← Snapped: Women Who Murder
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- [00:01]
Narrator
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- [01:45]
Narrator
We are bringing you a special bonus episode today from Oxygen's hit series Killer Couples. You can also watch full episodes live or on demand on the free Oxygen app or on Peacock by clicking the link in our description. Enjoy.
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They were single parents celebrating a second chance at romance.
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James Radcliffe's Ex-Wife
He was very kind and very romantic.
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James Radcliffe's Son
They were happily married. They loved their blended family. They loved their home.
- [02:17]
Narrator
But a violent intrusion would destroy their happily ever after.
- [02:22]
Detective
He had had been severely beaten and possibly stabbed.
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James Radcliffe's Son
I wanted to know who did it. I wanted them to pay.
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Narrator
The hunt for a killer will reveal heart wrenching betrayals and lead law enforcement to uncover a conspiracy between multiple people and a killer couple with sinister intentions.
- [02:46]
Expert
Each of those young made a choice to get involved. But the genesis of the entire depravity and violence began with their affair.
- [02:57]
Detective
She got all these people caught up in her web of lies, secrets and deceit.
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James Radcliffe's Son
He wanted a life with her and the only way he knew to get it was to kill this guy.
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Expert
To carry out a plan like this is just diabolical. It's just flat out evil.
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Narrator
In the heart of the eastern seaboard lies the coastal city of Virginia Beach.
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James Radcliffe's Son
Virginia beach has a large Navy presence and so there is a tremendous amount of suburban housing, literally thousands of apartment buildings that are built to house the Navy personnel.
- [03:49]
Narrator
On July 29, 1991, local authorities receive a frantic 911 call from one of those apartments.
- [03:57]
Detective
At 2:20am Virginia Beach Police department communications received a call from a woman indicating that something has happened, that her neighbor had come to her door screaming hysterically.
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Narrator
The caller identifies her neighbor as 35 year old Robin Radcliffe.
- [04:21]
Detective
She didn't know exactly what was going on, but she noticed that Mrs. Radcliffe's pajamas were bloodied. She told the police that there might have been an assault.
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Narrator
Dispatchers quickly route all available units to the apartment complex. A Virginia beach police officer is the first to arrive on scene.
- [04:44]
Detective
When he arrived at the scene, Mrs. Radcliffe was sitting on the living room floor by her son.
- [04:54]
James Radcliffe's Son
They get there and she's hysterical, she's covered in blood. Where did the blood come from? Then she points them to the master bedroom.
- [05:03]
Detective
When the uniform officer went into the master bedroom, which was at the end of the hallway, he found a man laying in bed and he appeared to be semi conscious, grasping to give breath, and it appeared that he had been severely beaten and possibly stabbed.
- [05:25]
James Radcliffe's Son
He's unresponsive. But still alive. Obviously still alive. And so they're calling in EMTs.
- [05:33]
Detective
They tried to stabilize him and then they immediately got him out to an ambulance and transported him to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital.
- [05:45]
Narrator
As backup arrives, Robin Radcliffe identifies the victim as her husband, 37 year old James Radcliffe.
- [05:55]
Detective
Mrs. Radcliffe had told the officer that she was laying in bed and she was awakened by somebody attacking her husband and that she was put down on the floor and held down on the floor while he was being attacked. The officer asked her how many people she thought had entered their apartment and she said to two or three people she wasn't certain, but she didn't have any idea who attacked her husband.
- [06:24]
James Radcliffe's Son
There are obviously a lot of questions about what happened and why it happened.
- [06:29]
Expert
The main factor of course, is whether or not you know who did it immediately. Frequently in these kinds of cases it's going to be somebody who is known to the victim. Especially given the fact that James was the only one assaulted and there were two other people in the apartment at the time, Robin and her 13 year old son.
- [06:52]
Narrator
Before life had brought James and Robin Radcliffe to Virginia Beach, James had spent nearly two decades building a respectable reputation in the US Navy.
