04x04 - At Michelle's Door

[bunniefuu]

♪♪

Narrator: a woman vanishes in the busiest part of town...

Seattle pd. Are you here?

No one had any idea where she was.

I was worried. I really was worried.

Narrator: ...with no witnesses.

Simmons: there was no report of an argument.

It was just silence.

Narrator: there is only one hope.

Is that the only security camera here?

This was the largest amount of surveillance footage

I've ever had to view.

Narrator: but the truth could be hiding in plain sight.

Simmons: oftentimes, the only witness is unable to tell their story.

But in cases such as this,

Surveillance video can tell their story for them.

You're gonna want to take a look at this.

[ Screams ]

♪♪

♪♪

--Captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

Captions paid for by discovery communications

♪♪

♪♪

Narrator: december 28, 2010. Seattle, washington.

♪♪

For 43-year-old michelle thornton,

It's the end of a long shift.

Hi. Hi.

Have a good one. You, too.

Currie: I can't think of michelle

Without thinking of her smiling face.

She was just such an open, welcome spirit.

How are you?

Crompton: michelle was definitely a firecracker, for sure.

She was one of those people that just enjoyed living.

Currie: when you first met michelle,

You felt like you knew her your entire life.

Narrator: michelle makes friends wherever she goes.

Among them, her 21-year-old coworker, andrew.

You just starting?

Yeah. I got the late shift.

I was new to seattle, and so she kind of showed me

Belltown and that scene,

And I met a lot of people through her.

[ Chuckles ]

Michelle just liked having a good time.

She liked fun people to be around.

I hung out with her as much as I could.

Are you still up for new year's eve at my place?

Yeah. I can be persuaded.

[ Chuckles ]

Narrator: the party's still three days away,

But michelle is already preparing.

Expectations are always high for one of her get-togethers.

Gnoinsky: michelle had an apartment down in belltown,

Which is a really fun going-out area in downtown seattle,

So she had a great location.

Everybody wanted to go there for new year's.

I'm coming in the door right now, and I have so much stuff.

I got a great new dress.

Aw, darn.

I wish!

I have champagne.

I was planning to go,

But then I did not actually have a babysitter.

Oh, come on!

I'm sorry.

That's what you said last time.

Narrator: michelle has celebrated new year's with her friends

Ever since her mom passed away 15 years ago.

Okay, I'll talk to you later.

Okay.

She missed her mom, so we'd all come together

And have some drinks and listen to some music

And probably move the coffee table

Out of the living room so we could dance.

[ Telephone rings ]

Narrator: with her preparations nearly complete...

Hey, chuck. Pizza?

Narrator: ... Michelle heads out for a bite

With her friend, chuck cruise.

Are you gonna come and pick me up?

♪♪

Narrator: new year's eve finally arrives,

And michelle's friends make their way to her apartment.

But there's a problem.

[ Buzzer ]

Everyone showed up, and she didn't answer the door.

Narrator: thinking she must be on the phone,

Chuck leads everyone inside.

Let's surprise her. Come on.

♪♪

Michelle, we're here!

[ Dialing ]

Narrator: but still no sign of the hostess.

Cruise: michelle, are you in there?

I was like, "well, where did michelle go?

Why is she not here?

She invited me over to her house."

What's going on?

Narrator: figuring there must be a logical explanation,

Michelle's friends head to a bar.

Crompton: I thought, "well, I'll just wait for michelle to call."

And she never called.

♪♪

Narrator: over the following three days,

Friends keep reaching out to no avail.

Yeah, okay.

I'll call you if anything else happens, okay?

Crompton: I think everybody that knew michelle

Was looking for michelle.

No one had any idea where she was.

Narrator: on january 3rd, chuck raises the alarm.

[ Siren chirps ]

Our patrol officers were flagged down near michelle's apartment

By a gentleman named chuck cruise.

I'm real worried about a friend of mine.

He told the officers he was concerned about michelle.

He'd been unable to contact her.

She wasn't answering her phone or her door.

This isn't like her.

Narrator: officers agree to carry out a welfare check.

This way, all right?

Devore: when we are conducting a welfare check,

All that we're hoping to do

Is to go in and find whoever is missing.

[ Knock on door ]

Narrator: the building supervisor lets them inside.

Michelle? Are you here?

Seattle pd.

Devore: if we don't find that person, then we're leaving.

Michelle?

Check the back of the apartment.

Narrator: without a search warrant,

They can only do a cursory look-around.

