1 00:00:06,840 --> 00:00:08,474 PENNER: She was a mother, 2 00:00:08,575 --> 00:00:13,479 eight-year-old triplets, and she was face-down on the couch, 3 00:00:13,580 --> 00:00:15,848 strangled to death. - [knocking] 4 00:00:15,949 --> 00:00:18,751 BRAMHALL: It's likely that whoever killed her 5 00:00:18,852 --> 00:00:20,285 was somebody who knew her 6 00:00:20,387 --> 00:00:24,256 and was conversing with her and then would have 7 00:00:24,357 --> 00:00:27,259 flown into a rage and attacked her. 8 00:00:27,360 --> 00:00:30,763 NARRATOR: A brutal murder with strange clues left behind. 9 00:00:30,864 --> 00:00:32,698 PENNER: The scarf could have been used 10 00:00:32,832 --> 00:00:34,066 to strangle Dana to death. 11 00:00:34,167 --> 00:00:36,869 BRAMHALL: This case was a genuine whodunnit. 12 00:00:36,970 --> 00:00:38,537 NARRATOR: Who would want this cherished 13 00:00:38,638 --> 00:00:41,040 mother of three dead and why? 14 00:00:41,141 --> 00:00:42,741 PENNER: The police looked at the estranged husband. 15 00:00:42,842 --> 00:00:45,878 They looked at the boyfriend. They looked at the stalker. 16 00:00:45,979 --> 00:00:47,846 Somebody did this. 17 00:00:47,947 --> 00:00:49,915 They just had to figure out who that was. 18 00:00:50,016 --> 00:00:51,683 NARRATOR: The truth will be revealed. 19 00:00:51,785 --> 00:00:53,452 STOCKDALE: I may describe this person best 20 00:00:53,553 --> 00:00:55,888 is somebody who's a fledgling psychopath. 21 00:00:59,526 --> 00:01:01,560 NARRATOR: Every day in North America, 22 00:01:01,661 --> 00:01:03,929 dozens of people are murdered. 23 00:01:04,030 --> 00:01:06,398 The key to solving the toughest of these homicides 24 00:01:06,466 --> 00:01:10,436 lies in the final 24 hours of the victim's life. 25 00:01:10,537 --> 00:01:11,870 To crack the case, 26 00:01:11,971 --> 00:01:15,641 detectives must reconstruct that critical timeline, 27 00:01:15,742 --> 00:01:18,310 the minutes and hours containing evidence 28 00:01:18,411 --> 00:01:20,479 that can help unlock the mystery 29 00:01:20,580 --> 00:01:21,780 and catch the killer. 30 00:01:21,915 --> 00:01:29,915 ♪♪ 31 00:01:30,356 --> 00:01:32,591 NARRATOR: At the foot of Mount Rainier in Washington 32 00:01:32,692 --> 00:01:35,694 lies Puyallup, a quaint peaceful town 33 00:01:35,795 --> 00:01:39,031 with nature trails and tree-lined streets. 34 00:01:39,132 --> 00:01:41,133 PENNER: Puyallup is a smaller town. 35 00:01:41,234 --> 00:01:44,169 It's an old town. It has some nice scenery. 36 00:01:44,270 --> 00:01:47,873 You move here for the schools and the parks and for your kids. 37 00:01:47,974 --> 00:01:49,575 Puyallup is a safe town. 38 00:01:49,676 --> 00:01:51,810 It's gonna have a lower crime rate. 39 00:01:51,911 --> 00:01:53,345 It's not the kind of place where you expect 40 00:01:53,446 --> 00:01:54,813 to see a lot of violent crime. 41 00:01:56,182 --> 00:02:00,085 NARRATOR: But in August 2001, on a day like any other, 42 00:02:00,186 --> 00:02:02,754 police get a worrying call about one of the town's 43 00:02:02,856 --> 00:02:03,889 newest residents. 44 00:02:05,291 --> 00:02:08,527 BRAMHALL: Dana Laskowski worked as a nanny for two doctors, 45 00:02:08,628 --> 00:02:11,296 and she was scheduled to arrive at 7:30 in the morning 46 00:02:11,397 --> 00:02:14,199 at work, and she didn't show up. 47 00:02:14,300 --> 00:02:16,602 This was very unusual for her. 48 00:02:16,703 --> 00:02:19,571 She was very reliable, so her employers called us, 49 00:02:19,672 --> 00:02:23,208 and we responded out to her house to check her welfare. 50 00:02:23,343 --> 00:02:25,210 PENNER: About 11 in the morning, the police arrive at 51 00:02:25,311 --> 00:02:28,147 Dana's residence to just make sure that she's okay. 52 00:02:28,248 --> 00:02:30,516 Knock on the door, and there's no answer. 53 00:02:30,617 --> 00:02:33,152 They did a perimeter check, and they looked in the windows 54 00:02:33,253 --> 00:02:35,087 and tried to see if they could see anything, 55 00:02:35,188 --> 00:02:37,189 and they didn't notice anything, 56 00:02:37,290 --> 00:02:39,625 but they did find that the back door was open, 57 00:02:39,726 --> 00:02:41,393 and so they went ahead and entered the house. 58 00:02:43,997 --> 00:02:47,499 BRAMHALL: Our officers came in, calling Dana's name, 59 00:02:47,600 --> 00:02:51,470 and then found her on the couch in the living room. 60 00:02:51,571 --> 00:02:54,506 She was underneath blankets. 61 00:02:54,607 --> 00:02:59,645 She was in a position where her head was resting on her arm, 62 00:02:59,746 --> 00:03:01,847 and then or other arm, 63 00:03:01,948 --> 00:03:03,815 we found it behind her back. 64 00:03:03,917 --> 00:03:04,983 She was deceased. 65 00:03:07,820 --> 00:03:10,989 Police will always do at least a cursory examination 66 00:03:11,090 --> 00:03:14,193 of the body to see where the injuries might be and look 67 00:03:14,294 --> 00:03:16,528 for any kind of things, like stab wounds or gunshot wounds. 68 00:03:16,663 --> 00:03:18,864 There were nothing like that, but they did notice 69 00:03:18,965 --> 00:03:21,867 injuries to her throat, ligature marks. 70 00:03:21,968 --> 00:03:24,069 And there was a scarf close by, 71 00:03:24,170 --> 00:03:27,072 which indicated that she'd been strangled. 72 00:03:27,173 --> 00:03:29,308 At this point, it's a homicide investigation. 73 00:03:29,409 --> 00:03:34,012 NARRATOR: But who would want to kill 36-year-old Dana Laskowski? 74 00:03:35,348 --> 00:03:38,350 Dana was a mother with eight-year-old triplets, 75 00:03:38,451 --> 00:03:41,787 and she had a niece, Amanda, 76 00:03:41,888 --> 00:03:45,090 that she felt like a mother to and said, 77 00:03:45,191 --> 00:03:46,325 "You can come and go here 78 00:03:46,426 --> 00:03:48,160 "however you please, and so can your friends. 79 00:03:48,261 --> 00:03:50,062 And if you need anything from me, I'll be there." 80 00:03:50,163 --> 00:03:52,764 BRAMHALL: When she'd walk into a room, 81 00:03:52,865 --> 00:03:56,034 she would get to know everybody in the room. 82 00:03:56,135 --> 00:03:57,369 Everybody would like her. 83 00:03:57,470 --> 00:03:59,938 She's very outgoing, very personable. 84 00:04:00,039 --> 00:04:02,841 She was always somebody that had a kind word, 85 00:04:02,942 --> 00:04:04,776 uh, or a kind deed for everybody. 86 00:04:06,279 --> 00:04:08,580 NARRATOR: Tasked with investigating Dana's murder 87 00:04:08,681 --> 00:04:12,084 are veteran detective Scott Bramhall 88 00:04:12,185 --> 00:04:15,687 and prosecuting attorney Stephen Penner. 89 00:04:15,788 --> 00:04:18,857 BRAMHALL: There are certainly crime scenes, homicide scenes, 90 00:04:18,958 --> 00:04:21,360 where there's, you know, blood spatter, 91 00:04:21,461 --> 00:04:23,829 a victim on the ground, 92 00:04:23,930 --> 00:04:26,665 visible injuries, maybe a disruption all around 93 00:04:26,766 --> 00:04:29,801 the room -- That wasn't the case here. 94 00:04:29,902 --> 00:04:31,837 There wasn't any blood, no weapons. 95 00:04:31,938 --> 00:04:32,971 There wasn't anything really broken. 96 00:04:33,072 --> 00:04:36,642 And she was face-down on the couch. 97 00:04:36,743 --> 00:04:38,710 NARRATOR: When police turn Dana over, 98 00:04:38,811 --> 00:04:42,381 they find bruising on her neck and dried blood around her nose 99 00:04:42,482 --> 00:04:43,582 and ears. 100 00:04:43,683 --> 00:04:47,352 The medical examiner ruled that the cricoid cartilage 101 00:04:47,453 --> 00:04:49,821 of her throat was fractured, 102 00:04:49,922 --> 00:04:52,824 so it's a crushing injury to the throat. 103 00:04:52,925 --> 00:04:55,127 Dana died from being strangled to death, 104 00:04:55,228 --> 00:04:56,795 probably with her own scarf. 105 00:05:00,133 --> 00:05:02,701 It's possible to strangle somebody with your hands, 106 00:05:02,802 --> 00:05:05,304 but like any tool, a ligature makes it easier. 