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Narrator: PRYOR, OKLAHOMA --
A HUMBLE SLICE OF THE AMERICAN HEARTLAND,
A TIGHT-KNIT TOWN
WHERE FOLKS KEEP ONE EYE ON THE WEATHER
AND THE OTHER ON THEIR NEIGHBORS.
OUT HERE IN THE RURAL, IT'S PRETTY SAFE
'CAUSE EVERYBODY WATCHES OUT FOR EVERYBODY.
Narrator: BUT IN 2009, AN UNTHINKABLE TRAGEDY
WOULD LEAVE PRYOR'S SENSE OF SAFETY IN TATTERS.
YOU COULDN'T ENVISION A MORE BRUTAL HOMICIDE.
MY FEELING WAS THAT THERE HAD BEEN
SOME SORT OF FOUL PLAY.
Narrator: THE ENSUING INVESTIGATION
WOULD USHER FORTH A BONE-CHILLING THEORY --
THAT THE GOOD PEOPLE OF PRYOR
ARE BEING HUNTED DOWN BY ONE OF THEIR OWN.
IS THERE SOMEBODY OUT HERE RUNNING AROUND, KILLING PEOPLE?
EVERYBODY AND ANYBODY'S A SUSPECT.
Narrator: BEHIND CLOSED DOORS...
[ SIREN WAILS ]
...BEYOND THE HEADLINES...
EVERY CITY HAS A DARK SIDE.
[ CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS ]
-- Captions by VITAC -- www.vitac.com
CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS
APRIL 28, 2009, 9:30 P.M.
IT'S A PEACEFUL NIGHT IN PRYOR, OKLAHOMA.
IN HIS HOME ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF TOWN,
LOCAL FARMER DONNY BALDRIDGE AND HIS WIFE, CARLA,
ARE TURNING IN FOR THE NIGHT,
WHEN SUDDENLY A DEAFENING BOOM JARS THEM BOTH OUT OF BED.
Baldridge: WE HEARD WHAT WE THOUGHT WAS AN EXPLOSION,
SO I WALKED TO MY BACK DECK AND LOOKED OUT,
SAW NOTHING BUT A BIG, ORANGE GLOW.
Narrator: THE LIGHT APPEARS TO BE RISING
FROM THE NEIGHBOR'S YARD JUST BEYOND A TREE LINE.
CALL 911. THERE'S A HOUSE ON FIRE.
TO DONNY, IT LOOKS LIKE SOMETHING BIG IS ON FIRE.
I TOLD CARLA, I SAID, "GO AHEAD AND DIAL 911"
SO I COULD RUN OVER THERE.
YES, THIS IS CARLA BALDRIDGE.
PLEASE HURRY.
THE HOUSE NEXT DOOR IS ON FIRE.
Narrator: DONNY HEADS FOR HIS NEIGHBOR'S YARD,
AND AFTER MAKING HIS WAY THROUGH THE TREES SEPARATING THEIR LOTS,
HE COMES FACE TO FACE WITH A TERRIFYING SCENE.
Baldridge: AND THE WALLS WERE ALREADY DOWN.
YOU COULD SEE
ALL THE WAY THROUGH THE HOUSE FROM ANY DIRECTION.
Narrator: EVEN MORE ALARMING
IS WHAT DONNY BALDRIDGE DOESN'T SEE.
THE BURNING RESIDENCE IS HOME TO A YOUNG FAMILY OF FOUR,
AND NONE OF THEM IS ANYWHERE TO BE FOUND.
YOU AUTOMATICALLY GO, "WHERE IS THE FAMILY?
"WHERE ARE THE LITTLE KIDS?
ARE THEY IN THE HOUSE?"
Narrator: BUT AT THAT MOMENT,
DONNY BALDRIDGE DOESN'T REALIZE
THERE'S MORE TO THIS MASSIVE BLAZE THAN MEETS THE EYE.
BENEATH THE BURNING EMBERS
GLOWS A WHITE-HOT TALE OF ***, INTRIGUE,
AND A STORY OF AN ALL-AMERICAN FAMILY GONE HORRIBLY AWRY.
TUCKED IN THE NORTHEAST CORNER OF OKLAHOMA,
PRYOR IS THE TYPE OF TINY FARM TOWN
THAT SEEMS IMPERVIOUS TO THE PASSAGE OF TIME.
PRYOR IS A HOMETOWN.
IT'S APPLE PIE, BLACKBERRY COBBLER.
YOU'LL HOLD THE DOOR FOR PEOPLE.
YOU SAY "YES, MA'AM, NO, MA'AM."
Jordan: IF SOMETHING WAS TO GO DOWN
AND WE NEEDED THE COMMUNITY TO PULL TOGETHER,
I CAN ASSURE YOU
PEOPLE WOULD COME OUT OF THE WOOD WORK.
IF YOU LIKE A SMALL TOWN, PRYOR IS IDEAL FOR YOU.
Narrator: WITH A SINGLE TRAFFIC LIGHT IN THE CENTER OF TOWN,
URBAN IS ONE THING PRYOR AIN'T.
BUT ASK THE FARMERS
PEDDLING THEIR PRODUCE ON THE COURTHOUSE LAWN
OR THE LADIES GETTING THEIR HAIR DONE AT SASSY SCISSORS SALON,
AND THEY'LL TELL YOU
THE LACK OF BIG-CITY POSING AND POSTURING
IS WHAT MAKES PRYOR SUCH A GREAT PLACE TO CALL HOME.
THERE'S NOTHING HIGHFALUTIN ABOUT PRYOR.
YOU ARE IN THE ROTARY CLUB WITH THE SUPERINTENDENT.
YOU GO TO CHURCH WITH YOUR KIDS' SCHOOLTEACHERS.
Narrator: NOT THAT FOLKS IN PRYOR ARE A BUNCH OF COUNTRY BUMPKINS,
SOUTH OF TOWN SITS THE MidAmerica INDUSTRIAL PARK,
WHERE SOME OF THE COUNTRY'S BIGGEST CORPORATIONS
MANUFACTURE MANY OF ITS PRODUCTS.
GOOGLE'S OUT THERE.
LabCorp's OUT THERE, GATORADE.
JUST PRETTY MUCH ABOUT ANYTHING YOU WANT IS OUT THERE.
Narrator: ALL THAT MANUFACTURING HAS MADE THE PEOPLE OF PRYOR
SOME OF THE MOST HARD-WORKING,
HIGHLY SKILLED FOLKS IN ALL OF THE HEARTLAND.
AND ALTHOUGH IT'S A SMALL TOWN AND A HUMBLE TOWN,
THE LEVEL OF CAPABILITY IN PRYOR IS REALLY IMPRESSIVE.
NOBODY HERE'S AFRAID OF WORK.
Narrator: SADLY, FOR ONE FAMILY, ALL THE HARD WORK THEY PUT IN
TO BUILDING THEIR DREAM LIFE IN PRYOR
IS ABOUT TO GO UP IN FLAMES.
IT STARTED ONE NIGHT IN APRIL 2009
WHEN EMERGENCY DISPATCHERS RECEIVED A CALL
ABOUT A RAGING HOUSE FIRE ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF THE CITY.
Cobb: FIREFIGHTERS WERE THE ONES THAT RESPONDED TO THE FIRE.
WE DIDN'T HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT CAUSED IT OR ANYTHING ELSE.
Narrator: NOR DID FIREFIGHTERS KNOW
IF THE HOME'S RESIDENTS HAD ESCAPED THE BLAZE.
NEIGHBOR DONNY BALDRIDGE BELIEVED
THE HOMEOWNERS HAD BEEN INSIDE AT THE TIME OF THE FIRE.
THEY KNEW THAT THERE WERE PEOPLE THAT SHOULD BE IN THAT HOME.
THEIR WHEREABOUTS COULD NOT BE ACCOUNTED FOR,
SO THEY THOUGHT THE WORST.
Cobb: THE HOUSE WAS COMPLETELY ENGULFED.
I MEAN, FLAMES SHOOTING UP 100 FEET IN THE AIR.
