Snapped: Women Who Murder - Laurie Bembenek

Episode Date: May 2, 2021

Former police officer Laurie Bembenek is found guilty of murdering her new husband's ex-wife; years later, new evidence comes to light that changes everything.Season 28, Episode 11Originally aired: November 15, 2020Watch full episodes of Snapped for FREE on the Oxygen app: https://oxygentv.app.link/WsLCJWqmIebSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Hi, I'm Lindsey Graham, the host of Wonder East Podcast American Scandal. Our newest series looks at the story of OxyContin, a popular painkiller that helps spur an epidemic of addiction and drug abuse, in which prompted a broad campaign to hold the pharmaceutical industry accountable. Listen to American Scandal on Amazon Music or wherever you get your podcasts. When a loving mother is brutally murdered, accusations fly. There were many different scenarios going around. Could the murder have something to do with her love life?

As the investigation heats up, police wonder if they're dealing with a greedy killer or a sinister setup. I need to recognize that Black Shoes on, like a lot of the police men wore. I think that they were afraid of her, afraid of the information that she had. At the center of this building, media storm is a blonde bombshell no camera could resist.

Everyone thought she was a knockout. The press was pretty good. Is this beautiful, perhaps conniving, don't a towel. When the gavel finally falls, it doesn't mark the end of this high profile case. They hatched a plan for her escape. The clock is ticking. Everybody's getting older, and the truth is out there. MUSIC

May 28, 1981, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It's the dead of night at 2.15 a.m., when 11-year-old Sean Schultz is abruptly awoken from his sleep. Sean feels a wired rope placed around his neck, and he sees an adult figure who then places around Sean's mouth and face a heavy, strong glove. Sean screams. around Sean's mouth and face, a heavy, strong glove. Sean screams. Sean's terrifying scream awakens his seven-year-old brother, Shannon, who's also sleeping in the room in a separate bed.

At that point, the person standing over Sean leaves the room and Sean gets a brief glimpse of the intruder. He heard his mother say, no, don't do that, and then heard what sound like a firecracker in the room. Sean removes the rope from around his neck and races into the hallway with his younger brother and again catches a glimpse of the late night intruder. He sees the person at the foot of the stairs heading

towards the back door. He immediately runs to his mother's bedroom. As they reach their mother, 30-year-old Christine Schultz's door, a frightening scene awaits them. She had a clothesline tied around her left hand, a bandana was tied over her face. She wasn't moving. Sean and his brother barricade their mother's room,

and then call her boyfriend, Milwaukee Police Officer Stewart Hanuk, who just left the home hours earlier. Stewart called the Milwaukee Police Department, and he immediately rushed over. Within minutes, Stewart and responding officers arrive at the scene. They're soon joined by another colleague, Christine's ex-husband, detective Fred Schalz.

When they called it in, somebody called her ex-husband, and he ends up going to the scene. When Fred learns about the shooting, he goes to the house. He wants to make sure his son's are all right. Responding officers quickly make their way up to Christine's room. He was faced down on the bed, dressed in a t-shirt and underwear, but there was no sign of life. She had a bullet hole in her back.

That was fired so close that she had burns around the wound. Downstairs, young Sean Schultz tells police what he remembers about the assailant's appearance. He thought it was a man. He described the appearance of the subject. Shoulders were supposedly broad and he was wearing the mask. But it's another detail that Sean remembers that has the potential to rock this investigation before it even begins. He recognized the shoes, which were low-cut, black shoes,

similar to what police officers wore. Responding officers immediately look to the two men at the scene. Christine's ex-husband, detective Fred Schultz, and her current boyfriend, Officer Stuart Hanukk. Police are wondering what is going on here. Could the murder have something to do with Christine's love life? Could the murder have something to do with Christine's love life? Christine Jean Pennings was born on November 15th, 1950, in Monomony, Michigan. Christine was a very sweet, wonderful, kind person. She did grow up with a big family,

so it was very important for her to be involved with all the family activities. At 18, Christine married 19-year-old Alfred Fred Schultz. Shortly after, two became four with the birth of their sons, Sean and Shannon. Fred joined the Milwaukee Police Department, and he actually built the home that they lived in. Christine was stay at home, mom. Christine's sons were very important to her.

