1 00:00:03,780 --> 00:00:05,170 - Harlan, over here! 2 00:00:05,300 --> 00:00:07,220 - Ladies and gentlemen, Harlan Coben. 3 00:00:09,310 --> 00:00:10,740 - He's the greatest thriller writer. 4 00:00:10,830 --> 00:00:13,620 - Oh. 5 00:00:13,700 --> 00:00:16,230 - Coben's written over 30 New York Times Best Sellers. 6 00:00:16,360 --> 00:00:18,930 - With over a dozen hit TV shows and movies. 7 00:00:21,710 --> 00:00:23,710 - In all our stories, the same question: 8 00:00:23,800 --> 00:00:26,500 What made the killer cross that line? 9 00:00:38,730 --> 00:00:40,950 - I'm Harlan Coben. 10 00:00:41,040 --> 00:00:42,950 It's that fringe of human behavior 11 00:00:43,040 --> 00:00:45,260 that makes for a great crime story. 12 00:00:45,340 --> 00:00:47,560 I'm always looking for inspiration, 13 00:00:47,650 --> 00:00:50,480 but it takes a really special story to get my attention. 14 00:00:50,570 --> 00:00:52,830 Like, one day I got a message about the murder 15 00:00:52,960 --> 00:00:56,010 of a woman who owned a beloved ice cream shop. 16 00:00:56,090 --> 00:00:58,580 This was not an idea for a novel however. 17 00:00:58,660 --> 00:01:00,490 This was a true crime. 18 00:01:00,580 --> 00:01:02,880 But from the moment I started looking into it, 19 00:01:02,970 --> 00:01:05,360 from the moment I saw the strange list of suspects, 20 00:01:05,410 --> 00:01:07,850 something seemed off-- 21 00:01:07,930 --> 00:01:09,800 very off. 22 00:01:09,930 --> 00:01:12,420 I needed to figure it out. 23 00:01:12,500 --> 00:01:15,200 And that's where our mystery begins. 24 00:01:18,460 --> 00:01:21,080 - People believe what they want to believe. 25 00:01:21,160 --> 00:01:24,080 They don't like to know the truth. 26 00:01:24,170 --> 00:01:27,300 - Every day I miss Anna Mae. 27 00:01:27,390 --> 00:01:30,090 She was unforgettable. 28 00:01:30,170 --> 00:01:32,650 No one deserved to die like she did. 29 00:01:34,260 --> 00:01:38,270 - What kind of darkness could do this? 30 00:01:39,830 --> 00:01:41,050 It's just so evil. 31 00:01:42,750 --> 00:01:45,750 - We could see claw marks on the white freezer. 32 00:01:45,840 --> 00:01:47,840 Anna Mae was still fighting to the end. 33 00:01:47,930 --> 00:01:50,320 Her skull was busted over. There was brain matter. 34 00:01:50,410 --> 00:01:52,850 - She let the wolf into the sheep den. 35 00:01:52,890 --> 00:01:54,020 - She felt comfortable enough with him 36 00:01:54,110 --> 00:01:55,280 that she turned her back on him. 37 00:01:55,370 --> 00:01:56,630 Somebody within the inner circle, 38 00:01:56,720 --> 00:01:57,810 so to speak. 39 00:01:57,900 --> 00:01:59,420 - Everybody had to be called in. 40 00:01:59,550 --> 00:02:00,680 - Everyone was a suspect. 41 00:02:00,810 --> 00:02:03,380 - Who would want her dead? 42 00:02:03,470 --> 00:02:05,990 - We're gonna find your killer, Anna Mae. 43 00:02:06,120 --> 00:02:08,080 We're gonna get him. 44 00:02:10,170 --> 00:02:12,210 - A crime happened here. 45 00:02:12,340 --> 00:02:15,170 The past isn't what it seemed. 46 00:02:15,260 --> 00:02:18,310 The story told turns out to be deception. 47 00:02:18,350 --> 00:02:20,090 And just when you're sure have the answer... 48 00:02:20,140 --> 00:02:23,530 - 911, what is the address of your emergency? 49 00:02:23,620 --> 00:02:25,050 Hello? Anyone there? 50 00:02:25,140 --> 00:02:28,270 - There's one final twist. 51 00:02:36,500 --> 00:02:39,420 - Anna Mae was a leader in the community. 52 00:02:39,500 --> 00:02:42,290 When she walked into a room, she lit up that room, 53 00:02:42,420 --> 00:02:44,460 and she was the center of everything. 54 00:02:44,550 --> 00:02:47,380 Back in the day, she owned the ice cream shop. 55 00:02:47,470 --> 00:02:50,640 And it's amazing that that one little shop 56 00:02:50,730 --> 00:02:53,860 could become a multi-million-dollar business, 57 00:02:53,910 --> 00:02:56,130 but that's what happened. 58 00:02:56,170 --> 00:02:59,040 - I started working there when I turned 16. 59 00:02:59,170 --> 00:03:01,390 We looked up to Ms. Ann 60 00:03:01,480 --> 00:03:04,140 because she dressed impeccably. 61 00:03:04,220 --> 00:03:06,270 Her hair was always perfect. 62 00:03:06,360 --> 00:03:09,180 Her makeup was always perfect. 63 00:03:09,270 --> 00:03:12,190 And she could do a catwalk any day. 64 00:03:12,270 --> 00:03:14,060 She was the queen of the queen. 65 00:03:16,540 --> 00:03:18,320 - She didn't have any children, 66 00:03:18,410 --> 00:03:23,330 so I suppose she found joy in getting close to her nephews. 67 00:03:23,420 --> 00:03:26,770 Maybe she saw us as, you know, her children. 68 00:03:26,900 --> 00:03:29,640 - Anna Mae embraced her nieces and nephews. 69 00:03:29,730 --> 00:03:32,860 Everyone was very loving and very tight-knit. 70 00:03:32,990 --> 00:03:34,430 She was the rock, 71 00:03:34,510 --> 00:03:36,820 the center foundation for our family. 