Left For Dead / On The Case

Summary

Cold Case Files: "Left For Dead / On The Case"

Date: June 16, 2026
Host: Marisa Pinson, A&E / PodcastOne

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Episode Overview

This episode of Cold Case Files presents the dogged pursuit of justice in two chilling unsolved murders—cases involving marginalized victims that went cold for over a decade. Through the lens of forensic advances and relentless detective work, the stories highlight how breakneck innovation and personal determination can deliver answers, closure, and, ultimately, justice. The first half focuses on the 1995 murder of Pamela Shelley in California, while the second revisits a 1990 Kansas City homicide and a 1988 hit-and-run. The emotional journeys of survivors, family members, and law enforcement provide both heartbreak and hope.

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Case 1: The Murder of Pamela Shelley (San Diego, California, 1995)

Timestamps: 01:26–19:32

Victim Background & Discovery

• [01:57] Victim: Pamela Shelley, 32, known sex worker and drug user, San Diego.
• [02:04] Testimony from Mary Jones, a prostitute, paints a grim reality for women working the streets:

  "You don't know if you're going to come back dead or alive." – Mary Jones [02:20]

• [03:06] March 22, 1995: Her naked body, shot eight times in the back, discovered in Louderbach Park by city gardener Hugo Martinez.

Initial Investigation

• [03:19] Detective Paul Villalpando arrives, finds evidence including beer bottles, condoms, debris at the scene.
• [03:57] Attempted identification by canvassing local community; identification via a Polaroid by friend Tyrone Sharp, who describes Pamela:

  "She was the sweetest person that you ever want to meet. She's a beautiful person. And of all these unnecessary lot lizards around here, why would they take the queen, you know?" – Tyrone Sharp [05:13]

• [05:58] No substantial leads.
• [06:11] Evidence collected (beer bottle, condoms) yields no results; latent fingerprints are not matched (AFIS) [07:17]. Case grows cold.

Case Reopened

• [08:02] Detective Bob Conrad reopens the case in 2002.
• [08:20] DNA testing of preserved evidence finds two unknown male profiles; no CODIS match [08:49].

Breakthrough with Fingerprints

• [09:09] Latent print examiner Mary Kay Hunt re-tests beer bottle prints—now hits in AFIS [09:22]:
  • Andre Robinson
  • Adrian Sutherland
    “It went from kind of zero to 90 in about one minute there.” – Bob Conrad [09:22]

Suspect Interrogations

• [10:07–11:39] Coordinated police interviews to prevent suspects (Robinson in the Navy, Sutherland) from communicating.
• [11:39] Both suspects are defensive, deny knowing the park or picking up prostitutes. DNA samples obtained.

Forensic Evidence Confirmations

• [12:37–13:09]
  • Sutherland’s DNA matches semen in a condom
  • Robinson’s DNA matches vaginal swab from victim

  “Really doesn’t get much better than that.” – Byron Sonnenberg, DNA analyst [12:53]

• [13:32–15:35] Pressured with evidence, Sutherland begins to admit partial involvement, then backtracks, hesitates.

Full Confession & Arrests

• [16:14–17:55] (Robinson’s interrogation)
  • Robinson finally crumbles:

  “I was the shooter... I just snapped. It just happened.” – Andre Robinson [16:43, 17:29]

• [18:01–19:05] Robinson and Sutherland both charged; Robinson faces trial; Sutherland takes a plea.

Courtroom Resolution

• [18:09–19:32]
  • Robinson convicted, sentenced to life.
  • Sutherland pleads guilty, receives 12 years.
  • DA Garland Peed:

  “Not only did we have the fingerprints on the bottle, but then we had Robinson’s DNA, the body cavity swabs, okay. And we also had a complete confession.” [18:20]

  • Pamela’s mother, Norvell Shelley, reflects on the pain:

  “Pain just never goes away. It never goes away because you ask yourself why? Where did I go wrong?” – Norvell Shelley [19:38]

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Case 2: The Linda Winfield & John Cinchuk Cases (Kansas City, Missouri, 1990/1988)

Timestamps: 23:12–45:27

Cold Case Detectives at Work

• [23:27] Kansas City team: Detectives Ray Staley, Danny Phillips, Sgt. John Jackson
• [23:32] Focus: 1990 murder of 28-year-old Linda Winfield (repeatedly stabbed, sexually assaulted), a sex worker found clothed, killed at the site.

Forensic Advancements

• [24:35] Jennifer Howard, DNA analyst:
  • Retrieves preserved vaginal swab/nail scrapings [25:11]
  • Develops unknown male DNA profile, loaded into CODIS [25:29]
  • CODIS hit matches a man in Kansas state prison for another woman’s murder 8 months later.
  • Detectives withhold name pending ongoing investigation [25:52]
  • Victim lead a precarious life; severe mutilation shocks detectives.

