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Narrator: A TEENAGED GIRL WITH A GIANT HEART...
THIS IS A PERSON WHO JUST WANTED TO BE LOVED.
Narrator: ...SAVAGELY ATTACKED AND LEFT FOR DEAD IN THE SWAMP.
PEOPLE SAID THAT THEY HEARD SCREAMING.
[ WOMAN SCREAMING ]
IT WAS TORTURE.
Narrator: BUT EVEN WITH A BOATLOAD OF SUSPECTS...
SHE DID KNOW SOME DETAILS THAT HAD NEVER BEEN RELEASED.
Narrator: ...INVESTIGATORS ARE LEFT HIGH AND DRY...
SON OF A...
Narrator: ...UNTIL THE VICTIM'S OWN DIARY REVEALS A SORDID SECRET.
AND WHEN I READ THOSE WORDS, I SAID, "THAT'S OUR GUY."
-- Captions by VITAC -- www.vitac.com
CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS
Narrator: IT'S A FOGGY WINTER NIGHT IN LARGO, FLORIDA.
MIST RISES OVER A SWAMPY LAKE
BEHIND THE LAST FEW HOUSES OF A SLEEPY SUBDIVISION.
Vlerebome: IT'S A LITTLE BIT OF A WILDERNESS,
AND IT WAS KIND OF DARK AND DANK AND SWAMPY-LOOKING.
IT WAS A MARSHY AREA, DEFINITELY SNAKES, PROBABLY A GATOR OR TWO.
Narrator: NEAR A DENSE STAND OF PALMETTO AND SUBTROPICAL VEGETATION,
A VIOLENT WATERY BURIAL IS UNDER WAY.
IN THE 1970s, THE SMALL WEST FLORIDA TOWN OF LARGO,
LIKE MUCH OF THE STATE, IS GROWING FAST.
THE WHOLE AREA JUST EXPLODED WITH GROWTH --
A LOT OF FOLKS MOVING IN --
AND WITH THAT, YOU GET A LOT OF CRIMINAL ACTIVITY.
Narrator: IT'S MONDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 13, 1976.
JIMMY CARTER'S ONLY JUST BEEN ELECTED PRESIDENT,
AND ED AND NORMA HUTTO WERE HAVING A QUIET NIGHT AT HOME.
[ LAUGHTER ]
Knapp: I WOULD CHARACTERIZE THE HUTTO FAMILY
AS DEFINITELY WORKING-CLASS FOLKS,
REAL DOWN TO EARTH, CARE ABOUT THE FAMILY.
Narrator: THE HUTTOS HAVE FIVE CHILDREN,
AND RIGHT NOW, IT'S THEIR YOUNGEST, 16-YEAR-OLD CAROL,
WHO'S ON THEIR MIND.
AFTER GETTING SEVERAL PHONE CALLS...
ALL RIGHT, WELL, I'LL SEE YOU THEN.
Narrator: ...CAROL HEADS OUT ON FOOT AROUND 8:00 P.M.
TO VISIT HER FRIEND DENISE.
Carol: HEY, GUYS, I'M LEAVING.
I'LL BE BACK BY 10:00, OKAY?
ALL RIGHT.
HAVE FUN, SWEETIE.
ALL RIGHT, I WILL, DAD.
Narrator: TWO HOURS LATER, CAROL'S 10:00 CURFEW COMES AND GOES,
AND HER PARENTS BEGIN TO WORRY.
WHAT TIME IS IT?
IT'S QUARTER TILL 11:00.
I DON'T UNDERSTAND.
I TOLD HER 10:00 SHARP.
SHE'S NEVER LATE.
DENISE.
HI. IT'S MRS. HUTTO.
IS CAROL STILL THERE?
NO?
THE MINUTES TICK BY, AND STILL NO CAROL.
SO WHEN NORMA'S 17-YEAR-OLD SON JERRY ERWIN GETS HOME
FROM HIS DATE...
CAROL?!
Erwin: NO, MOM. IT'S JERRY.
...SHE DECIDES IT'S TIME TO TAKE ACTION.
HAVE YOU SEEN YOUR SISTER?
SHE'S NOT HOME?
NO. SHE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE HOME AT 10:00.
IT'S ONLY LIKE 11:00.
YOU THINK WE COULD GO LOOK FOR HER?
CAROL?
Narrator: THE HUTTOS COMB THE NEIGHBORHOOD,
CHECKING SOME OF THE SPOTS
WHERE CAROL AND HER FRIENDS HANG OUT...
DENISE'S HOUSE IS RIGHT OVER THERE.
RIGHT HERE?
...BUT NO ONE HAS SEEN HER.
FINALLY, AT 2:00 A.M., NORMA CALLS THE POLICE.
YES. HI.
I WANT TO REPORT A MISSING PERSON.
IT'S MY DAUGHTER. SHE'S 16.
SHE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE HOME HOURS AGO.
SHE ALWAYS SAID CAROL WAS A REALLY GOOD GIRL.
SHE OBEYED HER FOLKS.
SHE PLAYED BY THE RULES.
Narrator: THE POLICE TELL NORMA NOT TO WORRY JUST YET.
TEENAGE GIRLS RUN OFF ALL THE TIME.
WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU CAN'T --
YOU CAN'T SEARCH FOR SOMEBODY UNTIL 24 HOURS HAS GONE BY?
THANK YOU.
Narrator: THE NEXT MORNING,
CAROL'S BEST FRIEND, LEE NIKOLSKI,
PULLS UP AT THE END OF HER DRIVEWAY TO TAKE HER TO SCHOOL.
WHEN I WENT TO PICK HER UP, SHE WAS, YOU KNOW, NOT THERE.
AND SO I WENT ON TO SCHOOL,
AND THEN FROM -- ABOUT SECOND PERIOD IN SCHOOL,
I GOT A LITTLE PINK SLIP TO COME TO SEE THE DEAN OF GIRLS.
Narrator: IN THE DEAN'S OFFICE,
LEE IS SURPRISED TO FIND HER BEST FRIEND'S MOM,
WHO SHE ALSO CALLS "MOM."
WHAT'S GOING ON?
CLEARLY, NORMA'S UPSET.
Woman: PLEASE TELL ME WHERE CAROL IS RIGHT NOW.
I DON'T KNOW WHERE CAROL IS.
YOU BETTER NOT BE COVERING FOR HER,
OR YOU'RE IN DEEP TROUBLE, YOUNG LADY.
I'M NOT COVERING FOR HER. WHAT'S GOING ON?
I'M FREAKING OUT AT THIS POINT,
SO I SAID, "MOM, I DO NOT KNOW WHERE CAROL IS.
PLEASE TELL ME WHAT'S GOING ON."
HONEY, CAROL DIDN'T COME HOME LAST NIGHT.
LOOK. TRY TO THINK. JUST TRY TO THINK.
DID SHE SAY ANYTHING TO YOU?
NO.
CAROL!
Narrator: LEE JOINS THE FAMILY TO SEARCH FOR HER BEST FRIEND.
CAROL!
CAROL!
BREAKER, BREAKER, THIS IS BLONDIE.
WONDER WOMAN, WHAT'S YOUR 20?
WE WERE CBers, AND, YOU KNOW, HER HANDLE WAS THE WONDER WOMAN,
SO THE FIRST THING I DID WAS TRY TO GET ON THE CB
AND SEE IF ANYBODY HAD HEARD, YOU KNOW, WHERE SHE WAS AT.
DOES ANYONE HAVE EYES ON WONDER WOMAN?
AND, UM, NOTHING.
