- [Narrator] A hard
working New Mexico family-- - My dad was up at
four in the morning, wouldn't go down 'til
10 o'clock at night. - She was always the type of
person to just help everybody. - [Narrator] Is murdered
on Father's Day. - [Cherie] My parents are dead! - They were covered
in so much blood. - That was the worst
I've ever seen. - [Narrator] Police
uncover a loving family. - He was a shaken baby. We were told he may
never walk again. - [Narrator] With a startling
criminal connection. -
She has a history
of burglaries. - [Narrator] And a jaw
dropping revelation. - I absolutely was shocked. I didn't think I have
ever known anybody in my life who could do
something that brutal. - To this day I still can't
understand how the person could do something this
tragic, this gruesome. - They said, "I know who
did it, I know who did it." (mysterious theme music) (blade screeching) (upbeat music) - [Narrator] El Rancho, a
tiny New Mexico town home to just a few hundred families. A place fi
lled with honest,
hard working people. - It's a very tight
knit community. It's kinda one of those places where everybody knows everybody. - [Narrator] On Father's Day
2011, police receive a 911 call that shatters the
early evening calm. (dramatic music) - [Narrator] The caller is a 35 year old woman
named Cherie Ortiz-Rios. Officers arrive at the property she shares with her parents,
Lloyd and Dixie Ortiz. Police enter the home
occupied by Cherie's parents and her brother to investigate, starti
ng with the
master bedroom. - I'd observed a
female laying face down in her nightgown
attire, deceased. (pensive music) - The brutality that was
involved was unspeakable. - She had some trauma
on the right side of her temple region. - [Narrator] Police believe this is Cherie's 53 year old
mother, Dixie Ortiz. - As you walk out through
the main door to the bedroom, there's a couple of
steps up into a kitchen. That's where a deceased
male was laying face down. That was probably the
worst I've ever
seen. There was several defects in
his head and shoulder area. - [Narrator] Cherie
tells police that this is the body of her 21
year old brother, Steven. - As you walk back out the room to the rear of the residence, there was another deceased
male laying face down. And he had several injuries to his upper torso
and his head region. - [Narrator] The dead man is Cherie's 58 year
old father, Lloyd. Detectives call in
the medical examiner to take charge of the bodies. For now they can
only speculat
e about the cause and time of death. - There were
limitations on how well we could examine
the injuries because they were covered
in so much blood. - It looked like something that had penetrated all
of their bodies, so at that point
led us to believe that they were actually shot
with some type of a firearm. - [Narrator] While
the medical examiner carefully removes the bodies, a forensics team meticulously
looks for evidence. - We did not find
any shell casings, there wasn't a gun located. There
was nothin' that indicated that we had our murder
weapon at the scene. We have no physical
evidence as far as some type of a fingerprint. There weren't any footwear
impressions in any of the blood. Maybe we can get some DNA but
we don't know that initially. That has to be sent to
the lab for testing. (eerie music) With this type of
crime scene generally there's only a couple
different types of motive. It's love, money or anger. So, we have to look into those. Lloyd's wallet
was on the counter ri
ght next where Steven
was lying in the kitchen. It had money in it. It didn't look like somebody was in there to steal from them. - [Narrator] There's no evidence to suggest this is a robbery, so police consider
whether other motives could have been at play. - Who would stand
to gain something from killing three people on
Father's Day in their house? - [Narrator] Police
need to learn more about the victims
and their family. They turn to Cherie who
lives just steps away. - On the two thirds
of th
e property, Lloyd, Dixie, their
son Steven lived and the other third was occupied by Lloyd and Dixie's daughter
Cherie, her husband Jesse, and their two children
Catalina and Robert. - [Narrator] When
her sister arrives, a despondent Cherie can
barely keep it together. - I remember my sister
running up to me and telling me (sniffles)... I'm sorry (inhales sharply). That my mom and my dad
and my brother were dead. - There were no,
nothing I could do or say to make it
better for her because I love
my sister
so much, so much. - [Narrator] Cherie and
Angela choke back tears as they tell police all about the most important
people in their lives. - My mom and dad
were the best parents that I could ever ask for. They were always there, always
accepted us for who we were, always stood by our
side no matter what. - [Narrator] Lloyd
was a tile contractor who was popular in the town. - My dad was amazing. Up at four in the
morning, wouldn't go down 'til probably 10 o'clock
at night every day. - [
Narrator] Lloyd had been
married to Dixie for 34 years. She worked in a nursing home. - She didn't even think
of that as being a job. It was just who she was. - [Narrator] Dixie's
selfless caring manner didn't stop with her work. In 1989 when their
daughters were just teens, she and Lloyd took
in a baby in need. - Steven was seven months old
when she came into our home. As a foster child he
was a shaken baby. His left side of the
body was paralyzed. He had cerebral palsy. We were told that he
ma
y never walk, talk. - I would grab him
out of the crib and stick him right
next to me in bed and he would sleep
right next to me. I just loved him so much. - [Narrator] As he
grew, the family's love helped transform Steven into
a strong and happy little boy. - Walking, potty training,
the developmental milestones, they took a lot longer
for him to reach but he reached every
single one of them. (gentle music) - Steven was part of our church and he was such an absolute joy. He would greet everybod
y,
everybody in church loved him. He made it a point
to talk to everybody. He was quite a young man. - [Narrator] Steven,
Lloyd and Dixie's lives have been cut tragically short. But why would someone
murder such a loving family? Police find one possible
reason growing outside. - There were several marijuana
plants that were being grown. There was a fenced
off area where there were 17 plants growing. - These plants were
not visible unless you were directly over them. It was a very tight boxed
in
area that was padlocked. - [Narrator] A marijuana crop
under lock and key outside the family home peaked
detectives interest. Had they just uncovered
an illegal drug operation? - My parents had a
medical marijuana card for my brother and
a growers license. So they were legally
growing medical marijuana for my brother. - My brother had
two brain surgeries to relieve some of the
pressure in his brain, and so they prescribed
medical marijuana to him to help relieve the
headaches he was having. They
were pretty
debilitating at times. - The family had known
that Lloyd was growing the marijuana for
Steven and the family would smoke some
of the marijuana. - [Narrator] While the marijuana
was being grown legally, detectives suspected
it could have attracted the attention of
the wrong people. - Was this some type of
a drug related incident? - [Narrator] Police
become even more concerned when Cherie and her
husband Jesse relay a story about a few
suspicious characters they heard outside their ho
me
on the night of the murder. - They indicated that
they were watching a movie that ended between 1:30 and two o'clock in the morning. Their dogs started
barking and Jesse got up and walked to the front window. He saw a car that
was parked outside. - He heard a kid
yelling out there. He heard somebody say,
"Hurry up, come on," and he was like there's
