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Narrator
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Jane Alexander
Hey, it's Ryan Reynolds here for Mint Mobile now.
Reporter
I was looking for fun ways to tell you that Mint's offer of unlimited.
Jane Alexander
Premium Wireless for $15 a month is back.
Narrator
So I thought it would be fun if we made $15 bills, but it.
Jane Alexander
Turns out that's very illegal.
Narrator
So there goes my big idea for the commercial.
Jane Alexander
Give it a try@mintmobile.com Switch upfront payment of $45 for a three month plan equivalent to $15 per month required new customer offer for first three months only. Speed slow after 35 gigabytes of networks busy taxes and fees extra.
Reporter
See mintmobile.com 48 hours we take you.
Detective Jeff Ouime
There.
Reporter
This 77 year old grandmother is hot on the trail of a killer.
Jane Alexander
Let's put it this way, no one intimidates me.
Reporter
Jane was leading a wonderful life with a man she loved.
Jane Alexander
He was like the man on the white horse that came charging down the road. Mom was probably happier than I've ever seen her.
Reporter
Then he stole it all away. Bill Lagatuta reports.
Narrator
So he cleaned her out. Cleaned her absolutely.
Jane Alexander
I lost my children's inheritance. I lost my home.
Reporter
But that's not all she lost. Jane was devastated when she suspected Tom of murder. She set out to make him pay.
Narrator
She wanted this guy hung out to.
Reporter
Dry with or without the police.
Jane Alexander
She's mad and everybody better get out of her way.
Narrator
She'll track him to the ends of.
Detective Jeff Ouime
The earth if she has to catch him.
Reporter
Betraying Jane was his first mistake.
Jane Alexander
I'm old man. Gotcha.
Reporter
A 48 hours mystery citizen John Shame. What can one person possibly do, one regular citizen, when justice seems to be out of reach and you can't help but feel like a victim? She was an average citizen, a little old lady, if you'll pardon the expression. Citizen Jane, we'll call her. But as you're about to see, Hurricane Jane might be more like it. A trusting woman with a good heart who ran into some bad luck and a bad man and who soon destined to be a victim forever. But don't be fooled, because when this woman finally turns the tables, there is no stopping her Bill Lagatuta reports tonight on one ordinary woman with extraordinary determination and perseverance, rewriting the rules on how to get things done and teaching all of us some valuable lessons. She simply wanted justice in her own case. But soon enough, citizen Jane would be on everybody's case.
Jane Alexander
Are they going to hear the bill and committee today? If we get a reward from the governor, It'll probably be 40, $50,000. The day we get the guy that killed your mother, that's the day we'll celebrate.
Narrator
Jane Alexander is a couple of years shy of 80.
Jane Alexander
I'll have to call the detective next week and see. How are you? I'm Jane Alexander.
Narrator
But don't bother telling her that.
Jane Alexander
You're doing a great job, Jane. Thank you. How long ago was the homicide?
Narrator
She's too busy being an amateur detective. As head of a group that helps families of murder victims solve their cases.
Jane Alexander
We'll nail that SOB Yet. Oh, I know you will.
Narrator
It's not exactly how Jane imagines spending her golden years.
Jane Alexander
I figured I'd just enjoy my grandchildren, of which I have 12.
Narrator
But something happened to Jane Alexander that completely changed her life.
Jane Alexander
Let's put it this way. No one intimidates me anymore. Can't quit, you know. It took me 13 years. You just have to stand up for what you believe in.
Narrator
And it was that unforeseen event nearly 20 years ago that made Jane Alexander the unstoppable force she is today. Back in the early 80s here in Marin County, California, Jane's house at the.
Jane Alexander
Very top up there.
Narrator
Life was good for Jane Alexander and her circle of friends.
Jane Alexander
Jane's house was sort of like a gathering place. I mean, you go to Jane's house, I mean, there may be two or.
Narrator
Three other couples just drop in. It was a really darn near like.
Jane Alexander
A clubhouse at Jane's. And I went many times and just popped in and said, I need a glass of wine. Lots of fun times.
Narrator
That house where Jane, a widow, lived with her boyfriend Tom o', Donnell, was the place to be. Tom introduced me to Jack Daniels, and that's my claim to fame with him is I really like Jack Daniels. I train on Jack Daniels now.
Jane Alexander
They were more than shaken big time. And my mom was probably happier than I've ever seen her. It was a wonderful life. Tom had traveled the world and so he had all kinds of friends that would come in. We always had somebody around. People were always there. It was a lovely existence.
Narrator
And Tom loved to entertain those friends with stories of a truly swashbuckling past. As an international businessman. It was never a really dull moment.
Jane Alexander
He was a great. He was known as the Silver Fox, he used to say. From Cape Town to Algiers.
Narrator
One of Tom's more interesting ventures was helping people smuggle their personal assets out of unstable countries in Africa.
Jane Alexander
So he'd take diamonds, some of them raw diamonds, and take them to Europe, sell them, take a commission and put the money in a Swiss account, smuggle diamonds out.
Narrator
And I tell you, it was better than going to a movie to listen to him. And he'd tell him for hours. He sounds like a very interesting guy.
Jane Alexander
Oh, he's fascinating.
Narrator
Plenty of stories about travel and exotic places.
Jane Alexander
He's been everywhere. And yes, he could entertain anyone and.
Narrator
Served great drinks, I'll say that for him. But what everyone loved most about Tom was what he had done for Jane.