Man: CAROL!
CAROL!
WE WALKED THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
WE WALKED THE SAME PATH THAT SHE WALKED.
I'M GONNA GO ASK.
WE WERE ALL OUT ON FOOT TRYING TO FIND HER.
Narrator: AROUND 4:00 THAT AFTERNOON, CAROL'S HALF-BROTHER JERRY
DECIDES TO LOOK OVER BY THE LAKE,
A SWAMPY AREA TUCKED BEHIND SOME HOUSES
A FEW BLOCKS FROM THE HUTTOS.
THIS WAS ONE OF THE LAST PLACES HE HAD TO LOOK
BEFORE IT BECAME DARK,
AND HE HAD LOOKED ALL ALONG THE EDGE OF THE POND.
Narrator: BEHIND SOME PROPERTY UNDER CONSTRUCTION,
JERRY SPOTS SOMETHING BULKY IN THE MUDDY SHALLOWS.
EVEN THOUGH HE CAN'T SEE HER FACE, HE RECOGNIZES HER CLOTHES.
IT'S THE HUTTOS' WORST NIGHTMARE.
UNFORTUNATELY, HE WAS THE ONE THAT FOUND HIS SISTER.
OH, MY --
Narrator: JERRY RACES BACK HOME TO CALL POLICE
AND TELL HIS PARENTS THE HORRIFIC NEWS.
HIS SISTER CAROL WON'T BE COMING HOME.
DETECTIVE TOM KNAPP ARRIVES ON THE SCENE AS DARKNESS FALLS.
Knapp: I WENT OVER TO WHERE THE VICTIM WAS.
SHE WAS JUST UNDERWATER IN A REAL REEDY AREA,
SO IT WOULD'VE BEEN DIFFICULT FOR ANYONE TO SEE HER.
SHE HAD BEEN TURNED OVER FACEDOWN
AND HAD BEEN WEIGHTED DOWN
TO MAYBE HELP CONCEAL THE BODY WITH SCRAP PIECES OF CONCRETE.
FROM THE WAIST DOWN, SHE WAS -- SHE WAS BASICALLY NAKED.
Narrator: ALTHOUGH AT FIRST THEY CAN SEE NO OBVIOUS FATAL INJURIES,
IT'S PRETTY CLEAR THIS WAS NO ACCIDENT OR SUICIDE.
CAROL WAS MURDERED, THOUGH PERHAPS NOT RIGHT HERE.
IT APPEARED THAT SHE HAD BEEN DRAGGED
BECAUSE THERE WERE WHAT APPEARED TO BE HEEL MARKS
ACROSS THE DIRT.
[ CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS ]
Narrator: INVESTIGATORS FOLLOW THE HEEL MARKS
STRAIGHT BACK TO AN ABANDONED HOUSE NEARBY.
THERE WAS A FIREPLACE IN THAT HOUSE
WHICH APPEARED TO HAVE HAD A FIRE RECENTLY STARTED IN IT.
LET'S GET SOMEBODY DOWN HERE
TO BAG THE CONTENTS OF THE FIREPLACE.
RIGHT AWAY.
EXCELLENT.
THERE WAS A LARGE PIECE OF CARDBOARD THAT HAD BEEN LAID
ON THAT CONCRETE -- BARE CONCRETE -- FLOOR.
Narrator: DID CAROL HUTTO SPEND HER FINAL MOMENTS
IN THIS EMPTY, BLEAK PLACE?
Hoyes: WHEN THE HOUSE WAS FOUND,
HER JEANS AND, I BELIEVE, HER *** WERE FOUND IN THERE,
A WINDBREAKER, AND ALSO A PAIR OF TIN SNIPS.
MINERAL SPIRITS AND SOLVENTS WERE SEIZED, AS WELL.
Narrator: FINALLY, DETECTIVES RECOVER WHAT COULD BE A *** WEAPON.
GUYS, WE'VE GOT BLOOD ON THIS 2x4.
LET'S MAKE SURE WE GET THIS DOWN TO EVIDENCE.
OKAY.
CLEARLY, SOMEONE HAS BEEN SQUATTING HERE,
PERHAPS A VAGRANT OR SOMEONE WHO NEEDED A HIDEOUT.
HARD TO TELL
UNTIL THEY CAN GET EVERYTHING ANALYZED BACK AT THE LAB.
THE ENTIRE FLOOR IN THAT PARTICULAR AREA WAS VACUUMED
FOR ANY TYPE OF TRACE EVIDENCE, WHETHER IT'S HAIR, FINGERNAIL.
Narrator: NEXT, DETECTIVES RETURN TO THE SWAMP
TO TAKE A CLOSER LOOK AT THE BODY.
THERE WERE SOME RED MARKS AROUND HER NECK.
LOOKS LIKE WE GOT STRANGULATION MARKS ON HER NECK.
SHE HAD BURNS, KIND OF LIKE A CHEMICAL BURN,
ON HER RIGHT SIDE, HER LEG,
AND THEN SHE HAD A BURN BETWEEN HER ***.
Narrator: THE BODY ALREADY SHOWS SIGNS OF RIGOR MORTIS,
WHICH MEANS CAROL HAS BEEN DEAD FOR AT LEAST 12 HOURS.
BUT THERE'S AN EASIER WAY
TO DETERMINE HER APPROXIMATE TIME OF DEATH.
HER WATCH STOPPED AT 10:36 P.M.
STILL, UNTIL AN AUTOPSY CAN BE PERFORMED,
HER CAUSE OF DEATH IS UNKNOWN.
SINCE JERRY ERWIN IS STILL AT THE SCENE,
DETECTIVE KNAPP DECIDES TO SPEAK WITH HIM FIRST.
JERRY, I'M DETECTIVE KNAPP.
I'M SORRY FOR YOUR LOSS,
BUT I HAVE TO ASK YOU A FEW QUESTIONS.
SO, WHEN YOU WERE LOOKING FOR CAROL,
WHAT MADE YOU DECIDE TO COME DOWN TO THE SWAMP?
I'D SEARCHED EVERYWHERE ELSE.
IT WAS THE LAST PLACE I COULD THINK TO LOOK.
DETECTIVE KNAPP IS FAMILIAR WITH JERRY,
AND NOT JUST BECAUSE IT'S A SMALL TOWN.
HE RAN WITH SOME OF THE OTHER KIDS
THAT DID HAVE MORE SERIOUS RUN-INS WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT.
JERRY, I KNOW THIS IS HARD,
AND I'M SORRY, BUT I HAVE TO ASK YOU THIS.
CAN YOU ACCOUNT FOR YOUR WHEREABOUTS LAST NIGHT?
I WAS WITH MY GIRLFRIEND.
Narrator: DETECTIVE KNAPP THINKS IT'S ODD
THAT IT WOULD EVEN OCCUR TO JERRY
TO LOOK FOR CAROL IN THIS SWAMPY MESS.
BUT HE HAS MORE PRESSING MATTERS TO ATTEND TO
BEFORE INVESTIGATING FURTHER.
HE HAS THE TERRIBLE TASK
OF QUESTIONING CAROL'S GRIEF-STRICKEN PARENTS.
I AM SO SORRY FOR YOUR LOSS.
[ CRIES ]
I NEED TO ASK YOU A FEW QUESTIONS.
Narrator: IT'S HARD,
BUT NORMA DOES HER BEST TO TELL DETECTIVES ABOUT HER DAUGHTER.
IS THERE ANYBODY THAT YOU CAN THINK OF
THAT MAY HAVE WANTED TO HURT YOUR DAUGHTER,
ANY EX-BOYFRIENDS?
