1 00:00:10,600 --> 00:00:13,367 He says that she threatened to commit suicide. 2 00:00:13,367 --> 00:00:17,567 A lot of people didn't believe the official story. 3 00:00:17,567 --> 00:00:19,567 PLEVINSKY SHAVER: It rocked the town. 4 00:00:19,634 --> 00:00:23,667 DECK: I just had a feeling that something wasn't right. 5 00:00:23,667 --> 00:00:24,767 FLANNERY: They were looking for somebody who 6 00:00:24,767 --> 00:00:27,066 knew their way around a crime scene, 7 00:00:27,133 --> 00:00:29,667 and who would know how to stage a crime scene 8 00:00:29,734 --> 00:00:31,934 better than somebody who investigates crime scenes? 9 00:00:33,667 --> 00:00:35,533 I'm Sheriff Gary McFadden. 10 00:00:36,567 --> 00:00:39,166 I was a homicide detective for 20 years. 11 00:00:39,166 --> 00:00:42,867 I've worked more than 800 homicides in my career. 12 00:00:42,867 --> 00:00:45,367 But even for the most dedicated detective, 13 00:00:45,367 --> 00:00:49,133 there's no one harder to stop than a killer with a badge. 14 00:00:50,467 --> 00:00:52,266 [glass cracking noises] 15 00:00:59,166 --> 00:01:01,367 John Walker was a police officer for 16 00:01:01,367 --> 00:01:02,567 a local department. 17 00:01:02,567 --> 00:01:05,100 On November 13th, 1983, 18 00:01:05,100 --> 00:01:09,367 he returns to his residence to discover his wife deceased. 19 00:01:14,467 --> 00:01:16,667 He calls his dispatcher and says, 20 00:01:16,667 --> 00:01:19,066 "Oh, my God, Lynda is dead." 21 00:01:19,066 --> 00:01:22,166 ZIRPOLI: John said she had shot herself. 22 00:01:22,166 --> 00:01:25,367 The dispatcher then called the chief of police and told 23 00:01:25,367 --> 00:01:27,667 him, hey, "John's wife is deceased. 24 00:01:27,667 --> 00:01:29,066 We need to do something." 25 00:01:29,066 --> 00:01:31,166 McFADDEN: When 911 receives a call 26 00:01:31,166 --> 00:01:33,367 and know the voice is a very familiar one, 27 00:01:33,367 --> 00:01:37,100 it sets off alarm bells -- that 911 operator will call 28 00:01:37,100 --> 00:01:40,533 everyone in the agency, and the big red handle is pulled. 29 00:01:42,266 --> 00:01:45,233 NARRATOR: Lynda Walker was 24 years old. 30 00:01:46,166 --> 00:01:48,166 When I found out that she died, 31 00:01:48,166 --> 00:01:50,667 it was just a total shock. 32 00:01:50,667 --> 00:01:52,100 [phone ringing] 33 00:01:52,100 --> 00:01:55,533 In 1983, I worked with her at a law firm. 34 00:01:56,900 --> 00:01:59,567 Lynda was the nicest person that you would ever want 35 00:01:59,567 --> 00:02:00,867 to meet. 36 00:02:00,867 --> 00:02:03,867 She was just a kind, gentle soul. 37 00:02:03,934 --> 00:02:06,834 So people just really enjoyed being around her. 38 00:02:08,300 --> 00:02:10,767 SEAMANS: I was the only lawyer in the town at the time. 39 00:02:10,834 --> 00:02:14,467 She worked with me for gosh, at least two years. 40 00:02:15,567 --> 00:02:19,867 She was a sweet, very nice young lady and so competent. 41 00:02:19,934 --> 00:02:20,867 I mean, it's not like there was 42 00:02:20,867 --> 00:02:23,266 a lot of gaiety in a law office. 43 00:02:23,266 --> 00:02:27,266 But what stands out to me is she was just a fun person. 44 00:02:29,266 --> 00:02:32,266 Both John Walker and his wife, Lynda Walker, 45 00:02:32,333 --> 00:02:34,033 were born and raised in Susquehanna County. 46 00:02:35,600 --> 00:02:37,367 DECK: And this is the town of New Milford. 47 00:02:38,367 --> 00:02:40,967 New Milford is a real small town. 48 00:02:41,033 --> 00:02:43,567 There's, you know, there's churches and grocery stores 49 00:02:43,634 --> 00:02:46,867 and pizza shops and things like that. 50 00:02:46,867 --> 00:02:49,166 It's mostly houses. 51 00:02:49,166 --> 00:02:52,367 You know, if there's a rumor, it spreads like wildfire. 52 00:02:52,367 --> 00:02:55,166 Everybody knows about everybody's business 53 00:02:55,233 --> 00:02:56,266 in New Milford. 54 00:02:59,000 --> 00:03:01,367 My father was a Pennsylvania State Police trooper in 55 00:03:01,367 --> 00:03:04,266 the area, and when I went to college, 56 00:03:04,333 --> 00:03:07,867 I looked back on my father's career and decided that I was 57 00:03:07,934 --> 00:03:09,100 interested in it. 58 00:03:09,100 --> 00:03:10,867 I always felt that I had to be 59 00:03:10,934 --> 00:03:13,367 the person to bring justice for the victim. 60 00:03:16,166 --> 00:03:18,867 [siren wailing] 61 00:03:18,934 --> 00:03:20,767 ZIRPOLI: John makes the call. 62 00:03:20,767 --> 00:03:22,667 The chief of police shows up, 63 00:03:22,667 --> 00:03:25,467 walks into the trailer, looks into the room. 64 00:03:25,467 --> 00:03:28,567 He comes out, no one says they ever went in the room, 65 00:03:28,567 --> 00:03:30,967 touched her, or moved anything. 66 00:03:30,967 --> 00:03:32,266 The Pennsylvania State Police were notified 67 00:03:32,266 --> 00:03:33,667 of the incident because 68 00:03:33,667 --> 00:03:36,333 they worked with John, and they both knew Lynda. 69 00:03:37,800 --> 00:03:39,767 McFADDEN: After arriving on the scene, 70 00:03:39,834 --> 00:03:42,367 the chief made one of the best decisions in his career. 71 00:03:42,433 --> 00:03:44,266 He knew it would be a conflict of interest, 72 00:03:44,266 --> 00:03:46,834 so he called in the local state police. 73 00:03:47,667 --> 00:03:49,467 Doing any investigation, 74 00:03:49,467 --> 00:03:52,967 there's always emotions, but when it's one of your own, 75 00:03:52,967 --> 00:03:56,367 there's more emotion, and emotions can always get in 76 00:03:56,367 --> 00:03:58,133 the way of an investigation. 77 00:04:00,266 --> 00:04:01,867 DECK: When the state police showed up on the scene, 78 00:04:01,934 --> 00:04:04,467 Lynda was lying on her back in the main bedroom. 79 00:04:05,567 --> 00:04:07,567 She had the covers kind of pulled up 80 00:04:07,567 --> 00:04:09,467 a little bit past her waist. 81 00:04:09,467 --> 00:04:13,133 She had blue jeans on, and she had her bra on. 82 00:04:14,000 --> 00:04:16,233 NARRATOR: Investigators process the scene. 83 00:04:18,767 --> 00:04:21,667 Lynda has a single gunshot wound to the left side 84 00:04:21,667 --> 00:04:24,834 of her chest, with an exit wound in her back. 85 00:04:26,367 --> 00:04:29,166 FLANNERY: A 45-caliber semiautomatic pistol 86 00:04:29,166 --> 00:04:31,567 was found near her right hand. 87 00:04:31,567 --> 00:04:33,867 It was well known within the community 88 00:04:33,934 --> 00:04:37,266 John slept with .45 supposedly underneath his pillow. 89 00:04:38,367 --> 00:04:40,567 McFADDEN: So at first glance, it looks like 90 00:04:40,634 --> 00:04:44,634 Lynda used John's service weapon to shoot herself. 91 00:04:45,500 --> 00:04:47,834 The question is why. 92 00:04:50,600 --> 00:04:53,467 NARRATOR: Looking for answers, investigators at the scene 93 00:04:53,467 --> 00:04:55,467 question John. 94 00:04:55,533 --> 00:04:58,967 ZIRPOLI: Lynda and John were estranged at the time. 95 00:04:59,033 --> 00:05:00,567 Lynda was living with her parents. 96 00:05:00,634 --> 00:05:02,834 John was living in the marital home. 97 00:05:03,800 --> 00:05:05,867 DECK: He said that early afternoon, 98 00:05:05,867 --> 00:05:08,467 he called Lynda at her parents' house and wanted to 99 00:05:08,533 --> 00:05:11,867 know if she could come down and talk about their marriage. 100 00:05:11,867 --> 00:05:14,834 She showed up within just a few minutes. 101 00:05:16,100 --> 00:05:17,967 ZIRPOLI: From what we see at the scene, 102 00:05:18,033 --> 00:05:20,000 you know, she leaves her purse in the kitchen, 103 00:05:20,000 --> 00:05:24,367 takes her shoes off, and goes to the bedroom. 104 00:05:24,367 --> 00:05:27,667 He says that they talked for a while. 105 00:05:27,734 --> 00:05:30,066 Then they got into a heated argument. 106 00:05:30,133 --> 00:05:32,734 He says that she threatened to commit suicide. 107 00:05:33,700 --> 00:05:36,567 DECK: John indicated that whenever they had an argument 108 00:05:36,567 --> 00:05:38,467 like that and he threatened to leave, 109 00:05:38,467 --> 00:05:41,767 there was talk that he wanted a divorce, that she would, 110 00:05:41,767 --> 00:05:44,266 in fact, say that she was gonna harm herself. 