Dateline NBC S30E03 Kill Switch H 264

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7 hours ago

Transcript

00:00:09I'm Lester Holt tonight on Dateline a missing man and maybe a missing million left behind a

00:00:17shattered family and questions my phone rang mom and Larry were in some kind of accident on the boat

00:00:26Larry had fallen overboard and they can't find him how was she taking it she was a mess I just

00:00:33held her something's not right they'd never be out there because it was pretty cold is he even in the

00:00:41lake where is he there were a lot of people thinking he had just gone off and was waiting

00:00:48for her to come and bring the bag of money I had no idea of the horror that was to

00:00:55come I went to

00:00:56grab my phone and my mom just said do not answer that when you investigate death a lot of unusual

00:01:02stuff happens when are the lies gonna stop I needed the full story to be told

00:01:19here's Keith Morrison with Killswitch

00:01:40Iowa 1 what's the address your emergency I'm on the way but I don't know where lucky is he

00:01:47or she who finds love happy and lasting and true the love that deepens as it ages

00:01:55love that survives the unknown currents of a long life on the cold deep void

00:02:15but nothing is forever

00:02:27this is about the luck that ran out on the morning of February 13th 2018 in the frigid water of

00:02:35Lake

00:02:35Coeur d'Alene he's in the water bye the desperate woman on the phone was Lori Eisenberg the man in

00:02:47the

00:02:47water her husband and the love of her life Larry she tried to explain that they launched before dawn

00:02:54all bundled up and romantic to watch the sunrise on the water and intended to cruise 16 miles up the

00:03:00lake for a Valentine's breakfast at the big local resort the Coeur d'Alene how far had they gone where

00:03:07was she she didn't know she said hang on one second let me get people going quickly the cell towers

00:03:18triangulated and help went racing toward the spot she was stranded a place called Powderhorn Bay four or

00:03:25five miles from where they started a few minutes later Lori Eisenberg was ashore warming up in a

00:03:34rescue boats cabin when a deputy approached wearing a body cam he said he didn't feel good and he was

00:03:40doing things weird and then he went up to get the motor and the motor wasn't broken it was the

00:03:45other

00:03:45motor okay and then I said why are you doing that and he turned to look at me and his

00:03:50face just looked

00:03:53okay it looked awful and then he just started to fall and I tried to get the door open and

00:04:00get to him and

00:04:03and just like that Lori's long love affair with Larry was over Larry and Lori Eisenberg were in 2018 the

00:04:20elders of a big extended clan that included eight children 15 grandchildren and a great-grandchild

00:04:31they were well off they created their own little mountain paradise called Cougar Gulch and they were

00:04:38respected too in North Idaho Larry a retired timber executive and Lori the head of a local nonprofit that

00:04:48connected the poor with homes of their own and after 14 years of marriage and nearly 30 years after first

00:04:55laying eyes on each other Lori and Larry were by all accounts in love to a degree that was almost

00:05:04nauseating I'm just going to try to ask you some questions so we can kind of figure out where to

00:05:07go

00:05:07from here okay now Larry was gone and deputies found Lori looking like she'd been on the wrong end of

00:05:15a

00:05:15prize fight can you tell me how'd you get the bloody nose you fell down she fell against the door

00:05:24okay

00:05:26all right well we're gonna we got we got the best people out there looking for him right now okay

00:05:31so

00:05:32we're gonna do what we can not that there was much the divers could do and water so cold the

00:05:38body would

00:05:38sink like a stone the lake was a hundred thirty feet deep in Powderhorn Bay before long Lori was taken

00:05:45from

00:05:46the boat to a waiting pickup and then an ambulance and the local hospital and soon word raced around among

00:05:54all six of Lori's daughters this is Amber surprised to get a call from her big sister she says I

00:06:03I just

00:06:04got a call from an ambulance mom and Larry were in some kind of accident on the boat and they

00:06:10can't find

00:06:10Larry what do you mean you can't find him she's like I don't know will you please call the other

00:06:16sisters and tell them what's going on and so Amber did this is Chris Lynn it was my sister Amber

00:06:26telling

00:06:27me that there had been a boating accident and Larry had fallen overboard and they can't find him it was

00:06:38all so confusing said Larry's son Dean my sister called me and said that there's been an accident and

00:06:46she was in tears I couldn't really figure out what had happened hadn't his father texted him this

00:06:51stunning photo of the sunrise just a few hours earlier and he thought those crazy kids it's just

00:07:00like I can't believe they're going out on the water as cold as it is and I went back to

00:07:03sleep did you

00:07:04respond at all nope I don't think I did I mean it was a gorgeous sunrise don't get me wrong

00:07:09but it's

00:07:09just like they weren't they'd never be out out there doing that it was very very odd oh

00:07:16he had no idea a stunning loss for Lori and her family when we return she was a mess I

00:07:28just held her

00:07:29and promised her that we would help her get through this and years earlier a surprising end to a marriage

00:07:39instead of her going to confront him us kids had to go down and confront him and I remember telling

00:07:47him we want you to leave

00:08:01in February 2018 the waters of Lake Coeur d'Alene were holding fast on the Larry Eisenberg

00:08:11Larry and Lori had launched their romantic sunrise cruise here at Sunup Bay and headed for the big

00:08:18resort up the top of the lake 16 miles away but four or five miles in around Powderhorn Bay right

00:08:24about here said Lori Larry went to fix something in the bow and then looked around at her and turned

00:08:31a

00:08:32deathly shade of gray and the initial responders they felt fairly confident that it was another tragedy

00:08:43out on the lake a semi-retired detective named Brad Maskell heard about it of course like everybody in

00:08:51town he was just an observer but he knew a thing or two about the lake he'd lived here most

00:08:58of his life

00:08:59water that cold and that deep around that middle of the lake would you expect his body to sink right

00:09:08down to the bottom yes I can't even think of a case where we had a body go in the

00:09:12in the lake here

00:09:13to that depth and resurface it just doesn't happen in cold deep water at Lori and Larry's homestead in

00:09:23Cougar Gulch just a couple of miles from the lake daughter Chrislyn and her sisters gather their mother in

00:09:28a collective hug how was she taking it she was a mess I just held her and promised her that

00:09:38we would help

00:09:39her get through this get through the end of a love story that all along had refused to be denied

00:09:50they'd both been married to others years and years ago Lori had six daughters with Steve her high school

00:09:57sweetheart Amber born third and Chrislyn the fourth were the middle children we had the perfect little

00:10:03family you know we went to church every Sunday we we were taught to live right make good choices get

00:10:10good grades do your chores you know the whole nine yards dad ran a janitorial service mom was volunteer

00:10:17of the year at the Coeur d'Alene Chamber of Commerce it was exciting things to see our mom becoming

00:10:22this

00:10:23successful woman in their community those years Larry Eisenberg was making money in the timber business

00:10:29he was able to pull over a lot of deals and be like the used car salesman of timber for

00:10:34lack of a

00:10:34better or more eloquent term of it he taught his children Dean and Jessica to be straight arrows just

00:10:41like him frugal honest tough with a saying for every situation tired the state of mind don't be lazy you

00:10:51know you only think that you're tired you really haven't done that much today but when he was with his

00:10:56kids when he took Dean hunting I think that was about the happiest I'd ever seen him being with me

00:11:02for

00:11:03my first elk when Larry met Lori it was all perfectly innocent dad ended up hiring hiring her as his

00:11:12secretary when he worked for the timber company Larry was introduced to us as a friend from work

00:11:19and their work trips like this one to the Idaho State Capitol well they were co-workers after all

00:11:26and Lori's daughters were confused when she soon told them that Steve their father simply wasn't good

00:11:33enough and would have to leave and that they the kids would have to tell him my mom started like

00:11:42having some kind of a breakdown she like went into the closet and instead of her going to confront him

00:11:50us kids had to go down and confront him while she stayed in the closet and I remember yelling at

00:11:56him

00:11:56and telling him we want you to leave oh my we don't want you here and he just looked right

00:12:02back at me and

00:12:03he said Amber you don't know what you're talking about my dad knew and not just Larry she had been

00:12:10having affairs for quite a while other men too he wasn't the first so maybe they weren't so straight

00:12:17arrow honest after all Lori got a divorce and then a few years later Larry did too and everybody could

00:12:27see how happy they were when they brought their families together and got married I just decided I've

00:12:34always always loved and respected Larry and I saw my mom happy with him and I was happy for her

00:12:40then

00:12:41they turned Cougar Gulch into their own very special place it was a mountain paradise I absolutely loved

00:12:48it they landscaped the place putting huge gardens and a pond they filled with fish to catch Larry built a

00:12:55working windmill if I could describe my perfect house if that's what it would be that's what they had in

00:13:01Cougar Gulch they traveled to Hawaii Europe they fished the lakes hunted the forests together he always

00:13:13looked at her with eyes of just admiration and he would always just tell us just how amazing she was

00:13:21and we would all kind of just roll our eyes like you two are unbelievable like how do you get

00:13:28a room how

00:13:28do you love each other this much by 2018 Larry was 68 and retired Lori was 64 still working hi

00:13:39I'm

00:13:39Lori Eisenberg executive director of the North Idaho housing coalition Lori ran that nonprofit that helped

00:13:46low-income residents buy houses Larry kept track of their investments and was happy as happy as he'd ever

00:13:57been in January 2018 just over a month before Larry was lost in the lake they gathered with members of

00:14:05their blended family in Florida so every day he would say if anyone wants to come come on the walk

00:14:11with me

00:14:11and that day for the first time really ever I said Larry where did you learn to have such great

00:14:19discipline

00:14:20with your money and he told us that day that he remembers from the time he could count money his

00:14:28parents were

00:14:29teaching him you have to earn every dollar and you have to know and track where you spend every dollar

00:14:36did

00:14:36that have a big effect on you to hear that yeah it empowered me to be a parent that teaches

00:14:42those principles didn't

00:14:43you sit down at the computer at one point and kind of go over everything so yeah we sat right

00:14:48there at

00:14:48the table my mom hanging over Larry looking at their computer of all their stocks when you think about

00:14:54that conversation now anything stay with you it's sad it's so sad to know that my mom knew so hard

00:15:05to

00:15:05believe that she could sit there and do that with us knowing all that she knew something about Larry about

00:15:13the love of her life coming up the mystery of what happened on that boat she has bruises all over

00:15:23her

00:15:23legs and she just said I have no idea what I did on that boat when Dateline continues

00:15:45there's a process when a boating accident takes a life has to be an investigation which is why a few

00:15:51days after the horrible loss of Larry Eisenberg in Lake Coeur d'Alene detectives went to Cougar Gulch

00:15:58to dive deeper that first day Lori had been such a mess and sometimes a day or three later a

00:16:06person

00:16:07has a clearer sense of what happened there was a timeline to consider for context so could they go