NO.
SHE NEVER EVEN HAD A BOYFRIEND.
SHE'S...SHE WAS SUCH A BEAUTIFUL PERSON.
Narrator: CAROL WAS A BIT OF A TOMBOY WHO LOVED NASCAR AND PRO WRESTLING.
NORMA SAYS SHE WAS A CHRISTIAN GIRL,
A GOOD GIRL WHO HUNG OUT WITH OTHER GOOD KIDS,
LIKE HER FRIEND LEE.
SO, ARE YOU SURE THIS ISN'T TOO CASUAL?
NO, I THINK IT LOOKS REALLY CUTE.
Nikolski: I MEAN, I INSTANTLY LIKED HER -- INSTANTLY.
SHE JUST SEEMED SO SWEET, AND SHE HAD NO ATTITUDE.
SHE WAS VERY OPEN AND, YOU KNOW, WARM, AND WILLING TO BE FRIENDS.
LOVED FAMILY, YOU KNOW, AND LOVED HER FRIENDS.
Narrator: UNLIKE CAROL, HER HALF-BROTHER JERRY
HAD ALREADY HAD SEVERAL BRUSHES WITH THE LAW.
SO, DELICATELY, DETECTIVE KNAPP ASKS THE HUTTOS
ABOUT CAROL'S RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM.
HOW ABOUT JERRY -- WHERE WAS HE?
HE CAME HOME AT 11:00.
WHAT WAS HE DOING BEFORE THAT?
HE WAS ON A DATE.
WHEN YOU HAVE A HOMICIDE, IT'S NORMAL FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT
TO START AT THE INNER CIRCLE AND WORK ITS WAY OUT.
Narrator: NORMA INSISTS THAT JERRY AND CAROL WERE CLOSE.
THEY HUNG OUT TOGETHER
AND SHARED A PASSION FOR PRO WRESTLING.
DUDE, ANDRE THE GIANT WOULD TOTALLY ROCK HIS WORLD.
NO WAY. HE'S TOO SLOW.
Nikolski: YOU KNOW, HE'S A GOOD-LOOKING GUY.
SEE?
HE ALWAYS HAD GIRLFRIENDS, AND EVERYONE LIKED JERRY.
Narrator: STILL, DETECTIVE KNAPP CAN'T SHAKE THE FEELING
THAT THERE'S MORE GOING ON HERE.
GENERALLY, SOMEONE IS MURDERED BY SOMEBODY THEY KNOW --
A FAMILY MEMBER, CLOSE FRIEND.
Narrator: IS IT POSSIBLE
THAT CAROL WAS MURDERED BY HER VERY OWN HALF-BROTHER?
COMING UP, A MYSTERY WOMAN COMES FORWARD.
SHE WANTED TO GIVE US SOME INFORMATION
ABOUT THE *** OF CAROL HUTTO.
Narrator: DOES SHE HOLD THE KEY TO SOLVING THIS HEINOUS CRIME?
CAN YOU TELL ME ABOUT THE BURNS?
[ CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS ]
Narrator: JUST TWO WEEKS BEFORE CHRISTMAS IN 1976,
THE PARTIALLY CLOTHED BODY OF 16-YEAR-OLD CAROL HUTTO
WAS FOUND IN A SWAMPY LAKE IN LARGO, FLORIDA.
AFTER SPEAKING WITH THE FAMILY,
DETECTIVES TURN THEIR ATTENTION TO RETRACING CAROL'S EVERY STEP
ON THE NIGHT OF HER ***.
CAROL HAD RECEIVED A COUPLE OF PHONE CALLS THAT EVENING.
YEAH, I GOT IT, MOM.
HELLO?
HEY, DENISE.
Hoyes: SHE TOLD HER FAMILY
SHE WAS GOING TO HER FRIEND DENISE HOLT'S APARTMENT
IN IMPERIAL PALMS.
Narrator: WHEN QUESTIONED BY DETECTIVES,
DENISE HOLT CONFIRMS THAT CAROL DID INDEED STOP BY THAT NIGHT,
AND SHE SEEMED HER USUAL HAPPY-GO-LUCKY SELF.
SHE TOLD DENISE THAT IF CAROL'S MOM CALLED LOOKING FOR HER
TO TELL MRS. HUTTO THAT CAROL HAD JUST RAN UP TO THE STORE.
Narrator: THE DETECTIVES FOLLOW CAROL'S LIKELY TRAIL.
THERE'S A SHORTCUT THAT SLIPS THROUGH SOME APARTMENT BUILDINGS
TO THE BACK OF THE SHOPPING PLAZA WHERE THE DRUG STORE IS.
SURE ENOUGH, THE CLERK REMEMBERS SEEING CAROL AROUND 8:30.
DO YOU REMEMBER HER SAYING WHERE SHE WAS GOING AFTERWARDS?
I -- NO, SHE DIDN'T.
THE ONLY THING, SHE JUST EXITED THE STORE,
AND THAT'S THE LAST TIME I'VE SEEN HER.
SO, WHERE WAS CAROL BETWEEN 8:30 AND 10:00 P.M.?
DETECTIVES WIDEN THE INVESTIGATION
TO A TWO-MILE RADIUS AROUND THE SWAMP.
WE TALKED TO A NUMBER OF FOLKS,
TRYING TO GET INFORMATION, IF THEY SAW ANYTHING,
AND THERE WERE A COUPLE OF PEOPLE
THAT SAID THAT THEY HEARD SCREAMING.
[ WOMAN SCREAMING ]
Narrator: DOZENS OF TIPS POUR IN
FROM PEOPLE SAYING THEY MIGHT'VE SEEN OR HEARD CAROL THAT NIGHT,
BUT NONE OF THEM PAN OUT.
ON DECEMBER 17th, CAROL HUTTO IS BURIED IN LARGO CEMETERY.
NORMA HAS AN INSCRIPTION ETCHED ONTO HER DAUGHTER'S TOMBSTONE --
"WE MISS YOU DARLING."
THE SERVICE IS MOBBED WITH FRIENDS WHO LOVED CAROL --
AND OTHERS, TOO.
THERE WERE POLICE -- POLICE OFFICERS --
AND I FEEL THEY WERE LOOKING FOR THE KILLER IN THAT CROWD.
Narrator: AFTER THE FUNERAL,
DETECTIVE KNAPP AND HIS TEAM STEP UP THEIR HUNT FOR ANSWERS,
TALKING TO NEARLY EVERYONE WHO EVER KNEW CAROL.
YEAH, WE WERE BEST FRIENDS.
ONE OF THE KIDS ON THEIR LIST IS JIMMY KUENN,
A FELLOW STUDENT AND NEIGHBOR OF CAROL'S.
SO, HOW WELL DID YOU KNOW CAROL?
WELL, I MEAN, YOU KNOW, WE WERE NEIGHBORS,
SO NOT -- NOT WELL.
JUST...NEIGHBORS.
JIMMY CLAIMS HE WASN'T WITH CAROL THAT NIGHT,
DIDN'T SEE CAROL THAT NIGHT.
DID YOU EVER GO OUT ON A DATE WITH CAROL?
NO. NO.
WHERE WERE YOU ON THE NIGHT CAROL WENT MISSING?
I-I THINK I WANT TO TALK TO MY PARENTS.
Narrator: BUT IT SO HAPPENS THAT THE KUENNS AREN'T KEEN
ON LETTING THEIR SON TALK TO POLICE.
