She Knew Too Much

Summary

48 Hours: "She Knew Too Much" – A Detailed Summary

Introduction

In the gripping episode titled "She Knew Too Much," CBS News' award-winning podcast series "48 Hours" delves into the harrowing case of Angela Michelle Lawless, a 19-year-old college student whose brutal murder in 1992 shook the quiet town of Scott County, Missouri. Host Anne-Marie Green meticulously unpacks the complexities of the investigation, the wrongful conviction of Josh Keezer, and the relentless pursuit of justice that spanned over two decades.

---

The Murder of Michelle Lawless

On the night of November 8, 1992, Michelle Lawless was found dead in her car, brutally beaten and shot at point-blank range. Rick Walter, a 32-year-old part-time deputy sheriff, was the first responder to the scene.

Rick Walter [02:04]: "I was the first responding deputy to the scene that night. There was a lot of blood in her hair. I really thought that she was dead."

Michelle had been approximately half a mile from her residence when discovered. The trauma of that night left many unanswered questions about the motives and identity of her assailant(s).

---

Initial Investigation and Conviction

The investigation initially focused on Leon Lamb, Michelle's boyfriend, who was the last person to admit seeing her alive. However, lacking concrete evidence against him, attention shifted to Josh Keezer, a 17-year-old from Illinois who had briefly been held in the county jail.

Josh Keezer [04:06]: "I was calling monster. Calling me a killer, calling me a murderer doesn't need to get any worse than that."

Despite Josh's claims of innocence and alibi, jailhouse informants testified that he had confessed to the murder in exchange for leniency. Additionally, a star witness, Chantel Kreider, claimed to recognize Josh as someone who had argued with Michelle at a Halloween party weeks before her death.

Chantel Kreider [unknown timestamp]: "This guy... kept asking me out, and I told him, 'Are you crazy?'"

These testimonies, combined with circumstantial evidence like blood traces on Josh's jacket, led to his conviction for second-degree murder.

---

Life Behind Bars

Josh Keezer was sentenced to 60 years at the Missouri State Penitentiary, infamously known as "the walls." His time in prison was marred by violence and abuse, leading him to maintain his innocence fervently.

Josh Keezer [22:08]: "There was a point that I got attacked when I was in prison... I prayed for death. I didn't want to wake up."

Despite his claims, Josh served nearly 16 years behind bars before new developments emerged.

---

Doubts and Reopening the Case

By 2005, Rick Walter had become the sheriff of Scott County and harbored significant doubts about Josh's guilt.

Rick Walter [23:01]: "Talk to the average everyday layperson, and they would tell me the same thing. This kid didn't do it."

Defying standard protocols, Sheriff Walter decided to reopen the closed case, fueling both support and backlash within the community.

An independent investigator, Brandon Cade, was brought in to review the case files. Cade's findings began to unravel the previously "rock solid" case against Josh, revealing inconsistencies and unreliable testimonies.

Brandon Cade [24:00]: "Once you really took and examined it piece by piece... it came apart."

Key revelations included:

• Perjury by Jailhouse Informants: The informants later admitted to lying about Josh's confession.

• Questionable Forensic Evidence: Tests initially claimed to find blood on Josh's jacket were disproven.

• Unreliable Witness Testimony: Mark Abbott, the man who first reported finding Michelle, provided conflicting descriptions of the assailants.

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Exoneration and Release

In June 2009, after an exhaustive review, Judge Richard Callahan declared Josh Keezer innocent, ordering his release after 16 years of wrongful incarceration.

Josh Keezer [30:32]: "I let out this just roar. I yelled. I shouted with everything I had in me."

Josh's release was a bittersweet victory. While he regained his freedom, the scars of wrongful imprisonment and the enduring mystery of Michelle's murder lingered.

---

Ongoing Investigation and Unanswered Questions

Despite Josh's exoneration, Sheriff Walter remains steadfast in his belief that Michelle's killer is still at large.

Rick Walter [31:34]: "I think we've done the right thing and we move on and try to find out who done this."

Key points in the continued investigation include:

• DNA Evidence: Advances in forensic technology led to renewed DNA testing. However, results did not conclusively link any one suspect to the crime.

• Mark and Matt Abbott: Initially suspects due to their involvement in drug-related activities, brothers Mark and Matt Abbott later faced their own legal troubles. DNA testing revealed discrepancies, suggesting possible involvement but no definitive proof.

• Leon Lamb's Involvement: Although Leon had a relationship with Michelle, DNA evidence showed his DNA under her fingernails, indicating a physical altercation but not directly linking him to the murder.

---

Community Impact and Quest for Justice

The case of Michelle Lawless has left an indelible mark on the Scott County community. Families like Michelle's continue to seek closure, while figures like Sheriff Walter are determined to uncover the truth.

Rick Walter [45:09]: "I owe that to her family to find out who done it. Because if there's somebody that's got away with murder, they need to pay for their crime."

