1 00:00:06,216 --> 00:00:10,366 Narrator: Up next, the quiet of the Pennsylvania countryside 2 00:00:11,000 --> 00:00:12,350 is shattered by gunfire. 3 00:00:12,383 --> 00:00:17,333 You had a murder in a church in broad daylight. 4 00:00:17,366 --> 00:00:19,100 Woman: In my church!! 5 00:00:20,660 --> 00:00:22,000 Shocking. Absolutely shocking. 6 00:00:22,330 --> 00:00:23,166 Narrator: A horrified community 7 00:00:23,200 --> 00:00:25,333 looks for answers and finds none. 8 00:00:25,366 --> 00:00:27,333 It's the kind of stuff that books 9 00:00:27,366 --> 00:00:29,216 and horror movies are made out of. 10 00:00:29,250 --> 00:00:32,300 Narrator: Police have no suspects and few clues. 11 00:00:32,333 --> 00:00:36,100 There was very little forensic evidence for them to go on, 12 00:00:36,133 --> 00:00:38,150 and then they hit the jackpot. 13 00:00:38,183 --> 00:00:50,366 ♪♪ 14 00:00:51,000 --> 00:00:54,150 ♪♪ 15 00:00:54,183 --> 00:00:57,500 Narrator: Trinity Evangelical Lutheran church 16 00:00:57,830 --> 00:01:01,000 in rural eastern Pennsylvania is one of the oldest 17 00:01:01,330 --> 00:01:04,100 and best-preserved churches in the region, 18 00:01:04,133 --> 00:01:07,316 dating all the way back to 1763. 19 00:01:07,350 --> 00:01:10,100 Mullane: Trinity Lutheran predates the revolution. 20 00:01:10,133 --> 00:01:12,830 You can walk through their cemetery 21 00:01:12,116 --> 00:01:13,316 and see the old limestone. 22 00:01:13,350 --> 00:01:15,250 You can barely read the names on it. 23 00:01:15,283 --> 00:01:17,250 And it's still a very active parish, 24 00:01:17,283 --> 00:01:19,116 even after a couple hundred years. 25 00:01:19,150 --> 00:01:22,200 Narrator: The center of the community for generations, 26 00:01:22,233 --> 00:01:23,316 the church is nestled 27 00:01:23,350 --> 00:01:27,500 in the rolling countryside of Bucks County, 28 00:01:27,830 --> 00:01:31,350 a getaway destination for people from New York to Philadelphia 29 00:01:31,383 --> 00:01:33,383 and points in between. 30 00:01:34,160 --> 00:01:37,000 Zellis: It's a throwback to yesteryear. 31 00:01:37,330 --> 00:01:40,000 People didn't worry about any crime. 32 00:01:40,330 --> 00:01:41,216 Neighbors knew each other. 33 00:01:41,250 --> 00:01:43,150 Kids played in the backyards. 34 00:01:43,183 --> 00:01:48,316 Narrator: But that all changed on a January afternoon in 2008. 35 00:01:48,350 --> 00:01:53,100 The church's cleaning lady arrived shortly after 1:00. 36 00:01:53,133 --> 00:01:56,200 Mullane: She opens the door to the church office, 37 00:01:56,233 --> 00:01:58,150 and at first, she doesn't see anything 38 00:01:58,183 --> 00:02:00,660 until she approaches the desk. 39 00:02:00,100 --> 00:02:01,350 There's blood all over the place, 40 00:02:01,383 --> 00:02:06,830 and she places this hysterical 911 call 41 00:02:06,116 --> 00:02:07,300 to Bucks County dispatch. 42 00:02:24,383 --> 00:02:26,660 [ Siren wails ] 43 00:02:26,100 --> 00:02:28,366 Narrator: Even before paramedics arrived, 44 00:02:29,000 --> 00:02:32,300 the cleaning lady gave investigators a potential clue. 45 00:02:46,133 --> 00:02:47,233 In the church office, 46 00:02:47,266 --> 00:02:49,383 paramedics found a woman on the floor, 47 00:02:50,160 --> 00:02:53,366 barely alive, apparently shot at point-blank range. 48 00:02:54,000 --> 00:02:58,166 The fatal bullet or bullets -- police couldn't tell yet -- 49 00:02:58,200 --> 00:03:01,183 had been fired at such close range, 50 00:03:01,216 --> 00:03:03,350 they'd actually shredded. 51 00:03:03,383 --> 00:03:07,233 When we heard about the shooting at the church, 52 00:03:07,266 --> 00:03:11,150 it was almost bewildering to imagine something like that 53 00:03:11,183 --> 00:03:13,300 happening at that church in that community. 