A Crime to Remember

NOTHING MUCH EVER HAPPENED IN LINCOLN.

BUT NO ONE AROUND HERE SEEMED TO MIND.

THERE'S A SPECIAL SORT OF QUIET

YOU JUST CAN'T FIND ANYWHERE ELSE

BUT THE FIELDS RIGHT OUTSIDE OF TOWN.

OR, AT LEAST, THERE WAS.

I DON'T GO OUT THERE MUCH ANYMORE,

NOT SINCE THAT NIGHT.

Unit 5?

We just got a frantic phone call

about a man laying down out in Superior Street.

Please go check it out.

FOLKS MIGHT NOT HAVE HEARD OF LINCOLN

BEFORE THAT NIGHT.

BUT AFTERWARDS, NO ONE COULD FORGET IT.

YOU SEE, THAT WAS THE NIGHT THE HEARTLAND TURNED BAD.

MY DAD, SHERIFF MERLE KARNOPP,

GOT CALLED OUT TO THE OUTSKIRTS OF LINCOLN,

WHERE THEY HAD FOUND THE BODY.

JUST OFF TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD,

THERE WAS A YOUNG WHITE MALE

WHO'D BEEN SHOT SEVERAL TIMES.

THEY FIND A WALLET IN THE BACK POCKET.

THE WALLET INDICATES THAT IT'S ROBERT COLVERT,

AN EMPLOYEE AT THE CREST SERVICE STATION.

ACCORDING TO THE STATION MANAGER,

ABOUT $160 STOLEN.

THIS INCLUDES ABOUT $10 IN LOOSE CHANGE.

THEIR IMMEDIATE SUSPICION

IS THAT SOMEBODY HAS COME THROUGH LINCOLN,

PERHAPS ON THEIR WAY WEST TO DENVER,

AND MURDERED COLVERT FOR THE MONEY

IN THE GAS STATION.

BUT THE CREST GAS STATION IS BACK IN LINCOLN.

WELL, WHAT'S HE DOING ALL THE WAY OUT HERE?

WHERE'S STALANDZ?

THE PERSON WHO DISCOVERED THE BODY

AND CALLED IT IN, WILBUR STALANDZ,

WAS KIND OF A SELF-STYLED PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR

THAT WOULD CHECK ON PLACES

TO MAKE SURE THEY WERE LOCKED UP AT NIGHT.

WHAT ARE YOU DOING OUT HERE, STALANDZ?

I WAS JUST DOING MY NIGHTLY ROUNDS.

WHAT ARE YOU DOING OUT HERE, DOING YOUR ROUNDS

WITH A AIRMAN FROM THE BASE?

STALANDZ WAS ACCOMPANIED

BY A 21-YEAR-OLD AIRMAN

FROM THE LOCAL AIR BASE.

THAT'S MY BUSINESS AS A PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR

TO KEEP MY DOINGS PRIVATE.

FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND, STALANDZ DIDN'T HAVE

A REAL GOOD REPUTATION.

HE WAS A LITTLE BIT SHADY.

DID HE HAVE MORE TO DO WITH THIS

THAN HE'S TELLING US NOW?

THEY DECIDE TO TAKE THEM IN FOR FURTHER QUESTIONING.

WHAT WERE YOU DOING ON THAT ROAD?

I WAS JUST THERE TO HELP, SIR.

DOING WHAT?

THIS GENTLEMAN WAS WORKING WITH ME.

THEY WEREN'T TELLING A STORY THAT MADE SENSE.

ONE THING'S FOR SURE -- WIND UP ON A DARK ROAD

WITH A DEAD BODY AND NO GOOD STORY,

AND YOU CAN BET SOME QUESTIONS ARE GONNA COME YOUR WAY.

I THINK THIS AIRMAN WAS NERVOUS.

THE POLICE DECIDED TO GIVE HIM A LIE DETECTOR TEST.

AND HE EVEN FAILS THAT.

FINALLY, THE AIRMAN DID DISCLOSE WHAT THEY WERE DOING.

LISTEN, I WASN'T THERE, AND NEITHER WERE YOU.

