 --> 00:10:36,770
* *
224
00:10:36,803 --> 00:10:38,872
Found out he had
a mailbox address
225
00:10:38,905 --> 00:10:42,108
in Berlin, Connecticut.
226
00:10:42,142 --> 00:10:45,045
So I reached out to
the Berlin Police Department,
227
00:10:45,078 --> 00:10:49,482
and that's when I found out
that Christopher Chichester,
228
00:10:49,516 --> 00:10:51,217
Christian Gerhartsreiter,
229
00:10:51,251 --> 00:10:54,220
and Chris Crowe
were all one person.
230
00:10:54,254 --> 00:10:57,724
* *
231
00:10:57,757 --> 00:10:59,459
- Never had a case like this.
232
00:10:59,492 --> 00:11:03,863
Where is this guy?
Where's John and Linda Sohus?
233
00:11:03,897 --> 00:11:06,866
We knew this case wasn't over.
234
00:11:06,900 --> 00:11:10,670
- It was just this constant--
where is she?
235
00:11:10,704 --> 00:11:12,472
Where are they?
What happened to them?
236
00:11:12,505 --> 00:11:15,075
- Forensic investigators
spent the morning
237
00:11:15,075 --> 00:11:16,776
pulling out every possible
piece of evidence
238
00:11:16,810 --> 00:11:18,378
they could find.
239
00:11:18,411 --> 00:11:20,547
- The head had been covered
with two plastic bags
240
00:11:20,580 --> 00:11:22,182
and then buried.
241
00:11:22,215 --> 00:11:23,950
- And I'm like,
I can't believe this.
242
00:11:23,983 --> 00:11:26,553
We need to find out
where this guy is.
243
00:11:32,391 --> 00:11:33,258
- Three years
after the disappearance
244
00:11:33,792 --> 00:11:35,861
of John and Linda Sohus,
245
00:11:35,894 --> 00:11:37,863
detectives in Connecticut
had uncovered
246
00:11:37,896 --> 00:11:41,300
that the truck owned by the
couple was sold by Chichester
247
00:11:41,333 --> 00:11:43,535
under the alias
of Chris Crowe.
248
00:11:43,569 --> 00:11:46,472
Police quickly traced
Crowe's mailing address
249
00:11:46,505 --> 00:11:47,539
to his residence.
250
00:11:47,573 --> 00:11:50,109
[dramatic sting]
251
00:11:50,109 --> 00:11:52,544
- A local homeowner
had a garage apartment
252
00:11:52,578 --> 00:11:54,713
on his property,
253
00:11:54,747 --> 00:11:56,415
and he rented it to Mr. Crowe.
254
00:11:56,448 --> 00:11:59,118
His landlord did mention
that he appeared there
255
00:11:59,118 --> 00:12:01,086
with a white pickup truck.
256
00:12:01,120 --> 00:12:03,422
After speaking
with his landlord,
257
00:12:03,455 --> 00:12:06,759
I learned that Mr. Crowe
had worked for a hedge fund
258
00:12:06,792 --> 00:12:08,394
in downtown Greenwich.
259
00:12:08,427 --> 00:12:12,965
[dramatic music]
260
00:12:13,065 --> 00:12:14,566
So I drive into the city
261
00:12:14,600 --> 00:12:16,769
to meet up with him
in the office.
262
00:12:16,802 --> 00:12:18,737
I'm going to surprise him
with a surprise visit.
263
00:12:18,771 --> 00:12:20,439
I'm there at 7:00.
264
00:12:20,472 --> 00:12:23,175
Security take me
upstairs to his desk,
265
00:12:23,208 --> 00:12:25,244
and I'm sitting there
waiting and waiting.
266
00:12:25,277 --> 00:12:27,579
Never shows up.
267
00:12:27,613 --> 00:12:30,082
His boss tells me that
he got a call from Chris
268
00:12:30,115 --> 00:12:34,420
saying that his mother and
father had been kidnapped...
269
00:12:34,453 --> 00:12:36,088
in Pakistan
270
00:12:36,088 --> 00:12:38,590
and that he was going
to have to take two months off
271
00:12:38,624 --> 00:12:40,893
to go look for them.
272
00:12:40,926 --> 00:12:42,861
Just a little common sense
would say,
273
00:12:42,895 --> 00:12:45,764
there's something wrong here.
274
00:12:45,798 --> 00:12:47,399
His boss indicated
275
00:12:47,433 --> 00:12:50,469
that because Mr. Crowe
was going to become a broker,
276
00:12:50,502 --> 00:12:52,971
the U.S. Securities
and Exchange
277
00:12:53,005 --> 00:12:55,240
required fingerprints.
278
00:12:55,274 --> 00:12:58,944
And I said, so did you take
his fingerprints?
279
00:12:58,977 --> 00:13:01,213
He said, yes, I did.
280
00:13:02,548 --> 00:13:05,617
His boss also gave me
a few telephone numbers,
281
00:13:05,651 --> 00:13:08,721
because sometimes he stayed
with these individuals.
282
00:13:10,055 --> 00:13:12,524
I reached out
to a New York number.
283
00:13:12,558 --> 00:13:16,228
Mihoko Manabe picked up
the phone that I had called.
284
00:13:16,261 --> 00:13:19,765
She indicated that Chris Crowe
was not there,
285
00:13:19,798 --> 00:13:22,201
and she would give him
the message
286
00:13:22,234 --> 00:13:25,337
that I was looking
to speak with him.
287
00:13:25,371 --> 00:13:27,506
He never returned
the phone call.
288
00:13:29,274 --> 00:13:30,976
The fingerprint card I got
289
00:13:31,076 --> 00:13:33,479
was placed
in the national database.
290
00:13:33,512 --> 00:13:35,881
So, if Christopher ever got
arrested anywhere,
291
00:13:35,914 --> 00:13:38,384
it would automatically show up
292
00:13:38,417 --> 00:13:40,085
that he was wanted
in connection
293
00:13:40,085 --> 00:13:42,388
with the missing persons.
294
00:13:42,421 --> 00:13:44,923
With no other
additional information
295
00:13:44,957 --> 00:13:47,226
to locate him
or reach out to him,
296
00:13:47,259 --> 00:13:50,896
I ended up having
to close our case.
297
00:13:50,929 --> 00:13:52,898
- Where is she?
Where are they?
298
00:13:52,931 --> 00:13:54,266
What happened to them?
299
00:13:54,299 --> 00:13:56,435
I would have dreams
almost every night
300
00:13:56,468 --> 00:13:58,604
where she would walk
into a room, and I'd go,
301
00:13:58,637 --> 00:14:00,039
where the hell have you been?
302
00:14:00,072 --> 00:14:01,674
And she goes,
I just had a trip.
303
00:14:01,707 --> 00:14:03,942
I'll tell you about it
in a minute.
304
00:14:04,043 --> 00:14:06,378
- I need to wait
for the detectives
305
00:14:06,412 --> 00:14:09,048
to get more information.
306
00:14:09,048 --> 00:14:11,684
I had nothing else to offer.
307
00:14:11,717 --> 00:14:14,787
I tucked Linda away.
308
00:14:14,820 --> 00:14:17,356
- In February of 1988,
309
00:14:17,389 --> 00:14:19,892
three years after John
and Linda's disappearance,
310
00:14:19,925 --> 00:14:21,827
Didi passed away,
311
00:14:21,860 --> 00:14:25,364
never having learned
what happened to her son.
312
00:14:25,397 --> 00:14:28,701
Without answers, Linda's
disappearance left her family
313
00:14:28,734 --> 00:14:31,170
in a state of ambiguous loss.
