1 00:00:03,680 --> 00:00:06,760 Speaker 1: I'm Kate Winkler Dawson. I'm a journalist who's spent the 2 00:00:06,800 --> 00:00:09,559 Speaker 1: last twenty five years writing about true crime. 3 00:00:09,800 --> 00:00:12,800 Speaker 2: And I'm Paul Hols, a retired cold case investigator who's 4 00:00:12,840 --> 00:00:16,400 Speaker 2: worked some of America's most complicated cases and solve them. 5 00:00:16,440 --> 00:00:19,799 Speaker 1: Each week, I present Paul with one of history's most 6 00:00:19,840 --> 00:00:21,640 Speaker 1: compelling true crimes. 7 00:00:21,400 --> 00:00:24,239 Speaker 2: And I weigh in using modern forensic techniques to bring 8 00:00:24,320 --> 00:00:26,040 Speaker 2: new insights to old mysteries. 9 00:00:26,440 --> 00:00:31,639 Speaker 1: Together, using our individual expertise, we're examining historical true crime 10 00:00:31,720 --> 00:00:34,360 Speaker 1: cases through a twenty first century lens. 11 00:00:34,600 --> 00:00:37,800 Speaker 2: Some are solved and some are cold, very cold. 12 00:00:38,240 --> 00:00:45,680 Speaker 1: This is buried Bones. 13 00:01:01,120 --> 00:01:03,680 Speaker 2: Hey Paul, Hey Kate, what's going on with you? 14 00:01:04,000 --> 00:01:06,039 Speaker 1: Well, I have this case that I'm going to present 15 00:01:06,120 --> 00:01:10,080 Speaker 1: to you that has a little story attached to it. 16 00:01:10,120 --> 00:01:12,800 Speaker 1: And I don't think i've told you this story yet. 17 00:01:13,000 --> 00:01:16,160 Speaker 1: About five years ago or something, when I had tenfold 18 00:01:16,160 --> 00:01:19,040 Speaker 1: more wicked, I had, you know, several people, a lot 19 00:01:19,080 --> 00:01:20,800 Speaker 1: of people actually would email me and say, Hey, do 20 00:01:20,840 --> 00:01:23,880 Speaker 1: you want to do the story that story? And there 21 00:01:24,040 --> 00:01:26,640 Speaker 1: was a woman who said, I think you should look 22 00:01:26,680 --> 00:01:30,640 Speaker 1: into a story called the Haystack Murders, and I think 23 00:01:30,680 --> 00:01:33,720 Speaker 1: you'll really like it, so I look up haystack murders 24 00:01:33,760 --> 00:01:36,000 Speaker 1: and it points me towards what turned out to be 25 00:01:36,040 --> 00:01:36,759 Speaker 1: my fourth book. 26 00:01:36,880 --> 00:01:37,280 Speaker 2: You know, the. 27 00:01:37,240 --> 00:01:41,320 Speaker 1: Listener's all bell about Sarah Maria Cornell who was found 28 00:01:41,319 --> 00:01:42,720 Speaker 1: hanging from a haystack poll. 29 00:01:42,800 --> 00:01:45,840 Speaker 2: This is different then, because we did an episode that 30 00:01:46,280 --> 00:01:50,280 Speaker 2: involved a male that died with haystacks that caught fire, right. 31 00:01:50,520 --> 00:01:53,160 Speaker 1: So that's a different You're right, that's a different one, okay. 32 00:01:53,240 --> 00:01:55,880 Speaker 1: And she wasn't talking about that one. What she was saying, 33 00:01:55,960 --> 00:01:58,680 Speaker 1: you know what I was led to, Sarah Maria Cornell, 34 00:01:59,040 --> 00:02:01,080 Speaker 1: you know the subject of my book, hanging from a 35 00:02:01,080 --> 00:02:04,760 Speaker 1: haystack poll in Fall River, Massachusetts in eighteen thirty two. 36 00:02:05,080 --> 00:02:07,080 Speaker 1: And I dig into this and I said, this is 37 00:02:07,200 --> 00:02:10,320 Speaker 1: not a Tenfold story, this is a book book. I 38 00:02:10,320 --> 00:02:12,600 Speaker 1: think it was really I felt so significant to me, 39 00:02:12,880 --> 00:02:14,960 Speaker 1: very female centric, and I had not written a book 40 00:02:15,000 --> 00:02:17,360 Speaker 1: like that before. And so I emailed her back and 41 00:02:17,400 --> 00:02:19,480 Speaker 1: I said, just so you know, you know, I have 42 00:02:19,560 --> 00:02:22,680 Speaker 1: a book contract based on this idea that you told me, 43 00:02:22,680 --> 00:02:25,400 Speaker 1: the haystack murder. And I said, I just really appreciate 44 00:02:25,400 --> 00:02:27,400 Speaker 1: you passing it on. You won't hear it on Tenfold, 45 00:02:27,440 --> 00:02:29,320 Speaker 1: but you can read it in a book in a 46 00:02:29,320 --> 00:02:33,040 Speaker 1: few years, and thanks for passing on Sarah Maria Cornell's story. 47 00:02:33,200 --> 00:02:35,840 Speaker 1: And she said, what are you talking about. That is 48 00:02:35,880 --> 00:02:38,400 Speaker 1: not what I was talking about. That's not the Haystack 49 00:02:38,520 --> 00:02:42,400 Speaker 1: murder I was discussing. Really, she had only said one line, 50 00:02:42,440 --> 00:02:45,520 Speaker 1: he Haystack murder. And she said, that's not what I meant, okay, 51 00:02:45,600 --> 00:02:47,639 Speaker 1: And so I said, what the hell did you mean? 52 00:02:47,919 --> 00:02:50,320 Speaker 1: And then she sent me the link, And that is 53 00:02:50,360 --> 00:02:53,600 Speaker 1: the story we are doing today. So if she had 54 00:02:53,639 --> 00:02:56,760 Speaker 1: told me the correct story what I'm going to tell you, 55 00:02:57,160 --> 00:03:01,040 Speaker 1: I would have had a completely different book. So now 56 00:03:01,080 --> 00:03:02,720 Speaker 1: I said that, I thought, okay, well I might as 57 00:03:02,760 --> 00:03:05,160 Speaker 1: well do the real Haystack what this woman intended for 58 00:03:05,160 --> 00:03:05,600 Speaker 1: me to do. 59 00:03:05,960 --> 00:03:08,239 Speaker 2: Yeah, instead of a book, you got an episode. There 60 00:03:08,240 --> 00:03:08,480 Speaker 2: you go. 61 00:03:08,560 --> 00:03:10,519 Speaker 1: I got an episode. There you go. And it's a 62 00:03:10,560 --> 00:03:15,200 Speaker 1: good story too. So let's go ahead and set the scene. 63 00:03:15,600 --> 00:03:18,359 Speaker 1: So we are in Lodi, California. 64 00:03:18,520 --> 00:03:20,680 Speaker 2: I know, load eye well, well good. 65 00:03:20,880 --> 00:03:24,320 Speaker 1: This is nineteen twenty three. Love the time period, Love Love, Love. 66 00:03:24,360 --> 00:03:26,840 Speaker 1: It in the middle of Prohibition, right before people were 67 00:03:26,840 --> 00:03:29,840 Speaker 1: spending stupid amounts of money and the Roaring twenties, and 68 00:03:29,880 --> 00:03:32,680 Speaker 1: then of course the crash in twenty nine and the depression. 69 00:03:33,400 --> 00:03:36,880 Speaker 1: So this is in load Eye, which was an agricultural 70 00:03:36,960 --> 00:03:40,560 Speaker 1: city in San Joaquin Valley. So at this time, and 71 00:03:40,600 --> 00:03:42,520 Speaker 1: you can tell me if this is the case now too. 72 00:03:42,920 --> 00:03:46,400 Speaker 1: At this time there were flour mills, vineyards orchards, and 73 00:03:46,480 --> 00:03:48,840 Speaker 1: a lot of cattle ranching, and that's what the area 74 00:03:48,960 --> 00:03:51,480 Speaker 1: was known for in nineteen twenty three. How would you 75 00:03:51,520 --> 00:03:52,320 Speaker 1: describe it now? 76 00:03:52,600 --> 00:03:55,320 Speaker 2: You know, I can't. I can't speak to the flour 77 00:03:55,400 --> 00:03:59,640 Speaker 2: mills vineyards for sure, which is surprising because you know 78 00:04:00,040 --> 00:04:03,440 Speaker 2: where I lived in California. I was twenty minutes away 79 00:04:03,480 --> 00:04:09,920 Speaker 2: from Napa, Sonoma, you know, world renowned wineries. But load Eye, 80 00:04:10,440 --> 00:04:13,040 Speaker 2: which is Central Valley, I would never have thought that 81 00:04:13,040 --> 00:04:16,360 Speaker 2: that would be a good place for vineyards. But they 82 00:04:16,440 --> 00:04:19,760 Speaker 2: have a lot of vineyards, huge vineyards, and in fact, 83 00:04:19,839 --> 00:04:24,240 Speaker 2: I became quite a fan of what they call old 84 00:04:24,360 --> 00:04:30,560 Speaker 2: vine Zenfandel. So they have these old, old vineyards with 85 00:04:30,760 --> 00:04:37,440 Speaker 2: these gnarled up vines of grapes of zenvidel variety, and 86 00:04:37,480 --> 00:04:41,240 Speaker 2: then they produce you know, wine from that, and I 87 00:04:41,279 --> 00:04:44,520 Speaker 2: loved it, you know, so I was you know, there's 88 00:04:44,880 --> 00:04:50,040 Speaker 2: multiple different vineyards that I would drink, but I would 89 00:04:50,080 --> 00:04:53,640 Speaker 2: go through load eye all the time to get down 90 00:04:53,720 --> 00:04:57,000 Speaker 2: to Stockton when I was investigating Golden State Killer, and 91 00:04:57,000 --> 00:05:00,599 Speaker 2: I'd be driving through these vineyards, you know. And again 92 00:05:00,640 --> 00:05:05,040 Speaker 2: it's central Valley. It gets super hot in the summertime. 93 00:05:05,440 --> 00:05:13,080 Speaker 2: There's a huge wind turbine farm right outside of Lodi. Now, 94 00:05:13,120 --> 00:05:17,000 Speaker 2: as far as cattle, it wouldn't surprise me that there 95 00:05:17,040 --> 00:05:18,839 Speaker 2: would be a lot of cattle out there, because there's 96 00:05:18,920 --> 00:05:23,760 Speaker 2: cattle everywhere in northern California. But I don't recall that specifically. 97 00:05:23,800 --> 00:05:28,080 Speaker 2: But I also met with multiple people in Lodi or 98 00:05:28,320 --> 00:05:32,440 Speaker 2: lived in Lodi during the time of my investigation with 99 00:05:32,520 --> 00:05:33,479 Speaker 2: Golden State Killer. 100 00:05:33,760 --> 00:05:37,560 Speaker 1: Well that's where we are. It's Wednesday, September twelfth, nineteen 101 00:05:37,600 --> 00:05:40,720 Speaker 1: twenty three. So it's important for me to talk about 102 00:05:40,720 --> 00:05:43,760 Speaker 1: the history section of this just because I think this 103 00:05:43,839 --> 00:05:46,719 Speaker 1: is an interesting time. I told you Prohibition, it's before 104 00:05:46,800 --> 00:05:49,520 Speaker 1: this big infusion of money. So this is a few 105 00:05:49,560 --> 00:05:52,240 Speaker 1: years after World War One. The war was very hard 106 00:05:52,279 --> 00:05:55,640 Speaker 1: on San Juan Quing Valley community because and this was 107 00:05:55,680 --> 00:05:59,719 Speaker 1: what was interesting, the trickle down effect of a war. Okay, 108 00:06:00,120 --> 00:06:04,880 Speaker 1: during World War One, European farmers, many of them had 109 00:06:04,880 --> 00:06:07,280 Speaker 1: to leave or shut down. During World War One, because 110 00:06:07,279 --> 00:06:10,120 Speaker 1: they were either fighting or you know, the resources of 111 00:06:10,160 --> 00:06:13,000 Speaker 1: their farm had to be used for something else. So 112 00:06:13,080 --> 00:06:17,040 Speaker 1: this meant that the American specifically the farmers in San 113 00:06:17,120 --> 00:06:20,400 Speaker 1: Joaquin Valley were told to ramp up production. Okay, so 114 00:06:20,760 --> 00:06:23,920 Speaker 1: they ramped up production, they got a lot of bank loans. 115 00:06:24,279 --> 00:06:27,599 Speaker 1: And then when the war ended, that's what made some 116 00:06:27,680 --> 00:06:31,240 Speaker 1: things crash for these farmers because the European farmers came 117 00:06:31,279 --> 00:06:37,280 Speaker 1: back and the demand for American agricultural products plummeted, and 118 00:06:37,360 --> 00:06:40,640 Speaker 1: so the crop prices then crashed and there's a lot 119 00:06:40,720 --> 00:06:44,040 Speaker 1: of surplus. And so we have in nineteen twenty three 120 00:06:44,200 --> 00:06:46,440 Speaker 1: in this area a lot of people who had to 121 00:06:46,440 --> 00:06:50,359 Speaker 1: file for bankruptcy and you know, people who were in 122 00:06:50,560 --> 00:06:53,279 Speaker 1: tremendous amount of debt. So that's where we are. It sounds, 123 00:06:53,320 --> 00:06:56,400 Speaker 1: you know, it's beautiful and all. I love agricultural land, 124 00:06:56,760 --> 00:06:58,920 Speaker 1: but it was direstraits for a lot of people in 125 00:06:58,920 --> 00:06:59,800 Speaker 1: this area in this time. 126 00:07:00,760 --> 00:07:03,599 Speaker 2: No I could see that. And then what six years 127 00:07:03,680 --> 00:07:05,839 Speaker 2: later you have the Great Depression starting. 128 00:07:06,360 --> 00:07:08,719 Speaker 1: Yeah, that's why I always say it's my favorite. It's 129 00:07:08,760 --> 00:07:11,560 Speaker 1: not the favorite for people who lived through it, but 130 00:07:11,680 --> 00:07:14,360 Speaker 1: it's my favorite time period because you know, you've got 131 00:07:14,520 --> 00:07:18,840 Speaker 1: early twenties prohibition crack down, it doesn't work. There's the 132 00:07:18,960 --> 00:07:22,480 Speaker 1: rise of criminal enterprise. You've got, oh, here's tons of money. 133 00:07:22,560 --> 00:07:24,679 Speaker 1: Any hairbrain scheme you want will give you the money 134 00:07:24,680 --> 00:07:26,960 Speaker 1: for it. And then the crash in nineteen twenty nine 135 00:07:27,680 --> 00:07:30,360 Speaker 1: and then the depression, all in a decade. It's just 136 00:07:30,400 --> 00:07:32,880 Speaker 1: pretty incredible. And the crime that's developed, you know, that's 137 00:07:32,920 --> 00:07:35,480 Speaker 1: what American Sherlock. My second book was about the crime 138 00:07:35,560 --> 00:07:38,520 Speaker 1: that happens and how how interesting it is to see 139 00:07:38,560 --> 00:07:42,160 Speaker 1: the way criminals adapt and they're always a step ahead 140 00:07:42,560 --> 00:07:45,120 Speaker 1: of you know, the investigators who then quickly have to 141 00:07:45,120 --> 00:07:47,160 Speaker 1: pivot too. And so you just see that like these 142 00:07:47,360 --> 00:07:50,200 Speaker 1: these investigators in the twenties just constantly like a half 143 00:07:50,200 --> 00:07:52,760 Speaker 1: a step behind because they think they've got a hold 144 00:07:52,760 --> 00:07:54,760 Speaker 1: of the criminals in the way they're doing something, whatever 145 00:07:54,760 --> 00:07:57,480 Speaker 1: the scheme is, and then the criminals go, Okay, well 146 00:07:57,560 --> 00:07:59,120 Speaker 1: we're going to figure out another way to do it. 147 00:07:59,200 --> 00:08:01,000 Speaker 1: And so that the kind of feel is like a 148 00:08:01,080 --> 00:08:03,600 Speaker 1: ketchup feeling for me that whole time period. 