Justice for Sheila?

Summary

Podcast Summary: "Justice for Sheila?"

Podcast: 48 Hours by CBS News
Air Date: November 6, 2025
Main Theme:
This emotionally charged episode investigates the brutal murder of Sheila Belish, examining the exhaustive quest for justice that pierced the heart of her family, shook a community, and challenged the legal system. CBS correspondents, with access to key detectives, family members, and even those implicated in the plot, piece together not only what happened, but why. The narrative delivers a gripping account of trauma, obsession, and the relentless pursuit of truth, with particular focus on Sheila’s ex-husband, Alan Blackthorn, whose involvement unfolds through trial testimony, family recollection, and chilling new evidence.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Crime and Immediate Aftermath

• Discovery of the Murder
  • Sheila Belish was found murdered in her Florida home on November 7th, 1997. The crime scene was traumatic; her quadruplet toddlers were home at the time.
  • Quote (Stevie Belish, Sheila's daughter):

    “I looked at her face again, and when I actually bent down and looked at her, that’s when I realized that she was dead.” (05:41)

• Emotional Toll on the Family
  • Sheila’s parents and her children speak about their grief and the profound void left behind.
  • Quote (Jean Smith, Sheila’s mother):

    “I’ve spent so many nights crying over those children because they were Sheila’s angels.” (02:29)

2. Suspects and the Hunt for the Killer

• Investigation Focus
  • Evidence at the scene and accounts from neighbors quickly pointed police to Jose Luis Del Toro Jr., a former high school football star from Texas, seen near the house on the day of the murder (07:09–08:24).
  • Del Toro flees and is dubbed “public enemy number one” before being caught in Mexico.
• Conspiracy Unraveled
  • Del Toro, his cousin Sammy Gonzalez, and golf hustler Danny Rocha were arrested and charged with conspiracy. None knew Sheila personally.
  • Investigators spotlighted Alan Blackthorn, Sheila’s wealthy, contentious ex-husband, suspected of orchestrating the crime.

3. Family History, Motive, and Blackthorn’s Reputation

• Toxic Marital Past
  • Sheila’s family and friends detail years of domestic abuse, threats, and bitter custody battles between Sheila and Blackthorn.
  • Quote (Carrie, Sheila’s sister):

    “He made the comment, Sheila would never leave me because she’d never see her children… and by chance she did get the kids, I would just kill her.” (11:39)

  • Blackthorn admits to past physical abuse but denies orchestrating murder.
• Obsession and Control
  • The narrative frames Blackthorn as unable to accept Sheila moving on, especially after she succeeded in gaining custody and relocating with her new husband, Jamie Belish.

4. The Murder-for-Hire Plot & Testimonies

• Danny Rocha’s Role
  • Rocha claims he recruited Sammy Gonzalez at Blackthorn’s behest merely to “rough up” Sheila, but acknowledges the plan went fatally awry.
  • Quote (Rocha):

    “He made it obvious to me that he wanted something done…the plan never included murder, just beat the hell out of her so that she couldn’t take care of the kids.” (18:08)

• Chain of Involvement
  • Gonzalez testifies he was paid $4,000 and given Sheila’s address and photo, both reportedly from Blackthorn. He then recruited Del Toro for the act (19:44–20:56).

5. Building the Case Against Blackthorn

• Difficulties in Securing Charges
  • Despite testimony, prosecutors struggled to directly link Blackthorn until additional evidence surfaced:
    • Blackthorn hired a Sarasota private investigator, Chuck Chambers, to track Sheila weeks before the murder; PI provides invoices as proof (25:10).
    • Blackthorn made repeated attempts to get Sheila’s address, including manipulating his daughter for it and impersonating a bookie on recorded calls to a bail bonds office (31:03–31:35).
  • Quote (Prosecutor Henry Lee):

    “The problem is, we don’t know what Rocha tells us is the truth. He has told us so many different things, we don’t know what to believe.” (24:38)

6. Trial of Alan Blackthorn

• The Federal Case
  • The trial convened two and a half years after the murder, with no cameras allowed and over 400 pieces of evidence introduced (28:37–29:05).
  • Daniel Rocha delivers three days of testimony implicating Blackthorn as the “mastermind and financier,” though defense challenges his credibility as a convicted co-conspirator.
  • The jury deliberated for over 30 hours, deadlocked at times over whether Blackthorn intended Sheila’s murder or simply wanted her harmed (34:00–35:03).

