Peace, Love and Murder

Summary

Podcast Summary: "Peace, Love and Murder"

Podcast: 48 Hours
Host: CBS News
Date: December 24, 2025
Episode Theme:
An in-depth examination of the brutal, unsolved 2000 murder of Toni Hartsong, its impact on her family, and the labyrinthine investigation that saw her husband, Bob Hartsong, transform from grieving widower to prime suspect, culminating in a dramatic courtroom trial years later.

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Main Theme & Purpose

This episode of "48 Hours" explores the complexities of the Tony Hartsong murder case—a case marked by love, loss, suspicion, controversial forensic evidence, and ultimately, a not-guilty verdict for Bob Hartsong. Through interviews, court testimony, and investigative reporting, the episode examines whether justice was truly served, inviting listeners into the lives upended by the case and the unanswered questions that remain.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Hartsongs: Peace, Love, and an Idyllic Marriage

• Bob and Toni Hartsong were described as a peaceful, spiritual, and creative couple from Jupiter, Florida.
• Bob Hartsong:

  "I am a peaceful person. Meditation is a gift. It's about being right there in the now." (01:10)

• Their life together was artistic, vegetarian, and centered on a loving family, but Toni confided marital frustrations in her diary.
• Toni’s journal (read by cousin Deb Shepp):

  "He doesn't seem to really show me any love, not in ways that are important to me...I feel so trapped. Not enough money to leave, not enough care to work it out by both of us." (07:33)

2. The Crime Scene and Initial Investigation

• On September 26, 2000, Bob claims he returned home to find Toni viciously murdered.
• The crime was exceedingly violent, with evidence of both a beating and multiple stab wounds.
• Detective/Investigator:

  "The crime scene... was one of the bloodiest I had ever reviewed. There was excessive violence to the victim." (02:32)

• Initial suspicions focused on Bob, but he passed a lie detector test and provided an alibi corroborated by coworkers.

• "I'm the husband...Homicide 101 checked the surviving spouse out thoroughly." (13:49)

• The investigation turned cold, with leads, including a homeless man and unidentified fingerprints, going nowhere.

3. Family and Community Doubts

• Some family members found Bob's behavior after the murder odd, including bringing a date to his son's wedding six months later.

• "God forbid if something so horrible had happened to my husband, I'm pretty confident...I would not be ready to dance with another man at our child's wedding." (15:53)

• Others remembered him as calm and incapable of violence, though business associate Steve Kochian recalled Bob expressing anger and using strong language about Toni. (16:35)

4. Cold Case Breakthrough and Forensics

• Six years later, advances in DNA testing yielded Bob's blood under Toni’s left thumbnail and his DNA on her right palm.
• Detective/Investigator:

  "DNA in the right palm and his blood under her thumb...That, to me, was the killer." (19:09)

• Police re-focused on Bob, eventually arresting him in 2006.
• Bob Hartsong:

  "I don't think it's my blood...I don't know why it matches me, but I did not do it." (21:00)

5. The Trial—Prosecution and Defense Arguments

• Prosecutor Barbara Burns theorized Bob argued with Toni around 1pm, used a favored kitchen knife, and the evidence pointed to a crime of passion or financial motive.

• "He confronted his wife with whatever the confrontation was that turned violent." (24:24)

• The strongest forensic evidence: tiny traces of Bob’s blood and DNA.
• Defense pointed to Bob’s alibi, lack of clear motive, questionable handling of original evidence, unidentified hairs and footprints, and other suspects (notably, a schizophrenic homeless man, Ronald Gagno, who described details that seemed to fit the crime).
• Barry Soren (Tony’s brother):

  "I cannot find a way out for Bob. He had to have done this. I'm sorry to say that, but Bob's..." (27:33)

• The defense highlighted investigative errors, missing cell tower data, and inconclusive DNA timing.

• "DNA does not tell you how long it's been there." (30:30)

6. The Jury’s Dilemma and Verdict

• The jury asked for clarification on whether the DNA was definitively Bob’s blood on Toni's right palm. The judge ruled the evidence inconclusive.
• Jury Foreman Tony Alberto:

  "If it had been his blood, there is no way, no way that I would have entered a not guilty verdict." (40:48)

• The jury found Bob Hartsong not guilty after under three hours of deliberation.
• Bob Hartsong:

  "All I want to say to you is I'm free as I should be. I didn't do it. I never could have done that to anybody. It's impossible for the kind of person that I am." (39:47)

7. Aftermath and Lasting Uncertainty

• The verdict brought relief and division. Most jurors privately believed Bob was guilty but lacked definitive evidence.

• "Out of 12 jurors, 10, 11 of us, if not all of us, believed he did it. We just did not have the evidence to convict him." (40:23)

• The family wrestled with mixed emotions—relief that he was not convicted on insufficient evidence; sorrow and frustration over lack of closure.
• Barry Soren:

  "He gets to go back to his kids. I don't know the answer. Listen, what my sister would have wanted for her children is more important than my instinct to a vendetta." (41:40)

• Bob returned home to rebuild his life but continues to live with public suspicion and personal grief.

