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Episode name - The Price of Greed
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00:00America's next generation of leaders, the yuppies, what some people call the Y word now,
00:09you know, they're young urban professionals dressing for success, eating brunch, buying
00:13jaguars. In a lot of ways, the 1980s never really ended. Here we are four decades later,
00:20and so many of those same things that were prominent and came to the fore in the 1980s
00:25are still with us. I want to make a lot of money. People can only get freedom by buying me.
00:32I think everybody aspires to be a yuppie. By 1984, Newsweek has proclaimed it the year of the yuppie,
00:38and so there's a sense that this group of young, very ambitious people are really representing
00:43what this decade is all about. The yuppie likes to go home, slap on his swatch. While there were some
00:50black yuppies, buppies as they were referred to, for the most part, this is a white phenomenon.
00:55Put your button down on, okay? Then you put your Ray-Bans on. These aren't real Ray-Bans on,
01:00but they're great artificials. You know what I'm saying?
01:02Certainly the idea of fake it till you make it was prevalent in the 1980s. However you got there,
01:07that was fine. Morals, ethics, out the window. What's the plight?
01:11There really was kind of a shallowness in terms of what yuppies were all about, and then definitely
01:15in terms of what the billionaire boys club was all about.
01:18They were rich, they were privileged, the ultimate yuppies. They wore Italian suits and drove German sports
01:23skies, and yet they wanted more. I think the billionaire boys club shows us just what can
01:30happen when you have unchecked power and ambition. Joe Hunt crossed serious ethical and legal lines.
01:38He always thought that he would get away with everything until he didn't.
01:43Joe Hunt is pulled over by the Beverly Hills police and told he's under arrest for the murder of Ron Levin.
01:57I remember photographing Joe Hunt for his mug. Very cocky would be an appropriate term for him.
02:05During the interrogation, Joe Hunt made the contention that Ron Levin's disappearance was not
02:16because of what Joe Hunt or anybody else in the BBC did. Ron Levin was a con artist and he fled
02:25with BBC money. Joe is very confident. You've got nothing on me. There is no evidence. There is no
02:34body. We don't even know that Ron is dead. You know, what's the deal? He said that he had gotten
02:41particular enjoyment out of telling Detective Zoller that he had not done very good police work.
02:48At that point, the seven-page to-do list was brought out.
02:52It's a recipe of killing an individual.
03:03It was like he had seen a ghost.
03:07The level of the collapse of his psyche in that moment, it must have been a thing to behold.
03:14Once Joe had decided that he was going to dispatch Ron Levin, he made a list of
03:24ingredients, let's say. Things to do. Joe left the list at the crime scene. It's like O.J. leaving
03:33the Heisman. You know, you don't want to leave the Heisman there. They're going to know it's you.
03:37Certain things on it were very, very disturbing. At Levin's to-do, reads at the top, close the blinds,
03:47scan for tape recorder, tape the mouth, handcuff, explain the situation, use a corporate seal,
03:54have Levin sign agreements, and fill in blanks. Ron Levin had no interest in investing in the BBC
04:02or its companies. But they'd drawn up a contract. They did everything to make it look as if
04:08he wanted to invest. Because Joe needed an explanation for this $1.5 million check to
04:16have been written.
04:18Joe created these paper trails to illustrate a business deal that never actually existed.
04:25And so he went to a lot of great lengths to try to create the story to show legitimate business
04:30dealings between the two of them. So that if the police ever came after him, he could say,
04:34look, this deal actually existed. And this is why I had to get this particular check from him for a
04:39$1.5 million.
04:40Joe was absolutely convinced that he and the BBC were owed that $1.5 million.
04:50There were certain things that were done on the list and certain things that were not done,
04:57such as kill the dog. The dog was fine.
05:01Then you had different things such as a map being written, talking about East and where to
05:08possibly bury the individual.
05:11And even though the map is very crude and doesn't actually offer a lot of detail,
05:16it really appears that he has really thought about this to-do list,
05:19not on just one occasion, but pouring over it multiple times.
05:22I do know that there are some criminals who, even in the process of obsessing about their crime,
05:28like, that's part of the delight. And yet, maybe something that he should have written on the
05:32to-do list is take lists with you.
05:37If I thought I was that much better than everyone,
05:40and I left that note, I just would really have a hard time.
05:47Because I was the one blowing all the smoke.
05:49I'm better than anyone else. And I left a note like a morrow.