ALL IT COULD DO WAS JUST BURN DOWN.
AND THEY WERE TRYING THEIR BEST TO PUT THE FIRE OUT,
BUT IT WAS HOPELESS.
Narrator: ONCE THE FIRE DID ITS DAMAGE,
FIREFIGHTERS BEGAN THE GRIM TASK
OF SEARCHING FOR THE REMAINS OF POSSIBLE VICTIMS.
Villalva: THERE WAS NO KNOWLEDGE
WITH REGARD TO WHETHER ANYBODY WAS IN THE HOME,
SO THEY STARTED LOOKING AROUND FOR THE POSSIBILITY OF FATALITY.
HEY, I GOT SOMETHING OVER HERE.
Narrator: IN WHAT WAS THE MASTER BEDROOM,
UNDER A PILE OF SMOLDERING DEBRIS,
FIREFIGHTERS DISCOVERED WHAT APPEARED TO BE HUMAN REMAINS.
Blackwell: THE BODY ITSELF WAS VISIBLE.
THE LIMBS OF THE BODY
WERE COVERED BY DEBRIS AT THAT TIME.
THE REMAINS WAS IN A VERY BURNT STATE,
PART OF A TORSO LEFT AND BONES, BASICALLY.
WELL, IT LOOKS LIKE WE'RE GONNA NEED PHOTOS
AND GET THE CORONER DOWN HERE.
Villalva: THEY DIDN'T KNOW WHETHER THE BODY WAS MALE OR FEMALE.
I DON'T THINK A MOTHER COULD HAVE IDENTIFIED HER CHILD
IN THE WAY THAT THAT BODY'S CONDITION WAS FOUND.
Narrator: FIREFIGHTERS MIGHT NOT HAVE KNOWN
THE IDENTITY OF THE VICTIM,
BUT WHEN THE CORONER EXAMINED THE CHARRED REMAINS,
HE MADE A DISCOVERY THAT WOULD CHANGE
THE ENTIRE COURSE OF THE INVESTIGATION.
LOOK RIGHT HERE.
YOU CAN SEE SEVERE DEPRESSION TO THE SIDE OF THE HEAD.
THE SKULL WAS SEVERELY FRACTURED.
JUST MASSIVELY CRACKED.
THIS IS BLUNT-FORCE TRAUMA.
Narrator: PERHAPS THE VICTIM HIT HIS OR HER HEAD
WHILE TRYING TO ESCAPE THE FIRE,
OR MAYBE A CHUNK OF BURNING DEBRIS FELL ON HIM.
NOT SO, ACCORDING TO THE CORONER.
THE MEDICAL EXAMINER DID SAY
IT WOULD HAVE BEEN CONSISTENT WITH A BASEBALL BAT.
Narrator: THE CORONER STATED
THAT NOT ONLY WAS A BLOW FROM A BASEBALL BAT
THE SOURCE OF THE BLUNT-FORCE TRAUMA,
BUT THE BURN MARKS IN AND AROUND THE FRACTURE
INDICATED THE VICTIM'S SKULL
HAD BEEN CRUSHED BEFORE THE FIRE EVER STARTED.
THE CORONER HAD ACTUALLY IDENTIFIED
THAT IT WAS DEFINITELY A HOMICIDE.
Narrator: ON TOP OF THAT, A K-9 OFFICER DETECTED
A SUBSTANCE IN THE ASHES OF THE MASTER BEDROOM
THAT SUGGESTED THE FIRE WAS NO ACCIDENT.
WHERE THE BODY HAD ACTUALLY BEEN FOUND
WAS CONSUMED WITH ACCELERANTS.
THE ACCELERANT WAS DETERMINED TO HAVE BEEN GASOLINE.
Narrator: SHERIFF'S DEPUTIES ADVISED DISPATCH
THAT THEY HAD TWO CRIMES ON THEIR HANDS --
AN ARSON AND A HOMICIDE.
AT THAT POINT, WE ACTUALLY PULLED EVERYBODY OUT,
TAPED OFF THE AREA.
Narrator: BUT AS POLICE ROLLED OUT THE CRIME-SCENE TAPE,
THEY COULDN'T HELP BUT WONDER -- WHO WAS THE VICTIM?
BASED ON THE SIZE OF THE TORSO,
INVESTIGATORS THEORIZED THE BODY WAS THAT OF AN ADULT.
AS INVESTIGATORS PONDERED THE IDENTITY OF THE VICTIM,
A YOUNG WOMAN ARRIVED AT THE SCENE.
SHE TOLD INVESTIGATORS HER NAME WAS MEGAN
AND THAT THE BLACKENED RUBBLE THEY WERE STANDING IN
IS THE BRAND-NEW HOME OF HER PARENTS,
MIKE AND WENDY COBB.
Baker: BY THE TIME I SHOWED UP,
THERE WAS ONLY ONE SIDE OF THE HOUSE STANDING.
I WAS VERY HIGHLY DAZED AND CONFUSED,
LIKE, "THIS ISN'T REAL."
I HAD ASKED, YOU KNOW, "IS MY DAD WITH THEM?
DO THEY KNOW WHERE HE IS?"
Narrator: THE NAME MIKE COBB
INSTANTLY STRUCK A CHORD WITH FIREFIGHTERS ON THE SCENE,
BECAUSE NOT ONLY WAS MIKE COBB A LIFELONG PRYOR RESIDENT
AND A DOTING HUSBAND AND FATHER,
BUT MIKE COBB WAS ONE OF THEIR OWN.
Jordan: HE WAS A VOLUNTEER FIREMAN.
YOU KNOW, MIKE LOVED GIVING TO THE COMMUNITY.
ANYTHING HE COULD DO TO HELP ANYBODY,
HE WAS FIRST IN LINE.
HE'D GO TO A BURNING HOUSE,
AND IT HE WAS ABLE TO SAVE ANYBODY OR ANYTHING,
THAT JUST MADE HIS DAY.
Narrator: TO HIS FELLOW FIREFIGHTERS' HORROR,
IT NOW LOOKED LIKE MIKE COBB OR SOMEONE IN HIS FAMILY
HAD BEEN MURDERED.
THE QUESTION WAS,
WHOSE BODY HAD BEEN PULLED
FROM THE WRECKAGE OF THE BURNED-OUT HOUSE,
AND WHO IN PRYOR WOULD WANT THEM DEAD?
Narrator: IF YOU'RE AN URBAN DWELLER
SEARCHING FOR A SIMPLER WAY OF LIVING,
LOOK NO FURTHER THAN PRYOR, OKLAHOMA.
IT'S GOT SAFE STREETS, FRIENDLY NEIGHBORS,
AND ALL THE VITAMIN TRIPLE "C" --
AS IN "CONSERVATIVE CHRISTIAN CREDENTIALS" --
A GOD-FEARING FAMILY COULD NEED.
BUT BACK IN 2009,
ONE PRYOR FAMILY'S MIDWESTERN WAY OF LIFE
LITERALLY WENT UP IN FLAMES.
IT STARTED WHEN FIREFIGHTERS RESPONDED TO A BLAZE
AT THE BRAND-NEW HOME
OF FELLOW FIREFIGHTER MIKE COBB AND HIS FAMILY.
AFTER UNSUCCESSFULLY BATTLING THE FLAMES,
THEY DISCOVERED A SINGLE SET OF REMAINS.
BUT THE MEDICAL EXAMINER DETERMINED
A BASEBALL BAT TO THE SKULL, NOT THE FIRE ITSELF,
WAS THE TRUE CAUSE OF DEATH.
IT WAS ABOVE THE EARS, A BUSTED SKULL,
AND SOME INTERNAL FRACTURES ON THE HEAD.
THIS CAME FROM A GOOD STRIKE FROM A BLUNT FORCE.
IT KIND OF CONFIRMED
THAT THERE WAS FOUL PLAY INVOLVED IN THIS.
Narrator: MAKING MATTERS WORSE,
COPS DIDN'T KNOW WHOSE CORPSE THEY HAD DISCOVERED.
WAS IT MIKE'S, HIS WIFE WENDY'S, ONE OF THEIR CHILDREN?
