Evil Talks: Chilling Confessions (2018–…): Season 1, Episode 3 - Rival Affections - full transcript
When two apparent strangers are found dead in two separate states in the same manner, detectives from different jurisdictions must prove how the two men are linked, and why they wound up dead.
Narrator: A WOMAN IS BETRAYED
BY SOMEONE SHE LOVED.
Sadler:
NO CHILD, NO FAMILY MEMBER
SHOULD HAVE TO SEE
WHAT MY SISTER AND I HAVE SEEN.
Narrator: DETECTIVES REVEAL
A HORRIFIC CRIME.
IT WAS KIND OF ONE OF THE THINGS
WHERE WE WERE LOOKING
BACK AND FORTH AT EACH OTHER
AND LOOKING AT IT GOING,
"IS...ARE YOU SEEING
WHAT I'M SEEING?"
OUT OF ALL THE CRIMES
I'VE EVER INVESTIGATED,
THIS HAS GOT TO BE
THE MOST SENSELESS CRIME.
♪♪
Narrator: THEY MUST GET A KILLER
TO CONFESS HIS ALARMING MOTIVE.
♪♪
I'M GOING TO STAY
IN THAT INTERVIEW ROOM
UNTIL I GET THE TRUTH.
[ LIGHT BUZZES, CLANKS ]
Narrator:
IN THE INTERROGATION ROOM,
POLICE MUST CONFRONT EVIL...
WHEN DID YOU DECIDE THAT YOU
WERE GOING TO KILL THIS PERSON?
WHY DID YOU CHOOSE MURDER?
DO YOU CONSIDER YOURSELF
A SERIAL KILLER?
Narrator:...SIFTING THROUGH
UNSPEAKABLE CRIMES
AND DARK SECRETS.
I HAD A KNIFE AND WENT DOWN.
I AM A KILLER.
I'VE KILLED THREE OTHER PEOPLE.
Narrator: THE TRUTH CAN ONLY
BE REVEALED
WHEN EVIL TALKS.
♪♪
♪♪
Narrator: NOVEMBER 14, 2009,
A DISTURBING PHONE CALL
INTERRUPTS A FAMILY REUNION.
- I'LL GET THE PHONE.
- OKAY.
SHERRI AND I WERE
AT A FAMILY GATHERING
IN EVANSVILLE, INDIANA,
AND...
WE GOT A PHONE CALL
FROM MY MOM'S HUSBAND, CECIL.
- HELLO?
- It's Cecil.
- Have you talked to your mother?
- NO.
AND HE SAID THAT HE HAD BEEN
TRYING TO GET AHOLD OF MOM
SINCE THE DAY BEFORE.
It's not like her
not to answer the phone.
I'm really starting
to get worried.
WELL, NOW I'M GETTING
WORRIED, TOO.
AND THEY NORMALLY TALKED
SEVERAL TIMES A DAY,
AND IT WAS UNUSUAL FOR HIM NOT
TO BE ABLE TO GET AHOLD OF HER.
Narrator:
DORIS AND CECIL BABCOCK
LIVE IN DUNNELLON, FLORIDA,
BUT CECIL IS KENTUCKY,
HUNDREDS OF MILES AWAY
FROM HOME.
Maneese: CECIL WAS ON THE ROAD.
HE WAS A TRUCK DRIVER.
HE WAS ON THE ROAD
WHEN HE CALLED US,
SAYING THAT HE COULD NOT
REACH MOM,
SO WE STARTED CALLING HER HOUSE
AND GETTING HER VOICE MAIL.
[ TELEPHONE RINGS ]
[ BEEP ]
Doris: Hi.
We're not home right now.
Leave a message,
and we'll call you back.
[ Beep ]
MOM, CECIL CALLED US.
CALLING HER CELLPHONE,
CALLING HER HOUSE PHONE,
LEAVING MESSAGES,
"IF YOU GET THIS, CALL US.
JUST CHECKING IN
TO MAKE SURE YOU'RE ALL RIGHT."
Narrator:
BUT DORIS NEVER ANSWERS.
♪♪
AS HOURS PASS, THE FAMILY
GROWS MORE CONCERNED.
WHERE IS DORIS BABCOCK?
FINALLY, CECIL CALLS THE POLICE.
MOST TIMES,
THERE'S A SIMPLE EXPLANATION
ON WHY THIS PERSON WAS MISSING
OR WHY THEY WEREN'T
ANSWERING SOMEONE'S CALLS.
SHE COULD HAVE GOTTEN IN HER
VEHICLE, DROVE OFF SOMEWHERE,
MAYBE HAD A HIDDEN DEMENTIA,
GOT LOST, CAN'T GET HOME.
Narrator: A DEPUTY FROM
THE MARION COUNTY
SHERIFF'S OFFICE
IS SENT TO DORIS' HOME
TO CHECK ON HER WELL-BEING.
IT'S VERY DARK. IT'S LATE.
IT'S VERY QUIET.
THIS HOUSE IS REALLY
IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE.
[ DOORBELL RINGS ]
BUT THERE'S THIS LAYER OF SMOKE
THAT'S JUST HANGING
OVER THE HOUSE.
Narrator: AS THE DEPUTY
APPROACHES THE HOUSE,
HE NOTES THAT THE LIGHTS ARE ON.
HE KNOCKS ON THE DOOR.
WHEN NO ONE ANSWERS,
HE ENTERS CAUTIOUSLY.
HELLO?
THERE WAS A PERSON IN THE HOUSE.
IT WAS NOT DORIS BABCOCK.
HELLO?
HI. I'M ZACH.
Narrator: THE YOUNG MAN
IN THE BABCOCKS' HOME
IDENTIFIES HIMSELF
AS 19-YEAR-OLD ZACHARY SNYDER.
HE TELLS POLICE HE'S NOT
A RESIDENT OR A RELATIVE,
BUT HE HAS A RIGHT TO BE THERE.
ZACH CALMS HIS SUSPICIONS
BY SAYING,
"HEY, I'VE LIVED HERE.
I KNOW MISS DORIS."
SAID HE GOT CONCERNED, THAT HE'D
HAD A PHONE CALL FROM CECIL.
Narrator: SNYDER SAYS HE'S THERE
LOOKING FOR DORIS
BECAUSE HE HASN'T BEEN ABLE
TO GET AHOLD OF HER.
♪♪
HE EXPLAINS THAT DORIS AND CECIL
ARE HIS FORMER GUARDIANS.
ZACH CAME INTO THE BABCOCKS'
HOME 4 YEARS AGO
AFTER A CHILDHOOD SPENT
IN AND OUT OF SHELTERS
AND INSTITUTIONS.
HE WAS JUST A YOUNG KID
AND SEEMED SO ALONE
IN A PLACE THAT
KIDS SHOULDN'T BE.
Spivey: DORIS JUST DECIDED
THAT SHE WAS GONNA TRY
TO GIVE THIS YOUNG MAN A BETTER
LIFE THAN HE HAD HAD BEFORE.
SO DORIS GAVE UP HER CAREER
AND ACTUALLY TOOK ZACH IN.
Maneese: THE IDEA OF HELPING HIM
BROUGHT HER HAPPINESS.
SHE WAS A GOOD PERSON
AND THAT WAS HER CHARACTER,
TO HELP OTHER PEOPLE AND TO
TOUCH OTHER PEOPLE'S LIVES.
THEIR RELATIONSHIP, I THINK,
GREW TO WHERE HE WOULD REFER
TO HER AS GRANDMOTHER,
HIS GRANDMOTHER, AND SHE WOULD
REFER TO HIM AS HER GRANDSON.
♪♪
Narrator: SNYDER ONLY MOVED OUT
RECENTLY WITH DORIS' HELP.
HE SAYS HE SAW HER
JUST YESTERDAY
WHEN SHE TOOK HIM SHOPPING.
TODAY, AFTER CECIL CALLED,
SNYDER SAYS HE CAME BACK
TO THE HOUSE
TO CHECK ON
HIS SURROGATE GRANDMOTHER.
Stroup: HE'S LOOKED THROUGH
THE HOUSE. SHE'S NOT THERE.
THERE'S SOME KEYS
ON THE KITCHEN COUNTER,
BUT HE HAS NO IDEA
WHERE SHE COULD BE.
Spivey: HE'S ALSO WORRIED
ABOUT WHERE SHE COULD BE
BECAUSE HER CAR IS HERE,
AND HE STATES SHE WOULDN'T
BE ANYWHERE WITHOUT HER CAR.
♪♪
Narrator: SNYDER INVITES
THE OFFICER TO LOOK AROUND.
THE HOUSE WAS NEAT AND TIDY.
EVERYTHING SEEMED
TO BE IN PLACE.
IT DIDN'T LOOK LIKE THERE WAS
ANY KIND OF STRUGGLE.
AS THEY'RE WALKING THROUGH
THE HOUSE, THOUGH, THIS DEPUTY
SEES A FEW THINGS THAT
HE FEELS DOESN'T BELONG THERE.
THERE'S A MASTER BEDROOM.
THERE'S CARPET MISSING THERE,
BUT IT'S CUT OUT,
AND IT'S NOT ALL OF THE CARPET.
IT'S JUST A SECTION OF CARPET,
AND IT'S NOT A CLEAN CUT.
IT'S KIND OF JAGGED.
IT'S NOT A PERFECT SQUARE
OR A PERFECT TRIANGLE.
♪♪
WHILE HE'S STANDING THERE
IN THE BEDROOM,
ZACH SNYDER LOOKS DOWN
AT THE CARPET
WHERE IT'S CUT OUT
AND LEANS DOWN AND SAYS,
"THIS LOOKS LIKE BLOOD."
YOU THINK SOMETHING
HAPPENED TO MISS D?
I DON'T KNOW.
Stroup:
THERE WAS A REDDISH STAIN,
LIKE, IN THE CARPET,
ON THE EDGE.
SO AT THAT TIME,
THE DEPUTY DECIDES,
THIS COULD BE A CRIME SCENE.
♪♪
Narrator: UNSURE OF WHAT
MAY HAVE HAPPENED TO DORIS,
DEPUTY CALHOUN CALLS FOR BACKUP
FROM THE HOMICIDE UNIT.
HEY, JOYCE.
YEAH, YOU WANNA GET
SOME CARS OUT HERE?
I JUST...I GOT A WEIRD FEELING.
♪♪
Narrator:
WHEN THE DETECTIVES ARRIVE,
THEY GET A QUICK BRIEFING FROM
THE FIRST OFFICER ON THE SCENE.
THEN THEY BEGIN THEIR OWN
EXAMINATION OF THE PREMISES.
THEY RIPPED UP
SOME OF THE CARPET.
I THINK WE GOT
BLOODSTAINS ON THERE.
- IS IT IN THE BEDROOM?
- YEAH.
WHAT I NOTICED WHEN I WALKED IN,
I COULD SEE EXACTLY WHAT
THE RESPONDING DEPUTY
WAS TELLING ME.
THERE WAS SOME BLOOD SPATTER ON
THE WALL, JUST MINUTE SPATTERS.
THERE WAS BLOOD
AROUND THE EDGE OF THE CARPET
THAT HAD BEEN CUT OUT
IN THE BEDROOM.
I NOTICED A PAINT CAN
AND SOME PAINT ON THE WALL
THAT MIGHT STILL BE WET.
IT COULD HAVE BEEN
SOMETHING SHE LEFT,
BUT WHEN YOU SEE BLOOD
AND YOU SEE FRESH PAINT,
YOU STAT TO WONDER,
WHAT IS THAT PAINT COVERING UP?
