1 00:00:05,939 --> 00:00:08,876 - That morning, a neighbor heard two explosions 2 00:00:08,942 --> 00:00:12,613 and looked outside and saw the fire. 3 00:00:12,679 --> 00:00:16,516 - The woman was found dead inside the house. 4 00:00:16,583 --> 00:00:17,918 - She was gone. 5 00:00:17,985 --> 00:00:19,786 I was devastated. 6 00:00:19,887 --> 00:00:22,289 My mom never hurt nobody. 7 00:00:22,322 --> 00:00:24,016 - The evidence that they found in the home 8 00:00:24,082 --> 00:00:26,793 is normally used for outside grills. 9 00:00:26,927 --> 00:00:29,187 - My mom had been in the fire service. 10 00:00:29,254 --> 00:00:32,199 She knew that you didn't store that in the house. 11 00:00:32,299 --> 00:00:33,926 - This is not by accident. 12 00:00:33,992 --> 00:00:35,936 This is premeditation. 13 00:00:36,036 --> 00:00:38,472 - But arson is hard to prove, 14 00:00:38,605 --> 00:00:41,909 especially if you don't have any witnesses. 15 00:00:41,975 --> 00:00:45,479 - Then police get a tip that turns the whole direction 16 00:00:45,546 --> 00:00:47,381 of the investigation. 17 00:00:47,447 --> 00:00:50,334 - That woman thinks she's seeing a ghost. 18 00:00:50,367 --> 00:00:53,053 The victim is still alive. 19 00:00:53,153 --> 00:00:56,823 This was a diabolical plan to kill 20 00:00:56,957 --> 00:01:00,060 that was two years in the making. 21 00:01:00,160 --> 00:01:02,195 - We needed to find out what's going on 22 00:01:02,262 --> 00:01:03,664 before it was too late. 23 00:01:03,797 --> 00:01:05,499 [dramatic music] 24 00:01:05,566 --> 00:01:08,560 [suspenseful music] 25 00:01:08,627 --> 00:01:15,659 ♪ ♪ 26 00:01:18,045 --> 00:01:20,948 [soft tense music] 27 00:01:21,014 --> 00:01:24,451 ♪ ♪ 28 00:01:24,518 --> 00:01:27,379 - I was a firefighter for the Horn Lake Fire Department. 29 00:01:29,723 --> 00:01:33,293 I got to work a little early that morning, 30 00:01:33,393 --> 00:01:34,861 and it was a quiet morning. 31 00:01:34,895 --> 00:01:37,064 But at about 6:15-- 32 00:01:37,130 --> 00:01:39,766 [phone rings] We got the fire call. 33 00:01:39,833 --> 00:01:41,101 [alarm wails] 34 00:01:41,201 --> 00:01:43,870 - The neighbor heard an explosion in Northwood Cove 35 00:01:43,937 --> 00:01:47,891 and looked outside and saw the smoke and the fire 36 00:01:47,924 --> 00:01:49,559 and called 911. 37 00:01:49,593 --> 00:01:53,280 [siren wailing] 38 00:01:53,347 --> 00:01:57,317 - When we got there, we laid a big line in from the fire plug. 39 00:01:57,417 --> 00:02:00,687 And then one of the people on the scene came up 40 00:02:00,754 --> 00:02:02,623 and said she was Linda Leedom. 41 00:02:02,689 --> 00:02:06,760 And she said a neighbor called her and told her about the fire 42 00:02:06,827 --> 00:02:09,963 because she was Lula Young's best friend. 43 00:02:10,030 --> 00:02:13,400 She said Lula was in the house, in the back. 44 00:02:13,433 --> 00:02:15,594 - Some of the firefighters were shocked to see 45 00:02:15,627 --> 00:02:17,571 that the home belonged to Lula Young. 46 00:02:17,638 --> 00:02:20,924 They said Lula had worked with the fire department. 47 00:02:20,957 --> 00:02:24,428 So several of them were actually friends with her. 48 00:02:24,461 --> 00:02:26,605 - When we found out that she was in there, 49 00:02:26,638 --> 00:02:28,415 we immediately assembled a team, 50 00:02:28,448 --> 00:02:30,417 and we went around the back. 51 00:02:30,484 --> 00:02:32,753 The neighbors pointed where the bedroom was 52 00:02:32,786 --> 00:02:35,714 that supposedly Lula was in. 53 00:02:35,814 --> 00:02:37,791 So we broke the window. 54 00:02:37,858 --> 00:02:39,993 As we entered the room, you could see 55 00:02:40,093 --> 00:02:41,987 the fire coming through the top of the door, 56 00:02:42,054 --> 00:02:43,822 and you could feel the heat. 57 00:02:43,889 --> 00:02:46,900 So we started crawling, looking for Lula. 58 00:02:46,967 --> 00:02:48,902 We looked around the bed and found her 59 00:02:49,002 --> 00:02:51,038 between the bed and the wall. 60 00:02:51,138 --> 00:02:56,276 Lula was not breathing, so getting her up was hard to do. 61 00:02:56,309 --> 00:02:59,296 And then as we were trying to rescue Lula-- 62 00:02:59,329 --> 00:03:00,781 [explosion booms] 63 00:03:00,814 --> 00:03:02,883 There was another explosion. 64 00:03:02,949 --> 00:03:04,134 Uh-oh. 65 00:03:04,167 --> 00:03:06,136 There's something else happening here. 66 00:03:06,169 --> 00:03:08,346 We didn't know whether it was a trap set in that room 67 00:03:08,413 --> 00:03:10,457 or in the hallway. 68 00:03:10,490 --> 00:03:12,859 So it was real important that we got her out 69 00:03:12,959 --> 00:03:15,812 as fast as we could, dead or alive. 70 00:03:15,846 --> 00:03:18,165 [dramatic music] 71 00:03:18,198 --> 00:03:20,434 - Once the firefighters were finally able to get 72 00:03:20,534 --> 00:03:22,803 Lula out of the home, 73 00:03:22,869 --> 00:03:27,140 she had died already, 74 00:03:27,274 --> 00:03:29,835 presumably from smoke inhalation. 75 00:03:31,478 --> 00:03:35,841 - Once the fire is out and all the hot spots are done, 76 00:03:35,874 --> 00:03:37,484 there was a quietness. 77 00:03:37,517 --> 00:03:40,520 Nobody was talking to anybody. 78 00:03:40,587 --> 00:03:44,891 And Linda Leedom was devastated by the death of her friend. 79 00:03:44,958 --> 00:03:47,761 [somber music] 80 00:03:47,828 --> 00:03:49,329 ♪ ♪ 81 00:03:49,362 --> 00:03:52,466 - Me and Lula's son, Mike, were preparing to go hunting. 82 00:03:52,566 --> 00:03:54,901 We got a phone call from Linda, 83 00:03:54,968 --> 00:03:58,697 the fact of telling us that Lula's house was on fire. 84 00:03:58,730 --> 00:04:02,542 - He talked for a minute, and he hung up. 85 00:04:02,609 --> 00:04:08,473 And he said, there's been an accident at your mom's. 86 00:04:08,573 --> 00:04:09,616 It's not good. 87 00:04:09,683 --> 00:04:12,619 I said, she all right? He goes, no. 88 00:04:12,719 --> 00:04:14,212 She didn't make it. 89 00:04:16,982 --> 00:04:19,818 We left and probably drove 90 00:04:19,918 --> 00:04:22,529 the better of 100 all the way home. 91 00:04:22,596 --> 00:04:28,135 When I pulled in, I'm in just-- 92 00:04:28,201 --> 00:04:30,570 in shock. 93 00:04:30,604 --> 00:04:33,907 I found it hard to believe that she was gone. 94 00:04:33,940 --> 00:04:38,945 The house that I grew up in was gone. 95 00:04:39,012 --> 00:04:42,215 I was devastated. 96 00:04:42,315 --> 00:04:44,551 - Investigators want to speak to Lula's family 97 00:04:44,584 --> 00:04:47,904 at this point to find out more about our victim. 98 00:04:47,938 --> 00:04:50,223 [pensive music] 99 00:04:50,357 --> 00:04:53,727 - My mom and my dad got married when they were 18 100 00:04:53,760 --> 00:04:55,287 and had two kids. 101 00:04:55,353 --> 00:04:57,531 I'm the oldest, and my sister, Stacey, is 102 00:04:57,597 --> 00:05:00,025 six years younger than I am. 103 00:05:00,091 --> 00:05:04,529 But then in 1981, her and my dad divorced. 104 00:05:04,596 --> 00:05:06,173 She had to go find a job 105 00:05:06,273 --> 00:05:08,742 and take care of two kids on her own. 106 00:05:08,809 --> 00:05:11,978 She became an EMT for the ambulance service. 107 00:05:12,045 --> 00:05:14,472 And then she had started a cleaning business. 108 00:05:14,539 --> 00:05:19,052 She worked hard to provide what she could for me and my sister. 