somebody out there. And so he went back in
and even grabbed a gun, and he got in his
truck and he drove his truck toward that car. - [Narrator] Co
ming
up, the autopsy reveals an unexpected cause of death. - It's not generally
your weapon of choice. It's extremely
violent, it's brutal. - [Narrator] And
the town is stunned when the killer is revealed. - People were in disbelief. As a pastor it was hard
for me to even fathom. (mysterious theme music) - [Narrator] Hours
after Lloyd, Dixie, and Steven Ortiz are found dead, police are hunting
for the driver of a car seen outside the home the night before the murders. - We interviewed Lloyd and
Dixie's daughter Cherie and she said that he
her husband Jesse saw a car that was parked outside and to the left of the property. He had indicated that the
vehicle was a gray car. - [Narrator] Cherie tells
police Jesse followed the vehicle in his truck but when detectives
interviewed Jesse, he tells them a completely
different story. (dramatic music) - In Jesse's interview
he had failed to mention that he actually
left the house that evening. - It was pretty
concerning that he would forget one o
f
the biggest details of that evening with
his involvement. (pensive music) - [Narrator] As detectives
continue to press Jesse, he suddenly remembers details
from the night before. (Jesse sighs) - [Narrator] Jesse's
changing story now has police eyeing
him as a suspect, and when they ask him about his relationship
with his in-laws, they think they may
have hit upon a motive. - We found out
something very alarming. There was some stuff
in the close past that had caused some family
tension between
Lloyd and Jesse. And we knew at one point
Lloyd was embarrassed of the way that Cherie and
Jesse's property looked so he actually built
a fence in between the two properties so he didn't
have to look at it anymore. So, we knew there was
some tension there. - [Narrator] Police can't
rule out that tension in the family
could've boiled over. Could Jesse have
slipped out of the house and committed three
heinous murders over a minor family squabble? To get to the truth,
police grill the couple about
where they were
the night of the murder. - They told us the timeline
of where they were, they went to a casino, they
were there for X amount of time, drove to their residence, they
put in a movie right away. They were able to
identify almost minute for minute of what they did that entire day which
is kind of unusual. - [Narrator] And when police ask Cherie about
finding the bodies, she tearfully gives
them a detailed account of the horror that unfolded. (air whooshing) - [Narrator] Cherie's
sto
ry is plausible, but one thing she can't
explain is something she told police
when she called 911. - Cherie said that
she knew if she had went over there she
could've saved them that morning which told me that she
had intimate knowledge of when the homicides
actually occurred which pretty concerning. How would she know that? We didn't know that timeline of when they were
actually killed. - [Narrator] Detectives
are no longer suspicious of just Jesse. Is it possible that the
Ortiz's own daughter
could be involved as well? - We did obtain DNA samples
from Cherie and Jesse to try and analyze
to see if there was anything that
could be matched. - [Narrator] Police search
Cherie and Jesse's home, hoping to find a physical
link to the murder. With so much activity in
the tiny town of El Rancho, news of the crime spreads. - My wife and I raced
down to the property. When we had got there there
was quite a few people there. Cherie was just outside herself. She was just hysterical. - [Narrator] D
etectives
can't help but wonder if Cherie's tears are genuine, yet they're unable to
find any physical evidence to link Cherie or
Jesse to the murders. When the autopsy report
comes back the next day, they hope the results will help them shed some light
on the mystery. - I actually did
attend the autopsy and during the course
of the autopsy, the pathologist informed us that the wounds sustained were
the result of impact trauma. (dramatic music) They were killed with a pick ax. (dramatic music) S
teven Ortiz, the son of Lloyd
and Dixie received 17 blows to the head from the pick ax. Evidently the victims
were beaten long after they were already deceased. - The amount of
force that was used to cause this was extreme. My initial reaction was who had this much anger
to wanna kill 'em in such a gruesome,
gruesome manner? (mysterious theme music) - [Narrator] After
receiving the autopsy report on a horrific triple homicide
in El Rancho, New Mexico, detectives have just discovered that the Ort
iz family was
killed with a pick ax. Now that police know
what to look for, they quickly set out to
find the murder weapon. - One of the agents
remembers seeing a mattock style pick ax lying in an adjacent field to
the west of the residence. So, we immediately
went to the scene and found our pick
ax covered in blood. Processed it to
the crime scene lab in Santa Fe and
waited for results. - There was a lot
of home that there was gonna be potential evidence that would link the
assailant to the pic
k ax. (eerie music) - There was nothing. There was nothing there. We got DNA that was
identified on the pick ax from the three victims
and nobody else. - [Narrator] Still,
the murder weapon does tell police something
about the killer. - It would take a
great deal of force to cause that type of injury. - [Narrator] Police
had to consider whether either of their suspects were strong enough
to commit the crime. Jesse was capable, was Cherie? While police search for answers, the small town of El Ran
cho
is gripped with fear. - The whole community
was on high alert. This kinda crime is very
unusual for that area. - All we knew was that there
were three dead people, people that the community loved
and nobody knew why and how. - [Narrator] Police continue
to look into the alibis of the main suspects,
Cherie Ortiz and her husband Jesse Rios, who said they'd been
to a casino that night. Investigators see if their
story can be verified. - [Kraig] They were seen on surveillance video
at a gas stat
ion, and then they went to a casino. - [Narrator] This supports
the couples claims. Investigators also track what they did the rest
of the evening. - We were able to
pinpoint the length of time that it
would take to drive from the casino to their house. - [Narrator] The timeline
puts them in their home, right next door to the murders
at the time of the crime. But it's not nearly enough
evidence to pursue a case. Police hope to utilize
the publicity surrounding the murders and make
an appeal for
tips. - Everybody wanted to say
who they thought it was, but didn't have any
merit behind any of the stuff they were
coming forward with. - [Narrator]
Detectives also comb through their witness interviews and hit on a name they
hadn't considered before. - Initially Angela had mentioned that Nicholas Ortiz
was a 16 year old, just a regular kid
in the community. Cherie had a son that
was Nicholas's age and they went to
school together. - Nick Ortiz had a positive
relationship with the family. Ther
e's no relation by the way between Nick Ortiz and the
three Ortiz's who are victim. It's just the same last name. - Nicholas's family lived
right up the road from us, and that's how him and my
son had become friends. - He was having som
troubles at home. Eventually my sister
opened up her home to him, gave him his own room. - He would go over next door
to Lloyd and Dixie's house, they would give him money, they took him to the
flea market, they So they basically
just treated him like he was one
of the family. - [Narrator] But the transition to family member
wasn't all smooth. - My husband and I
had caught Nicholas going through our drawers. We had just started noticing
