Zahn: THEIR RANCH WAS 16 ACRES OF PARADISE...
UNTIL IT BECAME A CRIME SCENE.
SHE SAID, "CLAIRE, YOUR DAD'S DEAD."
IT WAS HORRIBLE. "THIS CAN'T BE TRUE."
Zahn: DETECTIVES FIGURED OUT HOW IT HAPPENED.
BOB DIED OF BLUNT-FORCE TRAUMA TO THE HEAD...
AND STRANGULATION.
Zahn: WOULD THE EVIDENCE TELL THEM WHO DID IT?
STRANGERS DON'T CLEAN UP AFTER THEMSELVES IN MURDERS.
Zahn: THERE WERE HINTS OF TROUBLE IN PARADISE.
HE SAID YOU HAD A VOLATILE TEMPER.
PEOPLE GET ANGRY, AND I DON'T THINK THAT MEANS
THAT THEY'RE GONNA KILL ANYBODY.
Zahn: A HOMICIDE INVESTIGATION
TURNED INTO AN EPIC FAMILY DRAMA.
HER BIGGEST FEAR WAS THAT HER FAMILY WOULD TURN ON HER.
Zahn: A MURDER AND A MYSTERY AT CHARISMA FARMS.
[ SIREN WAILS ]
-- Captions by VITAC -- www.vitac.com
CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS
HI, I'M PAULA ZAHN,
AND TONIGHT WE'RE ON THE CASE IN VALLEY CENTER, CALIFORNIA --
A SMALL TOWN TUCKED AWAY
IN THE ROCKY HILLS NORTH OF SAN DIEGO.
THEY LOOK LIKE ONE OF THOSE PICTURE-PERFECT FAMILIES --
ATTRACTIVE, SUCCESSFUL, HAPPY.
BUT A MYSTERIOUS MURDER
WOULD TEAR THE FACADE RIGHT OFF THAT IMAGE
AND SEND INVESTIGATORS
DOWN A TRAIL OF DARK FAMILY SECRETS
TO FIND THE KILLER.
FEBRUARY 13, 2000.
IT WAS A FOGGY SUNDAY NIGHT.
24-YEAR-OLD CLAIRE DOROTIK RETURNED HOME
TO CHARISMA FARMS, HER PARENT'S HORSE RANCH,
AFTER SPENDING THE WEEKEND OUT OF TOWN.
AS I PULLED UP, MY MOM WAS WALKING
DOWN THE OUTSIDE STAIRCASE,
AND MY FIRST THOUGHT WAS, YOU KNOW, "THIS IS BAD."
IT'S 10:00 AT NIGHT.
WHY IS MY MOM MEETING ME OUTSIDE? THAT'S NOT TYPICAL.
WHAT DID SHE SAY TO YOU?
SHE WAS NERVOUS. SHE WAS SHAKY.
SHE CAME UP, AND SHE SAID, "CLAIRE, YOUR DAD'S MISSING."
CLAIRE'S FATHER, BOB,
HAD LEFT TO GO JOGGING EARLIER THAT AFTERNOON
AND NEVER RETURNED HOME.
HOW LONG HAD HE BEEN MISSING AT THAT POINT?
I THINK PROBABLY ABOUT 10 HOURS.
BOB HAD BEEN WATCHING A BASKETBALL GAME ON TV
WHILE GETTING DRESSED FOR HIS RUN.
THAT'S THE LAST TIME CLAIRE'S MOTHER, JANE, HAD SEEN HIM.
CHARISMA FARMS WAS A GRACIOUS 16-ACRE SPREAD,
AND JANE HAD BEEN OUTSIDE TENDING TO THEIR 18 HORSES
WHEN BOB LEFT THE HOUSE.
SHE SAID IT MUST HAVE BEEN AROUND 1:00 P.M.
AND THAT NOTHING SEEMED OUT OF THE ORDINARY
AS SHE WAS MAKING HER ROUNDS.
SOMETIMES MY DAD WOULD RUN FOR A COUPLE HOURS,
SO IT WASN'T CONCERNING UNTIL PROBABLY, YOU KNOW,
LATER AND LATER IN THE AFTERNOON THAT HE WASN'T BACK YET.
WHEN NIGHT FELL AND THERE WAS STILL NO SIGN OF HER HUSBAND,
JANE KNEW SOMETHING WAS WRONG.
JANE MADE SOME PHONE CALLS, YOU KNOW, TRYING TO FIND BOB.
SHE WAS CONCERNED.
Zahn: JANE PHONED FRIENDS AND LOCAL EMERGENCY ROOMS,
BUT HER HUSBAND WAS NOWHERE TO BE FOUND.
SHE THOUGHT PERHAPS HE INJURED HIMSELF
AND WAS OUT THERE INJURED,
SO SHE HAD GONE OUT
LOOKING ON THE ROADS THAT HE TYPICALLY RUNS ON.
Zahn: AROUND 7:40 P.M.,
JANE CALLED POLICE
AND REPORTED HER HUSBAND MISSING.
DEPUTIES CAME TO THE HOUSE AND STARTED SEARCHING THE AREA.
WHEN CLAIRE ARRIVED,
SHE WAS ABLE TO GIVE THE DEPUTIES GUIDANCE.
SHE OFTEN WENT JOGGING WITH HER FATHER
AND KNEW HIS FAVORITE ROUTES.
THEY ASKED WHERE MY DAD MIGHT BE RUNNING.
WOULD HE GO DOWN THIS TRAIL, WOULD HE GO DOWN THAT TRAIL,
WOULD HE GO DOWN TO THE CAFé?
THEY JUST REALLY WANTED TO KNOW ANY POSSIBILITY
ABOUT WHERE HE MIGHT HAVE RUN.
Donahue: AFTER THE DEPUTIES CHECKED THE AREA
AND COULDN'T FIND BOB,
THEY ACTIVATED OUR SEARCH-AND-RESCUE UNIT,
WHICH IS A GROUP OF SPECIALLY TRAINED VOLUNTEERS
THAT SET UP A COMMAND POST
AND SET UP A FULL-SCALE OPERATION TO LOOK FOR BOB.
I REMEMBER THINKING
THAT AS LONG AS THEY'RE WORKING ON IT,
THEY'RE GONNA FIND HIM.
HE'LL BE OKAY.
Zahn: 55-YEAR-OLD BOB DOROTIK WAS AN ENGINEER BY TRAINING.
HIS WIFE AND DAUGHTER ADORED HORSES.
AND FOR THEM, LIVING ON A RANCH WAS A DREAM COME TRUE.
Woman: ALL RIGHT, CLAIRE!
BOB WASN'T AS PASSIONATE ABOUT THE RANCH,
BUT HE HAD RECENTLY STARTED A BUSINESS BUILDING HORSE JUMPS.
HE WAS A HARD WORKER
AND VERY DEVOTED TO HIS THREE GROWN CHILDREN.
HE SIMPLY WASN'T THE TYPE TO TAKE OFF WITHOUT TELLING ANYONE.
DID IT OCCUR TO YOU HE MIGHT HAVE GONE AWAY?
NO. NO.
WASN'T EVEN A THOUGHT.
MY DAD'S FAVORITE PASTIME WAS BRAGGING ABOUT HIS KIDS,
SO I THINK THERE WAS TOO MUCH AT STAKE FOR HIM TO GO.
AN INTENSE SEARCH CONTINUED FOR HOURS
UNTIL DETECTIVES MADE AN OMINOUS DISCOVERY
ABOUT TWO MILES FROM THE HOUSE.