Josh Keezer, now a free man, has dedicated his life to advocating for judicial reform, ensuring that no one else suffers the injustice he endured.

Josh Keezer [44:11]: "I don't look back my 16 years in prison and get hateful and angry about all of it. It was wrong. It was evil."

---

Conclusion

"She Knew Too Much" serves as a poignant exploration of the flaws within the criminal justice system, the devastating impact of wrongful convictions, and the enduring hope for truth and reconciliation. As "48 Hours" continues to shed light on cases like Michelle Lawless's, listeners are reminded of the relentless pursuit of justice and the human stories that lie at the heart of every investigation.

---

Notable Quotes

• Rick Walter [02:04]: "I really thought that she was dead."
• Josh Keezer [04:06]: "I was calling monster. Calling me a killer, calling me a murderer doesn't need to get any worse than that."
• Brandon Cade [24:00]: "Once you really took and examined it piece by piece... it came apart."
• Josh Keezer [30:32]: "I let out this just roar. I yelled. I shouted with everything I had in me."
• Rick Walter [45:09]: "I owe that to her family to find out who done it."

---

This comprehensive summary encapsulates the key elements of the "She Knew Too Much" episode, providing listeners with a thorough understanding of the case, its implications, and the ongoing quest for justice.

Transcript

[Narrator]

Wondery plus subscribers can listen to this podcast ad free right now. Join Wondery plus in the Wondery app today. Some stories have a way of sticking with you. For me, it's the 48 hour series Murder in the Orange Grove, but Audible has a best of 2024 list that's packed with unforgettable listens you won't stop thinking about. Check out Framed. It's one of Audible's top picks and an astonishing true story of wrongful convictions that keeps you hooked from start to finish. Whether you're into thrillers, memoirs, or even romance, there's something for everyone. Head over to audible.com 48hours and discover all the years best waiting for you. That's audible.com 48 hours audible there's more to imagine when you listen on Scorned.

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[Rick Walter]

I was the first responding deputy to the scene that night of November of 92. I'll never forget that night. A couple came in and reported that a car was sitting down at the off ramp with the lights on and the engine running. We opened the door and looked in with my flashlight and that's when I saw this girl slumped over in the seat. There was a lot of blood in her hair. I really thought that she was dead. Didn't appear to be breathing at all. Her name was Angela Michelle Lawless. She was a 19 year old college student. She was approximately a half a mile from her residence when I found her. There's a lot of things that happened that night are still a mystery. She leaves her boyfriend's house and she was on her way home. It's possible somebody was following her up the interstate. Maybe they knew her and they got her to pull over and stop. If she knew them, and I believe that she did know them, I think she knew how bad they were and how serious this situation was. And maybe that's why she ended off down at the bottom of the hill. Maybe she was running for her life and they caught her. The beating started there. Once it started, it was like in a rage and there was no stopping. But the worst part was you had to come. Whenever she was put back in the car, she was shot three times at point blank range. This was cold blooded. I think this person is a monster.

[Josh Keezer]

I was calling monster. Calling me a killer, calling me a murderer doesn't need to get any worse than that.

[Rick Walter]

Josh Kuzer was convicted of the murder of Angela Michelle Lawless, serving 60 years in the state correctional facility.

[Josh Keezer]

The only thing I remember is when the verdict came back, I went numb. And everything became like I was in a drum. Like all the voices other than my own were at a distance. I was yelling that it wasn't me. I, I didn't do it.

[Rick Walter]

There was people that came forward and said that he had bragged about killing Michelle Lawless.

[Josh Keezer]

I had never met Michelle Lawless. The night that Michelle was murdered, I was 350 miles away. I'm an innocent man.

[Rick Walter]

People kept asking me, do have the right person in prison? In the back of my mind, there was a possibility that maybe Josh didn't do this. If Josh Keezer didn't do it. I hate to think that there's somebody still out there that's responsible for this and got away with it all these years. I think they should be locked up like the animal that they are. I would very much like to find out who that is. And I will.

[Narrator]

The Girl who Knew Too much much. Tonight's 48 Hours Mystery.

[Melissa Gaines]

You know, when I look back, I wish that maybe I'd have listened a little more or been there a little more because she was always there for me.

[Narrator]

More than 19 years have passed since 19 year old Michelle Lawless was found bludgeoned and shot to death in her car.

[Melissa Gaines]

Some of this stuff's hard to read.

[Narrator]

And it's still not easy for her best friend to read the cheery diary that Michelle kept the last year of her life.

[Melissa Gaines]

January 1st. Slept real late. Family went to Mingo and I to Leon's. We loved and ate and talked and rented movies. Made me feel loved today and I am really happy. Love him. Great first day of 1992.

[Narrator]

Melissa Gaines met Michelle when they were high school freshmen in Benton, Missouri.

