1 00:00:02,502 --> 00:00:03,670 - FEMALE NARRATOR: A popular teen is found dead 2 00:00:04,671 --> 00:00:07,799 at a local party spot. 3 00:00:07,841 --> 00:00:11,177 - VICTOR: I don't even know how to describe it. It was horrific. 4 00:00:11,219 --> 00:00:13,471 - NARRATOR: As investigators dig into the case, 5 00:00:13,513 --> 00:00:16,391 they'll uncover a slew of suspects... 6 00:00:27,777 --> 00:00:29,904 - NARRATOR: And shocking allegations will cast 7 00:00:29,946 --> 00:00:33,283 a dark shadow on this small town. 8 00:00:33,324 --> 00:00:34,367 - VICTOR: There was cult activity. 9 00:00:34,409 --> 00:00:35,952 In fact, the rumor was that 10 00:00:35,994 --> 00:00:38,163 it was some sort of ritualized killing. 11 00:00:38,204 --> 00:00:40,915 - BOBBY: Her body was burned beyond recognition. 12 00:00:40,957 --> 00:00:42,042 - NARRATOR: As authorities 13 00:00:42,083 --> 00:00:44,044 navigate a twisted investigation, 14 00:00:44,085 --> 00:00:47,422 the body count rises. 15 00:00:47,464 --> 00:00:49,090 - VICTOR: When they looked down in there, 16 00:00:49,132 --> 00:00:51,718 there was a dead body hung up on some lumber 17 00:00:51,760 --> 00:00:53,511 or a tree or something. 18 00:00:53,553 --> 00:00:56,806 - NARRATOR: A trail of blood links two murders, 19 00:00:56,848 --> 00:00:59,601 but will the killer walk free? 20 00:00:59,642 --> 00:01:01,770 - PAUL: Very few of these cold case files 21 00:01:01,811 --> 00:01:04,814 ever come to fruition. 22 00:01:04,856 --> 00:01:08,818 - CAROL: I want the world to know there's somebody out there 23 00:01:08,860 --> 00:01:11,321 that murdered two people. 24 00:01:13,365 --> 00:01:15,825 - * 25 00:01:25,293 --> 00:01:26,961 - NARRATOR: The Prescott National Forest 26 00:01:27,003 --> 00:01:28,922 provides Prescott, Arizona residents 27 00:01:28,963 --> 00:01:32,467 with endless recreational activities. 28 00:01:32,509 --> 00:01:35,136 - MELINDA: People rode their dirt bikes out there 29 00:01:35,178 --> 00:01:38,890 and would go shooting out there during the, you know, daytime. 30 00:01:40,392 --> 00:01:43,645 - NARRATOR: On the evening of September 29th, 1988, 31 00:01:43,687 --> 00:01:48,441 one target shooter is just finishing up for the night. 32 00:01:48,483 --> 00:01:50,735 As he makes his way back to his truck, 33 00:01:50,777 --> 00:01:55,365 he comes across one of the area's many fire pits. 34 00:01:55,407 --> 00:01:57,158 - VICTOR: So there was a pile of garbage bags there, 35 00:01:57,200 --> 00:01:59,452 and a portion of it had been burned, 36 00:01:59,494 --> 00:02:02,288 and he saw what he thought was a stick poking up 37 00:02:02,330 --> 00:02:03,873 out of the burned area. 38 00:02:03,915 --> 00:02:06,126 - NARRATOR: But as the gentleman moves closer, 39 00:02:06,167 --> 00:02:09,462 he makes a horrific discovery... 40 00:02:09,504 --> 00:02:11,256 - VICTOR: He realized it was an arm. 41 00:02:14,634 --> 00:02:16,344 At which point he had to go to- 42 00:02:16,386 --> 00:02:19,973 I believe he went to a drugstore to call 911. 43 00:02:20,015 --> 00:02:21,307 - NARRATOR: Within minutes, 44 00:02:21,349 --> 00:02:22,767 the Yavapai County Sheriff's Office 45 00:02:22,809 --> 00:02:25,979 responds to the area just out of Prescott city limits 46 00:02:26,021 --> 00:02:28,940 known to locals as "Gordo's Pit." 47 00:02:28,982 --> 00:02:32,068 Where they quickly locate a body. 48 00:02:32,110 --> 00:02:33,987 - TOM: You can tell that there was stuff 49 00:02:34,029 --> 00:02:36,281 that had been dumped on- on top 50 00:02:36,322 --> 00:02:38,408 and had been set on fire. 51 00:02:38,450 --> 00:02:42,620 It was- was incredibly brutal and- and demeaning. 52 00:02:42,662 --> 00:02:45,957 - The body was burned beyond recognition. 53 00:02:45,999 --> 00:02:49,419 - VICTOR: I don't even know how to describe it. It was horrific. 54 00:02:49,461 --> 00:02:51,755 - NARRATOR: Investigators look around for clues, 55 00:02:51,796 --> 00:02:55,342 but have little success. 56 00:02:55,383 --> 00:02:57,677 - TOM: A lot of the other stuff that was around 57 00:02:57,719 --> 00:03:02,223 was hard to discern whether that was trash 58 00:03:02,265 --> 00:03:05,769 or associated with the- with the homicide. 59 00:03:05,810 --> 00:03:08,938 The scientific testing that we do now with DNA, 60 00:03:08,980 --> 00:03:12,359 we can learn very quickly from a lab whether it's related 61 00:03:12,400 --> 00:03:14,944 to our- our case or not. 62 00:03:14,986 --> 00:03:18,656 Back then they didn't have a lot of those tools. 63 00:03:18,698 --> 00:03:20,367 - VICTOR: Could've been the murder location 64 00:03:20,408 --> 00:03:21,743 and the dump site, 65 00:03:21,785 --> 00:03:23,495 or it could've just been the dump site, 66 00:03:23,536 --> 00:03:25,205 but there was no way to determine 67 00:03:25,246 --> 00:03:28,041 if that was the murder site. 68 00:03:28,083 --> 00:03:29,709 - * 69 00:03:29,751 --> 00:03:32,420 - NARRATOR: As investigators continue assessing the scene, 70 00:03:32,462 --> 00:03:36,966 the victim is transported to the coroner's office. 71 00:03:37,008 --> 00:03:38,218 - VICTOR: The medical examiner, 72 00:03:38,259 --> 00:03:40,053 he labeled it homicidal violence, 73 00:03:40,095 --> 00:03:43,765 but he couldn't determine what actually caused the death. 74 00:03:43,807 --> 00:03:45,558 Because of the condition of her body, 75 00:03:45,600 --> 00:03:48,937 there was no way to determine more. 76 00:03:48,978 --> 00:03:52,232 What was found at autopsy were heat-killed fly larvae 77 00:03:52,273 --> 00:03:53,858 as he documented it. 78 00:03:53,900 --> 00:03:56,903 So, from the time the body dies, there's a period of time before 79 00:03:56,945 --> 00:04:00,907 the larvae can grow to a certain level, 80 00:04:00,949 --> 00:04:03,034 and then they were burned. 81 00:04:03,076 --> 00:04:06,705 - The general area of the scene was fairly clear. 82 00:04:06,746 --> 00:04:10,875 It was likely they were killed at another location. 83 00:04:10,917 --> 00:04:13,211 - NARRATOR: While the cause of death is unknown, 84 00:04:13,253 --> 00:04:16,756 the coroner is able to identify the victim. 85 00:04:16,798 --> 00:04:19,426 - BRENDAN: There was a dental records comparison made 86 00:04:19,467 --> 00:04:22,554 and it was determined that the victim was Pamela Pitts. 87 00:04:25,807 --> 00:04:27,058 - * 88 00:04:27,100 --> 00:04:29,144 - BRENDAN: The night Pamela Pitts was last seen 89 00:04:29,185 --> 00:04:31,771 was the night of September 16th, 1988. 90 00:04:31,813 --> 00:04:34,774 Pam was missing, you know, 13 days. 91 00:04:34,816 --> 00:04:38,570 - TOM: Pam was originally reported as a missing person 92 00:04:38,611 --> 00:04:41,281 within the city limits of- of Prescott, 93 00:04:41,322 --> 00:04:43,074 so the Prescott Police Department 94 00:04:43,116 --> 00:04:47,370 had an investigation into her as a missing person. 95 00:04:47,412 --> 00:04:49,247 - NARRATOR: The Yavapai County Sheriff's Office 96 00:04:49,289 --> 00:04:51,541 alerts Prescott PD about the discovery, 97 00:04:51,583 --> 00:04:54,836 and both entities join forces. 98 00:04:54,878 --> 00:04:57,130 - TOM: Once we know who the victim is, 99 00:04:57,172 --> 00:04:59,466 the first place you go is to the people that they knew. 100 00:04:59,507 --> 00:05:01,343 You go to the family. 