A Drop Of Blood

Summary

Cold Case Files – Episode Summary

Episode Title: "A Drop of Blood"
Release Date: September 30, 2025
Host: Paula Barros (with narrator/voice actors Marissa Pinson, Greg Bricker, Thomas Kolb, Leslie Harmon, Mark Heffelfinger, Stephen Clouse, and others)
Podcast: Cold Case Files (A&E/PodcastOne)

---

Episode Overview

This episode of Cold Case Files explores the brutal 1996 murder of 86-year-old Julia Gardy in Avilla, Indiana—a case that went unsolved for nearly four years. Through determined investigative work and advances in DNA forensics, detectives managed to identify and convict her killer, Donald Hauser. The episode delves into the crime, initial investigation, how the case went cold, and, ultimately, the forensic and testimonial breakthroughs that led to justice for Julia's family.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Discovery of the Crime [02:08–03:01]

• Mary Lou Gardy's Visit: Julia Gardy's daughter-in-law, Mary Lou, finds Julia's farmhouse ransacked and Julia dead in her bed, suffocated with a pillow and a footstool atop it.
  • “It looked like somebody had totally ransacked the house and a lot of things were really like thrown around, torn up. Things were out of a cabinet.” (A, 02:08)
• Shock and Panic: Mary Lou's familial shock and immediate response are vividly described, highlighting the terror and surreal horror of the moment.
  • “It was just kind of like a nightmare, like something was happening, but it really shouldn't be happening.” (A, 02:31)

2. The Initial Investigation & Crime Scene [03:01–05:36]

• Early Leads: Investigator Greg Bricker characterizes the crime as senseless and the perpetrator as likely a professional burglar.
  • “It was a vicious, cold blooded murder, no reason whatsoever… somebody that had been doing burglaries for a long time, maybe a professional.” (A, 03:06)
• Forensic Clues: Crime scene technician Thomas Kolb notes two different shoe print types (suggesting a male and female perpetrator) and distinct ransacking patterns on each floor.
  • “There was also two different sets of shoe prints. So I knew there was two people.” (A, 03:50)

3. Crucial Evidence: The Drop of Blood [04:16–05:04]

• Breakthrough Discovery: Kolb finds a blood spot on the curtain near the broken window, suspected point of entry.
  • “As soon as I saw the blood, I said, ah, that's great, you know, we have hope.” (A, 04:25)
• Cataloging Stolen Items: Missing items include TVs, a VCR, a phone, and silverware.

4. The Struggle for Leads [05:14–08:06]

• Canvassing: Investigators struggle with an uncooperative public and few viable tips, despite a suspect's description from police officer Tracey Broxon, who previously observed a suspicious man near her home.
  • “It was very frustrating because we weren't getting any information from the public. We had very little information to go on...” (A, 06:25)
• Frustration and Stagnation: All known burglars in the area are eliminated as suspects, leaving the investigation at a standstill.

5. DNA Forensic Advances & The Case Goes Cold [07:16–08:06]

• Forensic Testing: Leslie Harmon, DNA analyst, confirms the curtain stain is blood and enters the DNA profile into CODIS—yielding no match.
• Case Suspension: With no further leads, the case is shelved as a cold case for almost four years.

6. The Breakthrough: CODIS Hit and Key Witness [09:49–11:35]

• DNA Match: In October 2000, Indiana police receive a CODIS match to Donald Hauser, a convicted burglar. Detective Mark Heffelfinger takes on the case.
  • “Well, we got a DNA match from the blood that was taken from occurred on the window of that house. Comes back to a guy by the name of Donald Howser.” (A, 10:09)
• Connecting Partners in Crime: Heffelfinger finds Hauser's ex-girlfriend and former burglary accomplice, Angela Stone, and brings her in for questioning.
• Angela’s Confession: After hours of interrogation, Stone recounts the events, describing Hauser suffocating Julia and her own helpless witnessing of the act.
  • “I remember him grabbing the pillow, and I said, no, don't do that. Don't. I knew. I knew what was gonna happen.” (A, 11:35)
  • “Because what I heard was her saying, no, sweetie. No, sweetie.” (A, 11:35)
• Physical Evidence Corroborated: Stone confirms the silverware stolen from Julia's house was given to Hauser’s mother.