IS THERE MORE BLOOD
THAT I CAN'T SEE?
♪♪
Spivey: EACH AND EVERY TIME
I FIND ANOTHER ITEM OF INTEREST,
MY CONCERN FOR DORIS
AND HER WELL-BEING
IS SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED.
THE HAIR ON THE BACK OF MY NECK
IS STANDING UP
WHEN I SEE THE ITEMS
FROM HER PURSE
ARE JUST SITTING ON THE COUNTER
BUT SHE'S GONE, THAT HER KEYS
ARE SITTING ON THE COUNTER
BUT SHE'S GONE, THAT THERE'S
BLOOD SPATTER IN THE BEDROOM,
BUT SHE'S NOWHERE TO BE FOUND.
Narrator:
WITH A RISING SENSE OF DREAD,
DETECTIVES DECIDE
TO SEARCH THE GROUNDS.
THEY HEAD OUT TO
THE BACKYARD FIRE PIT.
♪♪
THE SMELL OF SMOKE
WAS IN THE AIR,
BUT IT WASN'T OVERPOWERING,
BUT THERE WAS JUST
THIS URGE IN ME,
"I WANT TO GO SEE
WHAT'S IN THE FIRE."
THE FIRE IN THE BACKYARD
IS VERY ORDINARY,
ESPECIALLY ON A COLD NIGHT,
ESPECIALLY IN
THE RURAL AREAS HERE.
A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE
FIRE PITS IN THEIR YARD
THAT THEY USE
ONLY FOR YARD DEBRIS.
Narrator: DETECTIVES
PEER INTO THE PIT,
TRYING TO DETERMINE EXACTLY WHAT
THEY'RE SEEING IN THE FLAMES.
Spivey: EVERYTHING WAS BLACK,
EVERYTHING WAS BURNED,
EVERYTHING WAS CHARRED,
BUT SOMETHING JUST
KEPT POINTING ME
TOWARDS A CERTAIN LUMP
THAT WAS IN THE FIRE.
Stroup: IT WAS KIND OF
ONE OF THE THINGS WHERE WE WERE
LOOKING BACK AND FORTH AT
EACH OTHER AND LOOK AT IT GOING,
"IS...ARE YOU SEEING
WHAT I'M SEEING?"
NEITHER ONE OF US
WANTED TO VOICE IT,
BUT THERE WERE THINGS
IN THE FIRE
THAT HAD CHARACTERISTICS
OF A HUMAN BODY.
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪
Narrator:
66-YEAR-OLD DORIS BABCOCK
IS MISSING
FROM HER FLORIDA HOME.
♪♪
NOW, DETECTIVES SEARCHING DORIS'
BACKYARD FEAR THEY'VE FOUND HER.
EVERYTHING WAS BLACK.
EVERYTHING WAS BURNED.
EVERYTHING WAS CHARRED.
IF IT'S REALLY
HUMAN REMAINS IN A FIRE PIT,
THE FIRST THING YOU WANT TO DO
IS YOU WANT THAT FIRE OUT.
♪♪
MY FEAR WAS THAT I WAS
STANDING THERE,
WATCHING MY EVIDENCE BURN UP
IN A HOMICIDE SITUATION
AND DIDN'T KNOW
WHAT OTHER EVIDENCE I'D HAVE.
Narrator: DETECTIVES CALL
THE MEDICAL EXAMINER,
WHO WILL CONFIRM IF THERE ARE
HUMAN REMAINS IN THESE ASHES,
AND IF SO, WHOSE.
♪♪
I SAW HER YESTERDAY.
WE WENT TO THE GROCERY STORE.
AND HAVE YOU SEEN HER TODAY?
Narrator:
INVESTIGATORS HAVE QUESTIONS
FOR THE YOUNG MAN FOUND
IN THE HOUSE -- ZACH SNYDER.
UNTIL RECENTLY, HE LIVED
WITH DORIS AND CECIL,
HIS FORMER GUARDIANS.
THEY NOTICE THAT
HIS PANTS ARE DIRTY.
SNYDER SAYS THE STAINS ARE
FROM THE FIRE PIT.
ZACHARY BEGINS TO TELL ME
THAT HE CAME THERE
TO LOOK FOR MISS BABCOCK,
BUT WHILE HE WAS THERE,
HE DECIDED TO HELP MISS BABCOCK
BY BURNING SOME TRASH
AND BY FIXING SOME THINGS UP
AROUND THE HOUSE.
Narrator: SNYDER ADMITS
TO SETTING THE FIRE,
BUT HE SEEMS CALM AND UNAWARE
OF WHAT POLICE SUSPECT
IS IN THE PIT.
HE APPEARED
TO BE VERY COOPERATIVE
AND VERY CONCERNED ABOUT
WHERE WAS MISS BABCOCK.
♪♪
Narrator: IS SNYDER A WITNESS
OR A SUSPECT?
DETECTIVES WONDER IF
HE IS RESPONSIBLE
FOR THE FOREBODING SCENE
INSIDE THE BABCOCK HOME.
POLICE CALL DORIS' HUSBAND
FOR MORE INFORMATION,
AND CECIL BABCOCK IS
UPSET TO LEARN
THAT SNYDER WAS IN THE HOUSE.
♪♪
THERE'S SOME BAD BLOOD
BETWEEN THOSE TWO.
MR. BABCOCK DOESN'T REALLY
TRUST THIS KID.
HE'S GOT SOME ISSUES WITH HIM.
I CALLED ZACH TO SEE IF
HE WAS WITH DORIS.
I NEVER TALKED TO HIM
ABOUT GOING TO MY HOUSE.
HE AIN'T ALLOWED TO BE
AT THE HOUSE.
HE SHOULDN'T EVEN HAVE A KEY.
HE MOVED OUT.
Stroup: MR. AND MRS. BABCOCK,
WHEN HE LEFT ON THIS TRIP,
THEIR AGREEMENT WAS THAT
MRS. BABCOCK WOULD FIND
ZACHARY SOMEWHERE ELSE TO LIVE,
WOULD GET HIM SET UP,
AND THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT SHE DID.
♪♪
Narrator:
IS ZACH SNYDER INVOLVED
IN DORIS' DISAPPEARANCE,
OR IS CECIL BABCOCK TRYING
TO DIVERT SUSPICION?
IT WOULDN'T BE UNCOMMON
FOR SOMEONE
SUCH AS A HUSBAND OR A SPOUSE
TO CALL THE POLICE
TO SET UP THEIR OWN ALIBI,
TO SAY THAT THEY ARE
SOMEWHERE ELSE
AND MAYBE NOT BE THERE.
♪♪
Spivey: AS A TRUCK DRIVER,
HE HAS THE ABILITY
TO DRIVE HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS
AND THOUSANDS OF MILES
AND COULD USE HIS LOCATION
AS AN ALIBI.
♪♪
I'VE WORKED CASES IN THE PAST
WHERE THE HUSBAND,
HE WAS AN OVER-THE-ROAD
TRUCK DRIVER,
AND HE MADE SURE
HE WAS IN ANOTHER STATE,
FOUR OR FIVE STATES AWAY,
BEFORE HIS WIFE WAS ATTACKED.
SO HAVING THAT EXPERIENCE,
HAVING THAT IN MIND,
IT WAS JUST ONE OF
THE FIRST THINGS IN MY HEAD
TO START ASKING QUESTIONS
ABOUT CECIL.
♪♪
Narrator: DETECTIVES MAKE A PLAN
TO DIVIDE UP THE INVESTIGATION.
DETECTIVE STROUP AND I ARE
GONNA WORK AS A TEAM
IN THIS INVESTIGATION.
Stroup: I'M GONNA TAKE
THE CRIME SCENE
AND I'M GOING TO PROCESS IT,
AND HE'S GOING TO GO
WITH ZACHARY SNYDER
TO THE MARION COUNTY
SHERIFF'S OFFICE
AND DO AN INTERVIEW TO TRY TO
ANSWER SOME OF THESE QUESTIONS
AND FIGURE OUT
WHAT'S REALLY GOING ON.
LET'S GO, ZACH.
♪♪
Narrator: TO FIND OUT WHAT
HAPPENED AND WHO'S RESPONSIBLE,
INVESTIGATORS NEED TO KNOW MORE
ABOUT EVERYONE INVOLVED --
DORIS BABCOCK, HER HUSBAND
CECIL, AND ZACH SNYDER.
Spivey:
AS I'M DRIVING TO THE OFFICE
TO CONDUCT THE INTERVIEW
WITH ZACH,
I'VE GOT A COUPLE OF THINGS
ON MY MIND.
I WANT TO KNOW WHAT
THEY'RE FINDING AT THE HOUSE.
I WANT TO GET REGULAR UPDATES.
I WANT ZACH TO TELL ME
WHAT HE'S BEEN DOING
OVER THE LAST COUPLE DAYS.
I WANT HIM TO TELL ME
WHAT HE KNOWS
ABOUT DORIS' ACTIVITIES
OVER THE LAST COUPLE DAYS.
BUT THEN I WANT TO CONFRONT ZACH
AND I WANT TO FIND OUT
IF HE KNOWS MORE.
SO FAR, HE'S BEING COOPERATIVE.
IN EACH CASE, YOU'RE GONNA LOOK
AT ANY POSSIBLE SUSPECTS,
AND YOU'RE GONNA TRY
TO FIGURE OUT
WHAT THEY WOULD GAIN FROM THIS,
WHAT WOULD THEY
BENEFIT FROM THIS,
AND YOU'RE ALWAYS
LOOKING FOR RED FLAGS.
IN THIS PARTICULAR CASE, CECIL
AND ZACHARY ARE THE TWO PEOPLE
THAT WE WANTED
TO LOOK AT CLOSELY.
Narrator: DETECTIVE SPIVEY READS
SNYDER HIS RIGHTS.
MY FIRST IMPRESSION OF ZACH
IS THIS YOUNG KID
WHO IS NOT
VERY EXPERIENCED IN LIFE.
I CAN'T GET OVER
HOW YOUNG HE LOOKS.
I CAN'T GET OVER HOW...
IMMATURE HE LOOKS.
HE MIGHT NOT BE A SUSPECT
AT THIS MOMENT,
EARLY ON IN THE INTERVIEW.
WHETHER HE'S RESPONSIBLE
FOR HER DEATH OR NOT,
HE'S THE MOST VALUABLE PERSON
THAT I COULD GATHER
INFORMATION FROM.
I'M GOING TO STAY
IN THAT INTERVIEW ROOM
UNTIL I GET THE TRUTH.
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪
Narrator:
66-YEAR-OLD DORIS BABCOCK
IS MISSING FROM
HER CENTRAL FLORIDA HOME.
HER DAUGHTERS ARE DESPERATELY
HOPING SHE'S STILL ALIVE.
ALL NIGHT LONG,
I KEPT CALLING BACK
THE DUNNELLON POLICE DEPARTMENT,
TRYING TO GET UPDATES
ON WHAT WAS GOING ON OUT THERE.
Maneese: AND AT THAT POINT,
IF HER CAR IS THERE
AND HER PURSE IS THERE,
WE KNEW SHE WAS THERE.
SHE WOULD HAVE NEVER LEFT
WITH THOSE BEHIND.
♪♪
Narrator: POLICE HAVE FOUND
BLOOD SPATTER IN DORIS' HOME
AND POSSIBLY HUMAN REMAINS
IN A FIRE PIT BEHIND HER HOUSE.
HELLO?
HI. I'M ZACH.