05:53This is the same guy who has told all of the BBC, as he's explaining paradox philosophy and what it
06:02means to be a shading, one of his many examples is, you know, no criminal ever gets caught for a crime
06:09unless they want to be caught.
06:10After the interview, Detective Zoller presented the evidence to the DA's office for filing.
06:21But having nobody, it's problematic with the DA's office.
06:28When they came into the district attorney's office, we just kind of shook our head.
06:32Because nobody cases are very, very difficult to prosecute
06:36because the defense has a built-in claim.
06:41How do you know the person was killed? We don't have anybody to prove it.
06:45The DA wanted additional evidence so they could move forward with a prosecution for murder.
06:51So at that point, they had to release Joe Hunt.
06:56I'm sure he was convinced that he was not going to be connected with Ron Levin's disappearance.
07:00And life was going to go on as usual.
07:03He felt that the fact that he had been released without being charged
07:07meant that even those lists did not constitute enough evidence to prove a case on him.
07:13But there was possibly another person involved based upon the to-do list.
07:19An individual, it'll be the name of James Pittman.
07:30Jim Pittman was Joe's private bodyguard and was there to perpetuate
07:39whatever story Joe was trying to tell about himself.
07:43There are two things that tie Jim Pittman to Ron Levin's murder.
07:48The to-do list.
07:50And second, there was a bit of an incident at a very famous hotel in Manhattan.
07:56The plaza is an iconic hotel located on Fifth Avenue across the street from Central Park.
08:11I was the assistant manager and I started off like any other day.
08:16I arrived around 3.30, you know, just saying hello to everybody.
08:22And the credit manager informed me that we had a guest in the hotel,
08:29a Mr. Ron Levin, who had run up a pretty high bill, $1,300,
08:35which was, in the 80s, a lot of money.
08:40So she made the decision to go up to the room with the security supervisor.
08:45The guest is gone.
08:47But she observed a silver metallic attaché case, among other things in the room,
08:52and then she double locked the room.
08:54Sometime later, this gentleman comes in and identifies himself as Ron Levin.
09:05He was a good-looking black guy, clean-shaven and soft-spoken.
09:10Now, I'm Jewish.
09:12Levin is frequently a Jewish name.
09:14But once he identified himself as Ron Levin, I took him to be Ron Levin.
09:19Ron Levin explains that he can't get into his room.
09:22He says, you know, there's some misunderstanding here.
09:27I'll be back later, and we'll get this all sorted out.
09:34Maybe another hour or so goes by.
09:37The security supervisor sees a guest carrying, of all things,
09:41the silver metallic attaché case that he double locked in a room.
09:46And this guy's carrying it.
09:48So, the security supervisor radios for backup.
09:55And when this person gets down to the end of the hallway,
09:59there is security waiting for him.
10:02He drops the attaché case and assumes his karate stance
10:06and lets out a karate-a.
10:08And he runs.
10:14They capture him.
10:16And when I see him, I say, Mr. Levin,
10:19how did you get your briefcase out of the room?
10:22He says, I kick your door down.
10:24And I am in disbelief.
10:26These are solid oak doors.
10:30So what do I do?
10:31I call the police.
10:33Jim Pittman was arrested and charged with criminal mischief,
10:38burglary, and theft of service from the hotel.
10:42All of this under Ron Levin's name.
10:45The story that explained Jim's trip to New York
10:51started back on the night of the murder.
10:54While they're in Ron's apartment,
10:57Joe finds Ron's wallet,
10:58gives it to Jim,
11:00tells him to go to New York,
11:02use Ron's credit cards,
11:04create a trail of Ron in New York
11:06when he disappeared,
11:08which Jim did badly
11:10until he was arrested.
11:11Joe's approach to murder
11:26was a little bit like his approach to business.
11:29How hard can it be?
11:31And he made a bunch of rookie mistakes.
11:34When we had Joe Hunt in custody,
11:43we obtained his fingerprints.
11:45He was printed
11:46at the Beverly Hills Police Department,
11:48and we used these prints
11:50to compare the prints
11:52that were obtained
11:53on the yellow legal-sized pages,
11:55the seven pages.
11:57And his prints matched those prints.
12:01And also, the handwriting expert
12:03was able to get a sample of his writing.
12:06The handwriting exemplar
12:08was compared with the handwriting
12:11on the seven pages.
12:13So the handwriting expert
12:14deemed that the writing
12:16was one and the same.
12:18There's always the forensic evidence
12:20that will tell the story.