Jane Alexander
I was alone and depressed after my husband died. And he was like the, you know, the man on the white horse that came charging down the road.
Narrator
In 1977, Jane's husband of 34 years and the father of her six children had died of a heart attack.
Jane Alexander
Jane was devastated by Al's death. I mean, she went into very, very, very deep depression.
Narrator
And it wasn't until Tom O' Donnell showed up in 1980 that Jane was finally able to snap out of her depression.
Jane Alexander
He came for a visit, and that was it.
Detective Jeff Ouime
Her whole attitude changed.
Jane Alexander
But, yes, she came out of her shell. She woke up again.
Detective Jeff Ouime
She woke up again, and she's right back at it.
Narrator
After dating only a few months, Tom moved in with Jane.
Jane Alexander
I don't truly think I ever saw her as joyful.
Narrator
I think she was really in love with him. Life for Jane and Tom seemed as good as it gets. That is, until October of 1983, when Jane received news that would change things forever.
Jane Alexander
Many of my friends said, thank God you have Tom there, because Tom was a great source of comfort.
Narrator
Jane's aunt Gert, Gertrude McCabe, had been brutally murdered in her home.
Jane Alexander
I don't know if I. I just can't tell you. I was so angry, and I'm still angry when I think that she was a very sweet, gentle soul.
Narrator
Jane's friends Erin and Jim Rhodey remember that day.
Jane Alexander
Jane was devastated. She really was. She didn't have a lot of family, so her Aunt Gertrude was very important to her. She was just a very kind, lovely person. If you'd known Gert, you'd think, how could this happen? Who in the world would possibly do anything like this to Gert?
Narrator
Adding to the mystery were the violent details of her death. Jeff oimey was a detective on the case.
Detective Jeff Ouime
She was bludgeoned with some kind of blunt instrument. She was stabbed, and she was strangled and then smothered with a pillow.
Jane Alexander
Then he put a bicycle chain around her neck and twisted it like an eternity.
Narrator
Why? Why go to all that effort if you're the killer?
Detective Jeff Ouime
Probably because you're not really a killer, per se. You're very unsophisticated at doing something like that.
Narrator
88 years old.
Jane Alexander
88 years old. She put up a fight. She was a little irish lady. She didn't go down easy.
Narrator
A search of Gertrude mccabe's home in san jose, where she lived alone, raised even more questions.
Detective Jeff Ouime
Well, the way some of the drawers were pulled out, it's like somebody just pulled them out and threw some clothes around to make it look like a burglary.
Jane Alexander
The lieutenant said that it looked like a simulated robbery.
Detective Jeff Ouime
Number one, there was some jewelry, not really expensive jewelry, but there was jewelry that was visible that wasn't taken. There was some cash in the house that wasn't taken. Anything of value basically was not taken.
Narrator
In fact, the only thing noticeable police found missing was the register for Gertrude mccabe's checkbook.
Detective Jeff Ouime
Gertrude mccabe's checkbook was found in her purse. But the register, where you list all of your checks and all your deposits and have your balance and everything was not in there.
Narrator
So by the end of 1983, police still had no motive. Did you feel at that time that it was incumbent upon you to keep knocking on the door of the police department and saying, what are you doing?
Jane Alexander
Well, if I didn't do it, who was going to do it? I mean, I was the only one out there doing it. My children kept saying, mom, you've got to get over this. You've got to move on with your life. And I kept saying, I hope somebody murders me. You won't have that attitude.
Narrator
But unbeknownst to Jane, police were narrowing in.
Detective Jeff Ouime
It was discovered that tom o' donnell and Jane alexander were basically broke. And at the time of the murder, they had a large house payment due, and they basically had no money in their checking account to pay for it.
Narrator
Jane alexander was one of the main benefactors of Gertrude mccabe's inheritance.
Detective Jeff Ouime
So that's when the investigation started focusing in their direction.
Narrator
But while jane was technically a suspect, the detectives did have suspicions about someone else, Suspicions that were about to be borne out when, without warning, Tom o' donnell vanished.
Jane Alexander
She called me on the phone and was hysterical.
Narrator
Jane was about to learn the Dark truth about the love of her life. That's.
Jane Alexander
I just think there was panic for mom. She was just panicked.
Detective Jeff Ouime
She was totally hysterical and crying.
Jane Alexander
She wasn't coherent. Oh, she was just in tears.
Narrator
It was the one thing Jane Alexander never expected when she arrived home the evening of August 7, 1984.
Jane Alexander
She just didn't understand this.
Narrator
The man Jane had planned to spend the rest of her life with was suddenly out of her life forever.
Jane Alexander
She said the love of her life was gone.
Narrator
Without any warning, Tom o' Donnell had simply vanished. Poof.
Jane Alexander
Gone. Gone.
Narrator
He'd left behind a letter.
Jane Alexander
My dearest love, you are without a doubt the most beautiful person in the world. And I love you so much, so very much. That have to write this letter is killing me. Inside it was page after page after page. 12 pages. He had to leave because. Because of his past was catching up to him. You know, most, but not all of my past activities in Africa.
Narrator
According to his letter, Tom had to leave because his and Jane's lives were in danger.
Jane Alexander
They have been watching us for some time.
Narrator
He said partners of his in a shady diamond transaction had been caught and thrown in some foreign prison.
Jane Alexander
These people spent five or six years in jail that got blamed for this thing.
Narrator
And they believe Tom had been the informant.
