Dateline NBC - Season 2025 Episode 25 - The Prince, the Whiz Kid & the Millionaire - Video Dailymotion

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Dateline NBC - Season 2025 Episode 25 - The Prince, the Whiz Kid & the Millionaire

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00:01:29Here's Blaine Alexander with A Perfect Spring Morning

00:01:35If there's truly such a thing as a perfect spring morning, May 2, 2001 in Chevy Chase, Maryland was it.

00:01:47Crisp, clear, the kind of weather that just begs for a walk.

00:01:52And that suited Leslie Preer just fine.

00:01:56Leslie's daughter, Lauren.

00:01:59Tell me about your neighborhood.

00:02:01Beautiful.

00:02:02Yeah.

00:02:02Wonderful.

00:02:04Felt safe.

00:02:05It was a short drive to Leslie's office in Washington, D.C., but she liked taking a long walk through her upscale neighborhood to catch the bus.

00:02:16Maybe that's why she was late for work.

00:02:18Again.

00:02:20Was it starting to become something that interfered with work?

00:02:23Well, yeah.

00:02:24She was supposed to be there at 9 o'clock.

00:02:25And she couldn't, couldn't make it.

00:02:29Brett Reedy was Leslie's boss at Specialties, a small advertising and promotions firm.

00:02:34She was kind of on super-secret probation, if you will, because I had to push her back to 10 o'clock.

00:02:41You can't make it at 9, and let's make it at 10.

00:02:44So really, there was pressure to be there by 10 o'clock.

00:02:47Sure.

00:02:48So it was more alarming that she wasn't there.

00:02:52Leslie wasn't answering her phone, so Brett called her husband, Sandy, at his office.

00:02:58I just said, did Leslie have any doctor's appointments that I didn't know about?

00:03:03And he goes, no.

00:03:05And I said, well, she's not here.

00:03:07Huh.

00:03:08And he goes, that's not good.

00:03:10That was big.

00:03:10Something's wrong.

00:03:11The two men met at the prayer house to look for Leslie.

00:03:17Sandy unlocked the front door and went inside.

00:03:21I walked in with him, and he's calling her name.

00:03:24Leslie, Leslie.

00:03:25He's looking everywhere for her.

00:03:27And I looked right to my right, and there was a pretty good-sized pool of blood.

00:03:35And he then goes upstairs.

00:03:38And while he's upstairs, I'm noticing blood splatter all along the wall.

00:03:45Oh, gosh.

00:03:45And it was alarming to me, which was like something really bad happened here.

00:03:49Then, in a moment that felt like something straight out of a horror movie, Brett noticed something moving.

00:03:59I look down the hall, and the door slowly moves.

00:04:06I said, oh.

00:04:07You're thinking maybe someone's inside.

00:04:09I thought it was Leslie.

00:04:11Oh.

00:04:11Because we hadn't found her.

00:04:12Yeah.

00:04:13And it moved slow enough that I thought, uh-oh, I don't want to see this.

00:04:19Turns out it was Boomer, the family dog, cowering but unhurt.

00:04:25Still no sign of Leslie.

00:04:27As Sandy came back downstairs, all signs pointed to something horrific.

00:04:33I said, Sandy, look at this.

00:04:37In the kitchen, there's blood everywhere.

00:04:39There's blood on the back door.

00:04:41There's blood on the appliances.

00:04:42And he said, well, she must have fallen down.

00:04:45She must be at the hospital.

00:04:46So, he grabs the yellow pages and starts making calls.

00:04:52He thinks it's an accident.

00:04:53Oh, yeah.

00:04:54She must have fallen down.

00:04:56Blood went everywhere.

00:04:57Did that seem to make sense to you?

00:05:01Not exactly.

00:05:03Brett called 911.

00:05:06911, what's emergency?

00:05:08We just walked in the door, and there's blood in the foyer.

00:05:11Mm-hmm.

00:05:12When I called 911, the operator says, get the hell out of the house.

00:05:16Get out of the house.

00:05:17Don't touch anything and get out of the house.

00:05:20Because they're saying, it's very possible you're standing in the middle of a crime scene.

00:05:24Yeah.

00:05:25Another possibility, the criminal was still inside.

00:05:29Officer Jim Barnett with the Montgomery County Police Department was the first on the scene.

00:05:34With guns drawn, he and his partner went inside.

00:05:38It was clearly obvious there had been a violent struggle.

00:05:41There was blood on the floor.

00:05:43There were red swirl marks where someone had tried to obviously clean up blood.

00:05:49There was a lampshade knocked over, as well as an end table.

00:05:54I went into the master bedroom area.

00:05:57The door to the shower was closed.

00:05:59And when I opened it, the victim was curled up in the corner of the shower stall.

00:06:04It was Leslie.

00:06:06Officer Barnett checked for a pulse.

00:06:09Nothing.

00:06:10She was dead, killed in a vicious attack.

00:06:13At that point, what we have to do is go outside and inform the husband.

00:06:19He walked up to Sandy, and he just very directly walked right up to him.

00:06:23Sir, your wife is dead.

00:06:24Just like that?

00:06:25Yeah.

00:06:26Lauren Prier was 23 years old back then.

00:06:31She was at her apartment that morning, still mercifully unaware of what had happened to her mother.

00:06:37She was my person.

00:06:40And we talked every single day.

00:06:43As soon as I woke up, I would call my mom.

00:06:46And that's exactly what Lauren did that morning.

00:06:50She dialed her mom's work line.

00:06:52One of her co-workers answered the phone.

00:06:55And she was like, well, she's not here right now.

00:06:58And I said, what do you mean?

00:07:00And she goes, you need to call your father.

00:07:03Are you thinking something?

00:07:05You know what I thought?

00:07:06Hmm.

00:07:06I thought good things.

00:07:08I thought we won the lottery, or there was like a surprise vacation.

00:07:12So I thought something positive happened.

00:07:16The truth revealed itself when Lauren saw a police car pull up in front of her apartment.

00:07:22The police officer.

00:07:29And my dad came up to our apartment.

00:07:37I'm sorry.

00:07:41It's okay.

00:07:42It was all in slow motion.

00:07:47He goes, I'm so sorry.

00:07:51Your mom is no longer with us here anymore.

00:07:54It was very traumatic.

00:07:56She was screaming and crying and dropped and fell to the floor.

00:08:00I went to my bedroom.

00:08:01And I just, like, screamed to one of my pillows.

00:08:06It was awful.

00:08:12Something evil made its way into the Priers' peaceful neighborhood that morning.

00:08:18But what?

00:08:19It was really confusing and tragic.

00:08:23Didn't make sense.

00:08:24It still doesn't make sense.

00:08:26He just talked to me straight in my eyes.

00:08:28Like nothing was wrong.

00:08:30And he was comforting you.

00:08:31Yes.

00:08:33And he's the one who did it.

00:08:35Ugh.

00:08:36I'm just tired and drained.

00:08:38I don't know what's going on.

00:08:40Year after year, Chevy Chase is listed as one of Maryland's safest communities.

00:09:03That made the murder of Leslie Prier in her own home all the more shocking.

00:09:10Leslie's brother, Frank.

00:09:12Zoom out a second.

00:09:14What a nice little neighborhood.

00:09:16Spring morning, cherry blossoms.

00:09:19Seven or eight o'clock in the morning.

00:09:21Beautiful spring day.

00:09:22She's dead.

00:09:28And now, a once welcoming Chevy Chase home was crawling with forensic teams.

00:09:34They responded there to collect blood.

00:09:37And they came back at least two additional days to continue collecting any possible evidence they could find.

00:09:46The house was a mess inside.

00:09:49But outside, nothing was disturbed.

00:09:51And the back door was left unlocked.

00:09:54A habit for the Priers.

00:09:56They never kept the back door locked, ever.

00:09:59Front door was always locked.

00:10:01But our back door was always open because we had a fence.

00:10:04And the dog would go out.

00:10:07There was no signs of forced entry that I saw.

00:10:11So the person, whoever it was, I felt knew the victim, knew the family, knew the routine, entered the home.

00:10:19And went through this violent struggle.

00:10:22And then took the time to try and clean it up.

00:10:25And I mean, no one would do that if it was your first time in the home.

00:10:30This was clearly not a stranger to victim homicide.

00:10:34Once Lauren Prier learned about her mother's death, her first call was to her best friend, Lisa Wood.

00:10:40I've never heard that tone in her voice.

00:10:45That's got to be one of the most unfortunately memorable but defining moments of my life.

00:10:51Yeah.

00:10:52What could be more traumatic, you know?

00:10:55It didn't make sense.

00:10:56It still doesn't make sense.

00:10:57Lisa basically grew up in the Prier household.

00:11:04It became the sort of unofficial gathering spot for Lauren's friends.

00:11:09That's no small feat when you're talking about teenagers wanting to come over and hang out at their house.

00:11:16Her mom was just so vibrant.

00:11:19She wanted everyone to come over, feel welcome.

00:11:22You knew that she wouldn't judge you and she would just be there for you.

00:11:27Leslie Prier grew up in Pensacola, Florida, one of eight children.

00:11:33Our dad loved the beach and when he finished with the Navy, he wanted to enjoy Pensacola Beach.

00:11:41So he would haul all eight children out to the beach, grill us flank steak sandwiches.

00:11:47He brought snorkels and masks and we all had a great time.

00:11:51All of Leslie's siblings had a soft spot for her.

00:11:54From big sister Robin.

00:11:55Leslie was kind and caring and generous to a fault.

00:12:02To little brother Scott.

00:12:04Leslie inherited the best qualities from our mom who had an enormous heart.

00:12:10Trust me, each one of the eight of us have a lot of quirks.

00:12:13But Leslie, sweetest one of the eight for sure.

00:12:17Leslie met Sandy Prier in Pensacola.

00:12:19They both came from military families and hit it off right from the start.

00:12:24They met in junior college.

00:12:26They went to University of Florida and they just stayed together.

00:12:31Sandy became a CPA, then an IT specialist.

00:12:35The couple married in 1974 and eventually settled in Chevy Chase.

00:12:39Their only child, Lauren, was the center of her mother's world.

00:12:45My mom loved me so much and thought I could do no wrong.

00:12:49Pretend I robbed a bank?

00:12:52Pretend.

00:12:53Yes.

00:12:53I would never do that.

00:12:54She would have gone.

00:12:57Lauren just needed a little money.

00:13:00She would have been there to bust you out of jail if necessary.

00:13:04Yes.

00:13:05Leslie had a way of winning people over.

00:13:08Friends, family, and co-workers like Brett Reedy.

00:13:12What was she like in the office?

00:13:14Oh, she was a Southern belle.

00:13:15She was fantastic.

00:13:18Miss Leslie, she was very sweet.

00:13:20She was also very self-effacing.

00:13:22Very much the Southern charm.

00:13:25Sounds like she really was just a bright light in the office.

00:13:28Very much so, yes.

00:13:31Through the years, Leslie's big, boisterous family

00:13:34would gather for reunions in Pensacola,

00:13:37taking in the Gulf waters

00:13:38and making sure to catch a show by the Navy's

00:13:43legendary Blue Angels aerobatic team.

00:13:47Those reunions became a family staple,

00:13:50and Sandy fit right in.

00:13:52Sandy was, you know, he was a man's man.

00:13:55He was fun to hang with.

00:13:57He would drink beers with you.

00:13:58He had all the jokes, and he was just funny.

00:14:01He was very engaging with everybody.

00:14:03Paint a picture for me of your parents' marriage.

00:14:06What was their relationship like?

00:14:08Best friends.

00:14:09Yeah, they were so sweet together.

00:14:12They loved each other.

00:14:13They had fun.

00:14:14We all had fun together.

00:14:16They had a wonderful marriage.

00:14:19Detectives were about to ask some tough questions

00:14:21about Leslie, her marriage,

00:14:24and the people closest to her.

00:14:26Did that question catch you off guard?

00:14:28Oh, absolutely.

00:14:29That little freaked me out.

00:14:30The investigation into Leslie Prier's murder

00:14:48was picking up steam,

00:14:49and her husband Sandy was about to become

00:14:52a familiar figure to Montgomery County detectives,

00:14:56including Allison DuPoy and Tara Augustin.

00:14:59They would eventually be among eight detectives

00:15:02to handle the case.

00:15:03This is such a nice neighborhood.

00:15:05It doesn't look like a place

00:15:07where something so terrible could happen.

00:15:10During an interview at police headquarters,

00:15:12Sandy told detectives Leslie was fine

00:15:15the last time he saw her.

00:15:17But he had a lot to say about her boss,

00:15:20Brett Reedy.

00:15:20Leslie said that he wanted to get control of her.

00:15:28He was one of the only sources of stress

00:15:31and tension in Leslie's life

00:15:33that Sandy could identify.