12:22I think Joe has some basis
12:26for thinking
12:26they still don't have enough
12:28to charge me in this case
12:31because they don't have a body.
12:34But only about three and a half weeks
12:37after the first arrest,
12:38Joe Hunt is arrested again.
12:41And this time,
12:43their case is strong.
12:44Joe Hunt and Jim Pittman
12:59were both arrested
13:00in October of 1984,
13:03five months
13:06after Ron Levin was murdered.
13:08Jim Pittman was arrested
13:12because his name is mentioned
13:13on the to-do kill list.
13:17When they catch Pittman,
13:19he's got this athletic bag
13:21filled with all of these books
13:25that are basically
13:25how to commit crimes,
13:27how to get away
13:28with committing crimes,
13:29how to disappear,
13:32how to survive in jail.
13:33They're how-to books
13:36for being a criminal.
13:39So it wasn't helpful
13:41to his cause.
13:48Just a few months
13:49before Jim and Joe
13:50were arrested in October,
13:52Reza Eslaminia
13:53and Ben Dosti
13:54go off to Europe
13:56looking for the Eslaminia fortune.
14:00Reza didn't like his father
14:02very much.
14:02And he wanted
14:05a piece of the money.
14:08Knowing Reza,
14:09he was after
14:10what was rightfully his.
14:12One of the things
14:13Reza always had
14:14a hard time with,
14:15as did I,
14:16is why doesn't dad
14:17give us money?
14:18Why does he have money
14:19for his opium
14:20and all that?
14:21And why doesn't he
14:22hook us up?
14:23Lack of a better term,
14:24you know?
14:26Reza and Ben
14:27had these forged
14:28conservator documents
14:30that they were using
14:31to try to find out
14:32where Reza's father's assets
14:33might be this money
14:35if it exists.
14:37A few months earlier,
14:39around the same time
14:41as Reza and Ben
14:42go off to Europe,
14:44Jim Pittman
14:45made a surprising admission
14:46to Jerry Eisenberg,
14:48the attorney
14:49for the BBC.
14:50I was at the office
14:53and Jim Pittman was there.
14:56He was very despondent
14:57and felt that he needed
14:59to talk to me
15:00and he told me
15:01that Neslamania is dead.
15:04He said that they kidnapped him
15:06and that he had a heart attack
15:11while they were trying
15:11to get his financial information
15:13from him.
15:13I was completely blindsided
15:19by that type of confession.
15:21I had no idea
15:22why he decided to tell me
15:23I wasn't his lawyer,
15:25I wasn't their lawyer,
15:26I was the company's lawyer
15:28and I just got on the phone
15:31immediately
15:31and called the FBI.
15:38In any investigation,
15:40police are looking for
15:41who's the witness
15:42who can pull everything
15:45together for us.
15:47And Dean was really that guy
15:49because he was so close to Joe.
15:52Dean Carney was very much
15:56enthralled, impressed with,
15:59wanted to be like Joe Hunt.
16:01Dean really did buy
16:05into a paradox philosophy
16:07that you can create
16:09your own kind of ethical
16:12and moral code.
16:13It's about how you acquire
16:15what you want to acquire.
16:17It was just a question
16:19of how to free yourself
16:20as an individual
16:21so that you're able
16:22to make decisions
16:23and follow them without guilt
16:25or without the social constraints
16:27that limit people.
16:31as Joe is developing his plan
16:39for how to deal
16:40with Ron Levin,
16:41Dean is his primary confidant.
16:42They live together
16:43in the same condo.
16:49According to Dean,
16:50there came a day
16:51when Joe showed Dean
16:53a list that he'd made.
16:55and Joe said,
16:57this is a list of things
16:58to do when I kill Ron Levin.
17:03By being a sounding board
17:05and discussing certain things
17:06on the lists,
17:07I felt that I had contributed
17:08to this plan.
17:09Then not long after
17:12the murder had happened,
17:14Joe came back
17:16to the condo
17:16and told him
17:17every detail
17:18of what had taken place.
17:20He opened his briefcase
17:21and showed me a check
17:22that Ron Levin had signed.
17:24And he told me
17:25that he had done it,
17:26that Ron was dead.
17:33I registered with Dean
17:35that there's one possible exit
17:37from this
17:38and that's that I go
17:39turn myself in
17:39and become the informant.
17:43The Esselminia case
17:44was for sure
17:45going to be solved.
17:46He could see that.
17:48I realized that the police
17:49knew a lot about
17:50what had happened.
17:51And I also,
17:52I got,
17:53I got pretty upset
17:54and scared
17:55for my own sake.