HIS PARENTS HIRED AN ATTORNEY ALMOST IMMEDIATELY,
AND THEY CHOSE NOT TO MAKE A STATEMENT AT ALL.
Narrator: BUT BEFORE DETECTIVE KNAPP CAN DIG DEEPER...
[ TELEPHONE RINGS ]
...HE GETS THE BREAK HE'S BEEN HOPING FOR.
DETECTIVE KNAPP.
IT'S A PHONE CALL FROM A WOMAN WHO LIVES NEAR THE HUTTOS...
WHERE IS IT?
...AND SHE SAYS SHE KNOWS WHO THE KILLER IS.
AN INDIVIDUAL BY THE NAME OF SHARON MORELAND
WANTED TO GIVE US SOME INFORMATION
ABOUT A PERSON OR PERSONS
WHO SHE BELIEVED WAS INVOLVED IN THE DEATH OF CAROL HUTTO.
IT WAS MY STEPSON THAT DID IT -- DANNY.
Narrator: IT'S SHOCKING TO SAY THE LEAST --
A MOTHER TURNING IN HER OWN SON?
HE AND HIS FRIEND WERE DRIVING IN THAT NEIGHBORHOOD.
Narrator: BUT IN HER TALKS WITH POLICE, SHARON MENTIONS SOME PARTICULARS
SHE SAYS SHE GOT DIRECTLY FROM HER SON...
CAN YOU TELL ME ABOUT THE BURNS?
Narrator: ...PARTICULARS THAT ONLY THE KILLER COULD KNOW.
SHE DID KNOW SOME DETAILS THAT HAD NEVER BEEN RELEASED,
LIKE THE BURN BETWEEN THE ***.
WHERE IS DANNY NOW?
HE'S OUT OF TOWN,
BUT HE'S SUPPOSED TO BE BACK TONIGHT OR IN THE MORNING.
Narrator: DETECTIVES RUSH TO STAKE OUT THE ADDRESS.
MOBILE UNIT TWO REPORTING.
NO SIGN OF SUSPECT AT THIS TIME.
Narrator: HOURS OF WAITING TURN INTO DAYS.
[ TELEPHONE RINGS ]
DETECTIVE KNAPP.
DANNY JUST CALLED ME FROM A BAR,
SAID HE GOT SIDETRACKED, SCORED SOME DRUGS.
BUT HE'LL BE BACK TONIGHT.
SOMETHING'S NOT RIGHT, AND THE DETECTIVES KNOW IT.
WHAT STARTED AS A PROMISING LEAD
IS LOOKING MORE SLIPPERY THAN A WATER MOCCASIN.
LISTEN, SHARON, UNLESS DANNY SHOWS UP,
WE ARE NOT GOING TO SPEND ANY MORE TIME ON THIS.
IT GOT TO THE POINT
WHERE WE WERE JUST CALLING HER BLUFF, BASICALLY.
SHE'S SITTING THERE, TRYING TO BRING YOU INTO HER WORLD.
THE TRUTH IS DANNY DIDN'T KILL THAT GIRL BY HIMSELF.
I WAS THERE.
I HELPED HIM.
Narrator: IT'S A STUNNING CONFESSION BUT ALSO HIGHLY QUESTIONABLE,
AND ALL TOO SOON, IT TURNS INTO A CRUEL JOKE.
SON OF A ***!
Narrator: A BACKGROUND CHECK ON SHARON MORELAND
REVEALS THAT SHE HAS A HISTORY
OF CONFESSING TO CRIMES SHE NEVER COMMITTED.
IN 1970, SHE HAD BEEN ARRESTED IN TAMPA
BECAUSE SHE CLAIMED SHE KILLED HER HUSBAND, JAMES MORELAND, SR.
HE WAS ALIVE AND WELL.
I CAN'T BELIEVE WE HAVE WASTED HUNDREDS OF HOURS
ON THIS CRAZY WOMAN.
RIGHT.
Narrator: DETECTIVES SOON GET SOME MUCH-NEEDED CLUES IN THE CASE
WHEN CAROL'S AUTOPSY REPORT COMES IN.
Hoyes: THE MEDICAL EXAMINER'S REPORT
INDICATED THAT CAROL HAD BEEN STRUCK IN THE FOREHEAD.
THERE WERE BRUISES AROUND HER NECK,
INDICATIVE OF CHOKING OR BEING STRANGLED.
Narrator: BUT NEITHER OF THOSE METHODS KILLED HER.
Hoyes: THE CAUSE OF DEATH WAS ACTUALLY FROM DROWNING.
SHE WAS ACTUALLY ALIVE WHEN SHE WAS PLACED IN THE WATER
AND WEIGHED DOWN WITH THE CONCRETE.
Narrator: AND DESPITE THE FACT
THAT SHE WAS FOUND NAKED FROM THE WAIST DOWN,
SHE WAS NOT SEXUALLY ASSAULTED.
DETECTIVE KNAPP IS DETERMINED
TO GET THE INVESTIGATION BACK ON TRACK FOR CAROL'S SAKE,
AND, TO HIM, THAT MEANS GOING BACK
TO THE PERSON WHO FOUND THE BODY,
CAROL'S HALF-BROTHER JERRY.
TELL ME AGAIN EXACTLY WHERE YOU WERE THAT NIGHT.
I'VE TOLD YOU.
I WAS WITH MY GIRLFRIEND.
WE WERE HANGING OUT WITH A COUPLE OF FRIENDS.
Knapp: HE ALWAYS SEEMED TO BE THE TYPE OF YOUNG MAN
THAT WOULD TELL YOU THINGS TO A POINT
BUT NOT GIVE YOU THE WHOLE STORY.
SO, YOU DIDN'T SEE CAROL ALIVE AT ANY POINT
AROUND THE LAKE LAST NIGHT?
I'VE ALREADY TOLD YOU I DIDN'T.
Narrator: POLICE BELIEVE JERRY KNOWS MORE THAN HE'S LETTING ON,
BUT WITHOUT ANY EVIDENCE, THEY CAN'T FILE CHARGES.
ALL RIGHT, JERRY, THAT'S ALL I'VE GOT FOR NOW,
BUT I GET THE FEELING
I'M GOING TO HAVE MORE QUESTIONS FOR YOU.
FOR NORMA AND ED HUTTO,
THE SUSPICION SWIRLING AROUND JERRY
ONLY MAKES EVERYTHING THAT MUCH WORSE.
OBVIOUSLY,
THEY WANT THE MURDERER OF THEIR DAUGHTER CAUGHT,
BUT AT THE SAME TIME, THE POLICE THINK THEIR SON DID IT.
THEY DON'T BELIEVE THEIR SON DID IT,
SO IT PUT THEM IN A VERY AWKWARD SITUATION.
HE WAS SO ANGRY THAT HE COULDN'T HAVE SAVED HIS SISTER'S LIFE.
AND FOR THEM TO COME AT HIM,
HE WAS JUST SO DEVASTATED -- SO DEVASTATED OVER THAT.
Narrator: BUT DETECTIVE KNAPP DOESN'T THINK
HE'S BARKING UP THE WRONG TREE.
AND A NEW TIP SOON BOLSTERS HIS SUSPICIONS.
COMING UP, A POSSIBLE WITNESS MAKES INCRIMINATING CLAIMS...
I'M AT THIS PARTY, YOU KNOW.
JERRY STARTS SAYING THESE CRAZY THINGS ABOUT HIS SISTER.
ARE YOU SERIOUS?
...THAT LANDS JERRY BACK IN THE HOT SEAT.
I WOULD NEVER LAY A HAND ON CAROL.
