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Speaker 1: Hi guys, Nancy Grace. Here, at a time when we

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Speaker 1: are all pulling together to fight coronavirus COVID nineteen, I

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Speaker 1: have something for you and all free E chapter on

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Speaker 1: the internet and on infomercials. Right now, you've got to

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Speaker 1: arm yourself against these crimes. Please download our free E

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Speaker 1: chapter Coronavirus Crimes. Don't be a victim. Go to crime

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Speaker 1: online dot com. You'll see it there in the link

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Speaker 1: and download it for free. Arm yourself against criminals and

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Speaker 1: scam artists, cons that will not only take advantage of you,

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Speaker 1: but take advantage of you, your parents, your grandparents, and

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Speaker 1: people you love. At a time when we are all

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Speaker 1: fighting the virus. I hope you go to crime online

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Speaker 1: dot com and download this. It's been highly researched and

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Speaker 1: presented for you for free. Goodbye, friend, keep the faith

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Speaker 1: Crime stories with Nancy Greece. Joining me now is a

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Speaker 1: very special guest. It is the elected Sheriff of Hillsborough County, Sheriff,

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Speaker 1: Chad Chronister. Sheriff, thank you for being with us. It's

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Speaker 1: a pleasure, Nancy, Sheriff Chronister. I hardly even know where

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Speaker 1: to start regarding Joe Exotic and Carol Baskin and Jack

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Speaker 1: don Lewis, Don Lewis, Baskin's husband now dead. Sheriff, Is

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Speaker 1: there any doubt in your mind that Carol Baskin's husband,

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Speaker 1: Don Lewis is dead. No, absolutely, no doubt in my mind.

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Speaker 1: I'm thoroughly convinced that he was killed, Sheriff. A lot

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Speaker 1: of people have argued that at the time Jack don

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Speaker 1: Lewis went missing, that it was orchestrated for him to

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Speaker 1: be taken out over the Gulf of Mexico and pushed

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Speaker 1: out of the plane. There's that theory. There's a theory

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Speaker 1: he's hidden under a septic tank. There's a theory he

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Speaker 1: went through a meat grinder. Let's just establish the facts

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Speaker 1: as we know them to be true. At the time

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Speaker 1: Don Lewis goes missing, had there been a divorce filed

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Speaker 1: between them, there hadn't been there he sought a domestic

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Speaker 1: violence junction against her, but the judge didn't grant it.

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Speaker 1: But still you have to think he was in some

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Speaker 1: type of fear or felt in fear of harm that

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Speaker 1: he went and took the steps to try to obtain

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Speaker 1: an a junction against his wife. You know what's interesting

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Speaker 1: about that, Sheriff, is that this is not a man

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Speaker 1: that typically call nine one one, may police reports, file lawsuits.

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Speaker 1: I find it very interesting that on his own, at

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Speaker 1: his age, he went and filed a troo against Carol Baskin,

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Speaker 1: claiming that she or someone had taken his guns and

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Speaker 1: that she had threatened to kill him. I find that

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Speaker 1: very curious. Yeah, there's no doubt in my mind he

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Speaker 1: was concerned that his wife was gonna harm him at

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Speaker 1: the time. Let me talk to you about his nineteen

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Speaker 1: eighty nine Dodge van that was found at Pilot Country Airport,

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Speaker 1: which is a private airport. Yes, the public can pull

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Speaker 1: into the parking lot, but there are no public carriers

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Speaker 1: such as Delta or Jet Blue Continental. These are private airplanes.

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Speaker 1: What was found in his van, Sheriff, a lot of

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Speaker 1: his personal belongings, his briefcase and at the time before

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Speaker 1: technological advancements. Everywhere someone went, they took their briefcase with them.

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Speaker 1: And I think that was the biggest piece that that

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Speaker 1: that stood out with me. Why would he leave and

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Speaker 1: leave his personal items along with so many other things,

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Speaker 1: But why would he leave and not take his briefcase

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Speaker 1: with him? This? This was a business person, This was

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Speaker 1: a businessman. What would why would he leave? And like

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Speaker 1: you know, I've told you before, we checked the passenger

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Speaker 1: manifest he had two passports. Neither one of them have

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Speaker 1: been flagged that he had left it or departed the

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Speaker 1: country or took any fly whatsoever. I don't believe he

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Speaker 1: took any flight, commercial or private. I don't believe he

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Speaker 1: ever got on that airplane. I believe that van was

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Speaker 1: placed there just to look like it was stage for

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Speaker 1: investigators to believe that he had left the country. What

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Speaker 1: was in the briefcase? That's a good question. I don't

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Speaker 1: I don't know. Nothing of consequence that stood out that

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Speaker 1: I remember. I mean, I'm curious. Was his driver's license,

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Speaker 1: There was a passport, There was there money, There were

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Speaker 1: their documents indicating his purpose for being at Pilot Country

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Speaker 1: Airport that day. Was he intending to rent or purchase

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Speaker 1: a plane. Was he intending to go driving? I mean,

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Speaker 1: do you know flying? His wife said he was leaving

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Speaker 1: for Costa Rica. Was there a manifest? Was there a

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Speaker 1: pilot already hired to go? You don't just walk up

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Speaker 1: to an airport go hey, I want to get a

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Speaker 1: plane to Costa Rica. It doesn't work that way. You

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Speaker 1: have to get a crew. You have to get a

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Speaker 1: for Costa Rica. You gotta refuel. You can't make it

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Speaker 1: all the way from Florida and Costa Rica in a

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Speaker 1: small plane anyway without fuel. Did you find any evidence

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Speaker 1: that he had planned a flight of any type, whether

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Speaker 1: he was flying the plane or whether he was getting

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Speaker 1: a pilot to fly the plane. No proof whatsoever that

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Speaker 1: he had purchased, chartered a flight, or any way shape

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Speaker 1: or form left the country. One else was in the

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Speaker 1: eighty nine dodge. The briefcase. What about luggage? No, no luggage,

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Speaker 1: Only a briefcase and a couple of personal belongings. Other

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Speaker 1: than that, that, that's it. That's what makes it even

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Speaker 1: more suspicious. If your plan on leaving somewhere, you think

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Speaker 1: that you'd have a lot more items. What about keys?

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Speaker 1: I believe the keys of the van were in it.

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Speaker 1: Were left in it. When you say other personal items

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Speaker 1: such as what oh, I believe there was a while,

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Speaker 1: a couple of documents, but again things that you would

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Speaker 1: normally believe a businessman would have in his suitcase. Nothing

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Speaker 1: that would stand out to say, hey, listen, this person,

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Speaker 1: this person had left or this person was still there. Again,

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Speaker 1: I think the whole thing was nothing but a sophisticated plan.

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Speaker 1: I think there was more than one person because it

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Speaker 1: was so sophisticated and complex. But again, this individual was murdered,

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Speaker 1: and this individual never left the country. Well, the fact

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Speaker 1: that you say his wallet was there and indicates to

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Speaker 1: me even more so that he didn't go anywhere. Do

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Speaker 1: you know if his driver's license was recovered? I don't remember, Nancy.

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Speaker 1: Like I said, I remember the while, that a couple

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Speaker 1: other things. There was a laundry list, but again I

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Speaker 1: don't remember anything of consequence, and that the keys were there.

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Speaker 1: Do you happen to recall if the vehicle was locked

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Speaker 1: or unlocked? I believe I believe it was unlocked. I

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Speaker 1: believe it was lock with the keys in it. With

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Speaker 1: his briefcase, I think it was stage and meant to

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Speaker 1: appear like someone had just pulled up parked, and I

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Speaker 1: think they wanted us to believe that he would never

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Speaker 1: intended on returning and that he had left. And again

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Speaker 1: that's just simply not the case. There's no proof whatsoever

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Speaker 1: to indicate that he ever left the country. And all

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Speaker 1: the interviews that the detectives conducted in Costa Rica, even then,

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Speaker 1: all the individuals they interviewed down there, everyone had had

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Speaker 1: come up with one common theme, and the common theme

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Speaker 1: was they hadn't seen him in at least six months

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Speaker 1: surrounding his disappearance. Now in Costa Rica, he had an estate,

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Speaker 1: a home, a lot of land, a butler and a mistress.

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Speaker 1: Is it your belief after investigating that he never went

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Speaker 1: to Costa Rica? I firmly believe that he never made

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Speaker 1: it to Costa Rica. The security guards that we interviewed,

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Speaker 1: they hadn't seen him in six months. His mistress hadn't

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Speaker 1: seen him in six months. The property manager hadn't seen

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Speaker 1: him in six months. Some other people that he dealt

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Speaker 1: with in business down in Costa Rica hadn't seen him

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Speaker 1: in six months. There's no doubt in my mind, whatever happened,

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Speaker 1: he never made it to Costa Rica. Somebody just wanted

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Speaker 1: to lead investigators to believe that that's exactly what he did,

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Speaker 1: when essentially he never left. Was there a dictionary in

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Speaker 1: the car? I don't remember, Nancy, I don't remember. So

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Speaker 1: let me get back to where his car was parked

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Speaker 1: in the parking lot. So you drive into Pilot Country.

