Crime Stories with Nancy Grace - Beautiful young teacher Rachel DelTondo ambushed in her mother's driveway, killed in a hail of bullets on Mother's Day

Episode Date: June 10, 2020

After getting ice cream with friends, Rachel DelTondo is gunned down in a hail of bullets in the parent's driveway. It was Mother's Day 2018. No one has been arrested in her death.Joining Nancy Grace today: Ashley Willcott - Judge and trial attorney, Anchor on Court TV, www.ashleywillcott.com  Dr. Bethany Marshall - Psychoanalyst, Beverly Hills, follow on Instagram at DrBethanyMarshall James Shelnutt - 27 years Atlanta Metro Major Case detective, SWAT Officer (RET) Attorney Joseph Scott Morgan - Professor of Forensics Jacksonville State University, Author of "Blood Beneath My Feet" John Paul - Journalist, Founder of Beavercountain.com Tipline: 800-4-PA-TIPS (800-472-8477) Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an iHeart Podcast. How does a beautiful young girl who has just ordered a designer wedding gown end up dead, shot dead in her parents' driveway? What a twisted turn of events. Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. I'm Nancy Grace. This is Crime Stories. First of all, take a listen to our friends at CBS Pittsburgh. It was Mother's Day night just before 11 o'clock when Aliquippa police got a 911 call about shots fired on Buchanan Street near Broadhead Road. They found 33-year-old Rachel Del Tondo outside her home in the driveway. She had been shot several times. Neighbors say they heard as many as 10 to 12 shots.

Family members say Del Tondo was returning home from getting ice cream with a friend when she was shot. It's very sad. You have a very quiet, a very quaint neighborhood. The Alquippa name gets thrown out there a lot, and it should not. This was a very nice, quiet neighborhood, and to have this invade any family is sad. You know, that sheds a whole new light on it. Another wrinkle to be discovered and figured out. Multiple shots. It's not like an accident, a drive-by. This girl was targeted.

With me, an all-star panel. Ashley Wilcott, judge and trial lawyer, Court TV anchor. You can find her at ashtonwilcox.com. Dr. Bethany Marshall, psychoanalyst, joining us out of Beverly Hills. You can find her on Instagram at Dr. Bethany Marshall. James Shelnut, 27 years, Atlanta Metro major case, SWAT, now lawyer. Joseph Scott Morgan, professor of forensics, Jacksonville State University, and author of Blood Beneath My Feet on Amazon. And special guest joining us, John Paul, journalist,

founder of, how do I pronounce it correctly? I don't want to mess this up, John Paul. Beavercountian.com? The Beaver Countian. Okay. I can't believe I got it on the first try. But first to Joseph Scott Morgan, professor ofnsics, there's a big difference, and I may have to go to our shrink, Dr. Bethany Marshall, on this. When somebody is shot once, like in a bar fight, I just always use that example, and somebody that's shot multiple times, seemingly, it's not necessarily a drive-by, Joe Scott, because with a drive-by, you don't think of the person as stopping and shooting. A drive-by is more like a high and bite, you're dead.

But multiple shots is an entirely different scenario, Joseph Scott Morgan. Yeah, that can go to kind of two states of mind, Nancy. You can have an individual that's unfamiliar with weapons that will just fire in a rapid succession, particularly with a semi-automatic handgun where it's ejecting the shells immediately. Or you can have an event where an individual, much like an overkill with a stabbing or a beating, where they just keep firing and firing and firing and firing. And one of the singular motivations is that they're very angry at that point in time. So you've got those two things to kind of choose from. Also, when you think of a drive-by, you think of somebody just willy-nilly, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam. If you hit your target multiple times, and I mean even more than once, that means you have stopped, you have aimed kind of sniper-ish at this particular person. That is a much more complex crime.

You know, I was mentioning to you about Rachel Del Tondo having ordered a wedding dress. I want to go to a discussion of that because, as it turned out, that became a centerpiece of the investigation, the ordering of the wedding dress. But who is her fiancé? Take a listen to our friends at CBS 48 Hours. I've known her since we were kids. Rachel was dating a wonderful young man. Frank was engaged.

But they both agreed to break up with his significant others and came together. They quickly became Aliquippa's it couple. Frank, the son of a retired police officer, was building an empire in trucking, cable, and energy. So successful that a local online magazine dubbed Catropa the Wolf of Aliquippa. Rachel was a teacher with a soft heart who liked to help troubled students. And at first, were you happy with the relationship? Yes. Frankie was generous. What drew you to her?

