11x21 - Van-ished
Posted: 01/19/24 07:37
Narrator: there were lots of suspects in the m*rder of a
Millionaire oilman and many salivating over the man's
Estate.
And that fact alone helped cr*ck the case.
Ron and rosana shaw had just moved into their luxurious new
Home in youngsville, louisiana.
But they still had some things to do before the birth of their
New baby.
On this night, ron helped his pregnant wife by doing the
Grocery shopping.
Ronnie put two bags of groceries on my arms.
We started walking towards the house.
And all of a sudden, three men jumped from behind the garage.
[ g*nshots ] I was in shock.
I was just waiting for them to sh**t me.
They put the g*ns to my head.
Narrator: they told rosana to open the safe in the master
Bathroom.
Open the safe, lady -- now!
I tried to open the safe, and I just couldn't.
I was so nervous, I was shaking.
Then he said, "you better open it this time, or I'm gonna k*ll
You."
Narrator: rosana finally remembered the combination.
He was disappointed.
I guess he was expecting a lot of money, a lot of cash in
There, but there wasn't a lot.
Narrator: the men took $, in cash and a box of jewelry.
And I thought, "okay, now he's gonna k*ll me."
Narrator: in desperation, rosana begged for her life.
I got on my knees, and I told him, "I'm pregnant."
Narrator: the k*ller backed off but left her with a warning.
He said, "if you come out of here, I'm gonna k*ll you."
[ Siren wails ] narrator: the men left, and
Rosana called police.
-Year-old ronald shaw was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police knew right away that this was an inside job.
Whoever was responsible for the death had to know the layout
Of the home or certainly, at least, that there was a safe
Contained inside the bathroom of the home.
Narrator: rosana was unable to give a detailed description
Of the K*llers because they were wearing masks.
I could tell they were young, they were black males, and the
First one was wearing a red ski mask with some black around the
Eyes.
He's the one that was very close to me.
He had some gold teeth.
Narrator: ron shaw was a successful oilman.
He had developed the concept of placing global positioning
Satellite chips in his drill bits, which improved accuracy
When drilling for oil.
Although the shaws were a wealthy couple, police weren't
Sure the motive was robbery.
They left jewelry in the safe.
They left an additional $, in the safe, gold coins that
Were valuable.
He had $, in his pocket.
He had a rolex watch on his arm.
And none of these were taken.
Narrator: and police found the box full of jewelry several
Hundred yards behind the shaws' home.
We had considered that the motive may have been a m*rder
For hire, as opposed to a robbery.
Narrator: the question was, "who wanted ron shaw dead?"
Narrator: ron shaw's m*rder was a major news story in
Louisiana and the entire gulf coast region.
It was huge.
It was characterized as a well-organized home invasion
Of people who the police believe laid in wait for the shaw
Family.
The victim was portrayed as a very wealthy business executive.
And then to have him k*lled in front of his wife certainly hit
A nerve with society in general.
Narrator: the shaws' home was only a few months old.
Not all of the landscaping had been completed.
And this produced the first piece of evidence.
It's a new construction.
There was builders sand in the back of the house.
So, as the suspects stepped in that sand in the back of the
House and went through the house, they left real nice shoe
Impressions down the hallway.
Narrator: the outside print was preserved with a substance
Called "denstone."
It's kind of like pancake batter.
And you're able to lift those impressions and bring them back
To the crime laboratory.
Narrator: inside the home, investigators lit the hardwood
Floors from various angles and saw two more sets of shoe
Impressions.
Criminalists lifted the prints with gelatin strips.
You roll the gelatin with the black side down onto your
Questioned shoe impression.
And when you peel it off, the adhesive in the gelatin adheres
To the dust particles on the floor.
Narrator: with some research, investigators identified the
Prints outside as a pair of size- nike air jordans.
The perpetrators inside also wore nike shoes.
One wore the air metal force model, the other the
Shocks trainers.