ALL I KNOW IS, SHERIFF KARNOPP BELIEVED

IT DIDN'T HAVE ANYTHING TO DO

WITH ROBERT COLVERT'S DEAD BODY.

WHATEVER IT WAS, IT WAS ENOUGH

THAT THEY ULTIMATELY DETERMINED

THAT THEY DIDN'T HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH IT.

MRS. COLVERT, THANK YOU FOR --

FOR COMING IN TODAY.

I JUST WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT I'M REALLY SORRY

ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED TO ROBERT.

THANK YOU.

WHEN'S THE BABY DUE?

JUST A FEW WEEKS.

MRS. COLVERT, DO YOU KNOW

ANYONE THAT MIGHT HOLD A GRUDGE AGAINST YOUR HUSBAND?

NO!

NOBODY!

THAT WAS THE FIRST TIME I REALIZED THAT WHEN YOU SAY,

"TILL DEATH DO US PART," YOU DON'T GET TO CHOOSE WHEN.

SHE WASN'T MORE THAN A FEW YEARS OLDER THAN I WAS.

SHE WAS ALL ALONE, WITH A BABY ON THE WAY.

AND THE LONGER THE POLICE LOOKED AT HIS DEATH,

THE MORE MEANINGLESS IT SEEMED.

HE WAS MURDERED FOR BARELY MORE THAN POCKET CHANGE.

I'M SORRY. EXCUSE ME. I'M SORRY.

IT'S ALMOST A MONTH-OLD CASE.

AND WE DON'T HAVE ANY SUSPECTS.

MY DAD, PARTICULARLY, DOESN'T LIKE THAT AT ALL.

AT THIS POINT, INVESTIGATORS WANT TIPS FROM THE PUBLIC.

I REMEMBER MY MOM SAID

THAT IF THE POLICE WERE ASKING FOR OUR HELP,

THAT WAS A SURE SIGN

THEY WEREN'T EVER GONNA FIND THE GUY.

BUT MAYBE THAT'S WHY MY MAMA WASN'T A POLICEMAN.

MRS. KEMP.

SHERIFF KARNOPP. THIS IS DETECTIVE JAMES.

NICE TO MEET YOU.

MRS. KEMP IS A WOMAN

WHO OWNS A USED-CLOTHING STORE IN NORTH LINCOLN.

WE UNDERSTAND, YOU HAD A SUSPICIOUS CHARACTER IN HERE.

YES. HE PAID ME WITH ROLLED COINS.

INVESTIGATORS KNOW THAT $10 WORTH OF COINS WAS TAKEN

FROM THE CREST FILLING STATION DURING THE ROBBERY.

COULD YOU DESCRIBE WHAT HE LOOKS LIKE?

SHE SAYS THE DAY AFTER THE COLVERT MURDER,

A YOUNG MAN CAME INTO THE STORE.

HE PURCHASED $10 WORTH OF CLOTHES AND PAID IN COINS.

HE WAS A SHORT CAUCASIAN TEENAGER.

AROUND HERE, KIDS WERE STILL JUST KIDS.

SO WHEN MRS. KEMP SAID IT WAS A TEENAGER, SHERIFF KARNOPP

MUST HAVE DONE A DOUBLE-TAKE.

HIS SON DENNY WAS THE STRAIGHTEST ARROW AROUND.

YOU THINK YOU'D RECOGNIZE HIM IF YOU SAW HIM AGAIN?

- MAYBE. - OKAY.

IF THIS INDIVIDUAL COMES IN AGAIN, YOU --

YOU GIVE US A CALL, OKAY?

BUT THERE WASN'T TIME FOR THAT.

THE BLOOD KEPT COMING.

HOPING THAT ROBERT COLVERT'S MURDER

WAS A ONE-OFF WAS JUST WISHFUL THINKING.

27th OF JANUARY, 1958.

TWO MEN PARK IN FRONT OF 924 BELMONT AVENUE.

COME ON.

THEY GO IN THE BACKYARD AND NOTICE A SMELL.

THEY OPEN THE DOOR TO THE PRIVY

AND FIND THE BODY OF A LITTLE GIRL.

ON MONDAY AFTERNOON, 27th OF JANUARY, 1958,

INVESTIGATORS ARE CALLED TO 924 BELMONT AVENUE.

