1 00:00:04,730 --> 00:00:07,622 in this Midwestern lake town. 2 00:00:07,699 --> 00:00:08,990 - BRENDA: He had a good heart. 3 00:00:09,068 --> 00:00:13,170 He would have gave his all for anybody at any time. 4 00:00:13,180 --> 00:00:15,964 - He would give you the shirt off his back if he could. 5 00:00:16,041 --> 00:00:19,184 - NARRATOR: But when his barstool goes empty, 6 00:00:19,261 --> 00:00:21,020 his friends go looking. 7 00:00:31,723 --> 00:00:33,774 - ERIC: There was a lot of blood on the floor. 8 00:00:33,850 --> 00:00:36,151 He was lying in a pool of blood. 9 00:00:36,228 --> 00:00:40,113 - The cut to his neck, it was a rather large cut, 10 00:00:40,190 --> 00:00:42,207 several inches long. 11 00:00:42,284 --> 00:00:45,619 - NARRATOR: As news of the gruesome crime spreads, 12 00:00:45,695 --> 00:00:47,954 investigators must sift through rumors 13 00:00:48,031 --> 00:00:51,958 about money, drugs, and obsession. 14 00:00:52,035 --> 00:00:55,378 - He owed some money to a drug dealer. 15 00:00:55,389 --> 00:00:56,880 - He said, "If something happens to me, 16 00:00:56,891 --> 00:00:59,391 it's because I couldn't pay it." 17 00:00:59,468 --> 00:01:00,392 He was scared. 18 00:01:00,469 --> 00:01:02,102 He was literally very scared. 19 00:01:06,591 --> 00:01:07,724 - SCOTT: In any homicide investigation, 20 00:01:07,735 --> 00:01:09,050 you look at a number of things. 21 00:01:09,128 --> 00:01:13,739 But the top three things: money, drugs, and sex. 22 00:01:13,816 --> 00:01:15,649 - NARRATOR: After years of searching, 23 00:01:15,725 --> 00:01:18,568 a smoking gun finally presents itself 24 00:01:18,579 --> 00:01:21,238 from the most unlikely source. 25 00:01:21,248 --> 00:01:24,750 - She wrote down how much she liked her pastor, 26 00:01:24,827 --> 00:01:26,835 how she wanted him to hold her. 27 00:01:33,761 --> 00:01:35,260 - ERIC: You have somebody who 28 00:01:35,337 --> 00:01:37,170 is a good Christian wife and mother, 29 00:01:37,247 --> 00:01:40,599 but who's battling some very serious demons. 30 00:01:40,676 --> 00:01:41,716 - KELLEY: She had addiction problems, 31 00:01:41,793 --> 00:01:42,976 and addiction's hard to beat. 32 00:01:45,797 --> 00:01:48,148 - ERIC: She just had really lost all control. 33 00:01:51,469 --> 00:01:54,905 - ♪ 34 00:01:59,978 --> 00:02:00,994 ♪♪ 35 00:02:02,698 --> 00:02:06,125 - NARRATOR: Wednesday, April 28, 2004. 36 00:02:06,201 --> 00:02:08,618 Camdenton, Missouri. 37 00:02:08,629 --> 00:02:12,289 At 6:30 a.m., Cindy Christensen and Brian Norton 38 00:02:12,299 --> 00:02:16,084 are checking on their friend, 48-year-old Tommy Hope, 39 00:02:16,161 --> 00:02:19,138 who they haven't heard from in several days. 40 00:02:21,308 --> 00:02:24,810 - ERIC: Tommy was known for speaking with friends often, 41 00:02:24,887 --> 00:02:26,311 meeting with them, hanging out. 42 00:02:26,388 --> 00:02:29,481 It was unusual to his friends and to his acquaintances 43 00:02:29,558 --> 00:02:31,817 when no one had heard from him for a while. 44 00:02:33,303 --> 00:02:37,480 - JEFF: They went to the residence to check on Tom. 45 00:02:37,491 --> 00:02:41,318 They knocked on the door and yelled for Tom 46 00:02:41,328 --> 00:02:45,655 and there was no response from inside the residence. 47 00:02:45,666 --> 00:02:48,834 That's when he and Cindy decided that 48 00:02:48,911 --> 00:02:51,920 Cindy would enter the residence through the window. 49 00:02:55,158 --> 00:03:00,837 When she gets inside, she sees Tom laying on the floor 50 00:03:00,848 --> 00:03:04,507 in between the kitchen and the living room. 51 00:03:04,518 --> 00:03:06,801 - There was a lot of blood on the floor. 52 00:03:06,878 --> 00:03:09,971 He was lying in a pool of blood. 53 00:03:10,048 --> 00:03:11,848 - JEFF: That's when she screamed 54 00:03:11,859 --> 00:03:16,186 and run to the front door and unlocked it. 55 00:03:16,197 --> 00:03:18,188 - NARRATOR: Brian briefly goes inside, 56 00:03:18,199 --> 00:03:22,034 seeing for himself what left Cindy so shaken. 57 00:03:23,520 --> 00:03:25,779 - Brian is the one that made the suggestion that they 58 00:03:25,855 --> 00:03:29,666 go to a friend's house and call the police. 59 00:03:32,287 --> 00:03:35,330 - NARRATOR: Cindy and Brian rush to the home of Patricia Strouse 60 00:03:35,407 --> 00:03:36,957 about a half mile away, 61 00:03:37,033 --> 00:03:40,886 and Cindy attempts to explain what they have seen. 62 00:03:40,963 --> 00:03:44,890 - PATRICIA: She was in a panic, of course very upset. 63 00:03:44,967 --> 00:03:48,343 And she told me that he was dead, she had found him. 64 00:03:48,420 --> 00:03:49,844 She didn't know what to do. 65 00:03:49,921 --> 00:03:51,730 And then Cindy called the police from there. 66 00:04:33,089 --> 00:04:35,515 - NARRATOR: As Cindy and Brian talk to the operator, 67 00:04:35,592 --> 00:04:40,112 Patricia tries to wrap her head around what is unfolding. 68 00:04:40,188 --> 00:04:44,283 - He was well liked and such a nice person. 69 00:04:44,359 --> 00:04:45,867 It was very shocking. 70 00:04:47,955 --> 00:04:50,447 - ♪ 71 00:04:50,457 --> 00:04:53,625 - NARRATOR: Born on June 28, 1955, 72 00:04:53,702 --> 00:04:57,078 Tommy Hope grew up in Texas. 73 00:04:57,155 --> 00:04:59,122 For Tommy and his two siblings, 74 00:04:59,133 --> 00:05:03,293 their early childhood was fraught with trouble. 75 00:05:03,304 --> 00:05:05,920 - PATRICIA: The parents would go places 76 00:05:05,997 --> 00:05:09,141 and leave the three of them, and they would be hungry. 77 00:05:09,217 --> 00:05:11,143 The neighbor would keep his door unlocked 78 00:05:11,219 --> 00:05:15,314 because he knew Tom would come in to get food. 79 00:05:15,390 --> 00:05:17,432 - NARRATOR: Eventually, the Hope children were placed in 80 00:05:17,509 --> 00:05:22,154 foster care, where Tommy faced more hardship. 81 00:05:22,230 --> 00:05:24,814 - BRENDA: There was a lot of abuse in these foster care homes 82 00:05:24,825 --> 00:05:25,991 that he suffered. 83 00:05:26,068 --> 00:05:30,162 And he went without a lot, without food. 84 00:05:30,238 --> 00:05:32,414 He was neglected, he was beaten. 85 00:05:33,983 --> 00:05:35,950 - NARRATOR: While his siblings were adopted, 86 00:05:36,027 --> 00:05:39,838 young Tommy was eager to strike out on his own. 87 00:05:39,915 --> 00:05:43,842 As soon as he was able, Tommy joined the military. 88 00:05:43,919 --> 00:05:46,678 - He was, like, around 18, 19 when he went in. 89 00:05:46,755 --> 00:05:48,004 He was a true patriot. 90 00:05:48,015 --> 00:05:49,506 He loved his country. 91 00:05:49,516 --> 00:05:51,007 And he fought for this country. 92 00:05:51,018 --> 00:05:53,635 He's seen a lot, was witnessed a lot 93 00:05:53,711 --> 00:05:57,022 during his time in the service. 