48 Hours - What She Did For Love

Episode Date: October 12, 2023

This classic episode of “48 Hours" explores a report on 25-year-old Toni Dykstra of Los Angeles, who met and married Carlo Ventre, a successful 46-year-old Italian businessman, in 1994. After Toni gave birth to their child, Santina, the couple’s relationship soured. Despite a court custody order, Carlo fled to Italy with Santina in January 1998. Toni went to Italy where an Italian court ordered the baby returned to the U.S., but the day before she was to return home, Toni was found dead of head injuries in Carlo’s apartment. “48 Hours” correspondent Bill Lagattuta reports. This "48 Hours" episode last aired on 7/27/19. 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.

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

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

to a remote base near Joshua Tree National Park. They have to alert the military. And when they do, the NCIS gets involved. From CBS Studios and CBS News, this is 48 Hours NCIS. Listen to 48 Hours NCIS ad-free starting October 29th on Amazon Music. She called me on the phone and she was frantic. She was crying and I couldn't even understand what she was saying. And she said, Carlos took Santina. Carlos took Santina. He took the baby to Italy.

Nothing mattered more to Tony than Santina My name is Alan Skidmore I was Tony Dykstra's lawyer and her friend Tony scraped up the money, jumped on a plane She was going to go do what she had to do to get her baby back Carla was obsessed with Santina I do feel like I am a good father. I think that my daughter would be better off with me than with her mother because Toni was a violent person. That's not what kind of person she was. My name is

Terry and I am the identical twin sister of Toni Dykstra. Her whole life was her kids. Toni was a wonderful mother. Santina was the center of her universe. Carlo was in Italy. He said he had the baby there and he was never coming back with her. Tony was afraid going to Italy. She doesn't speak the language and Carlo's there. speak the language, and Carlo's there. What happened in Venturi's apartment? What happened on that fateful day?

She appeared in front of me with an axe. She starts striking, and I moved, and she hit the table. Then I fell down, and she starts trying to hit me. And I thought that I was going to die. And all of a sudden I found the strength to pull her back. In the pushing, you know, she fell down on the floor and she hit the temporal side of her head. And then she didn't come back.

And it was so terrible. My best friend was gone. And then she didn't come back, and it was so terrible. My best friend was gone. Not a day goes by that I don't miss her. I was attacked with an axe. I tried to defend myself in a self-defense. My sister was murdered. The only way he was going to get to keep Santino was to kill my sister.

I believe that I'm innocent, and I believe that justice is going to prevail. Carlo Ventri needs to be held to answer for the events that occurred the day Tony Dykstra died. She's screaming from the grave for justice. 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 reached the age of 10 that would still have urged it.

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.

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Italy, is there any other place on earth so utterly devoted to the good life? What the filmmaker Fellini called La Dolce Vita. Everywhere there is amore. And what naturally follows, la famiglia. What do Italians value the most? Family. Family is one of the true Italian values. This story is about family, but also betrayal, death, intrigue, and justice, Italian style. Caught in the middle is a little girl named Santina, the child of Carlo Ventri and Toni Dykstra.

In 1998, Santina, Carlo and Toni were all here, but they weren't traveling together and their time here was no Roman holiday. In fact, Toni Dykstra would not leave Italy alive. Her mysterious death would become an international incident and leave her family searching for the truth. What went wrong between Tony and Carlo, whose love affair had begun with so much promise? And while this story would end here in Italy, it began half a world away in the Los Angeles harbor community of San Pedro. It was here in 1994 that 46 year old Italian businessman Carlo Ventri met 25 year old American single mom Toni Dykstra at a restaurant. She was very exuberant, very

easygoing, a happy person and invited her to dance, we danced and then we exchanged our phone numbers. She called me the very next day. Carlo had been living in America for 12 years and was the president of a plumbing manufacturing business. She thought he was real nice, charming and sweet and... Italian. Yeah. Terry Martinez and her identical twin, Tony, were best friends. This looks like our first day of kindergarten.

One of us has a red bow and one has a white bow. That must have been so the teachers could tell us apart that day. All the fun twin stuff that you can do, we did it. Terry and Tony told each other everything. They giggled, they laughed, they whispered. Terry was more the quiet one, and Tony was always out there messing around. Tony's father, Milt, and stepmother, Betty Dykstra.