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Speaker 1: Based on what I've been told from people that worked

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Speaker 1: at Pilot Country, if you're sitting on the inside, you

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Speaker 1: can see a car pull up and see it, see

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Speaker 1: it sitting there parked, and it's like a car in

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Speaker 1: your driveway. It's so small. You would notice a car

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Speaker 1: of someone that did not work or was not supposed

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Speaker 1: to be there. But nobody saw that car get parked there,

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Speaker 1: and nobody saw Don Lewis, Do you agree with that?

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Speaker 1: I do agree with that. It's a very small airport.

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Speaker 1: Those residents that live around there still live there today.

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Speaker 1: And I believe again it went back into this complex,

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Speaker 1: sophisticated plan where whoever was involved in this stage that

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Speaker 1: car sometime in the the overnight hours were that when

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Speaker 1: they believed, and rightfully so, someone wouldn't see them dropping

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Speaker 1: that car off. Let's talk about the night before the

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Speaker 1: day he goes missing. One more thing, was the vehicle

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Speaker 1: printed dusted for prints? Oh? Absolutely no. They went over

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Speaker 1: that that with a fine tooth comb, the process the

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Speaker 1: entire van for for evidence. At the time twenty three

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Speaker 1: years ago. When when this occurred? How much later was

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Speaker 1: it that it was printed? Oh? I think it was

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Speaker 1: a day or two later. She waited a day to

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Speaker 1: even called to say that he had disappeared. And then

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Speaker 1: I think it was a day or two after that,

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Speaker 1: no more than two days that investigators had located the

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Speaker 1: van at that airport. Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. You

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Speaker 1: were mentioning that you believe his dodge was part the

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Speaker 1: night before he went missing. What was Carol Baskin doing

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Speaker 1: that night? Well, she says that she couldn't sleep, that

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Speaker 1: one of the tigers needed some milk. I believe, so

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Speaker 1: she had drove to a twenty four hour grocery store

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Speaker 1: that was only a few miles within her home and

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Speaker 1: went to get some milk for the cats. So you

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Speaker 1: can fade a tiger Borden's milk out of a cart.

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Speaker 1: And I didn't know that. I thought they had something special,

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Speaker 1: maybe a cub. Maybe it was for for for a cub.

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Speaker 1: But her her testimony, uh was that she was gone.

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Speaker 1: The night before, went to an Albertson's grocery store, went there,

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Speaker 1: her car broke down, she had to get a ride

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Speaker 1: back home and she went to bed. I think it

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Speaker 1: was around three three thirty in the morning. She had

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Speaker 1: woke up at seven seven thirty in the morning. Don

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Speaker 1: was instructing her to get the big cargo truck ready,

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Speaker 1: that they were going to take supplies, drive to Miami

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Speaker 1: and head to Costa Rica. He was gonna run an

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Speaker 1: Aaron and he would be right back. And that was

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Speaker 1: the last time she says that she has seen him.

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Speaker 1: Anyone else that we talked to said that it had

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Speaker 1: been a day or two prior to that that day

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Speaker 1: had seen Don Lewis. So she's supposed to go with

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Speaker 1: him to Costa Rica. That's my understanding. My understand the

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Speaker 1: two of them were gone together. She was helping them

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Speaker 1: pack to truck. They were going to drive to Miami

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Speaker 1: and head to Costa Rica. That's what That's what I

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Speaker 1: was led to believe. But when did she reported missing.

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Speaker 1: I believe almost two days later. So if she was

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Speaker 1: supposed to go to Costa Rica with him, and he

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Speaker 1: left to go run an errand and they were getting

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Speaker 1: everything packed to go. When did she notice he didn't

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Speaker 1: come home? Again? That was that was her story. And again,

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Speaker 1: when you talk about things that that are suspicious, if

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Speaker 1: if your husband or wife tells you, I'll be right

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Speaker 1: back on going to run an errand you get this

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Speaker 1: other truck start putting supplies in it, I'll be right back.

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Speaker 1: Wouldn't it be suspicious that you would wait a day

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Speaker 1: later and talk to some of your friends and someone say, oh,

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Speaker 1: you need you should probably report him as missing. Okay?

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Speaker 1: I know he had two passports. One was under his

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Speaker 1: first name, which is Jack Lewis. The other one was

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Speaker 1: under Don Lewis. Both of those were found where I

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Speaker 1: don't know the answer. Did that good? Good question? Found? Oh? No,

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Speaker 1: they were. They were both found and m again, they

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Speaker 1: were both Neither one of them had been flagged that

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Speaker 1: during that time period that she's claiming he disappeared, none

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Speaker 1: of them had been flagged. Neither of them have been

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Speaker 1: flagged that that he had left the country or arrived

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Speaker 1: in some type of other other country or um I

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Speaker 1: should say, not origin, but some other country. Okay, I understand.

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Speaker 1: So she waits at full twenty four hours at least

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Speaker 1: before she reports him missing. But I'm still I'm still

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Speaker 1: hung up on the three am emergency tiger cub feeding.

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Speaker 1: I mean, this is an animal sanctuary, and I would

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Speaker 1: believe that when you've got a baby tiger, that you

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Speaker 1: prepare to take care of it and you're not out

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Speaker 1: in a car at three o'clock in the morning trying

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Speaker 1: to buy human food or cow's milk. That said, I'm

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Speaker 1: not a veterinarian, I'm just a lawyer. But three am,

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Speaker 1: she's driving around. Did she ever go to a grocery

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Speaker 1: store and buy milk? She did go, She did go.

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Speaker 1: She did buy it again, her car broke down. She

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Speaker 1: had to get a ride back home. How do you

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Speaker 1: know that, Well, I tell you what. It's an interesting story.

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Speaker 1: How we know that she had contacted her brother, who

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Speaker 1: was a deputy sheriff with this agency during that time.

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Speaker 1: He was not too far away. He had a burglary

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Speaker 1: suspect under arrest, so he had asked for one of

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Speaker 1: his other friends, another deputy, to please take her to

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Speaker 1: the home. So another deputy sheriff did pick her up

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Speaker 1: from the Albertsons and give her a ride back to

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Speaker 1: the animal sanctuary. Okay, you know what you just stepped

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Speaker 1: in a can. You just opened up a can of worms.

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Speaker 1: Let's talk about it, because if you dare to google yourself,

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Speaker 1: you're gonna find out that there's a conspiracy theory going

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Speaker 1: on and a suggestion of a cover up. So let's

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Speaker 1: just grab the bull by the horns. Sheriff, So she

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Speaker 1: had a brother on your force, all the sheriff department force,

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Speaker 1: and he was working that night. What do you say

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Speaker 1: to claims that he helped her cover up a murder

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Speaker 1: and that he helped her that night? I would say

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Speaker 1: those claims are false. We can track it back. Now.

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Speaker 1: If he was in service, then you have a little

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Speaker 1: harder time charming to justify what may have happened that night.

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Speaker 1: But he was actually assigned to a call, he had

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Speaker 1: actually had someone under arrest, someone was in his car,

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Speaker 1: he went the booking door in that time. So I

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Speaker 1: think investigators back twenty three years ago had those very

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Speaker 1: same questions. But any type of theory of cover up

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Speaker 1: is dispelled when you can track back and see that

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Speaker 1: his actions that night were accounted for. So are you

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Speaker 1: telling me he sent somebody else to help her? I

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Speaker 1: believe that's what I was told is that she had

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Speaker 1: contacted him, knowing that he was awake. He had another

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Speaker 1: deputy go and give her a ride back to the

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Speaker 1: back to the house or or help her get the

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Speaker 1: car running again. It was one of one of the two. Well,

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Speaker 1: I gotta tell you something, I've done a lot of

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Speaker 1: crazy things that when I look back, I think, what

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Speaker 1: was I thinking? But I gotta rethink this whole going

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Speaker 1: out for milk at three o'clock in the morning for

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Speaker 1: a baby tiger, because that's that's kind of it doesn't

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Speaker 1: hang together for me. But I can't. I can't. I can't,

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Speaker 1: I can't. I can't argue that point. I agree. If

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Speaker 1: you have a big cat sanctuary and you have cubs,

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Speaker 1: you would think you're gonna be prepared for any type

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Speaker 1: of scenario, especially knowing that these cubs have to be fed.

