Homicide for the Holidays

- CHRISTMAS WAS OUR ALL SPARK FOR LIFE.

THE BIG TRADITION OF BAKING COOKIES.

KRISTINE'S LIKE, "OKAY MOM.

"YOU KNOW, I'LL BE THERE, I'LL BE THERE, I'LL BE THERE".

SHE NEVER MADE IT HOME.

MINNEAPOLIS 911.

THERE'S A CAR ON FIRE

AND THERE'S A DEAD PERSON IN THE CAR.

- HOLD ON. WE HAVE HELP COMING.

- DID SHE DIE FROM THE FIRE, FROM THE SMOKE?

IT WAS A VIOLENT DEATH.

- THAT'S NOT HOW ANYBODY SHOULD DIE.

- I DIDN'T KNOW WHETHER TO BELIEVE HIM

OR NOT TO BELIEVE HIM.

I NEEDED PROOF.

IT WAS CLEAR TO ME THAT WHOEVER DID THIS,

WANTED TO DESTROY ANY POSSIBLE EVIDENCE.

- YOU KNOW, IT'S LIKE A HUGE PUZZLE PIECE.

IF YOU'VE EVER DONE A 10,000 PIECE PUZZLE...

YOU'RE FINALLY DOWN TO ABOUT 5 PIECES LEFT

IN THAT PUZZLE AND YOU'RE EXCITED.

IT-IT'S PROBABLY GONNA COME TO AN END HERE SOON.

- THIRTY MINUTES SOUTHEAST OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA,

LIES THE QUIET SUBURB OF ST. PAUL PARK.

- ST. PAUL PARK IS A REAL CLOSE KNIT COMMUNITY

WHERE EVERYBODY PRETTY MUCH KNOWS EVERYBODY.

- ST. PAUL PARK IS A SLEEPY LITTLE RIVER TOWN

ON THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER.

IT'S PLEASANT. IT'S-IT'S PRETTY.

THERE'S NOT A LOT OF HOOPLA.

VERY GOOD PLACE TO RAISE A FAMILY, I WOULD SAY.

- AND HERE IN ST. PAUL PARK,

CHRISTMAS IS A VERY SPECIAL TIME OF YEAR.

- YOU KNOW, EVERYONE PUTS UP THEIR CHRISTMAS LIGHTS.

EVEN IN THE COLD.

YOU SEE ALL THESE FAMILIES OUT THERE IN THE DEAD OF WINTER

HANGING THESE CHRISTMAS LIGHTS.

BUT EVERYONE'S HAPPY, AND IT'S WHAT WE DO.

IT'S PRETTY MAGICAL.

THERE'S THIS KIND OF ROBUST MINNESOTA FEEL

THAT THIS IS A TIME TO CELEBRATE.

FOR DEB AND DAN TILSON'S 19-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER,

KRISTINE LARSON, THERE IS NOTHING MORE SPECIAL

THAN SHARING CHRISTMAS WITH HER 22-MONTH-OLD SON, DARION.

- YOU KNOW, WHEN SHE HAD DARION,

HER MAIN FOCUS WAS BEING A MOM.

THAT WAS HER THING.

IT WAS HER AND DARION, ALWAYS TOGETHER.

KRISTINE EMBRACED LIFE.

SHE BROUGHT ZEAL AND ZEST INTO A ROOM

WHEN SHE WOULD WALK INTO IT.

- DARION WAS EXACTLY LIKE HIS MOM,

JUST A LITTLE SPITFIRE.

UM, AND LIKE HIS DAD. I MEAN, KIND OF A SHOWBOAT.

HE CAPTURED OUR HEARTS FROM THE MOMENT HE WAS BORN.

- DARION'S FATHER, 21-YEAR-OLD ZACHARY MATTHEWS,

PLAYS AN ACTIVE ROLE IN THE LIVES OF BOTH HIS SON

AND KRISTINE.

- KRISTINE AND ZACHARY LIVED WITH US

THROUGH THE DURATION OF HER PREGNANCY.

WE REALLY LIKED HIM.

WE PUT A LOT OF STOCK IN HIM.

HE WAS LIKE A SON TO BOTH OF US.

- WE HAD A GOOD RELATIONSHIP.

HE WAS IN ROTC IN THE LOCAL HIGH SCHOOL.

UH, HE REALLY TRIED TO, UH, BETTER HIMSELF.

HIM AND KRISTINE SEEMED LIKE A GOOD-GOOD MATCH.