101 00:05:02,844 --> 00:05:05,388 - * 102 00:05:05,430 --> 00:05:09,559 - PAUL: They came to my house at- in the evening 103 00:05:09,601 --> 00:05:12,270 and came in and sat down and said that they had, uh, 104 00:05:12,312 --> 00:05:13,521 recovered a body. 105 00:05:13,563 --> 00:05:17,484 And that according to the dental records, 106 00:05:17,525 --> 00:05:19,944 that it was Pam. 107 00:05:19,986 --> 00:05:23,823 - NARRATOR: Pam's family is devastated by the news. 108 00:05:23,865 --> 00:05:27,035 - PAUL: It was like, I don't even know 109 00:05:27,077 --> 00:05:28,995 how to describe that. 110 00:05:29,037 --> 00:05:31,998 It was not only heartbreaking but mind-boggling 111 00:05:32,040 --> 00:05:34,542 at the same time, so I was trying to balance 112 00:05:34,584 --> 00:05:38,338 all that stuff a- and figure out who in the heck 113 00:05:38,380 --> 00:05:40,715 could've done this to my daughter, you know? 114 00:05:43,343 --> 00:05:44,844 - * 115 00:05:44,886 --> 00:05:46,846 - NARRATOR: 19-year-old Pam Pitts 116 00:05:46,888 --> 00:05:51,101 was known for her bright smile and zest for life. 117 00:05:51,142 --> 00:05:52,727 - PAUL: Pam was a wonderful kid. 118 00:05:52,769 --> 00:05:56,523 She was always doing something, always wanting to have fun, 119 00:05:56,564 --> 00:05:58,316 and she was the type of person 120 00:05:58,358 --> 00:06:00,860 who could make friends with anybody. 121 00:06:00,902 --> 00:06:05,407 She was outgoing and just excited about life. 122 00:06:05,448 --> 00:06:06,825 - NARRATOR: The oldest of four, 123 00:06:06,866 --> 00:06:10,370 Pam loved nothing more than her family. 124 00:06:10,412 --> 00:06:11,955 - CAROL: She was my sidekick. 125 00:06:11,996 --> 00:06:14,624 She was awesome with all the kids, 126 00:06:14,666 --> 00:06:17,460 and she was an awesome mentor. 127 00:06:17,502 --> 00:06:19,796 - KERRIE: Pam was a pretty amazing big sister, 128 00:06:19,838 --> 00:06:22,465 and she took me under her wing. 129 00:06:22,507 --> 00:06:26,011 She would guide me through life, basically. 130 00:06:26,052 --> 00:06:28,513 She was always there. I could count on her. 131 00:06:28,555 --> 00:06:32,142 I was able to confide in her. 132 00:06:32,183 --> 00:06:33,727 - * 133 00:06:33,768 --> 00:06:36,604 - NARRATOR: By age 19, Pam was ready to leave the nest 134 00:06:36,646 --> 00:06:40,817 and moved in with her new friend, Shelly Norgard. 135 00:06:40,859 --> 00:06:43,278 - PAUL: I think she met Shelly 136 00:06:43,319 --> 00:06:47,741 by mutual contact with other friends. 137 00:06:47,782 --> 00:06:49,743 - BRENDAN: They became really good friends, 138 00:06:49,784 --> 00:06:52,037 and they did a lot of things together. 139 00:06:52,078 --> 00:06:54,748 They had some, uh, friends in common. 140 00:06:54,789 --> 00:06:56,666 - KERRY: Shelly was always kind of awkward. 141 00:06:56,708 --> 00:07:01,004 I don't recall Shelly ever talking about her background. 142 00:07:01,046 --> 00:07:03,673 It had always been a mystery to me 143 00:07:03,715 --> 00:07:08,094 where she came from and, you know, where her parents were. 144 00:07:08,136 --> 00:07:10,805 It seemed like they were never around or in the picture. 145 00:07:10,847 --> 00:07:14,267 It was just- just Shelly, and Shelly was just there. 146 00:07:14,309 --> 00:07:17,062 - * 147 00:07:17,103 --> 00:07:18,897 - NARRATOR: For 18-year-old Shelly, 148 00:07:18,938 --> 00:07:21,775 living with Pam was finally her chance to have 149 00:07:21,816 --> 00:07:24,569 a family connection after years of struggling 150 00:07:24,611 --> 00:07:26,821 with her own. 151 00:07:26,863 --> 00:07:28,990 - VICTOR: From what I've seen, it almost appears as though 152 00:07:29,032 --> 00:07:32,202 Shelly had some abandonment issues 153 00:07:32,243 --> 00:07:34,788 in the way that the divorce happened, and the mom left. 154 00:07:34,829 --> 00:07:37,290 Um, and then th- there was pressure 155 00:07:37,332 --> 00:07:38,625 between her and her dad. 156 00:07:38,667 --> 00:07:40,502 Her dad was pretty strict. 157 00:07:40,543 --> 00:07:42,295 He seemed to be a stern taskmaster, 158 00:07:42,337 --> 00:07:43,630 and she made it really clear 159 00:07:43,672 --> 00:07:45,507 that she did not want to have to move back with him 160 00:07:45,548 --> 00:07:47,759 if Pam was to move out of the house. 161 00:07:49,469 --> 00:07:51,513 - * 162 00:07:51,554 --> 00:07:52,806 - NARRATOR: After moving in with Shelly 163 00:07:52,847 --> 00:07:54,808 during the summer of 1988, 164 00:07:54,849 --> 00:07:57,060 Pam got a job at a local restaurant 165 00:07:57,102 --> 00:07:59,646 to make ends meet. 166 00:07:59,688 --> 00:08:02,565 Though she had many interests, she wasn't quite sure 167 00:08:02,607 --> 00:08:05,735 what she wanted to do with her life. 168 00:08:05,777 --> 00:08:08,613 - CAROL: She talked about going to beauty college, 169 00:08:08,655 --> 00:08:10,573 and that was one of her goals. 170 00:08:10,615 --> 00:08:13,159 I figured she'd get into something like that, 171 00:08:13,201 --> 00:08:15,745 beauty college or fashion design or something. 172 00:08:15,787 --> 00:08:19,165 She was very artistic. 173 00:08:19,207 --> 00:08:20,709 - * 174 00:08:20,750 --> 00:08:23,461 - NARRATOR: In August of 1988, a month after the move, 175 00:08:23,503 --> 00:08:28,550 Pam reconnected with an old flame named Bobby Kitchener. 176 00:08:29,718 --> 00:08:31,219 - BOBBY: We were taking it slow. 177 00:08:31,261 --> 00:08:34,681 She was reinvigorated about hanging out with me, 178 00:08:34,723 --> 00:08:36,975 which was very exciting to me because I, I still had 179 00:08:37,017 --> 00:08:39,853 a lot of feelings for her at the time. 180 00:08:39,894 --> 00:08:43,982 - KERRIE: Her life really revolved around 181 00:08:44,024 --> 00:08:47,777 friends and family and hanging out with people 182 00:08:47,819 --> 00:08:51,364 and having a good time. 183 00:08:51,406 --> 00:08:52,699 - * 184 00:08:52,741 --> 00:08:55,577 - NARRATOR: But on September 16th, 1988, 185 00:08:55,618 --> 00:09:00,040 the popular teen vanished without a trace. 186 00:09:00,081 --> 00:09:03,668 - PAUL: Shelly called and she said, uh, wanted to know 187 00:09:03,710 --> 00:09:06,004 if I knew where Pam was, 188 00:09:06,046 --> 00:09:09,799 and I said, "No, I- I don't know." 189 00:09:09,841 --> 00:09:14,220 She goes, "Well, I'm- I'm not sure where she's at. 190 00:09:14,262 --> 00:09:15,889 "I haven't seen her. 191 00:09:15,930 --> 00:09:21,311 She, uh, took off and didn't come home last night." 192 00:09:21,353 --> 00:09:23,897 - NARRATOR: At first, Paul wasn't too concerned, 193 00:09:23,938 --> 00:09:26,733 but when Pam failed to show up to work on Monday, 194 00:09:26,775 --> 00:09:29,069 he became worried. 195 00:09:29,110 --> 00:09:31,738 - PAUL: She just wasn't that kind of person, 196 00:09:31,780 --> 00:09:36,368 that she would just disappear, no contact, no nothing. 197 00:09:36,409 --> 00:09:39,245 And so at that point, I said, "Something's wrong." 198 00:09:39,287 --> 00:09:44,459 So, I called the police department about it. 199 00:09:44,501 --> 00:09:46,670 - NARRATOR: And now, 13 days later, 200 00:09:46,711 --> 00:09:51,007 it seems Paul's worst fear has come true. 201 00:09:51,049 --> 00:09:54,678 - PAUL: They came right out and told me the condition 202 00:09:54,719 --> 00:09:57,931 of Pam's body at the time they found it. 203 00:09:57,972 --> 00:10:01,768 That her body had been set on fire 204 00:10:01,810 --> 00:10:05,397 and burned beyond recognition. 