1 00:00:06,133 --> 00:00:09,250 Narrator: Up next, she had everything to live for. 2 00:00:09,283 --> 00:00:12,166 She was really looking forward to having a baby and being a mom. 3 00:00:12,200 --> 00:00:16,283 Narrator: So her death raises more questions than answers. 4 00:00:16,316 --> 00:00:19,366 It was pretty obvious that something wasn't right here. 5 00:00:20,000 --> 00:00:21,100 Narrator: Years pass, 6 00:00:21,133 --> 00:00:24,300 then someone reveals a clue about the victim. 7 00:00:24,333 --> 00:00:26,283 I'm thinking to myself, why are you telling me this? 8 00:00:26,316 --> 00:00:30,216 Narrator: Can a dead woman buried for almost a generation 9 00:00:30,250 --> 00:00:34,166 solve the mystery of how she really died? 10 00:00:34,200 --> 00:00:43,000 ♪♪ 11 00:00:43,330 --> 00:00:51,216 ♪♪ 12 00:00:51,250 --> 00:00:54,830 In the spring of 1985, 13 00:00:54,116 --> 00:00:56,266 Margaret Purk and her husband, Scott, 14 00:00:56,300 --> 00:00:59,330 were planning a bright future. 15 00:00:59,660 --> 00:01:01,133 Margaret and Scott met in high school, 16 00:01:01,166 --> 00:01:04,660 and they had been married just a little over three years. 17 00:01:04,100 --> 00:01:07,366 Narrator: The young couple and many of their relatives 18 00:01:08,000 --> 00:01:10,316 lived in and around Akron, Ohio, 19 00:01:10,350 --> 00:01:13,383 about an hour south of Cleveland. 20 00:01:14,160 --> 00:01:16,283 Scott worked as a security guard. 21 00:01:16,316 --> 00:01:20,660 24-year-old Margaret, an aspiring writer, 22 00:01:20,100 --> 00:01:22,283 was pregnant with their first child 23 00:01:22,316 --> 00:01:25,660 and was thrilled about becoming a mother. 24 00:01:25,100 --> 00:01:28,216 Margaret had written to her grandparents letting them know 25 00:01:28,250 --> 00:01:30,316 that everything was really well with her, 26 00:01:30,350 --> 00:01:32,133 everything was fine, she was happy, 27 00:01:32,166 --> 00:01:35,150 looking forward to the birth of their first child. 28 00:01:35,183 --> 00:01:37,250 Margaret: "I feel great and full of energy. 29 00:01:37,283 --> 00:01:41,200 Just think, any day now, I'll be a mother. A mother! 30 00:01:41,233 --> 00:01:43,300 It's even hard for me to believe 31 00:01:43,333 --> 00:01:46,266 but I'm looking forward to it and so it Scott. 32 00:01:46,300 --> 00:01:48,216 Metcalf: For the baby coming, she was ecstatic. 33 00:01:48,250 --> 00:01:53,333 Me being the little brother and still not very mature, 34 00:01:53,366 --> 00:01:55,383 it got on my nerves a little bit, 35 00:01:56,160 --> 00:01:57,266 just hearing about it all the time. 36 00:01:57,300 --> 00:02:00,283 Narrator: Margaret's family and friends were relieved 37 00:02:00,316 --> 00:02:02,366 by her newfound optimism. 38 00:02:03,000 --> 00:02:06,216 She hadn't always been so full of hope. 39 00:02:06,250 --> 00:02:08,150 Mifflin: There was one incident in Margaret's past 40 00:02:08,183 --> 00:02:10,366 where, you know, she was upset about something, 41 00:02:11,000 --> 00:02:14,283 and she had threatened to harm herself by using a cord 42 00:02:14,316 --> 00:02:17,333 from a mini-blind in one of the rooms of the house. 43 00:02:17,366 --> 00:02:19,133 It's more or less a feeble attempt 44 00:02:19,166 --> 00:02:20,350 because, you know, it's really not gonna happen, 45 00:02:20,383 --> 00:02:22,366 and you don't really want to do it. 46 00:02:23,000 --> 00:02:27,183 Narrator: The family was convinced that any possibility of self-harm 47 00:02:27,216 --> 00:02:29,333 was part of the distant past. 48 00:02:29,366 --> 00:02:32,366 But that changed on March 18th, 49 00:02:33,000 --> 00:02:36,200 shortly before Margaret and Scott's baby was due. 50 00:02:36,233 --> 00:02:39,830 Walsh: Scott Purk was taking a bath, 51 00:02:39,116 --> 00:02:43,233 and he saw his wife walk past the door a couple of times. 