Narrator:
ZACHARY SNYDER WAS ON THE SCENE
WHEN POLICE FIRST ARRIVED.
HE'D BEEN LIVING WITH DORIS
AND HER HUSBAND CECIL
FOR SEVERAL YEARS.
AT THE BEGINNING OF
THE INTERVIEW,
ZACHARY IS VERY FORTHCOMING.
HE PROVIDES ME
A LOT OF INFORMATION
ABOUT HIS BACKGROUND HISTORY
WITH MISS DORIS, MR. CECIL.
HE WAS HELPING ME UNDERSTAND
THE FAMILY DYNAMIC.
I WANT TO KNOW
WHAT CECIL IS LIKE,
IF HE'S CAPABLE
OF SOMETHING LIKE THIS.
♪♪
Narrator: DETECTIVE SPIVEY MUST
CONSIDER ALL POSSIBLE SUSPECTS,
AS DORIS' SPOUSE CECIL
IS NEAR THE TOP OF THE LIST.
♪♪
Narrator:
BACK AT THE CRIME SCENE,
DETECTIVE STROUP
IS COLLECTING EVIDENCE
AND CHECKING CECIL'S ALIBI.
WAS HE REALLY DRIVING
A TRUCK IN KENTUCKY
WHEN HE CLAIMED TO BE
TRYING TO REACH DORIS?
AT THE TIME WHEN HE CALLED, HE
SAID HE WAS A TRUCK STOP THERE.
SO THE AUTHORITIES IN THAT AREA
WERE CALLED
TO GO TO THAT TRUCK STOP
TO MAKE CONTACT WITH HIM.
- EVENING, SIR.
- EVENING.
ARE YOU CECIL BABCOCK?
YES, SIR, I AM.
Stroup: THEY MADE CONTACT WITH
HIM AND CONFIRMED HIS ALIBI.
Narrator:
WITH CECIL OUT OF THE PICTURE,
IT'S TIME TO TAKE
A CLOSER LOOK AT SNYDER.
IS IT POSSIBLE HE HARMED
THE WOMAN HE CALLED GRANDMOTHER?
♪♪
ZACH ACTUALLY COMMENTED TO ME
THAT THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS
THAT HE HAD BEEN LIVING
WITH MISS DORIS
HAD BEEN THE BEST TIMES
OF HIS LIFE.
I THINK HE HAD BEEN ABANDONED.
I THINK HE HAD BEEN ABUSED,
AND I THINK DURING
THOSE FEW YEARS,
HE ACTUALLY FOUND OUT
WHAT LOVE COULD BE.
♪♪
Narrator: BUT SNYDER HAS
STAINS ON HIS CLOTHES
AND CUTS ON HIS HANDS,
WHICH DRAW THE ATTENTION
OF DETECTIVE SPIVEY.
OFTENTIMES, WHEN THERE'S
BEEN A STABBING,
THE SUSPECT WILL ACTUALLY
CUT THEIR HANDS.
THEIR HAND WILL ACTUALLY
SLIDE DOWN ON THE KNIFE
AND IT WILL CUT
THE INSIDES OF THEIR HANDS.
WHEN THE SUSPECT HAS CUTS
ON THE INSIDE OF HIS FINGERS
ON BOTH HANDS, IT'S KIND OF
THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM.
EVENTUALLY,
I WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT.
Narrator: SPIVEY NOTICES
SOMETHING UNUSUAL.
SNYDER'S MOVEMENTS
DON'T MATCH HIS WORDS.
HE'S TALKING ABOUT
GUTTING A SHARK.
HE DID THE MOTION,
BUT EACH AND EVERY TIME
THEY ENDED UP BEING MOTIONS
TOWARD THE GROUND,
NOT NECESSARILY A SHARK
THAT'S HANGING UP
IN THE TREE AT EYE LEVEL.
Narrator:
TO THE VETERAN DETECTIVE,
SNYDER SEEMS TO BE
ACTING OUT A STABBING.
♪♪
WHEN HE USED THE MOTION, HE
ACTUALLY WAS JABBING THE KNIFE,
LIKE, DOWN AS IF HE'S JABBING IT
INTO THE GROUND.
AND MY PERSONAL BELIEF IS
AFTER HE INITIALLY ATTACKED
MISS DORIS,
SHE WAS ON THE GROUND.
HIS HANDS WERE TELLING THE TRUTH
WHILE HIS MOUTH
WAS TELLING A LIE.
HE MIGHT BE JUST
A STONE-COLD KILLER.
♪♪
Narrator: SNYDER IS LOOKING MORE
AND MORE LIKE A PRIME SUSPECT,
BUT DETECTIVE SPIVEY DECIDES
NOT TO ACCUSE HIM OF MURDER
JUST YET.
INSTEAD, HE WANTS TO GET ZACH
TALKING ABOUT THE FIRE
IN THE PIT BEHIND
THE BABCOCKS' HOME,
WHERE INVESTIGATORS ARE LOOKING
FOR HUMAN REMAINS.
VERY EARLY ON, ZACHARY TELLS US
THAT HE IS THE REASON
WHY THERE'S A FIRE
IN THE BACKYARD,
THAT HE WAS TRYING TO DO DORIS
A FAVOR BY BURNING SOME TRASH
AND THEN GETTING RID
OF SOME OLD MAGAZINES
THAT SHE HAD LAYING AROUND
THE HOUSE.
Narrator: TO DETECTIVES,
THAT SOUNDS LIKE A COVER-UP.
IT STANDS TO REASON
THAT DORIS BABCOCK
WAS MOST LIKELY STABBED TO DEATH
AND THEN BURNT,
AND THAT HER BODY WAS DISCARDED
INTO THE FIRE PIT,
SET ON FIRE.
♪♪
Narrator:
A TEXT FROM THE CRIME SCENE
SEEMS TO
CONFIRM THEIR SUSPICIONS.
THE TORSO HAS ACTUALLY
BEEN PULLED FROM THE FIRE,
AND THE MEDICAL EXAMINER'S
SAYING,
"YES, 100%,
THIS IS A HUMAN BODY."
WHEN I GET THE CONFIRMATION
FROM DETECTIVE STROUP,
THEN I FEEL FREE TO REALLY
GO AFTER HIM AND ACCUSE HIM.
IT'S NO LONGER AN INTERVIEW.
IT'S AN INTERROGATION,
AND I WANT TO GET TO THE TRUTH.
NO INDICATION WHATSOEVER
THAT HE'S SHOCKED
THAT SHE'S NO LONGER WITH US,
SHOCKED THAT SHE'S DEAD.
THERE'S NO CONCERN THAT MISS D.
IS NO LONGER A MISSING PERSON.
SHE'S A DEAD BODY.
♪♪
Narrator: DETECTIVE SPIVEY
PUSHES SNYDER HARDER
TO GET AT THE TRUTH.
Spivey: GOING AFTER
THAT CONFESSION IS KEY.
IT'S A GOAL IN EVERY CASE
REGARDLESS OF HOW STRONG
YOUR CASE IS
BECAUSE IT JUST
MAKES IT STRONGER.
I NEED TO CHANGE THE TONE,
AND I NEED TO PUT
SOME PRESSURE ON HIM.
I ALSO FEEL LIKE
IT COULD GO EITHER WAY.
IT COULD BE CLOSE
TO THE BREAKING POINT
WHERE HE TELLS ME THE TRUTH,
OR IT COULD BE CLOSE
TO THE POINT
WHERE HE CUTS THE INTERVIEW OFF.
♪♪
Narrator: WHILE ZACHARY SNYDER
IS BEING QUESTIONED
AT POLICE HEADQUARTERS,
DETECTIVES INVESTIGATING
THE DISAPPEARANCE OF
DORIS BABCOCK
HAVE FOUND THE REMAINS OF A BODY
IN A FIRE PIT BEHIND HER HOME
AND A SHOCKING PIECE OF EVIDENCE
IN A GARBAGE BAG INSIDE HER CAR.
Stroup: IT WAS A BLOODY KNIFE.
YOU CAN SEE
WHEN YOU LOOK AT THIS
THAT SHE WAS STABBED SO HARD
IN THE HIP BONE THAT IT...
IT BENT THE FRONT PART
OF THE KNIFE.
IT BENT THE TIP OF THE KNIFE,
AND THE BLADE OF
THE KNIFE ITSELF IS BENT.
I WAS KIND OF EXCITED
WHEN I FOUND THE KNIFE,
BELIEVING THAT I FOUND
THE MURDER WEAPON.
Narrator:
IN THE INTERROGATION ROOM,
DESPITE MOUNTING EVIDENCE,
SNYDER INSISTS THAT
HE DID NOT KILL
THE WOMAN WHO BROUGHT HIM
INTO HER HOME.
DETECTIVE SPIVEY IS DETERMINED
TO GET A CONFESSION.
THE STRATEGY IS ALWAYS THERE
TO KEEP THAT PRESSURE,
KEEP THAT STRESS UP.
I'M ASKING HIM
A LOT OF QUESTIONS,
AND HE'S FEELING THE PRESSURE.
HE REFUSES TO LOOK
IN MY DIRECTION.
HE LOOKS OFF THE OTHER WAY
OR JUST KEEPS HIS EYES CLOSED,
BUT I KIND OF FELT LIKE
I WAS CLOSE HERE.
I KIND OF FELT LIKE I WAS
ON THE RIGHT PATH,
JUST NEEDED TO FIND
THE RIGHT KEY TO OPEN THE DOOR.
I'M HOPING THAT HE'LL RELIVE
THE MOMENT THAT SHE WAS DYING,
AND HOPEFULLY,
THAT WOULD BREAK THROUGH
AND CAUSE HIM TO TELL ME
WHAT REALLY HAPPENED.
♪♪
I DON'T KNOW IF SHE HAD
ANY LAST WORDS,
SO I WAS TRYING TO MAYBE PICK
OUT WHAT SHE WOULD HAVE SAID.
MAYBE THAT WOULD HAVE
STRUCK A NERVE WITH HIM.
MAYBE IT WOULD HAVE
CAUSED HIM TO BREAK DOWN,
BUT HIS DEFENSE MECHANISM
THERE WAS TO JUST KIND
OF LAUGH AT MY QUESTION.
I THINK I MIGHT BE PRETTY CLOSE
ABOUT WHAT SHE SAID.
Narrator:
SNYDER DOESN'T FLINCH.
Narrator: BUT THE EVIDENCE
SAYS OTHERWISE--
CUTS ON HIS HANDS,
THE BLOODY KNIFE,
A BODY IN THE FIRE
HE ADMITTED TO SETTING,
HIS PRESENCE IN
THE VICTIM'S HOUSE.
I'M FRUSTRATED.
I KNOW HE'S GOING TO DENY
NO MATTER WHAT.
Narrator: INVESTIGATORS SENSE
THEIR SUSPECT IS CLOSE
TO ASKING FOR AN ATTORNEY,
THUS ENDING THE INTERROGATION,
BUT AS SNYDER CHALLENGES
THE DETECTIVE,
SPIVEY SEES AN OPENING
TO CONFRONT HIM.
IF I CAN CONVINCE HIM
THAT THERE'S EVIDENCE
THAT HE CAN'T REFUTE,
THEN MAYBE
HE'LL CHANGE HIS STORY.
I ACTUALLY NOTICE BLOOD ON HIS
JEANS, SEVERAL DROPS OF BLOOD.
Narrator: ZACHARY SNYDER
REFUSES TO BUDGE.
