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This communicative primitively aired connected May 16, 2015. It was updated connected Dec. 31, 2016.
Brittany Smith, a authoritative successful Beaver County, Pennsylvania, hadn't adjacent been calved erstwhile 23-year-old Janet Walsh past carried her purse connected the last nighttime of her life, Sept. 1, 1979.
"This is Janet's purse. This would've been the purse she utilized the nighttime she went retired from August 31st 1979, into the aboriginal greeting hours of September 1st, 1979," Smith said, showing "48 Hours" analogous Peter Van Sant the bag's contents.
Janet's pocketbook was documented and placed into evidence, wherever it would stay for 34 years. The items wrong were preserved, arsenic they were that summer.
"...mints, gum, makeup, brush, keys. Those types of things are successful each woman's purse," she said. "It decidedly makes you consciousness arsenic if there's a transportation to her."
And Smith learned Janet was firmly connected to the tiny municipality of Monaca, astir 30 miles extracurricular Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
"Janet moved adjacent doorway to america erstwhile she was either 2 oregon 3 years old. And we became champion friends. She had a mates brothers. I had brothers, truthful she was similar my small sister," champion person Sue Niedergal said.
"This is the location that I grew up in, and this is the location that Janet grew up in," Niedergal pointed retired arsenic she and Van Sant stood extracurricular the homes. With their chamber windows facing each other, Niedergal explained, "at 1 constituent my parent bought america small princess phones, and we were capable to speech backmost and forth."
"Our puerility was astir apt conscionable similar everybody else's, you know. We each got connected each other's nerves. And I astir apt made it a extremity to get connected her nerves, being a small irritating brother," said Janet's brother, Francesco Caltieri.
He remembers a large sister bursting with talent.
"She played the oboe successful the orchestra and the band. And past she sang and she played the piano. ...Janet was besides a Monaca Indianette," said Caltieri.
"-- she was an avid sewer, truthful she would spell retired and she'd bargain worldly and she would sew her apparel earlier she'd spell connected dates," said Niedergal.
"...cut it retired and sew it unneurotic and deterioration it retired that night. I saw her bash that much than once. And it was conscionable amazing," Caltieri recalled.
Janet and Scott Walsh
Francesco Caltieri
By precocious school, those dates were with conscionable 1 young man: Scott Walsh.
"We conscionable were inseparable. I didn't bent astir with buddies excessively much, it was mostly her and I conscionable goin' out," Walsh told Van Sant.
Says Niedergal, "Janet and Scott were similar 2 small puppy dogs successful love."
"...Right present she signed, 'to Scotty, I'll ever emotion you. Jan,'" Walsh pointed retired to Van Sant arsenic they looked astatine his precocious schoolhouse yearbooks.
So it came arsenic nary astonishment erstwhile the precocious schoolhouse sweethearts decided to necktie the knot.
"Got joined August 14th of 1976," Walsh said. "I was 20 and she was 20."
Like a batch of young men successful occidental Pennsylvania successful those days, Walsh had followed the contented of going consecutive to enactment successful a alloy mill aft precocious school.
"I decided not to spell to assemblage due to the fact that ... backmost successful the '70s, successful -- successful this country here, the alloy mills were booming," helium explained.
But contempt a dependable income, the newlyweds soon deed a unsmooth spot financially.
"We had the caller mortgage, the caller house, and 2 caller vehicles, and it became a fiscal load connected some of us. That's what led to our separation," Walsh told Van Sant.
In the summertime of 1979, aft conscionable 3 years of marriage, the mates separated. Janet moved into the crushed level of a 2 household house.
"I deliberation she was a small apprehensive astir surviving unsocial due to the fact that she ne'er lived unsocial before," said Niedergal.
Janet got an bureau occupation astatine a section refrigeration company. And erstwhile Friday of Labor Day play rolled around, she decided to walk a girls nighttime retired with 3 friends bar-hopping and dancing -- getting location astir 4 a.m., conscionable hours earlier she was owed astatine work.
"My sister's boss, Ron, had called and told my parent that, 'Hey, Janet didn't amusement up for enactment this greeting and it's not similar her,'" said Caltieri.
Janet's parents raced to her apartment.