205 00:10:05,438 --> 00:10:07,857 When I got that information, 206 00:10:07,899 --> 00:10:09,651 the first thing that goes through your mind is, 207 00:10:09,693 --> 00:10:12,070 who could do something like this? 208 00:10:12,112 --> 00:10:16,074 And why would somebody do this to Pam? 209 00:10:17,242 --> 00:10:18,451 - NARRATOR: Coming up: 210 00:10:18,493 --> 00:10:20,620 as investigators search for a killer, 211 00:10:20,662 --> 00:10:23,623 they unearth a bigger feud... 212 00:10:23,665 --> 00:10:25,208 - VICTOR: She said that 213 00:10:25,250 --> 00:10:27,794 "Everything that's wrong in my life, she's responsible for." 214 00:10:27,836 --> 00:10:31,756 - NARRATOR: And a shocking statement raises a red flag. 215 00:10:38,304 --> 00:10:39,597 - PAUL: At that time, 216 00:10:39,639 --> 00:10:42,892 anybody was a suspect as far as I can say. 217 00:10:55,488 --> 00:10:56,656 - * 218 00:10:56,698 --> 00:10:59,200 - NARRATOR: September 29th, 1988. 219 00:10:59,242 --> 00:11:01,036 The Yavapai County Sheriff's Office 220 00:11:01,077 --> 00:11:03,163 and Prescott police are searching for 221 00:11:03,204 --> 00:11:06,875 the killer of 19-year-old Pam Pitts, a Prescott local 222 00:11:06,916 --> 00:11:10,128 who'd gone missing nearly two weeks prior. 223 00:11:10,170 --> 00:11:12,964 - PAUL: It just knocks the wind out of you 224 00:11:13,006 --> 00:11:15,550 and breaks your heart. 225 00:11:15,592 --> 00:11:16,926 - * 226 00:11:16,968 --> 00:11:18,720 - NARRATOR: Speaking with homicide detectives, 227 00:11:18,762 --> 00:11:20,347 Pam's father Paul says 228 00:11:20,388 --> 00:11:22,891 not long after he reported Pam's disappearance, 229 00:11:22,932 --> 00:11:26,394 he learned some troubling news. 230 00:11:26,436 --> 00:11:29,814 - PAUL: I found out from the police, actually, 231 00:11:29,856 --> 00:11:33,735 that Pam's car was at home this whole time. 232 00:11:33,777 --> 00:11:36,738 Her purse and all her personal belongings 233 00:11:36,780 --> 00:11:38,198 were in the house. 234 00:11:38,239 --> 00:11:41,242 Shelly never pointed any of that out to me. 235 00:11:41,284 --> 00:11:43,828 I know that if it was somebody that I lived with 236 00:11:43,870 --> 00:11:46,081 and they were gone, 237 00:11:46,122 --> 00:11:48,083 but all of their personal belongings were there, 238 00:11:48,124 --> 00:11:52,212 I wouldn't've left that detail out. 239 00:11:52,253 --> 00:11:54,547 - VICTOR: There's obviously some suspicion going on. 240 00:11:55,965 --> 00:11:57,258 - NARRATOR: According to Paul, 241 00:11:57,300 --> 00:12:00,053 Pam and her roommate Shelly Norgard's friendship 242 00:12:00,095 --> 00:12:03,223 had recently become tumultuous. 243 00:12:03,264 --> 00:12:06,601 - PAUL: They were having issues over money 244 00:12:06,643 --> 00:12:08,561 within a couple of months. 245 00:12:08,603 --> 00:12:12,148 What she told me was is that the rent wasn't getting paid, 246 00:12:12,190 --> 00:12:13,817 and she told me, she says, 247 00:12:13,858 --> 00:12:15,694 "I'm ready to move back home, dad." 248 00:12:15,735 --> 00:12:17,404 She said, "You okay with that?" 249 00:12:17,445 --> 00:12:20,073 And I said, "Of course I'm okay with that." 250 00:12:20,115 --> 00:12:22,534 And I said, "When do you want to do this?" 251 00:12:22,575 --> 00:12:26,204 And she says, "Well, I haven't told Shelly yet," 252 00:12:26,246 --> 00:12:28,623 but she said, "I"m gonna let her know. 253 00:12:28,665 --> 00:12:31,209 I'll, uh, tell you how it goes." 254 00:12:31,251 --> 00:12:32,836 - NARRATOR: Paul says he was happy 255 00:12:32,877 --> 00:12:34,546 with Pam's decision to move out-- 256 00:12:34,587 --> 00:12:38,591 as he had heard of Shelly's reputation around town. 257 00:12:38,633 --> 00:12:41,553 - PAUL: From the other kids that had contact with her, 258 00:12:41,594 --> 00:12:44,305 they said that she was not very trustworthy, 259 00:12:44,347 --> 00:12:48,768 that she told a lot of stories and lied a lot, 260 00:12:48,810 --> 00:12:51,438 and that she wasn't an honest person. 261 00:12:53,606 --> 00:12:54,941 - * 262 00:12:54,983 --> 00:12:56,526 - NARRATOR: With Pam and Shelly's relationship 263 00:12:56,568 --> 00:12:57,986 seemingly on the rocks, 264 00:12:58,028 --> 00:13:01,990 investigators have their first person of interest. 265 00:13:02,032 --> 00:13:04,826 But when they sit down with Shelly on October 5th, 266 00:13:04,868 --> 00:13:08,204 she paints a very different picture. 267 00:13:22,677 --> 00:13:23,928 - NARRATOR: Shelly explains that 268 00:13:23,970 --> 00:13:26,348 rooming with Pam was great at first, 269 00:13:26,389 --> 00:13:27,682 but after a while, 270 00:13:27,724 --> 00:13:31,269 the two got into a financial bind over the rent. 271 00:13:44,115 --> 00:13:46,618 - NARRATOR: Investigators press Shelly for her alibi 272 00:13:46,659 --> 00:13:48,578 the night Pam disappeared. 273 00:13:58,922 --> 00:14:00,548 - VICTOR: Shelly's story is she got off work, 274 00:14:00,590 --> 00:14:02,550 she went and got Ray Clerx, her boyfriend. 275 00:14:02,592 --> 00:14:04,886 They went to Jack-in-the-Box to meet friends, 276 00:14:04,928 --> 00:14:06,221 then they went out to 277 00:14:06,262 --> 00:14:07,889 some other Embry-Riddle student's apartment 278 00:14:07,931 --> 00:14:09,432 to watch a movie. 279 00:14:23,863 --> 00:14:26,950 - VICTOR: So between about four o'clock and seven o'clock 280 00:14:26,991 --> 00:14:28,618 in the morning, she just drove around. 281 00:14:47,470 --> 00:14:49,973 - NARRATOR: Sensing Shelly may be waffling, 282 00:14:50,015 --> 00:14:54,144 detectives keep pressing her for more information. 283 00:15:14,873 --> 00:15:17,876 - VICTOR: Because she started crying, they took a break, 284 00:15:17,917 --> 00:15:20,754 and then they never started over again. 285 00:15:20,795 --> 00:15:23,465 They basically just had her sign a document saying 286 00:15:23,506 --> 00:15:28,053 she doesn't know anything or who killed Pam. 287 00:15:28,970 --> 00:15:30,764 - * 288 00:15:30,805 --> 00:15:32,349 - NARRATOR: After releasing Shelly, 289 00:15:32,390 --> 00:15:35,185 investigators turn to the next closest person 290 00:15:35,226 --> 00:15:39,981 in Pam's life, her boyfriend, Bobby Kitchener. 291 00:15:40,023 --> 00:15:41,358 According to Bobby, 292 00:15:41,399 --> 00:15:45,320 he had spent the evening of September 16th with Pam. 293 00:15:45,362 --> 00:15:47,739 - BOBBY: I had been downtown, and she was in my car, 294 00:15:47,781 --> 00:15:48,907 her and I together, 295 00:15:48,948 --> 00:15:50,950 on the other side of the courthouse. 296 00:15:50,992 --> 00:15:52,369 It was a parking lot, 297 00:15:52,410 --> 00:15:55,080 and we would hang out there and talk with friends 298 00:15:55,121 --> 00:15:58,166 and watch the other people cruise by. 299 00:15:58,208 --> 00:16:00,377 - NARRATOR: Bobby tells investigators he left Pam 300 00:16:00,418 --> 00:16:04,047 with their friends and headed to work around 9:30. 301 00:16:06,174 --> 00:16:08,134 - She told him at that time that she was just gonna 302 00:16:08,176 --> 00:16:11,179 spend the evening at home, so that's the last time 303 00:16:11,221 --> 00:16:13,723 we know for sure that Pam was around. 304 00:16:13,765 --> 00:16:16,142 - BRENDAN: We want to look at boyfriends, you know, 305 00:16:16,184 --> 00:16:18,353 because they would've been in Pam's inner circle, 306 00:16:18,395 --> 00:16:20,313 and so they were able to determine that 307 00:16:20,355 --> 00:16:24,067 Bobby Kitchener, he had an alibi. 308 00:16:24,901 --> 00:16:26,403 - * 309 00:16:26,444 --> 00:16:28,863 - NARRATOR: After striking Bobby from the suspect list, 310 00:16:28,905 --> 00:16:32,701 investigators circle back to confirming Shelly's alibi - 311 00:16:32,742 --> 00:16:36,579 and bring in her boyfriend Ray Clerx for questioning. 