“Killing Versace: The Hunt For A Serial Killer” re-examines the infamous manhunt for Cunanan through new and revisited expert insider interviews. Watch new episodes of Killing Versace, premiering February 11th at 7/6c, only on Oxygen.
1) Jeffrey Trail was [Andrew] Cunanan’s friend.
According to Newsweek, Cunanan told friends in April 1997 he was headed to Minneapolis “to visit an old friend with whom he had unfinished business.” The old friend was Trail, who had previously been a naval officer. Vanity Fair reports Cunanan described Trail as his best and “my brother.”
CBS News reported Trail was a Gulf War veteran and a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis. Friends called him “an upbeat, fun-loving, compassionate man.” Trail’s father told The Washington Post in July 1997, “Jeff was the kind of guy who was always trying to help people out… He went out of his way to be helpful to people.”
Two can keep a secret, if one of them is dead. These Deadly Women think they’ve committed the perfect murders when they “Hit and Run.” -Hit and Run, Deadly Women (S11, E6)
Dateline:
Preview: The death of a beloved Tennessee man is believed to be a suicide. But when a son questions his mother, he uncovers a dark family conspiracy. Keith Morrison reports. -Secrets in the Smoky Mountains, Dateline NBC (October 24, 2016)
Oxygen:
Preview: Robert McClancy was found dead in his home, but was it suicide triggered from his PTSD, did his best friend who found him turn out to be the one who killed him, or was it his seemingly loving wife behind it all? -Martha Ann McClancy, Snapped (S21, E2)
Editor’s note: With a cable subscription, you can download the free ID Go app and watch Investigation Discovery programming at your convenience. And for those who do not have cable, you can watch “unlocked” episodes on the ID Go app including the latest premieres. For those who prefer commercial free programming during your binge session, Prime Video has an ID channel: ‘True Crime Files by Investigation Discovery” available for $3.99 a month. It’s a compilation of older seasons but totally worth the cost if you are a true crime addict. Download the ID Go app or purchase ID True Crime Files & binge away.
A happy military family kept walls up that were soon to be knocked down. Did Michelle’s husband bring his fate upon himself, or was she behind the whole thing? -Michelle Paet, Snapped
Those involved with the case give their input on the verdict and Michelle’s future. -Michelle Paet, Snapped
Michelle Fleck details all the ways Michelle Paet plotted to “get rid” of her late husband, Nathan. -Michelle Paet, Snapped
Michelle’s sister, Melissa, speaks fondly of Michelle. -Michelle Paet, Snapped
An Air Force sergeant is gunned down in his garage revealing an elaborate conspiracy with an unlikely mastermind. -Michelle Paet, Snapped
Investigation Discovery:
US Air Force sergeant Nathan Paet and his family appear to live a blissfully normal life – as these never-before-aired home videos attest. But blind greed would bring about the destruction of this loving family. -Watch Your Back, American Monster (S3, E6)
Editor’s note: With a cable subscription, you can download the free ID Go app and watch Investigation Discovery programming at your convenience. And for those who do not have cable, you can watch “unlocked” episodes on the ID Go app including the latest premieres. For those who prefer commercial free programming during your binge session, Prime Video has an ID channel: ‘True Crime Files by Investigation Discovery” available for $3.99 a month. It’s a compilation of older seasons but totally worth the cost if you are a true crime addict. Download the ID Go app or purchase ID True Crime Files & binge away.
Robert McClancy was found dead in his home, but was it suicide triggered from his PTSD, did his best friend who found him turn out to be the one who killed him, or was it his seemingly loving wife behind it all? -Martha Ann McClancy, Snapped (S21, E2)
Charles ‘Chuck’ Kaczmarczyk called the police after finding his friend, Robert McClancy, dead in his home from what appears to be suicide, but something didn’t seem right. -Martha Ann McClancy, Snapped (S21, E2)
Actual footage from the sentencing of Martha McClancy. -Martha Ann McClancy, Snapped (S21, E2)
Catch up with the key players after the verdict. -Martha Ann McClancy, Snapped (S21, E2)
A churchgoing southern woman loses her husband to tragedy, but a cloud of suspicion haunts her new marriage and leads investigators to a new conclusion. -Martha Ann McClancy, Snapped (S21, E2)
Dateline:
Preview: The death of a beloved Tennessee man is believed to be a suicide. But when a son questions his mother, he uncovers a dark family conspiracy. Keith Morrison reports. -Secrets in the Smoky Mountains, Dateline NBC (October 24, 2016)
Investigation Discovery:
ID Go: Two can keep a secret, if one of them is dead. These Deadly Women think they’ve committed the perfect murders when they “Hit and Run.” -Hit and Run, Deadly Women (S11, E6)
Editor’s note: With a cable subscription, you can download the free ID Go app and watch Investigation Discovery programming at your convenience. And for those who do not have cable, you can watch “unlocked” episodes on the ID Go app including the latest premieres. For those who prefer commercial free programming during your binge session, Prime Video has an ID channel: ‘True Crime Files by Investigation Discovery” available for $3.99 a month. It’s a compilation of older seasons but totally worth the cost if you are a true crime addict. Download the ID Go app or purchase ID True Crime Files & binge away.
