I looked and didn't find a thread about this. What are some of the worst alibis and/or cover stories people on Unsolved Mysteries used?

Some of my worst nominations:

-Michael Skakel claiming he didn't kill Martha Moxley but did climb the tree she was found under and masturbate.

-4 words "That man has Jonathan"

-Beverly Noe and Ida Prewitt claiming they dropped Lisa, Cynthia and Wendy off at WalMart.


(And one not from Unsolved Mysteries but too terrible not to share: Skip Welch claiming 16 year old Theresa Bier was abducted by Bigfoot. http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/b/bier_theresa.html )

Tim McClure claiming he was gambling alone on his wedding night. (but you knew I was going there.)

Don Dixon's ''I wondered into the house to check on my friend and hoped the bad smell was just the garbage'' claim.

Larry Gibson's claim he took over 40(nearly 50!) minutes to jog one mile while his son vanished.

Tim McClure claiming he was gambling alone on his wedding night. (but you knew I was going there.)

:lol:

-4 words "That man has Jonathan"

"I dunno--he had a mask on or something, I couldn't see his face." :rolleyes:

Don Dixon's ''I wondered into the house to check on my friend and hoped the bad smell was just the garbage'' claim.

Larry Gibson's claim he took over 40(nearly 50!) minutes to jog one mile while his son vanished.

YES and YES. Two winners there (as Gaye Frocklage would say).

Joe Owens claiming his wife Gladys was traveling cross-country with her 94 year-old mother buying antique nickelodeons.

Gerry Gervasoni's ACTUAL confession to his buddy about killing Paula Pasciak that he then tried to play off as a joke: "You shoulda seen your face!" :rolleyes:

Great thread, Necco. :)

I would have to say the Wackers and the graffiti note written on the wall when Dorothy was 'attacked by an unknown person she let into the house who didn't have a car in view and she turned her back on him,assuming he'd left': Cheaper but will do.
SO the perp 'borrowed' these items after beating up Dorothy,until he could get something better.that was really nice of him. :)
Nice to have a built-in excuse for returning your own items.
JMO.

Rob Page's account of searching for his wife's bright yellow Corvette all over town, then suddenly "discovering" it across the street from the auto parts store he repeatedly claimed he patronized the day of Pam's disappearance.

Not to mention that ridiculous note and faked signature.

I don't know if this fits the theme of the thread since this alibi is actually true, but Danny Wheeler's claim of barhopping til the wee morning hours warrants a chuckle. Didn't exactly paint him in the best light possible, but it did the trick of clearing his name. Come to think of it, his interview didn't paint him in the best light either.

Now that's in stark contrast to my man Bob Bean performing military duties. What a great man he is.

Stephen Geri's alibi was always suspect to me. Driving around town on the morning of your wife's murder and then going back to all of these places to remind the people that you were there at a specific time just reeks to me.

I can't remember his name off the top of my head, but as far as "worst alibi that turned out to be true" my nomination is for the guy that picked up the hitchhiker, let him out, drove around and then drove home only to find out the hitchhiker had somehow managed to kill the guy's mom.

Paul Pollis claiming no special reason for deep-cleaning his house in the middle of the night.

Tim McClure saying he was "guided" away from the place his mother was found seems a little crazy (though taking every circumstance from this case into consideration, I'm still not 100% convinced that this guy is absolutely guilty).

Sheriff Joe Wampler's laid-back, almost teasing demeanor during his interview in the Eric Tamiyasu segment.

Pretty much anything that Sam Patel said.

LOL yes Danny...he could have bar-hopped anywhere...but bob bean...well he was just one patriotic guy. :P

Necco,I felt bad for that poor guy.for years his sisters thought he did it.
how sad an outcome when he was only trying to help a stranger.stories like that make ppl not want to help anyone. :/

Tim McClure saying he was "guided" away from the place his mother was found seems a little crazy (though taking every circumstance from this case into consideration, I'm still not 100% convinced that this guy is absolutely guilty).

If Tim McClure turns out to be innocent, I'll eat a tall STACK of poker chips like they are Necco wafers.

If Tim McClure turns out to be innocent, I'll eat a tall STACK of poker chips like they are Necco wafers.


Hey! Leave my wafers out of this! I don't even know you! :lol:

Didn't Edward Harold Bell try to claim that Larry Dickens' shooting was an accident because Larry tried to take the gun from him and it accidentally went off? Yeah, that cover story doesn't quite work when you shoot the guy FIVE TIMES! :rolleyes:

Or how about Donny Hansen showing up at the scene of his sisters' murders at 4 AM to retrieve his shotgun and claiming he was just there to feed his dog?

I don't believe this was ever mentioned in the UM segment, but I read that when traces of his wife's blood were found in his bedroom and the trunk of his car, Mark Nichols tried to claim it was her menstrual blood!

I don't believe this was ever mentioned in the UM segment, but I read that when traces of his wife's blood were found in his bedroom and the trunk of his car, Mark Nichols tried to claim it was her menstrual blood!

Yes. As if that "She reached the door first and went right past the babysitter" story and the infamous suitcase scene weren't bad enough. :rolleyes:

McBevis mentioned Sam Patel. I clearly remember that being the first UM interview that made me stand up with dropped jaw at the screen, with no words able to come out. The BS was utterly shocking.