00:16:13through that again they asked well yes said Lori they could 6 40 a.m. they took this picture of

00:16:21the

00:16:21sunrise said Lori and sent it by text to Larry's son Dean this was as they prepared to launch their

00:16:28boat at Sunup Bay did you take it or did he take it like the picture oh he did actually

00:16:35right after

00:16:35he took the picture we stood there for a couple minutes once they were out on the water she said

00:16:41Larry took the wheel of the boat as she dozed off in the passenger seat cabin warmed by a space

00:16:48heater

00:16:49then said Lori at some point Larry's hand sort of slipped off the dashboard and not just a little

00:16:56slip certainly got her attention it was so hard did it see the whole ignition thing sort of popped out

00:17:05the kill switch had been knocked out the ignition key bent like this yeah when it started when it

00:17:12started when it started she tried bending the key back and forth so then said Lori Larry went up to

00:17:18the front of the boat to get the electric trolling motor going and then something happened to him

00:17:24look like he was having a stroke or something he just had this sort of blank look on his face

00:17:31and so

00:17:31then I saw him sort of stumbling I jumped up and I couldn't get and I banged my head where

00:17:38did you hit your

00:17:38head at on your face I don't remember but where do you recall the blood coming from my nose and

00:17:46that

00:17:47certainly made sense of what they found in the bow drops and smears of blood right where Lori said she

00:17:53hit her head as she tried to reach him I saw his face and then he just so arms outstress

00:18:00just kind of fell

00:18:01okay okay she panicked then tried to get to him she said all but went into the water herself

00:18:12and then I finally come down to the point where I said what am I doing this isn't helping any

00:18:17couldn't call 9-1-1 she said didn't have her phone I'd left it in the truck because I always

00:18:23forget it

00:18:24and I thought his was in his pocket in the lake in other words and by the time she found

00:18:32Larry's phone

00:18:33under a blanket more than two hours had gone by since he'd fallen in so it was 10 23 a

00:18:39.m before she could

00:18:40place that 911 call he's in the water where was Larry somewhere she said in the four or five miles

00:18:53of water between Sunup Bay where Larry and Lori put in the boat and here in Powderhorn Bay where Lori

00:18:59was

00:18:59rescued the detectives thanked her expressed their sympathy and left today after the incident meanwhile

00:19:09Lori's six daughters gathered around her in grief at Cougar Gulch we were all just standing

00:19:15around making breakfast she came into the kitchen and all of a sudden she just said I was just in

00:19:20the

00:19:21bathroom and I saw my legs and she just pulls down and shows us that she has bruises all over

00:19:27her legs

00:19:28her thighs are just black and blue and she just said I have no idea what I did on that

00:19:35boat I must have

00:19:36just been hitting my legs when I was looking for Larry in the water and none of them imagined as

00:19:44they

00:19:44sympathized with their mother and mourned their lost Larry the certain preparations would soon be

00:19:50underway downtown some unwelcome visitors would be coming to call coming up Laurie arrested but not for what

00:20:03what you might think I had no idea of any of the horror that was to come

00:20:2910 days after the terrible incident in the lake

00:20:36it's generally quite a shock for most anybody to hear policemen with warrants and loud demands at

00:20:42their door Laurie had been in bed resting when they charged in and scooped up her computers and

00:20:49electronics and boxes of records and then took them all away but why why those things

00:20:59don't worry was left to settle whatever astonishment she may have felt and straighten the place up then a few

00:21:05days later daughter Chrislin was visiting and many of the same law officers suddenly appeared on the

00:21:12porch as seen here on police body cam hi Laurie here Chrislin didn't quite get it at first not up

00:21:21to it

00:21:22not up to it but yeah she's just really struggling okay she said can we reschedule or um no okay

00:21:31so then

00:21:32Laurie finally appeared I'm just really drained right now are you arresting me I think I'm going to put you

00:21:40under arrest these guys are going to take you into custody right now it was crazy said Chrislin

00:21:44like Kafka or something in that moment I was I had no idea I was just in shock

00:22:00Chrislin's sweet mother going to jail what was that like to discover that this had happened it was

00:22:07very overwhelming and it was very disappointing and confusing confusing oh yes because Laurie's arrest

00:22:17had nothing whatever to do with what happened out on the lake it didn't charge her with that not with

00:22:25dangerous boating or anything like that not at all as the jailer who booked her made perfectly clear I'm

00:22:33being told to write your booking sheet out for one count of grand theft and 40 counts of forgery

00:22:42grand theft forgery sometimes bad news comes in batches and this just as she was trying to deal

00:22:51with the loss of Larry was another story altogether why do things happen this way anyway here's the story

00:23:00a few weeks before that fatal boating trip just after Larry and Laurie had returned glowing from

00:23:06their Florida family vacation Larry got busy preparing for their next trip which they intended

00:23:12to start pretty much right away and as they did every year they organized meticulously they load up the

00:23:21camper trailer with their canned vegetables and what they raised and grew and cotton and hunted and then

00:23:27they'd they'd spend like two months and like Utah Zion National Park Arizona out in the desert hiking

00:23:34around the California coast well Larry was busy with the camper Laurie drove into downtown Coeur d'Alene to

00:23:41get things sorted out of the office a last pre-trip board meeting at the North Idaho Housing Coalition

00:23:46Laurie ran the place but Carrie Thorison as coalition president was officially her boss Laurie did an excellent job

00:23:57for years when Amy Evans joined the board Laurie had long since proved how much she cared about the

00:24:05mission she was passionate about helping young families obtain their first home which made Laurie's visit to

00:24:15the office that January day in 2018 more than a little awkward the board had found some financial irregularities some

00:24:26budgets that didn't quite add up checks that should have been signed by the board but were signed by Laurie

00:24:32instead without prior approval she apologized and said I just know that all of you are so busy

00:24:42I didn't I didn't want to bother you to come and sign checks so I just signed them well really

00:24:51well it's just being so thoughtful to us at that point we thought we'll put her on administrate paid administrative

00:24:59leave which won't alarm her too much and give us the opportunity to recover our records did you that is

00:25:08what we did

00:25:10coalition board vice president Amy Evans was also in that meeting with Laurie she pled with us two times to

00:25:20just fire her really I mean she she basically copped to it she said yes I made some mistakes so

00:25:28really if she had you figured she'd be coming back once you figured this out right yeah we were hopeful

00:25:34that this was just sloppy bookkeeping

00:25:37though Carrie Thorson kept thinking of a strange little moment as their meeting turned to sensitive things she turned her

00:25:48head to me and looked at me I can still remember just feeling a chill

00:25:57we can't know what Laurie was thinking or feeling on her drive home to Cougar Gulch where Larry was getting

00:26:05ready for their excellent adventure

00:26:07road trip was she distraught did she lean on her man pour out her troubles all we can say with

00:26:15certainty is what happened next Larry and Laurie did indeed hit the road but it was not the trip Larry

00:26:24was planning for

00:26:27coming up what a long strange trip it would be

00:26:32Laurie said honey I want to go back to Florida hadn't they just been there yeah they'd just gotten back

00:26:37when Dateline continues

00:26:52there's often a pivot point in family drama isn't there somebody makes a decision and things suddenly

00:26:59change that was about to happen in Cougar Gulch three weeks before the boating accident Larry was going about

00:27:06his happy-go-lucky retirement as usual dad's idea of retirement was to do what you want when you want

00:27:13whenever you want for as long as you want a bad definition yeah if I want to go do something

00:27:21I'm

00:27:21going to go do something I'll do it till I get sick of it and then I'll come back or

00:27:24I'll go do something

00:27:24else there's something else this time was going to be a trip across the American Southwest with Laurie

00:27:30completely unaware that Laurie had been suspended then fired from her job at the North Idaho housing

00:27:37coalition didn't have any idea what Laurie's board members were digging up in the coalition's books

00:27:44every day it just kept getting worse and worse and so it quickly made sense why she was asking us

00:27:51to fire

00:27:51her the evidence once they knew where to look was clear Laurie had been using her position to steal

00:28:00money for at least three years this was big how much money in total do you think was taken from

00:28:07the organization I think we're probably around nine hundred to a million dollars this is not small

00:28:13change no not at all what was your state of mind those days just complete disbelief that the level of

00:28:22betrayal that Laurie executed was unbelievable granted only a few people were aware of any of

00:28:31that or that Laurie had been fired we really wanted to protect the integrity of the organization protect

00:28:42Laurie's integrity until we knew without a doubt what had happened and well that investigation went on no

00:28:49one knew not her six daughters not her two stepchildren and not Larry so busy planning for

00:28:57their annual trailer trip he was literally loading and stocking the camper and he was in mid-stride with

00:29:04another armful of goods and Laurie stopped and said I said honey I want to go back to Florida hadn't

00:29:11they just been there yeah yeah they'd just gotten back Larry seemed puzzled but all for it if that's

00:29:19what Laurie wanted Larry was kind of like yeah I guess we're going back to Florida so back to Florida

00:29:28they

00:29:28went this photo taken by Larry texted to the kids of Laurie lazing away at their rental home in Melbourne

00:29:36they watched the launch of Elon Musk's Falcon Heavy rocket sent the kids this photo from the Kennedy Space Center

00:29:43and after that they went sailing that was a bucket list vacation I mean he always wanted to sail he

00:29:51wanted to

00:29:52see that rocket and he wanted to ride in a fan boat those are like the last three goals that

00:29:56he set out for

00:29:57in his life before he was going to start a new list.

00:30:00It could not have been on his bucket list, however,

00:30:03to feel so punk by the end of that trip.

00:30:06It felt weird, just awful.

00:30:09As he told his doctor in an email when they got home,

00:30:13I had the shakes, terrible equilibrium,

00:30:16and even my brain was foggy.

00:30:18I'm better today by quite a bit.

00:30:21I have every intention of living long enough

00:30:23so that you have to make a house call on Mars.

00:30:27End quote.

00:30:28I was worried that maybe they had gotten the flu

00:30:30while they were traveling.

00:30:33And so I texted with my mom.

00:30:35I was like, hey, I heard you guys are back.

00:30:36You know, how you doing?

00:30:37I heard Larry's sick.

00:30:38And she's like, yeah, you know, he's doing a little bit better.

00:30:43By Monday, February 12th, back home in Cougar Gulch,

00:30:47Larry seemed fine again,

00:30:49was back to planning the trailer trip south.

00:30:52But somehow around town, the secret,

00:30:55the one that not even Larry knew,

00:30:58had leaked and was about to be revealed.

00:31:01Got a call from a Coeur d'Alene Press reporter.

00:31:04They said, we're hearing that Laurie Eisenberg

00:31:07has been fired from your organization

00:31:10and that there's an investigation into embezzlement.