7. Conviction and Aftermath

• Verdict
  • The jury finds Alan Blackthorn guilty on both federal counts (35:17).
  • Quote (Jamie Belish, upon hearing the verdict):

    “I jumped up and down and kept saying yes. It was almost like my team winning the Super Bowl.” (35:28)

  • Blackthorn is sentenced to life without parole. In parallel, Del Toro and Rocha also receive life sentences.
• Reflections and Cost
  • While the Belish family achieves legal closure, they mourn Sheila’s absence at future milestones for her children.
  • Quote (Jamie Belish):

    “There’s going to be recitals, and there’s going to be graduations, and there’s going to be weddings where there’s going to be an empty place and there’ll be an empty spot in their heart.” (38:23)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• The Family's Pain
  • Jean Smith: “She always said, ‘Mama, look at my angels.’” (02:29)
  • Stevie Belish, discovering her mother: “I didn’t believe it. I looked at her…that’s when I realized she was dead.” (06:00)
• Sheila’s Sister on Blackthorn
  • Carrie: “He made the comment, Sheila would never leave me… and I would just kill her.” (11:39)
• Daniel Rocha on the Plot
  • “I knew it was wrong, but I thought I was helping two children.” (19:07)
• Jamie Belish on Justice
  • “I believe with all my heart that everyone involved in this crime will eventually be put behind bars.” (10:40)
• Jury Foreperson’s Doubt
  • “I wasn’t sure that he had intended for her to die…maybe he intended for her to get hurt.” (33:43)
• Verdict and Relief
  • “The verdict is guilty. Guilty on both federal counts.” (35:17)
• Jamie Belish’s Bittersweet Closure
  • “I jumped up and down and kept saying yes. It was almost like my team winning the Super Bowl.” (35:28)

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Timeline and Key Segments

• [05:01–06:00] – Discovery of Sheila’s body by her daughter, emotional 911 call.
• [07:09–08:24] – Hunt for suspect Del Toro and revealing physical clues.
• [11:23–13:13] – Family commentary on Sheila & Blackthorn’s violent history, allegations of threats.
• [18:08–21:29] – Danny Rocha and other conspirators describe the murder-for-hire plot.
• [25:10–25:46] – Private investigator’s role; pivotal evidence on address transmission.
• [28:37–29:23] – Blackthorn’s trial opens; Rocha as chief witness.
• [33:02–33:43] – Jury struggles with evidence and intent.
• [35:17–35:34] – Guilty verdict announced and reactions.
• [38:23–38:51] – Final reflections on justice and loss for the family.

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Tone & Style

The episode is investigative yet deeply empathetic, giving center stage to the grief and tenacity of Sheila’s family. The correspondents press for truth but allow raw emotion from the victims’ loved ones to resonate, interspersing legal and procedural detail with first-person accounts. The language is direct, at times chilling, always compassionate to survivors.

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Conclusion

"Justice for Sheila?" stands as a gripping, methodically told tale of injustice righted, at great personal cost. The episode channels a community’s outrage, a family’s sorrow, and a legal system’s gradual, grinding machinery—delivering not only a solved murder but a meditation on the depth of domestic violence and the resolve needed to confront it. Ultimately, it raises as many questions about the scars left behind as it does about answering who was guilty.

Transcript

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[Jamie Belish]

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[Jamie Belish]

Ellen, did you have anything to do with killing your wife?

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

It was a sight the family of murder victim Sheila Belish thought they would never see. Alan Blackthorn does Blackthorne, you have anything to say about this? Sheila's billionaire ex husband being led to court for his murder trial on charges he allegedly arranged her brutal killing. Just months earlier, Blackthorn, a retired businessman, was living the country club life in San Antonio, Texas. Others had been convicted of Sheila Belish's killing.

[Jamie Belish]

We find that the defendant is guilty.

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

And although they had implicated Blackthorn, who put you up to it, in the 1997 murder for hire plot, he had never been arrested.

[Jamie Belish]

Ellen, did you want Sheila murdered? Never. In no way. I didn't want her murdered. I didn't want her hurt. I didn't want anything in that nature to ever happen to her, period. Ellen, in your heart, I don't have any comments to make for you guys.

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

Despite Blackthorn's denials, Texas authorities kept digging. It was a murder case. They couldn't let go because of who had witnessed Sheila's violent death. Her four babies.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

I don't understand how anybody in the face of the earth could do that.

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

Jean Smith is Sheila's mother.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

I've spent so many nights crying over those children because they were Sheila's angels. She always said, mama, look at my angels. We wanted a baby.

[Jamie Belish]

Really Bad.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

And then we got four. So we're like, we just feel four times luckier.

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

Those angels were Sheila's quadruplets, whose birth made Sheila and her new husband Jamie Belish local celebrities in San Antonio.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

Francis Anthony is named after my father.

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

The day their quads were born.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

The Belish quadruplets have turned this household upside down.

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

Baby care times four Updates on the Belish quads became a feature on local.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

Newscasts the first week. Oh, that was scary.

[Jamie Belish]

She would just sit with them all around her and just say, look at my babies, you know, it was such a source of pride and joy for her. Miss Jo going outside for the first time.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

Yes, I'm going home now.

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

Life was good for Sheila. She had come a long way from a bitter divorce and custody battle with her ex husband, Allen Blackthorn.

[Jamie Belish]

It was a short marriage that wasn't good for either one of us. It was a nasty divorce. It was a adversarial relationship.

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

Always say, hi, daddy. When the quads were nearly two, Jamie, a pharmaceutical sale was offered a promotion and the family moved to Sarasota, Florida. Sheila had custody of her two daughters from her marriage to Blackthorne, Darrell and Stevie, now 16 years old.

