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Post by pakman on Oct 1, 2022 15:56:27 GMT -5
Who wants to see more episode analysis from AMW's episodes that aired in 2005? Apologies for the long absence, but I'm happy to say that I've come up with a plan to wrap up the remaining episodes of the year, and I'm starting today with my look at the episodes that aired in September and October 2005!
Let's take a look!
Episode #820 – Sept. 3, 2005 (18th Season Finale) Kenneth Cofer (Full segment) – Tom Morris travels to Oklahoma City to help out a cop who helped out on April 19, 1995, the day of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building bombing. Investigator Randy Kirby, who was about five blocks away from the bombing, helped to look for survivors and investigate the case. Today, Detective Kirby is investigating a case he needs help on. On Sept. 11, 2002, during a barbecue remembering the one-year anniversary of 9/11, a man named Kenneth Cofer got into an argument with his friend, Larry “Buffalo” Buchanan, a Vietnam War veteran. While things seemed to calm down, they only got worse in the following days. The following night, the two of them continued their argument in a bar, which resulted in Cofer getting kicked out. As Larry was walking back to his car, police believe Cofer ran out of the shadows and knocked the veteran over. The very next day, at the home of a mutual friend, both Cofer and Larry happened to show up. Cofer shoved Larry over again, and then Cofer allegedly pulled out a pistol, shooting Larry in the chest before jumping into his pickup and fleeing. Larry “Buffalo” Buchanan died from the shooting. Cofer is still at large.
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Fabian Smart Final Justice (Full segment) – Retired Investigator Joe Matthews returns to AMW to deliver the final chapter in a case he spent three years investigating for the show. In 1999, 21-year-old Jason McMann was found dead in the woods in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania. Investigators called it an “unexplained death,” but his mother suspected he’d been murdered. She got ahold of AMW for help, and Joe went down to investigate the murder himself. Using his resources, he discovered that Jason had gone to a place known as the Football House, where all the college football players lived, to collect on a drug debt. Joe learned Jason had been chased from the party, through an alley and disappeared. A confidential witness soon came forward and told Joe that Jason had been murdered by Fabian Smart, the football team’s quarterback. She also identified Jermaine Ballard, another football player, as being involved, as well as Smart’s out-of-town friend Willie “Diggy” Williams. Joe spoke to Ballard, who eventually confessed to police that he was present during the fight. Williams also told police that he was present when Smart beat Jason to death with a gun. With AMW’s help, Smart was arrested in Atlanta, making him Capture #712. In October 2004, Smart was convicted of Jason’s murder, and he was sentenced to life in prison. Williams, Ballard and a third accomplice were convicted as accessories and have all since been released.
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Ruben and David Lopez (Full segment) – Out in California, two brothers involved in the lowrider business are accused of ordering the murder of a competitor. Steve Miller and his family owned a lowrider business and were in competition with the Lopez brothers. The Millers believed the Lopez brothers had an unfair advantage because they had big money behind them, whereas the Millers were more on the amateur side. The Millers backed a successful rule change that would put sponsored and amateur lowriders in different categories. The Lopez brothers felt slighted and allegedly hired three hitmen to kill Steve Miller. But due to a mix-up, they ended up killing Leonard Miller, Steve’s father. Leonard’s murder led the Millers to close their business. The Lopez brothers were eventually linked to the crime, but while the hitmen were caught, the brothers went on the run. Ruben Lopez was captured in Mexico back in 2015, but David Lopez remains a fugitive.
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William Fischer (Full segment) – Wanted out of New York for the murder of his terminally ill son and his son’s friend. Fischer’s son, Billy, suffered from cystic fibrosis, and police believe Fischer, who had never been a part of his children’s lives, didn’t want to pay for his son’s ever-mounting medical bills. Police believe Billy’s friend Nancy was killed so Fischer could tell police that the two of them disappeared together. Investigators said Billy Fischer was shot 18 times. By the time a grand jury indicted Fischer, he had fled with $160,000 in cash. Still at large.
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Brianna Maitland (Break Four Tease) – Vermont teenager who went missing after she finished her shift at a fast-food restaurant. Still missing.
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Unknown Chris Mader Killer (Full segment) – Police in Maryland are hoping to solve a baffling and seemingly random murder case. Chris Mader, an aspiring broadcast sports journalist, was coming home from his bartending job at 3 a.m. on Thanksgiving 2004 when he was randomly shot in the head while driving. It’s believed the suspect was either standing in the median of the road or off the side of the road. Chris died instantly. A witness came forward to help create a sketch of a suspicious person they’d seen standing in the area of the shooting on the morning of Chris’ death. Police were also hoping to figure out who made a mysterious 911 call hours after the shooting by a person who seemed to be trying to get information on the case. In 2010, Matthew Correl was arrested and charged with Chris’ murder, in what police revealed was a botched robbery. A year later, a second man, Shawn Myers, was charged with attempted robbery in connection to Chris’ case.
In the Line of Duty – Officer Roy Nelson (New Smyrna Beach, Florida, Police Department)
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Case recap – Kenneth Cofer, Ruben & David Lopez, William Fischer, Brianna Maitland, Unknown Chris Mader Killer
Next week on AMW – John Walsh invites viewers to tune in to the show’s 19th season premiere.
Episode notes: - This episode was filmed in the AMW Studio.
- This episode was a rerun of the April 16, 2005 episode. Unusually for a rerun, they didn’t replace the Final Justice segment with a more recent capture. The only case that was replaced was the unsolved murder of Angelo Ravella…a case that is still unsolved to this day. Why an unsolved case was replaced with another unsolved case confuses me.
- When Don LaFontaine says the capture number, he says, “To date, you have captured (number) fugitives.” Usually he says, “To date, your tips have led to the capture of (number) fugitives.” He may have actually changed the wording before this point, but I’m too lazy to check.
