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♪♪
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Narrator: Up next, after nearly
two decades of marriage,
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a divorcee is
starting fresh.
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She was dating a whole bunch
of different guys.
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She was doing some
online dating.
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Narrator:
But dangerous secrets
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lurk in
cyberspace.
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The whole Internet world
is risky.
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You just never know
who's out there.
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Narrator: Romance leads to
horrific violence.
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I'd never seen anything
like this.
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Narrator:
And science exposes a killer
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convinced he's outwitted
both detectives
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and forensic analysts.
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♪♪
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♪♪
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In the summer of 2011,
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Chanin Starbuck,
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a 42-year-old
mother of five,
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was ready to start
a new chapter in her life.
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Chanin was trying to get an
education and a way to support
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herself and the kids.
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Narrator: Recently divorced,
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Chanin got certified
as a dental hygienist
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and was finally out
on her own.
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Getting independent was a big
accomplishment,
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especially for a
single mom with a brood of kids
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ranging in age from 12 to 21.
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Bourchier: Chanin got pregnant
on her honeymoon,
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and then the first
son was born,
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and he was a --
he was a whipper.
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He was a cute little guy.
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Chanin and the children's
father, Clay Starbuck.
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were married and divorced
two times
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in a love match that sometimes
burned a little too hot.
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Clay and Chanin did not have
your normal relationship.
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You know, you've heard of
on-and-off.
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This was more intense than that,
really.
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They just couldn't seem to
keep it together.
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Narrator:
Still, the couple attempted
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to raise their children
together.
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Clay moved out and ended up
in a house,
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I think just a
little over a half a mile
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from Chanin.
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He stayed pretty close.
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Narrator:
All told, Chanin and Clay
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had been together for most of
her adult life.
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In addition to
supporting herself,
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part of Chanin's new life
involved dating other men.
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Chanin was using a number of
different websites.
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To some degree,
this can be risky.
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Narrator: On the afternoon of
December 1st, 2011,
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Chanin didn't show up to drive
her children home from school.
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No one could get in touch with
her, which was unusual.
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It wasn't like her to not
tell anyone where she went.
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She wouldn't leave the area
and not tell her kids.
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Narrator:
Clay Starbuck asked police to
do a welfare check
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at Chanin's house.
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No one answered the door, but
nothing appeared to be wrong.
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There was no reason for police
to enter the house.
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Chanin's children spent
the night with their father
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and tried to find her.
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And the next day, I got up
and I started calling,
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and I knew then that
something was wrong.
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Narrator: Family and friends
kept calling the police.
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So, the next night, they checked
the house again.
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Nothing seemed changed
from the night before,
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but this time,
with a key from the landlord,
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they went in.
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The house was dark.
It was dark inside.
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There was no lights on.
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Narrator: Moving through
the house with flashlights,
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officers didn't see
anything unusual
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until they got
to the master bedroom.
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There was a female laying on
the bed with no clothes on.
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I was startled.
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I stepped back for a second.
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I took a look,
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a further look
with my flashlight,
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and I could
see that it was Chanin.
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Narrator: She was dead,
in a scene of unusual violence.
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This doesn't seem to be a
"typical" killing.
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I mean, there was some evil
involved here.
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Narrator:
First responders thought she
might have been strangled.
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Even worse, the body had been
staged in a humiliating,
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sexually suggestive manner.
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Dresback: I'd never seen
anything like it.
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I was 35 years old in law
enforcement, and the last 20
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were in homicide,
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and that's the
first actual posing
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involving sexual devices
and in a sexual way
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that I'd ever seen.
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Narrator: Her family was
devastated by this murder
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and shocked by the brutality.
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I did lose part of me.
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I definitely did.
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She was my whole life.
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Narrator: A few things appeared
clear immediately.
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This staging of the body would
have taken time --
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so much time
that Chanin's killer
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would likely be familiar
with the house
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and knew he wouldn't be
disturbed.
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Even more telling,
there was no forced entry.
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The evidence,
at least at this stage,
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indicated Chanin
knew her killer.
