So what is your idea about his involvment with the fire? He was officially aquitted, so there must have been more to the defense theory than the show offered up. Though even if he really is innocent, he did some STUPID things which got him busted and tried for the murders. He has a point though about not hearing a shotgun blast, because no one else heard it either, so his half-sister's account of seeing his face in the flash of the shotgun blast may not be so valid, particularly since she never told that to her doctor. She told him something different.

If he didn't do it... he seems to know who did. His actions were REALLY suspicious.

If he didn't do it... he seems to know who did. His actions were REALLY suspicious.

I am with Brent. If he didn't do it, he sure knows who did! His story was too fishy!

I always say anyone who uses the word ludacris to describe the accusations being made against them is guilty. They're pulling too far into the word bank to make themselves seem innocent. The several times I've seen this story I've always believed the family. I just can't understand the motive.

It's a hearbreaking that their own half-brother could possibly do that.

I always say anyone who uses the word ludacris to describe the accusations being made against them is guilty. They're pulling too far into the word bank to make themselves seem innocent. The several times I've seen this story I've always believed the family. I just can't understand the motive.


It was probably for the insurance money, like the story suggested. I find it incomprehensible, these crimes between siblings. I would've liked to know if Donnie had shown any aggressive behavior towards his sisters or parents, before this. Donnie certainly didn't come across as somebody who had nothing to hide.

Please comment on the fact that one of sisters died weeks afterwards, perhaps she was silenced by the killer or the family...dont you all think thats ludcrious? :eek:

I have a logical question. How in the world did Both parents,and Donnie (so he says) sleep thru 2 shotgun blasts?? In a trailer home which only has one floor,and thin walls.I could see maybe,the first one,but two?? Something is very strange here,this has always bothered me. Even if they were shot outside,in the middle of the night that would be very loud! I hunt,and shoot alot of shotguns,and I dont care what kind of shotgun they used,or what kind of shells,IT WOULD HAVE BEEN LOUD! Anyone here that knows about shotguns here can tell you. The only way that I could see it being muffled would be if there was a pillow or something used to muffle the sound.I have never shot into a pillow but I cant see that even quieting the blast that much.Something is not as it seems here.

I have a logical question. How in the world did Both parents,and Donnie (so he says) sleep thru 2 shotgun blasts?? In a trailer home which only has one floor,and thin walls.I could see maybe,the first one,but two?? Something is very strange here,this has always bothered me. Even if they were shot outside,in the middle of the night that would be very loud! I hunt,and shoot alot of shotguns,and I dont care what kind of shotgun they used,or what kind of shells,IT WOULD HAVE BEEN LOUD! Anyone here that knows about shotguns here can tell you. The only way that I could see it being muffled would be if there was a pillow or something used to muffle the sound.I have never shot into a pillow but I cant see that even quieting the blast that much.Something is not as it seems here.

For sure. But what makes it even more unbelievable as far as Donnie's innocence goes is that at one point he claims to never have heard a shotgun blast, but the sister that live a little longer says she saw Donny which either meant he pulled the trigger or was standing right next to who pulled the trigger.

On my list of "People Who are Guilty Though I Can't Prove It":

1.) O.J.
2.) Donnie Hanson

His story was just not there. When he snuck in the garage in the middle of the night to get his gun... err... feed his dog, I think that about summed it up.

No one but Donnie had the motive and opportunity.

to me, there's no doubt in my mind he did it. There is a question of whether he acted alone which I don't think he did. Of all the cases on UM, I'm intrigued if there's a backstory here, such as if Donny had any money problems or showed any kind of aggression/hostility towards his siblings and/or parents. To me from the eppie, the parents seemed to dote on the twins...not that I blame them...they seemed like they were very sweet, beautiful girls. Cutting money as a motive out of the equation, maybe Donny was jealous of the twins???? I think once you really look at this case, there are so many angles and unanswered questions, aside from the insurance angle.

I dont want to say bad things about the parents,but...

How did they both sleep thru 2 separate shotgun blasts? NOT 1 BUT 2??