When police interviewed the neighbors, several of them said
They saw a burgundy-colored car parked a short distance away
From the shaws' home.
The vehicle was occupied by black males.
Either they observed these black males within the vehicle or
Standing outside the vehicle.
But it was parked in front of a vacant lot in this particular
Neighborhood, so it did stand out.
Narrator: and about a mile from the crime scene, search
Dogs found a potentially crucial piece of evidence.
While they were walking around on the roadway, they
Discovered a red ski mask with blue outlines on it next to the
Roadway which was in direct line of sight to the rear of the
Victim's property.
Narrator: this ski mask -- red with dark trimming around
The eyes -- was similar to the one described by rosana shaw.
At ron's autopsy, the medical examiner confirmed that ron shaw
Was sh*t three times with a .-Caliber w*apon.
There were two torso sh*ts.
One of those torso sh*ts, the b*llet remained.
The other torso sh*t, the b*llet went all the way through his
Body.
Narrator: in the yard, investigators found the
Projectile that passed through shaw's body.
This, along with the two b*ll*ts from inside shaw's body, were
Sent to the forensics lab.
Under a microscope, firearms expert chris henderson
Discovered that the lands and grooves on two b*ll*ts were the
Same.
The third b*llet was different.
We determined that we had two different sh**t, based on the
Class characteristics of the b*ll*ts.
Narrator: in their search for potential suspects, police had
To consider whether rosana shaw had anything to do with her
Husband's m*rder.
Ron's grown son from his first marriage certainly thought so.
He had distrust for her.
He wondered what her motivation was for marrying his father.
Had she married for money?
We got along fairly well while ron and I got married.
But right after ronnie d*ed, he just turned against me.
He just doesn't like me.
Narrator: and there were others who had a potential
Motive.
A background check revealed ron had shifted funds from one
Oil-drilling research project to another.
One was successful.
The other wasn't, which created substantial losses for
Investors.
There were a couple of them that had actually lost hundreds
Of thousands of dollars.
It didn't surprise them at all that the victim had met such a
Violent death because they felt that his business practices were
Dubious and unethical.
Narrator: with so many potential avenues to explore,
Investigators focused first on who knew that the shaws had a
Safe.
The people that knew about the safe was the safe company,
My family, ronnie's family, people at the office, the
Architect, the construction workers, friends.
There was a lot of people that could have known about the safe.
Narrator: the general contractor who built the shaws'
Home fully cooperated with authorities.
Ernest touchet revealed the names of several disgruntled
Employees that he felt might play a role and later added
That he also had two grandsons that had worked on the home and
That had also recently had several run-ins with the law.
Narrator: but investigators dismissed that idea.
The perpetrators were black, yet ernest touchet, and presumably
His grandsons, were white.
And ron shaw knew these boys personally.
Ernest touchet came to my husband and asked to hire his
Two grandchildren to keep them out of trouble.
They needed to do something.
So my husband said, "sure."
My husband really appreciated the grandfather, ernest touchet.
So he said, "of course.
Bring your two grandchildren, and I'll hire them."
Narrator: police didn't believe the touchet boys would
Repay ron shaw's kindness in this way.
Or would they?
Narrator: the owner of the construction company who had
Built the shaws' new home, ernest touchet, told police he
Feared his two grandsons might have been involved in ron's
m*rder.
Initially, police thought little of it since the perpetrators
Were black and ernest touchet was white...
Until they looked at the mug sh*ts of his grandsons.
Shannon touchet was a black male and was a product of an
Interracial marriage that his mother had had during her
Earlier years.
Narrator: -year-old shannon touchet had worked on
Ron shaw's home and would have known about the safe hidden in
The master-bathroom closet.
Investigators went to shannon's home.
He wasn't there, but his mother was.
And she was very helpful.
She reported to us that she had found some b*ll*ts in a
Black bag, a black bag that she recalled had at one time also
Contained ski masks...and dr*gs.
