1 00:00:00,640 --> 00:00:04,680 Speaker 1: A warning about this episode. It contains descriptions of suicide 2 00:00:04,800 --> 00:00:13,880 Speaker 1: and suicidal thoughts. Please take care when listening. It was 3 00:00:14,040 --> 00:00:16,599 Speaker 1: ten years since the Benders moved to the middle of 4 00:00:16,640 --> 00:00:20,239 Speaker 1: the jungle in Costa Rica with a big dream and 5 00:00:20,320 --> 00:00:25,200 Speaker 1: a reported six hundred million dollars author Carol Vaughan. 6 00:00:25,600 --> 00:00:27,760 Speaker 2: They wanted to live in the clouds and not have 7 00:00:27,840 --> 00:00:29,240 Speaker 2: to deal with anything. 8 00:00:30,160 --> 00:00:34,280 Speaker 1: They built their extravagant four story mansion and created a 9 00:00:34,400 --> 00:00:38,280 Speaker 1: nature reserve full of animals and birds. But their dream 10 00:00:38,600 --> 00:00:43,000 Speaker 1: slowly and relentlessly crumbled around them, and it was. 11 00:00:42,920 --> 00:00:47,159 Speaker 2: Just doomed, just doomed. All that money and it was doomed. 12 00:00:47,479 --> 00:00:48,560 Speaker 2: They couldn't make it happen. 13 00:00:50,080 --> 00:00:53,160 Speaker 1: After the police arrested John and Anne on the roadside 14 00:00:53,159 --> 00:00:58,080 Speaker 1: in two thousand and one, they felt targeted. Then armed 15 00:00:58,120 --> 00:01:01,720 Speaker 1: invaders came within two hundred feet at the house. 16 00:01:01,720 --> 00:01:05,520 Speaker 2: And they were confronted with violence. People trying to kill them, 17 00:01:05,800 --> 00:01:08,160 Speaker 2: people trying to kidnap them, people trying to get their 18 00:01:08,200 --> 00:01:14,000 Speaker 2: money out of them. So that made their neuroses and 19 00:01:14,040 --> 00:01:15,759 Speaker 2: their paranoia even worse. 20 00:01:16,800 --> 00:01:20,000 Speaker 1: The couple bought guns and learned how to shoot. They 21 00:01:20,040 --> 00:01:24,959 Speaker 1: both felt compelled to defend themselves from outside forces, despite 22 00:01:24,959 --> 00:01:29,920 Speaker 1: previously being anti gun ownership. Locals were suspicious of them. 23 00:01:30,200 --> 00:01:34,600 Speaker 1: Their staff were afraid. Armed guards patrolled twenty four to seven. 24 00:01:35,440 --> 00:01:38,520 Speaker 1: But their lives were falling apart on the inside too. 25 00:01:40,600 --> 00:01:43,080 Speaker 1: By the time we get to two thy and ten, 26 00:01:43,760 --> 00:01:47,920 Speaker 1: they're living in extreme isolation. They have virtually cut off 27 00:01:47,960 --> 00:01:51,800 Speaker 1: all contact with the outside world. Ann and John have 28 00:01:51,920 --> 00:01:56,560 Speaker 1: disconnected from reality. On top of this, Anne can now 29 00:01:56,680 --> 00:02:00,520 Speaker 1: barely walk. John had failed to find a natural cure. 30 00:02:01,120 --> 00:02:05,840 Speaker 1: They remained together high on the hill inside their Wallace mansion, 31 00:02:06,560 --> 00:02:10,919 Speaker 1: losing their minds. Carol Vaughan wrote the book on these events, 32 00:02:11,200 --> 00:02:14,880 Speaker 1: and her eyes intensify as she leans in and tells me. 33 00:02:15,240 --> 00:02:18,600 Speaker 2: The two of them suffered from mental illness, and in 34 00:02:18,680 --> 00:02:22,520 Speaker 2: the isolation and loneliness of Costa Rica, their condition got 35 00:02:22,560 --> 00:02:25,040 Speaker 2: worse and they sort of white. 36 00:02:24,919 --> 00:02:29,840 Speaker 1: Nuts until in the early hours of January the eighth, 37 00:02:29,919 --> 00:02:44,320 Speaker 1: twenty ten, events reached breaking point. From Exactly Right Media 38 00:02:44,480 --> 00:02:49,840 Speaker 1: and iHeart Podcasts produced by Blanchard House, This is Helen Heaven. 39 00:02:50,280 --> 00:03:21,720 Speaker 1: I'm Becky Milligan. Chapter five. The night of Thursday, January 40 00:03:21,760 --> 00:03:26,080 Speaker 1: the seventh, twenty ten. It's been a warm, humid day. 41 00:03:27,360 --> 00:03:32,320 Speaker 1: John has been creating a stone mineral garden, his latest project. 42 00:03:32,440 --> 00:03:35,560 Speaker 1: Near the entrance of the house, rocks as large as 43 00:03:35,720 --> 00:03:39,720 Speaker 1: cars had been forklifted into place. He was planning to 44 00:03:39,800 --> 00:03:43,720 Speaker 1: arrange them in a particular way. As Valdo Rojas, head 45 00:03:43,720 --> 00:03:47,360 Speaker 1: of maintenance, has seen box after box of stones arrive, 46 00:03:47,840 --> 00:03:49,160 Speaker 1: many remain unopened. 47 00:03:49,720 --> 00:03:53,040 Speaker 3: John said that the stones were beautiful and conveyed a 48 00:03:53,040 --> 00:03:53,840 Speaker 3: certain piece. 49 00:03:54,800 --> 00:03:59,360 Speaker 1: Anne is now desperately thin. Walking as difficult. She has 50 00:03:59,400 --> 00:04:02,400 Speaker 1: a cane to help her or is carried by John 51 00:04:02,760 --> 00:04:09,000 Speaker 1: like a small child. As the day comes to a close, 52 00:04:09,320 --> 00:04:13,680 Speaker 1: John and Anne complete their usual evening rituals. They watch 53 00:04:13,720 --> 00:04:15,840 Speaker 1: the sunset from the balcony. 54 00:04:16,040 --> 00:04:20,159 Speaker 2: And just stand there, hugging each other and wait for 55 00:04:20,200 --> 00:04:20,719 Speaker 2: the sun to go. 56 00:04:20,839 --> 00:04:25,880 Speaker 1: Down, listening to the Twilight Jungle chorus our sunset thing 57 00:04:26,160 --> 00:04:26,960 Speaker 1: and calls it. 58 00:04:32,160 --> 00:04:34,479 Speaker 2: I think they were totally in love with each other. 