94 00:05:57,099 --> 00:05:59,358 - NARRATOR: Following his discharge in his 20s, 95 00:05:59,434 --> 00:06:03,853 Tommy relished a life with temporary commitments. 96 00:06:03,864 --> 00:06:05,271 - ERIC: He was doing odd jobs 97 00:06:05,348 --> 00:06:07,690 to make whatever money he needed in the moment. 98 00:06:07,701 --> 00:06:10,944 It was not like he was planning for a long-term situation. 99 00:06:11,020 --> 00:06:14,206 He would buy and sell vehicles, repair vehicles, 100 00:06:14,282 --> 00:06:17,158 probably some yard work here and there. 101 00:06:17,235 --> 00:06:19,419 Something that could help him get to the end of the week. 102 00:06:21,123 --> 00:06:22,664 - PATRICIA: He lived in California and he did have 103 00:06:22,740 --> 00:06:24,883 a life partner in California, 104 00:06:24,960 --> 00:06:27,210 which he said was fairly long term. 105 00:06:27,221 --> 00:06:30,505 And I don't know what happened, but she left, 106 00:06:30,582 --> 00:06:32,974 and then he moved to Missouri. 107 00:06:35,587 --> 00:06:36,845 - NARRATOR: By his mid-40s, 108 00:06:36,921 --> 00:06:39,180 Tommy settled in Camdenton, Missouri, 109 00:06:39,257 --> 00:06:41,015 and fell in with a group of locals 110 00:06:41,092 --> 00:06:43,235 he met through the bar scene. 111 00:06:43,311 --> 00:06:45,979 - BRENDA: He just kinda started talking to me one night 112 00:06:46,055 --> 00:06:49,357 at the bar, just struck up conversation. 113 00:06:49,434 --> 00:06:51,526 He was just friendly. 114 00:06:51,603 --> 00:06:52,986 - KELLEY: He loved to drink. 115 00:06:53,062 --> 00:06:55,247 Every time I'd see him, he'd have a beer in his hand. 116 00:06:55,323 --> 00:06:56,915 - BRENDA: When I would close down the bar, 117 00:06:56,992 --> 00:06:59,534 he would find music that we both liked and stuff. 118 00:06:59,611 --> 00:07:02,879 And we'd laugh and sing and enjoy the music. 119 00:07:04,616 --> 00:07:06,875 - NARRATOR: Tommy had little interest in devoting himself 120 00:07:06,951 --> 00:07:09,261 to a woman or a career. 121 00:07:09,337 --> 00:07:13,423 But there was no questioning his commitment to his friends. 122 00:07:13,434 --> 00:07:16,217 - He would give you the shirt off his back if he could. 123 00:07:16,294 --> 00:07:19,929 - BRENDA: He just seemed very loyal, a very loyal friend. 124 00:07:19,940 --> 00:07:24,267 Somebody you could tell your most inner secrets to 125 00:07:24,278 --> 00:07:27,562 and he would take that to his grave. 126 00:07:27,639 --> 00:07:30,282 - ♪ 127 00:07:30,358 --> 00:07:31,691 - [siren wailing] 128 00:07:31,768 --> 00:07:33,943 - NARRATOR: Now friends are wondering what secrets 129 00:07:33,954 --> 00:07:37,906 may have led to his grisly death. 130 00:07:37,982 --> 00:07:39,699 - PATRICIA: I knew when I couldn't get ahold of him 131 00:07:39,776 --> 00:07:41,460 that there was something wrong. 132 00:07:41,536 --> 00:07:43,044 You know, I could feel it. 133 00:07:44,206 --> 00:07:47,123 - NARRATOR: Within minutes of the panicked 911 call, 134 00:07:47,134 --> 00:07:49,342 officers arrive at Tommy's house. 135 00:07:51,046 --> 00:07:53,213 - JEFF: I walked over to the body. 136 00:07:53,289 --> 00:07:55,256 And at that point, I could see 137 00:07:55,333 --> 00:07:58,885 that his shirt was soaked with blood. 138 00:07:58,962 --> 00:08:02,263 There was also the stiffening of the body. 139 00:08:02,340 --> 00:08:04,357 And it was obvious he'd laid there for some time. 140 00:08:05,560 --> 00:08:07,486 - NARRATOR: Sergeant Beauchamp can tell Tommy suffered 141 00:08:07,562 --> 00:08:12,774 a violent death, but the circumstances are still muddy. 142 00:08:12,850 --> 00:08:17,153 - JEFF: We're unsure whether or not that it was an accident 143 00:08:17,164 --> 00:08:22,042 causing the death or whether or not it was a, uh, homicide. 144 00:08:23,528 --> 00:08:26,996 It's just kinda puzzling when you have that much blood 145 00:08:27,007 --> 00:08:31,417 and not seeing that there was any type of struggle. 146 00:08:31,494 --> 00:08:32,961 We weren't prepared to make that call. 147 00:08:33,037 --> 00:08:35,013 We were waiting for the medical examiner. 148 00:08:37,684 --> 00:08:40,134 - NARRATOR: While they wait, investigators continue 149 00:08:40,211 --> 00:08:42,687 their search of the crime scene. 150 00:08:42,764 --> 00:08:43,855 - BRIAN: They used luminol 151 00:08:43,932 --> 00:08:46,140 to illuminate proteins in the blood. 152 00:08:46,217 --> 00:08:49,194 And they could see, uh, images of footprints 153 00:08:49,271 --> 00:08:52,188 with blood leading up to the window. 154 00:08:52,199 --> 00:08:53,365 And then, uh, they found 155 00:08:53,441 --> 00:08:56,651 a little bit of blood on the window frame 156 00:08:56,728 --> 00:08:59,371 indicating that somebody who had been inside the house 157 00:08:59,447 --> 00:09:02,615 had gotten out of the house through the window. 158 00:09:02,692 --> 00:09:05,043 The only real explanation of that was somebody had to have 159 00:09:05,120 --> 00:09:07,587 been inside the house at the time of death. 160 00:09:09,958 --> 00:09:11,624 - NARRATOR: When the medical examiner arrives, 161 00:09:11,701 --> 00:09:16,296 detectives learn more about Tommy's injuries. 162 00:09:16,372 --> 00:09:18,965 - JEFF: The first thing that he observed and brought 163 00:09:19,042 --> 00:09:22,561 to our attention was the cut to Tom's neck. 164 00:09:22,637 --> 00:09:27,348 It was a rather large cut, several inches long. 165 00:09:27,425 --> 00:09:28,716 - NARRATOR: For investigators, 166 00:09:28,794 --> 00:09:32,153 it's enough to make one important determination. 167 00:09:33,407 --> 00:09:35,982 - At that point, we made our decision that we were gonna 168 00:09:36,059 --> 00:09:39,619 investigate the crime as a suspicious death. 169 00:09:40,989 --> 00:09:44,073 - NARRATOR: The medical examiner also discovers a bottle of pills 170 00:09:44,084 --> 00:09:46,492 in Tommy's pocket. 171 00:09:46,569 --> 00:09:50,580 The name on the bottle gets the attention of investigators: 172 00:09:50,591 --> 00:09:52,299 Cindy Christiansen. 173 00:09:53,785 --> 00:09:58,004 - The two people who found Tom's body were Brian, 174 00:09:58,081 --> 00:09:59,973 and then Cindy is the other person. 175 00:10:01,084 --> 00:10:05,094 When somebody has your pills in their pocket, 176 00:10:05,105 --> 00:10:07,272 it stands to reason that you would want an explanation 177 00:10:07,349 --> 00:10:09,524 as to why they have your medication. 178 00:10:10,944 --> 00:10:12,685 - BRIAN: In terms of Cindy Christiansen, 179 00:10:12,762 --> 00:10:14,604 we wanted to know who she was, 180 00:10:14,615 --> 00:10:17,282 what type of relationship she had with him, 181 00:10:17,359 --> 00:10:20,619 why her pill bottle and pills were in his pocket. 