a little bit of money missing. Things moved. So we started giving
him an allowance every week for the chores
he was doing as well. - [Narrator] Nick's troubles
extended to school too. - Nick had come home
from school and he was, you could tell he
had been punched in the face and
was kinda beat up. I freaked out. Oh my Go
d, who did this to you? He said, "I joined a
gang with some friends "of mine and I had to
let them beat me up." And I was like okay,
so now today we're gonna have the anti gang
talk and I mean we did. - [Narrator] The
family tells police that joining a gang
was just one example of the problems Nick
brought to their home. - One night my father had asked my son to cut down a plum tree that was dead in his back yard. And when they went
out there Nick was hiding behind some
raised flower beds they h
ad in their back yard. And the backyard
was a secured area for the two little dogs they had so both gates were
locked from the inside. So, he had to have jumped
the fence to get back there. - Nick basically jumped
up and kinda, roar, went towards 'em joking
in a joking manner like to scare 'em and Lloyd
wasn't impressed by it. He didn't think it was funny. - [Narrator] After stealing from the family and joining a gang, this was the final
straw for Lloyd. - He basically told Nick that he was not
welcome at
that property ever again. - It made us feel on guard
and very uncomfortable and we think it's
best that it's time for him to move back home. I then text Nicholas
and told him that he could come
and pick up all the clothing and furniture
that we had purchased for him over that time period and could take it home with him. I never really saw
him again after that. - [Narrator] Could
the Ortiz's rejection of Nicholas lead him to kill? Had he murdered Lloyd, Dixie, and Steven in cold
bloode
d revenge? The police bring in
Nick for questioning. (mysterious theme music) - [Narrator] Police in El
Rancho, New Mexico have a new suspect in the murders of Lloyd, Dixie
and Steven Ortiz. - [Narrator] The
detectives ask where he was the night of the murder. - He said he was at
home with his dad and sisters leading
up to Father's Day. Between 12 and one
o'clock he woke his father up and wished
'em a happy Father's Day, and went back to bad
and he was there when his mom got off of work which wa
s around seven,
7:30 in the morning. Everything was corroborated
as far as his alibi. - [Narrator] Not only does
Nicholas have a solid alibi, his demeanor in the interview doesn't suggest
he is the killer. (pensive music) - [Narrator] Police find people in the community
who vouch for Nick. - Nicholas was part
of our congregation. He was very, very
gentlemen like. He was kind, he was
willing to help. He would stay late sometimes and help us pick up
after the church. - [Narrator] Police
cross Nich
olas Ortiz off the suspect list. Then two days after the murder, they get an urgent
call from Cherie Ortiz. - I called the police
and I told them we found out about a safe
that was well hidden, enough where my
sister and I didn't even know it existed
at my parents house. My Uncle Walter had
called and said, "I built your dad a
secret piece of furniture "that would hide a safe in it." - [Narrator] The unit
was so well concealed, the police had not found it when they searched the
house days earlie
r. - I said, "I do not
wanna know anymore "until we contact the police." So we had to have it opened up
there at the police station. - Inside was $80,000 in cash, as well as some of the
life insurance paperwork. - That's when we
found that my dad had been saving money for years. He had his retirement
saved in there. - [Narrator] Cherie said she
didn't know about the money, but police make a discovery
that puts her claim in doubt. - We had learned
through district court that the power of
attorney
had been given to Cherie at this point
and she was basically gonna be the heir or
hundreds of thousands of dollars in life
insurance policies that Lloyd and Dixie
had and that $80,000 that was in the safe
was part of a cash out from those life
insurance policies. - [Narrator] Cherie
says she didn't know about the insurance policy. The inheritance was large enough to give Cherie and Jesse a
powerful motive for murder, but motive alone wasn't enough
to arrest either one of them. - We had no physi
cal evidence that could tie Cherie
and Jesse to the crime. - [Narrator] The
discovery of the safe also causes police
to speculate on how the Ortiz's had
amassed so much money. Could it have
anything to do with the marijuana growing
on the property? - It kinda raised
some concern to us as to why he was growing it. Are they possibly
selling this stuff? (pensive music) - [Narrator]
Detectives investigate whether Lloyd was secretly
involved in trafficking. The answer comes back clear. - Nothing was
taken
from this house. It didn't even
appear that whoever was there at the time knew that there was pot plants being
grown behind this fence, and knowing anything about
the industry of marijuana, they were smaller plants,
they weren't mature. We were able to
pretty much rule out that the gangs were
tied in to this. - [Narrator] It's another
blow for the investigation, and as days turned to weeks, detectives are no closer to
catching those responsible. - Essentially you
do run out of leads or you
run into dead ends. As frustrating as it was
for us as investigators it had to have been
exponentially worse (eerie music) - I was on the phone with the
police every single day asking what have they heard? Anything new? What can I do to help? And we were always told nothing. There's nothing you can do. (somber music) - I truly felt like they were not ever gonna solve this case. (pensive music) - [Narrator] Then 16
months after the murders, detectives get the break
they've been praying for when
they receive a call from the Santa Fe County
Sheriff's Department. - In October of 2012 I had
just gotten home from work and I got a call that
there's somebody there that wants to give
some information to me in reference to the homicide. And she was in jail. She said she just wants to
get something off her chest. (mysterious theme music) - [Narrator] Detectives
are hopeful a new tip will finally help
solve the murders of Lloyd, Dixie
and Steven Ortiz. The information comes
from a young woman in
the custody of
Santa Fe Police. - Ashley Roybal was 24
and she has a history of burglaries and of drug use. - Ashley told officers
that she knew something about the El Rancho murders. Well at that point ears started to perk within law enforcement. - [Narrator] Before
questioning Ashley, police look into her background. - Ashley grew up in El Rancho. - Ashley wasn't necessarily
a troubled teen per say, but she got in trouble
a lot (chuckles). - From a young age was in and
out of the detention cen
ter. - [Narrator] Lead Detective
Kraig Bobnock questions Ashley about what she knows. - As I started explaining that
it was a voluntary interview, she kept interrupting me saying, "I know who did it,
I know who did it." (pensive music) - [Narrator] Ashley claims that
on the night of the murder, she was smoking weed with
her cousin, Jose Roybal, and a mutual friend. - She told me that she owned
a gray 1997 Saturn car, two door car during the
time of the homicide. So I immediately thought
of Jesse
's statement. - [Narrator] Cherie
Ortiz's husband, Jesse Rios had
told police he saw a gray car driving
slowly past their house late on the night of the murder, but it's what Ashley says next that grabs detectives attention. - [Narrator] The call
was from Jose's friend, and he needed a ride. - He got in my car. He was, he had
blood on his pants, he had a trash bag tied
around his right foot. That's when he told me that he killed Steven,
Dixie and Lloyd. He said he threw the
pick ax by the fence.
