1 00:00:00,500 --> 00:00:00,533  [b                              2 00:00:00,533 --> 00:00:00,567  [bri                            3 00:00:00,567 --> 00:00:00,600  [brigh                          4 00:00:00,600 --> 00:00:00,633  [bright                         5 00:00:00,633 --> 00:00:00,667  [bright mu                      6 00:00:00,667 --> 00:00:00,700  [bright musi                    7 00:00:00,700 --> 00:00:03,670  [bright music]                  8 00:00:06,539 --> 00:00:09,275 with a population of barely 100, 9 00:00:09,275 --> 00:00:12,278 the folks of the farming            village of Colon, Nebraska    10 00:00:12,278 --> 00:00:14,080 have come to rely on each other. 11 00:00:15,148 --> 00:00:16,383   - That's just the way it is.   12 00:00:16,383 --> 00:00:18,785    People know each                other and help out.            13 00:00:18,785 --> 00:00:21,388    - We're just good             folks with good hearts.          14 00:00:21,388 --> 00:00:25,392  - But on a late summer          evening in 2003,                 15 00:00:25,392 --> 00:00:28,261   that idyllic                     harmony is shattered           16 00:00:28,261 --> 00:00:30,530 when the shocking murder           of longtime resident           17 00:00:30,530 --> 00:00:34,367   Sharron Erickson turns Main      Street into a crime scene.     18 00:00:35,668 --> 00:00:38,271 - There's a gun                     laying by her head            19 00:00:38,271 --> 00:00:39,806   in a pool of blood.            20 00:00:39,806 --> 00:00:44,144  - Someone had to get over that   fence and cut the phone line.   21 00:00:44,144 --> 00:00:46,312    - Everybody across             the board was shocked.          22 00:00:46,312 --> 00:00:48,681  - [Alan] And questions          of who the killer may be         23 00:00:48,681 --> 00:00:51,151  break communal bonds.           24 00:00:51,151 --> 00:00:54,320    - People started pointing      fingers at each other saying,   25 00:00:54,320 --> 00:00:59,325  I bet he did it or he            did it or he did it.            26 00:00:59,325 --> 00:01:03,163   - In a town of 140 or less      people, they're all suspects.   27 00:01:04,097 --> 00:01:06,466  - It's hard to believe           and accept the killer           28 00:01:06,466 --> 00:01:09,402  probably was somebody              living next door.             29 00:01:11,171 --> 00:01:13,173    - Now, locals who             once looked out                  30 00:01:13,173 --> 00:01:16,109    for each other are              looking suspiciously           31 00:01:17,343 --> 00:01:18,711  at each other.                  32 00:01:19,746 --> 00:01:22,649 [dramatic music]                 33 00:01:33,326 --> 00:01:35,829  [bright music]                  34 00:01:39,199 --> 00:01:42,435  - On June 30th, 2003,              I was on patrol.              35 00:01:43,603 --> 00:01:46,606   It's evening time in           the middle of the summer         36 00:01:46,606 --> 00:01:49,209    and there's still               plenty of sunlight.            37 00:01:49,209 --> 00:02:04,791  I received a call from            our dispatch center.           38 00:02:04,791 --> 00:02:07,494  [tense music]                   [siren wailing]                  39 00:02:07,494 --> 00:02:09,662   - [Kyle] Our dispatch center      indicated                     40 00:02:09,662 --> 00:02:13,266    that somebody in Colon had       located a deceased female     41 00:02:13,266 --> 00:02:16,503  and believed that she            had committed suicide           42 00:02:16,503 --> 00:02:19,506  and she's in a garage             along Main Street.             43 00:02:20,640 --> 00:02:22,876 - Main Street is one block long. 44 00:02:24,144 --> 00:02:27,547  There's the bank and the post      office and the restaurant     45 00:02:27,547 --> 00:02:30,116    and bar, but there               are houses there.             46 00:02:31,551 --> 00:02:33,319 - [Kyle] I arrived at the scene, 47 00:02:36,256 --> 00:02:38,658  made contact with the            volunteer firefighters          48 00:02:38,958 --> 00:02:42,662   and the ladies from the bank      that were standing there.     49 00:02:42,662 --> 00:02:46,266  The bank employees got a call    from Sharron's family members   50 00:02:46,266 --> 00:02:49,402    saying that she had missed     their five o'clock phone call.  51 00:02:49,402 --> 00:02:51,804  They had been asked to go over  52 00:02:51,804 --> 00:02:54,140  and check on Sharron Erickson.  53 00:02:56,809 --> 00:02:58,845  The garage was opened           54 00:02:58,845 --> 00:03:00,813  and I could see the car inside  55 00:03:00,813 --> 00:03:03,449 along with the deceased female.  56 00:03:03,449 --> 00:03:05,285   She was on the left            side of the car                  57 00:03:05,285 --> 00:03:08,321    with her head near              the front left tire.           58 00:03:08,321 --> 00:03:09,822 - [Alan] In the                    small town of Colon,           59 00:03:09,822 --> 00:03:12,192   the coroner called              in also happens to be           60 00:03:12,192 --> 00:03:13,626  the local prosecutor.           61 00:03:14,627 --> 00:03:17,463 - [Scott] I meet with the deputy   that was first on the scene.   62 00:03:17,463 --> 00:03:21,201  He shows me where the body is.  63 00:03:21,201 --> 00:03:22,969  She was wearing what              appeared to be like clothes    64 00:03:22,969 --> 00:03:26,439    that she would be sleeping     in, just like a pajama outfit.  65 00:03:27,373 --> 00:03:30,443  There's a gun that is           laying just by her head,         66 00:03:30,443 --> 00:03:32,712   which is in a pool of blood    67 00:03:32,712 --> 00:03:36,716    and it appears that maybe      it's a self-inflicted gunshot.  68 00:03:36,716 --> 00:03:38,218  She had a small purse.          69 00:03:38,218 --> 00:03:39,752   We were guessing at            that time, maybe that's          70 00:03:39,752 --> 00:03:41,421  where she carried her handgun.  71 00:03:42,855 --> 00:03:46,626    - [Kyle] I did notice that      Sharron's shorts were pulled   72 00:03:46,626 --> 00:03:48,761    down slightly on one side     73 00:03:48,761 --> 00:03:51,898   and her tank top was pulled     up just a li                    74 00:03:51,898 --> 00:03:53,399   exposing her stomach           75 00:03:53,800 --> 00:03:58,738   and also noticed that there     was a blood smear on the car.   76 00:03:59,739 --> 00:04:02,342    - Sharron had been               married, but was divorced,    77 00:04:02,342 --> 00:04:04,244    didn't have any children.     78 00:04:04,244 --> 00:04:06,479 It looked like it could           have been a suicide.            79 00:04:08,514 --> 00:04:11,784 - [Scott] We talked to           everybody at the scene.          80 00:04:11,784 --> 00:04:14,954 We learned Sharron had a         very definitive routine.         81 00:04:16,022 --> 00:04:19,759   Every morning about 8:00 AM    she would go to the postmaster,  82 00:04:19,759 --> 00:04:21,628   Rick Hartman, get her mail.    83 00:04:21,628 --> 00:04:24,764  The post office was right next    door to Sharron's residence.   84 00:04:24,764 --> 00:04:28,034  She would talk to him for, you   know, 15, 20 minutes, go over   85 00:04:28,034 --> 00:04:31,904   to the bank, chit chat with      the ladies, do her business,   86 00:04:31,904 --> 00:04:33,906    and then go about               her day from there.            87 00:04:35,642 --> 00:04:38,645    - [Kevin] Sharron and her      relative communicated at least  88 00:04:38,645 --> 00:04:41,314 once a day and generally         at five o'clock.                 89 00:04:42,649 --> 00:04:43,950  On the day her body was found,  90 00:04:43,950 --> 00:04:47,520 her family member hadn't          received a phone call           91 00:04:47,520 --> 00:04:49,422   and then contacted the bank    92 00:04:49,422 --> 00:04:51,958 and asked the employees           if they had seen her.           93 00:04:51,958 --> 00:04:53,059  And when they hadn't seen her,  94 00:04:53,059 --> 00:04:55,295 then the family member requested 95 00:04:55,295 --> 00:04:57,563  that they do a welfare check.   96 00:04:57,563 --> 00:05:01,034    - [Scott] The bank ladies        contacted Rick Hartman the    97 00:05:01,034 --> 00:05:06,439  postmaster and asked if he had     seen her earlier that day.    98 00:05:06,439 --> 00:05:07,807   He said he did not see her.    99 00:05:11,544 --> 00:05:15,815 So Rick Hartman actually         had a key to her place.          100 00:05:15,815 --> 00:05:17,450  - [Kevin] So they went to her    home.                           101 00:05:17,450 --> 00:05:18,818 Her house was unlocked.          102 00:05:18,818 --> 00:05:20,320    That was unusual.             103 00:05:20,320 --> 00:05:22,322  There was an alarm going off.   104 00:05:22,322 --> 00:05:24,424    - [Kyle] She had an alarm        that went around              105 00:05:24,424 --> 00:05:28,061    a door handle on the back      door and they turned that off.  106 00:05:29,696 --> 00:05:32,332    - [Scott] They can't find      her in her residence.           107 00:05:32,332 --> 00:05:34,734 Sharron's residence was             on one side of the street.    