How many feet could they have been from those girls in a trailer home.I am sorry,but that still bothers me. I am the worlds heaviest sleeper,and I snore like crazy! I GUARANTEE you I would wake up after 2 shotgun blasts inside my house which is Bigger than a trailer home.

The first shot would wake you,even if you didnt know what it was,you would be jolted awake,the second shot would be unmistakable.And this is two people,not just one-actually 3 if you count Donny who said he didnt hear it either(we wont even count him since most people think he did it)

If you guys think I am wrong...blow up a firecracker down the hall while everyone is asleep,and I bet they wake up after you blow off a second one.A shotgun blast would be much louder.

SOMETHING STINKS IN SUBURBIA!

to me, there's no doubt in my mind he did it. There is a question of whether he acted alone which I don't think he did. Of all the cases on UM, I'm intrigued if there's a backstory here, such as if Donny had any money problems or showed any kind of aggression/hostility towards his siblings and/or parents. To me from the eppie, the parents seemed to dote on the twins...not that I blame them...they seemed like they were very sweet, beautiful girls. Cutting money as a motive out of the equation, maybe Donny was jealous of the twins???? I think once you really look at this case, there are so many angles and unanswered questions, aside from the insurance angle.

good points. yeah, from what the segment hinted at, they were suggesting that Donnie was a good kid up until that point, partially by Donnie's mother's protesting of Donnie's arrest (she would later change her way of thinking on that, probably rightfully so.)

I've actually been thinking of this case the last few days because we've also been discussing Tim McClure and both have many, many things that just don't add up. Perhaps they both figured that getting away with it would be so easy, yet they both had a bunch of unexpected items pop up.

Well, there are things that dont add up in Tim McClure's case as well, but I feel that there is way more evidence against Donnie Hanson than there is against Tim McClure.

In McClure's case, while he is a logical suspect in the death of his mother, there is little more than very circumstancial evidence, such as he cancelled the credit cards of his mother before he even knew she was dead, how he just happened to find her purse, how he failed a lie detector test, how his alibi that he was for some reason gambling alone on the night of his wedding didnt check out and how he searched every casino parking lot but the one his mother was later found in for his mother's car, that is very curious but very circumstancial evidence, and they couldnt put the gun in McClure's hand is probably why he was never indicted for his mother's murder. I believe McClure was arrested by police in 1992 and charged with murder but the district attorney dropped the charges and McClure was released.

In Donnie Hanson's case, he was acquitted of murder mainly because the only eyewitness against him died due to a "freak accident." His twin sister that had survived said she saw him when the flash from the shot gun went off as Wiseguy mentioned. As Wiseguy also pointed out this would mean that Donnie either fired the gun himself or was standing next to the person who fired the gun.

Either way this would prove that Donnie was in on the plot to murder his sisters, and it is my personal opinion that he wanted to murder his entire family but the plan got thwarted and I am sure he didnt expect his sister that was shot in the gut to survive. The fact that he was not only caught trying to steal the shot gun but also that he was seen on the night of the murder purchasing gasoline and putting it into a gas can didnt help matters for him.

I am sure also what helped him was that h is mother stood by him at least for a while, I know she turned against him eventually and now thinks he was responsible for what happened although I cant remember if she thought this before the trial or if it was only after his acquittal that she changed her opinion on him.

a lot of things make Donnie look guilty, but the biggest one for me is something I may have brushed upon before and isn't noticeable at first: that Donny was on the couch when it started. This actually plays against him for two reasons: 1). it gives him easy access to let the accomplices in when they come, how convenient that he is on the couch and 2). how in the world could have he not heard the intruders when he was not in a room with a door shut? I think if I was the intruder in this circumstance and I saw someone sleeping on the couch, I would say "ooh, this wasn't such a hot idea after all."

it should also be noted that this happened on a night when Donnie was visiting the house, whereas the other 4 people in the house lived there. Strange coincidence? probably not.

one word--Killer. Okay maybe six.

