True Crime Vault: New DNA Analysis in a Murder

Summary

True Crime Vault: New DNA Analysis in a Murder – Detailed Summary

1. Introduction to the Case

The episode of 20/20 titled "True Crime Vault: New DNA Analysis in a Murder" delves into one of America's most controversial and enduring true crime cases: the brutal double murder of Derek and Nancy Haysom in Bedford County, Virginia, and the subsequent conviction of their daughter, Elizabeth Haysom, and her German boyfriend, Jens Soering. Released on March 27, 2025, this episode explores the intricacies of the case, the initial investigation, the trial, and the recent advancements in DNA technology that may shed new light on the conviction.

2. The Crime Scene and Initial Investigation

On March 1985, the peaceful rural community of Bedford County was shattered by the gruesome murder of Derek and Nancy Haysom. The couple was found brutally stabbed to death in their home, with over 30 stab wounds each, indicating a frenzied and personal attack. The lack of forced entry and the absence of robbery suggested that the killers were familiar with the victims.

David Muir reflects on the scene:
“It was up close and personal to me. It was like a slaughterhouse.” (08:11)

3. Suspects: Elizabeth Haysom and Jens Soering

Elizabeth Haysom, the youngest daughter of the victims, and her boyfriend, Jens Soering, quickly emerged as primary suspects. Elizabeth, a two-year-old prodigy with a prestigious academic background, had a tumultuous relationship with her parents. Jens, an 18-year-old University of Virginia freshman and the son of a German diplomat, was deeply involved in Elizabeth's life.

Early suspicions were fueled by the rental car agreement that placed Elizabeth and Jens far from the crime scene at the time of the murders. Their alibi of being in Washington, D.C., was later disproven when discrepancies in the mileage and their travel records raised doubts.

4. Confessions and Trial

In 1986, Jens and Elizabeth were arrested in London for fraudulent activities unrelated to the murders. During their detention, Jens made a controversial confession, claiming sole responsibility for the murders to protect Elizabeth. This confession played a pivotal role in their subsequent indictment.

Elizabeth Haysom stated in court:
"I wanted my parents out of my life. But was he her pawn? He had a choice whether he killed my parents or not." (01:31)

The prosecution portrayed Jens as a manipulative individual who confessed falsely out of misguided loyalty and love. Key evidence included blood type analysis and a bloody sock print allegedly matching Jens's footwear.

5. Conviction and Sentence

The trial, which relied heavily on the initial confession and circumstantial evidence, resulted in Jens Soering being convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison. Elizabeth Haysom received a 90-year sentence as an accessory before the fact, admitting to helping plan the murders but maintaining that Jens was the actual perpetrator.

Prosecutor Jim Updike challenged Jens during cross-examination:
"To protect Elizabeth, right?" (31:34)

The jury, persuaded by the prosecution's narrative and the evidence presented, found Jens guilty, sealing his fate for decades.

6. Advocacy for Jens Soering

Over the years, Jens's supporters have mounted a robust campaign challenging his conviction. Notable advocates include:

• Jason Flom, a music mogul and founding board member of the Innocence Project, who believes in Jens's innocence based on inconsistencies in the case.
• Chip Harding, a sheriff in Albemarle County, Virginia, who continues to investigate and advocate for Jens despite opposition from original investigators like Ricky Gardner.

Chip Harding asserted:
"I do not believe, based on all the work that I did on this case, that Jens Soering participated in the homicide of Derek and Nancy." (42:58)

7. New DNA Evidence and Re-examination

The episode highlights groundbreaking advancements in DNA technology that have allowed for the re-examination of evidence long considered conclusive. Experts supporting Jens argue that DNA analysis reveals the presence of at least two unidentified males at the crime scene, suggesting the involvement of additional perpetrators beyond Jens.

An expert team stated:
"There is no trace of Jens at the crime scene." (39:26)

However, some consultants remain skeptical, proposing alternative interpretations of the DNA results. Professor Dan Crane questioned the conclusiveness of the findings, suggesting that some DNA could belong to the victims themselves:
"It's possible the DNA is actually from one of the victims, Derek Haysom." (40:24)

Additionally, new testimonies, such as that of Tony Buchanan, a mechanic who discovered blood and a bloody knife in a rental car previously attributed to Elizabeth and Jens, further complicate the narrative. Buchanan's revelation points to potential flaws in the original investigation and evidence handling.

8. Current Status and Conclusion

As of the episode's release in 2025, Jens Soering remains incarcerated, continuously fighting for his freedom through appeals and parole petitions. His latest parole opportunity coincides with the emergence of new DNA evidence, which his supporters believe could finally exonerate him.

Jens Soering, in a recent phone interview, expressed hope:
"I've spent 31 years in here, 32 birthdays. But I think maybe the end is now finally in sight." (41:01)

The episode concludes by emphasizing the profound impact of modern forensic science on historical cases, questioning the reliability of confessions obtained under duress, and highlighting the ongoing quest for justice in the face of potential wrongful convictions.

Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• David Muir on the crime scene:
  “It was up close and personal to me. It was like a slaughterhouse.” [08:11]

• Elizabeth Haysom in court:
  "I wanted my parents out of my life. But was he her pawn? He had a choice whether he killed my parents or not." [01:31]

• Prosecutor Jim Updike questioning Jens:
  "To protect Elizabeth, right?" [31:34]

• Chip Harding on Jens's innocence:
  "I do not believe, based on all the work that I did on this case, that Jens Soering participated in the homicide of Derek and Nancy." [42:58]

• Jens Soering expressing hope:
  "I've spent 31 years in here, 32 birthdays. But I think maybe the end is now finally in sight." [41:01]

Conclusion

"True Crime Vault: New DNA Analysis in a Murder" offers a comprehensive examination of the Jens Soering case, weaving together historical recounting with modern scientific advancements. The episode challenges viewers to reconsider preconceived notions of guilt and innocence, underscoring the transformative power of DNA evidence in seeking justice. As the case continues to evolve, the pursuit of truth remains a central theme, leaving audiences questioning the reliability of traditional investigative methods and the potential for reformation within the criminal justice system.

Transcript

[Elizabeth Vargas]

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[David Muir]

What kind of gang came in here and did this?

[Unknown]

Tonight on 20 20. The brutal double murder of a successful husband and wife.

[Elizabeth Vargas]

Rumors of witchcraft, voodoo. But was it a gang? Or their very own daughter and her boyfriend on the run.

[David Muir]

They're both guilty of something. Otherwise why would they leave?

[Elizabeth Vargas]

Here's something from Stuttgart, Bangkok, Luxembourg.

[Unknown]

Young lovers going on this crazy adventure.

[Elizabeth Vargas]

Life on the lamb in London under.

[Unknown]

Assumed names, passing bad checks. But then it all came crashing down on them.

[Elizabeth Vargas]

Two first degree murder charges.

[Unknown]

Murder of their parents brought back to America in cuffs. Back it up and could she told.

[Elizabeth Vargas]

Me is that she had killed her parents. I wanted my parents out of my life. But was he her pawn? He had a choice whether he killed my parents or not. Did he actually kill for love or just confess to it? The bottom line in this case is that one of them is lying.

[Unknown]

Now a new film and new evidence tonight claiming he's innocent.

[Elizabeth Vargas]

You say that Jens confessed to a crime he didn't commit out of misguided love, loyalty, lust for Elizabeth. Elizabeth Kasem.

[Unknown]

You have a guy who has only been with one woman in his life and she turned out to be the devil.

[Elizabeth Vargas]

This evening, right here, he's speaking out.

[Unknown]

But if he didn't do it, who did? We know two guys did it. Somebody watching this show right now knows them. They walk among us.

[Elizabeth Vargas]

Good evening.

[Unknown]

I'm David Newell.

[Elizabeth Vargas]

And I'm Elizabeth Vargas. And this is 2020 Los Angeles, California. The Laemmle Royal Theater. Its opening night, the movie right up Hollywood's alle. Two obsessed lovers, a grisly murder, sex and betrayal. My parents died because Jens and I were obsessed with each other. But it turns out in the genre of youf can't make this up, Hollywood didn't. The movie Killing for Love is actually a documentary in theaters now. A deep dive into the real life case of Yen Se Ring behind bars for nearly 32 years for a brutal crime he says he didn't commit. It's a natural human emotion to want somebody to blame. Jens multi decade Crusade for Freedom has now attracted a dream team of A list supporters. That's screen legend Martin Sheen leading the Q and A at that LA screening.

[David Muir]

He could not possibly have been at the scene.

[Elizabeth Vargas]

There's also music mogul Jason Flom, the man responsible for launching Katy Perry's career. Are you ready? And a founding board member of the Innocence Project.

[Unknown]

He is somebody who could have and should have known better. And he was blinded by love.

[Elizabeth Vargas]

Even German Chancellor Angela Merkel has advocated for Jens release. But his two strongest advocates, ironically aren't high profile celebrities or hotshot defense attorneys. They're police officers.

[David Muir]

As far as him physically killing these people, no, I don't think he did.

[Elizabeth Vargas]

One is an investigator who originally worked on the case. Show me the other. A current sheriff, now reinvestigating it. If you break it down and look at what the evidence truly is, I don't feel like it would support a.

[David Muir]

Conviction if he was tried today.

[Elizabeth Vargas]

Jens story begins in 1984 at the University of Virginia. He's 18 years old, the son of a German diplomat, a freshman and a Jefferson Scholar with a full scholarship to uva. We were in the same Eccles Scholars Program. The Eccles Scholars Program pulls the top 6% of each entering class. Amy Lemley wrote an extensive investigative magazine article about the case. What was Jens like? He had the physique, more of a boy than a man. Kind of baby fat. He had big thick glasses that covered about half of his face. They said that most people really couldn't stand to be in a conversation with them because he just loved to argue. He was intellectually arrogant. I would say so. He was also by his own admission, sexually inexperienced.

[Unknown]

Sexually? Not only inexperienced, but you know, a virgin. Right. And he meets a girl, Elizabeth Hasam, who is one of the hottest girls on campus. She was apparently very bright as well, came from a very good family and he falls head over heels in love with her.

[Elizabeth Vargas]

Elizabeth is two years older than Jens. Her father, Derek Haysam, was a Canadian steel mogul and her mother, Nancy, the goddaughter of Lady Astor, a wealthy aristocrat and the first woman to take a seat in the British Parliament. But this power family seemed to have no power over their wild child. Daughter Elizabeth ran away from boarding school in England and spent five months in Europe. Drugs. Nevertheless, she presented well to her classmates at uva. She had this great shock of blond hair hanging down, and she was the opposite of who you think might end up with young Tsuring. People must have been a bit taken aback by her selection of him. Yes. Very few people understood what was going on between those two. One thing apparently going on between the virginal freshman and his unlikely alluring companion was revealed in a series of X rated letters they exchanged over several months.