52 00:02:43,266 --> 00:02:45,660 He said he got out of the bathtub 53 00:02:45,100 --> 00:02:50,330 about five minutes later and he observed that his wife 54 00:02:50,660 --> 00:02:53,250 had somehow tied a rope from the banister 55 00:02:53,283 --> 00:02:56,383 on the second floor and had hung herself. 56 00:02:58,283 --> 00:03:01,166 Narrator: Margaret died a short time later. 57 00:03:01,200 --> 00:03:05,333 And to compound an already unimaginable tragedy, 58 00:03:05,366 --> 00:03:08,116 the baby did not survive. 59 00:03:08,150 --> 00:03:11,100 Metcalf: But the first thought was, "Why would she do this, this close?" 60 00:03:11,133 --> 00:03:14,116 You know, she was within like two weeks of having the baby. 61 00:03:14,150 --> 00:03:15,300 So, you know, it just -- 62 00:03:15,333 --> 00:03:17,366 it really didn't make a whole lot of sense. 63 00:03:18,000 --> 00:03:19,266 Narrator: Everyone was shocked. 64 00:03:19,300 --> 00:03:22,000 What happened seemed so impulsive, 65 00:03:22,330 --> 00:03:24,266 especially with a baby on the way. 66 00:03:24,300 --> 00:03:30,660 Even first responders and Akron police were suspicious. 67 00:03:30,100 --> 00:03:32,283 The detectives really thought there was more to it. 68 00:03:32,316 --> 00:03:34,366 The EMTs thought there was more to it. 69 00:03:35,000 --> 00:03:39,233 Narrator: No one had answers -- not Scott, not the family, 70 00:03:39,266 --> 00:03:41,183 not Margaret's friends. 71 00:03:41,216 --> 00:03:44,316 It was left to the coroner to decide what had happened, 72 00:03:44,350 --> 00:03:47,183 and the fact that Margaret had attempted suicide 73 00:03:47,216 --> 00:03:52,000 years earlier played into his ruling. 74 00:03:52,330 --> 00:03:55,160 Mifflin: With all the information that the coroner was given, 75 00:03:55,500 --> 00:03:57,283 he looked at everything in totality and decided, 76 00:03:57,316 --> 00:03:59,183 "I'm gonna rule it a suicide." 77 00:03:59,216 --> 00:04:02,116 Walsh: Ultimately, the coroner ruled that it was a suicide, 78 00:04:02,150 --> 00:04:05,100 and the police were really, you know, kind of forced 79 00:04:05,133 --> 00:04:07,350 at that point to just stay with that. 80 00:04:07,383 --> 00:04:12,330 Narrator: Years -- decades, actually -- went by. 81 00:04:12,660 --> 00:04:13,366 Margaret's family mourned, 82 00:04:14,000 --> 00:04:16,333 but refused to believe she killed herself. 83 00:04:16,366 --> 00:04:19,133 My mom would call once a year just to see if there's any way 84 00:04:19,166 --> 00:04:21,350 they could reopen it, and, unfortunately, 85 00:04:21,383 --> 00:04:23,200 with that ruling, the case was closed 86 00:04:23,233 --> 00:04:26,183 and they weren't allowed to do anything about it. 87 00:04:26,216 --> 00:04:30,183 Narrator: In the years after Margaret's death, 88 00:04:30,216 --> 00:04:32,266 there was another series of crimes 89 00:04:32,300 --> 00:04:36,283 that seemingly had nothing to do with her, 90 00:04:36,316 --> 00:04:39,316 until police decided to take a closer look 91 00:04:39,350 --> 00:04:43,366 atwho those crimes and why. 92 00:04:44,000 --> 00:04:48,383 ♪♪ 93 00:04:52,183 --> 00:04:55,316 Narrator: After his wife's suicide in 1985, 94 00:04:55,350 --> 00:04:59,500 Scott Purk moved on with his life. 95 00:04:59,830 --> 00:05:01,233 But tragedy's seemed to follow him. 96 00:05:01,266 --> 00:05:03,830 [ Engine starts ] 97 00:05:03,116 --> 00:05:04,383 ♪♪ 98 00:05:05,160 --> 00:05:06,100 [ Siren wails ] 99 00:05:06,133 --> 00:05:09,300 In March of 2009, police were called to a fire 100 00:05:09,333 --> 00:05:12,233 at the house Scott shared with his new wife 101 00:05:12,266 --> 00:05:16,350 and their two teenage children in Stow, Ohio. 102 00:05:16,383 --> 00:05:20,660 Leidel: When you first pull up, the house was absolutely destroyed. 