Is this episode on any of crystaldawn's dvds? I saw it when UM aired but would like to see it again.

Is this episode on any of crystaldawn's dvds? I saw it when UM aired but would like to see it again.

Yes, its on volume 7.

Ah, good ol Donny. I actually became more convinced of his guilt, after watching his interview, I mean who did he think he was kidding? Talking about how it "tore him up" and stuff about what happened. He was probably sorry he didnt knock off his entire family.

One thing I did notice though, was the prosecutor seemed like a sore loser and he seemed kind of arrogant, I guess I can understand how a jury could get rubbed the wrong way by him.

It is my opinion that most if not all the jury members felt that Donny Hanson either acted alone in what happened or acted with an accomplice but that they felt he was responsible, however the doubt was probably just enough of a factor, they didnt feel 100 percent comfortable convicting him.

However, this case, the defense's theory in my opinion really didnt make a whole lot of sense, I am pro defense and I can say this defense just didnt make sense. However that said, it isnt the defense's job to prove their client didnt do the crime they are accussed of, the prosecutor has to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he did do it.

This said, the whole theory about some mysterious intruders, whose identity and motive unknown would enter the Hansen trailer, spread gasoline all over and then set the trailer on fire and then shoot the twins but somehow not shoot Donny when he was supposedly sitting right there, it just doesnt make sense.

Not only that, but at trial, Donny and his defense team said that he was awakened by the shot, then after the acquittal, Donny contradicted himself by saying he never heard the shot. It appears Donny lied about several things, first flip flopping on what woke him that night, then lying about going back into the shed, claiming he was going to feed his dog, which he knew was no longer there, he was going to get the gun presumably, I cant believe he would be so naive, or that he would think the cops would be so stupid they couldnt find a shot gun propped up against a wall behind some boxes. Donny also lied about why he was buying ammunition and gasoline as well.

Another part of the defense theory was that these unknown intruders got Donny's gun from his car, but how would they even know he had a gun in his car. I do not think it is customary for intruders to go looking for shot guns in people's cars. Then Donny hides the gun in the shed afterwards, it just doesnt look right.

Then on the night of the fire, when Hans asked Donny if he had seen Jill or Julie he said no and said nothing about them, then when the neighbors found Julie across the road, suddenly Donny takes credit for it and claims he got her out. It is my opinion that Donny thought Julie was dead and was surprised when he heard she had been found alive across the road so he figured he better take credit for getting her out so he wouldnt look like a suspect.

Donny said he had nothing to gain by his family's death when that wasnt true. There was an insurance policy out on Hans and out on the family business I am assuming, and if Hans and Betty were to die then the benefits would go to the kids, Donny figured he would cut out his twin sisters too so he would only have to share with his older sister, with the exception of his older sister who was not at the Hansen trailer that night it is my opinion Donny planned on murdering his entire family. It is highly possible that Donny was resentful of the twins as well for taking attention away from him so this probably added to his motive to kill them.

Well First off I think Donnie is guilty as sin but let me just play devil's advocate here for a minute. Ok, why would someone make an attempt to shoot one of the twins but not Donnie or the other one? Why leave the parents alive? No one came into their room brandishing a gun, no one even shot at them; why? As for Donnie wanting insurance money, this doesn't hold water either since his parents would have to be dead to get a dime, and if there were policies out on the twins, the money would go to his parents, NOT to him! I think Donnie got involved with bad people and to get to him they went after his family. Typically when people commit crimes, they bring the weapons that they plan on using with them, isn't it just convenient how everything was just there and at their disposal? I mean if your going to burn a place down you typically bring the excelerant with you right? Or if your planning on shooting someone you would bring your own gun. I truly believe that Donnie may have not actually done the crime himself, but he definitely knows who did, because he's hiding too much information. How is it that he had purchased 2 containers of gasoline on his father's credit card just a couple of days before the crimes? And also the ammunition for the shot gun, he knew darn well that his father had a gun in his possesion and that's why he purchased more ammunition for that firearm, and then went back for the gun a day or 2 later. How would he have known that the gun was in the garage unless he told someone to stash it there, or stashed it there himself?! I think him being acquitted is a bunch of crap, but like someone said in a previous post, there has to be witnesses and since the twins both died, and the parents didn't see anything they had to let him off. In this case justice wad definitely not served.