"My dada saw determination was idiosyncratic successful furniture ... and saw that her hands were bound, that she had thing astir her throat," Caltieri continued.
"The connection dormant conscionable didn't apply. She's my sister. There's thing that could marque my sister beryllium dead. I had to spell successful and spot for myself, but my--my member would not let maine to. He enactment maine successful a carnivore hug, and helium would not fto go. He did not privation that to beryllium the past representation I had of my sister," said Caltieri.
Detective Andy Gall, adjunct main of detectives for the Beaver County District Attorney's Office, was a 25-year-old rookie patrolman astatine the time.
"I had handled a mates of suicides and 2 fatal postulation accidents. Couple different superior crimes, but it was intelligibly the archetypal homicide that I had ever responded to," helium told Van Sant.
And what Gall recovered erstwhile helium got to Janet Walsh's location was chilling. Wearing lone a abbreviated nightgown, Janet was look down successful bed, her hands tied down her backmost with the necktie from her ain bathrobe. Around her neck, a airy bluish bandana -- tied tight. It appeared she had been suffocated to death.
Rich Matas was a Pennsylvania authorities trooper backmost successful 1979.
"I person ne'er had a akin country since during my career," helium said.
Like Gall, Matas was looking astatine his archetypal murder.
"So whenever you participate a transgression country you fto the transgression country archer you what it has to say," Matas explained.
"What did this transgression country archer you?" Van Sant asked.
"Everything was precise neat, precise orderly," Matas replied. "No bruising, nary cuts, nary lacerations, of course, nary firearms injuries. Nothing."
Cops believed that Janet indispensable person known her slayer due to the fact that the beforehand doorway was chained unopen and determination was nary motion of a forced entry. So she indispensable person recognized the antheral and fto him in. The 2 past made their mode backmost into Janet's bedroom.
Asked who would privation to termination Janet Walsh, Gall told Van Sant, "At that clip I had nary idea. ...the older detectives and investigators, their automatic was, 'It's gotta beryllium the husband.' You ever look to the closest."
Janet's parents were astatine the Monaca constabulary presumption erstwhile their estranged son-in-law arrived.
"They were crying, and I started crying," Walsh said. "And I'll ne'er forget, her parent grabbed my manus -- and she said to me, she said, 'Scott, you didn't person thing to bash with this, did you?' And I looked astatine Mrs. Caltury and said, 'Mrs. Caltury, I deliberation you cognize the reply to that question.' And she shook her caput to maine and said, 'I cognize you didn't.'"
But constabulary weren't truthful easy convinced. For 1 thing, Scott Walsh, present fishy No. 1, had been spotted astatine Janet's residence conscionable hours earlier her assemblage was discovered. He says helium was conscionable dropping her enactment cheque successful the message slot.
"On the archetypal of the period I would springiness her a cheque arsenic portion of our separation agreement," helium explained.
Also suspicious, constabulary say, Walsh had nary alibi aft Janet got home.
"You didn't get up retired of furniture and say, 'I'm gonna find retired what that woman, my wife, has been up to connected this night?'" Van Sant asked.
"Absolutely not," said Walsh.
"You didn't spell successful and face her?"
"Not astatine all. No," helium said.
Perhaps astir damning, Walsh was fixed 2 prevarication detector tests pursuing the murder. In both, helium failed 1 cardinal question.
"So, Scott Walsh is fixed this prevarication detector trial and he's shown to beryllium deceptive connected a alternatively important question, 'Did you termination your wife,'" Van Sant said to Matas.
"Yes," helium replied nodding.
"You told him ... 'You failed this question.' And helium knew that. And you pressed him connected it. What did helium say?" Van Sant asked.
"He wasn't involved," said Matas.
Police were starting to deliberation they had their antheral ...until they heard astir a alien connected the creation level who'd had his oculus connected Janet.
NO SHORTAGE OF SUSPECTS
"This lawsuit is astir a young woman, 23 years aged successful 1979, who is tragically murdered. And it wholly tears isolated and devastates her family," said Assistant District Attorney Brittany Smith.
In the days pursuing the horrific find of Janet Walsh's lifeless body, rookie researcher Andy Gall reached for leads successful each imaginable direction, reconstructing Janet's last hours.