Narrator: police found the bag in shannon's bedroom.
The dr*gs and ski masks were gone.
But they did find unfired .-Caliber b*ll*ts.
Investigators wondered whether these b*ll*ts matched the ones
That k*lled ron shaw.
Firearms expert chris henderson examined the knurls on the fatal
b*ll*ts.
Knurls are the ridgelike protrusions that hold the
Lubrication needed to fire them.
Henderson then compared those knurls with the knurls on the
b*ll*ts in shannon touchet's bag.
We had the same number of knurls, same width.
And those knurls looked like railroad tracks going around the
Outer surface of that b*llet.
All the physical characteristics, everything
That we could physically see and measure, were indistinguishable
From one another.
We could not tell the difference between one and the other.
Narrator: police brought shannon touchet in for
Questioning.
He insisted he knew nothing about ron shaw's m*rder.
He said he was with his girlfriend that night.
She did verify his alibi and stated that shannon touchet was,
In fact, with her in lake charles.
Narrator: but looking at shannon's shoes, investigators
Noticed he was wearing nike air jordan basketball shoes --
Similar to the shoe impressions at the crime scene.
Scientists took casts of shannon's shoes and compared
Them to the casts from the impression in the sand outside
Ron shaw's home.
We concluded that the shoe impressions at the crime scene
Were basically indistinguishable from those of shannon touchet's
Shoes.
They had the same wear, the same physical characteristics.
They were nike air jordans, same size.
Narrator: shannon's own mother disputed his alibi.
She told investigators that shannon was out with two friends
On the night of the m*rder -- reggie basil and ronald benson.
And they were driving a burgundy car...
Similar to the one witnesses saw near the m*rder scene.
When questioned, both reggie basil and ronald benson
Denied any involvement in the robbery and m*rder.
Police obtained a search warrant and confiscated all of the shoes
Belonging to the two men.
But none matched the shoe impressions found inside shaw's
Home.
It's frustrating to believe that your investigation is
Focused and it's going in the right direction but there's no
Certainty that you're, in fact, looking at the right folks.
And for these type of charges, you don't want to make a mistake
Either.
Narrator: so investigators decided to look for genetic
Material inside the red ski mask that had been discarded after
The m*rder.
The forensic scientist turned the mask inside out and swabbed
Around the mouth area, hoping to pick up cells from saliva.
We're using the entire surface area of the swab to
Collect as much of the potential cellular material that's there.
And then, basically, we just let the swab air-dry, and hopefully
We'll have some dna on those swabs.
Narrator: using a dna test called "s.t.r.," Or
"Short tandem repeats," scientists found dna from three
Different individuals inside the mask.
But investigators needed to know who was wearing the mask before
It was discarded.
To find out, they analyzed the swab from the ski mask to
Determine who left most of the saliva behind.
And the results of this test were clear.
In this case, the major-contributor dna matched
That of ronald benson.
The red ski mask was very important because it
Corroborated the story that we were able to receive from
Mrs. Shaw.
Mrs. Shaw indicated that the person with the red mask was the
Most aggressive in the robbery.
Narrator: the identity of the other two dna profiles in the
Mask was inconclusive.
The ski mask implicated ronald benson.
The shoe impression outside the shaws' home implicated
Shannon touchet.
But there was no forensic evidence linking reggie basil to
The crime.
As an investigator, that's a little hard to swallow.
That's a little hard to leave in the end of the day with, knowing
That there's nothing else you can do and you feel fairly
Certain of who's responsible for doing it.
Narrator: investigators hoped that would change.
Narrator: shannon touchet, reggie basil, and ronald benson
Were all arrested for the m*rder of ron shaw.
It was decided that the only way was to arrest all three
Suspects simultaneously and interview them in the same
Building at the same time, going from room to room until we got
The confessions from all of them.