312 00:16:36,621 --> 00:16:38,873 - VICTOR: They asked Ray for his timeline 313 00:16:38,915 --> 00:16:40,250 for the night of the 16th. 314 00:16:40,291 --> 00:16:41,876 And he basically tells them 315 00:16:41,918 --> 00:16:44,170 he doesn't know what Shelly did after eleven-thirty 316 00:16:44,212 --> 00:16:46,214 because that's when she went home. 317 00:16:46,256 --> 00:16:47,882 So then the detective immediately says, 318 00:16:47,924 --> 00:16:49,759 "Well, she told us she went home 319 00:16:49,801 --> 00:16:51,553 at two-thirty in the morning." 320 00:16:51,594 --> 00:16:55,098 And Ray says to them, "Well, that could be. 321 00:16:55,140 --> 00:16:56,850 It might've been two thirty." 322 00:16:56,891 --> 00:16:59,853 - NARRATOR: Ray says he can't remember exactly which night 323 00:16:59,894 --> 00:17:02,731 they're referring to since it was weeks before... 324 00:17:02,772 --> 00:17:05,942 but he assures investigators he has no idea 325 00:17:05,984 --> 00:17:07,986 who could've killed Pam. 326 00:17:08,028 --> 00:17:10,321 - VICTOR: He basically told them he was tired of talking to them 327 00:17:10,363 --> 00:17:13,283 and didn't- didn't- didn't want to talk to the cops anymore. 328 00:17:13,324 --> 00:17:16,661 So, that pretty much put an end to- to Ray's involvement. 329 00:17:18,663 --> 00:17:20,081 - * 330 00:17:20,123 --> 00:17:22,751 - NARRATOR: With Ray unable to confirm Shelly's alibi, 331 00:17:22,792 --> 00:17:25,587 detectives speak to more of the friends she was with 332 00:17:25,628 --> 00:17:30,592 on the night of the murder, exposing a shocking revelation. 333 00:17:31,676 --> 00:17:33,845 - BRENDAN: They said Shelly was angry, 334 00:17:33,887 --> 00:17:38,391 and she was looking for Pam on the night of the 16th. 335 00:17:38,433 --> 00:17:40,268 - VICTOR: While they're conducting these interviews, 336 00:17:40,310 --> 00:17:42,312 they learn Shelly said, "Have you seen my roommate? 337 00:17:42,354 --> 00:17:43,897 "She's doing bad things. 338 00:17:43,938 --> 00:17:46,066 "Everything that's wrong in my life, she's responsible for, 339 00:17:46,107 --> 00:17:48,234 and I'm trying to find her." 340 00:17:48,276 --> 00:17:51,404 It did not sound like the relationship was as happy 341 00:17:51,446 --> 00:17:54,616 as she had made it out to be Thursday night. 342 00:17:54,657 --> 00:17:56,451 - NARRATOR: Shelly's friends also remember 343 00:17:56,493 --> 00:18:00,789 some unusual things she had said in the past. 344 00:18:00,830 --> 00:18:02,207 - VICTOR: She would make comments about 345 00:18:02,248 --> 00:18:04,959 how she knows how to get rid of a body. 346 00:18:05,001 --> 00:18:07,420 The best way to get rid of somebody is to first make them 347 00:18:07,462 --> 00:18:10,715 a missing person, and then either burn them 348 00:18:10,757 --> 00:18:15,470 beyond recognition or to drop them in a mineshaft. 349 00:18:15,512 --> 00:18:17,013 It was well-known that- that Shelly 350 00:18:17,055 --> 00:18:18,640 had some pretty strong theories 351 00:18:18,682 --> 00:18:22,268 on how to make people disappear and get rid of the evidence. 352 00:18:25,230 --> 00:18:27,065 - NARRATOR: Alarmed by these allegations, 353 00:18:27,107 --> 00:18:31,820 detectives immediately bring Shelly in for another interview. 354 00:18:52,799 --> 00:18:54,009 - NARRATOR: Coming up: 355 00:18:54,050 --> 00:18:56,428 as investigators zero in on Shelly, 356 00:18:56,469 --> 00:18:59,431 new theories emerge... 357 00:18:59,472 --> 00:19:02,350 - BOBBY: I heard a satanic cult was involved. 358 00:19:02,392 --> 00:19:05,020 - TOM: Kids who were out at that party talked about 359 00:19:05,061 --> 00:19:06,771 this possible fight. 360 00:19:06,813 --> 00:19:08,648 - NARRATOR: And a horrific discovery 361 00:19:08,690 --> 00:19:11,860 throws investigators a curveball. 362 00:19:11,901 --> 00:19:13,987 - VICTOR: It was a white male in a state of decomposition 363 00:19:14,029 --> 00:19:17,490 who had been dropped down in a vertical mineshaft. 364 00:19:30,587 --> 00:19:32,130 - * 365 00:19:32,172 --> 00:19:34,632 - NARRATOR: October 1988. 366 00:19:34,674 --> 00:19:38,345 It's been a month since the body of Prescott teen Pam Pitts 367 00:19:38,386 --> 00:19:42,432 was found burned and dumped in a forest. 368 00:19:42,474 --> 00:19:46,269 Now investigators wonder if bad blood between Pam 369 00:19:46,311 --> 00:19:48,313 and her roommate Shelly Norgard 370 00:19:48,355 --> 00:19:51,775 could've led to her brutal murder. 371 00:19:51,816 --> 00:19:54,527 - PAUL: At that time anybody was a suspect 372 00:19:54,569 --> 00:19:55,945 as far as I can say. 373 00:19:55,987 --> 00:19:59,741 - * 374 00:19:59,783 --> 00:20:01,659 - NARRATOR: Investigators obtain a warrant 375 00:20:01,701 --> 00:20:04,746 to search Shelly and Pam's apartment. 376 00:20:04,788 --> 00:20:07,082 - TOM: There were searches of that residence. 377 00:20:07,123 --> 00:20:09,000 It was difficult to determine 378 00:20:09,042 --> 00:20:11,753 that anything happened there in the house. 379 00:20:11,795 --> 00:20:13,296 - VICTOR: There was simply no evidence 380 00:20:13,338 --> 00:20:15,131 to point to anybody, you know. 381 00:20:15,173 --> 00:20:16,925 There was no physical evidence. 382 00:20:16,966 --> 00:20:20,345 There was no DNA evidence. There was- there was nothing. 383 00:20:20,387 --> 00:20:23,640 They also had what they believed was a- was a pretty solid alibi 384 00:20:23,682 --> 00:20:26,434 from Shelly in that she was with all these people 385 00:20:26,476 --> 00:20:28,269 throughout the night. 386 00:20:28,311 --> 00:20:30,438 - * 387 00:20:30,480 --> 00:20:31,648 - NARRATOR: Still at a loss 388 00:20:31,690 --> 00:20:33,900 for where Pam was actually killed, 389 00:20:33,942 --> 00:20:36,653 investigators decide to look closer at the site 390 00:20:36,695 --> 00:20:39,864 where Pam's body was found... and they catch a break 391 00:20:39,906 --> 00:20:42,575 when they learn there may have been witnesses in the area 392 00:20:42,617 --> 00:20:45,620 on the night of the 16th. 393 00:20:45,662 --> 00:20:48,248 - VICTOR: A couple weeks later, they learned about the party 394 00:20:48,289 --> 00:20:50,417 that occurred at Gordo's Pit 395 00:20:50,458 --> 00:20:52,919 from the Yavapai County Sheriff's Office. 396 00:20:52,961 --> 00:20:55,839 The Sheriff's Office responded to that party that night 397 00:20:55,880 --> 00:20:59,175 and chased all the kids off, and then came back later 398 00:20:59,217 --> 00:21:00,844 and made sure there was nobody there 399 00:21:00,885 --> 00:21:03,805 and there weren't any fires burning and that kind of thing. 400 00:21:03,847 --> 00:21:06,016 - NARRATOR: Investigators interview local teens 401 00:21:06,057 --> 00:21:09,811 to see if anyone saw Pam at the party that night. 402 00:21:09,853 --> 00:21:12,105 - VICTOR: They eventually found a couple guys that said 403 00:21:12,147 --> 00:21:15,191 they had seen Pam at the party. 404 00:21:15,233 --> 00:21:17,861 - NARRATOR: But some of Pam's friends tell detectives 405 00:21:17,902 --> 00:21:21,406 that they believe more ominous events than just parties 406 00:21:21,448 --> 00:21:24,909 were taking place at the popular hangout spot. 407 00:21:24,951 --> 00:21:27,662 - I heard a satanic cult was involved. 408 00:21:29,539 --> 00:21:32,125 - KERRIE: There were a lot of rumors. 409 00:21:32,167 --> 00:21:34,586 One of 'em was about 410 00:21:34,627 --> 00:21:39,007 it was a satanic worshiper sacrifice. 411 00:21:39,049 --> 00:21:41,885 You know, back in the '80s, that was a big thing. 