72 00:03:38,950 --> 00:03:41,960 - We'd get together at her house very often 73 00:03:42,090 --> 00:03:45,440 and have these wonderful meals together, a lot of laughter. 74 00:03:45,520 --> 00:03:47,920 She was someone that everyone in the family 75 00:03:48,050 --> 00:03:51,530 admired and looked up to. 76 00:03:51,620 --> 00:03:55,750 - Everybody in the police department loved Ms. Ann. 77 00:03:55,800 --> 00:03:58,490 She was a widow and lived by herself, 78 00:03:58,580 --> 00:04:02,150 so we would go by once a day and check on her 79 00:04:02,240 --> 00:04:04,110 because she would set her home alarm off. 80 00:04:05,330 --> 00:04:08,370 But that day was different. 81 00:04:36,920 --> 00:04:41,580 - Her jacket was draped over a chair in her dining room 82 00:04:41,620 --> 00:04:44,060 and her purse was on the back of the chair. 83 00:04:44,150 --> 00:04:46,720 No broken windows. 84 00:04:46,800 --> 00:04:48,760 There was nothing disturbed in the house. 85 00:04:53,640 --> 00:04:57,680 - Coming down to the basement at the bottom of the steps, 86 00:04:57,770 --> 00:04:59,290 I saw her body. 87 00:05:08,390 --> 00:05:10,700 - It's like the world stopped. 88 00:05:10,780 --> 00:05:13,220 Disbelief. 89 00:05:13,310 --> 00:05:18,050 The back of her skull had, uh, significant damage. 90 00:05:18,140 --> 00:05:21,880 - The immediate impression I had was overkill. 91 00:05:22,010 --> 00:05:25,760 She had been stabbed approximately 97 times-- 92 00:05:25,840 --> 00:05:27,840 to her head to her forearms 93 00:05:27,890 --> 00:05:29,630 to the back of her neck, 94 00:05:29,670 --> 00:05:32,070 defense wounds to the side of the face, 95 00:05:32,150 --> 00:05:34,110 and what ended up being seven 96 00:05:34,200 --> 00:05:36,640 blunt force traumas to the head. 97 00:05:36,720 --> 00:05:39,810 - To know that Ms. Branson was very particular 98 00:05:39,900 --> 00:05:43,290 about her appearance, it was disturbing 99 00:05:43,380 --> 00:05:45,640 to see her in that condition. 100 00:05:45,780 --> 00:05:49,470 - We could see claw marks on the white freezer. 101 00:05:49,560 --> 00:05:52,220 Anna Mae was still fighting to the end. 102 00:05:52,300 --> 00:05:53,910 - She had a three-carat diamond 103 00:05:54,040 --> 00:05:56,700 that was still on her finger. 104 00:05:56,790 --> 00:05:59,140 We found jewelry upstairs. 105 00:06:01,310 --> 00:06:03,710 - It didn't appear to be just a robbery. 106 00:06:03,840 --> 00:06:06,750 - There was no sign of forced entry. 107 00:06:06,840 --> 00:06:10,450 I thought this had to be a crime of passion, 108 00:06:10,540 --> 00:06:12,280 someone that knew her very well 109 00:06:12,410 --> 00:06:15,150 that she would allow to be that far 110 00:06:15,240 --> 00:06:17,070 into the sanctity of her home. 111 00:06:19,640 --> 00:06:21,810 - Fox 7 spoke with the victim's family. 112 00:06:21,900 --> 00:06:24,420 They say Branson was a well-known, caring, 113 00:06:24,510 --> 00:06:26,900 and trusting person, something they feel 114 00:06:27,030 --> 00:06:29,300 most likely led to her death. 115 00:06:32,390 --> 00:06:34,520 - I was in shock. 116 00:06:34,610 --> 00:06:36,700 I just couldn't understand why anybody would want to harm her. 117 00:06:39,220 --> 00:06:41,440 - What kind of human being 118 00:06:41,480 --> 00:06:45,180 could do that to an 85-year-old, 119 00:06:45,270 --> 00:06:49,710 5'3", probably 115-pound lady? 120 00:06:51,490 --> 00:06:54,280 - It was horrific. 121 00:06:54,370 --> 00:06:57,240 And we had no idea what the motive was. 122 00:06:57,280 --> 00:07:00,200 - Everybody knew Ms. Ann. 123 00:07:00,280 --> 00:07:02,240 She had over 40 rental properties 124 00:07:02,330 --> 00:07:03,460 at the time of her passing. 125 00:07:03,550 --> 00:07:06,510 And I spoke to all of her renters, 126 00:07:06,640 --> 00:07:09,210 but her cleaning lady, Judy Harvey, 127 00:07:09,290 --> 00:07:11,340 had a lot to say. 128 00:07:41,630 --> 00:07:44,200 - A few weeks before she was killed, 129 00:07:44,330 --> 00:07:49,640 Anna Mae said, my crazy renter Robert Prince, 130 00:07:49,770 --> 00:07:51,940 he calls me, wakes me up in the middle of the night 131 00:07:52,030 --> 00:07:55,380 to come over and chase the ghost out of his attic. 132 00:07:55,510 --> 00:07:57,340 She was unsettled by him. 133 00:08:40,250 --> 00:08:41,210 - We're looking around at each other, 134 00:08:41,300 --> 00:08:43,260 going, you know, prior homicide? 135 00:08:43,300 --> 00:08:46,520 - Once we heard that, Robert Prince 136 00:08:46,650 --> 00:08:48,610 went right to the top of the list. 137 00:08:48,700 --> 00:08:50,260 - We could tell that he was emotionally 138 00:08:50,390 --> 00:08:51,700 set on a hair trigger. 139 00:08:56,970 --> 00:08:59,800 - When you hear a whisper, you chase the lead. 140 00:08:59,930 --> 00:09:01,970 But what if the real story, the one that makes 141 00:09:02,100 --> 00:09:05,540 your blood run cold, isn't in the whisper? 