All language subtitles for Unsolved.Mysteries.S12E06.Episode.454.AMZN.WEB-DL.DD+2.0.H.264-AJP69_track3_[eng]

ANNOUNCER: Tonight, on
"Unsolved Mysteries."

ROBERT STACK: A
vicious murder of two

defenseless children,
their mother

awaits execution for the crime.

But her family claims
to have new evidence

that proves her innocence.

It has ghostly red
eyes, enormous wings,

and can reach speeds of
over 100 miles per hour.

What is a strange creature
stalking the woods outside

of Point Pleasant, Virginia?

The hundreds who have seen
it have given it a name--

the Mothman A modern day Bonnie
and Clyde are on the loose

in the American West.

Bank robbers by day,
lovers by night.

Maybe you can help
end their crime spree.

Join me for this intriguing
addition "Unsolved Mysteries."

[theme music]

Darin!

Darin!

ROBERT STACK: Darlie
Lynn Routier, a Rowlett,

Texas house wife
and mother of three

makes a harrowing call to 911.

Within five minutes, the
first police officer arrives.

He walks into a scene of
unbelievable bloodshed.

Dolly's-- eldest son, Devin--
just three days shy of his

seventh birthday-- is dead,
four gaping knife wounds

have ended his brief life.

His brother,
five-year-old Damon,

has also been savagely
attacked with a knife.

Damon gasps his last breath
in the care of a paramedic.

Darlie has a deep gash in her
neck and wounds on her arms.

She is immediately transported
to a local hospital for

emergency surgery and survives.

We, the jury, find the
defendant, Darlie Lynn Routier,

guilty of the offense
of capital murder--

ROBERT STACK:
Eight months later,

Darlie Lynn Routier is convicted
of killing her two little boys.

She is sentenced to die
by lethal injection.

It is a verdict that her mother,
Darlie Kee, will never accept.

DARLIE KEE: I never thought
that Darlie did this.

Devon and Damon's
killer is running free.

And that's what this is
about, the truth and finding

justice for Devin and Damon.

You know, I live my life
everyday for Darlie.

And everything else has to
come second because that's

the most important
thing is we've

got to save her life before
they execute this innocent girl.

ROBERT STACK: After
her conviction,

Darlie Lynn Routier
agreed to be interviewed

in the visiting room of the
Gatesville state prison.

While behind bars, her
bleached blonde hair has

returned to its natural color.

I've been
wrongfully convicted.

I'm innocent.

I've been done wrong.

There has been a lot of
terrible, wrong things

that have been done to
me-- me and my family.

ROBERT STACK:
Darlie Lynn Routier

was convicted of a
crime that most of us

find incomprehensible.

But is she guilty?

Unlike other high
profile cases of mothers

killing their own
children, Darlie has always

proclaimed her innocence.

Her mother and family have
mounted a massive campaign

to free Darlie, insisting
that overlooked evidence

exonerates her.

A juror who voted to
convict her is now

convinced he made a mistake.

But authorities argue that
the case against Darlie

is overwhelming.

Join us, as we examine both
sides of this tragic story,

and judge for yourself if the
true killer of Damon and Devon

Routier is behind bars.

When Darlie Lynn met Darin
Routier 18 years ago,

it was love at first sight.

Within the next several years,
Darlie and Darin were married

and had two children--

Damon and Devon.

When Darlie was 26, she was
blessed with a third son

whom she named Drake.

It was only in the
aftermath of Drake's birth

that Darlie's usually
cheerful mood darkened.

DARLIE KEE: She did
have a little bit

of postpartum depression.

And that pretty much--

I mean, it was, like, maybe a
four week period that she was

kind of stressed and depressed.

I didn't see any signs
of depression at all

after that small, short
period of it after the baby.

Say, hi, Damon.

Hi.

ROBERT STACK: In
fact, by all accounts,

the Routiers were living
the American dream--

three beautiful children,
a happy, healthy

marriage, and a majestic
house in an affluent suburb

of Dallas.

But in one night, the
Routiers would lose it all.

On June 6, 1996, Devon
and Damon were murdered.

And Darlie claims she
was viciously attacked.

Her youngest son,
Drake, was unharmed.

Mrs. Routier, can
you tell me anything

at all about what happened?

