S1: E9 – Who Killed Carol? Part 1

Summary

American Homicide: S1 E9 – Who Killed Carol? Part 1 Summary

Host: Sloan Glass
Release Date: November 28, 2024

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Introduction

American Homicide delves deep into the mysterious and unsettling murder of Carol Newlander, a beloved mother and successful bakery owner from Cherry Hill, New Jersey. Hosted by journalist Sloan Glass, this episode meticulously unpacks the intricate web surrounding Carol's death, exploring family dynamics, community impact, and the evolving investigation.

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The Newlander Family and Community

Cherry Hill, New Jersey, serves as the tranquil backdrop for the Newlander family's revered status. Fred Newlander, a junior rabbi, and his wife Carol are pillars of their community, having established one of the largest Jewish congregations in the area.

• Sloan Glass: "Arthur Megidda authored a book about one of Cherry Hill's most revered and respected couples, Fred and Carol Newlander." (03:18)

Carol not only managed the household but also ran a highly profitable bakery, Classic Cakes, adored for its red velvet cupcakes and elaborate pastries.

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The Night of the Murder

On November 1, 1994, tragedy strikes when Carol is found brutally beaten to death in her living room. Her husband Fred arrives home to the horrifying scene and promptly calls 911.

• Fred Newlander (as recounted): "I just came home. My wife is on the floor and there's blood all over her. I don't know what to do." (06:05)

The community is shaken, grappling with the shock that such a beloved figure could be a victim of violence.

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Initial Investigation and Questions

Officer Richard Bombarer, one of the first responders, describes the crime scene's grim details and the perplexing lack of forced entry or theft, making the motive unclear.

• Officer Bombarer: "When I examined the body... there was just this bright red blood spattered everywhere in that room." (09:00)

Detectives initially speculate various motives, including robbery, but inconsistencies lead them to consider more personal motives.

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Suspicions and Alibis

As the investigation unfolds, attention turns to Fred Newlander, especially after revelations of his multiple affairs. His impeccable alibi of being at the synagogue seems ironclad, yet suspicions linger.

• Matthew Nulander (son): "After one's spouse is murdered, the surviving spouse always becomes the first suspect." (31:03)

The discovery of Rabbi Newlander’s extramarital relationships, including a significant affair with Elaine Zansini, adds layers of complexity and raises doubts about his innocence.

• Matthew Nulander: "We thought the media attention was so horribly profuse and horribly against him." (32:22)

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Introduction of Private Investigator Len Genoff

In response to the burgeoning suspicions, Fred hires Len Genoff, a private investigator with a background in the FBI and CIA. Len's unconventional methods and personal connection to Fred introduce new twists to the case.

• Sloan Glass: "Len Genoff left Fred Nulander's office that day fully committed to doing almost anything that Fred wanted him to." (23:05)

Len's involvement leads to bizarre findings, including wedding photos of him and Fred taken at the very location of Carol's murder, further muddling the investigation.

• Matthew Nulander: "The ceremony was performed at the exact spot where they found Carol Newlander’s body." (36:50)

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Community and Media Impact

The revelations of Fred’s affairs and the ongoing murder investigation destabilize the Cherry Hill community, transforming the revered rabbi into a controversial figure. The media frenzy exacerbates the family's distress, overshadowing the unresolved mystery of Carol's death.

• Matthew Nulander: "It was hard for me to believe that this really could have happened." (37:21)

Carol’s children, Rebecca and Matthew, grapple with public scrutiny and the loss of their mother, while their father's reputation teeters on the brink of ruin.

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Conclusion and Teaser for Part 2

As Part 1 concludes, the investigation remains stalled with numerous dead ends and emerging secrets that threaten to unravel the fabric of the Newlander family. The stage is set for a dramatic continuation in Part 2, where unexpected confessions promise to shift the case's trajectory.

• Sloan Glass: "In part two of Who Killed Carol, the police get an unexpected confession from someone no one suspected." (37:27)

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Notable Quotes

• Sloan Glass: "This is part one of Who Killed Carol? On American Homicide." (02:15)
• Fred Newlander: "I had nothing to do with my wife's death. It was the same message he gave Elaine Suncini in the days after Carol's murder." (31:23)
• Matthew Nulander: "Every day something else would come out in the local papers." (34:13)

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Key Takeaways

• Complex Family Dynamics: The Newlander family's outward perfection masks deeper personal issues, including Fred's infidelities.
• Community Shock: Carol's murder shatters the peaceful image of Cherry Hill, leading to widespread disbelief and fear.
• Investigation Challenges: The lack of clear motives and conflicting alibis complicate the police efforts to identify the culprit.
• Media Influence: Intense media scrutiny intensifies the pressure on the Newlander family, influencing public perception and the investigation's direction.
• Upcoming Revelations: Part 2 promises to unveil unexpected developments that could redefine the case.