Donahue: THEY FOUND HIS JACKET OFF TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD,
AND WHEN THEY FOUND THE JACKET,
THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF A CRIME SCENE,
SO THAT KIND OF CENTERED THE AREA OF LOOKING FOR BOB --
AROUND WHERE THE JACKET HAD BEEN FOUND.
Zahn: THEN, AT AROUND 4:30 IN THE MORNING,
ANOTHER DISCOVERY.
THIS ONE WAS HEARTBREAKING.
100 FEET FROM THE ROAD,
DETECTIVES FOUND A BODY IN THE BRUSH.
CLAIRE'S BELOVED FATHER WAS DEAD.
HOW DID YOU FIND OUT YOUR FATHER WAS DEAD?
MY MOTHER TOLD ME.
SHE JUST CAME INTO MY ROOM.
AND SHE SAID, "CLAIRE, YOUR DAD'S DEAD."
SHE JUST SAID THAT THE DETECTIVES HAD FOUND HIM
OFF THE SIDE OF THE ROAD IN HIS JOGGING SUIT.
IT MUST HAVE BEEN A SHOCK.
IT WAS HORRIBLE.
JANE CALLED HER TWO SONS AND HER SISTER
WITH THE DEVASTATING NEWS.
Long: SHE SAID SHE HAD AWFUL NEWS, THAT BOB WAS DEAD.
SHE SAID SHE WAS WAITING FOR DETECTIVES
TO COME AND TALK TO HER.
SHE WAS STILL IN SHOCK.
IT WAS HORRIFYING. IT WAS LIKE, "WHAT HAPPENED?"
Zahn: BOB HAD BEEN A HEALTHY, ACTIVE MAN.
DID HE FALL? HAD HE SUFFERED A HEART ATTACK?
IT DIDN'T MAKE ANY SENSE TO THE FAMILY.
WHEN DETECTIVES REPORTED WHAT THEY HAD FOUND,
THE NEWS WAS SHOCKING.
IT WAS PRETTY APPARENT,
YOU KNOW, LOOKING AT THE BODY, THAT FOUL PLAY WAS INVOLVED.
THERE WAS A SMALL PIECE OF ROPE WRAPPED AROUND BOB'S NECK.
Zahn: BOB DOROTIK HAD BEEN MURDERED.
THE INVESTIGATION QUICKLY BECAME
LIEUTENANT WILLIAM DONAHUE'S TOP PRIORITY.
WE BASICALLY, THAT DAY, THAT MORNING,
FANNED OUT AND STARTED LOOKING,
YOU KNOW, FOR EVIDENCE OF WHERE BOB MIGHT HAVE BEEN KILLED.
SOME OF US PEEL OFF AND CONDUCT INTERVIEWS IN THE COMMUNITY.
Zahn: THE QUESTION OF WHO COULD HAVE KILLED HER FATHER
WEIGHED HEAVILY ON CLAIRE.
DID YOUR FATHER HAVE ENEMIES?
I THINK EVERYBODY DOES.
IF YOU'RE RUNNING WITH HIM
AND SOMEBODY ALMOST HITS YOU WITH A CAR OR A BIKE,
WELL, HE'S GONNA YELL AT THEM.
THAT WAS KIND OF HOW HE WAS.
NOTHING POLICE HEARD
SOUNDED LIKE A MOTIVE FOR MURDER.
THE INVESTIGATION WAS WIDE OPEN.
THERE WERE NO SUSPECTS AND NO SOLID LEADS.
WE REALLY DIDN'T KNOW WHERE BOB WAS KILLED.
HE COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED ANYWHERE FROM BETWEEN THE HOUSE
AND TWO MILES AWAY WHERE HIS BODY WAS FOUND.
WE REALLY DIDN'T HAVE ANY CLEAR IMPRESSIONS
AS TO WHO MIGHT HAVE DONE IT TO THAT POINT.
Zahn: THE MEDICAL EXAMINER HAD DETERMINED
THAT BOB LOST A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF BLOOD,
BUT DETECTIVES NOTED
THAT THERE WAS ALMOST NO BLOOD AT THE CRIME SCENE.
THAT GOT THEM THINKING ABOUT THE CASE IN A VERY DIFFERENT WAY.
CURIOUSLY, THERE WAS AN ABSENCE OF BLOOD IN THE AREA.
IT WAS PRETTY INDICATIVE
THAT BOB WAS POSSIBLY KILLED SOMEWHERE ELSE
AND DUMPED WHERE HE WAS FOUND.
Zahn: WHO KILLED BOB DOROTIK?
WITHIN HOURS, A SUSPECT WOULD EMERGE.
BOB DOROTIK AND HIS FAMILY
HAD TURNED CHARISMA FARMS INTO THEIR DREAM HOME,
BUT WHEN BOB WAS MURDERED ON A RAINY AFTERNOON,
THE FAMILY RANCH BECAME THE FOCUS
OF AN EXHAUSTIVE INVESTIGATION.
WHAT MOTIVE COULD THERE HAVE BEEN
TO KILL A HUSBAND AND DEVOTED FATHER?
Zahn: WHAT WERE YOUR FATHER'S PASSIONS?
Claire: HE LOVED TO RUN.
MY DAD CAME TO EVERY SINGLE TRACK MEET,
AND I THINK I HAD THE ONLY PARENT ON THE TEAM
WHO CAME TO EVERY TRACK MEET,
NEVER MISSED ONE.
THE WEEKEND BEFORE YOUR FATHER DIED,
YOU RAN IN A MARATHON WITH HIM.
WHAT WAS THAT EXPERIENCE LIKE?
I COULDN'T TRADE THAT FOR THE WHOLE WORLD.
I MEAN, THAT WAS THE BEST EXPERIENCE OF MY LIFE...
I THINK OF MY FATHER'S LIFE, TOO.
CLAIRE'S MOTHER WAS ALSO HEARTBROKEN
OVER HER HUSBAND'S MURDER.
DURING THEIR 30-YEAR MARRIAGE,
JANE AND BOB HAD THEIR UPS AND DOWNS.
THREE YEARS BEFORE HIS DEATH, BOB HAD EVEN FILED FOR DIVORCE,
BUT THEY RECONCILED SOON AFTER.
AT THE TIME OF HIS DEATH,
CLAIRE SAYS HER PARENTS' MARRIAGE WAS STRONGER THAN EVER.
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR PARENTS' RELATIONSHIP
SHORTLY BEFORE YOUR DAD DIED?
GOOD.
THEY HAD RECONCILED.
THEY HAD SEPARATED THEIR FINANCES.
MY FATHER HAD STARTED A BUSINESS, WAS HAPPY WITH IT.
IT WAS GOING WELL.
CLAIRE AND JANE LOVE LIVING AT CHARISMA FARMS,
BUT THE RANCH HAD BEEN A SOURCE OF FAMILY TENSION.
BOB WORRIED ABOUT THE HIGH COST
OF MAINTAINING THE 16-ACRE PROPERTY
AND CARING FOR THE HORSES.
THERE WERE POINTS IN YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR FATHER
WHERE YOU'D ARGUE ABOUT HORSES, TOO, RIGHT?
MM-HMM.
BUT THAT WAS GONE
IN OR AROUND THE TIME OF HIS MURDER, OR...?
AT THAT TIME, YES.
BECAUSE HE WAS NO LONGER FINANCIALLY SUPPORTING THEM.
SO HE HAD A VERY DIFFERENT ATTITUDE TOWARD THEM
AT THAT PARTICULAR MOMENT.
