September 7, 2023 • 34 mins
The sleepy town of Mt. Pine is rocked by a third murder in less than a year. This time 22-year-old Daniel Walters is found stabbed to death in a bowling alley dumpster. The journey to find his killer will tear his family apart in ways no one could imagine.
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
This series is inspired by true events. The stories you're
about to hear are fictional, and so are the characters
who are played by actors.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
Attention to the skier in the purple and white snowsuit, Yeah,
you you can't ski in the downhill racing teams area.
You're gonna get hurt. Please make your way safely to
the green trail.
Speaker 3 (00:31):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (00:35):
Back in February nineteen eighty five, I'm on the ski
team at Mount Pine High School with my best friend Carla.
Speaker 4 (00:42):
I mostly joined ski club in the hopes that I'd
get a boyfriend and we'd ride the ski lift together,
make out behind the grounds keeping shed, and drink hoot
coco in the lage.
Speaker 1 (00:54):
At that time, being on those slopes was a nice
distraction from all the bad stuff. The bad stuff like
Don Cartwright's murder that happened six months before. We were
still thinking about it a lot.
Speaker 4 (01:10):
But then there was this one Friday night. I remember
it so well. We had just gotten to the top
of the hill. We heard sirens, lots of sirens. I
remember we looked at each other and said, oh no,
not again.
Speaker 1 (01:35):
I'm Nancy Clark. This is the Murder Years. Episode three, Daniel.
Speaker 4 (01:45):
So it's February twenty second, nineteen eighty five, and we
were scared seeing all those police cars going by. So
we left snow Bear soon after. When I got home,
I told my mom about it, wondering if she or
my dad knew anything. See, my dad was a paramedic
and he was on duty that night, so maybe he
(02:08):
knew something.
Speaker 5 (02:10):
Turns out he did.
Speaker 4 (02:11):
My mom said my dad called home and told her
some elementary school kids fell through the ice at Miller Lake.
Speaker 1 (02:18):
Carla calls to let me know what she's learned about
all those police cars. Later, I hear the kid who
fell through the ice as eleven year old Mark Donahue,
a rowdy kid from a big family. He's at the
hospital with severe hypothermia, but will eventually be okay. I
know the Donahue family. I used to babysit Mark. It's
(02:40):
good news that he'll be okay. I actually dated his
older brother, Teddy, too. He's agreed to talk.
Speaker 6 (02:47):
To be honest, I think I liked you more back
then than you like me.
Speaker 1 (02:52):
That's fifty four year old Teddy Donahue today. Back in
nineteen eighty five, Teddy is seventeen trying to rock the
surfer look despite living in our frozen tundra.
Speaker 6 (03:02):
So anyway, you gave me the let's just be friends speech,
which is always fun. But actually it was a blessing
because then I started dating Tina Matthews. She was a
great girl, bright red hair, a little awkward in her
own skin, but that's what made her fun. That Friday
night when my brother fell through the ice, I was
(03:24):
at the movies with Tina seeing the breakfast Club's in there.
Speaker 7 (03:28):
Yes, where's your lunch?
Speaker 8 (03:32):
You're wearing it.
Speaker 1 (03:34):
Today Tina and Teddy are married and parents to twins
who are now twenty eight years old. Here's Tina.
Speaker 9 (03:42):
I'd known Teddy since kindergarten. Our parents were friends. They
went to mounta Pine High School together. Man, this town
is small anyway. The morning after we went to see
the breakfast Club, I had a swim meet. That afternoon
I had to work at the bowling Alley.
Speaker 1 (04:00):
Pin Lanes has been opened since the nineteen forties and
hasn't changed in Iota. Beautiful wooden lanes and seats. It's
like walking into a time capsule. And because a lot
of kids worked there over the years, it became a
big hangout spot.
Speaker 9 (04:15):
I liked working at Lucky Pins. I would hand out
shoes and clean them. It was a dirty job, but
somebody had to do it.
Speaker 1 (04:23):
By midnight, the bowling Alley has cleared out and Tina
finishes her shift and goes home. But the bar goes
strong until two. It's one of the few places in
town that stays open late. Things can get routy there.
But what happens that night? No one sees coming.
Speaker 8 (04:41):
Nine one one.
Speaker 4 (04:41):
What's your emergency.
Speaker 2 (04:43):
Yeah, I'm the manager of Lucky Pins and you need
to send Hope here.
Speaker 10 (04:45):
Now what's happening.
Speaker 2 (04:47):
Well, I went to throw out the trash or dumpster
off back and there's a body inside.
Speaker 1 (05:01):
It's two thirty am when Mount Pine Police arrive on
that frigid night. Detective Kurt Peters is working the case
as the lead investigator. He's the same detective who sawved
Don Cartwright's murder at the drive in.
Speaker 3 (05:16):
So we.
Speaker 11 (05:18):
Had a dead body and a dumpster didn't sound good
at all.
Speaker 1 (05:23):
I asked him to take me back to the scene,
and he says he still remembers it so clearly because
of its brutal details.
Speaker 11 (05:32):
So I remember the first thing I saw as I
walked over toward the dumpster. Was a wallet, brown wallet
on the ground. I put on gloves and picked it
up by the corner. Inside there was no money. There
was only a driver's license and the name on it,
(05:54):
said Daniel Walters. I wasn't sure yet if this was
how Victim's wallet, but help so. It was always better
to start with an ID than a Jane of John Doe.
I then walked over to the dumpster and shined my
flashlight inside. And it's hard to get some of these
(06:20):
images out of your head.
Speaker 3 (06:21):
You know. There was all a victim face down.
Speaker 11 (06:26):
In a pile of trash, his shirt slacked. I could
see multiple stab wounds in his.
Speaker 5 (06:35):
Back, Detective Peter says.
Speaker 1 (06:38):
After officers photographed the victim in the dumpster, Peters allows
the coroner's office to lay the body on the ground.
Detective Peter says that's when he sees that the face
of the victim matches the face on the driver's license
found in the brown wallet.
Speaker 3 (06:54):
How victim was twenty two year old Daniel Walters.
Speaker 1 (07:03):
Since graduating from Mount Pine four years earlier, Daniel Walters
has been working as a mechanic at Jerry's Gas Station,
a lot of kids.
Speaker 5 (07:11):
Around Mount Pine.
Speaker 1 (07:12):
Knew Daniel because he would buy alcohol for those of
us who didn't have fake IDs. Daniel was always really
nice to us. He kind of looked a little like
a little like Kevin Bacon and Footloose.
Speaker 11 (07:26):
This one, it was like three am or so, and
I turned my attention to the night manager, Robert Shield's
nine one one caller.
Speaker 1 (07:38):
Robert Shields actually moved to Alaska after this. He agreed
to speak to me over the phone from his home
and Anchorage.
Speaker 8 (07:45):
Yeah, I told the detective what little I knew. I
went outside and found him. I didn't recognize the guy.
He wasn't in our bowling elle that night, and well,
we've have some problems at the bar. It was a
couple of months before I caught some kids getting high
in the bathroom. We I SA had a domestic dispute
(08:07):
and wife calling the cops on her husband. And then
about a week before that happened, someone broke in and
stole the cash register.