[Melissa Gaines]

I had just moved to Kelley High School, didn't know anybody. Her little bubbly self come bouncing up and introduced herself and it was all over. She was part of my life from that moment on.

[Narrator]

While Michelle stood barely five feet tall.

[Melissa Gaines]

She was just little bitty, she was.

[Narrator]

Tiny, she was no lightweight. She was a green belt in karate, halfway to earning a black belt.

[Melissa Gaines]

I can't even remember anything she was ever scared of. She was fearless.

[Narrator]

Would it ever occur to you that Michelle might be in danger?

[Melissa Gaines]

No. No. I mean that never was a thought to me. Never.

[Narrator]

Which is why what happened in the early morning hours of November 8, 1992 was so unexpected, so shocking. How brutal a murder was this very. That's Rick Walder, the man with the mustache. He was a 32 year old part time deputy sheriff when he discovered the body of Michelle Lawless.

[Rick Walter]

This is small town usa, you know. A lot of stuff like this just doesn't happen. Female's head is slumped over on the passenger seat.

[Narrator]

Police documented the grisly scene using blood evidence to reconstruct Michelle's final terrifying moments.

[Rick Walter]

What appears to be blood splatters on the highway. I believe that she got out of the vehicle and I think there was an argument. Pool of blood 16, 18 inches away from the left. She ended up over the guardrail and down the bottom of the slope. A very violent altercation took place. I believe that she was beat at the bottom and knocked unconscious. There was a lot of blood, what.

[Narrator]

Appears to be a trail.

[Josh Keezer]

There's some right there.

[Narrator]

There's some right there. There was also blood under Michelle's fingernails and marks on her right hand and wrist suggesting she had fought her assailants.

[Rick Walter]

I think she was fighting for her life. I think she was fighting more than one person. There was a blood trail going back up the hill. They carry her across the guardrail.

[Josh Keezer]

Some blood dripped on the guardrail.

[Rick Walter]

They put her back in the car. Here's to be a 380 caliber.

[Narrator]

It wasn't until investigators searched her car and found three spent shell casings from a.380 handgun that they realized Michelle had been shot too.

[Rick Walter]

I think after she got back in the car, I think that's when she regained conscience and somebody wretched through the window, shot her point blank in the face. Shot in the back of the head and then one more time in the back. I can't imagine what she went through that night.

[Narrator]

At the same time Rick Walter was working the crime scene, a 23 year old local man walked into the sheriff's office with a surprising story. Scared me.

[Josh Keezer]

I've never really seen anything like that.

[Narrator]

Mark Abbott reported that he had also seen the woman in the car. All I remember is her face was just matted and covered with hair and blood. Did you know who it was?

[Rick Walter]

No.

[Narrator]

Abbott told the dispatcher he thought the woman had been shot and that he tried to call 911, but a nearby pay phone was out of order. Pulled out there as fast as I could and went straight to the county sheriff's department trying to get an ambulance. As he was leaving, Abbott saw, as he described to investigators, a white car with several dark skinned Hispanic men driving away from the crime scene.

[Josh Keezer]

Well, a man for sure and two.

[Narrator]

Or three other people. Michelle's family got the news when authorities came to their door.

[Rick Walter]

I answered the door.

[Narrator]

It's about 3am I guess. Jason Lawless was 15 when his older sister was killed. I don't do this well. How would you describe the effect on your family? Whoever shot my sister.

[Rick Walter]

Killed my family. Every ounce of it, Every fiber that held it together.

[Narrator]

The first suspect was of course, the last person to admit seeing Michelle alive. The boyfriend she stopped to see. Leon Lamb. What time did she arrive at your house?

[Rick Walter]

She was only there about an hour or so, so it could have been 11:30 or 12.

[Narrator]

And what time did she leave?

[Rick Walter]

Just right at 1:00am.

[Narrator]

Was Michelle your first love?

[Rick Walter]

Yes, ma'am.

[Melissa Gaines]

January 6th. Called Leon and told him, I love him so much.

[Narrator]

And from the entries in her diary, Michelle clearly loved Leon. But they also argued frequently. Michelle was hurt that Leon was seeing other girls.

[Melissa Gaines]

No matter how mean he is to me, I still love him.

[Narrator]

But that night, says Leon, things were fine. Although he remembers Michelle was reluctant to leave his house.

[Rick Walter]

Now that I look back, it seemed like that she knew something was wrong. Maybe something was going to happen.

[Narrator]

Investigators looked closely at Leon, but they could find nothing to tie him to the scene. And he passed a polygraph. Did you think it could be Leon?

[Melissa Gaines]

He never crossed my mind, no.

[Narrator]

Why not?

[Melissa Gaines]

I just could never imagine him wanting to harm her like that, ever.