412 00:21:41,926 --> 00:21:43,553 - VICTOR: In fact, there was cult activity. 413 00:21:43,595 --> 00:21:46,931 That was confirmed by, uh, an- an investigator. 414 00:21:46,973 --> 00:21:49,392 The rumor was that Pam was somehow used 415 00:21:49,434 --> 00:21:51,227 in some sort of ritualized killing. 416 00:21:51,269 --> 00:21:52,937 - * 417 00:22:04,115 --> 00:22:06,076 - * 418 00:22:18,880 --> 00:22:20,382 - * 419 00:22:20,423 --> 00:22:22,133 - NARRATOR: While rumors run rampant 420 00:22:22,175 --> 00:22:23,635 in the town of Prescott, 421 00:22:23,677 --> 00:22:27,514 investigators run down every lead, but months pass, 422 00:22:27,555 --> 00:22:30,975 and nothing materializes. 423 00:22:31,017 --> 00:22:33,603 - PAUL: That was a complete and total thing 424 00:22:33,645 --> 00:22:36,981 that came out of the rumor mill, I guess you would say, 425 00:22:37,023 --> 00:22:38,692 in this thing. 426 00:22:38,733 --> 00:22:40,944 - VICTOR: These are all the stories that fell apart. 427 00:22:40,985 --> 00:22:43,279 They looked into them, couldn't corroborate them, 428 00:22:43,321 --> 00:22:45,031 and let them go. 429 00:22:47,117 --> 00:22:49,411 - NARRATOR: But in the summer of 1989, 430 00:22:49,452 --> 00:22:51,788 after reviewing past witness statements, 431 00:22:51,830 --> 00:22:56,042 investigators finally uncover a promising lead. 432 00:22:56,084 --> 00:22:59,379 - TOM: A small number of those interviews talked about 433 00:22:59,421 --> 00:23:05,510 this possible fight between Melinda Perry and Pam Pitts. 434 00:23:32,454 --> 00:23:35,707 - TOM: The theory was that maybe Melinda tracked her down later. 435 00:23:35,749 --> 00:23:38,209 Maybe Pam was over there by the fire pit 436 00:23:38,251 --> 00:23:40,837 where she was located and that maybe Melinda 437 00:23:40,879 --> 00:23:45,050 because of that leftover rage had finished her off. 438 00:23:45,091 --> 00:23:47,510 - NARRATOR: Investigators immediately haul in 439 00:23:47,552 --> 00:23:50,680 18-year-old Melinda Perry for questioning... 440 00:23:59,189 --> 00:24:02,650 - NARRATOR: Detectives press Melinda for her alibi. 441 00:24:22,003 --> 00:24:24,422 - VICTOR: All of a sudden, after a year without a suspect, 442 00:24:24,464 --> 00:24:26,966 they have a good suspect. 443 00:24:27,008 --> 00:24:28,927 They kept asking her questions and doing interviews, 444 00:24:28,968 --> 00:24:30,387 and she kept telling them, 445 00:24:30,428 --> 00:24:32,889 but she wasn't telling them what they wanted to hear. 446 00:24:32,931 --> 00:24:35,016 They wanted her confession. 447 00:24:35,058 --> 00:24:37,102 - NARRATOR: Authorities still aren't convinced 448 00:24:37,143 --> 00:24:41,022 she didn't kill Pam... and in August of 1989, 449 00:24:41,064 --> 00:24:43,316 Melinda is summoned to appear before 450 00:24:43,358 --> 00:24:46,069 an investigative grand jury. 451 00:24:46,111 --> 00:24:48,363 - VICTOR: I think their theory was that they could put her 452 00:24:48,405 --> 00:24:54,035 on the stand and- and under oath compel her to tell the truth. 453 00:24:54,077 --> 00:24:57,539 - MELINDA: I tell them, I never fought Pamela Pitts. 454 00:24:57,580 --> 00:25:00,875 I was never in a fight with Pamela Pitts. 455 00:25:00,917 --> 00:25:04,295 After that, I felt I was free to go, you know what I mean? 456 00:25:04,337 --> 00:25:08,258 - NARRATOR: But not long after, Melinda is arrested for perjury. 457 00:25:09,843 --> 00:25:12,053 - MELINDA: Somebody told them that I kicked her head, 458 00:25:12,095 --> 00:25:15,932 I kicked her head until she passed out, 459 00:25:15,974 --> 00:25:17,976 and they booked me for three counts of perjury, 460 00:25:18,018 --> 00:25:20,270 said that I had lied on the stand. 461 00:25:20,311 --> 00:25:23,064 - BRENDAN: It was determined that Melinda Perry had made 462 00:25:23,106 --> 00:25:26,526 inconsistent statements to the grand jury. 463 00:25:26,568 --> 00:25:29,571 - NARRATOR: Investigators interrogate Melinda once more, 464 00:25:29,612 --> 00:25:31,906 but she doesn't waver. 465 00:25:31,948 --> 00:25:34,743 - MELINDA: I was scared, to say the least. 466 00:25:34,784 --> 00:25:36,327 Yeah, I was a kid. 467 00:25:36,369 --> 00:25:37,954 I didn't know what to do. 468 00:25:37,996 --> 00:25:39,122 - NARRATOR: Eventually, 469 00:25:39,164 --> 00:25:42,250 Melinda's perjury charges are dropped. 470 00:25:42,292 --> 00:25:45,253 - VICTOR: Her whereabouts were pretty well-documented 471 00:25:45,295 --> 00:25:46,713 for that weekend, 472 00:25:46,755 --> 00:25:49,049 and obviously that charge didn't hold up. 473 00:25:49,090 --> 00:25:50,967 - MELINDA: For two years, I fought that, 474 00:25:51,009 --> 00:25:52,635 and then they had to close the case. 475 00:25:52,677 --> 00:25:55,263 They didn't have any evidence of that. 476 00:25:55,305 --> 00:25:57,265 I left. I left Arizona. 477 00:25:57,307 --> 00:26:01,353 I went to Nevada that very day. It was just traumatic for me. 478 00:26:03,229 --> 00:26:05,857 - NARRATOR: Though investigators head back to the drawing board, 479 00:26:05,899 --> 00:26:08,193 nothing sticks. 480 00:26:08,234 --> 00:26:09,903 - VICTOR: I would say about three years, 481 00:26:09,944 --> 00:26:12,238 it had gone fairly stale and cold. 482 00:26:12,280 --> 00:26:14,616 It becomes a cold case when you run out of leads, 483 00:26:14,657 --> 00:26:15,992 you run out of people to interview, 484 00:26:16,034 --> 00:26:18,244 and you have no more evidence to analyze. 485 00:26:18,286 --> 00:26:19,454 I mean, at that point, 486 00:26:19,496 --> 00:26:23,083 you need something to- to trigger it again. 487 00:26:23,124 --> 00:26:25,251 - PAUL: Very few of these cold case files 488 00:26:25,293 --> 00:26:27,837 ever come to fruition. 489 00:26:27,879 --> 00:26:31,800 You know I was willing to do whatever it took 490 00:26:31,841 --> 00:26:34,010 and wait as long as I had to wait 491 00:26:34,052 --> 00:26:36,471 for something to break in her case. 492 00:26:38,556 --> 00:26:39,849 - * 493 00:26:39,891 --> 00:26:42,852 - NARRATOR: Suddenly, on May 25th, 1991, 494 00:26:42,894 --> 00:26:45,647 a shocking discovery dredges Pam's case 495 00:26:45,689 --> 00:26:48,650 back into the light... 496 00:26:48,692 --> 00:26:52,153 - VICTOR: Prescott college students are exploring a cave 497 00:26:52,195 --> 00:26:55,240 and then it led to a vertical mineshaft 498 00:26:55,281 --> 00:26:59,035 and when they looked down in there, there was a dead body 499 00:26:59,077 --> 00:27:02,205 hung up on the lumber or a tree or something. 500 00:27:02,247 --> 00:27:05,875 - The Sheriff's Office came in to begin the investigation. 501 00:27:05,917 --> 00:27:07,377 - VICTOR: It was a white male- young male 502 00:27:07,419 --> 00:27:10,046 from what they could tell and in a state of decomposition, 503 00:27:10,088 --> 00:27:13,008 who had been wrapped in a waterbed liner, 504 00:27:13,049 --> 00:27:15,218 like a waterbed mattress liner, 505 00:27:15,260 --> 00:27:18,763 and then dropped down in the vertical mineshaft. 506 00:27:20,140 --> 00:27:21,182 - * 507 00:27:21,224 --> 00:27:22,892 - NARRATOR: After retrieving the body, 508 00:27:22,934 --> 00:27:26,604 the coroner quickly determines the cause of death. 509 00:27:26,646 --> 00:27:30,692 - VICTOR: The autopsy revealed that he'd been shot in the head. 510 00:27:30,734 --> 00:27:32,360 He was in a state of decomposition, 511 00:27:32,402 --> 00:27:36,197 so it'd have been some time, several weeks. 