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00:05a fatal fall in the shower a woman's life cut short in an instant sitting there talking to me
00:19two days earlier and now she's dead it was so sad and shocking was it truly a tragic accident
00:29he claims that he goes into the bathroom and there she is lying on the floor bleeding with a massive
00:35head wound or murder looking at it as a forensic pathologist she had head trauma and it was not
00:43consistent with an accident this starts to raise some serious questions
01:04leslie newlander was born in the early 1950s and grew up on long island new york before later moving
01:11north to syracuse former local chief medical examiner mary jambelic met leslie shortly after she moved to
01:20the same neighborhood leslie newlander is a prominent woman in the community here in syracuse
01:26and our social circles and business circles over overlapped she belonged to the same synagogue that
01:35my family belonged to and we would see each other at holiday events and other community fundraising
01:41events in town leslie was a devoted philanthropist and she donated her time to causes like the jewish
01:50community foundation syracuse university and loads of other charities it was always a joy to see her
01:58because she had such a bubbly and kind personality she just had a way about her of making you laugh
02:06and feel at ease and i always admired that about her in 1983 leslie had married prominent local
02:15obstetrician and gynecologist dr robert newlander people looked up to him greatly in the in the medical
02:23world and she had been a critical care nurse but had given up her career to raise her children bob
02:30had
02:30been married previously and had two children from that marriage and so she helped to raise those children as
02:38well and had a very full full life but on the morning of september 17th 2012 a distressing call was
02:50made from the newlander family home to emergency services on the other line was leslie's 23 year old
02:57daughter
03:02she's laying on the ground in the shower okay okay so you don't know if she's breathing is she unconscious
03:11i don't know i don't know i don't know is she awake i don't think she's awake can you go
03:16to her now and
03:17stand the phone with me
03:18come on are you okay um yes stand the phone okay i need to put you on hold i'm not
03:26it's like a house phone
03:32okay
03:33i need to get somebody started ma'am ma'am oh my god oh my god there's another
03:48oh my god
03:54oh my god
03:57OK, yeah, I'm on that.
04:10Responders arrived just minutes later at 8.27,
04:13but unusually, they found Leslie not in the bathroom,
04:17but in the bedroom, and Robert was kneeling down near her body,
04:20covered in blood, with his daughter just screaming in distress.
04:27Robert told paramedics that his wife had slipped and fallen in the shower.
04:37The first police officer arrived five minutes later.
04:41They secured the scene and followed the trail of blood
04:43from the bathroom to the bedroom,
04:48where the first responders were working on Leslie's body,
04:51giving her CPR.
04:56Despite their best efforts,
04:58she was pronounced dead at the scene at 8.42 a.m.
05:07Shortly after Leslie was pronounced dead,
05:10the police went into the bathroom.
05:13They found the shower still running.
05:18And in the bedroom, there was blood everywhere.
05:24And a trail running in the corridor
05:27between the bedroom and the bathroom.
05:32Robert explained that he had moved Leslie from the bathroom,
05:36where she had fallen, into the bedroom,
05:38because he said,
05:39it was easier and more comfortable
05:40for me to perform CPR on her there.
05:44The movements that Robert said he made
05:46checked out with the patterns of blood
05:48that the police found at the scene.
05:50This theory was actually backed up
05:52on the 911 call,
05:53where we can hear his daughter
05:55pleading with Robert not to move her mom's body.
06:05One of the next to arrive at the scene
06:07was the medical examiner,
06:09Dr. Robert Stoppaker.
06:11Dr. Stoppaker spoke very briefly
06:13to some of the officers,
06:15but he was advised that she had slipped
06:17and fallen in the shower.
06:19She had a massive wound
06:21to the right side of her scalp.
06:24It was probably about six inches long,
06:27maybe an inch wide.
06:32And based on that preliminary examination,
06:34he looked at it and said,
06:35yeah, this head wound is consistent
06:37with a slip and fall in the shower.
06:43In the shower itself,
06:45there was a stone bench.
06:47If one were to hit their head
06:49with sufficient force,
06:51it could cause a serious injury.
06:57On the same afternoon,
06:59Dr. Robert Stoppaker
07:00conducted an autopsy on Leslie's body.
07:04He found that she'd had bleeding to the brain.
07:07The skull had been shattered in so many places,
07:10and she also had bruising to her internal organs.
07:14Taking into account Robert's version of events,
07:16Dr. Stoppaker ruled
07:18that Leslie had died from an accident,
07:20blunt force trauma due to a fall,
07:23and that she'd slipped in the shower
07:24and banged her head on the stone counter.
07:32News of Leslie's tragic death
07:34began to spread
07:35through the Newlanders' close-knit community.
07:39I had just arrived home from Europe
07:42where I had been hospitalized
07:44and near-death myself
07:45from a small fall
07:47and subsequent infection.
07:49And so two days later
07:52when I'm sitting in my recliner,
07:56still recovering,
07:57my son with me,
07:58he saw a post on Facebook
08:00that was suggestive
08:03that Leslie had died.