- [07:03]
Detective
He was a family man. He was previously married, he had two boys from his previous marriage. And he was a real loving, caring type of man, very responsible at work.
- [07:16]
Narrator
Originally from Aspermont, Texas, James met his first wife Sandy when they were still teenagers.
- [07:23]
James Radcliffe's Ex-Wife
He was very kind and very romantic. He was the type of guy that he opened up the door for, you, pulled out the chair when you wanted to sit down, you know, go into a restaurant. And it was just his kindness that drew me to him.
- [07:43]
Narrator
In the early 70s, James graduated from high school and enlisted in the military.
- [07:49]
James Radcliffe's Ex-Wife
James was a mess management specialist in the Navy. His job at that time was to cook for the officers and the captain of the boat. It was great adventures together, traveling with the Navy, seeing new places and our oldest son Spencer was born in Charleston, South Carolina. We lived three years in Puerto Rico and James, I youngest son Nathan was born in Puerto Rico.
- [08:22]
James Radcliffe's Son
I was daddy's little boy. We did sports together. He was always my coach. He was funny, goofy. To me, he was probably the best dad in the whole world.
- [08:35]
Narrator
In 1983, the family landed in Pensacola, Florida. But life in the Navy meant James was often away from his wife and two sons.
- [08:47]
James Radcliffe's Ex-Wife
Sometimes you drift apart and it's hard at times to find that connection, to get back together.
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Narrator
In October 1987, after 16 years together, Sandy and James decided to divorce.
- [09:07]
James Radcliffe's Son
I remember when my parents, I guess, told me and my brother that they were divorced and we were basically why? Why can't y'all live together? Whatever. I think we were heartbroken.
- [09:19]
Narrator
Around the same time, James met 29 year old Robin Gatti in Florida.
- [09:26]
James Radcliffe's Ex-Wife
James met Robin in a bar where one of his relatives worked. And I'm assuming since James and I were separated at the time, he felt lonely.
- [09:43]
Narrator
Originally from Utah, Robin had moved to Florida to start over after two failed marriages.
- [09:52]
James Radcliffe's Ex-Wife
She had two kids, a daughter and a son. She seemed like a nice person and I assumed she was drawn to him because of his sweet personality and his kindness and his outgoingness and being able to joke about things.
- [10:12]
Narrator
After a whirlwind romance, Robin and James decided to tie the knot.
- [10:18]
James Radcliffe's Ex-Wife
Within a couple of months, they were married.
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James Radcliffe's Son
It seemed like my dad and Robin were happy.
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Narrator
James continued to juggle family life With a demanding job.
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James Radcliffe's Son
He got transferred up to Virginia. And when he got transferred up there, it was hard for us to go up there to see him.
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Narrator
By July of 1991, an end to all of James hard work was in sight. Following a recent deployment, James was only seven months away from retirement.
- [10:59]
James Radcliffe's Ex-Wife
His dream was when he retired from the Navy, he wanted to become a chef and work in a big restaurant.
- [11:09]
James Radcliffe's Son
In his mind, he must have been dreaming about that next career. He must have been on cloud nine.
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Narrator
But less than two weeks later, James Radcliffe's dreams have been shattered as Virginia beach detectives try to make sense of a vicious attack that has left him critically wounded.
- [11:32]
Detective
When you open up the door to the master bedroom, the master bed itself was completely saturated with blood. There was blood spatter all over the headboard, the back of the wall, both sides of the bed and pillows.
- [11:50]
Expert
One of the evidence technicians was a blood spatter expert. And so from the blood spatter that was found on the wall, on the ceiling in the bedroom, he was able to determine that at least one sharp edge object was used to stab James, and at least one blunt edge object was used to strike James.
- [12:15]
Detective
The telephone had been ripped away from the nightstand, and it appeared to be completely disconnected. There were some other things that were thrown about, the clothes on the floor.