00:15:36She was always kind of complaining or stressed

00:15:40and worrying about her boss, Brett.

00:15:42Sandy recalled an incident about how Brett reacted

00:15:45when Leslie snapped at him

00:15:47after he pointed out a mistake she'd made at work.

00:15:50He blew up sky high about that,

00:15:53and she was kind of really under the gun

00:15:56for that one statement.

00:15:57Because she crossed him,

00:16:00she kind of had to pay for a period of time.

00:16:04Sandy, you know, listening to his wife

00:16:06talk about stories like that could say,

00:16:09well, you know, maybe she snapped at him

00:16:11and maybe he snapped.

00:16:13Brett had grown up in Chevy Chase

00:16:15and had been to the Prier's house

00:16:17Still, Sandy wondered why he went there

00:16:20to look for Leslie the day of the murder.

00:16:22Brett coming to the house.

00:16:24Don't 100% understand that,

00:16:26but you have.

00:16:29What do you mean, Brett coming to the house?

00:16:31Why didn't he just let me go to the house?

00:16:34That didn't sit right with Leslie's family either.

00:16:38Don't you think it's odd

00:16:40that a boss would go to someone's house

00:16:42when she, when that person didn't show up for work?

00:16:47I did.

00:16:48He was the first person to show up at the house.

00:16:51So that was a little alarming.

00:16:54Suspicious to you?

00:16:55Yes.

00:16:57Brett insisted it was simply a gesture of concern

00:17:00for a colleague who would become a good friend.

00:17:03What was his relationship with your mom?

00:17:05Well, they worked together, obviously.

00:17:08And then, um,

00:17:11they definitely had a closer relationship

00:17:16that I think beyond work.

00:17:19I mean, my mom thought he was attractive.

00:17:22Maybe Brett felt the same way.

00:17:25Lauren says he once sent Leslie a birthday card

00:17:28with some very kind words.

00:17:30He's like, you're the Audrey Hepburn of the office

00:17:34for her birthday.

00:17:35That's very flattering.

00:17:37Mm-hmm.

00:17:37What did your dad think about Brett?

00:17:40That he and my mom flirted together.

00:17:43Is it possible your mom could have been having an affair?

00:17:46Yeah.

00:17:47You thought, okay, this is her co-worker,

00:17:49maybe someone who's having an affair with my mom?

00:17:52Mm, it crossed my mind.

00:17:55And maybe someone who killed her.

00:17:58It crossed my mind.

00:17:59Was Leslie having an affair with anybody?

00:18:03Um, you know, at the top of the list was Brett Reedy.

00:18:06He was pretty closely tapped into

00:18:07her day-to-day comings and goings.

00:18:11You know, the fact that he was so concerned

00:18:12when she didn't show up to work

00:18:14was also something that piqued the investigator's interest.

00:18:18Detectives brought Brett into headquarters

00:18:20for an interview.

00:18:22He described how, after calling 911,

00:18:25he walked around the house to do his own search.

00:18:29I went outside, went down the driveway,

00:18:32opened the gate, walked by the garage,

00:18:35kept walking in the backyard,

00:18:37walked to the backyard of the next house

00:18:39and maybe the next house.

00:18:42A few days later, Brett came back to the scene,

00:18:46this time searching along the bike path

00:18:48and creek near the Praer home.

00:18:50I thought that path and that creek

00:18:52had something to do with this.

00:18:55If I could dump evidence,

00:18:57what would I do?

00:18:58Where would I do it?

00:19:00And it would be in that creek.

00:19:02You could hide it in the woods

00:19:03and then maybe get it later.

00:19:05And I said, I'm going to get that and find it.

00:19:09Investigators thought Brett's search

00:19:11was unusual and suspicious.

00:19:13And did you think that the police

00:19:15weren't looking back there?

00:19:16I have no idea.

00:19:18Because maybe they don't know the neighborhood.

00:19:21Like I know, I know the back of my hand.

00:19:23Brett then took his amateur investigation

00:19:26to Sandy's office.

00:19:27I went to his office parking lot

00:19:30and looked in his dumpster.

00:19:32What were you hoping to find?

00:19:34Evidence.

00:19:35Murder weapon, blade clothes.

00:19:36Yeah, yeah, let's find this.

00:19:37Let's get this over with.

00:19:38Many people wouldn't go out

00:19:39and actually start looking through trash

00:19:41for evidence themselves.

00:19:43Yeah.

00:19:43At some point, your partner said,

00:19:44okay, maybe you shouldn't go to his office.

00:19:46That could make police start to look at you.

00:19:49Yeah.

00:19:49Do you see her point?

00:19:50Yes.

00:19:51She said, what are you going to do

00:19:52if you find something?

00:19:54I said, well, I'll turn it in.

00:19:55I mean, you really inserted yourself

00:19:57in this investigation.

00:19:58Why did you take such an interest?

00:20:00I want to find out what happened.

00:20:02And also, I just thought I could help.

00:20:04Brett also felt he was being helpful

00:20:06during his interview with police.

00:20:08He said the detectives were calm and cordial

00:20:11until the very end.

00:20:13And they said, we have one more question.

00:20:15I said, sure.

00:20:16Did you have anything to do with this?

00:20:18And it was very direct.

00:20:20And I just went, no, absolutely not.

00:20:24Did that question catch you off guard?

00:20:25Oh, absolutely.

00:20:26That little freaked me out.

00:20:28I couldn't believe they were asking me.

00:20:30Brett says he was also caught off guard

00:20:32to learn what Sandy had said to police about him.

00:20:35And despite ongoing issues

00:20:37with Leslie being late for work,

00:20:39they remained good but platonic friends.

00:20:43Did you have a relationship with Leslie?

00:20:45No.

00:20:46Romantic relationship at all?

00:20:47Not at all.

00:20:49No question, detectives had their hands full

00:20:52with what was quickly becoming a high-profile case.

00:20:55Turns out the load would soon get even heavier.

00:20:59The search is on in the district for a missing woman.

00:21:02Her name is Chandra Ann Levy.

00:21:04A lot of people in the neighborhood

00:21:06were concerned and scared

00:21:08that there was some guy going around killing people.

00:21:12Especially women.

00:21:13Yes.

00:21:14It's textbook detective work.

00:21:32Start with the people closest to Leslie Preer.

00:21:35Then check to see if there were

00:21:37any other similar crimes in the area.

00:21:40Sadly, there were.

00:21:41The search is on in the district for a missing woman.

00:21:45Her name is Chandra Ann Levy.

00:21:47The day before Leslie Preer was found dead in her home,

00:21:51a woman named Chandra Levy disappeared.

00:21:54She was a young woman who worked on the Hill in D.C.,

00:21:57which wasn't very far from the Preer household.

00:22:01Local police and the FBI are looking for clues

00:22:03in a high-profile disappearance.

00:22:05A California woman vanished without a trace

00:22:07just after she'd completed an internship.

00:22:09That becomes a huge national story.

00:22:12And police are looking and saying,

00:22:14okay, could these possibly be connected?

00:22:17Yes.

00:22:17A lot of people in the neighborhood

00:22:19were concerned and scared

00:22:22that there was some guy going around killing people.

00:22:26Yeah.

00:22:26Especially women.

00:22:27Yes.

00:22:27There was another case on the detective's radar,

00:22:32a few years older, but just as frightening.

00:22:35The Potomac rapist, a serial offender

00:22:38who had murdered one of his victims.

00:22:40Eight women were sexually assaulted in Montgomery County

00:22:43in their homes or in private residences.

00:22:46The body of 29-year-old Christine Mirzian

00:22:49was found near the Whitehurst Freeway.

00:22:51They looked into the Chandra Levy case

00:22:54as well as some other reports

00:22:57throughout Montgomery County

00:22:58where women were attacked.

00:23:00However, none of them matched exactly

00:23:03to what Leslie had in her case.

00:23:07They quickly ruled out

00:23:08that any of those other cases were related.

00:23:11With those notorious cases

00:23:13no longer a factor in the Preer investigation,

00:23:16detectives did a deep dive

00:23:17into anyone who might have had contact with Leslie.

00:23:20no matter how innocent it might have seemed.

00:23:24They looked into anybody

00:23:25that was doing work in the neighborhood

00:23:27or anyone that had done any work

00:23:29on the Preer's house.

00:23:30Anyone that was in the neighborhood

00:23:32that didn't live there,

00:23:34that there could have been a chance interaction

00:23:36with Leslie, they looked into.

00:23:39Dead ends, all of them.

00:23:42But Lauren had her own idea

00:23:44about what might have happened

00:23:45and told police.

00:23:47My mom loved to take public transportation.

00:23:50Because Leslie preferred taking a bus to work,

00:23:54Lauren came up with a theory.

00:23:56Maybe her mother's killer

00:23:57was someone she met during her commute.

00:24:00She talked to everybody.

00:24:02She lived the world through rose-tented glasses.

00:24:05Like, no one does any harm.

00:24:06I said, Mama,

00:24:07not everyone's perfect.

00:24:10She takes never met a stranger

00:24:11to a whole new level.

00:24:12Correct.

00:24:13Were you thinking that this could be somebody

00:24:15maybe who met her on the bus,

00:24:17who followed her home?

00:24:18Yes, it was definitely a possibility in my head.

00:24:21An attack by someone Leslie met on a bus

00:24:24was an interesting theory,

00:24:25but without any witnesses

00:24:27or revealing security camera footage,

00:24:29it remained just that,

00:24:31a theory.

00:24:32What did police ask you for?

00:24:34The list of names that knew my mom

00:24:38and knew me

00:24:39and were present at my parents' house.

00:24:41So this could be a pretty long list.

00:24:43At least 25.

00:24:44Kind of describe who was on that list.

00:24:46Friends.

00:24:47My Jennings side of the family,

00:24:49which is my mom's side.

00:24:50Basically anybody that you knew

00:24:52that had come to the house.

00:24:53Yeah.

00:24:55Lauren says she assembled the list

00:24:57and included people she never thought

00:24:59could be involved in her mother's death.

00:25:01Like her boyfriend at the time,

00:25:03Scott Kendall.

00:25:04He would never hurt my mom.

00:25:07Yeah.

00:25:07That I truly believe.

00:25:10And there was an earlier boyfriend,

00:25:11Eugene Glee Gore,

00:25:13someone she dated back in high school.

00:25:16What first attracted you to him?

00:25:18He was smart.

00:25:19He was from a good family

00:25:21and he was extremely attractive.

00:25:24Leslie's brother, Frank,

00:25:26made the list too.

00:25:27Even though he owns a bike shop

00:25:29in Massachusetts

00:25:30and was hundreds of miles away

00:25:32when Leslie died.

00:25:33My uncle Frank used to stay

00:25:35at my parents' house sometimes.

00:25:37So he was on the list.

00:25:38But everyone was on the list.

00:25:41Lisa helped Lauren with that list,

00:25:43but it felt like an exercise in futility.

00:25:47After all, these were friends.

00:25:49Family.

00:25:50You know, it's like you just try

00:25:51to rack your brain

00:25:52to try to make any sense

00:25:54of any of the details

00:25:55because it's like a puzzle

00:25:57and you're just trying

00:25:57to put it together.

00:25:58You're just grasping at straws.

00:26:00There was never anyone

00:26:01that was like,

00:26:01oh yeah, it's got to be them

00:26:03or it would make sense.

00:26:04Like, none of it made sense.

00:26:07It seems detectives felt the same way

00:26:10because some of the people

00:26:11on that list were never contacted.

00:26:14And so they turned back

00:26:15to someone who is always

00:26:16on a detective's list

00:26:18when a spouse is murdered.

00:26:20The husband is usually

00:26:21the one you're going

00:26:22and look at first.

00:26:23How you doing?

00:26:24All right.

00:26:24How about yourself?

00:26:25Not bad.

00:26:26Not bad.

00:26:26It was time to circle back

00:26:28to Sandy Preer.

00:26:30I told you everything

00:26:32exactly how it happened.

00:26:35He didn't do himself

00:26:36any favors

00:26:36by kind of the way

00:26:37he answered questions.

00:26:39There were a lot of signs

00:26:41that did point to Sandy.

00:26:42During his interview

00:26:59with police,

00:27:00Sandy Preer pointed detectives

00:27:02in the direction

00:27:02of Brett Reedy.

00:27:04And when they talked to Brett,

00:27:05he pointed the finger

00:27:07right back at Sandy,

00:27:09suggesting there was

00:27:10something about his behavior

00:27:11that morning

00:27:12that just didn't seem right.

00:27:15Sandy gets out of the car

00:27:16and comes up to me

00:27:17and says,

00:27:17hey, Brett, how you doing?

00:27:18I'm like, well, I'm doing okay,

00:27:20but we're here to,

00:27:21in my head,

00:27:22I'm thinking we're here

00:27:23to find your wife.

