1 00:00:03,520 --> 00:00:06,600 Speaker 1: I'm Kate Winkler Dawson. I'm a journalist who's spent the 2 00:00:06,640 --> 00:00:09,399 Speaker 1: last twenty five years writing about true crime. 3 00:00:09,640 --> 00:00:12,640 Speaker 2: And I'm Paul Hols, a retired cold case investigator who's 4 00:00:12,680 --> 00:00:16,239 Speaker 2: worked some of America's most complicated cases and solve them. 5 00:00:16,280 --> 00:00:19,639 Speaker 1: Each week, I present Paul with one of history's most 6 00:00:19,680 --> 00:00:21,480 Speaker 1: compelling true crimes. 7 00:00:21,239 --> 00:00:24,079 Speaker 2: And I weigh in using modern forensic techniques to bring 8 00:00:24,160 --> 00:00:25,880 Speaker 2: new insights to old mysteries. 9 00:00:26,280 --> 00:00:31,479 Speaker 1: Together, using our individual expertise, we're examining historical true crime 10 00:00:31,560 --> 00:00:34,200 Speaker 1: cases through a twenty first century lens. 11 00:00:34,440 --> 00:00:37,600 Speaker 2: Some are solved and some are cold, very cold. 12 00:00:38,080 --> 00:00:39,640 Speaker 1: This is buried bones. 13 00:01:01,840 --> 00:01:03,320 Speaker 2: Hey, Kate, how are you doing this week? 14 00:01:03,520 --> 00:01:05,320 Speaker 1: I'm doing well. Paul, how are you? 15 00:01:05,920 --> 00:01:07,679 Speaker 2: I am doing very well. 16 00:01:07,880 --> 00:01:10,440 Speaker 1: Okay, that's it. We have to keep get into this case. No, 17 00:01:10,520 --> 00:01:13,400 Speaker 1: we're talking. We have to jump right in. 18 00:01:14,120 --> 00:01:18,039 Speaker 2: Yeah, you kind of ended on a detail last week 19 00:01:18,120 --> 00:01:19,919 Speaker 2: that I'm going, Oh my god. 20 00:01:20,160 --> 00:01:23,720 Speaker 1: I know. I love a good cliffhanger. Boy, I tried 21 00:01:23,760 --> 00:01:25,759 Speaker 1: to do that in tenfold all the time. I love 22 00:01:25,800 --> 00:01:28,720 Speaker 1: a good cliffhanger. So that keeps people coming back for more. 23 00:01:29,160 --> 00:01:32,240 Speaker 1: So let's summarize this case. I'll summarize it. Real quick 24 00:01:32,680 --> 00:01:35,400 Speaker 1: and then we'll jump right into it. So we're talking 25 00:01:35,440 --> 00:01:39,400 Speaker 1: about eighteen ninety six, Ohio. A woman named Bessie Little, 26 00:01:39,400 --> 00:01:42,960 Speaker 1: who was twenty three, was dating it sounds like openly 27 00:01:43,600 --> 00:01:46,360 Speaker 1: a more affluent man named Albert Frantz, who was a 28 00:01:46,360 --> 00:01:48,880 Speaker 1: few years younger, who came from a wealthy family in 29 00:01:48,920 --> 00:01:53,400 Speaker 1: the area. Bessie's body is found in early September floating 30 00:01:53,400 --> 00:01:56,640 Speaker 1: in a river. The corner does a couple of exams 31 00:01:56,680 --> 00:01:59,560 Speaker 1: and says, nothing's amiss. She took her own life and 32 00:01:59,600 --> 00:02:02,680 Speaker 1: that's the end of this. And the police chief is 33 00:02:02,720 --> 00:02:07,200 Speaker 1: not convinced. He finds out that Bessie and Albert were 34 00:02:07,440 --> 00:02:10,560 Speaker 1: having sex before marriage, which was a huge no no 35 00:02:10,680 --> 00:02:13,600 Speaker 1: in the late eighteen hundreds. Her parents found out and 36 00:02:13,720 --> 00:02:16,400 Speaker 1: booted her out of the house until the two got married. 37 00:02:17,000 --> 00:02:21,080 Speaker 1: She was distraught, and she said to Albert's father, you 38 00:02:21,200 --> 00:02:25,000 Speaker 1: must make him marry me. He has committed some sort 39 00:02:25,040 --> 00:02:28,000 Speaker 1: of a crime against me. Now, whether or not that 40 00:02:28,320 --> 00:02:30,960 Speaker 1: was that she had been pregnant at some point, whether 41 00:02:31,080 --> 00:02:34,320 Speaker 1: or not it was because they had premaral sex and 42 00:02:34,360 --> 00:02:36,760 Speaker 1: no one would marry her. There's a litany of things 43 00:02:36,800 --> 00:02:39,880 Speaker 1: that she felt like she deserved to be properly married. 44 00:02:40,480 --> 00:02:43,359 Speaker 1: It sounds like Albert had confessed to a reverend and 45 00:02:43,440 --> 00:02:47,280 Speaker 1: a judge that he saw Bessie take her own life 46 00:02:47,720 --> 00:02:50,399 Speaker 1: and he disposed of her body by dropping her over 47 00:02:50,440 --> 00:02:53,919 Speaker 1: the bridge. Again, the police chief is unconvinced. He thinks 48 00:02:53,919 --> 00:02:56,679 Speaker 1: this could be murder, but he's tired of the coroner 49 00:02:57,040 --> 00:03:00,480 Speaker 1: and the coroner saying that this is a suicide. And 50 00:03:00,560 --> 00:03:04,280 Speaker 1: so after finding blood on the bridge, which of course 51 00:03:04,320 --> 00:03:06,880 Speaker 1: we know we can't identify. But after we find blood 52 00:03:06,880 --> 00:03:11,400 Speaker 1: on the bridge, the police chief brings in a police 53 00:03:11,560 --> 00:03:15,560 Speaker 1: surgeon who then examines Bessie's body. It doesn't seem like 54 00:03:15,600 --> 00:03:18,840 Speaker 1: Bessie was pregnant at the time of her death, but 55 00:03:19,280 --> 00:03:21,880 Speaker 1: he does find something interesting, which is the thing you 56 00:03:21,919 --> 00:03:26,160 Speaker 1: were talking about. He finds two gunshot wounds near Bessie's 57 00:03:26,240 --> 00:03:31,280 Speaker 1: right ear. So i'll give you all of the details, 58 00:03:31,360 --> 00:03:34,880 Speaker 1: kind of all at once. He can't recover whole bullets 59 00:03:34,920 --> 00:03:38,760 Speaker 1: because they've been shattered by bone. Really a bone can 60 00:03:38,800 --> 00:03:40,600 Speaker 1: shatter a bullet, yeah. 61 00:03:40,400 --> 00:03:43,160 Speaker 2: You know, and it depends on the type of bullet 62 00:03:43,240 --> 00:03:46,040 Speaker 2: that is being used. I don't know if you have 63 00:03:46,160 --> 00:03:49,560 Speaker 2: that information, where these just led slugs or these jacketed 64 00:03:49,600 --> 00:03:50,600 Speaker 2: bullets I do. 65 00:03:50,880 --> 00:03:53,960 Speaker 1: This is what he says. He manages to extract enough 66 00:03:54,080 --> 00:03:58,920 Speaker 1: lead particles to suggest that two thirty two caliber bullets 67 00:03:58,960 --> 00:04:02,000 Speaker 1: had been fired into Bessie's head, either by her or 68 00:04:02,040 --> 00:04:02,640 Speaker 1: someone else. 69 00:04:03,000 --> 00:04:05,920 Speaker 2: Okay, the bullets are traveling at such a high rate 70 00:04:05,960 --> 00:04:09,360 Speaker 2: of speed, is that when they hit bone, which is 71 00:04:09,400 --> 00:04:14,000 Speaker 2: a hard substance, they do deform. They continue to press 72 00:04:14,040 --> 00:04:17,800 Speaker 2: through the bone, going into in Bessie's case, into her brain. 73 00:04:18,440 --> 00:04:23,960 Speaker 2: But that impact can cause these bullets to fragment. And 74 00:04:24,600 --> 00:04:29,160 Speaker 2: typically what I've seen is if they're just lead bullets, 75 00:04:29,560 --> 00:04:34,400 Speaker 2: the lead deforms dramatically, impacting the skull and you could 76 00:04:34,400 --> 00:04:38,680 Speaker 2: have several pieces just kind of break off. When they're 77 00:04:38,839 --> 00:04:41,320 Speaker 2: jacketed bullets, where you have a kind of like this 78 00:04:41,480 --> 00:04:46,920 Speaker 2: copper alloy coating over the lead core that jacketing, it's 79 00:04:47,000 --> 00:04:50,320 Speaker 2: so thin that when the bullet deforms, it often does 80 00:04:51,080 --> 00:04:55,159 Speaker 2: fragment into many pieces. And in modern times we will 81 00:04:55,160 --> 00:04:57,640 Speaker 2: take X rays of the victim's bodies of their head 82 00:04:57,640 --> 00:04:59,520 Speaker 2: if they've been shot in the head and it looks 83 00:04:59,600 --> 00:05:03,120 Speaker 2: like snow. Some types of these bullets will fracture so much, 84 00:05:03,279 --> 00:05:06,880 Speaker 2: have so many tiny metal fragments inside the person's brain 85 00:05:07,120 --> 00:05:10,400 Speaker 2: that they've just fractured that much, so that's not surprising 86 00:05:10,440 --> 00:05:14,080 Speaker 2: to me. But I mean it's informative though that they 87 00:05:14,120 --> 00:05:16,919 Speaker 2: recover two bullets and you have two entry wounds to 88 00:05:17,000 --> 00:05:18,440 Speaker 2: the back of her right ear. 89 00:05:19,160 --> 00:05:22,000 Speaker 1: Now, let me tell you what he says about exactly 90 00:05:22,560 --> 00:05:26,880 Speaker 1: the location of this happening. Okay, So doctor Weaver says 91 00:05:27,520 --> 00:05:31,520 Speaker 1: that these two thirty two caliber bullets that he believes 92 00:05:31,520 --> 00:05:34,919 Speaker 1: were fired into her head, they had passed through the brain, 93 00:05:35,760 --> 00:05:38,839 Speaker 1: struck the other side of the skull on the inside, 94 00:05:38,960 --> 00:05:43,840 Speaker 1: perforated it, and lodged between the skull and the scalp 95 00:05:44,160 --> 00:05:47,559 Speaker 1: on the left, lower and back part of the head, 96 00:05:48,120 --> 00:05:52,320 Speaker 1: having entered from the right side. I don't understand any 97 00:05:52,320 --> 00:05:54,800 Speaker 1: of that. So does that mean through her right ear 98 00:05:54,920 --> 00:05:56,240 Speaker 1: onto the other side of her head? 99 00:05:56,520 --> 00:05:59,600 Speaker 2: Yeah, that's pretty much exactly. It sounds like it's right 100 00:05:59,600 --> 00:06:02,839 Speaker 2: behind the right ear. The bullets have a trajectory, you know, 101 00:06:02,960 --> 00:06:05,440 Speaker 2: right to left, passing through the inside of her head, 102 00:06:05,640 --> 00:06:10,520 Speaker 2: through her brain, and then actually pass through the skull 103 00:06:10,600 --> 00:06:15,120 Speaker 2: on the other side. And they either have lost enough 104 00:06:15,360 --> 00:06:19,200 Speaker 2: energy from passing through all these structures in her head 105 00:06:19,520 --> 00:06:22,960 Speaker 2: that the scalp is strong enough to basically catch it. 106 00:06:22,960 --> 00:06:26,159 Speaker 2: They don't have enough energy to push through the scalp 107 00:06:26,160 --> 00:06:29,200 Speaker 2: and exit out the other side of her head. But 108 00:06:29,279 --> 00:06:31,120 Speaker 2: it also could mean that you have what we call 109 00:06:31,200 --> 00:06:35,359 Speaker 2: a short exit to where let's say she's laying with 110 00:06:35,480 --> 00:06:38,160 Speaker 2: her left side, her left side of her head up 111 00:06:38,200 --> 00:06:41,080 Speaker 2: against the floor, up against a piece of furniture or 112 00:06:41,120 --> 00:06:44,000 Speaker 2: something that you could have the bullet pass through, and 113 00:06:44,040 --> 00:06:46,680 Speaker 2: as it's trying to push out the other side of 114 00:06:46,680 --> 00:06:50,720 Speaker 2: her head, that object her head is against is kind 115 00:06:50,760 --> 00:06:53,280 Speaker 2: of preventing it from being able to actually penetrate through 116 00:06:53,320 --> 00:06:59,240 Speaker 2: that scalp. So either circumstance is possible, but it's significant 117 00:06:59,360 --> 00:07:02,320 Speaker 2: you have to bullets passing through her brain in a 118 00:07:02,360 --> 00:07:06,839 Speaker 2: location that is not indicative of suicide. And this was 119 00:07:07,040 --> 00:07:10,160 Speaker 2: absolutely missed by that first pathologist. 