True Crime Vault: The Confession?

Summary

---

20/20 True Crime Vault: "The Confession?"

Podcast: 20/20
Host: ABC News
Episode Date: June 2, 2026
Episode Theme: The decades-long investigation, interrogation, and trial of Chris Johnson—accused, and eventually acquitted, in the 1998 murder of his fiancée, Andrea Cincata. The episode intricately explores false confessions, flawed police tactics, the reliability of criminal informants, and the lasting aftermath for both suspect and victim’s family.

---

Episode Overview

This gripping episode of 20/20’s True Crime Vault unpacks the heart-wrenching and tangled case of Andrea Cincata's murder. It delves into her fiancé Chris Johnson’s exhaustive police interrogations, his subsequent false confession, the emergence of an alternate suspect—career criminal Bobby Jo Leonard—and the ultimately unsuccessful prosecution of Johnson for murder-for-hire nearly 25 years later. The story scrutinizes police practices, the power of confession under duress, and how the justice system can both fail and ultimately exonerate. The episode is a sobering look at how lives are upended by unresolved crime and ongoing suspicion.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Crime and Its Aftermath

• Discovery of the Body:

  • On August 21, 1998, Chris Johnson discovered Andrea Cincata dead in the bedroom closet of their Arlington condo ([01:16], [12:19]).
  • Johnson reported her missing, then later called 911 in shock:

    “She was cold. There's nothing colder than a dead body.”
    (Chris Johnson, [01:00], [12:19])

  • He noted missing items (coins, purses, car) and no forced entry.

• Immediate Suspect:

  • Police quickly focused on Johnson, subjecting him to hours of interrogation.
  • No concrete physical evidence found pointing to Johnson or an outsider ([13:46], [35:58]).

2. Interrogation & False Confession

• Aggressive Interrogation Tactics:

  • Over 28 hours across several days ([15:19]), detectives pressured Johnson, repeatedly accusing him of murder.
  • Johnson:

    “One of the detectives was yelling in my face, calling me a murderer. Over and over again in my face, over and over.”
    (Chris Johnson, [01:00], [15:13])

• Use of Deception and Exhaustion:

  • Police lied about forensic evidence and Andrea’s time of death to break Johnson down ([22:45], [31:36]).
  • Johnson:

    “They kept ingraining it and pushing it... for hours.”
    (Chris Johnson, [23:08])

  • Johnson became mentally and physically exhausted, barely sleeping ([26:36]), ultimately entering a “dream state” and producing a hazy, contradictory confession ([24:42]).

• The Hazy Confession:

  • Johnson wrote and stated he “must have” hurt Andrea, describing a scenario fed to him by police.
  • Notable quote:

    “I see me holding her and she slips out of my hand. She goes down to the floor.”
    (Chris Johnson, [01:36], [27:18], [34:24])

  • Autopsy contradicted this account: Andrea was strangled, not killed by a blow ([32:02]).

• No Access to Legal Counsel:

  • Johnson was not informed he could consult a lawyer, did not feel free to leave ([22:00]).

3. Issues with the Investigation

• Loss of Evidence:

  • Crime scene processing errors included super-glueing the body—destroying potential DNA evidence ([57:50], [62:16]).
  • No usable DNA, no fingerprints matching any suspect ([35:58], [62:36]).

• Focus on Johnson:

  • Despite no motive or evidence (Johnson received no inheritance, life insurance went to Andrea’s son), police zeroed in on him ([60:22]).

4. Alternate Suspect: Bobby Jo Leonard

• The Computer Guy:

  • Andrea had given her old computer to Leonard, a maintenance worker with Trashmasters, weeks before her death ([36:32]).
  • He was inside the apartment and known as the “computer guy” to Andrea’s family.

• Initial Police Investigation:

  • Tracked down quickly, Leonard denied involvement, provided DNA and fingerprints—which didn’t match the scene ([38:03], [38:15]).
  • Four days after the murder, he was in jail for assault; charges later dropped ([37:54]).

• Later Violent Crimes:

  • In 1999, Leonard raped and tried to kill a 13-year-old, choking and leaving her in a closet—a disturbing parallel to Andrea’s case ([39:45], [40:04]).

5. The Cold Case Break & Fresh Allegations

• Years Later—A Jailhouse Confession:

  • In 2019, a cold case investigator got Leonard—now serving life for another crime—to confess to Andrea’s murder ([50:52], [51:05]).
  • Leonard claimed he was hired to do it for $5,000, but never met the alleged mastermind. He never named Chris Johnson.

• Police Set Up a Sting:

  • Undercover officers posing as Leonard’s relatives pressured Johnson for “owed money.” He denied knowing Leonard or owing anything ([53:44]).

• Grand Jury and Arrest:

  • Despite no new physical evidence, Chris Johnson was indicted in 2021 for murder for hire, arrested, and held for almost a year ([56:24], [56:53], [57:17]).

6. The 2022 Trial

• Key Evidence and Testimonies:

  • Prosecution relied heavily on Leonard’s testimony and Johnson’s taped false confession ([73:56]).
  • Leonard’s detailed courtroom confession contradicted by forensic evidence (Andrea had fought fiercely, Leonard claimed she did not struggle) ([71:33]).
  • No phone records, no physical evidence tied Johnson to the plot ([72:43]).

• Defense Strategy:

  • Emphasized lack of evidence, flaws and contamination of the crime scene, and the unreliability of Leonard—a manipulative, self-serving felon seeking a deal ([63:41], [65:10], [77:52]).

• Jury’s Reaction:

  • The interrogation tapes made the jury feel more empathy for Johnson and anger toward the police ([74:16]).
  • Defense juror:

    “It seemed to me that police were just kind of hammering home what they thought to be the case. They weren't taking his initial statements for face value.”
    (Defense Attorney/Juror, [78:01])

• Quick Verdict:

  • Jury acquitted Johnson after just an hour of deliberation ([76:05], [76:26], [77:04]).
  • Emotional aftermath:

    “I just couldn't believe it. The jury had made the right decision.”
    (Ginny, Chris’s wife, [77:04])

7. Aftermath and Reflection

• Ongoing Loss and Suspicion:

  • Despite acquittal, suspicion and emotional toll remain for Chris Johnson and for Andrea Cincata’s son, Kevin ([80:06], [81:27], [82:24]).
  • Chris:

    “I used to be a lot more trusting. I trusted everyone, trusted the police. And now my eyes have been opened.”
    (Chris Johnson, [81:27])

• Calls for Reform:

  • The episode closes with commentators highlighting the dangers of tunnel vision in investigations and the need for more ethical interrogation practices ([79:16], [81:48]).

• Memorial to Andrea:

  • Chris continues work on the home they dreamed of together, honoring Andrea’s memory ([80:58]).

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Interrogation and Confession

  • “If I admit to what happened, I would have to know what happened.”
    (Chris Johnson, [01:26], [31:31])
  • “You trust the police. The police don’t lie... So I literally had no reason to believe that they were lying to me.”
    (Chris Johnson, [33:19])
  • “If you had gone through what I went through...you’re not in a good place.”
    (Chris Johnson, [32:24])

• On Leonard as a Witness

  • “Bobby Jo Leonard is a killer and a liar. He's had a lot of victims in his life. And this trial is Bobby Jo Leonard attempting to add one more victim to his list—Chris Johnson.”
    (Trial Observer/Juror, [72:54])
  • “You don't hire someone to kill someone whom you've never met...and out of all the Bobby Jolenard testimony, he never claimed that they met.”
    (Defense Attorney/Juror, [78:01])

• On Aftermath

  • Host: “Sounds like you're not the same person you were before all of this happened.”
    Chris: “No, absolutely not. I used to be a lot more trusting...now my eyes have been opened.”
    ([81:27])

• On the System

  • “Prosecutors have more control over life, liberty and reputation than any other person in America. It is an awesome power to be a prosecutor and with it comes an awesome responsibility.”
    (Trial Observer/Juror, [79:16])

---

Important Timestamps

• [00:32] - Start of episode content, vivid description of crime and discovery
• [13:19 – 15:04] - Chris Johnson’s initial police interrogation, pressure to confess
• [23:05 – 27:18] - Manipulative tactics, sleep deprivation, and breakdown
• [31:36 – 34:56] - Realization of police deception and expert commentary on false confessions
• [39:45 – 40:47] – Bobby Jo Leonard’s similar subsequent crime and conviction
• [47:07 – 50:39] – Cold case work revives focus on Leonard; Johnson indicted
• [56:24 – 60:07] - Arrest, pre-trial detention, defense team assembles
• [67:02 – 76:26] – Trial proceedings, key testimonies, verdict delivered
• [77:13 – 79:37] – Jurors reflect, theme of doubt and prosecutorial responsibility
• [80:25 – 81:16] – Chris Johnson's return to “memorial” home building, emotional impact
• [81:27 – 81:58] – Lasting psychological effects, message for listeners

---

Lessons & Takeaways

• False Confessions Happen: Sleep deprivation, police lies, and relentless pressure can elicit false admissions—even from innocent people.
• Integrity of Investigations Matters: Contamination or destruction of evidence can make justice all but impossible.
• The Dangers of Tunnel Vision: Early focus on a suspect can blind investigators to other leads, particularly when confessions and actual evidence don’t align.
• Hearts Left Broken: For both the wrongfully accused and the families seeking justice, suspicion and unresolved grief persist for decades.
• Systemic Reflection: As the episode concludes, listeners are prompted to question the fairness of the system and to be aware that wrongful accusations can happen to anyone.

---

Conclusion

Nearly 25 years after Andrea Cincata’s murder, Chris Johnson is acquitted, but the marks of the ordeal linger. The case is a haunting examination of police practices and the deep, enduring pain for all intertwined with tragedy and lost justice. In their words, “if it can happen to Chris Johnson, it can happen to you, or someone you love” ([81:48]).

---

For a full and nuanced account, this episode is recommended listening for anyone interested in justice, false confessions, or true crime.

Transcript

[Narrator]

You survived the Miami weekend, nailed the

[Chris Johnson]

speech, and maxed out your credit card in the name of friendship. Now you've got one hangover, four pastel

[Narrator]

dresses, and zero reasons to wear them again. Sell them on, Depop. Just snap a few photos and we'll take care of the rest. And you at least get some of your dignity money back. Someone on Depop wants what you've got. Start selling now, Depop. Where taste recognizes taste.

[Host/Interviewer]

Welcome to the 2020 True Crime Vault, where heart stopping headlines come to life.

[Narrator]

You think, oh, this is a movie. This is a TV show. This isn't real life.

[Chris Johnson]

I woke up in the middle of the night. I got up and opened the door, and that's when I found her.