They were sisters and twins in every way that you could imagine. They even married two brothers. The twins married brothers. Hi, Danny. I'm going to eat my first cereal today. Toni had two daughters, but the marriage didn't last. Now a single mom, she planned to go back to school to become a paralegal. She was a very proud mother and very determined to better herself and better her life

so that she could give more to her children. to better herself and better her life so that she could give more to her children. And everything seemed to be changing for the better for Tony in December 1994, when she met Carlo Ventri. At first she didn't say too much, and then she told me that she had met this man and that he was so nice and he was sweet to her. He would play the guitar on the phone, and he was really charming. And it wasn't just Carlo's charm that attracted Tony. I believe she felt in love with me because she realized how much I did care for their children.

Here comes an older guy, seemingly more stable, devoted to the kids, promising her a very stable family life in the future. This was her Prince Charming. And then, after only three months, Toni got pregnant. She was very excited. We were excited. Toni and her daughters moved in with Carlo, and in November 1995, baby Santina was born. She called me from the hospital to tell me that she had a baby girl. We were excited,

but after that, communication stopped. He was keeping you from your daughter. Absolutely. And your grandchild. He kept the entire family away from our daughter. Suddenly what should have been a happy time quickly turned into a nightmare. I would call on the phone and he would say don't call here anymore. The Dykstra's say Carlo became obsessed with the child who he considered his more than Tony's. She was not allowed to breastfeed her own child because he didn't want that baby to love her. She told you that? She told me that. He started acting more aggressive towards her, more possessive, more jealous, and things

started getting really bad. Carlo insists it was Tony who was the problem. I wish that my daughter would have been attached to her mother and that her mother was a stable person. He says it was Tony who was abusive to him, and he even filed police reports against her. You're describing a woman who was abusive and occasionally violent. Yes. You know that Tony's family and friends say that's not true. Yes.

Should we believe them or should we believe you? I think you should believe the fact. Tony and Carlo had a final blow-up. Carlo kept Santina and locked Tony and her two older daughters out of the house. But even then, the Dykstra say, he continued to threaten Tony. He would tell her that he would take Santina to Italy and that she would never see her again. Less than a year after Santina was born, they went to family court in California and came to a temporary agreement to share custody of Santina.

Until a final deal was reached, Carlo was forbidden to take Santina to Italy without notice. reached, Carlo was forbidden to take Santina to Italy without notice. But on January 16, 1998, without warning, Carlo did just that. He took two-year-old Santina, and together, they boarded an international flight. Tony called me on the phone, frantic. She said that Carlo had called her. He said he was in Italy. He had the baby there and he was never coming back with her. As a kid growing up in Chicago, there was one horror movie I was too scared to watch.

It was called Candyman. The scary cult classic was set in a Chicago housing project. It was about this supernatural killer who would attack his victims if they said his name five times into a bathroom mirror. Candyman. Candyman? Now, we all know chanting a name won't make a killer magically appear. 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. We're going to talk to the people who were there.

And we're also going to uncover the larger story. My architect was shocked when he saw how this was created. Literally shocked. And we'll look at what the story tells us about injustice in America. If you really believed in tough on crime, then you wouldn't make it easy to crawl into medicine cabinets and kill our women. Listen to Candyman, the true story behind the bathroom mirror murder, early and ad-free with a 48-hour plus subscription on Apple Podcasts.

Hot shot Australian attorney Nicola Gaba was born into legal royalty. Her specialty? Representing some of the city's most infamous gangland criminals. However, while Nicola held the underworld's darkest secrets, the most dangerous secret was her own. She's going to all the major groups within Melbourne's underworld, and she's informing on them all. I'm Marsha Clark, host of the new podcast, Informants Lawyer X.