109 00:05:19,119 --> 00:05:21,021 - She was always still happy with life. 110 00:05:21,121 --> 00:05:23,256 She never let it get her down. 111 00:05:23,323 --> 00:05:28,028 But then '85, Lula found out she had breast cancer. 112 00:05:28,128 --> 00:05:29,729 - She had to have a surgery, 113 00:05:29,796 --> 00:05:32,432 and she did chemo and radiation, 114 00:05:32,465 --> 00:05:34,301 which made her sick as a dog. 115 00:05:34,367 --> 00:05:36,603 But she never complained. 116 00:05:36,670 --> 00:05:39,639 - And her friend Linda Leedom was a blessing 117 00:05:39,673 --> 00:05:41,474 to Lula along the way. 118 00:05:41,508 --> 00:05:43,844 She'd make sure Lula had groceries in the house, 119 00:05:43,944 --> 00:05:46,613 and she would know when her appointments was 120 00:05:46,646 --> 00:05:49,115 and make sure she got to them. 121 00:05:49,149 --> 00:05:51,084 And she developed leukemia. 122 00:05:51,184 --> 00:05:54,521 And probably mid-summer of '94, 123 00:05:54,588 --> 00:05:57,424 Mom had gotten to where she was having trouble getting around. 124 00:05:57,524 --> 00:06:00,827 And mom lived by herself, so she had to have 125 00:06:00,894 --> 00:06:04,931 a wheelchair because she couldn't stand. 126 00:06:04,998 --> 00:06:07,334 She was taking pain medicines. 127 00:06:07,400 --> 00:06:09,594 She was in pain a lot. 128 00:06:09,694 --> 00:06:11,304 [soft dramatic music] 129 00:06:11,404 --> 00:06:14,766 I talked to mom the day before the fire, 130 00:06:14,833 --> 00:06:16,643 and she said that she was in good spirits, 131 00:06:16,710 --> 00:06:19,980 and she still felt pretty good. 132 00:06:20,013 --> 00:06:23,950 She was going to beat cancer or die trying. 133 00:06:24,050 --> 00:06:25,719 That was the last time I spoke to her. 134 00:06:25,819 --> 00:06:29,055 ♪ ♪ 135 00:06:29,122 --> 00:06:32,092 [ominous music] 136 00:06:32,158 --> 00:06:34,160 ♪ ♪ 137 00:06:34,194 --> 00:06:35,762 While I'm standing at the house, 138 00:06:35,829 --> 00:06:37,864 the roof was gone off of it. 139 00:06:37,898 --> 00:06:42,360 You could see through the house from one end to the other. 140 00:06:42,394 --> 00:06:44,504 It was awful. 141 00:06:44,537 --> 00:06:46,106 I wanted to know what happened. 142 00:06:46,172 --> 00:06:48,366 ♪ ♪ 143 00:06:48,400 --> 00:06:50,844 - The arson investigators go in and start 144 00:06:50,977 --> 00:06:53,847 looking for how this started, where it started, 145 00:06:53,980 --> 00:06:56,416 what caused it. 146 00:06:56,483 --> 00:06:59,119 - The evidence that they found in the home immediately 147 00:06:59,185 --> 00:07:01,788 raised a red flag. 148 00:07:01,888 --> 00:07:04,582 - The investigators find a space heater 149 00:07:04,649 --> 00:07:06,793 by the front door. 150 00:07:06,860 --> 00:07:09,421 - It was determined that the heater was 151 00:07:09,487 --> 00:07:13,066 plugged in and turned on at the time of the fire. 152 00:07:13,099 --> 00:07:15,760 - The placement of the heater was odd. 153 00:07:15,827 --> 00:07:19,572 - Why would a space heater be located inside the front door 154 00:07:19,639 --> 00:07:22,876 instead of in a normal location where a space heater may be, 155 00:07:22,942 --> 00:07:27,213 next to someone's chair or bed? 156 00:07:27,280 --> 00:07:30,817 - Then in the same area, fire investigators find 157 00:07:30,917 --> 00:07:33,887 a propane tank up against a wall. 158 00:07:34,020 --> 00:07:37,457 Upon investigation, they did find that the valve was opened 159 00:07:37,557 --> 00:07:40,427 about a quarter of the way, and that lets out 160 00:07:40,493 --> 00:07:44,397 just enough gas for it to be a problem. 161 00:07:44,497 --> 00:07:47,233 - Why would a propane tank that's normally used 162 00:07:47,300 --> 00:07:51,438 for outside grills be located inside a house? 163 00:07:51,471 --> 00:07:54,532 And why would Lula, who worked for EMS 164 00:07:54,632 --> 00:07:57,535 with the fire department, have a propane tank 165 00:07:57,635 --> 00:08:00,981 with a valve open in a room next to a heater? 166 00:08:01,047 --> 00:08:04,818 So at this point, investigators are looking at the possibility 167 00:08:04,918 --> 00:08:07,153 that Lula's house fire was set intentionally. 168 00:08:07,253 --> 00:08:08,713 It seems like now we have 169 00:08:08,813 --> 00:08:11,091 a murder investigation on our hands. 170 00:08:11,124 --> 00:08:13,485 - So we needed to have an autopsy 171 00:08:13,551 --> 00:08:15,428 to figure out what happened. 172 00:08:15,462 --> 00:08:18,490 [soft tense music] 173 00:08:18,556 --> 00:08:20,266 ♪ ♪ 174 00:08:20,400 --> 00:08:23,870 - And there was no damage to Lula Young by fire, 175 00:08:23,970 --> 00:08:27,207 so she had been properly identified. 176 00:08:27,273 --> 00:08:29,776 And the autopsy came back and confirmed 177 00:08:29,843 --> 00:08:32,879 that Lula's death was caused by carbon monoxide poisoning. 178 00:08:32,946 --> 00:08:34,547 ♪ ♪ 179 00:08:34,614 --> 00:08:37,150 Also, toxicology reports showed that there were 180 00:08:37,217 --> 00:08:39,686 sleeping pills in Lula's system. 181 00:08:41,004 --> 00:08:42,989 Sleeping pills are a common medication 182 00:08:43,023 --> 00:08:44,641 that people use all the time. 183 00:08:44,674 --> 00:08:48,128 But the questions raised were, was this an accident? 184 00:08:48,194 --> 00:08:50,797 Did the sleeping pills found in her system cause 185 00:08:50,864 --> 00:08:52,332 poor decision making, 186 00:08:52,399 --> 00:08:56,469 like leaving the propane tank valve open and the heater on? 187 00:08:56,603 --> 00:08:58,805 Or did someone else do it? 188 00:08:58,838 --> 00:09:00,640 At this point, investigators need 189 00:09:00,673 --> 00:09:03,143 to question friends and family to determine 190 00:09:03,176 --> 00:09:05,170 how the propane tank got in the house. 191 00:09:05,203 --> 00:09:06,704 Why was the heater there? 192 00:09:06,771 --> 00:09:09,549 Was it common that Lula took sleeping pills? 193 00:09:09,616 --> 00:09:11,117 [tense music] 194 00:09:11,184 --> 00:09:13,486 - I talked to some investigators, 195 00:09:13,520 --> 00:09:16,356 and I told them I had stopped by that Friday before 196 00:09:16,423 --> 00:09:19,159 to see Mom, and there were no space heaters there. 197 00:09:19,292 --> 00:09:22,695 And there was not a propane tank in the kitchen. 198 00:09:22,762 --> 00:09:25,031 I said, she had been in the fire service. 199 00:09:25,098 --> 00:09:28,568 She knew that you didn't store propane in the house. 200 00:09:28,668 --> 00:09:32,172 And to my knowledge, she never took sleeping pills. 201 00:09:32,205 --> 00:09:34,874 I had been a fireman for almost eight years. 202 00:09:34,941 --> 00:09:38,845 I knew enough to know that something wasn't right. 203 00:09:38,912 --> 00:09:40,080 The math wasn't mathing. 204 00:09:40,146 --> 00:09:42,082 [tense music] 205 00:09:42,148 --> 00:09:45,485 - The presence of sleeping pills raised the question, 206 00:09:45,585 --> 00:09:47,220 did someone give her the pills? 207 00:09:47,253 --> 00:09:50,056 And was it meant to keep Lula asleep? 208 00:09:50,123 --> 00:09:51,624 But without a witness 209 00:09:51,691 --> 00:09:54,194 or without someone admitting they did it, 210 00:09:54,227 --> 00:09:56,763 it's almost impossible to prove that. 211 00:09:56,830 --> 00:09:59,566 So investigators are still going through the evidence 212 00:09:59,632 --> 00:10:04,270 and searching for what they can to back up their suspicions. 