00:31:15We knew that a story would appear

00:31:18in the Coeur d'Alene Press morning edition.

00:31:21And I said, I feel so bad for Larry.

00:31:27His life's just never going to be the same.

00:31:29Well, now that was as true as a thing could be.

00:31:36Coming up...

00:31:37One of my younger sisters,

00:31:39she pulled me into a room and said,

00:31:41we have a really big problem.

00:31:43New trouble for Laurie's daughters

00:31:45and a new disturbing rumor about Larry.

00:31:50There were a lot of people thinking

00:31:52that he could have been in collusion with her.

00:32:12As the sun rose over the lake

00:32:14on Tuesday, February 13th, 2018,

00:32:18the Coeur d'Alene Press hit shops and restaurants

00:32:21and computers around town.

00:32:22This was the front-page headline,

00:32:24housing non-profit, leader, part ways.

00:32:30The cause, of course, was that alleged embezzlement.

00:32:34Put you in handcuffs here.

00:32:36Complex stuff.

00:32:38And before long, the Coeur d'Alene police

00:32:40turned the case over to the FBI.

00:32:43And it was four months later

00:32:45when Laurie, still in shock after the boating accident,

00:32:48was indicted on federal charges of theft and fraud.

00:32:54The FBI described this scheme of hers

00:32:58as very sophisticated,

00:33:01a very sophisticated financial con.

00:33:06It turned out the money was not simply stolen

00:33:09from the North Idaho Housing Coalition.

00:33:12Oh, no.

00:33:13Her scheme, as alleged,

00:33:15was much more inspired.

00:33:18She didn't take money out of our account.

00:33:22The money she stole

00:33:25was by creating fake companies

00:33:31and then fake invoices.

00:33:34Laurie sent those fake bills

00:33:37to the state and federal governments,

00:33:39which they paid, of course.

00:33:40And then she pocketed the money.

00:33:44She was clever in some ways doing this, huh?

00:33:47She was...

00:33:48I prefer cunning.

00:33:49I think she was very cunning.

00:33:52But what had Laurie done with all that money?

00:33:55She certainly hadn't used it

00:33:56on those vacations with Larry.

00:33:58He kept track of every penny of that.

00:34:01But as was soon revealed,

00:34:03much of the money hadn't gone far at all.

00:34:06I remember she said,

00:34:09I earned every bit of that money.

00:34:11The Coalition was nothing before me.

00:34:14She absolutely felt entitled

00:34:16to every penny that she took.

00:34:19And her partners in crime?

00:34:21Well, if there ever was a surprise,

00:34:24there's one.

00:34:25I'll never forget the day

00:34:28one of my younger sisters,

00:34:29she pulled me into a room

00:34:30and said,

00:34:31we have a really big problem.

00:34:34Those illegal shell companies

00:34:36Laurie invented

00:34:36were set up in the names

00:34:39of three of her own daughters,

00:34:43Tracy, April, and Jessica.

00:34:47She came to me

00:34:48because she was very, very frightened

00:34:50that she was about to be arrested herself.

00:34:54She was asking

00:34:55if I could help take care

00:34:56of her child.

00:34:58And all of a sudden,

00:34:59I became the sister

00:35:02who had no involvement with it,

00:35:05but that needed to be there

00:35:06for everybody.

00:35:08And there was one more sister involved

00:35:10who was also receiving money

00:35:12from Laurie.

00:35:13Boy, I bet you,

00:35:15wish you could have

00:35:16that decision back.

00:35:17Absolutely.

00:35:20As Amber explained it,

00:35:21the genesis of Laurie's scheme

00:35:23could be traced

00:35:24to the differing attitudes

00:35:25she and Larry held about money.

00:35:29Larry's two kids knew

00:35:31never to ask for a penny

00:35:33without earning it.

00:35:35But Laurie?

00:35:37Pretty early on

00:35:38in their relationship,

00:35:38she shared with us

00:35:40that, you know,

00:35:41Larry doesn't really like

00:35:42me spending all the money,

00:35:44you know,

00:35:44on all the kids and stuff,

00:35:47you know,

00:35:48but it didn't last very long.

00:35:50It was followed

00:35:50with the caveat of

00:35:52just don't tell Larry.

00:35:53Oh, okay.

00:35:54Gotcha.

00:35:54It'll just be between us.

00:35:57In 2017,

00:35:59less than a year

00:35:59before Larry's death,

00:36:01Amber told Laurie

00:36:02that the farm she shared

00:36:04with her husband

00:36:04was in trouble.

00:36:05I was like,

00:36:06I'm going to need

00:36:06to go get a job.

00:36:07And she was like,

00:36:09no, no, no, no.

00:36:10Don't do that.

00:36:11Don't give up on your dream.

00:36:12She said,

00:36:12I can help you.

00:36:14Larry and I are doing

00:36:15so good in the stock market.

00:36:17We're making so much money.

00:36:18So I said,

00:36:19yes, okay.

00:36:21And that is

00:36:24one of the moments

00:36:25that will always be

00:36:26one of my biggest regrets

00:36:28because that's not

00:36:29where the money

00:36:30was going to come from.

00:36:31At the time

00:36:32you were cashing the checks,

00:36:33did you have any clue

00:36:34that it was coming

00:36:35from a place

00:36:35where it wasn't supposed

00:36:36to come,

00:36:36that it was stolen mine?

00:36:39Not at first.

00:36:40How much was she

00:36:41paying you this way?

00:36:42I think the set amount

00:36:43was like $800 a month.

00:36:45And then one day

00:36:46she sent me a text message

00:36:49and it said

00:36:51they want me

00:36:52to hire an assistant

00:36:53for work

00:36:54that doesn't need

00:36:55to be done.

00:36:56They think that

00:36:57I work too much.

00:36:58So I want to

00:37:01hire you

00:37:02as this assistant,

00:37:04but there really

00:37:05isn't any work

00:37:05for you to do.

00:37:06You'll just get

00:37:07the paycheck for it.

00:37:08Don't even have to

00:37:09come into the office.

00:37:10Right.

00:37:12You get the picture.

00:37:13A no-show job.

00:37:15And now four

00:37:16of Lori's daughters

00:37:17were part of the FBI's investigation.

00:37:21How much did Lori steal?

00:37:24The housing coalition

00:37:25figured it was close

00:37:26to a million dollars.

00:37:27The FBI

00:37:28was able to trace

00:37:30$579,495.75.

00:37:36But investigators

00:37:38traced only about

00:37:39$50,000

00:37:40of that stolen money

00:37:42to Lori's daughters.

00:37:44What she did with the rest

00:37:46and how she spent it?

00:37:47No idea.

00:37:49What did it say to you

00:37:51about this woman

00:37:52that she would involve

00:37:53her daughters

00:37:53in an organized crime ring

00:37:55and, you know,

00:37:57make them liable

00:37:58to go to prison?

00:37:59That's,

00:38:00that one's close

00:38:01to my heart.

00:38:02I cannot even

00:38:05fathom

00:38:05being a criminal,

00:38:07but I can't fathom

00:38:08being a criminal

00:38:09that thinks

00:38:10it's a good idea

00:38:13to make

00:38:14my children criminals.

00:38:16I think there's

00:38:17a special place

00:38:17in hell for Lori

00:38:18for a number of things.

00:38:21That,

00:38:21that's definitely

00:38:22one of them.

00:38:24We can only guess

00:38:25what Larry might have

00:38:27thought of all that,

00:38:28but the town gossips?

00:38:30Within hours

00:38:32of Larry's disappearance,

00:38:33a story was making

00:38:34its way around town.

00:38:36There were a lot

00:38:37of people

00:38:38in the community

00:38:39thinking

00:38:40that he could have been

00:38:42in collusion

00:38:44with her

00:38:46in this embezzlement

00:38:48and that

00:38:49he had just

00:38:50gone off

00:38:50and he was

00:38:51in Venezuela

00:38:52or whatever,

00:38:53just waiting for her,

00:38:54you know,

00:38:55to come and bring

00:38:55the bag of money.

00:38:57It went around town

00:38:57that he,

00:38:58he might have been in it.

00:39:00People reading the paper

00:39:01saying,

00:39:01oh, his wife stole

00:39:02a bunch of money,

00:39:03he's probably in on it

00:39:04with her.

00:39:06A little convenient

00:39:07to say he'd fallen

00:39:08into the deepest part

00:39:10of the lake

00:39:10where a body

00:39:11might never be found?

00:39:13That is,

00:39:14if Larry was in

00:39:15the lake at all,

00:39:16so cold

00:39:18and deep

00:39:19like betrayal.

00:39:23Coming up,

00:39:24one mystery solved.

00:39:26Her reaction

00:39:27when she learned

00:39:28that his body

00:39:28had been found?

00:39:29She became

00:39:30pretty shut down.

00:39:32She said,

00:39:33I have this plan

00:39:34that I'm gonna

00:39:35disappear.

00:39:37When Dateline continues.

00:39:50They took Lori Eisenberg

00:39:52to the Kootenay County Jail

00:39:53after her arrest

00:39:54for theft and fraud.

00:39:56But she wasn't there long.

00:39:58Since Lori's alleged crimes

00:40:00were financial,

00:40:01her assets were frozen,

00:40:02thus she asked Chrislyn

00:40:04to co-sign bail

00:40:06so she could be released

00:40:08from jail.

00:40:08Her bond

00:40:09was for $75,000

00:40:11and then we had

00:40:12to have a 10% deposit

00:40:13at the time

00:40:15to be paid

00:40:16and it was,

00:40:17yeah,

00:40:18it was a very stressful time.

00:40:19Given your whole background,

00:40:21your ethos,

00:40:22your family,

00:40:22your time of life

00:40:23to find yourself

00:40:24sitting in a bail bondsman's office

00:40:26signing papers

00:40:27for a $75,000 bond

00:40:28for your mother.

00:40:30Crazy.

00:40:31Yeah,

00:40:32it was unreal.

00:40:33Chrislyn paid

00:40:34and Lori went home

00:40:36to Cougar Gulch,

00:40:37her next court appearance,

00:40:39weeks away.

00:40:39Meanwhile,

00:40:40the police were still

00:40:41searching for Larry

00:40:42out in the lake.

00:40:43They weren't giving up.

00:40:45They'd even brought in

00:40:46some high-tech sonar gear,

00:40:48lowered it down

00:40:49to the depths

00:40:50of Powderhorn Bay,

00:40:51well over a hundred feet down.

00:40:53Again and again,

00:40:55they scoured the bottom.

00:40:57No Larry.

00:40:59But as they searched,

00:41:00said Chrislyn,

00:41:01her mother Lori

00:41:02began to worry

00:41:03that somebody

00:41:04would try to make it

00:41:05look like she

00:41:06was somehow responsible

00:41:08for Larry's accident.