Obviously, she's a pretty girl. She's nice, genuine, big-hearted. She was a good girl. Were you in love with Rachel? Yeah, one time I was, absolutely. You're hearing Frank Catrappa, the fiancée, who's had to deal with the murder of Rachel Del Tondo. But now let's get to the designer wedding dress. Take a listen again to our friend Erin Moriarty. Wedding plans commenced immediately, and so did a Shakespearean battle over who was running the show you know how you get engaged and you let the woman take over Frankie didn't want to do that he was in charge of everything want to go to the hall wanted to see the flowers wanted I mean if he could have saw her dress, he'd be happy.

There was just a lot of outside interference with some of her family. Particularly her mom? Yes. Lisa bought her daughter a $10,000 wedding dress and a pair of $3,000 shoes. Never got to wear them. They're brand new. Frank asked for a prenuptial agreement.

I said, you know, how do you feel about that? She's like, I'm fine with it. I'll sign it. I don't want him to think that I want him just for his money. But in the end, Rachel refused. In the end, she refused the prenup. Let's go out to journalist and founder of BeaverCounty.com, John Paul. John, I want to focus right now on that wedding dress, a $10,000 wedding dress. Now, ladies, don't judge me, but when Dave and I decided to get married,

we decided on a Tuesday that we would get married on Saturday. That's how that went down. I ordered a wedding dress in two different sizes from a catalog, and it came just in time. I thought about wearing my boots, my cowboy boots, which I wore 24-7, 365, but in the end, bowed to peer pressure and got a beautiful pair of shoes. Gorgeous, Jackie, at DSW. I think that's Designer Shoe Outlet Warehouse. Right.

So I'm having a hard time, John Paul, trying to get my mind around a $10,000 dress and a three, especially a $3,000 pair of shoes. But the mother, Rachel Del Tondo's mother, insisted on it. It was going to be a fairytale wedding. Just my first question, John Paul, and I don't know if you've been asked this yet. What pair of shoes cost $3,000? They were designer shoes that the mother purchased, and she was proud of them. I mean, Rachel Del Tondo was her only daughter, and she was the center of their life, and they adored her.

And they're kind of a traditional Italian family, and this was a major milestone, not just in her life, but in the life of her parents. And they're not people of extraordinary means, and buying the shoes was no doubt an extravagance, but I think it was a loving mother's way of letting a daughter know that she was proud of her. John Paul, John Paul, you're making me think of Cinderella and the glass slippers. And to you, Dr. Bethany Marshall, just last night, you know, my daughter has just turned 12. Well, she went online and she found out about a face mask as if she at age 12 needs a face mask. And it was like $18.

But I know this is nothing compared to a $3,000 pair of shoes. But I just want her to have the things that she wants I mean I didn't even know what a face mask was till I got out of law school for Pete's sake but I get this mother in a three thousand dollar pair of shoes I get it Nancy I get it too hey I I practice in the heart of Beverly Hills and I'm thinking oh lord what okay so what brand of shoes did the mom get? I can only think Louboutins with Swarovski crystals. That's, I'm sure, what she had. And they probably had to order them. I'm sure there's no Louboutin store there in Aliquippa.

But back to the psychology, when you buy a pair of shoes like that, it's not the shoes that you're buying. You're buying hopes and dreams. You're buying the future. You're buying an idealized life founded on love and attachment. And you're thinking about grandchildren, right? Because the mother brought her, bought her the shoes. You're thinking about grandchildren and a home. And then all of that is cut short. And I think what's tragic is the grand and beautiful and poignant nature of the dreams juxtaposed between multiple shots in her daughter's chest in the driveway. And in her driveway. In the driveway. crime stories with nancy grace

guys we were talking about the unsolved murder of a young girl planning her wedding. And as you just heard from our new friend, John Paul, journalist and founder of beavercountian.com, the parents were by no means wealthy, but this is their only daughter. So they go overboard and they buy her a Cinderella dress for $10,000 and a $3,000 pair of shoes. When you said John Paul, their only daughter, it just broke my heart. It just broke my heart. Joining me, Ashley Wilcott, judge, trial lawyer, Court TV anchor, and mother of one girl. I happen to know that for a fact, like me. Ashley, you know, I would never spend that kind of money on myself.