- John Walsh re-recorded his intro to Kenneth Cofer’s story to remove all mention of the episode airing on the anniversary of the Murrah Building bombing. Given that this rerun did not air on the anniversary, this isn't a surprising change at all.
- Kenneth Cofer’s profile corrects an error that was present in the initial airing. Originally, when Tom Morris said the last photo of Cofer was taken in 1996 and an age-enhanced photo has been created, a photo from the ‘80s was shown first, followed by the 1996 photo. The correct photos air in their correct places this time.
- In the previous airing of this episode, I mentioned that the Lopez brothers’ profile card was on a black background. In this episode, it’s on a normal green background.
- John Walsh also re-recorded his intro to William Fischer. Whereas the original airing of this episode had him use a generic “The police are really stumped on this next case and they need your tips to help them solve it tonight,” this airing has him do an intro specific to Fischer. John mentions that the show has received hundreds of tips on Fischer over the years and apparently some near-misses.
- Perhaps the intro was replaced because John introduces the Chris Mader murder case with the generic one.
- Fischer’s reenactment continues to get chopped up. This version reinstates the scene where Fischer shoves his son Jayson’s face into a plate of food (which marks the first time that scene was included in any of his profiles I’ve seen), but it also deletes the scene where Fischer tells his son, “You know why you’re here, so you know I can get rid of you too,” despite the fact that scene appears in the commercial bumper. And once again, the scene with Billy smoking a cigarette is also cut.
- This was William Fischer’s last profile. According to the AMW Inside, Fischer was first profiled on one of the very first episodes of AMW, meaning he is one of the fugitives from the show’s first year who has never been caught.
- Tom Morris narrates the Break Four Tease.
- For some reason, when the Unknown Chris Mader Killer’s profile card goes up, it shows a picture of the victim and not of the composite sketch. The sketch is shown during the recap, however.
Episode #821 – Sept. 10, 2005 (19th Season Premiere) Reuniting the Lost After Hurricane Katrina (Full segment) – Following Hurricane Katrina, AMW travels to Houston, one of the areas where evacuees were flown, to do whatever they could to help reunite families that had gotten separated in the chaos. One man, Eric Beal, has been looking for his father, while another woman, who had been looking for her son, learns while speaking with AMW that he was just a few hundred yards from her. The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children also mobilized to help reunite families. And Eric Beal learned his father had been located, but was flown to Atlanta. With AMW’s help, Eric was able to fly to Atlanta to reunite with is father. To help reunite families, AMW has created the Katrina Victims Network, a website where people could post information about their loved ones, or they could post their information for their loved ones to find.
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Gerald Estes (15 Seconds of Shame) – North Carolina police were seeking Estes for molesting two young boys and photographing his crimes. In 2009, a serial killer confessed to killing Estes shortly after he bonded out of jail. While no body has ever been found, police consider the case closed.
Vincente Soto (15 Seconds of Shame) – Wanted out of Alabama for killing a man that his girlfriend had been cheating on him with. Soto was indirectly captured in Mexico back in 2017.
Roman Saldarriaga (15 Seconds of Shame) – Police in Naples, Florida, are seeking Saldarriaga for a drunk driving incident where he crashed his car, killing a mother of two. Still at large, and reportedly he is living openly in Colombia.
Edgardo Rodriguez (15 Seconds of Shame) – “Teen terror” wanted out of Chicago for the murder of a rival gang member. Police suspect Rodriguez may also be connected to another murder. Still at large.
Cesar Lira and Manuel Ayala (Full segment) – Police in two states are looking for an escape artist who should be serving time for serious crimes. In April 2004, Cesar Lira fled police custody in Wisconsin after being released from a hospital, jumping into a car being driven by his girlfriend, with his 6-year-old daughter in the back seat. The next day, Lira was in Oklahoma when a state trooper tried pulling him over for a minor traffic infraction. A chase ensued, which ended with Lira flipping his car and ejecting all three inside. He and his daughter survived, but Lira’s girlfriend was killed. Lira was convicted of murder in Oklahoma and sentenced to 40 years, but when he was sent back to Wisconsin, the proper paperwork had not been filed. Not knowing he was a convicted killer and should have been sent back to Oklahoma, a judge let Lira bond out, and he vanished. Police believe he may have been traveling with his friend, Manuel Ayala, wanted for parole violation. The two were indirectly captured about two months after this profile.
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Scammers Who Follow the Storm (Full segment) – John Turchin reports on how lessons learned from Hurricane Andrew in 1992 can benefit the people impacted by Hurricane Katrina. Following Andrew, scammers descended on Florida to take advantage of those displaced by the storm. Some of them overcharged people for necessary commodities, but others were crooked contractors promising to fix houses, but instead left more damage behind than the hurricane. One woman was scammed out of $14,000, while another man had $50,000 stolen. Tips are offered to prevent people from becoming a victim, including asking for permits from companies and refusing to pay up front.
Mark Cerino and Enrique Molina (Tacked on profiles) – Viewers are asked to be on the lookout for two scammers who may target Katrina victims. Mark Cerino is accused of ripping off elderly Florida residents following the 2004 hurricane season, and Enrique Molina allegedly scammed more than a dozen people in Miami. Cerino was recognized by viewers from this broadcast and tracked down within hours, making him Capture #759. Molina, as far as I can tell, is still at large.
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Stanley Osbourne (All-Points Bulletin) – Police in upstate New York were looking for Osbourne for two horrible crimes. He allegedly raped his 15-year-old stepdaughter, and was kicked out of the house. Months later, his estranged wife agreed to marriage counseling, but on their way to the office, Osbourne tried to shoot his wife. The gun jammed, and she was able to flee, but Osbourne vanished. Thanks to this profile, Osbourne was recognized by friends in Canada, who called in the tip and he was arrested the very next day, making him Capture #760.