Preview: When shots ring out at a home in Saco, Maine, Rachel Owens is found shot in the head. Police launch a complex investigation that involves three states, all holding pieces to the puzzle. -The Intruder, Dateline NBC
On December 18, 2014, an intruder wearing a ski mask broke into a Saco, Maine home, went straight upstairs and shot Rachel Owens three times, once in the head. Rachel was still alive when paramedics arrived and she was quickly transported to the hospital. Initially, police suspected this was a home invasion and a shooter was still at large. They needed to inform Rachel’s husband Gregg Owens, who was a decorated veteran from the first Iraq war and a military contractor. The police contacted Gregg Owens in New Hampshire to inform him of what had occurred. Gregg didn’t appear to take the news well and was eager to get to his wife, but first the police wanted to question him. According to Gregg, Rachel was visiting their friends in Maine. He said she had been struggling with her health and needed a getaway. Gregg admitted to police that he worked in counter terrorism and was involved with sensitive security issues. He wondered if his job lead to his wife’s shooting. When the police asked Gregg where he was during the time of the shooting, he said he was at his house all night working on the computer. He also left his home a couple times to go to the store.
Rachel Owens was in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) for a few days before she stabilized. She had a long road to recovery but she made it despite a bullet that remains in her head. Rachel said she was sleeping when the shooting started and doesn’t remember anything except a “Jamaican hat.” Police had few clues but they did have a footprint outside a window, a hair caught in between two glasses of a window pane, and some bullet casings. After combing the home for forensic evidence, the police theorized this was a targeted shooting and Rachel Owens was the intended victim. They weren’t sure what had happened and then they got a tip from a woman named Betsy in Osh Kosh, Wisconsin. This woman claimed she met Gregg Owens on a flight. They stayed in touch as friends for three years and then when Betsy got divorced, Gregg and Betsy started an intense love affair. Gregg told Betsy he was married and stayed in the marriage because his wife’s health was failing. Meanwhile, Gregg and Betsy dated for five years and Gregg even helped Betsy start her own business called Warrior Princess. Then Betsy discovered that her boyfriend Gregg lied to her when he told her he was going to Afghanistan. Gregg butt dialed her and she learned he wasn’t in Afghanistan, he was with his wife Rachel. Betsy called Gregg and confronted him but he denied it.
Betsy didn’t believe Gregg and told him she was done unless he got a divorce. She said Gregg didn’t take the news well and kept calling her insisting he was going to leave his wife. Once Betsy learned that Gregg’s wife was shot, she called him because she was concerned about him. He told Betsy that he believed someone was targeting people he loved. Greg asked Betsy to “go dark” meaning don’t talk to anyone because they were both “in danger.” Betsy was skeptical but wanted to be safe so she contacted her local police. The investigators in Wisconsin called investigators in Maine because they thought it was important they know that Gregg Owens had been living a double life. And after this revelation, it became clear to federal investigators that Betsy was the motive for the attempted murder. When Rachel and Gregg were due to leave the hospital together and go home, the police arrested Gregg because they were fearful he would finish her off. Gregg Owens was charged in federal court for crossing state lines to commit domestic violence. While imprisoned for his wife’s attempted murder, Gregg reached out to Betsy in the hopes they could continue their relationship after he got out of jail. Gregg professed his undying love for her and told her she was the one. Betsy didn’t believe him and knew that he was playing on her emotions, again.
About a year after the shooting, the court proceedings for Gregg Owens began. In a search of Gregg’s house, the police found a ski mask and bullets that matched the casings at the scene. The DNA recovered from the crime scene was also a match to Gregg. Prosecutors theorized that after Betsy learned the truth about Gregg’s marriage and gave him an ultimatum, Gregg decided he needed out of his marriage to Rachel. The defense illustrated to the courts that there was no identification of Gregg, Gregg’s e-mails appeared to be sent during the time in question, investigators never recovered the gun, and police also couldn’t put Gregg on the highway from New Hampshire to Maine. The defense said Gregg couldn’t have committed the crime and arrived back to Dunkin Donuts in New Hampshire when he did. The DNA was also explained away because Gregg had been to the home before. As it turns out, investigators discovered Gregg tampered with his computer time stamp so he could use it as part of his alibi. The jury wasn’t buying any of it and Gregg Owens was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison. Today, Betsy admits she feels embarrassed that she was connected to Gregg in any way considering her business was created to empower women. Rachel lives with her son and his family. And Gregg is sitting in federal prison appealing his conviction.