Michelle?

But there's not much to see.

Devore: other than being slightly messy,

The officers found nothing of a suspicious nature

In michelle's apartment,

And they left.

Cruise: well, is she in there?

Nobody's here, sir. I'm sorry.

Devore: it's rather common to have

A missing person in the city of seattle,

But they're usually found within a few hours or a day or so.

♪♪

Narrator: on january 4th, a week after michelle was last seen,

Her dad makes her disappearance official.

Michelle was reported as a missing person,

And a seattle police detective was assigned to her case

And began looking into her whereabouts.

[ Knock on door ]

[ Radio playing upbeat music ] michelle? Michelle?

Narrator: this time, police have permission to carry out

An in-depth search of michelle's apartment.

Now it sounds like someone's home.

The radio was on, which is obviously kind of suspicious.

There was no radio on the day before.

[ Music continues ]

♪♪ It's one for the road ♪

[ Music stops ]

They immediately pull the plug on the radio,

Then start to look around.

[ Police radio chatter ]

♪♪

Michelle?

One of the missing-person detectives

Went into michelle's bedroom.

And then, he went over to the closet.

♪♪

When he opens the closet door...

Oh.

...he sees michelle's dead body.

We have a body!

[ Police radio chatter ]

They immediately call the homicide office,

And I was called to the scene.

♪♪

Narrator: timothy devore

Has been with seattle pd for 20 years,

And he recognizes signs of a struggle.

Devore: the sofa in the living room was pushed out from the wall.

There was clothing near the sofa.

There was a bathrobe tie that was separated from the bathrobe.

♪♪

Narrator: he then turns to the body itself.

Michelle was laying in the closet on her back.

She was nude from the waist down.

There was blood on michelle's face,

And it was flowing in the opposite direction

You would expect from the pull of gravity.

In my experience, this suggests

That she was actually m*rder*d somewhere else

And then put into the closet.

What about these injuries here?

She had marks on her neck

That suggested she may have been strangled.

Simmons: to be k*lled in this manner,

It just seems like one of the most intimate

And completely horrible ways to die.

I really wanted to know who did this.

Narrator: so far, the last-known person to see michelle alive

Was her friend chuck on december 28th,

Meaning the k*ller potentially has a seven-day head start.

Officer: richard bollinger?

Patrol officers canvass the building

For potential witnesses.

Great. Thank you very much.

There was no report of an argument

Or some sort of commotion or a disturbance in her apartment.

For all intents and purposes, there was just silence.

Narrator: but one neighbor provides a potential lead.

What's this?

Possibly his phone number.

Contact information

For a frequent visitor of michelle's

Named richard bollinger.

♪♪

[ Ringing ]

Bollinger: sorry, I can't take your call right now.

[ Beep ]

But he's not picking up.

This is detective devore, seattle pd.

Narrator: after a long day processing the scene,

Investigators are still painfully short on leads.

But that could soon change.

Is that the only security camera here?

♪♪

I have one out front, and then there's two out back.

Every doorway is monitored by surveillance cameras,

And they record 24 hours a day.

♪♪

Homicide is a unique crime because oftentimes,

The only witness to the event has been k*lled,

Is unable to tell their story.

But in cases such as this,

Surveillance video can tell their story for them.

In this building, there's nowhere to hide.

I was positive that whoever m*rder*d michelle

Was going to be captured on that surveillance video.

♪♪

♪♪

Narrator: detectives working

The michelle thornton homicide investigation

Know that her k*ller must have been caught on camera

Somewhere in the hours of security footage

Recorded at her apartment building.

♪♪

While they wait for the files, lead detective tim devore visits

Michelle's father and friends.

Hi. I'm detective devore.

Having to tell a family member

That their loved one has been m*rder*d

Is a very difficult part of my job.

We discovered michelle's body.

I am so sorry.

Devore: bill took it very hard.

He was obviously very disturbed, shaken, broken.

♪♪

Disbelief went through my mind

When I found out michelle had been k*lled.

I couldn't believe it.

[ Voice breaking ] I wish I could have just been there to help her.

That's the hardest part for me,

Is to know that she was alone and afraid.

[ Sniffles ]

We're going to do everything we can, I promise you.

Devore: this was a person living a seemingly good life,

And a stranger or a known person comes into her apartment

And strangles the very life out of her.

I wanted to know who did that.

Narrator: the cctv footage

From michelle's apartment building

Could hold the key,

And it's ready to view.