149 00:08:04,160 --> 00:08:08,280 Speaker 2: It's still the same today. I know, criminals do something 150 00:08:08,320 --> 00:08:11,200 Speaker 2: new and then law enforcement has to figure it out 151 00:08:11,240 --> 00:08:11,800 Speaker 2: and adapt. 152 00:08:12,320 --> 00:08:16,800 Speaker 1: Yep, Okay, here's the crime. It's nine pm. And as 153 00:08:16,800 --> 00:08:18,840 Speaker 1: I said, so if we're looking at we have an 154 00:08:18,840 --> 00:08:22,080 Speaker 1: outdoor scene. So that's why I'm telling you. It's September twelfth, 155 00:08:22,200 --> 00:08:25,280 Speaker 1: nineteen twenty three, so this would have been warm still right, 156 00:08:25,360 --> 00:08:27,480 Speaker 1: Central Valley would have been freezing still. I think he's 157 00:08:27,520 --> 00:08:30,240 Speaker 1: San Francisco, but warm right. 158 00:08:30,120 --> 00:08:33,360 Speaker 2: Yeah, No, I will tell you September can be like 159 00:08:33,600 --> 00:08:38,440 Speaker 2: the hottest summer month in this part of California. I 160 00:08:38,480 --> 00:08:40,920 Speaker 2: wouldn't be surprised if it got over one hundred degrees. 161 00:08:41,200 --> 00:08:43,600 Speaker 1: Okay, let me tell you about this. So nine o'clock, 162 00:08:44,000 --> 00:08:47,600 Speaker 1: there's a farmer who sees a burning haystack on a 163 00:08:47,679 --> 00:08:52,120 Speaker 1: ranch called the William Lange Ranch. He rushes to help. 164 00:08:52,200 --> 00:08:54,360 Speaker 1: All he can see is a haystack. And this does 165 00:08:54,400 --> 00:08:57,679 Speaker 1: sound like our other story. Remember, like the two big 166 00:08:57,840 --> 00:09:00,960 Speaker 1: hay bales, massive hay bales and England are on fire 167 00:09:01,000 --> 00:09:03,040 Speaker 1: and nobody can see anything until it burns down a 168 00:09:03,080 --> 00:09:04,800 Speaker 1: little bit. And then in that case, you saw a 169 00:09:04,800 --> 00:09:08,840 Speaker 1: dead body. In this case, it's a car that's on 170 00:09:08,920 --> 00:09:14,760 Speaker 1: fire and in the back seat there is a smoldering body. 171 00:09:15,200 --> 00:09:16,880 Speaker 1: And I have a picture of the car, not of 172 00:09:16,920 --> 00:09:18,959 Speaker 1: the body. I'm sorry but I do have a picture 173 00:09:19,000 --> 00:09:23,600 Speaker 1: of the car. So if you open up what you have, listen, 174 00:09:23,679 --> 00:09:25,679 Speaker 1: I mean it's not the greatest photo, but I think 175 00:09:25,679 --> 00:09:28,720 Speaker 1: you'll get the idea. It has been just for the record, 176 00:09:28,760 --> 00:09:32,840 Speaker 1: burned to the metal is what they say, completely charred 177 00:09:32,920 --> 00:09:35,680 Speaker 1: the body and the car has been burned down to 178 00:09:35,760 --> 00:09:36,160 Speaker 1: the metal. 179 00:09:36,640 --> 00:09:41,720 Speaker 2: Okay, So what I'm looking at is and part of 180 00:09:41,760 --> 00:09:45,319 Speaker 2: it is, you know, the context we are talking about 181 00:09:45,440 --> 00:09:48,440 Speaker 2: nineteen twenty three, So what did cars look like in 182 00:09:48,520 --> 00:09:52,520 Speaker 2: nineteen twenty three? And so now that I'm adjusting to 183 00:09:52,640 --> 00:09:57,800 Speaker 2: that almost Model T type of vehicle, I'm seeing a 184 00:09:57,920 --> 00:10:01,800 Speaker 2: vehicle that from left to right in this photograph, the 185 00:10:01,880 --> 00:10:05,400 Speaker 2: left is the front of the vehicle. There's the engine compartment, 186 00:10:05,480 --> 00:10:09,640 Speaker 2: there's a passenger area. Then you have the rear wheel 187 00:10:09,880 --> 00:10:12,760 Speaker 2: and the rear part of the vehicle. The metal on 188 00:10:12,880 --> 00:10:17,240 Speaker 2: this vehicle has softened to the point to where the 189 00:10:17,280 --> 00:10:21,800 Speaker 2: rear wheels, not the tires, the tires are gone, they burned, 190 00:10:22,480 --> 00:10:26,040 Speaker 2: but the wheels themselves a metal part has softened to 191 00:10:26,080 --> 00:10:30,120 Speaker 2: the point to where, like the left driver's side wheel 192 00:10:30,760 --> 00:10:35,040 Speaker 2: is bent at a ninety degree angle just from the 193 00:10:35,080 --> 00:10:38,240 Speaker 2: weight of the vehicle itself. With this type of photo. 194 00:10:38,360 --> 00:10:41,320 Speaker 2: I can't see, you know, the charring of the vehicle 195 00:10:41,480 --> 00:10:43,520 Speaker 2: or anything like that, but I can see where there's 196 00:10:43,559 --> 00:10:48,840 Speaker 2: been structural compromise as a result of heat combustible aspects 197 00:10:48,840 --> 00:10:53,000 Speaker 2: of the vehicle, like let's say, a wooden steering wheel gone, 198 00:10:53,440 --> 00:10:58,320 Speaker 2: upholstery gone. You know, it is just a crippled hule 199 00:10:58,760 --> 00:11:00,760 Speaker 2: of what used to be a car. 200 00:11:01,720 --> 00:11:05,000 Speaker 1: So that's what this body was found in. And you know, 201 00:11:05,040 --> 00:11:07,240 Speaker 1: I guess one of my questions is we did do 202 00:11:07,320 --> 00:11:11,520 Speaker 1: the spontaneous combustion story where there's a body found in 203 00:11:11,559 --> 00:11:16,559 Speaker 1: between these two haystacks. Would this sort of destruction indicate 204 00:11:16,640 --> 00:11:19,880 Speaker 1: to you that this either this fire either had to 205 00:11:19,920 --> 00:11:22,440 Speaker 1: have gone on for a very long time or there 206 00:11:22,520 --> 00:11:25,560 Speaker 1: must have been an accelerant added to this fire. I 207 00:11:25,559 --> 00:11:27,360 Speaker 1: don't think this is spontaneous combustion. 208 00:11:27,920 --> 00:11:32,000 Speaker 2: You know, let's talk car fires. Have you ever been, 209 00:11:32,280 --> 00:11:34,559 Speaker 2: you know, driving on the freeway and seen a vehicle 210 00:11:34,559 --> 00:11:38,360 Speaker 2: on fire that's off to the side, right, you know, 211 00:11:38,480 --> 00:11:43,040 Speaker 2: So vehicles do have combustible materials in them, but they 212 00:11:43,080 --> 00:11:47,120 Speaker 2: also have an accelerant that is present with inside the 213 00:11:47,200 --> 00:11:51,720 Speaker 2: vehicle gasoline or diesel. Right, And the same thing with 214 00:11:51,880 --> 00:11:55,319 Speaker 2: vehicles in the nineteen twenties. Now I'm not sure there 215 00:11:55,400 --> 00:12:00,640 Speaker 2: was a transition at one point with vehicles from poscene 216 00:12:00,679 --> 00:12:04,320 Speaker 2: to gasoline, and I'm not sure when that transition occurred, 217 00:12:04,520 --> 00:12:07,920 Speaker 2: But for this discussion, I don't I don't think it matters. 218 00:12:08,360 --> 00:12:11,160 Speaker 2: You know, fundamentally, you do have an accelerant. So if 219 00:12:11,160 --> 00:12:15,120 Speaker 2: you're an arson investigator and looking at this vehicle, you know, 220 00:12:15,280 --> 00:12:18,720 Speaker 2: part of the complexity is, well, there's already an accelerant presence. 221 00:12:18,720 --> 00:12:23,000 Speaker 2: So if there was something that could ignite a fire 222 00:12:23,440 --> 00:12:29,800 Speaker 2: and then the onboard fuel as an accelerant enhance that fire, 223 00:12:30,320 --> 00:12:34,360 Speaker 2: it could potentially cover up you know, an offender, let's say, 224 00:12:34,480 --> 00:12:39,360 Speaker 2: dousing a vehicle, you know, with some sort of flammable material. 225 00:12:40,240 --> 00:12:42,320 Speaker 2: You know. So this is where now it's you know, 226 00:12:43,040 --> 00:12:46,640 Speaker 2: the the investigation. Like if I'm if I'm processing this vehicle, 227 00:12:47,280 --> 00:12:49,679 Speaker 2: you know, the body is first and foremost. And I've 228 00:12:49,960 --> 00:12:53,760 Speaker 2: literally had this scenario in my past. As far as 229 00:12:53,800 --> 00:12:57,760 Speaker 2: the case, I will tell you that bodies and vehicles 230 00:12:57,960 --> 00:13:00,079 Speaker 2: that have been burned this is not a fun thing 231 00:13:00,120 --> 00:13:04,200 Speaker 2: to deal with. But it's also working with fire marshals, 232 00:13:04,280 --> 00:13:07,680 Speaker 2: with arson investigators, you know, State Fire Marshal's office, you know, 233 00:13:07,720 --> 00:13:10,560 Speaker 2: whoever you can get out. Okay, So where is the 234 00:13:10,640 --> 00:13:14,040 Speaker 2: point of origin of the fire. Does it look like 235 00:13:14,080 --> 00:13:17,880 Speaker 2: it was caused by an accident, you know, something within 236 00:13:17,920 --> 00:13:20,920 Speaker 2: the vehicle that you know caused the fire to occur, 237 00:13:21,080 --> 00:13:24,680 Speaker 2: and then of course you know the onboard acceleerantic nights 238 00:13:25,440 --> 00:13:29,400 Speaker 2: or do we have evidence that there was intentional fire 239 00:13:29,480 --> 00:13:32,400 Speaker 2: setting that occurred in order to cover up a crime? 240 00:13:32,640 --> 00:13:35,400 Speaker 2: You know, and that's typically if you have a body 241 00:13:35,400 --> 00:13:37,320 Speaker 2: in a vehicle. Let's say the body is in the 242 00:13:37,360 --> 00:13:41,400 Speaker 2: trunk of the vehicle, good chance that, yeah, somebody set 243 00:13:41,440 --> 00:13:43,520 Speaker 2: fire to the vehicle in order to try to cover 244 00:13:43,600 --> 00:13:45,360 Speaker 2: up the crime and eliminate evidence. 245 00:13:48,679 --> 00:13:52,080 Speaker 1: Okay, So when the coroner shows up and the sheriff 246 00:13:52,360 --> 00:13:55,360 Speaker 1: show up at the haystack, the car so twisted that 247 00:13:55,400 --> 00:13:58,400 Speaker 1: nobody recognizes the car, even though this is a small town, 248 00:13:58,760 --> 00:14:01,840 Speaker 1: they are able to decipher or the license plate and 249 00:14:01,880 --> 00:14:04,640 Speaker 1: so they're able to figure out who this is registered 250 00:14:04,640 --> 00:14:10,920 Speaker 1: to number one, number two. There is a identifiable set 251 00:14:10,960 --> 00:14:13,880 Speaker 1: of keys that are in the fire, in some of 252 00:14:13,960 --> 00:14:17,600 Speaker 1: the clothing, and also the class from a coin purse 253 00:14:18,000 --> 00:14:21,080 Speaker 1: that's also identifiable. When I tell you who this person is, 254 00:14:21,240 --> 00:14:23,720 Speaker 1: it's confirmed by his wife who sees these items and 255 00:14:23,760 --> 00:14:26,080 Speaker 1: says this is it. Nobody can tell from the car. 256 00:14:26,160 --> 00:14:28,800 Speaker 1: They have to go and figure it out through the registration. 257 00:14:29,400 --> 00:14:33,440 Speaker 2: So would men back in the day carry a coin purse. 258 00:14:33,880 --> 00:14:36,640 Speaker 1: Yeah, it's more of a clasp, so it's like a 259 00:14:36,640 --> 00:14:39,840 Speaker 1: class from a coin purse. That would not have been unusual, okay, 260 00:14:39,840 --> 00:14:42,760 Speaker 1: because people use coins a lot more than you know 261 00:14:42,840 --> 00:14:45,920 Speaker 1: we do now, sure, obviously. So those were the two 262 00:14:46,000 --> 00:14:49,840 Speaker 1: things that stood out to you know, investigators. And they 263 00:14:49,920 --> 00:14:51,840 Speaker 1: know who it is, and they said, it's a guy 264 00:14:52,000 --> 00:14:57,400 Speaker 1: named Alexander Alex Kells. So he goes by Alex. So 265 00:14:57,960 --> 00:15:01,680 Speaker 1: he was very prominent Alex He was a member of 266 00:15:01,720 --> 00:15:06,080 Speaker 1: a lot of different social organizations and a lot kind 267 00:15:06,120 --> 00:15:09,640 Speaker 1: of set in agriculture type organizations. He was very well liked. 268 00:15:10,120 --> 00:15:12,520 Speaker 1: A lot of people said he was amazing because he's 269 00:15:12,560 --> 00:15:15,480 Speaker 1: a self made man. He came from Germany in eighteen 270 00:15:15,520 --> 00:15:18,520 Speaker 1: eighty five and he was a butcher, but a very 271 00:15:18,560 --> 00:15:23,520 Speaker 1: wealthy butcher. So he had apprenticed at several California butcheries 272 00:15:24,120 --> 00:15:28,560 Speaker 1: and had slowly built up his wealth and by nineteen seventeen, 273 00:15:28,640 --> 00:15:32,640 Speaker 1: so this is six years before he died, he was 274 00:15:32,680 --> 00:15:34,600 Speaker 1: in a position to buy his own ranch. So he 275 00:15:34,640 --> 00:15:38,600 Speaker 1: bought a ranch, and he also started two slaughterhouses. You know, 276 00:15:38,640 --> 00:15:41,280 Speaker 1: they were both meat markets essentially, but you know, he 277 00:15:41,320 --> 00:15:44,840 Speaker 1: would slaughter the animals himself. And he was very, very wealthy. 278 00:15:45,240 --> 00:15:49,360 Speaker 1: So one meat market was located in a modern brick building. 279 00:15:49,720 --> 00:15:51,840 Speaker 1: It was top of the line, had all the best equipment. 280 00:15:52,720 --> 00:15:56,000 Speaker 1: He had a lot of cold storage rooms for hanging meat, 281 00:15:56,280 --> 00:15:59,960 Speaker 1: and you know, enamel walls, and a modern sales floor. 282 00:16:00,720 --> 00:16:04,320 Speaker 1: And in nineteen twenty three when he died, his fortune 283 00:16:04,360 --> 00:16:07,400 Speaker 1: was estimated to be a quarter of a million dollars 284 00:16:07,520 --> 00:16:10,160 Speaker 1: in nineteen twenty three money, which is almost five million today. 