04x03 - Ultimate Betrayal

[bunniefuu]

Narrator: on a windy october

Night in 1995, a mysterious

House fire swept through the

Palatial home of a doctor and

His family.

Two of the family members made

It out alive.

Two of the children did not.

In the debris, medical

Detectives discovered much more

Than simply how the fire

Started.

Michael farrar and

Debora green first met in

Medical school in 1977.

Both were gifted students with

Near genius i.q.s.

There was an instant attraction,

And they married less than a

Year after they met.

Over the next 16 years, the

Couple raised three children --

Jennifer, timothy, and kelly --

In an affluent suburb of

Kansas city, kansas.

To outsiders, their lives seemed

Perfect.

But the marriage was showing

Signs of stress.

At the north kansas city

Hospital, dr. Michael farrar was

A successful heart specialist

Who worked very long hours,

Often at the expense of time

With his children.

Debora quit her own medical

Practice when the children were

Born.

She battled depression, weight

Gain, and was rumored to have a

Drinking problem.

You got the impression that

Debora wasn't the easiest

Person in the world to live

With.

She was...i don't want to say...

Well, let's just leave it at

That.

Narrator: in an effort to

Rekindle their marriage, the

Couple decided to go on a school

Trip to peru with their son,

Tim.

While sightseeing along the

Amazon river and among the incan

Remains, an attractive blond

Nurse caught michael's

Attention.

She was the mother of one of the

Other students.

When they returned to

Kansas city, michael continued

To see his new friend, which

Soon blossomed into a sexual

Affair.

It didn't take debora long to

Find out about her husband's

Affair.

She moved into a separate

Bedroom, and her drinking

Increased.

Her whole identity was her

Marriage and her family because

She no longer had her own

Career.

I felt that maybe it was just

Really hard for her to let go of

That.

Maybe she felt like she could

Change, or something could

Change, and they could somehow

Stay together.

Narrator: and michael had

Some serious problems of his

Own.

Shortly after the peru trip,

Michael developed diarrhea,

Vomiting, and chills so severe

He was admitted to the local

Hospital.

He had been in south america,

Where he might have had access

To a whole variety of things

That could make him very sick.

Narrator: despite undergoing

A full battery of tests, doctors

Could not determine the cause of

Dr. Farrar's illness.

When I saw him, it's like,

"Mike, man, you look bad.

I'm sorry, but you don't look

Good."

And he said he had been really,

Really violently ill since he

Had gotten back from peru.

And he assumed that he had

Gotten some tropical parasite

From hell.

Narrator: michael farrar was

Rapidly losing weight, dropping

To just 125 pounds.

Whatever was causing this

Illness was a mystery.

Narrator: for a cardiologist

Who seemingly had it all,

Dr. Michael farrar's life in



Another.

When he was released from the

Hospital for the illness many

Believed he'd caught in peru,

Michael took another step toward

Divorce by moving into his own

Apartment across town.

His wife, debora, was angry,

Depressed, drinking heavily, and

Would stay in her bedroom for

Days at a time.

Michael was concerned for her

Welfare as well as the safety of

Their three children.

While visiting the house to pick

Up some of his things, michael

Noticed something suspicious in

His wife's purse...

A packet of castor beans.

On the label was a warning that

The beans were poisonous.

With so many packets of castor

Beans in her purse, michael

Suspected that his wife was

Planning to commit su1c1de.

So he was telling me that he

Was pretty sure she was gonna

Try and k*ll herself with these

Poisons, which really to me

Didn't make any sense because

Dr. Green is a bright woman,

Extremely bright woman, and is

An oncologist.

And if you're a doctor --

Doctors k*ll themselves, all

Right?

Professional people do commit

su1c1de.

But, fortunately, we've got the

Best of dr*gs available to us.

If you're gonna go, why would

You go stooling yourself to

Death?

You aren't gonna want to die

With bloody diarrhea.

That is a very horrible, bad way

To die.

Narrator: dr. Farrar decided

To do a little investigating of

His own.

The castor beans were purchased

From the earl may garden

Center.

A receipt from that store in

Debora's purse indicated she

Purchased the beans just four

Days before michael first got

Sick.

While consulting his medical

Textbook, farrar learned some

Terrible news -- that castor

Beans contain ricin, a deadly

Toxin with no known antidote.

And the symptoms of ricin

Poisoning were vomiting, nausea,

Diarrhea, and gastrointestinal

Bleeding -- symptoms which were

Identical to his own.

Farrar quickly took a sample of

His own blood for testing.

But ricin leaves the body

Quickly, and the lab could find

No trace of it in his system.

Although he had no proof, farrar

Was convinced that his wife had

Somehow poisoned him with ricin,

And this was the cause of his

Mysterious symptoms.

A few days later, michael

Confronted debora during an

Angry telephone call.

I told her that I was very

Angry with her, that I thought

She was crazy, that I thought

She had been poisoning me, that

I thought she needed serious

Psychiatric help.

I don't have to listen to

This!

Narrator: one hour later,

Around midnight, a fire broke

Out in the farrar family home.