111 00:05:44,266 --> 00:05:45,567 So he said that night, she did 112 00:05:45,567 --> 00:05:47,967 the same thing, and then he just left. 113 00:05:51,767 --> 00:05:54,166 NARRATOR: John gives officers a timeline of 114 00:05:54,166 --> 00:05:56,967 what he did after he left Lynda. 115 00:05:56,967 --> 00:06:00,066 DECK: John leaves the residence and goes for a drive to clear 116 00:06:00,066 --> 00:06:01,367 his head. 117 00:06:01,367 --> 00:06:04,567 He stops at a few places, and then he goes to 118 00:06:04,567 --> 00:06:07,667 his dispatcher's residence 119 00:06:07,734 --> 00:06:09,467 and talks to her for a while, 120 00:06:09,533 --> 00:06:11,834 and then he returns to his residence 121 00:06:12,967 --> 00:06:14,533 to find Lynda dead. 122 00:06:21,467 --> 00:06:23,467 NARRATOR: John's claim that Lynda had threatened 123 00:06:23,533 --> 00:06:26,066 suicide before isn't a complete surprise 124 00:06:26,133 --> 00:06:28,467 given her recent state of mind. 125 00:06:28,533 --> 00:06:30,667 Lynda, when they talk with her parents, 126 00:06:30,734 --> 00:06:32,367 was very self-conscious of, 127 00:06:32,433 --> 00:06:34,266 no one's gonna want me if I get divorced. 128 00:06:34,266 --> 00:06:37,467 No one's gonna ever want to be with me If I get divorced. 129 00:06:37,467 --> 00:06:40,767 I think, you know, a lot of it is small town 130 00:06:40,767 --> 00:06:45,233 and family and how you're viewed by the society. 131 00:06:49,100 --> 00:06:53,767 In 1983, when this case happened, I was 17 years old. 132 00:06:53,834 --> 00:06:55,367 When I was in high school, 133 00:06:55,433 --> 00:07:01,266 I worked at a local restaurant, and John Walker was seeing 134 00:07:01,266 --> 00:07:04,467 a girl that was my manager. 135 00:07:04,467 --> 00:07:08,367 He was there talking to her every day. 136 00:07:08,367 --> 00:07:11,266 I could picture them standing at 137 00:07:11,266 --> 00:07:13,867 the end of the counter in that restaurant. 138 00:07:13,934 --> 00:07:15,834 They were smitten over each other. 139 00:07:17,000 --> 00:07:20,166 The affair was certainly common knowledge amongst 140 00:07:20,166 --> 00:07:22,867 the employees at the restaurant that I worked at. 141 00:07:22,867 --> 00:07:26,266 We knew that he was married to someone else, and we knew 142 00:07:26,266 --> 00:07:28,166 that the girl that he was seeing 143 00:07:28,233 --> 00:07:29,634 was married to someone else. 144 00:07:31,300 --> 00:07:33,667 PLEVINSKY SHAVER: I did hear rumors that he was having 145 00:07:33,734 --> 00:07:36,367 an affair at the time we worked together. 146 00:07:36,367 --> 00:07:39,767 But, you know, that was just rumors around town that -- 147 00:07:39,767 --> 00:07:40,667 that that was the case. 148 00:07:40,667 --> 00:07:42,734 He was -- he was seeing someone else. 149 00:07:44,000 --> 00:07:45,967 I think it could have gotten back to her. 150 00:07:47,000 --> 00:07:50,266 One night, she told me that they were having problems, 151 00:07:50,333 --> 00:07:52,567 and, uh, maybe they'd be getting a divorce. 152 00:07:52,634 --> 00:07:55,967 I know she took her marriage vows very seriously. 153 00:07:55,967 --> 00:07:57,467 She was pretty upset. 154 00:08:00,100 --> 00:08:02,767 ZIRPOLI: Lynda was taken from the scene to a funeral parlor. 155 00:08:02,834 --> 00:08:04,367 Um, her body was embalmed, and then 156 00:08:04,433 --> 00:08:07,567 the coroner was actually brought in to do the autopsy. 157 00:08:07,567 --> 00:08:10,266 That was kind of a normal procedure back then. 158 00:08:10,333 --> 00:08:11,667 And at that time, they ruled 159 00:08:11,667 --> 00:08:13,734 it as a self-inflicted gunshot wound. 160 00:08:14,867 --> 00:08:16,867 DECK: The investigators felt comfortable to call it 161 00:08:16,867 --> 00:08:18,567 a suicide, because John was having 162 00:08:18,567 --> 00:08:21,000 an affair, and I think it was the assumption that 163 00:08:21,000 --> 00:08:22,834 Lynda knew about it. 164 00:08:23,900 --> 00:08:25,867 The husband told the investigators that 165 00:08:25,867 --> 00:08:28,467 his wife always talked about committing suicide. 166 00:08:28,533 --> 00:08:30,767 This time, seemingly, she did. 167 00:08:32,567 --> 00:08:34,567 PLEVINSKY SHAVER: It was just devastating 168 00:08:34,567 --> 00:08:36,467 for the friends and family. 169 00:08:36,467 --> 00:08:39,166 I mean, it's difficult to lose a loved one regularly 170 00:08:39,233 --> 00:08:41,166 when they die, but when it's suicide, 171 00:08:41,166 --> 00:08:44,266 it's just that much more traumatic for them. 172 00:08:46,667 --> 00:08:48,967 I wondered, did I overlook something? 173 00:08:49,033 --> 00:08:51,767 And should I have probed a little bit deeper 174 00:08:51,834 --> 00:08:53,667 and asked a few more questions 175 00:08:53,734 --> 00:08:57,066 and maybe I could have done something to prevent it. 176 00:08:59,100 --> 00:09:02,233 DECK: The family didn't want to believe that it was a suicide. 177 00:09:03,100 --> 00:09:04,867 ZIRPOLI: They talk about her being despondent 178 00:09:04,867 --> 00:09:08,767 but never suicidal, never having suicidal ideations. 179 00:09:08,767 --> 00:09:11,367 NARRATOR: The family launches their own investigation. 180 00:09:12,600 --> 00:09:17,100 Lynda's father actually hired this, uh, blood spatter expert, 181 00:09:17,100 --> 00:09:19,266 and he basically came and reviewed 182 00:09:19,266 --> 00:09:22,533 the state police's report and the photos, 183 00:09:23,767 --> 00:09:24,967 and he came out with a ruling 184 00:09:24,967 --> 00:09:27,433 that said it was consistent with suicide. 185 00:09:28,567 --> 00:09:31,767 The family had to resign to the fact that, okay, 186 00:09:31,834 --> 00:09:32,967 we're gonna have to accept this. 187 00:09:32,967 --> 00:09:36,233 So that's kind of how it ended back in 1983. 188 00:09:40,400 --> 00:09:42,066 When I first got out of the State Police Academy, 189 00:09:42,066 --> 00:09:44,467 I went to another neighboring county 190 00:09:44,533 --> 00:09:46,867 and worked out of another station, 191 00:09:46,867 --> 00:09:49,066 and as time went on, I decided I 192 00:09:49,066 --> 00:09:51,166 wanted to come back to where I grew up. 193 00:09:51,233 --> 00:09:53,767 So I went from a patrol unit, 194 00:09:53,767 --> 00:09:58,567 uh, back to this county working as a criminal investigator. 195 00:10:03,300 --> 00:10:04,467 NARRATOR: In his new role, 196 00:10:04,467 --> 00:10:07,567 Trooper Deck reviews old case files. 197 00:10:07,567 --> 00:10:10,266 One of them is Lynda Walker's. 198 00:10:13,000 --> 00:10:14,767 DECK: There was a box of crime scene photos 199 00:10:14,767 --> 00:10:17,166 to go with the report. 200 00:10:17,166 --> 00:10:20,734 So I kept looking at them, and I kept reading the report. 201 00:10:21,500 --> 00:10:23,467 There was blood in different places 202 00:10:23,467 --> 00:10:26,667 that really seemed impossible to get there. 203 00:10:26,667 --> 00:10:31,000 I just had a feeling that something wasn't right. 204 00:10:31,000 --> 00:10:33,867 McFADDEN: A new set of eyes is always good in a case, 205 00:10:33,867 --> 00:10:36,367 and a new set of eyes is determined 206 00:10:36,433 --> 00:10:39,467 to look under every rock to make sure that this was 207 00:10:39,533 --> 00:10:42,367 a suicide, or is it a suicide? 208 00:10:42,367 --> 00:10:44,567 A new set of eyes will always find 209 00:10:44,567 --> 00:10:47,066 something that the old set of eyes didn't see. 210 00:10:50,266 --> 00:10:52,767 NARRATOR: 27 years after Lynda Walker's death, 211 00:10:52,767 --> 00:10:55,567 state troopers want to reopen her case, 212 00:10:55,634 --> 00:10:58,567 something her neighbors have wanted for years. 213 00:11:00,700 --> 00:11:02,667 PLEVINSKY SHAVER: It rocked the town. 214 00:11:02,667 --> 00:11:05,667 There's a couple local diners, and you'd walk in, 215 00:11:05,734 --> 00:11:08,266 and you'd overhear the next table saying something 216 00:11:08,266 --> 00:11:09,967 about Lynda. 