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00:00:01,000 --> 00:00:02,166
[Holly] In the early 2000s,
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00:00:02,166 --> 00:00:04,233
Hef was dating multiple people
at a time.
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00:00:05,567 --> 00:00:07,266
He was getting
a lot of attention for it
4
00:00:07,333 --> 00:00:09,333
and his girlfriends
were getting a lot
of attention, too.
5
00:00:10,767 --> 00:00:13,967
For Sandy Bentley,
living at the mansion
as one of Hef's girlfriends,
6
00:00:13,967 --> 00:00:15,834
you get to be
the center of attention.
7
00:00:16,667 --> 00:00:18,567
But there's also
restrictions too,
8
00:00:18,634 --> 00:00:22,066
and Sandy knew
what the redline rules were.
9
00:00:23,066 --> 00:00:24,767
[Bill] Sandy
was under contract.
10
00:00:24,767 --> 00:00:26,567
She was to be
with Hugh Hefner.
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00:00:26,634 --> 00:00:27,834
No one else.
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00:00:29,000 --> 00:00:30,867
[Holly] It wasn't your typical
run-of-the-mill
13
00:00:30,934 --> 00:00:32,367
"Oh, I have
a rich boyfriend" thing.
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00:00:32,433 --> 00:00:34,667
It was very unusual.
15
00:00:34,734 --> 00:00:37,667
He did not care
about Hugh Hefner.
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00:00:37,667 --> 00:00:42,367
He didn't care about
what Hugh Hefner did,
thought, or said.
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00:00:42,367 --> 00:00:47,734
All he was focused on
and obsessed with
was Sandy Bentley.
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00:00:52,467 --> 00:00:53,934
[theme music playing]
19
00:01:03,767 --> 00:01:05,567
[gunshots]
20
00:01:05,634 --> 00:01:06,934
[liquid splashing]
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00:01:10,967 --> 00:01:12,834
[match strikes, sizzles]
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00:01:26,967 --> 00:01:29,934
[siren wailing in distance]
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00:01:34,500 --> 00:01:36,066
[upbeat music playing]
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00:01:43,100 --> 00:01:45,367
In the late '90s,
Hef was in his 70s,
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00:01:45,367 --> 00:01:48,166
he had just separated
from his second wife
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00:01:48,233 --> 00:01:49,867
and he was looking
to date again.
27
00:01:49,867 --> 00:01:54,266
He was going out
to the hottest night clubs
in LA several times a week.
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00:01:54,333 --> 00:01:56,066
That's where he first met
the Bentley twins.
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00:01:58,500 --> 00:02:00,734
The Bentley twins
are Sandy and Mandy.
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00:02:04,166 --> 00:02:06,433
Hugh Hefner's always had
a thing for twins.
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00:02:08,767 --> 00:02:11,934
And Sandy and Mandy
were perfect twins for him.
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00:02:14,967 --> 00:02:16,834
They posed for Playboy
33
00:02:19,767 --> 00:02:22,066
and then he started
a relationship with them.
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00:02:23,367 --> 00:02:27,166
And in the early 2000s,
they ended up
being celebrities.
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00:02:27,166 --> 00:02:30,667
Please welcome
Hugh Hefner and his pals,
the Bentley twins.
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00:02:30,667 --> 00:02:32,266
[crowd cheering]
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00:02:32,333 --> 00:02:34,000
[Jon] You're sisters?
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00:02:34,000 --> 00:02:35,467
-Twins, yes.
-Yeah, yeah.
39
00:02:35,467 --> 00:02:36,967
-We're sisters.
-My mom knows her dad.
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00:02:36,967 --> 00:02:38,166
-They knew each other
a little.
-[crowd laughs]
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00:02:38,166 --> 00:02:39,767
[Steve] They were on
Sex and the City,
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00:02:39,834 --> 00:02:41,767
they were on
Two and a Half Men.
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00:02:45,200 --> 00:02:46,567
-[growls]
-There was one--
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00:02:46,567 --> 00:02:48,166
[hisses]
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00:02:48,233 --> 00:02:50,266
And it was all through
Hugh Hefner.
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00:02:51,567 --> 00:02:57,266
-[railway crossing chimes]
-[train horn blowing]
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00:02:57,333 --> 00:02:58,967
[Mandy Edmonston]
The Bentley twins,
Sandy and Mandy,
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00:02:59,033 --> 00:03:01,367
grew up in Joliet, Illinois.
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00:03:03,300 --> 00:03:06,467
They had a very strict
Catholic upbringing
50
00:03:06,533 --> 00:03:08,066
and they really
weren't allowed
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00:03:08,133 --> 00:03:11,467
to do many of the things
that teenagers growing up
were allowed to do.
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00:03:11,467 --> 00:03:13,367
They weren't allowed
to drink soda,
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00:03:13,367 --> 00:03:14,967
they weren't allowed
to have junk food.
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00:03:14,967 --> 00:03:18,000
And most importantly,
they weren't allowed
to date boys
55
00:03:18,000 --> 00:03:20,567
or even really consider
dating boys.
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00:03:20,634 --> 00:03:23,567
Sandy absolutely loved her mom
and had a great relationship.
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00:03:23,567 --> 00:03:28,100
The big problem
that she shared with me
many times was about her dad,
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00:03:28,100 --> 00:03:30,367
that he was an alcoholic.
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00:03:30,433 --> 00:03:33,100
And, you know,
it ripped out her heart
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00:03:33,100 --> 00:03:36,667
that this was part of her life
that she grew up with.
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00:03:36,734 --> 00:03:38,467
[Mandy Edmonston]
The twins attended
a Catholic high school
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00:03:38,467 --> 00:03:40,767
and then went on
to the College of St. Francis
63
00:03:40,767 --> 00:03:41,967
and from there,
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00:03:41,967 --> 00:03:45,567
Sandy moved on
to the University
of Las Vegas.
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00:03:45,567 --> 00:03:48,667
[Bruce] And her age
might have been 19,
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00:03:48,667 --> 00:03:55,567
but she was very intelligent,
very smart, very wise,
very shrewd.
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00:03:55,634 --> 00:04:01,166
She was very, very driven
as far as getting her degree
at UNLV
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00:04:01,233 --> 00:04:03,934
because she wanted to work
in the business arena.
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00:04:05,367 --> 00:04:08,166
In 1997,
I dated Sandy Bentley.
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00:04:09,567 --> 00:04:11,667
I'm a championship
tennis player,
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00:04:11,734 --> 00:04:13,867
so I was on the court
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00:04:13,867 --> 00:04:19,166
and Sandy Bentley
is sitting in the benches
right by center court.
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00:04:19,233 --> 00:04:21,467
And I looked over
several times during the match
and I thought,
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00:04:21,467 --> 00:04:24,767
"Oh, my God, she's taken
my breath away."
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00:04:24,767 --> 00:04:28,767
She was from Joliet
and she told me that
right away.
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00:04:28,767 --> 00:04:32,233
She told me about
her identical twin Mandy.
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00:04:33,166 --> 00:04:35,867
They were so striking
and gorgeous and beautiful
78
00:04:35,867 --> 00:04:38,467
that even though
they weren't celebrities,
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00:04:38,467 --> 00:04:41,467
when people saw them,
they craned their heads.
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00:04:41,533 --> 00:04:45,000
The guys, they craned
their heads to see the twins.
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00:04:45,000 --> 00:04:47,767
So I said to Sandy,
"Have you ever thought
about modeling?
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00:04:47,767 --> 00:04:50,100
You're statuesque
and you're beautiful."
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00:04:50,100 --> 00:04:54,066
And she told me
that celebrities,
sport stars, entertainers,
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00:04:54,133 --> 00:04:56,233
those were
her biggest interests.
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00:04:58,767 --> 00:05:03,166
[Mandy Edmonston] Eventually,
Mandy decides to visit
her sister Sandy in Las Vegas,
86
00:05:03,166 --> 00:05:04,667
and the two of them
then decided
87
00:05:04,667 --> 00:05:07,867
that they were
going to take a road trip
to Los Angeles, California,
88
00:05:07,867 --> 00:05:09,133
to the Garden of Eden.
89
00:05:13,000 --> 00:05:16,133
The Garden of Eden
was one of the biggest
night spots at the time.
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00:05:18,166 --> 00:05:20,467
It was frequented
by many, many celebrities
91
00:05:20,533 --> 00:05:24,667
and it was really the place
that you wanted to be
if you wanted to be seen.
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00:05:24,667 --> 00:05:28,667
All the celebrities,
the beautiful people,
would go.
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00:05:28,734 --> 00:05:31,834
It was really almost mythical.
94
00:05:35,667 --> 00:05:38,767
Hef used to go there
and that's where he first met
the Bentley twins.