♪♪

It starts on january 3rd,

When chuck first brought officers

To carry out a welfare check at the apartment.

Michelle's friend chuck cruise

Is the last-known person to see michelle alive.

He told police they got pizza the night of the 28th,

And he said goodbye to her at her front door at midnight.

In homicide investigation,

Talking to the last person

Who saw the victim alive is essential.

Oftentimes, that person

Is the person who caused their death.

Narrator: devore rewinds to midnight on the 28th

To see if chuck's story checks out.

♪♪

There's no one in sight.

Devore lets the footage play.

♪♪

A family leave the building.

But there's no sign of chuck or michelle.

It appears that chuck may be lying,

And devore wants to know why.

[ Telephone rings ]

I was to obtain a copy

Of michelle's recent banking activity.

Let me see that.

Narrator: it shows money has been withdrawn

From michelle's account

At 12:04 a.m. On the night of the 28th.

When we had discovered her body, michelle's purse was missing,

Which means her wallet was missing.

As an investigator, I'm thinking whoever m*rder*d michelle

Is now using her credit card.

It's close.

This is michelle's apartment, and here's the atm.

Narrator: instead of getting pizza,

Has chuck robbed and m*rder*d michelle?

Detectives request footage from the bank to find out.

Devore: surveillance system on many of these atm machines

Is capturing you the whole time you're using the card.

It's here.

Narrator: devore prepares to see the face of a k*ller.

♪♪

It's michelle.

Is that someone outside the window there?

Narrator: devore zooms in and scrutinizes the image

To see if anyone is lurking in the shadows.

She's alone.

She was just drawing out $20.

I don't get it.

Narrator: if michelle was alive,

Then why can't they see her

In the footage from the night of the 28th

When chuck said he dropped her home?

Detectives look again.

Now they widen their search

To include the hours before midnight.

♪♪

At 11:35 p.m.,



Devore spots something.

Stop the clip. [ Keyboard clacks ]

Two people come into view.

They embrace just outside the entrance

Before going their separate ways.

♪♪

Is that michelle?

Narrator: devore zooms in for a closer look.

♪♪

It's michelle.

♪♪

She takes out her keys and lets herself inside.

♪♪

♪♪

She then casually walks along the corridor alone.

♪♪

The man's face is out of frame,

But the clothes match what chuck cruise was wearing,

And the footage corroborates his story

That michelle was alive and well when he dropped her off.

Only now do detectives realize what's wrong.

We discovered that the time stamp

On the surveillance video

Was more than a half hour off on the real time.

Narrator: turns out,

Chuck was telling the truth.

But as he is crossed off the suspect list,

A new name is about to surface.

[ Telephone rings ]

It's devore.

I started getting lots of phone calls --

Phone calls from her friends.

Many of them were all pointing their finger

At michelle's ex-boyfriend, george broutzakis.

Narrator: and with good reason.

Hey, come take a look at this.

Simmons: george had previously been convicted

Of assaulting michelle.

He went to prison for that as*ault,

And he had just recently been released from prison

When she went missing.

What do you got?

Narrator: he's 6'2" with a thin build,

And according to michelle's friends,

Regularly wears a black knit cap.

Finding george is a top priority,

Both in person and on camera.

Devore: we had a team of people viewing the footage

Trying to figure out if george had come

Or gone from michelle's apartment.

Narrator: officers scrutinize every camera angle

For a glimpse of their suspect.

♪♪

But there's no sign of him anywhere.

♪♪

Until...

...2:20 p.m. On december 30th

When a man matching george's description

Shows up in a black knit cap.

♪♪

The man calls up to someone using the intercom.

But no one buzzes him in.

Take it back a bit.

With his back to the camera,

Dark glasses, and hat pulled down,

It's like he's trying to go unnoticed.

Unable to gain access, he takes out his phone.

♪♪

The door opens,

And the man who looks like michelle's violent ex-boyfriend

Steps inside.

♪♪

♪♪

Narrator: following the m*rder of michelle thornton,

Investigators think they may have spotted

Her ex-convict ex-boyfriend, george broutzakis,

Stepping into the apartment building

On december 30th at 2:20 p.m.

We know that michelle went into her apartment alive,

And we know that she never exited that apartment alive.

♪♪

Narrator: he keeps his head down as he walks inside

Towards the elevator.

♪♪

Could this be their man?

♪♪

There was a lot of pressure on me to go out and arrest george.

Narrator: but police can't track george broutzakis down.

