Watch It Again (PODCAST EXCLUSIVE EPISODE)

Summary

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MrBallen Podcast: Strange, Dark & Mysterious Stories

Episode: “Watch It Again” (Podcast Exclusive)
Date: November 24, 2025
Host: John Allen (MrBallen)

Episode Overview

In this chilling episode, MrBallen delves into the baffling and brutal murder of Don Fluitt, a beloved father and community volunteer in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Through gripping storytelling, MrBallen unravels the investigation from the first ominous hints–a cowering dog, an overturned trash can, and a shadowy figure on security footage–to the shocking betrayal at the heart of the crime. The episode highlights both the slow, painstaking process of police work and the pivotal role of forensic evidence, culminating in a satisfying but deeply unsettling resolution.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Don Fluitt’s Life and Character

• Personal background: Don Fluitt was a 54-year-old single father, known for his community service, especially the “Spaghetti Sunday” tradition where he and his daughter, Sienna, would cook and serve food to the homeless. He had recently returned from a difficult Christmas in California after his sister’s passing.
• Quote:
  • “Don felt proud that he'd created something so meaningful for the community, and it was especially important to him that he had done it with Sienna.” (05:15)
• Struggles and Redemption: Don's earlier life had been marred by drug use and the loss of custody of his first two children. He’d turned himself around, fighting for partial custody of Sienna and remaining actively involved in her life.

The Night of the Murder

• Sequence of Events:
  • December 28, 2016: Don and Sienna return to Albuquerque late at night. Sienna is dropped off at her mother Christine’s house around 7:45pm. Don returns home alone.
  • Notable oddities: Don’s dog, Buddy, is unusually skittish. The garage door behaves strangely; Don hears it stop and roll back up as if something tripped the sensor.
  • An overturned trash can at the curb, found by Don, is later revealed to be a key part of the killer’s plan.
• Memorable Moment:
  • “He could have sworn he heard the garage door stop closing and roll back up again, as if something had maybe tripped the sensor.” (09:50)

Discovery of the Crime

• Don Fails to Report to Work:
  • Don’s absence the next morning raises alarms with his coworker, Valerie. Sienna also expresses worry, saying her father didn’t call her before bed as he always did.
• Crime Scene:
  • Valerie and another coworker find Don’s house unlocked and, upon searching the garage, find his body.
  • The scene is brutal: “Don's throat was cut with a gaping wound… there were smaller cuts and scrapes… signs of blunt force trauma… burst capillaries… a sign of strangulation.” (14:20)
  • Attempts to clean the scene are evident: bleach, wet towels in the washer, but blood traces remain.

The Investigation

• Detective Kaplan’s Role:

  • Kaplan notes there are no signs of forced entry, and nothing is stolen. The violence of the attack suggests it was personal.

• Suspects Considered:

  • Christine (Don’s ex-wife): Quickly ruled out due to a solid alibi.
  • Terry White (Christine’s new husband): Claims an alibi (with sister and work), which is initially supported.
  • Don’s brother Dennis: Had a feud with Don over inheritance and was found taking control of Don’s possessions after his death.
  • Landlord Benny Ruiz: In and out of the house post-murder, mentions potential homeless perpetrator, but this is doubted by Kaplan.

• Home Security Footage:

  • Pivotal evidence comes from a neighbor's surveillance camera, revealing a “hooded figure” lurking and tipping over the trash can, intending to lure Don out and sneak into the garage.
  • The timing and knowledge of Don’s habits point to someone very familiar with his routine.

• Family Dynamics & Motives:

  • Discussion with Don’s children from his first marriage points more suspicion towards brother Dennis, but ultimately there is no evidence to charge him.
  • Terry, meanwhile, is increasingly revealed as someone who resented Don’s presence and influence in Sienna’s life.

Breakthrough & Resolution

• Forensic Evidence:

  • After months of dead ends, the key evidence comes from DNA found under Don’s fingernails–indicative of a fierce struggle.
  • Bombshell Moment:
    • “The key piece of forensic evidence that was left behind…was DNA found under Don's fingernails that belonged to none other than Sienna's own stepfather, Terry White.” (36:51)

• Arrest and Aftermath:

  • Terry White’s alibi collapses. He is arrested and charged with Don’s murder.
  • Terry tries to implicate Christine, but charges against her are dropped due to lack of evidence.
  • Terry is convicted in August 2018 of first-degree murder, aggravated burglary, and tampering with evidence. He is sentenced to life plus 12 years.
  • Final Quote:
    • “Don was not able to save his own life, but by aggressively fighting back, he'd given investigators a clue that would solve his murder and also ensure that in his absence, his daughter Sienna would grow up in a safe and secure home.” (36:09)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Setting the Show’s Tone