"She was a emblematic 23-year-old girl," said Gall.
He learned that portion barroom hopping, Janet crossed paths with a alien successful municipality named Robert McGrail -- a antheral cops picture arsenic a drifter.
"When we were askin' her friends, 'Anybody amusement involvement successful Janet that night,' helium intelligibly came up. He came up close away," said Gall.
"He was funny successful Janet," Van Sant commented.
"He was," said Gall.
Robert McGrail, fishy No. 2, remembers spotting Janet retired that nighttime astatine 1 of the bars.
"Yeah, I was. I was funny successful her, yeah. She was an charismatic girl," McGrail told Van Sant. "I asked her to dance, and -- it was -- a disco dance. She was precise good, precise bully dancer. I enjoyed dancing with her."
After a fewer much dances, McGrail decided to inquire Janet for a favor.
"I asked her if I could get a thrust location with her," helium continued.
McGrail says Janet declined and enactment an extremity to the evening.
"She says, ' I'm separated from my husband, and -- helium gets precise aggravated -- if helium sees maine with someone,'" helium told Van Sant. "And she said, 'It mightiness beryllium bully -- if you conscionable near due to the fact that -- I don't privation you to get hurt.'"
Rejected, McGrail told constabulary helium walked location unsocial that night. At first, constabulary believed him.
"About six oregon 7 days aft the homicide, a lady's drivin' up 9th Street and she sees a checkbook layin' successful the gutter," said Gall.
The sanction wrong the checkbook: Robert McGrail.
"Robert McGrail, 1 of the past radical to spot Janet. She's dormant conscionable down the artifact here. What are you reasoning arsenic an researcher astatine that moment?" Van Sant asked Gall.
"I'm thinkin' McGrail is jumpin' to the apical of my list," helium replied.
Investigators learned that nary checks had been written connected McGrail's relationship since the nighttime of Janet's death.
"I don't cognize whether I mislaid it that nighttime astatine the club, whether idiosyncratic could person taken it retired of my athletics coat," said McGrail.
"Did you locomotion implicit -- to her spot that nighttime -" Van Sant asked McGrail.
"I walked home," helium replied. "I didn't adjacent cognize wherever she lived.
"But your checkbook is simply a fractional a artifact distant from her apartment," Van Sant pressed. "Did you travel Janet - backmost to -"
"No, I did not ---follow--" helium said.
"Did you termination Janet Walsh?
"No, I did not."
"Absolutely not -"
"Absolutely not," said McGrail.
"So -- did you springiness a polygraph to Robert McGrail?" Van Sant asked Gall.
"We did. The authorities constabulary gave him a polygraph and it showed deception," helium replied.
"So present you person 2 radical who person shown deception successful a polygraph. Janet's hubby and Robert McGrail," said Van Sant.
"Correct," said Gall.
And soon, determination would beryllium fishy No. 3 -- different stranger. On the past nighttime of Janet Walsh's life, that alien knocked connected a neighbor's door.
"About 8:00 astatine night, idiosyncratic comes to his house. Well-dressed young man, asking wherever Janet Walsh lives. He lives 2 doors away. He showed him precisely wherever Janet Walsh lives," Gall said. "So, we enactment it retired to the public."
While cops hoped idiosyncratic had seen the man, Janet's champion person gave constabulary yet different lead.
"Who could person done this to Janet, what did you think?" Van Sant asked Sue Niedergal.
"My archetypal thought, it was her boss, Ron," she replied.
Ron Ciccozzi, Janet's boss, is fishy No. 4. Police accidental Janet and Ron had an affair.
"How agelong had this narration gone connected betwixt Janet and her boss?" Van Sant asked Gall.
"It hadn't been goin' connected long. This started aft she separated from - Scott," helium explained.
Investigators observe that Ron Ciccozzi had been astatine 2 of the bars Janet visited the nighttime she died.
"Detective, astatine this constituent successful the investigation, springiness maine your database of suspects," said Van Sant.
"Peter, astatine this constituent we person a wide array of suspects," said Gall.
They included Scott Walsh, Janet's estranged husband; Robert McGrail, the drifter; Janet's boss, Ron Ciccozzi, and the unidentified "sketch man."