Speaker 11 (08:17):
I needed to gather more evidence. I didn't know if
any of those incidents related to the murder. At that point,
I wanted to know if there were any security footage.
Speaker 8 (08:30):
I told him no, no, the guy or guys that
broke in a while back and stole a cash register,
also smashed the two security cameras, and the owner never
bothered to replace him.
Speaker 1 (08:48):
While crime scene investigators work into the early morning hours,
Detective Peters says he heads out to make the dreaded
death notification.
Speaker 3 (09:00):
So it was around five a m.
Speaker 11 (09:03):
When I knocked on the door and was greeted by
Daniel's dad, Donald Walters. I could tell he was confused,
and I could tell he was bracing himself. Then I
told him his son was found dead and it looked
like he was stabbed multiple times. He just stared at me.
Speaker 1 (09:29):
Back in nineteen eighty five, Donald Walters is forty five
years old.
Speaker 5 (09:33):
Today he's eighty two.
Speaker 1 (09:36):
I actually couldn't believe he agreed to talk to me,
but I was very thankful he did.
Speaker 3 (09:42):
So.
Speaker 7 (09:42):
I'll never forget it. The detective was sitting across from
me at my kitchen table, telling me.
Speaker 12 (09:47):
My son was dead. I was in shock.
Speaker 3 (09:51):
I think I'm still in shock.
Speaker 7 (09:52):
Honestly, even after all these years, it never really goes away.
Daniel was He was such a sweet boy. I never
heard anyone I was divorced. He helped take care of me.
After I found twenty feet off the ladder at work,
who broke both legs, cracked a few rints. I couldn't
(10:13):
walk for almost a year. I still have trouble getting
around without a walker. Daniel made all my meals, helped
me Bathe helped me get better.
Speaker 6 (10:24):
He was a sweet kid.
Speaker 7 (10:26):
Listen, the last thing any twenty two year old wants
to do is bathe his dad.
Speaker 11 (10:34):
I asked him when he last saw his son. He
said when he left for work that Saturday morning.
Speaker 3 (10:43):
He said, nothing was odd about the last exchange.
Speaker 11 (10:46):
I asked him delicately where he was that night, and
he said he was home.
Speaker 3 (10:54):
Alone.
Speaker 7 (10:55):
I told him I did not kill my son. I
did not kill Dan. I can barely stand up on
my own. Look. I knew he was just doing his job,
but still.
Speaker 11 (11:08):
The father didn't have an alibi, but he just didn't
look good for it.
Speaker 3 (11:16):
So I asked him if.
Speaker 11 (11:18):
He knew anyone who'd wanted to hurt his son, and
he said no. I asked again, no one. Was he
having troubles with anyone? Maybe someone from work? Without taking
a breath, he said Victor.
Speaker 7 (11:33):
I told the detective to talk to Victor.
Speaker 1 (11:40):
It's a bit after six am and Jerry's gas station
just opened. That's where Daniel worked with Victor Potts. Victor
was short and stocky. Detective Peters talks to the manager,
who says, yeah, Daniel and Victor did not like each other,
not one bit. But Detective Peters can't talk to Victor
because he's called in sick. He's been out for several days.
Speaker 11 (12:03):
Well, I remember thinking that was an interesting day for
him to call in sick. So I got his address
and went to his house. I knocked and the guy.
Speaker 3 (12:15):
Who answered the door identified himself as Victor Parts.
Speaker 11 (12:18):
Yeah, this is Victor, and he actually looked sick. Victor
told me it was true. It was no secret he
hated Daniel.
Speaker 12 (12:26):
I didn't care for Daniel, but he didn't care for
me either.
Speaker 3 (12:30):
But Daniel hated him right back.
Speaker 12 (12:32):
I nearly lost my job because of him.
Speaker 13 (12:35):
He ratted me out because I was taking some old
car parts and reselling him.
Speaker 11 (12:41):
He said Daniel ratted him out to the owner one
time for taking and selling some discarded car parts, and
he almost lost his job.
Speaker 14 (12:50):
Then.
Speaker 3 (12:50):
I remember this clearly because it rattled me a little.
Speaker 13 (12:54):
No matter how much I hated that guy. I didn't
kill him. I would have liked to.
Speaker 3 (12:59):
But I did.
Speaker 11 (13:01):
And then he said, just kidding, just kidding, it's kind
of a half smile. It was strange.
Speaker 1 (13:08):
Detective Peters confirms with Victor's roommate, he's been home sick
for a few days. So for now, it seems like
Victor Potts has an alibi. Not a strong one, but
an alibi. Nonetheless. Back at the Mount Pine Police Station,
Detective Peters says he and his colleagues pour out the
(13:29):
contents of the dumpster on four long, plastic covered tables.
They're hoping to find the murder weapon or any other
clues that can help point them in the right direction.
Speaker 11 (13:40):
So I remember we were going through all this trash
with a fine tooth comb when I'm told the owner
of Lucky Pens was at the station back.
Speaker 1 (13:53):
In nineteen eighty five. Alan Rizzoli is in his mid sixties.
The Bowling Alley has been in his family for years. Thankfully,
Detective Peters taped his interview because mister Rizzoli has since
passed away.
Speaker 11 (14:06):
And I asked him about his business, and he mentions
that they recently had a break in a robbery.
Speaker 8 (14:14):
And they broke into the basement, smashed the two cameras,
and took the cash register. Guys must have worn gloves
because the police got no prints. I kind of suspected
one of our former employees, and police talk to him,
but they didn't have enough to rest him him.
Speaker 1 (14:32):
Detective Peters asks for the names and numbers of his employees,
former and current. It takes him another full day to
interview the rest of the Bowling Alley and Bar employees,
all of which turns up nothing. Detective Peters finds himself
back at square one.
Speaker 11 (14:48):
I knew I I needed to ask more questions about
that his life, who he associated with, So I asked
his dad, Donald, to come.
Speaker 3 (14:59):
Down to station. I mean, did I have a girlfriend?
Could have been a crime of passion?
Speaker 11 (15:07):
Could there be some sort of love triangle stabbings are
usually personal.
Speaker 1 (15:15):
An hour later, Donald Walters arrives at the police station.
Speaker 7 (15:20):
I hadn't slept in what felt like days, and I
couldn't stop crying. I had to call Daniel's mother break
the news to her, and she lived in another state.
That was the hardest thing I ever had to do.
Speaker 11 (15:38):
So I started by asking Walters about his son's personal life.
Speaker 7 (15:43):
I told the detective that Daniel didn't have a girlfriend
in a couple of years. I guess there was a
chance he was dating someone I wasn't aware of, but
if he was, couldn't have been too serious. I mean
he'd go to work and he come home, helped me out,
we watch sports, he'd go to bed.
Speaker 3 (16:01):
Been like that for a while now.
Speaker 7 (16:03):
But I told Detective Peters that Daniel was close to
his cousin Simone, so maybe she knows something. I told
him My brother, Eugene and Simone moved to Mount Pine
after Simone's mom died of cancer. Besides losing his wife,
Eugene had some issues, some struggles in life, so being
(16:24):
close to me and Daniel was good.
Speaker 1 (16:28):
Back in nineteen eighty five, Simone Walters is fourteen years
old and a year behind us in school. She was
a jock back then. She played both volleyball and basketball.