ACCORDING TO MIKE'S ELDEST DAUGHTER, MEGAN,
THERE WAS ONE WAY TO FIND OUT.
ACCOMPANIED BY NEIGHBOR DONNY BALDRIDGE,
MEGAN GUIDED INVESTIGATORS TO THE GARAGE BEHIND THE RUBBLE
AND EVIDENCE THAT SUGGESTED
THE BADLY BURNED CORPSE WAS HER STEPMOM'S.
THAT'S WENDY'S VEHICLE, ISN'T IT?
YEAH, THAT'S WENDY'S.
I SAW THE LITTLE BLUE CAR THERE THAT NORMALLY THE WIFE DROVE.
Baker: THERE'S NO OTHER VEHICLE.
MY FATHER'S TRUCK WAS NOWHERE TO BE FOUND THERE,
AND I THOUGHT WENDY WAS THERE AND THE KIDS,
AND MY DAD WAS GONE.
Narrator: IF THE VEHICLE AT THE SCENE
INDICATED WENDY COBB WAS THE VICTIM,
MIKE COBB'S MISSING TRUCK SUGGESTED
HE AND THE TWINS MIGHT STILL BE ALIVE.
IF SO, WHERE WERE THEY NOW?
IT DIDN'T TAKE INVESTIGATORS LONG
TO ANSWER THAT QUESTION.
WHILE REMOVING WHAT THEY THOUGHT WAS WENDY'S BODY,
THEY DISCOVERED A PARTIALLY BURNED WALLET AND AN I.D.
THESE REMAINS ACTUALLY BELONG TO MICHAEL COBB.
I DROPPED TO MY KNEES
AND COULDN'T BRING MYSELF BACK UP.
I MEAN, WHY HIM?
Narrator: IT WAS A QUESTION
MIKE'S FELLOW FIREFIGHTERS WERE ASKING, AS WELL.
IF THERE WAS EVER A MAN ROUNDLY BELOVED BY EVERYONE OF PRYOR,
IT WAS MIKE COBB.
BORN AND RAISED IN PRYOR,
MIKE WAS A FORMER HIGH-SCHOOL BASEBALL STAR
WHO WAS AS COMFORTABLE AT THE CHURCH POTLUCK
AS HE WAS AT THE LOCAL WATERING HOLE.
HE WAS THE KIND OF GUY THAT WHEN YOU MET,
YOU IMMEDIATELY SEEN SOME KIND OF AN ATTACHMENT TO HIM.
Narrator: LIKE MANY LOCALS,
MIKE STARTED OUT WORKING AT THE LOCAL INDUSTRIAL PARK,
WHERE HE WAS A PLANT FOREMAN.
BUT HIS MOST IMPORTANT JOB
WAS BEING A SINGLE FATHER TO HIS YOUNG DAUGHTER, MEGAN.
BETWEEN FIGHTING FIRES, RAISING MEGAN,
AND HELPING RUN THE PLANT, MIKE'S PLATE WAS PRETTY FULL.
BUT SOMEHOW, HE ALWAYS FOUND TIME
TO HELP FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS IN NEED.
YOU CALL HIM UP AND SAY,
"I NEED YOU TO HELP ME BALE SOME HAY,"
HE'D JUMP HIS CLOTHES ON,
HE'D HAVE WENT RIGHT OVER THERE AND HELPED YOU.
AND THAT'S JUST THE WAY HE WAS.
Narrator: IT'S NO SHOCKER,
BUT THE TRIFECTA OF BEING A WELL-PAID PLANT MANAGER,
A DEVOTED SINGLE FATHER, AND A VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTER
MADE MIKE ONE OF PRYOR'S MOST ELIGIBLE BACHELORS.
BUT IT WAS A VIVACIOUS, YOUNG PLANT WORKER
NAMED WENDY HOWARD THAT CAPTURED MIKE'S HEART.
Cobb: WENDY'S PERSONALITY WAS VERY OUTGOING.
SHE COULD VISIT WITH ANYBODY.
SHE WAS THE LIFE OF THE PARTY
AND SOMEONE YOU WOULD REALLY LIKE TO GET TO KNOW.
Narrator: LIKE MIKE, WENDY WAS ALSO A SINGLE PARENT
TO YOUNG CORBIN AND HIS SISTER, CHANNING.
MOST GUYS MIGHT BE SCARED OFF BY THAT KIND OF BAGGAGE,
BUT NOT MIKE.
MIKE MET WENDY AND MET HER TWO KIDS.
HE JUST VIRTUALLY FELL IN LOVE WITH THEM.
Narrator: AFTER JUST A YEAR OF DATING, MIKE AND WENDY TIED THE KNOT.
SHORTLY AFTER THAT,
MIKE AND WENDY WELCOMED TWO MORE CHILDREN INTO THE WORLD,
A TWIN BOY AND GIRL.
MIKE COULDN'T HAVE BEEN HAPPIER.
THEY'RE ABSOLUTELY THE MOST BEAUTIFUL THING I'VE EVER SEEN.
THEY COULDN'T BE MORE PERFECT.
Jordan: MIKE, HE DEVOTED HIS ENTIRE LIFE TO HIS KIDS.
YOU SEE THESE SIGNS THAT SAYS, "WORLD BEST DAD,"
THAT DESCRIBED MIKE.
Narrator: FAST FORWARD TO 2009.
THE TWINS WERE NOW IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL,
AND MIKE AND WENDY'S CHILDREN FROM THEIR PREVIOUS MARRIAGES
WERE GROWN AND OUT OF THE HOUSE.
BUT THE RAPIDLY EMPTYING NEST
DIDN'T STOP MIKE FROM BUILDING HIS DREAM HOME,
A 25-ACRE COUNTRY ESTATE JUST SOUTH OF TOWN.
MIKE WENT ALL-OUT TO BUILD THIS HOUSE.
HE WANTED IT TO BE THE PLACE
WHERE HIM AND WENDY AND THE TWINS
WOULD LIVE THEIR WHOLE LIFE.
Narrator: ACTUALLY, THE HOUSE WAS SO NEW,
MOST OF MIKE'S FELLOW FIREFIGHTERS DIDN'T EVEN KNOW
HE AND THE FAMILY HAD MOVED OUT THERE,
WHICH MADE IT ALL THE MORE HORRIFYING
WHEN THEY REALIZED
THE CHARRED CORPSE THEY JUST PULLED FROM THE FLAMES
WAS, IN FACT, MIKE.
Cobb: WE JUST COULD NOT UNDERSTAND
WHY ANYTHING LIKE THIS WOULD HAPPEN TO HIM
OR EVEN HOW IT COULD HAPPEN TO HIM.
Narrator: BUT NO SOONER HAD INVESTIGATORS BEGUN ASKING THOSE QUESTIONS
THAN MIKE'S MISSING PICKUP CAME ROARING UP THE DRIVEWAY.
OH, MY GOD. WHAT IS GOING ON?
Narrator: BEHIND THE WHEEL WAS A DISTRESSED WENDY COBB.
NO, I'M WENDY COBB. THIS IS MY HOUSE.
Cobb: WENDY ARRIVED ON THE SCENE IN MIKE'S TRUCK,
AND, OF COURSE, WAS HYSTERICAL ABOUT THE HOUSE BURNING DOWN.
Narrator: SHERIFF'S DEPUTIES EVENTUALLY CALMED WENDY DOWN ENOUGH
TO ASK HER A FEW QUESTIONS --
WHERE HAD SHE BEEN, AND WHERE WERE HER CHILDREN?
WE WERE IN TULSA RUNNING ERRANDS.
CAN YOU TELL ME WHAT'S GOING ON WITH MY HOUSE?
WENDY'S ANSWER ALSO EXPLAINED
WHY SHE HAD BEEN DRIVING MIKE'S TRUCK.
THEY HAD DVDs BEHIND THE SEATS FOR THE KIDS TO WATCH TV,
AND MIKE, HE JUST SAID, "YES, GO AHEAD AND TAKE THE TRUCK,"
AND HE HAD THE CAR.