7. Confronting Hauser: The Interrogation [12:44–15:36]

• Investigation Strategy: Heffelfinger plays Hauser against Angela during interrogation, presenting mounting evidence (DNA, witness, stolen goods).
  • “I got just more ammunition, you know, he can't say, no, it wasn't me. Your girlfriend at the time says, you did it. She saw you do it.” (A, 12:44)
• Partial Confession: Hauser, in trying to implicate Stone, inadvertently incriminates himself, describing the suffocation.
  • “She kept saying that we needed to kill her. And so how did you do it? We smiled with a pillow. Explain. How did you do that?” (A, 14:44)
  • “Whether he was just ignorant of the fact that he's incriminating himself, or whether he didn't care... he couldn't do that without implicating himself also.” (A, 15:36)

8. The Trial and Justice for Julia Gardy [15:46–16:54]

• Prosecution: Stephen Clouse leads the trial with DNA and testimony as central evidence.
  • “This is the state's exhibit number 28... the piece of the curtain... that contained Donald Hauser's blood stain. And right here in this hole is the place where his blood was left as he cut himself entering Mrs. Garty's residence. And it's from that small little spot there that the case was broken.” (A, 15:57)
• Outcome: Jury finds Hauser guilty after twenty minutes of deliberation. He is sentenced to life without parole; Angela Stone receives 30 years for burglary.
  • “We had an eyewitness who testified. Well, we had a confession. We had physical evidence from the scene that the suspect left. And we also had physical evidence recovered four years later from his mother's home that he had stolen. All this together really made for a great case to prosecute.” (A, 16:37)

9. The Impact and Unanswered Questions [17:08–17:36]

• Community Relief: Investigators express satisfaction and relief for getting justice for Julia and the community.
  • “I was happy. Happy for the family, happy for the community, happy for law enforcement that we could clear this up.” (A, 17:08)
• Lingering Senselessness: The question of "Why?" remains unanswered, underscoring the episode's tragic senselessness.
  • “She was definitely no threat to anyone. But it was just really, really senseless because she would have let them have anything just to leave her alone. But they wanted, wanted more. And a really, really great woman was lost.” (A, 17:36)

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “As soon as I saw the blood, I said, ah, that's great, you know, we have hope.” — Thomas Kolb (Crime Scene Technician) [04:25]
• “It was a vicious, cold blooded murder, no reason whatsoever.” — Greg Bricker (Investigator) [03:06]
• “I remember him grabbing the pillow, and I said, no, don't do that. Don’t. I knew. I knew what was gonna happen.” — Angela Stone (Accomplice/Witness) [11:35]
• “...right here in this hole is the place where his blood was left as he cut himself entering Mrs. Garty’s residence. And it's from that small little spot there that the case was broken.” — Stephen Clouse (Prosecutor) [15:57]
• “All this together really made for a great case to prosecute.” — Stephen Clouse (Prosecutor) [16:37]
• “She was definitely no threat to anyone. But it was just really, really senseless because she would have let them have anything just to leave her alone. But they wanted, wanted more. And a really, really great woman was lost.” — Unnamed speaker (Reflecting on Julia’s death) [17:36]

---

Timeline of Important Segments

• 02:08–03:01: Mary Lou Gardy discovers the murder scene.
• 03:01–05:36: Initial investigation and forensic evidence gathering.
• 04:16–05:04: Discovery of the bloodstain on the curtain.
• 05:36–08:06: Investigation stalls; case goes cold.
• 09:49–11:35: CODIS match to Donald Hauser; Angela Stone implicates him.
• 12:44–15:36: Interrogation and confession of Donald Hauser.
• 15:46–16:54: Trial, conviction of Hauser, and sentencing.
• 17:08–17:36: Reflections on justice served and the lingering question of motive.

---

Conclusion

"A Drop of Blood" embodies both the painstaking nature of cold case investigations and the incredible power of forensic breakthroughs. The episode balances procedural detail with human emotion, chronicling not just how detectives solved the case, but the lasting impact of Julia Gardy’s loss. Through a drop of blood, justice was finally delivered—even if some questions will forever remain.

Transcript

[A]

Chicago, March 2, 1976. A savage double murder rocks the city. Two young lives snuffed out in their prime. And the killer, a privileged rich kid caught within four days only to walk free through a web of influence and power. For four years, the case gathered dust, the truth buried under the web of money, drugs and corruption until an unlikely hero emerged. Former rock musician turned star prosecutor who refused to let the justice slip away. Together with his determined partner, they dared to resurrect the case that Chicago forgot. Now, for the first time, step inside the investigation that brought a killer to trial. Convergence, the explosive new true crime book by Jonathan Dixon and Greg Owen from 26th Street Books. Convergence takes you deep inside one of Chicago's most shocking cases. Follow the evidence, witness the trial, see justice unfold. Convergence, available now on Amazon and wherever books are sold.

