1 00:00:06,519 --> 00:00:06,880 Speaker 1: Novel. 2 00:00:11,080 --> 00:00:15,040 Speaker 2: Hey listener, in this episode, we talk about domestic violence, 3 00:00:15,360 --> 00:00:19,040 Speaker 2: cancer and disposing of a body. But you also get 4 00:00:19,040 --> 00:00:22,040 Speaker 2: to hear our club really come to life, and you 5 00:00:22,239 --> 00:00:25,680 Speaker 2: know that you've really been waiting for that. And of course, 6 00:00:26,079 --> 00:00:30,040 Speaker 2: just a warning, a little more of my swearing. If 7 00:00:30,120 --> 00:00:33,760 Speaker 2: you do listen and are impacted by any of our themes, 8 00:00:34,120 --> 00:00:37,800 Speaker 2: you can reach out to No More, a domestic violence 9 00:00:37,960 --> 00:00:42,560 Speaker 2: charity we've partnered with. They have lots of great resources 10 00:00:42,600 --> 00:00:45,440 Speaker 2: to help you or your loved ones. You can find 11 00:00:45,479 --> 00:00:52,560 Speaker 2: them at no More dot org. That's no mor dot org. 12 00:00:55,760 --> 00:00:59,280 Speaker 2: Remember Stephanie Youngblood, the fiancee who met Bob at the 13 00:00:59,360 --> 00:01:02,880 Speaker 2: New Year's Eve party back in nineteen eighty nine. She's 14 00:01:02,920 --> 00:01:05,720 Speaker 2: the only regular member of our club that you haven't 15 00:01:05,760 --> 00:01:09,440 Speaker 2: heard from directly. The sad reason is that Stephanie died 16 00:01:09,440 --> 00:01:13,240 Speaker 2: from cancer in twenty twenty two, just before this podcast 17 00:01:13,319 --> 00:01:16,840 Speaker 2: went into production. Stephanie was a core member of our 18 00:01:16,920 --> 00:01:19,840 Speaker 2: club and she dated about the longest of all of us, 19 00:01:20,080 --> 00:01:23,320 Speaker 2: around three years. But I never really knew what led 20 00:01:23,360 --> 00:01:26,680 Speaker 2: to their breakup until Stephanie first joined us at the Mayflower, 21 00:01:27,160 --> 00:01:29,479 Speaker 2: And I think it's time you found out too. 22 00:01:32,800 --> 00:01:34,119 Speaker 3: I thought that he was weird. 23 00:01:34,480 --> 00:01:37,400 Speaker 2: This is Stephanie's best friend, Gina. She saw it all 24 00:01:37,440 --> 00:01:37,920 Speaker 2: go down. 25 00:01:38,280 --> 00:01:40,840 Speaker 3: Bob had to one up you, no matter what it was, 26 00:01:41,240 --> 00:01:44,119 Speaker 3: no matter what you said, if you ordered a certain 27 00:01:44,160 --> 00:01:46,800 Speaker 3: bottle of wine, there was another one that was better. 28 00:01:47,160 --> 00:01:50,400 Speaker 3: He was smarter, he was better educated, no matter what 29 00:01:50,520 --> 00:01:50,960 Speaker 3: it was. 30 00:01:51,560 --> 00:01:54,800 Speaker 2: At first, Stephanie gave Gina the same report everyone gives 31 00:01:54,880 --> 00:01:59,920 Speaker 2: up Bob. Magical dates, flying above the desert, great food, skiing, 32 00:02:00,280 --> 00:02:02,559 Speaker 2: so smart, YadA, YadA YadA. 33 00:02:02,960 --> 00:02:05,640 Speaker 3: I mean, who wouldn't want that on your repertoire. But 34 00:02:05,840 --> 00:02:09,160 Speaker 3: the way he acted didn't fit any of that to me. 35 00:02:10,600 --> 00:02:13,320 Speaker 2: There was one particular trip with Bob that raised alarm 36 00:02:13,360 --> 00:02:16,880 Speaker 2: bells for Gina. They had gone skied in Argentina with 37 00:02:16,919 --> 00:02:19,680 Speaker 2: a group of doctors and Gina started to feel sick. 38 00:02:20,120 --> 00:02:23,320 Speaker 3: So I called her room. I said, Stephanie, I'm not 39 00:02:23,360 --> 00:02:26,799 Speaker 3: feeling really good. My stomach hurts. She said, come by 40 00:02:26,800 --> 00:02:31,200 Speaker 3: the room. So I knocked on her door and he 41 00:02:31,800 --> 00:02:35,560 Speaker 3: was there and had like a little mini hissy fit, 42 00:02:36,040 --> 00:02:40,760 Speaker 3: like who's this intruder? I felt that I was intruding, 43 00:02:40,880 --> 00:02:43,200 Speaker 3: and I was a very bad moment that I should 44 00:02:43,280 --> 00:02:47,160 Speaker 3: not have been there. And he picked up his clothes 45 00:02:47,240 --> 00:02:50,440 Speaker 3: or something, and kind of stalked and stormed out of 46 00:02:50,440 --> 00:02:55,880 Speaker 3: the room. And I remember, I said, Stephanie, I wouldn't 47 00:02:55,880 --> 00:02:57,480 Speaker 3: have come now. I mean, you know, you should have 48 00:02:57,480 --> 00:02:59,800 Speaker 3: told me. She goes, no, that's fine, that's just Bob. 49 00:02:59,560 --> 00:03:06,480 Speaker 2: Being this left a bad taste in Gina's mouth. She 50 00:03:06,520 --> 00:03:09,080 Speaker 2: had previously been married to a guy just like that, 51 00:03:09,680 --> 00:03:13,560 Speaker 2: and she knows firsthand what those temper tantrums can develop into. 52 00:03:14,280 --> 00:03:17,400 Speaker 2: So she told Stephanie that Bob reminded her of her ex, 53 00:03:17,639 --> 00:03:20,720 Speaker 2: who'd fly off the handle at anything, who got so 54 00:03:20,880 --> 00:03:23,640 Speaker 2: irate during a dinner that he chucked a pepper grinder 55 00:03:23,720 --> 00:03:26,960 Speaker 2: into the swimming pool, who once locked her in the bathroom, 56 00:03:27,280 --> 00:03:30,840 Speaker 2: and who eventually tried to throw her off a boat. 57 00:03:31,120 --> 00:03:34,880 Speaker 2: But Stephanie did not want to hear Gina's warnings. Instead, 58 00:03:34,960 --> 00:03:38,400 Speaker 2: she kept dating Bob, just like how I kept dating him, 59 00:03:38,800 --> 00:03:42,880 Speaker 2: like Gail did, and like Gina did with her husband. 