They were very polite children. While Christine kept the home fires burning, Fred worked his way up the ladder of the Milwaukee Police Department, eventually reaching the rank of detective. When he wasn't working, Fred was known to be the life of the party. His nickname was disco. He was a clubber.

He liked to dance. That kind of thing. But all that partying took its toll on the couple's 12-year marriage. We did find out that he was having affairs on the side. And that just after a while, you just don't want to deal with that anymore. They divorced in November 1980. In December, Fred met Lori Bambennec at a bar. He was at that time a very good-looking guy. She was beautiful, stunningly beautiful.

So there was an attraction. Fred was about 10 years older than Laurie. She completely fell head over heels for him and couldn't resist him. It was very whirlwind. She was swept off her feet. That ended up becoming a quick engagement. Within two months of the divorce,

Fred was starting a fresh chapter with his new bride, while his ex-wife Christine also found her own love interest. Christine, in the meantime, was getting involved with an associate, Fred's, who had been a former good friend, Stu Honek. Stuart Honek was a Milwaukee police officer. She started dating him, looking for a fresh start. As Christine and Fred settled into their respective

relationships, they worked together to care for their two sons. They wanted to get through amical divorce. They wanted to get through a amicable divorce. But in the early morning hours of May 28, 1981, the discovery of Christine Schultz's dead body has rocked her loved ones. I can't even imagine the trauma for those young boys. trauma for those young boys. As detectives arrive, they quickly have officers

separate Christine's ex-husband detective Fred Schultz and her boyfriend, Officer Stuart Hanek. Big questions around the Albert Schultz, it's Stuart Hanek is, but they possibly have had anything to do with this murder. While Fred and Stuart wait outside, detectives focus on the crime scene.

When you look at the way Christine was left, she had a clothesline tied around. Her left hand, blue bent hand, there was hide over her face. She had panties on, she had her t-shirt on. There wasn't any evidence that she'd been sexually assaulted. Then you had the bullet wound. Christine Schultz had been shot in the back

with a 38 caliber revolver. The bullet went through her heart and killed her. That was the cause of death. She suffered that wound to not be deadly very quickly. Coming up, a trio of potential suspects rises to the surface. He thought Stuart had crossed the line, betraying. Here's Stuart.

His alibi, if you will, was almost nonexistent. It was extremely blimsy. They had seen a job in the neighborhood several times, sometimes standing in front of Christine's house. The Intruder brought along the necessary tools, the rope, the glove that could be used to subdue, scare, intimidate the two boys, and bind and gag Christine Schoensel. Police search Christine's room for clues to the killer's identity. The police went through the room dusting it for fingerprints.

They found nothing. Then, they found one potential clue. Officers collected some hairs. There were hair from the bandana and a hair strand off of the leg of Christine. It looked like a strand from away, reddish hair. As CSI continue collecting evidence, investigators turn back to the crime surviving eyewitnesses.

Christine's 11-year-old son, Sean Schultz, and his seven-year-old brother, Shannon. He recognized they had black shoes on. Like a lot of the police spent more. John had to describe to authorities what he had witnessed that night. He told them he saw an assailant. He thought to be an adult male wearing a green jacket.

Sean also noticed that the man who was leaving had reddish hair in a ponytail in the ponytail is about six inches long. Christine's younger son describes the person wearing a green jogging suit and carrying a gun. The description from Christine's son's leaves detectives wondering, could the assailant be one of their own?

At the time, Christine was dating a Milwaukee police officer, Stuart Hanuk, but she had also been married to another detective, French Shults, for over 10 years. So she was someone officer's new and liked. Her death was a shock. Investigators immediately moved to question the two men, starting with Christine's boyfriend, Officer Stuart Hanack. Stuart tells investigators that he and Christine had spent the afternoon

together working in her garden and having dinner. He says the last time he saw Christine was at 10 o'clock, but the last time the two spoke on the phone was at 1120. Stuart said he had fallen asleep. The next thing you remember was waking up at 2.20 a.m. when Sean called him. He knew something was wrong and he rushed over. Two blocks to Christine's house.