54 00:03:13,333 --> 00:03:15,660 Narrator: The victim died 55 00:03:15,100 --> 00:03:17,300 minutes after arriving at the hospital. 56 00:03:17,333 --> 00:03:20,100 Her name was Rhonda Smith. 57 00:03:20,133 --> 00:03:24,166 42 years old and single, she was a relatively new member 58 00:03:24,200 --> 00:03:26,500 of the church congregation, 59 00:03:26,830 --> 00:03:30,830 respected and, apparently, liked by everyone. 60 00:03:30,116 --> 00:03:34,183 She came from a nice family, but she had had her problems. 61 00:03:34,216 --> 00:03:36,216 She had suffered from depression. 62 00:03:36,250 --> 00:03:38,233 Narrator: Whoever wanted Rhonda dead 63 00:03:38,266 --> 00:03:42,216 apparently knew where she was going to be and when 64 00:03:42,250 --> 00:03:46,250 and came in with only one purpose -- murder. 65 00:03:46,283 --> 00:03:48,216 Mullane: We know it wasn't a random attack 66 00:03:48,250 --> 00:03:53,183 because there was an execution-style shot 67 00:03:53,216 --> 00:03:57,160 in her temple that was done in anger. 68 00:03:57,500 --> 00:04:00,383 That person, the killer, wanted Rhonda Smith dead. 69 00:04:01,160 --> 00:04:03,166 Narrator: But who? And why? 70 00:04:03,200 --> 00:04:05,350 Was there something about Rhonda Smith 71 00:04:05,383 --> 00:04:08,500 that her fellow parishioners didn't know? 72 00:04:08,830 --> 00:04:13,150 So many questions, but one thing was not in doubt. 73 00:04:13,183 --> 00:04:16,266 A cold-blooded killer was lurking somewhere 74 00:04:16,300 --> 00:04:19,333 in this normally peaceful community. 75 00:04:19,366 --> 00:04:23,266 ♪♪ 76 00:04:26,250 --> 00:04:28,350 Narrator: Rural eastern Pennsylvania 77 00:04:28,383 --> 00:04:31,830 doesn't see a lot of murders, 78 00:04:31,116 --> 00:04:34,150 and the area around Trinity Lutheran Church 79 00:04:34,183 --> 00:04:37,133 had never seen the type of execution killing 80 00:04:37,166 --> 00:04:41,000 that claimed the life of church member Rhonda Smith. 81 00:04:41,330 --> 00:04:43,183 [ Gunshot ] 82 00:04:43,216 --> 00:04:45,200 Zellis: This was not a robbery situation. 83 00:04:45,233 --> 00:04:49,000 She was specifically targeted, for whatever reason, 84 00:04:49,330 --> 00:04:51,200 and that was the key to finding out who did it -- 85 00:04:51,233 --> 00:04:53,233 what was the motive for doing this? 86 00:04:53,266 --> 00:04:57,000 Narrator: The autopsy showed two bullets had been fired 87 00:04:57,330 --> 00:04:58,166 at close range -- 88 00:04:58,200 --> 00:05:02,383 so close that Rhonda had attempted to defend herself. 89 00:05:03,160 --> 00:05:05,216 The gun was not at the scene. 90 00:05:05,250 --> 00:05:07,100 But even though the fatal bullets 91 00:05:07,133 --> 00:05:11,316 had shredded upon impact, ballistics experts were able 92 00:05:11,350 --> 00:05:16,216 to determine the murder weapon was a .38-caliber handgun. 93 00:05:16,250 --> 00:05:18,200 The murder happened so fast, 94 00:05:18,233 --> 00:05:23,500 the killer left no clues besides the bullets at the scene, 95 00:05:23,830 --> 00:05:28,166 and in an area this rural, there were no security cameras. 96 00:05:28,200 --> 00:05:31,830 The timing of the murder was key. 97 00:05:31,116 --> 00:05:36,500 They were looking for someone who knew Rhonda Smith 98 00:05:36,830 --> 00:05:40,300 was in that office on that day at that hour. 99 00:05:40,333 --> 00:05:42,150 Narrator: The problem was 100 00:05:42,183 --> 00:05:44,333 that as far as police could determine, 101 00:05:44,366 --> 00:05:46,233 only two people knew -- 102 00:05:46,266 --> 00:05:50,333 the church pastor, who was apparently out of town, 103 00:05:50,366 --> 00:05:53,330 and the church council president. 