1 00:00:06,960 --> 00:00:15,239 Speaker 1: Diversion audio. A note this episode contains mature content and 2 00:00:15,360 --> 00:00:19,319 Speaker 1: quite graphic descriptions of violence that may be disturbing for 3 00:00:19,400 --> 00:00:26,079 Speaker 1: sun listeners. For real, this episode will disturb you. Please 4 00:00:26,120 --> 00:00:38,800 Speaker 1: take care and listening. Don't worry. Everybody is nervous on 5 00:00:38,840 --> 00:00:43,680 Speaker 1: their first mission. That's what Fritz Kleinner told Ian Perkins 6 00:00:44,120 --> 00:00:47,280 Speaker 1: as they pulled out of the campground onto Blue Ridge 7 00:00:47,280 --> 00:00:53,480 Speaker 1: Parkway in the black Chevy Blazer. Ian was terrified. Even 8 00:00:53,520 --> 00:00:57,240 Speaker 1: though his role in this mission was support. He wouldn't 9 00:00:57,280 --> 00:01:01,040 Speaker 1: have to kill anyone himself, and if he did it well, 10 00:01:01,760 --> 00:01:04,200 Speaker 1: Fritz promised that he'd put in a good report to 11 00:01:04,240 --> 00:01:09,080 Speaker 1: the CIA in Langley, Virginia. It was his dream job 12 00:01:09,319 --> 00:01:14,440 Speaker 1: as a patriot. Ian's great uncle had worked for the CIA, 13 00:01:15,560 --> 00:01:19,080 Speaker 1: and the uncle had given him a reference, but Fritz's 14 00:01:19,080 --> 00:01:24,080 Speaker 1: way would expedite his dream. He'd wondered about the arsenal 15 00:01:24,160 --> 00:01:27,960 Speaker 1: of exotic weaponry Fritz owned, but Ian had not put 16 00:01:27,959 --> 00:01:31,640 Speaker 1: it together until a few months before, when Fritz asked 17 00:01:31,680 --> 00:01:36,319 Speaker 1: him to help. The mission had been postponed twice, but 18 00:01:36,480 --> 00:01:41,919 Speaker 1: now here they were with another change of plans. Instead 19 00:01:41,959 --> 00:01:45,440 Speaker 1: of heading to Texas, there was a situation in North 20 00:01:45,440 --> 00:01:49,920 Speaker 1: Carolina they had to take care of first. Fritz withheld 21 00:01:49,960 --> 00:01:52,880 Speaker 1: most of the details because the company worked on a 22 00:01:52,960 --> 00:01:56,600 Speaker 1: need to know basis. They'd need to make stops in 23 00:01:56,680 --> 00:02:00,640 Speaker 1: Winston Salem and Charlotte, and when the job ub was done, 24 00:02:01,240 --> 00:02:04,040 Speaker 1: Fritz would give Ian a third of his nine hundred 25 00:02:04,080 --> 00:02:10,200 Speaker 1: dollars payment for the operation. Ian understood they'd already gone 26 00:02:10,240 --> 00:02:13,160 Speaker 1: down to the campsite and made it look lived in. 27 00:02:14,400 --> 00:02:17,120 Speaker 1: Now he would drop Fritz off near the site of 28 00:02:17,160 --> 00:02:22,800 Speaker 1: the operation and wait at a pre arranged spot. Then 29 00:02:23,400 --> 00:02:26,560 Speaker 1: he'd get to the meeting spot, give Fritz a fifteen 30 00:02:26,560 --> 00:02:29,200 Speaker 1: minute head start in a gold car he'd already planted, 31 00:02:30,000 --> 00:02:33,560 Speaker 1: and head towards Charlotte. Ian would wait at the last 32 00:02:33,600 --> 00:02:38,320 Speaker 1: rest stop before Charlotte. Fritz would shave his beard to 33 00:02:38,360 --> 00:02:42,320 Speaker 1: a Fu Manchu after the first stop. After the second, 34 00:02:42,800 --> 00:02:47,160 Speaker 1: he'd shave off the mustache. Fritz repeated the alibi to 35 00:02:47,200 --> 00:02:52,440 Speaker 1: Ian in case anybody ever asked about this weekend having 36 00:02:52,480 --> 00:02:56,080 Speaker 1: to lie. Bothered Ian it didn't align with the honor 37 00:02:56,200 --> 00:02:59,360 Speaker 1: code at Washington and Lee University, where he was a student. 38 00:03:00,760 --> 00:03:04,960 Speaker 1: Lying could get him kicked out of school. Everything went 39 00:03:05,000 --> 00:03:10,040 Speaker 1: according to plan until they were leaving Winston Salem, Ian 40 00:03:10,160 --> 00:03:15,760 Speaker 1: watched as Fritz got pulled over in the little gold car. Afterward, 41 00:03:15,800 --> 00:03:19,760 Speaker 1: they rendezvous at Lowman's Plaza, where Fritz came up to 42 00:03:19,800 --> 00:03:24,079 Speaker 1: the Chevy Blazer with his briefcase in hand. We've got 43 00:03:24,080 --> 00:03:27,040 Speaker 1: a change of plan, Fritz said. The car won't make 44 00:03:27,080 --> 00:03:29,400 Speaker 1: it to Charlotte. I've got a dump it. We'll have 45 00:03:29,480 --> 00:03:32,600 Speaker 1: to scratch the Charlotte operation. Pick me up where you 46 00:03:32,680 --> 00:03:36,880 Speaker 1: let me out In twenty minutes, Fritz shoved his briefcase 47 00:03:36,960 --> 00:03:40,000 Speaker 1: into the Blazer and went back to the small gold car. 48 00:03:41,600 --> 00:03:45,440 Speaker 1: Ian went back to the Burger Kinge to wait. He 49 00:03:45,600 --> 00:03:48,960 Speaker 1: chain smoked and panicked about what he would say if 50 00:03:48,960 --> 00:03:53,360 Speaker 1: someone asked what he was doing there. Finally, Fritz climbed 51 00:03:53,400 --> 00:03:56,600 Speaker 1: into the seat beside him. Ian wanted to know what 52 00:03:56,640 --> 