95
00:05:38,767 --> 00:05:43,367
[Mandy Edmonston] In 1998,
when Hef saw the twins
from across the bar,
96
00:05:43,433 --> 00:05:45,567
he was just completely struck
with their beauty,
97
00:05:45,634 --> 00:05:47,266
he really wanted
to get to know them better.
98
00:05:47,333 --> 00:05:49,000
[Holly] For somebody
in their 70s,
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00:05:49,000 --> 00:05:51,567
I would say Hef
came across much younger,
100
00:05:51,634 --> 00:05:54,567
you don't see a lot
of 70-somethings
out at the night clubs
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00:05:54,634 --> 00:05:57,667
dancing and meeting
new people.
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00:05:57,667 --> 00:06:01,934
Hef starts to invite them
to some of the parties
at the Playboy Mansion.
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00:06:04,967 --> 00:06:08,867
The very first party I went to
at the Playboy Mansion
was in August 2000.
104
00:06:08,867 --> 00:06:10,667
It was a Midsummer Night's
Dream Party
105
00:06:10,734 --> 00:06:14,000
and Hef was still dating
the Bentley twins at the time
and I remember seeing them
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00:06:14,000 --> 00:06:16,567
and just thinking they were
the best-looking women
I'd ever seen.
107
00:06:16,634 --> 00:06:22,767
They were really tall, thin,
gorgeous, had perfect hair,
had the prettiest costumes.
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00:06:22,834 --> 00:06:25,467
I was just in awe,
I thought they were
so beautiful.
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00:06:25,533 --> 00:06:26,967
To walk into
your first Mansion party,
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00:06:26,967 --> 00:06:29,066
even though there's
so many beautiful women,
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00:06:29,066 --> 00:06:31,867
you definitely feel
on display,
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00:06:31,867 --> 00:06:33,166
the center of attention.
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00:06:33,166 --> 00:06:36,467
It was the biggest,
most elaborate party
I'd ever seen.
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00:06:36,467 --> 00:06:38,767
There were
celebrities everywhere.
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00:06:38,834 --> 00:06:40,767
In LA, it was the place to be
at the time.
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00:06:40,834 --> 00:06:42,634
Everybody wanted
to get a chance to go.
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00:06:45,467 --> 00:06:48,767
After the twins got to
experience a taste of this
completely different lifestyle
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00:06:48,767 --> 00:06:51,667
than the one
that they grew up with,
they started to think,
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00:06:51,667 --> 00:06:53,166
"We could really
get used to this."
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00:06:53,233 --> 00:06:56,567
In 1998, both of them
moved into the mansion
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00:06:56,634 --> 00:06:59,266
and officially became
Hef's girlfriends.
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00:06:59,266 --> 00:07:05,367
My relationship ended
with Sandy before she was
at the Playboy Mansion.
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00:07:05,367 --> 00:07:09,567
But knowing Sandy
when she has an invitation
from Hugh Hefner,
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00:07:09,567 --> 00:07:12,967
who's one
of the most famous people
in the entire world,
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00:07:12,967 --> 00:07:17,367
it's a no-brainer decision
that this young girl
from Joliet
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00:07:17,367 --> 00:07:21,000
is gonna live
at the Playboy Mansion
with Hugh Hefner.
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00:07:21,000 --> 00:07:27,166
I have no doubt
that Sandy as well as Mandy
made that decision instantly.
128
00:07:27,166 --> 00:07:30,000
[Holly] Sandy and Mandy
were really young,
22 years old.
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00:07:30,000 --> 00:07:32,066
Mandy was
a little more reserved
130
00:07:32,133 --> 00:07:36,066
and Sandy was more confident,
assertive, business-like.
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00:07:36,066 --> 00:07:37,667
She knew how
to put herself together
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00:07:37,667 --> 00:07:39,667
and just had
a really bright future
ahead of her.
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00:07:40,200 --> 00:07:41,767
These are my girlfriend.
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00:07:41,767 --> 00:07:44,567
-Every one of them
is your girlfriend?
-Yes.
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00:07:44,567 --> 00:07:46,867
It was definitely
a strange gimmick
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00:07:46,934 --> 00:07:50,033
to be dating two twin sisters
at the same time.
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00:07:52,467 --> 00:07:54,667
I don't know how seriously
people took that,
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00:07:54,667 --> 00:07:56,967
but it
was definitely controversial,
139
00:07:57,033 --> 00:07:59,533
it was definitely something
that got a lot of attention.
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00:07:59,967 --> 00:08:01,567
You must feel so special.
141
00:08:01,567 --> 00:08:02,867
We all have
a great time together.
142
00:08:02,934 --> 00:08:04,066
-We're all best friends.
-Yes.
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00:08:05,166 --> 00:08:08,667
Early 2000s was kind
of pop-misogynistic.
144
00:08:08,667 --> 00:08:11,767
This is the height
of the Howard Stern
shock jock era.
145
00:08:11,767 --> 00:08:15,000
You had all these shows
like The Man Show
and things like that.
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00:08:15,000 --> 00:08:17,467
And you know,
Hef's response to that was,
147
00:08:17,467 --> 00:08:20,266
"Look at me,
I'm dating three women
all at once.
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00:08:20,266 --> 00:08:22,367
Two of them
are identical twins,"
149
00:08:22,433 --> 00:08:24,233
and that got him
a lot of publicity.
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00:08:25,700 --> 00:08:29,467
[Stacy] My name is Stacy Burke
and I was one of Hugh Hefner's
seven girlfriends.
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00:08:29,467 --> 00:08:31,166
During the 2000 era.
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00:08:31,166 --> 00:08:33,867
The Bentley twins were before
the seven-girlfriend thing.
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00:08:33,867 --> 00:08:36,367
This started it.
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00:08:36,433 --> 00:08:40,166
He was with them.
With Sandy, Mandy,
and Brande Roderick,
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00:08:40,166 --> 00:08:43,667
who was a Playmate
and Hugh Hefner's
main girlfriend
156
00:08:43,667 --> 00:08:45,767
during the Bentley twin era.
157
00:08:45,767 --> 00:08:47,867
Hi, I'm Mandy Bentley.
158
00:08:47,867 --> 00:08:49,467
I'm Sandy Bentley.
159
00:08:49,467 --> 00:08:53,266
-I'm Hef Bentley.
-[all laughing]
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00:08:53,266 --> 00:08:54,634
And I'm Brande Roderick.
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00:08:55,767 --> 00:08:57,967
[Holly] Living at the mansion
as one of Hef's girlfriends,
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00:08:58,033 --> 00:09:00,867
you get to order
whatever you wanna eat
at any time of the day,
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00:09:00,867 --> 00:09:03,367
you're living
on this gorgeous property.
164
00:09:03,367 --> 00:09:04,767
But there's
also restrictions, too.
165
00:09:04,767 --> 00:09:08,066
There's a curfew,
you're not supposed
to date anybody else,
166
00:09:08,066 --> 00:09:10,967
you're not really
being allowed to do
your own thing necessarily.
167
00:09:11,033 --> 00:09:14,066
[Mandy Edmonston] When it came
to what Hugh Hefner
expected of his girlfriends,
168
00:09:14,066 --> 00:09:16,166
he had a lot of demands.
169
00:09:16,166 --> 00:09:19,967
He wanted all of his girls
to always be ready
in full hair and makeup.
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00:09:21,667 --> 00:09:24,367
[Stacy] The Bentley twins
got the $1,000 a week
171
00:09:24,367 --> 00:09:27,166
plus when you go out
for special events,
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00:09:27,233 --> 00:09:31,100
Hef has an allowance
for outfits, 'cause he knows
you have to get dressed up.
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00:09:31,100 --> 00:09:33,767
We have to have the shoes,
you gotta have the hair,
you gotta have makeup.
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00:09:33,834 --> 00:09:38,567
Basically everything
is taken care of for you
and extra.
175
00:09:38,567 --> 00:09:41,166
If you wanted a boob job,
you wanted a nose job.
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00:09:41,166 --> 00:09:44,567
Anything you wanted
was taken care of for you.
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00:09:44,567 --> 00:09:46,567
[Holly] He ended up
putting the Bentley twins
on the cover
178
00:09:46,567 --> 00:09:48,734
in the May 2000 issue
of Playboy.
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00:09:51,166 --> 00:09:54,266
[Stacy] Playmates are reserved
for up-and-comers.
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00:09:54,266 --> 00:09:57,066
Playboy wants to be,
"This is who we discovered."
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00:09:57,133 --> 00:09:58,533
They're kind of like
the debutante ball.
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00:10:01,500 --> 00:10:03,367
[Holly] The twins' pictorial
was really stunning.
183
00:10:03,433 --> 00:10:06,667
They were on these
orange-colored satin sheets,
184
00:10:06,667 --> 00:10:09,567
they were wearing pajamas
that were supposed to look
like Hef's pajamas.
