Criminal - Linda

Episode Date: January 18, 2019

In a suburb outside of Salt Lake City, a 69-year-old woman named Linda Gillman hired a man named Christian Olsen to do some repairs on her condo. After months of working together, Linda Gillman asked for Christian’s help with a different sort of project. Say hello on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. Sign up for our occasional newsletter, The Accomplice. Follow the show and review us on Apple Podcasts. Sign up for Criminal Plus to get behind-the-scenes bonus episodes of Criminal, ad-free listening of all of our shows, special merch deals, and more.  We also make This is Love and Phoebe Reads a Mystery. Artwork by Julienne Alexander. Check out our online shop. Episode transcripts are posted on our website. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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homicide detectives, ghost hunters, and even psychic mediums, and leads him to a dark secret about his own family. Check out Ghost Story, a series essential pick, completely ad-free on Apple Podcasts. They met maybe in the spring of 2016, and it wasn't until the fall of 2016 that Ms. Gilman proposed the idea that if her ex-husband was no longer alive, that she would benefit from a vast amount of money as a beneficiary

to a life insurance policy. In a suburb outside of Salt Lake City, in a town called Harriman, a 69-year-old woman named Linda Gilman hired a man named Christian Olson to do some repairs on her condo. After months of working together, Linda Gilman asked for Christian's help with a different sort of project. If he was willing to help find somebody to do the job, she would pay him. And sure enough, she gave him a $5,000 check. He kept stringing her along. There's no doubt about that. He was a person that was down on his luck, needed to make a quick buck, and she was willing to pay. And so he would string her

along, indicating that he had lined somebody up. And there were some fanciful stories that he came up with that she believed. And it was in late December of 2016 that she had told him that enough's enough and that she had found somebody else that would do the job and she no longer needed him to do it for her. This is Mark Mathis, a deputy district attorney at the Salt Lake County DA's office. The first thing that Christian did, actually, was hop in his truck and drive over to Linda's ex-husband's house. And he had the address because Linda had given it to him to give to the hitman to, you know, to perform the act. And so he went over to his house here in Salt Lake, knocked on the front door, and his new wife answered the door.

He introduced himself and said, your husband's ex-wife has hired me to find somebody to kill him. She invited him in. They had a discussion about it. They called Linda's ex-husband, had a discussion about it, and then called Unified Police Department, and that's when the detective got involved. I was initially given this case by my sergeant who asked me and another detective that was brand new in the unit to call an individual on the phone. This is Dwayne Gilman. How can I help you? Dwayne, this is Detective Adamson with the Unified Police Department. How are you? Hi, Detective. I'm great. So it's Dwayne Gilman, right?

Dwayne Gilman, yes, sir. G-I-L-L-M-A-N. G-I-L-L-M-A-N. Yeah, I got a case handed to me. This is Brent Adamson. At the time, he was a detective with Salt Lake City's Unified Police Department. He's since moved to the Harriman City Police Department, where he's a detective sergeant. I mean, is that rare that someone calls the police department and say,

I think someone wants to kill me? It's very rare. And it's even more rare to have the individual show up at the intended victim's house and say, hey, surprise, this is, guess what? And so it was even more kind of shocking to get the report that way rather than it to come in some other manner to have the victim call and say, hey, there's a guy at my house right now that says he's supposed to find someone to kill me. He's been here for four or five hours, and he came to me, and everything grew out of what he had to say. I am not thinking terribly clearly, but it's upset me. Sure. What was Dwayne's demeanor when you spoke with him? Was he nervous or worried? I think he was worried, but I think that was tempered a little bit by the fact that this individual had come to his home.

I think I was probably more kind of scratching my head, if you will, that this took place. And, in fact, the individual first made contact with Dwayne's current wife, who invited him into the house and made a pot of coffee for him and waited for her husband to come home. I'm not sure that I would have even done that. Who is this Christian Olson? Christian is an individual that, for lack of a better term, he's kind of an odd job guy.

He was doing various different jobs at the time that this case started. He was just a local person here in the county. Mark Mathis. He would purchase items from Home Depot, hardware stores, things like that that were on clearance, fix them up and resell them on a local website. And that's how she actually met him. He offered up or indicated that he was also a contractor. And I think the ultimate irony here is that the contracting company that he worked for was called Hired Gun Contractors. It kind of wrote itself there. And so that was kind of, I think, the first toe that was dipped into the pool of curiosity that, you know, well, you work for a place called Hired Gun.

Are you a hitman? And they would kind of just laugh it off. And, you know, as months went on and they developed more of a relationship, that's when the idea of her husband's death started to be discussed. Linda and Christian used a variety of code words. A sub was the subcontractor or hitman. The words Home Depot meant everything was on track, but a reference to Lowe's meant there was a problem.