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And listen to more Exhibit C true crime shows early and ad-free right now. free right now. She was in tears. She was crying. The thought of never seeing her daughter again is too much. That's too scary. Tony Dykstra was frantic. She told friends Carlo had silently taken their daughter Santina to Italy and had no plans of returning. She called me Saturday morning at home. She said, they're gone. They're gone. Tony's close friend, Marlene Gretemann. She must have been going out of her mind. Well, of course. Where are you? And he said, you can just have contact with me with a cell phone. Tony was helpless. For months, she didn't know where in Italy Santina was

and only talked to her daughter when Carlo put the little girl on the phone Tony was crying and shaking in abject terror after talking to Carlo Ventri. What was she afraid of? Her life. Losing her life. Tony's friend and mentor, attorney Alan Skidmore, says when Carlo got on the phone, he would threaten Tony if she tried to win custody of their daughter. So if you go to court and apply for custody of Santina, I'll have you killed and or your daughters killed. Right.

Did she take those threats seriously? Absolutely. Despite Carlo's alleged threats, Toni took her case to family court here in Los Angeles and was awarded full custody of her daughter. But the battle was only half over. Carlo, an Italian citizen, was now living in Italy with Santina, which meant Toni would have to take her case to an Italian court.

She wasn't a lawyer. She didn't know how to talk, how to speak Italian. Nevertheless, Toni decided to represent herself and worked with Alan Skidmore to get a court date and help prepare her case. She sat in my office knowing her life was in danger, but there was no option for Toni. She was going to go get her baby. Borrowing money from her parents, Toni bought two tickets, one for her, one for Santina, and made her first trip to Rome, alone, a mother on a mission.

Friends and family were worried for her safety. The last thing I said to her on the phone was, Tony, be careful. This guy could kill you. They couldn't go with her, but they knew that Tony was in touch with the American Embassy, which put her up at a nearby convent for her safety. I think she was a stranger in a strange land, but I also think that Tony was courageous, she was driven. The day after her arrival, accompanied by a translator from the American Embassy, Tony made her case to the Italian court.

How did she know what to do when she got in that court? Or what to say? Or how to say it? She didn't. She used her gut. She went in and just told her story. And she came out of that courtroom with a win. On July 17, 1998, an Italian court ruled in Tony's favor, declaring that Carlo had violated an international law on kidnapping.

Santina was to be handed over to Tony and returned to the U.S. immediately. How significant was her victory? It was huge. And so she won custody and she was very excited and she was, I'm gonna come home with Santina and she was so excited. We were very happy and when are you coming home? Get on that plane, get out of there.

But when Italian police arrived at Carlo's apartment to take custody of Santina, Carlo told them she had unexpectedly fallen ill. CARLO SANTINA, Carlo said that she had a pleurisy, which is a lung infection, and he was going to take her to the hospital. JOHN DAVIS, Doctors said Santina wouldn't be able to leave the country until she recovered. Until then, Tony was forced to cross paths with Carlo as they both visited their child

in the hospital. TONY GARCIA, She was afraid? CARLO SANTINA, She was very scared at that point. Finally, the time had come for Toni to collect her daughter and fly home to California. Santina had recovered from her illness, and Toni had tickets for both of them to travel. But this is where things went terribly wrong. The afternoon before the flight, for reasons unfathomable to her relatives and friends, Tony Dykstra went alone to Carlo Ventri's apartment.

Carlo Ventri is an extremely manipulative individual. He could have told Tony any number of things to get her to his apartment. And this is what he told us. Incredibly, Carlos says, while Santino was recuperating in the hospital, Tony was trying to rekindle their love affair. I think she wanted me back in her life. And by me being in Italy, I was out from her life. And on that day, Carlos says they were at his apartment preparing to return to America together as a family.

And that's the reason that she went to the apartment to start packing up some clothes? Yes. Do laundry, wash the clothes for the baby for the departure. Tony was doing laundry, Carlos says, when they started arguing. Tony was doing laundry, Carlos says, when they started arguing. She went outside to the yard and then, suddenly, out of nowhere, attacked him. I was seeing these hacks in front of me, and I was shocked. I didn't know what happened. As he fought to defend himself, Carlos says he pushed Tony. She fell, hitting her head hard on the floor.

She hit, I believe, a temporal side of her head, and then all of a sudden blood was coming out from her hair, and I didn't know what to do. I called, I believe, I don't know, I was getting crazy. I think I called the police. When you first arrived here at this apartment, what did you see? Detective Domenico Salas was one of the first cops on the scene. Tony's body? Yes.