• "I know what I did and what I didn’t do...Hopefully, somewhere along the line...exoneration will be complete." (42:30)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "I remember my wife from meeting her the very first day with her eyes. I had seen her eyes for all of my life. I think I've always been in love with her."
  — Bob Hartsong (01:57)

• "If I had any inclination that my dad did this, I would be the first one to tell you. And trust me, he did not do this."
  — Jake Hartsong, son (36:07)

• "Superman couldn't have done that. He would have had to flown like Superman.”
  — Bob's Defense Attorney, referring to the tight timeline the prosecution presented (29:57)

• "You can't convict somebody based on your feelings."
  — Juror/Family Member, discussing the inconclusive evidence (40:37)

• "All I want to say to you is I'm free as I should be. I didn't do it. I never could have done that to anybody...For something that you didn’t do. For losing somebody in your life that was more important to you than air.”
  — Bob Hartsong (39:47)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 01:10 — Bob Hartsong introduces his approach to life (peace, meditation)
• 07:33 — Excerpt from Toni’s journal, read by cousin Deb Shepp
• 10:04 — Bob describes discovering Toni’s body
• 13:49 — Bob acknowledges being checked as a suspect
• 15:53 — Family expresses discomfort with Bob’s behavior post-murder
• 19:09 — Cold case reopened: new DNA findings
• 21:00 — Bob confronted with forensic evidence
• 24:24 — Prosecution’s theory regarding time and manner of murder
• 29:57 — Defense debunks prosecution’s timeline
• 36:07 — Jake Hartsong’s courtroom defense of his father
• 39:23 — Verdict delivered: Not guilty
• 40:23 — Jurors’ reflections on the lack of evidence
• 41:40 — Toni’s brother on the outcome and the children’s welfare
• 42:30 — Bob reflects on the ongoing stigma

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Flow, Tone, and Narrative

The episode is measured, empathetic, and forensic—balancing the tragic backstory of a hippy, peace-loving family with the cold realities and missteps of criminal justice. There’s a strong focus on individual voices, all shaded with loss, frustration, and unanswered questions. The ending leaves listeners with a sense of heartbreak: a family torn, a community uncertain, and a case that—by law, if not in hearts—remains unsolved.

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Final Reflections

This gripping installment of "48 Hours" illuminates the enduring pain of unresolved crimes, the challenges of forensic certainty, and the profound ambiguity that can persist even after the justice system’s final word. The story of Bob and Toni Hartsong remains an unsettling mystery, set against the backdrop of a family’s love and the limits of evidence.

Transcript

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[Bob Hartsong]

I am a peaceful person. Meditation is a gift. It's about being right there in the now. Stopping everything else around you and come into yourself. Meditation helped me deal with Tony's death.

[Narrator/Investigator]

Tony was a beautiful woman, smiled a lot, laughed. Just full of life. Toni was smart, strong physically and emotionally. She was personality us.

[Bob Hartsong]

I remember my wife from meeting her the very first day with her eyes. I had seen her eyes for all of my life. I think I've always been in love with her. I came home, five o'. Clock. I went around to the front door. The front door was locked. Then I walked around to the side. Hello? Come over here. Help me. What's going on? My wife has been killed by somebody. My whole world just completely ended.

[Detective/Investigator]

The crime scene in my 30 years of law enforcement was one of the bloodiest I had ever reviewed. There was excessive violence to the victim. I must say, this case consumed me. It was your typical housewife that was so viciously and brutally murdered right in her home. This case needed to be solved.

[Bob Hartsong]

My fear is a guy like this could be doing it again.

[Narrator/Investigator]

Somebody did it. She didn't kill herself.

[Bob Hartsong]

He'd have to be the most horrible monster in the whole universe to do that.

[Detective/Investigator]

Bob's accurate. A monster did commit this crime. I had a handful of suspects in this case. They were eliminated one by one. The person left at the end came about being Bob Hartsong.

[Bob Hartsong]

I know I'm innocent. Most people that know me know that I'm innocent. Come over here. Help me.

[Narrator/Investigator]

Pete. Love and murder. Tonight's 48 Hours Mystery.

[Bob Hartsong]

An incredibly beautiful little girl knocked on my door. Her name was Tony. And we talked for must have been six or seven hours.

[Narrator/Investigator]

Bob Eckhart and Tony Soren began their whirlwind courtship when she was just 23. He was 28.

[Bob Hartsong]

We could connect completely without any. No walls, no shields, no nothing went up. Everything was just magic.

[Narrator/Investigator]

It was the uninhibited early 70s. Within 48 hours of meeting, the two young lovers eloped.

[Bob Hartsong]

That's me and her. That was the wedding day, obviously.

[Narrator/Investigator]

Hippies. And they had a hippie wedding.

[Bob Hartsong]

This was my rabbi. I was always amazed that I was married to her. She is my lover, my wife, my sister, my mother. Everything rolled into one.

[Narrator/Investigator]

Bob and Toni were so entwined. They even created their own lyrical last name, Heartsong, by fusing their two given names.

[Bob Hartsong]

We took the heart out of Eckhart and the song out of Soren. And we made Hartsong. We had blended together and become one person.

[Narrator/Investigator]

Tony had lost both her parents as a teenager and was raised as a young adult by her older brother Barry Soren.

[Barry Soren]

I did everything I could for her. And our relationship was tight enough that she wasn't spun out about the terrible events, the terrible way her life started.

[Narrator/Investigator]

But Toni seemed to have found with Bob a path to her own happy family. Her cousin Mel Sorkowitz admired Bob's ambition.

[Bob Hartsong]

Bob impressed me as being a very hard working guy.

[Narrator/Investigator]

Another cousin, Deb Shepp, liked Bob's calm personality.

[Family Member/Cousin]

He was a very peaceful person, very spiritual. I know he and Tony practiced meditation. It seemed like the ideal life for her.

[Narrator/Investigator]

Bob and Tony eventually settled in Jupiter, Florida, where they did everything together. They were strict vegetarians and wrote a tofu cookbook.