[Unknown]

When you see and you read those love letters, you can sort of feel that there was a lot of, you know, sexual tension.

[Elizabeth Vargas]

These are just some of the ones we can actually read on television. I love you, j'tam. I love you selfishly, and I love you with you. How you feel about a couple drinks back at my place? I want to be with you, around you, through you. But only months into their relationship, in March 1985, tragedy strikes. Derek W.R. haysam and his wife Nancy were stabbed to death in their home. Elizabeth's parents are found brutally murdered inside their rural retirement home in Boonesborough, Virginia. It sort of sits on the border right there, Lynchburg and Bedford County. Just a very nice, quiet, wealthy community. The bodies were only discovered this afternoon at their home on Holcomb Rock Road. It was a very shocking crime.

[Unknown]

I've never seen anything, anything like that before.

[Elizabeth Vargas]

Then rookie investigator Ricky Gardner is one of the first to arrive on the scene. This is your first real homicide, right?

[Unknown]

Yes. Yes, ma'am. Early we were able to determine that this was not a burglary.

[Elizabeth Vargas]

Nothing appears to be missing. There is even Nancy Hasam's purse with money still in it.

[Unknown]

The Hasams must have let whomever did this to them into the house because there was no sign of forced entry. But I'd never seen any human being that had been injured by another human being in that, in that fashion.

[Elizabeth Vargas]

Overkill, Overkill.

[David Muir]

It was up close and personal to me. It was like a slaughterhouse.

[Elizabeth Vargas]

Chuck Reed was a Bedford county investigator in 1985 and worked the case with Gardner for a year before leaving the sheriff's office. He took me inside the crime scene. You opened the door when you first came here.

[David Muir]

The first thing I saw was Derek Haysom's body was lying here with his head up against. Basically up against the corner of this fireplace.

[Elizabeth Vargas]

This corner here?

[David Muir]

Yes.

[Elizabeth Vargas]

Derek Haysom had been stabbed 36 times, Nancy Six. Her body was found in the kitchen. Both were stabbed in the heart. Both nearly decapitated.

[David Muir]

As you step over and come in, this area right here is where all the blood was. Now the table. Just around in this area were Smeared around in this area.

[Elizabeth Vargas]

And the first thing in your mind.

[David Muir]

Was what kind of gang came in here and did this?

[Elizabeth Vargas]

There was concern because of the smearing blood initially that there was some sort of cult involved. Rumors of witchcraft and voodoo fueled curiosity and the demand for answers. Whodunit theories are rampant. Word that Derek Hasam upset workers in the steel business fuels rumors of a mafia style hit. But a clue in a rental car agreement is about to change the direction of the case. You saw that and you thought, that's.

[David Muir]

When we get to thinking, well wait.

[Elizabeth Vargas]

A minute, stay with us. Washington, D.C. it's the 1980s. Reagan and the Redskins are in their heyday, going to the corner to mark touchdown. And speaking of time warps, it's the midnight showing of the Rocky Hole picture show. It's become a staple here in Georgetown, the center of the nightlife. Let the miles of gay. And it's at one of those showings 200 miles away from the Hasam's home in Bedford County, Virginia near Lynchburg, where Elizabeth Hasams says she was when her parents were murdered. An alibi with her boyfriend in tow.

[Unknown]

She told us that her and her German boyfriend had rented a car on that Friday and drove to Washington, Washington to sightsee.

[Elizabeth Vargas]

And what did they do while they're.

[David Muir]

In Washington D.C. according to her, they just laid around, went out to eat, went to movies.

[Elizabeth Vargas]

The films were Stranger than Paradise and ironically, witness.

[Unknown]

They had stated to Washington Marriott and was able to verify later that they in fact had and found the receipt, the hotel receipt where they had checked in on the 29th and gotten room service twice.

[Elizabeth Vargas]

One of those room service deliveries, food for two was right around the time police believe Elizabeth's parents were murdered. What did she say about her relationship with her parents?

[Unknown]

Well, she said that she loved her parents very deeply and that she was very fond of them.

[Elizabeth Vargas]

But Elizabeth's uncle, Lou Benedict, Nancy Haysom's younger brother, says the relationship between mother and daughter wasn't as rosy as Elizabeth described it.

[Unknown]

Because of my sister's bullheadedness, I would say that they locked horns.

[Elizabeth Vargas]

And Elizabeth's parents didn't appear to be happy with their daughter's new boyfriend, Jens.

[Unknown]

They did not like the young man and did everything they thought they could to try and separate them.

[Elizabeth Vargas]

As police continue their investigation into the Hasam's double murder, they find the agreement for the rental car Elizabeth says she and Jens used that weekend. This is the rental car agreement?

[David Muir]

Yes.

[Elizabeth Vargas]

Show me where the mileage is.

[David Muir]

Right. Here's your mileage of 669 miles.

[Elizabeth Vargas]

You saw that and you thought.

[David Muir]

That's when we got to thinking, well, wait a minute.

[Elizabeth Vargas]

Even though this is long before the days of Waze, we're all set. Drive safely. Investigators know from UVA's Charlottesville campus to Washington D.C. the round trip is only 240 miles. 240 miles and you had 669 miles.

[Unknown]

Exactly. So once we put pen to paper, we sat down and we looked. And if you went From Charlottesville to D.C. d.C. Back to Lynchburg, Lynchburg back to Washington and then back to Charlottesville, that's pretty close to being 669 miles.

[Elizabeth Vargas]

It's quite a coincidence. So police question Elizabeth again.

[Unknown]

We asked her about that miles and she said that they had gotten lost.