185
00:10:09,634 --> 00:10:11,667
Like, one of them had the top,
one of them had the bottom.
186
00:10:11,667 --> 00:10:13,467
And it showed them
in the limo,
187
00:10:13,467 --> 00:10:15,667
it was supposed to give you
kind of a feel for,
188
00:10:15,667 --> 00:10:18,100
"What would your night
look like if you were dating
these women?"
189
00:10:18,100 --> 00:10:21,166
Like if you were Hef
and you were dating
these women.
190
00:10:21,166 --> 00:10:26,767
To be Hef's girlfriend,
basically, whatever's Hef's
schedule is your schedule.
191
00:10:26,767 --> 00:10:29,867
You're part of him,
you're his shadow,
you're his arm candy.
192
00:10:29,934 --> 00:10:32,367
[Holly] You're expected
to look a certain way.
193
00:10:32,367 --> 00:10:34,567
When you're asked questions
about the relationship,
194
00:10:34,567 --> 00:10:36,967
you're expected to answer
in a way that Hef
would approve of
195
00:10:36,967 --> 00:10:38,767
and in a way that's
only flattering to him.
196
00:10:38,767 --> 00:10:42,066
So you definitely
have to keep an eye
on everything you're doing.
197
00:10:43,266 --> 00:10:45,367
Even though Hef dates
multiple women at once,
198
00:10:45,367 --> 00:10:48,867
all of his girlfriends
were expected to be
completely faithful to him.
199
00:10:48,867 --> 00:10:50,467
Not only was it
a personal thing,
200
00:10:50,467 --> 00:10:55,066
but the concept of fidelity
was really tied up
into his public image as well.
201
00:10:55,066 --> 00:10:57,100
[Stacy] If you were
seeing someone on the side,
202
00:10:57,100 --> 00:11:00,367
it's not good for his image
because that's his image,
203
00:11:00,433 --> 00:11:04,567
having these girlfriends
at his side, being loyal.
204
00:11:04,567 --> 00:11:07,166
[Holly] There was a definitely
a streak of possessiveness.
205
00:11:07,233 --> 00:11:08,767
The other side
of moving into the mansion
206
00:11:08,767 --> 00:11:11,467
is it's a world
of other things
you don't think about,
207
00:11:11,467 --> 00:11:14,867
like private investigators,
curfews,
208
00:11:14,867 --> 00:11:17,834
you're being watched
all the time whether
you realize it or not.
209
00:11:25,467 --> 00:11:28,767
[Bruce] Sandy was driven
like a magnet to men
who had power.
210
00:11:28,767 --> 00:11:32,867
She absolutely was attracted
to men with power.
211
00:11:32,934 --> 00:11:34,967
There's not even
a question about it.
212
00:11:34,967 --> 00:11:37,767
[Holly] I think one
of the worst things you can do
213
00:11:37,767 --> 00:11:43,266
in a relationship
with Hef from his standpoint
is be seen with another man.
214
00:11:43,266 --> 00:11:47,667
And Sandy knew
what the redline rules were.
215
00:11:47,667 --> 00:11:50,867
A lot of men, whether it was
rock stars in the '80s,
216
00:11:50,867 --> 00:11:54,000
or young Wall Street guys
in the 2000s, like,
217
00:11:54,000 --> 00:11:55,667
they would look
at Playboy Magazine
218
00:11:55,667 --> 00:11:57,767
and pick people out
and be like,
"I wanna meet her."
219
00:11:57,834 --> 00:12:00,367
And if a woman wanted to meet
a successful man,
220
00:12:00,433 --> 00:12:03,166
posing in Playboy
could definitely be an avenue
221
00:12:03,166 --> 00:12:06,367
to meeting those kind of men,
for sure.
222
00:12:06,433 --> 00:12:09,467
[Brian] In the summer of 1999,
in Las Vegas,
223
00:12:09,533 --> 00:12:11,734
Sandy Bentley
met Mark Yagalla.
224
00:12:13,667 --> 00:12:17,166
Mark was incredibly
successful, was a high roller,
225
00:12:17,166 --> 00:12:19,567
he's buying homes
for $1.2 million,
226
00:12:19,567 --> 00:12:24,467
he's got a fleet of cars,
an oil company, a race horse.
227
00:12:24,467 --> 00:12:28,066
Mark Yagalla was,
in the late '90s...
228
00:12:28,133 --> 00:12:34,934
Best description I could give
of him is an absolute
runaway train.
229
00:12:36,367 --> 00:12:39,767
Mark was and is brilliant.
230
00:12:39,767 --> 00:12:44,734
In high school,
he realized that he could
make money in investing.
231
00:12:45,567 --> 00:12:47,066
When Mark was 20,
232
00:12:47,133 --> 00:12:51,166
he had hundreds
of thousands turning
into millions of dollars.
233
00:12:51,166 --> 00:12:53,367
So, what do you do?
You go to Las Vegas.
234
00:12:53,433 --> 00:12:54,567
And that's what he did.
235
00:12:58,667 --> 00:13:01,367
He really could buy
anything he wanted.
236
00:13:01,433 --> 00:13:03,367
It wasn't just
materialistic things,
237
00:13:03,367 --> 00:13:08,033
it was access
to the upper echelon women.
238
00:13:09,567 --> 00:13:12,767
Shortly after,
Mark and Sandy begin dating
239
00:13:12,767 --> 00:13:16,967
and their relationship
took off like a house on fire.
240
00:13:17,033 --> 00:13:21,166
He flew her by helicopter
to a Bentley dealership
241
00:13:21,166 --> 00:13:24,333
and bought her
a milk and honey Bentley.
242
00:13:26,367 --> 00:13:28,567
[Bill] The American Express
bill for one month,
243
00:13:28,567 --> 00:13:30,066
it was over a million dollars.
244
00:13:31,567 --> 00:13:34,166
That's how much money
he was spending on Sandy.
245
00:13:35,700 --> 00:13:39,266
Mark was spending
a lot more money on Sandy
than Hef was.
246
00:13:39,266 --> 00:13:44,567
[Brian] The understanding
was it had to be kept quiet.
Sandy was dating Hef.
247
00:13:44,567 --> 00:13:48,367
Mark was never disillusioned
248
00:13:48,433 --> 00:13:53,667
and never thought
that Sandy only liked him
because of who he was.
249
00:13:53,734 --> 00:13:58,967
The largest part, certainly,
was the money that he was
spending on her.
250
00:13:58,967 --> 00:14:02,066
[Holly] Mark Yagalla
was buying Sandy
a million-dollar house,
251
00:14:02,066 --> 00:14:03,667
he was buying her
all these jewels.
252
00:14:03,734 --> 00:14:05,667
It was a lot,
it was very unusual.
253
00:14:05,734 --> 00:14:07,266
It wasn't your typical
run-of-the-mill,
254
00:14:07,266 --> 00:14:09,667
"Oh, I have
a rich boyfriend" thing.
255
00:14:09,667 --> 00:14:14,000
But also, it's a bad look.
Sandy was cheating
on Hef. [chuckles]
256
00:14:14,000 --> 00:14:17,867
[Brian] Mark did not care
about Hugh Hefner,
257
00:14:17,867 --> 00:14:23,166
he didn't care about
what Hugh Hefner did,
thought, or said.
258
00:14:23,233 --> 00:14:28,567
All Mark was focused on
and obsessed with
was Sandy Bentley.
259
00:14:28,567 --> 00:14:33,667
All was going well in the Mark
and Sandy relationship
260
00:14:33,667 --> 00:14:37,567
and one night out
in Las Vegas at the Bellagio,
261
00:14:37,567 --> 00:14:40,767
they ran into
a friend of Hef's.
262
00:14:40,767 --> 00:14:43,567
And his eyes almost popped out
of his head
263
00:14:43,567 --> 00:14:48,467
when he looked down
at this short,
well-dressed man,
264
00:14:48,533 --> 00:14:50,934
Mark Yagalla,
arm-in-arm with Sandy.
265
00:14:52,367 --> 00:14:53,767
[Bill] There were some
photos taken
266
00:14:53,767 --> 00:14:55,967
which Sandy got
very upset about
267
00:14:56,033 --> 00:15:00,834
because she couldn't afford
to have Hugh Hefner
seeing those photos.
268
00:15:02,000 --> 00:15:04,367
[Holly] Even after I moved in,
I saw women get kicked out
269
00:15:04,433 --> 00:15:05,533
and not let back
in the mansion.
270
00:15:05,600 --> 00:15:07,867
All their stuff was packed up
and put out the back gate
271
00:15:07,867 --> 00:15:10,066
because they were caught out
with another man.
272
00:15:11,500 --> 00:15:14,867
Hef, when he found out,
was very, not only hurt,
273
00:15:14,867 --> 00:15:16,767
but pissed off, angry.