[Bob Hartsong]

It was a lot of fun. It was a lot of work, but a lot of fun.

[Narrator/Investigator]

They also were both artistic.

[Bob Hartsong]

This was a drawing I did of Tony's eye and this was her drawing. We kind of merged these things together. We beaded necklaces for stores and we produced thousands and thousands and thousands of beaded necklaces.

[Narrator/Investigator]

They used their artistic talents to start a company building stone waterfalls for homes and businesses. And they became dedicated parents to two sons, Jake and Eli.

[Family Member/Cousin]

Toni was a happy mother. She loved those boys.

[Bob Hartsong]

I think she was my best friend. She'd help me out and whatever troubles.

[Narrator/Investigator]

I have, I love my mom.

[Juror/Family Member]

My parents loved each other.

[Narrator/Investigator]

Through 27 years of a generally happy marriage, Bob and Tony did have some rocky periods. Were there ever any times where you or Tony were unfaithful to your marriage.

[Bob Hartsong]

I've never had sex with another woman during my marriage, but there were times where I was sorely tempted. There's no question about that. I think she had sex with another man once or twice.

[Narrator/Investigator]

Bob says Tony's affair happened in the early 80s. They got through that period, but the tough times occasionally returned. Tony kept a journal that chronicled her frustrations. Her cousin Deb Shepp, reads excerpts written in the early 90s.

[Family Member/Cousin]

He doesn't seem to really show me any love, not in ways that are important to me, like calling. I'm constantly angry and frustrated. I hate it. He hates it. I feel so trapped. Not enough money to leave, not enough care to work it out by both of us.

[Narrator/Investigator]

Did you have your share of tough patches?

[Bob Hartsong]

Yes, absolutely.

[Narrator/Investigator]

How did you deal with them?

[Bob Hartsong]

Kept working. Kept working on it. You know, tried to find out what I was not doing that made sense, what I was not communicating, what I was not connecting with. That's what I meant. She was very upfront. She'd tell me that this is. I don't like this. I said, okay, what can I do about it?

[Narrator/Investigator]

Even her cousins acknowledged Tony was not the easiest person to live with.

[Bob Hartsong]

Tony had a tough side.

[Narrator/Investigator]

She inherited that from her mother.

[Bob Hartsong]

She could come across as being aggressive.

[Narrator/Investigator]

But by all accounts, there were never any physical confrontations. Tony's brother Barry Soren, says Tony would have said something if she ever felt threatened by Bob. You think your sister would have called you and told you about it? Yep. No doubt. No doubt. No, she.

[Barry Soren]

She would have. She would have used me to come in and protect her.

[Narrator/Investigator]

The Hartsongs worked through the rough patches of their marriage, and by the late 90s, Bob says things got better. The business was thriving and they were happy again.

[Bob Hartsong]

We're all diamonds that need to be shaped. And that's what I am, is a diamond that's being shaped in my life, you know? And so I listened.

[Narrator/Investigator]

Toni wrote about their reconciliation in her journal. Quote, things were better. And Bob is back to his sweet self.

[Bob Hartsong]

It was the most incredible relationship. I used to describe it as living in nirvana.

[Narrator/Investigator]

You loved her a lot. Do you miss her?

[Bob Hartsong]

Yes. I'm sorry.

[Narrator/Investigator]

The Heart Songs Life together ended on September 26, 2000. Bob says he came home at 5pm and found Tony lying in a pool of blood.

[Bob Hartsong]

I lifted her up with my arm like this, and I held her up. And when I saw her face, I freaked out. And when I saw that and her eyes were beaten closed, I was just Destroyed by it. I gently laid her back down.

[Defense Attorney]

And.

[Bob Hartsong]

I said to myself, I don't want to remember this.

[Narrator/Investigator]

Tony's cousin, Sandra Sorkowitz, was shocked by the carnage. Somebody had to be very, very angry to do what they did to Tony. It was too violent. No valuables were taken. She wasn't raped? No. Another cousin, Alyssa Lejeune, thinks this was not a random murder. Do you think she knew her killer?

[Narrator/Advertiser]

I think that she probably did know her killer.

[Narrator/Investigator]

And others began to wonder about the person Tony knew best, Bob Hartsong.

[Family Member/Cousin]

I never would have believed he personally did this to Tony, but I began to wonder if maybe there wasn't something we as a family didn't know.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

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[Juror/Family Member]

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[Bob Hartsong]

Heart shaped pool. If you stood up on top of the waterfall, you'd see it perfectly as a heart.

[Narrator/Investigator]

Just days after he found his wife Tony murdered in their home, her body lay rush.

[Bob Hartsong]

It was half in, half out.

[Narrator/Investigator]

Bob Hartsong led local media on a tour of the crime scene.

[Bob Hartsong]

I just want to know who and.

[Narrator/Investigator]

Why you invited the media into your home. Why did you do that?

[Bob Hartsong]

They kept asking me, and I finally said, okay, let's talk about it. I could not believe that somebody in the world had done this.

[Detective/Investigator]

Literally every part of Tony's body had a bruise to it.

[Narrator/Investigator]

Tim Valentine investigated the case for the state attorney's office.

[Detective/Investigator]

Tony initially was beaten in this area. We determined that by the amount of blood on the wall here and the amount of blood on the cement. We theorized that somebody was holding her by the back of the head and just literally smashing her head against the cement.

[Narrator/Investigator]

But Toni, described by everyone who knew her as one tough lady, did not stay down.