512 00:27:36,239 --> 00:27:38,283 - BRENDAN: The Yavapai County medical examiner 513 00:27:38,324 --> 00:27:41,244 was able to determine through dental records 514 00:27:41,286 --> 00:27:45,832 that the deceased individual located in the, uh, mineshaft 515 00:27:45,874 --> 00:27:48,585 was Ray Clerx, 516 00:27:48,626 --> 00:27:51,254 boyfriend of Shelly Norgard. 517 00:27:51,296 --> 00:27:52,797 - * 518 00:27:52,839 --> 00:27:54,883 - VICTOR: Ray's family actually ended up 519 00:27:54,924 --> 00:27:56,343 reporting him missing. 520 00:27:56,384 --> 00:27:59,679 He was supposed to have showed up for a wedding 521 00:27:59,721 --> 00:28:04,434 in California and didn't, and that really alarmed everybody 522 00:28:04,476 --> 00:28:06,811 because apparently he was very responsible, 523 00:28:06,853 --> 00:28:09,064 he was gonna be a pilot, and he would just not 524 00:28:09,105 --> 00:28:11,649 miss something without letting people know. 525 00:28:11,691 --> 00:28:13,401 - * 526 00:28:13,443 --> 00:28:15,945 - NARRATOR: According to Ray's missing persons report 527 00:28:15,987 --> 00:28:18,948 filed on May 28th, 1991, 528 00:28:18,990 --> 00:28:21,242 Shelly and Ray had been living together 529 00:28:21,284 --> 00:28:25,121 at the time of his disappearance three days prior. 530 00:28:25,163 --> 00:28:27,040 - VICTOR: The detectives recognized that, hey, 531 00:28:27,082 --> 00:28:30,752 this is the second roommate that Shelly's had go missing 532 00:28:30,794 --> 00:28:32,045 and turn up dead. 533 00:28:32,087 --> 00:28:34,756 Maybe we oughta look into Shelly a little more. 534 00:28:34,798 --> 00:28:36,591 - * 535 00:28:36,633 --> 00:28:38,968 - NARRATOR: When investigators notify Ray's family 536 00:28:39,010 --> 00:28:40,428 about his death, 537 00:28:40,470 --> 00:28:45,058 they are clear on who they believe is responsible. 538 00:28:45,100 --> 00:28:48,395 - VICTOR: Ray was planning on moving back to California 539 00:28:48,436 --> 00:28:51,314 and was not gonna take Shelly with him, 540 00:28:51,356 --> 00:28:55,610 and then the relationship was going to end, basically. 541 00:28:55,652 --> 00:28:59,322 - NARRATOR: Investigators have heard the story before. 542 00:28:59,364 --> 00:29:00,949 - BRENDAN: You have two individuals, 543 00:29:00,990 --> 00:29:03,159 Pamela Pitts and then Ray Clerx, 544 00:29:03,201 --> 00:29:05,787 who have decided that they're going to leave 545 00:29:05,829 --> 00:29:10,959 Shelly Norgard in a physical way and in an emotional way. 546 00:29:11,001 --> 00:29:12,377 She doesn't want that. 547 00:29:12,419 --> 00:29:14,713 She's angry. 548 00:29:14,754 --> 00:29:16,339 - NARRATOR: Coming up: 549 00:29:16,381 --> 00:29:21,011 new evidence finally connects to an all-too-familiar suspect. 550 00:29:21,052 --> 00:29:22,679 - BRENDAN: One print was recovered 551 00:29:22,721 --> 00:29:24,180 from one of the flashlights. 552 00:29:24,222 --> 00:29:26,516 That of course put her in the mineshaft. 553 00:29:26,558 --> 00:29:30,353 - VICTOR: And I was like, oh my goodness, finally, something. 554 00:29:44,576 --> 00:29:45,702 - * 555 00:29:45,744 --> 00:29:46,828 - NARRATOR: After discovering 556 00:29:46,870 --> 00:29:49,664 the body of 24-year-old Ray Clerx, 557 00:29:49,706 --> 00:29:53,585 incriminating physical evidence now suggests his girlfriend, 558 00:29:53,626 --> 00:29:59,424 21-year-old Shelly Norgard, is responsible for his death. 559 00:29:59,466 --> 00:30:02,969 - BRENDAN: Shelly Norgard's fingerprints, or one print, 560 00:30:03,011 --> 00:30:04,929 was recovered from one of the flashlights 561 00:30:04,971 --> 00:30:07,557 that they located in the mineshaft. 562 00:30:07,599 --> 00:30:10,602 So that of course put her in the mineshaft. 563 00:30:12,854 --> 00:30:14,814 - * 564 00:30:14,856 --> 00:30:16,441 - NARRATOR: With evidence mounting, 565 00:30:16,483 --> 00:30:19,652 investigators head to the home Shelly and Ray shared 566 00:30:19,694 --> 00:30:22,781 with a search warrant in hand. 567 00:30:22,822 --> 00:30:26,284 - VICTOR: The big thing with that case was Shelly's car. 568 00:30:26,326 --> 00:30:28,161 When they walked up to the car, 569 00:30:28,203 --> 00:30:31,164 they immediately noticed the smell of death 570 00:30:31,206 --> 00:30:33,333 in and around Shelly's car. 571 00:30:33,375 --> 00:30:35,043 In the trunk, they found evidence 572 00:30:35,085 --> 00:30:37,837 that a dead body had been stored there. 573 00:30:37,879 --> 00:30:39,297 There was blood present 574 00:30:39,339 --> 00:30:42,634 and it was the same blood type as Ray's. 575 00:30:42,676 --> 00:30:44,719 - NARRATOR: The evidence is enough to place Shelly 576 00:30:44,761 --> 00:30:49,224 under arrest on June 4th, 1991. 577 00:30:49,265 --> 00:30:52,227 - * 578 00:30:52,268 --> 00:30:54,854 - VICTOR: After a couple years of it being in the court, 579 00:30:54,896 --> 00:30:57,732 she eventually pled guilty. 580 00:30:57,774 --> 00:31:01,361 So as a term of her guilty plea, 581 00:31:01,403 --> 00:31:05,573 she had to provide a statement on what happened to Ray. 582 00:31:07,701 --> 00:31:09,661 - * 583 00:31:09,703 --> 00:31:11,871 - NARRATOR: Shelly tells the court it all started 584 00:31:11,913 --> 00:31:15,000 when Ray broke things off. 585 00:31:15,041 --> 00:31:17,210 - VICTOR: They were out watching stars, 586 00:31:17,252 --> 00:31:18,545 stargazing, I guess, 587 00:31:18,586 --> 00:31:20,547 and he was laying on top of the car, 588 00:31:20,588 --> 00:31:23,633 and when he told her he was going to take the dogs with him, 589 00:31:23,675 --> 00:31:25,301 she lost her mind. 590 00:31:25,343 --> 00:31:28,221 - BRENDAN: Shelly shot him in the head 591 00:31:28,263 --> 00:31:32,100 while he was laying on the hood of the car. 592 00:31:32,142 --> 00:31:36,354 - NARRATOR: Shelly says after that, she panicked. 593 00:31:36,396 --> 00:31:39,524 - VICTOR: She says then she was so shocked by what she had done 594 00:31:39,566 --> 00:31:42,277 that she got a blanket out and covered Ray up 595 00:31:42,318 --> 00:31:44,237 so she couldn't see him anymore 596 00:31:44,279 --> 00:31:47,032 and then put him in the trunk of the car 597 00:31:47,073 --> 00:31:48,992 and basically drove the car out in the woods 598 00:31:49,034 --> 00:31:50,702 and left it there for a couple weeks 599 00:31:50,744 --> 00:31:53,288 before she could get a four wheel drive truck 600 00:31:53,329 --> 00:31:56,416 to come transfer the body to the top of the mountain 601 00:31:56,458 --> 00:31:58,626 to drop him in the mineshaft. 602 00:32:00,879 --> 00:32:05,008 - BRENDAN: It was midway through the trial in 1993 603 00:32:05,050 --> 00:32:08,636 that she decided to accept a plea deal. 604 00:32:08,678 --> 00:32:11,473 The charge was dropped from murder in the first degree 605 00:32:11,514 --> 00:32:14,684 to murder in the second degree, 606 00:32:14,726 --> 00:32:19,606 and so her sentence was 20 years in Arizona State Prison. 607 00:32:20,857 --> 00:32:22,275 - * 608 00:32:22,317 --> 00:32:24,277 - NARRATOR: News of Shelly's confession and plea 609 00:32:24,319 --> 00:32:27,781 quickly spreads to the family of Pam Pitts. 610 00:32:27,822 --> 00:32:30,867 - I felt that she got off easy. 611 00:32:30,909 --> 00:32:35,747 She should've gotten life or the death penalty. 612 00:32:35,789 --> 00:32:38,375 That's how I felt about it. 613 00:32:38,416 --> 00:32:41,211 - KERRIE: I was glad that she was in jail 'cause, you know, 614 00:32:41,252 --> 00:32:44,756 at least then she couldn't kill anybody else. 615 00:32:44,798 --> 00:32:47,676 - NARRATOR: Pam's family hopes the sentence will buy some time 616 00:32:47,717 --> 00:32:50,220 for investigators to finally connect Shelly 617 00:32:50,261 --> 00:32:52,889 to Pam's case as well. 618 00:32:52,931 --> 00:32:56,059 - PAUL: She might've been afraid that he was gonna tell on her 619 00:32:56,101 --> 00:32:59,270 or let that secret out at some point. 