Forget it. I mean, I get my shoes resold. But for Lucy, I might just put it on a credit card. I mean, I don't see myself buying a $3,000 pair of shoes. But I would do something much more extravagant for her than I would ever dream of doing for myself. Absolutely. That's what we do for our kids. And so while it sounds outlandish

to think you'd spend that much money, you know, keep in mind the description of terms of their community, right? And so maybe as a parent, you're going to do whatever it takes to make that day shine for your daughter. I think it's extravagant too, but let me just mention Clark Howard that I listened to about money and spending. Do you know how many parents and young ladies take out loans to cover extravagant expenses like these because weddings are so important to them? You know, it reminds me of senior year. We went on a senior trip and I came home and my dad actually had tears in his eyes. I mean, they did not have this kind of money. And he had bought me a car. It was Toyota Corolla, two door, sky blue, metallic blue. And I just, it was the biggest

thing that had ever happened to us. For me to get a car, it's just unheard of. And he was so proud what parents do for their children. But then everything went sideways. Take a listen to our friends at KDKA Pittsburgh. This is Marty Griffin. When Rachel got engaged, mom took over planning a big time wedding, including a nearly $10,000 gown to be handmade by a New York designer. It was a custom dress. It had to be made to her measurements. The family put down a deposit of more than $4,000. That, according to the contract, was non-refundable and non-transferable under any circumstances. Lisa Del Tondo says she got that from day one. I was told that this is binding. I knew what this thing said. They bought the dress

at Ann Gregory for the bride in Dormont. Rachel Del Tondo was measured. The family put down nearly I SAID, I'M NOT GOING TO PAY YOU. I'M GOING TO PAY YOU. I'M GOING TO PAY YOU. I SAID, I'M NOT GOING TO PAY YOU. I SAID, I'M NOT GOING TO PAY YOU. I SAID, I'M NOT GOING TO PAY YOU. I SAID, I'M NOT GOING TO PAY YOU.

I SAID, I'M NOT GOING TO PAY YOU. I SAID, I'M NOT GOING TO PAY YOU. I SAID, I'M NOT GOING TO PAY YOU. I SAID, I'M NOT GOING TO PAY YOU.

I SAID, I'M NOT GOING TO PAY YOU. I SAID, I'M NOT GOING TO PAY YOU. I SAID, I'M NOT GOING TO PAY YOU. I SAID, I'M NOT GOING TO PAY YOU. I SAID, I SHE WAS GOING TO PAY THE BALANCE AND TAKE DELIVERY OF THE DRESS. SHE SAID SHE WAS GOING TO PAY THE BALANCE AND TAKE DELIVERY OF THE DRESS. SHE SAID SHE WAS GOING TO

PAY THE BALANCE AND TAKE DELIVERY OF THE DRESS. SHE SAID SHE WAS GOING TO PAY THE BALANCE AND TAKE DELIVERY OF THE DRESS. SHE SAID SHE WAS GOING TO PAY THE BALANCE AND TAKE DELIVERY OF THE DRESS.

SHE SAID SHE WAS GOING TO PAY THE BALANCE AND TAKE DELIVERY OF THE DRESS. SHE SAID SHE WAS GOING TO PAY THE BALANCE AND TAKE DELIVERY OF THE DRESS. SHE SAID SHE WAS GOING TO PAY THE BALANCE AND TAKE

DELIVERY OF THE DRESS. SHE SAID SHE WAS GOING TO PAY THE BALANCE AND TAKE DELIVERY OF THE DRESS. SHE SAID SHE WAS GOING TO so she took the owner to small claims court. Wow, all this the mom is trying to sort through? To John Paul, journalist, founder of beavercountian.com. John Paul, in a nutshell, and I know you don't run the column for the love, Lorne, but why did they break up? Did it have anything to do with her not signing the prenup? I think their relationship had been described to me as kind of on again, off again for a very long time anyway. So they would be real close and then they would kind of distance and then date. And so the lack of signing the prenup at the time, I think was an impetus for

them to kind of break apart some, but they continued to see each other after that. They continued to date. So it's not like they went their separate ways in life at that point. And to correct myself something real quick. I might have mistakenly earlier said that, that she was her, their only child. She was their only daughter. They have a son that they're also very proud of, just to be clear. Right. Only daughter, just like me, just like Ashley, we have one daughter and then all those nasty little boys. So let me ask you a question to Dr. Bethany Marshall. The reason I'm focusing so much on the fiance is because that's who you look to initially in every... You know what? Sorry, Bethany. Let me throw this to James Shelnut. 27 years, Metro major case, SWAT, now lawyer.

