Mother's Day Murders

[ GIRL SCREAMS ] Narrator: IT'S A MOTHER'S DAY LIKE NO OTHER. OF ALL THE HOMICIDES THAT I'VE INVESTIGATED, THIS WAS THE WORST SCENE THAT I'D EVER COME ON. Narrator: A YOUNG MILITARY WIFE AND HER TWO LITTLE GIRLS ARE FOUND DEAD. IT WAS JUST A SLAUGHTER IS WHAT IT WAS. Narrator: THE HUNT FOR SUSPECTS LEADS TO A BABYSITTER WITH A SECRET, AN EYEWITNESS WHO CAN'T BE TRUSTED, AND A CLEAN-CUT SERGEANT WITH A DIRTY LITTLE ALIBI. HANDS BEHIND YOUR BACK. Narrator: ONE SUSPECT IS SENTENCED TO DEATH, BUT THE REAL VERDICT IS YET TO COME. I STOPPED DEAD IN MY TRACKS. THE LETTER SAID, "IT'S A SHAME THAT YOU'RE DOING THE TIME AFTER I DID THE CRIME, HAHA." [ GUNSHOT ] -- Captions by VITAC -- www.vitac.com CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS Narrator: FAYETTEVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA IS THE QUINTESSENTIAL MILITARY TOWN, HOME TO FAMILIES WHOSE LOVED ONES ARE STATIONED AT THE ARMY'S FORT BRAGG OR POPE AIR FORCE BASE. IT'S A BASTION OF AMERICAN VALUES. WE'VE GOT APPROXIMATELY 60,000 UNIFORMED PERSONNEL HERE. PROBABLY AT LEAST HALF THE POPULATION HAS A CONNECTION TO THE MILITARY, EITHER RETIRED OR THEY'RE IN THE MILITARY. Narrator: WITH HER HUSBAND AWAY FOR OFFICER TRAINING, KATIE EASTBURN AND HER THREE LITTLE GIRLS CAN USUALLY BE FOUND PLAYING IN THE FRONT YARD OF THEIR HOME ON SUMMERHILL ROAD. Ackley: THE EASTBURN FAMILY CONSISTED OF GARY EASTBURN; HIS WIFE, KATIE; KARA, WHO WAS FIVE YEARS OLD; ERIN, WHO WAS THREE YEARS OLD; AND JANA, WHO WAS 20 MONTHS OLD. Narrator: ON A BEAUTIFUL MOTHER'S DAY MORNING, KATIE AND THE KIDS ARE NOWHERE TO BE SEEN. THEIR NEIGHBORS, AN ARMY SERGEANT AND HIS WIFE, CAN'T HELP BUT NOTICE AN EERIE SILENCE SURROUNDING THE HOUSE. IT IS USUALLY FILLED WITH CHILDREN'S LAUGHTER. THEY DIDN'T SEE THEM OUT IN THE YARD FOR A COUPLE DAYS, PLAYING LIKE THEY NORMALLY DO. AND ON THAT SUNDAY MORNING, THERE WAS SEVERAL PAPERS OUT IN THE YARD, WHICH WAS UNUSUAL. Narrator: CONCERNED, THE NEIGHBORS CALL THE SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT. SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT. Narrator: THERE'S NO ANSWER AT THE EASTBURN HOUSE. AS THE OFFICER TURNS TO LEAVE, HE SUDDENLY HEARS SOMETHING -- [ BABY CRYING ] A SOUND COMING FROM INSIDE THE HOUSE. HE TRACES IT TO A SIDE WINDOW AND REALIZES IT'S THE DISTORTED CRIES OF A YOUNG CHILD. [ CRYING CONTINUES ] BREAKING IN THROUGH THE WINDOW, THE OFFICER FINDS 20-MONTH-OLD JANA IN HER CRIB, SEVERELY DEHYDRATED. HE HANDS HER TO THE NEIGHBORS, THEN BEGINS TO SEARCH THE REST OF THE HOUSE. HE REACHES THE MASTER BEDROOM AND A SCENE OF UNIMAGINABLE HORROR. [ POLICE RADIO CHATTER ] HOMICIDE DETECTIVES ROBERT BITTLE AND JACK WATTS ARE AMONG THE FIRST ON THE SCENE. INSIDE THE HOUSE, THE SMELL OF DEATH PERMEATES EVERY ROOM. IT'S JUST THE SMELL YOU NEVER FORGET, SO WHEN I WALKED IN THAT HOUSE THAT DAY, YOU KNEW THERE WAS SOMETHING WRONG. Narrator: 31-YEAR-OLD KATIE EASTBURN IS SPRAWLED ON THE BEDROOM FLOOR WITH MULTIPLE STAB WOUNDS TO HER BODY. HER CLOTHES HAVE BEEN RIPPED OFF, AND THERE ARE SIGNS OF A *** ASSAULT. LYING NEARBY IS HER THREE-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER, ERIN, WHO HAS ALSO BEEN STABBED, AND HER THROAT SLASHED. THIS WAS THE WORST SCENE THAT I'D EVER COME ON. IT JUST -- IT JUST TEARS YOUR HEART OUT. IT WAS JUST A SLAUGHTER IS WHAT IT WAS. Narrator: IN A BACK BEDROOM, THE THIRD VICTIM, FIVE-YEAR-OLD KARA. HER LIFELESS BODY IS CURLED UP UNDER HER FAVORITE BLANKET, AS IF SHE WAS DESPERATELY TRYING TO HIDE FROM THE KILLER. SHE NEVER SAW THE KNIFE BLADE AS IT SLICED INTO HER AGAIN AND AGAIN. Watts: IT WAS PROBABLY ONE OF THE MOST HORRIFYING THINGS I EVER HAD TO LOOK AT. IT REALLY BOTHERED ME, BEING A FATHER. AND, EXCUSE ME, BUT IT STILL BOTHERS ME TODAY AND EVERY TIME I THINK ABOUT IT. Narrator: THIS WASN'T JUST A KILLING. THIS WAS UNHINGED BLOODLUST. THERE IS A TERM THAT IS USED CALLED OVERKILL, AND THAT'S WHENEVER YOU SEE FAR MORE TRAUMA TO A VICTIM THAN WHAT IS NEEDED TO ACTUALLY KILL THE VICTIM. WHAT IT MEANS IS THAT THERE WAS SOMETHING PERSONAL TO THE OFFENDER. Narrator: THERE ARE NO SIGNS OF A BREAK-IN. KATIE MOST LIKELY KNEW HER KILLER, PERHAPS EVEN INTIMATELY. WITH HER HUSBAND CONVENIENTLY OUT OF TOWN, HE BECOMES A PERSON OF EXTREME INTEREST. THEY STARTED QUESTIONING THE NEIGHBORS, AND THEY LEARNED THAT CAPTAIN EASTBURN WAS IN TRAINING WITH THE AIR FORCE AT MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, ALABAMA. Narrator: IT'S THE PERFECT ALIBI -- UNTIL INVESTIGATORS