60 00:03:45,280 --> 00:03:48,640 Speaker 2: As time went on, Stephanie saw Bob's outburst get worse, 61 00:03:49,520 --> 00:03:51,800 Speaker 2: like the time Stephanie, Bob, and a friend were having 62 00:03:51,840 --> 00:03:55,040 Speaker 2: dinner on a boat. Stephanie had requested a bottle of 63 00:03:55,080 --> 00:03:57,920 Speaker 2: red wine, but when the waiter brought it over, they 64 00:03:57,960 --> 00:04:00,960 Speaker 2: accidentally sprayed the wine all over the time table. It 65 00:04:01,120 --> 00:04:06,320 Speaker 2: infuriated Bob. He turned to Stephanie with these intense laser 66 00:04:06,400 --> 00:04:08,880 Speaker 2: eyes and started raging on her like it was all 67 00:04:08,960 --> 00:04:11,240 Speaker 2: her fault. She was terrified. 68 00:04:12,600 --> 00:04:16,880 Speaker 3: Everybody was like, there's something not quite right with this dude. 69 00:04:18,320 --> 00:04:21,880 Speaker 2: Following his outburst, Stephanie couldn't look at Bob in the 70 00:04:21,920 --> 00:04:25,359 Speaker 2: same way. He'd always been a little controlling, but the 71 00:04:25,400 --> 00:04:28,440 Speaker 2: way he exploded, the way he looked at her, it 72 00:04:28,600 --> 00:04:34,279 Speaker 2: unlocked a new fear. Ultimately, though, she wanted to fix him, 73 00:04:34,640 --> 00:04:37,800 Speaker 2: so she demanded that they go to see a couple's therapists. 74 00:04:38,600 --> 00:04:41,720 Speaker 2: But after just one session, the therapist spoke with Stephanie 75 00:04:41,760 --> 00:04:45,200 Speaker 2: privately and told her that there were significant problems with 76 00:04:45,240 --> 00:04:48,599 Speaker 2: their relationship and warned her that her life might be 77 00:04:48,640 --> 00:04:49,239 Speaker 2: in danger. 78 00:04:50,640 --> 00:04:58,520 Speaker 3: Remind you of anything, Stephanie said, There's just something wrong 79 00:04:58,640 --> 00:05:03,800 Speaker 3: with him. Had to control everything that they did, what 80 00:05:03,960 --> 00:05:08,560 Speaker 3: they ate, where they went, and she said, I got 81 00:05:08,600 --> 00:05:10,599 Speaker 3: to get away from it. I got to figure out 82 00:05:10,600 --> 00:05:11,600 Speaker 3: how to get away from it. 83 00:05:14,400 --> 00:05:17,239 Speaker 2: From that point on, Stephanie started to build a plan 84 00:05:17,320 --> 00:05:20,320 Speaker 2: to leave Bob. One day, when she was leaving town 85 00:05:20,360 --> 00:05:23,280 Speaker 2: for a seminar, she told Bob it was over. 86 00:05:23,480 --> 00:05:26,240 Speaker 3: And I think it really came down to I'm going 87 00:05:26,279 --> 00:05:28,000 Speaker 3: to be gone. I want you out by the time 88 00:05:28,000 --> 00:05:31,000 Speaker 3: I get back. That was how she told me. I 89 00:05:31,080 --> 00:05:31,679 Speaker 3: said good. 90 00:05:32,560 --> 00:05:35,240 Speaker 2: And that's how Stephanie earned her seat at the Harriet 91 00:05:35,240 --> 00:05:38,160 Speaker 2: the Spy Club, a club that was half ridiculous girl 92 00:05:38,240 --> 00:05:42,800 Speaker 2: talk and half camaraderie, a sisterhood, a place for women 93 00:05:42,839 --> 00:05:46,240 Speaker 2: to get together, drink wine and tear their ex boyfriend 94 00:05:46,560 --> 00:05:47,520 Speaker 2: to shreds. 95 00:05:48,240 --> 00:05:51,160 Speaker 3: She was always excited about it. You know, it was fun. 96 00:05:51,760 --> 00:05:53,599 Speaker 3: They would go have a glass of wine or meat 97 00:05:53,640 --> 00:05:56,760 Speaker 3: for coffee. They would shoot the discs. I mean, they 98 00:05:56,760 --> 00:05:59,120 Speaker 3: would talk about all the things they did in compare notes. 99 00:06:00,040 --> 00:06:02,839 Speaker 3: I think it was good too, because for her, she 100 00:06:03,000 --> 00:06:05,080 Speaker 3: wasn't the only one. 101 00:06:05,680 --> 00:06:08,800 Speaker 2: We miss you, Stephanie, and I still can't believe that 102 00:06:08,960 --> 00:06:11,360 Speaker 2: all of our gossip being became part of a multi 103 00:06:11,360 --> 00:06:15,440 Speaker 2: state investigation. Wait a minute, you all don't know about 104 00:06:15,440 --> 00:06:23,000 Speaker 2: that yet. I'm getting ahead of myself. I'm Carol Fisher 105 00:06:23,320 --> 00:06:26,960 Speaker 2: and from the teams at Novel and iHeartRadio. You're listening 106 00:06:27,000 --> 00:06:31,440 Speaker 2: to the Girlfriends episode six Women who Like to Gab. 107 00:07:03,800 --> 00:07:05,720 Speaker 1: When you pick up a cold case, the first thing 108 00:07:05,760 --> 00:07:09,320 Speaker 1: you do is you redo everything that's been done in 109 00:07:09,360 --> 00:07:11,840 Speaker 1: the past, no matter how old it is, no matter 110 00:07:11,840 --> 00:07:13,880 Speaker 1: what's been done, you do it over again. 