James Shelnut, no offense to all the husbands, exes, lovers, boyfriends out there, but that's where the investigation has to start. Bottom line, that's what you sign up for when you're in a relationship. If that significant other goes missing, you're the first one the police come. So why is that, Shelnut? Well, the reason is, is because those are the people who often commit the crimes against women who come up missing or dead. You start as an investigator with the most logical suspects, which generally are the people closest to the victim. That's right. Statistically, it's overwhelming that the perpetrator is typically someone very close to you, if not romantically linked.

OK, so the wedding is called off and that's not an aspersion on either one of them. Weddings are postponed. People turn down engagements all the time for very intricate reasons that we may not understand. But take a listen now to KDKA's Marty Griffin. She took the owner to small claims court. It says disposition default judgment for plaintiff. Court papers indicate the salon owner did not appear for the TO SMALL CLAIMS COURT. IT SAYS DISPOSITION, DEFAULT JUDGMENT FOR PLAINTIFF. COURT PAPERS INDICATE THE SALON OWNER DID NOT APPEAR FOR THE HEARING. AS A RESULT, HE WAS ORDERED TO PAY THE DELTONDO'S MORE THAN $4600.

HE HAD 30 DAYS TO WRITE US A CHECK OR FILE AN APPEAL. AND HE DIDN'T EITHER? HE DIDN'T EITHER. SALON OWNER GREGORY CHERICO. IN AN EMAIL HE TOLD ME, DECEMBER GOT BY ME WITH TWO

DEATHS IN THE FAMILY. WE WILL BE SENDING A CERTIFIED CHECK OUT TO DELTONDO. THANKS FOR YOUR EFFORTS. HIS ATTORNEY SAYS HE WILL CONTINUE TO WORK WITH THE DELTONDO'S. HE SAYS HE WILL BE WORKING WITH THE DELTONDO'S. HE SAYS HE WILL BE WORKING WITH THE DELTONDO'S. HE SAYS HE WILL BE WORKING WITH In an email, he told me, December got by me with two deaths in the family.

We will be sending a certified check out to Del Tondo. Thanks for your efforts. His attorney sent us a letter stating, Mr. Cherico denies that Ann Gregory owed any money to Ms. Del Tondo as she was given the purchase contract. Had an opportunity to review the terms of the contract, which unambiguously advised her that the custom order for her bridal gown could not be refunded. The reason this is significant to John Paul, founder of beavercounty.com is because the engagement, the break off and the dress brouhaha ends up on local TV with one of those consumer report specialists. Isn't that true, John Paul? The case was featured on the local news and everybody in that metro area saw Rachel Del Tondo, saw the dress, and learned the wedding was called off. Isn't that true, John Paul?

Yeah, it was certainly kind of a, I guess, a novelty is the word at the time. And obviously, this is before her murder. And, you know, novelty is not the word I would use anymore. But at the time, it was like a novelty and something everyone kind of spoke about. And Frank Catropa described it as something of an embarrassment at the time because he's a successful businessman by any measure. And to have this sort of Consumer Report feature on the local news about disputes over his ex-fiance's wedding dress was a little humiliating, he said. Exactly. So you've got all that brewing. To Dr. Bethany Marshall, psychoanalyst at Beverly Hills, Bethany, why are we so, there's even been a movie, Runaway Bride. Remember that? And then when, what was her name, Jackie? Jennifer,

I'll think of it in a moment, the real Runaway Bride that took off and claimed she was abducted, blah, blah, blah. That was the big lie. The night before her wedding. Why are we so obsessed with calling off the wedding, the Runaway Bride jilted at the altar? Why? Why do people love that so much? I don't get it. I can tell you why. Because when you have a fairytale wedding and you have a princess, you put that person on a pedestal. And if you've seen pictures, long brown hair, each photo has beautiful makeup, high heels, sequined, embellished dresses. So she is a real life, real life princess in a very small town. So when we see Prince Charming and his bride, we all inject ourselves into the story because we

want those kinds of lives for ourselves. And then when they break up, it sparks all kinds of fantasies. For those who are envious, they're happy that they broke up. For those who are living through them, they're heartbroken and they go digging for clues and then all kinds of, you know, urban myths and stories start to swirl around. Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. Guys, we're talking about Rachel Del Tondo, who had just broken off a very public engagement to the It Guy in town. It was all over the news, the dispute regarding her special-made wedding dress, 10 grand, made in New York City. The mom took it to the local TV consumer specialist,

and it hit the airwaves. What, if anything, does that have to do with the unsolved murder of this girl, Rachel Del Tondo? And we were talking about with Dr. Bethany, how people fixate on other people's romantic problems. You guys remember when Princess Diana and Prince Charles got a divorce? It was the news for so long. Remember that, Ashley? Oh gosh, are you kidding me? I absolutely remember that. Nancy, it was forever. I totally blamed him.