182 00:10:20,695 --> 00:10:23,196 - ♪ 183 00:10:23,272 --> 00:10:24,405 - NARRATOR: Coming up: 184 00:10:24,482 --> 00:10:28,117 Investigators uncover deadly vices. 185 00:10:28,128 --> 00:10:29,911 - BRIAN: They had been using drugs 186 00:10:29,987 --> 00:10:32,246 and had continued to use drugs together. 187 00:10:32,323 --> 00:10:33,623 - ERIC: She had left her husband 188 00:10:33,634 --> 00:10:36,918 and moved in with Tom for a period of time. 189 00:10:36,994 --> 00:10:39,804 - PATRICIA: He had made a threat for him to stay away 190 00:10:39,881 --> 00:10:41,798 or he would be sorry. 191 00:10:41,808 --> 00:10:45,060 - She was stalking him, which he took as a threat. 192 00:10:48,390 --> 00:10:51,691 - ♪ 193 00:11:01,018 --> 00:11:03,161 - NARRATOR: April 2004. 194 00:11:03,238 --> 00:11:06,322 Investigators in Camdenton, Missouri, have just 195 00:11:06,333 --> 00:11:10,118 recovered a pill bottle on the body of Tommy Hope. 196 00:11:10,194 --> 00:11:12,504 But the name on the bottle isn't his. 197 00:11:12,580 --> 00:11:16,749 It's the woman who'd first discovered Tommy's body. 198 00:11:16,826 --> 00:11:18,751 - BRIAN: If Cindy didn't have anything to do with it, 199 00:11:18,828 --> 00:11:22,597 then we wanted to know if she had some idea who might have. 200 00:11:24,926 --> 00:11:27,093 - NARRATOR: Investigators head to the nearby home 201 00:11:27,170 --> 00:11:28,678 of Patricia Strouse 202 00:11:28,689 --> 00:11:32,023 to speak with Cindy Christiansen and Brian Norton, 203 00:11:32,100 --> 00:11:35,268 the two friends who found Tommy's body. 204 00:11:35,344 --> 00:11:39,439 Cindy explains that she and Tommy go way back. 205 00:11:39,515 --> 00:11:42,867 - She had told us that she'd had a previous relationship 206 00:11:42,944 --> 00:11:45,537 several years prior with Tom, 207 00:11:45,613 --> 00:11:47,789 and actually lived with Tom for a while. 208 00:11:49,117 --> 00:11:51,325 - NARRATOR: Cindy says though their romantic relationship 209 00:11:51,402 --> 00:11:55,797 came to an end, she and Tommy continued to party together. 210 00:11:57,074 --> 00:11:59,375 - BRIAN: She seemed to have a reasonable explanation 211 00:11:59,386 --> 00:12:02,837 as to why her pill bottle would have been in his jacket. 212 00:12:02,914 --> 00:12:05,006 That they had been using drugs 213 00:12:05,082 --> 00:12:06,766 and had continued to use drugs together. 214 00:12:08,753 --> 00:12:10,011 - SCOTT: In any homicide investigation, 215 00:12:10,087 --> 00:12:11,304 you look at a number of things. 216 00:12:11,380 --> 00:12:15,150 But the top three things: money, drugs, and sex. 217 00:12:16,427 --> 00:12:18,394 - NARRATOR: Patricia and Brian chime in, 218 00:12:18,405 --> 00:12:20,739 claiming that Tommy's traumatic childhood 219 00:12:20,815 --> 00:12:22,648 and time in the military 220 00:12:22,725 --> 00:12:25,076 pushed him into a pretty serious drug habit 221 00:12:25,153 --> 00:12:27,403 in his adult years. 222 00:12:27,414 --> 00:12:29,489 - He had a thing for cocaine. 223 00:12:29,565 --> 00:12:32,658 And that--if cocaine was around, he was going to do it. 224 00:12:32,735 --> 00:12:36,588 - He always had some drugs, mainly user amounts. 225 00:12:36,664 --> 00:12:39,749 And people would come over and party together 226 00:12:39,760 --> 00:12:42,543 and use Tom's drugs. 227 00:12:42,620 --> 00:12:44,596 There was a variety of drugs-- 228 00:12:44,672 --> 00:12:47,432 methamphetamine, marijuana, cocaine. 229 00:12:48,602 --> 00:12:51,219 - NARRATOR: Patricia believes that Tommy's drug use 230 00:12:51,295 --> 00:12:53,846 might have something to do with his death. 231 00:12:53,923 --> 00:12:56,682 - JEFF: She thought that he owed some money to a drug dealer 232 00:12:56,759 --> 00:13:00,195 out of Clinton, Missouri, by the name of Jeffrey Roarke. 233 00:13:01,615 --> 00:13:05,608 - NARRATOR: To investigators, it's a familiar name. 234 00:13:05,619 --> 00:13:07,693 - JEFF: Jeff Roarke was a big drug dealer. 235 00:13:07,770 --> 00:13:11,539 He supplied a lot of drugs to the lake area. 236 00:13:12,650 --> 00:13:16,869 - NARRATOR: Patricia has one other lead for investigators. 237 00:13:16,946 --> 00:13:20,706 She shares that one of Tommy's recent romantic flings had been 238 00:13:20,783 --> 00:13:26,254 with a married woman-- 27-year-old Clara Rector. 239 00:13:26,330 --> 00:13:29,465 - She did mention that Clara and Tom had 240 00:13:29,476 --> 00:13:34,053 had a relationship and that Clara's husband, Jason, 241 00:13:34,130 --> 00:13:36,430 had threatened Tom. 242 00:13:36,507 --> 00:13:40,601 - Tom told me just a few days before he was killed 243 00:13:40,678 --> 00:13:44,105 that Jason had made a threat for him to stay away from Clara 244 00:13:44,181 --> 00:13:46,732 or he would be sorry. 245 00:13:46,809 --> 00:13:50,987 He was worried about Jason, because Tom did say he kept 246 00:13:50,997 --> 00:13:55,783 trying to get Clara to stay away and she wouldn't stay away. 247 00:13:55,860 --> 00:13:59,912 - NARRATOR: Investigators move on to their two new leads. 248 00:13:59,989 --> 00:14:02,123 - BRIAN: It kind of boiled down to two different possibilities, 249 00:14:02,199 --> 00:14:05,510 one being a guy that he owed a lot of money to for drugs. 250 00:14:05,587 --> 00:14:08,847 And the second was Clara Rector's husband, Jason. 251 00:14:10,875 --> 00:14:12,258 - NARRATOR: As they begin tracking down 252 00:14:12,335 --> 00:14:13,926 their new suspects, 253 00:14:14,003 --> 00:14:19,181 investigators receive word that Tommy's autopsy is complete. 254 00:14:19,192 --> 00:14:21,684 The medical examiner reports Tommy died 255 00:14:21,695 --> 00:14:25,813 three to four days before he was found. 256 00:14:25,890 --> 00:14:28,608 - JEFF: They had a possible time of death 257 00:14:28,684 --> 00:14:32,695 of either on late in the evening on the 24th 258 00:14:32,706 --> 00:14:35,656 or early in the morning of the 25th. 259 00:14:35,733 --> 00:14:38,618 - NARRATOR: The medical examiner also determined the large cut 260 00:14:38,694 --> 00:14:42,547 to Tommy's neck isn't what killed him. 261 00:14:42,624 --> 00:14:44,832 - ERIC: That was not the lethal wound. 262 00:14:44,909 --> 00:14:46,876 He had been stabbed eight or nine times 263 00:14:46,887 --> 00:14:48,669 in his torso and his arm. 264 00:14:48,746 --> 00:14:51,672 And there were three of those puncture wounds that 265 00:14:51,749 --> 00:14:55,351 the Medical Examiner determined was the lethal wound. 266 00:14:56,638 --> 00:14:58,846 - JEFF: With the amount of stab wounds, 267 00:14:58,923 --> 00:15:02,901 and the cut to the throat, it would lead me to believe 268 00:15:02,977 --> 00:15:08,865 at that point that it was somebody that was angry at Tom. 269 00:15:11,227 --> 00:15:12,243 - NARRATOR: The autopsy findings 270 00:15:12,320 --> 00:15:16,155 support a motive for both current leads. 