Here on the ground? Yes. 29-year-old Tony Dykstra was dead at the scene. There was evidence of a struggle. A hatchet lay a few feet from Tony's body. CARLO GARCIA- He was very agitated. CARLO GARCIA- Detective Salas soon discovered that Carlo's first call was not to the police.

You're saying he called his lawyer before he called you. CARLO GARCIA- And according to Salas, Carlo never called for medical help. He didn't even call an ambulance.'t call the ambulance. And according to Salas, Carlo never called for medical help. He didn't even call an ambulance. You called an ambulance. Yes. I was shocked. I mean, I didn't believe that the mother of my daughter was dead just because of such a stupid accident. My secretary came into my office saying, Tony's dead. Tony's dead. Tony's friends back in the U.S., waiting for her triumphant homecoming,

got a shocking phone call instead. And then I said, that's a mistake. That's wrong. That didn't happen. Impossible. Impossible. Because we had just talked to her. And she was coming home. The State Department called Terry. And I just remember hanging up the phone and... I just collapsed on the floor. And Terri called her parents. I just came unglued.

It was just total disbelief that this man would go so far as to kill the mother of his child. I know the circumstances of the death of the poor Tony were an accident. Carlo told police he acted in self-defense. He showed them wounds he says he suffered when Tony attacked him. I'm not a violent person. I'm innocent. Police took Carlo into custody, but an Italian court decided there wasn't enough evidence to charge him. Two days later, he was out on the street.

Authorities said their investigation was continuing. In my opinion, he murdered Tony because he thought he could get away with it. You know, he might. But not if this California attorney has anything to say about it. Doesn't the death of a young mother who came to Italy to rescue her child who was a kidnapped victim matter?

In the name of God, are you going to tell me? Yes, I'm going to tell you. Did you kill her? One week after her sister Toni's death, Terry Martinez went to her sister's house and took on the painful task of sorting through Toni's belongings. The house seemed really quiet and empty. It was a really hard time. Among her sister's belongings were precious memories. I found a little box with some shoes of Santina's and she had a little locker of her hair. Then she found a small notebook. I opened it, and I noticed that this was all her handwriting.

It's going to kill me, going to put acid on my face so no one will love me. Said he would kill me and chop me up in little pieces. Tony's own words revealed her fears for her life. He kicked me to get me out of the room. He would stand in front of the door so I could not get in. I would hear my little baby cry. I think I put it down maybe 20 times because I couldn't keep reading it because it was horrible. While Terri packed up her sister's things, Tony's case remained open in the Italian courts.

And Carlo Ventri, the man she believes murdered her sister, was walking the streets of Rome, a free man. You believe that the initial investigators believed Carlo's version of what happened. How did that make you feel? Really angry because he had threatened that he would kill her and he would get away with it. And here you are thinking, that's exactly what happened. That's what happened. Terry was determined to get justice for Tony. So she turned to someone who had been her sister's hero.

She just thought that Gloria was amazing. She thought that she wanted to be like her. High-profile California attorney Gloria Allred, who agreed to take the case for free. Why has this case struck a chord with you? Because this mother tried to do everything right. She really thought that the system would help her, and the system failed her. This should not happen to any other mother. Allred's first victory was getting the U.S. courts to charge Carlo with kidnapping Santina. Her next mission...

That's the English translation. ...was to convince the authorities in Rome to charge Carlo with Tony's murder. Everything was a battle. Just innumerable phone calls, letters, meetings. Despite her efforts, the Italian investigation was at a standstill, and Allred was left with many questions about what happened in Carlo's apartment the day of Tony's death. There was an autopsy performed on Tony Dykstra's body by the medical examiner here in Rome. Cause of death listed as unico momento traumatico, a single traumatic moment in which her head

came in contact with a hard object. Trouble is, that conclusion and many details in this report seem to raise more questions than they answer. We had California forensic pathologist Joseph Cohen review the Italian autopsy. He says the unico momento traumatico was the fatal blow that ended a prolonged and violent struggle. One that involves perhaps punching, perhaps kicking, perhaps falling, striking other objects, getting up again. Carlo claims he accidentally pushed Tony and she hit her head on the floor. She fell down on the floor and she hit her head. Dr. Cohen says there's more to the story.