00:27:27Inside, the scene was brutal.

00:27:30To Brett, it seemed obvious

00:27:32there'd been a struggle.

00:27:34What do police do

00:27:35when they get there?

00:27:36Well, as soon as they walked up,

00:27:38they drew their guns.

00:27:39and Sandy went,

00:27:43oh, you guys mean business.

00:27:46I thought that was a lot.

00:27:48You know,

00:27:49I like to joke a lot,

00:27:50but not at that moment.

00:27:51Did it seem,

00:27:52what, flippant to you?

00:27:55Yeah.

00:27:56Officer Jim Barnett

00:27:57got the same strange vibe

00:27:59from Sandy.

00:28:00He didn't run up to me

00:28:01and say,

00:28:02I can't find my wife,

00:28:03there's been a violent struggle,

00:28:04there's blood in the house.

00:28:05He just calmly stood in the yard

00:28:07and waited for me to walk up,

00:28:09and when I said,

00:28:10what's going on?

00:28:10His response was,

00:28:11I've looked all through the house

00:28:12and can't find her.

00:28:14Remember,

00:28:15when Barnett went upstairs,

00:28:17he found Leslie

00:28:18almost immediately.

00:28:19I was surprised that

00:28:21he didn't find her

00:28:22in the shower stall,

00:28:23especially after you've seen,

00:28:25you know,

00:28:26all that blood

00:28:28and disturbance

00:28:29in the foyer area

00:28:30and your wife's missing,

00:28:31I would think you'd be looking

00:28:33under beds,

00:28:33in closets,

00:28:34everywhere.

00:28:35And then to find the victim

00:28:36upstairs in a shower,

00:28:38you know,

00:28:39that's bizarre,

00:28:41you know?

00:28:41So I'm thinking like,

00:28:43man,

00:28:43this is,

00:28:44this is really,

00:28:45really strange.

00:28:47Barnett says Sandy

00:28:48remained calm

00:28:49after learning

00:28:50his wife was dead.

00:28:52I was fully expecting him

00:28:54to bull rush me

00:28:55to run upstairs

00:28:56and see his wife

00:28:58in the shower stall,

00:28:59but he did not do that.

00:29:01He stood right there

00:29:02and there was kind of

00:29:04no,

00:29:05no response.

00:29:06From what I've seen

00:29:08and his reactions,

00:29:09it just didn't look realistic.

00:29:12Barnett kept a close eye

00:29:13on Sandy.

00:29:14My main concern

00:29:15was keeping him

00:29:16right there

00:29:17in the front yard

00:29:18and not letting him

00:29:19back into the house.

00:29:21Then Barnett had Sandy

00:29:22sit with him

00:29:23in the front seat

00:29:23of his cruiser

00:29:24and waited for backup.

00:29:26And from that point forward,

00:29:28the detectives

00:29:29showed up

00:29:29to take over.

00:29:31As crime scene techs

00:29:33processed the house

00:29:34that morning,

00:29:35detectives went

00:29:35door to door

00:29:36talking to neighbors.

00:29:38One reported

00:29:39seeing something strange.

00:29:40The lights on

00:29:41inside the prayer house

00:29:42in the middle of the night.

00:29:44All the blinds

00:29:45were drawn in the house

00:29:46and that was

00:29:47what was weird about it.

00:29:48And that wasn't

00:29:49their normal pattern.

00:29:50No.

00:29:51Another neighbor

00:29:52said Sandy

00:29:53waved hello

00:29:54as he left

00:29:54for work that morning.

00:29:55He made a point

00:29:57to wave to her

00:29:58and she thought

00:29:58it was kind of odd

00:29:59because he had

00:29:59never done that before.

00:30:01And he looked back

00:30:02at the house

00:30:03and started talking

00:30:04and the neighbor

00:30:05presumed it was Leslie

00:30:06in the doorway

00:30:07and he was like,

00:30:08okay babe,

00:30:08I'll see you later.

00:30:10But the neighbor

00:30:11couldn't tell

00:30:12if Leslie was even there.

00:30:14After hearing

00:30:15this witness statement,

00:30:16it seemed like

00:30:17it was possible

00:30:17that Sandy

00:30:18was kind of creating

00:30:19a witness for himself

00:30:20and a bit of an alibi

00:30:21saying that he left

00:30:22for work when he did

00:30:23and that maybe Leslie

00:30:25was still there

00:30:26and still alive.

00:30:28When Sandy first met

00:30:29with detectives

00:30:30at headquarters,

00:30:31they noticed

00:30:31he had a few small cuts

00:30:33and they took pictures.

00:30:35When they talked to him,

00:30:37Sandy said

00:30:37the last time

00:30:38he saw Leslie,

00:30:39he kissed her goodbye

00:30:40like he always did.

00:30:42We always kiss each other

00:30:43goodbye

00:30:43and wave goodbye.

00:30:45Is she at the door

00:30:45standing there?

00:30:47But when detectives

00:30:48asked some pretty

00:30:49straightforward questions,

00:30:51Sandy fumbled the answers.

00:30:54He didn't do himself

00:30:55any favors

00:30:55by kind of the way

00:30:56he answered questions.

00:30:58Talk to me about

00:30:59some of the things

00:31:00the detectives noticed

00:31:01about Sandy.

00:31:02They interviewed him

00:31:03numerous times

00:31:04throughout the investigation

00:31:05and they realized

00:31:07that a lot of his answers

00:31:08just didn't add up.

00:31:11Like,

00:31:11where were you the night

00:31:12before Leslie was found?

00:31:15I could guess,

00:31:16but I don't know

00:31:17for a fact.

00:31:18Not remembering

00:31:19where he was

00:31:20or what he did

00:31:21was a problem

00:31:22for Sandy,

00:31:23but the things

00:31:23he did remember

00:31:24about his whereabouts

00:31:25seemed even more suspicious.

00:31:28Oh, wait.

00:31:29Okay.

00:31:30I know what I did.

00:31:31I was taking

00:31:32some computer stuff

00:31:33to the dump.

00:31:35He went to the dump

00:31:36to dispose of

00:31:37some computer parts.

00:31:38He went to the dump?

00:31:39Yeah,

00:31:39and that caught

00:31:40their attention a lot.

00:31:42That's raising

00:31:43a red flag.

00:31:44Yes.

00:31:45Sandy told detectives

00:31:46he got home

00:31:46late that night

00:31:47and didn't know

00:31:48if Leslie had eaten.

00:31:50But the medical examiner's

00:31:52report was more

00:31:53bad news for Sandy.

00:31:54They looked at

00:31:55her stomach contents

00:31:57in the autopsy

00:31:57and there was

00:31:58undigested pasta in there

00:32:00which would indicate

00:32:00that she died

00:32:02within a certain amount

00:32:03of time of eating that.

00:32:05And they looked at it

00:32:06like, well,

00:32:07that would have been

00:32:08dinner the night before.

00:32:09The night before

00:32:11when Sandy would have

00:32:12been home alone

00:32:13with Leslie.

00:32:14It seemed nothing

00:32:16in Sandy's police

00:32:17interview was helping

00:32:18his cause

00:32:19until he mentioned

00:32:20that Leslie called

00:32:21him at his office

00:32:22the morning her body

00:32:23was found.

00:32:25She called

00:32:25around 9 o'clock.

00:32:28Now,

00:32:28does that come

00:32:29through the switchboard?

00:32:30Yes.

00:32:30So you dial

00:32:31the main number,

00:32:32ask Sandra

00:32:33who you need

00:32:34to speak to

00:32:34and she transfers

00:32:35the call.

00:32:37A 9 o'clock call

00:32:38from Leslie

00:32:38would have given

00:32:39Sandy an airtight

00:32:40alibi.

00:32:42But that alibi

00:32:42hit a snag.

00:32:45Investigators

00:32:45were never able

00:32:46to verify

00:32:47that that conversation

00:32:48happened.

00:32:49So that was just

00:32:49Sandy's word

00:32:50saying that

00:32:51that phone call

00:32:51happened.

00:32:54And investigators

00:32:55were not going

00:32:56to take him

00:32:57at his word.

00:32:58Everything pointed

00:32:59to the husband's

00:33:00involvement

00:33:01at that point

00:33:01in time.

00:33:03It was time

00:33:04to up the pressure

00:33:05on Sandy Preer.

00:33:06You've got

00:33:07the wrong guy.

00:33:09Facts don't lie,

00:33:10Sandy.

00:33:11You're going

00:33:12to be a man.

00:33:12You're going

00:33:12to stand up

00:33:13and you're going

00:33:14to accept

00:33:14the responsibility

00:33:15for what you did.

00:33:31Detectives

00:33:32had cast

00:33:33a wide net

00:33:33talking to

00:33:34Leslie's friends,

00:33:35family,

00:33:36co-workers.

00:33:37They had also

00:33:38looked for a

00:33:39connection to

00:33:39other crimes

00:33:40in the area.

00:33:41But it all

00:33:42went nowhere.

00:33:44The investigation

00:33:45was now

00:33:46all about

00:33:47Sandy Preer

00:33:48and his

00:33:48relationship

00:33:49with Leslie.

00:33:50So as they

00:33:51started talking

00:33:51to family members

00:33:52more and more

00:33:53about Leslie

00:33:54and Sandy's

00:33:54relationship,

00:33:55it became

00:33:56apparent that

00:33:56it had

00:33:57its struggles.

00:34:01Sandy said

00:34:02as much

00:34:02during his

00:34:02first interview

00:34:03with detectives

00:34:04at headquarters.

00:34:05Leslie and I

00:34:06had our arguments

00:34:07and we had

00:34:07some pretty

00:34:08nasty ones

00:34:08at times.

00:34:10When detectives

00:34:11brought Sandy

00:34:12in for another

00:34:13interview,

00:34:13he seemed to

00:34:14blame Leslie

00:34:15for some

00:34:16of those

00:34:16arguments.

00:34:17She can be,

00:34:18I hope I'm going to

00:34:19shoot myself in the

00:34:20foot on this one,

00:34:21but she can be

00:34:22demanded.

00:34:26Sandy and Leslie

00:34:27lived in an upscale

00:34:28neighborhood.

00:34:29Both had solid

00:34:30jobs.

00:34:32But money

00:34:32was tight.

00:34:33Leslie had an

00:34:34operation without

00:34:35any health

00:34:36insurance,

00:34:36so they owed

00:34:37a lot of money

00:34:37for that.

00:34:38And they had

00:34:39credit card debt

00:34:40and student loan

00:34:41debt from their

00:34:43daughter Lauren

00:34:43going to college.

00:34:44So they were

00:34:45struggling to keep

00:34:47up financially.

00:34:48I noticed that

00:34:49you had some

00:34:50pretty substantial

00:34:51bills with your

00:34:52credit cards,

00:34:53Visa, MasterCard.

00:34:54We were trying

00:34:56to work those

00:34:56down, but yes,

00:34:57there's some

00:34:59debt there,

00:34:59no question about it.

00:35:01So that was

00:35:01a source of tension

00:35:02between the two

00:35:02of them, too.

00:35:03Yes.

00:35:03And that was

00:35:05one aspect that

00:35:06the investigators

00:35:06looked at to

00:35:07see if there

00:35:09was a reason

00:35:10that that could

00:35:11lead to Leslie's

00:35:12murder.

00:35:13Was it possible

00:35:15that tension

00:35:15led to violence?

00:35:17When they first

00:35:18spoke to Sandy,

00:35:19he did describe

00:35:20an incident where

00:35:21he lost control

00:35:22and got physical

00:35:23with Leslie.

00:35:24The most violent

00:35:25ever got was

00:35:26I'd grab her

00:35:27and just say,

00:35:28you know,

00:35:28you've got to

00:35:29snap out of it.

00:35:30Like grabbing her

00:35:31by her shoulders?

00:35:32Her shoulders,

00:35:33you know,

00:35:33and she hit the

00:35:34wall.

00:35:35Nothing, you

00:35:36know, smashing

00:35:36or anything.

00:35:37I hit the wall

00:35:38and she's bursting

00:35:38in tears.

00:35:39And I'm thinking,

00:35:39God, what am I

00:35:41doing?

00:35:42Detectives also

00:35:43wondered if there

00:35:44was any infidelity

00:35:45that could have

00:35:46triggered a

00:35:46confrontation.

00:35:48So they reached

00:35:48out to their

00:35:49colleague, Ed

00:35:49Golian, who

00:35:50worked in the

00:35:51undercover unit.

00:35:52We got notified

00:35:53by the detectives

00:35:54they would like us

00:35:55to follow Sandy.

00:35:56You know, is he

00:35:57meeting up with

00:35:57a, say, you know,

00:35:59another woman,

00:36:00maybe some kind

00:36:00of relationship

00:36:01there?