108 00:05:34,734 --> 00:05:36,436 Her garage where                 she kept her car                 109 00:05:36,436 --> 00:05:38,871 was actually across the street.  110 00:05:41,107 --> 00:05:42,775  opened the garage door          111 00:05:45,845 --> 00:05:49,582  and Rick Hartman found            her body laying next           112 00:05:49,582 --> 00:05:50,850    to her car in her garage.     113 00:05:53,986 --> 00:05:56,122    - [Alan] Analyzing               the tragic scene,             114 00:05:56,122 --> 00:05:58,791  something catches the            eye of investigators.           115 00:05:59,692 --> 00:06:01,627   - We walk around to              the back of the car            116 00:06:01,627 --> 00:06:04,897   and the deputy says              that he's concerned            117 00:06:04,897 --> 00:06:07,600 because there's blood on         the back of the bumper.          118 00:06:07,600 --> 00:06:09,569   He couldn't explain               why it was there.             119 00:06:10,603 --> 00:06:12,872   We could never find            a shell casing,                  120 00:06:12,872 --> 00:06:15,875 but we thought maybe it            got tucked into her clothes    121 00:06:15,875 --> 00:06:18,144    and we would find                it at the autopsy.            122 00:06:18,144 --> 00:06:21,914   - [Kyle] And then also found      that there was no magazine    123 00:06:21,914 --> 00:06:22,849   in the gun.                    124 00:06:25,518 --> 00:06:28,054    - [Scott] In the evening,       as the sun lowered,            125 00:06:28,054 --> 00:06:31,391   it started shining             into the garage opening          126 00:06:31,391 --> 00:06:33,626   and at that point we noticed   127 00:06:33,626 --> 00:06:35,895 that there was actually          blood on the doorframe.          128 00:06:36,629 --> 00:06:38,798  Deputy Coghlan opened the door  129 00:06:38,798 --> 00:06:41,033    and then you could see on        the inside the doorframe      130 00:06:41,033 --> 00:06:43,369    that there was a                noticeable amount of blood.    131 00:06:44,470 --> 00:06:47,140   That totally changed the way    we were looking at everything.  132 00:06:49,642 --> 00:06:52,645 We both thought, okay, somebody    else had to have done that     133 00:06:52,645 --> 00:06:55,515    because she could              not have shot herself           134 00:06:55,515 --> 00:06:58,684 and then struggled with          the door, shut the door          135 00:06:58,684 --> 00:07:00,920 and then put herself in            that position without blood    136 00:07:00,920 --> 00:07:02,522    being in a different spot.    137 00:07:03,656 --> 00:07:05,191    At that point, we               realized it was not            138 00:07:05,191 --> 00:07:06,993 a self-inflicted gunshot wound.  139 00:07:09,195 --> 00:07:12,165  - [Alan] This isn't a suicide,     this is a murder.             140 00:07:13,132 --> 00:07:16,936    Now investigators explore        the scene with new eyes,      141 00:07:16,936 --> 00:07:19,806 looking for clues as to          who could have done this         142 00:07:19,806 --> 00:07:21,841  and outside Sharron's garage,   143 00:07:21,841 --> 00:07:23,910 word spreads along Main Street.  144 00:07:25,978 --> 00:07:28,214    - I was in the office when    the people came in said,         145 00:07:28,214 --> 00:07:29,949   did you hear about Sharron?    146 00:07:29,949 --> 00:07:30,983   Sharron was found murdered.    147 00:07:30,983 --> 00:07:32,185  I went, what?                   148 00:07:33,519 --> 00:07:36,689   Quiet little community that     people always got along good.   149 00:07:37,690 --> 00:07:40,193   It's scary and unbelievable.   150 00:07:41,727 --> 00:07:44,564 - Oh, I couldn't believe            it when the news came out.    151 00:07:45,465 --> 00:07:47,099   Sharron lived on Main Street   152 00:07:47,099 --> 00:07:49,569    and I lived one block off.    153 00:07:49,569 --> 00:07:50,837 In our little community,         154 00:07:50,837 --> 00:07:53,573   you just don't even             think of those things.          155 00:07:53,573 --> 00:07:55,441  That doesn't happen in Colon.   156 00:07:56,342 --> 00:07:57,977  - [Don] Well, the first thing   that comes to your mind          157 00:07:57,977 --> 00:08:00,713  when you're thinking,           who could have done it?          158 00:08:00,713 --> 00:08:02,215  Well, anybody.                  159 00:08:03,583 --> 00:08:05,017   - [Alan] Frightened            by her murder,                   160 00:08:05,017 --> 00:08:08,254  Colon's tight knit community     wonders why anyone would kill   161 00:08:08,254 --> 00:08:10,957 someone so well                    regarded as Sharron?           162 00:08:12,158 --> 00:08:13,259 - [Kevin] I had a lot of           interaction                    163 00:08:13,259 --> 00:08:15,995 with her at the                    treasurer's office.            164 00:08:15,995 --> 00:08:18,998   Sharron Erickson was           very well known in Colon         165 00:08:18,998 --> 00:08:21,133    and she was well known in        the county as she worked      166 00:08:21,133 --> 00:08:24,570    for the county treasurer's       office for over 30 years.     167 00:08:25,671 --> 00:08:27,874   - [Don] Sharron Erickson had    probably the highest standards  168 00:08:27,874 --> 00:08:29,275  of anybody that worked             at the courthouse.            169 00:08:29,275 --> 00:08:34,247 She was always dressed properly, very cordial to people.          170 00:08:35,214 --> 00:08:38,150   My kids got to know              Sharron mostly when we'd go    171 00:08:38,150 --> 00:08:41,153  to a convention 'cause           Sharron liked to swim.          172 00:08:41,153 --> 00:08:42,889    Sharron jumped in the pool    173 00:08:42,889 --> 00:08:45,157  and of course my kids           were in right with her.          174 00:08:45,825 --> 00:08:47,627 - [Carlann] Sharron was bubbly.  175 00:08:47,627 --> 00:08:50,963  She always had positive things     to say about other people.    176 00:08:53,199 --> 00:08:55,935  - [Don] This is the retirement     party for Sharron             177 00:08:55,935 --> 00:08:57,770    at the courthouse.            178 00:08:57,770 --> 00:09:00,139 Everyone brought a dish           and they had a cake.            179 00:09:02,642 --> 00:09:07,213    It was just, wow, can you      believe Sharron just retired?   180 00:09:07,213 --> 00:09:08,981   And so that was really sad.    181 00:09:12,785 --> 00:09:13,953 - [Alan] At Sharron's property,  182 00:09:13,953 --> 00:09:15,555 some investigators keep speaking 183 00:09:15,555 --> 00:09:18,190   with the locals while others   head across Main Street          184 00:09:18,190 --> 00:09:20,226    to begin a sweep                 of Sharron's home             185 00:09:20,226 --> 00:09:23,796   where she recently               installed added protection.    186 00:09:23,796 --> 00:09:25,197  - [Scott] We found out          187 00:09:25,197 --> 00:09:29,235  that Sharron had just            constructed a new vinyl fence   188 00:09:29,235 --> 00:09:33,172   within a few days of             the crime happening.           189 00:09:34,807 --> 00:09:36,309   - [Kevin] Friends of Sharron    indicated that she was          190 00:09:36,309 --> 00:09:37,577 pretty paranoid.                 191 00:09:37,577 --> 00:09:41,247    She was concerned                about her safety,             192 00:09:41,247 --> 00:09:43,115  the fact that she lived alone   193 00:09:43,115 --> 00:09:45,618  and everybody in town            knew she lived alone.           194 00:09:48,087 --> 00:09:49,822    - [Scott] Law enforcement      trying to figure out            195 00:09:49,822 --> 00:09:51,123   what happened at the house.    196 00:09:51,123 --> 00:09:53,159   We noticed that her              phone line was cut.            197 00:09:54,060 --> 00:09:56,829   - [Kevin] So someone had to      get over that fence            198 00:09:56,829 --> 00:10:00,600 and then they had to go           there and cut the phone line.   199 00:10:00,600 --> 00:10:04,971 So someone was somewhat          familiar with either her         200 00:10:04,971 --> 00:10:06,639  and/or her residence.           201 00:10:07,840 --> 00:10:11,110 Inside of her home, you          can see that it's neat,          202 00:10:11,110 --> 00:10:14,146    but the back door              had a pry mark on it.           203 00:10:14,146 --> 00:10:16,215   Someone had tried to             get into the house.            204 00:10:17,383 --> 00:10:19,385 - [Kyle] We did find one object  205 00:10:19,385 --> 00:10:22,121 that looked like maybe           it could have been used          206 00:10:22,121 --> 00:10:23,723  to pry the door open.           207 00:10:23,723 --> 00:10:28,260   It was a cold chisel, heavy      metal object kind of rusty     208 00:10:28,260 --> 00:10:30,062  that was laying on the floor.   209 00:10:32,898 --> 00:10:34,300 - [Alan] Moving                  into Sharron's bedroom,          210 00:10:34,300 --> 00:10:38,004  investigators uncover             more telling clues.            