[B]

Hi cold case listeners, I'm Marissa Pinson and before we get into this week's episode, I just wanted to remind you that episodes of Cold Case Files as well as the A and E classic podcasts, I Survived American justice and City Confidential are all available ad free on the new A E Crime and investigation channel on Apple Podcasts and Apple plus for just 4.99amonth or 39.99 a year. And now onto the show. There are over 100,000 cold cases in America. Only 1% are ever solved. This is one of those rare stories. On September 9, 1996 in Avilla, Indiana, Mary Lou Gardy decides to check in on her 86 year old mother in law, Julia. She hops in her truck and drives around the corner to Julia's farmhouse. On the outside, everything appears to be normal. The inside, however, is a different story.

[A]

It looked like somebody had totally ransacked the house and a lot of things were really like thrown around, torn up. Things were out of a cabinet.

[B]

Mary Lou walks through the house towards Julia's bedroom.

[A]

In the bedroom I saw on her bed, she was laying there, but there was a pillow over her head and a footstool on top of that pillow.

[B]

Julia Gardy lies dead, apparently smothered in her own bed.

[A]

It was just kind of like a nightmare, like something was happening, but it really shouldn't be happening.

[B]

Marilu races down the road to her sister in law Ginny's house.

[A]

All of a sudden Mary Lou came across the yard screaming, Nanny's been murdered. Nanny's been murdered. And somebody robbed her house or something like that. And I thought, what is she saying? And then finally we realized what she was saying and we called 911 at that point call had just come in of the murder. Notifying the Sheriff's department of the murder.

[B]

Investigator Greg Bricker of the Indiana State Police Department receives the call.

[A]

There was no reason for it to happen and Mrs. Garty probably wouldn't have offered any resistance to this person whatsoever. And it just wasn't necessary to kill her. It was a vicious, cold blooded murder, no reason whatsoever. It appeared to me to be somebody that had been doing burglaries for a long time, maybe a professional. He hit all the right spots.

[B]

Crime scene technician Thomas Kolb is called in to work the scene. Inside the house, he notices two distinct styles of ransacking.

[A]

The main floor was very ransacked. All the drawers had been pulled out, dumped on the floor.

[B]

Upstairs, however, there was very little ransacking upstairs.

[A]

The drawers were pulled out, you could see things moved, but it wasn't totally dumped on the floor. The bed just had the covers moved back. So upstairs was kind of neat. And there was also two different sets of shoe prints. So I knew there was two people. I knew one would probably be a male, the other one a female based on the shoe print.

[B]

Kolb documents the shoe prints and makes his way to the living room where he gets a close look at the broken window, the possible point of entry.

[A]

He found the rock beside the TV where it impacted and there was curtains. So you know that when he came in he had to move the curtains. And you always hope that you find something. So when I examined the curtains, there was a small reddish brown spot, which to me indicated a blood spot. As soon as I saw the blood, I said, ah, that's great, you know, we have hope.

[B]

Now the curtain is bagged and sent to the crime lab for testing. Meanwhile, Bricker asks Ginny to scan the house and list any stolen items.

[A]

There were some TVs, there was a VCR, a phone that was missing, and also her silverware was taken.

[B]

Bricker checks with local pawn shops, but turns up empty handed. Meanwhile, officers canvass the neighborhood.

[A]

We had a team of detectives at that point looking for information as to if anybody had saw anybody out of line, if there was anybody hanging around that they didn't know, or any vehicles that they could describe to us.

[B]

Less than a mile down the road, investigators meet Tracey Broxon, a Fort Wayne cop. Broxon tells police that two days before the murder, she caught a strange man snooping around her house.

[A]

Well, it was odd that he was trying to negate where the dogs was. I didn't know him. We're a half mile back who's back here looking in the windows?

[B]

Broxon opened her front door, gun in hand, and confronted the man.

[A]

At that point, he started backing off the porch and he goes, I'm really lost. I think I'm really at the wrong house type deal. And I said, yes, you are. You're at the wrong house. At this point, he turned and went at a pretty good clip through the yard here, trying to catch up to the van. Yeah, somebody's case in the neighborhood looking for a house to break into.

[B]

Bricker circulates Broxon's description of the man and waits for a break.

[A]

Yeah, it was very frustrating because we weren't getting any information from the public. We had very little information to go on that we gathered at the scene. It was very frustrating, just no tips, period.