[Elizabeth Vargas]

It's pretty lost.

[Unknown]

Yeah, pretty lost.

[Elizabeth Vargas]

That ring true to you?

[Unknown]

I mean we're talking college kids. Didn't put a lot of stock in that.

[Elizabeth Vargas]

Plus Elizabeth is cooperating with police and agrees to give her fingerprints and blood. But it's a path of bloody footprints in the Hasam's front yard that has gotten investigators attention. The prints were revealed by luminal, a chemical that tests for the presence of blood.

[David Muir]

You have a set of prints that walk up to the driveway and end here at the driveway, as if someone got in a car.

[Elizabeth Vargas]

Just stop.

[David Muir]

We just stopped.

[Elizabeth Vargas]

So clearly they got into something. But when investigator Reed examines Jens and Elizabeth's rental car, he comes up empty. When you sprayed the luminol inside the inside of Elizabeth and Jens's rental car.

[David Muir]

I got no reaction.

[Elizabeth Vargas]

Remember, it's 1985 and DNA testing is not yet in use in criminal courts. So without a hit on the car, investigators are looking for a match to the type O blood found at the crime scene. It wasn't the victims, so they assume it must be the killers.

[Unknown]

There was several droplets of O blood found on the screen door and there was two small spots found in the master bedroom.

[Elizabeth Vargas]

Investigators are flummoxed again because Elizabeth has type B blood. Her fingerprints did show up on a vodka bottle at her parents home. But that's not surprising. She visited often. But then someone from Elizabeth's own family points a finger of suspicion at her.

[Unknown]

It was from Dr. Howard Hasom, who is Elizabeth's half brother. He thought his sister had something to do with his parents death.

[Elizabeth Vargas]

That's a pretty unbelievable, pretty shocking thing to say.

[Unknown]

Exactly.

[Elizabeth Vargas]

But it just happened to come at the time when you had nothing in this case except for this strange rental car.

[Unknown]

Right.

[Elizabeth Vargas]

Agreement.

[Unknown]

And of course he didn't like Jens he didn't think much of Jens either.

[Elizabeth Vargas]

Remember, Elizabeth said she and Jens spent the weekend of the murders together in Washington, D.C. so investigators interview him next.

[David Muir]

He stepped in. It was like, I think myself, I can't see this little kid doing something like that, that kind of damage. I don't know if he's ever been in a fight in his life.

[Elizabeth Vargas]

Audio tapes from that first police interview with Jens reveal a confident college freshman fending off suspicion, telling investigators he's the son of a German diplomat. What I felt I could do in coming down this weekend and speaking with you people is give you an impression of who I am, what I know. What was your impression?

[Unknown]

He was very sure of himself.

[Elizabeth Vargas]

I wanted to talk to you again.

[David Muir]

If you want me to.

[Unknown]

So that.

[Elizabeth Vargas]

You will feel confident to hear the knowledge that you don't have to bug me anymore. You and Detective Reed sort of played good cop, bad cop with them?

[Unknown]

We did.

[Elizabeth Vargas]

You were the bad cop?

[Unknown]

I was. When we asked him to give us his blood and his fingerprints, he was adamant. He said, I can't do that.

[Elizabeth Vargas]

Why not?

[Unknown]

His explanation was that if it got back to our State Department that a German diplomat's son was a person of interest, person of interest in a homicide or suspect in a homicide case, that he would, his whole family would be deported.

[David Muir]

I said, look, ends. I said, I'm 99% sure you're innocent of this thing. But I said, I just need that 1% to convince me that you are totally innocent. And that's when he decided. He said, okay, well, I'll call you all next week.

[Elizabeth Vargas]

As investigators wait to meet with Jens, the phone rings. But it's not who they expect.

[Unknown]

Dr. Howard Hasum called us and never will forget that phone call. He was upset and he said, you, you know, you've let him get away.

[Elizabeth Vargas]

Next. Still getting around to that fix on your car. You got this on ebay, you'll find millions of parts guaranteed to fit. Doesn't matter if it's a major engine repair or your first time swapping your windshield wipers. Ebay has that part you need ready to click perfectly into place for changes big and small, loud or quiet. Find all the parts you need at prices you'll love. Guaranteed to fit every time. But you already know that. EBay things people love. Eligible ITEMS ONLY EXCLUSIONS apply. Imagine what's possible when learning doesn't get in the way of life. At Capella University. Our game changing flexpath learning format lets you set your own deadline so you can learn at a time and pace that works for you. It's an education you can tailor to your schedule. That means you don't have to put your life on hold to pursue your professional goals. Instead, enjoy learning your way and earn your degree without missing a beat. A different future is closer than you think with Capella University. Learn more at capella. Edu it has been six months since the heinous double murder of Derek and Nancy Haysom rocked the rural community of Bedford County, Virginia. There have been no arrests, but the Haysom's youngest daughter, Elizabeth Haysam and her German boyfriend Jens are under suspicion with limited evidence. Police are left to wait for Jens to voluntarily give his fingerprints and blood. Jens says he'll go think about it. Calls a few days later and says he will in fact submit.

[Unknown]

He said, I've been busy with a paper. I'll do it next Wednesday. I can't do it this week.

[Elizabeth Vargas]

But before the set appointment with Jens, a shocking setback.

[Unknown]

Dr. Howard Hasom called us and never will forget that phone call. He was upset and he said, you've, you know, you've let them get away. And so they vanished into thin air. Into thin air.

[David Muir]

I said, well, apparently they're both guilty of something. Otherwise why would they leave?