213 00:10:06,306 --> 00:10:09,943 - I was a reporter covering the death of the Lula Young. 214 00:10:10,043 --> 00:10:13,713 Lula had been in the community about 20 years. 215 00:10:13,780 --> 00:10:15,348 She was well loved. 216 00:10:15,448 --> 00:10:16,816 She was well known. 217 00:10:16,883 --> 00:10:19,352 So the community took this investigation 218 00:10:19,419 --> 00:10:20,954 a little personal. 219 00:10:21,020 --> 00:10:23,957 At this point, they want to find the answers. 220 00:10:24,057 --> 00:10:28,620 ♪ ♪ 221 00:10:28,686 --> 00:10:31,664 - Two weeks later, investigators get a tip 222 00:10:31,764 --> 00:10:34,200 that really turns the whole direction 223 00:10:34,300 --> 00:10:36,102 of the investigation. 224 00:10:36,136 --> 00:10:39,672 We receive a call from a woman, 225 00:10:39,739 --> 00:10:42,967 and she tells us that she just ran into Lula 226 00:10:43,034 --> 00:10:45,512 at a local shopping center. 227 00:10:45,578 --> 00:10:47,847 - She thinks she's seeing a ghost. 228 00:10:47,947 --> 00:10:51,050 - Police are shocked and confused to hear this. 229 00:10:51,150 --> 00:10:53,152 - How could this be possible? 230 00:10:53,219 --> 00:10:54,646 What is she talking about? 231 00:10:54,712 --> 00:10:57,423 ♪ ♪ 232 00:10:57,457 --> 00:11:00,093 - Someone had actually taken out 233 00:11:00,126 --> 00:11:04,597 four insurance policies on Lula Young's life. 234 00:11:04,664 --> 00:11:08,826 - And those policies added up to nearly $1 million. 235 00:11:08,893 --> 00:11:10,770 This wasn't just a murder. 236 00:11:10,904 --> 00:11:15,967 It was a blueprint for the ultimate act of betrayal. 237 00:11:20,705 --> 00:11:23,683 [dramatic music] 238 00:11:23,783 --> 00:11:26,352 ♪ ♪ 239 00:11:26,419 --> 00:11:27,620 [phone beeps] 240 00:11:27,720 --> 00:11:29,522 - A woman named Brenda Driver calls in 241 00:11:29,622 --> 00:11:31,224 to give a tip on the case. 242 00:11:31,257 --> 00:11:35,261 Brenda shared how she had heard about Lula's death on the news 243 00:11:35,328 --> 00:11:37,288 but swears she had just saw Lula 244 00:11:37,355 --> 00:11:40,200 at a local shopping center in Horn Lake. 245 00:11:40,266 --> 00:11:41,701 [tense music] 246 00:11:41,801 --> 00:11:44,028 Investigators know this can't be possible 247 00:11:44,095 --> 00:11:46,372 because Lula had been positively identified 248 00:11:46,439 --> 00:11:48,833 using photos. 249 00:11:48,866 --> 00:11:52,278 But Brenda says she's an agent for Nationwide Insurance. 250 00:11:52,312 --> 00:11:54,547 And four months prior to Lula Young's death, 251 00:11:54,647 --> 00:11:56,983 she had been to Lula's house 252 00:11:57,050 --> 00:12:02,055 and sold Lula a $500,000 life insurance policy. 253 00:12:02,155 --> 00:12:04,290 And she said a policy of that value 254 00:12:04,357 --> 00:12:07,652 requires a medical evaluation. 255 00:12:07,719 --> 00:12:10,288 The medical evaluation showed that Lula 256 00:12:10,355 --> 00:12:11,898 didn't have any health issues. 257 00:12:13,733 --> 00:12:18,730 Police found this odd because in their background on Lula, 258 00:12:18,830 --> 00:12:22,066 they had found out that she had just undergone 259 00:12:22,166 --> 00:12:24,811 treatment for breast cancer. 260 00:12:24,911 --> 00:12:27,747 - Brenda is sure that the woman she saw 261 00:12:27,847 --> 00:12:32,919 come in that discount store was Lula Young. 262 00:12:32,986 --> 00:12:37,557 And she's positive that this person is still alive. 263 00:12:37,657 --> 00:12:41,027 - Investigators wonder if Brenda is getting confused, 264 00:12:41,094 --> 00:12:43,988 and so they decide to do a photo lineup 265 00:12:44,055 --> 00:12:46,357 with different women from Horn Lake, 266 00:12:46,424 --> 00:12:49,268 as well as Linda Leedom and Lula Young. 267 00:12:51,237 --> 00:12:54,941 Looking at the lineup, Brenda Driver immediately said 268 00:12:55,008 --> 00:12:57,602 that that's the woman she sold the insurance policy, 269 00:12:57,702 --> 00:13:00,204 as well as the person she'd seen at the store 270 00:13:00,271 --> 00:13:03,441 a few days before, and points to a photo 271 00:13:03,541 --> 00:13:07,453 of Lula's best friend, Linda Leedom. 272 00:13:07,520 --> 00:13:11,190 [dramatic music] 273 00:13:11,224 --> 00:13:13,918 All the more shocking, Lula had put 274 00:13:13,951 --> 00:13:17,063 the beneficiary on the policy to be Linda Leedom. 275 00:13:17,096 --> 00:13:18,831 Investigators are beginning to wonder 276 00:13:18,865 --> 00:13:21,759 whether Linda Leedom posed for Lula Young. 277 00:13:24,929 --> 00:13:28,641 - So the police go speak to Linda Leedom 278 00:13:28,741 --> 00:13:31,411 about the insurance policy. 279 00:13:31,444 --> 00:13:33,046 - Investigators are shocked. 280 00:13:33,079 --> 00:13:36,949 Linda admits to the insurance fraud 281 00:13:36,983 --> 00:13:39,652 but says that it was Lula's idea. 282 00:13:39,719 --> 00:13:42,388 According to Linda, Lula decided 283 00:13:42,455 --> 00:13:43,923 to get the life insurance policy 284 00:13:44,023 --> 00:13:47,226 and put Linda as the beneficiary 285 00:13:47,293 --> 00:13:49,662 so that if and when she died, 286 00:13:49,762 --> 00:13:52,899 Linda would use the money to take care of Lula's family 287 00:13:52,965 --> 00:13:55,068 and the money not go to the kids 288 00:13:55,134 --> 00:13:56,919 and them spend it all at one time. 289 00:13:58,271 --> 00:14:00,273 - Linda told police Lula wanted 290 00:14:00,373 --> 00:14:05,678 her to represent her during the medical examination. 291 00:14:05,778 --> 00:14:11,175 The intent of the identity swap was so that Lula could 292 00:14:11,242 --> 00:14:14,912 hide evidence of her cancer. 293 00:14:14,979 --> 00:14:18,624 Then Linda tells investigators that Lula wanted 294 00:14:18,725 --> 00:14:21,094 to commit suicide with the fire, 295 00:14:21,194 --> 00:14:23,596 because if she had died through cancer, 296 00:14:23,663 --> 00:14:25,498 the children would not have received any money 297 00:14:25,598 --> 00:14:28,601 from the insurance policy. 298 00:14:28,634 --> 00:14:31,137 - Sure, it was plausible that because of her illness, 299 00:14:31,237 --> 00:14:35,208 Lula was involved in the insurance fraud part of it. 300 00:14:35,308 --> 00:14:40,546 But dying by fire is an extremely painful way to die. 301 00:14:40,646 --> 00:14:44,684 Surely, you would never agree to die in a house fire. 302 00:14:44,784 --> 00:14:46,219 I'm thinking, there's definitely 303 00:14:46,319 --> 00:14:48,821 something strange going on. 304 00:14:48,855 --> 00:14:51,716 But Linda insisted that she didn't have anything 305 00:14:51,783 --> 00:14:53,292 to do with setting the fire. 306 00:14:53,393 --> 00:14:56,529 She said she had been with her family all night. 307 00:14:56,562 --> 00:15:00,358 So investigators call her family, 308 00:15:00,391 --> 00:15:03,336 and her alibi checks out. 309 00:15:03,436 --> 00:15:08,474 - I am a private investigator insurance companies will hire 310 00:15:08,541 --> 00:15:11,144 when the claim is suspicious. 311 00:15:11,210 --> 00:15:13,112 In this case, investigators knew 312 00:15:13,179 --> 00:15:15,148 Linda didn't start the fire. 313 00:15:15,214 --> 00:15:17,850 But she is not an innocent woman. 314 00:15:17,950 --> 00:15:21,788 Linda took the medical exam on Lula's behalf. 315 00:15:21,854 --> 00:15:23,322 And even though she claims 316 00:15:23,389 --> 00:15:27,093 that Lula asked her to do it, it's still fraud. 