Jane Alexander
Now they're out of jail and now they found him and they.
Narrator
He's got to go.
Jane Alexander
Yes, or they're going to kill me. First they're going to kill the dog, and then they're going to kill me. That evening, Jane met us at the door.
Narrator
Jane's friends rushed to her side.
Jane Alexander
We tried to make sense of it. Everybody is yelling and talking and I'm crying.
Narrator
And in the confusion, they got some more upsetting news. Tom had disappeared, leaving Jane nearly broke. So he cleaned her out.
Jane Alexander
Yes, cleaned her absolutely out.
Narrator
Tom had been handling Jane's finances for years.
Jane Alexander
I left it all to him. You have to remember, I was married to a banker for 34 years, and money is really not my thing.
Narrator
So it was easy for Tom to persuade Jane to take out a second mortgage on her home in Marin county for $200,000.
Jane Alexander
Jane had no means of ever repaying that loan.
Narrator
Jane's friend and attorney, Jim Rode, was outraged.
Jane Alexander
I said, why in the hell didn't you discuss it with me, Jane?
Narrator
Especially when heard that Jane had handed most of that loan over to Tom, who then spent it.
Jane Alexander
He'd used a lot of it on.
Narrator
Commodities trading and lost it. But Jane still thought there was nothing to worry about.
Jane Alexander
Of course he would repay it.
Narrator
There was no problem because Tom told her he was coming into money of his own.
Jane Alexander
Because we're looking at the 1.2 million.
Narrator
The trust fund.
Jane Alexander
The trust. Tom had convinced her that there indeed was this trust.
Narrator
As soon as his trust fund in Switzerland matured. Oh yeah, he said, oh, yeah. Millions in Switzerland, he'd be a rich man. The bottom line on the trust was. What?
Jane Alexander
There wasn't a trust. There was no trust and there was nothing.
Narrator
Tom o' Donnell's stories didn't end there. In fact, Tom was conning Jane right up until the day he left. That afternoon, he convinced her to withdraw $10,000 from this bank. 5,000 in cash, which she gave to Tom to pay some of their bills. The other five was in a cashier's check. And Tom knew a place he'd have no trouble cashing that another bank where Jane's friend Sandy Sullivan was working as the manager.
Jane Alexander
I said, you're going to cash the whole thing? And he said, yes, and I'd like it all in hundreds. And I said, you want the whole 5,000 in hundreds? And he said, yes, sweets.
Narrator
And in case that money ran out, Tom made sure he would have access to even more.
Jane Alexander
He had all my dad's credit cards that my mother had never canceled. Something like eight or nine Visa cards, everything. And they were all maxed out.
Narrator
Despite what some of her friends thought.
Jane Alexander
The letter sounded totally unreal. It was just a con.
Narrator
Jane's faith was unshaken.
Jane Alexander
Did I believe it? Of course. I believed.
Narrator
In her diary that week, she spoke of her worries for Tom.
Jane Alexander
Why? How can Tom put me through this agony? He must be in such trouble. She truly loved this man and was buying into everything that he had written.
Narrator
The police, according to Detective Jeff Weime, weren't buying any of it.
Detective Jeff Ouime
The San Jose police and the FBI checked into his story and in fact, there was nothing to it. It was all made up.
Narrator
Tom's disappearance only confirmed what they had already suspected. That six months earlier, Tom O' Donnell had murdered Jane's aunt, Gertrude McCabe.
Detective Jeff Ouime
His motive was money. He thought that she was worth several hundred thousand dollars if Gert was no.
Jane Alexander
Longer alive, that Jane would inherit from Gertrude.
Narrator
Police now thought they had their motive for murder. But Tom o' Donnell had an alibi. It was all in Jane's diary.
Jane Alexander
This is Thursday the 20th, Tom to LA at 2 o', clock, Harry to pick him up. And he will spend the night with him.
Narrator
Thursday, the day before the murder, Tom told Jane he was flying to Burbank, near Los Angeles.
Jane Alexander
To stay with a friend Saturday the 22nd.
Narrator
On Saturday morning, the day after the murder, Tom returned home to Jane.
Jane Alexander
Tom home at 10:30am tired.
Detective Jeff Ouime
He's got to have an alibi. His alibi is to fly to his friend's house in Burbank and be in Burbank during the time of the murder. That's his alibi.
Narrator
But when police checked it out, they discovered Tom had logged 669 miles on his rental car in just one day.
Detective Jeff Ouime
What he didn't realize is that the police were going to find out that he rented a car and that the mileage on the rental car was dead on. From Burbank to the murder scene and back to me and the other investigators, it shows that, you know, he was a perpetrator.
Narrator
Despite their big break, police still needed more than that to charge him with murder. But in the meantime, Marin county's Josh Thomas was more than willing to prosecute Tom o' donnell on charges of fraud.
Reporter
To me, it was really a no.
Detective Jeff Ouime
Brainer as far as the evidence was concerned.
Narrator
But first they had to convince a very stubborn Jane Alexander to file charges. Even with all the evidence staring her.
Reporter
In the face, she was unable to believe that this guy had betrayed her the way that he.
Jane Alexander
She didn't listen to anybody. Nobody could get through to her. I was hysterical at that point. So you can't cry and think.
Narrator
And then they got just what they needed to get Jane Alexander on board from none other than Tom himself.
Jane Alexander
And then I got this letter, and I did apply a little logic to it.
Narrator
Five months after he vanished, Tom sent Jane a second letter.