120 00:07:10,280 --> 00:07:12,280 Speaker 1: Yeah, that's why I want to come back to the 121 00:07:12,320 --> 00:07:15,960 Speaker 1: six days in the water. Can you now see how 122 00:07:16,000 --> 00:07:19,040 Speaker 1: it's possible that and I don't know how big a 123 00:07:19,080 --> 00:07:21,480 Speaker 1: thirty two caliber bullet is, Can you see how it 124 00:07:21,480 --> 00:07:24,080 Speaker 1: would be possible with bloating or anything else that would 125 00:07:24,080 --> 00:07:27,920 Speaker 1: happen in the water, how this inept corner could actually 126 00:07:28,560 --> 00:07:31,960 Speaker 1: miss that or are we back to the quote on 127 00:07:32,000 --> 00:07:33,120 Speaker 1: the take corner? 128 00:07:33,480 --> 00:07:36,400 Speaker 2: I imagine Bessie had fairly long hair. 129 00:07:36,720 --> 00:07:38,640 Speaker 1: Hold on a second, I never thought you would request 130 00:07:38,680 --> 00:07:42,200 Speaker 1: a drawing. I never really think that you seeing the 131 00:07:42,480 --> 00:07:46,400 Speaker 1: victim or the perpetrator the offender is helpful. But this 132 00:07:46,480 --> 00:07:49,720 Speaker 1: is an artist's rendering of Bessie. Now her hair is up, 133 00:07:49,760 --> 00:07:51,520 Speaker 1: but yes, she looks like she would have long hair 134 00:07:51,560 --> 00:07:52,280 Speaker 1: if it were down. 135 00:07:52,560 --> 00:07:57,120 Speaker 2: Okay, So obviously with the two bullet entry wounds and 136 00:07:57,200 --> 00:08:00,880 Speaker 2: no exit, you know where her hair is is behind 137 00:08:00,960 --> 00:08:03,960 Speaker 2: her right ear. That's where the blood would be very 138 00:08:03,960 --> 00:08:06,640 Speaker 2: apparent if she had just been shot and left, let's say, 139 00:08:06,640 --> 00:08:09,080 Speaker 2: on the surface of the bridge versus tossed in the water. 140 00:08:09,600 --> 00:08:11,640 Speaker 2: If she's floating in the water for six days, I 141 00:08:11,680 --> 00:08:14,760 Speaker 2: can see where the blood would be washed off. And 142 00:08:14,840 --> 00:08:18,760 Speaker 2: she has enough hair where I'm assuming these bullet entry 143 00:08:18,760 --> 00:08:22,280 Speaker 2: wounds are that that hair would disguise those bullet entries. 144 00:08:22,800 --> 00:08:26,160 Speaker 2: So this is where the pathologist, if he's just doing 145 00:08:26,200 --> 00:08:31,480 Speaker 2: a superficial visual exam, he could potentially miss these entry wounds. Now, 146 00:08:31,720 --> 00:08:35,880 Speaker 2: when bullets pass through your head, they do other damage. 147 00:08:35,960 --> 00:08:38,600 Speaker 2: Thirty two small caliber, so they may not do a 148 00:08:38,600 --> 00:08:42,480 Speaker 2: lot of damage, but oftentimes the orbital plate is fractured 149 00:08:42,679 --> 00:08:44,920 Speaker 2: kind of at the base of the brain. The eyes 150 00:08:45,240 --> 00:08:48,000 Speaker 2: will look black and be very swollen, you know, and 151 00:08:48,320 --> 00:08:52,400 Speaker 2: that's an indicator, Oh, there's been some massive trauma inside 152 00:08:52,640 --> 00:08:55,640 Speaker 2: this person's head, even though you don't see the injuries, 153 00:08:55,720 --> 00:08:57,679 Speaker 2: like if they've been hit on the back of the 154 00:08:57,720 --> 00:09:00,440 Speaker 2: head with a baseball bat or something. But with the 155 00:09:00,480 --> 00:09:03,880 Speaker 2: absence of any other type of jury like the black eyes, 156 00:09:04,480 --> 00:09:08,680 Speaker 2: I could see where these two smaller entry wounds that 157 00:09:08,760 --> 00:09:11,520 Speaker 2: are covered up by her hair mass would be missed 158 00:09:11,520 --> 00:09:14,440 Speaker 2: if somebody's just looking at her. But this is where 159 00:09:14,480 --> 00:09:18,040 Speaker 2: you have to do a thorough examination. 160 00:09:17,600 --> 00:09:21,240 Speaker 1: Right and with this information, police Chief Ferrell is really 161 00:09:21,240 --> 00:09:25,440 Speaker 1: trying to figure this out. His idea, which is pretty sexist, 162 00:09:25,520 --> 00:09:27,720 Speaker 1: I think, is that I don't think this woman is 163 00:09:27,760 --> 00:09:31,680 Speaker 1: strong enough to hold a thirty two caliber gun and 164 00:09:32,280 --> 00:09:36,040 Speaker 1: doesn't know enough about firearms to be able to fire 165 00:09:36,280 --> 00:09:41,520 Speaker 1: the revolver twice into her own head. So let's remove 166 00:09:41,600 --> 00:09:44,960 Speaker 1: the idea that these are two shots, because you and 167 00:09:44,960 --> 00:09:47,320 Speaker 1: I have talked about how it is possible if you're 168 00:09:47,400 --> 00:09:49,760 Speaker 1: taking your own life, to get two shots off before 169 00:09:49,760 --> 00:09:53,439 Speaker 1: it happens. But the idea that this woman isn't strong 170 00:09:54,080 --> 00:09:57,000 Speaker 1: enough and doesn't know enough about firearms, what do you 171 00:09:57,000 --> 00:09:59,800 Speaker 1: think about this statement, besides it being totally sexist. 172 00:10:00,120 --> 00:10:03,120 Speaker 2: Yeah, now that's a bunch of bs. A young child 173 00:10:03,320 --> 00:10:06,080 Speaker 2: can pull the trigger on a thirty two caliber weapon. 174 00:10:06,320 --> 00:10:11,080 Speaker 2: That's just nonsense. It's more of assessing now the circumstances, 175 00:10:11,120 --> 00:10:14,959 Speaker 2: because you have this dead woman's boyfriend, Albert saying, well, 176 00:10:15,000 --> 00:10:18,240 Speaker 2: she committed suicide and I disposed of her body, and 177 00:10:18,320 --> 00:10:22,600 Speaker 2: now you have two shots under her head. Ye have 178 00:10:22,679 --> 00:10:25,680 Speaker 2: blood that's on the surface of the bridge. Is she's 179 00:10:25,679 --> 00:10:30,240 Speaker 2: shooting herself in the head and still maintains sufficient mobility 180 00:10:30,280 --> 00:10:32,520 Speaker 2: to get up and over the fence on the bridge 181 00:10:32,520 --> 00:10:36,520 Speaker 2: to get into the river. You start stacking the various 182 00:10:37,040 --> 00:10:40,079 Speaker 2: facts of the case, and it becomes less and less 183 00:10:40,360 --> 00:10:44,199 Speaker 2: likely that this is suicide and more likely this is homicide. 184 00:10:44,480 --> 00:10:47,360 Speaker 1: Well, let me ask you, because it's vague about where 185 00:10:47,400 --> 00:10:50,760 Speaker 1: the bullets entered, it says near the ear. If she's 186 00:10:50,840 --> 00:10:53,640 Speaker 1: in experience with a firearm, and she really is putting 187 00:10:53,720 --> 00:10:56,760 Speaker 1: her right hand, has a gun to her head, and 188 00:10:56,800 --> 00:10:59,360 Speaker 1: she's trying to pull the trigger twice, and maybe Albert 189 00:10:59,440 --> 00:11:01,480 Speaker 1: will eventually say, oh, yes, I was with her and 190 00:11:01,520 --> 00:11:04,480 Speaker 1: I saw all this happen. Maybe in her haste she's 191 00:11:04,559 --> 00:11:07,560 Speaker 1: pulling it twice and not hitting what we would typically 192 00:11:07,600 --> 00:11:10,440 Speaker 1: say would be the temple, which is where we see 193 00:11:10,440 --> 00:11:13,640 Speaker 1: a lot of suicides happen. Can you glean anything from 194 00:11:13,640 --> 00:11:16,080 Speaker 1: what he's saying, pass through the brain struck on the 195 00:11:16,120 --> 00:11:18,400 Speaker 1: side of the skull. Would one or two inches really 196 00:11:18,400 --> 00:11:20,880 Speaker 1: make that big of a difference as far as a 197 00:11:20,880 --> 00:11:23,520 Speaker 1: ability to pull the trigger twice? 198 00:11:23,760 --> 00:11:28,439 Speaker 2: You know, when you start talking about gunshots that are 199 00:11:28,840 --> 00:11:32,000 Speaker 2: at that level of the brain, you are now having 200 00:11:32,040 --> 00:11:37,079 Speaker 2: the bullets pass through, I mean, the most critical structures 201 00:11:37,240 --> 00:11:40,080 Speaker 2: that are connecting, you know, the brain, whether or not 202 00:11:40,320 --> 00:11:44,400 Speaker 2: the brain stem has been injured. But fundamentally, this is 203 00:11:44,600 --> 00:11:48,840 Speaker 2: even less likely that she would have maintained the capability 204 00:11:48,920 --> 00:11:52,480 Speaker 2: after that first shot to pull the second shot, the 205 00:11:52,559 --> 00:11:56,360 Speaker 2: shot to the temple. There's a greater likelihood that you 206 00:11:56,559 --> 00:12:01,360 Speaker 2: could maintain consciousness motor skills after a shot, especially with 207 00:12:01,400 --> 00:12:04,320 Speaker 2: a smaller caliber like a thirty two. You know, you 208 00:12:04,360 --> 00:12:09,079 Speaker 2: think about Phineas Cage, a classic psychology textbook example, a 209 00:12:09,160 --> 00:12:13,720 Speaker 2: railroad worker who had a iron rod driven up, you know, 210 00:12:13,880 --> 00:12:18,160 Speaker 2: underneath his jaw, through his frontal cortex, you know, and 211 00:12:18,200 --> 00:12:22,720 Speaker 2: he never lost consciousness. You know, So when it comes 212 00:12:22,800 --> 00:12:27,520 Speaker 2: down to evaluating Okay, is this something that Bessie could 213 00:12:27,520 --> 00:12:31,800 Speaker 2: have done. It's really having that expert pathologist taking a 214 00:12:31,840 --> 00:12:35,319 Speaker 2: look at where the bullet passed through, what brain structures 215 00:12:35,640 --> 00:12:40,440 Speaker 2: were injured, and assessing whether or not she could have 216 00:12:40,600 --> 00:12:43,800 Speaker 2: maintained the capability after the first shot to pull the 217 00:12:43,800 --> 00:12:45,880 Speaker 2: trigger on the second shot. And I would say, if 218 00:12:45,960 --> 00:12:49,559 Speaker 2: you're talking about at the ear level and the structures 219 00:12:49,559 --> 00:12:52,280 Speaker 2: in the brain, these bullets went all the way through 220 00:12:52,360 --> 00:12:54,760 Speaker 2: to the other side of the inside of her skull, 221 00:12:55,200 --> 00:12:58,320 Speaker 2: I would say, no, Okay, I think this is more 222 00:12:58,360 --> 00:13:02,320 Speaker 2: indicative of somebody else pulling the trigger twice. 