314
00:14:31,203 --> 00:14:32,838
- Over the course of time,
315
00:14:32,871 --> 00:14:34,707
my mother didn't talk
about it.
316
00:14:34,740 --> 00:14:38,344
And it only came up again
317
00:14:38,377 --> 00:14:43,349
when the house Didi
was living in was sold
318
00:14:43,382 --> 00:14:47,920
and the new owners
were putting in a pool.
319
00:14:47,953 --> 00:14:49,922
[dramatic sting]
320
00:14:49,955 --> 00:14:53,892
* *
321
00:14:53,926 --> 00:14:56,729
- In May of '94,
322
00:14:56,762 --> 00:15:00,866
the owner of Didi Sohus's home
on Lorain Road in San Marino
323
00:15:00,899 --> 00:15:04,603
decided to build a swimming
pool in the backyard.
324
00:15:04,636 --> 00:15:06,872
- As they're digging,
325
00:15:06,905 --> 00:15:09,742
they found the remains
of a human.
326
00:15:09,775 --> 00:15:12,411
* *
327
00:15:12,444 --> 00:15:14,580
The head had been covered
with two plastic bags
328
00:15:14,613 --> 00:15:18,717
and wrapped around his neck
with a telephone wire.
329
00:15:18,751 --> 00:15:20,753
The arms and legs, torso,
330
00:15:20,786 --> 00:15:24,456
were wrapped in, like,
a Saran Wrap material
331
00:15:24,490 --> 00:15:27,359
and then buried.
332
00:15:27,393 --> 00:15:30,763
- My friend Mary
was watching the news,
333
00:15:30,796 --> 00:15:32,765
and she calls me up,
and she goes,
334
00:15:32,798 --> 00:15:34,600
you won't freaking
believe this!
335
00:15:34,633 --> 00:15:35,934
I'm like, what?
336
00:15:35,968 --> 00:15:37,302
She goes, they found bones
in the backyard
337
00:15:37,336 --> 00:15:38,771
where John and Linda lived!
338
00:15:38,804 --> 00:15:40,372
And I went, what?
339
00:15:40,406 --> 00:15:42,775
- Forensic investigators
spent the morning
340
00:15:42,808 --> 00:15:44,710
pulling out every possible
piece of evidence
341
00:15:44,743 --> 00:15:46,078
they could find.
342
00:15:46,111 --> 00:15:48,614
- My whole body
was just like, oh, my God,
343
00:15:48,647 --> 00:15:50,149
that's what has happened.
344
00:15:50,182 --> 00:15:51,784
Someone was killed.
345
00:15:51,817 --> 00:15:54,153
- Investigators believed
346
00:15:54,186 --> 00:15:56,088
that they
might have finally recovered
347
00:15:56,088 --> 00:15:58,457
the bodies
of John and Linda Sohus.
348
00:15:58,490 --> 00:16:00,793
Looking for signs
of foul play,
349
00:16:00,826 --> 00:16:04,029
sheriff's deputies processed
the entire property,
350
00:16:04,063 --> 00:16:05,431
including the guesthouse
351
00:16:05,464 --> 00:16:07,566
that the elusive
Christopher Chichester
352
00:16:07,599 --> 00:16:09,234
had once lived in.
353
00:16:09,268 --> 00:16:11,303
- During the luminol process,
354
00:16:11,337 --> 00:16:15,274
they found four spots
on the floor that were blood...
355
00:16:15,307 --> 00:16:18,077
and wiping details
in the blood.
356
00:16:18,110 --> 00:16:20,045
[camera beeps, shutter clicks]
357
00:16:20,045 --> 00:16:22,047
* *
358
00:16:22,047 --> 00:16:24,516
This confirms a crime scene.
359
00:16:24,550 --> 00:16:26,719
No blood was taken,
because at the time,
360
00:16:26,752 --> 00:16:29,822
DNA was not as sophisticated
as it is now.
361
00:16:29,855 --> 00:16:32,224
* *
362
00:16:32,257 --> 00:16:35,127
- When the human remains
are found in the backyard,
363
00:16:35,160 --> 00:16:38,063
I knew they had to be
one or both of them.
364
00:16:38,097 --> 00:16:40,499
So I have to have
that mindset.
365
00:16:40,532 --> 00:16:43,635
They are dead and gone,
and I will not see my friends,
366
00:16:43,669 --> 00:16:44,837
personally, ever again.
367
00:16:44,870 --> 00:16:47,606
* *
368
00:16:47,639 --> 00:16:50,376
- There was strong evidence
in this case
369
00:16:50,409 --> 00:16:53,245
that these were
the bones of a male
370
00:16:53,278 --> 00:16:55,748
and that this individual died
371
00:16:55,781 --> 00:16:58,517
from blunt-force head trauma.
372
00:16:58,550 --> 00:17:00,519
So one here
in the frontal area,
373
00:17:00,552 --> 00:17:03,255
and the others were here
on the right side of the skull,
374
00:17:03,288 --> 00:17:06,558
but extending
into the temporal bone.
375
00:17:06,592 --> 00:17:09,128
But there was an issue
as to whether or not
376
00:17:09,161 --> 00:17:11,430
he might also
have been stabbed.
377
00:17:11,463 --> 00:17:15,434
The clothing showed some slits.
378
00:17:15,467 --> 00:17:18,170
One of these shows
what appears to be
379
00:17:18,203 --> 00:17:22,408
a well-defined,
small slit in the fabric.
380
00:17:22,441 --> 00:17:25,077
There was another such slit
381
00:17:25,110 --> 00:17:29,114
consistent with stab wounds.
382
00:17:29,148 --> 00:17:31,116
[dramatic sting]
383
00:17:31,150 --> 00:17:35,220
* *
384
00:17:35,254 --> 00:17:37,890
- You know, it's
a reasonable assumption
385
00:17:37,923 --> 00:17:40,092
that those remains
would be John's.
386
00:17:40,125 --> 00:17:42,728
Sadly, they were not
identified,
387
00:17:42,761 --> 00:17:44,897
because he's adopted.
388
00:17:44,930 --> 00:17:46,865
Biological mother is deceased.
389
00:17:46,899 --> 00:17:51,403
There's no biological dad
that we know of.
390
00:17:51,437 --> 00:17:54,106
- Without any biological
evidence or dental records
391
00:17:54,139 --> 00:17:55,607
to work from,
392
00:17:55,641 --> 00:17:57,376
investigators
took another dive
393
00:17:57,409 --> 00:17:59,645
into Christopher Chichester's
background
394
00:17:59,678 --> 00:18:02,748
to figure out what
might have caused this con man
395
00:18:02,781 --> 00:18:04,717
to turn into a killer.
396
00:18:04,750 --> 00:18:09,922
- Gerhartsreiter
came to Connecticut in '79
397
00:18:10,022 --> 00:18:12,257
as a German exchange student.
398
00:18:12,291 --> 00:18:13,826
He was 16 years of age.
399
00:18:13,859 --> 00:18:15,861
And he stayed
with residents there
400
00:18:15,894 --> 00:18:19,331
who are accustomed to taking
in exchange students.
401
00:18:19,365 --> 00:18:21,934
They hadn't heard
from him in years.
402
00:18:22,034 --> 00:18:24,870
- In Berlin, Connecticut,
we found that
403
00:18:24,903 --> 00:18:26,872
Christopher Gerhartsreiter
404
00:18:26,905 --> 00:18:30,943
left for the University
of Milwaukee, Stevens Point,
405
00:18:31,043 --> 00:18:33,946
and he had shortened his name
while he was in school
406
00:18:34,046 --> 00:18:35,848
to Christian Gerhart.