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Stay tuned for Part 2 of "Who Killed Carol?" where the investigation takes a surprising turn, uncovering hidden truths and unexpected confessions that may finally shed light on this perplexing homicide.

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Listen to American Homicide on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, or your preferred podcast platform.

Transcript

[Narrator]

From audio up, the creators of Stephen King Strawberry Spring Comes the Unborn. A shocking true story.

[Ellie Flynn]

My babies.

[Matthew Nulander]

Please.

[Ellie Flynn]

My babies.

[Narrator]

One woman, two lives and a secret she would kill to protect. She went crazy, shot and killed all her farm animals, slaughtered them in front of the kids. Tried to burn their house down. Listen to the unborn on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Ellie Flynn]

We want to speak out and we want this to stop. Wow. Very powerful. I'm Ellie Flynn, an investigative journalist, and this is my journey deep into the adult entertainment industry. I really wanted to be a Playboy model. He was like, I'll take you to the top. I'll make you a star. To expose an alleged predator and the rotten industry he works in. It's honestly so much worse than I had anticipated. We're an army in comparison to him. From novel. Listen to the bunny trap on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to Decisions Decisions, the podcast where boundaries are pushed and conversations get candid. Join your favorite hosts, Me Weezy, wtf and Me, Mandi B. As we dive deep into the world of non traditional relationships and explore the often taboo topics surrounding dating, sex and love. Every Monday and Wednesday, we both invite you to unlearn the outdated narratives dictated by traditional patriarchal norms. Tune in and join the conversation. Listen to Decisions Decisions on the Black Effect Podcast Network, iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A young EMT answered a call to his home that had fatal consequences.

[Narrator]

Matthew Nulander. He heard on his radio that a woman was injured at 204 Highgate. There's only one woman at 204 Highgate. That's his mother. She was unconscious and not breath. Matthew instantly knew that his mother was dead. How did my mom get beaten to death in the living room of her house? Who would ever kill Carol Newlander? They all loved Carol Newlander.

[Ellie Flynn]

The answer would leave Matthew questioning everything and everyone he knew.

[Narrator]

This is such a convoluted, perplexing, disturbing, troubling case, and I wish to God that this had never happened.

[Ellie Flynn]

Today we're jumping across the country to the Garden State, New Jersey specifically. We're in the suburb of Cherry Hill for the tragic story of a mother of three who was found beaten to death in her home. This is a case of whodunit that shocked a community. We'll explore it from the beginning until the very end, when a panel of 12 jurors had to make the most difficult decision of their lives. I'm Sloan Glass, and this is part one of who Killed Carol? On American Homicide. And just a note that some of this content is graphic. Please take care while listening. Consider the town of Cherry Hill, New Jersey. It's the perfect spot for people who want to live close enough, yet far enough away from two major cities, Philadelphia.

[Narrator]

To the south, New York City to the north.

[Ellie Flynn]

Arthur Megidda authored a book about one of Cherry Hill's most revered and respected couples, Fred and Carol Newlander. The two moved there in the 1960s when Fred took a job as a junior rabbi.

[Narrator]

He was young, he was up to date. Lots and lots of people were happy that Fred and Carol had arrived.

[Ellie Flynn]

Only about 2% of Americans practice Judaism, but with a community of over 25,000, Cherry Hill has one of the largest Jewish populations in the country, making it the perfect place for Rabbi Nulander to start his own Synagogue.

[Narrator]

In 1974, Fred and 1718 members of the earlier congregation form a coercalom. Fred chose that term, makor shalom, because it means source of peace.

[Ellie Flynn]

And that peaceful synagogue grew to nearly 1,000 congregants in Cherry Hill, and Rabbi Fred and Carol Neulander were looked at like royalty.

[Narrator]

They were committed to this congregation. They were committed to developing something new that had not existed in Cherry hill before. And that's what so many people found attractive about McCor Shulum and about Fred and Carol.

[Ellie Flynn]

While Rabbi Nulander worked day and night tending to his congregation, his wife, Carol raised their three children.

[Narrator]

They were almost like a unit, separate and apart from their father because they knew that many evenings their father might, if they were lucky, be home for dinner.

[Ellie Flynn]

And Carol wasn't your typical rabbi's wife. She also ran a popular bakery called Classic Cakes.

[Narrator]

This was amazingly successful. It was perhaps the finest bakery in South Jersey. Members of the congregation came there, of course.

