All language subtitles for true.conviction.s01e01.hdtv.x264-w4f-NH

SHE'S ATTACKED
IN HER GARAGE?

SHE'S SHOT.

AND THAT'S WHAT KILLS HER.

SHE'S ALSO STABBED,

WHICH MAYBE DOESN'T MAKE
A LOT OF SENSE.

SO NO SEXUAL ASSAULT,
NO ROBBERY.

WHAT WERE YOU THINKING
THIS WAS ABOUT?

MURDER FOR MURDER'S SAKE.

A SOCIOPATH.

THIS GRANDMOTHER
AND HER DAUGHTER -- WHY?

THAT WAS
THE BIG QUESTION.

THERE WASN'T
ANY NEGOTIATING.

THERE WASN'T ANY TALKING.

WE NOTICED MRS. MARQUARDT
LAYING HERE

WITH A POOL OF BLOOD
UNDERNEATH OF HER HEAD.

IT'S NOT JUST
A BRUTAL DOUBLE MURDER HERE,

BUT HE ALREADY GOT AWAY
WITH ONE OTHER KILLING.

SO, WERE YOU SEARCHING
FOR MURDERS

THAT HAPPENED ANYWHERE
BETWEEN WISCONSIN AND FLORIDA?

IF THIS ISN'T IT,
IT'S NEVER GONNA BE IT.

MY NAME IS ANNA-SIGGA NICOLAZZI.

IN MY TWO DECADES

AS A NEW YORK CITY
HOMICIDE PROSECUTOR,

I SAW HOW MURDER AFFECTS LIVES
FAR BEYOND THE CRIME SCENE.

LET ME TAKE YOU INSIDE
THE FIGHT FOR JUSTICE

FOR VICTIMS
AND THEIR LOVED ONES.

THIS IS "TRUE CONVICTION."

IN CENTRAL FLORIDA
LIES SUMTER COUNTY --

A PEACEFUL ENCLAVE
OF FARMS AND RANCHES.

BUT IN MARCH 2000,

THE GRUESOME DOUBLE MURDER
OF MARGARITA RUIZ

AND HER DAUGHTER, HOPE WELLS,

SENT SHOCKWAVES
THROUGH THIS QUIET COMMUNITY.

I'VE COME HERE
TO SEE HOW POLICE

AND PROSECUTORS GOT JUSTICE
FOR THE RUIZ FAMILY.

PAM, DESCRIBE MARGARITA
FOR ME.

SHE WAS THE MOTHER
TO ALL OF US.

SHE WAS A GREAT WOMAN.

SHE WAS A GREAT WIFE,

GRANDMOTHER,

SISTER, AUNT.

SHE WAS THE BACKBONE
OF OUR FAMILY.

PAM RUIZ
IS MARRIED TO REUBEN,

ONE OF MARGARITA'S
FIVE CHILDREN.

WHY DO YOU SAY SHE WAS
THE BACKBONE OF THE FAMILY?

BECAUSE THAT'S WHERE WE HAD
ALL OF OUR FAMILY GATHERINGS.

WE DID OUR HOLIDAYS
DOWN THERE.

SHE GOT EVERYONE TOGETHER.

SHE MADE THE BEST TAMALES.

THE BEST TAMALES?

YES.

SO SHE WAS REALLY ALMOST
THE LIFEBLOOD OF THIS FAMILY.

YES.
AND EVERYTHING TOOK PLACE

WITH THAT HOUSE
AS THE CENTER.

YES. MM-HMM.

NOW, YOU HAD TWO CHILDREN
AT THE TIME?

MM-HMM.
THEIR NAMES?

PAIGE AND TREVOR.

HOW MANY YEARS APART
ARE PAIGE AND TREVOR?

ALMOST EXACTLY
TWO YEARS APART.

HAVE YOU EVER WATCHED
THESE OLD SITCOMS

WHERE THE MOM,
SHE WAS, LIKE, THE FOUNDATION?

SURE.
THAT'S WHAT SHE WAS.

ROBERT WELLS
BECAME PART OF THE RUIZ FAMILY

WHEN HE MARRIED THEIR
OLDEST DAUGHTER, ESPERANZA.

ALSO KNOWN BY HER LOVED ONES
AS HOPE.

WHEN DID YOU AND HOPE MEET?

WE MET IN 1980.

AND I WAS WORKING ON A RANCH
AT THE TIME,

AND THEY CAME OUT
TO WORK WITH US.

AND WHAT HAPPENED
FROM THERE?

IT JUST -- POOF.

YOU KNOW,
IT'S AN OLD CLICHé,

BUT IT JUST KIND OF KNOCKED
YOU ON THE SHOULDER

AND SAID, "HEY" --
THAT'S THE WAY IT WAS.

AND THE TWO OF YOU MARRIED?

YES.
YEAH, WE MARRIED IN '82.

IN 1999,

WHEN MARGARITA'S HUSBAND, BENNY,
DIED OF BONE CANCER,

HOPE AND ROBERT MOVED IN
TO HELP SUPPORT HER.

WHILE ROBERT WORKED IN TOWN,

HOPE AND HER MOM STAYED HOME
WITH PAM'S TWO YOUNG CHILDREN,

3-YEAR-OLD PAIGE
AND TREVOR, WHO WAS ONE.

THEY WOULD PLAY DRESS-UP
ONE DAY.

THEY WOULD COOK ONE DAY.

THEY EVEN GARDENED ONE DAY.

EVERY DAY
WAS SOMETHING DIFFERENT.

WHERE DID YOUR CHILDREN,
TREVOR AND PAIGE,

FIT INTO THE AGE SPECTRUM
OF MARGARITA'S GRANDCHILDREN?

THEY WERE THE YOUNGEST.

LIFE WAS SWEET
FOR THE 72-YEAR-OLD MATRIARCH

AND HER 41-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER.

BUT ON MARCH 15, 2000,

THEIR PEACEFUL LIFE
CAME TO AN UNTHINKABLE END.

SUMTER COUNTY PROSECUTOR
PETE MAGRINO

REMEMBERS THE DETAILS
OF THE HORRIFIC ATTACK VIVIDLY.

THE MURDERER APPROACHES
THE BACK SIDE OF THE HOME

AND FIRES A ROUND THAT
GOES THROUGH THE SCREEN DOOR.

STRIKES MARGARITA.

MARGARITA IS RUNNING FROM
THE KITCHEN TO THE LIVING ROOM,

WHERE SHE IS SHOT AGAIN,
AND FALLS DOWN IN THE BEDROOM.

ESPERANZA WELLS
WAS UP IN THE SAME BEDROOM.

SHE IS STRUCK WITH PROJECTILES
FIRED FROM THE GUN.

AND THEN THE MURDERER
PROCEEDS TO STAB MARGARITA RUIZ

IN THE NECK AREA,

AND THEN DOES THE SAME
TO ESPERANZA.

AND HE LEAVES.

