Escaping Life Behind Bars | DOUBLE EPISODE | The FBI Files

series of crimes and a small farming Community left people kneeling in shock and fear as the hunt for the suspects expanded they turned to the FBI for help [Music] they traveled over a thousand miles to find the deadly perpetrators before more innocent victims crossed their path [Music] [Applause] thank you [Music] [Music] in June of 1997 a crime wave swept Iowa like a tornado the left a trail of robbery kidnapping and murder in its wake and then it moved on no one knew where I'm Jim calstrom farmer head of the FBI's New York office the FBI committed its resources through tracking down the suspects by the time they were identified they already had a 12-hour lead the pursuit would take the FBI across Six States in their efforts to catch the killers [Music] June 11 1997 South Central Iowa [Music] the farming region rich with crops and livestock began to stir as Dawn became Mourning most farmhands had arrived hours earlier to begin their chores but one who never missed a shift without calling it failed to show that day her boss a nearby farmer became worried when he called and got no answer since she lived alone he went to check on her he noticed her pickup truck wasn't there and the front door was a jar awesome inside he found the lifeless body of his farmhand Barbara Garber [Music] Mahaska County Sheriff's Chief Deputy Paul De Geist responded to the 9-1-1 alert in 20 years of law enforcement I've been involved with about five or six homicides so it's not something that happens a whole lot in Oskaloosa Iowa or Mahaska County when we went into living room we observed Barb garber's body she was setting upright fully clothed in a chair she was leaning over to the left side and there was a blood coming from their head the sheriff called Specialists from the Iowa division of criminal investigation to process the scene the middle-aged woman had been shot four times at close range while she sat in the chair technicians recovered 22 caliber shell casings close to the victim at her feet they found her half-eaten breakfast [Music] the absence of defensive wounds on the body indicated the farmhand had put up no struggle according to Iowa special agent Michael barrier the house did not appear to have any forced entry it looked like uh someone had just entered the house either been let in or had gotten in without having to break in the residents had a lived-in look but was not ransacked and there was nothing obviously taken from the residents other than her her vehicle was missing from the driveway green pickup trucks the farmer described the victim's vehicle as a late model dark green pickup truck detectives issued a be on the lookout for the missing truck to all law enforcement in the area yeah coming along this road here investigators spoke to her closest neighbor who lived a quarter mile down the road she had noticed something earlier that day when she was on her way to work in the pre-dawn hours she saw an unfamiliar blue hatchback or station wagon backing out of Mrs garber's driveway but she didn't see who was inside and she didn't get the license plate this vehicle was described as a older not in very good shape station wagon type vehicle blue in color the vehicle was not a vehicle that had been seen at the Garber residence before and was not really associated with the Garber residents and so we felt that it may be and probably was a suspect vehicle as police were talking to the neighbor an alert came across the police radio [Applause] what you got it okay I'll be in route a bank five miles away in the hamlet of Gibson had just been robbed deputies from two counties responded deposits are insured by the federal government the FBI was called in yes the closest field office who's 77 miles away in Cedar Rapids armed probably will be in right there Larry we got a bank robbery Gibson okay all right FBI special agent Scott French was assigned the case where they are with great Mike the small Savings Bank in Gibson had just opened for business for the first time that day to the town's population of 70. right there it has one paved road to the community of Gibson the rest of the area is surrounded by farmland with a few gravel roads leading away from the community it would take agent French over an hour to get there sheriff's deputies arrived first to secure the crime scene and take witness statements our bank employees told investigators that the robbery had occurred at about 10 am they had no customers at the time and there was no guard on duty only a teller and the manager were inside when the robbery took place all right get your hands up two armed robbers wearing dark ski masks gloves and brown coveralls burst into the bank one held a shotgun while the other carried a handgun the robbers scooped stacks of cash and banknotes into plastic trash bags come on hurry up let's go no up against the wall now go they had gotten away with sixty five thousand dollars in cash though they wore masks Bank employees believe both men were white males Wilson Savings Bank did not have any security system that is no video cameras no film to have recorded the robbery this makes it difficult for investigators to have some evidence other than witness statements investigators found only one person who had seen anything a 10 year old girl you had to guess what kind of car would you say it is she told agents that she'd been riding her bike across the street from the robbery occurred two men in ski masks holding bags had jumped out of a gray car and had run into the bank she rode away before the men came out [Music] the girl was either too young or too scared to get the license plate police put out an all points bulletin alerting units to be on the lookout for a gray sedan it's a possible getaway vehicle I felt the robbers in this particular case were from the immediate area first of all the Gibson bank is a very isolated location second of all both individuals were wearing coveralls which are somewhat indigenous to the working people in these communities car 32 car 32. ten four I got it the deputy on his way to the robbery scene headed for likely Roots the bandits would have used to escape this family with our match in the description follow Ed two and a half miles from the bank he noticed a great sedan apparently abandoned in the middle of a farm field no one was in sight he checked the car and radioed in the license plate number it was registered to a teenager by the name of Island Schultz who lived nearby he thought it was extremely unusual that this vehicle would be setting where it was and knowing that they were only just a couple of miles away he drove to their house Iowa communities are tight-knit and the officer happened to know the Schultz family at the teenager's home he got no response the deputy found the front door unlocked Island inside he discovered eighteen-year-old Island Schultz lying on the floor shot to death he radioed for assistance [Music] Mahaska County chief Deputy Paul De Geist felt strongly that this second homicide was likely related to both the first murder and the bank heist we're relatively sure in our own minds that these were all connected they were in a five mile radius of each other and again that's just not something you see a lot of in rural Iowa where you would have two bodies and a bank robbery all within a matter of two hours the recent high school graduate had been shot twice in the head from close range an audio cassette and two 222 caliber shell casings the same caliber found at the first murder scene were recovered close to her body like the earlier homicide investigators found no indication of forced entry and no defensive wounds of the young girl Iowa's special agent Michael barrier discovered another important connection to the first murder victim Barb Garber a neighborhood canvas in the area of the Schultz residence gave us information that a green pickup truck newer in good shape was seen parked in the Schultz driveway at about 9 30 a.m that morning um that's interesting to us because Barb garber's pickup is a newer dark green Dodge pickup truck and so we believe that after her truck was stolen from her residence that it ended up at the Schultz residence and that tied the two homicides together both bodies were sent to the County Medical Examiner for autopsy analysis of the bullets confirmed what investigators had suspected each victim had been killed with the same weapon a 22 caliber semi-automatic pistol the FBI and local investigators assembled a Command Center in the