All language subtitles for A.U.S01E11.1080p.WEB.h264-CASUALTY_track3_[eng]

(dark brooding music)

(dramatic music)

- [Narrator] Three young
boys take a trip downtown all

by themselves for
the very first time.

- The boys say they're
going to see a movie,

but they wander
all over the place.

- [Narrator] Little

do they know their first
unsupervised outing

will also be their last.

The boys don't come
home that night,

and no one knows where they
could be until two days later

when their bodies
are discovered.

- They're naked and piled up
in the ditch like cordwood.

- [Narrator] It will
take almost 40 years

for investigators to
figure out what happened.

Will it be too late
for justice to prevail?

(tense music)

- The unsolved ones,
we have to stand up.

- And approach these cases
in a way outside the box.

- Let the world
know those out there

that did commit a
murder, you know,

there are people that
are coming after you.

- There's just a lot
of good people trying

to do the right thing.

- Because it's
something that you have

to be passionate about.
- Solve this.

Bring some peace to the family,
at least. Just doing my job.

(tense music)

(tense brooding music)

- [Narrator] On the night of
Sunday, October 16th, 1955,

Malcolm Peterson and
Anton Schuessler, Sr. go

to the Jefferson
Park Police Station

in Chicago to report
their sons missing.

- Sergeant George Murphy
is manning the front desk

when the two fathers come in.

They're quite upset,

but Sergeant Murphy does his
best to get all the facts.

- [Narrator] Earlier
that afternoon,

Robert Peterson, age 14,
John Schuessler, age 13,

and Anton Schuessler Jr, age 11,

leave their middle class homes
on Chicago's northwest side

and head downtown
to see a movie.

They don't come home.

- Even though the boys
haven't been gone long enough

to be considered missing,

Sergeant Murphy makes
a telephone call

to police headquarters to get
the hunt for the boys started.

- [Narrator] When the boys
don't turn up that night

or the next day, their parents
pray for their safe return.

On Tuesday, October 18th,

Mrs. Peterson goes
to two TV stations

to record messages
pleading for help

to find the missing boys.

They schedule the messages
to air that evening,

but before they do,

the Cook County Sheriff's
Office receives a call

that a gruesome
discovery has been made

in the Robinson Woods area

of the Cook County
Forest Preserves.

(tense music)

- When liquor salesman
Victor Livingston goes

to a wooded area west of
the city to eat his lunch,

something on the side of
the road catches his eye,

three bodies piled
on top of each other.

- [Narrator] He rushes
to a nearby tavern

to report what he's found.

(tense brooding music)

When they arrive on the scene,

investigators find the bodies
of three naked boys lying

on their backs in a
two-foot-deep ditch.

- They're smudged
with dirt and blood.

The oldest boy appears to
have been slashed 14 times

in the head with what appears

to be an ax or a hunting knife.

The other two boys have
been struck in the face

with what appears to be
the flat part of a knife.

- I don't think anyone
is ever prepared

to see a sight like that, three
kids dead dumped in a ditch.

The fact that they're naked
makes it much more shocking

and raises the question.

Is this a sex crime?
Many are convinced it is.

- [Narrator] In spite of
the more visible wounds,

marks on the victims'
bodies suggest their cause

of death to be strangulation.

- Marks on the victims'
necks suggest strangulation

by bare hands in the case
of the two youngest boys

and a cord or rope in
the case of the oldest.

They've been dead
since Sunday night.

- The coroner,
Walter E. McCarron,

theorizes about the dirt
and marks on the bodies.

- At first, the boys are bound
and gagged with adhesive tape

and held captive
in a filthy place.

Later, they're
dumped in the forest.

- [Narrator] McCarron
believes they're transported

to the fores in a
vehicle of some sort.

- Marks on the backs of Anton
and Robert suggests they

were lying on a rubber
mat in the rear of a car.

Anton's back also
exhibits burn marks,

which might be made from
dragging him across pavement.

- [Narrator] While
examining the three bodies,

investigators notice a
tire track on the ground.

They call a forensics
team to the crime scene.

- Investigators make a
plaster cast of a tire track

in the parking
area near the ditch

and send it to the crime
lab for comparison.