♪♪

For now, investigators want to narrow down

Michelle's time of death by searching the footage

And seeing when she appears on camera.

Simmons: part of this investigation was not knowing

When exactly that michelle had died.

Narrator: their current window is from midnight on december 28th,

When michelle arrives home with chuck,

To january 6th when her body was found --

More than 200 hours.

With four cameras to study, that's 800 hours of tape.

Devore: this was the largest amount of surveillance footage

I've ever had to view.

Narrator: it's a massive task.

♪♪

After hours of searching, an investigator spots something.

♪♪

At 12:48 a.m. On december 30th,

The night after michelle had pizza with chuck,

A woman leaves the building through the side exit.

It could be michelle.

♪♪

And then, ten minutes later,

The same woman approaches the front entrance.

It's definitely michelle.

♪♪

And she could be carrying a clue.

What's that in her hand?

Devore switches to the lobby camera for a better look.

Is it beer?

You reckon she's not alone?

Michelle is carrying what appears to be a six-pack

Into her apartment at 1:00 a.m.,

Leading detectives to believe she has company.

But the man they believe could be george

Doesn't enter the building for another 13 hours.

Only one person can explain what's going on.

I knew that we needed to talk to george.

Narrator: devore doesn't have to wait long,

As michelle's ex-boyfriend turns himself in.

We asked him to provide details about where he was

During the time that michelle had been m*rder*d.

Narrator: george denies any involvement in michelle's m*rder.

Following the interview, officers probe george's alibi

And it checks out.

Hotel manager says they never left.

And the frustration continues.

Officers looking for the man in the knit cap discover

That he is, in fact, a tenant who had forgotten his key.

The man was making a call to the supervisor to let him inside.

But as one door closes, another opens.

Devore makes contact with michelle's close friend

Richard bollinger,

And he has some new information.

Devore: richard bollinger provided a lot of details

About what had happened the days leading up to michelle's m*rder.

Last time I saw her was christmas day.

She wasn't alone.

Richard had seen michelle on christmas day

With a man he knew as "g," a black man with a shaved head.

Is that it?

Narrator: he could be a witness, or he could be a cold-blooded k*ller.

But no one knows his real name.

Simmons: at that point, not a whole lot was known about this man,

Who he was.

So it was essential to determine what their relationship was,

How often he visited michelle.

Narrator: whoever he is, investigators hope they can find him

In the hundreds of hours of security video.

What they're about to see will take this investigation

In a whole new direction.

You're gonna wanna take a look at this!

Narrator: following a conversation with michelle's friend

Richard bollinger,

Detectives have a new suspect...

Big black guy, shaved head.

...a man known only as "g."

Detectives scroll back through the hundreds of hours of footage

To see if they can find him.

My partner and I worked many, many days in a row

Just viewing that surveillance footage.

♪♪

Narrator: at 2:27 a.m. On december 30th...

♪♪

Just 90 minutes after michelle returns home with some beers,

A possible lead.

♪♪

The man we're watching in the video

Fits the description provided by richard bollinger.

Narrator: the man uses the intercom.

♪♪

Moments later, he's buzzed in.

♪♪

Investigators switch to the lobby.

♪♪

The man walks casually into the building,

Unzipping his jacket.

♪♪

Detectives continue to search backwards through the footage

To see if they can link this man to michelle.

Stop it there.

Sure enough, six and a half hours earlier,

Two figures appear.

One is michelle,

And detectives recognize her companion instantly.

It's "g."

Michelle uses her keys to open the door,

And they go inside together.

Michelle seems very relaxed.

It seems like she's just hanging out with a friend.

Narrator: detectives now know that michelle and "g"

Arrived at the apartment building at 8:20 p.m.

On the night of december 29th.

♪♪

She goes on a beer run four and a half hours later,

And returns at 1:00 a.m.

♪♪

♪♪

"G" then heads out to the store himself

Before being buzzed back in at 2:27 a.m.

♪♪

The next thing we know, michelle is found dead.

So it's essential to figure out who this man is.

♪♪

Narrator: as detectives launch a search for a man known only as "g,"

Friends and family gather to remember michelle.

♪♪

Crompton: I wanted to just really capture michelle's spirit

And who she was.

Gnoinsky: we just wanted her to be remembered.

Nobody could believe that something tragic could happen

To somebody that was such a happy person.

Hey, buddy.

I just can't believe she's gone.

Laissue: I really didn't know how to handle michelle's m*rder.