Linda's codename for her ex-husband was His Majesty. Have you ever seen a case like this? I have not. I hope to never again. Linda Gilman had been divorced from her third husband, Dwayne Gilman, for years. He was paying alimony. And the divorce settlement stipulated that Linda could remain the beneficiary of Dwayne's life insurance. But she'd also taken

out life insurance on Dwayne that he didn't know about. As he got older, the monthly premiums Linda had to pay increased to just over $10,000 a month. According to court records, Linda Gilman stood to gain quite a lot of money if anything happened to her ex-husband. I'm Phoebe Judge. This is Criminal. Hello. Is this Christian? Yes, it is. So give me kind of the Reader's Digest version of what's going on. She approached me a few months ago about...

She being Linda? Linda, yeah. About taking out her ex-husband and said that she would pay all this money to have him taken out. What was the agreement? What was she offering to? She offered the $5,000 up front, and then after he was gone and something, you know, that it was confirmed, then she was going to give a portion of the life insurance policy on it. Ultimately, we determined that there was at least two different life insurance policies.

I think her beneficiary portion ended up being somewhere in the neighborhood of $3.5 million. Did she specify how she wanted you to kill him or a method? Yeah, she wanted it done in a way that it didn't look like he was murdered, like it was a drug overdose or something. Okay. And somebody mentioned that there was some syringes or something. What was that? Yeah, she had given me some syringes.

And what was the purpose of the syringes? For, like, a drug overdose. Okay. Yeah. Linda Gilman had no criminal record. She had her hands in a lot of different small businesses. A snow removal business, a lawn service, fixing up cars. By all accounts, she was doing quite well financially.

After he spoke with Dwayne Gilman and Christian Olson and understood what Christian was alleging, Detective Adamson needed proof. He needed to get Linda on tape. So when you get the phone call from Dwayne and you talk to Christian, you find out what Linda is trying to do. How do you, I mean, what's your next step? I mean, that's just hearsay, right?

How do you figure out how you're going to get proof? So, yeah, I talked to Duane, and then I talked to Christian. And then immediately following that, I sit down with Christian and conduct a little more formal interview in person. And basically Christian relays to us that he's having ongoing conversations with Linda. He's basically delayed her and told her that he'll help her with this problem so that she doesn't find someone else. And so we set up a recording device that we send in with Christian. He makes arrangements to meet her, and then we basically just kind of stage in the neighborhood and listen to the conversation as it takes place. Do you sit in one of those vans that says, like, air conditioning on the outside when you...

We do not, no. We just used our regular unmarked police cars and just kind of parked a couple streets away. That seems exciting. I mean, of all of the work, going on a little stakeout seems like one of the most exciting things. Unfortunately, more often than not, it's probably more boring. This one obviously piqued our interest. We were very interested, and as it progressed, it became more and more interesting. My biggest worry here is your safety. I don't want to be maimed.

I don't give a damn if somebody kills me. I don't care. I don't want to be maimed, however, and I'm not going to be blackmailed. This is the recording that Christian made of his conversation with Linda. They have to expect this could take some time, and you nail him, you screw up here, there isn't going to be any money. You screw up, even if you take him out. If you screw up and there's an investigation,

there's not going to be a payout. That is the law. That's the law. Okay. Now I can move it up. We were having a really difficult time hearing what was taking place. There was background noise. I know there's some high-tension transmission electrical lines close by. I don't know if that was causing interference. And I also know that based on what we could hear, that they'd gone to the basement, so that may have interfered with the cellular signal as well.

Stern and... Stern and... Stern and... No screaming. So midway through this conversation, I was texting with Christian and basically convinced him to go outside for a cigarette. And we placed an additional, just a digital recorder on the bumper of his truck and asked him to get that and take it in with him as kind of an insurance policy to make sure that we could record the audio of the conversation, even if we couldn't hear it in real time. That seems kind of like a little risky trade-off there. It was. And in fact, we later found out that even one of the neighbors saw us doing that and didn't quite know what was going on. But fortunately for us, Linda was never aware that it took place. And when that meeting was over,

Christian had come out of the meeting and Linda had in fact given him a diamond ring as basically a down payment to give to who she thought Christian was going to hire to have Duane killed. Detective Adamson sent Christian in to secretly record Linda a second time. On that day, Linda introduced the possibility of a home invasion gone bad. And she said that the hitman might consider killing both Dwayne Gilman and his current wife.

She said she'd pay extra. Another ten grand. Another ten grand? Yep. So it's... 25 minus the value of the ring. 25 minus the value of the ring? Yeah.

So what's that come back to? 18,000 cash. Okay. I'm sure he'll like that. I just, I don't know how easy it is to get away with this kind of stuff. I just don't know. Yeah. Changes, there'd be an investigation.