271 00:15:16,232 --> 00:15:17,564 - ERIC: This was something 272 00:15:17,642 --> 00:15:21,160 that was more of a personal relationship type thing. 273 00:15:21,237 --> 00:15:23,630 Somebody exacting revenge. 274 00:15:25,950 --> 00:15:28,584 - NARRATOR: Detectives decide to first investigate the affair 275 00:15:28,595 --> 00:15:30,762 with Clara Rector. 276 00:15:30,838 --> 00:15:33,714 On April 28, they find her at her home 277 00:15:33,791 --> 00:15:37,051 and start asking questions. 278 00:15:37,128 --> 00:15:38,260 - ERIC: She was honest about 279 00:15:38,271 --> 00:15:40,846 the nature of her relationship with Tom. 280 00:15:40,923 --> 00:15:43,724 That they had been in a romantic relationship, 281 00:15:43,801 --> 00:15:45,851 that she had left her husband 282 00:15:45,928 --> 00:15:48,947 and moved in with Tom for a period of time. 283 00:15:49,023 --> 00:15:54,026 And Clara told police that she had seen Tom recently, 284 00:15:54,103 --> 00:15:56,746 within the past few days prior to his death. 285 00:15:59,150 --> 00:16:00,700 - NARRATOR: When Clara met Tommy, 286 00:16:00,776 --> 00:16:04,745 it didn't take them long to find common ground. 287 00:16:04,822 --> 00:16:10,042 Clara was born in California in 1976 and, like Tommy, 288 00:16:10,119 --> 00:16:14,547 her early years were marred by upheaval and abuse. 289 00:16:14,623 --> 00:16:16,549 - BRIAN: When she was less than two years old, 290 00:16:16,625 --> 00:16:19,644 she had been removed from her home--her and her brother. 291 00:16:19,721 --> 00:16:22,555 They were eventually adopted by a family 292 00:16:22,631 --> 00:16:24,223 that moved to the Lake of the Ozarks. 293 00:16:24,300 --> 00:16:27,059 And that's how they ended up, uh, at the Lake of the Ozarks. 294 00:16:27,136 --> 00:16:30,822 - AMY: Clara was a sweet, sensible person. 295 00:16:30,898 --> 00:16:33,491 Like, she would want to hug, you know. 296 00:16:33,568 --> 00:16:34,942 It was somebody that she would want to walk up 297 00:16:35,019 --> 00:16:38,571 and give a hug to, and just be friends with. 298 00:16:38,647 --> 00:16:42,742 - NARRATOR: At 19, Clara fell in love and married. 299 00:16:42,818 --> 00:16:46,579 Just after learning she was pregnant, tragedy struck. 300 00:16:46,655 --> 00:16:50,583 Her young husband died in a car accident. 301 00:16:50,659 --> 00:16:52,126 - KELLEY: She told me that she had a husband 302 00:16:52,203 --> 00:16:53,586 that had passed away. 303 00:16:53,662 --> 00:16:56,589 She was very much still in love with him, 304 00:16:56,665 --> 00:16:58,674 and she misses--you know, missed him a lot. 305 00:16:58,685 --> 00:17:02,261 She got angry with God for a while about taking her husband. 306 00:17:02,338 --> 00:17:06,441 - That was when Clara's battle with drug addiction began. 307 00:17:10,012 --> 00:17:13,814 - NARRATOR: Clara soon started dating Jason Rector. 308 00:17:13,891 --> 00:17:15,608 - AMY: I would've thought that Clara and Jason 309 00:17:15,684 --> 00:17:18,369 had been together since high school. 310 00:17:18,446 --> 00:17:21,697 The way that they behaved together, 311 00:17:21,708 --> 00:17:25,043 somebody was touching an arm or a thigh or, you know, 312 00:17:25,119 --> 00:17:28,120 they were just really sweet with one another. 313 00:17:28,197 --> 00:17:31,707 - NARRATOR: In 1999, Clara and Jason married. 314 00:17:31,718 --> 00:17:33,834 Jason adopted Clara's child. 315 00:17:33,911 --> 00:17:35,553 And over the next three years, 316 00:17:35,630 --> 00:17:38,473 the couple had two more children of their own. 317 00:17:41,561 --> 00:17:45,063 Though they appeared happy, behind closed doors, 318 00:17:45,139 --> 00:17:46,898 there was trouble. 319 00:17:46,974 --> 00:17:48,474 - KELLEY: They both were in addiction 320 00:17:48,551 --> 00:17:49,975 when they came together. 321 00:17:50,052 --> 00:17:51,644 Clara had addiction problems. He had addiction problems. 322 00:17:51,720 --> 00:17:54,072 And they were trying to not have that anymore. 323 00:17:54,148 --> 00:17:58,576 I'm not sure if it was pills or pot, or meth or alcohol, 324 00:17:58,653 --> 00:18:01,579 but coming off that stuff makes you irritable. 325 00:18:01,656 --> 00:18:02,988 So they fought a lot. 326 00:18:03,065 --> 00:18:04,916 They were not happy together at that time. 327 00:18:04,992 --> 00:18:06,659 He straightened up. And Clara, it's just-- 328 00:18:06,735 --> 00:18:07,960 addiction's hard to beat. 329 00:18:11,499 --> 00:18:15,167 - NARRATOR: When she met Tommy Hope in the summer of 2003, 330 00:18:15,244 --> 00:18:19,931 26-year-old Clara found someone who understood her. 331 00:18:20,007 --> 00:18:21,674 - They both had difficult circumstances 332 00:18:21,750 --> 00:18:23,592 in their childhood, in growing up. 333 00:18:23,603 --> 00:18:29,014 So they probably connected in that way. 334 00:18:29,091 --> 00:18:31,684 - NARRATOR: While Jason worked on his sobriety, 335 00:18:31,760 --> 00:18:35,855 Clara continued to feed her addiction with Tommy. 336 00:18:35,931 --> 00:18:39,191 - ERIC: The call of drugs was very strong for her. 337 00:18:39,268 --> 00:18:42,278 And despite wanting to be faithful to her husband 338 00:18:42,288 --> 00:18:46,073 and wanting to sort of keep on the straight and narrow, 339 00:18:46,150 --> 00:18:49,076 she moved in with Tom. 340 00:18:49,153 --> 00:18:52,371 It was obviously very upsetting to Jason. 341 00:18:52,448 --> 00:18:56,134 He was unhappy, he was angry. 342 00:18:56,210 --> 00:18:59,378 - JEFF: Her husband had kind of interceded a little bit 343 00:18:59,455 --> 00:19:01,806 and came in and got her. 344 00:19:01,883 --> 00:19:05,560 She, uh, ended up going to a rehabilitation center. 345 00:19:09,056 --> 00:19:12,224 - NARRATOR: After finishing rehab in December 2003, 346 00:19:12,301 --> 00:19:16,228 Clara returned home to Jason and the kids. 347 00:19:16,305 --> 00:19:18,647 - JEFF: She moved back in with her husband. 348 00:19:18,658 --> 00:19:22,827 And they had reconciled their relationship. 349 00:19:22,904 --> 00:19:25,571 - She wanted to live a--a life of God. 350 00:19:25,648 --> 00:19:29,408 And that's-- marriage is binding. 351 00:19:29,485 --> 00:19:32,003 And so she wanted to uphold that. 352 00:19:32,079 --> 00:19:33,913 At least give it a try, her best effort. 353 00:19:33,989 --> 00:19:37,333 - ♪ 354 00:19:37,343 --> 00:19:39,960 - NARRATOR: But five months after leaving rehab, 355 00:19:40,037 --> 00:19:41,962 Clara now sits with investigators 356 00:19:42,039 --> 00:19:44,256 in the wake of Tommy's murder 357 00:19:44,333 --> 00:19:48,469 and admits that her sobriety hasn't lasted. 358 00:19:48,545 --> 00:19:53,098 - JEFF: According to Clara, she remained in contact with Tom, 359 00:19:53,175 --> 00:19:57,978 and would go by and use drugs with Tom on occasion without 360 00:19:58,055 --> 00:20:00,439 the knowledge of her husband. 