(tense music)

- Surprisingly, the examination
of the bodies shows no signs

of molestation,

which is contrary to what the
investigators were expecting.

- If it's not a sex
crime, what is it?

- [Narrator] Sadly,
for all confirmed,

the victims are identified
as Robert Peterson,

John Schuessler, and
Anton Schuessler Jr,

leaving their
families inconsolable.

At the morgue, Anton
Schuessler Sr. cries out

and collapses when
he sees his sons.

Malcolm Peterson sobs quietly

while identifying his
son's body and says,

"We were more like buddies
than father and son.

He was a good boy."

Robert Peterson is
the oldest child

of Malcolm and Dorothy Peterson.

He has three siblings.

His dad works as a carpenter,

and the family of six lives
comfortably in their home

on the northwest
side of Chicago.

Robert loves sports,
especially baseball.

He plays in the Pony League
in nearby Norwood Park.

Robert attends James B.
Farnsworth Elementary School

where he's in grade eight.

John and Anton Schuessler
Jr. are the only children

of Eleanor and
Anton Schuessler Sr.

They live in a
brand new bungalow

on the northwest
side of Chicago.

Anton Sr. loves his
sons more than anything.

He says, "They're my life."

Like their friend Robert,

they attend James B.
Farnsworth Elementary School

where John is in grade eight
and Anton is in grade six.

All three are good
students whose work

is described as
average or better.

On Sunday, October 16th,
1955, shortly before 3:00 PM,

John and Anton Schuessler bike

over to their friend
Robert's place,

which is about
seven blocks away.

- It's the first time their
parents are allowing them

to go into downtown
Chicago on their own,

and they're excited
to take in a movie.

- [Narrator] Chicago
is the largest city

in the American Midwest.

Founded in 1830,

it quickly grows into an
industrial metropolis.

By the 1950s, factory
jobs are leveling off,

and more and more people
are moving to the suburbs.

Still, downtown Chicago
has a lot to offer,

restaurants, movie
theaters, bowling alleys.

It's a vibrant and
exciting place to be,

especially for three kids
from the northwest side.

- The northwest side is a place
a lot of people call home.

A lot of families live there.

It's friendly, safe,
and community oriented.

- [Narrator] For many,

there's a general feeling
that Chicago in 1955

is a place where
the streets are safe

for children to
play and explore,

and the parents of John
and Anton Schuessler

and Robert Peterson
likely feel the same way.

(soft tense music)

- The three friends
leave the Peterson house

approximately 3:00 PM.

They have a total
of $4 between them,

which is enough to cover
the cost of a movie

at the Loop Theatre downtown.

- The film starts at 4:00 PM,

but investigators can't confirm

if the boys actually go there.

- Their first known stop
is at the Garland Building

at 111 Wabash Avenue,

which is only a four-minute
walk from the Loop Theatre.

Robert Peterson signs in
at 6:00 PM in the lobby.

It's possible he's there
to use the bathroom.

- [Narrator] Witnesses
placed the boys

at the Monte Cristo Bowling
Alley at West Montrose Avenue,

sometime between
7:15 and 7:45 PM.

- The witnesses described them

as wearing jeans and
baseball jackets.

One guy asks them if they're
going to bowl and they answer,

"Not unless you're
going to pay for it."

- [Narrator] The manager
of the Drake Bowling Lanes,

also on West Montrose Avenue,

remembers seeing the boys
at his place around 8:00 PM.

They don't bowl and they
only stay a few minutes.

They're also spotted
at Garden Bowling Alley

on North Milwaukee
Avenue at 8:40 PM.

- The bowling alleys are a
fair distance from the theater

and Garland building
eight or 10 miles away.

That's too far to walk.

So how are they getting
around without money?

- [Narrator] Several
witnesses report

seeing the boys hitchhiking.

One even remembers
giving them a ride.

- A bus driver remembers
dropping the boys off

on Lawrence Avenue at 8:52 PM.

They're later
spotted on the corner

of Lawrence and Milwaukee.

Anton is standing
with his thumb out

while the other two boys wait

in a doorway several feet away.

- [Narrator] Each witness seems

to place them closer to home.

Lawrence and Milwaukee
is only two miles

from Robert's house,
but unfortunately,

there are no more
sightings of Robert,

John, and Anton Jr. that night.