217 00:11:09,967 --> 00:11:12,567 It consumed the town for a long, long time. 218 00:11:14,166 --> 00:11:16,567 WILSON: It seems that after Lynda's death, 219 00:11:16,567 --> 00:11:19,100 there were a lot of people who didn't believe that 220 00:11:19,100 --> 00:11:24,667 the official story of a suicide was the actual story. 221 00:11:27,000 --> 00:11:27,967 PLEVINSKY SHAVER: From what I saw, 222 00:11:28,033 --> 00:11:30,333 she was a very happy and stable person. 223 00:11:31,166 --> 00:11:33,667 She had received another job working at a bigger 224 00:11:33,734 --> 00:11:37,166 law firm, and she was moving to a bigger town. 225 00:11:37,166 --> 00:11:39,266 She was very excited about that. 226 00:11:39,333 --> 00:11:42,834 I never, ever thought that she would commit suicide. 227 00:11:44,000 --> 00:11:46,934 NARRATOR: Trooper Deck believes the evidence doesn't add up. 228 00:11:49,567 --> 00:11:51,867 DECK: When I was looking at the crime scene photos, 229 00:11:51,934 --> 00:11:54,467 they didn't really make sense to me. 230 00:11:54,467 --> 00:11:57,967 There was blood kind of all in different places, 231 00:11:57,967 --> 00:12:00,066 and there was blood under the top bed cover. 232 00:12:00,066 --> 00:12:02,734 That really seemed impossible to get there. 233 00:12:03,567 --> 00:12:06,367 How does that happen if she's killed 234 00:12:06,433 --> 00:12:07,600 pretty instantly? 235 00:12:08,667 --> 00:12:11,667 Somebody would have had to have pulled that blanket up over 236 00:12:11,667 --> 00:12:15,133 her for that blood spatter to get underneath that blanket. 237 00:12:16,400 --> 00:12:18,100 McFADDEN: He's looking at the blood spatter, 238 00:12:18,100 --> 00:12:20,767 and he thinks that something is not consistent 239 00:12:20,834 --> 00:12:23,266 with what's told on the crime scene. 240 00:12:23,333 --> 00:12:26,767 So at this point, he brings in an expert. 241 00:12:26,834 --> 00:12:30,734 We all know that technology changed from 1983 to now. 242 00:12:31,667 --> 00:12:33,166 And it's very important to know when 243 00:12:33,166 --> 00:12:35,567 an expert is needed to be called in. 244 00:12:35,567 --> 00:12:36,567 But you don't need to be 245 00:12:36,567 --> 00:12:39,166 a fisherman to know when things smell fishy. 246 00:12:40,567 --> 00:12:43,967 ZIRPOLI: In 1983, that was the beginning of blood spatter. 247 00:12:44,033 --> 00:12:46,367 They were just starting that science. 248 00:12:46,367 --> 00:12:50,000 When you think about it from 1983 to 2010, 249 00:12:50,000 --> 00:12:53,100 it took all those years to develop it and develop it into 250 00:12:53,100 --> 00:12:55,767 a science that it is today. 251 00:12:55,767 --> 00:12:59,166 It's just like DNA -- DNA back in 1983, 252 00:12:59,166 --> 00:13:01,066 it's not the same as it is now. 253 00:13:02,567 --> 00:13:05,667 DECK: We met with a blood spatter expert, 254 00:13:05,667 --> 00:13:09,266 and he immediately showed us a point that 255 00:13:10,166 --> 00:13:12,233 he felt was suspicious. 256 00:13:13,200 --> 00:13:17,867 There was kind of a pooling of blood on -- in her arm. 257 00:13:17,934 --> 00:13:21,000 It looks like her arm was against her body so that 258 00:13:21,000 --> 00:13:22,867 the blood ran off of her torso 259 00:13:22,867 --> 00:13:25,433 and into, like, the crook of her arm. 260 00:13:26,867 --> 00:13:29,567 And then, after she had passed away 261 00:13:29,567 --> 00:13:32,166 and her arm was moved out and the gun was placed there, 262 00:13:33,800 --> 00:13:36,967 it was almost like a light bulb went off, and it was like, 263 00:13:37,033 --> 00:13:40,000 I can see it now, I understand really what happened 264 00:13:40,000 --> 00:13:41,567 that night. 265 00:13:41,634 --> 00:13:43,767 NARRATOR: The expert determines that Lynda's death 266 00:13:43,767 --> 00:13:46,433 looks more like homicide than suicide. 267 00:13:47,867 --> 00:13:50,266 McFADDEN: That is a very critical point. 268 00:13:50,266 --> 00:13:52,166 But you have to know that it's gonna take 269 00:13:52,166 --> 00:13:55,867 more than one expert's opinion to push the case. 270 00:13:55,867 --> 00:13:58,967 Now you have to show the evidence to make you 271 00:13:59,033 --> 00:14:02,834 determine that this case will be investigated as a homicide. 272 00:14:04,667 --> 00:14:07,867 ZIRPOLI: How Lynda Walker was dressed was definitely off. 273 00:14:07,867 --> 00:14:10,266 She's laying in bed with just her bra on 274 00:14:10,266 --> 00:14:13,066 and nothing else other than her jeans. 275 00:14:14,100 --> 00:14:17,467 Anyone who knows Lynda, knows her family, knew her mother, 276 00:14:17,467 --> 00:14:20,867 knew that she was a modest person and a religious person. 277 00:14:22,100 --> 00:14:24,367 McFADDEN: So as a detective, you need to take your time 278 00:14:24,367 --> 00:14:29,100 and question every photo -- a woman taking off her top, 279 00:14:29,100 --> 00:14:31,567 you ask yourself, why would you take 280 00:14:31,567 --> 00:14:33,767 off your top if you're gonna kill yourself? 281 00:14:33,834 --> 00:14:35,667 That doesn't make sense. 282 00:14:35,734 --> 00:14:38,867 ZIRPOLI: Also, you can see an indentation in between 283 00:14:38,934 --> 00:14:40,066 Lynda's legs like 284 00:14:40,066 --> 00:14:43,433 something or someone was there on top of that -- that area. 285 00:14:44,767 --> 00:14:47,667 FLANNERY: It appeared as if somebody was on top, 286 00:14:47,667 --> 00:14:50,367 discharged the weapon into her, and then pulled the blanket 287 00:14:50,367 --> 00:14:51,533 up afterwards. 288 00:14:53,367 --> 00:14:56,266 Really made sense that it was a staged scene. 289 00:14:56,333 --> 00:14:58,834 And at that point, I just, I knew it was a homicide. 290 00:14:59,867 --> 00:15:02,066 McFADDEN: But now, to reopen the case, 291 00:15:02,066 --> 00:15:05,333 the detectives are faced with an uphill battle. 292 00:15:06,367 --> 00:15:11,266 DECK: Back in 1983, the original autopsy was completed by 293 00:15:11,333 --> 00:15:15,367 a medical doctor, and we felt it was very important to have, 294 00:15:15,367 --> 00:15:17,867 you know, a trained forensic pathologist conduct 295 00:15:17,934 --> 00:15:19,667 the autopsy. 296 00:15:19,734 --> 00:15:23,266 Forensic pathology requires a different level of study from 297 00:15:23,266 --> 00:15:26,333 a medical standpoint and a ton of experience, too. 298 00:15:27,667 --> 00:15:30,000 ZIRPOLI: At the point Greg reopened all of this, 299 00:15:30,000 --> 00:15:33,233 he wanted her wound and her wound track looked at again. 300 00:15:34,200 --> 00:15:35,667 DECK: I don't really even think they used 301 00:15:35,667 --> 00:15:38,767 directional rods at the time of her death. 302 00:15:38,767 --> 00:15:41,667 McFADDEN: Directional rods are very important to determine 303 00:15:41,667 --> 00:15:45,367 the pathway from the gun through the body to where 304 00:15:45,367 --> 00:15:46,967 the bullet end up. 305 00:15:47,033 --> 00:15:49,867 Using these rods will also place where 306 00:15:49,934 --> 00:15:51,867 the gun was when it was fired. 307 00:15:54,467 --> 00:15:56,767 NARRATOR: The only way to find out what happened is 308 00:15:56,834 --> 00:15:59,934 to ask a court for permission to exhume Lynda's body. 309 00:16:01,100 --> 00:16:03,467 It's extremely unusual, and it's a big deal and -- 310 00:16:03,467 --> 00:16:07,166 and courts don't order exhumations of bodies 311 00:16:07,233 --> 00:16:08,567 every day. 312 00:16:08,567 --> 00:16:12,166 DECK: I was a criminal investigator for 22 of my 25 years 313 00:16:12,233 --> 00:16:15,333 with the state police, and I've only seen it happen three times. 314 00:16:16,166 --> 00:16:17,567 McFADDEN: To exhume a body, 315 00:16:17,567 --> 00:16:20,367 you need to prove to a court that only having 316 00:16:20,367 --> 00:16:23,467 the body present would produce the evidence that they are 317 00:16:23,467 --> 00:16:24,867 actually looking for. 318 00:16:24,867 --> 00:16:28,367 It is rare to exhume a body, but they need her 319 00:16:28,367 --> 00:16:30,333 to bring them the answers. 320 00:16:34,367 --> 00:16:37,100 NARRATOR: 27 years after Lynda Walker's death, 321 00:16:37,100 --> 00:16:40,266 detectives succeed in getting her case reopened 322 00:16:40,266 --> 00:16:41,834 and her body exhumed. 