223 00:13:02,559 --> 00:13:05,120 Speaker 1: Because am I wrong in thinking that in eighteen ninety 224 00:13:05,200 --> 00:13:07,760 Speaker 1: six this is not any kind of an automatic weapon. 225 00:13:08,280 --> 00:13:11,440 Speaker 1: Tell me what actually has to happen. She pulls the trigger, 226 00:13:11,559 --> 00:13:13,400 Speaker 1: and in order to do another shot, does she have 227 00:13:13,520 --> 00:13:15,200 Speaker 1: to recock this gun? 228 00:13:15,440 --> 00:13:18,920 Speaker 2: It all depends on the make and model of the gun. Okay, 229 00:13:19,000 --> 00:13:23,080 Speaker 2: let's just say it's a standard revolver. If the trigger 230 00:13:23,160 --> 00:13:26,280 Speaker 2: is what we call double action, so when you pull 231 00:13:26,360 --> 00:13:30,000 Speaker 2: the trigger back to shoot the gun, the mechanism of 232 00:13:30,040 --> 00:13:34,079 Speaker 2: the revolver also cocks the hammer back, and then once 233 00:13:34,160 --> 00:13:37,880 Speaker 2: the trigger reaches a certain point, the internal mechanism allows 234 00:13:37,880 --> 00:13:41,120 Speaker 2: the hammer to drop to fire the shot. When you 235 00:13:41,160 --> 00:13:45,199 Speaker 2: pull the trigger again, after that, it rotates the cylinder 236 00:13:45,480 --> 00:13:49,240 Speaker 2: to get the next live round into the chamber, and 237 00:13:49,320 --> 00:13:53,960 Speaker 2: it repeats the process. So with a standard revolver, the shooter, 238 00:13:54,559 --> 00:14:00,200 Speaker 2: if it's Bessie, would have to consciously pull this trigger twice. 239 00:14:00,400 --> 00:14:03,480 Speaker 2: Some guns are different, you know, and there's so many 240 00:14:03,520 --> 00:14:07,760 Speaker 2: different permutations of firearms out there. It's hard to say 241 00:14:07,840 --> 00:14:10,840 Speaker 2: for sure. In this case without knowing more what Bessie 242 00:14:10,840 --> 00:14:13,559 Speaker 2: would have had to go through in order to shoot herself. 243 00:14:13,200 --> 00:14:17,320 Speaker 1: Twice, it sounds like a standard revolver from information we 244 00:14:17,360 --> 00:14:20,360 Speaker 1: get later. Right now, we'll operate under the assumption that 245 00:14:20,400 --> 00:14:22,200 Speaker 1: it would be very difficult for her to get two 246 00:14:22,280 --> 00:14:22,960 Speaker 1: shots off. 247 00:14:23,240 --> 00:14:25,640 Speaker 2: From what I am hearing, I think that is a 248 00:14:25,760 --> 00:14:27,080 Speaker 2: correct assumption to make. 249 00:14:27,320 --> 00:14:30,400 Speaker 1: Okay, So now police Chief Ferrell is just trying to 250 00:14:30,440 --> 00:14:32,880 Speaker 1: build a case because he's convinced us as murder based 251 00:14:32,880 --> 00:14:35,560 Speaker 1: on these two bullet holes that he's been told are 252 00:14:35,600 --> 00:14:38,720 Speaker 1: there in her head. They take her head and they 253 00:14:38,760 --> 00:14:41,120 Speaker 1: put it in a jar that's filled with alcohol, which 254 00:14:41,120 --> 00:14:43,720 Speaker 1: is how they would have preserved it. It's probably cheap whiskey. 255 00:14:43,920 --> 00:14:47,520 Speaker 1: Is everything I've ever read. It's always been very cheap whiskey, 256 00:14:47,840 --> 00:14:52,479 Speaker 1: and they would preserve entire bodies for dissection and anatomy 257 00:14:52,480 --> 00:14:55,560 Speaker 1: classes using very cheap whiskey, and they would just put 258 00:14:55,600 --> 00:14:59,320 Speaker 1: it into a oak barrel and preserve the bodies. That 259 00:14:59,360 --> 00:15:03,320 Speaker 1: way head was preserved. And we'll find out why in 260 00:15:03,360 --> 00:15:06,400 Speaker 1: a little bit. But just that's an odd little note. 261 00:15:06,640 --> 00:15:08,480 Speaker 1: That would be how you would preserve a body. Then 262 00:15:08,680 --> 00:15:12,280 Speaker 1: what would you do now? I guess refrigerate it if 263 00:15:12,440 --> 00:15:14,520 Speaker 1: there's something that's happening six months down the road and 264 00:15:14,560 --> 00:15:17,000 Speaker 1: you feel like you need to preserve this for some reason. 265 00:15:17,360 --> 00:15:22,000 Speaker 2: Well, during a standard autopsy, the pathologists are taking samples 266 00:15:22,240 --> 00:15:24,840 Speaker 2: of a wide variety of tissues in the body, you know, 267 00:15:24,880 --> 00:15:28,840 Speaker 2: for histological analysis. Sometimes in homicides, there's going to be 268 00:15:28,920 --> 00:15:32,000 Speaker 2: certain parts of the body that will be preserved in 269 00:15:32,080 --> 00:15:36,720 Speaker 2: a sample jar, and they're using formuline, another chemical that 270 00:15:37,200 --> 00:15:41,520 Speaker 2: basically ceases, you know, any type of bacterial activities. These 271 00:15:41,520 --> 00:15:44,960 Speaker 2: cells haven't been disturbed due to the preservation process. I guess, 272 00:15:45,080 --> 00:15:48,560 Speaker 2: is what I'm trying to say, Whiskey, you know, I 273 00:15:48,600 --> 00:15:51,560 Speaker 2: guess in many ways, maybe that's what I'm doing when 274 00:15:51,560 --> 00:15:54,880 Speaker 2: I drink my bourbon, as I'm preserving myself from the 275 00:15:54,920 --> 00:15:56,120 Speaker 2: inside out. How's that? 276 00:15:57,320 --> 00:15:58,920 Speaker 1: And with that, we're going to move on to a 277 00:15:58,920 --> 00:16:04,800 Speaker 1: different piece of evidence. Okay, The chief of police is 278 00:16:04,840 --> 00:16:08,600 Speaker 1: now investigating a little bit more victimology, a little bit 279 00:16:08,600 --> 00:16:12,120 Speaker 1: more about his now suspect turned what we think it 280 00:16:12,160 --> 00:16:16,360 Speaker 1: will be an offender. He learns that France's story has 281 00:16:16,480 --> 00:16:20,200 Speaker 1: changed in a pretty big way, because what he's saying 282 00:16:20,320 --> 00:16:23,360 Speaker 1: is that, okay, I admit it. We took a ride 283 00:16:23,360 --> 00:16:27,120 Speaker 1: in the buggy together that night. She got very upset 284 00:16:27,360 --> 00:16:29,000 Speaker 1: because I told her we were going to break up 285 00:16:29,040 --> 00:16:30,720 Speaker 1: and I wasn't going to marry her. She pulls out 286 00:16:30,720 --> 00:16:33,440 Speaker 1: a revolver and then shoots herself in the head and 287 00:16:33,480 --> 00:16:38,080 Speaker 1: she died instantly. He panics. He says, I don't think 288 00:16:38,160 --> 00:16:40,280 Speaker 1: anybody's gonna believe me when I say that this was 289 00:16:40,280 --> 00:16:44,760 Speaker 1: a suicide. So to protect himself from false accusations, he 290 00:16:45,120 --> 00:16:48,480 Speaker 1: threw Bessie's body off of the bridge and into the water, 291 00:16:48,680 --> 00:16:52,280 Speaker 1: and he tosses the gun into the water. Also, now, 292 00:16:52,360 --> 00:16:54,800 Speaker 1: before you comment on that, because we knew this was coming, 293 00:16:54,880 --> 00:16:57,800 Speaker 1: he had eventually said okay, I was with her. The 294 00:16:57,920 --> 00:17:02,360 Speaker 1: reason that this comes about is that Chief Ferrel believes 295 00:17:02,440 --> 00:17:05,560 Speaker 1: he can match some buggy tracks that were left near 296 00:17:05,600 --> 00:17:08,280 Speaker 1: the bridge, and he thinks that he can match them 297 00:17:08,480 --> 00:17:13,479 Speaker 1: to Albert's buggy. So he gets to Albert Francis's house 298 00:17:14,040 --> 00:17:17,600 Speaker 1: and finds out there is no buggy, there is no horse, 299 00:17:17,800 --> 00:17:21,200 Speaker 1: and in fact there's no more stable because Albert has 300 00:17:21,240 --> 00:17:24,679 Speaker 1: burned all of it down, including the horse, in a 301 00:17:24,760 --> 00:17:29,320 Speaker 1: fire the day after Bessie went missing at Minnie's house. 302 00:17:29,840 --> 00:17:32,760 Speaker 2: Yeah, that's not suspicious at all, No, not at all. 303 00:17:32,920 --> 00:17:36,560 Speaker 1: He's gotten rid of buggy evidence and any kind of 304 00:17:36,680 --> 00:17:39,920 Speaker 1: clothes that she was wearing that might have blood on it, 305 00:17:39,960 --> 00:17:43,159 Speaker 1: any kind of evidence where there's blood, he's now effectively 306 00:17:43,200 --> 00:17:43,960 Speaker 1: gotten rid of it. 307 00:17:44,400 --> 00:17:47,520 Speaker 2: So yes, in essence, you know, as you were telling 308 00:17:47,560 --> 00:17:50,840 Speaker 2: me about this scenario of him saying that she shot 309 00:17:50,840 --> 00:17:54,480 Speaker 2: herself inside the buggy. Okay, now this is the crime scene. 310 00:17:54,520 --> 00:17:57,720 Speaker 2: Now it's so important to get access to that crime 311 00:17:57,760 --> 00:18:01,919 Speaker 2: scene to see what evidence remains. Well, he's destroyed that 312 00:18:02,080 --> 00:18:06,760 Speaker 2: with the fire. He's destroyed the ability for the chief 313 00:18:06,840 --> 00:18:11,560 Speaker 2: to possibly match the buggy tracks or the horse tracks 314 00:18:11,960 --> 00:18:15,480 Speaker 2: found at the bridge to the buggy and the horse. Now, 315 00:18:15,960 --> 00:18:19,320 Speaker 2: from my perspective, it's well, what else is inside that 316 00:18:19,400 --> 00:18:23,239 Speaker 2: buggy that still exists Albert himself and the clothes that 317 00:18:23,280 --> 00:18:28,679 Speaker 2: he was wearing. And now, is there any backspatter coming 318 00:18:28,760 --> 00:18:31,240 Speaker 2: back from these entry wounds? Is he close enough to 319 00:18:31,320 --> 00:18:33,840 Speaker 2: her where you know, maybe on the sleeve of his 320 00:18:34,080 --> 00:18:39,040 Speaker 2: coat that he's wearing, Do I now see minute particles 321 00:18:39,040 --> 00:18:42,400 Speaker 2: of blood droplets or blood and brain matter that backspattered 322 00:18:42,560 --> 00:18:45,320 Speaker 2: onto him? So you know, of course the chief probably 323 00:18:45,320 --> 00:18:48,200 Speaker 2: isn't aware of that, but that would be critical evidence 324 00:18:48,200 --> 00:18:51,040 Speaker 2: to look for today under a search warrant, you go 325 00:18:51,240 --> 00:18:54,800 Speaker 2: through all his wardrobe and maybe you get lucky and 326 00:18:54,920 --> 00:18:58,439 Speaker 2: find something that has blood and or brain tissue or 327 00:18:58,480 --> 00:19:02,000 Speaker 2: even what we call shattered hair on it and get 328 00:19:02,000 --> 00:19:04,280 Speaker 2: that examined. And today, of course we could do DNA 329 00:19:04,359 --> 00:19:07,159 Speaker 2: to show him this is from Bessie, and this is 330 00:19:07,200 --> 00:19:09,879 Speaker 2: showing that he's in close proximity to her at the 331 00:19:09,920 --> 00:19:11,760 Speaker 2: time she's receiving these shots. 