285 00:16:10,440 --> 00:16:12,200 Speaker 1: So your victim has a lot of money. We don't 286 00:16:12,240 --> 00:16:13,680 Speaker 1: know anything else about him to think it was very 287 00:16:13,840 --> 00:16:17,280 Speaker 1: you know, well liked and he had a lot of money. Sure, 288 00:16:17,440 --> 00:16:20,280 Speaker 1: three days later, we've got two doctors who are going 289 00:16:20,320 --> 00:16:23,520 Speaker 1: to take a look at Alex's remains. They are only 290 00:16:23,760 --> 00:16:29,400 Speaker 1: three teeth present in Alex's skull, so they think that 291 00:16:29,800 --> 00:16:32,520 Speaker 1: the fire must have been so intense that it consumed 292 00:16:32,560 --> 00:16:35,400 Speaker 1: the rest of the teeth. They wonder if the skull 293 00:16:35,560 --> 00:16:38,760 Speaker 1: was crushed, but because of the fire, they can't tell, 294 00:16:39,040 --> 00:16:41,320 Speaker 1: and they don't find any bullet wounds. So the cause 295 00:16:41,360 --> 00:16:43,040 Speaker 1: of death is a mystery for them. 296 00:16:43,400 --> 00:16:48,720 Speaker 2: Teeth even like in crematoriums, you know, teeth end up 297 00:16:48,960 --> 00:16:54,240 Speaker 2: without mechanical disruption, end up surviving super high temperatures, much 298 00:16:54,320 --> 00:16:58,720 Speaker 2: more so than the surrounding bone. So that's where I'm 299 00:16:58,720 --> 00:17:03,240 Speaker 2: a little bit not sure what they're observing. There's only 300 00:17:03,400 --> 00:17:08,760 Speaker 2: three teeth present, why is that? And then the other 301 00:17:08,880 --> 00:17:12,359 Speaker 2: thing what ends up happening with a fire with a 302 00:17:12,440 --> 00:17:17,840 Speaker 2: human body when it is being superheated, the skull bursts, 303 00:17:18,600 --> 00:17:21,600 Speaker 2: you know, the brain in essence becomes like, for lack 304 00:17:21,640 --> 00:17:24,880 Speaker 2: of a better term, like a boiling liquid. And so 305 00:17:25,000 --> 00:17:28,679 Speaker 2: now that the skull will burst, and once the skull bursts, 306 00:17:29,200 --> 00:17:32,560 Speaker 2: it can collapse in and on itself. So this is 307 00:17:32,560 --> 00:17:37,000 Speaker 2: where Now are they recognizing that's the phenomena that they 308 00:17:37,000 --> 00:17:42,280 Speaker 2: are dealing with, or is there actual violence that occurred, 309 00:17:42,480 --> 00:17:46,080 Speaker 2: like let's say during a bludgeting. A competent pathologist can 310 00:17:46,160 --> 00:17:49,080 Speaker 2: determine this, you know, this is where you need to 311 00:17:49,200 --> 00:17:50,880 Speaker 2: know what you are looking at. 312 00:17:51,440 --> 00:17:53,240 Speaker 1: Well, I can tell you one thing they're looking at 313 00:17:53,440 --> 00:17:55,720 Speaker 1: when they look at this, I mean they kind of 314 00:17:55,760 --> 00:17:58,639 Speaker 1: describe it as a skeletal remains. When they look at 315 00:17:58,640 --> 00:18:01,320 Speaker 1: the remains, they find out that at his hands are 316 00:18:01,400 --> 00:18:02,320 Speaker 1: tied behind his back. 317 00:18:02,640 --> 00:18:03,320 Speaker 2: That's a clue. 318 00:18:03,480 --> 00:18:06,959 Speaker 1: There's a big funeral, three thousand people. That's how much 319 00:18:07,040 --> 00:18:10,800 Speaker 1: people like this guy Alex kills. They are questioning different 320 00:18:10,920 --> 00:18:14,639 Speaker 1: residents about Alex and trying to figure out what his 321 00:18:14,760 --> 00:18:18,000 Speaker 1: last movements were. Was he talking to somebody that people 322 00:18:18,040 --> 00:18:20,520 Speaker 1: did know or didn't know, what was his behavior like 323 00:18:20,760 --> 00:18:22,520 Speaker 1: all of that stuff, And they start to put together 324 00:18:22,520 --> 00:18:25,600 Speaker 1: a timeline because small town ye people saw him. So 325 00:18:25,680 --> 00:18:28,199 Speaker 1: this is what happens. So his body is discovered at 326 00:18:28,320 --> 00:18:30,959 Speaker 1: nine pm. So we go back twelve hours. Between eight 327 00:18:31,000 --> 00:18:35,520 Speaker 1: o'clock and nine o'clock am, he was at a public 328 00:18:35,560 --> 00:18:39,880 Speaker 1: employment office and he was hiring somebody, you know, which 329 00:18:39,920 --> 00:18:42,720 Speaker 1: is something he did often to feed stock on his ranch. 330 00:18:43,600 --> 00:18:47,040 Speaker 1: And then at ten o'clock he had met with an 331 00:18:47,119 --> 00:18:51,720 Speaker 1: unknown woman and they were spotted driving toward an abandoned ranch. 332 00:18:52,119 --> 00:18:56,120 Speaker 1: From eleven o'clock until four pm, he worked at his 333 00:18:56,320 --> 00:18:59,359 Speaker 1: butcher shop in Lode Eye, and he went to a 334 00:18:59,359 --> 00:19:04,199 Speaker 1: restaurant during a break, and at four twenty he and 335 00:19:04,240 --> 00:19:08,359 Speaker 1: another man waved at a fuller lumber driver. They were 336 00:19:08,400 --> 00:19:11,600 Speaker 1: headed north of town in Alex's car. The one who 337 00:19:11,720 --> 00:19:13,560 Speaker 1: ends up no one that ends up being burned up 338 00:19:13,720 --> 00:19:17,639 Speaker 1: about five o'clock. He has seen killing time and snacking on. 339 00:19:17,960 --> 00:19:20,320 Speaker 1: I don't mean to WinCE at the sardines. 340 00:19:20,760 --> 00:19:22,520 Speaker 2: Oh I can't. I can't eat sardines. 341 00:19:22,800 --> 00:19:25,679 Speaker 1: Don't get upset if you guys like sardines and he 342 00:19:25,800 --> 00:19:30,320 Speaker 1: is eating. He's snacking on sardines. In Loacheford, I've never 343 00:19:30,320 --> 00:19:34,080 Speaker 1: been there, which is about eight miles northeast of Lodi, Okay. 344 00:19:34,359 --> 00:19:37,720 Speaker 1: Six forty five, a carpenter saw Alex. He was alone 345 00:19:37,760 --> 00:19:41,159 Speaker 1: this time. He was driving south and he was the 346 00:19:41,240 --> 00:19:44,240 Speaker 1: last time he was seen alive was about seven thirty PM, 347 00:19:44,840 --> 00:19:46,679 Speaker 1: so about an hour and a half before his body 348 00:19:46,760 --> 00:19:49,719 Speaker 1: was discovered, and he was driving in the direction of 349 00:19:49,800 --> 00:19:50,480 Speaker 1: the haystack. 350 00:19:50,920 --> 00:19:56,480 Speaker 2: Okay, so he's taken himself out towards at least where 351 00:19:57,040 --> 00:20:01,400 Speaker 2: he ultimately is found, like maybe goes to meet somebody. 352 00:20:02,520 --> 00:20:03,640 Speaker 2: And what time was that again? 353 00:20:04,320 --> 00:20:06,520 Speaker 1: So the last time people saw him was at seven 354 00:20:06,520 --> 00:20:09,840 Speaker 1: point thirty. He was by himself, and the sheriff is 355 00:20:09,960 --> 00:20:13,880 Speaker 1: trying to track down the man who Alex hired at 356 00:20:13,920 --> 00:20:17,680 Speaker 1: the public Employment office. There's no record of this man, 357 00:20:17,760 --> 00:20:20,679 Speaker 1: which is unusual, but they said sometimes that happened, so 358 00:20:20,720 --> 00:20:22,320 Speaker 1: they don't have a name that they can look up 359 00:20:22,359 --> 00:20:25,560 Speaker 1: and say, Alex Kells hired this guy, and nobody knows 360 00:20:25,560 --> 00:20:26,959 Speaker 1: who who this woman is. 361 00:20:27,600 --> 00:20:33,400 Speaker 2: And it's also hard to say that that interaction earlier 362 00:20:33,400 --> 00:20:36,200 Speaker 2: in the day had anything to do with this homicide. Yep. 363 00:20:36,480 --> 00:20:39,640 Speaker 2: And I would say the fact that his hands are 364 00:20:39,880 --> 00:20:44,520 Speaker 2: bound behind his back. I think any pathologist looking at 365 00:20:44,520 --> 00:20:47,840 Speaker 2: this set of circumstances would probably say, yes, you know, 366 00:20:47,920 --> 00:20:50,879 Speaker 2: this is death at the hands of another homicide. But 367 00:20:50,960 --> 00:20:54,359 Speaker 2: now is it possible, you know, maybe he odeed and 368 00:20:54,400 --> 00:20:57,880 Speaker 2: now you got somebody who he was doing drugs with 369 00:20:58,520 --> 00:21:02,160 Speaker 2: freaking out and m h you know, binds him up 370 00:21:02,200 --> 00:21:05,000 Speaker 2: to transport him and then dumps the body or sets 371 00:21:05,080 --> 00:21:07,080 Speaker 2: you know, puts him in a hayfield and you know, 372 00:21:07,200 --> 00:21:10,080 Speaker 2: sets it on fire. But it doesn't sound like that's 373 00:21:10,160 --> 00:21:13,160 Speaker 2: what we are dealing with here, So so okay. So 374 00:21:13,280 --> 00:21:16,719 Speaker 2: seven point thirty is the last time he's seen alive, 375 00:21:18,160 --> 00:21:22,320 Speaker 2: and he's driving towards at least in the general direction 376 00:21:22,600 --> 00:21:25,760 Speaker 2: of the hayfield in which his body is found. 377 00:21:26,160 --> 00:21:29,320 Speaker 1: Yep. And his widow is describing what she believes his 378 00:21:29,400 --> 00:21:31,399 Speaker 1: day was like. The last time she saw him was 379 00:21:31,440 --> 00:21:35,520 Speaker 1: at noon, and he was collecting rent. So he had 380 00:21:35,560 --> 00:21:38,119 Speaker 1: a lot of property and he was renting out different 381 00:21:38,119 --> 00:21:41,200 Speaker 1: parts of the property to people, probably kind of sharecropping, 382 00:21:41,840 --> 00:21:44,080 Speaker 1: and he was collecting rent. That was the day he 383 00:21:44,119 --> 00:21:45,520 Speaker 1: did it. He would have had money, she said. He 384 00:21:45,520 --> 00:21:48,280 Speaker 1: would have had quite a bit of money on him, cash. 385 00:21:48,600 --> 00:21:52,120 Speaker 1: And she said that she had been worried because he 386 00:21:52,200 --> 00:21:54,000 Speaker 1: had said to her that he had been getting some 387 00:21:54,400 --> 00:21:57,679 Speaker 1: death threats and she was getting ready to call the 388 00:21:57,720 --> 00:22:00,080 Speaker 1: police when the police came to her and said, we 389 00:22:00,119 --> 00:22:01,320 Speaker 1: found her husband's body. 390 00:22:01,720 --> 00:22:04,159 Speaker 2: Okay, so tell me about the death threats. 391 00:22:04,640 --> 00:22:08,320 Speaker 1: She just said that he did not explain anything, that 392 00:22:08,400 --> 00:22:12,200 Speaker 1: he was scared about these, you know, supposed death threats, 393 00:22:12,920 --> 00:22:16,080 Speaker 1: but we don't know, we don't know anything about them. 394 00:22:16,400 --> 00:22:17,919 Speaker 1: And he was vague with her because he didn't want 395 00:22:17,920 --> 00:22:20,720 Speaker 1: to upset her. Everybody's concerned about the widow because she's pregnant. 396 00:22:20,880 --> 00:22:23,360 Speaker 2: So these death threats are aren't coming in like through 397 00:22:23,440 --> 00:22:26,920 Speaker 2: the mail. No, okay, So there's no written record. 398 00:22:26,760 --> 00:22:29,040 Speaker 1: It doesn't look like it now if there were, he 399 00:22:29,160 --> 00:22:33,000 Speaker 1: didn't hand him over to her. So that is you 400 00:22:33,040 --> 00:22:36,320 Speaker 1: know where we are right now. They don't know what 401 00:22:36,560 --> 00:22:39,240 Speaker 1: happened to him. They're still doing they still have one 402 00:22:39,280 --> 00:22:42,320 Speaker 1: more like physical exam to do. I have another doctor 403 00:22:42,359 --> 00:22:45,720 Speaker 1: coming in, and so the sheriff is alarmed because this 404 00:22:45,760 --> 00:22:48,639 Speaker 1: does not happen in Lodi. Of course, his widow is 405 00:22:48,760 --> 00:22:52,720 Speaker 1: really upset, and you know, the community's pretty shaken. They 406 00:22:52,720 --> 00:22:56,600 Speaker 1: don't know what's happening and what the reason was behind it. 407 00:22:56,680 --> 00:23:00,440 Speaker 1: They didn't find money on him, you know, anywhere would 408 00:23:00,440 --> 00:23:02,399 Speaker 1: have been burned up, but there's no evidence of that 409 00:23:02,440 --> 00:23:05,680 Speaker 1: except except that coin purse. So he might have had 410 00:23:05,680 --> 00:23:08,320 Speaker 1: that coin purse either taken or burned up. But there 411 00:23:08,400 --> 00:23:10,960 Speaker 1: was just the clasp and that was it. So any 412 00:23:11,000 --> 00:23:13,720 Speaker 1: other thoughts before I have the next big development because 413 00:23:13,760 --> 00:23:14,360 Speaker 1: it's a big one. 414 00:23:14,720 --> 00:23:19,080 Speaker 2: You know, fire scenes are in many ways the worst, 415 00:23:19,359 --> 00:23:22,399 Speaker 2: you know, when it comes to really having a good 416 00:23:22,520 --> 00:23:27,600 Speaker 2: sense as to what was present, what wasn't present, what happened. 417 00:23:28,320 --> 00:23:31,960 Speaker 2: You talk about, you know, money on his person. I 418 00:23:32,000 --> 00:23:34,760 Speaker 2: mean he could have had a briefcase full of money. 