[Jamie Belish]

People say you're like your mother. Do you like that compliment?

[Narrator/Interviewer]

I think that's best compliment, you know, I've ever gotten.

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

But just two months after moving to Florida.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

Is it on? Yep. Should I make faces?

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

Stevie's warm hearted mother became the victim of a cold blooded crime.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

Some days I just, I can't stop crying, you know, because I keep thinking about November 7th.

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

November 7th, 1997. The day started well.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

I was actually running home from school. I had some good news.

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

News she was anxious to share with her mom.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

I found out a guy that liked me was going to ask me out. So I was so excited and I had to run home and tell her that I was gonna sit by the phone all weekend. I walked through the front door. The first thing I really saw is the babies.

[Jamie Belish]

Mommy, what did you hear?

[Narrator/Interviewer]

Just babies crying. That was the only noise I heard was babies crying. So I didn't understand how she could just let them sit there and cry because she didn't do that. I had done two circles around the house trying to find her and kind of struck me to check the laundry room. There was blood, like all over the floor.

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

There was blood everywhere, even on the babies.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

Three of them had it like streaked on them. One of them had it in his hair.

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

It was their mother's blood.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

I don't think it registered in My mind that she was right at my feet, you know, I didn't believe it. I looked at her, at her face again. And when I actually bent down and looked at her, that's when I realized that she was dead.

[Jamie Belish]

Hello? Hello? Hi, this is the 911 center. What's the matter?

[Narrator/Interviewer]

My mom is dead.

[Jamie Belish]

Oh, God. Oh, God.

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

Jamie rushed home to confront an unimaginable horror.

[Jamie Belish]

Sometimes the whole experience is somewhat surreal and I can't believe it's really going on.

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

And he tried to comfort Stevie.

[Jamie Belish]

Here's Stevie. I mean, 13 year old girl comes home from school and finds her mother with a bullet through her face and her throat cut. It's gonna be tough for her. Papa. Papa.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

Yeah, Papa.

[Jamie Belish]

Do you think the babies somehow remember?

[Narrator/Interviewer]

Oh, sure, they do.

[Jamie Belish]

Hug Timothy. I think he has a cognitive recollection of the murder. He says, you know, mommy had a bad boo boo. And a man did it.

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

The man who did it left a trail of clues at the murder scene. A fingerprint, a knife, a bullet shell. And that's not all. The day of the murder, neighbors saw a suspicious man wearing combat fatigues on Mark Rich Road near the Belish home.

[Jamie Belish]

They saw a man wearing camouflage. They saw a man in a white car. They saw a man with a Texas plate.

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

Police tracked the out of state license plate number and four days later, we.

[Jamie Belish]

Have obtained a first degree murder warrant.

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

Charging Jose Luis Del Toro Jr. With the November 7th murder of Mrs. Belish. Jose Luis Del Toro, a former high school football star, is on the run. Police launch a massive manhunt for Del Toro in Florida, Texas and northern Mexico. The savage crime becomes national news. America's Most Wanted. We've named him our public enemy number one. And the cops are hoping you can help find him tonight. Two weeks later, Del Toro is arrested in Monterrey, Mexico.

[Jamie Belish]

Do you have anything to say?

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

Police believe they have a strong case against Del Toro. There's his fingerprint found at the Belish's home. A gun discovered inside Del Toro's car. Was the weapon used to shoot Sheila?

[Jamie Belish]

Joey, did you shoot Sheila?

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

Fellas? Also found in Del Toro's car, incredibly, were the directions to Sheila's house. But why was Sheila murdered? The house wasn't robbed and police say Del Toro didn't know Sheila. Stevie Belish had no doubt who was behind her mother's murder.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

The first person that came into my mind was Alan Blackthorne, your father. That was the only logical explanation I had for this.

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

But Allen Blackthorn was playing golf at the time of Sheila's murder more than 1,000 miles away in San Antonio. Could he really be involved?

[Jamie Belish]

There is no evidence that I had any involvement in this whatsoever.

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

That's next.

[Jamie Belish]

Ready?

[Narrator/Interviewer]

Happy birthday to you.

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

Courtney Belish just turned three.

[Jamie Belish]

Keep going. Keep going, Frank.

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

So did Frankie Belish.

[Jamie Belish]

Keep going.

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

Joey Belish and Timmy Belish. Their father, Jamie Belish, certainly has his hands full.

[Jamie Belish]

You know, having quadruplets is pretty easy when they're in the hospital. The problem is when you bring them home, that's when it gets tough.

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

And it's even tougher for Jamie and the kids now, because missing from this celebration and from their lives is the quadruplet's mother, Sheila Belish.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

I don't think a day goes by when I don't think about her.

[Jamie Belish]

Big hug, hug and a kiss.

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

Jamie Belish is also trying to cope with his wife's murder.

[Jamie Belish]

There's days when I do great, and there's days when I break down and cry.

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

But more than anything, Jamie wants justice for Sheila.