[Host/Interviewer]

After that door opens, nothing will be the.

[Chris Johnson]

She was cold. There's nothing colder than a dead body. One of the detectives was yelling in my face, calling me a murderer. Over and over again. In my face, over and over.

[Detective/Investigator]

Stuffed in the closet, folded up, was Andy Cincana, his life partner.

[Detective Cindy Brennaman]

Did you place Andy in that closet? Don't sit there and constantly deny things that are so obvious that what you're saying is not true.

[Chris Johnson (during interrogation/confession)]

If I admit to what happened, I would have to know what happened.

[Legal Expert/Commentator]

He finally lapses into this sort of dream state,

[Chris Johnson (during interrogation/confession)]

All very hazy, and it's just an image. I see me holding her. I see me holding her and she slips out of my hand. She goes down to the floor.

[Host/Interviewer]

You wrote, I keep saying, come back, she's dead. For the person out there who might be watching this and saying, why in the world would you write that down?

[Chris Johnson]

I was broken. And that's when I realized they've been lying to me the whole time.

[911 Operator]

To 911. What is your emergency? I need an officer. What's going on? I thought my girlfriend was missing. I hadn't seen her. I think she's dead. You think so? Yeah, she's laying over on her side. She's cold.

[Host/Interviewer]

This story begins in 1998 with a chilling 911 call made from inside a two bedroom condominium in Arlington, Virginia.

[911 Operator]

What's your name, sir? James Christopher Johnson. What is her name? Andrea Cincada.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Andrea Cincata and Chris Johnson are a low key, quiet couple, certainly an unlikely pair to be at the center of this story.

[Legal Analyst/Prosecutor]

These were two people that were just going about their normal lives. And you wouldn't think that people like this would end up in a story as bizarre as this.

[Legal Expert/Commentator]

So Andrea was a librarian. She worked at the Arlington county library for years.

[Host/Interviewer]

She really loved her job and you could see that shine through in these photos of her taken at the library. She loved words, she loved books. Andy loved reading.

[Trial Observer/Juror]

She was a small woman, about 5:1, 100 pounds soaking wet.

[Legal Expert/Commentator]

She loved to swim. She went swimming most mornings at a high school pool. She had a lot of friends.

[Host/Interviewer]

She was very sweet and also funny. When you talk to her, there was a kind of exuberance.

[Narrator]

Chris was working at Home Depot.

[Legal Expert/Commentator]

Chris Johnson had a background in engineering. He had worked in construction and contracting.

[Chris Johnson]

Chris is my brother. Chris was the brains in the family. He thrived on science and math.

[Narrator]

He's very unassuming. He's very sweet. He's the first person that offers to help you.

[Trial Observer/Juror]

He is a normal dude. He's honest, he's decent. He's hard working. Can be a little awkward.

[Host/Interviewer]

To someone who doesn't know you. How would you describe yourself?

[Chris Johnson]

I'm just me. I like building things. I work on work. Construction, like fixing things.

[Host/Interviewer]

Andrea, but most friends called her Andy and Chris met on Labor Day, 1988. They actually lived in the same apartment complex.

[Narrator]

They met in an elevator. She was going to swim and he was going to work.

[Chris Johnson]

It was really just pie. But there was one time she got her bike out, took it in the elevator. You know, it's like I would go biking too. So we ended up just going on bike rides up and down the trail.

[Host/Interviewer]

When did your connection with Andrea turn into something more?

[Chris Johnson]

She came over and wanted to borrow a cup of sugar. The relationship progressed from there.

[Host/Interviewer]

So at what point did you fall in love?

[Chris Johnson]

Definitely right after she came over. I was pretty much sure that I wanted to spend my life with her. She's wonderful, absolutely wonderful. Smart and caring.

[Narrator/Reporter]

When they met, Andrea was 42 and Chris was 26.

[Host/Interviewer]

Now, there was about 16 years between the two of you. Your ages, were there any issues with that?

[Chris Johnson]

None at all? No, none at all. I thought she looked great and we looked similar in age. My gray hair started when I was 17. Everyone thought we were the same age and it had no. It made no impact or difference to us.

[Host/Interviewer]

Now, she had a son, Kevin, from a previous marriage. How old was he when you met him?

[Chris Johnson]

15.

[Host/Interviewer]

How was your connection with Kevin early on?

[Chris Johnson]

I think it was great. Kevin's great. I've got some interesting stories where I was teaching him how to drive.

[Legal Expert/Commentator]

Chris got along well with Andrea's on Kevin. Chris and Andrea seemed to have a great, loving relationship.

[Chris Johnson]

We got engaged July 1991.

[Narrator]

They moved together to Colonial Village. It's a condominium complex in Arlington, Virginia. Arlington, Virginia is right next to Washington

[Legal Expert/Commentator]

D.C. it's directly across the river, Very, very well to do suburb of D.C.

[Narrator]

and while it's right near such a busy city, it has a bit of a small town feel.

[Chris Johnson]

Quiet, convenient.

[Host/Interviewer]

Chris and Andrea were building another home together a few hours away in Virginia.

[Chris Johnson]

We were building our dream house. It was something we were doing together. We designed it together, built it together. She had her own set of tools.

[Host/Interviewer]

So you guys were actually physically doing the work?

[Chris Johnson]

Yeah, cutting the trees down, digging up the stumps.

[Host/Interviewer]

Sounds like it brought you closer together.

[Chris Johnson]

It did, absolutely.

[Host/Interviewer]

So I want to take you to August 21, 1998, the day that everything changed. How did the day begin?

[Chris Johnson]

As usual. I went out to work and I said goodbye to her and she was getting ready to go out to the pool.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Andrea had the day off work and made plans to meet a friend for lunch after swimming.

[Host/Interviewer]

What happens then?

[Chris Johnson]

I go to work. I ended up having to work late.

[Host/Interviewer]

She called her a few times, I

[Chris Johnson]

called and left messages on the machine. She didn't pick up.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Of course there was no texting in those days, no instant answers. So people were used to leaving answering machine messages and waiting to hear back.

[911 Operator]

Hi, it's me, it's about 2:15, looking to try to get home about 5:30. If you want you can go ahead and give me a call.

[Legal Expert/Commentator]

They had plans for the night, we're gonna go see a movie.

[911 Operator]

We can confirm whether we're going to the movies or any video. Otherwise I will see you tonight. Love you, bye.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Chris then gets delayed at work so he called and left another message.

[911 Operator]

It's after 5 o', clock, I have to pick up a couple things. I'll be on my way, probably be after 5:30 or so until I get there.

[Chris Johnson]

I thought I was gonna be home this time and then that got delayed. So okay, I'm gonna be home a little bit later.

[911 Operator]

Hi, it's me, it's 5:39, I've left home Depot. I'm on my way home but I'm gonna get gas. I'll see you in a little while. Bye.

[Host/Interviewer]

So what happened when you came home?

[Chris Johnson]

I got home and she wasn't there and I was like okay. The day before she had told me that there's a good chance she wouldn't be home because one of her good friends had a son in law who had a brain tumor and you know, he was fading fast and her friend would have needed Andy to babysit their two year old daughter. And that woman had left a message on the machine.

[911 Operator]

Andy and Judy, I'm at home. We have some bad news. Give me a call.

[Chris Johnson]

So it's like, okay, well, andy's babysitting the 2 year old.

[Host/Interviewer]

While you were waiting, what were you doing at home?

[Chris Johnson]

I did some laundry, had a little bit of a snack, watched TV.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Chris said it got to be about 10pm before he became worried enough to actually start making phone calls. And the first person he reached out to was that friend, Judy.

[Chris Johnson]

So I called and was like, just looking for Andy. Could you give me a call? I actually called the hospital seeing if there was anyone admitted with the name Andrea Cincata, and they said no. I called Kevin, left a message.

[Host/Interviewer]

So it sounds like you were concerned but not alarmed.

[Chris Johnson]

No.

[Host/Interviewer]

Not worried that something had happened?

[Chris Johnson]

No.

[Narrator/Reporter]

At 11:30pm Chris says he started getting tired, so he lays down to go to sleep in the bedroom.

[Narrator]

So Chris woke up and he noticed that the closet door was closed and it was often left open. So he went in.

[Chris Johnson]

I got up and opened the door and that's when I found her.

[Host/Interviewer]

After that door opens, nothing will be the same.

[911 Operator]

She is cold to detection. Yeah. Okay. All right. I want you to stay on the phone with me, okay? Okay.

[Host/Interviewer]

Chris Johnson is asleep in the bedroom he shares with his fiance, Andrea Cincada, waiting for her to come home.

[Chris Johnson]

I woke up in the middle of the night and I look over. I'm sort of looking at the wall.

[Host/Interviewer]

It's 1:37am and he realizes Andrea's not there. And he notices something different in the room.

[Legal Expert/Commentator]

He realizes that the closet door is closed and the closet door is not normally closed.

[Chris Johnson]

Usually I see the white wall and the black for her closet, and I didn't see that other black. So it's just like.

[Legal Expert/Commentator]

So he goes over to look in the closet.

[Chris Johnson]

I got up and opened the door and that's when I found her. I reached out, I touched her shoulder, and she was cold. There's nothing colder than a dead body.

[Detective/Investigator]

Stuffed way back in the closet, folded up, was Andy Cincata, his life partner.

[Narrator/Reporter]

She's on the floor of the closet, laying on her left side surrounded by clothing.

[Chris Johnson]

I ran and called 911.

[911 Operator]

I went to 911. What is your emergency? I need an officer. What's going on? I thought my girlfriend was missing. I hadn't seen her. We were supposed to go out tonight, but I figured I'd give her some time. I think she's dead. You think so? Yeah. The door was closed, but I didn't look in the closet. She's Laying over on her side. She's cold.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Chris explains that he's been waiting for Andrea and he assumed that she would come home later.

[911 Operator]

So you were supposed to go out tonight and she didn't answer? She didn't call you? Well, I mean, we've been living together for seven years. Okay. And, I mean, this is not. It wasn't like her at all. So you were out then and you just came home and found her? No, I got home at 6. I did my laundry. She must have been in the place the whole time, but I just didn't look in the closet. Okay. Closet door's closed.

[Narrator/Reporter]

He tells the dispatcher that there did not appear to be a force entry.

[911 Operator]

When you came home tonight, did anything look strange when you came in the apartment? I mean, did it look like something the lock was messed with or anything? The door deadbolt was not locked, but the doorknob was locked. Okay, so the deadbolt was not. Yeah, Okay. I mean, I've been home the whole time.

[Chris Johnson]

The 911 operator kept me on the phone until I heard the sirens.

