48 Hours - Desperate Measures

Episode Date: May 14, 2026

In May 2010, wealthy married couple, Dennis and Merna Koula, were found shot dead in their Wisconsin home. There was little evidence from the crime scene, but one clue - computer keystroke - became critical. And one person who knew the couple very well would become the prime suspect. "48 Hours" correspondent Peter Van Sant reports. This classic "48 Hours" episode last aired on 8/3/2013. Watch all-new episodes of “48 Hours” on Saturdays and stream on demand on Paramount+. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

La Crosse is a very beautiful community. It's a college community. A lot of tourism with the Mississippi River. There is minimal amount of crime, so in a situation where you have a homicide, it's rare. May 24th, 2010, starting out was the same as any other day. I got up at about quarter to seven. I got a phone call. It was from the school.

Mom was supposed to be teaching that day. She enjoyed her job as a teacher. She was outgoing, fun-loving. A great mom. I called my mom's cell phone, and there was no answer. So I called my dad's phone, and he didn't answer. I knew my father was supposed to be working. I did not know my father had not shown up for work.

Got in a vehicle and headed out there. drive up the road to the house. I opened the door and I saw my dad in the floor. And I'm yelling, Dad, you know. 9-1-1-1-0. Okay, what's going on? Is your mom breathing?

No. Dennis and Murna Kula were found yesterday morning by their son. What? Both of them? Somebody shot mom and dad in the... What I see is devastating. My parents, Dennis and Renicola, were murdered in their own home.

Who could do something like that? Does this look like a burglary gone bad or an assassination to you? It was an assassination. One of the questions that came to our mind was why, why someone would want to kill them? This was somebody that was lying in wait for them, prepared to execute them. When lead investigator John Christofferson arrived at the Cola household on May 24, 2010, his mind was spinning. What in the heck could have happened in a situation where two people are dead because this is an affluent neighborhood and crime is very limited in this part of the county? Standing outside the house in the Yellow Hat was son Ericola.

who had discovered the chilling death scene. I just didn't understand why they're like this. It's just great people. And they're going. And we're entering from the three-car garage into the kitchen slash mudroom area. Christofferson, a special agent at the time with the Wisconsin Department of Justice,

was assisting the La Crosse Sheriff's Department. He takes us step by step through the Cola's four-bedroom home. I walk into the kitchen area. I notice an elderly male lying prone on the kitchen floor face down, a pool of blood around him. He was shot the moment he walked in the door.

Dennis Cola was 68 years old. A wealthy businessman, he once owned a chain of pharmacies and a Ford dealership in town, which he sold in 2006. Up until when we saw, sold the dealership. I worked with my dad six days a week, side by side. Describe your relationship with your parents. Oh, very close. So close, in fact, Dennis gave Eric hundreds of thousands of

dollars to start a career as a day trader, buying and selling stocks from a computer in his house. Cindy Cowell, Eric's younger sister, also received money from their dad, but it was just a pittance compared to her brother. My parents worked. Very good people. They were hard workers. Cindy says her dad could have retired long ago, but he still worked part-time. My dad often joked. It would be better for me to go to work at the pharmacy and get paid for it.

And stay home because your mom will have me working for nothing. Eric and Cindy, each married with families of their own, have been close since childhood. The bond with their parents was even closer. One more baby girl. But there might be another one around here, Kylie. They both lived within minutes of their mom and dad's house. One of the last conversations I had with my father, he told me that I could count on him.

I'm always there for you. Love you, honey. Bye. And now we're going into the computer room where Myrna is located. Myrna is slumped over the computer. her left arm is still on the key pad. Her right arm is resting on her right knee. What is that suggestive for you?

That she was not startled. She was comfortable sitting there. She died almost instantaneously, and she did not know what was coming. Myrna was 65. Like her husband, she loved to work. Myrna was a substitute teacher. She especially like teaching junior high.

her high. She was outgoing, fun loving. She loved Christmas because of the expression on everybody's faces when the open presents. You would always want to talk about anything. I think going on in your life, talk about the kids. The morning of May 24th, Murna was scheduled to work at nearby West Salem middle school. When she didn't show, Eric received a call from a concerned school secretary. I called my mom's cell phone and there was no answer there. Well, that's weird how I'm going to call my dad. So I called my dad's phone and he didn't answer. Dennis should have been on his way to work at the pharmacy. Oh boy, they have a car accident or what's going on. He said, well, you know, it just doesn't, it doesn't sound like them. something's not right.