142 00:09:05,670 --> 00:09:08,670 It's in the one who does the whispering. 143 00:09:13,810 --> 00:09:18,420 - Robert Prince, who Anna Mae called her crazy renter, 144 00:09:18,550 --> 00:09:21,690 we got to see his agitation firsthand. 145 00:09:21,770 --> 00:09:23,120 You could tell that he was emotionally 146 00:09:23,210 --> 00:09:26,080 set on a hair trigger. 147 00:09:26,170 --> 00:09:28,350 - He would have had access to Ms. Branson 148 00:09:28,430 --> 00:09:32,040 at the back door, and his physical size 149 00:09:32,090 --> 00:09:34,570 would have made him very capable of committing 150 00:09:34,700 --> 00:09:37,140 that level of violence. 151 00:09:37,220 --> 00:09:38,700 Except for one important detail. 152 00:09:42,320 --> 00:09:44,230 - Did you? - Yes. 153 00:09:44,320 --> 00:09:46,060 - Um-- 154 00:09:46,150 --> 00:09:48,630 - He had staples and stitches up his forearm. 155 00:09:48,760 --> 00:09:51,370 And I remember thinking, it would be hard 156 00:09:51,460 --> 00:09:53,680 for Robert Prince to be able to inflict 157 00:09:53,810 --> 00:09:56,070 that much damage without tearing the stitches 158 00:09:56,200 --> 00:09:57,720 or pulling a staple out of his arm. 159 00:09:57,850 --> 00:10:00,680 - We did verify with his doctor that if he had committed 160 00:10:00,770 --> 00:10:03,290 the crime, that those stitches 161 00:10:03,380 --> 00:10:06,040 and the staples would have been ripped out. 162 00:10:07,950 --> 00:10:11,080 - Clearing a suspect doesn't mean starting over. 163 00:10:11,210 --> 00:10:12,650 It means you've been handed a map 164 00:10:12,780 --> 00:10:15,130 written in disappearing ink. 165 00:10:15,220 --> 00:10:18,740 The truth is behind you, hidden in the lie 166 00:10:18,870 --> 00:10:21,620 that brought you to this dead end. 167 00:10:24,920 --> 00:10:28,490 - Judy Harvey was wrong about Robert Prince. 168 00:10:28,580 --> 00:10:30,150 But along with Prince, 169 00:10:30,230 --> 00:10:33,500 Judy also offered us Anna Mae's handyman, 170 00:10:33,580 --> 00:10:35,330 Wayne Shelton, as a potential suspect 171 00:10:35,410 --> 00:10:37,280 in this case. 172 00:11:11,230 --> 00:11:14,490 - My dad had worked for Anna Mae around ten years. 173 00:11:14,630 --> 00:11:17,630 He considered them friends. 174 00:11:17,720 --> 00:11:21,680 He was there at her house multiple times a week. 175 00:11:21,760 --> 00:11:22,890 And he knew that he had no great alibi. 176 00:11:23,030 --> 00:11:24,810 He lived alone. He lived in the country. 177 00:11:42,170 --> 00:11:45,440 - In the past, he had had some run-ins with the law, 178 00:11:45,530 --> 00:11:48,270 bar fights and DUIs. 179 00:11:48,350 --> 00:11:50,360 But he looked them straight in the eye and he said, 180 00:11:50,400 --> 00:11:51,490 it could have been me, 181 00:11:51,620 --> 00:11:53,710 but it wasn't. 182 00:11:53,800 --> 00:11:55,450 - It was determined that Clyde Wayne Shelton 183 00:11:55,540 --> 00:11:57,710 had a heart condition. 184 00:11:57,800 --> 00:11:59,890 - We spoke with his doctor, who said that 185 00:11:59,980 --> 00:12:04,370 if Mr. Shelton had inflicted those wounds upon Ms. Branson, 186 00:12:04,410 --> 00:12:06,810 he would have had a heart attack. 187 00:12:06,850 --> 00:12:08,900 - Ultimately, it was pretty apparent 188 00:12:08,980 --> 00:12:11,770 Judy just did not like Wayne. 189 00:12:11,860 --> 00:12:13,250 The two of them didn't get along. 190 00:12:13,340 --> 00:12:16,950 - I asked him, you know, what is Judy's issue with you 191 00:12:17,040 --> 00:12:20,170 that she would bring you up as the suspect? 192 00:12:20,260 --> 00:12:22,520 - We discovered that the real reason why Wayne Shelton 193 00:12:22,610 --> 00:12:25,170 and Robert Prince were eliminated 194 00:12:25,260 --> 00:12:29,050 as a suspect in this case is because the investigative team 195 00:12:29,180 --> 00:12:33,270 realized that Judy Harvey was giving us false information. 196 00:12:33,400 --> 00:12:36,580 She was creating perpetrators and leads for us to run down 197 00:12:36,660 --> 00:12:38,750 and creating smoke. 198 00:12:38,840 --> 00:12:41,150 We seriously considered bringing charges against 199 00:12:41,230 --> 00:12:43,800 Judy Harvey for interfering with an investigation, 200 00:12:43,890 --> 00:12:45,020 but we couldn't find enough evidence 201 00:12:45,110 --> 00:12:46,670 to follow through with it. 202 00:13:00,510 --> 00:13:02,910 - There's a fine line between helping 203 00:13:02,990 --> 00:13:05,690 and wanting to be seen helping. 204 00:13:05,780 --> 00:13:10,650 When that line is crossed, the truth pays the price. 205 00:13:12,480 --> 00:13:14,610 - There was intentional misdirection 206 00:13:14,700 --> 00:13:16,700 involving my dad, 207 00:13:16,790 --> 00:13:19,580 and I will forever believe 208 00:13:19,660 --> 00:13:22,800 that the reason he died three months later 209 00:13:22,880 --> 00:13:27,500 was because of being cast as a prime suspect 210 00:13:27,580 --> 00:13:29,190 in this investigation. 