48 Hours - The Accidental Husband

Episode Date: June 25, 2017

Two wives die in freak accidents 17 years apart.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. ...

Transcript
Discussion (0)
Starting point is 00:00:00 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,
Starting point is 00:00:35 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
Starting point is 00:01:00 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
Starting point is 00:01:35 what's the address the emergency hello my name is harold hitler i'm in the rocky man national park my wife has fallen from a rock and on the north side summit of Gear Mountain. And I have a series of texts from my brother-in-law, Harold Henthorne, regarding my sister, Toni Henthorne. It says, Barry, urgent. Toni is injured. Fall from rock. She has been in a critical accident, falls off of a ledge 140 feet and she does die there on the mountain that night. Being the big
Starting point is 00:02:18 brother and supposed to take care of your sister, you can't do it. It's a bad feeling. I needed to be there for my sister, and I couldn't. Tony Henthorne died in Rocky Mountain National Park in 2012 in a fall. It's not that unusual at all that people die in falls in the Rocky Mountains. I'm now at 9,354 feet and counting. Take a look at this. Talk about rugged terrain. It's crazy. Since we first brought you this story, new evidence, some right here on the mountain.
Starting point is 00:02:58 And that's just the beginning. What's unusual is that in this case, it happened with a guy whose first wife died in such a freak accident 17 years earlier. Her name is Lynn Hanthorne. I thought Harold was a great guy. Very charming. I thought, this is good. My sister needs a good man like this. Lynn and Harold, they'd been on a drive late at night. They had stopped to fix a soft tire, not even a flat tire. And what were you told? How had your sister died? That she'd been crushed under a car, changing a tire. We all were shocked at the bizarreness, but the police ruled it an accident.
Starting point is 00:03:48 There are so many similarities in these two deaths. Both occurred in very remote locations in Colorado. In both cases, Harold Henthorne is the only witness. This is either the unluckiest guy in the world whose two wives have died under freakish, unusual circumstances, or it could be murder. I'm Peter Van Sant. Tonight on 48 Hours,
Starting point is 00:04:22 The Accidental Husband. Tonight on 48 Hours, the accidental husband. 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.
Starting point is 00:04:58 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,
Starting point is 00:05:19 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. 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 the bold risk takers who brought them to life. Like, did you know that Super Mario, the best-selling video game
Starting point is 00:06:01 character of all time, only exists because Nintendo couldn't get the rights to Popeye? Or Jack, that the idea for the McDonald's Happy Meal first came from a mom in Guatemala? From Pez dispensers to Levi's 501s to Air Jordans, discover the surprising stories of the most viral products. Plus, we guarantee that after listening, you're going to dominate your next dinner party. So follow The Best Idea Yet on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to The Best Idea Yet early and ad-free right now by joining Wondery Plus. It's just the best idea yet. Rocky Mountain National Park is a place known for its soaring beauty, majestic wildlife and inspiring serenity. But in September of 2012, it was a site of heartbreak.
Starting point is 00:07:12 We've hiked up to the 10,000 foot level in the Rocky Mountain National Park to a place where either a tragic accident occurred or did Harold Henthorne push his wife to her death? The story of how love might have gone murderously wrong begins with a joyful time. I was extraordinarily happy for my sister. It appeared that she found her true love, and if she was happy, I was happy. Tony, a sophisticated Southern belle, met Harold in 1999. Tony's brother, Barry, was pleased his 37-year-old sister had found the kind of man she was looking for. She experimented with Christian matchmakers, and she met this guy named Harold Henthorne. Her comments were that he was very kind,
Starting point is 00:08:09 he was very romantic, he was very smart. Both had lost their first spouse under dramatically different circumstances. Tony's marriage had ended in divorce, while Harold's first wife died in a tragic incident. What did you know about Harold's first wife, Lynn? When we had asked Harold about that, the only response that we had was that she died in a car accident. Barry's wife, Paula, not wanting to upset Harold, didn't want to pry.