LOOK MORE CLOSELY AT GARY EASTBURN AND THE TIMELINE OF HIS FAMILY'S ***. KATIE WAS LAST SEEN ALIVE AT THE NEIGHBORS' HOUSE AROUND 8:00 THURSDAY NIGHT, ALMOST THREE DAYS BEFORE THE BODIES WERE FOUND. HOW ARE THE GIRLS? THEY'RE FINE. [ SCREAMS ] Narrator: THAT MEANS THE KILLER ATTACKED SOMETIME BETWEEN THURSDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY MORNING. IT'S A BIG WINDOW OF TIME, GIVING CAPTAIN EASTBURN PLENTY OF OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE THE NINE-HOUR DRIVE TO NORTH CAROLINA AND RETURN FOR DUTY IN ALABAMA, NEVER BEING MISSED. BUT WHAT POSSIBLE MOTIVE COULD HE HAVE FOR SUCH A HORRIFIC ACT? THEY SEEMED TO HAVE A PERFECT MARRIAGE. THEY WERE HAPPY. THE GIRLS WERE HAPPY. Narrator: INVESTIGATORS LOOK FOR ANY ADULTEROUS SECRETS LURKING WITHIN THIS MODEL FAMILY. Ackley: THERE IS NO EVIDENCE INDICATING KATIE EASTBURN EVER ENGAGED IN ANY EXTRAMARITAL AFFAIRS OR EVEN FLIRTATIONS. NO EVIDENCE WHATSOEVER. Narrator: KATIE'S SQUEAKY-CLEAN IMAGE IS MATCHED ONLY BY THAT OF HER HUSBAND. Woolverton: THEY WERE ABLE TO QUICKLY RULE HIM OUT BECAUSE THE PEOPLE AT MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE VOUCHED FOR HIM BEING DOWN THERE. YES, SIR. HE'S BEEN IN TRAINING FOR THE PAST NINE DAYS, SIR. Bittle: WE KNEW WHERE HE WAS AT ALL TIMES DURING THESE HOMICIDES. HIS TIME WAS WELL-DOCUMENTED, SO WE KNEW THAT HE DID NOT HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH THESE HOMICIDES. Narrator: NO LONGER A SUSPECT, GARY EASTBURN FACES THE UNIMAGINABLE GRIEF AND ANGUISH OF LOSING HIS WIFE AND TWO OF HIS LITTLE GIRLS. I COULDN'T BELIEVE IT. AND I-I-I -- JUST A LOSS. I WAS JUST SHATTERED. COULDN'T... IT'S HARD TO PUT WORDS INTO IT. YOU JUST -- YOU FEEL REALLY SO BAD THAT YOU CAN'T DESCRIBE IT. HE WAS A STRONG MAN IN MANY WAYS, BUT WHEN HE LEARNED OF WHAT HAPPENED, GARY EASTBURN WAS DEVASTATED -- ABSOLUTELY DEVASTATED. Narrator: GARY AND KATIE WERE MARRIED FOR 10 YEARS. HE STILL FONDLY REMEMBERS MEETING HER FOR THE FIRST TIME. Gary: I MET HER AT A SOFTBALL GAME. I SAW KATIE IN A PAIR OF CUT-OFF BLUE JEANS AND A T-SHIRT AND TWO LONG PONYTAILS ON EACH SIDE -- ONE ON EACH SIDE OF HER HEAD. AND I WAS KIND OF LIKE JUST DUMBSTRUCK. I'M LIKE -- THIS IS LIKE, "WOW." Narrator: KATIE AND GARY STARTED A FAMILY AND WERE LIVING THE AMERICAN DREAM. Gary: IT WAS JUST GREAT. IT WAS EXACTLY WHAT I WANTED. KARA, WHO WAS THE OLDEST, SHE WAS VERY INDEPENDENT AND STUBBORN. WHEN SHE SET HER MIND TO SOMETHING, SHE WAS GONNA DO IT COME HELL OR HIGH WATER. AND THEN ERIN WAS A LITTLE ROUND-FACED ANGEL. I KNEW SHE WAS ALWAYS GONNA BE, YOU KNOW, THE FLIRTER AND THE PRETTY GIRL THAT ALWAYS HAD PEOPLE DOING THINGS FOR HER AND STUFF. JANA WAS A PERFECT BABY. SHE DIDN'T FUSS OR ANYTHING. SLEPT THROUGH THE NIGHT. I ALWAYS WANTED TO BE A DAD. Narrator: GARY NOW FACES RAISING HIS ONLY DAUGHTER ALL BY HIMSELF. AT THE EASTBURN HOUSE, CRIME-SCENE INVESTIGATORS PIECE TOGETHER THE TRAIL OF EVIDENCE LEFT BY A DEPRAVED KILLER-***. IN THE LIVING ROOM ARE KATIE'S CRUMPLED JEANS, TWO BUTTONS TORN FROM HER BLOUSE, AND A SHREDDED PAIR OF LADIES' UNDERWEAR. Bittle: THERE ARE SIGNS OF STRUGGLE. IN THE DEN AREA, THE BASKET WITH CLOTHES HAD BEEN TURNED OVER. THERE WERE NEWSPAPERS SCATTERED ALL OVER. Narrator: THEY DUST FOR FINGERPRINTS AND COLLECT HAIR AND FIBER SAMPLES. Bittle: WE TOOK PIECES OF CARPET, WE TOOK SHEETS, WE TOOK BEDSPREADS, WE TOOK THE PILLOWS OFF, WE TOOK THE WASHING MACHINE AND THE DRYER. Narrator: DETECTIVES ALSO SWEEP THE HOUSE WITH A CHEMICAL CALLED LUMINOL. UNDER BLACK LIGHT, IT REVEALS STREAKS OF BLOOD ON THE BATHROOM SINK, PROOF THAT SOMEONE HAD TRIED TO CLEAN UP AND DESTROY ANY EVIDENCE LINKING THEM TO THE CARNAGE. BUT THERE IS EVIDENCE THE KILLER COULDN'T ERASE -- HIS OWN DNA, TAKEN FROM KATIE'S BODY. DURING THE BLOODY SLAUGHTER, ONLY BABY JANA WAS SPARED. WAS IT BECAUSE THE KILLER DIDN'T KNOW SHE WAS THERE? [ SCREAMING ] OR WAS HE UNABLE TO CARRY THROUGH HIS VILE ACTS ON A HELPLESS INFANT? IN THEIR EFFORTS TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE EASTBURNS, INVESTIGATORS TALK TO THE ONE PERSON WHO SPENT THE MOST TIME WITH KATIE AND THE GIRLS -- THE BABYSITTER, JANELLE ZUMANSKY. SHE HAD BECOME A TRUSTED AND CHERISHED MEMBER OF THE EASTBURN FAMILY. THE GIRLS JUST JUMPED UP AND DOWN WHEN SHE COME TO SEE HER. THEY LOVED HER. Narrator: THE LAST TIME JANELLE BABYSAT THE GIRLS WAS TWO DAYS BEFORE THEY WERE MURDERED. I DON'T THINK SO. SHE REPORTS NOTICING NOTHING OUT OF THE ORDINARY AND HAS NO IDEA WHO WOULD WANT TO HARM