Mahaska County Sheriff's Office [Music] they set up a hotline and contacted the media with a description of the farmhand's late model dark green pickup truck we occupied a large debriefing room which acted as a command post we began to collate leads that were coming in from all parts of the community there was also significant media attention at this point which increased the volume of phone calls that were coming in deputies chased down dozens of leads one was from a teenager who had seen a green truck that fit the description of the farmhand's pickup he was in the town of Oskaloosa in the late morning when he noticed the truck drive past with two men inside the witness didn't see their faces and he didn't get the license plate it wasn't much to go on since that particular truck was so common in the area received dozens upon dozens of sightings most of which turned out to be absolutely nothing it was just a green 1997 pickup and everybody that was driving one at some point in time that day in the Mahaska County area was stopped everyone except the driver of the murder victim's truck investigators fanned out to search the various small towns in Mahaska County for more promising Witnesses they found one who said he noticed something at around 10 30 or 11 on the morning of the crime spree he saw a dark green pickup truck near the town of Oskaloosa the witness identified the driver as a local man whom he'd never seen in that truck before claimed there was a passenger inside but the truck pulled away before he could see who it was the individual who reported it recognized the driver of that truck as being Jamie McMahon a person that he knew and knew well enough to have recognized him and was positive that it was Jamie McMahon he also said that there was a second individual in the truck but he could not get a close enough look to tell whether it was even a man or a woman just that there was a second person in the truck hey guys uh what I want to do is uh don I want you to take a background at the end of the first day investigators now had the name and face of a possible suspect in the two killings in bank robbery 22 year old local Jamie McMahon agents and detectives hoped they could catch up with him in his unidentified accomplice before any more lives were lost on June 12 1997 the day after two Iowa residents were killed and the bank was robbed the FBI and local authorities had the name of a possible suspect 22 year old Jamie McMahon McMahon was last seen driving a green pickup that fit the description of the missing vehicle owned by one of the murdered women investigators believed that an unidentified passenger traveling with him may be an accomplice special agent Michael barrier of the Iowa Department of criminal investigation learned that Jamie McMahon's last known address was at his parents home in Oskaloosa Iowa [Music] his parents were concerned to hear from agent barrier because they hadn't seen their son since the crimes that occurred when we spoke to friends and family about Jamie McMahon we found that he had been a good kid hard worker but that in the past few months prior to these crimes his personality had changed somewhat they began to lose weight that he had stopped working and that it just appeared that he was having problems do you mind if I investigators arrived at McMahon's home to search the house and find out more from his parents this won't take long over the past several weeks McMahon had been spending a lot of time with his 18 year old stepbrother Christopher Kaufman prayer Kaufman lived close by but the two had different sets of friends and normally didn't see each other much lately they'd been inseparable now both were missing these are good because the bank had been robbed by two individuals and because the witness had seen McMahon driving a truck with a second individual we just had to assume that Chris Kaufman was a second person with Jamie McMahon detectives interviewed McMahon's friends who remembered seeing him with Christopher Kaufman late on the night before the crimes driving an old blue station wagon one friend had lent McMahon the car for the past few months since the suspect couldn't afford one according to Mahaska County Sheriff's Chief Deputy Paul De Geist this vehicle was a blue station wagon which would appear to be a hatchback type vehicle if you just drove past the back of it this would also tie in with the vehicle that the neighbor seen in Barb garber's driveway earlier that morning investigators searched the car but found no evidence that physically connected McMahon or Kaufman to Barbara garber's murder any unusual behavior McMahon's friends mentioned that he had always wanted a dark green pickup like the victims but the sticker price was out of his range Jamie had an infatuation with this particular type of vehicle earlier that year he had one on order that fit the same as what Barb garber's was when did not have the money to pay for it so he canceled the order his friends added that the day before the murder McMahon had stopped by with Kaufman to borrow something else foreign a 22 caliber semi-automatic handgun that he claimed he was going to use to shoot straight cats the same type of gun was used in both murders investigators asked his friends to call immediately if the suspect contacted them for any reason authorities learned from several other friends that the suspected murderer had recently been abusing the drug methamphetamine FBI special agent Scott French was concerned about McMahon's mental state since the illegal drug is an addictive stimulant abusers of methamphetamine suffer a variety of side effects one of which is they can be awake for several days second is they have loss of appetite but of a greater concern to law enforcement is they have significantly clouded judgment they become increasingly paranoid and they may be easily agitated a widespread Manhunt was launched for the Step Brothers in the dark green pickup truck that was still missing 5 30 the neighborhood campus revealed that a small blue car was seen at the arbor residence agents and police also notified additional law enforcement agencies and media Outlets throughout the Midwest warrants for murder and unlawful flight to avoid prosecution were issued from McMahon and Kaufman initially we felt that they had left the state and we could only speculate as to where most of the investigators there felt very strongly that they were probably headed for Mexico investigators Revisited the homes of the pair's friends and family figuring they would try to contact them McMahon's ex-girlfriend gave the FBI permission to install a phone tap and record it figure out where he's at if McMahon called agents would be ready to trace his location [Music] as The Manhunt for McMahon and Kaufman continued A call came into the task force office two sets of local parents reported that their teenage daughters were missing the high school girls 16 and 17 had not been home since the previous evening they were best friends and were always together there's two killers on the loose the parents feared for the girl's lives investigators discovered that McMahon and Kaufman had been partying with several girls at a motel in Oskaloosa the night before the crime spree at the motel a clerk told investigators the girls had stayed overnight and were still in the room of the morning of the crimes [Music] the employee saw McMahon and Kaufman with a green truck later on that same day she said the two girls left with the Step Brothers yeah investigators issued another Nationwide bulletin that the fugitives McMahon and Kaufman were last seen in Iowa traveling with two teenage girls we were concerned for the safety of the girls I believed at the time that if Jamie McMahon was willing to kill someone he knew that the girls may be in danger investigators responded to a promising tip that came into the hotline McMahon and Kaufman had been spotted at a trailer several miles away from their family home investigators had no way of knowing if they were still armed high on methamphetamine or if the teenage girls were still with them not wanting to take any chances and not knowing their mental state we had the FBI SWAT team come in basically we surrounded the the cabin and came in from several different directions heavily armed agents hope for the best but were prepared for the worst officers yelled from McMahon and Kaufman to come out there was no reply police team stormed in ready to use deadly force in June of 1997 the FBI and Iowa investigators stormed a trailer in a remote field