419 00:23:34,880 --> 00:23:37,800 Speaker 2: The offender took the briefcase and then set everything on fire. 420 00:23:38,560 --> 00:23:41,960 Speaker 2: You'd never know that, you know. So that's where right now, 421 00:23:42,000 --> 00:23:45,359 Speaker 2: we just don't know what is going on in this case. 422 00:23:48,840 --> 00:23:52,800 Speaker 1: Well, let me tell you about more advanced autopsy that 423 00:23:52,880 --> 00:23:55,080 Speaker 1: they do and I'll give you those results. And then 424 00:23:55,200 --> 00:23:58,679 Speaker 1: and then the big one comes. Okay, so we have 425 00:23:58,760 --> 00:24:02,200 Speaker 1: a doctor who comes into look at him, and they're 426 00:24:02,240 --> 00:24:05,480 Speaker 1: looking for stomach contents that kind of thing. First, the 427 00:24:05,520 --> 00:24:11,200 Speaker 1: investigators think something weird is happening because they find buttons 428 00:24:11,240 --> 00:24:14,280 Speaker 1: of overalls in the ashes. The next day, once this 429 00:24:14,359 --> 00:24:17,399 Speaker 1: thing has burned down, Alex was very successful. He had 430 00:24:17,400 --> 00:24:19,639 Speaker 1: a lot of money. He did not wear overalls, so 431 00:24:19,680 --> 00:24:22,760 Speaker 1: they were confused about why they would find the buttons 432 00:24:22,760 --> 00:24:25,800 Speaker 1: of overalls underneath the body at the time. Of course, 433 00:24:25,920 --> 00:24:27,840 Speaker 1: you know, he could have who knows why he had 434 00:24:27,880 --> 00:24:30,200 Speaker 1: those Maybe the worker who was with him and taken 435 00:24:30,240 --> 00:24:32,600 Speaker 1: off his overalls. They just make a note of it. 436 00:24:32,960 --> 00:24:36,920 Speaker 1: Then they get to the autopsy. So he only had 437 00:24:36,920 --> 00:24:39,680 Speaker 1: grapes in his stomach, and it sounds like he had 438 00:24:39,720 --> 00:24:43,000 Speaker 1: eaten at least one or two other restaurants during the day, 439 00:24:43,440 --> 00:24:45,240 Speaker 1: and so they thought that was a little bit weird. 440 00:24:45,720 --> 00:24:50,359 Speaker 1: And then the weirdest part is that they look at 441 00:24:50,400 --> 00:24:55,920 Speaker 1: his spine and Alex is taller than the person who's 442 00:24:56,200 --> 00:24:59,359 Speaker 1: spying this belongs to. And so now they start to say, 443 00:25:00,080 --> 00:25:01,639 Speaker 1: we don't know if this is Alex Kales. 444 00:25:02,840 --> 00:25:05,680 Speaker 2: So you know, like if I'm working a case and 445 00:25:05,720 --> 00:25:10,520 Speaker 2: I have a pathologist tell me, oh, these remains are 446 00:25:10,520 --> 00:25:14,200 Speaker 2: not in line with a stature of what is known 447 00:25:14,280 --> 00:25:20,240 Speaker 2: about the victim. It's okay, let's dig into that. What 448 00:25:20,400 --> 00:25:23,160 Speaker 2: happens to the human body when it is burned? Are 449 00:25:23,160 --> 00:25:27,600 Speaker 2: there any studies that show that human body either expands 450 00:25:27,680 --> 00:25:32,040 Speaker 2: or contracts? And can can you accurately estimate the height 451 00:25:32,119 --> 00:25:35,240 Speaker 2: of this body, the weight of this body, et cetera. 452 00:25:35,960 --> 00:25:40,840 Speaker 2: You know, after such dramatic impact on it, I would 453 00:25:40,880 --> 00:25:45,040 Speaker 2: need to know that. Now today, even with charred remains, 454 00:25:45,880 --> 00:25:49,159 Speaker 2: there's a chance we could do successful DNA testing. The 455 00:25:49,280 --> 00:25:53,000 Speaker 2: dentin inside the teeth that are protected by the hardest 456 00:25:53,000 --> 00:25:59,320 Speaker 2: substance in the body often can produce DNA results. When 457 00:25:59,440 --> 00:26:03,280 Speaker 2: other bones or other tissues in the body, you won't 458 00:26:03,280 --> 00:26:06,520 Speaker 2: be successful with you know. So we would be able 459 00:26:06,560 --> 00:26:11,760 Speaker 2: to definitively identify this body with modern technology in all likelihood, 460 00:26:12,280 --> 00:26:15,359 Speaker 2: But now nineteen twenties they couldn't do that. So now 461 00:26:15,400 --> 00:26:18,520 Speaker 2: you're you're relying on this pathologist. It's like, well, what 462 00:26:18,520 --> 00:26:21,520 Speaker 2: what are you telling me? Doc? Are you telling me 463 00:26:21,680 --> 00:26:26,160 Speaker 2: this is possibly isn't alex And now that opens up 464 00:26:26,680 --> 00:26:32,000 Speaker 2: the direction of the investigation. It's like, Okay, now, is 465 00:26:32,080 --> 00:26:34,080 Speaker 2: Alex staging his own death? 466 00:26:34,440 --> 00:26:36,359 Speaker 1: Have you had that before? Have you ever worked that 467 00:26:36,440 --> 00:26:37,119 Speaker 1: kind of a case? 468 00:26:37,840 --> 00:26:42,560 Speaker 2: Not directly, No, not that nothing that's popping into my head. 469 00:26:42,760 --> 00:26:45,639 Speaker 2: I'm aware of cases in which, you know, people have 470 00:26:45,840 --> 00:26:49,800 Speaker 2: done that, but I mean, obviously, in this scenario, it's 471 00:26:49,840 --> 00:26:53,639 Speaker 2: something that you have to consider. You know. It's like, well, yeah, 472 00:26:53,640 --> 00:26:57,399 Speaker 2: we got a body we can't visually identify due to 473 00:26:57,480 --> 00:27:00,199 Speaker 2: the you know, the fire damage, and now we have 474 00:27:00,200 --> 00:27:02,919 Speaker 2: a pathologist saying this body is not consistent with the 475 00:27:03,000 --> 00:27:08,159 Speaker 2: stature of who we presumed the body was Alex. So 476 00:27:08,200 --> 00:27:11,120 Speaker 2: it's like, okay, so what are the set of circumstances 477 00:27:11,240 --> 00:27:14,760 Speaker 2: in which this would happen? You know, And part of it, 478 00:27:14,800 --> 00:27:17,159 Speaker 2: of course, is going to be, well, maybe the victim 479 00:27:17,240 --> 00:27:20,879 Speaker 2: is staging his own death for whatever reason. But you 480 00:27:20,920 --> 00:27:24,600 Speaker 2: also have to consider, you know, is there other scenarios 481 00:27:25,480 --> 00:27:28,560 Speaker 2: in which, let's say an offender has abducted and or 482 00:27:28,680 --> 00:27:33,720 Speaker 2: killed Alex but wants authorities to believe that the car 483 00:27:33,800 --> 00:27:37,760 Speaker 2: possesses Alex's body so they no longer are trying to 484 00:27:38,560 --> 00:27:42,600 Speaker 2: find Alex. And there's there's a variety of different other reasons. 485 00:27:42,600 --> 00:27:45,800 Speaker 2: But you know, it does open the door in terms 486 00:27:45,840 --> 00:27:48,919 Speaker 2: of well, where are we going? You know, where is 487 00:27:48,960 --> 00:27:53,720 Speaker 2: this going? You know? And now, as I always say, 488 00:27:54,119 --> 00:27:58,560 Speaker 2: the victimology, what's going on? It's huge? What is going on? 489 00:27:59,200 --> 00:28:02,040 Speaker 2: You know? And you know, why would Alex stage his 490 00:28:02,080 --> 00:28:06,600 Speaker 2: own death or what would cause Alex to be killed? 491 00:28:07,240 --> 00:28:11,600 Speaker 2: But then a different body substituted for Alex? You know, 492 00:28:12,240 --> 00:28:15,639 Speaker 2: maybe he's kept alive, but he's been adducted for whatever reason. 493 00:28:16,560 --> 00:28:19,760 Speaker 1: Well, let's do a little victimology here. They look at 494 00:28:19,760 --> 00:28:23,320 Speaker 1: his finances, because they are everybody suspicious at this point. 495 00:28:23,520 --> 00:28:27,840 Speaker 1: I think the spine part, I think the stomach contents part. 496 00:28:28,000 --> 00:28:30,280 Speaker 1: I think the overalls. They thought that was really weird. 497 00:28:30,800 --> 00:28:32,520 Speaker 1: Then they look at his finances and they talked to 498 00:28:32,600 --> 00:28:36,920 Speaker 1: his banker. So he had a very large ranch, expensive slaughterhouse. 499 00:28:37,480 --> 00:28:41,080 Speaker 1: He had a bungalow home, very modern, and he was 500 00:28:41,200 --> 00:28:45,320 Speaker 1: over extended. And when the livestock prices dropped, like I 501 00:28:45,360 --> 00:28:48,640 Speaker 1: told you they did, there was so much strain on 502 00:28:48,800 --> 00:28:53,200 Speaker 1: him that it was clearly stressing him out. And his 503 00:28:53,240 --> 00:28:55,440 Speaker 1: wife had said that, yes, he was stressed out by 504 00:28:55,480 --> 00:28:58,200 Speaker 1: this doesn't mean that that's what happened with him. But 505 00:28:58,920 --> 00:29:01,280 Speaker 1: if you were trying to get in you know, the 506 00:29:01,720 --> 00:29:04,160 Speaker 1: victim's head here. He seems to have a pretty good 507 00:29:04,160 --> 00:29:06,720 Speaker 1: reason for staging his own death. Who is the guy 508 00:29:06,760 --> 00:29:08,320 Speaker 1: in the car? If that's what happened, I. 509 00:29:08,320 --> 00:29:11,560 Speaker 2: Would say during this era, it's like is there any 510 00:29:11,680 --> 00:29:16,120 Speaker 2: reported grave robberies? Right? And now you throw that body 511 00:29:16,160 --> 00:29:20,680 Speaker 2: into the car and make off. But Alex, he could 512 00:29:20,760 --> 00:29:26,440 Speaker 2: benefit by staging his own death and disappearing. Whoever he 513 00:29:26,720 --> 00:29:31,600 Speaker 2: owes money to. They don't benefit by killing him, right, 514 00:29:31,960 --> 00:29:35,080 Speaker 2: you know they want his money, so it's less likely 515 00:29:35,240 --> 00:29:38,440 Speaker 2: that they would off the person that they're trying to 516 00:29:38,480 --> 00:29:43,280 Speaker 2: extract money from, unless you know, Alex showed up again 517 00:29:43,360 --> 00:29:46,360 Speaker 2: with the briefcase full of all sorts of money, and 518 00:29:46,400 --> 00:29:48,760 Speaker 2: then they decided, you know what we got, We gotta 519 00:29:48,800 --> 00:29:51,000 Speaker 2: get rid of this guy after they got their their 520 00:29:51,040 --> 00:29:52,560 Speaker 2: proceeds from the briefcase. 521 00:29:53,680 --> 00:29:57,280 Speaker 1: So who would be motivated to kill him in this way? 522 00:29:58,080 --> 00:30:00,720 Speaker 1: Somebody is going to see this. It's on a remote ranch, 523 00:30:00,760 --> 00:30:03,880 Speaker 1: but obviously somebody saw it. The last time somebody saw 524 00:30:03,960 --> 00:30:06,560 Speaker 1: him was at seven thirty at night. His body's discovered 525 00:30:06,560 --> 00:30:10,280 Speaker 1: at nine pm. This obviously wasn't the best hiding place 526 00:30:10,680 --> 00:30:14,000 Speaker 1: and it's an open field, so you know, I'm trying 527 00:30:14,000 --> 00:30:16,960 Speaker 1: to climb inside the head of the offender here, and 528 00:30:17,560 --> 00:30:20,320 Speaker 1: why would this be a good ideal at all? I 529 00:30:20,360 --> 00:30:23,560 Speaker 1: know you've set fire is really destructive, but other than that. 530 00:30:23,800 --> 00:30:28,320 Speaker 2: Yeah, but this this scenario, you know, setting fire with 531 00:30:28,480 --> 00:30:31,160 Speaker 2: haste as you know, with a vehicle inside of it. 532 00:30:31,200 --> 00:30:34,680 Speaker 2: I mean, it's it's a huge signal that oh, something's 533 00:30:34,800 --> 00:30:36,800 Speaker 2: wrong and people are going to rush to it, and 534 00:30:36,840 --> 00:30:38,360 Speaker 2: the offender has to know that. 535 00:30:39,120 --> 00:30:40,920 Speaker 1: Why would an offender want to do that? 536 00:30:41,000 --> 00:30:45,240 Speaker 2: Though maybe it's to send a message. You know, Alex 537 00:30:45,320 --> 00:30:48,080 Speaker 2: is a prominent person the offend. Let's say the offender 538 00:30:48,120 --> 00:30:50,880 Speaker 2: has a relationship with Alex at whether it's you know, 539 00:30:50,960 --> 00:30:56,480 Speaker 2: financial whatever, and then Alex does something that the offender 540 00:30:56,480 --> 00:30:58,880 Speaker 2: doesn't like, and the offender needs to send a message 541 00:30:58,880 --> 00:31:03,480 Speaker 2: because the offender has other clients that he has similar 542 00:31:03,520 --> 00:31:09,920 Speaker 2: relationships with. I'm kind of in a different scale. I'm 543 00:31:09,960 --> 00:31:15,440 Speaker 2: thinking about a drug dealer who has somebody who's like, 544 00:31:15,600 --> 00:31:18,200 Speaker 2: let's say, hey, can I get a dime bagie? I'll 545 00:31:18,200 --> 00:31:20,320 Speaker 2: pay you next time? Can I get a dime Bagie? 546 00:31:20,320 --> 00:31:23,960 Speaker 2: I'll pay you next time? And never pays. Pretty soon, 547 00:31:24,000 --> 00:31:26,880 Speaker 2: that drug dealer has to send a message because he 548 00:31:26,920 --> 00:31:30,520 Speaker 2: can't have all his customers doing that because he'll never 549 00:31:30,560 --> 00:31:34,320 Speaker 2: make money. So he sends a message by killing the 550 00:31:34,400 --> 00:31:37,440 Speaker 2: person that owes him money, and then all his other 551 00:31:37,560 --> 00:31:42,280 Speaker 2: customers go, oh shit, I better step up. Is that 552 00:31:42,520 --> 00:31:46,600 Speaker 2: what's going on here? The offender is doing this dramatic 553 00:31:46,920 --> 00:31:50,040 Speaker 2: homicide with a fire in the middle of the hayfield, 554 00:31:50,080 --> 00:31:54,360 Speaker 2: So everybody knows what's going on, and now is sending 555 00:31:54,400 --> 00:31:58,960 Speaker 2: a message to whoever else you better get in line 556 00:31:59,080 --> 00:32:00,880 Speaker 2: or the same thing as happened to you. 557 00:32:01,960 --> 00:32:07,360 Speaker 1: Okay, Well, let's head next to people thinking they see 558 00:32:07,400 --> 00:32:10,360 Speaker 1: Alex around and this is where things really kind of 559 00:32:10,480 --> 00:32:13,400 Speaker 1: ramp up. So there's a call that comes in from 560 00:32:13,440 --> 00:32:17,440 Speaker 1: Nevada that Alex had been sighted there. Do people know 561 00:32:17,520 --> 00:32:20,400 Speaker 1: him in Nevada? I don't know, but he's spotted. A 562 00:32:20,400 --> 00:32:22,960 Speaker 1: couple days later, a man who does business with Alex 563 00:32:23,000 --> 00:32:26,680 Speaker 1: reports that Alex avoided eye contact with him in Reno. 564 00:32:27,000 --> 00:32:30,280 Speaker 1: So now we have somebody who says, I know this 565 00:32:30,360 --> 00:32:33,040 Speaker 1: guy and he wasn't looking me in the eye. There's 566 00:32:33,080 --> 00:32:36,680 Speaker 1: another local, George Williams, who says that he saw Alex 567 00:32:36,880 --> 00:32:40,840 Speaker 1: on board a westbound train. And so when you have 568 00:32:40,960 --> 00:32:43,280 Speaker 1: all of these people, you know who are saying, they 569 00:32:43,360 --> 00:32:45,880 Speaker 1: that we know Alex and he's there. Then, of course 570 00:32:45,880 --> 00:32:48,400 Speaker 1: the sheriff is now trying to put all of this together. 