Eric's wife, Christine, was at home with him that morning. He said, I'll run out there and see, you know, what's going on. Eric hit the road. It's about a 10-minute drive to his parents' house. Drive up the road to the house, and I see my dad's truck out in the front. And I look inside and I see my mom's mountaineer in the garage. Puzzled, Eric walks through the garage and enters the house. I open the door and I see my dad in the floor.

And I grab my dad's leg, shake him. Doesn't move, doesn't respond. Nobody's saying anything, anything back. Hysterical, Eric Diles 911. Okay, and your dad is not breathing? No, well, okay, all right, is your father alive? I remember talking to the lady on the phone. you're asking various questions

is your mother there also is your mom breathing somebody saw my mom in the computer room around the corner and her head was down on the keyboard they missed them so much is this an ambush these two killings possibly it could have been or certainly somebody that they knew

who came up behind them, lying in wait. As Christofferson continues touring the crime scene, I see electronics, I see a wallet that's undisturbed, I see a purse that is undisturbed, a computer sitting out. He struck that so many valuables have been left untouched. I see credit cards in cash in closets and in dresser drawers that are undisturbed.

I see jewelry boxes that haven't been touched. And something else catches his eye, the dresser drawers. An individual who's going to burglarize a place is going to open up the top drawer, shuffle through it, close the drawer, and then look into the second drawer. If you look at this, they're indicating that they go to the bottom drawer first, pull it out, shuffle through it, then pull out the next drawer and so forth going up. Who does that? Nobody that I know of.

And the kids, Eric and Cindy, go into the residence, and they're telling us that there's nothing stolen from the residents. Who would have any motive to kill the Colus? At this point, we don't know. There's nobody that stands out. Investigators would not have to speculate long. Just days after Dennis and Myrna are found dead in their home, a neighbor, Steve Burgess, a president at a local bank,

provides the first lead in the case. Steve Burgess came forward to the Sheriff's Department stating that he had been receiving threats and they were distinctly death threats. Burgess is suggesting there may be a case of mistaken identity that someone out to kill him killed the colas instead. Yes. But how could such a fatal mistake have been made? Easily if the killer used the internet.

In fact, when you Google Earth, Steve Burgess's address, The zoom into the house goes to the COLA's house, not to Steve Burgess's house. Yes, and now we've got a lot of work to do because whoever committed this homicide certainly has a jump on us. It has all the markings of a hit, I've been told. Eric Cola and Cindy Cowell had been turned into orphans in the same instant. It's been said that you and your father were best friends. Is that true? Yes, we're still can't believe they're gone. It's difficult to say which sibling took their deaths harder.

Cindy was completely distraught. She was emotionally wrecked. For my parents to die the way they did is just, it's the most bizarre twist of fate. For two people who were so against violence, to be brutally shot, it just boggles my mind. Two people with no known enemies had been assassinated in their home. Where does this investigation begin? With family and friends. We need to formulate a timeline to figure out exactly when Dennis and Mernah died

so we can put together the pieces of the puzzle. A crucial piece of that puzzle came from Mernah. When she was shot, her left hand came to rest on the computer keyboard. We had a forensic computer. expert, take a look at the computer that Myrna was on, and her last keystroke on that computer was at 5.41 p.m. on May 21st. Friday, May 21st, three days before Eric discovered his parents' bodies. The cops kept that time of death a secret. So no matter what timeline individuals provide to us for their alibi, we now have a precise time that we can relate to.

as to whether or not they could have committed the crime. Investigators piece together Dennis and Myrna's last day of life. Myrna was doing research on the home computer. Dennis had left the pharmacy around 5 p.m. It takes about an hour to drive home. I believe she died first, and then Dennis, he was shot as he was coming in the door. Christofferson says they were both shot once with a 22-caliber rifle.