SUCH A LOVELY FAMILY. JANELLE IS LESS FORTHCOMING ABOUT HER OWN BACKGROUND, AND A SCARY SECRET THAT SHATTERS EVERYONE'S PERCEPTION OF THE INNOCENT BABYSITTER. HE'S BEEN IN JAIL FOR A LONG TIME. SHE WAS A VERY INTERESTING INDIVIDUAL, BELIEVE ME. Narrator: COMING UP... THE BIZARRE CONNECTION BETWEEN THE BABYSITTER AND A HOMICIDAL MILITARY DOCTOR. Bittle: HIS WIFE AND CHILDREN WERE BEAT AND STABBED. HE WROTE THINGS ON THE WALL -- "PIG," AND THINGS OF THIS NATURE -- IN BLOOD. [ POLICE RADIO CHATTER ] Narrator: IN FAYETTEVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA, ARMY WIFE KATIE EASTBURN AND TWO OF HER YOUNG DAUGHTERS WERE FOUND BRUTALLY MASSACRED ON MOTHER'S DAY MORNING. I STILL CAN SHUT MY EYES RIGHT NOW, AND I CAN SEE THOSE CHILDREN. HOW COULD SOMEONE BE SO CRUEL? Narrator: POLICE NOW BELIEVE THAT THE FAMILY'S BABYSITTER MAY BE THE KEY TO FINDING THE KILLER. HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN BABYSITTING FOR THE EASTBURNS? UM... JANELLE ZUMANSKY SPENT SEVERAL HOURS A WEEK CARING FOR KATIE AND GARY EASTBURN'S THREE DAUGHTERS. BUT THERE IS A SIDE TO JANELLE THE EASTBURNS NEVER SAW. WE INVESTIGATED HER BACKGROUND, WE INVESTIGATED HER FRIENDS, AND WE FOUND OUT THAT SHE'D HAD SOME PROBLEMS AND THAT SHE HAD BEEN SENT TO A SPECIAL SCHOOL. Narrator: JANELLE WAS KICKED OUT OF SCHOOL AFTER AUTHORITIES FOUND A STASH OF DRUGS STUFFED IN HER PURSE. Woolverton: LAW ENFORCEMENT WAS CONCERNED ABOUT HAD SHE BEEN INVOLVED WITH A DRUG DEALER WHO MIGHT HAVE PERHAPS BEEN INVOLVED IN THIS, WAS THIS A DRUG-RELATED KILLING TO STEAL FROM THE FAMILY FOR MORE DRUGS. Narrator: THE THEFT MOTIVE MIGHT EXPLAIN WHY KATIE'S WALLET WAS STOLEN ALONG WITH CASH, AN ATM CARD, AND THE PIN NUMBER. JANELLE CLAIMS TO KNOW NOTHING ABOUT ANY STOLEN MONEY AND SAYS SHE HAS NO IDEA WHO KILLED KATIE AND THE GIRLS. AS POLICE PROBE DEEPER, HOWEVER, THEY LEARN SOMETHING ELSE ABOUT JANELLE. FOR THE PAST TWO YEARS, SHE'S HAD A SECRET PEN PAL, WHO ALSO HAPPENS TO BE A PSYCHOTIC KILLER. IT'S ARMY DOCTOR JEFFREY MacDONALD, WHO TOOK A KNIFE TO HIS FAMILY AND STABBED THEM TO DEATH 15 YEARS EARLIER. Woolverton: JEFFREY MacDONALD IS THE MAN CONVICTED OF KILLING HIS WIFE AND CHILDREN IN FAYETTEVILLE'S INFAMOUS "FATAL VISION" CASE. AND IT WAS STILL FRESH IN THE MINDS OF THE PEOPLE IN FAYETTEVILLE AND ACTUALLY AROUND THE NATION. Bittle: THE BABYSITTER WAS ENTHRALLED WITH MacDONALD, AND IN FACT, SHE HAD SENT HIM A LETTER AND SENT HIM A BIRTHDAY CARD AND ASKED THAT HE PLEASE SEND HER A BIRTHDAY CARD ON HER BIRTHDAY. SHE WAS A JEFFREY MacDONALD GROUPIE, I GUESS YOU WOULD CALL HER. HE'S BEEN IN JAIL FOR A LONG TIME FOR A CRIME HE DID NOT COMMIT. Narrator: JANELLE CALLS MacDONALD A MARTYRED HERO. SHE'S CONVINCED HE'S INNOCENT AND BELIEVES THE ARMY DOCTOR'S STORY THAT HIS FAMILY WAS THE VICTIM OF A DRUGGED-OUT BAND OF CHARLES MANSON-LIKE KILLERS. HE TOLD AUTHORITIES THAT A GROUP OF HIPPIES CAME IN HIS HOUSE THAT NIGHT -- LONG-HAIRED HIPPIES WITH PULLED-DOWN HATS -- AND HE WAS BEAT AND STABBED, AND HIS WIFE AND CHILDREN WERE BEAT AND STABBED. Narrator: THE SIMILARITIES TO THE EASTBURN CASE ARE STRIKING -- A YOUNG MILITARY WIFE AND TWO LITTLE GIRLS STABBED TO DEATH. EVEN MORE CHILLING, THE CRIMES TOOK PLACE JUST SIX MILES APART. IS IT POSSIBLE THE SAME KILLER IS RESPONSIBLE FOR BOTH MASSACRES AND THAT DR. JEFFREY MacDONALD IS ACTUALLY INNOCENT AFTER ALL? Ackley: IF THERE WAS ANOTHER *** SIMILAR TO WHAT HAD HAPPENED TO JEFFREY MacDONALD'S FAMILY, THAT WOULD SUBSTANTIATE HIS CLAIM THAT SOME PEOPLE HAD JUST COME INTO THE HOUSE AND, IN A RANDOM FASHION, KILLED HIS ENTIRE FAMILY. Narrator: POLICE TAKE A CLOSER LOOK AT THE MacDONALD CONNECTION BUT FIND NO EVIDENCE TO LINK THE TWO CRIME SCENES. Ackley: THERE WAS SOME WORK DONE IN RUNNING DOWN LEADS IN TERMS OF THE BABYSITTER'S COMMUNICATION WITH JEFFREY MacDONALD, HER FRIENDS, HER ASSOCIATES, AND IN THE END, IT WAS A YOUNG GIRL CORRESPONDING WITH SOMEBODY IN PRISON, AND THERE WAS NO TRUTH THAT THE MURDERS IN THIS INSTANCE WERE RELATED TO THE MacDONALD MURDERS IN ANY WAY. DID YOU RECEIVE ANY PHONE CALLS? Narrator: UNDER FURTHER QUESTIONING, JANELLE DOES TIP INVESTIGATORS TO ANOTHER POSSIBLE SUSPECT. JUST A FEW DAYS BEFORE THE MURDERS, A STRANGER HAD ADOPTED THE EASTBURNS' DOG, DIXIE. THE FAMILY HAD TO GIVE UP THE DOG BECAUSE CAPTAIN EASTBURN HAD BEEN REASSIGNED TO ENGLAND, WHERE THE LAW REQUIRES A SIX-MONTH QUARANTINE FOR ALL PETS. Ackley: SHE WAS OLD, AND THEY DIDN'T THINK SHE WOULD SURVIVE THE QUARANTINE PROCESS, SO THEY HAD AGREED TO