"Anybody other travel up connected the radar?" Van Sant asked.
"Right astatine that time, we besides get Scott Hopkins," Gall replied. "Scott Hopkins is substantially older than Janet, drives a Porsche, is simply a palmy businessman, and we find retired from 1 of her girlfriends, they've had a narration implicit the summer.
Janet Walsh murder: Crime country and suspects
25 photos
Suspect No. 5, Scott Hopkins, had a home-building company. Janet had started seeing him aft moving into her ain apartment, but kept their narration secret. Trooper Rich Matas remembers interviewing Hopkins the time of Janet's murder.
"He was not forthright successful his responses. He goes from casual acquaintance to intersexual involvement. But it takes a portion to get determination during the people of the interview," said Matas.
One crushed Hopkins whitethorn person been reticent is that helium had 2 different women successful his beingness - a soon-to-be ex-wife and different girlfriend. Both didn't cognize astir Janet Walsh. But Hopkins had nary secrets astir wherever helium was erstwhile Janet was killed.
"What did helium say?" Van Sant asked Matas.
"He was astatine his residence," helium said of Hopkins' reply.
Hopkins tells constabulary helium was location each nighttime with his girlfriend, with 2 friends sleeping retired connected the surviving country level -- Larry Musgrave and his wife, Georgeann. They'd each stayed implicit to assistance Hopkins hole a pig roast for an worker Labor Day play picnic the adjacent day. Police checked retired Hopkins' story.
"We got up astatine 5:30 successful the morning. And Scott was the 1 that woke maine up ...to get the blistery occurrence goin' to -- roast the pig," Larry Musgrave told Van Sant.
Georgeann Musgrave says she's a airy sleeper and is wide astir 1 happening - Hopkins ne'er near the location that night.
"I heard thing that night. Absolutely nothing," she said.
"And Scott Hopkins is alibied," Matas said. "He's alibied. OK."
After interviewing astir 20 radical successful the archetypal 3 years, the lawsuit turned cold. There were nary witnesses and nary forensic exertion to azygous retired a killer.
"I person a crippled from an ... aged TV amusement similar 'Murder She Wrote,' wherever we person 5 suspects and I can't enactment a digit connected immoderate of 'em," Gall said.
Then successful 1983, 4 years aft the murder, fishy No. 6 emerged-- Victor Ciccozzi. No narration to fishy No. 4, Ron Ciccozzi, Victor lived conscionable 2 blocks distant from Janet.
"He's successful a edifice -- tells the waitress that helium knew Janet and that helium had dated her ... conscionable anterior to the murder. When he's describing that communicative to her, he's got a faraway look successful his eye, and helium was talking astir that there's not a hairsbreadth retired of place, arsenic though helium was re-envisioning the transgression scene. We looked astatine the reports, and we knew Victor had been astatine the Getaway ... the past barroom that Janet Walsh was at," Gall explained.
Even with truthful galore suspects, Janet's brother, Francesco Caltieri, remembers anticipation draining distant successful his family's household.
"One of the things that we were told aboriginal connected successful the probe was that adjacent if the slayer walked into the constabulary presumption and confessed today, we would not beryllium capable to instrumentality them to proceedings due to the fact that we bash not person capable evidence," helium said.
But each that would alteration erstwhile Cold Case Detective Rocco DeMailo uncovered a hint that would sound him disconnected his feet.
"I was virtually lasting astatine my desk, my knees buckled. I sat down. I said, 'Are you-- you kidding me?'" helium told Van Sant.
A BOMBSHELL
"I don't person immoderate eyewitnesses. I don't person immoderate carnal evidence. I person nary superior motive. I person nary 1 coming forth," Pennsylvania State Trooper Richard Matas told Peter Van Sant.
Detective Rocco DeMailo, moving successful a acold lawsuit squad, says successful precocious 2010, each of that would change. Time and exertion yet caught up to Janet Walsh's case.
"These are markings that the authorities constabulary transgression laboratory would enactment connected the item. This would beryllium wherever a illustration was taken present for example," authoritative Brittany Smith explained, pointing to Janet's robe.
DeMailo sent immoderate of the carnal grounds from Janet's transgression country retired for caller analysis. A laboratory tech called him with a crippled changer: they had recovered semen connected the apical expanse that had covered Janet's body.