00:36:01So Golian

00:36:04started surveillance

00:36:05on Sandy.

00:36:06For several days,

00:36:07he followed him

00:36:08as he drove to

00:36:08work, went to

00:36:10lunch, did a

00:36:11little shopping,

00:36:12and went back

00:36:13home.

00:36:14Turned out to be

00:36:15a pretty boring

00:36:16assignment.

00:36:17But two things

00:36:18did pique his

00:36:19interest, like

00:36:21Sandy's use of

00:36:21a payphone.

00:36:23The question was

00:36:24brought up, does

00:36:24he have a cell

00:36:25phone?

00:36:25Of course, the

00:36:26answer was yes.

00:36:26Yeah, we know

00:36:27he has a cell

00:36:27phone, but he's

00:36:28using his pay

00:36:29phone.

00:36:30That seems

00:36:31strange.

00:36:32So did another

00:36:33incident just a

00:36:34few weeks after

00:36:35the murder.

00:36:36Sandy, parked

00:36:37and sitting in

00:36:38his car, opened

00:36:39an envelope and

00:36:40cracked open a

00:36:41beer.

00:36:42I could see

00:36:43clearly what's

00:36:44going on inside

00:36:44the car using

00:36:46binoculars.

00:36:47He's sipping

00:36:47his beer, and I

00:36:48could see that

00:36:49he's laughing.

00:36:52And my thought

00:36:53is, his wife's

00:36:54a victim of a

00:36:54murder, and he's

00:36:55reading this,

00:36:56whatever it is,

00:36:57and he's laughing.

00:36:59At this point,

00:37:00detectives were

00:37:01suspicious over

00:37:01just about anything

00:37:03Sandy did or

00:37:04said, but he

00:37:05had cooperated

00:37:06with police from

00:37:07the very start.

00:37:08He volunteered

00:37:09to take a

00:37:10polygraph.

00:37:11He volunteered?

00:37:12Yes.

00:37:13That's usually a

00:37:14good sign.

00:37:15Usually, but he

00:37:17came in and took

00:37:17the polygraph and

00:37:18failed.

00:37:19He failed?

00:37:19Yes.

00:37:20That's not a

00:37:20good sign.

00:37:21No.

00:37:22The polygraph

00:37:23examiner found him

00:37:24to be deceptive

00:37:25when asked about

00:37:26Leslie's murder,

00:37:28asked about

00:37:28Leslie's death,

00:37:30asked about

00:37:30knowing information

00:37:31about Leslie's

00:37:32death.

00:37:33Detectives brought

00:37:34Sandy in for

00:37:35another interview,

00:37:36and this time,

00:37:38they didn't hold

00:37:38back.

00:37:39there's some things

00:37:40that you've got to

00:37:41try to do to set

00:37:42things straight,

00:37:42especially for other

00:37:43folks, because we

00:37:44all know what

00:37:45happened.

00:37:46And I think it'd

00:37:47be a travesty for

00:37:48Lauren for her to

00:37:50go through the rest

00:37:50of her dog online

00:37:51trying to figure out

00:37:53just what the hell

00:37:54happened.

00:37:55And I'll just tell

00:37:56you one thing,

00:37:56you've got the

00:37:57wrong guy.

00:37:59Facts don't lie,

00:38:01Sandy.

00:38:01Just be a man and

00:38:02tell us what

00:38:03happened.

00:38:04I told you exactly

00:38:05what happened.

00:38:06But you haven't

00:38:06told us the truth.

00:38:07You've got an

00:38:08obligation to your

00:38:10daughter.

00:38:11You're going to be

00:38:11a man, you're going

00:38:12to stand up, and

00:38:13you're going to

00:38:13accept the

00:38:13responsibility for

00:38:14what you did.

00:38:16Do the right thing,

00:38:17Sandy.

00:38:19I'm not saying

00:38:20anything unless my

00:38:21lawyer's here.

00:38:22They had pictures

00:38:23of myself, my mom,

00:38:26and the three of us

00:38:27together in the

00:38:28interrogation room to

00:38:29see if he would

00:38:29crack, to plead

00:38:31guilty.

00:38:32But he didn't.

00:38:33What did your dad

00:38:34say to you about

00:38:35that experience?

00:38:36Well, we've

00:38:37talked, obviously,

00:38:38and cried together,

00:38:41but I think he

00:38:41kept a lot of it

00:38:43inside because he

00:38:44knew how much I

00:38:45was going

00:38:46throughout.

00:38:47For Lauren, it

00:38:49was heartbreaking

00:38:49knowing her father

00:38:51was the prime

00:38:51suspect in her

00:38:52mother's murder.

00:38:54Knowing he loved

00:38:55my mom, knowing

00:38:56he loved me, I

00:38:58knew he didn't do

00:38:59it.

00:38:59He never caved.

00:39:01He stayed strong.

00:39:03But detectives

00:39:04were locked in.

00:39:05Sandy was their

00:39:06guy.

00:39:08Then, a new

00:39:09report came in

00:39:10from the crime

00:39:11lab.

00:39:12The blood swabs

00:39:13that were taken

00:39:13from the scene

00:39:14came back to

00:39:15Leslie, but there

00:39:16were several swabs

00:39:17that were not

00:39:18Leslie's.

00:39:19They were an

00:39:19unknown profile.

00:39:20And that same

00:39:21unknown profile was

00:39:22also found

00:39:23underneath her

00:39:23fingernails.

00:39:24I mean, that's

00:39:25a huge break in

00:39:26the case.

00:39:27That is your

00:39:27killer.

00:39:29What looked like

00:39:30the big break

00:39:31would become an

00:39:32even bigger mystery.

00:39:35Could he have

00:39:35really killed her?

00:39:37You can just

00:39:37snap, and then

00:39:38there's no telling

00:39:39what will happen

00:39:40after that.

00:39:40She yells from

00:39:42the back of the

00:39:42room.

00:39:43She's like, I got

00:39:44it.

00:39:44I think I got

00:39:45it.

00:39:45Hands up!

00:39:47Hands up!

00:39:47You're just kind

00:39:49of shocked, like,

00:39:49is this really

00:39:50happening?

00:39:51I almost fell

00:39:52off my chair.

00:39:53It's insane.

00:39:54The detectives

00:40:11working to solve

00:40:12Leslie Preer's

00:40:12murder were

00:40:13methodically building

00:40:14their case against

00:40:15her husband,

00:40:16Sandy.

00:40:17They looked

00:40:18into, did Sandy

00:40:20kill her for a

00:40:21life insurance

00:40:21policy payout,

00:40:23or was Sandy

00:40:24having an affair

00:40:25and killed her

00:40:26so that he could

00:40:27be with his

00:40:28lover, or did

00:40:30the lover come

00:40:31and kill Leslie?

00:40:32Looked at a lot

00:40:33of different

00:40:34possibilities, but

00:40:35most of them

00:40:36revolved around

00:40:36Sandy.

00:40:38As the weeks

00:40:38passed, detectives

00:40:40shared their

00:40:40suspicions about

00:40:41Sandy with people

00:40:42close to the

00:40:43case.

00:40:44They told Leslie's

00:40:45boss, Brett Reedy,

00:40:46that Sandy had

00:40:47failed a lie

00:40:48detector test.

00:40:49There was a lot

00:40:50of chatter about

00:40:51that around the

00:40:51office.

00:40:51That information

00:40:53combined with

00:40:54what you had

00:40:55seen that day,

00:40:56what are you

00:40:56starting to

00:40:57think?

00:40:58Yeah, I'm

00:40:58starting to

00:40:58think, well,

00:40:59their focus is

00:41:00on him.

00:41:01It'll be a

00:41:01matter of time

00:41:02and they'll

00:41:02probably prove

00:41:03it.

00:41:04Detectives also

00:41:05shared their

00:41:06findings with

00:41:06Leslie's family.

00:41:08There were

00:41:08members of

00:41:09your family

00:41:09that fully

00:41:11believed he

00:41:12was involved

00:41:13because of

00:41:13what the

00:41:14police said.

00:41:15Scott Jennings,

00:41:16Leslie's younger

00:41:17brother.

00:41:18Could he have

00:41:18done it?

00:41:18Yes.

00:41:19My mom,

00:41:20who died in

00:41:222019, she

00:41:23made no bones

00:41:24about it that

00:41:25she thought

00:41:25Sandy did it.

00:41:27He speculated

00:41:28about what

00:41:28happened.

00:41:29Leslie liked

00:41:31to drink a

00:41:31lot of wine

00:41:32at night.

00:41:33She probably

00:41:34could have

00:41:35gotten a

00:41:35little combative.

00:41:36You can

00:41:36just snap

00:41:37and then

00:41:39there's no

00:41:39telling what

00:41:40will happen

00:41:41after that.

00:41:42Frank Jennings,

00:41:43another of

00:41:43Leslie's

00:41:44brothers.

00:41:45To me,

00:41:45it wasn't a

00:41:46stretch to

00:41:46think, oh,

00:41:47he could

00:41:47have killed

00:41:48her.

00:41:50Detectives

00:41:51also explained

00:41:52their thinking

00:41:52to Lauren.

00:41:54She told

00:41:54them her

00:41:55dad loved

00:41:56her mom

00:41:56and would

00:41:57never kill

00:41:57her,

00:41:58although she

00:41:59had heard

00:42:00her parents

00:42:00arguing.

00:42:02I would

00:42:02be upstairs

00:42:02in my room,

00:42:04but I could

00:42:04hear there's

00:42:05not all the

00:42:07time, but

00:42:08sometimes.

00:42:09Were they

00:42:09intense

00:42:10arguments?

00:42:11Were they

00:42:11little spats?

00:42:12It was

00:42:12arguments.

00:42:13It wasn't

00:42:14spats.

00:42:15These were

00:42:16kind of

00:42:16intense

00:42:16arguments,

00:42:17fights.

00:42:19Yes, but

00:42:20they would

00:42:20be short

00:42:21and loud.

00:42:23Lauren made

00:42:23an excruciating

00:42:24decision.

00:42:25She confronted

00:42:26her dad.

00:42:27I had a

00:42:29minute where I

00:42:30said, could he

00:42:31have really

00:42:31killed her?

00:42:32So you went

00:42:33to your dad

00:42:34and you asked

00:42:35him, did you

00:42:36kill mom?

00:42:37Yes.

00:42:38What did he

00:42:39say?

00:42:40He said, I'm

00:42:40only answer

00:42:41this one time

00:42:42and he said,

00:42:43no.

00:42:44And then I

00:42:45believed him.

00:42:46was there

00:42:47ever any

00:42:47time that

00:42:48you thought

00:42:50that maybe

00:42:51he did do

00:42:52it?

00:42:52No.

00:42:53Maybe there

00:42:53are questions

00:42:54here.

00:42:54No.

00:42:55Yeah.

00:42:56I mean, not

00:42:56for one second.

00:42:58Because you

00:42:58knew him.

00:42:59I did.

00:43:00And that,

00:43:02it just,

00:43:03there's no way.

00:43:04The detectives

00:43:05knew their

00:43:06strongest evidence

00:43:07were those DNA

00:43:08lab results,

00:43:09showing the

00:43:09material under

00:43:10Leslie's fingernails

00:43:11and the blood in

00:43:12the house belonged

00:43:13to one man,

00:43:15clearly the killer.

00:43:17So they look

00:43:17at everyone

00:43:18that was close

00:43:19to Leslie

00:43:19in her daily

00:43:21life that would

00:43:22have interacted

00:43:23with Leslie

00:43:24and obtained

00:43:25voluntary DNA

00:43:26samples from

00:43:26those people

00:43:27to be able

00:43:28to eliminate

00:43:28them.

00:43:29So we're

00:43:29talking about

00:43:30more than a

00:43:30dozen people.

00:43:31Yes.

00:43:32First on their

00:43:33list, prime

00:43:34suspect Sandy

00:43:35Prier.

00:43:36A DNA match

00:43:37would cement

00:43:38their case

00:43:38against him.

00:43:39So it was a

00:43:40huge jolt

00:43:41when the

00:43:41results came

00:43:42in and

00:43:43Sandy was

00:43:44not a match.

00:43:46Was that

00:43:46DNA evidence

00:43:47the only thing

00:43:49that kept

00:43:49Sandy out

00:43:50of prison?

00:43:51Yes.

00:43:51You believe

00:43:52he would have

00:43:52easily gotten

00:43:53arrested otherwise?

00:43:54Yes.

00:43:56Detectives

00:43:56regrouped

00:43:57and tried

00:43:57again.

00:43:58They got a

00:43:59sample from

00:43:59Leslie's boss.

00:44:01Brett realized

00:44:01his overzealous

00:44:02efforts to look

00:44:03into Sandy

00:44:04may have fueled

00:44:05suspicion,

00:44:06but he wasn't

00:44:07worried about that.

