All language subtitles for The.Real.Murders.of.Los.Angeles.S01E06.720p.WEBRip.x264-BAE

[dramatic music]

- When people think about
hollywood and the movies,

Usually, they close their eyes,
and they think of movie stars.

But filmmaking is, by far,
the most collaborative art.

It takes a lot of people
to make a movie.

- They're good, hard,
earnest jobs,

And there's a long line
of people for every job.

You just have to be focused
all day, every day,

And that's what bob
was really good at.

- In the 1980s,
bob samuels was one

Of the thousands
of skilled craftspeople

Working behind the scenes
in hollywood.

He was chasing a dream,
but it was gone in a flash.

- Bob was just a good, solid,
hard-working guy,

So I just couldn't grasp

Who would possibly want
to hurt bob samuels.

♪ ♪

- The victim was found
on his stomach.

There was a shotgun blast
to the back of the head.

[gunshot]

- And with no signs
of robbery or burglary,

It could be someone who had
a grudge against bob.

- So I asked her if
she would take a polygraph.

- The police found out
the person holding the gun

Isn't the only killer.

- We got a call,
and the individual

On the other end of the phone
said another body was found.

♪ ♪

Whoa, here we go again.

♪ ♪

[dramatic music]

♪ ♪

- On December 9, 1988,
as the sun sets

Over the quiet cul-de-sacs
of the san fernando valley,

The unsettling sound
of a police siren

Pierces the twilight's
serenity.

[siren wailing]

[tense music]

♪ ♪

- My name is terry richardson.

I'm a retired los angeles
police detective.

On December 9th of 1988,
during the day,

A call came in from a person
named mary ellen samuels,

Who had found her husband,
bob samuels, dead

On the floor inside
this house in northridge.

There was blood
around his head,

And she said that
it looked like he was shot.

♪ ♪

When I first arrived
at the crime scene,

There were officers standing
at the front door,

And I do remember
seeing the wife

And daughter of the victim
in this case standing outside.

- Mary ellen samuels

And her 18-year-old daughter,
nicole,

Appear to be in shock
but are able

To direct investigators
to the area

Where they found bob
earlier that afternoon.

♪ ♪

- As I entered the front door,
off to the right,

The victim, bob samuels,
was on the floor.

♪ ♪

It was obvious that
he was dead.

He was in his underwear
in a prone position,

Kind of on his side.

♪ ♪

- My name is john birrer.

I was a senior
homicide detective

In the san fernando valley

For the devonshire
detective division

For the los angeles
police department.

♪ ♪

He had blood coming
out of his head

From some kind
of shotgun blast.

Another wound was
clearly visible

Where a weapon
or some kind of pipe

Was used to hit the victim
on the back of the head.

And it appeared that
he may have been walking

Or running away
from the killer.

♪ ♪

- My name is thomas odle,

And I was
a homicide investigator

For the ventura county
sheriff's department.

There was a pillow
next to the body,

And it appeared to have acted

As a silencer of sorts

For the gunshot.

We didn't find the shotgun
or the shotgun casings,

But if it's not
an automatic shotgun,

Casings are gonna stay
within the gun itself.

- The scene raises many
questions for detectives.

Could this have been
an ambush,

And if so,
how did the killer get inside?

♪ ♪

- My name is geoff boucher,

And I was a crime reporter
at the "los angeles times."

There's no evidence
of forced entry into the house,

Although there is
a sliding glass door

That's about
6 or 8 inches open,

So it's possible
the killer could have just

Gone through
the sliding glass door

And was lying in wait for him.

They do a search
for fingerprints,

But there wasn't a lot there.

And there's no indication
of physical struggle

That might have left trace
evidence of the assailant.

And they also find
$6,000 in cash in a drawer.

♪ ♪

- Bob's wallet
and id were found.

Nothing inside the residence
was missing.

And so almost immediately,

We dismissed the idea
of a burglary.

- But with no signs
of robbery,

What would cause a person
to do this in the first place?