BOB'S CHANGE OF HEART ABOUT THE RANCH SEEMED GENUINE.
HIS NEW BUSINESS EVEN CATERED TO EQUESTRIANS.
AT THE TIME OF HIS DEATH,
HE SEEMED AT PEACE AND HAPPY AS HE HAD EVER BEEN.
BUT NOW THE DOROTIKS WERE FACING A HARSH NEW REALITY.
AS THEY MOURN BOB'S LOSS,
THEY HAD TO DEAL WITH THE INVESTIGATION
INTO HIS UNSOLVED MURDER
AND A NEW LIFE OF PUBLIC SCRUTINY.
Soto: THERE WAS A LOT OF NEWS MEDIA ATTENTION TO THIS CASE.
THIS IS AN AREA THAT IS NOT KNOWN FOR VIOLENT CRIME.
Zahn: LOCAL DEPUTIES WEREN'T ACCUSTOMED TO SOLVING MURDERS,
SO THE CASE WAS TAKEN OVER BY THE SAN DIEGO HOMICIDE UNIT.
THE FIRST BREAK IN THE CASE CAME WHEN DETECTIVES PROCESSED
THE AREA WHERE BOB'S BODY WAS RECOVERED.
Soto: NEXT TO HIS BODY, THEY FOUND TWO SETS OF TIRE TRACKS
FROM TWO DIFFERENT TRUCKS.
ONE OF THOSE TIRE TRACKS INVOLVED A TRUCK
WITH THREE DIFFERENT MANUFACTURERS
HAVING MADE THE TIRES.
Zahn: DETECTIVES HOPE THE DISTINCTIVE TIRE TRACKS
WOULD HELP LEAD TO BOB'S KILLER,
BUT THEY NEEDED HELP TO ANALYZE THAT EVIDENCE.
WE BROUGHT IN THE CALIFORNIA HIGHWAY PATROL --
ONE OF THEIR SPECIALIZED
MULTI-ACCIDENT INVESTIGATIVE TEAMS
WHOSE SPECIALTY IS TIRE IMPRESSIONS.
Zahn: AS HIGHWAY PATROL EXPERTS PROCESS THE TIRE-TRACK EVIDENCE,
DETECTIVES GOT WHAT LOOKED LIKE AN IMPORTANT LEAD
FROM A WOMAN WHO LIVED NEAR THE RANCH.
SHE SAID SHE HAD SEEN BOB THE DAY HE WAS MURDERED.
BUT HE WASN'T JOGGING.
HE WAS INSIDE A PARKED PICKUP TRUCK.
[ CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKING ]
THERE WAS A WITNESS WHO CAME FORWARD
WHO SAID THAT SHE HAD SEEN
A PICKUP TRUCK WITH THREE MEN IN IT,
ONE OF WHOM SHE WAS SURE WAS BOB DOROTIK,
WHO WAS SLUMPED IN BETWEEN THESE TWO OTHER MEN.
Zahn: AND THAT WASN'T ALL.
THE WITNESS SAID THE TRUCK WAS PARKED ONLY 50 FEET
FROM WHERE BOB'S BODY WAS FOUND.
THE TIP SEEMED TO DOVETAIL WITH ANOTHER PROMISING LEAD
ABOUT A RANCH HAND WHO WORKED AT CHARISMA FARMS.
HIS NAME WAS LEONEL MORALES.
MORALES WAS SCHEDULED TO WORK ON THE SUNDAY BOB WAS KILLED,
BUT HE NEVER SHOWED UP AT THE RANCH.
DETECTIVES WERE ESPECIALLY INTERESTED TO LEARN
THAT HE ALSO DROVE A PICKUP TRUCK.
Donahue: THE RANCH HAND THAT THEY HIRED, LEONEL,
HE DID NOT WORK ON THE 13th,
SO WE WANTED TO TRY AND TRACK HIM DOWN
TO SEE WHY HE DIDN'T WORK ON THE 13th.
HE WAS CERTAINLY A PERSON OF INTEREST.
Zahn: DETECTIVES BROUGHT MORALES INTO THE STATION.
WE LEARNED THAT HE WOULD COME IN ON SUNDAYS FOR A HALF-DAY,
BUT HE OPTED NOT TO WORK THAT DAY BECAUSE OF THE HEAVY RAIN.
Zahn: TOO RAINY?
THERE'S PLENTY OF WORK TO DO
ON A HORSE RANCH DURING A RAINSTORM,
AND CONDITIONS WEREN'T ALL THAT BAD.
AFTER ALL, JANE WAS DOING CHORES THAT AFTERNOON,
AND BOB HAD GONE OUT JOGGING.
DETECTIVES WEREN'T REMOTELY CONVINCED
BY THE RANCH HAND'S EXPLANATION.
THEY COLLECTED BLOOD SAMPLES AND EXAMINED HIS CLOTHES
TO SEE IF SOMETHING COULD BE LINKED TO THE CRIME SCENE.
LEONEL MORALES WAS LOOKING LIKE A STRONG SUSPECT.
THEY IMPOUNDED HIS TRUCK AND THREATENED TO DEPORT HIM.
Zahn: WHAT WAS YOUR REACTION
WHEN YOU HEARD LEONEL MORALES
WAS A SUSPECT IN THE INVESTIGATION?
HE COULD HAVE BEEN A SUSPECT. HE WAS NEAR THE HOUSE THAT DAY.
AND I THINK, AT THAT POINT,
THERE WAS ENOUGH SUSPICION ABOUT, YOU KNOW --
ANYBODY'S FAIR GAME AROUND HERE.
BUT FORENSIC EXPERTS COULDN'T CONNECT MORALES TO THE CRIME.
HIS TIRES DIDN'T MATCH THE TRACKS LEFT AT THE SCENE,
AND ANALYSIS OF HIS CLOTHING DIDN'T YIELD ANY EVIDENCE.
WE WERE ABLE TO ELIMINATE LEONEL
BASED ON INTERVIEWS WITH HIM, HIS FAMILY MEMBERS, AND FRIENDS
THAT WERE ABLE TO ACCOUNT FOR HIS WHEREABOUTS THAT WEEKEND.
Zahn: RANCH HAND LEONEL MORALES
WAS OFFICIALLY DROPPED AS A SUSPECT.
THE ACCOUNT OF BOB DOROTIK
SLUMPED IN THE FRONT OF A PICKUP TRUCK
WASN'T HOLDING UP TO SCRUTINY, EITHER.
THE EYEWITNESS HAD DESCRIBED A SUNNY WEEKDAY,
BUT IT WAS A RAINY SUNDAY WHEN BOB WENT MISSING.
DETECTIVES DECIDED TO DISMISS THE ENTIRE STORY.
INVESTIGATORS WERE BACK TO SQUARE ONE
AND DECIDED TO TAKE A FRESH APPROACH.
THE THOUGHT WAS, "WELL, LET'S GO BACK,
START OUR INVESTIGATION WHERE JANE LAST SAYS BOB WAS."
Zahn: DETECTIVES BEGAN TO RETRACE
BOB DOROTIK'S FINAL MOMENTS ALIVE.
THEY CONDUCTED A METHODICAL INVESTIGATION
INTO EVERY PLACE HE MIGHT HAVE BEEN.
IT WOULD LEAD POLICE TO A SHOCKING DISCOVERY
AND A NEW PRIME SUSPECT.
COMING UP, THE INVESTIGATION HITS HOME.