Jane Alexander
I just had a gut feeling. You see, he was running away from these people, supposedly. Now he's going to go back and work for them.
Narrator
And this time it was not logical. Jane didn't fall for it.
Jane Alexander
I just knew when I read the letter that the whole thing was ridiculous.
Narrator
And for Jane Alexander, then I was upset. That was the turning point.
Jane Alexander
It's something I've never felt before in my life. I was so angry. He planned it down to the last detail and obviously had been planning it for weeks or maybe months. And all the time I'm living with him. I mean, how would you like this horror to face? I'm sleeping with this man, and he's so comforting and so kind and so solicitous. How could I be so dumb?
Narrator
Finally, about six months after Tom disappeared with her money, Jane Alexander filed felony fraud charges against him.
Jane Alexander
Anything they want, they get any cooperation.
Narrator
But her real mission.
Jane Alexander
I was going to nail them for their murder. That's what I was doing.
Detective Jeff Ouime
And she'll track him to the ends of the earth if she asks me to catch him.
Narrator
So where on earth was this globe trotting con man to be found? If anyone was going to catch him, it was going to be Jane herself.
Jane Alexander
I turned around and looked at him and he saw me and he knew he'd been had.
Narrator
That's next.
Jane Alexander
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Reporter
You say you'll never join the Navy, that you never track storms brewing in the Atlantic. And skydiving could never be part of your commute. You'd never climb Mount Fuji on a.
Narrator
Port visit or fly so fast you.
Jane Alexander
Break the sound barrier.
Reporter
Joining the Navy sounds crazy. Saying never actually is.
Narrator
Start your journey at navy.com, america's Navy.
Reporter
Forged by the sea.
Jane Alexander
I could have killed him. That's how I felt. I could have killed him if I weren't a law abiding citizen. And I could have killed him.
Narrator
Now that Jane was convinced Tom o' Donnell had killed her aunt Gertrude, it.
Jane Alexander
Was very difficult to accept.
Narrator
And now that there was a warrant out for his arrest on fraud charges.
Jane Alexander
I couldn't believe I had been such a fool.
Narrator
Jane was determined to find him.
Jane Alexander
She's mad and everybody better get out of her way.
Narrator
Jane started thinking of all the places Tom could be. And then she remembered he had a good friend in Las Vegas he was hot to try.
Jane Alexander
And she wanted this guy hung out to Dr.
Narrator
But when she called around looking for that friend's phone number, she got the runaround. And you put two and two together and you figure that Tom is hiding out with them in Vegas.
Jane Alexander
I knew it. I knew it. Don't ask me how, but I just knew it.
Narrator
And sure enough, when police went to arrest Tom, he was right where Jane.
Jane Alexander
Predicted, sitting there watching television with no shoes on.
Narrator
Six months after vanishing from Jane Alexander's life, Tom o' Donnell was finally brought to court, about to face charges of fraud.
Jane Alexander
I turned around and looked at him and he saw me and he knew he'd been had.
Narrator
The good news was Jane Alexander had Tom o' Donnell right Where she wanted him behind bars. The bad news was he had her in debt at this point. Are you broke?
Jane Alexander
Oh, I'm totally broke. I filed bankruptcy to wipe out Tom's debt, and they foreclosed on the house.
Narrator
What was it like to lose the house?
Jane Alexander
Next to Gert's death, it was probably the most traumatic thing in my life. I moved out on mother's day.
Detective Jeff Ouime
She went from a huge house to a little room in somebody's home.
Narrator
She doesn't have any heat. Jane's children worried about her.
Jane Alexander
It got to be 30 degrees in the winter. There are no rugs on the floor. I went to the goodwill and bought rugs. It was a little lifestyle change.
Narrator
At the age most of her friends were enjoying their golden years.
Jane Alexander
I have to go to work for the first time in my life to support myself. That was kind of a cultural shock.
Narrator
Jane got her first job.
Jane Alexander
Good afternoon. May I help you?
Narrator
Ironically, she had a retirement home.
Jane Alexander
All I had to learn to do was run a switchboard and be nice and yada yada, yada.
Narrator
For Jane, it was more than just a lifestyle change.
Jane Alexander
When he left me and took everything I possessed, that involved my ego because I never really thought I was stupid. And I learned that, yes, I was. I lost my children's inheritance. I lost my home. How could I be so dumb?
Narrator
And then about a year and a half after he disappeared from her life, Jane finally had the chance to hear from Tom himself. When he took the stand during his fraud trial. He took off like a deer and.
Jane Alexander
He started launching into this incomprehensible, absurd story.
Reporter
So I just stood there and let him go.
Detective Jeff Ouime
And he went and he went and went.
Narrator
Josh Thomas was the Marin county prosecutor on the case.
Jane Alexander
Josh Thomas did a marvelous job. He threw the book at him and the judge did the same.
Narrator
Tom o' Donnell was found guilty on four counts of fraud.
Detective Jeff Ouime
I think the jury picked up on.
Narrator
The fact that this guy was a bald faced liar and sentenced to just under four years in prison.
Detective Jeff Ouime
I breathed a sigh of relief because.
Narrator
I knew if that guy walked out of the out of court and we'd never see him again. Tom o' Donnell was finally behind bars for stealing Jane's money. Now she wanted to put him in prison for murder, but to do that would be a race against the clock. She and detectives had to come up with the evidence before Tom could finish serving his sentence for fraud and be free to disappear again.