107 00:05:05,405 --> 00:05:07,272 If you're behind them with a ligature, 108 00:05:07,373 --> 00:05:09,408 it can be very difficult to get the ligature 109 00:05:09,509 --> 00:05:11,376 off the throat, and even if you can dig 110 00:05:11,477 --> 00:05:15,414 your fingers in between the ligature and your throat, 111 00:05:15,515 --> 00:05:17,949 it won't stop the compression of the airway. 112 00:05:18,051 --> 00:05:19,985 In this particular case, uh, 113 00:05:20,086 --> 00:05:22,521 it appeared that scarf could have been used to 114 00:05:22,622 --> 00:05:24,790 strangle Dana with death. 115 00:05:24,891 --> 00:05:26,925 So the police searched for any kind of trace evidence, 116 00:05:27,026 --> 00:05:28,727 uh, DNA, bodily fluids, 117 00:05:28,828 --> 00:05:33,031 something that they could use to try to identify the killer. 118 00:05:33,132 --> 00:05:34,533 They looked for everything they could, 119 00:05:34,634 --> 00:05:36,568 and they didn't find anything. 120 00:05:36,669 --> 00:05:39,738 We kept going back to Dana's body, 121 00:05:39,839 --> 00:05:41,640 where it was found, 122 00:05:41,741 --> 00:05:45,510 in what position it was in, her arm up behind her back, 123 00:05:45,611 --> 00:05:49,381 face-down on the couch, strangled to death. 124 00:05:49,482 --> 00:05:52,084 It suggested that there was a struggle. 125 00:05:52,185 --> 00:05:54,286 Whoever did this had enough strength to overpower her, 126 00:05:54,387 --> 00:05:56,755 someone who's -- who's literally fighting for their life. 127 00:05:58,191 --> 00:06:01,293 BRAMHALL: The crime indicated the offender was strong, 128 00:06:01,394 --> 00:06:04,696 somebody with upper body strength, so we were 129 00:06:04,797 --> 00:06:07,399 assuming the offender would be a male. 130 00:06:07,500 --> 00:06:10,635 NARRATOR: To find Dana's killer, Detective Bramhall must 131 00:06:10,737 --> 00:06:14,072 reconstruct the final 24 hours of her life, 132 00:06:14,173 --> 00:06:15,640 starting with the crime scene. 133 00:06:15,742 --> 00:06:18,143 BRAMHALL: There were abrasions to Dane Laskowski's knees 134 00:06:18,244 --> 00:06:22,981 and elbows, and they would be an indication that 135 00:06:23,082 --> 00:06:25,584 Dana Laskowski was not killed on the couch, 136 00:06:25,685 --> 00:06:27,786 that it was likely that there was a possible struggle 137 00:06:27,887 --> 00:06:29,454 on the floor. 138 00:06:29,555 --> 00:06:33,892 We were able to process the carpet with luminol. 139 00:06:33,993 --> 00:06:36,995 What we did was we marked on the rug 140 00:06:37,096 --> 00:06:41,266 the location of the luminol illuminations, and that formed 141 00:06:41,401 --> 00:06:42,934 a pattern. 142 00:06:43,035 --> 00:06:47,072 The pattern would be an indication that 143 00:06:47,173 --> 00:06:49,941 Dana was killed on the floor -- The person that killed her 144 00:06:50,042 --> 00:06:51,943 would have then picked her up, 145 00:06:52,044 --> 00:06:56,581 placed her on the couch, and then covered her up. 146 00:06:56,682 --> 00:06:59,618 NARRATOR: Investigators believe the killer was trying to make 147 00:06:59,719 --> 00:07:01,987 the body more comfortable after death, 148 00:07:02,088 --> 00:07:04,222 an example of undoing behavior. 149 00:07:06,392 --> 00:07:09,127 Undoing is a type of psychological defense mechanism. 150 00:07:09,228 --> 00:07:11,196 We all have such mechanisms. 151 00:07:11,297 --> 00:07:14,366 In this case, the fact that she was covered with a blanket 152 00:07:14,467 --> 00:07:15,867 may indicate that somebody 153 00:07:15,968 --> 00:07:18,970 had engaged in undoing behavior to cancel out 154 00:07:19,071 --> 00:07:20,539 or counteract the murder. 155 00:07:20,640 --> 00:07:22,340 You could read some remorse 156 00:07:22,442 --> 00:07:25,076 or guilt into undoing behavior. 157 00:07:25,178 --> 00:07:27,179 It implies that there's some sort of relationship 158 00:07:27,280 --> 00:07:29,514 here between the killer and the victim. 159 00:07:31,417 --> 00:07:32,818 PENNER: That would indicate that the killer 160 00:07:32,919 --> 00:07:36,588 was someone who had affection for Dana. 161 00:07:36,689 --> 00:07:38,256 This isn't a random burglar who 162 00:07:38,357 --> 00:07:40,826 broke in and accidentally found her. 163 00:07:40,927 --> 00:07:43,428 This is somebody maybe who knew her, 164 00:07:43,529 --> 00:07:46,832 and that's important as you develop suspects. 165 00:07:46,933 --> 00:07:49,568 NARRATOR: Then police receive significant information 166 00:07:49,669 --> 00:07:51,870 about the timeline of Dana's murder. 167 00:07:51,971 --> 00:07:55,273 The medical examiner was able to approximate that Dana had 168 00:07:55,374 --> 00:07:58,143 been there for a few hours before the police arrived, um, 169 00:07:58,244 --> 00:08:01,046 and most likely had died in the early hours of that morning. 170 00:08:03,015 --> 00:08:04,783 We knocked on the neighbor's doors, 171 00:08:04,884 --> 00:08:07,452 and one said that they reported hearing a woman 172 00:08:07,553 --> 00:08:10,355 screaming during the night, um... 173 00:08:10,456 --> 00:08:13,592 they estimated that time at about 1 AM, 174 00:08:13,693 --> 00:08:16,428 so that gave us a timeframe. 175 00:08:16,529 --> 00:08:18,430 We knew by 7:30 that morning, 176 00:08:18,531 --> 00:08:20,832 Dana probably was dead, because she didn't show for her job. 177 00:08:20,933 --> 00:08:24,102 NARRATOR: Having established Dana was killed between 178 00:08:24,203 --> 00:08:27,272 the hours of 1 and 7:30 AM, 179 00:08:27,373 --> 00:08:29,374 Police start looking into Dana's background 180 00:08:29,475 --> 00:08:31,776 for clues about her murder. 181 00:08:31,878 --> 00:08:33,545 PENNER: Dana was a mother. 182 00:08:33,646 --> 00:08:35,580 She had three young children, 183 00:08:35,681 --> 00:08:37,516 eight-year-old triplets living with her. 184 00:08:37,617 --> 00:08:40,285 But at the time that Dana was murdered, 185 00:08:40,386 --> 00:08:42,220 they were with Steve, her husband. 186 00:08:42,321 --> 00:08:45,423 She had been recently separated, and police 187 00:08:45,525 --> 00:08:48,159 were able to establish that she had started dating. 188 00:08:48,261 --> 00:08:50,896 What that does is that just increases 189 00:08:50,997 --> 00:08:53,965 the universe of people who might be suspects, 190 00:08:54,066 --> 00:08:56,434 to people that Dana would have let into her house 191 00:08:56,569 --> 00:08:57,969 late at night that 192 00:08:58,070 --> 00:09:00,639 she would think that she was safe with when it turned out 193 00:09:00,740 --> 00:09:02,507 that she wasn't. 194 00:09:02,608 --> 00:09:05,577 NARRATOR: Detectives ask Dana's employers if Dana had 195 00:09:05,678 --> 00:09:08,046 concerns about any of the men she'd been dating. 196 00:09:10,116 --> 00:09:11,917 The people that she worked for as a nanny 197 00:09:12,018 --> 00:09:16,821 told the police that Dana had mentioned a man, Adam, 198 00:09:16,923 --> 00:09:20,525 who had turned as kind of a stalker. 199 00:09:20,626 --> 00:09:23,194 BRAMHALL: Dan had just moved into her house, and Adam 200 00:09:23,296 --> 00:09:26,464 ran a bucket truck for -- For a cable company, 201 00:09:26,566 --> 00:09:29,701 and Adam had come to install some cable. 202 00:09:29,802 --> 00:09:33,738 When the job was done, Adam asked Dana out on a date. 203 00:09:33,839 --> 00:09:35,607 She wasn't interested, but that 204 00:09:35,708 --> 00:09:38,143 didn't stop him from pursuing her. 205 00:09:38,244 --> 00:09:40,078 Adam was a guy who wouldn't take no 206 00:09:40,179 --> 00:09:42,581 for an answer and wouldn't leave her alone. 207 00:09:42,682 --> 00:09:44,416 His behavior escalated. 