THERE'S OFTENTIMES
I'VE INTERVIEWED SUSPECTS,
AND THEY'VE TOLD LIES THAT ARE
JUST ABSOLUTELY INCONCEIVABLE,
BUT ONCE THEY SAY IT ONCE,
THEY WILL STICK WITH IT
TILL THE END.
I NEVER WANT TO DO ANYTHING
TO STOP AN INTERVIEW
BEFORE I'VE GOTTEN
WHAT I FEEL IS THE TRUTH,
BUT I'M RUNNING OUT OF
OPTIONS HERE.
SO AT THAT POINT,
I WANT THE SHOCK FACTOR.
I WANT HIM TO KNOW
HE'S NOT GOING ANYWHERE.
HE'S GOING TO BE ARRESTED
AT THE CONCLUSION OF
THIS INTERVIEW.
THE EVIDENCE MAKES ME
COMFORTABLE
THAT WE'RE GOING TO
CHARGE HIM WITH THE MURDER
AND HAVE PLENTY OF EVIDENCE
AGAINST HIM.
♪♪
Narrator: SNYDER HASN'T ASKED
FOR A LAWYER,
BUT THE PRESSURE SEEMS
TO BE GETTING TO HIM.
AT THIS POINT,
WE'RE TRYING TO ARRANGE
FOR THE EVIDENCE TECHNICIAN
TO COME AND COLLECT EVIDENCE,
AND WE SAW HIM LOOKING AT
THE STAINS ON HIS JEANS
AND EXAMINING THAT,
AND YOU SAW HIM TAKE HIS
SHOES OFF AND EXAMINE IT.
THERE ARE ITEMS OF EVIDENCE
ON HIS CLOTHING,
AND WE DON'T WANT ANY OF
THAT EVIDENCE TO DISAPPEAR.
Narrator: BUT SNYDER HAS DECIDED
ON HIS NEXT MOVE AS WELL.
Narrator:
THE INTERROGATION IS OVER.
WHEN ZACH INVOKES HIS RIGHT
TO AN ATTORNEY,
I KNOW THAT I'M DONE
QUESTIONING HIM.
I'M NOT GONNA PLAY ANY GAMES.
IT'S OVER WITH.
I'M GONNA FULLY RESPECT
THAT RIGHT.
BUT AT THAT POINT, HE DOESN'T
HAVE THE RIGHT TO AN ATTORNEY
TO STAND THERE TO ADVISE HIM
ON WHETHER WE CAN COLLECT THINGS
OR NOT COLLECT THINGS.
IT'S AN EXIGENT-TYPE SITUATION
WHERE WE DON'T WANT THERE
TO BE ANY OPPORTUNITY
FOR THAT EVIDENCE
TO DISAPPEAR OR BE DESTROYED.
Narrator: DETECTIVES HOPE
THE EVIDENCE IS ENOUGH
TO CONVINCE A JURY.
WITHOUT A CONFESSION,
IT'S ALL THEY HAVE.
♪♪
THE BODY IN THE ASHES
HAS BEEN POSITIVELY IDENTIFIED
AS DORIS BABCOCK.
WHILE ZACH SNYDER SITS IN JAIL,
CHARGED WITH HER MURDER,
DORIS' DAUGHTERS ARRIVE
AND GO STRAIGHT TO THE FIRE PIT.
Maneese:
WE DIDN'T GET TO SEE MOM.
WE DIDN'T GET TO SAY GOODBYE
TO MOM.
THAT'S THE LAST PLACE
WE KNEW SHE WAS,
SO WE WENT TO THE FIRE PIT
AND JUST SAT THERE
BY THE FIRE PIT...
[ Voice breaking ]
AND STUCK OUR HANDS IN IT
JUST TO FEEL
PART OF HER.
♪♪
THAT WAS HER ASHES IN THAT PIT.
Sadler:
NO CHILD, NO FAMILY MEMBER
SHOULD HAVE TO...
SEE...
WHAT MY SISTER AND I HAVE SEEN.
♪♪
Narrator:
BUT THEIR ORDEAL ISN'T OVER.
NO ONE IS PREPARED
FOR THE EVIDENCE
POLICE UNCOVER THE NEXT DAY,
INCLUDING THE REASON
DORIS BABCOCK HAD TO DIE.
HE SHOWED IT TO ME,
AND IT WAS SHOCKING.
THIS IS THE WEDDING RING
THAT DORIS BABCOCK HAD ON
WHEN HER BODY WAS BURNED.
WE GOT IT OUT OF THE FIRE.
IT WAS FOUND, AND, UM...
WHEN THEY HAD
HER MEMORIAL SERVICE,
WE TOOK THIS RING AND WE HAD IT
CLEANED AND POLISHED,
AND WE PRESENTED IT BACK
TO HER HUSBAND,
WHO WAS WEARING
THE MATCHING RING.
I THINK IT WAS JUST TRYING
TO GIVE A PIECE OF DORIS
BACK TO THE FAMILY BECAUSE THERE
WASN'T REALLY ANYTHING
TO GIVE THEM BACK.
♪♪
♪♪
Narrator:
ZACHARY SNYDER'S INTERROGATION
CONCERNING THE MURDER
OF DORIS BABCOCK
ENDS WHEN HE REQUESTS A LAWYER.
WITHOUT A CONFESSION, DETECTIVES
HOPE BLOOD ON HIS PANTS
WILL MATCH A BLOODY KNIFE
FOUND AT THE SCENE
AND PROVE HIS MURDERED
HIS SURROGATE GRANDMOTHER.
LATER THAT DAY, INVESTIGATORS
EXECUTE A SEARCH WARRANT
OF SNYDER'S NEW APARTMENT,
AND WHAT THEY FIND
BLOWS THEM AWAY.
DETECTIVE BUOY DECIDES HE'S
GONNA GO THROUGH THE GARBAGE,
AND WHEN HE DOES, HE FINDS THREE
PIECES OF CRUMPLED UP PAPER
THAT END UP BEING
A LIST OF THINGS TO DO.
THE VERY FIRST THING TO DO
WAS "KILL MRS. DEE."
THAT'S VERY COLD-HEARTED.
THAT'S PREMEDITATION
AT ITS FINEST RIGHT THERE.
♪♪
Narrator: D.N.A. RESULTS FROM
THE BLOODY KNIFE
WILL CONFIRM
WHAT DETECTIVES BELIEVE.
WHEN YOU GET THAT D.N.A. BACK
AND IT SAYS,
"ON THIS KNIFE, THERE WAS
A MIXTURE OF BLOOD.
IT'S DORIS' BLOOD
AND ZACH'S BLOOD,"
IT'S ANOTHER NAIL IN THE COFFIN.
Narrator: THE EVIDENCE PROVES
THAT SNYDER KILLED
THE WOMAN HE CALLED GRANDMOTHER.
THE NEWS HITS
DORIS' FAMILY HARD.
WE KNEW THAT ZACH
WAS A TROUBLED PERSON,
AND SHE JUST BELIEVED,
WITH ENOUGH LOVE,
SHE COULD FIX ANYTHING.
SHE WAS MURDERED BY THE HANDS
OF SOMEBODY THAT SHE LOVED
LIKE SHE LOVED US KIDS,
SO THAT'S...
THAT'S HARD TO COMPREHEND.
♪♪
Narrator: JANUARY 31, 2010,
11 WEEKS AFTER THE MURDER,
SNYDER CONTACTS POLICE
WITH AN UNUSUAL REQUEST.
HE'S DECIDED
THAT HE'D RATHER DIE
THAN SPEND HIS LIFE BEHIND BARS,
SO HE WANTS TO CONFESS IN
EXCHANGE FOR THE DEATH PENALTY.
Spivey: WHEN I GOT THE MESSAGE
THAT HE WANTED TO SPEAK,
I CAN ASSURE YOU,
I DIDN'T WASTE ANY TIME.
I WANT TO GET
TO THE INTERVIEW ROOM,
AND I WANT TO GET HIM TO
THE INTERVIEW ROOM,
AND I WANT TO HEAR
WHAT HE'S GOT TO SAY
BEFORE HE HAS A CHANCE
TO CHANGE HIS MIND.
Narrator:
BUT THE QUESTION REMAINS.
WHY DID SNYDER KILL THE WOMAN
WHO GAVE HIM SO MUCH?
HIS ANSWER IS STUNNING.
A FEW DAYS BEFORE THE MURDER,
HE MET A YOUNG WOMAN
AND ASKED HER OUT.
TO IMPRESS HER, HE CLAIMED
DORIS' CAR WAS HIS OWN.
WHEN IT CAME TIME FOR HIS DATE,
RATHER THAN ASKING DORIS
FOR PERMISSION
THAT SHE WAS UNLIKELY TO GIVE,
HE KILLED HER AND TOOK THE CAR.
♪♪
I COULD BE WRONG ABOUT HIM,
BUT I FEEL LIKE
THAT REMORSE WAS TRUE.
I FEEL LIKE IT WAS HEARTFELT.
I FEEL LIKE HE REALIZES HE MADE
THE BIGGEST MISTAKE OF HIS LIFE,
AND HE DID IT TO THE ONE
PERSON THAT CARED ABOUT HIM.
I MEAN, YOU CAN HEAR IT
IN HIS VOICE.
HIS VOICE CRACKS AND SHAKES.
♪♪
OF ALL THE CRIMES
I'VE EVER INVESTIGATED,
THIS HAS GOT TO BE
THE MOST SENSELESS CRIME.
IT'S JUST HEART-WRENCHING,
KNOWING THAT THIS INNOCENT WOMAN
DIED FOR SUCH A SMALL REASON.
I CAN'T TELL YOU ENOUGH
HOW EVIL HE IS,
AND I PERSONALLY BELIEVE THAT...
GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY,
HE WOULD DO IT AGAIN.
♪♪
IN 2012, STATE ATTORNEYS
OFFER ZACH SNYDER A DEAL
TO AVOID YEARS
OF DEATH PENALTY LITIGATION.
HE PLEADS GUILTY TO
THE MURDER OF DORIS BABCOCK
AND IS SENTENCED TO
LIFE IN PRISON WITHOUT PAROLE.
HE MURDERED HER
WHEN HE WAS 19 YEARS OLD,
AND HE'S IN PRISON
FOR THE REST OF HIS LIFE.
LOOK AT THAT LIFE.
LOOK AT HIS LIFE.
IT WAS A WASTE.
♪♪
Spivey: THIS IS A LETTER WE ALSO
FOUND AT ZACHARY'S HOUSE,
THAT MISS D HAD WRITTEN TO HIM,
APPARENTLY AFTER HE HAD
MOVED OUT.
"DEAR ZACHARY, I HOPE EVERYTHING
IS AS GOOD AS YOU HOPED FOR.
"I KNOW THAT YOU DON'T HAVE
ALL YOU WANT,
BUT IF YOU DID..."
[ SNIFFLES ]
"WHAT WOULD YOU
HAVE TO LOOK FORWARD TO?
YOU WANT SO MUCH."
"YOU WILL NEVER HAVE EVERYTHING
"'CAUSE THERE WILL ALWAYS BE
NEWER AND BETTER THINGS
COMING OUT ALL THE TIME."
SHE DESCRIBED EXACTLY WHAT
KILLED HER,
IS HE WANTED SOMETHING,
AND HE HAD TO HAVE IT
AND HE HAD TO HAVE IT NOW.
Sadler: MOM WASN'T KILLED
BECAUSE OF THE GOODNESS
OF HER HEART.
SHE WAS KILLED BECAUSE OF
THE EVILNESS IN SOMEBODY ELSE.
BUT SHE WOULDN'T DO IT
ANY OTHER WAY.