407
00:18:35,881 --> 00:18:40,652
And then he showed up at the
USC film school as Chichester.
408
00:18:40,686 --> 00:18:43,555
* *
409
00:18:43,589 --> 00:18:47,626
- At some point, USC film
student Christopher Chichester
410
00:18:47,659 --> 00:18:48,794
became a baronet
411
00:18:48,827 --> 00:18:50,929
and then later became
Chris Crowe,
412
00:18:50,963 --> 00:18:54,867
a former movie producer
turned finance manager.
413
00:18:54,900 --> 00:18:59,805
- Every time he wanted to
reinvent himself as somebody--
414
00:18:59,838 --> 00:19:04,009
as somebody of importance,
somebody of wealth.
415
00:19:04,009 --> 00:19:06,011
- We clearly know
it's a murder,
416
00:19:06,011 --> 00:19:08,013
and we have
a person of interest.
417
00:19:08,013 --> 00:19:10,482
But he kept changing his name,
418
00:19:10,516 --> 00:19:14,353
so we were one step behind him
the whole way.
419
00:19:14,386 --> 00:19:16,021
And so the case went cold.
420
00:19:16,021 --> 00:19:18,824
* *
421
00:19:18,857 --> 00:19:22,027
Fast-forward to 2008.
422
00:19:22,027 --> 00:19:25,397
- Clark Rockefeller allegedly
grabbed his daughter Reigh
423
00:19:25,431 --> 00:19:28,033
during a supervised visit
in Boston.
424
00:19:28,033 --> 00:19:30,269
- July 27, 2008,
425
00:19:30,302 --> 00:19:32,171
a man going
by the name Clark Rockefeller
426
00:19:32,204 --> 00:19:36,041
is going through a bad divorce
with his wife, Sandra Boss,
427
00:19:36,041 --> 00:19:38,344
and he kidnaps his daughter.
428
00:19:38,377 --> 00:19:40,913
- And then fled in this SUV
to New York,
429
00:19:40,946 --> 00:19:44,049
where they were last seen
at Grand Central Station.
430
00:19:44,049 --> 00:19:46,051
- And it becomes national news
431
00:19:46,051 --> 00:19:48,053
because of the last name,
Rockefeller.
432
00:19:48,053 --> 00:19:50,055
Suddenly, it's everywhere.
433
00:19:55,462 --> 00:19:57,330
- 23 years after
the unsolved disappearance
434
00:19:57,864 --> 00:19:59,899
of John and Linda Sohus,
435
00:20:00,066 --> 00:20:02,135
authorities
would finally catch a break
436
00:20:02,168 --> 00:20:05,805
when a seemingly unrelated
case broke national headlines.
437
00:20:05,839 --> 00:20:08,141
[dramatic sting]
438
00:20:08,174 --> 00:20:09,809
- She's believed
to be in danger
439
00:20:09,843 --> 00:20:12,178
and may be traveling
with Clark Rockefeller.
440
00:20:12,212 --> 00:20:14,914
- Days after Clark Rockefeller
kidnapped his daughter,
441
00:20:14,948 --> 00:20:17,650
we get a call
from a real-estate agent.
442
00:20:17,684 --> 00:20:21,454
She watched the "Today" show
with Clark Rockefeller,
443
00:20:21,488 --> 00:20:23,123
and she said,
I immediately recognized him.
444
00:20:23,156 --> 00:20:24,858
That's Chip Smith.
445
00:20:24,891 --> 00:20:26,226
I just sold him a house.
446
00:20:26,259 --> 00:20:28,395
So she calls the FBI.
447
00:20:28,428 --> 00:20:32,599
[dramatic music]
448
00:20:32,632 --> 00:20:34,834
- The FBI are able to get him
449
00:20:34,868 --> 00:20:35,969
out of this apartment
450
00:20:36,002 --> 00:20:37,037
on a ruse.
451
00:20:37,070 --> 00:20:38,838
And as he walks out
onto the street,
452
00:20:38,872 --> 00:20:40,340
thinking he's Chip Smith,
453
00:20:40,373 --> 00:20:43,176
an FBI agent
hollers out, hey, Clark!
454
00:20:43,209 --> 00:20:44,678
And he turns around.
455
00:20:44,711 --> 00:20:47,347
* *
456
00:20:47,380 --> 00:20:49,683
- Chip Smith, aka Rockefeller,
457
00:20:49,716 --> 00:20:52,052
is immediately grabbed
by the FBI,
458
00:20:52,085 --> 00:20:55,488
and so he is arrested
for parental kidnapping.
459
00:20:55,522 --> 00:20:58,725
When he is fingerprinted
back in Boston,
460
00:20:58,758 --> 00:21:01,895
bells and whistles go off
because the fingerprint card
461
00:21:01,928 --> 00:21:05,398
collected by Detective Allen
had been put in the system
462
00:21:05,432 --> 00:21:07,867
as Gerhartsreiter.
463
00:21:07,901 --> 00:21:11,204
- This man, who had eluded
investigators for decades
464
00:21:11,237 --> 00:21:14,507
by changing his identity
from Christian Gerhartsreiter
465
00:21:14,541 --> 00:21:18,411
to Chris Gerhart
to Christopher Chichester
466
00:21:18,445 --> 00:21:21,314
to Chris Crowe
to Clark Rockefeller
467
00:21:21,348 --> 00:21:23,283
was finally in custody.
468
00:21:23,316 --> 00:21:26,553
- The fact that this
new Rockefeller--
469
00:21:26,586 --> 00:21:28,321
I call him Crockefeller--
470
00:21:28,355 --> 00:21:32,525
is all of a sudden
linked to this creepy guy
471
00:21:32,559 --> 00:21:36,930
that Linda mentioned in an
offhand comment back in 1983,
472
00:21:36,963 --> 00:21:41,901
and it all rolls back to him,
I'm just flabbergasted.
473
00:21:41,935 --> 00:21:45,305
- So you go through all
sorts of different emotions.
474
00:21:45,338 --> 00:21:49,476
Anger, frustration, sadness.
475
00:22:03,390 --> 00:22:05,358
- I've seen him on photos,
476
00:22:05,392 --> 00:22:06,359
but here he is.
477
00:22:06,393 --> 00:22:07,594
He's living flesh.
478
00:22:22,475 --> 00:22:25,145
- The man of many names
was sentenced
479
00:22:25,178 --> 00:22:29,115
to five years in prison
for parental kidnapping.
480
00:22:29,149 --> 00:22:32,619
As he sat behind bars,
authorities in Los Angeles
481
00:22:32,652 --> 00:22:35,922
were finally able to start
building a murder case.
482
00:22:35,955 --> 00:22:37,857
* *
483
00:22:37,891 --> 00:22:40,160
- I was given the file
and said,
484
00:22:40,193 --> 00:22:41,695
you're going to Major Crimes.
485
00:22:41,728 --> 00:22:43,163
And by the way,
we got a good case for you.
486
00:22:43,196 --> 00:22:44,431
You're prosecuting
a Rockefeller.
487
00:22:44,464 --> 00:22:45,799
I'm like, a Rockefeller?
488
00:22:45,832 --> 00:22:47,434
They're like, well,
it's not a real Rockefeller.
489
00:22:47,467 --> 00:22:48,968
- George said that when
he interviewed him,
490
00:22:49,002 --> 00:22:51,671
he was going by the name
of Chris Chichester.
491
00:22:51,705 --> 00:22:53,973
- It's easy to get confused
when there's so many names
492
00:22:54,007 --> 00:22:55,842
for one person.
- I understand.
493
00:22:55,875 --> 00:22:59,179
- They let me know, this is
going to be a long road.