208 00:09:44,517 --> 00:09:48,954 Dana reported getting notes on her door, flowers, gifts, 209 00:09:50,856 --> 00:09:53,058 and he was surveilling her 210 00:09:53,159 --> 00:09:56,194 while she was at home and then calls 211 00:09:56,295 --> 00:09:58,096 and texts that just wouldn't stop. 212 00:09:58,197 --> 00:10:01,733 By all indications, this was obsessive, controlling, 213 00:10:01,834 --> 00:10:03,001 angry behavior, 214 00:10:03,102 --> 00:10:06,471 which would make it more credible that this person might 215 00:10:06,572 --> 00:10:09,774 be able to get to the -- a mental state, 216 00:10:09,875 --> 00:10:12,477 the emotional state, to kill somebody. 217 00:10:13,613 --> 00:10:16,781 NARRATOR: Then what police learn next increases their interest 218 00:10:16,882 --> 00:10:19,751 in Adam as a suspect even further. 219 00:10:19,852 --> 00:10:24,489 Dana's employers told us that Dana had said that if anything 220 00:10:24,590 --> 00:10:27,859 happened to her, it would be this 221 00:10:27,960 --> 00:10:31,429 cable guy -- We find that significant, 222 00:10:31,530 --> 00:10:33,965 and we take that very seriously. 223 00:10:34,066 --> 00:10:37,202 If she was scared enough to tell people that he might do 224 00:10:37,303 --> 00:10:39,270 something to me, something violent, 225 00:10:39,372 --> 00:10:41,072 and then something did happen to her -- 226 00:10:41,173 --> 00:10:44,109 That, of course, raised concerns by the police. 227 00:10:44,210 --> 00:10:47,846 BRAMHALL: At that point, Adam becomes the prime suspect. 228 00:10:55,454 --> 00:10:57,889 NARRATOR: Police are closing in on a suspect, 229 00:10:57,990 --> 00:11:01,226 a cable installer named Adam who had been stalking 230 00:11:01,327 --> 00:11:04,663 Dana Laskowski in the weeks leading up to her murder. 231 00:11:04,764 --> 00:11:06,398 Adam seemed to have a motive, 232 00:11:06,499 --> 00:11:08,767 seemed to have a behavior that would suggest that he was 233 00:11:08,868 --> 00:11:10,535 likely the killer. 234 00:11:10,636 --> 00:11:14,873 BRAMHALL: We were focused on Adam as a prime suspect. 235 00:11:14,974 --> 00:11:17,809 And we got search warrants 236 00:11:17,910 --> 00:11:20,912 on his vehicle, 237 00:11:21,013 --> 00:11:23,915 bucket truck, on his locker at work, 238 00:11:24,016 --> 00:11:26,651 and we took him into custody. 239 00:11:26,752 --> 00:11:29,220 He was belligerent. 240 00:11:29,321 --> 00:11:31,956 He was very uncooperative, and he insisted 241 00:11:32,058 --> 00:11:34,459 he wasn't the one that killed her. 242 00:11:34,560 --> 00:11:37,062 NARRATOR: Detectives then press Adam about where 243 00:11:37,163 --> 00:11:39,197 he was the night Dana was killed. 244 00:11:39,265 --> 00:11:40,365 BRAMHALL: On the night of the murder, 245 00:11:40,466 --> 00:11:43,968 he said he was at home hanging out with his friends. 246 00:11:44,070 --> 00:11:45,904 NARRATOR: Searches through Adam's phone records 247 00:11:46,005 --> 00:11:48,106 show he was at home that night. 248 00:11:48,207 --> 00:11:49,908 BRAMHALL: Based on his alibi 249 00:11:50,009 --> 00:11:53,445 as he gave it and the way it checked out, 250 00:11:53,546 --> 00:11:56,514 he was moved down on the list of suspects 251 00:11:56,615 --> 00:11:57,782 for our investigation. 252 00:11:59,018 --> 00:12:00,819 PENNER: The police really thought Adam was one who 253 00:12:00,920 --> 00:12:04,489 had killed Dana because of the stalking behavior, 254 00:12:04,590 --> 00:12:05,890 but now they have to turn their attention 255 00:12:05,991 --> 00:12:08,093 and resources to other suspects. 256 00:12:17,236 --> 00:12:19,404 NARRATOR: Investigators shift their focus to 257 00:12:19,505 --> 00:12:22,006 a small clue found at the crime scene. 258 00:12:24,143 --> 00:12:26,511 BRAMHALL: Dana Laskowski had a phone number written 259 00:12:26,612 --> 00:12:30,115 on her hand in ink, and some of that was faded. 260 00:12:30,216 --> 00:12:31,950 But we looked at that phone number 261 00:12:32,051 --> 00:12:35,186 and looked at identifying whose phone number it was. 262 00:12:37,022 --> 00:12:38,990 NARRATOR: When police check the phone number, 263 00:12:39,091 --> 00:12:42,627 they determine it belongs to a 35-year-old man named Julian. 264 00:12:44,897 --> 00:12:47,065 ARNTFIELD: The phone number linked to Julian opens up 265 00:12:47,166 --> 00:12:50,235 a realm of possibilities as to his potential motive. 266 00:12:50,336 --> 00:12:52,604 This speaks to a certain degree of intimacy. 267 00:12:52,705 --> 00:12:54,205 The fact that it's taken down in this 268 00:12:54,306 --> 00:12:56,574 manner suggests that that number was important to her. 269 00:12:59,078 --> 00:13:01,012 NARRATOR: Detectives track down Julian 270 00:13:01,113 --> 00:13:02,981 and bring him in for questioning. 271 00:13:03,082 --> 00:13:06,351 They asked why his phone number would be on Dana's hand. 272 00:13:06,452 --> 00:13:08,920 BRAMHALL: He was not really answering. 273 00:13:09,021 --> 00:13:11,156 I thought that was a little odd, so 274 00:13:11,257 --> 00:13:15,927 we kind of zeroed in on his relationship with Dana. 275 00:13:17,163 --> 00:13:19,497 NARRATOR: Julian tells investigators Dana was dating 276 00:13:19,598 --> 00:13:21,132 his best friend, Matt, 277 00:13:21,233 --> 00:13:23,701 but Julian seems nervous. 278 00:13:23,803 --> 00:13:27,939 When we confronted Julian and asked him 279 00:13:28,040 --> 00:13:31,109 if he also had a relationship with Dana, 280 00:13:31,210 --> 00:13:32,877 he acknowledged that. 281 00:13:32,978 --> 00:13:35,847 So it turns out that they were having an affair. 282 00:13:35,948 --> 00:13:39,017 NARRATOR: With this startling revelation, 283 00:13:39,118 --> 00:13:42,754 detectives now wonder if Julian could be Dana's killer. 284 00:13:42,855 --> 00:13:45,056 They question where he was the night of the murder. 285 00:13:47,960 --> 00:13:49,727 BRAMHALL: Julian said he was at a bar 286 00:13:49,829 --> 00:13:52,063 on the night that Dana was murdered, 287 00:13:52,164 --> 00:13:54,766 said he was there about from 10:30 at night 288 00:13:54,867 --> 00:13:57,268 till past 1 a.m. 289 00:13:57,369 --> 00:13:59,103 Checking into the bar, 290 00:13:59,205 --> 00:14:01,472 the bar management, 291 00:14:01,574 --> 00:14:03,174 it seemed to indicate 292 00:14:03,275 --> 00:14:04,943 that that is consistent with truth. 293 00:14:05,044 --> 00:14:06,678 He was with a group of friends, 294 00:14:06,779 --> 00:14:09,380 his friends vouched for him being there. 295 00:14:09,481 --> 00:14:12,550 So his alibi didn't put him anywhere 296 00:14:12,651 --> 00:14:14,686 near Dana's house that night. 297 00:14:14,787 --> 00:14:16,621 NARRATOR: With Julian's alibi ruling him 298 00:14:16,722 --> 00:14:18,957 out as Dana's killer, detectives 299 00:14:19,058 --> 00:14:20,692 question if their affair gave 300 00:14:20,793 --> 00:14:23,161 his friend Matt a motive for murder. 301 00:14:23,262 --> 00:14:25,563 Dana's killer would be the kind of person who 302 00:14:25,664 --> 00:14:28,566 she wouldn't think twice about having in her house, 303 00:14:28,667 --> 00:14:30,501 but also could be the kind of person who might be 304 00:14:30,603 --> 00:14:32,971 jealous and could get angry enough 305 00:14:33,072 --> 00:14:35,173 to strangle her to death. 306 00:14:35,274 --> 00:14:36,474 Romantic relationships can lead to 307 00:14:36,575 --> 00:14:38,543 that kind of intensity of feelings. 308 00:14:38,644 --> 00:14:40,645 Of course, they don't all do, 309 00:14:40,746 --> 00:14:42,947 but a lot of times, when you see that type of crime, 310 00:14:43,048 --> 00:14:45,083 that's the situation. 311 00:14:45,184 --> 00:14:47,318 The nature of this killing was very personal. 312 00:14:47,419 --> 00:14:50,388 And so Matt, who seemed to be kind of a primary boyfriend 313 00:14:50,489 --> 00:14:53,958 for Dana, naturally became a suspect. 