I KNOW, AS A PROSECUTOR,

I HAVE HEARD SO MANY TIMES
OVER THE YEARS,

FAMILY MEMBERS GO THROUGH

SO MANY DIFFERENT TYPES
OF EMOTIONS AT DIFFERENT TIMES.

YES.

IF YOU COULD JUST TALK ME
THROUGH IT A LITTLE BIT.

JUST DESCRIBE THAT

'CAUSE I THINK IT'S HARD
FOR PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND.

YEAH. I FELT SO SAD.

THERE WAS A LOT OF CRYING.

ROBERT WELLS
WILL NEVER FORGET

HOW HE LEARNED
OF HIS WIFE'S MURDER.

I JUMPED OUT THE VEHICLE,

AND I LOOKED OVER AT REUBEN.

AND, UH, HE WAS STANDING THERE
WITH THE TWO KIDS.

AND HE LOOKED AT ME,
HE SAID...

AND I KNEW SOMETHING WAS WRONG.

SO I STARTED RUNNING
UP TO THE HOUSE,

BUT THE POLICEMAN WOULDN'T
LET ME GO IN THE HOUSE.

WAS IT THE POLICE
THAT TOLD YOU WHAT HAPPENED?

YEAH, THEY SAID THAT --

THEY DIDN'T SAY HOW,

BUT THEY SAID THEY WERE GONE.

I'M GOING
TO THE RUIZ HOUSE

TO SEE THE SCENE OF THE CRIME
MYSELF.

FOR PROSECUTORS,
A FIRST-HAND LOOK

PROVIDES INSIGHT
NO POLICE REPORT CAN.

SUMTER COUNTY CHIEF DEPUTY
GARY BRANNEN

WAS THE YOUNG DETECTIVE
WHO RESPONDED THAT DAY.

SO THIS IS THE SAME ROUTE THAT
YOU TOOK TO THE HOUSE BACK THEN?

YES.

IN A PLACE LIKE THIS,

GETTING A CALL LIKE THAT
WAS NOT COMMONPLACE.

NO. TO HAVE A DOUBLE MURDER
WAS EXTREMELY RARE.

AND IT WAS ACTUALLY PRETTY RARE
TO HAVE ANY MURDER AT ALL.

AS DETECTIVE BRANNEN
EXAMINED THE CRIME SCENE,

DEPUTIES VIDEOTAPED
EVERY SQUARE INCH.

WHEN I FIRST GOT HERE
17 YEARS AGO,

THERE WAS A SCREEN DOOR
THAT'S NOT HERE NOW.

AND I COULD SEE TWO BULLET HOLES
IN THE DOOR.

AS A HOMICIDE DETECTIVE,
WHAT DID THAT SAY TO YOU?

IT SAID EVERYTHING
STARTED OUT HERE.

THERE WAS A SHELL CASING
ON THE PORCH,

SO IT TOLD ME HE SHOT
FROM OUT HERE IN TO MRS. RUIZ.

AND THERE WASN'T
ANY NEGOTIATING.

THERE WASN'T ANY TALKING.

HE CAME HERE TO KILL.

YOU SEE THE BULLET HOLE?

SO IT WENT RIGHT
THROUGH THEIR REFRIGERATOR?

RIGHT ALL THE WAY
THROUGH THE REFRIGERATOR.

AND THIS IS THE BEDROOM
WHERE THE BODIES WERE FOUND.

MRS. RUIZ WAS OVER HERE
BETWEEN THE WINDOW AND THE BED.

SHE HAD BEEN STABBED
THREE TIMES IN THE NECK.

WE LATER LEARNED
THAT SHE HAD TWO GUNSHOT WOUNDS.

HOPE WAS LAYING HERE.

SHE HAD AN OBVIOUS GUNSHOT WOUND
TO THE CHIN AREA,

AND THEN SHE HAD BEEN STABBED
IN THE NECK STEVEN TIMES.

WHAT ELSE
DID YOU LOOK FOR?

WELL, JUST LOOKING
AT THE BODIES,

THEY WERE CLOTHED,

SO THERE WAS NO SIGN
OF ANY SEXUAL ASSAULT.

IT IS DEFINITELY OVERKILL.

THEY WERE STABBED
AFTER THEY WERE DEAD.

IT WAS UNNECESSARY.

SO THE ELECTRONICS
ARE STILL HERE.

THERE'S CASH
IN THE BEDROOM.

NO ROBBERY.
NO SEXUAL ASSAULT.

THIS MOTHER --
GRANDMOTHER, AND HER DAUGHTER.

WHY?

WELL,
THAT WAS THE BIG QUESTION.

ONCE YOU KNOW THE MOTIVE
OF A MURDER,

IT REALLY USUALLY LEADS YOU
TO THE SUSPECT.

DETECTIVE BRANNEN
AND HIS TEAM

SENT THE SHELL CASINGS
AND BLOOD SAMPLES

FOR FORENSIC ANALYSIS,

THEN BEGAN TO INTERVIEW
THE RUIZ FAMILY.

CERTAINLY,
THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE

THAT THIS WAS
A DOMESTIC-RELATED RAGE.

BUT THERE WERE
LIVING WITNESSES.

AS IT TURNED OUT,

DETECTIVES DID, INDEED,
HAVE WITNESSES.

PAM'S TWO SMALL CHILDREN
WERE IN THE HOUSE

DURING THE MASSACRE

AND MIRACULOUSLY SURVIVED
UNHARMED.

SINCE BABY TREVOR
WAS BARELY TALKING,

JUSTICE FOR
THE DEVASTATED RUIZ FAMILY

NOW CALLED ON THE MEMORY
OF YOUNG PAIGE.

NOW CALLED ON THE MEMORY
OF YOUNG PAIGE.

MARCH 15, 2000.

IN SUMTER COUNTY, FLORIDA,

MARGARITA RUIZ
AND HER DAUGHTER, HOPE WELLS,

WERE VICIOUSLY MURDERED...

...IN THEIR OWN HOME.

DESPERATE TO GET ANSWERS
FOR THE GRIEVING FAMILY,

POLICE TURNED
TO THEIR ONLY REAL WITNESS --

MARGARITA'S 3-YEAR-OLD
GRANDDAUGHTER, PAIGE,

WHO WAS PLAYING IN THE HOUSE
WHEN THE STRANGER PULLED UP.

YOU WERE 3 YEARS OLD.

YES.

WHAT CAN YOU TELL ME AS FAR
AS WHAT YOU REMEMBER THAT DAY?

I REMEMBER THAT I RAN
BEHIND A CURTAIN IN THE KITCHEN

'CAUSE I THOUGHT
IT WAS SOMEBODY I KNEW.

LIKE, YOU KNOW, I WAS GONNA
JUMP OUT AND SCARE 'EM.

BUT THAT'S WHEN
THE GUNSHOTS WERE FIRED.

SO I REMEMBER RUNNING
UNDERNEATH THE TABLE,

AND JUST THE COMMOTION
THAT WENT ON AFTER THAT.

