Unseen - The Thanksgiving Family Murder | The Case of Ricky Tokars | UNSEEN

Episode Date: September 21, 2023

“If anything happens to me, take this to the police” On the late evening of November 29, 1992, a man opens his front door to discover two little boys shivering and covered in blood in an Atlanta suburb. 3 and a half years earlier, Sara Tokars hires a private investigator to follow her husband who she thinks is dangerous and unfaithful. The young mom discovers many dark secrets, including his criminal lifestyle, which would lead her to do anything she can to protect her sons, even if it meant dying while doing so. External footage from: Homicide for the Holidays: Thanksgiving Terror (Oxygen), Mother's Brutal Thanksgiving Murder Witnessed by her 2 Boys (Oxygen), The Murder of Sara Tokars: Abuse of Power (Oxygen), Deadly Secrets (The FBI Files), The Wife Who Knew Too Much (A&E), Atlanta: Devil Down in Georgia (A&E), Scandal Down South: My Dirty Little Secret (Investigation Discovery), "Fred Tokars, Lawyer & Convicted Wife Killer, Dies in Prison" (Court TV), "GA V. TOKARS" (Court TV). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Uh, don't try to f*** me. I'm not trying to fuck with you. The boy you see here is 8-year-old Ricky Toekart's. Two years before this footage was recorded, Ricky was celebrating Thanksgiving with his family. He lived with his younger brother, Mike, his dad, Fred, and his mother, Sarah. They are what some would call the picture-perfect family. But Ricky's life would take a horrifying turn for the worse on November 29, 1992. I sort of see if my mom was like still awake or she was dead and then I woke my brother up and

you have your brother up? Yeah, I told her we have to go get home and he wants to go get home. After getting home from their holiday trip, little Ricky and Mike could only watch in horror as their mom was killed right in front of them. Investigators immediately turned to her husband, Fred, a high profile. attorney. Sorry to think of the lifestyle that I was losing. Not only my wife, but my whole lifestyle. But they confirmed that he was still out of town that night,

and Ricky and Mike could still be in danger. Sarah was afraid for her life. She thought that she knew too much. But even after her murder, Sarah provides the clues that protect her kids and reveal the truth about the mastermind behind it all. He killed her, but he didn't silence her. She got the last word. The year is 1992. In East Marietta, Georgia, and Atlanta suburb, six-year-old Ricky Toekars lives with his mom, Sarah, his dad, Fred, his four-year-old brother, Mike, and their dog, Jake.

Fred is a successful criminal defense attorney with his own practice, and Sarah is a stay-at-home mom who loves her kids more than anything. She was always there for us, always very compassionate and understanding. She was like over the moon with those little babies. I mean, she was just so devoted to that. so just love them and they just adored her. It's November 25th, 1992. The Tochars joined Sarah's family, the Ambrusco's, for Thanksgiving in Florida. Every gathering is a big, joyful reunion

between the seven sisters and each of their families. Fred has to leave for a meeting in Alabama, so he tells Sarah he'll go back home separately. November 29, 1992, The Ambruscoes have a family tradition to gather and wave goodbye as everyone leaves the house. Everyone is in good spirits, as soon enough, they will be able to gather.

reunite for Christmas. Sarah and her boys say goodbye as they get ready for their eight-hour journey back home. My mom and dad said that as they were pulling away, Sarah and the boys were singing back to them. I'll be home for Christmas. I never saw her again. Late that night, police got a call about two young boys showing up on a stranger's porch, shivering and covered in blood. The kids are desperate, tearfully saying their mom needs help. Police rushed to the neighbor's house and searched the area, they find a white car, abandoned in a ditch, and their fears are confirmed. After getting closer, they realize there's a body of a woman inside. 39-year-old Sarah Toekars. Investigators have very little information to go on. After searching the car, police go back to the To-Car's home to look

for any clues that could help them catch the killer. At first, the scene appears to be a burglary gone wrong, but as they investigate the house further, they realize there's more to the story. There are no signs of forced entry. The door from the patio to the kitchen was actually unlocked, but detectives learned that the lock was already broken before that night. The more they find, the less sense it makes. Burglars generally don't want to see people, so if someone's pulling in the front of a house,