00:44:08In fact,

00:44:09he was relieved

00:44:09to give his

00:44:10DNA.

00:44:11Actually,

00:44:12I felt good

00:44:12doing it

00:44:13because I

00:44:13said,

00:44:13fine,

00:44:14take mine,

00:44:15you can

00:44:15eliminate me.

00:44:17And they

00:44:18did eliminate

00:44:19Brett.

00:44:19It turns out

00:44:20he was just

00:44:21what he said

00:44:21he was,

00:44:22a helpful

00:44:23guy.

00:44:24Detectives

00:44:24also ran

00:44:25the unknown

00:44:26DNA through

00:44:26the national

00:44:27database,

00:44:28CODIS,

00:44:29to see if it

00:44:29matched any

00:44:30offenders in

00:44:30the system.

00:44:32Nothing.

00:44:33As you're

00:44:33going through

00:44:34this,

00:44:34all of these

00:44:35tests being

00:44:35done,

00:44:36not a match,

00:44:37not a match,

00:44:38not a match.

00:44:39What was that

00:44:39like for you?

00:44:40A nightmare,

00:44:41horrifying,

00:44:43couldn't sleep,

00:44:45that had to

00:44:45have been

00:44:46deflating.

00:44:46Yes,

00:44:47to be able

00:44:47to say,

00:44:48oh,

00:44:48we have DNA,

00:44:49this is going

00:44:49to be huge,

00:44:50and to not

00:44:51get a match

00:44:52in CODIS

00:44:52and every

00:44:54person that

00:44:55is related

00:44:55to Leslie

00:44:56in one way

00:44:57or another

00:44:57was not a match.

00:44:58It, I think,

00:44:59was a huge

00:45:00dead end for

00:45:01them.

00:45:03So detectives

00:45:04hit reset

00:45:05and came up

00:45:06with a new

00:45:06theory.

00:45:07Sandy Prayer

00:45:08may not

00:45:08have killed

00:45:09Leslie himself.

00:45:10Instead,

00:45:11they surmised,

00:45:12he paid

00:45:12someone else

00:45:13to do it.

00:45:14They thought

00:45:15that perhaps

00:45:16he was working

00:45:16with someone

00:45:17and the other

00:45:18person is the

00:45:19one who killed

00:45:20Leslie.

00:45:21So where do

00:45:21police go

00:45:22from there?

00:45:22At that point,

00:45:23I think that

00:45:24they had

00:45:25exhausted

00:45:25all of their

00:45:26resources.

00:45:28But Lauren

00:45:29Prayer wasn't

00:45:30giving up.

00:45:31Every month,

00:45:32without fail,

00:45:33she checked in

00:45:34with detectives.

00:45:35So here

00:45:35we are.

00:45:37A year

00:45:37after her

00:45:38mother died,

00:45:39Lauren met

00:45:39with them,

00:45:40and it was

00:45:41clear their

00:45:41theory hadn't

00:45:42changed.

00:45:43My gut feeling

00:45:44is that your

00:45:45dad had something

00:45:46to do with this.

00:45:47It is so bizarre

00:45:48to think

00:45:50that this could

00:45:53be somewhere

00:45:54else.

00:45:55They pressed

00:45:56Lauren for anything

00:45:57that could point

00:45:58to Sandy's guilt.

00:46:00Is he wrestling

00:46:00with any kind

00:46:01of being

00:46:01into a guilt

00:46:04of remorse?

00:46:05I don't feel

00:46:06guilt and suspicion

00:46:09in hiding

00:46:10things at all.

00:46:12I think after

00:46:12a year,

00:46:13they were maybe

00:46:14hoping that

00:46:15something had

00:46:16come out,

00:46:16something had

00:46:17slipped,

00:46:17maybe Sandy

00:46:18was acting

00:46:18differently around

00:46:19her.

00:46:20But Lauren

00:46:21had nothing

00:46:22for them,

00:46:23and the

00:46:23investigation

00:46:24came to a

00:46:25standstill.

00:46:26We want to

00:46:27identify who

00:46:29this person is.

00:46:30More than two

00:46:30years after

00:46:31the murder,

00:46:32investigators appealed

00:46:33to the public

00:46:34for help finding

00:46:35the owner

00:46:35of that mystery

00:46:36DNA.

00:46:37I know that

00:46:37some people are

00:46:38afraid to come

00:46:39forward with

00:46:39information.

00:46:41What we request

00:46:42is that these

00:46:43people call us.

00:46:44But there were

00:46:44still questions

00:46:45about the

00:46:46detective's prime

00:46:47suspect, and

00:46:48when a reporter

00:46:49from NBC4

00:46:50Washington asked

00:46:51Lauren if her

00:46:52father was the

00:46:52killer, she

00:46:53defended him

00:46:54fiercely.

00:46:55My father never

00:46:56in a tri-billion

00:46:57years could ever

00:46:58kill his wife

00:47:03and leave her

00:47:03in a shower

00:47:04and go to

00:47:04work like

00:47:05nothing happened.

00:47:08It would be

00:47:09years before

00:47:10new detectives

00:47:11jumped on the

00:47:11case, but

00:47:13when they did...

00:47:14She seems to

00:47:15be described

00:47:16like a stalker.

00:47:17The investigation

00:47:33into Leslie

00:47:33Preer's murder

00:47:34ground to a

00:47:35halt in 2003,

00:47:37and the case

00:47:38went into the

00:47:38cold files.

00:47:40Years passed,

00:47:41and for Lauren,

00:47:42those years

00:47:42were tough.

00:47:44She got married,

00:47:45then divorced.

00:47:46She learned

00:47:47to live with

00:47:48fear and

00:47:48anxiety, knowing

00:47:50the killer was

00:47:50still out there.

00:47:52You almost edit

00:47:53the way that you

00:47:54live a little bit

00:47:55because you just

00:47:57have this thing

00:47:58looming over you.

00:47:59I mean, I guess

00:48:01because Lauren's

00:48:03mom was found

00:48:03in the shower,

00:48:05Lauren developed

00:48:07a lot of anxiety

00:48:09around showering,

00:48:11and every time

00:48:13she needed to

00:48:14take a shower,

00:48:14she would call

00:48:16me, and I

00:48:17would walk

00:48:17down the street,

00:48:18and I would

00:48:19sit in there

00:48:19with her because

00:48:21she was terrified

00:48:23of being alone.

00:48:25You kept a gun

00:48:26in your house.

00:48:27I do.

00:48:28I have a loaded gun.

00:48:30Lauren still

00:48:31checked in with

00:48:31detectives every

00:48:32month.

00:48:33Like clockwork.

00:48:34You were picking

00:48:35up the phone to

00:48:35say, do you have

00:48:37anything new?

00:48:37What's going on?

00:48:38Nothing new.

00:48:39Nothing.

00:48:40That had to have

00:48:41just been crushing

00:48:42every time you

00:48:43hung up the phone.

00:48:43I'm surprised

00:48:44I'm still alive.

00:48:48Finally, 2010.

00:48:50Almost nine years

00:48:51after Leslie was

00:48:52murdered, a spark

00:48:54of something.

00:48:56A new detective

00:48:57joined the Montgomery

00:48:58County Cold Case

00:48:59Squad.

00:49:00Someone who knew

00:49:01the case well,

00:49:02Detective Ed

00:49:03Golian.

00:49:04He'd surveilled

00:49:05Sandy in the early

00:49:06days of the

00:49:07investigation.

00:49:08Now, he was on

00:49:09the case again,

00:49:10and soon he heard

00:49:11from Lauren.

00:49:12She had spent

00:49:13years mulling over

00:49:14the killer's identity,

00:49:16and she had a

00:49:17suggestion.

00:49:18She wants us to

00:49:19follow up with a guy

00:49:21by the name of Jim.

00:49:22His name had been

00:49:24in the original file.

00:49:25Detectives never

00:49:26spoke with Jim back

00:49:27then, nor did they

00:49:28run his DNA.

00:49:30Lauren says she went

00:49:31to a party at Jim's

00:49:32house months before

00:49:33her mother died and

00:49:35had a rather

00:49:35unsettling conversation

00:49:37with him there.

00:49:38I saw a picture

00:49:40of him and a woman,

00:49:44and I said,

00:49:45is that your wife?

00:49:46And he's like,

00:49:47yeah.

00:49:48I was like,

00:49:48where is she?

00:49:49And he was like,

00:49:50we're separated right

00:49:52now.

00:49:52And I said,

00:49:52oh, what happened?

00:49:54And he was like,

00:49:55she said,

00:49:56I'm too rough in bed.

00:49:59And I was like,

00:50:00huh?

00:50:02Okay, so that

00:50:02freaked me out.

00:50:03So when Lauren

00:50:05and her mom ran

00:50:06into Jim one day

00:50:07at the bus stop,

00:50:08Lauren introduced

00:50:09the two reluctantly.

00:50:12And Lauren notices

00:50:13like there's a glance.

00:50:15There's like they're

00:50:16giving each like a

00:50:17quick eye,

00:50:18and she had an

00:50:19opinion about that,

00:50:20that maybe there

00:50:21was some kind of

00:50:21sexual attraction

00:50:22between the two of them.

00:50:25And then Jim makes

00:50:25a comment to,

00:50:27directed at Lauren,

00:50:28but is,

00:50:29well, I could see

00:50:29where,

00:50:30you know,

00:50:32you, Lauren,

00:50:33get your good looks from.

00:50:35Lauren says

00:50:36Jim suggested

00:50:36that he and Leslie

00:50:38could get together

00:50:38to walk their dogs

00:50:39since they lived

00:50:40in the same neighborhood.

00:50:42And what are you thinking?

00:50:43No.

00:50:45You wanted to

00:50:45shut it down immediately.

00:50:46Immediately.

00:50:48And she talks

00:50:49about a time

00:50:50after the murder.

00:50:52She's at the

00:50:52restaurant bar,

00:50:53and she's there

00:50:55with a friend of hers,

00:50:56and Jim's there.

00:50:58He's by himself.

00:50:59They talk,

00:51:00and Jim mentioned

00:51:00how sorry he is

00:51:01to hear about her mother.

00:51:03So here's a guy

00:51:04that's, you know,

00:51:05about 50 years old

00:51:06that's in there

00:51:07by himself.

00:51:08She and her friend,

00:51:09I think they thought

00:51:09it was a little odd.

00:51:11After that,

00:51:12Lauren ran into Jim

00:51:13several times.

00:51:15He would show up

00:51:16at the local bars

00:51:17where I was,

00:51:19different restaurants

00:51:19and bars,

00:51:20but places

00:51:21where that age

00:51:23of a person

00:51:23didn't hang out.

00:51:25And he would come up

00:51:26to me and be like,

00:51:27hi, Lauren,

00:51:28how are you?

00:51:28and my friends

00:51:29would be like,

00:51:29what is that?

00:51:31Who's that?

00:51:32How did he know

00:51:32where you were?

00:51:34That's what my question was.

00:51:36I thought he was

00:51:36following me.

00:51:37This is just kind of

00:51:37sending off alarm bells

00:51:38in your mind.

00:51:40That really is where.

00:51:42She seems to be

00:51:43describing like a stalker.

00:51:45She wanted us

00:51:46to interview him.

00:51:48So Golian went to Jim's house.

00:51:51He didn't ask him

00:51:52if he'd been following Lauren,

00:51:54but did ask for a DNA sample

00:51:56to see if it matched

00:51:57the mystery DNA.

00:51:59The results came back

00:52:00a few weeks later.

00:52:02It's not him.

00:52:03He's eliminated.

00:52:05Yet another dead end.

00:52:07Lauren suggested

00:52:08a couple of other men

00:52:09she thought might be

00:52:10worth looking into,

00:52:11including her old

00:52:12high school boyfriend.

00:52:13She says,

00:52:14oh yeah,

00:52:15by the way,

00:52:15I dated this guy.

00:52:16He's a drug user.

00:52:18He acts a little weird.

00:52:20His name was

00:52:21Eugene Gligore.

00:52:23Lauren says

00:52:23she included him

00:52:24on that list

00:52:25she gave detectives

00:52:26in the early days

00:52:27of the investigation.

00:52:28Golian was interested.

00:52:31The main reason is

00:52:32because he knows the family.

00:52:33He's been to the house.

00:52:34It's something that,

00:52:36you know,

00:52:38you probably want to pursue.

00:52:40He discovered that Eugene

00:52:41was living in New York.

00:52:43and another potential suspect

00:52:45Lauren had named

00:52:46lived even farther away.

00:52:48Interviewing them

00:52:49would require time

00:52:50and money.

00:52:52So he held off.

00:52:54If nothing changes,

00:52:56if there's still

00:52:57an unknown suspect

00:52:57in this case,

00:52:58if CODIS hasn't hit on anyone,

00:53:00we're going to have to go back

00:53:01and talk to these people.

