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Narrator: IN THE MIDDLE OF THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA,
A NAVY LIEUTENANT BATTLES A FATAL ILLNESS.
A GOOD MAN WAS KILLED.
Narrator: THE DIAGNOSIS -- ***.
Early: HIS LIVER, HIS KIDNEYS, HIS BLOOD --
EVERYTHING IS ABSOLUTELY CHOCK FULL OF ARSENIC.
Narrator: EVERYONE ON BOARD SHIP IS UNDER INVESTIGATION.
O'Brien: I CAN'T IMAGINE THE KIND OF HATE THAT IT TAKES
TO WATCH SOMEBODY SLOWLY DIE AT YOUR HAND.
Narrator: 5,000 SUSPECTS...
YOU'VE GOT TO THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX.
Narrator: ...ONE DIABOLICAL KILLER...
ALL OF THE EVIDENCE HAD BEEN DESTROYED.
Narrator: ...AND A TWIST THAT BLOWS
EVERYTHING OUT OF THE WATER.
WOW, EUREKA MOMENT.
AAH!
Narrator: IN THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA,
JUST OFF THE COAST OF SPAIN,
THE USS FORRESTAL CRUISES THROUGH OPEN WATERS.
[ SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY ]
THIS SUPER AIRCRAFT CARRIER
IS A MOBILE DESTRUCTION PLATFORM
CAPABLE OF UNLEASHING TOTAL DEVASTATION ON ENEMY FORCES.
BUT IN THE LOWER DECKS OF THE SHIP,
37-YEAR-OLD LEE HARTLEY
IS CONFRONTING A DIFFERENT KIND OF ENEMY.
SOMETHING IS ATTACKING HIM FROM INSIDE HIS OWN BODY.
Eliopulos: HE WAS COMPLAINING OF VOMITING, DIARRHEA, LETHARGY.
HE HAD ALSO EXPERIENCED EXCESSIVE WEIGHT LOSS,
AND THERE WAS A GRAYNESS TO HIS SKIN.
Narrator: HARTLEY, A CAREER NAVY SAILOR,
IS A LIEUTENANT IN THE SHIP'S DISCIPLINARY OFFICE.
A MONTH INTO HIS CURRENT DEPLOYMENT,
LEE BECAME VIOLENTLY ILL, WITH SEVERE STOMACH PAINS
AND A STRANGE TINGLING IN HIS HANDS AND FEET.
Eliopulos: HE WAS SEEN AT THE CLINIC ON BOARD THE SHIP,
TREATED FOR GASTROINTESTINAL PROBLEMS.
A COUPLE WEEKS GO BY, AND THE SYMPTOMS REAPPEAR,
EACH TIME GETTING A LITTLE PROGRESSIVELY WORSE.
I'M SO COLD.
Narrator: THE ONBOARD MEDICS ARE BAFFLED.
IS IT SOME EXOTIC BUG HE PICKED UP DURING HIS WEEKS AT SEA?
[ AIR HORN BLOWING ]
Wilbur: I THOUGHT MAYBE, YOU KNOW.
YOU'RE IN A FOREIGN PORT.
THERE'S -- THERE'S ALWAYS A POSSIBILITY
YOU CAN GET EXPOSED TO SOMETHING.
O'Brien: HE PRETTY MUCH ASSUMED
THAT THAT WAS BECAUSE OF FOOD OR WATER OR SOMETHING
THAT HE HAD EATEN OR DRANK
WHILE HE WAS VISITING ONE OF THOSE FOREIGN PORTS.
Narrator: WHATEVER THE CAUSE,
LEE'S SYMPTOMS SEEM TO BE SPIRALING OUT OF CONTROL.
HE ENDURES NEARLY TWO MONTHS OF AGONY.
Eliopulos: WHEN LIEUTENANT HARTLEY WASN'T GETTING BETTER --
WAS GETTING MORE ILL, LOSING MORE WEIGHT,
LOOKING MORE GRAY,
THEY DECIDED THAT THEY BETTER SHIP HIM TO A HOSPITAL.
SO HE WAS MEDEVACKED TO THE HOSPITAL
ON -- IN JACKSONVILLE -- NAVY HOSPITAL.
[ MONITOR BEEPING ]
Narrator: LEE'S WIFE, PAM, RUSHES TO HIS BEDSIDE.
HOW ARE YOU FEELING?
THE TWO ARE STILL NEWLYWEDS, MARRIED JUST A YEAR EARLIER.
PAM AND OTHER FAMILY MEMBERS
ANXIOUSLY WAIT FOR ANY NEWS ON LEE'S CONDITION.
DOCTORS RUN A BATTERY OF TESTS IN ORDER TO MAKE A DIAGNOSIS.
SOME BELIEVE HE MIGHT HAVE LIVER DISEASE OR HEPATITIS
OR EVEN SOME KIND OF POISONING.
THEY REALLY CAN'T COME UP WITH A DEFINITIVE DIAGNOSIS.
Eliopulos: LIEUTENANT HARTLEY MADE REMARKS TO SEVERAL FOLKS
THAT HE THOUGHT HE WAS DYING.
SO HE WAS AWARE THAT HE WAS VERY, VERY GRAVELY ILL.
MY BROTHER LOOKED TERRIBLE.
I HAD TROUBLE RECOGNIZING HIM.
BUT I WAS A CORPSMAN IN VIETNAM,
AND I HAD CORPSES THAT LOOKED BETTER FROM BATTLE THAN HE DID.
Narrator: ON NOVEMBER 18th,
AFTER NEARLY FIVE MONTHS OF TERRIBLE SUFFERING,
LIEUTENANT LEE HARTLEY SUCCUMBS TO MASSIVE ORGAN FAILURE.
[ FLATLINE ]
HIS BROTHER WILBUR IS AT HIS BEDSIDE.
Wilbur: HE HAD TAKEN A TURN FOR THE WORSE.
WHEN I CHECKED HIS EYES...
HE WAS ALREADY BRAIN-DEAD.
I STAYED WITH HIM.
HE WAS GONE.
Narrator: BEFORE HE SET OUT ON THAT FINAL DEPLOYMENT,
LEE HARTLEY WAS LIVING THE LIFE HE'D ALWAYS DREAMED OF.
Wilbur: MY BROTHER LOVED THE NAVY.
HE LIVED, ATE, AND BREATHED THE NAVY.
WE WAS ALL REAL PROUD OF LEE
BECAUSE HE HAD NO HIGH-SCHOOL EDUCATION
WHEN HE WENT IN AS AN ENLISTED MAN
AND WORKED HIS WAY CLEAR UP TO AN OFFICER.
THAT'S PRETTY GOOD FOR SOMEBODY --
NINTH-GRADE EDUCATION.
Narrator: LEE'S PERSONAL LIFE WAS ALSO BLOSSOMING.
HE ADORED HIS NEW WIFE, PAM,
AND LOOKED FORWARD EAGERLY TO THE END OF HIS LONG DEPLOYMENTS
SO HE COULD SPEND MORE TIME WITH HER.
O'Brien: THEY DIDN'T HAVE ANY CHILDREN OF THEIR OWN,
BUT LEE DID HAVE A DAUGHTER FROM A PREVIOUS MARRIAGE.
Narrator: PAM IS NOW A DEVASTATED WIDOW,
AS SHE AWAITS AN AUTOPSY
TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF HER HUSBAND'S DEATH.