314 00:14:54,059 --> 00:14:56,227 NARRATOR: Armed with Julian's information, 315 00:14:56,328 --> 00:14:59,797 investigators dig deeper into Dana and Matt's relationship. 316 00:14:59,899 --> 00:15:03,134 We were told Matt was very much in love with Dana. 317 00:15:03,235 --> 00:15:06,137 And Dana liked Matt but was less into 318 00:15:06,238 --> 00:15:08,172 Matt than Matt was into Dana. 319 00:15:09,775 --> 00:15:11,576 ARNTFIELD: In this case, we have one person in 320 00:15:11,677 --> 00:15:14,612 this relationship who's clearly more invested than the other. 321 00:15:14,713 --> 00:15:18,149 On top of that, he discovers that she's sleeping with his 322 00:15:18,250 --> 00:15:20,218 best friend -- That automatically interjects 323 00:15:20,319 --> 00:15:24,289 a degree of, obviously, jealousy and resentment. 324 00:15:24,390 --> 00:15:27,025 NARRATOR: Dana's phone records reveal that she spoke 325 00:15:27,126 --> 00:15:30,161 with Matt repeatedly the night she was killed. 326 00:15:30,262 --> 00:15:31,663 BRAMHALL: According to the phone records, 327 00:15:31,764 --> 00:15:34,666 Dana had been on the phone with her boyfriend, Matt, 328 00:15:34,767 --> 00:15:40,305 talking to him a few times between 11:30 and midnight. 329 00:15:41,941 --> 00:15:45,109 NARRATOR: When detectives ask Dana's friends about Matt, 330 00:15:45,210 --> 00:15:47,078 they learn he's a rough type of guy. 331 00:15:47,179 --> 00:15:50,748 BRAMHALL: We were being told by Dana's friends 332 00:15:50,849 --> 00:15:52,984 and associates and family 333 00:15:53,085 --> 00:15:55,420 that Matt was a biker 334 00:15:55,521 --> 00:16:00,992 and a person that used hard drugs, a person who could fight. 335 00:16:01,093 --> 00:16:03,895 He was a person -- we were told he could fight 10 men at once, 336 00:16:03,996 --> 00:16:09,100 and so we looked at him as a very good suspect. 337 00:16:09,201 --> 00:16:11,469 It's possible Matt found out about 338 00:16:11,570 --> 00:16:14,105 the affair and went and confronted Dana, 339 00:16:14,206 --> 00:16:17,675 um, because he felt that he had been jilted. 340 00:16:19,478 --> 00:16:22,580 And during that confrontation, 341 00:16:22,681 --> 00:16:25,683 flew into a rage, killing Dana. 342 00:16:34,393 --> 00:16:36,361 NARRATOR: In the murder of Dana Laskowski, 343 00:16:36,462 --> 00:16:39,564 investigators have zeroed in on her boyfriend, Matt, who 344 00:16:39,665 --> 00:16:43,167 they learn is based just outside of Vancouver, Canada. 345 00:16:43,268 --> 00:16:44,836 The fact that Matt lived in Canada -- 346 00:16:44,937 --> 00:16:47,505 That alone wouldn't eliminate him as a suspect. 347 00:16:47,606 --> 00:16:50,541 Puyallup's only about a three- or four-hour drive. 348 00:16:50,642 --> 00:16:53,478 BRAMHALL: So we went up to Canada 349 00:16:53,579 --> 00:16:55,513 to look into him, 350 00:16:55,614 --> 00:16:57,615 and when arrived, 351 00:16:57,716 --> 00:17:00,818 we met with him, explained what we were 352 00:17:00,919 --> 00:17:03,855 there for, asked him where he was 353 00:17:03,956 --> 00:17:06,290 on the night that Dana was murdered. 354 00:17:06,392 --> 00:17:08,493 NARRATOR: When Matt is questioned, he denies 355 00:17:08,594 --> 00:17:10,862 having any involvement in Dana's death. 356 00:17:10,963 --> 00:17:14,766 Matt said he tried to get down to Puyallup to visit Dana on 357 00:17:14,867 --> 00:17:16,567 the night that she died, 358 00:17:16,668 --> 00:17:18,369 but he was stopped at the border because he had 359 00:17:18,470 --> 00:17:22,874 a suspended license and was not allowed entry into the country. 360 00:17:22,975 --> 00:17:25,676 PENNER: So Matt told the police that at the time 361 00:17:25,778 --> 00:17:27,178 that Dana was murdered, 362 00:17:27,279 --> 00:17:29,847 he was at the Canadian border crossing and could not have 363 00:17:29,948 --> 00:17:32,884 been the one who had committed the murder. 364 00:17:32,985 --> 00:17:36,254 BRAMHALL: We looked into it, and we can verify 365 00:17:36,355 --> 00:17:38,656 that he was where he said he was. 366 00:17:38,757 --> 00:17:40,691 All that was documented -- Not by Matt, 367 00:17:40,793 --> 00:17:42,927 but by the border officials. 368 00:17:43,028 --> 00:17:44,829 It was about as good as alibis you could get. 369 00:17:44,930 --> 00:17:47,965 It was, in fact, backed up by, uh, by the government. 370 00:17:49,535 --> 00:17:51,502 NARRATOR: With Matt cleared as a suspect, 371 00:17:51,603 --> 00:17:54,472 investigators ask him for any information that could lead to 372 00:17:54,573 --> 00:17:55,673 Dana's killer. 373 00:17:55,774 --> 00:17:59,243 Matt said that he was on the phone with Dana 374 00:17:59,344 --> 00:18:00,545 on the night of the murder, 375 00:18:00,646 --> 00:18:03,047 and she seemed a little bit inhibited by some of 376 00:18:03,148 --> 00:18:04,348 her conversation. 377 00:18:04,450 --> 00:18:07,285 And that suggested that Dana might 378 00:18:07,386 --> 00:18:10,021 have had somebody in the house. 379 00:18:10,122 --> 00:18:12,723 NARRATOR: Matt suggests the mystery person could have been 380 00:18:12,825 --> 00:18:15,226 Dana's estranged husband, Steve. 381 00:18:15,327 --> 00:18:17,195 PENNER: Steve would certainly be a natural person 382 00:18:17,296 --> 00:18:18,396 to go talk to. 383 00:18:18,497 --> 00:18:20,832 This was someone she'd shared part of her life with. 384 00:18:20,933 --> 00:18:23,601 But the state of being separated is 385 00:18:23,702 --> 00:18:26,070 a difficult state to be in emotionally. 386 00:18:26,171 --> 00:18:28,940 Um, and depending on what else was going on, 387 00:18:29,041 --> 00:18:31,075 it could lead to that kind of anger that was necessary for 388 00:18:31,176 --> 00:18:32,477 this killing. 389 00:18:32,578 --> 00:18:34,378 BRAMHALL: Steve might be 390 00:18:34,480 --> 00:18:38,483 jilted and angry enough to kill her, 391 00:18:38,584 --> 00:18:44,021 or they may just have had a planned meeting to exchange 392 00:18:44,123 --> 00:18:48,926 the children, could have erupted into a spontaneous argument, 393 00:18:49,027 --> 00:18:50,294 which led to the murder. 394 00:18:50,395 --> 00:18:53,197 All of these were possibilities that we had to look into. 395 00:18:54,566 --> 00:18:57,535 NARRATOR: Detectives dig into Steve and discover he took out 396 00:18:57,636 --> 00:19:00,138 a life insurance policy on Dana. 397 00:19:00,239 --> 00:19:02,940 BRAMHALL: The factor of a life insurance policy 398 00:19:03,041 --> 00:19:06,377 would be a motive for murder 399 00:19:06,478 --> 00:19:08,179 for financial reasons. 400 00:19:10,115 --> 00:19:13,951 We also felt that passion, jealousy, anger 401 00:19:14,052 --> 00:19:16,921 at having the family split up would be 402 00:19:17,022 --> 00:19:19,991 a possible motive for him wanting to kill Dana. 403 00:19:21,426 --> 00:19:24,195 With Dana's ex-husband in their crosshairs, 404 00:19:24,329 --> 00:19:27,398 detectives bring him down to the station for questioning. 405 00:19:27,499 --> 00:19:29,800 BRAMHALL: As we talked to Steve about his relationship 406 00:19:29,902 --> 00:19:34,539 with Dana, he was found to be unusually locked up 407 00:19:34,640 --> 00:19:37,275 and reserved in his emotions, 408 00:19:37,376 --> 00:19:38,843 kind of a flat affect. 409 00:19:38,944 --> 00:19:41,212 He was not very expressive. 410 00:19:41,313 --> 00:19:45,516 NARRATOR: Then detectives notice another suspicious detail. 411 00:19:45,617 --> 00:19:48,986 BRAMHALL: It was noted that he had abrasions to his knees, 412 00:19:49,087 --> 00:19:52,290 and Dana had abrasions to her knees and elbows. 413 00:19:52,391 --> 00:19:56,694 We felt that the two of them might have scuffled together 414 00:19:56,795 --> 00:19:58,896 on the night that she was murdered. 