The injuries to Tony Dykstra are suggestive of two or three or more impacts. And remember that Carlo never called for medical help. You're saying he didn't even call an ambulance. You called an ambulance. See. Dr. Cohen says the delay may have made the difference between life and death. Could she have been resuscitated and survived? It's possible. It seems to me that there is information lacking here. Why was there not more of an investigation?

Allred wasn't getting any answers. And now she had another concern. Three-year-old Santina had been in foster care since her mother's death. Except for periodic visitation from Carlo, she was alone in Italy. And Italian authorities were considering putting her up for adoption. Who should have custody of this child? We should. We should. There's no question. Absolutely, we should. Tony's parents wanted Santina home with them in California, but just like Tony, they would have to go to Italy and appeal to an Italian court to win

custody of their granddaughter. Milton and Betty stepped up to the plate. They wanted Santina, so we did everything we could to try to make that happen. Attorneys Alan Skidmore and Allred went with Milt Dykstra to Italy to plead their case to the Court of Minors. Milt was granted permission to spend some precious moments with Santina at her foster home. It was great. She is a little sweetheart. And they let me take all the pictures I wanted. But social workers had arranged Carlo's visit

too closely to Milt's, leading to an angry confrontation. You're doing your lies again. This is the truth. No, that is not the truth. You locked the door on her and threw her out. I love Tony. I couldn't do anything to save her. The Italian courts were taking their time deciding Santina's future. For now, Milt and his attorneys left Rome empty-handed. We felt like we hit a brick wall. We felt like we were getting nowhere. empty-handed. We felt like we hit a brick wall. We felt like we were getting nowhere. Back in Los Angeles, the Dykstra's weren't giving up. We never go to sleep at night without praying for Santina. My wife Betty and I have agonized over this for a year and a half, and we want our granddaughter back. Finally, in November 1999, 15 months after she took the case, Allred scored a major victory.

Gloria called and said, I'm going over with an FBI agent and we're going to get her. An Italian court ruled that Santina should be returned to the U.S. to live with the Dykstra's and that a California judge would make the final decision on her custody. I hollered for joy. We worked very hard to turn this around so we could bring this child home. On November 9, 1999, in the middle of the day, Italian authorities picked up Santina from school and put her on a plane with Allred to California. Waiting anxiously at the airport in Los Angeles was Toni's family.

We hadn't seen her since she was a baby. She came down the ramp walking and everyone scooped her up. She's beautiful! So happy. It's a miracle. There was an emotional reunion as Santina was finally turned over to her grandparents. Milt brought her over to me and said, this is your grandmother. And when he put her in my arms, it was just the most awesome feeling in the world to have this child and feel that she was finally safe.

But the battle for Santina was far from over. This is unfair. I don't care about me. I care about my daughter. I know how much she's suffering. Never, ever in our lifetimes will Mr. Ventri ever have custody of this little girl, and we will fight him every inch of the way. She's like her mother. She has her mother's features. She has the same kind of personality. Four-year-old Santina was back in California, living with her grandparents, Milt and Betty Dykstra. We felt like she was home, and we were very grateful.

We were ecstatic and very hopeful for the future back in italy carlo was alone and he was fuming mad both at the dykstra's and their attorney gloria all red all of us on the legal team are committed to fighting him eye to eye, toe to toe. She's a woman without heart. She will walk over the dead body of her mother to achieve what she wants to achieve. That's what I believe Gloria Redd is. She says in no uncertain terms that she's not going to rest until she gets you. She already did got me. She ruined my life and the life of my daughters. What else does she want to? I want Carlo to know the system is going to make him accountable. While the Italians were still investigating Carlo's role in Tony's death,

a Los Angeles court was about to decide who should have custody of Santino. of Santino. Carlo says when he heard about it, he knew he had to be there, in spite of the fact that he was wanted for kidnapping in the U.S. I did what any other father would do for his child. His daughter was with Tony's parents. The Italian authorities were not prosecuting him for murder, and there was a warrant for his arrest back in the States. All Carlo had to do was stay quiet and stay put and get on with his life here in Italy.