103 00:05:20,100 --> 00:05:22,160 It was gone. It was unsavable. 104 00:05:22,500 --> 00:05:27,660 Narrator: Luckily, Scott Purk and his family escaped unharmed. 105 00:05:28,500 --> 00:05:30,330 Scott woke up around 3:00 in the morning 106 00:05:30,660 --> 00:05:31,166 to go to the bathroom, 107 00:05:31,200 --> 00:05:33,500 and that's when he discovered the fire. 108 00:05:33,830 --> 00:05:34,216 He alerted everyone, 109 00:05:34,250 --> 00:05:37,100 and they were able to get kids out of the house. 110 00:05:37,133 --> 00:05:40,300 Narrator: Veteran arson investigators soon realized 111 00:05:40,333 --> 00:05:43,266 why the house went up so fast. 112 00:05:43,300 --> 00:05:46,233 There was a trail of gas that was poured. 113 00:05:46,266 --> 00:05:48,383 You could see the pour pattern on the grass 114 00:05:49,160 --> 00:05:53,133 leading all the way to the house and around the foundation. 115 00:05:53,166 --> 00:05:56,330 Narrator: Since detective Ken Mifflin assumed 116 00:05:56,660 --> 00:05:58,216 he was dealing with an arson fire, 117 00:05:58,250 --> 00:06:01,250 he asked Scott Purk the obvious question -- 118 00:06:01,283 --> 00:06:05,283 "Was there anyone who would want to harm him or his family?" 119 00:06:05,316 --> 00:06:10,233 And Scott immediately volunteered a possibility. 120 00:06:10,266 --> 00:06:13,250 Scott and his wife had an open relationship. 121 00:06:13,283 --> 00:06:16,333 They were swingers, and they had an interesting lifestyle, 122 00:06:16,366 --> 00:06:18,100 to say the least. 123 00:06:18,133 --> 00:06:20,133 Mifflin: They openly date, even long-term-dating 124 00:06:20,166 --> 00:06:21,316 the same people within the marriage, 125 00:06:21,350 --> 00:06:23,116 and they're both comfortable with that. 126 00:06:23,150 --> 00:06:25,000 They both have their own girlfriends and boyfriends 127 00:06:25,330 --> 00:06:26,183 and so forth. 128 00:06:26,216 --> 00:06:29,160 Narrator: Was it possible a boyfriend or a girlfriend 129 00:06:29,500 --> 00:06:33,183 from outside the marriage had attacked the family? 130 00:06:33,216 --> 00:06:35,250 That does open a door to the possibilities 131 00:06:35,283 --> 00:06:37,333 that there were other people that could be involved 132 00:06:37,366 --> 00:06:39,133 with this situation. 133 00:06:39,166 --> 00:06:42,133 Narrator: As police explored this possibility, 134 00:06:42,166 --> 00:06:46,250 they also did a standard background check on Scott Purk, 135 00:06:46,283 --> 00:06:51,500 and that turned up more than a few surprises. 136 00:06:51,830 --> 00:06:55,250 Scott was an ex-convict with an infamous reputation. 137 00:06:55,283 --> 00:07:00,000 He was known by local media as "the ninja burglar." 138 00:07:00,330 --> 00:07:05,266 He was arrested for committing at least 10 different burglaries 139 00:07:05,300 --> 00:07:09,233 or breaking into cars and homes and businesses. 140 00:07:09,266 --> 00:07:13,160 And he was pretending to be a ninja. 141 00:07:13,500 --> 00:07:14,266 Leidel: He would dress up in dark clothing 142 00:07:14,300 --> 00:07:17,300 and then break into women's homes, single women. 143 00:07:17,333 --> 00:07:19,316 Normally, he would take, you know, 144 00:07:19,350 --> 00:07:21,660 car keys, things like that, 145 00:07:21,100 --> 00:07:23,133 but he would take their underwear, typically, 146 00:07:23,166 --> 00:07:27,660 as his trophies, I guess, for lack of a better term. 147 00:07:27,100 --> 00:07:29,133 Narrator: This string of burglaries, 148 00:07:29,166 --> 00:07:32,333 for which Scott served seven years in prison, 149 00:07:32,366 --> 00:07:35,200 happened just months after the suicide 150 00:07:35,233 --> 00:07:38,830 of his first wife, Margaret. 