- CHRISTMAS WAS OUR ALL SPARK FOR LIFE, YOU KNOW.

- IT WAS ALWAYS ABOUT GETTING TOGETHER FOR CHRISTMAS

AND JUST TO HAVE-HAVE FUN.

- IT WAS THE BIG TRADITION OF, YOU KNOW, BAKING COOKIES.

KRISTINE'S FAVORITE TO MAKE WAS WHAT WE CALLED

THE MERRY CHRIST-MICE.

THIS CUTE LITTLE CANDY CONFECTION MOUSE.

SHE JUST LOVED MAKING 'EM. SHE THOUGHT THEY WERE SO CUTE.

- IT'S A FEW DAYS BEFORE CHRISTMAS 2007,

AND KRISTINE AND HER MOTHER MAKE PLANS TO BAKE

HER FAVORITE CHRISTMAS COOKIES THAT EVENING.

- I WAS GETTING A LITTLE CONCERNED

'CAUSE IT WAS GETTING CLOSE TO THE HOLIDAYS

AND WE STILL DON'T HAVE THESE CHRIST-MICE CANDIES MADE.

I TOLD HER, I SAID,

"OKAY, WELL, I'M GONNA HAVE EVERYTHING READY TO GO.

"WE'LL EAT DINNER AND WE'LL GET STARTED.

SHE'S LIKE, "OKAY MOM.

"YOU KNOW, I'LL BE THERE, I'LL BE THERE, I'LL BE THERE."

- BUT KRISTINE NEVER ARRIVES.

30, 7:00,

I LOOKED OVER AT THE INGREDIENTS AND I THOUGHT, "NOPE.

"I'M NOT GONNA MELT THIS CHOCOLATE.

"I'M NOT GONNA DRAIN THESE CHERRIES.

"I'M JUST GONNA WAIT."

SHE NEVER MADE IT HOME.

- THAT SAME NIGHT, 30 MINUTES AWAY,

THE HOLIDAY CHEER OF A SMALL MINNEAPOLIS NEIGHBORHOOD

IS ABOUT TO BE SHATTERED.

- THERE WAS A WOMAN WHO CAME HOME,

BACK TO HER MINNEAPOLIS RESIDENCE,

AND SHE FOUND THE CAR IN HER DRIVEWAY...

WITH SMALL LICKS OF FLAME COMING OUT OF THE WINDOW.

- AS NEIGHBORS ATTEMPT TO PUT THE FIRE OUT,

THEY MAKE A GRUESOME DISCOVERY IN THE BACK SEAT.

- I REMEMBER BEING IN MY BASEMENT OF MY HOME,

WITH MY CHILDREN, WITH MY WIFE.

WE WERE IN THE MIDDLE OF, UH, FIGURING OUT WHAT LIGHTS

WE WERE GONNA PUT ON THE TREE.

I RECEIVED A PHONE CALL,

AND IT WAS NOTIFYING ME THAT THERE WAS A MURDER.

SO, I ABRUPTLY STOPPED WHAT I WAS DOING

AND EXPLAINED TO THE KIDS THAT

DADDY MIGHT BE AWAY FOR A COUPLE DAYS.

- WHEN WE WALKED UP TO THE SCENE,

YOU COULD SMELL SMOKE.

YOU COULD SMELL, UM, UH, CLOTH THAT HAD BURNED.

AND YOU COULD SMELL, UH, HAIR THAT HAD BURNED.

I WAS INFORMED BY THE, UH, PATROL SERGEANTS

THAT A-A WITNESS HAD FOUND A FEMALE IN THE BACK SEAT,

AND HAD PARTIALLY PULLED THE VICTIM OUT OF THE CAR.

I LOOKED AT THE VICTIM.

IT WAS A FEMALE IN THEIR EARLY 20s.

SHE WAS PARTIALLY BURNED,

AND SHE WAS LAYING ON THE GROUND.

YOU'RE THINKING, FIRST OF ALL,

WHO IS SHE, WHERE IS SHE FROM,

AND HOW DID SHE DIE?

DID SHE DIE FROM THE FIRE, FROM THE SMOKE?

WAS SHE AN ASSAULT VICTIM?

YOU JUST DON'T KNOW AT THAT POINT,

BUT IT'S SOMETHING YOU NEED TO FIND OUT.

- SHE HAD MARKINGS ON HER NECK.

SOMEONE HAD TIED SOMETHING AROUND HER NECK.

A ROPE, SOME TYPE OF A LIGATURE.