571 00:32:48,960 --> 00:32:54,560 Speaker 1: And on October first, the police in Eureka, California, there 572 00:32:54,600 --> 00:32:57,280 Speaker 1: are reports called in that there is an unknown man 573 00:32:57,320 --> 00:33:01,320 Speaker 1: carrying a rifle at the raiyard inside a box car. 574 00:33:01,400 --> 00:33:04,760 Speaker 1: They find the man. The gun is loaded, he has 575 00:33:04,800 --> 00:33:07,120 Speaker 1: it jammed in his mouth and he's trying to pull 576 00:33:07,160 --> 00:33:10,240 Speaker 1: the trigger with his toe and when they stop him, 577 00:33:10,400 --> 00:33:14,720 Speaker 1: he identifies himself as Alex Kills from Lodi. You still 578 00:33:14,760 --> 00:33:15,800 Speaker 1: don't believe it, Paul. 579 00:33:16,040 --> 00:33:19,840 Speaker 2: Yeah, it's you know, I need proof. Do they establish 580 00:33:19,920 --> 00:33:24,680 Speaker 2: his identity? We're talking nineteen twenties. Fingerprints were available, you know, 581 00:33:25,320 --> 00:33:29,320 Speaker 2: but not necessarily for everybody. And then, of course, if 582 00:33:29,320 --> 00:33:33,160 Speaker 2: he's still alive, then you have people who know Alex 583 00:33:33,240 --> 00:33:34,880 Speaker 2: who could establish identity. 584 00:33:35,360 --> 00:33:37,280 Speaker 1: Yeah, and you know, you have these business people who 585 00:33:37,280 --> 00:33:40,360 Speaker 1: had worked with him who saw him absolutely. So then 586 00:33:40,680 --> 00:33:43,680 Speaker 1: he gets taken to the Stockton County Jail on October 587 00:33:43,760 --> 00:33:48,120 Speaker 1: third and is identified. Now his wife is not brought down, 588 00:33:48,360 --> 00:33:50,840 Speaker 1: and they say it's because she's pregnant. She doesn't know 589 00:33:50,840 --> 00:33:53,800 Speaker 1: anything about it except the fact that he's dead. And 590 00:33:53,920 --> 00:33:56,480 Speaker 1: they don't want her to have a miscarriage or anything 591 00:33:56,560 --> 00:34:01,600 Speaker 1: like that. But the sheriff questions him, and Alex confesses 592 00:34:02,000 --> 00:34:04,840 Speaker 1: because of the financial situation he's in. And I'll tell 593 00:34:04,880 --> 00:34:07,920 Speaker 1: you what he's confessing too. He does say, and the 594 00:34:07,920 --> 00:34:12,560 Speaker 1: sheriff did find out that he had in nineteen twenty 595 00:34:12,600 --> 00:34:16,200 Speaker 1: three money, he had about one hundred thousand dollars worth 596 00:34:16,239 --> 00:34:19,080 Speaker 1: of insurance on himself, which is about almost two million 597 00:34:19,120 --> 00:34:22,640 Speaker 1: dollars today. Who's the beneficiary with the wife, his wife 598 00:34:22,680 --> 00:34:24,839 Speaker 1: and his daughter, And that's why he wanted to fake 599 00:34:24,840 --> 00:34:27,719 Speaker 1: his own death. So then the question is, you know, 600 00:34:28,080 --> 00:34:30,879 Speaker 1: how did this happen and who is this person and 601 00:34:30,960 --> 00:34:33,400 Speaker 1: all of this stuff. But I'm sure you have questions. 602 00:34:32,960 --> 00:34:37,840 Speaker 2: Too, Okay, So let's say, Okay, this guy who's failing 603 00:34:38,000 --> 00:34:41,600 Speaker 2: to kill himself with a rival by pulling the trigger 604 00:34:41,680 --> 00:34:42,799 Speaker 2: with his toe. 605 00:34:42,680 --> 00:34:47,120 Speaker 1: Get a different gut, buddy, I mean, golly, But. 606 00:34:47,120 --> 00:34:52,080 Speaker 2: Let's say that is truly Alex. Okay, So he has 607 00:34:52,400 --> 00:34:57,880 Speaker 2: staged his own death. There's a benefit to his family, 608 00:34:58,080 --> 00:35:00,720 Speaker 2: so there's a motive to do that for his family. 609 00:35:00,760 --> 00:35:03,359 Speaker 2: But generally people aren't going to do that unless there's 610 00:35:03,360 --> 00:35:07,400 Speaker 2: some other stressor in their life. So there is something 611 00:35:07,520 --> 00:35:11,840 Speaker 2: else going on. You know. Let's take the scenario of 612 00:35:12,680 --> 00:35:16,520 Speaker 2: Alex gets involved in the nineteen twenties. I wouldn't expect this, 613 00:35:16,640 --> 00:35:19,799 Speaker 2: but let's say Alex gets involved with the mob, you know, 614 00:35:19,960 --> 00:35:23,400 Speaker 2: and now he owes a ton of money. He knows that, 615 00:35:24,239 --> 00:35:26,960 Speaker 2: you know, if he doesn't pay up, you know, his 616 00:35:27,080 --> 00:35:29,279 Speaker 2: legs are going to be broken, his arms are going 617 00:35:29,320 --> 00:35:31,360 Speaker 2: to be broken. He's going to be and you know, 618 00:35:31,800 --> 00:35:35,000 Speaker 2: his reputation is going to be sullied however you want 619 00:35:35,040 --> 00:35:38,719 Speaker 2: to say it. And then he decides the only way 620 00:35:38,800 --> 00:35:42,600 Speaker 2: to escape that happening to me is me, you know, 621 00:35:42,719 --> 00:35:46,040 Speaker 2: I need to stage my death. And the positive is 622 00:35:46,040 --> 00:35:48,560 Speaker 2: is that the people I love, my wife and daughter, 623 00:35:49,440 --> 00:35:53,240 Speaker 2: you know, will will benefit from this. He's not doing 624 00:35:53,280 --> 00:35:56,319 Speaker 2: this just for insurance money, unless he has had a 625 00:35:56,400 --> 00:36:00,359 Speaker 2: history of suicidal ideations prior to this. So I would 626 00:36:00,360 --> 00:36:03,400 Speaker 2: say there is something else going on in Alex's life, 627 00:36:03,560 --> 00:36:10,719 Speaker 2: particularly considering his prominent nature, that is causing him distress 628 00:36:10,880 --> 00:36:12,560 Speaker 2: to where he has to resort to this. 629 00:36:13,080 --> 00:36:16,760 Speaker 1: Okay, I do have a side story because I'm talking 630 00:36:16,760 --> 00:36:18,399 Speaker 1: to you about this case. I think that I wish 631 00:36:18,440 --> 00:36:19,919 Speaker 1: I had known about this case when I was writing 632 00:36:19,960 --> 00:36:23,239 Speaker 1: American Sherlock. So in the middle of American Sherlock, I 633 00:36:23,239 --> 00:36:26,520 Speaker 1: have a story. It's called The Calculating Chemist, and it's 634 00:36:26,560 --> 00:36:30,280 Speaker 1: about a chemist named Charles Schwartz who was from France, 635 00:36:30,560 --> 00:36:33,279 Speaker 1: and he was in Walnut Creek and in nineteen twenty five, 636 00:36:33,400 --> 00:36:37,920 Speaker 1: when he got this massive infusion of money, he wanted 637 00:36:37,960 --> 00:36:41,800 Speaker 1: to make what would end up being nylon silk was 638 00:36:41,840 --> 00:36:47,120 Speaker 1: incredibly expensive, blah blah blah. So he received a large 639 00:36:47,120 --> 00:36:49,719 Speaker 1: infusion of money from a lot of different investors, including 640 00:36:49,760 --> 00:36:52,080 Speaker 1: his wife's family. He had a couple of kids with her. 641 00:36:52,160 --> 00:36:54,880 Speaker 1: They lived in Walnut Creek. He had a whole factory 642 00:36:54,960 --> 00:36:57,880 Speaker 1: set up. He is by himself. He has a security 643 00:36:57,920 --> 00:37:01,920 Speaker 1: guard because he's gotten threats also by himself, and the 644 00:37:01,960 --> 00:37:06,440 Speaker 1: factory catches on fire and basically he explodes right because 645 00:37:06,440 --> 00:37:12,240 Speaker 1: he's using some bad chemicals. And immediately the police chief 646 00:37:12,280 --> 00:37:16,800 Speaker 1: calls in my guy, Oscar Heinrich, who goes in and says, 647 00:37:17,040 --> 00:37:19,439 Speaker 1: this was not a chemical accident. He did not blow 648 00:37:19,520 --> 00:37:22,520 Speaker 1: himself up. The accelerant is right here. It is not 649 00:37:22,680 --> 00:37:25,440 Speaker 1: the same as any chemical that is found in this 650 00:37:25,520 --> 00:37:29,080 Speaker 1: whole factory. And then they do the autopsy, of which 651 00:37:29,120 --> 00:37:33,839 Speaker 1: I have the most disgusting photos of a completely burned body, 652 00:37:34,239 --> 00:37:38,399 Speaker 1: and Schwartz's wife said, well, you know, he just had 653 00:37:38,440 --> 00:37:42,200 Speaker 1: a tooth extracted, and the corpse was missing a tooth 654 00:37:42,400 --> 00:37:46,640 Speaker 1: and it wasn't burned enough where it was not identifiable 655 00:37:46,920 --> 00:37:49,960 Speaker 1: to my forensic scientist. He said, after the guy died, 656 00:37:50,000 --> 00:37:52,440 Speaker 1: it was chipped out. Based on the clotting, I guess 657 00:37:52,760 --> 00:37:55,640 Speaker 1: this was not something that was extracted, and with the 658 00:37:55,680 --> 00:37:59,000 Speaker 1: spine it was much shorter. And so Schwartz had done this. 659 00:37:59,600 --> 00:38:03,239 Speaker 1: He had found a doppelganger, itinerant minister. He put an 660 00:38:03,280 --> 00:38:05,719 Speaker 1: ad in, I want to hire you. The guy shows up, 661 00:38:05,719 --> 00:38:06,319 Speaker 1: he kills him. 662 00:38:06,440 --> 00:38:06,560 Speaker 2: No. 663 00:38:06,800 --> 00:38:12,399 Speaker 1: And Schwartz's plan, though, was to take money, not tell 664 00:38:12,440 --> 00:38:15,560 Speaker 1: his family, and take off because you know. 665 00:38:15,600 --> 00:38:17,480 Speaker 2: He established a separate life. 666 00:38:17,719 --> 00:38:20,040 Speaker 1: Yep, he had other girlfriends on the side. In fact, 667 00:38:20,040 --> 00:38:21,560 Speaker 1: he was getting ready to be sued with one of 668 00:38:21,640 --> 00:38:24,560 Speaker 1: those heartbomb suits. I told you about where he slept 669 00:38:24,560 --> 00:38:26,399 Speaker 1: with a woman and said I'll marry you and then 670 00:38:26,400 --> 00:38:29,120 Speaker 1: he dumps her after they sleep together, and she was 671 00:38:29,160 --> 00:38:31,280 Speaker 1: suing him. So there was a lot of stuff crumbling 672 00:38:31,320 --> 00:38:33,080 Speaker 1: in because he was not producing what he was supposed 673 00:38:33,080 --> 00:38:35,279 Speaker 1: to be producing. But it's almost the same thing. And 674 00:38:35,320 --> 00:38:38,279 Speaker 1: what it makes me think about is that, because this 675 00:38:38,320 --> 00:38:41,440 Speaker 1: is the case with Alex Kels was widely reported, I 676 00:38:41,520 --> 00:38:43,920 Speaker 1: wonder if this is where Schwartz got it from. Because 677 00:38:43,960 --> 00:38:48,680 Speaker 1: Schwartz did this in twenty five. Kell's happened in twenty three. 678 00:38:48,719 --> 00:38:52,879 Speaker 1: Schwartz was in Walnut Creek. This is Lodie, right, and 679 00:38:53,239 --> 00:38:56,960 Speaker 1: it's very similar, very similar circumstances and the way it 680 00:38:57,000 --> 00:38:59,240 Speaker 1: was kind of pulled off and everything he had. Schwartz 681 00:38:59,280 --> 00:39:01,800 Speaker 1: had a lot of life insurance and he did say 682 00:39:02,160 --> 00:39:05,560 Speaker 1: he had tons of death threats against him, and they 683 00:39:05,680 --> 00:39:09,439 Speaker 1: used stomach contents to prove it wasn't Charles Schwartz because 684 00:39:09,440 --> 00:39:12,319 Speaker 1: they knew what he ate for dinner and it wasn't 685 00:39:12,360 --> 00:39:15,279 Speaker 1: in the person's body. That's why it's funny because I 686 00:39:15,360 --> 00:39:18,040 Speaker 1: keep thinking, oh, who kills doppelgangers? I just think that's wild. 687 00:39:18,160 --> 00:39:20,799 Speaker 1: But if I hadn't written, if I hadn't written about 688 00:39:20,840 --> 00:39:22,560 Speaker 1: Charles Schwartz, now nothing surprises me. 689 00:39:22,960 --> 00:39:26,920 Speaker 2: Yeah, well, you know, and this is where back before 690 00:39:27,120 --> 00:39:32,920 Speaker 2: modern technology, you know, everybody's relying on physical characteristics, and 691 00:39:32,960 --> 00:39:36,319 Speaker 2: is that that's what these offenders were taking advantage of. 692 00:39:36,680 --> 00:39:40,040 Speaker 2: You know, find somebody who looks like me, or looks 693 00:39:40,120 --> 00:39:44,400 Speaker 2: like so and so and killed them and set you know, 694 00:39:44,480 --> 00:39:49,120 Speaker 2: the circumstances up to where now you know, the authorities go, 695 00:39:49,239 --> 00:39:52,319 Speaker 2: oh yes, obviously he's missing a tooth, same tooth that 696 00:39:52,680 --> 00:39:54,960 Speaker 2: the known victim is missing, so it's got to be 697 00:39:55,000 --> 00:39:59,239 Speaker 2: the same guy. H This is easy. So you know, 698 00:39:59,400 --> 00:40:04,160 Speaker 2: with with Alex, he sets, he stages his own death, 699 00:40:04,680 --> 00:40:09,920 Speaker 2: but he's found I think you said up in Eureka, Yeah, 700 00:40:10,320 --> 00:40:14,279 Speaker 2: in a train. What's going on there? I always say, 701 00:40:14,320 --> 00:40:19,560 Speaker 2: when when you see contradiction, stop and think about it. 702 00:40:20,560 --> 00:40:25,840 Speaker 2: If he is merely staging his death for his wife 703 00:40:25,840 --> 00:40:30,200 Speaker 2: and daughter to get insurance money, and then he's found 704 00:40:30,320 --> 00:40:32,840 Speaker 2: later trying to kill himself, why doesn't he try to 705 00:40:32,920 --> 00:40:37,399 Speaker 2: kill himself in his own car in that hayfield. He 706 00:40:37,520 --> 00:40:42,560 Speaker 2: is trying to survive, and he's trying to maybe move 707 00:40:42,600 --> 00:40:46,600 Speaker 2: away from his life, you know, so his wife and 708 00:40:46,680 --> 00:40:51,319 Speaker 2: daughter receive insurance money. He feels good that, you know, 709 00:40:51,400 --> 00:40:55,200 Speaker 2: these people that were in his life are financially benefiting 710 00:40:55,239 --> 00:41:01,160 Speaker 2: from it, and now he's moving on. But then he's 711 00:41:01,200 --> 00:41:04,440 Speaker 2: getting cornered and he's recognizing, oh shit, I've been caught, 712 00:41:04,560 --> 00:41:06,560 Speaker 2: and now he wants to blow his head off, but 713 00:41:06,719 --> 00:41:09,600 Speaker 2: is completely incompetent to do that. 714 00:41:10,320 --> 00:41:12,920 Speaker 1: Yeah, And I think what comes out is his wife 715 00:41:12,920 --> 00:41:15,879 Speaker 1: will say eventually that he's been mentally unstable for quite 716 00:41:15,920 --> 00:41:18,840 Speaker 1: a while. I don't know if people believe that. But 717 00:41:19,560 --> 00:41:21,840 Speaker 1: let me tell you what he says. He says, I 718 00:41:21,880 --> 00:41:25,120 Speaker 1: did it, can't take it anymore. He said that he 719 00:41:25,239 --> 00:41:27,640 Speaker 1: hired the stranger I told you about. Remember he went 720 00:41:27,680 --> 00:41:30,280 Speaker 1: to the employment office and said, I need to hire somebody. 