00:41:09Her anxiety

00:41:10and fear

00:41:11of being framed

00:41:12and being arrested again

00:41:14was so heightened.

00:41:16Something was very wrong

00:41:18with all of this,

00:41:19Lori told her daughters.

00:41:21Somebody,

00:41:21for some reason,

00:41:22was obviously

00:41:23trying to frame her.

00:41:25It got to the point

00:41:26where she said,

00:41:28I cannot be here anymore.

00:41:29I cannot be

00:41:30in this house anymore.

00:41:31They are going

00:41:32to come and get me.

00:41:33I'm worried every moment

00:41:34they're going to come

00:41:35and arrest me.

00:41:36So she wanted to get out.

00:41:37What did you do?

00:41:38So, yeah,

00:41:39that day we started

00:41:41packing the house.

00:41:42She said she never

00:41:42wanted to come back again

00:41:44and we booked a hotel,

00:41:48you know,

00:41:49in Spokane.

00:41:50But just as Lori

00:41:52and Chrislyn

00:41:52drove away from the house,

00:41:54the phone rang.

00:41:56It was a detective

00:41:58by that time

00:41:59they'd stopped

00:41:59looking for Larry

00:42:00had packed away

00:42:02the sonar machine.

00:42:04So what could it be?

00:42:06And I was really excited

00:42:09and I went to grab my phone

00:42:10and answer it

00:42:11and my mom just said,

00:42:13do not answer that.

00:42:14They've probably found his body

00:42:16and I don't want to,

00:42:16I don't want to,

00:42:17they're going to get me,

00:42:18they're going to get me.

00:42:18Hello, Chris,

00:42:19I'm the detective

00:42:20with Cootan County

00:42:21that's handling

00:42:21your father's case

00:42:23and I'm trying

00:42:23to get in touch

00:42:24with Lori

00:42:24and it's kind of important.

00:42:29Early that same afternoon,

00:42:31March 1st,

00:42:32two and a half weeks

00:42:33after Larry's disappearance,

00:42:35what was that

00:42:36in the water?

00:42:37A local resident

00:42:38called it in,

00:42:39something,

00:42:40just below the lakefront houses,

00:42:42on the shoreline.

00:42:44A team was dispatched,

00:42:45a team that could see right away.

00:42:48It was a body,

00:42:49a human body

00:42:51and upon inspection

00:42:53that it was quite unmistakably

00:42:5568-year-old Larry Eisenberg.

00:42:58Deepwater sonar

00:42:59had failed to find him

00:43:01but the lake

00:43:02had given him up anyway.

00:43:05That was the important news

00:43:07the detective was calling about.

00:43:08Her reaction

00:43:09when she learned

00:43:10that it was,

00:43:11that his body had been found,

00:43:13how did she handle it?

00:43:15She became

00:43:16pretty shut down.

00:43:18By the time we got

00:43:19to the hotel,

00:43:20she was not talking.

00:43:23It was very confusing.

00:43:25Did Lori ask

00:43:26to turn around

00:43:27and head back

00:43:28to the lake

00:43:29or the sheriff's office

00:43:30to learn more?

00:43:32No, she did not.

00:43:33It was all about

00:43:34her worries

00:43:35and her comfort

00:43:36and her problems.

00:43:38Within a day,

00:43:39an autopsy had been done.

00:43:40And sure enough,

00:43:41the medical examiner

00:43:42found no water

00:43:44in Larry's lungs.

00:43:45So, something,

00:43:47a heart attack,

00:43:48stroke,

00:43:48as Lori suggested,

00:43:49something else

00:43:50must have killed him

00:43:51before he hit the water.

00:43:54Classification of death

00:43:55undetermined.

00:43:56More tests were ordered.

00:43:58It's safe to say

00:43:59that Lori's reputation,

00:44:01sullied by the federal charges

00:44:02of fraud and theft,

00:44:03had taken a hit around town.

00:44:05And so,

00:44:07slivers of doubt

00:44:07about Larry's

00:44:08supposed accident

00:44:09grew

00:44:11into giant sequoias

00:44:12of suspicion.

00:44:14Every day

00:44:14that Larry was missing,

00:44:15I would say,

00:44:16come on, Larry.

00:44:17Come on.

00:44:18Because if his body

00:44:19was never found,

00:44:20she could get away

00:44:22with murder.

00:44:23And so,

00:44:23come on, Larry.

00:44:24Come on, come on, come on.

00:44:26Get away with murder?

00:44:28But nothing,

00:44:29not a bit of evidence

00:44:30had surfaced

00:44:31to contradict

00:44:32Lori's explanations

00:44:33of what happened.

00:44:35Suspicion does have

00:44:37a funny way

00:44:37of feeding on itself,

00:44:39but facts are what matter.

00:44:41And as days and weeks

00:44:43and months passed,

00:44:44there were no more charges

00:44:46against Lori of any kind.

00:44:49Beyond the allegations

00:44:50of embezzlement, that is.

00:44:52And while they waited,

00:44:53the extended,

00:44:54blended family

00:44:55tried to make sense

00:44:56of one particular puzzle.

00:44:58Why in the world

00:44:59would Lori want

00:45:00or need to steal money?

00:45:02Larry had never been shy

00:45:04about showing him

00:45:05how well he was doing.

00:45:07I was blown away.

00:45:10Just dumbfounded.

00:45:12Dad had all of us convinced

00:45:13of how well they were doing

00:45:14and just absolutely owning

00:45:15the stock market

00:45:16and how hard he'd worked

00:45:18and the fruits of his labors.

00:45:19There was absolutely no reason

00:45:22for her to be stealing the money.

00:45:23There was none.

00:45:24Is that something

00:45:25you would ever have ascribed

00:45:26to Lori in the first place?

00:45:27I wouldn't have put it past her.

00:45:30Wouldn't put it past her?

00:45:32What did he mean by that?

00:45:34Well,

00:45:36Lori's curious quirk.

00:45:38The kids knew all about it.

00:45:39So did Larry.

00:45:40And he found it more amusing

00:45:42than anything.

00:45:43Like the time he told his kids

00:45:45what Lori did

00:45:46when she lost a job once

00:45:47and wasn't allowed

00:45:48to take away the materials

00:45:49she had been working on.

00:45:50So she devised a plan

00:45:53to sneak into the building

00:45:55in the middle of the night,

00:45:57break into the building

00:45:58in the middle of the night.

00:45:59Wow.

00:45:59I mean,

00:46:00the way he told it,

00:46:01it sounded like

00:46:01a Mission Impossible story.

00:46:03You know,

00:46:03she dressed all in black

00:46:04and she was crawling

00:46:05through the hallways

00:46:06and she got what was hers.

00:46:08She made it back out

00:46:09undetected.

00:46:11I mean,

00:46:12my jaw was just like

00:46:13on the floor

00:46:14and Larry was just glowing

00:46:16and he was just laughing

00:46:18and he was,

00:46:19yep,

00:46:20that's my Lori.

00:46:21If the rules were stupid,

00:46:23she could get around

00:46:23those rules

00:46:24and he admired that.

00:46:25Yes,

00:46:26absolutely.

00:46:26And everybody would laugh

00:46:28and you know,

00:46:28that's just mom.

00:46:30You know,

00:46:31stupid rules.

00:46:32And yeah,

00:46:34he found it charming.

00:46:37A month after Larry's body

00:46:39washed up on shore,

00:46:41Lori's hatred of stupid rules

00:46:43again became clear.

00:46:46She like looped her arm in mine

00:46:47and she said,

00:46:50the police are going to say

00:46:52terrible things about me.

00:46:55They believe that I killed Larry

00:46:57and they're going to say

00:46:58anything they want

00:46:59to make it look that way.

00:47:01Like,

00:47:02she feels like

00:47:02her only two options

00:47:03are to go to prison forever

00:47:06or to kill herself.

00:47:09And she said,

00:47:10but then I got to thinking

00:47:11about it

00:47:12and I realized

00:47:12I don't really have to die.

00:47:14I can just make everybody

00:47:15believe that I died.

00:47:17So I have this plan

00:47:19that I'm going to disappear

00:47:22and I'm going to stage a suicide

00:47:26and nobody will ever find a body.

00:47:28She told me that

00:47:29that's probably the last time

00:47:30I'm ever going to see her.

00:47:32So she was saying goodbye?

00:47:33It was at that moment.

00:47:34Mm-hmm.

00:47:35You're faced with that moment

00:47:36of, you know,

00:47:39this is the last time

00:47:40I'm going to see my mom.

00:47:42I'm never going to know

00:47:43if she's alive

00:47:44or if she's dead.

00:47:46But Laurie didn't leave right away,

00:47:48still planning apparently,

00:47:50when a month later,

00:47:52Krystalyn got a call

00:47:53from an unidentified number.

00:47:55It happened to be my mom

00:47:56mom and she told me that she needed to leave

00:48:01and that we may never see her again.

00:48:04And then I just said,

00:48:06Mom, I will fight for you.

00:48:09I believe that truth will win

00:48:13and I will fight for you.

00:48:16Don't do this.

00:48:17Don't quit.

00:48:18And she said,

00:48:19I'm so sorry,

00:48:20I have to do this.

00:48:22And I said,

00:48:23okay,

00:48:24but you're on a bail

00:48:26and I'm responsible for you.

00:48:28And she said,

00:48:29it's okay.

00:48:30We have it all taken care of.

00:48:32She said,

00:48:34we've changed the bail

00:48:35over to your aunt.

00:48:38Everything will be fine.

00:48:39You're not responsible for anything.

00:48:42But maybe that whole bail thing

00:48:44was just another stupid rule.

00:48:46Because on May 25th,

00:48:48surrounded by the stately oaks

00:48:50and the grounds

00:48:50of the nearly 100-year-old

00:48:52Kootenay County Courthouse,

00:48:53when the judge called Laurie's name,

00:48:56she was not there.

00:49:00She'd skipped her bail.

00:49:04Coming up,

00:49:05Laurie didn't know

00:49:07that dog the bounty hunter

00:49:09would soon be asking

00:49:10to track her down.

00:49:12I had dog's contract in hand.

00:49:29Laurie Eisenberg's daughter,

00:49:31Chrislyn,

00:49:31was occupied.

00:49:33That last week of May 2018,

00:49:36two kids to care for

00:49:37and just weeks

00:49:38from giving birth

00:49:39to her third.

00:49:41And so,

00:49:42in that busy swirl

00:49:43of beginnings,

00:49:44she missed the call

00:49:46that went straight to voicemail.

00:49:49Hi, Chris,

00:49:49this is Chris.

00:49:50We're at Chris and Lee's bail bonds.

00:49:52She was puzzled

00:49:53when she played it back,

00:49:55then called the bail bondsman.

00:49:57And he said,

00:49:58where's your mother?

