48 Hours - Devil's Island

Episode Date: June 24, 2015

An American couple looking for paradise in Panama -- she ends up dead and exposes her ex-Marine boyfriend’s secret life. Can a little used law find justice for her family? "48 Hours" correspondent Peter Van Sant investigates.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Wondery Plus subscribers can listen to this podcast ad-free right now. Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app today. Even if you love the thrill of true crime stories as much as I do, there are times when you want to mix it up. And that's where Audible comes in, with all the genres you love and new ones to discover. Explore thousands of audiobooks, podcasts, and originals, with more added all the time. thousands of audiobooks, podcasts, and originals, with more added all the time. Listening to Audible can lead to positive change in your mood, your habits,

and even your overall well-being. And you can enjoy Audible anytime, while doing household chores, exercising, commuting, you name it. There's more to imagine when you listen. Sign up for a free 30-day Audible trial and your first audiobook is free. Visit audible.ca. In 2014, Laura Heavlin was in her home in Tennessee when she received a call from California. Her daughter, Erin Corwin, was missing. The young wife of a Marine had moved to the California desert

to a remote base near Joshua Tree National Park. They have to alert the military. And when they do, the NCIS gets involved. From CBS Studios and CBS News, this is 48 Hours NCIS. Listen to 48 Hours NCIS ad-free starting October 29th on Amazon Music. Real people, real crimes, real life drama. people, real crimes, real life drama. My sister was deeply in love with a man named Brian Brimager.

All she wanted was to be with him and love him. They were so madly in love. I think she was very proud of him because he was a Marine. She used to say things like, I'm with a Marine. Yvonne went down to Panama with Brian three years ago to start a new life. That's where Yvonne wanted to be. It was perfect. I am Michelle Valenzuela and my sister is Yvonne Baldelli. She likes to karaoke. She likes to dance.

Did Yvonne like it here? She loved it here. Just loved it here. Places with cheap beers and happy hour. It's beautiful. She's got the water right in front of her house. Where are we right now? Okay, we're on Isla Carinero in Bocas del Toro. This is the house that they were renting in, Brian Breminger and Yvonne Valdeli.

Yvonne told her family members that everything was good. She painted a very happy picture. Through email, she made it seem like everything was fine and well. The reality of it was that her and Breminger were fighting constantly. After I'd heard stories of the fights, I could understand why she would want to leave. There's no immigration records that indicates that she left Panama. She fell off the radar screen.

She just went away one day. Her email stopped. Her communication stopped. Everybody lost contact with her. There's no book for this. There's no book for dummies on what to do when your sister has gone missing. Caranaro from the outside appears to be a tropical paradise, but it's a swampy hell. I call it Devil's Island because some terrible things took place on that island.

Brian Brummager has done nothing, zero, to help with the search for Yvonne. We are in Central America in some jungle, in some swamp, looking for Yvonne. That through the middle is really deep. This is unbelievable. What no one knew is that Brian Breminger had a secret. He was living a double life. He came back, and he got engaged and got married. And his life is going on like normal.

And our life will never be the same. What did you do to her, Brian? Brian's coming out with his golf clubs. Let's go guys. And this is what I know. Okay, you're rolling? Let's go. My sister went down to Panama with Brian.

Brian returned and my sister didn't. Brian, Peter Van Sant with CBS News. We'd like to ask a couple questions. A four-year investigation. Two countries and one man held accountable. I'm Peter Van Sant. Tonight on 48 Hours... Devil's Island. Hot shot Australian attorney Nicola Gaba was born into legal royalty. Her specialty? Representing some of the city's most infamous gangland criminals. However, while Nicola held the underworld's darkest secrets, the most dangerous secret was her own.