Investigative Legwork

• [26:41–27:26] Detectives revisit the scene—unchanged after 16 years.
  • Note M.O. consistency between the two murders (multiple neck stab wounds) [28:51].
• [27:17] Suspect already serving life—a win for public safety:

  “He’s an animal... We want to do the best that we can... that he stays behind bars and doesn’t ever get out.” – Detective [27:17]

Second Cold Case: The John Cinchuk Hit-and-Run (1988)

• [29:40] DNA analyst Scott Hummel tests blood from windshield glass in the stolen vehicle; result matches Melvin Jacks, who is in prison for a separate offense[31:00].

Case Reconstruction

• [33:00] Detectives run crash simulations to confirm blood placement matches driver, not a passenger—critical for the case's integrity.
• [34:43] They confront Jacks at Lansing Correctional Facility; he denies involvement, unaware of forensic certainty:

  “I don’t think he understood DNA, especially the DNA evidence in this particular case that it was all over the inside of the vehicle.” – Detective [34:58]

Eyewitness Breakthrough

• [39:41–40:35] Detectives track down a former intimate partner of Jacks, who recalls his bloody confession just after the crash:

  “He was just crying and hugging. I had blood all over me. And he said, I tried to help the other person get out of the car, but I think they’re dead... All I do is go to jail.” – Star Witness [40:35]

• She also notes Jacks’ history of car theft.

Final Steps to Justice

• [41:54–42:26] Prosecutor Ted Hunt files felony murder charges against Jacks:

  “He started this ball rolling by stealing the car and then running from the police, and that run’s come to an end.” – Ted Hunt [42:26]

• [43:37–44:30] Detectives travel to Edmonton, Canada, to inform the victim’s family:

  “Being able to tell this family after 18 years they can put a name to who killed their family member... I hope that will help them.” – Detective [44:13]

Reflections on Cold Case Work

• [45:27] Detective acknowledges victories are fleeting, with hundreds more cases ahead:

  “That satisfaction is short lived... tomorrow it's back to the other cases that we're still working, the cases that still remain open.” – Detective [45:27]

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Notable Quotes & Emotional Moments

• “You gotta do what you gotta do. It’s scary because you don’t know who you’re getting in a car with.” – Mary Jones [02:04]
• “I felt that no one deserves to die that way.” – Det. Villalpando [07:27]
• “Would it surprise you if I told you there’s something in that park that caused you into it?” – Bob Conrad [11:19]
• “I just snapped. It just happened.” – Andre Robinson [17:29]
• “Pain just never goes away.” – Norvell Shelley [19:38]
• “We want him...to stay behind bars and doesn’t ever get out. We don’t want him having the opportunity to kill somebody else.” – Kansas City detective [27:17]
• “He was just crying and hugging. I had blood all over me.” – Star witness on Melvin Jacks [40:35]
• “When you take the life of somebody, whether it’s by murder or by accident or whatever, it puts it in perspective. These are real people. They had a real loss.” – Detective [44:34]

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Key Timeline

| Segment | Timestamp | Highlights | |--------------------------|------------|------------------------------------------------------------------| | Pamela Shelley Case | 01:26–19:32| Initial crime, forensic breakthroughs, suspect confessions, trial| | Linda Winfield Case | 23:12–27:26| DNA link between two prostitute murders | | John Cinchuk Hit & Run | 29:40–45:27| Forensic crash analysis, DNA, eyewitness, suspect indictment |

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Takeaways

• Persistence & Technology: These cases underscore the powerful intersection of persistent investigative work and evolving forensic techniques.
• Marginalized Victims: Victims were often overlooked in life and in death; solving their murders required active engagement with their communities.
• Closure for Families: The work of cold case detectives, while often unsung, brings overdue closure for families who have waited years for answers.
• Ongoing Battle: Despite their successes, detectives continue to fight the overwhelming backlog of unsolved cases.

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Cold Case Files delivers a raw and respectful portrayal of real people seeking justice, demonstrating both the heartbreak and hope that come with reopening the past.

Transcript

[A]

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[B]

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[A]

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[B]

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[A]

This program contains subject matter that may be disturbing to some listeners. Listener discretion is advised. There are over 100,000 cold cases in America. Only 1% are ever solved. This is one of those rare stories.

[B]

Well, they pull over and get in the car and take it from there. Just depends.

[A]

In November of 2006, Mary Jones is working as a prostitute in San Diego, California.

[B]

I want to have some fun and the price is right, you know, you gotta do what I gotta do. You know, it's scary because you don't know who you're getting in a car with.

[A]

Jones has worked on the streets for 19 years and knows the dangers all too well.

[B]

I've had a lot of ugly things done to me. I hear the guns pulled on me. Bats, you know, drove off in fields and woods and bones broke. You don't know if you're going to come back dead or alive.