104 00:05:53,660 --> 00:05:56,266 Both unlikely killers, but their whereabouts 105 00:05:56,300 --> 00:06:00,250 for the time of the murder still needed to be checked out. 106 00:06:00,283 --> 00:06:03,330 Zellis: The pastor had a unique background. 107 00:06:03,660 --> 00:06:05,330 He was a golf pro. 108 00:06:05,660 --> 00:06:07,183 He toured around playing golf, 109 00:06:07,216 --> 00:06:12,100 and then he left that lifestyle and became a pastor to a church 110 00:06:12,133 --> 00:06:15,500 located really in the middle of Nowheresville. 111 00:06:15,830 --> 00:06:17,216 Narrator: Police got a possible clue 112 00:06:17,250 --> 00:06:20,333 while trying to determine the time of the shooting. 113 00:06:20,366 --> 00:06:24,330 Rhonda was found shortly after 1:00. 114 00:06:24,660 --> 00:06:26,660 A search of the church computer showed 115 00:06:26,100 --> 00:06:29,830 she was online until around 11:00. 116 00:06:29,116 --> 00:06:32,183 This created a time window for the shooting 117 00:06:32,216 --> 00:06:35,350 and also revealed something about Rhonda. 118 00:06:35,383 --> 00:06:37,150 Zellis: We seized the computer, 119 00:06:37,183 --> 00:06:40,116 sent it to the forensic computer analysts. 120 00:06:40,150 --> 00:06:43,366 They were able to give us exactly what Rhonda was doing 121 00:06:44,000 --> 00:06:47,250 on the Internet in the moments before she was shot. 122 00:06:47,283 --> 00:06:53,160 Narrator: And what she was doing was searching a dating website. 123 00:06:53,500 --> 00:06:57,150 Rhonda's search for romance was something of a new start 124 00:06:57,183 --> 00:07:00,183 after a couple of very difficult years. 125 00:07:00,216 --> 00:07:03,660 She was diagnosed as being bipolar. 126 00:07:03,100 --> 00:07:06,316 She got help for that, but it set her back, 127 00:07:06,350 --> 00:07:11,150 and it was a debilitating mental illness for her 128 00:07:11,183 --> 00:07:14,133 that she fortunately found a church 129 00:07:14,166 --> 00:07:17,150 and found a community that welcomed her with open arms 130 00:07:17,183 --> 00:07:19,266 and actually gave her a lot of assistance, 131 00:07:19,300 --> 00:07:25,183 both financially and also emotionally. 132 00:07:25,216 --> 00:07:27,660 Narrator: Because of that help, 133 00:07:27,100 --> 00:07:30,133 Rhonda had recently moved out of her parents' house 134 00:07:30,166 --> 00:07:33,266 and was on her own for the first time in years. 135 00:07:33,300 --> 00:07:38,133 In fact, the pastor gave her the job as church secretary 136 00:07:38,166 --> 00:07:40,830 to help her with money. 137 00:07:40,116 --> 00:07:43,330 Zellis: Approximately 10 days before her murder, 138 00:07:43,660 --> 00:07:45,300 she got up during church services 139 00:07:45,333 --> 00:07:48,216 and she wanted to thank all the members of the congregation 140 00:07:48,250 --> 00:07:51,300 for what they had done for her and how much it meant to her. 141 00:07:51,333 --> 00:07:53,300 She loved this church, and we loved her. 142 00:07:53,333 --> 00:07:56,660 We embraced her, and she embraced us. 143 00:07:56,100 --> 00:08:00,300 Narrator: A beautiful moment shattered by nagging suspicions 144 00:08:00,333 --> 00:08:04,160 that a church member could also be her killer. 145 00:08:04,500 --> 00:08:06,216 So, the tension in the church after, you know, 146 00:08:06,250 --> 00:08:08,333 the process of elimination and figuring out 147 00:08:08,366 --> 00:08:11,830 that it could be somebody within the community, 148 00:08:11,116 --> 00:08:14,266 somebody within the church, everybody was on edge. 149 00:08:14,300 --> 00:08:16,300 Narrator: Police confronted the pastor 150 00:08:16,333 --> 00:08:18,300 with a pointed question -- 151 00:08:18,333 --> 00:08:21,383 was there anyone in his congregation 152 00:08:22,160 --> 00:08:23,150 who might have done this? 153 00:08:23,183 --> 00:08:25,200 There's no question that the pastor 154 00:08:25,233 --> 00:08:27,333 was in a very difficult situation. 