274
00:15:17,367 --> 00:15:18,667
[Holly] In the fall of 2000,
275
00:15:18,734 --> 00:15:21,266
Sandy and Mandy Bentley
ended their relationship
with Hef
276
00:15:21,333 --> 00:15:23,133
and moved out
of the Playboy Mansion.
277
00:15:27,100 --> 00:15:33,367
[Brian] After
Mark and Sandy's relationship
was out in the open,
278
00:15:33,367 --> 00:15:36,634
Mark had the opportunity
to have Sandy all to himself.
279
00:15:37,800 --> 00:15:41,367
She was amassing this
beautiful jewelry collection
280
00:15:41,433 --> 00:15:44,667
of necklaces
and rings and earrings.
281
00:15:44,667 --> 00:15:46,567
She even had a replica
of the necklace
282
00:15:46,567 --> 00:15:51,567
from the movie Pretty Woman
that was worth $250,000.
283
00:15:51,567 --> 00:15:53,767
And, for all intents
and purposes,
284
00:15:53,834 --> 00:15:56,767
living with Mark Yagalla
in Vegas.
285
00:15:56,834 --> 00:15:58,467
[Brian] In the summer of 2000,
286
00:15:58,533 --> 00:16:04,567
Mark was respected
by people in not just
the financial world
287
00:16:04,567 --> 00:16:11,467
but he was respected
by celebrities just by virtue
of who he was hanging out with
288
00:16:11,533 --> 00:16:13,166
and who was on his arm.
289
00:16:13,233 --> 00:16:16,533
Mark perfected this facade.
290
00:16:18,800 --> 00:16:22,667
But Mark's business became
your classic Ponzi scheme.
291
00:16:22,667 --> 00:16:25,634
The bulk of it was going
to fund his lifestyle.
292
00:16:29,266 --> 00:16:32,367
[Eugene] In October 2000,
293
00:16:32,367 --> 00:16:34,667
that's when Mark
ran out of money
294
00:16:34,734 --> 00:16:38,367
and it all became very clear
it was a slam-dunk case.
295
00:16:38,367 --> 00:16:41,767
And so the cops arrested him
in his yellow Corvette
296
00:16:41,834 --> 00:16:46,767
and he was arraigned
on federal securities
fraud charges.
297
00:16:46,834 --> 00:16:48,166
Mark Yagalla is sentenced
298
00:16:48,166 --> 00:16:49,667
to more than five years
in prison
299
00:16:49,667 --> 00:16:54,166
and he also has to pay
$30 million back
to his investors.
300
00:16:56,900 --> 00:16:58,367
[Melissa] To the surprise
of no one,
301
00:16:58,367 --> 00:17:02,133
as soon as Mark gets arrested,
Sandy drops him
like a hot potato.
302
00:17:04,000 --> 00:17:07,166
After everything ended
with Playboy
and with Mark Yagalla,
303
00:17:07,166 --> 00:17:08,867
Sandy started
spending more time
304
00:17:08,867 --> 00:17:10,734
with a man
named Michael Tardio.
305
00:17:12,066 --> 00:17:14,367
Michael Tardio
was 35 years old,
306
00:17:14,433 --> 00:17:18,767
was a father of two,
and was separated
from his wife.
307
00:17:18,767 --> 00:17:22,667
He raced motorcycles,
he was part of the scene
there in LA.
308
00:17:22,734 --> 00:17:26,367
Michael Tardio
recently moved to Los Angeles
from New York
309
00:17:26,367 --> 00:17:29,266
and he was working there
as a part-time model
310
00:17:29,266 --> 00:17:35,467
as well as being doorman
at the Garden of Eden club
where he met Sandy Bentley.
311
00:17:35,467 --> 00:17:37,367
Somehow they hit it off.
312
00:17:37,367 --> 00:17:41,166
So Sandy and Michael
kind of hook up.
313
00:17:41,166 --> 00:17:43,867
Sandy and Michael
seemed to have
a genuine connection,
314
00:17:43,934 --> 00:17:46,567
they were similar in age,
they had shared interests,
315
00:17:46,567 --> 00:17:50,367
nobody could point to this
and say it was
a transactional relationship.
316
00:17:51,266 --> 00:17:54,066
[Bill] Sandy
is still living in Las Vegas,
317
00:17:54,066 --> 00:17:56,367
but Mark Yagalla's
been arrested.
318
00:17:56,367 --> 00:17:57,867
He's in a prison
down in Florida,
319
00:17:57,867 --> 00:18:01,367
and Sandy's back
with Michael Tardio.
320
00:18:01,367 --> 00:18:04,667
Sandy was trying
to put everything
with Mark Yagalla behind her,
321
00:18:04,667 --> 00:18:06,166
but the SEC wasn't finished
with her yet.
322
00:18:09,767 --> 00:18:12,166
[Melissa] When in the effort
to recoup some of the money
323
00:18:12,166 --> 00:18:13,867
that Mark had stolen
from his investors,
324
00:18:13,867 --> 00:18:19,166
the SEC starts tracking
where this money's gone.
325
00:18:19,166 --> 00:18:24,667
[Brian] Every single thing
that Mark bought
for Sandy Bentley
326
00:18:24,667 --> 00:18:28,333
was with OPM,
Other people's money.
327
00:18:30,667 --> 00:18:35,333
Sandy didn't know
that Mark was stealing
this money to buy her things.
328
00:18:36,300 --> 00:18:37,567
[Mandy Edmonston] In total,
it was estimated
329
00:18:37,567 --> 00:18:40,634
that Mark had spent
about $7 million on Sandy.
330
00:18:41,400 --> 00:18:43,667
Once it was discovered
that much of this money
331
00:18:43,667 --> 00:18:47,266
was actually spent
on Sandy and her home,
and her vehicles,
332
00:18:47,266 --> 00:18:49,567
her expensive furs
and her jewelry,
333
00:18:49,567 --> 00:18:52,333
Sandy was actually
ordered to give
all of that stuff back.
334
00:18:54,266 --> 00:18:58,867
We settled with her,
she agreed to give back
all the ill-gotten gains.
335
00:18:58,867 --> 00:19:02,266
We went out to Vegas
to retrieve these assets,
336
00:19:02,266 --> 00:19:05,367
per an agreement
with Sandy and her counsel.
337
00:19:05,367 --> 00:19:07,166
When we got there
and she wasn't there,
338
00:19:07,166 --> 00:19:09,567
obviously that was
not a good sign.
339
00:19:09,567 --> 00:19:13,634
The safe was locked,
so we had to bring in
a locksmith.
340
00:19:15,767 --> 00:19:20,567
As soon as the SEC
was able to gain entry
and access to the home
341
00:19:20,567 --> 00:19:22,533
and do an inventory
of all the assets,
342
00:19:24,867 --> 00:19:29,367
they realized there is no way
343
00:19:29,367 --> 00:19:34,834
Sandy didn't abscond
with at least some
or all of this jewelry.
344
00:19:35,867 --> 00:19:37,266
[Eugene] Through counsel,
345
00:19:37,266 --> 00:19:40,367
Sandy claimed
that some of the jewelry
that Yagalla had given her
346
00:19:40,433 --> 00:19:42,634
was stolen well before
Mark was arrested.
347
00:19:44,200 --> 00:19:47,166
That was her story
and she was sticking to it.
348
00:19:47,166 --> 00:19:51,266
And we weren't really
in much of a position
to find otherwise.
349
00:19:51,266 --> 00:19:55,367
Um, but we kept looking,
we kept digging
350
00:19:55,367 --> 00:19:58,367
and trying to connect Sandy
and the stolen jewelry.
351
00:19:58,367 --> 00:20:00,667
And we were getting
a lot of pressure
from the SEC
352
00:20:00,667 --> 00:20:02,734
because these folks
lost a lot of money.
353
00:20:04,567 --> 00:20:07,967
In 2001,
after confronting Sandy
about the stolen jewelry,
354
00:20:07,967 --> 00:20:09,567
the SEC is at a dead end.
355
00:20:09,567 --> 00:20:12,166
Sandy is living her life in LA
356
00:20:12,166 --> 00:20:14,667
and they cannot prove
that Sandy has committed
a crime,
357
00:20:14,734 --> 00:20:16,233
so the case goes cold.
358
00:20:25,367 --> 00:20:30,367
[Eugene] In 2002,
the detective at LAPD
reached out to me
359
00:20:30,367 --> 00:20:34,166
'cause he was dealing
significantly with
Sandy Bentley.
360
00:20:34,166 --> 00:20:37,433
That's when
we first learned
about the murders.
361
00:20:39,367 --> 00:20:43,667
[Tim] When I heard
a Playboy Playmate
was involved in this,
362
00:20:43,667 --> 00:20:48,367
it didn't strike me
as anything unusual
at the time.
363
00:20:48,367 --> 00:20:52,033
I didn't learn
until later how deep
that involvement went.