Stuart insists he and Christine had a good relationship and he envisioned a future with her. He claims that they were talking about wedding plans. Detectives asked Stuart if he knew of anyone who would want a hurt Christine, and he told investigators no. Well, here's Stuart Honey. He's romantically involved with the victim.

His alibi, if you will, was almost nonexistent. It was extremely blimsy. As investigators moved to speak with Christine's ex-husband, detective Fred Schultz, his partner pulls them aside. Michael Durphy had been Fred Schultz's partner that night, and he tells detectives that earlier that evening, Schultz had been making negative comments about his divorce from Christine.

Fred was tasked with paying her alimony child support and also the mortgage on the house, which made him furious because he had built the house about half of his place salary went into supporting her and supporting the house that he himself could not live in. Plus he didn't have very much to do with children because Christine had full custody. Charles Moldusco, Alfred Schultz, had one of finances. And Stuart Hanuk, Alfred Schultz's good friend, Ron the the Milwaukee police department is dating Christine Schultz. And that didn't sit well with Elpriciolts.

He became upset, became angry, he was very jealous. So here's the interesting thing. Fred Schultz, they find out, also had a key to Christine's property. While the information creates an interesting lead, there is one problem. Elfrid Schultz had an alibi at the time. He was on duty along with fellow Belwaki police officer Michael Durvey. Durvey also said that the two were investigating elsewhere.

Detectives ask Fred to come to the station for an interview and they plan to follow up with Stuart afterwards. Meanwhile, officers fan out in search of other potential witnesses. While the investigation is going on, other police officers can't just the neighborhood to ask neighbors if they've seen anything. And a number of them neighbors if they've seen anything. And a number of them mentioned that they had seen a job or in the neighborhood several times,

sometimes standing in front of Christine's house. Multiple neighbors had seen someone running in a green track suit. So police ask around and apparently there's a man in the neighborhood who fits the description. When detectives track down and interview the man later that morning, he doesn't deny owning an outfit like the one Christine's children said was the night of the murder someone had taken the revolver from his house and a green jogging suit. Was the killer trying to frame Christine's neighbor? Detectives immediately start looking for evidence to back up his concerning claim. We couldn't find any record of him having bought a gun.

We found out that he was lying about having a revolver. We believe that he had a soft spot for her, and was a admirer of her. And I suppose he wanted to get next door with his story of the gun being stolen. With the neighbor's story deemed as a desperate plea for attention, detectives find themselves at a dead end. It was a made-up story.

It just made the investigation more difficult. Coming up, an unexpected discovery exposes a calculated cover-up. When I start doing a background on where he was, an unexpected discovery exposes a calculated coverout. When I start doing a background on where he was, they're in the course of the night, they start getting holes in it. It was clear that he was lying about some things.

The story was falling apart. ["The End of the World"] This is Kate Winkler Dawson inviting you to the brand new season of my True Crime Talkshow. That's right, it's season 3 of Tenfold More Wicked Presents Wicked Words. I'm a true crime historian and author and you might have heard my other podcasts on exactly right. Tenfold More Wicked and Barried Bones. On each new episode of Wicked Words,

I interview other journalists, podcasters, and authors about the fascinating behind-the-scenes stories from their investigations in the world of true crime, many of which have never been shared before. So join me in a new special guest each week for new episodes of Wicked Words, as we dive deep into the stories behind the stories. Wicked Words Season 3 is available now on exactly right, with new episodes every Monday. Follow 10 Fold More Wicked Presents Wicked Words wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen early and add free on the Amazon Music or Wonder App. We have the man that she's involved with, and she has been a very, very important

and very, very important person. We have the man that she's involved with, and she's been a very important person. We have the man that she's involved with, and she's been a very important person. We have the man that she's involved with, and she's been a very important person. We have the man that she's involved with, and she's been a very important person. We have the man that she's involved with, may be responsible for her death, police officer Stuart Hanuk, or detective Fred Schauss.