ROBERT STACK: Rowlett
police detectives

interviewed Darlie
shortly after surgery,

while she was still sedated.

I was asleep on the couch.

And, um--

ROBERT STACK: Darlie
told investigators

that on the night of the
attack she, Devon, and Damon

had fallen asleep in the
downstairs family room

while watching TV.

Her husband, Darin,
slept upstairs

with eight-month-old Drake.

According to Darlie,
at 2:30 AM she

suddenly awoke and saw a man
hovering over her with a knife.

DARLIE KEE: And then
she saw the back

of the guy leaving the house.

So she followed him.

And when she went
out the door, she saw

the knife in the utility room.

She picked it up to defend
herself if he came back in.

ROBERT STACK: Darlie told
police that it was only then

that she realized
she was injured

and her boys had been attacked.

Darin!

Oh, God!

Did you see anybody, at
all, when you came down

the stairs, besides your wife?

ROBERT STACK: Her husband,
Darin, was also interviewed

by Rowlett homicide detectives.

Darin!

DARIN ROUTIER: I
hear this scream.

I run down the stairs.

Oh my God.

DARIN ROUTIER:
Dolly, at that point,

is yelling Devon, Devon,
Devon, Devon, Devon, Devon.

I mean, she's just freaking.

And I get to Devon, and he's
got these two huge gashes

on the top of his chest.

And he's laying face up.

With, I mean, just
blank in his eyes.

And, you know, I'm thinking CPR.

I pop his head back.

I start blowing into his mouth.

And as I blow into his mouth,
air comes out of his chest.

Blood splatters all over me.

Not only have you just
being woken up to the worst

nightmare in your
whole life, your child

is dying in front of you.

And you just-- you
don't know what to do.

It's OK.

Just take your time.

ROBERT STACK: Investigators did
not question Darin's account.

But they were immediately
troubled by several aspects

of Darlie's story.

How could she have
slept through her attack

and the children's murders?

And what couldn't she
give a clear description

of her assailant?

Can you tell me what
this person looked like?

No, sir.

Uh, can you tell me--

When it came time to
describe the so-called suspect,

she was unable to
describe the person,

even though the person
was supposedly kneeling,

or sitting, standing
on top of her.

ROBERT STACK: At
the crime scene,

investigators
reportedly were not

finding evidence to corroborate
Darlie's version of events.

They discovered the
alleged entry and exit

point of the killer, an
open window in the garage

that had its screen slashed.

Yet there was an undisturbed
layer of dust on the sill,

suggesting that nobody
actually came through it.

Detectives also found a
long, bleached-blonde hair

in the cut screen.

At the time, Darlie Routier
had long, bleached-blonde hair.

Police found nothing
missing from the home

and ruled out
robbery as a motive.

They also felt that the blood
evidence did not support

the story of an intruder.

DEAN POOS: The lack of a blood
trail leading from the crime

scene continuing out the path
that the intruder supposedly

took was problematic,
to say the least.

And this individual
miraculously manages

to keep any sense of blood
or any evidence off of him,

doesn't leave any
footprints, all the blood

is contained in one area.

That was one of the
things that, again,

did not jive with her story.

ROBERT STACK: A final, strange
clue was discovered in an alley

three houses down
from Darlie's home.

A tube sock with
small amounts of blood

from the two murdered
boys splattered on it.

DEAN POOS: One of the
characteristics of cases where

mothers are involved in
the killing of children

are that after the fact, there's
a very amateuristic cover up.

I believe the sock
is part of the cover

up, amateuristic way
of trying to throw

the police off the trail.

I don't want to
believe you did it.

But all the evidence
points that way.

ROBERT STACK: A week and
a half after the murders,

Darlie was interrogated
by a detective

reportedly known for extracting
confessions from suspects.

Were you pushed to the edge?

Were you pushed to the limit?

Darlie stated that if
she did it, she didn't--

it being the murders--

she didn't remember, kind
of a strange thing to say.

The red flags started going up.

ROBERT STACK: The detective who
conducted the interview asserts

that it was not recorded.

What have you got
to say for yourself?

ROBERT STACK: Darlie's
family insists she never made

the incriminating statement.

It should have been
audiotaped and videotaped.

But yet, on this
high profile case,

he didn't have an
audiotape or a videotape,

which I think is a total lie.