So I start to think
it could be someone

That knew bob samuels

And had a grudge
against bob samuels.

In any crime investigation,
it's very important

That we talk to people
that are close to the victim,

And in this case, that would be

Mary ellen samuels
and her daughter, nicole.

- So I had mary ellen
transported--

And nicole--to the station
to be interviewed.

♪ ♪

- Detectives quickly head
to lapd's devonshire station,

Where they hope that
bob's wife and daughter

Can provide more details
about bob's life,

Relationships, and enemies.

♪ ♪

- When we talked
to mary ellen and nicole,

Mary ellen wasn't crying,

But I did think that
it was because

She was totally shocked.

Mary ellen and nicole hadn't
heard from him in a few days,

And so they had come by
to check on him

Around 5:00 p.M.

- They knocked on the door,
then pounded on the door,

And eventually opened the door,

Only to discover bob samuels
murdered on the ground.

[dramatic music]

Mary ellen samuels told us
that she was estranged

From her husband, bob samuels,
for approximately two years,

And bob lived in his house
by himself.

They actually lived
near each other,

But mary ellen lived
in a condominium

With her daughter, nicole.

- And she said,
unlike some divorce situations,

They had a good relationship
as friends,

And bob worked with her,

As far as raising
her daughter.

- They said
bob was a hard worker.

He worked for the hollywood
studios as a second cameraman.

- He worked on
the "lethal weapon" series,

"heaven can wait," "colors."

He was plugged into hollywood
at a very exciting time.

- Mary ellen and nicole said
that bob wouldn't hurt a fly.

He was always offering help
to neighbors

And also gave money
to people to help them out.

- They're just mystified
by the whole thing,

And they can't think of anyone
that would do this.

What would lead
to this traumatic event?

[dramatic music]

There's nothing
in their behavior

That shows that they have
any sort of animosity

Toward the victim,
and they are cooperative.

So investigators don't have
any reason

To be suspicious of them.

[soft music]

- Investigators release
mary ellen and nicole

And quickly begin reaching out
to bob's friends,

Hoping to uncover clues

About who committed
this grisly act.

♪ ♪

- My name is judy mccoy.

Bob samuels was like
a brother to me.

I recall somebody
knocking at my door.

It was the detectives,
and they told me

That bob had been murdered.

It devastated me.

♪ ♪

I was probably 11 or 12
when I met bob samuels.

[soft music]

My brother and bob went
to school together,

And my family fell
in love with him,

So he became
a part of our family.

Bob was a very loving,
caring, gentle person.

And I recall one day,
bob came to our house,

And he was sharing

Some of the pictures
that he had taken.

He just was talking
about the lighting

To get this picture
just perfect,

And he was so excited.

And he said that's
what he wanted to do

For the rest of his life,

And he did.

♪ ♪

- My name is geary mcleod.

I'm a director
in the film industry,

And I met bob working on
"lethal weapon 2"

In the camera department.

Bob was really well-organized.

He had great concentration,

Was a really talented
camera assistant.

And not only that,
he had character.

♪ ♪

- Friends tell investigators
that bob was

The shy guy growing up,
and his wife, mary ellen,

Grew up down the street
from bob.

He had a crush on her,
but he never really

Worked up the nerve to actually
go up and ask her out,

And life took them both
in different directions.

He watched as she had
a child, nicole,

And he pursued
his hollywood dream.

But in 1979,
both mary ellen and bob

Attended their
high-school reunion,

And it was there
that they reconnected,

And six months later,
they're married.

- At the time,
he was really excited

To have mary ellen
in his life,

And he was really excited
when he got to adopt nicole.

He loved being a dad.

He said that nicole
and him would laugh

And talk and have fun.

He loved her,
just like he loved mary ellen.

- But in recent months,
tensions

Between bob and mary ellen
over the couple's finances

Had started to flare up.

- One day, bob called me
on the phone

And probably talked for
an hour and a half that day.

[somber music]

He was hurting with his
relationship with mary ellen.