[A]

Eleven years earlier, another prostitute from the same area was murdered after a john turned deadly.

[B]

When I get into the area, I saw a piece of wood way laying down on the back.

[A]

It's March 22, 1995. Hugo Martinez is a gardener for the city of Chula vista. Just after 7am, Martinez is working in Louderbach park when something unusual catches his eye.

[B]

When I started walking almost in the middle of the field, I noticed that it wasn't just a piece of wood, it was a body. So I started walking towards the body.

[A]

In the corner of the park, a woman lies naked in the dirt, shot eight times in the back, told me

[B]

that a body had been found at Lauterbach park and she appeared to be a victim of a homicide.

[A]

Detective Paul Villalpando takes the call and arrives at the scene.

[B]

She was totally unclothed. There were several apparent gunshot wounds to her upper body. I noticed a lot of debris nearby and some clothes. There was some trash, beer bottles and condoms found on the ground nearby. The location where she was found.

[A]

Crime scene technicians discover two sets of unknown footprints in the dirt. The prints are photographed and evidence is collected. Meanwhile, Villalpando tries to ID the victim.

[B]

this time, I decided to take a photograph and show it to the people that were gathered in the parking lot. One female there told me she thought she recognized the person as being Pam and that she hung around the area of Olivewood Terrace and Ocean View Boulevard in San Diego General. It's a high crime area. We walked up to the house, but there was a pit bull chained to the front door. I yelled at the house and a male Mr. Sharp came out and spoke with me. They showed me a Polaroid and I said that was her.

[A]

Tyrone Sharp IDs the victim as his friend, 32 year old Pamela Shelley, a known prostitute and drug user.

[B]

And that night we was all sitting around getting high. I'm gonna tell the truth about it.

[A]

According to Sharp, Pamela left his house around 2am but never returned home.

[B]

Oh, she said she was going to the playground they called the playground. I kind of walked her up to the next block here and just told her to be careful, you know. And she said, well, somebody's got my money in her pocket. And she took off for a little bouncy walk that she has.

[A]

The news of his friend's murder hits Tyrone hard.

[B]

She was the sweetest person that you ever want to meet. She's a beautiful person. And of all these unnecessary lot lizards around here, why would they take the queen, you know?

[A]

Villalpando starts asking around for information.

[B]

This is 32nd International. It's high pedestrian traffic because of the nearby naval bas, so she could get customers pretty steadily out here. I was looking for people who knew Pamela, who worked in the same area that she did, some of her steady customers. Any information I could get to try and develop a possible lead.

[A]

For six weeks, Vialpando works Shelly street, but finds nothing in the way of leads.

[B]

Pamela put itself in a pretty precarious situation because you never had any idea who you were coming up against.

[A]

When the street work fails to pay off, Villalpando turns to the crime lab, hoping to catch a break.

[B]

We had a lot of evidence laying there. We had the condoms, beer bottle, clothing. A lot of activity. So it pretty told us that everything happened right there.

[A]

On March 23, police evidence technician Rodrigo Vilasca sifts through the materials from the park. He pulls out a beer bottle found just five feet from the body.

[B]

What's interesting about this bottle is that the bag is we have two items in here. One is a beer bottle and one is a liquid. The liquid is what was in the bottle, still in when we found it.

[A]

Hoping the suspect's prints are still on the bottle, Bieska applies super glue to enhance the detail.

[B]

I literally just poured a little bit in here, about a quarter size piece. Put it on the hot plate right here. And then we sat here and we watched it cook. This glues on the print, the surface. Oh, I saw all these fingerprints on there. Some white residue with ridge formation. It's like, okay, I've got something to work with here.

[A]

When Vjeska dusts the bottle, he lifts two unknown fingerprints. The prints are uploaded into aphis, but the system doesn't return a match.

[B]

None of these led anywhere. It just went down a path where there was no resolution. I felt that no one deserves to die that way.

[A]

After three months, Pamela Shelley's case goes cold. And her mother Norvell is left without answers.

[B]

Oh God. Devastating takes everything from you. I kept saying, why? Why? Who could have did this? This is the property room of the Chula Vista Police Department where all the evidence from all crimes is kept. Of course, the homicide evidence is kept forever.

[A]

Bob Conrad is a cold case detective in Chula Vista, California. In January of 2002, Conrad reopens the Pamela Shelley murder. Now seven years cold.

[B]

This one had some possibilities. There were some leads that needed to be followed up on and some evidence to be re examined.

[A]

Conrad pulls the evidence from storage and sends it out for DNA testing.

[B]

They did develop a DNA profile from the swabs. Also there were some condoms found near the scene and DNA profiles was developed off the condoms as well.

[A]

In April of 2003, the two unknown profiles are uploaded into the CODIS system but fail to generate a match.