I think he has both.

He just won't produce
it because then it

would prove that Darlie
is telling the truth

and that he's lying.

No one wants to believe that
a mother would do something

like this to their children.

That's-- even police officers
don't want to believe that.

But at some point, when you're
presented with this type

of overwhelming
physical evidence,

you have to start
accepting some of it.

I never suspected that
they were looking at Darlie.

I thought at the hospital
they were looking at Darin,

but never Darlie.

I mean-- but they didn't know
Darlie like I knew Darlie.

And then on the news
there was breaking news,

and it showed
Darlie in handcuffs.

And I started
screaming and crying.

I went up to the Rowlett
police department.

And the lead detective
was out there smoking

a cigar and high fiving
and all his detectives

and told me to get the hell
out of his police station.

And, you know, just--

unbelievable.

ROBERT STACK: Darlie Routier
was charged with capital murder,

incarcerated, and
put on suicide watch.

Attorneys and investigators
hired to defend Darlie

challenged the accusations.

According to them, evidence used
to secure the arrest warrant

was hopelessly flawed.

When the officers examined
the window which had been cut,

they found there was no dust
disturbed on the window sill.

And also found a blond hair
stuck into the screen area.

They assumed that blond
hair was Darlie's.

Later that hair,
through DNA examination,

was determined to belong to
a Rowlett police officer.

The window sill is 10
inches off the floor.

If you went through the window
and crouched down and put one

leg through the window,
it's more probable

you wouldn't disturb
the dust than you

would disturb the dust.

ROBERT STACK: But
the wheels of justice

were already moving rapidly
against Darlie Lynn Routier.

Her bail was revoked.

And the trial was
transferred Kirk county,

a conservative community
in South Central Texas

with a high rate of conviction
in death penalty cases.

Still, Darlie Lynn
Routier held out

hope that she would
ultimately be vindicated.

You keep thinking that,
you know, you're innocent.

And, you know, you waiting
for them to come back and tell

you that, oh, we've
made a terrible mistake

and we're so sorry.

And, you know, we
found who did this.

I just could not believe
what was happening.

ROBERT STACK: Darlie Lynn
Routier, a young, Dallas

housewife, stood accused
of viciously stabbing

to death two of her children.

Her trial began on January 6
under intense media scrutiny.

Ladies and gentlemen, I want
you to listen very carefully.

ROBERT STACK: The
prosecution opened

their case by offering the
state's theory of the crime.

According to the
state, Darlie Routier

was a greedy, selfish,
and vain woman,

whose extravagant
lifestyle was being

threatened by the
responsibilities of motherhood.

The prosecution insinuated
that if her two boys were dead,

Darlie could collect
on their life insurance

and resume her wild ways.

The DA argued that Darlie,
in the throes of postpartum

depression, murdered two of her
children, slit her own throat,

and then tried to make it
appear that an intruder had

committed the crime.

And I know it
sounds diabolical,

but the evidence
shows that she went--

They were crucifying her
character to make this very

conservative jury hate Darlie.

And it was all a bunch of lies.

If the children were
interfering with her lifestyle,

wouldn't you think it would
be the newborn baby that

would be the biggest problem?

I mean, why would she
kill two and not three?

And why wouldn't she kill
the baby versus the two boys?

It's my opinion that the
crime scene was staged.

ROBERT STACK: A medical
examiner testified

that Darlie's wounds were
superficial and self-inflicted.

Dramatically different
than the wounds

sustained by the young victims.

ROBERT STACK: But the
defense introduced

medical records showing that
the knife slash to Darlie's neck

came within 1/16 of an inch
of severing her carotid artery

and killing her.

Photographs taken at the
hospital show extreme bruising

on Darlie's arms.

But the notes that you took--

ROBERT STACK: Darlie's
defense attorney also attacked

the prosecution's
contention that she

committed the murders
to collect on her boy's

life insurance policy.

Now, how long did you
talk to Darin Routier?

ROBERT STACK: Why
not kill her husband,

who was insured for $800,000--

far more than the small policies
taken out on Damon and Devon.

They're trying to say
she did this for the money.

There's $5,000 life insurance on
those boys-- that's ridiculous.

It cost 13,000 to bury them.

Your honor, can we
ask the witness to step

down for a demonstration?