Speaker 11 (16:39):
I asked Simone Eugene to come down to the station,
and they arrived at the station.
Speaker 3 (16:45):
Simone was very upset.
Speaker 1 (16:48):
Today, Simone lives in Ohio. She was kind enough to
speak with me by phone, even though she says it's
all still hard to talk about.
Speaker 10 (16:56):
I remember how sad.
Speaker 6 (16:58):
I was.
Speaker 10 (17:01):
I couldn't believe it. I had lost my mother and
then Daniel. I was broken. I told Detective Peters that
Daniel and I had just hung out that Friday night
at my house. He bought me Chicago's new album. I
was obsessed with that song, you Know You're the Inspurra.
(17:25):
We put it on the record player and laying on
the living room floor playing it over and over. Then
we had pizza and I made him watch The Love
Boat with me. You know, he was my cousin, but
he was my friend.
Speaker 11 (17:41):
When I questioned her, so, Mom said she couldn't think
of anyone who'd want to hurt Daniel. Then I asked
her dad, Eujeene, a few questions. Eujane was a lanky,
fragile looking man. Maybe all of his loss had taken
a toll on him. He was about six inches taller
than his brother, but even giving Donald's disabilities, Eugene seemed
(18:05):
much much weaker. Eugene agreed with Simon, he didn't know
anyone who'd wanted hurt Daniel. He said he was a
good kid. Eugene was a man of few words.
Speaker 1 (18:24):
Two days later, the coroner comes out with her report,
which Detective Peters shares with me. Daniel Walters had been
stabbed thirteen times with a serrated knife, twice in the back,
ten times in his hands and arms, which were defensive wounds,
and the official cause of death was the thirteenth and
final piercing stab wound to his heart. And the stab
(18:44):
wounds show that the knife went in on a downward angle,
which means the killer was probably significantly taller than Daniel.
Speaker 11 (18:53):
Look it had no leads, I was I was beyond
frustrate it so returned to the media.
Speaker 14 (19:08):
Police are asking for the public's help to catch Daniel
Walter's killer, offerating a five thousand dollars reward for any
information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the
perpetrator of this heinous crime.
Speaker 3 (19:19):
Walter's body was found in.
Speaker 14 (19:20):
A dumpster outside a Lucky Pin's bowling alley last Sunday.
He had been stabbed multiple times.
Speaker 11 (19:28):
So the good news was the press conference work. Our
department received a lot of tips, and the most promising
tip came from a man who id'd the killer.
Speaker 6 (19:46):
I wasn't coming forward just because of the reward.
Speaker 1 (19:48):
I swear Carl Pfizer is no stranger around town then
or now. Then he was in his early twenties. He
had already had a few run ins with the law,
mostly DUI's and public intoxication. There was also a domestic
violence charge he brought against his ex girlfriend, but that
eventually was dropped.
Speaker 11 (20:10):
Yeah, we knew Carl at the station. We knew him
all too well. He could be a nice guy, but
he had his demons.
Speaker 15 (20:22):
You know.
Speaker 11 (20:24):
I didn't know what he could tell me about this case,
but I was open to hearing what he had to say.
Speaker 3 (20:31):
I was skeptical.
Speaker 1 (20:32):
Now today, Carl's totally cleaned up his act. He's married
with children and works at the local hardware store.
Speaker 6 (20:39):
Okay, I remember when I saw it was Detective Peters
who would be interviewing me.
Speaker 12 (20:44):
I was pissed.
Speaker 6 (20:46):
I should put it in nicer terms today, but back
then I thought the guy was a total dick. Anyway,
I told the detective I heard something about the robbery
that happened at Lucky Pins, and that there was maybe
a connection to that kid's murder. The robbery was inside
job that was done by Dale Tompkins, a former employee,
and his brother Stewie, and they really messed up that
(21:06):
kid who caught them in the act. I mean Jesus,
they beat him and stabbed him and the kids survived,
but has serious PTSD over the incident. He's got flashbacks
and he's been having trouble holding down a job ever since.
Speaker 11 (21:22):
I asked all several questions, and yeah, I was going
to have the Robbery Division interview Dale and Stewie Tompkins
recall didn't seem to have any real inful about Daniel's murder.
Speaker 1 (21:42):
An entire month goes by with no new leads. My
friends and I are scared. No one has been caught,
and there's a literal killer on the loose, maybe walking
amongst us, and we have no idea who it is.
Then a late night visit changes everything.
Speaker 10 (22:00):
We had to talk to Detective Peters right away.
Speaker 1 (22:04):
Daniel's cousin Simone and Daniel's father Donald are at the
police station.
Speaker 7 (22:09):
I saw a Detective Peters and I was about to
lose my mind. I didn't even wait for us to
get into the interview room. I just blurted it out.
Speaker 16 (22:16):
My brother Eugene killed my son, and you need to
do something so I don't kill him.
Speaker 10 (22:31):
There were no words to describe the devastation. I was feeling.
My uncle was accusing my father of murder, and I
was smack in the middle of it. My dad and
I were fighting. He said I didn't appreciate everything he's
done for me, and I told him, well, of course
I did, but he kept saying I didn't, and he
(22:54):
was acting so crazy. He was scaring me, and he
said he did what he had to do to keep
me safe.
Speaker 12 (23:02):
And then.
Speaker 10 (23:04):
He said he killed Daniel because he thought he was
molesting me.
Speaker 3 (23:11):
Was he No, of course not.
Speaker 10 (23:13):
I told my father he was wrong. Daniel wasn't doing
anything to me.
Speaker 7 (23:18):
My brother had been institutionalized for mental issues in the past.
He was diagnosed with delusional disorder years ago, but he'd
been fine for a long time. Look, I didn't know
if he'd had a psychotic break or what, and I
didn't care.
Speaker 12 (23:33):
I wanted to kill him.
Speaker 11 (23:35):
I asked where he was, and Simone said the last
she saw him was at home. Me and six other
officers high teled it to Eugene's house.
Speaker 3 (23:50):
When we got there, he surrounded it and told him
to come out with his hands up. Moments later, he
opened the door, then actually walked back inside.
Speaker 11 (24:01):
Officers stormed the house, toppled him from behind, got him
to the ground and cuffed them. Then they put him
in a chair at his kitchen table. Everyone's a drilling
was through the roof. I asked him by then and
there if he killed Daniel, and he said yes. I
was stunned. He said Daniel was molesting Simon.
Speaker 12 (24:28):
That Saturday, Simone was at volleyball practice.
Speaker 3 (24:30):
He kept talking.
Speaker 12 (24:31):
Daniel came over to help him fix his car.
Speaker 11 (24:34):
When Daniel finished, they went inside and Daniel washed his hands.
Speaker 3 (24:40):
Then he asked to use the phone in the kitchen.
Speaker 15 (24:42):
I overheard Daniel on the phone talking about this girl
he liked, and I thought he was talking about Simone.
Speaker 3 (24:49):
He became enraged.
Speaker 11 (24:52):
He grabbed a knife on the drawer, and when Daniel
hung up the phone, he stabbed him in the back.
Speaker 3 (24:59):
Multiple times.