00:04:01,480 Speaker 1: had happened, but he was afraid to ask. Ian drove 53 00:04:01,560 --> 00:04:04,440 Speaker 1: Fritz to a convenience mart, where he disposed of his 54 00:04:04,520 --> 00:04:09,760 Speaker 1: clothes and disguised himself As planned. They made several more 55 00:04:09,800 --> 00:04:12,360 Speaker 1: stops on the way back to Lexington to dispose of 56 00:04:12,360 --> 00:04:16,560 Speaker 1: his clothes and pick up soft drinks. Next to a 57 00:04:16,600 --> 00:04:20,320 Speaker 1: trash dump in the mountains of Buchanan, Fritz buried the 58 00:04:20,360 --> 00:04:26,120 Speaker 1: ammunition and the briefcase. They made bathroom stops and threw 59 00:04:26,160 --> 00:04:30,280 Speaker 1: other weapons into a lake they passed. Later, back at 60 00:04:30,279 --> 00:04:35,000 Speaker 1: the campground, they packed up and left. Fritz praised him 61 00:04:35,040 --> 00:04:38,960 Speaker 1: for a job well done. Ian asked if a career 62 00:04:39,000 --> 00:04:42,080 Speaker 1: in the CIA would prevent him from getting married and 63 00:04:42,160 --> 00:04:46,560 Speaker 1: having a family. Fritz said when he'd gotten married, he 64 00:04:46,680 --> 00:04:50,640 Speaker 1: told his wife everything. It wasn't until later that she 65 00:04:50,680 --> 00:04:55,320 Speaker 1: had a problem with it. He said, she threatened to 66 00:04:55,360 --> 00:04:57,479 Speaker 1: go public if I didn't get out and settle down. 67 00:04:58,279 --> 00:05:00,320 Speaker 1: I had to tell her that if she did that 68 00:05:00,920 --> 00:05:05,240 Speaker 1: an accident would be arranged. Some poor soul would die 69 00:05:05,240 --> 00:05:07,520 Speaker 1: in my blazer and that would be the end of me. 70 00:05:09,160 --> 00:05:11,080 Speaker 1: I told her that she would have an accident too, 71 00:05:11,760 --> 00:05:16,039 Speaker 1: that it would be a real one. Ian received the 72 00:05:16,040 --> 00:05:20,080 Speaker 1: message loud and clear. He wouldn't tell anyone about this weekend. 73 00:05:36,480 --> 00:05:40,159 Speaker 1: Welcome to the greatest true crime stories ever told. I'm 74 00:05:40,160 --> 00:05:46,240 Speaker 1: Mary Kay McBrayer. Today's episode we're calling Family Betrayal the 75 00:05:46,279 --> 00:05:51,240 Speaker 1: Susie Newsom Lynch Story. It's part three of our three 76 00:05:51,320 --> 00:05:56,080 Speaker 1: part story of Susie Newsom Lynch, and it has everything 77 00:05:56,120 --> 00:06:02,080 Speaker 1: you'd expect from a Southern Gothic tale, aristocratic families, Old 78 00:06:02,160 --> 00:06:09,440 Speaker 1: South racism, paranoia, a feud, and of course murder. This 79 00:06:09,760 --> 00:06:12,599 Speaker 1: is the finale. So if you haven't listened to the 80 00:06:12,640 --> 00:06:16,800 Speaker 1: first parts yet, pause me here, go listen, and then 81 00:06:16,839 --> 00:06:20,800 Speaker 1: come back. I'll tell you all about the grizzly ending 82 00:06:20,839 --> 00:06:42,760 Speaker 1: to this story after this quick break. Okay, listeners, Before 83 00:06:42,800 --> 00:06:45,479 Speaker 1: we get to the end of this saga, I feel 84 00:06:45,480 --> 00:06:48,279 Speaker 1: like it's important that we recap what's happened so far 85 00:06:48,440 --> 00:06:53,200 Speaker 1: because it's a lot. Our body count is already up 86 00:06:53,200 --> 00:06:57,840 Speaker 1: to five. Here's how we got there. Back in nineteen eighty, 87 00:06:58,800 --> 00:07:03,800 Speaker 1: Tom Lynch and Susie Newsom Lynch separated. This was after 88 00:07:03,920 --> 00:07:07,360 Speaker 1: the children showed signs of abuse at Susie's hands, but 89 00:07:07,520 --> 00:07:12,480 Speaker 1: not because of those signs. Tom stayed at his practice 90 00:07:12,520 --> 00:07:16,600 Speaker 1: in New Mexico and Susie returned back to North Carolina 91 00:07:16,720 --> 00:07:20,600 Speaker 1: with full custody of the children. Tom was allowed just 92 00:07:20,720 --> 00:07:25,440 Speaker 1: two court mandated weeks of visitation. That wasn't enough time 93 00:07:25,480 --> 00:07:29,960 Speaker 1: with them, obviously, so Tom asked for more visitation, not 94 00:07:30,080 --> 00:07:34,360 Speaker 1: full custody, not even joint custody. Tom just asked for 95 00:07:34,440 --> 00:07:40,960 Speaker 1: more visitation. Susie said no. Susie withheld the kids. She 96 00:07:41,080 --> 00:07:45,040 Speaker 1: even moved to Taiwan for about a year, Tom kept 97 00:07:45,080 --> 00:07:48,040 Speaker 1: asking to see more of them, but Susie had her 98 00:07:48,080 --> 00:07:52,440 Speaker 1: lawyers tie him up in court. Her main argument was 99 00:07:52,480 --> 00:07:54,800 Speaker 1: that the children were too young to make a connecting 100 00:07:54,840 --> 00:07:57,920 Speaker 1: flight by themselves, and there were no direct flights from 101 00:07:58,000 --> 00:08:02,160 Speaker 1: North Carolina to New Mexico. They would need a chaperone 102 00:08:02,400 --> 00:08:07,920 Speaker 1: both ways, which was of course a small fortune plus 103 00:08:08,280 --> 00:08:13,000 Speaker 1: all these lawyers fees. At one point, Tom