[B]

In the weeks that follow, Bricker tracks down known burglars and brings them in for questioning. One by one, each is eliminated.

[A]

We had some leads on people who were burglarizing homes in the area and we interviewed those subjects. They all had alibis, so we came up cold.

[B]

Now Bricker turns to the crime lab and pins his hopes on on science.

[A]

I obtained a small portion of the curtain with a reddish brownish stain present.

[B]

Leslie Harmon is a DNA analyst with the Indiana State Police. On a Monday afternoon, she takes delivery of the Garthy evidence and examines the curtain.

[A]

I took a small portion of that cutting and started my analysis.

[B]

The stain is confirmed to be blood. Harmon extracts a DNA profile and puts it into the CODIS database.

[A]

The first time that we ran it.

[B]

There were no hits.

[A]

There was absolutely no leads on this case. And every lead we did get was a dead end. I just ran out of things to do, places to go, people to look at, and I put the case. I suspended the case until further information came up.

[B]

Julia Gardy's case is placed in the cold files where it will stay for three and a half years until police track down a woman who is ready to identify a killer.

[A]

I remember him grabbing the pillow and I said, no, don't do that, don't. I knew what was going to happen.

[B]

Cold Case Files is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Do you ever think about switching insurance companies to see if you could save some cash? Progressive makes it easy. Just drop in some details about yourself and see if you're eligible to save money. When you bundle your home in auto policies, the process only takes minutes and it could mean hundreds more in your pocket. Visit progressive.com after this episode to see if you could save Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates potential savings will vary. Not available in all states. Homes.com knows that when it comes to home shopping, it's never just about the house or condo. It's about the home. And what makes a home is more than just the house or property. It's the location and neighborhood. If you have kids, it's also schools, nearby, parks and transportation options. That's why homes.com goes above and beyond to bring home shoppers the in depth information they need to find the right home. And when I say in depth, I'm talking deep. Each listing features comprehensive information about the neighborhood, complete with a video guide. They also have details about local schools with test scores, state rankings and student to teacher ratio. They even have an agent directory with the sales history of each agent. So when it comes to finding a home, not just a house, this is everything you need to know, all in1place.homes.com We've done your homework.

[A]

I got a call from my boss. I remember sitting on the couch and she called me and said, hey, Mark, you know the Gertie case?

[B]

Mark Heffelfinger is a detective with the Indiana State Police. On October 24, 2000, he takes a call about the Julia Garthy case. Now nearly four years cold, she said.

[A]

Well, we got a DNA match from the blood that was taken from occurred on the window of that house. Comes back to a guy by the name of Donald Howser.

[B]

Indiana periodically runs its cold cases through codis, the state's DNA data bank. It was during such an exercise that the name of Donald Hauser, a convicted burglar, came back as a match.

[A]

The DNA was a start. That's a starting point and something to look at that in and of itself won't necessarily get you conviction. So what I needed to do at that point was establishment. What can I find out about Donald Hauser?

[B]

Heffelfinger digs through the file and finds the name Angela Stone, Hauser's ex girlfriend and former burglary accomplice. Within a day, Heffelfinger tracks down Stone and brings her in for questioning.

[A]

This is tape number two, continuation of the interview with Angela Stone, dated 10:20.

[B]

On October 26th, Detective Heffelfinger sits down with Angela Stone and presses her about Julia Gardy's murder.

[A]

At this time, I truly believe she was a witness. I really believe that. The bottom line is this. Of course, in this house here, a lady was killed.

[B]

Heffelfinger believes Julia Gardy's murder was a burglary gone wrong and that Angela Stone might have been in the house when it happened. After almost Two hours of back and forth. Angela Stone gives the details of how her ex boyfriend killed Julia Garthy.

[A]

I remember him grabbing the pillow, and I said, no, don't do that. Don't. I knew. I knew what was gonna happen. What? Okay. He did what? Don't explain this to me again. He took it off the chair like this. There's a chair sitting right here. In the bedroom? No, in the living room. I mean, standing like this. Took the pillow off the chair and stepped into the bedroom and held that over that lady's hand. And you say you yelled at him? Yeah, I did. And because. Because what? Because what I heard was her saying, no, sweetie. No, sweetie. I am excited as can be. I am surprised, because I didn't think she'd be that good of a witness. But actually, she turns out to be born a witness. She's an accomplice that just really helped seal this up for us.

[B]

Stone confirms her story with a set of silverware stolen from Julia Garthy's house and given by Hauser to his mom as a Christmas gift. After recovering the stolen item, cold case detectives are ready to talk with Donald Hauser.