Starting point is 00:08:42 I thought it was just a bad car wreck and she died. Also, we didn't want to ask him to thought it was just a bad car wreck, and she died. Also, we didn't want to ask him to elaborate. We just took it for face value. He seemed like a good match for Tony. Tony's parents, Bob and Yvonne, had a good feeling when they first met Harold. He said, I was just smitten by Tony. It was easy to be taken with Tony.
Starting point is 00:09:04 She was attractive and successful, a prominent eye doctor and surgeon in Jackson, Mississippi. That looks very pretty on you. Nice job. Oh, thank you. Mostly though, Tony was known for her caring nature. She loved people and if she could make somebody feel better, she would. And this started early in her life. The middle child with two brothers, Toni was a standout in school. Did you compete academically? Oh, yeah, and she smoked me. She's probably the smartest lady I've ever met.
Starting point is 00:09:42 No small praise coming from Barry, himself a prominent cardiologist. And Harold seemed accomplished as well. Really nice. Describing himself as a fundraising consultant with his own company. I work with non-profits, whether it be churches, schools, or hospitals. I thought that was an interesting but an odd business at that time, too. A year after meeting, the couple got married in Mississippi. They soon moved to the Denver, Colorado area where Harold previously lived and said he
Starting point is 00:10:18 had business contacts. Tony joined a local ophthalmology practice. But Tony's strong family ties There's Tony and Harold. would often bring the loving couple It's always good to come back home. back to Mississippi for holidays. It's an exciting year. We love you all. And we want you to come out and visit us in Denver.
Starting point is 00:10:39 One thing was missing from their life, a child. And in 2005, Tony and Harold celebrated the birth of their daughter, Haley. I have daddy and mommy trained very well. He had his daughter. He had his wife. He had his nice life. Daniel Jarvis was a longtime family friend of Harold's. He seemed like a good husband. It seemed like he provided.
Starting point is 00:11:04 He's a very good father. When Daniel decided to move to Colorado, Harold and Tony let him stay with them for several months. And what was it like inside the Hanthorne household? Tony went to work in the, you know, most mornings. Harold, he worked down in his basement. He would say that he was meeting with a client going to lunch or he was traveling. Christmas newsletters painted a picture of a happy family with successful careers for both Tony and Harold. But in 2006, their lives took a terrifying turn.
Starting point is 00:11:39 While Barry was demonstrating his new CAT scan machine, he discovered that Harold's arteries were dangerously clogged. Harold was in the throes of the beginnings of a heart attack. Harold was rushed into surgery. Do you believe that you saved Harold's life? I know that I did, and Harold would confirm that. Tony had her own brush with death in 2011. She was injured in an unusual accident at their mountain cabin when a heavy wooden beam fell on her. She said, I saw something on the floor, and if I had not picked it up, it would have killed me instantly.
Starting point is 00:12:19 But it hit the back of my neck and fractured a vertebra. And with that, she did lose some sensation in her hands. When I would call Harold, it was like, oh, it's no big deal. I didn't learn about this until much later. And I said, why didn't somebody call me? And she said, Harold didn't call you? And I said, no. By this time, Tony's family says Harold had become a demanding and controlling husband.
Starting point is 00:12:46 Even talking with Tony on the phone seemed impossible. Harold would always answer. See, he had the house phone hooked to his cell phone. The only one-on-one conversation I ever had was with Harold. If I tried to talk to Tony or Haley, it was always on speakerphone. Why do you think he did this? I think that he likes to control everything. That was also the impression of workers in Tony's eye practice.
Starting point is 00:13:19 Christy Drews noticed Harold wanted to be involved in everything. When our doctors would have meetings, Harold had to be part of it. He had to know everything she was doing. While the staff adored Tony, office manager Tammy Abruscato says their feelings for Harold were quite different. He made us uncomfortable. He was kind of, um, kind of, there was something creepy about him. She was not able to schedule anything outside of her normal schedule without first consulting with Harold.
Starting point is 00:13:53 So it was a pleasant surprise when in September of 2012, Harold asked Tammy to help plan a 12th wedding anniversary surprise trip to Rocky Mountain National Park. She gladly obliged, secretly clearing Tony's schedule so she could leave early. The guy was creepy to me, but she was married to him, and if he was going to do something nice, it was kind of exciting. You know, maybe for just a moment I thought, oh, that's kind of cool. Maybe he's not so bad. The entire office got involved.