We have the man that she's involved with, and she has an ex-husband who's pretty angry about the fact that she has the house he built. With suspicions surrounding both men, detectives take a closer look at each of them. The detectives followed up on Stu. There wasn't any evidence that Stu Honek had emoted it, that he was angry or had any reason to kill Christine.

With Stuart Honek seemingly cleared from the suspect list, detectives shift their focus back to Fred Schultz. Fred Schultz's story is that he was investigating a burglary the night of the murder. When I started doing a background on where he was during the course of the night, it started getting holes in it. The story was falling apart. It was clear that he was lying about some things turned out

that two other patrol officers had actually investigated that burglary. Investigators confront Fred with their findings. He said, well, actually, I was at such a tavern, which is out of his district. He wasn't supposed to be there. They were in a bar drinking, and they didn't want to tell the truth initially because they were afraid that it would come out that they may have been drinking while unduey. So they sit down and ask Detective Shull straight out. Did you kill your ex-wife? He says no. He maintains his innocence, so strongly that he agrees to take a polygraph test.

They typically use the polygraphs, so she back in 1981, to scare people into thinking, they'll get caught. He took a test, and he did pass. But just before Fred is released, he makes an unexpected admission to detectives. It turns out Fred Schultz had two guns. One was a service revolver. The other was his off-duty revolver, a 38 caliber, and the only other person that had access to that was his

wife, Lori Bambani. Lisa Lowe, suspected Lori Bambani had had a role in this killing. Like Fred Schultz, Lorenzia Lori Bambani was also from Milwaukee. Lori and I met first time in grade school. We always were together, almost always together. We were just best friends. Lori grew into a beautiful young woman.

She was tall, had a beautiful smile, great style. Everyone thought she was a knockout. In 1980, Lori felt a calling to public service. Lori Benbenek's father was a police officer. So from a very young age, Laurie wanted to become a police officer. Other than adoring her father and following in his footsteps,

I think she also wanted to make a difference in society with her life and help people. But in August of 1980, shortly after she graduated from the police academy, Lori's dream came to an unexpected end. There was an incident with marijuana at a concert at the Moaquerina. She was with other people, and someone was busted and prosecuted for marijuana. She had to file a report as an off-duty police officer.

And from what I know, what she told me is that she was let go and fired for a file in a false report. I guess in my mind, she tried to not incriminate certain friends and wanted to be a friend and a return, but kind of backfired, I guess. For Lori, it was a devastating turn of events. She was stunned. It was based on filing a Paul's report.

She thought it was a minor infraction. After Lori was fired, she took a security guard position at Marquette University, and she taught physical fitness on the side. Lori had also taken a three, four week job as a waitress at the Playboy Club in Lake Geneva was consummated, or his nickname, Bambi got associated with her.

While Lori struggled to stay afloat, she suspected her termination could be punishment for something else. Before the concert, she was discovering that all the women and minorities were being discharged from the academy for stupid things, real small incidences. And that Milwaukee Police Department was keeping the title 9 money. They were entitled to recruit these people

and run them through the academy. Police Department was keeping the title nine money. They were entitled to recruit these people and run them through the academy. She was going to cooperate in a lawsuit against the Milwaukee Police Department. She suspects that that's why she was turned in for the marijuana at the concert. I think she stood up for things and spoke up in ways that maybe offended some people, but from what I know of Laurie.

It was for trying to do the right thing. All of this was happening around the time Laurie met Fred Schulte, and their world-of-win romance began. The complicated past of Fred Schultz's 22-year-old wife is no secret to investigators. She became a natural suspect that the authorities were interested in talking to her. When Laurie was asked to account for her movements that evening, she and Fred were moving to a smaller apartment that was more affordable. So she and her mother spent till around 1130 packing, and then she went to bed. She'd feed us to denied any knowledge.