on the second day of a nationwide man on for 22 year old Jamie McMahon and his 18 year old stepbrother Chris Kaufman the pair was suspected in two murders and robbing 65 thousand dollars from a bank two missing teenage girls were believed to be with them investigators found no trace of the fugitives or the girls sightings of the stepbrothers in the stolen green pickup were reported from as far south as Texas to as far north as Minnesota with sixty five thousand dollars in cash and a 12-hour lead Iowa special agent Michael berrier realized the pair could be anywhere by now we were unable to really come up with uh any place that they may go we had information that they might have gone to Minnesota we all saw the information that they may have friends or relatives in Florida but we didn't really have any solid direction of travel where they went [Music] after seven days of searching the FBI got the call they've been hoping for yeah they're looking all over the place agents were ready with a phone tap when Jamie McMahon called his ex-girlfriend during the call McMahon asked if authorities had any idea who killed Mrs Garber and Island Schultz he was fishing for information he was trying to see what we knew and whether we even knew that they were suspects in the case and she just told him you know what did you do and and why are they looking for you and he became aware quite quickly that he was a suspect and that we did know that they were involved and he hung up [Music] the agent called his supervisor at the Mahaska County Command Center [Music] FBI special agent Scott French learned McMahon had been on the phone long enough to trace his call after we received the phone call from McMahon I began the process of trying to track down the number from where he called at some point we reached a snag with a phone company outside the area wherein they could not determine or provide the number until the following day agents learned that the suspected killer had called from a hotel in Kissimmee Florida the employee recognized photos of the two fugitives and confirmed the two teenage girls were with them no they checked out but they had all just left what's up the phone company's delay had given McMahon and Kaufman just enough time to stay ahead of law enforcement McMahon are going so they know we're looking for him agents were concerned that McMahon and Kaufman would be more difficult to find now since they knew the FBI were on their Trail all right well thanks and I'll get back on this all right the authorities at Miss McMahon and Kaufman in Florida the two teenage girls who had been traveling with the fugitives returned home safely to their parents my parents investigators questioned the girls about the time they spent with McMahon and Kaufman the teenagers confirmed that they had stayed with the young men at the Oskaloosa Motel on the night prior to the crimes the next morning McMahon and Kaufman came by in a green pickup with a lot of cash McMahon the eldest of the group at 22 offered them a free trip to Florida the impressionable teenage girls agreed to go with the stepbrothers and didn't ask a lot of questions oh the girls told us that they weren't aware that there'd been a homicide and they weren't really aware that there had been a bank robbery as such but they were aware that something had happened to allow McMahon and coffee to have so much money the girls told investigators that on their way out of town they stopped by the Des Moines River one of the stepbrothers threw a duffel bag into the water but he never told them what was inside after that the four of them drove South toward Florida for the first week of this trip with the McMan and Kaufman the girls treated it like it was a vacation they were having a good time they were eating out they were going to amusement parks one of their first stops was in Branson Missouri there the four entertained themselves on carnival rides the girls said they took photos along the way they've had with them a couple of instamatic cameras and we took those cameras and had the film developed and we had photographs of McMahon and Kaufman and one picture in particular is of Chris Kaufman sitting in Barb garber's pickup truck after their trip to Disney World the girls said that McMahon and Kaufman finally confessed to them about the murders in the bank robbery Kaufman had dyed his hair blonde to disguise himself high on methamphetamine the armed men also told the girls they wouldn't mind killing them as well the girls were frightened and told the fugitives they wanted to return home peace all right look here McMahon gave them money for a taxi and train fare they told investigators they had no idea where the Step Brothers were headed they didn't say where they were investigators concluded the girls were not involved since they remained at the Oskaloosa Motel when the crimes had occurred they released the teenagers into their parents custody without filing charges on the Des Moines River an off-duty Iowa Trooper happened to come across a bag in the water he opened it to find a pair of black ski masks and brown coveralls the officer also found a wallet with a driver's license he contacted police and gave them the evidence the wallet and driver's license belonged to the murdered Island Schultz the clothing matched with the robbers were wearing when they made off with 65 000 in cash from an Iowa Bank Jamie McMahon and Christopher Kaufman remained the prime suspects and they were still out there armed and strung out on June 30th 1997 19 days after the search for McMahon and Kaufman began A call came into the Escambia County Sheriff's Department in Florida the motorist in Pensacola wanted to talk to police [Music] you told him he was driving on a nearby Highway when he noticed a green pickup before he had seen a story about the man who for McMahon and Kaufman on television the truck seemed to fit the description of the fugitive's vehicle the motor is pulled alongside to get a closer look he thought the driver looked exactly like the man featured on the show the truck also had Iowa tags the motor is pulled off and phoned police the Escambia County Sheriff's Department realized the motorist description of the truck matched the one Iowa authorities were looking for Iowa authorities wanted to be sure this wasn't just another false lead promising since the suspected murderers were last seen in Florida they confirmed the license number and sent photos of the Step Brothers to the sheriffs in Pensacola investigators alerted them to use caution since the fugitive pair were considered armed and dangerous [Music] an urgent bee on the lookout was issued for the green truck in the Pensacola area deputies searched local roads shopping centers and motel parking lots for any sign of the fugitives or the stolen green pickup truck in the parking lot of a local Motel two officers spotted a green pickup truck Hotel residents usually park close to their room entrance but this vehicle was obscured near the back behind a fence it's Iowa license plate and description checked out it was the murder victim's stolen truck from Iowa authorities had no time to lose if they hope to bring in the fugitives before they eluded them once again out of Pensacola Florida Motel authorities had finally located the stolen pickup truck driven by Jamie McMahon and Christopher Kaufman Step Brothers suspected of two murders and a bank robbery in Iowa Escambia County deputies needed to confirm if the armed fugitives were staying there the motel clerk recognized the photos of McMahon and Kaufman but she added that there was a third man in their room she gave deputies the room number possibly a hostage situation police told her the motel had to be evacuated yes no problem okay I'll go with you fearing that the Step Brothers had possibly taken a hostage deputies called in a hostage negotiating team ERS we know they've killed two already Escambia County Sheriff Sergeant Jerry Cox was in charge I want to establish a command post in this area we knew they were armed we knew that they were murder suspects we knew their bank robbers they were seriously violent criminal individuals so we got to call out our SWAT team and and crisis negotiators got the call out and uh and we responded to the motel the motel was evacuated the hostage negotiating team set up an emergency center nearby this took up positions near McMahon and Kaufman's role snipers set up on a nearby roof [Music] no one knew the situation with the third man or his relationship with the Step Brothers they had no way of