111 00:07:14,280 --> 00:07:18,080 Speaker 2: This is Dan Bibb, one of the DA prosecutors assigned 112 00:07:18,080 --> 00:07:19,360 Speaker 2: to Gaile's cold case. 113 00:07:19,880 --> 00:07:23,760 Speaker 1: Even if someone who's been spoken to says they don't 114 00:07:23,800 --> 00:07:28,440 Speaker 1: remember or they don't know, a lot of people lie. 115 00:07:29,280 --> 00:07:32,920 Speaker 1: And there were many cases I picked up where people 116 00:07:33,000 --> 00:07:36,720 Speaker 1: were I don't know, I don't know what you're talking about, 117 00:07:36,760 --> 00:07:39,640 Speaker 1: and ten fifteen years later they've straightened their acts out 118 00:07:39,720 --> 00:07:42,440 Speaker 1: and now willing to tell you what happened. It's a rule, 119 00:07:42,440 --> 00:07:44,440 Speaker 1: you redo everything that's been done in the past, and 120 00:07:44,480 --> 00:07:47,320 Speaker 1: that's what we did. Who took every report what's called 121 00:07:47,400 --> 00:07:51,760 Speaker 1: a DD five, it's a Detective division report, and if 122 00:07:51,760 --> 00:07:54,800 Speaker 1: there was a witness interviewed, we redid that interview. 123 00:07:55,480 --> 00:07:59,040 Speaker 2: And when Dan says they reinterviewed everyone, he means it. 124 00:07:59,560 --> 00:08:04,600 Speaker 2: We've seen in the files. There's a lane, Denise, Gail's brother, Steve, 125 00:08:05,000 --> 00:08:09,720 Speaker 2: the doorman at Gail's apartment, Gail's colleagues, and her fellow students, 126 00:08:10,320 --> 00:08:12,640 Speaker 2: and they also spoke to the two guys Gail was 127 00:08:12,760 --> 00:08:16,480 Speaker 2: dating on the side, Anthony Sagalis and Kenneth Feiner. 128 00:08:17,000 --> 00:08:19,200 Speaker 1: If the husband didn't do it, maybe one of the 129 00:08:19,240 --> 00:08:25,320 Speaker 1: boyfriends did. Sigallas and Finer couldn't have been more different people. 130 00:08:26,200 --> 00:08:30,720 Speaker 1: Sigallas a little bit brash, you know, businessman Finer this 131 00:08:30,920 --> 00:08:37,360 Speaker 1: soft spoken psychologist. Yeah, Finer and Sigallis they weren't killers. 132 00:08:38,160 --> 00:08:42,400 Speaker 2: Oh. Next, Dan and his partner Steve had to figure 133 00:08:42,440 --> 00:08:44,480 Speaker 2: out what Bob had been up to over the past 134 00:08:44,559 --> 00:08:48,800 Speaker 2: ten years, which is when these two poker loving, steak eating, 135 00:08:48,920 --> 00:09:03,720 Speaker 2: luxury hotel staying prosecutors first touchdown in Sin City. One 136 00:09:03,760 --> 00:09:05,840 Speaker 2: of the first people they spoke to when they arrived 137 00:09:05,840 --> 00:09:09,360 Speaker 2: in nineteen ninety eight was Scott Behrenoff, Bob's childhood friend 138 00:09:09,400 --> 00:09:12,199 Speaker 2: from New Jersey, who had convinced Bob to join him 139 00:09:12,200 --> 00:09:13,240 Speaker 2: in Las Vegas. 140 00:09:13,720 --> 00:09:17,839 Speaker 4: He's like a mahogany tan, like golden curl, nice looking guy. 141 00:09:18,120 --> 00:09:19,800 Speaker 1: He's got pictures on the wall of him and all 142 00:09:19,840 --> 00:09:22,680 Speaker 1: these casino owners, you know, and all the casino owners 143 00:09:22,720 --> 00:09:24,040 Speaker 1: are in his seventies and eighties. 144 00:09:24,240 --> 00:09:26,880 Speaker 4: The guy says they're eighty years old. They got twenty 145 00:09:26,880 --> 00:09:30,280 Speaker 4: five year old girlfriends. At these casino openings. You'll see 146 00:09:30,280 --> 00:09:33,320 Speaker 4: me on one side and the cardiologist on the other. 147 00:09:33,600 --> 00:09:37,480 Speaker 1: I'm like, what, he goes, Yeah, yeah, yeah. The cardiologists 148 00:09:37,559 --> 00:09:40,040 Speaker 1: keep them alive in the neurologist keep them pissing and fucking. 149 00:09:41,080 --> 00:09:43,160 Speaker 1: And I nearly fell out of my chair it was 150 00:09:43,240 --> 00:09:44,319 Speaker 1: laughing so hard. 151 00:09:44,800 --> 00:09:48,200 Speaker 2: Once the medical bro talk was over, Scott started spouting 152 00:09:48,280 --> 00:09:50,840 Speaker 2: loads of stuff about his old buddy Bob and the 153 00:09:50,880 --> 00:09:53,080 Speaker 2: things they used to do back in New York, like 154 00:09:53,160 --> 00:09:56,240 Speaker 2: the time Bob dropped in at Scott's mom's house after 155 00:09:56,280 --> 00:10:00,080 Speaker 2: his nephew's party. The day the Gale went missing. 156 00:10:00,559 --> 00:10:04,360 Speaker 4: Doctor Brenbaum told doctor Barnolf, Gail's missing, what should I do? 157 00:10:04,720 --> 00:10:07,400 Speaker 4: And that's when Berenbaum reporter and missing. 158 00:10:07,440 --> 00:10:11,600 Speaker 2: The next day they spoke to Ernie Sussman too, a 159 00:10:11,640 --> 00:10:16,160 Speaker 2: local urologist who Bob befriended after he gave him flying lessons. 160 00:10:17,840 --> 00:10:18,319 Speaker 1: I had no. 161 00:10:18,320 --> 00:10:19,320 Speaker 5: Idea he was married. 