Gary Irving (All-Points Bulletin) – In 1978, Irving was a serial rapist targeting 16-year-old girls in Boston. With the help of the victims, Irving was identified and arrested. He was convicted of rape, but a judge allowed him to remain free on bond prior to sentencing. Irving never showed up to hear his sentence. After more than 30 years on the run, Irving was arrested in Maine in 2013, where he’d been living a quiet life with his family.
Rigoberto Aguilar, Roger Mendez-Lopez & Eberto Ulloa-Vallecillos (All-Points Bulletin) – Virginia police are seeking this trio for a violent murder. According to investigators, the victim met Mendez-Lopez and Ulloa-Vallecillos at a restaurant and paid for their drinks. After they left the restaurant, they met up with Aguilar, then went on a spending spree with the victim’s credit card. Investigators believe that after they couldn’t get any more money, the trio beat the victim to death. As far as I know, all three are still at large.
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Heroes Helping Heroes (Full segment) – Rick Segall heads to Gulfport, Mississippi to see how local law enforcement has been dealing with the hurricane. Despite the fact that many of their own homes have been destroyed or devastated, the officers refuse to take time off. Instead, they continue to help their fellow officers, even when they’re not on duty. To assist, hundreds of officers from states across the nation have come down to Gulfport to provide relief for the officers, both in terms of law enforcement and in terms of helping them with their own homes.
Steven Kirkley and Curtis Dickson (Tacked-on profiles) – Rick asks viewers to lend a hand to Gulfport officers by helping to find two fugitives who broke out of the Marion County Jail earlier in the week. Steven Kirkley allegedly robbed and killed a real estate agent and buried her body in Louisiana, while Curtis Dickson is accused of killing two people in Mississippi, and also wanted for crimes in New Orleans. Dickson had actually been captured the day before this episode even aired, while Kirkley was caught two and a half weeks after this profile. Both were indirect captures.
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Case recap – Cesar Lira, Stanley Osbourne, Gary Irving, Vincente Soto, Roger Mendez-Lopez/Eberto Ulloa-Vallecillos/Rigoberto Aguilar, Mark Cerino & Enrique Molina, Steven Kirkley, Curtis Dickson
Episode notes: - This episode was filmed in New Orleans.
- Recycled and Repurposed Reenactments: William Bradford Bishop (the scene showing him sneaking into his sons’ room is used for Gerald Estes) and Rudolfo Negrete (a part showing him shooting one of the victims is used for Edgardo Rodriguez).
- There is no break four tease or In the Line of Duty for this episode.
- Much like AMW did after the Oklahoma City Bombing and 9/11, John Walsh traveled to the site of a major disaster – in this case, Hurricane Katrina – and had AMW work to help out in any way that they could. Here, their primary goal was reuniting families who had been separated during the storm.
- I didn’t include this in my recap, but between segments John Walsh works with rescuers as they patrol throughout New Orleans by foot and by boat. John interviews the rescuers as they go about their work.
- Don LaFontaine does not say, “Now, join the manhunt with John Walsh!” during the intro. Given how the show itself was more somber than usual, this really isn’t all that surprising of an edit.
- Heading into every commercial break, AMW featured videos of people speaking to the camera and detailing who they were looking for and had gotten separated from during the evacuation chaos. I’m unsure if AMW directly led to anybody being located but I seem to recall John Walsh speaking on Larry King Live about how nearly everybody was able to be reunited with their loved ones.
- Likewise, I want to say the Katrina Victims Network stayed online for about a month (maybe a month and a half) before being shut down.
- Gerald Estes is the first 15 Seconds of Shame fugitive to get a repeated profile. I really don’t know why they gave him a second airing just a month after his first one. The only difference between the two profiles is how John Walsh pronounces Estes’ last name (he said “Es-teas” in the August profile, but “Es-tiss” in the second profile).
- While not officially classified as such, I consider Gary Irving the final Cold Case fugitive that AMW profiled as part of that feature in 2005. There’s still one big cold case AMW will profile in November, but I consider this the official end of that short-lived segment. It had a good run, but I really wish AMW had actually done more with it.
- Fugitive Roger Mendez-Lopez, who was profiled during the All-Points Bulletin, is referred to as Alex Mendez-Lopez by John Walsh.
- Introducing the recap, John Walsh says, “Here’s a quick review of some of tonight’s cases,” but 11 of the 15 fugitives profiled in the show are mentioned in the recap. I don’t know why they had him say “some” when 70% of the fugitives profiled in the show were reviewed.
- The AMW theme does not play over the closing credits, being replaced with a more somber instrumental piece.
Episode #822 – Sept. 17, 2005 (Erie Collar Bomber Special Edition) Unknown Erie Collar Bomber, Part 1 (Full segment) – In August 2003, a normal, quiet day in Erie, Pennsylvania would change with a bizarre crime that kept law enforcement guessing for years. That afternoon, pizza deliveryman Brian Wells was last seen heading out to deliver two pizzas. The next time anyone saw him, he was robbing a bank, handing a note to the teller demanding $250,000. After receiving only $7,000, Brian then went to a McDonald’s, where he picked up something near the entrance, then continued on. Police caught up with him and learned Brian had a bomb wrapped around his neck. As the bomb squad was called, Brian sat on the asphalt, handcuffed and telling police information about how three people held him down and put the bomb on his neck, while also begging for them to do something. Minutes later, the bomb detonated, killing Brian instantly. When police searched Brian’s car, they found a nine-page note with detailed instructions on what he needed to do to get the bomb turned off and removed from his neck. Nobody could ever imagine the twists and turns this mystery was going to take.