211 00:10:38,004 --> 00:10:40,006    - [Kyle] We don't find any       signs of struggle,            212 00:10:40,006 --> 00:10:43,142   but we do see that             there's a empty holster          213 00:10:43,142 --> 00:10:45,311    that's sitting on a table.    214 00:10:45,311 --> 00:10:47,713    It looked like she             might have been in bed          215 00:10:48,080 --> 00:10:51,784 and might have taken the          gun out of the holster          216 00:10:51,784 --> 00:10:53,419   and left in a hurry.           217 00:10:53,419 --> 00:10:55,921  - [Kevin] Because the             phone line was cut,            218 00:10:55,921 --> 00:10:59,325 we were pretty certain something   happened in the home first.    219 00:10:59,325 --> 00:11:01,027   We believed that the clothes   220 00:11:01,027 --> 00:11:04,063  that she had on, some           small shorts, underwear          221 00:11:04,063 --> 00:11:07,166 and a tank top may have          been bedtime clothing.           222 00:11:08,434 --> 00:11:11,337    We assumed she ran across     to get into her garage           223 00:11:11,337 --> 00:11:13,339   because she needed to escape   224 00:11:13,339 --> 00:11:15,174   'cause she couldn't            call for help.                   225 00:11:16,108 --> 00:11:18,177  Sharron didn't keep a            large amount of cash            226 00:11:18,177 --> 00:11:20,913    or any particular              valuables in her home.          227 00:11:20,913 --> 00:11:23,349 We discovered that there          was cash in her purse.          228 00:11:23,349 --> 00:11:26,185 So the assailant who was          trying to get into their home,  229 00:11:26,185 --> 00:11:29,388   it wasn't clear to us what      they were going in there for.   230 00:11:30,456 --> 00:11:32,091  - [Alan] Investigators          look for answers                 231 00:11:32,091 --> 00:11:35,127   from Sharron's Main Street       friends who found her body.    232 00:11:36,362 --> 00:11:39,932    - [Scott] Everybody that's      there is a suspect.            233 00:11:39,932 --> 00:11:44,904   So we wanted to talk to the    bank ladies and the postmaster.  234 00:11:48,074 --> 00:11:50,209  - [Kyle] I asked the different  people involved                  235 00:11:50,209 --> 00:11:53,379   to all write out a statement     as to what happened.           236 00:11:53,379 --> 00:11:57,349    Everybody was very               patient with the exception    237 00:11:57,349 --> 00:11:59,452 of the postmaster, Rick Hartman. 238 00:12:00,486 --> 00:12:03,956   A couple different times I       had to ask him to step back    239 00:12:03,956 --> 00:12:05,257 because he kept coming up close  240 00:12:05,257 --> 00:12:07,493 to the garage or in the garage.  241 00:12:07,493 --> 00:12:10,996    Kind of started wondering       why he was inserting himself   242 00:12:10,996 --> 00:12:13,232    so much in the situation.     243 00:12:14,967 --> 00:12:18,738  The postmaster did a               complete 180 degree flip.     244 00:12:18,738 --> 00:12:19,972   He got angry                   245 00:12:19,972 --> 00:12:22,108   and said to me, if             you're gonna arrest me,          246 00:12:22,108 --> 00:12:23,943   arrest me, but I'm leaving.    247 00:12:27,146 --> 00:12:28,414   - [Alan] Coming up.            248 00:12:28,414 --> 00:12:31,283   - [Scott] This is something      that was personal.             249 00:12:31,283 --> 00:12:33,385    - [Kevin] People said, you     need to check further           250 00:12:33,385 --> 00:12:35,020    on where that neighbor was    251 00:12:35,020 --> 00:12:37,857    because this person's not     telling you the truth.           252 00:12:37,857 --> 00:12:41,127 - Sharron was not one to         shy away from conflict.          253 00:12:42,762 --> 00:12:45,297   - [Scott] We started hearing      rumors that the postmaster    254 00:12:45,297 --> 00:12:47,800 and Sharron were                    more than friends.            255 00:12:52,004 --> 00:12:52,037  [e                              256 00:12:52,037 --> 00:12:52,071  [eer                            257 00:12:52,071 --> 00:12:52,104  [eerie                          258 00:12:52,104 --> 00:12:52,138  [eerie m                        259 00:12:52,138 --> 00:12:52,171  [eerie mus                      260 00:12:52,171 --> 00:12:52,204  [eerie music                    261 00:12:52,204 --> 00:12:53,873  [eerie music]                   262 00:12:58,344 --> 00:13:00,880    - [Alan] After 66-year-old    retiree Sharron Erickson         263 00:13:00,880 --> 00:13:03,349   is found dead in her              Main Street garage            264 00:13:03,349 --> 00:13:06,352   in Colon, Nebraska,             authorities take note           265 00:13:06,352 --> 00:13:09,488   of the postmaster's bizarre     actions at the scene.           266 00:13:10,523 --> 00:13:14,426  Is there something the          postmaster is trying to conceal? 267 00:13:16,495 --> 00:13:19,265    - [Scott] Rick Hartman was    the postmaster.                  268 00:13:19,265 --> 00:13:21,934    His interactions stood out    269 00:13:21,934 --> 00:13:23,903  because he was trying so much   270 00:13:23,903 --> 00:13:26,372    to inject himself             into the scene.                  271 00:13:27,072 --> 00:13:29,508    So we talked with             the postmaster.                  272 00:13:30,509 --> 00:13:34,046   - Mr. Hartman was a postman    for a number of years,           273 00:13:34,046 --> 00:13:37,616   very friendly with Sharron,      at her house all the time.     274 00:13:38,651 --> 00:13:40,786 He said when she                   would go on vacation           275 00:13:40,786 --> 00:13:43,789    or out of town, he             would watch her place.          276 00:13:43,789 --> 00:13:45,391    He had a key to her place.    277 00:13:46,492 --> 00:13:50,296   But when you're interviewing    somebody, their body language,  278 00:13:50,296 --> 00:13:53,299   anything emotionally that's       coming out, you're trying     279 00:13:53,299 --> 00:13:56,502 to judge is this unusual          or is it not unusual?           280 00:13:57,803 --> 00:14:04,643   And his lined up on               the unusual side.             281 00:14:06,979 --> 00:14:09,682   - [Alan] Detectives' number    one question is                  282 00:14:09,682 --> 00:14:11,951   where was Rick when              Sharron was being murdered?    283 00:14:12,885 --> 00:14:16,322 - [Kevin] The postmaster's alibi  was that he was home.           284 00:14:16,322 --> 00:14:18,424 His wife also came to the scene  285 00:14:18,424 --> 00:14:20,826   and his wife confirmed that.   286 00:14:20,826 --> 00:14:24,096 You have to be aware of          how valid the alibi is.          287 00:14:24,096 --> 00:14:25,831    Does that person               have anything to gain           288 00:14:25,831 --> 00:14:28,601    or lose by giving               you bad information?           289 00:14:28,601 --> 00:14:30,002   Do you think they're              hiding something?             290 00:14:30,002 --> 00:14:32,104   Do you think they're            lying about something?          291 00:14:32,104 --> 00:14:35,841    And Mr. Hartman's                relationship with Sharron,    292 00:14:35,841 --> 00:14:38,744 we weren't 100%                    sure what that was.            293 00:14:38,744 --> 00:14:41,714  So he was involved in           her life, I'll say that.         294 00:14:43,983 --> 00:14:46,986   - What we're trained is not       just to necessarily react     295 00:14:46,986 --> 00:14:49,588  based on what somebody          says right then.                 296 00:14:49,588 --> 00:14:52,892  So we made the decision to go     ahead and release everybody    297 00:14:52,892 --> 00:14:55,728    and then we would follow         up later if we needed to.     298 00:15:01,867 --> 00:15:05,871  - [Scott] We had the transport     come in, bagged the body,     299 00:15:05,871 --> 00:15:08,540    and then just took              it into the autopsy.           300 00:15:10,142 --> 00:15:12,878 We didn't finish up at              the scene till about 5:30     301 00:15:12,878 --> 00:15:14,346    or 6:00 the next morning.     302 00:15:18,150 --> 00:15:19,885  [bright music]                  303 00:15:19,885 --> 00:15:22,154 - [Alan] The day after            Sharron's body is discovered,   304 00:15:22,154 --> 00:15:23,889    investigators first looked    305 00:15:23,889 --> 00:15:25,758 to establish a timeframe         306 00:15:25,758 --> 00:15:27,826   in which the murder              must have occurred.            307 00:15:29,161 --> 00:15:32,598   - [Scott] We were in contact   with her family.                 308 00:15:34,033 --> 00:15:36,769 We learned that the day           prior to the murder,            309 00:15:36,769 --> 00:15:40,172   Sharron had met some              family for supper             310 00:15:40,172 --> 00:15:42,675   and she got home about 5:30.   