He kept saying
that he killed 'em, he messed up, he killed them. - Ashley told me that
the single person that killed the Ortiz
family was Nick Ortiz. (pensive music) - Ashley's revelation
is explosive. This family took in Nick when
he was having trouble at home. - He stayed there for upwards
of a couple of months, in which he got very
close with the family. He would eat there, he would
get off the school bus there. It was basically his home
and they took him in. - [Narrator] But
police need to
be sure Ashley's telling the truth. After all, she has a rap sheet and their suspect has an alibi. - The information that
Ashley Roybal provided had to have come
from somebody who was actually there
during the incident. - [Narrator] Ashley
explains another detail that puts her at the scene. - [Narrator] Police are hopeful they can find evidence
in Ashley's car but it's nowhere to be found. - It's 18 months later. She had said she had
sold it to a tow company. The vehicle ultimately
ended up at t
he shredder. Couldn't find it. - [Narrator] Investigators had to find another way
to verify her story. - I received a lot
of the phone logs and that was my big piece
of evidence at this point. - [Narrator] Cell
phone records show that communication
between Nicholas, Ashley and her
cousin Jose peaked around the time of the murders. So investigators immediately
bring Nick back in to confront him
with the evidence. - So I brought Nick in. He's in 100% denial
of everything until I bring up
the phone
records. I want another chance
at another interview with him so I didn't
wanna ruin it. So, we ended the interview. - [Narrator]
Investigators next move is to haul in Jose
for questioning. Since he's a minor
they get permission from his parents
to speak to him. - He was 15 at the time. He drank a lot, he
had problems at home. He didn't have a
good reputation. - [Narrator] Police talk
to Jose and he opens up. - [Narrator] Jose's
story matches Ashley's and suddenly police have two
witnesses again
st Nicholas. - On February 12th, 2015 I got the approval from
the District Attorney to get an arrest
warrant for Nick Ortiz. District Court Judge signed
it and said, "Go pick him up." (pensive music) - [Narrator] Just like before, Nicholas remains uncooperative. - So I brought him in a copy
of the criminal complaint. There were five total charges on the criminal complaint
that I gave him. He said, "I don't agree with
two of these charges on here." And there were only two charges that were differ
ent from murder. So, it's an admission to me. (dramatic music) I knew I had him at that point. It was, it was him. (pensive music) - [Narrator] With Nicholas
taken into custody, detectives finally have some
news for the Ortiz family. - I absolutely was shocked when the police said
he had done this. I didn't think I have
ever known anybody in my life who could
do something like I've never met anybody that
could hurt people so grossly. It didn't make
sense because that was not at all his personali
ty
when he lived with us. - People were in disbelief. As a pastor it was hard
for me to even fathom the fact that a
young man like this could do something so
tragic, this gruesome. - [Narrator] On June 15th, 2015, Nicholas goes to trial for
massacring the Ortiz family. - Nick was a minor at the time. Given the fact that this was
a heinous triple homicide the judge did agree
with my office that Nicholas should
be charged as an adult. - [Narrator] When
the trial starts, the prosecution is
confiden
t of a conviction until an unexpected development
jeopardizes the whole case. - So in the middle
of trial we received a big surprise in Jose changing
his testimony completely. (mysterious theme music) - [Narrator] Nicholas
Ortiz alone stands accused of a savage triple murder. His two former friends
are taking plea bargains to testify against him but just as prosecutors think
it's a cut and dry case, the unexpected happens. - So, in the middle
of trial we received a big surprise in Jose changing
his testimony completely pointing at Ashley
as the individual who instructed them
to kill the family. - [Narrator] Originally the plan was to rob the Ortiz family
but according to Jose, Ashley had something
more sinister in mind. - Jose Roybal testified
that Ashley said, "Why don't you just kill them?" (pensive music) - [Narrator] It's a
stunning statement which the defense denies. - The case agent said, "Well,
she said she didn't say that." And then the lawyer said,
"Yeah but Jose Roybal said "
she did so somebody
must be lying." Jose testified that Ashley
gave the two boys socks to cover up their
hands and plastic bags with Kleenex in them
to cover up their feet so that they wouldn't
leave traces there. He also said that she is the one that handed Nick the weapon. - [Narrator] According to Jose, in the early hours
of June 19th, 2011, Ashley tells Nicholas and Jose it's time to put her
unthinkable plan into action. - Ashley takes Jose and Nick to the Ortiz house,
drops them off. - Jose
got scared,
he left, he ran home. Nick went towards the house. - He knocks on the back door. Lloyd Ortiz gets up out of bed, when he opens it he's attacked
by Nicholas with the pick ax. - He didn't stop there. He went into the house
and struck Dixie twice in her temple on the right side of her head with the pick ax. - [Narrator] Nicholas moved on to the kitchen
looking for the money, but he found Steven instead. - Recognizing who
is in his house. (dramatic music) Steven puts up a fight. (dramat
ic music) - Nick delivers 17 blows to his
head and body and kills him. (pensive music) - After Nick killed
the three Ortiz's he didn't take anything, he
got scared so he just left. He walked out the door
and called Ashley. (eerie music) - [Narrator] The
revelations come as a shock to the
victim's family. - Every day that we were at
that trial it was devastating, because we learned things, I learned things
that I didn't know. And I wish I hadn't
because it still haunts me. - [Narrator] Nick doesn
't say a thing during the entire trial. It's Jose's word
against Ashley's. How would their competing
testimonies affect the jury? - The case was based
almost entirely on Ashley and Jose's testimony and that
was a point of contention amongst people up
until the sentencing. (pensive music) - After three and a
half days I remember the jury went into
the court room, and the floor person
said, "We're just, "no matter how much
time you give us we're "just not not gonna
come to a consensus." So the jud
ge had no choice
but to declare a mistrial. (pensive music) - It was horrible. It was devastating to me. - I felt like our hearts
had been ripped out. We had all this hope. - Luckily we have
the opportunity to try 'em again which we did. (pensive music) - [Narrator] 17 months
later in December 2016, the case goes back to court. - Luckily this time
around we proved to all 12 jurors that Nicholas
Ortiz was the individual that killed those three people. (pensive music) - [Narrator] On
October 28th,
2019, Nicholas is sentenced
to 25 years in prison. The victory rings hollow
for the victim's loved ones. - What that felt like
to me was each victim, my mom, my dad and my brother was only worth eight years each. That's exactly what that is. (somber music) It's a joke. That's not justice. - He's gonna do
probably 12 to 15 years. No way, no way. - Ashley Roybal received
a 20 year sentence. Six years of that was suspended. So 14 years of incarceration. - Jose got full immunity
for his testimony.