[B]

Disappointment. You're always disappointed when you don't get a hit on these things.

[A]

But Conrad returns to the evidence, locates the beer bottle, and resubmits the prints for testing. This is the latent print section of the Chula Vista Police Department crime lab. On April 9, latent print examiner Mary Kay Hunt looks at the fingerprint evidence. This is the actual lift.

[B]

So we'll place the latent print under

[A]

the direct capture area and capture that image. Hunt loads the Prince into aphis. Thirty minutes later, the system returns two separate hits.

[B]

She said, we got two hits off this beer bottle, off Prince. So it went from kind of zero to 90 in about one minute there.

[A]

Detective Bob Conrad has two names. Andre Robinson and Adrian Sutherland.

[B]

Both had lived in Chula Vist at the time of the murder. They had both been in the Navy. And then I noticed they were both from the same hometown in North Carolina.

[A]

The prints are a good start, but Conrad needs more.

[B]

We knew we had a potential defense of, oh, well, I was just drinking in the park, and I had nothing to do with this murder.

[A]

Conrad takes his case to the San Diego District Attorney's cold case squad, and the team devises a plan.

[B]

Well, the strategy was to hit them simultaneously. The decision was made that two teams were going to contact these two individuals, one in San Diego, one in Norfolk. We wanted to hit them at the same time so they wouldn't have a chance to communicate with each other.

[A]

On May 27, Detective Bob Conrad pays a visit to Adrian Sutherland, a suspect in the 1995 murder of Pamela Shelley. Fingerprint evidence has linked Sutherland and his childhood friend Andre Robinson to the crime.

[B]

We approached him on the premise that we were investigating his buddy Robinson. We wanted to relax him a little bit, get him comfortable. Would you be surprised if I told you that? Surprisingly, surprise. I hate to hear that.

[A]

After 15 minutes, Conrad changes his approach.

[B]

But when we started pointing a finger at him, he got very defensive. Would it surprise you if I told you there's something in that park that caused you into it? Yeah, it definitely surprised me. You're telling us you've never been there, right? Never been there. He and Robinson both lived within a half a mile of the park at the time of the murder. And he denied knowing where the park was. He denied ever picking up a prostitute. He just denied everything.

[A]

With the search warrant in hand, Conrad collects a DNA sample from Sutherland and sends it to the crime lab. Meanwhile, investigator Mike Howard finds Robinson stationed in Norfolk, Virginia, with a career in the Navy.

[B]

You know, he played it very cool, Extremely cool. It doesn't show his emotion on the

[A]

outside, Robinson seems eager to provide information about his old friend Sutherland.

[B]

I'm asking you your opinion. What kind of person is he? Twin. Us? Yes. The reason why I say that is because he's a womanizer. You know what I'm saying? As the interview progressed, the questions start turning toward Robinson himself. Why would your fingerprints be on a beer bottle with his fingerprints at emergency? At an emergency? I don't know. At a park. I don't know.

[A]

Robinson denies any involvement in the crime and hands over a swab of his DNA.

[B]

There are two separate DNA profiles obtained from spermatozoa which were from items that were found at the crime scene.

[A]

DNA analyst Byron Sonnenberg tests the samples and finds not one, but two separate DNA matches.

[B]

I actually found that the DNA profile obtained from the condom matched the DNA profile obtained from Mr. Sutherland. And the DNA profile obtained from the vaginal swabs from Pamela shelley matched the DNA profile obtained from Mr. Robinson. Really doesn't get much better than that.

[A]

After seeing seven years, cold case detectives have what they need.

[B]

We were prepared to get the arrest warrants and go after these guys. Mike Howard.

[A]

In an interrogation room at the Chula Vista Police Department, Mike Howard faces off with Adrian Sutherland.

[B]

You have an objective, and the objective is to get to the truth. You know that the people that you're interviewing are doing everything they can to keep you from the truth. He took your DNA. He took your DNA out of your mouth with that court order. That DNA come back this woman, not mine. Yeah, it did. No, it didn't. Yeah, it did. No, it didn't. I swear to God, it didn't come back. I did. Ain't no way.

[A]

There's no way.

[B]

I don't know that woman. Hang on. Well, you might not know her, but come back to her. And not only that fingerprint came back

[A]

to you for 20 minutes. Sutherland dismisses the DNA evidence and continues his denial.

[B]

Here we go. Round two, round three. And he has to come up with an explanation. So he says, all right, we picked up a prostitute. So I went into that storyline. This is my final story, man. Make it the truth. That's all I want. I want the truth. This is exactly what happened. One night, me and Audrey were riding around and we were somewhere over by 32nd Street. And that's where he met that girl, picked her up. Admissions are coming out. Okay, the dyke is trickling. So you're getting somewhere here. I do know that I do have sex with this girl, but I stood a distance while he had sex with her. I Don't know what the hell went wrong, but he just fucking started shooting that girl. What he was telling me that Robinson was a shooter made sense. Details that he told me fit the evidence that I knew was in the case.