Shannon touchet, the individual that was the
Ringleader, the one who had the information about the location
Of the safe, he ultimately turned on his two associates.
Narrator: shannon admitted that benson and basil both
Participated in the m*rder.
Shannon said that the motive was robbery.
This was how shannon repaid ron shaw for giving him a job at
His grandfather's request.
Prosecutors say the three men drove to ron shaw's neighborhood
And waited for the shaws to come home.
Witnesses saw the three men loitering in the area.
When the shaws arrived, they were ambushed.
Ronald benson fired twice.
[ g*nshots ] reggie basil fired the third
sh*t.
Shannon touchet stayed outside, leaving the shoe impressions in
The sand.
Benson and basil took rosana inside and forced her to open
The safe.
For reasons that are unclear, they didn't take all of the
Valuables inside the safe.
But they spared rosana's life.
I think my daughter saved my
Life that night.
When I told that man that I was pregnant, it just did something
To his mind and decided not to k*ll me.
And, yes, my daughter saved my life.
Narrator: while running to the getaway car, they dropped
The box full of jewelry.
As they drove away, benson threw his ski mask out of the car,
Unaware that it contained his dna.
Shannon touchet left amm*nit*on matching the fatal b*ll*ts in
His gym bag.
The m*rder weapons have never been found, nor the shoes that
Left the impressions inside the shaws' home.
Shannon touchet and reggie basil both pled guilty to first-degree
m*rder and aggravated robbery and were sentenced to life in
Prison.
Ronald benson chose to go to trial.
The jury found him guilty.
He got the same sentence -- life in prison.
Investigators point to the case as a classic example of basic
Police techniques and forensic science coming together to get a
Conviction.
The forensic efforts on the part of our crime lab were
Invaluable to a final conclusion in this case.
Without them, there would have been no conviction for any of
The three defendants.
It was amazing to me, about the dna, the shoe prints, all
The evidence they can gather from the crime place, you know,
That can help find out who did it.
There's a lot of technology.
If things are done right,
Everything falls into place.
And sometimes a little bit of
Luck helps.
Millionaire oilman and many salivating over the man's
Estate.
And that fact alone helped cr*ck the case.
Ron and rosana shaw had just moved into their luxurious new
Home in youngsville, louisiana.
But they still had some things to do before the birth of their
New baby.
On this night, ron helped his pregnant wife by doing the
Grocery shopping.
Ronnie put two bags of groceries on my arms.
We started walking towards the house.
And all of a sudden, three men jumped from behind the garage.
[ g*nshots ] I was in shock.
I was just waiting for them to sh**t me.
They put the g*ns to my head.
Narrator: they told rosana to open the safe in the master
Bathroom.
Open the safe, lady -- now!
I tried to open the safe, and I just couldn't.
I was so nervous, I was shaking.
Then he said, "you better open it this time, or I'm gonna k*ll
You."
Narrator: rosana finally remembered the combination.
He was disappointed.
I guess he was expecting a lot of money, a lot of cash in
There, but there wasn't a lot.
Narrator: the men took $, in cash and a box of jewelry.
And I thought, "okay, now he's gonna k*ll me."
Narrator: in desperation, rosana begged for her life.
I got on my knees, and I told him, "I'm pregnant."
Narrator: the k*ller backed off but left her with a warning.
He said, "if you come out of here, I'm gonna k*ll you."
[ Siren wails ] narrator: the men left, and
Rosana called police.
-Year-old ronald shaw was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police knew right away that this was an inside job.
Whoever was responsible for the death had to know the layout
Of the home or certainly, at least, that there was a safe
Contained inside the bathroom of the home.
Narrator: rosana was unable to give a detailed description
Of the K*llers because they were wearing masks.
I could tell they were young, they were black males, and the
First one was wearing a red ski mask with some black around the
Eyes.
He's the one that was very close to me.
He had some gold teeth.
Narrator: ron shaw was a successful oilman.