620 00:32:59,312 --> 00:33:01,940 - NARRATOR: Though investigators are suspicious of Shelly, 621 00:33:01,981 --> 00:33:04,401 their hands are tied. 622 00:33:04,442 --> 00:33:06,820 - VICTOR: The issue you had is there's still no evidence. 623 00:33:06,861 --> 00:33:10,490 Regardless of whether Shelly killed Ray or not, 624 00:33:10,532 --> 00:33:13,201 it doesn't still indicate that she killed Pam 625 00:33:13,243 --> 00:33:15,203 without something more. 626 00:33:16,121 --> 00:33:18,415 - * 627 00:33:18,456 --> 00:33:24,212 - NARRATOR: 18 long years pass with no new leads on Pam's case. 628 00:33:24,254 --> 00:33:26,965 - CAROL: It just went kind of cold for a long time. 629 00:33:27,007 --> 00:33:29,009 Just really cold. 630 00:33:29,050 --> 00:33:31,886 - PAUL: At first, you want revenge. 631 00:33:31,928 --> 00:33:34,305 You know, you want to find this person and you- 632 00:33:34,347 --> 00:33:35,890 you don't care what happens to 'em. 633 00:33:35,932 --> 00:33:38,143 But, you know, as time goes on, 634 00:33:38,184 --> 00:33:40,311 it's not about hate and revenge anymore. 635 00:33:40,353 --> 00:33:43,106 It's about justice for your daughter. 636 00:33:43,148 --> 00:33:47,736 - NARRATOR: In March of 2011, 23 years after Pam's murder, 637 00:33:47,777 --> 00:33:51,573 a cold case team reopens the investigation. 638 00:33:51,614 --> 00:33:52,991 - VICTOR: When it was handed to me, 639 00:33:53,033 --> 00:33:55,368 I- I didn't know anything about the Ray Clerx murder. 640 00:33:55,410 --> 00:33:57,620 I think the lieutenant intentionally kept that from me 641 00:33:57,662 --> 00:34:00,832 so as not to taint my thought processes. 642 00:34:00,874 --> 00:34:03,251 - NARRATOR: But it doesn't take long for Detective Dartt 643 00:34:03,293 --> 00:34:06,671 to get up to speed. 644 00:34:06,713 --> 00:34:08,840 - VICTOR: I remember looking at it going, wait a second, 645 00:34:08,882 --> 00:34:12,844 wait a second, Shelly killed somebody in 1990. What? 646 00:34:12,886 --> 00:34:15,764 Now I've got somebody in this case who's capable of murder. 647 00:34:15,805 --> 00:34:18,183 - NARRATOR: Not to mention Shelly was the only one 648 00:34:18,224 --> 00:34:21,519 who seemed to have a motive to hurt Pam. 649 00:34:21,561 --> 00:34:23,396 - VICTOR: She was making that very clear 650 00:34:23,438 --> 00:34:26,024 on the night of the 16th that that Pam was behind 651 00:34:26,066 --> 00:34:28,485 all the bad things in her life, and she was going to find Pam 652 00:34:28,526 --> 00:34:29,778 and she was going to deal with it, 653 00:34:29,819 --> 00:34:31,488 and she was going to take care of the problem. 654 00:34:31,529 --> 00:34:33,531 - * 655 00:34:33,573 --> 00:34:35,825 - NARRATOR: In February of 2011, 656 00:34:35,867 --> 00:34:39,662 investigators re-interview Shelly about Pam's case, 657 00:34:39,704 --> 00:34:41,706 hoping the added pressure will cause her 658 00:34:41,748 --> 00:34:46,252 to incriminate herself on recorded jail calls. 659 00:34:46,294 --> 00:34:50,382 - Shelly was due for release within a few months, 660 00:34:50,423 --> 00:34:55,970 so I talked to Shelly for about an hour in the prison, 661 00:34:56,012 --> 00:34:58,932 not to interrogate her, just to remind her that 662 00:34:58,973 --> 00:35:00,558 we're still looking into this. 663 00:35:00,600 --> 00:35:02,268 - VICTOR: So they had that conversation with her 664 00:35:02,310 --> 00:35:03,687 and then they immediately begin collecting 665 00:35:03,728 --> 00:35:06,481 all of her phone calls from that point. 666 00:35:06,523 --> 00:35:08,983 - NARRATOR: Unfortunately, investigators cannot find 667 00:35:09,025 --> 00:35:12,570 anything against Shelly in the 97 phone calls 668 00:35:12,612 --> 00:35:17,784 she made between the interview and her release in May of 2011. 669 00:35:18,785 --> 00:35:20,453 - * 670 00:35:20,495 --> 00:35:22,247 - VICTOR: She got released from Department of Corrections, 671 00:35:22,288 --> 00:35:24,290 and she got a job. 672 00:35:24,332 --> 00:35:26,793 She meets a man, they end up getting married, 673 00:35:26,835 --> 00:35:28,586 moving in together. 674 00:35:28,628 --> 00:35:31,006 - PAUL: Her name now is, instead of Shelly Norgard, 675 00:35:31,047 --> 00:35:33,425 it's Shelly Norgard-Harmon. 676 00:35:33,466 --> 00:35:37,595 She kind of assumed, I guess a new life, you would say. 677 00:35:37,637 --> 00:35:39,597 - NARRATOR: Investigators continue efforts 678 00:35:39,639 --> 00:35:42,267 with Pam's case, but department moves 679 00:35:42,308 --> 00:35:44,936 and heavy caseloads cause delays. 680 00:35:44,978 --> 00:35:48,440 - * 681 00:35:48,481 --> 00:35:51,651 - NARRATOR: Finally, in the spring of 2017, 682 00:35:51,693 --> 00:35:54,195 six years after Shelly's release, 683 00:35:54,237 --> 00:35:58,283 investigators hit pay dirt. 684 00:35:58,324 --> 00:35:59,617 - VICTOR: I remembered, 685 00:35:59,659 --> 00:36:00,910 hey, I wonder whatever happened to those calls, 686 00:36:00,952 --> 00:36:04,831 so I actually listened to all 97 of them myself. 687 00:36:04,873 --> 00:36:07,042 She called her dad and told him the detectives were here, 688 00:36:07,083 --> 00:36:09,419 they're still looking into the Pam Pitts case. 689 00:36:09,461 --> 00:36:11,546 He asked her, "Are we okay?" 690 00:36:11,588 --> 00:36:14,883 Um, you can tell he's concerned about what's going to happen 691 00:36:14,924 --> 00:36:17,927 and they talk about Shelly's going to get an attorney. 692 00:36:32,108 --> 00:36:34,652 - VICTOR: And then the line just goes silent. 693 00:36:34,694 --> 00:36:37,489 When I heard that, the hair stood up on my arms, 694 00:36:37,530 --> 00:36:41,493 and I was like, oh my goodness, finally, something. 695 00:36:41,534 --> 00:36:44,412 So, that statement, in the context of them 696 00:36:44,454 --> 00:36:46,623 talking about the night Pam went missing, 697 00:36:46,664 --> 00:36:48,792 that was enough with all the other circumstantial evidence 698 00:36:48,833 --> 00:36:52,087 we had to get an indictment on Shelly. 699 00:36:53,672 --> 00:36:55,215 - * 700 00:36:55,256 --> 00:37:00,679 - NARRATOR: On June 2nd, 2017, investigators make their move. 701 00:37:00,720 --> 00:37:02,681 - VICTOR: I went in, identified myself, 702 00:37:02,722 --> 00:37:04,099 told her where I was from, 703 00:37:04,140 --> 00:37:06,768 and you could just see this- this- this look, 704 00:37:06,810 --> 00:37:09,896 like, almost like defiant resignation. 705 00:37:26,246 --> 00:37:27,330 - NARRATOR: Coming up: 706 00:37:27,372 --> 00:37:28,873 as the trial looms, 707 00:37:28,915 --> 00:37:32,419 prosecutors face an uphill battle... 708 00:37:32,460 --> 00:37:35,547 - A lot of our witnesses are either dead 709 00:37:35,588 --> 00:37:37,465 or just simply don't remember. 710 00:37:37,507 --> 00:37:39,509 It's kind of a long shot. 711 00:37:39,551 --> 00:37:43,013 - NARRATOR: And Pam's family makes a tough choice. 712 00:37:43,054 --> 00:37:44,681 - KERRIE: You can't tell me that this was, oh, 713 00:37:44,723 --> 00:37:46,099 this was an accident. 714 00:37:46,141 --> 00:37:47,767 I- I don't believe it. 715 00:37:47,809 --> 00:37:51,563 - PAUL: That's something that is extremely personal 716 00:37:51,604 --> 00:37:55,025 and shows a lot of hate for somebody. 