By the time firemen arrived, the

Home was totally engulfed in

Flames.

I've never seen a fire

Spread as fast throughout the

House as I have on this one.

The heat was tremendous.

There was no way that anyone

Could even get close to the

House.

Of course, the flames were

Roaring out, probably 20, 30

Feet.

Narrator: debora and her



Both escaped.

During questioning on the night

Of the fire, debora learned the

Tragic news -- that her other

Two children had been trapped

And died in the fire.

Oh, god.

Beautiful tim and beautiful

Kelly are both dead?

Jesus christ, did they make any

Attempt at all to save them?

Narrator: 6-year-old kelly

Died of smoke inhalation in her

Own bed.



Christ, I saved one of the

Kids, and I could have got a

Second one out and didn't.

I'll never forgive myself for

That.

Narrator: investigators

Immediately suspected arson.

It's fair to say that

Debora greene was a suspect

Early on.

It's fair to say that

Mike farrar was a suspect early

On.

Narrator: both had motive.

Both had opportunity.

If the fire had been

Deliberately set, the charge

Would be more than arson.

It would be m*rder.

Narrator: while investigating

The suspicious house fire that

k*lled tim and kelly farrar,

Police looked a little deeper

Into the relationship between

Michael and his estranged wife,

Debora.

A few weeks before the fire, the

Couple had a fight at the house.

Michael said his wife was

Intoxicated, angry, and

Threatening to k*ll herself.

The police were called and took

Debora to the hospital for

Psychiatric evaluation.

Dr. Pamela mccoy was the

Physician on duty.

Pam mccoy indicated that at

First she was somewhat skeptical

About whether or not

Debora green was really that

Mentally ill and is sitting

There in the waiting room of the

K.u. Medical center emergency

Room talking to debora green

About these issues -- asking her

If she's okay, if there's

Anything she can do to help her,

And trying to get a read on her

Mental state, when in walks

Michael farrar.

When they met in our kind of

Entryway there, she just, like,

Turns on him -- for a minute I

Kind of hold her, like I think

She's gonna physically attack

Him.

And she spits at him and calls

Him a [bleep].

And then she says, "you're gonna

Get these kids over their dead

Bodies."

Narrator: debora said she

Made the statement in anger and

Denied having anything to do

With the fire.

[ Alarm blaring ]

She said she was asleep when the

Fire alarm sounded.

She said she opened the bedroom

Door, saw flames and smoke,

Closed the door, and ran outside

Through a door in the bedroom.

Tim?

Tim, can you hear me?!

Narrator: debora said she

Told her son, tim, to stay

Inside until firemen arrived and

Ran to the next-door neighbor's

House for help.

To find out whether an

Accelerant or flammable liquid

Was used in starting the fire,

Arson investigators used

Specially trained dogs that can

Identify vapors which remain

After the fire.

This is a dog that has been

Through several weeks of

Training on how to detect

Different types of liquid

Accelerants, like diesel fuel or

Kerosene or gasoline or charcoal

Lighter fluid.

Narrator: the dogs identified

A number of suspicious areas.

Investigators found melted

Plastic containers on the floor,

Possibly used to carry flammable

Liquids throughout the house.

Next to dr. Farrar's desk,

Investigators found another clue

That the fire had been

Intentionally set.

We found an empty liquor

Bottle laying on the floor right

Behind this desk.

Again, it's possible that the

Contents of this bottle were

Poured out and ignited on the

Desk.

Narrator: a section of the

Basement floor had what appeared

To be a pour pattern, where an

Accelerant was ignited as a

Test.

The accelerants also gave

Investigators a clear path of

The fire.

The path led directly to

Debora green's bedroom door.

That fire was set at that

Bedroom door with the intent of

Doing a tremendous amount of

Damage to that house and cutting

Off the escape route of those

Children upstairs.

Narrator: and the analysis of

The burn patterns on the bedroom

Door contradicted

Debora green's story.

Debora said her bedroom door

Was closed when the fire alarm

Sounded and that she closed the

Door before running outside for

Help.

But the carpet underneath the

Door revealed the door had been

Open.

The door jamb revealed the same

Thing.

If the door had been closed, the

Door jamb would have been

Protected from the fire.

Instead, it was completely

Covered with soot.

In the bathroom was debora's

Bathrobe, wrapped in a ball on

The floor.

On the underside of the robe

Were burn marks.

At some point, the person

Wearing the robe had been very

Close to the flames.

[ Screaming ]

Narrator: the neighbors said

Debora's hair was wet when she

Ran over asking for help.

This did not come as a surprise

To arson investigators.

When dr. Green actually

Ignited that accelerant outside

Of her bedroom door and in the

Hallway, there was enough vapors

Present that there was quite a

Flash -- more of a flash than

She probably was prepared for.

When she did that, I believe

That is when she got the hair

Singed on the right side of her

Head.

Narrator: with a search

Warrant, detectives took a

Sample of debora's hair.

Microscopic analysis revealed

That debora's hair showed signs

Of heat damage consistent with

Singeing from a high-intensity

Flame.