WHEN THE RESULTS COME BACK,
THEY REVEAL SOMETHING STARTLING --
ARSENIC, NEARLY 1,000 TIMES THE NORMAL LEVEL.
HIS LIVER, HIS KIDNEYS, HIS BLOOD --
EVERYTHING IS ABSOLUTELY CHOCK FULL OF ARSENIC.
HE HAD ENOUGH ARSENIC IN HIM TO KILL SEVERAL PEOPLE.
Narrator: ARSENIC IS
AN ODORLESS, COLORLESS, AND TASTELESS CHEMICAL,
A PURE LIQUID KILLER.
SO, THAT KIND OF CHANGED THE WHOLE BALLGAME.
Narrator: AN INVESTIGATION IS IMMEDIATELY LAUNCHED
TO FIND OUT HOW THAT MUCH ARSENIC
COULD FIND ITS WAY INTO LEE HARTLEY'S BODY.
O'Brien: THE LAST THING YOU THINK
IS THAT SOMEBODY'S GONNA DIE OF ARSENIC POISONING.
I COULDN'T IMAGINE HOW YOU
WOULD COME BY THE AMOUNT OF ARSENIC ON BOARD THE SHIP
THAT WOULD BE REQUIRED TO KILL YOU.
Narrator: SPECIAL AGENTS JERRY WHITACRE
AND WALTER O'BRIEN OF NCIS ARE ASSIGNED TO THE CASE.
THE TWO ACTUALLY KNEW LEE HARTLEY,
HAVING SERVED SIDE BY SIDE ON THE USS FORRESTAL.
THEY START WITH THE SIMPLEST POSSIBILITY --
WAS THIS AN ACCIDENTAL POISONING?
FOR ALL WE KNEW, THERE COULD HAVE BEEN
BIG PILES OF ARSENIC LAYING AROUND ON THE SHIP.
WE DIDN'T HAVE ANY IDEA.
Narrator: THE CHIEF SUPPLY OFFICER ON THE USS FORRESTAL
INSTANTLY PUTS THAT THEORY TO REST.
O'Brien: THE SUPPLY OFFICER ON BOARD THE FORRESTAL
WOULD MAINTAIN RECORDS OF EVERY ITEM
THAT IS ON BOARD THE SHIP,
AND ACCORDING TO HIM, THERE WAS NO SUBSTANCE ON BOARD THE SHIP
THAT CONTAINED ARSENIC,
LET ALONE ARSENIC BY ITSELF.
Narrator: WHICH MEANS THERE WAS NO WAY
FOR LEE TO COME INTO CONTACT
WITH THE DEADLY TOXIN ON BOARD SHIP --
AT LEAST, NOT BY ACCIDENT.
SOMEONE DELIBERATELY DOSED LIEUTENANT LEE HARTLEY --
AT LEAST, NOT BY ACCIDENT.
AGENTS BREAK THE NEWS TO LEE'S WIFE AND MOTHER-IN-LAW.
I JUST WANT TO THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.
WHEN PAM FINDS OUT ABOUT THE ARSENIC, SHE REACTS WITH SHOCK.
IT'S COMMONLY USED AS A RAT POISON.
I -- WE'VE NEVER HAD RATS. I DON'T -- I DON'T UNDERSTAND.
O'Brien: AT THE VERY END OF OUR CONVERSATION,
PAM'S MOTHER TURNS TO HER AND SAYS,
"PAM, YOU UNDERSTAND THEY'RE TRYING TO TELL YOU
THAT SOMEONE MAY HAVE KILLED LEE."
I MEAN -- I MEAN, ARE YOU SURE? ARE YOU SURE ABOUT THAT?
SHE WAS RIGHT -- WE WERE TRYING
TO GET THAT SENSE ACROSS THAT SOMEONE MAY HAVE.
WE DIDN'T KNOW WHO, BUT WE KNEW HOW.
Narrator: THE AGENTS LAUNCHED THEIR SEARCH FOR SUSPECTS.
YOU LOOK AT WHO HAS SOMETHING TO GAIN IN THIS PERSON'S DEATH.
THERE'S ONE MAIN SUSPECT,
AND THAT'S HIS WIFE, PAMELA HARTLEY.
Narrator: PAM DID HAVE A MOTIVE.
SHE STOOD TO INHERIT A LIFETIME OF MILITARY BENEFITS.
BUT HOW COULD SHE POISON HER HUSBAND
WHILE HE WAS ON DEPLOYMENT THOUSANDS OF MILES AWAY?
WHEN NCIS CHECKS HER TRAVEL ITINERARY,
THEY DISCOVER PAM WASN'T ALWAYS A LONG-DISTANCE WIFE.
AND WHEN WAS THIS? AND THEY WERE IN PORT OF CALL TOGETHER?
BENIDORM, SPAIN, IS A SEAPORT ON THE MEDITERRANEAN COAST.
IT'S ALSO A PORT OF CALL FOR THE USS FORRESTAL,
WHICH DOCKED THERE DURING LEE'S DEPLOYMENT.
WHEN A SHIP VISITS A FOREIGN PORT,
IT'S NOT AT ALL UNCOMMON FOR GROUPS OF WIVES
TO COME AND VISIT THAT PORT.
Narrator: ONE OF THOSE WIVES WAS PAM HARTLEY.
TO SPAIN. AND BENIDORM.
SHE MET WITH LEE IN BENIDORM, SPAIN,
AND MET WITH ANOTHER NAVY COUPLE,
A FRIEND OF LEE'S FROM THE SHIP AND HIS WIFE.
Narrator: PAM OFFERED TO COOK BREAKFAST FOR EVERYONE.
SHE EVEN MADE DRINKS.
SOON AFTER THAT VISIT, LEE GOT VIOLENTLY ILL,
ALONG WITH HIS FRIEND THAT HAD --
THAT HAD EATEN BREAKFAST WITH THE FOUR OF THEM THAT MORNING.
NOT FEELING SO GOOD.
I DON'T FEEL SO GOOD, EITHER.
Narrator: AT THE TIME, IT WAS ASSUMED
THEY HAD BOTH GOTTEN SICK FROM DRINKING SPANISH WATER.
THE FRIEND RECOVERS, BUT LEE KEEPS GETTING WORSE.
Early: THE NEXT TWO WEEKS,
LEE WAS HAVING SEVERE CRAMPS, DIARRHEA, NAUSEA, VOMITING,
AND AT THAT POINT, HE REPORTED
TO THE SHIP'S MEDICAL DEPARTMENT.
ABSOLUTELY.
Narrator: DURING THAT SPANISH SHORE LEAVE,
DID PAM LACE HER HUSBAND'S FOOD AND DRINK WITH ARSENIC
AND WAVE GOODBYE AS THE USS FORRESTAL LEFT PORT,
BELIEVING IT WOULD BE THE LAST TIME SHE WOULD SEE HIM ALIVE?
[ TELEPHONE RINGING ]
IT'S A CHILLING SCENARIO, BUT ONE THAT BECOMES MORE PLAUSIBLE
WHEN AGENTS FIND OUT ABOUT PAM'S UNIQUE JOB EXPERIENCE.
SHE WORKED FOR ONE YEAR
AT THE DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY FACILITY
IN AIKEN, SOUTH CAROLINA.
Narrator: SHE WAS AN ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNICIAN.