59 00:04:36,240 --> 00:04:40,039 Speaker 1: They played John's favorite video game, Fallout three for a 60 00:04:40,080 --> 00:04:43,320 Speaker 1: couple of hours, an action series which is set in 61 00:04:43,400 --> 00:04:48,320 Speaker 1: a post apocalyptic world. The main character, alone Wanderer, searches 62 00:04:48,360 --> 00:04:52,559 Speaker 1: for his lost father. After dinner, John then carries Anne 63 00:04:52,640 --> 00:04:56,480 Speaker 1: up to the fourth floor master bedroom. The elevator system 64 00:04:56,520 --> 00:05:00,719 Speaker 1: is locked. Anne is in bed. John is arranging his pillows. 65 00:05:01,120 --> 00:05:04,040 Speaker 1: He has a particular way he likes them to be placed. 66 00:05:05,320 --> 00:05:09,240 Speaker 2: He slept on a stack of three pillows. He slept nude. 67 00:05:09,960 --> 00:05:13,919 Speaker 2: He slept with ear buds in because he couldn't stand noise. 68 00:05:14,600 --> 00:05:18,279 Speaker 2: And the jungle at night is hugely noisy. 69 00:05:18,880 --> 00:05:21,679 Speaker 1: Remember those earplugs. They'll be important later. 70 00:05:22,800 --> 00:05:24,880 Speaker 2: It was just the two of them in the bedroom 71 00:05:25,080 --> 00:05:27,840 Speaker 2: that highly secured. Only way to get there was through 72 00:05:27,839 --> 00:05:28,839 Speaker 2: a locked elevator. 73 00:05:31,200 --> 00:05:37,719 Speaker 1: It's nearing midnight. The Bender's bedroom is far from ordinary. 74 00:05:38,080 --> 00:05:41,600 Speaker 1: It's huge, of course. And then there are the lamps, 75 00:05:41,920 --> 00:05:45,479 Speaker 1: hundreds of lamps, stained glass tiffany lamps, all of them 76 00:05:45,640 --> 00:05:51,000 Speaker 1: around five hundred and fifty blazing. They're switched off, leaving 77 00:05:51,080 --> 00:05:56,279 Speaker 1: only the darkness. The jungle vibrates with an incessant hum 78 00:05:56,360 --> 00:06:01,280 Speaker 1: of insects, frogs, geckos, and the rustles of nocturnal animals. 79 00:06:02,120 --> 00:06:10,359 Speaker 1: Eerie sounds echo through the darkness. Inside the house, it 80 00:06:10,480 --> 00:06:14,080 Speaker 1: is still. One of the guards settles in for what 81 00:06:14,200 --> 00:06:20,120 Speaker 1: he expects to be just another uneventful night, But at 82 00:06:20,120 --> 00:06:25,960 Speaker 1: a quarter past midnight, he leaps up. That sounded like 83 00:06:26,000 --> 00:06:30,880 Speaker 1: a gunshot. He frowns, but before he can call his supervisor, 84 00:06:31,360 --> 00:06:36,880 Speaker 1: the walkie talkie crackles into life. It's Anne. She's frantic, 85 00:06:37,240 --> 00:06:42,640 Speaker 1: crying and yelling for help. The guard alerts his supervisor, Aguila, 86 00:06:45,120 --> 00:06:50,680 Speaker 1: it's the start of the nightmare. Aguila immediately calls his boss. 87 00:06:53,040 --> 00:06:56,640 Speaker 1: Jose Pizarro, the Bender's head of security, is relaxing at 88 00:06:56,640 --> 00:06:59,920 Speaker 1: home in San Jose. He's left a guiler in charge 89 00:07:00,000 --> 00:07:03,279 Speaker 1: at the Bender's house that evening. When his phone rings 90 00:07:03,320 --> 00:07:08,320 Speaker 1: after midnight, he's surprised who calls this late. He hears 91 00:07:08,360 --> 00:07:09,480 Speaker 1: a guiler on the end of. 92 00:07:09,440 --> 00:07:16,000 Speaker 4: The line, Meievil. He says, Colonel, we heard a shot 93 00:07:16,040 --> 00:07:18,160 Speaker 4: inside the boss's house in gather. 94 00:07:18,880 --> 00:07:23,040 Speaker 1: The urgency in a giler's voice makes Jose instantly sit up. 95 00:07:23,520 --> 00:07:25,520 Speaker 1: He is now fully awake and alert. 96 00:07:27,520 --> 00:07:30,040 Speaker 4: It sounds very weird to me. Nothing like this has 97 00:07:30,080 --> 00:07:31,000 Speaker 4: ever happened before. 98 00:07:31,720 --> 00:07:35,080 Speaker 1: Then he hears Anne's distraught voice coming across on the 99 00:07:35,120 --> 00:07:39,880 Speaker 1: walkie talkie, crying and pleading for someone to help. He 100 00:07:39,960 --> 00:07:42,280 Speaker 1: tells a guiler to try and find out what is 101 00:07:42,320 --> 00:07:48,760 Speaker 1: going on. Remember, the Benders locked the elevator before they 102 00:07:48,800 --> 00:07:51,840 Speaker 1: went to bed. A guiler has never had to unlock 103 00:07:51,920 --> 00:07:54,760 Speaker 1: it before, so he doesn't know how. It takes five 104 00:07:54,840 --> 00:07:58,160 Speaker 1: minutes to work it out. He then rises up to 105 00:07:58,200 --> 00:08:04,120 Speaker 1: the master bedroom where the sound of the gunshot came from. 106 00:08:04,280 --> 00:08:07,520 Speaker 1: It's the first time he's ever been on the fourth floor. 107 00:08:07,960 --> 00:08:12,000 Speaker 1: It's dark, but he can see Anne kneeling by the 108 00:08:12,080 --> 00:08:17,119 Speaker 1: side of the bed. She's crying and shaking, stroking John's hand. 109 00:08:18,520 --> 00:08:23,080 Speaker 1: Something horrific has happened. He looks at Anne more closely, 110 00:08:23,880 --> 00:08:24,200 Speaker 1: and she. 111 00:08:24,360 --> 00:08:27,880 Speaker 2: Is just completely falling apart. It's covered in blood. She's 112 00:08:28,480 --> 00:08:33,319 Speaker 2: beside herself. The guard immediately started trying to help an saying, 113 00:08:33,440 --> 00:08:35,320 Speaker 2: how can I help you? What do we need to do? 114 00:08:35,320 --> 00:08:36,480 Speaker 2: Do you need to take something? 115 00:08:37,480 --> 00:08:42,480 Speaker 1: Nearby the guard Aguila sees a gun, John's gun, a 116 00:08:42,520 --> 00:08:48,040 Speaker 1: semi automatic nine milimeter Ruga P forty five. Then he 117 00:08:48,200 --> 00:08:55,000 Speaker 1: realizes John is motionless and there's a pool of blood 118 00:08:55,280 --> 00:09:16,040 Speaker 1: around his head. John is dead. Having taken in the scene, 119 00:09:16,600 --> 00:09:21,480 Speaker 1: Aguila continues speaking to Jose on the phone. Jose remembers 120 00:09:21,520 --> 00:09:22,439 Speaker 1: the call clearly. 121 00:09:23,480 --> 00:09:23,720 Speaker 5: Yeah. 122 00:09:24,920 --> 00:09:28,679 Speaker 4: He told me Anna's crying. She's in total shock. I said, 123 00:09:28,760 --> 00:09:31,440 Speaker 4: what's going on? And he told me that Anne is 124 00:09:31,440 --> 00:09:33,439 Speaker 4: saying that John shot himself. 