knowing if they were all still inside the negotiators secured the line and attempted to get them on the phone [Music] yeah from the man's tone of voice The Negotiator believed he was likely a hostage when I made contact with the room the first individual that I talked to was the hostage himself he gave me a false name and I began to try to talk to him a little bit knowing that was not the correct name of course and try to find out what his situation was what his physical condition was and what the situation was in the room the man said he had just met the fugitives hitchhiking and stayed with him to party Step Brothers had been awake for almost four days high on meth and now they were finally crashing there's no way the man had since become aware they were murder suspects and that they were still on that he was absolutely frightened out of his mind he did not know what to do and he knew that they were willing to take life they had made statements to him that they would not be taken alive and therefore he was afraid to make any moves because of what they might do to him negotiated tried to convince him to leave the room [Music] while the man considered what to do but man woke up all night [Music] one of my major concerns was the fact that they were known drug users and had been partying for a number of days when people are on under the influence of drugs or alcohol when it comes to negotiations one of the things you have to be aware of is how those chemicals can alter a person's personality and alter their reactions they might be extremely aggressive due to their three-week drug binge it became clear to the negotiator that the fugitives were not thinking clearly if at all calm down man his first concern was to get the third man out safely without more bloodshed authorities were all too aware that the situation could turn violent quickly Paramount of my mind was was the fact that if they'd killed two already and though those both those murders based on my information were cold-blooded calculated murders with no thought given whatsoever to to the consequences that they could easily do that again calm down just sit down calm down man just hold on no man put that away put that away man who is this Sharpshooters stood at the ready The Negotiator tried to convince them to let the man out of the room before someone else was killed there's no I'm at no way walk out there's no way all right fine you don't mean that crap to us man Chris that I'm going after two hours the armed men finally allowed him to leave unharmed SWAT members spirited the hostage out of the line of fire to where the negotiators continued to work the hostage said he met the fugitives in New Orleans and had been with them for several days he said they had a lot of drugs and a lot of cash in the room they only had one handgun as far as he knew with two armed fugitives still barricaded in the motel room peaceful resolution did not seem likely in June of 1997 hostage negotiators and a SWAT team surrounded a Pensacola Florida motel and two armed fugitives wanted for two murders in a bank heist in Iowa remained barricaded inside their room strung out on drugs Ambia County Sheriff's Sergeant Jerry Cox was the lead negotiator it's the most difficult segment of the negotiations for me was to try to overcome the emotional state that they were in as a result of their drug use their prolonged activity of being awake for so long and to try to to direct them in a peaceful resolution he spoke to 18 year old Christopher Kaufman for some time Chris the young fugitive was aware that he was surrounded by police Sergeant Cox tried to convince him to do the sensible thing and come out unarmed but one of the things I was able to learn from Kaufman was that he was tired that he was just too too physically and mentally exhausted to be making an awful lot of decisions worn out Kaufman passed the phone to his 22 year old stepbrother Jamie McMahon The Negotiator noticed that McMahon seemed more Lucid more mature than his younger brother he used it as a hook to separate the two so I told him I said it's obvious to me that you're the one who's running the show in there I need you to take charge and do something for me and he said what is that and I said well what I need you to do is I need you to take care of your brother I need you to get him out of there the strategy worked I started this let me finish man I just want you to go but man didn't want his brother to suffer whatever consequences McMahon was going to Face by staying in the room come here SWAT members secured Christopher Kaufman now only his stepbrother remained McMahon teetered between indecision and despair he knew his options were limited the 22 year old began to weigh life in prison versus suicide I heard what was sounded to me like a weapon being charged it was an automatic pistol that he had in there so it sounded like somebody had slid the slide back and and ejected a shell into the chamber arming the weapon for firing gave me some concern I passed that information on to our commanders and our SWAT team the man's judgment was clouded he didn't want to spend the rest of his life Behind Bars oh man confused and desperate he looked to The Negotiator for guidance and the thing that seemed to work the most was constantly reminding him that as long as he was alive he had a he had some hope he had a chance once he was dead there was no chance and that in Iowa there was no death penalty he had an awful lot of years ahead of him to figure this out McMahon relented to the negotiators insight four hours after it had begun the last fugitive walked out of the room unarmed as instructed negotiator was able to Defuse The Situation without death or injury agents secured and searched the motel room they recovered twenty nine thousand dollars in cash 65 000 that was stolen they also found that 22 semi-automatic handgun on every table rested empty beer barns marijuana and powdered methamphetamines ballistics tests later confirmed that 22 was the weapon used to kill the two women in Iowa authorities questioned the pair separately I understand for me brother that you committed both of the murders no one of the Kaufman told investigators it was his stepbrother's idea to rob the bank to pull off the heist they needed a car McMahon already had his eye on the first victim's pickup truck the truck he initially wanted to use as the getaway vehicle I think I may have left in a different house you mind if I use your phone real quick Mrs Garber new McMahon and allowed the brothers into her house man just put the phone right back down please just sit down what's inside Justin claimed his stepbrother egged him on to kill her just do it all right do it [Music] he wanted Mrs Garber dead so she wouldn't report the vehicle missing Kaufman said he shot Barbara Garber twice then again to make sure she was dead since McMahon loved her truck so much he wanted to keep it and steal a different vehicle to use in the robbery the man decided to try another friend of his Island Schultz hey come here sure no problem like Mrs Garber their second victim let McMahon in along with Kaufman pair claimed they needed money for gas she lent them five dollars for now yeah as she bent over to put a music tape on Kaufman told investigators his stepbrother shot her in the back of the head to make sure she was dead man shot her again between the eyes the Step Brothers took Schultz's car keys in wallet over the next three weeks the pair spent thirty six thousand dollars on hotels prostitutes and drugs before they were apprehended in Pensacola Florida though Iowa had no death penalty Jamie McMahon 22 and Christopher Kaufman 18 faced the federal death penalty for two carjackings resulting in death they faced another Federal charge for bank robbery [Music] to avoid a death sentence the stepbrothers pled guilty to all federal and state charges their convictions left many unanswered questions for the people of Iowa and Mahaska County chief Deputy Paul De Geist these two guys were as common as any two boys next door I can't explain why they would would go to this extent to to get a vehicle and and to go on vacation or to impress a couple of girls it's just it's just crazy you'd never guess that they would be the two type of individuals to do that knowing their parents knowing their backgrounds I mean it's just didn't make sense Jamie McMahon serves the rest of his life in Leavenworth Kansas Christopher Kaufman serves his time in solitary confinement in the tough supermax federal prison in Florence Colorado [Music] in the late 80s Florida's cocaine Imports were among the highest in the nation territories were enforced with intimidation of murder [Music] one dealer bowed to No One not even law enforcement a stop of violence let's turn to the FBI [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] a suspected drug dealer would stop at nothing to keep local and federal authorities from building a case against him when his organization started targeting the government itself federal agencies went on high alert I'm Jim calstrom Farm ahead of the FBI's New York office he was a desperate man driven to Desperate Measures bringing him down would take the combined efforts of the DEA the ATF and the FBI Fort Myers Beach Florida July 18 1987. it was a Saturday night in a Gulf Coast Beach town with a thriving nightlife and a booming drug trade [Music] away from the tourists many local residents spent the weekend at private parties for some that included cocaine at one party several men waited for their friend to return with more drugs he'd been gone for about a half an hour [Music] when they heard what sounded like gunshots at around 10 pm the owner of the car whose vehicle was used for the drug run saw that it was now parked out front inside he found his friend shot to death the Lee County Sheriff's Department responded to the scene [Music] the forensic technician found only one identifiable fingerprint on the car it belonged to the vehicle's owner lying close to the driver's door was seven empty 22 caliber shell casings investigators determined the victim had been shot at close range an autopsy would reveal eight bullet wounds in his upper body and traces of cocaine in his bloodstream the owner of the car said the dead man was his friend 29 year old Craig Karen [Music] reluctantly he told homicide detectives that the victim had left earlier to buy cocaine [Music] the victim's girlfriend suggested police should question her boyfriend's cocaine dealer [Music] he owed the dealer money for drugs the dealer had a reputation for violence Lee County homicide detective Tom continos learned the Dealer's name was Jeff saganic Jeff is a young kid from Fort Myers Beach who had established himself as what I thought to be a mid-level drug dealer on the beach through talking to Craig's Associates I learned that Craig owed Jeff a large amount of money and the reputation was that you better pay your bills with Jeff or he's going to send someone to collect it the next day an unexpected visitor appeared at the Lee County Sheriff's Department [Music] it was the alleged cocaine dealer himself 23 year old Jeff saganek he asked to see the detective investigating the previous night's killing wanted to give a statement the reputed dealer with a history of arrests heard he might be a suspect and wanted to set the record straight on the night of the murder Jeff saganic claimed that he and his girlfriend were at a restaurant for a late dinner he said that he had talked to the victim in the parking lot just before the couple sat down to eat after a few minutes the man left foreign ER said he and his girlfriend were at the restaurant from about 9 45 until 11 pm and he had more to offer than his word Jeff saganic handed the detective his restaurant receipt the waitress who served them confirmed the story it appeared he had an airtight alibi but to the seasoned detective it seemed Jeff saganic was trying too hard to cover his tracks I had investigated enough homicides to see it all different types of suspects and how they react and the reasons why they commit murder for this young kid to come in as well organized as he was with an alibi with Witnesses with receipts he became my number one suspect on a tip the detective questioned a member of a local rock band who was also known to deal cocaine just again he admitted that the victim sometimes bought drugs from him directly which made Jeff saganic allegedly the largest dealer on the beach angry over the Lost sales at about 11 15 on the night of the murder Jeff sagana came to the lounge where he was playing according to the performer Jeff saganic boasted that he had just had the victim wasted and that it would teach the people of Fort Myers Beach a lesson the musician's story was one of many over the next several months that confirmed what police already suspected but even in the Underworld of Fort Myers Beach Rumors in innuendo were not evidence of murder everything that I got was hearsay no one would really give me sworn testimony that says I saw this or I saw that or I know this and I know that it was all he said she said type of intelligence information which is maybe okay for drug cases but not with murder investigations you need sworn testimony of people who actually saw something happen foreign then in the summer of 1988 over a year after the murder the detective finally got a break [Music] a young woman came forward claiming to have witnessed The Killing she had not spoken up sooner because she was addicted to drugs and was protecting her former supplier Jeff saganic he had it now she was clean and wanted to tell detectives what she had seen on the night of July 18 1987. [Music] she was on her way to the cocaine party that evening when she witnessed the shooting the gunman was her former boyfriend a man who worked for Jeff saganic but the detective would be unable to speak to her boyfriend directly just a few months after the murder her boyfriend had committed suicide he told police that she also had Direct knowledge about Jeff saganic and his organization the woman said Jeff and his right-hand man operated out of a local pizza parlor that's organic owned the dealer stored his drugs and money at several different locations and moved between them to avoid detection few people knew where he actually lived [Music] Jeff saganic had many people on his payroll but she knew only a handful her former boyfriend was one of them hired by Jeff saganic to do whatever the dealer needed done she and Jeff had also had an arrangement in exchange for storing drugs and guns at her apartment Jeff had paid her rent unable to corroborate her story without a testimony or physical evidence the detective could not charge Jeff saganic with the murder I followed up on those leads and I was not able to substantiate any information that she gave me at that point so without the trigger Man Without a Gun a thought I witnessed testimony I couldn't get to Jeff I couldn't get to Jeff I had no physical evidence no testimonial evidence that enabled me to bring charges against you the homicide detective looked to the Lee County Narcotics unit for help detectives began surveillance on Jeff saganic's Pizza hoping to identify someone they could turn against the dealer the place was a popular spot it would take time for officers to discern the drug traffickers from the legitimate customers to complicate matters Jeff saganic changed his name legally to Jeff Matthews presumably to severed ties to his past crimes Jeff was the type of person where he wanted to be a clean-cut businessman Jeff even went to the point of changing his name from Jeff saganic to Jeff Matthews to try and help him with his reputation over several weeks investigators noted which people frequented Jeff Matthew's place without picking up any food investigators spotted one man who visited often a license plate check revealed his name was Stephen Franken detective Speculator that Franken might be their connection to Jeff Matthews investigators called DEA special Agent Dennis bollum who was already familiar with Stephen Franken agents believe Franken was a low-level cocaine dealer who procured his Supply from Jeff Matthews but they had no proof to link the two men agent bolem hoped to use an informant close to Franken I received some information from cooperating source that he Mr Franken was Distributing cocaine out of his house on Hibiscus Street in Fort Myers Beach and that um he uh was Distributing to quite a few people down at the Fort Myers Beach area they're informant recently arrested for possession was one of Stephen franken's biggest customers for his cooperation and controlled drug buys from Franken the informant would receive probation purchases were successful agents would be able to arrest Franken then press him for direct testimony about Jeff Matthews and his organization Stephen Franken was important to the investigation he had quite a bit of knowledge as far as the drug trafficking that was taking place down at Fort Myers Beach and with Jeffrey Matthews for participation in this drug trafficking