[A]

But Howard isn't ready to let Sutherland off the hook just yet.

[B]

Okay, put your semen's there.

[A]

Explain it.

[B]

What happened? Tell me. That's a mystery you gotta clear up. And then he went back and forth. He wavered. I don't remember having sex with that one. Well, maybe I did. And then one point, he says, okay, I did. No, I didn't. I don't remember.

[A]

After four and a half hours, Howard ends the interview.

[B]

It's pretty exhausting.

[A]

And boom.

[B]

Had to hop on a red eye. And boom. As soon as you land there, you know you're ready to take on Robinson. He had already gone out to sea. The ship had left port, and they were doing some naval maneuvers in the Atlantic.

[A]

On June 10, 2004, Andre Robinson is flown off the USS Truman and into an interrogation room at the Norfolk Police Department.

[B]

He was quiet, reserved, playing it cool, like he was before.

[A]

During questioning, Robinson admits he and Sutherland picked up a prostitute. But he says Sutherland killed her.

[B]

So what was happening? She was forced to have sex with this girl. You're saying that he wanted to shoot her and result. Is that right? Yes, that's what I'm telling you.

[A]

It's a story Howard isn't buying.

[B]

He's playing a con game with me, hoping that he can con his way out of it. I know you'd like me to be talking about your comments. Okay, we're gonna get to the truth here. I saw the weakness. That's when I moved in. I know that you're a cheater. I know you were. I know you're afraid about it, okay? I know that you and Adrian want to protect this world. Whether you intend for. He knows the gig's up, his head goes down, and he just murmurs, I was the shooter. The dyke opens. I was the shooter. Well, I can't. I can't. Why? That's the only thing I don't know why. I don't. I can't even tell you why. I can't tell you why. I don't even know why.

[A]

Robinson crumbles under the pressure. He says he and Sutherland picked up Pamela Shelley, forced her to perform sex acts, and then he shot her in the back.

[B]

I was the one that heard and told her the truth. You got a gun in your arm. He couldn't give a reason. He said it was senseless, he said. He just snapped. It just happened.

[A]

Robinson and Sutherland are each charged with murder and sent to jail to await trial.

[B]

They just killed her like a piece of trash. Threw her away like a piece of trash. She was like subhuman to them, just like an animal to them.

[A]

In February of 2006, Andre Robinson stands trial for the murder of Pamela Shelley, prosecuted by San Diego County Deputy District Attorney Garland Peed.

[B]

It's kind of a dream case for a prosecutor to have. Not only did we have the fingerprints on the bottle, but then we had Robinson's DNA, the body cavity swabs, okay. And we also had a complete confession.

[A]

During the trial, Robinson changes his story and says Sutherland was the shooter.

[B]

The story was, I just confessed to it because I was under stress. I told them what they wanted to know, and it really wasn't me. It was the other guy.

[A]

It's a claim the jury doesn't believe. After two weeks of trial, Robinson is found guilty of murder and sentenced to life in prison.

[B]

The only difficulty in the case was against Sutherland, and that's why we decided to offer him a plea.

[A]

Five months later, Adrian Sutherland takes a

[B]

plea deal and he pled guilty to 12 years. I think justice is done in that. I mean, 12 years is a long time in prison for the second guy, the non shooter. But the shooter got life without parole, so the rest of his life, he'll never get out. I could not understand why till this date. I don't know why. Why kill her? Why kill her? It's terrible.

[A]

For Norvell Shelley, the answers help, but the pain of losing her daughter remains.

[B]

Pain just never goes away. It never goes away because you ask yourself why? Where did I go wrong? You know, where did I go wrong as a mother? But I don't know that answer.

[A]

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[A]

It's February 2006. Ray Staley is a cold case detective in Kansas City, Missouri. Danny Phillips is his partner.

[B]

Any of you guys seen this guy around?

[A]

John Jackson is their sergeant.

[B]

We got a murder. Her body was discovered in September of 97.

[A]

In a city with more than 900 cold cases, the detectives have their work cut out for them. In February of 2006, Stanley and Phillips catch a break on an old case. The 1990 rape and murder of 28 year old Linda Winfield.

[B]

It was a brutal crime, brutal homicide. She was repeatedly stabbed and she was sexually assaulted. And numerous stab wounds on her body.

[A]

On September 15th, 1990, Winfield's body was discovered in a lot on the north side of Kansas City.

[B]

She was found lying on her back. She was clothed. We believe this fence occurred right there, not that she was dumped.

[A]

For nearly 16 years, the case remained cold. Now police turn to the crime lab for a break.