00:53:03And then Golian

00:53:04was reassigned

00:53:05to another cold case.

00:53:07A year later,

00:53:08he retired.

00:53:10So the Prier case

00:53:12went back into

00:53:13to the cold files

00:53:14until one day

00:53:15when Lauren's phone rang.

00:53:18I almost fell off my chair.

00:53:19By 2017,

00:53:38it seemed almost everyone

00:53:39had forgotten

00:53:40about the unsolved murder

00:53:41of Leslie Prier

00:53:4216 years earlier.

00:53:44Everyone, of course,

00:53:46except her family

00:53:47and friends.

00:53:47What was it like

00:53:49for you, Lauren,

00:53:51living life

00:53:51for those years

00:53:53with just this

00:53:54not knowing?

00:53:58Haunting.

00:53:59Yeah.

00:54:00But,

00:54:01on the flip side,

00:54:03it also made me

00:54:04stronger

00:54:06and being like,

00:54:08we're not going to forget.

00:54:10We're going to keep pursuing.

00:54:11I was never going to give up.

00:54:15Lauren's father, Sandy,

00:54:16didn't forget either.

00:54:18He couldn't.

00:54:19Even though his DNA

00:54:20had cleared him

00:54:21as the killer,

00:54:22detectives still thought

00:54:23he had a hand

00:54:24in the murder.

00:54:26What were those 16 years

00:54:27like for him,

00:54:28not knowing who killed

00:54:29his wife,

00:54:30but also himself

00:54:31existing under

00:54:32this cloud of suspicion?

00:54:33I mean,

00:54:34initially,

00:54:35he was really,

00:54:37obviously,

00:54:38he didn't tell me.

00:54:40I know he was hurt.

00:54:43Sandy,

00:54:44once the life

00:54:45of the party

00:54:45at family reunions,

00:54:47became a shell

00:54:48of himself.

00:54:49At one point,

00:54:50Leslie's brother,

00:54:51Scott,

00:54:51had a heart-to-heart

00:54:53with him.

00:54:54Said,

00:54:54Sandy,

00:54:55the guys in the family,

00:54:57most of the guys,

00:54:58do not think

00:55:00you murdered Leslie.

00:55:03Unfortunately,

00:55:04the women in the family,

00:55:05especially my mom,

00:55:07feel like you did.

00:55:09And Sandy just said

00:55:11one phrase to me.

00:55:13He goes,

00:55:13I'm getting a bad shake

00:55:15on this.

00:55:16And the fact that police

00:55:17hadn't cleared Sandy

00:55:18had an impact.

00:55:20Bill Jennings,

00:55:21Leslie's older brother.

00:55:23He came down to see us

00:55:24a couple times,

00:55:25but it wasn't the same.

00:55:26I think he felt

00:55:27that he was still

00:55:29under a bit of a cloud

00:55:30of suspicion.

00:55:31I do think

00:55:31that was the case.

00:55:33I think he always

00:55:34kind of felt betrayed

00:55:35from the Jennings family.

00:55:38And it's just,

00:55:39it was a betrayal.

00:55:42Sandy retired early.

00:55:44He withdrew to his home.

00:55:46You could tell

00:55:47it was just so stressful.

00:55:49And just,

00:55:50I mean,

00:55:51no one can really handle that.

00:55:54And at the same time,

00:55:55he's grieving.

00:55:57Completely.

00:55:57I know for a fact

00:56:00that when he was home,

00:56:03he was crying.

00:56:05He tried counseling,

00:56:07read the Bible

00:56:08from cover to cover.

00:56:10You saw the toll

00:56:12that took on him.

00:56:13Absolutely.

00:56:14He was always

00:56:15just this carefree person.

00:56:18I think the combination

00:56:19of the tragedy

00:56:21of losing his wife

00:56:23as well as the scrutiny

00:56:24that he was put under,

00:56:26I think that it just

00:56:27changed him.

00:56:29Sandy Priere died

00:56:31in June 2017.

00:56:32The official cause of death

00:56:34was septic shock.

00:56:36Lauren has her own thoughts.

00:56:38What ultimately killed

00:56:40her father?

00:56:41A broken heart.

00:56:44He died of a broken heart.

00:56:45In the years that followed,

00:56:48there was no shortage

00:56:49of broken hearts.

00:56:51It just seems like,

00:56:52you know,

00:56:53after you cross over

00:56:54like the two decade mark,

00:56:56you know,

00:56:56what could possibly

00:56:57come up and happen now

00:56:59that didn't happen back then?

00:57:02Had you just given up hope

00:57:03at that point

00:57:04that they would ever

00:57:05solve it?

00:57:05I had come to a point

00:57:07where I was going

00:57:09to probably die

00:57:09before it was solved.

00:57:12But then,

00:57:132022,

00:57:15everything changed.

00:57:18That's when Detective

00:57:19Tara Augustin

00:57:20joined the Montgomery

00:57:21County Cold Case Unit

00:57:22and began looking

00:57:23into the Priere case.

00:57:25That spring,

00:57:26she called Lauren.

00:57:27I almost fell off my chair.

00:57:29I said,

00:57:30my mom?

00:57:31And she's like,

00:57:32yes.

00:57:33For Detective Augustin,

00:57:34hearing Lauren's response

00:57:35on the phone

00:57:36was all the boost

00:57:37she needed.

00:57:39Kind of sounding

00:57:40in her voice like,

00:57:41I can't believe

00:57:42this is really happening.

00:57:43Someone's actually

00:57:44looking into her case.

00:57:45That has to be

00:57:46an experience for you, too.

00:57:48It's one thing

00:57:48to go through an old box

00:57:49and look through old files.

00:57:51But when you actually hear

00:57:52a daughter's voice

00:57:54on the other end

00:57:54of that phone,

00:57:56kind of feeling that hope.

00:57:58Yeah,

00:57:58it makes it more real

00:58:00and you get more

00:58:01of a personal connection

00:58:02to the case

00:58:04into the family members

00:58:05and that's also

00:58:06a motivating factor

00:58:07because you want

00:58:08to solve it for them.

00:58:09Oh, that's interesting.

00:58:10Detective Allison Dupuy

00:58:11was also on the case.

00:58:13The two partners

00:58:14are working moms

00:58:15and felt an immediate

00:58:17connection to a daughter's

00:58:18decades-long search

00:58:20for her mom's killer.

00:58:22If we could help

00:58:22bring closure

00:58:23for Lauren and her family,

00:58:25that was really important.

00:58:26When I came to the unit,

00:58:27I told our captain,

00:58:29I said,

00:58:29I'm going to solve this

00:58:30and he's like,

00:58:31okay.

00:58:32Where do you start?

00:58:32You look at all

00:58:34of the notes,

00:58:34all of the reports

00:58:35and just go through

00:58:37everything all over again

00:58:38with a completely

00:58:39open mind,

00:58:41not trying to focus

00:58:43too much on what

00:58:44the original detectives

00:58:45thought because that's

00:58:46the big thing here

00:58:47is a fresh set of eyes.

00:58:48They used those fresh eyes

00:58:50to draw their own conclusions

00:58:52and unlike the six detectives

00:58:54before them,

00:58:55they concluded that

00:58:56Sandy Preer

00:58:56had nothing to do

00:58:58with his wife's murder.

00:58:59Lauren was always adamant.

00:59:00and my mom and dad,

00:59:02you know,

00:59:03they would argue

00:59:03but they would never

00:59:04be violent with each other.

00:59:06Did her word mean a lot

00:59:08in this investigation?

00:59:10I think it did

00:59:11and, you know,

00:59:12we look into it

00:59:14and, again,

00:59:16it just kind of goes

00:59:16where the evidence leads

00:59:18and it just didn't

00:59:19lead to Sandy.

00:59:20All along,

00:59:21Detectives DePoy

00:59:22and Augustine knew

00:59:23the key to the case

00:59:24was the mystery DNA.

00:59:26It was a really strong

00:59:27DNA case,

00:59:29meaning they collected

00:59:30a lot of DNA

00:59:31from the scene.

00:59:32If it was going

00:59:33to be solved,

00:59:34it was going to come

00:59:35down to this DNA

00:59:36finding a match somehow.

00:59:39So they had plenty

00:59:40to work with

00:59:41and this time

00:59:42they had an exciting

00:59:43tool in their belt,

00:59:45one that would reveal

00:59:46the killer

00:59:46was closer to home

00:59:48than anyone realized.

00:59:50When Detective Tara Augustine

01:00:08began reviewing

01:00:09Leslie Preer's case

01:00:10in 2022,

01:00:11she had a word of caution

01:00:13for Leslie's daughter,

01:00:14Lauren.

01:00:15She said,

01:00:15we're going to look

01:00:16into it

01:00:17and we're going

01:00:18to go from there

01:00:19and she's going

01:00:20to take a while.

01:00:21By then,

01:00:22waiting was old hat

01:00:23for Lauren.

01:00:25Lisa Wood hated

01:00:26to see it.

01:00:27Lauren deserves justice.

01:00:29She deserves healing

01:00:30and closure.

01:00:32So we just need

01:00:33the DNA report

01:00:35from the lab

01:00:36that has his profile.

01:00:39For years,

01:00:40the owner of the male DNA

01:00:42found at the crime scene

01:00:43and under Leslie's fingernails

01:00:45had eluded investigators.

01:00:47But technology

01:00:48had come a long way

01:00:49since Leslie Preer's murder

01:00:51in 2001.

01:00:52Now investigators

01:00:53have access

01:00:54to new genealogy services

01:00:56to search for

01:00:57a killer's relatives

01:00:58and, hopefully,

01:01:00the killer himself.

01:01:01How much of a game changer

01:01:03is that for you

01:01:04in the work that you do,

01:01:05this technology?

01:01:06It's huge.

01:01:07This was my first case

01:01:08using genealogy.

01:01:09The blue

01:01:10is Sandy's DNA.

01:01:14The pink

01:01:14is Leslie's.

01:01:15and then this green

01:01:17is the unknown male.

01:01:20These genealogy searches

01:01:22can be tedious

01:01:23and time-consuming.

01:01:25But, oh,

01:01:26when they work.

01:01:27When something happens

01:01:29and it clicks,

01:01:30it's just, like,

01:01:31amazing.

01:01:32It can change everything.

01:01:33Yes.

01:01:34It takes a lot

01:01:35to get started,

01:01:37a lot of rules,

01:01:38and a lot of money.

01:01:40And at first,

01:01:41the detectives

01:01:41didn't even know

01:01:42if they could proceed.

01:01:44We have to prove

01:01:45that the case

01:01:46has been investigated

01:01:47and there's no other avenues

01:01:48that we can explore.

01:01:50And there has to be

01:01:51a homicide

01:01:51or a rape

01:01:52or unidentified human remains

01:01:54or a threat

01:01:55to public safety.

01:01:57And then we have to go

01:01:58in front of a judge

01:01:59and they have to sign off

01:02:00on us being allowed

01:02:02to send off the DNA.

01:02:03Wow.

01:02:04So you literally

01:02:04have to build a case

01:02:05to be able to

01:02:07explore this avenue.

01:02:08Yes.

01:02:08We were determined

01:02:09to finish this.

01:02:11And we had the DNA

01:02:11and it was just

01:02:13a matter of narrowing

01:02:14it down

01:02:14and finding that needle

01:02:15in a haystack.

01:02:17Finally,

01:02:18they got the go-ahead.

01:02:20Here's how it works.

01:02:22Investigators compare

01:02:23the DNA profile

01:02:24from the crime scene

01:02:25to public databases

01:02:27that people use

01:02:28to trace their own

01:02:29family histories.

01:02:31If they find a link,

01:02:33they build a family tree

01:02:34using other information

01:02:35they find online.

01:02:37A few times,

01:02:38they came close.

01:02:39One individual

01:02:41was in the area

01:02:43around the same time

01:02:45and had a pretty

01:02:46violent criminal history.

01:02:48So we thought

01:02:49that was a good possibility.

01:02:52And it came up

01:02:53that that DNA

01:02:53possibly matched

01:02:55what was found

01:02:55at the scene?

01:02:56There was a relationship.

01:02:57Yeah.

01:02:58He was in the family tree

01:02:59and it was a match

01:03:02to our suspect DNA

01:03:04as a relative.

01:03:06So what did you do?

01:03:07We located a family member

01:03:09of his, actually,

01:03:11and approached them

01:03:12and they provided

01:03:13their DNA.

01:03:14And with that,

01:03:16we were able to rule out

01:03:18that branch

01:03:18because it was not a match.

01:03:20Strike one.

01:03:22And then there was

01:03:23another individual

01:03:24that at the time

01:03:25lived pretty close by

01:03:26where Leslie lived.