I TOOK THEM OVER TO A FRIEND'S HOUSE,
AND I GOT A PHONE CALL THAT MY HOUSE IS ON FIRE.
Narrator: WENDY LEFT THE TWINS WITH HER FRIEND AND RACED HOME,
ONLY TO FIND HER DREAM HOUSE REDUCED TO ASHES.
CAN YOU TELL ME WHAT'S GOING ON WITH MY HOUSE?
HAVE YOU SEEN MY HUSBAND? HAVE YOU SEEN MIKE?
MA'AM, I'M SORRY,
BUT YOUR HUSBAND DIED IN THE FIRE.
MY GOD!
NO! NO!
MIKE! MIKE!
Brunton: SINCE SHE WAS AN EMOTIONAL WRECK,
PROBABLY COULDN'T HAVE GOT HER OFF THE FLOOR
WITH A FRONT LOADER.
Narrator: AS DEPUTIES TRIED TO CONSOLE WENDY,
INVESTIGATORS TURNED THEIR ATTENTION
BACK TO THE CRIME SCENE.
YOU JUST HAVE TO ASK
THE WHO, WHAT, WHEN, AND WHERES OF WHAT HAPPENED
AND BE ABLE TO PIECE IT TOGETHER.
Narrator: IN THE FRONT YARD, THEY FOUND A SET OF KEYS,
A BROKEN WATCH, AND A BLOOD-STAINED BALL CAP.
CAN I GET YOU TO TAKE A LOOK AT THESE THINGS?
DO YOU RECOGNIZE THEM AT ALL?
WENDY CONFIRMED ALL THE ITEMS BELONGED TO MIKE.
THEY ARE MIKE'S?
WHICH GAVE INVESTIGATORS A GOOD IDEA
OF HOW AND WHERE HER HUSBAND DIED.
Villalva: THERE WAS A STRUGGLE IN THE YARD.
MIKE WAS STRUCK IN THE HEAD.
AS A RESULT OF THAT,
HE WOULD HAVE BEEN RENDERED COMPLETELY DEFENSELESS.
Narrator: BUT TO DETECTIVES, A BLOODY BRAWL IN THE FRONT YARD
SUGGESTED A DEEPLY PERSONAL ATTACK.
YOU WANT TO KEEP YOURSELF OPEN TO ALL TYPES OF MOTIVES.
HAD THEY BEEN FEUDING WITH ANYBODY?
IS THERE ANYBODY THAT'S MADE ANY KIND OF THREATS?
Narrator: WHEN INVESTIGATORS POSED THESE QUESTIONS TO WENDY,
SHE SEEMED TO DRAW A BLANK.
WENDY HAD NO IDEA OF ANYBODY WHATSOEVER
THAT HAD ANY BAD BLOOD
OR ANY BAD WORDS TO SAY ABOUT MIKE.
Narrator: BUT WHEN THEY DUG DEEPER INTO THE CASE,
INVESTIGATORS LEARNED THERE WERE A FEW PEOPLE IN PRYOR
WILLING TO PUT THE SCREWS TO MR. NICE GUY.
Narrator: BETWEEN THE HARD-CHARGING THUNDERHEADS
AND FAST-FORMING FUNNEL CLOUDS,
IT'S LITTLE WONDER THAT COME SPRINGTIME,
FOLKS IN PRYOR LIVE WITH ONE FOOT ON THE GROUND
AND ONE FOOT ON THE STEPS OF THEIR TORNADO-PROOF CELLARS.
BUT IN APRIL OF 2009,
SOMETHING FAR MORE TERRIFYING THAN A MERE TORNADO
HAD CROPPED UP ON THE LOCAL RADAR.
BELOVED FATHER AND FIREMAN MIKE COBB
HAD BEEN FOUND DEAD IN HIS BURNED-OUT HOME.
BUT THE FIRE WASN'T THE CAUSE OF DEATH.
A BASEBALL BAT TO THE HEAD WAS.
AND WHEN WORD GOT OUT
THAT POLICE WERE TREATING THE CASE AS A HOMICIDE,
THE GOOD PEOPLE OF PRYOR BEGAN BOLTING THEIR DOORS IN FEAR.
IS THERE SOMEBODY OUT HERE RUNNING AROUND ROBBING PEOPLE,
KILLING THEM, AND BURNING THEM UP?
Narrator: THE "PSYCHO ARSONIST SERIAL KILLER" THEORY
SEEMED LIKE THE ONLY LOGICAL ONE.
AFTER ALL, NO GOD-FEARING PRYOR RESIDENT
WOULD WANT TO HARM AN ALL-AROUND GOOD GUY LIKE MIKE.
MIKE WAS A VERY WELL-LIKED PERSON IN THE COMMUNITY.
HE GOT ALONG WITH EVERYBODY.
Narrator: BUT IN QUESTIONING FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS AT THE SCENE,
DETECTIVES LEARN THEIR VICTIM
WASN'T BELOVED BY EVERYONE IN TOWN.
IN FACT, HE WASN'T EVEN LIKED BY EVERYONE IN HIS OWN HOME,
NAMELY HIS 18-YEAR-OLD STEPSON CORBIN.
CORBIN HOWARD AND MICHAEL COBB
DID NOT HAVE A GOOD RELATIONSHIP.
IT WAS OBVIOUS THERE WAS NO LOVE LOST BETWEEN THEM.
YOU WERE OUT AGAIN LAST NIGHT. YOU DIDN'T CALL.
YOU DIDN'T LET YOUR MOTHER KNOW ANYTHING.
SHE'S OUT PACING THE FLOOR.
Narrator: APPARENTLY, FATHER AND STEPSON
HAVEN'T SEEN EYE-TO-EYE SINCE CORBIN HIT PUBERTY
AND DEVELOPED A SERIOUS DISTASTE
FOR MIKE'S HANDS-ON STYLE OF PARENTING...
YOU MAY BE THE BOSS OF THIS HOUSE,
BUT YOU'RE NOT THE BOSS OF ME.
...AND HIS NOTIONS ABOUT HARD WORK.
SON, THIS DOESN'T HAVE TO --
I'M NOT YOUR SON,
AND YOU'RE SURE AS HELL NOT MY DAD.
Jordan: HE WAS 18 GOING ON 25 AND THOUGHT HE KNEW IT ALL.
CORBIN WANTED TO DO WHAT CORBIN WANTED TO DO.
Narrator: APPARENTLY, THINGS GOT SO BAD BETWEEN THE TWO,
MIKE HAD TOLD CORBIN IT WAS TIME FOR HIM TO MOVE OUT.
Baker: MY DAD, HE WAS ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE THAT,
YOU KNOW, "YOU EARN AND YOU DESERVE," YOU KNOW?
AND HE WAS NOT EARNING ANYTHING AND NOT DESERVING ANYTHING,
SO THEREFORE, THERE'S THE BOOT.
Narrator: IT WASN'T MUCH,
BUT INVESTIGATORS COULDN'T HELP BUT SPECULATE
THAT THE FEUD BETWEEN MIKE AND CORBIN HAD TURNED DEADLY.
THEY HAD A LOT OF ISSUES. THEY WOULD ARGUE A LOT.
MOTHER WENDY INSISTED THEY WERE BARKING UP THE WRONG TREE.
IT WASN'T A SECRET THAT HE AND MIKE DIDN'T GET ALONG,
BUT SHE JUST DIDN'T BELIEVE THAT HE COULD DO THAT.
Narrator: TO DETECTIVES, IT SEEMED LIKE
WENDY MIGHT BE TRYING TO PROTECT CORBIN,
BUT WENDY WAS ADAMANT
THAT NOT ONLY WAS HER ELDEST SON INCAPABLE OF ***,
HE HAD AN AIRTIGHT ALIBI, AS WELL.
SHE TOLD US THAT EVENING THAT CORBIN WAS OUT OF STATE.
I BELIEVE HE WAS IN TENNESSEE.
Narrator: MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE, TO BE EXACT,
WHICH MEANT THAT IF CORBIN'S ALIBI CHECKED OUT,
HE WAS MORE THAN SIX HOURS AWAY
AT THE TIME OF HIS STEPDAD'S ***.