SHE WOULD NOT REDO
A SINGLE THING
IF SHE HAD TO DO OVER AGAIN.
♪♪
BY SOMEONE SHE LOVED.
Sadler:
NO CHILD, NO FAMILY MEMBER
SHOULD HAVE TO SEE
WHAT MY SISTER AND I HAVE SEEN.
Narrator: DETECTIVES REVEAL
A HORRIFIC CRIME.
IT WAS KIND OF ONE OF THE THINGS
WHERE WE WERE LOOKING
BACK AND FORTH AT EACH OTHER
AND LOOKING AT IT GOING,
"IS...ARE YOU SEEING
WHAT I'M SEEING?"
OUT OF ALL THE CRIMES
I'VE EVER INVESTIGATED,
THIS HAS GOT TO BE
THE MOST SENSELESS CRIME.
♪♪
Narrator: THEY MUST GET A KILLER
TO CONFESS HIS ALARMING MOTIVE.
♪♪
I'M GOING TO STAY
IN THAT INTERVIEW ROOM
UNTIL I GET THE TRUTH.
[ LIGHT BUZZES, CLANKS ]
Narrator:
IN THE INTERROGATION ROOM,
POLICE MUST CONFRONT EVIL...
WHEN DID YOU DECIDE THAT YOU
WERE GOING TO KILL THIS PERSON?
WHY DID YOU CHOOSE MURDER?
DO YOU CONSIDER YOURSELF
A SERIAL KILLER?
Narrator:...SIFTING THROUGH
UNSPEAKABLE CRIMES
AND DARK SECRETS.
I HAD A KNIFE AND WENT DOWN.
I AM A KILLER.
I'VE KILLED THREE OTHER PEOPLE.
Narrator: THE TRUTH CAN ONLY
BE REVEALED
WHEN EVIL TALKS.
♪♪
♪♪
Narrator: NOVEMBER 14, 2009,
A DISTURBING PHONE CALL
INTERRUPTS A FAMILY REUNION.
- I'LL GET THE PHONE.
- OKAY.
SHERRI AND I WERE
AT A FAMILY GATHERING
IN EVANSVILLE, INDIANA,
AND...
WE GOT A PHONE CALL
FROM MY MOM'S HUSBAND, CECIL.
- HELLO?
- It's Cecil.
- Have you talked to your mother?
- NO.
AND HE SAID THAT HE HAD BEEN
TRYING TO GET AHOLD OF MOM
SINCE THE DAY BEFORE.
It's not like her
not to answer the phone.
I'm really starting
to get worried.
WELL, NOW I'M GETTING
WORRIED, TOO.
AND THEY NORMALLY TALKED
SEVERAL TIMES A DAY,
AND IT WAS UNUSUAL FOR HIM NOT
TO BE ABLE TO GET AHOLD OF HER.
Narrator:
DORIS AND CECIL BABCOCK
LIVE IN DUNNELLON, FLORIDA,
BUT CECIL IS KENTUCKY,
HUNDREDS OF MILES AWAY
FROM HOME.
Maneese: CECIL WAS ON THE ROAD.
HE WAS A TRUCK DRIVER.
HE WAS ON THE ROAD
WHEN HE CALLED US,
SAYING THAT HE COULD NOT
REACH MOM,
SO WE STARTED CALLING HER HOUSE
AND GETTING HER VOICE MAIL.
[ TELEPHONE RINGS ]
[ BEEP ]
Doris: Hi.
We're not home right now.
Leave a message,
and we'll call you back.
[ Beep ]
MOM, CECIL CALLED US.
CALLING HER CELLPHONE,
CALLING HER HOUSE PHONE,
LEAVING MESSAGES,
"IF YOU GET THIS, CALL US.
JUST CHECKING IN
TO MAKE SURE YOU'RE ALL RIGHT."
Narrator:
BUT DORIS NEVER ANSWERS.
♪♪
AS HOURS PASS, THE FAMILY
GROWS MORE CONCERNED.
WHERE IS DORIS BABCOCK?
FINALLY, CECIL CALLS THE POLICE.
MOST TIMES,
THERE'S A SIMPLE EXPLANATION
ON WHY THIS PERSON WAS MISSING
OR WHY THEY WEREN'T
ANSWERING SOMEONE'S CALLS.
SHE COULD HAVE GOTTEN IN HER
VEHICLE, DROVE OFF SOMEWHERE,
MAYBE HAD A HIDDEN DEMENTIA,
GOT LOST, CAN'T GET HOME.
Narrator: A DEPUTY FROM
THE MARION COUNTY
SHERIFF'S OFFICE
IS SENT TO DORIS' HOME
TO CHECK ON HER WELL-BEING.
IT'S VERY DARK. IT'S LATE.
IT'S VERY QUIET.
THIS HOUSE IS REALLY
IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE.
[ DOORBELL RINGS ]
BUT THERE'S THIS LAYER OF SMOKE
THAT'S JUST HANGING
OVER THE HOUSE.
Narrator: AS THE DEPUTY
APPROACHES THE HOUSE,
HE NOTES THAT THE LIGHTS ARE ON.
HE KNOCKS ON THE DOOR.
WHEN NO ONE ANSWERS,
HE ENTERS CAUTIOUSLY.
HELLO?
THERE WAS A PERSON IN THE HOUSE.
IT WAS NOT DORIS BABCOCK.
HELLO?
HI. I'M ZACH.
Narrator: THE YOUNG MAN
IN THE BABCOCKS' HOME
IDENTIFIES HIMSELF
AS 19-YEAR-OLD ZACHARY SNYDER.
HE TELLS POLICE HE'S NOT
A RESIDENT OR A RELATIVE,
BUT HE HAS A RIGHT TO BE THERE.
ZACH CALMS HIS SUSPICIONS
BY SAYING,
"HEY, I'VE LIVED HERE.
I KNOW MISS DORIS."
SAID HE GOT CONCERNED, THAT HE'D
HAD A PHONE CALL FROM CECIL.
Narrator: SNYDER SAYS HE'S THERE
LOOKING FOR DORIS
BECAUSE HE HASN'T BEEN ABLE
TO GET AHOLD OF HER.
♪♪
HE EXPLAINS THAT DORIS AND CECIL
ARE HIS FORMER GUARDIANS.
ZACH CAME INTO THE BABCOCKS'
HOME 4 YEARS AGO
AFTER A CHILDHOOD SPENT
IN AND OUT OF SHELTERS
AND INSTITUTIONS.
HE WAS JUST A YOUNG KID
AND SEEMED SO ALONE
IN A PLACE THAT
KIDS SHOULDN'T BE.
Spivey: DORIS JUST DECIDED
THAT SHE WAS GONNA TRY
TO GIVE THIS YOUNG MAN A BETTER
LIFE THAN HE HAD HAD BEFORE.
SO DORIS GAVE UP HER CAREER
AND ACTUALLY TOOK ZACH IN.
Maneese: THE IDEA OF HELPING HIM
BROUGHT HER HAPPINESS.
SHE WAS A GOOD PERSON
AND THAT WAS HER CHARACTER,
TO HELP OTHER PEOPLE AND TO
TOUCH OTHER PEOPLE'S LIVES.
THEIR RELATIONSHIP, I THINK,
GREW TO WHERE HE WOULD REFER
TO HER AS GRANDMOTHER,
HIS GRANDMOTHER, AND SHE WOULD
REFER TO HIM AS HER GRANDSON.
♪♪
Narrator: SNYDER ONLY MOVED OUT
RECENTLY WITH DORIS' HELP.
HE SAYS HE SAW HER
JUST YESTERDAY
WHEN SHE TOOK HIM SHOPPING.
TODAY, AFTER CECIL CALLED,
SNYDER SAYS HE CAME BACK
TO THE HOUSE
TO CHECK ON
HIS SURROGATE GRANDMOTHER.
Stroup: HE'S LOOKED THROUGH
THE HOUSE. SHE'S NOT THERE.
THERE'S SOME KEYS
ON THE KITCHEN COUNTER,
BUT HE HAS NO IDEA
WHERE SHE COULD BE.
Spivey: HE'S ALSO WORRIED
ABOUT WHERE SHE COULD BE
BECAUSE HER CAR IS HERE,
AND HE STATES SHE WOULDN'T
BE ANYWHERE WITHOUT HER CAR.
♪♪
Narrator: SNYDER INVITES
THE OFFICER TO LOOK AROUND.
THE HOUSE WAS NEAT AND TIDY.
EVERYTHING SEEMED
TO BE IN PLACE.
IT DIDN'T LOOK LIKE THERE WAS
ANY KIND OF STRUGGLE.
AS THEY'RE WALKING THROUGH
THE HOUSE, THOUGH, THIS DEPUTY
SEES A FEW THINGS THAT
HE FEELS DOESN'T BELONG THERE.
THERE'S A MASTER BEDROOM.
THERE'S CARPET MISSING THERE,
BUT IT'S CUT OUT,
AND IT'S NOT ALL OF THE CARPET.
IT'S JUST A SECTION OF CARPET,
AND IT'S NOT A CLEAN CUT.
IT'S KIND OF JAGGED.
IT'S NOT A PERFECT SQUARE
OR A PERFECT TRIANGLE.
♪♪
WHILE HE'S STANDING THERE
IN THE BEDROOM,
ZACH SNYDER LOOKS DOWN
AT THE CARPET
WHERE IT'S CUT OUT
AND LEANS DOWN AND SAYS,
"THIS LOOKS LIKE BLOOD."
YOU THINK SOMETHING
HAPPENED TO MISS D?
I DON'T KNOW.
Stroup:
THERE WAS A REDDISH STAIN,
LIKE, IN THE CARPET,
ON THE EDGE.
SO AT THAT TIME,
THE DEPUTY DECIDES,
THIS COULD BE A CRIME SCENE.
♪♪
Narrator: UNSURE OF WHAT
MAY HAVE HAPPENED TO DORIS,
DEPUTY CALHOUN CALLS FOR BACKUP
FROM THE HOMICIDE UNIT.
HEY, JOYCE.
YEAH, YOU WANNA GET
SOME CARS OUT HERE?
I JUST...I GOT A WEIRD FEELING.
♪♪
Narrator:
WHEN THE DETECTIVES ARRIVE,
THEY GET A QUICK BRIEFING FROM
THE FIRST OFFICER ON THE SCENE.
THEN THEY BEGIN THEIR OWN
EXAMINATION OF THE PREMISES.
THEY RIPPED UP
SOME OF THE CARPET.
I THINK WE GOT
BLOODSTAINS ON THERE.
- IS IT IN THE BEDROOM?
- YEAH.
WHAT I NOTICED WHEN I WALKED IN,
I COULD SEE EXACTLY WHAT
THE RESPONDING DEPUTY
WAS TELLING ME.
THERE WAS SOME BLOOD SPATTER ON
THE WALL, JUST MINUTE SPATTERS.
THERE WAS BLOOD
AROUND THE EDGE OF THE CARPET
THAT HAD BEEN CUT OUT
IN THE BEDROOM.
I NOTICED A PAINT CAN
AND SOME PAINT ON THE WALL
THAT MIGHT STILL BE WET.
IT COULD HAVE BEEN
SOMETHING SHE LEFT,
BUT WHEN YOU SEE BLOOD
AND YOU SEE FRESH PAINT,
YOU STAT TO WONDER,
WHAT IS THAT PAINT COVERING UP?
IS THERE MORE BLOOD
THAT I CAN'T SEE?