"And I'm reasoning it's gonna be, you know, immoderate insignificant itty, bitty trace. And she says, 'No, we person a batch of it successful a batch of locations,'" said DeMailo.
Those locations see the backmost of Janet's nightgown and the robe necktie that had bound her wrists. It was much than capable to make a DNA profile.
"They didn't cognize astatine the clip who it was. But they knew that whoever's DNA this was would beryllium the killer," said Smith.
"Decades person passed, it's not 1979 anymore, and this is simply a immense infinitesimal successful this agelong investigation," Van Sant noted to Gall. "What bash you bash first?"
"Peter, I've been keeping tabs connected these guys for years. I person to get their DNA. First happening I bash is get the DNA and destruct Scott Walsh, past Ron Ciccozzi, and DNA eliminates Victor Ciccozzi," said Gall.
"So, 3 down, 2 to go. We person Scott Hopkins, and Robert McGrail," said Van Sant.
"I knew erstwhile they came here, and they wanted my DNA, that they indispensable person considered maine a suspect," said McGrail, who was present surviving up successful Massachusetts.
In December 2011, McGrail voluntarily met Andy Gall and different detective astatine a section constabulary station:
Det. Gall: You were ne'er successful her apartment.
Robert McGrail: That's right.
Det. Gall: You ne'er had enactment with her?
Robert McGrail: That's right.
McGrail, the antheral whose checkbook was recovered astir the country from Janet Walsh's location six days aft her murder, refuses to voluntarily springiness constabulary his DNA. But Andy Gall hadn't travel 32 years and 600 miles to beryllium turned away. He brought a warrant for McGrail's DNA. Then, Gall picks up precisely wherever he'd near disconnected successful 1979.
Gall grills McGrail for 7 hours:
"I didn't termination anyone," McGrail told Gall.
McGrail agrees to instrumentality a prevarication detector test. Remember, he'd shown deception connected his archetypal 1 backmost successful 1979:
Technician: Did you termination that woman?
Robert McGrail: No.
Technician: Did you ever prevarication to the police?
Robert McGrail: No.
Technician: Were you ever successful that woman's home?
Robert McGrail: No.
When the trial is over, the technician delivers the atrocious quality to McGrail.
"You scored successful the antagonistic connected the archetypal 1 erstwhile I asked you, 'Did you termination that woman?' And you besides scored successful the antagonistic connected 'Are you the idiosyncratic who killed that woman?'" helium explained.
Suspect Robert McGrail has failed different polygraph:
Investigator: Are you gonna beryllium looked astatine arsenic an honorable antheral who wanted to assistance successful the end...
Robert McGrail: I'm getting disgusted with that statement.
Investigator: How so?
Robert McGrail: I person thing to beryllium remorseful about. I did not bash what you're accusing maine of.
McGrail's DNA illustration is sent backmost to Pennsylvania, but it's not a match.
"So, Robert McGrail is present eliminated. Who does that leave?" Van Sant asked Gall.
"It's down to one, Scott Hopkins," helium replied.
"Scott Hopkins, and backmost successful 2011, springiness maine a consciousness of what his beingness was like," said Van Sant.
"Scott Hopkins was present a precise influential idiosyncratic successful our community. He's an elected councilman. He's 65 years old. He's a semi-retired, precise palmy businessman," Gall said. "When I inquire him for the DNA helium says, 'Absolutely not."
Scott Hopkins' existent wife, Karen Hopkins, says the information that her hubby had a narration with Janet Walsh made immoderate DNA trial pointless.
"He said, 'I'm not gonna springiness my DNA,'" she said. "He said, 'My DNA's gonna beryllium determination due to the fact that I was there. I did person enactment with her.' So that's wherefore helium didn't springiness it."
Still, investigators persisted. Police didn't person capable grounds to get a hunt warrant for Hopkins' DNA -- astatine slightest not yet. They hatched a plan.
"Andy Gall acceptable it each up," DeMailo explained. "Scott Hopkins was a Bridgewater councilman. ...Every time aboriginal successful the greeting helium came into the Bridgewater bureau gathering wherever the constabulary section is located also. And took a portion retired of a h2o fountain and would propulsion his cupful away."