721 00:41:30,320 --> 00:41:33,480 Speaker 1: That's who he hires. He called him a ragged stranger 722 00:41:34,080 --> 00:41:37,560 Speaker 1: from the public employment office. He called him Mac. He 723 00:41:37,600 --> 00:41:40,520 Speaker 1: doesn't remember the guy's name. He said he drove Mac 724 00:41:40,600 --> 00:41:43,799 Speaker 1: to his ranch and then he shot him twice in 725 00:41:43,840 --> 00:41:48,080 Speaker 1: the head with a thirty two automatic handgun. He said 726 00:41:48,239 --> 00:41:51,239 Speaker 1: Mac was still alive after he shot him twice, so 727 00:41:51,280 --> 00:41:53,360 Speaker 1: he beat him with an iron bar. He said he 728 00:41:53,400 --> 00:41:56,000 Speaker 1: put the body in a burlap sack, put it in 729 00:41:56,040 --> 00:41:58,600 Speaker 1: the back of the car, and continued with his day's 730 00:41:58,640 --> 00:42:02,680 Speaker 1: work as usual. Then he, at eight o'clock that night, 731 00:42:03,280 --> 00:42:07,000 Speaker 1: heads back to the ranch. He said he built a 732 00:42:07,000 --> 00:42:13,279 Speaker 1: haystack around Max's body and lit a candle. But then 733 00:42:13,320 --> 00:42:16,520 Speaker 1: he says he abandoned his car. I think he must 734 00:42:16,560 --> 00:42:19,440 Speaker 1: mean that they put maybe he put hay in or 735 00:42:19,719 --> 00:42:22,000 Speaker 1: near the body or around the body inside the car 736 00:42:22,040 --> 00:42:24,239 Speaker 1: and then set it on fire. Must have been what 737 00:42:24,360 --> 00:42:27,080 Speaker 1: he did. And then he said he left on foot 738 00:42:27,160 --> 00:42:29,719 Speaker 1: and went back towards Sacramento, and then he went to 739 00:42:29,760 --> 00:42:31,839 Speaker 1: Arizona and Texas and all over the place to try 740 00:42:31,840 --> 00:42:34,640 Speaker 1: to get away from all of this. And he said 741 00:42:34,640 --> 00:42:37,640 Speaker 1: he was ashamed by the financial situation he had been in. 742 00:42:37,760 --> 00:42:40,320 Speaker 1: That's what he said. The motivation was, it was shame. 743 00:42:40,480 --> 00:42:44,839 Speaker 1: But how overextended he was. He was going to have 744 00:42:44,880 --> 00:42:48,080 Speaker 1: to file for bankruptcy. So you know, that's kind of 745 00:42:48,120 --> 00:42:51,120 Speaker 1: the conclusion. The investigators believed everything he said. 746 00:42:51,640 --> 00:42:57,160 Speaker 2: So the autopsy on Max's body. He shot a couple 747 00:42:57,239 --> 00:42:59,479 Speaker 2: of times in the head with a thirty two. He's 748 00:42:59,560 --> 00:43:01,319 Speaker 2: been beaten, he said, with. 749 00:43:01,280 --> 00:43:03,239 Speaker 1: A hammer, he said, with an iron bar. 750 00:43:03,600 --> 00:43:09,640 Speaker 2: Iron bar. Okay, So a good evaluation of Mac's skull 751 00:43:09,920 --> 00:43:16,000 Speaker 2: should show the perforation by bullets. This is very distinctive, 752 00:43:16,880 --> 00:43:21,719 Speaker 2: and even the defects, the bullet hole defects will show 753 00:43:21,840 --> 00:43:26,680 Speaker 2: directionality coming from outside in now beaten by an iron 754 00:43:26,719 --> 00:43:30,880 Speaker 2: bar probably also is leaving distinctive aspects. But the complication, 755 00:43:30,960 --> 00:43:33,600 Speaker 2: of course is the fire. But the perforation of the 756 00:43:33,600 --> 00:43:36,960 Speaker 2: skull by bullets. That should be pretty obvious. 757 00:43:37,400 --> 00:43:40,200 Speaker 1: I have a conflicting information about that in my packet. 758 00:43:40,360 --> 00:43:42,960 Speaker 1: A source that I found said it was an old 759 00:43:43,040 --> 00:43:46,120 Speaker 1: newspaper article said, you know, the autopsy showed that he 760 00:43:46,200 --> 00:43:49,799 Speaker 1: had been shot, but my packet says that doesn't say that. 761 00:43:50,000 --> 00:43:52,000 Speaker 1: And you know, let me just see if there's any 762 00:43:52,000 --> 00:43:54,120 Speaker 1: other detail, because it's a pretty big difference. 763 00:43:54,560 --> 00:43:57,720 Speaker 2: Well, you know, in many ways, all this is doing 764 00:43:57,920 --> 00:44:03,080 Speaker 2: is either corroborating or refuting. Yeah, the details that Alex 765 00:44:03,200 --> 00:44:05,200 Speaker 2: is providing of what he did to Mac, you know, 766 00:44:05,640 --> 00:44:08,360 Speaker 2: and if if the pathologist is saying, yeah, I'm seeing 767 00:44:08,840 --> 00:44:13,359 Speaker 2: small caliber bullet holes into the skull and thirty two, 768 00:44:14,400 --> 00:44:17,360 Speaker 2: the thirty two is still with the body in all likelihood, 769 00:44:17,440 --> 00:44:20,760 Speaker 2: it's not like penetrating all the way through and going 770 00:44:20,800 --> 00:44:24,000 Speaker 2: to never never land. It's probably contained within that body. 771 00:44:24,400 --> 00:44:27,799 Speaker 2: They're probably not using X rays on the body, you know, 772 00:44:27,960 --> 00:44:31,960 Speaker 2: to find you know, metal objects inside. So if the 773 00:44:31,960 --> 00:44:34,799 Speaker 2: pathologist isn't aware, you know, I could see where that 774 00:44:34,840 --> 00:44:38,759 Speaker 2: would just be left behind. So you know, now it 775 00:44:38,840 --> 00:44:41,600 Speaker 2: kind of gets down. So Alex is making admissions he 776 00:44:41,800 --> 00:44:48,000 Speaker 2: killed this random who maybe physically somewhat matched him, and 777 00:44:48,320 --> 00:44:52,480 Speaker 2: staged it like his own death. It now is really okay. 778 00:44:52,560 --> 00:44:54,960 Speaker 2: You've made an admission to that. Are you telling the 779 00:44:55,000 --> 00:44:57,960 Speaker 2: truth about the motive what he. 780 00:44:58,160 --> 00:45:01,680 Speaker 1: Says his plan was, He said, you know, I was 781 00:45:01,719 --> 00:45:04,239 Speaker 1: totally humiliated. I'm going to have to file for bankruptcy. 782 00:45:04,239 --> 00:45:06,520 Speaker 1: I didn't want to do that to my family. He 783 00:45:06,719 --> 00:45:12,120 Speaker 1: said that his plan was that he would fake his 784 00:45:12,200 --> 00:45:15,960 Speaker 1: own death, murder an innocent man doing it. He was 785 00:45:16,000 --> 00:45:18,160 Speaker 1: going to set the scene up to make investigators believe 786 00:45:18,200 --> 00:45:19,839 Speaker 1: that the body was his, and then he was going 787 00:45:19,880 --> 00:45:23,000 Speaker 1: to go to Mexico. His wife and kids were going 788 00:45:23,040 --> 00:45:25,799 Speaker 1: to get you know, the insurance money so they would 789 00:45:25,840 --> 00:45:29,600 Speaker 1: be fine, his name would be saved, so you wouldn't 790 00:45:29,640 --> 00:45:34,280 Speaker 1: have to go into bankruptcy. And that he was cited 791 00:45:34,400 --> 00:45:37,479 Speaker 1: in Reno, and he knew it because he looked down, 792 00:45:37,760 --> 00:45:39,560 Speaker 1: and he knew that somebody was going to call, that 793 00:45:39,600 --> 00:45:42,600 Speaker 1: the business associate was going to call the police. And 794 00:45:42,920 --> 00:45:46,160 Speaker 1: he said, you know, I should have gone to Mexico immediately, 795 00:45:46,640 --> 00:45:49,439 Speaker 1: but he said I didn't. And I kept seeing, he said, 796 00:45:49,520 --> 00:45:53,960 Speaker 1: staring eyes everywhere, and he said I couldn't take it anymore. 797 00:45:54,120 --> 00:45:56,560 Speaker 1: And then when I got spotted, I thought, well, there's 798 00:45:56,600 --> 00:45:59,800 Speaker 1: only one way to end this now, and that's where 799 00:45:59,840 --> 00:46:02,400 Speaker 1: we had the suicide attempt. He said, he was just 800 00:46:02,440 --> 00:46:05,359 Speaker 1: tortured the whole time by what he did. He could 801 00:46:05,360 --> 00:46:07,320 Speaker 1: have gone Paul immediately. I mean this were on a 802 00:46:07,360 --> 00:46:09,440 Speaker 1: couple of weeks, two or three weeks. He could have 803 00:46:09,440 --> 00:46:11,520 Speaker 1: been in Mexico and nobody would have ever found him. 804 00:46:11,520 --> 00:46:12,920 Speaker 1: But he just kept coming back. 805 00:46:13,360 --> 00:46:18,560 Speaker 2: And there's no information about another life, No you know, 806 00:46:18,800 --> 00:46:23,000 Speaker 2: owing money to some entity that he would be afraid of, 807 00:46:23,440 --> 00:46:27,640 Speaker 2: nothing like that. This is literally, Oh, I suck. I 808 00:46:27,719 --> 00:46:31,720 Speaker 2: screwed up, and I'm now going to stage my death 809 00:46:31,760 --> 00:46:32,400 Speaker 2: and escape. 810 00:46:33,280 --> 00:46:36,000 Speaker 1: He said. This is a quote. He said. You know, 811 00:46:36,080 --> 00:46:39,600 Speaker 1: I saw these staring eyes everywhere I went. He said, sadly, 812 00:46:39,800 --> 00:46:42,160 Speaker 1: it seemed like everybody was staring at me. I couldn't 813 00:46:42,200 --> 00:46:44,719 Speaker 1: stand it. That's why instead of going to Mexico as 814 00:46:44,719 --> 00:46:49,360 Speaker 1: I planned, I wandered from place to place here, California, Nevada, Texas, 815 00:46:49,360 --> 00:46:52,040 Speaker 1: I mean just kind of all around California. And then 816 00:46:52,040 --> 00:46:53,960 Speaker 1: he said, I knew it was dangerous to come back 817 00:46:54,040 --> 00:46:57,040 Speaker 1: to this state, to California, but I couldn't help it. 818 00:46:57,120 --> 00:46:59,040 Speaker 1: My friends and family are here and I had to come. 819 00:46:59,360 --> 00:47:01,400 Speaker 1: I don't know if this is a criminal mastermind. I 820 00:47:01,440 --> 00:47:04,359 Speaker 1: think this was a desperate guy who did a terrible thing. 821 00:47:04,760 --> 00:47:06,880 Speaker 1: But I don't see anything about a second life or 822 00:47:06,920 --> 00:47:10,000 Speaker 1: anything like that. Charles Schwartz from my book, was an asshole. 823 00:47:10,239 --> 00:47:13,239 Speaker 1: That's different. I don't know. I feel differently for some 824 00:47:13,360 --> 00:47:14,399 Speaker 1: reason about this guy. 825 00:47:15,719 --> 00:47:18,560 Speaker 2: I'm not buying that everywhere he goes, you know, somebody 826 00:47:18,719 --> 00:47:21,680 Speaker 2: was staring at him, you know, that's how he felt. Yeah, 827 00:47:21,960 --> 00:47:24,799 Speaker 2: I mean, there may be a level of paranoia mm hm. 828 00:47:25,440 --> 00:47:28,160 Speaker 2: You know, like I think about myself, you know, in 829 00:47:28,200 --> 00:47:32,680 Speaker 2: the public notoriety that I've garnered over the last seven years, 830 00:47:32,960 --> 00:47:37,759 Speaker 2: and quite frankly, I'm rarely recognized out in public, let 831 00:47:37,800 --> 00:47:42,040 Speaker 2: alone put myself back in the nineteen twenties, you know 832 00:47:42,080 --> 00:47:44,600 Speaker 2: when I mean, it was just the newspapers. That's the 833 00:47:44,640 --> 00:47:47,560 Speaker 2: only place where you would actually see photographs of somebody. 834 00:47:48,080 --> 00:47:50,960 Speaker 2: And you know, so I'm thinking, okay, that that sounds 835 00:47:51,000 --> 00:47:54,960 Speaker 2: like BS. But if there's a level of paranoia that 836 00:47:55,040 --> 00:47:58,800 Speaker 2: he's developed, and there's a mental health aspect, then that 837 00:47:58,800 --> 00:48:01,440 Speaker 2: that's now starting to add up a little bit better, 838 00:48:01,920 --> 00:48:04,239 Speaker 2: you know, for me, for him committing this crime and 839 00:48:04,680 --> 00:48:06,920 Speaker 2: kind of explaining why he committed this crime. 