317 00:15:29,195 --> 00:15:32,532 - So the case is elevated to the FBI 318 00:15:32,598 --> 00:15:34,667 and the postal inspector because she was 319 00:15:34,767 --> 00:15:38,004 putting the insurance policies in the mail. 320 00:15:38,070 --> 00:15:40,598 And using the U.S. Postal Services 321 00:15:40,698 --> 00:15:43,201 to commit insurance fraud is criminal. 322 00:15:43,267 --> 00:15:44,844 And looking at all the evidence, 323 00:15:44,944 --> 00:15:48,281 they decided to go forward with the insurance fraud 324 00:15:48,381 --> 00:15:52,185 and mail fraud aspect of the investigation. 325 00:15:52,251 --> 00:15:54,053 - Through further investigation, 326 00:15:54,086 --> 00:15:56,556 we find that Linda had already received 327 00:15:56,656 --> 00:15:58,449 several hundred thousand dollars 328 00:15:58,516 --> 00:16:01,060 from the insurance payout. 329 00:16:01,160 --> 00:16:07,366 - So by this time, $275,000 of the $500,000 330 00:16:07,433 --> 00:16:09,569 has been paid to Linda Leedom. 331 00:16:09,669 --> 00:16:15,141 But payments are now halted due to the fraud investigation. 332 00:16:16,476 --> 00:16:18,870 - When investigators talk to Linda, 333 00:16:18,936 --> 00:16:22,648 she had told them Lula knew that Linda would use the money 334 00:16:22,748 --> 00:16:25,117 to take care of Lula's kids. 335 00:16:25,218 --> 00:16:28,646 And so now investigators need to go interview the kids 336 00:16:28,746 --> 00:16:32,325 and find out what they know about the situation. 337 00:16:32,391 --> 00:16:35,695 [somber music] 338 00:16:35,761 --> 00:16:38,264 ♪ ♪ 339 00:16:38,331 --> 00:16:41,734 - I had a conversation with a postal inspector, 340 00:16:41,767 --> 00:16:45,471 asked me, did I know about insurance policies? 341 00:16:45,571 --> 00:16:47,440 I said, Mom told me that she had 342 00:16:47,473 --> 00:16:49,976 a $10,000 life insurance policy. 343 00:16:50,076 --> 00:16:54,647 Basically, the insurance policy was supposed to do the burial. 344 00:16:54,680 --> 00:16:57,283 But then he said, she had insurance policies 345 00:16:57,383 --> 00:16:58,818 over $500,000. 346 00:16:58,918 --> 00:17:00,152 I started laughing at him. 347 00:17:00,186 --> 00:17:02,021 I said, there is no way. 348 00:17:02,121 --> 00:17:04,323 I said, she couldn't afford the premiums 349 00:17:04,423 --> 00:17:06,826 for $500,000 life insurance policy, 350 00:17:06,859 --> 00:17:09,996 so I know she wouldn't have it. 351 00:17:10,096 --> 00:17:12,131 The investigators made it clear 352 00:17:12,198 --> 00:17:14,834 that Linda had been posing as mom 353 00:17:14,934 --> 00:17:18,404 and had received all this money. 354 00:17:18,471 --> 00:17:20,806 And I told him Linda never gave me money 355 00:17:20,840 --> 00:17:23,634 from Mom's insurance policy. 356 00:17:23,701 --> 00:17:28,773 At this point, I'm very angry to the fact 357 00:17:28,839 --> 00:17:30,950 that she would do this 358 00:17:31,017 --> 00:17:34,845 'cause Mom trusted Linda with everything. 359 00:17:37,657 --> 00:17:40,593 - At this point, investigators need to find out 360 00:17:40,626 --> 00:17:44,497 more about the relationship between Lula and Linda. 361 00:17:44,597 --> 00:17:47,391 - The investigators did call us a couple of times, 362 00:17:47,491 --> 00:17:50,561 and I told her, approximately 1978, 363 00:17:50,661 --> 00:17:53,973 when Lula and John Young moved into Horn Lake, 364 00:17:54,040 --> 00:17:56,976 one of their neighbors was Linda Leedom and her husband. 365 00:17:57,043 --> 00:17:59,236 - Linda and Mom got to talking and stuff, 366 00:17:59,303 --> 00:18:01,847 and they kind of hit it off. 367 00:18:01,914 --> 00:18:06,310 They would go out to lunch, to the flea markets, 368 00:18:06,377 --> 00:18:07,787 things of that nature. 369 00:18:07,820 --> 00:18:12,158 She had been my mom's best friend for 20 years. 370 00:18:12,191 --> 00:18:13,726 - She was a good friend of Lula's. 371 00:18:13,826 --> 00:18:15,795 She was even friends with the rest of the family. 372 00:18:15,828 --> 00:18:18,422 - She would come to my grandmother's with my mom, 373 00:18:18,522 --> 00:18:21,033 and Linda did taxes. 374 00:18:21,133 --> 00:18:22,835 She did taxes for my mom. 375 00:18:22,902 --> 00:18:25,571 She did taxes for both of my aunts, 376 00:18:25,671 --> 00:18:27,073 one of my uncles. 377 00:18:27,173 --> 00:18:29,600 [pensive music] 378 00:18:29,700 --> 00:18:34,013 - Linda Leedom did accounting for people in Horn Lake. 379 00:18:34,080 --> 00:18:37,274 Her father was a police commissioner. 380 00:18:37,341 --> 00:18:39,952 Linda Leedom was very well respected 381 00:18:40,052 --> 00:18:41,887 in the Horn Lake community. 382 00:18:41,988 --> 00:18:44,890 Her full-time job is working as a nurse. 383 00:18:44,991 --> 00:18:49,061 And she saved up her vacation days 384 00:18:49,161 --> 00:18:53,791 so that she could use those days to work on taxes, 385 00:18:53,891 --> 00:18:56,702 where she could make up to $100,000. 386 00:18:56,802 --> 00:19:01,966 Residents in Horn Lake say that Linda Leedom had 387 00:19:02,066 --> 00:19:05,978 a healthy obsession for money. 388 00:19:06,045 --> 00:19:09,015 [tense music] 389 00:19:09,081 --> 00:19:12,051 ♪ ♪ 390 00:19:12,118 --> 00:19:14,478 - In further investigating the case 391 00:19:14,578 --> 00:19:17,323 and digging through Linda's financial records, 392 00:19:17,390 --> 00:19:23,429 it was found that Linda had gone on a spending spree. 393 00:19:23,462 --> 00:19:24,930 - She's buying cars. 394 00:19:24,964 --> 00:19:27,333 She's buying homes. 395 00:19:27,433 --> 00:19:31,070 Linda is spending the insurance money rather quickly. 396 00:19:31,170 --> 00:19:33,072 Little, if any, of that money has gone 397 00:19:33,139 --> 00:19:35,174 to the children of Lula Young. 398 00:19:35,241 --> 00:19:36,542 That is shocking. 399 00:19:36,609 --> 00:19:38,577 ♪ ♪ 400 00:19:38,678 --> 00:19:41,280 - At this point, we know Linda Leedom is 401 00:19:41,313 --> 00:19:43,783 the only person with a motive. 402 00:19:43,883 --> 00:19:47,687 And she got a huge dollar amount motive, 403 00:19:47,753 --> 00:19:50,648 which raised the question, was Linda really capable 404 00:19:50,681 --> 00:19:52,616 of killing Lula, 405 00:19:52,683 --> 00:19:55,361 or had she paid someone else to do it? 406 00:19:55,461 --> 00:19:58,864 ♪ ♪ 407 00:20:02,885 --> 00:20:05,604 [soft tense music] 408 00:20:05,638 --> 00:20:11,043 ♪ ♪ 409 00:20:11,143 --> 00:20:13,546 - Once Linda Leedom, Lula's best friend, 410 00:20:13,646 --> 00:20:16,640 admitted to the insurance fraud aspect, 411 00:20:16,707 --> 00:20:21,320 it gave the investigators motive that she could have 412 00:20:21,353 --> 00:20:23,923 been involved in Lula's death. 413 00:20:23,989 --> 00:20:27,293 - Investigators tried to keep everything 414 00:20:27,359 --> 00:20:29,895 as tight as they could, as far as what they knew 415 00:20:29,995 --> 00:20:31,497 and how they were operating. 416 00:20:31,597 --> 00:20:35,234 But Linda Leedom knew people around the community. 417 00:20:35,334 --> 00:20:36,802 She knew people at dispatch. 418 00:20:36,869 --> 00:20:39,338 And she was trying to check in 419 00:20:39,438 --> 00:20:42,975 to how the investigation was progressing. 420 00:20:43,075 --> 00:20:46,545 That looked suspicious to investigators. 