She's going to all the major groups within Melbourne's underworld, and she's informing on them all. I'm Marsha Clark, host of the new podcast Informants Lawyer X. In my long career in criminal justice as a prosecutor and defense attorney, I've seen some crazy cases, and this one belongs right at the top of the list. She was addicted to the game she had created. She just didn't know how to stop. Now, through dramatic interviews and access, I'll reveal the truth behind one of the world's most shocking legal scandals. Listen to Informant's Lawyer X exclusively on Wondery Plus. Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app, Apple Podcasts or Spotify,

and listen to more Exhibit C true crime shows early and ad-free right now. right now. In the Pacific Ocean, halfway between Peru and New Zealand, lies a tiny volcanic island. It's a little-known British territory called Pitcairn, and it harboured a deep, dark scandal. There wouldn't be a girl on Pitcairn once they reach the age of 10 that would still a virgin. It just happens to all of us. I'm journalist Luke Jones and for almost two years I've been investigating a shocking story that has left deep scars on generations of women and girls from pit can. When there's nobody watching, nobody going to report it, people will get away with what

they can get away with. In the pit can trials I'll be uncovering a story of abuse and the fight for justice that has brought a unique, lonely Pacific island to the brink of extinction. Listen to the Pitcairn Trials exclusively on Wondery+. Join Wondery in the Wondery app, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. When I look at the pictures of Brian and Kristen, I just see a couple in love and super sincerely happy and just enjoying the day at the beach in La Jolla.

These are Brian Brimminger's wedding pictures. But the bride isn't Yvonne Baldelli. It's Kristen Workhoven, an old flame Brian proposed to just two weeks after Yvonne disappeared. It wasn't their wedding day, but they came in their wedding attire, in a limousine and champagne flowing. Through his lens, photographer Jack English captured the smiles, playfulness, and romance of newlyweds clearly in love. Walking on the beach, holding each other with the sun going down, the waves crashing in the background. a woman with powerful connections who had once had top-secret security clearance and worked as a White House analyst, sometimes in the Situation Room under President George W. Bush. She looked very happy, very in love, as if she found her Prince Charming. Prince Charming? A man who had

just left Yvonne Baldelli in Panama two weeks earlier? How could this happen? We traveled to the remote islands off the Caribbean coast of Panama to find out. Up ahead is the island of Carinero, where Ivan and Brian, who the locals called Brim, came to live in September 2011. It's a place where they could chase their dream. Why did they decide to go to Panama? She liked the fact that they could live on the beach, you know, pretty reasonably priced down there.

Yvonne's sister, Michelle Valenzuela, says Brian wanted to become a singer, performing in bars and clubs. With her beloved dog Georgia Mae in hand, Yvonne brought two sewing machines in hopes of starting a clothing business. Stepmother Lillian Faust. And she was going to make bathing suits and sell them to tourists. I knew she was excited. And she didn't have any reservations. It sounded like she had a

real plan for the future. She did and she thought that she found her paradise, her perfect place. Michelle recalls how her younger sister Yvonne, recently divorced, was smitten with Brian when they first started dating in 2009 in Southern California. I didn't think she was physically attracted to him. That was a big part of it. And while Yvonne seemed to be falling in love with Brian, big sister Michelle wasn't so sure. As far as emotionally from my sister, Yvonne would put 100% into you and she would expect that back. And I didn't get that impression that she was receiving that. That concerned me. She deserved that. After Yvonne was

laid off from her management job with Procter & Gamble, and Brian ended his eight-year career in the Marines, the two decided to make a fresh start and reinvent themselves in Panama, settling in this house. They quickly fell in with the local expats. Did you think they were in love? Apparently. It seems so. Joan and Stephen Crabtree own The Cosmic Crab, a funky resort and waterfront bar where Brian would sing

for his supper. He played here at The Cosmic Crab a couple of nights a week, and they were frequent visitors here. They were very nice people. Penny Tong, owner of another waterfront bar, also let Brian play for food and free booze. Lots of booze. They used to drink a lot, so they were always happy.

What's a lot? A lot. And Jim Merton says Brian's drinking may have gotten in the way of his singing. He played the guitar good, but when he started to sing, that's when it went away. What was it like?

