Cold Case Files: REOPENED: Murder Checks In

Hosted by Paula Barros | Released on January 23, 2025

Introduction

In the gripping episode titled "REOPENED: Murder Checks In," Cold Case Files delves deep into the mysterious and brutal murder of Patricia Lang in Des Moines, Iowa. Hosted by Paula Barros, the episode unravels the complexities of a case that had remained unsolved for decades, highlighting the relentless pursuit of justice by dedicated investigators and the evolution of forensic technology that ultimately led to the conviction of Donald Piper.

The Murder of Patricia Lang

[00:04]
Patricia Lang, a 36-year-old woman, had relocated to Des Moines from Denver in August 1993 to be closer to her family. While awaiting her new apartment, she booked a week-long stay at the Holiday Inn in West Des Moines. Her disappearance was first noticed when she failed to show up for work on Monday, prompting a housekeeper to check on her.

[00:57] Paul Bush, Iowa DCI Crime Lab:
"This was probably one of the more violent crime scenes that I'd been on in the fact that the victim's hands were bound. There was also a piece of cloth tied around her neck."

Patricia was found murdered in her hotel room. The scene was chaotic, with signs of a ransacked room and evidence suggesting a sexual assault homicide. Despite her purse containing over $200, robbery was ruled out as a motive.

[01:19] Paul Bush:
"There was no indication of a robbery type situation. So the fact that the woman was naked from the waist down. It appeared again that we had a sexual assault homicide."

Initial Investigation and Leads

Paul Bush, accompanied by Agent Jim Saunders from the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, meticulously processed the crime scene. They faced the challenge of determining how the killer gained entry to the room, as there were no signs of forced entry.

[01:52] Jim Saunders:
"There were no signs of forced entry into the room, which indicated to us one of two things occurred. Either the person had gained access to the room with a pass key of some sort and was lying in wait for the victim when she returned to the room, or using some ruse to gain the trust of the victim was allowed in."

A potential witness emerged when Candice, a 13-year-old tap dancer staying at the hotel with her mother, recounted a frightening encounter. On the night of the murder, Candice felt she was being followed by a suspicious man in the hotel elevator.

[02:26] Candice:
"And as I rounded the corner, I looked over my shoulder to see if he was still behind me. And he was. I thought it was just a little bit odd that he was still behind me. And so I kind of picked up the pace, and I thought, man, I think he's really following me."

After notifying her mother and reporting the incident, Candice assisted investigators in creating a composite sketch of the man she encountered.

[03:37] Candice:
"We sat at my dining room table, and he brought out a composite sheet where we took transparencies and laid out each feature of the face, picked out the eyes, picked out the mouth, the mustache, and went from there."

Despite widespread distribution of Candice's sketch among hotel staff and other guests, no one could identify the man, leaving investigators with scant leads.

[04:00] Jim Saunders:
"Again, it put somebody suspicious in the general vicinity of the crime scene or room 732. And so we did everything we could to try to identify who that individual was. But unfortunately, at that time, we weren't able to do that."

Challenges with Forensic Evidence

Detective Bush faced significant hurdles when processing the forensic evidence. The bedspread in Patricia's room revealed an overwhelming number of semen stains—106 in total—with 38 confirmed as semen.

[04:39] Paul Bush:
"I think I identified, like, 106 stains on the bedspread. 106 stains was kind of a shock. And then the fact the number of semen stains that we found on the bedspread were was kind of shocking, too."

Recognizing that not all stains could be related to the crime, Bush prudently selected specific stains for DNA analysis. Unfortunately, the available DNA technology at the time couldn't provide a definitive match, especially since there were no suspects' DNA profiles to compare against.

[05:58] Jim Saunders:
"There's an old saying out there that if you don't have something tangible within the first 48 hours, every day that passes, it becomes more difficult. And there's some truth to that. And so months went by and we were not coming up with any tangible information that was leading us to any one individual as being responsible for this. And so that did become quite frustrating."