155 00:08:27,366 --> 00:08:32,100 Narrator: A situation that would become even more difficult 156 00:08:32,133 --> 00:08:33,300 when police discovered 157 00:08:33,333 --> 00:08:37,166 a long-simmering romantic obsession. 158 00:08:37,200 --> 00:08:41,100 And that's when I think they started to develop the idea 159 00:08:41,133 --> 00:08:45,150 of possibly being a rebuked love interest. 160 00:08:45,183 --> 00:08:48,366 ♪♪ 161 00:08:52,000 --> 00:08:53,333 Narrator: The only people who appear to know 162 00:08:53,366 --> 00:08:57,300 where Rhonda Smith would be at the time of her murder -- 163 00:08:57,333 --> 00:09:00,266 the pastor and the church council president -- 164 00:09:00,300 --> 00:09:02,233 had solid alibis. 165 00:09:02,266 --> 00:09:05,316 Still, the church community was reeling. 166 00:09:05,350 --> 00:09:07,300 Mullane: It's not only that it was a murder -- 167 00:09:07,333 --> 00:09:12,250 it was probably the worst kind because it was a murder mystery, 168 00:09:12,283 --> 00:09:16,350 and in a small town, nobody knew who among them was the killer. 169 00:09:16,383 --> 00:09:19,350 Narrator: The shocked pastor was asked about concerns 170 00:09:19,383 --> 00:09:23,266 he might have about any member of his congregation. 171 00:09:23,300 --> 00:09:29,160 Reluctantly, he named longtime parishioner Mary Jane Fonder. 172 00:09:29,500 --> 00:09:31,830 Applebaum: Mary Jane had said something to him like, 173 00:09:31,116 --> 00:09:33,500 "I know what's going on between us. 174 00:09:33,830 --> 00:09:35,300 I can feel it. You can feel it, too." 175 00:09:35,333 --> 00:09:37,300 Mullane: And this really freaks him out, 176 00:09:37,333 --> 00:09:39,200 and he asks her to leave the church. 177 00:09:39,233 --> 00:09:41,183 Narrator: Despite this rebuff, 178 00:09:41,216 --> 00:09:45,350 Mary Jane regularly put food in the pastor's refrigerator 179 00:09:45,383 --> 00:09:49,200 and left long, rambling messages on his voicemail. 180 00:09:49,233 --> 00:09:52,183 Zellis: And they would just go on and on and on. 181 00:09:52,216 --> 00:09:55,660 He got to the point he wouldn't listen to them, 182 00:09:55,100 --> 00:09:57,183 and this was just, like, a daily occurrence. 183 00:10:05,366 --> 00:10:08,500 Whatever conversation you started, 184 00:10:08,830 --> 00:10:10,316 she would take down three garden paths 185 00:10:10,350 --> 00:10:13,216 and then make a right turn and continue. 186 00:10:20,333 --> 00:10:23,166 Mary Jane Fonder never had 187 00:10:23,200 --> 00:10:27,660 a meaningful romantic relationship in her life, 188 00:10:27,100 --> 00:10:29,233 and she develops a crush on the pastor. 189 00:10:29,266 --> 00:10:33,160 Narrator: And that pastor was helping Rhonda Smith 190 00:10:33,500 --> 00:10:35,316 by giving her part-time work at the church. 191 00:10:35,350 --> 00:10:39,266 Applebaum: Mary Jane had uttered some disgruntled words about, 192 00:10:39,300 --> 00:10:42,330 "Why is she being favored over me? 193 00:10:42,660 --> 00:10:43,350 I've done all this volunteer work. 194 00:10:43,383 --> 00:10:45,330 I'm the one that's been here, 195 00:10:45,660 --> 00:10:47,316 and no one's done anything for me." 196 00:10:47,350 --> 00:10:50,333 Narrator: But this was hardly proof of murder, 197 00:10:50,366 --> 00:10:54,330 and Mary Jane had no criminal history. 198 00:10:54,660 --> 00:10:55,383 However, she was linked 199 00:10:56,160 --> 00:10:59,283 to yet another extraordinarily strange case. 200 00:10:59,316 --> 00:11:04,283 14 years earlier, her father disappeared without a trace 201 00:11:04,316 --> 00:11:06,166 from the home they shared. 