they're usually jumping out the back door and getting out of there. D drawers had been pulled out and things like that, but there was nothing obvious that was taken. And there certainly were things in there that were valuable that a burglar would take. It was clear to me that this was a step. age scene. Six-year-old Ricky and his little brother Mike just witnessed the unimaginable. They are overwhelmed with shock and confusion, but police have to turn to Ricky for answers, and he is

able to be strong for his mom. He gives a brief description of what just happened to them, explaining they were kidnapped from their home before their mom was shot. The gunman was a blackmail. He really couldn't tell an age at that time. Rick described the gun that he was where there's a pirate gut. I don't know how much worse you can get. The boys might have escaped death, but they're not safe yet. And as the only witnesses to the attack, the investigators worry the kids could be the next target. They ask Ricky where his dad is, and he says he's out of town. Detectives learn he's staying at a motel nearly 200 miles away in Alabama. They're able to contact him and tell him that his wife has been murdered. Visibly

upset by the news, Fred Tokars breaks down. He was just a physical wrecked. He was just a physical wrecked. Just crying uncontrollably. I remember thinking, this poor guy. Ricky and Mike stay with their other relatives while their dad is out of town. As the family struggles to process the news, Ricky asks if they'll be able to go see their mom in the morning. I remember saying, oh, like, when my mom gets out of the hospital, she said she's not going to be out of the hospital. She died. I remember thinking our dad had been there to save the day.

Ricky and Mike are overwhelmed with emotion. Their mom is gone, and her killer is still on the loose. Police want to give the boys closure and bring their mother's killer to justice, but nobody can think of a reason why anyone would want Sarah killed. Investigators wonder if the murder could be linked to Fred's work instead. We ask him about all his clients and his business partners, one after another. He listed business partners' clients for three hours,

no idea who may have killed Sarah. Fred Tokars paints his relationship with Sarah as the perfect marriage, but suspicion quickly turns on Fred himself, as Sarah's family already knows more about the true relationship between the two. This is Euphoria Calvin Klein, the new elixir collection, featuring three perfume intense scents, inspired by a unique orchid accord, paired with vanilla, each with its own distinct attitude,

each with its own universe, bold elixir, sensual, woody, addictive, magnetic elixir, sweet and romantic, like a lingering touch. Solar elixir, a radiant expression of joy, ultra-concentrated for amplified impact and lasting power. Find your euphoria. Discover the euphoria elixir collection by Calvin Klein. In 1985, seven years before her death, Sarah Ambrusco is 32 years old when she marries Fred Tokars, a successful and ambitious district attorney. I remember saying he puts the bad guys in jail. I think she was so proud of that. From the outside, it seems like the Tokars have an idyllic life. Over the next three years, they welcome their two little boys,

Ricky and Mike. However, the marriage starts to crumble when Fred makes a career change. He opens his own private law practice, and he becomes a criminal defense attorney. I remember my father not being around very much. At the time, you know, it's just dad works, and that's the kind of thing you accept. Fred's absence in the family's life events is becoming the norm, and Sarah becomes suspicious of his work life. Sarah confides to her sister that at home, she would often answer the phone and the caller would immediately hang up. She is scared for her family. Fred tells her that no danger would ever come to them. But in 1989, when Ricky is only three years old, Fred's promise is already falling apart. My brother found a pistol under the floorboard of the passenger seat of the car.

It scared her to death. Something was really wrong. I think her first instinct was to protect my brother Thankfully, the gun doesn't go off or hurt Ricky, but Fred's dangerous and secretive lifestyle is now directly threatening the boys. Sarah thinks of how much worse the outcome could have been, and she's terrified for them. Fred quickly gets controlling and abusive, and the whole family suffers. You're asking me what memories I have of my parents when I was young and really the only thing I can think of is fighting. It wasn't like a nice household. She tried so hard in the beginning to try to make everything be even and at peace for the boys so that they're not. They didn't have to grow up in house about fighting and yelling and things like that.