125 00:09:33,720 --> 00:09:38,360 Speaker 1: Jose is shocked. He's trying to take it in his employer. 126 00:09:38,559 --> 00:09:42,960 Speaker 1: His friend John has killed himself shot himself with his gun. 127 00:09:43,480 --> 00:09:49,080 Speaker 1: It doesn't make sense why. He orders a guala to 128 00:09:49,120 --> 00:09:52,000 Speaker 1: take Anne to the second floor as quickly as possible. 129 00:09:54,360 --> 00:09:57,800 Speaker 1: Jose immediately calls the police and the Red Cross Ambulance Service. 130 00:09:58,559 --> 00:10:02,280 Speaker 1: He will coordinate everything from now on. He rings John 131 00:10:02,280 --> 00:10:04,920 Speaker 1: and Ann's lawyers as he prepares to drive to the 132 00:10:04,960 --> 00:10:09,320 Speaker 1: Bender's house. It's three to four hours away. Over and 133 00:10:09,360 --> 00:10:13,600 Speaker 1: over in his head he asks the same question, how 134 00:10:13,679 --> 00:10:18,520 Speaker 1: could this have happened? It will be an hour before 135 00:10:18,559 --> 00:10:21,760 Speaker 1: the ambulance gets to the house, a little more before 136 00:10:21,760 --> 00:10:33,640 Speaker 1: the police arrive. Ambulance driver Carlos Mores is woken by 137 00:10:33,679 --> 00:10:36,960 Speaker 1: the phone ringing. It's about twelve thirty in the morning. 138 00:10:37,720 --> 00:10:41,600 Speaker 1: It's from the Red Cross HQ. There's an emergency in 139 00:10:41,679 --> 00:10:45,160 Speaker 1: a remote area of the jungle Susilia. 140 00:10:45,240 --> 00:10:49,080 Speaker 6: There was talk of a suicide, but a security guard 141 00:10:49,240 --> 00:10:50,760 Speaker 6: that committed suicide. 142 00:10:51,320 --> 00:10:54,640 Speaker 1: Carlos and a colleague pick up their medical equipment and 143 00:10:54,800 --> 00:10:57,960 Speaker 1: set off into the darkness of the Costa Rican jungle. 144 00:11:00,080 --> 00:11:02,880 Speaker 1: Half an hour later, at one in the morning, another 145 00:11:03,040 --> 00:11:06,599 Speaker 1: phone is ringing, this time in the house of Aswoldo 146 00:11:06,760 --> 00:11:11,679 Speaker 1: Rojas in Perizelodon, the nearest town to Borachayanne. He's been 147 00:11:11,720 --> 00:11:15,680 Speaker 1: the Bender's head of maintenance for ten years. Up till now, 148 00:11:15,800 --> 00:11:19,000 Speaker 1: he's had a regular day. He left Borachayanne at three 149 00:11:19,080 --> 00:11:22,000 Speaker 1: in the afternoon as usual and spent the rest of 150 00:11:22,040 --> 00:11:25,400 Speaker 1: the afternoon and evening at home with his wife. They 151 00:11:25,440 --> 00:11:28,679 Speaker 1: went to bed and were fast asleep when the phone. 152 00:11:28,480 --> 00:11:32,959 Speaker 3: Rang hello when am Adia madon about one am. They 153 00:11:33,000 --> 00:11:35,640 Speaker 3: called me to say that John had apparently killed himself 154 00:11:36,160 --> 00:11:38,920 Speaker 3: and that I should go there because Anna was desperate. 155 00:11:40,640 --> 00:11:45,360 Speaker 1: Oswaldo, like everyone else, is shocked. So much is going 156 00:11:45,400 --> 00:11:52,480 Speaker 1: through his mind as he rushes to Bori Cheyenne. Ambulance 157 00:11:52,559 --> 00:11:56,760 Speaker 1: driver Carlos, the Bender's head of security Jose, and maintenance 158 00:11:56,800 --> 00:11:59,800 Speaker 1: man as Voldo are all now on the road heading 159 00:11:59,800 --> 00:12:05,360 Speaker 1: to or A, Cheyenne. The police are also on their way. 160 00:12:06,240 --> 00:12:09,200 Speaker 1: At the house, Anne is now on the second floor 161 00:12:09,600 --> 00:12:11,400 Speaker 1: in a severe state of shock. 162 00:12:12,080 --> 00:12:16,319 Speaker 2: She took something to ease the drama and stress. 163 00:12:16,960 --> 00:12:20,200 Speaker 1: She emails her parents, then calls her brother Ken Patton 164 00:12:20,280 --> 00:12:23,160 Speaker 1: in Michigan, waking him up in the middle of the night. 165 00:12:24,000 --> 00:12:27,080 Speaker 1: Her first words to him will be significant in all 166 00:12:27,120 --> 00:12:32,079 Speaker 1: that follows. He finally did it, she says. There are 167 00:12:32,120 --> 00:12:35,760 Speaker 1: more calls to make, but first Aguila, at the request 168 00:12:35,760 --> 00:12:40,200 Speaker 1: of Jose Pizzaro, make sure Anne has all her medications. 169 00:12:42,720 --> 00:12:46,400 Speaker 1: The ambulance driver, Carlos and his partner are en route. 170 00:12:46,559 --> 00:12:49,480 Speaker 1: It's around one in the morning. They take a rough 171 00:12:49,559 --> 00:12:52,000 Speaker 1: road on the left, deeper into the jungle. 172 00:12:56,800 --> 00:12:59,200 Speaker 6: It was actually a very nice night, a bit dark 173 00:12:59,200 --> 00:13:01,240 Speaker 6: because there was no life thing. We lot at the 174 00:13:01,280 --> 00:13:03,880 Speaker 6: windows and heard the sound of the jungle, and we 175 00:13:03,880 --> 00:13:07,040 Speaker 6: were the only ones on the road. 176 00:13:07,960 --> 00:13:10,840 Speaker 1: He knows the area a bit, but has never heard 177 00:13:10,880 --> 00:13:15,199 Speaker 1: of Bora Chayanne. Jose, head of security, is also on 178 00:13:15,240 --> 00:13:19,120 Speaker 1: his way. He's going as fast as he can, pressing 179 00:13:19,160 --> 00:13:23,319 Speaker 1: his foot down on the accelerator. He rings a Geala 180 00:13:23,360 --> 00:13:27,360 Speaker 1: again to check up on the situation. His main concern 181 00:13:27,480 --> 00:13:30,560 Speaker 1: now is Anne Momento. 182 00:13:30,720 --> 00:13:35,640 Speaker 4: Yeah Yo, ask her if she feels okay. If she does, 183 00:13:35,840 --> 00:13:38,520 Speaker 4: she needs to stay in the house, but keep an 184 00:13:38,559 --> 00:13:41,240 Speaker 4: eye on her. If she gets worse, take her to 185 00:13:41,320 --> 00:13:45,080 Speaker 4: the hospital. 