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Speaker 1: And I'm no cub expert or veterinarian either, but you

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Speaker 1: would think you're going to be better prepared because those

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Speaker 1: cats have to be fed, even if it's milk, they

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Speaker 1: have to be fed. You would think you would be

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Speaker 1: better prepared and wouldn't have to go out in the

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Speaker 1: middle of the night to get those items. So long

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Speaker 1: story short, you're telling me best your recollection that the brother,

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Speaker 1: Carol Baskin's brother did not go pick her up. He

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Speaker 1: sent somebody to do it, to take her home. One

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Speaker 1: of the things that we do know and that we

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Speaker 1: can confirm is we know for a fact he didn't

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Speaker 1: go because again he had a prisoner, He had someone

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Speaker 1: who was under arrest. We could interview that prisoner. We

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Speaker 1: could count for that time period that night before and

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Speaker 1: what he was doing from the time he was dispatched

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Speaker 1: to the call, that the time he came into contact

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Speaker 1: with the burglary suspect, did the paperwork, met a supervisor,

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Speaker 1: went the booking. We can account for those hours, so

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Speaker 1: we can dispel any type of theories that there was

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Speaker 1: a cover up or that he was involved during that

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Speaker 1: time period. Let's tackle another another allegation, and that is

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Speaker 1: that your sheriff's department did not properly process the same

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Speaker 1: and I'm talking about his vehicle, that you let too

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Speaker 1: much time pass and it went back to Baskins before

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Speaker 1: it was processed. Please explain how that happened. Yeah, I

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Speaker 1: don't believe that to be the case. They recovered the

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Speaker 1: car and took it down to them to our evidence

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Speaker 1: processing unit and process the car. I think that within

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Speaker 1: twenty four hours after recovering it. So again, I don't

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Speaker 1: think there was an opportunity for frame Wind to tamper

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Speaker 1: with any type of evidence once we gained custody of

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Speaker 1: that to where anyone could taint the evidence for any

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Speaker 1: type of purpose. Once we took custod of it, it

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Speaker 1: was in our custody and no one else had any

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Speaker 1: type of access to that van. Did the vehicle go

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Speaker 1: straight from Pilot Country to the Sheriff's department or did

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Speaker 1: it go home to Big Cat first? No, that wouldn't

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Speaker 1: be how we would do any type of evidence in

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Speaker 1: a case. Once we recover something, there would be no

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Speaker 1: reason for it to go anywhere else except there are

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Speaker 1: our office for processing. Okay, so you believe you took

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Speaker 1: it straight from Pilot Country Airport, not from the Big Cat. No,

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Speaker 1: I couldn't think of any other reason that. Like I said,

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Speaker 1: once we take custody of anything, it comes, it comes

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Speaker 1: with us to maintain that chain of custody that comes

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Speaker 1: with us. Sheriff Chronister, what about the theory that Don

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Speaker 1: Lewis's remains are buried under Carol Basket's septic tank or

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Speaker 1: that he was put through her meat grinder, which I

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Speaker 1: understand to be about the big around as the peanut

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Speaker 1: butter jar. Yeah, that'd be extremely difficult. And like I said,

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Speaker 1: I think the Netflix series got some things right some

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Speaker 1: things that they didn't get right, and they lead some

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Speaker 1: of us to believe that, yes, it was in a

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Speaker 1: meat grinder, where the meat grinder wasn't even recovered on

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Speaker 1: the premises, it wasn't at the sanctuary at the time

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Speaker 1: that this alleged disappearance occurred. And then they talk about

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Speaker 1: the septic tank. The septic tank wasn't even installed until

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Speaker 1: several years after his disappearance. So those theories, again are

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Speaker 1: refuted crime stories with Nancy Grace. With me as Sheriff

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Speaker 1: Chad Chronister or the elected sheriff of Hillsborough County Sheriff.

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Speaker 1: You know, my expertise is criminal law, murder to be specific.

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Speaker 1: But I have written a wheel or two in my time,

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Speaker 1: and I've certainly studied a lot more. I've never seen

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Speaker 1: a wheel that says if I die or disappear, you

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Speaker 1: get all my money. I mean, you're right, A will

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Speaker 1: for when you're dead, not when you go missing. And

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Speaker 1: isn't it quite the coincidence that he, in fact, Don

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Speaker 1: Lewis went missing. Did someone actually believe they could benefit

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Speaker 1: under a document that says, if I go missing, you

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Speaker 1: get my money. It's certainly one of the biggest suspicious

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Speaker 1: items I think in this entire investigation that anyone would

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Speaker 1: create a will. And I've talked to several probate attorneys

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Speaker 1: and again yourself that has all these years of experience,

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Speaker 1: and no one ever has ever heard of a will

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Speaker 1: with a disappearance clause in it. If I disappear for

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Speaker 1: any type of reason, leave my wealth to this certain individual.

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Speaker 1: And the individual of the individuals that weren't included any

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Speaker 1: of his four children that he absolutely adored. I would

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Speaker 1: say that's extremely suspicious. It gets more suspicious because one

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Speaker 1: of the individuals who came forward and said that she

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Speaker 1: witnessed all the signatures fast forward from nineteen ninety seven

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Speaker 1: to two thousand and six. She came forward said she

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Speaker 1: felt pressured at the time to say that it was

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Speaker 1: signed by everyone, and then she wanted to recant her

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Speaker 1: story and said she did not witness the signatures. Well,

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Speaker 1: who pressured her to write to sign that she saw

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Speaker 1: Don Lewis sign as will who pressured her. According to her, well,

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Speaker 1: there's one person that's not here any longer, So I

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Speaker 1: think we could all deduct the fact that it had

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Speaker 1: to be Carol. And I think she says that in

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Speaker 1: her statement, I'm pretty confident. She says that she to

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Speaker 1: prove her allegiance to Carol, that she felt pressured into

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Speaker 1: saying that she witnessed those signatures. And again as time

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Speaker 1: goes forward, she feels more comfortable. Once to get off

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Speaker 1: her chest, calls investigators with our office and says, hey, listen,

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Speaker 1: I have to tell you I didn't witness that will

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Speaker 1: being signed. All four of his children were cut out

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Speaker 1: of the will. What do they say to that, sheriff, Well,

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Speaker 1: they don't think that that will was in existence. They

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Speaker 1: don't think that their dad had that will. Think about it.

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Speaker 1: Another thing that becomes extremely suspicious. A wealthy person leaves

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Speaker 1: and leaves their wealth behind, leaves their four kids that

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Speaker 1: they have a relationship in loving a door behind, and

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Speaker 1: then leaves this will in question behind. Like I said,

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Speaker 1: you don't have to be an investigator or a homicide

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Speaker 1: prosecutor to know that this is extremely suspicious. Is it

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Speaker 1: true that Don Lewis had a one point to million

387
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Speaker 1: dollar life insurance policy. I knew he had a life

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Speaker 1: insurance policy. I don't know what the amount was. I

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Speaker 1: do know he was worth that we can confirm around

390
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Speaker 1: six to seven million. Some even believe this net worth

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Speaker 1: was closer to twenty million dollars. Do you know who

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Speaker 1: the beneficiary of the life insurance was. I'm gonna go

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Speaker 1: out in the limb here and say, Carol Baskets, you

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Speaker 1: better get on at sheriff. Sheriff. Since the Netflix, let

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Speaker 1: me just say, show, have you gotten any new leads?

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Speaker 1: I understand you're getting six to ten calls today, a

397
00:25:31,960 --> 00:25:35,639
Speaker 1: lot of them conspiracy nuts, But still, have you gotten

398
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Speaker 1: any leads? You know, at the beginning, it was a

399
00:25:39,240 --> 00:25:43,159
Speaker 1: lot of theories. People that watched the documentary, watch the

400
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Speaker 1: Netflix series and say, hey, listen, I know who did

401
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Speaker 1: it and this is how it was done. But I

402
00:25:47,480 --> 00:25:50,199
Speaker 1: have to tell you what. Now that time has passed

403
00:25:50,200 --> 00:25:53,439
Speaker 1: and this Netflix series has become even more popular, we

404
00:25:53,560 --> 00:25:56,600
Speaker 1: have some leads coming in now. Our detectives are following

405
00:25:56,680 --> 00:26:00,879
Speaker 1: up some leads, conducting some additional interviews, looking into some

406
00:26:00,960 --> 00:26:05,440
Speaker 1: different Now will this become viable? Will these leads help

407
00:26:05,520 --> 00:26:09,119
Speaker 1: us lead to who's responsible for this death? That still

408
00:26:09,960 --> 00:26:12,880
Speaker 1: remains a question, but at this time there's some good,

409
00:26:12,960 --> 00:26:16,480
Speaker 1: viable leads. They're doing some interviews with the children again

410
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Speaker 1: with Anne McQueen, them, his personal assistant, his attorney, So

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Speaker 1: doing a lot more interviews and it seems like there's

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Speaker 1: a lot lot more for us to follow up on.

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Speaker 1: So I have to tell you what, with the popularity

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Speaker 1: of this Netflix series, I feel extremely optimistics, extremely optimistic

415
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Speaker 1: that this is what's going to help us solve this case.