[B]

So this is our walk in freezer that has all of our evidence that we retain in the lab. All of the biological evidence is housed here. These are all individual samples.

[A]

Jennifer Howard is a DNA analyst for the Kansas City Police crime lab.

[B]

So we've got stains from clothing, we've got swabs from victims like a vaginal swab, we've got nail scrapings, hair samples.

[A]

In August of 2005, Howard searches the cold storage and pulls out a small envelope containing evidence from the murder of Linda Winfield.

[B]

These are the actual samples for our case. And this envelope actually has a vaginal swab and then nail scrapings which are actually already in the tube for us.

[A]

Back in the lab, Howard examines the evidence and begins DNA testing.

[B]

There was indication that she had had recent sexual activity. So the vaginal swab is still really important to this particular case.

[A]

Semen is detected and Howard extracts an unknown DNA profile.

[B]

Well, at first I developed the genetic profile of an unknown male, so we didn't know who it belonged to. And then we put it into the CODIS database and got a hit. That profile matches an offender who is currently incarcerated in the state of Kansas for another murder. A murder of another woman that occurred approximately eight months after Linda's death.

[A]

Because this is an ongoing investigation, cold case detectives will not reveal the suspect's identity. Phillips and Staley review the file and discover Linda Winfield was living on the streets and working as a prostitute.

[B]

She was living with a boyfriend up until not too long before she was killed when she she left the home and Ended up on the street. This is, this is one of the worst, one of the worst I've seen because, I mean, just the mutilation. So I mean, this is a guy that we. We'd surely like to catch up to.

[A]

The DNA is a start, but Staley and Phillips need more. They start by returning to the crime scene. On July 20, 2006, cold case detectives return to the crime scene and find not much has changed in 16 years.

[B]

Most likely she was killed right there, right where she was discovered. She was stabbed numerous times and almost decapitated. Sometimes you go just to see the location and just to see what it looks like. But this particular area where she was found is down out of the beaten path. And we just needed to see what was down there, see what avenues that a person could leave from. And it was basically one road in and one road out.

[A]

The suspect in the Winfield case is currently serving a life sentence for the murder of another young woman.

[B]

He's an animal. He's already been incarcerated or found guilty of killing one woman. And we want to do the best that we can to put together a strong enough case to see if he's convicted on another. And he stays behind bars and doesn't ever get out. We don't want him having the opportunity to kill somebody else.

[A]

Back at the police department, Staley and Phillips brief Sergeant Jackson on the case in 90.

[B]

This gal was found. She just cut ear to ear, just her head almost severed. The DNA profile was found in her. Find out he's incarcerated for first degree murder. Track down the murder involves the murder of a young girl. Apparently she was accused of taking money, drug money, preliminary chit chat. He's a mob enforcer. He was OC connected. He got caught up in an indictment. Fairly significant drug indicator indictment. So he runs with some bad folks.

[A]

The two women were killed eight months apart. And semen evidence from the same man was found on both victims.

[B]

Sergeant, how you doing, sir? This is Detective Phillips, Kansas City. Say, I'd like to talk to you about possibly coming to your station this Friday to review that case file we spoke about.

[A]

Detective Phillips hopes there might be other similarities that could strengthen his case.

[B]

It'd be huge to be able to show that, you know, you have this offender, you have multiple deaths, and that the MO is the same.

[A]

In the file, he finds striking similarities in the killer's M.O.

[B]

in the two cases, there are injuries inflicted about the body that are the same and that is numerous stab wounds about the neck. So you have these common traits with the two cases. And then this only profile found in a girl that was believed to have been working the streets. We're pretty confident that we're looking at the same guy at this point. Time's on our side. We're not in any hurry. The offender's locked up, he will be locked up. And we're gonna conduct the investigation in a manner that will result in us obtaining this additional evidence.

[A]

With Time on their side, Phillips and Staley change their approach and pick up another murder case after a second DNA hit comes through.

[B]

This is exactly what we're looking for. A perfect match between a parent blood sample and a suspect.

[A]

Scott Hummel is a DNA analyst in Kansas City, Missouri. In December of 2005, Hummel pulls evidence from the 1988 hit and run accident that killed 56 year old John Sianchuk.

[B]

A car was stolen and that car ended up crashing into another vehicle, killing the driver of that vehicle, the stolen auto. It appeared that the driver of that car was injured because there was a broken windshield and blood on that windshield.

[A]

Now, 17 years later, Hummel pulls the glass shards and begins testing.

[B]

So those glass fragments were collected at the crime scene in 1988 and were retained in the laboratory. In our freezer there's a yellow chemical pad that when it comes in contact with blood, it will turn a green color. And there we get an immediate strong green reaction, which is an indication that this is an apparent blood sample.

[A]

Hummel extracts a full genetic profile from the blood on the glass.