DETECTIVES PUT A CALL IN TO THE MEMPHIS P.D.
REQUESTING HELP RUNNING DOWN CORBIN'S ALIBI.
IT WAS VERIFIED THAT CORBIN HOWARD
WAS OUT OF STATE AT THE TIME THIS HOMICIDE TOOK PLACE.
Narrator: WITH HER SON'S ALIBI CONFIRMED,
A DISTRAUGHT WENDY LEFT THE SCENE
TO TEND TO HER NOW FATHERLESS TWINS.
AS FOR DETECTIVES, THEY WERE BACK AT SQUARE ONE
WITH REGARDS TO BOTH A PRIME SUSPECT
AND A PLAUSIBLE MOTIVE.
DESPERATE FOR NEW LEADS,
INVESTIGATORS TURNED TO THE MAN WHO FIRST REPORTED THE INCIDENT,
NEIGHBOR DONNY BALDRIDGE.
I UNDERSTAND YOUR WIFE CALLED IN THE FIRE.
WHAT DID YOU HAPPEN TO SEE?
HE RAN TO THE FIRE AND ACTUALLY MADE THE 911 CALL
THAT ALERTED THE FIRE DEPARTMENT.
Narrator: BUT DONNY'S ACCOUNT DIDN'T END THERE.
WHILE GIVING HIS FULL STATEMENT, DONNY REVEALED A DETAIL
HE HADN'T SHARED WITH 911 DISPATCHERS.
THERE WAS ALREADY SOMEONE ELSE HERE.
THERE WAS SOMEBODY ELSE HERE?
THERE WAS A WHITE VEHICLE SITTING THERE IDLING.
THOUGHT IT WAS A -- BELIEVED IT WAS A WHITE PICKUP TRUCK
THAT WAS SEEN IN THE AREA.
Narrator: ACCORDING TO DONNY,
NOT ONCE DID THE DRIVER GET OUT OF THE TRUCK
OR OFFER ANY TYPE OF ASSISTANCE.
WE NEVER SAW ANYBODY GO IN THE TRUCK,
COME OUT OF THE TRUCK.
IT JUST SAT THERE, YOU KNOW, OBSERVING WHAT WAS GOING ON.
AND I SAW THE FIRE ENGINES
STARTING TO COME AT THE END OF THE CORNER,
AND THAT'S WHEN THE WHITE TRUCK TURNED AROUND
AND SPED ON OUT OF THE AREA.
Narrator: COULD THE DRIVER OF THIS MYSTERIOUS WHITE TRUCK
BE MIKE'S KILLER?
ANYTHING ELSE YOU CAN TELL ME?
DETECTIVES GRILLED DONNY BALDRIDGE FOR MORE DETAILS,
BUT DONNY SAID ALL HE COULD SEE WAS THAT IT WAS A WHITE PICKUP,
WHICH IN PRYOR, IS LIKE SAYING
THE SUSPECT WAS WEARING BLUE JEANS.
Blackwell: YOU CAN DRIVE UP AND DOWN THE HIGHWAY,
AND I COULD POINT OUT PROBABLY 15 TO 20 PICKUPS
WITHIN 30 MINUTES.
Narrator: ALTHOUGH THERE WAS ONE WHITE TRUCK
THAT CAUGHT DETECTIVES' ATTENTION --
THE VICTIM'S.
CONSIDERING MIKE'S WIFE, WENDY,
HAD JUST LEFT THE SCENE IN A WHITE TRUCK,
INVESTIGATORS FIGURED
THEY NEEDED TO HAVE ANOTHER MORE POINTED CONVERSATION WITH HER.
I THINK EARLY ON, A LOT OF PEOPLE SUSPECTED
THAT WENDY MAY HAVE SOMETHING TO DO WITH IT.
DETECTIVES MET WENDY AT HER FRIEND'S HOUSE,
WHERE SHE AND THE TWINS WERE STAYING.
THEY ASKED HER, POINT BLANK,
DID SHE HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH HER HUSBAND'S ***?
DETECTIVE McKEE, I LOVED MIKE.
I WOULD NEVER DO ANYTHING TO HURT HIM.
Fagala: SHE WAS DISTRAUGHT,
BUT SHE WAS ADAMANT THAT SHE DID NOT DO IT.
SHE SAID SHE COULDN'T DO IT.
Narrator: WENDY ALSO HAD EVIDENCE
THAT SEEMED TO PROVE SHE WAS TELLING THE TRUTH.
I SAVED MY RECEIPTS,
SO I'VE GOT THE RECEIPTS FROM THE SHOPPING TRIP.
AND THAT SHOULD ACCOUNT FOR OUR DAY.
SHE HAD BEEN IN TULSA FOR THE EVENING,
AND SHE HAD TIMES REMEMBERED
FOR EVERYTHING SHE DID THAT EVENING,
AND ANYPLACE WHERE SHE SPENT ANY MONEY, SHE HAD RECEIPTS.
DO YOU HAPPEN TO KNOW ANYBODY THAT OWNS A WHITE TRUCK
THAT HAD ANY PROBLEMS WITH MIKE?
MIKE GOT ALONG WITH EVERYBODY.
Narrator: WENDY WAS CONVINCED
THAT INVESTIGATORS' INITIAL THEORY ABOUT THE CRIME
WAS THE CORRECT ONE.
I THINK WHAT YOU MIGHT WANT TO BE LOOKING AT
IS THE POSSIBILITY OF A BURGLARY.
SHE THOUGHT THAT THIS WAS A BURGLARY/ROBBERY GONE BAD.
Narrator: DETECTIVES WERE SKEPTICAL.
BESIDES, WITH THE HOUSE REDUCED TO EMBERS,
THEY COULDN'T PROVE ANYTHING HAD BEEN STOLEN.
WENDY TOLD INVESTIGATORS
THEY WEREN'T LOOKING IN THE RIGHT PLACE.
THEY NEEDED TO BE LOOKING IN THE GARAGE,
WHERE SHE AND MIKE KEPT THEIR MOST PRIZED POSSESSION.
THAT'S WHERE MIKE AND I KEPT OUR MOTORCYCLE,
AND IT WAS A VERY EXPENSIVE BIKE.
THERE WAS A KAWASAKI MOTORCYCLE,
ONE OF THE LITTLE CROTCH ROCKETS.
WENDY SAYS
THE KAWASAKI MOTORCYCLE'S MISSING.
SHE WAS JUST CONVINCED THAT SOMEBODY STOLE THE BIKE.
Narrator: INSURANCE RECORDS INDICATED
MIKE AND WENDY DID OWN A KAWASAKI MOTORCYCLE,
AND A SEARCH OF THE GARAGE BEHIND THE HOUSE
REVEALED THE BIKE WAS INDEED MISSING.
PERHAPS THE CRIME WAS A BOTCHED ROBBERY AFTER ALL.
AND MORE THAN ONE PERPETRATOR HAD A HAND IN MIKE'S ***.
Villalva: YOU HAVE TO BELIEVE WHOEVER KILLED MIKE COBB
FLED ON A KAWASAKI MOTORCYCLE, AND THAT WHOEVER ASSISTED HIM
HUNG AROUND THE CRIME SCENE IN THIS WHITE TRUCK.
Narrator: POLICE ISSUED
A NATIONWIDE A.P.B. ON THE MISSING MOTORCYCLE.
AS FOR THE WHITE TRUCK,
THEY TRIED TRACKING IT DOWN THE OLD-FASHIONED WAY.
OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL WEEKS,
OFFICERS STOPPED NEARLY EVERY WHITE PICKUP IN PRYOR,
QUESTIONING THE OWNERS ONE BY ONE.
Villalva: THEY LOOKED AND THEY LOOKED AND THEY LOOKED FOR A WHITE TRUCK,
BUT THERE WAS NO CREDIBLE LEADS,
NOTHING TO IDENTIFY THIS WHITE TRUCK.
Narrator: AUTUMN CAME AND WENT, THEN WINTER.