He told me that
he really loved her

But that she was using
his money

And spending it unwisely.

Beyond all the films
that he was involved in,

They had wanted to own
a business,

And so they opened up
a sandwich shop,

But she would take
from the company,

So the sandwich shop
was failing.

They weren't getting along,

And she was not taking care
of her responsibilities.

- By the summer of 1986,

The two had separated

But remained
on friendly terms.

To detectives,

The couple's money issues
seemed fairly common

And not necessarily
a cause for concern,

Until the next day,

When they receive a call
from bob's insurance company.

- They called our office,
saying mary ellen

Had just filed for the proceeds

Of a life insurance policy
for bob.

[dramatic music]

- Insurance policies totaling,
as I recall,

Close to half
a million dollars.

- Oh, my god,
that's a lot of money.

♪ ♪

- Coming up...

- We found out that

There was a girl
that bob dated.

- Her husband was very jealous
and very possessive.

- We found out that
he owned a shotgun.

- And his wife recently
had sex with the victim.

If you're checking off boxes,
that's a bunch of boxes.

♪ ♪

[gunshot]

[dramatic music]

♪ ♪

- 40-year-old cameraman
bob samuels

Has been murdered
in his suburban la home.

Detectives believe the attack
may have been personal.

And when they discover that
his recently separated wife,

Mary ellen,
is trying to collect

Half a million dollars
in life insurance,

Alarm bells go off.

- That did get
our attention, okay,

Because even though
she was very cooperative,

Mary ellen definitely made out
from the death of her husband,

And the insurance company
wanted to just basically know

Whether mary ellen was
a suspect,

And we had to say no.

I mean, we didn't have
enough evidence.

- But now investigators,

They're looking around
with suspicion.

- So I asked her if
she would take a polygraph.

She wanted to help,
and so almost immediately,

She drove
to the police station.

- At the station, mary ellen

Is hooked up
to the polygraph machine,

And detectives begin pressing
her with hard questions.

- We asked about
the life insurance policy.

Was that involved
in the murder?

And she said no.

We asked her if she had any
reason to kill her husband,

And she said no.

- Police asked mary ellen
about her whereabouts

The night before,

And she says
she was at her condo.

♪ ♪

- She was very cooperative,
and she came back truthful.

- While initially
the hefty insurance policy

Seemed suspicious,
the polygraph results

Convinced detectives
to back off

Their doubts about mary ellen.

- Her general demeanor
seemed truthful,

And we had felt that,
at the time,

There were a lot
of divorces out there.

Just because
you had a divorce,

It doesn't mean mary ellen
had anything to do with it.

So we were still wide open,
as far as who the suspect was.

And at that point,

The insurance company
did pay her.

They did send her a check.

♪ ♪

- Less than a week
after the murder,

Forensic reports
from the crime scene come back

But offer police
little assistance.

- There were prints recovered
from the home,

But most of them were either
bob's or mary ellen's.

The only ones that weren't
were of poor quality,

And so they couldn't be
sent on to the fbi

To identify by further means.

- And then, two days later,

Bob samuels' autopsy report
comes back and confirms

Investigators' initial hunch
that the crime

Was personally motivated by
someone with an axe to grind.

- During bob samuels' autopsy,

There was evidence of a blow

To the back of his head

By a tubular instrument,

Which they assumed was
a shotgun barrel.

- The blow
to the back of the head

Was not delivered by someone
that was smaller and shorter.

Bob was laid low by someone
that was bob's size or bigger,

Who had the strength
to kind of put someone

Down on the ground in a way
that they're incapacitated.

And testing showed that
it was a 16-gauge shotgun

Fired at very close range.

♪ ♪

- The pathologist determined
that the crime occurred

At least 12 hours
before he was discovered

And found pieces of stuffing
and padding from a pillow

At the back of the head
where the shotgun blast was.

- This confirmed
the pillow acted as a silencer

For the gunshot.

Based on what I saw, it just
had all the signs of a hit.

♪ ♪

- But there were no
defensive wounds.