364
00:20:59,967 --> 00:21:01,166
My name's Tim Shaw.
365
00:21:01,166 --> 00:21:04,166
I worked for LAPD
for approximately 34 years.
366
00:21:04,166 --> 00:21:07,767
This murder case
was very unique
and very different
367
00:21:07,767 --> 00:21:09,767
than any case I'd ever worked.
368
00:21:09,767 --> 00:21:13,367
This was a very layered case
369
00:21:13,433 --> 00:21:17,433
with many factors
and many players
in this investigation.
370
00:21:22,767 --> 00:21:24,266
[siren wailing]
371
00:21:24,333 --> 00:21:28,467
I remember arriving
to the scene at about 3:40
in the morning.
372
00:21:28,533 --> 00:21:32,166
I remember the scene
being very, very dark.
373
00:21:33,667 --> 00:21:36,767
A black Mercedes SUV
in a well-to-do neighborhood
374
00:21:36,767 --> 00:21:39,367
was found completely engulfed
in flames.
375
00:21:44,767 --> 00:21:50,433
There were two bodies
in the passenger seat
of this Mercedes SUV.
376
00:21:52,100 --> 00:21:53,767
The coroner gets there
377
00:21:53,834 --> 00:21:56,867
and at that point
they discovered
the cause of death.
378
00:21:56,867 --> 00:22:00,667
Both victims
had gunshot wounds
to the back of the head.
379
00:22:01,967 --> 00:22:04,667
The whole thing may have been
set up by thugs
380
00:22:04,667 --> 00:22:08,367
because coroner's office
determined that whoever
the shooter was,
381
00:22:08,367 --> 00:22:11,333
he was sitting
in the back seat
with the victims.
382
00:22:12,700 --> 00:22:15,033
And then set the car on fire.
383
00:22:16,166 --> 00:22:20,066
The victims were removed
from the vehicle at the scene.
384
00:22:21,400 --> 00:22:23,767
North Hollywood
homicide detectives
start their investigation
385
00:22:23,767 --> 00:22:27,667
trying to find out
who these two people are
and why they ended up dead.
386
00:22:28,867 --> 00:22:30,567
The two victims
were Chris Monson
387
00:22:30,567 --> 00:22:33,567
and Sandy Bentley's boyfriend
Michael Tardio.
388
00:22:36,567 --> 00:22:40,367
[Steve] Michael Tardio
and Chris Monson
were best friends.
389
00:22:40,367 --> 00:22:41,767
They raced
motorcycles together,
390
00:22:41,767 --> 00:22:45,967
they were two well-off men
in their 30s
391
00:22:46,033 --> 00:22:48,467
that seemed to be
living respectable lives,
392
00:22:48,467 --> 00:22:50,166
they were close
to their families.
393
00:22:50,233 --> 00:22:52,333
So the cops were trying
to figure out who would want
these guys dead.
394
00:22:55,700 --> 00:22:59,467
We ran
the license plate number
for the black Mercedes SUV.
395
00:22:59,467 --> 00:23:03,667
The vehicle was registered
to a rental car company.
396
00:23:03,734 --> 00:23:07,867
We sent detectives
to get information
on who had rented the vehicle.
397
00:23:07,867 --> 00:23:10,667
It was a repeat customer,
Michael Tardio,
398
00:23:10,667 --> 00:23:13,767
who had rented
this Mercedes-Benz
a couple of days earlier.
399
00:23:13,767 --> 00:23:16,667
Michael Tardio, we learned,
was the doorman
400
00:23:16,734 --> 00:23:19,333
at a popular
Hollywood night club,
the Garden of Eden.
401
00:23:22,467 --> 00:23:26,934
Investigators go over
to the Garden of Eden
night club to ask questions.
402
00:23:38,667 --> 00:23:41,367
While investigators
were interviewing people,
403
00:23:41,367 --> 00:23:44,233
famous Playboy Playmate
Sandy Bentley showed up.
404
00:23:45,867 --> 00:23:49,233
Sandy identified herself as
Michael Tardio's girlfriend.
405
00:23:53,467 --> 00:23:55,266
Sandy's really worried.
406
00:23:55,333 --> 00:23:58,734
She had made
20 something calls
to Michael that morning.
407
00:24:01,967 --> 00:24:04,767
She hasn't heard from him.
408
00:24:04,767 --> 00:24:09,367
But it wasn't until
she ran into the homicide
detectives at Garden of Eden
409
00:24:09,367 --> 00:24:13,066
that she found out
about Michael Tardio
and Chris Monson being killed.
410
00:24:15,166 --> 00:24:16,367
[Holly] I first heard
about the murders
411
00:24:16,367 --> 00:24:18,867
from one of Hef's friends
at the dinner table one night
412
00:24:18,934 --> 00:24:20,567
before Hef came downstairs.
413
00:24:20,567 --> 00:24:22,467
I was like, "What now?"
414
00:24:22,467 --> 00:24:25,166
I never heard Hef
say a word about it,
415
00:24:25,233 --> 00:24:29,367
if any investigator
ever spoke to him about it,
I don't know.
416
00:24:29,433 --> 00:24:32,767
This was two years
after Sandy and Mandy
had left the mansion.
417
00:24:32,767 --> 00:24:36,166
I just know
that Hef would have wanted
to keep himself and Playboy
418
00:24:36,166 --> 00:24:38,166
as far from the story
as possible.
419
00:24:40,967 --> 00:24:44,767
They ask her,
"When's the last time
you saw them?"
420
00:24:44,767 --> 00:24:47,867
[Mandy Edmonston]
Sandy says that she had seen
them the night before
421
00:24:47,867 --> 00:24:49,867
and that Michael
had actually gone
422
00:24:49,934 --> 00:24:52,166
somewhere in Hollywood
with Chris Monson.
423
00:24:56,767 --> 00:25:02,934
Sandy says Michael told her,
"Hey, if something happens,
call this number."
424
00:25:04,767 --> 00:25:06,867
This is the guy
Michael Jacobs.
425
00:25:09,367 --> 00:25:14,367
And that was all she knew.
She didn't know why
they ended up dead.
426
00:25:19,667 --> 00:25:21,767
When she told them
Michael Jacobs,
427
00:25:21,767 --> 00:25:27,867
the detectives take that name,
go back to the station,
run up to do a check on him.
428
00:25:27,934 --> 00:25:33,066
On September 27, 2002,
we obtain Michael Jacobs'
cell phone records.
429
00:25:33,967 --> 00:25:35,967
The cell phone
records indicated
430
00:25:36,033 --> 00:25:38,467
that Michael Jacobs
was in contact,
431
00:25:38,533 --> 00:25:40,967
the night of the murder,
with Michael Tardio.
432
00:25:43,100 --> 00:25:46,467
We find Michael Jacobs
at his residence,
and his girlfriend.
433
00:25:46,467 --> 00:25:49,867
And Michael Jacobs voluntarily
went back to the station
434
00:25:49,934 --> 00:25:51,367
and was interviewed
by detectives
435
00:25:51,367 --> 00:25:54,767
while I stayed at his house
along with other detectives
436
00:25:54,767 --> 00:25:56,934
and interviewed
his girlfriend.
437
00:26:02,800 --> 00:26:06,967
When the detectives talked
to Michael Jacobs, he did say,
438
00:26:06,967 --> 00:26:09,967
"Oh, yeah,
I knew Michael Tardio
and Chris Monson,
439
00:26:09,967 --> 00:26:13,533
but I don't know
what happened to them.
I was with my girlfriend."
440
00:26:14,300 --> 00:26:15,967
So the murder occurs
in North Hollywood
441
00:26:15,967 --> 00:26:18,166
which is on the east side
of the valley,
442
00:26:18,166 --> 00:26:20,767
Michael lives over
in Woodland Hills.
443
00:26:20,767 --> 00:26:24,667
Michael Jacobs says,
"I wasn't there."
444
00:26:24,734 --> 00:26:28,467
Well, why is your cell phone
pinging off the tower
445
00:26:28,467 --> 00:26:30,166
that's right next to where
the murder happened?
446
00:26:31,300 --> 00:26:34,033
His answer to that,
"The telephone
company's wrong."
447
00:26:35,567 --> 00:26:37,967
But the phone stuff
was so new at the time
448
00:26:37,967 --> 00:26:41,166
that detectives could not
hold Michael Jacobs,
they had to release him,
449
00:26:41,867 --> 00:26:44,266
but they put surveillance
on him.
450
00:26:44,266 --> 00:26:46,967
Then once again,
North Hollywood detectives
451
00:26:46,967 --> 00:26:49,834
go down to the Garden of Eden
in Hollywood.