[Jamie Belish]

I believe with all my heart that everyone involved in this crime will be eventually put behind bars.

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

Joey Del Toro, accused of killing Sheila, is already behind bars in a Mexican jail. Sammy, what message do you have for the Belish family today? How you doing? Texas police have also arrested Del Toro's cousin, Sammy Gonzalez.

[Jamie Belish]

Do you regret what happened? I don't have a copy.

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

And a golf hustler named Danny Rocha. All three men now stand accused of conspiring to kill Sheila Belish. None of the suspects apparently knew Sheila, but investigators quickly focused on someone who did. Sheila's ex husband, Allen Blackthorn.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

He's evil. Pure evil.

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

Sheila's mother, Jean Smith.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

He's the only person on the face of the earth that ever hurt Sheila.

[Jamie Belish]

Put your faces right next to each other.

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

Sheila's younger sister Carrie, says she heard Blackthorn threaten to kill Sheila.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

He made the comment, sheila would never leave me because she'd never see her children, and she'd never leave her children. And by chance, she did get the children, I would just kill her.

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

You heard him say that?

[Narrator/Interviewer]

I heard him say that, yes.

[Jamie Belish]

Did you ever threaten in front of Sheila's sisters to kill her if she were to ever leave you and take the girls? No. Never. No threat of any kind, period. Allen, you have been described by your enemies as evil, insane, manipulative. Who are you? Well, I'm a husband. I'm a father. Um, I'm a golfer.

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

Alan Blackthorn is a wealthy San Antonio businessman who can afford to play a lot of golf.

[Jamie Belish]

Maybe.

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

Maybe oh, he made his fortune selling medical equipment.

[Jamie Belish]

Play golf Monday through Friday. Play with my family on the weekends.

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

Blackthorn lives in this million dollar mansion with his fourth wife and their two children.

[Jamie Belish]

We're a strong family. My wife is awesome. My kids are great.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

Alan can be very, very charming. And it took me a long time to see the real Alan.

[Jamie Belish]

Was Sheila afraid of Alan?

[Narrator/Interviewer]

Yes.

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

Sheila's older sister Kathy, says the real Alan is a violent man.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

Shortly before she decided to leave Alan, they had gotten into an argument, and he had pulled her hair and hit her in the face and busted her lip.

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

This 1987 San Antonio Police report backs up Kathy's claim. Blackthorn was arrested and pled guilty for assault.

[Jamie Belish]

You don't deny that you physically abused Sheila? Is that true? I did. I did hit her. It was a very low point for me in my life. I've never denied it. But I struck her once, and that's all I ever struck her.

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

In 1987, after five years of marriage, Sheila filed for divorce.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

Her ex husband was always dragging her into court some way or another. It was a constant battle, a battle.

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

That continued years after the divorce. This San Antonio police log shows that there were many family disturbance calls in the middle of all this turmoil.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

Well, do you like to barbecue?

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

Love it.

[Jamie Belish]

Yeah, it's my new girlfriend's show. We met on a flight.

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

Sheila met Jamie Belish.

[Jamie Belish]

I'm gonna drive her home.

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

Soon after they were married, Sheila's new start seemed complete. When Blackthorn finally gave up custody of his daughters, Stevie and Darrell.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

That's my kid.

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

Agreeing to have nothing to do with them ever again.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

Sheila beat him. She took him back to court because she wanted to get on with her life and get away from him. And she had gotten the girls something that he said would never happen if she left him now.

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

Free to leave San Antonio, Jamie Belish accepted a job promotion and in Sarasota, Florida, and the family moved here. It was a fresh start for the Belish family. Twelve hundred miles away from Alan Blackthorn. Two months later, Sheila Belish was dead.

[Jamie Belish]

When you heard that Sheila had been murdered, what did you think?

[Narrator/Interviewer]

Well, at first, it's disbelief, and then it's horror. And then it was like he finally did it.

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

Blackthorn's alibi on the day of the murder checks out. He was playing golf. And who was his partner that day? A man named Danny Rocha.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

Rocha was Sheila Belish's ex husband. Alan Blackthorn involved in her death?

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

I don't have a copy the same Danny Rocha who would stand trial for his role in the murder of Sheila Belush.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

Why would you hire someone to kill her?

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

Why would Danny Rocha, who says he.

[Jamie Belish]

Didn'T know Sheila, Why would he get involved in a plot to kill her if you didn't ask him to? I don't have any idea. I don't know what has gone on with Danny Rocha.

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

Was Alan Blackthorn involved? Will Rocha link Blackthorn to the murder of his ex wife?

[Jamie Belish]

I don't think anybody believes that I acted alone.

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

That's next. It's been 14 months since Sheila Belish was murdered. Jamie Belish and his stepdaughter Stevie are heading to Sarasota, Florida for the trial of one of the alleged conspirators, Danny Rocha. Rocha is the man accused of organizing the murder plot. They're accusing you of murder and paying Joey Del Toro to kill Sheila Bellers.

[Jamie Belish]

I want to make sure this son of a bitch is put in jail for the rest of his life.