Well, when you are--

ROBERT STACK: The
prosecution countered

with a blood spatter expert.

His testimony focused
on a tiny bloodstain

on the back of Darlie shirt.

This contained both
Devon and Damon's blood.

The shirt that
Darlie was wearing,

it had cast-off blood on the
back over the shoulder area.

And this would have come as
the knife was being pulled out

of the children's body and
being brought over her shoulder

and then dripping.

And the analysis of the
DNA indicated that it

had belonged to the children.

And that was a very
important piece of evidence.

How did that blood get
there if not that manner?

All the blood
evidence was handled

by police officers that
were not experienced

with collecting evidence.

And instead of drawing
that evidence--

that bloody evidence--
out and putting it

the proper way for
storing for the trial,

they threw it into bags.

And multiple pieces of
blood on top of each other

so that the blood stains could
transfer from different areas.

We are very careful
and methodical

in our gathering of evidence.

Our officers have been trained
in it, just like officers

across the nation.

We haven't just fallen off
the hay wagon recently.

Do you recall any statements--

ROBERT STACK: Ultimately,
however, the prosecution

moved away from the
physical evidence

and once again focused
on their central thesis--

Darlie Routier was an
unfeeling, self-centered woman

more than capable of
murdering her own children.

And to prove their
point, they played

this videotape for the jury.

Eight days after the
murders, the Routier family

decided to celebrate Devon's
seventh birthday posthumously.

Having just been released
from the hospital,

Darlie was on
painkillers, antibiotics,

and antidepressants.

A news crew captured
what happened next.

ALL: (SINGING)
--birthday dear Devon.

Happy birthday to you.

We love you Devon and Damon.

This does not appear to be the
behavior of a grieving mother.

And all right, fine,
let's discount it--

she grieves differently than
everybody else in the world.

But what about all this other
preponderance of evidence

that's still out there.

We can't ignore
all the rest of it.

That was a celebration
of Devon's birthday.

We had everything ready
to have his birthday.

We had invitations sent out.

We had the presents
already bought.

And he was murdered
three days before we

got to have his party.

Now, some people might not
choose to use Silly String.

We used Silly String because
Devon and Damon always

played with Silly String.

It was one of their
favorite things.

It's done out of
a memory of them.

They twisted that and made
that into something ugly.

They made it into something
that it completely wasn't.

We decided that the kids
from the neighborhood that

were invited to Devon's
birthday could come up

and that they could bring
their gifts to Devon there.

And I remember telling
Darlie not to scare the kids

because we were so
hysterical at times

that, with little children
around, you wouldn't want to be

screaming, and
hollering, and bawling,

and crying because you'd
be terrifying those kids.

So it was not like
it was real anyways.

It was like we were in
some sort of a dream.

ROBERT STACK: During
deliberations,

the jury watched the so-called
Silly String video eight times.

It took them only 10 hours
to reach a guilty verdict.

Darlie Routier was
immediately taken to death row

at Gatesville state prison.

--kill the boys?

I'm innocent.

ROBERT STACK: But Darlie's
family and attorneys

are outraged by her conviction
and are spearheading a drive

to overturn the verdict.

They claim that during the
investigation and trial,

crucial details were overlooked.

Darlie's family
contends that the photos

of her extensive wounds were not
properly presented to the jury.

After the trial,
one of the jurors

who convicted Darlie,
Charles Samford,

had a chance to take a
close look at the pictures.

After I saw the
pictures, it made

me feel that she's not guilty.

She did not cut herself.

And that she put up a heck of a
fight to protect her own self.

I believe, with all
my heart, that Darlie

Lynn Routier is innocent.

There's not a doubt in my mind.

ROBERT STACK: Darlie's
defenders also

point to the mysterious
tube sock found

75 yards from the crime scene.

The sock contains both boys
blood and probably epithelial,

or skin, DNA of Darlie.

There are no blood stains that
belong to Darlie on the sock.

So it obviously had to
be touched by someone

after both boys had
been stabbed, who

also had contact with Darlie.

ROBERT STACK: According
to Darlie's supporters,

the tube sock makes the
prosecution's account

of the murders impossible.

Medical testimony established
that Damon, who didn't die

until paramedics
arrived, could not

have lived for more
than nine minutes

after receiving the fatal wound.