421 00:20:46,645 --> 00:20:48,748 - Linda Leedom is our primary suspect, 422 00:20:48,848 --> 00:20:51,242 so we wanted to make her think 423 00:20:51,308 --> 00:20:54,812 that the case was ruled an accidental fire. 424 00:20:54,879 --> 00:20:57,014 - So the fire investigators told her 425 00:20:57,081 --> 00:20:59,758 it could have been a faulty electric cord 426 00:20:59,825 --> 00:21:02,194 that could have started the fire. 427 00:21:02,228 --> 00:21:03,921 - At this point in the case, 428 00:21:04,021 --> 00:21:06,157 there's more than one investigation going on. 429 00:21:06,223 --> 00:21:07,700 There's the fire investigation. 430 00:21:07,800 --> 00:21:10,202 There's a possible murder investigation. 431 00:21:10,302 --> 00:21:13,339 And then there's the insurance fraud investigation. 432 00:21:13,405 --> 00:21:15,541 First, investigators put together 433 00:21:15,574 --> 00:21:17,376 their insurance fraud case. 434 00:21:17,443 --> 00:21:19,537 [suspenseful music] 435 00:21:19,603 --> 00:21:21,914 - Once the investigators started digging, 436 00:21:22,014 --> 00:21:23,682 looking through the databases, 437 00:21:23,716 --> 00:21:26,519 it was found that Linda had actually taken out 438 00:21:26,585 --> 00:21:31,248 four insurance policies on Lula Young's life. 439 00:21:31,282 --> 00:21:34,226 There was two Metropolitan insurance policies, 440 00:21:34,326 --> 00:21:39,198 one for $75,000 and one for $200,000. 441 00:21:39,265 --> 00:21:42,201 The third insurance policy was with Nationwide 442 00:21:42,234 --> 00:21:45,104 in the amount of $500,000. 443 00:21:45,204 --> 00:21:47,698 And then there was another small insurance policy 444 00:21:47,765 --> 00:21:51,560 a month before the fire in the amount of $38,000. 445 00:21:53,204 --> 00:21:58,417 - And Linda, once again, is set up as the beneficiary. 446 00:21:58,450 --> 00:22:01,278 - So at this point, the investigation was 447 00:22:01,312 --> 00:22:04,223 turned over to the U.S. Attorney's Office 448 00:22:04,290 --> 00:22:06,659 because arson is hard to prove, 449 00:22:06,725 --> 00:22:09,228 especially if you don't have any witnesses 450 00:22:09,261 --> 00:22:12,398 or someone who confesses to starting the fire. 451 00:22:12,464 --> 00:22:15,901 So the U.S. Attorney's Office want to first prosecute 452 00:22:15,935 --> 00:22:17,995 Linda for insurance fraud 453 00:22:18,095 --> 00:22:21,340 while detectives build a case for Lula's murder. 454 00:22:21,440 --> 00:22:26,145 ♪ ♪ 455 00:22:26,178 --> 00:22:28,414 - Two years later, the feds finally indicted 456 00:22:28,480 --> 00:22:32,117 Linda for the insurance fraud and mail fraud. 457 00:22:32,218 --> 00:22:35,613 And she actually pled guilty on those charges. 458 00:22:35,679 --> 00:22:37,890 Also, Linda had to give back the money 459 00:22:37,923 --> 00:22:41,026 from the insurance policy and was put on probation 460 00:22:41,126 --> 00:22:45,614 while we continued to work on the murder investigation. 461 00:22:47,433 --> 00:22:51,161 [tense music] 462 00:22:51,195 --> 00:22:53,464 - It really made me think Linda was connected 463 00:22:53,530 --> 00:22:56,041 to the death of my sister, Lula, because of the fact 464 00:22:56,108 --> 00:22:58,210 she was the one that had something to gain. 465 00:22:58,310 --> 00:23:01,814 - I felt that she was responsible, 466 00:23:01,880 --> 00:23:03,215 but I didn't know how, 467 00:23:03,282 --> 00:23:05,985 because Linda's a lot of things, 468 00:23:06,085 --> 00:23:10,589 but she didn't have the stones to do it on her own, 469 00:23:10,623 --> 00:23:12,992 nor did she have the knowledge. 470 00:23:13,092 --> 00:23:16,128 So she might have wanted Mom dead, 471 00:23:16,195 --> 00:23:18,797 but I didn't understand how she could have got Mom dead. 472 00:23:18,864 --> 00:23:20,432 And I was told to trust the process, 473 00:23:20,466 --> 00:23:23,535 that they was working on things to get that answer. 474 00:23:23,636 --> 00:23:26,230 [ominous music] 475 00:23:26,297 --> 00:23:28,032 - There was a mountain of evidence 476 00:23:28,065 --> 00:23:30,876 against Linda for murder. 477 00:23:30,910 --> 00:23:33,904 But it's all circumstantial evidence. 478 00:23:34,004 --> 00:23:37,641 And Linda had an alibi on the day of the fire. 479 00:23:37,708 --> 00:23:40,411 Investigators know the tools that were 480 00:23:40,511 --> 00:23:44,690 used in the arson, that being the propane tank 481 00:23:44,723 --> 00:23:46,725 with the valve slightly open 482 00:23:46,825 --> 00:23:49,662 and the electrical heater in the room. 483 00:23:49,728 --> 00:23:53,932 It's just that they don't know who exactly did it. 484 00:23:54,033 --> 00:23:56,869 - Fire always messes up everything, 485 00:23:56,969 --> 00:24:00,339 where it's hard to determine what happened. 486 00:24:00,406 --> 00:24:02,374 And fire can destroy any evidence 487 00:24:02,474 --> 00:24:05,002 that can be left behind. 488 00:24:05,069 --> 00:24:06,712 - Linda is not admitting anything, 489 00:24:06,812 --> 00:24:09,882 and efforts to prove that Linda has done 490 00:24:09,982 --> 00:24:12,384 anything other than the insurance fraud 491 00:24:12,484 --> 00:24:14,920 have not come to light. 492 00:24:14,954 --> 00:24:17,690 It's very frustrating because at this point, 493 00:24:17,790 --> 00:24:19,825 we're at a dead end. 494 00:24:19,892 --> 00:24:23,195 The fire investigation and the murder investigation 495 00:24:23,262 --> 00:24:26,465 have pretty much stalled out. 496 00:24:26,565 --> 00:24:32,871 ♪ ♪ 497 00:24:32,972 --> 00:24:35,574 - And then just months later, 498 00:24:35,607 --> 00:24:37,376 there's a big break in the case 499 00:24:37,476 --> 00:24:41,980 when the DA's office receives a tip from a jail informant. 500 00:24:42,081 --> 00:24:44,283 A man claimed he was close friends 501 00:24:44,316 --> 00:24:46,518 with both Lula and Linda 502 00:24:46,552 --> 00:24:49,054 and had learned of Lula's death, 503 00:24:49,088 --> 00:24:51,724 and it was weighing heavy on him. 504 00:24:51,824 --> 00:24:53,559 - He dropped a bomb. 505 00:24:53,625 --> 00:24:57,730 He told us he knew the person who killed Lula. 506 00:24:57,830 --> 00:24:59,965 This is the lead we've been waiting for. 507 00:25:00,065 --> 00:25:02,668 [dramatic music] 508 00:25:06,030 --> 00:25:09,041 [dramatic music] 509 00:25:09,108 --> 00:25:12,811 ♪ ♪ 510 00:25:12,945 --> 00:25:16,648 - I receive a call one day from county jail 511 00:25:16,749 --> 00:25:19,985 stating that they had a guy named David Vincent 512 00:25:20,052 --> 00:25:23,439 that claimed he knew something about the death of Lula Young. 513 00:25:25,157 --> 00:25:28,685 So I go to the jail and talk to David Vincent. 514 00:25:28,819 --> 00:25:31,146 [suspenseful music] 515 00:25:31,180 --> 00:25:34,792 He told me that somebody that done some work for him 516 00:25:34,858 --> 00:25:39,705 named Charles Wayne Dunn had confided in him one day 517 00:25:39,805 --> 00:25:46,128 that he burned Lula up in a house fire for Linda Leedom. 518 00:25:47,379 --> 00:25:49,548 David, the confidential informant, 519 00:25:49,681 --> 00:25:51,650 hadn't come forward before this point 520 00:25:51,717 --> 00:25:54,486 because he didn't think Linda was really 521 00:25:54,586 --> 00:25:56,672 capable of killing Lula. 522 00:25:56,705 --> 00:25:59,591 [tense music] 523 00:25:59,658 --> 00:26:02,728 ♪ ♪ 524 00:26:02,861 --> 00:26:06,014 - David had explained to investigators 525 00:26:06,048 --> 00:26:07,833 that he just wanted to keep his head down. 526 00:26:07,900 --> 00:26:10,803 But then guilt started to get the best of him. 527 00:26:10,869 --> 00:26:14,072 - He felt like he had to let somebody know 528 00:26:14,173 --> 00:26:15,841 what Dunn had told him about 529 00:26:15,908 --> 00:26:19,528 and get the investigation pointed in the right direction. 