Speaker 11 (25:02):
Daniel turned around, they fought, and Eugene stabbed him until
he was dead. Listening to Eugene described this was chilly.
He had a flat effect, no emotion at all. I
(25:22):
asked him what happened next.
Speaker 15 (25:24):
I put his body in a large stuffel bag, cleaned
the kitchen while I waited for it to get dark,
and then I put him in my trunk and drove
around for hours looking for somewhere to dump the body.
I got tired and gave up looking for the perfect place,
so I pulled into the Bowling Alley parking lot.
Speaker 11 (25:42):
He got tired and gave him looking for the perfect place,
so he pulled into the Bowlden Alley parking lot.
Speaker 12 (25:50):
And didn't see anyone around him. Put him in the dumpster.
Speaker 3 (25:54):
I asked him what he did with the knife.
Speaker 12 (25:57):
The knife is under my mattress.
Speaker 11 (25:59):
Officers into his bedroom and came out holding a five
inch serrated knife. Blade had been wiped clean mostly, but
there were small traces of blood still on it.
Speaker 3 (26:17):
We had, Oh God.
Speaker 1 (26:23):
Eugene Walters's charged with first degree murder seems like an
open and shut case, right. Nope, because Eugene cleads not
guilty by reason of insanity. Prosecutor Laura Wells is trying
the case for the state.
Speaker 6 (26:39):
Eugene Walters claimed he had a mental break the moment
he killed his nephew Daniel, So yes, he did it,
but he shouldn't be held responsible.
Speaker 1 (26:48):
Remember, Eugene Walters has a history of mental breakdowns and hospitalizations.
The judge orders the psychological examination to find out if
he's competent to stand trial and if he'd be able
to help his attorney in his own defense. Ultimately, the
judge rules Eugene is competent to stand trial, but it
(27:10):
takes another six months for the trial to start, and
when it does, Daniel's father, Donald and Simone are there
every day.
Speaker 10 (27:21):
My dad was sick. What he did was crazy. I
didn't think he knew anything about what he did at
the time that he killed Daniel. And of course, I
still love my dad so much. I mean, he was
(27:42):
the only parent I had and I still needed him.
Uncle Donald didn't feel the same, of course, and my
sticking up for Dad definitely drove a wedge between me
and my uncle. I mean at the trial, we didn't
(28:02):
even we didn't sit together. We sat on opposite sides.
Speaker 2 (28:07):
Of the courtroom.
Speaker 10 (28:09):
I couldn't even look at him, he couldn't look at me.
Speaker 12 (28:12):
It was just so sad.
Speaker 1 (28:17):
Several witnesses are called for the prosecution, including doctor Sally Pope,
a psychologist and expert in the insanity defense.
Speaker 5 (28:26):
The trial was audio taped.
Speaker 7 (28:29):
Do you solemnly swear to tell the truth, the whole truth,
and nothing but the truth, So help you.
Speaker 6 (28:33):
God, I do you may be seated.
Speaker 1 (28:37):
Doctor Pope testifies that, yes, it is possible to have
a psychotic break.
Speaker 17 (28:42):
Considering Eugene Walters has some history of mental illness, it
could be more likely to occur in him than someone else.
But what doesn't add up is he took the knife
out of the drawer and waited for Daniel to get
off the phone before stabbing him. That shows an acknowledgment
of potential consequences. He didn't want the person Daniel was
(29:06):
talking to to hear what he was about to do.
And then there's what mister Walters did after he killed
his nephew. He didn't call the police. He waited to
load Daniel's body into his car under the cover of darkness.
He cleaned up the scene and drove around for hours
looking for somewhere to dump him.
Speaker 6 (29:27):
I mean, the list goes.
Speaker 17 (29:28):
On and on.
Speaker 1 (29:33):
The trial lasts for five days, then the jury goes
into deliberation. On day three, the jury four person sends
out a note saying they are deadlocked. The judge urges
them to try again. Two days later, the jury comes
back with a verdict guilty. Eugene Walters is sentenced twenty.
Speaker 5 (29:54):
Five to life.
Speaker 1 (29:56):
His brother is still torn apart.
Speaker 12 (29:59):
It said to.
Speaker 7 (30:00):
Say this then and now, because what we were all losers
in this.
Speaker 12 (30:05):
I mean, nobody won.
Speaker 7 (30:07):
I lost my son for God's sake, but in the end,
my brother got.
Speaker 3 (30:13):
What he deserved.
Speaker 10 (30:15):
My dad was going to prison for a very long time,
and I had nowhere to live. I didn't want to
live with my uncle Donald, so I went to live
with a friend in her parents and I went to
see my dad when I could, but it was so hard.
(30:36):
I really missed him, and God, I missed Daniel so
much it hurts.
Speaker 1 (30:50):
So another one of us is dead and buried. Another trial,
another devastated family. It's all becoming too much. My friends
were as freaked out as I was.
Speaker 12 (31:05):
I was scared. I mean I just kept feeling it
and saying it.
Speaker 1 (31:09):
I don't know, I'm sure I was a broken record,
but I was really scared.
Speaker 10 (31:15):
I mean, it was like, how many more of us
were going to die?
Speaker 3 (31:20):
And who would be.
Speaker 5 (31:21):
Next next time?
Speaker 10 (31:31):
On the murder years, as a guy came in, he
pulled out a gun out of his coat, and he said,
to me, give me all the money.
Speaker 1 (31:39):
Tragedy After the homecoming game.
Speaker 12 (31:42):
She said I got freaked out and just shot it
was an accident?
Speaker 1 (31:47):
Was it an accident? Or something more sinister? The Murder
Years is a production of AYR Media and iHeartMedia. Executive
producer Elisa Rosen for AYR Media, co executive producer Paulina Williams.
(32:12):
Written by Leah Rothman, directed by Michael Selditch. Original concept
developed in partnership with Anne, Margaret Johns and Greg Spring.
Casting by Eisenberg Beans Casting, Senior Associate producer Eric Newman,
Associate producer Jill Pushesnik. Editing and sound design by Tristan Bankston,
(32:34):
Mastering by Cameron Taggie, Audio engineering by Matt Jacobson, Studio
engineering by Jay Brannan. Music by Nathan Bankston. Legal council
for AYR Media, Janni Douglas, Executive producer for iHeartMedia, Maya Howard.
Performances for this episode by Gabrielle Carteris as Nancy Clark,
(32:57):
Kelly Deadman as Tatiana, Borla Cassidy as Melanie, Marie, Silda
Garcia as Carla, April Adams as Prosecutor Wells, beau Kine
as Alan Rizzoli, bou Kine as Robert Shields Caroline Jania
as Bowling Ally Employee number two, Dathan B. Williams as
(33:19):
Detective Peters. Desiree Rodriguez is nine one one Operator Desiree
Rodriguez as court clerk, Jesse Hendrix as Tina Matthews, Justin
Marriconda as Young Robert Shields, Jessin Mariconda as resort intercomm announcer,
Joe Pichico as Bowling Ally Employee number three, John Ralston
(33:41):
Craig as Reporter number one, lisil copp A is Simone Walters,
Steve Felice as Teddy Donahue, Tom Virtue as Donald Walters,
Tyler Hopkins as Bowling Ally Employee number one, Tyler Hopkins
as Judge You, Donna dan Niels as Doctor Sally Pope.