[911 Operator]

You hearing any sirens or anything? Yeah, I can hear them. They should be there any minute.

[Host/Interviewer]

Okay, as all this is happening, how are you processing it?

[Chris Johnson]

I was in a state of shock. I guess I really hadn't totally processed. She's gone. Even though she was dead. I just, I guess, blocked that out or wasn't dealing with that. And I was just trying to. What's the next thing I gotta do?

[Host/Interviewer]

He tells police that he's noticed $107 of coins, a gym bag and two of Andrea's purses are missing. Also missing her car and car keys. Police issue a lookout for the car

[Legal Expert/Commentator]

to all units within the hour. After the police get there, they take him to police headquarters and start questioning him.

[Defense Attorney/Legal Expert]

Whenever you have a case where somebody's partner dies, the partner is always going to be somebody who the police focus on.

[Narrator/Reporter]

There is no audio or video of that first night of questioning, but Chris says he remembers it vividly.

[Host/Interviewer]

What do you recall most about that first night of questioning?

[Chris Johnson]

One of the detectives was yelling in my face. And it seemed like that was going on for hours and hours. And I was told, no, no, I didn't do it.

[Host/Interviewer]

What specifically were they yelling at you?

[Chris Johnson]

He was calling me a murderer. Over and over again in my face, murderer. Over and over, over and over, hours on end.

[Host/Interviewer]

Were you angry at the police for subjecting you to questioning at that point?

[Chris Johnson]

No, I was trying to help them. I wanted them to figure out what happened. I wanted to know what happened.

[Legal Expert/Commentator]

They question him till 8, 9 in the morning. He denies having anything to do with her death, and they let him go.

[Chris Johnson]

I went to Andrea's father's house to tell him his daughter was dead. I'm driving up the road back from his house and I see a car that looks like hers. And then, you know, as I'm passing that's her license plate, and I'm like, that's her car. I immediately slam on the brakes, pull over on the shoulder, and I call the police. I said, you're not going to believe this. I found her car.

[Host/Interviewer]

Were you concerned at how that might seem? A couple hours ago they're yelling at you as if you're a suspect, and now you're saying, oh, here's her car.

[Chris Johnson]

Absolutely. But it was more important for them to process the car. I wanted to know what happened more than anything. That's what I was trying to figure out.

[Legal Analyst/Prosecutor]

He happens to just be driving down the street and runs into the car. If they didn't think he was involved before, they definitely do now.

[Chris Johnson]

After I found the car, they took me back in Saturday night.

[Legal Expert/Commentator]

They want to talk to him again.

[Chris Johnson]

I went to pick up Chris at the police department. It wasn't until about 6:30pm that Chris

[Legal Expert/Commentator]

was finally came out.

[Chris Johnson]

He just looked like someone who'd been through the mill. He was very tired. Very tired. Just totally exhausted, Mentally exhausted. I think I went into some sort of state where I shut down my emotions because you have to. I remember when my dad died, we had to hold everything together. And it wasn't until they were putting his. Sorry, his body on the case on at Arlington that I broke down. So I was like. That was like two weeks later. But you have to hold it together to function.

[Host/Interviewer]

And you were trying to do the same thing then.

[Chris Johnson]

Yeah.

[Narrator/Reporter]

In the days to come, Chris Johnson will be put on the hot seat and his story will be put to the test.

[Chris Johnson (during interrogation/confession)]

Did I push her? Did I hit her?

[Chris Johnson]

Could I still play as my games?

[911 Operator]

I don't know what I did.

[Chris Johnson]

Yes, you did. You absolutely did.

[Chris Johnson (during interrogation/confession)]

Did I choke her?

[911 Operator]

Tell me.

[Narrator/Reporter]

In the days after Andrea Cincata's death, Chris Johnson is repeatedly brought back into the police department for questioning.

[Narrator]

The interrogation of Chris was pretty brutal.

[Legal Expert/Commentator]

In those first three days after Andrea died, he was interrogated intensively. He comes back in voluntarily without a lawyer.

[Chris Johnson]

Saturday morning, eight hours after I found the car, they took me back in. Saturday night, Sunday morning, I had to go back in and go through it all again.

[Host/Interviewer]

That's 21 hours of interviews with Chris Johnson. Authorities say at least some, if not all of those interviews were recorded. But to this day, nobody can find any audio or video.

[Detective/Investigator]

Those 21 hours gone.

[Narrator/Reporter]

The first videotape that we have is from Monday, August 24, which is three days after the murder. In some of the clips, there's a video effect that looks like a black box covering the computer.

[Chris Johnson (during interrogation/confession)]

She's laying on her left side in a fetal position. I touch her shoulder, like right here, and she's cold.

[Narrator/Reporter]

One of the very first questions they asked Chris Johnson was, have you guys had any recent fights?

[Detective Cindy Brennaman]

No big fights or arguments between the. For any reason at all?

[Chris Johnson (during interrogation/confession)]

I don't get into fights, arguments.

[Detective Cindy Brennaman]

I'm not talking about physical confrontation.

[Chris Johnson (during interrogation/confession)]

I mean, not even verbal.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Detective hums questions, Chris, about not noticing that the closet door was closed until the middle of the night.

[Detective Cindy Brennaman]

Over the course of the time that you were home, you must have gone past that closet at least five times from your explanation to me. And you never noticed that that door was closed?

[Chris Johnson (during interrogation/confession)]

No.

[Detective Cindy Brennaman]

But you woke up from. You were basically asleep, but right away you noticed that the door was closed. Why is that? Sure you do think about it.

[Host/Interviewer]

Did you feel like a suspect?

[Chris Johnson]

I felt like they thought I was a suspect, but I knew I had nothing to do with it. It seems like from the moment I called 911, they had their mind made up.

[Narrator]

He was asked the same questions over and over and over again.

[Detective Cindy Brennaman]

Did you place Andy in that closet in that apartment? Did you already know that Andy had been placed in the closet? You placed Andy in that closet.

[Legal Expert/Commentator]

He keeps giving largely the same responses.

[Chris Johnson (during interrogation/confession)]

I did not know that she was in the closet until I found her in the closet at 1:30 in the morning.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Detective Cindy Brennaman, who had interviewed Chris earlier, then walks into the room.

[Detective Cindy Brennaman]

Quite often, things will happen between friends, lovers, whatever, and things may get out of hand. You may not mean to hurt that person, but you do accidentally. And if that's what really happened, don't sit there and go through all of this. Say it was an accident. Tell the truth. If what happened was an accident, tell me that was an accident.

[Chris Johnson (during interrogation/confession)]

I have no idea what happened to her.

[Host/Interviewer]

You kept saying over and over again, I don't know what happened.

[Chris Johnson]

Right. I wanted to get across to them that I had nothing to do with it and I wanted to help them try to find out what happened.

[Chris Johnson (during interrogation/confession)]

It sounds like you want me to say that.

[Detective Cindy Brennaman]

I want you to say the truth. And you know what the truth is?

[Chris Johnson (during interrogation/confession)]

I'm on the cause of It. But it was an accident. Or I'm the cause of it.

[911 Operator]

Of it.

[Chris Johnson (during interrogation/confession)]

But it was deliberate.

[Detective Cindy Brennaman]

If you're the person. I don't know what happened.

[Chris Johnson (during interrogation/confession)]

I really don't know what happened.

[Host/Interviewer]

Did they ever tell you, hey, you can get a lawyer?

[Chris Johnson]

No.

[Host/Interviewer]

Did you ever feel like you were free to leave when they were questioning you?

[Chris Johnson]

No. It was a small room and there was, like, handcuffs bolted to the table and there was someone always guarding the door. I wanted to use the bathroom. Once I was escorted to the bathroom,

[Legal Analyst/Prosecutor]

it's clear that these officers don't believe Chris's version of the story.

[Detective Cindy Brennaman]

Sit there and constantly deny things that are so obvious that what you're saying is not true.

[Chris Johnson (during interrogation/confession)]

If I admit to what happened, I would have to know what happened.

[Host/Interviewer]

A critical part of the interrogation is that in the previous days, one of the detectives told Chris about what evidence he said was found at the scene.

[Chris Johnson]

Early on, they kept saying things like, well, she was alive after 6 o', clock, that my fingerprints were on her. And I'm just like, what? No. But they just kept repeating it and repeating it and repeating it.

[Host/Interviewer]

What was your immediate thought when you heard that?

[Chris Johnson]

No, that wasn't the case. But they kept ingraining it and pushing it and pushing it for hours.

[Detective Cindy Brennaman]

When you got home, did you already know that Andy was in the closet?

[Chris Johnson (during interrogation/confession)]

No.

[Detective Cindy Brennaman]

And that's the truth?

[Chris Johnson (during interrogation/confession)]

Yes.

[Detective Cindy Brennaman]

And you're sure about that?

[Chris Johnson (during interrogation/confession)]

From what I know, yes.

[Detective Cindy Brennaman]

Now, why are you defining that? Why are you kind of qualifying from what you.

[Chris Johnson (during interrogation/confession)]

Because. Because what Detective Brennan's partner said was that my fingerprints were on her body and that her time of death was after I got home. That does not jive with what I believe happened.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Then Detective Brennaman takes her turn in questioning Chris.

[Chris Johnson]

Because I know that you know the truth.

[Chris Johnson (during interrogation/confession)]

You know the truth.

[Chris Johnson]

Truth.

[Chris Johnson (during interrogation/confession)]

You know what happened more than I do. What accident? Tell me. You tell me. Did I push her? Did I hit her? Chris, don't play those my games.

[911 Operator]

I don't know what I did.

[Chris Johnson]

Yes, you do.

[Chris Johnson (during interrogation/confession)]

You absolutely do. Did I choke her?

[Chris Johnson]

I came out of the gate.

[Legal Analyst/Prosecutor]

Chris's story was consistent and. And he stays consistent.

[Host/Interviewer]

But it's about to change.

[Legal Expert/Commentator]

Finally, after 24, 25 hours with the police, he collapses into this sort of dream state.

[Legal Analyst/Prosecutor]

This definitely is a point where the detectives are like, okay, this guy's ready to confess.