Like a hound dog on a porch. She looked very happy in the pictures, and she was really enjoying herself there, and I knew it would be a place that she would like. For Yvonne's father, Jim Faust, the constant stream of joyful phone calls and e-mails describing the couple's Panama adventures was reassuring. Yvonne's e-mails were stories of exactly what her life was like down there, and I could picture it, and I could close my eyes,

and it was like I was there. I couldn't imagine the whole thing. Emails like this one. She says, hi, sis. Brian, already working at local restaurants and bars. We love it. We wake up and go running, then swim in the ocean every morning. And so Yvonne's family thought all was well in paradise, and that Brian might be the one for Yvonne.

I believed that they were going to get married. That's what I thought was going to happen when they got down there. But then, right around Thanksgiving 2011, three months after they arrived in Panama, the happy emails and calls from Yvonne started to drop off. For Michelle, a sisterly instinct started to kick in. That's what set me off was the fact that they were becoming less frequent, the emails from her, and then they stopped completely. Two weeks passed. Then, on December 14th, Michelle finally got a text. But it wasn't from Yvonne. There was a number I didn't recognize, and a text message on there said,

this is Brian May, I make arrangements to pick up my truck. Michelle was shocked. Brian was back in the U.S.? I sat up, called that number, for The only thing out of my mouth was, where's my sister? He says, didn't you get my email? I said, I haven't received any emails from anybody. It's been a few weeks. I said, I'll call you back. So I went to my computer. Michelle discovered an email she had overlooked. It was from Brian, who had never written before. The one from him stated, I'm sure you've heard by now that Bonnie and I are no longer together.

I called him right back. I asked him, point blank, what happened? And he said they had got in a fight because she had found out that he had a child from somebody else. That somebody else, Kristen Werkhoven. The two had a baby girl in 2010. Kristen Werkhoven. The two had a baby girl in 2010. Since Yvonne was unable to have a child because of a medical condition,

the discovery must have been earth-shattering. Brian then said Yvonne just up and left. I said, did she leave a note? No. Has she tried to call you since? No. Do you know where she's at? No. And I said, I haven't heard from her, Brian. And he said, well, I'm sure she's fine. But Michelle had her doubts about that story. And 10 days later, when Brian called and still wanted to pick up his truck,

Michelle said she had another plan. I said, when you come to pick up the truck, I'll be here. That's no problem. And I think it's a good idea that you come to pick up the truck, I'll be here. That's no problem. And I think it's a good idea that you go with me to the police department since you're the last one to see her and we can fill out a missing persons report because now we're already in the mid-December and I haven't heard anything from her and that's not right. Something's wrong. Have you ever wondered who created that bottle of sriracha that's living in your fridge? Or why nearly every house in America has at least one game of Monopoly?

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Did you know that the movie Candyman was partly inspired by an actual murder? Listen to Candyman, the true story behind the bathroom mirror murder, early and ad-free, with a 48-hours-plus subscription on Apple Podcasts. In Los Angeles, Michelle Valenzuela was still worried about her missing sister. So she went back to her computer where she found another overlooked message. This one from Yvonne. Hi sis, just an update. Brian and I are no longer together. I should have trusted my instincts that he is a lying, cheating ass.

I'm headed to Costa Rica with a man I met when we first got to Bocas. What'd you think when you read this email? I just wasn't sure. There's some things in there that didn't feel right to me. Her head was spinning. Could Yvonne really have run off with another man after learning that Brian had a love child? All Yvonne ever wanted to do was be a mother. That's all she ever wanted to do was be a mother. And to find out that Brian had a love child? All Yvonne ever wanted to do was be a mother. That's all she ever wanted to do was be a mother. And to find out that Brian had a child, and she sold everything she had to go to the other ends of the world to be with this man, and he didn't tell her about that.