THEY IDENTIFY THE BODY OF A SMALL CHILD,

ABOUT 2 OR 3 YEARS OLD,

AND OF A WOMAN WHO'S BEEN WRAPPED AND STUFFED

IN ONE OF THE TOILETS.

THEY LOOK IN THE CHICKEN COOP

AND FIND THE WRAPPED BODY OF A MAN.

INVESTIGATORS KNOW THAT THIS IS

THE RESIDENCE OF MARION AND VELDA BARTLETT.

THEY IDENTIFY THE CORPSES AS THE TWO OF THEM,

AND THE CHILD AS BEING THEIR DAUGHTER, BETTY JEAN.

THE FATHER, MARION BARTLETT, HAS BEEN SHOT

WITH A .22 LONG RIFLE AND STABBED IN THE THROAT.

THE MOTHER HAS BEEN SHOT AND BLUDGEONED.

AND THE LITTLE GIRL HAS BEEN KILLED

BY BLUNT FORCE TRAUMA TO THE HEAD,

PROBABLY THE BUTT OF A GUN,

BUT HAS ALSO BEEN STABBED IN THE THROAT.

IT'S JUST SHOCKING, ABSOLUTELY SHOCKING.

THE MEDICAL EXAMINER CONCLUDES

THAT THEY'VE BEEN DEAD FOR AT LEAST 2 DAYS.

SHERIFF!

THERE'S ANOTHER DAUGHTER

BY A PREVIOUS MARRIAGE, CARIL ANN.

AND SHE'S NOWHERE TO BE FOUND.

GOSH, CARIL ANN.

SHE WAS MY YEAR IN SCHOOL.

BUT CARIL ANN WASN'T PART OF OUR REGULAR GROUP.

SHE'D NEVER TALK MUCH.

I THOUGHT MAYBE SHE WAS JUST ONE OF THEM

WHO WAS ALWAYS IN HER OWN WORLD.

MY BROTHER SAID HE BET SHE WAS DEAD LIKE THE REST OF THEM.

BUT I HAD A DIFFERENT FEELING ABOUT IT.

SOMETHING TOLD ME SHE WAS ALIVE.

STILL, I KNEW IT COULDN'T BE GOOD.

BECAUSE EVEN IF SHE WASN'T DEAD YET,

SHE COULD BE REAL SOON.

THE TWO FELLOWS THAT FOUND THE BODIES

ARE BOB VON BUSCH AND RODNEY STARKWEATHER.

DO YOU KNOW CARIL ANN FUGATE?

SHE'S DATING MY BROTHER, CHARLIE.

DO YOU KNOW WHERE CARIL ANN COULD BE?

RODNEY IS THE BROTHER OF CHARLIE STARKWEATHER,

WHO HAS BEEN DATING CARIL ANN

FOR ABOUT A YEAR AND A HALF.

WHEN'S THE LAST TIME YOU SAW YOUR BROTHER CHARLIE?

MORE THAN A WEEK AGO.

CHARLIE HAS HAD A TOUGH CHILDHOOD.

HE'S FROM THE PART OF TOWN YOU END UP IN

IF YOU DON'T HAVE A LOT OF MONEY.

HE'S BEEN PICKED ON CONSTANTLY IN SCHOOL.

HE WAS WORKING AS A GARBAGE MAN,

MAKING, YOU KNOW, NOT VERY MUCH.

CHARLIE'S MAIN PROBLEM IS THAT HE'S ANGRY AT THE WORLD.

I WENT TO SCHOOL WITH AND KNEW CHARLIE STARKWEATHER.

HE WAS DIFFICULT TO DEAL WITH.

PEOPLE WERE AFRAID OF HIM, YOU KNOW?

CHARLIE STARKWEATHER WASN'T LIKE

MOST OF THE OLDER BOYS IN TOWN.

HE WAS OUR VERY OWN "REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE."

AFTER THAT MOVIE CAME OUT,

HE FOUND HIMSELF A LEATHER JACKET

AND STARTING SWAGGERING AROUND TOWN,

JUST LIKE HE THOUGHT JAMES DEAN WOULD,