[Sponsor Voice (BetterHelp)]

This episode is sponsored by Better Help. Summer is here, and with it can come a whole lot of pressure. Travel, long days on the beach and more time with kids who were out of school can all sound like a blessing, but it's a lot to juggle too. You might find yourself overwhelmed and stressing about whether you're making the most of those long days of sunshine and disruptions to the routines you've built. The rest of the year can be destabilizing. So even if you're having your share of summer fun, don't forget to take care of yourself. One way to do that is with therapy. BetterHelp is the world's largest online therapy platform with a network of over 30,000 therapists. They make it easy to access therapy even if you've never tried it before. Over their 12 years in the business, BetterHelp has served more than 6 million people worldwide. All BetterHelp therapists work according to a strict code of conduct, and they're trained to listen to whatever is on your mind, no matter how big or small. You don't have to say yes to everything this summer, find support in therapy. Sign up and get 10% off at betterhelp.com 2020That's betterhelp H-E-L-P.com 2020Ryan Reynolds here from Mint Mobile.

[Host/Interviewer]

I don't know if you knew this, but anyone can get the same Premium

[Chris Johnson (during interrogation/confession)]

Wireless for $15 a month plan that I've been enjoying. It's not just for celebrities, so do

[Chris Johnson]

like I did and have one of

[Chris Johnson (during interrogation/confession)]

your assistant's assistants switch you to Mint Mobile today.

[Chris Johnson]

I'm told it's super easy to [e-mail]

[Sponsor Voice (Shopify/Instacart)]

Switch upfront payment of $45 for 3 month plan equivalent to $15 per month Required intro rate first 3 months only, then full price plan options available, taxes and fees extra. See full [e-mail].

[Detective Cindy Brennaman]

How many hours do you think you've slept over the past 24?

[Chris Johnson (during interrogation/confession)]

I don't know for certain, but I would say three.

[Narrator/Reporter]

There are seven hours of video showing the interrogation of Chris Johnson. By now he has already been interrogated for over 21 hours and you can tell by watching the tape that he's becoming increasingly exhausted.

[Narrator]

He got very tired and he sort of deteriorated into a crumbled up mess.

[Chris Johnson (during interrogation/confession)]

I want to tell you what you

[911 Operator]

want to hear, but I don't know.

[Chris Johnson (during interrogation/confession)]

I don't know if I was home before or her or after her.

[Host/Interviewer]

And then there is a turning point in the interrogation. It's around 7:15pm and this is the 25th hour of talking to the police over the past several days.

[Chris Johnson (during interrogation/confession)]

I don't have a direct memory of it, direct memory of it it's all very hazy, and it's just an image. I see me holding her. I see me holding her and she slips out of my hand.

[Chris Johnson]

And what happens when she slips out of your hand?

[Chris Johnson (during interrogation/confession)]

She goes down to the floor.

[Narrator]

He started saying, well, I imagine that I was holding her and that she. She fell. And I have a vision, basically.

[Legal Expert/Commentator]

And he proceeds to tell a story about. He's arguing and he brings his hand down and he hits into her. She hits her head and goes down to the ground. And he says, then I knelt over her. She wasn't breathing.

[Chris Johnson]

Can you get her breathing again?

[Chris Johnson (during interrogation/confession)]

No.

[Narrator/Reporter]

At this point, Chris Johnson is incredibly subdued and almost inaudible. You can barely hear him.

[Chris Johnson (during interrogation/confession)]

She's gone.

[Detective Cindy Brennaman]

Okay, so what else did you do then?

[911 Operator]

I fell in love with her crying.

[Legal Analyst/Prosecutor]

This definitely is a point where the detectives are like, okay, this guy's ready to confess. He's ready to give it up and let us know exactly what happened.

[Chris Johnson (during interrogation/confession)]

And then what happens? Must have put her in the closet.

[Host/Interviewer]

You talk about having a hazy image.

[Chris Johnson]

They were saying she was alive after I got home. So the only way that something could have happened was maybe it was an accident.

[Legal Analyst/Prosecutor]

At this point, the detectives want him to solidify his version of events, so they tell him to write it down.

[Detective Cindy Brennaman]

You write down number one right here that you came into the house.

[Host/Interviewer]

Put it in your own words.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Chris writes down a three page summarized statement explaining his story.

[Host/Interviewer]

You wrote, my hand hit her on the neck. She falls down. As she fell, her head hit edge of desk. I am crying. I keep saying, come back, she's dead. I put her in the closet.

[Chris Johnson]

Well, they kept saying, your handprints are on her neck. Your handprints are on her neck. Never would have hurt her.

[Detective Cindy Brennaman]

Put today's date on there. Get ready to go home and get some sleep.

[Chris Johnson]

I was broken. I was a broken man by then.

[Legal Analyst/Prosecutor]

He's free to leave, but he definitely is in loads of trouble.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Chris Johnson just essentially signed a confession.

[Legal Analyst/Prosecutor]

I'm sure when they let him go that day, they were under the belief that he would be back in the future and he would be in custody for murder.

[Host/Interviewer]

Was there ever a point where you were like, do I need to get a lawyer?

[Chris Johnson]

That happened when I finally was able to talk to a former boss of mine, and he said, you need to talk to a lawyer. But that was after all of the interrogations.

[Host/Interviewer]

Did you think you'd be arrested?

[Chris Johnson]

They had me pretty much thinking something must have happened, and I just didn't remember it because I had no memory of actually anything happening to her.

[911 Operator]

So

[Chris Johnson]

probably, yeah.

[Narrator/Reporter]

But at that point, Chris Johnson discovered something crucial. He learns that the police had lied to him about pieces of evidence that they. They discovered at the crime scene. To begin, Andrea had not, in fact, been killed. After Chris got home, rigor mortis had

[Defense Attorney/Legal Expert]

already started to really establish itself in her folded body, meaning a minimum 10 to 12 hours after death.

[Narrator/Reporter]

She had also missed a planned lunch date she had with a friend.

[Legal Expert/Commentator]

She didn't show up for the lunch. She didn't call the friend. These very unusual. The friend calls and leaves a message on the answering machine.

[911 Operator]

Just checking to see that you're all right. It's 2:00' clock on Friday. Bye. Bye.

[Chris Johnson]

And that's when I realized they'd been lying to me the whole time. When they said that she was alive at 6 o', clock, they were lying.

[Host/Interviewer]

The light bulb went off for you.

[Chris Johnson]

Yes.

[Host/Interviewer]

And what did you think once you realized that?

[Chris Johnson]

I was in shock. How can they. How can they get away with it? How can they do that?

[Narrator/Reporter]

Police had told him other things that were also not true. His fingerprints were in fact, not found on Andrea's body. And the autopsy does not match the details in his confession, he gives a

[Legal Expert/Commentator]

version of events that doesn't match what happened to Andrea Cincada. She didn't die from a blow to the head.

[Detective/Investigator]

Andy Cincada was obviously strangled. That was clear from the very beginning.

[Narrator/Reporter]

So as he imagines it, he gets the details right. And it's not a small detail, it's the actual method of death.

[Host/Interviewer]

So for the person out there who might be watching this and saying, well, if you didn't do these things, why in the world would you write that down? Why would you write these things? What would you say to them?

[Chris Johnson]

If you had gone through what I went through for as long as I went through it, and you had just found the woman you love dead, you're not in a good place.

[Trial Observer/Juror]

Place.

[Chris Johnson]

You're not.

[Host/Interviewer]

You watched all seven hours of the interrogation video many times. What was your impression of it?

[Trial Observer/Juror]

That interrogation is shocking. You see how the police, using the tactics and methods that they did, they convinced Chris that he had actually done this. Police badger and badger and badger and badger. Lie to him, lie to him, lie to him. The only way out for Chris was by saying, I must have stuffed her

[Detective/Investigator]

in the closet eventually. Chris is a broken man. At the end, he would have written down that the Easter Bunny was involved.

[Chris Johnson]

You trust the police. The police don't lie. Growing up, be respectful and everything like that. So I literally had no reason to believe that they were lying to me.

[Legal Expert/Commentator]

We're allowed to lie to suspects in this country during interrogations.

[Host/Interviewer]

How impactful were the lies here?

[Legal Expert/Commentator]

Well, what he's being told is scientific evidence that you cannot disprove, and that's pretty powerful stuff.

[Chris Johnson (during interrogation/confession)]

I do not remember placing her in the closet. Based on what I've been told in this building, I can draw no other conclusion that I must have placed her in the closet.

[Host/Interviewer]

What do you make of this?

[Legal Expert/Commentator]

What I saw on the video was a lot of things that they were

[Narrator/Reporter]

doing that went over the line of what we now know shouldn't be done

[Defense Attorney/Legal Expert]

in order to get a reliable confession.

[Legal Expert/Commentator]

He's tired. He's under stress. He's been through trauma. He's been lied to. He's vulnerable.

[Chris Johnson (during interrogation/confession)]

I see me holding her, and she slips out of my hand. I go down to the floor with her.

[Host/Interviewer]

So do you find Chris's story believable here?

[Chris Johnson]

No.

[911 Operator]

No.

[Legal Expert/Commentator]

He is not making a confession. He's not even making an admission. He's saying that this is possible. This is something I maybe have a vision of or whatever along that line.

[Legal Analyst/Prosecutor]

Confessions don't mean anything if they're not corroborated. A confession alone is not enough to charge someone with any crime, especially a murder. They have no probable cause to arrest Chris at this point.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Which leads to the big question. If Chris Johnson did not kill Andrea Cincata, then who did?

[Trial Observer/Juror]

He talked his way into her home alone.

[Host/Interviewer]

In the aftermath of Andrea Cincata's death, her friends and family are left behind, reeling and confused.

[Defense Attorney/Legal Expert]

Last thing I expected in the world was that Andy was gone. It was just really hard to process.

[Host/Interviewer]

It was a punch in the gut.

[Legal Expert/Commentator]

What do you mean?

[Host/Interviewer]

She's dead?

[Chris Johnson]

That makes no sense. It made no sense.

[Host/Interviewer]

It was devastating.

[Narrator/Reporter]

While police are interrogating Chris, they're also processing the crime scene, looking for any forensic evidence that can point them to Andrea's killer.

[Legal Analyst/Prosecutor]

They're going to be looking to obtain fingerprints and DNA wherever possible,

[Host/Interviewer]

but they

[Narrator/Reporter]

don't find any physical evidence that points to a particular culprit. They do, however, have what seems to be a promising lead. Chris tells police that about four weeks before Andrea Cincada was killed, she was trying to get rid of an alarm old computer.

[Defense Attorney/Legal Expert]

Andy was asking other staff members, hey, I have this old computer. I don't want to just throw it away. Do you think someone could use it or where could I donate it?

[Narrator/Reporter]

She sees this man outside who is working for a company called Trashmasters.

[Defense Attorney/Legal Expert]

He was at the department complex installing mailboxes there. It's probable that she saw one of the trashmasters trucks, assuming it was like recycling or trash company. And she asked him whether they use computers.

[Narrator/Reporter]

And he says, I'll take the computer.

