Narrator: a man was dead in a
michigan junkyard.
And there were no clues or
forensic evidence at the scene.
But computer forensic experts
found evidence of a crime that
Had everything -- sex, lies, and
a videotape.
Had everything -- sex, lies, and
a videotape.
On november 8, 1999,
chuck miller got a frantic call
From his sister-in-law.
His brother bruce was missing.
Bruce hadn't come home for
dinner, and he wasn't answering
His telephone at work.
Chuck drove out to his brother's
junkyard to look for him.
The door was shut.
I opened the door and walked in
and hollered his name.
He wouldn't answer.
And we walked around the corner
of the desk, and he was laying
On the floor.
Narrator: bruce miller was
dead of a g*nsh*t wound to his
Chest.
The telephone receiver was near
his head.
Bruce normally kept around
$2,000 in his front shirt pocket
To make change for his
customers.
That money was missing.
The motive appeared to be
robbery.
$2,000 Cash in the pocket
would look good to a lot of
People in the area.
We just thought it was just a
random -- someone just walked in
And shot him 'cause he always
kept money in his front pocket
And took that money.
It just appeared to be
another robbery, another
Day in flint.
Narrator: criminalists from
the michigan crime lab used
One-sided tape to collect
possible evidence from bruce's
Shirt.
The tape lift that I took
from this particular victim only
Had his own head hair on it.
There was nothing foreign that
was determined on the tape lift.
Narrator: and there were
other signs that this crime
Scene was a little too clean.
We're talking about a
business that hadn't been
Cleaned in probably since it
opened.
We're talking grease, oil,
everything that leaves a good
Latent print, a good boot
impression.
So he knew what to touch,
what not to touch, and might
Have even taken other protective
measures in order for him not to
Be found.
Narrator: it was also
troubling that bruce was on the
Phone when k*lled.
But to whom was he speaking?
No one's called and said, "I
was on the phone with
Bruce miller, and I heard a
g*nsh*t."
There's no latent prints, no
bloody prints, no money fallen
Where they were in a hurry to
get it out, why the pocket
Wasn't ripped when they're
taking the money out.
Narrator: bruce miller was 48
years old.
About to adopt her 3 children.
By all accounts seemed to be
a very hardworking kind of
Mellow guy, who took a chance
with marrying sharee miller and
Her kids and taking on that load
as well as having two jobs,
Working at general motors as
well as running a junkyard.
Narrator: according to
friends and family, it was a
Happy marriage.
She would talk to them at
length about bruce miller, how
He was the best thing that ever
happened to her, how he was a
Good lover, how her kids
endeared him.
This was an older gentleman that
caught the young woman, and he
Treated her like a princess.
Narrator: sharee had been at
home all day with her children
And several friends and wasn't
considered a suspect, but she
Had a pretty good idea of who
might be responsible.
She told detectives that one of
her former boyfriends,
John hutchinson, owed her
husband several thousand
Dollars.
Bruce had had run-ins with
john in the past, arguing over
Him stealing auto parts from the
business late at night, and they
Argued just recently over a sale
of a $20 tire to
John hutchinson's stepson.
Narrator: hutchinson claimed
he was at home alone at the time
Of the m*rder.
It was an alibi that couldn't be
corroborated.
It would take a second death
before detectives would get to
The truth.
Narrator: john hutchinson
emerged as the key suspect in
Junkyard owner bruce miller's
m*rder.
Hutchinson agreed to take a
lie-detector test.
He collapsed during the
examination.
John hutchinson had some kind
of episode, where he ended up
Going to the hospital, but
apparently, he was pretty
Stressed out by this polygraph,
which he did not pass.
Narrator: but police needed
more evidence than a polygraph.
The autopsy revealed bruce had
been k*lled with a 20-gauge
Shotgun.
In a search of hutchinson's
home, police didn't find a
Clothing, or the missing money.
The feeling was he had
probably done it.
We've exhausted all of our
leads.