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Elby Hars (15 Seconds of Shame) – Convicted pedophile who is accused of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl in South Carolina. Still at large
Domingo Valdez (15 Seconds of Shame) – Wanted out of Cottonwood, Arizona for killing a man, then leaving the victim’s body inside of his own car and abandoning it. Still at large
Rogelio Deaquino (15 Seconds of Shame) – Accused of luring a mentally handicapped woman into his apartment and raping her. Deaquino fled during his trial. Still at large
Douglas Holler (15 Seconds of Shame) – Ohio fugitive wanted for blowing through a stop sign while drunk and crashing into the car in front of him, killing its driver. Thanks to AMW tips, Holler was discovered to have never left the state and was caught trying to rent an apartment, making him Capture #866.
Unknown Erie Collar Bomber, Part 2 (Full segment) – When the FBI began its investigation into the Collar Bomber case, they started with their biggest clue; Brian Wells, the man with the bomb around his neck. They dug into his background to learn more about him. Brian’s brother and sister explain they came from a poor family, and Brian was the third-oldest of seven children. Brian was a music lover who lived a very humble life, worked part-time at a pizza place, and loved scavenger hunts. Prior to his death, he had plans to move to Arizona with his brother, John. Based on what Brian told investigators at the scene, he delivered two pizzas to an address that turned out to be a transmission tower for a TV station. He told police he struggled with them, but they strapped the bomb around his neck before handing him the nine pages of instructions. He was supposed to complete four tasks before getting the key to turn off the bomb, but he only had an hour to do it. The biggest question for investigators: was this actually about a bank robbery, or was Brian just a pawn in a game for his life?
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Unknown Erie Collar Bomber, Part 3 (Full segment) – Besides Brian Wells, other big clues the investigators had were what he had with him, and by examining them, the FBI learned that the Collar Bomber was all about deceit and deception. The bomb itself looked more elaborate than it was, and contained a lot of parts that looked dangerous but didn’t do anything. The cane Brian carried into the bank was an actual gun, capable of firing a single 12-gauge shotgun shell. In examining the letter, there are clues to suggest that it was written by more than one person, since the same letter looks like it was written in different handwriting on different pages, and at some points it looks like someone went back and tried to alter letters and words to disguise who wrote it. Police also discovered that the note handed to the teller included a copy of the instructions that were given to Brian, which has investigators confused and makes them wonder if the Collar Bomber was trying to embarrass the police in some way, since the note was meant for them. No key was ever found to detonate the bomb. The FBI believes that Brian may have been hand-picked to participate in the robbery, but retired investigator Joe Matthews believes the evidence suggests Brian was a victim, not a participant. In a final examination of the cane gun, it appears homemade and may have been built years before the robbery, and could have been shown off to someone.
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Graciano Lopez & Pedro Rodriguez (All-Points Bulletin) – Wanted for questioning out of Naples, Florida, in connection with the hit-and-run death of a 12-year-old boy. The boy had left his house to go bike riding, possibly to the corner gas station. But while he was out, a Silver Nissan pickup truck hit him from behind and dragged him 140 feet before speeding off, killing the boy. Witnesses identified Lopez and Rodriguez as being in the car, and police want to talk to them. Still at large.
Larry Burns (All-Points Bulletin) – Indiana police say Burns is accused of shooting and killing his ex-wife, Vicky, during a violent confrontation. Burns allegedly showed up at his former mother-in-law’s house with guns, intending to kill Vicky. Her mother fought back, shooting Burns in the shoulder, but while she got away, Vicky wasn’t able to. When police arrived, they found her body in her room. In 2010, a visitor to amw.com recognized Burns as someone they knew in California and he was arrested after 24 years on the run, making him Capture #1,124.
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Taylor Behl (Break Four Tease) – A 17-year-old college student who went missing from her campus in Richmond, Virginia. A month after this airing, her remains were found. A 38-year-old male acquaintance was later charged with her murder.
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Unknown Erie Collar Bomber, Part 4 (Full segment) – After the FBI looked into Brian Wells’ past and the weapons involved, they began looking for potential suspects. Their investigation only made this case even more bizarre. Three days after Brian’s death, a coworker at the pizza place died of a drug overdose. Then, a month before the bombing, police discovered the body of a man, Jim Roden, inside a freezer in a garage owned by an eccentric shop teacher named Bill Rothstein. Rothstein claimed he hid the body as a favor to Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong, a friend who said she killed Roden in a panic. Diehl-Armstrong claimed Rothstein was lying, and told anyone who would listen that Rothstein should be charged in Brian’s death, and also made allegations that Rothstein was harboring a fugitive. Police investigated and found fugitive rapist Jay Stockton living in the home, who was promptly arrested. Investigators believe Rothstein was involved in the Collar Bomb case, but he died of leukemia 10 months after the bombing. Some also believe that Diehl-Armstrong is the mastermind, an assessment AMW investigator Joe Matthews, who interviewed her behind bars, disagrees with. But it turned out, that was right on the money. In the summer of 2007, nearly four years after the bombing, Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong and a friend of hers, Kenneth Barnes, were both charged in connection with the Collar Bomber case. She had arranged the plot so she could get money to pay a hitman to kill her father. Both were sentenced to prison, but Diehl-Armstrong eventually died while serving her sentence.
In the Line of Duty – Officer Daniel Golden (Huntsville Police Department, Alabama)
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Call to Action (Brief, approx. 2 minutes) – A woman in West Virginia was driving through a mountainous highway late at night when she saw a massive fireball. A tanker truck carrying hazardous materials had crashed. She immediately called OnStar, who sent rescuers to the scene within minutes. It’s believed that she may have saved hundreds of lives, because if the chemicals had gotten into the water, it could have been catastrophic.
Case recap – Elby Hars, Graciano Lopez & Pedro Rodriguez, Larry Burns
Next week on AMW – Viewers will be asked to solve another mysterious case. In the New York City subway, bags of dismembered body parts were discovered. The hunt is on for this unknown suspect.
Episode notes: - This episode was filmed in the AMW Studio.