[Detective/Investigator]

Tony had time to stand up. Tony had time to reach across the door. There was a little table there and grab a beach towel that was clutched in her hand.

[Narrator/Investigator]

When she was found dead, it was after collapsing again. Investigators believe from the blood evidence that Tony was Stabbed seven times in the.

[Detective/Investigator]

Neck, making sure she wouldn't wake up. Definite overkill. The brutality associated to this case was well beyond the norm I had found in any case.

[Narrator/Investigator]

Bob knew investigators would suspect him of the murder.

[Bob Hartsong]

I'm the husband.

[Narrator/Investigator]

Homicide 101 checked the surviving spouse out thoroughly.

[Bob Hartsong]

Right.

[Narrator/Investigator]

But Bob cooperated fully. He took and passed a lie detector test. He did two taped interviews with police, never asking for a lawyer. He told them he left the house in the early morning.

[Bob Hartsong]

I got on the 95 and I went to Delray, to my job in Delray.

[Narrator/Investigator]

Bob says he spent most of the day at a job site in Delray Beach, 43 miles south of Jupiter. Investigators say the murder happened around 1pm.

[Bob Hartsong]

I was there until about 2:30. I mean, I've got five witnesses that are verifying that I was there.

[Narrator/Investigator]

Bob was later seen at this Mazda dealership in Delray at 2:45 and he says he didn't get home until 5pm when he discovered Tony's body. Police apparently bought Bob's alibi. Barry Sorin, Tony Hartsong's brother, met with the lead homicide detective to ask about progress in solving his sister's murder.

[Barry Soren]

He said to me, we don't think Bob Hartshorn did this. He's just hippie. He's harmless. And in answer to your question, no, I don't believe your brother in law had anything to with do to do with this.

[Narrator/Investigator]

Police now looked harder at other suspects. A homeless man had been seen in the neighborhood for several weeks. There had also been a spate of burglaries in the area. And police found an unidentified fingerprint on the door lock of the Hartsong home. None of these leads went anywhere.

[Detective/Investigator]

There was no prime suspect. There was not enough evidence to charge anybody in this case.

[Narrator/Investigator]

The case went cold. But members of Tony's family were still troubled by some of Bob's behavior. Elijah and Sherry Hartsong like bringing a woman to his son's wedding just six months after the murder.

[Family Member/Cousin]

God forbid if something so horrible had happened to my husband, I'm pretty confident. So six months later I would not be ready to dance with another man at our child's wedding.

[Bob Hartsong]

The woman I took to my son's wedding was a friend of my wife and I was in tears the whole wedding.

[Narrator/Investigator]

And while some who knew Bob found it hard to believe he was capable of murder. Did you ever see Bob Hartsong angry?

[Defense Attorney]

Never. No.

[Barry Soren]

No, I never really saw him raise his voice.

[Narrator/Investigator]

Never violent? Nope. Others say Bob had a mean streak.

[Detective/Investigator]

He Gets out of the car.

[Narrator/Investigator]

He walks up to me, and he says, I hate the bitch. Steve kochian says Bob once referred to Tony that way. While kochian was working for Bob, he says he saw Bob's temper another time Directed at him over a minor business matter. I've never seen anybody get so angry at anybody.

[Detective/Investigator]

I've been a bouncer. I mean, I've seen people angry, but never like this.

[Narrator/Investigator]

But with the case at a standstill, Bob was moving forward with his life. Two months after the murder, he bought a motorcycle. He sold his business a year later, and he started dating.

[Susie Goldstein]

It's not that often you go out with somebody and find out that their wife's been murdered. The case is still open. And, you know, he did tell me they suspected him and whatever.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

So if there ever is a customer relationship.

[Narrator/Investigator]

Susie goldstein, who owns a marketing business, Met Bob through an online dating service in 2002. Tell us about Bob. What kind of man is he?

[Susie Goldstein]

He's gentle, kind, Totally unconditional, which I have never met a man like that in my life.

[Narrator/Investigator]

Bob and Susie got married a year later and settled into their new life together. Yet even living with his new wife, Bob kept a shrine to Tony's memory in his den.

[Bob Hartsong]

The rock that's painted was painted by an artist that we worked with.

[Narrator/Investigator]

And he has a trunk full of memories in the living room.

[Bob Hartsong]

This is a coloring book that my wife put together. This was a wedding necklace that I wore. This was the garter, you know, tiny mementos of the time we were together. My wife was cremated. She is in here. And one day, my children, when I die, Will take a moment, and they'll put my remains where her remains go.

[Narrator/Investigator]

Toni's unsolved murder continues to be a part of Bob's new life with Susie.

[Susie Goldstein]

Whoever did this crime, if he could do it once, and this might not have been the first time, he could be doing it many more times. There's an excellent chance there is somebody out there still doing this.

[Narrator/Investigator]

But while Bob and Susie were still wondering who killed Toni, six years after her death, Palm beach county cold case detectives had found new evidence.

[Detective/Investigator]

DNA in the right palm and his.

[Narrator/Investigator]

Blood under her thumb. And they were closing in.

[Detective/Investigator]

That, to me, was the killer.

[Narrator/Investigator]

John van houten has spent years tracking deer through the Georgia woods. But he finds most of his prey in the urban setting of palm beach county, florida. As a detective in the cold case.

[Defense Attorney]

Squad, the attack was so brutal on the victim, Tony Hartsong. 99% of them are domestic. When the violence is so overwhelming.