Investigators had the constabulary chief's caput lasting by to prime up the trash aft Hopkins' greeting h2o interruption and retrieve the cup. It was tested and the effect was the infinitesimal cops had waited for. Hopkins was a lucifer to the transgression country DNA profile. That enabled investigators to get an authoritative warrant for Hopkins' DNA.
"I said, 'Hey, Scott, I told ya I'd beryllium back. I person a warrant.' And helium really fell into a chair. And helium says, 'You deliberation I did this,'" said Gall.
All that was near was to hold for the results of Hopkins' court-ordered DNA test.
"Rocky DeMailo calls and says, 'It's done. It's sure. It's him. We're gettin' an apprehension warrant,'" Gall continued.
Scott Hopkins' booking photo
Beaver County District Court
Andy Gall, who'd been archetypal done the doorway erstwhile Janet Walsh was killed, was the archetypal antheral done the doorway erstwhile Hopkins was arrested successful January 2012.
"I brought my handcuffs that I had successful 1979 and enactment the cuffs connected him," helium said.
But would this DNA grounds truly beryllium capable to drawback a killer? Remember Scott Hopkins and Janet Walsh were lovers that summer.
"Even past I'm worried, due to the fact that I cognize ... of each the suspects, lone Hopkins had told america that helium had enactment astatine that flat successful that bed. I knew it wasn't a definite happening conscionable yet," said Gall.
THE TRIAL OF SCOTT HOPKINS
In November 2013, Scott Hopkins -- present 67 years aged and a gramps -- goes connected proceedings for the execution of Janet Walsh successful 1979. No cameras are allowed successful the courtroom.
Janet's younger brother, Francesco Caltieri, says arsenic the proceedings began, each helium could bash was pray.
"Please, God, springiness everyone the spot to bash what is close and to bash your bidding," helium said.
Hopkins' defence attorney, Chad Bowers, says successful the 34 years since Janet's death, Scott ne'er acted similar a blameworthy man.
"Scott Hopkins ne'er near town. In information ... he's done the opposite. He stayed successful Beaver County. ...He's dug his roots adjacent deeper into Beaver County," said Bowers.
"He is simply a giving person. He's a loving person. He gives everything that helium perchance tin to the community, to his church," said Karen Hopkins, Scott's 3rd wife.
Back erstwhile they were inactive dating, Scott had told Karen he'd erstwhile been seeing a young pistillate who'd been murdered.
"He was atrocious that thing unspeakable had happened, but helium besides was gladsome that helium had had 3 radical with him that nighttime truthful that helium would not person to beryllium progressive successful this," she explained.
At trial, those 3 people, Scott Hopkins' alibi witnesses, would each testify. Diane Saint George, Scott's woman astatine the clip -- who'd spell connected to go his 2nd wife, said she spent the nighttime adjacent to Scott successful a waterbed.
"This was our exemplary home. It was a split-entry that we built. And this is wherever we worked retired of,"
Larry Musgrave, who was Hopkins' spouse successful a location gathering business, showed Van Sant. "Scott Hopkins was -- goin' done a divorcement and helium moved present and moved into the backmost chamber of the house."
Musgrave and his wife, Georgeann, were dormant connected the level of Hopkins' surviving room. Remember, they'd slept implicit to get up aboriginal to hole for an worker Labor Day play picnic the adjacent day. They told jurors Hopkins ne'er near the location that night.
"I cognize it didn't happen. I was here," said Larry Musgrave.
"How bash you cognize that?" Van Sant asked.
"Well, I would've heard him leave. I would've heard him travel back," helium replied.
"I wouldn't beryllium present and lie. Not for anybody. And each I tin accidental is I consciousness they person the incorrect idiosyncratic here," said Georgeann Musgrave.
"Would you prevarication to support your friend?" Van Sant asked Georgeann.
Never. If I felt helium did it, I would crook him in," she said.
Prosecutor Brittany Smith says the Musgraves are mistaken.
"They were sleeping during a important play of time," she told Van Sant.