361 00:20:00,516 --> 00:20:02,107 She did not want her husband 362 00:20:02,184 --> 00:20:05,277 to know that she was seeing Tom again. 363 00:20:05,354 --> 00:20:08,155 - NARRATOR: Detectives now wonder if Jason found out 364 00:20:08,232 --> 00:20:10,616 about Clara's secret. 365 00:20:10,693 --> 00:20:12,101 - BRIAN: He certainly had motive. 366 00:20:12,103 --> 00:20:13,961 And he might've been the one that actually killed him. 367 00:20:16,907 --> 00:20:18,716 - NARRATOR: After wrapping up with Clara, 368 00:20:18,793 --> 00:20:21,835 investigators quickly turn to her husband, Jason, 369 00:20:21,912 --> 00:20:26,840 who isn't shy about his feelings for the victim, Tommy Hope. 370 00:20:26,917 --> 00:20:31,562 - ERIC: When Clara left Jason to move in at Tom's house 371 00:20:31,639 --> 00:20:35,975 in Camdenton, Jason was very upset. 372 00:20:36,051 --> 00:20:40,071 He blamed Tom for a lot of Clara's problems, 373 00:20:40,147 --> 00:20:43,908 blamed Tom for Clara's drug use. 374 00:20:43,985 --> 00:20:46,744 - He did threaten Tom and tell him he needed to stay away 375 00:20:46,821 --> 00:20:49,071 from his wife. 376 00:20:49,082 --> 00:20:53,993 Jason actually said that he knew that we'd be talking to him 377 00:20:54,069 --> 00:20:56,420 and that he would be a person of interest in this 378 00:20:56,497 --> 00:20:58,839 because of the threats that he had made against Tom. 379 00:21:01,410 --> 00:21:02,651 - NARRATOR: Coming up: 380 00:21:02,653 --> 00:21:06,588 Had a jealous husband reached a boiling point? 381 00:21:06,599 --> 00:21:08,507 - He said, "I'm glad he's dead." 382 00:21:08,584 --> 00:21:11,385 - NARRATOR: And a new lead pulls the investigation into 383 00:21:11,462 --> 00:21:14,179 an entirely different direction. 384 00:21:14,256 --> 00:21:17,933 - He said, "I owe somebody a lot of money and I don't have it." 385 00:21:17,944 --> 00:21:19,685 - JEFF: This may have possibly 386 00:21:19,762 --> 00:21:21,946 been the break we were looking for. 387 00:21:23,691 --> 00:21:27,201 - ♪ 388 00:21:30,956 --> 00:21:34,333 - ♪ 389 00:21:36,445 --> 00:21:39,038 - NARRATOR: Missouri authorities investigating the slaying 390 00:21:39,114 --> 00:21:44,251 of Tommy Hope are questioning Clara Rector's husband, Jason. 391 00:21:44,328 --> 00:21:47,796 While Jason doesn't hide his animosity for the victim, 392 00:21:47,807 --> 00:21:51,058 he insists he had nothing to do with the murder. 393 00:21:52,294 --> 00:21:55,637 - When they interviewed him, he said, "I didn't do it, 394 00:21:55,648 --> 00:21:57,315 but I'm glad he's dead." 395 00:21:59,301 --> 00:22:01,894 - He said that he had thought about killing Tom 396 00:22:01,970 --> 00:22:03,771 at one point. 397 00:22:03,847 --> 00:22:06,157 But he said he never followed through with it. 398 00:22:09,904 --> 00:22:10,903 - NARRATOR: Jason and Clara 399 00:22:10,979 --> 00:22:12,780 vouch for each other's whereabouts 400 00:22:12,856 --> 00:22:15,324 during the timeframe investigators believe 401 00:22:15,335 --> 00:22:17,493 Tommy was killed. 402 00:22:17,503 --> 00:22:19,495 - It looked like he had died sometime late 403 00:22:19,505 --> 00:22:22,748 Saturday night/early Sunday morning sometime. 404 00:22:22,825 --> 00:22:23,916 - ERIC: On Saturday, 405 00:22:23,992 --> 00:22:25,751 they had been out together running errands. 406 00:22:25,828 --> 00:22:29,088 And they spent the evening with their children watching movies. 407 00:22:29,164 --> 00:22:31,015 On Sunday, they attended church. 408 00:22:31,092 --> 00:22:34,518 And then afterwards, watched NASCAR at their home. 409 00:22:34,595 --> 00:22:38,430 So they told investigators that they were with each other 410 00:22:38,507 --> 00:22:41,817 the entire time that Tom might have been killed. 411 00:22:42,719 --> 00:22:43,811 - BRIAN: They both said that 412 00:22:43,887 --> 00:22:45,270 they had been together that weekend, 413 00:22:45,347 --> 00:22:48,273 and that's the only information they had provided us. 414 00:22:48,350 --> 00:22:51,026 - NARRATOR: Despite a strong personal motive, 415 00:22:51,037 --> 00:22:55,873 investigators find no proof of Jason's involvement. 416 00:22:55,950 --> 00:22:57,357 - BRIAN: He denied it. 417 00:22:57,435 --> 00:23:00,169 There was just no real evidence that tied him to it. 418 00:23:03,907 --> 00:23:04,998 - NARRATOR: Just hours after 419 00:23:05,075 --> 00:23:06,834 their interview with the Rectors, 420 00:23:06,910 --> 00:23:08,127 investigators hear from 421 00:23:08,203 --> 00:23:11,263 another friend of Tommy's, Brenda McCabe. 422 00:23:12,541 --> 00:23:15,393 Brenda tells them that days before his death, 423 00:23:15,469 --> 00:23:19,188 Tommy had shown up at her door, asking for refuge. 424 00:23:20,382 --> 00:23:22,641 - BRENDA: The look on his face and the look in his eyes, 425 00:23:22,718 --> 00:23:25,227 something was very, very wrong. 426 00:23:25,238 --> 00:23:28,739 And I said, "Well, come on in." And he stepped in. 427 00:23:28,816 --> 00:23:31,534 He said, "They're gonna get me. They're gonna get me." 428 00:23:33,154 --> 00:23:35,362 I said, "Who's they? What are you talking about?" 429 00:23:35,439 --> 00:23:39,575 He said, "I owe somebody a lot of money and I don't have it." 430 00:23:39,585 --> 00:23:41,585 And I was like, "Who are you talking about, Tommy?" 431 00:23:41,662 --> 00:23:43,662 And he said, "I--I--I'm not gonna tell you that." 432 00:23:43,739 --> 00:23:46,874 He said, "The least you know, the better off you are." 433 00:23:46,950 --> 00:23:49,001 He said, "If something happens to me, Brenda, 434 00:23:49,077 --> 00:23:51,378 it's because I couldn't pay it." 435 00:23:51,455 --> 00:23:54,140 He was scared. He was literally very scared. 436 00:23:55,509 --> 00:23:58,436 - NARRATOR: Tommy wouldn't tell Brenda who he was indebted to. 437 00:23:58,512 --> 00:24:01,180 But investigators already have a name in mind 438 00:24:01,256 --> 00:24:04,191 from a previous tip: Jeff Roarke. 439 00:24:05,761 --> 00:24:08,446 - JEFF: This may have possibly been the break 440 00:24:08,522 --> 00:24:09,938 we were looking for. 441 00:24:09,949 --> 00:24:13,117 There's a possibility that this may be the guy. 442 00:24:13,194 --> 00:24:16,111 - ♪ 443 00:24:16,122 --> 00:24:18,405 - NARRATOR: Investigators head to Clinton, Missouri, 444 00:24:18,482 --> 00:24:23,118 where Jeff has a reputation as a dangerous drug dealer. 445 00:24:23,129 --> 00:24:25,629 - JEFF: We made contact with Jeff in Clinton 446 00:24:25,706 --> 00:24:29,082 and talked to him about Tom. 447 00:24:29,159 --> 00:24:32,803 He was aware that Tom had been killed. 