08:07And so then there were
08:08a lot of phone calls that went around,
08:10and so finally I got a hold of my husband,
08:13and he said,
08:14yes, it's true.
08:15You know, she fell in the shower,
08:18and she's dead.
08:22I felt shocked
08:24because she had just been in the home
08:27two days earlier,
08:28and now she's dead.
08:30It was so sad and shocking,
08:33but I just accepted
08:35that that is what happened.
08:45Although Leslie Newlander's
08:47sudden death at her home
08:48had been ruled an accident
08:50following a fall in the shower,
08:54police followed standard protocol
08:56in cases of sudden death
08:57by opening an investigation,
08:59which would come to the attention
09:01of Onondaga County District Attorney
09:03William Fitzpatrick.
09:05I was advised that Leslie Newlander
09:09had slipped and fell in the shower,
09:11struck her head, and died.
09:14And that's unusual for a healthy 60-year-old,
09:19but not unheard of.
09:21There's probably 2,500 people a year
09:24in the United States on average
09:26die due to bathroom accidents,
09:29most of them elderly people
09:31caused by heart attacks.
09:33But there wasn't anything reported to me
09:35that indicated this was suspicious,
09:37and, you know,
09:38the case just kind of sat in limbo.
09:42While the police carried out
09:44their investigation,
09:46friends rallied around
09:47the Newlander family.
09:49After Leslie died,
09:51and the next night,
09:53my husband went to the home to visit.
09:57Bob stayed in his room.
09:59He didn't really come out,
10:00so my husband just talked with the kids,
10:02and the rabbi was there,
10:03and they just had a conversation.
10:08When he returned,
10:10he said it was a little awkward
10:12that the kids seemed uncomfortable
10:15when he would bring up
10:16how close their parents were
10:19and how sad this was,
10:20and I just attributed that to grief.
10:27On September 20, 2012,
10:30three days after Leslie's death,
10:32friends and family
10:34gathered for her funeral.
10:36Through the days
10:38that followed Leslie's death,
10:40including at the funeral,
10:43at other social gatherings
10:45where her name would come up
10:47that the details were not clear.
10:53The only consistent story
10:56was Leslie fell in the shower.
11:02And that is pretty much
11:05what everyone knew.
11:11While friends and family
11:13tried to move on
11:14from Leslie's tragic passing,
11:17police continued
11:18to look into the circumstances
11:20surrounding her death.
11:22Although the medical examiner
11:24had ruled Leslie's death
11:25as an accident,
11:26the police still carried
11:28on their investigation,
11:29and they now wanted
11:30to talk to their daughter
11:31about what she had seen that day.
11:33Oh my God!
11:35Oh my God!
11:36There's another!
11:36My God!
11:38My God!
11:41My God!
11:42We're down!
11:43We're back!
11:43My baby's coming!
11:45Oh my God!
11:48Meanwhile,
11:49following her illness,
11:51Mary tried to return
11:52to normal life.
11:53Mark and I decided
11:54we would have
11:55a Thanksgiving party
11:57to thank my friends
11:59for being helpful
12:00during my recuperation.
12:05A friend of mine
12:06approached me
12:07at the party
12:08and said
12:08she had information
12:10that a close friend
12:11of Leslie
12:12had concerns
12:13about her death.
12:17She said,
12:18please will you talk
12:19with her?
12:19And so I agreed
12:21to do it.
12:26The friend
12:27had a lot
12:28to say
12:29about Bob's infidelity,
12:31about Bob's
12:32financial problems,
12:33his behavior
12:34on the day
12:34of Leslie's death.
12:36The friend
12:37talked about
12:38how she was sure
12:39that Bob killed Leslie,
12:43and I was a bit stunned.
12:46From my perspective
12:48as a medical examiner,
12:50it didn't carry
12:52the weight
12:53of actual evidence
12:55or forensic data.
12:58After she finishes
12:59her story,
13:01I say,
13:02well,
13:03why don't you
13:04go to the police
13:04and give them
13:05your statement?
13:11So she called me
13:13afterward
13:13and said,
13:14thank you
13:15for telling me
13:16to go.
13:17They're going
13:17to bring Bob
13:18back in
13:19for questioning.
13:20I heard
13:21he already
13:21has a lawyer.
13:23And while
13:24she's telling me
13:25this,
13:25I'm thinking,
13:26how odd is that?
13:28If this was just
13:29a cold piece
13:30of information,
13:31there's no way
13:32they would be
13:33saying to her,
13:34we're going to bring
13:34Bob back in
13:35for questioning
13:36and telling her
13:38about the lawyer.
13:39And so I thought,
13:40wow,
13:40there's something
13:41already going on.
13:46And a few hours
13:48later,
13:49Bob called the house.
13:52Mark took the call.
13:54They chat
13:55for a moment
13:56or two,
13:56and he gets
13:57off the phone
13:58with Bob
13:59and says,
14:00well,
14:00good for him.