162 00:10:20,240 --> 00:10:23,120 Speaker 4: Wow, that's amazing that never came up. 163 00:10:23,320 --> 00:10:28,080 Speaker 5: Yeah, and I wouldn't ask now. If guys volunteer stuff, great, 164 00:10:28,120 --> 00:10:30,480 Speaker 5: I mean, unless I'm asked, I'm not going to start 165 00:10:30,520 --> 00:10:34,440 Speaker 5: talking somebody's ear off about my past and my relationships. 166 00:10:34,480 --> 00:10:37,040 Speaker 5: So yeah, I think it's a guy thing. I mean, 167 00:10:37,080 --> 00:10:40,240 Speaker 5: most guys don't start gabbing now. They gab too much 168 00:10:40,280 --> 00:10:42,800 Speaker 5: about their past, and I'm a little suspect, and that's 169 00:10:42,800 --> 00:10:44,280 Speaker 5: sure I want to be around them anyway. 170 00:10:45,640 --> 00:10:49,679 Speaker 2: The guys just didn't really know much about Bob or Gail. 171 00:10:49,920 --> 00:10:50,720 Speaker 2: They didn't ask. 172 00:10:51,880 --> 00:10:53,880 Speaker 1: It was like the guys, it's like, yeah, I remember 173 00:10:53,960 --> 00:10:56,240 Speaker 1: he told me his wife disappeared one day. He never 174 00:10:56,280 --> 00:10:59,360 Speaker 1: saw her again. So you're a guy, you're not going 175 00:10:59,400 --> 00:11:02,240 Speaker 1: to drill down and say, Jess, Bob with how happened? 176 00:11:02,400 --> 00:11:05,600 Speaker 1: You know, he's all right, Well, he probably walk away 177 00:11:05,600 --> 00:11:06,640 Speaker 1: thinking did he kill her. 178 00:11:08,000 --> 00:11:11,160 Speaker 2: It was becoming clear that if the prosecutors were going 179 00:11:11,160 --> 00:11:14,600 Speaker 2: to get anywhere with the Vegas interviews, they needed to 180 00:11:14,600 --> 00:11:17,360 Speaker 2: come to the people who knew Bob best in this town, 181 00:11:17,840 --> 00:11:24,559 Speaker 2: the women who did like to gab, the girlfriends blessed 182 00:11:24,640 --> 00:11:28,079 Speaker 2: Dan and Steve. They really had no idea how much 183 00:11:28,200 --> 00:11:52,280 Speaker 2: we had been preparing for this. The first member of 184 00:11:52,320 --> 00:11:55,280 Speaker 2: the club to get the call with Stephanie Youngblood. She 185 00:11:55,480 --> 00:11:58,160 Speaker 2: invited Dan and Steve straight to her office. 186 00:11:59,000 --> 00:12:02,000 Speaker 4: She was the chiropractic who said that his engagement ring 187 00:12:02,120 --> 00:12:03,880 Speaker 4: was the gift that keeps on giving. I think he 188 00:12:03,960 --> 00:12:06,160 Speaker 4: was engaged to like three or four different women in 189 00:12:06,240 --> 00:12:10,240 Speaker 4: Las Vegas. He dated the entire Jewish professional community. 190 00:12:11,160 --> 00:12:13,920 Speaker 2: What they really wanted to know was what Bob had 191 00:12:14,000 --> 00:12:14,920 Speaker 2: said about Gail. 192 00:12:15,760 --> 00:12:18,200 Speaker 4: She was aware that he was previously married, that his 193 00:12:18,240 --> 00:12:22,400 Speaker 4: wife had disappeared, and I know that he had given 194 00:12:22,440 --> 00:12:24,520 Speaker 4: to her an account as to what he thought had 195 00:12:24,559 --> 00:12:25,720 Speaker 4: happened to Gail. 196 00:12:28,920 --> 00:12:32,400 Speaker 2: In fact, when Stephanie first met Bob, he told her 197 00:12:32,440 --> 00:12:36,600 Speaker 2: that he had never been married before. But then Stephanie 198 00:12:36,679 --> 00:12:39,600 Speaker 2: started noticing that some male was addressed to Bob and 199 00:12:39,720 --> 00:12:45,199 Speaker 2: Gail Berenbaum. She also found a trunk with luggage tags 200 00:12:45,200 --> 00:12:48,800 Speaker 2: that had Gail's name on it, the same trunk I saw. 201 00:12:51,040 --> 00:12:54,040 Speaker 2: Stephanie shared all of this with her friend Gina. 202 00:12:54,880 --> 00:12:57,600 Speaker 3: She said he didn't have any good explanations for it, 203 00:12:57,640 --> 00:13:01,360 Speaker 3: other than his wife had gone singing, and she was 204 00:13:01,640 --> 00:13:06,120 Speaker 3: wondering why he still had papers and bills and things 205 00:13:06,200 --> 00:13:09,400 Speaker 3: like that. They're in a Las Vegas house when he 206 00:13:09,480 --> 00:13:11,720 Speaker 3: came from New York years before. 207 00:13:13,400 --> 00:13:17,240 Speaker 2: When Stephanie repeatedly asked Bob who Gail was, he welled 208 00:13:17,320 --> 00:13:20,400 Speaker 2: up and said it was hard to explain. Then he 209 00:13:20,520 --> 00:13:23,480 Speaker 2: told her his story that she went to Central Park 210 00:13:23,600 --> 00:13:26,760 Speaker 2: and never came back. He said it was upsetting me 211 00:13:26,760 --> 00:13:29,959 Speaker 2: because during the investigation he found out she had a 212 00:13:30,040 --> 00:13:35,360 Speaker 2: drug problem and that she was having extramarital affairs. These 213 00:13:35,360 --> 00:13:38,000 Speaker 2: are the details Dan and Steve were looking for. 214 00:13:39,600 --> 00:13:45,520 Speaker 1: It was the common theme the argument walking out, going 215 00:13:45,559 --> 00:13:50,200 Speaker 1: to the party again. There were a number of lies 216 00:13:50,240 --> 00:13:53,840 Speaker 1: and embellishments, but it was also the fact that he 217 00:13:54,000 --> 00:13:57,760 Speaker 1: had this horrendous temper and fly off the handle at 218 00:13:57,760 --> 00:14:01,400 Speaker 1: the drop of a hat, and almost nothing. 