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Speaker 1: You know, a lot of people have attacked the Netflix

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Speaker 1: series as being not real or not true. I think

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Speaker 1: that what we saw was true, but I don't think

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Speaker 1: they used to trick camera. But I think that there's

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Speaker 1: the other side of every one of those characters, like

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00:27:00,359 --> 00:27:03,439
Speaker 1: having a trial where you only have direct examination and

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00:27:03,560 --> 00:27:07,720
Speaker 1: no cross examination, but not only was entertaining. I also

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00:27:07,840 --> 00:27:11,479
Speaker 1: think that it is stirring up leads. Do you believe,

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00:27:11,520 --> 00:27:19,480
Speaker 1: Sheriff Chronister that Don Lewis's will was forged? I believe

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00:27:19,520 --> 00:27:23,600
Speaker 1: this will was forged. I don't a couple of different reasons.

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Speaker 1: One someone who said they witnessed at the time at

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00:27:26,400 --> 00:27:29,919
Speaker 1: the time, the signatures recancers story, and again I think

428
00:27:30,000 --> 00:27:34,080
Speaker 1: the biggest part is the first time ever hearing that

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Speaker 1: someone put a disappearance clause to make sure that they

430
00:27:36,640 --> 00:27:42,320
Speaker 1: received the full, beneicit full benefits of an executed will Sheriff.

431
00:27:42,480 --> 00:27:46,880
Speaker 1: Have you spoken to Don Lewis, his lawyer who has

432
00:27:46,920 --> 00:27:51,439
Speaker 1: the theory on what happened? We have, not me personally,

433
00:27:51,440 --> 00:27:53,720
Speaker 1: but our investigators did reach out to him and talk

434
00:27:53,800 --> 00:27:59,760
Speaker 1: to him this this this past week and what's his theory.

435
00:28:00,080 --> 00:28:02,639
Speaker 1: Unfortunately I can't share that because that would you know,

436
00:28:02,840 --> 00:28:07,440
Speaker 1: a part of this investigation, and being an investigatory investigatory lead,

437
00:28:07,480 --> 00:28:10,840
Speaker 1: I can't share that. I don't know how accurate. Is

438
00:28:10,920 --> 00:28:16,320
Speaker 1: the only time will tell? Well, Pip, I want to

439
00:28:16,359 --> 00:28:18,920
Speaker 1: go back to the night where I like to take

440
00:28:18,960 --> 00:28:27,520
Speaker 1: all investigations, to the night that Don Lewis went missing. Now,

441
00:28:27,720 --> 00:28:31,320
Speaker 1: he was last seen by people at the animal sanctuary

442
00:28:31,400 --> 00:28:36,919
Speaker 1: Big Cat when other than Carol Baskin, I believe at

443
00:28:36,960 --> 00:28:39,959
Speaker 1: least forty eight hours prior to that, so we have

444
00:28:40,000 --> 00:28:44,479
Speaker 1: a little window there when his disappearance occurred, from the

445
00:28:44,600 --> 00:28:47,080
Speaker 1: day almost two days that it took for her to

446
00:28:47,160 --> 00:28:50,520
Speaker 1: report him, and a couple of days that people had

447
00:28:50,600 --> 00:28:53,200
Speaker 1: besides her that hadn't seen him. You have a few

448
00:28:53,280 --> 00:28:57,440
Speaker 1: days in there that that I believe that's when. That's

449
00:28:57,440 --> 00:29:02,440
Speaker 1: when he was killed. So we've got about a four hour,

450
00:29:02,800 --> 00:29:06,480
Speaker 1: excuse me, a four day window where he could have

451
00:29:06,640 --> 00:29:09,600
Speaker 1: been killed. Nobody saw him at Big Cat. No one,

452
00:29:09,800 --> 00:29:14,400
Speaker 1: no banker, no friend, no lawyer, Nobody saw him for

453
00:29:14,440 --> 00:29:19,920
Speaker 1: about two days before he went to Costa Rica. That's it.

454
00:29:20,040 --> 00:29:25,040
Speaker 1: No telephone calls, no business transactions. So again I think

455
00:29:25,080 --> 00:29:29,000
Speaker 1: that these are more details that only make this death

456
00:29:29,080 --> 00:29:32,920
Speaker 1: more suspicious and only lead us to believe that again

457
00:29:33,920 --> 00:29:39,160
Speaker 1: it was a homicide. And you and your staff investigated

458
00:29:39,200 --> 00:29:44,040
Speaker 1: that regarding banking transactions, meetings, you know, daytimers where he

459
00:29:44,080 --> 00:29:46,960
Speaker 1: was supposed to be. Nobody at Big Cat saw him.

460
00:29:47,080 --> 00:29:50,240
Speaker 1: Nobody but Carol Baskin saw him, according to her, in

461
00:29:50,280 --> 00:29:53,240
Speaker 1: the two days leading up to his disappearance, and then

462
00:29:53,360 --> 00:29:55,760
Speaker 1: you got another two days before he was reported missing.

463
00:29:55,880 --> 00:30:02,400
Speaker 1: Is that correct, that's correct? Okay, four day window. We

464
00:30:02,520 --> 00:30:05,160
Speaker 1: know most likely he did not go out of the

465
00:30:05,160 --> 00:30:07,600
Speaker 1: country because he didn't take his passports and we don't

466
00:30:07,600 --> 00:30:11,080
Speaker 1: know of a third passport, is that correct. And he

467
00:30:11,160 --> 00:30:13,680
Speaker 1: never chartered or plane. There's no record that he chartered plane,

468
00:30:13,720 --> 00:30:16,360
Speaker 1: and he even went with someone else even if you decided, hey,

469
00:30:16,360 --> 00:30:21,040
Speaker 1: I'm flying without anything again. Just I feel confident in

470
00:30:21,200 --> 00:30:26,280
Speaker 1: saying that he never left this country. Now, what theory

471
00:30:27,200 --> 00:30:32,480
Speaker 1: is your working theory about how he was killed? I'm

472
00:30:32,520 --> 00:30:36,000
Speaker 1: not sure. I feel confident that he was killed. Who

473
00:30:36,080 --> 00:30:39,480
Speaker 1: did it, how it was done, that's the missing piece

474
00:30:39,560 --> 00:30:43,240
Speaker 1: that we need to try to solve this case. Well,

475
00:30:43,240 --> 00:30:45,520
Speaker 1: didn't you tell me at one point you thought he

476
00:30:45,560 --> 00:30:47,200
Speaker 1: went up in a plane and was pushed out into

477
00:30:47,200 --> 00:30:51,560
Speaker 1: the gulf. No, I didn't say that. No, someone else.

478
00:30:51,640 --> 00:30:55,400
Speaker 1: Most is that I had heard that theory. I heard

479
00:30:55,440 --> 00:30:57,880
Speaker 1: that theory that whoever he was with or halfway through

480
00:30:57,920 --> 00:31:00,000
Speaker 1: the golf pushed him out of the plane. I heard

481
00:31:00,160 --> 00:31:04,320
Speaker 1: that same theory, but that didn't come from me. So

482
00:31:04,360 --> 00:31:06,880
Speaker 1: there is the theory circulating that he went up an

483
00:31:06,880 --> 00:31:10,440
Speaker 1: a plane and was pushed out into the Gulf of Mexico.

484
00:31:11,520 --> 00:31:16,280
Speaker 1: But that would require at least one other person, because

485
00:31:16,320 --> 00:31:20,760
Speaker 1: a pilot can't stop flying the plane and push somebody

486
00:31:20,760 --> 00:31:23,560
Speaker 1: out of the plane. I don't think they can't anyway,

487
00:31:23,640 --> 00:31:26,520
Speaker 1: which would suggest to me that more than one person

488
00:31:26,720 --> 00:31:29,040
Speaker 1: is involved. Do you believe more than one person is

489
00:31:29,080 --> 00:31:36,200
Speaker 1: involved in Lewis's murder? I wholeheartedly believe this is so complicated,

490
00:31:36,320 --> 00:31:41,080
Speaker 1: so sophisticated, so complex, that there was at least more

491
00:31:41,120 --> 00:31:45,280
Speaker 1: than one person that committed this homicide and stage this

492
00:31:45,640 --> 00:31:49,800
Speaker 1: entire theatrical if you would, if you a lack of

493
00:31:49,800 --> 00:31:53,800
Speaker 1: a better term, theatrics here at the airport and everything

494
00:31:53,800 --> 00:31:57,000
Speaker 1: else to lead anyone to believe that he had fled

495
00:31:57,040 --> 00:32:00,240
Speaker 1: the country and just left everyone behind. One. Indeed, there's

496
00:32:00,280 --> 00:32:02,720
Speaker 1: no doubt in my mind that he was killed right

497
00:32:02,760 --> 00:32:05,840
Speaker 1: here in our country. How it was done, how many

498
00:32:05,840 --> 00:32:09,760
Speaker 1: people were involved, and who's responsible for this. We're gonna

499
00:32:09,800 --> 00:32:13,960
Speaker 1: find out sheriff crossed or what was at the home

500
00:32:14,800 --> 00:32:19,200
Speaker 1: when your people got there? Were bags packed? Did it

501
00:32:19,280 --> 00:32:23,160
Speaker 1: look like they were planning a trip to leave? I'm

502
00:32:23,400 --> 00:32:25,960
Speaker 1: I'm not sure, Nancy, I don't. I don't remember those

503
00:32:26,000 --> 00:32:27,760
Speaker 1: detail a lot of the questions that I asked during

504
00:32:27,800 --> 00:32:30,880
Speaker 1: the briefing with the investigators, and that was one thing.