So that actually confirmed
what we thought

Out at the crime scene.

That could mean
bob knew the suspect.

So we weren't sure
what kind of individual

We were looking for.

- But if the killer was
someone bob knew

And mary ellen was not
involved, was it possible

Bob had other
personal entanglements

That played a role?

- When bob was going
through the divorce,

We found out that there was
a girl that bob dated.

- Four months earlier,

He had mentioned to me
on the phone

That he had been lonely.

I introduced him
to a friend of mine

Who was very lonely too.

And they just clicked.

They laughed.

They smiled a lot.

They were both happy.

[tense music]

She needed a good man
in her life,

And bob just fit that.

- At the time,

Bob's new girlfriend seemed
too good to be true.

But he soon found out
that her life was

More than a little
complicated.

- I told him she was married,

But they're, you know,
separated.

But my girlfriend's
husband was very jealous

And very possessive.

So even though
they were separated,

She wouldn't be able to just
go out and have coffee with me

Or lunch with me unless
she got permission from him.

♪ ♪

So when bob was murdered,
I just started to think

Maybe it was him.

♪ ♪

- Detectives immediately
do some digging

Into bob's girlfriend's
ex-husband,

And they're alarmed
by what they find.

- Police learn that
he's a former cop.

- And he was known to have
domestic violence issues.

And we found out that
he owned a shotgun or two.

Whoa, bob was murdered
with a shotgun.

♪ ♪

He might be
a suspect to pursue.

♪ ♪

[dramatic music]

♪ ♪

- Two weeks after the murder

Of 40-year-old cameraman
bob samuels,

A new suspect has
come into focus

For los angeles investigators:

The estranged husband
of bob's new girlfriend.

- Detectives learned that
he's a former cop.

He's got weapons.

The weapons he's got,
they fit the scenario.

He is a jealous guy.

He's got a temper.

And his wife recently
had sex with the victim.

If you're checking off boxes,
that's a bunch of boxes.

- So we went to talk
to the husband,

And he gave us information
on his work.

He was now a security guard,

As a lot of unemployed
police officers become.

So we went to a nightclub that
he actually was working at.

[tense music]

And one of his employers say,

"I paid this guy
his salary for the week.

He had worked for us
the night of the murder."

He gave me his time card, okay?

So he was taken off
the list of suspects.

♪ ♪

- Three weeks
after the murder,

With their most likely
suspect in the clear,

Detectives are back
at square one.

As police struggle
to find new leads,

Bob's family and friends try
to make sense of their loss.

- When I went to the funeral,
I stood there

And watched as bob
was being buried.

And of course,
I was devastated.

I just was in shock.

I just could not believe
that bob was dead.

I started thinking
really heavily

Of how bob would come in,

And he'd give me these
great big, huge bear hugs.

I remember him saying
that he was always

Gonna be there for me.

[somber music]

I lost a good friend,
a good brother.

♪ ♪

[dramatic music]

- As those closest to bob

Comfort one another
in their grief,

The continuing search
for a motive

Pushes investigators
beyond bob's close circle

Of family and friends.

- We wanted to interview
the employees

At the sandwich shop that was
owned by mary ellen and bob

To determine if there was

Anything that would have given

One of them a motive
to harm bob.

- Mary ellen provided the list
of all of her employees

Of the shop,
but it didn't really assist

On identifying any suspects.

♪ ♪

So we then spoke
with many of bob's friends

In the film production
business.

- Bob was definitely
plugged into hollywood.

I think it's safe to say
he worked with

A lot of really
talented people.

- They were all shocked
to hear of the case,

Of their friend dying.

- I worked with bob
for a long time.

He's not a player.

He's not a partier.

He was just a quiet,
hard-working guy.

So who would possibly want
to hurt bob samuels?

I just couldn't grasp
how that could have happened.

- But as they dig deeper
beneath tinseltown's topside,

Investigators unearth
a possible motive

No one could have seen coming.