448 00:24:32,880 --> 00:24:34,630 He said that he had received phone calls 449 00:24:34,640 --> 00:24:36,548 from several different people. 450 00:24:36,625 --> 00:24:39,426 - NARRATOR: Jeff admits that the last time he saw Tommy, 451 00:24:39,503 --> 00:24:44,431 he had fronted him a mere $35 worth of marijuana. 452 00:24:44,508 --> 00:24:47,818 - Tom did not have the money for it and so he allowed him to 453 00:24:47,895 --> 00:24:52,105 take, take the drugs, owing him money for those drugs. 454 00:24:52,182 --> 00:24:53,941 This was a couple weeks prior, 455 00:24:54,017 --> 00:24:57,277 and Jeff had not received his money. 456 00:24:57,354 --> 00:24:59,163 - NARRATOR: Jeff tells investigators he has 457 00:24:59,240 --> 00:25:01,907 bigger things to worry about than a small debt 458 00:25:01,984 --> 00:25:04,076 from someone like Tommy. 459 00:25:04,152 --> 00:25:05,336 - ERIC: He admitted that, yes, 460 00:25:05,412 --> 00:25:07,913 they were involved in criminal activity, 461 00:25:07,990 --> 00:25:10,290 but he had nothing to do with Tom's murder. 462 00:25:10,367 --> 00:25:13,335 And he cooperated with the investigation. 463 00:25:13,346 --> 00:25:17,130 - NARRATOR: Jeff also provides an airtight alibi. 464 00:25:17,207 --> 00:25:21,927 - We were able to follow up on the information he gave 465 00:25:22,004 --> 00:25:24,855 and--and it was accurate. 466 00:25:24,932 --> 00:25:28,433 And we could not put him in the area 467 00:25:28,510 --> 00:25:30,986 during the time that Tom was killed. 468 00:25:35,017 --> 00:25:37,034 - NARRATOR: With no new leads to pursue, 469 00:25:37,111 --> 00:25:41,080 the investigation stalls in August 2004. 470 00:25:42,232 --> 00:25:43,532 - JEFF: We went through everything that we had 471 00:25:43,543 --> 00:25:44,708 in the leads. 472 00:25:44,785 --> 00:25:47,035 And we just kept waiting for more to come up. 473 00:25:47,046 --> 00:25:52,049 But as far as, uh, new information that 474 00:25:52,126 --> 00:25:55,627 was valuable, we really didn't receive anything. 475 00:25:55,704 --> 00:25:57,629 - SCOTT: The case was sitting on a shelf. 476 00:25:57,706 --> 00:25:59,205 It had been investigated. 477 00:25:59,283 --> 00:26:02,342 There had been several different theories and lots of ideas, 478 00:26:02,419 --> 00:26:05,679 but nothing that could be proven in court. 479 00:26:05,756 --> 00:26:07,231 - NARRATOR: Investigators have no choice 480 00:26:07,308 --> 00:26:09,775 but to move on to other cases. 481 00:26:12,262 --> 00:26:18,025 - It is frustrating, sad, and I was very angry. 482 00:26:18,101 --> 00:26:20,319 And it's kind of a helpless feeling 483 00:26:20,395 --> 00:26:22,121 that you can't do anything about it. 484 00:26:25,442 --> 00:26:29,086 - NARRATOR: Nine years pass with no new leads, 485 00:26:29,163 --> 00:26:34,499 until April 21, 2013, when a surprising turn 486 00:26:34,576 --> 00:26:38,545 breathes new life into this cold case. 487 00:26:38,622 --> 00:26:40,505 - SCOTT: I go in and--and they're like, "Well, Scott, 488 00:26:40,582 --> 00:26:42,382 we've got some stuff we need to talk to you about." 489 00:26:42,459 --> 00:26:45,177 And so, I thought they were going to invite me 490 00:26:45,253 --> 00:26:46,762 to become a junior deacon. 491 00:26:46,772 --> 00:26:49,231 And I got kinda excited. I was like, "This is great." 492 00:26:50,184 --> 00:26:51,424 - NARRATOR: But the deacons 493 00:26:51,502 --> 00:26:54,770 have more on their minds than church business. 494 00:26:54,780 --> 00:26:58,607 Pastor Jerry Sousley explains that for the last year, 495 00:26:58,618 --> 00:27:01,568 a seemingly upstanding congregation member 496 00:27:01,645 --> 00:27:05,781 has been exhibiting disturbing behavior. 497 00:27:05,791 --> 00:27:07,074 - SCOTT: He goes on to explain 498 00:27:07,150 --> 00:27:08,792 this had been ongoing for several months, 499 00:27:08,869 --> 00:27:11,453 that this church member had been leaving notes 500 00:27:11,464 --> 00:27:16,041 for him at his desk at church, had come to his house. 501 00:27:16,118 --> 00:27:19,595 - NARRATOR: The church member is none other than Clara Rector. 502 00:27:21,456 --> 00:27:24,308 - Clara became attached to Jerry Sousley to the point where 503 00:27:24,385 --> 00:27:27,094 it almost became an infatuation. 504 00:27:27,170 --> 00:27:29,813 - NARRATOR: Clara's obsession with the pastor came to a head 505 00:27:29,890 --> 00:27:35,811 on April 19, when she left a spiral notebook on his desk. 506 00:27:35,821 --> 00:27:40,982 - She wrote down her feelings and wrote a story 507 00:27:40,993 --> 00:27:43,443 in almost like a diary-type fashion. 508 00:27:43,520 --> 00:27:46,446 And the story involved a woman 509 00:27:46,523 --> 00:27:50,000 and how much she liked her pastor, 510 00:27:50,077 --> 00:27:51,502 how handsome she found him, 511 00:27:51,578 --> 00:27:54,329 and how she wanted him to hold her 512 00:27:54,340 --> 00:27:58,133 and other topics that were of a sexual nature. 513 00:27:59,536 --> 00:28:04,005 She wrote these down in a spiral notebook and deposited this book 514 00:28:04,016 --> 00:28:05,641 on Pastor Sousley's desk. 515 00:28:07,878 --> 00:28:10,804 - NARRATOR: Pastor Sousley says Clara's erratic behavior 516 00:28:10,881 --> 00:28:15,651 reminded him of a conversation he had with her in July 2012. 517 00:28:17,012 --> 00:28:20,147 - He was concerned because that previous summer, 518 00:28:20,223 --> 00:28:24,702 Clara had detailed a crime that she might've been involved in 519 00:28:24,778 --> 00:28:26,370 that resulted in murder. 520 00:28:29,566 --> 00:28:32,793 - NARRATOR: Coming up: a pastor clears his conscience. 521 00:28:38,742 --> 00:28:41,552 - NARRATOR: And a cold-hearted revelation comes to light. 522 00:28:48,635 --> 00:28:52,312 - ♪ 523 00:28:55,959 --> 00:28:59,445 - ♪ 524 00:29:00,597 --> 00:29:01,905 - ♪ 525 00:29:01,982 --> 00:29:04,232 - NARRATOR: Almost a decade after the brutal murder 526 00:29:04,243 --> 00:29:07,402 of Tommy Hope, Detective Scott Hines 527 00:29:07,413 --> 00:29:09,246 gets an unexpected break 528 00:29:09,323 --> 00:29:11,907 when his pastor, Jerry Sousley, 529 00:29:11,917 --> 00:29:14,910 reveals a string of concerning interactions 530 00:29:14,920 --> 00:29:17,921 with one of his parishioners, Clara Rector. 531 00:29:19,241 --> 00:29:20,758 - BRIAN: She was stalking him, 532 00:29:20,834 --> 00:29:23,502 which he took that as a threat, given the fact that she had 533 00:29:23,578 --> 00:29:28,089 confessed to him that she had killed somebody. 534 00:29:28,100 --> 00:29:29,257 - SCOTT: I knew Clara. 535 00:29:29,268 --> 00:29:31,092 Oftentimes we shared the same pew, 536 00:29:31,103 --> 00:29:33,178 usually second from the front. 