  • “If you’re a fan of the strange, dark and mysterious delivered in story format, then you’ve come to the right show…” (01:07)

• On Don’s Transformation

  • “These days, Don lived a squeaky clean life and went to church every Sunday. But it was not always that way.” (07:10)

• Crime Discovery

  • “She looked over at her coworker, then the two of them nervously stepped inside… and when she looked down, she screamed.” (13:55)

• Detective Kaplan Analyzes the Garage Door Incident

  • “Kaplan thought about those strange flashes of light he saw in the video, and then also that hooded figure he had seen lurking near the garage. And all at once, it was like the pieces clicked into place.” (23:33)

• The Twist

  • “The DNA found under Don's fingernails belonged to none other than Sienna's own stepfather, Terry White.” (36:51)

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Timeline & Timestamps

| Timestamp | Segment Description | |-----------|--------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:00 | Introduction, scene setting: a neighborhood in fear | | 04:00 | Don and Sienna return from California, Spaghetti Sunday | | 09:30 | The dropoff at Christine’s, odd garage door moment | | 13:30 | Valerie discovers Don’s body in the garage | | 14:20 | Detective Kaplan arrives, crime scene described | | 17:25 | Investigating motives, talking with landlord and Christine | | 22:10 | Reviewing security footage; suspect’s method becomes clear | | 29:45 | Questioning Don’s brother Dennis | | 32:00 | More dead ends, a stalled investigation | | 35:45 | The forensic DNA breakthrough | | 36:51 | Terry White revealed as the killer | | 39:10 | Aftermath: conviction and sentencing |

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Analysis & Reflections

MrBallen masterfully peels away layers of a complex case, utilizing forensic science and close attention to human motive. The episode’s structure mimics a puzzle, with each suspect and dead end building suspense. The ultimate solution–that Sienna’s stepfather, Terry, committed the murder–is both shocking and heartbreaking, highlighting the darkness that can sometimes lurk closest to home.

Throughout, MrBallen retains his signature storytelling style: matter-of-fact, unhurried, with a hint of dark humor and empathy for the victim and those left behind. The detail about Don’s DNA—act of resistance even in the end—offers both justice and a poignant sense of closure.

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For Listeners Who Haven’t Tuned In

• What You’ll Get: A deeply-researched, emotional true crime story that captures both the victim’s life and the painstaking work of solving a seemingly motiveless crime.
• What Stands Out: The ordinary details—the Christmas decorations, the Spaghetti Sunday tradition, a nervous dog—are woven into a narrative that feels intimate and real.
• Resolution: Through careful police work and forensic evidence, the killer is brought to justice, ensuring Don’s legacy lives on through his family and acts of kindness.

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Note: Story events and some names may have been fictionalized or altered for privacy and dramatic effect, as per the episode’s closing disclaimer.

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Transcript

[A]

On December 30, 2016, a woman sat down at her computer inside of her New Mexico home and pulled up the video feed from her surveillance system. Everybody in her neighborhood was terrified. There was a killer on the loose and the police didn't seem to have any idea who it could be or what their motivations were. And so she scrolled back two days and began going through the footage frame by frame looking for anything suspicious. And for a while, no, nothing interesting happened. You know, she saw her neighbor come back from a trip and then some time passed and then he left again and there really wasn't anything. And the woman was starting to think that what she was doing was just a big waste of time when all of a sudden, in the very corner of the screen, a dark figure appeared. But before we get into today's story, if you're a fan of the strange, dark and mysterious delivered in story format, then you've come to the right show, because that's all we do. So if that's of interest to you. And please sneak into the follow button's bedroom and secretly hide dozens of alarm clocks all over the room that are all set to go off at various points throughout the night. Okay, let's get into today's story.