[Elizabeth Vargas]

Unbeknownst to Virginia investigators, The couple is 4,000 miles away in Europe on their way on a jet setting, globetrotting journey, vagabonding across the world, keeping a journal of their exploits along with maps and receipts for their international ports of call.

[David Muir]

This is when they were traveling.

[Elizabeth Vargas]

Here's something from Stuttgart, something from Luxembourg, Shilling. Oh, this is Bangkok. This is a map of Bangkok. Boy, they had quite the journey on the run, didn't they?

[David Muir]

I sure did.

[Unknown]

Let's picture these two young lovers going on this romantic, tense, crazy adventure to England.

[Elizabeth Vargas]

Life on the lamb in London under.

[Unknown]

Assumed names, passing bad checks. But then it all came crashing down on the.

[Elizabeth Vargas]

Jens and Elizabeth's six month life on the lam ended in this London Marks and Spencer department store.

[David Muir]

On 30 April 1986, a young couple was seen by the store detective in Marks and Spencer's just across the road there, acting suspiciously.

[Elizabeth Vargas]

Terry Wright and Kenneth Beaver were detectives with the London Police Department.

[David Muir]

They were separated inside the store and they both were seen to go to the counter and get refunds off previous purchases.

[Elizabeth Vargas]

A store detective alerts an off duty officer who stops the young couple.

[David Muir]

They said their names was Christopher Platt. No. And Tara Lucy Know.

[Elizabeth Vargas]

The off duty officer arrests Jens and Elizabeth on suspicion they committed fraud. Their mug shots reveal their Efforts to disguise themselves.

[David Muir]

His hair was tinted very slightly reddish, wasn't it? Yes, yes. She had dark hair, fairly short. I wanted to know where they were staying in London and I wanted to know where their passports were.

[Elizabeth Vargas]

Jens then makes a decision, a fatal mistake, according to detectives, that will alter the course of his and Elizabeth's lives forever.

[David Muir]

He decided to tell us that he was staying at a place called At Home, which is like a small basement rental apartment in Gloucester Place, which is in the center of London.

[Elizabeth Vargas]

As fate would have it, the London flat was just off Baker street, the fictional home of Sherlock Holmes.

[David Muir]

This is exactly the same as the place that Jens brought us to. Down some basement steps, a doorway on the right hand side. Jens had a key on him. He opened the door and took us into what was a very, very small room. I noticed on the bed there were some wigs, false mustaches. And I suddenly realized that Jensir, all the time he'd been talking to us, was wearing a false mustache. I can remember Terry saying to Jens, okay, take it off. So Jens peeled off the moustache for us.

[Elizabeth Vargas]

But among the weary travelers, masks and veneers, detectives are about to uncover a bona fide bombshell.

[David Muir]

There was one suitcase in particular that was very large and it was full of correspondence. Once he started going through the letters and the diaries, it opened up a can of worms.

[Elizabeth Vargas]

Those steamy letters they had written to each other and a shared travel diary. Pages of entries would reveal clues to a macabre secret. That correspondence all now locked up in a Bedford county evidence room. These are all the letters and things that were found in their room in London. Right?

[David Muir]

Right. And I believe this is going to be Elizabeth's diary.

[Elizabeth Vargas]

In it, Elizabeth writes passages incriminating herself and Jens. Jens wipes fingerprints from room. Passport photos. Done. Parks at national airport, satellite parking wipes car.

[David Muir]

I'm thinking, why are they worried about fingerprints? It seemed to me like they were trying to hide something.

[Elizabeth Vargas]

She goes on to write, we were told the case is about to be solved. Perhaps fingerprints on coffee mug used by Jens and Bedford Interview gave him away.

[David Muir]

Gave him away. Now, clearly again, they were worried about fingerprints for some reason. And I wanted to know what that interview was. I went and got him a cup of coffee the day we interviewed him. I believe a styrofoam cup is all they had, so no fingerprints were gotten off of it.

[Elizabeth Vargas]

As detectives read on, they learn Elizabeth has been harboring a deep hatred for her parents.

[David Muir]

There was also letters that were talking about things like doing voodoo on the parents And I wish they would lie down and die.

[Unknown]

The Christmas letters were so biting and so full of hatred that Elizabeth wrote Yin about her parents, about her parents and how much she despised them. And she talked about, should we get rid of them now or should we wait until we graduate and then do that?

[Elizabeth Vargas]

And the young couple's clumsy trail of breadcrumbs is about to lead right back to Bedford County, Virginia. Because in yet another of the letters written by Jens, he mentions the name of two homicide detectives in the U.S.

[David Muir]

One of them referred to was actually addressed to Dear Officers Reid and Gardner. I found that particularly interesting because it actually referred to the death of her parents.

[Elizabeth Vargas]

Elementary, as Sherlock Holmes would say.

[David Muir]

I kept telling everybody that I thought I'd already decided. I thought they'd done a murder.

[Unknown]

And I got the phone call. He said, this is Detective Constable Terry Wright calling from Richmond, England. He said, do you know Elizabeth Haselman.

[Elizabeth Vargas]

Yin Soaring okay, now you have to be.

[Unknown]

And I'm going, uh, yeah, yeah I do.

[David Muir]

And I said, can you tell me, are her parents dead? And he said, yeah, they're dead.

[Unknown]

He said, were they murdered? And I said, yes.

[David Muir]

And I said, I think you need to come over.

[Unknown]

We have the murderers incarcerated.