17:57And I had a kind of
17:58attack on conscience as well.
18:00And I decided
18:01that I couldn't live with it.
18:03So his family hired
18:05an excellent attorney
18:06who went with him
18:07to the state attorney
18:08general's office
18:09said,
18:10my client can tell you
18:11the entire story
18:13of the disappearance
18:14and deaths
18:15of both Ron Levin
18:16and Hedda Esselminia.
18:19Dean Carney,
18:20that's the guy
18:21I want to talk to.
18:22My goodness,
18:23because that's like,
18:24dude,
18:24what did you say
18:25to save your skin?
18:27Because I don't sense
18:28that Dean wanted
18:29to specifically hurt Joe.
18:31I think he didn't
18:32want to go to jail.
18:33When Dean cracked,
18:36he told everything.
18:38He told about Levin,
18:40he told about Esselminia,
18:41he told about
18:42the financial stuff.
18:43He started talking
18:44and he didn't stop.
18:56Dean Carney took us out
18:58to the area
18:58where the remains
19:00of Mr. Esselminia
19:01were located.
19:03He was very eager
19:04to tell as much
19:06as he could
19:06relating to the murder
19:07of Mr. Esselminia.
19:10We moved the trunk
19:11all the way up
19:11to the edge
19:12of the hillside
19:12and we opened it up
19:14and we tilted it over
19:15and we rolled the body
19:17down the hill.
19:19Unfortunately,
19:21animals ended up
19:22taking the remains
19:23and dispersing them
19:25throughout the hillside.
19:27We were able
19:28to find
19:29the important parts
19:30which was the skull
19:32which had dental evidence
19:34to help us identify
19:35Mr. Esselminia.
19:39I remember driving
19:41in Beverly Hills
19:42in Dad's Cadillac
19:44and all of a sudden
19:45there was this
19:46overwhelming smell
19:48of my dad.
19:49You know how
19:50everyone has a smell?
19:51I felt like
19:52he was in the car
19:54with me.
19:56I found out
19:57later that day
19:59they had recovered
20:00my dad's remains.
20:03My relationship
20:04with my father,
20:05I'd say he was absent.
20:08He was kind of focused
20:09on his career
20:10and such.
20:11However,
20:12having said that,
20:13I have some good memories.
20:16I love my dad.
20:21So after Dean
20:22proved his truthfulness
20:23to law enforcement,
20:25he was offered
20:25immunity from prosecution
20:27in exchange
20:27for his testimony.
20:30Dean's immunity
20:31really prevented him
20:32from being culpable
20:33in both the Ron Levin case,
20:36which he really
20:36didn't have any
20:37hands-on involvement in,
20:40and the Esselminia case,
20:42which he was more
20:43hands-on.
20:44He was there.
20:46But the immunity
20:47sort of covered
20:47all of that.
20:48Dean's immunity
20:50to me
20:51has always been
20:52something that was
20:54bought and paid for.
20:56It's that entitlement.
20:59Dean really thought
21:00that Joe was a friend
21:01and really meant
21:03what he said
21:03and that he could
21:05be trusted
21:06and that they had
21:07something real.
21:09And so I'm sure
21:09it was very hard
21:10for him to see
21:11who Joe really was.
21:14I remember
21:15telling some friends
21:17this is
21:19something that
21:20I need to separate
21:22from now.
21:23I know a lot of people
21:24who slept with guns
21:25next to their bed
21:26for quite a while.
21:27What?
21:28Oh, yeah.
21:29Oh, yeah.
21:30Who?
21:31Me.
21:32Two or three other people.
21:33I was threatened.
21:34I know other people
21:34who were threatened.
21:36Threatened by?
21:37Joe Hunt.
21:38What did he say?
21:39He, uh,
21:40if you have
21:41double-crossed me
21:42or, um,
21:44you have anything
21:44involved with my downfall,
21:46I'm gonna get you.
21:48Ron Levin's dead
21:49and Esselmania's dead.
21:51Who would be next?
21:53Eisenberg was realistic
21:54and not caught up
21:55in the excitement
21:56of the BBC.
21:57He was never buying
21:58into paradox philosophy
22:00or any of that.
22:01So he realized
22:02this is smoke and mirrors.
22:03We received a call
22:10from Detective Zoller
22:11from Beverly Hills PD
22:14and he said
22:17that our case,
22:18Hediot Esselmania's
22:20kidnapping,
22:20was related
22:21to the Billionaire
22:22Boys Club.