14:01He's going
14:02to Israel.
14:04and now
14:05I'm sitting
14:05there thinking,
14:07oh,
14:07gosh,
14:08I think he
14:09will just
14:10go to Israel
14:11and not come back.
14:18It set off
14:19a red flag
14:20for me
14:20because I was
14:22looking at
14:23those two pieces
14:24of information
14:24and they were
14:26highly concerning.
14:27He's supposed
14:28to give another
14:29statement
14:29statement to police.
14:31He's leaving
14:32the country.
14:33And why do the police
14:34want another statement?
14:36The fact that
14:37the police were
14:38grateful the friend
14:38came in
14:39and provided
14:40her own observations
14:43meant that
14:45the police are still
14:46concerned about
14:47this case.
14:48So I became
14:50concerned at that
14:51point.
14:54Unbeknownst
14:54to Mary,
14:55the district
14:55attorney's office
14:56was about
14:57to reopen
14:58the investigation
14:59into Leslie's
15:00death.
15:02Initial reports
15:03were that this
15:04was a slip
15:04and fall
15:05accident.
15:07And there
15:08wasn't anything
15:08that was brought
15:09to my attention
15:10initially
15:10that indicated
15:12that this was
15:12a homicide
15:13worth looking
15:14into.
15:14And then
15:15came an
15:16anonymous letter
15:17to my office
15:18that piqued
15:19my interest.
15:23It focused
15:24on the
15:24financial aspects
15:26of the Newlanders,
15:28the fact that
15:28they were living
15:29in separate bedrooms.
15:31Not only pointed
15:32that out,
15:33but pointed out
15:33that Leslie
15:34was going
15:34to sign
15:35a lease arrangement
15:37that day,
15:38which is something
15:39that I certainly
15:40was not aware
15:41of.
15:42Whoever he
15:43or she was
15:44was concerned
15:45that Newlander
15:46had a serious
15:47financial motive
15:48to kill Leslie.
15:50Now,
15:51he or she
15:51might not
15:52have said that
15:52in such
15:53overt terms,
15:54but that was
15:54the clear import
15:55of the letter,
15:56that this was
15:56not an accident,
15:58that this was
15:58a homicide.
15:59That kind of
16:00spurred a renewed
16:02interest,
16:02certainly by me,
16:04in considering
16:05bringing in
16:06Mr. Newlander
16:06for a further
16:07interview.
16:10Just as the
16:11district attorney
16:12resumed the
16:13investigation
16:13into Leslie's
16:14death,
16:15Leslie's friend
16:16and former
16:17medical examiner,
16:18Mary Jumbelic,
16:19got in touch.
16:21I had worked
16:22for years
16:23with William Fitzpatrick,
16:25and even though
16:26I hadn't spoken
16:26to him probably
16:27at that point
16:28in, you know,
16:29four years,
16:30I called him
16:31because I just
16:33wanted to alert him
16:34that someone
16:34the police
16:35is looking at
16:36is going
16:37to leave
16:37the country.
16:40I telephoned Fitz,
16:42and I said
16:44I was calling
16:45about a friend
16:45of mine.
16:46Before I could
16:47say anything
16:47further,
16:48he said,
16:49Leslie London
16:50Newlander.
16:53It was a good
16:54guess on my part.
16:55I did not know
16:56why Mary was
16:56calling me.
16:57I did not know
16:58that she was
16:59very close
16:59to Bob and Leslie.
17:01I hadn't really
17:02seen everything
17:03at that point
17:05because we were
17:06still in the
17:07embryonic stages
17:08of recharging
17:09this homicide
17:10investigation.
17:12But the crucial
17:13thing that I said
17:14to Mary was,
17:15would you look
17:15at the file?
17:21I realized
17:22that something
17:23about the cause
17:24and the manner
17:25of death
17:25were not settled.
17:28Only thing I knew
17:30was that Leslie
17:31had fallen
17:32in the shower.
17:33I didn't know
17:35what her injuries
17:36were.
17:36I didn't know
17:37if she had
17:38a heart attack.
17:39I didn't know
17:39anything.
17:40But I had a drive
17:42to try to help
17:43and answer
17:45the questions.
17:46That is what
17:47I spent my life
17:48doing, looking
17:49at the dead
17:51and speaking
17:51for them
17:52and trying
17:52to understand
17:53what happened
17:53to them.
17:54And so
17:56then I said,
17:57yes, I'll
17:57look at the file.
18:00That's when
18:00things really
18:01took off
18:01and it became
18:02a full-throttled
18:04homicide investigation.
18:12Following an
18:14anonymous tip-off,
18:15District Attorney
18:16William Fitzpatrick
18:17had reopened
18:18the investigation
18:19into Leslie's
18:20death.
18:21Had she slipped
18:23and fallen
18:23in the shower
18:24as her husband
18:25Bob claimed?
18:26Or had she
18:27been murdered?