[B]

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[C]

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[A]

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[A]

On the evening of December 28, 2016, a 54 year old man named Don Fluitt drove down the highway into the city of Albuquerque, New Mexico. Beside him was his 11 year old daughter Sienna, who had fallen asleep in the passenger seat. They'd been driving for nearly 12 hours, all the way from dawn's mother's home in California where they just spent Christmas. But the holiday had not really been a happy one because a few weeks earlier Dawn's sister Janese had died of breast cancer, and Janese was really one of the only true close family members Don had left. His dad and his other sister were both already dead, and his younger brother Dennis wasn't talking to him after a big argument the year before. So as soon as dawn had gotten the news that Janiece had unfortunately passed away, he'd immediately negotiated with his ex wife to take their daughter Sienna and go see his mom. He wished they could have stayed longer, but he had to get back to work. Don had a job at an agency that served the developmentally disabled, and there was a big meeting coming up that he just couldn't miss. Just then, Don slammed on his brakes. Traffic ahead was piling up and the car in front of him had slowed down to an abrupt stop. Don felt a surge of anger rise in his chest and he laid on his horn. He was about to roll down the window so he could scream at the driver in front of him, but then he saw Sienna open her eyes in alarm in the seat next to him and he stopped himself. Don took a deep breath and reminded himself that it was just traffic and it wasn't worth getting angry about. Don used to have kind of a temper when it came to driving, but in recent years he'd been working hard to control it so he could set a good example for his daughter. So after the traffic finally let up and as he rounded an exit off the highway and drove through downtown Albuquerque toward his house, Don deliberately tried to shift his focus to something positive. It was already Wednesday, which meant it was only a few more days until Spaghetti Sunday, and that always made Don smile. Spaghetti sundae was a tradition that he and Siena had started together a few years ago by making big batches of food every Sunday after church and bringing the food downtown to feed the homeless. At first it had just been the two of them, but over time more people had joined in the effort, and pretty soon it had grown into a real event with whole groups of volunteers coming out to serve food and drop off clothes and canned goods. Don felt proud that he'd created something so meaningful for the community, and it was especially important to him that he had done it with Siena. Finally, Don turned down a quiet residential street and parked in the garage of a two story stucco townhouse decorated with Christmas lights. He got out of the car with Sienna, grabbed their suitcases, and walked to the front door and unlocked it. And when his daughter stepped inside, she shrieked with excitement, because waiting for her under the Christmas tree was a brand new bicycle wrapped in a shiny bow. She turned around and asked her dad if she could give the bike a spin around the block. Right now. Dawn wanted to say yes, but it was already dark out, and this was supposed to be a quick stop at his house. And when he looked at the clock, he saw that it was almost seven. He'd already had Sienna for most of December, including the whole holiday, and he had to get her back to her mother's house soon. Dawn and his ex wife, Christine White, had a pretty civil relationship, but he knew she would be annoyed if he asked for more time. So Don told Sienna the bike would have to wait, but for now, just go grab whatever she needed from her room, and then they would leave. As Sienna ran off, Don noticed something strange. He hadn't seen his golden retriever, Buddy, who usually rushed out to greet him whenever he came home. So Don walked through the living room and down the hall, calling out Buddy's name, and finally found the dog cowering in the bedroom. Don extended his hand, and Buddy skittishly came forward to sniff it. And Don was a little unnerved by this. Buddy usually did not act scared of him, but then again, Don didn't usually leave for weeks at a time either. So he just told himself that, you know, maybe this was just separation anxiety. So he gave Buddy a pat on the head, filled his bowl with kibble, and then grabbed his keys for the short drive to his ex wife Christine's house. Don drove to Christine's very slowly, trying to enjoy every last bit of his time with Sienna. Don treasured the time he had with his daughter because the mistakes he'd made when he was younger had almost gotten her taken away from him. These days, Don lived a squeaky clean life and went to church every Sunday. But it was not always that way. He had partied a lot when he was younger, and when Sienna was a toddler, he'd gotten fired from his dream job as a firefighter for failing a drug test. And then after he'd lost his job, his then wife Christine had to shoulder most of the family's bills. And after a few months, the strain on the marriage was just too much. Christine filed for divorce, which was crushing for dawn, but even worse was the possibility of losing Sienna. Don actually already had two kids from a previous marriage, and after that divorce, his first wife had gotten sole custody of those kids and moved them all to Oklahoma. So Don had barely seen them for most of their childhoods. He was determined not to make that same mistake with Sienna, so he'd gone to court to fight Christine and her new husband, Terry White, for shared custody. The court battle had gotten a little contentious, but it was worth it. And dawn made the most of every moment he got to spend