Narrator: IN LARGO, FLORIDA, POLICE ARE SEARCHING
FOR THE KILLER OF 16-YEAR-OLD CAROL HUTTO.
THEIR ONLY PERSON OF INTEREST IS HER HALF-BROTHER JERRY ERWIN,
WHO FOUND HIS SISTER FACEDOWN
IN A SNAKE-INFESTED SWAMP BEHIND AN ABANDONED HOUSE.
AT FIRST, THEY HAVE NOTHING BUT SUSPICIONS.
THEN, FOUR MONTHS AFTER CAROL'S ***,
THEY GET A SOLID TIP
FROM A MAN WHO CLAIMS HE MET JERRY A FEW MONTHS BACK.
JERRY STARTS SAYING THESE CRAZY THINGS ABOUT HIS SISTER,
ABOUT HOW HE DRAGGED THE BODY TO THIS LAKE.
NOW, ADMITTEDLY, THE SOURCE ISN'T EXACTLY A CHOIR BOY.
Hoyes: HE WAS IN JAIL FOR BURGLARY,
AND HE HAD SUPPOSEDLY BEEN AT A PARTY WITH JERRY,
AND AT THIS PARTY,
JERRY SUPPOSEDLY CONFESSED THAT HE HAD KILLED HIS SISTER.
AND ARE YOU SURE THIS WAS HIS SISTER
HE WAS TALKING ABOUT?
THAT'S WHAT HE SAID.
I SWEAR TO GOD.
Narrator: DESPITE THE TIPSTER'S CREDIBILITY ISSUES,
DETECTIVES BRING JERRY INTO THE STATION.
ALL RIGHT, JERRY, LET'S GO OVER THIS ONE MORE TIME.
EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED?
I ALREADY TOLD YOU.
I WENT OUT WITH MY GIRLFRIEND, OKAY?
WE WERE GOING AT JERRY REALLY HARD
BECAUSE, OBVIOUSLY, HE FOUND HIS SISTER'S BODY.
ON MY WAY HOME,
I PASSED THE HOUSE BY THE LAKE AROUND 10:45.
BUT YOU WEREN'T ALONE, WERE YOU, JERRY?
HOW MANY TIMES ARE WE GONNA DO THIS?
HIS WHEREABOUTS AND WHAT HE WAS DOING,
AT THAT TIME, ANYWAYS, WAS REALLY SKETCHY.
BUT WE STILL HAD HIM IN THE GENERAL VICINITY
IN THE TIME FRAME THAT CAROL HAD DISAPPEARED.
I TOOK MY GIRLFRIEND HOME,
AND ON MY WAY HOME, I PASSED THAT HOUSE.
Narrator: JERRY INSISTS THEY'VE GOT THE WRONG GUY.
I WOULDN'T TOUCH MY SISTER.
AND HIS MOTHER NORMA NEVER WAVERS
IN HER SUPPORT FOR HER SON.
I REMEMBER HER SPECIFICALLY SAYING TO ME,
"AND THEY THINK JERRY DID IT. CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT?"
SHE WAS VERY ANGRY --
VERY ANGRY THAT THEY WERE FOCUSING ON JERRY.
Narrator: TO CLEAR HIS NAME, JERRY AGREES TO PROVIDE HAIR SAMPLES
TO COMPARE WITH THOSE FOUND AT THE CRIME SCENE.
TAKE WHATEVER YOU WANT. I DIDN'T KILL MY SISTER.
WE ONLY FOUND ONE VACUUMED HAIR SAMPLE
FROM THE ACTUAL CRIME SCENE
INSIDE THE HOUSE THAT WAS UNDER CONSTRUCTION.
Narrator: TROUBLE IS WITH SO FEW HAIRS FROM THE CRIME SCENE,
IT'S NEAR IMPOSSIBLE TO TELL IF JERRY'S A MATCH,
AND IN 1978,
DNA TESTING ONLY HAPPENS IN SCIENCE-FICTION NOVELS.
WERE YOU IN THE HOUSE THAT NIGHT WITH YOUR SISTER?
NO.
SO JERRY AGREES TO TAKE A POLYGRAPH TEST.
Vlerebome: LIE DETECTORS WERE NOT ADMISSIBLE IN FLORIDA COURTS
AT THAT TIME.
THEY WOULD BE DOING IT TO TRY TO ELIMINATE SUSPECTS,
NARROW DOWN THEIR POOL OF SUSPECTS.
DID YOU KILL YOUR SISTER IN THAT HOUSE?
NO.
THERE WERE NO INDICATIONS OF DECEPTION
IN THE SERIES OF QUESTIONS THAT WERE ASKED.
NO.
Narrator: JERRY PASSES THE POLYGRAPH WITH FLYING COLORS.
BUT FOR DETECTIVES, DOUBTS LINGER.
Hoyes: THERE IS TUNNEL VISION.
YOU DON'T SEE ANYTHING ELSE.
YOU SAY, "THAT'S MY SUSPECT.
THAT'S MY CRIMINAL, AND THAT'S WHAT I'M GOING AFTER."
Narrator: WITHOUT ANY REAL EVIDENCE TO SUPPORT THEIR SUSPICIONS,
DETECTIVES HAVE TO LET JERRY GO.
BUT EVERYONE IN TOWN KNOWS THEY'VE BEEN LOOKING AT HIM.
Hoyes: IF YOU ASKED ANYBODY IN THE DEPARTMENT
THAT HAD BEEN AROUND AT THAT TIME,
THE FIRST THING THEY SAID WAS, "OH, THE BROTHER DID IT."
Narrator: MEANWHILE, THE LARGO POLICE DEPARTMENT
TURNS THEIR FOCUS TO OTHER CASES,
AND THE HUNT FOR CAROL'S KILLER GOES ICE-COLD --
FOR 18 YEARS.
FINALLY, FATE STEPS IN.
IN MARCH OF 1994,
OFFICER BRAD HOYES IS INJURED IN THE LINE OF DUTY
AND FORCED TO TAKE A DESK JOB.
HE'S GIVEN A SPECIAL ASSIGNMENT
BY THE NEW HEAD OF DETECTIVES, MIKE SHORT.
HEY, BRAD, COME WITH ME.
I GOT SOMETHING I WANT TO SHOW YOU.
I DIDN'T HAVE ANY PRECONCEPTION BECAUSE I DIDN'T LIVE THERE.
I DIDN'T WORK THERE.
I KNEW NOTHING OF THE CASE UNTIL DETECTIVE SHORT HANDED IT TO ME.
THIS IS OUR OLDEST UNSOLVED HOMICIDE.
WHY DON'T YOU TAKE A LOOK AT IT?
YES, SIR.
I'LL SEE WHAT I CAN DO.
Narrator: HOYES BARELY BEGINS SORTING THROUGH THE CASE FILE
WHEN, IN A BIZARRE COINCIDENCE, HE GETS A TIP OUT OF THE BLUE.
THIS IS OFFICER HOYES.
I OPENED THE CASE -- I THINK IT WAS ONLY TWO DAYS LATER,
I GET A PHONE CALL FROM A GIRL, OR LADY, IN GERMANY
WHO WAS A FRIEND OF CAROL'S.
Narrator: THE WOMAN, MARRIED TO A SERVICEMAN AND LIVING OVERSEAS,
HAS JUST READ AN ARTICLE
ABOUT A SERIAL KILLER'S ARREST IN FLORIDA.
Hoyes: FRANK POTTS HAD BEEN ARRESTED IN POLK COUNTY, FLORIDA --
BELIEVED TO BE A SERIAL KILLER.