00:49:59And I said,

00:50:00what are you talking about?

00:50:02And he said,

00:50:02she didn't show up

00:50:03to court today.

00:50:05And I said,

00:50:06well,

00:50:07she also told me

00:50:08I'm not responsible

00:50:09for her anymore.

00:50:11So I've been taken care of.

00:50:12And he said,

00:50:14so sorry,

00:50:15you are responsible

00:50:16for your mom.

00:50:19Responsible for what exactly?

00:50:21Altogether,

00:50:22a bundle,

00:50:24$75,000 cash.

00:50:26And just to start,

00:50:28another $17,000

00:50:30in fees and costs

00:50:31to find Lori

00:50:32and bring her in.

00:50:34Around that time,

00:50:35I think,

00:50:35Chrysalin began to realize

00:50:36just what her mom had done.

00:50:39This is Chris Skinner,

00:50:40the bail bondsman.

00:50:42As Agatha Christie would put it,

00:50:44the scales fell from her eyes

00:50:46and she saw her mother

00:50:49in a different light.

00:50:50Yeah.

00:50:52I realized

00:50:53I had just completely,

00:50:55completely been manipulated

00:50:57by my mother.

00:50:58Again.

00:50:59And she didn't care.

00:51:01Didn't care?

00:51:03That's why,

00:51:04with Lori on the lam,

00:51:06her former boss,

00:51:07Carrie Thorison,

00:51:08felt this

00:51:09scary little itch

00:51:11in her back.

00:51:13I felt very

00:51:16exposed

00:51:16if somebody wanted

00:51:18to blame the fact

00:51:19that Lori was

00:51:20in trouble

00:51:21on someone,

00:51:22they could blame it on me.

00:51:24Sure.

00:51:25It was a frightening time.

00:51:28Yeah.

00:51:28You never know

00:51:29who's coming for you.

00:51:29Yeah,

00:51:30because I didn't know

00:51:31who helped her

00:51:32and I didn't know

00:51:33where she was.

00:51:35So finding

00:51:35where Lori was

00:51:37was now up to

00:51:38Chris Skinner.

00:51:39You're the bail bondsman.

00:51:40You don't do

00:51:41the actual looking

00:51:42if somebody

00:51:42doesn't survive.

00:51:43Typically not.

00:51:44We hire people

00:51:45to do that.

00:51:45I had a local recovery agent.

00:51:47They like to be called

00:51:48recovery agents

00:51:48instead of bounty hunters.

00:51:49It does sound

00:51:50more sophisticated,

00:51:51doesn't it?

00:51:51Kind of,

00:51:52we're civilized.

00:51:53I'm a recovery agent.

00:51:54Exactly.

00:51:54That's the goal,

00:51:55is to make it

00:51:55so it's not so wild west.

00:51:57Where to start?

00:51:59Well,

00:52:00as a condition of bail,

00:52:01Lori had provided

00:52:02a contact phone number.

00:52:05But?

00:52:06We would call

00:52:07the number

00:52:07and it wasn't

00:52:08Lori's number.

00:52:08It was another person

00:52:10entirely.

00:52:11And that person

00:52:12claimed not to know Lori.

00:52:14Skinner said

00:52:15his people traced

00:52:16the number to Seattle,

00:52:17five hours away

00:52:18from Coeur d'Alene.

00:52:20Lori was as clever

00:52:21on the lam

00:52:22as she'd been

00:52:23with the company books.

00:52:24It turned out

00:52:25that Lori had been

00:52:28moving around

00:52:29Seattle area

00:52:29and this was a number

00:52:30for a taxi cab.

00:52:31And she'd been using

00:52:33the taxi cab

00:52:34drivers

00:52:36phone

00:52:36to call in

00:52:37and do various business

00:52:38including calling us

00:52:39and checking in.

00:52:40So I'm going to let you know

00:52:41I am video recording

00:52:42and audio recording.

00:52:43It's part of the law.

00:52:44So agents pinged

00:52:45the location of that phone

00:52:47to this home in Seattle

00:52:49assumed

00:52:49this is where Lori was.

00:52:52You're seeing the location

00:52:53of ping as of right here?

00:52:54Yes.

00:52:55As of right now?

00:52:56As of right now.

00:52:57Within 15 minutes

00:52:58before I knocked on the door.

00:52:59After a thorough search

00:53:00of the house

00:53:01the agents found

00:53:02no sign of Lori.

00:53:06But then

00:53:07they found another number

00:53:09linked to Lori

00:53:09and that one led them

00:53:11way down to

00:53:12Southern California.

00:53:13Here to Temecula.

00:53:16Home as it turned out

00:53:17to Lori's closest sister

00:53:19Jamie.

00:53:21But though they kept

00:53:22a careful watch

00:53:23they didn't see

00:53:24any sign of Lori.

00:53:26Nothing.

00:53:27Then about six weeks

00:53:29after Lori vanished

00:53:30Chris Skinner

00:53:31got a call

00:53:32that would

00:53:33as they say

00:53:34up the ante.

00:53:37Dog actually

00:53:38contacted our office

00:53:39looking to

00:53:40get involved

00:53:41in finding Lori.

00:53:42That's Dog

00:53:44as in

00:53:44Dog the Bounty Hunter.

00:53:46No need for niceties

00:53:48like recovery agent

00:53:49in the case

00:53:50of the reality TV star.

00:53:52His fee starts

00:53:54at $10,000.

00:53:56Billed to

00:53:57who you'll remember

00:53:57Lori's daughter

00:53:59Chrislyn

00:53:59was days away

00:54:01from giving birth

00:54:03betrayed

00:54:03by her own mother.

00:54:05All the fees

00:54:06for him

00:54:07were going to be

00:54:07on me

00:54:08and my husband

00:54:09on top of the bail.

00:54:10What was that like?

00:54:11It was awful.

00:54:12You know

00:54:13when you put yourself

00:54:14out there

00:54:15for somebody else

00:54:16just to find out

00:54:18that they don't care

00:54:19if they hurt you

00:54:20or turn on you

00:54:22it's very painful.

00:54:23So I had Dog's

00:54:24contract in hand.

00:54:25The story had already

00:54:26started getting

00:54:26national attention

00:54:27and so

00:54:28there was a chance

00:54:29that we'd get

00:54:29a little more

00:54:30notoriety about it

00:54:31and maybe get her

00:54:32picked up that way.

00:54:36But just as

00:54:38Chris Skinner

00:54:38prepared to hire Dog

00:54:39he got a call

00:54:41from a Coeur d'Alene

00:54:42attorney

00:54:43with a surprise.

00:54:45He called me directly

00:54:46and said

00:54:46Lori is in my office

00:54:48and she's going

00:54:49to turn in.

00:54:51And you know

00:54:52I didn't ask

00:54:52very many questions

00:54:53I just said

00:54:53okay

00:54:54and I called

00:54:55one of my guys

00:54:56and had them

00:54:57go down to

00:54:57the office.

00:54:58Because you didn't

00:54:59believe it

00:54:59necessarily.

00:55:01Until she was

00:55:02in custody

00:55:02I didn't necessarily

00:55:03believe it

00:55:03because she'd been

00:55:04slippery and calculated.

00:55:06Skinner's agent

00:55:07shot the video

00:55:08you're seeing now

00:55:09and there they are.

00:55:11Sister Jamie

00:55:12the lawyer

00:55:13and the elusive

00:55:14Lori Eisenberg.

00:55:17After a short

00:55:18drive to the

00:55:19Kootenay County Jail

00:55:20Lori

00:55:20tanned

00:55:21rested

00:55:22and apparently

00:55:23ready to face

00:55:24the music

00:55:24turned herself in.

00:55:27Why?

00:55:29I think

00:55:30she was hoping

00:55:31that she would

00:55:31just do her time

00:55:32for the financial

00:55:33end of things

00:55:33and be done

00:55:34with it.

00:55:35And why not?

00:55:36For all the talk

00:55:38and suspicion

00:55:38for all the locals

00:55:40who looked

00:55:41to that former

00:55:41paragon of civic

00:55:43duty with a new

00:55:44more jaundiced eye

00:55:46the investigation

00:55:47into Larry's death

00:55:49had gone pretty

00:55:50much nowhere

00:55:52though Larry

00:55:53himself might

00:55:54have something

00:55:55to say

00:55:55about that.

00:55:58Coming up

00:56:00Message in a Bottle

00:56:02Eureka!

00:56:03Yeah, it was just

00:56:04one of those

00:56:04Eureka moments.

00:56:06When Dateline

00:56:07continues

00:56:22Here was

00:56:25Lori

00:56:25Eisenberg

00:56:26back

00:56:27behind bars.

00:56:28I'm just

00:56:29trying to go

00:56:30over the version

00:56:31that I have

00:56:31and ensure

00:56:32that it's correct.

00:56:33But as the probe

00:56:34into Larry's death

00:56:34hadn't entirely

00:56:35gone away,

00:56:36local detectives

00:56:37looked at this

00:56:38as an opportunity

00:56:39to ask Lori

00:56:40a few more questions.

00:56:42Not about stealing

00:56:43money,

00:56:43about Larry.

00:56:45Or,

00:56:46as it turned out,

00:56:47not.

00:56:48I think if you're

00:56:49going to start

00:56:50asking me

00:56:50questions like that,

00:56:51I should have

00:56:52no attorney here.

00:56:54That went nowhere,

00:56:56as apparently

00:56:57did any

00:56:58sustained investigation

00:56:59of what happened

00:57:00to Larry.

00:57:03And then,

00:57:05remember this guy,

00:57:06Brad Maskell?

00:57:08He mostly retired

00:57:10from the force,

00:57:11but was available

00:57:12if needed.

00:57:14He was.

00:57:15They put him

00:57:16in charge.

00:57:18So what was

00:57:19his first thought

00:57:19when he heard

00:57:20about the misadventure

00:57:21on the lake?

00:57:22I think,

00:57:23like everybody else

00:57:24in the area,

00:57:25you know,

00:57:25everybody's reaction

00:57:26would be,

00:57:27what the heck

00:57:28are they doing

00:57:28going out on the lake

00:57:30in 20-degree weather

00:57:32in February?

00:57:34And why at 6.40

00:57:35that morning?

00:57:37That was when,

00:57:38as Lori told

00:57:39the police,

00:57:40her husband,

00:57:41Larry,

00:57:42took this sunrise

00:57:43photo and sent

00:57:44it to the

00:57:45kids.

00:57:46Did you take it

00:57:47or did he take it?

00:57:47What?

00:57:48The picture.

00:57:49Oh, he did.

00:57:50Okay.

00:57:51Quite definitive

00:57:52about that,

00:57:54Larry took the picture,

00:57:55but there are ways

00:57:57of checking,

00:57:58of course,

00:57:59and...