323 00:16:43,667 --> 00:16:48,367 DECK: We got a court order signed by a judge. 324 00:16:48,433 --> 00:16:50,767 The cemetery that Lynda was buried in 325 00:16:50,767 --> 00:16:52,867 is kind of in a remote place, 326 00:16:52,867 --> 00:16:54,967 and it was interesting to me that word 327 00:16:54,967 --> 00:16:58,266 spread very quickly that we had exhumed her body. 328 00:16:58,333 --> 00:16:59,567 PLEVINSKY SHAVER: I actually had a call from 329 00:16:59,567 --> 00:17:01,266 a friend saying that her body 330 00:17:01,266 --> 00:17:04,166 was being exhumed, and I was just like, 331 00:17:04,233 --> 00:17:06,767 it's about darn time that they're doing something to 332 00:17:06,834 --> 00:17:08,333 vindicate her life. 333 00:17:12,100 --> 00:17:14,166 DECK: We took her to the Lehigh Valley Medical Center, 334 00:17:14,166 --> 00:17:18,867 where an autopsy was performed by a forensic pathologist. 335 00:17:18,867 --> 00:17:22,000 His conclusion was the injury itself, 336 00:17:22,000 --> 00:17:23,867 it's not a contact gunshot wound. 337 00:17:23,934 --> 00:17:25,867 That means it's not hard up against her chest. 338 00:17:25,867 --> 00:17:28,066 It's still off her chest a little bit. 339 00:17:28,133 --> 00:17:29,867 The gun sits to her right side. 340 00:17:29,867 --> 00:17:33,166 So she would have to fire it with her right hand into 341 00:17:33,166 --> 00:17:34,667 her chest. 342 00:17:34,667 --> 00:17:38,367 DECK: When we learn what direction the wound channel was, 343 00:17:38,433 --> 00:17:42,667 if Lynda used her right hand, it really didn't make sense 344 00:17:42,734 --> 00:17:45,066 that she would bend her wrist 345 00:17:45,066 --> 00:17:48,767 in such a way to shoot herself like that -- she would have had 346 00:17:48,834 --> 00:17:51,000 to bend her wrist way over. 347 00:17:51,000 --> 00:17:53,066 ZIRPOLI: The forensic pathologist says, 348 00:17:53,133 --> 00:17:56,100 once you turn your wrist that far, you lose the tensile 349 00:17:56,100 --> 00:17:58,367 strength in your fingers to pull the trigger. 350 00:17:58,367 --> 00:17:59,767 There's no way that she's able 351 00:17:59,834 --> 00:18:02,166 to make that angle of that gunshot, 352 00:18:02,166 --> 00:18:04,333 so he ruled this as a homicide. 353 00:18:11,000 --> 00:18:14,000 PLEVINSKY SHAVER: Why did it take so long for these answers to come out? 354 00:18:14,000 --> 00:18:15,967 It was horrible, 355 00:18:15,967 --> 00:18:18,266 and you think of the what her family had gone through at 356 00:18:18,266 --> 00:18:20,467 the time, it could have saved them 357 00:18:20,533 --> 00:18:24,567 so many years of grief and not knowing what truly happened. 358 00:18:27,567 --> 00:18:30,266 To me, that was a great injustice to the family, 359 00:18:30,266 --> 00:18:32,367 because they were kind of 360 00:18:32,367 --> 00:18:35,667 forced to believe something that their daughter didn't do. 361 00:18:35,734 --> 00:18:38,367 And you know, that was important to finally 362 00:18:38,367 --> 00:18:41,233 be able to find the truth for them. 363 00:18:42,767 --> 00:18:44,467 ZIRPOLI: We knew it was a homicide. 364 00:18:44,467 --> 00:18:47,667 So now our focus was who committed this homicide? 365 00:18:47,667 --> 00:18:48,867 Staging the scene 366 00:18:48,934 --> 00:18:52,467 takes someone with knowledge of how to stage the scene 367 00:18:52,533 --> 00:18:55,967 and what detective or investigators look for. 368 00:18:56,033 --> 00:18:58,467 Staging the crime scene will always give you 369 00:18:58,533 --> 00:18:59,533 home field advantage, 370 00:18:59,567 --> 00:19:01,867 especially when you know the investigators who are 371 00:19:01,867 --> 00:19:04,066 investigating the crime. 372 00:19:04,066 --> 00:19:06,166 NARRATOR: Detectives turned their attention to 373 00:19:06,233 --> 00:19:09,567 the last person they know saw Lynda alive -- 374 00:19:09,567 --> 00:19:11,667 her husband, John Walker. 375 00:19:14,100 --> 00:19:15,567 ZIRPOLI: John Walker was there. 376 00:19:15,567 --> 00:19:19,367 So he was that initial person we had to bring in, sit down, 377 00:19:19,433 --> 00:19:21,166 talk with, and see if he remembered 378 00:19:21,233 --> 00:19:23,266 anything else or what he does 379 00:19:23,266 --> 00:19:25,066 remember from the initial incident. 380 00:19:26,266 --> 00:19:28,066 DECK: John was actually the sergeant 381 00:19:28,133 --> 00:19:29,567 of a local police department. 382 00:19:29,567 --> 00:19:31,367 I worked with him before. 383 00:19:31,367 --> 00:19:34,767 He was always, like, very calm and poised. 384 00:19:34,834 --> 00:19:37,967 John has a very standoffish demeanor, 385 00:19:38,033 --> 00:19:41,767 very authoritarian, serious. 386 00:19:41,834 --> 00:19:44,767 PLEVINSKY SHAVER: He did have that little air of, you know, 387 00:19:44,834 --> 00:19:45,867 arrogance about him. 388 00:19:45,867 --> 00:19:48,066 I didn't have close, close dealings with him, 389 00:19:48,133 --> 00:19:51,567 but he just seemed like he was better than everybody else. 390 00:19:51,567 --> 00:19:53,266 DECK: I think he could have been taken as 391 00:19:53,333 --> 00:19:56,867 arrogant just because he was very calm and collected. 392 00:19:56,867 --> 00:20:01,166 He was actually very professional as I knew him. 393 00:20:01,166 --> 00:20:03,367 The police officers that worked with him, 394 00:20:03,367 --> 00:20:04,967 really respected him, 395 00:20:04,967 --> 00:20:08,166 even the older members of the department. 396 00:20:08,166 --> 00:20:12,066 John knew that I worked at that station, and my job 397 00:20:12,133 --> 00:20:15,667 was to investigate crimes that happened in this county. 398 00:20:15,667 --> 00:20:19,467 And I figured that he probably really wouldn't talk to me. 399 00:20:19,467 --> 00:20:23,967 So I wanted to, um, see if maybe two other troopers 400 00:20:23,967 --> 00:20:25,266 that he didn't know called him, 401 00:20:25,333 --> 00:20:26,834 if he'd come in and talk to them. 402 00:20:27,800 --> 00:20:29,567 ZIRPOLI: I was chosen to do the interview with 403 00:20:29,567 --> 00:20:30,767 another trooper. 404 00:20:30,767 --> 00:20:32,467 We had never met John Walker. 405 00:20:32,533 --> 00:20:34,767 We had never worked with John Walker. 406 00:20:34,767 --> 00:20:37,667 Greg Deck brought us in, because we could bring 407 00:20:37,734 --> 00:20:38,867 no biases with us. 408 00:20:38,934 --> 00:20:40,367 I have no dog in the fight. 409 00:20:40,367 --> 00:20:43,233 I'm here to find out the truth, and that is it. 410 00:20:45,066 --> 00:20:47,166 NARRATOR: Investigators make arrangements for John 411 00:20:47,166 --> 00:20:48,667 to come in for questioning. 412 00:20:50,166 --> 00:20:51,667 DECK: We wanted him not to be working, 413 00:20:51,734 --> 00:20:54,533 not to be in uniform, when he came into the station. 414 00:20:55,567 --> 00:20:57,867 ZIRPOLI: That's a power thing -- when he comes in, 415 00:20:57,867 --> 00:21:00,467 he's gonna feel like he has that level of authority 416 00:21:00,467 --> 00:21:03,367 when, in turn, I own that level of authority. 417 00:21:03,367 --> 00:21:05,100 So it'll take me an hour to fight 418 00:21:05,100 --> 00:21:07,467 in that interview room to get that power back. 419 00:21:10,467 --> 00:21:14,000 DECK: He came in, the troopers kind of met him at the door 420 00:21:14,000 --> 00:21:15,567 and took him back to an interview room, 421 00:21:15,567 --> 00:21:18,433 and I watched that take place from another room. 422 00:21:20,266 --> 00:21:22,367 ZIRPOLI: We kind of talked to him a little bit about, 423 00:21:22,367 --> 00:21:25,367 you know, the initial investigation and told him 424 00:21:25,367 --> 00:21:27,367 that we reassessed everything. 425 00:21:27,433 --> 00:21:29,066 We really think that there's something more to 426 00:21:29,066 --> 00:21:31,100 the case and said, "You can help me. 427 00:21:31,100 --> 00:21:33,266 "I'm trying to get information from you 428 00:21:33,266 --> 00:21:36,166 of what had happened initially at the scene." 