[Narrator/Investigator]

In 2006, six years after Tony Hartsong's unsolved murder, the cold case was reopened and landed on van Houten's desk. DNA testing in 2000 was not conclusive enough to charge anyone. So Van Houten had all the samples from Tony's body retested using newer, more precise techniques. And he made two striking discoveries. A trace of Bob's blood was under Tony's left thumbnail, and his DNA was on her right palm. That's what convinced Van Houten's boss, Sergeant Bill Springer, the cold case could now be solved.

[Detective/Investigator]

When I reviewed this case and I looked at the physical evidence and I said, this is a good case.

[Narrator/Investigator]

Armed with the new forensic evidence, police brought Bob Hartsong back in for another interview.

[Bob Hartsong]

I don't think it's my blood, Bob. It is. I don't know why it matches me, but I did not do it.

[Detective/Investigator]

He denied it and denied bleeding, was.

[Narrator/Investigator]

Very adamant that he didn't bleed that day. Convinced Bob was lying and convinced they had the DNA evidence to prove it, the cold case squad came to an inescapable conclusion. Detective, who do you think killed Tony Hartson? Her husband, Robert Hartson. In September 2006, Bob's quiet new life with Susie got a jolt.

[Bob Hartsong]

I got out of my car. All of a sudden, a black car comes rocketing into the driveway and says to me, hands up, and points a gun at me.

[Narrator/Investigator]

Bob was arrested for the murder of his wife, Tony, six years earlier. Then he was held without bail for 20 months as preparations for his trial dragged on.

[Bob Hartsong]

Twenty months in jail is not something any one of us want to do. Yes, sir, I sure will.

[Narrator/Investigator]

In May 2008, Bob was released, but he was far from free. He was sent home and kept under house arrest, wearing an ankle bracelet.

[Bob Hartsong]

The whole concept of killing somebody, of harming somebody else, is just beyond me.

[Narrator/Investigator]

Is it even conceivable in your mind that Bob could be guilty of the murder for which he's accused?

[Susie Goldstein]

No. No. If I thought in any way, and I'm talking about in any way, there was any possibility he could be a man that was capable of doing something like that, and with all we've had to face, I would have walked away.

[Narrator/Investigator]

Finally, in September 2008.

[Bob Hartsong]

You ready?

[Susie Goldstein]

Yeah, I'm ready.

[Narrator/Investigator]

Nearly eight years to the day after Tony's murder, this is the most difficult day. Bob is headed to court.

[Susie Goldstein]

We're fighting for Bob's life.

[Narrator/Investigator]

Our family, Tony's cousins, arrive at the Palm beach county courthouse hoping for Some resolution.

[Family Member/Cousin]

I'm sure as the trial unfolds, we're all going to learn things that we wish we could erase, but we can't.

[Prosecutor Barbara Burns]

The evidence presented by the state will show how the defendant orchestrated the events of the day.

[Narrator/Investigator]

Prosecutor Barbara Burns will try to convince the jury that Bob is the murderer. Is Bob Hartsong the cold blooded killer?

[Prosecutor Barbara Burns]

In my opinion, absolutely.

[Bob Hartsong]

The whole truth and nothing but the truth.

[Narrator/Investigator]

Burns calls to the stand a neighbor of the Heart Songs named Carol Parkman. She testifies she heard Bob and Tony arguing around 1 o', clock, the time investigators believe the murder occurred.

[Prosecutor Barbara Burns]

Were you familiar with their voices?

[Narrator/Investigator]

Yes.

[Prosecutor Barbara Burns]

Had you heard them raise their voices at each other in the past?

[Narrator/Investigator]

A couple times. Investigators say lunchtime was Bob's window of opportunity. His cell phone records show no calls between 12:30 and 1:41, even though he was on the phone constantly the rest of the day. That's when Burns believes Bob was at home arguing with Tony.

[Prosecutor Barbara Burns]

He confronted his wife with whatever the confrontation was that turned violent.

[Narrator/Investigator]

As for the knife used to stab Tony, Burns believes it came from this open kitchen drawer in the crime scene photos. Under questioning, Bob told detectives that was the drawer where he and Tony kept their favorite knife, which they used to cut tofu.

[Bob Hartsong]

Slightly serrated, but it was a very smooth knife. Was it like a paring knife? It was a little longer than a paring knife. It was about what, five or six inches? Something like that.

[Narrator/Investigator]

And Bob tells investigators that knife is missing.

[Bob Hartsong]

The last time you saw it, was.

[Narrator/Investigator]

It in the sink or in the drawer?

[Bob Hartsong]

The only time I would ever, other than when I used it, would be it would be in a drawer.

[Prosecutor Barbara Burns]

A stranger is going to go to the knife block if that's what they're looking for, because they're not going to have any idea that a knife is kept anywhere else in that kitchen except on a knife block.

[Narrator/Investigator]

So you think the murder was committed with that tofu knife?

[Prosecutor Barbara Burns]

I absolutely do.

[Narrator/Investigator]

But Byrne's most compelling piece of evidence is that trace of Bob's blood found under Tony's left thumbnail.

[Prosecutor Barbara Burns]

The jury welcome back.

[Susie Goldstein]

Everyone may be seated.

[Narrator/Investigator]

Tense moments in court as the jury listens to the tape of his interrogation by Springer and Van Houten.

[Bob Hartsong]

We can't get over your blood on her body. I have no explanation for it because I didn't touch her. A plausible reason. I didn't want your blood was be on her body. I have no idea. I have no idea at all. Outrageous, really.

[Narrator/Investigator]

Today, Bob admits the blood might be his, but he has an Explanation there.