Source: ‘The Intruder’ Dateline NBC
In the News:
Police from New Hampshire and Maine are investigating a violent home invasion in a quiet Saco, Maine, neighborhood. -WMUR TV (December 18, 2014)
Police responded early Thursday morning to a home invasion on Hillview Avenue. -WMTW TV (December 18, 2014)
Rachel Owens and Steven Chabot were shot multiple times during a home invasion as Chabot’s Saco home. -WMTW TV (December 19, 2014)
Police have secured the home of a Londonderry woman who was shot and injured in Maine on Thursday. -WMUR TV (December 19, 2014)
The U.S. Attorney’s Office says it has made an arrest in connection with a home invasion and shooting in Saco last month. -WMTW TV (January 12, 2015)
A Londonderry man accused of shooting his wife in Maine feigned a heart attack when he was told his wife had been shot, according to court documents. -WMUR TV (January 15, 2015)
A Londonderry man was found guilty on charges connected to a home-invasion shooting in Saco, Maine, on Dec. 18, 2014. -WMUR TV (February 16, 2016)
Owens was found guilty of interstate domestic violence for a violent home invasion in Saco back in 2014. -WMTW TV (February 16, 2016)
An Army veteran convicted of trying to kill his wife and another person in Maine will spend the rest of his life in prison. -WMUR TV (July 12, 2016)
WMTW’s Katie Thompson reports live from Portland with reaction from Owens’ former wife and son about the judge’s ruling on a life sentence. -WMTW TV (July 12, 2016)
A frantic, distraught woman runs into a video rental store screaming that her husband has been shot. -Michelle Theer & John Diamond, Killer Couples
Killer Couples: S8 E5 Preview – Michelle Theer and John Diamond | Oxygen
Killer Couples: S8 E5 After the Verdict – Michelle Theer and John Diamond | Oxygen
Psychologist Debbie Layton-Tholl talks about her experience meeting with Michelle Theer. -Michelle Theer & John Diamond, Killer Couples
A lonely military wife and psychologist go searching for sex on the Internet with deadly results. -Michelle Theer & John Diamond, Killer Couples (S8,E5)
Investigation Discovery:
In 2000, Michelle Theer was an Air Force wife in the military town of Fayetteville until a fatal shooting made her a widow. The investigation into her husband’s death led police to the door of an Army Ranger – taking orders from very unlikely accomplices. -Fayetteville, Sins and Secrets (S2,E3)
Sexy psychologist and doting Air Force wife Michelle begins a swinging affair with Army Sgt. Diamond while her husband, Captain Marty Theer, is away. But all’s fair in love and war, and Marty’s return will remind them that love is a battlefield. -Sergeant Swinger, Scorned: Love Kills (S4,E1)
Editor’s note: With a cable subscription, you can download the free ID Go app and watch Investigation Discovery programming at your convenience. And for those who do not have cable, you can watch “unlocked” episodes on the ID Go app including the latest premieres. For those who prefer commercial free programming during your binge session, Prime Video has an ID channel: ‘True Crime Files by Investigation Discovery” available for $3.99 a month. It’s a compilation of older seasons but totally worth the cost if you are a true crime addict. Download the ID Go app or purchase ID True Crime Files & binge away.
Russel Douglas was found murdered in his car in a remote location on Whidbey Island in Washington on December 26, 2003. Russel was shot execution style in the head and there were few clues at the scene but the police knew it was a murder because they couldn’t find the gun. It took the police a few years but eventually they got a phone call from someone who said they had information about a murder. Investigators learned that a man by the name of Jim Huden admitted that he wanted to kill someone and did in fact kill someone. Through the course of the investigation, they also learned that Jim, who was married, had been having an affair with Peggy Thomas, a Navy veteran and former beauty queen in Washington. Peggy was the connection to Russel Douglas because she once worked with his wife Brenna at a hair salon and Russel’s wife was renting a home from her on Whidbey Island. When Jim Huden and Peggy Thomas were interviewed by the police, they didn’t admit to anything and would not cooperate. Therefore, detectives didn’t have enough evidence to arrest them.