Starting point is 00:14:26 Christy took out her cell phone to record the surprise. Hi. It's the last image. It's the last time anybody who was close to her saw her alive. 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
Starting point is 00:15:05 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 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 Plus. Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. As a kid growing up in Chicago, there was one horror movie I was too scared to watch.
Starting point is 00:15:48 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, early and ad-free, with a 48-hour plus subscription on Apple Podcasts. On September 29, 2012, on a beautiful day like this, Harold and Tony set out on this trail in the Rocky Mountain National Park on their anniversary hike. About two miles up, Harold led them off-trail into rough terrain. She had bad knees, so she was not a well person to go hiking, particularly in a rugged terrain.
Starting point is 00:16:50 These photos were taken on that anniversary hike, a hike that went terribly wrong, as Barry learned through those text messages from Harold. It says, Barry, urgent. Tony is injured. Critical. Requested flight for life. And then he texts me back saying that she's gone. Tony had fallen
Starting point is 00:17:15 nearly 140 feet to her death. Barry had to break the news to his parents that his 50-year-old sister had died. And Barry said, she's gone. It's the worst two words I've ever heard in my life. It was like, no, this didn't happen.
Starting point is 00:17:48 And for Tony's family, what happened here wasn't adding up. From Tony with her bad knees taking a strenuous hike, to Harold texting Barry during the accident, to the multiple explanations Harold gave about how Tony died. The story is that he notices that she was lagging behind, and he can't find her, So he starts looking over edges, and then he sees that she's down at the bottom. Then, says Barry, that story quickly changed. And he tells me then that he got a text message,
Starting point is 00:18:20 and so he has his head down looking at that phone text, and he sees that there's like a a little flash and then Tony's not there and does that story change that story changes by the next day Tony now is taking a picture of Harold and Tony has presumably while setting up a shot of him falling backwards off of a cliff And so here are three stories in basically less than 48 hours. And what are you thinking? Warning buzzers are going off. What about the notion that maybe he was suffering post-traumatic stress
Starting point is 00:19:02 and those crazy versions of stories was all a result of shock. I think that you've got to take all of that in context. If he does have this rational, emotional behavior, how does he have it together so well to plan her funeral? Not even 48 hours after his wife has died, he's got a video made. He's got the songs picked out, he's already contacted the people that are going to sing the songs. It's too well planned. Five days after Tony's death, hundreds gathered at a memorial service. Our purpose today is to honor and to remember Tony Henthorne. By then, Harold had already cremated Tony,
Starting point is 00:19:47 a decision which added to the list of red flags for the Bertolais. We did not want Tony cremated. And Harold insisted we wanted to bring her home and bury her. I think he was trying to hide evidence. I think that Harold trying to hide evidence. I think that Harold Henthorne pushed my sister off the mountain. Here you are, grieving her death, which you now believe may have been a murder.
Starting point is 00:20:23 And if that's the case, the murderer is sitting right next to you, right? Yes. Correct. Law enforcement, as it does with all deadly falls, was immediately investigating and discovered something that raised suspicions. They found this map inside Harold's Jeep with a hand-drawn X on the spot where Tony fell. After the service, he came up to me, and his first thing was, they found a map. They found a map. He didn't come up and give you a hug and say,
Starting point is 00:20:49 what a tragedy, I'm so glad you're here. No. The first words out of his mouth is, they found a map? Yeah. Did you have any idea what he was talking about? No clue. No idea. But a few weeks later, Harold brought it up again, explaining to Daniel the map was meant for him to highlight a nice trail.
Starting point is 00:21:09 Harold also told Daniel he could never hurt Tony. He's saying, you lived with us. You know that there was nothing wrong in our marriage. You know that I could never do this. And what did you say? I said, yes, I agree. I don't believe you could ever do this. The Harold that you knew, was he capable of murder? Not the Harold I knew. I knew he didn't.