NEARLY A YEAR LATER,
DETECTIVES WERE NO CLOSER TO FINDING THE MISSING TRUCK
OR IDENTIFYING ANY NEW SUSPECTS.
THERE FOR A WHILE, WE WERE EVEN WONDERING
IF THEY WAS EVER GONNA SOLVE IT.
Narrator: BUT JUST WHEN IT SEEMED
THE INVESTIGATION HAD GROUND TO A HALT,
DETECTIVES WOULD RECEIVE A SURPRISE PHONE CALL,
A CALL THAT WOULD LEAD THE INVESTIGATION
IN THE MOST UNLIKELY DIRECTION.
HE REPORTED TO LAW ENFORCEMENT
THAT HE KNEW WHO KILLED MIKE COBB.
Narrator: WHETHER DRIVING PAST THE RUSTIC BARNS
AND IDYLLIC COW PASTURES THAT LINE HISTORIC HIGHWAY 69
OR ENJOYING SUNDAY BRUNCH DOWNTOWN
WITH THE AFTER-CHURCH CROWD,
YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE SHERLOCK HOLMES
TO FIGURE OUT THAT CRIME
ISN'T A PRESSING PROBLEM IN PRYOR, OKLAHOMA.
THAT'S WHY NEARLY A YEAR LATER,
THE ENTIRE TOWN WAS STILL REELING
FROM THE UNSOLVED *** OF THEIR FAVORITE SON,
VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTER MIKE COBB.
IN FACT, FOLKS IN PRYOR WERE DOWNRIGHT PETRIFIED
THAT MIKE'S KILLER WAS WALKING AMONG THEM.
THAT'S A SCARY THOUGHT. IT WORRIES YOU THAT "AM I NEXT?"
Narrator: THEN ALMOST A YEAR TO THE DAY AFTER MIKE'S ***,
DETECTIVES RECEIVED AN UNEXPECTED PHONE CALL.
McKEE.
HEY, I THINK I MAY HAVE SOME INFORMATION
ON A *** Y'ALL ARE WORKING ON.
ON THE LINE IS A TATTOO ARTIST FROM TULSA NAMED JAMES GARNER.
JAMES HAD REPORTED TO LAW ENFORCEMENT
THAT HE HAD A LEAD THEY COULD PURSUE.
Narrator: GARNER TOLD POLICE HE WAS A FORMER *** USER
AND HAD AN ACQUAINTANCE THEY OUGHT TO LOOK INTO,
MAN NAMED NICK SHIRES.
NICK AND JAMES GARNER AND A NUMBER OF OTHER PEOPLE
WERE VERY, VERY INVOLVED IN METHAMPHETAMINES.
IT WAS A DAILY OCCURRENCE FOR THEM TO USE DRUGS.
YEAH, AT THE TIME, WE SMOKED SOME ***.
I MEAN, WE PARTIED A LITTLE, BUT ALL THAT'S BEHIND ME NOW.
Narrator: ACCORDING TO GARNER, HE SOBERED UP
AROUND THE TIME HE OPENED HIS TATTOO PARLOR.
BUT NICK SHIRES KEPT SINKING DEEPER AND DEEPER
INTO THE TULSA *** SCENE.
Fagala: HE COULDN'T GET RID OF IT.
HE COULD NOT GET OVER THIS *** ADDICTION.
Narrator: GARNER SUSPECTED
NICK'S DRUG PROBLEM HAD GROWN SO SEVERE,
HE'D RESORTED TO STEALING IN ORDER TO FEED THE DEMON,
ESPECIALLY AFTER NICK SHOWED UP AT GARNER'S TATTOO PARLOR
WITH A SLICK, NEW CROTCH ROCKET.
IT WAS A GRAY KAWASAKI NINJA.
Villalva: THE KAWASAKI MOTORCYCLE THAT JAMES GARNER DESCRIBED
IS CONSISTENT WITH THE DESCRIPTION
OF THE KAWASAKI MOTORCYCLE MISSING FROM THE COBB RESIDENCE.
HE SAID, "I BELIEVE THAT NICK SHIRES
IS INVOLVED IN THIS ***."
Narrator: IT WAS THE MOST PROMISING LEAD
DETECTIVES HAD RECEIVED IN MONTHS.
BUT AFTER PULLING NICK SHIRES' RAP SHEET,
THEY WERE DOUBTFUL SHIRES WAS UP TO THE BRUTAL TASK OF ***.
HE HAD BEEN ARRESTED FOR D.U.I.s AND DRUGS
AND HAD BEEN IN A DRUG COURT,
BUT NO HISTORY OF VIOLENCE OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT.
Narrator: IN FACT,
NICK SHIRES DIDN'T EVEN HAVE A HISTORY OF THEFT,
LET ALONE *** OR ARSON.
THAT'S WHEN JAMES GARNER REVEALED
A SHOCKING CONVERSATION HE HAD WITH NICK SHIRES
DURING A RECENT TATTOO SESSION.
McKee: MR. GARNER TOLD US
THAT HE WAS PUTTING A TATTOO ON NICK'S BACK,
AND HE SAID, WHILE HE WAS DOING IT,
THAT NICK HAD EXPRESSED SOME PAIN.
HEY, MAN, EASY.
AND HE CALLED HIM A [BLEEP]
Narrator: AT THAT POINT, GARNER CLAIMED
SHIRES UTTERED SOMETHING THAT'S HAUNTED HIM TO THIS DAY.
MIKE COBB DIDN'T THINK I WAS A [BLEEP]
WHEN I BUSTED HIS HEAD OPEN LIKE A DAMN MELON.
NICK SAYS, "I HIT HIM IN THE HEAD WITH A BASEBALL BAT,
AND IT EXPLODED LIKE A MELON."
NICK SHIRES CORROBORATES MEDICAL EXAMINER'S REPORT
WITH REGARD TO THE BLUNT-FORCE-TRAUMA INJURY.
IT WOULD HAVE BEEN CONSISTENT WITH A BASEBALL BAT.
McKee: THAT WAS ENOUGH INFORMATION
TO SEND IN A PROBABLE CAUSE AFFIDAVIT
FOR NICHOLAS SHIRES.
ALL RIGHTY. I APPRECIATE IT. AND I'LL BE IN TOUCH WITH YOU.
Narrator: THANKFULLY,
DETECTIVES DIDN'T HAVE TO LOOK FAR
TO FIND NICK SHIRES.
HE WAS ACTUALLY IN THE JAIL HOUSE ALREADY
ON ANOTHER UNRELATED CHARGE OUT OF A DIFFERENT COUNTY.
McKee: WE NOTIFIED THE CREEK COUNTY JAIL
AND BROUGHT HIM OVER HERE.
HE WAS VERY UPSET, NATURALLY, THAT HE WAS CHARGED.
Narrator: NEWS THAT SOMEONE HAD FINALLY BEEN CHARGED IN THE CASE
SWEPT THROUGH THE BARBER SHOPS
AND MOM-AND-POP HARDWARE STORES OF PRYOR
WITH THE SPEED OF AN F5 TORNADO.
THERE WAS JUST A COMPLETE BUZZ ABOUT THE TOWN
AND ABOUT THE COMMUNITY
WITH REGARD TO WHEN THIS CASE WAS GONNA GO TO TRIAL
AND WHAT THE OUTCOME WOULD BE.
Narrator: BUT THE REAL QUESTION
FOLKS IN PRYOR WANTED ANSWERED WAS, WHY?
AFTER ALL, THE COBBS' HOUSE
SEEMED LIKE AN ODD TARGET FOR A TULSA *** HEAD
WHO LIVED MORE THAN AN HOUR AWAY.
Baldridge: IT'S JUST UNHEARD OF,
ESPECIALLY OUT HERE IN THIS RURAL COMMUNITY,
LIKE, WHERE PEOPLE LIVE KIND OF SECLUDED,
AND WHY SHOULD SOMETHING LIKE THIS HAPPEN,
'CAUSE YOU JUST DON'T SEE IT.
Narrator: THERE WAS ALSO THE UNSOLVED MYSTERY
SURROUNDING THE WHITE PICKUP TRUCK.