ONE OF HER DUTIES WAS TO ANALYZE WATER SAMPLES
TO DETERMINE THE LEVELS OF VARIOUS HEAVY METALS.
ON A DAILY BASIS, SHE CAME IN CONTACT
WITH A RANGE OF TOXIC CHEMICALS.
ONE OF THE CHEMICALS THAT SHE WORKED WITH IN THAT LAB
WAS ARSENIC.
Narrator: COMING UP,
IS SHE THE VICTIM OF CIRCUMSTANTIAL EVIDENCE
OR A HEARTLESS BLACK WIDOW?
I WAS PRETTY CONVINCED THAT SHE WASN'T GONNA PASS THE POLYGRAPH.
Narrator: ON BOARD THE SUPER AIRCRAFT CARRIER THE USS FORRESTAL,
LIEUTENANT LEE HARTLEY BECAME
A FATAL VICTIM OF ARSENIC POISONING.
SPECIAL AGENTS WITH NCIS
ARE FOCUSED ON HARTLEY'S WIFE, PAMELA, AS THEIR PRIME SUSPECT.
SHE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPIKE HER HUSBAND'S DRINKS
WHEN SHE FLEW TO SPAIN TO MEET HIM AT HIS PORT OF CALL.
ON THE SURFACE,
THERE IS NOTHING SUSPICIOUS ABOUT LEE'S YOUNG WIFE.
O'Brien: WE CONDUCTED INTERVIEWS OF HARTLEY'S NEIGHBORS --
DIDN'T SEEM TO REVEAL ANYTHING UNUSUAL AT ALL.
THEY WERE A NICE ENOUGH FAMILY, PRETTY NORMAL PEOPLE.
Narrator: BUT GOSSIP SOON BUBBLES UP
FROM THE OFFICERS WIVES CLUB AND PAINTS ANOTHER PICTURE.
WITH THEIR HUSBANDS OVERSEAS,
THE WIVES WOULD GET TOGETHER AT PARTIES.
AFTER A FEW DRINKS, THEY WEREN'T AFRAID TO SAY ANYTHING.
Early: THERE WAS TALK AMONG THE WIVES THAT,
"LIFE IS SO MUCH BETTER WHILE THE MEN ARE AT SEA.
WHY DON'T WE JUST GET RID OF OUR HUSBANDS?"
AND IT WAS KIND OF A PARTY ATMOSPHERE.
NOBODY REALLY TOOK IT SERIOUSLY.
Narrator: NOBODY, THAT IS, EXCEPT FOR PAM.
WHAT WOULD IT BE LIKE IF WE JUST GOT RID OF THEM?
O'Brien: THERE WAS AN INTERVIEW THAT WAS CONDUCTED
WITH A FRIEND OF PAM'S
WHERE PAM MAKES A COMMENT
ABOUT HIRING A HIT MAN TO KILL LEE.
LIGHTEN UP. CHEERS.
IT'S AFTER A NUMBER OF DRINKS,
AND ACCORDING TO THE WITNESS,
IT WAS SAID IN A JOKING FASHION
AND WAS TAKEN BY THE WITNESS AS A JOKE.
Narrator: BUT AS SPECIAL AGENTS DIG DEEPER,
THEY FIND OUT ALL WAS NOT ROSY BETWEEN PAM AND LEE.
OKAY, LET'S GO. WE'RE AT A PARTY.
I DON'T FEEL GOOD.
PEOPLE ARE SUPPOSED TO PARTY AT PARTIES.
LET'S GO. LET'S DANCE.
PLEASE.
Early: IT WAS NOTED THAT PAM AND LEE
WERE KIND OF HAVING SOME MARITAL PROBLEMS.
PAM WAS KIND OF CONSIDERED A FREE SPIRIT.
SHE WOULD LIKE TO GO TO THE OFFICER'S CLUB.
SHE WOULD DANCE WITH OTHER MEN.
LEE WAS EXTREMELY JEALOUS OF THAT.
WHAT? I WAS JUST DANCING.
Narrator: AND LEE MAY HAVE HAD REASON TO BE JEALOUS.
PAM ADMITTED TO HER FRIENDS, WHEN HE WAS OFF AT SEA,
SHE FOUND IT DIFFICULT TO BE A FAITHFUL WIFE.
IT ALL ADDED UP TO A CLASSIC SCENARIO --
A BORED WIFE, FEELING TRAPPED, POISONS HER HUSBAND.
UNDER QUESTIONING, PAM INSISTS THAT SHE LOVES HER HUSBAND
AND SWEARS SHE HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH LEE'S DEATH.
Pam: I LOVED BEING MARRIED TO HIM. IT WAS WONDERFUL.
SHE AGREES TO TAKE A POLYGRAPH TEST TO PROVE HER INNOCENCE.
Man: PLEASE REMAIN STILL. THE TEST IS ABOUT TO BEGIN.
I WAS PRETTY CONVINCED THAT SHE WASN'T GONNA PASS THE POLYGRAPH.
YES.
YES.
Narrator: PAM'S POLYGRAPH RESULTS SURPRISE EVERYONE.
DID YOU POISON YOUR HUSBAND, LEE HARTLEY?
NO.
SHE PASSES WITH FLYING COLORS.
Early: SHE HAD NOT BEEN DECEITFUL
AT ALL DURING THE EXAMINATION.
THAT PUT THE INVESTIGATORS KIND OF BACK ON THEIR HEELS,
AND THE FACT THAT SHE PASSED IT
MEANT, PROBABLY, SHE DIDN'T HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH LEE'S DEATH.
Narrator: LAB RESULTS BLOW ANOTHER HOLE
IN THE POSSIBILITY THAT PAM POISONED HER HUSBAND.
TOXICOLOGY ANALYSIS ON LEE'S HAIR
HELPS PINPOINT THE DATES HE WAS EXPOSED TO ARSENIC
AND PROVES HE WAS FIRST DOSED LONG BEFORE PAM'S TRIP TO SPAIN.
Early: BECAUSE HAIR GROWS A CENTIMETER A MONTH,
YOU CAN ACTUALLY GET A TIMELINE OF THE POISON
THAT'S PUT INTO A PERSON'S BODY.
Eliopulos: THE HAIR SAMPLES INDICATED
THAT THERE WAS POISONING
GOING ON FOR FIVE OR SIX MONTHS
PRIOR TO LIEUTENANT HARTLEY'S DEATH.
Narrator: THE ARSENIC TIMELINE
SHOWS HARTLEY WAS FIRST POISONED AT SEA,
WHILE PAM WAS THOUSANDS OF MILES AWAY,
HOME IN MAYPORT.
THE RESULTS LET THE LIEUTENANT'S WIFE OFF THE HOOK
WITH A PERSUASIVE CHEMICAL ALIBI.
ARMED WITH THE NEW EVIDENCE
THAT LEE WAS POISONED WHILE ON BOARD,
NCIS AGENTS CONFRONT A MASSIVE CRIME SCENE.
THE USS FORRESTAL IS A FLOATING CITY,
CARRYING 5,000 SAILORS,
WHICH MEANS 5,000 POTENTIAL SUSPECTS.
LIKE ANY LARGE CITY, THE CARRIER HAS PERSONNEL
DEDICATED TO MAINTAINING LAW AND ORDER.
THAT WAS LIEUTENANT LEE HARTLEY'S JOB.
AS THE SHIP'S DISCIPLINE OFFICER,
WHEN SAILORS RAN AFOUL OF NAVY REGULATIONS,
IT WAS UP TO LEE TO ADMINISTER PUNISHMENT.