This is our best prime suspect.
What aren't we doing?
What can we do differently to
make it work so we can get the
Truth?
Narrator: weeks went by, then
months.
There had been no new leads in
the case.
But something unusual happened
Missouri.
A former homicide investigator
named jerry cassaday was found
Dead in his home, his g*n still
in his hand.
There was a bible in his lap.
Divorce papers were on his desk
and a report showing he had
Recently been treated for
depression.
In a trash can outside the home,
police found a videotape marked
"For jerry's eyes only."
It appeared to be a home video
of a woman dancing seductively.
Definitely a seductive tool,
something you would send a guy
That you're trying to seduce.
Narrator: friends told police
they thought the woman on the
Tape was jerry's girlfriend, who
lived in flint, michigan, and
That her name was sharee.
When investigators called police
in flint, they knew just who
They were talking about.
It was like getting hit
upside the head with a sudden
Shock.
It's, like, "you know, I can't
believe it.
She duped me."
Narrator: sharee miller was
brought into police headquarters
For questioning.
She claimed that she did not
even know jerry cassaday.
Narrator: this is an audio
recording of the actual
Interrogation.
Did you ever send naked
pictures of yourself to jerry?
No!
Did you ever send jerry films
of you naked?
No!
Films of me naked?
No, I didn't.
You never sent those to
jerry?
No, I did not.
When we showed her that we
had this videotape of her for
Jerry cassaday, written right on
the tape, "for jerry's eyes
Only," she went from not knowing
jerry cassaday to turn around,
"I know him, but he's crazy."
Narrator: sharee said she met
jerry cassaday in a computer
Chat room.
Just messing around.
I mean, I mess around online all
the time just to figure out
Something new to do.
I mean, everybody does it.
Narrator: computer forensic
experts confiscated sharee's
Computer as well as
jerry cassaday's, and what they
Discovered inside answered some
important questions, but raised
Many others.
This is one of the most
bizarre cases I've handled in
The 10 years I've been dealing
with this subject matter.
There was deception.
There was a love triangle.
Whenever there's an internet
connectivity issue that relates
To a m*rder case, of course it's
gonna be sexy.
Narrator: things were
starting to get interesting.
Narrator: police sent
sharee miller's computer and the
One used by her suspected lover,
jerry cassaday, to an expert in
The new field of computer
forensics.
I get the stuff that's been
deleted.
I get the space that's unused by
the computer.
I get everything, and that's
what I examine as a computer
Forensic specialist.
Sergeant potrafka was able to
mirror the hard drive, which
Means he kept the hard drive in
it's original format, but makes
A mirror image of it that we as
investigators can use to
Download the information on
there without ever tampering
With the original best evidence.
Narrator: forensic computer
specialists can also gain access
To password-protected accounts
on a hard drive.
Passwords lock documents away
from anyone except the owner.
Investigators easily made their
way into jerry's and sharee's
Private files.
I believe we had like 300,
Had found that were relevant.
There were probably thousands of
hits on her name on just the
"Sharee1013."
Narrator: investigators found
incriminating evidence on
Jerry's computer and in his
private papers.
It was an instant message
conversation in which jerry and
Sharee discussed m*rder.
I'll call bruce at 5:00 p.m.
And tell him to call when he's
leaving.
Jerry, I'm scared.
Is the g*n loud?
It's deer-hunting season here.
Inside would be best,
muffled.
Pull up to the left of the
building, right to the door.
He'll stay at the desk inside.
Take his wallet.
Take the whole thing.
There was discussion about,
pull the car up, I believe it
Was to the right side of the
door of the office to the auto
Parts place, because then when
you open up the driver's side
Door of the car, it would help
hide a g*n in your hand as you
Stepped out and went towards the
front door of the business.
Police confronted sharee with
this computer message.
I'm telling you here I have
an e-mail that lays it out right
Here in front of me about how
you and jerry cassaday planned
His m*rder.
That's wrong.