211 00:13:30,370 --> 00:13:33,020 I feel for Ann's family, 212 00:13:33,110 --> 00:13:36,030 that they lost her in such a tragic way. 213 00:13:37,640 --> 00:13:41,080 But I feel for ours as well, 214 00:13:41,160 --> 00:13:43,690 because I think he had years left. 215 00:13:45,990 --> 00:13:49,130 And I think that the situation 216 00:13:49,210 --> 00:13:52,090 took those years from him, 217 00:13:52,170 --> 00:13:55,350 and it took those years from me. 218 00:13:59,140 --> 00:14:03,050 - With Judy, something was just not right. 219 00:14:03,140 --> 00:14:06,190 You could tell that she was up to something. 220 00:14:06,280 --> 00:14:10,930 - Judy Harvey was working to derail our investigation. 221 00:14:11,060 --> 00:14:13,460 She was still employed by Anna Mae's family, 222 00:14:13,540 --> 00:14:16,200 and we strongly suspected she was being paid 223 00:14:16,290 --> 00:14:19,200 to divert our attention from the real killer. 224 00:14:19,290 --> 00:14:21,030 - And that was the turning point. 225 00:14:29,120 --> 00:14:32,690 - Sometimes it's not the town that holds the darkest secrets. 226 00:14:32,820 --> 00:14:36,260 It's the family photo on the mantle, 227 00:14:36,350 --> 00:14:40,220 the loved ones who smiled at us across the holiday table, 228 00:14:40,350 --> 00:14:42,750 the ones who held our hand 229 00:14:42,830 --> 00:14:46,660 through tears and grief. 230 00:14:46,790 --> 00:14:48,620 When the truth finally comes out, 231 00:14:48,710 --> 00:14:51,020 the hardest question isn't what happened. 232 00:14:51,150 --> 00:14:54,190 It's who among us let it happen? 233 00:15:04,290 --> 00:15:08,600 - The funeral for Anna Mae was just horrible. 234 00:15:08,690 --> 00:15:11,560 You really can't believe this is happening. 235 00:15:11,600 --> 00:15:13,080 It's just not real. 236 00:15:15,470 --> 00:15:18,650 - I walked over to Earl, Anna Mae's brother, 237 00:15:18,740 --> 00:15:21,830 and his son, Russell Winstead. 238 00:15:21,920 --> 00:15:24,270 We were both pallbearers. 239 00:15:24,350 --> 00:15:27,620 And I said, I can't wait to get the scumbag that did this, 240 00:15:27,700 --> 00:15:31,660 because I want him to be tried and convicted, 241 00:15:31,750 --> 00:15:33,800 and I want to be there for the execution. 242 00:15:36,100 --> 00:15:39,540 - We were all there trying to comfort each other. 243 00:15:39,670 --> 00:15:44,070 But there was always that cloud of doubt and suspicion. 244 00:15:44,160 --> 00:15:45,980 You know, who did it? Who knows what? 245 00:15:48,680 --> 00:15:50,770 Somebody killed her, 246 00:15:50,900 --> 00:15:53,250 and the rumor was it was a family member. 247 00:15:54,950 --> 00:15:58,780 - There was a suspicious vibe in the air. 248 00:15:58,910 --> 00:16:02,910 So you don't get to mourn, because 249 00:16:02,960 --> 00:16:04,520 it was all in the back of our mind. 250 00:16:04,650 --> 00:16:07,870 - Everyone at the funeral was a suspect 251 00:16:07,960 --> 00:16:10,750 as far as we were concerned. 252 00:16:10,830 --> 00:16:13,360 - And then all the siblings were told 253 00:16:13,400 --> 00:16:14,880 that the Madisonville Police Department wanted 254 00:16:14,930 --> 00:16:17,190 to meet with the family. 255 00:16:28,070 --> 00:16:29,110 - OK. 256 00:16:57,490 --> 00:17:01,750 They were suspicious because I had several rental houses, 257 00:17:01,840 --> 00:17:04,670 and they tried to insinuate that 258 00:17:04,760 --> 00:17:07,760 I borrowed money from my aunt to buy these houses. 259 00:17:07,850 --> 00:17:09,590 How much money do you owe her? 260 00:17:09,720 --> 00:17:11,940 You know, stuff like that. 261 00:17:12,030 --> 00:17:13,590 - And they asked questions like, 262 00:17:13,720 --> 00:17:15,770 did you ever borrow money from Ann? 263 00:17:15,900 --> 00:17:18,990 Where were you the last night? 264 00:17:19,080 --> 00:17:21,510 - We knew that we were gonna get some pushback. 265 00:17:21,600 --> 00:17:23,300 We knew that was part of the game. 266 00:17:23,390 --> 00:17:25,520 But everybody was a suspect. 267 00:17:25,600 --> 00:17:27,130 We interviewed everybody in the family. 268 00:17:30,350 --> 00:17:31,520 - OK. 269 00:17:31,610 --> 00:17:33,220 - We offered them all polygraphs. 270 00:17:34,830 --> 00:17:36,960 They all said yes, 271 00:17:37,050 --> 00:17:38,400 and we began with Russell. 272 00:17:59,810 --> 00:18:02,470 - With Russell Winstead, 273 00:18:02,550 --> 00:18:03,950 the temperature in the room went up a little bit. 274 00:18:04,030 --> 00:18:06,040 Scott became a little more direct with his questioning. 275 00:18:06,120 --> 00:18:07,340 It was time to turn the heat up. 276 00:18:30,760 --> 00:18:32,800 - He had registered deception on all the questions 277 00:18:32,930 --> 00:18:35,670 that involved Anna Mae. 278 00:18:35,720 --> 00:18:37,330 I was a detective for 15 years. 