Okay. Because we got two, now we got two obvious hom'd be an investigation. Okay. Because now we've got two obvious homicides on our hands. Right. So there's going to be an investigation. Okay. Now it comes down to the probability of getting away with it. Support for Criminal comes from Apple Podcasts. Each month, Apple Podcasts highlights one series worth your attention, and they call these series essentials. This month, they recommend Wondery's Ghost Story, a seven-part series that follows journalist Tristan Redman

as he tries to get to the bottom of a ghostly presence in his childhood home. His investigation takes him on a journey involving homicide detectives, ghost hunters, and even psychic mediums, and leads him to a dark secret about his own family. Check out Ghost Story, a series essential pick, completely ad-free on Apple Podcasts. Hey, it's Scott Galloway, and on our podcast, Pivot, we are bringing you a special series about the basics of artificial intelligence. We're answering all your questions. What should you use it for?

What tools are right for you? And what privacy issues should you ultimately watch out for. And to help us out, we are joined by Kylie Robeson, the senior AI reporter for The Verge, to give you a primer on how to integrate AI into your life. So, tune into AI Basics, How and When to Use AI, a special series from Pivot sponsored by AWS, wherever you get your podcasts. The recordings that Detective Adamson gathered with Christian were enough to make an arrest. On December 27, 2016, they went to Linda Gilman's house. Are you the one who went in and arrested Linda? Yes. Will you tell me about that scene?

So we responded out to Linda? Yes. Will you tell me about that scene? So we responded out to Linda's house. When we went out there, obviously our intent was to take Linda into custody and we also had a search warrant

for her residence. So when we arrived, we knocked on the door several times, didn't get a response. I could see Linda inside the house moving around, but she wouldn't come to the door. Tried to call the phone number that we had for Linda. Continued to pound on the door, announced that we were the upset and demanding to know what was happening. She opened the door. We identified ourselves numerous times, and she was taken into custody, and then we transported her to our office for an interview. And you interviewed her? I did. I'm willing to talk to you, but you're asking me questions in the dark without telling me.

I don't even know what's going on yet. You've told me this is conspiracy solicitation. I don't know for what. I don't know what's happened. What happened? Linda, you're the subject of an investigation. For what? For solicitation for murder for hire.

Okay? Who? I'm not willing to giveitation for murder for hire. Okay? Who? I'm not willing to give you that information just yet. Okay? Well... I'm asking you some questions to get some background on you. Okay? Okay.

But we're investigating a case where you're the suspect who has instigated a solicitation for someone to kill another person. Who? Who and who? Who is telling you this story? And who is the... We'll get there. Who's the... Well, you need...

All right, tell me what's going on. I'm going to, but I'm getting some background information from you, asking you some questions about your history. Okay, I don't think... We'll get there. Have you been engaged in a conversation with anybody about having someone killed? No.

You haven't? No. So when I play recordings of that conversation, what are you going to say? You're kidding me. No, I'm not kidding you. Do you think I'm wasting your time? Do you think I'd come to your house and threaten to kick your door down with a search warrant because I made something up? I don't know.

No, I don't know. I don't know. I know. I have hours of recordings of you. Hours of recordings of you. Made by whom? By me. By you? Yeah. Because you made... This doesn't even make any sense. How would you even make arrangements to record anything that I said? Where? How? And she was played a copy of the recording. District Attorney Mark Mathis. And we played a segment for her that was clearly her talking about

the planning and the amount that she was willing to pay for her husband's death. You know, I'm just going to leave it up to his judgment, but it might make it easier. And there's going to be less of an investigation if she's gone too. Really? Don't you think? I would imagine, yeah. No witness? Nothing?

Do you recognize your voice? It could be me, but I, no. It could also not be me. Hmm. And she wouldn't either say whether that was or wasn't her. In fact, during the interview, when confronted with whether or not that was her voice, her response, I believe, was, it could be me, it could also not be me.

You know, it's interesting because, you know, thank goodness no one was harmed. So how do you arrest someone for hoping to hurt someone, but not being able to actually do it. I guess the difference between hoping and doing is taking some significant step towards making that hope a reality, and that's where Linda crossed the line. You could probably find someone every day that wishes that their ex-husband or wife was dead, but they don't do anything. They don't take any steps to make that happen.

So it was intent. Yeah. I mean, clearly she's not saying, I wish Duane was dead or I wish I could collect on this life insurance policy. She's saying, if you can find someone that will kill Duane, here's a ring, go give it to him as a down payment and let's get it done. You've set the wheels in motion for someone to take action on your behalf that most likely will cause someone's death. Linda Gilman was tried in Utah's 3rd District Court in March of 2018. Mark Mathis was the prosecutor.

She pled not guilty. All right, let's go on the record on State v. Linda Gilman, 1719-00245. Appearance as a State of the Formist Gilman is back with us. State your full name again. Okay. Christian Andrew Wilson. And do you recall, sir, that you're still under oath? Yes.