311 00:15:42,675 --> 00:15:46,779   So we knew the timeframe was      about 5:30 in the evening     312 00:15:46,779 --> 00:15:47,713  the day before                  313 00:15:47,713 --> 00:15:50,950    and up to when she            missed her morning visit         314 00:15:50,950 --> 00:15:55,120   to the post office, probably    8:00 AM the next day.           315 00:15:59,091 --> 00:16:00,926  - Sharron was                     really good friends            316 00:16:00,926 --> 00:16:04,096   with her cousin in Lincoln,    Nebraska, and it was this cousin 317 00:16:04,096 --> 00:16:07,199    who actually dropped her        off at her home the evening    318 00:16:07,199 --> 00:16:08,901   before Sharron was murdered.   319 00:16:09,969 --> 00:16:11,437  - [Alan] After                  speaking with the cousin         320 00:16:11,437 --> 00:16:13,839  who had nothing outta            the ordinary to note,           321 00:16:13,839 --> 00:16:16,108 investigators then begin          extensively canvassing          322 00:16:16,108 --> 00:16:18,043  the community of Main Street.   323 00:16:19,578 --> 00:16:22,681  - [Kevin] So we have the bank   personnel, the postman,          324 00:16:22,681 --> 00:16:25,050   they're all suspects              until we can exclude them.    325 00:16:26,552 --> 00:16:29,088 We started out                     going door to door,            326 00:16:29,088 --> 00:16:30,823    asking 'em if they              heard a dog barking,           327 00:16:30,823 --> 00:16:33,692   if they saw a light               somewhere, heard a noise,     328 00:16:33,692 --> 00:16:35,828    anything that was               out of the ordinary.           329 00:16:37,863 --> 00:16:39,865   - [Scott] Sharron had lived     there a lot of years.           330 00:16:39,865 --> 00:16:41,867   The Marrs' lived in the back   331 00:16:41,867 --> 00:16:45,004 and kind of cattycorner           from Sharron.                   332 00:16:45,004 --> 00:16:46,705    She knew the Marrs family.    333 00:16:48,607 --> 00:16:52,478    There were a couple people     in town that were, oh,          334 00:16:52,478 --> 00:16:54,480   just nothing serious           335 00:16:54,480 --> 00:16:57,916  but would get in trouble such      as their son James Marrs.     336 00:16:58,984 --> 00:17:00,986 - [Alan] James                    Marrs is 25 years old           337 00:17:00,986 --> 00:17:03,188   and works as a farm               hand in the area.             338 00:17:05,991 --> 00:17:08,594   - [Kevin] When we talked to      the family,                    339 00:17:08,594 --> 00:17:10,896 James Marrs was                   pretty cooperative in           340 00:17:10,896 --> 00:17:12,131   answering questions.           341 00:17:12,131 --> 00:17:14,500 His mom was cooperative.         342 00:17:14,500 --> 00:17:15,868    The night of the homicide,    343 00:17:15,868 --> 00:17:19,004  Marrs said he had been             drinking in a bar in Wahoo    344 00:17:19,938 --> 00:17:22,474  and then said he went             to a friend's house            345 00:17:23,142 --> 00:17:24,743   and then went home.            346 00:17:24,743 --> 00:17:29,148   We talked to that friend and      he confirmed Marrs' alibi.    347 00:17:30,649 --> 00:17:32,785  His mom was up waiting for him  348 00:17:32,785 --> 00:17:35,788 and verified that he came home.  349 00:17:35,788 --> 00:17:37,890 James Marr's alibi checked out.  350 00:17:39,291 --> 00:17:41,894  - [Alan] As the Main               Street canvas carries on,     351 00:17:41,894 --> 00:17:45,798  investigators learned Sharron    kept a sharp eye on her street  352 00:17:45,798 --> 00:17:47,132    and her neighbors.            353 00:17:49,068 --> 00:17:51,303 - Sharron was said not to be one 354 00:17:51,303 --> 00:17:53,872 that would shy                     away from conflict.            355 00:17:54,973 --> 00:17:58,210 - [Kevin] Sharron would complain  from time to time about people  356 00:17:58,210 --> 00:18:01,914   that would stay up too late     because she was on Main Street  357 00:18:01,914 --> 00:18:04,049   and there was a bar               across the road.              358 00:18:04,049 --> 00:18:06,652 Someone would leave the             bar, radio would be loud,     359 00:18:06,652 --> 00:18:11,056    rev their car up, but they      were all pretty minor things   360 00:18:11,056 --> 00:18:13,158   that just happened              in a small community.           361 00:18:16,195 --> 00:18:17,663  the one neighbor whom Sharron   362 00:18:17,663 --> 00:18:21,667  had a deeper dislike            for was the one closest          363 00:18:21,667 --> 00:18:23,168    to her new fence.             364 00:18:24,136 --> 00:18:27,339    - [Scott] We learned that       Sharron had a argumentative,   365 00:18:27,339 --> 00:18:30,342    contentious relationship        with the trucker next door.    366 00:18:30,342 --> 00:18:32,344 They weren't the best of friends 367 00:18:32,344 --> 00:18:33,946    and then we heard                from other people             368 00:18:33,946 --> 00:18:37,716   that Sharron really               did not like him.             369 00:18:37,716 --> 00:18:40,185  [tense music]                   370 00:18:44,823 --> 00:18:44,857  [e                              371 00:18:44,857 --> 00:18:44,890  [eer                            372 00:18:44,890 --> 00:18:44,923  [eerie                          373 00:18:44,923 --> 00:18:44,957  [eerie m                        374 00:18:44,957 --> 00:18:44,990  [eerie mus                      375 00:18:44,990 --> 00:18:45,023  [eerie music                    376 00:18:45,023 --> 00:18:46,391  [eerie music]                   377 00:18:50,829 --> 00:18:52,798   - [Alan] Detectives learned       Sharron Erickson had some     378 00:18:52,798 --> 00:18:55,701  run-ins with a                     trucker next door.            379 00:18:55,701 --> 00:18:58,303 Could this Main Street           resident be responsible          380 00:18:58,303 --> 00:19:00,239    for ending Sharron's life?    381 00:19:01,840 --> 00:19:03,442 - Right next to                    Sharron's residence,           382 00:19:03,442 --> 00:19:06,178   there was a trucker               that had a shop.              383 00:19:07,446 --> 00:19:09,715    He would park his             vehicles there, do a lot         384 00:19:09,715 --> 00:19:13,752  of work on his                    semi, which is loud.           385 00:19:17,089 --> 00:19:19,825    and they would both tell       each other what they thought.   386 00:19:20,859 --> 00:19:24,329   She had a number of             conversations with a trucker.   387 00:19:24,329 --> 00:19:26,231  Can you turn that off earlier?  388 00:19:26,231 --> 00:19:27,599  Can you not park here?          389 00:19:29,334 --> 00:19:32,638    - [Scott] In speaking with       a trucker, he said            390 00:19:32,638 --> 00:19:35,340   that Sharron liked               her peace and quiet            391 00:19:35,340 --> 00:19:39,478   and at times he would maybe     antagonize Sharron on purpose.  392 00:19:40,746 --> 00:19:42,347   - [Alan] Detectives              pressed the trucker            393 00:19:42,347 --> 00:19:45,217 asking where he was the          night of June the 30th.          394 00:19:46,618 --> 00:19:47,886  - [Kevin] The trucker said the   night                           395 00:19:47,886 --> 00:19:50,522   of the homicide he              was in another state,           396 00:19:50,522 --> 00:19:52,724  had receipts at a truck stop.   397 00:19:54,893 --> 00:19:56,295  - [Alan] The                      trucker promises to            398 00:19:56,295 --> 00:20:00,165 return with receipts, but until    then, he remains a suspect.    399 00:20:01,300 --> 00:20:05,270   One of many in the eyes of     detectives and townsfolk alike.  400 00:20:05,270 --> 00:20:07,539  - [Don] People on Main Street      started pointing fingers      401 00:20:07,539 --> 00:20:11,143  at each other saying,           I bet he did it                  402 00:20:11,143 --> 00:20:13,512    or he did it or he did it.    403 00:20:13,512 --> 00:20:18,116  And so people got labeled and    people had to live with that.   404 00:20:18,684 --> 00:20:20,652 So if you knew Sharron,          405 00:20:20,652 --> 00:20:23,789   then you could be a              suspect very easy.             406 00:20:28,393 --> 00:20:30,829 - And if it is somebody          in town, then that means         407 00:20:30,829 --> 00:20:32,631    that they're still there.     408 00:20:33,799 --> 00:20:36,835  - [Kevin] I knew most of the     people in Colon, there's some   409 00:20:36,835 --> 00:20:39,538 people that you just go,         there's no way.                  410 00:20:39,538 --> 00:20:41,673 And then there are other           people that you go,            411 00:20:41,673 --> 00:20:43,942  I can see a possibility here.   412 00:20:43,942 --> 00:20:45,677  You hope you're wrong,          413 00:20:45,677 --> 00:20:48,547  but you wonder if the            killer's watching you.          414 00:20:48,547 --> 00:20:50,449    You wonder if the             killer's doing something         415 00:20:50,449 --> 00:20:51,750   to cover up evidence           416 00:20:53,418 --> 00:20:55,654   and then you always               wonder, what am I missing?    