- [12:30]
Expert
We knew there was some motive behind this, naturally, but we. We didn't know exactly what. And that's where we jumped into it and started trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together. One of the theories would be that this was a burglary and that the burglary did go wrong, it went awry.
- [12:50]
Detective
There was a few items that were reported missing by Robin Radcliffe from their residence. Her husband's wallet and his credit cards were taken from the master bedroom.
- [13:02]
Expert
The front door opens into the living room of the apartment. There was a stand upon which there was a tv. And it was apparent that something that had been connected to the TV was missing.
- [13:15]
Detective
Walking through a crime scene, one of the things that you're looking for is points of entry and points of exit.
- [13:24]
Expert
There were three bedrooms in the apartment, a master bedroom, which is where James and Robin stayed. There was a bedroom where Robin's son stayed. And then there was another bedroom.
- [13:40]
Detective
When we looked in there, the dresser was pulled away from the wall and away from the window. The window was open and the curtains were hanging outside the window.
- [13:54]
Expert
There was no damage to get into the in through that window. No signs that the lock had been jimmied.
- [14:06]
It very well could have happened where a burglar could have Found a window that was unlocked, entered to steal what he or she could and then attack Mr. Radcliffe.
- [14:20]
Narrator
Coming up, police receive new information that takes the case in a whole new direction.
- [14:27]
Detective
James told one of his shipmates that somebody threatened him and so he felt afraid for his life.
- [14:35]
Narrator
And a new clue cast suspicion on someone close to the victim.
- [14:41]
Detective
On the front of it, the card is a pregnant woman. And that strikes my interest immediately. You kind of realize that there's a good likelihood what we have here is a love triangle.
- [14:59]
Narrator
37 year old Navyman James Radcliffe is in grave condition after he was violently attacked in his bed while his wife Robin was held down by another assailant.
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Expert
When I arrived at the scene, Robin had already left and gone to the hospital. She'd already changed her clothes as well and left bloody pajamas behind. Anytime we have bloody potential evidence, we collect it.
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Narrator
Since the victim, his wife and her 13 year old son are all at the hospital, investigators turn to another source of information within the family.
- [15:43]
Detective
I went back outside because Mrs. Radcliffe's daughter Tina and her husband Michael Bourne were waiting out there. Both told me that they had received a call from her brother right after the incident happened. He told them that something had happened to James and they needed to come over to the apartment. Tina told me that her mother and stepfather had been married for approximately four years. They seem to be a loving couple, care for each other. She told me that her stepfather had just returned from a six week deployment on July 18th.
- [16:25]
Narrator
Tina tells detectives that she and her husband came to dinner at the apartment earlier that night. When they left for their apartment around 11pm, nothing seemed amiss.
- [16:38]
Detective
She generally seemed extremely upset about what had happened. She couldn't give me any reason at all why somebody would break into the house and beat her stepfather like this.
- [16:50]
Narrator
While detectives are still gathering information at the scene, they receive a devastating call from the hospital.
- [16:59]
Detective
I received a call from the midnight detective that was with Mrs. Radcliffe at Norfolk General Hospital. And he advised me that James Radcliffe had succumbed to his injuries and had died. Since James Radcliffe was employed with the U.S. navy. We notified NCIS.
- [17:23]
James Radcliffe's Ex-Wife
Two Navy officers showed up. They told me that James had been murdered. I called the two boys to next to me and I sat them down and I told them their dad had passed. And there was anger, there was sadness.
- [17:44]
James Radcliffe's Son
It sucked. It hurt. Mad at the world. I wanted to know who did it. I wanted them to pay for taking my dad from me.
- [17:56]
Narrator
The case is designated a homicide investigation and James Radcliffe's body is transported to the medical examiner's office for A full autopsy.
- [18:08]
Detective
The medical examiner indicated that there was multiple blunt force trauma to his head and that he had at least three stab wounds. Two on the right side, one on the right front torso area, the other one in the back. The cause of death was from blood loss and aspiration. Actually breathing in his own blood.