Darlie was talking to a 911
operator for five minutes

and 40 seconds of
those nine minutes.

The police secured the scene
for an additional two minutes

before paramedics
were allowed in.

That leaves Darlie Routier
approximately a minute

and a half to place the
sock down the street,

stage a crime scene, and
then cut her own throat.

I believe that the intruder
had the sock on his hand,

probably used as a
glove or something.

And I believe that he
was covering her mouth.

I don't believe she
did sleep through it.

I believe that she
was asphyxiated.

I believe that she was
completely unconscious,

and then she became conscious.

And during the time of
her becoming conscious is

when she says, I woke up.

ROBERT STACK: In
addition, Darlie's family

believes unidentified
fingerprints at the crime scene

will identify this intruder.

A fingerprint on
the door leading

to the garage and a second
print on the credenza

behind the couch have
never been positively

identified by investigators.

They're not Darlie's.

They're not Darin's.

And they're not either
of the two boys.

Now, it may not be a
problem in the sense

that it's the end-all
be-all of the case.

But I think it shows the
overall problems with the case.

That the state did not
investigate the case fully.

That they focused on Darlie
from, not day one, but minute

one.

As far as I'm concerned,
it's the most important piece

of evidence that we have
to prove that Darlie

Routier is innocent.

And that an intruder
did come into my house

and that that man does exist.

And that he's walking free,
while my wife is on death row

for something she didn't do.

ROBERT STACK: But who would
have murdered two innocent boys

and stabbed Darlie?

And why?

Darlie's family believes
the attack may have been

a sexual assault gone awry.

A series of violent rapes
occurred in the Dallas area

at the same time as
the Routier murders.

These crimes exhibited
a striking similarity

to the attack on Darlie
and her children.

The assailant entered the
unlocked homes of victims,

accosted them with knives
found in the kitchen,

and wore tube socks
over his hands

to avoid leaving fingerprints.

Recently, a suspect has
been arrested for the rapes.

Darlie supporters
feel that authorities

should consider
the accused rapist

a suspect in the Routier case.

Rowlett police, however,
have stated that no one has

contacted them with
any information

indicating a connection
between the two crimes.

Today, Darlie and Darin's
sole surviving son, Drake,

is now five years old.

Darlie was stripped of
custody after the murders.

And the boy now lives with
Darin and his parents.

For the past four years,
Darlie's only contact

with her child has been through
a plate of bullet proof glass.

I feel like I've
been cheated out

on so much because I've missed
all the first things that he's

done.

I've missed holding
him at night.

I've missed singing him to
sleep, giving him a bath,

wiping his face when it's dirty.

All the things that you
do when you're a mother,

I've missed out on that.

They've taken that from Drake.

They've taken that from me.

ROBERT STACK: Shortly after
Darlie Routier's conviction,

the official court
transcript of her trial

was found to contain
more than 30,000 errors.

Darlie's lawyers hope that this
fact alone will sway the court

to grant her a new trial.

Unless her appeal is
successful, Darlie Lynn Routier

will die in the
execution chamber

at Gatesville state prison.

These crumbling buildings
outside of Point Pleasant, West

Virginia are home
to one of the most

bizarre and terrifying creatures
ever to walk the earth--

or some would have you believe.

I could see something standing
there that looked like a man.

But yet, it wasn't a man.

It was some kind of a creature.

[creature sounds]

What is that!

Stood seven feet
tall-- or better--

enormous, glowing red eyes,
bat-like wings, man-like legs.

That was the biggest, by
far, and the ugliest bird--

and I do mean bird--

I've ever seen in my life.

And I hope in this
lifetime, I never see it

or anything like it again.

You have your
percentage of citizens who

feel that it was 101% a hoax.

Oh my God, it's over there.

Look!

Oh my God!

I personally think that there
was something up there that

scared the wits out
of most of the people

who came face to face with it.

What is a strange creature?

Countless theories
have been offered,

ranging from the far
fetched to the credible.

But answers have
remained elusive.

Nevertheless, one
thing is certain,

hundreds of ordinary
people have seen something

they cannot explain
in the woods outside

Point Pleasant Virginia.

They call it the Mothman.

On November 15, 1966, Linda
Scarbury, her husband,

and another couple
left Point Pleasant

and headed for an
area known as the TNT.