[Ellie Flynn]

Everyone came for their red velvet cupcakes, breakfast pastries and assortment of elaborate cakes.

[Narrator]

It was also very, very profitable. But she was very, very careless with some of the money that was coming into the bakery. She would just stuff it into her purse and come home at night with 5,000, 10,000, $15,000 in cash.

[Ellie Flynn]

All that cash played into Carol's demise.

[Narrator]

On November 1, 1994, Fred put in his usual work day at McCour Shalom.

[Ellie Flynn]

And on that afternoon Carol had volunteered with pediatric AIDS patients and returned home while her husband was still at the synagogue.

[Narrator]

About 9 o'clock he went back home. He opened the door, glanced into the living room on his right, saw Carol Nylander lying on the Floor of the living room in a pool of blood.

[Ellie Flynn]

Just imagine the scene. Fred found Carol face down and badly beaten. It was horrific. This was his wife. Her blood was everywhere. So he ran to the kitchen, grabbed his cordless landline phone and called 911. 911, state emergency.

[Narrator]

I just came home. My wife is on the floor and there's blood all over her. I don't know what to do.

[Ellie Flynn]

Does she appear to be breathing?

[Narrator]

No, she's on this blood. They asked if she was alive. He said he didn't know.

[Officer Richard Bombarer]

I don't want.

[Narrator]

Should I touch her? Should I not touch her?

[Ellie Flynn]

Just leave everything the way it is, sir. And stay on the phone with me until the first police officer gets here. That's when the rabbi remembered his son Matthew was working as an EMT that evening.

[Narrator]

He's gonna hear this.

[Officer Richard Bombarer]

Cool, cool.

[Narrator]

He's an east side emt, so I.

[Ellie Flynn]

Have to send somebody down. Sir, calm down.

[Matthew Nulander]

Hold on a second.

[Ellie Flynn]

Tragically, Matthew Nulander did hear that call and quickly drove his ambulance to his house, nearly colliding with another emergency vehicle when he arrived. But before he got inside to see his mother, a friend grabbed him and carried him away from the house.

[Narrator]

Matthew instantly knew that his mother was dead, because if she was not, somebody would have said something comforting to him. Don't worry, she's barely injured. Don't worry, she's being treated right now. Nobody said anything like that.

[Ellie Flynn]

That's when his dad, Rabbi Fred Nulander, walked up to him.

[Narrator]

He was still holding his cordless telephone. Wasn't using it, wasn't talking to anybody. But his manner was completely composed.

[Ellie Flynn]

The rabbi was still dressed in his tailored suit he wore to temple. He was in shock. He stood on the driveway of their two story home, listening as Matthew frantically asked him question after question about his mother. Each time, the rabbi offered the same answer.

[Narrator]

Don't worry, everything will be fine. He was always buttoned up. And he was buttoned up November 1, 1994, when he saw Carol lying in the living room, when he called 911, when he did his version of trying to comfort his son Matthew.

[Ellie Flynn]

By then, all of Highgate Lane and Cherry Hill was a dizzying sea of red and white from the lights of the emergency vehicles parked in front of the New Landers.

[Officer Richard Bombarer]

My name is Richard Bombarer. November 1, 1994. I was working as a patrolman for the Cherry Hill Police Department.

[Ellie Flynn]

Officer Bumbert was one of the first responders that night.

[Officer Richard Bombarer]

It's a middle, upper middle class community, beautiful homes. It's the Type of community where, you know, everyone had their lawn nice, Everyone knew each other, neighbors were very close and very friendly. So when I walked up the driveway of the residence, I noticed a man dressed in a suit, probably in his 50s or so.

[Ellie Flynn]

That man was, of course, Rabbi Fred Neulander.

[Officer Richard Bombarer]

He had a portable phone in his hand, and immediately I asked him what was going on. He raised his left hand and pointed with the phone and said, she's in there. And I was like, okay. So I entered the house and immediately noticed Carol laying on the floor in the room right to my right. It was a white room. Didn't look like it was a room that was used or used commonly. White carpets, white furniture, white walls. And there was just this bright red blood spattered everywhere in that room. When I examined the body, I noticed that there were several indentations to her skull. Her fingers were all broken back and open from defensive wounds. There was a tremendous amount of pooled blood. She was cold. It was just obvious to me that somebody had bludgeoned her to death by repeated strikes to her head.

[Ellie Flynn]

So now the complicated work of trying to figure out what happened began. There was no sign of forced entry and no other victims in the house. Just Carol.

[Officer Richard Bombarer]

Carol Newlander. She was business partners in a very prominent bakery, and she got into the habit of taking the till home, where there was a significant amount of money, 10, $15,000.

