48 Hours - Fatal First Date

Episode Date: November 4, 2024

A couple’s first date ends with an ambush. Both are shot. Can the only survivor identify the shooter? Erin Moriarty reports.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 at it all the time. Listening to Audible can lead to positive change in your mood, your habits, 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 trial and your first audiobook is free. Visit audible.ca. This wasn't just a crime scene, was it? No, it was not. This one was bad. This wasn't just a crime scene, was it? No, it was not. This one was bad. Two innocent people that were on their first date had their lives destroyed.

For what reason? How well did Leslie Reeves know Chris Smith? First date. Chris was in a band and a singer, and they had connected, and he asked her out. The night before Thanksgiving, they decided just to meet up and go to the bar. He lived 65 miles away in a really small farming community. The bar that night was very busy.

The place was packed wall to wall. Chris and Leslie were talking a lot, laughing, getting along with everyone around them. She texted me around 10 and she said, everything's going okay. She did then text a second text that said, I feel like something's a little bit off or something. I'm not sure what she meant.

Was that text the last time you heard from Leslie Reeves? Mm-hmm, yes, it was. Did you try texting her in the morning? Mm-hmm. And did she respond? No. I just started driving towards Farmersville because I had the address and called the police department in that area.

Montgomery County Sheriff's Office, this is Jeff. Hi, I'm greatly concerned about my friend. Can someone do a welfare check? What are you feeling at this point, Nana? A lot of anxiety because I don't know what I'm going to walk into. Going up there to this house. I pulled up in front of the address. And then who came while you're sitting there?

While I'm sitting there, who's this woman parked? I said, well, maybe I'll roll my window down and talk to her. I asked her if she was checking on Chris, and she said she was checking on her friend. That's when I went up to the door. I saw the back door was broken, and then I saw Chris laying there. Then I ran back to my car and called 911. Nobody's answering the door,

and the back window shattered, and there's a body, and there's a foot I saw on the floor. I'm only 16, I can't deal with this. I was in shock, I think. Sheriff's office, Jeff. Jeff, give me some help. I got one alive and one dead. I just remember them bringing Chris out

on the stretcher to the ambulance. I remember there being a sheet over him. So it made me panic a little bit. I got a call from our command center in Springfield. So you are the lead crime scene investigator? Yes. Were you really prepared for what you faced when you walked into that house? I was not.

Why would somebody do this to him? Why would they try to hurt my baby? That's all I kept thinking. He's my baby. Someone hurt him. Going on a first date and they both end up getting shot is insane. Afternoon of Thanksgiving Day 2021, Nanette Stiber sat in her car and watched anxiously as EMTs and Montgomery County Sheriff's deputies descended on a house in the tiny village of Farmersville, Illinois. I was quite upset and kind of going crazy in the car.

Nanette had been unable to reach her good friend Leslie Reeves. Nanette knew Leslie had gone to that house the night before to go on a first date with Chris Smith, a man she had met online. She was very excited. She thought, oh, this might be a really good connection. But now Nanette was worried. She'd seen Chris get taken away in an ambulance,

but there was no sign of Leslie. I kept hoping, you know, okay, bring Leslie out, please. Finally, a detective approached and asked the net for a photo of Leslie. She showed him her phone and he gave her the horrible news. I'm so sorry to have to tell you this. Your friend has been murdered, you know, shot, he said. He didn't tell me where, but he did say, I want you to know that she went very quickly. EMTs have found Chris barely conscious and unable to say anything about the shooting.

They rushed him to the hospital, and deputies searched the house. Later that day, crime scene investigator, Josh Easton of the Illinois State Police, was called to the scene. And he began cataloging the mayhem inside. What do you see when you first approach the door? I noticed the side door of the house,

the glass in the door has been broken out. The refrigerator was pulled away from the door. I noticed the side door of the house, the glass in the door had been broken out. The refrigerator was pulled away from the wall. The kitchen table was pushed. The chairs were knocked over. No weapon was found, leading investigators to suspect that a third person was involved. Eason took note of every detail, including the burnt pizza in the oven.

I assumed that maybe they were cooking a pizza for the night and the suspect shows up at the door. They both tried to fight him off. And when Chris was shot, Leslie went to the living room to try to hide. How many times was she shot? She was only shot one time. In the head?