With the exemplary location conscionable a 10-minute thrust from Janet's house, prosecutors accidental Hopkins would person had clip to get aft Janet got location astatine 4 a.m, perpetrate the execution and get backmost to his ain location to awaken his guests astatine 5:30 a.m. But if Scott Hopkins is guilty, what precisely happened that night?
"There was thing intersexual that occurred successful that apartment. Whether it was consensual by her oregon not, we don't know," said Smith.
Smith lays retired the prosecution's theory.
"As portion of this intersexual enactment helium strangles her. And takes it excessively acold and she ends up dead," she explained.
"Could this person been an accidental death?" Van Sant asked Smith.
"The occupation with it being an accidental decease is that strangulation takes a play of time. That helium continuously applied unit to her cervix done the usage of the bandana. And that takes a fewer minutes to do. So her beingness is fundamentally leaving her, and helium continues to use unit to her neck," she replied.
As they did astatine trial, Smith and Frank Martucci, the co-prosecutor connected the case, show however the DNA grounds condemns Hopkins. First, erstwhile the Pennsylvania authorities laboratory recovered semen successful the aged transgression country evidence, it was fixed a standing of 4+.
"That means Scott Hopkin's seminal fluid is connected that determination successful a concentrated mode and it is not accordant with having been washed," Smith explained.
Prosecutors accidental that means that Hopkins' DNA was deposited the nighttime of the murder, not from a erstwhile encounter. And past determination was thing other --something huge.
"We ever spell backmost to location, location, location. Because the determination of the DNA is what tells america erstwhile it was enactment there," said Martocci.
"We judge that she was laying look down connected the furniture and helium was connected apical of her astatine the infinitesimal that helium was strangling her," said Smith.
The apical expanse near covering Janet Walsh's body.
It turns out, the DNA identified arsenic Hopkins' was recovered to enactment up perfectly connected the backmost of Janet's nightgown, connected the enactment tying her hands, and connected the apical expanse near covering her body.
"If you look astatine each the grounds successful conjunction with 1 different and however it lines up, that's what tells you that her slayer deposited it," said Smith.
The prosecution would extremity up hiring a celebrated messenger to present that quality astatine proceedings - nary different than the renowned forensic pathologist Dr. Cyril Wecht who's consulted connected satellite celebrated cases, including
John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston - and adjacent an alleged alien.
Wecht admits he's not a DNA expert. He says helium was conscionable brought successful to construe the transgression scene.
"I deliberation that -- you tin beryllium rather comfy with the information that Hopkins was the perpetrator," Dr. Wecht testified.
When it's the defence side's turn, they antagonistic the personage grounds of Dr. Wecht with idiosyncratic who is an internationally recognized DNA expert, Dr. Mark Perlin, who says Wecht has nary concern talking astir DNA connected the stand.
"Do you judge that Dr. Cyril Wecht testifying successful Scott Hopkins' lawsuit -- is that dangerous, successful your opinion?" Van Sant asked Dr. Perlin.
"I deliberation it's precise dangerous," helium replied.
The defence probe recovered thing that the prosecution missed. It turns out, Hopkins' DNA was not the lone DNA astatine the transgression scene. There was unidentified antheral DNA connected Janet's robe, and semen from a 3rd antheral -- idiosyncratic constabulary knew each excessively well.
"There was an denotation that-- her ex-husband was perchance connected 1 of the sheets arsenic well," said Perlin.
The defence claims they cognize however Hopkins' DNA lined up. They accidental his DNA was connected Janet's nightgown from past intersexual encounters. Then, erstwhile the existent slayer had enactment with Janet, her perspiration transferred Hopkins' aged DNA from the nightgown to the robe necktie to the sheet.
"In this case, the prosecution said was determination was lone 1 possibility, and that's intelligibly false. And successful science, if you person 2 possibilities that tin arsenic explicate the data, it's a wash," said Perlin.
THE VERDICT
For Francesco Caltieri, the proceedings of his sister's accused slayer would beryllium bitter.
"I was transported backmost 30-plus years to being conscionable -- having my innards conscionable shredded. My bosom -- didn't adjacent cognize however to work," helium told "48 Hours." "My fear, and it came to fruition, was that it would beryllium similar yesterday, similar it conscionable happened."
Caltieri attended each time of Scott Hopkins' execution trial.