WAS THE MAN BEHIND THE WHEEL AN ACCOMPLICE OF NICK SHIRES?
WHAT ROLE, IF ANY,
DID THIS VEHICLE PLAY IN THE CRIME?
TO MOST FOLKS IN PRYOR, IT SEEMED THERE WERE
SOME PRETTY BIG PIECES OF THE PUZZLE STILL MISSING.
BUT JUST BEFORE THE TRIAL WAS SET TO START,
PROSECUTORS GOT A CALL FROM NICK SHIRES' ATTORNEY.
WE GOT THE CALL THAT HE WANTED TO TALK.
ALL RIGHT.
I'LL TELL YOU WHAT HAPPENED.
Narrator: IN EXCHANGE FOR A PLEA BARGAIN,
NICK SPELLED OUT THE EVENTS THAT LED TO MIKE COBB'S ***.
ACCORDING TO NICK,
HE WAS ALREADY AT THE COBB RESIDENCE
WHEN MIKE GOT HOME.
HEARING THE FRONT DOOR OPEN, NICK GRABBED A BASEBALL BAT,
AND WHEN MIKE ROUNDED THE CORNER,
NICK ATTACKED.
HE TOOK A SWING AT HIM AND MISSED.
MIKE RAN OUT OF THE HOUSE.
Narrator: NICK GAVE CHASE AND TACKLED MIKE IN THE GRASS.
NICK SWUNG THE BAT A SECOND TIME.
THIS TIME, HE DIDN'T MISS.
McKee: HE HIT HIM ONE TIME.
HE ASSUMED HE WAS DEAD AT THAT TIME.
HE DRUG HIM BACK IN THE HOUSE.
Narrator: TO COVER HIS TRACKS,
NICK GRABBED A GAS CAN FROM THE PATIO,
DOUSED THE HOUSE IN GASOLINE, AND LIT IT UP.
HE THEN FLED THE SCENE ON THE COBBS' MOTORCYCLE,
WHICH HE LATER SOLD FOR CRYSTAL ***.
IT WAS A CHILLING CONFESSION.
BUT NICK SHIRES WASN'T DONE.
ULTIMATELY, HE'D COUGH UP
THE NAME OF HIS MYSTERY ACCOMPLICE, TOO,
A PRYOR RESIDENT NOBODY COULD HAVE ENVISIONED
BEING CAPABLE OF ***,
MUCH LESS THE CRIME'S MASTERMIND.
TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE DARK SIDE OF THE CITY,
GO TO investigationdiscovery.com.
Narrator: IN A MEETING WITH DETECTIVES IN A JAIL HOUSE IN PRYOR,
*** HEAD TURNED *** SUSPECT NICK SHIRES
HAD JUST CONFESSED TO MURDERING MIKE COBB
THEN SETTING THE VOLUNTEER FIREMAN'S HOUSE ABLAZE.
I BURNED THE HOUSE WITH HIM IN IT.
BUT WHAT NICK SHIRES TOLD INVESTIGATORS NEXT
WAS EVEN MORE CHILLING.
ACCORDING TO SHIRES,
THE *** WASN'T THE BYPRODUCT OF A BOTCHED ROBBERY.
IT WAS *** FOR HIRE.
THEY SAID THEY WANTED HIM DEAD
AND IT WOULD BE WORTH MY WHILE.
McKee: SOMEONE HAD APPROACHED HIM
WILLING TO PAY TO HAVE MIKE KNOCKED OFF.
Narrator: BUT WHO WOULD WANT MIKE COBB DEAD?
ACCORDING TO SHIRES, IT WAS SOMEONE CLOSE TO MIKE.
PROSECUTORS' MINDS IMMEDIATELY JUMPED
TO HIS DISGRUNTLED STEPSON, CORBIN HOWARD.
I WANT TO GO OUT AND DO WHAT I WANT TO DO
AND GET AS FAR AWAY FROM YOU AS POSSIBLE!
THE SON AND MIKE, THEY CLASHED A LOT,
AND THEY REALLY THOUGHT THAT THERE WAS A POSSIBILITY
HE COULD HAVE BEEN BEHIND THIS.
Narrator: BUT NICK TOLD INVESTIGATORS CORBIN WASN'T HIS ACCOMPLICE.
THE REAL ACCOMPLICE
WAS MIKE'S OWN WIFE, WENDY.
McKee: NICK CLAIMED THAT APPROXIMATELY TWO WEEKS PRIOR
TO THE TIME OF THIS FIRE
THAT WENDY HAD APPROACHED HIM ABOUT KILLING MIKE COBB.
SO, YOU'RE TELLING ME WENDY COBB ASKED YOU
TO *** HER HUSBAND FOR HER?
YES. THAT'S WHAT I'M SAYING.
Narrator: ACCORDING TO NICK, WENDY MAY HAVE HATCHED THE PLAN
A COUPLE OF WEEKS PRIOR TO THE ***.
BUT THE TWO OF THEM
HAD KNOWN EACH OTHER EVER SINCE THEY WORKED TOGETHER
AT THE MidAmerica INDUSTRIAL PARK,
WHERE THE MOTHERLY WENDY
TOOK THE WAYWARD NICK UNDER HER WING.
HOW ABOUT YOU? HOW ARE YOU?
Fagala: HE WAS A YOUNG GUY
THAT HAD NEVER HAD ANYBODY THAT REALLY CARED ABOUT HIM,
AND SHE FELT SORRY FOR HIM
AND WAS DOING WHAT SHE COULD TO HELP HIM.
Narrator: ACCORDING TO NICK,
HE WASN'T THE ONLY ONE GOING THROUGH A ROUGH PATCH.
I JUST DON'T KNOW HOW LONG I'M GONNA BE ABLE TO STAND IT.
MIKE IS DRIVING ME CRAZY.
WENDY CONFIDED IN HIM
THAT SHE AND MIKE WERE ALSO HAVING A TOUGH GO OF IT.
Cobb: THEY WERE HAVING TROUBLE WITH CORBIN,
AND CORBIN WAS DOING WHATEVER HE WANTED TO DO.
AND IF HE THINKS THAT I'M GONNA CHOOSE BETWEEN HIM AND MY SON,
HE'S WRONG.
I'M NOT GONNA DO THAT.
Narrator: EVENTUALLY, NICK AND WENDY BECAME
MORE THAN JUST CONFIDANTS.
THEY BECAME LOVERS.
McKee: THROUGH THE INTERVIEW WITH HIM,
WE WAS ABLE TO ESTABLISH THE NATURE OF THE RELATIONSHIP
THAT NICK AND WENDY WAS HAVING.
IT WAS A VERY ROMANTIC DEAL.
Narrator: ACCORDING TO NICK, AS THE AFFAIR INTENSIFIED,
WENDY GREW INCREASINGLY DESPERATE
TO ESCAPE HER MARRIAGE.
[ SIGHS ] I DON'T KNOW.
HE FUSSES AT THE KIDS ALL THE TIME.
HE GIVES ME A HARD TIME.
AND IN THE SPRING OF 2009,
SHE APPROACHED NICK WITH A DEADLY PROPOSITION.
SHE WAS WILLING TO PAY
SOMEWHERE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF $20,000
TO HAVE MIKE KNOCKED OFF.
Narrator: HEAD OVER HEELS FOR WENDY
AND HARD UP FOR CASH TO SUPPORT HIS DRUG HABIT,
NICK AGREED TO GO ALONG WITH WENDY'S PLAN.
THOUGH NICK WASN'T THE ONLY ONE
WHO STOOD TO GAIN FINANCIALLY FROM MIKE'S DEATH.
MIKE DOES HAVE A LOT OF LIFE INSURANCE.
LIKE, A LOT.
SHE STOOD TO GAIN
ROUGHLY $1.2 MILLION FROM THE DEATH OF HER HUSBAND.
Narrator: WITH SO MUCH MONEY ON THE LINE,
NICK SAID WENDY LEFT NOTHING TO CHANCE.