With Fred's constant absence, Sarah also suspects her husband is having an affair. She wants a divorce, but Fred tells her she would never be able to take the kids. Sarah decides to hire a private investigator to gather evidence against him. The investigator brings proof that Fred is indeed cheating on Sarah, but she wants to find more against him, willing to put herself in harm's way to make sure her boys are safe. When he's out of the house, Sarah searches his office. He doesn't let her go in there, and she's about to find out why. She soon finds incriminating documents proving her suspicions about Fred.

Sarah told her sisters that she kept these documents as insurance in case they got a divorce, and he tried to take custody of the children. Then she was going to use these documents to prove that Fred was into illegal activities. She gave the papers to my sister Chrissy, and she told Chrissy, if anything happens to me, make sure to take those papers to the police. After Sarah's death in 1992, Chrissy still has copies of the documents, and she brings them to the detectives assigned to her sister's murder case. Police realized Fred was already under the FBI's radar for an investigation involving money laundering,

but the documents don't prove he was involved in Sarah's murder, and they're back to square one. Fred has custody of Ricky and Mike, and a killer is still on the loose. The kids are afraid of the dark and going into the house. wondering if the attacker could be waiting for them inside. In the meantime, Sarah's family refuses to give up. Her dad John helps bring the family together, motivating them to keep fighting for the truth and for the safety of her kids.

He said, I'm an old man. I may not live to see this solved, so you girls have to make sure that this is what we're going to do as a family. This is something for us to do to try to help and make sure that someone else's sister or loved one can't get hurt like this. and that's what we're going to do.

We just won't rest until we can get some justice. Desperate for answers, Sarah's family and friends gather a reward for any information regarding her murder. Nearly a month after the attack, a woman takes the bait. She calls the police and gives up her brother, a man named Curtis Rower. He had come home that evening and had blood on his tennis shoes and on his clothing and had basically confessed to shooting a woman. Curtis Rower is a drug addict with a history of crime.

Police arrest him on December 23rd, 1992, 24 days after Sarah's murder. Investigators don't know if he has any motive for killing her. They will need more information from him for any hope of finding the truth and protecting the kids. During the interrogation, Rower asks if he can make a phone call. I said, who you want to call? He said, I want to call my grandmother. So I sat there and let him call his grandmother. And he hangs up.

And Curtis Rower said, my grandmother, mother told me to tell the truth. Curtis Rower admits to shooting Sarah, but he says he's not the one who planned the attack. He names a man who he claims paid him $5,000 for the job, Eddie Lawrence. Lawrence is arrested the same day, but he won't reveal anything to the police. They're not convinced they have the full story. They soon discovered that Eddie Lawrence went to Fred Tocars over legal issues, and the two men also became business partners.

Police have finally found a connection to the Tocars, and investigators are surprised Fred never talked about his business partner during his interrogation. They bring him in again for questioning. You know that man? It's Eddie Lawrence. This name was never mentioned. I'm not sure if I understand what you talked about. You never told me anything about any Lawrence.

Well, you never asked me anything about it. Detectives also learn that before Sarah's death, Fred took out three separate life insurance policies on her, totaling $1.75 million. Investigators are now convinced that Fred had something to do with his wife's murder. But with all his money and connections, they need to make sure they can prove his guilt before they arrest him. We had to just be so careful with the boys because we felt that the boys were not safe with Fred. Suspicion is mounting against Fred, and he still has custody of the kids.

Ricky and Mike live in fear, constantly worry that someone will come take them again. But it could be the man who's taking care of them who poses the biggest threat. Police won't be able to take any action unless Eddie Lawrence, Fred's business partner, starts to talk. It's December 24, 1992, the day after the arrest of Curtis Rower and Eddie Lawrence. Fred and his boys are in Florida for Christmas. The Ambruscos want to take the kids out to try to cheer them up. Fred tells him he doesn't feel up to it, and prefers to stay at the motel to rest. As hours pass, the family doesn't receive any news from the boy's father.