♪♪
Spivey: EACH AND EVERY TIME
I FIND ANOTHER ITEM OF INTEREST,
MY CONCERN FOR DORIS
AND HER WELL-BEING
IS SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED.
THE HAIR ON THE BACK OF MY NECK
IS STANDING UP
WHEN I SEE THE ITEMS
FROM HER PURSE
ARE JUST SITTING ON THE COUNTER
BUT SHE'S GONE, THAT HER KEYS
ARE SITTING ON THE COUNTER
BUT SHE'S GONE, THAT THERE'S
BLOOD SPATTER IN THE BEDROOM,
BUT SHE'S NOWHERE TO BE FOUND.
Narrator:
WITH A RISING SENSE OF DREAD,
DETECTIVES DECIDE
TO SEARCH THE GROUNDS.
THEY HEAD OUT TO
THE BACKYARD FIRE PIT.
♪♪
THE SMELL OF SMOKE
WAS IN THE AIR,
BUT IT WASN'T OVERPOWERING,
BUT THERE WAS JUST
THIS URGE IN ME,
"I WANT TO GO SEE
WHAT'S IN THE FIRE."
THE FIRE IN THE BACKYARD
IS VERY ORDINARY,
ESPECIALLY ON A COLD NIGHT,
ESPECIALLY IN
THE RURAL AREAS HERE.
A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE
FIRE PITS IN THEIR YARD
THAT THEY USE
ONLY FOR YARD DEBRIS.
Narrator: DETECTIVES
PEER INTO THE PIT,
TRYING TO DETERMINE EXACTLY WHAT
THEY'RE SEEING IN THE FLAMES.
Spivey: EVERYTHING WAS BLACK,
EVERYTHING WAS BURNED,
EVERYTHING WAS CHARRED,
BUT SOMETHING JUST
KEPT POINTING ME
TOWARDS A CERTAIN LUMP
THAT WAS IN THE FIRE.
Stroup: IT WAS KIND OF
ONE OF THE THINGS WHERE WE WERE
LOOKING BACK AND FORTH AT
EACH OTHER AND LOOK AT IT GOING,
"IS...ARE YOU SEEING
WHAT I'M SEEING?"
NEITHER ONE OF US
WANTED TO VOICE IT,
BUT THERE WERE THINGS
IN THE FIRE
THAT HAD CHARACTERISTICS
OF A HUMAN BODY.
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪
Narrator:
66-YEAR-OLD DORIS BABCOCK
IS MISSING
FROM HER FLORIDA HOME.
♪♪
NOW, DETECTIVES SEARCHING DORIS'
BACKYARD FEAR THEY'VE FOUND HER.
EVERYTHING WAS BLACK.
EVERYTHING WAS BURNED.
EVERYTHING WAS CHARRED.
IF IT'S REALLY
HUMAN REMAINS IN A FIRE PIT,
THE FIRST THING YOU WANT TO DO
IS YOU WANT THAT FIRE OUT.
♪♪
MY FEAR WAS THAT I WAS
STANDING THERE,
WATCHING MY EVIDENCE BURN UP
IN A HOMICIDE SITUATION
AND DIDN'T KNOW
WHAT OTHER EVIDENCE I'D HAVE.
Narrator: DETECTIVES CALL
THE MEDICAL EXAMINER,
WHO WILL CONFIRM IF THERE ARE
HUMAN REMAINS IN THESE ASHES,
AND IF SO, WHOSE.
♪♪
I SAW HER YESTERDAY.
WE WENT TO THE GROCERY STORE.
AND HAVE YOU SEEN HER TODAY?
Narrator:
INVESTIGATORS HAVE QUESTIONS
FOR THE YOUNG MAN FOUND
IN THE HOUSE -- ZACH SNYDER.
UNTIL RECENTLY, HE LIVED
WITH DORIS AND CECIL,
HIS FORMER GUARDIANS.
THEY NOTICE THAT
HIS PANTS ARE DIRTY.
SNYDER SAYS THE STAINS ARE
FROM THE FIRE PIT.
ZACHARY BEGINS TO TELL ME
THAT HE CAME THERE
TO LOOK FOR MISS BABCOCK,
BUT WHILE HE WAS THERE,
HE DECIDED TO HELP MISS BABCOCK
BY BURNING SOME TRASH
AND BY FIXING SOME THINGS UP
AROUND THE HOUSE.
Narrator: SNYDER ADMITS
TO SETTING THE FIRE,
BUT HE SEEMS CALM AND UNAWARE
OF WHAT POLICE SUSPECT
IS IN THE PIT.
HE APPEARED
TO BE VERY COOPERATIVE
AND VERY CONCERNED ABOUT
WHERE WAS MISS BABCOCK.
♪♪
Narrator: IS SNYDER A WITNESS
OR A SUSPECT?
DETECTIVES WONDER IF
HE IS RESPONSIBLE
FOR THE FOREBODING SCENE
INSIDE THE BABCOCK HOME.
POLICE CALL DORIS' HUSBAND
FOR MORE INFORMATION,
AND CECIL BABCOCK IS
UPSET TO LEARN
THAT SNYDER WAS IN THE HOUSE.
♪♪
THERE'S SOME BAD BLOOD
BETWEEN THOSE TWO.
MR. BABCOCK DOESN'T REALLY
TRUST THIS KID.
HE'S GOT SOME ISSUES WITH HIM.
I CALLED ZACH TO SEE IF
HE WAS WITH DORIS.
I NEVER TALKED TO HIM
ABOUT GOING TO MY HOUSE.
HE AIN'T ALLOWED TO BE
AT THE HOUSE.
HE SHOULDN'T EVEN HAVE A KEY.
HE MOVED OUT.
Stroup: MR. AND MRS. BABCOCK,
WHEN HE LEFT ON THIS TRIP,
THEIR AGREEMENT WAS THAT
MRS. BABCOCK WOULD FIND
ZACHARY SOMEWHERE ELSE TO LIVE,
WOULD GET HIM SET UP,
AND THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT SHE DID.
♪♪
Narrator:
IS ZACH SNYDER INVOLVED
IN DORIS' DISAPPEARANCE,
OR IS CECIL BABCOCK TRYING
TO DIVERT SUSPICION?
IT WOULDN'T BE UNCOMMON
FOR SOMEONE
SUCH AS A HUSBAND OR A SPOUSE
TO CALL THE POLICE
TO SET UP THEIR OWN ALIBI,
TO SAY THAT THEY ARE
SOMEWHERE ELSE
AND MAYBE NOT BE THERE.
♪♪
Spivey: AS A TRUCK DRIVER,
HE HAS THE ABILITY
TO DRIVE HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS
AND THOUSANDS OF MILES
AND COULD USE HIS LOCATION
AS AN ALIBI.
♪♪
I'VE WORKED CASES IN THE PAST
WHERE THE HUSBAND,
HE WAS AN OVER-THE-ROAD
TRUCK DRIVER,
AND HE MADE SURE
HE WAS IN ANOTHER STATE,
FOUR OR FIVE STATES AWAY,
BEFORE HIS WIFE WAS ATTACKED.
SO HAVING THAT EXPERIENCE,
HAVING THAT IN MIND,
IT WAS JUST ONE OF
THE FIRST THINGS IN MY HEAD
TO START ASKING QUESTIONS
ABOUT CECIL.
♪♪
Narrator: DETECTIVES MAKE A PLAN
TO DIVIDE UP THE INVESTIGATION.
DETECTIVE STROUP AND I ARE
GONNA WORK AS A TEAM
IN THIS INVESTIGATION.
Stroup: I'M GONNA TAKE
THE CRIME SCENE
AND I'M GOING TO PROCESS IT,
AND HE'S GOING TO GO
WITH ZACHARY SNYDER
TO THE MARION COUNTY
SHERIFF'S OFFICE
AND DO AN INTERVIEW TO TRY TO
ANSWER SOME OF THESE QUESTIONS
AND FIGURE OUT
WHAT'S REALLY GOING ON.
LET'S GO, ZACH.
♪♪
Narrator: TO FIND OUT WHAT
HAPPENED AND WHO'S RESPONSIBLE,
INVESTIGATORS NEED TO KNOW MORE
ABOUT EVERYONE INVOLVED --
DORIS BABCOCK, HER HUSBAND
CECIL, AND ZACH SNYDER.
Spivey:
AS I'M DRIVING TO THE OFFICE
TO CONDUCT THE INTERVIEW
WITH ZACH,
I'VE GOT A COUPLE OF THINGS
ON MY MIND.
I WANT TO KNOW WHAT
THEY'RE FINDING AT THE HOUSE.
I WANT TO GET REGULAR UPDATES.
I WANT ZACH TO TELL ME
WHAT HE'S BEEN DOING
OVER THE LAST COUPLE DAYS.
I WANT HIM TO TELL ME
WHAT HE KNOWS
ABOUT DORIS' ACTIVITIES
OVER THE LAST COUPLE DAYS.
BUT THEN I WANT TO CONFRONT ZACH
AND I WANT TO FIND OUT
IF HE KNOWS MORE.
SO FAR, HE'S BEING COOPERATIVE.
IN EACH CASE, YOU'RE GONNA LOOK
AT ANY POSSIBLE SUSPECTS,
AND YOU'RE GONNA TRY
TO FIGURE OUT
WHAT THEY WOULD GAIN FROM THIS,
WHAT WOULD THEY
BENEFIT FROM THIS,
AND YOU'RE ALWAYS
LOOKING FOR RED FLAGS.
IN THIS PARTICULAR CASE, CECIL
AND ZACHARY ARE THE TWO PEOPLE
THAT WE WANTED
TO LOOK AT CLOSELY.
Narrator: DETECTIVE SPIVEY READS
SNYDER HIS RIGHTS.
MY FIRST IMPRESSION OF ZACH
IS THIS YOUNG KID
WHO IS NOT
VERY EXPERIENCED IN LIFE.
I CAN'T GET OVER
HOW YOUNG HE LOOKS.
I CAN'T GET OVER HOW...
IMMATURE HE LOOKS.
HE MIGHT NOT BE A SUSPECT
AT THIS MOMENT,
EARLY ON IN THE INTERVIEW.
WHETHER HE'S RESPONSIBLE
FOR HER DEATH OR NOT,
HE'S THE MOST VALUABLE PERSON
THAT I COULD GATHER
INFORMATION FROM.
I'M GOING TO STAY
IN THAT INTERVIEW ROOM
UNTIL I GET THE TRUTH.
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪
Narrator:
66-YEAR-OLD DORIS BABCOCK
IS MISSING FROM
HER CENTRAL FLORIDA HOME.
HER DAUGHTERS ARE DESPERATELY
HOPING SHE'S STILL ALIVE.
ALL NIGHT LONG,
I KEPT CALLING BACK
THE DUNNELLON POLICE DEPARTMENT,
TRYING TO GET UPDATES
ON WHAT WAS GOING ON OUT THERE.
Maneese: AND AT THAT POINT,
IF HER CAR IS THERE
AND HER PURSE IS THERE,
WE KNEW SHE WAS THERE.
SHE WOULD HAVE NEVER LEFT
WITH THOSE BEHIND.
♪♪
Narrator: POLICE HAVE FOUND
BLOOD SPATTER IN DORIS' HOME
AND POSSIBLY HUMAN REMAINS
IN A FIRE PIT BEHIND HER HOUSE.
HELLO?
HI. I'M ZACH.
Narrator:
ZACHARY SNYDER WAS ON THE SCENE
WHEN POLICE FIRST ARRIVED.