[Narrator]

Weeks went by with few other leads and no arrests. And then finally, four months after Michelle's murder, a break. A big one. Several inmates at the county jail reported that a 17 year old Illinois boy who had been held there briefly on an assault charge, had confessed to killing Michelle Lawless. His name was Joshua Keyser. When Mark Abbott was shown a photo lineup, he picked out Keyser as the driver he saw near the crime scene. Did you say, yeah, this is the guy I saw. I know this is it. No. What did you say? It looks like him. And that looks like the car. That's all investigators needed. Joshua Keyser was charged with the first degree murder of Michelle Lawless.

[Josh Keezer]

I sit there stunned. I immediately started to just be shaken and confused and I didn't know what was happening. I just knew that something very real was happening.

[Narrator]

Michelle's family and friends were just as stunned. Had you ever heard your sister mention the name Josh Keezer?

[Josh Keezer]

No.

[Narrator]

Had you ever heard the name Josh Keizer?

[Melissa Gaines]

No.

[Josh Keezer]

There was no truth to what they were presenting. Everything was a lie.

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[Narrator]

We want to know who did it. Of course. We just would really like to know why. Was there a purpose behind it? Valerie Eubanks is Michelle Lawless kid sister. Was it just a fluke? Was she at the wrong place at the wrong time? Did she walk up on something? You know, you just want to deny it. You don't want it to be true. Esther Lawless is their mother. What do you know about her last hours, who she was with? She was with some of her friends from Syxton that she hung out with all the time. Driving around in Sykeston. They would drive up and down Main street and park in Malcolm parking lot or whatever and hang out.

[Advertiser]

It seemed to be a very typical.

[Narrator]

You know, Saturday night. In the days before November 7th and 8th, did Michelle express any kind of concerns or being afraid of anybody? Not to us, no. Do you think that Michelle would have stopped for a stranger on the street? Not at all. We always kind of felt that someone she knew was involved and that's what made her pull over and stop, which is what made the arrest of Joshua Keyser. So puzzling. There's no mention of him anywhere in Michelle's diary. Had you ever met her, heard her name?

[Josh Keezer]

No. The first time I'd ever seen her is when my attorney brought me a picture of her obituary. That's the first time I had actually ever seen her face. When they began to ask me a few questions about some murder, I was like, you know, why are they asking me about this stuff?

[Narrator]

Josh certainly fit the type. He was a 17 year old dropout and rumored to be a gang member. He came from a broken home, bouncing between his parents and living on the street.

[Rick Walter]

You know, he had long hair, he was. He was dirty. He slept on the street a lot of times and slept wherever he could. He had already had a couple different run ins with the law.

[Josh Keezer]

I wasn't really that different than most kids that don't have an advantage. And I was just going through some very, you know, difficult struggles.

[Narrator]

Even though Josh insisted he was 350 miles away the night of the murder. Investigators hauled him into the office of Bill Ferrell, the Scott county sheriff back then.

[Josh Keezer]

He settles into his chair like a split second later, literally comes halfway over his desk and accuses me of killing, and I quote, his little girl and that they were charging me with first degree murder.

[Narrator]

More than a year later, In June of 1994, Josh Keezer got his day in court. What did you believe would happen at the trial?

[Josh Keezer]

I believed I would win. What were they going to present? They had blood underneath the victim's fingernails.

[Narrator]

Was it yours?

[Josh Keezer]

It was not my type. It was not my DNA. They did not have fingerprints, palm prints. No weapon, no paper trail, no motive.

[Narrator]

But the prosecution did have those jailhouse informants who took the stand and swore that Josh had confessed to the murder. And then a surprise witness. You went to the trial? Yes, ma'am. Although Shantel Kreider could only see the back of Keyser's head in court, she whispered to a friend that she thought she recognized him as a young man who had argued with Michelle at a Halloween party just one week before her murder. This guy kept asking her out, and she refused. He was real arrogant and very hateful. What do you mean, hateful? He called her a bitch because she kept refusing and was like, leave me alone. Then he asked me out and I told him, I said, are you crazy? You just asked my best friend out? There's no way. And he slapped me in the back of my hair. Josh Keesert looked like him. It looked. Yeah, it looked like him. Finally the connection the prosecutor needed. Chantel was questioned for hours by sheriff Bill Ferrell and became the state's star witness. So you took the stand and what did you say on the stand? I believed it was Josh. Also on the stand, Mark Abbott, the man who had reported seeing Michelle Lawless in her car the night of her murder. Once again, he identified Josh as the driver of the white car he saw near the crime scene. But the defense pointed out that Abbott had reported seeing several men that night and had given conflicting descriptions.

[Josh Keezer]

They chose to rely on the credibility of a man who first claimed that it was a light skinned black man, then a carload of Mexicans, and then they finally settled on a pale white kid from Illinois.

[Narrator]

No physical evidence tied Josh to the murder.

[Rick Walter]

This is the leather jacket.

[Narrator]

But the prosecutor told the jury that tests showed there was on Josh's jacket and a car he was driving. At the end of the trial, the jury was out. Just three and a half hours.