- Recycled/Repurposed Reenactments: Jerry Robinson (the scene where Robinson is choking his ex-girlfriend on the floor is used for Larry Burns’ reenactment; what makes this odd is that Burns has his own reenactment, so why this clip was used is a mystery. My guess is, since this was an abbreviated version from his full profile, they may not have had a scene of Vicky being abused so they used this one as a replacement).
- This episode was the first time AMW went in-depth into the Collar Bomber case, and through the show, the investigating agencies revealed several details that were not previously known to the public. This includes almost the entire ransom note (previously the FBI had released only a heavily-redacted version) and surveillance photos of Brian Wells robbing the bank. This was also the first time AMW used the name “Erie Collar Bomber” to describe the case, which was the name the FBI was using. Previously the case was called both the Unknown Brian Wells Killer and the Erie Robbery Bombing.
- While last week’s show featured the first repeat profile of a 15 Seconds of Shame fugitive, this was the first time an entire 15 Seconds of Shame segment was re-aired (the one in this episode first aired on June 11, 2005). AMW will re-air other 15 Seconds of Shame segments in the future, including ones that will replace a couple fugitives that had been caught from the original airing.
- During the second segment of the Collar Bomber case, Brian’s brother John says Brian left high school during his sophomore year, the same year Peter Jennings did. This may seem like a random reference to make, unless you understand when this segment was produced. Peter Jennings had died in August 2005, a month before this profile, and his death had been all over the news, including the fact he dropped out of high school. My guess is the interview with John Wells happened shortly after Peter Jennings’ death.
- For the first time, AMW actually shows the news footage of the bomb going off. They blur out Brian’s body, but it’s still really odd that they chose to air real video of a man being blown up.
- The breakdown of the bomb, the cane gun and the note is probably my favorite part of the episode, and it’s interesting to see how much of what the FBI believed ended up being true. From the start it seems like they believed Brian would have been in on it, and it’s interesting to see how AMW believed Brian was a victim. John Walsh even says, “What a strange case,” at the end of the segment. Can’t argue with that.
- One of the clues about the cane gun is that the handle appeared to have been created by two wooden letter “Js,” like the kind that would be found at a craft store. Believe it or not, this ended up being a major clue that may have played a role in solving the case. But I’ll touch on this more when the case gets updated in November.
- Knowing the results of the Collar Bomber investigation, it’s really fascinating to see how steadfastly Joe Matthews defends Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong. He’s convinced that she had nothing to do with it. But as we know, she was the mastermind of the whole incident. It really shows you how much of a master manipulator she was.
- While Larry Burns’ previous profile in January 2004 was also an All-Points Bulletin, this airing cuts out about 30 seconds worth of content. A scene of Burns walking up the staircase and shooting, plus some reaction shots of Vicky’s mother standing outside with a neighbor, along with Burns calmly walking out of the house with only one shoe on, are all removed.
- The Line of Duty segment has an audible jump cut in the music. Where Don LaFontaine would normally list the officer’s survivors, none are listed for Officer Golden, so they simply cut out that portion of the feature. It’s really obvious, and I wonder why they couldn’t do a more subtle edit.
- I know I shouldn’t keep harping on John Walsh’s poor pronunciation of Spanish names, but he really egregiously butchers Graciano Lopez’s first name during the fugitive recap. He calls him something to the effect of “grah-sin-e-oh.”
- This episode would be rerun on Jan. 6, 2007.
Episode #823 – Sept. 24, 2005 Unknown Rashawn Brazell Killer (Full segment) – In February 2005, a New York City subway worker made a gruesome discovery; a bag full of dismembered body parts. Days later a second bag containing more body parts was found at a recycling center. Investigators identified the victim as 19-year-old Rashawn Brazell. Police were baffled by the crime, since Rashawn had no enemies, and even more baffled by the fact that his head hadn’t been found. The detective’s theory was that Rashawn, a gay man, had met up with someone, as he was spotted talking to an unidentified man days before his remains were found. Evidence suggested that Rashawn had been kept alive, possibly held prisoner, prior to his body being dismembered with a chain saw. The murder was solved in 2017 after Rashawn’s own cousin, Kwauhuru Govan, was charged with the crime.
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Edward Green (15 Seconds of Shame) – Convicted murderer wanted for raping and beating his wife and her sister in North Carolina. As a direct result of this profile, Green was tracked down to Florida, but as cops were moving in to arrest him, he shot himself in the stomach, dying from his injuries. He was Capture #862.
Charles Brunson (15 Seconds of Shame) – Brunson was convicted of molesting his own four-year-old daughter, but when he was released from prison, he cut off his ankle monitor and vanished. A couple visiting amw.com recognized him as an acquaintance and he was captured a month after this profile, making him Capture #864.
Clansie Banner (15 Seconds of Shame) – Police say, after he got into a minor traffic accident with a man, Banner shot the man to death. Following his April 2006 profile, a tip led to Banner’s arrest, making him Capture #885.
Guillermo Castaneda (15 Seconds of Shame) – Wanted out of Georgia for killing his ex-girlfriend by stabbing her more than 50 times, then stuffing her body in a closet. Castaneda is also wanted for a murder out of Mexico. Still at large.
Daniel Campbell and Todd Mulder Capture (Full segment) – Ed Miller reports on how a tragic case AMW aired last year was solved thanks to another tragic story. In November 2003, Utah coin shop owner Jordan Allgood was killed during an armed robbery. While police didn’t know the suspect, the store’s surveillance video provided a grainy look at him. Despite dozens of tips, none of them panned out. But nobody knew at that moment that a dying man watching the profile with his parents held all the clues to solving the murder. Too weak to get ahold of police himself, but wanting to clear his conscience, the man told his parents that when he was serving time in prison for theft, he met another inmate who called himself “Slim” that bragged about killing a coin shop owner. After the man died, his parents went to the police and told them everything their son had said. Their information led to the arrest of career thief Daniel Campbell, who confessed to the crime, and identified his accomplice, Todd Mulder. Campbell became Capture #823, while Mulder was Capture #861.