18:30Hoping for
18:31a second opinion,
18:32William sent
18:33the case file
18:33to former
18:34medical examiner
18:35Mary Jambelic.
18:37I focused
18:38really quickly
18:39on Leslie
18:40herself
18:42because that
18:43is my area
18:44of expertise,
18:46the examination
18:47of the deceased.
18:48And so I focused
18:48on her body
18:50position,
18:51the wounds
18:52I could see,
18:52what I could see
18:53at the scene,
18:55and all the details
18:56that I could learn
18:57from the autopsy.
18:58The photographs
18:59were very graphic.
19:05It was shocking
19:06to see my friend
19:07in the photographs,
19:09but even more shocking
19:11to see the trauma
19:12to her body.
19:14Leslie's right side
19:16of her head
19:17was bleeding
19:18extensively
19:19with a massive
19:20open wound there,
19:22and the skull
19:23was caved in
19:24partly,
19:27looking like
19:28two blows
19:29to the head
19:30at least.
19:31and in addition
19:33to that,
19:33she had injuries
19:34on her face
19:35and on her neck.
19:36She had bruising
19:38on her arms.
19:39She had injuries
19:40on her fingers
19:41with bruising.
19:42The type of wound
19:43that she had,
19:45the amount
19:46of fracturing
19:47of the skull,
19:48and the other injuries
19:51that are present
19:51on the body
19:54all point
19:55to inflicted injury
19:57as opposed to
19:58just tripping
19:59and falling.
20:03But other details
20:05documented
20:06at the scene
20:06of Leslie's death
20:07also raised questions
20:09about Bob's story.
20:11She was laying
20:12on the floor
20:13of her bedroom
20:14face up
20:15and had been
20:17scooched
20:18into an area
20:19between the end table
20:20and the bed,
20:21so not a really
20:22ideal position
20:23for CPR.
20:25Why a physician
20:26would choose
20:27to carry
20:28an injured person
20:29who potentially
20:31could have
20:31a neck injury
20:3260 feet
20:34to perform CPR,
20:36certainly it's
20:38suggestive
20:38of a concern.
20:41But in addition
20:43to that,
20:43there were blood trails
20:45going all the way
20:46from the bed
20:47to the shower,
20:49and not much
20:51per se
20:52in the shower
20:52itself,
20:53even though
20:54that was
20:54the purported
20:55area of the fall.
20:57The manner
20:58of death
21:00being called
21:01an accident
21:01didn't capture
21:03what really
21:03happened to Leslie,
21:05that she had
21:05head trauma,
21:06certainly,
21:07but was not
21:08consistent
21:09with a fall.
21:12She had been
21:13struck in the head
21:14and it was
21:15a homicide.
21:18Mary took
21:19her findings
21:19to William
21:20and he requested
21:21a search warrant
21:22for the new
21:23lender's home.
21:25Around six months
21:26after Leslie's
21:27death,
21:28Mary,
21:28William,
21:29and forensic
21:30pathologist
21:30Dr. Barden
21:31visited the house,
21:33which they were
21:34now viewing
21:34as a crime scene.
21:37The house
21:38had been sold,
21:38but the new
21:39owners hadn't
21:40moved in yet
21:40and the second
21:41floor was still
21:42untouched.
21:43And we wanted
21:44to focus on
21:45the area
21:46in the bedroom
21:47where Dr. Newlander
21:49claims he took
21:50Leslie after he
21:52removed her body
21:53from the shower.
21:54Most of the blood
21:55on the wall
21:56had been cleaned
21:56away,
21:57but several things
21:58of incredible
21:59importance remained.
22:03So we ripped
22:04up the carpet
22:05and there's
22:06a little rubber
22:07undercarriage
22:08to the carpet.
22:09That was completely
22:10soaked with blood.
22:11And then when we
22:12lifted that up,
22:13the floorboard
22:16completely soaked
22:17with blood.
22:17Should have been
22:18a minimal amount
22:19of blood
22:19because she had
22:20no pulse.
22:21In fact,
22:22there was a massive
22:24amount of blood,
22:25completely inconsistent
22:26with his story.
22:28What that indicates
22:30to me is that
22:30while she's alive
22:31and has a pulse
22:33and is bleeding,
22:34her head is somewhere
22:36in that vicinity.
22:39The other amazing
22:40thing that we were
22:41able to get
22:41from that examination
22:43was the headboard.
22:45Now, it is very,
22:46very difficult
22:47to see any physical
22:48evidence on the board
22:50because it's a cloth-like
22:51material and it's
22:53very, very dark.
22:54And then when we
22:55examined that,
22:58there were several
23:00dozen blood spatters
23:01from Leslie.
23:07The new evidence
23:09discovered at the
23:09Newlanders' home
23:10was sent away
23:11for forensic analysis.
23:14I knew Leslie's death
23:15wasn't an accident
23:16when I looked
23:17at the pictures
23:18of her body.