LIKE, THE RUNNING AND THE
YELLING AND STUFF LIKE THAT.

DID YOU HAVE ANY IDEA
HOW SERIOUS

OR WHAT AT ALL
WAS HAPPENING?

I KNEW SOMETHING
WASN'T RIGHT.

I JUST DIDN'T KNOW
THE SEVERITY OF IT AT THAT TIME.

WHERE WAS
YOUR LITTLE BROTHER?

HE WAS ACTUALLY
IN THE LIVING ROOM.

AS DETECTIVES
CONTINUED TO QUESTION PAIGE,

ALL SHE COULD REMEMBER
SEEING OF THE ATTACK

WAS A DARK MALE FIGURE
DARTING PAST THE TABLE.

DID YOU STAY UNDER THE TABLE
THE WHOLE TIME?

I REMEMBER SOMEBODY LEAVING
THROUGH THE FRONT DOOR.

AND WHEN THEY LEFT,
I JUST REMEMBER GETTING OUT

FROM UNDERNEATH THE TABLE
AND GOING TO THE WINDOW.

AND THAT'S WHEN I SEEN
THE GREEN CAR

BACK OUT OF THE DRIVEWAY.

WE BASICALLY GOT OUT OF HER
THAT IT WAS A BLACK MALE

IN A GREEN CAR
THAT HAD COME TO THE HOUSE.

POLICE HAD A PROFILE,

AND BULLETINS
WERE SENT OUT NATIONWIDE.

THERE WERE FLYERS, BILLBOARDS,
CRIME STOPPERS,

AND PEOPLE WERE CALLING
THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE.

PEOPLE WERE CALLING
THE TIP LINES.

EARLY ON, THERE WAS ONE TIP
THAT LOOKED LIKE

THERE MAY HAVE BEEN SOMETHING
TO IT.

JAMES HARRINGTON

AND PERNELL WILLIAMS,
WHO WAS JAMAICAN.

INFORMATION CAME IN

THAT THEY WENT TO GO DO
A DRUG RIPOFF AT A HOUSE,

AND THEY WENT
TO THE WRONG HOUSE.

SINCE JAMES HARRINGTON HAD
A TIGHT ALIBI,

POLICE WERE EAGER TO TRACK DOWN
PERNELL WILLIAMS.

PERNELL WILLIAMS
WAS AN AFRICAN-AMERICAN MALE

THAT HAD A GREEN CAR,

WHICH IS,
AT THAT PARTICULAR TIME,

AS BEST THAT WE KNEW,

THAT'S WHAT WE WERE
LOOKING FOR.

SO WE'RE RETRACING
THE ROUTE

ON THE WAY
TO PERNELL WILLIAMS' HOME

THAT YOU WOULD HAVE TAKEN.
YES.

SO, WHAT WAS YOUR PLAN
ONCE YOU GOT THERE?

WELL, WE WERE HOPING
THAT WE HAD THE RIGHT GUY,

AND THAT, ULTIMATELY,
HE WOULD CONFESS.

OR THAT WE WOULD CATCH HIM
WITH THE PISTOL THAT WAS USED,

OR WE COULD CONNECT HIM
IN SOME OTHER FASHION.

WHEN DETECTIVE BRANNEN PULLED UP
TO PERNELL'S HOME,

A GREEN CAR
WAS PARKED OUT FRONT.

THIS IS
PERNELL WILLIAMS' HOME?

YEAH, THIS IS RIGHT HERE
WHERE HE LIVED AT THE TIME.

AS BRANNEN APPROACHED
THE FRONT DOOR,

HIS PRIME SUSPECT
SUDDENLY FLED OUT THE BACK.

SO, WHAT DID THAT DO
TO YOUR THINKING?

HE WAS POSSIBLY INVOLVED
IN THE HOMICIDE.

FLIGHT, TO ANY POLICEMAN,
EQUALS GUILT.

DEPUTIES CHASED PERNELL ON FOOT
AND EVENTUALLY APPREHENDED HIM.

BUT AFTER
AN EXTENSIVE INTERROGATION,

HE WAS RELEASED.

HE GAVE AN ALIBI
THAT WAS EASILY CONFIRMED.

HIS GIRLFRIEND PROVIDED US
WITH AN ALIBI,

SAID THAT'S WHERE
THEY WERE.

HE GAVE
THE SAME STATEMENT,

AND THEN WE WERE ABLE
TO CONFIRM IT.

IT WAS A DISAPPOINTMENT

BECAUSE HE WAS BASICALLY
THE ONLY THING WE HAD.

FOUR YEARS PASSED,

AND ALTHOUGH THE POLICE
CONTINUE TO RUN DOWN TIPS,

THE KILLER REMAINED AT LARGE.

THE ONLY REAL WITNESS
DETECTIVE BRANNEN HAD

WAS LITTLE PAIGE RUIZ.

PROSECUTORS CONSIDER
THE WELL-BEING OF ANY WITNESS,

BUT ESPECIALLY A CHILD.

THE GOAL IS TO LEARN
WHAT THEY KNOW

WITHOUT CAUSING THEM MORE HARM.

AND IF AT ALL POSSIBLE,

NEVER HAVING TO PUT THEM
ON THAT WITNESS STAND.

THAT SOMETIMES MEANS USING
A DIFFERENT BOX OF TOOLS.

IN 2004, DETECTIVE BRANNEN
READ ABOUT FORENSIC HYPNOSIS

BEING USED
TO GLEAN REPRESSED MEMORIES

FROM TRAUMATIZED WITNESSES.

I HOPED THAT
WE COULD HYPNOTIZE PAIGE,

SO I WENT TO THE INTERNET
AND SEARCHED

AND FOUND MARK HOWE,

A CERTIFIED HYPNOTIST
IN TEXAS.

AND HE SAID HE BELIEVED HE COULD
HYPNOTIZE AN 8-YEAR-OLD.

THE DETECTIVE APPROACHED
PAM RUIZ WITH THE IDEA,

AND SHE RELUCTANTLY AGREED.

SO, YOU'RE DOING YOUR BEST TO
HELP THE POLICE INVESTIGATION,

BUT YOU'RE ALLOWING AN HYPNOTIST
TO SPEAK TO YOUR 8-YEAR-OLD.

DID IT MAKE YOU NERVOUS?

YES, IT MADE ME NERVOUS.

WHAT WERE SOME
OF THE THOUGHTS SWIRLING

AS YOU WERE DOING
YOUR BEST TO HELP,

BUT ALSO PROTECTING
YOUR CHILD?

HOW SHE WOULD FEEL?

WOULD SHE BE COMFORTABLE,
OR WHAT WOULD HAPPEN?

I JUST --
I JUST DIDN'T KNOW.

I DIDN'T REALLY UNDERSTAND

WHAT THEY WERE GOING
TO TRY TO GET FROM THAT.

DO YOU REMEMBER ANYTHING
ABOUT WHAT THAT WAS LIKE

WHEN YOU WERE
WITH THE HYPNOTIST?

