Homicide City

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HELLO?

Ditroia: MY SISTER, PATTY, AND HER HUSBAND, RICHIE,

STARTED OFF AS A YOUNG COUPLE.

RICHIE GOT INTO THE JEWELRY BUSINESS.

OKAY. HEY, PAT.

THEN THEY WORKED TOGETHER,

AND THEY MADE A LIFE FOR THEMSELVES.

THERE WAS HAPPINESS IN THEIR LIFE, BUT THERE WERE ISSUES.

IT'S OKAY. HE'S DOWNSTAIRS.

I COULD SENSE THAT THERE WAS ALWAYS A FEAR IN THEIR LIFE.

THEY WERE ALWAYS WORRIED

THAT THEY WERE GOING TO BE ATTACKED OR ROBBED.

THERE'S NOT A TIME THAT GOES BY

THAT I DON'T THINK ABOUT MY SISTER AND HER HUSBAND.

I WANTED JUSTICE. I WANTED --

YOU KNOW, I WANTED TO FIND OUT WHO DID THIS.

WHY DID THEY DO THIS?

I WANTED TO FIND OUT WHO KILLED MY SISTER.

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You've reached Pat and Rich.

We're not available to take your call.

Leave a message, and we'll get back to you.

Mom, Dad, it's Michelle.

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30,

AND THIS IS THE THIRD TIME I'VE CALLED.

CAN YOU PLEASE, EITHER OF YOU, CALL ME BACK WHEN YOU GET THIS

SO I KNOW YOU'RE OKAY?

I LOVE YOU. BYE.

Ditroia: THERE WAS A BIRTHDAY PARTY THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO TAKE PLACE.

MICHELLE, MY NIECE,

HAD INVITED HER PARENTS TO THIS BIRTHDAY PARTY.

THEY DIDN'T SHOW UP, AND IT WAS UNUSUAL

FOR THEM NOT TO COMMUNICATE, YOU KNOW,

'CAUSE MICHELLE WAS CLOSE TO HER MOM.

MICHELLE DIDN'T HEAR ANYTHING SATURDAY OR SUNDAY.

MICHELLE WAS WORKING AS A DISPATCHER

FOR THE POLICE DEPARTMENT,

AND SHE ASKED THE POLICE DEPARTMENT

TO DO A WELLNESS CHECK ON HER PARENTS.

HEY, IT'S MICHELLE.

YEAH. I GOT A FAVOR TO ASK.

I NEED YOU TO CHECK ON MY PARENTS.

Unit five, we've got a request for a welfare check

at 112 South Street, over.

Narrator: SERGEANT WILLIAM BRITT,

A 33-YEAR VETERAN OF PHILADELPHIA HOMICIDE,

IS A SUPERVISOR ON DUTY THAT NIGHT.

I WAS INFORMED THAT THE RADIO DISPATCHER

WANTED TO DO A CHECK ON THE WELLBEING,

AND HER SUPERVISOR HAD SAID, "COME ON. LET'S GO."

AND THEY NOTIFIED THE DISTRICT OFFICERS.

THAT'S THE 6th DISTRICT THERE.

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GATE'S OPEN.

MR. ZIMMERMAN, PHILADELPHIA POLICE.

- THE LIGHTS ARE ON UP THERE. - IF THERE WAS SOMEONE UP THERE,

THEY HAD TO HAVE HEARD THAT. COME ON.

WE GOT TO GET UP THERE AND SEE WHAT'S GOING ON.

DISPATCHER, I NEED A WAGON AT 100 BLOCK OF SOUTH STREET.

THEY PULLED UP ONTO THE PAVEMENT AND CLIMBED ONTO THE ROOF

AND WERE ABLE TO GET UP AND LOOK IN.

DAMN.

WE GOT A PROBLEM HERE.

- WHAT IS IT? - WE GOT TWO BODIES UP HERE.

CALL IT IN.

WE GOT A MALE, FEMALE HERE AT 112 SOUTH STREET.

WE NEED A BUS.

MURDERS COME EVERY DAY,

BUT THIS WAS SOCIETY HILL.

IT'S AN AFFLUENT AREA.

THERE'S A LOT OF NIGHTLIFE, CONDOS.

YOU KNOW THERE'S GOING TO BE A LOT OF QUESTIONS,

BUT WE WORK EVERY MURDER THE SAME WAY.

Narrator: PHILADELPHIA HOMICIDE DETECTIVE MIKE WALTER FROM ONE SQUAD

IS ASSIGNED THE CASE.

HE ARRIVES AT THE ZIMMERMANS' HOUSE WHILE SERGEANT BILL BRITT

IS ALREADY PROCESSING THE CRIME SCENE.

LOOKS LIKE THEY'VE BEEN HERE A WHILE.

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ONE SHOT EACH, BACK OF THE HEAD,

LIKE A HIT MAYBE.

MAYBE.

Britt: YOU SEE THE MALE SITTING AT THE TABLE.

I DON'T THINK HE SAW WHAT WAS HAPPENING WHEN HE WAS SHOT.

IT WAS PRETTY GRUESOME.

VICTIMS ARE RICHARD AND PATTY ZIMMERMAN,

HUSBAND AND WIFE.

ABOUT TO SIT DOWN TO EAT.

LOOKS LIKE IT.

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CHECK THIS OUT.

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DIAMONDS...

IN EACH OF THEM.

Britt: IT ALMOST LOOKED LIKE HE HAD BEEN LOOKING AT JEWELRY

OR STONES WHEN HE WAS SHOT,

BECAUSE HE WAS SLUMPED TO THE LEFT, HIS HAND WAS DOWN,

AND THERE WERE SOME ENVELOPES ON THE FLOOR.