I'm thousands of miles away, but I was so furious with him. Yes, because of everything you learned about his affair and everything else. And let's just think about all the celebrities and people on Twitter. I mean, that's what people do want to talk about forever. And then she turns up dead right after this. Okay, take a listen to our friends at CBS 48 Hours. This is Erin Moriarty. Lisa Del Tondo was extremely close with her 33-year-old daughter.

Rachel was still living at home with Lisa and her father, Joe Del Tondo. Every night, she'd come in every night, sit at my bed, and give me a synopsis of the whole day. That night, there would be no bedside report. After supper, Rachel went for ice cream with friends. And then just minutes after being dropped back home around 10.45 p.m., Rachel was shot several times at close range. The information I have from law enforcement is that they do believe she knew her killer. They believe it to be a crime of passion.

To Joseph Scott Morgan, forensics expert, professor of forensics at Jacksonville State, and author, let's analyze the scene. I know, Joe Scott, your expertise is forensics. I love that. I know you probably think I spent too long on the wedding dress. But I had to set up the moment because all of that matters, too. Now, you hit me with the forensics. Go. I got to tell you, no, I think the wedding dress is a fantastic idea because, my God, there is certainly motivation there, a lot of anger. But from the perspective of the forensics, you know, they mentioned that this is a close-range event.

That means that this individual was able to get close to her, and they're able to determine range of fire by just saying that. Okay, that's where that's coming from. So what we think, or what I would think, or postulate putting forward is that there might be powder, and that is unburned gunpowder on her person, and that would put the individual within possibly three, maybe two feet away from this individual. So they're talking about close range. That's significant here, Nancy. How was this individual

able to get so close to her at the side entrance of the house and then put this many rounds into her body at that moment how many rounds how many rounds i don't know from what i've heard thus far do we know john paul do you know how many times she was actually shot the the information i have for investigators is basically the entire handgun had been unloaded into her. Okay, that is rage. She is targeted. And Joe Scott Morgan is speaking in highly technical terms, as usual. But what he's trying to say about gunshot powder is, police say that it was a close range. How do you know that?

If it's point blank, a shot to the head or the body, you see stippling or burn marks where the bullet comes out of the gun and it leaves almost like a tattoo on your skin close range gunshot powder residue GSR when you fire a gun it goes about can go about 36 inches which means if they found gunshot residue on her, on her body, that means the killer was within 36 inches to her body based on gunshot residue. Right, Joe Scott? Yeah, you're right. And I've heard you use this analogy, and this is perfect, in the past.

Actually, when we think about a water hose, When you press the nozzle on a water hose, say, in the yard, and it kind of spreads out, the further you go from the end of that water hose, the further that fount of water spreads out. The same thing with powder. You've got a projectile, that is the bullet itself, firing into the body, but you've got all this other debris that comes out of the end of the barrel specifically unfurned powder and the further it spread out the greater the distance so after a moment in time that powder is going to fall to the earth it's not

very aerodynamic so it'll fall to the earth it's like baby powder. Yeah, yeah, exactly. Baby powder is the perfect, perfect example with this. I urge anybody at home that wants to know how to do this, simply put some talc in your hand, stand in a well-lighted room. I teach my students this at Jacksonville State, and blow. And you'll see how in that moment, it'll just disperse into the air, this cloud. And this deposits in the body, and it's superheated many times. And when you said tattooing, that's actually what we call it. The unburned powder gets beneath the skin and it's embedded in there, almost like tattooing. To John Paul, journalist, founder of beavercountian.com. John Paul, what time of the day or night was this? It was at night. So yeah, you're being shortly

before 11 p.m. at night. 11 p.m. and she had been out to an ice cream parlor with who? What friends? So, Lauren Watkins was the one driving the car, and Tyree. How old was she? She would have been 17 at the time. So, were these her students? No. So, she had friends with younger people?