415 00:19:58,997 --> 00:20:02,333 When we asked Steve about the abrasions to his knees, 416 00:20:02,434 --> 00:20:04,635 he said he got them playing baseball. 417 00:20:04,736 --> 00:20:07,605 But then one of the detectives that was 418 00:20:07,706 --> 00:20:10,942 there happens to be a real baseball fan, 419 00:20:11,043 --> 00:20:12,777 and he said it was his opinion 420 00:20:12,878 --> 00:20:16,380 that those abrasions were not consistent with 421 00:20:16,481 --> 00:20:17,949 injuries that you get playing baseball. 422 00:20:19,918 --> 00:20:23,254 At that point, Steve really moved up 423 00:20:23,355 --> 00:20:27,024 the top of the list of suspects. 424 00:20:27,125 --> 00:20:30,761 NARRATOR: But did Steve have the opportunity to kill Dana? 425 00:20:30,862 --> 00:20:32,430 BRAMHALL: When we asked Steve where he was on the night 426 00:20:32,531 --> 00:20:34,365 of the murder, he said he was at home, 427 00:20:34,466 --> 00:20:36,200 five hours away from Puyallup. 428 00:20:36,301 --> 00:20:38,803 He said he put the kids in bed, went out and gassed up 429 00:20:38,904 --> 00:20:40,204 the vehicle, 430 00:20:40,305 --> 00:20:43,541 got up the next morning, and drove to a local campsite. 431 00:20:43,642 --> 00:20:46,210 ARNTFIELD: His alibi is interesting. 432 00:20:46,311 --> 00:20:47,979 The fact that the triplets are conveniently 433 00:20:48,080 --> 00:20:50,414 out of the house for the murder -- 434 00:20:50,515 --> 00:20:52,516 That could be a coincidence. 435 00:20:52,618 --> 00:20:54,885 It could also speak to planning 436 00:20:54,987 --> 00:20:58,222 and that the children couldn't be there for 437 00:20:58,323 --> 00:21:01,692 that particular day, because he had plans for her. 438 00:21:01,793 --> 00:21:04,061 BRAMHALL: The round trip from where 439 00:21:04,162 --> 00:21:07,298 Steve lived to where Dana lived is 10 hours, 440 00:21:07,399 --> 00:21:10,835 so we really looked at the possibility of Steve being 441 00:21:10,936 --> 00:21:14,939 able to put the kids in bed and drive to Puyallup, 442 00:21:15,040 --> 00:21:17,975 kill Dana, turn around, and drive back 443 00:21:18,076 --> 00:21:20,578 or have the kids in the car, asleep, 444 00:21:20,679 --> 00:21:24,515 drive to Puyallup, kill Dana, and drive back. 445 00:21:24,616 --> 00:21:27,184 NARRATOR: If Steve did make the trip to Dana's house, 446 00:21:27,286 --> 00:21:30,254 investigators know he would have needed to stop for gas 447 00:21:30,355 --> 00:21:33,291 along the way. - We retraced the steps 448 00:21:33,392 --> 00:21:36,861 and the route that Steve would have taken, 449 00:21:36,962 --> 00:21:39,297 checked for possible places 450 00:21:39,364 --> 00:21:40,898 where Steve might have gassed up. 451 00:21:40,966 --> 00:21:43,000 We checked the surveillance cameras, 452 00:21:43,101 --> 00:21:45,369 any indicators along the roadway that would have 453 00:21:45,470 --> 00:21:46,737 picked up his car. 454 00:21:46,838 --> 00:21:48,806 There was no evidence to support 455 00:21:48,907 --> 00:21:51,676 the theory that Steve made that route. 456 00:21:52,678 --> 00:21:53,978 NARRATOR: Not finding any evidence 457 00:21:54,079 --> 00:21:55,813 connecting Steve to the crime, 458 00:21:55,914 --> 00:21:59,216 investigators rule him out as a suspect. 459 00:21:59,318 --> 00:22:01,118 Now they eliminated all the suspects, 460 00:22:01,219 --> 00:22:02,520 and when they did that, 461 00:22:02,621 --> 00:22:05,056 the investigation kind of hit a brick wall. 462 00:22:05,157 --> 00:22:08,225 It was a source of frustration for them. 463 00:22:08,327 --> 00:22:11,095 BRAMHALL: We had reached a point in the investigation 464 00:22:11,196 --> 00:22:14,465 where we didn't have a very good suspect, 465 00:22:14,566 --> 00:22:16,767 a very good plausible explanation 466 00:22:16,868 --> 00:22:19,036 as to exactly how the homicide occurred. 467 00:22:19,137 --> 00:22:23,341 We're kind of at an impasse, and with the positioning of Dana, 468 00:22:23,442 --> 00:22:25,843 the way she was covered with the blankets afterwards, 469 00:22:25,944 --> 00:22:29,380 that's very unusual offender behavior. 470 00:22:29,481 --> 00:22:32,817 So I felt it was necessary for 471 00:22:32,918 --> 00:22:35,853 an FBI profile to be done on the case. 472 00:22:35,954 --> 00:22:37,621 So I contacted the FBI. 473 00:22:37,723 --> 00:22:40,691 The local police department may not be able to say, 474 00:22:40,792 --> 00:22:42,893 hey, I've seen this behavior in the past, hey, 475 00:22:42,994 --> 00:22:45,563 I've seen this indicator in the past for the all the other 476 00:22:45,664 --> 00:22:46,831 homicides we had. 477 00:22:46,932 --> 00:22:48,666 The FBI brings that background, 478 00:22:48,767 --> 00:22:51,469 that experience, and that knowledge to help the police 479 00:22:51,570 --> 00:22:53,904 identify additional suspects. 480 00:22:54,005 --> 00:22:56,340 NARRATOR: Five months into the investigation, 481 00:22:56,441 --> 00:23:00,211 the FBI offers up a new theory, that Dana's murder wasn't 482 00:23:00,312 --> 00:23:03,914 planned but happened in the heat of the moment. 483 00:23:04,015 --> 00:23:07,051 BRAMHALL: The FBI said that the person who came 484 00:23:07,152 --> 00:23:09,053 to Dana's house that night 485 00:23:09,154 --> 00:23:11,655 did not come to the house to kill her. 486 00:23:11,757 --> 00:23:14,825 And it's likely that whoever killed her 487 00:23:14,926 --> 00:23:16,560 was somebody who knew her, 488 00:23:16,661 --> 00:23:20,765 who was conversing with her, and then would have flown into 489 00:23:20,866 --> 00:23:23,033 a rage and attacked her. 490 00:23:24,836 --> 00:23:27,438 PENNER: The police looked at the estranged husband. 491 00:23:27,539 --> 00:23:29,240 They looked at the boyfriend. 492 00:23:29,341 --> 00:23:31,242 They looked at the stalker. 493 00:23:31,343 --> 00:23:33,043 Now the police had to figure out 494 00:23:33,145 --> 00:23:35,813 new suspects who weren't as obvious. 495 00:23:35,914 --> 00:23:38,416 Somebody did this. 496 00:23:38,517 --> 00:23:40,251 They just had to figure out who that was. 497 00:23:46,925 --> 00:23:50,561 NARRATOR: Armed with new information from the FBI, 498 00:23:50,662 --> 00:23:52,663 investigators expand their search 499 00:23:52,764 --> 00:23:55,499 in the brutal murder of Dana Laskowski. 500 00:23:55,600 --> 00:23:59,737 So now we were looking for somebody who was prone to 501 00:23:59,838 --> 00:24:03,240 flying into a rage, had upper body strength, 502 00:24:03,341 --> 00:24:07,645 maybe somebody that Dana would have rebuffed an advance from. 503 00:24:07,746 --> 00:24:09,280 NARRATOR: Looking for new leads. 504 00:24:09,381 --> 00:24:13,117 Detectives examine the video footage from Dana's funeral. 505 00:24:13,218 --> 00:24:15,186 It was important to see who went to the funeral, 506 00:24:15,287 --> 00:24:17,988 but it was also important to see how people acted at 507 00:24:18,089 --> 00:24:19,557 the funeral. 508 00:24:19,658 --> 00:24:20,858 STOCKDALE: From a psychological standpoint, 509 00:24:20,959 --> 00:24:23,093 you want to see A, who was in attendance, 510 00:24:23,195 --> 00:24:25,329 B, how they're responding. 511 00:24:25,430 --> 00:24:27,665 It's entirely possible that the killer is present. 512 00:24:27,766 --> 00:24:29,834 When you think about most people being killed by someone 513 00:24:29,935 --> 00:24:31,302 they know, odds are 514 00:24:31,403 --> 00:24:33,971 that those persons or people are going to be at 515 00:24:34,072 --> 00:24:36,807 the funeral, because it would be socially unacceptable not to. 516 00:24:36,908 --> 00:24:39,243 And then how do they manage that situation? 517 00:24:39,344 --> 00:24:41,545 Is there something that could reveal 518 00:24:41,646 --> 00:24:44,915 themselves and their involvement to investigators? 