[B]

In this case, all the blood samples were tested. They all typed were the same profile and the profile from the blood matched Melvin Jack's. This is exactly what we're looking for. A perfect match between a parent blood sample and a suspect. It's great news for the case.

[A]

Detective Danny Phillips now has a suspect. 53 year old Melvin Jacks. He runs a report and finds Jax in a Kansas prison serving a 13 year sentence for aggravated burglary.

[B]

I like that. Injury or possible injury, Would that correspond to where he would have hit the windshield? Anywhere in the front of his face, forehead? Sure.

[A]

Phillips pulls the file and reviews the case.

[B]

Just drive along, minding his own business and hear out of the clear blue, you know, his car T bones him and subsequently he dies. It's senseless. Mr. Sanchek was an innocent victim.

[A]

The suspect was driving a stolen car when he tried to outrun police.

[B]

And before the officer could even had the opportunity to stop this person, he accelerated, blacked out, turned his headlights off and fled.

[A]

Moments later, that car ran a stop sign and crashed Into Cinchuk, killing him instantly. When police arrived at the scene, the stolen car was there, but no suspect,

[B]

no trace of this guy. He was gone. All he cared about was, I'm in a stolen car, I hit some guy. I don't know if this guy is dead or not, but I'm getting out of here. And he just left.

[A]

Back in 88, an anonymous tipster led police to Jack's, but they lacked the evidence to make an arrest.

[B]

There was a phone call that the detectives received at the time saying that they believed Mr. Jackson was the person that was responsible for. For the death of Mr. Sancho. And this was like three months after the wreck. And so Mr. Jacks was then completely healed by that time. So there was no evidence of the wreck on his body. So it ended there.

[A]

Today, DNA changes that the physical evidence

[B]

will clearly show that his blood. Several different blood patterns throughout the interior of the vehicle were caused injuries he sustained in that accident that happened right then and there.

[A]

On August 2, 2006, cold case detectives head to the south side of Kansas City to get a look at the crime scene.

[B]

It's important to revisit the crime scene as an investigator. It's just not the same as looking at photos. You can get a whole lot better perspective by being able to the scene yourself.

[A]

After piecing together the crime, detectives realize their case has a hole. Jax could argue that someone else was driving the vehicle.

[B]

He could say that he was a passenger or someone else was driving the vehicle. So we just want to counter any type of defense or argument he might say in his defense. The key was to see, okay, if the blood did match our suspect, Is it consistent with the suspect being the driver?

[A]

Traffic investigator Chris Petrie examines the case and runs some simulations.

[B]

The tree struck the right. The bumper right at center. So in doing that, the car travels in motion, strikes the tree. All the weight is still at the center. It's going to cause the car to rotate left. Mr. Jack's still going forward, and it would account for it being right of the steering wheel. We can't bring the cars into the jury, but it just shows you on a smaller scale that the laws of physics are the same.

[A]

The officers agree the blood and damage to the windshield came from the driver of the vehicle, not from a passenger.

[B]

Basically, we're just trying to cover all the bases because these are things he could say. We have science on our side and physics on our side, so it'll help us out just on that.

[A]

Detectives are ready to speak to Melvin jacks. Just before 9am they find him at Lansing Correctional Facility and confront him with the evidence. Jax denies any involvement and then abruptly ends the interview.

[B]

Complete denial. In no way, shape or form is he going to admit to having any responsibility for this accident or having been involved in any fashion. I don't think he understood DNA, especially the DNA evidence in this particular, particular case that it was all over the inside of the vehicle from the windshield, the driver's armrest, all the bloodstream. The tissue is that of Melvin Jacks. It's fresh. It was wet. You know, this is collected scene immediately after the accident. There's no way to dispute that.

[A]

Cold case detectives don't get the confession they angled so hard for. But they aren't finished yet. They do get the name of a woman who's willing to talk.

[B]

We can go back through the case file, look at those who are close to Mr. Jacks at the time and see if perhaps he mentioned to them anything about his involvement in this particular accident.

[A]

It's a break that is about to pay off.

[B]

I have blood all over me. And he said, I tried to help the other person, but I think they're dead.

[A]

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[B]

Okay, let me direct your attention to the summer of 1988. Did you have the occasion to come in contact with Mr. Jacks? Yes, I did.

[A]

On October 4, 2006, cold case detectives Danny Phillips and Ray Staley sit down with an acquaintance of Melvin Jacks hoping for a break in the 1998 hit and run murder of John Cnchuk.

[B]

We took a Shot in the dark with a witness that we located used to date Melvin Jacks. It was encouraging when we contacted her because she didn't ask questions. So that indicates to me she knows what we want to talk about. She has information. Can you tell me about when this was? I know it was at night, and when I looked through the peep to see who it was, I saw it was Melvin and he was hurt pretty bad.