went two 104 00:08:13,120 --> 00:08:17,720 Speaker 1: years without seeing his kids. Meanwhile, Susie was not doing well. 105 00:08:18,440 --> 00:08:21,520 Speaker 1: She went to her uncle, a weird experimental doctor, who 106 00:08:21,520 --> 00:08:25,120 Speaker 1: diagnosed her with multiple sclerosis, and then he claimed to 107 00:08:25,120 --> 00:08:29,120 Speaker 1: have cured it with treatments of vitamin C. When doctor 108 00:08:29,160 --> 00:08:33,480 Speaker 1: Fred Klinner died of natural causes, Susie's relationship with his 109 00:08:33,559 --> 00:08:37,520 Speaker 1: son Fritz, who was Susie's first cousin, got really close, 110 00:08:39,200 --> 00:08:44,440 Speaker 1: too close. Susie's mother confronted her about having a romantic 111 00:08:44,480 --> 00:08:49,400 Speaker 1: relationship with her cousin. Susie was super offended at the suggestion. 112 00:08:50,040 --> 00:08:52,880 Speaker 1: They had a huge fight, and Susie stormed out and 113 00:08:52,880 --> 00:08:58,560 Speaker 1: rented her own apartment. Then Fritz moved in. He was 114 00:08:58,679 --> 00:09:03,160 Speaker 1: a scary, weirdo gun freak survivalist, but Susie claimed he 115 00:09:03,240 --> 00:09:06,920 Speaker 1: took care of her and the boys. None of her 116 00:09:06,920 --> 00:09:11,720 Speaker 1: family saw much of Susie, John, or Jim anymore. During 117 00:09:11,800 --> 00:09:14,800 Speaker 1: John and Jim's visitation. In July of nineteen eighty four, 118 00:09:15,760 --> 00:09:18,520 Speaker 1: Tom got a phone call saying his mother and sister 119 00:09:18,640 --> 00:09:23,520 Speaker 1: had been murdered execution style in their family home. So 120 00:09:23,600 --> 00:09:26,080 Speaker 1: that he could deal with being investigated as a suspect 121 00:09:26,720 --> 00:09:29,520 Speaker 1: because he was the sole heir now and grieved for 122 00:09:29,559 --> 00:09:34,320 Speaker 1: them and handle funeral arrangements, Tom asked Susie to extend 123 00:09:34,320 --> 00:09:40,760 Speaker 1: the visitation. Susie refused. When Tom arrived in Kentucky, he 124 00:09:40,800 --> 00:09:43,880 Speaker 1: received a sympathy card in a bouquet from Susie's parents, 125 00:09:43,880 --> 00:09:48,440 Speaker 1: his former in laws, That opened communication between them again, 126 00:09:49,160 --> 00:09:54,120 Speaker 1: and eventually Tom asked Bob, Susie's dad, to testify in 127 00:09:54,160 --> 00:10:00,720 Speaker 1: the custody hearing to allow Tom more visitation. Seven months later, Bob, 128 00:10:01,400 --> 00:10:05,680 Speaker 1: his wife Florence, and his mother Nana were all found 129 00:10:05,800 --> 00:10:10,080 Speaker 1: murdered in Nana's home. The situation was somewhat similar to 130 00:10:10,120 --> 00:10:14,160 Speaker 1: how the bodies of the lynches were discovered. These were 131 00:10:14,200 --> 00:10:19,040 Speaker 1: generally responsible people who communicated well, and they stopped responding 132 00:10:19,080 --> 00:10:22,120 Speaker 1: to phone calls. They didn't show up to pick up 133 00:10:22,160 --> 00:10:25,280 Speaker 1: their granddaughter, and they weren't back at their own house 134 00:10:25,320 --> 00:10:28,360 Speaker 1: by ten PM, when they were supposed to arrive early 135 00:10:28,360 --> 00:10:32,120 Speaker 1: in the afternoon, so the family sent someone over to 136 00:10:32,240 --> 00:10:35,600 Speaker 1: check on them, and the neighbor realized right away that 137 00:10:35,640 --> 00:10:39,360 Speaker 1: they were dead. He called the police and they found 138 00:10:39,400 --> 00:10:44,640 Speaker 1: a similar execution style multiple murder scene, with one big exception. 139 00:10:46,280 --> 00:10:49,839 Speaker 1: Florence had been stabbed many times and her throat had 140 00:10:49,880 --> 00:10:53,640 Speaker 1: been cut, plus she had been shot with multiple bullets 141 00:10:53,640 --> 00:10:57,440 Speaker 1: as well. It was a clear case of unnecessary overkill. 142 00:10:58,960 --> 00:11:01,640 Speaker 1: Another link that they were piecing together was that Bob 143 00:11:01,760 --> 00:11:05,240 Speaker 1: and Florence had agreed to testify for Tom in the 144 00:11:05,320 --> 00:11:10,160 Speaker 1: custody hearing. Detectives had found copies of their correspondents saying 145 00:11:10,200 --> 00:11:15,079 Speaker 1: as much, and although they couldn't be sure, they suspected 146 00:11:15,440 --> 00:11:19,760 Speaker 1: that the contents of Bob's now empty briefcase were what 147 00:11:19,880 --> 00:11:24,040 Speaker 1: had been burned at his feet in Nana's house, and 148 00:11:24,640 --> 00:11:29,880 Speaker 1: they suspected but couldn't prove, that the contents were documents 149 00:11:29,920 --> 00:11:34,640 Speaker 1: relating to that custody case. They were very confident that 150 00:11:34,679 --> 00:11:38,000 Speaker 1: Susie was the link between these two cases of multiple murder, 151 00:11:38,120 --> 00:11:41,480 Speaker 1: but they couldn't yet tell how much Susie was responsible 152 00:11:41,520 --> 00:11:44,080 Speaker 1: for and how much of it was the gun nut 153 00:11:44,080 --> 00:11:49,439 Speaker 1: Fritz is doing. And then they found Fritz's accomplice, Ian Perkins. 