429 00:21:36,166 --> 00:21:38,667 He seemed, like, kind of shocked, taken aback, 430 00:21:38,734 --> 00:21:41,934 but he seemed like he wanted to be cooperative. 431 00:21:43,166 --> 00:21:45,867 McFADDEN: This is the critical part when you're investigating the case 432 00:21:45,867 --> 00:21:48,367 when you actually have the suspect in the room 433 00:21:48,367 --> 00:21:49,867 with you. 434 00:21:49,867 --> 00:21:52,166 This is the delicate dance that you have, like 435 00:21:52,166 --> 00:21:54,066 the dance at the prom with the beautiful girl. 436 00:21:54,133 --> 00:21:55,367 You don't want to spoil the night. 437 00:21:55,367 --> 00:21:56,867 So you have to be careful of 438 00:21:56,867 --> 00:21:59,166 giving too much or giving too little. 439 00:22:00,266 --> 00:22:03,667 DECK: They had a page out of the report 440 00:22:03,734 --> 00:22:06,667 that the initial trooper did with his statement on it, 441 00:22:06,734 --> 00:22:09,266 and they handed it to John, and they said, "Well, 442 00:22:09,266 --> 00:22:11,467 "could you take a couple of minutes and read what you told 443 00:22:11,467 --> 00:22:13,567 the trooper back in 1983?" 444 00:22:14,800 --> 00:22:17,467 ZIRPOLI: I wanted him to verify to me that yes, 445 00:22:17,533 --> 00:22:19,567 those statements were true and correct to the best of 446 00:22:19,634 --> 00:22:21,100 his knowledge. 447 00:22:21,100 --> 00:22:23,867 DECK: I handed him the paper, and I just remember the paper 448 00:22:23,867 --> 00:22:26,266 was shaking, and if he had nothing to hide, 449 00:22:26,333 --> 00:22:29,100 I don't feel that he would have been as nervous 450 00:22:29,100 --> 00:22:30,634 as he was that night. 451 00:22:31,700 --> 00:22:34,767 He appeared to be reading the statement. 452 00:22:34,834 --> 00:22:37,166 He signed it, and then they said, "All right, could, 453 00:22:37,166 --> 00:22:38,467 "you know, could we talk about, 454 00:22:38,467 --> 00:22:40,667 "you know, your recollection of what took place there 455 00:22:40,734 --> 00:22:41,834 that night?" 456 00:22:41,867 --> 00:22:44,533 And he kind of gave a different version of some things. 457 00:22:46,100 --> 00:22:49,867 There's events that occur in your life, death of loved ones, 458 00:22:49,934 --> 00:22:51,667 birth of children, things like that, 459 00:22:51,667 --> 00:22:55,266 that you remember every minute of that whole day, and here is 460 00:22:55,266 --> 00:22:59,166 your wife is killed, and you don't remember. 461 00:22:59,166 --> 00:23:01,066 And what's more interesting about it, 462 00:23:01,133 --> 00:23:04,467 I let him read what he told them back in 1983, 463 00:23:04,467 --> 00:23:06,867 and he gave me something completely different from that. 464 00:23:08,500 --> 00:23:09,767 McFADDEN: In our line of work, 465 00:23:09,767 --> 00:23:13,667 we bring people back in years after to read their statement, 466 00:23:13,667 --> 00:23:16,767 to see if there are any inconsistencies from the very 467 00:23:16,767 --> 00:23:18,100 first time until now. 468 00:23:18,100 --> 00:23:20,567 And if there is, that will be a problem. 469 00:23:20,567 --> 00:23:23,367 The truth will always be told the same way. 470 00:23:23,367 --> 00:23:26,166 A lie will always have inconsistencies. 471 00:23:26,233 --> 00:23:27,967 All you're doing is setting him up. 472 00:23:30,100 --> 00:23:32,634 NARRATOR: Investigators continue to press John. 473 00:23:33,667 --> 00:23:36,367 DECK: John was saying, "I don't know what you guys, you know, 474 00:23:36,367 --> 00:23:37,667 "want to hear from me now. 475 00:23:37,667 --> 00:23:39,000 I don't know what else to tell you." 476 00:23:39,000 --> 00:23:41,333 And they said to him, "Well, did you kill your wife?" 477 00:23:43,166 --> 00:23:45,100 ZIRPOLI: It's my job to ask him that question. 478 00:23:45,100 --> 00:23:47,567 You know, he knows that, he was a law enforcement officer, 479 00:23:47,567 --> 00:23:49,467 and he knew when he came in that room with me, 480 00:23:49,533 --> 00:23:51,233 that question was coming eventually. 481 00:23:53,367 --> 00:23:55,667 At that point, he got angry, and he said, 482 00:23:55,667 --> 00:23:57,867 "I'm not talking to you guys anymore." 483 00:23:57,867 --> 00:24:00,834 And they said to him again, "Well, did you kill your wife?" 484 00:24:01,667 --> 00:24:02,767 ZIRPOLI: He actually screams at me, 485 00:24:02,767 --> 00:24:03,967 "My answer is no." 486 00:24:03,967 --> 00:24:05,634 And then gets in his truck and leaves. 487 00:24:06,667 --> 00:24:08,467 McFADDEN: He knew that he didn't have an answer. 488 00:24:08,467 --> 00:24:10,266 So the best thing for him to do at 489 00:24:10,333 --> 00:24:12,767 that moment is just walk out of the room. 490 00:24:12,767 --> 00:24:14,266 For the investigators, 491 00:24:14,333 --> 00:24:16,667 that's a base hit, two men on, 492 00:24:16,667 --> 00:24:18,266 but now we have to bring it home. 493 00:24:22,166 --> 00:24:24,166 DECK: When I reopened the investigation, 494 00:24:24,233 --> 00:24:25,967 the chief at the time, he was 495 00:24:26,033 --> 00:24:28,767 the chief after my father left the department. 496 00:24:28,834 --> 00:24:32,667 And I knew him since I was a young kid. 497 00:24:32,734 --> 00:24:35,066 I saw him sitting out by his garage one night, 498 00:24:35,066 --> 00:24:38,467 and I saw my opportunity to kind of ask about John Walker. 499 00:24:38,467 --> 00:24:41,100 So I said, "Hey Charlie, do you ever see John Walker? 500 00:24:41,100 --> 00:24:43,467 He works for the police in Montrose." 501 00:24:43,467 --> 00:24:45,166 And I'll never forget the look on his face. 502 00:24:45,166 --> 00:24:48,066 He kind of sat up and said, "That guy killed his wife, 503 00:24:48,133 --> 00:24:50,100 you know." And I said, "Really?" 504 00:24:50,100 --> 00:24:51,100 And he said, "Yeah, you need to 505 00:24:51,100 --> 00:24:53,467 go back to the station and solve it." 506 00:24:55,367 --> 00:24:58,967 McFADDEN: It's very difficult opening a case this old. 507 00:24:58,967 --> 00:25:02,000 Now you have to find your witnesses if they are alive, 508 00:25:02,000 --> 00:25:03,367 and then you're gonna have to go back 509 00:25:03,367 --> 00:25:05,467 and talk about their statements to see 510 00:25:05,533 --> 00:25:07,266 if they are consistent. 511 00:25:07,266 --> 00:25:09,000 But while you're digging up clues, 512 00:25:09,000 --> 00:25:11,767 oftentimes, you find that little nugget that nobody else 513 00:25:11,767 --> 00:25:13,266 knows about. 514 00:25:13,266 --> 00:25:15,467 NARRATOR: In this case, investigators find 515 00:25:15,467 --> 00:25:18,667 an overlooked clue in John Walker's alibi. 516 00:25:18,734 --> 00:25:19,967 ZIRPOLI: John says he worked 517 00:25:20,033 --> 00:25:22,133 the previous night in the police department. 518 00:25:22,967 --> 00:25:24,667 He got off that morning. 519 00:25:24,734 --> 00:25:26,667 He says he went to a remote area, 520 00:25:26,667 --> 00:25:30,567 fired a couple of rounds of ammunition from the gun that 521 00:25:30,567 --> 00:25:32,266 later killed his wife. 522 00:25:34,567 --> 00:25:38,667 The troopers from back in 1983 asked John to actually take 'em 523 00:25:38,667 --> 00:25:40,867 back to the range and show them 524 00:25:40,934 --> 00:25:43,266 where he was standing when he was 525 00:25:43,266 --> 00:25:45,867 shooting this gun that morning. 526 00:25:45,867 --> 00:25:50,734 And they couldn't find any 45-caliber rounds. 527 00:25:52,367 --> 00:25:55,166 John tells the detective, after working a long night, 528 00:25:55,166 --> 00:25:58,333 that he wants to go to the range and practice. 529 00:25:59,400 --> 00:26:01,467 That absolutely makes no sense. 530 00:26:01,533 --> 00:26:04,367 When you get off, you want to go home and relax. 531 00:26:04,367 --> 00:26:07,567 Nobody goes to the range to fire off a few shots. 532 00:26:08,667 --> 00:26:11,066 NARRATOR: Investigators next look at John's version 533 00:26:11,066 --> 00:26:14,066 of events before he discovered Lynda's body. 534 00:26:15,467 --> 00:26:18,266 DECK: He's saying that, you know, he has an argument 535 00:26:18,266 --> 00:26:20,767 with his wife, and she's threatening suicide, 536 00:26:20,767 --> 00:26:22,667 and he leaves. 