[Elizabeth Vargas]

Next, some court testimony that becomes must see tv. I wanted my parents out of my life. When she appeared in court, everybody was riveted by what she had to say. Stay with us. Meghan Trainor laundry retrainer. Meghan Traynor. You're tossing out my gunky laundry detergent bottle. Ooey. It's got that booty that juicy bum bum that don't hide alive. Arm and hammer power sheets. Toss like this. Cause I toss like this. I wash like this.

[Unknown]

It's a no mess.

[Elizabeth Vargas]

Laundry bliss. Arm and hammer power sheets. More power to you. This episode is brought to you by Greenlight. Get this. Adults with financial literacy skills have 82% more wealth than those who don't. From swimming lessons to piano classes, us parents invest in so many things to enrich our kids lives. But are we investing in their future financial success? With Greenlight you can teach your kids financial literacy skills like earning, saving and investing. And this investment costs less than that. After school treat start prioritizing their financial education and future. Today with a risk free [e-mail] Spotify greenlight.com Spotify There's Big Ben and Buckingham Palace. But in the summer of 1986, there's something else in Britain getting attention. Jensuring and Elizabeth peering out from their mugshots. American sweethearts and uva Scholars on the run from cold hearted murders back in Virginia. Former Scotland Yard detectives Ken Beaver and Terry Wright remember the pair eager for their weekly court dates.

[David Muir]

That was their only opportunity to see each other. And I used to let them have a kiss and cuddle in the passageway. Yes, they were definitely still in love.

[Elizabeth Vargas]

In love and in trouble. Virginia investigator Ricky Gardner finally has the captive couple right where he wants them. You flew to London.

[Unknown]

I did.

[Elizabeth Vargas]

He and the Scotland Yard detectives question Jens and Elizabeth about the so called voodoo murder of her parents a little more than a year before.

[Unknown]

Final statement is being taken from Jensoring on June 5, 1986.

[Elizabeth Vargas]

A strangely compliant Jens waives his right to an attorney and starts talking. And he has no lawyer present.

[Unknown]

That's right. He was questioned for three or four days without an attorney. Presumably that person would have told him to shut up.

[Elizabeth Vargas]

In an extraordinary series of interviews, only some of which were recorded, Jens proceeds to take full responsibility for the killings, claiming that Elizabeth stayed behind in Washington, creating an alibi with double movie tickets and room service for two while he drove down to the Hasams home and killed them.

[Unknown]

He told me that he came at him like this and he fought like a bear, that he refused to die.

[Elizabeth Vargas]

There is one curious moment during his confession, one that will only become significant later when detectives ask Jens about false confessions. Would you consider breathing guilty something? I can see it happening. Yes. I think it is a possibility. I think it happens in real life. The detectives do not pursue the point. In her interview, Elizabeth does Jens one better, adding incriminating details, telling the detectives Jens bought a knife before he left to go see her parents and saying he returned covered in blood. Those stunning confessions were enough to get Jens and Elizabeth indicted for murder back in Virginia, even while they were still in London. Today we presented indictments for murder. Nearly a full year passes before Elizabeth Haysom makes her dramatic return to the US Landing in the twilight of a May evening in Roanoke. Her hair pulled back in a braid, her hands cuffed in front. The former University of Virginia student was extradited by British authorities. Pam Windsor was a local TV reporter at the time. Pam Windsor News Center 13, Bedford. It's the stuff that TV movies are made of. I mean the shock that she was involved, wanting to see what she says. It was a very big deal. Elizabeth pleads guilty as an accessory before the fact.

[Unknown]

Back it up.

[Elizabeth Vargas]

Admitting she helped plan the murders but insisting Jens is the one who carried them out. He had a choice. He had a four hour drive. No matter what I said to him.

[Unknown]

Before that no matter what I had.

[Elizabeth Vargas]

Written to him in months before that he had a choice whether he killed.

[David Muir]

My parents or not.

[Elizabeth Vargas]

She is sentenced to 90 years in prison. Meanwhile, back in Britain, Jens is fighting extradition, hoping to be tried in Germany, where he faces a much lighter sentence during this extradition proceeding. But it is a losing battle. In 1990, he is also returned to Virginia.

[David Muir]

The defendant, Mr.

[Elizabeth Vargas]

Soaring, he comes behind him and he cuts left to right. Up until then, we'd only heard Elizabeth's version. And so now everybody wants to see what he looks like and hear his version. People pack the courtroom expecting drama, and Jens doesn't disappoint. In a stunning turnabout, he takes the stand to now swear he is innocent. Basically, Jens was in the position of saying, believe me now, don't believe that confession I gave a few years ago.

[Unknown]

We know, Elizabeth, that the most powerful form of evidence in a courtroom is a confession. Because an average person, a juror, can't understand, why would you implicate yourself?

[Elizabeth Vargas]

Jens now says Elizabeth is the one who drove down to her parents house and murdered them while he stayed behind in Washington. He says Elizabeth, who was using heroin and other hard drugs at the time, came back and told him what she'd done. I've killed my parents. I've killed my parents. It wasn't her that did it. It was the drugs that made her do it and that her parents deserved it anyway. You've got to help me. If you don't help me, they'll kill me. He says his false confession in London was an attempt to take the blame for Elizabeth, to save her from a death sentence. I loved Elizabeth and I believed that the only way I could save her life from the electric chair was for me to take the blame and that I personally really faced no more than.

[Unknown]

A few years in German prison. His idea, his twisted fantasy was that he would serve his time in Germany, which could be as little as a few years, come out as her hero and they would ride off into the sunset together.

