Narrator: up next...
A music teacher is found dead.
Is it an accident or m*rder?
There were forensic teams
Going in and out of the house
For days on end.
Narrator: luminol provides
Some answers.
It just lit up like
A christmas tree.
It was phenomenal.
She didn't have any enemies.
That's why it was thought to be
An intruder case.
Narrator: but sometimes
Friends are more dangerous than
Enemies.
Secrets that had been kept
For so many years finally caused
For so many years finally caused the whole thing to explode.
The whole thing to explode.
[ "William tell overture"
By rossini plays ]
Narrator: music played an
Integral part in the lives of
Ken fitzhugh and his wife,
Kristine.
They met as young people,
And I think they shared a love
Of music.
That's kind of what go their
Relationship going, and they
Married a couple of years after
That.
Narrator: ken and kristine
Lived in palo alto, california,
Where they raised two sons.
Kristine was a music teacher
In the local public school.
Ken was a real-estate
Consultant.
Life was going well for the
Couple until one day in
When ken got a call from
Kristine's school.
Kristine had failed to show
Up for her : music class.
And this was very unusual.
She was very punctual.
She was very much a
Perfectionist.
Hello?
Narrator: ken had no idea
Where she was, so he and two
Coworkers drove to the house
To see if she was there.
When they arrived, they found
Kristine's car in the driveway.
Kristine?
Kristine!
Narrator: inside, they found
Kristine lying in a pool of
Blood.
Call !
Narrator: one of ken's
Narrator: one of ken's coworkers called .
Coworkers called .
[ Siren wails ]
When paramedics arrived, there
Was little they could do.
She is dead by the time they
Have arrived.
Narrator: at first glance,
It looked as if kristine had
Tripped while carrying the
Laundry down the stairs.
The staircase had maybe
Stairs in it, and she was
Near the bottom, feet extending
Upward.
Narrator: apparently her head
Hit a ship's bell that they
Stored in the basement near
The steps.
He said that she was wearing
Some sort of dangerous black
Shoes that she had tripped on
Once before.
Narrator: but to
Investigators, something about
The placement of the shoes
Didn't seem right.
I noticed halfway up the
Staircase there was a right
Shoe.
It was on the left side of the
Staircase as you're descending.
Going up the stairs, it's not
Gonna fall in this position.
That was a little bit odd to me.
Narrator: during kristine's
Autopsy, the medical examiner
Found evidence inconsistent with
A fall.
She had seven lacerations
To the back of her head, and
Those were at multiple angles.
What it told us was she had some
Type of impact to the back of
Her head -- multiple blows.
At that point, we knew
There's no way that she got that
Many wounds falling down the
Stairs.
Narrator: and they found more
Than just head injuries.
She had also been manually
Strangled.
This indicated to us that we had
A homicide situation, an as*ault
Against this woman.
To hear the coroner describe
What happened to
Kristine fitzhugh, you would
Have to think that this m*rder
Was committed by some inhuman
Monster.
Narrator: news of
Public-school teacher
Kristine fitzhugh's death spread
Quickly throughout the palo alto
Community.
She was a person who clearly
Touched each and every child she
Came in contact with and had
That special magic that brings
School to life, and in her case,
It was in the area of music.
Narrator: at first,
Kristine's death appeared to be
An accident, but when the
Medical examiner found evidence
Consistent with a homicide,
Investigators took over the
Scene.
I said, "I want the
Crime-scene team to go in this
House, and I want them to start
On it, and I want them, on their
Hands and knees, to crawl
Through this whole place.
I want you to find any evidence
Of what has occurred here."
And there were forensic teams
Going in and out of the house
For days on end, and we kept
Asking the police, "how much
Longer is this gonna go on?"
Narrator: investigators
Believe that kristine was
m*rder*d sometime between
: P.m. And : p.m.
We were able to get the
Receipts, so we knew that at,
You know, :-ish that she was
Alive and buying coffee at
A local coffee house.
Narrator: kristine's husband
And two coworkers found her body
And called at : p.m.