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♪♪
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Narrator: Chanin Starbuck's
murder shocked her family,
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her friends,
and her community.
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She was my whole life.
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I wanted a little girl,
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and she was --
oh, my God,
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she was perfect.
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Starks: Chanin was tortured,
and she was beaten so bad
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that she couldn't have
an open-casket funeral.
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It was a horrific thing to think
about your friend,
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having to suffer and be tortured
like she was.
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Narrator:
Investigators on the scene
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theorized Chanin
had been strangled
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and that affected how
they collected evidence.
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We swabbed for DNA
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prior to moving Chanin's body
from the crime scene.
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Narrator: But the most shocking
part of this crime
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was what Chanin's
killer did after the murder.
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Bryant: When cops come upon
Chanin's body,
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the first thing
that strikes them
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is how bizarre
the positioning is.
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Shover: I'd never seen
anything like this.
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I've never seen a dead body
positioned and staged
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the way
this one was.
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Narrator: This staging took
time, and a lot of it.
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So did the attempt to clean up
the crime scene.
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Johnston: All of the bedding
has been removed,
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and it is in
the wash machine.
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Whatever staining had been on
the bedding
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is most likely
removed in the wash,
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and so we're unable
to match it up.
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Narrator: Oddly, for a crime
with clear sexual motivations,
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Chanin had
not been raped.
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The autopsy revealed petechial
hemorrhages in Chanin's eyes --
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confirmation that strangulation
was the cause of death.
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And this gave investigators
a possible break.
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There was something
Chanin's killer
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apparently didn't realize.
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Chanin may have just
taken a shower.
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Her hair looked like
it was air-dried.
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Narrator: That meant her body
might provide a good,
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freshly cleaned
template for the killer's DNA.
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If there's any
kind of suspicions
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that someone may have
been manually strangled,
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typically, the medical examiner
will take swabs of the neck.
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Narrator: While those swabs were
being taken,
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detectives continued
processing the scene.
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Soon, Chanin's ex-husband, Clay,
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who lived about a mile away,
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arrived.
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I told him that Chanin was
found and that she was dead.
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And upon that news, he almost
collapsed on the ground.
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Shover: He was very upset.
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Of course, he wanted
to go in there.
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He wanted to see her.
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I told him he couldn't.
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It was a crime scene,
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and we were gonna secure
the residence immediately.
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Narrator: Clay told police
that Chanin
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had been out of contact for
about two days,
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which was
out of character,
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and a big problem
for detectives.
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Johnston:
At that particular time,
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we're not certain when
Chanin was murdered.
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Narrator: And Chanin's autopsy
didn't provide much help
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in narrowing
that time frame.
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She was cold when found,
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so body temperature
couldn't be used
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to nail down a time of death.
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This meant establishing alibis
for potential suspects
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would be
nearly impossible.
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For now, though, Clay Starbuck
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had a theory about who killed
his ex-wife.
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Dresback: When I said,
"Who do you think did it?"
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he said,
"Just look on her computer
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and look on her phones."
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Maybe it had been an Internet
date that had gone wrong.
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Narrator: A search of
Chanin's cellphone
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provided vital information about
her final days and hours.
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At 8:06 on the day
she was last seen,
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she got a text from a man
named Tom Walker.
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The two texted "Good morning"
to each other.
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At 8:29, Tom made a request.
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Tom had sent a text to Chanin
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requesting that she pose herself
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in this kind of provocative way
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and send him that picture.
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Narrator: Alarmingly, this
mirrored almost exactly
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the position in which
Chanin had been posed
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after her murder.
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♪♪
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Narrator: In the two days that
Chanin Starbuck went missing
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before her body was discovered,
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she exchanged a series of
text messages
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with family and friends.
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Chanin's last apparent
communication --
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asking her ex-husband Clay to
pick up the kids from school --
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was at 3:17 P.M.
on December 1st,
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two days before
her body was found.
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We're using that as kind of
the last known time
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we believe
she's alive.
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Narrator: That timeline looked
to clear Clay
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as a suspect
in Chanin's murder.