FIND A HOME FOR HER. Narrator: THE FAMILY PLACED AN AD IN THE FREE PAPER CIRCULATED AT FORT BRAGG TO MILITARY PERSONNEL. KATIE WAS EXCITED WHEN A YOUNG WOMAN CALLED ABOUT ADOPTING DIXIE AND MADE PLANS FOR THE WOMAN'S HUSBAND TO PICK UP THE DOG. Gary: KATIE TOLD ME THAT HE WAS COMING OVER AND WAS GONNA TAKE HER FOR A COUPLE DAYS TRIAL, AND SHE SAID HE SEEMED LIKE A NICE GUY. AND THAT WAS, ESSENTIALLY, THE LAST TIME I TALKED TO KATIE ON THE PHONE -- WAS THEN. Narrator: INVESTIGATORS ARE NOW EAGER TO TRACK DOWN DIXIE'S NEW OWNER. BUT KATIE HAD NEVER SHARED ANY INFORMATION ABOUT HIS IDENTITY. [ TYPE WRITER CLACKING ] WE HAD RUN A NEWS RELEASE WITH THE TV STATIONS, PAPER, ASKING THAT THE INDIVIDUAL WHO PICKED UP A DOG NAMED DIXIE FROM THE EASTBURNS OFF SUMMERHILL DRIVE PLEASE CONTACT THE SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT. WE NEEDED TO TALK TO THEM. I JUST SAW ON TV WHERE THE SHERIFF'S... Narrator: THAT SAME DAY, A YOUNG ARMY WIFE SEES THE NEWS REPORT AND MENTIONS IT TO HER HUSBAND, ARMY SERGEANT TIMOTHY HENNIS. THE COUPLE HAD JUST ADOPTED A DOG NAMED DIXIE. WITHIN TWO HOURS, HENNIS REPORTS TO THE POLICE STATION AND SITS DOWN WITH INVESTIGATORS. MY WIFE SAW AN AD ON THE TELEVISION. Watts: TIM HENNIS TOLD ME HE, IN FACT, DID GO BY THE EASTBURNS' HOME ON THE EVENING OF THE 7th. SAID HE KNOCKED ON THE DOOR, GOT THE DOG FROM HER, AND THAT WAS THE LAST TIME HE'D SEEN MRS. EASTBURN. BYE, DIXIE. Narrator: HE ALSO SAYS SHE CALLED HIM TWO NIGHTS LATER TO SEE IF THINGS WERE WORKING OUT WITH DIXIE. THAT CALL WOULD'VE BEEN ON THURSDAY EVENING, THE SAME NIGHT THE MEDICAL EXAMINER BELIEVES KATIE AND THE GIRLS WERE KILLED. [ SCREAMING ] NOTHING ABOUT HENNIS SUGGESTS HE COULD BE INVOLVED IN THE MURDERS. AFTER ALL, HE CAME FORWARD VOLUNTARILY WHEN SAW THE NEWS REPORT ABOUT DIXIE. Ackley: HE'S EMPLOYED, NO HISTORY OF SUBSTANCE ABUSE PROBLEMS, HE'S MARRIED, HE HAS A SMALL CHILD. Narrator: AND HE HAS AN ALIBI FOR THAT NIGHT. I WAS GOING TO HAVE DUTY MOST OF THE WEEKEND. HE DROPPED HIS WIFE AND CHILD OFF AT HIS IN-LAWS', STOPPED FOR GAS, AND ARRIVED HOME ABOUT 8:00 P.M., JUST AS KATIE EASTBURN WAS CALLING. HE TOLD HER HE WANTED TO KEEP THE DOG, THEN SAYS HE WATCHED SOME TV AND WENT TO BED. DETECTIVES MAY HAVE DISMISSED HENNIS THEN AND THERE. BUT AN EX-GIRLFRIEND QUICKLY TURNS UP WITH A STORY OF HER OWN THAT BLOWS A HOLE THROUGH THE ARMY SERGEANT'S PAPER-THIN ALIBI. Man: YOU'RE LYING TO ME, TIM! COMING UP... A MARRIED MAN'S ILLICIT RENDEZVOUS LEADS TO A STUNNING REVELATION. I STOPPED DEAD IN MY TRACKS. IT WAS UNBELIEVABLE. Narrator: IN THE MILITARY TOWN OF FAYETTEVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA, DETECTIVES HAVE A PERSON OF INTEREST IN THE GRUESOME DEATHS OF KATIE EASTBURN AND HER TWO YOUNG DAUGHTERS. IT'S 27-YEAR-OLD ARMY SERGEANT TIMOTHY HENNIS, WHO RECENTLY ADOPTED THE EASTBURNS' DOG. Katie: WELL, CAN I CALL YOU IN A FEW DAYS AND SEE HOW IT GOES? Hennis: SOUNDS GREAT. Narrator: HIS ALIBI THE NIGHT OF THE MURDERS? HE DROPPED OFF HIS WIFE AND DAUGHTER AT HIS IN-LAWS' AND SPENT THE EVENING HOME ALONE. I ATE DINNER, THEN I WENT TO BED. BUT HENNIS LEAVES OUT AN IMPORTANT DETAIL IN HIS ALIBI. Bittle: WE FOUND A EX-GIRLFRIEND WHO TOLD US THAT ON THAT THURSDAY NIGHT THAT TIM HENNIS HAD COME BY HER HOUSE TO SEE HER. WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE? Narrator: WITH HIS WIFE OUT OF TOWN, THE MARRIED MAN HAD AN ITCH HE WAS EAGER TO SCRATCH. Bittle: AND SHE SAID, "NO, I'M NOT GONNA DO THAT, AND YOU'RE NOT GONNA STAY HERE BECAUSE I HAVE A DAUGHTER." WHAT ABOUT THIS? AND SHE TAPPED HIS WEDDING RING. YOU NEED TO LEAVE. Narrator: HENNIS' HOME LIFE WAS FAR FROM IDEAL. HE AND HIS WIFE WERE HAVING PROBLEMS, AND HIS WIFE WANTED TO TAKE THEIR CHILD AND GO STAY WITH HER PARENTS FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS. Narrator: HENNIS WAS ON HIS OWN, GIVING HIM PLENTY OF OPPORTUNITY TO SEEK OUT AN ADULTEROUS TRYST... OR TWO. WHAT WE DO KNOW IS, LATER THAT EVENING, SOMETIME BETWEEN APPROXIMATELY 9:00 THAT EVENING AND 3:00, KATIE EASTBURN WAS *** AND MURDERED, AND TWO OF HER THREE CHILDREN WERE MURDERED. Narrator: HENNIS IMMEDIATELY BECOMES DEFENSIVE. Bittle: HE SAID HE DID NOT DO IT, HE DOESN'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT IT, AND THE ONLY TIME HE WAS IN THAT HOUSE WAS THAT ONE TIME WHEN HE PICKED UP THE DOG. HE HAD NEVER BEEN TO THAT HOUSE SINCE THEN. Narrator: BUT A MOUNTING PILE OF EVIDENCE BEGINS TO STACK UP AGAINST THE YOUNG SERGEANT. RECORDS SHOW THAT KATIE EASTBURN'S STOLEN ATM