SHE SAW HIS PICTURE AND CALLED
AND SAID, "THAT'S THE GUY I THINK KILLED CAROL HUTTO
"BECAUSE TWO NIGHTS BEFORE CAROL WAS MURDERED,
FRANK POTTS TRIED TO FORCE ME OR KIDNAP ME."
DID YOU EVER REPORT THIS?
Narrator: THE WOMAN SAYS SHE WAS 16 AT THE TIME, THE SAME AGE AS CAROL.
OKAY, TELL ME WHAT HAPPENED THAT NIGHT.
Narrator: WHILE OUT WALKING ONE EVENING, A VAN PULLED UP,
AND A MAN REACHED OUT TO GRAB HER.
SHE MANAGED TO FIGHT HIM OFF AND RUN.
OBVIOUSLY, BECAUSE IT WAS A BRAND-NEW LEAD,
WE HAD TO LOOK AT FRANK POTTS.
I FOUND HE HAD BEEN IN PINELLAS COUNTY IN 1974,
TWO YEARS BEFORE CAROL WAS MURDERED.
HE HAD BEEN CITED FOR ILLEGAL FISHING.
WAS HE THERE IN 1976 OR NOT, WE ARE NOT SURE.
Narrator: LOOKING FOR ANSWERS,
HOYES AND DETECTIVE SHORT TAKE A TRIP OVER TO NEARBY POLK COUNTY.
AFTER WE TALKED WITH THE POLK COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT,
IT SEEMED LIKE THIS JUST WASN'T FRANK'S TYPE OF CRIME.
THE METHOD OF THE ***, THE DEATH, WASN'T HIS M.O.
IT JUST DIDN'T SEEM LIKE FRANK POTTS.
Narrator: BUT ON THE WAY HOME,
OFFICER HOYES TELLS DETECTIVE SHORT
ABOUT ANOTHER DISCOVERY HE'S MADE
WHILE REVIEWING THE CASE FILE.
JUST THOUGHT WE REALLY HAD SOMETHING BACK THERE.
YEAH.
THERE'S SOMETHING I WANTED TO TELL YOU ABOUT --
CAROL'S JOURNAL.
HOYES HAS FOUND SOMETHING IN CAROL'S JOURNAL
THAT APPARENTLY WAS OVERLOOKED IN THE ORIGINAL INVESTIGATION.
I SAID, "HEY, MIKE, WHAT IF I TOLD YOU
"THAT, IN CAROL'S JOURNAL, THERE'S AN ENTRY
"ABOUT HER AND JIMMY ALWAYS GOING TO THE LAKE
AND THEY ALWAYS WALKED THERE?"
Narrator: JIMMY, AS IN JIMMY KUENN,
THE BOY WHOSE PARENTS LAWYERED UP ALL THOSE YEARS AGO
BEFORE THEY COULD ASK HIM ANY QUESTIONS.
COMING UP, CRIMINAL PROFILERS CREATE AN EERIE PORTRAIT.
YOU THINK HE KNEW THE VICTIM?
Man: QUITE POSSIBLY DID.
AND HE WAS A LONER.
Narrator: DOES IT MATCH THEIR NEW PRIME SUSPECT?
WE FELT THAT THAT WAS OUR ONLY SHOT,
AND WE DIDN'T SCORE ON THAT ONE.
Narrator: IT'S MARCH OF 1994,
ALMOST 18 YEARS SINCE 16-YEAR-OLD CAROL HUTTO'S BODY
WAS DUMPED IN A SWAMP IN LARGO, FLORIDA.
BUT NOW, OFFICER BRAD HOYES
IS SIFTING THROUGH OLD EVIDENCE WITH A FRESH PERSPECTIVE.
WHAT DROVE ME WAS SOMEBODY KILLED THIS GIRL,
AND THERE'S GOT TO BE SOMETHING --
SOMETHING SOMEWHERE THAT WILL TELL US WHO TO LOOK FOR.
Narrator: SURE ENOUGH, PORING THROUGH THE CASE FILE,
HOYES FINDS A CRITICAL PIECE OF EVIDENCE
THAT MAY HAVE BEEN OVERLOOKED.
Hoyes: THE MOST INTRIGUING THING I FOUND
WAS CAROL'S DIARY AND A JOURNAL SHE WAS KEEPING.
HE LOOKED AT THAT DIARY WITH NEW EYES,
AND HE SAW THINGS
THAT CAROL HUTTO WAS WRITING THAT NOBODY ELSE HAD EVER SEEN.
Narrator: WHAT BRAD HOYES DISCOVERS
COULD BE THE KEY TO BREAKING THIS CASE.
CAROL HAD A SECRET CRUSH ON A BOY NAMED JIMMY KUENN,
AND APPARENTLY, SHE ACTED ON IT.
THEY WOULD MEET UP FOR TRYSTS BUT NEVER TOLD ANYONE.
Hoyes: HE TOLD HER SHE COULDN'T TELL ANYBODY,
AND CAROL, IN FEAR OF LOSING JIMMY'S AFFECTIONS,
DECIDED SHE'D KEEP HER MOUTH SHUT
AND NOT TELL ANYBODY EXCEPT HER JOURNAL AND HER DIARY.
Narrator: HER NEIGHBOR JIMMY WAS A POPULAR KID,
AN ATHLETE AND A TALENTED TRUMPET PLAYER.
BLOND, BLUE-EYED, SLENDER GUY,
AND, YOU KNOW, HANDSOME, CAPTAIN OF THE SWIM TEAM.
WHO WOULDN'T LIKE THAT?
Narrator: ACCORDING TO HER DIARY,
CAROL AND JIMMY HAD A SECRET MEETING SPOT
DOWN BY THE SWAMP BEHIND THE HOUSE UNDER CONSTRUCTION.
Hoyes: AND SHE WROTE IN THERE,
"AND JIMMY DOESN'T COUNT
"'CAUSE ALL WE EVER DO IS GO TO THE LAKE,
AND WE ALWAYS WALK THERE."
AND WHEN I READ THOSE WORDS,
I SAID "THAT'S OUR GUY."
Narrator: IN THE BRIEF STATEMENT JIMMY MADE TO DETECTIVES
ALL THOSE YEARS AGO,
HE CLAIMED HE AND CAROL WERE ONLY ACQUAINTANCES.
WELL, I MEAN, YOU KNOW, WE WERE NEIGHBORS, SO NOT WELL.
JUST NEIGHBORS.
Hoyes: HE ACTS LIKE HE HARDLY KNOWS CAROL,
AND YET, IN HER DIARY,
IT'S OBVIOUS THAT HE KNOWS HER A LOT BETTER THAN HE'S ADMITTING.
NO.
I-I THINK I WANT TO TALK TO MY PARENTS.
Knapp: HE CLAMMED UP RIGHT AWAY,
AND HIS FOLKS GOT HIM AN ATTORNEY,
SO WE COULDN'T GET ANY STATEMENTS FROM HIM.
CAROL WAS PUT IN THE WATER,
WHICH POTENTIALLY DESTROYED EVIDENCE,
AND ANYTHING THAT WE COLLECTED,
WE HAD NO WAY TO TIE TO JIMMY.
Narrator: TO HELP THEM BUILD SOME KIND OF CASE,
DETECTIVE SHORT AND OFFICER HOYES SEEK HELP
FROM A GROUP OF FBI CRIMINAL PROFILES.
Hoyes: THESE ARE SOME OF THE BEST PEOPLE IN THE BUSINESS.