[Ellie Flynn]

The police wondered, if someone was after Carol's money, why did they leave other valuables behind, and how did they get into the house?

[Officer Richard Bombarer]

They had a lot of expensive items in the house. None of it was gone through. Dressers weren't going through looking for money or jewelry. Everything was neat and tidy. So the idea of that it was a robbery or a home invasion that went bad didn't seem to line up with what I saw.

[Ellie Flynn]

It wasn't like the police saw many homicides in Cherry Hill. This was the first homicide in two years, and it involved the beloved wife of Rabbi Fred Newlander.

[Officer Richard Bombarer]

The mayor's pulling up, and there's a lot of people showing up at that house that just seemed like, wow, this person certainly wasn't just an average citizen.

[Ellie Flynn]

So the question on everyone's mind that night was why?

[Officer Richard Bombarer]

There weren't any suspects. There weren't any leads. So the community just thought it was a random act of violence.

[Ellie Flynn]

So no one could believe Carol Newlander, successful small business owner, mother of three, who just spent her day volunteering with pediatric AIDS patients, had been robbed and beaten to death.

[Officer Richard Bombarer]

Not only are we dealing with a homicide of a prominent family in Cherry Hill. But Carol's son Matthew was working as an EMT that night, and he was responding to the house.

[Ellie Flynn]

Matthew was a young EMT who just wanted to be with his mother to say goodbye, but heartbreakingly, protocol didn't allow it.

[Officer Richard Bombarer]

And that's. That. That was. That was difficult. It was unfortunate. I would have wanted to say goodbye to my mom, you know, in that situation. And it's difficult. It's a part of the job, unfortunately. And, you know, you have to deal with it.

[Ellie Flynn]

His mother was dead, and the lives of the Newlander family would never be the same again.

[Officer Richard Bombarer]

They were an all American family in a sense. They had everything and now they have nothing. You know, it's just. It's a shame.

[Narrator]

In the quiet town of Avella, Pennsylvania, Jared and Christy, Akron seemed to have it all. A whirlwind romance, a new home, and twins on the way. But no one knew was that Christy was hiding a secret so shocking it would tear their world apart.

[Ellie Flynn]

91 One Response. What's your emergency? My babies. Please. My babies.

[Narrator]

One woman, two lives, and the truth more terrifying than anyone could imagine. They had her as one of the suspects, but they could never prove it.

[Ellie Flynn]

You're going to go to jail if you don't come with us right now. Throughout this whole thing, I kept telling myself, nobody's that crazy. Crazy.

[Narrator]

Uncover the chilling mystery that will leave you questioning everything. A story of the lengths we go to protect our darkest secrets. She went batshit crazy, Shot and killed all her farm animals, slaughtered them in front of the kids, tried to burn their house down. Audio represents the unborn on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Ellie Flynn]

We want to speak out, we want to raise awareness, and we want this to stop. Wow. Very powerful. I'm Ellie Flynn and I'm an investigative journalist. When a group of models from the UK wanted my help, I went on a journey deep into the heart of the adult entertainment industry. I really wanted to be a Playboy model, Lingerie topless. I said, yes, please, because at the center of this murky world is an alleged predator. You know who he is because of his pattern of being behavior. He's just spinning the web for you to get trapped in it. He's everywhere and has been everywhere. It's so much worse and so much more widespread than I had anticipated. Together we're going to expose him and the rotten industry he works in. It's not just me. We're an army in comparison to him. Listen to the Bunny trap on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to the Criminalia Podcast. I'm Maria Trimarke. And I'm Holly Frey. Together we invite you into the dark and winding corridors of historical true crime. Each season we explore a new theme, everything from poisoners and pirates to art thieves and snake oil products and those who made and sold them. We uncover the stories and secrets of some of history's most compelling criminal figures, including a man who built a submarine as a getaway vehicle. Yep, that's a fact. We also look at what kinds of societal forces were at play at the time of the crime, from legal injustices to the ethics of body snatching, to see what, if anything, might look different through today's perspective. And be sure to tune in at the end of each episode as we indulge in custom made cocktails and mocktails inspired by the stories. There's one for every story we tell. Listen to criminalia on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. On a cold night in November 1994, Carol Newlander was murdered in her Cherry Hill, New Jersey home. She was a mother of three who ran a successful bakery business and was the wife of South Jersey's most prominent rabbi, Fred Newlander.

[Narrator]

People are sympathizing with Fred and whispering words of consolation in his ear.

[Ellie Flynn]

Arthur Megidda wrote a book about Carol Newlander's murder.