186 00:13:46,720 --> 00:13:49,760 Speaker 1: At around one fifteen in the morning, Carlos pulls up 187 00:13:49,800 --> 00:13:53,480 Speaker 1: at the gates of Bora Kayanne. He can't believe what 188 00:13:53,559 --> 00:13:54,080 Speaker 1: he sees. 189 00:13:55,040 --> 00:13:57,080 Speaker 6: The first thing we saw the big gates. 190 00:13:57,600 --> 00:13:59,960 Speaker 4: I was impressed because there was a lot of secure 191 00:14:00,880 --> 00:14:02,640 Speaker 4: Two girls were standing at the front edden. 192 00:14:02,800 --> 00:14:05,960 Speaker 6: As we got closer, we saw there a hugely illuminated house. 193 00:14:06,200 --> 00:14:07,960 Speaker 6: It it looked like a flying saucer. 194 00:14:08,920 --> 00:14:11,040 Speaker 1: He turns to one of the security guards at the 195 00:14:11,040 --> 00:14:14,240 Speaker 1: gate and asks if the casualty is a colleague of. 196 00:14:14,240 --> 00:14:20,160 Speaker 6: His, The boss, the boss who shut himself. I asked, 197 00:14:20,240 --> 00:14:23,280 Speaker 6: where is he? He tells me on the fore floor. 198 00:14:24,520 --> 00:14:27,120 Speaker 1: Carlos and his partner rush up the stairs to the 199 00:14:27,200 --> 00:14:34,400 Speaker 1: front entrance. They passed John's precious orchids in the car. 200 00:14:34,600 --> 00:14:38,920 Speaker 1: Jose makes more calls, first to the police. He knows 201 00:14:38,960 --> 00:14:40,960 Speaker 1: some of them very well since he used to be 202 00:14:41,080 --> 00:14:44,840 Speaker 1: head of police in Costa Rica and was popular known 203 00:14:44,880 --> 00:14:48,160 Speaker 1: by his nickname El Toro, the Bull. 204 00:14:50,400 --> 00:14:53,080 Speaker 4: I kept in touch with everyone that night to advise 205 00:14:53,160 --> 00:14:54,360 Speaker 4: of what was going on there. 206 00:14:55,120 --> 00:15:03,840 Speaker 1: His head is still full of questions. Back in the house, 207 00:15:04,000 --> 00:15:08,120 Speaker 1: ambulance driver Carlos and his partner are shown to the elevator, 208 00:15:08,160 --> 00:15:11,760 Speaker 1: which will take them to the fourth floor. He's taking 209 00:15:11,800 --> 00:15:16,000 Speaker 1: in the large number of armed guards and the luxury 210 00:15:16,600 --> 00:15:18,400 Speaker 1: Los pizos and lump. 211 00:15:18,160 --> 00:15:22,880 Speaker 6: And interiors, the furnishing, the floors, the elevator. 212 00:15:23,040 --> 00:15:24,720 Speaker 1: There's an odd atmosphere. 213 00:15:24,800 --> 00:15:27,800 Speaker 3: He thinks, no, no, I Cilenzio. 214 00:15:27,920 --> 00:15:32,360 Speaker 6: Everything was silent, nobody cried so an. They already told 215 00:15:32,440 --> 00:15:35,520 Speaker 6: us that she was the boss's wife and seemed gone. 216 00:15:36,120 --> 00:15:37,400 Speaker 6: I didn't see her crying at all. 217 00:15:38,320 --> 00:15:41,360 Speaker 1: Carlos begins to wonder if the house could be owned 218 00:15:41,440 --> 00:15:45,080 Speaker 1: by a big drug lord. That might explain the guns 219 00:15:45,240 --> 00:15:46,360 Speaker 1: and the opulence. 220 00:15:48,240 --> 00:15:52,120 Speaker 6: Kiss Still, there's too much money in here. It seemed 221 00:15:52,120 --> 00:15:54,680 Speaker 6: to me like we were walking into a Pablo Escobar 222 00:15:54,800 --> 00:15:57,760 Speaker 6: soap opera. I don't know what has happened to, who 223 00:15:57,800 --> 00:16:00,480 Speaker 6: else is inside the house, or what else would happen. 224 00:16:01,200 --> 00:16:04,520 Speaker 1: He feels a deep sense of unease. Could someone have 225 00:16:04,600 --> 00:16:08,960 Speaker 1: broken in? Could this person still be in the property? 226 00:16:09,080 --> 00:16:12,960 Speaker 1: Like the house, the elevator has no walls. It is 227 00:16:13,040 --> 00:16:17,320 Speaker 1: like a rising platform. Carlos can see each floor as 228 00:16:17,360 --> 00:16:21,720 Speaker 1: he goes up. A kitchen, beautiful wooden furniture. He sees 229 00:16:21,760 --> 00:16:26,320 Speaker 1: all those lamps, the Tiffany lamps. Everything is so shiny, 230 00:16:26,440 --> 00:16:32,040 Speaker 1: he says, made from stainless steel, granite or marble. They 231 00:16:32,120 --> 00:16:33,800 Speaker 1: reach the fourth floor. 232 00:16:34,240 --> 00:16:36,040 Speaker 3: On there's a piece. 233 00:16:37,240 --> 00:16:40,400 Speaker 6: Then the elevator stops and there is a single huge bedroom. 234 00:16:40,760 --> 00:16:43,880 Speaker 6: My walls, not even forthroom, and it's a big bed 235 00:16:43,960 --> 00:16:45,640 Speaker 6: and lots of gems on the shows. 236 00:16:46,320 --> 00:16:49,920 Speaker 1: His pulse quickens. He can almost hear his heart beating. 237 00:16:50,840 --> 00:16:55,520 Speaker 1: Then he sees it, the body on the bed, the 238 00:16:55,560 --> 00:16:56,480 Speaker 1: boss of the. 239 00:16:56,400 --> 00:16:59,640 Speaker 6: House lama on the piece, and I could see the 240 00:16:59,640 --> 00:17:05,200 Speaker 6: gun on the floor, the trail of bloods is angry. 241 00:17:05,240 --> 00:17:08,359 Speaker 1: He switches on his flashlight and takes a closer look. 242 00:17:09,280 --> 00:17:12,800 Speaker 1: The man is clearly dead. There's nothing they can do. 243 00:17:13,359 --> 00:17:15,920 Speaker 1: They try not to touch anything and tell the guards 244 00:17:16,000 --> 00:17:19,160 Speaker 1: not to let anyone else up here until the police arrive. 245 00:17:20,240 --> 00:17:24,600 Speaker 1: Carlos whispers to his partner that he's scared. He has 246 00:17:24,640 --> 00:17:27,960 Speaker 1: an overwhelming desire to leave, to get out of there 247 00:17:28,040 --> 00:17:30,639 Speaker 1: as soon as possible, but he has to wait for 248 00:17:30,680 --> 00:17:35,000 Speaker 1: the police. It doesn't take long. When the first police 249 00:17:35,000 --> 00:17:40,040 Speaker 1: officers arrive, Carlos debriefs them the man is dead and 250 00:17:40,080 --> 00:17:50,880 Speaker 1: there's nothing they can do. It's now two point fifteen 251 00:17:50,960 --> 00:17:54,440 Speaker 1: in the morning. Maintenance man as Voldo. 