Call !
The m*rder had to have
Occurred relatively close in
Proximity to this attempted
Resuscitation.
Because if it had occurred
Several hours earlier, you're
Going to get a lot of
Coagulation of that blood.
Narrator: six months before
Kristine's m*rder, there had
Been six home burglaries in the
Fitzhughs' neighborhood.
There was a lot of talk that
This might have been the result
Of some burglary gone bad, that
Kristine might have surprised
A burglar and this is what
Happened to her.
Narrator: all of the
Robberies had occurred in the
Daytime, and like kristine's
Case, there was no forced entry
Into any of the homes.
Those robberies were still
Unsolved.
The police were in a tough
Spot.
They had to kind of reassure
The public that there wasn't
A maniacal k*ller out there.
We got a security system.
The people in the back of me got
A security -- they get a little
Edgy, and now they'll be
A little bit more edgy.
Narrator: but nothing had
Been stolen from the fitzhughs'
House, and something bothered
Investigators.
They found no blood spatter on
The stairs or on the adjacent
Walls.
Whenever a beating takes
Place, when blood comes to
The surface, subsequent blows
Start to disperse that blood.
And it causes blood to be
Spattered onto the surrounding
Surfaces.
Those characteristic patterns
Weren't seen down in the
Basement.
Narrator: this meant
Kristine hadn't been k*lled in
The basement where her body was
Found.
Upstairs in the kitchen,
Investigators found small drops
Of blood on the leg and seat
Of a kitchen chair, indicating
Kristine might have been
att*cked while eating her lunch.
We were comfortable with some
Blunt-force injury with an edged
Surface like the edge of a x,
And the obvious object that was
Right in the center of that
Crime scene was the table
Itself, and the table had
Supports and then a cross member
That served as the footing,
If you will, of the table.
That was something that her head
Was forcibly struck against that
Type of an object.
Narrator: the room was
Sprayed with luminol, and even
Seasoned crime-scene analysts
Couldn't believe what they were
Seeing.
It just lit up like
A christmas tree.
It was phenomenal.
Narrator: it was clear the
Chair in the kitchen had
Recently been covered in blood.
A nearby kitchen wall also
Showed evidence of a brutal
Confrontation.
The landing between the kitchen
And the basement looked as if
Kristine had been lying there
In a pool of blood.
There were some shoe-print
Patterns in the area of the
Kitchen door.
Narrator: and the basement
Stairs left no doubt that she'd
Been dragged there after she'd
Sustained massive injuries.
It was obvious that we were
Standing where a very brutal
Event had taken place.
Narrator: an event that was
Followed by an extensive
Cleanup.
To the naked eye, you could
See nothing.
It was clearly clean.
Narrator: but why would
A k*ller spend all this time
Cleaning the crime scene?
It was a whodunit.
It was a m*rder in a beautiful
Place, and we just knew that,
At that point, it was gonna be
A big story.
Narrator: no one in
Palo alto, california, could
Imagine who would want to hurt
Kristine fitzhugh.
She had no known enemies, and on
The surface, the fitzhughs
Appeared to have a storybook
Marriage.
Ken and kristine inherited
A large sum of money from ken's
Family and rarely had to worry
About their finances.
By the time that the
Fitzhughs moved to palo alto,
They had about $ million in
Real money.
Narrator: but investigators
Learned a troubling fact about
Their finances.
Because of failed business
Ventures and flagrant
Overspending, the fitzhughs were
Virtually bankrupt.
They had a lot of financial
Problems.
They were not gonna be able to
Make their mortgage, and that
Was gonna be public soon enough.
Their financial house of
Cards was kind of crumbling down
At the time of this homicide.
Narrator: kristine's closest
Friends told police the stress
Of impending bankruptcy was
Eating away at their marriage.
Kristine was thinking of
Leaving ken and taking her half
Of the house and separating from
His life completely.
"We'll sell the house.
You'll take half, I'll take
Half."