332 00:19:12,520 --> 00:19:15,000 Speaker 1: Chief Pherrel does not have that kind of luck in 333 00:19:15,080 --> 00:19:17,520 Speaker 1: this case. So first, let me set the scene for 334 00:19:17,560 --> 00:19:20,760 Speaker 1: this fire, which just sounds crazy to me. There were 335 00:19:20,800 --> 00:19:23,800 Speaker 1: people who saw his stable on fire. They said he 336 00:19:23,880 --> 00:19:27,400 Speaker 1: was acting oddly. He was outside in his shirt sleeves, 337 00:19:27,400 --> 00:19:29,960 Speaker 1: which would have been unusual. He had been wearing a suit, 338 00:19:30,119 --> 00:19:32,760 Speaker 1: as most men would have in this time period, and 339 00:19:32,840 --> 00:19:36,360 Speaker 1: he was holding an axe and forbidding anyone to come 340 00:19:36,400 --> 00:19:38,600 Speaker 1: close to the stable to help him put out the fire. 341 00:19:39,320 --> 00:19:42,000 Speaker 1: He said a man had even said, give me the axe, 342 00:19:42,080 --> 00:19:44,800 Speaker 1: I will bust down the stable door and save at 343 00:19:44,880 --> 00:19:48,720 Speaker 1: least your horse, and Albert refused to hand over the axe, 344 00:19:48,720 --> 00:19:50,720 Speaker 1: and he said that the horse and the buggy weren't 345 00:19:50,760 --> 00:19:55,480 Speaker 1: worth anyone's life. It sounds like he went off the rails. 346 00:19:56,040 --> 00:19:59,399 Speaker 1: And finally the whole thing burns down, and by the 347 00:19:59,440 --> 00:20:03,920 Speaker 1: time she Ferrel gets out there, they scour this stable 348 00:20:04,080 --> 00:20:06,440 Speaker 1: and what's left of the buggy, which is not very much, 349 00:20:06,480 --> 00:20:09,800 Speaker 1: and they find a few pieces of a man's suit 350 00:20:10,119 --> 00:20:13,280 Speaker 1: that has been severely burned, but that's about it. And 351 00:20:13,320 --> 00:20:15,600 Speaker 1: the same thing with the river. They really have no 352 00:20:15,760 --> 00:20:19,080 Speaker 1: luck finding evidence, and it looks like he really tried 353 00:20:19,240 --> 00:20:20,240 Speaker 1: to dig this up. 354 00:20:20,400 --> 00:20:22,919 Speaker 2: And they never found the gun that he said he 355 00:20:23,160 --> 00:20:23,920 Speaker 2: tossed into the river. 356 00:20:24,040 --> 00:20:26,160 Speaker 1: Right, listen to this. So this is what I mean 357 00:20:26,200 --> 00:20:30,320 Speaker 1: by this guy. Chief Ferrell goes above and beyond, particularly 358 00:20:30,359 --> 00:20:32,840 Speaker 1: for a man in the eighteen hundreds who's working on 359 00:20:32,880 --> 00:20:36,880 Speaker 1: a case. So this is what he does. He decides 360 00:20:37,119 --> 00:20:40,479 Speaker 1: that he wants to find that stupid murder weapon. And 361 00:20:40,960 --> 00:20:44,080 Speaker 1: Franz had said, I tossed the gun into the river. 362 00:20:44,240 --> 00:20:46,040 Speaker 1: I didn't want to see it anymore. She had taken 363 00:20:46,040 --> 00:20:50,560 Speaker 1: her own life with it. So he fills rowboats with 364 00:20:50,800 --> 00:20:55,879 Speaker 1: magnets and they drag the magnets on ropes across the 365 00:20:55,960 --> 00:20:57,159 Speaker 1: river for days. 366 00:20:57,840 --> 00:20:58,159 Speaker 2: Huh. 367 00:20:58,200 --> 00:21:02,119 Speaker 1: I just thought, God, Chief pararewell. I mean, my goodness, 368 00:21:02,359 --> 00:21:05,360 Speaker 1: have what an incredible feat to try. And of course 369 00:21:05,359 --> 00:21:07,560 Speaker 1: there's no luck. It's terrible. 370 00:21:07,840 --> 00:21:11,960 Speaker 2: I've actually never even heard of that technique. To locate 371 00:21:12,080 --> 00:21:14,560 Speaker 2: a firearm that's been thrown in a body of water, 372 00:21:14,640 --> 00:21:16,399 Speaker 2: typically we send divers down. 373 00:21:16,680 --> 00:21:20,080 Speaker 1: He did that too, Okay, So then when that doesn't work, 374 00:21:20,400 --> 00:21:26,320 Speaker 1: he hires a professional diver and a champion swimmer to look. 375 00:21:26,400 --> 00:21:28,840 Speaker 1: But of course it's a river which would have been murky, 376 00:21:29,160 --> 00:21:32,280 Speaker 1: and all kinds of animals and all kinds of vegetation, 377 00:21:32,520 --> 00:21:35,199 Speaker 1: and just no luck. And I will tell you I 378 00:21:35,240 --> 00:21:38,360 Speaker 1: had a family who read American Sherlock and then emailed 379 00:21:38,359 --> 00:21:41,400 Speaker 1: me and told me about their own forensic scientist who 380 00:21:41,400 --> 00:21:44,480 Speaker 1: had been lost in history, who sounded fascinating. And I 381 00:21:44,560 --> 00:21:48,840 Speaker 1: remember reading up on him and reading a case where 382 00:21:49,040 --> 00:21:52,760 Speaker 1: he was determined to find a gun, and he had 383 00:21:53,040 --> 00:21:57,119 Speaker 1: the police build a small dam in a river to 384 00:21:57,240 --> 00:22:01,040 Speaker 1: collect the water to stop it from mood down a damn. 385 00:22:01,119 --> 00:22:03,639 Speaker 1: He built a damn, and he found it. He found 386 00:22:03,640 --> 00:22:05,640 Speaker 1: the gun. It was like two miles down from where 387 00:22:05,640 --> 00:22:06,479 Speaker 1: it had been dumped. 388 00:22:06,760 --> 00:22:07,000 Speaker 2: Wow. 389 00:22:07,040 --> 00:22:11,080 Speaker 1: So I love an investigator who goes above and beyond, 390 00:22:11,200 --> 00:22:13,520 Speaker 1: and that's where we are with Chief Ferrell. He is 391 00:22:13,600 --> 00:22:20,040 Speaker 1: trying everything possible because Paul, someone heard that night someone 392 00:22:20,200 --> 00:22:25,000 Speaker 1: exclaim murder from the bridge, and then they heard two gunshots. 393 00:22:25,119 --> 00:22:28,679 Speaker 1: So now he was saying absolutely this was murder. And 394 00:22:28,720 --> 00:22:32,080 Speaker 1: by the way, screaming murder was very much an eighteen 395 00:22:32,160 --> 00:22:35,560 Speaker 1: hundreds thing. I can't imagine anyone would say that now, 396 00:22:35,600 --> 00:22:40,080 Speaker 1: But screaming a loud murder, murder, that's just something everybody 397 00:22:40,160 --> 00:22:42,240 Speaker 1: did in the eighteen hundreds and a good crime story. 398 00:22:42,760 --> 00:22:45,920 Speaker 2: So is the presumption that the person who's screaming murder 399 00:22:45,920 --> 00:22:47,439 Speaker 2: as Bessie before she's killed. 400 00:22:47,600 --> 00:22:50,080 Speaker 1: I think that's it. Yes, And it seemed like a 401 00:22:50,080 --> 00:22:53,359 Speaker 1: woman's voice, but it was a screech more than anything else. 402 00:22:53,880 --> 00:22:56,080 Speaker 1: And of course why would Albert say that if she's 403 00:22:56,119 --> 00:22:58,399 Speaker 1: taking her own life. I guess maybe he's trying to 404 00:22:58,800 --> 00:23:02,639 Speaker 1: get attention, but he never says that he screamed murder 405 00:23:02,720 --> 00:23:06,960 Speaker 1: or anybody else did. Those were just witnesses near the bridge, 406 00:23:07,000 --> 00:23:10,719 Speaker 1: but no one actually saw anything. They heard gunshots, they 407 00:23:10,760 --> 00:23:13,720 Speaker 1: heard someone say murder. They didn't hear a splash or 408 00:23:13,760 --> 00:23:26,880 Speaker 1: anything like that. So Chief Ferrell then gets a big lead. 409 00:23:27,119 --> 00:23:30,280 Speaker 1: He goes to a local gun shop. He is canvassing everywhere. 410 00:23:30,320 --> 00:23:33,640 Speaker 1: He goes to a local gun shop and says, did 411 00:23:33,680 --> 00:23:36,760 Speaker 1: anybody buy a gun over the last couple of months? 412 00:23:37,000 --> 00:23:40,440 Speaker 1: And the owner says, yes, someone bought a thirty two 413 00:23:40,640 --> 00:23:45,720 Speaker 1: revolver and he identifies Albert Frantz as a person who 414 00:23:45,920 --> 00:23:48,359 Speaker 1: bought it. Now, Franz does not know this guy. The 415 00:23:48,359 --> 00:23:52,080 Speaker 1: guy doesn't know him. It's an identification, and Franz says, 416 00:23:52,160 --> 00:23:54,800 Speaker 1: I never did that, No, and that's it. It's a 417 00:23:54,800 --> 00:23:58,679 Speaker 1: case of mistaken identity. So if they don't really know 418 00:23:58,840 --> 00:24:02,640 Speaker 1: each other, and he says this happened, Franz came in 419 00:24:02,760 --> 00:24:06,920 Speaker 1: three weeks ago. Is that a reliable identification? You think 420 00:24:07,000 --> 00:24:09,320 Speaker 1: just a random customer coming in looking for a gun. 421 00:24:10,280 --> 00:24:13,040 Speaker 2: During this canvas that the Chief is doing, you have 422 00:24:13,160 --> 00:24:16,199 Speaker 2: this witness that is identifying Albert as the purchaser. Of 423 00:24:16,240 --> 00:24:20,320 Speaker 2: the gun. Is he picking Albert out of photos? Is 424 00:24:20,400 --> 00:24:22,960 Speaker 2: he pulling out a piece of paper and saying, here's 425 00:24:23,240 --> 00:24:25,800 Speaker 2: the signature of the purchaser of the gun. That's going 426 00:24:25,880 --> 00:24:29,120 Speaker 2: to kind of all add into how to assess how 427 00:24:29,200 --> 00:24:33,360 Speaker 2: much weight to put on the reliability of that statement. 