CARD WAS USED THE NIGHT AFTER SHE WAS KILLED. ALSO AT THAT TIME, WE HAD NO CAMERAS ON THE ATMs, SO WE DON'T HAVE A PICTURE. THE RECORDS WERE ACQUIRED FROM THE BANK, AND WE WENT TO THE NEXT PERSON WHO USED THAT ATM ABOUT ONE MINUTE OR TWO MINUTES AFTER THAT CARD WAS USED. THIS PERSON TOLD US THAT SHE SAW A TALL, WHITE MALE, BLOND HAIR, WEARING FATIGUES AND A T-SHIRT. Narrator: IT'S A DESCRIPTION THAT COULD EASILY FIT TIMOTHY HENNIS. DETECTIVES ALSO FIND OUT HENNIS HAS A HISTORY OF FINANCIAL PROBLEMS, INCLUDING THREE CONVICTIONS FOR WRITING BAD CHECKS. IN FACT, HIS RENT WAS PAST DUE -- UNTIL HE SUDDENLY PAID IT ONLY TWO DAYS AFTER THE ***. Bittle: WE FOUND OUT THAT HENNIS HAD WRITTEN A POSTDATED CHECK FOR HIS RENT, AND HIS RENT JUST HAPPENED TO BE $300. Narrator: $300 -- THE SAME AMOUNT OF CASH STOLEN FROM THE EASTBURNS' ATM. MOST DISTURBING OF ALL, A WITNESS REPORTS SEEING HENNIS BURNING SOMETHING IN HIS BACKYARD THE DAY AFTER THE MURDERS. IS IT THE BLOODY REMAINS FROM A GRUESOME TRIPLE-SLAUGHTER? BUT THERE ARE SEVERAL HOLES IN THE CASE AGAINST HENNIS. MILITARY DUTY RECORDS SHOW THAT HE WAS SOMEWHERE ELSE WHEN THE STOLEN ATM CARD WAS USED, AND WHEN HE AGREES TO GIVE INVESTIGATORS HAIR AND BLOOD SAMPLES AS WELL AS FINGERPRINTS... THERE WAS NOTHING THERE THAT CONNECTED HIM WITH THE CRIME SCENE. Ackley: THERE WAS NO FINGERPRINTS BELONGING TO TIMOTHY HENNIS. THERE WAS NOTHING THERE THAT BELONGED TO TIMOTHY HENNIS. Narrator: HENNIS SEEMED LIKE A PROMISING SUSPECT, BUT INVESTIGATORS HIT A ROADBLOCK. HIS CHANCE ENCOUNTER WITH A *** VICTIM LOOKS LIKE NOTHING MORE THAN A COINCIDENCE. AND HIS FINANCIAL AND MARITAL STRUGGLES DON'T MAKE HIM A KILLER. THE TRIPLE SLAYING MOBILIZES THE TIGHT-KNIT MILITARY COMMUNITY OF FAYETTEVILLE. IMAGES OF KATIE, ERIN, AND KARA DOMINATE THE FRONT PAGE OF THE LOCAL PAPERS. YOU READ THE NEWSPAPER, AND YOU SEE ALL THESE PICTURES OF THEM. AND THEN THE REALITY REALLY STARTED TO SINK IN. THEY WANTED TO KNOW IF I HAD ANY IDEAS WHO IT MIGHT'VE BEEN, AND SO I WENT THROUGH EVERYTHING THAT KATIE AND I HAD TALKED ABOUT. I WAS JUST CONFUSED. WHY WOULD ANYBODY DO THIS TO HER? Narrator: THERE'S NO SHORTAGE OF WITNESSES EAGER TO HELP THE INVESTIGATION, INCLUDING A YOUNG MAN NAMED PETER CAMPTON, WHO COMES TO POLICE WITH A STORY ABOUT WHAT HE SAW THE NIGHT OF THE ***. ARE YOU SURE YOU GOT A LOOK AT HIM? OH, YEAH, I'M DEFINITELY SURE. CAMPTON SAYS HE WAS OUT AT AROUND 3:00 A.M. THAT NIGHT, WALKING DOWN SUMMERHILL ROAD. Watts: AS HE APPROACHED THE EASTBURN HOME ON SUMMERHILL, HE PASSED A WHITE CHEVY CHEVETTE PARKED ALONG THE LEFT SIDE OF THE ROAD BY A FENCE LINE. AS HE GOT CLOSER TO THE EASTBURN HOME, HE SAYS HE NOTICED A TALL WHITE MALE, BLOND HAIR, MUSTACHE, WEARING JEANS, WALKING DOWN THE DRIVEWAY. SAID HE HAD A BLACK, PLASTIC GARBAGE BAG OVER HIS SHOULDER. HE PASSED WITHIN TOUCHING DISTANCE OF THIS MALE. AND HE SAYS, "I'M GETTING AN EARLY START TODAY." HE WAS A LITTLE FRIGHTENED BECAUSE HE THOUGHT SOMEONE HAD JUST BROKEN INTO THIS HOUSE. Narrator: DID CAMPTON SPOT THE KILLER LEAVING THE SCENE? INVESTIGATORS AREN'T SO SURE. Watts: WHEN YOU GIVE THE COUNTY INFORMATION THAT THIS YOUNG KID GAVE US, AND IT'S VERY DETAILED, VERY SPECIFIC, YOU WANT TO MAKE SURE IT'S CORRECT INFORMATION. Narrator: DETECTIVES KNOW THAT OVERDETAILING IS A COMMON TRAIT AMONG CRIMINALS TRYING TO SHIFT BLAME. HAD CAMPTON CONCOCTED THE NIGHTTIME ENCOUNTER TO COVER HIS OWN TRACKS AFTER COMMITTING A *** AND TRIPLE HOMICIDE? AND WHAT WAS HE DOING TROLLING THE NEIGHBORHOOD IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT? Bittle: HE HAD BEEN OVER TO HIS GIRLFRIEND'S HOUSE, AND THIS WAS SOMETHING HE DID EVERY NIGHT. HE WOULD STAY AT HIS GIRLFRIEND'S HOUSE TILL ABOUT 1:00 OR 2:00 OR 3:00, THEN HE WOULD WALK HOME. Narrator: WHICH MEAN CAMPTON WALKED BY KATIE EASTBURN'S HOUSE EVERY NIGHT. HE COULD'VE CAUGHT A GLIMPSE OF HER THROUGH A BEDROOM WINDOW, DISCOVERED SHE WAS ALONE, AND PICKED A PERFECT TIME TO UNLEASH A FRENZY OF *** AND ***. A CHECK INTO CAMPTON'S BACKGROUND REVEALS HE'S A HIGH SCHOOL DROPOUT WORKING AS A JANITOR. HE AGREES TO GIVE INVESTIGATORS BLOOD, HAIR, AND FINGERPRINT SAMPLES. WE POLYGRAPHED HIM, AND HE PASSED THE POLYGRAPH WITHOUT ANY HESITATION OR ANY PROBLEMS. Narrator: EVEN IN THE FACE OF A BARRAGE OF QUESTIONS, CAMPTON NEVER DEVIATES FROM HIS DETAILED ACCOUNT OF WHAT HE SAW. DETECTIVES BRING IN A SKETCH ARTIST TO WORK WITH CAMPTON TO CREATE A COMPOSITE DRAWING OF THE MAN HE SAYS HE SAW THAT NIGHT. THE FINAL IMAGE IMMEDIATELY RAISES A RED FLAG. I STOPPED DEAD IN MY TRACKS. Watts: THE LIKENESS WAS SO REAL THAT IT ALMOST -- I MEAN, IT WAS JUST UNBELIEVABLE. Narrator: COMING UP... A SUSPECT IS ARRESTED, TRIED, AND CONVICTED. BUT THAT'S ONLY THE BEGINNING. Bittle: A LETTER CAME, AND IT SAID, "IT'S A SHAME THAT YOU'RE DOING THE TIME "AFTER I DID THE CRIME, HAHA. SIGNED, MR. 