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Melvin Keeling (Breaking news, approx. 1 minute, 30 seconds) – Earlier in the week, police in Ohio say Keeling shot and killed a 13-year-old girl. Keeling allegedly raped the girl’s best friend, and she was set to testify against him at trial. Four hours later, Keeling allegedly continued his crime spree, showing up at an Indiana convenience store and shooting the two clerks to death. His car was found abandoned in Gary, Indiana on Tuesday. His body was found not far from where his car was located about a month later.
Steven Kirkley (Full segment) – In Mississippi, investigators are looking for an escaped murder suspect. Kirkley broke out of the Marion County Jail in the chaos of Hurricane Katrina, sneaking out through an air vent and running into the woods. He was awaiting trial for a violent murder. Police believe Kirkley shot and killed a well-known real estate agent because he owed her months of back rent. Since his escape, police believe Kirkley is posing as a Katrina survivor and breaking into businesses. Kirkley was arrested days after this profile in Texas after police recognized a stolen car he'd been driving.
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Taylor Behl (Missing Child Alert, approx. 1 minute) – Virginia police are continuing their search for 17-year-old college freshman Taylor Behl. She was last spotted on Sept. 5 walking out of her dorm with her skateboard. Last Saturday, her missing car was found with the license plates replaced, but no sign of Taylor. Her body was found a short time after this profile, and 38-year-old Benjamin Fawley, an acquaintance of Taylor’s, later pleaded no contest in connection to the case.
Unknown Usha Taneja Killer (Full segment) – Police in Queens, New York, are trying to identify the suspect responsible for a senseless crime. The day before her son’s wedding, a woman named Usha Taneja was walking to the grocery store to buy food for the dozens of guests in her house. While walking, she encountered a man in a white van and began talking with him. But when the conversation ended, police say the driver jumped out of the van, shoved Usha to the ground and grabbed her purse. Inside was $3,000 in cash, meant to pay the vendors for her son’s wedding the following day. Usha died from her injuries. Witnesses helped create a composite of the driver and a facsimile of what the logo on his van may have looked like. Still unsolved.
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Erin Nembhard (Break Four Tease) – Port St. Lucie, Florida police were looking for 15-year-old Erin after she disappeared from her home. The Monday after this airing, Erin walked into the police station, safe and sound. It turned out she had been in the company of several men she met online, including a sex offender, all of whom were arrested.
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The Massachusetts Insurance Scams (Full segment) – Tom Morris reports on a widespread insurance scam that’s costing the average driver millions. In Lawrence, Massachusetts, investigators are seeing an increase in car accidents linked to insurance fraud. Recruited by a crooked chiropractor, one car purposefully crashes into another car that’s also behind the scam, and they fake injuries to get a large cash payout from the insurance company. Tom even tries this for himself with a hidden camera attached, and despite not having any ID, a referral form or even medical records, he was approved for physical therapy. Lawrence police cracked down on the scam, arresting 16 in connection with the fraud cases, including the supervisor of the doctor’s office Tom visited.
Jacinto & Andres Maldonado (Tacked on profile) – One insurance scammer who got away is Jacinto Maldonado. During an attempted phony crash, Jacinto’s car got into an accident for real, killing his grandmother, who was a passenger in the vehicle. Police were also seeking his brother, Andres Maldonado, on an unrelated murder charge. Four months after this profile, the brothers were indirectly captured in the Dominican Republic.
In the Line of Duty – Sgt. Ruben Orozco (El Paso County Sheriff’s Office, Texas)
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Case recap – Steven Kirkley, Taylor Behl, Jacinto Maldonado, Melvin Keeling
Episode notes: - This episode was filmed in New York City.
- Recycled/Repurposed Reenactments: Steven Peppaceno (a clip of a woman being assaulted was used for Guillermo Castaneda), Alvaro Alvarado (a shot of Alvarado firing a gun is used in the Campbell/Mulder capture report), and Douglas Aigen, Daniel Perez, Terrence Washington & James “Rick” Johnson (car crash footage from these reenactments and others I can’t confirm were used for various shots in the insurance fraud feature).
- It’s mentioned in the Rashawn Brazell case that Detective Anthony Baker was nearing retirement. By the time the Brazell case was profiled a second time, Detective Baker had indeed retired, which was acknowledged in the updated narration.
- John Walsh has this really awkward monologue after the Rashawn Brazell profile. He’s talking about the theories about the crime and says that one of the theories it that because Rashawn was a gay Black man, the killer might have been gay too. Then he adds, “But we really don’t know the race…of the murderer so we’ve got to keep an open mind.” John wasn’t talking about race, he was talking about sexual identity. I don’t know if that was just really poor script-writing or what but I really wish they’d re-shot that part.
- Taylor Behl’s Missing Child Alert is referred to as a Missing Person Alert, despite the fact that, at 17, she was still legally considered a child.
- Even though there was a composite sketch of the suspect, for some reason, the amw.com profile of Usha Taneja’s killer had a generic “Unknown” face as the primary image. I’ve never been able to figure out why they didn’t post the composite as the first image people would see.
Episode #824 – Oct. 1, 2005 Melvin Keeling (Full segment) – Rick Segall picks up the trail of a fugitive wanted for committing three murders in two states. First, Keeling allegedly shot and killed a 13-year-old girl in Ohio. Keeling allegedly raped one of the victim’s friends and encouraged her to report the crime to police. Hours later, Keeling was at a convenience store in Indiana, where he allegedly shot and killed the two women who were working behind the counter. The crime had been caught on surveillance video. Keeling’s car and ID had been found abandoned in Gary, Indiana, but the suspect himself hadn’t been found. Police were suspected he was either hiding, someone had picked him up and got him out of town, he hitched a ride on a train, or he was dead. Turns out, the last one was true. Weeks after this profile, Keeling’s remains were found just a few hundred yards from where his car was abandoned.