505
00:32:31,160 --> 00:32:35,120
Speaker 1: I do remember a comment that that they were packing

506
00:32:35,160 --> 00:32:38,760
Speaker 1: the leave, but whether there were suitcases and what was there,

507
00:32:38,800 --> 00:32:42,680
Speaker 1: and how how staged this whole sanctuary was with the

508
00:32:42,760 --> 00:32:46,960
Speaker 1: cargo truck, I don't. I don't remember that. What was

509
00:32:47,000 --> 00:32:50,760
Speaker 1: her demeanor at the time. I don't believe I mean

510
00:32:50,760 --> 00:32:53,800
Speaker 1: she was cooperative, but I don't believe at any time,

511
00:32:53,960 --> 00:33:00,240
Speaker 1: including now, I don't believe she ever appeared overwhelmingly, aren't

512
00:33:00,240 --> 00:33:03,120
Speaker 1: broken that her husband was missing. I don't know if

513
00:33:03,120 --> 00:33:06,040
Speaker 1: it's because he had another life with the mistress down

514
00:33:06,040 --> 00:33:09,880
Speaker 1: in Costa Rica, if she knew this marriage was coming

515
00:33:09,960 --> 00:33:14,280
Speaker 1: to an end. But again, my wife is my world.

516
00:33:15,000 --> 00:33:19,000
Speaker 1: If it was yesterday, today, or twenty years from now,

517
00:33:19,240 --> 00:33:22,960
Speaker 1: I would dedicate my life. I would post rewards everywhere,

518
00:33:23,240 --> 00:33:26,800
Speaker 1: There would be signs everywhere, my new life's work would

519
00:33:26,840 --> 00:33:33,760
Speaker 1: be trying to find my wife. This never happened. Was

520
00:33:33,800 --> 00:33:38,280
Speaker 1: there ever a reward posted? There was never any reward

521
00:33:38,400 --> 00:33:44,040
Speaker 1: posted for his disappearance? Was there ever an online plea

522
00:33:44,280 --> 00:33:50,560
Speaker 1: or a televised plea to help find him? By Carol Baton? Again,

523
00:33:51,120 --> 00:33:54,240
Speaker 1: it's my understanding there was never any type of overt

524
00:33:54,280 --> 00:33:57,840
Speaker 1: action taken to try to find out where her husband was.

525
00:34:00,200 --> 00:34:03,719
Speaker 1: Do you know, Sheriff Chronister, if she came to the

526
00:34:03,760 --> 00:34:07,680
Speaker 1: Sheriff's office day in, day out, week by week trying

527
00:34:07,680 --> 00:34:10,560
Speaker 1: to find out what's the latest in my husband's disappearance.

528
00:34:12,000 --> 00:34:15,560
Speaker 1: I do know that the answers no, that that never happened,

529
00:34:16,440 --> 00:34:19,680
Speaker 1: even as recent as twenty eleven was the last communication

530
00:34:19,719 --> 00:34:21,839
Speaker 1: that we had for her, and that's when we asked

531
00:34:21,880 --> 00:34:24,080
Speaker 1: her to come in to take a polygraph, and she

532
00:34:24,200 --> 00:34:27,719
Speaker 1: declines that it wouldn't vindicate her of any type of

533
00:34:28,360 --> 00:34:30,640
Speaker 1: in any way, shape or form, and at the same time,

534
00:34:30,640 --> 00:34:34,080
Speaker 1: it wouldn't prohibit the Sheriff's office from taking future criminal

535
00:34:34,080 --> 00:34:37,239
Speaker 1: actions against her. So she declined to take a polygraph.

536
00:34:37,640 --> 00:34:40,960
Speaker 1: And from from what I what knowledge I have in

537
00:34:41,000 --> 00:34:43,759
Speaker 1: this case, that's the last time we had spoken with her.

538
00:34:46,960 --> 00:34:51,839
Speaker 1: To the best of your knowledge, did she ever call

539
00:34:51,960 --> 00:34:59,719
Speaker 1: back to find out about your investigation on her missing husband? Ever? Not,

540
00:34:59,760 --> 00:35:02,080
Speaker 1: to my knowledge, there was never any type of phone

541
00:35:02,120 --> 00:35:07,000
Speaker 1: calls made again, nothing overt again that would lead anyone

542
00:35:07,040 --> 00:35:11,200
Speaker 1: to believe that it's suspicious that somebody wouldn't be more,

543
00:35:11,880 --> 00:35:14,879
Speaker 1: wouldn't have a bigger reaction to the fact that their

544
00:35:15,000 --> 00:35:19,239
Speaker 1: husbands has disappeared. Even if the marriage had failed or

545
00:35:19,440 --> 00:35:22,080
Speaker 1: was failing or coming to an end, you would still

546
00:35:22,120 --> 00:35:24,880
Speaker 1: think that emotion would be there where you would be

547
00:35:24,920 --> 00:35:27,680
Speaker 1: doing everything you could to try to find your husband.

548
00:35:37,400 --> 00:35:44,320
Speaker 1: Crime stories with Nancy Grace. Have you got any plan

549
00:35:44,600 --> 00:35:50,960
Speaker 1: to re interview her? I think we will. I don't

550
00:35:51,080 --> 00:35:54,120
Speaker 1: think it's in immediate plans. I think there's a lot

551
00:35:54,160 --> 00:35:57,040
Speaker 1: more pressing priorities to talk to her children, to figure

552
00:35:57,080 --> 00:36:01,160
Speaker 1: out exactly for the investigator's twenty three years later now,

553
00:36:01,200 --> 00:36:03,920
Speaker 1: to figure out exactly who was Don Lewis twenty three

554
00:36:04,000 --> 00:36:07,040
Speaker 1: years ago, what was his life like then, and then

555
00:36:07,120 --> 00:36:10,160
Speaker 1: try to build from there. Talk to the office manager,

556
00:36:10,719 --> 00:36:13,680
Speaker 1: probably end up going to Costa Rica and reinterviewing individuals

557
00:36:13,719 --> 00:36:17,120
Speaker 1: down there. She would probably be the last individual that

558
00:36:17,200 --> 00:36:20,680
Speaker 1: we would ask and I don't I don't know for

559
00:36:20,760 --> 00:36:23,600
Speaker 1: what reason we would have to talk to her again.

560
00:36:23,640 --> 00:36:27,640
Speaker 1: And unless we develop any type of probable calls and

561
00:36:27,719 --> 00:36:31,560
Speaker 1: wanted to go talk to her at that time, Why

562
00:36:31,560 --> 00:36:33,439
Speaker 1: do you say she'd be the last person you talked

563
00:36:33,440 --> 00:36:39,080
Speaker 1: to Because I think with her and again I understand

564
00:36:39,080 --> 00:36:41,040
Speaker 1: why she wouldn't, but I think because of her lack

565
00:36:41,080 --> 00:36:45,359
Speaker 1: of cooperation, not being willing to take a polygraph. I

566
00:36:45,360 --> 00:36:48,239
Speaker 1: don't think she's gonna offer us anything that we don't

567
00:36:48,280 --> 00:36:54,879
Speaker 1: already gleam from from previous interviews or evidence collected. What

568
00:36:54,960 --> 00:36:58,080
Speaker 1: was their reason, what was her stated reason they were

569
00:36:58,080 --> 00:37:04,240
Speaker 1: going to Costa Rica. I don't remember that detail, Nancy,

570
00:37:04,320 --> 00:37:07,240
Speaker 1: I don't, I don't know. I recall that she said

571
00:37:07,360 --> 00:37:12,520
Speaker 1: they were going to take some vehicles to Costa Rica,

572
00:37:13,000 --> 00:37:17,399
Speaker 1: and I'm curious if that was ever corroborated. Were their

573
00:37:17,520 --> 00:37:21,240
Speaker 1: vehicles to be taken to Costa Rica? Was the stated

574
00:37:21,320 --> 00:37:26,880
Speaker 1: purpose real? Was it corroborated? I don't know, Again with

575
00:37:26,880 --> 00:37:32,359
Speaker 1: with my minimal knowledge of getting some some weekly briefings

576
00:37:32,360 --> 00:37:35,600
Speaker 1: on this case since we've reopened the investigation. And that's

577
00:37:35,640 --> 00:37:37,239
Speaker 1: one of the details that I that I'm just not

578
00:37:37,320 --> 00:37:40,840
Speaker 1: aware of, certainly one that when you bring up, I'm curious.