252 00:17:54,400 --> 00:17:58,880 Speaker 3: Arrives the pison. I went up to the second floor 253 00:17:58,960 --> 00:18:01,760 Speaker 3: to see Anna. She was sitting on the couch and 254 00:18:01,800 --> 00:18:04,960 Speaker 3: I walked to her. She clung to me, crying and 255 00:18:05,000 --> 00:18:06,560 Speaker 3: said that John had killed herself. 256 00:18:08,080 --> 00:18:08,840 Speaker 4: That's all she said. 257 00:18:10,800 --> 00:18:14,840 Speaker 1: Amtel Anne has already told her family that John has died. 258 00:18:15,560 --> 00:18:24,359 Speaker 1: She hasn't yet called John's parents. It's in the early 259 00:18:24,440 --> 00:18:26,760 Speaker 1: hours of the morning when the call comes through to 260 00:18:26,880 --> 00:18:31,680 Speaker 1: Paul and Margie Bender in Phoenix, Arizona, a horrific call 261 00:18:31,840 --> 00:18:35,919 Speaker 1: for any parent. At first, they find it hard to 262 00:18:36,040 --> 00:18:39,360 Speaker 1: grapple with what has happened and make sense of what 263 00:18:39,400 --> 00:18:40,640 Speaker 1: Anne is telling them. 264 00:18:40,840 --> 00:18:45,640 Speaker 5: She said that this accident had happened, and she tried 265 00:18:45,680 --> 00:18:49,680 Speaker 5: to describe what happened. I did not understand why it happened, 266 00:18:51,160 --> 00:18:54,840 Speaker 5: but she said he had died from this accident, and 267 00:18:54,840 --> 00:18:59,480 Speaker 5: that she was terribly upset about it. And she wasn't 268 00:18:59,560 --> 00:19:03,520 Speaker 5: quite sure why, but he was. He was under a 269 00:19:03,520 --> 00:19:07,320 Speaker 5: lot of pressure. She did not think that he committed 270 00:19:07,359 --> 00:19:12,040 Speaker 5: suicide or I didn't like that, but she said, it happened, 271 00:19:12,080 --> 00:19:15,360 Speaker 5: and what are we going to do? It happened. 272 00:19:16,000 --> 00:19:23,640 Speaker 1: Paul struggles to talk about his son's death. Anne would 273 00:19:23,720 --> 00:19:27,240 Speaker 1: later tell reporters that a few months before his death, 274 00:19:27,680 --> 00:19:32,480 Speaker 1: John had spiraled into a dark place his favorite bird 275 00:19:32,520 --> 00:19:37,320 Speaker 1: had been killed. That seems to have hit him particularly hard. Remember, 276 00:19:37,320 --> 00:19:40,040 Speaker 1: he and Anne were both animal lovers, and that was 277 00:19:40,080 --> 00:19:43,840 Speaker 1: a key reason they'd moved to Costa Rica. But there 278 00:19:43,880 --> 00:19:47,439 Speaker 1: was something else. John had entrusted his money to a 279 00:19:47,480 --> 00:19:52,480 Speaker 1: Costa Rican lawyer. In fact, he'd given him power of attorney, 280 00:19:53,000 --> 00:19:57,320 Speaker 1: meaning the lawyer now controlled the Bender's fortune. Not a 281 00:19:57,359 --> 00:20:00,639 Speaker 1: smart move. John was starting to say, I suspect that 282 00:20:00,720 --> 00:20:06,080 Speaker 1: the lawyer was screwing him for millions of dollars. Anne 283 00:20:06,119 --> 00:20:09,320 Speaker 1: showed the CBS series Forty eight Hours an email from 284 00:20:09,440 --> 00:20:11,160 Speaker 1: John read here by an. 285 00:20:11,080 --> 00:20:14,359 Speaker 7: Actor, Such a total fucking loser for ever getting involved 286 00:20:14,359 --> 00:20:18,680 Speaker 7: with those scumbags. Losing my fucking mind right now, burst 287 00:20:18,720 --> 00:20:22,840 Speaker 7: sick again, and now this shit Today's a total fucking nightmare, 288 00:20:23,040 --> 00:20:25,720 Speaker 7: and tomorrow will get worse. Just when I was feeling 289 00:20:25,760 --> 00:20:27,639 Speaker 7: I could learn to be happy, now I get this 290 00:20:27,840 --> 00:20:29,320 Speaker 7: and I want to be dead. 291 00:20:30,560 --> 00:20:35,720 Speaker 1: The email's terrified Dane. John also obsessed about Anne's health. 292 00:20:36,240 --> 00:20:40,080 Speaker 1: Why couldn't he cure her? None of his homemade concoctions 293 00:20:40,080 --> 00:20:43,760 Speaker 1: had worked. She only got worse and could barely walk 294 00:20:43,840 --> 00:20:48,280 Speaker 1: unaided lymes disease had infected her spinal cord and brain. 295 00:20:48,880 --> 00:20:52,639 Speaker 1: John couldn't bear it. Had he failed her and himself. 296 00:20:53,320 --> 00:20:56,560 Speaker 1: This is what Anne would say later, voiced by an actor. 297 00:20:57,160 --> 00:20:59,840 Speaker 3: We were dealing with so many things at the same time. 298 00:21:00,359 --> 00:21:02,480 Speaker 2: He was talking about suicide. 299 00:21:02,800 --> 00:21:03,320 Speaker 3: Every day. 300 00:21:05,119 --> 00:21:08,920 Speaker 1: Anne also said that for the first time in eleven years, 301 00:21:08,960 --> 00:21:12,760 Speaker 1: they were suffering a dreadful depression at the same time, 302 00:21:13,280 --> 00:21:17,800 Speaker 1: and the six weeks before John's death were harrowing. Every 303 00:21:17,880 --> 00:21:20,160 Speaker 1: day we would sit down and he would take all 304 00:21:20,200 --> 00:21:23,320 Speaker 1: the medications we had, she said, and put them in 305 00:21:23,440 --> 00:21:26,520 Speaker 1: piles and say, okay, when am I going to start 306 00:21:26,520 --> 00:21:30,840 Speaker 1: taking the pills? They were suicide dress rehearsals, and said 307 00:21:31,920 --> 00:21:35,439 Speaker 1: she told CNN that there was definitely something to the 308 00:21:35,560 --> 00:21:38,600 Speaker 1: concept of the two of them having gone mad together. 