- Based on their
stomach contents,

they are killed between
9:30 and 10:00 PM.

- Their bodies are
most likely dumped

in the forest on
Tuesday morning,

tossed from a vehicle
like sacks of potatoes.

- [Narrator] Even the most
seasoned detectives agree

that this is a shocking crime.

- There's no clear
reason or motive.

Who would've done this
to three innocent boys?

- [Narrator] Coroner Walter
McCarron offers up two theories

about the killer.

- Is it the work of a
madman or possibly a gang

who abducted the kids for fun

and then became fearful
of getting caught?

- [Narrator] Either way, if
the murders of Robert, John,

and Anton are the result of
a random unmotivated attack,

they could prove
very hard to solve.

(dramatic music)

(dramatic music)

(tense brooding music)

On Sunday, October 16th,
1955, Robert Peterson,

John Schuessler, and Anton
Schuessler Jr. leave their homes

on the northwest
side to see a movie

at downtown Chicago's
Loop Theatre.

- It's the first time their
parents are allowing them

to go into downtown
Chicago on their own.

- [Narrator] The boys
don't come home that night

and seem to vanish without
a trace until their bodies

are found naked and
lifeless in a forest ditch.

- I don't think anyone
is ever prepared

to see a sight like that.

- [Narrator] Their
families are devastated.

Investigators believe
it's the work of a madman

or possibly a gang,

but the motive for the
killing remains unknown,

and there are no
obvious suspects.

(tense dramatic music)

On Wednesday,
October 19th, 1955,

investigators launch a massive
search involving 100 people,

50 of which are members
of the military.

- The plan is to
search the forest all

around where the three boys
were found looking for evidence.

- [Narrator] Anton
Schuessler Sr.

and Malcolm Peterson
take time off work

to help in a search for clues.

- The team gathers up a vast
array of possible clues,

things like a black
rubber mat from a car,

fragments of two pairs of
blue jeans, a leather glove,

a stained in torn t-shirt,
a piece of cotton underwear,

and a man's blood-stained coat.

- Other items sent
to the crime lab

include a 12-inch-long
piece of rope

and a length of wire
about a yard long.

- [Glen] None of these items
provide any definite leads.

- [Narrator] On
October 24th, 1955,

police commissioner
Timothy J. O'Connor

puts together a 50-person
unit to handle the case.

(phone rings)

On the same day, the first
possible suspect emerges.

- A 55-year-old man who
works in a candy store

near the Peterson home
walks out of his apartment,

dressed in his best
clothing, and vanishes.

He leaves behind all of his
belongings and his pet dog.

- [Narrator] To some,

this feels like more
than a coincidence.

Investigators spend
many hours trying

to track the
mysterious man down,

but he is nowhere to be found.

On October 26th, 1955,

police hold five male suspects
for further questioning

into the murder
of the three boys.

They give the five men
lie detector tests.

(tense music)

One of those five
men is a 33 year old

named Charles Dahlquist.

A married couple remembers
seeing him under a bridge

with Anton Schuessler
on July 15th

and are asked to pick him
out of a police lineup.

- They give Dahlquist
three lie detector tests,

all of which are inconclusive.

- [Narrator] With
no positive results

from the lie detector tests,

none of the five men are
implicated in the crime,

and they all are let go.

Investigators are also on the
hunt for a bushy-haired man

who Robert's father sees
talking with youngsters

in a pool hall the night
of Saturday, October 22nd.

- The suspect flees when Mr.
Peterson tries to question him.

(phone rings)

- [Narrator] The investigation
seems to finally heat up

when an old blue car
is found abandoned

on the southwest
side of Chicago.

(tense music)

- Witnesses recall
seeing a car like that

in the Robinson Woods
just a few hours

before the discovery
of the three bodies.

- Inside the abandoned car
are three pairs of blue jeans,

which are what the victims

were wearing the
night they disappear.

There is also a
white flannel shirt,

which might be a
match for Anton's.

- [Narrator] Investigators
send the clothing

to the lab for proper analysis.

Unfortunately, the Petersons
and the Schuesslers agree

that these clothes do not
belong to their children.

A month after the murders,
Anton Schuessler Sr. dies

of a heart attack while
receiving treatment

for depression brought on
by the death of his sons.