[Bob Hartsong]

You can have a picture of me taking my finger off there. That was close. It's possible that I cut myself slightly at work. I might have cut myself on anything. Her nail might have gotten into an old cut. I don't know.

[Narrator/Investigator]

Then there is the other critical piece of evidence. Bob's DNA was found on the palm of Tony's right hand.

[Detective/Investigator]

And that means one thing. From all the experience I have, that's the last person that she touched or touched her.

[Narrator/Investigator]

Bob admitted touching Tony when he found her body here in the doorway of the Heart Songs home. But did he just touch her or did he bleed on her? It becomes a key question, because if Bob's blood is on Tony's palm, it almost certainly got there the day of the murder.

[Barry Soren]

She didn't leave the house with blood on her hand. No woman does. If she noticed there was blood on her hand, she has immaculate hands. She would have washed it off.

[Narrator/Investigator]

A blood expert testifies about the breakdown of DNA on Tony's palm. She says it's a mixture of Bob and Tony's DNA and some of it is blood. But it still could be a combination of skin cells plus blood or blood plus blood. I just know blood's there.

[Family Member/Cousin]

I don't know what the other component would be.

[Narrator/Investigator]

Barry Soren takes this to mean it's Bob's blood. And after eight long years, he thinks his sister's murder has finally been solved.

[Barry Soren]

I cannot find a way out for Bob. He had to have done this. I'm sorry to say that, but Bob's.

[Narrator/Investigator]

Defense attorney says the blood evidence isn't conclusive at all, and he's about to punch some big holes in the prosecution's case.

[Defense Attorney]

As I sit here, I am adamantly telling you that this man did not kill his wife of 27 years.

[Narrator/Investigator]

Welcome to radio rental. The scariest stories you've ever heard in your life, all told by real people. And off we go.

[Defense Attorney]

This wasn't a human being that I saw.

[Narrator/Investigator]

There's something here in this house, something not of this world.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

There was a woman moving through the hall. I stepped back, and I was completely alone.

[Narrator/Investigator]

Radio Rental is available now. Listen for free on Apple podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Bob Hartsong]

I got on 95 and I went to Delray.

[Narrator/Investigator]

From the very beginning, it was a.

[Bob Hartsong]

Very, very large project. We were building a shark pond.

[Narrator/Investigator]

Bob Hartsong has said he could not have murdered Tony because he was down in Delray beach working on one of his water projects. It was at this mansion later featured in the movie Bad Boys 2.

[Defense Attorney]

Do you know Robert Hartsong?

[Barry Soren]

Yes.

[Defense Attorney]

Do you remember Mr. Hartsong being present at the Dowry beach site?

[Bob Hartsong]

Yes, sir.

[Defense Attorney]

Do you remember what time five men.

[Narrator/Investigator]

Who worked with Bob at the job site that day testify and they all say they saw him at various times throughout the day.

[Defense Attorney]

Do you know how long he stayed that day at the job site?

[Juror/Family Member]

About 3 o', clock, 3:30.

[Narrator/Investigator]

Do you think they were lying or mistaken?

[Prosecutor Barbara Burns]

I don't think they were lying. I think they were mistaken. It was a very large construction site. But because they saw him at one point and then sometime later on they just kind of assumed that he was there. So I think it was a mistake.

[Narrator/Investigator]

Remember? Police say the murder happened around 1pm in Jupiter, 43 miles north of Delray. Bob's lawyer, Barry Maxwell says it's a stretch to believe Bob could have pulled it off. Witnesses place him in Delray at various times in the morning and the afternoon.

[Defense Attorney]

So bottom line, in order for him to have left the construction site, headed back home, which is a good 45 minute drive away, commit the murder, clean himself up, drive another 45 minutes back to the Aldel Rey beach construction site. Superman couldn't have done that. He would have had to flown like Superman.

[Narrator/Investigator]

And as for Bob's blood under Tony's fingernail. Maxwell Cross examines the blood expert.

[Defense Attorney]

And from your analysis, ma', am, can you tell this jury how long this sample of Mr. Hartsong's blood DNA was existing underneath the left nail of Mrs. Hartsong?

[Narrator/Investigator]

No. DNA does not tell you how long it's been there.

[Defense Attorney]

We're talking a husband and wife married for 27 years. We don't know when that blood was placed under that fingernail. We don't know if it was the morning of a couple mornings before. Well, you know, let's talk about this blood.

[Narrator/Investigator]

Maxwell tells jurors there could be all cases, kinds of explanations.

[Defense Attorney]

How do we know Mr. Hartsong didn't cut himself shaving a couple days before? Oh, Mrs. Hartsong. Oh, honey, you got some blood.

[Detective/Investigator]

Let me wipe that.

[Defense Attorney]

How do we know?

[Narrator/Investigator]

You don't. You sure about that?

[Bob Hartsong]

Yeah.

[Narrator/Investigator]

And remember prosecution witness Carol Parkman, the neighbor who testified she heard Bob and Tony arguing? Well, it turns out in previous interviews with investigators and attorneys, she told a different story.

[Defense Attorney]

Now, do you remember your answer when I asked could you recognize the voices that you heard? You stated no, didn't you?

[Narrator/Investigator]

That's right. And Maxwell discredits her previous testimony.

[Defense Attorney]

You also stated that the pitch of the tone of the Conversation you heard was not aggravated but was a normal conversation, correct?

[Narrator/Investigator]

That's correct. There's another big problem for the prosecution. Crucial mistakes by the initial investigators after the crime. Mistakes even the prosecutor acknowledges.