- They found out that
bob was involved

In a professional dispute,

Kind of a contentious
tax issue

That had pitted him against

Some of his peers
in his industry.

♪ ♪

- At the time,
there was a pervasive fantasy

That was being promoted by
a certain member of the union

That you didn't
have to pay taxes

Because dollars were
no longer backed by gold.

It was ridiculous.

- So the internal
revenue service

Pursued them for tax evasion.

This was for a lot of money,

And bob had been
willing to testify

Against some of his buddies,

As far as their involvement.

- Investigators began
to wonder,

Is this the kind of thing
that could lead to violence?

And they chase it down.

- Could bob samuels
have been killed

By a film industry colleague

For trying to do
the right thing?

- And then we find out,
in fact,

One of the suspects that
he testified against

Eventually left the country
and was never seen again.

- That's where the trail
goes cold.

♪ ♪

- To me, testifying against
people over tax evasion

Would not have been
a reason to murder someone.

That's just not
the kind of people

That you're dealing with.

You might get pissed.

You might punch the guy
in the nose,

But it's not gonna
turn into a murder.

- Three months
after bob's death,

With no evidence
to support the revenge theory,

Investigators find themselves
at yet another standstill.

- We were running out
of leads,

And we were not happy
with the way

The investigation was
proceeding.

We were frustrated.

♪ ♪

But approximately 4-5 months
after bob's death,

The case was really
cooling off.

But then,
late in the afternoon,

Evening on a Friday,

A call came back
to the homicide unit.

[dramatic music]

So I took the call in private,

And the individual on the other
end of the phone said,

"I know a lot about
the robert samuels case.

I know who did it."

♪ ♪

[dramatic music]

♪ ♪

- In may of 1989,

Six months after the murder

Of los angeles film industry
veteran bob samuels,

Detectives receive a call
that could finally

Help them break the case.

- I was informed there was an
anonymous caller on the phone,

And he had information
identifying

The killer of bob samuels.

- This man says,
"I know who killed that man.

I know who killed bob."

The caller identifies
a man named jim bernstein

As the killer.

- This is a new name
for detectives,

And they have no way
of knowing

Whether or not
the information has any merit.

But they're eager
to follow every clue,

Regardless of the source.

- When the anonymous call

Gave us the name
jim bernstein,

We looked into
his criminal record,

And we could see that
he had some minor arrests

For drug-related offenses.

- Detectives need to know
if bernstein has

Any personal connection
to bob samuels,

So they circle back
to those closest to bob,

And what they learn only
heightens their curiosity.

♪ ♪

- Investigators talk
to both mary ellen

And her daughter, nicole,

And the picture that
starts to develop

Is a very intriguing one.

Jim bernstein is on
the periphery of bob's life.

Apparently,
jim bernstein has been

In a relationship with nicole.

♪ ♪

So he could be
very much involved

In the dynamic of their lives.

- Hoping to get more details

About jim's relationship
with 18-year-old nicole,

Detectives decide
not to divulge that

He's a suspect
in bob's murder.

- The relationship
between nicole samuels

And jim bernstein appeared
to be one-sided to me.

Jim bernstein really
cared for nicole.

- But for nicole,
she knows him,

They hang out,
but this was not a relationship

That had been a really
meaningful one for her.

- Nicole states that

She hasn't talked to jim
for over a week,

But she readily shares
his address with detectives,

Who quickly head over
to see him.

- Police go looking
for jim bernstein,

And bernstein's not there.

He's gone, and they don't
really know where.

- Detectives then head
to jim's place of employment,

Hoping to find him there.

- Detectives went
to the employer of bernstein,

A person named charles mandel.

- But in talking
to jim bernstein's boss,

The police are told
jim's not been coming to work.

"we haven't seen him.

We don't know where he is."

- Detectives explain
to bernstein's boss that

They're investigating

The death of a man
named bob samuels.

That's when he surprises them
with an alarming revelation.

- This boss of jim bernstein's
responds with,

"yes, I know that name.

Jim used to talk
about that guy."