[Narrator]

Carol's funeral was one of the largest in South Jersey.

[Ellie Flynn]

Dignitaries came, politicians came as part of the Jewish tradition. People offered their condolences to the rabbi by saying, may her memory be a blessing to you.

[Narrator]

And then they whispered among each other, who would ever kill Carol Newlander? They all loved Carol Newlander and everybody is sad. And still Fred Nylander is showing virtually no emotion.

[Ellie Flynn]

There is a Jewish tradition called Sheba. It's the week long period of mourning after a death. During Shiva, your friends, family and neighbors come by and take care of you. They bring you food, provide you comfort and run your errands so you can.

[Narrator]

Mourn how he comported himself that evening. And in some of the days that followed, very much flowed from his experience as a rabbi. Fred Nulander dealt with death and birth over and over again. In the course of his profession. He was in, to some degree acculturated to death. Not to murder, but to death.

[Ellie Flynn]

By the time they were sitting Shiva for Carol Newlander, Cherry Hill police officers had already questioned Fred Newlander and two of his children, Rebecca and Matthew if you remember, Matthew was One of the EMTs who came to the house on the night of his mother's murder.

[Narrator]

Matthew told the police about a very, very severe argument that he witnessed between his parents two days before Carol was killed. Carol telling Matthew that Fred didn't want to work on this marriage anymore, that Fred wanted to divorce Carol. And Matthew told the police that Carol had then dashed down to the basement, grabbed some suitcases and threw them at Fred. Nulander told him to get out.

[Ellie Flynn]

But Rabbi Nlander gave detectives a different take.

[Narrator]

He said it was just hunky dory, everything was fine. Yeah, they had their little bickerings occasionally. Whose turn is it to clean out the dishwasher? But theirs was a rock solid marriage.

[Ellie Flynn]

So there was something else the police began to focus on. The Newlander's daughter, Rebecca lived out of town and talked with her mom every day. She told the police about two strange conversations she had with her mother. The first happened two weeks before Carol's murder.

[Narrator]

Carol pulled up to her driveway after working late at Classic Cakes when a total stranger tapped on her window, rolled the window down, said that the rabbi had sent him over to deliver some mail. And he handed Carol an envelope. And then he asked if he could use the bathroom. Carol said, of course, and she let him into the house. He used the bathroom. He left. And shortly after that, Carol's daughter Rebecca called. She said, mom, what are you doing tonight? Oh, I just got home. Somebody came to see Daddy. He isn't there, but he gave me something. Mail that Daddy had been waiting for. And Carol told Rebecca, what's the strange thing is that I opened this envelope. It wasn't sealed and there wasn't anything in it. Well, neither Carol nor Rebecca knew what to make of that.

[Ellie Flynn]

It was pretty weird. And two weeks later, on the day of Carol's murder, they were on the phone again when the mysterious man returned.

[Narrator]

Carol opens the door and Rebecca wants to know who it is. And she says, oh, that's the bathroom man from last week. Rebecca says, well, what does he want? She says, oh, dad told him to come over. And Carol looks out. She sees that the bathroom is with somebody else. It's cold. She encourages both of them to come in, be warm. Rebecca's very concerned that her mother is inviting these two essential strangers into the house. Carol says there's nothing to worry about. The door is closed. And that was the last that anyone in Carol's family heard from her.

[Ellie Flynn]

Detectives asked Rabbi Nulander if he knew who this mysterious visitor was.

[Narrator]

He claimed to have no idea what the police were talking about. He had never sent anybody over to the house with a message for him. He had never told Carol that somebody would be coming either of those evenings.

[Ellie Flynn]

Detectives came to believe the bathroom man and his accomplice knew the rabbi's schedule and had been casing the house in order to rob and murder Carol.

[Narrator]

Fred very soon was telling people the Colombians did this to Carol. The Colombians, who worked at Classic Cakes and knew that Carol came home with wads of cash that never panned out. There were rumors that the Russian Jewish mafia was behind this, so there was theory after theory.

[Ellie Flynn]

After the Rabbi Nulander told detectives he was at Makor Shalom when Carol was murdered, they interviewed a dozen or so people at the synagogue, and his alibi checked out.

[Narrator]

Yes, he was at the temple, in fact, the moment that Carol was killed. And that's why when he came back home, the blood in the living room was still very, very fresh.

[Ellie Flynn]

This put detectives back at square one. So the weeks dragged on without any updates about the investigation until finally, just a couple days before the Christmas holiday, the police called a press conference, but the Newlanders were nowhere to be found. One reporter asked the prosecutor if Rabbi Nulander was considered a suspect. He paused for a moment and said, we don't rule in, we don't rule out.