22:24He had an informant,
22:25Dean Kearney,
22:26who was in a circle
22:28down there.
22:29What we have here
22:31are a number
22:32of documents
22:33that, uh,
22:34were tracked down.
22:36The BBC thought
22:37they were smart.
22:40They had no clue
22:41what they were doing.
22:42All this is just
22:44a complete paper trail
22:45back to the crime
22:47of the abduction
22:48of Hediot
22:49in July 30th of 1984.
22:53This is a budget
22:54rent-a-truck contract
22:56that was on the credit card
22:58by Ben Dostey,
23:00who is a member
23:00of the BBC.
23:02And then we have
23:02a rental agreement
23:03for a house
23:05that they were going
23:06to bring Hediot to
23:07and that was also
23:09rented by Dean Kearney.
23:12This is one
23:13of the forged documents
23:14here giving Reza
23:15the power of attorney.
23:17It's obviously
23:18a forced signature
23:19of Hediot Esselmania.
23:21In order for this document
23:23to be official,
23:24it's required
23:25to have a notary
23:26and it was notarized
23:29by another BBC member,
23:31Evan Dicker.
23:32Crazy.
23:34They're leaving
23:35all their names
23:36on these documents
23:37and it came back
23:39to haunt them.
23:39Four months
23:56after Esselmania
23:57was kidnapped
23:58and killed,
24:00Joe Hunt,
24:01Jim Pittman,
24:02Ben Dostey,
24:03and Reza
24:04were charged
24:05with murder.
24:06Joe Hunt
24:08and Jim Pittman
24:09are already in jail
24:11when they are charged
24:12with the second murder.
24:22Reza and Ben
24:24were still in Europe
24:26hunting for Esselmania's money.
24:29Even though they went
24:31through all this trouble,
24:33they ended up
24:33with nothing.
24:35When Ben and Reza
24:36returned from Europe
24:38in December 1984,
24:39there was arrest
24:40warrants out for them.
24:42So they figured,
24:43uh-oh,
24:44what are we going to do?
24:45They decided
24:45to change their identities
24:47and go on the lam.
24:48Jim Pittman
25:15was held
25:16without bail
25:17for seven months
25:19before the trial
25:20for the murder
25:21of Ron Levin.
25:24Joe had an attorney
25:26who was coming out
25:27with many different defenses
25:28and Pittman
25:30wanted a speedy trial.
25:32He wanted it
25:32to go immediately.
25:33So the DA's office
25:35had to decide
25:35what to do
25:36and the decision
25:37was to split it
25:38into two separate trials.
25:40The Pittman case
25:41went first.
25:41So Jim Pittman
25:47was tried
25:47in 1985
25:49before Judge
25:51Lawrence Rittenman.
25:53The defense was
25:55that Jim
25:56was being used,
25:57taken advantage of,
25:59and that Joe
25:59was so smart
26:00that he
26:01made it look like
26:02Jim was involved
26:03where Jim
26:04wasn't really involved.
26:06Jim's a big man,
26:08very muscular,
26:08and we dressed him up
26:11in very bright clothes,
26:13yellow sweaters.
26:14We dressed him up
26:15so that he would look
26:17like a warm,
26:18fuzzy human being.
26:21Jim was black
26:22and this is the 1980s,
26:24so that added a layer
26:26of extra difficulty
26:27for the defense.
26:28The evidence was
26:30that Joe Hunt
26:32in a meeting
26:33with the other
26:34billionaire boys club
26:35told the boys
26:36that he and Jim Pittman
26:37had murdered Ron Levin.
26:39But when you come
26:40to trial,
26:42statements
26:42admitting guilt
26:44from Joe Hunt
26:45aren't admissible
26:46against Jim Pittman.
26:47As far as
26:48the to-do list,
26:50it wasn't in his handwriting
26:51and his fingerprint
26:52wasn't on it.
26:54But in that
26:55seven pages,
26:57Joe twice mentioned
26:58Jim Pittman's name.
27:00Jim was to dig the hole
27:02to bury the body in.
27:04But that was about
27:06the only evidence
27:07tying Jim Pittman
27:08to this whole thing.
27:11In California,
27:12a person cannot be found
27:13guilty of a trial
27:14before a jury
27:15unless the jury
27:16is unanimous.
27:18And in Jim Pittman's case,
27:20it was 10 for guilt,
27:21two for not guilty.
27:25A hung jury is declared
27:27and set for a retrial.