I REMEMBER BEING TOLD
THAT THEY WERE GONNA TRY

TO HYPNOTIZE ME,

AND SOME GUY WAS GOING TO FLY IN
FROM TEXAS

TO DO IT.

THE EFFORT PAID OFF.

UNDER HYPNOSIS,

POLICE LEARNED THAT PAIGE HADN'T
ACTUALLY SEEN A BLACK MAN.

SHE HAD SEEN A MAN
DRESSED IN BLACK.

THE HYPNOSIS REVEALED
THAT SHE WAS GOING

BY THE COLOR OF THE PANTS LEGS
THAT THE SUSPECT WORE.

'CAUSE SHE'S UNDER THE TABLE
WITH THE TABLECLOTH DRAPED OVER.

WHAT WENT THROUGH YOUR MIND
WHEN YOU HEARD THAT RESULT?

WE MISSED AN OPPORTUNITY.

IF THERE HAD BEEN A GUY
WASHING BLOOD OFF OF KNIVES

AT A GAS STATION 30 MILES AWAY

THAT WAS A WHITE MALE
IN A GREEN CAR,

PEOPLE MIGHT HAVE
DISCOUNTED THAT

AND NOT CALLED IT IN.

NOT THROUGH ANYBODY'S FAULT.

PAIGE DID THE BEST SHE COULD
THAT DAY.

THE CASE GROUND
TO A HALT,

AND INVESTIGATORS FEARED
IT MIGHT NEVER BE SOLVED.

IT WAS COLD
FOR A LOT OF YEARS.

I MEAN, IT WAS AS COLD
AS COLD COULD GET.

THEN THERE COMES A DAY
IN 2006.

I'LL REMEMBER THAT DAY
FOREVER.

MY SECRETARY, SHE SAID
THERE'S A GUY ON THE PHONE

FROM WISCONSIN
THAT WANTS TO TALK TO YOU.

SO I SAID OKAY.

SO I GOT ON THE PHONE WITH HIM.

HE SAID, "I'VE LOOKED
AT THIS COLD CASE

ON YOUR WEBSITE."

AND HE KEPT GIVING ME DETAILS.

STUFF THAT THEY SHOULDN'T KNOW.

TELL ME WHAT YOU FELT
DURING THIS PHONE CALL.

IF THIS ISN'T IT,
IT'S NEVER GONNA BE IT.

IF THIS ISN'T IT,
IT'S NEVER GONNA BE IT.

TWO DAYS BEFORE
THE BRUTAL MURDERS

OF MARGARITA RUIZ
AND HER DAUGHTER, HOPE WELLS,

NEARLY 1,500 MILES AWAY,

ANOTHER SENSELESS HOMICIDE
TOOK PLACE

HERE IN CHIPPEWA FALLS,
WISCONSIN,

THAT WOULD HAVE
A PROFOUND IMPACT

ON THE RUIZ INVESTIGATION.

I'VE COME HERE
TO MEET JUDGE JON THEISEN,

WHO, A DECADE AGO,
WAS THE D.A. RESPONSIBLE

FOR PROSECUTING THAT CASE.

THE MURDER OF 54-YEAR-OLD
MARY JANE MARQUARDT.

MARY JANE MARQUARDT
WAS VERY MUCH A MOTHER.

HER FAMILY WAS OF
THE FOREMOST IMPORTANCE TO HER.

HER HOBBIES,
BELIEVE IT OR NOT,

WERE MOTORCYCLING
AND THRIFT SALES.

TELL ME ABOUT ALFRED,
HER HUSBAND.

IT WAS
A QUIET RELATIONSHIP.

THEIR KIDS
WERE OUT OF THE HOUSE.

THEY WERE FINISHING UP
THEIR CAREERS,

LOOKING FORWARD TO RETIREMENT.

AND THEN THERE'S THAT DAY.

MARCH 13, 2000.

TELL ME ABOUT THAT DAY
FOR MARY JANE.

SHE'S HOME ALONE.

SOMEBODY COMES IN THE BACK DOOR
OF THE GARAGE.

IT APPEARS THAT THERE WAS
SOME SORT OF CONFRONTATION

BETWEEN THE PERSON WHO CAME
INTO THE HOUSE AND MARY JANE.

SO, SHE'S ATTACKED
IN HER GARAGE?

SHE'S SHOT.

AND THAT'S PROBABLY
WHAT KILLS HER.

SHE'S ALSO STABBED,

WHICH MAYBE DOESN'T MAKE
A LOT OF SENSE.

LATER THAT EVENING,

MARY JANE'S HUSBAND, ALFRED,
CAME HOME

AND MADE THE CHILLING DISCOVERY.

DEPUTY SHERIFF KEN OEMIG,
THE FIRST OFFICER ON THE SCENE,

REVISITS
THE MARQUARDT RESIDENCE.

SO, HOW DOES THE GARAGE
LOOK NOW

COMPARED TO WHEN YOU ENTERED IT
THAT AFTERNOON?

THERE WAS A BLACK LINCOLN
PARKED HERE IN THE STALL.

AS WE GOT IN THE GARAGE,

WE NOTICED MRS. MARQUARDT
LAYING HERE

WITH HER HEAD
TOWARD THE SERVICE DOOR.

AND THERE WAS A POOL OF BLOOD
UNDERNEATH OF HER HEAD.

DID YOU TAKE NOTE
OF ANYTHING?

WE FOUND A SHELL CASING

THAT WAS UNDERNEATH
THE REAR OF THE CAR

THAT WAS PARKED HERE.

BUT THERE WAS SOMETHING CURIOUS
ABOUT THIS MURDER.

THE VICTIM HAD BEEN COVERED
WITH HER OWN BEDSPREAD.

TO RETRIEVE
THE MAROON COMFORTER,

THE PERPETRATOR WOULD HAVE HAD
TO ENTER THE HOUSE,

GO UP A FLIGHT OF STAIRS...

...GO ACROSS THE KITCHEN,

GO DOWN A HALLWAY

WHERE THE PERPETRATOR
COULD ENTER THE MASTER BEDROOM,

TAKE THE COMFORTER
BACK DOWN THE HALL,

BACK THROUGH THE KITCHEN,
BACK DOWN THE STAIRS,

OUT INTO THE GARAGE,

AND PUT IT OVER MARY JANE.

SO, AS PROSECUTORS,

WE'RE ALWAYS PUTTING
THE PIECES BACK TOGETHER

FOR OURSELVES
BASED ON WHAT YOU LEARN

IN THE INVESTIGATION.

WHAT DID THAT BLANKET,

THAT COMFORTER FROM HER BEDROOM
COVERING HER BODY, SAY TO YOU?

NOT ONLY DID THE PERPETRATOR
KNOW WHERE HER COMFORTER WAS,

BUT IT WAS AN INTENTIONAL ACT
TO PROVIDE COMFORT TO HER,

WHICH PUTS A CONNECTION

BETWEEN THE PERPETRATOR
AND THE VICTIM.