202 00:11:06,200 --> 00:11:10,366 Mary Jane Fonder came on our radar in 1993 203 00:11:11,000 --> 00:11:12,200 with the disappearance of her father 204 00:11:12,233 --> 00:11:14,250 when she reported him missing. 205 00:11:14,283 --> 00:11:18,233 He was 80 years old and had two hip replacements. 206 00:11:18,266 --> 00:11:21,100 He needed a cane to walk. 207 00:11:21,133 --> 00:11:22,200 He didn't walk away. 208 00:11:22,233 --> 00:11:24,116 Narrator: Despite a massive search 209 00:11:24,150 --> 00:11:26,266 with helicopters, bloodhounds, 210 00:11:26,300 --> 00:11:29,233 and even ground-penetrating radar, 211 00:11:29,266 --> 00:11:33,200 no sign of Edward Fonder has ever been found. 212 00:11:33,233 --> 00:11:34,300 Triol: They dug up the basement, 213 00:11:34,333 --> 00:11:36,250 they dug up areas around the house, 214 00:11:36,283 --> 00:11:40,500 to no avail, with nothing found there at the property, 215 00:11:40,830 --> 00:11:42,166 but he's out there somewhere. 216 00:11:42,200 --> 00:11:45,366 Narrator: Back then, police thought Mary Jane Fonder 217 00:11:46,000 --> 00:11:50,330 might have had something to do with her father's disappearance, 218 00:11:50,660 --> 00:11:52,500 but they couldn't prove it. 219 00:11:52,830 --> 00:11:55,350 Now they thought she might have killed Rhonda Smith, 220 00:11:55,383 --> 00:11:59,660 and they had the same problem -- no proof. 221 00:11:59,100 --> 00:12:03,330 In terms of physical evidence, in the church, we have nothing. 222 00:12:03,660 --> 00:12:06,250 All we have is we have a body, and we don't have a gun. 223 00:12:06,283 --> 00:12:10,316 Narrator: But there was one piece of potential evidence -- 224 00:12:10,350 --> 00:12:12,283 the missing murder weapon. 225 00:12:12,316 --> 00:12:15,316 Ballistics showed it was a .38-caliber, 226 00:12:15,350 --> 00:12:19,200 and Mary Jane once owned a .38-caliber. 227 00:12:19,233 --> 00:12:21,350 She told police she got rid of it 228 00:12:21,383 --> 00:12:24,183 after people started connecting her 229 00:12:24,216 --> 00:12:26,116 to her father's disappearance. 230 00:12:26,150 --> 00:12:29,000 Mullane: Mary Jane told people that the reporters 231 00:12:29,330 --> 00:12:31,366 and the police started showing up at her house 232 00:12:32,000 --> 00:12:34,660 asking those questions about, 233 00:12:34,100 --> 00:12:37,116 you know, her involvement in her father's disappearance, 234 00:12:37,150 --> 00:12:40,183 and she went to the lake and threw it away. 235 00:12:40,216 --> 00:12:42,383 Narrator: Investigators weren't so sure. 236 00:12:43,160 --> 00:12:46,250 Ultimately, we were able to put together enough 237 00:12:46,283 --> 00:12:49,000 for a search warrant of her car. 238 00:12:49,330 --> 00:12:50,133 Narrator: And that turned up 239 00:12:50,166 --> 00:12:53,150 the first piece of possible evidence -- 240 00:12:53,183 --> 00:12:55,266 gunshot residue. 241 00:12:55,300 --> 00:12:59,300 This is created anytime a gun is fired. 242 00:12:59,333 --> 00:13:04,000 The explosion that propels the bullet creates gas 243 00:13:04,330 --> 00:13:05,366 that inevitably blows back 244 00:13:06,000 --> 00:13:08,266 over the hand and clothing of the shooter. 245 00:13:08,300 --> 00:13:13,233 Gunshot residue is comparable to flour that you spill. 246 00:13:13,266 --> 00:13:15,366 You clean it up, but you never clean it. 247 00:13:16,000 --> 00:13:18,350 It's never gone. It seems like it's always there. 248 00:13:18,383 --> 00:13:20,150 Narrator: And sure enough, 249 00:13:20,183 --> 00:13:23,660 there were minute traces of gunshot residue 250 00:13:23,100 --> 00:13:26,316 in Mary Jane's car, but there was a problem. 