154 00:11:50,320 --> 00:11:53,880 Speaker 1: That's the story you heard at the beginning of this episode. 155 00:11:53,920 --> 00:11:57,720 Speaker 1: When police reached out to Ian, his mom answered, and 156 00:11:57,800 --> 00:11:59,840 Speaker 1: she had a strong hunch that they were calling about 157 00:11:59,880 --> 00:12:04,080 Speaker 1: the Knewsome murders. Ian agreed to be interviewed, and he 158 00:12:04,200 --> 00:12:07,760 Speaker 1: caved in to the truth almost immediately. He was so 159 00:12:07,920 --> 00:12:10,959 Speaker 1: remorseful that Ian was willing to do whatever it took 160 00:12:11,240 --> 00:12:16,920 Speaker 1: to help police bring Fritz in. What's wild is when 161 00:12:16,960 --> 00:12:19,920 Speaker 1: Ian said he had no idea what he was doing 162 00:12:20,000 --> 00:12:23,840 Speaker 1: when he served as Fritz's accomplice. This poor guy was 163 00:12:23,880 --> 00:12:28,960 Speaker 1: so gullible that they actually believed him, especially because when 164 00:12:28,960 --> 00:12:31,640 Speaker 1: they asked Ian to wear a wire and meet with Fritz. 165 00:12:32,559 --> 00:12:35,439 Speaker 1: Fritz the guy with an exotic weapons arsenal and a 166 00:12:35,480 --> 00:12:38,600 Speaker 1: booby trapped apartment front door, who's having an affair with 167 00:12:38,679 --> 00:12:41,720 Speaker 1: his first cousin allegedly, but come on, he lives there. 168 00:12:42,080 --> 00:12:45,240 Speaker 1: She's touching on his knee during a police interview. It's happening, okay. 169 00:12:46,080 --> 00:12:48,800 Speaker 1: When police asked Ian to wear a wire and talk 170 00:12:48,880 --> 00:12:52,360 Speaker 1: to Fritz, Ian said yes, right away. He'd do anything 171 00:12:52,400 --> 00:12:56,120 Speaker 1: to help, anything to atone for the crimes he unwittingly 172 00:12:56,200 --> 00:13:02,600 Speaker 1: agreed to commit. Ian actually wore a separate times, knowing 173 00:13:02,760 --> 00:13:06,600 Speaker 1: full well the risk that even though five unmarked police 174 00:13:06,679 --> 00:13:10,359 Speaker 1: vehicles were watching them and the State Bureau of Investigation 175 00:13:10,520 --> 00:13:14,120 Speaker 1: plane was watching overhead, there was still a good chance 176 00:13:14,200 --> 00:13:16,959 Speaker 1: that Fritz could learn about the recording and kill Ian 177 00:13:17,320 --> 00:13:20,760 Speaker 1: before anyone could get there to help him. It was 178 00:13:20,800 --> 00:13:25,080 Speaker 1: a risk Ian was willing to take. As an extra precaution, 179 00:13:26,000 --> 00:13:29,400 Speaker 1: police sent a plain clothes agent as Ian's friend from college, 180 00:13:30,600 --> 00:13:33,360 Speaker 1: thinking that Fritz was less likely to do something wild 181 00:13:33,880 --> 00:13:53,040 Speaker 1: if he knew someone knew Ian had met with him. 182 00:13:53,200 --> 00:13:56,880 Speaker 1: So at the first meeting, Ian got in Fritz's car 183 00:13:57,000 --> 00:14:01,200 Speaker 1: in the mall's parking lot to crank the engine and 184 00:14:01,240 --> 00:14:05,160 Speaker 1: said they should drive somewhere. The interference of the car's 185 00:14:05,160 --> 00:14:07,640 Speaker 1: sound obscured the recording a little, but they had to 186 00:14:07,640 --> 00:14:11,120 Speaker 1: go with it. Ian told Fritz what he had rehearsed 187 00:14:11,120 --> 00:14:15,920 Speaker 1: with the detectives. They'd interviewed him about the Newsome murders, 188 00:14:16,360 --> 00:14:19,040 Speaker 1: and he had told them the story Fritz prepared about 189 00:14:19,040 --> 00:14:23,320 Speaker 1: the camping trip. Then the detective said that the murders 190 00:14:23,320 --> 00:14:26,880 Speaker 1: had happened Saturday night, and Ian was scared to death. 191 00:14:28,560 --> 00:14:33,960 Speaker 1: Fritz said, well, what do you think. Ian said, well, 192 00:14:34,000 --> 00:14:37,280 Speaker 1: first off, we had nothing to do with that, and 193 00:14:37,400 --> 00:14:40,240 Speaker 1: Fritz said it was possible one of the agents was 194 00:14:40,280 --> 00:14:45,040 Speaker 1: a company guy there to judge Ian's reactions. Ian said 195 00:14:45,080 --> 00:14:48,080 Speaker 1: he had to be getting back. He was so nervous 196 00:14:48,200 --> 00:14:50,120 Speaker 1: that he wanted to take his mind off this by 197 00:14:50,120 --> 00:14:54,600 Speaker 1: going to see Rambo with his buddy Chris. Fritz gave 198 00:14:54,640 --> 00:14:58,560 Speaker 1: him a pill to calm his nerves. Officers listening told 199 00:14:58,600 --> 00:15:01,040 Speaker 1: Ian not to take it, but Ian couldn't hear them, 200 00:15:01,280 --> 00:15:04,320 Speaker 1: and he swallowed it right away. It could have contained anything. 201 00:15:05,760 --> 00:15:07,760 Speaker 1: Fritz tried to make plans with Ian to go on 202 00:15:07,760 --> 00:15:10,920 Speaker 1: a hike the following morning, but officers coached him to 203 00:15:10,920 --> 00:15:14,320 Speaker 1: say he couldn't go. That's when his polygraph was scheduled. 