ALTHOUGH MARY JANE'S
HUSBAND SAID

HE DIDN'T PLACE THE BLANKET
ON HIS WIFE

AND HAD NOTHING TO DO
WITH HER MURDER,

HE BECAME A PERSON OF INTEREST.

ALFRED WAS A SUSPECT.

I MEAN,
THERE'S NO TWO WAYS ABOUT IT.

SO, WHAT DID THEY DO
TO INVESTIGATE ALFRED?

THEY NOT ONLY DID THE SWABBING
FOR GUNSHOT RESIDUE,

THEY INTERVIEWED HIM,
THEY CHECKED TIMECARDS.

THEY MEASURED THE DISTANCE
TO WORK.

ALL THE EVIDENCE
POINTED AWAY FROM ALFRED.

POLICE THEN SHIFTED
THEIR ATTENTION

TOWARDS MARY JANE'S
OTHER FAMILY MEMBERS,

BUT THERE WAS A PROBLEM.

THEY COULDN'T GET AHOLD
OF THE YOUNGEST SON, BILL.

HE LIVED MAYBE 25,
30 MILES AWAY

OUT IN THE WOODS
IN A CABIN.

SO, GIVE ME A SNAPSHOT OF BILL
AT THAT TIME,

GENERALLY IN HIS 20s.

I DON'T RECALL
HIM HAVING A FIXED JOB.

HE WAS IN TROUBLE
A LITTLE BIT.

I KNOW
HE HAS A FELONY CONVICTION.

HE HAD BEEN INVOLVED
IN DRUGS.

YES.

WHAT HAPPENED WHEN THEY WENT
TO BILL'S CABIN?

THEY DON'T FIND HIM.

THERE'S NO ANSWER
AT THE DOOR.

THEY TAKE A LOOK AROUND.

THEY FIND
SOME SORT OF OUTBUILDING.

THEY FIND
SOME SORT OF PLASTIC TARP

COVERED WITH BLOOD.

THE QUESTION BECOMES,

ARE WE GONNA FIND
ANOTHER BODY?

THE QUESTION BECOMES,

MARCH 13, 2000,

JUST TWO DAYS BEFORE
THE RUIZ FAMILY DOUBLE MURDER

IN FLORIDA...

MARY JANE MARQUARDT
WAS SIMILARLY KILLED

IN CHIPPEWA FALLS, WISCONSIN.

AND HER SON, BILL, WAS MISSING.

THE QUESTION BECOMES,
WAS BILL A TARGET?

AND MAYBE THE PERSON WENT
TO GET BILL AT HIS OLD HOUSE,

FOUND MARY JANE.

AFTER FINDING
A BLOOD-SOAKED TARP

NEAR BILL'S CABIN,

POLICE SECURED A SEARCH WARRANT
TO ENTER THE CABIN,

FEARFUL BILL
MIGHT BE DEAD INSIDE.

IN HIS HOUSE,

IT WAS IN COMPLETE AND UTTER
DISARRAY.

THE POLICE OFFICERS
DIDN'T FIND BILL,

BUT THEY FOUND SOMETHING ELSE
THAT PIQUED THEIR SUSPICIONS.

THEY FIND
ONE LIVE 9-MILLIMETER ROUND.

WHAT IS THAT SAYING
TO INVESTIGATORS?

9-MILLIMETER
IS A COMMON ROUND,

BUT WE HAVE
A 9-MILLIMETER

AT MARY JANE MARQUARDT'S
DEATH SCENE.

AND BILL MARQUARDT'S MISSING.

THE FOCUS OF THE INVESTIGATION
STARTS TO TURN IN HIS DIRECTION.

SINCE 24-YEAR-OLD
BILL MARQUARDT

WAS A CONVICTED FELON,

THE 9-MILLIMETER ROUND
FOUND IN HIS CABIN

WAS A VIOLATION
OF HIS PAROLE.

THAT, ALONG WITH THE MOUNTING
CIRCUMSTANTIAL EVIDENCE,

WAS ENOUGH
FOR AN ARREST WARRANT.

AND WERE THEY ABLE
TO FIND BILL?

ABOUT THREE DAYS
AFTER THEY HAD SEARCHED

THE BILL MARQUARDT CABIN,

THE NEIGHBOR CALLS

AND SAYS BILL MARQUARDT'S
FORD THUNDERBIRD

HAD JUST DRIVEN BY,
HEADED TOWARDS THE CABIN.

EXPECTING BILL
TO BE ARMED AND DANGEROUS,

POLICE DISPATCHED
A S.W.A.T. TEAM TO HIS CABIN.

THEY CAME UP THIS DRIVEWAY
OVER HERE.

THEY ANNOUNCED
THEIR PRESENCE.

HE CAME WILLINGLY.

ANY EXPLANATION
ON WHERE HE'D BEEN?

HE SAID
HE'D BEEN ON VACATION.

THEY PLACED HIM
UNDER ARREST.

HE WAS WEARING
A PAIR OF PANTS

THAT THERE WAS A FOLDING KNIFE
IN HIS POCKET.

IT LOOKED LIKE
IT HAD BEEN WIPED CLEAN.

DETECTIVES ALSO
NOTICED WHAT LOOKED LIKE

BLOOD SPATTER ON BILL'S SHOES,

MEANING HE MAY HAVE BEEN
IN CLOSE PROXIMITY

TO A GUNSHOT BLAST.

NOW, WHAT ABOUT HIS CAR
THAT HE HAD COME UP IN?

THEY FOUND TWO RECEIPTS.

ONE FROM THE STORAGE UNIT
IN BELFAST, GEORGIA,

AND ANOTHER
FROM A KOA CAMPGROUND

SOMEWHERE
IN THE FLORIDA KEYS.

POLICE SENT BILL'S
GREEN FORD THUNDERBIRD

AND ALL THE BLOOD EVIDENCE
FOR FORENSIC ANALYSIS

AND SEARCHED HIS CABIN
A SECOND TIME.

BUT MARY JANE
HAD BEEN SHOT.

DID THEY FIND A GUN?

NOT THAT SECOND SEARCH WARRANT,
THEY DIDN'T.

ABOUT 11 DAYS LATER,
THEY GOT A THIRD SEARCH WARRANT,

CAME BACK,

AND THEY MOVED
THE REFRIGERATOR BACK.

THAT'S WHEN THEY FIND
THE 9-MILLIMETER.

DAYS LATER,
BALLISTIC TESTS SHOWED

THAT BILL'S MOTHER HAD BEEN SHOT
WITH THE GUN FOUND IN HIS CABIN.

THE BLOOD TESTS
WERE EVEN MORE REVEALING.

WHILE STAINS ON THE TARP
TURNED OUT TO BE ANIMAL BLOOD,

THE OTHER BLOOD EVIDENCE
WAS HUMAN.

THE SHOES,
THE HIGH-VELOCITY BLOOD SPATTER,

CAME BACK TO MARY JANE.