[Elizabeth Vargas]

Jens decision to testify, however, opened him up to a ripsaw cross examination by Prosecutor Jim Updike. Mr. Soren, you have the capability of lying to accomplish a certain goal, don't you? To protect Elizabeth, right? To protect Elizabeth, yes. Then it would follow.

[David Muir]

If you had the capability of lying.

[Elizabeth Vargas]

To protect Elizabeth, you most certainly have.

[David Muir]

The capability of lying to protect yourself, correct?

[Elizabeth Vargas]

That would be logical. The prosecutor, trying to turn the jury against Jens, produces a letter he wrote to Elizabeth in which he refers to local authorities as yokels. Those yokels don't know what's coming down. I wrote that. Yes. I still think we don't know what's coming down. Don't you? Absolutely not. I don't think you do. That's correct. Yes. The trial features a bitter reunion. Elizabeth arrives from prison, her long blond hair now shorn, and commits the ultimate act of betrayal, according to Jens, blaming him for her crime. It suddenly became real. We were going to conspire and commit murder. So much of the case depends on whether jurors believe Jens story or Elizabeth Haysom. This was a time before DNA, when blood typing is the best science can do. So the prosecutor makes much of type O blood found at the scene. Jens has type O along with nearly 40% of the population. The prosecutor also shows the jury a bloody sock print that he said matches Jens footage. And you pull that out and it matches and it fits like a glove. At the end of his three week trial, the jury doesn't even need to sleep on it. We the jury, find the defendant guilty of first degree murder. Jens is convicted and sentenced to life in prison.

[David Muir]

Get back on the sidewalk.

[Elizabeth Vargas]

He has spent nearly every day since fighting to free himself. And now he may be closer than ever.

[Unknown]

What's up, Sheriff?

[Elizabeth Vargas]

Still ahead in pursuit of truth and justice. What 21st century DNA might reveal. Stay with us. This episode is brought to you by Enterprise Mobility. From fleet management to flexible truck rentals to technology solutions, Enterprise Mobility helps businesses find the right mobility solutions so they can find new opportunities. Because if your business is on the road, they want to make sure it's on the road to success. Enterprise Mobility moving you moves the world. Find your road@enterprise mobility.com the new KFC.

[Unknown]

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[Elizabeth Vargas]

You can dunk at the game.

[Unknown]

Dunk. While security points to the no outside food sign. And dunk as 20,000 people watch you and your Dunk it bucket get removed from the stadium. Dunk almost anywhere with the new $7 KFC dunk it bucket. Or get the double Dunk it bucket for 25. Prices and participation vary while supplies last.

[Elizabeth Vargas]

Taxes, tips and fees extra. Welcome to Rich One, ladies and gentlemen. July 2017, not long after the 27th anniversary of Jensring's conviction.

[Unknown]

Well, well. What's up, sheriff?

[David Muir]

Good, good.

[Elizabeth Vargas]

Richard Hudson.

[Unknown]

Hey, how are you?

[Elizabeth Vargas]

Very nice. Pleasure. An unlikely team of volunteers, Erring supporters meets in Richmond to review what they believe is important new information.

[David Muir]

When you look at his confession, it's. It's not consistent at all with the crime scene.

[Elizabeth Vargas]

Chip Harding is a sheriff in Albemarle County, Virginia, moonlighting on the case along with private investigator Richard Hudson. And then there's Jason Flom, the multimillionaire music executive who, when he's not discovering multi platinum artists, is giving a voice to the wrongfully convicted through the Innocence Project.

[Unknown]

It's very interesting and it's very sad that he's still in jail 30 years later.

Oh, it's beyond sad. It's tragic when you have a guy who has only been with one woman in his life and she turned out to be the devil.

[Elizabeth Vargas]

But the battle lines are drawn because in Bedford county, the original investigator, Ricky Gardner, continues to believe Zuring is guilty.

[Unknown]

And he says, ah, kill them.

[Elizabeth Vargas]

What is the physical evidence connecting Jens to this murder scene?

[Unknown]

The physical evidence? Well, we've got the sock impression that we found at the scene.

Oh, my God. Let's talk about the sock print. How the hell can you convict somebody based on a sock print?

[Elizabeth Vargas]

The prosecution tried to link Yen Seing to the Haysa murders by comparing bloody sock prints found at the house.

[Unknown]

Well, what you do is you bring in an expert. A sock print expert. Right. Which sounds ridiculous because it is.

[Elizabeth Vargas]

Police originally said that sock print roughly corresponded to a woman's size 7 foot. Too small for Yan Zhiring's size 8 and a half. They also point to mistakes Jens made when he confessed. He told police Nancy Haysom was wearing blue jeans. She was not. She was dressed in a housecoat.

[Unknown]

What kind of sense does it make for him to give the wrong details.

[Elizabeth Vargas]

That doesn't add up in a petition for a pardon? Yen says long after the trial, he learned a significant piece of evidence had not been shared with his defense attorneys. An analysis of the crime by an FBI profiler. The FBI profiler was convinced of two things. That whoever killed Mr. And Mrs. Haysom was intimate with the family and was a woman.

[Unknown]

That's right. That's what he said.

He definitely told them that it was a woman that was close to the family involved in that crime scene.

[Elizabeth Vargas]

The profiler says he was also struck by Nancy Haysom's outfit. That housecoat she would never receive. Strangers wearing a nightgown in her bathrobe.

[Unknown]

Exactly.