417 00:20:59,825 --> 00:21:01,693   - [Alan] Detectives              find that new leads            418 00:21:01,693 --> 00:21:02,928    are difficult to come by,     419 00:21:02,928 --> 00:21:06,832  but one week since her murder,    Sharron's autopsy concludes    420 00:21:06,832 --> 00:21:10,302  and the results cause            investigators to ask            421 00:21:10,302 --> 00:21:12,771   what kind of killer               are they facing?              422 00:21:13,905 --> 00:21:16,308    - [Scott] Everybody in law      enforcement, myself included   423 00:21:16,308 --> 00:21:17,609  at that point,                  424 00:21:17,609 --> 00:21:19,578    we're leaning to                 somebody shot her             425 00:21:19,578 --> 00:21:21,413 and just dropped the gun there.  426 00:21:22,748 --> 00:21:24,483 We attended the autopsy          427 00:21:24,483 --> 00:21:28,453    and we learned that there     actually was not even a gunshot. 428 00:21:28,453 --> 00:21:29,855    There was no bullet hole.     429 00:21:30,889 --> 00:21:33,825    It was actually ruled that      she died from strangulation.   430 00:21:35,460 --> 00:21:37,429   Everybody across the              board was shocked.            431 00:21:38,397 --> 00:21:41,233 - [Kevin] And then she had blunt   trauma to her head.            432 00:21:41,233 --> 00:21:43,602  So it was pretty clear          that she was confronted,         433 00:21:43,602 --> 00:21:44,970   beaten, and then strangled.    434 00:21:48,006 --> 00:21:50,475   - [Scott] They did a sexual     assault swab                    435 00:21:50,475 --> 00:21:52,477   and they sent those            in for testing.                  436 00:21:53,912 --> 00:21:56,348   But once you realize              that strangulation            437 00:21:56,348 --> 00:22:00,652 was the cause of death,            you start thinking             438 00:22:00,652 --> 00:22:03,021    this is something                that was personal.            439 00:22:03,021 --> 00:22:05,524  Strangulation doesn't           happen in a few seconds.         440 00:22:05,524 --> 00:22:07,959    It takes a while                for that to happen.            441 00:22:08,860 --> 00:22:11,763    So somebody had to              be up close with her           442 00:22:11,763 --> 00:22:15,233   and determined to make sure       that they ended her life.     443 00:22:18,403 --> 00:22:22,374 - Strangulation can be motivated    by very intense emotions,     444 00:22:22,374 --> 00:22:27,446   be it power, control, anger,      retaliation, even revenge.    445 00:22:31,283 --> 00:22:32,651    - [Alan] With the             cause of death revealed          446 00:22:32,651 --> 00:22:35,787   as an exceptionally             brutal strangulation,           447 00:22:35,787 --> 00:22:38,924   Saunders County detectives      huddle up with renewed vigor.   448 00:22:39,958 --> 00:22:43,061   - [Scott] We had a few days      where we were theorizing on    449 00:22:43,061 --> 00:22:45,063    what could have happened.     450 00:22:45,063 --> 00:22:47,332  Who have we all talked          to at the scene?                 451 00:22:51,803 --> 00:22:54,306    three block radius, which      essentially is the whole town   452 00:22:54,306 --> 00:22:57,709  in Colon and who could           be a potential suspect          453 00:22:57,709 --> 00:23:00,579 from that pool?                  454 00:23:03,548 --> 00:23:07,085   is the trucker with            whom Sharron had a beef.         455 00:23:07,085 --> 00:23:09,054 - [Kevin] You wonder if there's  maybe something                  456 00:23:09,054 --> 00:23:13,725   that's more hostile.           457 00:23:13,725 --> 00:23:15,460    - [Alan] But when             investigators follow up,         458 00:23:15,460 --> 00:23:16,962    the trucker provides proof    459 00:23:16,962 --> 00:23:20,565   he was far from Main Street     the night of Sharron's death.   460 00:23:20,565 --> 00:23:22,434    - [Kevin] The trucker was        in another state.             461 00:23:22,434 --> 00:23:24,469 He had receipts at a truck stop. 462 00:23:24,469 --> 00:23:25,871 So we were able to prove         463 00:23:25,871 --> 00:23:28,106  that he was completely           out of state.                   464 00:23:28,106 --> 00:23:30,409   Didn't have to worry              about a timeline.             465 00:23:33,011 --> 00:23:34,613  - [Alan] Now with the trucker      cleared,                      466 00:23:34,613 --> 00:23:37,983   investigators still               don't have a top suspect,     467 00:23:38,917 --> 00:23:41,720  but when results from            the DNA swabs come in,          468 00:23:41,720 --> 00:23:44,890   they wonder if their           luck is about to change.         469 00:23:44,890 --> 00:23:47,859   - [Scott]                      470 00:23:47,859 --> 00:23:49,861 that was discovered on the swab. 471 00:23:52,464 --> 00:23:56,134   It really made people wonder   472 00:23:56,134 --> 00:24:00,672 what actually happened.          473 00:24:05,076 --> 00:24:05,110  [e                              474 00:24:05,110 --> 00:24:05,143  [eer                            475 00:24:05,143 --> 00:24:05,177  [eerie                          476 00:24:05,177 --> 00:24:05,210  [eerie m                        477 00:24:05,210 --> 00:24:05,243  [eerie mus                      478 00:24:05,243 --> 00:24:05,277  [eerie music                    479 00:24:05,277 --> 00:24:06,945  [eerie music]                   480 00:24:11,483 --> 00:24:14,219    - [Alan] Swabs taken from        Sharron Erickson's autopsy    481 00:24:14,219 --> 00:24:16,354    reveal she had not            only been beaten                 482 00:24:16,354 --> 00:24:19,391    and strangled but               sexually assaulted,            483 00:24:19,391 --> 00:24:21,460  deepening the mystery           for detectives.                  484 00:24:23,528 --> 00:24:25,096  - [Scott] So you start            theorizing.                    485 00:24:25,096 --> 00:24:28,266  Did the sexual assault           occur at the residence          486 00:24:28,266 --> 00:24:31,870   and they got in a fight and      they ran across the street?    487 00:24:31,870 --> 00:24:36,942    Or did the assault            occur only at the garage         488 00:24:37,042 --> 00:24:39,110  and the strangulation            occurred from there?            489 00:24:41,379 --> 00:24:42,614  - [Alan] Armed                    with this new intel,           490 00:24:42,614 --> 00:24:46,151   detectives urgently shuttle    the swab from Sharron's autopsy  491 00:24:46,151 --> 00:24:51,022 to the lab hoping it will yield   a DNA profile of the killer.    492 00:24:51,022 --> 00:24:53,992 - [S                             493 00:24:53,992 --> 00:24:56,127    the Med center in                Omaha, Nebraska.              494 00:24:57,162 --> 00:24:58,530  It will be a few weeks          495 00:24:58,530 --> 00:25:02,100 before we could possibly            get just the profile back,    496 00:25:03,668 --> 00:25:07,906   but once we determined that       there was semen located,      497 00:25:07,906 --> 00:25:10,542   and anytime you see               a strangulation,              498 00:25:10,542 --> 00:25:12,143    it becomes more personal.     499 00:25:13,311 --> 00:25:16,147  You're up close with somebody   500 00:25:16,147 --> 00:25:17,649 and you're in contact with them. 501 00:25:22,187 --> 00:25:26,558 who would be personally          associated with Sharron.         502 00:25:27,325 --> 00:25:30,061    - Then we started                asking for swabs              503 00:25:30,061 --> 00:25:31,429   just so we had 'em on file.    504 00:25:32,364 --> 00:25:35,033    - [Alan] Based on the new        sexual homicide profile,      505 00:25:35,033 --> 00:25:38,703  detectives turned their sights     on Sharron's male friends     506 00:25:38,703 --> 00:25:41,406   and the talk in town              points to one man.            507 00:25:44,042 --> 00:25:47,712   - [Scott] We started hearing   rumors that maybe the postmaster 508 00:25:47,712 --> 00:25:49,581 and Sharron were                    more than friends.            509 00:25:51,716 --> 00:25:54,219    - Folks around town who'd        sit around the coffee shop    510 00:25:54,219 --> 00:25:55,720 and say, well, I                    wonder who did it.            511 00:25:55,720 --> 00:25:57,155  His name would pop up.          512 00:26:00,725 --> 00:26:03,194  - [Don] I was golfing with the   postmaster at the time          513 00:26:04,229 --> 00:26:07,198 and he said it was just          terrible the way he was treated  514 00:26:07,198 --> 00:26:10,135 by some people, shunned            and scared of him.             515 00:26:11,336 --> 00:26:13,605   You have compassion for him,   516 00:26:13,605 --> 00:26:16,374  but it's hard to make            a conclusion                    517 00:26:16,374 --> 00:26:19,077 because maybe he did it.         518 00:26:21,079 --> 00:26:23,481    - [Alan] Investigators put     Postmaster Rick higher          519 00:26:23,481 --> 00:26:25,517    on their suspect               list when he shows up           520 00:26:25,517 --> 00:26:30,355 one place in particular,          Sharron's estate sale.          521 00:26:30,355 --> 00:26:33,491 - [Scott] You always hear about     the onlookers at a scene      522 00:26:33,491 --> 00:26:36,261    that are actually              the ones that did it.           523 00:26:36,261 --> 00:26:39,130 We were wondering would            the killer show up             524 00:26:39,130 --> 00:26:42,233   at the estate sale              and look at her items           525 00:26:42,233 --> 00:26:45,203  or you know, just want to be     there to see what's going on.   526 00:26:46,304 --> 00:26:49,541  So we decided that we're going     to get a list of everybody    527 00:26:49,541 --> 00:26:51,376   that attends the estate sale   528 00:26:51,376 --> 00:26:54,079    and find out who's buying       Sharron's property.            