THAT'S RIGHT.
IT LIKELY DIDN'T MAKE HIM A LOT OF FRIENDS ON BOARD.
SIR, ARE YOU WRITING ME UP?
YES, I AM.
O'Brien: BECAUSE OF HIS WORK IN DISCIPLINARY ISSUES,
LEE WOULD HAVE BEEN EXPOSED TO PEOPLE
WHO MIGHT HAVE HAD A GRUDGE OR AN AX TO GRIND
AGAINST EITHER THE NAVY OR THE LEGAL OFFICE
OR LEE AS A PERSON.
Narrator: AS AGENTS CONDUCT MORE INTERVIEWS...
DID HE HAVE ANY ENEMIES
THAT YOU MIGHT BE ABLE TO TELL US ABOUT?
Narrator: ...THEY LEARN ABOUT A DISTURBING RUMOR
SURROUNDING LEE.
O'Brien: DURING THE COURSE OF THE INVESTIGATION,
THERE WAS AN ALLEGATION THAT HE HAD RECEIVED
SOME ANONYMOUS DEATH THREAT.
Narrator: WAS IT ONE OF THE SAILORS LEE HAD DISCIPLINED?
DID THAT SAILOR THEN FOLLOW THROUGH ON THE DEATH THREAT
BY POISONING LEE'S FAVORITE BEVERAGE?
THE RUMOR ABOUT THE DEATH THREAT
IS BACKED UP BY LEE'S OWN PARENTS...
ANYWAY, THERE WAS AN ALTERCATION ON THE SHIP.
...WHO TELL AGENTS IN MAYPORT
ABOUT SOMETHING THEIR SON HAD TOLD THEM.
THAT LEE WAS WALKING ABOUT THE SHIP,
AND SOMEBODY HAD WRITTEN "HARTLEY IS DEAD."
LIEUTENANT!
...THE SAILOR WHO WANTED LEE HARTLEY DEAD.
I SAID STAND DOWN, SAILOR! I'M WARNING YOU!
AAH!
AAH!
Narrator: AS THE AIRCRAFT CARRIER USS FORRESTAL
SAILED THROUGH OPEN WATERS ON THE MEDITERRANEAN,
NAVY LIEUTENANT LEE HARTLEY
WAS SLOWLY BEING POISONED TO DEATH ON BOARD.
NCIS AGENTS FACE AN ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TASK --
TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHO DID IT
OUT OF THE SHIP'S 5,000 SAILORS.
O'Brien: WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE
THAT WE COULD ELIMINATE OR PLACE INTO PLAY
ANYBODY ON BOARD THE FORRESTAL AND ANY MEMBERS OF THE CREW.
Narrator: A CLUE EMERGES FROM A SEARCH OF LEE'S CABIN
AND A COLLECTION OF LETTERS WRITTEN BY LEE HIMSELF.
IN ONE OF THOSE LETTERS, LEE DESCRIBES
A NEAR-DEATH CONFRONTATION WITH ANOTHER SAILOR.
LIEUTENANT!
STAND DOWN, SAILOR.
LEE DESCRIBED WHERE HE HAD COME ACROSS SOMEONE
THAT HAD A SWORD ON THE SHIP,
AND THERE WAS SOME TYPE OF ALTERCATION.
I SAID STAND DOWN NOW! I'M WARNING YOU!
AAH! [ GRUNTING ]
Narrator: LEE SURVIVED THE ATTACK,
BUT CURIOUSLY, HE NEVER REPORTED IT TO HIS SUPERIORS.
Whitacre: WE INTERVIEW ALL THE PEOPLE IN THE LEGAL DEPARTMENT --
"HAVE YOU EVER HEARD ANYTHING
ABOUT LEE DOING THIS SWORD THING?"
AND THEY SAID, "IF IT HAPPENED, WE WERE NEVER TOLD ABOUT IT."
Narrator: WHY WOULD LEE HAVE CHOSEN TO KEEP IT SECRET
WHILE SHARING IT WITH HIS FAMILY BACK HOME?
WAS HE LEAVING A TRAIL OF EVIDENCE
IN CASE SOMETHING HAPPENED TO HIM ON THE SHIP?
IN AN EFFORT TO NARROW DOWN POSSIBLE SUSPECTS,
AGENTS USE TOXICITY REPORTS
ON THE ARSENIC LEVELS IN LEE'S BODY,
WHICH SHOW A CONTINUOUS PATTERN OF POISONING
OVER A 5- OR 6-MONTH PERIOD.
Eliopulos: THERE'S A COUPLE OF INTERESTING FEATURES
ASSOCIATED WITH POISONING WHEN YOU WORK A HOMICIDE CASE,
ONE OF WHICH IS YOU ESTABLISH OPPORTUNITY --
WHO HAD OPPORTUNITY DURING A TIME PERIOD
IN WHICH HE WAS RECEIVING CHRONIC INGESTIONS?
Narrator: THERE ARE SPIKES IN LEE'S ARSENIC LEVELS
DURING HIS DEPLOYMENT AT SEA,
AT THE PORT OF CALL IN BENIDORM, SPAIN,
AND EVEN WHILE HE WAS IN THE HOSPITAL
IN JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA.
ONE PERSON IS AT LEE'S SIDE
THROUGHOUT THE MONTHS OF AGONY --
HIS CABINMATE, LIEUTENANT SAMUEL YATES.
LIEUTENANT YATES SHARED QUARTERS
WITH HARTLEY FOR MONTHS AT SEA.
HOW YOU DOING?
THEY SEEM TO GET ALONG WELL.
STILL, TENSION CAN BUILD UP
WEEK AFTER WEEK, MONTH AFTER MONTH,
LIVING IN CLOSE PROXIMITY, TRAPPED TOGETHER ON A SHIP.
LEE WAS ALSO IN DIRECT COMPETITION
WITH HIS ROOMMATE FOR ADVANCEMENT.
THEY BOTH WANTED DESPERATELY
TO BE PROMOTED TO LIEUTENANT COMMANDER.
WAS THERE A FEUD SIMMERING BETWEEN THEM,
A RIVALRY THAT TURNED DEADLY?
AS THEY DEVELOP INFORMATION ON THE ROOMMATE,
RUMORS START TO SURFACE
THAT HAVE ALREADY BEEN RAMPANT ON THE USS FORRESTAL.
AFTER LEE'S DEATH,
LIEUTENANT YATES ALLEGEDLY WASTED NO TIME
GOING AFTER HIS ROOMMATE'S YOUNG WIFE,
WHO WAS GRIEVING AND VULNERABLE.
AT LEE'S FUNERAL, HE PAID HIS RESPECTS
BY REPORTEDLY SEDUCING THE PRETTY WIDOW.
AGENTS KNOW THEY NEED TO TAKE A CLOSER LOOK AT YATES.
AND WHEN THEY DO, THEY FIND A CHILLING PIECE OF EVIDENCE.
O'Brien: LEE'S ROOMMATE WAS ASKED TO GIVE US A BLOOD SAMPLE
SO THAT IT COULD BE TESTED FOR ARSENIC OR OTHER HEAVY METALS,
AND AS A RESULT OF THOSE TESTS, IT CAME BACK
WHERE HE HAD SOME ELEVATED AMOUNTS
OF ARSENIC IN HIS BLOODSTREAM.