- [18:39]
James Radcliffe's Son
Police know, as do police reporters and journalists know, most murderers don't kill people up close. And when they do, there's normally a personal relationship or a personal vendetta. This was a personal crime.
- [18:56]
Narrator
Given the personal nature of the homicide, detectives circle back to James, grieving widow Robin Radcliffe for more information.
- [19:05]
Detective
Mrs. Radcliffe arrived at police headquarters. I tell her at the time that I know it's a terrible time to have to ask her a lot of questions, but I'd like to go through what happened this Sunday evening. She said Tina and Michael stayed there and watched television with them until about 11, 12 o'clock. And then they left, went back to their apartment and her son went to bed and Robin and James retired for the evening.
- [19:32]
James Radcliffe's Son
Robin said that she had taken some sleeping pills and she was sleeping soundly. And all of a sudden she's awakened by rough, deep voices and she gets knocked off the bed onto the floor.
- [19:48]
Detective
She was laying face down on the floor and that person actually put his foot on her back. She said to hold her down and told her, don't move. And it sounded to her like a man's voice.
- [20:00]
James Radcliffe's Son
She said she didn't get a good look at anyone. She was horrified. She was panicking and didn't know what to do.
- [20:11]
Detective
She assumed by her feet there was two or three people in the apartment.
- [20:18]
Narrator
When she was sure the intruders had left, Robin tells detectives that she rushed to her husband's aid and realized his injuries were extensive.
- [20:28]
James Radcliffe's Son
Robin ran to the phone, picked it up, and it was dead. She couldn't dial 911, so she ran out screaming for someone to help her, someone to call for help.
- [20:42]
Detective
After the neighbor called 911, Mrs. Radcliffe realized that, oh, my God, she left her son in the apartment. So she ran back into the apartment, into his room, which, fortunately, he slept through the entire incident and wasn't awakened until his mother, Robin, woke him up.
- [21:04]
Narrator
Detectives ask Robin about her relationship with her husband.
- [21:09]
James Radcliffe's Son
Robin told police that they were happily married, that they loved their blended family, they loved their home, they loved living in Virginia beach, and that there was no problems.
- [21:24]
Detective
She genuinely appeared to be somebody that was grieving and wanted to be helpful, to try to give me as much information as possible so I can find out who's responsible for for her husband's death.
- [21:37]
Narrator
In the midst of the interview, investigators suddenly received new information from the Naval Criminal Intelligence Service.
- [21:48]
Detective
We had notified NCIS that James Radcliffe had died and they were making death notification to his command and the command, some of the shipmates had told them that James Radcliffe, just about a week ago had a fight. James told one of his shipmates that somebody actually threatened him and so he felt afraid for his life. I contacted James Radcliffe's command, his ship, the USS Comte de Grasse, and talked to some of his close friends, shipmates to see what James Radcliffe had been telling them.
- [22:34]
Narrator
Soon after James returned home from a six week Navy deployment, friends say he got into a physical altercation with another Navyman, 34 year old Gary Hinojosa.
- [22:48]
Detective
The very day that he returned home, this guy Gary was sitting in his apartment and he confronted his wife about who was this guy sitting in his apartment. She tried to pawn it off that, oh, he's a friend of Michael who is, you know, Tina's husband. Well, Michael's only 19 years old and James Radcliffe eventually said that he kept prompting his wife about this Gary, and she finally admitted that she was having an affair with him. While he was deployed, there was a.
- [23:22]
Expert
Confrontation between Gary Hinojosa and James Radcliffe. An altercation over the situation with Robin Radcliffe.
- [23:33]
Detective
Early on in the investigation, there's a lot of red flags that are going on. I know that Mrs. Radcliffe is withholding a lot of information. She's lying to me about what's going on in their relationship between her and her husband and that things are much more complicated.
- [23:55]
Narrator
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- [26:15]
Less than 24 hours after James Radcliffe was killed during a violent home invasion, Virginia beach police have learned that he had been involved in an altercation with a Navyman named Gary Hinojosa. After James learned that his wife Robin was having an extramarital affair while he was deployed.