'X.'" Narrator: IN FAYETTEVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA, DETECTIVES HAVE WHAT APPEARS TO BE A MAJOR BREAK IN THE GRUESOME DEATHS OF KATIE EASTBURN AND HER TWO YOUNG DAUGHTERS. KIND OF LIKE DROOPY EYES. AN EYEWITNESS HAS HELPED PRODUCE A SKETCH OF A MAN HE SAW LEAVING THE EASTBURN HOUSE THAT NIGHT. THE DRAWING SENDS SHOCKWAVES THROUGH THE INVESTIGATION. I HAD NEVER SEEN A COMPOSITE ANY MORE PERFECT THAN THAT. Narrator: THE FACE THEY'RE STARING AT IS A DEAD RINGER FOR A MAN ALREADY ON THEIR RADAR -- ARMY SERGEANT TIMOTHY HENNIS, THE MAN WHO ADOPTED THE EASTBURNS' BELOVED DOG, DIXIE. THE LIKENESS SO REAL. TAKE AS MUCH TIME AS YOU NEED. Woolverton: THEY PUT TOGETHER A PHOTO LINEUP OF SIX PICTURES, AND THE WITNESS LOOKED AT IT, AND HE SAID, "THIS ONE." Witness: THAT'S THE GUY. AND THAT ONE WAS TIMOTHY HENNIS. WELL, IT LOOKED LIKE HE WAS ROBBING THE JOINT. Narrator: THE WITNESS ALSO DESCRIBED THE SUSPECT CARRYING A GARBAGE BAG AND GETTING IN A SMALL WHITE CAR. HENNIS DRIVES A WHITE CHEVY CHEVETTE. IT'S ENOUGH TO ARREST SERGEANT TIMOTHY HENNIS, CHARGING HIM WITH THE TRIPLE HOMICIDE OF KATIE, KARA, AND ERIN EASTBURN. IN LESS THAN ONE WEEK OF INTENSE INVESTIGATION, DETECTIVES HAVE MANAGED TO GET A VIOLENT KILLER OFF THE STREETS. OR HAVE THEY? HENNIS MAINTAINS HIS INNOCENCE AND EVEN REFUSES A PLEA BARGAIN AGREEMENT FOR A REDUCED SENTENCE. IN MAY OF 1986, HENNIS GOES TO TRIAL AT THE CUMBERLAND COUNTY COURTHOUSE. THEY PRESENTED ALL THESE PICTURES FROM THE CRIME SCENE OF THE BLOODY BODIES, PROJECTED THEM ON A VERY LARGE SCREEN, AND OVER AND OVER, THE JURORS WERE TOLD THIS HAPPENED, HE DID IT, THIS HAPPENED, HE DID IT. THEY HAD THE EYEWITNESS WHO SAW A MAN HE THOUGHT WAS TIMOTHY HENNIS LEAVING THE PROPERTY, DRIVING IN THE CAR, AND GOING AWAY. THEY HAD ANOTHER WITNESS WHO CLAIMS TO HAVE SEEN TIMOTHY HENNIS USING THE STOLEN ATM CARD. Narrator: IT TAKES THE JURY JUST 10 HOURS TO RETURN A VERDICT OF GUILTY ON THREE COUNTS OF FIRST-DEGREE *** AND ONE OF ***. THE SENTENCE IS DEATH. HENNIS AWAITS EXECUTION AT NORTH CAROLINA'S CENTRAL PRISON IN RALEIGH, STILL MAINTAINING HIS INNOCENCE. AND AS IT TURNS OUT, SOMEONE AGREES WITH HIM. A LETTER COMES INTO THE JAIL POSTMARKED JULY 8th, THE DAY HENNIS WAS SENTENCED. Bittle: AND IT SAID, "IT'S A SHAME THAT YOU'RE DOING THE TIME AFTER I DID THE CRIME, HAHA. SIGNED, MR. 'X.'" Narrator: MR. "X" MAILED A SIMILAR LETTER TO THE SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT BUT WAS CAREFUL NOT TO LEAVE FINGERPRINTS OR OTHER INCRIMINATING EVIDENCE. Bittle: AT THAT TIME, WE DIDN'T KNOW WHO IT WAS. IT COULD'VE BEEN ANYBODY. Narrator: WAS IT A HOAX? [ WOMAN SCREAMS ] OR WAS THE REAL KILLER STILL OUT THERE? Officer: FILE IT. Narrator: HE LETTER IS DISMISSED AS A FRAUD -- FOR NOW. BUT THE CASE IS FAR FROM OVER. WHEN YOU'RE SENTENCED TO DEATH IN NORTH CAROLINA, YOU AUTOMATICALLY GET AN APPEAL TO THE NORTH CAROLINA SUPREME COURT. Narrator: WHEN THE HIGH COURT EXAMINES THE CASE, THEY FIND SERIOUS PROBLEMS. Woolverton: A COURT IS SUPPOSED TO BE ABOUT FACTS AND A DECISION MADE IN A NONEMOTIONAL, LOGICAL WAY. THE JUSTICES CAME TO THE CONCLUSION THAT THE GRUESOME CRIME-SCENE PHOTOS SERVED ONLY TO INFLAME THE JURORS, MAKE THEM MAD, MAKE THEM ANGRY, MAKE THEM WANT TO HIT SOMEBODY FOR DOING THIS TERRIBLE THING. Narrator: ON OCTOBER 26, 1988, MORE THAN TWO YEARS AFTER HE WAS FOUND GUILTY, THE NORTH CAROLINA SUPREME COURT OVERTURNS THE CONVICTION AND GRANTS A RETRIAL. Gary: I WAS REALLY DISAPPOINTED. MY BELIEF IN HIS GUILT NEVER WAVERED. Narrator: THE CASE IS KICKED BACK TO THE LOCAL COURTS. TIMOTHY HENNIS WILL BE TRIED ALL OVER AGAIN. THIS TIME, THE TRIAL IS HELD IN WILMINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA, 90 MILES FROM FAYETTEVILLE. Woolverton: THEY NEEDED TO CHANGE VENUE BECAUSE THEY FELT THAT THE COMMUNITY IN FAYETTEVILLE WAS SO RILED UP AGAINST TIM HENNIS THAT HE COULD NOT GET A FAIR TRIAL HERE. I HAVE SEEN HIS PICTURE ON THE TV QUITE A BIT. Narrator: THE NEW TRIAL BEGINS, AND THE CASE AGAINST HENNIS TAKES A DRAMATIC TURN. Bittle: THE DEFENSE PRESENTED NEW EVIDENCE. THERE WAS SOME HAIR, A FINGERPRINT, SOME BLOOD, AND NONE OF IT MATCHED HENNIS. Narrator: MORE EVIDENCE IS