Christian did testify that in the beginning it was just like any relationship, you know, between employer-employee, that over time their relationship grew closer. They started talking about personal things, you know, his personal relationships with his ex-wife, with his new girlfriend, his family, religious beliefs, things like that. Just personal things. And so they developed more of a friendship over time. Hi. Hey, I gotta hurry. How was the party last night?

It was family Okay, end of story Yep Not much fun, huh? You needed alcohol to be there Did you get drunk? Not really He needed alcohol to be there. Did you get drunk? Not really.

No. A little bit, but not too bad. More tired than anything. That's a good boy. And then when she retained him to actually remodel her condominium, she gave him the option of living there. And he could live in her condominium. And while he was working on it, she gave him a, uh, a Dodge pickup to help, uh, with all of the, you know, remodeling and things like that. So she had made all of these gestures and offers to Christian to, um, I think, and that's when the relationship

really started to get close to his admission. He took advantage of her, and he did so knowingly because that was a great opportunity for him to get money. So he is taking advantage of her, and she thinks that she's grooming him. Correct. The secret recordings Christian made were played in court. The prosecution argued that Linda wanted Duane dead so she could collect the insurance money.

The defense argued that Linda's net worth was $1.5 million, and so she didn't need the money. The defense attorney told the jury that Christian Olson was a, quote, master manipulator and a flim-flam artist. The jury deliberated for three and a half hours, and Linda Gilman was found guilty of one count of criminal solicitation to commit murder. Normally, after a conviction, we generally try and sentence people within 45 days.

You know, we are asking for the sentencing to proceed as soon as possible. And I know that Linda's ex-husband and his new wife, they were very anxious to get this thing resolved and to get some finality. She managed to keep getting her sentencing postponed. Sometimes she'd refuse to come to court. She kept firing her lawyers. She'd hire a new one and then argue that the new attorney hadn't had enough time to become familiar with her lawyers. She'd hire a new one and then argue that the new attorney hadn't had enough time to become familiar with her case. This went on for months. After her sentencing was postponed for the eighth time, 3rd District Judge Paul Parker said, we at some point need to drop the hammer on this. On October 29th, 2018, Linda Gilman was finally sentenced.

In Utah, we have indeterminate sentencing, where the judge, when they impose prison, that it would be for an indeterminate time. And the level of this offense was three years to life. So you don't know in Utah how long you will spend in prison. I mean, there's, like I said, there's all sorts of factors that can come into play, but the sentencing range is three years to life. Detective Adamson told us that Linda Gilman is someone who likes to be in control. She tries to manage everything that's happening around her.

And so maybe it makes sense that even behind bars, she was trying to run the show. On the same day she was convicted of trying to have her ex-husband killed, she was charged again with trying to hire another hitman. Not to kill her ex-husband, but someone else. I understand that she's now going back to court because she's

being accused of having, trying to have Christian Olsen killed. That's correct. When you heard that, when you heard that now she was going after Christian, what did you think? Did that surprise you? Not at all. That's just, that's the type of person that Linda Gilman that I know is. That's, she just, she wants it her way in whatever she's got to do to make things work her way. While she was in jail in Salt Lake City, Linda Gilman allegedly approached a fellow inmate about having Christian Olson killed.

According to court documents, Linda called herself the bank and said she could, quote, make everything happen. The inmate went to the police. There's more. When that first inmate didn't do what she'd asked, Linda hired another inmate. This time she figured, as long as she was going to try to have Christian killed, she'd go after someone else who was bothering her.

A lawyer who'd sued her on behalf of an electric company. A Washington Post headline read, Woman Accused of Hiring Hitmen to Get Out of Her Hitman-Related Troubles. The first line of the article reads, The number of people Linda Gilman allegedly once killed keeps growing. Linda Gilman will be back in court to face these charges very soon. It really is a rabbit hole. But when people were approached

by Ms. Gilman, each one of them came to law enforcement. And I have to believe that most people are good-natured, and they understand that, you know, I may not have clean hands here, but at the end of the day, I'm not a killer, and I'm not going to allow this to happen. I think Linda Gilman definitely poses a great safety risk if she's free.

And I think even in jail, she's clearly showing that she's a threat. Rather resourceful, huh? You've got to give her an A for effort, that's for sure. Criminal is created by Lauren Spohr and me. Nadia Wilson is our senior producer. Audio mix by Rob Byers. Special thanks to Nikki Dokas at the Unified Police Department of Greater Salt Lake. Julian Alexander makes original illustrations for each episode of Criminal.

You can see them at thisiscriminal.com or on Facebook and Twitter at Criminal Show. Criminal is recorded in the studios of North Carolina Public Radio, WUNC. We're a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX, a collection of the best podcasts around. Shows like Benjamin Walker's Theory of Everything. He just started a new miniseries. It's called

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