717 00:38:07,328 --> 00:38:09,039 - * 718 00:38:09,080 --> 00:38:11,458 - NARRATOR: June 2017. 719 00:38:11,499 --> 00:38:13,460 After serving 20 years 720 00:38:13,501 --> 00:38:16,296 for murdering her former boyfriend Ray Clerx, 721 00:38:16,338 --> 00:38:20,508 Shelly Harmon now faces charges for the 1988 murder 722 00:38:20,550 --> 00:38:23,803 of her former roommate, Pam Pitts. 723 00:38:23,845 --> 00:38:25,930 - VICTOR: My favorite part of the whole thing 724 00:38:25,972 --> 00:38:29,851 was being able to meet with Pam's dad and tell him 725 00:38:29,893 --> 00:38:31,811 that the arrest had been made. 726 00:38:31,853 --> 00:38:36,649 That was the best feeling I've had in my entire career. 727 00:38:36,691 --> 00:38:37,984 - PAUL: I couldn't believe it. 728 00:38:38,026 --> 00:38:40,737 After 30 years, I just couldn't believe it. 729 00:38:40,779 --> 00:38:44,282 I- I got up and shook his hand and hugged him and... 730 00:38:49,746 --> 00:38:53,083 I just kept saying, I can't believe it. 731 00:38:53,124 --> 00:38:55,335 I can't believe it. 732 00:38:55,377 --> 00:38:57,087 Thank God. 733 00:38:58,838 --> 00:39:00,006 - * 734 00:39:00,048 --> 00:39:01,675 - NARRATOR: But as the case heads to trial, 735 00:39:01,716 --> 00:39:05,845 it faces a number of setbacks. 736 00:39:05,887 --> 00:39:09,474 - VICTOR: The problem remains that it is a 30-year-old case, 737 00:39:09,516 --> 00:39:14,813 and a lot of our witnesses are either dead or have dementia 738 00:39:14,854 --> 00:39:18,108 or just simply don't remember what all happened back then, 739 00:39:18,149 --> 00:39:22,362 so to try to this case, to say it was a 50-50, 740 00:39:22,404 --> 00:39:23,738 it's kind of a long shot 741 00:39:23,780 --> 00:39:27,158 that- that we actually get a conviction out of it. 742 00:39:28,243 --> 00:39:29,577 - * 743 00:39:29,619 --> 00:39:31,371 - NARRATOR: Prosecutors are forced to present 744 00:39:31,413 --> 00:39:35,709 Pam's family with a catch-22. 745 00:39:35,750 --> 00:39:37,544 - KERRIE: So they tried 746 00:39:37,585 --> 00:39:41,923 to have this plea agreement set up. 747 00:39:41,965 --> 00:39:45,719 The defense said that the only way that she would 748 00:39:45,760 --> 00:39:47,262 change her plea to guilty 749 00:39:47,303 --> 00:39:50,557 would be if she didn't have to do any more time. 750 00:39:50,598 --> 00:39:52,767 - CAROL: Knowing that she would not confess 751 00:39:52,809 --> 00:39:54,769 and tell the actual truth, 752 00:39:54,811 --> 00:39:58,106 I felt that it was best just to go with the guilty plea. 753 00:39:58,148 --> 00:40:00,859 - NARRATOR: On March 1st, 2021, 754 00:40:00,900 --> 00:40:03,236 nearly four years after her arrest, 755 00:40:03,278 --> 00:40:06,197 Shelly stands before the court and gives her version 756 00:40:06,239 --> 00:40:11,161 of the events that transpired on September 16th, 1988. 757 00:40:13,121 --> 00:40:16,791 - * 758 00:40:16,833 --> 00:40:20,128 - KERRIE: She said she had gone out looking for Pam 759 00:40:20,170 --> 00:40:23,757 at the party, and when she found her, 760 00:40:23,798 --> 00:40:25,842 she just wanted to talk to her. 761 00:40:25,884 --> 00:40:28,970 They had gone off from the side of the party 762 00:40:29,012 --> 00:40:33,683 and got into a heated debate and started getting into a fight. 763 00:40:34,976 --> 00:40:36,936 - PAUL: She goes, "I don't know what happened. 764 00:40:36,978 --> 00:40:39,898 "I hit her and- and I knocked her down 765 00:40:39,939 --> 00:40:43,610 "and I just got on top of her and I couldn't stop hitting her, 766 00:40:43,651 --> 00:40:45,779 "and I just kept hitting her and hitting her, 767 00:40:45,820 --> 00:40:50,075 and- and then she stopped breathing." 768 00:40:50,116 --> 00:40:51,701 - VICTOR: And she heard voices coming, 769 00:40:51,743 --> 00:40:53,578 so she got up and left. 770 00:40:53,620 --> 00:40:56,456 That- that was essentially he confession. 771 00:40:56,498 --> 00:40:59,167 She would not talk about the body 772 00:40:59,209 --> 00:41:01,461 or what happened after she killed Pam, 773 00:41:01,503 --> 00:41:03,254 so we did not get any of that. 774 00:41:03,296 --> 00:41:04,756 - KERRIE: You can't tell me that this was 775 00:41:04,798 --> 00:41:06,341 oh, this was an accident. 776 00:41:07,300 --> 00:41:09,094 I- I don't believe it. 777 00:41:09,135 --> 00:41:14,349 - PAUL: I think she went so far as to pour gasoline on her body 778 00:41:15,350 --> 00:41:16,810 and set her on fire, 779 00:41:16,851 --> 00:41:22,732 and that's something that is extremely personal 780 00:41:22,774 --> 00:41:26,444 and shows a lot of hate for somebody. 781 00:41:31,741 --> 00:41:33,159 - NARRATOR: Following her statement, 782 00:41:33,201 --> 00:41:37,997 Shelly is released from custody at the age of 50. 783 00:41:38,039 --> 00:41:40,542 - VICTOR: She got credit for 20 years 784 00:41:40,583 --> 00:41:44,212 for the time she served in prison for Ray Clerx's murder 785 00:41:44,254 --> 00:41:47,132 and the three or four years that she sat in county jail 786 00:41:47,173 --> 00:41:49,843 waiting for trial in the Pam Pitts case, 787 00:41:49,884 --> 00:41:52,846 and for the confession that she killed Pam, 788 00:41:52,887 --> 00:41:56,182 she got to walk out. 789 00:41:56,224 --> 00:41:58,518 - PAUL: I look at it and I go, well, the main thing is 790 00:41:58,560 --> 00:42:04,649 is she did confess to it, and she did get convicted. 791 00:42:04,691 --> 00:42:06,943 It was justice for Pam. 792 00:42:06,985 --> 00:42:09,237 Did it look like we want it to look like? 793 00:42:09,279 --> 00:42:12,615 No, in terms of, you know, I would like to have seen her 794 00:42:12,657 --> 00:42:15,910 get the maximum sentence for what she did. 795 00:42:15,952 --> 00:42:20,206 But you have to take the sometimes small victories 796 00:42:20,248 --> 00:42:25,253 that you get and hang on to those and cherish those. 797 00:42:25,295 --> 00:42:27,088 - * 798 00:42:27,130 --> 00:42:29,883 - CAROL: I want the world to know that there's somebody 799 00:42:29,924 --> 00:42:31,801 walking the streets. 800 00:42:31,843 --> 00:42:36,139 There's somebody out there that murdered two people. 801 00:42:36,181 --> 00:42:39,642 Two people that she so professed to love, 802 00:42:39,684 --> 00:42:43,271 a boyfriend and a best friend. 803 00:42:43,313 --> 00:42:44,939 - * 804 00:42:44,981 --> 00:42:46,983 - NARRATOR: Though two lives were taken, 805 00:42:47,025 --> 00:42:49,069 Pam and Ray's memories live on 806 00:42:49,110 --> 00:42:52,197 in the hearts of all that knew them. 807 00:42:52,238 --> 00:42:54,324 - VICTOR: Ray had a lot of potential, you know? 808 00:42:54,366 --> 00:42:56,910 He wanted to be at- uh, a commercial airline pilot, 809 00:42:56,951 --> 00:42:59,329 and that was kind of ran in the family, 810 00:42:59,371 --> 00:43:01,247 and that family was extremely tight, 811 00:43:01,289 --> 00:43:03,708 so the tighter the family, it is the more it hurts 812 00:43:03,750 --> 00:43:06,086 when you lose that. 813 00:43:06,127 --> 00:43:07,754 - PAUL: I want Pam to be remembered 814 00:43:07,796 --> 00:43:10,131 as a young lady who loved life 815 00:43:10,173 --> 00:43:13,843 and couldn't wait to get out there 816 00:43:13,885 --> 00:43:15,345 and live it. 817 00:43:15,387 --> 00:43:19,516 It's a shame that it got cut short like it did. 818 00:43:19,557 --> 00:43:24,938 But I- I know she would- she would've been quite the fireball 819 00:43:24,979 --> 00:43:27,107 if she was alive today. 820 00:43:29,442 --> 00:43:33,363 - *