[Josh Keezer]

I'm sitting there ready to jump. And then the verdict came back. Guilty.

[Narrator]

Guilty of second degree murder in the death of Michelle Lawless.

[Josh Keezer]

The only thing I remember is when the verdict came back, I. I went numb. I was confused. Eh. I remember hearing myself yelling and screaming. It wasn't me. It wasn't me.

[Narrator]

What did you think when he yelled that? Leaving the courtroom. What else can he say? But I didn't do it. Josh Keezer's sentence, 60 years in prison. Josh was sent to a notorious prison known as the walls. The Missouri state penitentiary, now closed. It was such a violent place. It was once called the bloodiest 47 acres in America. And for nearly 10 years, Josh lived right here in Housing Unit 4, cell number 99.

[Josh Keezer]

There was a point that I got attacked when I was in prison. There were some men who wanted to rape me. And they tried and they failed, praise God. But in the process of defending myself, I got beat up quite bad and ended up in the hospital on two occasions. I prayed for death. I didn't want to wake up.

[Rick Walter]

We're going toward where Michelle was found that night. There's nothing about this whole case that makes me feel good at all.

[Narrator]

In 2005, more than 12 years after finding Michelle Lawless shot dead in her car.

[Rick Walter]

Yeah, I go by, I go by here a lot.

[Narrator]

Rick Walter was no longer a part time deputy. He was now the sheriff of Scott County.

[Rick Walter]

I think about the family and I can't imagine what the family went through.

[Narrator]

For years, Walter had nagging doubts about the conviction of Josh Keezer.

[Rick Walter]

Talk to the average Everyday layperson, you know, and they would tell me the same thing. This kid didn't do it.

[Narrator]

So his first order of business, the new sheriff did something extraordinary. He reopened Josh Keyser's case. You must know how incredibly unusual that is.

[Rick Walter]

It's very unusual. In the law enforcement community, that's not a real popular thing to do. This wasn't a cold case. This was a closed case.

[Narrator]

But Walter, with a wife and three children, quickly discovered that his decision to get to the truth made some people very uncomfortable. You've had death threats? Sure.

[Rick Walter]

Sure.

[Narrator]

Undeterred, Walter hired an investigator from another county, Brandon Cade, who knew nothing about the case, to conduct an independent review of the files. At first, Cade thought he was wasting his time reading the court transcripts, everything. They had witnesses that said he confessed. It seemed pretty rock solid when I first read through it. But as he dug through the files, that rock solid case began to crumble. Every bit of it. Once you really took and examined it piece by piece and just looked at it a little harder, it came apart. Remember those jailhouse informants who claimed Josh had confessed after getting better deals in exchange for their testimony? These three later admitted they lied. And there's more.

[Rick Walter]

This is the leather jacket that belonged to Josh Keezer.

[Narrator]

And this was evidence that supposedly tied him to the murder.

[Rick Walter]

Right.

[Narrator]

The jury had been told that luminol tests done on this jacket and a car Keyser borrowed indicated drops of blood.

[Rick Walter]

We had it tested. And in fact, it wasn't blood.

[Narrator]

It wasn't blood at all? No. And yet the jury in Josh's trial heard it was.

[Rick Walter]

Right.

[Narrator]

And what about the surprise star witness, Shantel Kreider, who connected Josh Keezer to Michelle at the Halloween party? And in fact, did Shantel see Josh at a party? Did she see him arguing with Michelle Lawless? No. Was he even at that party?

[Rick Walter]

No.

[Narrator]

How do you know for a fact Josh Kieser wasn't at that party? Dawn Pierce hosted the Halloween party? Because I know every guy that was there.

[Rick Walter]

There was not a strange man to me.

[Narrator]

So why did Chantelle testify that Josh was there? She now says she was pushed hard by the then sheriff, Bill Ferrell. Did you feel pressured in that room? Yes, ma'am, I did. I really did. They kept going on and on, in on about how my testimony was that important because I was what they needed to link them together. Just days after the verdict, Don Pierce and another girl who was at the party went to Keyser's attorney and provided a sworn statement.

[Rick Walter]

They contacted his defense attorney the next Monday and said that he was not at our party. They had a list of all the kids that was there.

[Narrator]

That list was given to Sheriff Farrell, but somehow the information went nowhere. Everyone wanted to believe that this thing was done and over with and the.

[Rick Walter]

Guy was in jail.

[Narrator]

Jason Lawless believes there was a lot of pressure on Sheriff Farrell to find his sister's killer.

[Josh Keezer]

He wanted a conviction.

[Rick Walter]

He wanted it quick and he wanted it fast.

[Narrator]

And he got it. And you're trying to make it right.

[Rick Walter]

I'm trying and I will.