Well First off I think Donnie is guilty as sin but let me just play devil's advocate here for a minute. Ok, why would someone make an attempt to shoot one of the twins but not Donnie or the other one? Why leave the parents alive? No one came into their room brandishing a gun, no one even shot at them; why? As for Donnie wanting insurance money, this doesn't hold water either since his parents would have to be dead to get a dime, and if there

Actually, both twins were shot. It is believed the assailants (which I believe included Donny) were going to shoot the parents as well, but they woke up and thus the assailants had to spontaneously change their plans.

that so many inconsistencies in Donny's story surfaced, it's pretty much a given that things didn't go according to his plan.

But it's interesting to note that 'what would have happened if things went according to Donny's plan'. If both parents and both twins died, then he would have been the only one in the house that survived, and then in that case you would have a Dr. Jeffrey McDonald or Darlie Routier type case surface.

I don't know how Donny thought he was going to pull all this off.

The difference between Donny Hansen and Dr. MacDonald or Darlie Routier though is that MacDonald and even Routier's could have actually been done by unknown people, it is my opinion that this was more likely in MacDonald's case than Routier's.

The big thing with Donny is not just that he kept changing his story but that these supposedly unnamed unknown intruders pretty much got all the items involved in the murder and arson by way of Donny Hansen. The gas was purchased by Donny Hansen, the shotgun shells were bought by Donny Hansen, the gun was Donny Hansen's, then he tried to hide the gun. Then he tried to get the gun back because he thought that the cops hadnt found it and then he lied about why he was there.

Also, Donny's little interview on UM was far from convincing. Talking about how the death of his sisters "tore him up." Donny had nothing to lose by taking this case to trial, heck, he gained everything by getting acquitted and getting his freedom back.

I am not sure whether Donny was the only one involved, I would say he wasnt, but it is also hard for me to believe there were others in on it because one of them would have talked. But at the same time, the neighbors that saw those unknown men approaching the Hansen trailer, it makes me believe that those may have been Donny's accomplices.

I too think that Donny intended to murder his entire family that night. His parents living was purely an accident, he didnt think his parents would wake up or that if they did wake up that they wouldnt make it out because the fire was already ongoing. Julie wasnt supposed to survive even initially her gunshot wound, than she dies three weeks later from a freak medical "accident."

Donny got lucky though that his trial was moved out of northern California, the courts had to do this. If they had kept the trial in northern California he would have been convicted and then it would have been easily reversed on appeal. Donny's trial was moved from Eureka down to the San Francisco bay area which is over 200 miles south of Eureka.

But like I said, I do think Donny was behind this, whether or not he pulled it off all by himself or not is another matter. Donny obviously was desperate for money, I think Donny may have been a good kid at one time that got caught up in the wrong crowd. There was definitely more to the story here, he must have been desperate for money to pull this off so sloppy.

But Donny changing his story a lot shows dishonesty so he is hiding something obviously. First he says he woke up just as the shot was being fired, now after his acquittal he claims he never heard the shot. Then lying about how he purchased pretty much all the items involved in the murder and arson.

Honestly, I think if this trial were held now you might see a very different result. It must have been one of those cases where the jury probably thought he did it but there was just enough doubt where they werent comfortable convicting.

Donny Hanson did "luck out." I think that i fthe prosecutors had offered a lesser included charge of manslaughter then it would have been possible to convict him.

Few cases on UM are as cut and dried as this one was. To me the clinchers were:

1) The assailants not injuring or killing Donny even though they had to walk past him to get further into the house.
2) All of the items used to commit the crime were traceable back to Donny Hanson.
3) Hanson coming back to the scene of the crime to recover the shotgun.