151 00:07:38,116 --> 00:07:41,500 There was probably no connection to be made, 152 00:07:41,830 --> 00:07:45,100 but Detective Mifflin couldn't get over an unusual exchange 153 00:07:45,133 --> 00:07:48,660 he had with Scott the night of the fire. 154 00:07:48,100 --> 00:07:51,160 Mifflin: Scott and I are having this conversation about his house 155 00:07:51,500 --> 00:07:53,100 literally burning down right in front of us, 156 00:07:53,133 --> 00:07:56,830 and Scott says to me, just out of the blue, 157 00:07:56,116 --> 00:07:58,350 you know, that he was married back in the early '80s 158 00:07:58,383 --> 00:08:01,500 and his wife, his first wife, 159 00:08:01,830 --> 00:08:03,300 who was nine months pregnant, had hung herself, 160 00:08:03,333 --> 00:08:05,283 thereby killing her and her baby, 161 00:08:05,316 --> 00:08:07,330 their first child together. 162 00:08:07,660 --> 00:08:09,000 So, he just brought that up out of the blue. 163 00:08:09,330 --> 00:08:12,183 No reason for the conversation. I had no idea. 164 00:08:12,216 --> 00:08:13,333 Nothing -- I didn't even know Scott Purk 165 00:08:13,366 --> 00:08:15,333 prior to first coming to the scene. 166 00:08:15,366 --> 00:08:19,283 Narrator: Detective Mifflin didn't know what to make of this. 167 00:08:19,316 --> 00:08:22,100 Neither did his fellow investigators. 168 00:08:22,133 --> 00:08:28,250 We found it very odd that Scott Purk's home is burning 169 00:08:28,283 --> 00:08:31,330 and he just kind of blurts out, 170 00:08:31,660 --> 00:08:33,233 "By the way, my first wife killed herself 171 00:08:33,266 --> 00:08:36,160 when she was nine months pregnant." 172 00:08:36,500 --> 00:08:38,300 Narrator: Detective Mifflin, a seasoned veteran 173 00:08:38,333 --> 00:08:41,350 with decades of investigative experience, 174 00:08:41,383 --> 00:08:46,233 later said this was one of the strangest moments of his career, 175 00:08:46,266 --> 00:08:50,000 so strange that he decided to look back 176 00:08:50,330 --> 00:08:52,200 into Scott Purk's past. 177 00:08:52,233 --> 00:08:55,266 And what he found unearthed secrets 178 00:08:55,300 --> 00:08:59,366 that were literally buried with the dead. 179 00:09:00,000 --> 00:09:05,333 ♪♪ 180 00:09:09,150 --> 00:09:11,300 Narrator: Detectives investigating the 2009 fire 181 00:09:11,333 --> 00:09:14,166 that burned Scott Purk's home to the ground 182 00:09:14,200 --> 00:09:18,250 found that wasn't his first brush with a nearly fatal fire. 183 00:09:18,283 --> 00:09:22,366 Back in 1980, the home he lived in also caught fire. 184 00:09:23,000 --> 00:09:25,160 If something in your life happens one time, 185 00:09:25,500 --> 00:09:26,116 that's exactly what it is. 186 00:09:26,150 --> 00:09:27,316 It's just an incident that happens. 187 00:09:27,350 --> 00:09:30,183 When it starts to happen more than one time 188 00:09:30,216 --> 00:09:33,500 and bad things happen as a consequence of that, 189 00:09:33,830 --> 00:09:34,333 it's a pattern. 190 00:09:36,283 --> 00:09:40,233 Narrator: Detectives discovered that in this most recent fire, 191 00:09:40,266 --> 00:09:44,500 Scott took some highly suspicious precautions 192 00:09:44,830 --> 00:09:46,333 before the flames started. 193 00:09:46,366 --> 00:09:49,300 Walsh: He had loaded up his minivan 194 00:09:49,333 --> 00:09:52,266 with all their important possessions. 195 00:09:52,300 --> 00:09:56,166 They had clothes in there, CDs in there, 196 00:09:56,200 --> 00:09:58,366 but they also had things like photographs 197 00:09:59,000 --> 00:10:00,100 and a very old cookbook, 198 00:10:00,133 --> 00:10:02,116 some things that had some sentimental value 199 00:10:02,150 --> 00:10:04,216 that they wouldn't want to have burn up in a fire. 200 00:10:04,250 --> 00:10:06,300 Narrator: All the evidence appear to indicate 201 00:10:06,333 --> 00:10:11,000 that Scott set his own house on fire. 202 00:10:11,330 --> 00:10:12,133 But why? 203 00:10:12,166 --> 00:10:15,300 Walsh: It was determined that he set the fire to his home 204 00:10:15,333 --> 00:10:20,183 because he was well over $200,000 in debt 205 00:10:20,216 --> 00:10:24,500 and he was hoping to get some type of insurance money 206 00:10:24,830 --> 00:10:26,200 by burning down his house. 