He never got so
much as probation. - [Narrator] Even though years have passed since the
murders, their effects remain. - I would say I'm sorry to
my parents and my brother. I'm sorry I wasn't there to
help you (inhales sharply). So I would say I love you and
I miss you and I'm so sorry. (somber music) (air whooshing) - I want them to be remembered
through their compassion, their love for children,
their love for life. How they lived for us
as their daughters, for my brother and
to remind us each
day that that's how we should live. (somber music) - [Narrator] For
more information on "An Unexpected
Killer" go to oxygen.com. (gentle music) (oxygen hissing)
(pensive music) - They were both very
committed to adopting children that had a difficult past. - Everybody in the
family loved her. - [Narrator] Murdered in a
night of unspeakable horror. - She saw a man with what
appeared to be an ax. - Her skull was
split with a maul. - [Narrator] Who could have
wanted Bob and Kay Swartz dead? - This
person had
threatened to kill them. - We couldn't rule out anyone. We just didn't know. - [Narrator] And what
detectives uncover has everyone blindsided. - I didn't have a
single suspicion. I would have never thought. - The relatives
were in disbelief. - The expected killer
hadn't done it. The unexpected
killer had done it. - Nobody in a million years
would have expected them to commit one of the
most heinous crimes in the history of Annapolis. (dramatic music) (shutter clicking) (blades rubbin
g together) (dramatic music) - [Narrator] On a cold
winter morning in 1984. - [Narrator] Police in
Cape Saint Claire Maryland receive an eerie call. - [Narrator] First
responders race to the scene. And make a horrific discovery. - When I arrived there
were uniformed officers that were protecting the
crime scene who told me. We had a 17-year-old
and a 9-year-old who just learned
that their parents Bob and Kay Swartz were killed. - [Narrator] The children are
visibly shaken and in shock. But agree
to answer
a few questions. - My partner and I
met with a young man by the name of Larry Swartz And his sister Annie. Both of them were very calm. This young man, he said that he had
gotten up that morning and that Annie who was nine, told him that she didn't
know where her parents were. He then looked out
the dining room window and saw his Mother's
body in the back yard. He told me he immediately
shielded Annie's eyes so Annie wouldn't see her
body and called the police. - [Narrator] Detective
Barr
leaves the kids in the care of the attending officers
and moves to the back yard. It's his first grim look
at the scene of the crime. - Kay Swartz was found outside. She was a few feet from
the sliding glass door in the snow. She only had one sock
on her right foot. Her left foot was bare. - The blood in the
snow was horrific. It was just horrific. - The blood had created
a slush in the snow. - Kay Swartz had puncture
wounds around her neck and she had a massive wound
to the top of her skul
l. - [Narrator] Detective
Barr then heads inside. - I looked in the basement area and I found a black vinyl chair that had pooled blood beside it. It appeared as though she had been attacked
sitting in that chair and she bled heavily
onto the floor. And there was blood, from
that chair, leading out back. - [Narrator] Just when it seems the crime scene can't
get any more grisly detectives discover
another ravaged body. - We found a small office
adjacent to the landing of the stairs. The door was
closed. We opened the door,
looked inside, and found, Bob Schwartz' body. There was an inordinate
number of stab wounds to Bob Swartz. There were defensive
wounds on the body. We theorized at that
point it was very possible that Kay was attacked first
and then Bob heard the noise and started to come
out of the room giving Kay the opportunity
to flee out the back door. As the killer or
killers went after Bob. - [Narrator] As detectives
make their way through the rest of the house they
see no sign
s of forced entry. Did Bob and Kay
know their attacker? Or did an intruder sneak in
through an unlocked door? - As I viewed this crime scene, the enormity was off the chart. There was blood
found everywhere. It was extraordinarily gruesome. - [Narrator] Investigators
collect blood evidence but there's no sign of a knife or any kind of a murder weapon. Then toward the
back of the house they spot a critical clue. - We found a bloody palm print
on the sliding glass door Near Kay's body. We wanted t
o figure out who
it actually belonged to. Bob obviously never
left the computer room. He died where he was attacked. And Kay's body was outside
and neither one of her hands had blood on the palms. That palm print probably
belonged to the killer. - [Narrator] While
concerned neighbors whisk Larry and Annie away,
detectives get a chance to talk to some of Bob
and Kay's grieving friends who have gathered at the house. - When I found out that Bob
and Kay had been murdered, I said What!? You're numb,
you don't know
what happened, and I just, I just couldn't believe
that Bob and Kay were gone. (soft music) - Bob and Kay Swartz met at
the university of Maryland outside Washington, D.C. They were both getting their
Masters Degree in Education. They both wanted to be teachers. He was 35, she was 27. She fell in love with him and maybe 18 months
later they married. They were very involved in all
kinds of church activities. Kay and Bob were
intimately involved. Everybody seemed to know them. Ever
ybody felt a
connection with them. - Bob was an engineer of sorts. Worked at NASA Goddard down
in Greenbelt, Maryland, in the space program
on some level. - Bob had to be a
pretty clever man because he was
involved in computers back in the dark ages, 1984. - He was always very
positive, he was funny, quick sense of humor. - Kay was the fun
loving, carefree spirit, beloved by everyone
who knew her. Always wanted to be a
teacher, became a teacher. They wanted children, but Kay was unable
to have c
hildren. - [Narrator] Far from
breaking their spirit Bob and Kay's disappointment only seemed to
strengthen their bond and gave them a loving
sense of purpose. - They decided that they
wanted to open their house and their hearts. - [Narrator] In 1973, Bob and
Kay embarked on their dream. - That became part of
their mission in life in adopting children
that had a difficult past to provide some substance
and some guidance. - Larry Swartz was 6-years-old
when the Swartz' adopted him. Six years late
r they adopted
a 4-year-old girl, Ann. - Annie was born in Korea. Did not speak much English
when she first arrived. Annie and Larry were happy
to be a part of that family. - Kay and Bob wanted to
be the best parents ever to those children. - [Narrator] Now Larry and
Annie were orphans again. And detectives need to find out who committed such a
heinous crime and why. Police begin by
talking to neighbors, hoping to find a witness who
might lead them to the killer. - We were alerted by a person, a
pproximately a block
away on a parallel street, that he had found what
appeared to be a blood trail leading into the woods at
the end of that street. And as we followed that trail we found what appeared to
be a barefoot footprint and a socked footprint. - [Narrator] Were
these Kay's footprints? If so how did they
end up in the woods when her body was
found in the backyard? - We also found a pair of
footprints made by shoes. Footprints suggesting a chase
through the neighborhood. - The trail of f
ootprints
ran for quite a distance through the woods
and the neighborhood. - [Narrator] The footprints
seemed to suggest that after stabbing
Bob to death, the murderer went after
Kay one last time. - In my opinion it
appeared as though Kay Swartz was fleeing
from her killer and at some point a
person caught up with her and then walked her to
the back of the home where she was killed. (dramatic music) - [Narrator] At the
end of the trail detectives make one
more pivotal discovery. - Searching thr
ough the
woods my sergeant found what appeared to
be a murder weapon. It was a wood splitting maul. There appeared to be blood
on the maul along with hair. But the handle appeared
to have been wiped clean. There wasn't any blood
on the handle at all. - [Narrator] Detectives
send the maul to the lab but find no trace
of a knife anywhere. It's a puzzling scene that
offers them few clues. - It was a very
difficult crime scene to try to put
together in your mind what may have happened,
how did this
occur. At this point we only had
two children Larry and Annie, who could provide
any information. - [Narrator] When detectives
circle back to them at the neighbors house,