309 00:21:41,240 --> 00:21:44,240 Speaker 1: This is Anne's account of what happened in the early 310 00:21:44,280 --> 00:21:48,680 Speaker 1: hours of January eighth, twenty ten. She has told and 311 00:21:48,800 --> 00:21:53,239 Speaker 1: retold this story many times to reporter, the police, and 312 00:21:53,280 --> 00:21:54,600 Speaker 1: to author Carol Vaughan. 313 00:21:55,720 --> 00:21:58,800 Speaker 2: She went to bed first and was falling off to sleep, 314 00:21:59,320 --> 00:22:03,720 Speaker 2: and she was awakened by something. She says she thinks 315 00:22:03,760 --> 00:22:07,879 Speaker 2: it was voices. She heard him say something she thinks 316 00:22:07,920 --> 00:22:11,160 Speaker 2: it was, You'll now know what it's like to wake 317 00:22:11,280 --> 00:22:12,760 Speaker 2: up next to your dead husband. 318 00:22:14,080 --> 00:22:16,560 Speaker 1: You'll now know what it's like to wake up next 319 00:22:16,600 --> 00:22:21,199 Speaker 1: to your dead husband. And opened her eyes. It was dark, 320 00:22:21,840 --> 00:22:24,560 Speaker 1: but she could see that John had a gun pointed 321 00:22:24,600 --> 00:22:29,159 Speaker 1: at his head. It was loaded and cocked ready to fire. 322 00:22:30,080 --> 00:22:33,879 Speaker 1: He was lying back on the pillows. At first, she 323 00:22:34,119 --> 00:22:36,639 Speaker 1: was stunned, and then. 324 00:22:36,600 --> 00:22:39,560 Speaker 2: She jumped up onto her knees and lunched for it 325 00:22:39,720 --> 00:22:43,720 Speaker 2: in her hands and closed his hands. She says she 326 00:22:43,800 --> 00:22:50,280 Speaker 2: never touched the gun, but the gun went off and 327 00:22:50,920 --> 00:22:52,480 Speaker 2: shot him in the back of the head and killed 328 00:22:52,520 --> 00:22:53,280 Speaker 2: him instantly. 329 00:23:01,920 --> 00:23:04,680 Speaker 1: Anne picked up the walkie talkie and called for help, 330 00:23:05,640 --> 00:23:09,280 Speaker 1: she would later tell reporters. At this point, I already 331 00:23:09,400 --> 00:23:12,560 Speaker 1: knew he was dead because I had heard the death rattle, 332 00:23:13,080 --> 00:23:19,080 Speaker 1: that last breath in the master bedroom. Carlos and his 333 00:23:19,200 --> 00:23:22,520 Speaker 1: partner are about to leave. There is nothing more they 334 00:23:22,560 --> 00:23:26,480 Speaker 1: can do. They both feel anxious. 335 00:23:27,560 --> 00:23:30,440 Speaker 6: I was afraid from my safety. I mean, if someone 336 00:23:30,480 --> 00:23:32,919 Speaker 6: had come into the house to kill this guy, you 337 00:23:32,920 --> 00:23:35,200 Speaker 6: could still be around and start the shootout. 338 00:23:36,240 --> 00:23:38,800 Speaker 1: They go down in the lift. They need to see 339 00:23:38,800 --> 00:23:42,000 Speaker 1: Anne before they go, to check her blood pressure and 340 00:23:42,040 --> 00:23:42,840 Speaker 1: how she's doing. 341 00:23:44,920 --> 00:23:47,480 Speaker 6: I've always said that when I saw her, she was fine. 342 00:23:47,840 --> 00:23:51,760 Speaker 6: She wasn't crying, she wasn't everything was fine. 343 00:23:55,600 --> 00:23:59,720 Speaker 1: The Bender's head of security, Jose Pizzaro, nicknamed the Colonel, 344 00:24:00,119 --> 00:24:04,080 Speaker 1: finally arrives at the house around three am. He rushes 345 00:24:04,119 --> 00:24:07,280 Speaker 1: in to see Anne so as army. 346 00:24:07,560 --> 00:24:10,320 Speaker 4: She hugged me as she was saying, Colonel, I tried, 347 00:24:10,400 --> 00:24:13,760 Speaker 4: I tried, I tried to stop him. I tried. She 348 00:24:13,880 --> 00:24:18,480 Speaker 4: kept saying this. It was very tough as well of comento. 349 00:24:18,920 --> 00:24:22,840 Speaker 1: Jose found it hard hearing her anguish. She was very ill, 350 00:24:22,960 --> 00:24:27,919 Speaker 1: he tells me, devastated by John's death and confused and 351 00:24:28,080 --> 00:24:29,720 Speaker 1: tells Jose what happened. 352 00:24:32,520 --> 00:24:34,800 Speaker 4: She was there with John with a gun and she 353 00:24:34,960 --> 00:24:38,479 Speaker 4: yelled no, John, please don't and tried to grab him 354 00:24:38,520 --> 00:24:38,800 Speaker 4: by the. 355 00:24:38,840 --> 00:24:42,040 Speaker 1: Arm as well. Though the maintenance man is still at 356 00:24:42,040 --> 00:24:45,320 Speaker 1: the house, the police are in the master bedroom. 357 00:24:45,600 --> 00:24:49,080 Speaker 3: Okay, and we thought when the police arrived the process 358 00:24:49,119 --> 00:24:50,680 Speaker 3: was going to be quick and simple. 359 00:24:51,160 --> 00:24:51,879 Speaker 4: It would date. 360 00:24:51,840 --> 00:24:55,240 Speaker 3: Perhaps three to four hours to remove the body because 361 00:24:55,440 --> 00:25:00,000 Speaker 3: this was supposed to be a suicide. 362 00:25:01,400 --> 00:25:07,320 Speaker 1: But the atmosphere suddenly changes. The police are taking longer 363 00:25:07,359 --> 00:25:12,800 Speaker 1: than expected. After their initial inspection of the bedroom, the 364 00:25:12,800 --> 00:25:17,040 Speaker 1: police now say that they think John may not have 365 00:25:17,200 --> 00:25:22,040 Speaker 1: killed himself. The staff start to wonder what really happened 366 00:25:22,119 --> 00:25:23,320 Speaker 1: on the fourth. 367 00:25:23,000 --> 00:25:26,600 Speaker 3: Floor ivantas, so that's where we all started to speculate. 368 00:25:27,440 --> 00:25:29,920 Speaker 3: They ask everyone to leave the scene and they stay 369 00:25:30,000 --> 00:25:31,920 Speaker 3: up there carrying out all the investigations. 370 00:25:33,040 --> 00:25:38,320 Speaker 1: The room is cleared, forensics move in. Had someone broken 371 00:25:38,359 --> 00:25:43,000 Speaker 1: in and killed John? Jose has already taken a look 372 00:25:43,040 --> 00:25:46,040 Speaker 1: at the master bedroom. As a former police chief in 373 00:25:46,080 --> 00:25:49,400 Speaker 1: Costa Rica, he has seen a lot of crime scenes. 374 00:25:50,000 --> 00:25:52,760 Speaker 1: When he looks around the bedroom, he doesn't see any 375 00:25:52,800 --> 00:25:54,480 Speaker 1: evidence of an intruder. 