[Prosecutor Barbara Burns]

Nobody asked him to take his shirt off. Nobody inspected him under his clothing for any injuries or fresh injuries.

[Narrator/Investigator]

Isn't that standard procedure? Shouldn't that have been done?

[Family Member/Cousin]

Yes.

[Narrator/Investigator]

The original investigators also failed to request records from cell phone towers that would have pinpointed Bob's location throughout the day by tracking the signal from his phone. Those records are now gone.

[Detective/Investigator]

It would either given him the airtight alibi that he wanted, or it would have given us the airtight case that we needed.

[Defense Attorney]

Let's talk about this mitochondrial.

[Narrator/Investigator]

Maxwell points out to the jury other unexplained pieces of evidence. Unidentified hairs found on Tony's body.

[Defense Attorney]

There were foreign hairs all over this woman's body.

[Narrator/Investigator]

Tests showed none were Bob's hairs. And Maxwell tries to create doubt in jurors minds.

[Defense Attorney]

So as we sit here today, we don't know whose hair was found on Mrs. Hartsong's body.

[Narrator/Investigator]

That's crucial for the state's case, and.

[Defense Attorney]

They haven't met that.

[Narrator/Investigator]

And there are more forensic questions that investigators never answered. That unknown fingerprint on the deadbolt lock and bloody footprints in the house that the original detective on the case could not identify.

[Defense Attorney]

Well, to the best of your knowledge, have we ever matched the footprints walking through the home?

[Juror/Family Member]

No.

[Narrator/Investigator]

And then there is Ronald Gagno, a schizophrenic homeless man seen near the Hartsong house around the time of the murder. He left Florida soon afterwards. Investigators tracked Gagno down in California, where local police interviewed him. Your voice has ever told you they killed somebody? Gagno mutters incoherently in this police video, talking vaguely about hearing voices and dreaming about murder. You think you might have killed somebody? Yeah. California police claim that off camera, Gagno talked of details that police say might be related to Tony Hartsong's murder.

[Defense Attorney]

Directing your attention.

[Narrator/Investigator]

Details they reported to Palm Beach County Detective David Bradford.

[Defense Attorney]

Mr. Gagno talked about a blonde woman, correct?

[Bob Hartsong]

That is correct.

[Defense Attorney]

Mrs. Hartsong was blonde, wasn't she?

[Bob Hartsong]

That's correct.

[Defense Attorney]

Mr. Ganiel talked about the blonde woman being stabbed, didn't he?

[Bob Hartsong]

Yes, he did. I don't have any other questions, Joe. Thank you.

[Narrator/Investigator]

But Gagno's DNA was not found at the crime scene and he was dismissed as a suspect. Who killed Tony Hartsong?

[Defense Attorney]

We don't know and we'll never know.

[Narrator/Investigator]

While the lawyers offer different explanations of the Evidence and different theories about how Tony was killed. Here at our home in Jupiter, one big question continues to hang over the entire case. If Bob Hartsong did kill Tony, what was his motive?

[Detective/Investigator]

It's greed to me is what it is.

[Narrator/Investigator]

Investigators think Bob's motive was mercenary. They speculate he was planning to divorce Tony and didn't want to pay for it.

[Detective/Investigator]

He's the type of person that it's my business, my house. I've worked hard all these years and I'm not going to share it because it's mine.

[Narrator/Investigator]

But Barry Soren believes Bob's motive was years in the making.

[Barry Soren]

He's married.

[Narrator/Investigator]

What do you mean?

[Barry Soren]

Marriage is the motive? People are married. They have a thousand insults, A thousand thousand things that happen in a marriage. A thousand hurts. If you're not careful and you don't have a good core morality, after 27 years, people lose it.

[Prosecutor Barbara Burns]

Good afternoon, members of the jury. Welcome back.

[Susie Goldstein]

Everyone may be seated.

[Narrator/Investigator]

But in court, the prosecution has no clear cut motive to offer.

[Susie Goldstein]

Good afternoon, Rachel.

[Narrator/Investigator]

And the jury is about to hear from one last witness who knows more than anyone about Bob and Tony Hartsong's marriage.

[Defense Attorney]

Please introduce yourself to the members of the jury.

[Narrator/Investigator]

Their son, Jake.

[Bob Hartsong]

Me.

[Juror/Family Member]

And my mom. She was like my best friend. Like better friends with her than my dad at the time.

[Narrator/Investigator]

Jake was 16 when Tony was murdered.

[Juror/Family Member]

And if I had any inclination that my dad did this, I would be the first one to tell you that he did this. And trust me, he did not do this. I watched him thoroughly, more than anybody would because I lived with him before and after this. And I could tell you frankly that he didn't do it. Frankly.

[Narrator/Investigator]

As convinced as Jake is of his.

[Prosecutor Barbara Burns]

Father'S innocence, he paints an existence.

[Narrator/Investigator]

Prosecutor Burns tries to convince the jury of his guilt.

[Prosecutor Barbara Burns]

The evidence is clear that for some reason, whether it was financial, whether it was infidelity, whether it was just a silly argument, he lost it.

[Narrator/Investigator]

And after one last plea from Barry Maxwell, the jury will decide Bob's fate.

[Defense Attorney]

Come back with a verdict. Which is just with the evidence or lack of evidence before you give Mr. Hearthsong his freedom back.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

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[Narrator/Investigator]

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[Narrator/Advertiser]

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[Bob Hartsong]

I don't believe that any human being in the the whole world has a right to harm any other human being in any way.