529 00:26:55,180 --> 00:26:57,649 - [Alan] The day of the          estate sale detectives discover  530 00:26:57,649 --> 00:27:00,151  Rick Hartman is in attendance   531 00:27:00,151 --> 00:27:03,688 and he's keen on                    one specific item.            532 00:27:03,688 --> 00:27:05,290 - [Scott] Law enforcement called 533 00:27:05,290 --> 00:27:10,228 and said, we saw the postmaster     buying the bed mattress.      534 00:27:11,796 --> 00:27:14,699 - [Kevin] The fact that we were   trying to determine the level   535 00:27:14,699 --> 00:27:17,268 of his relationship with Sharron 536 00:27:17,268 --> 00:27:19,404  and then he bought her            bed at the auction.            537 00:27:19,404 --> 00:27:21,306    You have a sexual assault.    538 00:27:21,306 --> 00:27:23,808  - [Scott] So you start            wondering if he knew           539 00:27:23,808 --> 00:27:27,679   that there could be some DNA      from him on the mattress.     540 00:27:30,315 --> 00:27:31,716    - [Alan] Because                of their discovery,            541 00:27:31,716 --> 00:27:33,151  detectives bring back Rick for  542 00:27:33,151 --> 00:27:34,653  another round of questioning.   543 00:27:35,453 --> 00:27:37,055 - [Kevin] When we talked            to him about that,            544 00:27:37,055 --> 00:27:39,290    what was even more              unusual is he denied           545 00:27:39,290 --> 00:27:40,625    that he purchased the bed.    546 00:27:42,327 --> 00:27:45,697    Why would he be trying to        conceal that information?     547 00:27:45,697 --> 00:27:47,599   - [Alan] Detectives              pressed Rick on his purchase   548 00:27:47,599 --> 00:27:51,202  of Sharron's mattress, finally  getting him to fess up.          549 00:27:51,202 --> 00:27:53,738  - [Kevin] He said he had some    kids that were leaving home,    550 00:27:53,738 --> 00:27:56,474   going to college and             bought it for them,            551 00:27:56,474 --> 00:27:58,309 but he just did a number         of things that caused us         552 00:27:58,309 --> 00:28:00,779    to second guess everything       he was telling us.            553 00:28:04,482 --> 00:28:06,217  - [Alan] Then                     a call from the lab            554 00:28:06,217 --> 00:28:07,752  about Sharron's autopsy swabs   555 00:28:07,752 --> 00:28:10,155 breathes new life into the hunt. 556 00:28:12,757 --> 00:28:17,162  - [Scott] The lab was able to   get a DNA profile from the swab. 557 00:28:18,196 --> 00:28:20,598 We run it through the database,  558 00:28:20,598 --> 00:28:23,201   which was a little               bit smaller in 2003            559 00:28:24,602 --> 00:28:26,604  because not all felony          convictions were                 560 00:28:26,604 --> 00:28:27,872   required to submit.            561 00:28:27,872 --> 00:28:29,340    We didn't have any              matches at the time.           562 00:28:29,340 --> 00:28:31,209    We just had a DNA profile.    563 00:28:31,209 --> 00:28:33,211  So if we find our guy           564 00:28:33,211 --> 00:28:34,779    and he's a match,             565 00:28:34,779 --> 00:28:37,582    we're gonna be pretty sure       we have the right suspect.    566 00:28:39,884 --> 00:28:42,353  - [Alan] The killer's              DNA has yet to be compared    567 00:28:42,353 --> 00:28:46,391  to swabs previously collected,  a pain sticking process.         568 00:28:46,391 --> 00:28:50,762  And as the months roll by, no    matches come back from the lab  569 00:28:50,762 --> 00:28:52,664  leaving investigators            with no proof                   570 00:28:52,664 --> 00:28:55,100    to pin Sharron's                 murder on anyone.             571 00:28:57,368 --> 00:28:59,637 - [Kevin] We looked into            every lead we had.            572 00:28:59,637 --> 00:29:02,907    We were in Colon                probably every day.            573 00:29:02,907 --> 00:29:05,143  We just didn't have anything.   574 00:29:05,143 --> 00:29:08,680  Your fear is that how            long is it gonna go?            575 00:29:08,680 --> 00:29:10,548 - [Scott] We were always            actively involved,            576 00:29:10,548 --> 00:29:12,383  but at some point you realize   577 00:29:12,383 --> 00:29:17,388 that you're gonna start             losing potential witnesses    578 00:29:17,388 --> 00:29:19,257  or information                  579 00:29:19,257 --> 00:29:22,260    and it's just not             gonna be easy to solve.          580 00:29:23,661 --> 00:29:25,797  - [Kevin] You certainly don't   want somebody out there          581 00:29:25,797 --> 00:29:29,567 who's capable of                 beating someone,                 582 00:29:29,567 --> 00:29:31,803    strangling 'em and            sexually assaulting 'em.         583 00:29:32,537 --> 00:29:35,673 - [Lisa] We still had no answers   into                           584 00:29:35,673 --> 00:29:38,276    who committed this             crime against Sharron.          585 00:29:39,544 --> 00:29:42,547 You wanted to know that            Sharron, her family            586 00:29:42,547 --> 00:29:47,185  and her friends would be able    to get some justice in knowing  587 00:29:47,185 --> 00:29:49,220   who did this and maybe why.    588 00:29:52,690 --> 00:29:53,958 - [Alan] The Main Street regular 589 00:29:53,958 --> 00:29:56,561    who investigators               keep coming back to            590 00:29:56,561 --> 00:30:00,365   is the man who knew              Sharron best, Rick Hartman.    591 00:30:01,966 --> 00:30:04,435   - [Kevin] We were trying to     figure out the extent           592 00:30:04,435 --> 00:30:06,571   of his relationship             with Sharron.                   593 00:30:06,571 --> 00:30:08,606    He agreed to a polygraph,     594 00:30:08,606 --> 00:30:11,309    but the polygraph                was inconclusive,             595 00:30:13,978 --> 00:30:18,449   so he naturally was one that    we wanted to exclude with DNA.  596 00:30:18,449 --> 00:30:20,685  Mr. Hartman submitted            a DNA sample.                   597 00:30:22,453 --> 00:30:24,989   - [Alan] Then knowing they       could be just one step away    598 00:30:24,989 --> 00:30:28,326 from cracking the case,            a new tip surfaces,            599 00:30:28,326 --> 00:30:29,994   putting a different             Main Street neighbor,           600 00:30:29,994 --> 00:30:33,731   one who lives just a stones    throw away from Sharron          601 00:30:33,731 --> 00:30:35,733 back in the crosshairs,          602 00:30:35,733 --> 00:30:38,736 the 25-year-old                   farmhand, James Marrs.          603 00:30:42,006 --> 00:30:44,409    - [Kevin] James Marrs, who    lived right behind her,          604 00:30:45,476 --> 00:30:48,780 the individual that was          providing the James Marrs alibi. 605 00:30:48,780 --> 00:30:52,350 We started hearing that             James asked him to confirm    606 00:30:52,350 --> 00:30:53,618 that he was at his house         607 00:30:53,618 --> 00:30:55,486    if the police came              and asked questions.           608 00:30:56,387 --> 00:30:57,755    Other people said,            609 00:30:57,755 --> 00:31:00,658    you need to check further        on where James Marrs was      610 00:31:00,658 --> 00:31:03,628   because this person              providing the alibi            611 00:31:03,628 --> 00:31:05,230  is not telling you the truth.   612 00:31:07,398 --> 00:31:11,636    The alibi for James Marrs       started to lose credibility.   613 00:31:11,636 --> 00:31:14,472 [dramatic music]                 614 00:31:23,214 --> 00:31:23,248  [e                              615 00:31:23,248 --> 00:31:23,281  [eer                            616 00:31:23,281 --> 00:31:23,314  [eerie                          617 00:31:23,314 --> 00:31:23,348  [eerie m                        618 00:31:23,348 --> 00:31:23,381  [eerie mus                      619 00:31:23,381 --> 00:31:23,414  [eerie music                    620 00:31:23,414 --> 00:31:24,482  [eerie music]                   621 00:31:26,885 --> 00:31:28,253 - [Alan] Having just received a    tip                            622 00:31:28,253 --> 00:31:31,422    that James Marrs may have     manufactured his alibi,          623 00:31:31,422 --> 00:31:34,125   detectives mobilized              to obtain his DNA.            624 00:31:36,394 --> 00:31:37,862    - Initially, Marrs' alibi     625 00:31:37,862 --> 00:31:40,098   or where he was that             night, checked out.            626 00:31:40,999 --> 00:31:42,300 Marrs had indicated that         627 00:31:42,300 --> 00:31:45,270  after the bar that he              went to a friend's house.     