23:20The scene
23:21was corroborative
23:22with the findings there.
23:24This is a homicide.
23:25This is not
23:27a fall-from-standing-height
23:29accident.
23:31Six months
23:32after Leslie's death,
23:33her case was now
23:35a full-blown
23:36murder investigation.
23:37But her death
23:38certificate
23:39remained an issue.
23:40It would be
23:41very difficult
23:42to ask a jury
23:43to convict someone
23:44beyond a reasonable
23:46doubt of a homicide
23:47when your medical
23:48examiner says,
23:49hold on,
23:50she died as a result
23:51of an accident.
23:53William and Mary
23:54presented their findings
23:55to the medical
23:56examiner,
23:57Dr. Stoppaker,
23:58to ask if he would
23:59reconsider the manner
24:00of Leslie's death.
24:02We discussed
24:03our difference
24:04of opinion
24:04and discussed
24:05the science
24:06behind it
24:07and talked about
24:08wounding patterns
24:09and what happens
24:09to the brain
24:10in a fall
24:11versus blows
24:12to the head.
24:14And at the end
24:16of that,
24:16I think the medical
24:17examiner felt
24:18they needed more.
24:19They needed more
24:19information,
24:20they needed more
24:22opinion
24:22in order
24:23to budge
24:25from the concept
24:26of the fall.
24:28So we decided
24:30that the expertise
24:31of a neuropathologist
24:33and particularly
24:34a forensic neuropathologist
24:38would be useful
24:39to elucidate
24:41this difference
24:43of opinion.
24:49In December 2013,
24:51while William
24:52awaited the
24:53forensic neuropathologist
24:54report,
24:55he approached
24:56Bob's lawyer
24:57with a request
24:58for a formal interview.
24:59Robert said
25:00that he had
25:01nothing to hide
25:02so he voluntarily
25:03sat down
25:04for an interview
25:05with officers
25:06and the district attorney.
25:09We're going to talk
25:10about the events
25:11regarding the death
25:12of your wife
25:13September 17, 2012.
25:15We're going to also
25:15talk about
25:16your relationship
25:17with your lady wife.
25:18During the questioning,
25:20he admitted that
25:21there was difficulty
25:22in their marriage.
25:23But you were
25:24sleeping separately.
25:26Okay,
25:26what was the reason
25:26for that?
25:27We had thought
25:30about a trial
25:31separation.
25:32You mean
25:32that you were
25:33thinking about
25:33getting the awards
25:34perhaps?
25:35That was not
25:36the process
25:36we were talking
25:37about
25:38and we were
25:40talking about
25:40a trial separation.
25:42Let's see what
25:42we're going to discuss.
25:45William soon
25:46turned his questioning
25:47to the day
25:48that Leslie died.
25:49He says that
25:50he got up that
25:51morning,
25:52that he went
25:52jogging,
25:53he came back,
25:54prepared a cup
25:56of coffee
25:56for his wife.
25:57You take it
25:58to Leslie
25:58in her bed?
26:00Yes,
26:01I take it to her.
26:02Tell us what
26:03happens when you
26:03went to her bed.
26:06The shower is on.
26:07I hear the water
26:08running and
26:09I place it
26:10on the nightstand.
26:13He cleaned up
26:14from jogging,
26:15then began to make
26:16a small breakfast,
26:18then goes back
26:19upstairs.
26:19The shower is still
26:21running.
26:22Now she's been in
26:23there,
26:23according to him,
26:25at least 35 minutes
26:27at that point.
26:28He claims that he
26:29goes into the bathroom
26:30to see if she's okay.
26:32So when you get
26:33up to that door,
26:34doctor,
26:34tell us what you're
26:35doing.
26:35Well, again,
26:36I knock on the door,
26:38glass door,
26:38right there,
26:39call out.
26:40You're right, man.
26:43I'm still in here
26:44and it's nice.
26:46And why did you do
26:47that?
26:48I opened the door
26:51to obviously
26:52see if she's,
26:54you know,
26:54just thinking,
26:55God,
26:56that's something
26:56she did.
26:57and it's just
27:00laying on the floor.
27:01And did you see
27:02any signs of blood?
27:07I basically
27:09went into a shot
27:11seeing her there,
27:13but I reached out
27:14to her again.
27:19I feel
27:20also so.
27:31This is a doctor
27:32of 30 years.
27:33What's the first
27:34thing you would do
27:35if you had never
27:36even seen
27:37a medical school?
27:38There's a phone
27:39five feet away from
27:40them on the counter
27:41of the bathroom sink.
27:43Pick up the phone.
27:44Call 911.
27:46Instead,
27:47he leaves her there.
27:48He does a cursory
27:50check to see
27:50if she's alive,
27:51claims that she's
27:52breathing,
27:53goes about 90 feet
27:55further into the house
27:56to get his daughter
27:57to call 911.
28:01Bob claimed
28:02he then carried
28:02Leslie from the
28:03bathroom into the
28:04bedroom to continue
28:05CPR.