♪ ♪

This is very interesting
to police,

Because what circumstance
would he be talking about bob

To his boss
in an unrelated business?

- Mandel, he stated that
jim bernstein talked to him

About the scenario that

Bob samuels had supposedly
molested nicole,

And he wanted something
done about it.

- The boss explains
to police that

Jim bernstein has
presented bob samuels

As a man that needs
to die for his sins,

And those sins are that
he is a violent person,

That he's a predator
that needed to be dealt with.

This speaks to potential motive
for bob's death.

- Abuse is a serious charge,

And it's a possible motive
for jim bernstein to kill bob.

But detectives need
to find out if it's true.

- When it was mentioned
about the possible molestation,

Efforts were made to check
the background of bob samuels.

It was never mentioned
by mary ellen samuels to us.

There was no indication
of any crime.

There were no crime reports.

It was never reported
to anybody.

♪ ♪

- The investigators talked
to the divorce attorney

Who was working with bob,
and not a single written word

In the pulp that was created
for this court case.

So these accusations,
they don't really add up.

- Police want
to talk to nicole directly

About the accusations,
but they hit a snag.

- When they get
to mary ellen's condo,

She and nicole are not there.

They're headed to cancún
on vacation.

- Detectives are puzzled.

Could mary ellen
and nicole be avoiding them?

Did they have
something to hide?

So they leave messages
for both women,

Urging them to call back
right away

And double down
on their search

For their number one suspect,
jim bernstein.

- We could not locate him,

Which really put the flags up
right there.

It was like a puzzle.

We needed to locate him,
because at that point,

He was the prime suspect
in this case.

- Lapd detectives suspect

That bernstein may be
on the run.

But then a few weeks later
in early July of 1989,

They get a distressing call.

♪ ♪

- This call is from another
law enforcement agency.

Investigators in ventura tell
their lapd counterparts

That some people had been
along a trail,

And they found a body that had
been exposed to the elements.

[dramatic music]

It turns out to be
jim bernstein.

♪ ♪

- The body was examined

In the lab.

The coroner determined
the cause of death

To be strangulation.

- Jim bernstein was
the victim of a homicide.

♪ ♪

[dramatic music]

♪ ♪

- Eight months after

Bob samuels' brutal homicide
in los angeles,

His stepdaughter's boyfriend,
jim bernstein,

Is found murdered
50 miles away

In ventura county.

- The ventura
sheriff's department

Determined he lived
in los angeles,

Where he had
a criminal record.

So we contacted lapd,

And they told us that

James bernstein
is a possible suspect

In the bob samuels' homicide.

- When I heard that
bernstein's body was found,

I was really shocked.

- Now we have two homicides,
and from that point,

We sort of worked together,

Ventura county
and our detectives.

- And we decided to go to
james bernstein's apartment,

And when we searched
the apartment,

We found a telephone card.

- So a phone card that's found

Could just be
kind of a random find,

Or it could be a key
that turns a door

That opens up
the investigation.

- As they wait for records to
come back

On the phone card,
ventura deputies embark

On the difficult task
of notifying

Jim bernstein's family
about his murder.

And when they do,
they learn striking details

About jim's life.

- When we made james
bernstein's notification,

His brother said that
he knew that james

Was involved in
some drug dealing.

And he was afraid he was
either gonna be killed

Or arrested by the lapd.

- He told us that
jim bernstein's drug partner

That he was involved with
prior to his murder

Was a person named
dave navarro.

- And when investigators
reach out to navarro

To see what he knows
about the murder,

They get key answers
to unresolved questions.

- In contacting dave navarro,

We found out that he was
the anonymous informant

Who indicated that
james bernstein was involved

With the murder of bob samuels.

♪ ♪

- This is a revelation
for investigators

Because navarro
even tells police that,

In fact,
the person holding the gun

Isn't the only killer.

In this case, there's another
person that called the shots.

Her name is mary ellen samuels.

He knew mary ellen
through the relationship

Between jim bernstein
and nicole.