(34:02):
Additional voices by Alex Salem.
This series is inspired by true events. The stories you're
about to hear are fictional, and so are the characters
who are played by actors.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
Attention to the skier in the purple and white snowsuit, Yeah,
you you can't ski in the downhill racing teams area.
You're gonna get hurt. Please make your way safely to
the green trail.
Speaker 3 (00:31):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (00:35):
Back in February nineteen eighty five, I'm on the ski
team at Mount Pine High School with my best friend Carla.
Speaker 4 (00:42):
I mostly joined ski club in the hopes that I'd
get a boyfriend and we'd ride the ski lift together,
make out behind the grounds keeping shed, and drink hoot
coco in the lage.
Speaker 1 (00:54):
At that time, being on those slopes was a nice
distraction from all the bad stuff. The bad stuff like
Don Cartwright's murder that happened six months before. We were
still thinking about it a lot.
Speaker 4 (01:10):
But then there was this one Friday night. I remember
it so well. We had just gotten to the top
of the hill. We heard sirens, lots of sirens. I
remember we looked at each other and said, oh no,
not again.
Speaker 1 (01:35):
I'm Nancy Clark. This is the Murder Years. Episode three, Daniel.
Speaker 4 (01:45):
So it's February twenty second, nineteen eighty five, and we
were scared seeing all those police cars going by. So
we left snow Bear soon after. When I got home,
I told my mom about it, wondering if she or
my dad knew anything. See, my dad was a paramedic
and he was on duty that night, so maybe he
(02:08):
knew something.
Speaker 5 (02:10):
Turns out he did.
Speaker 4 (02:11):
My mom said my dad called home and told her
some elementary school kids fell through the ice at Miller Lake.
Speaker 1 (02:18):
Carla calls to let me know what she's learned about
all those police cars. Later, I hear the kid who
fell through the ice as eleven year old Mark Donahue,
a rowdy kid from a big family. He's at the
hospital with severe hypothermia, but will eventually be okay. I
know the Donahue family. I used to babysit Mark. It's
(02:40):
good news that he'll be okay. I actually dated his
older brother, Teddy, too. He's agreed to talk.
Speaker 6 (02:47):
To be honest, I think I liked you more back
then than you like me.
Speaker 1 (02:52):
That's fifty four year old Teddy Donahue today. Back in
nineteen eighty five, Teddy is seventeen trying to rock the
surfer look despite living in our frozen tundra.
Speaker 6 (03:02):
So anyway, you gave me the let's just be friends speech,
which is always fun. But actually it was a blessing
because then I started dating Tina Matthews. She was a
great girl, bright red hair, a little awkward in her
own skin, but that's what made her fun. That Friday
night when my brother fell through the ice, I was
(03:24):
at the movies with Tina seeing the breakfast Club's in there.
Speaker 7 (03:28):
Yes, where's your lunch?
Speaker 8 (03:32):
You're wearing it.
Speaker 1 (03:34):
Today Tina and Teddy are married and parents to twins
who are now twenty eight years old. Here's Tina.
Speaker 9 (03:42):
I'd known Teddy since kindergarten. Our parents were friends. They
went to mounta Pine High School together. Man, this town
is small anyway. The morning after we went to see
the breakfast Club, I had a swim meet. That afternoon
I had to work at the bowling Alley.
Speaker 1 (04:00):
Pin Lanes has been opened since the nineteen forties and
hasn't changed in Iota. Beautiful wooden lanes and seats. It's
like walking into a time capsule. And because a lot
of kids worked there over the years, it became a
big hangout spot.
Speaker 9 (04:15):
I liked working at Lucky Pins. I would hand out
shoes and clean them. It was a dirty job, but
somebody had to do it.
Speaker 1 (04:23):
By midnight, the bowling Alley has cleared out and Tina
finishes her shift and goes home. But the bar goes
strong until two. It's one of the few places in
town that stays open late. Things can get routy there.
But what happens that night? No one sees coming.
Speaker 8 (04:41):
Nine one one.
Speaker 4 (04:41):
What's your emergency.
Speaker 2 (04:43):
Yeah, I'm the manager of Lucky Pins and you need
to send Hope here.
Speaker 10 (04:45):
Now what's happening.
Speaker 2 (04:47):
Well, I went to throw out the trash or dumpster
off back and there's a body inside.
Speaker 1 (05:01):
It's two thirty am when Mount Pine Police arrive on
that frigid night. Detective Kurt Peters is working the case
as the lead investigator. He's the same detective who sawved
Don Cartwright's murder at the drive in.
Speaker 3 (05:16):
So we.
Speaker 11 (05:18):
Had a dead body and a dumpster didn't sound good
at all.
Speaker 1 (05:23):
I asked him to take me back to the scene,
and he says he still remembers it so clearly because
of its brutal details.
Speaker 11 (05:32):
So I remember the first thing I saw as I
walked over toward the dumpster. Was a wallet, brown wallet
on the ground. I put on gloves and picked it
up by the corner. Inside there was no money. There
was only a driver's license and the name on it,
(05:54):
said Daniel Walters. I wasn't sure yet if this was
how Victim's wallet, but help so. It was always better
to start with an ID than a Jane of John Doe.
I then walked over to the dumpster and shined my
flashlight inside. And it's hard to get some of these
(06:20):
images out of your head.
Speaker 3 (06:21):
You know. There was all a victim face down.
Speaker 11 (06:26):
In a pile of trash, his shirt slacked. I could
see multiple stab wounds in his.
Speaker 5 (06:35):
Back, Detective Peter says.
Speaker 1 (06:38):
After officers photographed the victim in the dumpster, Peters allows
the coroner's office to lay the body on the ground.
Detective Peter says that's when he sees that the face
of the victim matches the face on the driver's license
found in the brown wallet.
Speaker 3 (06:54):
How victim was twenty two year old Daniel Walters.
Speaker 1 (07:03):
Since graduating from Mount Pine four years earlier, Daniel Walters
has been working as a mechanic at Jerry's Gas Station,
a lot of kids.
Speaker 5 (07:11):
Around Mount Pine.
Speaker 1 (07:12):
Knew Daniel because he would buy alcohol for those of
us who didn't have fake IDs. Daniel was always really
nice to us. He kind of looked a little like
a little like Kevin Bacon and Footloose.
Speaker 11 (07:26):
This one, it was like three am or so, and
I turned my attention to the night manager, Robert Shield's
nine one one caller.
Speaker 1 (07:38):
Robert Shields actually moved to Alaska after this. He agreed
to speak to me over the phone from his home
and Anchorage.
Speaker 8 (07:45):
Yeah, I told the detective what little I knew. I
went outside and found him. I didn't recognize the guy.
He wasn't in our bowling elle that night, and well,
we've have some problems at the bar. It was a
couple of months before I caught some kids getting high
in the bathroom. We I SA had a domestic dispute
(08:07):
and wife calling the cops on her husband. And then
about a week before that happened, someone broke in and
stole the cash register.
Speaker 11 (08:17):
I needed to gather more evidence. I didn't know if
any of those incidents related to the murder. At that point,
I wanted to know if there were any security footage.