376 00:25:57,640 --> 00:26:01,080 Speaker 4: John's body remained there on his side. There was nothing 377 00:26:01,080 --> 00:26:03,320 Speaker 4: out of place except the sheets were a little messy. 378 00:26:04,440 --> 00:26:06,639 Speaker 4: None of this made me think that someone could have 379 00:26:06,720 --> 00:26:09,800 Speaker 4: broken in to kill him. If that had been the case, 380 00:26:10,040 --> 00:26:12,639 Speaker 4: they would have killed down two. But the scene was 381 00:26:12,640 --> 00:26:16,479 Speaker 4: simply John's body and the pool of blood. The police 382 00:26:16,480 --> 00:26:18,800 Speaker 4: were already taken photos and doing their job. 383 00:26:20,560 --> 00:26:25,200 Speaker 1: But the police have their own theory. The crime scene 384 00:26:25,240 --> 00:26:29,400 Speaker 1: doesn't make sense. This is no longer a case of suicide. 385 00:26:30,400 --> 00:26:37,119 Speaker 1: They now believe John was murdered and their main suspect. 386 00:26:38,000 --> 00:26:49,280 Speaker 6: Is an This is very mysterious. It doesn't look like 387 00:26:49,320 --> 00:26:51,639 Speaker 6: a suicide because of the way that we found the 388 00:26:51,680 --> 00:26:55,520 Speaker 6: gun in the woom. There's something really weird going on here. 389 00:26:56,960 --> 00:27:00,240 Speaker 1: There are two things that don't add up, things that 390 00:27:00,320 --> 00:27:05,960 Speaker 1: will be endlessly scrutinized later on. Number one, John had 391 00:27:06,000 --> 00:27:10,240 Speaker 1: his ear plugs still in He couldn't sleep without them. 392 00:27:10,760 --> 00:27:13,680 Speaker 1: But why would you wear ear plugs if you were 393 00:27:13,720 --> 00:27:17,960 Speaker 1: just about to kill yourself? And number two, the gunshot 394 00:27:18,000 --> 00:27:21,919 Speaker 1: wound was on the right side of John's head, but 395 00:27:22,040 --> 00:27:26,000 Speaker 1: John was left handed, and not only that, the wound 396 00:27:26,119 --> 00:27:29,920 Speaker 1: was on the back of his head. Only two people 397 00:27:29,960 --> 00:27:35,280 Speaker 1: were in the room. Only one person knows what really happened. 398 00:27:38,800 --> 00:27:42,560 Speaker 1: Sitting in the ambulance outside the house, Carlos calls the 399 00:27:42,560 --> 00:27:46,560 Speaker 1: Red Cross to notify them about John's death. When it's over, 400 00:27:47,160 --> 00:27:48,800 Speaker 1: he turns to his partner and. 401 00:27:48,800 --> 00:27:56,160 Speaker 6: Says, don't you think this is already weird? I'm afraid 402 00:27:56,160 --> 00:27:59,600 Speaker 6: that were I want to live quickly. I don't feel well, 403 00:27:59,600 --> 00:28:01,720 Speaker 6: and he was, yeah, man, I feel the same. 404 00:28:03,080 --> 00:28:05,840 Speaker 1: He and his partner are relieved to leave the house. 405 00:28:06,400 --> 00:28:10,560 Speaker 1: They're both still on edge. Carlos says to his partner. 406 00:28:12,800 --> 00:28:15,320 Speaker 6: And I said, only leave this way. I don't want 407 00:28:15,320 --> 00:28:17,200 Speaker 6: to be here. We don't know how to kill this guy. 408 00:28:17,720 --> 00:28:20,160 Speaker 6: What if there's a cartel waiting to ambush and kill 409 00:28:20,160 --> 00:28:20,439 Speaker 6: them all? 410 00:28:20,480 --> 00:28:25,800 Speaker 1: With us here, engine on, seat belts fastened, they can't 411 00:28:25,840 --> 00:28:36,199 Speaker 1: get away quickly enough. Early the next morning, Anne is 412 00:28:36,240 --> 00:28:39,360 Speaker 1: taken to the police station. The first thing they do 413 00:28:39,600 --> 00:28:43,440 Speaker 1: is test her hands for gunpowder residue and it comes 414 00:28:43,480 --> 00:28:50,480 Speaker 1: back positive. John's didn't How can she explain that. She 415 00:28:50,640 --> 00:28:54,600 Speaker 1: tells them she didn't shoot John. She tells them that 416 00:28:54,680 --> 00:28:57,280 Speaker 1: she lunged for the gun and it had gone off. 417 00:28:58,440 --> 00:29:03,160 Speaker 1: After being questioned, She's really but it isn't over for Anne. 418 00:29:03,360 --> 00:29:07,560 Speaker 1: This is just the beginning. The finger is being pointed 419 00:29:07,600 --> 00:29:12,280 Speaker 1: at her. The police are questioning her story. They think 420 00:29:12,320 --> 00:29:15,760 Speaker 1: it's a pack of lies and that John didn't kill himself. 421 00:29:16,240 --> 00:29:21,280 Speaker 1: They think Anne murdered him. They're now gathering evidence to 422 00:29:21,400 --> 00:29:28,000 Speaker 1: back up their story. Anne, under suspicion, is in a 423 00:29:28,120 --> 00:29:32,800 Speaker 1: terrible state. The Bender's head of security, Jose Pizarro, is 424 00:29:32,920 --> 00:29:37,680 Speaker 1: worried about her. She needs medical help. She's already so weak. 425 00:29:37,760 --> 00:29:41,600 Speaker 1: He thinks Anne's years of struggling with mental illness and 426 00:29:41,720 --> 00:29:46,680 Speaker 1: Lymes disease have ravaged her mind and body. She's in constant, 427 00:29:46,880 --> 00:29:52,120 Speaker 1: agonizing pain. According to Jose, a few weeks before John's death, 428 00:29:52,520 --> 00:29:57,000 Speaker 1: she'd stopped eating, drinking, and she wasn't washing. She wasn't 429 00:29:57,000 --> 00:30:01,040 Speaker 1: doing anything to take care of herself at all. Jose 430 00:30:01,200 --> 00:30:03,600 Speaker 1: tells us what he told Anne at the time. 431 00:30:05,520 --> 00:30:09,840 Speaker 4: Eliot, listen, there's no way you can stay here. You're 432 00:30:10,080 --> 00:30:13,800 Speaker 4: very ill. What just happened is very hard. You need 433 00:30:13,840 --> 00:30:15,840 Speaker 4: to get medical attention right now. 434 00:30:16,320 --> 00:30:18,000 Speaker 5: Don't work out again. 