Navarro shares that
mary ellen attempted

To recruit him
as a potential assassin.

- But he said that
he couldn't kill him.

So mary ellen eventually
hired jim bernstein.

He said jim bernstein
was the hitman,

But mary ellen was behind
the murder of her husband.

- Detectives are stunned.

Despite passing a polygraph
and cooperating with police,

Was it possible that
mary ellen samuels,

Bob's wife of eight years,

May have been involved
after all?

- We had thought
bernstein killed bob

Because jim bernstein
was dating nicole

And believed that
bob had abused her.

- But dave navarro told us
that mary ellen was soliciting

People to kill her husband
because she wanted

The money she obtained
from the insurance

And the subway business.

And even though mary ellen
samuels took a polygraph,

And that polygraph
turned out truthful,

Sometimes these polygraphs
are not right.

So dave navarro's story
could be truthful.

- Two weeks after jim's body
was found in July 1989,

Police have serious questions
for mary ellen,

But she's still out of town.

- We called the hotel in cancún
and was able to substantiate

The fact that she was there,

But she didn't answer
the phone.

♪ ♪

- To detectives' relief,
just two days later,

She returns from cancún
with nicole.

- We you went to mary ellen's
house, knocked on the door,

And told her we were
investigating a homicide

Of james bernstein,
but she wouldn't--

Wouldn't talk to us at all.

And we tried
to interview nicole,

But she wouldn't talk to us

About james bernstein's
homicide

Or the accusation made
against bob.

- With only witness testimony
to back up their suspicions,

Detectives need
physical evidence

Connecting mary ellen
to jim bernstein.

- When we received
phone call records

A month later
from the phone card,

We determined that james
had called several people

On the night
of bob samuels' murder,

Mainly mary ellen samuels
and nicole.

- Since jim was dating nicole,

The call itself isn't
necessarily suspicious.

Still, detectives file
a court order

To get mary ellen's
financial records,

Hoping to find a smoking gun.

- They go back, and they look
at the payroll records

Of the sandwich shop
owned by the samuels,

And it's interesting.

There are a number of payments
made to jim bernstein.

- It looked like james
had been working part time

At the submarine shop,
but the payments to him

From mary ellen
could have been disguised

As payment for employment.

- Detectives have to wonder,
is this the way that

He was paid for his role
in the murder of bob?

- In looking at
the business records,

We also found that a check
by mary ellen samuels

Was given to a person named
anne hambly for $6,000,

Who was not one
of their employees.

[dramatic music]

- We needed to talk
to as many people as possible,

And it was learned that
anne hambly was a good friend

Of mary ellen samuels.

- And then, as police look
at phone records

During the final days
of jim bernstein's life,

Again, they see
the name of anne hambly.

The investigators want to know

Exactly what were these
conversations between

Jim bernstein and anne hambly?

- Now, in December 1989,

Detectives have
burning questions

That only anne can answer.

- We needed to find out
what she knew

About what was going on,

So we called anne hambly,

But she didn't want to talk
without her attorney.

- That tells us that maybe
we were in the right direction.

- And then anne says
she wants to help police,

But her attorney says

She's gonna need
some assurances.

- And it was agreed upon
that anne would get immunity

For her testimony
regarding the case.

The following day,
we met with anne hambly

And her lawyer in his office.

She sat down
and told us she knew

How bob samuels was killed,
who killed him,

And then how james bernstein
was killed and who killed him.

- That could be the nail
in the coffin.

♪ ♪

[dramatic music]

♪ ♪

- In late 1989,

Bob samuels' ex-wife,
mary ellen,

Is under suspicion
for his murder,

And her friend, anne hambly,

Sits down with
los angeles investigators

And tells them
she knows exactly

How bob and jim bernstein
were murdered.

- Mary ellen had told her
that she had hired

Nicole's boyfriend
to kill her husband.

♪ ♪

- Anne doesn't know
how jim killed bob,

But investigators use
the clues they've gathered

So far to piece together
what happened next.