537 00:26:22,667 --> 00:26:24,567 It's his own wife. 538 00:26:24,567 --> 00:26:26,133 I didn't really believe that. 539 00:26:27,300 --> 00:26:30,667 John says that after he left the trailer that night, 540 00:26:30,667 --> 00:26:34,166 he stopped at his police station to use the bathroom, 541 00:26:34,166 --> 00:26:36,967 and I believe that he washed his hands. 542 00:26:38,900 --> 00:26:42,133 NARRATOR: John later tested negative for gunshot residue. 543 00:26:43,166 --> 00:26:46,166 That would be somebody who has knowledge of a crime scene, 544 00:26:46,166 --> 00:26:47,767 because if you wash your hands 545 00:26:47,767 --> 00:26:50,767 to remove gunshot residue at the house, 546 00:26:50,767 --> 00:26:53,467 we will probably find some of that gunshot residue 547 00:26:53,533 --> 00:26:55,133 or some other evidence. 548 00:26:56,200 --> 00:26:58,266 NARRATOR: At the time, John told police 549 00:26:58,266 --> 00:27:01,266 he then drove to a restaurant in town. 550 00:27:01,266 --> 00:27:03,467 DECK: He said he had a Coke that night. 551 00:27:03,533 --> 00:27:05,266 When he left the restaurant, he went 552 00:27:05,266 --> 00:27:07,867 a short distance away to his dispatcher. 553 00:27:07,934 --> 00:27:10,667 She was kind of like a mother figure 554 00:27:10,667 --> 00:27:13,166 to some of the younger police officers. 555 00:27:13,166 --> 00:27:14,867 ZIRPOLI: He's there for about 20 minutes. 556 00:27:14,934 --> 00:27:17,000 He explains to her that he had 557 00:27:17,000 --> 00:27:19,467 left Lynda, and Lynda is very upset. 558 00:27:19,533 --> 00:27:21,367 She says to John Walker, "You better 559 00:27:21,433 --> 00:27:23,033 go home and check on your wife." 560 00:27:24,266 --> 00:27:26,266 DECK: And then he returns to his residence 561 00:27:26,266 --> 00:27:29,166 to allegedly find Lynda dead. 562 00:27:30,700 --> 00:27:34,000 The troopers back then talked to the people at 563 00:27:34,000 --> 00:27:35,266 the restaurant. 564 00:27:35,266 --> 00:27:37,467 There was some people that were working there 565 00:27:37,467 --> 00:27:39,967 that night that did indicate that he was there. 566 00:27:40,033 --> 00:27:42,266 FLANNERY: And also, in interviewing the dispatcher, 567 00:27:42,266 --> 00:27:45,066 the state police were able to confirm that he did, in fact, 568 00:27:45,066 --> 00:27:47,967 stop and speak with her for roughly about 20 minutes. 569 00:27:47,967 --> 00:27:49,667 By the police being able to verify. 570 00:27:49,667 --> 00:27:53,767 at least that portion gives him some degree of credibility. 571 00:27:53,767 --> 00:27:56,066 NARRATOR: The question investigators now look at 572 00:27:56,066 --> 00:27:57,767 is when Lynda died. 573 00:27:57,767 --> 00:28:01,667 Was it before John left the trailer or after? 574 00:28:01,667 --> 00:28:03,467 We're trying to get from the neighbors 575 00:28:03,467 --> 00:28:05,867 a timeline of if they heard a shot 576 00:28:05,934 --> 00:28:08,266 and when did they hear that gunshot? 577 00:28:08,333 --> 00:28:11,567 DECK: There was a neighbor who was hauling scrap up 578 00:28:11,567 --> 00:28:15,066 behind a dump that was right up behind their trailer. 579 00:28:15,133 --> 00:28:18,667 And he actually looked at his watch when he heard 580 00:28:18,667 --> 00:28:21,266 a single gunshot that night, and it was 10 minutes 581 00:28:21,333 --> 00:28:22,467 after five. 582 00:28:22,533 --> 00:28:24,100 And he said it came from the direction 583 00:28:24,100 --> 00:28:27,066 right down the valley where the trailer was. 584 00:28:28,066 --> 00:28:29,767 John says that Lynda was still 585 00:28:29,767 --> 00:28:32,266 alive when he left the residence. 586 00:28:32,266 --> 00:28:35,467 But two of the neighbors were driving by that evening, 587 00:28:35,467 --> 00:28:38,367 and they saw two vehicles at the residence. 588 00:28:38,433 --> 00:28:39,767 They knew that one was John's, 589 00:28:39,767 --> 00:28:42,467 and they knew that one was Lynda's. 590 00:28:42,467 --> 00:28:44,767 When they got to the residence, 591 00:28:44,767 --> 00:28:48,166 they heard a gunshot in the direction of 592 00:28:48,166 --> 00:28:49,533 John and Lynda's trailer. 593 00:28:50,600 --> 00:28:52,567 NARRATOR: If John was still in the house 594 00:28:52,567 --> 00:28:53,867 when the neighbors passed by 595 00:28:53,867 --> 00:28:56,767 but gone by the time they got home and heard the shot, 596 00:28:56,767 --> 00:28:59,967 how long would it have taken them to make that trip? 597 00:29:01,867 --> 00:29:03,066 DECK: I actually did the time 598 00:29:03,133 --> 00:29:06,266 and distance study myself with a stopwatch. 599 00:29:06,266 --> 00:29:08,767 He had a really small window 600 00:29:08,767 --> 00:29:12,166 if you wanted to believe his story, that he wasn't in 601 00:29:12,166 --> 00:29:13,767 the house. 602 00:29:13,834 --> 00:29:15,367 The distance between the trailer and here, 603 00:29:15,367 --> 00:29:17,166 you can tell it's only like a minute. 604 00:29:17,233 --> 00:29:19,867 I don't think that 605 00:29:19,867 --> 00:29:23,367 it was really possible for him to not be there. 606 00:29:25,400 --> 00:29:27,467 NARRATOR: Investigators also question John's 607 00:29:27,467 --> 00:29:29,533 original statement at the scene. 608 00:29:31,166 --> 00:29:33,266 ZIRPOLI: John Walker says, "I never went into the room." 609 00:29:33,266 --> 00:29:35,967 John Walker says, "I stand at the doorway," 610 00:29:35,967 --> 00:29:38,367 which is alarming to me. 611 00:29:38,367 --> 00:29:41,066 John is telling the detectives he never touched her, 612 00:29:41,133 --> 00:29:44,367 he never held her -- that is an absolute lie. 613 00:29:44,433 --> 00:29:46,000 A husband seeing his wife 614 00:29:46,000 --> 00:29:49,767 deceased or shot or injured would rush to her aid, 615 00:29:49,834 --> 00:29:51,433 even if you were gettin' a divorce. 616 00:29:52,567 --> 00:29:54,567 You don't even go to her to 617 00:29:54,567 --> 00:29:56,266 check and make sure she's all right. 618 00:29:56,333 --> 00:29:57,867 You just go right to the assumption that 619 00:29:57,867 --> 00:29:59,533 she's deceased, she shot herself. 620 00:30:00,867 --> 00:30:03,266 DECK: When he called his dispatcher that night, 621 00:30:03,333 --> 00:30:06,166 he made the statement that she shot herself. 622 00:30:06,166 --> 00:30:09,266 And from the crime scene photos, looking from 623 00:30:09,266 --> 00:30:10,967 the doorway into the bedroom, 624 00:30:10,967 --> 00:30:12,467 you really couldn't see the gun. 625 00:30:14,000 --> 00:30:15,967 So I don't know how he saw it 626 00:30:16,033 --> 00:30:18,367 if he didn't know that it was there. 627 00:30:20,266 --> 00:30:22,367 FLANNERY: What investigators were looking for was somebody 628 00:30:22,367 --> 00:30:24,667 who knew their way around a crime scene. 629 00:30:24,667 --> 00:30:26,967 Who would know how to stage a crime scene 630 00:30:26,967 --> 00:30:29,367 better than somebody who investigates crime scenes 631 00:30:29,367 --> 00:30:30,567 every day? 632 00:30:31,767 --> 00:30:34,467 We tried to talk to every police officer 633 00:30:34,467 --> 00:30:36,867 that John worked with back in 1983, 634 00:30:36,867 --> 00:30:40,567 and one of them remembered that John took 635 00:30:40,567 --> 00:30:42,767 a course on -- on suicide 636 00:30:42,767 --> 00:30:45,467 and what a police officer might look for, 637 00:30:45,533 --> 00:30:47,233 uh, in a suicide investigation. 638 00:30:48,567 --> 00:30:51,367 He used the knowledge that he gained 639 00:30:51,367 --> 00:30:54,734 in that training to help stage the scene. 640 00:30:56,266 --> 00:30:59,166 NARRATOR: To confirm their theory that the scene was staged, 641 00:30:59,166 --> 00:31:02,467 Greg Deck's team wants to look at the physical evidence, 642 00:31:02,533 --> 00:31:04,266 but it's gone. 643 00:31:04,333 --> 00:31:06,767 ZIRPOLI: When it was closed in 1983, 644 00:31:06,767 --> 00:31:09,767 John Walker came and took every piece of physical evidence 645 00:31:09,834 --> 00:31:12,066 that Pennsylvania State Police had. 646 00:31:12,066 --> 00:31:14,967 DECK: Bloody clothing and bloody sheets and pillows. 