494
00:22:59,212 --> 00:23:00,880
This is a complicated case.
495
00:23:00,914 --> 00:23:02,549
And I told them,
496
00:23:02,582 --> 00:23:05,051
I'm absolutely in on this case.
497
00:23:05,051 --> 00:23:07,687
And the next time...
both: He surfaces...
498
00:23:07,721 --> 00:23:09,356
- He's Rockefeller.
- He's this guy right here.
499
00:23:09,389 --> 00:23:11,124
- Mr. Rockefeller.
- Right.
500
00:23:11,157 --> 00:23:13,460
- As the team built
their case,
501
00:23:13,493 --> 00:23:17,330
a clear motive
came into focus--money.
502
00:23:19,065 --> 00:23:22,202
- When John and Linda Sohus
went on this "trip"
503
00:23:22,235 --> 00:23:25,572
for a secret government
job interview in New York,
504
00:23:25,605 --> 00:23:27,474
they left Didi behind.
505
00:23:27,507 --> 00:23:28,842
And Didi was older.
506
00:23:28,875 --> 00:23:31,845
She was of ill health,
and she was alone.
507
00:23:31,878 --> 00:23:35,615
- Didi was convinced
John had abandoned her
508
00:23:35,648 --> 00:23:37,217
for this new wife.
509
00:23:37,250 --> 00:23:41,087
She wrote him out of her will.
510
00:23:41,087 --> 00:23:43,490
The San Marino house
was valuable.
511
00:23:43,523 --> 00:23:47,827
I believe $310,000 in 1985.
512
00:23:47,861 --> 00:23:50,530
- With John and Linda Sohus
out of the way,
513
00:23:50,563 --> 00:23:52,832
Christopher Gerhartsreiter,
514
00:23:52,866 --> 00:23:56,536
aka Chris Chichester,
515
00:23:56,569 --> 00:23:59,906
would have been home alone
with Didi Sohus--
516
00:23:59,939 --> 00:24:03,576
a vulnerable old woman
sitting on a large property
517
00:24:03,610 --> 00:24:06,780
in a wealthy San Marino
neighborhood.
518
00:24:06,813 --> 00:24:09,249
- Though Didi had never gone
through with it,
519
00:24:09,282 --> 00:24:11,051
prosecutors theorized
520
00:24:11,084 --> 00:24:13,219
that she had been compelled
to leave her estate
521
00:24:13,253 --> 00:24:15,955
to the only person
who had stood by her side--
522
00:24:16,056 --> 00:24:17,857
Chichester.
523
00:24:17,891 --> 00:24:20,260
To help ensure a conviction,
524
00:24:20,293 --> 00:24:22,696
prosecutor Balian had
investigators review
525
00:24:22,729 --> 00:24:24,831
all the evidence associated
526
00:24:24,864 --> 00:24:27,233
with John and Linda Sohus's
disappearance.
527
00:24:27,267 --> 00:24:29,703
* *
528
00:24:29,736 --> 00:24:31,738
- Sue, Linda's mother,
529
00:24:31,771 --> 00:24:33,573
all got postcards
from Paris, France.
530
00:24:33,606 --> 00:24:36,209
They're all dated the same day.
531
00:24:36,242 --> 00:24:37,577
"Kinda missed New York--
532
00:24:37,610 --> 00:24:40,747
oops--but this
can be lived with."
533
00:24:40,780 --> 00:24:42,282
Some of the language in it
534
00:24:42,315 --> 00:24:45,452
doesn't sound like English
as a first language,
535
00:24:45,485 --> 00:24:48,254
like "this can be lived with."
536
00:24:48,288 --> 00:24:51,091
Those postcards could have
been written under duress.
537
00:24:51,091 --> 00:24:53,293
We thought he was the guy
who mailed them.
538
00:24:53,326 --> 00:24:55,628
- You know, maybe somebody
says to them,
539
00:24:55,662 --> 00:24:57,464
hey, we're going
on a secret mission,
540
00:24:57,497 --> 00:25:01,434
but we need to make sure that
nobody knows where you are.
541
00:25:01,468 --> 00:25:03,036
So, if you don't mind,
542
00:25:03,036 --> 00:25:05,905
can you write out
a couple of postcards for me?
543
00:25:05,939 --> 00:25:07,907
Well, who wouldn't do that?
544
00:25:07,941 --> 00:25:09,943
You're already buying
into the secret mission.
545
00:25:10,043 --> 00:25:12,679
Why not a little bit
of James Bond cover?
546
00:25:12,712 --> 00:25:14,647
[dramatic sting]
547
00:25:14,681 --> 00:25:16,950
* *
548
00:25:17,050 --> 00:25:19,285
- I was still working
the case,
549
00:25:19,319 --> 00:25:21,721
trying to run down leads.
550
00:25:21,755 --> 00:25:25,225
We went into the city
to interview Mihoko
551
00:25:25,258 --> 00:25:27,060
at the FBI office.
552
00:25:27,093 --> 00:25:30,797
She goes, before we say
anything, I have to, uh--
553
00:25:30,830 --> 00:25:33,333
I have to apologize
to Detective Allen.
554
00:25:33,366 --> 00:25:35,835
And I said, why would you have
to apologize to me?
555
00:25:35,869 --> 00:25:37,804
And she says,
well, the day you called
556
00:25:37,837 --> 00:25:39,939
and I told you
he wasn't there,
557
00:25:39,973 --> 00:25:42,776
he was standing next to me.
558
00:25:42,809 --> 00:25:45,478
She continued to say
that he had told her
559
00:25:45,512 --> 00:25:47,814
that I was not a detective,
560
00:25:47,847 --> 00:25:51,184
that I was a hired hit man
out to kill him.
561
00:25:53,086 --> 00:25:55,622
- There's this bad man.
He's not the police.
562
00:25:55,655 --> 00:25:57,557
They kidnapped my parents.
563
00:25:57,590 --> 00:26:00,026
We're probably going to have
to go on the run,
564
00:26:00,026 --> 00:26:02,595
so you need to go
on the run with me.
565
00:26:11,071 --> 00:26:12,138
- While Clark Rockefeller
was sitting behind bars
566
00:26:12,939 --> 00:26:15,141
for the kidnapping
of his daughter,
567
00:26:15,175 --> 00:26:17,911
investigators continued
to track the backstory
568
00:26:17,944 --> 00:26:20,480
of the shapeshifting
suspected murderer
569
00:26:20,513 --> 00:26:23,049
of John and Linda Sohus.
570
00:26:23,083 --> 00:26:26,152
[dramatic sting]
571
00:26:26,186 --> 00:26:29,923
Investigators learned that
Rockefeller, as Chris Crowe,
572
00:26:29,956 --> 00:26:33,660
had tricked Mihoko Manabe into
going on the run with him.
573
00:26:33,693 --> 00:26:36,863
- So he dyes his hair,
grows a beard.
574
00:26:36,896 --> 00:26:40,333
They threw their trash,
you know, in dumpsters.
575
00:26:40,367 --> 00:26:43,069
They would walk on opposite
sides of the street
576
00:26:43,069 --> 00:26:44,871
in case
they were being followed.
577
00:26:48,842 --> 00:26:51,277
- After eight years
of life on the run,
578
00:26:51,311 --> 00:26:53,079
the two finally split up.
579
00:26:53,079 --> 00:26:56,483
[dramatic music]
580
00:26:56,516 --> 00:26:59,919
Mihoko married another man,
but gave Clark
581
00:27:00,020 --> 00:27:03,757
her Upper East Side New York
apartment in 1992.