251 00:13:26,350 --> 00:13:29,216 We did quite an extensive amount of research, 252 00:13:29,250 --> 00:13:30,350 and apparently, 253 00:13:30,383 --> 00:13:33,383 the most prevalent place for gunshot residue, 254 00:13:34,160 --> 00:13:37,350 other than the range where people go to shoot their guns, 255 00:13:37,383 --> 00:13:39,166 is the police station. 256 00:13:39,200 --> 00:13:42,383 Narrator: And since analysts didn't completely clean up 257 00:13:43,160 --> 00:13:45,333 before the search of Mary Jane's car, 258 00:13:45,366 --> 00:13:47,216 the defense could argue 259 00:13:47,250 --> 00:13:50,216 that they put the gunshot residue there, 260 00:13:50,250 --> 00:13:55,660 and that meant the investigation was back to square one. 261 00:13:55,100 --> 00:13:58,100 Until something strange happened -- 262 00:13:58,133 --> 00:14:03,316 something many church members later called an act of God. 263 00:14:03,350 --> 00:14:09,100 ♪♪ 264 00:14:12,133 --> 00:14:13,383 Narrator: Mary Jane Fonder appeared to be 265 00:14:14,160 --> 00:14:17,316 the only person with a motive to kill Rhonda Smith, 266 00:14:17,350 --> 00:14:20,660 who she apparently considered a rival 267 00:14:20,100 --> 00:14:23,183 for the affections of their church pastor. 268 00:14:23,216 --> 00:14:28,283 Rhonda Smith was a single woman. 269 00:14:28,316 --> 00:14:31,330 The pastor was single at the time. 270 00:14:31,660 --> 00:14:34,383 Mary Jane Fonder thought he was hers. 271 00:14:35,160 --> 00:14:37,660 Mary Jane was not right in the head. 272 00:14:37,100 --> 00:14:40,116 Narrator: But despite an intensive investigation, 273 00:14:40,150 --> 00:14:43,233 police still had no solid evidence. 274 00:14:43,266 --> 00:14:47,316 The greatest worry on my part and also on the investigators' 275 00:14:47,350 --> 00:14:50,133 was that we would never be able to solve this case. 276 00:14:50,166 --> 00:14:54,000 And things were looking bleak, to be honest with you. 277 00:14:54,330 --> 00:14:57,350 Narrator: Then, nine weeks after the murder, 278 00:14:57,383 --> 00:15:01,133 a local man was fishing with his son at a lake 279 00:15:01,166 --> 00:15:04,333 just 14 miles from the site of the murder, 280 00:15:04,366 --> 00:15:07,200 when they made an unusual discovery. 281 00:15:07,233 --> 00:15:09,250 Mullane: The boy, he was 7 or 8 years old. 282 00:15:09,283 --> 00:15:14,250 He's walking along the shore of the lake, and he finds a gun. 283 00:15:14,283 --> 00:15:17,316 His father takes it home and calls the police. 284 00:15:17,350 --> 00:15:20,150 They run the serial number, and there you go. 285 00:15:20,183 --> 00:15:22,660 It's Mary Jane Fonder's gun. 286 00:15:22,100 --> 00:15:24,166 Zellis: Analysis confirmed that the gun 287 00:15:24,200 --> 00:15:28,166 was the gun that was used in the murder of Rhonda Smith. 288 00:15:28,200 --> 00:15:30,660 It's a prosecutor's dream. 289 00:15:30,100 --> 00:15:32,660 I mean, they think they have it. 290 00:15:32,100 --> 00:15:33,333 Narrator: With the gun in hand, 291 00:15:33,366 --> 00:15:39,000 prosecutors finally had enough to search Mary Jane's house. 292 00:15:39,330 --> 00:15:41,383 They didn't find any direct evidence, 293 00:15:42,160 --> 00:15:47,160 but they did find something unusual in her day planner. 294 00:15:47,500 --> 00:15:50,183 There was a block for the date of the murder, 295 00:15:50,216 --> 00:15:53,333 and she had written in, "Rhonda Smith murdered." 296 00:15:53,366 --> 00:15:58,166 And underneath that was haircut appointment. 297 00:15:58,200 --> 00:16:03,000 Narrator: As odd as this was, it didn't prove murder, 298 00:16:03,330 --> 00:16:05,300 and Mary Jane stuck to her story 299 00:16:05,333 --> 00:16:09,200 that she threw the gun in the lake 14 years earlier. 