Narrator: but there was
Something else that bothered
Investigators.
I'm going up the stairs,
There's a large photo.
It's of the victim, her husband,
Ken fitzhugh, and their two
Children.
Hey, lieutenant.
What's up?
Take a look at this.
This boy doesn't look like his
Brother.
I comment to my supervisor, "one
Of the children don't look like
The other or the parents.
That don't look quite right."
Narrator: and later during
Ken fitzhugh's police
Interrogation, investigators
Noticed ken referred to his son
Noticed ken referred to his son in an odd way.
In an odd way.
Further investigation helped
Explain this slip.
Shortly after ken and kristine
Were married in , ken became
Friends with a coworker named
Bob brown.
They both worked at a
San diego aerospace contractor
Back in the late s.
It ended up the three of them
Hanging out together all the
Time, and robert brown was in
And around the family all the
Time.
Narrator: as a result,
Bob brown's relationship with
Kristine soon went beyond
Friendship.
He's having an affair with
Kristine.
As bob put it, he thought that
Kristine was starved for
Affection.
All right, so kristine and bob
Have this affair that goes on
For many years.
Narrator: when kristine got
Pregnant and gave birth to her
Oldest son, justin, sources told
Police that ken was not the
Boy's biological father.
It was...bob brown.
Robert maintained his
Friendship.
Matter of fact, he was actually
Justin's godfather.
Narrator: to confirm justin's
Paternity, investigators tracked
Down robert brown.
We end up finding
Robert brown, and he says,
"Yes, I am the father of her
Oldest son."
We get dna testing done and
Confirm that he is the father of
The oldest boy.
Narrator: but as justin got
Older and was about to go out on
His own, kristine decided it
Was time to tell him the truth.
Justin was about to graduate,
And kristine wanted to invite
His biological father to the
Graduation, and it was gonna be
Sort of at the graduation that
She was going to reveal to
Everybody that this other man
Was his father, not
Mr. Fitzhugh.
Narrator: ken claimed he was
Unaware justin was not his
Biological child.
Well, i, of course, ask him,
And he claims that he had no
Idea about it, and the friends
All seem to think he didn't
Know.
Certainly the son didn't know.
I believe ken knew about
The affair, and I believe ken
Knew who justin's biological
Father was.
There is no way that kristine
Would have gone and told justin
That robert brown was his father
And think that ken wouldn't have
Known.
She certainly would have told
Him that I'm going to tell him.
Narrator: in the meantime,
Police didn't tell ken fitzhugh
That the autopsy findings
Indicated kristine's death was
A homicide.
Ken remained under the
Impression her death would be
Ruled an accident.
During questioning, ken had
Difficulty playing the role
Difficulty playing the role of bereaved husband.
Of bereaved husband.
He was doing a bad job
Of acting because he was
Overacting.
Overacting. So...
So...
Then I saw the black shoes --
Then I saw the black shoes -- the g*dd*mn black shoes!
The g*dd*mn black shoes!
[ Breathes heavily ]
I think he had been acting
For that whole day.
Narrator: but this was just
Opinion, not proof of m*rder,
And more important for
Investigators, ken had never
Hurt anyone in his life.
Unless police could find
Forensic evidence to tie
Ken fitzhugh to the crime scene,
A jury probably wouldn't believe
It, either.
Narrator: ken fitzhugh denied
Any involvement in his wife's
m*rder.
Police found no evidence of his
Involvement inside the house,
But when they got a search
Warrant for ken's s.u.v., That
Was another story.
We found bloody shoes and
A bloody shirt under the
Driver's seat of the suburban.
Narrator: there was also a
Paper towel soaked in blood,
Blood that matched kristine's
Dna.
Ken said there was a simple
Explanation.
He tells me that this blood
Came from a gardening accident.
He said kristine and him were
In the backyard the previous
Week and she had hit her hand
With a gardening tool.
Narrator: kristine's body
Was still in the morgue.
Investigators asked pathologists
To check her hands.
There was no wounds on her
Hands.