Okay, why would jerry even
think about changing that?
I don't know!
It doesn't make sense, does
it?
I don't have a clue!
It may be because he was mad
because I wouldn't have nothing
To do with him!
Narrator: sharee said the
instant messages were forged.
Officials at a.o.l. Confirmed
that this was a possibility.
We first informed the
prosecutors and investigators
That this is an instant message
that may not be authentic.
It possibly could have been
edited.
But I couldn't say in fact it
was authentic and did come
Through the america online
service in its exact form.
It was very important for us
to forensically back up this
Instant message and show that
there was a relationship and
Show how she got jerry cassaday
to k*ll her husband.
Narrator: under court order,
a.o.l. Released information
Regarding cassaday's and
sharee's computer activity.
A.o.l. Verified that jerry and
sharee were both signed onto the
A.o.l. Service on the same day
at the same time and for the
Same length of time as the
instant message indicated.
Sharee also took steps to cover
her tracks.
A day and a half after the
k*lling of her husband, she
Calls america online to change
her first and last name, to
Change her street address, city,
state, and zip code.
After she learned of the su1c1de
of jerry cassaday, she did the
Same thing.
Narrator: and jerry's home
computer showed hundreds of
E-mails from the screen name,
"sharee1013," that had been
Deleted.
The data is still there until
such time as the computer needs
To write something new, and the
computer says, "oh, that spot's
Open.
I'll write it there now."
And so the data resides on the
hard drive until it's
Overwritten.
Narrator: among a stack of
papers on sharee's computer
Desk, investigators found the
name john "occonnor," which was
Misspelled, and a telephone
number in sharee's handwriting.
In the instant message which
sharee claimed was a
Fabrication, jerry wrote, "if
anything happens to me, call
Him, john occonnor, with the
same misspelling and his
Telephone number, which was also
incorrect.
It certainly corroborates the
fact that they had been
Communicating in that instant
message.
It was one in two quintillion
chances that that alone could
Have happened by coincidence.
That's 19 0s after the 2.
Narrator: the forensic
computer analysis also revealed
The motive for the m*rder.
In a moment, how sharee miller
managed to fool a seasoned
Homicide investigator.
Narrator: forensic computer
experts found proof that
Sharee miller and jerry cassaday
conspired to k*ll sharee's
Husband, bruce.
It was like reading a diary
of the relationship, and it
Showed her saying things to this
guy to really kind of bring his
Blood to both a sexual and
emotional boil, to really bring
Him into her and her world as
she was showing it to him.
Narrator: only a month after
sharee's marriage to
Bruce miller, she met
jerry cassaday in an america
Online chat room.
The two struck up a friendship.
Jerry was going through a
divorce.
Sharee said she was unhappy,
too.
Eventually, they met
face-to-face and became lovers.
When the two were apart, sharee
kept the spark in their
Relationship by sending jerry
erotic pictures of herself
Through e-mail.
She also recorded the videotape
later found by investigators in
Jerry's trash.
At one point, sharee told jerry
she was pregnant with twins and
That jerry was the father
although she had had her tubes
Tied years earlier.
Sharee e-mailed a picture of a
positive pregnancy test she had
Taken from a friend and
sonograms of a fetus, which were
Actually taken five years
earlier of her son.
Sharee claimed her husband,
bruce, was a member of organized
Crime, a drug dealer, and was
physically abusive towards her.
There was no evidence that any
of this was true.
She claimed bruce had beaten her
so badly that she miscarried
Jerry's unborn twins.
Sharee e-mailed jerry pictures
of her bruised and battered
Body, a feat she accomplished
with makeup.
This was a situation where a
woman very ploddingly and
Purposefully created an
artificial universe to cause
This guy to believe that he
would be doing the "right" thing
To come and m*rder bruce miller.
He couldn't see what the
truth was anymore and what was a
Lie.
He was gonna be the white knight
for sharee miller.
He was gonna k*ll the dragon and
claim his property.