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Detective
They had a fight. He described the fight as being more like a wrestling match. And then after the fight, they went separate ways. But there was a lot of tension between James and his wife, Robin.
- [26:53]
Narrator
Detectives circled back to their interview with Robin Radcliffe, but they don't confront her with the new information right away.
- [27:02]
Detective
She had driven her car to police headquarters, and so I asked her, I said, do you mind if I take a look in your car? Just, you know, you never know what you're going to find and the car is out there and so I thought I'd just take advantage of the situation.
- [27:18]
Narrator
Robin immediately provides detectives with her car keys. Inside, they make a telling discovery.
- [27:27]
Detective
When I did a search on her car I found in the glove compartment a Hallmark card on the front of it. The card is a pregnant woman, and that strikes my interest immediately. So I open it up and it's addressed to Robin.
- [27:46]
James Radcliffe's Son
It's a love note from someone named Gary saying, you're carrying my baby. Well, this immediately changes everything.
- [28:01]
Detective
Within a very short period of time, we realized that the Gary that was on the card was most likely this Gary Henojosa. You kind of realize that there's a good likelihood what we have here is a love triangle. I brought that card back into headquarters and confronted Mrs. Radcliffe about this particular card. And after looking at it, she said, yes, I was lying to you. I did have an affair while my husband was deployed, and I believe that I'm pregnant with this man's child.
- [28:44]
Narrator
As detectives confront Robin, they receive another unexpected surprise.
- [28:51]
Detective
Just so happens that Ms. Gerardo Hinojosa showed up. He says that he's friends of Robin Radcliffe and he's there to pick up Mrs. Radcliffe to give her some support. Since they just found out that James had passed away.
- [29:10]
Narrator
Police seize the opportunity to talk with Gary Hinojosa. He agrees and sits down with detectives for a formal interview.
- [29:20]
James Radcliffe's Son
Gary Hinojosa was stationed at Oceana in Virginia beach, and he worked with Robin Radcliffe's son in law, Michael Bourne. And Michael's wife Tina, who is Robin's daughter, made a connection. And so they all met each other. And when Gary and Robin met, Gary was smitten at first sight.
- [29:49]
Detective
He admits that they had an affair that's been going on while James was deployed. And we told him that we also were aware that there was a fight between him and James, and he admitted to the fight, but said after the fight that they shook hands and they went separate ways.
- [30:09]
Narrator
Gary claims that Robin had ended their months long love affair to focus on her marriage to James. Their suspicions growing, detectives ask Gary if he has an alibi for the night of James Radcliffe's murder.
- [30:26]
Detective
He said that he was at his house all evening long. And he said that Tina, who is Robin's daughter, and her husband, Michael Bourne, had just moved into his house with him that weekend. And he said that they sat and watched television throughout the night. And he believes that all of them went to bed somewhere around 1:00 in the morning.
- [30:53]
Narrator
Detectives confirm with Tina and Michael Bourne that Gary is their roommate.
- [30:59]
Detective
I talked to Tina and Michael Bourne and they told me that once they left Robin's apartment and went back over to Gary's house, so he had people to alibi him out.
- [31:14]
Narrator
Without Any evidence to hold them. Police release Robin Radcliffe and Gary Hinojosa.
- [31:21]
Detective
We knew that there was a connection between them. We suspected that there was a lot more to this story that they were not giving up. Within a few days after that, the family went to Texas for the funeral. So there's a couple of days I'm not able to talk to him at all.
- [31:40]
Narrator
Four days after his murder, James Radcliffe is laid to rest in his hometown of Aspermont, Texas.
- [31:49]
James Radcliffe's Ex-Wife
My oldest one took it the hardest, taking them to the funeral and them actually having to see their father in a coffin, actually having to see their father being buried in the ground, it was hard on me, but I know it was the hardest on them.