519 00:24:45,016 --> 00:24:46,817 NARRATOR: As police look through the guest book, 520 00:24:46,885 --> 00:24:49,386 they make an unexpected discovery. 521 00:24:49,488 --> 00:24:52,256 BRAMHALL: Loved ones wrote comments in there, such as, 522 00:24:52,357 --> 00:24:53,557 you know, they miss Dana. 523 00:24:53,658 --> 00:24:55,459 They can't believe she's passed away. 524 00:24:55,560 --> 00:24:57,895 They miss her dearly, think about her often. 525 00:24:57,996 --> 00:25:03,734 Then there was an entry from a niece, and she said, 526 00:25:03,835 --> 00:25:06,570 "Sorry, I wasn't a better niece. 527 00:25:06,671 --> 00:25:09,306 "I've been clean and sober 34 days now. 528 00:25:09,407 --> 00:25:11,442 It's all because of you." 529 00:25:11,543 --> 00:25:12,810 And some of the family members 530 00:25:12,911 --> 00:25:17,248 describe the niece as unruly and wild. 531 00:25:17,349 --> 00:25:20,251 But the entry told us that the niece 532 00:25:20,352 --> 00:25:24,154 had gone clean and sober after Dana's death. 533 00:25:24,256 --> 00:25:26,190 PENNER: But even more importantly, she was doing it 534 00:25:26,291 --> 00:25:30,794 for Dana, which showed two things -- 535 00:25:30,896 --> 00:25:33,030 One was her love for Dana. 536 00:25:33,131 --> 00:25:37,101 But it also showed that she felt guilt for some reason 537 00:25:37,202 --> 00:25:40,437 for her aunt's death, 538 00:25:40,539 --> 00:25:41,939 and that was important. 539 00:25:42,040 --> 00:25:45,442 It suggested that she may have been involved either 540 00:25:45,544 --> 00:25:48,512 shortly before or even during or after somehow. 541 00:25:51,283 --> 00:25:53,083 NARRATOR: Detective Bramhall sets his sights 542 00:25:53,184 --> 00:25:55,719 on Dana's niece, Amanda. 543 00:25:55,820 --> 00:25:57,354 BRAMHALL: I called Amanda, and I asked her 544 00:25:57,455 --> 00:25:59,356 to come in for an interview. 545 00:26:10,201 --> 00:26:12,036 NARRATOR: Amanda tells the detective that she 546 00:26:12,137 --> 00:26:13,470 and her aunt were close, 547 00:26:13,572 --> 00:26:15,406 almost like mother and daughter. 548 00:26:15,507 --> 00:26:19,109 She adds that Dana was always there for her and her friends. 549 00:26:19,210 --> 00:26:21,645 BRAMHALL: Amanda and her friends, 550 00:26:21,746 --> 00:26:23,314 they call themselves the Park Rats, 551 00:26:23,415 --> 00:26:25,182 which we on the police department are well familiar 552 00:26:25,317 --> 00:26:28,652 with -- they're kids that hang out at Pioneer Park, 553 00:26:28,753 --> 00:26:32,122 and they're kids that don't have good homes. 554 00:26:32,223 --> 00:26:36,260 They don't have a stable home environment, and drug use is 555 00:26:36,361 --> 00:26:38,395 their common bond, um, 556 00:26:38,496 --> 00:26:41,732 as they're hanging out in the park. 557 00:26:41,833 --> 00:26:43,968 PENNER: This whole group was, like, right out of high school. 558 00:26:44,069 --> 00:26:45,469 They didn't really have plans. 559 00:26:45,570 --> 00:26:46,837 I think high school was behind him. 560 00:26:46,938 --> 00:26:49,607 They didn't know what was ahead of 'em, um... 561 00:26:51,009 --> 00:26:53,077 you know, they weren't home doing their homework. 562 00:26:53,178 --> 00:26:56,547 They weren't helping little old ladies across the street. 563 00:26:56,648 --> 00:26:57,848 It's a nice town. 564 00:26:57,949 --> 00:26:59,783 But to the extent that there was a rough group, 565 00:26:59,884 --> 00:27:01,218 this was that group. 566 00:27:02,520 --> 00:27:06,290 Dana tried to be a safe place for Amanda and her friends. 567 00:27:06,391 --> 00:27:08,359 Amanda could go to Dana's place, 568 00:27:08,460 --> 00:27:11,395 no questions asked, any time of day or night, 569 00:27:11,496 --> 00:27:13,397 and she could bring her friends if she needed to. 570 00:27:13,498 --> 00:27:15,933 That was significant when the police remembered 571 00:27:16,034 --> 00:27:18,602 Dana's back door was unlocked that night. 572 00:27:18,703 --> 00:27:21,338 NARRATOR: Investigators ask Amanda what she knows about 573 00:27:21,439 --> 00:27:24,508 her aunt's murder and quickly get a lead. 574 00:27:24,609 --> 00:27:27,878 BRAMHALL: So she gave me the list of names of the people 575 00:27:27,979 --> 00:27:29,380 that had been in the house, 576 00:27:29,481 --> 00:27:34,284 and she did kind of focus on one individual -- Zane. 577 00:27:34,386 --> 00:27:36,820 She describes Zane as somebody with a lot 578 00:27:36,921 --> 00:27:39,657 of upper body strength, and he had a temper. 579 00:27:39,758 --> 00:27:42,159 Zane is somebody who 580 00:27:42,260 --> 00:27:44,695 dealt in marijuana. 581 00:27:44,796 --> 00:27:47,231 NARRATOR: Then Amanda makes an even more 582 00:27:47,332 --> 00:27:48,532 alarming statement. 583 00:27:48,633 --> 00:27:54,338 Amanda went in to describe how Zane made an advance at her, 584 00:27:54,439 --> 00:27:59,109 and she rebuffed him, and that he bent her over the couch 585 00:27:59,210 --> 00:28:01,779 and was being physical. 586 00:28:27,038 --> 00:28:29,973 This was almost consistent with 587 00:28:30,075 --> 00:28:32,342 the murder as we understood it. 588 00:28:32,444 --> 00:28:35,746 I undertake a look at Zane, and I look in our files. 589 00:28:35,847 --> 00:28:40,584 He's got a criminal history, um, dealing and drugs, 590 00:28:40,685 --> 00:28:44,922 violence, so he was enough of in 591 00:28:45,023 --> 00:28:48,192 the criminal element to be a very good suspect. 592 00:28:49,661 --> 00:28:51,829 NARRATOR: Detective Bramhall reaches out to one of his 593 00:28:51,930 --> 00:28:55,265 younger informants to see what he knows about Zane. 594 00:28:55,366 --> 00:28:58,035 BRAMHALL: I had a sit-down with him, and I talked to him about 595 00:28:58,136 --> 00:28:59,703 the murder of Amanda's aunt, 596 00:28:59,804 --> 00:29:03,373 and I suggested to him that Zane would be a good likely 597 00:29:03,475 --> 00:29:07,144 suspect, and he looked at me, and he said, 598 00:29:07,245 --> 00:29:10,214 Zane didn't kill Amanda's aunt. Emily killed Amanda's aunt. 599 00:29:10,315 --> 00:29:11,682 Everybody knows that. 600 00:29:13,284 --> 00:29:15,085 PENNER: One of the people in Amanda's group 601 00:29:15,186 --> 00:29:17,087 was a young woman named Emily. 602 00:29:17,188 --> 00:29:19,423 Emily is 17. 603 00:29:19,524 --> 00:29:21,692 She's living on the streets or close to it. 604 00:29:21,793 --> 00:29:24,428 She's using drugs. 605 00:29:24,529 --> 00:29:27,097 Amanda and Emily were very close, 606 00:29:27,198 --> 00:29:28,465 maybe best friends. 607 00:29:28,566 --> 00:29:31,468 NARRATOR: Detective Bramhall is familiar with Emily from 608 00:29:31,569 --> 00:29:33,670 her troubles with the law in her past. 609 00:29:33,738 --> 00:29:38,709 And I said to this person, "Are you telling me that Emily, 610 00:29:38,810 --> 00:29:41,545 "this little five-foot-two girl, 611 00:29:41,646 --> 00:29:46,416 strangled a 36-year-old mother of three?" 612 00:29:47,719 --> 00:29:49,153 And he said, "Your records are old. 613 00:29:49,254 --> 00:29:52,422 "Emily is not a skinny little five-foot-two girl. 614 00:29:52,524 --> 00:29:54,758 "She is very muscular. 615 00:29:54,859 --> 00:29:56,593 "She has a picture of her biceps hanging 616 00:29:56,694 --> 00:29:57,795 "from a rearview mirror. 617 00:29:57,896 --> 00:30:00,864 "We call her mutant, because she likes 618 00:30:00,965 --> 00:30:03,734 to wrestle and fight with the guys." 619 00:30:03,835 --> 00:30:06,236 But you can imagine, the police were a little 620 00:30:06,337 --> 00:30:09,740 bit hesitant to believe that that was the case really, 621 00:30:09,841 --> 00:30:11,341 um, because again, 622 00:30:11,442 --> 00:30:14,578 somebody had overpowered Dana fighting for her life. 623 00:30:14,679 --> 00:30:16,680 Emily is not a normal suspect. 