Starting point is 00:21:33 Coworkers and close friends kind of privately were talking and saying, you know, I really feel bad to say this, but I think that Harold did this. In fact, many tips were coming into law enforcement. 16 calls and letters, all requesting Tony's death be further investigated, with fingers pointing at Harold. And then there was a tip received by Brian Moss, Denver's CBS4 investigative reporter and 48 Hours consultant. It changed everything. And it just said his first wife died in a freak accident as well. So it was right up about up here.
Starting point is 00:22:17 Brian began investigating both deaths and was shocked by what he found. In both cases, the accidents are freakish or bizarre, extremely unusual. He tells lots of different stories. Both wives had a lot of insurance money on them. He was the one who was going to benefit from that. Tony, can you say something? Tony Henthorne had a lot of friends.
Starting point is 00:22:57 She had a lot of people who loved her and right from the start wanted to see justice. They didn't feel good about what happened. With questions being raised about how Tony Henthorne fell to her death in Rocky Mountain National Park, investigators seen here were retracing her last steps, now focusing on the only witness, her husband Harold. Remember, his first wife Lynn had also died in unusual circumstances in 1995 crushed under their jeep she was a great woman she was awesome in heart and soul
Starting point is 00:23:47 It's so hard to convey the beauty of anyone's spirit. But Lynn was... Truly. She was the real thing. Lynn's siblings, Kevin, Lisan, and Eric, were delighted when their loving sister, a social worker, found Harold to share her life with. He was charming. He was a fun guy to be around.
Starting point is 00:24:06 She adored him. Grace Richelle, Lynn's sister-in-law, remembers how happy Lynn seemed during her 12-year marriage to Harold. She looked at him with very loving, adoring eyes. It was a feeling Grace could understand. He began to be like this wonderful big brother to me. Did you say a loving personality?
Starting point is 00:24:30 Oh, incredibly. There were a lot of times as my family began to grow of watching Harold relate to my girls and how engaging he was with them. He and Lynn never forgot a birthday, Christmas. You just couldn't ask for a more loving family. But on May 6, 1995, tragedy struck. We got a call from a paramedic letting us know that there had been an accident.
Starting point is 00:25:00 had been an accident. And she was gone. And it was horrible pain. It was horrible. We all came as quick as we could to be there and to comfort Harold. And what did you know about the circumstances of Lynn's death? What were you told?
Starting point is 00:25:30 It was just a freak accident. Harold told law enforcement he and Lynn had gone out for dinner and a drive in this remote area called Sedalia. While driving, Harold thought he was getting a flat tire. He pulled off the highway here, onto the shoulder you see right behind me,
Starting point is 00:25:55 in the dark, to change the tire. Lynn, he said, was helping out, holding the tire's lug nuts as he removed them. Harold says she dropped one and it went under the vehicle. And at the same time that Lynn went under to retrieve it, Harold says he threw the flat tire in the back, knocking the Jeep off of its jack and onto Lynn. The Lynn that you knew so well, was she the kind of woman who would crawl under a car? Was that her nature?
Starting point is 00:26:26 No. No, it wasn't at all. That's why it did seem odd. Lynn's siblings also thought the accident bizarre, but they, too, couldn't imagine Harold was involved. This was a man that we vacationed with and spent hundreds of hours with, and we just didn't allow ourselves to go there. The Douglas County Sheriff's Department
Starting point is 00:26:57 responded to the accident and started investigating. And just like in Tony Hanthorne's case 17 years later, Harold told a number of conflicting stories. Reports say Harold told one deputy they were driving back from dinner, told another they were going to dinner. According to one report, Harold said Lynn called out his name after the Jeep fell on her. But he told another investigator that Lynn said, I think something's on me. Harold told one deputy he pulled Lynn out from underneath that
Starting point is 00:27:32 Jeep. He later said that people who stopped to help pulled her out. The sheriff's office investigated Lynn's death for six days, then closed the case, calling it an accident, as did the coroner at the time. In the following years, investigators say Harold continued telling various versions of what happened the day Lynn died, one bewildering contradiction after another. The CPR people or the people, the EMTs didn't know what they were doing and they actually crushed her.
Starting point is 00:28:11 That she was killed in an automobile accident. That was one. A head-on automobile accident. Not under the car? No. No. There were lots of conflicts. Laura Thomas became the Douglas County coroner in 2011, 16 years after Lynn's death.