Narrator: and even though
There was no blood on the soles
Of ken's shoes, this luminol
Pattern made it clear he'd
Stepped in kristine's blood in
The kitchen before it had been
Cleaned.
The shoe-print patterns that
Are shown in the luminol were,
In fact, consistent with the
Pattern of the bottom of the
Shoes that were found in
Mr. Fitzhugh's vehicle.
Narrator: the bloodstains
Found on ken's shirt and shoes
Were medium-velocity blood
Spatter.
This definitely didn't support
Ken's story.
The stains are all consistent
With being near the source of
Blood at the time that the
Beating took place.
Narrator: even more damning
Was the fact that the blood on
The sides and tips of ken's
Shoes had been diluted,
Consistent with standing nearby
As blood was being cleaned with
Water.
Dilute blood is often easy to
Recognize because when it dries,
The edge of the stain will be
Darker than the center of the
Stain.
Narrator: and where was ken
Between : p.m. To : p.m.,
The time of his wife's m*rder?
Mr. Fitzhugh says that he had
Left the house around :-ish
And had driven up to belmont,
An area about minutes north
Of where he lived, to examine
A vacant lot.
Narrator: no one saw ken at
This lot, and ken's cellphone
Records showed he wasn't in that
Area when the school called to
Tell him his wife was missing.
So it kind of destroyed his
Alibi of where he was located.
He was actually in the palo alto
Area when he received the phone
Call.
Narrator: prosecutors believe
Ken's motive was secrecy.
He didn't want the divorce, or
Anyone to know he wasn't the
Biological father of his oldest
Son, and he didn't want anyone
To know they were virtually
Bankrupt.
It was almost like a clock
Exploded and all the little
Springs and levers and wheels
Of the clock that had been so
Tightly wound up in that clock
Just exploded all over the
Landscape.
Narrator: two weeks after
Kristine's m*rder, ken was
Arrested.
Prosecutors said the evidence
Showed ken planned his wife's
Death.
The evidence suggests he parked
A short distance away from his
House and found his wife in
The kitchen, where she was
Having lunch.
He att*cked her in the kitchen.
Blood landed on his shirt,
His shoes, the kitchen chair,
The floor, and the walls.
The autopsy also revealed he
Strangled her.
Ken wanted to make kristine's
Death look like an accident.
To stage the scene, he dragged
Her body down to the basement,
Leaving blood all over the
Steps.
As he attempted to clean the
Blood, water splashed on his
Bloody shoes, diluting the
Stains, which proved he was
There during the cleanup.
Then he took kristine's shoes
And placed them on the steps
To support the fake story that
She tripped.
Ken put his bloody shirt, shoes,
And towel in his s.u.v.
He never imagined police would
Search his vehicle, since
Kristine's death would be ruled
An accident.
He picked up two coworkers to
Support his alibi, but he was
Much later than he expected,
Since the cleanup took more time
Than he anticipated.
[ Cellphone ringing ]
His cellphone records showed he
Was still in palo alto when
Kristine's school called to say
She missed her afternoon class.
Everyone agreed ken did an
Extraordinary job cleaning the
Scene.
But he couldn't clean
Everything.
Luminol revealed the extent of
The cleanup, and the autopsy
Results left no doubt.
He thought, "I'll make it
Look like an accident.
Nobody's gonna believe I
Committed a crime."
Narrator: one year after
The m*rder, ken fitzhugh was
Convicted of second-degree
m*rder and sentenced to a
Minimum of years in prison.
Ken still maintains his
Innocence, but the forensic
Evidence left no doubt he was
Kristine's k*ller.
You get the luminol, and you
See that there's this,
You know, cleanup, and,
You know, you got somebody lying
About where they were.
You got evidence pointing to
No one but him.
You never really know what's
Going on behind closed doors.
You never really know what
People's lives are like.
They have a face.
They present a face well.
But you scratch below the
Surface, and sometimes you find
These ugly things that are going
14x03 - Hell's Kitchen
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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.