- I HAD NO IDEA WHAT IT WAS AT THAT POINT,

BUT, CLEARLY, IT WAS A SMALL TYPE OF ROPE

THAT WOULD HAVE STRANGLED HER.

WE SHINED A FLASHLIGHT,

AND YOU COULD SEE PETECHIAL HEMORRHAGE

AROUND BOTH EYES.

IT DEMONSTRATED TO ME, UH, THAT IT WAS A VIOLENT DEATH.

- DETECTIVES ALSO NOTICE SOMETHING UNUSUAL

ABOUT HOW THE VICTIM IS DRESSED.

- SHE WAS LAYING THERE, UH,

WITHOUT A COAT ON AND WITH NO SHOES.

ON DECEMBER 19th, IN MINNESOTA,

YOU NEED A COAT AND YOU NEED SHOES, DEFINITELY.

SO, IT'D LEAD ME TO BELIEVE THAT SHE WAS KILLED INSIDE

AND PLACED IN A CAR.

AND THEN, OBVIOUSLY, THAT CAR WAS DUMPED THERE.

- I HAD MANY THINGS RUNNING THROUGH MY MIND.

SUCH AS, YOU KNOW, IF THE PERSON KNEW THE SUSPECT?

WHERE DID THIS PERSON GO?

WAS IT A PERSON WHO WAS POSSIBLY WATCHING US FROM,

YOU KNOW, AN ADJACENT HOME OR A NEARBY WINDOW?

- DETECTIVES SPEAK WITH THE NEIGHBORS

WHO DISCOVERED THE BODY IN THE BURNING CAR.

- IT WASN'T THEIR CAR, BUT IT WAS PARKED THERE.

- THEY-THEY HAD NO IDEA WHY A CAR

WOULD BE IN THEIR DRIVEWAY,

OR WHY IT WOULD BE ON FIRE.

- NONE OF THE NEIGHBORS SAY THEY SAW ANYTHING.

HOWEVER, DETECTIVES ARE ABLE TO DETERMINE

THAT THE CAR WAS LEFT IN THE ALLEY

30 00 P.M. THAT NIGHT.

- THE HOME OWNER HAD LEFT AND THERE WAS NO CAR,

AND WHEN THE HOME OWNER CAME BACK A HALF HOUR LATER,

THE CAR WAS THERE.

SO, WE KNEW WITHIN A HALF AN HOUR

OF WHEN THE BODY WAS BROUGHT THERE.

- WHILE INSPECTING THE VEHICLE,

INVESTIGATORS MAKE A SIGNIFICANT DISCOVERY.

- IN THE BACK SEAT OF THE CAR,

YOU COULD SEE WHERE IT HAD PARTIALLY BURNED,

AND YOU COULD ALSO SEE A PARTIALLY BURNED, UH,

PHONE BOOK.

- WE BELIEVE THAT THE PHONE BOOK WAS USED

AS SOME TYPE OF ACCELERANT FOR THE FIRE

TO BURN THE CAR.

- IT WAS CLEAR TO ME THAT WHOEVER DID THIS,

WANTED TO DESTROY ANY POSSIBLE EVIDENCE.

- AS I WAS TRYING TO FIGURE OUT IN MY HEAD

WHAT KIND OF PERSON WOULD ACTUALLY

TRY TO SET A CAR ON FIRE

AND A PERSON, UH, WAS ACTUALLY IN IT,

I LOOKED IN THE CAR AND I SAW A CAR SEAT.

AND MY HEART KINDA SUNK.

I WAS PRAYING SHE DIDN'T HAVE A CHILD.

- LUCKILY, THERE IS NO CHILD IN THE BURNED OUT VEHICLE,

BUT DETECTIVES FEAR A CHILD COULD BE IN DANGER.

THEY RACE TO ID THEIR VICTIM.

- SO, I FIND A PURSE IN THE CAR.

AND, UH, IN THAT PURSE,

IS A MINNESOTA DRIVER'S LICENSE.

THE PICTURE SEEMED TO MATCH THIS FEMALE VICTIM.

IT WAS KRISTINE LARSON.

IT GAVE AN ADDRESS IN ST. PAUL PARK, MINNESOTA.

- IN, UH, KRISTINE'S PURSE

WAS ALSO A PICTURE OF A LITTLE BOY.

OUR CONCERN WAS, WHERE IS THIS CHILD RIGHT NOW?

ARE THEY WITH THE MURDERER?

ARE THEY DEAD ALSO?