27:29And while Jim was waiting
27:30for a retrial,
27:31he's stuck in jail.
27:33Jim may have known
27:34all these guys with money.
27:36None of them
27:37are stepping up
27:37to help him.
27:38So he's going to sit locked
27:39up until his next trial.
27:41He just doesn't have
27:42the means
27:43to get out of jail.
27:44When Reza came back
27:54from Switzerland,
27:56the police were wanting him,
27:59looking for him.
28:01And I wasn't really sure
28:04what had happened.
28:05He was denying it.
28:07At the time,
28:08he was saying
28:08he had nothing to do with it.
28:10And I still don't know
28:12if he was the one
28:13that said,
28:14let's go get my dad
28:14and kill him
28:15or if he got conned into it.
28:16I don't know.
28:18Reza and I
28:19were not that close.
28:21Reza was like my dad,
28:23a mover,
28:24a shaker.
28:24Use whatever tools
28:26you have
28:27to get what you want.
28:30Eventually,
28:31the FBI
28:31tracked down Reza
28:32and ban
28:33and they are arrested
28:35and charged
28:36with murder.
28:43At that time,
28:44Joe had been
28:45in L.A. County jail
28:46for a year,
28:47charged with 11 murder
28:49and the Eslamenia murder.
28:51He was determined
28:52to convince somebody
28:53to come up with the money
28:55to bail him out.
28:57He didn't have
28:58anything to fall back on
29:00except his own wit.
29:02There are certain kinds
29:03of people,
29:04and maybe Joe Hunt
29:04was one of them,
29:05that have this sort of knack
29:07for blending fact
29:08and fiction together.
29:09In the 1980s,
29:11one example is
29:11The Very Top
29:12with Ronald Reagan
29:13who frequently
29:14would tell stories
29:15and speeches
29:15about some heroic thing
29:17that he maybe
29:18thought happened
29:19but actually didn't happen
29:20in real life.
29:21It happened in one
29:21of the movies he was in.
29:23What's the story
29:24that I need to present
29:24to sort of move
29:25this thing forward?
29:28So Joe convinces
29:29his girlfriend,
29:31Brooke,
29:31of his innocence.
29:32Then she convinces
29:33her father,
29:34Bobby Roberts,
29:35to put up his
29:35Bel Air mansion
29:36as collateral on bail.
29:40So he was released.
29:43But his girlfriend,
29:44Brooke,
29:44was his last loyalist.
29:48Joe's arrest
29:49had triggered
29:49an evacuation
29:50of the BBC.
29:52Everybody began
29:53to disappear,
29:54Evan Dicker
29:55being the last one
29:56who began avoiding
29:57Joe not taking
29:57his phone calls.
29:59They were young,
30:01immature guys themselves.
30:03They finally realized
30:04that they were in
30:06way over their heads.
30:10All these young men
30:11from wealthy families,
30:12they could lawyer up.
30:14They went back
30:15to pretty comfortable lives.
30:17Joe, on the other hand,
30:18was scrambling
30:20to find a way out.
30:29So Joe knew
30:31that Dean
30:31had turned
30:32state's witness.
30:33And only a couple
30:34of weeks before
30:35his trial is set
30:36to begin,
30:36there is news
30:38of another murder.
30:41This young man
30:42has been found
30:44dead,
30:45strangled,
30:46in a motel
30:48off Hollywood Boulevard.
30:51A housekeeper
30:52at the motel
30:53called the police.
30:55In the closet,
30:57they found a trunk.
30:58In the trunk
30:59was a young man
31:01named Richard Mayer.
31:05In the room
31:06where he's found dead,
31:07is a lot of evidence
31:09that incriminates
31:10Dean Carney.
31:14The prosecution
31:15may have
31:16credibility problems
31:17with its star witness,
31:18Dean Carney,
31:19one of Hunt's
31:20former lieutenants
31:21in the BBC.
31:22Carney's name
31:23has come up
31:24in a separate investigation
31:25of a recent
31:26Hollywood murder.
31:27Joe Hunt says
31:27he has more than
31:28a suspicion
31:29who killed
31:2920-year-old
31:30transient Richard Mayer,
31:31his body found
31:32inside a room
31:33of a bungalow-style
31:34Hollywood motel.
31:35Among the crime scene
31:36concludes,
31:37an old receipt
31:38with the name
31:38of former BBC member
31:40Dean Carney.
31:41Then police
31:41got an anonymous letter
31:42stating,
31:43mean Dean Carney
31:44is at it again.