(soft tense music)
(camera clicks)

- Everyone who knew him
or knows the case seems

to agree he died
of a broken heart.

- [Narrator] Eleanor
Schuessler now grieves the loss

of her entire family
and faces economic ruin

as she's left without income

and a significant
mortgage to pay.

The "Chicago Tribune"
encourages readers

to send contributions.

With the case seemingly
at a standstill,

Mrs. Schuessler and the
Petersons allow the bodies

of their sons to be exhumed.

- There could be any number
of reasons to exhume a body,

new technologies,
new techniques,

or just a feeling that something

might've been missed
the first time.

In this case,

the main objective is to take
scrapings from the toenails

and fingernails to
find more traces

of the rare metal found
during the original autopsy.

A good enough sample could lead

to the plant or factory
where the killer works.

- [Narrator] The
exhumation pays off

when tiny grains of
that metal are revealed.

- The examiner also finds
traces of a powerful insecticide

and bone meal in the
wounds on Robert's scalp.

This could suggest the
weapon is something

like a handheld gardening rake.

The strangest revelation
is the evidence

of hay in the boys' lungs.

- [Narrator] How these things
go together is unclear,

but an intensive search of
metalworking establishments,

as well as golf courses,
greenhouses, florist shops,

and parks within
a 400-square-mile
area yields nothing.

- These things could be found

in a fertilizer used by
any private homeowner.

- [Narrator] None of it
leads to a viable suspect.

The case goes cold.

(dramatic music)

(dramatic music)

The naked lifeless bodies
of Robert Peterson,

John Schuessler, and
Anton Schuessler Jr.

are found in a forest ditch
on the outskirts of Chicago.

- I don't think anyone
is ever prepared

to see a sight like that.

- [Narrator] Their
families are devastated.

Months of investigation
by a task force

that includes 50
people yield many clues

but no solid leads or suspects.

The grieving families give
permission for the bodies

to be exhumed and examined
for further evidence.

- There could be any number
of reasons to exhume a body,

new technologies,
new techniques,

or just a feeling that something

might've been missed
the first time.

In this case,

the main objective is to take
scrapings from the toenails

and fingernails to
find more traces

of the rare metal found
during the original autopsy.

A good enough sample could lead

to the plant or factory
where the killer works.

- [Narrator] They find traces
of rare metal, pesticide,

bone meal, and hay
in the boys' lungs.

None of it leads to a viable
suspect. The case goes cold.

It's now one year
after the murders,

and investigators
are disappointed

that they still
have no solid leads.

(soft tense music)

The special investigative
unit welcomes a new leader,

Lieutenant Joseph Morris,
the third to hold the reins

since the investigation began.

- He is determined
to solve the case.

He says, "It may
take a month, a year,

five years, but it
will be solved."

- [Narrator] In the meantime,

all the stress and pressure
is taking its toll.

While working on the case,

three members of the
special investigative unit

suffer heart attacks.

- Stress can cause
serious health problems,

including heart attacks.

- [Narrator] The three
officers all recover

but are reassigned to
other less stressful cases.

(tense music)

It's now two years
since the murders,

and investigators are still
striving to get justice

for the families and
their murdered sons.

The Petersons hold a night
of devotion in their home.

Eleanor Schuessler has remarried
and is now Eleanor Kujawa.

She still grieves for her sons.

She says, "I'm always
hoping they find who did it.

That's one of the
things I live for."

- But the hopes seem to get
slimmer as the time passes.

- [Narrator] Three years
later, since the murders,

there have been no
significant developments.

The Crime Detection Institute
is a civic group in Chicago.

The Crime Detection Institute
has been offering a $100,00

for any information that
can lead them to the killer.

Today they announced they're
withdrawing that reward.

The reason, they say
that the crimes appear

now to be insoluble.

In 1960, a ray of
hope breaks through.

While digging through old files,

detectives noticed
something intriguing

from the days leading
up to the murders.

- On October 8th,
1955, Robert and John,

like everyone else in their
class, fill out a questionnaire.

Among the many questions
is the usual one.

Do you know anybody who
is trying to hurt you?

- [Narrator] Stranger
than the question itself

are the answers that
Robert and John give.

They both say yes.