582
00:27:06,393 --> 00:27:08,862
- I met Clark Rockefeller
for the first time
583
00:27:08,895 --> 00:27:11,865
when he moved
into my building.
584
00:27:11,898 --> 00:27:13,867
He was kind of paranoid.
585
00:27:13,900 --> 00:27:18,204
He was kind of an odd duck
but a very nice person.
586
00:27:18,238 --> 00:27:20,540
I just took it in stride,
of this is--
587
00:27:20,573 --> 00:27:24,210
the eccentricity
of Clark Rockefeller.
588
00:27:24,244 --> 00:27:27,681
Soon after I'd met him, Clark
rings me up on the phone.
589
00:27:27,714 --> 00:27:29,082
[line trilling]
590
00:27:29,115 --> 00:27:31,584
Says, you know, Martha,
I need your advice.
591
00:27:31,618 --> 00:27:34,220
He says, you know,
I've inherited some paintings.
592
00:27:34,254 --> 00:27:38,725
I said, okay, Clark.
So tell me, what do you have?
593
00:27:38,758 --> 00:27:41,327
And he says, well, I have
this artist, you know.
594
00:27:41,361 --> 00:27:42,962
I don't know if you've
ever heard of him.
595
00:27:43,063 --> 00:27:46,132
His name is Jackson Pollock.
596
00:27:46,166 --> 00:27:49,402
And I've got, you know,
somebody named Rothko,
597
00:27:49,436 --> 00:27:52,405
oh, and then there's
this artist named Mondrian.
598
00:27:52,439 --> 00:27:55,208
Have you ever heard
of these artists?
599
00:27:55,241 --> 00:27:56,676
So I'm like--
600
00:27:56,710 --> 00:27:58,211
I had already
been sitting down,
601
00:27:58,244 --> 00:28:00,347
because if I hadn't been,
I would have been on the floor.
602
00:28:00,380 --> 00:28:03,416
And he said, can you come over
right now and take a look?
603
00:28:03,450 --> 00:28:07,721
So, you know, like,
in ten seconds, I'm next door.
604
00:28:07,754 --> 00:28:10,123
And there they were.
605
00:28:10,156 --> 00:28:12,826
They were, you know,
hanging on the walls.
606
00:28:12,859 --> 00:28:14,427
And I said,
how did you get these?
607
00:28:14,461 --> 00:28:17,030
And he said, well, you know,
my great-aunt Blanchette,
608
00:28:17,030 --> 00:28:20,033
you know, died recently,
and maybe you've heard of her.
609
00:28:20,066 --> 00:28:21,434
You know, she started that
little old museum
610
00:28:21,468 --> 00:28:24,037
on 53rd Street--
the Museum of Modern Art.
611
00:28:24,037 --> 00:28:25,905
I said, oh, yeah, yeah.
612
00:28:25,939 --> 00:28:28,708
So of course she would
own paintings like this.
613
00:28:28,742 --> 00:28:31,845
And she had died
within this timeframe.
614
00:28:34,280 --> 00:28:35,615
[dramatic sting]
615
00:28:35,648 --> 00:28:38,184
I invited Clark to an opening
616
00:28:38,218 --> 00:28:41,154
of a contemporary artist
that I was showing.
617
00:28:41,187 --> 00:28:44,891
This was the first time
Clark came out
618
00:28:44,924 --> 00:28:47,327
as an art collector.
619
00:28:47,360 --> 00:28:50,964
- These are purportedly
famous paintings.
620
00:28:51,064 --> 00:28:53,400
Turned out,
they were all fraudulent.
621
00:28:53,433 --> 00:28:55,068
- I've never doubted
they were real,
622
00:28:55,068 --> 00:28:56,903
and I'm not the only person
to say that.
623
00:28:56,936 --> 00:28:59,305
The director
of Knoedler Gallery,
624
00:28:59,339 --> 00:29:01,141
one of the heads
of Sotheby's--
625
00:29:01,174 --> 00:29:05,345
they agree that the art that
they saw in his home was real.
626
00:29:05,378 --> 00:29:09,015
So he was able to open up
627
00:29:09,049 --> 00:29:14,054
all kinds of new social circles
for himself.
628
00:29:14,087 --> 00:29:17,390
- Detectives learn that
these affluent social circles
629
00:29:17,424 --> 00:29:20,827
is how Clark Rockefeller
met Sandra Boss.
630
00:29:20,860 --> 00:29:23,263
* *
631
00:29:23,296 --> 00:29:25,832
- Clark Rockefeller
met Sandra Boss
632
00:29:25,865 --> 00:29:28,335
at a party he threw,
633
00:29:28,368 --> 00:29:31,805
and they formed a relationship
and fell in love.
634
00:29:31,838 --> 00:29:33,506
- Ultimately,
they get married.
635
00:29:33,540 --> 00:29:37,210
Sandra Boss is a smart
and beautiful woman.
636
00:29:37,243 --> 00:29:40,513
She went to Stanford and
then Harvard Business School.
637
00:29:40,547 --> 00:29:44,184
She worked for a large
engineering company.
638
00:29:44,217 --> 00:29:46,519
She made a couple
million dollars a year.
639
00:29:46,553 --> 00:29:48,688
And then Sandra got pregnant.
640
00:29:48,722 --> 00:29:50,957
* *
641
00:29:51,057 --> 00:29:52,792
When the daughter came around,
642
00:29:52,826 --> 00:29:54,894
he became the caretaker
of the daughter.
643
00:29:54,928 --> 00:29:58,365
So he was Mr. Mom
while she went to work.
644
00:29:58,398 --> 00:30:01,034
- Clark Rockefeller,
financially, didn't contribute
645
00:30:01,067 --> 00:30:03,503
anything to their household.
646
00:30:03,536 --> 00:30:06,706
- He told her the family
was tied up in litigation
647
00:30:06,740 --> 00:30:08,408
over a submarine contract
648
00:30:08,441 --> 00:30:11,544
and can't access his money
for a while,
649
00:30:11,578 --> 00:30:15,148
but any day now, the millions
would come rolling in.
650
00:30:15,181 --> 00:30:17,083
And the whole time
they were married,
651
00:30:17,117 --> 00:30:19,452
he had full control
of her money.
652
00:30:19,486 --> 00:30:22,255
- Investigators learn
that after years
653
00:30:22,288 --> 00:30:25,125
of funding her husband's
extravagant lifestyle,
654
00:30:25,158 --> 00:30:28,294
Sandra eventually
filed for divorce.
655
00:30:28,328 --> 00:30:29,562
[dramatic sting]
656
00:30:29,596 --> 00:30:32,465
- During the divorce process,
Sandra Boss found out
657
00:30:32,499 --> 00:30:35,235
that Clark Rockefeller
didn't exist.
658
00:30:35,268 --> 00:30:37,537
* *
659
00:30:37,570 --> 00:30:39,172
She's hired
a private detective
660
00:30:39,205 --> 00:30:42,575
who cannot find a trace
of Clark Rockefeller.
661
00:30:42,609 --> 00:30:46,913
So they're in a custody battle
in the city of Boston,
662
00:30:46,946 --> 00:30:49,215
and she's very insistent
with the judge
663
00:30:49,249 --> 00:30:50,984
that he not have visitation,
664
00:30:51,017 --> 00:30:52,952
'cause he will disappear
with his daughter
665
00:30:52,986 --> 00:30:55,588
and she will never be able
to find him.
666
00:30:55,622 --> 00:30:57,791
So he gives up
the battle for custody,
667
00:30:57,824 --> 00:31:00,060
and he is bought off
for $800,000
668
00:31:00,060 --> 00:31:02,195
by Sandra Boss in the divorce.