PRESENTED THAT WASN'T AVAILABLE AT THE FIRST TRIAL. THE LETTER FROM MR. "X," WHO CLAIMS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE MURDERS AND EVEN MOCKS HENNIS SITTING ON DEATH ROW. THEY ALSO ATTACKED THE WITNESS WHO CLAIMS TO HAVE SEEN TIMOTHY HENNIS USE THE ATM. YOU CAN'T BE POSITIVE THE MAN YOU SAW WAS TIMOTHY HENNIS. Narrator: AND THERE'S A NEW PROBLEM WITH THE PROSECUTION'S STAR WITNESS, PETER CAMPTON. THERE WAS A QUESTION ABOUT THE VALIDITY OF HIS TESTIMONY. Narrator: CAMPTON CLAIMS HE SAW TIMOTHY HENNIS AT 3:00 A.M. OUTSIDE THE EASTBURNS' HOUSE THE NIGHT OF THE TRIPLE ***. IS IT POSSIBLE THE MAN HE SAW WASN'T TIMOTHY HENNIS? DEFENSE LAWYERS SAY THEY HAVE THE ANSWER. LADIES AND GENTLEMEN OF THE JURY... THEY FOUND ANOTHER MAN WHO LIVED IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD WHO COULD'VE BEEN TIM'S BROTHER. THEY LOOKED VERY MUCH ALIKE. Narrator: JAKE RAMKIN WORKS AS A GROCERY CLERK AND LIVES ON SUMMERHILL ROAD. UNDER QUESTIONING, HE CLAIMS TO SUFFER FROM INSOMNIA AND OFTEN GOES WALKING LATE AT NIGHT. I GENERALLY WORK PAST MIDNIGHT... HIS TESTIMONY UNDERMINES THE HEART OF THE PROSECUTION'S CASE THAT IT WAS HENNIS ON THE STREET THAT NIGHT. COULD THE MAN CAMPTON SAW HAVE SIMPLY BEEN JAKE RAMKIN ON ONE OF HIS NIGHTLY STROLLS AND NOT THE EASTBURN KILLER MAKING HIS ESCAPE? Woolverton: WHEN THEY BROUGHT THAT MAN IN THE COURTROOM, EVERYTHING JUST STOPPED. PEOPLE WERE JUST AMAZED. NO FURTHER QUESTIONS. Narrator: IN THE END, ALL THE NEW EVIDENCE AND RAMKIN'S EERIE RESEMBLANCE TO HENNIS IS ENOUGH TO EXONERATE THE ARMY SERGEANT IN A STUNNING VERDICT. Woolverton: THE JURY ULTIMATELY FOUND HIM NOT GUILTY, AND IT WAS THOUGHT TO BE THE FIRST CASE IN WHICH A MAN PUT ON DEATH ROW GOT SET FREE AS AN INNOCENT MAN. Narrator: THE EASTBURN CASE IS THROWN INTO A TAILSPIN. WHAT LOOKED LIKE A SLAM DUNK JUST A WEEK INTO THE INVESTIGATION IS NOW ENTERING ITS FOURTH YEAR. COMING UP... THE TINIEST OF CLUES LEADS TO THE BIGGEST BREAK YET. Gary: I GOT A CALL FROM ONE OF THE DETECTIVES, AND HE SAYS, "I GOT SOME GREAT NEWS FOR YOU. ARE YOU SITTING DOWN?" Narrator: FOUR YEARS AFTER THE BRUTAL TRIPLE-HOMICIDE OF KATIE EASTBURN AND HER TWO LITTLE GIRLS, AUTHORITIES ARE NO CLOSER TO BRINGING THE KILLER TO JUSTICE. ARMY SERGEANT TIMOTHY HENNIS HAD BEEN FOUND GUILTY AND SENTENCED TO DEATH. BUT IN A STUNNING REVERSAL, HE WAS GRANTED A RETRIAL, AND A NEW JURY FOUND HIM INNOCENT. HENNIS IS NOW A FREE MAN. FOR INVESTIGATORS, THE EASTBURN CASE GOES ICE COLD FOR 17 YEARS. THEN, IN EARLY 2005, LARRY TROTTER, A SHERIFF'S DETECTIVE, IS ASSIGNED TO REVIEW A SERIES OF COLD CASES. THE VAULT THAT WE HAD CONTAINED CASES THAT WERE NOT SOLVED. AND ANYTIME I GO DOWN THERE, YOU'D PASS BY, AND YOU'D SEE CERTAIN BOXES. Narrator: THE EASTBURN BOX IS MUCH LARGER THAN ANY OF THE OTHERS, AND IT CATCHES HIS EYE. I MADE SOME INQUIRIES WITH SOME OFFICERS, REFERENCED THE CASE, AND THEY TOLD ME ABOUT THE EASTBURN CASE. Narrator: ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS HE NOTICES IS A SWAB CONTAINING *** TAKEN FROM KATIE EASTBURN'S BODY. AND THAT'S, OBVIOUSLY, GOOD POTENTIAL FOR DNA, AND I ALSO KNEW, AT THE TIME WHEN THIS *** HAPPENED, THAT DNA WAS IN ITS INFANCY. THERE WAS NO SUCH THING AS WHAT WE KNOW AS DNA NOW. Narrator: TROTTER SENDS THE SWAB OFF FOR DNA EVALUATION. AND THE EASTBURN CASE COMES ROARING BACK TO LIFE. I GOT A PHONE CALL FROM MY SUPERVISOR, AND HE SAID THAT THE LAB RESULTS HAVE COME BACK. THE DNA WAS TIMOTHY HENNIS. Narrator: THE SAME HENNIS WHO WENT THROUGH TWO TRIALS AND WAS FOUND INNOCENT. AFTER HIS ACQUITTAL, HENNIS HAD RE-ENLISTED IN THE ARMY AND HONORABLY SERVED TWO TOURS OF DUTY. HE WENT TO THE GULF WAR IN 1990, AND HE SERVED VERY WELL. WORKED HIS WAY UP THROUGH THE RANKS TO E-8, WHICH IS ONE OF THE HIGHER LEVELS THAT AN ENLISTED SOLDIER CAN DO IN THE UNITED STATES ARMY, AND RETIRED AS A MASTER SERGEANT OUTSIDE OF FORT LEWIS, WASHINGTON. Narrator: HIS RECORD IS SPOTLESS. HE'S A DEVOTED FAMILY MAN AND IS NOW LIVING COMFORTABLY IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST. HE ALMOST GOT AWAY WITH THE MOST SAVAGE OF CRIMES AGAINST THE MOST INNOCENT OF VICTIMS. Gary: WELL, I GOT A CALL FROM ONE OF THE OTHER DETECTIVES, ROBERT BITTLE, AND HE SAYS, "I GOT SOME GREAT NEWS FOR YOU. ARE YOU SITTING DOWN?" AND HE SAYS, "WE'VE GOT DNA EVIDENCE ON HENNIS." THANK GOD FOR THAT. IT WAS A BLESSING. Narrator: INVESTIGATORS NOW HAVE DEFINITIVE PROOF THAT TIMOTHY HENNIS KILLED KATIE EASTBURN AND HER YOUNG DAUGHTERS. BUT THEY IMMEDIATELY FACE A HUGE