530 00:26:19,561 --> 00:26:22,406 When I finished that interview with David, 531 00:26:22,506 --> 00:26:25,684 it becomes imperative that I come up with a way 532 00:26:25,717 --> 00:26:29,321 to corroborate his statement. 533 00:26:29,388 --> 00:26:32,758 So I checked into Dunn's past and saw where Dunn was 534 00:26:32,891 --> 00:26:37,387 on probation for a possession of cocaine charge. 535 00:26:37,421 --> 00:26:40,048 So I called Dunn's probation officer and said, 536 00:26:40,082 --> 00:26:42,559 have him come in for a meeting. 537 00:26:42,593 --> 00:26:46,271 I want him to just sit in the lobby of the probation office. 538 00:26:46,338 --> 00:26:50,509 And then I took David out of jail, wired him up, 539 00:26:50,576 --> 00:26:53,312 and sent him in to the probation office lobby, 540 00:26:53,378 --> 00:26:55,414 like he was getting on probation. 541 00:26:55,547 --> 00:26:57,783 ♪ ♪ 542 00:26:57,883 --> 00:27:00,586 - When Charles walks into the parole office, 543 00:27:00,719 --> 00:27:03,947 he's surprised to see David there. 544 00:27:04,047 --> 00:27:06,925 The two strike up a conversation 545 00:27:07,059 --> 00:27:09,261 and catch up on old times. 546 00:27:09,394 --> 00:27:12,197 - David eases into the conversation with him, 547 00:27:12,264 --> 00:27:15,767 gets him relaxed, and brings up wanting to kill somebody 548 00:27:15,901 --> 00:27:18,595 and how he remembered how guilty Dunn felt. 549 00:27:20,239 --> 00:27:24,101 - And Charles kind of shakes his head at David 550 00:27:24,134 --> 00:27:26,612 and says to think twice about it 551 00:27:26,745 --> 00:27:29,982 because he's had a hard time escaping his own past. 552 00:27:31,441 --> 00:27:32,768 - He didn't deny it. 553 00:27:32,801 --> 00:27:35,120 He didn't say, what are you talking about? 554 00:27:35,187 --> 00:27:37,556 I didn't ever tell you I did any of that. 555 00:27:37,589 --> 00:27:40,359 His response affirmed that he had indeed had 556 00:27:40,425 --> 00:27:43,153 that conversation with David in the past 557 00:27:43,253 --> 00:27:45,864 about killing Lula. 558 00:27:45,931 --> 00:27:49,334 I'm thinking that this is what we needed 559 00:27:49,468 --> 00:27:51,336 to move forward in questioning Dunn. 560 00:27:51,403 --> 00:27:53,105 [tense music] 561 00:27:53,205 --> 00:27:57,209 So I go to pick up Dunn to bring him in 562 00:27:57,276 --> 00:28:00,112 for questioning on the case. 563 00:28:00,179 --> 00:28:02,105 When he opened the door, he said, I've been waiting 564 00:28:02,172 --> 00:28:03,682 on you guys to show up. 565 00:28:03,749 --> 00:28:06,451 It was at that point, I bring in Charles Wayne Dunn 566 00:28:06,552 --> 00:28:08,854 to the District Attorney's Office for questioning. 567 00:28:10,339 --> 00:28:14,159 - When Charles is brought in, to the investigators' surprise, 568 00:28:14,192 --> 00:28:16,428 he immediately confesses 569 00:28:16,495 --> 00:28:19,698 to starting the fire that killed Lula. 570 00:28:21,016 --> 00:28:22,960 - Dunn stated that he knew Lula, 571 00:28:23,026 --> 00:28:25,320 and he was also friends with Linda Leedom 572 00:28:25,354 --> 00:28:27,472 and actually dated her daughter. 573 00:28:27,539 --> 00:28:31,643 And in 1994, a month prior to Lula Young's death, 574 00:28:31,710 --> 00:28:36,673 Linda had approached Dunn with a proposition to kill Lula. 575 00:28:36,707 --> 00:28:39,651 Linda stated she'd pay him $5,000 to kill Lula 576 00:28:39,718 --> 00:28:41,587 and to make it look like an accident 577 00:28:41,653 --> 00:28:43,922 and said that Lula was a part of the plan 578 00:28:43,989 --> 00:28:46,191 because she was dying from cancer, 579 00:28:46,325 --> 00:28:48,760 and they didn't want to take any chance of the policy 580 00:28:48,827 --> 00:28:51,630 not paying from the cancer. 581 00:28:51,697 --> 00:28:54,666 Of course, I believe Lula would never agree 582 00:28:54,766 --> 00:28:56,902 to be tortured by fire. 583 00:28:58,437 --> 00:29:01,064 - Dunn claims that Linda had told him 584 00:29:01,198 --> 00:29:03,642 that she was such good friends with Lula 585 00:29:03,709 --> 00:29:06,203 that she couldn't bring herself to kill Lula, 586 00:29:06,236 --> 00:29:08,413 but she could get someone else to. 587 00:29:09,715 --> 00:29:12,701 Linda wanted Lula dead at all costs. 588 00:29:12,734 --> 00:29:15,621 [dramatic music] 589 00:29:15,687 --> 00:29:17,656 ♪ ♪ 590 00:29:17,723 --> 00:29:20,058 - Dunn stated that him and Linda came up with a plan 591 00:29:20,092 --> 00:29:23,562 to make the fire look like an accident. 592 00:29:23,662 --> 00:29:26,898 The plan involved using a propane tank 593 00:29:26,932 --> 00:29:29,901 and a space heater. 594 00:29:30,035 --> 00:29:32,938 And we didn't share that information with the public, 595 00:29:33,038 --> 00:29:35,223 which led us to believe that Dunn was being 596 00:29:35,257 --> 00:29:37,601 truthful in the matter about what happened 597 00:29:37,701 --> 00:29:39,569 and how it was done. 598 00:29:39,603 --> 00:29:42,648 According to Dunn, Linda gave him the funds 599 00:29:42,714 --> 00:29:44,650 to make the purchase of the heater. 600 00:29:44,716 --> 00:29:48,445 And Linda dropped the propane tank off at Lula's house, 601 00:29:48,545 --> 00:29:51,423 asking her to store it there because it was 602 00:29:51,456 --> 00:29:53,458 a Christmas gift for one of her kids. 603 00:29:53,525 --> 00:29:56,086 [tense music] 604 00:29:56,119 --> 00:29:58,622 After Dunn confessed, he was arrested and charged 605 00:29:58,722 --> 00:30:00,098 with capital murder and arson. 606 00:30:00,232 --> 00:30:03,268 ♪ ♪ 607 00:30:03,368 --> 00:30:06,063 - When I found out that they had arrested Mr. Dunn 608 00:30:06,129 --> 00:30:08,573 for the murder of Lula, 609 00:30:08,640 --> 00:30:11,376 and we found out they tried to convince investigators 610 00:30:11,443 --> 00:30:15,947 that Lula committed suicide, it did surprise me 611 00:30:16,014 --> 00:30:19,151 because Lula would always believe "fight on." 612 00:30:20,852 --> 00:30:25,624 - Plus, one of my mom's biggest fears was burning. 613 00:30:25,724 --> 00:30:28,860 She would never be a part of a plan of a suicide. 614 00:30:28,927 --> 00:30:35,759 I was very angry to the fact that they would do this. 615 00:30:35,826 --> 00:30:38,837 Mom never saw this coming, not in a million years. 616 00:30:38,904 --> 00:30:42,599 [tense music] 617 00:30:42,666 --> 00:30:45,577 - Now that I have Dunn in custody, 618 00:30:45,644 --> 00:30:48,513 I devise a plan to wire him up 619 00:30:48,580 --> 00:30:51,149 and send him in to Linda's house. 620 00:30:51,283 --> 00:30:55,020 We needed her to admit her involvement in Lula's death, 621 00:30:55,153 --> 00:30:57,122 to prove this was a cold-blooded, 622 00:30:57,189 --> 00:30:59,975 premeditated murder. 