[Defense Attorney/Legal Expert]

And then I remember her coming to me one day and saying, oh, hey, don't worry about the computer. I found someone to give it to.

[Detective/Investigator]

Andrea Cincada, at that point, actually let the man into her apartment, all the way back into the bedroom to take this computer.

[Legal Expert/Commentator]

She later tells Kevin, her son, and her fiance, Chris Johnson, that she's given the computer to some unknown man. They didn't know who it was. They called him the computer guy.

[Defense Attorney/Legal Expert]

She said that Chris and Kevin were upset that she had let a stranger into the house while she was there by herself.

[Host/Interviewer]

So this guy with the computer, Tell me about that.

[Chris Johnson]

Kevin was the one who really pieced it together, that there was a computer guy that probably they need to look at.

[Narrator/Reporter]

This is a huge lead. This is a man who they don't know, who has been inside the house, who has had contact with Andy Cincada. This is somebody that needs to be thoroughly checked out.

[Legal Expert/Commentator]

The police tracked him down fairly quickly.

[Narrator/Reporter]

They figure out that this is a man named Bobby Joe Leonard.

[Host/Interviewer]

Four days after Andrea's murder, he had landed in a jail in Philadelphia, accused of assaulting his wife. Charges that were later dropped.

[Detective/Investigator]

Arlington county police, they went up and talked to Bobby Jo Leonard in the Philadelphia jail. Bobby Jo Leonard said, I don't have anything to do with that murder in Arlington. I didn't do anything to that lady.

[Legal Expert/Commentator]

They did take his blood. They did take his fingerprints. Didn't match anything at the scene.

[Detective/Investigator]

The police didn't take his clothes, didn't get his search warrant for his place.

[Legal Analyst/Prosecutor]

So this person that was once a suspect, they tell the family members that, no, he is actually the only person that's been cleared right now.

[Narrator/Reporter]

The Bobby Jo Leonard lead doesn't go anywhere. Meanwhile, Andrea's death has received a surprising lack of attention from the media.

[Legal Expert/Commentator]

The Arlington police did not put out any kind of press releases when the death occurred. They never put any kind of public notice out there that there had been a homicide in Arlington.

[Defense Attorney/Legal Expert]

At the time, I thought, I wonder if Andy, like, had a cerebral hemorrhage or fell and hit her head.

[Host/Interviewer]

I wonder what happened. My assumption was that it was a break in. Someone broke in and, you know, the robbery gone wrong, that sort of thing.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Well, authorities said that they had treated it like a homicide since the start. It wasn't until six months after her death that they finally officially ruled it a homicide. Police reassured the community, saying we do not have a serial killer on our hands. Police also said there was a finite possibility of suspects out there. It means they have a very strong suspect in mind. And in this case, it's obviously Chris Johnson that they're focused on.

[Host/Interviewer]

But then, a year after Andrea's death, Bobby Joe Leonard, that computer guy, commits a heinous crime that brings him back into focus.

[Narrator]

In 1999, Bobby Jo Leonard, kidnapped, raped and left for dead a 13 year old girl.

[Legal Expert/Commentator]

He takes this teenage girl and chokes her into unconsciousness and puts her in a closet and leaves. And he thought that he had killed her.

[Legal Analyst/Prosecutor]

What's interesting here and what brings us back to Andrea's case is the fact that she was also placed in a closet to die.

[Host/Interviewer]

Kevin Cincata actually attends the trial and so does Tom Jackman, who's reporting on it for the Washington Post.

[Legal Expert/Commentator]

During the Bobby Joe Leonard trial, a man came up to me and said, I believe this man killed my mother. And that was when I first met Kevin Sincata and learned about the death of his mother, Andrea Cincada. Kevin was determined to get answers to find out who killed his mother. It's really not an unreasonable demand.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Bobby Joe Leonard was convicted of abduction, rape and attempted murder of a 13 year old girl. And he was sentenced to life in prison.

[Host/Interviewer]

The investigation goes cold, ice cold. Chris Johnson tries to move on with his life.

[Chris Johnson]

I've always wanted to know what happened

[Host/Interviewer]

to her, but he's under a cloud of suspicion.

[Chris Johnson]

I mean, it's always in the back of your mind that the police still think that I must have done it.

[Host/Interviewer]

20 years pass,

[Legal Expert/Commentator]

Two decades later, suddenly it's a huge break in the case.

[Narrator]

It's shocking.

[Ginny (Chris's new partner/wife)]

He's been arrested for what you think,

[Narrator]

oh, this is a movie, this is a TV show, this isn't real life.

[Chris Johnson]

I was in the fight for my life.

[Narrator/Reporter]

He's either a criminal genius or he's innocent. And it's one of those two things.

[Chris Johnson]

She was cold. There's nothing colder than a dead body.

[Legal Expert/Commentator]

Kevin was determined to get answers, to find out who killed his mother.

[Chris Johnson]

You can pass on videotape. You confessed in a written statement. The police still think that I must have done it.

[Chris Johnson (during interrogation/confession)]

You know the truth more than I do.

[911 Operator]

You tell me, did I push her?

[Chris Johnson (during interrogation/confession)]

Did I hit her?

[911 Operator]

I don't know what I did.

[Narrator/Reporter]

If Chris Johnson did not kill Andrea Cincada, then who did?

[Legal Expert/Commentator]

Here is a confession. The career Felon stepping up and saying, I committed this murder.

[Narrator]

Somebody said they would pay me $5,000 to do it.

[Host/Interviewer]

The claim is you paid him $5,000 to kill Andrea.

[Ginny (Chris's new partner/wife)]

Oh, my God. Chris had nothing to do with it.

[Chris Johnson]

When they said that, my jaw dropped.

[Narrator]

It was in the jury's hands, and you don't know what the jury's gonna do.

[Host/Interviewer]

Back in 1998, after Chris Johnson found his fiance Andrea Cincata's body in their bedroom closet, he called 91 1.

[911 Operator]

I went to 91 1. What is your emergency? I thought my girlfriend was missing. I think she's dead. You think so? Yeah.

[Host/Interviewer]

He was immediately the prime suspect. Grilled by police for 28 hours over three days, they accused him of being the killer.

[Detective Cindy Brennaman]

And, you know, you know, we're just waiting for you to say, just be a man and admit the truth.

[Host/Interviewer]

Chris says he was exhausted and finally broke down under the pressure. And based on the evidence police told him they had said, he must have had something to do with it.

[Detective Cindy Brennaman]

Describe for me how you took her to the closet. Tell us what's happened.

[Chris Johnson (during interrogation/confession)]

You said, I dropped her on the floor. And then what happens to put her in the closet?

[Host/Interviewer]

But Chris says he was under duress, so he gave a false confession. He told police he dropped Andrea and she hit her head. But the autopsy showed that she died by strangulation. He wasn't charged, but the suspicions remain.

[Chris Johnson]

I mean, it's always in the back of your mind. Well, first of all, the police still think that I must have done it.

[Host/Interviewer]

Chris Johnson is left reeling. Andrew's mysterious death in the closet goes unsolved, and the dream house they were building was put on hold. What are your most vivid memories of

[Chris Johnson]

her building the house? She was an amazing, powerful woman. Sorry. There was one time we were lifting a 12 foot tall wall, and I realized I did not have a good grip. I looked at her. I knew that she could hold it while I changed my grip. I let go, regripped it, and we got that wall up.

[Host/Interviewer]

She was there for you.

[Chris Johnson]

We were a team, partners.

[Host/Interviewer]

Chris talks about how at the time, he came to lean on a song that had special significance for him. You're gone now. I know God has his reasons, but sometimes it's a.

[Chris Johnson]

It came out right at the time that she was killed. It talks about the times that you share, and then you know, she's gone.

[Host/Interviewer]

He says he still listens to it today. But Chris did slowly begin to rebuild his life. A year after Andrea's death, he had a chance meeting at A movie theater.

[Ginny (Chris's new partner/wife)]

I did a hundred mile bike ride and I went straight to the cinema. I didn't bother to go home, get showered or anything. And I was standing in line and this person was in front of me, and he said, what film are you going to see? So I said, notting Hill. And I said, what film are you going to see? And he said, star Wars. And he said, oh, I'll go and see Notting Hill then. Do you want to sit together?

[Chris Johnson]

I said, okay. And the thing is, I felt it was okay to talk to her because she's tall and blonde and not my usual style. So I figured nothing's ever going to happen.

[Host/Interviewer]

But something did happen. Ginny and Chris started dating. What was it like when Chris first told you, Ginny, that his fiance had been murdered?

[Ginny (Chris's new partner/wife)]

This was pretty much our first date. And I thought to myself, this is more traumatic than anything that I've ever heard before.

[Host/Interviewer]

Chris, why did you bring up the fact that your fiance was murdered on the first date?

[Chris Johnson]

It seems like it's not something that you want to hide or whatever totally up front. This is who I am. This is what happened to me.

[Ginny (Chris's new partner/wife)]

I accepted it 100%. It never occurred to me ever that, you know, he might have had anything to do with it whatsoever.

[Host/Interviewer]

Ginny had no qualms about continuing the relationship, and that chance meeting on the movie line led to marriage.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Meanwhile, Andrea Cinqata's case goes cold, despite initial suspicions about Chris and another man named Bobby Jo Leonard.

[Host/Interviewer]

Now, a few weeks before she was murdered, Andrea Cincata gave her computer to Leonard, who was doing maintenance work at her condo. He had a criminal history, but police didn't find any evidence to link him to the murder, and he was cleared.

[Narrator]

For years, the case seemed to be stalled. The victim's son Kevin was pushing and pushing for them to come to some sort of solution in the case.

[Host/Interviewer]

Andrea's only child, her son Kevin, was 24 when she was killed.

[Legal Expert/Commentator]

Kevin and I met, and he wants me to write a story about this case and the fact that no one has been charged in his mother's murder.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Kevin Cincada filed a petition to see his mother's autopsy report. The court denied his request, saying that the investigation was still active

[Legal Expert/Commentator]

in around 2000. Kevin thought Chris was a great guy, and he felt that Chris was, you know, wrongly suspected of this by the police.

[Chris Johnson]

Kevin, he was very supportive. He asked, did I have anything to do with it? I told him absolutely not, and that was it.

[Host/Interviewer]

But over the years, Chris and Kevin had drifted apart. And then in 2018, 20 years after the murder, Kevin calls Chris, asking to get together.

[Chris Johnson]

I'll have the chicken salad resting on the side, please. Gyro salad, no tomato, no onion. The subject came up as he presented it was, you know, the 20th anniversary of her death is coming up, and that's how it started out.