ROADBLOCK. Woolverton: YOU HAVE A MAN WHO WAS FOUND NOT GUILTY. UNDER OUR CONSTITUTION, YOU CAN'T TRY A PERSON TWICE FOR THE SAME CRIME. IT'S CALLED DOUBLE JEOPARDY. THE PROSECUTOR DIDN'T WANT TO LET THIS MAN GO FREE. THEY HAD TO DO SOMETHING. WELL, UNDER OUR SYSTEM OF JUSTICE, THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AND THE STATE GOVERNMENT ARE SEPARATE. THEY'RE SEPARATE SOVEREIGNS, AND EACH, IF THEY HAVE JURISDICTION OVER THE SAME CRIME, CAN PROSECUTE YOU FOR THE SAME CRIME. Narrator: THAT LEGAL TECHNICALITY OPENS THE DOOR FOR BRINGING HENNIS TO JUSTICE. Woolverton: THE CIVILIAN PROSECUTORS CONTACTED FORT BRAGG OFFICIALS TO SEE IF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, THROUGH THE MILITARY, COULD PROSECUTE HENNIS BASED ON THIS NEW DNA EVIDENCE. Narrator: IN AN EXTREMELY RARE MOVE, THE RETIRED ARMY SERGEANT IS ORDERED BACK INTO SERVICE AND RETURNED TO FAYETTEVILLE FOR A THIRD TRIAL -- THIS TIME IN A FEDERAL MILITARY COURT. THE NEWLY DEVELOPED DNA EVIDENCE IS THE CENTERPIECE OF THE PROSECUTION'S CASE. IT EASILY TRUMPS EVIDENCE FROM THE PREVIOUS TRIAL THAT SHOWED UNIDENTIFIED TRACES OF HAIR, BLOOD, AND PRINTS, WHICH HENNIS' DEFENSE HAD USED AS A SMOKE SCREEN TO SWAY THE JURY. Woolverton: THE ODDS OF THE DNA BELONGING TO ANOTHER MAN WERE 12.1 THOUSAND TRILLION TO ONE. HOW DO YOU GET AROUND THE FACT THAT HIS DNA WAS FOUND INSIDE HER BODY? THE PROSECUTOR SAID IT WAS A ***, AND THEY'RE SAYING THAT THE MURDERS WERE, IN PART, TO COVER UP THE ***. HENNIS' ATTORNEYS THREW OUT THE THEORY TO THE JURY THAT IT COULD'VE BEEN THAT THEY'D HAD CONSENSUAL SEX IN THE DAYS BEFORE THE HOMICIDES AND SOMEBODY ELSE CAME IN AND KILLED THE FAMILY. Narrator: THAT SCENARIO DIRECTLY CONTRADICTS HENNIS' ORIGINAL TESTIMONY THAT AFTER ADOPTING THE EASTBURNS' DOG HE NEVER SAW KATIE AGAIN. PROSECUTORS PRESENT THEIR OWN VERSION OF THE FATAL INTERSECTION BETWEEN SERGEANT HENNIS AND KATIE EASTBURN. WHEN HENNIS MET KATIE, HE WAS NO DOUBT STRUCK BY HER GOOD LOOKS AND PERFECT YOUNG FAMILY. HIS OWN MARRIAGE WAS ON THE ROCKS. AND ON THAT THURSDAY BEFORE MOTHER'S DAY, HIS WIFE HAD LEFT HIM FOR THE WEEKEND WITH THEIR 10-WEEK-OLD DAUGHTER. Ackley: HIS OWN WIFE HAD CALLED THEIR MARRIAGE DULL AND BORING. SO, ON THE EVENING OF THE MURDERS, WHAT DOES HE DO AFTER HE DROPS HIS WIFE OFF? HE GOES TO AN OLD GIRLFRIEND'S HOUSE. Narrator: BUT SHE REJECTS HIM. THAT'S WHEN HE REMEMBERS THE ATTRACTIVE, YOUNG MILITARY WIFE HE MET EARLIER THAT WEEK -- KATIE EASTBURN. I THINK THAT HE WENT INTO THAT HOME WITH THE INTENTION OF MAKING A *** ADVANCE. CONNECTION? SHE REJECTS HIM. IT IS A FATAL BLOW TO HIS EGO. I THINK YOU SHOULD GO. STOP! GET OFF! IT IS THE PROVERBIAL LAST STRAW. Narrator: THE COMBINATION OF HIS FRACTURED MARRIAGE AND A NIGHT OF REJECTION CAUSES HENNIS TO SNAP. Ackley: HE VENTED HIS RAGE AT KATIE... [ SCREAMING ] ERIN, AND KARA. [ WHIMPERS ] BY THE TIME HE GETS TO JANA... [ JANA CRYING ] I DON'T THINK THE RAGE IS THERE ANYMORE, AND I DON'T THINK HE LOOKS AT HER AS A POTENTIAL WITNESS. Narrator: HENNIS SCRUBBED THE HOUSE CLEAN, STUFFING THE BLOODY EVIDENCE INTO A GARBAGE BAG. HE PAUSED ONLY TO GRAB CASH AND AN ATM CARD. Ackley: WHEN HE LEAVES, HE WALKS RIGHT DOWN THE DRIVEWAY, RIGHT ONTO THE STREET, AND HE SEES SOMEBODY WALKING TOWARD HIM. DOES HE RUN AND HIDE? NO. HE LOOKS THIS YOUNG MAN RIGHT IN THE EYE AND SAYS, "JUST GETTING AN EARLY START ON THE MORNING." CALMLY WALKS BY, GETS IN HIS CHEVROLET CHEVETTE, AND DRIVES AWAY. [ CRYING CONTINUES ] TIMOTHY HENNIS' DEMEANOR DURING THE TRIAL WAS MUCH LIKE HIS DEMEANOR DURING THE ENTIRE INVESTIGATION AND THE TWO PREVIOUS TRIALS -- NO EMOTION WHATSOEVER. HE IS AN INDIVIDUAL THAT I BELIEVE IS NOT CAPABLE OF ANY LEVEL OF EMPATHY. Narrator: ON APRIL 8, 2010, THE MILITARY JURY FINDS HENNIS GUILTY OF THREE COUNTS OF FIRST-DEGREE ***, AND ONCE AGAIN, HE IS SENTENCED TO DEATH. GARY EASTBURN, WHO SUFFERED SUCH UNTHINKABLE LOSSES, SAT THROUGH THE THIRD TRIAL WITH HIS DAUGHTER, 27-YEAR-OLD JANA, THE SOLE SURVIVOR OF THAT NIGHT OF TERROR. Gary: I THINK IT'D GIVE HER A WHOLE NEW OUTLOOK ON HER MOTHER AND SISTERS THAT SHE REALLY NEVER KNEW. SHE WASN'T QUITE TWO YEARS OLD WHEN THEY DIED. I REALLY WAS DEEPLY IN LOVE WITH KATIE, SO I MISS HER COMPANIONSHIP, AND, YOU KNOW, GROWING OLD TOGETHER. IN KARA'S CASE, I MISSED 29 BIRTHDAYS. IN ERIN'S CASE, I MISSED 25 BIRTHDAYS. MISSED HIGH SCHOOL PROMS, HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION, COLLEGE GRADUATION, MARRIAGE, GRANDKIDS, SO I-I MISSED A LOT. I MISSED A WHOLE LOT.