452
00:26:52,567 --> 00:26:56,767
On September 23,
we interviewed one
of Michael Tardio's coworkers
453
00:26:56,767 --> 00:27:02,266
who said that in early 2001,
Monson and Tardio
had driven to Las Vegas
454
00:27:02,266 --> 00:27:07,266
and collected jewelry and furs
worth approximately $500,000
455
00:27:07,266 --> 00:27:09,567
from Sandra Bentley's house
456
00:27:09,634 --> 00:27:12,567
and drove back to Los Angeles
in an Escalade.
457
00:27:12,567 --> 00:27:16,367
This was the first time
I'd heard of the jewels
and furs.
458
00:27:16,367 --> 00:27:18,266
[Eugene] Previously,
Sandy had claimed
459
00:27:18,266 --> 00:27:21,433
that the jewelry that Yagalla
had given her was stolen.
460
00:27:22,667 --> 00:27:24,567
But once Tardio and Monson
were found killed,
461
00:27:24,567 --> 00:27:28,266
that explanation
no longer made sense.
462
00:27:28,266 --> 00:27:30,066
[Tim] At this point
in the investigation,
463
00:27:30,066 --> 00:27:32,667
it became very clear
that Sandra Bentley
464
00:27:32,667 --> 00:27:35,967
is not being forthright
and honest with us.
465
00:27:35,967 --> 00:27:39,433
So we started an investigation
into Sandra Bentley.
466
00:27:46,500 --> 00:27:48,667
[Bill] When we
first got the case,
467
00:27:48,734 --> 00:27:51,066
the investigation
at that point had shown
468
00:27:51,133 --> 00:27:52,767
that jewelry was missing
from the house in Las Vegas
469
00:27:52,834 --> 00:27:57,266
where Sandy lived
with Mark Yagalla back in 2001
470
00:27:57,266 --> 00:28:00,967
and that Michael Tardio
and Chris Monson
471
00:28:01,033 --> 00:28:03,934
may have had that jewelry
in Los Angeles.
472
00:28:05,600 --> 00:28:08,100
[Tim] Before she left
Las Vegas,
473
00:28:08,100 --> 00:28:11,066
Sandra Bentley
had given testimony to the SEC
474
00:28:11,133 --> 00:28:14,667
that she didn't know anything
about the jewelry
475
00:28:14,667 --> 00:28:17,867
and now it's becoming clear
that that jewelry was in fact
476
00:28:17,867 --> 00:28:21,967
in possession
of Michael Tardio
and Christopher Monson.
477
00:28:22,033 --> 00:28:26,367
We knew that Sandy
was the most important person
that we needed to speak to.
478
00:28:27,767 --> 00:28:30,266
Sandy's residence
was in West Los Angeles.
479
00:28:30,333 --> 00:28:32,967
A nice house,
really nice neighborhood.
480
00:28:32,967 --> 00:28:37,667
My partner and I went out
to talk to Sandy
and she invited us in,
481
00:28:37,667 --> 00:28:40,000
she's all dressed up
really nice,
482
00:28:40,000 --> 00:28:42,066
but we sit down
and talk to her,
483
00:28:42,066 --> 00:28:44,367
we knew
that she was holding back.
484
00:28:44,367 --> 00:28:45,767
[Holly] It must have been
really jarring
485
00:28:45,767 --> 00:28:47,867
to go from living
at the mansion for two years
486
00:28:47,867 --> 00:28:50,166
where you're very controlled
and sheltered
487
00:28:50,166 --> 00:28:52,667
to living the high life
with Mark Yagalla
488
00:28:52,734 --> 00:28:54,867
and then the next thing
you know,
489
00:28:54,867 --> 00:28:56,367
you're in the middle
of this big case
490
00:28:56,367 --> 00:28:59,467
and maybe you don't have,
like, the resources
or the people to talk to.
491
00:28:59,533 --> 00:29:01,467
And all of a sudden,
you know, you feel like
you're in big trouble
492
00:29:01,467 --> 00:29:03,100
and don't know
what to do next.
493
00:29:03,100 --> 00:29:05,767
[Bill] She denied anything
about the jewelry.
494
00:29:05,767 --> 00:29:08,767
She doesn't know anything
about why Michael
and Chris were killed.
495
00:29:08,767 --> 00:29:11,166
I mean, she was
just stonewalling us.
496
00:29:12,166 --> 00:29:13,867
I personally thought
497
00:29:13,867 --> 00:29:18,166
there was so much jewelry
stolen from the house
in Las Vegas.
498
00:29:18,233 --> 00:29:22,767
She still had to have some
in her house in Los Angeles.
499
00:29:22,767 --> 00:29:25,266
I just remember
when I left there,
telling her that,
500
00:29:25,333 --> 00:29:27,533
"When you see me again,
you may not like it."
501
00:29:31,100 --> 00:29:32,567
[siren yelping]
502
00:29:32,567 --> 00:29:35,667
One of Detective Cox's
first moves was to execute
a search warrant
503
00:29:35,667 --> 00:29:36,867
on Sandy's property.
504
00:29:38,200 --> 00:29:41,367
We went to her house
early in the morning.
505
00:29:41,367 --> 00:29:45,100
I was there,
the district attorney
had come with us,
506
00:29:45,100 --> 00:29:46,467
which they usually don't.
507
00:29:46,467 --> 00:29:50,100
FBI had come with us,
and the IRS.
508
00:29:50,100 --> 00:29:53,367
A search warrant
was also served
on Sandy's sister, Mandy,
509
00:29:53,367 --> 00:29:56,667
on the same day, because one,
they're twin sisters,
510
00:29:56,667 --> 00:29:59,967
they stayed with Hef together
at the same time
at the mansion.
511
00:29:59,967 --> 00:30:02,967
We know that Sandy and Mandy
were close,
512
00:30:02,967 --> 00:30:04,767
that they lived
close together.
513
00:30:04,834 --> 00:30:07,367
Maybe Mandy is holding
some of the jewelry.
514
00:30:07,433 --> 00:30:10,066
Evidence is really
what we're looking for.
515
00:30:10,066 --> 00:30:12,867
[Holly] The federal agents
came and searched
the twins' houses
516
00:30:12,867 --> 00:30:14,867
which must have been
absolutely terrifying.
517
00:30:17,800 --> 00:30:21,467
It became clear
that Mandy didn't know,
really, anything.
518
00:30:21,467 --> 00:30:26,867
So we released Mandy,
but in Sandy's house,
we found evidence.
519
00:30:26,867 --> 00:30:28,233
A Louis Vuitton bag.
520
00:30:29,600 --> 00:30:32,000
Sandy became
my best friend that day
521
00:30:32,000 --> 00:30:35,667
because murder
is much more important
than tax evasion.
522
00:30:35,734 --> 00:30:38,767
So, we played
the good guy and said,
523
00:30:38,834 --> 00:30:42,433
"You know, we can take care
of your IRS problem
if you play with us."
524
00:30:44,667 --> 00:30:47,066
After that, Sandy told us
the whole story.
525
00:30:48,800 --> 00:30:51,467
[Mandy Edmonston]
In her confession,
Sandy admits to the police
526
00:30:51,533 --> 00:30:55,367
that she and Michael Tardio
did steal the jewels
from her old residence.
527
00:30:55,367 --> 00:30:59,967
But she says this all spawned
because of the financial
hardship that she was facing
528
00:30:59,967 --> 00:31:02,166
in the wake of the end
of her relationship
529
00:31:02,166 --> 00:31:05,467
with Playboy
and with Mark Yagalla
back in 2001.
530
00:31:13,467 --> 00:31:16,100
Sandy's really upset
about losing this money,
531
00:31:16,100 --> 00:31:17,166
losing her home,
532
00:31:17,166 --> 00:31:20,166
and she speaks
to her boyfriend,
Michael Tardio.
533
00:31:20,233 --> 00:31:23,166
[Bill] She calls him
crying one night
from Las Vegas,
534
00:31:23,166 --> 00:31:26,867
saying, "I have to leave,
they're kicking me out
in the morning
535
00:31:26,867 --> 00:31:28,367
and I will have nothing.
536
00:31:28,367 --> 00:31:33,867
No money, no house to live in,
no cars, nothing."
537
00:31:33,867 --> 00:31:38,467
They come up with the idea
to steal some of those jewels
and furs.
538
00:31:38,467 --> 00:31:41,867
[Bill] Michael and Chris
drive to Las Vegas.
539
00:31:41,934 --> 00:31:45,667
Chris stays in the car,
Michael jumps the fence
in the back,
540
00:31:45,667 --> 00:31:47,166
goes inside the house.
541
00:31:47,166 --> 00:31:50,166
He sees the jewelry
that Sandy has there
and he goes,
542
00:31:50,166 --> 00:31:52,867
"Oh, no, that's not enough.
543
00:31:54,467 --> 00:31:55,967
We need more."
544
00:31:58,467 --> 00:32:05,367
He takes the jewelry,
Sandy also had four furs
that were made for her.