219 00:14:05,120 --> 00:14:08,640 Speaker 2: After Stephanie's interview, she called me and said she'd give 220 00:14:08,720 --> 00:14:10,920 Speaker 2: him my number out to Dan and Steve and they 221 00:14:10,920 --> 00:14:14,240 Speaker 2: want to interview me too. She said, they're opening this 222 00:14:14,360 --> 00:14:17,680 Speaker 2: case back up. They really want Bob and they believe 223 00:14:17,760 --> 00:14:21,400 Speaker 2: that we all independently have enough information to help put 224 00:14:21,440 --> 00:14:27,080 Speaker 2: him away. Let me be honest here. I was kind 225 00:14:27,080 --> 00:14:29,640 Speaker 2: of on the fence about meeting them. It was fun 226 00:14:29,760 --> 00:14:33,000 Speaker 2: gossiping with the girls at the Mayflower restaurant, but this 227 00:14:33,080 --> 00:14:37,640 Speaker 2: all sounded a bit too serious. Thinking back, I just 228 00:14:37,760 --> 00:14:40,720 Speaker 2: wanted this to go away and not have to accept 229 00:14:40,720 --> 00:14:43,880 Speaker 2: the fact that I might have dated someone capable of 230 00:14:44,000 --> 00:14:47,720 Speaker 2: murdering his wife. So I said I would only meet 231 00:14:47,720 --> 00:14:51,280 Speaker 2: with them if it could be at Stephanie's office. When 232 00:14:51,280 --> 00:14:54,600 Speaker 2: we met, I told them all about my relationship with Bob, 233 00:14:54,920 --> 00:15:00,160 Speaker 2: the glass breaking story and that wild siphless accusation. The 234 00:15:00,200 --> 00:15:03,200 Speaker 2: one they really loved was the moment when I said, 235 00:15:03,640 --> 00:15:06,120 Speaker 2: what did you do murder your wife? 236 00:15:06,560 --> 00:15:10,000 Speaker 4: He doesn't respond, doesn't what are you talking about, Carolyn? 237 00:15:10,600 --> 00:15:14,040 Speaker 4: He just drops his head. And that comes in as 238 00:15:14,080 --> 00:15:18,280 Speaker 4: an omission by silence, where it's something that a reasonable 239 00:15:18,320 --> 00:15:22,960 Speaker 4: person would be expected to respond to and deny or whatever. 240 00:15:24,280 --> 00:15:28,400 Speaker 4: A reasonable person just wouldn't sit there once confronted with 241 00:15:28,480 --> 00:15:30,920 Speaker 4: an accusation that you had committed a murder. 242 00:15:35,320 --> 00:15:39,000 Speaker 1: What stuck out to me was that the women all 243 00:15:39,160 --> 00:15:44,560 Speaker 1: remembered the conversations and details what he said, what he did, 244 00:15:44,720 --> 00:15:47,800 Speaker 1: what she said, what she did. And I think it 245 00:15:47,920 --> 00:15:50,040 Speaker 1: was a function of there but for the grace of 246 00:15:50,120 --> 00:15:50,720 Speaker 1: God go I. 247 00:15:55,200 --> 00:15:58,840 Speaker 2: At first these details were just fodder for club gossip, 248 00:15:59,200 --> 00:16:03,600 Speaker 2: but now they were becoming a murder case. It didn't 249 00:16:03,640 --> 00:16:06,960 Speaker 2: feel good, especially after the things I'd learned about Bob 250 00:16:07,040 --> 00:16:10,440 Speaker 2: from the detectives. They told me about his life in 251 00:16:10,480 --> 00:16:13,920 Speaker 2: North Dakota and Howie was starting over. He had a 252 00:16:13,960 --> 00:16:17,840 Speaker 2: new medical practice and was part of a community. They 253 00:16:17,880 --> 00:16:21,080 Speaker 2: said his new wife, Janet was pregnant and the baby 254 00:16:21,240 --> 00:16:25,040 Speaker 2: was due in a few months. Could that guy really 255 00:16:25,040 --> 00:16:28,880 Speaker 2: have murdered somebody, and if he hadn't, were we about 256 00:16:28,920 --> 00:16:49,400 Speaker 2: to ruin his life. Back in New York, over the 257 00:16:49,400 --> 00:16:53,000 Speaker 2: summer of nineteen ninety eight, Dan and Steve kept going 258 00:16:53,560 --> 00:16:57,640 Speaker 2: reapproaching potential witnesses who had refused to be interviewed back 259 00:16:57,640 --> 00:17:01,320 Speaker 2: in the eighties. There was one woman in particular that 260 00:17:01,360 --> 00:17:06,840 Speaker 2: they were desperate to talk to, Roberta Karnowsky, a medical 261 00:17:06,880 --> 00:17:10,600 Speaker 2: student who Bob supervised at my Monodes Medical Center. 262 00:17:11,240 --> 00:17:15,120 Speaker 1: We were kind of aware that Roberta was a love interest, 263 00:17:15,160 --> 00:17:18,439 Speaker 1: and we were aware that she lived with him, but 264 00:17:18,560 --> 00:17:22,720 Speaker 1: she was uncooperative at the time, back in nineteen eighty 265 00:17:22,800 --> 00:17:25,680 Speaker 1: five eighty six, she refused to be interviewed. 266 00:17:26,560 --> 00:17:29,560 Speaker 2: But when Dan and Steve approached her all these years later, 267 00:17:29,880 --> 00:17:33,600 Speaker 2: Roberta agreed to talk. Steve flew out to meet her 268 00:17:33,640 --> 00:17:36,040 Speaker 2: in her new home of Charleston, North Carolina. 269 00:17:36,480 --> 00:17:38,680 Speaker 4: I met with her and her lawyer. Her lawyer felt 270 00:17:38,680 --> 00:17:42,960 Speaker 4: comfortable with me, and it just was a great interview. 