He had developed the concept of placing global positioning
Satellite chips in his drill bits, which improved accuracy
When drilling for oil.
Although the shaws were a wealthy couple, police weren't
Sure the motive was robbery.
They left jewelry in the safe.
They left an additional $, in the safe, gold coins that
Were valuable.
He had $, in his pocket.
He had a rolex watch on his arm.
And none of these were taken.
Narrator: and police found the box full of jewelry several
Hundred yards behind the shaws' home.
We had considered that the motive may have been a m*rder
For hire, as opposed to a robbery.
Narrator: the question was, "who wanted ron shaw dead?"
Narrator: ron shaw's m*rder was a major news story in
Louisiana and the entire gulf coast region.
It was huge.
It was characterized as a well-organized home invasion
Of people who the police believe laid in wait for the shaw
Family.
The victim was portrayed as a very wealthy business executive.
And then to have him k*lled in front of his wife certainly hit
A nerve with society in general.
Narrator: the shaws' home was only a few months old.
Not all of the landscaping had been completed.
And this produced the first piece of evidence.
It's a new construction.
There was builders sand in the back of the house.
So, as the suspects stepped in that sand in the back of the
House and went through the house, they left real nice shoe
Impressions down the hallway.
Narrator: the outside print was preserved with a substance
Called "denstone."
It's kind of like pancake batter.
And you're able to lift those impressions and bring them back
To the crime laboratory.
Narrator: inside the home, investigators lit the hardwood
Floors from various angles and saw two more sets of shoe
Impressions.
Criminalists lifted the prints with gelatin strips.
You roll the gelatin with the black side down onto your
Questioned shoe impression.
And when you peel it off, the adhesive in the gelatin adheres
To the dust particles on the floor.
Narrator: with some research, investigators identified the
Prints outside as a pair of size- nike air jordans.
The perpetrators inside also wore nike shoes.
One wore the air metal force model, the other the
Shocks trainers.
When police interviewed the neighbors, several of them said
They saw a burgundy-colored car parked a short distance away
From the shaws' home.
The vehicle was occupied by black males.
Either they observed these black males within the vehicle or
Standing outside the vehicle.
But it was parked in front of a vacant lot in this particular
Neighborhood, so it did stand out.
Narrator: and about a mile from the crime scene, search
Dogs found a potentially crucial piece of evidence.
While they were walking around on the roadway, they
Discovered a red ski mask with blue outlines on it next to the
Roadway which was in direct line of sight to the rear of the
Victim's property.
Narrator: this ski mask -- red with dark trimming around
The eyes -- was similar to the one described by rosana shaw.
At ron's autopsy, the medical examiner confirmed that ron shaw
Was sh*t three times with a .-Caliber w*apon.
There were two torso sh*ts.
One of those torso sh*ts, the b*llet remained.
The other torso sh*t, the b*llet went all the way through his
Body.
Narrator: in the yard, investigators found the
Projectile that passed through shaw's body.
This, along with the two b*ll*ts from inside shaw's body, were
Sent to the forensics lab.
Under a microscope, firearms expert chris henderson
Discovered that the lands and grooves on two b*ll*ts were the
Same.
The third b*llet was different.
We determined that we had two different sh**t, based on the
Class characteristics of the b*ll*ts.
Narrator: in their search for potential suspects, police had
To consider whether rosana shaw had anything to do with her
Husband's m*rder.
Ron's grown son from his first marriage certainly thought so.
He had distrust for her.
He wondered what her motivation was for marrying his father.
Had she married for money?
We got along fairly well while ron and I got married.
But right after ronnie d*ed, he just turned against me.
He just doesn't like me.
Narrator: and there were others who had a potential
Motive.
A background check revealed ron had shifted funds from one
Oil-drilling research project to another.
One was successful.
The other wasn't, which created substantial losses for
Investors.
There were a couple of them that had actually lost hundreds
Of thousands of dollars.