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

So does Sarasota prosecutor Charlie Roberts.

[Jamie Belish]

Good afternoon. This is a case, ladies and gentlemen.

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

Of a heinous murder. Roberts is out to prove that although Rocha didn't pull the trigger, he's still guilty of first degree murder.

[Jamie Belish]

This is a case of the murder of a woman named Sheila Belish, who had her throat slashed and was shot in the face. Would you please state your name?

[Narrator/Interviewer]

Stevie Belish.

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

The trial will not be easy for Jamie Stevie or Sheila's mother, Jean Smith.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

I have almost died over this. The grief has been unbearable.

[Jamie Belish]

Just comes flooding back that the brutality of her murder. It's so senseless.

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

Not only do prosecutors want Rocha, they're hoping he will implicate the man they believe is the mastermind behind the murder, Sheila's ex husband, Alan Blackthorn.

[Jamie Belish]

Danny Rocha is the key to this thing.

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

Henry Lee is a member of the prosecution team.

[Jamie Belish]

The only witness that met with Alan Blackthorn. Have any comments, sir, that was involved in this conspiracy? Was Danny Rocha.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

Was Sheila Belish's ex husband, Alan Blackthorn.

[Jamie Belish]

Involved in her death? He was the one that could tell us what was actually said.

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

How did this tragic event begin?

[Jamie Belish]

The defendant, Daniel Rocha, met a wealthy man named Alan Blackthorn. He made it obvious to me that he wanted something done.

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

Danny Rocha has never denied his involvement in the conspiracy, but he insists the plan never included murder. Just beat the hell out of her so that she couldn't take care of the kids.

[Jamie Belish]

No, no, it wasn't that Rocha, who.

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

Decided not to take the stand in his case, did agree to speak to 48 Hours.

[Jamie Belish]

Well, I met Alan Blackthorn just after the new year of 96. We became friends. We played golf quite a bit.

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

Played golf and gambled. Sometimes as much as $7,000 a hole. Rocha says it was on the golf course that Allen Blackthorn would complain to him that Sheila was physically abusing their two daughters, Stevie and Darryl. What specifically did he ask you to do?

[Jamie Belish]

He asked me if I knew anybody. And at the time, she was living in Bernie, Texas. That would go to Bernie and, you know, rough her up a little bit.

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

So Rocha, who had never been arrested, agreed to find someone who would beat up Sheila.

[Jamie Belish]

I knew it was wrong, but I thought it was helping. I thought it was helping two children.

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

But prosecutors say Rocha was out to help himself.

[Jamie Belish]

In a nutshell, the defendant would be set for life.

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

That Blackthorn was going to reward Rocha with a partnership in a new golf course. Regardless of the reason, Rocha called up his friend Sammy Gonzalez, the third man arrested in the murder conspiracy state file, Samuel Gonzalez. Gonzalez, who cut his own deal with prosecutors, is now testifying against his friend Danny Rocha.

[Jamie Belish]

Is the court.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

Please proceed.

[Jamie Belish]

He started saying that this buddy of his has an ex wife, that he wanted to get beat up. Did you ask him who the person was? Yes, when I told him, who's this person? And was his ex wife beat up? That's what he said. Allen, you recognize the name Alan Blackthorn? Yes.

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

Gonzalez says Rocha offered him $4,000 to rough up Sheila.

[Jamie Belish]

He kept persistent. Persistent. You gave Sammy Gonzalez $4,000 in cash. Where did you get the money? From Alan. From Alan Blackthorn. You gave Sammy Gonzalez one picture of Sheila and her address. Where did you get that information and the picture? From Alan. From Alan Blackthorn? Yeah. So Alan Blackthorn was the puppeteer here? Sure. I don't think anybody doubts that. I mean, I don't think anybody believes that I acted alone.

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

Why would Danny Rocha, who says he.

[Jamie Belish]

Didn'T know Sheila, why would he get involved in a plot to kill her if you didn't ask him to? I don't have any idea. I don't know what has gone on with Danny Rocha. He says this was your idea to either scare or beat up Sheila. Danny Rocha is a liar.

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

Gonzalez then recruited his cousin, Joey Del Toro, to do the job.

[Jamie Belish]

Only reason I called him because he was athletic, very quick, very, very powerful.

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

Then, according to prosecutors, Del Toro got a gun.

[Jamie Belish]

Describe to the jury what type of weapon it is.

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

A.45 auto caliber. And drove 1,200 miles to Sarasota.

[Jamie Belish]

What's your address?

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

Where he shot Sheila in the face and slashed her throat. The tip itself is bent all in front of her four babies.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

The area around her body, there was a large amount of blood.

[Jamie Belish]

I didn't participate in that. I didn't realize that was going to happen. You set it in motion. You set it. I was a part of it.

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

If you had said to Alan Blackthorn.

[Jamie Belish]

No, Sheila Belish would be alive today. That's correct. You didn't pull the trigger, Danny. And I didn't know that there was a trigger. You wield the knife, but you all but opened the front door of the house and said, go get her. Hmm? Didn't you? I don't even know how to answer that. Peter. Roll. Rise, please. The only verdict, members of the jury, that the evidence supports and that justice requires is guilty as charged on both counts.