279 00:18:37,420 --> 00:18:38,630 That's still the worst polygraph results 280 00:18:38,720 --> 00:18:40,110 I've ever seen. 281 00:19:01,440 --> 00:19:04,700 - Polygraphs can be notoriously unreliable. 282 00:19:04,830 --> 00:19:07,620 At best, they test whether you've found a liar, 283 00:19:07,710 --> 00:19:10,320 but they don't test whether you've found a murderer. 284 00:19:10,360 --> 00:19:12,540 One secret writers share with prosecutors, 285 00:19:12,620 --> 00:19:14,410 detectives, prison wardens-- 286 00:19:14,450 --> 00:19:16,980 it all depends who's telling the story. 287 00:19:17,060 --> 00:19:19,460 If you look at it through one lens, 288 00:19:19,590 --> 00:19:21,420 you'll never see the whole picture. 289 00:19:43,530 --> 00:19:45,740 - When Russell failed that polygraph, 290 00:19:45,830 --> 00:19:48,620 we were just sick. 291 00:19:48,700 --> 00:19:52,320 And we were determined to prove that he didn't do it. 292 00:19:52,450 --> 00:19:55,450 We did not believe that Russell Winstead 293 00:19:55,540 --> 00:19:58,320 could have committed a crime. 294 00:19:58,450 --> 00:20:01,200 - The state police and the local investigators 295 00:20:01,280 --> 00:20:05,020 had interviewed Russell, and it was a pretty intense interview. 296 00:20:24,700 --> 00:20:26,790 - Russell loved Anna Mae. 297 00:20:26,870 --> 00:20:29,480 This was his family member that was brutally murdered, 298 00:20:29,570 --> 00:20:32,400 and now he's being questioned over it. 299 00:20:32,440 --> 00:20:34,400 I can't even imagine the headspace 300 00:20:34,530 --> 00:20:39,020 you would be in when you're worried about being a suspect. 301 00:20:39,100 --> 00:20:40,320 - It is true. 302 00:20:40,410 --> 00:20:41,800 If they're emotional, innocent people 303 00:20:41,930 --> 00:20:44,330 fail polygraphs all the time. 304 00:20:44,410 --> 00:20:47,150 And Russell gave us an alibi for the night 305 00:20:47,200 --> 00:20:49,900 that Anna Mae was murdered. 306 00:20:49,980 --> 00:20:51,330 - The medical examiner said she would have 307 00:20:51,380 --> 00:20:54,680 been killed around 7:30. 308 00:20:54,770 --> 00:20:58,340 Russell had dropped his kids off after church, 309 00:20:58,430 --> 00:21:00,950 and then he was at home with his wife 310 00:21:01,040 --> 00:21:04,260 exactly when Ms. Ann's estimated time of death was. 311 00:21:06,610 --> 00:21:08,130 - In the time frame that we believe 312 00:21:08,260 --> 00:21:09,870 Ms. Branson was killed, 313 00:21:09,960 --> 00:21:13,220 there was a call from Russell to his wife, Terri. 314 00:21:14,790 --> 00:21:16,840 He said that he called her from downstairs 315 00:21:16,920 --> 00:21:19,270 in the lower-level basement, 316 00:21:19,360 --> 00:21:21,490 and she was upstairs. 317 00:22:05,280 --> 00:22:10,410 - She, word for word, gave the same exact alibi. 318 00:22:11,850 --> 00:22:13,980 - I could see Russell calling her. 319 00:22:14,110 --> 00:22:15,590 He's a jokester. 320 00:22:15,630 --> 00:22:19,680 He'd leave crazy messages and joke around a lot. 321 00:22:19,770 --> 00:22:22,470 - I do it all the time with people in my own house. 322 00:22:22,550 --> 00:22:25,510 Rather than holler or walk up the stairs, 323 00:22:25,600 --> 00:22:27,730 why not pick up your phone and call them? 324 00:22:28,860 --> 00:22:32,430 I have never once heard my uncle say a cuss word. 325 00:22:32,520 --> 00:22:35,740 I've never once heard him raise his voice. 326 00:22:35,830 --> 00:22:38,920 - It was just hard for anybody to believe. 327 00:22:39,050 --> 00:22:41,270 Russell was Ms. Branson's favorite. 328 00:22:41,400 --> 00:22:42,880 He was a family man. 329 00:22:43,010 --> 00:22:44,790 He taught Sunday school. 330 00:22:44,880 --> 00:22:47,800 - Everybody knew him, within the police department, 331 00:22:47,880 --> 00:22:49,540 to be such a great guy. 332 00:22:49,670 --> 00:22:52,760 And Russell Winstead had no criminal history. 333 00:22:52,840 --> 00:22:57,460 But we got a tip from a community member, 334 00:22:57,550 --> 00:23:00,500 and what he told us, it was the pivotal moment. 335 00:23:02,460 --> 00:23:05,030 - You find them in every small town. 336 00:23:05,120 --> 00:23:06,990 You know what I'm talking about-- 337 00:23:07,030 --> 00:23:10,910 that model citizen with the shiny, spotless reputation. 338 00:23:10,990 --> 00:23:13,040 But that kind of perfection, 339 00:23:13,130 --> 00:23:15,650 it's too often its own disguise. 340 00:23:17,570 --> 00:23:22,180 - I got a call, a tip from a male individual 341 00:23:22,270 --> 00:23:24,270 that was very upset. 342 00:23:24,350 --> 00:23:27,270 I said, you've got to come in. We need to get a statement. 343 00:23:47,680 --> 00:23:49,510 - This tipster worked at the coal mines 344 00:23:49,600 --> 00:23:52,600 together with Russell. 