623 00:31:00,008 --> 00:31:02,144 I'm thinking we finally have her. 624 00:31:02,177 --> 00:31:05,030 [dramatic music] 625 00:31:08,800 --> 00:31:11,570 [tense music] 626 00:31:11,636 --> 00:31:14,272 ♪ ♪ 627 00:31:14,339 --> 00:31:15,941 - In order to try to corroborate 628 00:31:16,007 --> 00:31:18,410 Charles Dunn's statement Linda Leedom had paid him 629 00:31:18,477 --> 00:31:20,670 to set Lula's house on fire, 630 00:31:20,704 --> 00:31:23,315 so I devised a plan to send Dunn to Linda's house 631 00:31:23,382 --> 00:31:27,419 with the wire, and he talked to Linda. 632 00:31:27,486 --> 00:31:29,421 ♪ ♪ 633 00:31:29,488 --> 00:31:32,549 - Charles mentions the police has been sniffing around, 634 00:31:32,682 --> 00:31:36,094 and they've been asking him questions about Lula. 635 00:31:36,161 --> 00:31:38,722 And he wanted to know what to do. 636 00:31:38,822 --> 00:31:40,832 Linda's a pretty savvy lady. 637 00:31:40,866 --> 00:31:43,168 Linda doesn't take the bait. 638 00:31:43,235 --> 00:31:49,374 She just says, hey, I'll give you $500 to get out of town. 639 00:31:49,408 --> 00:31:53,211 This is not the behavior of an innocent woman. 640 00:31:53,245 --> 00:31:56,415 - But Linda did not say anything incriminating 641 00:31:56,515 --> 00:32:01,686 that would give us the evidence necessary to charge her. 642 00:32:01,753 --> 00:32:04,790 - So investigators need to get more information 643 00:32:04,856 --> 00:32:09,219 from Dunn about what happened on the night of the fire. 644 00:32:11,930 --> 00:32:14,891 - Dunn reveals to me that he went over on the night 645 00:32:14,925 --> 00:32:18,228 of December the 18th and parked his car in Lula's driveway-- 646 00:32:18,261 --> 00:32:20,705 [doorbell rings] And goes in the house. 647 00:32:20,772 --> 00:32:23,175 Him and Lula were friends, and it wasn't uncommon 648 00:32:23,241 --> 00:32:24,768 for him to go visit with her. 649 00:32:24,901 --> 00:32:26,912 Dunn and Lula were socializing, 650 00:32:27,012 --> 00:32:30,515 and Lula asked him to fix her some tea, 651 00:32:30,582 --> 00:32:32,375 and he slipped the sleeping pills 652 00:32:32,442 --> 00:32:35,921 in her drink while he was fixing the tea. 653 00:32:36,021 --> 00:32:39,291 - Charles tells them, after Lula went to sleep, 654 00:32:39,357 --> 00:32:42,594 he was able to go to his truck and retrieve the heater. 655 00:32:42,661 --> 00:32:44,596 He brought the heater into the house, 656 00:32:44,663 --> 00:32:47,666 plugged it in, crumpled up newspapers, 657 00:32:47,732 --> 00:32:50,669 and opened the valve to the propane tank 658 00:32:50,735 --> 00:32:53,071 that Linda had dropped off earlier. 659 00:32:53,171 --> 00:32:57,409 And then he left the house and drove off into the night. 660 00:32:57,476 --> 00:33:00,111 - A few hours later, the heater ignited the paper 661 00:33:00,178 --> 00:33:01,638 and caused the explosion. 662 00:33:01,738 --> 00:33:05,217 [explosion booms] 663 00:33:05,283 --> 00:33:09,087 Dunn told us, the next day he went to Leedom's house, 664 00:33:09,187 --> 00:33:11,223 and she paid him $1,000, with the remainder 665 00:33:11,289 --> 00:33:13,258 of the balance to be paid in smaller increments 666 00:33:13,325 --> 00:33:15,627 over a period of time. 667 00:33:15,660 --> 00:33:18,730 The things he told us lined up 668 00:33:18,797 --> 00:33:22,450 with the arson investigator's findings on the case, 669 00:33:22,484 --> 00:33:25,262 which led us to believe that Dunn was being truthful 670 00:33:25,328 --> 00:33:29,040 about what happened and how it was done. 671 00:33:29,107 --> 00:33:32,769 - At this point, investigators got a judge to issue 672 00:33:32,836 --> 00:33:36,648 a search warrant for Linda's home. 673 00:33:36,781 --> 00:33:39,317 When investigators went to Linda's house, 674 00:33:39,417 --> 00:33:40,844 she was in shock. 675 00:33:40,977 --> 00:33:43,855 She acted as if she didn't know why they was there. 676 00:33:43,922 --> 00:33:46,641 - While I was doing the search at Linda's house, 677 00:33:46,675 --> 00:33:52,097 I located the four separate policies on Lula Young. 678 00:33:52,130 --> 00:33:55,767 - They also discovered another insurance policy 679 00:33:55,834 --> 00:33:59,471 that listed Linda as a beneficiary, 680 00:33:59,538 --> 00:34:02,999 set up for a man named Robert Stovall. 681 00:34:05,010 --> 00:34:07,979 At this point, investigators are concerned. 682 00:34:08,079 --> 00:34:10,882 Was Linda plotting more than one murder? 683 00:34:10,949 --> 00:34:13,385 [dramatic music] 684 00:34:13,518 --> 00:34:15,020 Investigators need to speak 685 00:34:15,153 --> 00:34:17,589 with Robert Stovall as soon as possible 686 00:34:17,656 --> 00:34:21,159 to find out if he knew Linda 687 00:34:21,226 --> 00:34:23,853 and if he agreed to make her a beneficiary 688 00:34:23,887 --> 00:34:25,363 of an insurance policy. 689 00:34:25,497 --> 00:34:27,799 ♪ ♪ 690 00:34:27,866 --> 00:34:30,518 - In checking up on his background, 691 00:34:30,552 --> 00:34:33,905 we learned Robert lived in Somerville, Tennessee, 692 00:34:34,039 --> 00:34:37,475 in a home designed for a special needs person. 693 00:34:37,509 --> 00:34:40,478 So we went to talk to him. 694 00:34:40,545 --> 00:34:44,950 - Investigators quickly realized that Robert Stovall is 695 00:34:45,016 --> 00:34:47,752 a 44-year-old disabled man, 696 00:34:47,886 --> 00:34:51,056 who was incapable of agreeing 697 00:34:51,189 --> 00:34:54,384 to having insurance policies taken out on him. 698 00:34:54,417 --> 00:34:57,545 Not only did Robert Stovall not consent, 699 00:34:57,579 --> 00:34:59,255 he didn't even know Linda. 700 00:34:59,389 --> 00:35:04,569 That within itself is a crime because in order to take out 701 00:35:04,669 --> 00:35:08,898 an insurance policy, there must be consent 702 00:35:08,932 --> 00:35:10,976 from the insured party. 703 00:35:11,042 --> 00:35:13,478 - I'm thinking maybe Linda had also asked 704 00:35:13,545 --> 00:35:16,564 Dunn to kill Robert Stovall. 705 00:35:16,598 --> 00:35:18,650 - Investigators head to the jail 706 00:35:18,717 --> 00:35:21,920 to re-question Charles Dunn. 707 00:35:22,053 --> 00:35:25,590 Dunn admits that after Lula's murder, 708 00:35:25,724 --> 00:35:28,059 Linda then approached him with a request 709 00:35:28,159 --> 00:35:30,562 to kill Robert Stovall. 710 00:35:30,595 --> 00:35:34,165 Linda offered him $10,000 to commit the murder, 711 00:35:34,232 --> 00:35:37,435 and he said that he'd do it. 712 00:35:37,535 --> 00:35:40,905 - Dunn told me Linda's mother was 713 00:35:41,006 --> 00:35:43,208 Robert Stovall's home caregiver. 714 00:35:43,274 --> 00:35:46,569 And this is how Linda learned about his disabilities 715 00:35:46,636 --> 00:35:49,597 and decided to target him in another insurance scam. 716 00:35:49,631 --> 00:35:52,517 - Fortunately, the scheme was never carried out 717 00:35:52,584 --> 00:35:56,521 because Charles was arrested on unrelated charges. 718 00:35:56,588 --> 00:35:58,656 Detectives had long believed 719 00:35:58,757 --> 00:36:02,761 that Linda was responsible for Lula's murder, 720 00:36:02,827 --> 00:36:04,829 but they could not prove it until now. 721 00:36:04,896 --> 00:36:07,866 [dramatic music] 722 00:36:07,932 --> 00:36:13,972 ♪ ♪ 723 00:36:14,072 --> 00:36:17,142 - Finally, more than two years after Lula's death, 724 00:36:17,175 --> 00:36:19,169 we presented the facts of the case 725 00:36:19,269 --> 00:36:21,413 to a DeSoto County grand jury, 726 00:36:21,479 --> 00:36:24,015 and a warrant was issued for Linda's arrest. 