Long: THE DETECTIVES CAME IN AND SAID,
"DO YOU KNOW WHY THERE'D BE BLOOD IN THE MASTER BEDROOM?"
THE INVESTIGATION INTO BOB DOROTIK'S MURDER
WAS A TOP PRIORITY FOR THE SAN DIEGO HOMICIDE UNIT,
AND THINGS WERE MOVING FAST.
AUTOPSY RESULTS CAME BACK
JUST ONE DAY AFTER THE BODY WAS FOUND.
BOB HAD BEEN BLUDGEONED WITH A BLUNT OBJECT
AND ALSO STRANGLED.
DETECTIVES POURED OVER THE CORONER'S FINDINGS.
THERE WAS A PIECE OF SKULL FOUND UNDERNEATH BOB'S SHIRT.
Zahn: THE MEDICAL EXAMINER HAD DISCOVERED THE SKULL FRAGMENT
UNDERNEATH THE T-SHIRT BOB HAD BEEN WEARING
WHEN HE WAS FOUND.
DETECTIVES DEVELOPED A THEORY
ABOUT HOW IT MIGHT HAVE GOTTEN THERE.
WE THINK THAT WHOEVER MURDERED BOB
DRESSED HIM AFTER THE MURDER.
Zahn: DETECTIVES THOUGHT IT WAS IMPLAUSIBLE
THAT THE FRAGMENT WOULD HAVE LANDED UNDERNEATH BOB'S SHIRT
DURING THE ATTACK.
THE CORONER ALSO DISCOVERED MULTIPLE DEFENSIVE WOUNDS
ON BOB'S FACE AND ARMS,
WHICH SUGGESTED
THAT HE HAD PUT UP AN INTENSE FIGHT FOR HIS LIFE.
BOB WAS STRONG. HE WOULD NOT GO DOWN EASY.
IT WOULD NOT BE EASY TO OVERPOWER HIM.
Zahn: DETECTIVES REASON
THAT THE KILLER MUST HAVE BEEN STRONG ENOUGH
TO OVERPOWER SUCH AN ATHLETIC VICTIM.
THE AUTOPSY REPORT RAISED SEVERAL INTRIGUING QUESTIONS
BUT DIDN'T PROVIDE ANY SPECIFIC LEADS.
IN MURDER CASES,
IT'S STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE
TO TAKE A CLOSE LOOK AT FAMILY MEMBERS.
DETECTIVES DECIDED
TO DELVE INTO BOB'S BACKGROUND AND RELATIONSHIPS.
THEY ASSEMBLED HIS FAMILY FOR QUESTIONING.
Donahue: AT THAT POINT,
WE CERTAINLY WANTED TO DO SOME INTERVIEWS WITH THEM
TO TRY TO GET BACKGROUND INFORMATION
ON BOB AND THE FAMILY DYNAMICS
AND, YOU KNOW, WHO MIGHT HAVE DONE THIS.
WE DIVIDED EVERYBODY UP.
MYSELF AND MY PARTNER INTERVIEWED JANE.
Zahn: INVESTIGATORS ASK JANE ABOUT HER MARRIAGE TO BOB.
Donahue: WE DID LEARN THAT THEY DID HAVE MARITAL PROBLEMS,
THAT THEY HAD RECENTLY RECONCILED
AND MOVED IN TOGETHER WITH EACH OTHER
AFTER HAVING BEEN SEPARATED FOR ABOUT A YEAR AND A HALF.
WE LEARNED AT ONE POINT THAT BOB ACTUALLY DID FILE FOR DIVORCE
UP IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
BUT HAD STOPPED THE PROCESS TO RECONCILE WITH JANE.
Zahn: IT WAS NO SECRET THE COUPLE HAD ARGUED ABOUT MONEY,
SPECIFICALLY ABOUT THE COST
OF CARING FOR JANE'S BELOVED HORSES...
AND THE UPKEEP FOR CHARISMA FARMS,
WHICH BOB SAW AS A FINANCIAL BURDEN.
WHAT LED TO YOUR PARENTS SEPARATING?
I THINK MOSTLY FINANCES.
HOW MUCH FRUSTRATION WOULD YOUR FATHER SHOW
WHEN HE FELT THAT YOU AND YOUR MOTHER
WERE GETTING LOST IN YOUR HORSES?
HE COULD BE VERY VERBAL ABOUT IT.
HE COULD BE CONFRONTATIONAL WITH ME ABOUT IT.
DETECTIVES ALSO LEARN
THAT LESS THAN A YEAR BEFORE BOB'S MURDER,
THE COUPLE HAD TAKEN OUT LIFE-INSURANCE POLICIES
ON EACH OTHER.
THERE WAS A LIFE-INSURANCE POLICY FOR $250,000
FROM WHICH JANE WOULD BENEFIT
IN THE EVENT OF BOB'S DEATH.
Zahn: A COUPLE WITH A HISTORY OF MONEY PROBLEMS...
A NEW WIDOW WITH A HEFTY INSURANCE PAYOUT COMING HER WAY.
IT DID SEEM SUSPICIOUS.
BUT NOTHING ABOUT JANE'S BEHAVIOR
SEEMED THE LEAST BIT SUSPICIOUS.
SHE HAD COOPERATED WITH INVESTIGATORS
EVERY STEP OF THE WAY.
AND WHEN THEY ASKED IF THEY COULD SEARCH HER HOUSE,
SHE AGREED.
Donahue: JANE WAS VERY COOPERATIVE AT THAT POINT.
WE WENT INSIDE THE HOUSE, AND WE FANNED OUT.
Zahn: INVESTIGATORS QUICKLY MADE AN INTRIGUING DISCOVERY.
Donahue: WE FOUND THE SAME TYPE OF ROPE
THAT HAD BEEN FOUND AROUND BOB'S NECK.
WE FOUND THAT IN THE OFFICE INSIDE THE HOUSE
AND IN THE LIVING ROOM.
BUT, I MEAN, THAT ROPE YOU COULD BUY AT A HARDWARE STORE.
ANYBODY COULD BUY IT.
Zahn: THE ROPE RAISED SEVERAL QUESTIONS.
WAS BOB ABDUCTED OR EVEN KILLED INSIDE HIS OWN HOME?
YOU DON'T WANT TO JUMP TO CONCLUSIONS.
YOU WANT TO BE METHODICAL AND THINK THINGS THROUGH,
BUT IT WAS CERTAINLY CURIOUS.
AND IT WAS CURIOUS ENOUGH
WHERE WE ASKED JANE IF WE COULD TAKE THE PIECE OF ROPE.
Zahn: JANE SAID DETECTIVES COULD TAKE ANYTHING THEY NEEDED
IF IT WOULD HELP THEM SOLVE HER HUSBAND'S MURDER.
THE SEARCH CONTINUED IN THE MASTER BEDROOM.
THE BEDROOM WAS RELATIVELY CLEAN
AS YOU WOULD LOOK AT IT AT FIRST GLANCE.
Zahn: BUT THE MOMENT DETECTIVE JANET RYZDYNSKI
STEPPED INSIDE THE ROOM,
SHE DISCOVERED SOMETHING UNUSUAL.
Donahue: FIRST THING DETECTIVE RYZDYNSKI NOTICED
WAS THE CARPET WAS WET.
SHE HAD GONE IN WITH HER SHOES OFF
AND DISCOVERED THAT THE FLOOR WAS WET.
Zahn: DETECTIVES THOUGHT THE WET CARPET SEEMED STRANGE,
BUT JANE SAID THE ROOF OFTEN LEAKED DURING RAINSTORMS,
AND IT HAD BEEN RAINING HARD THE PREVIOUS DAY.