I'm questioning what her mental state is right now. She's heartbroken. In upstate New York, Jim and Lillian Faust also felt the turn of events was just so out of character for their daughter. For her life to change so abruptly, and she's like, oh well, I'm going with this guy, and Costa Rica, that made absolutely positively no sense to me. Also making no sense, three weeks had passed since Yvonne had emailed from Panama, but

then out of the blue, she sent a new email. It was strange. Miss you and everyone at home. I'm starting to get a little homesick. I'm working on plans to get home as early as the second week of January. I've been living with cliffhangers for a while. Love you, sis, Yvonne. While strange, the email was also reassuring for her family, who was happy to learn Yvonne would soon return to California. So I stopped worrying. I figured, okay, she knows that in January we're having a family get-together. She's going to be there.

Do you feel she's safe at this point? I was still worried, but I was satisfied with it for the moment. On the same day that email arrived, so too did Brian Brimminger, knocking on the front door of Michelle's L.A. home to pick up his truck. What did you see on his face? What was his demeanor like? It was just in a hurry. He was calm. It was very brief. All business? Yes. Get his stuff, get his truck. And leave. After Brian got his pickup truck, Yvonne's emails stopped. Sixteen long days passed until on January 6th, 2012, Michelle wrote her sister.

The subject? Worried. I just want to make sure you weren't kidnapped or someone pretending to be you. Ha ha. There's my paranoid, suspicious mind or maybe too many 48 hours. Did you ever hear back from your sister again? No. That's the last email. Michelle was still hopeful that she would appear at that family reunion.

But Yvonne never showed up. Well, at that point, when we met up with my dad and I told him we haven't heard from her, he said, oh no, something's wrong. Something's wrong. And I told my dad, she did not leave Panama. That's just my feeling. By now, Michelle was convinced. Her sister never ran off to Costa Rica with another man. So her instinct was to learn where Yvonne's emails were really coming from. So I went to my cousin and asked him to please check it out because, like I said, I haven't got

a clue. The cousin, a technology whiz, said tracking Yvonne's emails would be easy. All he needed was their IP addresses. So we searched the emails Yvonne had supposedly sent from Panama and Costa Rica, as well as that email Brian had sent from near Dana Point, California. The cousin made a startling discovery. The one from Panama came from Panama, and then the one that was supposed to be with her being in Costa Rica came from the United States. Where in the United States? One of them looked like they were coming from Dana Point. That email, Michelle says, originated from where Brian was now living near Dana Point, California.

It was the evidence Michelle had been looking for. They were sharing the same IP address. So Yvonne's email is coming from Brian's computer. Yes. The family's worst fear had come true. It appeared Brian had hacked into Yvonne's email account and was impersonating her. But why? For Michelle, only one answer made sense.

I said, my sister's dead and I'm never going to see her again. It's like someone calling you up and telling you that your loved one got in a car accident or something. I mean, I knew I wasn't comfortable with her going, but you don't really think it's going to happen. That's when I knew that he did something to her. It's not missing person. It's murder now. It's murder. For Jim and Lillian, who had lost a son to leukemia 12 years before, it was almost too much to take. Was that the moment of realization? Jim had said to me, I think we lost Yvonne.

And I said, no, honey, I'm not going to accept that we lost another child. I'm not going to accept that we lost another child. But for Michelle, there was no time to mourn. I'm going straight to the police department right now. They said, may I help you? And I said, I'm here to report a murder. They referred her to the FBI and the State Department to get a missing person report filed in Panama. I called the embassy and the embassy tells us there is no record of her ever leaving Panama and no record of her ever entering Costa Rica.

Adding to their worry, that house Brian and Yvonne lived in was once owned by notorious American serial killer Wild Bill Holbert, who killed at least six U.S. citizens in Costa Rica and Panama. One of those eerie moments that, you know, just give you chills when you think about the connection. My name is William Dathan Halbert. His M.O., he used his victims' own online identities to communicate with their families after murdering them.