207 00:10:26,233 --> 00:10:31,830 Narrator: In fact, one of the key pieces of evidence against Scott 208 00:10:31,116 --> 00:10:33,216 was something he said to his wife 209 00:10:33,250 --> 00:10:37,330 while making the 911 call about the fire. 210 00:10:55,200 --> 00:10:59,500 He had moved his favorite possessions out of the house, 211 00:10:59,830 --> 00:11:04,330 but he forgot one -- the family pet, a ferret named Tito. 212 00:11:04,660 --> 00:11:07,150 It's totally not something that individuals would talk about, 213 00:11:07,183 --> 00:11:09,100 typically, when your house is burning down. 214 00:11:14,266 --> 00:11:16,830 This was planned out. 215 00:11:16,116 --> 00:11:18,500 Somebody was supposed to get this ferret out of the house, 216 00:11:18,830 --> 00:11:21,150 and that person failed to do their job 217 00:11:21,183 --> 00:11:22,366 and left the ferret behind. 218 00:11:23,000 --> 00:11:25,366 And, of course, it met its demise in that fire. 219 00:11:26,000 --> 00:11:30,133 Narrator: Investigators prepared to arrest Scott Purk for arson, 220 00:11:30,166 --> 00:11:32,250 but they couldn't let go of Scott's 221 00:11:32,283 --> 00:11:34,200 seemingly offhand comment 222 00:11:34,233 --> 00:11:38,300 about his first wife, Margaret's, long-ago suicide, 223 00:11:38,333 --> 00:11:45,330 made for no apparent reason as his house burned to the ground. 224 00:11:45,660 --> 00:11:48,116 I think there were certainly a lot of family members 225 00:11:48,150 --> 00:11:51,116 that believed all along that Scott did it. 226 00:11:51,150 --> 00:11:54,100 Metcalf: You knew deep down inside she didn't kill herself, 227 00:11:54,133 --> 00:11:56,250 but, you know, you had to resign yourself to the fact that, 228 00:11:56,283 --> 00:12:00,160 "Well, this is what it was ruled, you know, 229 00:12:00,500 --> 00:12:02,150 so that's how it sits." 230 00:12:02,183 --> 00:12:06,150 Narrator: And it sat that way for more than 20 years, 231 00:12:06,183 --> 00:12:10,366 but now investigators were taking a fresh look at the case. 232 00:12:11,000 --> 00:12:14,150 Could it be possible that, after all this time, 233 00:12:14,183 --> 00:12:18,183 they would finally discover how Margaret Purk really died? 234 00:12:18,216 --> 00:12:20,133 There were still things to be solved here, 235 00:12:20,166 --> 00:12:21,300 still things needed to be done, 236 00:12:21,333 --> 00:12:23,116 but we needed justice for Margaret. 237 00:12:23,150 --> 00:12:26,316 Narrator: Investigators reopen the case. 238 00:12:26,350 --> 00:12:29,500 In most murder investigations, 239 00:12:29,830 --> 00:12:33,150 the victim's body is a primary source of evidence, 240 00:12:33,183 --> 00:12:36,100 and this case was no exception. 241 00:12:36,133 --> 00:12:41,216 In September of 2011, investigators got a court order 242 00:12:41,250 --> 00:12:44,233 to exhume Margaret Purk's body. 243 00:12:44,266 --> 00:12:47,160 Mifflin: You just never know how things are gonna turn out 244 00:12:47,500 --> 00:12:51,350 when someone has been deceased for, you know, almost 30 years. 245 00:12:51,383 --> 00:12:54,283 Leidel: There was so much water in the actual vault 246 00:12:54,316 --> 00:12:56,500 where the casket was, 247 00:12:56,830 --> 00:12:58,100 and then once we got the casket back 248 00:12:58,133 --> 00:13:00,660 to the medical examiner's office, 249 00:13:00,100 --> 00:13:02,133 we weren't able to open the casket. 250 00:13:02,166 --> 00:13:04,166 They actually had to get some tools 251 00:13:04,200 --> 00:13:07,166 and come in and break open the casket. 