[A]

As detectives listen, the woman talks about a night 18 years earlier when Melvin Jax confessed to a deadly accident.

[B]

He was just crying and hugging. I had blood all over me. And he said, I tried to help the other person get out of the car, but I think they're dead. I said, why didn't you call the police? Why did you leave? He said, look at me. I got drugs on me. The police. All I do is go to jail. Did you notice any injuries about his body this time? I just noticed he was so hurt that I thought he was gonna die in my living room. She had very clear recollection. You know, you don't forget these kinds of experiences. It was pretty traumatic, probably for the both of them. He started crying and said, I think I killed somebody. And all he could do was run, he was so scared. And he indicated to her that he hit somebody in the car. And he doesn't think that this person is alive and stuff. So that was a crucial piece of information that we needed. Has Melvin ever been in trouble for stealing cars? Than, you know, Melvin been in jail for stealing everything. He probably tried to steal the refrigerator.

[A]

I mean, seriously, after 30 minutes, cold case detectives have what they need.

[B]

I mean, we've already got the guy. Like I said, the DNA is in the right places. It's him. This is icing on the cake. Come on in, Ted. How are you doing?

[A]

Good. Two months after locating their star witness, cold case detectives bring their case to prosecutor Ted Hunt.

[B]

It all fits together, and I think we've got a good, strong case to present to a jury. Ultimately, they have to decide what it all means, but we think it leads to murder. What we're doing right now is we've got the thing loaded and it's ready to go. We got the charges ready, and we're just going to send it to the grand jury.

[A]

Hunt takes the case and files one count of felony murder against Melvin Jacks.

[B]

We will try to get as much time as we can for him. He started this ball rolling by stealing the car and then running from the police, and that run's come to an end.

[A]

If convicted, Jax could face up to life in prison.

[B]

You guys did a great job. And ready to start the prosecution. I feel good about it. I feel great about it. I feel the best about it because it's gonna bring closure to Mr. Sanchek's family. Okay. Up in Canada, after all these years, they're gonna have closure. Well, we're going to Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It's early in the morning, 6:30, and we're going to talk to the family of the homicide. That victim is to Sinchuk.

[A]

On November 28, 2006, Detectives Staley and Phillips board a flight to Canada. Sixteen hundred miles later, they touched down in Edmonton with a temperature of negative 24 degrees.

[B]

Being homside detectives, this is the only. We can't really bring good news to people because you know, they're someone has died. But we can bring something type of relief, you know, letting them know that the person that's responsible is caught.

[A]

Detectives Staley and Phillips arrive at the home of Irwin and Joyce Strifler, John Cinchuk's sister and brother in law. This is the last stop for cold case detectives. Joyce and Erwin Strifler have lived with a loss for 18 years.

[B]

We got the phone call, it was in the middle of the night, which kind of gets you off guard. You just don't imagine that it's him. Like they probably made a mistake and something else has gone wrong.

[A]

Today the Striflers sit down with cold case detectives and receive some unexpected news.

[B]

We opened the investigation a few months ago and in doing so, the criminalist was able to confirm that there's a Damien match. So we have our suspect. Looks like we have a very good case against the person who's responsible for Rose death.

[A]

Detective Phillips explains the case against Melvin Jacks.

[B]

Melvin Jacks. There's no doubt in my mind that he was the operator of the vehicle that struck you, your brother. Well, I think it's gratifying to know that justice is being served. You know, when you take the life of somebody, whether it's by murder or by accident or whatever, it puts it in perspective. You know, these are real people. They had a real loss. But until you see through pictures and words that they, you know, a victim's family might express to you just how important this person is, I mean, it just really doesn't hit home until this kind of thing happens. Being able to tell this family that after 18 years they can put a name to who killed their family member, you know, that's gratifying and I hope that will help them you know, for

[A]

cold case detectives, one case is closed, but hundreds more remain.

[B]

It's very satisfying. But that satisfaction is short lived because when we get back in the office tomorrow, it's back to the other cases that we're still working, the cases that still remain open, the cases that there's still a tremendous amount of work to do and you hope that eventually we have the score conclusion with this case as well. Hello and welcome to Pluto Foe. If you know the name of the movie you'd like to see, just stream it for free on Pluto tv where all your blockbuster favorites are landing all summer long. Catch Anchorman, the Legend of Ron Burgundy. Fantastic. Men in Black, one through three. That's what I'm talking about. Mean Girls. Shut up. Titanic. I'm the king of the world. And so much more. For Showtime's press. Nothing. They're free 24. 7. That is so effective on Pluto TV. Stream now. Pay Never. This episode 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 to see if you could save when you bundle your home and auto policies. Try [e-mail] Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates. Potential savings will vary. Not available in all states. Support for this podcast comes from Progressive,

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