Speaker 8 (08:30):
I told him no, no, the guy or guys that
broke in a while back and stole a cash register,
also smashed the two security cameras, and the owner never
bothered to replace him.
Speaker 1 (08:48):
While crime scene investigators work into the early morning hours,
Detective Peters says he heads out to make the dreaded
death notification.
Speaker 3 (09:00):
So it was around five a m.
Speaker 11 (09:03):
When I knocked on the door and was greeted by
Daniel's dad, Donald Walters. I could tell he was confused,
and I could tell he was bracing himself. Then I
told him his son was found dead and it looked
like he was stabbed multiple times. He just stared at me.
Speaker 1 (09:29):
Back in nineteen eighty five, Donald Walters is forty five
years old.
Speaker 5 (09:33):
Today he's eighty two.
Speaker 1 (09:36):
I actually couldn't believe he agreed to talk to me,
but I was very thankful he did.
Speaker 3 (09:42):
So.
Speaker 7 (09:42):
I'll never forget it. The detective was sitting across from
me at my kitchen table, telling me.
Speaker 12 (09:47):
My son was dead. I was in shock.
Speaker 3 (09:51):
I think I'm still in shock.
Speaker 7 (09:52):
Honestly, even after all these years, it never really goes away.
Daniel was He was such a sweet boy. I never
heard anyone I was divorced. He helped take care of me.
After I found twenty feet off the ladder at work,
who broke both legs, cracked a few rints. I couldn't
(10:13):
walk for almost a year. I still have trouble getting
around without a walker. Daniel made all my meals, helped
me Bathe helped me get better.
Speaker 6 (10:24):
He was a sweet kid.
Speaker 7 (10:26):
Listen, the last thing any twenty two year old wants
to do is bathe his dad.
Speaker 11 (10:34):
I asked him when he last saw his son. He
said when he left for work that Saturday morning.
Speaker 3 (10:43):
He said, nothing was odd about the last exchange.
Speaker 11 (10:46):
I asked him delicately where he was that night, and
he said he was home.
Speaker 3 (10:54):
Alone.
Speaker 7 (10:55):
I told him I did not kill my son. I
did not kill Dan. I can barely stand up on
my own. Look. I knew he was just doing his job,
but still.
Speaker 11 (11:08):
The father didn't have an alibi, but he just didn't
look good for it.
Speaker 3 (11:16):
So I asked him if.
Speaker 11 (11:18):
He knew anyone who'd wanted to hurt his son, and
he said no. I asked again, no one. Was he
having troubles with anyone? Maybe someone from work? Without taking
a breath, he said Victor.
Speaker 7 (11:33):
I told the detective to talk to Victor.
Speaker 1 (11:40):
It's a bit after six am and Jerry's gas station
just opened. That's where Daniel worked with Victor Potts. Victor
was short and stocky. Detective Peters talks to the manager,
who says, yeah, Daniel and Victor did not like each other,
not one bit. But Detective Peters can't talk to Victor
because he's called in sick. He's been out for several days.
Speaker 11 (12:03):
Well, I remember thinking that was an interesting day for
him to call in sick. So I got his address
and went to his house. I knocked and the guy.
Speaker 3 (12:15):
Who answered the door identified himself as Victor Parts.
Speaker 11 (12:18):
Yeah, this is Victor, and he actually looked sick. Victor
told me it was true. It was no secret he
hated Daniel.
Speaker 12 (12:26):
I didn't care for Daniel, but he didn't care for
me either.
Speaker 3 (12:30):
But Daniel hated him right back.
Speaker 12 (12:32):
I nearly lost my job because of him.
Speaker 13 (12:35):
He ratted me out because I was taking some old
car parts and reselling him.
Speaker 11 (12:41):
He said Daniel ratted him out to the owner one
time for taking and selling some discarded car parts, and
he almost lost his job.
Speaker 14 (12:50):
Then.
Speaker 3 (12:50):
I remember this clearly because it rattled me a little.
Speaker 13 (12:54):
No matter how much I hated that guy. I didn't
kill him. I would have liked to.
Speaker 3 (12:59):
But I did.
Speaker 11 (13:01):
And then he said, just kidding, just kidding, it's kind
of a half smile. It was strange.
Speaker 1 (13:08):
Detective Peters confirms with Victor's roommate, he's been home sick
for a few days. So for now, it seems like
Victor Potts has an alibi. Not a strong one, but
an alibi. Nonetheless. Back at the Mount Pine Police Station,
Detective Peters says he and his colleagues pour out the
(13:29):
contents of the dumpster on four long, plastic covered tables.
They're hoping to find the murder weapon or any other
clues that can help point them in the right direction.
Speaker 11 (13:40):
So I remember we were going through all this trash
with a fine tooth comb when I'm told the owner
of Lucky Pens was at the station back.
Speaker 1 (13:53):
In nineteen eighty five. Alan Rizzoli is in his mid sixties.
The Bowling Alley has been in his family for years. Thankfully,
Detective Peters taped his interview because mister Rizzoli has since
passed away.
Speaker 11 (14:06):
And I asked him about his business, and he mentions
that they recently had a break in a robbery.
Speaker 8 (14:14):
And they broke into the basement, smashed the two cameras,
and took the cash register. Guys must have worn gloves
because the police got no prints. I kind of suspected
one of our former employees, and police talk to him,
but they didn't have enough to rest him him.
Speaker 1 (14:32):
Detective Peters asks for the names and numbers of his employees,
former and current. It takes him another full day to
interview the rest of the Bowling Alley and Bar employees,
all of which turns up nothing. Detective Peters finds himself
back at square one.
Speaker 11 (14:48):
I knew I I needed to ask more questions about
that his life, who he associated with, So I asked
his dad, Donald, to come.
Speaker 3 (14:59):
Down to station. I mean, did I have a girlfriend?
Could have been a crime of passion?
Speaker 11 (15:07):
Could there be some sort of love triangle stabbings are
usually personal.
Speaker 1 (15:15):
An hour later, Donald Walters arrives at the police station.
Speaker 7 (15:20):
I hadn't slept in what felt like days, and I
couldn't stop crying. I had to call Daniel's mother break
the news to her, and she lived in another state.
That was the hardest thing I ever had to do.
Speaker 11 (15:38):
So I started by asking Walters about his son's personal life.
Speaker 7 (15:43):
I told the detective that Daniel didn't have a girlfriend
in a couple of years. I guess there was a
chance he was dating someone I wasn't aware of, but
if he was, couldn't have been too serious. I mean
he'd go to work and he come home, helped me out,
we watch sports, he'd go to bed.
Speaker 3 (16:01):
Been like that for a while now.
Speaker 7 (16:03):
But I told Detective Peters that Daniel was close to
his cousin Simone, so maybe she knows something. I told
him My brother, Eugene and Simone moved to Mount Pine
after Simone's mom died of cancer. Besides losing his wife,
Eugene had some issues, some struggles in life, so being
(16:24):
close to me and Daniel was good.
Speaker 1 (16:28):
Back in nineteen eighty five, Simone Walters is fourteen years
old and a year behind us in school. She was
a jock back then. She played both volleyball and basketball.
Speaker 11 (16:39):
I asked Simone Eugene to come down to the station,
and they arrived at the station.