345 00:23:52,730 --> 00:23:55,860 He saw two sides to Russell Winstead. 346 00:23:55,990 --> 00:24:00,700 There was the churchgoing family man and hard worker. 347 00:24:00,780 --> 00:24:03,920 But when he had gone to the casinos with him, 348 00:24:04,000 --> 00:24:07,660 he was seeing a different side of his friend. 349 00:24:17,230 --> 00:24:18,890 - We went through casino records 350 00:24:19,020 --> 00:24:20,500 and interviewed management staff at those casinos. 351 00:24:23,020 --> 00:24:24,890 - We learned of Russell's secret life 352 00:24:24,980 --> 00:24:26,720 at the Boat, 353 00:24:26,810 --> 00:24:28,330 the Evansville Casino. 354 00:24:28,420 --> 00:24:29,720 That's what the people call it because 355 00:24:29,810 --> 00:24:31,680 it was the riverboat style, 356 00:24:31,770 --> 00:24:33,900 and Russell had a girlfriend or two 357 00:24:33,990 --> 00:24:35,860 at the Boat. 358 00:24:35,950 --> 00:24:38,690 We were able to learn that Russell had gambled 359 00:24:38,780 --> 00:24:41,870 in numerous different states, and in excess 360 00:24:42,000 --> 00:24:44,830 of a million dollars. 361 00:24:44,870 --> 00:24:47,790 - I did start finding out that Russell owed money, 362 00:24:47,870 --> 00:24:51,310 $10,000 to this guy, $10,000 to this guy. 363 00:24:51,400 --> 00:24:54,270 So I did figure out then the intensity 364 00:24:54,360 --> 00:24:55,710 of his gambling problem. 365 00:25:17,600 --> 00:25:21,860 - Ms. Ann kept a journal of every penny 366 00:25:21,950 --> 00:25:25,480 that someone owes her and that someone pays her. 367 00:25:25,520 --> 00:25:26,690 I started looking through 368 00:25:26,780 --> 00:25:29,220 this red journal, page by page. 369 00:25:29,310 --> 00:25:32,700 I saw the name Russell Winstead, 370 00:25:32,830 --> 00:25:35,790 and then it had the total to date. 371 00:25:35,880 --> 00:25:39,790 It was over $60,000 that he still owed her. 372 00:26:05,690 --> 00:26:06,860 - How would I know? 373 00:26:16,090 --> 00:26:19,220 - At that point in time, we went back to his wife, 374 00:26:19,310 --> 00:26:21,230 who was his alibi. 375 00:26:21,310 --> 00:26:22,790 We started pushing back with her. 376 00:27:19,630 --> 00:27:23,160 - And then she wanted her lawyer with her. 377 00:27:23,250 --> 00:27:25,600 They showed back up at the police department 378 00:27:25,680 --> 00:27:28,290 the next week, and she gave us the truth. 379 00:27:51,140 --> 00:27:55,150 - The alibi that she initially gave us was all rehearsed 380 00:27:55,230 --> 00:27:56,710 and quarterbacked by Russell. 381 00:27:56,800 --> 00:27:59,240 - Terri's alibi for Russell cracked. 382 00:27:59,280 --> 00:28:02,940 He was not at home during the time of the murder. 383 00:28:03,020 --> 00:28:05,940 - And then we found out that Judy Harvey, 384 00:28:06,030 --> 00:28:09,810 Anna Mae's housekeeper, was in close conversations 385 00:28:09,940 --> 00:28:12,820 with Earl Winstead, Russell's father. 386 00:28:12,900 --> 00:28:15,040 So we strongly suspected that Earl 387 00:28:15,170 --> 00:28:17,260 was paying her to help Russell. 388 00:28:17,340 --> 00:28:19,170 - I was shocked. 389 00:28:19,260 --> 00:28:23,440 And then Russell fled the country. 390 00:28:23,480 --> 00:28:25,480 - And now he's gone. 391 00:28:25,570 --> 00:28:28,050 - Russell is a wanted felon 392 00:28:28,140 --> 00:28:30,440 and now a fugitive. 393 00:28:36,540 --> 00:28:38,230 - When someone runs, we follow, 394 00:28:38,280 --> 00:28:41,320 because it's natural to assume guilt. 395 00:28:41,410 --> 00:28:44,810 We should also heed the advice of the great Sherlock Holmes-- 396 00:28:44,890 --> 00:28:47,460 don't twist facts to suit theories, 397 00:28:47,500 --> 00:28:50,850 twist theories to suit facts. 398 00:28:50,940 --> 00:28:52,900 - If you've seen Russell Winstead, 399 00:28:52,990 --> 00:28:57,730 please call our hotline tonight at 1-800-CRIME-TV. 400 00:28:57,820 --> 00:28:59,860 - Russell got a passport 401 00:28:59,950 --> 00:29:01,950 and got a plane out of the country. 402 00:29:04,220 --> 00:29:08,090 You know, guilty men run. 403 00:29:08,220 --> 00:29:10,220 - We got Russell's picture out there, 404 00:29:10,310 --> 00:29:14,050 and we found out that Russell was using an alias 405 00:29:14,140 --> 00:29:16,750 to avoid detection in Costa Rica. 406 00:29:16,790 --> 00:29:19,100 - What I couldn't figure out was the reason 407 00:29:19,140 --> 00:29:21,360 why Russell selected Costa Rica. 408 00:29:53,740 --> 00:29:56,960 - He did not have a home in Madisonville anymore, 409 00:29:57,050 --> 00:30:00,050 and it was in the papers constantly. 410 00:30:00,180 --> 00:30:03,620 Small town, everybody knows, everybody talks. 411 00:30:03,750 --> 00:30:06,800 And it was just already decided that he had done it. 412 00:30:06,890 --> 00:30:10,060 And at that point, there was still no arrests to be made. 413 00:30:10,150 --> 00:30:12,240 We were all OK with him leaving. 