252 00:13:07,200 --> 00:13:10,283 And then there was a lot of water inside the casket. 253 00:13:13,150 --> 00:13:16,150 Narrator: But to the amazement of nearly everyone, 254 00:13:16,183 --> 00:13:19,150 the body was in remarkably good condition. 255 00:13:19,183 --> 00:13:22,233 Pandey: The chemicals in the embalming fluids will preserve you. 256 00:13:22,266 --> 00:13:24,333 You may have some, like, mold or mildew, 257 00:13:24,366 --> 00:13:28,350 but essentially the body remains, you know, intact. 258 00:13:28,383 --> 00:13:31,116 And the embalming fluid will delay the decomposition. 259 00:13:31,150 --> 00:13:33,830 I'm not saying it's not getting decomposed, 260 00:13:33,116 --> 00:13:35,366 but they will delay the decomposition. 261 00:13:36,000 --> 00:13:38,216 Mifflin: We were able to, you know, examine all organs 262 00:13:38,250 --> 00:13:40,200 that were not really properly looked at 263 00:13:40,233 --> 00:13:42,000 during the first autopsy, 264 00:13:42,330 --> 00:13:45,216 so we were able to gather evidence in this case. 265 00:13:45,250 --> 00:13:48,500 Narrator: While a second autopsy was conducted, 266 00:13:48,830 --> 00:13:51,350 Scott Purk was arrested on the arson charge. 267 00:13:51,383 --> 00:13:54,183 Detectives took the occasion to update him 268 00:13:54,216 --> 00:13:58,500 about the investigation into his first wife's death. 269 00:13:58,830 --> 00:14:01,500 Leidel: Detective Mifflin tells him, "Oh, by the way, Scott, 270 00:14:01,830 --> 00:14:04,316 we got a court order to exhume your first wife's body." 271 00:14:04,350 --> 00:14:07,383 And it's almost like a valve opened 272 00:14:08,160 --> 00:14:11,100 and drained all the color out of his face, 273 00:14:11,133 --> 00:14:15,316 and his air of arrogance was totally gone. 274 00:14:15,350 --> 00:14:21,160 It was that moment where he knew that, "I screwed up." 275 00:14:22,333 --> 00:14:28,500 ♪♪ 276 00:14:31,333 --> 00:14:33,250 Narrator: The question before investigators 277 00:14:33,283 --> 00:14:35,100 was whether they could prove 278 00:14:35,133 --> 00:14:40,283 Scott Purk staged the suicide of his first wife, Margaret. 279 00:14:40,316 --> 00:14:44,383 Scott claimed she'd hanged herself by anchoring a rope 280 00:14:45,160 --> 00:14:49,100 on a stair banister and jumping from a second floor. 281 00:14:49,133 --> 00:14:53,316 Investigators had photographs from Margaret's first autopsy, 282 00:14:53,350 --> 00:14:56,300 conducted way back in 1985, 283 00:14:56,333 --> 00:15:01,333 and now they had her body, exhumed in 2011. 284 00:15:01,366 --> 00:15:04,116 So, how did she die? 285 00:15:04,150 --> 00:15:07,183 Forensic pathologist Dr. Maneesha Pandey 286 00:15:07,216 --> 00:15:09,333 is a consultant to this program. 287 00:15:09,366 --> 00:15:12,160 Pandey: In a hanging, usually what I would look for 288 00:15:12,500 --> 00:15:15,133 is a ligature to see, you know, how the neck is, 289 00:15:15,166 --> 00:15:17,100 what kind of ligature has been used. 290 00:15:17,133 --> 00:15:18,316 And what is a ligature? 291 00:15:18,350 --> 00:15:21,266 It's anything which is used to compress your neck. 292 00:15:21,300 --> 00:15:26,266 Narrator: A hanging will usually create a v-mark at the back of the neck 293 00:15:26,300 --> 00:15:29,300 because the pressure is coming from below, 294 00:15:29,333 --> 00:15:31,183 from the victim's weight. 295 00:15:31,216 --> 00:15:34,283 It goes upwards and goes up behind the ears 296 00:15:34,316 --> 00:15:36,366 and then comes up to the back of the head 297 00:15:37,000 --> 00:15:39,200 in a v-shaped fashion, so it will come out like this 298 00:15:39,233 --> 00:15:42,000 because the noose is at that "v." 299 00:15:42,330 --> 00:15:46,383 Narrator: But if someone is strangled, the mark looks different 300 00:15:47,160 --> 00:15:51,200 because the pressure usually comes from behind the victim. 