- [32:09]
Narrator
One month passes without any leads in James Radcliffe's murder. Then on August 29, 1991, a local newspaper publishes an article that gives the case new life.
- [32:24]
James Radcliffe's Son
I'm at work at the Virginia beach bureau of the Virginian Pilot, and Robin calls me, and she goes on a vent about how the police have mistreated her. They're accusing her of hiring people to kill her husband. She says, how would I even know how to go about doing that? I don't know how to hire people to murder someone.
- [32:52]
Detective
Well, when I read that in the paper, I said, we got a whole new ballgame here. I never confronted her with that. I never asked her about anything like that. And I knew right then that they must have hired somebody. For her to say that they must have hired somebody, that's a slip of the tongue that she never should have said. So we were probably looking for a murder for hire situation.
- [33:16]
Narrator
Coming up. As detectives begin building a case against Robin Radcliffe, a shocking revelation will open the door to multiple suspects and an unexpected motive.
- [33:29]
James Radcliffe's Son
He wants to rationalize what he's done. And so he says, there's a reason, there's a good reason why I hired these people to kill James Radcliffe. That blew everybody's mind. How could you be so callous?
- [33:54]
Narrator
One month after the murder of James Radcliffe, police suspect his widow, Robin and her lover, Gary Hinojosa, were involved. So far, there has been little evidence to connect either of them. But following Robin's plea to the media, detectives decide to take a closer look at her daughter and son in law, Tina and Michael Bourne, in the hopes that they might know something.
- [34:22]
Detective
Michael and Tina Bourne. We're living with Gary, so we devised a plan that what we were going to do is all the players that we knew were going to bring them in one at a time and talk to them, starting with Tina. And Michael Bourne, because they seem to be the weakest link in the group. So on September 3rd, I called Michael Bourne up and I told him that I needed to talk to him and Tina. I needed them to come down to police headquarters. He said, yes, that's no problem, they'll be down there. As soon as they arrived there, we separated them, put them in two separate rooms. And I talked to Tina. I told her that you need to tell me the truth, what happened.
- [35:05]
Narrator
Under extreme pressure from law enforcement, Tina comes clean.
- [35:11]
Detective
She said her mother had come to her and said that they were thinking about killing James. That Gary Hinojosa had set it up that the person that he hired to do the killing was Mario Murphy.
- [35:27]
Narrator
In another interrogation room, Michael also cooperates. According to Michael, Mario Murphy is a friend of Gary's. Mario had also enlisted the help of his friend, 17 year old Aaron Turner, to commit the crime.
- [35:44]
Detective
Mario's friend was there and agreed to go ahead and go along with this burglary killing. And they had set it all up. They put on dark clothing, gloves, they had metal pipes and two knives. As they were getting prepared and talking about this, Gary Hinojosa's roommate shows up, Jamie Hall. And he's hearing what's going on and gets excited and says that he'll go along.
- [36:21]
Expert
Michael Bourne was the driver of the vehicle. He brought them there and hall as well as Mario Murphy and Aaron Turner exited the vehicle with the equipment. They went through the back window which was left unlocked.
- [36:36]
It was Robin who had arranged that for the entry for the assailants.
- [36:43]
Narrator
Michael tells detectives he waited in the car while the murder took place.
- [36:49]
Expert
He just stayed in the car the whole time and drove them back to, I believe it was Gary Hinojos place.
- [36:58]
Narrator
Armed with this new information, police work quickly to track down the three alleged accomplices.
- [37:05]
Expert
Mario had moved in with Aaron. We located both of them, we transported them to police headquarters.
- [37:12]
We put a couple of officers, detectives surveilling the apartment or the house where Gary resided so they could arrest Jamie when he arrived home. And when he arrived home, they arrested him, brought him in and interviewed him.
- [37:27]
James Radcliffe's Son
I believe they were all being interrogated at the same time and eventually they all just toppled like dominoes.
- [37:35]
Narrator
One by one. Each of the three co conspirators corroborates Michael and Tina's allegations that Robin and Gary were the crime's true masterminds.