What he did, he sent false e-mails. So that, I don't know if Brian knew about that or what connection there was there, but that was a similarity to Wild Bill, the serial killer. In fact, 48 Hours was told Brian did know all about Wild Bill. You can't make this stuff up, can you? It's unbelievable. It was very creepy how things like this could have happened in that same house. Yvonne's family couldn't wait any longer.

It was time to go to Panama and search for answers. All the while, Brian Brimminger was enjoying his new life with his new wife. Two months after filing a missing persons report with Panamanian authorities, Yvonne's family traveled to the tropical paradise to start their own investigation. It was all this anxiety, we need to get there right away. Before leaving, they reached out to legendary investigator Don Winner. Why is it when something goes bad with an American citizen in Panama, you get the phone call?

I've already put away, or helped to put away, three serial killers, so when bad things happen, they know that to come to me when they don't know what else to do. Winner is an ex-US intelligence officer living in Panama with an uncanny ability to solve murders. Jim and Lillian tell Don the story of their daughter's disappearance and Brian's claim that she's run off with another man.

I think the chances that she's running around in Costa Rica somewhere with some other dude are damn near zero. Here's the deal. This is what happened. This is what we think is going on. Winner, a CBS News consultant, is convinced Brian Bremenger is involved. His strategy? Put pressure on the Panamanian government to act and to turn Yvonne's disappearance into an international story. So he took us to the State Department, he took us to the prosecutor's office, and he took us to the man in charge.

When Don Winner speaks... The people listen, yeah. Winner's game plan also called for Jim and Michelle to give blood for DNA tests should any remains be found. And when Yvonne's family travels hundreds of miles from Panama City to the tropical island where she disappeared, the Panamanian police are persuaded to hold a press conference to plead for information. The family has been experiencing a living nightmare for quite a few months, and we continue to appeal

to anyone who knows absolutely anything about Ivan's disappearance to come forward. Panamanian police announce for the first time that Ivan is the victim of foul play, and name Brian Breminger as the suspect. The persistence of the family and Don Winner pays off in an extraordinary way. This news conference reverberated around the world. Police say within weeks of her disappearance, Briminger returned to the U.S.,

got engaged and married another woman. Tonight, the FBI is calling him a person of interest. Writing the momentum of the press conference, they printed flyers, fanned out to neighborhoods, and the village, searching for their own clues. It's a bittersweet search for Yvonne's niece, Lauren Beyer, in a place that is no longer a paradise. There's nothing here for us until we find her. That's why we're here. But the family's quest is starting to get results.

The family's quest is starting to get results. Witnesses who knew the couple come out of the woodwork, describing Brian's verbal and physical abuse. To me, he was a scary person. He was not the kind of person I wanted to be around. Local bar owner Jeff Salzman saw it firsthand on Yvonne's face. As I recall, it was black eyes and blackness around the face and bruises. Was she self-conscious about it? She was trying to hide it and not speak of it.

Luis Georgette lived next door and says late at night he'd hear screaming. You're hearing physical fighting from their apartment. On the fourth floor, on the bottom floor. It was something that was happening pretty much every single time. It was very painful to learn that he had hit her, that she had bruises, that she had black eyes. Those things were very difficult to learn. I mean, Yvonne was such a part of my life,

and then to see a place where such torture may have happened to her, it just breaks my heart. The realization that Yvonne may have been murdered is setting in. Where could Yvonne's body have been dumped? Well, just feet in front of that house, you've got thousands of square miles of water. Well, if you just go not 20 yards from the shoreline, this impenetrable swamp.

Try to find something in there. But that's exactly what Yvonne's family, investigators, and volunteers set out to do. Entering what could be Yvon's swampy graveyard. Describe this area that has to be searched, just how difficult a place is it. Okay, it's jungle, it's tropical, so you have every kind of bug and critter that you can think of, spiders and snakes and, you know, it's not a place to go slogging around through. It's not a place to go slogging around through. Struggling through the muck, the spiders, and the rancid water,

the smallest discovery raises hope. A purse. A medicine bottle. A mysterious sinkhole. I kept asking myself, I want to find Yvonne, but do I want to find Yvonne? I mean, I want to know where she is, but do I want to see her in these swampy areas? Then, they find a passport. We found a U.S. passport on the front page here. None of it is Ivan's.