428 00:24:34,080 --> 00:24:38,160 Speaker 2: But you basically have a witness that is saying that 429 00:24:38,320 --> 00:24:43,560 Speaker 2: Albert Franz bought a weapon that is the same caliber 430 00:24:44,119 --> 00:24:48,199 Speaker 2: and same type that was used in Bessie's death. This 431 00:24:48,359 --> 00:24:52,399 Speaker 2: is just going to be a bit of information that, 432 00:24:52,480 --> 00:24:55,800 Speaker 2: of course the chief is using as he's building his 433 00:24:56,040 --> 00:24:58,800 Speaker 2: case against Albert, but it's also going to be something 434 00:24:58,840 --> 00:25:01,200 Speaker 2: that would ultimately be put in front of a jury, 435 00:25:01,240 --> 00:25:04,840 Speaker 2: and it's the jurors who will assess how much weight 436 00:25:05,000 --> 00:25:05,919 Speaker 2: they will put on it. 437 00:25:06,920 --> 00:25:09,879 Speaker 1: And Ferrell hasn't even arrested him yet. He's still trying 438 00:25:09,920 --> 00:25:12,000 Speaker 1: to figure out if he has enough evidence. He's being 439 00:25:12,119 --> 00:25:16,600 Speaker 1: very conservative, which is again really unusual for an investigator 440 00:25:16,600 --> 00:25:19,080 Speaker 1: in the eighteen hundreds. I mean you really, I think 441 00:25:19,200 --> 00:25:21,800 Speaker 1: just the confirmation from the gun shop owner would have 442 00:25:21,840 --> 00:25:24,200 Speaker 1: been enough for a lot of investigators. But he's doing 443 00:25:24,280 --> 00:25:28,000 Speaker 1: his due diligence, certainly not photos in eighteen ninety six. 444 00:25:28,240 --> 00:25:31,720 Speaker 1: I've never even read about lineups happening in eighteen ninety six. 445 00:25:32,240 --> 00:25:35,280 Speaker 1: I think it would be more dragging France down there 446 00:25:35,440 --> 00:25:38,800 Speaker 1: and having him stand in front of the gunshop owner 447 00:25:38,840 --> 00:25:41,960 Speaker 1: and saying is this him? Or having him hide and 448 00:25:42,240 --> 00:25:44,320 Speaker 1: be able to see France out in the open. I 449 00:25:44,359 --> 00:25:46,960 Speaker 1: don't think there's anything professional about it. It's just do 450 00:25:47,000 --> 00:25:50,840 Speaker 1: you recognize this guy? So nothing organized, I would say, 451 00:25:50,880 --> 00:25:53,440 Speaker 1: I don't know. I don't think of all of the customers. 452 00:25:53,920 --> 00:25:57,280 Speaker 1: I don't think your case should hinge on this gun 453 00:25:57,280 --> 00:26:00,439 Speaker 1: shop owner being able to positively identify him, and he's not. 454 00:26:00,720 --> 00:26:02,480 Speaker 1: At least he's gathering more information. 455 00:26:02,880 --> 00:26:06,480 Speaker 2: And we know that that type of in person identification 456 00:26:07,320 --> 00:26:11,280 Speaker 2: is extremely prejudicial. Imagine being the witness and now you 457 00:26:11,280 --> 00:26:14,960 Speaker 2: have law enforcement saying is this the guy? That witness 458 00:26:15,080 --> 00:26:19,560 Speaker 2: oftentimes feels compelled to say yes, yeah, They've brought him 459 00:26:19,600 --> 00:26:21,080 Speaker 2: in front of me, so there must be a reason 460 00:26:21,119 --> 00:26:24,399 Speaker 2: why they chose that guy. And that's something that is 461 00:26:25,440 --> 00:26:27,399 Speaker 2: very much frowned upon today, or should be. 462 00:26:27,840 --> 00:26:30,640 Speaker 1: And my impression is is that information came a little 463 00:26:30,640 --> 00:26:33,280 Speaker 1: bit later, where you know, everybody in town knew about this, 464 00:26:33,359 --> 00:26:35,520 Speaker 1: they knew who the suspect was, They at least knew 465 00:26:35,600 --> 00:26:39,600 Speaker 1: who her boyfriend was, so right, I would toss that out, 466 00:26:39,640 --> 00:26:42,720 Speaker 1: but it is an interesting piece of information. Here, to 467 00:26:42,840 --> 00:26:46,080 Speaker 1: me is the most interesting piece. Well, there's two most 468 00:26:46,119 --> 00:26:50,000 Speaker 1: interesting pieces coming up. Here's one of them. She Ferrell 469 00:26:50,080 --> 00:26:53,240 Speaker 1: does some more digging and talks to family friends, talks 470 00:26:53,280 --> 00:26:56,719 Speaker 1: to friends of Albert Franz, and they find out that 471 00:26:56,800 --> 00:26:59,920 Speaker 1: he has a girlfriend and her name is Molly Cart 472 00:27:00,240 --> 00:27:03,439 Speaker 1: and she had actually received a letter from him on 473 00:27:03,520 --> 00:27:06,240 Speaker 1: the day that Bessie died. It was a love letter, 474 00:27:06,480 --> 00:27:09,720 Speaker 1: and the friends say that as far as they knew, 475 00:27:09,760 --> 00:27:13,680 Speaker 1: Albert really was courting Mollie. He really really liked her, 476 00:27:14,240 --> 00:27:18,600 Speaker 1: he wanted to be involved more heavily with her. And 477 00:27:19,000 --> 00:27:22,240 Speaker 1: at this point Albert has hired some defense attorneys, of course, 478 00:27:22,280 --> 00:27:25,159 Speaker 1: because he's assuming he's about to get arrested, and the 479 00:27:25,200 --> 00:27:29,680 Speaker 1: defense attorneys say that's just not true. Maybe he was flording, 480 00:27:29,680 --> 00:27:31,679 Speaker 1: maybe he sent a little love letter here and there, 481 00:27:31,840 --> 00:27:35,000 Speaker 1: but he was in love with Bessie and his family 482 00:27:35,080 --> 00:27:37,760 Speaker 1: had said, well, you're too young to get married. Let's 483 00:27:37,800 --> 00:27:39,879 Speaker 1: just wait. You're only twenty years old, and that was it. 484 00:27:39,960 --> 00:27:42,679 Speaker 1: So he contends, I don't care who says that I 485 00:27:42,760 --> 00:27:45,000 Speaker 1: was in love with someone else. I was in love 486 00:27:45,040 --> 00:27:47,359 Speaker 1: with Bessie. I never would have killed her. I didn't 487 00:27:47,400 --> 00:27:50,000 Speaker 1: want to see her die, and I was distraught when 488 00:27:50,040 --> 00:27:51,719 Speaker 1: she took her own life and scared. 489 00:27:53,240 --> 00:27:59,080 Speaker 2: But this is just another aspect in evaluating Albert as 490 00:27:59,119 --> 00:28:03,919 Speaker 2: a suspect. He's got Bessie who is in essence threatening 491 00:28:04,080 --> 00:28:06,919 Speaker 2: him and his family if he doesn't marry her. He 492 00:28:07,600 --> 00:28:10,679 Speaker 2: possibly has a girlfriend that maybe he wants to spend 493 00:28:10,720 --> 00:28:14,480 Speaker 2: some time with, but knows that if Bessie follows through 494 00:28:14,560 --> 00:28:17,240 Speaker 2: with her threats to force him to marry that he 495 00:28:17,280 --> 00:28:21,679 Speaker 2: won't be able to pursue a relationship with Mollie. So 496 00:28:21,960 --> 00:28:25,399 Speaker 2: this is where we build into Okay, there appears to 497 00:28:25,480 --> 00:28:30,520 Speaker 2: be motive for Albert to move on from Bessie, and 498 00:28:30,680 --> 00:28:33,520 Speaker 2: we know that there's easier ways in killing the person 499 00:28:33,560 --> 00:28:38,560 Speaker 2: to do that, but sometimes people will commit homicide because 500 00:28:38,560 --> 00:28:40,680 Speaker 2: they think that's the only way to get out of 501 00:28:40,680 --> 00:28:41,320 Speaker 2: the situation. 502 00:28:41,880 --> 00:28:45,560 Speaker 1: Well, we'll have even more information coming down the pipeline here. 503 00:28:46,000 --> 00:28:48,760 Speaker 1: Now Chief Ferrell has had enough. He says there's enough 504 00:28:48,800 --> 00:28:52,760 Speaker 1: to bring charges against Albert. He arrests him, and Albert 505 00:28:52,800 --> 00:28:56,120 Speaker 1: goes on trial for murder on December fourteenth of eighteen 506 00:28:56,200 --> 00:28:58,680 Speaker 1: ninety six. This is pretty quick. So she was found 507 00:28:58,680 --> 00:29:03,400 Speaker 1: in early September, three months which seems pretty fast, but 508 00:29:03,440 --> 00:29:06,440 Speaker 1: he worked very quickly on gathering all of his evidence. 509 00:29:07,160 --> 00:29:10,200 Speaker 1: Albert denies it sticks with his story that she died 510 00:29:10,240 --> 00:29:14,960 Speaker 1: by suicide, and prosecutors say that's bs. And they do 511 00:29:15,000 --> 00:29:17,880 Speaker 1: something that I think is I don't know, I wonder 512 00:29:18,000 --> 00:29:20,240 Speaker 1: from you if this is something that would happen today. 513 00:29:20,440 --> 00:29:23,480 Speaker 1: So you remember that they preserved her head in whiskey 514 00:29:23,680 --> 00:29:27,719 Speaker 1: in alcohol. They present the head to the jury and 515 00:29:27,760 --> 00:29:31,360 Speaker 1: they use it to point to to what they perceived 516 00:29:31,400 --> 00:29:35,280 Speaker 1: to be bullet holes in this head floating in alcohol. 517 00:29:35,880 --> 00:29:38,840 Speaker 1: And here's a quote from the newspaper, which I'm sure 518 00:29:38,920 --> 00:29:42,200 Speaker 1: is very accurate. The jar containing the head was placed 519 00:29:42,240 --> 00:29:45,120 Speaker 1: on a table directly in front of the jury, and 520 00:29:45,160 --> 00:29:47,520 Speaker 1: some of the members looked as though they wished it 521 00:29:47,920 --> 00:29:52,640 Speaker 1: anywhere else on earth. No kidding, Yeah, that seems like 522 00:29:52,680 --> 00:29:55,320 Speaker 1: something that could backfire. I mean, what if you discussed 523 00:29:55,440 --> 00:29:57,800 Speaker 1: this panel of men, it's all men. 524 00:29:58,000 --> 00:30:02,720 Speaker 2: Well, this is where even to images of the victims 525 00:30:02,880 --> 00:30:06,120 Speaker 2: are heavily argued in front of a judge as to 526 00:30:06,160 --> 00:30:09,400 Speaker 2: what will be allowed to be seen in front of 527 00:30:09,440 --> 00:30:16,680 Speaker 2: the jury, because the graphic nature of death of autopsies 528 00:30:17,560 --> 00:30:23,000 Speaker 2: is perceived as possibly being very very prejudicial against the defendant, 529 00:30:23,120 --> 00:30:26,960 Speaker 2: because the jurors are going to go, he did that 530 00:30:27,080 --> 00:30:33,040 Speaker 2: to her, and so the defense often makes very strong 531 00:30:33,160 --> 00:30:37,480 Speaker 2: motions against anything that is graphic in nature. There is 532 00:30:37,640 --> 00:30:42,440 Speaker 2: no way I could ever see in courts today where 533 00:30:42,720 --> 00:30:45,640 Speaker 2: a victim's head floating in a jar would be allowed 534 00:30:45,880 --> 00:30:46,760 Speaker 2: in court. 535 00:30:47,200 --> 00:30:47,680 Speaker 1: Terrible. 536 00:30:47,840 --> 00:30:51,400 Speaker 2: There's better ways in order to present the evidence than 537 00:30:51,440 --> 00:30:55,920 Speaker 2: doing that, and that's just so disgraceful to the victim, 538 00:30:56,040 --> 00:30:59,080 Speaker 2: the victims loved ones who are probably present in court. 