After being questioned by police, Jim Huden started drinking more and fled to Mexico; Peggy Thomas got married and divorced; and the police continued investigating Russel Douglas’ murder. And then the unexpected happened. Jim’s estranged wife was arrested for drugs and check fraud. Detectives offered her a deal and promised if she gave them information about the Russel Douglas’ murder and where Jim was located, they would drop the charges against her; she gave them the information. Investigators began developing a theory based on the witnesses they had interviewed and the evidence they gathered. They believed the end game was money for Peggy and she was the one that put things in motion. Russel and his wife were having marital problems and investigators believe that Peggy offered to help Brenna murder her husband in return for some of the life insurance pay out. They theorized that Peggy convinced Jim that Russel was abusive so he would want to kill him. Jim was abused as a child so he was easily manipulated to believe that Russel deserved to die. In the end, both Peggy and Jim conspired to murder Russel Douglas for different motives.
Jim Huden wanted revenge for his childhood abuses and Peggy Thomas wanted cash. Investigators suspected the duo committed the murder for Brenna who claimed Russel abused her but there was no past history of domestic violence or child abuse on record; Jim didn’t know that and most likely went on the word of Peggy who used it to manipulate him. In court, Brenna testified that Russel mentally abused her but never admitted to any physical abuse. Unfortunately, police didn’t have enough evidence to charge Brenna Douglas with any crimes because both Jim and Peggy refused to talk. Jim Huden and Peggy Thomas were charged with Russel Douglas’ murder. In July 2012, Jim Huden was found guilty and sentenced to eighty years in prison. A month later, Peggy Thomas agreed to a plea deal in exchange for a reduced sentence and was given four years in prison for her role in the murder. Jim refused to testify against Peggy and pleaded the fifth at her trial. Peggy continues to deny any involvement in the murder and claims she didn’t know Jim was going to kill Russel. Peggy Thomas was released from prison in 2016.
Peggy Thomas, U.S. Navy Veteran
Jim Huden
Killer Couples (Oxygen):
A Las Vegas red haired siren and her millionaire boyfriend become suspects in a murder, hundreds of miles away. -Peggy Sue Thomas & Jim Huden, Snapped: Killer Couples
Killer Couples: S8 E4 After the Verdict – Peggy Thomas and Jim Huden | Oxygen
Full Episode:A Las Vegas red haired siren and her millionaire boyfriend become suspects in a murder, hundreds of miles away. -Peggy Thomas & Jim Huden, Snapped: Killer Couples (S8, E4)
In the News:
From pageants to famous husband to prison, murder suspect allowed to visit NM. -KRQE (October 7, 2011)
Some women like others to do their dirty work. A drama queen brings her love triangle to a permanent end; an intimate betrayal turns friends into deadly foes; and a loose woman will do anything to protect her freedom. -Murder for Me, Deadly Women (S9,E11)
The young and wild Monique Wallace is married to 40-year-old Paul Berkley, a navy reservist and father of two in suburban North Carolina. But with Paul leaving on a mission overseas, temptation and lust will lead them all down a dark path to murder. -Rules of Engagement, Scorned: Love Kills (S2,E7)
Oxygen:
A military wife is caught in deadly love triangle. -Monique Berkley, Snapped (S8,E8)
Editor’s note: With a cable subscription, you can download the free ID Go app and watch Investigation Discovery programming at your convenience. And for those who do not have cable, you can watch “unlocked” episodes on the ID Go app including the latest premieres. For those who prefer commercial free programming during your binge session, Prime Video has an ID channel: ‘True Crime Files by Investigation Discovery” available for $3.99 a month. It’s a compilation of older seasons but totally worth the cost if you are a true crime addict. Download the ID Go app or purchase ID True Crime Files & binge away.
A mysterious disappearance leads police to a woman pushing a trash can full of body parts down the street. -Carmen Montelongo, Snapped (S16, E4)
Investigation Discovery:
With hearts of stone, these Deadly Women give their men special send-offs when “Love Leaves Town.” -Love Leaves Town, Deadly Women (S10, E12)
Editor’s note: With a cable subscription, you can download the free ID Go app and watch Investigation Discovery programming at your convenience. And for those who do not have cable, you can watch “unlocked” episodes on the ID Go app including the latest premieres. For those who prefer commercial free programming during your binge session, Prime Video has an ID channel: ‘True Crime Files by Investigation Discovery” available for $3.99 a month. It’s a compilation of older seasons but totally worth the cost if you are a true crime addict. Download the ID Go app or purchase ID True Crime Files & binge away.
“An Army veteran vanishes before her college graduation. A massive search turns up nothing, but detectives do find a clue: a cryptic 911 call that helps uncover the truth and exposes a twisted story of unrequited love.” –Mystery in Orange County, Dateline: Secrets Uncovered, Oxygen
MILITARY JUSTICE FOR ALL 