414 00:30:12,330 --> 00:30:14,290 - It wasn't a secret. 415 00:30:14,370 --> 00:30:17,720 I drove him to the airport, but I knew he was coming back 416 00:30:17,850 --> 00:30:19,940 when I dropped him off. 417 00:30:20,030 --> 00:30:23,640 He was waiting for the DNA evidence to come back. 418 00:30:23,730 --> 00:30:26,380 - Even though the DNA that they had taken 419 00:30:26,470 --> 00:30:29,910 from the crime scene did come back inconclusive... 420 00:30:32,090 --> 00:30:33,870 They still indicted him. 421 00:30:37,000 --> 00:30:41,050 - Costa Rica will not extradite a murder suspect 422 00:30:41,100 --> 00:30:43,310 if the death penalty is an option. 423 00:30:43,400 --> 00:30:45,400 So that had to be waived, 424 00:30:45,530 --> 00:30:47,580 and it took a long time, 425 00:30:47,710 --> 00:30:49,230 but... 426 00:30:53,020 --> 00:30:56,200 I'll never forget the video footage of him 427 00:30:56,240 --> 00:30:59,160 the night he was arrested at the Horseshoe Casino, 428 00:30:59,240 --> 00:31:02,120 in San José, Costa Rica by U.S. Marshals. 429 00:31:04,470 --> 00:31:06,420 I said, we got him. 430 00:31:06,510 --> 00:31:08,080 We got him. 431 00:31:39,590 --> 00:31:42,980 - We're basically dealing with circumstantial evidence-- 432 00:31:43,070 --> 00:31:45,120 no DNA, no fingerprints. 433 00:31:52,170 --> 00:31:54,650 Everybody was so tense, 434 00:31:54,780 --> 00:31:57,820 and the room was divided. 435 00:31:57,910 --> 00:32:00,090 Russell's family, all the people 436 00:32:00,170 --> 00:32:01,960 who wanted to believe that he was innocent. 437 00:32:02,090 --> 00:32:04,130 - Sir, would you call the roll of the jury, please? 438 00:32:04,220 --> 00:32:05,480 - And then the rest of the family 439 00:32:05,530 --> 00:32:07,010 were sitting on the prosecutor's side. 440 00:32:12,320 --> 00:32:15,230 - We didn't have any forensic evidence, 441 00:32:15,320 --> 00:32:17,710 but that still didn't mean that there weren't enough 442 00:32:17,800 --> 00:32:19,760 puzzle pieces to put together to provide 443 00:32:19,850 --> 00:32:23,980 a picture to the jury to find Russell guilty of this. 444 00:32:57,540 --> 00:33:00,580 - On Sunday evening, I really believe Russell was worried 445 00:33:00,670 --> 00:33:02,320 the check would bounce, 446 00:33:02,450 --> 00:33:04,890 so he tried to ask her 447 00:33:04,980 --> 00:33:08,020 not to cash that $12,000 check. 448 00:33:08,160 --> 00:33:11,250 She told him no, and he just snapped. 449 00:33:11,330 --> 00:33:13,680 And we had an eyewitness. 450 00:33:16,470 --> 00:33:20,430 - An eyewitness saw the photograph of Russell 451 00:33:20,520 --> 00:33:24,350 and said, I saw that man leaving Ms. Branson's house 452 00:33:24,480 --> 00:33:26,040 on the night of the homicide. 453 00:34:04,430 --> 00:34:07,130 - The general consensus was he was being framed 454 00:34:07,210 --> 00:34:08,910 because of his lies. 455 00:34:09,000 --> 00:34:10,690 Just because you have a gambling habit, 456 00:34:10,780 --> 00:34:12,090 just 'cause you owe money 457 00:34:12,170 --> 00:34:14,220 and you have one woman's testimony 458 00:34:14,310 --> 00:34:16,880 of seeing him through the headlights at nighttime 459 00:34:16,960 --> 00:34:18,570 doesn't make you a murderer. 460 00:34:44,640 --> 00:34:46,300 - Based on the religious background 461 00:34:46,380 --> 00:34:49,300 that it is in the area, 462 00:34:49,390 --> 00:34:50,950 you don't have affairs. 463 00:34:51,000 --> 00:34:52,910 You don't gamble. 464 00:34:53,040 --> 00:34:55,170 These things are terrible sins. 465 00:34:55,260 --> 00:34:58,480 They just tried to paint this picture of him for the jurors, 466 00:34:58,610 --> 00:35:00,480 that he was just this evil person. 467 00:35:18,150 --> 00:35:20,200 - Maybe if there was some type of evidence 468 00:35:20,240 --> 00:35:22,640 that pointed to him, I would think 469 00:35:22,680 --> 00:35:24,640 that, yeah, maybe he did it. 470 00:35:24,730 --> 00:35:27,120 But it's just a theory. It's not proof. 471 00:35:27,210 --> 00:35:29,080 It was all circumstantial. 472 00:35:56,850 --> 00:35:58,280 - And then 473 00:35:58,410 --> 00:36:00,150 a letter surfaced out of the jail. 474 00:36:01,940 --> 00:36:04,290 Some stranger we never heard of 475 00:36:04,370 --> 00:36:06,160 confessed to the murder of Anna Mae. 476 00:36:11,210 --> 00:36:12,690 Let's just start there. 477 00:36:16,950 --> 00:36:18,210 - Everybody was just like, 478 00:36:18,350 --> 00:36:20,520 oh, my God, we got the wrong guy? 479 00:36:25,870 --> 00:36:27,480 - Fred Roulette recently pleaded guilty to the murder 480 00:36:27,620 --> 00:36:30,490 of 72-year-old Billie Cochrane in Dawson Springs, Kentucky. 481 00:36:30,570 --> 00:36:32,010 - That murder was just down the road 482 00:36:32,100 --> 00:36:34,060 from the murder of Anna Mae Branson. 