they do their best to help. - Annie related to us, that she had awakened in
the middle of the night to her Father's screams
of help me, help me. She continued to tell us
that she went to investigate and she walked to the door
that exited to the carport. At that point she saw
a man walking away with what appeared to be
an ax ove
r his shoulder. And she described the
person as very tall, with curly hair, mask. Was that person as tall as me? She said no he was taller. - [Narrator] Detectives
speak to Larry next. But suddenly the
17-year-old seems nervous. Does he know something about
the man Annie saw in the yard? - When we pressed Larry, he
said that Michael was 6'4". - [Narrator] Detectives
stop cold, who is Michael? - And very quickly I
established that Michael Swartz was a brother of Larry. - [Narrator] As it turned
o
ut Bob and Kay Swartz had adopted three children. - Michael who was also 17,
no longer lived with them, but it wasn't clear why. So at that point, we
were very, very, eager to talk to Michael. (suspenseful music) - [Narrator] Coming up,
investigators uncover bad blood and dark secrets. - They send him to a
state mental hospital. - [Narrator] Detectives
uncover startling clues. - Nobody expected anything
like this to happen. - It became almost unbelievable. - [Narrator] Was there
more than one pe
rson with a score to settle? - This person said I could
stick a knife in his back. - We didn't know what
we were dealing with. (dramatic music) - [Narrator] When they
appear to have no suspects in the homicides of
Bob and Kay Swartz, police learn the
couples adopted children have an estranged brother. - Both Annie and
Larry related to us that Michael no
longer lived with them but had been getting
into a lot of trouble. - [Narrator] Detectives
are anxious to know more. Could Michael have possibly
wanted to harm Bob and Kay? - As we spoke to relatives
during the investigation Michael was quickly
identified by them as someone we should
look at very closely. - Michael had made threats
internally in the house. - [Narrator] Detectives
interview the Swartz' friends and family to get more
insight into Michaels history. Larry was the Swartz'
first adopted child. But long before Annie, Bob and Kay provided
Larry with a brother. - Michael was 8-years-old
when the Swartz' adopted him. The boys wer
e only six
months apart in age. - [Narrator] The Swartz'
second adopted child had arrived at their
home a troubled boy. - As they interviewed everybody,
detectives found that, Michaels Mother abandoned
him when he was an infant. And Michael was relinquished
to the custody of the state and became a foster child. He went through a series
of six foster homes before the Swartz' adopted him. - [Narrator] Bob and
Kay were determined to turn Michaels life around but the boys difficult
past wasn't easy
to shake and the problems started
almost immediately. - Michael was so antisocial
in his approach to life. Michael was having
behavioral issues at home. Not obeying his parents
on a consistent basis. Smarting back, profanity. - [Narrator] As
the boys grew older Michael continued to struggle. But that didn't stop Bob and
Kay from having high hopes for both their children. - I think Bob and Kay expected Larry and Michael to apply
themselves very diligently to their studies and to do well. I think
that Larry had a
desire to please people. He had kind of a
soft-spoken shyness to him. He seemed to want to
engage with people. But I think Michael was a
challenge from the get go. I think Michael, he
had some deviancies, that probably would
have precluded anybody from having any type
of relationship with - [Narrator] Two years
after Michael was adopted Bob and Kay found a new ray of
hope when they adopted Annie. - Annie was cute as a
button when she arrived. Everybody loved her. - Bob adored An
n. Annie became the apple
of her Father's eye and suddenly Annie the baby
became the favorite child. Everybody in their
family loved her. - [Narrator] The more
attention Bob gave Annie the harder he was
on his two boys. Larry seemed to be able
to turn the other cheek, but not Michael. - Michael had been getting in
to trouble more increasingly over the last year or so. - Michael began to have problems
of a fairly serious nature. Tension between
he and his Father. Tension between he and
the other
family members. - [Narrator] By 1980,
Michaels rebellious nature pushed his parents to
their breaking point. - One night Michael asked
to go out and they said no. So he sneaked out. (fast paced music) Went out with his buddies. When he came back home about
midnight he pounds on the door. His Mother comes to
the door, looks at him, and says, no we're
not letting you in. He goes over to a neighbors
house, spends the night. Goes to school the
next day on his own. And while he's there, his parents h
ad
called social services and said we can't
handle him anymore. - [Narrator] After five years
of struggling with Michael Bob and Kay were so concerned
about his volatile behavior that they asked the state to
place him with another family. - He never lived at home again. - It was just a very
difficult situation. Bob and Kay loved him, but they felt there was
nothing they could do for him. - [Narrator] While Bob and
Kay tried to stay focused on Larry and Annie, Michaels state of mind
seemed to det
eriorate. - Michael had been in a reform
school and he got in a fight and got in some trouble. So they send him to a state
mental hospital for evaluation. And that was just a few
weeks before the murders. He was staying at this facility. - The Crownsville State
Hospital Center was terrifying, faceless, institutional,
decrepit buildings, straight out of a
Stephen King nightmare. - [Narrator] Had Bob
and Kay's rejection, led Michael Swartz to commit
a cold blooded murder? Detective Barr and his pa
rtner decide to make the short
drive to Crownsville and ask Michael for themselves. - He was interrogated by these
talented homicide detectives. You know Michael's denying. - [Narrator] Michaels
words say one thing but to the detectives his appearance tells
a different story. - They did notice that Michael had very noticeable
marks on his long neck and he clearly had an
injury of some kind there. But he said they were hickeys. - [Narrator]
Detectives keep pushing but Michael is adamant
that he w
as at the hospital on the night of the murders. And the hospital records
back up his claims. - [Gary] We'd learned from
the staff that their logs indicated that Michael had
been there all evening. - He has what appears
to be an ironclad alibi. I mean he is in a locked ward
in a state mental hospital. - The police weren't so sure. A lot of people weren't so sure. It was very lax at this
Crownsville state facility. It's not a prison. It's just a hospital. - [Narrator] Detectives
aren't completely
convinced of Michaels alibi but
they don't have enough to arrest him either. And soon after that interview,
Michael Swartz lawyers up. - Of course I
finally got to him. I did what all
defense lawyers do which is to say, don't say a
word to anybody about anything. He was never interrogated again. - [Narrator] Michael won't talk and the lab has found
no useful prints on the handle of
the splitting maul. But detectives know one
key piece of evidence from the crime scene that could tell them
everyth
ing they need to know. - During the investigation
there was a bloody palm print recovered from the
sliding glass door. We had examined both victims, neither one had
blood on the palms. - [Narrator] If detectives
can prove Michael Swartz left that print, they'll
have their murderer. But that's easier
said than done. - This evidence was
difficult to analyze. We were very limited in
1984, with what we could do. This would involve the
evidence being sent to the FBI Laboratory,
in Washington. (dramat
ic music) - [Narrator] Detectives
investigating the savage double murder
of Bob and Kay Swartz are hoping one of their most
promising piece of evidence will help them catch the killer. - A bloody palm print was lifted and sent to the FBI
laboratory for analysis. We knew that it would
probably take a long time to get those results. - [Narrator] While
the feds in Washington do their careful work. The shocking news of
the murder spreads. - There was a tremendous
uproar in the community about this m
urder. A couple were murdered
in their own home. A crazed killer chasing a
woman through the neighborhood. There was a lot of
pressure to solve the case. - [Narrator] That
pressure only mounts when detectives receive
the coroners report. It's a grim account of a
seemingly psychotic attack. - The wounds to Mr. Swartz
numbered 17 in total and in fact were lethal. Both his right and left