Narrator: THE SAME POISON THAT KILLED LEE.
I HAVE THE TOX REPORT HERE. THE RESULTS ARE INTERESTING.
YATES' LOW-LEVEL ARSENIC EXPOSURE IS CONSISTENT
WITH SOMEONE HANDLING THE LETHAL SUBSTANCE.
WHAT WAS YATES DOING WITH ARSENIC?
IS THIS THE SMOKING GUN AGENTS ARE LOOKING FOR?
O'Brien: WHEN THE BLOOD TEST CAME BACK,
YOU WOULD THINK, INITIALLY, "WOW, EUREKA MOMENT."
BUT I BELIEVED, AT THE TIME, IT WASN'T A EUREKA MOMENT
BECAUSE HE WOULD HAVE, AS LEE'S ROOMMATE,
BEEN SUBJECTED TO ALL OF THE SAME ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS.
IF SOMEBODY ON THE SHIP WAS TRYING TO HARM LEE,
HE COULD EASILY HAVE BEEN EXPOSED
TO ANY FOOD OR DRINK THAT WAS INTRODUCED TO LEE.
HE COULD HAVE BEEN EXPOSED TO THE SAME TYPES OF SUBSTANCES
IN FOREIGN PORTS THAT LEE WAS.
ALTHOUGH A LOT OF EVIDENCE POINTS TO THE ROOMMATE,
A THOROUGH SEARCH OF YATES' BELONGINGS
SHOW NO TRACE OF ARSENIC.
THEY CAN ONLY CONCLUDE THAT YATES
WAS JUST A COLLATERAL VICTIM OF WHOEVER WAS POISONING LEE.
AND AS SUSPECTS ARE ELIMINATED ONE BY ONE,
AGENTS HAVE TO CONSIDER THE POSSIBILITY
THAT THE SUSPECT THEY'RE LOOKING FOR
MAY BE THE MOST UNUSUAL ONE OF ALL --
LEE HARTLEY HIMSELF.
IT'S, IN MY OPINION, A LITTLE BIT OF A BIZARRE THEORY,
BUT WHEN YOU DON'T HAVE ANY THEORIES,
YOU'VE GOT TO THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX.
Narrator: COMING UP,
WHAT THE LIEUTENANT KEPT HIDDEN MAY HAVE BEEN HIS UNDOING.
O'Brien: THE ODDS WERE VERY, VERY HIGH
THAT LEE HAD INGESTED THE ARSENIC INTENTIONALLY.
Narrator: LIEUTENANT LEE HARTLEY OF THE U.S. NAVY
HAD EVERYTHING GOING FOR HIM.
HE LOVED HIS JOB AS AN OFFICER
ON BOARD THE SUPER CARRIER USS FORRESTAL.
HE ALSO HAD A BEAUTIFUL YOUNG WIFE
WAITING FOR HIM BACK AT HOME.
BUT AFTER LEE IS FATALLY POISONED WITH ARSENIC...
[ FLATLINE ]
...BY AN UNKNOWN KILLER,
NCIS AGENTS BEGIN TO WONDER
IF THE IMAGE OF THAT PERFECT LIFE...
WAS JUST A SHAM.
SPECIAL AGENTS JERRY WHITACRE AND WALTER O'BRIEN
BOTH KNEW LEE WHILE SERVING ON THE USS FORRESTAL.
AS THEY REFLECT BACK ON THEIR INTERACTIONS WITH LEE HARTLEY,
THEY'RE STRUCK BY SOME OF HIS UNUSUAL BEHAVIOR.
Whitacre: RIGHT AFTER WE HAD LUNCH,
A GROUP OF THREE OR FOUR
OF CLOSE ASSOCIATES AND FRIENDS OF LEE
WOULD MEET AT THE HANGAR BAY EVERY DAY.
GENTLEMEN.
I WOULD STOP BY AND -- AND TALK,
AND I THOUGHT IT WAS A BIT UNUSUAL
THAT LEE APPEARED SOMEWHAT DISGRUNTLED.
IT WAS...KIND OF A CONSTANT THING WITH HIM.
Early: HIS FAMILY HAD MENTIONED
THAT HE WAS KIND OF DRINKING HEAVILY BEFORE THE DEPLOYMENT,
WHICH WOULD TEND TO LEAD YOU TO BELIEVE
HE MIGHT BE GOING THROUGH SOME DEPRESSION.
Narrator: LEE'S DARK MOODS
MAY HAVE BEEN A HARBINGER OF SOMETHING MORE SERIOUS.
OH, COME ON. LET'S GO. LET'S GO DANCE.
NO, I DON'T FEEL UP FOR IT.
NO, COME ON. THAT'S WHAT YOU ALWAYS SAY.
IT RAISES THE SPECTER OF A GRIM POSSIBILITY...
PLEASE.
...THAT LEE MAY HAVE BEEN SUICIDAL
AND DELIBERATELY CONSUMED THE ARSENIC TO POISON HIMSELF.
O'Brien: THE ODDS WERE VERY, VERY HIGH
THAT LEE HAD INGESTED THE ARSENIC INTENTIONALLY.
ALL RIGHT, THANKS FOR CALLING ME BACK.
AGENTS BRING IN A PSYCHOLOGIST TO ANALYZE LEE'S LETTERS,
COMBING THROUGH THEM FOR ANY CLUES TO CONFIRM THIS THEORY.
IN ALL OF LEE'S WRITINGS, HOWEVER,
THERE ARE NO SIGNS OF SUICIDAL TENDENCIES.
WE HAVE THE TOX REPORT HERE.
AND THE MEDICAL EVIDENCE IN THIS CASE
DOESN'T FIT THE PATTERN OF SOMEONE LOOKING TO KILL HIMSELF.
YEAH.
TYPICALLY, ON A SUICIDE CASE,
THERE WOULD BE A MAJOR INGESTION FOLLOWED BY DEATH.
THIS MAN WAS POISONED OVER SEVERAL MONTHS.
HE WAS IN HORRIBLE CONDITION,
TO THE POINT WHERE HE HAD AN ULCERATED ESOPHAGUS,
OPEN SORES IN HIS MOUTH,
COULDN'T TALK, COULDN'T EAT.
Narrator: WOULD LEE HAVE VOLUNTARILY CHOSEN
TO KILL HIMSELF...
IN SUCH A SLOW, AGONIZING WAY?
AS AGENTS ARE RULING OUT THE POSSIBILITY OF SUICIDE...
YEAH, THEY'RE OUT TO SEA FOR SIX MONTHS AT A TIME.
THEY'RE STRESSED.
...ANOTHER, MORE PLAUSIBLE THEORY BEGINS TO EMERGE.
WHAT IF THIS ARSENIC POISONING WASN'T INTENDED TO KILL LEE?
WHAT IF IT WAS PART OF A PLAN TO GET HIM OFF THE SHIP?
I SPEND SIX MONTHS AT A TIME OUT AT SEA. I MISS MY WIFE.
Early: LIEUTENANT HARTLEY HAD MADE
SOME STATEMENTS TO FAMILY MEMBERS
THAT HE REALLY DIDN'T WANT TO GO ON THIS DEPLOYMENT.
HIS HEART JUST WASN'T IN THIS ANYMORE.
LEE WAS UPSET BECAUSE HE WAS GONNA HAVE MORE SEA DUTY.
HE WAS A NEWLYWED AND WASN'T TOO HAPPY ABOUT THAT.