With no new leads, Patricia Lang's case went cold for four years.

The Emergence of a Similar Murder

[10:13]
The narrative takes a pivotal turn when a similar murder occurs less than a mile from where Patricia Lang was killed. Zurieta Sinkonovic, a 21-year-old housekeeper from Bosnia, was found brutally murdered in the nearby Budgetel Hotel in early 1993.

[10:55] John Quinn, Agent:
"She was naked from the waist down, except for her socks and shoes were on. And one of the things that just immediately stuck out in my mind was the fact that we had had a homicide less than a quarter of a mile away, which is just adjacent across the interstate at the Holiday Inn in 1993."

Both women were found in hotel rooms, gagged, strangled, and positioned similarly beside the bed. However, initial investigations noted differences—Zurieta had been stabbed multiple times without evidence of sexual assault, unlike Patricia.

[11:25] John Quinn:
"When you put everything together, position of the body, the way she's naked from the waist down, the binding of the hands, manual throttling, you know, all those things indicate that, hey, it's the same person. In fact, that's the first thing that struck out in my mind. I said, you know, I just kind of said, I feel fearful for Des Moines and the surrounding area due to the fact that we had a predator on our hands."

Despite initial skepticism from some investigators due to the differing nature of the crimes, the similarities in modus operandi (MO) pointed towards a serial predator.

Identifying Donald Piper as the Prime Suspect

[14:15]
Agent Quinn and the cold case team revisited Patricia Lang's case, focusing on the DNA evidence. They compiled a list of potential suspects who hadn't submitted DNA samples, leading them to Donald Piper, a former employee of the Holiday Inn.

[13:30]
John Quinn explains the thorough review process: "The decision was made. We've got to sit down, go back to the '93 case. And in doing so, we dissected it and reviewed every interview, reviewed all composites, reviewed all DNA evidence."

Donald Piper had been terminated from his position two months prior to Patricia's murder following a sexual harassment complaint filed by a housekeeper. His access keys, which granted him entry to nearly every room in the hotel, were a crucial link.

[14:46] Steve Fortano, District Attorney:
"For us, that was a huge break in the case. At that point, we didn't feel that it was enough probably to arrest him and convict him, and we wanted to be very careful with that. But we did immediately, obviously, make him our prime suspect."

Piper agreed to an interview, where his reaction to Patricia's photograph raised suspicions.

[15:10] Tom Boyd, Detective:
"As the questions were being asked, I produced a photograph of Patricia Lang. I slid it across the table in front of him, and the reaction that we got, he just locked in on that photograph, and you could just see the muscles in his face tightening and clenching. He wanted that interview over very badly."

Later, Piper contacted Agent Quinn to disclose unusual behavior:

[16:05] Donald Piper:
"I masturbate... I would randomly select rooms to go ahead and masturbate in. Rooms that were empty, of course, at the time. And that just insinuated that maybe that's the reason why my seminal fluids were in that room."

However, the DNA evidence at the time was inconclusive due to the limitations of the Relocation Fragment Length Polymorphism (RFLP) method, which allowed ten other individuals in Iowa to potentially match the semen samples.

Ongoing Surveillance and Piper’s Evasive Behavior

Despite not having definitive DNA matches, Piper remained the focal point of the investigation. Surveillance commenced to monitor his activities and prevent any further crimes.

[18:02] John Quinn:
"So it put a burden on law enforcement. Knowing who our suspect is, knowing his potential... I felt it was my responsibility to take every step possible. Proactive measures to make sure that he did not go ahead and hurt anybody else."

Piper, feeling the pressure of constant surveillance, began to antagonize the investigators. His confrontational behavior escalated, culminating in a dramatic chase filmed by Piper himself.

[19:14] Tom Boyd:
"They got in his brother's truck and actually started chasing us through the city. And at the time, he had a video camera with him, and he's filming this."