IT WAS HER IDEA TO STEAL THE MOTORCYCLE
AND MAKE THE CRIME LOOK LIKE A ROBBERY.
SHE EVEN LEFT THREE GAS CANS ON THE PATIO
SO NICK COULD TORCH THE PLACE.
BUT WHAT ABOUT THE WHITE TRUCK
SPOTTED OUTSIDE THE COBBS' BURNING HOME?
NICK CLAIMED IT HAD NO CONNECTION TO THE CRIME.
IT WAS JUST SOME CURIOUS PASSERBY
WHO LINGERED AT THE SCENE
JUST LONG ENOUGH TO BE NOTICED BY NEIGHBOR DONNY BALDRIDGE.
THE WHITE TRUCK WAS PROBABLY JUST AN OBSERVER,
HEARD THE FIRE DEPARTMENT PAGED OUT ON A HOUSE FIRE.
Narrator: ON MARCH 25, 2011,
POLICE IN PRYOR CHARGED WENDY COBB
WITH THE FIRST-DEGREE *** OF HER HUSBAND.
LIEUTENANT McKEE SHOWED UP, PLACED HER UNDER ARREST,
READ HER HER RIGHTS, AND SHE SAID NOT A WORD.
NO REACTION WHATSOEVER.
Narrator: WENDY DIDN'T HAVE MUCH TO SAY,
BUT IN PRYOR,
THE NEWS THAT MIKE COBB'S WIDOW HAD BEEN BOOKED FOR HIS ***
HAD THE ENTIRE TOWN ABUZZ.
SHE WAS ON THE FRONT PAGE OF THE PAPER WITH HANDCUFFS.
THERE WAS ANTICIPATION
FROM THE MOMENT THAT WENDY COBB WAS CHARGED,
A WIFE UNDER SUSPICION WITH AN ILLICIT LOVER INVOLVED.
THE ATMOSPHERE WAS TENSION-FILLED.
Narrator: AT TRIAL, PROSECUTORS PAINTED WENDY
AS A CONNIVING BLACK WIDOW OF A WIFE
WHO WAS WILLING TO DO ANYTHING
TO GET HER HANDS ON HER HUSBAND'S INSURANCE MONEY.
WENDY COBB CONSPIRED TO KILL HER HUSBAND
FOR ONE REASON --
GREED.
Narrator: TO SUPPORT THAT CLAIM,
THEY CALLED HER CO-CONSPIRATOR, NICK SHIRES, TO THE STAND.
SOLEMNLY SWEAR OR AFFIRM
THAT THE TESTIMONY YOU'RE ABOUT TO GIVE IN THE CASE
TO BE THE TRUTH, THE WHOLE TRUTH,
AND NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH?
I DO.
IF YOU'RE GONNA PUT THE DEVIL IN PRISON,
YOU GOT TO GO TO HELL TO GET THE WITNESSES.
NICK NEGOTIATED A PLEA BARGAIN WITH THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA
AND OFFERED HIM
22 YEARS IN PRISON FOR HIS TESTIMONY.
Narrator: NICK LAID OUT
THE SAME STORY HE HAD IN HIS INITIAL CONFESSION.
I ENDED HIS LIFE WITH ONE SWING OF THE BAT.
Villalva: I SAID, "MR. SHIRES, YOU'VE KILLED A MAN,
BUT YOU'RE NOT THE ONLY ONE AT FAULT, ARE YOU?"
HE SAID, "NO, I'M NOT."
I SAID, "WENDY COBB HELPED YOU."
"YES, SHE DID."
Narrator: WENDY'S DEFENSE TEAM ARGUED THAT NICK HAD ACTED ALONE,
MURDERING MIKE COBB
IN ORDER TO FINALLY HAVE WENDY ALL TO HIMSELF.
NICK SHIRES AND NICK SHIRES ALONE
WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE BRUTAL DEATH OF MIKE COBB.
Brunton: HE BELIEVED
THAT SHE WAS GONNA COME IN TO A LOT OF MONEY.
HE BELIEVED THAT ONCE MIKE WAS DEAD,
THE TWO OF THEM
WOULD RIDE OFF INTO THE SUNSET TOGETHER.
Narrator: PROSECUTORS COUNTERED BY CALLING A SURPRISE WITNESS TO THE STAND,
THE COBBS' INSURANCE AGENT, SISSY HULSE.
SISSY TESTIFIED THAT THREE MONTHS BEFORE HIS ***,
MIKE COBB MADE A STARTLING REQUEST
REGARDING HIS WIFE AND HIS LIFE-INSURANCE POLICY.
I THINK MAYBE I WANT TO TAKE HER OFF THE INSURANCE POLICY NOW.
Villalva: HE CAME INTO THE INSURANCE COMPANY,
AND HE SAID, "I NEED TO TAKE HER OFF THE POLICY."
I THINK SHE MIGHT TRY AND KILL ME.
Narrator: SISSY HULSE COMPLIED WITH MIKE'S REQUEST
AND REMOVED WENDY FROM THE POLICY.
HE CAME IN A COUPLE OF MONTHS AFTER THAT
AND SAID THAT HE AND WENDY WERE WORKING THINGS OUT
AND HAD RECONCILED
AND THAT HE WANTED TO PUT HER BACK ON THE INSURANCE POLICY.
WENDY ATTEMPTED RECONCILIATION WITH MIKE,
AND THE MARRIAGE WAS NOT GONNA BE SPLIT UP.
SHE CAME CRAWLING BACK
BECAUSE IT WAS ALL PART OF HER MASTER PLAN.
Narrator: PROSECUTORS CLAIMED THAT RECONCILIATION
WAS ALL PART OF WENDY'S SCHEME
TO GET HER HANDS ON THE INSURANCE MONEY.
AND IT WAS ABOUT A MONTH LATER AFTER THEY RECONCILED
THAT HE WAS DEAD.
Narrator: IT WAS COMPELLING TESTIMONY,
BUT WAS IT ENOUGH TO CONVICT WENDY COBB OF ***?
ON OCTOBER 25, 2011,
THE JURY BROKE FOR DELIBERATIONS.
I WAS WORRIED ABOUT THE TRIAL. DO THEY REALLY HAVE ENOUGH?
DO THEY HAVE ALL THEIR BASES COVERED?
WE WERE ALL SITTING ON PINS AND NEEDLES.
Narrator: AFTER THREE HOURS BEHIND CLOSED DOORS,
THE JURY RETURNED ITS VERDICT.
McKee: THEY COME BACK WITH THE VERDICT
OF GUILTY OF *** IN THE FIRST DEGREE.
Narrator: THE JUDGE SENTENCED WENDY TO LIFE IN PRISON.
I COULD NOT HAVE ASKED FOR ANY BETTER RESULT
THAN WHAT HAS HAPPENED.
THAT LADY WILL NEVER KNOW WHAT SHE TOOK,
BUT EVERYONE ELSE DOES.
Narrator: WENDY COBB IS SERVING HER SENTENCE
AT MABEL BASSETT CORRECTIONAL CENTER
IN McLOUD, OKLAHOMA.
Jordan: I'M GLAD TO KNOW THAT'S WHERE SHE'S SITTING AT.
SHE'S GONNA HAVE TO THINK ABOUT WHAT SHE DONE EVERY SINGLE DAY,
WHAT SHE DONE TO HER AND HER KIDS.
Narrator: AS FOR PRYOR,
THE TOWN STILL SEEMS LIKE
THAT QUAINT SLICE OF HEARTLAND, AMERICA.
BUT FOLKS THERE WILL ADMIT THAT THE *** OF MIKE COBB
PROVED THAT PURE EVIL CAN BE FOUND
IN EVEN THE WARMEST, MOST GOD-FEARING SMALL TOWNS.
AND IN SOME CASES, EVEN UNDER YOUR OWN ROOF.
Baldridge: THIS CASE,
THE NATURE OF IT AND HOW HORRIFIC IT WAS,
THIS IS NOT GONNA GO AWAY.
THIS IS GONNA BE ONE OF THOSE ITEMS
THAT'S ALWAYS GONNA BE TALKED ABOUT.