[Narrator]

They didn't know what to make of that.

[Ellie Flynn]

Well, Rabbi Nulander did. He was furious. He had an alibi and questioned why the police hadn't cleared him. So he hired a P.I. named Len Genoff. With an impressive resume that included a stint with the FBI and CIA.

[Narrator]

Jenov seemed like the right person to turn to.

[Ellie Flynn]

Rabbi Nulander knew Len Genov. He met him a couple years earlier and helped him turn his life around.

[Narrator]

Leonard Genoff was a difficult person to define.

[Ellie Flynn]

Back in the 1980s, Len Genoff accidentally struck and killed someone who was pushing their stalled vehicle on the highway. Although Genoff was never charged, he fell into a deep depression and turned to booze. Years later, he was introduced to Rabbi Nulander, who offered to help him get back on his feet.

[Narrator]

Len Genoff left Fred Nulander's office that day fully committed to doing almost anything that Fred wanted him to. To do, because he saw the rabbi as his savior, as the next best thing to his messiah.

[Ellie Flynn]

So now you had the police and a very motivated Len Genoff working to find Carol Newlander's killer. Those investigations would uncover secrets that would shake Cherry Hill to its soul.

[Narrator]

In the quiet town of Avella, Pennsylvania, Jared and Christy, Akron, seemed to have it all a whirlwind romance, a new home, and twins on the way. What no one knew was that Christy was hiding a secret so shocking it would tear their world apart.

[Ellie Flynn]

91 One Response. What's your emergency? My babies. Please. My babies.

[Narrator]

One woman, two lives, and the truth more terrifying than anyone could imagine. They had her as one of the suspects, but they could never prove it.

[Ellie Flynn]

You're going to go to jail if you don't come with us right now. Throughout this whole thing, I kept telling myself, nobody's that crazy. Crazy.

[Narrator]

Uncover the chilling mystery that will leave you questioning everything. A story of the lengths we go to protect our darkest secrets. She went batshit crazy. Shot and killed all her farm animals, slaughtered them in front of the kids, Tried to burn her house down. Audio represents the unborn on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Ellie Flynn]

We want to speak out, we want to raise awareness, and we want this to stop. Wow. Very powerful. I'm Ellie Flynn and I'm an investigative journalist. When a group of models from the UK wanted my help, I went on a journey deep into the heart of the adult entertainment industry. I really wanted to be a Playboy model. Lingerie topless. I said, yes, please, because at the center of this murky world is an alleged predator. You know who he is because of his pattern of behavior. He's just spinning the web for you to get trapped in it. He's everywhere and has been everywhere. It's so much worse and so much more widespread than I had anticipated. Together, we're going to expose him and the rotten industry he works in. It's not just me. We're an army in comparison to him. Listen to the bunny trap on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to the Criminalia Podcast. I'm Maria Trumarki. And I'm Holly Frey. Together, we invite you into the dark and winding corridors of historical true crime. Each season, we explore a new theme. Everything from poisoners and pirates to art thieves and snake oil products and those who made and sold them. We uncover the stories and secrets of some of history's most compelling criminal figures, including a man who built a submarine as a getaway vehicle. Yep, that's a fact. We also look at what kinds of societal forces were at play at the time of the crime, from legal injustices to the ethics of body snatching, to see what, if anything, might look different through today's perspective. And be sure to tune in at the end of each Episode as we indulge in custom made cocktails and mocktails inspired by the stories. There's one for every story we tell. Listen to criminalia on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Rabbi Fred Nulander had a rock solid alibi on the night of his wife Carol's murder. So why didn't the police rule him out as a suspect?

[Narrator]

For years, there were rumors that Fred was a little bit too much of a ladies man.

[Ellie Flynn]

Arthur Megida wrote a book about the Newlanders.

[Narrator]

He made a habit of going from woman to woman to woman and touching her and giving them compliments. And they always just happened to be the prettiest women in the congregation that evening.

[Ellie Flynn]

So it turned out the leader of the community was not so pious. And back in 1992, one particular woman caught Rabbi Fred Nulander's eye. Don't let the broadcaster see that. I have all this makeup over here. It's filming it for convention. When is the convention? September.

[Narrator]

Oh, thanks a lot.

[Ellie Flynn]

Here, let me hide my mirror. Elaine Zansini was a prominent at radio personality in Philadelphia, and so was her husband, Ken Garland. Elaine met Rabbi Nulander when her husband Ken was dying of leukemia.

[Narrator]

And a day or two after that, Fred Nulander called Elaine Sonsini. Asked how she was. She said, I'm fine. I'm coping. Fred asked if he could come over to her house. She agreed. They had lunch together. He asked if he could return soon. She said he couldn't. And they engaged in what the police would soon call intimacy.