WHEN THE KNIFE WAS OPENED,

THEY FOUND THE DNA
OF MARY JANE MARQUARDT

AND BILL MARQUARDT

AND TWO OTHER WOMEN,

UNKNOWN,
FAMILIALLY RELATED.

DESPITE THE MYSTERIOUS
FEMALE BLOOD ON BILL'S KNIFE,

THE D.A. NOW HAD THE EVIDENCE

TO FORMALLY CHARGE HIM
WITH A FIRST-DEGREE MURDER

OF HIS MOTHER.

SIX LONG YEARS PASSED

WHILE COURTS TRIED TO DETERMINE

IF BILL MARQUARDT
WAS FIT TO STAND TRIAL.

FINALLY, IN MAY 2006,

THE HIGH-PROFILE CASE
WAS READY TO MOVE FORWARD.

THIS WAS A BIG CASE
BY ANY STANDARD,

LET ALONE CHIPPEWA FALLS.

HOW MANY MURDER CASES
HAD YOU DONE BEFORE THAT?

THIS WAS MY FIRST MURDER CASE.

BY THEN, MANY IN TOWN
ALREADY HAD A STRONG OPINION

ABOUT BILL'S GUILT.

HOW WAS THAT MAYBE
GOING TO AFFECT THE TRIAL?

MARQUARDT'S LAWYER SUSPECTED
THAT A CHIPPEWA FALLS JURY

WOULDN'T BE ABLE
TO GIVE BILL A FAIR TRIAL.

THERE WAS A CHANGE OF VENUE
BECAUSE OF ALL THE PUBLICITY.

IN THE 21 YEARS
AS A PROSECUTOR,

I'VE NEVER HAD A CASE
THAT WAS ACTUALLY TAKEN OUT.

I CAN IMAGINE IT MAKING IT
THAT MUCH MORE DIFFICULT

OR STRESSFUL TO BE SOMEWHERE
COMPLETELY DIFFERENT.

WELL, LOGISTICS, YOU KNOW,

YOU'RE NOT SLEEPING
IN YOUR OWN BED.

YOU'RE IN A HOTEL.

BUT BEYOND THAT,

THE COMMUNITY WHERE WE MOVED

HAD NOT BEEN OFFENDED
BY THE HOMICIDE.

IN HINDSIGHT,
I THINK WE LOST SOMETHING

BY SOMETHING AS SIMPLE
AS A CHANGE OF VENUE.

ALTHOUGH THE TRIAL
WAS MOVED OUT OF THE COUNTY,

THE PROSECUTION
REMAINED CONFIDENT.

STATE CONTENDS

THAT MARY JANE MARQUARDT'S
MURDERER

WAS, IN FACT,
HER YOUNGEST SON, BILL.

I THOUGHT JOHN HAD
A SLAM DUNK CASE ON HIS HANDS.

IT'S AN ASSERTION
WE CHOOSE TO MAKE.

WE DON'T TAKE IT LIGHTLY.

JOHN WAS
A YOUNG DISTRICT ATTORNEY.

HE'D BEEN IN OFFICE
FOR TWO YEARS,

AS CHARISMATIC AS THEY COME.

THAT MORNING IN COURT,
ALL THAT SHINED THROUGH.

LAW ENFORCEMENT WENT ABOUT
NOTIFYING THE FAMILY.

FACTS WILL SHOW THAT THEY COULD
NOT LOCATE ONE FAMILY MEMBER,

BILL PAUL MARQUARDT.

AS SOON AS MARQUARDT'S ATTORNEY,
JOHN BRINKMAN,

GAVE HIS OPENING STATEMENTS...

THERE WILL BE EVIDENCE
THAT SHOWS

THAT BILL WAS VERY CLOSE
TO HIS MOTHER.

WE HAD A BREAK
IN THE TRIAL,

AND I REMEMBERED CALLING BACK
TO THE OFFICE SAYING,

"WE'RE GONNA HAVE A PROBLEM
WITH THIS ONE."

THE CABIN WAS NOT SEALED OFF
AS EVIDENCE.

BRINKMAN
WAS INTRODUCING EVIDENCE

THAT YOU COULD JUST TELL
IN THE EYES OF THE JURY

THAT HE WAS STRIKING
A CHORD

AND CREATING DOUBT.

AND DID THAT FEELING
REMAIN WITH YOU

THROUGH EACH DAY
OF THE TRIAL?

IT GOT WORSE.

THE DEFENSE TRIED TO POINT TO,
SOMEONE ELSE DID THIS,

AND ATTEMPTED
TO IMPLICATE LAW ENFORCEMENT.

THE MURDER WEAPON WAS NOT THERE

IN THE TIME
OF THE SECOND SEARCH.

BECAUSE OF THE MISSED GUN
ON THE SECOND SEARCH WARRANT,

THE FOUND GUN
ON THE THIRD SEARCH WARRANT,

THEY GAVE
A DIRECT IMPLICATION

OF LAW ENFORCEMENT
PLANTING EVIDENCE.

ANOTHER ISSUE
THEY BROUGHT UP WAS,

WHEN THEY TOOK
THE KNIFE APART,

THEY FIND THE DNA
FROM TWO RELATED FEMALES.

THE DEFENSE INDICATES
THAT PERHAPS

ONE OF THESE TWO UNKNOWN WOMEN
IS THE SUSPECT.

HOW CONCERNED
WERE YOU ABOUT THOSE ISSUES

AS YOU WENT THROUGH
THE TRIAL?

I ADDRESSED THE ISSUES
AS BEST I COULD.

WE HAVE LOOKED AT THE FACTS
AND ANALYZED

AND COMPARED THEM
WITH FORENSIC SCIENCE.

I REASONABLY DISCREDITED
THE DISTRACTIONS.

IN ONE SHORT WEEK,

THE YOUNG PROSECUTOR'S
FIRST HOMICIDE CASE WAS OVER.

FIND THE DEFENDANT
BILL PAUL MARQUARDT...

NOT GUILTY.

TELL ME
WHAT WENT THROUGH YOUR MIND.

I DIDN'T HAVE
ALL THE ANSWERS.

I STILL COULDN'T TELL YOU
WHY HE KILLED HIS MOTHER.

IT'S NOT A REQUIRED ELEMENT.

BUT YOU KNOW
AS A PROSECUTOR,

BEFORE A JURY
CONVICTS SOMEBODY,

THEY NEED TO KNOW
WHY HE DID IT,

ESPECIALLY CONVICTING A SON
OF KILLING HIS MOTHER.

AND THAT'S IT. I MEAN,
ONCE SOMEONE HAS A TRIAL

AND THEY'RE ACQUITTED,

WE CAN'T RETRY THEM
AGAIN.

IT'S A PRETTY HARSH REALITY
AS A PROSECUTOR.

I HAD LET MY COMMUNITY DOWN.

ALL THESE CASES
THAT WE HANDLE AS PROSECUTORS,

THERE IS A SUBJECTIVITY
TO IT.

FROM MY OWN 21 YEARS
AS A PROSECUTOR,

THERE IS NO CERTAINTY
TO ANY OF IT.