But Carlo Ventri could not resist one more fight. He bought a ticket and got on board a jet bound for Los Angeles. and got on board a jet bound for Los Angeles. And when that plane lands in Los Angeles, there you are. Correct. FBI Special Agent April Brooks gave Carlo his official welcome back to the U.S. Introduced myself, told him why I was there, that he was under arrest. Also waiting was Tony's sister, Terry. I did what you want.

I make you arrested. When I first saw him, it seemed like it was all going in slow motion. Seemed like it lasted forever to see his face. I'm innocent. I came in the United States by myself. He was shouting other things back at us, but I wasn't really listening to what he was saying.

I was trying to keep up with him and screaming at him, and I just, oh, I was so mad. It was horrible. It was horrible to see him, to look into his face, to know that's the last face my sister saw. With Carlo now facing trial for kidnapping, it was unlikely he would get custody of his daughter, but he had a backup plan. Suddenly, we hear from the brother. Carlo asked his brother, John Francoventri, who was living outside Las Vegas with his wife and four children, to file for custody of Santina. I thought he doesn't have a chance. She's ours. We had her. We were raising her. A court-appointed psychologist interviewed Santina and both families. She came back with a flat-out recommendation that the

best interest of the child would be served by giving her to Betty and I. And that it would be detrimental to the child to take her away from us. But that's exactly what happened. The judge, citing the Dykstra's age and what he said was Milt Dykstra's intense hatred of Carlo, ordered that Santina should live with Carlo's brother. It just absolutely floored us. We were stunned. The Dykstra's would get twice-monthly visitation with Santina. Adding to their heartbreak, the Dykstra's were ordered to immediately hand their four-year-old granddaughter over to Carlo's brother. We had to give her up in the middle of the street in downtown Los Angeles.

Downtown Los Angeles. Tore our heart out. It was a nightmare day. You never get over losing a child. Carlo once again had what he wanted most. Santina was living with his brother. And while he was awaiting trial for kidnapping, Carlo could. Santina was living with his brother, and while he was awaiting trial for kidnapping, Carlo could see Santina on a regular basis. I'm the only natural parent that

she has alive where she has to look at for natural affection and love in her life. One year would go by. Carlo Ventri pleaded guilty to kidnapping and was sentenced to 364 days in federal prison. Meanwhile, Allred and the Dykstra's were hatching a plan to ban Carlo from the United States forever. I had been writing to the INS suggesting that they needed to hold a deportation hearing to determine whether or not Carlo should be deported because he had been convicted of a felony and that he should be taken into custody pending the hearing. The immigration authorities agreed to look at Carlo's case.

So when he was released from prison, immigration officials moved him to a detention center while they decided whether to deport him. And that's where Carlo allegedly hatched a stunning plan. The plan was that for approximately $100,000, there would be an attempt to kill Milt and Betty Dykstra. That's right. From behind bars, Carlo Ventri was allegedly planning the murders of Milt and Betty Dykstra. And it was all caught on tape by a confidential informant. My mouth dropped open and I couldn't believe what this man was planning for Betty and I. Authorities have not released the tape,

but Allred is familiar with the contents of the transcript. On page 5 of Exhibit 50, the respondent told the confidential informant that he thought it would be better to use guns to accomplish the elimination of the Dykstra's. How was he going to have you killed? It was supposed to look like a botched home invasion robbery where they were going to break into the house and kill both of us. They were going to shoot us.

Shoot us. Also part of the alleged plan, Santina was to be kidnapped and taken overseas. Carlo says it was a setup. Yeah, I was set up and I wasn't trapped, but as a matter of fact, I never solicited anything. Did you or did you not say to this informant, I want you to kill the Dykstra's, shoot them, and make it look like a robbery? Absolutely not. The voice was disrupted. It's not my voice. We don't know if even it was me talking.

In November 2002, an immigration judge ordered Carlo deported. Still in custody, Carlo fought the decision for three long years. Finally, in July 2005, with the charges of solicitation to murder still pending, Carlo agreed to leave the U.S. The Americans were all too happy to send Carlo home. Why? Because Italian prosecutors were now ready to charge him with the murder of Tony Dykstra. Are you worried about what's going to happen here in Italy? I'm not worried.