[Ellie Flynn]

He moves in on a widow a couple days after her husband's death. And then, despite Rabbi Nulander's 18 hour workday and Elaine's early morning radio schedule, the two managed to carry on an affair for nearly two years.

[Narrator]

They would meet at Elaine's house two, three, four times a week. Fred often told her that she satisfied him sexually in a way that Carol never did. He alluded to the possibility that he might get divorced from Carol for Elaine. But sometimes he would hedge on that because he wasn't certain how that would affect his career.

[Ellie Flynn]

So with all this secrecy, how did detectives learn about Elaine? Well, they obtained a copy of Rabbi Nulander's phone records, and something in those phone records from the morning after Carol's murder stood out.

[Narrator]

One of the first people Fred called was Elaine's son, Sini. Why would he possibly do that?

[Ellie Flynn]

Detectives questioned Elaine and they shared some information. She did not know about Fred Newlander.

[Narrator]

She's not the only girlfriend that Fred had And they named the others 1, 2, 3, and perhaps 4.

[Ellie Flynn]

Elaine was shocked and pissed. And that's when the gloves came off.

[Narrator]

She tells the police they've had a longstanding romance. When she returns home that night, she calls Fred. It says, fred, I told the police everything. You're on your own now.

[Ellie Flynn]

News of Rabbi Nulander's affairs rocked Cherry Hill and McCour Shalom. These were women he had been counseling.

[Narrator]

How could Fred Nulander, the stalwart of the community, the founder of McCour Shalom, this charismatic, well educated, enlightened individual who had this wonderful family and to terrific wife, be playing around on the side? Who could possibly have time to do that anyway? Seems that Fred Nulander did.

[Ellie Flynn]

Fred admitted to behaviors he was not proud of and stepped away from McCourt Shalom. In his letter to his congregants, he added that he had nothing to do with his wife's death. It was the same message he gave Elaine Suncini in the days after Carol's murder. Being an adulterer didn't make him a murderer.

[Narrator]

Fred invited Elaine into his office at the temple and said he loves her, said he wanted to marry her when the time would be appropriate.

[Ellie Flynn]

The police didn't confirm or deny Elaine as a suspect in Carol Newlander's murder. It was much like the situation with the rabbi.

[Matthew Nulander]

After one's spouse is murdered, the surviving spouse always becomes the first suspect.

[Ellie Flynn]

Attorney Jeff Zucker represented rabbi Nulander. His client had a lot of explaining to do. Here's Jeff Zucker.

[Matthew Nulander]

And once things started to come out about the affairs that he had and the fact that the affairs involved congregants that he was counseling, then I think the tide started to change.

[Ellie Flynn]

And as you can imagine, the local press was having a field day with stories of the adulterous man of God.

[Matthew Nulander]

We thought the media attention was so horribly profuse and horribly against him.

[Ellie Flynn]

As reporters hounded the rabbi and Elaine Sunsini for comment, Elaine asked the Cherry Hill police department for protection. Two officers were then dispatched to keep an eye on her.

[Matthew Nulander]

The interesting thing about Elaine Suncini is that she also had an involvement with one of the police officers in this case, Larry Leaf.

[Ellie Flynn]

Okay, so get this. Larry Leaf was one of the officers assigned to watch her. And in another twist to this story, Elaine and officer Leaf became romantically involved. And that created a serious conflict of interest, especially when he was caught rummaging through police files related to the case.

[Matthew Nulander]

We believe that Larry Leaf gave her access to certain of the investigative files at the Cherry Hill police Department. Elaine Sunseni she incidentally ended up marrying Larry Leaf.

[Ellie Flynn]

So Internal affairs investigated Officer Leaf and later cleared him of any wrongdoing.

[Matthew Nulander]

That was another strange twist in this whole case. This is one of the most bizarre cases I've been involved in my 40, 45 years of legal experience.

[Ellie Flynn]

With reporters constantly hounding her, Elaine Sonsini used her radio show to come clean about her affair with Rabbi Nulander. In the summer of 1995, she tearfully apologized on the air for what she called some errors in judgment. Sunny now and 78 degrees. I apologize to you for these guys. But lost in the juicy stories of love, lust and adultery were the Newlander children.

[Matthew Nulander]

I felt bad for the family. I did. I felt bad for the kids.

[Ellie Flynn]

Their mother's murder was still unsolved. And the only thing they're hearing is story after story of their father's infidelity.