204 00:15:15,800 --> 00:15:27,880 Speaker 1: That interview didn't yield much to go on for the detectives. 205 00:15:29,480 --> 00:15:33,680 Speaker 1: The second time he tried was two days later. On Sunday, 206 00:15:33,800 --> 00:15:37,600 Speaker 1: June second, Ian was supposed to try to trap Fritz 207 00:15:37,640 --> 00:15:42,760 Speaker 1: into admitting he'd murdered the newsoms. This time, Ian's briefing 208 00:15:42,880 --> 00:15:46,600 Speaker 1: was more direct. He was supposed to tell Fritz that 209 00:15:46,680 --> 00:15:50,040 Speaker 1: the detectives had come back to talk to him. He'd 210 00:15:50,080 --> 00:15:52,840 Speaker 1: gone with them to Winston Salem and they took him 211 00:15:52,880 --> 00:15:56,680 Speaker 1: to the murder site. Now Ian realized it was just 212 00:15:56,800 --> 00:15:58,760 Speaker 1: up the hill from where he let Fritz out of 213 00:15:58,800 --> 00:16:04,000 Speaker 1: the car. Ian was even more nervous than before. He 214 00:16:04,120 --> 00:16:06,880 Speaker 1: was also supposed to find out if the original trip 215 00:16:06,920 --> 00:16:10,080 Speaker 1: to Texas would have actually resulted in them heading to 216 00:16:10,160 --> 00:16:15,240 Speaker 1: New Mexico to kill Tom Lynch. Ian had trouble delivering. 217 00:16:16,480 --> 00:16:20,720 Speaker 1: He kept asking questions and then answering them himself. Sergeant 218 00:16:20,720 --> 00:16:23,880 Speaker 1: Alan Gentry was listening in and he slapped the dashboard 219 00:16:23,880 --> 00:16:27,480 Speaker 1: of his surveillance car in frustration, saying let him talk. 220 00:16:28,920 --> 00:16:31,480 Speaker 1: But it was still a better outcome than the first interview. 221 00:16:32,960 --> 00:16:35,480 Speaker 1: Fritz did admit to killing people on the night of 222 00:16:35,520 --> 00:16:40,520 Speaker 1: the murders, just not the Newsoms, and he acknowledged to 223 00:16:40,560 --> 00:16:42,640 Speaker 1: being in a car similar to the one that had 224 00:16:42,640 --> 00:16:47,880 Speaker 1: been pulled over. It was something, but not enough solid 225 00:16:47,920 --> 00:17:04,359 Speaker 1: evidence to take him to court. The third time Ian 226 00:17:04,440 --> 00:17:07,680 Speaker 1: met with Fritz, his briefing put him at even more 227 00:17:07,760 --> 00:17:12,800 Speaker 1: risk than before. Now Ian was to reveal that he 228 00:17:12,960 --> 00:17:17,840 Speaker 1: knew Fritz had been in Nana's car and that the 229 00:17:17,920 --> 00:17:22,320 Speaker 1: CIA mission story was a lie, and he would let 230 00:17:22,400 --> 00:17:26,879 Speaker 1: Fritz know the police were closing in on him. Ian 231 00:17:27,040 --> 00:17:32,000 Speaker 1: was supposed to directly confront Fritz about the murders. Ian 232 00:17:32,400 --> 00:17:39,480 Speaker 1: did it all, and Fritz's manner changed. He said, I'll 233 00:17:39,520 --> 00:17:42,520 Speaker 1: write a paper saying you were not knowingly involved, that 234 00:17:42,600 --> 00:17:45,080 Speaker 1: you believed you were on a covert mission for the government. 235 00:17:45,600 --> 00:17:48,200 Speaker 1: I've got things to do. I won't see you again. 236 00:17:49,680 --> 00:17:55,720 Speaker 1: The whole meeting lasted fourteen minutes. They had learned two things. One, 237 00:17:56,359 --> 00:18:01,760 Speaker 1: they couldn't use Ian in this capacity again. Fritz was 238 00:18:01,800 --> 00:18:05,000 Speaker 1: about to make a run. They had to make a move, 239 00:18:05,480 --> 00:18:26,600 Speaker 1: and they had to do it soon. It was a 240 00:18:26,640 --> 00:18:30,919 Speaker 1: tense situation. The police didn't have warrants yet, but they 241 00:18:30,960 --> 00:18:33,520 Speaker 1: knew both that Fritz was about to make a run, 242 00:18:33,920 --> 00:18:36,200 Speaker 1: and they knew that this was a high profile case. 243 00:18:37,280 --> 00:18:41,359 Speaker 1: They had to do everything right. Tom Sturgel called his 244 00:18:41,440 --> 00:18:44,920 Speaker 1: superior about their next move. They had enough to charge 245 00:18:44,960 --> 00:18:48,600 Speaker 1: Fritz and they get a warrant for him. Later, they 246 00:18:48,640 --> 00:18:52,320 Speaker 1: had clearance to pick him up with caution, but they 247 00:18:52,440 --> 00:18:56,200 Speaker 1: could not let him hole up in that apartment. Fritz 248 00:18:56,280 --> 00:18:59,840 Speaker 1: was already back at Susie's place by now, An officer's 249 00:19:00,080 --> 00:19:03,680 Speaker 1: and want to risk a shootout in the crowded complex. Plus, 250 00:19:04,040 --> 00:19:08,840 Speaker 1: they couldn't evacuate the complex without alerting Fritz. The officers 251 00:19:08,840 --> 00:19:12,119 Speaker 1: were all in plain clothes from the wired interview, so 252 00:19:12,160 --> 00:19:16,359 Speaker 1: they called for a uniformed officer to assist. While they 253 00:19:16,400 --> 00:19:20,320 Speaker 1: waited close to the apartment, Fritz and Susie loaded stuff 254 00:19:20,359 --> 00:19:24,399 Speaker 1: into the blazer. It appeared to be military weapons and 255 00:19:24,480 --> 00:19:30,359 Speaker 1: devil bags, and then they became truly alarmed. John and 256 00:19:30,440 --> 00:19:33,840 Speaker 1: Jim came out of the apartment in fatigues and got 257 00:19:33,880 --> 00:19:44,359 Speaker 1: in the back seat with their dogs. The officers had 258 00:19:44,400 --> 00:19:47,480 Speaker 1: assumed the boys were in school, why would they have 259 00:19:47,520 --> 00:19:51,159 Speaker 1: been held out of school? The police started to scramble. 