The search for now is a dead end. But FBI agents in Panama City have joined the investigation. They bring a special team of FBI divers from the U.S. to search the waters near the house where the couple lived. While that search came up empty, FBI agents in California are hot on Brian's heels. They conduct a surprise interview on March 21, 2012, at his home and leave with numerous pieces of evidence, including what they believe to be Yvonne's laptop. Panamanian and U.S. officials, including the FBI, are investigating.

Panamanian authorities have named Brimager a person of interest and declare the case a homicide investigation. And when photographer Jack English hears that Brian Brimager is a suspect, he nearly drops his camera. The first thing I actually did was call my assistant. I just said, I think we photographed a murder. Tonight's 48 Hours will continue. Tonight's 48 Hours will continue. What did he do with her?

What did he take her to the ocean? Just kills me to think that she's just thrown like trash. Michelle Valenzuela is convinced. Brian Brimager killed her sister. Did he have to dismember her and bury her? Where did he put her? Everybody's looking for Yvonne Baldelli. Don Winner's campaign for justice seems to be working.

The U.S. Embassy, the FBI, the Panamanian authorities, prosecutors, everybody has got this effort going full speed to try to find him. Meanwhile, 48 Hours learned that the joint FBI-Panamanian investigation is now focused on a forensic analysis of the home where the couple lived. The fact that they did a luminal test here in the bedroom and they had a positive result, and there's also a positive result in the other room as an investigator what would that tell you if there's presence of blood in two rooms it's tremendously important it's critical you know because this is the last place that Yvonne was known to be alive as Don winner works

the island talking to residents he determines that Yvonne was murdered in the early morning hours of November 27, 2011. They could hear altercations, screaming and yelling, glass breaking, people slamming up against the building. Later on that day, Don learns Brian Breminger was telling anyone who would listen that Yvonne had run off with another man. He came up with this story of, oh, my girlfriend left me and poor me. I played the role of the abandoned boyfriend. Then he started to give away Yvonne's personal possessions like clothing. And what about Yvonne's dog, Georgia Mae, which had not been seen since she disappeared. Winner has a theory. He knew that she loved that dog and that if the dog was running around,

he knew that anything she said about her taking off with some guy to Costa Rica, everybody would immediately know it was crap. So he had to get rid of the dog too. Don Winner also made another potentially sinister discovery on Brian's Facebook page, where he sold this machete. After Yvonne disappeared, Brimminger made a comment about that knife. He's like, yeah, that used to be mine. I brought it down with me when I came down from the States. And the chilling part is he made a comment that said, I've only used it to chop up one stripper. That's just chilling.

For Don, a portrait of Brian Brimminger, the suspect, is finally coming into focus. Give me a biography of this guy. Who is he? From what I understand, he went in the U.S. Marine Corps in 2004. 2004, the same year he was stationed in Washington, D.C. That's when he met Kristen Workhoven, then a White House staffer in the Bush administration. They started a romantic relationship. He did about seven years in the Marine Corps. He was assigned to Iraq, never in combat. In our investigation, we discovered yet another woman in Brian's life. Seemed like a super nice guy, always came off super sweet and generous. meet nicole powell she was with brian

after yvonne disappeared and she says all he did was party when she was gone i feel like he just kind of opened up and exploded and was party time spending money on everybody. And who was paying for all this partying? Nicole says Brian was using Yvonne's ATM card. Whether it be booze, food, and or drugs, you know, he just kind of bursted into this whole other person. Days later, Brian was back in California and in the arms of his new fiancée, Kristen Werkhoven. But what Kristen didn't realize is that when she was out of town,

Brian flew Nicole up from Panama. You met me at the airport. What was that like? Hectic. We get in his car, and of course he's got his to-go beverage, a little vodka orange juice. But Brian had changed. It was definitely not the same person.