It didn't surprise them at all that the victim had met such a
Violent death because they felt that his business practices were
Dubious and unethical.
Narrator: with so many potential avenues to explore,
Investigators focused first on who knew that the shaws had a
Safe.
The people that knew about the safe was the safe company,
My family, ronnie's family, people at the office, the
Architect, the construction workers, friends.
There was a lot of people that could have known about the safe.
Narrator: the general contractor who built the shaws'
Home fully cooperated with authorities.
Ernest touchet revealed the names of several disgruntled
Employees that he felt might play a role and later added
That he also had two grandsons that had worked on the home and
That had also recently had several run-ins with the law.
Narrator: but investigators dismissed that idea.
The perpetrators were black, yet ernest touchet, and presumably
His grandsons, were white.
And ron shaw knew these boys personally.
Ernest touchet came to my husband and asked to hire his
Two grandchildren to keep them out of trouble.
They needed to do something.
So my husband said, "sure."
My husband really appreciated the grandfather, ernest touchet.
So he said, "of course.
Bring your two grandchildren, and I'll hire them."
Narrator: police didn't believe the touchet boys would
Repay ron shaw's kindness in this way.
Or would they?
Narrator: the owner of the construction company who had
Built the shaws' new home, ernest touchet, told police he
Feared his two grandsons might have been involved in ron's
m*rder.
Initially, police thought little of it since the perpetrators
Were black and ernest touchet was white...
Until they looked at the mug sh*ts of his grandsons.
Shannon touchet was a black male and was a product of an
Interracial marriage that his mother had had during her
Earlier years.
Narrator: -year-old shannon touchet had worked on
Ron shaw's home and would have known about the safe hidden in
The master-bathroom closet.
Investigators went to shannon's home.
He wasn't there, but his mother was.
And she was very helpful.
She reported to us that she had found some b*ll*ts in a
Black bag, a black bag that she recalled had at one time also
Contained ski masks...and dr*gs.
Narrator: police found the bag in shannon's bedroom.
The dr*gs and ski masks were gone.
But they did find unfired .-Caliber b*ll*ts.
Investigators wondered whether these b*ll*ts matched the ones
That k*lled ron shaw.
Firearms expert chris henderson examined the knurls on the fatal
b*ll*ts.
Knurls are the ridgelike protrusions that hold the
Lubrication needed to fire them.
Henderson then compared those knurls with the knurls on the
b*ll*ts in shannon touchet's bag.
We had the same number of knurls, same width.
And those knurls looked like railroad tracks going around the
Outer surface of that b*llet.
All the physical characteristics, everything
That we could physically see and measure, were indistinguishable
From one another.
We could not tell the difference between one and the other.
Narrator: police brought shannon touchet in for
Questioning.
He insisted he knew nothing about ron shaw's m*rder.
He said he was with his girlfriend that night.
She did verify his alibi and stated that shannon touchet was,
In fact, with her in lake charles.
Narrator: but looking at shannon's shoes, investigators
Noticed he was wearing nike air jordan basketball shoes --
Similar to the shoe impressions at the crime scene.
Scientists took casts of shannon's shoes and compared
Them to the casts from the impression in the sand outside
Ron shaw's home.
We concluded that the shoe impressions at the crime scene
Were basically indistinguishable from those of shannon touchet's
Shoes.
They had the same wear, the same physical characteristics.
They were nike air jordans, same size.
Narrator: shannon's own mother disputed his alibi.
She told investigators that shannon was out with two friends
On the night of the m*rder -- reggie basil and ronald benson.
And they were driving a burgundy car...
Similar to the one witnesses saw near the m*rder scene.
When questioned, both reggie basil and ronald benson
Denied any involvement in the robbery and m*rder.
Police obtained a search warrant and confiscated all of the shoes
Belonging to the two men.
But none matched the shoe impressions found inside shaw's
Home.