28:07I then simply
28:08slid over to him
28:10a number of
28:12photographs
28:15and said,
28:17Dr. Newlander,
28:18can you explain this?
28:20Can you explain
28:20the blood?
28:21And he looked at me
28:22and he said,
28:23no, I can't.
28:26Despite Bob's
28:27calm,
28:28matter-of-fact
28:29account of the
28:29events surrounding
28:30Leslie's death,
28:31William wasn't
28:32convinced by his
28:34story.
28:35My theory
28:36that he attacked
28:36her in the bedroom
28:38and left her
28:39probably to die
28:41on the floor
28:42while he's trying
28:43to figure out
28:43what to do.
28:46This is not
28:47a premeditated crime.
28:49He did not
28:50plot this out.
28:53This was a
28:54rage homicide.
28:55Something snapped.
28:58They argued
28:59about something,
28:59whatever it was,
29:00it set him off,
29:01and then he's
29:02faced with an
29:03opportunity now,
29:04what do I do?
29:06The only thing
29:07I can say
29:07to describe that
29:08wound is that
29:09she fell in the
29:10shower.
29:15But if Bob
29:16had murdered
29:17Leslie in the
29:18bedroom,
29:18the one thing
29:19that didn't
29:20add up
29:20was why
29:21the bed sheets
29:22weren't covered
29:22in blood.
29:25Before
29:26questioning Bob,
29:27police had
29:28interviewed
29:28the Newlander's
29:29housekeeper.
29:31The housekeeper
29:32says,
29:33I changed
29:34the sheets
29:34on Friday,
29:35and Leslie
29:37was killed
29:38on a Monday.
29:39She looks
29:40at the photos
29:40and says,
29:41those are not
29:42the sheets
29:42that I put
29:43on the bed
29:44on Friday.
29:47And she says,
29:48by the way,
29:49there's a pillow
29:49missing.
29:50There's only
29:51three pillows there.
29:54So when he was
29:56asked about
29:56the pillows,
29:57oh,
29:59we didn't have
30:00a pillow
30:00in a guest room
30:01and we needed
30:02a pillow for that.
30:03Well,
30:04who was that
30:05for?
30:06Well,
30:07people were
30:07coming over.
30:08Oh,
30:09yeah,
30:09people were
30:09coming over
30:10after she was
30:10dead.
30:11The pillow
30:12was missing
30:12before she was
30:13dead, Doc.
30:13What are you
30:14talking about?
30:16There's no
30:16question in my
30:17mind that the
30:18original sheets
30:18that she left
30:19on that bed
30:20Friday were
30:21on that bed
30:21Monday morning
30:23when Leslie
30:24was assaulted
30:25and then
30:25soaked with
30:26blood.
30:27He removed
30:28the sheets,
30:29removed the
30:30pillow that
30:30probably had
30:31blood on it
30:31as well,
30:32removed the
30:33murder weapon,
30:33and then while
30:34he went for
30:35his supposed
30:35to jog,
30:36he was actually
30:37going out to
30:38dispose of
30:39those items.
30:44With missing
30:45bed sheets and
30:46no murder weapon,
30:47investigators couldn't
30:48determine what had
30:49been used to kill
30:50Leslie, and with
30:52her death still
30:53ruled accidental,
30:54police remained
30:55unable to charge
30:56Bob with her
30:57murder.
30:58Then, 18 months
31:00after Leslie's
31:01death, came the
31:02news they'd been
31:03waiting for.
31:04The neuropathology
31:06report and
31:06evaluation of
31:07the brain
31:08indicated it
31:09was inflicted
31:10injury, allowed
31:12the medical
31:13examiner to be
31:14able to change
31:15the death
31:15certificate to
31:16homicide.
31:20The size of
31:21the wound,
31:22combined with
31:23the discovery of
31:24distinctive bruising
31:25on the opposite
31:25side of Leslie's
31:27brain, was
31:28consistent with
31:28being hit by an
31:29object, not
31:31with a fall from
31:32standing height.
31:34Based on the
31:35accumulation of
31:36evidence, Dr.
31:36Stapiker changed
31:38not the cause of
31:39death, but the
31:40manner of death.
31:41The cause of
31:41death was still a
31:42massive blow to
31:43the head, but the
31:44manner of death was
31:45now listed as
31:46homicide.
31:47That was it.
31:48There were no
31:49more avenues of
31:50escape for Dr.
31:51Newlander.
31:52Three days later,
31:53on June 23rd,
31:55Dr. Robert
31:56Newlander is
31:56charged with
31:57second-degree murder
31:59and tampering with
32:00physical evidence.
32:08On March 16th,
32:102015, two and a
32:12half years after
32:13Leslie Newlander was
32:14found dead at her
32:15home in Syracuse,
32:16New York, her
32:17husband, Dr.
32:19Robert Newlander,
32:20went on trial for
32:21her murder.