260 00:19:51,720 --> 00:19:54,840 Speaker 1: Susie got in the passenger seat, and Fritz backed out 261 00:19:54,840 --> 00:19:58,720 Speaker 1: of the parking lot. Officers tried to hem him into 262 00:19:58,720 --> 00:20:02,920 Speaker 1: the lot. Fritz was surprised, but not scared. He didn't 263 00:20:02,960 --> 00:20:08,480 Speaker 1: speed away. He drove slowly, deliberately, and police followed him. 264 00:20:10,200 --> 00:20:14,520 Speaker 1: Uniformed officers L. C. Leclear and Tommy Dennis were on 265 00:20:14,640 --> 00:20:18,960 Speaker 1: the way from different directions. They were briefed en route, 266 00:20:19,520 --> 00:20:22,120 Speaker 1: and they were encouraged to put on their bulletproof vests 267 00:20:22,400 --> 00:20:26,520 Speaker 1: if they weren't already wearing them somehow. During the chase, 268 00:20:27,400 --> 00:20:31,479 Speaker 1: Tommy Dennis skidded at an angle into the Blazer. His 269 00:20:31,560 --> 00:20:36,600 Speaker 1: windshield faced Fritz's door. That's when he saw Fritz's left 270 00:20:36,680 --> 00:20:39,800 Speaker 1: arm come down in the open window with an oozy 271 00:20:39,960 --> 00:20:44,920 Speaker 1: nine millimeters submachine gun. Tommy reached for his own pistol 272 00:20:45,240 --> 00:20:48,560 Speaker 1: and moved to protect his head just as five bullets 273 00:20:48,600 --> 00:20:52,439 Speaker 1: hit his car. The first three hit the car's body 274 00:20:53,000 --> 00:20:56,879 Speaker 1: and the last two came through Tommy's windshield. One hit 275 00:20:56,960 --> 00:20:59,119 Speaker 1: him in the right side of his chest, and the 276 00:20:59,160 --> 00:21:03,879 Speaker 1: second hit his buckle and deflected. The officers took cover 277 00:21:04,440 --> 00:21:07,639 Speaker 1: as Fritz swung his oozy toward the other police vehicles. 278 00:21:08,720 --> 00:21:11,520 Speaker 1: One bullet hit the nine millimeters smith and Wesson that 279 00:21:11,560 --> 00:21:15,879 Speaker 1: Steve Nobles was drawing. Both pieces of the broken bullet 280 00:21:16,320 --> 00:21:19,159 Speaker 1: hit him in his right armpit, but he didn't realize 281 00:21:19,200 --> 00:21:23,679 Speaker 1: it until later. He was focused on SUSY's face in 282 00:21:23,720 --> 00:21:30,359 Speaker 1: the windshield. Her expression was blank and unconcerned. He drew 283 00:21:30,400 --> 00:21:36,480 Speaker 1: down on her. It didn't fire. A third officer, Sherman Childers, 284 00:21:37,160 --> 00:21:41,000 Speaker 1: left arm was sprayed with broken glass. He got a 285 00:21:41,000 --> 00:21:45,720 Speaker 1: shot off at Fritz, but he missed. After confirming the 286 00:21:45,800 --> 00:21:50,440 Speaker 1: three injured officers were stable. The remaining police vehicles moved 287 00:21:50,480 --> 00:21:55,119 Speaker 1: after Fritz. A volunteer firefighter who happened to be at 288 00:21:55,119 --> 00:21:58,720 Speaker 1: the intersection was the first to reach the injured officers. 289 00:22:00,119 --> 00:22:05,040 Speaker 1: The chase, though it was never high speed, Fritz barely 290 00:22:05,119 --> 00:22:09,600 Speaker 1: topped out at thirty five miles per hour. Fritz stopped 291 00:22:09,680 --> 00:22:12,640 Speaker 1: several times just behind blind curves and at the bottoms 292 00:22:12,640 --> 00:22:17,080 Speaker 1: of hills with the airplane surveillance warned the officers to 293 00:22:17,119 --> 00:22:22,440 Speaker 1: beg off in time. At one moment, the Blazers stopped 294 00:22:22,480 --> 00:22:26,240 Speaker 1: sideways in the road over the center line and Fritz 295 00:22:26,320 --> 00:22:30,919 Speaker 1: was outside it with his oozy. He opened fire and 296 00:22:31,000 --> 00:22:35,480 Speaker 1: the officers began bailing out. One policeman came out of 297 00:22:35,520 --> 00:22:39,800 Speaker 1: his vehicle with an AR fifteen assault rifle. That's what 298 00:22:39,920 --> 00:22:44,040 Speaker 1: got Fritz back into his car. The other officers would 299 00:22:44,119 --> 00:22:49,480 Speaker 1: later say this move saved their lives. The chase continued. 300 00:22:50,640 --> 00:22:54,000 Speaker 1: When Deputy David Thacker, one of the officers in pursuit, 301 00:22:54,520 --> 00:22:57,520 Speaker 1: saw brake lights on the Blazer, he went off the 302 00:22:57,600 --> 00:23:01,160 Speaker 1: road to the right. He thought Fritz would again come 303 00:23:01,200 --> 00:23:04,800 Speaker 1: out firing before he could get out of his car. 304 00:23:04,880 --> 00:23:10,119 Speaker 1: Though David saw fire under the Blazer, and then it 305 00:23:10,200 --> 00:23:29,120 Speaker 1: was like the sky ripped open. Officers sat stunned as 306 00:23:29,160 --> 00:23:34,080 Speaker 1: the blazer exploded from the pavement in every direction. The 307 00:23:34,160 --> 00:23:37,719 Speaker 1: vehicle itself lifted almost as high as the telephone lines, 308 00:23:38,200 --> 00:23:41,800 Speaker 1: and then slammed back down while debris rained down all 309 00:23:41,840 --> 00:23:46,920 Speaker 1: around them. The agents prebbed themselves in case of ambush. 