BUT INVESTIGATORS NOTICED SOMETHING ELSE.
THEY SAW SMALL BROWN SPOTS SCATTERED THROUGHOUT THE ROOM.
COULD THEY BE DROPLETS OF BLOOD?
THEY ASKED JANE FOR AN EXPLANATION.
Long: ONE OF THE DETECTIVES CAME IN AND SAID,
"DO YOU KNOW WHY THERE'D BE BLOOD IN THE MASTER BEDROOM?"
AND JANE SAID...
"BOB HAD A NOSEBLEED ABOUT TWO WEEKS AGO."
Donahue: WE STOPPED OUR SEARCH AT THAT POINT,
AND I WENT AND OBTAINED A SEARCH WARRANT FOR THE RESIDENCE.
Zahn: JANE WAS SURPRISED WHEN DETECTIVES RETURNED SOON AFTER
WITH A WARRANT TO SEARCH THE PREMISES.
JANE SAID, "DO YOU REALLY NEED TO DO THAT?
I WOULD GIVE MY PERMISSION."
AND, I MEAN, SHE ALREADY HAD.
Zahn: DETECTIVES TOLD JANE
THEY WANTED TO DO EVERYTHING BY THE BOOK.
THEY ASKED EVERYONE TO WAIT OUTSIDE
WHILE THEY CONTINUED PROCESSING THE MASTER BEDROOM.
JANE AND HER SISTER BONNIE
STAYED IN THE LIVING ROOM THE ENTIRE NIGHT,
UNABLE TO SLEEP AS INVESTIGATORS WORKED IN THE BEDROOM.
Long: I JUST REMEMBER -- WHAT A MISERABLE NIGHT.
JANE AND I WERE BOTH SLEEPING IN THE LIVING ROOM ON COUCHES.
LITERALLY ALL NIGHT LONG THEY WERE COMING IN AND OUT.
YOU KNOW, THERE WAS JUST NO GETTING ANY SLEEP THAT NIGHT.
CHARLES MERRITT AT THE SAN DIEGO CRIME LAB
WAS CALLED IN TO ANALYZE THE STAINS.
Merritt: THERE WERE SPATTER STAINS
SPREAD PROBABLY OVER SEVERAL FEET ON THE WALL.
LOOKING AT THE POTBELLY STOVE AND THE BRICKWORK AROUND IT,
THERE WERE SPATTER STAINS.
ON THE HEADBOARD AND ON THE WALL ABOVE THE HEADBOARD,
THERE WAS STAINS.
THERE WEREN'T A LOT OF THEM. INDIVIDUAL, SMALL SPOTS.
Zahn: THE STAINS HAD THE APPEARANCE OF BLOOD SPATTER.
INVESTIGATORS WOULD HAVE TO TAKE SAMPLES TO THE LAB
TO GET CONFIRMATION.
AS INVESTIGATORS CONTINUED TO COLLECT EVIDENCE,
THE MOOD INSIDE THE HOUSE
WAS GETTING TENSER BY THE MOMENT.
COMING UP, POLICE MAKE THEIR MOVE.
A SUSPECT IS TAKEN INTO CUSTODY.
SHE LOST ALL THE COLOR IN HER FACE.
I THINK SHE STOPPED BREATHING FOR A LITTLE BIT.
SHE WAS JUST IN SHOCK.
DETECTIVES INVESTIGATING BOB DOROTIK'S MURDER
WERE NOW SEARCHING FOR CLUES
INSIDE THE FAMILY'S HOUSE AT CHARISMA FARMS.
WHEN THEY DISCOVERED SUSPICIOUS-LOOKING STAINS
IN THE MASTER BEDROOM,
FORENSIC SPECIALISTS WERE CALLED IN.
THEIR WORK LASTED THROUGH THE NIGHT
AS JANE AND HER FAMILY ANXIOUSLY WAITED FOR ANSWERS.
IT WAS A TENSE NIGHT AT CHARISMA FARMS.
JANE DOROTIK AND HER FAMILY COULD ONLY STAND BACK AND WAIT
AS A PARADE OF CRIME-SCENE INVESTIGATORS WALKED PAST THEM,
NEVER SHARING A WORD ABOUT THE WORK THEY WERE DOING.
Donahue: THEY CERTAINLY WANTED ANSWERS
AS TO WHAT WE WERE FINDING OUT, WHAT WE WERE LEARNING.
JANE, CLAIRE, ALEX, NICK, AND BONNIE WERE PRESENT.
Zahn: IN THE BEDROOM, THE FORENSIC TEAM
WORKED UNDER THE GLARE OF 600-WATT FLOODLIGHTS.
BLOOD EXPERTS GATHERED SAMPLES TO SEND TO THE CRIME LAB,
BUT A PRELIMINARY CHEMICAL TEST
INDICATED THAT BLOOD WAS PRESENT...
AND IT WAS EVERYWHERE.
IT WAS APPARENT THAT THIS WAS OUR CRIME SCENE.
WE FOUND EVIDENCE OF BLOOD SPATTER
ALL OVER THE MASTER BEDROOM.
WE FOUND BLOOD SPATTER IN THE STOVE, ON THE WALLS,
ON THE HEADBOARD, CAST-OFF BLOOD IMPRESSIONS ON THE CEILING.
THE MOST SIGNIFICANT ONES SHOWING FORCE
WERE THE ONES ON THE CEILING.
THAT'S A LONG DISTANCE TO THROW BLOOD.
THE STAINS WERE SHAPED IN SUCH A WAY
THAT I KNOW WHAT DIRECTION THEY WERE TRAVELING IN
WHEN THEY STRUCK THE CEILING.
Zahn: BLOOD-SPATTER EXPERTS DETERMINE
THAT BOB HAD BEEN ATTACKED IN HIS OWN BED.
I DECIDED, "HAS ANYBODY LOOKED UNDER THE MATTRESS?"
I PICKED THE MATTRESS UP, AND UNDER THE MATTRESS,
BETWEEN THE MATTRESS AND THE BOX SPRING,
WAS A BROWN TOWEL.
AND ON THE MATTRESS ABOVE THE BROWN TOWEL
WAS A BLOODSTAIN.
IT WAS LIKE 7"x9".
THAT'S A LARGE BLOODSTAIN.
IT WOULD TAKE A WHILE FOR THAT TO GATHER THERE.
WE WAS LAYING ON THAT BED FOR A WHILE.
Zahn: AS INVESTIGATORS FOLLOW THE PATH OF THE BLOOD EVIDENCE,
IT TOLD A GRUESOME STORY.
WE KNOW THAT THE VICTIM WAS IN THE BED. HE WAS STRUCK THERE.
HE MOVED, GOT BLOOD ON THE CARPETING.
HE WAS LYING IN BETWEEN THE POTBELLY STOVE
AND THE WALL THERE WHERE HE WAS STRUCK AGAIN.
OF COURSE, THE BODY WAS NOT THERE,
SO OBVIOUSLY IT WAS MOVED OUT OF THE ROOM AT SOME POINT IN TIME.
Donahue: THE AMOUNT OF BLOOD WAS SO GREAT THAT IT HAD SOAKED
THROUGH THE FLOOR, THE WOODEN FLOORS,
AND INTO THE STORAGE ROOM THAT WAS DOWNSTAIRS
AND HAD ACTUALLY DRIPPED DOWN THE SIDES OF THE WALLS.