628 00:31:45,270 --> 00:31:49,173  We heard from many people that    James had asked that friend.   629 00:31:49,173 --> 00:31:52,543   If the police asked            where I was that night,          630 00:31:52,543 --> 00:31:55,146 you need to tell                   'em that I was here.           631 00:31:55,146 --> 00:31:59,183 As the investigation proceeded,     we talked to that friend.     632 00:31:59,183 --> 00:32:01,452   The individual that            was providing the alibi          633 00:32:01,452 --> 00:32:03,288   wasn't very credible           634 00:32:03,288 --> 00:32:06,090  and never admitted to            lying about the alibi.          635 00:32:07,292 --> 00:32:08,559  The people that James            Marrs associated with           636 00:32:08,559 --> 00:32:10,028    were no strangers             637 00:32:10,028 --> 00:32:11,896    to law enforcement               in the community.             638 00:32:13,464 --> 00:32:15,300 Although James wasn't brought in 639 00:32:15,300 --> 00:32:19,070  and interrogated, he             submitted a DNA swab.           640 00:32:21,572 --> 00:32:24,943   to the lab joining the swab      collected from Rick Hartman    641 00:32:24,943 --> 00:32:28,046  hoping one will match             the murderer's DNA.            642 00:32:29,047 --> 00:32:33,918 - [Kevin] Our top suspects were   Mr. Hartman and James Marrs.    643 00:32:33,918 --> 00:32:36,921 Mr. Hartman had a close           friendly relationship           644 00:32:36,921 --> 00:32:38,923  with Sharron Erickson.          645 00:32:38,923 --> 00:32:42,327 The fact that he was at          her house all the time,          646 00:32:42,327 --> 00:32:45,463  purchased her bed and             he's being evasive.            647 00:32:47,832 --> 00:32:51,035   James Marrs was on the list       for a number of reasons.      648 00:32:52,070 --> 00:32:53,538 One, he was out                    drinking that night            649 00:32:54,973 --> 00:32:58,209    and James Marr's parents'     home, where he resides           650 00:32:58,209 --> 00:33:00,178 is right behind Sharron's house. 651 00:33:02,113 --> 00:33:04,615    When we suspected that he        was lying about his alibi,    652 00:33:04,615 --> 00:33:07,618 that raised the                     concern even more.            653 00:33:07,618 --> 00:33:10,488    But we were also                wondering, is there someone    654 00:33:10,488 --> 00:33:12,323  that we've completely missed?   655 00:33:14,859 --> 00:33:17,929    [tractor whirring]            656 00:33:19,097 --> 00:33:20,231   - [Alan] Then after              tracking down leads            657 00:33:20,231 --> 00:33:22,367    for 10 relentless months,     658 00:33:22,367 --> 00:33:25,503    detectives finally get the     call they've been waiting for.  659 00:33:25,503 --> 00:33:28,239   - I get a phone call             from the Med Center            660 00:33:28,239 --> 00:33:31,376    and they tell me               they had a DNA match.           661 00:33:32,310 --> 00:33:33,878  I actually had to stop            and think about it.            662 00:33:33,878 --> 00:33:35,113  Did I hear that right?          663 00:33:36,147 --> 00:33:39,384 She tells me that they actually     got a match with a sample     664 00:33:39,384 --> 00:33:40,952   that was taken from Sharron.   665 00:33:42,120 --> 00:33:44,522  - [Kevin] She said they've got  a match                          666 00:33:44,522 --> 00:33:46,457 and that it matched James Marrs. 667 00:33:48,993 --> 00:33:51,229 The DNA hit was                   enough to arrest him,           668 00:33:54,532 --> 00:33:57,435    but there was still some         investigation that needed     669 00:33:57,435 --> 00:33:59,904   to be done with James Marrs.   670 00:33:59,904 --> 00:34:01,406 - [Alan] James Marrs is arrested 671 00:34:01,406 --> 00:34:03,241    for the murder of                Sharron Erickson.             672 00:34:04,409 --> 00:34:06,677   Investigators bring              Marrs to the station           673 00:34:06,677 --> 00:34:09,113    and attempt to get            him to confess.                  674 00:34:10,081 --> 00:34:14,285    - [Kevin] James Marrs was     brought into an interview room.  675 00:34:14,285 --> 00:34:16,421  He didn't volunteer anything.   676 00:34:16,421 --> 00:34:19,023   His confession came               bits and pieces.              677 00:34:19,023 --> 00:34:20,291  Well, I didn't remember that,   678 00:34:20,291 --> 00:34:21,426    and then he would                eventually say it.            679 00:34:21,426 --> 00:34:24,328   So it wasn't like he              just finally said,            680 00:34:24,328 --> 00:34:25,563 yeah, here's what I did.         681 00:34:30,301 --> 00:34:32,970 He did a line of                  cocaine with a friend.          682 00:34:34,072 --> 00:34:35,706 James came home.                 683 00:34:35,706 --> 00:34:37,341    He was hoping to                find some gas money            684 00:34:37,341 --> 00:34:41,446   and beer money, so he went       to Sharron Erickson's home,    685 00:34:41,446 --> 00:34:44,615    jumped the fence,               cut the phone line,            686 00:34:44,615 --> 00:34:48,286  and was kicking her back door     in when the alarm went off     687 00:34:50,088 --> 00:34:52,690   and then she confronted him.   688 00:34:53,724 --> 00:34:56,094  - [Scott] And her gun was not   loaded.                          689 00:34:56,094 --> 00:35:01,165 She probably brandished             the weapon to scare James.    690 00:35:02,366 --> 00:35:05,069   - [Kevin] She recognized who      he was, called him            691 00:35:05,069 --> 00:35:08,473 an ass****, told him to          get out of her backyard.         692 00:35:09,507 --> 00:35:12,610  When she called him an           ass****, his demeanor changed.  693 00:35:14,112 --> 00:35:17,381  You could just feel it           when he said,                   694 00:35:17,381 --> 00:35:19,484 "I told her, go                    ahead and shoot me."           695 00:35:21,219 --> 00:35:24,188    And when she didn't fire,     he started beating her           696 00:35:25,089 --> 00:35:27,158 and then she ran into her house. 697 00:35:29,360 --> 00:35:34,232  He jumped the fence again and    he saw the garage door go open  698 00:35:35,766 --> 00:35:39,237    and he knew that she was         going to get into her car     699 00:35:39,237 --> 00:35:44,642 and go for help.                 700 00:35:44,642 --> 00:35:47,712    where he admitted that he       told her to shoot him again.   701 00:35:51,115 --> 00:35:54,152 And when she didn't, he             started beating her again     702 00:35:54,152 --> 00:35:55,353 and then strangled her.          703 00:35:57,788 --> 00:36:01,125 Everything he was saying          fit the entire aspect           704 00:36:01,125 --> 00:36:03,394 that we'd investigated,          705 00:36:03,394 --> 00:36:06,130  but he would not admit           to the sexual assault           706 00:36:06,130 --> 00:36:09,133    and almost started to shut     down in his confession          707 00:36:09,133 --> 00:36:11,002   when I went to that.           708 00:36:13,304 --> 00:36:16,073   - [Scott] James said he was    breaking in to steal something.  709 00:36:17,408 --> 00:36:20,811  I don't know that the assault   was intended initially,          710 00:36:20,811 --> 00:36:22,280   but I think that it happened   711 00:36:22,280 --> 00:36:25,149   because the                     opportunity was there.          712 00:36:25,149 --> 00:36:27,285   Sometimes you never              know those answers.            713 00:36:28,286 --> 00:36:31,822 - [Dr. Casey] Even killers have  their own strange moral codes.   714 00:36:31,822 --> 00:36:34,825   For some, a murder               could be justified,            715 00:36:34,825 --> 00:36:39,564  but a sexual attack,             no, it was impulsive,           716 00:36:39,564 --> 00:36:42,066 it was base, it was animalistic, 717 00:36:42,066 --> 00:36:44,669  and it's something of             which he's ashamed.            718 00:36:48,573 --> 00:36:50,441 - [Alan] With Marrs in custody,  719 00:36:50,441 --> 00:36:52,310  Main Street residents            are relieved                    720 00:36:52,310 --> 00:36:54,712 and yet deeply saddened to hear  721 00:36:54,712 --> 00:36:57,715 that Sharron's accused             killer is one of their own.    722 00:36:58,749 --> 00:37:02,186 - [Carlann] Our son had gone to  school with James Marrs          723 00:37:02,186 --> 00:37:05,856   and never in my life would I    have dreamt that he could have  724 00:37:05,856 --> 00:37:08,326    been involved in                anything like that.            725 00:37:09,227 --> 00:37:11,229   It is heartbreaking.           