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They know that Clay was with
the kids from about 3:30 on.
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That creates a pretty tight
window that would excuse Clay.
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Narrator:
But it didn't do much for the
chief suspect in this case --
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Tom Walker.
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He and Chanin had met online,
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and he asked her
to photograph herself
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in the exact same
sexual pose
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in which her body was
ultimately found.
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To detectives, this seemed like
more than a coincidence.
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Tom admitted that he had made
the request for the photograph.
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Narrator: Chanin didn't respond
to this request.
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As for Tom Walker, he had
no history of violence.
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But since analysts
couldn't pin down
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Chanin's exact
time of death,
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he was still
a solid suspect.
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It's very common to have
the time-of-death problem
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because the body doesn't
necessarily tell you.
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Best you can get
from a body is range.
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Narrator:
Meanwhile, other searches of
Chanin's communications
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uncovered a new
potential suspect.
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His name was John Wilson.
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It didn't take very long
to figure out
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that the John Wilson
listed on Facebook
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was a fake profile
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and this person did not
want to be found.
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Narrator:
Using the e-mail address
John Wilson gave to Chanin,
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detectives contacted him,
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and he refused to divulge
his real identity.
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So, detectives did what's called
a reverse directory
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on one of the numbers
John Wilson used to call Chanin.
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It was traced to a pay phone
outside a library
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at Washington State University.
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I mean, who uses
pay phones anymore?
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Narrator: The answer,
at least in this case,
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was someone who wanted to
hide his identity
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and even his location.
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The problem for John Wilson
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was that there was
a surveillance camera
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near this pay phone,
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and it recorded this image of
someone walking to that phone
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at almost exactly the time
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records showed Chanin
took the call.
251
00:12:42,166 --> 00:12:46,283
Investigators who were still
contacting him by e-mail
252
00:12:46,316 --> 00:12:47,366
gave him a choice.
253
00:12:48,000 --> 00:12:50,383
He could voluntarily
identify himself,
254
00:12:51,160 --> 00:12:54,266
or they could put
his picture on TV
255
00:12:54,300 --> 00:12:57,216
and ask the public
to identify him.
256
00:12:57,250 --> 00:13:00,333
With that,
John Wilson came clean.
257
00:13:00,366 --> 00:13:03,100
His real name -- John Kenlein.
258
00:13:03,133 --> 00:13:07,330
And he had a good reason for
trying to hide his identity.
259
00:13:07,660 --> 00:13:08,283
He's cheating on his wife.
260
00:13:08,316 --> 00:13:11,166
Narrator: Kenlein admitted
contacting Chanin,
261
00:13:11,200 --> 00:13:13,350
and even said
he went to her house
262
00:13:13,383 --> 00:13:17,830
during the period
she dropped out of contact.
263
00:13:25,316 --> 00:13:28,116
Kenlein remained
a solid suspect
264
00:13:28,150 --> 00:13:30,300
for the same reason
Tom Walker did.
265
00:13:30,333 --> 00:13:35,250
Detectives still weren't sure
exactly when Chanin was killed,
266
00:13:35,283 --> 00:13:39,150
so they couldn't alibi
any of their suspects.
267
00:13:39,183 --> 00:13:42,160
Bryant: Chanin was seen when
she dropped the kids off,
268
00:13:42,500 --> 00:13:45,200
and then her body not found for
almost three days later.
269
00:13:45,233 --> 00:13:48,316
Narrator: But then,
to the surprise of everyone,
270
00:13:48,350 --> 00:13:51,133
a new piece of evidence emerged.
271
00:13:51,166 --> 00:13:52,366
Johnston: I find a 911 call,
272
00:13:53,000 --> 00:13:57,200
which was something that we were
never aware of in the past.
273
00:13:58,133 --> 00:14:00,216
Operator:
911. What are you reporting?
274
00:14:00,250 --> 00:14:05,216
♪♪
275
00:14:08,660 --> 00:14:09,266
Narrator:
About three weeks into
276
00:14:09,300 --> 00:14:12,133
Chanin Starbuck's
murder investigation,
277
00:14:12,166 --> 00:14:16,100
detectives came upon a surprise
piece of evidence --
278
00:14:16,133 --> 00:14:21,166
a 911 call traced
back to Chanin's cellphone.