Zahn: AT FIRST GLANCE,
THE BLOOD EVIDENCE IN THE BEDROOM ITSELF
HAD NOT BEEN SO EASY TO FIND.
DETECTIVES BELIEVE SOMEONE WENT TO GREAT LENGTHS
TO TRY TO CLEAN UP THE CRIME SCENE.
SOMEBODY TURNED THE MATTRESS OVER TO HIDE THAT BLOODSTAIN.
SOMEBODY GOT A CARPET CLEANER
AND CLEANED UP THE BLOOD THAT WAS ON THE CARPET.
Zahn: BUT WHO COULD THAT SOMEBODY BE?
THE SEARCH ULTIMATELY REVEALED A CLUE
THAT INVESTIGATORS HOPED WOULD ANSWER THAT QUESTION.
THE OTHER THING WE FOUND WAS A HYPODERMIC-NEEDLE SYRINGE
LOADED WITH SOME TYPE OF LIQUID SUBSTANCE
WITH A BLOODY FINGERPRINT IMPRESSION ON IT.
Zahn: BUT PERHAPS THE MOST IMPORTANT EVIDENCE CAME
WHEN INVESTIGATORS FROM THE CALIFORNIA HIGHWAY PATROL
PROCESSED JANE'S PICKUP TRUCK.
Donahue: IT HAD THREE MISMATCHED TIRES ON IT
THAT WERE CONSISTENT WITH THE TIRE TREAD
FOUND AT THE CRIME SCENE.
THERE WAS ALSO BLOOD FOUND INSIDE THE CAB OF JANE'S TRUCK.
Zahn: IT LOOKED LIKE THE SMOKING GUN.
THE DISTINCTIVE TIRE MARKS FOUND IN THE DIRT NEAR BOB'S BODY
HAD BEEN MADE BY JANE'S TRUCK.
DETECTIVES DECIDED IT WAS TIME TO SPEAK WITH THE FAMILY.
WHAT DO YOU REMEMBER WHEN THE INVESTIGATORS
BROUGHT YOUR FAMILY TOGETHER TO GIVE YOU AN UPDATE
ON THEIR INVESTIGATION?
THERE WAS THIS TREPIDATION ABOUT WHAT'S GONNA BE SAID.
YOU KNOW, WE'RE GONNA FIND OUT WHO DID IT.
THEY'RE GONNA TELL US.
ALL OF THE EVIDENCE
SEEMED TO BE FITTING TOGETHER PERFECTLY --
THE BLOOD IN THE BEDROOM, THE SYRINGE,
THE SKULL FRAGMENT FOUND UNDERNEATH BOB'S SHIRT.
DETECTIVES CONCLUDED THAT BOB DOROTIK
HAD BEEN BLUDGEONED TO DEATH IN HIS OWN BED.
THE KILLER THEN DRESSED HIM IN HIS JOGGING SUIT,
DROVE HIM DOWN THE ROAD,
AND DUMPED HIS BODY IN THE BRUSH.
AND THEY WERE CONVINCED ONLY ONE PERSON COULD HAVE DONE ALL THAT
AND STILL HAVE THE TIME TO TRY TO CLEAN UP THE CRIME SCENE.
Merritt: STRANGERS DON'T CLEAN UP AFTER THEMSELVES IN MURDERS.
IF THEY KILL SOMEBODY, THEIR JOB AFTER THAT
IS TO GET THE HECK OUT OF THERE AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE.
THEY'RE NOT GONNA SPEND THE TIME TO CLEAN UP AFTER THEMSELVES.
Zahn: POLICE BELIEVE THE KILLER WAS THE WOMAN
WHO STOOD TO GAIN $250,000 IN INSURANCE MONEY
FROM BOB'S DEATH --
HIS WIFE, JANE.
AND NOW THEY WERE FACE-TO-FACE
WITH HER AND THE REST OF HER FAMILY.
WHAT DID INVESTIGATORS SAY?
THEY SAID THAT THEY HAD FOUND BLOOD IN THE HOUSE,
THAT MY FATHER WAS, IN FACT, MURDERED IN THE HOUSE,
WHICH WAS NEWS TO US.
AND THEN THEY ARRESTED MY MOTHER.
WHAT DID YOUR MOM DO?
SHE LOST ALL THE COLOR IN HER FACE
AND SAT BACK IN HER CHAIR.
I THINK SHE STOPPED BREATHING FOR A LITTLE BIT.
SHE WAS JUST IN SHOCK.
IN FRONT OF HER CHILDREN AND SISTER,
JANE DOROTIK WAS HANDCUFFED AND TAKEN INTO CUSTODY.
I'M JUST HORRIFIED,
AND I SAID, "WHAT THE BLEEP ARE YOU DOING?"
SHE WAS SHOCKED. I MEAN, SHE WAS DUMBFOUNDED.
IT WAS HORRIFYING TO BE REMOVED FROM HER KIDS,
YOU KNOW, WHO SHE WANTED TO COMFORT AND SUPPORT IN THIS.
Zahn: JANE WAS ARRESTED AND SENT TO JAIL
BEFORE THE BLOOD EVIDENCE COLLECTED AT THE HOUSE
HAD EVEN BEEN SENT TO THE CRIME LAB.
WHEN TESTING WAS COMPLETED,
THERE WERE TWO CRITICAL FINDINGS.
THE BLOOD FOUND IN THE BEDROOM WAS BOB'S...
AND THE FINGERPRINT ON THE SYRINGE BELONGED TO JANE.
THE SYRINGE CONTAINED A POWERFUL ANIMAL TRANQUILIZER,
AND THAT WAS JANE'S THUMBPRINT THAT WAS IN BOB'S BLOOD
ON THE HYPODERMIC-NEEDLE SYRINGE.
Zahn: TO PROSECUTORS, THE EVIDENCE LOOKED OVERWHELMING.
THEY CHARGED JANE DOROTIK WITH FIRST-DEGREE MURDER.
MURDER OF HER HUSBAND.
YOU KNOW, I CAN'T -- I JUST CAN'T COMPUTE IT.
YOU KNOW, AND I SAID, "HOW?"
SHE WAS JUST IN SHOCK.
BUT I DON'T THINK -- YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU'RE INNOCENT,
YOU REALLY TRUST THE SYSTEM, AS WE DID.
DID YOU THINK OF ANY SCENARIO
WHERE YOU THOUGHT THAT IT WAS, IN FACT, YOUR MOTHER
WHO WAS RESPONSIBLE? NO. NO.
I HAD NEVER KNOWN HER TO HARNESS ANY HATE FOR MY FATHER.
SHE WAS THE TYPE OF MOTHER
THAT ALL OF THE KIDS ON THE STREET WOULD COME HOME TO
BECAUSE THEY COULD TALK TO HER.
THAT TYPE OF PERSON JUST DOESN'T MURDER PEOPLE.
Zahn: JANE'S FAMILY ALSO INSISTED
SHE WASN'T STRONG ENOUGH TO OVERPOWER BOB
THEN DRAG HIM OUT OF THE HOUSE, ACROSS THE PORCH,
DOWN THE STEPS, AND INTO HER TRUCK.
Long: SHE WAS NOT PHYSICALLY CAPABLE.
SHE WAS HIT BY A DRUNK DRIVER 17 YEARS EARLIER.
AND IT SHATTERED HER HIP. SHE HAS A METAL PIN IN HER HIP.
SHE WASN'T ABLE TO EXERCISE OR RIDE ANYMORE.