537 00:29:33,255 --> 00:29:35,597 I couldn't believe that Clara would do something like that. 538 00:29:35,608 --> 00:29:38,517 After the initial disbelief, I had an immediate acceptance of, 539 00:29:38,593 --> 00:29:42,529 okay, I have an obligation to find out what was going on. 540 00:29:44,599 --> 00:29:46,274 - NARRATOR: On April 22, 541 00:29:46,285 --> 00:29:48,619 Detective Hines asks Pastor Sousley 542 00:29:48,695 --> 00:29:51,622 to come to the station for a formal statement. 543 00:29:53,200 --> 00:29:55,534 Once there, Pastor Sousley explains 544 00:29:55,610 --> 00:29:58,462 that he reprimanded Clara four days earlier 545 00:29:58,539 --> 00:30:00,580 for giving him a notebook filled with her 546 00:30:00,657 --> 00:30:02,966 handwritten erotic fantasies. 547 00:30:30,854 --> 00:30:33,071 - NARRATOR: The pastor says that when he refused to give 548 00:30:33,148 --> 00:30:36,625 the notebook back to Clara, she threatened him. 549 00:30:55,429 --> 00:30:57,512 - He became concerned for his own safety 550 00:30:57,523 --> 00:30:59,005 and the safety of his family. 551 00:30:59,083 --> 00:31:00,983 He felt he had to say something to somebody about it. 552 00:31:02,010 --> 00:31:04,519 - She just kept, continued to harass him 553 00:31:04,530 --> 00:31:07,489 and so he filed harassment charges. 554 00:31:09,869 --> 00:31:12,527 - NARRATOR: Detectives ask the pastor for more details about 555 00:31:12,538 --> 00:31:16,114 Clara's alleged murder confession. 556 00:31:16,191 --> 00:31:19,492 - SCOTT: He said one night, Clara Rector approached him, 557 00:31:19,569 --> 00:31:22,045 and told him that she had some things to tell him. 558 00:31:22,122 --> 00:31:24,289 And at some point or other, conversation continues, 559 00:31:24,366 --> 00:31:27,667 and she tells him that she had killed someone in her past-- 560 00:31:27,744 --> 00:31:29,928 a man in Camdenton, in his home. 561 00:31:57,583 --> 00:31:58,990 - SCOTT: As Pastor Sousley continued to make 562 00:31:59,067 --> 00:32:01,701 the description of what she told him, 563 00:32:01,778 --> 00:32:02,920 it started to click in my mind. 564 00:32:02,996 --> 00:32:05,580 And I remembered, well, there's only one case 565 00:32:05,591 --> 00:32:07,874 that's even remotely close to that, 566 00:32:07,951 --> 00:32:09,426 and it's the Tommy Hope murder. 567 00:32:10,763 --> 00:32:14,932 - NARRATOR: The pastor urged Clara and Jason to go the police 568 00:32:15,008 --> 00:32:17,726 and followed up with the couple a few days later. 569 00:32:38,791 --> 00:32:43,535 - Given the circumstances that she had confessed to him 570 00:32:43,611 --> 00:32:45,453 in a counseling session, in my mind, 571 00:32:45,464 --> 00:32:49,624 it was not inappropriate that he did not tell law enforcement 572 00:32:49,635 --> 00:32:52,010 or somebody else about that confession. 573 00:32:53,329 --> 00:32:56,464 - NARRATOR: Months later, when the sexual advances began, 574 00:32:56,475 --> 00:32:59,643 Pastor Sousley knew he had to say something. 575 00:33:18,405 --> 00:33:20,822 - NARRATOR: When investigators look into what Clara has been 576 00:33:20,833 --> 00:33:23,658 up to in the last nine years, 577 00:33:23,669 --> 00:33:27,170 they find that not only has she maintained her sobriety, 578 00:33:27,247 --> 00:33:30,841 Clara has tried to help others reach the same goal. 579 00:33:32,702 --> 00:33:34,678 - SCOTT: She started kind of 580 00:33:34,755 --> 00:33:37,172 trying to help other people get off of drugs. 581 00:33:37,182 --> 00:33:39,674 In fact, she had written an article for the local paper 582 00:33:39,685 --> 00:33:43,678 about drug abuse and helping people get away from it. 583 00:33:43,689 --> 00:33:47,766 - ERIC: Clara took a lot of strides to better herself. 584 00:33:47,842 --> 00:33:52,353 She really wanted to become a good wife and mother. 585 00:33:52,364 --> 00:33:55,690 She became, I think, a bit more outspoken about her faith 586 00:33:55,701 --> 00:33:58,985 and the way it helped her overcome 587 00:33:59,062 --> 00:34:00,871 a drug addiction and drug habits. 588 00:34:03,709 --> 00:34:06,710 - NARRATOR: Nonetheless, investigators formulate a plan 589 00:34:06,787 --> 00:34:10,830 to place the 36-year-old under arrest. 590 00:34:10,907 --> 00:34:12,883 - SCOTT: We had to get her into custody before we could even 591 00:34:12,959 --> 00:34:16,127 start thinking about talking to her about the murder. 592 00:34:16,204 --> 00:34:18,889 And the only way to do that was to get her on the stalking case, 593 00:34:18,965 --> 00:34:21,558 which we had probable cause for. 594 00:34:21,635 --> 00:34:23,635 - We filed a criminal charge for some type of 595 00:34:23,711 --> 00:34:28,565 harassment based upon her stalking her pastor. 596 00:34:28,642 --> 00:34:29,791 - NARRATOR: Assuming that Clara 597 00:34:29,793 --> 00:34:31,902 will show up at church Sunday morning, 598 00:34:31,978 --> 00:34:35,814 Detective Hines executes his plan. 599 00:34:35,890 --> 00:34:36,981 - SCOTT: We came to the conclusion 600 00:34:37,058 --> 00:34:39,067 that as the church service began, 601 00:34:39,078 --> 00:34:41,402 we were going to shut and lock the doors 602 00:34:41,413 --> 00:34:42,487 Sunday morning. 603 00:34:42,564 --> 00:34:44,823 Just in case Clara showed up, 604 00:34:44,899 --> 00:34:49,494 we didn't want there to be a disturbance inside the building. 605 00:34:49,571 --> 00:34:52,422 Within a few minutes of the beginning of the church service, 606 00:34:52,499 --> 00:34:55,708 the pastor's wife hollers for me. 607 00:34:55,785 --> 00:34:57,377 I charge off towards the back of the building. 608 00:34:57,453 --> 00:35:01,756 And as I go out the door, I see Clara's pickup truck 609 00:35:01,767 --> 00:35:04,768 heading south away from the church building. 610 00:35:04,845 --> 00:35:07,512 So, I get on the phone and I call up to dispatch 611 00:35:07,589 --> 00:35:09,606 and I asked for them to send me a unit. 612 00:35:09,683 --> 00:35:12,776 The on-duty deputy went looking for her. 613 00:35:12,853 --> 00:35:14,519 The church service was still going on. 614 00:35:14,596 --> 00:35:16,780 And he called me and let me know that he had found her 615 00:35:16,857 --> 00:35:18,949 and taken her into custody on the stalking charge. 616 00:35:21,862 --> 00:35:24,070 - NARRATOR: Investigators who worked Tommy Hope's case 617 00:35:24,147 --> 00:35:27,791 back in 2004 arrive at the Camden County Jail 618 00:35:27,868 --> 00:35:30,252 to conduct the interview with Clara. 619 00:35:31,797 --> 00:35:33,121 - SCOTT: They had already talked to her before. 620 00:35:33,132 --> 00:35:34,372 They had the details of the case. 621 00:35:34,449 --> 00:35:35,966 And since they were so intimately familiar with 622 00:35:36,042 --> 00:35:38,260 the case, it was better for them to do the interview. 