Starting point is 00:28:30 A Colorado State trooper for decades, she hadn't known about Lynn's accident until she heard about Tony's tragic fall and learned both women had been married to the same man. And you hear this story, what are you thinking? Well, I'm thinking that I need to go into investigator mode. There were lots of things in this story that don't make any sense to me at all. If Lynn Henthorne's accident had been properly investigated, could Tony Henthorne be alive today? been properly investigated. Could Tony Henthorne be alive today?
Starting point is 00:29:12 You know, Peter, you ask a question that I have asked myself for over two years. So if I let the air out... What really happened in 1995? The night Lynn Henthorne, Harold's first wife, was crushed under their Jeep. Harold's first wife was crushed under their Jeep. We asked Arnold Wheat, a nationally recognized accident reconstruction specialist, to review Lynn's case. That's right, 15 to 16 pounds right there. Using a similar make and model as the Henthorne's Jeep Cherokee, Wheat, a 48 Hours consultant, deflated the tire to the pressure that Harold claimed forced him to pull over on that remote, darkened highway.
Starting point is 00:30:12 This doesn't look flat. No. Is this undriveable in your opinion? No. In most people's mind, a flat tire is flat with the rim on the ground. I've driven on a rim. This isn't anywhere close to being on the rim. No, it's not. Then there's an unusual kind of jack that Wheat thinks was similar to this that Harold in one report told investigators he used to change the tire. Is this a bit precarious
Starting point is 00:30:43 to be putting up a 4,000-pound Jeep Cherokee? Absolutely. Harold told investigators he had to use an unconventional jack because the one that came with the Jeep didn't work, a claim Wheat finds suspicious. How often have you heard a jack like this failing? Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. What's worse, says coroner Laura Thomas,
Starting point is 00:31:10 is it seems investigators just took Harold's word that the jack was defective. There's no indication that the sheriff's department tested that jack. They never tested it? Not in the information that I've read. Another issue, one of the tire's lug nuts. This is a lug nut. It has flat surfaces. Harold says Lynn dropped a lug nut that somehow rolled all the way under the Jeep, causing Lynn to go retrieve it. They're on a gravel surface. Lug nuts don't move very far when you drop them on a gravel surface.
Starting point is 00:31:47 How that lug nut got underneath there just doesn't make sense. That certainly is suspicious to me. Do you believe, as you sit across from me right now, that Harold Henthorne has gotten away with murder in Lynn's case? I think there's a very good chance that he has. In December 2014, shortly before her term as coroner ended, Laura's suspicions led her to make a dramatic decision. I don't believe that Lynn Henthorne got justice. She changed the manner of death in Lynn Henthorne's case from accident to undetermined.
Starting point is 00:32:39 The Douglas County Sheriff's Department also reopened Lynn's case, but has not charged Harold Henthorne with any crime. You say something into the camera. Um, he goes. Meanwhile, federal investigators looking into the 2012 fatal fall of Harold's second wife, Tony, were zeroing in on him. They interviewed Daniel Jarvis, the friend who briefly lived in the Henthorne house. She asked me what Harold had told me about his job, and I gave her
Starting point is 00:33:13 the details of, he said he was a fundraising consultant for non-profits. The investigator listened to Daniel's story and then presented some jaw-dropping news. She said, let me go ahead and tell you something. Harold has not worked in 20 years. And it's kind of like a bomb exploded. Federal investigators have come out and proven he had no income at all, that he wasn't raising any money. But he was telling everybody that he was this incredibly successful entrepreneur and businessman who was raising all this money for various organizations. Harold reportedly told others that Tony knew he wasn't working, a claim Tony's family says is untrue, as Harold controlled the finances. Law enforcement also thinks the time when Tony was accidentally struck in the head
Starting point is 00:34:07 at the family's cabin may have actually been the first time Harold tried to kill her. Everyone wanted answers from Harold. Is Mr. Henthorne here? Is he here? And he wasn't talking. Is there a time when we could get together with you? I wanted to give you another opportunity to explain what's going on. I just want to give you a chance to... You're my attorney. I really don't appreciate being on my property like this. Federal authorities do not believe that Harold Henthorne is any kind of a hard luck husband who's just a victim of circumstance. They think he is a killer.