WHY NOT LET'S SEE WHAT THEY THINK?
AND LET'S SAY LET THEM COME UP WITH A PROFILE
AND SEE IF IT FITS OUR SUSPECT.
Narrator: PRESENTED WITH JUST THE FACTS,
THE PROFILERS DEVELOP
A VERY INTERESTING PORTRAIT OF CAROL HUTTO'S KILLER.
Man: 16 TO 21.
WE THINK THAT HE WAS ATHLETIC.
YOU THINK HE KNEW THE VICTIM?
QUITE POSSIBLY DID.
AND HE WAS A LONER.
Hoyes: IT WOULD BE SOMEBODY
THAT WAS WITHIN WALKING DISTANCE OF THE CRIME.
IF THEY WERE INTO SPORTS, THEY WOULD BE AN INDIVIDUAL SPORT.
IT WOULDN'T BE A TEAM SPORT.
IT WOULD BE THE PERSON'S FIRST, IF NOT ONLY, MAJOR CRIME,
AND DEFINITELY THEIR FIRST HOMICIDE.
Narrator: IT'S A PERFECT FIT
FOR CAROL HUTTO'S SECRET LOVE, JIMMY KUENN.
THE QUESTION IS, 18 YEARS LATER, WHERE IS HE?
WE TALKED TO THE FBI OFFICE RIGHT THERE IN LARGO.
THEY FOUND THAT JIMMY KUENN WAS IN THE NAVY,
THAT HE WAS ON NUCLEAR SUBMARINES,
AND THAT HE WAS CURRENTLY IN PORT.
Narrator: IN JULY 1994,
DETECTIVE MIKE SHORT TRAVELS TO GROTON, CONNECTICUT,
WHERE PETTY OFFICER JAMES KUENN IS NOW STATIONED.
YOU REMEMBER CAROL HUTTO?
[ INHALES DEEPLY ]
WELL, THAT WAS A LONG TIME AGO.
UH, I GUESS SO.
WAS SHE DATING ANYBODY OR SEEING ANYBODY IN PARTICULAR?
MAN, I DON'T KNOW IF SHE WAS SEEING ANYBODY STEADY
OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT.
LOOK, WE KNOW THAT YOU AND CAROL HUTTO
HAD A SECRET RELATIONSHIP
AND THAT YOU'D MEET AT THE LAKE.
WE KNOW THAT.
CONFRONTED WITH THE ACCOUNT FROM CAROL'S DIARY,
JIMMY STARTS TO CHANGE HIS STORY.
MAN, I DON'T REALLY REMEMBER.
IT WAS A LONG TIME AGO.
[ CHUCKLES NERVOUSLY ]
I DON'T EVEN REMEMBER THE AREA.
UH...
I THINK I DID CALL HER.
JIMMY ADMITTED TO DETECTIVE SHORT
THAT HE HAD INDEED CALLED CAROL NOT ONCE BUT TWICE THAT EVENING,
THAT HE HAD MET WITH HER
A LITTLE AFTER THE TIME SHE LEFT THE HOUSE.
WHAT I WANT TO KNOW IS WERE YOU GUYS OKAY?
WAS SHE OKAY WHEN YOU LEFT?
UH, YEAH.
Narrator: IT'S A CRITICAL MOMENT IN THE INTERROGATION.
BY JIMMY'S OWN ADMISSION,
THEY NOW HAVE HIM WITH CAROL ON THE NIGHT SHE WAS KILLED.
WOULD YOU BE WILLING TO TAKE A POLYGRAPH TEST?
YEAH, ABSOLUTELY.
THE NEXT DAY, DETECTIVE SHORT IS TOLD
THAT HE HAS OBTAINED A LAWYER
AND THAT ANY MORE FURTHER CONTACT WITH JIMMY KUENN
WOULD HAVE TO GO THROUGH HIS ATTORNEY.
WE FELT THAT THAT WAS OUR ONLY SHOT,
AND WE DIDN'T SCORE ON THAT ONE.
Narrator: LARGO POLICE ARE CONVINCED
THEY FINALLY FOUND CAROL'S KILLER.
BUT WITH NO PHYSICAL EVIDENCE TO WORK WITH AND A HOSTILE SUSPECT,
IT'S STARTING TO LOOK LIKE
JIMMY KUENN JUST MIGHT GET AWAY WITH IT.
COMING UP, WHEN NEW EVIDENCE COMES TO LIGHT...
I LOOKED AT THE PHOTOGRAPH OF THE BURN BETWEEN HER ***.
Narrator: ...ANOTHER GRUESOME THEORY EMERGES.
THE BURN WAS EITHER A TEST OF DEATH TO SEE IF SHE WAS DEAD
OR IT WAS TORTURE.
Narrator: IN 1994, AFTER 18 YEARS OF SEARCHING,
DETECTIVES BELIEVE THEY FINALLY TRACKED DOWN THE MAN
WHO KILLED LARGO, FLORIDA, HIGH-SCHOOL STUDENT CAROL HUTTO.
MAN, I DON'T REALLY REMEMBER.
I THINK I DID CALL HER.
JIMMY KUENN WAS CAROL'S SECRET BOYFRIEND.
NOW, HE'S A CREWMAN ABOARD A U.S. NAVY NUCLEAR SUBMARINE.
BUT THOUGH THEY'VE UNCOVERED
SOME LIES HE TOLD IN THE INITIAL INVESTIGATION...
Detective: SO, YOU'RE SAYING YOU NEVER SAW CAROL
OUTSIDE OF SCHOOL?
NOT REALLY.
...IT'S NOT ENOUGH TO MAKE AN ARREST.
WHEN JIMMY FAILED TO CONFESS,
THE INVESTIGATION WAS REALLY AT A STANDSTILL.
Narrator: SO OFFICER HOYES GOES BACK TO THE EVIDENCE.
THE ONLY REALLY UNANSWERED QUESTION I HAD ON THIS CASE
WAS WHAT CAUSED THE BURN BETWEEN CAROL'S ***
AND WHAT CAUSED THE BURN TO HER LEG.
Narrator: THE BURN ON CAROL'S LEG IS A CHEMICAL BURN,
LIKELY CAUSED BY THE MINERAL SPIRITS RECOVERED IN THE HOUSE.
BUT THAT SECOND BURN HAS AN ODD SHAPE.
THEN OFFICER HOYES NOTICES SOMETHING ELSE
RECOVERED FROM THE SCENE -- A PAIR OF TIN SNIPS.
I LOOKED AT THE PHOTOGRAPH OF THE BURN BETWEEN HER ***,
AND IT CAME TO ME
THAT THE TIN SNIPS WERE WHAT CAUSED THIS BURN.
Narrator: BUT WHY?
WHY WOULD THE KILLER BURN HER?
THE BURN WAS EITHER A TEST OF DEATH TO SEE IF SHE WAS DEAD
OR IT WAS TORTURE.
[ WOMAN SCREAMS ]
Narrator: IT'S A GRUESOME THOUGHT,
BUT IT MIGHT EXPLAIN THE MYSTERY OF WHY,
THOUGH SHE WAS NAKED FROM THE WAIST DOWN,
HER AUTOPSY SHOWED NO SIGN OF *** ASSAULT.
COULD JIMMY HAVE TORTURED CAROL FOR REFUSING TO GIVE IN TO HIM?
HE WANTED TO HAVE SEX WITH HER.
AND SHE ADAMANTLY DID NOT.
Narrator: BUT POLICE STILL HAVE NO PHYSICAL EVIDENCE
TYING JIMMY KUENN TO THE SCENE.