- John and Robert are the
only kids in their class

who answer yes to that question,

and eight days
later, they're dead.

That's an unbelievable
coincidence.

(tense dramatic music)

- [Narrator] The
school informs police

about the unusual yes answers,

and investigators
attempt to question all

of John and Robert's classmates.

- The issue with questioning
13 and 14 year olds

is that their parents must
be present in the room.

Teenagers don't always want
to tell the whole truth

in front of their parents.

Some parents might even advise
them not to get involved.

- [Narrator] Investigators
question 50 students,

but no useful
information is collected.

- Now, five years later,
all those kids are adults.

They might be more
willing to talk.

- [Narrator] The hunch pays
off as many former classmates

recall Robert and John
being afraid of someone.

Detectives are convinced that
those boys knew their killer

or killers and,
more importantly,

that the killer is still on
the northwest side of Chicago.

- Five years is a long time to
keep an investigation alive,

but thanks to the
new information,

the mystery of who
killed Robert Peterson

and John and Anton Schuessler

could finally be on the
verge of being solved.

(dramatic music)

(dramatic music)

(tense music)

- [Narrator] For five years,

there have been no serious
suspects in the murders

of Robert Peterson, age 14,
John Schuessler, age 13,

and Anton Schuessler Jr, age 11.

Police believe that
the two oldest boys

may know they're killer.
- On October 8th, 1955,

Robert and John fill
out a questionnaire.

Among the many questions
is the usual one.

Do you know anybody who
is trying to hurt you?

- [Narrator] Stranger
than the question itself

are the answers that
Robert and John give.

They both say yes.

- John and Robert are the
only kids in their class

who answer yes to that question.

They question 50 former
classmates and friends

in the hope of
figuring out who it is.

- [Narrator] Unfortunately,

after weeks and months
of further investigation,

all new leads come to nothing.

In 1966, Sergeant George Murphy,

the officer at the front desk

when the boys were
reported missing,

the one who takes the call

that gets the entire
investigation started,

retires after 37
years on the force.

Again, the case
files gather dust,

but while working on
another murder case,

that of wealthy stable
owner George Jayne,

state police officer
Lieutenant David Hamm goes

through a box of reports.

- The box is full
of detailed reports

on prime suspect Silas Jayne,

who is George's brother
and his associates,

one of whom is a guy
named Kenneth Hansen.

- [Narrator] Kenneth Hansen
works for Silas Jayne

at Idle Hours Stables,

and the two are reputed to
have a very close relationship.

- The weird thing is that,

amongst all the reports
about Silas Jayne,

there are a few that
reference the 1955 murders

of Robert Peterson,
John Schuessler,

and Anton Schuessler Jr.

- [Narrator] Why they're
in there isn't clear,

but after carefully
reading all of the reports,

Lieutenant Hamm
starts to suspect

that the Idle Hours Stables
is where the boys were killed.

On February 8th, 1971,

Lieutenant Hamm brings in
Kenneth Hansen for questioning.

Kenneth refuses to talk
about George Jayne,

so Lieutenant Hamm
takes another approach.

- He asks Kenneth about himself,

his time in the Army
and his experience

in the horse business.

Surprisingly, Kenneth
opens up and talks.

- [Narrator] He
learns that Kenneth

is from the Chicago's
northwest side

and that he has a long history
of working with horses,

including at Idle
Hours Stables in 1955.

- Kenneth has no idea
that Lieutenant Hamm

is interested in the
murders of the three boys.

He thinks it's all about
the George Jayne murder.

He talks openly about
everything except George Jayne.

- [Narrator] Police think
there is a connection

to the George Jayne murder case.

Playing a game of cat and mouse,

Lieutenant Hamm is careful
not to tip his hand

as he gathers as much
information as he can

that could connect Kenneth to
the murders of the three boys.

- He does the good
job, but unfortunately,

there's not enough
to prove anything.

- [Narrator] Ultimately,

Silas Jayne and a
couple of other men

are convicted of the
murder of George Jayne,

which is said to have
been the culmination

of a bitter feud
between the two brothers

over competing interests
in the show horse industry.

All charges against
Kenneth Hansen are dropped.

As for the murders of
the three kids in 1955,

Lieutenant Hamm packs the box
up, puts it back in storage,

and the case goes cold again.