the informant return of cocaine after several more buys DEA agents finally had what they needed to make an arrest on August 25th 1988 agents secured a felony arrest warrant for Stephen Franken for the sale and distribution of a controlled substance foreign [Music] was in custody agents searched his house inside they found prepackaged cocaine scales and cash in exchange for a shorter sentence Franken agreed to cooperate with agents he admitted that murder suspect Jeff Matthews was his cocaine supplier and consented to say so in front of the grand jury Franken was released on bond until then as investigators continue to hunt for evidence in their case against Matthews deputies in nearby Collier County Florida responded to a crime scene on October 2nd 1988 a surveyor had discovered fully clothed skeletonized human remains in a rural dump site it appeared the body had been there for the past several weeks though there was no wallet or other ID detectives did notice a paper bracelet on the victim's wrist similar to those used by hospitals and nightclubs investigators gathered dental records from local families who had recently reported their loved ones as missing they hoped one of them would match the unknown victims the dental records along with the body were sent to the medical examiner for comparison he first determined that the victim was a white male in his twenties killed execution Style with five 38 caliber bullets to the Head from the body's wrist the me removed the paper bracelet he confirmed it was an admission ban from a nightclub in Fort Myers Beach dental records from a missing 22 year old man last seen leaving the club confirmed that the murder victim was Thomas sellers [Music] the Collier County Sheriff's detective visited sella's father to give him the bad news today um has he been doing any legal activities or hanging around anybody lately that uh the father told the detective that his son had a cocaine problem and believed the young man owed his dealer Jeff Matthews one thousand dollars it was also rumored that his son was last seen leaving the club with a man reputed to be a Hitman for the dealer but once again investigators were unable to find evidence to corroborate the rumors agents and detectives only direct witness to Matthew's operation with Stephen Franken a low-level dealer arrested months earlier [Music] they hoped his grand jury testimony would be enough to arrest a cocaine supplier expected of ordering two executions on January 27 1990 as the DEA in Lee County Florida sheriffs continued to pursue suspected cocaine dealer and murderer Jeff Matthews detectives received a call about another possible homicide at around midnight a man was unpacking boxes in his new home when he heard the sound of a car squealing towards his house the vehicle didn't stop until it reached his backyard inside the driver was dead [Music] Lee County Detective Tom cantinos was one of the first to arrive at the Home in Saint Carlos Park initially I was told it was a motor vehicle accident there was a dead body in the car and the closer I look the more I realized that he didn't die from a car accident he died from a bunch of bullet holes the driver's license found on the victim identified the dead man as 22 year old Stephen Franken the primary witness scheduled to testify against drug kingpin Jeff Matthews at a grand jury hearing just two days away it seemed Matthews was aware that without franken's testimony investigators wouldn't have enough evidence to bring an indictment against the cocaine dealer suspected in two killings and now a third according to DEA special Agent Dennis Boland I think the timing of the murder was because of the timing of the grand jury the information we received as far as Jeffrey Matthews being involved in in other shootings and murders at Fort Myers Beach and that Stephen Franken had some valuable information as far as Jeffrey Matthews drug operation but now the grand jury would never learn what Franken knew about Matthews the federal witness was likely dead before he crashed detectives decided to search the surrounding area to determine where the shooting had taken place something happened before the guy hit the house or else he wouldn't have driven through the house so I walked down the dirt road about several hundred yards and I found what looked like some attempt at a roadblock large and small branches covered the road strewn by what must have been a vehicle [Music] to the left side of the site detectives found several 22 caliber shell casings the same caliber as the bullets later removed from Stephen franken's body [Music] Footprints as well as Tire Impressions from a separate vehicle were discovered close by in the loose dirt [Music] technicians made plastic casts for later comparison should a vehicle or suspect be located from their placement in franken's wounds officers determined that the shooter had fired at the driver's side of the car my Mia thoughts were that someone had constructed this roadblock to slow a car down slow the car down enough where someone can jump out of some Brushy area that that's along both sides of the road and shoot the person driving that car traveled home the victim probably stopped briefly when he saw debris in the world just long enough for the shooter to take accurate aim [Music] clinging to life for a few more moments he likely accelerated down the road and into the house no suspected murderer and drug dealer Jeff Matthews was believed responsible investigators were once again left with no direct evidence tying Matthews to the crime [Music] the fact that Stephen Franken had been a federal witness enabled authorities to broaden the investigation to include the U.S attorney's office and the FBI [Music] lost control together they needed to develop a strategy to snare Jeff Matthews and put an end to the violence retired special agent guy Not only was part of the team the FBI immediately started working with the Lee County Sheriff's Office and The Drug Enforcement Administration there was nothing done without the telling the other agency involved that what was going on the FBI did have a lot of Manpower that they could put on this matter they did have a tremendous ability for the technical aspect of the investigation they knew Matthews was still operating in the area but the dealer was well insulated the only way to get to him was through his drug operation and employees but after the informant Franken was murdered finding someone else to cooperate would be no easy task it made it so difficult was that we didn't have a lot of people come forward and voluntarily Supply information on Jeffrey Matthews most of the people knew that he was capable of committing murders and they were intimidated by him agents turned to a Man Behind Bars when they believed had been an Insider in Matthew's organization serving a 10-year sentence on concealed weapons charges the Fort Myers Beach Florida man was reputed to be one of Matthew's former hitmen he agreed to tell what he knew about the deal is drug operation in exchange for a shortened sentence just before his arrest the alleged Hitman admitted that Matthews had ordered him to surveil Stephen Frank and to learn the man's schedule with that information Matthews would be able to silence Franken before he could testify against convict denied knowing who actually pulled the trigger since he was behind bars before the murder took place he did tell investigators about another unsolved homicide he claimed that Matthews had committed he said that one night at the pizza parlor a contractor was repairing the tiles on the kitchen floor after the restaurant closed that's right yes with the sounds The Hitman had brought over a new silencer for Matthew's gun hit that thing either way it's a heavy gun yeah look at that yeah [Music] he claimed the drug lord killed the contractor just to test the silencer agents hope to get Matthews to corroborate the hitman's stories the convict agreed to call Matthews to set up a recorded meeting he asked Matthews to come by the prison to drop off some new music agents would be ready to record the conversation on audio and video hoping Matthews would incriminate himself we received approvals from the U.S attorney's office as well as the jail to install these recorders then after we installed everything he never did show up Jeffrey Matthews is very elusive surveillance conscious he insulated himself pretty well even his closest friends didn't know where he was residing at Matthew's last suspected victim made but because he was silenced