435 00:30:18,800 --> 00:30:22,600 Speaker 1: John and Anne's dream had come to a sudden and 436 00:30:22,800 --> 00:30:30,240 Speaker 1: tragic end. Their heaven had turned to hell. In the 437 00:30:30,280 --> 00:30:33,240 Speaker 1: months that followed, Anne would look back and think about 438 00:30:33,240 --> 00:30:36,280 Speaker 1: the mansion on the hill with no walls, and what 439 00:30:36,400 --> 00:30:39,640 Speaker 1: she and John had tried to create, the nature reserve 440 00:30:39,680 --> 00:30:43,000 Speaker 1: and their animals, and the restoration of the land to 441 00:30:43,160 --> 00:30:48,680 Speaker 1: its former glory. She told CNN. Seeing the clouds roll 442 00:30:48,760 --> 00:30:52,320 Speaker 1: through your living room with the lamps lit up every day, 443 00:30:52,480 --> 00:31:00,719 Speaker 1: it was a beautiful experience and ever changing. Jose was 444 00:31:00,720 --> 00:31:05,280 Speaker 1: devastated too. He'd been John's chief of security for nearly 445 00:31:05,360 --> 00:31:08,640 Speaker 1: ten years. His death had been a terrible shock. 446 00:31:12,480 --> 00:31:16,360 Speaker 4: The truth is I was very sad. It was a 447 00:31:16,480 --> 00:31:22,240 Speaker 4: terrible loss of a good friend, a great person. 448 00:31:23,120 --> 00:31:27,400 Speaker 1: Jose remained loyal and practical for Anne's sake. He had 449 00:31:27,440 --> 00:31:33,040 Speaker 1: a grim task collecting John's body from the morgue. 450 00:31:33,800 --> 00:31:35,920 Speaker 4: I had to take him to be cremated and then 451 00:31:36,280 --> 00:31:37,880 Speaker 4: take the ashes back to Anne. 452 00:31:38,440 --> 00:31:42,360 Speaker 1: Meanwhile, he kept tabs on the police investigation as well. 453 00:31:43,120 --> 00:31:47,280 Speaker 1: The day after John died, they made a discovery, and 454 00:31:47,360 --> 00:31:51,120 Speaker 1: in the minds of detectives, it gave Anne a motive 455 00:31:51,600 --> 00:31:52,320 Speaker 1: for murder. 456 00:31:54,840 --> 00:31:58,640 Speaker 4: I remember the police found a small suitcase filled with jewelry. 457 00:31:58,880 --> 00:32:02,800 Speaker 4: There are all kinds of little gems. From that moment 458 00:32:02,920 --> 00:32:06,840 Speaker 4: on they began to whisper among themselves how strange that was. 459 00:32:07,720 --> 00:32:11,760 Speaker 1: In total, it was reported that over three thousand gems 460 00:32:11,800 --> 00:32:15,200 Speaker 1: were found in the house. They were collected by John 461 00:32:15,240 --> 00:32:20,320 Speaker 1: and Ann over many years. Precious stones, rubies, opals, diamonds, 462 00:32:20,360 --> 00:32:24,800 Speaker 1: a stunning array, all bright colors, like a pirate's booty 463 00:32:24,920 --> 00:32:28,800 Speaker 1: or royal collection, and the police started to believe that 464 00:32:28,920 --> 00:32:33,440 Speaker 1: they were connected to John's death. They strongly suspected that 465 00:32:33,480 --> 00:32:38,719 Speaker 1: the gems had been brought into the country illegally, no taxes, 466 00:32:38,960 --> 00:32:42,760 Speaker 1: no receipts, a way of hiding assets from the authorities. 467 00:32:43,720 --> 00:32:48,920 Speaker 1: To detectives, Anne's motive was clear. She'd murdered her husband 468 00:32:49,360 --> 00:32:54,280 Speaker 1: to pocket the gems and would deny all the accusations. 469 00:32:55,600 --> 00:32:59,080 Speaker 1: The intensely private couple in the big house on the 470 00:32:59,200 --> 00:33:07,240 Speaker 1: hill were now public property. John was gone. Now a 471 00:33:07,360 --> 00:33:12,720 Speaker 1: long shadow of suspicion fell on Anne. Was it murder, suicide, 472 00:33:12,800 --> 00:33:16,880 Speaker 1: or an accident? All sorts of theories about what happened 473 00:33:16,880 --> 00:33:20,400 Speaker 1: on the night of John's death begin to form. The 474 00:33:20,480 --> 00:33:26,000 Speaker 1: police's suspicions are hardening, but things are about to get 475 00:33:26,200 --> 00:33:31,400 Speaker 1: even worse for Anne. The next day, her health failing, 476 00:33:32,320 --> 00:33:38,840 Speaker 1: She's rushed to hospital in San Jose. Next time on 477 00:33:39,200 --> 00:33:41,120 Speaker 1: Hell in Heaven, she was. 478 00:33:41,240 --> 00:33:44,400 Speaker 2: Sick, sick, sick. When she was admitted to the hospital 479 00:33:44,480 --> 00:33:48,640 Speaker 2: after he died, she was barely alive. She was just 480 00:33:49,400 --> 00:33:50,680 Speaker 2: hanging on by a thread. 481 00:34:04,760 --> 00:34:08,360 Speaker 1: You've been listening to Helen Heaven from Exactly Right Media 482 00:34:08,440 --> 00:34:13,759 Speaker 1: and iHeart podcasts produced by Blanchard House, hosted, written and 483 00:34:13,800 --> 00:34:17,560 Speaker 1: produced by me Becky Milligan. The producer and co writer 484 00:34:17,880 --> 00:34:22,160 Speaker 1: is Poppy Damon. Music is by Daniel Lloyd Evans, Louis 485 00:34:22,239 --> 00:34:26,359 Speaker 1: nank Manell, and Toby Mattamon. The sound recordist and head 486 00:34:26,400 --> 00:34:29,680 Speaker 1: of sound and Music is Daniel Lloyd Evans. The lead 487 00:34:29,800 --> 00:34:34,600 Speaker 1: sound designer is Vulcan Kiseltook. The artwork is by Vanessa 488 00:34:34,719 --> 00:34:39,920 Speaker 1: Lilac for Exactly Right Media. The executive producers are Karen Kilgarreth, 489 00:34:40,160 --> 00:34:45,719 Speaker 1: Georgia Hardstark, and Danielle Kramer, with consulting producer Lilly Laderwig 490 00:34:45,920 --> 00:34:51,560 Speaker 1: and associate producer Jay Elias. The creative director of Blanchard 491 00:34:51,600 --> 00:34:55,719 Speaker 1: House is Rosy Pye. The executive producer and Head of 492 00:34:55,760 --> 00:35:00,960 Speaker 1: Content at Blanchard House is Lawrence Griselle. To Helen Heaven 493 00:35:01,040 --> 00:35:05,080 Speaker 1: on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get 494 00:35:05,120 --> 00:35:06,040 Speaker 1: your podcasts.