On April 9th, 1976,
Captain Patrick J. Deeley,

head of the investigation
until his retirement in 1970,

dies at 69.

10 years later and
more than 30 years

after the murders
of her only sons,

Eleanor Schuessler Kujawa dies

and is buried beside them
in a River Grove cemetery.

While investigating a
series of barn burnings

and horse killings believed to
be part of an insurance scam,

agents from the Bureau of
Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms,

and Explosives talk
to an informant

named William Red Wemette.

Red isn't much help until
he unexpectedly tells them

that Kenneth Hansen
murdered Robert Peterson,

John Schuessler, and
Anton Schuessler Jr.

- Anyone who deals
with informants

can tell you they don't
always tell the whole truth.

- [Narrator] According to Red,

after being in an intimate
relationship in the 1960s,

Kenneth tells him
about the murders

during an afternoon
of drinking in 1968.

(dramatic music)

- He says he's having
sex with one boy

when Robert Peterson
confronts him

and threatens to
tell his parents.

Fearing exposure, he kills them.

- [Narrator] Red goes on to say

that he's not the only
one to hear that story.

- Red seems reliable because
he's helped them before,

but investigators need
more details about this.

- [Narrator] In 1968,

Kenneth has another young
lover named Roger Spry,

and Roger knows all about it.

Coincidentally, Roger Spry's
name has already come up

during their investigation,

and they suspect him of
burning a barn in 1970.

- The only problem is that no
one knows where Roger is now.

However, there's no statute
of limitations on arson,

so they issue a warrant
for his arrest and wait.

(tense dramatic music)

- [Narrator] In
the summer of 1993,

Roger Spry is arrested in
a tavern brawl in Arizona

and charged with
disorderly conduct.

Investigators fly out to
Arizona to question him

about Kenneth Hansen
and the murder

of the three boys in 1955.

Roger confirms everything.

When asked about the
barn arson in 1970,

Roger admits that he did
it for Kenneth Hansen.

As the investigation
begins to close in on him,

Kenneth Hansen begins
to get nervous.

- He actually asks his neighbor

if police are
watching his house.

Not a very normal thing to do.

He packs a suitcase and
prepares to leave town.

- [Narrator] Investigators
need to decide

if they have enough evidence
to prove Kenneth Hansen

is guilty of a crime that took
place almost 40 years ago.

If they don't, the murders
could remain unsolved forever.

(dramatic music)

(dramatic music)

(tense dramatic music)

Police believe
that Kenneth Hansen

is the man who killed
Robert Peterson,

John Schuessler, and Anton
Schuessler, Jr. in 1955.

A trusted informant describes
Kenneth Hansen's confession

to the murders.

- He says he's having
sex with one boy

when Robert Peterson
confronts him

and threatens to
tell his parents.

Fearing exposure, he kills them.

- [Narrator] Red goes
on to say that he's

not the only one
to hear that story.

In 1968, Kenneth has another
young lover named Roger Spry,

and Roger knows all about it.

Coincidentally,
Roger Spry's name

has already come up during
their investigation.

In the summer of 1993,

Roger Spry is arrested in
a tavern brawl in Arizona.

Investigators fly
out to question him
about Kenneth Hansen

and the murder of the
three boys in 1955.

Roger confirms everything.

When asked about the
barn arson in 1970,

Roger admits that he did
it for Kenneth Hansen.

(tense dramatic music)

Police arrest 61-year-old
Kenneth Hansen

and charge him with arson
for burning a stable in 1970.

(phone rings)

The arrest triggers phone
calls from people claiming

that Hansen picked them
up while hitchhiking

and molested them.

The details sound all
too plausible in relation

to what happened to
the three boys in 1955.

(tense music)

Hansen says he fantasizes
about young boys.

- During questioning, he
admits that he's had sex

with as many as 1,000
boys since the 1950s.

- [Narrator] Investigators
theorize that,

on the night of
October 16th, 1955,

Kenneth sees the three
boys and pulls over.

He calls them over to his car.

He asks the boys
where they are headed.

Kenneth offers a ride.

- Kenneth lives nearby
in the 5000 block

of North Claremont
Avenue, so it makes sense,

and he freely admits
to regularly picking
up boys for sex.