with Sienna. He'd braid her hair before school and make costumes for her school plays, and on the nights when she was at her mom's house, he always called her before bed to say goodnight. Now dawn pulled into Christine and Terri's driveway, and Christine came outside and stood by the front door with her arms crossed. She motioned to her watch, clearly annoyed that dawn was late. Dawn got out of the car and sort of apologized and told her it had been a really long drive from California and they had only stopped a few times for gas and bathroom breaks and they'd hit some traffic, you know, that was why they were late. Christine sighed and said it was okay. She asked about the trip, and Don told her it went well. They had a great Christmas, despite the sadness over his sister's death, and it had been very meaningful just to be together. Before Sienna ran inside the house, Don pulled her in for a big hug and kiss, and then he promised to call her before bed as usual. And when he saw her again that weekend, they'd have plenty of time to test drive that new bike. When Don pulled back into his garage 10 minutes later, he noticed that the trash can at the end of his driveway was lying overturned on its side. So he parked his truck, walked down to the curb, and flipped it upright. Then he walked back up the driveway, pressed a button to close the garage door, and unlocked the door to his townhouse. And while he was taking off his shoes and jacket, he could have sworn he heard the garage door stop closing and roll back up again, as if something had maybe tripped the sensor. He stopped to listen, and now what he heard was the sound of the door actually closing again and actually hitting the ground with a soft thud. He shook his head and decided he must be imagining things. Don dragged his suitcase into the bedroom and began to unpack. All he wanted to do was just relax and not really think about anything. But when he carried his toiletries into his bathroom to put them away, he saw a small hole in the ceiling and let out a frustrated sigh. Don had been hounding his landlord about patching that hole for months, and he'd been hoping it would have been done by the time he got home. So he made a mental note to give the landlord yet another call about it. In the morning, when he was finally finished unpacking, Don put his jacket and his shoes back on and then headed out to the garage to smoke a cigarette. The following morning, December 29, at the office where Don worked, his co worker, Valerie Torres, was settling down at her desk when her phone rang. Valerie picked it up and heard Don's daughter Sienna on the other line. Sienna told Valerie that her dad did not call her last night and asked if he was there now at the office. So Valerie stood up and peered over at Dawn's desk, but it was empty. This was a little unusual since Don was a pretty punctual guy. But it was still early, so she told Sienna not to worry. She would give Don a call now, and she was sure he would call Sienna right back. Valerie hung up and dialed Don's cell phone, but he didn't answer. So she sent him a text message and she waited. But after half an hour, dawn still hadn't replied, and now Valerie was starting to feel concerned. It was not like Don to skip work without calling in and then ignore calls and texts, too. And so Valerie discussed it with another coworker and they decided to just go swing by Don's townhouse themselves and check on him. The sky over Don's townhouse was dark and cloudy when Valerie pulled into the driveway. She and her co worker got out of the car and walked up to the front door. Valerie knocked on the door, but to her surprise, it actually just swung right open. She looked over at her co worker, then the two of them nervously stepped inside. Valerie immediately called out Don's name, but he didn't answer. So she wandered into the living room and peeked into the bedroom, but the house seemed empty. Valerie's coworker, meanwhile, headed up the stairs to look for dawn on the second floor, and Valerie headed out to the garage to see if maybe Don's truck was there. And when Valerie opened the door to the two car garage attached to the townhouse and flipped on the light, she saw Don's truck was in its usual spot. But something else caught her eye. On the back wall of the garage behind the neighbor's suv, she noticed a streak of something dark red on the wall. At this point, Valerie started to feel pretty nervous, but nonetheless, she began walking towards that back wall to see what was going on over there. And as she got closer and closer, she was staring at the streak, you know, wondering if her eyes were playing tricks on her. Until finally she was close enough that she could actually look down at the space between the SUV and the red streaked wall. And when she looked down, she screamed. 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Kaplan stepped inside the townhouse, into the living room, and right away he saw a brand new bicycle sitting under a Christmas tree. Then he did a slow loop through the first and second floors and noted there was a cell phone on the couch and a wallet on the kitchen counter. It didn't really look like anything had been rifled through. The drawers in the house were not hanging open and, you know, the house generally was neat and orderly and so on first glance, this did not appear to Kaplan like a robbery. Back on the first floor, Kaplan headed into the garage, where crime scene techs were busy photographing the scene and collecting forensic samples. Kaplan knelt down next to Don's body, which was laying face up between an SUV and the back wall. Don's throat was cut with a gaping wound that ran from one side of his neck to the other, and there were smaller cuts and scrapes near his eye, his ear, and on his hand, as if he had tried to fight back. There were also signs of blunt force trauma, as if he