Speaker 3 (16:45):
Simone was very upset.
Speaker 1 (16:48):
Today, Simone lives in Ohio. She was kind enough to
speak with me by phone, even though she says it's
all still hard to talk about.
Speaker 10 (16:56):
I remember how sad.
Speaker 6 (16:58):
I was.
Speaker 10 (17:01):
I couldn't believe it. I had lost my mother and
then Daniel. I was broken. I told Detective Peters that
Daniel and I had just hung out that Friday night
at my house. He bought me Chicago's new album. I
was obsessed with that song, you Know You're the Inspurra.
(17:25):
We put it on the record player and laying on
the living room floor playing it over and over. Then
we had pizza and I made him watch The Love
Boat with me. You know, he was my cousin, but
he was my friend.
Speaker 11 (17:41):
When I questioned her, so, Mom said she couldn't think
of anyone who'd want to hurt Daniel. Then I asked
her dad, Eujeene, a few questions. Eujane was a lanky,
fragile looking man. Maybe all of his loss had taken
a toll on him. He was about six inches taller
than his brother, but even giving Donald's disabilities, Eugene seemed
(18:05):
much much weaker. Eugene agreed with Simon, he didn't know
anyone who'd wanted hurt Daniel. He said he was a
good kid. Eugene was a man of few words.
Speaker 1 (18:24):
Two days later, the coroner comes out with her report,
which Detective Peters shares with me. Daniel Walters had been
stabbed thirteen times with a serrated knife, twice in the back,
ten times in his hands and arms, which were defensive wounds,
and the official cause of death was the thirteenth and
final piercing stab wound to his heart. And the stab
(18:44):
wounds show that the knife went in on a downward angle,
which means the killer was probably significantly taller than Daniel.
Speaker 11 (18:53):
Look it had no leads, I was I was beyond
frustrate it so returned to the media.
Speaker 14 (19:08):
Police are asking for the public's help to catch Daniel
Walter's killer, offerating a five thousand dollars reward for any
information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the
perpetrator of this heinous crime.
Speaker 3 (19:19):
Walter's body was found in.
Speaker 14 (19:20):
A dumpster outside a Lucky Pin's bowling alley last Sunday.
He had been stabbed multiple times.
Speaker 11 (19:28):
So the good news was the press conference work. Our
department received a lot of tips, and the most promising
tip came from a man who id'd the killer.
Speaker 6 (19:46):
I wasn't coming forward just because of the reward.
Speaker 1 (19:48):
I swear Carl Pfizer is no stranger around town then
or now. Then he was in his early twenties. He
had already had a few run ins with the law,
mostly DUI's and public intoxication. There was also a domestic
violence charge he brought against his ex girlfriend, but that
eventually was dropped.
Speaker 11 (20:10):
Yeah, we knew Carl at the station. We knew him
all too well. He could be a nice guy, but
he had his demons.
Speaker 15 (20:22):
You know.
Speaker 11 (20:24):
I didn't know what he could tell me about this case,
but I was open to hearing what he had to say.
Speaker 3 (20:31):
I was skeptical.
Speaker 1 (20:32):
Now today, Carl's totally cleaned up his act. He's married
with children and works at the local hardware store.
Speaker 6 (20:39):
Okay, I remember when I saw it was Detective Peters
who would be interviewing me.
Speaker 12 (20:44):
I was pissed.
Speaker 6 (20:46):
I should put it in nicer terms today, but back
then I thought the guy was a total dick. Anyway,
I told the detective I heard something about the robbery
that happened at Lucky Pins, and that there was maybe
a connection to that kid's murder. The robbery was inside
job that was done by Dale Tompkins, a former employee,
and his brother Stewie, and they really messed up that
(21:06):
kid who caught them in the act. I mean Jesus,
they beat him and stabbed him and the kids survived,
but has serious PTSD over the incident. He's got flashbacks
and he's been having trouble holding down a job ever since.
Speaker 11 (21:22):
I asked all several questions, and yeah, I was going
to have the Robbery Division interview Dale and Stewie Tompkins
recall didn't seem to have any real inful about Daniel's murder.
Speaker 1 (21:42):
An entire month goes by with no new leads. My
friends and I are scared. No one has been caught,
and there's a literal killer on the loose, maybe walking
amongst us, and we have no idea who it is.
Then a late night visit changes everything.
Speaker 10 (22:00):
We had to talk to Detective Peters right away.
Speaker 1 (22:04):
Daniel's cousin Simone and Daniel's father Donald are at the
police station.
Speaker 7 (22:09):
I saw a Detective Peters and I was about to
lose my mind. I didn't even wait for us to
get into the interview room. I just blurted it out.
Speaker 16 (22:16):
My brother Eugene killed my son, and you need to
do something so I don't kill him.
Speaker 10 (22:31):
There were no words to describe the devastation. I was feeling.
My uncle was accusing my father of murder, and I
was smack in the middle of it. My dad and
I were fighting. He said I didn't appreciate everything he's
done for me, and I told him, well, of course
I did, but he kept saying I didn't, and he
(22:54):
was acting so crazy. He was scaring me, and he
said he did what he had to do to keep
me safe.
Speaker 12 (23:02):
And then.
Speaker 10 (23:04):
He said he killed Daniel because he thought he was
molesting me.
Speaker 3 (23:11):
Was he No, of course not.
Speaker 10 (23:13):
I told my father he was wrong. Daniel wasn't doing
anything to me.
Speaker 7 (23:18):
My brother had been institutionalized for mental issues in the past.
He was diagnosed with delusional disorder years ago, but he'd
been fine for a long time. Look, I didn't know
if he'd had a psychotic break or what, and I
didn't care.
Speaker 12 (23:33):
I wanted to kill him.
Speaker 11 (23:35):
I asked where he was, and Simone said the last
she saw him was at home. Me and six other
officers high teled it to Eugene's house.
Speaker 3 (23:50):
When we got there, he surrounded it and told him
to come out with his hands up. Moments later, he
opened the door, then actually walked back inside.
Speaker 11 (24:01):
Officers stormed the house, toppled him from behind, got him
to the ground and cuffed them. Then they put him
in a chair at his kitchen table. Everyone's a drilling
was through the roof. I asked him by then and
there if he killed Daniel, and he said yes. I
was stunned. He said Daniel was molesting Simon.
Speaker 12 (24:28):
That Saturday, Simone was at volleyball practice.
Speaker 3 (24:30):
He kept talking.
Speaker 12 (24:31):
Daniel came over to help him fix his car.
Speaker 11 (24:34):
When Daniel finished, they went inside and Daniel washed his hands.
Speaker 3 (24:40):
Then he asked to use the phone in the kitchen.
Speaker 15 (24:42):
I overheard Daniel on the phone talking about this girl
he liked, and I thought he was talking about Simone.
Speaker 3 (24:49):
He became enraged.
Speaker 11 (24:52):
He grabbed a knife on the drawer, and when Daniel
hung up the phone, he stabbed him in the back.
Speaker 3 (24:59):
Multiple times.
Speaker 11 (25:02):
Daniel turned around, they fought, and Eugene stabbed him until
he was dead. Listening to Eugene described this was chilly.