carotid were severed during the attack. - On Kay Swartz
the autopsy showed that she was stabbed seven
times arou
nd her neck area but they were very
light wounds, tentative, and then her skull
was split with a maul. (dramatic music) - [Narrator] Detectives
still haven't been able to locate the knife
used in the attack but the coroners report
does appear to confirm that they're on the right track. - According to the medical
examiner we had the right theory about how this
may have occurred. Kay was stabbed in the
basement, got up to flee. The killer would have
chased Kay Swartz as she ran from the
neighborho
od and into the woods then back to the house
where she was killed. - [Narrator] Is it possible that Michael Swartz
eluded security at the Crownsville
Mental Hospital and committed this crime? If so, detectives need
to understand why. - I think it's fair to say
there was tension in the house. Bob had a bit of a
shorter fuse than Kay and had a little bit less
willingness to be tolerant of some of the
children's short comings. - [Narrator] Neighbors
tell the detectives a story they remember form
a
few years before. When Michael was still
living with the Swartz'. - Michael got in
trouble for some sin, fighting on a school
bus, something like that. And his Father decided physical
labor was what he needed. SO he gave him this
heavy wood splitting maul and said take this stump
out of the front yard, the dead tree stump. It was massive, a massive thing. There was no way
Michael could get it but he just swung it again,
and again, and again. - Neighbors told us that
Michael chopped at that tree
every evening for
up to three hours and approaching a month later,
the stump was still there. This boy had blisters
on his hands. (dramatic drum beating) - Michael was seething and
getting more and more angry. Everybody said Michael had
threatened to kill his parents. - [Narrator] Could the maul that was used to teach
Michael Swartz a lesson have been the same one
that ended Kay's life? - Michael told his Mother Kay that I could walk up to Bob
and stick a knife in his back. Kill him, and no
resu
lts would befall me because I'm a juvenile. - The logical assumption
on all of our parts was Michael had made
good on his threat. He had said he would do
it and now he's done it. - [Narrator] Four days
after they were found brutally murdered, Bob
and Kay are laid to rest. - The funeral, I have replays
of having moments with them. I always admired them. Like why would
somebody kill them? - [Narrator] The couples
obedient children, Larry and Annie Swartz, have been staying with
friends of the fami
ly. While their brother still
resides at Crownsville. - Michael Swartz was
allowed out of the hospital to come to the funeral. And at the cemetery both
boys stood over the grave and shook holy water,
one into Kays' grave, the other into Bob's grave. Off to one side, the two
detectives on the case, stood in their suits
with their sunglasses, in the cemetery. - Everyone gathered around. Gave them their support. But most people believed it
was Michael who had done it. - [Narrator] Many note
the sus
picious red marks still visible on Michaels neck. Talk spreads through
the community. - The newspapers were saying
that Michael was a suspect. But even though he was in
Crownsville at the time there was some question about
the accountability there and maybe he could have
gotten away and done it. - [Narrator] With lingering
concerns over Michaels alibi and the security at Crownsville, detectives decide there's only
one way to find the truth, once and for all. - Wanting to make
sure that we had cr
ossed every T
and dotted every I, my partner and I decided that
we were going to follow up and visit that mental
hospital again. We wanted to make sure
that it was impossible that Michael would never have
been able to leave undetected. So we asked the staff
to lock us in the ward where Michael was committed. If Michael could have
gotten out of that there was a chance
Michael had done it. (dramatic music) - [Narrator] Detectives
are about to put Michael Swartz'
alibi to the test. By locking thems
elves in
the room where he stayed at the Crownsville
Mental Hospital. - If he had killed his parents Michael would have had
to leave undetected, return, and get back in, without
someone discovering that. And we went through every
door and every window and there was no possible way we could have gotten out
of that without help. So it was very convincing to us that Michael was not at
the scene of the murder. (dramatic music) Michael has been
eliminated as a suspect. (dramatic music) - [Narrator] I
t's
good news for Michael but a setback for detectives. The young man was
their strongest lead. Undaunted investigators
reach out to the public. Hoping to cast a much wider net. - As we conduct
our investigation. We methodically
went through a list of possible persons that
may have intended harm to the Swartz'. We started the hotline for
people to call in tips. And we got phone calls
from various neighbors and acquaintances. - [Narrator] One of the
many calls that come in immediately piques the
detectives interest. - A person that we
interviewed told us that Bob steadfastly
picketed an abortion clinic in Annapolis, for four years,
never missed a Saturday. And he would approach women
entering the abortion clinic and attempt to change their mind about what they
were about to do. - He would intensely
try to dissuade women from coming into the clinic. He would get up in their faces. - [Narrator] Detectives
confirmed that a filed police reports against Bob so they began interviewing
every c
omplainant and witness connected
with those reports. - The police were called
on several occasions by the clinic. Bob was never arrested but
he caused the abortion clinic a lot of grief. - [Narrator] Could the killer
be someone Bob confronted? Or someone with a
grudge against Kay? - Kay was a school teacher
at Broadneck High School. - In her classroom she was
known for Laissez-faire, not a strict disciplinarian. - According to witnesses Kay
was well liked in school. She was an easy going teacher
. - [Narrator] Detectives
pursuit every credible tip that comes in. - Out investigation revealed
that there was no evidence that anyone would have
a vendetta against her, in fact, there was no motive
that we could establish where anyone would
have been that angry or vengeful to want to
kill either of them. - [Narrator] Eight days after
the brutal double murder investigators have hit a wall. With no fingerprints
on the splitting maul and their single most
promising piece of evidence still under a
nalysis, detectives
are all out of options. Undaunted, they
decide to start fresh, pouring over every piece
of evidence they do have, starting at the very beginning. - [Narrator] This
time, investigators they didn't notice before. - When I listened
to the 911 call. Larry Swartz said,
my parents are dead. However he told the first
police officer on the scene that he hadn't gone downstairs. His Father's in the basement. At that point he
would have only known that his Mother was
dead, not his Fathe
r. So there's an inconsistency
there, that didn't make sense. - [Narrator] The discovery
leads Detective Barr to take a harder look at
Larry's version of events. And he finds several
contradictions. - For example, Larry telling us that he saw his Mother's
body from the window. Yet, I looked out the
dining room window and couldn't see her body. I thought perhaps
he was confused and meant to say
the kitchen window, what turned out
to be even worse. I climbed on the kitchen counter
and looked out t
he window and still couldn't see her body. - [Narrator] Detective
Barr had chalked it up to the extreme shock the boy
had suffered that morning. - Larry's demeanor wasn't
unusual at the time. Various people react
differently under stress. He could have very
well been in shock, repressing his
feelings, I didn't know. - [Narrator] Barr wants
to give Larry a chance to clear up his story. But that isn't going to happen. - Larry had gotten an attorney, the attorney advised
him not to talk to us. - [N
arrator] At last, word
comes in from the FBI. Test results on their
key piece of evidence from the crime scene. The bloody palm print on
the sliding glass door. The one detectives believe
was made by the killer. - It came back, finally
we could find out who it could possibly belong to, what we were dealing with. - [Narrator] Coming up, it's a
twist that no one saw coming. - A chill just went up my spine. - It just didn't seem right. (dramatic music) - [Narrator] Detectives
working to catch Bob a
nd Kay Swartz' killer, finally have the results