Investigators began chasing their first intriguing lead, the death threats to that banker who lived up the road. They found the culprit who made the calls, but hit a dead end. The individual that we believe was responsible for those threats would not have been able to carry out the homicides because they had a legitimate alibi at the time that Dennis and Murna were killed. So deputies began looking at family members. As it happened, the day Eric's parents were murdered,

was his 16th wedding anniversary. That afternoon, Eric was helping his friend Mike Gens do some home improvement. We were doing a tile surround on a shower, which, you know, the walls. How late did you work that day? I left there about 5.30. When he left the job that day,

where did he tell you he was going? He told me he had to go get a plant for his wife for their anniversary, and then they were going to eat. When he came back from Mike's, then he was going to eat. then he had the hanging flower plant. And he said, well, I'll go jump in the shower and then we can get going because it's a little bit later.

Christine and Eric headed to dinner and later celebrated with friends. Investigators also questioned Eric's son, Dexter, who was just 16 when his grandparents were killed. Was it scary? A little bit, yeah. I was, it started getting a little heavy towards the end where I was afraid I was going to break down

in front of them and I don't know I it was difficult. Deputies then turned to Eric's sister Cindy who had an alibi for that day. My time stamp at work proved that I got done at 445. I ran some errands and was videotaped on surveillance cameras at local stores and then I arrived home with the only vehicle we had. Patrick is Cindy's husband. Were you able to prove you're at home? Yeah, they took the Xbox machine and timeline that I was on a video game machine at certain times.

Then, while the family is in mourning, the case takes a shocking turn. Four days after the Cola's body is discovered, Eric Cola finds a note in his mailbox. I went out to get the mail, opened the mailbox, brought the note back in. And he opened it up, and he saw the letters. and he was very upset. What did the letter say? Fixed you. Fixed you?

Yep. And how did Eric react to that? He was very upset. Christine calls 911 right away. A deputy goes to Eric's residence to get the note from him and Eric is distraught. He's stumbling, he's obviously upset.

It just fixed you on it. Fixed you, suggests that there's a killer out there who killed his parents to somehow get back at him? Is that the notion? Yes. And also, is this just the start of the family being killed? The parents are now gone. Now are they looking at Eric?

You're thinking, could we be next? Yeah. The investigation into Dennis and Myrna's deaths takes on new urgency. Following protocol, deputies examined the bank records of all the family members. That's when they find something very strange in Eric's account. On Saturday, after his parents were killed, he had deposited a $50,000 check into his account. $50,000. $50,000.

And who had signed this check? Dennis Cola. Dennis Cola, Eric's dad. This was the first investment. Investigators knew of any money Dennis had given his son. And I know it looked terrible. I had gotten this check from my dad several days ago. I wouldn't cash it on Saturday and now they're dead.

And my dad, you know, is the one guy that can back me up on this. And he's not here to do that. You know, I'd know it. I'd have to eventually explain the check and talk about it. And I could. And I would. Investigators wondered if Eric failed to tell them about the check, what else wasn't he telling them? That's when they took a closer look at his entire story, starting with that panic-stricken 911 call.

It doesn't stand out at first, but once you take the time to listen to the 911 call, you realize that Eric never asks for help for his parents. 911, what is he? I was called this morning. because the mom didn't come forward. Okay. And he's answering this home this weekend. I came out to trash on the school.

Normally it's, oh my God, get somebody over here right away. Help me, help me. And he doesn't do that. Yes. Why isn't anybody here yet? What can I do to help my parents? And Eric did not display that at all during the call. But the biggest break was about to come.

We take a closer look at his financial situation. And we discover Eric Cola. is broke. He is flat broke. On my new podcast, On par with Maury Povich, we're getting down to the truth behind the names that you know and love.

Unfiltered conversations with legends like Leanne Morgan, Kathy Griffin, Ricky Lake, to find out when they feel the most on par. We're breaking it down with Don Lemon, Aaron Parnas, Lamani Jones, laughing it up with Josh Johnson, Dan Soder, many more.

You know, the results are in. Great conversations are always on par. So follow and listen to On Par wherever you get your podcasts. In May of 2010, Eric Cola faced the grim task of burying his beloved parents. The cemetery was a quarter mile from where we lived. I went there almost every day after they were buried. Put flowers on their grave. I'd just miss them.