SOMETIMES, UNFORTUNATELY,
BESIDES OUR WINS,

THERE ARE LOSSES
AND NEGATIVE THINGS

THAT WE DON'T EXPECT.

HOPEFULLY THEN WE GO ON
FROM THEM.

IN THE DAYS AFTER,

I TOOK OFF,
I WENT FOR A RUN ALONE,

AND IT'S A SMALL COMMUNITY,

SO I HAPPEN TO RUN INTO...

MY OLD TRACK COACH.

PUT HIS HAND ON MY SHOULDER

AND JUST SAID,
"YOU'RE DOING A GOOD JOB.

WE BELIEVE IN YOU."

AND THAT'S --
THAT'S WHAT D.A.s DO.

AFTER THE DEMORALIZING LOSS,

THE YOUNG PROSECUTOR
DID A LOT OF SOUL SEARCHING.

SO WERE YOU ABLE TO PUT
THIS CASE OUT OF YOUR MIND

AFTER YOU GOT
THAT DISAPPOINTING VERDICT?

NO.

I STILL BELIEVED
IN MY HEART

THAT BILL PAUL MARQUARDT
WAS NOT ONLY A MURDERER,

HE WAS A DANGEROUS PERSON.

I REMEMBER THE UNEXPLAINED DNA
ON THE INSIDE OF THE KNIFE.

WHY COULDN'T WE FIND
WHERE THAT DNA CAME FROM?

THE D.A.
ALSO RECALLED THAT RECEIPTS

FOUND IN BILL'S GREEN CAR
SHOWN HE HAD DRIVEN TO KEY WEST

RIGHT AFTER
HIS MOTHER'S MURDER.

IT'S MY CONTENTION

THAT, IF HE KILLED SOMEONE
WITH THAT KNIFE,

THAT HE DID IT
ON HIS VACATION.

THEISEN BEGAN
THE DAUNTING TASK

OF RESEARCHING DOUBLE HOMICIDES

THAT OCCURRED
ALONG BILL'S ROUTE

DURING THAT TIME PERIOD.

HE WAS SPECIFICALLY
LOOKING FOR TWO FEMALE VICTIMS

WHO WERE BIOLOGICALLY RELATED.

HOW DID YOU DO THAT?
I MEAN, THIS IS A HUGE AREA

WE'RE TALKING ABOUT,
FROM WISCONSIN

ALL THE WAY DOWN
TO THE FLORIDA KEYS.

I KNEW
THAT IT WASN'T GOING TO BE EASY.

BUT I ALSO HAD THIS BELIEF
THAT IT WAS OUT THERE.

RIGHT, HERE YOU GO.

THIS IS THE CASE FILE.

AFTER COUNTLESS
LATE NIGHTS

AND HUNDREDS OF DEAD ENDS,

THEISEN CAME UPON
A BULLETIN

FROM SUMTER COUNTY, FLORIDA.

THAT'S THE CONNECTION
RIGHT THERE.

STARING BACK AT JOHN THEISEN

WERE THE FACES OF MARGARITA RUIZ
AND HOPE WELLS.

AND THIS IS THE ACTUAL BULLETIN
THAT YOU PULLED

OFF THE COMPUTER?
THAT'S IT.

TELL ME WHAT THIS INFORMATION
MEANT TO YOU WHEN YOU READ IT.

IT WAS MS. RUIZ.

HER FACE, THERE'S A CONNECTION
TO HER EYES.

THERE'S A PLEADING,

"HELP ME OUT,

MAKE THE CALL."

THEISEN DIALED THE SUMTER COUNTY
SHERIFF'S OFFICE.

AND WITHIN SECONDS,

DETECTIVE GARY BRANNEN
PICKED UP.

I SAID, "CAPTAIN BRANNEN,
MY NAME IS JOHN THEISEN.

HAVE YOU EVER HEARD
OF CHIPPEWA COUNTY, WISCONSIN?"

I SAID, "CAPTAIN BRANNEN,
MY NAME IS JOHN THEISEN.

...FIND THE DEFENDANT
BILL PAUL MARQUARDT

NOT GUILTY.

AFTER HIS STUNNING LOSS

IN BILL MARQUARDT'S
CHIPPEWA FALLS MURDER TRIAL,

PROSECUTOR JOHN THEISEN
MAY HAVE FOUND A LINK

TO THE RUIZ FAMILY MURDERS
IN SUMTER COUNTY, FLORIDA.

HE CALLED DETECTIVE BRANNEN
TO COMPARE NOTES.

I SAID, "CAPTAIN BRANNEN,

THE MURDER VICTIMS
IN SUMTER COUNTY ARE TWO WOMEN.

BUT THEY HAVE DIFFERENT
LAST NAMES."

AND HE WANTED TO KNOW
IF OUR TWO FEMALES WERE RELATED.

AND I SAID,
"WELL, YES, THEY ARE.

THEY'RE MOTHER AND DAUGHTER."

I CAN FEEL THE HEART REACT.

OKAY.

TAKE A DEEP BREATH.

I SAY, "I SEE
IN YOUR ANNOUNCEMENT

THAT THEY WERE SHOT
WITH A 9-MILLIMETER PISTOL."

I ASKED HIM
IF THEY WERE ALSO STABBED.

AND I SAID, "WELL,
THEY BOTH WERE STABBED

IN THE NECK
NUMEROUS TIMES."

AT THAT POINT,
I PROBABLY COULDN'T BREATHE.

THEY HAD BEEN STABBED
IN MUCH THE SAME ODD MANNER

AS MARY JANE MARQUARDT.

AND THEN HE SAID,
"HOW CERTAIN ARE YOU

IT WAS A BLACK MALE
IN A GREEN CAR?"

HE SAYS, "OH,
THAT WAS DISCREDITED LONG AGO."

I MEAN, I CAN FEEL
MY OWN HEART BEATING

JUST FROM HEARING YOU
TELL THAT STORY.

TELL ME WHAT YOU ARE THINKING
AND FEELING

AS THIS PHONE CALL
IS TAKING PLACE.

AS EACH QUESTION IS CONFIRMED,

IT JUST GROWS INSIDE OF ME
THAT WE MAY HAVE THIS GUY.

WITHIN 24 HOURS,

THE INVESTIGATIVE AUTHORITIES
FROM FLORIDA AND WISCONSIN

ARE ABLE TO DO A COMPARISON
OF THE DNA.

AND THEY HAD CONFIRMED
THAT THE DNA EVIDENCE

ON THE KNIFE IN WISCONSIN

WAS THE DNA
OF OUR TWO VICTIMS

TO THE EXCLUSION
OF ANYBODY ELSE ON EARTH.

HOW DID THAT MAKE YOU FEEL?

IT TOOK A WEIGHT
OFF OF MY SHOULDERS

THAT WAS JUST UNBELIEVABLE.

I DON'T KNOW
WHAT YOU WOULD EQUATE IT TO

OUTSIDE OF
THE LAW-ENFORCEMENT WORLD.