In the head. Leslie's body was in the living room, while Chris had been found in the kitchen. Easton said of the 1,800 crime scenes he had been to, this was one of the most horrific. There was blood everywhere. The cabinets, the refrigerator, the countertop, there was blood from corner to corner in the kitchen.

Easton spotted two silver-colored bullet casings from a nine-millimeter gun, one in the kitchen and the other near Leslie's body. As Easton processed the scene, detectives began learning about the victims. Chris Smith was a 48-year-old divorce father who worked for a pool contractor. Chris was a nice guy.

He would hang out here frequently, was friends with most people in town. Everybody knew him. Bartender Dina LeGrand says Chris was well-known in town as the guy who grew banana trees and giant pumpkins. I remember one Halloween he donated hundreds of pumpkins for decorations for any of the kids to paint. He gave back to his community.

Did either one of you ever worry about Chris? No. No. Sharon Costanza is Chris's mother, Ashley Holcomb, his sister. Chris is a stay-home person that literally would just work in his backyard. Chris lived with a dog named Tiki, and an EMT told the family that Tiki

may have helped Chris make it through the night by huddling with him for the roughly 12 hours that Chris was bleeding before being rescued. I think Tiki protected Chris. I think she probably laid right next to him. Chris' close-knit family could not imagine anyone wanting to kill him. It was like, no way, how, why, like, who?

Yeah, who would have done that? Investigators had the same questions about Leslie and learned that she was a divorced mother of two children who lived in Troy about an hour south of Farmersville. Although Leslie had a master's degree in engineering, she chose instead to teach Pilates and to promote self-defense classes for women. Hi, I'm Leslie from All You Studio. Leslie posted this video to her YouTube channel to advertise one of her classes. Empower yourself against aggression and assault as we teach you easy to learn to her YouTube channel to advertise one of her classes.

Empower yourself against aggression and assault as we teach you easy to learn self-defense techniques. Power up! Leslie tried to help women in abusive relationships, but friends say she had her own troubles. Nanette told deputies she was worried about a former boyfriend, a contractor by the name of Robert Tarr, known as Bobby.

She said, I am going to completely block Bobby. From email, texts, phone calls, I have to go no contact. Later that evening, news of Leslie's murder began circulating and reached another close friend, Amy Steinhauer. She had met Tar, a divorced father of three, and did not have a good impression of him. But... You never see someone and think that they can kill my friend. Amy called the Sheriff's office that night to give them Tar's name. By then, detectives had already set out to give them Tar's name.

By then, detectives had already set out to find Bobby Tar. While 85 miles to the north, surgeons were fighting to try to save the life of Chris Smith, a bullet still lodged in his brain. rain. Until November the 18th, live and listen to all the magic of an Air France rendezvous. It's time to book your rendezvous with Paris, starting at $749 or Barcelona starting at $859 return from Toronto tax included. You can enjoy a glass of champagne however you fly, economy included. Elegance is a journey. Air France. Travel from November 1st to December 14th, 2024, and from January 8th to April 30th, 2025.

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After learning that Chris had been shot in the head, his family rushed to the hospital in Springfield, Illinois, two hours from their home. I was on the phone to everyone I could think of because I just needed prayers from everybody. Doctors removed part of Chris's skull and some bullet fragments in his brain before putting him in a medically induced coma. His family, struggling to piece together what had happened, learned that he had been out with a woman named Leslie Reeves. Had you ever heard the name Leslie Reeves before? No. I looked her up and then I tried to reach out to her friends

and then I found her best friend Nanette. Nanette told them the same thing she had told investigators. She suspected Leslie's ex-boyfriend Bobby Tarr. That night, sheriff's deputies went to Tarr's home in Collinsville, an hour south of the crime scene. Authorities say he never asked why they wanted to talk to him, and he agreed to go to the police station without a lawyer. T.A.R. Margaret.

Although her friend said the couple had broken up, Tarr told investigators that he and Leslie were still together. You and Leslie had a lot of problems? I would say no worse than any average couple. It was Leslie that detectives wanted to talk about. Can you help me shed some light on this? How did she die? She was murdered. What happened? That's why we're here with you.