31:45Mr. Carney
31:46was interviewed.
31:48He's been eliminated
31:49through his alibi.
31:51We can prove
31:52that the Dayton Times
31:53in question
31:54at the scene
31:54where the suspect
31:55either checked in
31:56or checked out,
31:56Mr. Carney
31:57was nowhere near
31:57Southern California.
31:59He was in Northern California.
32:00Dean had an alibi
32:04persuasive enough
32:05to clear him
32:07of the mayor murder.
32:08Law enforcement theories
32:09that Joe Hunt
32:11staked out Dean's house,
32:13went through the trash,
32:14obtained items
32:15that could be linked
32:16to him
32:16and identify him,
32:18and that Joe
32:18committed this murder
32:19just to frame Dean.
32:22You know,
32:23there was motive
32:24of Joe Hunt
32:24to do something
32:25to try to discredit
32:26Carney.
32:27The police
32:28and the district attorney
32:29realized
32:30there just wasn't
32:31any evidence
32:32that Joe did it.
32:34No one was ever charged
32:36with the murder
32:36of Richard Mayer,
32:38but the timing
32:38did not go unnoticed.
32:41Without Dean Carney,
32:42the prosecution
32:44would not have proceeded.
32:55As time went by,
33:15the press,
33:16the media
33:17got very interested
33:18in the Joe Hunt case.
33:21Why would rich kids
33:23get into the business
33:24of killing?
33:25They have everything.
33:26They don't need
33:27to kill people.
33:28The story had blown up.
33:30It had blown up
33:30mainly as a result
33:31of an article
33:32I wrote for Esquire magazine.
33:34The Billionaire Boys Club
33:35was definitive
33:36of the era,
33:37but it was richer
33:38than that
33:38because it was a story
33:40of dominant personality,
33:42need for direction
33:43that so many people have,
33:45and what happens
33:46when money is passed
33:47down generationally.
33:50The article by itself
33:51got a ton of media attention,
33:53and suddenly everybody's
33:54interested in the story.
34:07It was really unbelievable
34:09because it was the event
34:11of the time.
34:12It was the OJ
34:14or the Menendez brothers.
34:15It had money and power
34:18all wrapped into a trial,
34:19and I could not believe
34:22I was, like, involved in that.
34:23It was really kind of shocking.
34:28The Pittman case
34:29came back as a hung jury.
34:32There was obviously
34:32a lot of concern.
34:34In the DA's office,
34:35are we going to have problems
34:36with the Hunt case?
34:37And I just remember
34:38at the time saying,
34:40there's a difference.
34:41We have the to-do list,
34:42his handwriting,
34:43his fingerprint on it,
34:44and his statement
34:45to the other BBC members.
34:48So we had more evidence
34:49on Joe Hunt
34:51than there was
34:51in the Pittman case.
34:53But Levin's body
34:54had never been found,
34:55and no-body cases
34:57are very, very difficult
34:58to prosecute.
34:59Very seldom are you going
35:01to get a unanimous verdict
35:02in a no-body case
35:04unless you have
35:05an overwhelming amount
35:06of evidence.
35:07Hunt, who founded the BBC,
35:08is accused of killing
35:10Los Angeles-area entrepreneur
35:12Ron Levin in June of 1984.
35:15If convicted,
35:16Hunt faces death
35:17in California's gas chamber.
35:38I was there for the trial
35:40every day.
35:42There was a colorful cast
35:43of characters in court.
35:45Arthur Behrens
35:46was the defense attorney,
35:47counselor to the well-off
35:49and well-positioned.
35:50What do you think
35:51happened to Ron Levin?
35:52I have no idea
35:53other than the fact
35:54that Ron Levin
35:55has disappeared
35:56since June of 1984,
35:59and I have no idea
36:00where he is.
36:01I was impressed
36:02with Joe Hunt
36:03from the start
36:04when I met him.
36:05He was intense.
36:07He was aloof.
36:08He was superior.
36:09He wasn't just smart.
36:10He was brilliant.
36:12And he never varied
36:14from his statement
36:15that he was innocent.
36:17Through the entire trial,
36:18I believed him.
36:20I worked for the
36:21Los Angeles County
36:21District Attorney's Office,
36:23and since Santa Monica Court
36:24was under my jurisdiction,
36:26I had to make a decision
36:27as to who was going
36:28to try the case.
36:29I knew Freddie.
36:30He was excellent.
36:31So I assigned him.