840 00:48:07,280 --> 00:48:11,480 Speaker 1: Yeah, So he goes on trial. They don't tell his 841 00:48:11,520 --> 00:48:14,680 Speaker 1: wife about this. At the time of the trial, which 842 00:48:14,719 --> 00:48:18,759 Speaker 1: is at the Sanjuelquin Superior Court in Stockton. She's not 843 00:48:18,880 --> 00:48:23,360 Speaker 1: informed that Alex is alive or that he's been arrested 844 00:48:23,400 --> 00:48:26,440 Speaker 1: and put on trial for murder, and they're concerned that 845 00:48:26,480 --> 00:48:29,360 Speaker 1: it could jeopardize her pregnancy. Never have I ever heard 846 00:48:30,120 --> 00:48:33,520 Speaker 1: of people hiding that kind of information out of concern 847 00:48:33,600 --> 00:48:37,879 Speaker 1: for pregnancy For the offender's wife, I was a little 848 00:48:37,920 --> 00:48:40,920 Speaker 1: stunned by bat. Yeah, they tell her after she gives 849 00:48:40,920 --> 00:48:43,640 Speaker 1: birth to his son. That's when they find out. 850 00:48:43,880 --> 00:48:49,480 Speaker 2: It's almost, you know, erring on the wrong side of 851 00:48:49,560 --> 00:48:52,000 Speaker 2: what you should be doing. You know. It's like, yeah, 852 00:48:52,040 --> 00:48:55,080 Speaker 2: and I can I can understand. M hm oh. We 853 00:48:55,200 --> 00:48:59,279 Speaker 2: want to be sensitive, you know, to to her, you know, 854 00:48:59,480 --> 00:49:04,840 Speaker 2: and not disrupt her. But this is where actually, that 855 00:49:04,960 --> 00:49:07,920 Speaker 2: wasn't your husband in the hayfield. Your husband's so alive, 856 00:49:08,239 --> 00:49:10,600 Speaker 2: you know, at a curtain point, you just have to 857 00:49:10,640 --> 00:49:15,080 Speaker 2: be able to deliver that news, you know, as tactfully 858 00:49:15,120 --> 00:49:21,200 Speaker 2: as possible. I think that they were overly conservative, if 859 00:49:21,239 --> 00:49:23,520 Speaker 2: that was a real reason for not telling her. 860 00:49:23,800 --> 00:49:28,000 Speaker 1: They identify the man who Kell's killed, who was a 861 00:49:28,000 --> 00:49:30,640 Speaker 1: sixty year old man. He was the guy from the 862 00:49:30,960 --> 00:49:36,120 Speaker 1: public Employment office. His name was Edward ed Meserve. He 863 00:49:36,239 --> 00:49:40,640 Speaker 1: was an itinerant farmhand and he worked temporary jobs and 864 00:49:40,680 --> 00:49:43,440 Speaker 1: he had just gotten there that day. Wow, and they 865 00:49:43,440 --> 00:49:46,880 Speaker 1: have the proof. There's a note that basically has Kells's 866 00:49:47,000 --> 00:49:51,040 Speaker 1: name saying that he hired him for two dollars and 867 00:49:51,080 --> 00:49:53,640 Speaker 1: fifty cents. We should have been about fifty bucks today 868 00:49:53,800 --> 00:49:56,239 Speaker 1: for chores, you know. And then kel said, yeah, that 869 00:49:56,280 --> 00:50:00,000 Speaker 1: was him. So Kel's goes on trial and the white 870 00:50:00,080 --> 00:50:02,160 Speaker 1: doesn't know for a month. Can you believe that he 871 00:50:02,239 --> 00:50:06,759 Speaker 1: refuses counsel. He is convicted, and he is sentenced to death, 872 00:50:06,800 --> 00:50:10,839 Speaker 1: and then they tell her. She gets incredibly upset and 873 00:50:10,960 --> 00:50:15,080 Speaker 1: starts just I mean, ripping into everyone and says, we 874 00:50:15,160 --> 00:50:16,920 Speaker 1: need a new trial. If you had talked to me, 875 00:50:17,680 --> 00:50:19,880 Speaker 1: I would have said, number one, we're getting you an attorney, 876 00:50:19,880 --> 00:50:23,759 Speaker 1: and number two, you're mounting an insanity defense because you 877 00:50:23,800 --> 00:50:27,000 Speaker 1: have been unstable for a couple of years at least 878 00:50:27,920 --> 00:50:31,400 Speaker 1: that's where kind of we were heading. People ignore her, 879 00:50:32,080 --> 00:50:35,360 Speaker 1: and he ends up at fulsome state prison. After talking 880 00:50:35,360 --> 00:50:38,120 Speaker 1: to her, the warden says, we need to look at 881 00:50:38,160 --> 00:50:42,120 Speaker 1: Alex's case, and this is interesting. Tell me what you 882 00:50:42,160 --> 00:50:44,320 Speaker 1: think about this. They try to figure out whether or 883 00:50:44,400 --> 00:50:47,920 Speaker 1: not this guy is insane. This is their solution on 884 00:50:48,000 --> 00:50:50,440 Speaker 1: December twenty first, so this is two months after he 885 00:50:50,600 --> 00:50:55,200 Speaker 1: is put on death row. There's a doctor named Leo I. Stanley. 886 00:50:55,760 --> 00:50:59,680 Speaker 1: He is the San Quentin prison physician. He takes samples 887 00:50:59,680 --> 00:51:03,359 Speaker 1: of al Alex's spinal fluid and he's looking for neurological 888 00:51:03,400 --> 00:51:07,040 Speaker 1: infections or conditions that might cause this kind of distress. 889 00:51:07,360 --> 00:51:10,200 Speaker 1: But he doesn't find anything, and Alex is declared saying, 890 00:51:10,719 --> 00:51:12,840 Speaker 1: what do you think about that method? Spinal fluid? 891 00:51:13,160 --> 00:51:14,799 Speaker 2: You know, I don't know what would be found in 892 00:51:14,840 --> 00:51:20,200 Speaker 2: spinal fluid, especially with you know, nineteen twenties technology, which 893 00:51:20,280 --> 00:51:26,040 Speaker 2: is staining looking through a microscope. You know, it's so 894 00:51:26,239 --> 00:51:31,160 Speaker 2: limited versus like functional pet scanning of the brain, you know, 895 00:51:31,600 --> 00:51:34,799 Speaker 2: all sorts of things that we can do today. You know, 896 00:51:35,000 --> 00:51:42,480 Speaker 2: I think so buy loose definition. Innocence due to insanity 897 00:51:43,160 --> 00:51:48,200 Speaker 2: fundamentally indicates that the offender or the defendant did not 898 00:51:48,480 --> 00:51:53,759 Speaker 2: know right from wrong. In this case, Alex takes the 899 00:51:54,000 --> 00:52:01,520 Speaker 2: steps to lore and isolate an innocent victim and takes 900 00:52:01,520 --> 00:52:07,680 Speaker 2: the steps to obliterate that victim's identity through fire as 901 00:52:07,719 --> 00:52:13,200 Speaker 2: well as other physical evidence and disappears for self preservation. 902 00:52:14,040 --> 00:52:16,560 Speaker 2: I'm looking at that going he knew what he did 903 00:52:16,680 --> 00:52:21,000 Speaker 2: was wrong in many ways, he was hoping what he 904 00:52:21,040 --> 00:52:25,919 Speaker 2: did would get him to be able to live a 905 00:52:25,960 --> 00:52:32,040 Speaker 2: better life under a different identity. And a side effect 906 00:52:32,440 --> 00:52:36,360 Speaker 2: is that his family was benefiting from his own death 907 00:52:37,120 --> 00:52:42,240 Speaker 2: through the insurance. I don't see this as somebody who 908 00:52:42,360 --> 00:52:45,840 Speaker 2: is not knowing right from wrong. They knew it. Alex 909 00:52:45,920 --> 00:52:51,080 Speaker 2: knew it. My suspicion is Alex had other motives versus 910 00:52:51,280 --> 00:52:54,480 Speaker 2: just I was ashamed the bankruptcy and all that. I 911 00:52:54,520 --> 00:52:57,319 Speaker 2: think there may have been other motives. Maybe he was 912 00:52:57,440 --> 00:53:03,480 Speaker 2: unhappy in his current life living situation and decided, you 913 00:53:03,480 --> 00:53:06,000 Speaker 2: know what, I just need to get out, you know, 914 00:53:06,080 --> 00:53:11,200 Speaker 2: And he preserved his family's life versus the family annihilators 915 00:53:11,239 --> 00:53:15,480 Speaker 2: that you and I have both covered, and the family benefited, 916 00:53:15,560 --> 00:53:19,160 Speaker 2: but he's still harmed a family by you know, faking 917 00:53:19,200 --> 00:53:22,920 Speaker 2: his own death. Then you have ed it is an 918 00:53:22,960 --> 00:53:28,239 Speaker 2: innocent victim. Yeah, absolutely innocent victim. You know, and I've 919 00:53:28,280 --> 00:53:32,600 Speaker 2: often talked about this true crime genre. You know that 920 00:53:32,640 --> 00:53:35,600 Speaker 2: you and I are both in now and what stories 921 00:53:35,640 --> 00:53:38,440 Speaker 2: are typically covered is a lot of them are are 922 00:53:38,520 --> 00:53:43,839 Speaker 2: dealing with you know, women or maybe even children as victims. Well, 923 00:53:43,880 --> 00:53:48,360 Speaker 2: these are typically your true innocent victims. Men get themselves 924 00:53:48,400 --> 00:53:51,560 Speaker 2: involved with stupid things or do stupid things that cause 925 00:53:51,640 --> 00:53:54,719 Speaker 2: them to you know, be killed. And they're not very 926 00:53:54,719 --> 00:53:59,360 Speaker 2: interesting stories, you know, and they're often not innocent victims. 927 00:53:59,719 --> 00:54:04,759 Speaker 2: But here Ed is an innocent victim, and you know, 928 00:54:05,040 --> 00:54:09,080 Speaker 2: so Alex is you know, showing a selfishness to take 929 00:54:09,400 --> 00:54:13,399 Speaker 2: Ed's life, you know, to benefit Alex's own. So this 930 00:54:13,440 --> 00:54:16,319 Speaker 2: is where you know, this is truly, you know, a 931 00:54:16,360 --> 00:54:19,920 Speaker 2: horrific crime against an innocent victim. 932 00:54:20,320 --> 00:54:23,520 Speaker 1: Yeah. And both in my book and Charles Schwartz and 933 00:54:23,960 --> 00:54:27,560 Speaker 1: with Alex Kels, they target the same group, which is 934 00:54:27,600 --> 00:54:30,200 Speaker 1: what we talk about with serial killers. You're targeting a 935 00:54:30,280 --> 00:54:34,799 Speaker 1: group oftentimes of people who don't have someone keeping an 936 00:54:34,800 --> 00:54:38,239 Speaker 1: eye on them. Yes, And you know, like when we 937 00:54:38,280 --> 00:54:40,839 Speaker 1: talk about some of the ones in history with sex 938 00:54:40,920 --> 00:54:44,560 Speaker 1: workers and with itinerant ministers, which is what happened in 939 00:54:44,760 --> 00:54:49,280 Speaker 1: Charles Schwartz's case, and with an itinerant farmhand where nobody's 940 00:54:49,320 --> 00:54:52,480 Speaker 1: tracking them necessarily, and so you know, you have that 941 00:54:52,520 --> 00:54:56,400 Speaker 1: situation where he picked the right person who might have 942 00:54:56,880 --> 00:54:59,960 Speaker 1: never been identified if he had not made some mistakes, 943 00:55:00,080 --> 00:55:02,640 Speaker 1: I will say to wrap this up, the lowdie community 944 00:55:03,120 --> 00:55:05,759 Speaker 1: wants his sentence committed to life in prison. They do 945 00:55:05,800 --> 00:55:09,319 Speaker 1: not want him executed. The governor says, bug off, this 946 00:55:09,400 --> 00:55:11,960 Speaker 1: guy's dying. This is one of the most cold blooded 947 00:55:11,960 --> 00:55:15,240 Speaker 1: and deliberately planned murders in the history of the state, 948 00:55:15,920 --> 00:55:20,960 Speaker 1: says Governor Friend W. Richardson. He does not commute the sentence, 949 00:55:21,320 --> 00:55:26,279 Speaker 1: and on January fourth, alex Is hanged. His wife and 950 00:55:26,600 --> 00:55:29,800 Speaker 1: now two children do not get the almost two million 951 00:55:29,800 --> 00:55:33,239 Speaker 1: dollars payout. They get the equivalent of one hundred and 952 00:55:33,280 --> 00:55:36,359 Speaker 1: ninety thousand dollars in today money. And that is that 953 00:55:36,920 --> 00:55:37,840 Speaker 1: you look disturbed. 954 00:55:38,760 --> 00:55:41,000 Speaker 2: Well, you know, I think you know, this is where, 955 00:55:42,160 --> 00:55:44,360 Speaker 2: you know, because I've kind of got a raw spot, 956 00:55:44,719 --> 00:55:50,560 Speaker 2: you know, for for offenders. Families like the wife and 957 00:55:50,600 --> 00:55:51,560 Speaker 2: the kids are innocent. 958 00:55:51,920 --> 00:55:54,560 Speaker 1: Yeah, there's no belief that she knew any of this 959 00:55:54,960 --> 00:55:55,479 Speaker 1: at all. 960 00:55:55,760 --> 00:56:00,640 Speaker 2: Yeah, And so this is where in many ways, this 961 00:56:00,680 --> 00:56:02,040 Speaker 2: is where they're victims. 962 00:56:02,560 --> 00:56:02,759 Speaker 1: You know. 963 00:56:02,880 --> 00:56:06,200 Speaker 2: They they are now, you know, suffering from the loss 964 00:56:06,200 --> 00:56:09,560 Speaker 2: of a husband, a loss of a father, earning's potential. 965 00:56:09,719 --> 00:56:14,120 Speaker 2: You know, however, you say it, and you know, to 966 00:56:14,239 --> 00:56:20,280 Speaker 2: deny them something just because of their relationship to Alex. 967 00:56:20,640 --> 00:56:24,040 Speaker 2: You know, I think is wrong. And I've gotten to 968 00:56:24,160 --> 00:56:31,640 Speaker 2: know relatives of notorious killers, and you know, their life 969 00:56:31,760 --> 00:56:36,839 Speaker 2: is severely impacted and to the point where you have 970 00:56:37,000 --> 00:56:41,360 Speaker 2: the online trolls. I can say, and I have to 971 00:56:41,400 --> 00:56:44,560 Speaker 2: be somewhat careful, but let's say Golden State killer. But 972 00:56:44,680 --> 00:56:49,200 Speaker 2: Joseph DiAngelo, I mean he had three daughters, and I 973 00:56:49,280 --> 00:56:54,239 Speaker 2: will tell you that those daughters have been demonized online. 974 00:56:54,719 --> 00:56:58,600 Speaker 2: They have no idea what their father did, they have 975 00:56:58,800 --> 00:57:02,080 Speaker 2: no culpability of what their father did. Yet because of 976 00:57:02,160 --> 00:57:07,120 Speaker 2: their relationship, you know, they are impacted to a point. 977 00:57:07,200 --> 00:57:10,080 Speaker 2: I heard two of them the night that we arrested 978 00:57:10,360 --> 00:57:14,080 Speaker 2: DiAngelo and they were like, one of the daughters was going, 979 00:57:14,360 --> 00:57:17,000 Speaker 2: how am I ever going to get a job? Yeah? 980 00:57:17,080 --> 00:57:21,080 Speaker 2: You know, this is where family members of these types 981 00:57:21,080 --> 00:57:25,320 Speaker 2: of individuals are victims themselves. There's a few circumstances in 982 00:57:25,360 --> 00:57:29,520 Speaker 2: which family members are aware and or participated in the crimes, 983 00:57:29,520 --> 00:57:32,920 Speaker 2: and that's a different story. But many times these family 984 00:57:32,960 --> 00:57:36,560 Speaker 2: members are absolute innocent victims. And that's where what I'm 985 00:57:36,600 --> 00:57:42,240 Speaker 2: hearing about sort of the decision with Alex's wife and kids. 986 00:57:42,280 --> 00:57:45,040 Speaker 2: It's like, yeah, I'm disturbed by that. You know, they 987 00:57:45,080 --> 00:57:48,760 Speaker 2: should have received the full compensation they they could have 988 00:57:48,840 --> 00:57:53,440 Speaker 2: gotten because their lives have been forever altered as a 989 00:57:53,480 --> 00:57:56,320 Speaker 2: result of Alex's selfless actions. Yeah. 990 00:57:57,040 --> 00:57:59,480 Speaker 1: Well, I was checking to see what ended up happening 991 00:57:59,520 --> 00:58:02,360 Speaker 1: with an. I haven't gotten a ton of information, but 992 00:58:02,400 --> 00:58:06,600 Speaker 1: I know she died in nineteen seventy seven. Oh wow, Okay, 993 00:58:06,800 --> 00:58:11,840 Speaker 1: she was ninety and she died in Lodi. So she stayed. 