483 00:36:35,840 --> 00:36:40,020 - Fred Roulette was in jail for a similar slaying 484 00:36:40,060 --> 00:36:44,370 of an elderly lady in a neighboring community. 485 00:36:44,460 --> 00:36:47,850 - Fred Roulette said he went to the ice cream shop 486 00:36:47,940 --> 00:36:49,900 and asked Anna Mae if she would rent 487 00:36:49,990 --> 00:36:53,470 one of her houses to him and that she had refused. 488 00:36:53,600 --> 00:36:56,690 So out of anger, he went to her house 489 00:36:56,770 --> 00:36:58,600 and killed her. 490 00:37:00,910 --> 00:37:02,780 - Fred Roulette gave us a description 491 00:37:02,870 --> 00:37:06,700 of the crime scene, the layout of the home, 492 00:37:06,780 --> 00:37:10,050 and that he had used a modified Brades hammer, 493 00:37:10,090 --> 00:37:12,050 which is a coal-mining tool, 494 00:37:12,140 --> 00:37:14,100 to kill Ms. Branson, 495 00:37:14,180 --> 00:37:16,970 details that only would fit 496 00:37:17,060 --> 00:37:18,450 knowledge of the murderer. 497 00:37:18,490 --> 00:37:21,710 - It's hard to go from such a feeling of 498 00:37:21,800 --> 00:37:25,850 we have the right guy to a complete stranger 499 00:37:25,890 --> 00:37:29,630 providing a full confession. 500 00:37:29,720 --> 00:37:31,370 Something felt off. 501 00:37:45,520 --> 00:37:48,830 - Fred Roulette was a fellow inmate 502 00:37:48,910 --> 00:37:50,310 to Russell Winstead in the Hopkins County Jail. 503 00:38:04,280 --> 00:38:06,800 - For Russell, we had to waive the death penalty 504 00:38:06,890 --> 00:38:09,500 because of Costa Rica's extradition rules. 505 00:38:09,590 --> 00:38:11,940 But Roulette's not protected from a death penalty case 506 00:38:11,980 --> 00:38:13,020 like Russell is. 507 00:38:13,110 --> 00:38:15,070 I was like, hey, we can use this. 508 00:38:15,160 --> 00:38:17,070 What if we get this guy to flip? 509 00:38:51,150 --> 00:38:53,980 - This was the tipping point for Russell. 510 00:38:54,020 --> 00:38:55,810 Russell made a lot of mistakes. 511 00:38:55,940 --> 00:38:58,420 He made a lot of poor choices, 512 00:38:58,510 --> 00:39:00,420 and his lies 513 00:39:00,510 --> 00:39:01,900 finally caught up to him. 514 00:39:23,700 --> 00:39:27,140 - The moment that the jury said guilty, 515 00:39:27,230 --> 00:39:28,970 it was like a weight lifted. 516 00:39:29,060 --> 00:39:30,840 It was immediate relief. 517 00:39:32,020 --> 00:39:34,280 - I gasped out loud. 518 00:39:34,410 --> 00:39:35,930 We believed with all our hearts 519 00:39:36,020 --> 00:39:37,810 they caught the right person. 520 00:39:37,940 --> 00:39:40,070 But then I looked over, 521 00:39:40,160 --> 00:39:43,070 saw Russell's sister crying. 522 00:39:43,160 --> 00:39:45,940 I saw her-- that family crying. 523 00:39:46,030 --> 00:39:48,730 And no matter what he did, 524 00:39:48,860 --> 00:39:50,820 he was a son. 525 00:39:50,910 --> 00:39:52,600 He was a brother. 526 00:39:52,730 --> 00:39:54,390 He was a family member to them. 527 00:39:56,560 --> 00:39:59,740 - I remember sitting there looking at everyone 528 00:39:59,830 --> 00:40:02,570 and just wondering what they saw 529 00:40:02,660 --> 00:40:05,530 that made them feel that no other person 530 00:40:05,620 --> 00:40:07,880 could have possibly committed this crime. 531 00:40:08,880 --> 00:40:12,230 The justice system failed my Uncle Russell. 532 00:40:29,380 --> 00:40:33,210 - It was difficult to lose my aunt, 533 00:40:33,250 --> 00:40:35,080 as much as I loved her. 534 00:40:35,120 --> 00:40:37,910 It was difficult to lose Rusty. 535 00:40:40,350 --> 00:40:42,300 For his family, you don't want to see 536 00:40:42,440 --> 00:40:45,390 the worst in somebody that you love. 537 00:40:45,480 --> 00:40:47,220 - It wrecked the family. 538 00:40:47,350 --> 00:40:49,440 And justice was served, 539 00:40:49,570 --> 00:40:51,570 but with a price. 540 00:40:51,660 --> 00:40:53,710 - She'll always be missed, 541 00:40:53,840 --> 00:40:56,800 and she'll never be forgotten. 542 00:40:56,880 --> 00:40:59,890 I'm just glad that her memory is not tarnished 543 00:41:00,020 --> 00:41:02,060 by the way she left this earth. 544 00:41:10,380 --> 00:41:13,420 - In fiction, the writer controls who lives, 545 00:41:13,510 --> 00:41:16,860 who dies, and who faces justice. 546 00:41:16,950 --> 00:41:19,520 But in the real world justice is slower, 547 00:41:19,650 --> 00:41:23,080 messier, harder to hold on to. 548 00:41:23,170 --> 00:41:25,740 Sometimes there's concrete proof. 549 00:41:25,830 --> 00:41:29,740 Often there's not, and we must choose which story to believe. 550 00:41:29,870 --> 00:41:32,270 Sometimes the killer is a stranger, 551 00:41:32,350 --> 00:41:35,490 but most times, it's someone we know. 552 00:41:35,620 --> 00:41:37,530 And too often, 553 00:41:37,580 --> 00:41:40,190 it's the person we trust most. 554 00:41:40,320 --> 00:41:43,150 I'm Harlan Coben. Good night.