279
00:14:24,166 --> 00:14:27,100
You really hear just what
seems to be a female voice
280
00:14:27,133 --> 00:14:31,200
and sort of a gurgle or a gasp
or some sort of struggle.
281
00:14:31,233 --> 00:14:33,350
Narrator:
And then the call ended.
282
00:14:33,383 --> 00:14:36,183
Why did police only learn about
283
00:14:36,216 --> 00:14:38,266
this vital piece of evidence
now?
284
00:14:38,300 --> 00:14:42,216
Because of a common safety
feature on Chanin's phone.
285
00:14:42,250 --> 00:14:46,316
Certain cellphones at that
time wouldn't record 911 calls
286
00:14:46,350 --> 00:14:48,183
so that if someone
were kidnapped
287
00:14:48,216 --> 00:14:52,100
or needed to make a 911 call
without a third party knowing,
288
00:14:52,133 --> 00:14:54,660
it wouldn't reflect in
their records.
289
00:14:54,100 --> 00:14:58,000
Narrator: But a later search of
Chanin's physical phone records
290
00:14:58,330 --> 00:14:59,316
showed she had made this call.
291
00:14:59,350 --> 00:15:04,500
During that call, the 911
operator followed protocol
292
00:15:04,830 --> 00:15:05,200
to the letter.
293
00:15:05,233 --> 00:15:08,250
The 911 operator attempted
to call the number back,
294
00:15:08,283 --> 00:15:10,166
but it just goes to voicemail.
295
00:15:10,200 --> 00:15:14,250
Narrator: One minute later,
Chanin's phone lost contact
296
00:15:14,283 --> 00:15:15,350
with the cell tower,
297
00:15:15,383 --> 00:15:18,333
suggesting it had been
powered off.
298
00:15:18,366 --> 00:15:22,183
There was nothing the 911
operator could do.
299
00:15:22,216 --> 00:15:24,500
Bryant: Because
it's on a cellphone,
300
00:15:24,830 --> 00:15:25,366
they don't have the specifics to
tell them exactly
301
00:15:26,000 --> 00:15:27,200
where that call originated.
302
00:15:27,233 --> 00:15:31,133
And therefore, no cars were
dispatched to check the area.
303
00:15:31,166 --> 00:15:34,216
Narrator:
This call was made at 9:18
304
00:15:34,250 --> 00:15:37,150
on the morning Chanin
dropped out of contact.
305
00:15:37,183 --> 00:15:39,330
It narrows the window.
306
00:15:39,660 --> 00:15:41,500
It narrows the time of death.
307
00:15:43,330 --> 00:15:46,383
Narrator:
But while this potentially
answered a lot of questions,
308
00:15:47,160 --> 00:15:49,200
it raised a lot more.
309
00:15:49,233 --> 00:15:53,183
If Chanin had been killed
around 9:18,
310
00:15:53,216 --> 00:15:56,250
why were there messages
from her phone
311
00:15:56,283 --> 00:15:59,183
later on that same day?
312
00:15:59,216 --> 00:16:00,383
One of two things
was going on.
313
00:16:01,160 --> 00:16:03,150
Either she didn't die at or
about that time,
314
00:16:03,183 --> 00:16:05,150
or she didn't
send those texts --
315
00:16:05,183 --> 00:16:07,366
either, very important
for detectives.
316
00:16:08,000 --> 00:16:11,133
Narrator: And also important for
the two chief suspects,
317
00:16:11,166 --> 00:16:13,233
Tom Walker
and John Kenlein.
318
00:16:13,266 --> 00:16:19,116
They both had solid alibis for
9:18 on the morning in question
319
00:16:19,150 --> 00:16:22,233
and were ultimately cleared of
any involvement.
320
00:16:22,266 --> 00:16:26,350
But one possible suspect did not
have an alibi
321
00:16:26,383 --> 00:16:28,150
for that timeframe.