00:58:00The metadata

00:58:01on the image

00:58:02connects it

00:58:04to Lori's phone.

00:58:05That image

00:58:07was airdropped

00:58:08or transferred

00:58:09onto Larry's phone

00:58:10to look like

00:58:11Larry was sending

00:58:12that image.

00:58:13And if she was

00:58:14lying about that,

00:58:15which clearly she was,

00:58:17then Detective Maskell

00:58:18needed to know.

00:58:19What else

00:58:20was she lying about?

00:58:22And to whom?

00:58:25Revelations.

00:58:26Lori, it turned out,

00:58:28lied quite a lot.

00:58:29Like the day

00:58:30her boss

00:58:31wanted to meet

00:58:32about awkward

00:58:33financial matters.

00:58:35She had said

00:58:37that she

00:58:38was sorry

00:58:40for being

00:58:40so frazzled,

00:58:42but she had

00:58:43to go to Utah

00:58:44and be

00:58:45with her grandchild

00:58:47who was

00:58:48terminally ill.

00:58:49And so,

00:58:51it's like,

00:58:52oh my gosh,

00:58:53yes, go.

00:58:54Who do we

00:58:55appreciate?

00:58:57Grandpa!

00:58:59In fact,

00:59:00Lori even lied

00:59:01to her own family

00:59:02during that

00:59:03first family trip

00:59:04to Florida,

00:59:05the one in which

00:59:05Chrislyn had learned

00:59:06so much about

00:59:07Larry's financial

00:59:08planning skills.

00:59:10By this time,

00:59:11she knew

00:59:12the walls

00:59:13were closing in

00:59:14on her.

00:59:15She knew

00:59:16of all of her lies.

00:59:17She also knew

00:59:18that she was

00:59:19being caught.

00:59:21You have to wonder

00:59:22what was going on

00:59:23inside of her.

00:59:24Oh, yes,

00:59:25it keeps me

00:59:27up at night.

00:59:28It was soon

00:59:29after that trip

00:59:30that Lori was fired,

00:59:31but still,

00:59:32she kept the secret

00:59:34from Larry.

00:59:35And that's when,

00:59:37remember,

00:59:38Lori suddenly decided

00:59:39they were going

00:59:39back to Florida

00:59:40to watch that

00:59:41rocket launch.

00:59:43It was for Larry,

00:59:45she lied,

00:59:46because it was

00:59:47on his bucket list.

00:59:49But Detective Maskell

00:59:51suspected that

00:59:52a deep dive

00:59:53into Lori's

00:59:54pre-trip Google

00:59:55searches might

00:59:56offer a more

00:59:56honest motivation.

00:59:59And,

01:00:00my, my.

01:00:02Lori begins

01:00:03to search

01:00:04for information

01:00:06specific to

01:00:07drownings

01:00:08in the Florida

01:00:09area,

01:00:10and the water

01:00:11currents,

01:00:12and the depths

01:00:13in the area,

01:00:15and also

01:00:16for information

01:00:17as to

01:00:19where

01:00:20the deepest

01:00:21water was,

01:00:23just offshore

01:00:24from where

01:00:25they were at.

01:00:25This is very,

01:00:26very specific

01:00:27information.

01:00:28Right.

01:00:28The sort of thing

01:00:29some tourist

01:00:30is not going

01:00:31to ask for.

01:00:32Right.

01:00:32You know,

01:00:32she wasn't

01:00:34Googling

01:00:35what a ticket's

01:00:36cost at Disney World

01:00:37in Orlando.

01:00:38All of which

01:00:40brought to mind

01:00:40that curious

01:00:41email Larry

01:00:42sent his doctor

01:00:43during that

01:00:44very trip.

01:00:45The one

01:00:46on which he

01:00:46described feeling

01:00:47awful,

01:00:48quite fluish,

01:00:49the shakes,

01:00:50terrible equilibrium,

01:00:51foggy brain.

01:00:53There's a possibility

01:00:55that that lightheadedness

01:00:57may have been

01:00:57something other

01:00:58than the flu.

01:00:59Now,

01:01:00why would he say

01:01:01that?

01:01:02Well,

01:01:03as he dug

01:01:04through photos

01:01:05taken the day

01:01:05Larry went overboard,

01:01:06Maskell found

01:01:07this,

01:01:08a bottle

01:01:09in Larry's

01:01:10truck console.

01:01:12And we were

01:01:13able to identify

01:01:14that bottle

01:01:14clearly

01:01:15as Kirkland

01:01:17brand

01:01:17Benadryl.

01:01:18And it was

01:01:19only because

01:01:20I'm familiar

01:01:21with that

01:01:21particular brand

01:01:22because I

01:01:24see it in

01:01:25my own

01:01:25medicine cabinet

01:01:26from time

01:01:27to time

01:01:27that I

01:01:28immediately

01:01:29recognized

01:01:29that as

01:01:30a Benadryl

01:01:30bottle

01:01:31and it

01:01:31clearly

01:01:31that's

01:01:32what it

01:01:32was,

01:01:32was Benadryl.

01:01:34Eureka.

01:01:35Yeah,

01:01:35it was just

01:01:36one of those

01:01:36Eureka moments.

01:01:38Yes,

01:01:39but what did

01:01:39that Eureka

01:01:40mean?

01:01:41Had Larry

01:01:41taken one

01:01:42too many

01:01:42Benadryl?

01:01:44Which,

01:01:44if you don't

01:01:45know,

01:01:45is an antihistamine

01:01:46known to make

01:01:47you drowsy.

01:01:48Did it

01:01:48make him

01:01:49so dizzy

01:01:50he toppled

01:01:50over,

01:01:51fell out

01:01:51of the boat?

01:01:52And then,

01:01:53as those

01:01:54questions were

01:01:55banging around

01:01:55in Maskell's

01:01:56brain,

01:01:57he saw

01:01:58the toxicology

01:01:59report.

01:02:00And?

01:02:02Oh,

01:02:02there was

01:02:03diphenhydramine

01:02:04or Benadryl

01:02:05in Larry's

01:02:05system,

01:02:06all right.

01:02:06But Larry

01:02:07didn't take

01:02:08one too

01:02:09many Benadryl.

01:02:10The lab

01:02:11found a level

01:02:12of the drug

01:02:12that was,

01:02:13according to a

01:02:14forensic toxicologist

01:02:15we asked,

01:02:16consistent with

01:02:17a large

01:02:18overdose.

01:02:19so a person

01:02:21with that

01:02:21kind of

01:02:22drug

01:02:23and that

01:02:25much of it

01:02:25in his

01:02:26system,

01:02:27what sort

01:02:27of state

01:02:28would he be

01:02:28in?

01:02:29Stumbling,

01:02:30dizzy,

01:02:32foggy headed.

01:02:34Basically,

01:02:35it's a delirium

01:02:36that you go

01:02:37into.

01:02:38What Larry's

01:02:39son Dean

01:02:39found out?

01:02:41Oh boy.

01:02:43I know

01:02:43I was yelling

01:02:44and just

01:02:46blind rage

01:02:46inside my

01:02:47pickup,

01:02:48just screaming

01:02:49for all I

01:02:49was worth.

01:02:50Just,

01:02:51you know,

01:02:52it's official.

01:02:53There's no

01:02:53hiding it.

01:02:54He was 100%

01:02:54poisoned.

01:02:55She killed

01:02:56him.

01:02:57Why haven't

01:02:57the police

01:02:58brought charges

01:02:59yet?

01:03:00It's like,

01:03:00why don't they

01:03:01charge her?

01:03:02Why don't they

01:03:02charge her?

01:03:02Why don't they

01:03:03charge her?

01:03:03Good questions.

01:03:06The detective

01:03:07thought he just

01:03:08might have

01:03:09some answers.

01:03:12Coming up,

01:03:13a motive for

01:03:14murder?

01:03:15If Larry had

01:03:17found out that

01:03:18your mother had

01:03:19been embezzling,

01:03:20he would have

01:03:20tossed her out

01:03:21on her ass.

01:03:35The medical

01:03:36examiner was

01:03:37unequivocal.

01:03:38Larry Eisenberg's

01:03:40body sank to

01:03:41the bottom of

01:03:41Lake Coeur d'Alene

01:03:42on a frigid

01:03:43morning in

01:03:43February.

01:03:44It was

01:03:45chock-a-block

01:03:45with diphenhydramine,

01:03:47commonly known

01:03:48as Benadryl.

01:03:50But an expert

01:03:51in forensic

01:03:51toxicology we

01:03:52consulted said

01:03:53it wasn't the

01:03:54Benadryl that

01:03:54killed Larry.

01:03:56Rather,

01:03:56the drug at

01:03:57that level

01:03:57would have

01:03:58induced a

01:03:58kind of

01:03:59delirium,

01:04:00which would

01:04:01have rendered

01:04:01Larry dizzy,

01:04:03foggy-headed,

01:04:04utterly compliant,

01:04:06and unable to

01:04:07function properly

01:04:08at all.

01:04:09In a defenseless

01:04:10state like that,

01:04:11would Laurie

01:04:12have had a reason

01:04:13to do something

01:04:14to Larry?

01:04:15Detective Brad

01:04:16Maskell

01:04:16certainly thought

01:04:18so.

01:04:19Because on

01:04:20that very same

01:04:21cold February

01:04:22morning,

01:04:22the headline

01:04:23in the

01:04:23Coeur d'Alene

01:04:24press was going

01:04:25to give the

01:04:25game away.

01:04:27Laurie was

01:04:27fired,

01:04:28a disgraced

01:04:30embezzler.

01:04:31I mean,

01:04:32is it just

01:04:32a coincidence

01:04:33that suddenly

01:04:35the secret

01:04:35that she was

01:04:36keeping from

01:04:37Larry was

01:04:37going to be

01:04:38revealed on

01:04:39the very day

01:04:40that she

01:04:42convinces him

01:04:43to take her

01:04:43out on the

01:04:44lake in

01:04:44February in

01:04:4617-degree weather?

01:04:48Probably not,

01:04:49because the

01:04:51detective found

01:04:51that on that

01:04:52one issue,

01:04:54there was no

01:04:55disagreement.

01:04:56If Larry

01:04:57had found out

01:04:59that your

01:04:59mother had been

01:05:00embezzling from

01:05:01this organization,

01:05:03what would

01:05:03he have done?

01:05:04It's hard to

01:05:05believe that he

01:05:06would have

01:05:06stayed with

01:05:07her.

01:05:07He would have

01:05:08left her.

01:05:09He would have

01:05:10tossed her out

01:05:10on her ass.

01:05:11You think he

01:05:12would have

01:05:12tossed her out

01:05:13on her butt?

01:05:14I 100% believe it.

01:05:15She cheated like that.

01:05:16Yeah.