What had he become? Kind of super self-absorbed, nervous, alcoholic, crazy person. Two days into her visit, Brian suddenly turned violent. He got super angry with me and flung his hand up and hit me in the face. I was shocked. I've never been hit before in my life. Nicole caught the first flight out of California and never saw Brian again. Just two weeks later, Brian and Kristen got married. It's so strange, and it's creepy. It's really creepy.

So within literally a month and a couple of days, he goes from being here in this building, killing that girl, to back in the States and marrying somebody else. And oh, by the way, there was another girlfriend in between them two who he abused as well. Despite Brian being a murder suspect, he and Kristen settled into this condo on the outskirts of San Diego. While she worked for a defense contractor, Brian spent much of his time golfing. Recognize that man? Yes, I do. That's Brian. In the summer of 2012, we showed Yvonne's sister, Michelle, video of Brian's new life. What goes through your mind when you see him?

Well, honestly, it's not surprising now that I know what he's capable of. He thinks he got away with murder. So what you have here is a person who killed my sister and can walk away scot-free. You ready? Brian's coming out with his golf club. Let's go, guys. Okay, you rolling? It was time to confront Brian to get some answers.

Brian, Peter Van Sant with CBS News. We'd like to ask a couple questions. Would you please talk to us? Did you murder Yvonne Baldelli? You can speak to us. You can answer that question. Brian, why won't you speak with us? Did you have anything to do with her disappearance?

While Brian heads off to play yet another round of golf, little does he know that the FBI is onto his game. We seek answers, justice, and help. Summer 2012. A march for justice for Yvonne. We will not rest. Whoever took Yvonne from us needs to be behind bars.

But that long wait would continue. Spring 2013. A memorial service. without Yvonne's body. The governments, both the panel and the United States, are not going to give up until they find out whoever did this to our precious Yvonne. And there's still hope that more answers and an arrest are coming. It would help if we get an arrest. Maybe we'll find out where she is. You feel like you're reading a book,

a terrible mystery or murder mystery, and there's no end to it. All the while, the murder suspect, Brian Brimminger, is living just a few miles away. And his life is going on like normal. And our life will never be the same. While Brian and family moved into this new house in 2012, 48 Hours learned the FBI was getting ever closer to knocking down the front door of his

fanciful life. My sister was humiliated in Panama and then she was murdered. That's the biggest concern. Obviously he doesn't care about women. The fact that he's raising a daughter is scary. That man needs to be taken off the streets. Throughout our investigation, Grimminger has repeatedly refused to talk to us. So we approached him one last time for his side of the story. Hey, Brian, I need to talk to you.

How do you explain the fact that Yvonne's email that said she was in Costa Rica that she sent to people was actually sent by you from here in California? Can you answer that? You knew she was dead when you sent that email, didn't you? Brian, we really want you to talk to us. Answer some questions. He's never said a word.

Never said a word to us. He will not answer any questions. But that would change. A former Marine who family members say murdered his girlfriend before... On June 26, 2013, just six days after his wife gave birth to their second child, the FBI arrested Brian Brimager.

How did you learn that Brian had been arrested? Truth be told, I received a text from my dad said they got the SOB. And I sat down in a sense of relief because now they believed us. He was charged with 13 felonies relating to the cover-up of Yvonne's death, but not her actual murder. Even though Assistant United States Attorney Hamilton Aronson named him the prime suspect. Mr. Brimager killed Ms. Baldelli and disposed of her body in an unknown location and then engaged in an elaborate scheme to cover up his crime.

Aronson says the evidence was clear, including a Google search where Brimminger sought how to clean blood off of a mattress. A stern-faced Brimminger loudly pleaded not guilty to all charges, and his bail was denied. He remains locked up in this San Diego federal jail. Brian Brimminger stood in that courtroom and said forcefully not guilty to that courtroom. Right. What do you say? not guilty to that courtroom. Right. What do you say?