579
00:37:40,840 --> 00:37:44,839
Speaker 1: I want to check out what was his business down there?

580
00:37:46,800 --> 00:37:49,600
Speaker 1: He had real estate. He had a bunch of real

581
00:37:49,719 --> 00:37:52,080
Speaker 1: estate dealings down here. I think at one point, if

582
00:37:52,080 --> 00:37:54,680
Speaker 1: memory serves me correct, he even had a card dealership.

583
00:37:54,719 --> 00:37:56,799
Speaker 1: But again, he was he was involved in a lot

584
00:37:56,840 --> 00:38:03,920
Speaker 1: of different businesses. Like what I heard that he had

585
00:38:03,920 --> 00:38:06,920
Speaker 1: loaned money to individuals, so I think he he uh,

586
00:38:07,040 --> 00:38:09,719
Speaker 1: not only loaned money. I think he was in some development.

587
00:38:09,760 --> 00:38:12,080
Speaker 1: I think he had some real estate dealings. I think

588
00:38:12,080 --> 00:38:15,040
Speaker 1: he was involved in an auto dealership. So I think

589
00:38:15,040 --> 00:38:16,719
Speaker 1: it was a It was a lot of different businesses.

590
00:38:18,120 --> 00:38:24,040
Speaker 1: Anything dirty. Now, I had heard that some of his

591
00:38:24,200 --> 00:38:28,560
Speaker 1: dealings in Costa Rica, we were shade he was dealing

592
00:38:28,560 --> 00:38:32,360
Speaker 1: with some shady business characters down there, loaning money and

593
00:38:32,360 --> 00:38:36,640
Speaker 1: and and business dealings down in Costa Rica. We were suspicious,

594
00:38:36,719 --> 00:38:42,680
Speaker 1: but but again nothing that that I personally confirmed. Well,

595
00:38:42,719 --> 00:38:46,720
Speaker 1: you know what that opens up, uh a Pandora's box

596
00:38:47,160 --> 00:38:50,000
Speaker 1: of who could have killed Don Lewis? Now you and

597
00:38:50,040 --> 00:38:54,080
Speaker 1: I know, statistically it's a spouse, the lover the X.

598
00:38:54,840 --> 00:38:58,840
Speaker 1: Statistically that's who did it or who saw him last.

599
00:38:59,719 --> 00:39:04,920
Speaker 1: But when you're talking about someone with such wide business dealings,

600
00:39:04,960 --> 00:39:09,840
Speaker 1: as you put it, that opens up the pool of possibilities.

601
00:39:10,640 --> 00:39:16,080
Speaker 1: Did Don Lewis have other enemies from loaning money, from

602
00:39:16,120 --> 00:39:21,560
Speaker 1: developing from his other businesses? We're focusing on Big Cat,

603
00:39:21,760 --> 00:39:25,960
Speaker 1: but he did a lot more than that, right, And

604
00:39:26,000 --> 00:39:29,000
Speaker 1: I think that's why it would be irresponsible to call

605
00:39:29,120 --> 00:39:32,880
Speaker 1: Carol Baskins, even after watching a Netflix series, even a

606
00:39:33,640 --> 00:39:36,960
Speaker 1: person of interest. It's not. There are other people who

607
00:39:37,160 --> 00:39:40,560
Speaker 1: benefited by his death. So I think again that's why

608
00:39:40,560 --> 00:39:43,240
Speaker 1: it would be irresponsible. And as much as some people

609
00:39:43,239 --> 00:39:45,040
Speaker 1: watch the documentary and say it has to be it

610
00:39:45,160 --> 00:39:48,839
Speaker 1: has to be her, just like you said, throughout our

611
00:39:48,920 --> 00:39:52,279
Speaker 1: investigative history, it's usually a spouse. You know that that

612
00:39:52,440 --> 00:39:56,560
Speaker 1: probability comes in. But again, it would be irresponsible of

613
00:39:56,719 --> 00:40:00,840
Speaker 1: me to say that she's not even not a suspect,

614
00:40:01,239 --> 00:40:03,440
Speaker 1: but not even a person of interest a person of

615
00:40:03,480 --> 00:40:06,040
Speaker 1: interest at this point, because there were there were too

616
00:40:06,040 --> 00:40:09,400
Speaker 1: many other people involved in this. His life was no

617
00:40:09,520 --> 00:40:12,160
Speaker 1: less complicated than any of the other and I hate

618
00:40:12,160 --> 00:40:15,560
Speaker 1: to say characters, but characters in this Netflix series, and

619
00:40:15,600 --> 00:40:17,920
Speaker 1: I think the fact that they were so eccentric and

620
00:40:18,000 --> 00:40:21,920
Speaker 1: so so complex themselves, I think that's what made it

621
00:40:21,960 --> 00:40:24,600
Speaker 1: so entertaining for the thirty five million Americans that I

622
00:40:24,640 --> 00:40:28,320
Speaker 1: watched it. The only sad part is is this was true.

623
00:40:28,520 --> 00:40:31,920
Speaker 1: This wasn't made up. This this this was these individuals,

624
00:40:32,080 --> 00:40:34,799
Speaker 1: This was how they lived. Well, his life was no

625
00:40:34,920 --> 00:40:40,759
Speaker 1: less complicated. I mean, Sheriff, isn't it true that she

626
00:40:40,920 --> 00:40:45,400
Speaker 1: may have known about the mistress and she when he disappeared,

627
00:40:45,920 --> 00:40:48,600
Speaker 1: she was just fed up and said, fine, you can

628
00:40:48,719 --> 00:40:53,200
Speaker 1: have him take him. And that's a plot. That's a

629
00:40:54,320 --> 00:40:58,440
Speaker 1: that's certainly a logical explanation. Again, I think she was

630
00:40:58,480 --> 00:41:01,439
Speaker 1: aware of his miss down there. A matter of fact,

631
00:41:01,520 --> 00:41:04,440
Speaker 1: I think at some point she allus to the fact

632
00:41:04,480 --> 00:41:08,080
Speaker 1: that he loved sex so much and that when she

633
00:41:08,200 --> 00:41:10,520
Speaker 1: was on her menstrual cycle. That's when he would always

634
00:41:10,760 --> 00:41:13,719
Speaker 1: fly down the Costa Rica to have sex down there. Um,

635
00:41:13,840 --> 00:41:16,040
Speaker 1: I believe that that came from her. That was a

636
00:41:16,120 --> 00:41:21,160
Speaker 1: statement that that she made. I don't recall asking you that,

637
00:41:21,400 --> 00:41:27,560
Speaker 1: but okay, um, Sheriff, I mean, think about it. If

638
00:41:27,600 --> 00:41:31,120
Speaker 1: I found out my husband, God help him, was cheating,

639
00:41:32,080 --> 00:41:35,759
Speaker 1: I'd say, you know what, you can have him. I'd

640
00:41:35,800 --> 00:41:37,680
Speaker 1: be mad if you didn't, and don't send him back

641
00:41:37,760 --> 00:41:40,800
Speaker 1: cod to my front porch because I'm changing the locks

642
00:41:41,160 --> 00:41:44,600
Speaker 1: and that would be it. So I agree, that's a

643
00:41:44,840 --> 00:41:49,799
Speaker 1: that's a plausible just fed up, that's a plausible explanation

644
00:41:49,960 --> 00:41:52,839
Speaker 1: that again, the marriage was over, didn't have doesn't make

645
00:41:52,840 --> 00:41:55,399
Speaker 1: her more of a suspect. The marriage might have been

646
00:41:55,440 --> 00:41:58,120
Speaker 1: over and that love loss was gone, and she's like, listen,

647
00:41:58,120 --> 00:42:00,719
Speaker 1: you're cheating on me. You're with someone else. You have

648
00:42:01,239 --> 00:42:04,000
Speaker 1: a little bit of another life. You're not with me

649
00:42:04,040 --> 00:42:06,000
Speaker 1: as much as I want you to be with the

650
00:42:06,080 --> 00:42:12,000
Speaker 1: with the cattle, bear, bakers, a house, a bottler, and

651
00:42:12,080 --> 00:42:18,080
Speaker 1: a mistress, he's all in. Sheriff. No, no, I no,

652
00:42:18,200 --> 00:42:20,759
Speaker 1: I agree with you. I'm talking about with the cat sanctuary.

653
00:42:20,880 --> 00:42:23,120
Speaker 1: He was at the point that he felt that she

654
00:42:23,280 --> 00:42:26,400
Speaker 1: was spending too much time and money on the sanctuary.