Worried, Sarah's dad John goes to check on him. When he knocks on the door and doesn't get a response, John calls the manager to get the key. They open the door and find him laying on the bed, unconscious. A pill bottle is on the bedside table, along with a note. John hurries to his son-in-law to revive him. Fred is rushed to the hospital where doctors are able to save his life. A week later, he holds an unusual press conference. I emphatically deny any involvement in my wife's murder

and any suggestion that I might have been involved in any way deeply hurts me. I became very depressed. I started to think of the lifestyle that I was losing. Not only my wife, but my whole lifestyle. Unfortunately, I did something to put my life in danger. Months go by without any new development until July of 1993. Eight months after serious murder, Eddie Lawrence finally starts to cooperate with the police. He confesses that Fred Tokars hired him to kill his wife

because she knew too much about his criminal activity. Lawrence couldn't go through with it, so he hired Curtis Rower to finish the job. Eddie even went to Fred and said, you know, why don't you do, We just divorced the woman. Fred said, that's not going to do. That's not going to keep her quiet. She knows too much. And Eddie would even say, what about your two sons? That's when Fred said, well, they'll get over it. They're four and six years old. They'll get over it. We knew that we were dealing with Fred being the mastermind behind his wife's murder. With Eddie Lawrence's confession, police finally have enough to catch Fred Tokars. The news is spreading to the Ambrisco family who were terrified for Ricky and Mike. with his sons at his mother's condo in West Palm Beach, Florida, and there's no telling what he'll do when the police close in. They have to find a way to lure him outside and arrest him without putting the kids in danger. It's August 25, 1993, nearly nine months after Sarah's murder.

Detectives know Fred is frustrated with all the media coverage around him and the case. They decide to use this against him and pose as journalists while gathering around the building. Just as they hoped, an unknowing Fred goes out to confront them. Once he's outside, police know he can't hurt the boys, and they make the arrest. We just breathe such a sigh of relief. We're like, oh my God, because in the end, it's all Sarah cared about. The kids are finally safe, but Ricky will still have to face his mom's killer to make sure there's justice. It's 1995. Three men are behind bars for the murder of Sarah Tokars, her husband, Fred, his associate, Eddie Lawrence, and the hitman himself, Curtis Rower. Each one of them needs a separate trial. Curtis Rower tries to claim that Sarah.

Sarah's death was actually an accident. The hitman says the man who hired him, Eddie Lawrence, approached the vehicle after they pulled over. Lawrence then grabbed the gun, which went off. Now, Ricky has to relive his horrific night in order for the jury to know what really happened and to make sure the killer is convicted. November 29, 1992, around 10 p.m. Sarah pulls in the driveway of their Atlanta home, exhausted from a long day of traveling. Mike is asleep in the back seat. Sarah lets him rest for a few extra minutes while she gets Ricky and their dog Jake out of the car to take them inside. She opens a door. The house is dark and quiet. After just a few steps in the home, a man with a gun suddenly jumps in front of her. Before

Sarah can process what's happening, he orders him back outside the house. Without taking her eyes off him, Sarah obeys, pleading with him not to hurt them. As they start walking back in the driveway, the attacker kicks the family dog out of the way. His sudden outburst of violence terrifies Sarah. Anytime a six-year-old sees their parents scared, I think that's what makes them scared. In the midst of the chaos, Mike is still sleeping in the back seat of the car, unaware of the horrors they're about to face. Sarah holds her oldest son close to her, but the man orders her to get in the driver's seat.

Ricky sits next to her on the passenger side. The man opens the back door and sits behind her right next to Mike. In the rear view mirror, Sarah sees the intruder's gun pointed at her head. I remember being super uncomfortable in that front seat. So my mom did to drive. My mom started driving. He was doing like a play-by-play, like, turn here, turn there. My mom was pleading with him, just let us go.

But to be honest, I didn't really know, like, what was going on. She desperately holds on to the hope that if she listens to his commands, they might be left unharmed, but that couldn't be further from the truth. I don't think it was that long of a drive, maybe 10, 15 minutes from the house. We just got to this road, no lights or anything. And I recognize that road because it was a way that we used to drive to our elementary school. And I just remember my mom saying, like, don't hurt the boys, and he, you know, shot her. The gun went off, it was just super loud.

And, you know, in, like, movies where a bomb goes off and everything's kind of moving slow, I remember the smell of gunpowder. The guy hopped out of the car and ran. He was gone. The car is out of control, and it keeps going until it stops in a ditch. Ricky hits his head after the sudden stop, and the little boys are now all alone, next to the body of their mother. For a few moments, Ricky is frozen in his seat.