726 00:37:11,229 --> 00:37:16,200  It's not just the person that    gets murdered, it's the family  727 00:37:16,200 --> 00:37:18,302 that's involved is hurting too.  728 00:37:20,204 --> 00:37:24,375 - [Don] I knew his family when I  met his dad at the Gas and Shop.  729 00:37:24,375 --> 00:37:28,312  I said, I'm very sorry          to hear what's going on.         730 00:37:28,946 --> 00:37:31,515  And you could tell that he was  731 00:37:31,515 --> 00:37:34,719  very, very remorseful.          732 00:37:35,886 --> 00:37:38,222 You always think, well,            why did it happen?             733 00:37:38,222 --> 00:37:40,391    I mean, it doesn't            make any sense,                  734 00:37:40,391 --> 00:37:45,329 but at the time, a young           man thought it did.            735 00:37:47,798 --> 00:37:51,535    - [Kevin] I thought it was     important that he admitted it.  736 00:37:51,535 --> 00:37:55,539  I realized family, neighbors    maybe don't want to believe it,  737 00:37:55,539 --> 00:37:57,508  but this guy's an evil person.  738 00:37:58,909 --> 00:38:00,144  - [Alan] The Marrs' confession  739 00:38:00,144 --> 00:38:02,546 is also vitally                    important for trial.           740 00:38:02,546 --> 00:38:04,782  - [Kevin] You can't rely just    on the DNA, you have            741 00:38:04,782 --> 00:38:07,818  to have other evidence             and circumstances.            742 00:38:07,818 --> 00:38:10,554 - [Alan] As the                    prosecution preps for court,   743 00:38:10,554 --> 00:38:12,123 there's a huge problem.          744 00:38:13,157 --> 00:38:17,261  - [Scott] Unfortunately, James  Marrs never established          745 00:38:17,261 --> 00:38:19,430 that he was waiving his           right to an attorney.           746 00:38:19,430 --> 00:38:21,799  That confession ended             up being suppressed            747 00:38:21,799 --> 00:38:24,535  and we are not able to           use that for a trial.           748 00:38:29,140 --> 00:38:29,173  [e                              749 00:38:29,173 --> 00:38:29,206  [eer                            750 00:38:29,206 --> 00:38:29,240  [eerie                          751 00:38:29,240 --> 00:38:29,273  [eerie m                        752 00:38:29,273 --> 00:38:29,307  [eerie mus                      753 00:38:29,307 --> 00:38:29,340  [eerie music                    754 00:38:29,340 --> 00:38:30,641  [eerie music]                   755 00:38:33,544 --> 00:38:36,047 - [Alan] The prosecution          team has just learned           756 00:38:36,047 --> 00:38:37,782 James Marrs' confession          757 00:38:37,782 --> 00:38:41,752  for murdering Sharron Erickson  cannot be used in court.         758 00:38:44,188 --> 00:38:46,090    - Marrs never established     759 00:38:46,090 --> 00:38:48,826 that he was waiving his           right to an attorney.           760 00:38:48,826 --> 00:38:52,096  We can't use anything            from that interview,            761 00:38:52,096 --> 00:38:55,099   but we were able to               determine that everything     762 00:38:55,099 --> 00:38:59,170    that he said fit with all     of the evidence we had.          763 00:39:01,072 --> 00:39:03,341  First, we were able to            tie him to the scene           764 00:39:03,341 --> 00:39:04,809  through the DNA match.          765 00:39:05,943 --> 00:39:07,678  - And there was a tool          766 00:39:07,678 --> 00:39:11,215  that was found at the              scene we believe was used     767 00:39:11,215 --> 00:39:14,352    just to break in the house    and cut the phone line.          768 00:39:14,352 --> 00:39:17,988    We found the tool belonged      to James Marrs' dad.           769 00:39:17,988 --> 00:39:21,592  - [Scott] We also determined     that James had to ask someone   770 00:39:21,592 --> 00:39:25,996 to generate an alibi for         him that wasn't factual.         771 00:39:25,996 --> 00:39:28,866  - [Kevin] And that there were   additional personal confessions  772 00:39:28,866 --> 00:39:32,703 that we had with other inmates.  773 00:39:32,703 --> 00:39:35,873   Marrs talked to six              different cellmates.           774 00:39:35,873 --> 00:39:38,209    He bragged about                 what he had done.             775 00:39:40,711 --> 00:39:42,847 - [Alan] Two years since            Sharron Erickson's murder,    776 00:39:42,847 --> 00:39:45,082   James Marrs learns his fate.   777 00:39:46,117 --> 00:39:49,286    - [Scott] James Marrs was     charged with first degree murder 778 00:39:49,286 --> 00:39:53,357    and we proceeded towards         trial with those charges.     779 00:39:54,859 --> 00:39:56,260    We talked with the family.    780 00:39:56,260 --> 00:39:58,729  The part that would've            been harder to prove           781 00:39:58,729 --> 00:40:01,732   with the first degree would    be some of the intent.           782 00:40:01,732 --> 00:40:04,735  They understood the challenges  that a trial would have,         783 00:40:04,735 --> 00:40:09,340  so we decided to a plea offer      of second degree murder.      784 00:40:10,408 --> 00:40:14,745   We knew that we could still    get justice for Sharron          785 00:40:14,745 --> 00:40:16,881  and her family                     through that plea.            786 00:40:17,915 --> 00:40:20,050  - [Alan] Unlike first              degree murder, the charge     787 00:40:20,050 --> 00:40:23,254 of second degree murder           doesn't include premeditation.  788 00:40:24,655 --> 00:40:27,024  - [Scott] James Marrs accepted  that plea offer                  789 00:40:27,024 --> 00:40:30,227  and pled guilty to the           second degree murder.           790 00:40:34,198 --> 00:40:38,169 - [Lisa] That day also happened  to be Sharron's 69th birthday.   791 00:40:38,169 --> 00:40:41,038    So for family and friends,       they did get a little bit     792 00:40:41,038 --> 00:40:44,208    of resolution in that they     were in court that day          793 00:40:44,208 --> 00:40:46,777    that he took that             plea agreement.                  794 00:40:46,777 --> 00:40:49,246  [somber music]                  795 00:40:52,783 --> 00:40:55,453 - [Alan] In early 2006,          James Marrs is sentenced         796 00:40:55,453 --> 00:40:58,189    to life in prison without        the possibility of parole.    797 00:40:59,190 --> 00:41:02,226    And with Sharron's killer      behind bars for good,           798 00:41:02,226 --> 00:41:06,163 life in Colon continues            on forever changed.            799 00:41:07,198 --> 00:41:09,200  - [Kevin] You think you're an      innocent little community     800 00:41:09,200 --> 00:41:11,235 and all of a sudden you          have this horrific thing         801 00:41:11,235 --> 00:41:13,838 that's not supposed to           happen in a small town.          802 00:41:13,838 --> 00:41:16,173 And when it does, then           you gotta deal with it.          803 00:41:17,208 --> 00:41:19,810  - [Scott] I think people start    wondering, do I really know    804 00:41:19,810 --> 00:41:24,348   that person and not              specifically just Mr. Marrs?   805 00:41:24,348 --> 00:41:25,483   Do I really know my neighbor   806 00:41:25,483 --> 00:41:28,185   and are they capable            of something?                   807 00:41:29,820 --> 00:41:31,789   - Well, it broke my              heart for one thing            808 00:41:32,890 --> 00:41:35,826  because Sharron had a lot of    things she could have done yet,  809 00:41:35,826 --> 00:41:39,730 and she was just really          starting to enjoy her retirement 810 00:41:39,730 --> 00:41:41,832 and that was all                   taken from her then.           811 00:41:44,101 --> 00:41:46,237    - [Don] A neighbor kills a       neighbor.                     812 00:41:46,237 --> 00:41:49,507  You have that suspicion that    maybe that could happen to you.  813 00:41:49,507 --> 00:41:52,209    I'm sure people have that        in the back of their mind,    814 00:41:53,110 --> 00:41:54,478  but I do not.                   815 00:41:56,380 --> 00:41:57,882   Colon drew together.           816 00:41:57,882 --> 00:41:59,884 They embraced each other         817 00:41:59,884 --> 00:42:02,853    and I think as a               close knit community,           818 00:42:02,853 --> 00:42:04,855    they did a phenomenal job.    819 00:42:08,259 --> 00:42:10,294  - [Alan] For current residents     and Sharron's loved ones,     820 00:42:10,294 --> 00:42:14,265  her Main street murder remains  an unimaginable tragedy.         821 00:42:14,265 --> 00:42:18,402  Her life of community service      and its unfathomable end      822 00:42:18,402 --> 00:42:21,171 serve to remind us all             that every moment is a gift    823 00:42:21,171 --> 00:42:23,774  and no act of                     kindness too small.            824 00:42:23,774 --> 00:42:25,009    For it's been said            825 00:42:25,009 --> 00:42:28,178   we make our friends,             we make our enemies,           826 00:42:28,178 --> 00:42:30,281    but God makes our               next door neighbors.