She did. Okay, that just strikes me as odd. I don't know why, but maybe it's not odd. But she was with two. How old was the other person? Tyree would have been in his 20s, I believe, mid-20s. Okay, so a male and a female. The female was driving.

For all I know, they were previous students. Were they, John Paul? No, neither of them had ever been her students. Interesting. Interesting to me. So, as police are digging through this case, trying to figure out who, what, where, why, and when, information comes to light. Take a listen about a previous event, CBS 48 Hours' Erin Moriarty. According to the report, it was nearly 2 a.m. when Rachel and Sheldon were discovered in her car.

Not 11 p.m., as Rachel had said. And not at the Circle K, but in this abandoned lot. You obviously come here not to be seen. Is that fair? You come here to not be seen. The police said the windows were steamed, which made them believe that the vehicle had been parked for some time, and the passenger seat was fully reclined.

The report states that Rachel told police that Sheldon was once a student of hers and now a friend, and they were just talking. But it also says she didn't want her fiancé to know because he would get mad and he was upset about it he's upset when he was about to leave his eyes were watering you know I was more confused than anything angry wouldn't say that I was angry Frank was allowed to take home that copy of the report and a day or two later someone used it to strike a devastating

blow at Rachel del Tondo's reputation man I can't believe this happened to that girl to John Paul journalist founder Beaver County comm John Paul wasn't it generally proven that Rachel was not making out or having sex relations with this younger guy who was a former student? They were both clothed when the cops came up to the car. The car, yes, it was 2 a.m. And as I love to argue to juries, nothing good happens after midnight. 2 a.m. in a parked car in an abandoned parking lot. But when cops came up to it, they were, in fact, sitting there talking.

Do I have that right, John Paul? Yeah, certainly there were no charges filed by police, and their incident report that was generated about a year later doesn't mention any witnessing of inappropriate behavior. That being said, Sheldon Jeter's attorney, Michael Santacola, has said that Sheldon and Rachel had been having a sexual relationship since Sheldon had been about 15 or 16. That's something that Rachel's family vehemently denies, and when she was alive, that's something that she had denied to me.

So even though police approached them and they are dressed and they are, in fact, just talking, there was a police report made. The main thing she said was, don't tell my fiance. This is what we learn. Someone anonymously, someone with that police report, anonymously emails and texts the incident to Rachel's school, the school board, the mayor, the media. It's unknown who sent it, although how can you not check the IP on the email? And the report was sent two days after Frank Catropa, the jilted fiance, receives the report. He claims he didn't do it. Okay, what effect did that have on her reputation? To John Paul, journalistaver County dot com when someone the parents believe it was the fiance emailed out texted out this report to

the school board what happened well you can imagine what happened happened she gets suspended from her job it makes front page news that a teacher was caught in a car with a young person and it was the matter of our most Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. Guys, we're talking about Rachel Del Tondo and what happened to her. Her past is extremely important to the fact that she was murdered execution style in her parents' own driveway. Mushrooms out of control. Take a listen to our cut 13. Less than a month after she was murdered, there were three police chiefs in that Aliquippa Police Department in the span of one week, three police chiefs. And in fact, the third chief actually handed over the investigation to

the County Detectives Bureau. So that gives you a sense when you have those kind of distractions, it's very, very difficult to focus on an investigation. And in fact, Rachel's murder is actually the ninth unsolved murder in that area. So people are losing faith in the police department. To James Shelnut, 27 years, Metro major case, SWAT officer, now lawyer, weigh in. I mean, I think that one of the first things you have to do is you have to go back and take a look at all the possible suspects in this case and what her current relationship was with them. You know, you have got an awful lot of people that either need to be eliminated or need to have continued investigation. You know, the concern that I have at this point in time

is that there are a lot of missed opportunities. There's missed opportunities as far as taking a look at these witnesses, getting things pinned down. And I'm unsure with the state of that department, with how things were handled, whether or not they have lost some critical information that's put them behind the eight ball. You know, to you, John Paul, founder of BeaverCounty.com, the fact that that police report was leaked,

it should never have been given to the fiance to start with, but it was. Then it was leaked. Then her reputation was destroyed. Then she was gunned down. Why was it leaked? Well, I think that's a very good question. I think that's one that investigators would like an answer to. Certainly, the other big issue that created a problem for the police department is the leak was not just in a police report, but it also contained sensitive information from a law enforcement only justice network database that hand and that contained all and if you had that database what could you learn what good is the database well it