- [37:47]
Detective
Gary and Robin had hired Mario to do the killing and told him that they will pay him $5,000 for the killing, that she would receive $100,000 from her husband's military life insurance policy, and then he would get paid from that.
- [38:06]
Narrator
The accomplices also elaborate on the horrific details surrounding James Radcliffe's death.
- [38:16]
Detective
Mario Murphy said that Aaron Turner was the first one to hit him. And then when Aaron Turner hit him in the head, he hit him so hard, the whole bed shook.
- [38:28]
Expert
Jamie hall held a flashlight on James as he lay sleeping unconscious, while Aaron Turner and Mario Murphy took turns beating and stabbing James while he lay unconscious.
- [38:43]
After they finished beating him and stabbing him, they left the bedroom and came down to the living room where Robin Radcliffe was waiting and pointed out the VCR for them to take as part of the fraudulent burglary they were trying to stage. And so they did. And they left with that in a duffel bag and exited the apartment.
- [39:12]
They left through the window. They came in, as I understand it. They got in the car, driven again by Michael, and return to Gary's home.
- [39:25]
Mr. Radcliffe, a man who served his country, he didn't stand a chance. He was asleep in bed. He couldn't even fight for himself. To carry out a plan like this is just diabolical, just flat out evil.
- [39:39]
Narrator
Police immediately issue arrest warrants for the alleged killer couple.
- [39:45]
Expert
I had been surveilling the home and I knew that Robin was at the home, and I went up to arrest her. She asked if she could make a phone call. She called Gary, and the person that answered said that Gary couldn't talk because he was being arrested.
- [40:05]
Narrator
While Robin maintains her innocence, Gary decides to offer a full confession to the press from jail.
- [40:13]
James Radcliffe's Son
Gary Hinojosa was in love, and he wanted to talk to me because he wanted to find out how Robin was doing. He wanted me to tell Robin that he loved her. And he also wants to rationalize what he's done. And so he says, I wanted to protect, well, the woman that I wanted to be my wife. I wanted to protect my baby. There's a reason, there's a good reason why I hired these people to kill James Radcliffe. From Gary's perspective, what drove the killing was James treatment of his wife Robin. According to Gary, it was an abusive relationship.
- [41:04]
Narrator
Virginia beach police have indicted six people for the murder of James Radd. His wife, Robin Radcliffe, her lover, Gary Hinojosa, and the four men who carried out the attack, including Robin's son in law, Michael Bourne. Based on her cooperation, Robin's daughter, Tina Bourne has not been charged. Gary claims that he orchestrated the murder for hire plot in order to save Robin from an abusive relationship.
- [41:39]
James Radcliffe's Son
He did Say that he had masterminded it, but he'd also said that he was just sitting at home crying. And his buddy Mario shows up. And Mario gets incensed by the fact that James is beating Robin. Mario hates men who beat their wives. And Mario was the one who said, we gotta get this guy, we gotta save Robin.
- [42:00]
Narrator
But detectives know there is no evidence to support Gary's claims that James was ever abusive to Robin.
- [42:11]
James Radcliffe's Ex-Wife
James would have never hit a woman. He was not that type of man. Robin manipulated the whole thing. It was all a bald faced lie. She was just manipulating people to get what she wanted.
- [42:30]
Expert
Robin had definitely some degree of avarice. She was aware of the death benefit for a military person. I think that's what motivated her.
- [42:40]
James Radcliffe's Son
I think that Gary's motivation truly was his love for Robin. He was very emotional, a romantic, as ironic as that sounds. And I think he wanted a life with her. And the only way he knew to get it was to get James out of the way.
- [43:00]
Expert
Robin and James could have gotten divorced and she and Gary could have been a couple and raised their child. But that wasn't enough. They wanted James insurance money. Gary and Robin reached out and incorporated young men to get involved in their conspiracy. Each of those young men made a choice to get involved. But the genesis of the entire depravity and violence began with Gary and Robin.