32:22Big trials are
32:23part theater, and
32:25no one knew that
32:27better than Bob
32:28Newlander.
32:29Every day, we
32:31would watch this
32:32litany of him
32:33walking down the
32:35courthouse hallway,
32:36and he'd have his
32:37daughter, his son,
32:39or, in some
32:41instances, Leslie's
32:42sister, consoling him
32:44as he walked.
32:47It might look
32:48unusual that the
32:50family of the
32:51victim are seemingly
32:52siding with the
32:53accused perpetrator.
32:54But you've got to
32:55remember, at this
32:56time, the family do
32:57not have all the
32:58evidence that Mary
33:00has or that the
33:00DA office have.
33:02They have not been
33:02subject to all of that
33:04information yet.
33:05And so, at the
33:06moment, naturally, a
33:07family going through a
33:08traumatic period are
33:09rallying together.
33:12You've also got to
33:13remember, from the
33:14perspective of the
33:14children, they've just
33:16lost their mother in
33:17really traumatic
33:18circumstances.
33:18And if they believe
33:20that their father did
33:22this, they're also, in
33:23a way, losing their
33:24father.
33:25So you can understand
33:25why people group
33:27together in this
33:27moment, because they're
33:29just trying to protect
33:29the little sort of
33:31normality of their
33:32family unit.
33:35The prosecution
33:36argued that Leslie's
33:38death was no
33:38bathroom accident.
33:40Instead, that she was
33:42murdered in the
33:43bedroom by her
33:44husband, as proven by
33:46forensic evidence.
33:47There's blood spatter
33:49on the wall and on
33:51the ceiling from an
33:53object being struck on
33:55Leslie's head, and
33:56then when it comes
33:57back for another
33:58strike, it gets cast
34:00off on the wall and
34:02the ceiling.
34:03There are blood
34:04droplets on the
34:05lampshade, on the
34:07clock radio, on family
34:09photos, on the
34:11headboard, on the
34:12blinds, to say nothing
34:14of the blood in the
34:16bathroom.
34:21Here's the explanation
34:22they come up with.
34:24So he went out for a
34:25jog, came home,
34:27showered up, put his
34:29pajamas on, and then
34:31put another pajama top
34:33on for some reason.
34:35And when he was
34:37carrying Leslie, that
34:39top became saturated
34:41with blood.
34:44He took the shirt off
34:46because it was
34:47uncomfortable for him,
34:48and this blood cast
34:51off and spattered at
34:54various points
34:55throughout the
34:56bedroom.
34:58Secondarily, when the
35:00EMTs got there, as
35:02they removed their
35:03gloves, they removed
35:05them slingshot fashion,
35:07and that spattered a lot
35:09of blood throughout as
35:11well.
35:13Now, there's two
35:14significant difficulties
35:15with both of those
35:16explanations.
35:18Number one, no one saw
35:20him with a second shirt.
35:21The second thing is that
35:23the EMTs were all very
35:25professional, and they are
35:26trained on how to remove a
35:27glove to avoid exactly this
35:29type of issue.
35:30In addition to that, they
35:31also indicated, we hardly
35:33had any blood on our
35:34gloves that we noticed
35:35because she wasn't
35:36bleeding.
35:39The prosecution also
35:41argued that Leslie's head
35:43injuries were not caused
35:44by an impact in the
35:45shower, as Bob had
35:47claimed.
35:48On the right side of the
35:49head, the skull injury
35:52is caved in, partly, in a
35:55pattern that is not
35:57consistent with hitting the
35:58edge of a marble band.
36:00In addition, it appears
36:02there's two blows on that
36:04side of the head.
36:06So both of those things
36:08don't line up with the
36:10stone bench theory.
36:12If you leave aside the
36:13medical evidence, the
36:15blood spatter, I thought
36:16the most significant part
36:18was calling the daughter
36:20to the stand.
36:23The daughter was called
36:25as a witness, and the 9-1-1
36:27call was played in the
36:29courtroom.
36:31Ma'am?
36:32Oh, my God!
36:33Oh, my God!
36:35My God!
36:35My mommy!
36:39What was chilling in the
36:40courtroom was that the
36:44family is there listening to
36:47the daughter's 9-1-1 call,
36:49and it's just heartbreaking,
36:53because you can feel the pain
36:55that the daughter feels when
36:59she first sees her mother
37:01being carried by her father,
37:05and the terror in her voice,
37:08the sadness, the angst.
37:15The problem was her perception
37:18of events just didn't stack up
37:20to the facts.
37:22One of the most crucial pieces
37:24of evidence for the
37:25prosecution was the moment
37:27Leslie's daughter placed the
37:289-1-1 call on hold, leaving
37:31her mother's office to head
37:33toward the bathroom, where she
37:34claimed Leslie was lying.
37:42When quizzed about the 12-second gap
37:45between switching phones,
37:47her story fell apart.
37:49Her story had changed
37:51significantly at trial, in this
37:54very, very important regard.