655
00:42:26,719 --> 00:42:29,040
Speaker 1: And people have to remember he's the one that opened

656
00:42:29,080 --> 00:42:32,080
Speaker 1: that up. That wasn't Carol's. He founded that he had

657
00:42:32,120 --> 00:42:35,480
Speaker 1: that when he met Carol. And again, I think that

658
00:42:35,880 --> 00:42:39,759
Speaker 1: they were living separate lives and uh, and again that

659
00:42:40,000 --> 00:42:42,560
Speaker 1: I think that love loss wasn't there, And it doesn't

660
00:42:42,600 --> 00:42:45,440
Speaker 1: have to be because she wanted him dead. It could

661
00:42:45,480 --> 00:42:50,480
Speaker 1: be again extremely logical, plausible that the love loss was

662
00:42:50,560 --> 00:42:53,839
Speaker 1: just there. But i gotta tell you something, Sheriff. I've

663
00:42:53,880 --> 00:42:59,200
Speaker 1: got to go back to three a m. Milt run

664
00:42:59,800 --> 00:43:03,040
Speaker 1: for tiger milk. I mean, what pet store has opened

665
00:43:03,080 --> 00:43:08,279
Speaker 1: at three am and you run a sanctuary. I mean,

666
00:43:09,280 --> 00:43:13,040
Speaker 1: having twins, there is no way I would put my

667
00:43:13,080 --> 00:43:17,279
Speaker 1: head on the pillow without knowing that I would have

668
00:43:17,320 --> 00:43:22,760
Speaker 1: their bottles ready for during the night. It's just common sense.

669
00:43:22,800 --> 00:43:26,160
Speaker 1: It's really hard for me to believe that that three

670
00:43:26,360 --> 00:43:30,319
Speaker 1: a m. Milk run is bothering me. That is, and

671
00:43:30,400 --> 00:43:35,959
Speaker 1: the will, the will, the extreme wealth. You can't turn

672
00:43:36,000 --> 00:43:40,160
Speaker 1: away from that. Yeah, and the kids that you love,

673
00:43:40,200 --> 00:43:42,840
Speaker 1: you leave them behind, you leave your wealth behind. Again,

674
00:43:42,920 --> 00:43:46,880
Speaker 1: the will extremely suspicious. And again, you have a cat sanctuary,

675
00:43:46,920 --> 00:43:51,000
Speaker 1: that's your business. That's your life. You know, how are

676
00:43:51,040 --> 00:43:54,359
Speaker 1: you not better prepared? And again, like you not a veterinarian,

677
00:43:54,560 --> 00:43:57,720
Speaker 1: but one would believe that you'd be much better prepared

678
00:43:57,800 --> 00:44:01,960
Speaker 1: knowing that you have new cubs. What's your next name? Sheriff?

679
00:44:03,239 --> 00:44:05,239
Speaker 1: We have a lot of what are you gonna do

680
00:44:05,320 --> 00:44:10,200
Speaker 1: now that hasn't been done before, a lot more interviews.

681
00:44:10,239 --> 00:44:12,120
Speaker 1: I think we have a lot more interviews. We have

682
00:44:12,200 --> 00:44:14,840
Speaker 1: some great leads that have come in now. Now I

683
00:44:14,920 --> 00:44:18,200
Speaker 1: say great, I can't say viable because we haven't explored

684
00:44:18,280 --> 00:44:20,680
Speaker 1: them yet. I think once we get past this COVID

685
00:44:20,840 --> 00:44:24,000
Speaker 1: nineteen and we can do some person in person interviews,

686
00:44:24,200 --> 00:44:25,719
Speaker 1: I think we have a lot of work to do.

687
00:44:25,760 --> 00:44:28,359
Speaker 1: I think the investigators over the past two three weeks

688
00:44:28,360 --> 00:44:32,000
Speaker 1: I've done a good job of vetting these leads and

689
00:44:32,120 --> 00:44:35,920
Speaker 1: starting to make contact with with Don's children, with the

690
00:44:35,960 --> 00:44:40,560
Speaker 1: office manager and McQueen, with Don's attorney, and had some

691
00:44:40,600 --> 00:44:44,400
Speaker 1: basic conversation. I think some new information has been shared.

692
00:44:44,560 --> 00:44:46,239
Speaker 1: I think there's a lot of work to be done

693
00:44:46,239 --> 00:44:50,799
Speaker 1: in this case. But I still say there's a conflict

694
00:44:51,920 --> 00:44:55,839
Speaker 1: and inconsistently and inconsistency in the statement that we were

695
00:44:55,840 --> 00:44:59,520
Speaker 1: getting ready to go together to Costa Rica. He went

696
00:44:59,560 --> 00:45:02,759
Speaker 1: to run an errand. I don't know what errand. I

697
00:45:02,800 --> 00:45:06,000
Speaker 1: mean when my husband goes somewhere, I like to think

698
00:45:06,040 --> 00:45:08,879
Speaker 1: that I know where he's going, you know, just lie

699
00:45:08,920 --> 00:45:10,480
Speaker 1: to him, he seell me, where are you going? You're

700
00:45:10,480 --> 00:45:12,520
Speaker 1: go into the drug store, the grocery store, of the gas.

701
00:45:12,840 --> 00:45:17,239
Speaker 1: Just tell me something. What errand? What errand? Sheriff, I'm

702
00:45:17,719 --> 00:45:19,759
Speaker 1: let me ask you what errand? Was he supposed to

703
00:45:19,760 --> 00:45:23,760
Speaker 1: be running and he never came back. I don't remember.

704
00:45:23,840 --> 00:45:27,879
Speaker 1: But listen, I agree with you wholeheartedly. We do know

705
00:45:27,920 --> 00:45:30,279
Speaker 1: where each other are at all times. You know where

706
00:45:30,360 --> 00:45:33,319
Speaker 1: your husband and your wife are. You're exactly right. One

707
00:45:33,480 --> 00:45:38,520
Speaker 1: tails me, well, but let me ask you this. You know,

708
00:45:38,760 --> 00:45:42,200
Speaker 1: going back to his disappearance, would you wait a day

709
00:45:42,280 --> 00:45:44,560
Speaker 1: if he went to run an errand? Would you wait

710
00:45:44,600 --> 00:45:47,560
Speaker 1: a day or longer before you would report him as

711
00:45:47,680 --> 00:45:51,320
Speaker 1: missing or try to contact the police or someone to say, hey,

712
00:45:51,920 --> 00:45:55,920
Speaker 1: my husband's missing. And you're exactly right. And I was

713
00:45:55,960 --> 00:45:59,040
Speaker 1: supposed to go with him, if I was supposed to leave,

714
00:45:59,280 --> 00:46:02,880
Speaker 1: to go out of the tree to Costa Rica to

715
00:46:02,960 --> 00:46:05,840
Speaker 1: help him carry truck, sort of get some exotic animals

716
00:46:05,920 --> 00:46:07,680
Speaker 1: or whatever. If I was supposed to go with him

717
00:46:08,200 --> 00:46:12,400
Speaker 1: and he never came back. Yes, I would report it immediately.

718
00:46:12,960 --> 00:46:14,520
Speaker 1: If I wasn't supposed to go with him and I

719
00:46:14,520 --> 00:46:16,920
Speaker 1: thought he's running off to be with his mistress, I

720
00:46:16,920 --> 00:46:20,759
Speaker 1: wouldn't report him. I think that's where he had gone, right,

721
00:46:21,080 --> 00:46:23,920
Speaker 1: I agree? I agree. There are so many boxes you

722
00:46:23,920 --> 00:46:27,360
Speaker 1: can check as suspicious, and we just keep talking about

723
00:46:27,400 --> 00:46:30,440
Speaker 1: more boxes that we have to check. And again that's

724
00:46:30,480 --> 00:46:33,200
Speaker 1: why you with your experience, me with my twenty eight

725
00:46:33,239 --> 00:46:37,040
Speaker 1: years of experience, we know this was a homicide, no doubt.

726
00:46:38,600 --> 00:46:39,920
Speaker 1: You know, I just want to go back to that

727
00:46:39,960 --> 00:46:43,200
Speaker 1: one thing, and I hate to pick on it again,

728
00:46:43,480 --> 00:46:47,560
Speaker 1: but you know, the devil is in the details. If

729
00:46:47,640 --> 00:46:50,480
Speaker 1: she really thought, sheriff, that he went off to be

730
00:46:50,560 --> 00:46:55,279
Speaker 1: with his mistress, then why I report him missing? Why

731
00:46:55,320 --> 00:46:59,799
Speaker 1: would somebody say, hey, you better call the cops. If

732
00:47:00,000 --> 00:47:03,200
Speaker 1: he thought he took off to be with her, get

733
00:47:03,280 --> 00:47:08,080
Speaker 1: after it go, But why would you ever call the police.

734
00:47:08,400 --> 00:47:12,480
Speaker 1: So she called police because she thought he was missing.

735
00:47:13,080 --> 00:47:16,640
Speaker 1: And if she thought he was missing, then she didn't

736
00:47:16,640 --> 00:47:18,600
Speaker 1: believe he had run off to be with another woman.

737
00:47:18,640 --> 00:47:20,960
Speaker 1: Does that make sense? You can't have it both ways.