It's frustrating to believe that your investigation is
Focused and it's going in the right direction but there's no
Certainty that you're, in fact, looking at the right folks.
And for these type of charges, you don't want to make a mistake
Either.
Narrator: so investigators decided to look for genetic
Material inside the red ski mask that had been discarded after
The m*rder.
The forensic scientist turned the mask inside out and swabbed
Around the mouth area, hoping to pick up cells from saliva.
We're using the entire surface area of the swab to
Collect as much of the potential cellular material that's there.
And then, basically, we just let the swab air-dry, and hopefully
We'll have some dna on those swabs.
Narrator: using a dna test called "s.t.r.," Or
"Short tandem repeats," scientists found dna from three
Different individuals inside the mask.
But investigators needed to know who was wearing the mask before
It was discarded.
To find out, they analyzed the swab from the ski mask to
Determine who left most of the saliva behind.
And the results of this test were clear.
In this case, the major-contributor dna matched
That of ronald benson.
The red ski mask was very important because it
Corroborated the story that we were able to receive from
Mrs. Shaw.
Mrs. Shaw indicated that the person with the red mask was the
Most aggressive in the robbery.
Narrator: the identity of the other two dna profiles in the
Mask was inconclusive.
The ski mask implicated ronald benson.
The shoe impression outside the shaws' home implicated
Shannon touchet.
But there was no forensic evidence linking reggie basil to
The crime.
As an investigator, that's a little hard to swallow.
That's a little hard to leave in the end of the day with, knowing
That there's nothing else you can do and you feel fairly
Certain of who's responsible for doing it.
Narrator: investigators hoped that would change.
Narrator: shannon touchet, reggie basil, and ronald benson
Were all arrested for the m*rder of ron shaw.
It was decided that the only way was to arrest all three
Suspects simultaneously and interview them in the same
Building at the same time, going from room to room until we got
The confessions from all of them.
Shannon touchet, the individual that was the
Ringleader, the one who had the information about the location
Of the safe, he ultimately turned on his two associates.
Narrator: shannon admitted that benson and basil both
Participated in the m*rder.
Shannon said that the motive was robbery.
This was how shannon repaid ron shaw for giving him a job at
His grandfather's request.
Prosecutors say the three men drove to ron shaw's neighborhood
And waited for the shaws to come home.
Witnesses saw the three men loitering in the area.
When the shaws arrived, they were ambushed.
Ronald benson fired twice.
[ g*nshots ] reggie basil fired the third
sh*t.
Shannon touchet stayed outside, leaving the shoe impressions in
The sand.
Benson and basil took rosana inside and forced her to open
The safe.
For reasons that are unclear, they didn't take all of the
Valuables inside the safe.
But they spared rosana's life.
I think my daughter saved my
Life that night.
When I told that man that I was pregnant, it just did something
To his mind and decided not to k*ll me.
And, yes, my daughter saved my life.
Narrator: while running to the getaway car, they dropped
The box full of jewelry.
As they drove away, benson threw his ski mask out of the car,
Unaware that it contained his dna.
Shannon touchet left amm*nit*on matching the fatal b*ll*ts in
His gym bag.
The m*rder weapons have never been found, nor the shoes that
Left the impressions inside the shaws' home.
Shannon touchet and reggie basil both pled guilty to first-degree
m*rder and aggravated robbery and were sentenced to life in
Prison.
Ronald benson chose to go to trial.
The jury found him guilty.
He got the same sentence -- life in prison.
Investigators point to the case as a classic example of basic
Police techniques and forensic science coming together to get a
Conviction.
The forensic efforts on the part of our crime lab were
Invaluable to a final conclusion in this case.
Without them, there would have been no conviction for any of
The three defendants.
It was amazing to me, about the dna, the shoe prints, all
The evidence they can gather from the crime place, you know,
That can help find out who did it.
There's a lot of technology.
If things are done right,
Everything falls into place.
And sometimes a little bit of
Luck helps.