had been hit by an object like a baseball bat or maybe just a fist. And when Kaplan looked closely, he saw burst capillaries on Don's eyes and eyelids, which he knew were commonly a sign of strangulation. This killing was unusually violent and gruesome, which Kaplan knew meant this was likely personal. Kaplan stood up to examine the Blood that was spattered on the walls and refrigerator above Don's body and the bloody handprints on the side of Don's truck. There was no blood on the floor around Don. However, it sort of appeared like somebody had recently mopped and maybe tried to clean up the blood afterwards. That's when Kaplan noticed an empty bottle of bleach on top of the washer nearby. So he walked over, he opened up the washer, and sure enough, he found piles of wet towels inside that actually still smelled like bleach. Just then, a crime scene tech came over carrying luminol spray, which is a chemical used by law enforcement to detect blood. And so Kaplan stepped back so he could spray the area, and then Kaplan followed him around as he made his way through the house. The luminol spray did pick up traces of blood on the kitchen floor and the sink, too. And Kaplan figured the suspect had tried to clean up the crime scene in the garage and then washed their hands or the murder weapon in the kitchen before leaving. But it is much harder to scrub a murder scene than people realize. And so as Kaplan left the house, he was feeling fairly hopeful that the crime scene techs would eventually recover some of the killer's DNA. Kaplan stepped through the front door just as a car pulled up and parked at the end of the driveway. A man got out of the car and pushed past the crime scene tape, and immediately Kaplan put his hands up to stop him. This man looked totally flustered, and he introduced himself as Benny Ruiz, the landlord, and asked what the police were doing on his property. When Kaplan told Benny that his tenant, Don Flewett, had been murdered, Benny gasped, then started talking a mile a minute. He said Don was a devoted father and a religious man who would open up his home to anyone and that nobody would want to kill him. But then Benny paused and made a face like something was just occurring to him. And he said that actually, there was one lead he could think of. He told Kaplan that Don did charity work with the homeless, and he said it was possible that somebody from the street could have maybe broken into Don's house and killed him. After Kaplan finished talking to Benny, he sent him on his way. And then he just stood on Don's driveway, thinking about what Benny had said. Based on the extreme violence of the murder and the fact that nothing appeared to be stolen, he doubted very much that this had just been a break in by a random homeless person. He thought it was much more likely that Don's killer was someone Don knew and maybe even someone who had a Key based on the fact that there was no evidence of forced entry. And since Don was a big and muscular guy and it was clear he had fought back with his attacker, Kaplan figured he was probably looking for a strong, potentially big male suspect. The question was, who would want to kill Don Fluid? From what the landlord and the two co workers who had called 911 had said, Don seemed to be a really stand up guy. If he had any dark secrets, they were very well hidden. The next day, December 30, Detective Kaplan went to the house of Dawn's ex wife, Christine White, and her husband Terry White. Kaplan had spoken to Christine the day before just to break the news about her ex husband's death and also to see what she might know about the murder. Christine hadn't had any ideas about who would have wanted to hurt dawn, but she'd mentioned that he used to have a problem with road rage and he had just finished a 12 hour drive. So, you know, maybe he had gotten into it with another driver and maybe they had followed him home. But she also said their daughter had been with him and she didn't mention anything about that. The only other thing Christine could think of was that Don had actually told her that his dog was acting skittish when he had gotten back from that road trip. Kaplan had quickly ruled out Christine as a suspect because she had an airtight alibi. Dawn had dropped Sienna off at Christine's around 7:45 the night he was killed, and then she and Sienna had spent the rest of the night together. Her road rage idea seemed as unlikely as the landlord's theory that a random homeless person had broken in. And the information about the dog was interesting but not particularly helpful in identifying a suspect. But now Kaplan was back at Christine's house because he still needed to speak to her husband, Terry, who had been out of town last night for work since he was a truck driver and often worked long shifts at odd hours. But as the husband of Don's ex wife Terry, he was a natural suspect. When Kaplan rang the doorbell, Terry opened the door and greeted the detective with a polite smile. Kaplan entered the living room where Christine and Sienna were sitting and said hello and then asked them to leave so he could speak to Terry in private. Terry sat down in an armchair across from Kaplan. He seemed calm and friendly as he told the detective that he and Don didn't have much contact with each other. But their relationship was not exactly bad. It was just awkward because of the custody battle Don had had with Christine ever since then. Terry said he'd tried to keep the peace by just sort of avoiding Dawn. He knew Sienna loved her dad like crazy, and if he accidentally sparked a conflict, Sienna would likely take Don's side. As for the night of Don's murder, Terry told Kaplan he was at his sister's house until about 9pm and then he left, and he stopped at Wendy's on the way to work. And then he took a nap in his truck in the parking lot before going in for a shift. After Kaplan