01:05:16It's like,

01:05:17get out of my

01:05:18life, you're

01:05:19an embarrassment.

01:05:20She knew that

01:05:21there was no way

01:05:23he would be able

01:05:24to stomach what

01:05:25she had been

01:05:26doing, and she

01:05:27was left with

01:05:28no choice but

01:05:29to eliminate

01:05:30him.

01:05:31So the

01:05:32question's then,

01:05:34how did Larry

01:05:35ingest so much

01:05:36of that drug,

01:05:37and when?

01:05:38The detective

01:05:39wondered, has

01:05:40she somehow

01:05:41poisoned Larry

01:05:42before he

01:05:43arrived at the

01:05:43lake?

01:05:44Was Larry

01:05:45dead on

01:05:45arrival?

01:05:47No.

01:05:48He found

01:05:49proof that

01:05:50Larry was

01:05:50alive when

01:05:51the boat was

01:05:51launched, because

01:05:52when Laurie

01:05:53took that

01:05:54photo at

01:05:54Sunup Bay,

01:05:55the iPhone's

01:05:56live feature,

01:05:57which animates

01:05:58stills for

01:05:59three seconds,

01:06:00captured this

01:06:01in the

01:06:01background.

01:06:02All the way

01:06:03at the back

01:06:03end of the

01:06:04silver boat.

01:06:04That's Larry's

01:06:06voice, his

01:06:07friends and

01:06:07family confirmed.

01:06:08So then the

01:06:10question was,

01:06:11how did Laurie

01:06:12get Larry to

01:06:13ingest so much

01:06:14Benadryl,

01:06:16well out on

01:06:16the boat?

01:06:17Truly a

01:06:18puzzle, until

01:06:20Detective

01:06:20Maskell looked

01:06:21again at a

01:06:22photo responding

01:06:23cops took of

01:06:24the inside of

01:06:25Laurie's purse.

01:06:27See that

01:06:28bottle buried

01:06:29down there?

01:06:30Naked juice.

01:06:32So after they

01:06:33launched the

01:06:33boat, I

01:06:35believe they

01:06:36were probably

01:06:37cruising along

01:06:38the shoreline.

01:06:39Larry consumed

01:06:40some of the

01:06:41drink from the

01:06:42bottle that

01:06:42Laurie had,

01:06:43the bottle that

01:06:44was loaded with

01:06:45the Benadryl.

01:06:46And I know

01:06:47from my

01:06:47experience that

01:06:48that takes

01:06:49effect very

01:06:49quickly.

01:06:51Some detectives

01:06:52read the

01:06:52research.

01:06:54Maskell

01:06:55experimented with

01:06:56the drug on

01:06:57himself.

01:06:59Now why the

01:07:00hell would

01:07:01you do that?

01:07:02I know a lot

01:07:03of people would

01:07:03think I'm nuts,

01:07:04but what I

01:07:05found was within

01:07:06about 10

01:07:07minutes I was

01:07:08able to

01:07:08completely

01:07:09dissolve those

01:07:10pills into

01:07:11that solution.

01:07:12so what I

01:07:13wanted to know

01:07:14at that point

01:07:15is, well,

01:07:16what did it

01:07:16taste like?

01:07:17There was

01:07:18kind of this

01:07:18sweetness, and

01:07:20then you would

01:07:21begin to detect

01:07:22the medicine

01:07:23flavor.

01:07:23And so what I

01:07:25kind of surmised

01:07:26from that, a

01:07:27lot of guys,

01:07:28when they're

01:07:28handed a drink,

01:07:30you know, they'll

01:07:30glug down a few

01:07:31glugs of that

01:07:32stuff, you bet.

01:07:33And if Larry

01:07:34did that, the

01:07:35detective theorized.

01:07:36He may have

01:07:37stumbled and

01:07:39possibly fallen

01:07:40against that

01:07:41ignition key

01:07:41knocking that

01:07:42kill switch out

01:07:44of there in his

01:07:45delirium, or

01:07:46possibly the two

01:07:48of them may have

01:07:48had some sort

01:07:49of a struggle.

01:07:52Something caused

01:07:53her to bang her

01:07:54face, get the

01:07:55bloody nose, the

01:07:57bloodstains are in

01:07:57the boat, and

01:07:59then ultimately he

01:08:00goes overboard.

01:08:01But murder, if

01:08:03that's what it was,

01:08:04rarely runs smooth

01:08:06I believe it's

01:08:07possible that the

01:08:11intent Laurie may

01:08:12have had was to get

01:08:13Larry further out

01:08:14into the lake where

01:08:15there's deeper water.

01:08:17However, I believe he

01:08:19came under the

01:08:19effect of that

01:08:20medication possibly a

01:08:21little earlier than

01:08:22what she might have

01:08:23expected, ultimately

01:08:25leading him to fall

01:08:27into the lake or be

01:08:28pushed into the lake

01:08:29and submerge in water

01:08:30that's not nearly as

01:08:31deep as where the

01:08:32main channel is.

01:08:38The boat's dead in the

01:08:39water.

01:08:40It's dead in the water

01:08:41because the key had

01:08:42been damaged, the

01:08:43kill switch had been

01:08:44pulled from the console.

01:08:45The only option Laurie

01:08:46had was to utilize the

01:08:48trolling motor on the

01:08:49front of the boat.

01:08:49She did that.

01:08:50She utilized that

01:08:51trolling motor, used it

01:08:53to drive the boat out

01:08:53into the main lake

01:08:54channel, turned the

01:08:55boat towards the north,

01:08:57and got as far away as

01:08:58she could get.

01:09:00Three hours later, the

01:09:01theory went, the boat

01:09:02was dead in the water

01:09:03again when the trolling

01:09:05motor ran out of juice.

01:09:07Here we are at the

01:09:08mouth of Powderhorn Bay.

01:09:10This is where Laurie

01:09:11placed her 911 call from.

01:09:13The problem is, it's

01:09:15over four miles from

01:09:16where we believe Larry

01:09:18entered the water.

01:09:19And that's why the

01:09:20detective thought they

01:09:21couldn't find Larry.

01:09:23Laurie had led

01:09:24searchers miles in the

01:09:26wrong direction and

01:09:27against the lake's

01:09:28current.

01:09:29The divers had no

01:09:30shot of finding his

01:09:31body, but if that was

01:09:33her plan, it was undone

01:09:36when Larry fell into

01:09:37shallower water and

01:09:40thus washed up on shore.

01:09:42This is Kootenay County

01:09:44prosecuting attorney

01:09:45Barry McHugh.

01:09:46The investigators did

01:09:47some great work to

01:09:51disprove her version of

01:09:54where she was when

01:09:56Larry Eisenberg went into

01:09:57the lake versus where

01:09:59he was actually found.

01:10:00even though she tried

01:10:02pretty hard to lead them

01:10:03astray.

01:10:03Correct.

01:10:05And as for Larry's

01:10:07cause of death, well, in

01:10:08the opinions of both the

01:10:09coroner and ME, diphenhydramine

01:10:12toxicity was the cause.

01:10:14The medical examiner's

01:10:15report didn't exclude the

01:10:17possibility that he did

01:10:20drown.

01:10:20And so we were working

01:10:23under the presumption that

01:10:24he may have been alive when

01:10:26he went into the lake and then

01:10:28was unable to help himself

01:10:30and drown.

01:10:33But what about the lack of

01:10:34water in Larry's lungs?

01:10:37I've been involved in death

01:10:39investigation a lot of years

01:10:41and, you know, I've kind of

01:10:42grown to understand that a lot

01:10:45of times things don't happen

01:10:46exactly the way you would

01:10:48expect them to happen.

01:10:49So sometimes there'll be a lot

01:10:52of water ingestion and

01:10:54sometimes there's almost

01:10:56none.

01:10:57Sometimes people in this

01:10:58business would call it a dry

01:11:00drowning.

01:11:01A lot of unusual stuff

01:11:03happens when you

01:11:05investigate death.

01:11:06In February 2020, two years

01:11:10after Larry's death, the

01:11:11prosecuting attorney's office

01:11:13charged Laurie with second

01:11:15degree murder.

01:11:15And then Coeur d'Alene waited

01:11:18for a trial and the story

01:11:20it might tell.

01:11:22But that isn't what happened

01:11:24at all.

01:11:25Though there certainly was

01:11:27a story.

01:11:29Courtesy of the woman who

01:11:30liked to laugh in the face

01:11:32of stupid rules.

01:11:35Coming up.

01:11:37Anything you want to say

01:11:38to anybody?

01:11:40Laurie's day in court

01:11:42and her family's.

01:11:43I wanted her to know

01:11:45and the world to know

01:11:46we loved Larry too.

01:11:49When Dateline continues.

01:12:04Here it was, Laurie

01:12:06Eisenberg's day in court

01:12:08at 67 years old

01:12:10facing the music

01:12:12for murder.

01:12:14Anything you want to say,

01:12:15Laurie?

01:12:17Anything you want to say

01:12:18to anybody?

01:12:20But she did not

01:12:22arrive for a trial.

01:12:24No.

01:12:25Because

01:12:26prosecutor Barry McHugh

01:12:28had offered

01:12:29and she had accepted

01:12:30a deal.

01:12:33Laurie was taking

01:12:33an Alford plea.

01:12:35Meaning she would plead guilty

01:12:37but retained the right

01:12:38to say she didn't do it.

01:12:40Well, I mean,

01:12:42why an Alford plea?

01:12:44I almost prefer

01:12:45an Alford plea

01:12:46from the perspective

01:12:47that it shows

01:12:49a lack of accountability,

01:12:51not taking responsibility

01:12:53for their own conduct

01:12:54and it can really come back

01:12:58to bite them at sentencing.

01:13:00So that's what this was.

01:13:02It was a sentencing hearing.

01:13:04Inside,

01:13:06all socially distanced

01:13:07and waiting,

01:13:08Laurie's former bosses

01:13:09at the non-profit,

01:13:10her two stepchildren,

01:13:12Larry's daughter and son,

01:13:14and just two

01:13:16of her six daughters

01:13:18present for the final act

01:13:20in this

01:13:20family tragedy.

01:13:23I went to her sentencing

01:13:27because I didn't want

01:13:29to live

01:13:29with any more regret.

01:13:32I regret

01:13:34not saying more

01:13:36in the beginning.

01:13:37I regret

01:13:38not talking

01:13:39to the investigators.

01:13:39I regret

01:13:40not standing up

01:13:42for Larry

01:13:42and I wanted her

01:13:44to know

01:13:45and the world

01:13:45to know,

01:13:46no,

01:13:47we loved Larry too

01:13:49and she took him

01:13:51from us too

01:13:52and we do not

01:13:54support her.

01:13:55We do not stand by her.

01:13:58How extraordinary

01:13:59the scene.