The damage to debora's hair was

Extensive, since the sample

Wasn't collected until after she

Had her hair cut for her

Children's funeral.

Bill chapin is a forensic

Chemist whose job was to analyze

The fire-debris evidence from

The farrar home.

Fire debris is stored in metal

Canisters which preserve any

Vapors which may still be

Present.

The canisters are heated to

Between 80 and 90 degrees

Centigrade and the air inside

Removed.

If the vapors contain

Accelerants or hydrocarbons,

They're trapped in charcoal

Filters.

The filters are then rinsed with

A neutral solvent, carbon

Disulfide, and the mixture is

Placed into a gas chromatograph

Mass spectrometer for analysis.

After two days of testing,

Bill chapin found what he was

Looking for.

In this particular case, the

Accelerant that I found was an

Accelerant called "isoparaffin."

Isoparaffins are often used in

Odorless charcoal lighter

Fluids.

Narrator: there was an empty

Container of charcoal lighter

Fluid on the floor of the

Farrars' garage.

Investigators were now convinced

That debora green set the fire

That k*lled two of her children.

The only question that

Remained -- had she also tried

To k*ll her husband with castor

Beans?

Narrator: when

Dr. Michael farrar told police

He was sure his wife had been

Poisoning him with castor beans,

Investigators were unsure of

Where to start.

Since the local laboratory could

Find no evidence of ricin in

Michael farrar's system, his

Blood was sent to the fbi, to

Dr. Drew richardson, an expert

In chemical and biological

Research at the naval medical

Research institute in

Washington, d.c.

People in the intelligence

Community are quite familiar

With ricin, based on a handful

Of cases that most everybody

Would know about.

Very few people in the lay

Public and even highly trained

Professionals, such as medical

Doctors, would be quite unlikely

To know much about ricin, if

Anything.

Narrator: ricin is an antigen

That causes a breakdown of red

Blood cells at the tissue level.

In large-enough doses, it can be

Fatal.

When an antigen enters the body,

The immune system's response is

To produce antibodies, which

Fight the invading organism.

To find out whether ricin

Antibodies were in

Michael farrar's system,

Dr. Richardson used a technique

Called "elisa," which stands for

Enzyme-linked immuno-sorbent

Assay.

A 96-well plastic plate is

Coated with a solution

Containing ricin.

In theory, any ricin antibodies

In dr. Farrar's blood would bind

To the ricin coated on the

Plate, which is exactly what

Happened.

Next, dr. Richardson analyzed

The blood of goats that had been

Exposed to small amounts of

Ricin.

It appeared that the goats and

Michael farrar both had similar

Antibodies in their systems --

Antibodies designed and

Structured to recognize and seek

Out the target invader, ricin.

Dr. Richardson discovered

Something else.

The number of ricin antibodies

In farrar's system was

Staggering.

In the case of

Dr. Michael farrar, it's thought

That perhaps he was exposed

Three times.

A certain immune response would

Have been produced the first

Time -- a response that would

Have lasted a few weeks.

On second and third and perhaps

Other exposures, a separate

Immune response would have been

Produced for each one of those

Exposures, and the latter

Exposures would have produced a

Response and antibodies that

Would be present in the blood

For, again, many months to

Perhaps a few years.

Narrator: debora green was

Charged with two counts of

m*rder and two counts of

Attempted m*rder.

Prosecutors believe that when

Debora's attempts to k*ll her

Husband failed, she feared

Losing custody of her children

In the impending divorce.

I don't have to listen to

This!

Narrator: after the argument

On the telephone, prosecutors

Believe that debora poured

Accelerants throughout the

House, with special attention to

Michael's possessions and making

Sure to cut off the children's

Escape route.

The path of the accelerants led

Directly to the door of

Debora green's bedroom.

But she used too much

Accelerant.

The vapors ignited, causing a

Mini expl*si*n that singed her

Hair.

While dousing her head with

Water, she saw that her bathrobe

Had also caught fire and

Discarded it.



Crawling out her bedroom window

And jumping to the ground.

Debora told tim to stay inside

With his 6-year-old sister until

Firemen arrived.

Sadly, tim did what his mother

Had told him to do.

He and kelly both died before

Firemen could reach them.

Debora green's trial was

Scheduled to begin one week

After michael's brain operation

To repair damage caused by the

Ricin poison, but the trial

Never took place.

Debora green pleaded no contest

To the charges, avoiding a

Possible death sentence.

My attorneys are ready,

Willing, and able to present

Evidence that I was not in

Control of myself when tim and

Kelly died.

However true that may be,

Defending myself at trial on

These charges would only

Compound the suffering of my

Family and my daughter.

Narrator: she was sentenced

To life in prison without

Possibility of parole for 40

Years.

Well, I think these kids in

This case were sort of the

Ultimate pawn, the ultimate

w*apon that debora green used

In this fight with

Michael farrar.

She in some ways probably loved

Those kids, in other ways viewed

Them as an expendable resource

To be used in this w*r.