271 00:17:43,720 --> 00:17:46,760 Speaker 2: Roberta tells Steve that Bob first asked her out in 272 00:17:46,880 --> 00:17:50,120 Speaker 2: August of nineteen eighty five, just a month after Gail 273 00:17:50,160 --> 00:17:53,800 Speaker 2: went missing. About three weeks later, and after just a 274 00:17:53,840 --> 00:17:56,879 Speaker 2: couple of dates, he asked her to move into his apartment, 275 00:17:57,680 --> 00:18:02,639 Speaker 2: which technically is still Gail's upon apartment. In fact, Roberta 276 00:18:02,760 --> 00:18:06,440 Speaker 2: was already living there when Elaine came to collect Gaile's belongings, 277 00:18:06,760 --> 00:18:10,879 Speaker 2: the ones Bob put out in trash bags. Roberta also 278 00:18:10,960 --> 00:18:13,600 Speaker 2: told Steve about this one night at the apartment that 279 00:18:13,800 --> 00:18:15,120 Speaker 2: really stood out to her. 280 00:18:17,680 --> 00:18:20,280 Speaker 1: Roberta tells us that in the middle of the night, 281 00:18:20,320 --> 00:18:24,879 Speaker 1: there's a telephone call saying that there's a woman in 282 00:18:25,000 --> 00:18:27,760 Speaker 1: the poor authority, I believe it, which is a bus 283 00:18:27,880 --> 00:18:31,840 Speaker 1: terminal in midtown Manhattan, and would he come down and 284 00:18:32,400 --> 00:18:34,520 Speaker 1: take a look at her and see if it's her? 285 00:18:35,600 --> 00:18:38,400 Speaker 1: And Bob is resistant. 286 00:18:40,000 --> 00:18:43,320 Speaker 2: Bob says, I doubt it's Gail and asks if he 287 00:18:43,400 --> 00:18:45,919 Speaker 2: has to come right away as it's the middle of 288 00:18:45,960 --> 00:18:46,320 Speaker 2: the night. 289 00:18:46,760 --> 00:18:49,359 Speaker 4: Roberta Karnowski, hearing this, is ready to move out of 290 00:18:49,359 --> 00:18:51,480 Speaker 4: the apartment. He says, how should I get out of 291 00:18:51,480 --> 00:18:53,680 Speaker 4: here now? And he tells her not, don't worry, it's 292 00:18:53,720 --> 00:18:54,080 Speaker 4: not her. 293 00:18:56,480 --> 00:18:59,320 Speaker 2: Bob did eventually go, but he dragged his feet. 294 00:18:59,480 --> 00:19:02,240 Speaker 1: That was a little evidence that hurt him quite a bit, 295 00:19:02,560 --> 00:19:04,720 Speaker 1: you know, because he knew, of course, it wasn't her 296 00:19:06,520 --> 00:19:07,679 Speaker 1: because he knew where she was. 297 00:19:11,040 --> 00:19:14,679 Speaker 2: From that point on, Roberta was suspicious of Bob, and she, 298 00:19:15,320 --> 00:19:20,000 Speaker 2: just like us, started adding up the details. She thought 299 00:19:20,040 --> 00:19:22,000 Speaker 2: about the answering machine messages. 300 00:19:22,080 --> 00:19:23,400 Speaker 5: Gail's mom would leave. 301 00:19:23,240 --> 00:19:27,360 Speaker 2: Bob accusing him of murdering her daughter, and she remembered 302 00:19:27,400 --> 00:19:31,480 Speaker 2: how much he loved to fly. She started to formulate 303 00:19:31,520 --> 00:19:34,520 Speaker 2: a theory that Bob had killed Gail, rented a plane 304 00:19:34,880 --> 00:19:36,640 Speaker 2: and thrown her into the ocean. 305 00:19:38,119 --> 00:19:42,960 Speaker 1: And it was after an argument that Roberta and Bob 306 00:19:43,080 --> 00:19:47,879 Speaker 1: had at dinner where she actually accused him of killing 307 00:19:47,920 --> 00:19:50,920 Speaker 1: Gail and he remained silent. 308 00:19:56,160 --> 00:19:59,280 Speaker 2: Roberta told her friend Sharon Alongi about what was going 309 00:19:59,359 --> 00:20:02,960 Speaker 2: on and her plane theory. Sharon had an idea to 310 00:20:03,040 --> 00:20:05,960 Speaker 2: check Bob's movements on the day of Gail's disappearance. 311 00:20:06,880 --> 00:20:11,920 Speaker 1: When Bob was at work, they said, let's look at 312 00:20:11,960 --> 00:20:15,679 Speaker 1: his platelog for that day, and they went and they 313 00:20:15,720 --> 00:20:18,679 Speaker 1: saw that it was altered, and it was altered to 314 00:20:18,760 --> 00:20:21,520 Speaker 1: show that on that date he had not flown, but 315 00:20:21,600 --> 00:20:23,080 Speaker 1: he had flown on another date. 316 00:20:23,400 --> 00:20:25,479 Speaker 4: A savvy twelve year old could see that it had 317 00:20:25,520 --> 00:20:30,000 Speaker 4: been altered from the seventh to the eighth. 318 00:20:30,560 --> 00:20:33,560 Speaker 2: It's a huge breakthrough for the case. But it's not 319 00:20:33,680 --> 00:20:36,320 Speaker 2: the first time that the DA had learned that Bob 320 00:20:36,440 --> 00:20:40,240 Speaker 2: most likely flew that day. Back in the original DA 321 00:20:40,359 --> 00:20:44,520 Speaker 2: investigation in the eighties, one of the investigators called in 322 00:20:44,520 --> 00:20:48,720 Speaker 2: at Caldwell Airport, the same place Gail rescued her cat amilia, 323 00:20:49,000 --> 00:20:50,760 Speaker 2: to ask some questions. 