647 00:31:15,033 --> 00:31:17,367 He actually took all that stuff with him. 648 00:31:17,367 --> 00:31:18,867 And, in my experience, I don't -- 649 00:31:18,934 --> 00:31:21,567 I've never seen anybody do that before. 650 00:31:21,567 --> 00:31:24,767 McFADDEN: Usually in suicides, when we ask a family member, 651 00:31:24,767 --> 00:31:26,867 "Do you want the bloody sheets? 652 00:31:26,867 --> 00:31:28,867 "Do you want the bloody clothes? 653 00:31:28,934 --> 00:31:31,166 Do you want anything from the crime scene?" 654 00:31:31,166 --> 00:31:33,433 It is always, "Absolutely not." 655 00:31:34,600 --> 00:31:39,166 It is very unusual for someone to want the evidence, 656 00:31:39,166 --> 00:31:42,367 the clothing, or the bed linen from a suicide 657 00:31:42,367 --> 00:31:44,066 unless you have another motive. 658 00:31:45,900 --> 00:31:48,834 NARRATOR: And then a surprise source comes forward. 659 00:31:50,100 --> 00:31:51,934 John's second wife. 660 00:31:53,367 --> 00:31:56,967 DECK: After Lynda's death, John married 661 00:31:56,967 --> 00:31:59,867 his girlfriend, who was my manager, 662 00:31:59,867 --> 00:32:03,834 and then years later, they ended up getting a divorce. 663 00:32:05,567 --> 00:32:09,166 She called me and said, um, "I need to talk to you." 664 00:32:09,233 --> 00:32:12,767 She told us that she remembers that after John signed 665 00:32:12,767 --> 00:32:15,166 for the evidence that he took it and burned it. 666 00:32:16,200 --> 00:32:18,433 That was very suspicious to us. 667 00:32:20,300 --> 00:32:22,967 The second part that was really important was 668 00:32:23,033 --> 00:32:25,166 she told us that the night that Lynda 669 00:32:25,166 --> 00:32:28,367 was killed, before he went to the dispatcher's house, 670 00:32:28,367 --> 00:32:31,266 he actually met with the girlfriend behind some 671 00:32:31,266 --> 00:32:34,367 businesses in this town, and he told her 672 00:32:34,433 --> 00:32:36,934 that he thought that Lynda had killed herself. 673 00:32:38,100 --> 00:32:43,367 John told her prior to going home that his wife was dead. 674 00:32:43,367 --> 00:32:45,467 The timeline doesn't fit. 675 00:32:45,467 --> 00:32:47,667 Now we got another man on base. 676 00:32:47,734 --> 00:32:51,033 That solidified in my mind that this is a homicide. 677 00:32:51,867 --> 00:32:54,567 When I saw him coming into the restaurant, 678 00:32:54,634 --> 00:32:57,367 I guess I never thought that he could kill somebody, 679 00:32:57,367 --> 00:33:00,166 but it was from seeing what took place 680 00:33:00,166 --> 00:33:02,667 in their relationship back so many years ago 681 00:33:02,667 --> 00:33:05,867 that really kept me focused 682 00:33:05,867 --> 00:33:08,967 on finding out the truth. 683 00:33:08,967 --> 00:33:11,367 McFADDEN: The detectives are at this critical point of 684 00:33:11,367 --> 00:33:15,667 bringing a officer in who is an active officer, 685 00:33:15,667 --> 00:33:20,166 and you have to think, if he gets tipped off in advance, 686 00:33:20,166 --> 00:33:21,567 will he run? 687 00:33:25,066 --> 00:33:27,266 NARRATOR: Authorities are ready to bring their case 688 00:33:27,266 --> 00:33:29,867 against John Walker to the grand jury. 689 00:33:31,000 --> 00:33:32,867 FLANNERY: You have a review by 690 00:33:32,867 --> 00:33:35,567 the forensic pathologist saying it's a murder. 691 00:33:35,567 --> 00:33:38,166 You have the physical evidence not matching up 692 00:33:38,166 --> 00:33:40,967 to what Walker told you, the blood spatter 693 00:33:40,967 --> 00:33:42,867 is inconsistent with what was believed 694 00:33:42,867 --> 00:33:45,634 and what was presented back in 1983. 695 00:33:46,467 --> 00:33:49,100 Instead of a wide open investigation 696 00:33:49,100 --> 00:33:51,367 into a suspicious death, 697 00:33:51,367 --> 00:33:53,266 now, the weight of the evidence 698 00:33:53,266 --> 00:33:55,867 is directed clearly towards John Walker. 699 00:33:57,200 --> 00:33:59,967 The grand jury felt that it was 700 00:34:00,100 --> 00:34:03,166 warranted to bring murder charges against John Walker. 701 00:34:03,166 --> 00:34:06,266 And at that point, we acted pretty quickly. 702 00:34:06,266 --> 00:34:09,367 I couldn't go to a local magistrate, because if I did, 703 00:34:09,433 --> 00:34:11,266 then he would find out about it, because he was 704 00:34:11,266 --> 00:34:13,166 a police officer in the county. 705 00:34:13,166 --> 00:34:15,066 McFADDEN: Being a cop, you always have friends in 706 00:34:15,133 --> 00:34:17,000 the courthouse and the magistrate's office. 707 00:34:17,000 --> 00:34:19,867 So you have to be careful of when these papers are 708 00:34:19,934 --> 00:34:21,567 produced for an arrest warrant, 709 00:34:21,567 --> 00:34:23,567 because someone may tip him off. 710 00:34:26,367 --> 00:34:29,667 DECK: I decided to see if I could meet with the county 711 00:34:29,667 --> 00:34:34,066 judge, who also had the ability to issue an arrest warrant. 712 00:34:34,133 --> 00:34:36,467 So I called the court administrator, and it was 713 00:34:36,467 --> 00:34:38,066 somebody I worked with, I knew. 714 00:34:38,066 --> 00:34:39,567 I said, "I need to meet with the judge, 715 00:34:39,567 --> 00:34:43,367 but I can't have anybody know that I'm in the courthouse," 716 00:34:43,367 --> 00:34:45,767 and she kind of, I mean, she kind of chuckled. 717 00:34:45,767 --> 00:34:49,667 NARRATOR: The woman tells Deck to climb up the back stairs. 718 00:34:49,734 --> 00:34:54,100 She let me in, and I went in to see the judge with my, uh, 719 00:34:54,100 --> 00:34:56,367 criminal complaint and affidavit. 720 00:34:56,367 --> 00:34:58,667 I think he was kind of suspicious of why I was there. 721 00:34:58,734 --> 00:35:00,867 And I said, "Your honor, we would like to 722 00:35:00,867 --> 00:35:04,567 get an arrest warrant for John Walker for murder." 723 00:35:04,634 --> 00:35:07,266 He took the papers from me, 724 00:35:07,266 --> 00:35:10,367 and he sat and read every single word. 725 00:35:10,367 --> 00:35:14,967 He sealed it, signed it, and said, "Here's your warrant." 726 00:35:15,033 --> 00:35:19,367 And I left the courthouse the same way that I entered. 727 00:35:19,367 --> 00:35:21,066 So I was pretty sure that nobody 728 00:35:21,133 --> 00:35:23,233 knew I had an arrest warrant for John Walker. 729 00:35:24,367 --> 00:35:26,967 FLANNERY: It was important to establish surveillance 730 00:35:26,967 --> 00:35:30,066 on John to develop a location 731 00:35:30,133 --> 00:35:33,066 or a place where he could be arrested where it 732 00:35:33,066 --> 00:35:34,467 would present the least amount of -- 733 00:35:34,533 --> 00:35:36,667 of risk to the community. 734 00:35:36,667 --> 00:35:39,467 DECK: He was a police officer, and we felt that he had already 735 00:35:39,533 --> 00:35:41,367 killed one person, and we didn't want anybody else to 736 00:35:41,367 --> 00:35:43,867 get hurt, we didn't want anybody to know that 737 00:35:43,867 --> 00:35:46,734 we had this warrant for him, and especially him. 738 00:35:48,467 --> 00:35:50,867 A police officer in Susquehanna County was 739 00:35:50,934 --> 00:35:51,867 arrested today 740 00:35:51,867 --> 00:35:55,567 and charged with killing his wife 29 years ago. 741 00:35:55,567 --> 00:35:58,166 WOMAN: Today, 52-year-old John Walker was arrested 742 00:35:58,166 --> 00:36:00,367 and charged with the murder of his wife 743 00:36:00,367 --> 00:36:02,033 back in 1983. 744 00:36:04,600 --> 00:36:06,867 DECK: There was people in his department that, you know, 745 00:36:06,934 --> 00:36:09,767 they would tell me they didn't think he did it, but they, 746 00:36:09,767 --> 00:36:12,266 you know, they were younger people, and they thought he was 747 00:36:12,333 --> 00:36:15,767 such a good person that he couldn't have done it. 748 00:36:15,767 --> 00:36:17,867 And, you know, they obviously didn't 749 00:36:17,867 --> 00:36:20,233 know what I knew about the investigation. 