545
00:32:05,433 --> 00:32:08,867
Her name was embroidered
on the inside of the coats.
546
00:32:08,867 --> 00:32:12,667
They took that,
they took some
Louis Vuitton bags,
547
00:32:12,734 --> 00:32:15,233
but the big thing
was the jewelry and the furs.
548
00:32:16,467 --> 00:32:18,667
[Mandy Edmonston]
Sandy and Michael
were putting it in bags
549
00:32:18,667 --> 00:32:21,867
which they were
then throwing over the fence
into the neighbor's yard
550
00:32:21,934 --> 00:32:25,166
where Chris Monson
was waiting to collect
these items.
551
00:32:25,166 --> 00:32:29,634
Sandy and Michael
put all the stuff in the car
and they drive back to LA.
552
00:32:32,266 --> 00:32:35,567
[Steve] When that relationship
with Mark Yagalla ended,
553
00:32:35,634 --> 00:32:38,567
Sandy needed money
and so did Michael Tardio,
554
00:32:38,567 --> 00:32:43,166
and they thought they were
gonna pretty quickly be able
to sell that jewelry.
555
00:32:43,166 --> 00:32:49,667
But the idea of, "Let's sell
this stolen jewelry"
is a dangerous game.
556
00:32:49,667 --> 00:32:53,266
[Bill] Michael took it
to a jeweler there
in Beverly Hills.
557
00:32:53,333 --> 00:32:54,667
He laid out all this jewelry,
558
00:32:54,667 --> 00:32:58,533
he gave a story like
somebody had died
and left this jewelry.
559
00:32:59,767 --> 00:33:01,767
[Mandy Edmonston]
The potential buyer
ended up backing out
560
00:33:01,767 --> 00:33:04,867
after she started to think
that this deal just looked
too good to be true.
561
00:33:05,567 --> 00:33:06,767
[Bill] After a year,
562
00:33:06,767 --> 00:33:10,567
Sandy and Michael
were still holding on
to the jewelry.
563
00:33:10,567 --> 00:33:12,467
[Mandy Edmonston]
Michael had been going
to the Garden of Eden
564
00:33:12,467 --> 00:33:14,967
and looking for somebody
to potentially buy
these jewels
565
00:33:14,967 --> 00:33:17,066
or put them in contact
with somebody who can help.
566
00:33:17,700 --> 00:33:18,967
Through these conversations,
567
00:33:18,967 --> 00:33:20,567
Michael Jacobs
and Michael Tardio
568
00:33:20,567 --> 00:33:23,066
became acquainted
with each other.
569
00:33:23,066 --> 00:33:25,166
[Bill] Michael Jacobs
tells Tardio,
570
00:33:25,166 --> 00:33:27,834
"I got a buyer,
I can set you up
with the buyer."
571
00:33:29,367 --> 00:33:32,467
[Mandy Edmonston]
Sandy told Detective Cox
that this person was somebody
572
00:33:32,533 --> 00:33:35,467
that was only going
by the name of Mr. Big.
573
00:33:35,467 --> 00:33:40,467
[Bill] When Michael Tardio
knew he was going to go
meet a buyer for his jewelry,
574
00:33:40,467 --> 00:33:43,567
he rented the Mercedes
and he wanted someone
575
00:33:43,567 --> 00:33:47,867
that he knew
could cover his back in case
something happened.
576
00:33:47,934 --> 00:33:52,266
So Chris, just being
the good friend he is,
said he would go with him.
577
00:33:52,266 --> 00:33:57,934
Sandy says on that day,
Michael had gone out
to get a money counter.
578
00:33:58,767 --> 00:34:00,767
That's how naive he was.
579
00:34:00,767 --> 00:34:05,867
He thinks he's gonna collect,
I don't know, maybe a quarter
of a million dollars
580
00:34:05,867 --> 00:34:09,100
and Mr. Big is gonna
give him a quarter million
dollars in cash.
581
00:34:09,100 --> 00:34:12,834
He even took
counterfeit markers
to check the bills.
582
00:34:13,867 --> 00:34:15,667
He had all
the jewelry cleaned,
583
00:34:15,667 --> 00:34:18,867
he had all the furs cleaned,
he picked it all up,
584
00:34:18,867 --> 00:34:21,467
he had it all
in the rented Mercedes.
585
00:34:21,467 --> 00:34:24,667
He has Chris
in the car with him,
it was like 9:00 at night.
586
00:34:24,734 --> 00:34:29,567
They go over to Sandy's house
and they tell Sandy,
"Okay, we're gonna go."
587
00:34:29,567 --> 00:34:33,667
And they would make
contact with each other
through the telephone.
588
00:34:33,667 --> 00:34:36,567
The last contact Sandy
had with them
589
00:34:36,567 --> 00:34:41,333
was they were driving through
the Mount Olympus area
in the Hollywood Hills.
590
00:34:42,166 --> 00:34:44,567
Michael tells her
that they are getting ready
591
00:34:44,634 --> 00:34:46,834
to go meet up
with this buyer, Mr. Big.
592
00:34:48,567 --> 00:34:50,033
And that was the last
she ever heard from him.
593
00:34:53,467 --> 00:34:57,667
Sandy said, "You know,
I never even thought
about them being killed.
594
00:34:57,667 --> 00:35:02,066
That was the last thing
that I ever thought of."
595
00:35:02,133 --> 00:35:04,367
[Steve] With jewelry,
there's a concrete lead
for police,
596
00:35:04,367 --> 00:35:10,133
because you would think
that the killer is trying
to sell these jewels somehow.
597
00:35:11,100 --> 00:35:13,066
If the police
can find the jewels,
598
00:35:13,133 --> 00:35:14,934
they might be able
to find the killer.
599
00:35:15,700 --> 00:35:17,266
[Bill] I found out from Sandy
600
00:35:17,333 --> 00:35:22,367
where Michael Tardio
had the jewelry appraised
back in early 2001,
601
00:35:22,367 --> 00:35:25,667
so we went
to the jewelry store
which was in Beverly Hills.
602
00:35:25,734 --> 00:35:29,467
A woman at the jewelry store
told us about how she had seen
603
00:35:29,467 --> 00:35:32,166
Michael Tardio's
appraisal slip.
604
00:35:32,166 --> 00:35:36,166
She wasn't involved
in that jewelry stuff,
but she had seen it.
605
00:35:36,166 --> 00:35:40,000
Then a month or so later,
after Michael and Chris
were killed,
606
00:35:40,000 --> 00:35:43,667
she was working
when this man comes in.
607
00:35:43,667 --> 00:35:48,066
The man shows
an appraisal slip
to the man behind the counter
608
00:35:48,066 --> 00:35:50,667
who doesn't know
anything about it.
609
00:35:50,667 --> 00:35:52,433
But the girl had seen it.
610
00:35:53,300 --> 00:35:55,967
She recognized it
as the same appraisal
611
00:35:55,967 --> 00:35:59,333
that Michael Tardio
had brought in
just the month before.
612
00:36:00,367 --> 00:36:01,567
Now Michael's dead,
613
00:36:01,567 --> 00:36:04,767
who is this guy
who's coming in
a month after Michael
614
00:36:04,767 --> 00:36:06,333
with the same appraisal slip?
615
00:36:15,500 --> 00:36:17,867
If Sandy would have been
more cooperative
616
00:36:17,867 --> 00:36:18,967
at the beginning,
617
00:36:19,033 --> 00:36:20,667
had been more upfront
and honest with us,
618
00:36:20,734 --> 00:36:23,166
we probably would have
gotten things done quicker.
619
00:36:24,567 --> 00:36:26,667
[Steve] They still have
Michael Jacobs on their radar,
620
00:36:26,667 --> 00:36:30,266
maybe they can find some way
to tie him to these murders.
621
00:36:30,266 --> 00:36:31,567
They get him,
622
00:36:31,567 --> 00:36:34,066
they take him to the station
and they start
questioning him.
623
00:36:36,266 --> 00:36:39,967
[Bill] Now as a detective,
you're counting on him
giving you something.
624
00:36:40,033 --> 00:36:44,967
Maybe when you talk to him,
he may think, "Oh, you know,
the gig is up, I gotta talk."
625
00:36:44,967 --> 00:36:47,867
And Michael Jacobs
was a complete wreck
626
00:36:47,867 --> 00:36:50,667
because he knew that we were
continually doing this case.
627
00:36:50,667 --> 00:36:52,867
So he knew
it wasn't going away.
628
00:36:56,500 --> 00:36:58,266
According to Michael Jacobs,
629
00:36:58,266 --> 00:37:02,367
he was just going out
to connect Michael Tardio
and Mr. Big.
630
00:37:04,467 --> 00:37:09,000
On the night
that this all happened,
they're in Hollywood,
631
00:37:09,000 --> 00:37:13,066
they're both parked there
on the side street waiting
for Mr. Big.