[Matthew Nulander]

Every day something else would come out in the local papers. Because of the horrible negative publicity he was getting, we thought it was time for him to speak out, to say, I had nothing to do with this. So we called in the local television stations, let him read a prepared statement.

[Narrator]

I categorically deny that I murdered my wife or arranged in any way to have her killed.

[Matthew Nulander]

It was brief, but we thought it would be good for the public to hear him speak and to have him deny the charges.

[Ellie Flynn]

The town of Cherry Hill struggled with their beloved rabbis meteoric fall from grace. First they had to process news of his affairs, and now there are rumbles about him also being a murderer.

[Matthew Nulander]

A person who is having an affair may be morally at fault, but it's a huge jump from someone having an affair to become a murderer.

[Ellie Flynn]

And it didn't help that the police remained mum about potential suspects and shared very little about their investigation.

[Matthew Nulander]

They were looking into leads for years and they came up with a bunch of dead ends.

[Ellie Flynn]

At the. At the same time, the rabbi's private investigator, Len Genoff, used his FBI and CIA background to do his own research.

[Matthew Nulander]

He one time came into our office with a sketch of what he said was a composite drawing of who the person who killed Carol Nulander would be. And we told the rabbi, please have nothing more to do with Len Genoff. He's a wild card. He's running up all kinds of blind alleys and making no sense. If you're going to continue working with this guy, we can't represent you anymore. You can't do it.

[Ellie Flynn]

That's because around that time, some bizarre news about Len Genoff surfaced.

[Matthew Nulander]

Len got married and asked the rabbi to perform the ceremony at the rabbi's.

[Officer Richard Bombarer]

Home and their wedding pictures of them arm in arm holding each other.

[Ellie Flynn]

That seems nice. But when the police look closely at these pictures of the rabbi with Len on his wedding day, they noticed something.

[Officer Richard Bombarer]

Shocking like, oh my God. They took the pictures right where Carol was laying when she was murdered.

[Matthew Nulander]

The ceremony was performed at the exact spot where they found Carol Newling body. It's bizarre, but that's where it was. Which was also another very strange twist in this whole case.

[Ellie Flynn]

If a picture is worth a thousand words, well, that saying doesn't work here because this one left the police speechless.

[Matthew Nulander]

It was hard for me to believe that this really could have happened.

[Ellie Flynn]

That was the first twist of many to come. In part two of who Killed Carol, the police get an unexpected confession from someone no one suspected. I'm Sloan Glass. That's next time on American Homicide. You can contact the American Homicide team by emailing [e-mail] that's AmericanHomicidePodmail.com American Homicide is hosted and written by me, Sloan Glass and is a production of Glass Podcasts, a division of Glass Entertainment Group in partnership with iHeart Podcasts. The show is executive produced by Nancy Glass and Todd Ganz. The series is also written and produced by Todd Ganz with additional writing by Ben Federman and Andrea Gunning. Our associate producer is Kristen Melcuri. Our iHeart team is Ali Perry and Jessica Krynchak. Audio editing and mixing by Matt D'Al Vecchio. Additional editing support from Nicaruka Tanner Robbins, Britt Robicheaux and Patrick Walsh. American Homicide's theme song was composed by Oliver Baines of Noiser Music Library, provided by My Music. Follow American Homicide on Apple Podcasts and please rate and review American Homicide. Your five star review goes a long way towards helping others find this show. For more podcasts from iHeart, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Narrator]

From. Audio up, the creators of Stephen King's Strawberry Spring Comes the Unborn. A shocking true story.

[Ellie Flynn]

My babies. Please. My babies.

[Narrator]

One woman, two lives and a secret she would kill to protect. She went crazy. Shot and killed all her farm animals, slaughtered them in front of the kids. Tried to burn their house down. Listen to the unborn on the iHeartRadio Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Ellie Flynn]

We want to speak out and we want this to stop. Wow. Very powerful. I'm Ellie Flynn, an investigative journalist and this is my journey deep into the adult entertainment industry. I really wanted to be a Playboy model. He was like, I'll take you to the top. I'll make you a star. To expose an alleged predator and the rotten industry he works in. It's honestly so much worse than I had anticipated. We're an army in comparison to him. From Novel Listen to the Bunny trap on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to Decisions Decisions, the podcast where boundaries are pushed and conversations get candid. Join your favorite hosts, Me Wezy, wtf and me, Mandi B. As we dive deep into the world of non traditional relationships and explore the often taboo topics surrounding dating, sex and love. Every Monday and Wednesday we both invite you to unlearn the outdated narratives dictated by traditional patriarchal norms. Tune in and join the conversation. Listen to Decisions Decisions on the Black Effect Podcast Network, iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.