750 00:36:22,200 --> 00:36:25,767 When I first heard that John Walker got arrested, 751 00:36:25,767 --> 00:36:27,867 it was just a sigh of relief. 752 00:36:27,934 --> 00:36:30,567 I was really happy, if you can be happy 753 00:36:30,567 --> 00:36:32,367 in this situation, that -- 754 00:36:32,367 --> 00:36:34,367 that he was gonna get what he deserved. 755 00:36:34,433 --> 00:36:37,166 I think the community kind of had a sense of -- 756 00:36:38,367 --> 00:36:41,367 finally, and, you know, maybe this will 757 00:36:41,367 --> 00:36:43,834 give her family a little bit of closure. 758 00:36:45,166 --> 00:36:46,967 SEAMANS: Lynda was a very nice person. 759 00:36:47,033 --> 00:36:48,867 You know, she could have gone on with her life. 760 00:36:48,934 --> 00:36:51,667 It was cut short -- it was cut short just not for Lynda, 761 00:36:51,734 --> 00:36:55,066 but cut short for -- especially for her mom, 762 00:36:55,066 --> 00:36:59,433 and, uh, all of her friends and the community as a whole. 763 00:37:00,367 --> 00:37:02,467 I wanted to look at him right in his eye and say, 764 00:37:02,467 --> 00:37:04,667 "Why did you do it? Why did you do it?" 765 00:37:07,800 --> 00:37:09,767 ZIRPOLI: Why did John Walker kill his wife? 766 00:37:09,834 --> 00:37:13,266 Why not just be able to walk away and get a divorce 767 00:37:13,266 --> 00:37:14,667 from her? 768 00:37:14,734 --> 00:37:16,467 DECK: I was certain that he killed Lynda so that he could 769 00:37:16,467 --> 00:37:19,166 be with the girl that he was seeing at the time. 770 00:37:20,100 --> 00:37:24,166 ZIRPOLI: In 1980s, extramarital affairs was not acceptable, 771 00:37:24,166 --> 00:37:28,266 especially here in this faith-driven small community. 772 00:37:28,266 --> 00:37:30,166 And I think from John's standpoint 773 00:37:30,233 --> 00:37:32,367 as being a young law enforcement officer, 774 00:37:32,433 --> 00:37:34,867 he thought that was gonna be a tarnish on his career 775 00:37:34,867 --> 00:37:38,166 and a stain on him that he was divorced. 776 00:37:38,166 --> 00:37:39,767 So I think those are those motivating 777 00:37:39,767 --> 00:37:42,533 factors for why he committed this crime. 778 00:37:43,767 --> 00:37:45,000 After 30 years, 779 00:37:45,000 --> 00:37:48,166 a cold case in Susquehanna County is now closed. 780 00:37:48,166 --> 00:37:50,467 Former Montrose police officer, 781 00:37:50,467 --> 00:37:52,567 John Walker, entered a plea to the death 782 00:37:52,634 --> 00:37:55,767 of his estranged wife back in 1983. 783 00:37:55,834 --> 00:37:58,066 NARRATOR: John Walker pleads no contest, 784 00:37:58,066 --> 00:38:00,734 meaning he would not fight the murder charge. 785 00:38:01,700 --> 00:38:03,266 MAN: He was immediately sentenced 786 00:38:03,266 --> 00:38:05,634 to 2 to 4 years in prison. 787 00:38:06,767 --> 00:38:09,667 Four years in jail for committing murder? 788 00:38:09,734 --> 00:38:14,467 It's kind of...kind of a slap in the face that why isn't -- 789 00:38:14,533 --> 00:38:16,266 you know, she doesn't have the rest of her life to 790 00:38:16,266 --> 00:38:17,867 live out -- why should he? 791 00:38:18,900 --> 00:38:21,767 McFADDEN: We know everyone will be angry with the amount of 792 00:38:21,767 --> 00:38:24,467 time that someone may serve after doing 793 00:38:24,467 --> 00:38:25,667 this horrific crime. 794 00:38:25,667 --> 00:38:28,967 But you have to understand time hurts us also. 795 00:38:28,967 --> 00:38:31,967 Your witnesses are deceased, crime scene 796 00:38:31,967 --> 00:38:34,266 is not there, evidence is destroyed. 797 00:38:34,266 --> 00:38:36,667 So you have to get what you can get. 798 00:38:37,567 --> 00:38:39,166 FLANNERY: Would I have liked to have tried it 799 00:38:39,166 --> 00:38:41,266 and seen if I could obtain a first-degree murder 800 00:38:41,333 --> 00:38:42,767 conviction? Absolutely. 801 00:38:42,834 --> 00:38:45,100 But, uh, given the circumstances, 802 00:38:45,100 --> 00:38:47,567 I think what transpired was appropriate. 803 00:38:49,800 --> 00:38:52,867 His sentence is something I still think about. 804 00:38:52,867 --> 00:38:54,367 I felt that John Walker should have been 805 00:38:54,367 --> 00:38:55,567 in prison for the rest of his life. 806 00:38:55,567 --> 00:38:57,967 But, you know, I was very happy that 807 00:38:57,967 --> 00:39:00,567 we could bring this to light for her mom. 808 00:39:00,567 --> 00:39:03,166 Her mom was a good person who 809 00:39:03,166 --> 00:39:05,367 lost her daughter, and I felt bad for her. 810 00:39:05,433 --> 00:39:08,367 So that meant something to me, that I could at least help 811 00:39:08,433 --> 00:39:09,967 the family out a little bit 812 00:39:10,033 --> 00:39:13,567 and kind of give them some answers for a lot of questions 813 00:39:13,567 --> 00:39:15,767 that they had for a lot of years. 814 00:39:15,834 --> 00:39:18,367 WOMAN: The victim's mother, Norma, says this case 815 00:39:18,367 --> 00:39:20,000 has taken its toll on her. 816 00:39:20,000 --> 00:39:22,000 It's difficult. You have your ups and downs, 817 00:39:22,000 --> 00:39:24,066 you think things are gonna go the way you want them to, 818 00:39:24,066 --> 00:39:25,667 and the next thing you know, they're not. 819 00:39:25,734 --> 00:39:28,266 The only thing is I can say after 30 years, 820 00:39:28,266 --> 00:39:31,533 at least he has served something. 821 00:39:33,000 --> 00:39:35,033 DECK: In the end, the truth came out. 822 00:39:36,000 --> 00:39:39,000 He'll never be a police officer again, and, you know, 823 00:39:39,000 --> 00:39:41,266 he'll never be able to carry a firearm again. 824 00:39:41,266 --> 00:39:43,467 And those things are important. 825 00:39:45,367 --> 00:39:47,867 McFADDEN: When an officer is arrested for any crime, 826 00:39:47,867 --> 00:39:50,233 it erodes the trust of our community. 827 00:39:51,767 --> 00:39:53,767 How dare he continue to wear 828 00:39:53,834 --> 00:39:56,166 the badge, continue to pretend 829 00:39:56,166 --> 00:39:58,567 to serve and protect our communities? 830 00:39:58,567 --> 00:40:00,367 It's a disgrace to the uniform. 831 00:40:00,367 --> 00:40:02,233 It's a disgrace to our profession. 832 00:40:03,266 --> 00:40:05,100 For 29 years, 833 00:40:05,100 --> 00:40:09,266 this officer wore that badge, for 29 years, 834 00:40:09,266 --> 00:40:13,367 he pretended to uphold the law, for 29 years, 835 00:40:13,367 --> 00:40:16,467 he knew that he took someone's life, 836 00:40:16,467 --> 00:40:19,266 and that life was his wife. 837 00:40:20,967 --> 00:40:24,467 ZIRPOLI: You don't wanna believe another cop killed his wife. 838 00:40:24,467 --> 00:40:26,266 It's a brotherhood -- you don't want to think 839 00:40:26,266 --> 00:40:28,467 one of our own did this to their wife. 840 00:40:30,300 --> 00:40:32,567 I gotta give Greg Deck the applause on this one, 841 00:40:32,567 --> 00:40:34,667 because he really was that driving force. 842 00:40:34,667 --> 00:40:35,867 When he dove into it, 843 00:40:35,867 --> 00:40:38,567 and he says, I really want to give this 110 percent, 844 00:40:38,634 --> 00:40:40,667 we all gave it 110 percent with him 845 00:40:40,667 --> 00:40:43,867 just to get to that successful conclusion. 846 00:40:43,934 --> 00:40:46,166 DECK: It didn't matter really if he was a police officer 847 00:40:46,166 --> 00:40:47,467 or someone else. 848 00:40:47,533 --> 00:40:50,467 I was gonna do whatever I could for the victim 849 00:40:50,467 --> 00:40:52,867 and bring her justice. 850 00:40:52,934 --> 00:40:55,767 He was a police officer that had murdered someone. 851 00:40:55,767 --> 00:40:57,000 You know, as a state trooper, 852 00:40:57,000 --> 00:40:59,667 I felt it was my duty to seek truth 853 00:40:59,667 --> 00:41:02,066 and seek justice, and that's what we did. 854 00:41:13,467 --> 00:41:15,834 We have unsolved deaths all the time in Jacksonville. 855 00:41:17,266 --> 00:41:19,467 He knew at that point that he was a goner. 856 00:41:20,467 --> 00:41:22,934 People do crazy things for $50,000. 857 00:41:24,300 --> 00:41:28,600 They bring new meaning to the old phrase "Cops and Robbers.