37:57Yes, I went into the room with
37:59a bidet in the toilet, and I
38:01picked up the phone, but it
38:03wasn't working, so I dropped
38:05that phone.
38:07I then assisted my father in
38:10removing my mother from the
38:11shower.
38:12We then took her a couple of
38:14feet.
38:15We laid her down outside of
38:17the bathroom.
38:17My dad began to perform CPR.
38:22It didn't seem to be successful,
38:25so we moved her again further
38:28into the bedroom and dropped her
38:30just short of the bed.
38:32I then went, remembering that
38:34the 9-1-1 operator was still on
38:36hold.
38:37I picked up the phone, and I
38:39don't remember what I said, but I
38:40can hear the tape, and I
38:42understand that.
38:43None of that is remotely
38:44possible.
38:47You cannot do everything that she
38:49claims that she did in 12
38:52seconds, which was the amount of
38:55time between the 9-1-1 operator
38:58being put on hold and the, oh, my
39:03God, there's blood everywhere, resumption
39:06of that call.
39:07It would have taken, conservatively,
39:11a minute to do everything that she
39:13claims that she did do in that 12
39:15seconds.
39:16Her statement has some really
39:18contradictory points that evidence can
39:21prove are false, but you also have to
39:23remember that she has witnessed something
39:25really traumatic, you know, her mother
39:27dying in heinous circumstances, and so
39:30trauma can do really strange things to
39:32a person's memory, so it might not be
39:34that she's intentionally misleading or
39:37proposing false information.
39:38It might just be that actually she can't
39:41remember exact details.
39:43After she testified, the case was done.
39:51After two weeks of hearing evidence, the jury
39:55retired to deliberate.
39:57The worst part of the trial is waiting for
39:59a verdict, and you always feel the same
40:01way.
40:02You put your heart and soul into the case.
40:04Some cases you feel more confident than
40:07others.
40:07I was nervous because juries are very
40:12earnest, and they try very hard to do
40:14the right thing, but it doesn't always
40:16come out as a forensic professional might
40:19think it would.
40:23After three days of deliberation, the jury
40:26returned their verdicts.
40:27They found Robert Newlander guilty of second
40:32degree murder and tampering with evidence.
40:35Everybody in this case was resolute.
40:38They knew that he did it.
40:39They felt comfortable with their verdict,
40:41and I felt great.
40:42I was just professionally satisfied that
40:45justice was done.
40:47Four months later, he appeared in court, and
40:50Robert Newlander was sentenced to 20 years
40:53to life.
40:58Bob was facing incarceration for the rest of
41:01his life, but his defense team appealed and
41:04argued for a retrial, citing serious juror
41:08misconduct.
41:09An alternate juror pointed out that they
41:12believed one of the 12 actual jurors had been
41:15involved in something, so the judge ordered
41:18examination of this juror's phone.
41:23This investigation found that this juror had
41:26sent over 7,000 messages during this three-week period
41:31to family and friends talking about the criminal trial.
41:34And this was in direct violation of the judge's
41:37instructions for jurors not to discuss the case with
41:40outside sources or to get information from anywhere else.
41:44And these messages included one from her father saying,
41:48make sure he is found guilty.
41:51And she failed to disclose this to the court.
41:54The outcome of all of this was that in June 2018, the
41:57conviction was vacated.
41:59It was annulled as if the trial and conviction never
42:03happened.
42:06Robert was released on a million-dollar bail until the
42:10retrial could take place.
42:12They hired a very good guy, a very good lawyer out of New York
42:18City, and we began to prepare for trial number two.
42:23On February 28, 2022, almost 10 years after Leslie's death,
42:30the retrial began.
42:32I thought another group of jurors presented with the same
42:35information would see it the same way.
42:38But again, you never know until it's all the way through
42:42the trial.
42:43The jury, to our amazement, five hours after they retired,
42:47they came back in with a verdict of guilty.
42:50And I feel great about that.
42:52When I heard the verdict of guilty for the second trial,
42:56it was just, oh, thank goodness.
42:58I hope the family can, you know, try to move on in some way now.
43:03Because they really are carrying a huge burden with them.
43:08On May 2, 2022, Bob was sentenced to 20 years to life for the
43:14second time, thanks not only to the prosecution team, but also
43:19Leslie's friend, former medical examiner Mary Jambalic.
43:24I took Leslie's message, look what happened to me, and I gave
43:29it to people who needed to hear that.
43:33And, yes, I do feel proud of it.
43:35But I also feel like it was a fulfilling of, you know, what has
43:41always been my calling, which was to do that for the dead.
43:46I remember Leslie for her lightheartedness and her kindness and her humor.
43:54But I remember her in death, too, because it has helped other women who maybe are trapped
44:00in situations with spouses or have experienced domestic violence.
44:08She was important in the community, but she was just important on a personal level of how
44:16she made others feel.
44:17And I think those that knew her should think of that and remember her.
44:24And I think there's some people who helped each other in their journey for her.
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