left and went back to the station, he immediately called Terry's sister and also Terry's boss, and they both confirmed Terry's whereabouts. Which meant that Terry's alibi was solid and Kaplan was back to square one on suspects. But while he was writing up a report on Terry's interview, his phone rang with a call from one of Don's neighbors. She told him she had been looking over the footage from her security camera for the night of Dawn's murder, and she found something that she thought the detective might want to see. Kaplan stopped writing his report mid sentence and drove right to this neighbor's house, where she led him inside to her computer, where she pressed play. Kaplan leaned in close to the screen and watched the black and white footage of the side of Dawn's townhouse shot from the top of the driveway next door. At 7:41pm a few minutes after Kaplan knew that dawn and Sienna had left for Christine's house, A hooded figure could be seen in the corner of the frame. The figure tipped over Dawn's trash can and then walked up the driveway toward Dawn's garage and disappeared from the screen. About 15 minutes later, the video showed dawn driving into the garage and then walking out again to go pick up the trash can and then walking back up the driveway. Now, the garage door itself was not in frame, but the camera did capture a faint glow of light coming from inside Don's garage. Kaplan could see that light dimming, which meant the garage door was closing. But then, inexplicably, the door must have begun going back up again, because the light began to get bigger. And at the same time, there were several brief flashes of light. And then after the flashes, the light began to dim again, which meant the garage door closed and eventually leaving the driveway in darkness. Kaplan got a copy of this video, then left the neighbor's house and walked over to Don's, trying to piece together what actually happened on the video. He stood inside of Don's garage and held the garage door clicker in his hand, and he pressed the button to close the door. And as it closed, Kaplan walked closer until he was almost directly underneath the door's path. And then when that happened, all of a sudden, the door stopped because Kaplan had actually tripped the sensor by going right underneath it. And as soon as he tripped the sensor, a light on the top of the garage flashed three times as the door not only stopped, but began going back the other way. It was clearly how the system worked if it was tripped. And so once he saw that, Kaplan thought about those strange flashes of light he saw in the video, and then also that hooded figure he had seen lurking near the garage. And all at once, it was like the pieces clicked into place. The suspect must have followed Don into the garage. But when they went into the garage, perhaps they tripped the sensor. And so as that door was coming down, the suspect's trying to sneak in. They trip the sensor, the door stops. There's those flashes of light. The door begins to go up again. But the suspect, not wanting dawn to realize what's going on, rushed over, hits the button, the door shuts. Don is none the wiser. Unfortunately, as valuable as this footage appeared to be, Kaplan was not able to make out the dark figure's face on this security video. But, you know, the video had given him a few extremely valuable clues. Whoever killed dawn must have known his routine. They also must have known when he would leave to take Sienna to her mother's house and when he would likely come back home. And they also must have known that Don was the type of person who, when he pulled into his driveway and saw that overturned trash can, that he wouldn't just let it sit there. He would deal with it that night. He would go down there, and he would turn it upright. And when Don was doing that, that would give the killer an opportunity to sneak into the garage. And all of this meant that the suspect didn't just know Don. They had to have known him very well. Detective Kaplan spent weeks speaking to everyone who knew Don, from co workers to friends to his entire family, including his first wife and the two kids he shared with her, Tiffany and Josh, who had gone to live in Oklahoma with their mom after the divorce. When Kaplan reached the kids, who were now young adults, they said they had mostly stayed on good terms with their dad. However, they said that wasn't true of some of the other members of their family. They told Kaplan the person he should be investigating was Don's own brother, Dennis. They said that Don and Dennis had had a falling out about a year earlier, but somehow, after Don's death, Dennis had gotten the keys to Don's townhouse. And he'd been out there boxing things up and basically taking control over everything ever since. Now, Dennis was apparently telling the family that he was just trying to help. But. But Tiffany and Josh, they weren't sure they believed that. The show is sponsored by BetterHelp. There are lots of people in my life that realistically I should be reaching out to more often, namely friends and family. But to be honest, life just happens and time goes on and it gets harder and harder to do that outreach. It takes courage in some ways to do that outreach because you're opening up a part of your life that you've sort of moved on from in a way. And also it takes courage when maybe you're the friend that you wished other people were connecting with, that you sort of lack that emotional connection with somebody else that maybe you're struggling and you don't really have an outlet. And so this holiday season, Better Help is encouraging people to not just have the courage to reach out to old friends and family, but also have the courage to reach out to other people because you need that connection that you need to check in that you need help. 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[D]