You don't really believe that you're not involved in this. I'm not involved in anything. Investigators asked Tarr about Farmersville, the scene of the crime. You know where Farmersville is? Farmersville. No, I can't say that I do. I've never been there. I've never been there. about Farmersville, the scene of the crime. And they asked Tar where he had been the night before Thanksgiving. The friend lived a short distance from Tar's home. Do you remember the time you came back?

Maybe, yeah, I wasn't that home. Um, maybe 6.30, something like that. Investigators believe the shooting took place sometime early on Thanksgiving morning, after 1 a.m. Tarr said after he got back, he was home all night. That's exactly what they did. Detectives brought Tarr's 17-year-old daughter Shelby to a different room at the police station, and she told them that her father actually left home twice that night. Shelby said he had been gone for more than two hours and when he got home, he was upset. He gets home, he was crying, he was sobbing, he said he missed Leslie.

Shelby said she went to sleep around 9.30 and was awakened by her father around 2.45 a.m. He started laundry, he was pacing and walking around and he was like, I can't sleep. Detectives went back to T Tar and told him Shelby's story did not match his. Tar then changed his story and said he had gone to his friend's house twice, but still insisted he was home by eight. As Tar sat at the police station,

detectives searched his house and found his phone and a Glock pistol. Shelby had told them her father had a different gun, but they didn't find it. It's little, it's like this big. I like the white thing with the army green. Shelby told investigators she had seen it the day before Thanksgiving in her father's sock drawer. Yesterday morning, actually, I went to get socks that was there. I know it's not. Was there yesterday morning? the day before Thanksgiving in her father's sock drawer.

Yesterday morning, actually, I went to the sock drawer. Was there yesterday morning? Okay. Bobby Tarr sat at the police station overnight while authorities continued to investigate. They had already learned that his car had been captured by license plate reader cameras just after midnight the night of the shooting. The cameras were near a gas station,

and investigators discovered the tar had bought gas there just after midnight. Back at the police station, they confronted him with the gas station receipt. So you're lying. You don't remember knowing that? You don't remember being out after midnight when you have told us you are 100% positive. The gas station is here in Troy.

Yes. And the murder occurred here in Farmersville. Correct. The gas station was near Tarr's home an hour from the crime scene. Andrew Afronti is the Montgomery County State's attorney. He has dystonia, a condition that causes muscle tics and tremors. So why is it significant? So he went out and got some gas. It was significant to us because why would he lie about it?

So I got fuel. What does that prove? Investigators believed it was proof Tar was lying about his whereabouts that night. They placed him under arrest. You're under arrest for murder. Sit back. Sit back. Sit back.

Sit back. Sit back. Sit back. A frontee says they arrested Tar immediately because they feared Chris's life was in danger and they hadn't found the murder weapon. If he was out of custody, could he take further steps to dispose of the evidence?

Just one day after Leslie Reeves was killed and Chris Smith was left fighting for his life, investigators believe they had the man responsible in custody. I'm Erin Moriarty. Bobby Tarr. But in his only media interview, Bobby Tarr tells 48 Hours, they got the wrong guy. There is so many things untold that will prove my innocence?

Bobby Tarr charged with the murder of Leslie Reeves and the attempted murder of Chris Smith is nothing, if not unflappable. Did you kill Leslie Reeves? No. Did you shoot Chris Smith? No. He kept his cool even when confronted with a litany of lies, he told investigators. You told the police you only left the house once.

That wasn't true. Correct. You told the police you had no idea where Farmersville is. That was a lie. You lied about getting gas in your car that night. When he spoke with us, Tar admitted he was at Christmas house the night before Thanksgiving, placing himself at the scene of the crime. He says the night began when he met Leslie at her part time job at this loft store. She had said she was going to go meet some friends because one of their friends was playing in a band. She asked me if I wanted to go. And I said, well, you know, I would go, but I have my youngest daughter

staying with me for a week. Tar says that when he declined the invitation, Leslie asked if he would follow her to Farmersville because her van was unreliable. And so he did. That makes no sense to Leslie's friend, Amy Steinhauer. She was terrified of him. Rightfully so. Just a few weeks earlier, Amy says Leslie told her that Tar had shown up while she side of him. Rightfully so.

Just a few weeks earlier, Amy says, Leslie told her that Tar had shown up while she was on a first date with a different guy. After that incident, Leslie told Amy she was frightened by Tar and texted Amy, I could be killed by him someday if I don't cut all contact. So you're telling me now that this woman who was scared of you, who had actually texted a friend that she thought you might kill her, asked you to follow her to another man's house? Does that make any sense? No, I understand. So I don't understand that text in general.

Why did she think you might kill her? I don't know. I've got no clue. Tarr says Leslie lied to her friends about their relationship. He insists she asked him to follow her north to Farmersville. So I went with her up there. I think we arrived there around 730. I parked in front of her van in front of his house. That's as far as I went. I left, I never went back to Farmersville again.

If he had an innocent explanation for why he was in Farmersville, why did he lie to detectives? My daughter, her and Leslie, there was a little bit of tension between both them. I did not want her to know that I was going to meet Leslie that night. Tarr claims that after he lied to his daughter Shelby

about seeing Leslie, he stuck to that lie at the police station because he was afraid they would tell her. And he never corrected those lies, even when detectives arrested him. Why not just say, look, between you and me, He never corrected those lies, even when detectives arrested him. Why not just say, look, between you and me, I lied to my daughter, so let me tell you the truth, but let's just not share that with her.

Why wouldn't you do that? I should have done that. He's quick to point out the lack of physical evidence connecting him to the bloody crime scene. Investigators searched his white Jetta, but did not find any shards of glass or blood stains. Two tests by the state police were done on my car. Zero blood found in my car. There's zero DNA of mine at the crime scene,

anything from the crime scene, in my car, or on me, or any of my clothing, or my shoes. Zero. Prosecutor Affronti has to concede that point. Was any of Tahr's DNA found inside the house? No. Were any of his fingerprints found inside the house? No.

And authorities still had not found the murder weapon. But a week after the shooting, they got a phone call from Tarr's friend Billy Adams. Adams said Tarr had called him from jail. That call was recorded. What's your day look like today? Because I need 10 minutes of your time. Tarr asked Adams to go to his house

and look for some deck brackets. I got some special aluminum brackets that I need you to get because they're for another job that I didn't tell dad about yet. So don't say nothing to him. Instead, Adams contacted the Sheriff's office. Deputies suspected Tarr knew the phone call was being recorded and was speaking to his friend in code about something other than deck brackets.

They're looting us. Yeah, get them and get rid of them. They thought that was suspicious, which was why they went over and searched. Investigators were on their hands and knees in Tarr's yard looking for a gun. Dan Foltz is Tarr's defense attorney. They searched that area thoroughly. No gun.

You know what they did find? Deck brackets. A few days later, they got another phone call, this time from Tarr's brother, asking them to come back to the house. Tarr's family gave deputies a Ziploc bag they said they had found in the same yard that had been searched just days earlier. Inside a Springfield Hellcat 9mm pistol and silver colored ammunition.

The Illinois state police determined the gun was the murder weapon and the ammunition matched the casings found at the crime scene. We still to this day don't know how that ended up there specifically in the spot that they searched. Are you saying you were set up? Someone was framing you? Yes. But if someone was framing Tarr, he or she would have to be pretty detail oriented. The state police say Tarr's fingerprint

was on the Ziploc bag. He is adamant that he would not have been dumb enough, that he would have carried it all the way back to his home and said, hmm, where would I put this gun on my one acre lot? I think I'll put it next to the front door. And Tarr points out neither his prints nor DNA were found on the gun itself. Nothing on the firearm, no DNA, no prints of mine on the firearm.

What I think what happened is that the gun was cleaned. And that Mr. Tarr just missed a spot. That spot was Leslie's DNA, say police, found on the guide rod of the gun. Tarr's explanation? The gun wasn't his. It belonged to Leslie. I purchased the Hellcat, and Leslie purchased it from me.

As investigators continued to build a case against Bobby Tarr, they say he was hatching a plan to silence the only eyewitness. Did you ask a inmate to shoot Chris Smith? What do you make of Bobby Tarr's story? Chat now with the 48 Hours team on Facebook and X. In the Pacific Ocean, halfway between Peru and New Zealand,

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You can listen ad free on the Amazon Music or Wondry app. ["Wonderful Music"] ["Wonderful Music"] Leslie accompanied me here on several occasions. If there's anyone who knew what guns Leslie Reeves owned, it's Howard Bolton, her close friend and firearm instructor. When I would hold classes, she would actually shoot with us. Leslie was becoming a very good shot. Bolton says Leslie had organized a class called

Girls with Guns not long before she was murdered. We put the girls through their paces. They would move and fire. They would go forward and fire. They would come back and fire. And Leslie did very, very well at that. Bobby Tarr insisted to us that Leslie owned the Hellcat that was used to kill her.

But Howard says he never saw her use it. Leslie never brought a Springfield, let alone a Hellcat, to class. So then how did Leslie's DNA get on the guide rod of the murder weapon? Howard believes that Leslie's DNA could only be on that guide rod of the murder weapon. Howard believes that Leslie's DNA could only be on that guide rod if the gun was fired at her at close range. So when he shot her, wherever it was he

shot her, would have contaminated that part of the gun. In fact, Howard says Leslie owned a different gun. Her friends say they wish she had taken it with her the night she was killed. Had Leslie taken the gun with her, I assure you the outcome would have been different. Tarr declared his innocence, but the case against him could hinge on what Chris Smith, the only survivor, remembers.

Would he be able to identify him? That was the question as Chris remained in a coma. We were talking to him, singing to him, and I was always holding this hand. Hallelujah. While Chris Smith lay helpless, authorities say Tar was plotting to silence him forever. A grand jury indicted Tarr on two counts of solicitation of murder.

Those charges are based on allegations by an inmate who says Tarr paid him ten thousand dollars to shoot and kill the lead detective and Chris. Did you ask a inmate to shoot Chris Smith? No, ma'am. And to kill Detective Roach? No, ma'am. Tarr says the alleged plot was a lie concocted by a former cellmate. Tarr says he loaned that cellmate $10,000 for his bond

and that it had nothing to do with Chris Smith. Were you worried he was going to testify and point to you as a shooter? No, I was not worried one iota. The truth was that no one knew what Chris Smith remembered. The first time he regained consciousness was in early January 2022, about two months after the shooting.

I feel like egg foo young. Egg foo young? Chris's voice was so weak in those early days It's already done over there. that his old friend Mark Reardon, a talk show host in St. Louis 522-971-FMT barely recognized Chris on the phone. I could not believe that I was hearing from this guy.

And I cried, he cried. Just talking about that moment really brings me chills because I just thought he was never gonna be someone that was in my life ever again. What did Chris tell you? Well, when Chris came out of this, I was pretty sensitive to ask him about what had happened that night because I think I was a little afraid of even having those conversations.

So most of the conversations that we had were really focused on, hey, how are you? Are you going to be okay? After intense physical therapy, he's made incredible strides. He's much stronger than when he awoke from a coma, but he discovered there are gaps in his memory. incredible strides. He's much stronger than when he awoke from a coma, but he discovered there are gaps in his memory. What does he remember from that terrible night? I wished to God I could remember something.

I mean, even just a smidgen of something, but I remember nothing. He remembers nothing of the shooting or Leslie Reeves. I said, who the heck's Leslie? I don't know Leslie. You had no idea? No, nothing. Nothing? Nothing.

Is Chris the same person who used to come on your show before he was shot? Yeah. I think at the core he's still the same guy that I knew. He's still the smart ass. He's still the guy that's gonna talk about how good he is and how good he was and how much he could lift weights. Chris works out at the gym most mornings, trying to regain muscle, so that someday he'll be able to walk without assistance.

He's even back to being the lead singer in his rock and roll band. I don't know how he did make it. I don't understand how he did. He's a miracle. But Chris is aware his life is very different from what it once was. So I'm half the man I used to be, but I'm trying to get it back as hard as I can. And then my left leg is partially paralyzed from my hip to my knee, then from my knee to my toes, completely paralyzed.

So if there's any neurosurgeons out there, any researchers out there, please get a hold of me. I'll be your guinea pig. Just make me normal and give me my life back, please. It's tough, isn't it, Chris? It's tough, doesn't even describe it. Doesn't even describe it. Chris has resigned to living with part of that hollow point bullet in his brain. Doctors say it's in a spot that makes it too dangerous to remove. So that's where you got shot?

Yep, right here. Yep, you still feel it in my skull. Right there. After decades on his own, Chris had to move back into his mother's house. I thank my blessings daily that he's here with us. I just wish that this guy didn't take everything away from him.

Chris visits with his loyal dog Tiki, but no longer lives with her. And he'd love to see his 12-year-old daughter more often, but he can't drive. And he's living in St. Louis almost two hours away from his daughter and ex-wife. I miss her. She was my little pea in the pod.

I mean, we did everything together. The trial of Robert Tarr was set for April 2024, but Chris would not be there. He told the prosecutor he was too angry to attend. You didn't think you'd be able to just sit there? Oh no, no way. I know myself. There's no way.

No. But Chris's alleged shooter, Bobby Tarr, will be there. And he said he was eager to tell the jury that he's not a violent man. But on this one night early morning, did you snap? No. That's not my nature. I don't lose it and snap. Follow along with Chris's remarkable story at 48hours.com. Have you ever wondered who created that bottle of Sriracha that's living in your fridge?

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From the award-winning masters of audio horror. Best idea yet. flat comes the return of dark sanctum. It's blood. Seven original chilling tales inspired by the Twilight Zone and tales from the crypt. Get back in your car. Okay, I'm here now. Josh, get in your car! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh!

Oh! Oh! Starring Bethany Joy Lenz, Clive Standen, and Michael O'Neil. Welcome to The Dark Sanctum. Listen to Dark Sanctum Season 2 exclusively on Wondry+. Join Wondry Plus in the Wondry app, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. When Bobby Tarr went on trial in April 2024, prosecutors told the jury that he killed Leslie Reeves rather than allow her to live the life she wanted,

a life without him. Mr. Tarr couldn't deal with the fact that Leslie was seeing somebody else and he had to go and take care of it. Andrew Afronti says Tarr secretly followed Leslie to Farmersville early that evening. And shortly afterwards, his phone began showing some interesting activity.

He had actually searched Chris Smith on his phone, had tried to find his Facebook profile. Tar headed home and texted his friend Billy Adams. I don't feel like she would drive that far for a party or go out with a girlfriend. I think it's for a dude. He also searched whether police could track his phone if he was using a VPN, a virtual private network.

He was researching to determine whether or not that would mask where his location was while he was using the phone. Authorities say around midnight, Tar left home stopping at that gas station. And then, according to a frontie, surveillance videos and cell tower records Authorities say around midnight, Tarr left home, stopping at that gas station. And then, according to a frontee, surveillance videos and cell tower records show that Tarr drove back to Farmersville. You believe he intended to kill both Chris and Leslie?

I 100% believe that he went up there with the intent to do serious harm to both of them. With one victim dead and the other with no memory, it's difficult to say with certainty what happened. But the prosecution argued that sometime after 1 a.m., Bobby Tar tried to enter through the back door of Christmas house. Leslie and Chris tried to keep him out. There was some kind of altercation or struggle. And that's when the glass was broken.

Crime scene investigator Josh Easton told the jury what he had observed inside the kitchen. The refrigerator was pulled away from the wall where it appeared it normally was. Prosecutors believe Leslie was trying to use the refrigerator to block the door. And based on where Chris was shot in his head, they think he was crouching down to help Leslie. I think that while Chris was crouched down trying to hold the door shut, Bobby shot through the door and shot Chris. With Chris incapacitated, Afronti says Leslie hid in the living room, tarred tractor down, shot and killed her.

I strongly believe that he walked in and executed her. Defense Attorney Dan Foltz disputes all of that. There is simply no evidence that that's what happened. There's no evidence that Leslie pushed the refrigerator. There's no fingerprints and blood on the refrigerator of Leslie's. Foltz says evidence of a fight in the kitchen tells a different story.

The amount of blood in that kitchen was astonishing. From looking at that crime scene, do you believe that Christopher Smith had to fight his assailant in the kitchen? It would appear to me that there was some significant struggle in that kitchen between him and someone else. And he says the assailant could not have been Bobby Tarr because he would have been covered in blood.