310 00:23:47,680 --> 00:23:51,960 Speaker 1: The sergeant Alan Gentry knew they didn't need to. He'd 311 00:23:52,000 --> 00:23:56,320 Speaker 1: already seen the bodies. This is the part I warned 312 00:23:56,359 --> 00:24:00,560 Speaker 1: you about. Fritz was face down over a drain ditch, 313 00:24:01,359 --> 00:24:04,280 Speaker 1: over one hundred feet from the side of the explosion. 314 00:24:05,560 --> 00:24:09,080 Speaker 1: His body was fairly unmarked and he was still breathing. 315 00:24:10,359 --> 00:24:13,879 Speaker 1: Officer Dan Davidson rushed over, yelling, Fritz, can you hear me? 316 00:24:14,960 --> 00:24:18,920 Speaker 1: He was hoping for a last minute confession, but when 317 00:24:18,960 --> 00:24:22,280 Speaker 1: they turned Fritz over, the sounds that came from his 318 00:24:22,359 --> 00:24:27,639 Speaker 1: body were of bones scraping. His chest gurgled to a 319 00:24:27,680 --> 00:24:30,639 Speaker 1: stop as he drowned in a hemorrhage of his own blood. 320 00:24:32,040 --> 00:24:35,520 Speaker 1: Susie was crumpled up on the other side of the culvert. 321 00:24:36,680 --> 00:24:41,080 Speaker 1: According to Jerry Bledsoe's book, bitter blood. Blood came out 322 00:24:41,119 --> 00:24:45,720 Speaker 1: of her nose, mouth and ears her blue jeans were shredded, 323 00:24:46,520 --> 00:24:50,240 Speaker 1: and the back of her body was quote pulp from 324 00:24:50,240 --> 00:24:54,320 Speaker 1: the waist down. Her right leg ended at the knee, 325 00:24:55,040 --> 00:25:00,000 Speaker 1: her left at midshin A seat spring protruded from her vagiinant. 326 00:25:01,400 --> 00:25:04,879 Speaker 1: She was dead without a doubt, and it was obvious 327 00:25:05,160 --> 00:25:09,280 Speaker 1: that she had been sitting atop the bomb. It gets worse. 328 00:25:11,040 --> 00:25:14,159 Speaker 1: The remnants of the Blazer slid down an embankment on 329 00:25:14,200 --> 00:25:17,400 Speaker 1: the other side of the road through a barbed wire 330 00:25:17,480 --> 00:25:22,439 Speaker 1: fence around a horse pasture. The shell of the car 331 00:25:22,680 --> 00:25:26,200 Speaker 1: was almost completely gone and the rest of it was 332 00:25:26,280 --> 00:25:30,920 Speaker 1: peeled back. There was a huge hole where the passenger 333 00:25:30,960 --> 00:25:36,080 Speaker 1: seat had been in the back seat, both children and 334 00:25:36,240 --> 00:25:42,680 Speaker 1: both dogs were dead. It was the worst case scenario. 335 00:25:42,960 --> 00:25:45,720 Speaker 1: It was what the detectives had been fearing the most 336 00:25:45,920 --> 00:25:51,159 Speaker 1: all along. Listeners, if you think the worst is behind you, 337 00:25:51,880 --> 00:25:55,160 Speaker 1: I hate to disappoint you. I'll tell you the rest 338 00:25:55,200 --> 00:26:18,040 Speaker 1: of this dismal, grisly ending after the break. The investigation 339 00:26:18,200 --> 00:26:23,040 Speaker 1: into the explosion soon revealed that what everyone thought was 340 00:26:23,119 --> 00:26:29,399 Speaker 1: the worst possible outcome was actually worse than that. It 341 00:26:29,440 --> 00:26:32,600 Speaker 1: was immediately clear that the adults had fixed a bomb 342 00:26:32,720 --> 00:26:37,719 Speaker 1: under Susie's seat, and detectives deduced that such a bomb 343 00:26:37,840 --> 00:26:42,240 Speaker 1: had been built for just such an occasion. From the 344 00:26:42,240 --> 00:26:45,720 Speaker 1: moment of detonation, they had no doubt that it was 345 00:26:45,760 --> 00:26:50,840 Speaker 1: a suicide. Several bomb squads arrived to secure the area 346 00:26:50,920 --> 00:26:54,920 Speaker 1: of any potential booby traps. It took them even longer 347 00:26:54,960 --> 00:26:58,840 Speaker 1: to secure the apartment. After they diffused the tear gas 348 00:26:58,920 --> 00:27:11,639 Speaker 1: canister over the door and conducted a thorough search, The 349 00:27:11,720 --> 00:27:17,120 Speaker 1: detectives were nonetheless devastated. They knew that Fritz and Susie 350 00:27:17,160 --> 00:27:20,880 Speaker 1: were to blame, but they didn't know to what extent 351 00:27:21,000 --> 00:27:24,720 Speaker 1: each of them did what. And they didn't know why, 352 00:27:25,560 --> 00:27:29,960 Speaker 1: not for these four deaths, nor for the five previous murders. 