IT'S A MATCH.

WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?

IT'S AWFULLY NICE
TO KNOW YOU WON.

PROSECUTORS ALWAYS
LIKE TO HAVE A MOTIVE

BEFORE GOING TO TRIAL.

POLICE THOUGHT BILL
MAY HAVE DRIVEN TO FLORIDA

TRYING TO ESTABLISH AN ALIBI
FOR HIS MOTHER'S MURDER.

BUT NOBODY KNOWS
WHY HE KILLED TWO WOMEN

ONCE HE GOT THERE.

IN DECEMBER 2006,

MARQUARDT WAS INDICTED

ON TWO COUNTS
OF FIRST-DEGREE MURDER.

FIVE YEARS LATER,

HE WAS EXTRADITED TO FLORIDA
TO STAND TRIAL.

SO THIS IS THE COURTROOM
WHERE YOU TRIED BILL MARQUARDT

FOR THE MURDER
OF ESPERANZA WELLS

AND MARGARITA RUIZ?

THIS IS IT.

WHAT TYPE OF A CASE
WAS THIS?

IT WAS PROBABLY
THE BEST FORENSIC EVIDENCE

MURDER CASE
THAT I HAD HAD TO THAT DATE.

THERE WAS DNA EVIDENCE,
BALLISTIC EVIDENCE.

THE FIREARM THAT WAS
ULTIMATELY LOCATED

UNDERNEATH A REFRIGERATOR
IN THE CABIN

MATCHED THE SHELL CASINGS
AND THE PROJECTILES HERE.

BUT BILL MARQUARDT, WHO HAD
ALREADY BEAT ONE MURDER CHARGE,

THREW A WRENCH
INTO THE PROCEEDINGS

BY OPTING
TO REPRESENT HIMSELF.

I THINK ABOUT THE ADDITIONAL
ALMOST HANDCUFFS, I FEEL.

YOU HAVE THIS CASE
TO PRESENT,

AND WE KNOW THERE IS
NO SUCH THING AS A SURE THING.

I DON'T CARE HOW STRONG
YOUR CASE IS,

BUT YOU HAVE TO CONVINCE
THIS JURY

HOW STRONG YOUR EVIDENCE IS.

BUT AT THE SAME TIME,
YOU HAVE TO BE COGNIZANT

OF WHAT IT DOES

WHEN THIS DEFENDANT
IS REPRESENTING HIMSELF.

TELL ME WHAT THAT WAS LIKE.

I WAS CONCERNED THAT --

AND IT ONLY TAKES 1 OUT OF 12
TO THINK THAT --

MAGRINO'S PICKING ON HIM.

MAGRINO'S BEATING UP
ON THE DEFENDANT,

AND HE SHOULDN'T BE
DOING THAT.

AND SO RATHER THE DEFENDANT
SITTING THERE DURING THE TRIAL,

YOU HAD HIM HERE,

AND THEN YOU HAD HIM HERE
TALKING TO THE JURY.

YOU HAD HIM THERE
TALKING TO THE WITNESSES.

SAME PEOPLE HE WAS ACCUSED
OF RIPPING THEIR LIVES APART

AND BRINGING THE EVIDENCE
AGAINST HIM.

BUT PETE MAGRINO WAS PLAGUED
BY A THOUGHT.

WHAT IF THE MAN ACCUSED OF
KILLING HER GRANDMOTHER AND AUNT

CALLED THE NOW 15-YEAR-OLD
PAIGE RUIZ TO THE STAND?

I DIDN'T WANT TO DO IT,
BUT I HAD TO,

IF HE CALLED ME TO THE STAND
THAT DAY.

I JUST REMEMBER HAVING TO MISS
A WHOLE DAY OF SCHOOL

AND SITTING
OUTSIDE THE COURTROOM

WITH EVERYBODY ELSE THAT
WAS GETTING CALLED THAT DAY,

WAITING AND WAITING
AND WAITING

TO SEE IF HE WOULD CALL ME IN
THAT DAY.

LUCKILY, HE DIDN'T.

ON OCTOBER 12, 2011,

NINE DAYS AFTER THE TRIAL BEGAN,

THE JURY DELIVERED
THEIR VERDICT.

YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE
THAT ONE LITTLE BIT

OF THOUGHT
IN THE BACK OF YOUR MIND.

I'M SURE YOU AS A PROSECUTOR
HAD IT EVERY TIME.

WHAT ARE THEY GONNA DO?

BUT I WAS VERY CONFIDENT

THAT HE WAS GONNA BE
FOUND GUILTY.

THE VERDICT WAS
GUILTY AS CHARGED

ON ALL THREE COUNTS
OF THE INDICTMENT.

IT WAS PERSONALLY
AND PROFESSIONALLY REWARDING

BECAUSE THOSE POOR FOLKS
WHO WERE GOOD,

DOWN-TO-EARTH,
HARD-WORKING PEOPLE,

WENT THROUGH SO MUCH
DURING THE SPAN OF THIS CASE.

IT TOOK
OVER 11 YEARS,

BUT THE RUIZ FAMILY
FINALLY HAD JUSTICE

FOR THE MURDERS
OF MARGARITA AND HOPE.

WHAT DO YOU REMEMBER
ABOUT WHEN THE VERDICT WAS READ?

OH, I WAS ECSTATIC.

THE ENDING OF IT WAS THERE.

AND I LOOKED UP TO GOD,

AND I SAID, "THANK YOU."

THE GUILTY VERDICT
WAS ESPECIALLY MEANINGFUL

FOR PAIGE RUIZ,
WHO WAS BOTH A WITNESS

AND A SURVIVOR
OF THE ATTACK.

I WAS HAPPY TO HEAR THAT.

BECAUSE I KNEW
THAT HE WAS DOING TIME

FOR SOMETHING THAT HE TOOK AWAY
FROM ME AND MY FAMILY.

ALTHOUGH HE NEVER
ADMITTED GUILT,

BILL MARQUARDT ASKED FOR
AND RECEIVED THE DEATH PENALTY.

HIS MOTIVE
FOR THESE VICIOUS MURDERS

WILL LIKELY NEVER BE KNOWN.

HE CURRENTLY SITS ON DEATH ROW.

17 YEARS AFTER THE MURDERS
OF MARY JANE MARQUARDT,

MARGARITA RUIZ, AND HOPE WELLS

HAD SUCH A PROFOUND IMPACT
ON HIS LIFE,

WISCONSIN PROSECUTOR
JOHN THEISEN

TRAVELED TO SUMTER COUNTY,
FLORIDA, FOR THE FIRST TIME.

I KNOW
YOU'VE NEVER BEEN HERE BEFORE.

WHAT ARE
SOME OF YOUR THOUGHTS?

WHEN WE DID FINALLY GET
TO VICTORY ON THIS ONE,

I REALLY WISH
I COULD HAVE SHARED IT

WITH THESE TWO
BEAUTIFUL WOMEN.

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