01:03:27And we ended up

01:03:30just talking to that person

01:03:32and got his DNA

01:03:33and he was not a match.

01:03:34Oh, that's got to be frustrating.

01:03:37It is.

01:03:38Strike two.

01:03:40The best prospect

01:03:41was the one farthest away

01:03:43in Romania.

01:03:45And it was the highest match.

01:03:47Hmm.

01:03:48So meaning the highest probability

01:03:49that that person

01:03:50is related to the suspect.

01:03:52The higher the number

01:03:53means they are

01:03:54more closely related,

01:03:56which means

01:03:56less family tree to build.

01:03:59Less degrees of separation.

01:04:01Yes.

01:04:01And less time spent on it.

01:04:04They decided to pursue it.

01:04:06More tree building.

01:04:08Detective Augustine

01:04:09took the lead.

01:04:10She was relentless.

01:04:11She sat there

01:04:12and built family trees

01:04:13for days.

01:04:14And I was working

01:04:16on other cases,

01:04:17on missing people.

01:04:18And she would go back

01:04:20to these family trees

01:04:21and didn't give up.

01:04:23And then one day...

01:04:26She yells from

01:04:27the back of the room.

01:04:28She's like,

01:04:29I got it.

01:04:30I think I got it.

01:04:31I kind of brushed it off.

01:04:32I was like,

01:04:32yeah, we've said that before.

01:04:33It's probably not going to be him.

01:04:34But then I walk over

01:04:36and she starts telling me

01:04:37who she has

01:04:38and how she found it.

01:04:40You're looking at

01:04:41all of these names

01:04:42and then suddenly

01:04:43there's a name

01:04:45that stands out.

01:04:46Yes.

01:04:47And you'd seen it before.

01:04:48Yes.

01:04:49At first,

01:04:49I was just kind of like,

01:04:51am I making this up?

01:04:52Like, is this...

01:04:54Did I really recognize

01:04:55that name?

01:04:55And when you look

01:04:56in the case file

01:04:57and you see it

01:04:58and it is a match

01:04:59to what you're building

01:05:01with these other names

01:05:02that you've never seen before,

01:05:04it's kind of like

01:05:05eye-opening

01:05:06and you're just

01:05:08kind of shocked.

01:05:09Like, is this really happening?

01:05:10It was

01:05:11a pretty awesome moment.

01:05:13There were lots of expletives,

01:05:15I believe,

01:05:15because we just couldn't believe

01:05:17that we found

01:05:19this guy.

01:05:20We were all excited,

01:05:21so we called our sergeant.

01:05:22We were like,

01:05:22get down here now.

01:05:23I think we got it.

01:05:24This is big.

01:05:25This is a name.

01:05:26Yeah.

01:05:27His name had been

01:05:28in the prior murder files

01:05:29from the very beginning,

01:05:31overlooked,

01:05:32collecting dust.

01:05:33Hands up!

01:05:35That was about to change.

01:05:37As she searched

01:05:53ancestry websites

01:05:54looking for the owner

01:05:55of the mystery DNA,

01:05:57Detective Tara Augustin

01:05:58had come across a name,

01:06:01Gligor.

01:06:02That's a pretty

01:06:03distinctive name.

01:06:04Yes.

01:06:05Did you recognize

01:06:06that name immediately?

01:06:07I did,

01:06:08and I was trying

01:06:09to figure out why.

01:06:10I had to go back

01:06:11to the case file

01:06:11to figure out

01:06:12where I'd seen it,

01:06:13and there was a folder

01:06:14with the name

01:06:14Eugene Gligor.

01:06:16Hmm.

01:06:17So this was

01:06:18one of Lauren's

01:06:20high school boyfriends.

01:06:22It was the break

01:06:23detectives had needed

01:06:24for more than two decades,

01:06:26the one that kept

01:06:27eluding them.

01:06:28When you made

01:06:29that connection,

01:06:30that had to have been huge.

01:06:31Yeah, it was,

01:06:32it was like,

01:06:34bells went off.

01:06:35Like, how did we not

01:06:36to see this before?

01:06:37This is crazy.

01:06:39Lauren says Gligor's name

01:06:40was on that list

01:06:42she gave the original detectives.

01:06:45And just nine months

01:06:46after the murder,

01:06:47one of Gligor's neighbors

01:06:48actually called in a tip,

01:06:50suggesting police look into him.

01:06:52He was a troublemaker

01:06:53in the neighborhood,

01:06:54and she just had

01:06:55a weird feeling about him.

01:06:56So the police created a file.

01:06:57They pulled up any reports

01:06:59that had his name in them

01:07:01as a suspect

01:07:02or as a person

01:07:03that was charged

01:07:04with something.

01:07:06Detectives drove past

01:07:07Eugene Gligor's house

01:07:09but didn't see

01:07:09his car there.

01:07:11After that,

01:07:12according to the case file,

01:07:13there was no

01:07:14concerted follow-up.

01:07:16So let me ask,

01:07:17Eugene Gligor's name

01:07:18had been in the case file

01:07:19the entire time.

01:07:20Had police ever gotten

01:07:21a DNA sample from him?

01:07:22No.

01:07:23Why?

01:07:24I don't know.

01:07:26Should they have?

01:07:27There was nothing

01:07:28pointing to him

01:07:29as an obvious suspect

01:07:30at the time.

01:07:31Was that an oversight?

01:07:33I don't think so.

01:07:34I mean,

01:07:34other than people saying

01:07:37his name is,

01:07:38you know,

01:07:38Lauren's ex-boyfriend,

01:07:39there was really

01:07:40no link to Leslie,

01:07:42and it just didn't make sense.

01:07:44Like,

01:07:44why would he hurt Leslie?

01:07:46The detectives

01:07:47dug into Eugene Gligor's past.

01:07:50What do you learn about him?

01:07:50He had some instances

01:07:53where he was mentioned

01:07:54in reports

01:07:55where homes had been

01:07:56broken into

01:07:57and money was stolen.

01:07:58And there were people

01:08:00that we interviewed

01:08:01that went to high school

01:08:03with Lauren and with Eugene

01:08:04and said that,

01:08:06oh,

01:08:06he would break into cars

01:08:07and steal money

01:08:08and things like that.

01:08:09So we knew

01:08:10that the possibility

01:08:12of him breaking

01:08:13into houses

01:08:14was there.

01:08:16Lisa told Detective Augustine

01:08:18about another incident.

01:08:20In the mid-90s,

01:08:21she said,

01:08:22Eugene was questioned

01:08:23about an assault

01:08:23on a woman

01:08:24on a neighborhood path.

01:08:26But she and Lauren

01:08:27were so convinced

01:08:28it couldn't be him

01:08:29that they personally

01:08:31vouched for him.

01:08:32We knew him

01:08:33and we were like,

01:08:34there's no way

01:08:34that he would ever

01:08:35hurt anybody.

01:08:36This is crazy.

01:08:38One of the things

01:08:38that we thought of

01:08:39was, you know,

01:08:40his appearance

01:08:41and the sketch

01:08:41that the police had.

01:08:43It actually resembled

01:08:45multiple other people

01:08:46that we knew

01:08:47that were the same age

01:08:49and the same grade

01:08:50going to the same school.

01:08:52And so we actually

01:08:53took my school yearbooks

01:08:55down to the police station

01:08:56and we showed

01:08:57the police,

01:08:58like, here's Eugene,

01:09:00here's this guy.

01:09:02And we left

01:09:02the yearbooks

01:09:03with the police

01:09:04to see if the victim

01:09:05could differentiate.

01:09:07And she couldn't.

01:09:09Wow.

01:09:10So it effectively

01:09:11cleared him

01:09:12because it created doubt.

01:09:15That seemed

01:09:16to be the end of it.

01:09:18Lisa never heard

01:09:19anything more

01:09:19and Detective Augustine

01:09:21found no record of it.

01:09:22The detectives learned

01:09:25that over the years,

01:09:27Eugene Gligore

01:09:28had lived a seemingly

01:09:29unremarkable life.

01:09:31He'd worked in restaurants,

01:09:32some high-end,

01:09:33and in real estate.

01:09:35He'd been married

01:09:36and divorced twice.

01:09:38Lisa remembers a moment,

01:09:39years after Leslie was killed,

01:09:41when Lauren ran into him

01:09:43and the two

01:09:44had a long conversation.

01:09:45He had gone on

01:09:47about how he

01:09:48had gotten sober,

01:09:50he had been to rehab,

01:09:51he was talking about,

01:09:53you know,

01:09:53all the benefits

01:09:54of sobriety.

01:09:55So at the time,

01:09:57I remember she noted

01:09:59that it was like

01:10:00this very pleasant conversation.

01:10:03If Eugene Gligore

01:10:04did indeed murder

01:10:06Leslie Prier,

01:10:07the detectives wondered

01:10:08how he got away.

01:10:10When they walked the path

01:10:11near the Prier's old home,

01:10:12they had their answer.

01:10:14The path connected

01:10:15Gligore's neighborhood

01:10:16to the Prier's.

01:10:18On a weekday morning,

01:10:19it would have been

01:10:20practically empty.

01:10:22Eugene knew it well.

01:10:24It was obvious

01:10:25that this would be

01:10:26the best escape route

01:10:26for him.

01:10:27Leaving out of the back door,

01:10:29going through the back yard.

01:10:30Here, cut through

01:10:31a couple of yards,

01:10:32jump on the trail,

01:10:34walk around,

01:10:35go under that little bridge,

01:10:36and you're in

01:10:36your dad's neighborhood.

01:10:38Yeah.

01:10:38And this is somebody

01:10:39who's familiar

01:10:40with the home.

01:10:41Yes.

01:10:41Would have known,

01:10:43theoretically,

01:10:44that the back door

01:10:45is always kept unlocked.

01:10:47Yes.

01:10:48Still, they needed

01:10:49one more puzzle piece,

01:10:51the trickiest one of all.

01:10:53We needed to get

01:10:54a confirmatory

01:10:55DNA sample from him.

01:10:58To see if it matched

01:10:59the DNA from the crime scene,

01:11:01and they wanted to do it

01:11:03without letting him know

01:11:04they were on to him.

01:11:06They learned Eugene

01:11:06was now living

01:11:07in the D.C. area.

01:11:09That was when we reached out

01:11:11to our plainclothes unit,

01:11:12and they created a plan.

01:11:15They discovered Eugene

01:11:16was out of the country

01:11:18and would soon fly

01:11:19into Washington's

01:11:20Dulles Airport.

01:11:21Working with federal agents,

01:11:23they created a ruse.

01:11:24Eugene would be pulled aside

01:11:26for an extra custom screening

01:11:28to an area where they placed

01:11:30sanitized water bottles.

01:11:32So there was a trash can

01:11:35that was completely empty there,

01:11:37and the water bottles

01:11:39were provided

01:11:40so that he would drink out of it

01:11:43and throw it away.

01:11:45It worked.

01:11:46The detectives took the bottle,

01:11:48bagged it,

01:11:49and sent it for DNA testing.

01:11:51Days later, bingo.

01:11:54Confirmation that this is our guy.

01:11:56This is the killer.

01:11:56Yes.

01:11:58It was so big,

01:11:59it was hard to grasp.

01:12:01Irrefutable evidence

01:12:03that they finally

01:12:04had the right man.

01:12:0623 years after Leslie Preer

01:12:08was murdered,

01:12:08two detectives

01:12:09who were college students

01:12:11when she died

01:12:11had found her killer.

01:12:13What are you thinking

01:12:14in that moment?

01:12:15It's just kind of like

01:12:16a goose bumps situation

01:12:18where you're just thrilled

01:12:20and there's an adrenaline rush

01:12:22and you're like,

01:12:22I can't believe I solved this.

01:12:24I can't believe it.

01:12:25Yeah.

01:12:25But before they could

01:12:27break the news to Lauren,

01:12:29they had to arrest

01:12:30Eugene Glee Gore.

01:12:31Our plainclothes officers

01:12:32went down

01:12:33very early that morning.

01:12:35They were watching his house

01:12:36and he was sitting out

01:12:38on his front stoop

01:12:39having a cup of coffee.

01:12:40The arrest was captured

01:12:42on body cam.

01:12:44Hands up!

01:12:45Hands up!

01:12:47And the officers walked up

01:12:48pretty quickly.

01:12:50Probably startled him a lot.

01:12:52When the officers approached him,

01:12:54you know,

01:12:54they have to do it

01:12:55in a very swift movement.

01:12:56They want to do it quickly.

01:12:57They don't want to give anybody

01:12:59an opportunity

01:13:00to flee or fight

01:13:01or reach for any weapon

01:13:03that they may have.

01:13:04He was shocked.

01:13:06So you didn't know

01:13:07anything about this warrant?

01:13:08Okay.

01:13:09He wasn't expecting this.