Abandoned since
World War II, the TNT

got its nickname for once
being a munitions factory.

It was here that the Mothman
would make its debut.

What is that?

Oh my god, what the--

As they approached
it, the headlights

hit it and the red
eyes were prominent.

It was a very huge creature with
a wingspan estimated 8 to 10,

to 12 feet.

Oh my God.

[interposing voices]

Go, go!
Get out!

ROBERT STACK: As the Mothman
let out a horrific screech,

the two couples fled in a panic.

Even though their car
approached 100 miles per hour,

it became apparent that
they had not escaped.

As they drove off, the
creature followed them--

from time to time, hitting
the top of the car.

It flew above the car
gliding from side to side,

but never getting
in front of the car.

And as they approached
the lights of the city,

the creature backed
off and then fled.

ROBERT STACK: But the Mothman
sightings were only beginning.

The next day,
Marcella Bennett left

her brother's house with
her four-year-old daughter

after a short visit.

When I got to the car and
reached for the door handle,

then I saw what
looked like legs.

Get back in the house!

I kept going up
looking from the feet up.

And when I did, I could see
that I was looking at something

that I had never saw before.

Come back to the house!

Oh my God!

[screams]

MARCELLA BENNETT: But the
creature was something

that looked like a man.

But it was over six
foot tall and it

had feathers instead of skin.

The way it looked, I
mean, it was something

I never, in my
wildest imagination,

would have ever thought that
would be standing out there--

just unbelievable.

Oh my God.

Be quiet, love.

ROBERT STACK: Then, as
quickly as it appeared,

the Mothman vanished.

A few days later, Tom Yuri
was driving near the TNT area.

He is one of the few people
to have seen the Mothman

in the clear light of day.

I caught something out
of the corner of eye.

It looked like a helicopter
coming over the trees at first.

until I saw it.

It was a bird-- a huge bird--
that proceeded to circle

my car making big loops.

But every time it
would make a loop,

it would get lower,
lower, lower.

And I'm getting a little
bit scared, you know.

This thing is
curious about my car.

And I sure didn't
want to be breakfast.

And then it made a
loop back to the left

and went back over
the river bank.

And I went on to
Mason, West Virginia

and called the Sheriff's
department in Point

Pleasant, West Virginia.

ROBERT STACK: Over the next
year, sightings of the Mothman

increased in frequency.

The descriptions of the
creature were eerily similar--

part man, part bird with huge
wings and hypnotic, red eyes.

The national media
descended on the small town.

Thousands swarmed
into the TNT area,

hoping to catch a
glimpse of the Mothman.

It was sheer pandemonium.

The world had focused
its attention on Point

Pleasant, West Virginia.

The press was everywhere.

And everyone just
seemed to be on edge

just waiting to see what
the outcome of the sightings

would be.

ROBERT STACK: As everybody
searched for the Mothman,

other weird occurrences began.

Residents of Point Pleasant
would go out on farms

and find their animals dead.

And maybe just the blood
out or the heart going.

Someone had removed the
heart of the animal.

ROBERT STACK: The town also
began to receive visits

from enigmatic strangers.

Their penchant for dressing
in black from head to toe

has earned them the
nickname the Men in Black.

The Men in Black were
strange, out-of-town visitors,

who seemed to want
to pretty much

just quiet everything down.

They would show up on
people's doorsteps,

show up at their house at night.

And basically just say, hey,
let's just keep quiet for now.

And it terrified a lot of
the original witnesses.

ROBERT STACK: Who were
these odd strangers?

Some believe they may hold the
answer to the Mothman mystery.

One of the theories is that
the Mothman was a government

experiment gone awry.

And it escaped, which
would explain a little bit

of the Men in Black.

A lot of people tied all
that in with the government

as a government experiment.

ROBERT STACK: Others
believed that there

is a more logical explanation
for the rash of sightings.

Eyewitnesses were actually
seeing a large bird--

specifically, the
sandhill crane--

indigenous to the area.

The sandhill crane stands
nearly as tall as a man

and has two red
patches of flesh that,

under extraordinary
circumstances,

might be mistaken for red eyes.

That's the basic reason why the
sandhill crane theory came up.

But none of the rest of the
bird fits that description--

not even close.