"Thirty-plus years of not knowing who, why, oregon whatever. And here's this antheral 10 feet away. You can't ideate the rage," helium said.
Thirty-four years with nary 1 having to wage the terms for Janet's murder. The proceedings would instrumentality lone 8 days with 40 witnesses, including Hopkins himself. In the end, the assemblage took six hours to render a verdict: blameworthy of execution successful the third-degree.
The verdict means Hopkins, portion not intending to termination Janet, had acted recklessly and successful a mode helium knew could effect successful death.
"And the archetypal thought that came successful my caput astatine that constituent was, 'Jan, we got him,'" said Caltieri.
"To bully friends, aged friends, to justice, and to Janet," Andy Gall said successful a toast pursuing the verdict.
Det. Andy Gall contiguous and arsenic a rookie patrolman
For Gall, who was conscionable a rookie that September time successful 1979, the verdict closed a precise large circle.
"I'm hopin' to get past these tears astatine immoderate point," an affectional Gall said. "It's conscionable -- it was much than conscionable different case. Just became mode excessively personal."
Not everyone successful that courtroom was rejoicing.
"After this verdict, did helium crook and look astatine you?" Van Sant asked Karen Hopkins.
"He did. He turned and looked astatine me, and -- and I was crying. And helium said, 'I'm truthful sorry, you don't merit this.' And I said, 'Neither bash you,'" she replied.
Three months later, successful February 2014, Janet's member arrives astatine the sentencing wishing Hopkins would get precisely what helium deserves.
"I'm hoping for the longest condemnation possible. As I recognize it, this transgression carries a 20- to 40-year possibility. And I cognize it's up to the judge," Caltieri told Van Sant portion extracurricular the courtroom.
The condemnation the justice handed down was considerably shorter.
"He gave him 8 to 16 years and my hubby conscionable turned 68. So I don't cognize if my hubby volition ever get retired alive," said Karen Hopkins.
A fewer months into his situation stay, "48 Hours" spoke with Scott Hopkins by phone.
"Mr. Van Sant, I americium perfectly guiltless of this crime," said Hopkins.
"Why bash you deliberation the assemblage recovered you guilty?" Van Sant asked.
"My ain thought is we person a concern successful this state from watching 'CSI' and each the transgression shows that if your DNA is there, you indispensable beryllium guilty," Hopkins replied. "And, I admitted to them that I was having enactment with her successful -- successful her apartment."
Scott Hopkins insists that the DNA probe was acold from thorough, starting with Janet's estranged husband, Scott Walsh.
"Our DNA adept recovered my sperm and his sperm mixed unneurotic connected the sheets. My DNA adept recovered an further person's DNA oregon sperm ... connected her robe. ... So determination were different people's DNA determination that they chose not to look at," helium told Van Sant.
Janet Walsh, who by each accounts was conscionable a summertime fling for Scott Hopkins decades ago, would extremity up changing the people of his life.
"I mean, I respected her arsenic a person, and arsenic a female, and -- and I would ne'er bash thing to harm her," helium said.
"Scott, are you lying to me?" Van Sant asked Hopkins.
"Absolutely not," helium replied.
"You curse connected everything you find beatified successful this world, and the radical who enactment you, that you are telling maine the truth?"
"I curse connected my kids' lives," Hopkins told Van Sant.
Hopkins had already started to equine an entreaty of his conviction.
For authoritative Brittany Smith, the triumph has been bittersweet.
"There's ever a benignant of sadness, adjacent though you -- you get what you privation to immoderate degree," Smith said. "Doesn't bring Janet back. She'll ever beryllium 23 successful 1979. She's inactive gone."
And for Janet's brother, who'd kept vigil for justness each these years, the clip has travel to fto go.
"By getting escaped of each these horrific mementos, headlines, 'Crime inactive unsolved, Case gone cold,' that'll assistance maine get to that point," Caltieri said burned the aged paper clippings. "I emotion my sister. I'll spot you successful eden 1 day."
In 2020, the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania granted Scott Hopkins a caller proceedings connected the ground of ineffective proceedings counsel.
He was released connected enslaved pending a caller trial.
In 2022, his remaining complaint for third-degree execution was dismissed.
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