539 00:30:59,400 --> 00:31:04,400 Speaker 1: Yeah, France's team is really trying to insist that she 540 00:31:04,600 --> 00:31:08,040 Speaker 1: could have shot herself twice. There are dueling experts, which 541 00:31:08,040 --> 00:31:10,600 Speaker 1: we've talked about can be problematic for a jury. Who 542 00:31:10,600 --> 00:31:12,520 Speaker 1: do I believe there are all these people in white 543 00:31:12,520 --> 00:31:15,520 Speaker 1: coats saying opposite things. This is something I need to 544 00:31:15,560 --> 00:31:18,040 Speaker 1: talk to you about because we haven't really talked about 545 00:31:18,160 --> 00:31:22,960 Speaker 1: this forensic technique before. There is the secretary of the 546 00:31:23,000 --> 00:31:29,560 Speaker 1: local fireboard testifies because the prosecutor wants to prove that 547 00:31:29,600 --> 00:31:33,800 Speaker 1: France was covering up evidence by setting the stable on fire, 548 00:31:33,960 --> 00:31:37,000 Speaker 1: along with his horse and his buggy, which were present 549 00:31:37,160 --> 00:31:40,720 Speaker 1: during this death, and he brings in this man from 550 00:31:40,720 --> 00:31:45,520 Speaker 1: the local fireboard who says that he believed that it 551 00:31:45,720 --> 00:31:48,880 Speaker 1: was He called it incendiarism. Is that right? Is that 552 00:31:48,920 --> 00:31:49,240 Speaker 1: a word? 553 00:31:49,400 --> 00:31:54,200 Speaker 2: I haven't heard it. That word? You know, of course, 554 00:31:54,400 --> 00:31:55,600 Speaker 2: incendiary device? 555 00:31:55,840 --> 00:31:58,360 Speaker 1: No, you know this is incendiarism. 556 00:31:58,440 --> 00:32:04,880 Speaker 2: Andrism is well indicating that it was basically purposely lit arson. 557 00:32:05,480 --> 00:32:09,640 Speaker 1: But the prosecutor said, can you please elaborate, this is 558 00:32:09,720 --> 00:32:13,040 Speaker 1: his witness, can you please elaborate on the conclusion. But 559 00:32:13,160 --> 00:32:17,239 Speaker 1: the judge says no. And the judge says, you know, 560 00:32:17,320 --> 00:32:20,760 Speaker 1: this is purely based on your observation. It's not a 561 00:32:20,800 --> 00:32:25,600 Speaker 1: proven fact because arsen and forensics were not something that 562 00:32:25,640 --> 00:32:29,200 Speaker 1: were considered reliable. Unless I suppose you found a gas 563 00:32:29,200 --> 00:32:33,200 Speaker 1: can at the scene. There was no way to prove 564 00:32:33,800 --> 00:32:36,680 Speaker 1: really then whether or not this was arson or an 565 00:32:36,680 --> 00:32:40,240 Speaker 1: accidental fire no electricity of course at the time. Are 566 00:32:40,280 --> 00:32:44,680 Speaker 1: there any techniques involved in arson investigations that you think 567 00:32:44,960 --> 00:32:49,719 Speaker 1: could be brought legitimately in front of Adulbert hearing as 568 00:32:49,760 --> 00:32:52,440 Speaker 1: an argument from a defense attorney saying this is not 569 00:32:52,840 --> 00:32:55,560 Speaker 1: valid evidence. This is not a good technique to use. 570 00:32:56,080 --> 00:33:00,440 Speaker 2: I mean, this is a whole discipline unto itself. So 571 00:33:00,840 --> 00:33:04,880 Speaker 2: arson investigators are very well trained. You know, there's so 572 00:33:05,040 --> 00:33:08,479 Speaker 2: many studies that have been done to show how fires 573 00:33:08,520 --> 00:33:13,120 Speaker 2: are started as well as how they move through a 574 00:33:13,200 --> 00:33:18,800 Speaker 2: particular structure. The way the burn occurred can be interpreted, 575 00:33:19,120 --> 00:33:21,959 Speaker 2: you know, to be able to point towards yes, you know, 576 00:33:22,040 --> 00:33:24,720 Speaker 2: this appears to be where the origin of the fire was. 577 00:33:24,800 --> 00:33:27,040 Speaker 2: What is at that original It appears that there's a 578 00:33:27,040 --> 00:33:30,719 Speaker 2: small electrical appliance, you know, maybe this was just an 579 00:33:30,760 --> 00:33:35,480 Speaker 2: accidental or you collect debris from that origin, you send 580 00:33:35,520 --> 00:33:38,160 Speaker 2: it to the lab and we do what's called accelerant 581 00:33:38,440 --> 00:33:42,680 Speaker 2: analysis where we look for the volatile chemicals that are 582 00:33:42,720 --> 00:33:47,080 Speaker 2: present there. And different flammable chemicals such as gasoline or 583 00:33:47,160 --> 00:33:51,360 Speaker 2: kerosene have different volatile components present. Back in the day 584 00:33:51,440 --> 00:33:55,360 Speaker 2: when we were doing arson analysis within the lab, the 585 00:33:55,400 --> 00:33:58,920 Speaker 2: forensic scientists that did that work, you know, you know 586 00:33:59,000 --> 00:34:04,280 Speaker 2: which flammables have certain chemicals in there using this gas chromatography. 587 00:34:04,560 --> 00:34:08,719 Speaker 2: So there is bona fide science behind it, but it 588 00:34:08,880 --> 00:34:14,799 Speaker 2: is something that requires an expert to interpret and sometimes 589 00:34:14,840 --> 00:34:19,120 Speaker 2: they can't determine, you know, origins of fire or detect 590 00:34:19,520 --> 00:34:21,839 Speaker 2: incendiary devices or accelerants. 591 00:34:22,400 --> 00:34:25,040 Speaker 1: Well, it was useless in this case. The judge squashed 592 00:34:25,080 --> 00:34:27,879 Speaker 1: it and said, now this is this is just your 593 00:34:27,880 --> 00:34:31,879 Speaker 1: opinion and it's not very valid. And luckily the prosecutor's 594 00:34:31,880 --> 00:34:34,640 Speaker 1: case didn't hinge so much on that. Here is the 595 00:34:34,640 --> 00:34:37,120 Speaker 1: big kicker to this case as far as I'm concerned, 596 00:34:37,280 --> 00:34:39,880 Speaker 1: and this really speaks to motive. Now, if we go 597 00:34:39,920 --> 00:34:43,440 Speaker 1: through the motives right now, they've had premarital sex. Doesn't 598 00:34:43,480 --> 00:34:45,600 Speaker 1: look like she was pregnant at the time of her death. 599 00:34:46,080 --> 00:34:49,200 Speaker 1: She really wants to get married because it sounds like 600 00:34:49,239 --> 00:34:52,080 Speaker 1: he wronged her in her mind, and she wants to 601 00:34:52,120 --> 00:34:54,600 Speaker 1: be married. It's proper her parents kicked her out. She 602 00:34:54,719 --> 00:34:57,960 Speaker 1: needs to be properly married. It sounds like he could 603 00:34:57,960 --> 00:35:01,560 Speaker 1: have been courting another woman, and it also sounds like 604 00:35:01,880 --> 00:35:05,120 Speaker 1: this might have been from Albert's point of view, the 605 00:35:05,239 --> 00:35:08,840 Speaker 1: end of their relationship. So here's the kicker. There's a 606 00:35:08,880 --> 00:35:13,080 Speaker 1: local doctor named doctor Francis, and he testifies that he 607 00:35:13,440 --> 00:35:17,560 Speaker 1: examined Bessie a couple of months before she died in July, 608 00:35:17,840 --> 00:35:19,840 Speaker 1: not close to when she died a few months before 609 00:35:20,400 --> 00:35:23,400 Speaker 1: she came to his office with Albert as a couple, 610 00:35:23,760 --> 00:35:28,440 Speaker 1: and doctor Francis said she was pregnant. Now we remember 611 00:35:28,480 --> 00:35:32,680 Speaker 1: doctor Weaver said she was not pregnant when she died. 612 00:35:33,080 --> 00:35:36,320 Speaker 1: Would there be any telltale science that she at one 613 00:35:36,480 --> 00:35:39,480 Speaker 1: point had been pregnant, because then we have to talk 614 00:35:39,520 --> 00:35:42,720 Speaker 1: about whether she miscarried or had an abortion. But doctor 615 00:35:42,760 --> 00:35:45,360 Speaker 1: Francis is certain she was pregnant in July. 616 00:35:45,960 --> 00:35:48,640 Speaker 2: It does he say how far along she was. 617 00:35:49,360 --> 00:35:51,400 Speaker 1: He didn't say how far along, but it must have 618 00:35:51,480 --> 00:35:54,200 Speaker 1: been far enough along for him to be able to 619 00:35:54,280 --> 00:35:57,239 Speaker 1: tell doing a basic exam, not using a sonogram. I mean, 620 00:35:57,239 --> 00:35:59,440 Speaker 1: I don't think she was fifteen weeks long or anything. 621 00:36:00,040 --> 00:36:02,360 Speaker 2: And this was several months prior to her death. 622 00:36:02,719 --> 00:36:06,120 Speaker 1: Yeah, it was. It was in July, so August, September, 623 00:36:06,160 --> 00:36:06,680 Speaker 1: two months. 624 00:36:06,920 --> 00:36:11,480 Speaker 2: Yeah, I don't know, you know what telltale signs would 625 00:36:11,560 --> 00:36:14,680 Speaker 2: be within her body that could be interpreted by the 626 00:36:14,719 --> 00:36:18,840 Speaker 2: pathologist if she had miscarried, if there had been an abortion. 627 00:36:19,120 --> 00:36:23,040 Speaker 2: I think that there may have been some injuries, internal 628 00:36:23,040 --> 00:36:27,640 Speaker 2: injuries that could possibly have been present. But this is 629 00:36:28,120 --> 00:36:31,640 Speaker 2: way outside of my wheelhouse for sure. I really don't know. 630 00:36:32,440 --> 00:36:35,600 Speaker 1: Here's where the abortion thing comes in, doctor Francis said 631 00:36:35,680 --> 00:36:40,120 Speaker 1: during this conversation. When he says, Bessie, you're pregnant, Albert 632 00:36:40,200 --> 00:36:44,320 Speaker 1: jumped in and alluded to the idea that he would 633 00:36:44,360 --> 00:36:47,120 Speaker 1: like her to have an abortion, but Albert never says 634 00:36:47,320 --> 00:36:50,040 Speaker 1: to doctor Francis, can you do it? Or he never 635 00:36:50,080 --> 00:36:52,319 Speaker 1: says can you give me a referral? Of course this 636 00:36:52,360 --> 00:36:54,680 Speaker 1: would have been illegal. Can you give me a referral 637 00:36:54,680 --> 00:36:58,360 Speaker 1: to someone who could do it? So the idea is 638 00:36:58,400 --> 00:37:02,040 Speaker 1: that she was pregnant in July, when she's dead in September, 639 00:37:02,080 --> 00:37:05,719 Speaker 1: she wasn't. Either way, it sounds like she either miscarried 640 00:37:05,920 --> 00:37:08,400 Speaker 1: or they ended up finding someone to do an abortion. 641 00:37:09,200 --> 00:37:11,920 Speaker 1: So either way, this makes her a very high risk victim, 642 00:37:12,080 --> 00:37:13,880 Speaker 1: which I did not think she was at the beginning 643 00:37:13,960 --> 00:37:16,960 Speaker 1: of this story. Now I feel like the picture is 644 00:37:17,000 --> 00:37:20,520 Speaker 1: really coming in. He's gotten this woman pregnant, he doesn't 645 00:37:20,520 --> 00:37:22,920 Speaker 1: necessarily want to be with her. He has his eye 646 00:37:23,000 --> 00:37:26,480 Speaker 1: on someone else. And now it seems to me I 647 00:37:26,560 --> 00:37:28,960 Speaker 1: might be a little bit more convinced about this being 648 00:37:29,080 --> 00:37:30,839 Speaker 1: murder and not a suicide. 