She had no knowledge of what occurred. Laurie had no animosity towards Christine. It was very amicable. Fred had some animosity because of the financial issues. For the next two weeks, the case languishes. Just a few short weeks after the murder of Christine Schultz, Laurie Benbenek and Alfred Schultz moved into a different apartment building. But it's a development at their old complex

that soon sparks investigators in trust. On June 10, 1981, a woman called a plumber because her toilet was stopped up. When the plumber gets there, he checks the drain lines. It makes a strange discovery. The plumber found a wig clogging the works. The woman has no knowledge of where this wig came from, but she says maybe her former neighbor's do.

The apartment that Lori and Fred were living in shared the plumbing with the apartment next door. The police officers came. Since the neighbor said there was some question of a wig being used in the murder of Christine worn by the killer. The plumber fished the wig out. By that time there was police at the apartment, so the wig was grabbed as a potential evidence. As it turned out, it was evidence.

It was a reddish brown wig, and that was important for two reasons. Her sons had described the intruder as having hair of that same color. And police found one strand of synthetic hair of that color on a Christian's leg. Although the wig was suspicious, they still couldn't prove who flushed it down the toilet. It's very circumstantial evidence. As they continue to dig into Fred and Laurie's background, investigators learn the couple lived with a roommate named Judy Zess at their former apartment. Judy Zess was a dear friend of Laurie Bintennick. They had actually met while the tour at the Milwaukee Police Academy. Detectives set up a meeting with Judy and her mother a few weeks after the murder. Judy lived with Lori and Fred for a while,

and she claimed that Lori owned some of the same items that were found at the crime scene. She had seen a blue bandana, and she had seen a clothesline that was like the kind of rope that was used to find Christine's head. Investigators asked her about one more detail. She claimed that she had seen a green jogging suit that Laurie owned. But it's what Judy's mother says next that raises the final red flag for detectives.

The mother of Judy's est said that she had overheard Lori say Christine should be blown away. Invenic was disturbed at a certain amount of her husband's money was going to her for the support of the children and that irritated her to no end. While money appears to be a strong motive for the murder, detectives are still lacking hard evidence to prove it. On June 18th, Fred Schultz brought his off-duty weapon to be tested at the Kronweb.

It was in his possession, I believe, for three weeks before he actually turned it in. This was actually the second time someone was supposed to have examined the weapon. Hours after Christine's death, Fred Schultz a supervisor asked his partner, Michael Durphy, to examine his off-duty revolver. He made an assumption that they're going to hadn't been fired because of dust around the barrel. It should have been confiscated right then and there. If nothing else, still eliminated.

But there's some reason that wasn't done. Ballistics find that bullet in Christine Schultz matched Alfred Schultz's off duty revolver. Laurie Benbenic was arrested at her job as security at Marquette University. Her locker was searched. You took the spot of the airbrush and snatched it. And said, you mind if we check this out? And she said, no, go ahead.

Hair analysts made what we call a gross comparison, looking simply at appearance, said that the appearance of the strands of the hair from that hairbrush matched with hair that had been found in the blue bandana that had been used on the night of steam is murdered. Coming up, a shocking turn of events leads to the trial of the century.

The TV stations sensationalized the whole thing. The media blew it way out of proportion, and that's where the Playboy Bunning killer headlines came in. It just made no sense. It was perfect. MUSIC MUSIC On June 24, 1981, 28 days since the murder of Christine Schultz, authorities have just arrested Detective Fred Schultz's

young wife, Laurie Bambennec for the crime. People speculated that Fred Schultz was somehow involved with the crime, but he was never charged. Details of 22-year-old Laurie Bambennec's arrest quickly make front-page news. The TV stations sensationalized the whole thing. The media blew it way out of proportion, and that's where the Playboy bunny killer headlines came in. The press portrayed Lori Benbenek as this beautiful, perhaps conniving, thong-fatal, who had it out for Fred's ex-wife.