669
00:31:02,228 --> 00:31:05,532
The judge orders
monitored visitation.
670
00:31:05,565 --> 00:31:07,901
- During one
of those monitored visits,
671
00:31:07,934 --> 00:31:10,070
he kidnapped his daughter
672
00:31:10,070 --> 00:31:12,505
right in front of the monitor
and drove away
673
00:31:12,539 --> 00:31:17,077
and took on a new identity--
Chip Smith.
674
00:31:17,110 --> 00:31:20,313
- And then he is arrested
for parental kidnapping.
675
00:31:20,347 --> 00:31:22,248
* *
676
00:31:22,282 --> 00:31:24,117
- As investigators
piece together
677
00:31:24,150 --> 00:31:26,753
decades' worth
of aliases and cons,
678
00:31:26,786 --> 00:31:31,091
identifying John Sohus's body
still remained an obstacle.
679
00:31:32,158 --> 00:31:35,128
- John Sohus was adopted.
680
00:31:35,161 --> 00:31:39,099
We had to unseal
the adoption records.
681
00:31:39,132 --> 00:31:41,134
But then
his biological mother--
682
00:31:41,167 --> 00:31:43,937
she had since passed
and was cremated.
683
00:31:43,970 --> 00:31:46,106
The father
on the birth certificate--
684
00:31:46,139 --> 00:31:48,441
track him down...
685
00:31:48,475 --> 00:31:49,976
take his DNA.
686
00:31:50,010 --> 00:31:52,178
However, it was not a match.
687
00:31:52,212 --> 00:31:57,017
So then found a half-sibling
688
00:31:57,117 --> 00:31:59,486
with the same
biological mother.
689
00:31:59,519 --> 00:32:02,822
She agreed to provide
DNA samples.
690
00:32:02,856 --> 00:32:07,861
The DNA from the half-sibling
matched the skull.
691
00:32:07,894 --> 00:32:11,664
Finally, we had
a positive identification
692
00:32:11,698 --> 00:32:13,500
on John Sohus.
693
00:32:21,507 --> 00:32:23,208
- More than two decades
after he disappeared,
694
00:32:24,143 --> 00:32:27,312
the remains found
in Didi Sohus's backyard
695
00:32:27,346 --> 00:32:30,649
had finally been identified
as her son, John.
696
00:32:30,683 --> 00:32:32,651
[dramatic sting]
697
00:32:32,685 --> 00:32:35,654
[dramatic music]
698
00:32:35,688 --> 00:32:37,890
* *
699
00:32:37,923 --> 00:32:41,226
- It was pretty apparent
that Christian Gerhartsreiter,
700
00:32:41,260 --> 00:32:43,195
also known
as Clark Rockefeller,
701
00:32:43,228 --> 00:32:46,965
killed this couple
to protect his lifestyle.
702
00:32:46,999 --> 00:32:50,269
They were a young couple,
recently married,
703
00:32:50,302 --> 00:32:52,504
living in Mom's home,
704
00:32:52,538 --> 00:32:54,473
when there's a guesthouse
just a few feet away
705
00:32:54,506 --> 00:32:56,608
that they could be living in.
706
00:32:56,642 --> 00:32:59,678
And he occupied
that guesthouse,
707
00:32:59,712 --> 00:33:02,948
and I'm sure he felt challenged
that he might lose
708
00:33:03,048 --> 00:33:05,584
that residence in San Marino.
709
00:33:05,617 --> 00:33:08,854
He loved his position
in San Marino.
710
00:33:08,887 --> 00:33:12,624
He loved being
the 13th Baronet of England.
711
00:33:12,658 --> 00:33:15,260
And John and Linda Sohus,
712
00:33:15,294 --> 00:33:17,696
who likely wanted to live
in that guesthouse,
713
00:33:17,730 --> 00:33:20,699
challenged his status
in that community.
714
00:33:20,733 --> 00:33:24,336
And that likely played
into this confrontation
715
00:33:24,370 --> 00:33:26,138
which led to death.
716
00:33:26,171 --> 00:33:28,140
[camera shutter clicking]
717
00:33:28,173 --> 00:33:30,843
There was no DNA,
no fingerprints,
718
00:33:30,876 --> 00:33:34,079
no hair fibers,
no forensic evidence whatsoever
719
00:33:34,113 --> 00:33:37,116
connecting this man
to the crime.
720
00:33:37,149 --> 00:33:38,617
That's not surprising.
721
00:33:38,650 --> 00:33:41,086
Too much time had passed.
722
00:33:41,086 --> 00:33:44,089
What we did find
is that whoever
723
00:33:44,123 --> 00:33:46,125
wrapped this body
in plastic
724
00:33:46,158 --> 00:33:49,261
used two bags
to cover the body's head.
725
00:33:49,294 --> 00:33:50,996
One of the bags was from
726
00:33:51,096 --> 00:33:54,400
the University of Wisconsin
at Milwaukee bookstore,
727
00:33:54,433 --> 00:33:58,470
and the other
was from the USC bookstore.
728
00:33:58,504 --> 00:34:03,042
Only one person lived
at 1920 Lorain Road,
729
00:34:03,075 --> 00:34:05,678
attended the University
of Wisconsin
730
00:34:05,711 --> 00:34:07,746
and attended USC.
731
00:34:07,780 --> 00:34:10,916
* *
732
00:34:10,949 --> 00:34:12,885
I believe the clear motive
in this killing
733
00:34:12,918 --> 00:34:15,387
was to protect his status
and his identity
734
00:34:15,421 --> 00:34:17,322
in the San Marino
neighborhood.
735
00:34:17,356 --> 00:34:19,692
I believe
Christian Gerhartsreiter
736
00:34:19,725 --> 00:34:23,462
killed John and Linda Sohus
in cold blood.
737
00:34:23,495 --> 00:34:28,067
He then fled, and he entered
a new life of deceit,
738
00:34:28,067 --> 00:34:31,704
manipulation, and greed.
739
00:34:31,737 --> 00:34:34,073
- The Los Angeles County
Sheriff's Department
740
00:34:34,073 --> 00:34:35,774
charged
Christian Gerhartsreiter
741
00:34:35,808 --> 00:34:37,776
for the murder of John Sohus.
742
00:34:37,810 --> 00:34:42,314
* *
743
00:34:42,348 --> 00:34:44,783
- I knew that Linda
had disappeared with John
744
00:34:44,817 --> 00:34:48,087
and was never seen again,
745
00:34:48,120 --> 00:34:49,955
but I didn't have her body.
746
00:34:49,988 --> 00:34:54,993
We made a tactical decision
not to charge the defendant
747
00:34:55,094 --> 00:34:56,795
with the murder
of Linda Sohus.
748
00:34:56,829 --> 00:35:00,766
* *
749
00:35:00,799 --> 00:35:05,938
This is just a small fraction
of what our large poster wall
750
00:35:06,038 --> 00:35:09,041
would have looked like
when we were unraveling
751
00:35:09,041 --> 00:35:12,044
these identities.
752
00:35:12,044 --> 00:35:13,512
So this man went
753
00:35:13,545 --> 00:35:18,117
from German immigrant
Christian Gerhartsreiter
754
00:35:18,150 --> 00:35:20,552
to Christopher Chichester,
755
00:35:20,586 --> 00:35:23,389
the 13th Baronet of England,
756
00:35:23,422 --> 00:35:25,924
to Chris Crowe,
the bond trader
757
00:35:25,958 --> 00:35:28,927
who worked at Kidder, Peabody,
758
00:35:28,961 --> 00:35:32,564
to Clark Rockefeller,
the wealthy scion
759
00:35:32,598 --> 00:35:34,833
of the great
Rockefeller family.