994 00:58:12,480 --> 00:58:17,120 Speaker 1: And you know, they had two children, one of whom 995 00:58:17,480 --> 00:58:21,000 Speaker 1: just died in ninety seven, and had some kids. Their 996 00:58:21,040 --> 00:58:26,480 Speaker 1: son looks like he died aged thirty four, So I 997 00:58:26,480 --> 00:58:28,800 Speaker 1: hope it was a good life. But she stayed. And 998 00:58:28,880 --> 00:58:30,680 Speaker 1: to me, what that means, Paul, I don't know if 999 00:58:30,720 --> 00:58:32,680 Speaker 1: this is what that means to you is people really 1000 00:58:32,680 --> 00:58:34,800 Speaker 1: did believe she was number one, a good person and 1001 00:58:34,920 --> 00:58:36,360 Speaker 1: did not know about any of this. Do you think 1002 00:58:36,400 --> 00:58:40,400 Speaker 1: she would have stayed in Lodi for another fifty something 1003 00:58:40,480 --> 00:58:44,960 Speaker 1: years if people didn't believe that she was, as you 1004 00:58:45,000 --> 00:58:45,800 Speaker 1: just said, a victim. 1005 00:58:46,600 --> 00:58:50,840 Speaker 2: I have no doubt she was completely caught off guard, 1006 00:58:51,840 --> 00:58:55,760 Speaker 2: you know, and Lodi even today, it's a small town, 1007 00:58:56,280 --> 00:59:02,200 Speaker 2: you know, especially in northern California. You know, because as 1008 00:59:02,280 --> 00:59:05,520 Speaker 2: I've traveled through the United States, you go to some 1009 00:59:05,640 --> 00:59:08,840 Speaker 2: places and you're going, oh my god, how does this 1010 00:59:08,920 --> 00:59:11,880 Speaker 2: even exist as a town. It's tiny that the department 1011 00:59:11,920 --> 00:59:16,920 Speaker 2: has like three deputies, you know, but Lodi is still 1012 00:59:17,720 --> 00:59:21,680 Speaker 2: small relatively speaking, and I can only imagine, you know, 1013 00:59:21,760 --> 00:59:24,960 Speaker 2: back in the nineteen twenties, how small it was, and 1014 00:59:25,160 --> 00:59:30,960 Speaker 2: everybody if there is any suspicion on Alex's wife, everybody 1015 00:59:31,000 --> 00:59:33,600 Speaker 2: in that town would be whispering to each other and 1016 00:59:33,640 --> 00:59:36,320 Speaker 2: it'd be unbearable for her to stay there. 1017 00:59:36,720 --> 00:59:39,760 Speaker 1: Yeah. Absolutely, I will make another note. I don't know 1018 00:59:39,760 --> 00:59:41,440 Speaker 1: if this has anything to do with this case, but 1019 00:59:41,560 --> 00:59:45,800 Speaker 1: they're all buried in a Catholic cemetery in Laucheford, so 1020 00:59:46,400 --> 00:59:49,320 Speaker 1: you know, I don't know if that's part of his religion, 1021 00:59:49,600 --> 00:59:52,600 Speaker 1: and that explains why he didn't stay, you know, going 1022 00:59:52,640 --> 00:59:54,600 Speaker 1: to Mexico and state. I guess I'm just sort of 1023 00:59:55,120 --> 01:00:00,320 Speaker 1: I feel badly for him in a way because the 1024 01:00:00,440 --> 01:00:04,440 Speaker 1: nation's circumstances at the time was set up in a 1025 01:00:04,480 --> 01:00:09,440 Speaker 1: way where he was heading towards bankruptcy. He might have overextended. 1026 01:00:09,720 --> 01:00:11,400 Speaker 1: You know, he had a ranch. But this is somebody 1027 01:00:11,440 --> 01:00:13,640 Speaker 1: who came from Germany who wanted to make a better 1028 01:00:13,680 --> 01:00:17,720 Speaker 1: life for himself. He sounded like an exemplary citizen. People 1029 01:00:17,760 --> 01:00:20,200 Speaker 1: really liked him, that's why they said don't execute him. 1030 01:00:20,520 --> 01:00:25,040 Speaker 1: And you know, probably he overextended, but also circumstances led 1031 01:00:25,080 --> 01:00:29,560 Speaker 1: to all of this. But he also meticulously plotted the 1032 01:00:29,600 --> 01:00:33,040 Speaker 1: death of an innocent man too. So I'm much more 1033 01:00:33,080 --> 01:00:36,240 Speaker 1: conflicted about Alex Kels than I was about, you know, 1034 01:00:36,440 --> 01:00:41,800 Speaker 1: the other doppelganger killer in my book. But it's still 1035 01:00:41,840 --> 01:00:44,080 Speaker 1: it's like a reminder of just these sort of when 1036 01:00:44,080 --> 01:00:46,480 Speaker 1: people are desperate, they what are they thinking? 1037 01:00:46,920 --> 01:00:49,800 Speaker 2: You know, right, you know, and I think that there 1038 01:00:49,920 --> 01:00:53,880 Speaker 2: is you know, you have to at least acknowledge the 1039 01:00:53,920 --> 01:00:57,000 Speaker 2: potential for a mental health aspect. But like I said, 1040 01:00:57,200 --> 01:01:00,440 Speaker 2: there's yeah, I mean there's a lot of self awareness 1041 01:01:00,440 --> 01:01:03,320 Speaker 2: on Alex's part that what he was doing was wrong, 1042 01:01:03,520 --> 01:01:06,880 Speaker 2: you know, and absolutely from a mental health For me, 1043 01:01:07,120 --> 01:01:14,560 Speaker 2: what that does is that it negates the insanity defense, Yeah, absolutely, 1044 01:01:14,920 --> 01:01:17,920 Speaker 2: but it does not negate the possibility that there's a 1045 01:01:18,040 --> 01:01:21,160 Speaker 2: mental health influence on the decisions he made, and that 1046 01:01:21,200 --> 01:01:24,880 Speaker 2: could be a mitigating factor in terms of how he 1047 01:01:25,040 --> 01:01:26,760 Speaker 2: is treated in his sentencing. 1048 01:01:27,200 --> 01:01:29,120 Speaker 1: I had been reading a lot, I was really interested 1049 01:01:29,160 --> 01:01:32,000 Speaker 1: in the reason why people reacted the way they did 1050 01:01:32,320 --> 01:01:35,960 Speaker 1: on that Black Friday, the crash of the stock market, 1051 01:01:35,960 --> 01:01:37,640 Speaker 1: and I don't know if you remember reading this on 1052 01:01:37,720 --> 01:01:40,160 Speaker 1: Wall Street people men were jumping out of buildings to 1053 01:01:40,240 --> 01:01:40,800 Speaker 1: their deaths. 1054 01:01:41,240 --> 01:01:42,720 Speaker 2: To a point, yeah, I remember that. 1055 01:01:43,200 --> 01:01:47,120 Speaker 1: So that identity that's wrapped up, especially in that time period. 1056 01:01:47,320 --> 01:01:51,880 Speaker 1: And I mean now too, with somebody like an Alex Kel's, 1057 01:01:52,040 --> 01:01:55,160 Speaker 1: especially an immigrant coming here to make a better life, 1058 01:01:55,600 --> 01:02:00,640 Speaker 1: with being a failure as a husband in business, and 1059 01:02:00,680 --> 01:02:04,040 Speaker 1: it's just an epic failure. I can see that if 1060 01:02:04,080 --> 01:02:07,000 Speaker 1: he already hasn't some instability to begin with. I mean, 1061 01:02:07,000 --> 01:02:09,200 Speaker 1: she didn't say that he's always been like this. She said, 1062 01:02:09,200 --> 01:02:12,200 Speaker 1: it's it's been, you know, as of recently, which is 1063 01:02:12,200 --> 01:02:14,520 Speaker 1: probably when he's been under all this financial pressure. 1064 01:02:14,720 --> 01:02:14,919 Speaker 2: Yeah. 1065 01:02:15,000 --> 01:02:17,760 Speaker 1: Sure, So I have in no way defending him. I'm 1066 01:02:17,800 --> 01:02:22,000 Speaker 1: just thinking of why people do desperate things, and the 1067 01:02:22,080 --> 01:02:25,720 Speaker 1: idea of your whole business in your life coming crashing 1068 01:02:25,760 --> 01:02:29,280 Speaker 1: down on you. I understand most of the other cases. 1069 01:02:29,320 --> 01:02:31,720 Speaker 1: I don't understand that we do. I don't understand why 1070 01:02:31,720 --> 01:02:34,680 Speaker 1: people doff like Black Dollia would be a really great example. 1071 01:02:34,720 --> 01:02:38,800 Speaker 1: I don't understand it. I understand this. It's still awful 1072 01:02:38,880 --> 01:02:41,440 Speaker 1: what he did, but I kind of get that desperation. 1073 01:02:41,640 --> 01:02:45,640 Speaker 2: You know, everybody has life stressors and it's how do 1074 01:02:45,680 --> 01:02:49,360 Speaker 2: you deal with those stressors? And Alex chose I'm gonna 1075 01:02:49,400 --> 01:02:53,880 Speaker 2: kill somebody? Yeah, you know, so you know that, you know, 1076 01:02:53,960 --> 01:02:58,440 Speaker 2: that's the fundamental truth of this particular case. And I 1077 01:02:58,480 --> 01:03:01,200 Speaker 2: think that that's you know, you know, the reasons why 1078 01:03:01,240 --> 01:03:04,640 Speaker 2: Alex made to that decision. You know, who knows are 1079 01:03:04,680 --> 01:03:08,360 Speaker 2: they're mitigating circumstances from a mental health standpoint or anything else, 1080 01:03:08,920 --> 01:03:14,160 Speaker 2: But fundamentally, Ed lost his life because Alex decided to 1081 01:03:14,160 --> 01:03:17,240 Speaker 2: be selfish, and you know, that's that's what galls me. 1082 01:03:17,600 --> 01:03:20,880 Speaker 2: You know, what Alex's punishment should have been, you know, 1083 01:03:21,200 --> 01:03:25,960 Speaker 2: I think is debatable, but you know, ultimately, you know, 1084 01:03:26,040 --> 01:03:29,480 Speaker 2: this is what crime is about. It's it's okay, you 1085 01:03:29,560 --> 01:03:33,080 Speaker 2: committed a crime. What is your punishment and that's going 1086 01:03:33,160 --> 01:03:36,160 Speaker 2: to be dictated based on the severity of the crime, 1087 01:03:36,200 --> 01:03:38,439 Speaker 2: and when it's loss of life, and when it when 1088 01:03:38,480 --> 01:03:42,560 Speaker 2: it is obviously a pre planned loss of life, then 1089 01:03:42,600 --> 01:03:45,720 Speaker 2: you go, well, that's sort of the ultimate You decided 1090 01:03:45,760 --> 01:03:48,160 Speaker 2: to go out and kill somebody for your own benefit? 1091 01:03:48,640 --> 01:03:52,120 Speaker 1: Yep, Well, Paul holds, this has been very serious. This 1092 01:03:52,200 --> 01:03:55,560 Speaker 1: has been my stressor you just talked about everybody else, Brosslors. 1093 01:03:55,560 --> 01:03:58,920 Speaker 1: This case has been my stressor. Yeah, but it's been interesting. 1094 01:03:59,240 --> 01:04:01,560 Speaker 1: And you know, I think that with every one of 1095 01:04:01,600 --> 01:04:04,680 Speaker 1: these cases, we find things that are relatable to cases 1096 01:04:04,960 --> 01:04:05,920 Speaker 1: into life today. 1097 01:04:06,240 --> 01:04:09,080 Speaker 2: Oh for sure. Yeah, there's no difference. I mean, this 1098 01:04:09,160 --> 01:04:11,680 Speaker 2: is I mean, you can find so many cases that 1099 01:04:11,800 --> 01:04:15,000 Speaker 2: replicates this case with Alex today. Yep. 1100 01:04:15,280 --> 01:04:19,240 Speaker 1: Okay, So next week we'll tackle something different. Go have 1101 01:04:19,400 --> 01:04:21,080 Speaker 1: a good time with your seltzer. 1102 01:04:21,240 --> 01:04:24,280 Speaker 2: To be frank, it's working, you know, because you know 1103 01:04:24,480 --> 01:04:27,959 Speaker 2: with the bourbon whiskey, you know, obviously it's higher concentrations 1104 01:04:28,000 --> 01:04:32,040 Speaker 2: of alcohol. I found a zero carb, zero sugar hard 1105 01:04:32,120 --> 01:04:37,680 Speaker 2: Seltzer zero fun. I'm not touting it as a health drink, 1106 01:04:37,760 --> 01:04:41,600 Speaker 2: but it's like, you know, so it's working. 1107 01:04:41,920 --> 01:04:44,280 Speaker 1: Well, good, have another one for me next week when I. 1108 01:04:44,240 --> 01:04:46,320 Speaker 2: See you, I will I'm looking forward to a case. 1109 01:04:46,520 --> 01:04:54,600 Speaker 1: Okay, bye bye. This has been an exactly right production. 1110 01:04:54,600 --> 01:04:57,480 Speaker 2: For our sources and show notes go to exactly Rightmedia 1111 01:04:57,560 --> 01:04:59,920 Speaker 2: dot com slash Buried Bones sources. 1112 01:05:00,200 --> 01:05:02,560 Speaker 1: Our senior producer is Alexis Amrosi. 1113 01:05:02,880 --> 01:05:05,840 Speaker 2: Research by Alison Trumble and Kate Winkler Dawson. 1114 01:05:06,080 --> 01:05:08,360 Speaker 1: Our mixing engineer is Ben Tolliday. 1115 01:05:08,640 --> 01:05:10,960 Speaker 2: Our theme song is by Tom Bryfogel. 1116 01:05:11,200 --> 01:05:13,240 Speaker 1: Our artwork is by Vanessa Lilac. 1117 01:05:13,480 --> 01:05:17,600 Speaker 2: Executive produced by Karen Kilgarriff, Georgia hard Stark and Danielle Kramer. 1118 01:05:17,880 --> 01:05:21,200 Speaker 1: You can follow Buried Bones on Instagram and Facebook at 1119 01:05:21,360 --> 01:05:22,520 Speaker 1: Buried Bones pod. 1120 01:05:22,960 --> 01:05:25,520 Speaker 2: Kate's most recent book, All That Is Wicked, a Gilded 1121 01:05:25,560 --> 01:05:27,560 Speaker 2: Age story of murder and the race to decode the 1122 01:05:27,560 --> 01:05:29,640 Speaker 2: criminal mind, is available now. 1123 01:05:29,680 --> 01:05:33,960 Speaker 1: And Paul's best selling memoir Unmasked, My life Solving America's 1124 01:05:33,960 --> 01:05:36,040 Speaker 1: Cold Cases is also available now. 1125 01:05:36,360 --> 01:05:40,080 Speaker 2: Listen to Baried Bones on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, 1126 01:05:40,160 --> 01:05:42,080 Speaker 2: or wherever you get your podcasts,