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[A]

Towards the end of January 2017, so nearly a month after dawn was murdered, Kaplan brought Dawn's brother Dennis, into the Albuquerque police station for questioning, and seated across the interrogation table, Dennis seemed a little keyed up. But Kaplan couldn't tell whether he was nervous about the interview because he was guilty or irritated about it because he was innocent. Dennis said that the feud between him and his brother had started after their father had passed away in October of 2015. A little over a year earlier, the family had reached an agreement over what to do with their dad's possessions, but Don had violated that agreement by actually keeping one of their father's cars instead of selling it. The argument had spiraled from there, and pretty soon Dennis said that he and Don were no longer on speaking terms. Dennis said he had reached out that fall and tried to reconnect, but he said Don never returned his calls. Dennis said he had hoped that they could at some point patch things up, you know, if they just tried a little bit harder. But then Dennis said he had gotten the call that Don was dead. Kaplan narrowed his eyes as Dennis finished the explanation. He didn't really buy the reconciliation story, and Dennis only alibi was that he was home alone when his brother was killed. So Kaplan decided to push. He asked Dennis why he started rooting through Don's house the minute the crime scene was cleared. And at this, Dennis began to get pretty defensive. He insisted he only wanted to spare the rest of his family the pain of having to do that themselves. Besides, he said, his hard work settling Don's affairs had actually led him to a lead about the murder that he wanted Kaplan to look into, and that was that. Just a few days after the murder, he'd walked into Don's house and found the landlord, Benny Ruiz, standing inside with no good explanation for what he was doing there. Dennis said he had heard from Don's neighbors that Don and this landlord had been going back and forth over some hole that the landlord was supposed to repair but hadn't yet. And Dennis just thought it was extremely odd that Benny would just walk into a crime scene, even if he did technically own the place. Kaplan sat back in his chair, remembering Benny Ruiz coming to the house on the day Don's body was found. Benny had been very quick to suggest, without any evidence, that maybe a homeless person could have broken in and murdered Don. Maybe, Kaplan thought now, Benny had just been trying to deflect suspicion away from himself. The next day, Kaplan brought Benny Ruiz into the station for an interview. Like Don's brother Dennis, Benny did not have a solid alibi for the night Don was killed. But he could explain why Dennis had found him inside of Don's house on that day. He said he was only there to feed the dog because nobody was looking after it. During the first few days following Don's death. Benny then leaned across the table and told Kaplan that if there were one person he should be looking into, he. It was Dennis. Benny said that from the moment Dennis arrived, he'd been acting really weird. Benny said he owned another townhouse a few blocks away from Don's, and Dennis had apparently asked if he could rent it so he could move some of Don's stuff into it and set it up as a new home for Sienna. Benny had found this strange, and when he ran a background check on Dennis, he discovered he had a criminal record for assault and disorderly conduct. So he had told him no. Now, Kaplan already knew about the criminal record because he had run Dennis name before bringing him in for questioning. But now, listening to this account from the landlord, he wondered why, after a year of estrangement, Dennis was suddenly so interested in his brother's life. But as the weeks passed, Kaplan just couldn't make a case against Dennis. In fact, he couldn't make a case against anybody. Neither Dennis nor Benny had alibis that could prove they weren't the killer, but there was also nothing that proved either of them were. The portrait of Don as a loving father and a man of faith who had reformed himself after some mistakes in his youth appeared to be completely accurate. Dawn's most recent ex wife, Christine, had fought with dawn, you know, over custody, but that battle seemed to have cooled off, and both she and her new husband, Terry, had alibis. Don also didn't appear to have any girlfriends he could have been fighting with. And so there just didn't seem to be anybody who truly wanted Don dead in February. So about six weeks after the murder, the local newspaper ran a front page article saying the police had no suspects and no evidence. And when Kaplan read it, he had to admit that it was more or less the truth. The breakthrough that Kaplan desperately needed wouldn't come until March of 2017. So 12 weeks into the investigation, on that day, he got a call from the forensics lab, and they told him a key piece of evidence had just come in. And the person who had made this critical piece of evidence possible was Don Fluitt himself. Based on forensic evidence, interviews, and the police investigation, here's what police believe happened to Don Fluitt. On the night of December 28, 2016. The killer waited in the darkness right outside of Dawn's house until the garage door opened at about 7:40pm at that point, Don drove off with his daughter in the truck. And so the killer immediately darted forward and tipped over a garbage can and then retreated back to the shadows to wait. The killer had been nursing a grudge against dawn for a long time. It annoyed them that everyone thought dawn was so great, because the killer knew that until just a few years earlier, dawn