36:33Prosecutors say
36:33detailed notes
36:34in Joe Hunt's handwriting
36:36outline the murder plan.
36:38I'm prosecuting
36:39the guy for murder.
36:39Obviously,
36:40that tells me
36:41that it's one
36:42of the most important
36:42pieces of evidence
36:43that proves
36:43that he killed Ron Levin.
36:48When the trial started,
36:49it was clearly
36:50the biggest case
36:51in my career.
36:53I'd never handled
36:54the case
36:54that had any kind
36:56of media attention
36:57like that.
36:58The trial
36:59has just started
37:00and already
37:00it has celebrity status,
37:02but both sides
37:03say it will be
37:04several months
37:04before there's
37:05an ending.
37:06I remember
37:07very vividly.
37:08First day,
37:09we went to court
37:09and I turned
37:10to walk to the courtroom.
37:12All of a sudden,
37:13every camera
37:14in the world,
37:14flashes were going off
37:16and clicking
37:17and clicking.
37:18and I was just
37:21absolutely scared
37:22to death.
37:23And Hunt
37:23is just walking
37:24around like
37:24he owns the place.
37:29He walked around
37:30that courthouse
37:31like a peacock
37:32strutting in
37:32his Armani suits
37:33and he thought
37:35he was just
37:36going to beat
37:36this case,
37:37walk away from it
37:38because the defense
37:40doesn't have
37:41to prove anything.
37:43We don't know
37:44what happened
37:44to Ron Levin.
37:46I don't know
37:47what happened
37:48to Ron Levin.
37:50Nobody knows
37:52what happened
37:53to Ron Levin.
37:54The entire burden
37:55of proving the case
37:56is on the prosecution
37:57to prove it
37:57beyond a reasonable doubt
37:59and that's all
38:00I set out to do.
38:01He said we committed
38:02the perfect crime
38:03well I submit
38:05to you ladies
38:05and gentlemen
38:06he did not commit
38:07the perfect crime.
38:08You won't have
38:08any reasonable doubt
38:09at all.
38:10The prosecution
38:11created an image
38:13of Joe Hunt
38:14as a ruthless
38:15lying
38:17cunning
38:17bad person
38:19who conned
38:20these young people
38:21out of their
38:22family's money
38:23and when it started
38:24to fall apart
38:25became desperate
38:26to secure
38:27that position.
38:29What kind of a mind
38:29what kind of a person
38:30writes things like this?
38:31This is a sickness.
38:37But we know
38:38who wrote it
38:39there's no disputing
38:39who wrote it.
38:40Joe Hunt wrote it
38:41it's in his handwriting.
38:43Joe Hunt's motive
38:44was that he had been
38:45conned by Ron Levin.
38:47He was furious about it.
38:50He didn't believe
38:51that he'd been conned
38:52by Ron Levin
38:53he believed that
38:53the money actually existed
38:55and he was going
38:55to get it.
38:56Assistant District Attorney
38:58Fred Wapner
38:58is prosecuting a case
39:00that involves
39:00no body
39:01no weapon
39:02no real physical evidence
39:04and no witnesses.
39:05Never
39:06did I think
39:07it was going to be
39:08a slam dunk.
39:09In a no body case
39:11you always prove it
39:12by circumstantial evidence
39:13and you don't usually
39:14get the kind of luck
39:16that I got
39:17where you have
39:19a handwritten list
39:20in the defendant's
39:22handwriting
39:22saying I'm going
39:24to basically
39:24kill this guy.
39:26That was a huge
39:28linchpin
39:29of the case.
39:31And then
39:31he admits
39:32to his friend
39:33as if it weren't enough
39:34that I left the list
39:35that saying
39:36I was going to do it
39:37I did do it.
39:39The prosecution's
39:40federally protected
39:41star witness
39:41in the billionaire
39:42Boys Club
39:43murder trial
39:43has finally taken
39:44the stand
39:45after more than
39:46a month and a half
39:46of testimony.
39:48Wapner petitioned
39:49the court
39:49to ban camera coverage
39:50of Carney's testimony
39:51because he says
39:52his star witness
39:53fears for his life.
39:55Judge Rittenban
39:56agreed to continue
39:57one camera coverage
39:58in the courtroom
39:58but with the stipulation
40:00Carney's face
40:01be concealed
40:01and his voice distorted
40:03during testimony.
40:04Testimony the prosecutor
40:05is counting on
40:06to convince the jury
40:07Joe Hunt
40:08committed murder.
40:09The police.
Recommended
55:19
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