THEY NEED A CONFESSION.
IN JULY OF 1998,
22 YEARS AFTER CAROL WAS MURDERED,
DETECTIVE SHORT RETURNS TO THE NAVY BASE IN GROTON
TO TAKE ONE MORE SHOT AT JIMMY KUENN.
Hoyes: MIKE WENT BACK AND MET WITH THE INVESTIGATORS FROM THE NAVY
WHO THEN CONDUCTED AN INTERROGATION,
OR AN INTERVIEW, OF JIMMY AGAIN.
Detective: JIM, YOU'RE READY TO PUT THIS BEHIND YOU.
IT'S TIME. IT'S TIME FOR EVERYBODY.
IT'S SIMPLE, JIM.
EITHER YOU'RE SORRY OR YOU DID IT INTENTIONALLY.
THAT'S ALL I'M ASKING.
THEY PRESENTED TO HIM AS "WE KNOW IT WAS AN ACCIDENT.
IT WAS AN ACCIDENT, WASN'T IT?"
Narrator: FOR 30 MINUTES, JIMMY STONEWALLS THEM,
NOT UTTERING A WORD.
AND THEN HE BREAKS.
JIM, ARE YOU SORRY YOU KILLED CAROL?
[ SNIFFLES ]
YOU'RE SORRY, AREN'T YOU?
I CAN SEE YOU'RE SORRY, JIM.
[ CRIES ]
WE KNOW THAT YOU DIDN'T MEAN FOR THIS TO HAPPEN, DID YOU?
[ MUMBLES ]
WE WERE PLAYING AROUND, AND SHE TRIPPED AND FELL.
CAROL?
OKAY. WHAT HAPPENED THEN?
SHE WAS UNCONSCIOUS, AND, UM, I, UM...
I COULDN'T HEAR BREATHING OR HER HEARTBEAT OR ANYTHING.
CAROL!
AND THEN WHAT HAPPENED?
[ SIGHS ]
I TOOK HER CLOTHES OFF.
[ EXHALES DEEPLY ]
I TOOK HER DOWN TO THE LAKE.
[ CRIES ]
Narrator: IT'S A CONFESSION -- OF SORTS.
BUT INVESTIGATORS AREN'T BUYING HIS ACCIDENTAL-FALL STORY.
IT JUST DOESN'T ADD UP.
JIMMY KUENN NEVER ADMITS TO EVERY DETAIL.
BUT LARGO DETECTIVES ARE EVENTUALLY ABLE
TO PIECE TOGETHER WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED
ON DECEMBER 13, 1976.
WE BASICALLY SAID THAT THEY HAD MET
IN THAT PARTICULAR HOUSE UNDER CONSTRUCTION.
AND HE SET UP THIS NICE LITTLE BEDROOM SCENE, SO TO SPEAK.
Knapp: IT WAS COLD.
TRIED TO START A FIRE.
THEY HAD PUT A PIECE OF CARDBOARD ON THE FLOOR.
I SAW YOU WHEN I WAS SITTING AT HOME READING TODAY.
YEAH?
[ GIGGLES ]
AND HE WAS KISSING HER AND VICE VERSA.
BUT SHE DID NOT WANT TO HAVE SEX,
AND APPARENTLY HE WAS FORCING HER TO HAVE SEX.
IT'S OKAY!
STOP!
STOP IT! STOP IT!
AND SHE STARTED TO SCREAM.
STOP! [ MUFFLED SCREAM ]
IT IS OKAY!
AND SHE HAD A VERY LOUD VOICE,
AND I THINK JIMMY WANTED TO SILENCE THOSE SCREAMS,
SO HE HIT HER IN THE HEAD WITH A 2x4.
CAROL?
Narrator: THE MARKS ON CAROL'S NECK SHOW
THAT SHE ALSO WAS STRANGLED.
HE DIDN'T ADMIT TO STRANGLING HER.
HE DIDN'T ADMIT TO BURNING HER.
HE DIDN'T ADMIT TO KILLING HER.
Narrator: AND THE TRUTH IS,
CAROL WAS STILL ALIVE
WHEN HE LUGGED HER OUT OF THAT HOUSE TO THE MUDDY SWAMP.
Knapp: HE THOUGHT SHE WAS DEAD,
AND HE PROCEEDED TO DRAG HER OUT TO THE MARSHY POND AREA,
AND THEN PUT THE CONCRETE BLOCKS ON HER.
BUT WHEN HE PLACED HER IN THE WATER,
THAT'S WHEN HE KILLED HER,
AND PLACING HER IN THE WATER WAS NOT AN ACCIDENT.
AND I THINK THAT'S WHAT MAKES IT PREMEDITATED.
HE THOUGHT IT THROUGH.
"WHAT CAN I DO TO MAKE SURE
THAT SHE NEVER COMES OUT OF THIS POND?"
THIS WAS A PERSON WHO JUST WANTED TO BE LOVED.
SHE WANTED TO BE LOVED,
AND HE TOOK THAT AND DESTROYED IT.
Narrator: FOR ALMOST 22 YEARS,
CAROL HUTTO'S FAMILY AND FRIENDS HAVE BEEN SHATTERED
BY THE SENSELESSNESS AND BRUTALITY OF CAROL'S DEATH.
TO CAROL'S HALF-BROTHER,
IT HAD TO HAVE BEEN EVEN MORE THAN DEVASTATING
BECAUSE HE WAS A SUSPECT
AND NOT JUST INITIALLY BUT FOR YEARS AND YEARS AND YEARS.
Narrator: OFFICER HOYES MAKES A POINT
OF PAYING JERRY ERWIN A VISIT
TO APOLOGIZE FOR THE TIME
HE HAD TO LIVE UNDER A CLOUD OF SUSPICION
FOR A *** HE DIDN'T COMMIT.
YOU COULD SEE THE ANGER IN JERRY'S EYES.
YOU KNOW, THIS IS -- WE'RE THE GUYS THAT HAD BEEN
ACCUSING HIM OF THIS FOR ALL THESE YEARS.
WE KNOW YOU DIDN'T KILL YOUR SISTER.
AND I THOUGHT HE WAS GONNA START CRYING.
Narrator: IN FEBRUARY 2000,
JIMMY KUENN IS TRIED AND CONVICTED BY A FLORIDA COURT
FOR THE FIRST-DEGREE *** OF CAROL HUTTO.
HE IS SENTENCED TO LIFE IN PRISON.
FOR CAROL'S LOVED ONES, IT'S LITTLE CONSOLATION.
Nikolski: I MISS HER LAUGHTER.
SHE WAS AN INCREDIBLE INDIVIDUAL,
AND IT WAS A GREAT LOSS TO ME,
TO LOSE HER AS SUCH AN ENDEARED FRIEND.
Narrator: IN THE END,
IT WAS CAROL'S OWN WORDS FROM BEYOND THE GRAVE
AND THE SYMPATHETIC INVESTIGATOR WHO TOOK THE TIME TO READ THEM
THAT BROUGHT HER KILLER TO JUSTICE.
SOME PEOPLE MIGHT THINK IT SOUNDS CORNY,
BUT I THINK EVERYTHING HAPPENS FOR A REASON,
AND I NEVER UNDERSTOOD WHY I HAD BEEN INJURED
AND HAD TO GIVE UP A CAREER I LOVED,
BUT MAYBE IT WAS SO I WOULD WORK THE CASE,
AND THE CASE WOULD BE SOLVED.
I DON'T KNOW.
I JUST KNOW I'M GLAD I COULD HELP.