I'm surprised that given the wealth of evidence against Hanson that the DA was unable to obtain a conviction. But I guess that when the public hires crappy lawyers, this kind of thing should be expected.

Just rewatched this via the site that shall not be mentioned. Good Lord, there are people that have been put in the chair for much less evidence than they had in this case. What the hell did they need, a video???

Just rewatched this via the site that shall not be mentioned. Good Lord, there are people that have been put in the chair for much less evidence than they had in this case. What the hell did they need, a video???

I think even the O.J. jury would have convicted Donnie Hansen!

I honestly think the hospital doctor's testimony about Julie saying she didn't see who shot her, and the neighbors testimony about seeing two unidentified men lurking around the trailer when it was on fire is what acquitted Donnie. I've always thought Donnie was the mastermind behind the plan, and the two men seen at the trailer were his accomplices. After witnessing Julie get shot (and realizing she could implicate him), he acted as "hero" and pulled her out and began yelling at the two as a ruse to make him look innocent. No innocent person goes back to the scene of a murder to retrieve the weapon used. Never.

Just rewatched this via the site that shall not be mentioned. Good Lord, there are people that have been put in the chair for much less evidence than they had in this case. What the hell did they need, a video???

I don't know many details about the actual trial, but I got a real arrogant vibe from that prosecutor who was interviewed in the UM segment. It's my guess he thought this case was going to be a cakewalk, didn't do as much preparation as he should have, and somehow wound up blowing it. Any reasonable doubt that might have been raised in this case should have easily been quashed by the prosecution.

What's the status of this case?

Just watched this case on YouTube. I know I have said many times that so and so is the "guiltiest piece of **** I have ever seen on UM," but this guy is seriously the guiltiest piece of **** I have ever seen on UM. Bar none. You'd have to give some serious effort to find a guy besides OJ that's more guilty than him. Seriously.

I think the Doctor probably testified in defense, and he was one of the reasons why Donnie got aquitted. I mean, he was willing to tell what he heard on UM and thought it was significant enough to be brought to light. I'm sure he regrets it now.

Like, how could the jury possibly have acquitted this guy. Yes, there was the neighbors' testimony of the two uknowns running away from the house, but did that jury never once think to themselves that perhaps they could be Donnie's co-conspirators? Holy ****. I'm just so angry right now--this is probably the most infuriating UM case I have ever seen. Its all crystal clear who did it and how it was done, and yet justice was never served. What made me really burst was when Donnie cried innocence in his silohoutte, disfigured voice, and new name, and even try and say that the only way the case would be solved is if someone's conscience got to them. God damn, how low can you be? If revenge isn't going to kill him, then irony will.

mozartpc27 summed it up more beautifully than possible in another thread about this case:

I can't believe some of the people on this board. Just because he owned the murder weapon, tried to hide the murder weapon before anyone else knew that it was the murder weapon, bought the gasoline and gas can that was used to start the fire, bought the ammunition, failed two polygrpahs, and changed his story once or twice, you people are ready to ignore a jury's legally rendered verdict.

Well, let me be the one to say that DONNIE HANSEN IS AS INNOCENT AS A NEWBORN PUP. I myself have often gone back to properties abandoned by my parents in the dead of night to feed pets I forgot to bring with me to my new location. What's so odd about that? And failing a polygraph? From what I hear, Donnie Hansen barely passed algebra! What do you expect?

And so on and so forth.

Really, it's been awhile since I saw this segment --- how DID the jury fail to convict Donnie Hansen of these murders?

I really want to know how the jury could believe that the people(s) who did it just so happened to have found their weapons and the gasoline on the spot, and that it was not incriminating how those items used in the crime was all bought by Donnie right before the murders took place.

"Yeah, hey. I'm just going to murder an entire family today emptyhanded. Hopefully there'll be a lethal weapon and canisters of gasoline when we arrive!"