Narrator: HARTLEY HAD BEEN HOPING FOR A DESK JOB STATESIDE,
CLOSE TO HIS WIFE,
BUT HE HAD BEEN SENT BACK OUT TO SEA.
WAS THE ARSENIC THE ONLY WAY HE COULD THINK OF
TO GET HIMSELF OFF THE SHIP?
Eliopulos: MAYBE HE TOOK IT NOT NECESSARILY TO COMMIT SUICIDE,
BUT TO BECOME ILL ENOUGH THAT HIS DEPLOYMENT WOULD END
AND HE WOULD BE SENT HOME.
O'Brien: THERE WAS NO REASON TO SUSPECT
THAT THIS WAS ANYTHING MORE THAN AN ATTEMPT BY LEE --
AND I HATE TO SAY THAT ABOUT THE GUY --
TO LEAVE THE SHIP AND RETURN TO MAYPORT
TO BE WITH HIS WIFE, WHO HE DESPERATELY MISSED.
VERY EXCITING DAY.
Narrator: MAYBE HARTLEY THOUGHT
HE'D COME UP WITH THE IDEAL PLAN --
TAKE JUST ENOUGH POISON TO GET HIMSELF SENT HOME.
BUT HE MIGHT NOT HAVE KNOWN ONE KEY FACT --
ARSENIC DOESN'T LEAVE THE BODY, IT JUST BUILDS UP OVER TIME.
O'Brien: I BELIEVED THAT LEE
MIGHT WELL HAVE TAKEN ENOUGH ARSENIC TO MAKE HIMSELF SICK,
NOT REALIZING THE CUMULATIVE EFFECT OF THE ARSENIC,
NOT UNDERSTANDING THAT IT WAS MAKING HIM
SICKER AND SICKER AND SICKER WITH EVERY DOSAGE.
Narrator: HAD LEE'S ENTIRE SCHEME
BACKFIRED WHEN HE TOOK ONE DOSE TOO MANY?
IT'S A FARFETCHED THEORY
AND ONE THAT, ULTIMATELY, DOESN'T HOLD WATER.
THERE ARE NO TELLTALE TRACES OF ARSENIC IN LEE'S POSSESSIONS
THAT WOULD SUGGEST HE'D HANDLED THE SUBSTANCE.
AND TOXICOLOGY EVIDENCE SHOWS THE POISONING CONTINUED
EVEN AFTER HE GOT BACK TO THE MAINLAND.
AND HOW FAR BACK DOES THAT GO?
NCIS HAS NO CHOICE...
FIVE OR SIX MONTHS?
...BUT TO PUT THIS LATEST SUSPICION TO REST.
Early: THERE'S NO MORE LOGICAL LEADS TO PURSUE.
THERE'S NO SUSPECTS TO PURSUE.
THERE'S NO MORE THEORIES TO PURSUE.
AND YOU REACH A POINT
WHERE YOU'RE A YEAR, YEAR AND A HALF INTO THE INVESTIGATION,
AND YOU SIMPLY HAVE TO CLOSE IT.
Narrator: 13 YEARS GO BY.
THE SCENE OF THE CRIME,
THE AIRCRAFT CARRIER USS FORRESTAL,
HAS BEEN DECOMMISSIONED AND SITS IN DRY DOCK.
THEN, IN 1995, NCIS FORMS A COLD-CASE HOMICIDE UNIT.
Man: THIS IS IT.
ONE OF THE VERY FIRST CASES BROUGHT TO THEIR ATTENTION...
FILES.
...JUST MONTHS AFTER ITS FORMATION...
DO YOU HAVE THE TOXICOLOGY REPORT?
...IS THE POISONING OF LEE HARTLEY.
WOW, IT'S AMAZING HE LIVED THAT LONG.
Early: LIEUTENANT HARTLEY'S DEATH
WAS REVIEWED AT OUR HEADQUARTERS,
AND THEY SIMPLY SAID,
"CASE IS OPEN -- SEE WHAT YOU CAN DO WITH IT."
WELL, THAT'S THE REST OF IT.
Narrator: THE NEW TEAM OF SPECIAL AGENTS
IMMEDIATELY HITS A ROADBLOCK.
WELL, NOT MUCH.
Early: I WENT TO OUR EVIDENCE FACILITY,
AND TO MY DISAPPOINTMENT, I SAW
THAT ALL OF THE EVIDENCE THAT HAD BEEN OBTAINED
HAD BEEN DESTROYED.
SO WE LITERALLY HAD NO PHYSICAL EVIDENCE.
Narrator: THE TEAM WOULD HAVE TO WORK THE CASE
THE OLD-FASHIONED WAY --
INTERVIEWING AS MANY WITNESSES AS IT TAKES TO GET NEW LEADS.
OFTEN, IT'S JUST GOING BACK AND REINTERVIEWING
PREVIOUSLY THE PEOPLE THAT WERE INTERVIEWED,
AND 10, 15 YEARS LATER, THEIR STORIES CHANGE.
THEY DECIDE THEY WANT TO TELL YOU THE TRUTH.
Narrator: AGENTS REINTERVIEW
LEE HARTLEY'S FAMILY, FRIENDS, AND NEIGHBORS,
HOPING SOMEONE WILL SHED A NEW LIGHT ON THE CASE.
THE BIG BREAK THEY'RE LOOKING FOR COMES
FROM AN UNUSUAL SOURCE --
LEE HARTLEY'S BROTHER-IN-LAW.
HE HELPS UNCOVER THE SHOCKING TRUTH
BEHIND A 13-YEAR-OLD *** MYSTERY.
Ron: YOU KNOW, I JUST TOOK IT AS A JOKE AT THE TIME.
I DIDN'T REALLY THINK IT WAS SERIOUS.
Narrator: COMING UP, A RELUCTANT WITNESS...
WOULD YOU BE WILLING TO TESTIFY ABOUT THIS?
YES, I WOULD.
...FINALLY EXPOSES THE PERFECT ***.
HE'D KEPT THAT SECRET FOR YEARS AND YEARS,
AND IT'S ALL GONNA REST ON THAT.
[ AIR HORN BLOWS ]
Narrator: 13 YEARS AFTER THE POISONING DEATH
OF NAVY LIEUTENANT LEE HARTLEY,
NCIS HAS REOPENED THE CASE.
WHEN THEY REINTERVIEW LEE'S FRIENDS AND RELATIVES,
ONE NAME KEEPS COMING UP AS THE MOST LIKELY KILLER --
LEE'S OWN WIFE, PAM HARTLEY.
SHE WAS A TOP SUSPECT IN THE ORIGINAL INVESTIGATION,
BUT PAM ACED A POLYGRAPH TEST,
AND TOXICOLOGY REPORTS SHOWED
THAT LEE WAS POISONED WHILE ABOARD SHIP,
WHEN PAM WAS THOUSANDS OF MILES AWAY AT THEIR HOME IN FLORIDA.
AND YET, THOSE CLOSEST TO LEE URGED THE AGENTS
TO DIG DEEPER INTO PAM'S POSSIBLE INVOLVEMENT.
SPECIAL AGENT DAVID EARLY SELECTS TWO OF HIS STAFF
TO INTERVIEW PAM'S BROTHER, RON.