01:13:10Eugene Glee Gore

01:13:15was charged

01:13:15with the first-degree murder

01:13:17of Leslie Preer.

01:13:18So what would he say

01:13:20when detectives

01:13:21Augustine and Depoy

01:13:22got him in the chair?

01:13:24If somebody was

01:13:25not involved,

01:13:26it would be an adamant

01:13:27I didn't do it.

01:13:28Oh, I didn't do it.

01:13:29I definitely didn't do it.

01:13:40Minutes after Eugene Glee Gore

01:13:48was arrested for the murder

01:13:49of Leslie Preer,

01:13:51Detective Augustine

01:13:51was on the phone to Lauren

01:13:53to break the news.

01:13:55She asked me,

01:13:57do you know someone

01:13:58named Eugene Glee Gore?

01:14:00And I lost it.

01:14:04I used to date him.

01:14:06I was like, yes.

01:14:07And she's like,

01:14:08he's the one who did it.

01:14:11I mean, I lost my...

01:14:12And I was shocked.

01:14:16They'd been so close

01:14:17in high school.

01:14:19He was always at the Preer house

01:14:20in those days.

01:14:21He even joined

01:14:22with the Preers on vacation.

01:14:24Once Lauren and Eugene

01:14:25broke up,

01:14:26they drifted apart.

01:14:27But after Leslie's murder,

01:14:29Lauren remembered

01:14:30how he comforted her.

01:14:32He was working

01:14:33in a restaurant

01:14:33in Bethesda.

01:14:34And I saw him

01:14:35and I said,

01:14:36my mom died.

01:14:37And he was like,

01:14:40oh my gosh,

01:14:40I'm so sorry.

01:14:42All that kind of,

01:14:43yeah, I'm so sorry.

01:14:44But he just talked to me

01:14:46straight in my eyes.

01:14:48Like nothing was wrong.

01:14:49And he was comforting you.

01:14:50Yes.

01:14:51And he is the one

01:14:53who did it.

01:14:55Hi, Eugene.

01:14:56Hello.

01:14:57Hello.

01:14:57Later that day,

01:14:59when detectives

01:14:59Augustine and Depoy

01:15:00breezed into Gligor's

01:15:02police interview room,

01:15:03they were the picture

01:15:04of confidence.

01:15:05I am Detective Augustine.

01:15:07This is Detective Depoy.

01:15:08Hi there.

01:15:09Gligor,

01:15:10in ankle shackles,

01:15:11was a model

01:15:12of injured innocence.

01:15:13I'm sure you're wondering

01:15:15what this is all about.

01:15:16I would really like to know.

01:15:17This has been really,

01:15:19really hard.

01:15:20that whatever's happening.

01:15:22They were happy to tell him.

01:15:24Do you recall back in 2001,

01:15:26Leslie Prier?

01:15:28Yes,

01:15:29that she was murdered.

01:15:30Yes.

01:15:31Okay.

01:15:31So that's the case

01:15:32that we are investigating.

01:15:34They told him

01:15:35they had DNA

01:15:36from the crime scene

01:15:37that had never been matched.

01:15:39And they asked

01:15:40if he'd been

01:15:40at the Prier house

01:15:41that morning

01:15:41for any reason.

01:15:43If he had anything

01:15:44to tell them

01:15:45about Leslie's murder.

01:15:46Why not just call me

01:15:48and ask me to come in

01:15:49and talk to me

01:15:50versus have marshals

01:15:53come and arrest me

01:15:54and bring me in?

01:15:55Because there's

01:15:56a little bit more to it

01:15:57than what we've told you so far.

01:16:00Could you tell me?

01:16:01Well, we're getting there.

01:16:03I'm trying to give you

01:16:03an opportunity

01:16:04to be a little bit forthcoming

01:16:05before we...

01:16:06I mean, I feel very...

01:16:09I feel a little bit

01:16:10trapped here, like...

01:16:12Well, you're under arrest,

01:16:13so you should feel trapped.

01:16:14Right, right.

01:16:15And so I think, you know,

01:16:16I mean, probably asking

01:16:18for a lawyer

01:16:19is my best course of action

01:16:20at this point.

01:16:21That's totally fine.

01:16:22And we don't have

01:16:23to ask you

01:16:23any more questions,

01:16:25but we are going

01:16:26to just tell you some stuff.

01:16:28The detectives

01:16:28did want to share

01:16:30a few things.

01:16:31From the crime scene,

01:16:32the DNA that was taken,

01:16:34we actually have

01:16:34a sample of your DNA.

01:16:36And it was compared

01:16:36to the crime scene DNA.

01:16:38And it matched.

01:16:40So we know

01:16:42that you were there

01:16:42at the time

01:16:43when Leslie died.

01:16:44But I never gave

01:16:45a sample of DNA.

01:16:47That's correct.

01:16:47We obtained a sample

01:16:48from a discarded water bottle

01:16:50that you drank out of.

01:16:53So your DNA matches

01:16:55the crime scene DNA.

01:16:56A shocked silence.

01:16:58And then...

01:16:59I don't know what to say.

01:17:01I have no recollection.

01:17:04I have no memory.

01:17:05I have no...

01:17:07I don't know what to say.

01:17:10He sputtered,

01:17:11lashed out,

01:17:12cried...

01:17:13I don't know.

01:17:14I don't know.

01:17:16Or tried to.

01:17:17There's no tears

01:17:18coming out of your face.

01:17:20I'm very dry right now.

01:17:22You're dry?

01:17:23I'm very dry.

01:17:24I'm partially dehydrated.

01:17:26You can probably see

01:17:27my eyes are bloodshot red

01:17:29because I'm just tired

01:17:30and drained.

01:17:32I don't know what's going on.

01:17:33I'm just trying to say

01:17:34that this seems

01:17:35a little put on.

01:17:36Are you kidding me?

01:17:38You know,

01:17:39it's...

01:17:39In your eyes,

01:17:40it's guilty

01:17:40until proven innocent.

01:17:42I get it.

01:17:42Well, honey,

01:17:43your DNA was in the crime scene.

01:17:45That's why...

01:17:45Like, there's a reason.

01:17:47There's just...

01:17:48There's due process, right?

01:17:51So you're saying

01:17:52I'm guilty

01:17:52before I've even

01:17:54been put into

01:17:54a court of law?

01:17:55I'm saying that

01:17:56there's probable cause

01:17:57to believe

01:17:58that you were there

01:18:00when she died.

01:18:01I think what you were saying

01:18:02was the contrary to that.

01:18:04So, okay.

01:18:05But I don't remember.

01:18:07I don't know.

01:18:08I don't know.

01:18:09You keep saying

01:18:10you don't remember

01:18:10and you don't have

01:18:11any recollection.

01:18:12Well...

01:18:13But if somebody was

01:18:14not involved,

01:18:15it would be an adamant

01:18:16I didn't...

01:18:17Oh, I didn't do it.

01:18:18I definitely didn't do it.

01:18:21Eugene Gligor

01:18:22spent almost a year in jail,

01:18:25charged with

01:18:25first-degree murder.

01:18:27We have an update now

01:18:28to a cold case murder

01:18:29that rocked

01:18:29a Montgomery County

01:18:30neighborhood

01:18:31more than two decades ago.

01:18:33Then, his story changed

01:18:35and he was ready to admit

01:18:37that he had murdered

01:18:38Leslie Prier.

01:18:40In May,

01:18:41he pleaded guilty

01:18:42to second-degree murder,

01:18:44avoiding a possible

01:18:45life sentence

01:18:45and a trial.

01:18:47There are questions

01:18:48that go unanswered

01:18:49in many, many cases.

01:18:51John McCarthy,

01:18:53the Montgomery County

01:18:54state's attorney,

01:18:55admits they'll probably

01:18:56never know

01:18:57Gligor's motive.

01:18:59His theory?

01:19:00That Gligor went

01:19:01to the Prier house

01:19:01that morning

01:19:02to steal money

01:19:03to feed his drug habit.

01:19:05He was surprised

01:19:06to find Leslie Prier

01:19:07still at home

01:19:08and he turned on her.

01:19:10As for Gligor's claim

01:19:13that his memory

01:19:14of the murder

01:19:14is a blur?

01:19:16Read the crime scene,

01:19:17the viciousness,

01:19:18the cover-up,

01:19:20the hiding.

01:19:21This guy knew

01:19:21exactly what he had done.

01:19:23And the state's attorney

01:19:24had this to say

01:19:26about the original

01:19:27detective's fixation

01:19:28on Sandy Prier,

01:19:30despite the DNA results

01:19:31and despite

01:19:32the neighbor's tip.

01:19:33I think that

01:19:35police investigations

01:19:36sometimes become

01:19:37myopic.

01:19:39They seized upon a theory.

01:19:40I think they were convinced

01:19:42it was Sandy,

01:19:44maybe to the exclusion

01:19:45of a lot of other

01:19:45potential leads.

01:19:47At Gligor's sentencing

01:19:48hearing in late August,

01:19:50prosecutors described

01:19:51the savage nature

01:19:52of the crime

01:19:53and pointed out

01:19:54that Gligor confessed

01:19:55only after he was caught.

01:19:57And this defendant

01:19:59is now finally

01:20:00at his day of reckoning.

01:20:03Gligor's defense attorneys

01:20:04argued the murder

01:20:05took place

01:20:06when their client

01:20:07was a heavy user

01:20:08of drugs and alcohol.

01:20:10Now, they said,

01:20:12he was a changed man

01:20:13and deserved leniency.

01:20:15Eugene brings

01:20:17the best in people.

01:20:20And I think this is a trait

01:20:21that fundamentally

01:20:23defines him.

01:20:24That's the person

01:20:25you will be sentencing today,

01:20:27not the 21-year-old

01:20:29that committed

01:20:30this offense.

01:20:31Gligor addressed

01:20:32the court, too.

01:20:34The greatest regret

01:20:35of my life

01:20:35is taking Leslie's life.

01:20:38I'm so sorry

01:20:39for the pain

01:20:40that I caused.

01:20:42I can't express

01:20:43that enough.

01:20:45Leslie's family

01:20:46wasn't buying it.

01:20:48I thought his words

01:20:49were empty,

01:20:51impossible to believe.

01:20:52The state's attorney

01:20:53had harsh words

01:20:54of his own.

01:20:55Where were you

01:20:56for 23 years

01:20:57when Sandy

01:20:59was under the specter

01:21:00of being a suspect

01:21:01in the case?

01:21:02Where were you

01:21:03for 23 years

01:21:03where Lauren,

01:21:04your former girlfriend,

01:21:05was without her mother?

01:21:07Where were you

01:21:07if you cared

01:21:08for any of these people?

01:21:10In the end,

01:21:11Gligor got 22 years.

01:21:14Outside the courtroom,

01:21:15Lauren could finally exhale.

01:21:17I can't believe it's over.

01:21:18It's been so long.

01:21:21The family,

01:21:22grateful to be spared

01:21:24the ordeal of a trial,

01:21:25paused for a group photo.

01:21:27The tragedy

01:21:28will always be there.

01:21:29Nothing's going to bring

01:21:30my sister back,

01:21:31but at least we know

01:21:33the murderer

01:21:34is starting to pay

01:21:36for the crime.

01:21:38Eugene Gligor

01:21:39claimed three victims

01:21:41on that spring morning

01:21:42in 2001.

01:21:43Leslie, of course,

01:21:45and Sandy,

01:21:46who died

01:21:47before he was cleared.

01:21:49The final victim,

01:21:50Lauren,

01:21:51sentenced to live

01:21:52with anxiety

01:21:53and fear

01:21:53for decades.

01:21:56But now she says

01:21:57she's ready

01:21:58for a new life,

01:22:00knowing there has been

01:22:00justice for the mother

01:22:02she adored

01:22:02and finally,

01:22:04peace

01:22:04for the parents

01:22:05she calls

01:22:06the best of the best.

01:22:09The Prier family.

01:22:10Well, they're lucky

01:22:11to have you

01:22:12carrying on their name.

01:22:14Forever.

01:22:14Yeah.

01:22:15And they're together.

01:22:17Yeah.

01:22:18That's the silver lighting,

01:22:19that they're together.

01:22:25That's all for this edition

01:22:27of Dateline.

01:22:28And don't forget

01:22:29to check out

01:22:30our Talking Dateline podcast,

01:22:32which will go

01:22:33behind the scenes

01:22:34of tonight's episode.

01:22:36Available Wednesday

01:22:37in the Dateline feed

01:22:38wherever you get

01:22:39your podcasts.

01:22:40We'll see you again

01:22:41next Friday

01:22:42at 9, 8 central.

01:22:43I'm Lester Holt.

01:22:45For all of us

01:22:46at NBC News,

01:22:47good night.

Dateline NBC - Season 2025 Episode 25 - The Prince, the Whiz Kid & the Millionaire

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