738
00:47:21,040 --> 00:47:24,840
Speaker 1: Either you know where he went or he's missing, so

739
00:47:25,040 --> 00:47:27,760
Speaker 1: she reported her missing. She had to believe he didn't

740
00:47:27,760 --> 00:47:31,239
Speaker 1: go be with the woman. You have to get your

741
00:47:31,239 --> 00:47:33,560
Speaker 1: story straight. You're exactly right. You can't have it both

742
00:47:33,600 --> 00:47:37,360
Speaker 1: ways either. Either he's disappeared, he's with someone, you're supposed

743
00:47:37,400 --> 00:47:39,720
Speaker 1: to go with him. You have to get your story straight.

744
00:47:39,920 --> 00:47:43,319
Speaker 1: But again, I think that this whole disappearance plot, I

745
00:47:43,360 --> 00:47:48,160
Speaker 1: think this murder plot was that sophisticated that there's some

746
00:47:48,320 --> 00:47:53,799
Speaker 1: there was some details lost in translation. A sheriff right there.

747
00:47:53,800 --> 00:47:56,240
Speaker 1: When you say it was a sophisticated murder plot, that's

748
00:47:56,320 --> 00:48:00,400
Speaker 1: not a random killing. That is not having a poker

749
00:48:00,440 --> 00:48:04,000
Speaker 1: game and shooting him down over two hundred dollars. That

750
00:48:04,160 --> 00:48:07,399
Speaker 1: is not an armed robbery or a carjacking. That's not

751
00:48:08,200 --> 00:48:10,400
Speaker 1: hitting him in the back of the head at Pilot

752
00:48:10,400 --> 00:48:20,000
Speaker 1: Country Airport and robbing him. Sophisticated means not random. Somebody

753
00:48:20,120 --> 00:48:23,960
Speaker 1: in his life killed him, So you can pretty much

754
00:48:24,200 --> 00:48:27,880
Speaker 1: rule out all other types of crime, such as, you know,

755
00:48:28,160 --> 00:48:33,400
Speaker 1: a carjacking, a robbery, of shooting at a bar and

756
00:48:33,440 --> 00:48:36,120
Speaker 1: then getting rid of the body. This was too planned

757
00:48:36,160 --> 00:48:41,760
Speaker 1: out for that. Yeah, this is too sophisticated for one person.

758
00:48:42,280 --> 00:48:45,760
Speaker 1: And this isn't a crime of passion. This isn't domestic related,

759
00:48:45,960 --> 00:48:48,560
Speaker 1: This isn't a crime of emotion where you get mad

760
00:48:48,600 --> 00:48:52,640
Speaker 1: and upset and you kill somebody. You're exactly right, is

761
00:48:52,880 --> 00:48:56,880
Speaker 1: this was a plot. This was a complex plot stage

762
00:48:56,880 --> 00:49:01,000
Speaker 1: in a car, coming up with different stories, erecting a will.

763
00:49:01,360 --> 00:49:04,359
Speaker 1: There were a lot of things and items that go

764
00:49:04,480 --> 00:49:07,279
Speaker 1: in and that have to be carried out with precision.

765
00:49:07,600 --> 00:49:11,839
Speaker 1: When you talk about a complex, uh murder plot, that

766
00:49:11,920 --> 00:49:14,759
Speaker 1: that that had occurred, and I think some some of

767
00:49:14,760 --> 00:49:18,120
Speaker 1: the details are are are not there, and that's what

768
00:49:18,280 --> 00:49:22,120
Speaker 1: is That's what leads all of us to believe that

769
00:49:22,400 --> 00:49:25,799
Speaker 1: his murder or his disappearance was a murder and that

770
00:49:25,840 --> 00:49:30,320
Speaker 1: it is suspicious. You know, I had a judge, he

771
00:49:30,400 --> 00:49:32,719
Speaker 1: was the oldest judge in the courthouse, sheriff that would

772
00:49:32,719 --> 00:49:36,160
Speaker 1: tell every jury is your duty to make all witnesses

773
00:49:36,160 --> 00:49:40,120
Speaker 1: speak the truth, imputing perjury on no one. In other words,

774
00:49:40,719 --> 00:49:45,120
Speaker 1: is their way for her stories to be true, even

775
00:49:45,120 --> 00:49:49,839
Speaker 1: though to me they seem inconsistent. They can. I think

776
00:49:49,960 --> 00:49:54,279
Speaker 1: that I think they can be true. I think they

777
00:49:54,320 --> 00:49:58,200
Speaker 1: can be valid. I don't think that means that they're consistent.

778
00:49:58,640 --> 00:50:02,000
Speaker 1: I think I can't say that there could be a

779
00:50:02,120 --> 00:50:06,160
Speaker 1: plausible explanation to what she's saying, but again that that

780
00:50:06,280 --> 00:50:12,200
Speaker 1: doesn't deem it unsuspicious in any way, shape or form.

781
00:50:12,360 --> 00:50:20,920
Speaker 1: A plausible explanation for a forged will, allegedly which is

782
00:50:21,000 --> 00:50:24,640
Speaker 1: yet to be proven, a three am milt run at

783
00:50:24,680 --> 00:50:31,800
Speaker 1: an animal sanctuary, a car breaking down, an abandoned vehicle,

784
00:50:33,040 --> 00:50:37,920
Speaker 1: an abandoned briefcase, wallet, keys, and no trace of a

785
00:50:37,960 --> 00:50:42,560
Speaker 1: body or manifest and her getting all his money together,

786
00:50:43,480 --> 00:50:47,520
Speaker 1: and her getting all his money. Forgetting all his money, Oh,

787
00:50:47,560 --> 00:50:50,800
Speaker 1: I did not forget that part. What do you think

788
00:50:50,960 --> 00:51:01,480
Speaker 1: about hate mail directed at you regarding Carol Baskin? Listen,

789
00:51:01,520 --> 00:51:05,200
Speaker 1: whenever you're involved in any type of controversial investigation, you're

790
00:51:05,200 --> 00:51:07,560
Speaker 1: going to have fifty percent of the people that think

791
00:51:07,600 --> 00:51:09,640
Speaker 1: you're a hero. You're gonna have fifty percent of the

792
00:51:09,680 --> 00:51:12,080
Speaker 1: people that hate you. And that comes with the job,

793
00:51:12,160 --> 00:51:14,160
Speaker 1: that comes when you put your big boy pants on

794
00:51:14,360 --> 00:51:18,080
Speaker 1: and come to work. And I certainly, I certainly expect

795
00:51:18,160 --> 00:51:21,600
Speaker 1: that I don't pay much attention to it because my

796
00:51:21,719 --> 00:51:24,239
Speaker 1: job is not to win any fanfare. It's to do

797
00:51:24,320 --> 00:51:26,920
Speaker 1: the right thing, and the right thing is opening up

798
00:51:26,960 --> 00:51:34,040
Speaker 1: this investigation and finally figuring out who committed this homicide sheriff.

799
00:51:34,239 --> 00:51:38,640
Speaker 1: Last question, what about Carol? What about Carol Baskins and

800
00:51:38,719 --> 00:51:41,760
Speaker 1: all the hate meal and the death threat she's getting.

801
00:51:44,080 --> 00:51:48,799
Speaker 1: I mean, after this Netflix series it's exploded. What if

802
00:51:48,920 --> 00:51:51,640
Speaker 1: she's nescent and she ends up being the target of

803
00:51:51,640 --> 00:51:55,800
Speaker 1: a death threat. Well, I don't think whether you're guilty

804
00:51:55,880 --> 00:51:58,080
Speaker 1: or innocent, you should ever have to be a victim

805
00:51:58,160 --> 00:52:00,640
Speaker 1: of a death threat. You know one does and justify

806
00:52:00,760 --> 00:52:03,440
Speaker 1: the other in terms of means, I can tell you

807
00:52:03,480 --> 00:52:06,319
Speaker 1: that she hasn't been that concern for her life where

808
00:52:06,360 --> 00:52:09,799
Speaker 1: she's notified the Hillsborough County Sheriff's office, we haven't heard

809
00:52:09,840 --> 00:52:12,640
Speaker 1: from her. We obviously would do anything in the world

810
00:52:12,880 --> 00:52:16,719
Speaker 1: to protect anyone who may be a victim of any

811
00:52:16,760 --> 00:52:19,560
Speaker 1: type of violence at any time. If that means putting

812
00:52:19,560 --> 00:52:21,640
Speaker 1: a deputy with her at all times, if that means

813
00:52:21,640 --> 00:52:24,239
Speaker 1: putting a police car on the property, then make sure

814
00:52:24,320 --> 00:52:28,400
Speaker 1: she's protected. We haven't heard from Carol Baskins or anyone

815
00:52:28,440 --> 00:52:31,840
Speaker 1: in her family that she has felt an immediate threat

816
00:52:31,880 --> 00:52:38,919
Speaker 1: of harm. Sheriff coronist her. The investigation goes on, Thank

817
00:52:38,920 --> 00:52:39,919
Speaker 1: you for being with us,