727 00:36:24,082 --> 00:36:25,483 [radio chatter] 728 00:36:25,517 --> 00:36:27,352 - To look at Linda, you wouldn't think 729 00:36:27,419 --> 00:36:28,970 that we had a killer here. 730 00:36:29,003 --> 00:36:32,157 But she was arrested for capital murder 731 00:36:32,190 --> 00:36:34,809 and conspiracy to commit capital murder, 732 00:36:34,843 --> 00:36:37,062 arson, and three counts of fraud. 733 00:36:37,128 --> 00:36:41,658 ♪ ♪ 734 00:36:41,691 --> 00:36:43,601 - Well, I was pissed. 735 00:36:43,668 --> 00:36:46,237 You were supposed to be my mom's best friend. 736 00:36:46,304 --> 00:36:48,206 We treated you like family. 737 00:36:48,273 --> 00:36:52,210 And now, you know, you're going to do my mom in? 738 00:36:52,343 --> 00:36:54,612 I found it very disturbing. 739 00:36:54,679 --> 00:36:58,875 I have never wanted to inflict harm on someone 740 00:36:59,008 --> 00:37:02,087 so bad until that day. 741 00:37:02,153 --> 00:37:05,023 ♪ ♪ 742 00:37:05,123 --> 00:37:08,793 - Linda Leedom has gone from the nice lady next door 743 00:37:08,827 --> 00:37:11,396 that everybody knows to a criminal mastermind. 744 00:37:13,131 --> 00:37:15,166 Just about everyone had concerns that 745 00:37:15,266 --> 00:37:19,070 if for some reason she got found not guilty on the murder 746 00:37:19,204 --> 00:37:21,139 and only got convicted on the insurance fraud, 747 00:37:21,172 --> 00:37:23,399 the time would have been minimal. 748 00:37:23,500 --> 00:37:26,035 - At this point, we still need to prove 749 00:37:26,069 --> 00:37:28,746 Linda plotted for months 750 00:37:28,847 --> 00:37:30,882 and then carried out a brutal murder. 751 00:37:31,015 --> 00:37:34,419 ♪ ♪ 752 00:37:37,856 --> 00:37:40,592 [tense music] 753 00:37:40,692 --> 00:37:45,655 ♪ ♪ 754 00:37:45,755 --> 00:37:47,924 - This case had finally come to fruition. 755 00:37:47,991 --> 00:37:50,493 The courtroom was packed. 756 00:37:50,593 --> 00:37:52,270 Linda Leedom was stoic. 757 00:37:52,337 --> 00:37:55,240 She didn't show a lot of emotion. 758 00:37:55,306 --> 00:37:57,208 And Linda's defense was 759 00:37:57,275 --> 00:38:00,612 that Lula was a part of this plan 760 00:38:00,712 --> 00:38:05,275 to get the insurance policy's benefits to her children. 761 00:38:05,341 --> 00:38:07,285 ♪ ♪ 762 00:38:07,352 --> 00:38:10,822 - But there was no way that Lula would have 763 00:38:10,889 --> 00:38:13,758 chosen that manner of death. 764 00:38:13,825 --> 00:38:16,286 - And the children didn't receive a dime 765 00:38:16,352 --> 00:38:18,897 from the policies. 766 00:38:18,930 --> 00:38:22,734 - And then prosecutors laid out all the evidence 767 00:38:22,767 --> 00:38:25,094 and pieced together the steps 768 00:38:25,128 --> 00:38:29,474 of Linda Leedom's diabolical plan to kill 769 00:38:29,541 --> 00:38:32,302 that was two years in the making. 770 00:38:32,368 --> 00:38:35,480 ♪ ♪ 771 00:38:35,547 --> 00:38:39,484 - First, in 1992, Linda Leedom begins purchasing 772 00:38:39,551 --> 00:38:42,053 life insurance policies under Lula's name. 773 00:38:42,120 --> 00:38:45,857 - Those policies added up to nearly $1 million. 774 00:38:45,924 --> 00:38:49,928 - Then two years later, in November 1994, 775 00:38:49,961 --> 00:38:52,363 she approaches Charles Wayne Dunn 776 00:38:52,463 --> 00:38:55,767 with a proposition and a complex plan 777 00:38:55,867 --> 00:38:58,628 to kill Lula in the fire. 778 00:38:58,661 --> 00:39:00,805 - Linda purchases a propane gas tank 779 00:39:00,872 --> 00:39:03,833 and asks Lula to keep it in her home. 780 00:39:03,900 --> 00:39:08,238 Lula agrees, never questioning the motive of her friend. 781 00:39:08,338 --> 00:39:11,716 - The next day, Linda gives Dunn money 782 00:39:11,783 --> 00:39:14,310 to purchase a small space heater. 783 00:39:14,344 --> 00:39:17,555 - On the night before the fire, Charles Dunn goes 784 00:39:17,622 --> 00:39:21,292 over to Lula's house and spends time with her. 785 00:39:21,392 --> 00:39:24,262 - During the visit, he slipped sleeping pills 786 00:39:24,329 --> 00:39:26,798 into her drink to sedate her. 787 00:39:26,931 --> 00:39:29,934 - Once Lula is asleep, Dunn retrieves the heater 788 00:39:30,034 --> 00:39:35,173 from his vehicle and sets it up inside the house. 789 00:39:35,206 --> 00:39:39,510 - He then crumples up paper, scatters it around the heater, 790 00:39:39,577 --> 00:39:43,014 and then opens up the propane tank. 791 00:39:43,081 --> 00:39:44,749 - After several hours, the combination 792 00:39:44,816 --> 00:39:49,254 of gas buildup and heat results in a deadly explosion. 793 00:39:49,320 --> 00:39:51,489 And Lula dies in the fire. 794 00:39:51,556 --> 00:39:53,391 - The next morning, Linda pretends 795 00:39:53,458 --> 00:39:56,995 to be distraught over the death of her best friend. 796 00:39:57,028 --> 00:39:59,289 - Then, over the next few months, 797 00:39:59,389 --> 00:40:03,526 Linda cashes in on the four life insurance policies. 798 00:40:03,559 --> 00:40:07,005 [soft dramatic music] 799 00:40:07,038 --> 00:40:10,024 - Linda Leedom had been planning 800 00:40:10,058 --> 00:40:13,811 my mother's demise for some time. 801 00:40:13,912 --> 00:40:17,081 This was the most premeditated, coldest, 802 00:40:17,148 --> 00:40:22,378 callous murder that I've ever seen from an individual. 803 00:40:23,721 --> 00:40:26,257 - This wasn't just a murder. 804 00:40:26,324 --> 00:40:30,628 It was a blueprint for the ultimate act of betrayal. 805 00:40:30,695 --> 00:40:33,998 ♪ ♪ 806 00:40:34,098 --> 00:40:36,934 [suspenseful music] 807 00:40:37,035 --> 00:40:40,730 ♪ ♪ 808 00:40:40,763 --> 00:40:44,175 The court does not side in Linda's favor. 809 00:40:44,242 --> 00:40:48,379 They find her guilty of capital murder 810 00:40:48,413 --> 00:40:52,884 and guilty of conspiracy to commit capital murder. 811 00:40:52,950 --> 00:40:54,752 - The judge told her, and I quote, 812 00:40:54,819 --> 00:40:59,090 "You do not deserve to stand in the light of freedom. 813 00:40:59,157 --> 00:41:01,726 "And I'm going to make sure that you never see 814 00:41:01,759 --> 00:41:06,197 "the sunshine without a prison wall in front of it. 815 00:41:06,264 --> 00:41:08,032 "I hereby sentence you to life 816 00:41:08,132 --> 00:41:12,136 without the possibility of parole plus 20 years." 817 00:41:12,236 --> 00:41:16,407 ♪ ♪ 818 00:41:16,474 --> 00:41:19,610 - I feel like it was a just sentence. 819 00:41:19,677 --> 00:41:22,647 Linda's got to wake up every day locked behind bars 820 00:41:22,714 --> 00:41:25,283 and think about why she's there and what she's done 821 00:41:25,350 --> 00:41:27,318 with the person that she called a friend. 822 00:41:27,385 --> 00:41:30,313 [somber music] 823 00:41:30,380 --> 00:41:37,412 ♪ ♪ 824 00:41:41,824 --> 00:41:45,002 - My mother never got to see my son. 825 00:41:47,497 --> 00:41:49,974 I would like to think 826 00:41:50,041 --> 00:41:53,144 that she would be proud of who he is, 827 00:41:53,211 --> 00:41:56,964 a kid that is more willing to help somebody 828 00:41:56,998 --> 00:41:58,766 than to hurt him. 829 00:42:00,051 --> 00:42:02,186 My mom never hurt nobody. 830 00:42:04,455 --> 00:42:06,357 She tried to help everybody. 831 00:42:08,860 --> 00:42:15,600 And for a young man that never got to see his grandmother, 832 00:42:15,666 --> 00:42:20,038 I see so much in him from her. 833 00:42:22,507 --> 00:42:24,375 That makes my heart feel good. 834 00:42:26,911 --> 00:42:29,205 And that's what I want the world to know. 835 00:42:29,272 --> 00:42:36,304 ♪ ♪