IF SHE WALKED UP A HILL, SHE WOULD LIMP.
YOU KNOW, SHE COULDN'T CHANGE THE WATER BOTTLE ON THE COOLER.
Zahn: CONVINCED OF HER INNOCENCE,
JANE'S FAMILY LAUNCHED A MEDIA CAMPAIGN
TO FIND THE REAL KILLER.
THERE'S NO POSSIBLE WAY MY MOTHER COULD HAVE BEEN INVOLVED
WITH THIS AT ALL,
AND IT'S A TERRIBLE TRAGEDY
THAT THE PERSON IS STILL OUT HERE AT LARGE
AND NOT A LOT IS GETTING DONE.
Zahn: PROSECUTORS BELIEVED
THE KILLER WAS EXACTLY WHERE SHE BELONGED --
IN THE SAN DIEGO COUNTY JAIL, AWAITING TRIAL FOR MURDER.
COMING UP, A FAMILY DIVIDED --
THE DRAMATIC CONCLUSION OF A MURDER AT CHARISMA FARMS.
HE SAID YOU HAD A VOLATILE TEMPER.
PEOPLE GET ANGRY, AND I DON'T THINK THAT MEANS
THAT THEY'RE GONNA KILL ANYBODY.
Zahn: WANT MORE "ON THE CASE"? GO TO...
...AND VIEW MORE EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEWS
AND BEHIND-THE-SCENES VIDEO.
WHEN JANE DOROTIK WAS CHARGED WITH MURDERING HER HUSBAND,
HER FRIENDS AND FAMILY STOOD FIRMLY BEHIND HER.
BUT AS THE EVIDENCE WAS LAID OUT,
EVEN HER OWN CHILDREN STARTED TO BELIEVE SHE WAS GUILTY.
IT HAD BEEN A CASE FILLED WITH SHOCKING REVELATIONS,
AND THERE WAS ONE MORE INCREDIBLE SURPRISE
STILL TO COME.
JANE'S DEFENDERS HAD ALWAYS SAID
SHE WAS TOO FRAIL TO HAVE OVERPOWERED BOB
AND THAT IT WOULD HAVE BEEN IMPOSSIBLE FOR HER
TO HAVE MOVED HIS BODY.
NOW, LESS THAN TWO WEEKS BEFORE HER TRIAL WAS SET TO BEGIN,
JANE'S DEFENSE ATTORNEY MADE A STUNNING ALLEGATION.
CLAIRE WAS THE KILLER OF HER FATHER.
I'M AS CONVINCED AS I AM SITTING IN THIS CHAIR,
CLAIRE KILLED HER FATHER.
Zahn: JANE DOROTIK WAS NOW ACCUSING
HER OWN DAUGHTER CLAIRE OF THE CRIME.
HER DEFENSE TEAM WOULD MAKE THE CASE
THAT CLAIRE HAD THE ABILITY, THE OPPORTUNITY, AND THE MOTIVE.
CLAIRE WAS THIS ATHLETIC TYPE.
SHE HAD AN ONGOING LOVE-HATE RELATIONSHIP WITH HER FATHER.
THERE WERE SOME BITTER, BITTER, ANGRY INTERACTIONS
WITH HER FATHER.
Zahn: THE HEADLINES EXPLODED
WITH THE NEWS OF A FAMILY DIVIDED.
Soto: THIS IS A BIG STORY.
THERE WERE TV STATIONS GATHERED ALL AROUND.
THERE WAS A LOT OF TENSION.
THIS WAS GONNA BE DRAMATIC.
DID YOU KILL YOUR FATHER?
OF COURSE NOT.
DID YOU HAVE ANYTHING
TO DO WITH HIS MURDER?
OF COURSE NOT.
WHAT WAS YOUR ALIBI THE WEEKEND YOUR FATHER WAS MURDERED?
I WAS WITH MY AUNT IN LONG BEACH.
Zahn: WHEN THE TRIAL BEGAN,
PROSECUTORS DISMISSED THAT ALLEGATION
AS A LAST-DITCH EFFORT BY A DESPERATE DEFENDANT.
THEY TOLD THE JURY THAT BOB HAD BEEN ACTIVELY SEEKING A NEW JOB
AND THAT HIS MARRIAGE TO JANE HAD DETERIORATED SO BADLY
THAT HE MIGHT HAVE ASKED FOR A DIVORCE
THE WEEKEND OF THE MURDER.
PERHAPS HE HAD DECIDED, "THIS ISN'T WORKING OUT.
MAYBE WE SHOULD GO THROUGH THE DIVORCE."
AND HE MAY HAVE EXPRESSED THAT TO HER THAT NIGHT.
Zahn: PROSECUTORS SAID A DIVORCE
WOULD HAVE FORCED JANE TO GIVE UP HER BELOVED CHARISMA FARMS
AND A LIFESTYLE SHE HAD COME TO CHERISH.
DIVORCE WOULD HAVE ALSO LED TO BOB REMOVING JANE
AS THE BENEFICIARY OF HIS $250,000 LIFE-INSURANCE POLICY.
SHE CHOSE MURDER OVER A DIVORCE
'CAUSE IT WAS GONNA COST HER TOO MUCH.
Zahn: PROSECUTORS SAID THE FACTS OF THE CASE
COULD LEAD TO ONLY ONE CONCLUSION --
JANE DOROTIK BLUDGEONED HER HUSBAND TO DEATH
AND THEN TRIED TO COVER UP THE CRIME.
THEY METHODICALLY LAID OUT THE EVIDENCE FOR THE JURY.
SHE DID REPORT HER HUSBAND MISSING,
AND IT TURNS OUT THAT THE MURDER OCCURRED WITHIN THE BEDROOM.
HER BLOODY PRINT WAS FOUND --
AND IT WAS THE DECEDENT'S BLOOD WAS FOUND --
ON A SYRINGE IN THE MASTER BATH.
THE TIRE IMPRESSIONS THAT WERE FOUND
AT THE LOCATION WHERE THE BODY WAS FOUND
MATCHED THE TIRES ON HER TRUCK.
Zahn: WHEN THE DEFENSE GOT ITS TURN,
JANE'S ATTORNEY SAID THE NOTION THAT BOB WANTED A DIVORCE
WAS PURE SPECULATION.
Steigerwalt: THAT WAS A THEORY THE PROSECUTION HAD.
WE HAD SOME WITNESSES SAYING, "NO, THAT'S NOT THE CASE."
AND WE BROUGHT IN SOME PICTURES
OF THEM SHORTLY BEFORE THE KILLING
WHERE THEY'RE JUST HAND IN HAND.
Zahn: THE DEFENSE ALSO ARGUED
THAT JANE WASN'T EMOTIONALLY NOR PHYSICALLY CAPABLE
OF KILLING HER HUSBAND...
BUT HER DAUGHTER CLAIRE WAS.
Steigerwalt: WE HAD WITNESS AFTER WITNESS --
GOOD WITNESSES, CREDIBLE WITNESSES --
TALKING ABOUT HER VOLATILE TEMPER.
THERE WAS SOMETHING THAT SNAPPED IN THAT BEDROOM THAT DAY,
AND WHEN IT SNAPPED, IT SNAPPED VIOLENTLY AND VICIOUSLY.
YOUR MOTHER'S DEFENSE ATTORNEY
SAID YOU HAD MALICE
AND THE MOTIVE TO KILL YOUR FATHER.
WHAT'S THE MOTIVE?
HE SAID YOU WERE VERY ANGRY BECAUSE YOUR FATHER
HAD NEVER SUPPORTED YOUR LOVE OF HORSES
AND THE HORSE BUSINESS.