the alleged murderer remained free and was becoming more desperate by early 1990 the FBI DEA and Florida authorities continued to pursue suspected drug lord and murderer Jeff Matthews since 1988 he had been implicated in four executions in the Fort Myers Beach area for Lee County homicide detective Tom cantinos and dozens of Agents a lack of Hard Evidence and verifiable witness statements kept Jeff Matthews just Out Of Reach two years have gone by and I still couldn't get my hands around Jeff Matthews there was nothing there for me to follow up on it was dead end after dead end after dead end um all the time I knew Jeff was my number one suspect and he was getting stronger and stronger and Bolder and bolder on his criminal activities on on the beach and it was very frustrating [Music] on February 12 1990 a judge agreed that investigators had enough circumstantial evidence against Matthews to search the Dealer's pizza place the likely headquarters for his operation [Music] you serve the warrant after hours to avoid endangering customers [Music] from the restaurant investigators seized documents phone records and bank and credit card statements they also confiscated Matthew's Trans Am tired Treads were compared to Impressions found at one of the murder scenes but the results were negative [Music] upstairs from the pizza parlor investigators searched an apartment where Matthews was rumored to sometimes stay with his girlfriend the couple was not there nor did the Searchers find any cocaine but they did recover Silver Tip 357 cartridges [Music] cash additional phone records and most importantly 22 caliber bullets the same caliber used in at least three of the four executions they were sent to the crime lab to be compared with the spent 22 caliber rounds retrieved from the victims tests of the bullet's metallurgic composition did not reveal any matches it was one more dead end in a grueling case though there was no direct evidence linking the alleged drug dealer to the murders DEA special Agent Dennis bollum and his team believed they had enough to indict Jeff Matthews and several Associates as part of a continuing criminal Enterprise we had concerns at that point that by leaving him out on the street he could commit additional Meredith so we we felt we had sufficient evidence at that point and that that's the reason why we went and got the indictments to go pick him up but Matthews was nowhere to be found friends and Associates claimed that he had left Fort Myers for Parts Unknown girlfriend also named in the indictment agreed to cooperate with investigators to help locate The Fugitive [Music] through a tapped phone line she made contact with Matthews on his cell hello hey it's me hey suspected murderer refused to say where he won don't worry about where I am she told him she was worried about the indictments he would find out who was talking to authorities and kill plain and simple yeah he hung up seconds later the next day a confidential informant gave Lee County homicide detectives a promising tips they learned that Matthews had rented a car with a borrowed credit card on the night Stephen Franken was murdered evidence technician compared the tire Treads from the rental car to a plastic cast of The Tracks collected at the scene of the ambush they matched the same Dimension here it was the first hard evidence linking Matthews to one of the four murders unfortunately it didn't prove that Matthews had driven the rental car to the crime scene nor that he had pulled the trigger we were trying to gather as much information about Matthews as we could we weren't even successful in finding out where this guy lived we heard he lived in this big house we heard he lived in that big house he drove this car he drove that car but he was never there we were never able to pin him down to where he lived we only knew that he drove one car and that's a black Trans Am he was like you know he was everywhere but nowhere then on the night of March 16 1990 Lee County detectives responded to a call from the home of a Fort Myers Beach fire inspector pipe bomb was thrown into his driveway filled with 38 caliber bullets the explosion sent ammunition and shrapnel ripping through the inspector's car and house it also damaged the storage shed in a neighboring home no one was injured the inspector said he had no idea who might be responsible detectives asked him for a list of businesses that had failed any recent fire inspections any problems with anybody one name stood out Jeff Matthews I responded to that scene learned that this fire inspector conducted a fire inspection of matthews's restaurant and did not give him a very good write-up as far as the fire conditions of the restaurant once I heard that I said this is Jeff said in the sky a message but if it was Matthews he had left no Trace all police had to go on was the spotty testimony of a neighborhood the neighbor had heard tires squeal just before the explosion when he looked outside he saw a white hatchback race away it had been too dark to see the license plate [Music] if Matthews had been involved detective continos pondered his change in tactics I remember thinking that was a significant change in Jeff's operation before he was targeting other drug dealers now he's targeting government officials being that he was a Fort Myers Beach fire inspector that is something different that Jeff was doing the detective returned home well after midnight he tried to unwind hoping to get some sleep at about 2 am the sound of an explosion sent him rushing to the window that sounded like a Transformer blowing up a car backfiring fireworks I mean there's a number of things that happened in my neighborhood that that sound could possibly occur phone rings two or three minutes later it's one of my associates who was on the DEA task force says Tom the DEA building just got blown up the Fort Myers DEA office was moments away from the detective's house from the first one on the scene and I saw the entire DEA building engulfed in flames that are hundreds of feet high I mean it was just it was an incredible sight for me investigators immediately suspected fugitive Jeff Matthews it was the first bombing of a DEA office in U.S history 30 firefighters battled The Blaze for almost an hour dozens of Agents U.S Marshals and deputies from six neighboring counties were also called FBI special agent guy Natalie was among them when they arrived on the morning of the bombing on March 17th DEA agents informed me that the suspect in this matter was most likely an individual that they indicted two days before Jeffrey Matthews the work of Jeff Matthews cocaine dealers violence had escalated to horrific proportions [Music] when law enforcement becomes the target No One Is Safe and Matthews was still on the Run on March 17 1990 two days after a Federal grand jury indicted suspected drug lord and murderer Jeff Matthews the DEA office in Fort Myers Beach Florida was firebombed agent suspected Matthews was responsible but he was still at Large the FBI and Lee County Detective Tom Cantinas believed The Fugitive was also the prime suspect in another bombing that occurred just hours earlier we realized that in all likelihood that the pipe bomb at the fire inspector's house was a diversionary tactic poor law enforcement resources away from the patrolling area of the DEA building in order for Matthews to firebomb the DEA office by Dawn all that remained of the building was a burned out shell investigators now began the task of assessing what was left how it happened and where the evidence was buried hoping to identify the perpetrator FBI special agent guy not only called in Specialists from headquarters we brought in bomb technicians from our laboratory in Washington D.C as well as some FBI agents from the Tampa division uh to conduct investigation the investigation consisted of going through all the debris that was left at the site basically by taking it through a shovel and sifting through do we found out what incendiary advice that she used they determined that the fire was caused by a pipe bomb taped to two five-gallon gas cans and tossed through a window it landed in the office of DEA agent Dennis bowler he believed the aim was no coincidence my feeling this is Jeffrey Matthews was trying to destroy the evidence in the case and I had the case files on the Jeffrey Matthews case in in a file cabinet right near the window and uh amazingly the the fire uh and the explosion went right past it and everything was intact as far as tape recordings and and notes and and