Starting point is 00:34:42 A killer they believe with a motive. And a bizarre business model, collecting life insurance proceeds worth millions. Nearly $645,000 on Lynn and potentially millions on Tony. Do authorities believe that Harold had basically started up a cottage industry here? Marry someone, get life insurance, and off the wife? They've connected the dots that way. And Grace Rochelle, Harold's ex-sister-in-law, thinks she could have been part of that industry. Harold's ex-sister-in-law thinks she could have been part of that industry,
Starting point is 00:35:32 something she learned when the FBI told her about a secret $400,000 life insurance policy Harold had taken out on her. Grace says Harold forged her signature, making himself the sole beneficiary. That was his doing. I did not authorize that policy. You die, he profits. He profits. What do you think he was up to? I think it's logical to conclude that he was planning on taking my life at some point.
Starting point is 00:35:58 You potentially were going to be victim number three. He's a dangerous man. He needs to be behind bars. Did you kill both of your wives? Finally, in November of 2014... How did Tony die? Harold Hanthorne was arrested and charged by federal authorities with the first-degree murder of Tony. And justice for Tony could bring justice for Lynn Hanthorne.
Starting point is 00:36:28 She didn't deserve to be crushed under a jeep out here. As a judge ruled, the circumstances surrounding Lynn's death can be presented at his trial for Tony's murder. It will strengthen the case enormously for Tony to have Lynn's case added in. And in September 2015, three years after Tony's death, Harold Henthorne's trial for her murder began. Going into this trial, I'm really thinking this is a toss-up. You have no eyewitnesses. There's no confession. So you're wondering, if there's one holdout juror, if one person doesn't buy circumstantial evidence, can the government really sell this case?
Starting point is 00:37:28 I'm going to step off here, show you the scene in front of the federal courthouse right now. National and local media gathering. They're waiting for the families. There's a lot of interest in Denver and frankly around the world in this trial. Because the circumstances are so unusual. A husband whose two wives die in these freak accidents. The federal judge in the case told prospective jurors this trial, quote, will be a doozy. Did you kill both of your wives?
Starting point is 00:37:53 The murder trial of Harold Henthorne, where cameras were not allowed, begins with the prosecution laying out its circumstantial case. They portray Harold Henthorne as an abject liar who's lied about everything in his life. They say that he stood to make about $4.7 million in life insurance if Tony Henthorne died. Is your mom still okay? Precious mom. Henthorne's defense attorney stands up and says, my client's a very unusual, quirky guy, and he has lied. But that doesn't necessarily make him a killer.
Starting point is 00:38:33 I just remember the defense attorney saying, I don't have to prove anything. Juror Don Roberts. This is up to them to prove. The prosecution set out to do just that, using drone footage, video, and photographs documenting the couple's ascent along the mountain trail they believe became a murder scene. They were able to establish a pattern of him visiting that same area because his phone, when he would text or call, was hitting the same exact tower. same area because his phone, when he would text or call, was hitting the same exact tower.
Starting point is 00:39:11 Juror Mark C. Miller-Zahn says the FBI presented evidence using Hanthorne's cell phone records to show he made repeated scouting trips. And how many times did he visit that area? Nine times. And what does that tell you? It tells me he's planning. Also compelling to jurors was that 911 call. Give two more regular breaths and then pump 30 more times. That's exactly what I've been doing. And how evidence didn't seem to support the efforts Harold claims he made after climbing down the mountain to revive Tony, including mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. And her lipstick was still on, so you'd know that would be impossible. And there was the testimony of Barry Bertolet,
Starting point is 00:39:57 Tony's brother who was a doctor, about the texts he received from Harold. At one point, she's slow heart rate. At one point, she's slow heart rate. At another point, she's fast heart rate. Well, which is it? There was also this powerful piece of evidence, that map taken from Harold's Jeep, where he had drawn an X at the very spot where Tony had fallen to her death. Tony had fallen to her death.