A WHOLE LOT OF MONEY, LOT OF MONEY.

IT WAS TROUBLESOME BECAUSE THERE WAS NO FORCED ENTRY.

WE COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING OUT OF PLACE.

NOTHING APPEARED TO BE MISSING. AND IT WAS,

"OKAY. WHAT'S THE MOTIVATION FOR THIS?"

SO WHAT? SO THE DOER COMES IN,

OR MORE LIKELY, THEY LET HIM IN.

MR. ZIMMERMAN'S ALREADY AT THE TABLE.

BANG.

MRS. ZIMMERMAN COMES IN FROM THE KITCHEN

WHEN SHE HEARS THE SHOT. THEN HE TURNS ON HER. BANG.

AND THEN WHAT? HE JUST LEAVES ALL THE CASH, THE DIAMONDS,

EVERYTHING, AND JUST WALKS OUT?

LIKE A HIT.

LIKE A HIT.

AND IT WAS LIKE BOOM, BOOM.

THEY WEREN'T EXPECTING THIS AT ALL.

DETECTIVES.

WE FOUND ONE SHELL CASING FROM A.45,

A SEMI-AUTOMATIC PISTOL.

NOW WE'RE GETTING SOMEWHERE.

THIS WAS LIKE A WHODUNIT,

AND NOW YOU KNOW YOUR WORK IS CUT OUT FOR YOU,

BECAUSE NOW YOU HAVE TO REALLY DISSECT THEIR LIVES.

COME ON, MARIO. HOW MANY MORE TIMES

YOU GOING TO BE TAKING PICTURES LIKE THIS, HUH?

ENOUGH.

Narrator: PATTY AND RICHARD ZIMMERMAN

HAD LIVED IN PHILADELPHIA 30 YEARS.

THEY HAD TWO CHILDREN,

MICHELLE AND MATTHEW. THAT'S MY GIRL.

MARIO DITROIA IS PATTY'S BROTHER.

Ditroia: PATTY WAS BORN PATRICIA DITROIA IN 1950.

PATTY WAS 15 YEARS OLDER THAN I.

SHE REBELLED AGAINST MY DAD,

SO SHE LEFT AND RAN AWAY FROM HOME

WHEN SHE WAS ABOUT 16, 17 YEARS OLD.

PEOPLE ARE GOING TO THINK I'M WANTED

BY THE WAY YOU'RE TAKING PICTURES OF ME LIKE THAT.

AFTER SHE LEFT, PATTY MET RICHIE, STARTED A LITTLE FAMILY,

AND STARTED THEIR JEWELRY BUSINESS,

AND SHE MADE A GOOD LIFE FOR HERSELF.

HI.

PATTY SEEMED VERY HAPPY AT THAT STAGE IN HER LIFE.

BEAUTIFUL, ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL.

I MEAN, SHE REALLY HAD A GOOD LIFE.

STOP.

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Narrator: AS THE SUN RISES OVER SOCIETY HILL THE NEXT MORNING,

DETECTIVES RATCHET UP THEIR INVESTIGATION.

Walter: THE FIRST ORDER OF BUSINESS WAS TO START DOING INTERVIEWS,

TALK TO THE FAMILY,

AND GET A CLEARER PICTURE

OF RICHARD AND PATRICIA'S LIFE.

ANY WITNESSES?

NO, NOTHING. THE DAUGHTER'S HERE,

THE ONE THAT CALLED ABOUT THE WELFARE CHECK.

OKAY. WHICH ONE IS SHE?

THERE.

WE WANT TO FIND OUT FROM THE DAUGHTER, MICHELLE,

WHEN THE LAST TIME THEY SPOKE TO THEM?

WHAT'S THEIR EVERYDAY LIFE LIKE?

DID THEY HAVE ANY ENEMIES?

WHEN YOU LAST SPOKE WITH YOUR PARENTS,

DID THEY MENTION HAVING ANY TROUBLE WITH ANYBODY?

NOT RECENTLY.

I MEAN, THEY HAD SOME TOUGH TIMES IN THE PAST,

BUT THEY WERE TOUGH PEOPLE.

IS THERE ANYONE ELSE IN YOUR FAMILY,

ANYONE WE GOT TO GET IN TOUCH WITH?

YEAH, MATTHEW, MY BROTHER.

AND, OBVIOUSLY, WE NEED TO TALK TO THE SON.

THE MOM AND DAD ARE DEAD, UNEXPLAINED.

WHERE IS HE?

IS HE POSSIBLY DEAD, TOO?

I'LL TRY AND FIND HIM,

LET HIM KNOW YOU WANT TO TALK TO HIM.

Narrator: A FEW HOURS AFTER POLICE SPEAK WITH MICHELLE,

HER BROTHER, MATTHEW, SHOWS UP AT POLICE HEADQUARTERS.

YOU GOT ANY IDEA WHO'D WANT TO DO THIS?

YOUR MOM AND DAD, THEY GOT ANY BEEFS WITH ANYBODY?

MAN, I GOT NO IDEA.

HE'S LIKE, "I HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH MY MOM AND DAD.

I WAS ON MY OWN SINCE I WAS 17 YEARS OLD.

THEY THREW ME OUT OF THE HOUSE.

I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHERE THEY LIVE AT."

STILL, I'M SURE THAT'S A BLOW,

BOTH YOUR PARENTS GOING THAT WAY.

LIKE I SAID, WE WEREN'T CLOSE.

HE WASN'T UPSET.

HE JUST WAS, LIKE, BLANK.

MATT, WHERE WERE YOU THIS WEEKEND?

I WAS UP IN KENSINGTON, A COUPLE BUDDIES, HELPING THEM MOVE.