It was a dark time for Eric financially as well. His parents had given him nearly $700,000 over the years to fund his career as a day trader. Back in 2007, 2008, you had hundreds of thousands of dollars in your bank account, correct? Yes, I did. And what happened to that money? We went through one of the worst stock market episodes since the Great Depression. I lost it. That stock market drop, combined with Eric's incompetent.

left him broke, and in more than $150,000 of debt to creditors, including the IRS, Eric turned to his father for help. Just one day before his parents were murdered, Eric says his father gave him a signed blank check. Eric now admits he, not his father, filled that check out for $50,000. You know for an outsider it looks terrible.

The day after you, your parents are killed, you're depositing a check in your account for $50,000. It looks like you are cashing in on your parents' murders. It may appear like that, yes. But that's not the truth. That is not the truth. Investigators continued digging. They questioned some of Dennis's coworkers at the pharmacy where he'd been just an hour before his death.

You're the last person to see Dennis alive. Yes, I was the last person to see him alive, except for the person I shot him. Helen Van Rue worked as a pharmacy tech alongside Dennis. She knows firsthand how generous he could be. When my husband lost his job, he told me if you ever need something, let me know. I'll help out. He was like my dad. He treated me like a daughter.

But Helen says there had recently been a change in Dennis' attitude toward his own children. I know he was giving Cindy and her husband money for the mortgage. And he says, I've got to put a stop to that. Helen recalls a conversation she had with Dennis just days before his murder. He had told me that day that he was telling his kids that week that he was cutting off his kids. Do you think that he told Eric, buddy, I'm sorry, I'm cutting you off? I think he did the day prior to the murder. Which was the same day, Eric says, he received the signed blank chat.

from his father. Troubled by the coincidence, investigators decided to take a second look at Eric's alibi, and where he was at the exact time his mother died at her computer. Where were you at 541 in the afternoon? Either was en route to Shopko or was at Shopko. Shopko is a general merchandise store, and Eric says he was there looking for a plant, an anniversary gift for his wife.

I went to two shopcos that day, and when I bought my plant at second Shopko, I had a receipt that I had saved in case my wife didn't like the gift. The timestamp on that receipt reads 6.15 p.m. But deputies could find no record of Eric going to the first Shopko. No evidence that he was shopping when his mother was murdered. Shopco has a security camera and somehow that day you're invisible you're not on that security camera why is that how do you explain that I was at that shop go we see a lot of shoppers a lot of purchases but we don't see Eric we don't see him we don't see his truck we see no sign of him how significant is that it's significant in that it now opens up that

period of his timeline where he has the opportunity to get to his parents' house and kill them. Eric was now the target of the investigation, even though he didn't know it. For two months, authorities quietly gathered more evidence before bringing him in for questioning. Then Christofferson moves on to that $50,000 check. Eric doesn't know a half-year-old. handwriting expert has determined that his father's signature is a forgery. Eric now knows where this questioning is going. Eric is allowed to leave the interrogation room. But minutes later, his life changes forever.

Today we're satisfied to have made an arrest in the case. Deputies slapped on the cuffs in the parking lot. Eric Cola arrested today on two counts of first degree. intentional homicide. What? For Eric's wife, Christine, the idea that Eric could harm his parents is simply absurd. He has never hit or hurt another person in his life, ever. I've never seen my father angry enough where he would strike anything or raise his voice

to the point where he would consider it yelling or screaming. It would take two years for Eric's case to wind its way to trial. Investigators had uncovered that $50,000 check, Eric's large debts, and a shaky alibi. I began putting thoughts together in my head that they have the right person. He did commit this crime. He did do this act of evil. Finally, in June 2012, La Crosse County District Attorney Tim Grinkeye begins the case against Eric.

And the truth is, the defendant is guilty of murdering his parents. We wanted to lay out for the jury that Eric was a man of secrets. He's not who he appears to be. He's somebody that has a desperate financial motive for the crime. Co-prosecutor Gary Freiburg says that desperation led Eric to kill the two people who had long financed his life. Why would he kill the goose that laid the golden egg for him? Well, I think it's because the goose was saying,

no more eggs. In a risky move, Eric takes the stand. You wanted to get at the money that you knew was going to be or should be yours someday, right? No. You wanted to speed up that inheritance process, didn't you? No. But after being confronted with indisputable evidence, Eric is forced to make a devastating admission,

that he, in fact, signed his father's name to that $50,000 check. He didn't tell investigators at the time because he thought it would look bad. I've signed my dad's signature on hundreds and hundreds of checks, from personal paying bills at the house to at the store when we had double signature checks, hundreds and hundreds of times. I mean, it's absolutely something Dennis would do to give him that check, to have him sign it himself and fill it in. But soon, shocking evidence is presented that could send Eric to prison for the rest of his life.