300 00:16:09,233 --> 00:16:12,166 Her story was anybody could have gotten that gun 301 00:16:12,200 --> 00:16:15,100 and used that gun to kill Rhonda Smith. 302 00:16:15,133 --> 00:16:19,183 Narrator: In the end, it all came down to the gun. 303 00:16:19,216 --> 00:16:22,150 Prosecutors had to find a way to prove 304 00:16:22,183 --> 00:16:25,233 how long the gun had been in the water 305 00:16:25,266 --> 00:16:28,150 and turned to Dr. David Rusak, 306 00:16:28,183 --> 00:16:32,500 an analytical chemist at the University of Scranton. 307 00:16:32,830 --> 00:16:35,150 The task was to determine the maximum length of time 308 00:16:35,183 --> 00:16:38,100 which the gun could have been exposed to the water. 309 00:16:38,133 --> 00:16:40,383 Narrator: To do this, Dr. Rusak used 310 00:16:41,160 --> 00:16:44,333 a high-speed chemical analysis process 311 00:16:44,366 --> 00:16:49,133 called laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy, or LIBS. 312 00:16:49,166 --> 00:16:53,830 A pulsed laser is focused onto the surface of a sample, 313 00:16:53,116 --> 00:16:54,333 and when the laser strikes the sample, 314 00:16:54,366 --> 00:16:59,000 it vaporizes a small portion of it and creates a spark. 315 00:16:59,330 --> 00:17:01,100 Narrator: The laser is so powerful -- 316 00:17:01,133 --> 00:17:04,116 more than 10,000 degrees Celsius -- 317 00:17:04,150 --> 00:17:09,333 that these tiny sparks expose the unique chemical composition 318 00:17:09,366 --> 00:17:11,216 of almost any sample. 319 00:17:11,250 --> 00:17:13,250 Rusak: And the light from the spark is collected 320 00:17:13,283 --> 00:17:15,300 by a spectrometer and photographed, 321 00:17:15,333 --> 00:17:17,283 and the photograph then gives you an idea 322 00:17:17,316 --> 00:17:20,300 of the composition of the sample that was struck by the laser. 323 00:17:20,333 --> 00:17:25,500 Narrator: In this case, the gun had what's known as blued steel, 324 00:17:25,830 --> 00:17:28,233 a protective coating that gave the gun its black color. 325 00:17:28,266 --> 00:17:32,233 The LIBS analysis showed that the bluing on this gun 326 00:17:32,266 --> 00:17:34,250 was unusually thin. 327 00:17:34,283 --> 00:17:39,216 As a result, if the gun had been in the water for 14 years, 328 00:17:39,250 --> 00:17:42,133 it would show a lot more corrosion. 329 00:17:42,166 --> 00:17:43,266 There's no way that gun 330 00:17:43,300 --> 00:17:45,183 laid in the bottom of a lake for 14 years, 331 00:17:45,216 --> 00:17:47,266 and we know that because there was no signs 332 00:17:47,300 --> 00:17:49,316 of corrosion on the weapon. 333 00:17:49,350 --> 00:17:51,183 ♪♪ 334 00:17:51,216 --> 00:17:55,660 Narrator: Prosecutors say the tipping point for Mary Jane 335 00:17:55,100 --> 00:17:58,300 was when Rhonda Smith got in front of the congregation 336 00:17:58,333 --> 00:18:02,160 and gave a tearful thank-you for all their help. 337 00:18:02,500 --> 00:18:05,283 That and the church pastor offering Rhonda work 338 00:18:05,316 --> 00:18:07,216 was simply too much, 339 00:18:07,250 --> 00:18:11,300 and Mary Jane put her plan for murder into action. 340 00:18:11,333 --> 00:18:14,150 As an active member of the church, 341 00:18:14,183 --> 00:18:18,830 she had a good idea of when Rhonda worked, 342 00:18:18,116 --> 00:18:22,283 simply drove to the church, walked into the office, 343 00:18:22,316 --> 00:18:25,333 and shot her at point-blank range. 344 00:18:25,366 --> 00:18:28,266 Then she made her haircut appointment 345 00:18:28,300 --> 00:18:31,166 in an attempt to establish an alibi 346 00:18:31,200 --> 00:18:35,316 and threw the murder weapon into the lake on the way home. 347 00:18:35,350 --> 00:18:37,116 Her key mistake -- 348 00:18:37,150 --> 00:18:40,183 she didn't throw it far enough into the water. 349 00:18:40,216 --> 00:18:45,300 The gun is the holy grail of this case. 350 00:18:45,333 --> 00:18:49,333 Had they not found that gun, Mary Jane Fonder would not 351 00:18:49,366 --> 00:18:53,100 have been arrested and charged with Rhonda Smith's murder. 352 00:18:53,133 --> 00:18:55,660 It's as simple as that. 353 00:18:55,100 --> 00:18:57,166 Never shot Rhonda. I never killed that woman. 354 00:18:57,200 --> 00:18:59,660 Narrator: As the trial progressed, 355 00:18:59,100 --> 00:19:02,150 prosecutors got yet another surprise. 356 00:19:02,183 --> 00:19:05,100 Zellis: The lead trooper in the case whispers in my ear, 357 00:19:05,133 --> 00:19:09,216 "Hey, Dave, she's wearing Rhonda's sneakers." 358 00:19:09,250 --> 00:19:12,350 And sure enough, she was wearing Rhonda Smith's sneakers. 359 00:19:12,383 --> 00:19:16,100 Narrator: Oddly enough, Mary Jane got the sneakers 360 00:19:16,133 --> 00:19:20,133 from Rhonda's parents after she'd gone to their house 361 00:19:20,166 --> 00:19:23,266 to express condolences about Rhonda's murder. 362 00:19:23,300 --> 00:19:25,350 Mrs. Smith looks down and sees 363 00:19:25,383 --> 00:19:30,500 that she's wearing these beat-up old-time galoshes 364 00:19:30,830 --> 00:19:32,000 and says to her, "Listen, my daughter -- 365 00:19:32,330 --> 00:19:34,330 I have brand-new sneakers upstairs. 366 00:19:34,660 --> 00:19:35,266 Let me give them to you." 367 00:19:35,300 --> 00:19:40,333 Narrator: And in an ironic twist to an already strange case, 368 00:19:40,366 --> 00:19:44,366 Mary Jane wore them to court. 369 00:19:45,000 --> 00:19:47,330 Zellis: What kind of a person would do that 370 00:19:47,660 --> 00:19:51,166 when you're there charged with murder of Rhonda Smith? 371 00:19:51,200 --> 00:19:54,183 And that's somebody who has ice running through their veins. 372 00:19:54,216 --> 00:19:57,100 It was as cold as you can imagine. 373 00:19:57,133 --> 00:19:58,266 Reporter: Are you worried about 374 00:19:58,300 --> 00:20:00,216 spending the rest of your life in prison? 375 00:20:00,250 --> 00:20:02,116 Fonder: It doesn't sound appealing. 376 00:20:02,150 --> 00:20:04,333 Narrator: In October of 2008, 377 00:20:04,366 --> 00:20:09,830 Mary Jane Fonder was convicted of first-degree murder 378 00:20:09,116 --> 00:20:11,350 and sentenced to life in prison. 379 00:20:11,383 --> 00:20:17,250 She died behind bars of a heart attack 10 years later. 380 00:20:17,283 --> 00:20:20,000 This one boils down to the fact 381 00:20:20,330 --> 00:20:22,250 that a woman who looks like a grandmother 382 00:20:22,283 --> 00:20:25,283 and has a kind face and a giving nature, 383 00:20:25,316 --> 00:20:28,300 you would never suppose would be jealous to the point 384 00:20:28,333 --> 00:20:32,100 where she would want to kill another parishioner 385 00:20:32,133 --> 00:20:34,133 who was also down on her luck 386 00:20:34,166 --> 00:20:39,330 and looking for friends and to be part of a community. 387 00:20:39,660 --> 00:20:42,266 She walked in the church that day with a gun in her hand, 388 00:20:42,300 --> 00:20:44,330 and there were no questions asked. 389 00:20:44,660 --> 00:20:45,383 It was kaboom, kaboom. 390 00:20:46,160 --> 00:20:48,500 I'd like to say hello to my congregation, 391 00:20:48,830 --> 00:20:49,200 and I miss them all. 392 00:20:49,233 --> 00:20:50,383 And I'm praying for everybody. 393 00:20:51,160 --> 00:20:52,116 Mullane: It was all an act. 394 00:20:52,150 --> 00:20:54,660 You want to see the real Mary Jane Fonder? 395 00:20:54,100 --> 00:20:56,366 You take a look at her prison mug shot. 396 00:20:57,000 --> 00:20:59,300 Because you look at her, she's looking right at you, 397 00:20:59,333 --> 00:21:01,500 and she's gonna kill you. 398 00:21:01,830 --> 00:21:04,266 She's gonna take you out.