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

During his final statement, prosecutor Charlie Roberts closed in on Danny Rocha.

[Jamie Belish]

Would Frankie, Timmy, Courtney, Joey, Stevie, and Darryl's mother still be alive today if it weren't for that man over there?

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

Five hours later, the jury had the answer.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

The defendant is guilty of principle to murder in the first degree. The defendant is guilty of conspiracy to commit murder in the third degree.

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

For Jamie, it was a bittersweet victory. Rocha will spend the rest of his life in prison. But Alan Blackthorn is still a free man.

[Jamie Belish]

Something tells me deep down inside that justice will be done in this case. How long is that gonna take? No statute of limitations on murder.

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

Coming up, a dramatic revelation. As a private investigator claims Alan Blackthorn hired him to find Sheila.

[Jamie Belish]

I saw the murder in the newspaper, and it was like ice water started to run through my veins because I'm sitting there putting two and two together.

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

That's next.

[Jamie Belish]

This is a 911 center.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

What's the matter? My mom.

[Jamie Belish]

The blood on the floor. All these children without a mother. The horrible death. You're a part of all that.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

I am.

[Jamie Belish]

I haven't denied that.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

Who made you God?

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

Danny Rocha will spend the rest of his life in prison for his part in the murder of Sheila Belish.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

Now your life, too, is over a.

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

Woman he never met. But the person he says wanted Sheila killed is still a free man.

[Jamie Belish]

Why are you in prison and Allen Blackthorn is still out playing golf? That's a question you have to ask the state attorney's office. I mean, I Can't arrest him based on the testimony in court. Why hasn't an arrest warrant been issued for Allen Blackthorn? The only witness that met with Allen Blackthorn that was involved in this conspiracy.

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

Was Danny Rocha, Sarasota prosecutor Henry Lee.

[Jamie Belish]

The problem is, we don't know what Rocha tells us is the truth. He has told us so many different things, we don't know what to believe.

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

Which is why building a case against Blackthorn based on Rocha's testimony alone would be risky at best.

[Jamie Belish]

What is it going to take, do you think?

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

What sort of break?

[Jamie Belish]

In order for you to move on Alan Blackthorn, we need some more evidence. And we're looking for for that. Our first involvement was a phone call from Alan Blackthorn.

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

Chuck Chambers runs a private investigation agency near Sarasota, hired by Blackthorn just weeks before Sheila's murder.

[Jamie Belish]

That phone call came in requesting us to locate Sheila Belish. Did you find Sheila?

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

Yes, we did.

[Jamie Belish]

She was very hard to find, though.

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

Chambers office wrote up this report after the call. It lists Blackthorn's name, address, phone and Visa card number. In the middle of the document, it says, target James, Jamie and Sheila Belish.

[Jamie Belish]

Once you found Sheila, what did you do with the information? We gave that directly to Alan Blackthorn.

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

About the same time Danny Rocha says he was given Sheila's address.

[Jamie Belish]

Where did you get that information from, Allen, how did Danny Rocha get Sheila's address in Sarasota, Florida? Oh, I haven't got a clue. I have no idea. Chuck Chambers claims that he gave you the address to Sheila's home. Danny Rocha says he got Sheila's address from you. Three weeks later, she's murdered at her home. It's like connect the dots. Isn't that a damning piece of evidence against you? I don't think so at all. I had nothing to do with the death of Sheila Belish. Hey, Frank, where's your pants?

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

Jamie Belish has moved his family back to the small town in New Jersey where he grew up. Jamie never gives up hope that someday Blackthorn will be brought to justice.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

Good morning.

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

Then an unexpected dramatic announcement in San Antonio, Texas.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

I've called this conference this morning to announce the arrest of Alan Blackthorn on the charges of murder.

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

More than two years after Sheila's murder, a federal grand jury indicts Blackthorn.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

Alan, do you have anything to say?

[Jamie Belish]

It's nice that he's off the golf course. It's nice that he's sitting in a Cold, dark cell.

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

But do prosecutors have enough new evidence to put Blackthorn away for life?

[Narrator/Interviewer]

I'm not going to go into all the specifics of the evidence at that time. We need to do that in a court of law.

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

Coming up next, the murder trial of Alan Blackthorn.

[Jamie Belish]

Damn it. I'm gonna prove myself innocent.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

Do you have a dark curiosity? Heart starts pounding Horrors, Hauntings and Mysteries is a weekly podcast hosted by me, Kaylin Moore. Each week, I'll take you on a dark journey through terrifying true urban legends, bizarre true crime cases, chilling tales of backwoods horror, and more. So if you're looking to join a passionate community of the darkly curious, check out Heart Starts Pounding on the Free Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts. And remember, stay curious.

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

Ever since Sheila Belish's body was found on November 7, 1997, her exile has been a suspect in her murder. You were accused of being responsible for your ex wife's death. What do you say to her? And from the beginning, talk to the attorney. Blackthorn has maintained his innocence. You can look me in the eye.