649 00:37:30,960 --> 00:37:32,560 Speaker 2: Oh, I'm convinced this is homicide. 650 00:37:32,680 --> 00:37:34,959 Speaker 1: Yeah, I know you were convinced three pages ago. 651 00:37:37,200 --> 00:37:40,279 Speaker 2: You know, when I start talking about an investigation. Early 652 00:37:40,320 --> 00:37:43,640 Speaker 2: on an investigation, of course you have many leads, many 653 00:37:43,719 --> 00:37:47,640 Speaker 2: tendrils that you're following. But then as information comes in 654 00:37:47,800 --> 00:37:50,720 Speaker 2: is as you know, lab results come in, as statements 655 00:37:50,719 --> 00:37:53,520 Speaker 2: are made, et cetera. All of a sudden, some of 656 00:37:53,560 --> 00:37:56,719 Speaker 2: these tendrils start to line up. And then pretty soon 657 00:37:56,920 --> 00:38:00,360 Speaker 2: I use this term stacking. You know, now are to 658 00:38:00,440 --> 00:38:04,920 Speaker 2: see circumstances stack on top of each other. The physical 659 00:38:05,000 --> 00:38:08,840 Speaker 2: evidence is supporting the circumstances, and a case gets built 660 00:38:09,160 --> 00:38:14,120 Speaker 2: based on this stacking. And as you are telling this story, 661 00:38:14,200 --> 00:38:16,880 Speaker 2: that is what I was seeing, is that it really 662 00:38:16,880 --> 00:38:21,279 Speaker 2: started stacking towards this being a homicide. And many of 663 00:38:21,320 --> 00:38:26,000 Speaker 2: these things taken by themselves, don't differentiate, but when you 664 00:38:26,080 --> 00:38:29,160 Speaker 2: take them in an overview, such as this burning of 665 00:38:29,160 --> 00:38:32,879 Speaker 2: the buggy and Albert preventing people from doing things that 666 00:38:33,480 --> 00:38:35,480 Speaker 2: you know would help get rid of the fire or 667 00:38:35,480 --> 00:38:38,280 Speaker 2: save his horse. I mean that again, that's just another 668 00:38:38,480 --> 00:38:40,759 Speaker 2: by itself. It's like, well, you can't necessarily draw a 669 00:38:40,840 --> 00:38:43,759 Speaker 2: conclusion one way or the other, but then you add 670 00:38:43,800 --> 00:38:47,120 Speaker 2: it into everything else. It's like, yeah, okay, she was 671 00:38:47,200 --> 00:38:49,560 Speaker 2: last seen getting into a buggy, and now that buggy 672 00:38:49,640 --> 00:38:53,440 Speaker 2: is burned. Yeah, you know, it's stacks, and that's you 673 00:38:53,440 --> 00:38:55,680 Speaker 2: can just keep stacking. The letters she wrote to the 674 00:38:55,719 --> 00:38:58,560 Speaker 2: father and him going in and buying a thirty two 675 00:38:58,719 --> 00:39:02,480 Speaker 2: per this feeler. It all just adds up that he 676 00:39:02,920 --> 00:39:06,880 Speaker 2: wanted to get out of that relationship and felt that 677 00:39:07,040 --> 00:39:09,600 Speaker 2: the only way to do it was to kill her. 678 00:39:10,200 --> 00:39:13,399 Speaker 1: Let me play defense attorney, which I'm awfully good at. 679 00:39:13,440 --> 00:39:18,640 Speaker 1: Sometimes the defense attorneys put witnesses on, and actually several 680 00:39:18,680 --> 00:39:22,760 Speaker 1: state witnesses say the same thing, which is that Albert Frantz, 681 00:39:23,160 --> 00:39:26,120 Speaker 1: at the very beginning of this investigation had denied that 682 00:39:26,160 --> 00:39:30,320 Speaker 1: this happened, but then he was incredibly convincing and consistent 683 00:39:30,960 --> 00:39:34,000 Speaker 1: that the night she went missing, she took her own life. 684 00:39:34,120 --> 00:39:36,920 Speaker 1: He panicked and threw her body into the river. The 685 00:39:37,040 --> 00:39:39,440 Speaker 1: people who saw him right after this happened say he 686 00:39:39,480 --> 00:39:42,080 Speaker 1: didn't have any blood anywhere on his clothes or on 687 00:39:42,080 --> 00:39:45,160 Speaker 1: his body when they saw him. The police didn't find 688 00:39:45,280 --> 00:39:48,359 Speaker 1: any bloody clothing anywhere. Of course, we know that might 689 00:39:48,400 --> 00:39:50,840 Speaker 1: have burned up. There's no proof that this fire was 690 00:39:50,880 --> 00:39:53,680 Speaker 1: started on purpose, and he was acting a little oddly, 691 00:39:54,040 --> 00:39:56,600 Speaker 1: but maybe you would too if you saw your girlfriend 692 00:39:56,680 --> 00:39:59,960 Speaker 1: take her own life. And you know, he is denied 693 00:40:00,120 --> 00:40:05,320 Speaker 1: that he is courting another woman. Also, Franz's father, Albert's 694 00:40:05,360 --> 00:40:08,919 Speaker 1: father testifies that there's a letter that Bessie sent him 695 00:40:09,320 --> 00:40:13,319 Speaker 1: that was threatening suicide, right if Albert did not marry her, 696 00:40:13,840 --> 00:40:17,160 Speaker 1: then the defense finds a witness who was an acquaintance 697 00:40:17,360 --> 00:40:20,640 Speaker 1: of Bessie's. There was a recent exchange where Bessie had 698 00:40:20,719 --> 00:40:24,560 Speaker 1: threatened to take her own life. If this woman Isabelle, 699 00:40:24,600 --> 00:40:27,680 Speaker 1: Fowler didn't take her in as a roommate. So they're 700 00:40:27,680 --> 00:40:32,239 Speaker 1: framing Bessie as a woman who was really fragile and 701 00:40:32,560 --> 00:40:35,080 Speaker 1: possibly had some mental health issues and was on edge 702 00:40:35,360 --> 00:40:39,040 Speaker 1: and had threatened suicide in many different instances. And one 703 00:40:39,040 --> 00:40:41,520 Speaker 1: more thing that occurs to me, Paul, the detail I 704 00:40:41,640 --> 00:40:45,120 Speaker 1: have about these supposed two shots, I'm a little unclear 705 00:40:45,480 --> 00:40:50,799 Speaker 1: about how we know it is definitely two bullets. So 706 00:40:51,000 --> 00:40:53,920 Speaker 1: doctor Weaver says that he felt like he found enough 707 00:40:54,040 --> 00:40:58,200 Speaker 1: led particles to indicate that these were two bullets. But 708 00:40:58,320 --> 00:41:02,440 Speaker 1: it doesn't sound like there are two really clear bullet 709 00:41:02,600 --> 00:41:06,120 Speaker 1: entry holes into her head. I know they pointed to them, 710 00:41:06,480 --> 00:41:09,200 Speaker 1: but the notes just indicate that he was piecing together 711 00:41:09,239 --> 00:41:11,560 Speaker 1: these bullets to figure out how many there were. Is 712 00:41:11,600 --> 00:41:14,560 Speaker 1: there a way he might not have put that together 713 00:41:14,600 --> 00:41:17,320 Speaker 1: correctly and it was only one bullet and she was 714 00:41:17,360 --> 00:41:19,160 Speaker 1: the one who did it well. 715 00:41:19,560 --> 00:41:25,080 Speaker 2: Usually it's very obvious that you have multiple shots. Now, 716 00:41:25,160 --> 00:41:29,319 Speaker 2: the skull could be you know, fractured extensively. That could 717 00:41:29,320 --> 00:41:32,200 Speaker 2: cause a disruption. But you know, if the pathologists had 718 00:41:32,239 --> 00:41:36,280 Speaker 2: taken the time, and it sounds like possibly this police 719 00:41:36,320 --> 00:41:40,480 Speaker 2: surgeon was the one that concluded this two shots into 720 00:41:40,520 --> 00:41:43,160 Speaker 2: the body, I've never really seen it to where the 721 00:41:43,200 --> 00:41:46,160 Speaker 2: two consecutive bullets had entered the wound in such a 722 00:41:46,160 --> 00:41:49,000 Speaker 2: way that you couldn't tell that. Oh, hold on, we 723 00:41:49,080 --> 00:41:52,120 Speaker 2: got an unusual wounding pattern here, you know, because there's 724 00:41:52,160 --> 00:41:55,200 Speaker 2: just no way they perfectly aligned. The two bullets going 725 00:41:55,239 --> 00:41:58,680 Speaker 2: in will perfectly align into the same location. Okay, however, 726 00:41:58,920 --> 00:42:03,040 Speaker 2: let's just put that aside and talk about the collection 727 00:42:03,200 --> 00:42:06,640 Speaker 2: of all these fragments. We know, you know, you take 728 00:42:06,680 --> 00:42:09,600 Speaker 2: a look, you got a thirty two caliber round. You 729 00:42:09,719 --> 00:42:13,719 Speaker 2: know how much one bullet weighs. And now let's say 730 00:42:13,719 --> 00:42:16,880 Speaker 2: you have enough lead out of her head that is 731 00:42:16,920 --> 00:42:21,120 Speaker 2: almost twice the amount that the standard thirty two caliber round. Ways, 732 00:42:21,239 --> 00:42:24,160 Speaker 2: you go, yes, there's more than one bullet here. The 733 00:42:24,200 --> 00:42:27,520 Speaker 2: fact that they're drawing the conclusion that it's thirty two 734 00:42:27,560 --> 00:42:32,000 Speaker 2: caliber round tells me that they have a large mass 735 00:42:32,160 --> 00:42:35,239 Speaker 2: to be able to determine caliber. And then of course 736 00:42:35,239 --> 00:42:38,880 Speaker 2: you've got smaller pieces off of this large mass of 737 00:42:38,960 --> 00:42:42,680 Speaker 2: the bullet that have fragmented off. They probably have two 738 00:42:43,200 --> 00:42:46,200 Speaker 2: fairly large masses from the two separate bullets that have 739 00:42:46,360 --> 00:42:49,759 Speaker 2: deformed and then broken up. But you still have where 740 00:42:49,760 --> 00:42:52,200 Speaker 2: you go, oh, it's obvious that I've got two bases 741 00:42:52,239 --> 00:42:55,200 Speaker 2: of this bullet that's recovered. But even apps at that 742 00:42:55,719 --> 00:42:58,680 Speaker 2: firearms examiners do this all the time. You know, they're weighing, 743 00:42:59,200 --> 00:43:02,520 Speaker 2: you know, all the various fragments that are being collected 744 00:43:02,680 --> 00:43:05,719 Speaker 2: to determine Okay, well what am I working with here? 745 00:43:05,800 --> 00:43:09,600 Speaker 2: If everything is just completely smashed up and fractured. 