And it comes from Eric himself. You know what, Dad, he was always there. And we're all doing something, building something, father, son, time. You're getting emotional talking about your father. What is that? Because I miss him a lot. Are these tears that we see, crocodile tears? No.

Did you wait for your father to come home, and when he entered the home, shoot him in the back of the head? No, I did not. I swear on their honor that I did not kill my mom and dad. It's been two years since Dennis and Murnacola were found murdered in their home. Keith Belzer, one of Eric's defense attorneys, says this case should never have seen the inside of a courtroom. There's no evidence. There's no DNA. There's no fingerprint. There's no fiber evidence, there's no hair evidence. My gosh, the guy that whole afternoon was doing grouting of a bathroom. There's no grout.

Not one thing links Eric Cola to those homicides. Prosecutor Tim Grinke admits his case is circumstantial. It's curious that we didn't find any of his DNA or fingerprints there. But the fact that we don't have it doesn't mean he wasn't there. There's nothing there that says I was there. Because I wasn't there. In retrospect, But during the trial, the defense drops a bombshell.

Remember that fixed U note Eric found in his mailbox, which he said pointed to the real killer? I wrote the note and put it in the mailbox. That's right. Eric says he planted the note after investigators questioned his 16-year-old son, Dexter. I just wanted them to leave me and my family alone and get who killed my mom and dad. I know what I did was really stupid. And so I swear he did it.

But the prosecution says it's one more sign of Eric's guilt. I think he panicked and decided he needed to do something to get the focus off of him, and this is what he came up with. Investigators say, you lied and you manipulated. You did. Yes, I did lie. I lied about my father signing the check, and I lied about the note. It's correct.

did not mean to manipulate. He's a murderer and he's a liar. Jim Kobe, Eric's lead defense attorney, says name-calling is dominating the trial. The focus of the prosecution's case over and over and over is going to be liar-lier-lire pants on fire to get a guttural response from a jury hoping that if a jury just buys into the lies, they'll ignore the evidence or lack they're up. But the prosecutor's says it does have other evidence against Eric, most notably his growing financial crisis. They owed over $52,000. Forensic accountant Mary Jo Werner says Eric's assets had dwindled to nearly nothing. In May 2010, he had $1,342 left in his bank accounts?

Yes. The prosecution then calls Dennis Cola's brother, Eric's uncle, to the stand. Leroy, Kola says, just days before the murders, Dennis told him he was cutting his kids off financially. He surprised me because he just said, I'm all done giving to the kids. That's all he said. But there is no hard evidence Dennis had actually told his son that he was cutting him off. I would never kill anybody for money. Never. But Leroy also says what the defense and Eric have claimed from the beginning. father and son were close.

You believed it to be the nature along the lines of best friends, isn't that right? Yes, I guess so. The defense says given that tight family bond, it would have been impossible for Eric to kill his parents and conduct himself normally just hours later. Did you have any concerns about Eric's demeanor? Close friend Joe Breyer met Eric and Christine for drinks. the night of the murders. He was probably a little more jovial than usual

because it was his anniversary and they were celebrating, but it was just Eric as usual. If Eric had just come from his parents' house, would he have been able to present himself like that to you, do you believe? Absolutely not. There is no way because I would know when there's something wrong. The defense resurrects a theory

investigators had rejected that Denison, Myrna were mistakenly murdered by a hired gunman who went to the wrong address. Would you tell us your full name for the records, please? Stephen Robert Burgess. Steve Burgess is the banker who lived just two houses from the Colas. He's the one who had received death threats. Did you receive threats such as your time is limited?