Jane Alexander
We've got him in jail now. Let's put the noose around his neck.
Narrator
He's in jail for fraud. Let's nail him for the murder.
Jane Alexander
Right.
Detective Jeff Ouime
Once she believed it, that was it. Then you know, full speed ahead. She's gonna get them.
Jane Alexander
First of all, I saved everything. I have files and files and files. I made a flyer once. I ran all the phone numbers for a year.
Narrator
This was the new Jane Amateur detective.
Jane Alexander
I called the paper, tried to get publicity.
Narrator
Relentless.
Jane Alexander
I called homicide on a weekly basis. There's a picture of Tom and Duke once she's on board. Ben, back off. She's going to. He's beautiful. The dog. The dog.
Narrator
After months of digging, Jane finally hit pay dirt. She found two important clues. Both of them, in fact, were mistakes made by Tom o' Donnell himself.
Jane Alexander
He was great at con, but not at murder. Amateur.
Narrator
Tom's first mistake was a phone call he made the day after the murder.
Jane Alexander
It was a Saturday morning, about 10 o'. Clock.
Narrator
Tom had called his relatives in Montana to tell them he would finally be able to repay the $10,000 he owed them.
Jane Alexander
The reason was that Jane's aunt had passed away and she was going to inherit a lot of money and he was going to be able to take care of that debt.
Narrator
Now the problem was, according to detective Jeff Weime, Gertrude McCabe's body wasn't even found until the next day.
Detective Jeff Ouime
Nobody in the world except for the killer knew that Gertrude McCabe was dead.
Narrator
That's a pretty important piece of evidence.
Detective Jeff Ouime
It was a very important piece of evidence.
Narrator
After reporting her findings to detectives, Jane Alexander kept on digging. Her next break came from her daughter in law, Rocky Alexander.
Jane Alexander
Jane is a fantastic detective.
Narrator
Tom had called Rocky on Monday, the day after Gert's body had been found.
Jane Alexander
He said she'd been stabbed numerous times and that she'd been bludgeoned and there was blood all over and that she had been garrotted.
Detective Jeff Ouime
He says she was garrotted to death. Not strangled, but garrotted.
Jane Alexander
That word stuck out. Yes, because I didn't know what it meant.
Detective Jeff Ouime
So she wrote that down on a notepad and had to look it up later. She didn't know what the word garret meant.
Jane Alexander
A method of capital punishment in which an iron collar is tightened around a condemned man's neck until it's.
Detective Jeff Ouime
That's what happened in this case. A bicycle cable was put around her neck and twisted until it got so tight that it killed her.
Narrator
Now, isn't that information that the police might have told him?
Detective Jeff Ouime
No, that information was not released. The only thing that was released was.
Narrator
That she was strangled and mentioning that gruesome detail was Tom o' Donnell's second mistake.
Detective Jeff Ouime
That was withheld specifically because we did not want anybody to know the means of strangulation. In fact, nobody did know but to kill her.
Narrator
These two phone calls were just what detectives were looking for. But were they? Too little, too late.
Jane Alexander
Tom is out. I couldn't believe it.
Narrator
After serving just 18 months in prison.
Jane Alexander
Got off on good behavior, which naturally he would be good.
Narrator
Tom was free to disappear again.
Jane Alexander
I just couldn't stop crying. It was such a shock.
Narrator
But it wasn't long before Jane was right back to being her pesky self.
Detective Jeff Ouime
She'd call me daily and then weekly and then daily again, find out what's going on with the case and what else can we do?
Narrator
Finally, all of their hard work paid off when detective ouime found the final clue and Tom o' Donnell's third mistake.
Jane Alexander
And he said, tell me again about the check register. So I went through the whole thing with him.
Narrator
Remember the first day police searched aunt gert's house, the only thing they couldn't find was her checkbook register. So the thinking was that the killer might want to check the balance and find out how much money was there.
Detective Jeff Ouime
Basically, that's correct.
Narrator
At some point, that check register, what.
Detective Jeff Ouime
Suddenly appears and what happened is when Jane Alexander and Tom o' donnell were given custody of the house, they went through various items and o' Donnell told Jane alexander that he had found the checkbook register and he showed her exactly where he had found it, which was in a bedroom drawer.
Narrator
Detective ouime found that suspicious, so he went back and reviewed the crime scene.
Detective Jeff Ouime
Photos and there was a picture of the drawer and there was no checkbook register in there. Somebody had to put it there after the police left the house.
Narrator
So how did the checkbook register get in the drawer?
Detective Jeff Ouime
Tom o' donnell put it there.
Narrator
Why would he put the check register?
Jane Alexander
Well, he knew they were looking for it. You know, he was an inexperienced murderer, too, so obviously he made a few mistakes. He would have been better off just.
Narrator
To burn it with that final clue.
Detective Jeff Ouime
Just one more nail in the coffin to prosecute him.
Narrator
Jane's nearly nine year quest was about to pay off. Tom o' donnell was finally charged with killing Gertrude mccabe.
Jane Alexander
Jane, I have a $1 million warrant in my hand for Thomas D. O'. Donnell. Just be careful who you tell. We don't want him to run.
Narrator
Coming up, police move in to arrest Tom o'.
Jane Alexander
Donnell.
Narrator
And you won't believe where they find him. Here we go again.
Detective Jeff Ouime
Here we go again.