746 00:43:09,320 --> 00:43:11,760 Speaker 1: So it sounds like doctor Weaver, as a police surgeon, 747 00:43:11,800 --> 00:43:13,800 Speaker 1: he would have had enough knowledge to be able to 748 00:43:13,840 --> 00:43:16,880 Speaker 1: pieces together and say two bullets. I know that Albert 749 00:43:16,920 --> 00:43:19,600 Speaker 1: is acting weird and he's doing all sorts of things 750 00:43:19,600 --> 00:43:22,319 Speaker 1: that are unusual, but really it sounds like to you 751 00:43:22,400 --> 00:43:26,440 Speaker 1: this comes down to the two shots, and specifically where 752 00:43:26,480 --> 00:43:29,960 Speaker 1: the first shot or either shot hit would basically disable 753 00:43:30,080 --> 00:43:33,520 Speaker 1: her from being able to take off another shot. 754 00:43:33,400 --> 00:43:37,360 Speaker 2: At least in terms of the manner of death. Everything 755 00:43:37,440 --> 00:43:41,680 Speaker 2: about these two shots I heavily weigh towards this is 756 00:43:41,760 --> 00:43:45,640 Speaker 2: being homicide versus suicide. But when we start talking about 757 00:43:45,960 --> 00:43:50,840 Speaker 2: the case circumstances, and yes, there's alternate explanations that the 758 00:43:50,880 --> 00:43:55,160 Speaker 2: defense is putting out there that you've pointed out, but fundamentally, 759 00:43:55,480 --> 00:43:59,360 Speaker 2: you start adding everything up, start stacking things up, and 760 00:43:59,400 --> 00:44:01,440 Speaker 2: this is where I go, this is homicide. Now is 761 00:44:01,480 --> 00:44:05,560 Speaker 2: it provable in court? Well, that's that's on the prosecutor 762 00:44:05,600 --> 00:44:08,839 Speaker 2: to figure out. Yeah, I know, from my perspective, I'm 763 00:44:08,880 --> 00:44:11,359 Speaker 2: in line with the chief. This was a homicide, and 764 00:44:11,440 --> 00:44:14,200 Speaker 2: I've compiled everything to show why I believe this is 765 00:44:14,239 --> 00:44:17,640 Speaker 2: a homicide. There's the alternate theory that the defense has 766 00:44:17,719 --> 00:44:20,040 Speaker 2: that she took her own life. Well, let's put this 767 00:44:20,120 --> 00:44:21,879 Speaker 2: in front of a jury and see what they think. 768 00:44:22,120 --> 00:44:24,520 Speaker 2: And that's fundamentally what our system is about. 769 00:44:24,640 --> 00:44:27,279 Speaker 1: And the prosecutor, you know, the same prosecutors who put 770 00:44:27,440 --> 00:44:29,640 Speaker 1: Bessie's head on a table in front of the jury, 771 00:44:29,760 --> 00:44:34,680 Speaker 1: appeal to them and say, would any caring person be 772 00:44:34,800 --> 00:44:38,799 Speaker 1: willing to take someone's body who they loved, who just 773 00:44:38,840 --> 00:44:42,520 Speaker 1: took their own life and dump them off a bridge 774 00:44:42,520 --> 00:44:45,320 Speaker 1: into a river. Nobody would do that. Only a monster 775 00:44:45,440 --> 00:44:49,160 Speaker 1: would do that. So we know, I know at least 776 00:44:49,239 --> 00:44:52,319 Speaker 1: to refrain from judging the way somebody behaves. But that 777 00:44:52,520 --> 00:44:55,360 Speaker 1: also I think the prosecutor has a point there. Is 778 00:44:55,400 --> 00:44:58,360 Speaker 1: it fair from your point of view, Paul, to judge 779 00:44:58,400 --> 00:45:02,080 Speaker 1: someone's immediate reac action after a death as part of 780 00:45:02,400 --> 00:45:05,240 Speaker 1: a murder investigation? Don't we all react differently? 781 00:45:05,760 --> 00:45:09,160 Speaker 2: Yes? And that's something that is very well known, is 782 00:45:09,200 --> 00:45:13,520 Speaker 2: that people when they suffer trauma do act differently from 783 00:45:13,800 --> 00:45:17,799 Speaker 2: other people. So it's hard to draw a solid conclusion 784 00:45:18,480 --> 00:45:22,640 Speaker 2: based on that, but it's something that has to be acknowledged, 785 00:45:23,000 --> 00:45:25,239 Speaker 2: has to be observed. What does it mean within the 786 00:45:25,280 --> 00:45:29,200 Speaker 2: context of the case, And that's you know where I'm 787 00:45:29,200 --> 00:45:31,839 Speaker 2: coming from on this case, and it sounds like you 788 00:45:31,880 --> 00:45:36,360 Speaker 2: are too, is that it's just one suspicious thing after another. 789 00:45:36,480 --> 00:45:40,200 Speaker 2: With Albert, Yeah, I strongly lean he killed Bessie and 790 00:45:40,880 --> 00:45:41,600 Speaker 2: was he convicted? 791 00:45:42,400 --> 00:45:46,120 Speaker 1: He was it convinced the jury, all of the police 792 00:45:46,200 --> 00:45:49,839 Speaker 1: chief's hard work paid off and they convict him and 793 00:45:50,200 --> 00:45:54,920 Speaker 1: he sentenced to death in November of eighteen ninety seven. 794 00:45:55,040 --> 00:45:58,719 Speaker 1: That's when he's supposed to be executed. There's a very 795 00:45:58,760 --> 00:46:02,680 Speaker 1: disturbing footnote to this. Boy have I written stories about 796 00:46:02,880 --> 00:46:07,080 Speaker 1: bad executions and this was a bad one. The electric 797 00:46:07,160 --> 00:46:09,880 Speaker 1: chair is only seven years old in the US, and 798 00:46:10,160 --> 00:46:14,680 Speaker 1: that is what Albert is facing. Once his appeals are exhausted, 799 00:46:14,960 --> 00:46:18,560 Speaker 1: he is placed in the electric chair. It takes five 800 00:46:18,880 --> 00:46:22,439 Speaker 1: applications of electricity to finally kill him. 801 00:46:22,680 --> 00:46:26,240 Speaker 2: I mean, an electric chair in eighteen ninety seven. 802 00:46:26,520 --> 00:46:29,640 Speaker 1: Yeah, and this was supposed to be the humane alternative 803 00:46:30,000 --> 00:46:33,479 Speaker 1: to a hanging. Yeah, I don't know, Yeah, boy, I mean, 804 00:46:33,760 --> 00:46:36,280 Speaker 1: and I've heard of some bad hangings before, but five 805 00:46:36,440 --> 00:46:40,359 Speaker 1: jolts of electricity must have really been terrible. He ends 806 00:46:40,400 --> 00:46:43,680 Speaker 1: up dying and of course never wavered as many of 807 00:46:43,680 --> 00:46:47,359 Speaker 1: the guilty do. Never wavered in his innocence. He always said, 808 00:46:47,360 --> 00:46:50,520 Speaker 1: I didn't do it. She took her own life. But this, 809 00:46:50,640 --> 00:46:54,520 Speaker 1: to me is a story of a testament to good 810 00:46:54,600 --> 00:46:58,120 Speaker 1: police work. Boy, this guy in eighteen ninety six, Thomas 811 00:46:58,160 --> 00:47:02,000 Speaker 1: Ferrell covered all of his bases. Next time, I need 812 00:47:02,040 --> 00:47:04,600 Speaker 1: you to suggest to the police next time they're trying 813 00:47:04,640 --> 00:47:07,800 Speaker 1: to recover a weapon that you need a boat full 814 00:47:07,840 --> 00:47:11,399 Speaker 1: of magnets, and they're sort of trolling trying to find 815 00:47:11,440 --> 00:47:14,800 Speaker 1: I mean, a fruitless effort trying to find this weapon. 816 00:47:14,880 --> 00:47:17,920 Speaker 1: But that's how convinced he was that Albert Frantz was 817 00:47:17,920 --> 00:47:20,480 Speaker 1: guilty of murder and a jury agreed. 818 00:47:20,960 --> 00:47:23,919 Speaker 2: He's doing the legwork. As new information comes in, your 819 00:47:24,320 --> 00:47:27,600 Speaker 2: job as an investigator is to go out and corroborate 820 00:47:27,680 --> 00:47:30,960 Speaker 2: or refute to that information. And here he's got information 821 00:47:31,080 --> 00:47:33,200 Speaker 2: that this revolver has been thrown in the river, and 822 00:47:33,239 --> 00:47:36,439 Speaker 2: he's doing everything he could at the time to try 823 00:47:36,440 --> 00:47:41,680 Speaker 2: to recover it. Now, the use of magnets, I thought 824 00:47:41,719 --> 00:47:44,680 Speaker 2: it was a genius this day and age. Our divers 825 00:47:44,760 --> 00:47:46,360 Speaker 2: have metal detectors. 826 00:47:46,480 --> 00:47:51,120 Speaker 1: Oh, that's cheating. I think that's cheating. He have sonar equipment. 827 00:47:51,840 --> 00:47:55,280 Speaker 2: There's so much more side scanning sonar on the marine 828 00:47:55,280 --> 00:47:59,640 Speaker 2: boats for larger objects. But no, it does sound like 829 00:47:59,760 --> 00:48:05,000 Speaker 2: this chief. You know, he recognized how to investigate a crime, 830 00:48:05,320 --> 00:48:09,000 Speaker 2: even though he didn't have all the training and technologies 831 00:48:09,040 --> 00:48:12,640 Speaker 2: available to him that modern law enforcement has. He knew 832 00:48:12,640 --> 00:48:15,680 Speaker 2: how to build a case, and he put in the legwork. 833 00:48:15,840 --> 00:48:18,960 Speaker 2: You a gumshoe detective in him really paid off. 834 00:48:19,640 --> 00:48:26,280 Speaker 1: It's amazing. It's an amazing case. We are off next 835 00:48:26,320 --> 00:48:29,520 Speaker 1: week because this has been such an endeavor for us 836 00:48:29,600 --> 00:48:32,279 Speaker 1: that we need a week off. So I think you 837 00:48:32,360 --> 00:48:35,560 Speaker 1: need to fit in an extra workout and be ready 838 00:48:35,560 --> 00:48:36,280 Speaker 1: for next week. 839 00:48:36,719 --> 00:48:39,480 Speaker 2: Well, yeah, I'm a little bit exhausted after this one chat, 840 00:48:39,640 --> 00:48:41,320 Speaker 2: so I might just take it easy. 841 00:48:41,400 --> 00:48:44,360 Speaker 1: And you worked hard, You worked hard. 842 00:48:43,640 --> 00:48:46,359 Speaker 2: Rest up, and then look forward to hearing the next case. 843 00:48:46,520 --> 00:48:47,800 Speaker 1: Okay, see in a few weeks. 844 00:48:48,000 --> 00:48:48,560 Speaker 2: Sounds good. 845 00:48:55,000 --> 00:48:57,440 Speaker 1: This has been an exactly right production. 846 00:48:57,520 --> 00:48:59,880 Speaker 2: For our sources and show notes go to exactly right 847 00:48:59,880 --> 00:49:02,880 Speaker 2: now media dot com slash Buried Bones sources. 848 00:49:03,080 --> 00:49:05,480 Speaker 1: Our senior producer is Alexis Emirosi. 849 00:49:05,719 --> 00:49:08,600 Speaker 2: Research by Maren mcclashan and Kate Winkler Dawson. 850 00:49:08,760 --> 00:49:11,480 Speaker 1: Our mixing engineer is Leona Scuilacci. 851 00:49:11,840 --> 00:49:14,120 Speaker 2: Our theme song is by Tom Bryfogel. 852 00:49:14,360 --> 00:49:16,400 Speaker 1: Our artwork is by Vanessa Lilac. 853 00:49:16,640 --> 00:49:20,800 Speaker 2: Executive produced by Karen Kilgariff, Georgia hard Stark, and Daniel Kramer. 854 00:49:21,080 --> 00:49:24,440 Speaker 1: You can follow Buried Bones on Instagram and Facebook at 855 00:49:24,560 --> 00:49:25,680 Speaker 1: Baried Bones Pod. 856 00:49:26,160 --> 00:49:28,720 Speaker 2: Kate's most recent book, All That Is Wicked, a Gilded 857 00:49:28,719 --> 00:49:30,719 Speaker 2: Age story of murder and the race to decode the 858 00:49:30,760 --> 00:49:33,000 Speaker 2: criminal mind, is available now, and 859 00:49:33,080 --> 00:49:37,400 Speaker 1: Paul's best selling memoir Unmasked, My life solving America's Cold 860 00:49:37,440 --> 00:49:39,200 Speaker 1: Cases is also available now