[Host/Interviewer]

What Chris doesn't know is that Kevin is wearing a wire because he now thinks that Chris is responsible for his mother's death. Kevin tells Chris he's seen the police file and now has a different take on the case.

[Chris Johnson]

What would you think if you were here? Wouldn't you be at least a little suspicious? I could understand where you're coming from. Imagine this was your mom. Couldn't you know me or you knew me? Yeah.

[Host/Interviewer]

Chris adamantly denied Kevin's assertion.

[Chris Johnson]

Kevin, say it again. I did not kill your. And I'm sorry that you think I did.

[Host/Interviewer]

But Kevin keeps at Chris. He confronts him about what he said in the interrogation.

[Chris Johnson]

Chris, sorry. You confessed on videotape. You confessed in a written statement. Did you see the video game? Yes. Chris, there's no doubt that the police bundled this case, introduced false information, and that false information, yeah, I will get away, too. Yeah. But that doesn't mean that you didn't do it, because you did do it.

[Host/Interviewer]

How did that conversation leave you feeling?

[Chris Johnson]

I was really hurt. I was like, I wonder if he was wearing a wire because of the way he was asking the questions and everything like that.

[Host/Interviewer]

So when you found out, it sounds like you weren't that surprised.

[Chris Johnson]

No. I feel sorry for Kevin.

[Legal Expert/Commentator]

The case did sort of lose steam, but in Arlington, the police are still trying to figure out a way to try to solve it. And a new cold case detective comes onto the case.

[Legal Analyst/Prosecutor]

Detective Ortiz is part of the cold case unit. She is revisiting Andrea Cincada's death.

[Narrator/Reporter]

The detective goes to see Leonard at Wallens Ridge state Prison. It is a supermax prison on a mountaintop in Virginia.

[Host/Interviewer]

After years of denying any role in Andrea Sinkata's murder act, Bobby Joe Leonard has a shocking new story to tell.

[Detective/Investigator]

Apparently, Bobby Joe Leonard had found God and he decided he was going to come clean with respect to Andrea Cincata.

[Legal Expert/Commentator]

Here is a convicted career felon stepping up and saying, I committed this murder.

[Narrator]

Somebody said they would pay me $5,000 to do it.

[Host/Interviewer]

So who did Bobby Joe Leonard say hired him? Bobby Joe Leonard is ready to talk with detectives.

[Detective/Investigator]

Apparently, Bobby Joe Leonard had found God, and he decided he was gonna come clean with respect to Andrea Cincata.

[Host/Interviewer]

But first, he wants to make a deal.

[Legal Expert/Commentator]

He says, I want you to promise me that you won't seek the death penalty if I tell you what happened to Andrea Cincada.

[Host/Interviewer]

Leonard is serving a life sentence for the rape and attempted murder of a 13 year old.

[Narrator]

the next meeting, Detective Ortiz came back with the prosecutor and met with Bobby Jo Leonard and said, oh, you've got the death penalty off the table.

[Host/Interviewer]

With the death penalty off the table, Bobby Jo Leonard confessed to the murder of Andrea Cincata. But then he said something nobody saw coming. He said he was hired to do it.

[Narrator]

Leonard said, yeah, I did it. I killed Andy because somebody said they would pay me $5,000 to do it.

[Legal Expert/Commentator]

Bobby Jo Leonard tells the police he had gotten the computer from Andrea Cincada, taken it home, and that he'd then gotten a phone call from her checking on the computer.

[Host/Interviewer]

And Bobby Joe Leonard said, I'm having some problems with the computer. So Andrea, according to Bobby Joe Leonard, hands the phone to Chris because he built the computer.

[Legal Expert/Commentator]

And then Mr. Leonard tells Detective Ortiz that same person with that same phone number on. On our caller ID called me a day or two later.

[Detective/Investigator]

Leonard said the caller identified himself as, like, the boyfriend of Andrea Sagar. The voice sounded like an older white male. Chris was 36 at the time.

[Legal Expert/Commentator]

This white guy says, I want you to come. I want you to get rid of her. And Leonard says, I finally said to the white guy, are you saying you want me to kill her? And that. The man says, yes. And he promised me $5,000 would be left in the closet of their bedroom.

[Detective/Investigator]

Leonard says that. He said, of course I'll do that. Sight unseen, no down payment. Never met the person. This caller.

[Narrator]

Leonard never mentioned Chris by name. He didn't know his name.

[Host/Interviewer]

The police are intrigued by Leonard's story. Remember, they had initially suspended respected Chris Johnson, so they set up a sting.

[Legal Analyst/Prosecutor]

They're basically trying to corroborate Bobby Jo Leonard's story of what occurred. So they send a undercover officer, a female, to say that she is a family member of Bobby Jo Leonard. And she tells Chris that he owes Bobby Jo Leonard some money.

[Host/Interviewer]

Good morning, Mr. Johnson.

[Chris Johnson (during interrogation/confession)]

How are you?

[Chris Johnson]

I'm good.

[911 Operator]

I'm kin to Bobby. Bobby Leonard. My family's in the need of money

[Chris Johnson]

in a bad way.

[911 Operator]

Bobby Leonard said you owe him money from something from a long time ago. Who?

[Chris Johnson]

Bobby Leonard. He said just by Mr. Johnson, that Mr. Johnson will be able to help

[911 Operator]

us out, that you owe money from before.

[Chris Johnson]

I don't owe him any money.

[Host/Interviewer]

As you're hearing this, what are you thinking?

[Chris Johnson]

Well, I'm scared. This is as I'm walking out the door. What? 6:30 in the morning, it's dark out and I'm being confronted at my gate.

[Host/Interviewer]

But Chris did wonder, since he had once been considered a suspect, if maybe the police were behind it.

[Chris Johnson]

I was trying to figure out how they came up with this.

[Host/Interviewer]

Two weeks later, Chris is approached again. This time Chris says, by tall, intimidating man who said he was Bobby Joe Leonard's brother.

[Defense Attorney/Legal Expert]

How you doing Mr. Dawson?

[Chris Johnson]

How are you doing?

[911 Operator]

Good, Ms. Tony.

[Defense Attorney/Legal Expert]

I think you know why I'm here. I'll be out to my brother Bobby.

[Chris Johnson]

Actually, no, I don't know why you're here.

[911 Operator]

Okay, well,

[Defense Attorney/Legal Expert]

were you gonna pay my brother the money?

[Chris Johnson]

First of all, I need my lawyer, okay? In case you're Parliament police. There's not enough evidence for you to prove to me who you are.

[Defense Attorney/Legal Expert]

Okay, well, I'm definitely not the police. So obviously there was something that went

[911 Operator]

on with you and my brother.

[Chris Johnson]

No doubt after dealing with a girl and you know, we were all on edge.

[Ginny (Chris's new partner/wife)]

Oh my God. I was absolutely scared out of my mind. These people are going to be, are going to be hounding us and Chris had nothing to do with it.

[Legal Analyst/Prosecutor]

After those two stings proved unsuccessful, I would definitely go back and re interview Bobby Jo Leonard and let him know that we've got no proof of this and ask him again if he has any proof.

[Narrator]

Leonard had nothing but his own words to corroborate that he been hired by an older white man.

[Host/Interviewer]

That didn't stop law enforcement from moving ahead with the case. Still, a few years go by and they convene a grand jury.

[Narrator/Reporter]

And In November of 2021 there is a stunning development. Chris Johnson is indicted for murder for hire. Chris is arrested outside his front door as he's heading for work.

[Chris Johnson]

I was in shock. I mean what is this?

[Host/Interviewer]

The arrest made the law.

[Chris Johnson]

Local nightly news and Arlington county police

[Trial Observer/Juror]

say two men have been charged in connection to the 1998 homicide of a woman in a Colonial Village neighborhood. 59 year old James Christopher Johnson and 53 year old Bobby Jo Leonard.

[Ginny (Chris's new partner/wife)]

I couldn't believe it. I just couldn't believe it. I could not believe that they would arrest him. For what?

[Host/Interviewer]

They tell you that you're charged with murder for hire. That the claim is that Bobby Jo Leonard you paid him $5,000 to kill Andrea.

[Chris Johnson]

It's ridiculous. I was racking my brain. How in the world did they come up with this?

[Legal Expert/Commentator]

I certainly expected that Bobby Joe Leonard would be responsible for it. It fits his MO but it was certainly a shocking development to see that Chris Johnson was being accused of orchestrating.

[Host/Interviewer]

After hearing about the indictment, Kevin Cincotta said said it was the happiest day of his adult life.

[Legal Expert/Commentator]

Kevin finally felt like now some justice is being done for my mother. Someone is being held responsible.

[Host/Interviewer]

But it makes no sense to Chris Johnson and his attorneys.

[Detective/Investigator]

Chris was the only person police ever had an interest in prosecuting.

[Host/Interviewer]

Did mistakes made at the crime scene affect the investigation?

[Defense Attorney/Legal Expert]

They put the body into a super glue cabinet.

[Detective/Investigator]

The police lost any ability to get the touch DNA that was likely all over her throat.

[Host/Interviewer]

And why is Bobby Joe Leonard telling people he expects to be pardoned?

[Detective/Investigator]

Bobby Jo Leonard called his girlfriend.

[911 Operator]

The governor's office said that by next week you could be walking out the front door.

[Detective/Investigator]

They're gonna cut me a deal and I'm gonna be home soon.

[Host/Interviewer]

Athletic Brewing Company crafts award winning non alcoholic beers for those who want to be part of every round. With over 185 flavor awards, they're exceptional NA beers that fit your lifestyle and any social occasion. Summer's full of good times and Athletic fits right in. Go to athleticbrewing.com to have brews delivered to your door or find them at a bar, restaurant or store near you. Near beer. Athletic Brewing Co.

[Detective/Investigator]

Fit for all times.

[Sponsor Voice (Shopify/Instacart)]

What would you do if your online store converted 36% more shoppers? You could take 36% more vacation.

[Chris Johnson]

Another pina colada.

[911 Operator]

Yes, please.

[Sponsor Voice (Shopify/Instacart)]

Open a new retail location with 36% more square feet.

[Chris Johnson]

Fantastic.

[Sponsor Voice (Shopify/Instacart)]

Hire 36% more help.

[Host/Interviewer]

You're hired and you're hired.

[Sponsor Voice (Shopify/Instacart)]

Shopify has the world's best converting checkout up to 36% better than other e commerce platforms. What you do with those extra sales is up to you. Switch to Shopify [e-mail] setup and get a $1 trial. Shopify.com setup

[Host/Interviewer]

after he was arrested, Chris spent nine days in jail and then was released on bond. He was confined to home detention.