324 00:20:51,000 --> 00:20:53,320 Speaker 1: And they walked in and they talked to the owners 325 00:20:53,359 --> 00:20:56,439 Speaker 1: of mcdaney and Aviation, and they said, actually, you know, 326 00:20:56,640 --> 00:20:59,159 Speaker 1: doctor Barnbeult used to fly out of here all the time. 327 00:21:00,240 --> 00:21:02,320 Speaker 1: They said, well, do you have any records of him 328 00:21:02,359 --> 00:21:04,800 Speaker 1: flying here? He says, yes, do you have any records 329 00:21:04,800 --> 00:21:07,280 Speaker 1: of him flying here in July of nineteen eighty five? 330 00:21:07,359 --> 00:21:10,960 Speaker 1: And they said yes, and sure enough, he flew on 331 00:21:11,240 --> 00:21:15,879 Speaker 1: July seventh, nineteen eighty five, the day his wife disappeared. 332 00:21:21,119 --> 00:21:24,879 Speaker 4: Doctor Bierenbaum, in talking to both missing person detectives and 333 00:21:24,920 --> 00:21:28,800 Speaker 4: detectives from the precinct, her family, or his friends, he 334 00:21:28,920 --> 00:21:34,360 Speaker 4: never mentioned that he had rented that plane that afternoon, 335 00:21:34,400 --> 00:21:36,000 Speaker 4: and we had records that he did. There was no 336 00:21:36,080 --> 00:21:38,199 Speaker 4: way that he could deny it. 337 00:21:38,640 --> 00:21:41,960 Speaker 1: He lied to the police and to everyone else when 338 00:21:42,000 --> 00:21:45,880 Speaker 1: he related his activities. After he says his wife walked 339 00:21:45,880 --> 00:21:49,000 Speaker 1: out of the apartment sometime around noon that Sunday. It 340 00:21:49,119 --> 00:21:52,360 Speaker 1: was a lie of comission because he would say he 341 00:21:52,480 --> 00:21:56,800 Speaker 1: was either waiting for his wife to return, or he 342 00:21:56,920 --> 00:21:59,320 Speaker 1: was on his way to his sister's place in Montclair, 343 00:21:59,359 --> 00:22:01,680 Speaker 1: New Jersey, just two or three towns over from where 344 00:22:01,720 --> 00:22:05,320 Speaker 1: Cole Airport is, for his nephew's birthday party, or he 345 00:22:05,480 --> 00:22:09,600 Speaker 1: was already at the party when he was actually in 346 00:22:09,640 --> 00:22:13,600 Speaker 1: an airplane for almost two hours, and he could have 347 00:22:13,760 --> 00:22:17,679 Speaker 1: flown over one hundred and fifty miles easily. So I 348 00:22:17,680 --> 00:22:21,359 Speaker 1: mean the importance of the flight is not only because 349 00:22:21,359 --> 00:22:23,359 Speaker 1: he lied about it, because it gave him the opportunity 350 00:22:23,400 --> 00:22:25,560 Speaker 1: to dispose of a body where no one was ever 351 00:22:25,600 --> 00:22:26,199 Speaker 1: going to find it. 352 00:22:30,359 --> 00:22:33,720 Speaker 2: Based on all of the interviews and this breakthrough proof 353 00:22:33,760 --> 00:22:38,000 Speaker 2: of the flight, the DA land robertas theary, they believe 354 00:22:38,119 --> 00:22:42,119 Speaker 2: Bob killed Gail at some point between ten thirty am 355 00:22:42,200 --> 00:22:46,280 Speaker 2: to three pm on July seventh, that Bob put her 356 00:22:46,320 --> 00:22:49,480 Speaker 2: body into a duffel bag and smuggled her out of 357 00:22:49,520 --> 00:22:53,080 Speaker 2: the back door of his building to the car, evading 358 00:22:53,160 --> 00:22:57,280 Speaker 2: cameras and the doormen. At four point thirty pm, he 359 00:22:57,440 --> 00:23:01,600 Speaker 2: drove right onto the tarmac at Caldwell airport, hired a 360 00:23:01,600 --> 00:23:05,840 Speaker 2: plane and flew for a two hour round trip, allowing 361 00:23:05,960 --> 00:23:09,440 Speaker 2: him to travel one hundred and seventy miles out over 362 00:23:09,560 --> 00:23:13,080 Speaker 2: the Atlantic. He dropped her body out of the plane, 363 00:23:13,520 --> 00:23:16,840 Speaker 2: flew back, and headed to his nephew's party just a 364 00:23:16,880 --> 00:23:21,000 Speaker 2: few miles away. There's even a photo of him smiling 365 00:23:21,040 --> 00:23:28,200 Speaker 2: with his nephew and the birthday cake. The only problem 366 00:23:28,440 --> 00:23:33,080 Speaker 2: is the prosecutors needed hard evidence. All these stories were 367 00:23:33,119 --> 00:23:38,080 Speaker 2: not enough. They had to prove that, beyond any reasonable doubt, 368 00:23:38,480 --> 00:23:42,040 Speaker 2: Bob must have done it, And for Dan and Steve 369 00:23:42,480 --> 00:23:45,359 Speaker 2: there was one reasonable doubt that They still had to 370 00:23:45,400 --> 00:23:54,359 Speaker 2: address the torso. When the body washed up on the 371 00:23:54,400 --> 00:23:57,760 Speaker 2: Staten Island shore back in nineteen eighty nine, the chief 372 00:23:57,840 --> 00:24:02,000 Speaker 2: Medical Examiner didn't have the DNA testing capabilities that they 373 00:24:02,080 --> 00:24:06,680 Speaker 2: do now. Instead, the body was identified as Gail's by 374 00:24:06,680 --> 00:24:10,280 Speaker 2: comparing a radiology report of the torso and some X 375 00:24:10,359 --> 00:24:14,840 Speaker 2: rays of Gail's former cocas injury. To Dan and Steve, 376 00:24:14,960 --> 00:24:18,080 Speaker 2: it felt like a risk. Could you really identify a 377 00:24:18,200 --> 00:24:24,080 Speaker 2: body solely by comparing their spines. It's a sort of 378 00:24:24,160 --> 00:24:27,359 Speaker 2: detail that the defense could cling on to to discredit 379 00:24:27,440 --> 00:24:32,280 Speaker 2: their argument. DNA testing had improved in the intervening years, 380 00:24:32,720 --> 00:24:35,640 Speaker 2: and they wanted to be sure, but it comes at 381 00:24:35,680 --> 00:24:40,080 Speaker 2: a risk. If the body is definitely Gaels, then they're 382 00:24:40,119 --> 00:24:43,960 Speaker 2: protecting themselves from the jurors doubt. But if it's not hers, 383 00:24:44,440 --> 00:24:47,280 Speaker 2: then they're back to square one. A case with no 384 00:24:47,440 --> 00:24:51,960 Speaker 2: body and only circumstantial evidence. That's a hard case to win. 385 00:24:53,440 --> 00:24:56,840 Speaker 2: And on top of all that, the torso was already buried. 