Reporter
For 77 year old Jane Alexander. It has been an all consuming effort to get back at the man she once trusted more than anyone else, Tom o'. Donnell. She took the lead hounding the police until her ex boyfriend was finally arrested and convicted for embezzling her every last cent. He did a year and a half in prison for that. But she's not done, not by a long shot. After nearly a decade, she uncovered critical clues that now find the police closing in on o' Donnell for the murder of Jane's aunt. An alleged plot to get the inheritance. You'll see how that pursuit plays out. But first, along the way, citizen Jane's personal crusade for justice was becoming a career. Here again is Bill Lagatuta.
Jane Alexander
And the only thing I can say is that if you've had a homicide in your family, don't give up. And the squeaky wheel does get the grease.
Narrator
In years of dogging the system to get justice for her murdered aunt.
Jane Alexander
This is Jane Alexander.
Narrator
Jane Alexander met a lot of people just as frustrated as her. One of them was Lee Sansom.
Reporter
Jane was another source of hope because, well, you can't really become too depressed.
Narrator
When you work with Jane.
Reporter
She won't let you.
Narrator
Lee Sansom's younger sister, Abigail Nebauer.
Reporter
This is the last picture we have.
Narrator
Of her had been killed. It was 1985, Palo Alto, California. Abby's husband of 26 years, James Nebauer, said he was cleaning an old shotgun in their kitchen when it accidentally went off.
Reporter
The shotgun had been held by Jim and I instantly felt that she'd been murdered.
Narrator
Why did you think that?
Reporter
I knew that there was some marital trouble but I also knew that the estates of my parents had just been settled about two weeks before.
Narrator
Palo Alto police didn't see it that way.
Reporter
This is how I found out that my sister's death was declared an accident by the police.
Narrator
Husband may have accidentally shot Palo Alto woman. After months of investigating and finding no evidence to the contrary, they closed the case labeling it an accidental shooting.
Reporter
It was infuriating because I didn't believe a word of it and I couldn't believe that the police were going to.
Jane Alexander
Walk away from the case. I knew exactly how he felt.
Narrator
Lee Sansom heard about Jane through a victim support group and he wrote her a letter.
Jane Alexander
After all these years of struggle, it finally appears that I have found someone who knows the ins and outs of the system.
Narrator
Jane's answer was just what he wanted to hear.
Jane Alexander
I went to the police department and I found a detective and he had really never heard of the case.
Narrator
She was able to convince me to take a look at the case. Homicide detective Mike Yore saw the case as dead. There's nothing that certainly that I could do with this case. His own department, the DA's office, and even the state's Attorney general agreed.
Detective Jeff Ouime
Okay, thank you.
Narrator
And that's where Jane Alexander came in and said, you know, not willing to accept that.
Jane Alexander
And I called him the next day, and he said, you're here again. That's right, Mike. And forever, until we get whatever we need. And so finally he found it was easier just to talk to me and just do whatever it was we had to do. He's a great cop.
Narrator
You wore him down.
Jane Alexander
Well, I guess, yeah.
Narrator
Mike Yore surrendered and began reviewing James Nebauer's story. His version of events is he's pointing the gun pretty much directly at her.
Jane Alexander
Right.
Narrator
He says she reaches for it to take a look at the gun and it goes off. Right. But Mike Yorr, an expert on firearms, thought there was an important clue in the powder burns left on Abigail Niebauer's clothes. Is there a light bulb kind of moment where you look at it and say, absolutely. What was that? There was no powder on the cuff, there was no powder above it. It was specifically printed here. Same with the left hand. And we just prop it back up here. Which means Abigail Nebauer couldn't have been reaching for the gun when it went off. Today we're going to be duplicating a shooting incident that occurred in 1985. To prove his theory, Detective Yor set up a ballistics test. This is a weapon that was used during the homicide. The firing range here. And what we've got is roughly the exact same measurements for a woman that Abigail was at the time of the shooting. The height of the victim is five foot six. So you're trying it from different distances and different arm positions. What we're trying to arrive at is an exact replication of the powder stippling on the sleeves, size, diameter and such. You could not get that powder stippling on those sleeves with the arms in any other position other than the defensive position.
Reporter
Correct.
Narrator
So she's not holding her hands out like this to look at the gun. She's holding her hands in front of her face because he's about to shoot her. She's in this position here when she's shot. Mike Yor's tests prove James Nebauer murdered his wife, but he still needed something he could take to court. You want to present this material to a renowned forensic expert. Correct. So that he can corroborate your theory.
Reporter
Correct.
Narrator
And the department says. Says this is kind of an old case, and you. You certainly have enough things going, and it looks rather expensive. What does Jane say when you tell her the department doesn't have the money to send you down to Florida?
Jane Alexander
I finally called the captain and I said, we'll send him.
Narrator
You'll pay for the trip to Florida?
Jane Alexander
Absolutely. How much does it cost? Who will we make the check out to? And he talked to the expert. He spent three days there with him, and he absolutely collaborated. Everything Mike said.
Narrator
Finally, 13 years after the death of Abigail neighbor, James Niebauer was arrested, tried, and found guilty of his wife's murder. Mike Yorr proved his case, and Lee Sansom could finally move on.
Reporter
They brought back a guilty verdict. It was just incredible.
Narrator
Lee Sansom knows one thing. It wouldn't have happened without Jane.
Jane Alexander
Getting justice for Abby was just as much a goal as it was for getting justice for Aunt Kurt.
Narrator
And coming up, Jane Alexander is just about to close in on Tom O'. Donnell.