ROBERT STACK: One
final theory focuses

on the region where most
of the Mothman sightings

occurred-- the TNT.

The area was originally
a bird sanctuary.

World War II brought the
mass production of armaments

to the region, along
with immense pollution.

One of the theories is that
the Mothman is a mutant bird,

which was created from
the TNT residue left over

from the plants from during
the World War II effort

and combined with the genes
of the animals during 1966

and formed a mutant
bird type creature.

ROBERT STACK: Whatever
the explanation,

the Mothman terrified
all who say it.

And some even believe
that the creature

is somehow linked to the
greatest tragedy ever

to befall Point Pleasant.

After nearly a
year of sightings,

a silver bridge
leading out of town

collapsed-- killing 46 people.

One witness claimed to have
seen the Mothman on the bridge

just prior to the disaster.

A debate has raged ever since
about whether the Mothman

somehow played a role.

The silver bridge
collapse was attributed

more to a structural
fault in the metal.

Most of the key witnesses
don't feel that the Mothman

sighting had anything
to do with the collapse

of the silver bridge.

ROBERT STACK: Today,
the bridge has

been rebuilt. Although Mothman
sightings have virtually

stopped, thousands
still travel each year

to Point Pleasant with
the hopes of spying

the mysterious creature.

Books have been written, and
a major motion picture made.

Real or not, the Mothman is
more famous now than ever.

The Mothman has
always been there.

And it will always be there.

It'll never go away.

It's a legend.

It's a local legend.

And now, it's a
world wide legend.

It'll never fade away.

ROBERT STACK: The Klamath First
Federal bank in Bend, Oregon

is just seconds from closing.

Bank teller, Rhonda
Dent, looks forward

to a serene evening at home with
her husband and four children.

[inaudible] put your hands up!

[inaudible] Get over here!

You two, out from
behind the counter, now!

He took control.

And he scared us.

He intimidated us.

I'll freaking kill you, lady!

- [inaudible] your keys.
- Shut up!

You, lock the front door.

Move it!

You better hope he doesn't
push a button because you're

the one I'm going to kill.

There was no thought
in anybody's mind

of trying to set an alarm off.

So he made us all
go into the vault.

And then he had
me fill the bags.

After I was done
doing that, he told me

to go over and get on my knees.

And he tied me up.

I was scared.

I was terrified at that
point because I thought

he's going to shoot us all.

Coming out.

Are we clear?

ROBERT STACK: To
Rhonda's relief,

the armed thief harms no one.

The professionally
executed robbery is just 1

of 12 perpetrated by two
elusive partners in crime--

two lawless lovers
still on the loose.

Their names are Craig
Pritchert in Nova Guthrie.

But they've become known as a
modern day Bonnie and Clyde.

Over the past four years,
they made off with over half

a million dollars.

They conduct the robberies
with military precision

and vanish to live the high
life among the wealthy.

Perhaps you can help bring
their good times and their spree

of terror to an end.

Craig Pritchert once
seemed destined to gain

fame of a whole different kind.

A baseball scholarship at
Arizona State University

was to be his ticket
to a bright future.

Craig was a rising star.
He was doing very well.

And I'm sure he probably
projected himself

to be in the majors, probably
making a lot of money

at some point in time.

But Barry Bonds came along and
was offered scholarship to ASU.

And once Barry Bonds got
there, Craig pretty much

was sitting on the bench or was
in the shadows, if you will.

I think that was
devastating to him.

And he had these high
career aspirations

of making a lot of money and
didn't have any means to do it.

I think that led to a quick,
immediate gratification,

which was bank robbing.

ROBERT STACK: Craig Pritchert's
lust for the quick score

led him to Las Vegas.

Not to the casinos, but
straight to the banks.

Over the next several
years, he committed

an unknown number of robberies.

In 1992, his luck ran out.

A bank teller identified
him in a lineup.

He was arrested, and convicted,
and sentenced to five years

in an Arizona penitentiary.

Five years is a long
time to spend in prison.

And he met other people
that had robbed banks.

And from past experience
of cases I've worked,

they exchange thoughts,
ideas, ways to perfect robbing

a bank better the next time.

He actually
learned how to commit

bank robberies in a better
way than he had previously.

Now there's a couple of
tricks that I can show you--

ROBERT STACK: In New Mexico,
shortly after his release,

Craig met 24-year-old
Nova Guthrie.