- [Narrator] This wasn't the
boys' first time hitchhiking,

so they agreed.

After entering the car, the
boys were never seen again.

With the three boys
now in the car,

he drives them to the
Idle Hours Stable.

(dramatic music)

- He tries to pay the
boys to perform a sex act,

but when they refuse, he becomes
violent and murders them.

- [Narrator] Police
place Hansen under arrest

for the murders.

In early September 1995, the
trial of Kenneth Hansen begins.

- The prosecution paints
a picture of a man

who has sex with a
lot of young boys.

- [Narrator] Roger
Spry is a star witness.

- He meets Hansen when he's 11,

and Hansen offers
him a place to stay

in exchange for work.

While living with Hansen
his wife and two children,

Roger is molested by Hansen.

This continues for seven years.

- [Narrator] When Roger is 15,

Hansen gets drunk and
describes the events

at the Idle Hours Stable on the
night of October 16th, 1955.

- Hansen's fantasy,
according to Roger,

is to have sex with
two boys at once.

He sends Robert away
to brush the horses

so he can be alone with
the two younger boys.

He begins molesting
John and Anton Jr,

but Robert unexpectedly returns
and catches him in the act.

Kenneth grabs Robert
Peterson in a choke hold

and says he accidentally
chokes him to death.

Stating he had no choice but
to kill the other two kids,

he murders them as well.

- [Narrator] Roger testifies
that Hansen referred

to the incident one more time.

- Hansen catches Roger
pickpocketing some money

that should go to the
stable, so he says,

"Roger, you keep it
up and you're going

to end up just like
that Peterson kid."

- [Narrator] The prosecution
calls another powerful witness,

Herb Hollatz, one
of the many people

to contact police when
Hansen is first arrested.

- Herb Hollatz is the son
of a Chicago police officer.

He testifies that he's been
keeping Hansen's secret

for 40 years.

- [Narrator] Herb
says he's known

about Kenneth killing those boys

since one week
after the murders.

- The reason he keeps
quiet is that he

is having a homosexual
relationship with Hansen,

and he doesn't want his father
or anyone else to find out.

- A hard-nosed cop in 1955
might not take that news well.

- [Narrator] But there's
another more compelling reason

for young Herb to keep quiet.

- Hansen makes Herb swear
that he won't tell anyone

or his brother will kill him.

- Kenneth's brother is a
known enforcer for the mob.

That scares Herb badly.
- A few months later,

Herb moves to Arizona
and tries to forget.

When he sees news
of Hansen's arrest,

he calls his
daughter to confess.

- It's Herb's daughter
who informs the police.

- Herb is so scared of
Kenneth's brother that,

even after all these years,

he refuses to testify
against Kenneth

unless authorities prove to him

that Kenneth's brother is dead.

(tense music)

- [Narrator] On
September 13th, 1995,

after an hour and 40
minutes of deliberation,

the jury finds
Kenneth Hansen guilty

of three counts of
first degree murder.

He's sentenced to
concurrent prison terms

between 200 and 300 years.

On May 18th, 2000,

the Illinois Appellate Court
overturns the 1995 conviction.

- They determined that the jury

should not have heard evidence

that Hansen cruised the
streets picking up boys

for sexual relations.
- On August 12th, 2002,

the retrial of
Kenneth Hansen begins.

- The defense does their
best, but, once again,

Hansen is found guilty and
sentenced to 200 to 300 years.

- [Narrator] Hansen tries
to appeal one more time

in 2004 but is denied.

- There's a sense of relief
to finally bring justice

and closure to the
families of the victims.

Unfortunately, many of them
did not live to see it,

but it's important
for those who did.

- Sadly, I think this case
changed our world a little bit

or at least our
perception of it.

We used to think that the
streets were safe for children

and that truly horrible
things cannot happen

to good kids from good homes.

Now we know that isn't true.

- The truth is that this
case was almost unsolved.

If it wasn't for the hard
work and perseverance

of the many investigators,
it might still be.

- [Narrator] On
September 12th, 2007,

Kenneth Hansen dies in
a correctional center

in Pontiac, Illinois,

a small consolation to the
families that were so devastated

in the murders of Robert,
John, and Anton Jr.

(dramatic music)