Narrator: in an instant
message, jerry and sharee made
Plans for the m*rder.
Sharee said she would keep her
husband on the phone while jerry
Went in to k*ll him.
Telephone records confirmed that
this is precisely what happened.
[ g*nsh*t ]
Jerry's experience as a homicide
detective meant he could commit
The crime while leaving no
forensic evidence behind.
Just a few weeks after bruce's
m*rder, sharee double-crossed
Jerry.
She stopped answering his calls
and e-mails, and she found
Another boyfriend.
I think he was
grief-stricken -- "what have I
Done?
What has she led me to do and
for what?
She didn't give a darn about
me."
Narrator: among jerry's
personal papers was a su1c1de
Note addressed to his parents.
It was painfully obvious jerry
still believed most of sharee's
Lies.
"He beat the crap out of her
and k*lled my baby.
I'm sorry, mom.
These were my babies.
I loved them.
I wanted them.
I drove there and k*lled him."
Narrator: but jerry finally
realized he had been used.
There was no doubt, you know,
jerry said he did it.
Jerry did it.
There was no making it up.
Jerry wasn't that type of
individual that he'd pull
Somebody's leg like that,
especially in a situation like
This.
He wasn't gonna sh**t himself
and then leave this for somebody
If it wasn't true.
Narrator: in december 2000,
sharee went on trial for m*rder
And conspiracy.
The forensic computer analysis
was the state's primary
Evidence.
Did you k*ll your husband,
bruce miller?
No, I did not.
Did you help anybody k*ll
your husband?
No, I did not.
Did you love your husband?
Yes, I did.
Narrator: sharee continued to
maintain the instant messages
Were a forgery.
She claimed jerry was the
spurned lover and did this in an
Attempt to frame her.
So are you saying this entire
instant message is fake?
Yes, I am.
So when they talk about the
disks and the pictures on your
Back and legs and whatnot and
the bruises, you never had that
Conversation?
No, I did not.
Narrator: but the forensic
computer analysis proved
Otherwise and provided a
possible motive for the
m*rder -- money from bruce's
life-insurance policies and the
Sale of his junkyard business.
I told my wife that I think
sharee's grinning from ear to
Ear thinking the money she's
gonna get from this right here.
That was my thought the night he
got k*lled 'cause she was that
Kind of person, just a
money-hungry person.
Right after the homicide, she
re-did the house.
She spent a lot of money.
Even bruce's mother bought her
car with some of the money that
Was left to her, so money may
have been a motive.
We don't know.
Narrator: prosecutors do not
believe john hutchinson had
Anything to do with
bruce miller's m*rder.
In december of 2000,
sharee miller was found guilty
Of second-degree m*rder and
conspiracy to commit
First-degree m*rder.
She was sentenced to life
without the possibility of
Parole.
She had no respect for the
man she married.
She had no respect for my
brother.
She had no respect for her own
kids to put them through this.
She got what she deserved.
I've seen g*nsh*t wounds.
I've seen knife wounds.
I've seen dismemberment.
I've seen axe murders.
I've seen people who've drug
people by cars, k*lled by autos,
But I've never seen anyone
k*lled by a computer.
Narrator: for investigators,
The verdict was a triumph of
high-tech detective work and
Old-fashioned gumshoe
investigation.
If we had been unable to find
hard evidence to back up the
Printouts, the e-mails, the
Instant messages, we would not
have had a case.
By doing the computer
forensics, we showed that
Manipulation of jerry cassaday
And what brought him to k*lling
bruce miller and then taking his
Own life.
She thought she had beaten
the system.
She thought she planned the
perfect m*rder.
She thought that those things
That she typed in would never,
ever come back to haunt her, but
She was wrong.
08x34 - Web of Seduction
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Documentary that reveals how forensic science is used to solve violent crimes, mysterious accidents, and outbreaks of illness.
Documentary that reveals how forensic science is used to solve violent crimes, mysterious accidents, and outbreaks of illness.