Lori's official trial begins in March of 1982. The prosecutor thought Lori wanted Christina out of the picture, in part because that way her husband wouldn't have to pay all the support. because that way her husband wouldn't have to pay all the support. The state contended that Lori got the spare key to Christine's house, put on the jogging suit and wig, jogged to the house, committed the crime, And jog back home without anyone seeing her. Prosecutors say she went back home, changed clothes, but the gun where she found it, and was home when Fred called

to tell her about the murder. Things started falling together. She was the one that had access to the murder weapon. The wig, strands of it matched strands on the victims, started falling together. She was the one that had access to the murder weapon. The wig, strands of it matched strands on the victim's body. It would seem prosecutors have a mountain of evidence, but Lori's defense team reminds jurors

it's just circumstantial. Detective Michael Durvey initially said that Alfred Jones' off-tuty revolver the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the bus to the information to plant the seed of doubt in the minds of the churros. The next line of defense is the testimony of Christine Schultz's 11-year-old son, Sean. He was rather a vivid, you might say, in his description. He thought it was a man. He said the man was wearing a green jacket and had shoes similar to that of a police man. He said the man was wearing a green jacket and had shoes similar to that of a police officer.

He never changed his story, not even at trial. The defense team also calls into question the wig found in Lori's old department. This is 1981. There is no DNA testing in criminal procedure at that time. The Lord's Attorney tried to hammer home the fact that there wasn't that kind of science. And someone else might have put that weight down the toilet. On March 5, 1982, the one person that could sway the outcome of this trial takes the stand.

23-year-old Laurie Bembenek. When she got up and did her testimony, she did not eat everything. For those present, Laurie's testimony leaves some expecting more. News accounts of her on the stand portrayed her as cold and aloof. And that truly hurt her case. Lori was only 23. She was terrified. Many people may have misinterpreted her demeanor.

At the conclusion of the two week trial, a jury retires to deliberate Lori Benbenek's fate. The jury deliberated for four days and they did return a verdict of guilty of her sweet murder. And Laurie was given a life sentence. She's sat without movement, without emotion. I didn't see any tears. I saw nothing. She was so stilic.

She tried her very best to tell the truth. She thought she didn't have anything to lose if she told the truth and had all flipped on her. Coming up, just as the case seems shut, Lori has other ideas. They had to plan for her escape, a quote unquote window of opportunity. This slogan rose up run,

and be run. It was just unbelievable. I can't think, and this isn't real. This can't be real. on March 9, 1982. 23-year-old Lori Bambaniq was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of her husband's ex-wife, Christine Schultz. After Lori was convicted, Fred Schultz. After Laurie was convicted, Fred Schultz divorced her, moved to Florida, and he would later tell people that he was convinced she was guilty.

Christine's boys were raised by family. For the next eight years, the former police officer is housed at the Tachita Correctional Facility in Fondalak, Wisconsin. Lori filed several pills. All of them were turned out. Lori Bambennek always maintained her innocence and has asserted that she was set up and she was framed

because she was no friend of the authorities at the Milwaukee Police Department. Lori had lost all three of her appeals. because she was no friend of the authorities at the Milwaukee Police Department. Lori had lost all three of her appeals. And was getting very frustrated. On July 15, 1990, after eight years behind bars, a new development occurs in Lori's case. Bambaniq spent eight years in prison and then escaped.

It was on the news and it was just unbelievable. I just kept thinking this isn't real. This can't be real. Police have reason to believe Lori isn't alone. This is another very odd thing when somebody's convicted of murder and they're kind of imponence. And with someone like Laurie Benvenek, who was beautiful, she had plenty of admirers, but she saw the brother, one of the women who was also serving in the same place.

And he got, he was cute, his name was Dominic Buguiano, She flirted with him, he flirted back. When he came to the sea as sister, they spent time together and got engaged. Unable to find Dominic, authorities pieced together how they believe he helped her escape. In the laundry room, she saw a window that she thought she could get through. So she formed a plan with Dominic to help her escape. And he prepared to get away car and supplies.

A quote unquote window of opportunity. She slipped through the window, crawled over the fence. She had a little jacket or something with it through it over the barbed wire. She did cut her leg on the razor wire, but she was able to get through and ran to a waiting car. And he was there, and they were out of town in a matter of minutes. She tried an appeal. She tried to do it the right way, and it was sort of discarded. It was like, I've saved my life.

Nothing's working. That's supposed to work. When Lori escaped, the residents of Wisconsin said, if they saw her, they would not turn her in. Because they agreed, you know, she did not get a fair trial and they were rooting for her.

One reason public sentiment shifted in Lori's favor is because her friend Judy Zess recanted her statements. Judy's testimony was important because she testified that she had seen the same bandana and jogging suit that Christine Schultz killer used in Lori's home prior to the murder. For the next three months, the former Milwaukee police officer and her lover remain on the land. America's most wanted was a TV show that would talk about cases of huge tibs.

She was working in Thunder Bay, Ontario. And someone from America was there who had seen the show and recognized her. Following her arrest, Laurie Bambaniq applies for political asylum in Canada. She claimed there was no chance she was ever going to get a fair trial. On April 22, 1991, Laurie is extra-dited back to the US

under the condition that the Milwaukee courts re-examine her case. When they did get her back, she was in solitary for a year. But then through that year, these attorneys worked on her case. Lori's team exposes seven irregularities in the original investigation. The ruling judge found no evidence of a conspiracy by prosecutors,

but he had significant problems with the handling of the lofty gun and the bullets. So prosecutors decided to cut a deal. Lori was offered a deal that if she pleaded no contest to second-degree murder, they would give her credit for time already served, and then she would be on supervised parole, but she could go free. In 97, Lori had been released, and I think to have a more peaceful life moved to Vancouver.

It was a new start for her. In 2004, I finally got the courage to ask her to marry me after everything she'd been through, and we got married in 2005. We were only married for two years, and had an amicable divorce. As time passes, Lori's team headed up by defense attorney Mary Ware and PI Ira Robbins uncover new evidence that casts further doubt

over Lori's earlier conviction. Mary Ware calls for a complete thorough investigation of the evidence from the case, and now DNA gets involved. So the thought is, hmm, we're going to reexamine all of this. It was circumstantial to begin with. Maybe, maybe this will change the whole atmosphere surrounding this murder condition. DNA evidence, presence of male semen that her defense team knew nothing about didn't come out and tell

it now. Clearly, the fix was in. They wanted to glory convicted, and that's what they got. The DNA evidence uncovered the fact that Christine Shultz had sex with someone before her death. And Lori's legal team found previously unrevealed evidence that showed the state crime lab had initially investigated it as a sexual assault case. They found blood underneath Christine's fingernails, which would suggest that there was some type of physical struggle with the attacker. We didn't have DNA back then,

but they did have blood analysis and pretty sophisticated blood analysis. But they did not do that. The purported murder weapon, Fred Schultz's off-duty 38 revolver, is also put through a battery of forensic and ballistic tests. Lori's team had forensic experts test the gun and the bullet and they found that there was no match from the off-duty gun to the bullet removed from Christine Schultz's body. We end up with this chain of inconsistencies that calls into question the most damning evidence.

While Lori and her supporters are hopeful the new findings might clear her name, the emotional damage of the last 21 years takes its toll on Lori. She wanted the Supreme Court to look at the new evidence so that she could withdraw the new contest please be entirely exonerated. But they declined to look at the new evidence so that she can withdraw the new contest please be entirely exonerated. But they declined to look at it.

In 2010, Lori Bambennec dies from kidney and liver failure, still fighting to clear her name. Mary, we're from what I know is still working on things. I believe she has evidence now again that can clear her. Hopefully, someday justice will be done. And her name will be cleared, but the clock is ticking. Everybody's getting older. After 39 years, Laurie Benbenek's arrest and conviction are still highly controversial. We came up with enough physical evidence that we could arrest everything eventually caught

up with her. Um, absolutely certain deep down in my heart, my soul, and every bone in my body that she is innocent. No one else has ever been charged in connection to Christine Schultz's murder. Attorney Mary Roer continues to seek posthumous pardon for Lori Benvenek. Dominic Ugliato was sentenced to one year in prison for helping Lori Benvenek escape from prison. The ultimately served six months and was granted a early release for good behavior.

A-D-E.