They did have dinner.

And they hit it off.

Sparks were flying,
they were very mutually

attracted to each other.

I'll take you out.

I think I can stay
a couple of more days.

And within a week or so,
Craig had moved in with Nova.

Nova Guthrie comes
from a very small town.

And she was raised in a
very strict, conservative,

very spiritual family setting.

And I think she's not had
much excitement in her life

until she met Pritchert.

Well, after meeting, they
went on a bank robbery spree.

And that included the states
of Colorado, Arizona, New

Mexico, Washington, Oregon--

across the South and Northwest.

Pritchert would enter the
bank wearing a disguise.

He was always armed
with an assault weapon.

He had a police scanner,
so he could monitor

any of the place in the area.

ROBERT STACK: In
the getaway car,

Nova alerts Craig to
any dangers via radio.

After each robbery, they drive
to a pre-designated location

to abandoned their car.

They transfer to a second
vehicle and flee the area.

They're kind of
natural-born rule breakers.

They love a challenge.

And what's more
thrilling than robbing

a bank in broad daylight?

And my guess is, that after
these robberies, it's--

it's into bed.

It's a thrill.

It's exciting.

They just want to
keep the thrill going.

In between the
robberies, there

were sightings of
them really leading

a very lavish lifestyle.

They liked to
frequent nice places--

the ski resorts,
ocean resort areas.

They look like a very
nice, normal couple.

There is nothing that's going to
stand out that is going to make

them different from others.

ROBERT STACK: Two years
into their crime spree,

Craig and Nova risk
capture by visiting

Nova's family in Phoenix.

At the time, however,
Nova was unaware that only

Craig was a wanted fugitive.

The FBI had no evidence
linking her to the robberies.

But Nova's family resented
Craig for enticing

her to a life of crime.

[inaudible]

Beer?

Nah, I want to talk to
you outside for a minute.

EDWARD HALL: Nova's
brother confronted Craig.

What's going on?

You're leaving right now.

You're going to get in
your fancy little car.

EDWARD HALL: He didn't
like what he had done

and what he had gotten
Nova involved with.

Go.

And he didn't want her to
be any part of Nova's life.

Nova, he's gone.

ROBERT STACK:
Without Craig, Nova

was uncertain what to do next.

Confused and contrite,
she heeded her sister's

advice to meet
confidentially with police

chaplain, William Fay.

What is it you
want to tell me?

WILLIAM FAY: I think deep in her
heart she wanted to be forgiven

but didn't know
how to go about it.

I think I'm in trouble.

At that point, I took
my Bible and I began

to share scripture with her.

I said, what do you think it is
now that God would have you do?

Nova said, turn myself in.

I said, let's go.

We interviewed Nova Guthrie.

And she provided information
regarding her involvement

in the bank robberies
and just the manner

in which they were committed.

We didn't arrest Nova
at that point in time

because we had not
done any investigation

to corroborate her story.

And we had insufficient
probable cause

to have the United
States Attorney's Office

authorize on an arrest warrant.

ROBERT STACK: The FBI
hope that with Nova help,

they could bring
Craig to justice.

But after her surprising
choice to cooperate,

she made an equally
astonishing turnabout--

she disappeared back to a life
of crime with Craig Pritchert.

When she first
went with Craig,

she didn't quite realize what
a big decision she had made.

She had second
thoughts about it,

stepped back from the brink.

And then realized,
it's boring back here.

I'm going back to the brink.

And that's what she did.

I've read publications where
Nova and Craig have been called

a modern day Bonnie and Clyde
and tried to romanticize it,

if you will.

I don't buy it, personally.

I don't think it's
romantic if you walk in

and stick a gun in
someone's face from two feet

and you threaten them.

Look, I will freaking
kill you, lady.

That

But just because they
haven't shot anyone

and they haven't
used their weapons,

doesn't mean that people
aren't getting hurt.

You take a look at the
victims and the victim tellers

specifically, it's very
traumatic for them.

You know, I'd like to tie him
up and stick a gun in his face.

I'd like to have him feel
that same helpless feeling--

being terrified for
your life thinking

that you're going to die.

[music playing]

Join me for more stories
that challenge the mind

and the imagination,
on the next edition

of "Unsolved Mysteries."