[Chris Johnson]

This is where I spent 11 months of my life.

[911 Operator]

Wow.

[Host/Interviewer]

You know, I stretched my arms across. There's not a lot of room here. You had to spend 11 months, really a year of your life within this room, within this house. What was that like?

[Chris Johnson]

Couldn't even walk around the neighborhood or anything like that. My barrier was that gate right out the front.

[Detective/Investigator]

I met with Chris right after he was charged. I became personally convinced that Chris was absolutely innocent of this charge.

[911 Operator]

Why?

[Detective/Investigator]

The first thing you look at in any type of situation like this his motive, like why could this have happened? Has there been any domestic violence between Andy and Chris? There was none.

[Host/Interviewer]

Did Chris have anything to gain in any of this?

[Detective/Investigator]

There was no financial benefit to Chris whatsoever because of Andy's death.

[Narrator]

All the her life insurance and any money that there was went directly to the son, as it should.

[Detective/Investigator]

Even the condom that they lived in actually went to Kevin.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Salvato reached out to attorney Libby Van Pelt to join Chris's defense team. Van Pelt is an Ivy League educated, former federal prosecutor.

[Host/Interviewer]

What did you think when you started looking into the case?

[Trial Observer/Juror]

How did this case get charged?

[Host/Interviewer]

You know, I think sometimes as lawyers, we look at cases like these and we say like, yeah, I don't get it. Is there something more here that I'm not seeing? Yes.

[Trial Observer/Juror]

I was like, Frank, man, something you're not telling me, right? I didn't believe him. I didn't believe him. I looked at every page of the discovery myself.

[Host/Interviewer]

So why did you want to get involved?

[Trial Observer/Juror]

I didn't want to get involved. I was doing a lot of other things. And Frank said, libby, this is an opportunity to help save a man's life.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Also recruited for the defense team is former FBI agent Daniel Riley, who who is used to working for the prosecution.

[Defense Attorney/Legal Expert]

I worked for the FBI for almost 30 years. I've never worked for a defense attorney during my life. You know, if anything, they were not real happy with me most of the time.

[Host/Interviewer]

But this time will be different. Riley believes there were real problems with how the crime scene was processed.

[Defense Attorney/Legal Expert]

What stood out to me, first of all, more than anything else was a lack of concern about trace evidence. They didn't do any collection of hair and fiber evidence. Bed clothing was recovered, seized, put into an evidence bag, but nothing was ever done with it.

[Detective/Investigator]

Unfortunately, the police decided in this case to super glue Andrea Cincata's body.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Super glue is typically used to find fingerprints on non porous surfaces like glass and not on a human body.

[Legal Analyst/Prosecutor]

In my 22 years of law enforcement experience, I've never done super glue on a victim's body.

[Defense Attorney/Legal Expert]

In this case, you're contaminating the crime scene with a clue that's going to layer over microscopic items of forensic evidence.

[Detective/Investigator]

The police lost any ability to get the touch DNA that was likely all over her throat. The police would have had that right away. They would have have had Bobby Jo Leonard.

[Defense Attorney/Legal Expert]

I would grade this particular crime scene

[Narrator/Reporter]

at a D. Private investigator Philip Becknell was hired by the defense. He spoke to 10 of Leonard's alleged victims and looked into his criminal history,

[Defense Attorney/Legal Expert]

we know he strangled and sexually assaulted a 13 year old girl and left her in the closet.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Becknell found a pattern in the way that Leonard Commission Bobby Joe Leonard went for the throat.

[Defense Attorney/Legal Expert]

He did that again and again and again. The most impactful victim's story for me was the person who Bobby Joe raped in prison.

[Trial Observer/Juror]

He was convicted of sodomizing on multiple occasions his cellmate.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Like any inmate who's doing a hard time, Bobby Jo Leonard is looking for a way out. So why would he admit to murdering Andrea Cincata?

[Defense Attorney/Legal Expert]

A lot of people have asked me what Bobby Joe had to gain. But I think the better question is what he had to lose. And the answer is nothing. Bobby Joe is locked down 23 hours a day. That's his life is those four walls. This cold murder that he did in fact commit was the only chip that he had to play to better his circumstances.

[Detective/Investigator]

The day after the cold case detective left, Bobby Jo Leonard made a really interesting call to his girlfriend.

[911 Operator]

An inmate at the Virginia Department of Corrections, Wallens Ridge State Prison.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Leonard makes up a dramatic story about his conversations with detectives.

[Detective/Investigator]

I'm paraphrasing, baby. I've got great news. The governor of Virginia and some other people came down to see me and they're going to cut me a deal.

[911 Operator]

They said, you sign this agreement right here, the governor's office is going to be able to print out a pardon for you by the end of the week, he said. And by next week, we're pretty sure that you could be walking out the front door if you agree to this.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Leonard continues to lie and says the deal is so good, he's going to be given a full pardon.

[911 Operator]

The governor's pardon just point blank says we're setting you, we're pardoning you for all the crimes that you were convicted of

[Trial Observer/Juror]

at trial. I was worried. Chris Johnson, he's a normal dude, hasn't spent a lifetime manipulating people. And then you have Bobby Jo Leonard, who is charming, who can talk his way in and out of things.

[Ginny (Chris's new partner/wife)]

Who are the jury gonna believe? I was just so, so scared.

[Chris Johnson]

The big unknown. I was in the fight of my life.

[Sponsor Voice (Shopify/Instacart)]

Starting a business can seem like a daunting task unless you have a partner like Shopify. They have the tools you need to start and grow your business. From designing a website to marketing, to selling and beyond. Shopify can help with everything you need. There's a reason millions of companies like Mattel, Heinz and Allbirds continue to trust and use them. With Shopify on your side, turn your big business idea into sign up for your $1 per month [e-mail] SpecialOffer this

[Host/Interviewer]

episode is brought to you by Progressive Insurance.

[Chris Johnson]

You chose to hit play on this podcast today. Smart choice. Make another smart choice with Auto Quote Explorer to compare rates from multiple car

[Host/Interviewer]

insurance companies all at once.

[Chris Johnson]

Try [e-mail], progressive CAS insurance company and affiliates.

[Chris Johnson (during interrogation/confession)]

Not available in all states or situations.

[Chris Johnson]

Prices vary based on how you buy.

[Legal Expert/Commentator]

In September 2022, the trial comes.

[Host/Interviewer]

You find yourself at an Arlington courthouse facing trial.

[Chris Johnson]

It's scary. I was in the fight for my life.

[Legal Expert/Commentator]

There were a number of folks that were there to support Chris Johnson, his family, his wife. And then there were a number of folks there to support Kevin.

[Trial Observer/Juror]

Our main focus at trial was two things. Showing the jury that there was no evidence in this case, number one, and number two, that the prosecutor's theory of this case made no sense.

[Narrator]

Libby Van Pelt did a very engaging opening statement, basically saying that Chris could not possibly have arranged for the murder of this fiance that he loved so much. When they brought Kevin Sakata to the stand, that part was heartbreaking because you could see that there was love there and you could see that Kevin had been terribly, terribly hurt by the murder of his mother.

[Host/Interviewer]

Remember, Kevin had been pushing for years to move the case forward and get justice for his mother.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Kevin testified that when he was at the funeral home, he overheard Chris standing at Andrea's casket saying, I am so sorry. I'm so sorry.

[Legal Expert/Commentator]

Kevin is wondering, what is he sorry for? What did you do? Why are you sorry?

[Narrator/Reporter]

I think that it would be entirely natural for an innocent, innocent man under those circumstances who's bereaved to be sorry that he wasn't there to protect her.

[Narrator]

They also brought Kevin in to talk about a sting operation that he had done with Chris.

[Chris Johnson]

Did there come a point that evening that there wasn't, that you did laundry? Did there come a point that you vacuumed? Yes,

[Host/Interviewer]

But initially Chris said he didn't vacuum. So to Kevin, the fact that Chris said in 2018 he actually did vacuum, well, that was a glaring inconsistency.

[Legal Expert/Commentator]

Kevin felt that that was an incriminating thing. The rug had those marks that are made by a vacuum cleaner. And now he admitted that he was the one that vacuumed. Even if it wasn't him that committed the murder, he could have been cleaning up after Bobby Joe Leonard.

[Host/Interviewer]

But the contents of the vacuum bag were never tested.

[Defense Attorney/Legal Expert]

The vacuum bag was stored away in evidence and not open for two decades. I opened the bag at trial, and it was just a poof of dust.

[Narrator/Reporter]

The prosecution went as far as to say that the vacuum bag was a red herring and that the failure to test it had no impact on the case. And they did admit that the police could have done a better job processing the crime scene. But they insisted that this case wasn't about the crime scene. It was about Chris hiring Leonard to kill Andrea. The prosecutor suggested that perhaps Chris had some motive to want the beach house all to himself. But it came out at trial that Chris was the only person on the deed.

[Narrator]

After Kevin Cincata got off, Bobby Jo Leonard was supposed to be the next witness. I believe that the prosecution thought that Leonard was their star witness.

[Legal Expert/Commentator]

So we're all waiting for the big moment when Leonard comes into the courtroom and he won't come in.

[Narrator]

There was a flurry of activity, and the trial was stalled for a while. And that was because Leonard was saying, I'm not going to testify unless I get a consent session.

[Detective/Investigator]

We all waited for the entrance of Bobby Jo Leonard. He didn't come out.

[Legal Analyst/Prosecutor]

Bobby Jo Leonard is a manipulator, and what he wanted to do was call the shots at this point. So Bobby Jo Leonard says that he will not testify against Chris unless they agree to put a request in to move him to a better prison.

[Narrator/Reporter]

This raised the question, was this demand the real reason Leonard told authorities his story?

[Legal Expert/Commentator]

So the prosecutors agree to make this deal, and Leonard walks into the courtroom to give his story for the first time publicly.

[Narrator]

Leonard described in excruciating detail about how he killed Andy. He said that they had a casual, nice conversation, and then that he attacked her.

[Detective Cindy Brennaman]

I just said, before I leave, could

[Host/Interviewer]

I bother you for something to drink? And she said, sure. And she came back with a soda in her hand. She reached out to hand me the soda.

[Chris Johnson]

I just lunged towards her with both

[Host/Interviewer]

of my hands and just grabbed her

[Detective Cindy Brennaman]

by the throat and just choked her

[Host/Interviewer]

down to the ground.

[Detective/Investigator]

She didn't really offer any type of resistance or anything.

[Legal Expert/Commentator]

He's not expressing any remorse.

[Narrator]

He casually described it like. Almost like he was in enjoying telling every single detail. It was appalling.