Starting point is 00:40:26 Longtime friend Daniel Jarvis testified how Harold told him at Tony's funeral that the map had been made for him. It wasn't made for me. I believe it was made for that time. And he put an X on there.
Starting point is 00:40:41 So what do you think this all adds up to? I think he planned to go out there and have nobody around. And do what? And push Tony off a cliff. It was like, okay, he's trying to hide something. Juror Jerry Tabota. And trying to get Mr. Jarvis to be on his
Starting point is 00:41:05 side of the story. Another point of drama came when the prosecution presented evidence that Harold may have stolen a precious item from his dead wife's body. After
Starting point is 00:41:22 Tony Henthorne's fall, they find her wedding ring on her finger, her hand not severely damaged, but the diamond is missing from the wedding ring, and it's worth about $30,000, according to Harold. And that area was scoured, right? Scoured. Investigators combed through that area, and so it was a real mystery. Where did the diamond go? But eight months later, an investigator returning to the scene suddenly found the diamond suspiciously sitting on the ground in plain sight. During the investigation, Harold Henthorne got a lot of pressure from the FBI about that diamond.
Starting point is 00:42:06 And it got to him. The prosecution believes Harold Henthorne put the diamond back. And there was that information, aloud about the unusual way Harold's first wife, Lynn, died. Crushed under that Jeep. Once we learned more about Lynn's death and the circumstances of her death, then it started coming together for me that there were very many similarities in the two cases. Pattern of behavior. Pattern of behavior. There was only one person these jurors now wanted to hear from. Someone they felt had some explaining to do. I wanted to hear from Harold. I would have
Starting point is 00:42:44 loved to see him get on the stand and give another account to the jury of what happened that night. Yeah, and it didn't happen. In fact, Harold's defense attorney rested his case without calling a single witness, confident jurors would see Tony's death as an accident. Tony's brother, Barry, looked over at Harold. What did you see on his face?
Starting point is 00:43:10 It was a defiant look. It was like, you know, it was one of these, come and get me. And I hope we did. The jury began its deliberation. We're all somewhat anxious and waiting the decision if there's a hung jury. Gathered together for the wait is not just Tony's family, but Lynn's as well. We hope to be able to have a celebratory dinner tonight together. So we're just praying that the jury will come back and get a quick verdict.
Starting point is 00:43:43 After 10 hours of deliberation, the jury took a vote. Our foreperson said, who's for guilty? And every hand in the room went up. Every hand? Every hand, quickly. Harold Henthorne was convicted of first-degree murder. After the trial officially ended, in all the years I've been doing this,
Starting point is 00:44:07 I've never seen that before. What happens? I went and hugged Yvonne, the mother of Tony, and just whispered in her ear, no mom should ever go through what you've gone through. She just said, as one mom to another, I feel your pain.
Starting point is 00:44:28 While the verdict means justice for the Bertolais, Barry's mind still wanders back to that time he saved Harold from a certain heart attack. The man he now knows went on to kill his sister. You know, I think as a physician, you know, you have this oath and this obligation to do that. But I'd like to have my sister back. Barry is not alone in regrets Lynn's family has its own
Starting point is 00:45:08 We grieve for the Bertolese Because had we come forward at that time with more suspicions Then maybe Tony would be alive today One tragic connection they share Is the fact that Harold spread Tony and Lynn's ashes 17 years apart at the same spot. And I'm glad that we're here with you, little girl. Oh, no. Now, young Haley Henthorne is the focus of attention.
Starting point is 00:45:42 She is slowly learning details about her mother's death. Your mama was about my height, wasn't she? Yeah, she was about 5'4". People in Mississippi don't get to see mountains that much. Ferry and Paula work through the courts to bring Haley as their ward to Mississippi, the place her mother considered home. Where might she end up?
Starting point is 00:46:08 Hopefully right there. Hopefully right there. You'd like to adopt her? Absolutely. We're excited about you coming. And that she can be in a place where she's loved by family and grow up in an environment where everybody knew her mom as intelligent, smart, as a hero. I want her to know who her mom really was. Wow! That's awesome!

There aren't comments yet for this episode. Click on any sentence in the transcript to leave a comment.