Original subtitles

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."