[Narrator]

Rick Walter was about to find out he wasn't all alone in his search for the truth. There was absolutely no reason why they convicted him. Jesus. Jane Williams was a church volunteer at the Missouri State Prison where Josh Keezer was serving out his sentence. I'm not an attorney. I had never read a trial transcript before. I really knew nothing about any of this. But as I began to just read it and truthfully just pray about it, I felt very clearly that I had to do something about this. Armed with her passion, Jane wrote a detailed summary and found lawyers willing to take Keyser's case for free. In December of 2008, after spending more than 15 years in prison.

[Advertiser]

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[Narrator]

Josh finally got what he wanted. Judge Richard Callahan agreed to review his case. Witness after witness testified for Josh.

[Rick Walter]

They followed her. They got the wrong guy.

[Narrator]

Including a tearful Chantelle Crider. I regret it horribly. It affects me every day. An innocent man, this man locked up.

[Josh Keezer]

And he doesn't deserve to be.

[Narrator]

But will it be enough to convince a judge to order a new trial?

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[Josh Keezer]

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[Josh Keezer]

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[Narrator]

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[Josh Keezer]

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[Josh Keezer]

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[Narrator]

Two long months passed after the court hearing. Josh Keezer sat in prison, afraid to get his hopes. And then on February 17, 2009, Judge Richard Callahan made an unusual ruling. Instead of ordering a new trial, he went ahead and declared Josh Keser an innocent man. As you sit here today, do you believe that Josh Keezer had anything to do with the murder of Michelle Lawless?

[Rick Walter]

Absolutely not. I believe he was innocent. And I so found.

[Josh Keezer]

I let out this just roar. I mean, I just let it out. I yelled. I shouted with everything I had in me.

[Narrator]

The very next day, Keyser walked out of prison a free man for the first time in 16 years. He hugged his mother. He hugged Jane Williams, the social worker who had championed his case for years. He had had to carry that he was a monster killer who brutally killed someone, which was not true. And then he turned to Sheriff Rick Walter.

[Josh Keezer]

I wanted to thank him personally for what he'd done.

[Narrator]

Both the prosecutor, Kenneth Holschoff and former sheriff Bill Ferrell have declined our request for interviews. But in court documents, Farrell denies any wrongdoing.

[Rick Walter]

Here we go.

[Narrator]

Take care. And Holshaf has said publicly he still believes Kieser's guilty. What do you think of that?

[Rick Walter]

I think we've done the right thing and we move on and try to find out who done this.

[Narrator]

Sheriff Walters still believes it was someone Michelle knew.

[Rick Walter]

There's people of suspicion. We have right now about six or seven different people that we're definitely interested.

[Narrator]

In, and we're looking at on that list still today. I'm a number one suspect in this murder. Am or am I not? That's right. Mark Abbott, once a star witness for the prosecution. Now, Abbott's account that night raises questions. Questions starting with what he says he did when he found Michelle in her car.

[Josh Keezer]

I just reached in the window when.

[Narrator]

I grabbed her and she came up. What's wrong with that? The side window was only partly open. Not wide enough, says the sheriff, to fit Mark's story.

[Rick Walter]

You could reach through the window and grab somebody and set them up. Not the way he said.

[Narrator]

Did you kill Michelle Lawless? No. But there are a lot of people in this town who think you did.

[Josh Keezer]

A lot.

[Narrator]

A lot of people think I did. I've also spoken to a number of people who have said you've bragged about. One of them was Ron Burton, a gun shop owner and longtime friend of Abbott's. Family. Burton remembers one chilling conversation with Abbott soon after Kieser was convicted.

[Rick Walter]

He said, and I quote, I took care of the bitch. And that's what he said. And he kind of had a smirky little grin on his face. And I'll never forget it because it shocked me.

[Narrator]

Do you think he was kidding? No. No, I don't. Abbott denies ever saying that. You're saying that Ron Burton is lying? Lying. There's also an affidavit from a narcotics detective who says Abbott told him that he didn't kill Michelle but watched another man do it. Were you there when someone else killed her? No. He's full of. Why would so many people think you're capable of something like this that they'd point the fingers? I don't know what I did to them to anger him like that. They're pointing the finger at you. Why? I do not have an answer to that. I do not. Abbott says he never met Michelle, but her close friend Melissa Gaines has a different recollection. Did Michelle ever mention a Mark Abbott?

[Melissa Gaines]

Yes. Yes, she did. She had said that she had met Mark Abbott, one of the Abbott boys, and thought he was a good looking guy. And I told her, michelle, you know, don't mess with either one of the Abbott boys. You know better than that.

[Narrator]

In fact, there are two Abbott boys. They're identical twins.

[Rick Walter]

Those boys, they would change places with each other. You know, from little boys on, you can't tell them apart.

[Narrator]

Which is why to this day, the sheriff isn't absolutely sure which Abbot brother came in to report finding Michelle. Two people in the sheriff's office say it was Matt.

[Rick Walter]

So was Matt Abbott involved? Was Mark involved? Matt said he never was. But yet we got two people that says he walked in and reported it. They have him down as Matt Abbott. So, you know, that could be a conspiracy, couldn't it?