- The night of the crime,
detectives are

Pretty confident that
jim might have been

Lying in wait for him,

Since the sliding glass door
was open,

And bob was laid low by a blow
to the back of the head...

♪ ♪

Shot at very close range.

[gunshot]

♪ ♪

- But then, according to anne,

A few days after bob's murder,

Mary ellen became
paranoid about jim bernstein,

The man she hired
to kill her husband.

- Mary ellen is
determined that

She can no longer trust that
he's gonna keep his mouth shut.

So she tells anne that
she will forgive a debt

That she owes her
if anne helps her.

She asks anne,
do you know anybody

That I could trust that can
help me kill jim bernstein?

♪ ♪

Anne says her boyfriend,
paul gaul.

And paul has an associate
named darrell who can help out.

- Then mary ellen samuels
gave anne hambly

A check for $6,000.

That was the payment
for the murder

Of james bernstein by paul gaul
and darrell edwards.

- So on January 26, 1990,

We went to mary ellen's house

To serve the search warrant

And the arrest warrant for her.

Her demeanor during the arrest

Was that she was in
total denial of anything.

♪ ♪

We looked around at different
places within the house.

We found money,

Copies of
the insurance policies.

- But then during the search,
a photo was found.

- It was a polaroid
photograph of her

Lying on a bed
covered in money.

♪ ♪

- And it was tens of thousands
of dollars

Spread over her body.

- When we saw that photograph,

We knew we had
a great piece of evidence.

- And that polaroid photo
was later determined

To be taken in cancún
when she was there.

So this apparently was
the money she obtained

From the insurance
and the murder of her husband.

So that callousness
really shows that

She was very evil in my mind.

- With the mastermind
in custody,

Detectives move on
to the trigger man

In jim bernstein's murder.

- On the same day,
paul gaul was arrested

For the murder
of james bernstein.

Darrell edwards was
arrested several days later

When he turned himself in.

- After that, paul gaul
and darrell edwards

Pled guilty
to second-degree murder

In exchange
for their testimony.

♪ ♪

Paul gaul and darrell edwards
said mary ellen hired them

To lure james bernstein
into going with them

To rip off a dope dealer
up in northern la county.

- At some point,
they stomped on the brakes,

Got out of the car,
pulled bernstein from the car.

Paul gaul held bernstein

While darrell edwards
was strangling bernstein.

♪ ♪

- And now with this crucial
testimony in hand,

Detectives approach
the only person left

Who may know something
about this crime:

Nicole samuels.

- James was dating nicole,

But we didn't know if he talked
to nicole about the murder.

We had an idea that maybe
she knew what was going on,

But we couldn't prove it,

And there was no proof found
whatsoever

That bob was molesting
nicole when she was younger.

We tried to interview nicole,

But she didn't want
to talk with us.

- And in may of 1994,

Mary ellen samuels' trial
for both murder plots begins.

- We never found the shotgun

That was used
to kill bob samuels,

But the circumstantial
evidence in the case

Was extremely strong.

We had the fact that she
collected the insurance money.

Anne hambly testified
to the fact that

Mary ellen was involved
in having her husband killed.

♪ ♪

And a polaroid photograph
of her lying on a bed,

Covered in money,
was extremely important

To show mary ellen did it
strictly for greed.

♪ ♪

- When I saw the picture
of her covered in money,

I was disgusted.

You just wonder about
people capable of that.

[somber music]

It's beyond comprehension
for me.

♪ ♪

- And finally,
mary ellen samuels

Faces justice
for her murderous plots.

- Mary ellen was convicted

And initially sentenced
to death.

And just within
the last few years,

It was commuted
to life without parole.

I was glad that
she was found guilty.

♪ ♪

- The saga was over,

But the family and friends
of bob samuels

Have to endure without him.

- Every time I watch a movie,
I'm reminded of bob.

♪ ♪

I wish I could tell bob that
I love him very, very much,

And I miss him so much,
and I wish he was still here.

♪ ♪