- [43:39]
Narrator
In the fall of 1992, Gary Hinojosa, Michael Bourne, Aaron Turner and Jamie hall each plead guilty to first degree murder and are sentenced to life in prison.
- [43:54]
Expert
Mario Murphy was charged with capital murder for hire and the judge sentenced him to death.
- [44:05]
Six people arrested, five of them pled guilty. Robin was the only one who went to trial. In my mind, she was the most culpable.
- [44:16]
James Radcliffe's Son
By the time Robin went to trial, she had given birth to Gary's baby and the baby was being cared for by family members.
- [44:25]
Narrator
In February 1993, Robin Radcliffe pleads not guilty by reason of insanity.
- [44:34]
Detective
A lot of the trial was back and forth with different psychiatrists. The defense was saying she had multiple, multiple personalities.
- [44:43]
James Radcliffe's Son
The prosecution was no, she is a cold, calculated murderer.
- [44:52]
Expert
The question is, did the individual know the difference between right and wrong number one? And if so, could she control her behavior?
- [45:03]
Narrator
At trial, prosecutors use Robin's blood soaked nightgown to prove that Robin knew exactly what she was doing the night her husband was murdered.
- [45:16]
Expert
According to our expert witness, it wasn't blood spatter, it was transfer bloodstains which were consistent with her getting back into bed with James and making sure that his blood as he's losing life is seeping onto her nightgown.
- [45:34]
James Radcliffe's Son
She went back and laid in the bed and rolled around in his blood to make it look like she was.
- [45:42]
Detective
In the bed when he was attacked.
- [45:46]
James Radcliffe's Son
That blew everybody's mind. We couldn't wrap our heads around how could you be so callous?
- [45:57]
Narrator
On February 17, 1993, a jury finds Robin Radcliffe guilty of capital murder and consecutive conspiracy to commit capital murder. She is sentenced to life in prison.
- [46:14]
James Radcliffe's Ex-Wife
It was such a relief when they came in with the guilty verdict. It was like the world had been lifted off my shoulders. Yes, there's finally going to be justice for James.
- [46:27]
Detective
She was a spider woman. She got all these people caught up in her webs of lies, secrets and deceit, and it ended up in murder. And it's a sad thing that she destroyed all of these lives just for her own benefit.
- [46:47]
James Radcliffe's Son
I mean, I'm still angry. I mean, God says you're supposed to forgive everybody, but I don't think I can ever forgive them. I mean, they took someone nair to me away.
- [46:58]
James Radcliffe's Ex-Wife
I always wonder if, you know, if he was still alive, I really think we would have been back together as a family and he would have got to follow his dream of being a chef. I wish that we could have had more happy memories with James. But Robin ruined that.
- [47:25]
Narrator
Mario Murphy was executed by the state of Virginia on September 17, 1997. He was 25 years old. Michael Bourne was granted parole in June 2017 at the age of 44. Aaron Turner and James hall have since been released on parole. Robin Radcliffe and Gary Hinojosa remain incarcerated today.
- [47:48]
This is the Emergency broadcast System. A ballistic missile threat has been detected.
- [47:51]
Inbound to your area.
- [47:53]
Carl
Your phone buzzes and you look down to find this alert. What do you do next? Maybe you're at the grocery store. Or maybe you're with your secret lover. Or maybe you're robbing a bank. Based on the real life false alarm that terrified Hawaii in 2018. Incoming, a brand new fiction podcast exclusively on Wonder Eplus, follows the journey of a variety of characters as they confront the unimaginable. The missiles are coming. What am I supposed to do? Featuring incredible performances from Tracy Letts, Mary Lou Henner, Mary Elizabeth Ellis, Paul Edelstein, and many, many more. Incoming is a hilariously thrilling podcast that will leave you wondering, how would you spend your last few minutes on earth? You can binge incoming exclusively in ad free and Wonder Eplus. Join Wondery in the Wondery app, Apple podcasts or Spotify.