Yes, I did. Did you receive threats that your days are numbered? are numbered? Yes. We don't know who killed Dennis and Mernicola. What we know is that the crime scene certainly suggests somebody who was well-planned

who knew what they were doing. Bolstering their hitman theory, the defense then calls forensic expert Max Scott. He specializes in reconstructing and investigating violent crime scenes. I think it's an organized scene. Scott says the

death scene at the Kola House is the work of a pro. I think it was well planned, rehearsed with experienced doers who knew how to do this type of thing and most importantly not leave any evidence. Some evidence. The prosecution finds the hitman run amok theory ridiculous. The professional killer wouldn't go upstairs and open up the drawers and make it look like a burglary, take the time to do that. It had to be somebody that was needed motive and Eric certainly had motive. Can you tell us what they are?

The defense attacks that alleged motive of financial desperation with Deb Thompson, a forensic accountant. They had enough money on hand to pay all their June bills. Correct. We had all of our bills paid. Our cars were paid off. We had a mortgage payment. We had other payments, but we were on top of everything.

We were fine. And we were tight, but we were doing okay. What do we arrive at in terms of total assets? $246,825. And the defense contends the fact that Eric deposited that $50,000 check, the day after the murders, is actually proof of his innocence. What sort of an idiot would put a check in the bank the morning after they killed their parents knowing that bank records are easy to get?

After 14 days spent listening to the testimony of 57 witnesses, the jury gets the case. I'm confident that he will be found innocent. There's no doubt in my mind. I'm not a killer. Did not kill him. The jury in Eric Kola's case deliberates 20 hours over three days. As Eric braces for the verdict, he acknowledges he played a role in placing himself at the defense table. I did two dumb things, yes.

I wrote that note, and I said that my father signed the check. But will the jury see Eric's lies as dumb or devious? We, the jury, finally defended Eric Kola, guilty of first-degree intentional homicide. Eric is found guilty of killing both his parents, as well as an additional charge of forging his father's name on that $50,000 check. I just couldn't believe it. I don't know how they arrived at that. Here are guilty, guilty, guilty over and over and over from each of them. I'm like, I didn't do it, I didn't do it. It just reverberates in your head.

My heart just stopped for a second there. It's like, wow, eight million thoughts through your head. Mom and dad are dead. Their killers going to prison. He was found guilty. Wait a second. that killer's my brother. Eric's wife, Christine, was dumbfounded.

Total injustice. Absolutely total injustice. Have you ever had a moment of doubt? None, ever, ever, never, ever. No. I want people to know that this evil, cruel man that they've heard about that killed his parents is not my father, and that he had nothing to do with this.

Never has, never will. He didn't see my parents as parents. he saw them as an ATM machine. And when the ATM machine was out of cash on his debit card, he did the only thing he thought was what he could get away with. Cindy also knows that one fateful last act by her mom helped convict her brother by punching a hole in Eric's alibi. The fact that when your mother died, she did touch that keyboard.

And that told authorities the time, of death at 541, your mother played a role in his conviction by hitting that key. Yeah. She did. She did. He brought justice for her and dad. You can speak either from the council. Two months after the guilty verdict, Eric is back for sentencing. Cindy addresses the court. Your honor, life is not fair. All he can can ask for is justice. Eric also chooses to speak seeking one last chance to be believed.

I've been convicted of this crime, Your Honor, that I did not do. I did not kill my mom and dad. And I'm going to go on and continue to fight for my innocent and prove that I'm innocent, to show people that I did not do this. I will not quit. Who is responsible for this is still out there. Judge Scott Horn hands down Eric's sentence. You took the life of the two people who gave you life,

and you'll spend the rest of your life incarcerated. Eric is sentenced to life without the possibility of parole. Hi, Mom. Hi, Dad. Cindy Cowell has justice, but little peace. It's evil, and it's still hard for me to believe that someone who once kissed me on my head when I was a baby could turn around and kill the mother and the father, who were responsible for giving them life in the first place. A Wisconsin court ruled that Eric Cola could not inherit any of his parents' estate.

It assigned Cola's share to his two children instead. When beloved family patriarch, Gary Ferris went missing, his family looked every, where on their property until they came across something horrifying. It's a homicide. Absolutely. The blame game in this family went round and round. This is Blood is Thicker, the Ferris wheel. I don't see how anyone can look at this story and think they were happy.

Binge the full series, Blood is Thicker, the Ferris Wheel, on the free Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts.