Murder With My Husband - 93. Katie Poirier - The Gas Station Abduction

Episode Date: January 3, 2022

On this episode of MWMH, Payton and Garrett discuss the 1999 abduction and murder of 19-year-old Katie Poirier. LIVE ONLINE SHOW TICKETS HERE! https://www.moment.co/murderwithmyhusband Case Sources: https://thepublishedpen.com/kathlyn-katie-poirier-murdered-1999-by-donald-blom/ Forensic Files S7 E30 https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/6781809/kathlyn-elizabeth-poirier http://news.minnesota.publicradio.org/features/199909/09_radila_poirier/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Blom https://krocnews.com/donald-blom-moved-to-faribault-state-prison/ https://www.dl-online.com/the-vault/1352204-20-years-after-Poirier-kidnapping-some-laws-improve-while-others-remain-the-same Social Media Link and Patreon: https://linktr.ee/murderwithmyhusband  Ads: Betterhelp: www.betterhelp.com/husband Stitchfix: www.stitchfix.com/husband Modern Fertility: www.modernfertility.com/husband Green Chef: www.greenchef.com/mwmh130 and use code mwmh130 to get $130 off Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hey everybody welcome back to our podcast. This is murder with my husband. I'm Peyton Morlens. And I'm Garrett Morlin. And he's the husband. And I'm husband. Just a quick plug before we get into everything we did. We want to remind everyone that we have bonus episodes on our Patreon every single month. We have spooky stories, regular bonus episodes, Q&As, all that kind of fun stuff. So you can find that at patreon.com slash murder with my husband. All right, Garrett, what's your 10 seconds? So actually, everybody, well not everybody, but a lot of people have been asking me about the vanity. Remember the vanity that I was supposed to build you?

I don't know what episode that was, but I did notice that everyone was like, did he ever build you your vanity? Yeah, on YouTube, Instagram, everything. Everyone's been asking me about that. So I thought we mentioned this the other day, but I can't remember. I feel like we mentioned it somewhere. Maybe it was on like a Patreon episode.

Anyways, I built Peyton of Anity. It might not have been with my bare hands. It might have been some instructions and from IKEA. But I did build Peyton of Anity. Yeah, he did. It wasn't like he crafted it in the garage using his new tools. But it's pretty amazing. So yes, I do have a vanity. Yeah he did. It wasn't like he crafted it in the garage using his new tools but it's pretty amazing. So yes I do have a vanity. Also I know it's kind of random but I mean no I guess if you're listening on podcast you can't see it but on YouTube you can. I had this necklace and like our first like 30 episodes maybe. Yeah. And then I lost it for like 50 episodes.

Yeah. Anyways, I just found it the other day. So tell him where he found it. Oh, it was in my snow jacket. So that's why I found it. It was a snow coat pocket. Because I lost it last of winter. That's funny.

Anyways, it just says, I can't even have mentioned it. It's just the date we got married. Yeah. That's my 10 seconds. We've kind of just been hanging out with family. Christmas was good. Christmas was good.

Hope everyone else had a good holiday. But yeah, we just been hanging out with family. So nothing Christmas was good. Hope everyone else had good holiday But yeah, we just been hanging out with family. It's nothing too crazy We love you all. Yeah Awesome. Okay, so our K sources for this week are the published pen.com Find a grave.com a forensic files episode Minnesota dot public radio dot org Wikipedia KROCnews.com And that's it. Okay, so our case this week begins in Moose Lake Minnesota.

And did you know that Minnesota is known as the land of lakes? Did not know that. I didn't know that either, but it's literally on their license plate. Okay. And it's because they have over 10,000 lakes. Holy crap.

That is a lot of water. That's enough. But we are specifically this week in our case in the small town of Moose Lake. And the year is actually 1999. 19-year-old Katie Porrier was raised in Moose Lake and had actually just graduated high school in 1998. So this was it.

She was at the time in her life where she could chase her dreams, become whatever she wanted to be. And for Katie, that was either a police officer or a game warden. She had a love for animals that was heightened through her own two dogs that she loved very much. And Katie also loved her family and sports, but was ready for this next big step in her life. I mean, I think we all were there after graduating high school. So she decided to head off to a nearby community college and begin studying criminal justice,

which I'm sure as most of you listening are, that is so cool. Like I look up to people who study law and everything we talk about on this podcast, what a dream we have a lot of people who write in and say, you know, that they're studying that and I just think it's so cool. I think that's like something I would definitely love to do one day

So Katie is doing just that she begins her studies and while conquering that she also becomes engaged to her boyfriend Mark So Katie really was graduating into adulthood fast and ended up getting a job at the local conoco Convenience store to make ends meet, as we all know, being an adult is expensive. So Pam Porier, Katie's mother, was worried about her baby girl growing up so fast, taking the world on so suddenly. Was working at a gas station safe.

I mean, Katie spent night shifts working alone, but Katie wasn't worried. She assured her mother Pam that she was safe. It was just a job and to trust in the good of people on May 26th, which is actually Garrett's birthday. But this May 26th in 1999, Garrett was turning five at the same time that the local police in Moose Lake received a 911 call around midnight. It was a customer at the conico. He was in the store. All of the lights were on and everything looked okay, but there was no employee anywhere. The customer didn't think it was safe that the cash register

was sitting there without anyone around. So he decided. And the store was open. Yes. Like you didn't accidentally walk in. No. No. No. The store is open. Lights are on. Like it's open hours. It's not like the store should be closed. That is freaky. But there's no employee. So he calls the police. He's like, the cash register is just sitting here.

It just feels weird. So police make their way out to the gas station to check it out. And once there, they look around and discover that the money in the cash register and the safe was untouched, but there was in fact no employee. There were actually sticky notes on the counter with money under them from other customers who had come and purchased things like without the employee there.

So there's some good people in Moose Lake because they didn't just like come in and go, oh, there's no employee, I'm gonna take this stuff. They left the money on the counter and said, hey, it took like a Reese's candy bar, there was no employee here. So here's the money for it. Is it a small town?

So it's not a small town. But where this gas station is located is kind of right by the highway. So it's not like this is like in the middle of the city, like a ton of locals coming here. This is more just like an in and out gas station. So police are there. They're looking through everything. city, like a ton of locals coming here. This is more just like an in and out gas station. Got it, OK. So police are there. They're looking through everything. And they notice that there's a set of car keys and glasses

near the register. So police called around to figure out who was supposed to be working that night. Like, where's the employee? Who is it even supposed to be? What's going on? And as we all know, it was a 19 year old Katie poor year that had the night shift that day.

It was her keys and sunglasses by the register, but she was missing. Police checked the parking lot and noticed that Katie's car was still parked there at the gas station. Where was she? Had someone come and pick her up, leaving like, did she leave on her own accord? Had friends come and got her as a prank or had something more sinister happen to Katie Porrier. As police discovered that Katie was not in fact home after calling her family and friends, or that she wasn't with her fiance, they do the only thing they can do. They pull a

Garrett and they ask for the security camera footage from the gas station. No way, so there is security camera. Yes. So the gas station is, it's 1999, but it actually had four security cameras throughout the store. And surprisingly, the footage, even back then, isn't awful. It's not great. It's grainy. But at least you can make out what's happening, which is more than I can say for other security footage we've seen. Like, and hey, at least they have cameras and they're working, right? make out what's happening, which is more than I can say for other security footage we've seen. Like, and hey, at least they have cameras

and they're working, right? Finally, a place has security cameras. And the 92, I mean, that's what rises me. And that are working, because half the time, it's like, oh, they're down. They happen to not be working this day. Yeah, yeah. So when police finally download the footage

and look at it, everyone's fears come true. You can clearly see in the video, a Caucasian man walks into the gas station around 11.35 pm and he grabs Katie around the throat. He then forces her out of the front door, his hands still clearly around her neck. The last you see of them, he is taking her into the parking lot, where sadly there are no more security cameras to see what vehicle he put her in or what happened after that. Holy crap. So he literally just took her out of the store and kidnapped her.

Yeah. Like, she's working a shift. It's 11.30 at night. It's dark outside. She's the only one in the store. A guy walks in, grabs her around her neck and walks her out of the store. Oh my gosh. Yeah.

And although the footage is clear, it's still not clear enough to really tell any details about the man other than the skin tone and what he was wearing. And it's only, I don't mean like details, I mean you can tell he's wearing a short sleeve and pants. But you can see how scared Katie was. The defensive position her arms were in

as he walked her out of the store with his hands around her neck. Her body language is unsure and worried. I mean, he's walking her like forward so he has his hands around her neck from behind her. And her arms are like up kind of like in a don't hurt me. I don't have anything positioned the whole time he's walking around. So you can tell this is not like she doesn't like this is not of her free will. This is definitely against her will and you can tell that just by looking at her body language on the video footage. When police show Pam Porier, Katie's mom, the footage, she couldn't believe it. She says that these things happen on TV and far away,

but never hear, never in real life. And I do wanna say here that when I've talked to people who aren't interested in true crime, other people like Garrett, they always question why I would need to know this stuff. Like why am I listening to this stuff? And oftentimes I've said because it helps me as a woman feel somewhat prepared.

Take precautions that I shouldn't have to, but that I do. To help me be smart in situations that we as women and men, minorities or victims shouldn't have to, but we do because that's the world we live in. And sometimes they say to me, why do you need to even be prepared, though? That stuff will never happen to you. It doesn't happen in real life. And to that I say, yes, it does. No one ever thinks it'll be them. And then it is. And I feel for these victims and their families who this exact thing happened to. My heart hurts for them because this stuff is real. And we can't

just ignore it or not talk about it, but we can try our best to understand it and more in the victims and remember their legacy so we as humankind can try to do and be better, like let the good outweigh the bad in these situations. So as police are now realizing that something sinister did in fact happen to Katie, just hours earlier, they know that the clock is ticking, they need to move fast. We see this in multiple cases. Once you know it's a kidnapping, you have to move quick. But one obstacle they are facing

is the fact that the conical Katie worked at sat alongside a major highway, like we said earlier. So whoever had taken her might have left the store fast and left the city even faster. Yeah. Which is not good for an investigation. Like if they can just drive right out and hop on the highway and head to a brand new city or state, this is gonna be 10 times harder to solve.

Yeah, how are you supposed to find them at that point? Right, they have a major head start. Yeah. Despite this thought, police immediately begins searching nearby neighborhoods and parks, but every search turns up empty handed. I feel like it would be so hard to be a detective cop, whatever it is in this situation, because trying to find someone missing when you don't have any like, you don't even know

where to start. Where are you supposed to love? Right. Like, so they are like, okay, well, the last place she was seen was at the gas station. So they start searching the area around the gas station, but I mean, let's be honest, like would that really be where she would end? That's horrible.

I know it's just hard. You don't even know where to begin. And with police searching these areas, locals like witnessing the frenzy actually leave their homes in their pajamas and begin helping as well. Police interview houses nearby the gas station and they discover that residents had actually noticed a black pickup truck kind of circling the neighborhood circling the area the night before midnight. Now it wasn't like they saw this black pickup truck just like at the conico, but they were like, no, multiple people did say we did notice a black truck.

There was kind of just like hanging around the area last night. And an employee at the subway sandwich shop, which was next to the gas station, which was connected by an inside door told police that they too noticed a black pickup truck in the parking lot about three hours before Katie was abducted. So it's like one of those gas stations where the subways like you could walk through the gas station and get to the subway, but they have two separate engines just in case you're just going to the subway. But the parking lot of the gas station and the subway is the same parking lot. Like they shared you park in the gas station parking lot to go to subway.

And now I actually have to give it up to this employee from subway. She's named Catherine Hanuk because she is legit a true climber. The black pickup truck like that she saw stood out to her that night because she was aware and she had been spooked by the driver who she noticed sitting and watching female customers for long periods of time What in the world? So she was kind of looking out in the parking lot and she like why are people? Why yes, and she was like why is that guy just watching these girls walking and out like that's what she was like on alert She's like this is weird did she get the license plate?

So when Catherine when Catherine closed the subway and left around 11.45 pm, she noticed that the black truck was also just pulling out of the parking lot. She didn't know the black truck was still in the parking lot. It had moved. But when she pulled out, she was like, oh, that black truck is back.

Like it's still here and I'm pulling out right behind it. And she was heading home towards downtown Moose Lake, and so was the truck apparently. So she watched as the driver of the truck in front of her swerved multiple times, was kind of driving recklessly. So on edge and alert, but also questioning whether she was overreacting, probably like we all do. She decided to try and quickly memorize the license plate driving in front of her just in case. Just in case something happened, I feel weird, I'm gonna try and I've done this. Multiple times I've done this. And what would you know? Her instincts were right because now Katie is missing. So she got it down that it was a Minnesota license plate.

That's how I knew it said the 10,000 lakes. Got it. And that the first numbers on the license plate were 5, 5, 7. Okay. And the last letter was a Y. And the only reason she can't remember the in-between was because now it's been a long time since she's memorized this license plate. But I feel like that's enough, correct?

Oh, this is huge. Like I feel like that would be enough to pick Black Pick Up truck 557 last letter Y. 7 last letter Y. Yeah. Minnesota. Also, like actually for me now I just like snap a picture real quick because it's easier than remembering. Oh my gosh.

I'm not going to go through Payton's phone. She just got thousands of pictures. Well if I'm feeling weird, I'm on alert. I'm like feeling weird. I'm not gonna go through a painting's phone. She just got thousands of pictures. Well, if I'm feeling weird I'm on alert. I'm paying attention. I know most of the time it's probably nothing but just in case I'll just like snap a quick I'm gonna find a picture of my license plate on her phone For what we were dating like actually I'm suspicious. Yeah No, but to think that she didn't have a picture. She didn't write it down But she pulled this out of memory like she was like, okay, I don't really remember but these are what I do remember. I think that's so cool

It's huge like this is amazing. She's amazing. This show is sponsored by BetterHelp Have you ever found yourself at a crossroads unsure of which direction to take in life? We all face those moments of uncertainty where the right path seems elusive. But guess what, there's a solution that can help you find clarity and confidence. And that's therapy. As you guys know, I talk about therapy all the time, I go to therapy weekly, I definitely am a big supporter of it, it's helped me manage my stress and anxiety, and really helped me work through difficult times. Therapy is not just for major traumas, it's for anyone who wants to learn positive coping skills,

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easy way by going to rocket money dot com slash husband. That's rocket money dot com slash husband rocket money dot com slash husband. And police are impressed and they take this lead into their investigation. Now I don't know exactly how much time had passed since the initial 911 call at this point, whether it's the next morning or the next day. But while searching for the black pickup truck, police are also conducting like official land searches. Like they're not just gonna stop looking

the surrounding area just because now they have this lead for the pickup truck. So volunteers from the community have now also joined police like it's a ton of people to find Katie like spending all hours searching, but those hours eventually turn into days as the foot searches continue and hope begins to fade when there's no sign of Katie.

Katie's parents are desperately hanging on as the days begin to pass with nothing. I mean, imagine how they're feeling at this point. Police are searching records for possible trucks, but the records actually were not digitized yet at this point. Police are searching records for possible trucks, but the records actually were not digitized yet at this point, and so they are literally going through boxes of paperwork. No way.

Yes, like trying to find this black truck. So that's why it's taking so long. And as this is happening, investigators decide to also try something else. NASA at this point in time, had spent years taking pictures in space and trying to improve them here on Earth. So maybe, just maybe, they had the technology and ability to clear up the security footage, and that would help Moose Lake find Katie.

So they sent the footage to Dr. David Hathaway from NASA who had created a process to help enhance video image called Vissar, and Dr. Hathaway, just kind of like Bibi Bobbi-Bood, a frozen still image of the kidnapper on the video footage and what would you know? People are amazing and so is technology. When he removed some of the grain,

he discovered that the kidnapper had short blonde or gray hair and was five foot 10 with an average build. He was also wearing a New York Yankees jersey with the number 23 on the back. So you couldn't see any of this before Dr. Hathaway cleared up the video footage. That's so cool. And he couldn't find a of this before Dr. Hathaway cleared up the video footage. And he couldn't find a clear image of the kidnapper's face, but the police sketch artist

didn't care. He took what Dr. Hathaway had given them and created a possible sketch which was then released to the public, like they're doing all they can at this point. And as usual, the tips come pouring in and police sifted through them the best they could. One of the tips actually led police to a man named Donald Dean Christensen, who seemed promising. He had a past conviction on a sexual offense charge and was free the night of Katie's abduction. Donald also looked like the man from the video, but so did a lot of people because it wasn't like that clear. But police decide to move forward on the hunt anyway. They discover that Donald had a large tattoo on his inner forearm that should be visible in the security camera

footage. So they analyzed the video in search of any image of the kidnapper's arm and when they find it, it's a let down. The kidnapper in the video clearly did not have a tattoo on his forearm where Donald did. It wasn't him. This was not their guy. Three weeks after Katie's abduction, police were no closer to finding her and the odds did not look good. I mean, three weeks have passed. Three weeks, that is a long time. Yes. But this specific day, dispatch received a call from a citizen with a possible lead. It was their 1,960th tip. Holy crap. Imagine having to sift through

that many tips to try to find, like, is this worth following? Do we look into all of them? Is this one seem a little bit more probable than the others? Like that is so much work But you have to have the public's help But this one tip seemed different to dispatch maybe it had a little bit more meat than the others The caller worked at the Minnesota veteran home in Minneapolis and was calling about a janitor who also had worked there But he had just quit. His name was Donald Albem Blom. So this is another Donald, but this one's the janitor. It wasn't the original Donald who they cleared. The coworker who

was calling said they were because not only did Donald match the sketch, but it was the Yankees jersey that he always wore that sealed the deal. Not to mention, he had just changed his appearance after Katie had been kidnapped. The caller said, you know, it might be nothing, but it might be like worth looking into because he always wears this jersey. He looks like the guy in the video and he's been acting weird. He changed his appearance. And it was because this was probably the most solid tip

that police had received yet with the jersey being a part of it. So police start looking into Donald. They discover that he was a 50-year-old father of four kids and was married. He had prior convictions for a salt rape and kidnap being dating all the way back to the 70s. And he has four kids? Yes. Oh my gosh. So Donald was abused by his father growing up

and exhibited heavy drinking and behavioral problems by 13 years old. In 1975, he kidnapped a 14 year old girl whom he sexually assaulted and then locked in his car trunk. What? We are going to learn that Donald really must not have been very good at tying knots because this young girl escaped and turned him in. He was tried and convicted and released within

the same year. No way. Yes, after. So he went to jail for less than a year. Yes, after kidnapping, sexually assaulting and locking her in the trunk. Oh my gosh, that is mind blowing. In 1978, he committed aggravated assault. In 1983, he was arrested for criminal sexual assault. And that same year was his last known assault where he was convicted for forcing two young girls into the woods at knife point and tying them to a tree. Once again, he obviously wasn't an expert in knots because the girls escaped before he could do anything else,

but he did still beat them, choke them, tie them to the tree. So it wasn't like this was just like, oh, they got away lucky. No, they were still kidnapped, they were still hurt. He just couldn't sexually assault them before they escaped. The girls ended up reporting him.

He went to trial was convicted and everything. And how long did he go? It didn't specify how long he went that time, but it obviously wasn't very long because he's out now today and has four kids. So when police discovered all of this after running the background check on Donald, they had chills. Like this had to be the guy. I mean, every

puzzle piece was fitting. He had the Yankees jersey. It came from a tip of someone who said, I feel like it's him. And look at his past record. He had kidnapped and sexually assaulted multiple people. So they moved on to the next piece. And that was finding out if Donald drove or owned a black pickup truck. They took to the paper records and they were discouraged. He didn't own a black truck. And how could this be? I mean, okay. I mean, okay, because I mean, there's plenty of ways he could have been driving. He could have been registered. He could have stolen it. Could have been a friend. I mean, there's so many. And I agree. And actually, so do police. So either way, they decided to

search Donald's home. It seemed reasonable at this point, even though they didn't have the black truck, they decided to move forward. They were like, this is our best lead. He obviously doesn't have a very great past, so we feel like we have enough to go forward. And when they searched his home,

they found no sign of Katie. The Katie had ever been there. The Donald had anything to do with this. And when they questioned Donald, he actually claimed that he was innocent and that he'd had an alibi for the night of her abduction. When they discovered that Donald actually owns vacation property near Moose Lake,

so he owns another home, police search it on June 18th, but once again, they turn up empty-handed. There's no sign of Katie. How could this not be their guy? How could they not have found Katie? There's no way I don't believe this. There has to be something.

They agree with you. Anything that would prove them wrong, that would prove that Donald was not as innocent as he was claiming. So police remembering that Donald had a fire pit at the Lake Vacation property. They decided to send technicians in to sift through the large fire pit at the lake vacation property. They decided to send technicians in to sift through

the large fire pit for trace evidence. This was their last shot. Maybe they had missed something. Maybe if they, you know, took a closer look at it, they would find something. I think at this point, police were tired and sad and they needed something to return back to Katie's parents with. Like, it had been months. And although nothing in either of Donald's homes pointed to him having anything to do with Katie, they couldn't go back to her parents without anything. They had to use their resources on this fire pit in hopes of finding something.

And it paid off. Because although there was no other evidence in the house, the technicians discovered what they believed to be small fragments of bone in the fire pit. Now this doesn't officially mean human bone, but at least they had something to bring back to the lab and examine in this case. Police asked a forensic anthropologist to examine the fragments and not only did she conclude that some of the fragments were human, she also

determined that the sex of the bone was female and that the age was between 17 and 24 years old. That is so crazy that that can be done. Right. I mean, each time you tell me a different case, different episode, there's just so much technology around DNA and determining someone's sex. Like it's just all so crazy. It's crazy that they can look at a tiny piece of bone that like the original searchers

didn't even really notice, but the like experienced and professional technicians did. And say, oh yeah, this is human bone number one. And number two, it's a female. And number three, it's between the ages of 17 and 24 years old. That's so crazy. I, yeah. Jumping into an ad and it is native. I use their body wash, I use their shampoo,

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So these findings are obviously consistent with that of missing Katie Porier, but the bones were too badly burned to be able to have them DNA tested. So they couldn't pull any DNA from the bones. Wait, I was going to say is I hope it's not her. Right. Because the whole time you've been telling me this, I've been hoping that it's a survivor story. So police went back to Katie's parents with a maybe, but not a for sure or even a most likely. And they didn't know which was more devastating her parents, like whether they should hope that this is her, that they found her or should they hope this isn't her.

Like that's just such an awful place to be in. But police weren't done with the findings just yet. should they hope this isn't her, like that's just such an awful place to be in. But police weren't done with the findings just yet. This was just an update for her parents. They said, don't worry, we're gonna keep testing. They had actually called in a forensic odontologist to examine some tooth fragments that were found in the pit as well.

All of the enamel on the tooth fragments was gone, but the doctor confirmed that it was a human tooth after discovering remnants of a feeling in the tooth. Only humans go to the dentist and get their teeth filled, so they're like this is most definitely a human tooth. And according to the forensic files episodes on this case, the doctor also compared the tooth to Katie's dental records and found that the shape and size of the tooth granted it's just a like a fragment but they can kind of like piece together that this fragment was consistent with Katie's lower left second

molar which would be known as her tooth number 18 and it was once she determined this that the forensic odontologist decided to send the remnants of the filling over to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension so they could conduct an analysis of the filling. Maybe they could somehow match it to Katie so that they could like officially confirm that it was her tooth. And the amount of effort that goes into this is just crazy. I think it's so cool to think like that all of these scientists and all of these doctors

are going in so hard to like figure out if this is Katie's tooth or not. The forensic scientists magnified the filling and determined what the elemental composition of the filling was using an electron beam. Now do I even understand what I just said no, not really, but just know it's really sciencey and it's really cool and it's gonna determine

whether this is Katie's tooth or not. So this X-ray results showed that the filling contained zirconium and silicone, and that was very unusual in dental cement. So when they figure out what this filling is made of, they're like, this is not what Dennis used to fill teeth. So it would be very rare for Dennis to use this, let alone multiple dentists in the area to be using this.

So the scientists contact Katie's dentist to tell them their findings and see if she had used this like weird mix to fill Katie's tooth. And Dr. Melanie Meyer told them that her records indicated that she had actually replaced the filling in Katie's tooth number 18 just two weeks before she was abducted from the gas station. And that she had used a brand new sample material that was not even on the market yet to fill her tooth.

Wow, okay. It was called Relics Arc. And she had got it at a dental conference where the founders had been attempting to get people on board and whatnot. They're like, we have this new feeling. Here's a sample, try it, test it out. And if you like it, you can come back and buy more from us. Police contacted the company who created the new feeling, and they confirmed that they used the same two elements

found in the tooth from the fire pit in their new material that wasn't even for a cell yet that they had given out at that conference. And science doesn't lie and this wasn't a coincidence. The tooth filling had just confirmed that the young adult burned and Donald Blombs backyard was most likely Katie Porrier. Dang. A tooth. Well, I wasn't saying it's horrible. Right. I thought that I don't know I think I just thought there was a chance that

that she was alive. That she was alive. But also were they able to confirm that like she was entirely burned and the fire? Right so they didn't they only discovered I think it was 25% of the body burned in there. So no, they have no idea if maybe the whole body had been burned in there and only 25% survived. Or if it had only been pieces of her body that had been burned in there and there was other pieces somewhere else, they have no idea. So police executed a search warrant for Donald's credit card statements and discovered that he was near the gas station

around 5 p.m. that day, purchasing liquor at a liquor store nearby. They also extended their search warrant of Donald's properties. And they finally discovered a black pickup truck in one of his garages with the license plate number 557 H.D.Y. The reason that police had not found this truck earlier

was because the state records listed this truck as white instead of black. And they didn't have the license plate. So this case felt closed. I mean, the evidence has stopped. Oh, it seemed open and shut. Right, like he has the jersey, he has the truck with the matching license plate

of the girl who saw him driving out of the gas station at the same time that Katie was kidnapped, driving erratically might I add, and then also her tooth was just found in his fire pit. Donald Blom was arrested and charged with the abduction and murder of 19-year-old Katie Porrier. They brought him in for questioning and when they confronted him with the evidence, he confessed to her murder on tape. Oh. Donald Blom admitted to going to the convenience store

and putting Katie in the truck. He drove her immediately to his property where he ended up killing her and burning her in the fire pit for days because that's how long it would take. But only two weeks after confessing, Donald Blom recanted his confession after getting a lawyer and claiming that his interrogation

and confession was coerced. Now this is funny to me because police didn't even really need a confession in this case with the amount of like physical and circumstantial evidence they had. But either way, Donald Blom was taken a trial where the jury was given all of the evidence that we just discussed.

Not to mention Donald's previous charges and the record that he had. Seriously. And somehow is an angel for life, right? Right. So on August 16, 2000, he was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

But this verdict doesn't really do much for Katie's parents, Pam, and Steven. It doesn't bring back their daughter, because although justice might help a little, it doesn't take away the pain that they are feeling. And Steve Poirier can't help but wonder why Donald was even out of prison in the first place. This is just one of the complicated and frustrating parts of the American Justice system. How was this guy able to live freely and go on to commit murder after his past convictions? Weren't all of those signs pointing to the fact that he would

eventually do this? It doesn't take an expert to see that, and so Donald, her father, is upset. do this, it doesn't take an expert to see that, and so Donald, her father, is upset. And after Katie was abducted and murdered, Minnesota lawmakers noted the mistake that they had made. And past Katie's law, which includes stricter penalties for convicted sex offenders and mandates better ways for police to track past offenders. And the conical gas stations now require that at least two employees work each shift. So no one is ever alone in the middle of the night. But I do have to say that this isn't for all gas stations only the conical. So there are still gas stations

out there where people are working alone in the middle of the night, which is scary. That's true. I feel like you've gone in the multiple gas stations on road trips. Where there's only one employee. One person there. Yeah, which is really scary. Katie Porier was born February 28th, 1980. She has an older brother named Patrick, who married the woman that helped him hill from the kidnapping and murder.

He told DL online that he has four kids now, and each of them has their own trait of Katie that he gets to see every day, which helps him heal. Steve Porrier describes Katie as bubbly and bouncing around and lively. He remembers that she was very active in her life that included her family, sports, and her dogs. Her memorial on Find a Grave says that although she was only given 19 years on this earth, Katie packed in more living and love in those 19 years, then most people enjoy in much longer lifetimes. It goes on to say that Katie was an honor roll student, a band musician, and key club member at Barnum High School in Barnum Township, Minnesota. In 1997, she was named first runner-up for the

title of Miss Barnum. She went on to attend community college. She was the fiance of Mark Johnson. Among her many interests were water skiing, fishing, the Green Bay Packers, days of our lives, and her beloved dogs Goldie and Riley. Katie had a mile-wide smile and simply loved life in everyone in it. She will forever be remembered and she will always be a precious part of everyone who was fortunate enough to know her. Let's remember Katie today for who she was and

is and that was the story of Katie Porrier. I don't know. I thought for some reason there'd be like she's I don't know. She survived. I thought there was some twist or something. I think it's horrible. With these cases is that is there ever really a happy ending even if they survive, right? Like we still hear... There's some type of trauma or struggle that I've been happy to deal with. It's horrible. Yeah, but I think what we can do is remember Katie for everything that her parents said

about her. Yeah. And also understand that changes have been implemented to try to prevent this from happening again, which is all we... You know, which what we can do. That was a crazy case. I know. How, I mean- You just took her out of the gas station. Especially after doing this to multiple girls.

That's insane to me. Like, who? I just, I'll never be able to comprehend that someone can just walk into a convenience store and just take someone. Like, my mind. I mean, I'm sure most people can't comprehend it. that someone can just walk into a convenience store and just take someone. Like, my mind, I'm sure most people can't comprehend it. But I really can't comprehend it. I know. I can't.

And she was just 19, starting her life, trying to get into criminal justice. She had a fiance. Like, it's just heartbreaking, but that is the story of Katy Poirier and that is our episode today. Okay, you guys, so next week, we will be back in

our normal studio most likely probably um and if you're listening on podcasts then we just sound the same and we love you guys and we're happy to have you here and we will see you guys next time with another episode. I love it. I hate it. Goodbye. you