IN THE WEEKS AND MONTHS PRIOR TO LEE'S DEATH,
HE KNEW A LOT OF WHAT WAS GOING ON WITH THE DYNAMICS
OF LEE AND PAM'S RELATIONSHIP,
AND WE NEEDED TO INTERVIEW HIM TO DETERMINE WHAT HE KNEW.
Narrator: THE FACT THAT THIS CASE
HAS BEEN REOPENED AFTER SO MANY YEARS
CATCHES RON BY SURPRISE.
AND HE DROPS A BOMBSHELL NO ONE EXPECTS.
LO AND BEHOLD, PAM HAD TRIED TO HIRE HER BROTHER
AND HAD OFFERED HIM SOME OF THE INSURANCE MONEY
IF HE WOULD KILL LEE.
DO YOU WANT TO TESTIFY ABOUT THAT?
BUT HE'D KEPT THAT SECRET FOR YEARS AND YEARS,
AND ONCE IT CAME TO THE RIGHT GUYS
KNOCKING ON HIS DOOR AND PUSHING THE RIGHT BUTTONS,
HE -- HE GAVE UP THE TRUTH.
I THINK EVERYTHING'S HERE.
Narrator: NCIS IS NOW CONVINCED PAM HARTLEY IS THEIR KILLER,
BUT BUILDING A CASE AGAINST HER WON'T BE EASY.
AFTER ALL, SHE PASSED A POLYGRAPH TEST...
YES.
NO.
WHEN THE COLD-CASE SQUAD
PULLS THE CHART FOR THAT POLYGRAPH...
WHAT WERE THE NUMBERS YOU GOT?
...THEY FIND SOMETHING STARTLING.
REALLY?
WHEN WE HAD THE CHART EXAMINED BY OUR CURRENT STAFF,
THEY INDICATED THAT THE FINDINGS OF NO DECEPTION INDICATED
WERE PROBABLY ERRONEOUSLY REACHED
AND THAT THEY FELT THAT THE RESULT
SHOULD HAVE BEEN INCONCLUSIVE.
Narrator: IT'S JUST MORE EVIDENCE
OF PAM'S INVOLVEMENT IN LEE'S DEATH.
Early: AFTER READING THROUGH THE ENTIRE CASE FILE,
THERE WAS NO DOUBT IN MY MIND THAT PAM HAD POISONED LEE.
Narrator: BUT AFTER SO MANY YEARS,
THEY'VE GOT NO PHYSICAL PROOF,
NO EYEWITNESSES,
NO WAY TO TIE PAM TO THE ACTUAL CRIME.
SHE ALSO HAD WHAT SEEMED TO BE AN IRONCLAD ALIBI --
SHE WAS ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WORLD
WHEN HER HUSBAND WAS POISONED.
IF HE WAS THE KILLER, HOW DID SHE DO IT?
AND COULD THEY GET HER TO CONFESS?
IT WAS TIME TO INTERVIEW PAM,
AND WE FEEL WE'RE ONLY GONNA HAVE ONE SHOT,
WHICH PUTS A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF PRESSURE
ON THE INVESTIGATIVE TEAM
BECAUSE IT'S ALL GONNA REST ON THAT.
Narrator: AGENTS WOULD NEED TO GET PAM ALONE.
WHEN SHE WAS INTERVIEWED 13 YEARS AGO,
HER CONTROLLING MOTHER WAS ALWAYS AT HER SIDE,
RUNNING INTERFERENCE.
NOW THE COLD-CASE TEAM
PLACES PAM UNDER SURVEILLANCE AND TRACKS HER EVERY MOVE.
THEY LEARN THAT THE YEARS SINCE LEE'S DEATH
HAVE NOT BEEN GOOD TO THE WIDOW.
HAVING SQUANDERED HER INHERITANCE,
SHE LIVES WITH HER MOTHER
AND STRUGGLES WITH SUBSTANCE ABUSE.
HER LIFE HAD REACHED A POINT
WHERE DRUG AND ALCOHOL ABUSE HAD JUST KIND OF TAKEN OVER.
Narrator: TO TREAT HER ADDICTION,
SHE HAS REGULAR APPOINTMENTS AT A HOSPITAL ON A MILITARY BASE.
ON ONE OF THOSE OCCASIONS,
SHE ARRIVES ALONE FOR THE APPOINTMENT.
PAM. NCIS.
WE HAVE SOME QUESTIONS WE'D LIKE TO ASK YOU.
Early: WE FELT THE ARMY BASE
WAS A GOOD, STRUCTURED ENVIRONMENT
TO CONDUCT THE INTERVIEW,
AND THAT WOULD ENABLE US TO TALK WITH PAM
WITHOUT HER MOTHER BEING THERE.
Narrator: PAM NERVOUSLY AGREES TO ANSWER THEIR QUESTIONS.
Early: WE BEGAN TO EXPLAIN TO HER WHO WE WERE,
THE FACT THAT WE HAD REOPENED LEE'S DEATH INVESTIGATION,
AND WITHIN A VERY SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME,
WE GOT RIGHT TO THE POINT AND SAID,
"PAM, IN OUR MIND, THERE'S NO DOUBT
THAT YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR LEE'S DEATH."
WE BEGAN TO TALK ABOUT THE PROBLEMS
THAT SHE HAD IN HER LIFE
AND THE FACT THAT PROBABLY MOST OF THESE PROBLEMS
WERE ATTRIBUTED TO THE FACT THAT SHE HAD KILLED HER HUSBAND.
THOSE FEELINGS THAT YOU'RE HAVING RIGHT NOW --
THOSE ARE FROM THE GUILT FROM WHAT YOU DID.
Early: WE SAID, "PAM, YOU KNOW, IT'S GONNA CONTINUE TO GET WORSE
"UNTIL YOU PUT THIS BEHIND YOU.
"AND THE BEST WAY TO PUT IT BEHIND YOU
IS TO TELL THE TRUTH ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED."
Narrator: THE DIRECT CONFRONTATION WORKS.
[ Sobbing ] I'M SORRY.
PAM HARTLEY BREAKS DOWN.
I'M SORRY FOR WHAT I DID. I...
Whitacre: AFTER, YOU KNOW, 15 YEARS,
I THINK IT JUST WORE HER DOWN
MENTALLY AND PHYSICALLY,
THAT, "I JUST WANT TO GET THIS THING OVER WITH."
Early: SAID, "WELL, YOU KNOW, PAM,
ARE YOU WILLING TO TALK WITH US ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED TO LEE?"
AND SHE SAID, "YEAH, I AM. I'M WILLING TO TELL YOU EVERYTHING."
Narrator: PAM FILLS IN THE MISSING PUZZLE PIECES
IN WHAT WAS ALMOST THE PERFECT ***.
I JUST DIDN'T WANT TO BE MARRIED ANYMORE.
A YEAR INTO HER MARRIAGE WITH LEE,
PAM WAS MISERABLE.
I CAN'T DO IT.
SHE HATED THAT LEE WAS SO POSSESSIVE
AND WOULDN'T LET HER HAVE ANY FUN.
NOT ONLY DID SHE NOT LOVE HIM ANYMORE,
SHE HAD GROWN TO DESPISE HIM.
ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS.
BUT THERE WAS ONE THING SHE DID LOVE.
PAM HAD GONE FROM A GIRL WHO BASICALLY STRUGGLED TO GET BY
TO BECOMING AN OFFICER'S WIFE IN THE U.S. NAVY,
AND SHE ABSOLUTELY LOVED
THE STATUS OF BEING AN OFFICER'S WIFE.