632
00:37:15,000 --> 00:37:17,667
So when he saw
Mr. Big's car come,
633
00:37:17,667 --> 00:37:21,467
he just says adios to Tardio
and Monson and he leaves.
634
00:37:25,900 --> 00:37:30,133
We want to know
who Michael Tardio
was going to meet.
635
00:37:30,800 --> 00:37:33,767
Mr. Big, who is this guy?
636
00:37:33,834 --> 00:37:36,367
And Michael's gonna tell us
'cause we have him,
637
00:37:36,433 --> 00:37:39,367
we have him
right where we want him,
he wanted to tell us.
638
00:37:39,433 --> 00:37:41,867
I think he was kind of tired
at this point
639
00:37:41,867 --> 00:37:44,166
of always thinking
he was being followed
640
00:37:44,233 --> 00:37:46,266
or the case was still
being investigated.
641
00:37:46,266 --> 00:37:50,667
He took us right to the point
where it looked like he was
gonna tell us something,
642
00:37:50,667 --> 00:37:55,066
but Michael Jacobs
feared someone else
more than he did the police.
643
00:37:55,066 --> 00:37:58,100
He let us down
by not saying anything.
644
00:37:58,100 --> 00:38:00,166
And so we had to release him.
645
00:38:00,166 --> 00:38:06,233
We never were able to find out
who the man was that came in
to try to sell this jewelry.
646
00:38:09,100 --> 00:38:10,266
With so many loose ends,
647
00:38:10,266 --> 00:38:12,367
police are now forced
to put together
648
00:38:12,367 --> 00:38:14,266
the last moments
of Chris Monson
649
00:38:14,333 --> 00:38:16,333
and Michael Tardio
as best as they can.
650
00:38:19,000 --> 00:38:22,166
[Bill] I personally think
that whenever
Michael and Chris
651
00:38:22,166 --> 00:38:23,967
are driving up
through the hills
652
00:38:24,033 --> 00:38:26,667
and they last had
contact with Sandy,
shortly after that,
653
00:38:26,734 --> 00:38:31,333
they made a stop
and this is where they think
they're gonna make the deal.
654
00:38:33,166 --> 00:38:34,567
They let somebody
in the back seat
655
00:38:34,634 --> 00:38:36,467
who they think is gonna
pay them the money
656
00:38:36,467 --> 00:38:38,567
or look at the goods
or whatever it is,
657
00:38:39,367 --> 00:38:41,166
but that's not what happens.
658
00:38:41,367 --> 00:38:42,700
[gunshots]
659
00:38:45,567 --> 00:38:50,367
I mean, the thing
with Michael and Chris,
they had no street smarts.
660
00:38:50,367 --> 00:38:53,467
They had no street smarts,
and when you get yourself
involved in that,
661
00:38:53,467 --> 00:38:54,867
you're gonna get hurt.
662
00:38:55,767 --> 00:38:59,266
We have no idea who Mr. Big is
still to this day.
663
00:38:59,266 --> 00:39:02,100
Even Michael Jacobs says,
"I don't know who Mr. Big is."
664
00:39:02,100 --> 00:39:04,867
And Sandy didn't know.
It's a cold case.
665
00:39:07,567 --> 00:39:09,767
[Steve] This case
has never been solved.
666
00:39:09,834 --> 00:39:12,066
You would think
that the paper trail
667
00:39:12,066 --> 00:39:13,667
would have given
somebody away.
668
00:39:13,667 --> 00:39:18,967
You would have thought
that somebody trying
to recover these jewels,
669
00:39:19,033 --> 00:39:20,667
that would have
come out somehow
670
00:39:20,667 --> 00:39:25,266
and it's surprising to me
that whoever did this
got away with it.
671
00:39:25,266 --> 00:39:31,867
It would be different
if it happened now,
but back in 2002, no.
672
00:39:31,867 --> 00:39:34,467
[Tim] The jewelry
may have been melted down
and broken apart.
673
00:39:34,467 --> 00:39:36,967
There are some pieces
that maybe serialized,
674
00:39:37,033 --> 00:39:39,166
there still may be some hope
for those pieces.
675
00:39:39,166 --> 00:39:40,066
But at this point,
676
00:39:40,066 --> 00:39:42,133
the jewelry's never
been found.
677
00:39:43,100 --> 00:39:45,100
[Melissa] Meanwhile,
Sandy and Mandy Bentley
678
00:39:45,100 --> 00:39:47,467
are doing their best
to stay out of the spotlight.
679
00:39:47,533 --> 00:39:52,667
Sandy has decided
to settle down,
she started a family.
680
00:39:52,667 --> 00:39:56,667
The image the twins had
when they were dating Hef,
they just looked so gorgeous,
681
00:39:56,734 --> 00:39:59,367
and I know Hef spent
a lot more money on them
682
00:39:59,433 --> 00:40:01,667
than he did with
like girlfriends
that came after.
683
00:40:01,667 --> 00:40:05,867
When I moved into the mansion,
things were not as luxurious.
684
00:40:05,867 --> 00:40:08,166
And I think that is because
he felt so burned
685
00:40:08,166 --> 00:40:11,266
by that first relationship
after his marriage
686
00:40:11,266 --> 00:40:14,233
that he was a lot more careful
with his girlfriends
moving forward.
687
00:40:18,467 --> 00:40:20,567
[Tim] It's sad
when you have
a double homicide,
688
00:40:20,567 --> 00:40:22,667
you have families
that are torn apart.
689
00:40:22,734 --> 00:40:26,066
Their loved ones
that they'll never
get to see again
690
00:40:26,066 --> 00:40:31,100
and their special occasions
throughout life that they'll
never be a part of.
691
00:40:31,100 --> 00:40:33,767
So it's still frustrating
692
00:40:33,767 --> 00:40:37,867
that that closure wasn't
provided to the families.
693
00:40:37,867 --> 00:40:40,000
[Mandy Edmonston]
While this case has been
considered a cold case
694
00:40:40,000 --> 00:40:41,567
for quite some time,
695
00:40:41,567 --> 00:40:44,767
investigators actually
did decide to recently reopen
the investigation
696
00:40:44,834 --> 00:40:48,066
into the deaths
of Chris Monson
and Michael Tardio.
697
00:40:48,066 --> 00:40:51,867
[Bill] I know someone
that's working
on that cold case team.
698
00:40:51,867 --> 00:40:53,967
I think that if anybody
can help solve it,
699
00:40:53,967 --> 00:40:56,867
then she will do
whatever she can, so...
700
00:40:56,867 --> 00:40:57,867
I'm hoping.
701
00:40:57,934 --> 00:41:07,467
♪
702
00:41:11,300 --> 00:41:13,066
The Playboy mansion is
very mysterious.
703
00:41:13,133 --> 00:41:14,567
You're being watched all
the time
704
00:41:14,567 --> 00:41:16,066
whether you realize it or not.
705
00:41:16,066 --> 00:41:18,066
If you get the wrong set
of eyes on you,
706
00:41:18,133 --> 00:41:20,066
it could lead to something
really awful.
707
00:41:21,400 --> 00:41:22,867
I called it the Playboy curse,
708
00:41:22,934 --> 00:41:25,100
because once you were associated
with that world
709
00:41:25,100 --> 00:41:27,000
things went horribly wrong.
710
00:41:27,000 --> 00:41:29,867
MAN: When Hugh Hefner has
a master plan for you,
711
00:41:29,867 --> 00:41:31,166
you do what
he tells you to do.
712
00:41:31,233 --> 00:41:34,266
WOMAN: A beautiful woman.
A murder of another woman.
713
00:41:34,266 --> 00:41:37,066
She was accused of something
that she said she didn't do.
714
00:41:37,066 --> 00:41:39,767
She was supposed to be
at Sharon Tate's home.
715
00:41:39,767 --> 00:41:43,166
The people who murdered her
friends were out to get her.
716
00:41:44,000 --> 00:41:45,266
When a girl does Playboy
717
00:41:45,266 --> 00:41:47,100
you never know who you are
surrounded by.
718
00:41:47,100 --> 00:41:49,867
MAN: It's one of the most
heinous cases I've ever worked.
719
00:41:49,867 --> 00:41:52,166
This is an animal out there
that did this.
720
00:41:52,166 --> 00:41:56,367
WOMAN: Sadomasochism,
choking, bondage, snuff films.
721
00:41:56,367 --> 00:41:58,567
It's a really sick thing.
722
00:41:58,567 --> 00:42:01,467
We find a female subject
lying in the bathroom
723
00:42:01,533 --> 00:42:02,667
clearly had been shot.
724
00:42:02,667 --> 00:42:05,266
Her tremendous success
only got them in trouble.
725
00:42:05,266 --> 00:42:07,166
There is a fantasy
of being in Playboy
726
00:42:07,166 --> 00:42:08,667
and then there is the reality.