624 00:30:16,781 --> 00:30:18,816 NARRATOR: Detective Bramhall digs into 625 00:30:18,917 --> 00:30:21,652 the story that Emily Lauenborg could be Dana's killer. 626 00:30:21,753 --> 00:30:24,388 PENNER: As they started to interview these Park Rats, 627 00:30:24,489 --> 00:30:26,557 one of the things that started to come out was 628 00:30:26,658 --> 00:30:29,259 that maybe the toughest of all of them was Emily, 629 00:30:29,360 --> 00:30:31,528 and that Emily would win arm wrestling and even 630 00:30:31,629 --> 00:30:32,996 regular wrestling, and that she had 631 00:30:33,097 --> 00:30:34,464 this strength that other people were really 632 00:30:34,566 --> 00:30:37,201 surprised by, even the boys. 633 00:30:37,302 --> 00:30:39,269 NARRATOR: Detectives bring Emily down 634 00:30:39,370 --> 00:30:41,805 to the station for questioning. 635 00:30:41,906 --> 00:30:44,808 BRAMHALL: She's wearing a very short blouse, 636 00:30:44,909 --> 00:30:47,077 and it exposes her waist, 637 00:30:47,178 --> 00:30:49,947 and I'm thinking about the position that we found 638 00:30:50,048 --> 00:30:52,883 Dana Laskowski in, and it would have taken 639 00:30:52,984 --> 00:30:54,351 torso strength, 640 00:30:54,452 --> 00:30:56,486 and I can see the muscles along the side 641 00:30:56,588 --> 00:30:59,523 of Emily's spine in the small of her back. 642 00:30:59,624 --> 00:31:03,727 She's very muscular, and I'm now more 643 00:31:03,862 --> 00:31:07,197 convinced that she could be the offender. 644 00:31:07,298 --> 00:31:10,434 NARRATOR: Detective Bramhall confronts Emily with reports 645 00:31:10,535 --> 00:31:12,703 of her involvement in Dana's murder. 646 00:31:12,804 --> 00:31:14,238 BRAMHALL: She puts her hands on the table, 647 00:31:14,339 --> 00:31:18,575 she puts her head back, and her eyes go side to side, 648 00:31:18,676 --> 00:31:20,744 and then she comes forward very angrily, and she says, 649 00:31:20,845 --> 00:31:24,448 "Those people are lying!" And I said, 650 00:31:24,549 --> 00:31:29,052 "Oh, really, Emily? All those people are lying?" 651 00:31:40,598 --> 00:31:43,734 And at that point, I was very persuaded 652 00:31:43,835 --> 00:31:45,969 that this is the murderer. 653 00:31:46,070 --> 00:31:48,639 NARRATOR: Police drill down on Emily, asking 654 00:31:48,740 --> 00:31:51,108 where she was when Dana was killed. 655 00:31:51,209 --> 00:31:54,544 Emily and Amanda had told us that they were 656 00:31:54,646 --> 00:31:57,981 at a party at the time that Dana was murdered. 657 00:32:05,556 --> 00:32:08,792 BRAMHALL: I found out that Emily and Amanda 658 00:32:08,893 --> 00:32:10,961 left the party at the same time 659 00:32:11,062 --> 00:32:13,730 another individual left the party. 660 00:32:13,831 --> 00:32:14,831 The other individual drove 661 00:32:14,933 --> 00:32:17,901 a given distance and made a purchase, 662 00:32:18,002 --> 00:32:21,705 and we got that I receipt, so we had the time that Emily 663 00:32:21,806 --> 00:32:24,041 and Amanda had left the party, around midnight. 664 00:32:24,142 --> 00:32:25,876 It was possible they made it 665 00:32:25,977 --> 00:32:28,412 to Dana's house before 1 AM. 666 00:32:29,814 --> 00:32:33,684 So they have information that they're concealing. 667 00:32:33,785 --> 00:32:37,421 They're likely involved in the crime. 668 00:32:37,522 --> 00:32:39,656 So what happened here? 669 00:32:39,757 --> 00:32:41,358 Could Emily be the killer? 670 00:32:48,166 --> 00:32:49,299 NARRATOR: With the circumstantial 671 00:32:49,400 --> 00:32:51,635 evidence stacking up against Emily Lauenborg 672 00:32:51,736 --> 00:32:54,237 in the Dana Laskowski murder case, 673 00:32:54,339 --> 00:32:56,373 police are granted a search warrant for the room 674 00:32:56,474 --> 00:32:57,741 she's renting. 675 00:32:57,842 --> 00:32:59,276 PENNER: One of the things that they found in 676 00:32:59,377 --> 00:33:01,778 Emily's room was a diary or a journal, 677 00:33:01,879 --> 00:33:04,548 and, you know, it had some of the typical stuff you'd expect 678 00:33:04,649 --> 00:33:06,316 from a 17-year-old girl, 679 00:33:06,417 --> 00:33:08,051 but it had a couple of things that you wouldn't 680 00:33:08,152 --> 00:33:09,820 necessarily expect. 681 00:33:09,921 --> 00:33:11,822 One was a bucket list, 682 00:33:11,923 --> 00:33:13,991 and one of things on the list was to kill somebody 683 00:33:14,092 --> 00:33:16,159 and get away with it. 684 00:33:16,260 --> 00:33:18,395 NARRATOR: Then police uncover another 685 00:33:18,496 --> 00:33:20,163 crucial piece of evidence. 686 00:33:20,264 --> 00:33:22,899 There was an entry where she was angry at Amanda 687 00:33:23,001 --> 00:33:24,835 and wrote in there 688 00:33:24,936 --> 00:33:27,771 that she felt like strangling Amanda 689 00:33:27,872 --> 00:33:29,740 the way she had strangled her aunt. 690 00:33:31,809 --> 00:33:33,443 NARRATOR: This shocking revelation 691 00:33:33,544 --> 00:33:36,079 confirms Emily's guilt. 692 00:33:36,180 --> 00:33:39,516 STOCKDALE: Emily's diaries talk about committing the homicide, 693 00:33:39,617 --> 00:33:40,884 strangling Dana, 694 00:33:40,985 --> 00:33:42,986 wanting to possibly strangle her niece, Amanda, 695 00:33:43,087 --> 00:33:44,321 in a similar way, 696 00:33:44,422 --> 00:33:46,723 and in my mind that speaks to somebody who wants to dominate 697 00:33:46,824 --> 00:33:48,859 people, somebody who's getting 698 00:33:48,960 --> 00:33:53,096 self esteem and power from committing such offenses, 699 00:33:53,197 --> 00:33:55,265 or even just knowing that should she want to, 700 00:33:55,366 --> 00:33:57,334 she's capable of doing it. 701 00:33:59,137 --> 00:34:02,005 I confronted her with the entry in the diary, 702 00:34:02,106 --> 00:34:05,108 and I said, "Look, I could strangle her," 703 00:34:05,209 --> 00:34:07,544 referring to Amanda, "just like her aunt." 704 00:34:07,645 --> 00:34:09,146 She says, "Well, it doesn't say" 705 00:34:09,247 --> 00:34:11,448 I could strangle her just like I strangled her aunt. 706 00:34:24,429 --> 00:34:26,930 Thing is, we hadn't disclosed 707 00:34:27,031 --> 00:34:30,133 strangulation as the cause of death, 708 00:34:30,234 --> 00:34:34,471 so she was booked, held for half a million dollars bail, 709 00:34:34,572 --> 00:34:36,540 and I could begin 710 00:34:36,641 --> 00:34:40,210 the investigation of Emily as the offender, 711 00:34:40,311 --> 00:34:41,878 the murderer, of Dana Laskowski. 712 00:34:43,781 --> 00:34:46,650 NARRATOR: Detective Bramhall questions Amanda again, 713 00:34:46,751 --> 00:34:49,219 this time confronting her about the lies she's been 714 00:34:49,320 --> 00:34:51,955 telling about the night of Dana's murder. 715 00:34:52,056 --> 00:34:53,590 BRAMHALL: I said, "What happened?" 716 00:34:53,691 --> 00:34:56,760 And Amanda said, "I don't know. I wasn't there." 717 00:34:56,861 --> 00:35:00,764 Why was Amanda misleading us? 718 00:35:11,476 --> 00:35:14,311 BRAMHALL: You said you cared so much about your Auntie Dana, 719 00:35:14,412 --> 00:35:16,780 but you led us on a wild goose chase. 720 00:35:16,881 --> 00:35:20,283 I list all the points where she has lied. 721 00:35:20,384 --> 00:35:22,752 NARRATOR: It doesn't take long before Amanda cracks 722 00:35:22,854 --> 00:35:24,988 under the pressure, telling detectives 723 00:35:25,089 --> 00:35:26,823 everything she knows. 724 00:36:57,748 --> 00:37:01,885 Then Amanda says, "Emily strangled my aunt 725 00:37:01,986 --> 00:37:03,486 "right in front of my eyes." 726 00:37:05,723 --> 00:37:07,724 "Sorry I didn't tell you earlier." 727 00:37:10,461 --> 00:37:14,564 ARNTFIELD: The fact that Amanda watches Emily murder her aunt 728 00:37:14,665 --> 00:37:15,632 and does nothing, 729 00:37:15,733 --> 00:37:17,601 I think either speaks to the fact that she, too, 730 00:37:17,702 --> 00:37:19,970 was afraid of Emily or, um, 731 00:37:20,071 --> 00:37:23,206 this happened so quickly that she probably didn't even 732 00:37:23,307 --> 00:37:25,242 realize what she was witnessing, 733 00:37:25,343 --> 00:37:26,576 and that's not uncommon. 734 00:37:29,480 --> 00:37:31,181 NARRATOR: With Amanda's cooperation, 735 00:37:31,282 --> 00:37:33,049 investigators are now able to 736 00:37:33,150 --> 00:37:36,052 fill in the final hours of Dana's life. 737 00:37:36,153 --> 00:37:38,221 BRAMHALL: That night, Emily and Amanda 738 00:37:38,322 --> 00:37:40,757 had left party around midnight. 739 00:37:40,858 --> 00:37:43,526 Then they made it to Dana's house 740 00:37:43,628 --> 00:37:47,664 before 1 AM -- They came in the back door. 741 00:37:47,765 --> 00:37:49,466 They were on drugs. 742 00:37:49,567 --> 00:37:52,669 Dana was on the couch in the living room. 743 00:37:52,770 --> 00:37:56,139 They went in to try to get some money. 744 00:37:56,240 --> 00:37:59,209 Dana said, "I'm not gonna give you any money." 745 00:37:59,310 --> 00:38:02,512 And Emily said, "I want some money." 746 00:38:02,613 --> 00:38:03,947 And then 747 00:38:04,048 --> 00:38:06,116 there was a point where Dana said, "Enough, 748 00:38:06,217 --> 00:38:08,785 you girls are gonna have to leave." 749 00:38:08,886 --> 00:38:13,490 And Dana stood up, and she touched Emily, 750 00:38:13,591 --> 00:38:16,793 and Emily exploded. 751 00:38:18,562 --> 00:38:21,965 And then, Emily attacked her 752 00:38:22,066 --> 00:38:25,502 and strangled Dana Laskowski. 753 00:38:25,603 --> 00:38:28,638 PENNER: Amanda watched Emily attack Dana, 754 00:38:28,739 --> 00:38:31,474 and Amanda yelled at her to stop, 755 00:38:31,575 --> 00:38:33,043 but it was too late. 756 00:38:33,144 --> 00:38:34,611 It was over. 757 00:38:37,081 --> 00:38:39,249 BRAMHALL: The scream that the neighbor reported hearing 758 00:38:39,350 --> 00:38:42,185 at 1 o'clock on the night that Dana was murdered 759 00:38:42,286 --> 00:38:44,354 turned out not to be Dana's scream, 760 00:38:44,455 --> 00:38:46,756 but rather Amanda's scream. 761 00:38:46,857 --> 00:38:50,126 NARRATOR: Emily then positions Dana's body 762 00:38:50,227 --> 00:38:52,562 on the couch under blankets. 763 00:38:52,663 --> 00:38:55,298 They grabbed a few dollars 764 00:38:55,366 --> 00:38:59,269 that Dana had around and got out of there. 765 00:39:00,905 --> 00:39:03,807 On the way out, Emily stops and takes 766 00:39:03,908 --> 00:39:05,075 some of Dana's clothing. 767 00:39:08,612 --> 00:39:11,948 Emily attended the funeral of Dana. 768 00:39:12,049 --> 00:39:14,484 She wore these clothes to the funeral. 769 00:39:14,585 --> 00:39:17,520 This was a display of power and dominance. 770 00:39:17,621 --> 00:39:21,124 I wore these clothes because I can, look what I did. 771 00:39:21,225 --> 00:39:23,660 I may describe her best 772 00:39:23,761 --> 00:39:26,062 is somebody who's a fledgling psychopath. 773 00:39:26,163 --> 00:39:28,598 She was young. 774 00:39:28,699 --> 00:39:31,668 Typically, you know, psychopaths are adults. 775 00:39:31,769 --> 00:39:34,504 It takes several years for behavior to develop. 776 00:39:34,605 --> 00:39:36,840 We clearly see there's a pattern here 777 00:39:36,941 --> 00:39:40,043 of conduct disorder, and then there's a murder. 778 00:39:41,846 --> 00:39:45,081 NARRATOR: The one unanswered question plaguing investigators 779 00:39:45,182 --> 00:39:46,649 is motive. 780 00:39:46,751 --> 00:39:48,518 BRAMHALL: Emily told her friends, 781 00:39:48,619 --> 00:39:51,388 "Well, Amanda kept ditching me for her aunt," 782 00:39:51,489 --> 00:39:54,190 and Emily specifically said she was not sorry 783 00:39:54,291 --> 00:39:56,259 she killed Dana. 784 00:39:56,360 --> 00:39:58,862 STOCKDALE: Perhaps Emily wanted to kill Dana 785 00:39:58,963 --> 00:40:01,664 to have Amanda all to herself. 786 00:40:01,766 --> 00:40:05,235 Amanda, she was reportedly close to Dana. 787 00:40:05,336 --> 00:40:07,404 It's entirely possible that she killed 788 00:40:07,505 --> 00:40:09,939 Dana as a message to Amanda. 789 00:40:10,040 --> 00:40:12,375 Amanda was present when this occurred. 790 00:40:12,476 --> 00:40:14,811 So what message is that sending to Amanda? 791 00:40:14,912 --> 00:40:17,947 I've done this, and now I can do this to you? 792 00:40:18,048 --> 00:40:20,350 NARRATOR: Despite her role in Dana's murder, 793 00:40:20,451 --> 00:40:23,620 Amanda is given a plea deal and sees no prison time. 794 00:40:23,721 --> 00:40:25,488 BRAMHALL: We had a lot of discussion about what 795 00:40:25,589 --> 00:40:26,689 we were gonna do with Amanda. 796 00:40:26,791 --> 00:40:29,359 We certainly had her for robbery, 797 00:40:29,460 --> 00:40:31,628 but I felt that we needed her 798 00:40:31,729 --> 00:40:35,932 as a witness, because she witnessed the murder. 799 00:40:36,033 --> 00:40:38,701 And if we charged her with a crime, 800 00:40:38,803 --> 00:40:40,804 she'd have the right to remain silent. 801 00:40:40,905 --> 00:40:44,240 So we decided that we were gonna treat her as a witness. 802 00:40:46,710 --> 00:40:48,244 NARRATOR: With Amanda's testimony, 803 00:40:48,345 --> 00:40:50,580 Emily Lauenborg is charged with the murder of 804 00:40:50,681 --> 00:40:52,182 Dana Laskowski, 805 00:40:52,283 --> 00:40:54,551 but her case never goes in front of a jury. 806 00:40:55,953 --> 00:40:58,621 Emily pled a Newton plea, 807 00:40:58,722 --> 00:41:01,691 wherein she does not admit guilt, 808 00:41:01,792 --> 00:41:03,893 she just admits if she were to go to trial, 809 00:41:03,994 --> 00:41:06,262 there would be enough evidence to convict her. 810 00:41:06,363 --> 00:41:08,531 Emily was convicted for manslaughter 811 00:41:08,632 --> 00:41:10,200 in the first degree. 812 00:41:10,301 --> 00:41:13,803 She I received a sentence of about seven years. 813 00:41:15,206 --> 00:41:18,241 NARRATOR: After serving just 5 and 1/2 years in prison, 814 00:41:18,342 --> 00:41:20,844 Emily is released in 2008. 815 00:41:20,945 --> 00:41:25,248 She moves back to Puyallup, gets married, and has children. 816 00:41:25,349 --> 00:41:28,585 This case was a genuine whodunnit. 817 00:41:29,720 --> 00:41:31,454 Most of the murders we go to, 818 00:41:31,555 --> 00:41:34,591 we know exactly what happened even before we get there. 819 00:41:34,692 --> 00:41:38,328 This one, we didn't understand going into it. 820 00:41:38,429 --> 00:41:40,363 But we were able to get on the right path to get 821 00:41:40,464 --> 00:41:41,498 this solved. 822 00:41:41,599 --> 00:41:44,434 And I'm glad to bring it to light. 823 00:41:45,803 --> 00:41:48,204 It was my job to do it, and I did my job. 824 00:41:49,373 --> 00:41:52,075 PENNER: This case was complicated, because there 825 00:41:52,176 --> 00:41:53,776 was a lot of emotion, and there was 826 00:41:53,878 --> 00:41:55,945 a lot of personal connections with everyone involved, 827 00:41:56,046 --> 00:41:58,248 and this was a terrible tragedy. 828 00:41:58,349 --> 00:42:00,283 A woman, a mother, an aunt... 829 00:42:01,585 --> 00:42:02,852 who shouldn't have died that night, 830 00:42:04,455 --> 00:42:07,357 and then a 17-year-old girl who killed her 831 00:42:07,458 --> 00:42:09,826 who shouldn't have killed her that night. 832 00:42:09,927 --> 00:42:11,494 And no matter what the justice system does, 833 00:42:11,595 --> 00:42:12,829 it doesn't bring Dana back. 834 00:42:14,231 --> 00:42:18,735 BRAMHALL: Everybody loved Dana, and she is out of the life of 835 00:42:18,836 --> 00:42:20,737 her father, of her mother, 836 00:42:22,740 --> 00:42:24,340 and her kids, her triplets. 837 00:42:24,441 --> 00:42:26,242 They were eight years old at the time, 838 00:42:26,343 --> 00:42:27,744 and they grew up without her. 839 00:42:27,845 --> 00:42:33,049 So this is not justice, and in a murder, nobody good wins.