AND THERE'S NO DOUBT IN MY MIND
PAM DIDN'T WANT TO LOSE THAT LIFESTYLE.
LEE WAS A PROBLEM SHE NEEDED TO GET RID OF,
BUT SHE NEEDED TO DO IT IN A WAY
THAT SHE MAINTAINED HER STATUS.
IF SHE DIVORCED LEE, SHE WOULD LOSE THAT STATUS.
THE ONLY WAY TO KEEP WHAT SHE HAD
AND TO GET WHAT SHE WANTED
WAS TO KILL LEE AND NOT GET CAUGHT.
Narrator: AND THE ENTERPRISING 25-YEAR-OLD
KNEW EXACTLY HOW TO DO IT.
AFTER BIDDING HER HUSBAND FAREWELL
AS HE SET SAIL FOR FIVE MONTHS AT SEA,
SHE MADE A QUICK TRIP
TO A LOCAL FEED-AND-SEED STORE IN JACKSONVILLE.
SHE PURCHASED AN INDUSTRIAL-SIZE JUG OF RAT POISON,
LACED WITH ARSENIC.
LIKE A MODEL WIFE, SHE SET TO WORK IN THE KITCHEN,
BEATING THE EGGS, FOLDING IN THE FLOUR
TO CREATE TREATS FOR HER HUSBAND.
SHE KNEW LEE HAD A SWEET TOOTH
AND COULDN'T RESIST HER TEMPTING DESSERTS --
HOMEMADE COOKIES AND HER SIGNATURE WHISKEY CAKE.
SHE COULD EASILY IMAGINE THE SMILE ON LEE'S FACE
WHEN HE RECEIVED THE CARE PACKAGE
FILLED WITH DELICIOUS BAKED GOODS.
Whitacre: WE'D FOUND OUT THAT, IN FACT,
LEE AND HIS ROOMMATE...
IT'S FROM MY WIFE.
...ACTUALLY HAD RECEIVED WHAT THE ROOMMATE
HAD REFERRED TO AS A WHISKEY CAKE FROM PAM.
KNOWS HOW TO BAKE, RIGHT?
AND HE SAID HE ATE ONE PIECE OF IT,
AND IT WAS REAL, REAL STRONG, SO HE DIDN'T LIKE IT.
THAT COULD HAVE BEEN THE ONSET OF THE ARSENIC POISONING THERE.
I THINK PAM PLANNED ON LEE DYING AT SEA.
SHE COULD KILL HIM FROM 4,000 OR 5,000 MILES AWAY.
Narrator: PAM EAGERLY AWAITED NEWS OF HER HUSBAND'S DEATH,
BUT IT NEVER CAME.
SHE REALIZED IT WAS TIME TO UP THE ANTE.
SO SHE TRAVELED TO SPAIN WITH THE RAT POISON IN HER SUITCASE.
SHE WHIPPED UP A SPECIAL BREAKFAST,
COMPLETE WITH POTENT COCKTAILS.
OH, THANK YOU, HONEY.
MM-HMM. YOU'RE WELCOME.
I'M SWEATY.
BUT IT STILL DIDN'T DO THE JOB.
SHE'S THINKING, "MY GOSH.
HOW MUCH DO I HAVE TO POUR IN HIS FOOD TO KILL HIM?"
Narrator: WHEN LEE WAS AIRLIFTED
TO THE HOSPITAL IN JACKSONVILLE,
PAM RUSHED TO HIS SIDE.
IS THERE ANYTHING I CAN DO?
SEEING HER HUSBAND WRACKED WITH SUCH PAIN AND SUFFERING
COULD NOT HAVE BEEN EASY, BUT SHE HAD A READY SOLUTION.
CAN I GET YOU SOME JUICE?
Early: PAM ACTUALLY BROUGHT POISON TO THE HOSPITAL
AND GAVE IT TO HIM IN SOME APPLE JUICE,
WHICH WAS LITERALLY THE LETHAL DOSE THE NIGHT BEFORE HE DIED.
I JUST CANNOT IMAGINE HER STROKING HIS HAIR,
GOING, "HONEY, IT'S OKAY,"
POURING A GLASS OF APPLE JUICE DOWN HIS THROAT,
KNOWING THAT, "WELL, HOPEFULLY, THIS WILL DO HIM IN."
[ FLATLINE ]
Narrator: AFTER LEE FLATLINED,
PAM TOOK HER GALLON JUG OF POISON
AND SANK IT IN THE POND BEHIND THEIR HOUSE.
HER PERSISTENCE HAD FINALLY PAID OFF.
SHE WAS GOING TO COLLECT ON A LIFETIME OF MILITARY BENEFITS,
MINUS THE ANNOYING HUSBAND.
13 YEARS LATER,
INVESTIGATORS CAN ONLY SCRATCH THEIR HEADS
AT HOW A BEAUTIFUL YOUNG NAVY WIFE
COULD HAVE HATCHED SUCH A DIABOLICAL PLOT.
I CAN'T IMAGINE THE KIND OF HATE THAT IT TAKES
TO WATCH SOMEBODY SLOWLY DIE AT YOUR HAND
OVER A LONG PERIOD OF TIME.
I DID, IN FACT, ASK PAM, "PAM, WHY USE POISON?"
AND HER REMARK WAS,
"WELL, LADIES HAVE BEEN POISONING THEIR HUSBANDS FOR YEARS."
Narrator: PAM'S CONFESSION SEALS HER FATE.
ON OCTOBER 16, 1996,
SHE PLEADS GUILTY
TO SECOND-DEGREE *** IN FLORIDA STATE COURT.
Wilbur: THE JUDGE ASKED HER WHY SHE DID THIS,
AND HER REASONING AT THAT TIME WAS,
"I WANTED TO DIVORCE MY HUSBAND,
"BUT I DIDN'T WANT TO HURT HIM WITH A DIVORCE,
SO I POISONED HIM."
Eliopulos: YOU'RE DEALING WITH A PSYCHOTIC PERSONALITY,
SOMEONE THAT DOESN'T REALLY THINK
OF THE CAUSE AND EFFECT OF OTHER PEOPLE.
THEY THINK ABOUT THEMSELVES AND THE EFFECT ON THEMSELVES.
Narrator: LEE HARTLEY, A 19-YEAR NAVY OFFICER,
DID NOT DIE IN BATTLE.
HIS MORTAL ENEMY
WAS THE ONE PERSON HE LOVED MOST IN THE WORLD.
NOT LONG BEFORE HIS DEATH,
LEE AND PAM'S BROTHER HAD A CONVERSATION WHERE HE SAID,
"IF ANYTHING EVER HAPPENS TO ME, I JUST WANT YOU TO KNOW
YOUR SISTER'S GONNA BE WELL TAKEN CARE OF."
HE DIED STILL THINKING HE NEEDS TO TAKE CARE OF PAM.
[ Voice breaking ] A GOOD MAN WAS KILLED, AN HONORABLE MAN.
AT THE CEMETERY,
THEY HAD AN HONOR GUARD, AND THEY HAD A GUN SALUTE.
[ GUNSHOTS ]
HE LOVED HIS COUNTRY.
AND HE LOVED HIS FAMILY.
I THINK OF HIM EVERY DAY.
WE ALL MISS HIM.
HE WAS A GOOD MAN.
-- Captions by VITAC -- www.vitac.com
CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS