48 Hours - Tacoma Confidential

Episode Date: April 25, 2024

A report on corruption and a cover-up by city officials of Tacoma, Wash., focusing on David Brame, the city’s police chief. After 11 years of marriage, David's wife Crystal filed for a divorce. John Hathaway, who operated the website, "The New Takhoman," anonymously received the divorce papers, which contained details about the couple’s marriage, including allegations of sexual demands, abuse and death threats. John published the information, titled “Tacoma Confidential,” and the story made headlines. Shortly afterwards, David shot Crystal in the head and then turned the gun on himself. This classic "48 Hours" episode last aired on 6/9/2004. Watch all-new episodes of “48 Hours” on Saturdays, and stream on demand on Paramount+.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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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. People knew deep, dark secrets about him and did nothing about it. In a picture perfect place, David Brame... He was well liked by the guys. ...had a picture perfect life.

Or did he? He would say, I can choke you so quickly, or I can snap your neck. His wife and children were living in fear. There's no faking that level of terror. He had put this loaded gun to her head. Crystal had nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. This man is the police chief, chief of police of a major American city.

And Chief David Brame had a lot to hide. He threw me down on the bed. Then he raped me. Bill Lagatuda investigates charges of abuse, corruption, and cover-up. I'm a man who knows too much. When a city kept secrets, the consequence was murder. The last thing heard was, oh no, don't. A 48- 48 hours mystery.

We have a shooting in the parking lot. There is cover up. There are lies. And the truth is simply not coming out. Tacoma Confidential. I'm Leslie Stahl. This is a story about keeping secrets. It's a situation we've all faced where you hear something troubling about someone you know. Do you keep it to yourself or blow the whistle?

In this case, the choices people made would have an entire city wondering what went wrong. Bill Lagatuda reports from a place where so much was kept confidential for so long until finally the cover-up began to unravel. GIG HARBOR IS PROBABLY ONE OF THE GREATEST PLACES YOU COULD EVER LIVE. IT'S ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL. FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST, GIG HARBOR IS SYNONYMOUS WITH THE GOOD LIFE. absolutely beautiful. For a lot of people in the Pacific Northwest, Gig Harbor is synonymous with the good life. Where can you live where you have the boats like this and the community like this and the gorgeous scenery? It's absolutely beautiful.

It's a place where local detective Dave Crocker doesn't concern himself too much with violent crime. There's been only one murder here in 60 years. Friendly place. Everybody's just real kind and rarely do you find a mean, unpleasant person in this town. At least that's what people here thought. Before something terrible happened on April 26, 2003. 911. We had a shooting in the parking lot in front of Light Aid and Gig Harbor.

Two people shot. Did anyone see who did the shooting? I was shocked. You just don't have these kinds of things happen in this little town. What happened here in Gig Harbor on that horrible day would not only shake things up in this quaint little town. What happened here in Gig Harbor on that horrible day would not only shake things up in this quaint little town, but would have major repercussions not far from here, just across the bridge in Tacoma,

which as it turns out is a big city filled with a lot of dark little secrets. Tacoma and the fouriers was called Sin City long before Las Vegas was. There were whore houses, bootleggers, drugs. No one knows more about the secrets of Tacoma, Washington than John Hathaway. I'm a man who knows too much. There's corruption in this town. Yes, there's corruption in this town.

And you've sniffed it out? Several things, yes. John Hathaway may look like someone out of a Raymond Chandler novel, but make no mistake, in Tacoma, he's a force to be reckoned with. Hathaway publishes a website called The New Tacoman, dedicated to getting under the skin of the city's power brokers. I take it if I called you a muckraker, I would not be insulting you. No, I wouldn't take that as an insult at all. However, I also want to state that I also have impeccable sources in the city of

Tacoma. Is this your full-time job? No. What do you do? Actually, I'm a bartender at Lincoln Lanes. Lincoln Lanes, down at the Heels Bowling Alley over on 38th and Yakima. Is it good to be a bartender at this place? Absolutely. Because people tell bartenders things. Right. What do you have? Gin and tonic. You got it. When he's not tending to his customers, he's watching his city. She'll be in business in no time. He ought to be a character in a book. He wears a fedora. He believes in conspiracies. David Zeke is the executive editor of the Tacoma News Tribune. John is talking to people that don't ordinarily make it into the pages of a newspaper. He'll talk to the city officials't ordinarily make it into the pages of a newspaper.

He'll talk to the city officials, but he's also listening to secretaries and beat cops and people who come into the bowling alley. There's Sullivan or Modine. I think that's where sometimes you find the great stories. Hathaway's Internet tabloid has developed a cult following, and last April, one of his sources slipped him some documents that would soon become the story of the decade in Tacoma. So somebody literally dropped these papers off on your doorstep? Correct.

And when you read them, what went through your mind? I believe Crystal. Crystal is Crystal Brame, married to David Brame, one of Tacoma's most powerful men. Hathaway now had the couple's divorce papers, and the words weren't pretty. According to her, David Brame, a baseball and basketball star in high school, now one of the city's top officials, was a monster. Now one of the city's top officials was a monster. Back in Gig Harbor, Marty Conmeat lived next door to the Brames.

Crystal was certainly more friendly. All he saw was a quiet suburban couple until one day, out of the blue, Crystal approached him. What she had to say to me was, you know, mind-blowing, really. What did she say? him. What she had to say to me was mind-blowing, really. What did she say? He had pushed her back into a closet and put a gun, a loaded gun, to her head and told her that she wouldn't be getting out of the marriage alive. She told you that he put a gun to her head and threatened to kill her?

Yes. She said that a restraining order was coming shortly and that he was not to be in the neighborhood. If we did see him in the neighborhood, to call 911 immediately. Conmey was floored and repeated what Crystal had said to make sure he understood. I said, okay, if I see him, call 911. And her mother said, call 911 immediately. Please raise your right hand, David. But calling 911 on David Brain, well, that might have presented a problem.

Congratulations. Thank you. This man have presented a problem. Congratulations. Thank you. This man is the police chief. Right. Chief of police of a major American city. Right. That's right. Brame was the chief of the Tacoma Police Department.

She's telling you things about him and saying, call 911 if you see him in the neighborhood. Right. That's, to use your words, mind blowing. It is. Yeah, it is. Dave's wife Crystal will now pin his badge on his uniform. Just 15 months earlier, Crystal had proudly pinned the Chief's badge on her

husband's chest as their two young children, Haley and David, looked on. It just kind of broke my heart to see Crystal pinning the badge on and making it look like she was very happy. Patty Judson is Crystal's mother. We were sitting there in the audience knowing we know different. And now, David, I turn the podium over to you. Brame came from a family of police officers and had campaigned hard for the job. For him, and seemingly for Crystal, it was the culmination of a dream this is truly a profound and honorable experience for me i'm home and this is where i'll stay thank you for attending why do

you think crystal ended up with a man like david she said he was a patrol officer and she said i really felt safe. But after 11 years of marriage, Crystal felt anything but safe. She had begun talking to her parents, Lane and Patty. She seemed to be kind of sick all the time. Her sister Julie and her husband Dave. I was mortified actually. Shopkeeper Linda Lee Clark.

I know that she was very frightened. And Debbie Phillips, who works at a local tanning parlor. She was on a time schedule. David would keep very close tabs of her time. She'd go to the store, he'd mark the time, check the odometer. He would let her know that, hey, you spent 19 minutes talking to that neighbor, don't do it on my time. And Crystal said David gave her no privacy. He watched her wait almost daily. How would he do that? Have her get on the scale and she'd weigh in front of him. She couldn't go to the bathroom without David sitting on the tub watching her go to the bathroom. She had absolutely no privacy. And

then there were the allegations of abuse, both physical and emotional. There was always screaming and yelling and telling her how horrible she is, how no man would ever want her because she's fat and she's ugly. And he would say, I can choke you so quickly or I can snap your neck. He punched her once in the gut. She had mentioned that to me and choked her. Even David Brame's sexual demands were revealed in the divorce papers. He also had a peculiar sex life. She told me some of those things we I don't even want to repeat it she said that the last straw was that she had put this loaded gun to her head and that was wanting her to participate in

threesomes and foursomes but in the divorce filing Braim said crystal had physically abused him and he provided these photographs. Whatever the truth, back in Tacoma, John Hathaway read those papers. I read the entire file, and I got so sick I had to call my wife. And decided the secret should finally come out. He published Tacoma Confidential. At one point in the divorce papers, he actually told her, he says, there's only one way you're going to leave me, and that's dead.

Within days, the story made it to the front pages of the mainstream newspapers, and everybody knew what Crystal thought about her husband, the chief. What happened next would shock everyone. He asked me if I was a praying man, and he asked me if I was to say a prayer for him. It was 1989 in Titusville, Florida. Kim Hallig said she and her ex-boyfriend Chip Flynn were kidnapped and attacked at gunpoint. Kim fled the scene, but Chip didn't make it out alive. Did you kill Chip Flynn? No, ma'am. Crosley Green has lived more than half his life behind bars for a crime he says he didn't commit.

I'm Erin Moriarty of 48 Hours, and of all the cases I've covered, this is the one that troubles me most, involving an eyewitness account that doesn't quite make sense. A sister testifying against a brother. They always say lies, you can't remember lies. A lack of physical evidence. And questions about whether Crosley Green was accused, arrested, and convicted because he's black. Just because a white female says a black man has committed a crime, we take that as gospel. Listen to Murder in the Orange Grove, the troubled case against Crosley Green, early and ad-free on Wondery Plus in the Wondery app. 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 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 Informants 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. After 11 years of marriage, Crystal Brame had finally broken free from the clutches of David Brame.

And those closest to her noticed a profound change. There was people, in fact, they didn't even recognize her. She was more like the old Crystal, a girl who once dreamed of being a ballet dancer or an ice skater. Crystal's mother, Patty Judson. Crystal ended up looking like, just like she did when she graduated from college. She was bubbly and she told us she felt free. It's kind of amazing that when you get out of an abusive situation, you become happy

and you begin to like yourself and you begin to lose the weight and she smiled all the time. Debbie Phillips owns the tanning parlor that Crystal visited repeatedly to sneak a few quiet moments away from the prying eyes of her husband. She had total quietness, serenity. It was almost like sanctuary for her and that's the reason why she came tanning. No matter snow, sleet, rain, shine, she was here. And when Crystal left her husband and took the kids, Haley age 8 and David age 5, to her parents' home.

Her whole demeanor just totally changed, her whole outlook on life. She actually had something to look forward to. But however liberated she may have felt, Crystal could not forget that her husband was still the chief and that he had hurt her in the past. husband was still the chief and that he had hurt her in the past. Figuring he was capable of anything, Crystal decided she had to do something to protect herself. Go Melissa, go, go, go. She went to see Bill Kortenbach, a martial arts instructor who teaches an intense course on personal safety.

It was a horror story. There was no faking that level of terror. You could look at her and read fear? Oh, it came off her in waves. I know you've heard stories like this before from women, but probably never from someone who's married to a chief of police. Yes, and this changed everything. Because this is his life work, he has a whole

lot at stake. Did you give her any advice? Oh, I most certainly did. So what I would do if I were in your shoes is I would go to your bank and I would withdraw the largest sum of cash that you could and I would get your children and I would disappear. Crystal was scared to death. up here. Crystal was scared to death. Remember, John Hathaway had just published the divorce papers filled with allegations of abuse by the chief. The newspapers followed it up and now everyone was talking, including fellow police officers. This was a huge story here. This story was one of the stories that we knew we were going to be reading about for a long time. Chief David Brame was facing public humiliation and under tremendous pressure. The newspapers were calling for an investigation.

Some city officials were suggesting he be placed on leave and surrender his badge and gun. But Brame's boss, City Manager Ray Korpis, stood by him, calling the divorce a private matter. That was on April 25, 2003. The next day was Saturday, and everything was about to change. David Brame had picked up his children, Haley and David, the night before and was in his car running errands. They were driving toward a shopping mall in Gig Harbor. Meanwhile, Crystal was in her car at the same time, talking on the cell phone with her mother.

And she says, I think I see David. And I don't know where she is at this time. I know she's driving. She thinks she sees David. I said, well, tell her to get out of there. And then all of a sudden she said, I gotta go, I gotta go. And I said, well, Crystal, and the phone went dead. For some reason, Braim and Crystal ended up in the same place at the same time. Detective Ed Troyer of the Pierce County Sheriff's Office said they parked near each other. Her car was in this spot right here.

And his car he parked what down over here about six spots the other direction on the other side. Brame told the children to wait in the car. He wanted to talk to their mother. At some point she got out of the car and he sat down in the driver's seat of her car with his feet out on the ground and the two of them had a conversation going. From what witnesses state, they heard some loud voices but nobody could give us the details of exactly what was being said. But the last thing heard was, oh no, don't, don't. What happened next, no one was prepared for. Chief Brame had suddenly pulled crystal's head down toward his lap and shot her at point-blank range then he fired a second shot

into his own head and then within minutes of that we received the first 911 calls 911 good morning we have a shooting in the parking lot two people shot did you come running out or walking? I walked cautiously. Jennifer Loven was working in a nearby video store. So I picked up the phone, called the police, handed it to a co-worker and walked out the front door. The two Brame children heard the gunfire as well and ran toward their parents. I walked straight up to the area and actually saw Crystal, Miss Brame, lying face down on the ground. What Jennifer saw next was heartbreaking. My attention from then on got diverted to the children.

The girl grabbed her mom, was on the ground. She was literally pulled off by witness. She was screaming, Daddy shot Mommy, Daddy shot Mommy. They were pretty much watching their mother struggle to live, and they didn't have anywhere else to go, nowhere to take them. With a crowd gathering, Jennifer grabbed Haley and David and took them into the video store where she worked. I immediately grabbed onto Haley and took her with me and I felt that they needed me. Back at home, Patty and Lane Judson were still waiting for Crystal to call back.

Finally, the phone rang. Somebody told me that there was a serious incident and that we had to come pick up the grandchildren. We went right to the video store then where they were holding the children. And Haley was crying so hard and little David was crying. We tried to control the children and they were crying and they were... and they were crying and they were... Crystal was still alive, despite her injuries, and so was Chief Brame.

They were both rushed to the same hospital as the horrible news broke all over the area. This is Cairo 7 Eyewitness News. We're tracking breaking news of a shocking double shooting in Gig Harbor. We're getting word this afternoon that Tacoma's police chief David Brame has shot himself and his wife. And in Tacoma, John Hathaway got the news. When you heard that he had shot his wife, killed himself in front of his kids, did you feel any sense of remorse for publishing those divorce papers? I felt no sense of guilt. I just felt sick to my stomach. David Brain died within hours of his self-inflicted gunshot wound.

But Crystal was still alive. As she was airlifted to a hospital in Seattle, many in Tacoma were demanding answers. It's kind of sad for someone like that to be our police chief. Well, they should look into it. Supposed to be the peacekeeper. You know what I'm saying? For him to go do some crazy stuff like that, that's madness. How did a man like David Brame become their chief of police?

The man was a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. People knew deep, dark secrets about him and did nothing about it. And the woman who knew David Brame's darkest secret was about to tell her story. I want people to know what kind of man Dave Brame was airlifted to a hospital in nearby Seattle, We were just hoping for the best. When Crystal Brame was airlifted to a hospital in nearby Seattle, her parents, Lane and Patty Judson, lived at her bedside.

What did the doctors say about her chances? They weren't saying too much, other than we'd have to wait the 48 or 72 hours. The wait was agonizing. But then... She opened one eye, maybe partially a quarter of an inch or so. They started to unhook things and said she was breathing on her own and she was squeezing her hand. Crystal's condition improved and the whole city was behind her.

Her family was hopeful, but in their quiet moments, they wondered about David Brame. Had they ever really known their son-in-law? What kind of interaction did the two of you have with him? DAVID BRAHME, What kind of interaction did the two of you have with him? DAVID ARONS, Try to engage him in conversation, very short, curt answers, yes, no. DAVID BRAME, With our family, he was really quiet, really an outsider.

DAVE ARONS IS MARRIED TO CRYSTAL'S SISTER JULIE. Yes, no. With our family, he was really quiet, really an outsider. Dave Ahrens is married to Crystal's sister, Julie. I thought, how do you get stuff done on the street if you can't even communicate with your wife's family? But when surrounded by other officers, Brain became a different person. My long-term goal is to bring the community and the officers even closer together. Simply put, he was a cop's cop. Whenever he was put into a unit, if there was a problem, he would manage to fix it. Detective Ed Troyer of the Pierce County Sheriff's Office knew Brame mostly by reputation, a good reputation.

He was known as somebody that was professional, and he was well-liked by the guys. But none of us knew his personal life. But it was the private David Brame that puzzled Crystal's family. How did this man become chief of police? That's what we're trying to find out. We want to know. We want to know the truth. And the rest of the citizens in the city of Tacoma deserve the same. They need to know.

The citizens of Tacoma were about to find out a lot they didn't know about David Brame. For instance, back in 1981, when he first applied for the police force, he took two separate routine psychological exams. And both psychologists recommended that he not be hired. But that did not stop David Brame from becoming a cop. He had a brother on the police force. He had a father on the police force. It's the good old boy system. It's the buddy system. It's the blue code. John Hathaway grew up in East Tacoma, near Brame's family. Just like in New York or any other city, kids usually follow in the footsteps

of the father. My father started with the Tacoma Police Department in 1951. My brother's retired from Tacoma Police Department. My cousin's retired from the Tacoma Police Department. And I have another brother on the Pierce County Sheriff's Department. I like to say we hired on the family plan. It was easier for the city that way. But family plan or not, how does the city hire someone with two strikes against him? Here's a guy who took a psychological test to be a police officer and failed.

Correct. And yet became an officer. Correct. But that was just the beginning. It turned out David Brame had more than one skeleton in his closet. Back in 1988, a woman reported that she had been raped in this house in suburban Tacoma, raped by a police officer. The name of the alleged attacker, David Brame.

It's been a big cover-up for a long time, and a lot of people are probably real concerned about what's going to come out. This woman, now 45, is telling her story on television for the first time. She asked us not to show her face. Back in the late 80s, before Brayne married Crystal, she was a juvenile counselor and worked with Brayne. He asked me one day if I wanted to get together that evening to go get a bite to eat or something, and I said that would be fine.

Did you think you were going out on a date with him? No. What did you think of him at that time? I mean he seemed like a nice guy. He was it was more on the quiet side. They went out that night but away from work they didn't seem to have much to talk about. We just weren't having a, what you would call, mutual conversation. She drove him to his home just outside of Tacoma. He asked her to come inside.

I sat down in the living room, and he turned on the television. Then he immediately went into the bathroom. He said he would be right out. It took him quite a while to come out. What happened next? Then he attacked me. What did he do? He just wrenched over and grabbed me.

I said, no, Dave, I don't want to do this. I need to leave. I got up off the couch, and that's when he grabbed me. Brame was more than six feet tall, a foot taller than his victim. He just wrapped his arms around me and picked me up. I was trying to move my arms and kicking him, and he just carried me than his victim. He just wrapped his arms around me and picked me up. I was trying to move my arms and kicking him, and he just carried me in his room. Then he threw me down on the bed,

and he grabbed me by the back of the hair and had me look at a gun that was laying on the nightstand. And then he said I needed to do what he wanted me to do. What happened? Then he raped me. When he was done, he started crying and said he was sorry. He had just raped you,

and he stands up and says, I'm sorry. Right. You left at that point? I did. Did you call the police? No, I didn't. I, no. Why not?

Because he was the police, and I was afraid. I didn't. I know. Why not? Because he was the police and I was afraid. I didn't know they would listen to me. She went back to work, but her tension was obvious, especially when she was around Brain. And another officer noticed. He sat me down several times and asked me what had happened between us. I want you to tell me what's going on. The officer she told her story to was Reggie Roberts. She said that she had been raped. She had told me his name and I was extremely shocked. Because it was David Brame, she said. That's correct. And you not only knew him, you've known him all your life. Yes. That's right. Roberts and Brame were childhood friends and went to the same high school.

What did you think when she leveled that allegation about him? I remember the thought, we've got big trouble now. He asked me how he could help me, and I told him that I wanted to confront him. Officer Roberts set up a meeting at his home and invited Brame and his accuser. Incredibly, Brame accepted. I just looked at him and said, you raped me. And he said, I know, I'm sorry. So he admitted that he raped you?

Yes, he did. At that point, were you convinced that he had committed this crime? Yes, and I told him that this is a felony crime. Either you go to Internal Affairs or I will. Officer Roberts did go to Internal Affairs, and investigators did interview Brame, who denied raping the woman. Then, his earlier admission to Officer Roberts was deemed worthless because he had not been read his rights. Brame would not be prosecuted. Once again, it seemed, he had slipped through the cracks. When he became police chief, what did you think? I was shocked. And when she found out that Brame had shot his wife and himself?

I was wishing that I could have told somebody something that would have made him listen to me so that she would have been safe. This should have never happened. Sometimes, despite our best efforts, bad things happen. Now the question all of Tacoma was asking, who knew what and when about Chief David Brame? I don't think the citizens of the city of Tacoma are going to let this die. And there was one other question, would Crystal Brame survive? 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 introducing the best idea yet a brand new podcast from wondery and t-boy about the surprising origin stories of the products you're obsessed with and

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As a kid growing up in Chicago, there was one horror movie I was too scared to watch. It was called Candyman. It was about this supernatural killer who would attack his victims if they said his name five times into a bathroom mirror. But did you know that the movie Candyman was partly inspired by an actual murder? I was struck by both how spooky it was, but also how outrageous it was. Listen to Candyman, the true story behind the bathroom mirror murder, wherever you get your podcasts. When Tacoma Police Chief David Brame shot his wife Crystal and took his own life, there was a finger-pointing frenzy.

Why didn't someone do something before it was too late? Crystal's powerful allegations of abuse by her husband had been made public just days before the shooting. Then came other damning revelations, including reports of an alleged rape in David Brame's past. And there were questions about how he got on the force in the first place. Now, amid cries of cover-up and prayers for Crystal's recovery, the heat was being turned up at City Hall. Here again is Bill Lagatuda. It appears to be a murder-suicide attempt.

After the suicide of its police chief... 911, what are you reporting? Shooting in my parking lot. Tacoma was a city in turmoil. As residents of Tacoma, we're still reeling in shock over the actions of our former chief of police. Crystal Brame was in critical condition. We thank you for the reports of progress. But still fighting for her life. But God, we pray that you will complete that work that you have begun of healing.

Now, city officials had some serious explaining to do. He's left us a huge mess to clean up. Especially Ray Korpis, Tacoma's longtime city manager. It's not easy when somebody that you believed in did what he did. And Ray Corpus was about to find himself even more in the spotlight because of his relationship with David Brame. Here in Tacoma, it's not the mayor who is the most powerful government official, it's the city manager. And it was city manager Ray Corpus who gave David Brame

the top job at the police department. So I'm proud and honored to have made him the choice. Suddenly, Corpus, who was used to running the city his own way for 13 years, was facing a barrage of uncomfortable questions. Do you feel that somewhere along the line, someone dropped the ball, or is this it? I think it could have been handled a lot better, yes. A lot better, especially when it was revealed that Corpus knew about the rape allegation against Brame.

Then he said I needed to do what he wanted me to do. He had been told almost two years ago by one of the city's attorneys. What's the bottom line here? Is Ray Corpus an honest man? No. Flat out no. Not in my opinion. No. He's a schemer, a conniver. Never one to mince words, John Hathaway claims that while Corpus knew about Brame, Brame knew certain things about Corpus. Because there was a little insurance fraud five years ago at the city manager's house. Yes, there was that. In 1997, Ray and Linda Corpus reported a burglar had broken into their home.

The first officer to respond was none other than Reggie Roberts. What did you see when you went in there? Routine burglary, as far as I was concerned. Going through the house, there's no indication of any substantial property loss. But Mrs. Corpus reported that more than $23,000 worth of items had been stolen. Safeco, her insurance company, paid off the claim, but suspected fraud and went to the police department. However, well, Safeco told me that the people at the police department wouldn't touch it. William Garrison is the chief criminal investigator for the Pierce County Prosecutor's Office. The agents from Safeco Insurance Company were, in fact, angry. They'd put a lot of time and

effort into this case. Angry because they had been referred to David Brame, then chief of detectives. But instead of assigning the case, Brame told his boss, who then tipped off Corpus. The investigation went nowhere. It's plain to me that this is insurance fraud. Garrison decided to pursue the case himself, and in the end, Mrs. Corpus accepted responsibility and paid $30,000 in restitution. But by then, Ray Corpus had seen how the police department could look the other way. In 2001, when it came time for him to pick a new police chief... And I cared passionately about the city that I served. ...Corpus chose one of those insiders.

This was a very good choice for me. David Brame. So help me God. So help me God. Congratulations. Now he had the top job. And once Crystal filed for divorce, Brame began using his power against her. Once, during a divorce hearing, he brought three of his officers with him.

That looked pretty intimidating right there. One of those three cops was Catherine Woodard, Brame's assistant chief. We all know that behind every successful man is a woman. Shown here giving flowers to Crystal at Brame's swearing-in ceremony. Crystal? Thank you so much.

One night after Crystal had moved out, Woodard came with Brame to Crystal's parents' house to pick up the children. I opened the door, and there was, Woodard came with Brame to Crystal's parents' house to pick up the children. I opened the door and there was Catherine Woodard. And I said, what are you doing here? She said, I'm here to support Dave. Crystal stepped forward and she said, you're here because you're nosy. Crystal's mother says Brame brought his deputy with him again purely for intimidation. I stood there the whole time because she was repeatedly asked to leave, and she did not.

Crystal was so shaken by Woodard's manner that she made this 911 phone call. My husband and I are going through a divorce. Okay. To put the threatening visit on the record. David was supposed to come in alone. He brought someone else who has intimidated me in the last week, week and a half. And what's that person's name? That's Katherine Woodard. So this assistant chief intimidated you too? Yes. After Brame killed himself, Woodard got his job. I'm very sad how all of this ended. She was named acting chief, but not for long. Crystal's 911 call had been made public,

and faced with that embarrassment, Ray Korpis, the city manager, suspended Woodard pending an investigation. That investigation cleared her of criminal wrongdoing, but found she used, quote, extraordinarily poor judgment. Woodard retired from the force with a $65,000 tax-free annual pension. Despite everything, Ray Korpis was still clinging to his job. It was May 2nd, one week after the shooting. It was on a Friday night about 9, 10 o'clock at night, and they said she got a, she was getting a fever. Crystal's parents, Lane and Patty Judson, had never left the hospital.

They had fans blowing on her, trying to cool her down. They put her back on a respirator and hooked everything back up because she'd been breathing on her own. Later that day, about four o'clock, they told us that the tests had come back and that there was no brain activity. And they told us we could say our last goodbyes. We said no, we're not going to say goodbye. We'd just see her around the corner someday. And we walked out. Eight-year-old Haley and five-year-old David, who'd seen their father shoot their mother, were now orphans. There was nothing in the world that meant more to Crystal than her two kids, Haley and little David.

She loved being their mom. She loved being your mom. She loved being your mom. She loved being your mom. The question is, will anyone in Tacoma be held accountable for her murder? The point is to get to the bottom of all of this and get the city of Tacoma, my town, up and running properly again. 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 have heard it. It just happens to all of them. 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 Pitcairn. When there's nobody watching, nobody going to report it, people will get away with what they can get away with. In the Pitcairn 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. Mornings at home have changed for retirees Patty and Lane Judson. You guys ready to eat? Come on. I'm the one doing the cooking. And that's what's foremost in our mind now. I mean, it's always think of them first.

Yeah, I'll get that for you. Both in their 60s. There you go, pal. Their parents once again, trying to keep up with their grandkids. Haley, you better get your plate, honey. Haley and David. Excuse me. Excuse me.

I forgot to give this to you. Ooh. And the children obviously appreciate the effort. How are they dealing with the death of their parents? Haley has some tough times, and she'll burst out crying, saying, Grandma, do you know I'm having a tough life now? And I said, we all are. She says, and I really miss my mom.

Can you go to that one? The children may have lost their parents, but they are surrounded by a loving family. Try it, and I'll be here if you fall. The children now live with Crystal's sister, Julie, and her husband, David, who are also their legal guardians. Life goes on as it must. This family deserves to know the truth.

But they do want answers. There is cover-up. There are lies. And in my view, David Brame should never have been given a badge and a gun, let alone made chief of police. Crystal's parents hired high-powered lawyer Paul Luvera to file a multi-million dollar lawsuit against the city of Tacoma. I want to know from Ray Corpus who is accountable and what is the truth.

What did happen and why did it happen? I just don't want to make any more comments. But Ray Corpus is not talking to Paul Luvera and he's not talking to us. He refused our request for an interview. Corpus seemed untouchable but with the Brame scandal overwhelming Tacoma, the City Council finally decided enough was enough. Two months after the shooting, Ray Corpus was fired. At the cemetery where Crystal is buried, the name Braim is not on the headstone. I love this place because I like to see my mom every day.

I feel a little bit sad and I really miss my mom. We miss her so much. As for John Hathaway, the man who knew too much, now knows things will never be the same. Not for the Judsons, not for the city of Tacoma. This is my town. This is my town. This is my city. It's all about the truth. In Tacoma, they're still looking for answers.

Stay with us. The report of the Brame case concluded that the hiring and promotion of David Brame were entirely proper. But it criticized how the Tacoma Police Department handled the rape accusation against him. As for Crystal Brame's accusations against her husband, the department adopted strict new procedures for handling domestic abuse allegations against police officers. In all, there have been three separate investigations in the Brame murder-suicide, but no criminal charges have been filed against anybody.

In 2005, Crystal's parents reached a $12 million settlement with the city of Tacoma.