[Jamie Belish]

And say, I had nothing to do with this. I had absolutely nothing to do with this. Period.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

Okay, audio check.

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

Audio check. Now, two and a half years after Sheila's death.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

Alan, do you have anything to say?

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

The murder trial of Alan Blackthorn begins in San Antonio, Texas.

[Jamie Belish]

This is really it. I mean, I've waited for this for so long. And finally, the day was here. The day was here that he was going to be tried for murder.

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

The month long trial was held here in federal court, where no cameras are allowed. Prosecutors presented the jury with more than 400 pieces of evidence they claimed linked Alan Blackthorn to the murder of his ex wife.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

It was really difficult for the jury.

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

It was a complicated puzzle.

[Jamie Belish]

We had to piece it back together in order for it to make sense.

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

Today, only one person took to the stand. And that one person was Daniel Rocha. The chief witness against Blackthorn was his old golfing buddy, Danny Rocha.

[Jamie Belish]

I'm the only way they're gonna get to Alan Blackthorne.

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

They know that already convicted and sentenced to life for his role in the killing, Rocha was the only member of the murder conspiracy who had face to face contact with Blackthorn. Do you believe that Alan Blackthorn is.

[Jamie Belish]

Just as responsible for Sheila's murder as you are? Of course he's more responsible. I was just helping a friend. I was just kind of passing this information on.

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

In three days of testimony, Rocha fingered Blackthorn as the mastermind and financier of the murder plot. But would the jury believe Rocha, a man who had lied to investigators in the past?

[Jamie Belish]

After his testimony, I thought to myself, if this is second day of testimony and no further questions, stays in trouble.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

We knew he lied. We knew he had the capability of lying. So we heard what he said and we took certain statements and they had be backed up by fact.

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

Prosecutors set out to do just that. They portrayed Alan Blackthorn as a man so obsessed with his ex wife Sheila, he was willing to pay $50,000 to have her badly beaten or killed.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

Is it on? Should I make faces?

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

All he needed was Sheila's new address in Sarasota. Witnesses were called to show that Blackthorn would stop at nothing to get it. Chuck Chambers took the stand. Chuck, when did Alan Blackthorn first get in touch with you? Remember, he was the Florida private investigator hired by Alan Blackthorn. He was very precise in what he wanted.

[Jamie Belish]

Cold, straightforward, non emotional finder. I want her found.

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

Another witness, a former employee of Blackthorn's, testified that he asked her to come to this church in Sarasota where Sheila Belish attended services. Blackthorn told the woman to follow Sheila home and write down her address.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

How do you spell the fuel's name?

[Jamie Belish]

Belish.

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

B E, L. There was more. The jury heard a series of recorded telephone conversations in which Blackthorn posing as a bookie.

[Jamie Belish]

I do bet. I'm trying to be as discreet as I can be.

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

Called a bail bonds company trying to get Sheila's new address.

[Jamie Belish]

I'm not asking you to release any information to me. All I'm trying to find out is have they registered their address with you? Can you give me that information?

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

Blackthorn didn't know that this company routinely recorded its phone calls.

[Jamie Belish]

And who am I speaking with?

[Narrator/Interviewer]

This is my first name.

[Jamie Belish]

My name's Al.

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

And prosecutors say Blackthorn even lied to his own daughter Darryl, to get Sheila's address.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

She's like, oh, I need the address. And I'm like, why do you need it? And he's like, because I'm going to come visit you this Christmas, and I'm going to come see you and spend some time with you.

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

A promise that Blackthorn couldn't possibly have kept since he had given up all parental rights to his daughters, agreeing to have nothing to do with them ever again.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

What bothered me was he was so adamant about getting that address that he manipulated his daughter in telling her, I will visit you at Christmas. Which he Knew full well he couldn't do.

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

When Allen Blackthorn took the stand, he testified that he wanted Sheila's address for a very different reason. To protect his daughters. Blackthorn told the jurors that his girls were being physically abused by Sheila and Jamie.

[Jamie Belish]

He kept saying that he loved his children so much. This is why he was involved in the whole case, because of his children and children here and children there. Evidence were presented to me that I didn't think he meant what he said about his children.

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

Jurors also had trouble with Blackthorn's demeanor during his testimony.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

He was very mature, mechanical. It was like it was very staged. It was like he had been scripted.

[Jamie Belish]

Voice was even killed. Never high, never low, never raised an eyebrow. Take a direct stare. Blinked barely. I mean, it was very strange.

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

And the jurors say, with all those phone calls to Florida, there was one Blackthorn didn't make that troubled them.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

He didn't call and check on his kids. Are you okay? Did they get hurt? Did they? Were they hurt by the killer?

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

Despite all of this, some jurors weren't convinced it added up to murder.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

I wasn't sure that he had intended for her to die. I thought just the way it was done. I thought, well, maybe he intended for her to get hurt.

[Jamie Belish]

We will have a hung jury on this count. Before we feel we just are going along with it, we need to be absolutely sure.