760
00:35:34,867 --> 00:35:36,835
* *
761
00:35:36,869 --> 00:35:39,805
The common thread behind
all of these alter egos
762
00:35:39,838 --> 00:35:41,607
that he took on
763
00:35:41,640 --> 00:35:44,109
is that they were all based
764
00:35:44,143 --> 00:35:47,346
on wealth and power.
765
00:35:47,379 --> 00:35:48,847
This was not a situation
766
00:35:48,881 --> 00:35:51,583
of someone who just wanted
to start a new life.
767
00:35:51,617 --> 00:35:54,086
This is someone who had to run,
768
00:35:54,086 --> 00:35:56,088
who had to change his identity
769
00:35:56,088 --> 00:35:57,856
because
he was escaping murder.
770
00:35:57,890 --> 00:36:00,092
* *
771
00:36:00,125 --> 00:36:02,261
[dramatic sting]
772
00:36:02,294 --> 00:36:04,863
- The murder trial
of a con man--
773
00:36:04,897 --> 00:36:08,867
he's a German-born scam artist
whose best known alias
774
00:36:08,901 --> 00:36:10,769
is Clark Rockefeller,
775
00:36:10,803 --> 00:36:12,638
and now he's on trial
in California
776
00:36:12,671 --> 00:36:14,707
for a lurid cold-case killing.
777
00:36:14,740 --> 00:36:18,310
- The main trial happened
in March of 2013.
778
00:36:18,344 --> 00:36:20,846
So I attended the trial.
779
00:36:20,879 --> 00:36:23,882
There was no way I was going
to look over at Gerhartsreiter,
780
00:36:23,916 --> 00:36:25,451
because I didn't want to ever,
781
00:36:25,484 --> 00:36:27,286
like, mistakenly get
eye contact.
782
00:36:27,319 --> 00:36:29,621
But he hardly ever looked up.
783
00:36:29,655 --> 00:36:31,590
* *
784
00:36:31,623 --> 00:36:34,460
- I knew when this case began
that I was going to explain
785
00:36:34,493 --> 00:36:37,629
to this jury that this was
a con man
786
00:36:37,663 --> 00:36:39,631
who thought he was
smarter than them,
787
00:36:39,665 --> 00:36:42,901
a fabulist
who told wild stories
788
00:36:42,935 --> 00:36:45,871
to convince people
of whatever he wanted to,
789
00:36:45,904 --> 00:36:50,175
a master manipulator who always
had a lie in his back pocket
790
00:36:50,209 --> 00:36:53,212
to pull out when he needed to.
791
00:36:53,245 --> 00:36:56,515
But we didn't want to let
the defendant's lies
792
00:36:56,548 --> 00:36:59,918
and who he was overshadow
what had happened.
793
00:37:00,019 --> 00:37:04,156
This was a brutal,
cold-blooded murder.
794
00:37:04,189 --> 00:37:06,925
It's about John Sohus,
795
00:37:07,026 --> 00:37:10,629
who was brutally bludgeoned
repeatedly in the head.
796
00:37:10,662 --> 00:37:12,698
We knew that
from the very beginning.
797
00:37:12,731 --> 00:37:16,702
The defense had one choice,
and that's to tell this jury
798
00:37:16,735 --> 00:37:18,937
that Linda Sohus
was the master killer.
799
00:37:19,038 --> 00:37:22,574
She killed her husband, she
buried him in her backyard,
800
00:37:22,608 --> 00:37:24,810
and she fled to Paris, France,
801
00:37:24,843 --> 00:37:27,379
where she mailed
these postcards.
802
00:37:27,413 --> 00:37:30,849
So I started with Linda,
not the defendant's lies,
803
00:37:30,883 --> 00:37:33,852
and I told the jury
who she was.
804
00:37:33,886 --> 00:37:36,355
This is not a killer,
ladies and gentlemen.
805
00:37:36,388 --> 00:37:40,459
This is a fun, silly,
nonviolent person
806
00:37:40,492 --> 00:37:43,195
with a great sense of humor.
807
00:37:43,228 --> 00:37:45,664
She was all about having fun
808
00:37:45,698 --> 00:37:48,634
with those she loved best,
809
00:37:48,667 --> 00:37:50,703
with John.
810
00:37:50,736 --> 00:37:53,205
This was a happy couple,
ladies and gentlemen.
811
00:37:53,238 --> 00:37:54,973
This was a happy couple.
812
00:37:55,074 --> 00:37:58,644
And I told that story to the
jury from the very beginning,
813
00:37:58,677 --> 00:38:01,013
before I even mentioned
Christian Gerhartsreiter,
814
00:38:01,013 --> 00:38:03,115
because I wanted the jury
to understand
815
00:38:03,148 --> 00:38:07,019
who these people were
and how nonsensical it would be
816
00:38:07,019 --> 00:38:08,454
that Linda Sohus,
817
00:38:08,487 --> 00:38:11,690
when her relationship with John
was blooming,
818
00:38:11,724 --> 00:38:16,395
would just kill him
for no reason
819
00:38:16,428 --> 00:38:18,897
and disappear
and abandon her friends,
820
00:38:18,931 --> 00:38:23,602
abandon her family,
which she loved dearly.
821
00:38:23,635 --> 00:38:26,038
To me, this case was clear--
822
00:38:26,038 --> 00:38:29,942
the vast amount
of circumstantial evidence,
823
00:38:30,042 --> 00:38:34,613
coupled with his manipulation,
lies, and deceit.
824
00:38:34,646 --> 00:38:39,351
Was it Linda Sohus,
the loving wife of the victim,
825
00:38:39,385 --> 00:38:43,255
or was it this
masterful manipulator
826
00:38:43,288 --> 00:38:46,525
who lies incessantly?
827
00:38:46,558 --> 00:38:49,428
Which one of those two
killed John Sohus?
828
00:38:49,461 --> 00:38:50,896
I think the choice was clear.
829
00:38:57,237 --> 00:38:59,673
- LA County DA Balian
presented a powerful case
830
00:39:00,607 --> 00:39:03,209
that showed a career con man
covering up
831
00:39:03,243 --> 00:39:06,312
a murder motivated by greed.
832
00:39:06,346 --> 00:39:09,182
To prove it, he highlighted
previous testimony
833
00:39:09,215 --> 00:39:12,152
from Clark Rockefeller's
high-powered ex-wife,
834
00:39:12,185 --> 00:39:13,653
Sandra Boss.
835
00:39:13,687 --> 00:39:15,655
- He made a big effort
of borrowing
836
00:39:15,689 --> 00:39:18,324
some expensive jewelry
from his family.
837
00:39:18,358 --> 00:39:19,693
He was very intelligent.
838
00:39:19,726 --> 00:39:21,227
He was one of the most
intelligent people
839
00:39:21,261 --> 00:39:22,562
that I'd ever known.
840
00:39:22,595 --> 00:39:25,598
He told me that his parents
841
00:39:25,632 --> 00:39:29,135
were George Rockefeller
842
00:39:29,169 --> 00:39:33,039
and Mary Roberts.
843
00:39:33,073 --> 00:39:35,041
- Sandra Boss testified
844
00:39:35,075 --> 00:39:37,744
that sometimes people
are vulnerable,
845
00:39:37,777 --> 00:39:40,547
and they can be really smart
in one part of their life
846
00:39:40,580 --> 00:39:43,750
and not as smart in other parts
of their life.
847
00:39:43,783 --> 00:39:47,554
This was
a very brilliant woman,
848
00:39:47,587 --> 00:39:52,959
well-educated, with an
extremely high-powered job,
849
00:39:53,059 --> 00:39:55,562
and she was duped.