[Narrator]

Mark and Matt Abbott were later convicted on federal drug charges in 1997, making some people in town wonder if maybe Michelle Lawless had something on them.

[Rick Walter]

There's a lot of theories out there. One of them was that she had information on their drug dealing. And there's a lot of money, you know, involved in that. And that's motive enough for somebody to.

[Narrator]

Kill somebody along with Abbott. Sheriff Walter hasn't ruled out Leon Lamb, the last person to admit to seeing Michelle Lawless alive. Did you have anything to do with Michelle Lawless's death?

[Rick Walter]

Not at all. I loved her.

[Narrator]

You know that your DNA was found under her fingernails?

[Rick Walter]

Yes, ma'am.

[Narrator]

And how do you explain that?

[Rick Walter]

We had sex that night and we were both pretty passionate people. So, you know, time and again she did scratch me during sex.

[Narrator]

But Leon confirms what Michelle wrote in her diary, that the couple had frequent arguments, especially when he saw her with other men. And in fact, the night of her murder, Michelle had run into Leon while she was driving around with male friends. Did that bother you?

[Rick Walter]

It did. You know, because we had been together for three years.

[Narrator]

Did she leave the house upset with you or angry with you at all? No, not at all.

[Rick Walter]

I mean, we, like I said, we hugged, kissed and said our goodnights and that was it.

[Narrator]

These are only two of a half dozen suspects looked like from the pictures.

[Rick Walter]

That they were some blood transfer.

[Narrator]

And Sheriff Walter needs more than theories and speculation.

[Rick Walter]

This is kind of like behind the knee, right?

[Narrator]

He needs hard evidence to find it. He went all the way to the Netherlands to a place known as the Crime Farm.

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[Narrator]

Around the world from Scott County, Missouri. There's a rustic house in the Netherlands known as the Crime Farm.

[Rick Walter]

I came here in hopes of find some DNA. We're looking to maybe get some skin cells off of some of the clothing.

[Narrator]

But they did. Dutch forensic experts Selma and Richard Eichlenboom began the painstaking process of trying to find a killer's DNA genes. One pair. Using techniques not widely available in the U.S. richard first examines the material with crime scopes. What we're looking for is small stains which emit different kinds of light to locate normally invisible spots of skin cells or other material.

[Rick Walter]

Is this actually the fingers up here?

[Josh Keezer]

It's like this.

[Narrator]

Those spots will be tested for what's called touch or grip. DNA number one. They'll compare what they find with DNA samples from the people of interest on the sheriff's list. They didn't have Mark Abbott's DNA, so they're using a sample from his identical twin. Matt. Is the DNA of identical twins identical? Completely identical.

[Rick Walter]

Normally it is.

[Narrator]

The Dutch team made an intriguing discovery that raises even more doubts about Mark Abbott's. Of how he pulled Michelle upright in her seat that night. And where exactly did you grab her? On the shoulder. Kind of might have been by the breast a little bit. I can't fully remember, but I know it wasn't too far. You know, if I were the driver. Yeah, your shoulder? This shoulder?

[Josh Keezer]

Yeah, on that side.

[Narrator]

But the Dutch couple say they found what is likely Abbott DNA in other places. On lawless clothes. I mean, did you just grab the shoulder? Did you grab more of her body to pull her up? Do you remember? I just grabbed her shoulder.

[Rick Walter]

I know what he said. Where he touched her, if it's somewhere else, that it was impossible for him to touch her, and that's where we find it. Then he has a problem.

[Narrator]

In December 2009, Mark Abbott was moved temporarily from the federal prison where he was doing time on those drug charges to Missouri for a hearing on an unrelated charge. Walter.

[Rick Walter]

Hey, how you doing?

[Narrator]

I see you got a lot of.

[Josh Keezer]

Busy things going on around here, huh?

[Rick Walter]

You're famous.

[Narrator]

Yeah, thanks.

[Josh Keezer]

I can't thank nobody but you.

[Narrator]

Abbott agreed to talk to Sheriff Walter about the Lawless case, even offering his own DNA sample, which was shipped off to the crime farm for additional testing. And what about Leon Lamb? The Dutch confirmed that Lam's DNA is mixed with Michelle's blood that was found under her fingernails. No surprise, since Lam says he had sex with Michelle earlier the night she was killed. But they don't find anyone else's DNA and that is something of a surprise since it appears Michelle fought her attacker.

[Rick Walter]

She wouldn't take anything off anybody. She would fight if she needed to. And, you know, I believe she fought for her life that night.

[Narrator]

A reason to continue looking at Leon, says Sheriff Walter. Although he points out Michelle may not have made contact with her assailant.

[Rick Walter]

If she grabbed their clothing, she's not going to get any of their skin cells, you know, unless she got them in the face, there's a good chance that we're not going to get anything.