353 00:27:30,840 --> 00:27:35,560 Speaker 1: And now they couldn't really find out they'd been robbed 354 00:27:35,560 --> 00:27:40,080 Speaker 1: of a trial. Ian would have a trial, but that 355 00:27:40,200 --> 00:27:44,119 Speaker 1: wasn't the same from what I can tell. He helped 356 00:27:44,119 --> 00:27:47,119 Speaker 1: the officers bring Fritz in as best he could, and 357 00:27:47,160 --> 00:27:51,440 Speaker 1: then he pleaded guilty. I think the charge was accesserate 358 00:27:51,480 --> 00:28:07,679 Speaker 1: of murder. He served five months in prison. Much worse 359 00:28:08,440 --> 00:28:11,479 Speaker 1: than not having a real trial, of course, was the 360 00:28:11,480 --> 00:28:15,960 Speaker 1: death of the boys. I can only imagine the amount 361 00:28:16,040 --> 00:28:19,639 Speaker 1: of guilt that racked the detectives when they saw the 362 00:28:19,680 --> 00:28:23,240 Speaker 1: bodies of ten year old John and nine year old Jim. 363 00:28:24,200 --> 00:28:29,959 Speaker 1: But as I said, it gets worse. The autopsies determined 364 00:28:30,440 --> 00:28:35,280 Speaker 1: that the boys did not die from the explosion. They 365 00:28:35,359 --> 00:28:39,240 Speaker 1: revealed that both children had a fatal amount of cyanide 366 00:28:39,440 --> 00:28:46,560 Speaker 1: in their bloodstreams. It gets worse. Jim, Susie's favorite, had 367 00:28:46,680 --> 00:28:52,160 Speaker 1: eighteen milligrams of cyanide in his bloodstream. John had only 368 00:28:52,240 --> 00:28:56,400 Speaker 1: one point seven. That implied that it was more important 369 00:28:56,440 --> 00:29:01,120 Speaker 1: to Susie that John not feel any pain. And as 370 00:29:01,160 --> 00:29:06,000 Speaker 1: if that weren't bad enough, the boys also had fatal 371 00:29:06,080 --> 00:29:11,240 Speaker 1: gunshot wounds. Autopsy results supported that at the time of 372 00:29:11,280 --> 00:29:16,400 Speaker 1: the gunshots, the boys were unconscious from the cyanide poisoning, 373 00:29:17,400 --> 00:29:20,440 Speaker 1: but the gunshot wounds to the head is what actually 374 00:29:20,520 --> 00:29:32,200 Speaker 1: killed them. And now for the worst part of all. 375 00:29:33,720 --> 00:29:38,320 Speaker 1: Based on the entry and exit wound angles, the gun 376 00:29:38,320 --> 00:29:42,360 Speaker 1: that killed John and Jim was fired from the passenger seat, 377 00:29:43,440 --> 00:29:47,160 Speaker 1: and although it's not clear when she did it, gunpowder 378 00:29:47,280 --> 00:29:52,680 Speaker 1: residue on Susie's dominant hand further supports that she is 379 00:29:52,720 --> 00:29:56,880 Speaker 1: the one who fired the handgun. In the documentary Kissing 380 00:29:56,960 --> 00:30:01,800 Speaker 1: Cousins All about this story, Tom Lynch gave multiple interviews 381 00:30:03,240 --> 00:30:07,280 Speaker 1: the boy's father said that Susie quote killed them to 382 00:30:07,320 --> 00:30:11,640 Speaker 1: spite me. They killed me that day too, It's just 383 00:30:11,720 --> 00:30:15,480 Speaker 1: taking me longer to die. Spite might be their reason, 384 00:30:16,280 --> 00:30:19,959 Speaker 1: but is not good enough. No answer about why they 385 00:30:20,040 --> 00:30:24,760 Speaker 1: murdered Tom's mother and sister, Susie's mother, father, and grandmother, 386 00:30:25,160 --> 00:30:28,880 Speaker 1: and certainly the sons, John and Jim could ever be 387 00:30:28,920 --> 00:30:33,960 Speaker 1: good enough. We'll probably never know what their reasoning was anyway, 388 00:30:35,200 --> 00:30:37,440 Speaker 1: and maybe that's part of why they ended their own 389 00:30:37,480 --> 00:30:42,080 Speaker 1: lives rather than face the consequences of their actions. There 390 00:30:42,200 --> 00:30:46,800 Speaker 1: is no acceptable explanation. Besides, even if they told us 391 00:30:46,840 --> 00:30:52,200 Speaker 1: their reasons, no answer could ever really answer the question 392 00:30:52,360 --> 00:31:19,200 Speaker 1: of why they did it. Join me next week on 393 00:31:19,320 --> 00:31:22,600 Speaker 1: the Greatest True Crime Stories Ever Told. For our episode 394 00:31:22,720 --> 00:31:27,000 Speaker 1: on Gloria Allred, a sexual assault survivor who went on 395 00:31:27,080 --> 00:31:30,320 Speaker 1: to become one of the most high profile and controversial 396 00:31:30,320 --> 00:31:36,680 Speaker 1: attorneys working on cases involving r Kelly, Bill O'Reilly, Harvey Weinstein, 397 00:31:37,120 --> 00:31:40,680 Speaker 1: and Moore. I'd like to shout out a few key 398 00:31:40,720 --> 00:31:43,080 Speaker 1: sources that made it possible for me to tell this 399 00:31:43,120 --> 00:31:48,360 Speaker 1: week's story, especially Jerry Bledsoe's book Bitter Blood and the 400 00:31:48,400 --> 00:31:52,680 Speaker 1: docuseries Southern Fried homicide, both of which are detailed in 401 00:31:52,720 --> 00:32:05,280 Speaker 1: our show notes. The Greatest True Crime Stories Ever Told 402 00:32:05,400 --> 00:32:08,920 Speaker 1: is a production of Diversion Audio. I'm Mary Kay McBrayer, 403 00:32:09,000 --> 00:32:13,000 Speaker 1: and I hosted this episode. I also wrote this episode. 404 00:32:13,880 --> 00:32:17,120 Speaker 1: Our show is produced by Emma Desmouth and edited by 405 00:32:17,160 --> 00:32:24,200 Speaker 1: Antonio Enriquez. Theme music by Tyler Cash. Executive producer Scott Waxman.