[Narrator/Reporter]

There's a huge problem with the way Leonard describes this scene. He says she didn't struggle. That is absolutely contradicted by the evidence because she had bruising all over her forearms. This woman fought. She fought for her life.

[Narrator]

During Bobby Jo's testimony, one of the ways he said he identified that this caller was Andy's boy was he said he had caller id. And that became a point at trial.

[Detective/Investigator]

Leonard said, I Knew it was the boyfriend of Andrea Cincata because it was the same number. How did you know that, Mr. Leonard? I saw it on the caller ID. Unfortunately for Mr. Leonard, we tracked down a witness that knew Mr. Leonard pretty well.

[Narrator]

The defense brought Leonard's ex wife, Frances Hudson, to the stand, and they asked her point blank, did you have caller ID and she said, no, we didn't

[Host/Interviewer]

have caller id But Hudson also testified that she had moved out a few weeks prior to the murder because Leonard had choked her. So the prosecution made the point that Leonard could have gotten caller ID after she left.

[Narrator/Reporter]

The prosecution admitted that there was no forensic evidence tying Leonard and Chris to a murder for hire plot. They claimed it was because too much time had passed to collect phone records and other verifying information.

[Trial Observer/Juror]

Bobby Jo Leonard is a killer and a liar. He's had a lot of victims in his life. And this trial is Bobby Joe Leonard attempting to add one more victim to his list. Chris Johnson.

[Host/Interviewer]

But the prosecution insists that Chris Johnson is the liar. And they're about to present the jury with a shocking new theory.

[Chris Johnson]

When they said that, my jaw dropped.

[Detective/Investigator]

This trial took a tremendous toll on Chris. He didn't sleep. He would come in, drawn, exhausted. Everything about this trial drained Chris to like, a nub of what he was before this.

[Ginny (Chris's new partner/wife)]

Who are the jury gonna believe? Are they gonna believe our side or are they gonna believe the prosecution side? I was just so, so scared all the time.

[Host/Interviewer]

Beyond the testimony of Bobby Joe Leonard, the case hinges on a key piece of evidence.

[Legal Expert/Commentator]

They had this long videotaped interrogation, and the prosecution wanted to play it for the jury, even though it's ours of him denying it. The prosecution said, we want to show the jury that Chris Johnson is a liar. We want to show them that he repeatedly denied this and then admitted it.

[Narrator]

I actually think that it didn't do what the prosecution had hoped it would do. The jury seemed very upset. They seemed upset with the police, and they seemed to gather more empathy towards Kristen.

[Narrator/Reporter]

And then the prosecution introduced a surprising new theory that this wasn't a false confession at all, that it was a strategy by Chris Johnson to mislead authorities.

[Host/Interviewer]

They claim that you made the false confession to derail the investigation, to sort of take the light off of Bobby Joe Leonard.

[Chris Johnson]

When they said that, my jaw dropped. I'm confessing to something to derail their investigation of me doing something. It just doesn't make sense.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Let's take that for a mental spin. That means that in order to deflect suspicion from the hitman, he brought Suspicion on himself to get away with the murder. He's making sure the police think that he did it. Who does that make sense to?

[Host/Interviewer]

You gave the closing?

[Detective/Investigator]

I did.

[Host/Interviewer]

How much pressure did you feel?

[Detective/Investigator]

I've done a lot of closings. This was the worst one for me ever. No matter how cool you try to portray yourself, how you try to be calm, when you have a client like Chris Johnson that you really believe in, there's an enormous amount of pressure.

[Narrator]

That was it. That was the. The moment it was in the jury's hands. Then you don't know what the jury's gonna do.

[Detective/Investigator]

After the closing was done, we went to get a quick bite to eat.

[Narrator]

Everybody else was like they'd left. They thought, well, it's gonna be at least a couple hours. You know, juries can last a couple days.

[Detective/Investigator]

Came back into the courthouse. About 30 minutes later, the deputy came out and said, verdict. Heart skips a few beats and then you think, it's been an hour.

[Narrator]

I will say, in all my experience, I have never seen a jury come back that quickly, ever.

[Chris Johnson]

I did not want to hope, but part of me was like, that was really quick.

[Host/Interviewer]

A 24 year ordeal that had upended Chris Johnson's life had all come down to this.

[Narrator]

This was the moment that decided everything. Chris certainly looked nervous. His body was braced for a blow.

[Ginny (Chris's new partner/wife)]

My heart was in my throat. I had no idea what decision they were going to make.

[Chris Johnson]

They gave it to the clerk. The clerk said, not guilty. It was. It was a relief.

[Ginny (Chris's new partner/wife)]

I was just in floods and floods of tears. I couldn't. I just couldn't believe it. The jury had made the right decision.

[Chris Johnson]

Went back and hugged Jenny. We were sobbing. I mean, everyone in the courtroom was emotional.

[Defense Attorney/Legal Expert]

I was the jury foreman on the Chris Johnson murder for Harvard. When we started deliberations, I could tell from the room that everyone was saying, oh, yeah, this is not even a case. Why did they even bother bringing the case?

[Legal Expert/Commentator]

If you don't believe Bobby Joe Leonard, then the case is over because he's the one saying, I killed her. But I did it at Chris Johnson's behest.

[Host/Interviewer]

One of the trial jurors in this case asked us not to use his last name.

[Defense Attorney/Legal Expert]

We were aware that Bobby Jo Leonard was also offered certain things in exchange for his testimony. You know, is there any reasonable doubt

[Narrator/Reporter]

here with what I'm hearing?

[Defense Attorney/Legal Expert]

And there were some reasonable doubts. You don't hire someone to kill someone whom you've never met. And out of all the Bobby Jolenard testimony, he never claimed that they met. I feel like that was for me the important detail that gave reasonable doubt. And, and when we watched that interrogation video, the prosecutors thought maybe that Chris was intentionally lying to the police. But none of us really felt that that was a compelling case. It seemed to me that the police were just kind of hammering home what they thought to be the case. They weren't taking his initial statements for face value.

[Narrator/Reporter]

So it was kind of pushing him

[Defense Attorney/Legal Expert]

to get to another answer. We think that it painted Chris as a sympathetic character.

[Trial Observer/Juror]

At the end of this trial, the prosecutors walked over, hands outstretched. I said, you prosecuted an innocent man. You bankrupted him in every way that you can bankrupt a man, emotionally, spiritually. I didn't even want to shake their hand.

[Detective/Investigator]

Think prosecutors brought this case in the hopes that maybe they would catch lightning in a bottle.

[Trial Observer/Juror]

Prosecutors have more control over life, liberty and reputation than any other person in America. It is an awesome power to be a prosecutor and with it comes an awesome responsibility.

[Host/Interviewer]

One month later, Bobby Joe Leonard received an additional life sentence for admitting to killing Andrea.

[Narrator/Reporter]

As for Kevin Cincada, he declined to do an on camera interview with ABC News in time for air. But he provided us with a detailed account of the reasons why he is still convinced that Chris Johnson is guilty of murder for hire, including what he calls suspicious behavior and discrepancies in Chris's story and information he believes that Bobby Joe Leonard could only have received from Chris Johnson.

[Host/Interviewer]

Kevin told us that at Bobby Jo Leonard's sentencing, Leonard asked for Kevin's forgiveness. Kevin told us, I don't forgive him, but I believe him. After his acquittal, Chris Johnson is again working on the dream home he and Andy were building together.

[Chris Johnson]

I definitely feel that she is here every time I come down. I had to finish it for her as almost a memorial.

[Host/Interviewer]

Almost 25 years after the death of Andrea Sinkata, the home they began to build together is on its way to completion without her.

[Chris Johnson]

This was Andrea and my dream to build a house together. I look around it and I see memories of Andrea all over it. It's definitely memorial to her.

[Host/Interviewer]

Chris is now a free man, but the decades long ordeal is left in it's mark. Sounds like you're not the same person you were before all of this happened.

[Chris Johnson]

No, absolutely not. I used to be a lot more trusting. I trusted everyone, trusted the police. And now my eyes have been opened.

[Host/Interviewer]

So what, what do you want people to learn from this case?

[Trial Observer/Juror]

I want other people to also open their eyes. It can happen. If it can happen to Chris Johnson, it can happen to you or it can happen to someone you love.

[Host/Interviewer]

We've reached out to the prosecution team and the Arlington County Police Department to comment on the criticisms raised by Chris and his lawyers. Now, they declined an interview, but the Commonwealth's Attorney of Arlington county gave us this. We hope that through the process we have helped bring some closure to Ms. Sinkata's family. However, I must respect the verdict of the jury. We prosecuted a tough case in the fairest way we could, and that's where I believe I should leave it.

[Narrator]

There is still a cloud over Chris Johnson despite his being found not guilty. There's still a cloud over him as to his nature. And his nature is so sweet. But I think people meeting him, if they found out, yes, he went through this trial, maybe they would look at him with suspicion in their hearts. And that is a travesty.

[Host/Interviewer]

This will never be over for Kevin Cincada either.

[Legal Expert/Commentator]

His mother was murdered. She was a single mom who had raised him and she supported him. Then she's gone. What could be worse? And he just wants answers.

[Host/Interviewer]

It's been almost 25 years since her death. How do you remember her?

[Chris Johnson]

Every day. She cared a lot about the people in her lives and she was just someone you wanted to be with.

[Host/Interviewer]

If you could talk to her now, what would you say?

[Chris Johnson]

I'm sorry I wasn't there to protect her.

[Host/Interviewer]

We should point out tonight that Chris

[Defense Attorney/Legal Expert]

Johnson's lawyers tell us he plans to pursue a civil suit against the authorities while continuing to rebuild his life.

[Chris Johnson]

That is our program for tonight.

[Defense Attorney/Legal Expert]

Thank you for watching.

[Detective/Investigator]

I'm David Muir.

[Narrator/Reporter]

And from all of us here at

[Defense Attorney/Legal Expert]

2020 in ABC News, good night.

[Host/Interviewer]

You've been listening to the 2020 True Crime Vault Friday nights at 9 on ABC. You can also find all new broadcast episodes of 2020. Thanks for listening.

[Sponsor Voice (Shopify/Instacart)]

Instacart makes grocery shopping easier. And just because you're not doing the shopping yourself doesn't mean you don't care how it's done. With Instacart Shopper notes, you can get particular about what you want right in the app. Like rotisserie chicken that's extra crispy steak with marbling the Romans would have loved, and lettuce you'd actually pick yourself. Just leave a note for your shopper so they can get it right for you without having to ask. That way you can get groceries just how you like. Download the Instacart app and shop today.