623 00:35:39,454 --> 00:35:41,713 - NARRATOR: They begin by questioning Clara about 624 00:35:41,789 --> 00:35:44,141 the stalking charges she was brought in on. 625 00:36:06,981 --> 00:36:08,665 - SCOTT: During the interview with her, 626 00:36:08,742 --> 00:36:10,825 initially was about the stalking. 627 00:36:10,836 --> 00:36:13,828 And that was a way for the members of the patrol, 628 00:36:13,839 --> 00:36:17,498 the investigators, to develop this rapport with her, 629 00:36:17,509 --> 00:36:20,335 to get her just kind of talking. 630 00:36:20,345 --> 00:36:23,087 - NARRATOR: But investigators soon shift the conversation to 631 00:36:23,164 --> 00:36:26,183 what they really came to talk about: 632 00:36:26,259 --> 00:36:28,176 Tommy Hope's murder. 633 00:36:28,187 --> 00:36:30,595 - SCOTT: At one point, one of the troopers asked her, 634 00:36:30,672 --> 00:36:32,805 "Clara, do you remember me?" 635 00:36:32,882 --> 00:36:36,693 And physically she kind of leans back a little bit 636 00:36:36,770 --> 00:36:39,771 and says, "No, I don't think so." 637 00:36:39,847 --> 00:36:45,818 And so he says, "Well, we met years ago 638 00:36:45,895 --> 00:36:48,330 while we were talking about this--this other case." 639 00:37:11,713 --> 00:37:13,121 - SCOTT: She knew she was caught. 640 00:37:13,123 --> 00:37:16,808 She knew as soon as they mentioned that she had confessed 641 00:37:16,884 --> 00:37:19,569 to Pastor Sousley, she knew, "Okay, this is it." 642 00:37:19,646 --> 00:37:22,355 - ♪ 643 00:37:22,432 --> 00:37:23,314 - NARRATOR: Coming up: 644 00:37:23,391 --> 00:37:25,149 After nine long years, 645 00:37:25,226 --> 00:37:28,995 a killer hiding in plain sight finally tells all. 646 00:37:38,498 --> 00:37:41,249 - When she didn't get what she thought she would, 647 00:37:41,260 --> 00:37:42,425 she lost it. 648 00:37:45,788 --> 00:37:49,432 - ♪ 649 00:37:53,086 --> 00:37:56,356 - ♪ 650 00:37:57,517 --> 00:37:58,942 - ♪ 651 00:37:59,019 --> 00:38:02,353 - NARRATOR: Nearly a decade after Tommy Hope's murder, 652 00:38:02,430 --> 00:38:04,948 detectives are in an interrogation room with 653 00:38:05,025 --> 00:38:07,617 36-year-old Clara Rector, 654 00:38:07,694 --> 00:38:10,862 who'd allegedly confessed her involvement in Tommy's murder 655 00:38:10,938 --> 00:38:13,957 to her pastor just one year earlier. 656 00:38:15,294 --> 00:38:17,627 - SCOTT: We know now, based on the evidence at hand 657 00:38:17,704 --> 00:38:19,129 and based now on this confession 658 00:38:19,205 --> 00:38:20,797 that she had given to Pastor Sousley 659 00:38:20,874 --> 00:38:22,915 that we've got the right person. 660 00:38:22,992 --> 00:38:24,709 We knew if we get her in the room, get her talking, 661 00:38:24,786 --> 00:38:26,344 we can get there. 662 00:38:33,503 --> 00:38:35,553 - NARRATOR: Clara recalls leaving her home on that 663 00:38:35,630 --> 00:38:38,857 fateful night in April of 2004. 664 00:39:02,198 --> 00:39:04,624 - NARRATOR: Tommy told Clara that he had already used most of 665 00:39:04,700 --> 00:39:06,885 the cocaine he had on hand. 666 00:39:21,601 --> 00:39:24,268 - When she didn't get what she thought she would, 667 00:39:24,345 --> 00:39:26,145 she lost it. 668 00:39:26,222 --> 00:39:28,907 - NARRATOR: Clara grabbed a knife from the kitchen counter. 669 00:39:34,021 --> 00:39:35,113 - SCOTT: She got mad at him. 670 00:39:35,189 --> 00:39:38,041 And she describes taking the kitchen knife, 671 00:39:38,118 --> 00:39:42,045 and at some point, she climbed up on his back 672 00:39:42,122 --> 00:39:43,588 and cut his throat. 673 00:40:31,096 --> 00:40:33,713 - ERIC: She was stabbing him. 674 00:40:33,789 --> 00:40:36,975 She said that she just had really lost all control. 675 00:41:02,627 --> 00:41:05,578 - NARRATOR: Clara went home to find Jason waiting for her 676 00:41:05,655 --> 00:41:06,754 on the front porch. 677 00:41:31,898 --> 00:41:35,775 - I think she felt an enormous sense of relief for 678 00:41:35,851 --> 00:41:39,537 having finally been able to tell her story to the right people. 679 00:41:42,149 --> 00:41:43,666 - NARRATOR: Following her confession, 680 00:41:43,743 --> 00:41:46,836 Clara is charged with first-degree murder. 681 00:41:46,913 --> 00:41:51,582 But Clara isn't the only one who must face the past. 682 00:41:51,659 --> 00:41:55,920 Police also bring her husband, Jason, into custody. 683 00:41:55,997 --> 00:41:57,630 - SCOTT: After I told him what she told us 684 00:41:57,707 --> 00:42:00,183 and we had that moment of acceptance, 685 00:42:00,260 --> 00:42:04,020 then he says, "Yeah, I--I-- I burned, uh, her clothes, 686 00:42:04,097 --> 00:42:06,856 "because when she got home the night after killing Tommy Hope, 687 00:42:06,933 --> 00:42:09,192 she was--she was covered in blood." 688 00:42:09,269 --> 00:42:11,694 I'm positive Jason had that sense of relief. 689 00:42:11,771 --> 00:42:14,697 Jason was glad to get that information off his chest, 690 00:42:14,774 --> 00:42:16,074 just like Clara was. 691 00:42:18,352 --> 00:42:20,319 - NARRATOR: But Jason won't be held accountable 692 00:42:20,396 --> 00:42:22,539 for his involvement. 693 00:42:22,615 --> 00:42:24,207 - BRIAN: With a charge of tampering 694 00:42:24,284 --> 00:42:25,700 with physical evidence, 695 00:42:25,710 --> 00:42:28,369 there was a three-year statute of limitations 696 00:42:28,380 --> 00:42:30,129 and that expired long ago. 697 00:42:31,741 --> 00:42:36,335 - NARRATOR: In November 2014, 37-year-old Clara pleads guilty 698 00:42:36,412 --> 00:42:39,964 to the lesser charge of second-degree murder. 699 00:42:40,041 --> 00:42:42,508 - BRIAN: I don't think a trial was ever really considered 700 00:42:42,585 --> 00:42:45,344 a possibility given her confession. 701 00:42:45,421 --> 00:42:48,398 I settled on recommending, I think, a 15-year sentence. 702 00:42:48,474 --> 00:42:51,183 Given that there'd been so many years between the time 703 00:42:51,260 --> 00:42:53,236 of the murder until we finally solved it, 704 00:42:53,313 --> 00:42:55,021 there'd been no indication 705 00:42:55,097 --> 00:42:57,782 that she was any risk to, uh, anybody else. 706 00:42:59,819 --> 00:43:01,652 - NARRATOR: Many of Tommy's friends feel like 707 00:43:01,729 --> 00:43:05,740 the punishment is too little, too late. 708 00:43:05,750 --> 00:43:08,751 - PATRICIA: I know her prison sentence wasn't very long. 709 00:43:08,828 --> 00:43:14,299 And it was such a violent crime that--that still makes me angry. 710 00:43:15,335 --> 00:43:17,093 - BRENDA: It made me sick to my stomach. 711 00:43:17,170 --> 00:43:18,761 Tommy was a good guy. 712 00:43:18,838 --> 00:43:20,763 And he had a good heart. 713 00:43:20,840 --> 00:43:24,842 He would have gave his all for anybody at any time. 714 00:43:24,919 --> 00:43:27,895 No one deserves to die like that for any reason. 715 00:43:31,017 --> 00:43:38,615 - ♪