Jane Alexander
Heather is a nurse practitioner from UnitedHealthcare.
Detective Jeff Ouime
We meet patients wherever they live.
Jane Alexander
During a house call, she found Jack had an issue. Jack's blood pressure was dangerously high.
Narrator
It was 217 over 110.
Detective Jeff Ouime
So they got Jack to the hospital.
Jane Alexander
And got him the help he needed.
Narrator
He had had a stamp placed in.
Jane Alexander
His heart preventing a massive heart attack.
Narrator
If it wasn't for my guardian angel.
Jane Alexander
I wouldn't be here. Hear more stories like Jack's at unitedhealthcare.com benefits, features and or devices vary by plan. Area limitation and exclusions apply.
Narrator
Now Streaming. Hi again, TV's quirkiest crime solver.
Jane Alexander
I'm Elspeth Tasiomi. I work with the police.
Narrator
It's on the case.
Jane Alexander
I like my outlandish thing theories. With a heavy dose of evidence and.
Narrator
Ready to go toe to toe with a cavalcade of guest stars. Are you saying that this is now a murder investigation?
Jane Alexander
It's starting to look that way.
Narrator
Don't miss a moment of the critically acclaimed hit Elsbeth. All episodes now streaming on Paramount and return CBS fall.
Jane Alexander
That sounds like fun.
Detective Jeff Ouime
Obviously, murder's not fun.
Jane Alexander
This episode is brought to you by Greenlight. Get this. Adults with financial literacy skills have 82% more wealth than those who don't. From swimming lessons to piano classes, Us parents invest in so many things to enrich. But are we investing in their future financial success? With Greenlight, you can teach your kids financial literacy skills like earning, saving and Investing and this investment costs less than that. After school treat start prioritizing their financial education and future today with a risk free trial at greenlight.com Spotify greenlight.com Spotify Tuesday, March 17 Happy St. Patrick's Day. Hard to believe such a special day to arrest Tom. I'm still in shock.
Narrator
Finally, nearly a decade after the brutal slaying of Jane Alexander's beloved aunt Gertrude, police were ready to arrest Tom o' Donnell for first degree murder.
Jane Alexander
I always felt that eventually I would get him.
Narrator
So just where did they find him?
Detective Jeff Ouime
When Tom was arrested for the murder, he was living with a wealthy woman in a very nice area of LA County.
Narrator
Jeff Ouime was a key detective in the investigation.
Detective Jeff Ouime
He'd found a woman, a widowed woman.
Jane Alexander
She is 60 years old and lives in a million dollar home.
Detective Jeff Ouime
And it was the same old thing. He was going to take her for everything she had and then move on to the next one.
Narrator
But then, just as Jane Alexander had hoped.
Jane Alexander
Tom, old man, gotcha, gotcha. See, I cry for nothing.
Narrator
Tom o' Donnell was taken into police custody. As he stood in his new girlfriend's.
Jane Alexander
Front yard, they arrested him and all the way to the station he was talking about Jane Alexander. He was really pissed off about this woman from Marin County.
Narrator
At his murder trial, o' Donnell never took the stand in his own defense. But Jane Alexander was the prosecution's lead witness and had a lot to tell the jury. What was your impression of Jane when you first saw her?
Jane Alexander
Initially, yes. I thought how could the woman be so stupid?
Narrator
And with no physical evidence directly linking Tom o' Donnell to the murder, the case against him was anything but open and shut. The case against Tom was based on circumstantial evidence, complete circumstantial evidence. Did that worry you?
Jane Alexander
You take 100 facts and you just, you know, pile up everything you can and the jury say they can throw away 95, there's five left, they still stick.
Narrator
And as it turns out, that's how the jury saw it.
Detective Jeff Ouime
The mileage was a big thing, didn't match running out of money, borrowing from everybody.
Narrator
You didn't believe his defense?
Jane Alexander
What defense? To me, he had no defense.
Narrator
After three days of deliberations, the jury came back with a verdict.
Jane Alexander
And the diary says, guilty, guilty, guilty, guilty, exclamation point, point, point, point.
Narrator
When he was convicted, finally, what was your reaction?
Jane Alexander
It's just, it's so hard to describe. Thirteen years it took me, I can hardly, I can really not even talk about. Was very emotional. I couldn't really believe those 12 people really saw it the way it was, you know, and it was just, I can't even tell you the satisfaction. I mean, I just sort of sat there and said, you know, I did it. Freya Kirk, I admire her, that she had the courage of her convictions to stick with San Jose police department and DA's office to get a conviction. As I went out into the hall, there stood the whole jury. They hugged me, were crying, so damn emotional. It was hard to believe. I think as far as the jurors were concerned, I think it was a sense of relief that finally we made closure on this for all of us.
Narrator
What was the sentence?
Jane Alexander
25 to life. But as long as I'm alive, you'll Never get out.
Narrator
73 year old Tom O' Donnell won't be eligible for parole until 2007.
Jane Alexander
I still feel wonderful every time I think about him.
Narrator
Rock in jail with Tom locked away, you'd think Jane would take a break.
Jane Alexander
I've got a stack of files there that I'm working on.
Narrator
Tell that to Jane.
Jane Alexander
The day we get the guy that killed your mother, that's the day we'll celebrate.
Narrator
That's next.
Reporter
You say you'll never join the Navy, never climb Mount Fuji on a port.
Narrator
Visit or break the sound barrier.