provided um the photographs driver's license numbers social security numbers i mean it was every bit of private information about yourself that the uh a police department might have or that the state might have that you could imagine. So that leak was much more than just a report. It was of sensitive personal information that in the state of Pennsylvania, it's unlawful. Very sensitive. Nancy, can I make a comment? Absolutely. Yes, jump in. In my clinical practice, whenever somebody reports to me that their lover, their boyfriend, their friend is threatening to expose them to their employer, I always think homicide. That's my first worry that crosses my mind because when you love somebody, when you want to marry them, when they are your best friend, when you've

cherished that relationship, the last thing you want to do is cause them to lose their job. The last thing you want to do is besmirch their reputation, make them look terrible. But whoever either released that report or once it got into the hands of the fiance, whoever sent it to the school board had simmering hate and resentment towards her. They wanted to take her down. When you report something negative to somebody's employer, you're not thinking about their future anymore. You're cutting their life short professionally, and that kind of person might have wanted to cut her life short in a dramatic physical way, too. Well, Bethany, less than one month after Rachel was murdered,

three police chiefs in the span of one week. The last chief turned the investigation over to county detectives. Rachel's murder the night they saw a murder in the area. Okay. To you, Joe Scott Morgan, in the aftermath of her murder, three police chiefs? Yeah, it's... Somebody's covering something up, Joe Scott. That's all I can say about that. Something is way wrong.

Yeah, I'd absolutely agree with you. And also, to this point, look, I'm a death investigator by trade. That's all I have literally ever done. And so it is the single most intense investigation from a forensic standpoint that you can conduct. If your eyes are not on the ball in a case like this and other cases that this department is intimately involved with, you're going to miss the big picture because you're skipping over the finer details. They don't have time to analyze the finer details because they're too busy, you know, not being able to take care of their own house here.

This is a major problem. It's a huge mess. John Paul, founder of BeaverCountyIn.com, why three police chiefs in the aftermath of her murder? What's happening? Well, the first police chief was suspended when a councilman came forward and said that he was aware that the chief was the subject of a criminal investigation by the state police okay

what about the second one the second one was arrested by county detectives after he had allegedly sent a pornographic image to uh lauren watkins who was the friend that dropped rachel beltando off at home the night that she was killed. And then the third chief was the one that eventually turned it over to county detectives. And that chief has since passed and they're now chiefless at the moment. So all of this is stemming out of or connected to Rachel Del Tondo's murder, and it's still unsolved. Okay, question. Let's hear now what's happening. Just hours after Rachel Del Tondo was killed,

police were at Sheldon Jeter's doorstep looking to question him, and a search warrant application indicates that that visit raised questions. It states that they asked Sheldon for the clothing he was wearing that night and he gave them other clothing. That's not how it went down. There was a pile of clothes laying on the floor next to his bed where he was sleeping. They got up and said, are these the clothes that you were wearing? Yeah, all my clothes are right

there. So they scooped it up. Sheldon's attorney insists it's not his client's fault that the cops picked up the wrong clothes. But the warrant application also states Sheldon failed to display any emotion when he was informed of Rachel's death. That's absolutely untrue. He was shocked. He was in shock. Lauren Watkins, who has known Sheldon since elementary school, says she doesn't believe he's capable of murder. She says she never knew Rachel and Sheldon to have any type of romantic relationship. Guys, what happened to Rachel DelTondo? It sounds like a huge mess. You know, Ashley Wilcott, when you have to hand your investigation over to somebody else like here, they handed it over to county sheriffs.

That's a horrible sign. Oh, God. It says to me something stinks. Oh, I completely agree with you. And don't forget a couple of little facts that I want to remind everybody about. Number one is the fiance. I understood his father was law enforcement at some point. One of the girls that she was having ice cream with, I believe, was related to law enforcement.

It is a tangled web, and it's a mess. And let me just say this. When you have this much turnover, I work for a county, right? When you have this much turnover, there are bigger issues. You've got major problems. And I think the major problem here is people know things and are doing nothing about it to solve this murder. The murder of Rachel Del Tondo remains unsolved. Her parents still grieving. Tip line, if you know anything, 800-4PA-TIPS, 800-472-8477. We wait as justice unfolds. Nancy Grace, Crime Story, signing off. Goodbye, friend.