01:14:00Family once so close,

01:14:03now sitting just feet away

01:14:05to take their turns at her.

01:14:07This is never something

01:14:08I wanted to do.

01:14:10What was it like doing that?

01:14:11I mean,

01:14:11you were how many feet

01:14:12away from her?

01:14:13Two feet.

01:14:14There was plexiglass

01:14:16between us.

01:14:18She turned into

01:14:19the mother

01:14:19that,

01:14:21you know,

01:14:21she put her shoulders

01:14:23back

01:14:24and put her,

01:14:25looked at me

01:14:25as I was speaking

01:14:26like she was a proud mom

01:14:27and there were moments

01:14:29where I would

01:14:30make eye contact

01:14:31with her

01:14:31and she would be sad

01:14:32and remorseful.

01:14:35It was very weird though.

01:14:37It was very hard.

01:14:39Today we hope

01:14:40and we hope

01:14:41for justice for Larry,

01:14:44the woman I loved,

01:14:45admired,

01:14:46and respected

01:14:47has shown me

01:14:49and everyone affected

01:14:50that she doesn't

01:14:51have an ounce

01:14:52of care

01:14:52for any of us.

01:14:55Larry dedicated

01:14:56his life to Lori.

01:14:58He loved her,

01:14:59he trusted her,

01:15:00and she killed him.

01:15:03See if we can get

01:15:04through this.

01:15:05There certainly

01:15:05was no ambivalence

01:15:06when Larry's son,

01:15:07Dean,

01:15:08faced her down.

01:15:12It felt like my head

01:15:13was going to pop.

01:15:14I cannot begin

01:15:15to fathom

01:15:15the reasoning

01:15:16Lori had for doing

01:15:17what she did to my dad,

01:15:18nor do I want

01:15:19to understand

01:15:20the workings

01:15:20of her mind.

01:15:21I was glad

01:15:22that she was sitting

01:15:23like two feet away

01:15:24from me

01:15:25to say it.

01:15:27I know I speak

01:15:28like dad.

01:15:29I know I articulate

01:15:30like him.

01:15:31So it would be like

01:15:32she was getting

01:15:34chewed out by dad,

01:15:36the person she supposedly

01:15:37loved more than

01:15:38anything in the world,

01:15:39to have him standing

01:15:43up there and saying

01:15:44those things about her.

01:15:46There's also no amount

01:15:47of justice that can be

01:15:48done to make up

01:15:49for the years I will

01:15:49continue to suffer

01:15:50in the future

01:15:51without my best friend

01:15:52and my dad.

01:15:53I was glad I got

01:15:53to do it.

01:15:54It took a huge weight

01:15:55off of my chest

01:15:57for things that I've

01:15:58been wanting to say

01:15:58for three years.

01:16:00But remember,

01:16:01Lori took an

01:16:02Alfred plea.

01:16:03Is there anything

01:16:04that you would like

01:16:05to say on your own

01:16:06behalf?

01:16:06So what would she

01:16:08finally claim happened

01:16:10that cold winter's

01:16:11day on the lake?

01:16:14Oh, she had a story

01:16:15to tell all right.

01:16:17Couldn't help but wonder

01:16:18what Larry might have

01:16:20thought about

01:16:22the punchline.

01:16:24Coming up,

01:16:26Lori says it's finally

01:16:28time to tell the truth.

01:16:30But was it the truth?

01:16:32Well, that's when I'm

01:16:33like, okay,

01:16:34that's a lie.

01:16:48first, I'm very happy

01:16:50to finally be able

01:16:51to tell the families

01:17:00what would happen.

01:17:01when the moment

01:17:03finally arrived

01:17:04for Lori Eisenberg

01:17:05to deliver on

01:17:06her promise.

01:17:07Well, let's just say

01:17:09it certainly didn't go

01:17:10as anyone in the gallery

01:17:12had hoped it would

01:17:12or expected.

01:17:14I want to state

01:17:16emphatically that I am

01:17:17responsible for Larry's

01:17:18death.

01:17:19Absolutely.

01:17:21I'm so sorry for

01:17:23everything I did.

01:17:26Starting with the

01:17:27embezzlement that resulted

01:17:28in the lies, deceit,

01:17:29and ultimate betrayal

01:17:31of the love and the

01:17:33trust of the people

01:17:34I love, especially

01:17:35Larry.

01:17:36So was a full

01:17:37confession coming?

01:17:39Nope.

01:17:40Not at all.

01:17:41I know that Larry

01:17:43would still be alive

01:17:46if it was not for me

01:17:49fixing a drink

01:17:53with Benadryl in it

01:17:54so that I would be able

01:18:01to selfishly and cowardly

01:18:04take my life.

01:18:06If I wouldn't have had

01:18:08that bottle in there,

01:18:10he would not have

01:18:11accidentally drank it.

01:18:13There you have it.

01:18:15Lori fixed the drink

01:18:17to kill herself.

01:18:20But Larry drank it

01:18:21before she could.

01:18:22It was really just

01:18:24an accident.

01:18:26Well, you know,

01:18:28that's when I'm like,

01:18:29okay, that's a lie.

01:18:32You know, because,

01:18:33again, you're looking

01:18:35at all the Google

01:18:36searches that she

01:18:38had been doing,

01:18:38all the things

01:18:39that clearly shows

01:18:41what she was up to.

01:18:46I've had to wear

01:18:46some high-water pants

01:18:48around certain individuals

01:18:49because of the

01:18:49bull crap floating around.

01:18:51At that sentencing,

01:18:52I wish I would have

01:18:53had chest waders

01:18:54and water wings

01:18:55and a snorkel

01:18:56so we didn't all

01:18:57drown in it.

01:18:58After Larry's death,

01:18:5950 minutes,

01:19:00she went on

01:19:02and on

01:19:02and on,

01:19:05all prepared

01:19:06in advance,

01:19:07page after page,

01:19:09as if to drown

01:19:10all murmurs

01:19:11of disbelief

01:19:12and a flood

01:19:12of words.

01:19:14I don't know

01:19:15what more I can say.

01:19:16I'm guilty.

01:19:18I'm sorry.

01:19:20The judge

01:19:21was quicker.

01:19:22Here will be

01:19:23the court sentence.

01:19:24Got right to the point.

01:19:26I will impose

01:19:26a life sentence.

01:19:2830 years

01:19:29fixed

01:19:30of life

01:19:31in prison.

01:19:3330 years

01:19:34without parole,

01:19:35plus the five years

01:19:36she received

01:19:37after pleading

01:19:37guilty to fraud

01:19:38and theft

01:19:39for her financial crimes.

01:19:40Even with credit

01:19:42for time already served,

01:19:43it's unlikely

01:19:44Lori Eisenberg

01:19:45will ever live

01:19:46to see another

01:19:47day out of prison.

01:19:49And by the way,

01:19:50she did not respond

01:19:51to our repeated

01:19:52interview requests.

01:19:54Yeah,

01:19:54she gets to sit

01:19:55and think about it.

01:19:58I think it's a fine

01:20:00use of my tax dollars

01:20:01to help pay for her

01:20:03to sit and think about it.

01:20:05It's not justice.

01:20:07Justice would be

01:20:07I get to have dad back,

01:20:10but

01:20:13it's as close

01:20:14to a second

01:20:15as I can come up with.

01:20:17As for Lori's daughters,

01:20:19Amber and three

01:20:20three of her sisters

01:20:21pleaded guilty

01:20:22to conspiracy

01:20:23to commit

01:20:24federal program theft,

01:20:26received three years probation,

01:20:28and were ordered

01:20:29to pay the money back,

01:20:30in Amber's case,

01:20:31about $16,000.

01:20:33But the cost

01:20:34is much higher than that.

01:20:36You have a record.

01:20:37I have a felony for life.

01:20:40How does that

01:20:41affect your life?

01:20:43It's really hard

01:20:44to be labeled

01:20:45something that

01:20:49isn't a true reflection

01:20:50of who you are.

01:20:52It's been

01:20:54really hard

01:20:54to get jobs.

01:20:56Nobody even wants

01:20:57to talk to you

01:20:58when you're a felon.

01:21:00So why did Lori do it?

01:21:03Was theft

01:21:04simply a compulsion?

01:21:06Honesty only for rubes?

01:21:08Was it her straight arrow

01:21:10husband's stupid rules

01:21:11she felt compelled

01:21:12to break?

01:21:13Or could she simply

01:21:14not permit him

01:21:15to know who she really was?

01:21:17In the end,

01:21:18of course,

01:21:19everyone knew.

01:21:23Larry's money,

01:21:24an estate his family

01:21:25estimated at

01:21:25$2 to $3 million,

01:21:27has gone to repay

01:21:28the non-profit,

01:21:30plus the damages

01:21:31imposed by the court,

01:21:33Cougar Gulch

01:21:34has been sold.

01:21:36Children are learning

01:21:37to live without

01:21:37their grandparents.

01:21:39A shattered family

01:21:41is feeling its way.

01:21:43You know,

01:21:45they,

01:21:45unfortunately,

01:21:47it's become

01:21:47a little bit

01:21:48more divided.

01:21:50I can't have

01:21:51relationships

01:21:52that aren't

01:21:53honest and

01:21:54truthful,

01:21:56and there are

01:21:58some of our

01:21:58family members

01:21:59who want to stay

01:22:00in that place

01:22:01with our mom.

01:22:02Live in denial.

01:22:04Yeah.

01:22:05To deny the things

01:22:06that they know

01:22:07happened

01:22:08and that we need

01:22:09to deal with.

01:22:10I've extended love

01:22:12to them,

01:22:13but they know

01:22:13where I stand.

01:22:15And Larry,

01:22:16his image

01:22:18lives on

01:22:19among his children,

01:22:21his stepchildren,

01:22:22his grandchildren.

01:22:24I just remember

01:22:25him as the immortal

01:22:26Larry Eisenberg

01:22:27that he always was.

01:22:28I don't have to have

01:22:28the memory of him

01:22:29getting sick

01:22:30and frail

01:22:30and slowly slipping

01:22:32away helpless

01:22:33in a hospital bed.

01:22:34I get to have

01:22:35nothing but the

01:22:36good memories of him.

01:22:38Larry Eisenberg,

01:22:39that honest man

01:22:41whose fatal flaw

01:22:43was to love

01:22:44the woman

01:22:44who couldn't be.

01:22:49That's all

01:22:50for this edition

01:22:51of Dateline.

01:22:52We'll see you again

01:22:52next Friday

01:22:53at 9, 8 central.

01:22:55And of course,

01:22:55I'll see you each weeknight

01:22:57for NBC Nightly News.

01:22:59I'm Lester Holt

01:23:00for all of us

01:23:01at NBC News.

01:23:02Good night.

Dateline NBC S30E03 Kill Switch H 264

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