had been this drug abusing loser with two kids he didn't even care for and another one who he deserved to lose in Siena. But for some reason, nobody else saw dawn for what he truly was. So the killer had bided their time for as long as they could stand it. But finally, they had had enough. Dawn was just a dark cloud hovering over their life constantly, and he had to go. The killer knew Don well enough to figure out his schedule. They knew he was due to drop his daughter off at her mother's that evening, and that he'd be coming home alone after that. And that before he went to bed, he would go into the garage to smoke a cigarette. The killer clutched a tire thumper in their hand, which is a small wooden bat used to check tire pressure. And as they clutched it, they felt their heart race with anticipation. Finally, just before 8pm, Don came back. And while he was out fixing the trash can, the killer snuck into the garage. They hid behind a vehicle as Don walked back up the driveway and pressed a button to close the garage door and then opened the door to his own townhouse. At that point, the killer snuck out from behind the vehicle to get into position. And as they did this, they accidentally tripped the garage door sensor, sending the door rolling back up and sending those lights flashing. And so, thinking fast, the killer rushed over to the panel on the wall and pressed the button again to close the garage door. Then they held their breath, listening for any movement inside the townhouse that would suggest dawn was like, what's going on? And coming out to check. But Don didn't seem to notice. And so the killer breathed out a sigh of relief and took their position near the door. And then, after a while, the doorknob jiggled and the killer realized this was it. They raised their weapon. And as soon as Don opened the door, they struck him so hard, the tire thumper broke into pieces. Then they punched Don again and again with their bare fists, finally letting out all the rage they'd been pushing down for so long. Don did everything he could to fight back. I mean, he had turned his life around. He had a daughter that he loved, that he was trying to build an amazing life with. He was not just going to give up here. And so, as valiantly as he could, he fought the killer. But he had been gravely injured and when he couldn't fight anymore, he just tried to crawl under his truck and hide. But the killer pulled him out and landed one last punch to his face. Don stopped moving and at that point the killer wrapped their hands around his throat and they squeezed. But the killer wasn't done. To make sure Don was dead, they also went into Don's apartment, grabbed a knife from the kitchen, came back into the garage, knelt down and ruthlessly slit Don's throat. Blood ran out of the wound and poured onto the concrete. The killer found some bleach inside and tried to clean up the mess as best as they could, but they left behind one crucial piece of evidence. Don was not able to save his own life, but by aggressively fighting back, he'd given investigators a clue that would solve his murder and also ensure that in his absence, his daughter Sienna would grow up in a safe and secure home. Because the key piece of forensic evidence that was left behind was that solved the case was DNA found under Don's fingernails that belonged to none other than Sienna's own stepfather, Terry White. It would turn out that Terry's story to the cops about being at his sister's until 9pm was a lie. And so on April 3, 2017, just over three months after Don's murder, Terry White was arrested and charged with murder. After his arrest, Terry cast blame on his wife Christine, saying she was the one who put him up to it so they could have Sienna to themselves. And so Christine was also arrested and charged with murder, but the charges against her were dropped due to a lack of evidence. Terry, however, was convicted in August of 2018 of first degree murder, aggravated burglary and tampering with evidence. He was sentenced to life in prison plus 12 years. A quick note about our stories they are all based on true events, but we sometimes use pseudonyms to protect the people involved and some details are fictionalized for dramatic purposes. The Mr. Ballin podcast Strange, Dark and Mysterious Stories is hosted and executive Produced by me, Mr. Ballin. Our head of writing is Evan Allen. Our head of production is Zach Levitt. Produced by Jeremy Bone this episode was written by Kate Gallagher. Research and fact checking by Shelly Shue, Samantha Vanhus, Evan Beamer, Abigail Shumway and Camille Callahan Research and Fact checking Supervision by Steven Ear Audio editing and post produced by Whit Locasio and Cole Locasio Additional audio editing by Jordan Stidham Mixed and mastered by Brendan Cain Production coordination by Samantha Collins Production support by Antonio Minotta and Delaina Corley Artwork by Jessica Claugston Kiner Theme song called Something Wicked by Ross Bugden thank you for listening to the Mr. Ballin podcast. If you enjoyed today's story and you're looking for more bone chilling content, be sure to check out all of our studio's podcasts. There's this one, the Mr. Ballin podcast, as well as Mr. Ballin's Medical Mysteries, Bedtime Stories, Wartime Stories, Run Fool Redacted, Late Nights with Nexpo and a Twist of History. All you have to do is search for Ballin Studios wherever you get your podcasts. To watch hundreds more stories just like this one, head over to our YouTube channel which is just called Mr. Ballin. So that's gonna do it. I really appreciate your support. Until next time. See ya.

[E]

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[F]

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