301 00:15:51,233 --> 00:15:52,383 There's no v-shape. 302 00:15:53,160 --> 00:15:55,133 There's no angling up behind the ears, 303 00:15:55,166 --> 00:15:57,133 and it just goes around. 304 00:15:57,166 --> 00:16:01,350 And the ligature mark is going to be similar to all the -- 305 00:16:01,383 --> 00:16:03,316 you know, whatever ligature has been used. 306 00:16:03,350 --> 00:16:07,160 Narrator: Scott claimed that when he found Margaret's body, 307 00:16:07,500 --> 00:16:11,200 the first thing he did was cut the rope from around her neck. 308 00:16:11,233 --> 00:16:14,333 But amazingly, after her exhumation 309 00:16:14,366 --> 00:16:18,233 and despite all that time under ground, 310 00:16:18,266 --> 00:16:23,330 Margaret's skin told an entirely different story. 311 00:16:23,660 --> 00:16:25,216 Because the skin -- it's elastic, 312 00:16:25,250 --> 00:16:27,116 so it tends to hold the marks. 313 00:16:27,150 --> 00:16:30,160 You're not living. You're not healing. 314 00:16:30,500 --> 00:16:31,116 So, if there's no healing, 315 00:16:31,150 --> 00:16:33,216 the mark will remain permanently. 316 00:16:33,250 --> 00:16:38,160 Narrator: The surfaces of most ropes are rough, a little grainy, 317 00:16:38,500 --> 00:16:41,366 but the marks on Margaret's neck were smooth, 318 00:16:42,160 --> 00:16:45,366 leading to speculation that a belt might have been used. 319 00:16:46,000 --> 00:16:47,150 To test this theory, 320 00:16:47,183 --> 00:16:52,316 detectives set up a simulation with a rope, a belt, 321 00:16:52,350 --> 00:16:56,200 and clay to play the part of human skin. 322 00:16:56,233 --> 00:16:59,283 What we did was we put the clay under the cans 323 00:16:59,316 --> 00:17:02,300 and then we took the belts and then we put it over the clay 324 00:17:02,333 --> 00:17:04,100 and started squeezing the belt closed, 325 00:17:04,133 --> 00:17:06,660 like as if you were gonna strangle somebody. 326 00:17:06,100 --> 00:17:08,100 You could see the perfect indentation. 327 00:17:08,133 --> 00:17:10,100 Leidel: The stitching from the belt 328 00:17:10,133 --> 00:17:13,183 made the same impression on the clay 329 00:17:13,216 --> 00:17:15,200 that we saw on Margaret's neck. 330 00:17:15,233 --> 00:17:20,160 And our "aha" moment was that he used a belt to strangle her. 331 00:17:21,350 --> 00:17:25,383 Narrator: And now detectives got an explanation for the strange, 332 00:17:26,160 --> 00:17:31,133 previously unexplained mark across Margaret's chest. 333 00:17:31,166 --> 00:17:34,116 This was most likely from a rope. 334 00:17:34,150 --> 00:17:37,316 Margaret, just days from giving birth, 335 00:17:37,350 --> 00:17:40,133 weighed a lot more than Scott. 336 00:17:40,166 --> 00:17:41,316 The evidence showed that, 337 00:17:41,350 --> 00:17:45,316 to get Margaret in position to stage the suicide, 338 00:17:45,350 --> 00:17:50,250 Scott wrapped a rope around her to drag her to the right spot. 339 00:17:50,283 --> 00:17:52,116 That would be the only explanation why 340 00:17:52,150 --> 00:17:55,116 that mark would have been on her chest. 341 00:17:57,300 --> 00:18:00,166 Narrator: In January of 2014, 342 00:18:00,200 --> 00:18:03,383 Scott Purk was charged with felony murder 343 00:18:04,160 --> 00:18:06,500 and tampering with evidence. 344 00:18:06,830 --> 00:18:10,830 But the role of science in this case was far from over. 345 00:18:10,116 --> 00:18:14,216 Before the trial, prosecutors took a highly unusual step. 346 00:18:14,250 --> 00:18:19,300 They teamed with investigators to re-create and videotape 347 00:18:19,333 --> 00:18:23,266 the alleged suicide scene in the actual apartment 348 00:18:23,300 --> 00:18:25,660 where it happened. 