Reporter
Joining the Navy sounds crazy. Saying never actually is.
Narrator
Learn why@navy.com, america's Navy. Forged by the sea Support for this podcast and the following message comes from America's Navy. The Navy offers new graduates, hands on training and experience in careers like computer.
Jane Alexander
Science, aviation and medicine.
Narrator
Plus education and sign on bonuses. Parents help your grads start their career today@navy.com.
Jane Alexander
Jane, I dearly love you and thousands of others. Thank you.
Narrator
Jane Alexander is finally enjoying the golden years of her life. No, she's not retired.
Jane Alexander
The day we get the guy that killed your mother, that's the day we'll celebrate.
Narrator
In fact, at the age of 77, she got herself a new job. You're doing a great job helping families who are struggling with their own unsolved murders.
Jane Alexander
We'll nail that SOB yet.
Narrator
She founded Citizens Against Homicide and today they're rallying for victims rights. She started the group with her friend Jan Miller, whose own daughter was murdered.
Jane Alexander
I'm Jan Miller. I'm the president of Citizens Against Homicide. Thank you all for coming. The purpose of this group is to help families get through the quagmire of the criminal justice system when they get involved in a homicide like I did. My best friend was murdered in Richmond in 4-97. You need two elements to solve a crime. You need a dedicated police officer. Detective. But you also have to be persistent yourself.
Narrator
Jane says it's like teaching basic government civics 101.
Jane Alexander
I've had victims that didn't want to contact the district attorney's office because they were afraid they'd get a bill. Most people just don't know what to do. They don't understand the role the DA has. They don't understand the role the homicide detective has. These are all foreign concepts to the average American unless it touches them. I always tell them to go down and meet the detective face to face. Just be a presence in that office. If you give up and you quit, then no one else is really going to care. I always say, you know, get in their face and stay there. Good morning, detective. This is Jane Alexander.
Narrator
Jane and her group are currently working about 40 cases.
Jane Alexander
Here's two days, phone calls. We return them all, you know, eventually. I can't listen to that. Every one of these a homicide case. Number one on the list, Ronnie Perotti.
Narrator
This is Jan Miller's daughter, murdered 16 years ago.
Jane Alexander
I think the sad thing about Ronnie's case is the fact that we are two witnesses that have never come forth.
Narrator
So they appeal to the public by putting up billboards offering rewards.
Jane Alexander
Laura, this is Jane Alexander in California. Where are my billboards? This case here, Ivan Goble. We've just put this billboard up. This is up right now. This was a home invasion case. It was 81 years. His wife was 75. They grabbed her, bludgeoned her, walked into the house, shot him and hopefully that'll bring in some reward.
Narrator
And it did. Police made an arrest in this four year old case.
Jane Alexander
It's very satisfying to be able to help people. This one is solved. This one is a very tragic case. Not solved. Don't be hysterical, get mad, just get mad.
Narrator
Besides putting murderers behind bars, Jane and her crew work to keep them from getting out.
Jane Alexander
We ask our readers to police write to the different parole boards. No one that we've ever featured in our newsletter has ever been allowed out of jail. Do the crime, you do the time.
Narrator
And there's no parole hearing. Jane cares about more than Tom o'. Donnell's.
Jane Alexander
I'm just not going to sit around and do nothing. I mean, I have to be at that parole hearing and make damn sure he doesn't in any way get out. Hello.
Narrator
Jane's children say their mother has found a new purpose in life.
Jane Alexander
She does work on this tirelessly every single day. She's dedicated.
Detective Jeff Ouime
Dedicated to helping people.
Jane Alexander
She'll go on as long as she's alive. She won't stop.
Detective Jeff Ouime
She won't stop.
Jane Alexander
I don't see any end to it.
Narrator
For now, Citizen Jane will Never Rest. Tom O' Donnell was denied parole in 2007 and died in prison in 2010. September 4th on Paramount plus someone is trying to frame us until our names.
Jane Alexander
Are cleared we're fugitives from interval Lacvani.
Narrator
And CL with better snacks. NCIS Tony and Ziva streaming September 4th on Paramount plus September 4th on Paramount plus someone is trying to frame us until our names are clear we're fugitives from interval Like Bonnie and Clyde with better snacks. Espionage? You still as good a shot as you used to be?
Jane Alexander
Better.
Narrator
Is there love language? We like to walk that fine line between techno thriller and romantic comedy.
Jane Alexander
We make up our own rules.
Narrator
NCIS Tony and Ziva streaming September 4th on Paramount Plus.
CBS News | August 20, 2025
This “48 Hours” episode, expertly reported by Bill Lagatuta, dives into the extraordinary true story of Jane Alexander. An ordinary grandmother in her late seventies, Jane transformed her life after a devastating crime: her beloved aunt was murdered and her romantic partner betrayed her in a web of fraud and deceit. When the system seemed powerless or indifferent, Jane refused to give up. Her dogged efforts not only brought her aunt’s killer to justice, but also inspired other families to fight for closure in their own cold cases.
In October 1983, Jane’s Aunt Gert was brutally murdered at age 88.
Jane immediately pressed authorities, refusing to let the case languish.
Jane Alexander’s journey from victim to unstoppable justice seeker is a testament to the power of perseverance and advocacy. Through heartbreak, bankruptcy, and personal transformation, she became a beacon for families who feel powerless within the justice system. Her story is both a warning about trust—and an inspiration to never give up the fight for truth and justice.