I'm not worried because I believe that I'm honest and I believe that I'm innocent and I believe that justice is going to prevail. This is where I was living. This is where it happened. It's been seven years since Tony Dykstra was found dead here in Carlo Ventri's apartment. I'm very sorry for what happened and, you know, the tragedy. It should have never happened, but unfortunately it happened. Carlo is now back in Italy.

I'm a father without a child at this moment. Thousands of miles from the one person he cares most about, his daughter Santina. Santina, are you there? Don't forget to put the helmet when you ride the bike. Remember that. These daily phone calls are the only contact Carlo has with Santina, now 10, and still living with Carlo's brother outside of Las Vegas. I love you. Bye. Bye. After I hear her voice, you know, and find out that she's okay, then I can start to keep going for my day and live for another day.

And these days, Carlo has a lot on his plate. He is preparing for his day in court. This is my life. is preparing for his day in court. This is my life. A hearing is about to take place to determine whether Carlo should be charged with murder. You now believe that Carlo Ventre deliberately killed Tony Dykstra?

Si. Italian prosecutor Giancarlo Capaldo initially believed Carlo's story of self-defense. Prosecutor Giancarlo Capaldo initially believed Carlo's story of self-defense. But after a full investigation, he now believes that Carlo carefully planned Tony's murder to keep her from taking Santina back to America. You're saying that Carlo lured Tony to the apartment, knocked her down and hit her head on the floor, deliberately. Capaldo says he wanted to charge Carlo years earlier, but couldn't because Carlo was in the U.S., fighting deportation.

I want justice for Tony. I wanted it seven years ago, and I will not rest until we get it. Dykstra attorney Gloria Allred has flown into Rome for the hearing. She wants to make sure the court considers all the evidence in the case, including Tony's diary. Her diaries show that she had a real fear that he might kill her. Did you murder Tony Dykstra? I did not. I didn't murder Tony.

Bottom line, this was an accident. It was an accident. You think you're going to walk out of that courtroom and everything's going to be fine? I think if they look at the facts, yes, they should be clear. The hearing lasts under an hour. No cameras allowed. When it's over, the news is no news. My attorney asked for a continuation because... Carlo Ventri has hired a new attorney, and so the court postpones the hearing. Carlo, are you going to tell the truth? Did you kill her?

This is not a talk show that you... On the street, Gloria Allred's frustration with the postponement boils over. Carlo, seven years. We still remember her. Tony Dykstra's three motherless children. You are responsible. Oh, I am responsible for the fact that she died in your apartment? After all this, Carlo's going home.

He's free. An absolute outrage that he should not be in custody. Three months later, all the parties are heading back to court again. We are involved in an uphill battle, but Tony is what this is all about. Any glimmer of hope that he'll go to trial is what we're waiting for. Terry is at home in California, waiting by the phone. It's nerve-wracking because you're anxious. Hello?

Terry? Yes, hi, Gloria. How are you this morning? Well, I'm calling to give you an update on what happened in the hearing. And guess what the decision is? I hope good. What would be good as far as you're concerned?

First degree murder. That's what it is. First degree murder. Voluntary murder. Isn't that incredible? That's great. And the trial is set for March 1st. Okay. Is that great? That's great and the trial is set for march 1st okay is that great it's great

the long-awaited news is a relief carlo must stand trial for the death of Tony. We're going to go to trial. I can't wait. He's free for now, but if convicted, Carlo could spend the next 21 years behind bars. I'm not worried because I do believe, because I was there and I know what happened, that I am an innocent man. For Milt Dykstra, Carlo's upcoming trial does nothing to diminish the pain of losing his daughter. It's an everyday thing. It just doesn't ever go away. There's a picture with my dad. We look so happy. It's not fair for her that she's missing out on her kids. Tony's two older daughters are being raised by her ex-husband in California.

Terry is hoping that one day, Tony's youngest daughter, Santina, will learn the truth about her mother. That her mom gave everything that she had and that she loved her so much and that her mom's not there with her, but she gave everything she had to get her. In 2007, while testifying in Rome, Carlo Ventri suffered a heart attack and died on the witness stand.