[Narrator]

So far, none of the team's findings point conclusively to any one suspect. But Selma Eichlenboe believes the findings can help the sheriff get someone to talk.

[Josh Keezer]

This DNA results, it can become a.

[Narrator]

Leverage for the sheriff to get things starting up again. Sheriff Walter is hoping that those DNA results and further investigation will allow him to go to a grand jury soon.

[Rick Walter]

A lot of people are really scared about this case.

[Narrator]

Who are they afraid of or what are they afraid of?

[Rick Walter]

Maybe they're afraid of the people that done this.

[Narrator]

Six months after Josh Keezer was released, we took him back to the now closed prison where he served most of his nearly 16 years in custody. It's now being redeveloped as a museum and office park. What's it like to be in here?

[Josh Keezer]

Strangely, way too familiar.

[Narrator]

And where'd you sleep?

[Josh Keezer]

Right here. I lived in this cell, swept this cell, mopped this cell.

[Narrator]

Would you look around here? How would you describe your life now?

[Josh Keezer]

All right. I'm blessed and highly favored. I'm living a dream.

[Narrator]

Josh got a job working construction, his own apartment, trolling me and owning me all these years. And he often speaks about his experience advocating for judicial reform. He remains close with Jane Williams and enjoys strong support from his church community. He insists he is not bitter.

[Josh Keezer]

I don't look back my 16 years in prison and get hateful and angry about all of it. It does not excuse what was done to me. There is no excuse for that. It was wrong. It was evil.

[Narrator]

Which might explain why he was so eager to assist with the prison renovation. Do you believe that Michelle's death will be solved? That you will find out who killed her? I have to believe that. Yeah. I really do. To this day, Michelle Lawless family remains tormented by the mystery of her senseless murder. Whoever took her life needs to pay for what they did. It's not going to bring her back. I know that. But it will help all of us rest a little easier.

[Rick Walter]

I owe that to her family to find out who done it. And I owe it to this community to find out. Because if there's somebody that's got away with murder, they need to pay for their crime.

[Narrator]

In 2010, Scott county paid $4 million.

[Josh Keezer]

To Josh Keezer to settle a wrongful conviction lawsuit.

[Narrator]

In 2011, Keyser donated $10,000 to the Scott County Sheriff's Department to fund the continuing investigation of the lawless murder. If you like this podcast, you can listen ad free right now by joining Wondery in the Wondery app. Before you go, tell us about yourself by filling out a Quick [e-mail] Survey in the Pacific Ocean, halfway between Peru and New Zealand, lies a tiny volcanic island. It's a little known British territory called Pitcairn, and it harbored a deep, dark scandal. There wouldn't be a girl on Pitcairn once they reach the age of 10, that we're still a virgin.

[Rick Walter]

It just happens to all of them.

[Narrator]

I'm journalist Luke Jones, and for almost two years I've been investigating a shocking story that has left deep scars on generations of women and girls from Pitcairn. When there's nobody watching, nobody going to report it, people will get away with what they can get away with. In the Pitcairn Trials, I'll be uncovering a story of abuse and the fight for just that has brought a unique, lonely Pacific island to the brink of extinction. Listen to the Pitcairn Trials exclusively on Wandering. Join Wondery in the Wondery app, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.

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You don't believe in ghosts.

[Narrator]

I get it.

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Lots of people don't.

[Narrator]

I didn't either, until I came face.

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To face with them.

[Narrator]

Ever since that moment, hauntings, spirits, and the unexplained have consumed my entire life.

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I'm Nadine Bailey. I've been a ghost tour guide for the past 20 years. I've taken people along with me into the shadows, uncovering the macabre tales that.

[Narrator]

Linger in the darkness and inside some.

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Of the most haunted houses, hospitals, prisons and more. Join me every week on my podcast, Haunted Canada as we journey through terrifying and bone chilling stories of the unexplained.

[Narrator]

Search for haunted Canada on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Amazon Music, or wherever you find your favorite podcasts. Dracula, the ancient vampire who terrorizes Victorian London. Blood and garlic, bats and crucifixes. Even if you haven't read the book, you think you know the story.

[Josh Keezer]

One of the incredible things about Dracula.

[Narrator]

Is that not only is it this.

[Josh Keezer]

Wonderful snapshot of the 19th century, but.

[Narrator]

It also has so much resonance today. The vampire doesn't cast a reflection in.

[Josh Keezer]

A mirror, so when we look in.

[Narrator]

The mirror, the only thing we see is our own monstrous abilities. From the host and producer of American History Tellers and History Daily comes the new podcast, the Real History of Dracula. We'll reveal how author Bram Stoker rated ancient folklore, exploited Victorian fears around sex, science and religion, and how, even today, we remain enthralled to his strange creatures of the night. You can binge all episodes of the Real History of Dracula exclusively with Wondery plus join Wondry and the Wondry Apple podcasts or Spotify.