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Bruno Arreola (15 Seconds of Shame) – An alleged member of a drug ring responsible for bringing over 1,000 kilos of marijuana into the U.S. Arreola was indirectly captured in Mexico in 2011.
Christopher Smith (15 Seconds of Shame) – Accused of killing three people at a bar in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Smith allegedly shot two men in the bathroom during a fight and a third man outside of the bar. Smith was caught two weeks after this profile, but AMW had nothing to do with it.
Jesus Dominguez (15 Seconds of Shame) – Former priest accused molesting four boys in the 1980s in California. Still at large.
Kendall Alexander (15 Seconds of Shame) – Wanted out of Baltimore for committing an armed robbery while using bullets that could pierce Kevlar vests. Alexander previously served time for trying to kill a police officer in the ‘80s. Thanks to this profile, Alexander was arrested in Maryland, making him Capture #863.
Anthony Ferrari, James Fiorillo and Anthony Moscatiello Capture (Full segment) – John Turchin has a stunning update in a four-year-old murder case AMW has been profiling for years. In February 2001, Gus Boulis, a multi-millionaire Florida businessman, was gunned down in Fort Lauderdale. Investigators believed the murder was connected to the recent sale of SunCruz casinos, which Gus had sold to investor Adam Kidan and lobbyist Jack Abramoff. With both men’s recent arrests for financial crimes, police hoped it would lead to a break, and it did; earlier in the week, three men – Anthony Moscatiello, Anthony Ferrari, and James Fiorillo – were charged in connection with Gus’ murder. Moscatiello and Ferrari had connections to Kidan, as they were on his payroll, but it’s unclear exactly what they’d done for him. Although arrests have been made, John says investigators would appreciate more information, and asks anyone who may know anything about the case to come forward.
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Daniel Chafe (Full segment) – Oregon police are looking for a man who used the fantasy world to harm children. A man calling himself Stryder Styarfyr claimed to be descended from Celtic royalty and used his charm and tales of castles and horses to convince his friends and family to live the lifestyle of a clan. But police say he was using it as a cover to sexually assault children, claiming he was preparing them to be wives. When two of the victims came forward in 1998, Styarfyr, whose real name is Daniel Chafe, fled and disappeared. In 2014, Chafe was arrested in Montana, and eventually pleaded guilty to sexual abuse. He ended up dying of cancer in 2015.
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Unknown New York/New Jersey Serial Rapist (Full segment) – Tom Morris returns with an update on a serial rapist first profiled over the summer. The suspect uses the same MO in all his attacks; pulling women off the street, raping them in his vehicle, and dumping them in parking lots. Since his last profile in July, the rapist has struck two more times. In his latest attack, a 16-year-old girl caught the suspect trying to steal her mom’s car, but when she confronted him, he grabbed her and drove off with her. After the assault, she came forward to police, and provided a major clue; the suspect was driving a white SUV, possibly a Jeep Cherokee. What’s significant is that, in all the previous attacks, he used a stolen vehicle, but investigators believe that this may be his actual vehicle, since he was intending to steal the car that belonged to his latest victim’s mother before he was caught. A year after this profile, police arrested Elmo Rivadeneira in connection with the serial rapes.
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Stephen Cooper (Break Four Tease) – A man from California has gone missing, and was last seen driving a Maroon Chevy S10. Four months after this profile, Stephen’s remains were found.
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Call to Action (Full segment) – The Sunday morning after Thanksgiving, a family was traveling from Florida to Georgia. Suddenly, a bird flew right at their car, and they swerved to avoid it, but it sent them careening off the road, landing upside-down in a water-filled ditch. Witnesses pulled over and started helping, including a former nurse. When one of the babies in the car was trapped underwater, the nurse sprang into action, performing CPR and helping the baby breathe again. The baby soon made a full recovery, thanks to the former nurse who pulled over to lend a hand.
In the Line of Duty – Officer David Romero (California Highway Patrol)
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My Story (Brief, approx. 15 seconds) – Don LaFontaine tells viewers that justice is just a letter away. Those who have been impacted by crime can now reach out to amw.com and submit their story in a brand-new feature called My Story.
Case recap – Melvin Keeling, Unknown New York/New Jersey Serial Rapist, Daniel Chafe, Jesus Dominguez
John Walsh says that AMW will be off the air for the next few weeks to make room for the Major League Baseball playoffs. But don’t worry, because amw.com will still be operating, where there will be case updates as well as fugitives and missing person profiles.
Episode notes: - This episode was filmed in Miami Beach.
- Recycled/Repurposed Reenactments: William Bradford Bishop (the scene of Bishop opening the door to his son’s room was used for Jesus Dominguez; it’s actually a different clip than was used for Gerald Estes), and Armando “Chato” Garcia (the clip of Garcia shooting Deputy March was used for Kendall Alexander).
- In his introduction to Melvin Keeling, John Walsh says cops in three states were looking for the fugitive. This is incorrect; he was wanted out of Ohio and Indiana. Where John got three states from, I have no idea.
- One of Keeling’s victims, 13-year-old Katie Caudill, had her own profile page on amw.com, which went into more detail about her story. This was something AMW briefly did in 2005 with some crime victims.
- When the Gus Boulis murder case was profiled in August, two detectives were interviewed and prominently featured. Here, both detectives are listed as retired and in the upper left-hand corner of the screen, text saying “August 2001” appears, indicating these are old interviews. I’m wondering why they weren’t listed as retired in the August airing, because it’s highly unlikely both retired that soon after the profile.
- In his profile, AMW refers to Daniel Chafe as Stryder Styarfyr until the very end of the segment, where they say authorities “recently discovered” his real name was Chafe, although I think they’d known his real name for several years. Interestingly, I'm pretty sure Unsolved Mysteries profiled him under the name of Stryder Styarfyr, as he was listed under that name on their old website.