He had a flat effect, no emotion at all. I
(25:22):
asked him what happened next.
Speaker 15 (25:24):
I put his body in a large stuffel bag, cleaned
the kitchen while I waited for it to get dark,
and then I put him in my trunk and drove
around for hours looking for somewhere to dump the body.
I got tired and gave up looking for the perfect place,
so I pulled into the Bowling Alley parking lot.
Speaker 11 (25:42):
He got tired and gave him looking for the perfect place,
so he pulled into the Bowlden Alley parking lot.
Speaker 12 (25:50):
And didn't see anyone around him. Put him in the dumpster.
Speaker 3 (25:54):
I asked him what he did with the knife.
Speaker 12 (25:57):
The knife is under my mattress.
Speaker 11 (25:59):
Officers into his bedroom and came out holding a five
inch serrated knife. Blade had been wiped clean mostly, but
there were small traces of blood still on it.
Speaker 3 (26:17):
We had, Oh God.
Speaker 1 (26:23):
Eugene Walters's charged with first degree murder seems like an
open and shut case, right. Nope, because Eugene cleads not
guilty by reason of insanity. Prosecutor Laura Wells is trying
the case for the state.
Speaker 6 (26:39):
Eugene Walters claimed he had a mental break the moment
he killed his nephew Daniel, So yes, he did it,
but he shouldn't be held responsible.
Speaker 1 (26:48):
Remember, Eugene Walters has a history of mental breakdowns and hospitalizations.
The judge orders the psychological examination to find out if
he's competent to stand trial and if he'd be able
to help his attorney in his own defense. Ultimately, the
judge rules Eugene is competent to stand trial, but it
(27:10):
takes another six months for the trial to start, and
when it does, Daniel's father, Donald and Simone are there
every day.
Speaker 10 (27:21):
My dad was sick. What he did was crazy. I
didn't think he knew anything about what he did at
the time that he killed Daniel. And of course, I
still love my dad so much. I mean, he was
(27:42):
the only parent I had and I still needed him.
Uncle Donald didn't feel the same, of course, and my
sticking up for Dad definitely drove a wedge between me
and my uncle. I mean at the trial, we didn't
(28:02):
even we didn't sit together. We sat on opposite sides.
Speaker 2 (28:07):
Of the courtroom.
Speaker 10 (28:09):
I couldn't even look at him, he couldn't look at me.
Speaker 12 (28:12):
It was just so sad.
Speaker 1 (28:17):
Several witnesses are called for the prosecution, including doctor Sally Pope,
a psychologist and expert in the insanity defense.
Speaker 5 (28:26):
The trial was audio taped.
Speaker 7 (28:29):
Do you solemnly swear to tell the truth, the whole truth,
and nothing but the truth, So help you.
Speaker 6 (28:33):
God, I do you may be seated.
Speaker 1 (28:37):
Doctor Pope testifies that, yes, it is possible to have
a psychotic break.
Speaker 17 (28:42):
Considering Eugene Walters has some history of mental illness, it
could be more likely to occur in him than someone else.
But what doesn't add up is he took the knife
out of the drawer and waited for Daniel to get
off the phone before stabbing him. That shows an acknowledgment
of potential consequences. He didn't want the person Daniel was
(29:06):
talking to to hear what he was about to do.
And then there's what mister Walters did after he killed
his nephew. He didn't call the police. He waited to
load Daniel's body into his car under the cover of darkness.
He cleaned up the scene and drove around for hours
looking for somewhere to dump him.
Speaker 6 (29:27):
I mean, the list goes.
Speaker 17 (29:28):
On and on.
Speaker 1 (29:33):
The trial lasts for five days, then the jury goes
into deliberation. On day three, the jury four person sends
out a note saying they are deadlocked. The judge urges
them to try again. Two days later, the jury comes
back with a verdict guilty. Eugene Walters is sentenced twenty.
Speaker 5 (29:54):
Five to life.
Speaker 1 (29:56):
His brother is still torn apart.
Speaker 12 (29:59):
It said to.
Speaker 7 (30:00):
Say this then and now, because what we were all losers
in this.
Speaker 12 (30:05):
I mean, nobody won.
Speaker 7 (30:07):
I lost my son for God's sake, but in the end,
my brother got.
Speaker 3 (30:13):
What he deserved.
Speaker 10 (30:15):
My dad was going to prison for a very long time,
and I had nowhere to live. I didn't want to
live with my uncle Donald, so I went to live
with a friend in her parents and I went to
see my dad when I could, but it was so hard.
(30:36):
I really missed him, and God, I missed Daniel so
much it hurts.
Speaker 1 (30:50):
So another one of us is dead and buried. Another trial,
another devastated family. It's all becoming too much. My friends
were as freaked out as I was.
Speaker 12 (31:05):
I was scared. I mean I just kept feeling it
and saying it.
Speaker 1 (31:09):
I don't know, I'm sure I was a broken record,
but I was really scared.
Speaker 10 (31:15):
I mean, it was like, how many more of us
were going to die?
Speaker 3 (31:20):
And who would be.
Speaker 5 (31:21):
Next next time?
Speaker 10 (31:31):
On the murder years, as a guy came in, he
pulled out a gun out of his coat, and he said,
to me, give me all the money.
Speaker 1 (31:39):
Tragedy After the homecoming game.
Speaker 12 (31:42):
She said I got freaked out and just shot it
was an accident?
Speaker 1 (31:47):
Was it an accident? Or something more sinister? The Murder
Years is a production of AYR Media and iHeartMedia. Executive
producer Elisa Rosen for AYR Media, co executive producer Paulina Williams.
(32:12):
Written by Leah Rothman, directed by Michael Selditch. Original concept
developed in partnership with Anne, Margaret Johns and Greg Spring.
Casting by Eisenberg Beans Casting, Senior Associate producer Eric Newman,
Associate producer Jill Pushesnik. Editing and sound design by Tristan Bankston,
(32:34):
Mastering by Cameron Taggie, Audio engineering by Matt Jacobson, Studio
engineering by Jay Brannan. Music by Nathan Bankston. Legal council
for AYR Media, Janni Douglas, Executive producer for iHeartMedia, Maya Howard.
Performances for this episode by Gabrielle Carteris as Nancy Clark,
(32:57):
Kelly Deadman as Tatiana, Borla Cassidy as Melanie, Marie, Silda
Garcia as Carla, April Adams as Prosecutor Wells, beau Kine
as Alan Rizzoli, bou Kine as Robert Shields Caroline Jania
as Bowling Ally Employee number two, Dathan B. Williams as
(33:19):
Detective Peters. Desiree Rodriguez is nine one one Operator Desiree
Rodriguez as court clerk, Jesse Hendrix as Tina Matthews, Justin
Marriconda as Young Robert Shields, Jessin Mariconda as resort intercomm announcer,
Joe Pichico as Bowling Ally Employee number three, John Ralston
(33:41):
Craig as Reporter number one, lisil copp A is Simone Walters,
Steve Felice as Teddy Donahue, Tom Virtue as Donald Walters,
Tyler Hopkins as Bowling Ally Employee number one, Tyler Hopkins
as Judge You, Donna dan Niels as Doctor Sally Pope.
(34:02):
Additional voices by Alex Salem.
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