HE'D BEEN LIVING WITH DORIS
AND HER HUSBAND CECIL
FOR SEVERAL YEARS.
AT THE BEGINNING OF
THE INTERVIEW,
ZACHARY IS VERY FORTHCOMING.
HE PROVIDES ME
A LOT OF INFORMATION
ABOUT HIS BACKGROUND HISTORY
WITH MISS DORIS, MR. CECIL.
HE WAS HELPING ME UNDERSTAND
THE FAMILY DYNAMIC.
I WANT TO KNOW
WHAT CECIL IS LIKE,
IF HE'S CAPABLE
OF SOMETHING LIKE THIS.
♪♪
Narrator: DETECTIVE SPIVEY MUST
CONSIDER ALL POSSIBLE SUSPECTS,
AS DORIS' SPOUSE CECIL
IS NEAR THE TOP OF THE LIST.
♪♪
Narrator:
BACK AT THE CRIME SCENE,
DETECTIVE STROUP
IS COLLECTING EVIDENCE
AND CHECKING CECIL'S ALIBI.
WAS HE REALLY DRIVING
A TRUCK IN KENTUCKY
WHEN HE CLAIMED TO BE
TRYING TO REACH DORIS?
AT THE TIME WHEN HE CALLED, HE
SAID HE WAS A TRUCK STOP THERE.
SO THE AUTHORITIES IN THAT AREA
WERE CALLED
TO GO TO THAT TRUCK STOP
TO MAKE CONTACT WITH HIM.
- EVENING, SIR.
- EVENING.
ARE YOU CECIL BABCOCK?
YES, SIR, I AM.
Stroup: THEY MADE CONTACT WITH
HIM AND CONFIRMED HIS ALIBI.
Narrator:
WITH CECIL OUT OF THE PICTURE,
IT'S TIME TO TAKE
A CLOSER LOOK AT SNYDER.
IS IT POSSIBLE HE HARMED
THE WOMAN HE CALLED GRANDMOTHER?
♪♪
ZACH ACTUALLY COMMENTED TO ME
THAT THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS
THAT HE HAD BEEN LIVING
WITH MISS DORIS
HAD BEEN THE BEST TIMES
OF HIS LIFE.
I THINK HE HAD BEEN ABANDONED.
I THINK HE HAD BEEN ABUSED,
AND I THINK DURING
THOSE FEW YEARS,
HE ACTUALLY FOUND OUT
WHAT LOVE COULD BE.
♪♪
Narrator: BUT SNYDER HAS
STAINS ON HIS CLOTHES
AND CUTS ON HIS HANDS,
WHICH DRAW THE ATTENTION
OF DETECTIVE SPIVEY.
OFTENTIMES, WHEN THERE'S
BEEN A STABBING,
THE SUSPECT WILL ACTUALLY
CUT THEIR HANDS.
THEIR HAND WILL ACTUALLY
SLIDE DOWN ON THE KNIFE
AND IT WILL CUT
THE INSIDES OF THEIR HANDS.
WHEN THE SUSPECT HAS CUTS
ON THE INSIDE OF HIS FINGERS
ON BOTH HANDS, IT'S KIND OF
THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM.
EVENTUALLY,
I WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT.
Narrator: SPIVEY NOTICES
SOMETHING UNUSUAL.
SNYDER'S MOVEMENTS
DON'T MATCH HIS WORDS.
HE'S TALKING ABOUT
GUTTING A SHARK.
HE DID THE MOTION,
BUT EACH AND EVERY TIME
THEY ENDED UP BEING MOTIONS
TOWARD THE GROUND,
NOT NECESSARILY A SHARK
THAT'S HANGING UP
IN THE TREE AT EYE LEVEL.
Narrator:
TO THE VETERAN DETECTIVE,
SNYDER SEEMS TO BE
ACTING OUT A STABBING.
♪♪
WHEN HE USED THE MOTION, HE
ACTUALLY WAS JABBING THE KNIFE,
LIKE, DOWN AS IF HE'S JABBING IT
INTO THE GROUND.
AND MY PERSONAL BELIEF IS
AFTER HE INITIALLY ATTACKED
MISS DORIS,
SHE WAS ON THE GROUND.
HIS HANDS WERE TELLING THE TRUTH
WHILE HIS MOUTH
WAS TELLING A LIE.
HE MIGHT BE JUST
A STONE-COLD KILLER.
♪♪
Narrator: SNYDER IS LOOKING MORE
AND MORE LIKE A PRIME SUSPECT,
BUT DETECTIVE SPIVEY DECIDES
NOT TO ACCUSE HIM OF MURDER
JUST YET.
INSTEAD, HE WANTS TO GET ZACH
TALKING ABOUT THE FIRE
IN THE PIT BEHIND
THE BABCOCKS' HOME,
WHERE INVESTIGATORS ARE LOOKING
FOR HUMAN REMAINS.
VERY EARLY ON, ZACHARY TELLS US
THAT HE IS THE REASON
WHY THERE'S A FIRE
IN THE BACKYARD,
THAT HE WAS TRYING TO DO DORIS
A FAVOR BY BURNING SOME TRASH
AND THEN GETTING RID
OF SOME OLD MAGAZINES
THAT SHE HAD LAYING AROUND
THE HOUSE.
Narrator: TO DETECTIVES,
THAT SOUNDS LIKE A COVER-UP.
IT STANDS TO REASON
THAT DORIS BABCOCK
WAS MOST LIKELY STABBED TO DEATH
AND THEN BURNT,
AND THAT HER BODY WAS DISCARDED
INTO THE FIRE PIT,
SET ON FIRE.
♪♪
Narrator:
A TEXT FROM THE CRIME SCENE
SEEMS TO
CONFIRM THEIR SUSPICIONS.
THE TORSO HAS ACTUALLY
BEEN PULLED FROM THE FIRE,
AND THE MEDICAL EXAMINER'S
SAYING,
"YES, 100%,
THIS IS A HUMAN BODY."
WHEN I GET THE CONFIRMATION
FROM DETECTIVE STROUP,
THEN I FEEL FREE TO REALLY
GO AFTER HIM AND ACCUSE HIM.
IT'S NO LONGER AN INTERVIEW.
IT'S AN INTERROGATION,
AND I WANT TO GET TO THE TRUTH.
NO INDICATION WHATSOEVER
THAT HE'S SHOCKED
THAT SHE'S NO LONGER WITH US,
SHOCKED THAT SHE'S DEAD.
THERE'S NO CONCERN THAT MISS D.
IS NO LONGER A MISSING PERSON.
SHE'S A DEAD BODY.
♪♪
Narrator: DETECTIVE SPIVEY
PUSHES SNYDER HARDER
TO GET AT THE TRUTH.
Spivey: GOING AFTER
THAT CONFESSION IS KEY.
IT'S A GOAL IN EVERY CASE
REGARDLESS OF HOW STRONG
YOUR CASE IS
BECAUSE IT JUST
MAKES IT STRONGER.
I NEED TO CHANGE THE TONE,
AND I NEED TO PUT
SOME PRESSURE ON HIM.
I ALSO FEEL LIKE
IT COULD GO EITHER WAY.
IT COULD BE CLOSE
TO THE BREAKING POINT
WHERE HE TELLS ME THE TRUTH,
OR IT COULD BE CLOSE
TO THE POINT
WHERE HE CUTS THE INTERVIEW OFF.
♪♪
Narrator: WHILE ZACHARY SNYDER
IS BEING QUESTIONED
AT POLICE HEADQUARTERS,
DETECTIVES INVESTIGATING
THE DISAPPEARANCE OF
DORIS BABCOCK
HAVE FOUND THE REMAINS OF A BODY
IN A FIRE PIT BEHIND HER HOME
AND A SHOCKING PIECE OF EVIDENCE
IN A GARBAGE BAG INSIDE HER CAR.
Stroup: IT WAS A BLOODY KNIFE.
YOU CAN SEE
WHEN YOU LOOK AT THIS
THAT SHE WAS STABBED SO HARD
IN THE HIP BONE THAT IT...
IT BENT THE FRONT PART
OF THE KNIFE.
IT BENT THE TIP OF THE KNIFE,
AND THE BLADE OF
THE KNIFE ITSELF IS BENT.
I WAS KIND OF EXCITED
WHEN I FOUND THE KNIFE,
BELIEVING THAT I FOUND
THE MURDER WEAPON.
Narrator:
IN THE INTERROGATION ROOM,
DESPITE MOUNTING EVIDENCE,
SNYDER INSISTS THAT
HE DID NOT KILL
THE WOMAN WHO BROUGHT HIM
INTO HER HOME.
DETECTIVE SPIVEY IS DETERMINED
TO GET A CONFESSION.
THE STRATEGY IS ALWAYS THERE
TO KEEP THAT PRESSURE,
KEEP THAT STRESS UP.
I'M ASKING HIM
A LOT OF QUESTIONS,
AND HE'S FEELING THE PRESSURE.
HE REFUSES TO LOOK
IN MY DIRECTION.
HE LOOKS OFF THE OTHER WAY
OR JUST KEEPS HIS EYES CLOSED,
BUT I KIND OF FELT LIKE
I WAS CLOSE HERE.
I KIND OF FELT LIKE I WAS
ON THE RIGHT PATH,
JUST NEEDED TO FIND
THE RIGHT KEY TO OPEN THE DOOR.
I'M HOPING THAT HE'LL RELIVE
THE MOMENT THAT SHE WAS DYING,
AND HOPEFULLY,
THAT WOULD BREAK THROUGH
AND CAUSE HIM TO TELL ME
WHAT REALLY HAPPENED.
♪♪
I DON'T KNOW IF SHE HAD
ANY LAST WORDS,
SO I WAS TRYING TO MAYBE PICK
OUT WHAT SHE WOULD HAVE SAID.
MAYBE THAT WOULD HAVE
STRUCK A NERVE WITH HIM.
MAYBE IT WOULD HAVE
CAUSED HIM TO BREAK DOWN,
BUT HIS DEFENSE MECHANISM
THERE WAS TO JUST KIND
OF LAUGH AT MY QUESTION.
I THINK I MIGHT BE PRETTY CLOSE
ABOUT WHAT SHE SAID.
Narrator:
SNYDER DOESN'T FLINCH.
Narrator: BUT THE EVIDENCE
SAYS OTHERWISE--
CUTS ON HIS HANDS,
THE BLOODY KNIFE,
A BODY IN THE FIRE
HE ADMITTED TO SETTING,
HIS PRESENCE IN
THE VICTIM'S HOUSE.
I'M FRUSTRATED.
I KNOW HE'S GOING TO DENY
NO MATTER WHAT.
Narrator: INVESTIGATORS SENSE
THEIR SUSPECT IS CLOSE
TO ASKING FOR AN ATTORNEY,
THUS ENDING THE INTERROGATION,
BUT AS SNYDER CHALLENGES
THE DETECTIVE,
SPIVEY SEES AN OPENING
TO CONFRONT HIM.
IF I CAN CONVINCE HIM
THAT THERE'S EVIDENCE
THAT HE CAN'T REFUTE,
THEN MAYBE
HE'LL CHANGE HIS STORY.
I ACTUALLY NOTICE BLOOD ON HIS
JEANS, SEVERAL DROPS OF BLOOD.
Narrator: ZACHARY SNYDER
REFUSES TO BUDGE.
THERE'S OFTENTIMES
I'VE INTERVIEWED SUSPECTS,
AND THEY'VE TOLD LIES THAT ARE
JUST ABSOLUTELY INCONCEIVABLE,
BUT ONCE THEY SAY IT ONCE,
THEY WILL STICK WITH IT
TILL THE END.