[Elizabeth Vargas]

Another thing. Remember Elizabeth and Jens rental car had no trace of blood, even though there was a trail of bloody footprints leading towards the driveway. Which begs the question, there must have been another car. There has to have Been another car and we have a mechanic in that area stepping forward and saying, I know I didn't mention it 20 years ago, but actually Tony Buchanan swears to me.

[Unknown]

He serviced a car for Elizabeth Haysom.

[Elizabeth Vargas]

In this lot just weeks after her parents were killed. More than 20 years after the trial in 2011, Tony Buchanan suddenly comes forward with an incredible claim. He says just weeks after the murders, Elizabeth Haysom and a man brought a car in for repair. Buchanan says he saw blood on the floor mats and took a closer look.

[David Muir]

When I looked over between the console.

[Elizabeth Vargas]

And the seat, I seen the knife and it was full of blood. Is this the kind of knife? He says at the time he assumed the blood and knife were connected to deer hunting. He says years later he saw a photo of Jens and says he realized that was not the man he had seen with Elizabeth and the bloody car. And I said, well, damn, that ain't the guy was in the shop. I said, somebody else is involved in this case because somebody else than this guy. This guy was not in my shop.

[Unknown]

Tony Buchanan has no credibility.

[Elizabeth Vargas]

Ricky Gardner questions why Buchanan waited so long to come forward.

[Unknown]

Elizabeth, in 1985, this case, this case was a front page news every day. Every day. Come on. He's not credible.

[Elizabeth Vargas]

In his pardon petition, Yen says the strongest proof of his innocence is revealed by modern DNA testing of the old evidence from the Haysom house. An expert working for Yen says the results are astonishing. There is no trace of Jens at the crime scene.

[Unknown]

There was no way that Yen Siring.

[Elizabeth Vargas]

Could contribute to those samples. Experts on Zuering's team say some of the crime scene samples contained DNA not from Jens but from two strangers.

[Unknown]

It looks like there's at least one.

[Elizabeth Vargas]

To two unidentified males at that crime scene. That has Jason Flom and some others more convinced than ever that Elizabeth Haysom is the real killer and that she had accomplices.

[Unknown]

What actually must have happened is that she went to the house with two males and that things, you know, took a very, very bad turn from there. And now the DNA back backs that up.

[Elizabeth Vargas]

But A DNA expert 2020 consultant questions whether the results about two strangers are really that conclusive. Professor Dan Crane says it's possible the DNA is actually from one of the victims, Derek Hasam. There's no indication that Jen's soaring was.

[Unknown]

Present at the crime scene, but I think we can also say that there's.

No affirmative indication of anybody other than the victim victims being present at the.

[Elizabeth Vargas]

Crime scene as well. Jens supporters stand by their experts interpretation.

[Unknown]

We know two guys did it. And unless they've died since then, they're out there.

[Elizabeth Vargas]

Still ahead, we'll talk to Jensuring from behind bars and discuss the woman he says ruined his life. And how do you feel about Elizabeth Haysom today? Stay with us. Yen Sehing was 18 years old when the crimes that sent him to prison were committed. He is now 51. His former sweetheart, Elizabeth Hasam, 20 at the time her parents were murdered, is now 53. In recent years, the Virginia prison authorities have put an end to all on camera interviews. So we spoke to Jens by phone in August, a week after his birthday. I've spent 31 years in here, 32 birthdays. But I think maybe the end is now finally inciting. And just for the record, did you kill Derek and Nancy Haysom? Absolutely not. And how do you feel about Elizabeth Haysom today? Honestly, I really try not to think about her. I'm trying to look towards the future.

[Unknown]

I'm trying to stay positive. And getting mad at people, that doesn't give me anything.

[Elizabeth Vargas]

Some will never be convinced that Jens isn't right where he belongs. Do you have any doubt in your minds that Jen Soering committed those murders?

[Unknown]

No doubt in my mind at all. He learned the game of manipulation from a very good instructor, Elizabeth Haysam. And now he's manipulated individuals into thinking that he is innocent, when in fact, I know that he is a guilty man.

[Elizabeth Vargas]

With his appeals long since exhausted, Jens last hope is for a pardon or parole.

[David Muir]

The soaring case.

[Elizabeth Vargas]

In September, supporters held a news conference in Charlottesville urging then Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe and parole officials to set Tsuring free.

[Unknown]

I will tell you right now that I do not believe, based on all the work that I did on this case, that Ian Soering participated in the homicide of Derek and Nancy.

[David Muir]

Asa.

[Elizabeth Vargas]

I do not believe he did that. It didn't happen. McAuliffe took no action. Now there is a new governor and Zuring's team says it will try yet again.

[Unknown]

He's been stuck in a tiny cage for 31 years for a crime he didn't commit. It's enough.

[Elizabeth Vargas]

If Jens current appeal for parole is denied, he will next be eligible for parole for the 14th time this summer.

[Unknown]

So our question for you right here tonight. Do you believe his story that he's innocent? Let us know on Twitter and on Facebook. And in the meantime, that is 2020 for tonight. I'm David Muir.

[Elizabeth Vargas]

And I'm Elizabeth Vargas. For all of us at 2020 and ABC News, have a great weekend and a great night. You've been listening to the 2020 True Crime Vault. You can find all new broadcast episodes Friday nights at 9 on ABC. This episode is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. It's Brad Milkey, host of ABC's Daily News podcast. Start here. Fiscally responsible financial geniuses, Monetary magicians. These are things people say about drivers who switch their car insurance to Progressive and save hundreds. Visit progressive.com to see if you could save Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates. Potential savings will vary. Not available in all states or situations.