322
00:16:28,183 --> 00:16:33,150
And that was Chanin's
ex-husband, Clay Starbuck.
323
00:16:33,183 --> 00:16:36,150
It is definitely making
Clay Starbuck
324
00:16:36,183 --> 00:16:39,216
look like a stronger suspect
than ever.
325
00:16:39,250 --> 00:16:41,133
Narrator: But how to prove it?
326
00:16:41,166 --> 00:16:46,233
For that, detectives turn to one
of the few lucky breaks they had
327
00:16:46,266 --> 00:16:48,300
in a very difficult case.
328
00:16:48,333 --> 00:16:51,200
Chanin had just gotten out of
the shower before this happened.
329
00:16:51,233 --> 00:16:55,200
Narrator: And if Chanin was
strangled after she showered,
330
00:16:55,233 --> 00:16:57,183
this would
be fresh DNA
331
00:16:57,216 --> 00:17:00,660
almost certainly
deposited on her neck
332
00:17:00,100 --> 00:17:01,316
at the time of her murder.
333
00:17:01,350 --> 00:17:04,830
Because DNA technology
over the years
334
00:17:04,116 --> 00:17:06,160
has gotten more sensitive,
335
00:17:06,500 --> 00:17:08,830
we can now develop
DNA profiles
336
00:17:08,116 --> 00:17:10,830
from just a few
skin cells.
337
00:17:10,116 --> 00:17:11,383
So, six or seven cells,
338
00:17:12,160 --> 00:17:13,350
we can
get a DNA profile.
339
00:17:13,383 --> 00:17:18,266
Narrator: Using a process called
Y-STR DNA,
340
00:17:18,300 --> 00:17:22,233
which targets the Y chromosome
confined to males,
341
00:17:22,266 --> 00:17:27,200
analysts lifted a DNA profile
from Chanin's neck and face.
342
00:17:27,233 --> 00:17:30,383
The profile matched the "Y"
profile for Clay Starbuck
343
00:17:31,160 --> 00:17:32,216
and any of his male children.
344
00:17:32,250 --> 00:17:34,200
Narrator:
Two of the Starbucks' children
345
00:17:34,233 --> 00:17:36,000
were adult males,
346
00:17:36,330 --> 00:17:39,316
and both had solid alibis for
the time of the murder.
347
00:17:39,350 --> 00:17:42,183
That left only one person --
348
00:17:42,216 --> 00:17:44,160
Clay Starbuck.
349
00:17:44,500 --> 00:17:48,830
The DNA profile that we got
left little doubt in our mind
350
00:17:48,116 --> 00:17:49,216
that it was Clay Starbuck.
351
00:17:49,250 --> 00:17:53,116
Narrator: But Clay had an
explanation for his DNA.
352
00:17:53,150 --> 00:17:54,366
He used to live in the house.
353
00:17:55,000 --> 00:17:57,266
Of course his DNA
would Be there.
354
00:17:57,300 --> 00:17:59,166
Analysts disagreed.
355
00:17:59,200 --> 00:18:04,150
Where his DNA was found, on a
body that was freshly washed,
356
00:18:04,183 --> 00:18:07,283
didn't appear to be
a casual transfer.
357
00:18:07,316 --> 00:18:09,100
This is highly unlikely,
358
00:18:09,133 --> 00:18:11,183
especially for that DNA
to be found
359
00:18:11,216 --> 00:18:13,383
in so many
important locations.
360
00:18:14,160 --> 00:18:17,266
Narrator: Chanin's family says
Clay couldn't tolerate
361
00:18:17,300 --> 00:18:19,200
her seeing other men.
362
00:18:19,233 --> 00:18:22,300
That was the last straw
for Clay.
363
00:18:22,333 --> 00:18:26,183
He was losing any ability
to control her.
364
00:18:26,216 --> 00:18:28,200
Narrator:
The evidence appears to indicate
365
00:18:28,233 --> 00:18:30,200
that Clay snuck into the house
366
00:18:30,233 --> 00:18:33,200
while Chanin drove the kids
to school,
367
00:18:33,233 --> 00:18:37,383
something he had done
many times before.