I didn't have a lot of friends besides her.

Michelle touched so many different people

In different times and different parts of her life.

Woman: hi, everyone.

I'd just like to thank you all for coming.

Compton: if she could've seen all the love and the outpouring for her,

She would've felt like she was blessed,

Knowing that she had so many people that loved her.

You know, it was like a day of closure where I had to go

And, you know, [ voice breaks ] say a goodbye to somebody

That -- that I didn't want --

That I didn't want to lose, you know?

I had to end that chapter.

Narrator: back at the precinct,

The investigation is gathering momentum.

Man: autopsy's back.

The medical examiner determines that michelle was k*lled

In the early hours of december 30th.

Okay.

The last time "g" enters the building

Was 2:26 a.m. On december 30th.

♪♪

But to be certain he was there at the time of death,

Devore needs to see when he leaves the building.

♪♪

Hours go by.

Residents come in and out,

Unaware this building is now a m*rder scene.

♪♪

There's no sign of "g" anywhere.

♪♪

♪♪

Not until 2:13 p.m. The next afternoon,

Eleven hours after being buzzed in,

That they finally see him striding casually past

Other residents towards the front door.

He's been inside the whole time.

♪♪

Devore switches to the outside camera and spots something else.

♪♪

He's walking briskly, and now he's got a bag.

♪♪

Never saw him enter the building with that bag.

Narrator: but the most chilling footage of all is still to come,

Just two hours later.

"G" returns to the building.

This time, he lets himself in using a key.

♪♪

Every time michelle's friends would visit,

They would be buzzed in by her on the intercom system.

This time, for the first time,

Somebody other than michelle uses the key.

At this point, we believe, michelle is deceased

And he's having the use the key

Because she's unable to buzz him in.

Narrator: investigators believe they are looking at michelle's m*rder*r.

But until they know his full name,

A cold-blooded k*ller is walking free.

Narrator: a network of security cameras in michelle thornton's apartment

Building has led detectives to their prime suspect --

A phantom known only as "g."

Forensics reveal his identity.

That's great.

Yes.

Devore: one of the fingerprint techs made a match to fingerprints

Recovered from michelle's living room.

The match was to someone by the name gary wade.

We research gary wade's name, and sure enough, it was a match.

"G" was gary wade.

Let's bring him in.

Narrator: on february 26th, almost two months after michelle's m*rder,

Gary wade is arrested and brought in for questioning.

Gary wade at first denied really knowing anything.

Devore: gary seemed very calm and relaxed,

Considering what he had been arrested for.

Narrator: with wade stonewalling, devore goes on the offensive.

I created still photos from the surveillance footage

That showed time stamps of gary coming

And going from michelle's apartment building.

He admitted to being there,

But he continued to deny any involvement.

Narrator: devore pushes harder.

Eventually, gary wade realized that the officers knew

That he was present when michelle thornton died.

Narrator: his back to the corner, wade changes his story.

Hearing his version of events, I knew he was lying.

Narrator: after an intense session of questioning,

Detectives take a break.

Wade needs to lie down.

As he gets himself comfortable,

It's the perfect moment to catch him off-guard.

But there's a problem with wade's new story.

Simmons: michelle thornton died of strangulation,

Not the result of a heart attack.

Narrator: after inviting wade up to her apartment

To drink some beers as friends,

Investigators have a far more disturbing theory

Of what might have happened.

Simmons: it was the suspicion of investigators

That gary wade attempted

To r*pe michelle.

No!

She was nude from the waist down when she was discovered.

She had gary wade's dna on both of her breasts.

No!

Also, under fingernails, showing that she likely scratched him.

[ Groans ]

And then when she had the nerve to fight back, he k*lled her.

♪♪

Narrator: wade then calmly leaves the apartment,

But returns two hours later,

Lets himself inside with michelle's key,

And hides her body in a closet.

By the time michelle's friends turn up

For the new year's party,

Michelle has been in the closet less than a day.

♪♪

Without the video, we simply would not have known

Who the last person she was with.

Narrator: investigators' suspicion that gary may have attempted to r*pe

Michelle was never proven.

However, he is found guilty of second-degree m*rder

And sentenced to 21 years behind bars.

He took the first person I ever met

That showed me what being free was all about.

♪♪

Michelle's m*rder was probably the hardest thing

I've ever lived through my entire life.

Gnoinsky: I was sad, but there was a part of me

That felt that now there was peace.

Now [sighs] now she can be the angel.