You're a damn liar. You're a damn liar from the beginning. And everybody's going to see what he's about and what he did. It's obvious what he did to her. So it's about time that he just fesses up. What did you do with her and where did you put her? Are you hopeful you will find Yvonne? I really believe that we're going to be able to bury her. We're going to be able to give her a celebration of life like she deserves.

Then, just two months after Brian's day in court, a stunning discovery. Just a few hundred yards from the swampy hell the family had spent days searching, human remains have been found on a Panamanian island. A worker discovers a military-style duffel bag and two trash bags. Inside them are human remains. When I first heard the possibility that they found Yvonne, my first reaction was, it's good news because I just feel good. We can nail this bastard.

DNA tests confirmed it's Yvonne. You know, how dare he? He just thought that he could discard her and throw her away like she was trash. She deserves so much more. Yvonne had been dismembered. Investigators speculate that Brian used that machete, which he sold on Facebook. There is a dramatic development this morning in the case of a missing California woman who has been missing for two years.

Seven months after his arrest, Panamanian authorities finally charge him with Yvonne's murder. In my heart, it was taking a long time, but I always knew that we were going to get justice for her. And Kristen Bremenger, seen here in the sunglasses, she's standing by her man. Kristen, may I ask,

do you still believe in your husband's innocence? Can you just tell us that? Don't touch the camera. For Yvonne's family, another tragedy in the spring of 2014. Michelle was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer that quickly spread. I'm still alive to fight for my life, and I'm still alive to fight for my sister. This was Michelle in June of 2014. And this was her last September.

Today, we're going... I'm going to be given a deposition. Given just weeks to live, Michelle, a crucial witness for the prosecution, agreed to tell her story while she still could. Her deposition was videotaped with Brian Breminger sitting right across from her. I'm going to try to ignore him as best I can. Brian, Peter Van Sant with CBS News. With the last ounce of her strength, Michelle describes Brian's actions after Yvonne disappeared.

I would fight for her. I would fight for her like she would fight for me. Michelle passed out after the exhausting testimony. And days later, she died. Among the last words she spoke were at that deposition, a courageous final act of love for her sister. This might be the last thing I get to do for her over and over and over again because it'll be on camera forever. This might be the last thing I get to do for her.

Over and over and over again because it'll be on camera forever. This past spring, just five months after Michelle Valenzuela's tragic death, US officials dropped a bombshell. In agreement with Panama, the U.S. will prosecute Brian Bremenger for the murder of Yvonne Baldelli, a crime that happened in another country more than 3,000 miles away. Federal grand jury has charged a retired Marine with murdering his girlfriend in Panama and then dumping her body in the jungle. Today they brought an indictment against Brian Briminger for murder.

The charges follow complex negotiations between the United States and Panama. The U.S. invoked a rarely used law, foreign murder of a U.S. national. It is so rare, according to federal court records, that it has only been used twice before. It's a good thing it's being tried here because this way the family can be at the trial. It's very important to us because I think he'll receive a judgment here that the family will be all happy with. Both the offices of Secretary of State John Kerry Good afternoon.

and then Attorney General Eric Holder had to approve the use of this law. Being in the same room with him, it really turns your stomach. For Michelle's daughter, Lauren Beyer, it's a bittersweet day. Both her mother and aunt are gone. But they are one step closer to justice for Yvonne. Today, I definitely wish Mom was here to hear the words that he was indicted and charged with murder. She'd probably say something like, we got the bastard. Yeah, you know, she would be very, very, very happy. We share that joy for her.

But Yvonne's family is still waiting to bury her. They're anxious for the Brimminger trial to end, when her remains will be returned to the United States, and they can finally lay her to rest. Brian Brimminger is due in court next week. A federal judge is likely to set a trial date.