of their key piece of crime scene evidence
from the FBI's forensic lab in Washington, D.C. - I was notified by
the FBI laboratory that they had positively
identified the bloody palm print recovered from the
sliding glass door. - [Narrator] The results confirm what detectives
believed months earlier, the palm print belongs to one
of Bob and Kays' own children, but not the child
they suspected. - It came back belonging
to Larry Swartz. (dramatic musi
c) At that point, the states
attorney for Anne Arundel County authorized an arrest
warrant to be obtained for Larry Swartz. - [News Anchor] Authorities
charged young Swartz as an adult with two counts of
first degree murder. - [Narrator] When the news
gets out, it causes an uproar in Cape Saint Claire. Michael Swartz was known as
the bad kid in the family, not handsome, likable, Larry. - A chill just went up my spine. It just didn't seem right. I didn't have a
single suspicion. - It was very
dif
ficult to accept that Larry had that type
of violence within him. - Larry was seen as this
model, mild-mannered, son. Nobody in a million years
would have expected him to commit one of the
most heinous crimes in the history of Annapolis. - The community was in denial. The majority of
them were convinced that Michael Swartz
had done this. There was certainly
a lot of speculation about whether we had
the right person or not. - It was very hard
for people to believe that he could have done it. I th
ink that they just felt
there was more to this, there was more going on than
any of us could understand. - Why would a docile
youth beloved by everybody explode in rage and
stab both his parents? Why? Everybody wanted
to know the answer. - [Narrator] Authorities
want answers too but Larry at the direction
of the defense team, hired by concerned family
friends, is not talking. And has neither admitted,
nor denied guilt. So for the next 15 months, while
Larry waits it out in jail, detectives spend
every waking moment, trying to build
an airtight case. - We lacked a confession. The states attorney for
Anne Arundel County, had me reassigned to his office to work exclusively
on this case. We had to make sure that we
had every piece of evidence that we could get,
to close this case. - [Narrator] Without
Larry's confession, detectives need to find out
what led this soft spoken boy to such violent extremes. - I continued to interview
people, collect statements. - [Narrator] Investigators
soon
realized that Michael wasn't the only son who had a hard time at home. - I believe that Larry was
under tremendous pressure. He was repeatedly
chastised for poor grades. He was restricted
from leaving the yard. - I think it was more
of a protection thing. YOu're trying to keep them
away from the wrong crowd, and I think Larry could have
been pulled in many ways. I think they were
afraid of that. - I believe personally
that he was angry. He was frustrated. It was cumulative that he
was holding ra
ge inside him and whatever may have happened
that night set him off. - [Narrator] But some speculated that there was another reason why Larry turned on his parents. - Michael kept
contact with Larry. He changed Larry's
view of the family, and in a negative way. He was telling him that
they just got rid of me, they want nothing to do with me. You know, Larry he didn't
want to be left like that. He didn't want to go
into foster home again. - Larry was extremely worried
that what happened to Michae
l, would happen to him. (dramatic music) - Then it changed
where he was afraid, he was going to be put out. - [Narrator] Despite what may
have led to this violent act 17 year old Larry Swartz is about to be tried
for first degree murder. - 15 months after the crimes, the prosecutor had
witnesses ready to lined up, psychiatric witnesses
who said Larry was sane, and he knew what he was doing,
and he actually planned it. (dramatic music) And they had a case to present that showed premeditated,
cold
-blooded, murder. - [News Anchor] Larry
Swartz looked unconcerned as he arrived this morning
from the county jail, where he had spent
the last 15 months. - [New Anchor] More than 60
witnesses have been subpoenaed to testify at
Larry Swartz trial, which is expected
to last two weeks. - I was at the court
house expecting a trial. There was no trial. Nobody expected anything
like this to happen. It was shocking. (dramatic music) - [Narrator] After
detectives and prosecutors have labored more than a
year. Preparing their case
against Larry Swartz for the murder of his parents. A last minute maneuver
by Swartz' legal team has brought everything to an
unexpected, screeching, halt. The trial is called off. - Larry had confessed
to his attorneys. - He broke down. He broke down
sobbing and heaving. And he said, he did
it, he was guilty, and he just killed them. - [Narrator] Finally authorities
have their confession. Leaving behind any
doubt of Larry's guilt. - Ultimately, the expected
killer, h
adn't done it, and the unexpected
killer had done it. - [Narrator] Now the
states attorneys office has to decide what punishment
could possibly fit this crime. - [News Anchor] The
state agreed to a plea of second degree murder. - The prosecutor recommended
a 20 year sentence, with all but 12 suspended. The judge agreed to
make it concurrent, as opposed to consecutive. I've never seen a
case that lenient. (dramatic music) - The states attorney
wanted me to take Larry to their confinement facility
. He knew that if I took Larry there was a potential for Larry
to tell me why he did this. And how did it really occur. And I sat down with him
and asked him to tell us, Larry, why did you do it? (dramatic music) He didn't answer me, and I pressed him again, and he said, I just lost it. He said that he had come
home from school that day and later in the evening his Mother had asked him how
he had done on his tests. And he knew that he
had failed Spanish and she had been riding him
about not doin
g well in school. And she made a caustic
remark about his grades, you're having, you
probably failed them. Meaning the tests. (suspenseful music) So he took a knife and he stabbed her
repeatedly about the neck. (suspenseful music) And then Bob was alerted
to the activity, the noise. And he attacked Bob. (suspenseful music) Larry never did
explain, or admit, to chasing Kay through
the neighborhood. I found out during the autopsy that she had been stabbed
through her esophagus, so perhaps she coul
dn't scream. (suspenseful music) With sheer terror,
running for her life. Larry did admit to
putting the splitting maul into his Mother's head. (dramatic music) - [Narrator] After committing
such a a violent act Larry knew there was only one
way to cast off suspicion. - [Dispatcher] Anne
Arundel County Police. - Became the realization that throughout the
interview with Larry he was trying to steer
our investigation. He forced on us,
information about Michael. (dramatic music) - [Narrator] The wh
ole time
that his brother Michael was a suspect in the killings,
Larry played the victim card. - When we were here
for the funeral, Larry wanted to hangout
with us essentially, which we were perfectly
prepared to do, not believing for a minute
that he was involved. We viewed him as a victim, a kid who didn't have any
parents at this point in time. - It's to this day
hard to fathom. - [Narrator] Though Larry's
adoptive brother Michael had been exonerated,
he none-the-less met - When it turned out
that
he didn't commit the murders he had nowhere to go. His parents were dead. His brothers in prison. His sisters been adopted
by another family, and he has no one, in the world. He starts doing drugs. And while he's taking drugs he
and his buddies go rob a man and in the course
of robbing the man, they stabbed him to death. Michael was sentenced
to prison for life. None of the leniency
his brother got. Life. He's now in his 50s, still in prison in the state
of Maryland, 35 years later. - This
, (sighing) just had
to be one of the worst, lose-lose, destructive
situations, that society can see happen. (melancholy music) - Looking back over this case, I have empathy for
both Michael and Larry. I know that they struggled. Yet, the parents still
tried to do the right thing. - Kay and Bob had
adopted children who had been through
a lot of bad times. And so I think they were
trying to heal the wounds that they came to
the family with. - For both Michael and Larry, I can understand the
frust
ration, the anger, but I couldn't
understand the murder. That's the part that
I didn't understand. (melancholy music) For more information on
An Unexpected Killer go to Oxygen.com (quick inhale of oxygen)
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