This thing just makes no sense. I sincerely believe and hope that the jury who aquitted him was a 1 in a billion fluke. Donnie Hansen already lucked out big time when his sister died in a freak accident shortly after regaining her memory (she probably could have remembered more through hypnosis too, but sadly she died before this was even considered), so for him to get two of these miraculous breaks is just so astounding.

A thing I really want to know is if the Hansen house actually had their lock picked. If the prosecutors could prove that whoever did it were merely let in, then this could be huge. UM never mentioned whether it was or not, but that's what the defense theorized. The house burned down though so I don't know if that door and lock are still intact.



Ugh, what a frustrating case. That's life though. Nothing ever works out the way you want it to.

Chalk this one up to a bad prosecutor or a good defense attorney. Does anyone know if the parents (Hans and Betty) are still alive?

This case bothered me so much! I always wondered if he was jealous of his sisters, or maybe he tried to make advancements towards one or both, and thought he may get caught.

I always said that Chad Noe was the most guilty guy in UM history, but this guy....I might have to change my answer.

I've never seen a guy claim his innocence act so suspiciously in my life. If he didn't do it....he darn sure knows who did. No doubt in my mind.

Anyone else find it a bit tame that all Donnie's parents did was disown him?

If I was the mother or father (or any responsible family member really) I would have killed him myself without an iota of hesitation.

If I was the mother or father (or any responsible family member really) I would have killed him myself without an iota of hesitation.

Then they would go to jail, for killing an "innocent" man.

I think one can pretty confident of Donnie Hanson's guilt after he chose to have his face silouhetted and voice altered while being interviewed for the UM segment:

If you know you are actually innocent, why would you go to all that trouble when being interviewed???

I wish I knew what Donnie Hanson really looked like, because whenever I think of this case, my only mental image of him is the actor that played him in the segment. I wonder if that actor guy has/had ever gotten dirty looks from people that might have recognized him from the UM segment.

I think one can pretty confident of Donnie Hansen's guilt after he chose to have his face silouhetted and voice altered while being interviewed for the UM segment:

If you know you are actually innocent, why would you go to all that trouble when being interviewed???

I wish I knew what Donnie Hansen really looked like, because whenever I think of this case, my only mental image of him is the actor that played him in the segment. I wonder if that actor guy has/had ever gotten dirty looks from people that might have recognized him from the UM segment.

Well if Donnie were truely innocent (and I think everyone on here agrees he was guilty), I could see why he would hide his face and alter his voice for fear out of being harassed by members of his community. Especially since his parents were publicly accusing him of murdering his two sisters.

I suppose, but if he were truly innocent, it seems like the UM interview really would have been a good time for him to go "above-and-beyond" in debunking the supposed evidence against him by going into great detail why it wouldn't have been possible for him to be involved in the murder of his sisters. And in doing so, it would leave an even better impression to the viewers by allowing his face to be seen and natural voice to be heard.

I think the testimony of the witnesses who say they saw two unidentified men resonated strong with the jury.

Plus, its my opinion that typically when something like this happens, people would rather believe that unknown bad guys came and did it rather than a family member.

I have to wonder sometimes if the jury was not influenced by such a thing, where they looked at not whether or not Donnie did it, but possibly the fact that why put these people through more than they have already been through by putting their son in jail?

Of course, the parents believe he is guilty. But I don't know if the jury knew that at the time. I'm not saying its right, guilty is guilty. Still, I do wonder if just such a thought process influenced them.

I think the testimony of the witnesses who say they saw two unidentified men resonated strong with the jury.

Plus, its my opinion that typically when something like this happens, people would rather believe that unknown bad guys came and did it rather than a family member.

I have to wonder sometimes if the jury was not influenced by such a thing, where they looked at not whether or not Donnie did it, but possibly the fact that why put these people through more than they have already been through by putting their son in jail?

Of course, the parents believe he is guilty. But I don't know if the jury knew that at the time. I'm not saying its right, guilty is guilty. Still, I do wonder if just such a thought process influenced them.


In the segment his mother said he was initially happy that he got acquitted, so no, the parents didn't think he was guilty during the time of the trial.