386 00:24:57,440 --> 00:25:00,879 Speaker 2: So Dan called Gail's sister, Elaine. 387 00:25:02,520 --> 00:25:05,080 Speaker 6: They then asked me if they could exhume the body. 388 00:25:06,680 --> 00:25:09,320 Speaker 1: So we are and we will put everything that we 389 00:25:09,400 --> 00:25:12,280 Speaker 1: have into this, no holds barred, bring out all the 390 00:25:12,320 --> 00:25:15,720 Speaker 1: guns blazing, but I can't guarantee an outcome. 391 00:25:16,600 --> 00:25:19,480 Speaker 6: I thought about it for a while. We had no 392 00:25:19,560 --> 00:25:22,520 Speaker 6: idea whether this was ever going to be prosecuted, whether 393 00:25:22,520 --> 00:25:24,480 Speaker 6: it was going to be a successful prosecution. 394 00:25:26,400 --> 00:25:30,439 Speaker 2: Eventually, Elaine consented to the exhumation, and the tent was 395 00:25:30,440 --> 00:25:35,160 Speaker 2: erected over Gale's gravesite in Mountain Zion Cemetery in Queen's 396 00:25:39,520 --> 00:25:42,640 Speaker 2: A few months later, Elaine was asked to come into 397 00:25:42,640 --> 00:25:46,400 Speaker 2: the city for a meeting at the Medical Examiner's office. 398 00:25:46,520 --> 00:25:50,080 Speaker 2: When she arrived, she was directed into a huge conference 399 00:25:50,160 --> 00:25:55,600 Speaker 2: room where Dan Steve, two lawyers, and the chief medical examiner, 400 00:25:55,760 --> 00:25:58,400 Speaker 2: Charles Hirsch were all waiting for her. 401 00:25:59,040 --> 00:26:03,399 Speaker 6: And they said to me, the torso is not Gail. 402 00:26:05,920 --> 00:26:09,680 Speaker 6: And after a string of curses, I said to them, 403 00:26:10,640 --> 00:26:16,000 Speaker 6: you have ripped the shred of closure that I have 404 00:26:17,480 --> 00:26:23,960 Speaker 6: away from me. You better indict him, and you better 405 00:26:24,000 --> 00:26:32,120 Speaker 6: convict him. 406 00:26:31,040 --> 00:26:31,680 Speaker 1: Next time. 407 00:26:31,800 --> 00:26:37,760 Speaker 6: On The Girlfriends, my sister call she said. 408 00:26:37,680 --> 00:26:38,760 Speaker 5: Turn on the news. 409 00:26:39,280 --> 00:26:41,359 Speaker 4: Sometimes you want to keep things out of the press, 410 00:26:41,440 --> 00:26:44,000 Speaker 4: but this case was front page for a while. 411 00:26:44,280 --> 00:26:47,760 Speaker 1: I got a phone call from a woman and she 412 00:26:47,920 --> 00:26:50,440 Speaker 1: actually says to me, I slept with this guy right 413 00:26:50,440 --> 00:26:51,600 Speaker 1: after his wife disappeared. 414 00:26:52,560 --> 00:26:54,960 Speaker 7: What if he's not guilty, will he come after us 415 00:26:55,000 --> 00:26:58,440 Speaker 7: for slander? And if he is guilty, will he come 416 00:26:58,560 --> 00:27:07,359 Speaker 7: after us after us? 417 00:27:11,920 --> 00:27:15,800 Speaker 2: The Girlfriends is produced by Novel for Ourheart Radio. For 418 00:27:16,000 --> 00:27:20,720 Speaker 2: more from Novel, visit novel dot Audio. The series is 419 00:27:20,760 --> 00:27:25,120 Speaker 2: hosted by me Carol Fisher and produced by Anna Sinfield. 420 00:27:26,480 --> 00:27:30,840 Speaker 2: Our assistant producer is Julian Manyu, Gera Patten, and our 421 00:27:30,880 --> 00:27:36,639 Speaker 2: researcher is Madeline Parr. The editor is Veronica Simmons. Max 422 00:27:36,640 --> 00:27:41,720 Speaker 2: O'Brien is our executive producer. Our fact checker is Valeria Rocca. 423 00:27:42,200 --> 00:27:47,760 Speaker 2: Production management from Sharie Houston and Charlotte Wolf. Sound design, 424 00:27:48,080 --> 00:27:53,919 Speaker 2: mixing and scoring by Daniel Kempsen and Nicholas Alexander. Music 425 00:27:53,960 --> 00:27:59,119 Speaker 2: supervision by Anna Sinfield. Original music composed by Luisa Gerstein. 426 00:28:00,000 --> 00:28:04,520 Speaker 2: Glory development by Isaac Fisher. Willard Foxton is creative director 427 00:28:04,560 --> 00:28:10,240 Speaker 2: of Development. Special thanks to Sean Glenn, David Waters, might 428 00:28:10,400 --> 00:28:17,320 Speaker 2: Lely Rowl, Katrina Norvell, David Wasserman, and Beth Anne Mcaluso. 429 00:28:22,880 --> 00:28:25,200 Speaker 2: We did reach out to Bob and his legal team 430 00:28:25,280 --> 00:28:27,880 Speaker 2: to ask if he'd like to comment on the podcast, 431 00:28:28,119 --> 00:28:29,399 Speaker 2: but we never heard back. 432 00:28:34,000 --> 00:28:34,359 Speaker 1: Novel