- You know how sometimes the show gives clues that are right on the money? That happened in Daniel Chafe’s case. John Walsh mentions that Chafe is into computers and could be using them. Turns out, he owned a computer company while he was a fugitive.
- Chafe would be profiled just three months after this profile, but it wasn’t an update. Shortly after this airing, amw.com updated their photo of Chafe with the caption, “Authorities say this is the best photo of Chafe.” That photo was his mugshot, taken before he went on the run, but in this airing, AMW only airs photos of him from the early ‘90s, despite the fact a more recent photo existed.
- For the first time in a long time, AMW lists their phone number as 1-800-274-6388 after Chafe’s profile. They'll continue to do this periodically over the years.
- When the New York/New Jersey Rapist was last profiled, I mentioned that the sketch looked really whited out, and you could barely see the face on his profile card. That’s been corrected as of this episode, and now the sketch can be seen clearly.
- Stephen Cooper, profiled as the Break Four Tease, is the cousin of AMW producer Paula Simpson, who was able to get the show to profile the case. A year after this episode aired, AMW would profile Stephen’s unsolved murder, thanks to her efforts as well.
- I’m fairly certain this is the last time Call to Action aired, but this last story is notable for a couple reasons. One is that OnStar isn’t even mentioned in this story, despite the fact the purpose of the segment was to share how OnStar helped in an emergency (they were the sponsor). But one other reason this story is notable is that it’s going to be repeated again in future episodes. This Call to Action piece will be rebranded as a feature story and re-aired in a December 2006 episode about heroes that will end up being rebroadcast two more times over the years. It’s also the longest story told on Call to Action, taking up an entire segment – and the future version will be even longer, adding in some more details that weren’t in this broadcast.
- I shouldn’t bash the special effects on AMW, since they clearly didn’t have a big budget for them, but the scene in the Call to Action piece where the bird almost hits the windshield is almost comical in how cheesy it is. First there’s a random shot from the backseat of the car, and the passenger, who is already leaning over, yelling, “Watch out!” as stock footage of a bird flying is superimposed over the windshield. I might have to share this segment sometime because it really takes you out of the scene.
- This is also the first time My Story is mentioned. A feature on amw.com for several years, it allowed viewers to submit their own cases to the website. While several My Story cases were added to amw.com, the actual show never really did anything with the segment. Probably less than five My Story cases were actually profiled on the show itself. I suspect part of this is because the vast majority of My Story submissions were unknown cases where little information was known. In 2009, it would be rebranded as an exclusively missing persons feature, but I'm getting ahead of myself with that.
- Three voices can be heard reading My Story letters in the promo. I am certain the three people are Angeline Hartmann, Jon Lieberman and Michelle Sigona.
Next month on AMW: Nov. 5, 2005 - When a bar worker in Texas kicked out some obnoxious patrons, it seemed to be the end of the story. Little did anyone know that the lives of that bar worker and three of his friends were going to change forever. Now, AMW needs your help to find the man who destroyed so many lives that night. - It’s been six months since Natalee Holloway disappeared, and nobody really knows what’s going on. The Alabama teen disappeared while on a school trip to Aruba, and since then, there have been many rumors, but not much truth. Rick Segall travels to Aruba himself to see what he can uncover. - Two months ago, AMW dedicated an entire episode to the mysterious case of the Erie Collar Bomber. Tips came in, and there have been some stunning new developments. AMW breaks down the tips, including one big one that might reveal the involvement of one potential suspect.
Nov. 12, 2005 - A popular teacher in small-town Georgia has gone missing, and police are left with more questions than answers. In her first on-air piece for AMW, Angeline Hartmann travels to the Peach State to see if the teacher’s background as a beauty queen might have played a role in her disappearance. - When a young karate student befriended a police officer, her mother didn’t think too much of it. After all, he’s an upstanding member of the community. But when that officer violates that little girl’s trust, he upends not only her own life, but the life of the woman who stood by his side as well. - We all have coworkers that we don’t get along with. But for one woman in Kentucky, her coworker’s behavior was borderline criminal. And one night, with her husband out of town, his behavior turned criminal for real, and now that coworker is on the run, while his victim lives in fear of his return.
Nov. 19, 2005 - AMW takes a deep dive into cold cases, and looks into the coldest case of them all; the only three men to successfully break out of Alcatraz in the 1960s. Long thought to be dead, AMW tipsters have breathed new life into the investigation, and now one man has been tasked with finding out what happened to them. - Nearly a decade ago, a Colorado man was killed by a violent car bomb. Nobody knows who might have done it, but there’s one man who police believe has answers. Join the manhunt for a man accused of financial crimes, but who investigators say could know much, much more. - New York police are hoping to find one man before he becomes a cold case. In the biggest manhunt in the Big Apple, a writer is on the run, accused of raping a woman on Halloween night. AMW goes inside the investigation, and tries to track down a fugitive before he can strike again.
Nov. 26, 2005 - All bets are off when AMW travels to Las Vegas and tries to solve some of Sin City’s biggest mysteries. They include the newest member of the U.S. Marshals’ 15 Most Wanted List, a prison escapee who pulled off armed robberies while claiming that he needed the money for his cancer-stricken son. The only problem? He doesn’t have a son. - When a young woman from upstate New York traveled to Las Vegas to start a new life, her family says she got mixed up with the wrong crowd. Now, she’s missing, and her family is desperate for answers. AMW Investigator Joe Matthews is on the case, hoping to bring her home. - One woman hit it big in Vegas in the early ‘90s, but not at the casinos. Police say she stole it after driving off with an armored car. Now, she’s suddenly turned herself in after a decade on the run. Find out where she was, and what happened to her partner, who is still at large.
I'm planning on having the November 2005 episodes done by next week!
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