so forth because of the early hour no one was injured but damage was estimated at four million dollars through scattered witness accounts investigators pieced together a possible scenario for the bombing [Music] no one knew how many people were but neighbors heard only one car and one door open then closed [Music] investigators figured those responsible stopped close to the building for a quick Hit and Run [Music] the bombing had a profound effect on area law enforcement agents struggled to deal with the physical reality of the destruction in their emotional reactions [Music] shocked and in uh as angry and then I was more determined to get them at that point than anything changed my life because I had to have 24-hour guard on my house as well the other agents and the prosecutor in the case I had a wife and two small children that I had to worry about and they had to be protected and and I knew that he was still running around out there and that there's a possibility that he could do this again FBI lab examiners inspected the remnants of the bomb Nails used to shrapnel were packed into a metal pipe five inches in diameter with a unique threading and surrounded with gunpowder duct tape held the pipe between two five gallon tanks of gasoline that helped to spread the fire when the bomb went off foreign DEA agents joined the team and the four-person FBI office grew to more than 50. [Music] investigators began tracking down where the bomb materials may have been purchased [Music] teams of Agents canvassed every hardware store and gas station for miles around the pipe used in the bomb had a unique threading agents found the store clerk who had sold this unusual item just days before the explosion clerk identified Matthews is the customer who had purchased it agents asked dozens of gas station employees if they remembered anyone purchasing gas in two five gallon tanks during the past week or so one remembered that a man fitting Matthew's description had done so recently evidence was mounting against the bomber but agents still had no idea where he was they interviewed his friends and Associates to determine with whom he'd been in contact and how do you know Jeffrey one told him that he had written to her begging her not to believe what she read about him in the newspapers but she had believed the Articles and agreed to have her phone monitored so agents might trace a call from math he was elusive um we never knew where he would be at any given time he was always on the move so uh we utilized a trap and Trace we knew that he utilized a cell phone and we tried to zero in exactly where he was yeah with assigned affidavit agents went to the company that handled Matthew's Wireless account if there was a hit on a cell tower from his phone authorities would be alerted they discovered he was still in Florida we had even aerial surveillances set up in the Orlando area where we found out where his cell phone was coming from to see if we he made a call that we could get people there quickly in attempt to apprehend him but agents were unable to Trace Matthews calls closer than a two-mile radius then investigators received the tip they were hoping we're hoping they raced to a Fort Myers storage facility where the manager had recognized Matthews from the media presently unloading a truck there agents hope they could get there before the suspected murderer and bomber escaped again in the spring of 1990 FBI agents raced to arrest 26 year old fugitive Jeff Matthews suspected in four murders and the bombing of the Fort Myers Florida DEA building a team of Agents responded to a call from a storage facility manager who had seen The Wanted Man on his property suspect ready to use deadly force they removed his wallet to check his ID okay the man was not Jeff Matthews after two years of pursuit Lee County Florida Detective Tom Cantinas was disappointed but not discouraged I just knew that at some point we want to get him he was too active he was too violent what concerned me was at what cost before we got him we just didn't know how long it was going to take and how many dead people it was going to take for us to get there that was my concern that's where he kept the stuff yes it is all right thank you investigators received a tip from a realtor who claimed to have rented a house to Jeff Matthews before he was a known Fugitive they found common items including duct tape and hardware store bags that might be linked to the bombing then they came across something that seemed clearly connected to Matthew's crimes as DEA special Agent Dennis bollum recalls there was a note and the note was addressed to the Lee County Sheriff's Department I don't know the exact verbiage that was was used in it but it's something to the effect that catch me if you can catching me because you won't investigators sharpened their resolve to find him before anyone else was killed on April 9 1990 Matthews called his friends tapped phone agents were prepared to strike if the woman could keep him on the line this time he was calling from a pay phone according to FBI special agent guy Natalie we were able to determine that he was in the Orlando area agents were sent to different quadrants where they could be within 10 or 15 minutes of different pay phones that we thought maybe Matthews was using field agents waited for the word as precious seconds the woman asked him where he was but Matthews was anxious to hang up despite his best efforts they got the trace Agents set out to apprehend him before he vanished again our people were able to put a location on where the phone call was coming from Agents were only about 5 or 10 15 minutes away they arrived at the scene he was still talking when the agents arrived your hands after almost three years of pursuit investigators arrested Jeff Matthews without incident to avoid the death penalty Jeff Matthews pled guilty to supervising A continuing criminal Enterprise committing homicide to further that Enterprise cocaine trafficking and bombing a federal building on July 31st 1990 Matthews asked to speak to DEA and FBI agents he said they needed to move on something right away or more innocent people would surely be killed the convicted killer had a storage unit in Gainesville Florida loaded with explosives in a booby-trap van agents immediately notified the bomb squad I had concerns that he may be trying to set us up maybe have his last hurray before he went away to jail and that we might be sending some agents into a real dangerous situation as Matthews had described agents found a red van parked inside a storage unit rigged to explode a bomb squad diffused the devices and secured the area with the booby trap rendered harmless investigators quickly removed the Dozen pipe bombs they found in the van they also recovered an AR-15 a MAC-10 a Mac-11 and a 22 caliber handgun with a silencer there was a rubber mask Halloween mask there was police raid jackets there was additional bombs bomb making equipment manuals on how to make bombs how to make booby traps fuses and equipment to make bombs including pieces of pipe piping and timers and and so forth [Music] Matthews also told investigators where they could find the body of the contractor murdered in his pizza parlor more than two years earlier though Matthews claimed that his Hitman had done the actual killing kept him in a freezer Matthew said he and the Hitman had carried the body in a freezer to the house Jeff was renting and buried the victim nearby it was the same house where investigators had found Matthew's taunting note [Music] they located both the freezer and the body just where the killer said they would be for this crime Matthews pled guilty as an accessory drug dealers just don't start off a business by killing people and most of them don't kill people but but Jeff was a very violent organized person and that made him dangerous and that made him even harder catch on October 1st 1990 26 year old Jeff Matthews was sentenced to 100 years in prison without the possibility of parole he will never again be free terrorize the people of Fort Myers Beach Florida

Channel: The FBI Files

Views: 226,664

Keywords: Cocaine imports, Cocaine trade in the s, Crime laboratory, Crime wave, Criminal psychology, Documentary, Drug trafficking, FBI crime lab, High alert, In-depth investigations, Iowa, Kidnapping, Law enforcement, Law enforcement collaboration, Manhunt, Murder, Real crimes, Stop violence, The FBI Files, True stories, Violent crimes

Id: Gb_7CUwvj8o

Length: 100min 15sec (6015 seconds)

Published: Fri Dec 29 2023