349 00:18:25,100 --> 00:18:28,133 Amazingly, the banister that Scott claimed Margaret 350 00:18:28,166 --> 00:18:32,660 hanged herself from was still in place. 351 00:18:32,100 --> 00:18:34,660 The owner of the apartment had indicated 352 00:18:34,100 --> 00:18:37,183 that no changes had been made in 30 years to those banisters. 353 00:18:37,216 --> 00:18:39,660 They were the original banisters. 354 00:18:39,100 --> 00:18:42,250 Narrator: The banisters were made of soft pine wood. 355 00:18:42,283 --> 00:18:47,000 Prosecutors used a mannequin of Margaret's height and weight. 356 00:18:47,330 --> 00:18:49,283 The mannequin was thrown from the second floor, 357 00:18:49,316 --> 00:18:53,150 simulating Margaret jumping to her death. 358 00:18:53,183 --> 00:18:57,100 This time, the rope made a deep indentation 359 00:18:57,133 --> 00:18:59,160 in the soft pine wood. 360 00:18:59,500 --> 00:19:02,233 Walsh: What was discovered is that if a rope was used 361 00:19:02,266 --> 00:19:05,216 and somebody who weighed a couple hundred pounds 362 00:19:05,250 --> 00:19:07,216 was hanging off that banister, 363 00:19:07,250 --> 00:19:11,166 it would cause an indentation in the wood of the banister. 364 00:19:11,200 --> 00:19:15,660 Narrator: Prior to this simulation, there were no marks, 365 00:19:15,100 --> 00:19:19,830 no indentations on any of the banisters, 366 00:19:19,116 --> 00:19:23,330 disproving Scott Purk's story of suicide. 367 00:19:25,133 --> 00:19:28,500 Reporter: 52-year old Scott Purk is standing trial on charges 368 00:19:28,830 --> 00:19:30,200 that he killed Margaret Anne Purk. 369 00:19:30,233 --> 00:19:33,100 Narrator: In November of 2015, 370 00:19:33,133 --> 00:19:36,283 Scott Purk was found guilty of Margaret's murder 371 00:19:36,316 --> 00:19:38,383 and tampering with evidence. 372 00:19:39,160 --> 00:19:44,283 He won't be eligible for parole until he's 87 years old. 373 00:19:44,316 --> 00:19:48,330 When the jury came back with their conviction, 374 00:19:48,660 --> 00:19:50,150 it was just like -- 375 00:19:50,183 --> 00:19:52,350 what a sendoff gift for my retirement. 376 00:19:52,383 --> 00:19:57,116 Narrator: One question nags detectives and Margaret's family -- 377 00:19:57,150 --> 00:19:59,116 why did Scott do it? 378 00:19:59,150 --> 00:20:04,200 Theories abound, and Scott is staying silent. 379 00:20:04,233 --> 00:20:06,150 My personal opinion is I don't think Scott 380 00:20:06,183 --> 00:20:08,500 was ready to be a father. 381 00:20:08,830 --> 00:20:10,383 I don't know if there's anybody that could ever figure him out, 382 00:20:11,160 --> 00:20:13,266 no matter, you know, how much time they have to study him. 383 00:20:13,300 --> 00:20:17,250 Narrator: Perhaps the oddest part of a very odd case 384 00:20:17,283 --> 00:20:21,283 is that if Scott had just kept his mouth shut, 385 00:20:21,316 --> 00:20:24,333 he probably never would have been caught. 386 00:20:24,366 --> 00:20:27,300 Scott would have gotten away with what he had done 387 00:20:27,333 --> 00:20:31,250 had he not said what he did the day of his fire. 388 00:20:31,283 --> 00:20:32,383 You know, it was a challenge. 389 00:20:33,160 --> 00:20:34,100 He was throwing it out there, 390 00:20:34,133 --> 00:20:37,116 letting us know how smart he was. 391 00:20:37,150 --> 00:20:40,100 Walsh: Scott Purk got what he deserved, 392 00:20:40,133 --> 00:20:42,216 even though it was 30 years later. 393 00:20:42,250 --> 00:20:44,350 He has been found guilty. 394 00:20:44,383 --> 00:20:47,316 He is guilty. 395 00:20:47,350 --> 00:20:50,383 He violently killed his wife, 396 00:20:51,160 --> 00:20:54,233 who was due to deliver their baby any day. 397 00:20:54,266 --> 00:20:56,200 It's a horrific crime, 398 00:20:56,233 --> 00:21:02,133 and we are extremely pleased that he was found guilty.