368
00:18:38,160 --> 00:18:40,150
He's just not even human.
369
00:18:40,183 --> 00:18:42,660
He stalked her.
370
00:18:42,100 --> 00:18:45,500
And that was horrifying.
371
00:18:45,830 --> 00:18:48,383
Narrator: But this time,
he planned to kill her.
372
00:18:49,160 --> 00:18:53,216
He hid himself and waited for
her to return home.
373
00:18:53,250 --> 00:18:55,660
She took a shower.
374
00:18:55,100 --> 00:18:59,160
As she came out, he put her
in a choke hold
375
00:18:59,500 --> 00:19:01,830
and strangled her
to death,
376
00:19:01,116 --> 00:19:05,266
not realizing his arm
left touch DNA,
377
00:19:05,300 --> 00:19:09,350
his genetic signature,
on her neck.
378
00:19:09,383 --> 00:19:14,233
He checked her cellphone, saw
the sexually explicit request,
379
00:19:14,266 --> 00:19:19,283
and realized that posing her in
this way was an ideal way
380
00:19:19,316 --> 00:19:21,200
to throw off police.
381
00:19:21,233 --> 00:19:24,830
Afterward, he cleaned the scene,
382
00:19:24,116 --> 00:19:27,166
going so far as to
wash the bedding
383
00:19:27,200 --> 00:19:30,300
and wipe down
the washing machine.
384
00:19:30,333 --> 00:19:34,216
Later that day, he used
Chanin's phone
385
00:19:34,250 --> 00:19:37,250
to send a series
of text messages.
386
00:19:37,283 --> 00:19:41,116
This made it seem
she was still alive.
387
00:19:41,150 --> 00:19:44,250
It broadened estimates for
her time of death,
388
00:19:44,283 --> 00:19:47,330
and it gave him
an alibi.
389
00:19:47,660 --> 00:19:51,166
Clay really is diabolical in
using this cellphone.
390
00:19:51,200 --> 00:19:54,333
Narrator: But what ultimately
broke the case wide open
391
00:19:54,366 --> 00:19:58,300
was Chanin attempting,
however unsuccessfully,
392
00:19:58,333 --> 00:20:01,366
to call 911.
393
00:20:02,000 --> 00:20:04,116
Operator:
911. What are you reporting?
394
00:20:04,150 --> 00:20:09,166
Narrator:
Clay Starbuck and his
children say he's innocent.
395
00:20:09,200 --> 00:20:15,500
But in June of 2013, he was
convicted of first-degree murder
396
00:20:15,830 --> 00:20:17,266
and sentenced to life
without parole.
397
00:20:17,300 --> 00:20:22,330
Even detectives admit that as
brazen as this crime was,
398
00:20:22,660 --> 00:20:25,383
Clay came very close to
getting away with murder.
399
00:20:26,160 --> 00:20:28,100
In all of my years of
investigating crime scenes,
400
00:20:28,133 --> 00:20:31,383
I've never seen someone take so
much time in a crime scene
401
00:20:32,160 --> 00:20:35,233
to pose the person,
to dispose of evidence.
402
00:20:35,266 --> 00:20:38,250
Sparks:
The forensic evidence
definitely helped this case
403
00:20:38,283 --> 00:20:41,283
because the DNA that they
were able to gather
404
00:20:41,316 --> 00:20:45,000
helped seal it that it was
a male that had killed her
405
00:20:45,330 --> 00:20:46,383
and it was a Starbuck male
that had killed her.
406
00:20:47,160 --> 00:20:51,300
If she had not made that
911 call, as brief as it was,
407
00:20:51,333 --> 00:20:54,166
the authorities never would have
narrowed the time frame.
408
00:20:54,200 --> 00:20:57,250
They never would have been able
to eliminate suspects
409
00:20:57,283 --> 00:20:59,660
other than Clay.
410
00:20:59,100 --> 00:21:01,216
She truly helped them
solve this crime.