[A]

When I go in to talk to Donald Howser, I got just more ammunition, you know, he can't say, no, it wasn't me. Your girlfriend at the time says, you did it. She saw you do it. Donald Hauser was brought back to DeKalb county with the jails just across the street.

[B]

One day after his conversation with Angela Stone, Detective Heffelfinger meets with Donald Hauser in a small interview room.

[A]

He sat right here at this table in this chair, and I sat at that end of the table. Initially, when he came in, he. He was the calmest, coolest. No emotion whatsoever.

[B]

Heffelfinger has a plan. He tells Hauser he's really out to get Angela Stone and tries to pit him against his ex.

[A]

When you and Angie were together, okay, there were some other burgers. Okay. I'm trying to figure what her involvement was and some of this stuff, okay, you. You running in prison. I don't care. You know what I'm saying? But. But I'm trying to figure out why she's not. That's a good question. And I knew that he was in prison now currently because of a burglary he'd done, and which she was there also, and she was not in jail. And I think that was gonna be upsetting to him. So I kind of used that as an angle. Look, I'm not necessarily interested in you, but you're in jail. Angela's not. Why isn't she?

[B]

Hauser takes the bait and starts talking about the string of burglaries he and Stone committed, but denies ever being at the Garty house. That is until Heffelfinger tells him about the blood on the curtain and the stolen silverware recovered from his mother's house.

[A]

She kept making up, just kept telling me we can't labor as a witness.

[B]

Hauser switches gears, laying blame for the murder of Julia Gardy on his former girlfriend and partner in crime, Angela Stone.

[A]

She kept saying that we needed to kill her. And so how did you do it? We smiled with a pillow. Explain. How did you do that? I mean, is it something you stood up on the bed or what did you do? Perfect. I'm just trying to. I won't lean over and put the fellow over. Whether he was just ignorant of the fact that he's incriminating himself, or whether he didn't care, or whether he was so focused on getting Angela in jail or what, I'm not sure. But either way, you start talking about Angela being there, what Angela's involvement was. Of course, he couldn't do that without implicating himself also. Okay, so you just held it over her face. It was quite exciting because I have to be cool as I couldn't be too, and not let him know that I'm excited about the fact that he just implicated himself in a murder.

[B]

The case against Donald hauser is complete. 6 years after 86 year old Julia Gardy was murdered, her suspected killer will stand trial.

[A]

This was obviously one of the strongest cases I'll ever see.

[B]

Stephen Clouse prosecutes the case against Donald Hauser. Central to the state's evidence is the DNA.

[A]

This is the state's exhibit number 28 that was admitted into evidence of the trial. And it's the piece of the curtain that Sergeant Kolb collected from the house that contained Donald Hauser's blood stain. And right here in this hole is the place where his blood was left as he cut himself entering Mrs. Garty's residence. And it's from that small little spot there that the case was broken.

[B]

On November 11, Hauser takes the stand and tells the jury he is innocent and that he was on drugs when he confessed. It's a story the jurors don't buy when weighed against the evidence stacked against him.

[A]

We had an eyewitness who testified. Well, we had a confession. We had physical evidence from the scene that the suspect left. And we also had physical evidence recovered four years later from his mother's home that he had stolen. All this together really made for a great case to prosecute.

[B]

After 20 minutes of deliberations, the jury finds Donald Hauser guilty of murder and sentences him to life without parole. Meanwhile, Angela Stone pleads guilty to burglary and is sentenced to 30 years.

[A]

Well, it was. I was happy. Happy for the family, happy for the community, happy for law enforcement that we could clear this up. And we've got somebody off the streets that's capable of killing somebody like Mrs. Gardy, because that kind of person, who.

[B]

Knows what they could do for the victim's family. The verdict answers every question in the death of 86 year old Julia Gardy, except one. Why?

[A]

She was definitely no threat to anyone. But it was just really, really senseless because she would have let them have anything just to leave her alone. But they wanted, wanted more. And a really, really great woman was lost. This September, CBS hits are streaming free on Pluto tv. Coming in hot for this month only stream full episodes of Matlock. I'm a lawyer. Like the old TV show Fire Country. Elsbeth.

[B]

I do love a mystery.

[A]

NCIS Origins, Watson and ghosts.

[B]

What the hell?

[A]

This is the most amazing sight I've never seen. All for free. The CBS shows you love this month only on Pluto tv. Stream now. Pain never.