Fearing that Piper might commit another murder under the stress of being watched, investigators decided to reduce direct surveillance, hoping he would make a mistake.

Breakthrough with Advanced DNA Technology

By the year 2000, advancements in DNA technology provided a renewed opportunity to link Piper definitively to the murders.

[23:15] Paul Bush, Iowa Crime Lab:
"Again, you have to realize that this DNA technology is really blossomed or developed since from the mid to late '80s. And again, this case spanned major changes in the types of DNA testing that took place."

Detective Bush revisited the evidence, exhaustively searching for usable DNA samples. He discovered a pair of socks belonging to Patricia Lang that had been laundered, finding strong seminal fluid stains.

[23:58] Paul Bush:
"These socks, again, with all these other items of clothing, had just been laundered. So we had, in my opinion, clean clothing here where we had a semen stain on it. So I felt it was very significant in that it would have to tie to the assault."

DNA extracted from the sock matched Piper's saliva sample, providing the critical link needed to prosecute him.

[24:52] John Quinn:
"He has no explanation as to why his seminal fluid would be on that sock. That's how profound that one piece of evidence was."

Further forensic analysis connected Piper to the murder of Zurieta Sinkonovic by identifying his DNA on bloodstains from the Budgetel Hotel crime scene.

The Trial and Conviction

Donald Piper maintained his innocence during his trial, offering alternative explanations for the DNA evidence. He claimed that he and his wife had engaged in sexual activities in several hotel rooms, attempting to rationalize the presence of his semen in various locations.

[26:57] Donald Piper:
"I worked from... 6 in the morning till... 5 at night... And I basically take it over like it's my home."
"He said, 'I do masturbate. And I don't know what was...'"

Despite Piper's defense, District Attorney Steve Fortano remained unimpressed by his explanations.

[27:31] Steve Fortano:
"We didn't think a jury would buy it. It was a pretty feeble effort to try and explain how his semen got on the bedspread. And that still didn't explain how the semen got on Patricia Lang's sock."

After eight days of deliberation, the jury convicted Piper of Patricia Lang's murder, sentencing him to life in prison. A subsequent trial led to his conviction for Zurieta Sinkonovic's murder, securing a second life sentence. Although Piper was a suspect in the murder of Mariana Redrovan, lack of physical evidence prevented prosecution in that case.

[28:26] John Quinn:
"Life is life takes commutation of a life sentence by the governor. And I know that there's no governor that would ever commute Don Piper's life sentence."

Conclusion

The "REOPENED: Murder Checks In" episode of Cold Case Files showcases the intricate and arduous journey of solving cold cases. It highlights the importance of perseverance, the advancements in forensic science, and the unwavering dedication of law enforcement officials like Paul Bush and John Quinn. Donald Piper's eventual conviction serves as a testament to the relentless pursuit of justice, ensuring that a dangerous predator was removed from society and providing closure to the families of the victims.

Notable Quotes:

• Paul Bush [00:57]: "This was probably one of the more violent crime scenes that I'd been on in the fact that the victim's hands were bound. There was also a piece of cloth tied around her neck."
• Jim Saunders [01:52]: "There were no signs of forced entry into the room, which indicated to us one of two things occurred..."
• Candice [02:26]: "And as I rounded the corner, I looked over my shoulder to see if he was still behind me. And he was..."
• Paul Bush [04:39]: "I think I identified, like, 106 stains on the bedspread..."
• John Quinn [11:25]: "When you put everything together... it's the same person."
• Steve Fortano [14:46]: "For us, that was a huge break in the case..."
• John Quinn [24:52]: "He has no explanation as to why his seminal fluid would be on that sock."
• Steve Fortano [27:31]: "We didn't think a jury would buy it..."
• John Quinn [28:26]: "Life is life takes commutation of a life sentence by the governor..."

Cold Case Files continues to bring to light the unresolved mysteries of the past, offering listeners a compelling narrative of crime, investigation, and the pursuit of truth.