[Narrator/Investigator]

Which picture of Bob Hart's song will the jury believe? The peace loving former hippie who claims he lived in nirvana with his wife or a man authorities believe exploded in rage and brutally killed her after 27 years of marriage? What would be your reaction if the jury finds you guilty?

[Bob Hartsong]

I have to accept the life that's given to me. I have to continue to walk on my path. And if it happened that way, I'm certainly. I'm going to be very, very sad.

[Narrator/Investigator]

Innocent man be going to jail?

[Bob Hartsong]

Yeah, absolutely. It would be a travesty.

[Narrator/Investigator]

As the jury deliberates, Tony's family thinks either outcome will be a sad one.

[Family Member/Cousin]

I never came here gunning for Bob. I never did. I mean, it's a family that's been torn to pieces.

[Narrator/Investigator]

The jurors had deliberated for less than three hours when they asked the judge for clarification on one of the state's most important but confusing pieces of evidence. Was it Bob Hartsong's blood that was found on Tony's right palm? The judge's answer, the evidence is inconclusive. And that answer is all the jury needs to hear. Everyone, please rise. Just moments later, the jury reappears to announce its verdict.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

We, the jury finds as follow. We find the defendant not guilty.

[Bob Hartsong]

So say we all.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

This 10th day of October 2008, in the West Palm Beach Palm Beach County, Florida, jury for person number eight, for.

[Narrator/Investigator]

Bob Hartsong and his loved ones, the verdict brings not only relief, but vindication.

[Bob Hartsong]

All I want to say to you is I'm free as I should be. I didn't do it. I never could have done that to anybody. It's impossible for the kind of person that I am. You can't imagine what it's like to spend 24 months in jail and finally be free of. For something that you didn't do. For losing somebody in your life that was more important to you than air. And here I am. I'm gonna live.

[Narrator/Investigator]

But the jurors say the verdict does not reflect what they truly believe about Bob Hartsong.

[Juror/Family Member]

Out of 12 jurors, 10, 11 of us, if not all of us, believed he did it. We just did not have the evidence to convict him. So even though there wasn't enough evidence, you can't convict somebody based on your feelings.

[Narrator/Investigator]

You're saying that Bob Hunson got away with murder?

[Juror/Family Member]

Yes, I am.

[Narrator/Investigator]

And for foreman Tony Alberto, that inconclusive DNA on the palm was what turned this case around.

[Juror/Family Member]

If it had been his blood, there is no way, no way that I would have entered a not guilty verdict.

[Bob Hartsong]

Thank you for listening to me.

[Narrator/Investigator]

The jurors say it's the same state's fault that Bob Hartsong isn't going to prison.

[Juror/Family Member]

A lot of things were left unturned or un investigated. I'm angry. I'm angry at the state. I think they, they, they were irresponsible in the investigation. The state didn't have enough case against him. That's why we couldn't do our job and convict him.

[Narrator/Investigator]

For Tony's family, the verdict is a mixed bag. In your heart of hearts, do you think Bob Hartsong killed Tony? You know what? It doesn't matter what's in my heart of hearts. The jury has spoken. Whoever murdered her is going to have something in their heart of hearts for the rest of their life.

[Barry Soren]

I'm not completely unhappy with the result. He gets to go back to his kids. I don't know the answer. Listen, what my sister would have wanted for her children is more important than my instinct to a vendetta.

[Detective/Investigator]

Just good to have my dad back.

[Bob Hartsong]

It's good to be back, James. My dad, I go stand by my pond.

[Narrator/Investigator]

Back at home, Bob sets foot into his backyard for the first time in two years.

[Bob Hartsong]

God, I can't believe I'm free. It's fabulous. It's like I can't even imagine it right now.

[Susie Goldstein]

Like all the time I kept saying, I know they'll be able to see the truth. I really know they'll be able to see the truth.

[Narrator/Investigator]

But you gotta know there are people out there who still think you killed your wife.

[Bob Hartsong]

But I know what I did and what I didn't do. And I know I didn't kill my wife. So what they think that's their problem to deal with? Hopefully, somewhere along the line I can create there'll be enough truth that will be brought out in this case that exoneration will be complete.

[Narrator/Investigator]

Bob Hartsong says he still lives with the stigma of having been accused. And he believes his name won't be completely cleared until the real killer is found.

[Bob Hartsong]

They're going to have to find the people that did this incredible act. I won't rest until that's brought out. I miss her terribly. I'll miss her all the rest of my life. My relationship with Tony will go on. It's just the way it is.

[Defense Attorney]

Sunday.

[Narrator/Investigator]

Count on the NFL on cbs delivering some holiday cheer featuring teams firmly in the playoff race. The Steelers look to wrap up the AFC north with a win over the Browns or a colossal matchup in Carolina between two first place squads when the Seahawks pay a visit to the Panthers. It all begins at noon Eastern with the NFL today. You can always count on Sundays with the NFL on CBS and streaming on Paramount plus.

[Susie Goldstein]

Paramount plus is the new home of ufc. It isn't just combat, it's cinema.

[Bob Hartsong]

Unbelievable.

[Susie Goldstein]

Every strike is a frame.

[Bob Hartsong]

What a shot.

[Susie Goldstein]

Every rivalry a story.

[Narrator/Investigator]

Oh my goodness.

[Susie Goldstein]

This canvas is more than a stage.

[Narrator/Investigator]

Are you not entertained?

[Susie Goldstein]

It's where legends are made. UFC on Paramount, plus every fight one subscription streaming this January.