I NEVER WANT TO DO ANYTHING
TO STOP AN INTERVIEW
BEFORE I'VE GOTTEN
WHAT I FEEL IS THE TRUTH,
BUT I'M RUNNING OUT OF
OPTIONS HERE.
SO AT THAT POINT,
I WANT THE SHOCK FACTOR.
I WANT HIM TO KNOW
HE'S NOT GOING ANYWHERE.
HE'S GOING TO BE ARRESTED
AT THE CONCLUSION OF
THIS INTERVIEW.
THE EVIDENCE MAKES ME
COMFORTABLE
THAT WE'RE GOING TO
CHARGE HIM WITH THE MURDER
AND HAVE PLENTY OF EVIDENCE
AGAINST HIM.
♪♪
Narrator: SNYDER HASN'T ASKED
FOR A LAWYER,
BUT THE PRESSURE SEEMS
TO BE GETTING TO HIM.
AT THIS POINT,
WE'RE TRYING TO ARRANGE
FOR THE EVIDENCE TECHNICIAN
TO COME AND COLLECT EVIDENCE,
AND WE SAW HIM LOOKING AT
THE STAINS ON HIS JEANS
AND EXAMINING THAT,
AND YOU SAW HIM TAKE HIS
SHOES OFF AND EXAMINE IT.
THERE ARE ITEMS OF EVIDENCE
ON HIS CLOTHING,
AND WE DON'T WANT ANY OF
THAT EVIDENCE TO DISAPPEAR.
Narrator: BUT SNYDER HAS DECIDED
ON HIS NEXT MOVE AS WELL.
Narrator:
THE INTERROGATION IS OVER.
WHEN ZACH INVOKES HIS RIGHT
TO AN ATTORNEY,
I KNOW THAT I'M DONE
QUESTIONING HIM.
I'M NOT GONNA PLAY ANY GAMES.
IT'S OVER WITH.
I'M GONNA FULLY RESPECT
THAT RIGHT.
BUT AT THAT POINT, HE DOESN'T
HAVE THE RIGHT TO AN ATTORNEY
TO STAND THERE TO ADVISE HIM
ON WHETHER WE CAN COLLECT THINGS
OR NOT COLLECT THINGS.
IT'S AN EXIGENT-TYPE SITUATION
WHERE WE DON'T WANT THERE
TO BE ANY OPPORTUNITY
FOR THAT EVIDENCE
TO DISAPPEAR OR BE DESTROYED.
Narrator: DETECTIVES HOPE
THE EVIDENCE IS ENOUGH
TO CONVINCE A JURY.
WITHOUT A CONFESSION,
IT'S ALL THEY HAVE.
♪♪
THE BODY IN THE ASHES
HAS BEEN POSITIVELY IDENTIFIED
AS DORIS BABCOCK.
WHILE ZACH SNYDER SITS IN JAIL,
CHARGED WITH HER MURDER,
DORIS' DAUGHTERS ARRIVE
AND GO STRAIGHT TO THE FIRE PIT.
Maneese:
WE DIDN'T GET TO SEE MOM.
WE DIDN'T GET TO SAY GOODBYE
TO MOM.
THAT'S THE LAST PLACE
WE KNEW SHE WAS,
SO WE WENT TO THE FIRE PIT
AND JUST SAT THERE
BY THE FIRE PIT...
[ Voice breaking ]
AND STUCK OUR HANDS IN IT
JUST TO FEEL
PART OF HER.
♪♪
THAT WAS HER ASHES IN THAT PIT.
Sadler:
NO CHILD, NO FAMILY MEMBER
SHOULD HAVE TO...
SEE...
WHAT MY SISTER AND I HAVE SEEN.
♪♪
Narrator:
BUT THEIR ORDEAL ISN'T OVER.
NO ONE IS PREPARED
FOR THE EVIDENCE
POLICE UNCOVER THE NEXT DAY,
INCLUDING THE REASON
DORIS BABCOCK HAD TO DIE.
HE SHOWED IT TO ME,
AND IT WAS SHOCKING.
THIS IS THE WEDDING RING
THAT DORIS BABCOCK HAD ON
WHEN HER BODY WAS BURNED.
WE GOT IT OUT OF THE FIRE.
IT WAS FOUND, AND, UM...
WHEN THEY HAD
HER MEMORIAL SERVICE,
WE TOOK THIS RING AND WE HAD IT
CLEANED AND POLISHED,
AND WE PRESENTED IT BACK
TO HER HUSBAND,
WHO WAS WEARING
THE MATCHING RING.
I THINK IT WAS JUST TRYING
TO GIVE A PIECE OF DORIS
BACK TO THE FAMILY BECAUSE THERE
WASN'T REALLY ANYTHING
TO GIVE THEM BACK.
♪♪
♪♪
Narrator:
ZACHARY SNYDER'S INTERROGATION
CONCERNING THE MURDER
OF DORIS BABCOCK
ENDS WHEN HE REQUESTS A LAWYER.
WITHOUT A CONFESSION, DETECTIVES
HOPE BLOOD ON HIS PANTS
WILL MATCH A BLOODY KNIFE
FOUND AT THE SCENE
AND PROVE HIS MURDERED
HIS SURROGATE GRANDMOTHER.
LATER THAT DAY, INVESTIGATORS
EXECUTE A SEARCH WARRANT
OF SNYDER'S NEW APARTMENT,
AND WHAT THEY FIND
BLOWS THEM AWAY.
DETECTIVE BUOY DECIDES HE'S
GONNA GO THROUGH THE GARBAGE,
AND WHEN HE DOES, HE FINDS THREE
PIECES OF CRUMPLED UP PAPER
THAT END UP BEING
A LIST OF THINGS TO DO.
THE VERY FIRST THING TO DO
WAS "KILL MRS. DEE."
THAT'S VERY COLD-HEARTED.
THAT'S PREMEDITATION
AT ITS FINEST RIGHT THERE.
♪♪
Narrator: D.N.A. RESULTS FROM
THE BLOODY KNIFE
WILL CONFIRM
WHAT DETECTIVES BELIEVE.
WHEN YOU GET THAT D.N.A. BACK
AND IT SAYS,
"ON THIS KNIFE, THERE WAS
A MIXTURE OF BLOOD.
IT'S DORIS' BLOOD
AND ZACH'S BLOOD,"
IT'S ANOTHER NAIL IN THE COFFIN.
Narrator: THE EVIDENCE PROVES
THAT SNYDER KILLED
THE WOMAN HE CALLED GRANDMOTHER.
THE NEWS HITS
DORIS' FAMILY HARD.
WE KNEW THAT ZACH
WAS A TROUBLED PERSON,
AND SHE JUST BELIEVED,
WITH ENOUGH LOVE,
SHE COULD FIX ANYTHING.
SHE WAS MURDERED BY THE HANDS
OF SOMEBODY THAT SHE LOVED
LIKE SHE LOVED US KIDS,
SO THAT'S...
THAT'S HARD TO COMPREHEND.
♪♪
Narrator: JANUARY 31, 2010,
11 WEEKS AFTER THE MURDER,
SNYDER CONTACTS POLICE
WITH AN UNUSUAL REQUEST.
HE'S DECIDED
THAT HE'D RATHER DIE
THAN SPEND HIS LIFE BEHIND BARS,
SO HE WANTS TO CONFESS IN
EXCHANGE FOR THE DEATH PENALTY.
Spivey: WHEN I GOT THE MESSAGE
THAT HE WANTED TO SPEAK,
I CAN ASSURE YOU,
I DIDN'T WASTE ANY TIME.
I WANT TO GET
TO THE INTERVIEW ROOM,
AND I WANT TO GET HIM TO
THE INTERVIEW ROOM,
AND I WANT TO HEAR
WHAT HE'S GOT TO SAY
BEFORE HE HAS A CHANCE
TO CHANGE HIS MIND.
Narrator:
BUT THE QUESTION REMAINS.
WHY DID SNYDER KILL THE WOMAN
WHO GAVE HIM SO MUCH?
HIS ANSWER IS STUNNING.
A FEW DAYS BEFORE THE MURDER,
HE MET A YOUNG WOMAN
AND ASKED HER OUT.
TO IMPRESS HER, HE CLAIMED
DORIS' CAR WAS HIS OWN.
WHEN IT CAME TIME FOR HIS DATE,
RATHER THAN ASKING DORIS
FOR PERMISSION
THAT SHE WAS UNLIKELY TO GIVE,
HE KILLED HER AND TOOK THE CAR.
♪♪
I COULD BE WRONG ABOUT HIM,
BUT I FEEL LIKE
THAT REMORSE WAS TRUE.
I FEEL LIKE IT WAS HEARTFELT.
I FEEL LIKE HE REALIZES HE MADE
THE BIGGEST MISTAKE OF HIS LIFE,
AND HE DID IT TO THE ONE
PERSON THAT CARED ABOUT HIM.
I MEAN, YOU CAN HEAR IT
IN HIS VOICE.
HIS VOICE CRACKS AND SHAKES.
♪♪
OF ALL THE CRIMES
I'VE EVER INVESTIGATED,
THIS HAS GOT TO BE
THE MOST SENSELESS CRIME.
IT'S JUST HEART-WRENCHING,
KNOWING THAT THIS INNOCENT WOMAN
DIED FOR SUCH A SMALL REASON.
I CAN'T TELL YOU ENOUGH
HOW EVIL HE IS,
AND I PERSONALLY BELIEVE THAT...
GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY,
HE WOULD DO IT AGAIN.
♪♪
IN 2012, STATE ATTORNEYS
OFFER ZACH SNYDER A DEAL
TO AVOID YEARS
OF DEATH PENALTY LITIGATION.
HE PLEADS GUILTY TO
THE MURDER OF DORIS BABCOCK
AND IS SENTENCED TO
LIFE IN PRISON WITHOUT PAROLE.
HE MURDERED HER
WHEN HE WAS 19 YEARS OLD,
AND HE'S IN PRISON
FOR THE REST OF HIS LIFE.
LOOK AT THAT LIFE.
LOOK AT HIS LIFE.
IT WAS A WASTE.
♪♪
Spivey: THIS IS A LETTER WE ALSO
FOUND AT ZACHARY'S HOUSE,
THAT MISS D HAD WRITTEN TO HIM,
APPARENTLY AFTER HE HAD
MOVED OUT.
"DEAR ZACHARY, I HOPE EVERYTHING
IS AS GOOD AS YOU HOPED FOR.
"I KNOW THAT YOU DON'T HAVE
ALL YOU WANT,
BUT IF YOU DID..."
[ SNIFFLES ]
"WHAT WOULD YOU
HAVE TO LOOK FORWARD TO?
YOU WANT SO MUCH."
"YOU WILL NEVER HAVE EVERYTHING
"'CAUSE THERE WILL ALWAYS BE
NEWER AND BETTER THINGS
COMING OUT ALL THE TIME."
SHE DESCRIBED EXACTLY WHAT
KILLED HER,
IS HE WANTED SOMETHING,
AND HE HAD TO HAVE IT
AND HE HAD TO HAVE IT NOW.
Sadler: MOM WASN'T KILLED
BECAUSE OF THE GOODNESS
OF HER HEART.
SHE WAS KILLED BECAUSE OF
THE EVILNESS IN SOMEBODY ELSE.
BUT SHE WOULDN'T DO IT
ANY OTHER WAY.
SHE WOULD NOT REDO
A SINGLE THING
IF SHE HAD TO DO OVER AGAIN.
♪♪