IS THAT MOTIVE TO KILL SOMEBODY?
WOULD ANY REASONABLE PERSON OUT THERE, SITTING THERE,
THINK TO THEMSELVES, "WELL, YOU KNOW,
BECAUSE SOMEBODY DOESN'T SUPPORT ME, I'M GONNA OFF THEM"?
Zahn: JANE'S ATTORNEY ARGUED
THAT LETTERS CLAIRE WROTE TO HER FATHER
SPELLED OUT EXACTLY JUST HOW MUCH SHE HATED HIM.
WE HAD AT LEAST TWO
REALLY BITING LETTERS WRITTEN BY CLAIRE
ABOUT HER FATHER, ABOUT HOW SHE DETESTED HIS VERY PRESENCE.
Zahn: CLAIRE DOES ADMIT THAT SHE AND HER FATHER ARGUED A LOT
AND THAT ONE FIGHT ABOUT MONEY SHE OWED HIM
BECAME ESPECIALLY VOLATILE.
HE SAID, "WELL, AM I GONNA HAVE TO SUE YOU FOR IT?"
I WAS MAD. WHY SHOULD A FATHER SAY THAT TO A DAUGHTER?
PEOPLE GET ANGRY, AND THEY SAY THINGS.
I DON'T THINK THAT MEANS THAT THEY'RE GONNA KILL ANYBODY.
Zahn: CLAIRE SAYS, AT THE TIME OF THE MURDER,
HER RELATIONSHIP WITH HER FATHER WAS THE BEST IT HAD EVER BEEN,
BUT THE JURY NEVER GOT TO HEAR HER SIDE OF THINGS.
CLAIRE INVOKED HER FIFTH-AMENDMENT RIGHT
AGAINST SELF-INCRIMINATION
AND REFUSED TO TESTIFY.
THE POUNDING CLAIRE TOOK IN COURT
MADE HER WORRY ABOUT HER OWN LEGAL JEOPARDY.
YOU WERE CONVINCED YOU MIGHT BE ARRESTED.
MM-HMM.
EVERY DAY I THINK TO MYSELF,
"TODAY WAS ANOTHER DAY YOU DIDN'T SEE A CAR COMING DOWN THE DRIVEWAY."
DID YOU THINK YOU WERE GOING TO PRISON?
I DID.
THAT YOU WOULD BE CONVICTED? YEP.
OF KILLING YOUR FATHER? YEP.
Zahn: AN EXTRAORDINARY FAMILY DRAMA
WAS PLAYING OUT IN THE COURTROOM.
DO YOU THINK YOUR MOTHER SOLD YOU OUT?
[ BREATHES DEEPLY ]
YOU KNOW...
I THINK, IN A LOT OF WAYS, IT WAS ALWAYS ABOUT MY MOM.
I DON'T THINK MY MOM HARBORED ANY ILL WILL TOWARD ME.
I SIMPLY THINK SHE JUST DIDN'T REALIZE.
THE LACK OF BITTERNESS
YOU PORTRAY TOWARDS HER --
FRANKLY, IT'S KIND OF HARD FOR ME TO UNDERSTAND.
I THINK MY MOM WAS TERRIFIED.
I THINK SHE WAS LIKE A DEER IN THE HEADLIGHTS.
SHE COULDN'T THINK ABOUT ANYTHING OTHER THAN,
"HOW DO I NOT GO TO JAIL?"
Zahn: AFTER THREE WEEKS OF DRAMATIC TESTIMONY,
THE CASE WENT TO THE JURORS.
WHAT WOULD THEY THINK OF THE DRAMATIC DEFENSE STRATEGY
TO ACCUSE CLAIRE OF THE MURDER?
THEY DELIBERATED FOR FOUR DAYS BEFORE RETURNING WITH A VERDICT.
Forewoman: WE, THE JURY IN THE ABOVE ENTITLED CAUSE,
FIND THE DEFENDANT, JANE MARGUERITE DOROTIK,
GUILTY OF THE CRIME OF MURDER IN THE FIRST DEGREE.
Zahn: JANE DOROTIK...
GUILTY OF MURDERING HER HUSBAND.
THE JUDGE SENTENCED HER TO 25 YEARS TO LIFE IN PRISON.
DO YOU THINK YOUR MOM KILLED YOUR DAD?
I DON'T HAVE ANY IDEA,
AND I DON'T SPEND ANY TIME THINKING ABOUT IT.
HAVE YOU EVER ASKED YOUR MOTHER DIRECTLY,
"DID YOU KILL DAD?" NO. NO.
WHY NOT?
I DON'T THINK IT'S GONNA CHANGE ANYTHING FOR ME, YOU KNOW?
IS IT GONNA MAKE MY LIFE BETTER TO THINK,
"OKAY, GREAT, NOW I HAVE A DEAD DAD
AND A MURDERER FOR A MOTHER"?
THE CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE FOR WOMEN
WHERE JANE IS CURRENTLY BEING HELD
WOULD NOT ALLOW HER TO APPEAR ON CAMERA FOR AN INTERVIEW,
SO WE SPOKE WITH HER ON THE PHONE.
TO THIS DAY, YOU MAINTAIN YOU'RE AN INNOCENT WOMAN.
WHO, THEN, KILLED YOUR HUSBAND?
YOU DENY KILLING YOUR HUSBAND.
WERE YOU INVOLVED IN ANY PLOT,
IN THE PLANNING OF HIS MURDER?
DURING THE TRIAL, YOU WERE WILLING
TO ACCUSE YOUR OWN DAUGHTER OF MURDERING YOUR HUSBAND.
WHY DID YOU DO THAT?
BUT THE BOTTOM LINE IS THAT YOU AND YOUR ATTORNEY
WERE WILLING TO SELL HER OUT.
Zahn: IT'S A DECISION THAT HAS FOLLOWED CLAIRE EVER SINCE.
DO YOU FEEL LIKE
YOU'RE GONNA GO THROUGH THE REST OF YOUR LIFE
THAT SOMEHOW SOMEONE'S EITHER GOING TO LINK YOU
TO YOUR FATHER'S MURDER,
OR IN SOME WAY BELIEVE YOU WERE RESPONSIBLE?
TO SOME EXTENT, YES.
BUT, YOU KNOW WHAT?
IT DOESN'T REALLY MATTER TO ME.
I CAN'T CONTROL WHAT PEOPLE THINK.
IT'S BEEN A LONG AND DIFFICULT JOURNEY FOR CLAIRE --
A WOMAN WHO HAS BEEN BATTERED
BY SO MUCH LOSS AND SO MANY REGRETS.
I'M SORRY I WAS EVER ACCUSED. I'M SORRY MY DAD WAS MURDERED.
I'M SORRY MY FAMILY WAS TORN APART.
I DON'T HAVE A FAMILY.
I'M SORRY ABOUT A LOT OF THINGS.
BE GRATEFUL FOR WHAT YOU HAVE.
'CAUSE IT CAN BE GONE TOMORROW.
CLAIRE SAYS SHE WISHES THE BEST FOR HER MOTHER
AND STILL WRITES TO HER OCCASIONALLY,
BUT SHE'S CAREFUL TO KEEP HER DISTANCE.
SHE SAYS GETTING TOO CLOSE TO HER
WOULD SIMPLY BE UNBEARABLE.
I'M PAULA ZAHN.
JOIN US NEXT TIME WHEN WE'RE BACK ON THE CASE.