They did not identify a single piece of DNA in his car. They didn't identify a bloody fingerprint. They did not identify anything tying him to that crime scene. But prosecutors argued the house wasn't bloody when Tarr left. They said Chris bled heavily in the 12 hours it took for help to arrive. And while the prosecution did not have a lot of forensic evidence linking Tarr to the crime scene, a frontee says his phone activity, his lies to investigators, and the evidence found on the Hellcat all prove his guilt. When you put all that together, that's when you get the clear picture of what happened. When it was the defense's turn, Tarr says he wanted to tell his story to the jury,

but he chose not to testify. Why didn't you just decide you were going to talk to the jury and tell this story, if in fact you have a story to tell? Why didn't you just decide you were going to talk to the jury and tell this story, if in fact you have a story to tell? I should have. I very well should have. We made a strategic decision because it may have opened the door for a whole lot of other, more damaging evidence to be used to cross-examine him. The defense didn't put on any witnesses and counted on the jury to find reasonable doubt

in the lack of physical evidence. After three hours, the jury found Bobby Tarr guilty of first-degree murder and attempted murder. Everyone clapped, and Bobby just sat there shaking his head. Two months later, Tar was back in court for sentencing. And this time, so was Chris, to tell the judge how the shooting impacted him and his family. Cameras were not allowed in the courtroom.

Lost my house, lost my truck. I've literally lost my life about being killed. Tar also spoke and denied shooting Leslie and Chris. The judge sentenced him to 85 years. I hope the rest of his time on this earth is hell. Leslie Reeves' friends are focused on keeping her memory alive. She was a light of a lot of people's lives.

She was always smiling. She was a very good mother, lived for her kids, and was an advocate and champion of women, women's rights, and especially women that were abused. If it can happen to her, it could happen to anyone, so we all need to be careful. Chris Smith says he never expected he'd be a victim of domestic violence and cautions other men to take a hard look at their behavior. If guys, you feel like that, you want to hurt a woman, get help.

While Chris mourns his old life, he's writing a book about his experiences and says he's working to make what he calls poor man's margaritas out of the lemons and limes he's been handed. I've got a do-over. Good Lord, give me a do-over. Not many people get a second chance in life.

Chris has found love with Michelle Albrecht. She's an angel, loving me and accepting me the way that I am. He proposed to her on stage. I just asked her if she married me, guys. What's the most important lesson out of all of this? Don't ever give up on anything, ever, no matter how bad things are. Don't ever give up.

Leslie's two children are being raised by their father. Bobby Tarr is still awaiting trial on solicitation of murder charges. As a kid growing up in Chicago, there was one horror movie I was too scared to watch. It was called Candyman. But 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, wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Erin Moriarty of 48 Hours. And of all the cases I've covered, this is the one that troubles me most. podcasts. If you like this podcast, you can listen ad-free right now by joining Wondery Plus and the Wondery app. Before you go, tell us about yourself by filling out a quick survey at Wondery.com slash survey. Dracula, the ancient vampire who terrorizes Victorian London.

Blood and garlic, bats and crucifixes, even if you haven't read the book, you think you know the story. One of the incredible things about Dracula is that not only is it this wonderful snapshot of the 19th century, but it also has so much resonance today. The vampire doesn't cast a reflection in a mirror. So when we look in the mirror, the only thing we see is our own monstrous abilities.

From the host and producer of American History Tellers and History Daily comes the new podcast The Real History of Dracula. We'll reveal how author Bram Stoker rated ancient folklore, exploited Victorian fears around sex, science, and religion, and how even today we remain enthralled to his strange creatures of the night. You can binge all episodes of The Real History of Dracula exclusively with Wondery+. Join Wondery+, and the Wondria, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.

You don't believe in ghosts? I get it. Lots of people don't. I didn't either until I came face to face with them. Ever since that moment, hauntings, spirits, and the unexplained have consumed my entire life. I'm Nadine Bailey.

I've been a ghost tour guide for the past 20 years. I've taken people along with me into the shadows, uncovering the macabre tales that linger in the darkness, and inside some of the most haunted houses, hospitals, prisons and more. Join me every week on my podcast, Haunted Canada, as we journey through terrifying and bone-chilling stories of the unexplained. Search for Haunted Canada on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music or wherever you find your favorite podcasts.