850
00:39:55,595 --> 00:39:57,831
- But Sandra Boss
was not alone.
851
00:39:57,864 --> 00:40:00,066
There were many others
who had fallen victim
852
00:40:00,100 --> 00:40:02,369
to Gerhartsreiter's
slippery avarice.
853
00:40:02,402 --> 00:40:04,571
It was only a matter of time
854
00:40:04,604 --> 00:40:06,806
before he would trip
over his own lies.
855
00:40:06,840 --> 00:40:10,276
- Is there a real name that
we should be calling you?
856
00:40:10,310 --> 00:40:12,012
- Clark Rockefeller.
857
00:40:12,045 --> 00:40:14,581
- Clark Rockefeller, you say,
is still your real name?
858
00:40:14,614 --> 00:40:16,082
- I believe so.
859
00:40:16,116 --> 00:40:18,051
- So you believe you grew up
in the United States?
860
00:40:18,084 --> 00:40:19,719
- I believe I grew up
in New York.
861
00:40:19,753 --> 00:40:21,988
I'm quite sure I grew up
in New York City.
862
00:40:22,022 --> 00:40:25,592
- Clark Rockefeller is
still your real name?
863
00:40:25,625 --> 00:40:26,993
No, it's not.
864
00:40:27,027 --> 00:40:28,495
You're
Christian Carl Gerhartsreiter.
865
00:40:28,528 --> 00:40:30,497
You were born
in Bergen, Germany,
866
00:40:30,530 --> 00:40:32,198
to two Catholic parents.
867
00:40:32,232 --> 00:40:34,501
One was a sign painter.
One stayed at home.
868
00:40:34,534 --> 00:40:37,904
[dramatic music]
869
00:40:37,937 --> 00:40:39,673
That's where you were raised.
870
00:40:39,706 --> 00:40:41,875
* *
871
00:40:41,908 --> 00:40:43,910
Lies. Lies.
872
00:40:43,943 --> 00:40:46,112
And this is really
the only time the jury
873
00:40:46,146 --> 00:40:49,983
could see him convincingly tell
his bald-faced lies.
874
00:40:50,016 --> 00:40:52,752
- Did you kill
John and Linda Sohus?
875
00:40:52,786 --> 00:40:56,322
- My entire life,
I've always been a pacifist.
876
00:40:56,356 --> 00:40:58,591
I am a Quaker...
877
00:40:58,625 --> 00:41:01,695
and I believe in nonviolence.
878
00:41:01,728 --> 00:41:06,232
And I can fairly certainly say
879
00:41:06,266 --> 00:41:08,702
that I have never hurt anyone.
880
00:41:08,735 --> 00:41:10,870
- In our estimation,
881
00:41:10,904 --> 00:41:14,074
he confessed during that tape.
882
00:41:14,107 --> 00:41:17,110
What did you never hear
in response to that question--
883
00:41:17,143 --> 00:41:19,746
did you kill
John and Linda Sohus?
884
00:41:19,779 --> 00:41:22,682
He couldn't even say no.
885
00:41:22,716 --> 00:41:25,852
He couldn't even say no.
And what reason does he give?
886
00:41:25,885 --> 00:41:27,654
Uh-oh.
887
00:41:27,687 --> 00:41:29,556
"I didn't kill them
because I'm a Quaker."
888
00:41:29,589 --> 00:41:30,623
You're not even a Quaker.
889
00:41:30,657 --> 00:41:32,359
You turned Quaker
to get married
890
00:41:32,392 --> 00:41:34,661
so you didn't have to have
an officiant at your wedding.
891
00:41:34,694 --> 00:41:37,597
He never said no,
because he killed them.
892
00:41:37,630 --> 00:41:40,166
- Gerhartsreiter killed them
893
00:41:40,200 --> 00:41:42,736
to preserve the life
he claimed to have at the time
894
00:41:42,769 --> 00:41:44,571
as the 13th Baronet,
895
00:41:44,604 --> 00:41:49,009
and the potential inheritance
of Didi's six-figure estate.
896
00:41:49,109 --> 00:41:52,779
- Ladies and gentlemen,
the evidence is clear.
897
00:41:52,812 --> 00:41:54,347
He's gotten away
with it long enough.
898
00:41:54,381 --> 00:41:56,116
I'm asking you--
899
00:41:56,149 --> 00:41:57,717
I'm going to stand here
right now,
900
00:41:57,751 --> 00:41:59,853
on behalf of the people
of the state of California,
901
00:41:59,886 --> 00:42:03,723
and I'm going to ask you,
for once and for all, tell him,
902
00:42:03,757 --> 00:42:08,194
you are accountable
for your actions.
903
00:42:08,228 --> 00:42:10,430
- Even though we all know
all of these things,
904
00:42:10,463 --> 00:42:11,931
they're going to say,
905
00:42:11,965 --> 00:42:14,200
yeah, but it doesn't absolutely
make him the murderer.
906
00:42:14,234 --> 00:42:18,705
I got a sense of,
I hope he's proven guilty.
907
00:42:18,738 --> 00:42:22,442
But this is really old stuff,
908
00:42:22,475 --> 00:42:24,077
and it's all circumstantial,
909
00:42:24,077 --> 00:42:26,680
which doesn't necessarily lead
to guilty.
910
00:42:26,713 --> 00:42:31,518
* *
911
00:42:31,551 --> 00:42:33,920
[dramatic sting]
912
00:42:33,953 --> 00:42:35,755
- We the jury,
in the above entitled action,
913
00:42:35,789 --> 00:42:38,425
find the defendant...
914
00:42:38,458 --> 00:42:41,795
Christian Gerhartsreiter...
915
00:42:41,828 --> 00:42:44,230
guilty of the crime
of murder in the first degree
916
00:42:44,264 --> 00:42:45,932
of John Sohus.
917
00:42:45,965 --> 00:42:47,901
- Christian Gerhartsreiter
was sentenced
918
00:42:47,934 --> 00:42:50,103
to 27 years to life
in state prison--
919
00:42:50,103 --> 00:42:53,106
25 years
for the premeditated murder
920
00:42:53,106 --> 00:42:55,108
and one year
for each of the weapons--
921
00:42:55,108 --> 00:42:57,243
the blunt object and the knife.
922
00:42:57,277 --> 00:43:01,247
- I want him to be convicted
on the murder of Linda,
923
00:43:01,281 --> 00:43:04,451
but I don't think
that's going to happen.
924
00:43:04,484 --> 00:43:07,087
But he's going to jail.
925
00:43:07,120 --> 00:43:11,424
You know, he's not a young man,
and hopefully he'll die there.
926
00:43:11,458 --> 00:43:14,260
I'm sorry to be so blunt,
927
00:43:14,294 --> 00:43:16,496
but...
928
00:43:16,529 --> 00:43:18,598
okay.
929
00:43:18,631 --> 00:43:20,266
- Every time
I've made an entry
930
00:43:20,300 --> 00:43:23,570
and I thought it was done,
I was proven wrong.
931
00:43:23,603 --> 00:43:25,672
So this is an open book.
932
00:43:25,705 --> 00:43:28,241
This continues until my death.
933
00:43:28,274 --> 00:43:30,276
* *
934
00:43:30,310 --> 00:43:33,079
I still have that little,
itty-bitty spark that says,
935
00:43:33,113 --> 00:43:36,282
you don't see her dead body,
and until you do,
936
00:43:36,316 --> 00:43:40,120
there's always a chance
that she is alive somewhere.
937
00:43:40,153 --> 00:43:44,991
* *