He remembers his mom teaching him that it's not safe to leave vehicles running, so he reaches over and turns a car off. I remember, you know, like shaking her. Like, hey, you know, mom, wake up, we gotta go, you know? I didn't think she was dead. I thought she's going to go to the hospital and get fixed up, and then things were going to go back to normal. I don't even think a six-year-old could grasp it, the enormity of it.

As she doesn't move a reply, Ricky figures she's hurt and needs some help. He unbuckles his seat belt and opens his seatbelt and opens. opens a door. The boy steps outside and heads towards the back door of the car to help his little brother out of his seat. Ricky then takes his hand and leads him away from their mom. The two little boys see some lights on in the distance and instinctively run towards them. They reach the nearest house and a man opens the door. Ricky and Mike are covered in blood, and he immediately calls the police. February 27, 1995, back at the courthouse.

Now, 8-year-old Ricky bravely takes a stand to testify against the man who shot his mom. his mom. He remembers what the gunman said to her in the moments leading up to the attack, and what it was like just after she was shot. Uh, don't try to f*** me. What was your mom said? I'm not trying to fuck with you. I sort of see if my mom was like still awake for her if she was dead and then I woke my brother up and...

You have your brother up? Yeah, and I told her we have to go get home. It is happy. Let's go get help. Ricky went through unimaginable trauma at a very young age. But when the defense questions how well a little boy could remember what happened, he firmly stands his ground. There's a reason I trust my shopping list with Shipped.

Shoppers with Shipped know that no order is ordinary and come through adding care to my cart. They double-check labels. Wouldn't confuse mozzarella for Monterey Jack. And they know what's right. With Shipped, it's never just delivery. It's shopped same day. in the same way you would.

Use code savings to become a shipped member for half off only $49 at shipt.com slash offer. Terms apply. Yeah, but you know like how you like the first time you hit a home run like that? You like always remember that, don't you? Yeah, skip that in your memory, done.

Yeah, and that's like what it was on my mom. With the help of Ricky's testimony, Curtis Rower is sentenced to life without parole, and he will never hurt anyone again. Two years later, during his dad's trial, Ricky doesn't have to face his father in court, but they read a full transcript of his testimony to the jury. We, the jury, find beyond a reasonable doubt,

that the offender caused or directed another to commit murder. Fred Tokars and Eddie Lawrence are both sentenced to life in prison. After Fred's arrest, Ricky and Mike move in with the Ambrisco family. Sarah's parents raise the two boys with love, and they don't have a relationship with their father. I have not spoken with my father since he was found guilty. And no, I don't think I ever will. He hasn't been my father for a long time.

If I was a powerful lawyer in Atlanta and I had this crazy idea to kill my wife in front of her two boys, I would be so torn up. I try to spend the rest of my life trying to ask for forgiveness and trying to make it right. That's just me, though. So I don't forgive Fred. and I probably never will, and I'm fine with that.

People process trauma in many different ways, and while Ricky doesn't forgive his father, he doesn't let him control his life either. Instead, he lovingly remembers his mom. Despite the tragic end of her life, she succeeded in protecting her children against her husband, which is what mattered to her the most. He killed her, but he didn't silence her.

She was able to get the evidence of what he was doing and get it to the right people. Before she was killed, she got the last word. Today, Ricky is surrounded by his loving family. They still celebrate the holidays, and they enjoy spending time together, keeping up the tradition Sarah always knew. Now Ricky's the one who makes the Hungarian stuffing. We just do all the same things,

and I think as long as we were trying to do all that, somehow there'd be some sort of peace and some sort of joy in their life. Ricky started his professional journey, dedicating his life to helping others as a lifeguard, And he worked as an EMT. Now, he's pursuing his own passions. He loves the ocean and water sports, and he works in the surfing industry.

He won't ever forget what happened to his mom, and he won't forgive his dad, but he has moved on to enjoy his life with loved ones. I mean, I don't know another normal. I don't know what it's like to have a mom. Being angry is tiring. I got a pretty good life, travel the world, and made really good friends.

And I don't meet people and say, hey, my name's Rick. My mom got shot when I was six, nice to meet you, you know? I never wanted it to define my life. Simple.