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

Coming up on 48 hours.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

This jury has been deliberating for over a week now for more than 30 hours.

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

The jury appears to be deadlocked.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

You may feel like he's guilty, he may look guilty, but the government has to show that he's guilty.

[Jamie Belish]

My biggest concern was this son of a bitch was gonna get off, that this son of a bitch was gonna walk. That's. Even to this day, sometimes I go out to that grave and I stand there and I go, I still can't believe this is real.

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

More than two and a half years have passed since Sheila Belish was murdered in front of her four babies and for her husband, Jamie.

[Jamie Belish]

I didn't know what was going to happen.

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

The jury's deliberation, in its fourth day, felt like an eternity.

[Jamie Belish]

I was thinking, we're headed for a hung jury. We need to be absolutely sure.

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

Jurors had spent more than 30 hours poring over the evidence.

[Jamie Belish]

There were still a few that were undecided.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

Then we took another hour.

[Jamie Belish]

Then we took another hour. And based on what was presented, testimony and evidence, we came to decisions.

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

This is breaking News.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

The verdict is guilty. Guilty on both federal counts. I watched Alan Blackthorn's face as they read the verdict. He sat there stone faced, cold as could be. Had no expression whatsoever.

[Jamie Belish]

I jumped up and down and kept saying yes. It was almost like my team winning the Super Bowl.

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

But why did Alan Blackthorn, a man who seemed to have it all, a beautiful home, a beautiful wife and children, pay to have Sheila murdered?

[Narrator/Interviewer]

Once she took those kids out of the state, he'd had it. That was it. He was just gonna. He was just gonna kill her because those were his kids, and he wasn't gonna allow her to take advantage of him like that. If he didn't do it, how did Rocha get the address? Unless Blackthorn gave Rocha the address, the chances that he could have got it otherwise were very slim. So that eliminated most reasonable doubt. He was blinded by his hate. He didn't think he was going to get caught.

[Jamie Belish]

He was a gambler, a risk taker.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

He was Alan Blackthorn. Nothing was going to happen to him.

[Jamie Belish]

And he felt that something happened. In my mind. I'll find a way out of it. I always have. I always come out on top.

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

On the same day, Blackthorn was found guilty in San Antonio, in a Florida courtroom, an incredibly dramatic moment.

[Jamie Belish]

What relationship were you to Sheila Belush?

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

Sheila Belish was my beloved wife, sir. For the first time, Jamie Belish confronted Joey Del Toro, the man who actually shot Sheila in the face and cut her throat.

[Jamie Belish]

Mr. Del Toro, I don't know if you've ever seen these pictures of what.

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

You did to my wife.

[Jamie Belish]

I'd like to show them to your family.

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

Does your family realize that when you.

[Jamie Belish]

Stabbed her in the neck that the blade of the knife bent on her spinal column? You are a worthless coward with no remorse in your heart. Your Honor, put this cowardly, worthless animal in a cage or he can rot away.

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

Moments later, Joey Del Toro was sentenced to life in prison with no chance ever for parole.

[Jamie Belish]

Jamie, you're right. I didn't deserve to die. And I am what you. What you told me, what you set up me.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

I am.

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

It was finally over. Everyone involved in the conspiracy to murder Sheila Belish, including its mastermind, was now behind bars. Alan Blackthorn will be sentenced to life without parole in November.

[Jamie Belish]

It's satisfying for me. It's satisfying for my entire family.

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

Sheila's entire family, including Sheila's mother, Jean Smith.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

Can Sheila rest in peace now?

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

Yes.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

She's smiling today. Sheila's smiling today.

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

But for the babies, the quads. Justice for their mother comes with a terrible cost.

[Jamie Belish]

There's going to be recitals, and there's going to be graduations, and there's going.

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

To be.

[Jamie Belish]

Weddings where there's going to be an empty place and there'll be an empty spot in their heart. And as they grow up, I'll tell them about her and what a wonderful woman she was. Foreign.

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

Blackthorn died in prison. Samuel Gonzalez was released from prison in 2014. This November, action is free on Pluto TV.

[Jamie Belish]

Go on the run with Jack Reacher? Every suspect was a train killer? Then buckle up for drive? World war is in every human being we save? Just one less fight and Charlie's Angels?

[Narrator/Interviewer]

Damn, I hate to fly.

[Jamie Belish]

Launch into sci fi adventure with the fifth Element?

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

And laugh through the mayhem in Tropic Thunder.

[Jamie Belish]

What is going on here?

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

All the thrills, all for free. Pluto TV Stream now. Hey. Never.

[Jamie Belish]

Now streaming.

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

Everyone who comes into this clinic is a mystery.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

We don't know what we're looking for.

[Reporter/Documentary Narrator]

Their bodies are the scene of the crime.

[Jamie Belish]

No symptoms in history or clues.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

You saved your life.

[Jamie Belish]

We're doctors and we're detectives.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

I kind of love it, if I'm being honest.

[Jamie Belish]

Solve the puzzle. Save the patient, Watson. All episodes now streaming on Paramount, plus.