Radiolab – "The Buried Bodies Case"
WNYC Studios | June 3, 2016
Hosted by Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich

Episode Overview

This episode of Radiolab dives deep into the ethical, legal, and emotional complexities of the Buried Bodies Case—a landmark legal ethics case that still reverberates through law schools today. Centered on the story of attorneys Frank Armani and Francis Belge, who, while defending serial killer Robert Garrow, discovered the locations of two missing victims’ bodies but kept that information secret, the episode interrogates questions of legal obligation versus personal morality, confidentiality, and the weight of human suffering.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Crime and Manhunt [03:09–08:43]

• Setting the Scene: In July 1973, four young campers in the Adirondacks are attacked by a man posing as a conservation officer, later revealed as Robert Garrow.
• Details of the Attack: Garrow fatally stabs one camper, Philip Domblewski, and attempts to tie the others to trees. Two campers escape and alert locals.
• Manhunt: This triggers the largest manhunt in New York State history, with hundreds of officers, bloodhounds, and helicopters combing the woods ([06:13] Jim Tracy: “By Monday or Tuesday, they had 200 men on the case…”).
• Capture: After 12 days, Garrow is shot and apprehended. He’s suspected in additional murders.

2. The Lawyers' Dilemma & Privileged Information [08:43–22:46]

• Enter Frank Armani: Garrow insists only Armani represent him. Armani is reluctant but is appointed as his public defender.
  • [10:03] Frank Armani: “I liked fights, physical fights. I like standing up for the little guy."
• Armani Enlists Francis Belge: Recognizing the case’s scope and seriousness, Armani brings in his friend, top criminal defense attorney Francis Belge.
• Building the Defense: With the prosecution’s case strong, their only plausible defense is insanity.
• Confidentiality: After lengthy meetings, Garrow confesses to killing two missing women, Susan Petz and Alicia Hauck, and reveals their bodies’ locations.
  • [14:35] Lisa Lerman (law professor): "We have Sixth Amendment right to counsel and the Fifth Amendment right not to incriminate oneself."
• Validation of Garrow’s Story: Armani and Belge personally visit the burial sites and confirm Garrow’s confessions, finding bodies at the described locations.
  • [21:13] Frank Armani (upon seeing the body): "I said to myself, the son of a bitch did it."

3. Ethical and Emotional Turmoil [22:02–29:50]

• Ethical Bind: Armani and Belge face a wrenching decision: break client confidentiality to bring closure to families or adhere to their oath and retain trust in the legal system.
  • [23:00] Robert Krulwich: “Even if the parents… are frightened and waking up, and even if they have hired detectives… if the people are already dead, then the law is–”
  • [23:20] Frank Armani (quietly): “Shh.”
• Moral Conflict: Both lawyers feel the agony of the victims’ families yet are bound by duty.
  • [24:23] Frank Armani: “You have to be an animal not to feel the anguish of the parents of the family. And yet you have your duty as a lawyer. You're caught between the two moral [worlds].”

4. Failed Plea Bargain & Personal Cost [29:50–36:23]

• Attempting a Plea Deal: They attempt to use the information as leverage, telling prosecutors they will reveal the victims’ locations if Garrow is placed in a mental hospital (insanity plea), not prison.
  • [30:14] Lisa Lerman: “That was the idea. Yeah.”
  • [31:28] Jim Tracy: “…the lawyers were absolutely ludicrous. They thought they had lost their mind.”
• Emotional Fallout: Armani meets Susan Petz’s father but cannot share the secret. The guilt and stress push Armani to his limits.
  • [32:47] Frank Armani: “But I couldn't tell him anything.”
  • [34:43] Frank Armani: “Wake up 2:30 in the morning with sweat running down your back... alone with this secret.”

5. Trial, Exposure, and Public Backlash [36:23–41:14]

• Bodies Discovered by Chance: Five months later, the victims' bodies are discovered by others.
• Trial & Revelation: At trial, Garrow’s confession (sanctioned under the insanity defense) exposes the lawyers’ secret; public outrage follows.
  • [38:10] Frank Armani: “Is that the one I found?”
  • [38:46] Jad Abumrad: “Bodies used as pawns in a game of law.”
• Threats and Fallout: Armani receives death threats; he's ostracized, suffers financially, and undergoes profound emotional distress.
  • [39:12] Frank Armani: "He started to carry a pistol on my back... kept a shotgun in the house so we could sleep. That was the worst moment of my life."
• Vindication: Ultimately, courts rule that Armani and Belge acted ethically within the law, and the legal community holds up Armani as a model of professional responsibility.
  • [41:14] Lisa Lerman: “My view is Frank Armani is a real life hero.”

6. Legacy and Unresolved Anguish [42:12–51:15]

• Lasting Impact: The case is taught nationwide in law schools as a “touchstone” of legal ethics.
• Family Perspective: Roberta Petz, Susan's mother, speaks for the first time to the media, expressing horror that the lawyers’ actions are held up as exemplary ethics.
  • [44:42] Roberta Petz: “I'm pretty horrified… I don't think it's ethical at all.”
  • [45:29] Roberta Petz: “Maybe they ought to think not only about the criminal... but what about the victims?”
• Enduring Grief: Roberta Petz shares her ongoing pain and the lack of closure, despite decades passing.
  • [47:43] Roberta Petz: “It's impossible to really communicate in words... It'll never go away as long as I live.”
• Armani’s Reflection: Even decades later, Armani sympathizes deeply with the families’ pain and does not expect their forgiveness, only stating he did what the law demanded.
  • [49:13] Frank Armani: “There's no justification. You couldn't justify it. In my mind, I don't expect them to accept it, but that's the way it is.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Ethical Conflict:
  • Lisa Lerman [02:02]: “It's what my husband and I refer to as a mental magnet… It gets under your skin.”
  • Frank Armani [24:23]: “You have to be an animal not to feel the anguish of the parents… Yet you have your duty as a lawyer."
• On Client Confidentiality:
  • Frank Armani [22:17]: "No, you can't. You just can't. We took an oath to keep the confidences of our client..."
• On Law’s Imperfect Balance:
  • Roberta Petz [44:42]: “I'm pretty horrified to think that this is what is considered to be correct, because I don't think it's ethical at all.”
• Emotional Fallout:
  • Frank Armani [39:12]: “That was the worst moment of my life. I had some horrible thoughts.”
  • Frank Armani [49:13]: “There's no justification. You couldn't justify it. In my mind, I don't expect them to accept it, but that's the way it is.”

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [03:09–08:43] The murder, manhunt, and Garrow’s capture
• [09:31–15:12] Armani’s background, appointment, and struggles with the case
• [16:38–21:28] Lawyers confirm the victims’ bodies
• [22:05–24:23] Legal and ethical constraints explained
• [29:50–33:14] Failed plea negotiation and personal cost for Armani
• [36:23–41:14] Discovery, trial exposure, and public outrage
• [42:12–44:42] Law schools teach the case; victim’s mother is horrified
• [44:42–47:57] Roberta Petz details the family’s pain
• [47:57–49:13] Roberta Petz and Armani reflect on enduring grief

Conclusion: Lasting Questions

The Buried Bodies Case remains a fixture in legal ethics precisely because it forces a confrontation with the limits of law, morality, and basic human compassion. Even as Frank Armani is lauded by his profession, the agony of the victims’ families lingers unresolved, leaving listeners with a harrowing, real-world test of abstract ethical principle.

For more:
Book: Privileged Information (Frank Armani’s account)
Book: Terror in the Adirondacks (Lawrence Gooley)