Or how about Donny Hansen showing up at the scene of his sisters' murders at 4 AM to retrieve his shotgun and claiming he was just there to feed his dog?


YES! His whole story besides that is ridiculous as well. He claims he saw some guy in the living room shoot Julie and that he yelled at him...said gunman doesn't fire at Donny, the one yelling at him, and instead shoots a girl standing the hall (and Jill, later). If Donny's story is true that he chased the guy out yelling (and his mom saw him yelling), not only did the gunman not shoot him, but he magically got back into the house and was able to shoot Jill! We know the Jill had to have been shot later, when the house was in a more fiery state. Also, Julie remembered getting up and crawling out of bed over a sleeping Jill and going into the hall. If Donny chased the guy out after Julie was shot, as he claims, are we to suppose that the guy came back in just to shoot a girl in her bedroom?

Between all the back and forths from the house to the fire extinguisher storage area, Donny makes no mention of Julie being shot, a man with a gun running around, or helping Julie out from the flames. Only later do these claims come to light. Gee, wouldn't you tell your parents that a scary, shooting intruder is running around? Wouldn't you feel like you're in danger?
Only after Julie is found across the street does Donny claim he got her out...and apparently he was so distracted by the fire he made no mention to anyone about getting her out and needing help for her obvious horrid, life-threatening wound!


Julie herself claimed she saw Donny's face in the flash, which might have prompted Donny to make up the being on the couch while the guy shot her story.

His entire story is complete garbage. The prosecutor was right on: How convenient for these ''arsonist intruders'' that all of their weoponry was already provided, how convenient that Donny was standing right next to the gunman and not fired upon.

Cover story? Can I mention a post on these very boards stemming from a UM case? In particular, this one:

http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showpost.php?p=4356862&postcount=117

Almost makes it sound like Don Dixon should be elected mayor.

Hey! Leave my wafers out of this! I don't even know you! :lol:

Hey, I thought it was a pretty good joke. I managed to incorporate the name of the host and the name of the poster in it. :lol:

Btw, I always thought the brown ones were root beer, but I saw recently that they are actually chocolate. Some of the flavors weren't at all what I thought. The pink tastes like pepto-bismol.

How about Gale Delano having a 3 hour conversation with....herself, and then trying to pass it off as a gentleman caller who later kidnapped and killed her, forcing many innocent people to be interrogated by the police, all the while she flew to the opposite end of the country and left her children orphans. I find all of Gale's action to be completely reprehensible.

I find her whole "woe is me" attitude to be completely nauseating. I know I'm in the minority here since a lot of posters have went through depression themselves, but there was no reason to do what she did. If she wanted to committ suicide, there were ways to do it that didn't entail turning innocent people into suspects and making your family think the worst happened to you. She basically spat on the entire world on her way out. If she wasn't happy about her love life she should have thought about all the virgins in the world.

Cover story? Can I mention a post on these very boards stemming from a UM case? In particular, this one:

http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showpost.php?p=4356862&postcount=117

Almost makes it sound like Don Dixon should be elected mayor.

Forever a classic.

The worst alibi to me is the superintendent and the wife of the guy who got killed claiming they had an affair but that it happened AFTER the letters were written in the Circleville case.

Still, as it has been mentioned, I would have for sure had said the guy who gave a hitchhiker a ride, rode off and took another direction to his house but had the guy still come to his house as the worst alibi and it turned out to be right, so I can't say anything besides the Circleville one.

If Tim McClure turns out to be innocent, I'll eat a tall STACK of poker chips like they are Necco wafers.

I never said that he was absolutely innocent, and it's as much or more likely that he's guilty, and I don't want you (or anyone else) to think that I'm undermining you. For me, there's just enough uncertainty to where it wouldn't be as easy to say that he's flat-out guilty the way it would be so easy to say it about somebody like Chad Noe or Mark Nichols.

How about Gale Delano having a 3 hour conversation with....herself, and then trying to pass it off as a gentleman caller who later kidnapped and killed her, forcing many innocent people to be interrogated by the police, all the while she flew to the opposite end of the country and left her children orphans. I find all of Gale's action to be completely reprehensible.

I agree what Gale did was reprehensible and selfish. But I've often thought that this guy John may have existed, and that he stood her up for coffee the day after she talked to him on the phone for three hours. This may have been what drove her to suicide.

And I can't believe I forgot about that creep Sam Patel. That guy was pathetic.

Paul Ferrell not notifying police about Cathy Ford's burnt out vehicle being on his property due to fear. That, and claiming that the blood in his residence was possibly from a previous tenant shaving themselves.

I never said that he was absolutely innocent, and it's as much or more likely that he's guilty, and I don't want you (or anyone else) to think that I'm undermining you. For me, there's just enough uncertainty to where it wouldn't be as easy to say that he's flat-out guilty the way it would be so easy to say it about somebody like Chad Noe or Mark Nichols.

Oh, no worries. McClure is sort of my pet case around here, so I am never able to resist the urge to bash him when the opportunity arises. :)

Can't remember if I saw it on UM or the ID channel, but the one where the guy said he was forced at gunpoint to have sex with his friend in her home at gunpoint and then the gun man killed her and let him go

Well I might as well say it.

Jeff MacDonald's hippie attack tale.

Well I might as well say it.

Jeff MacDonald's hippie attack tale.

Terrible alibi, and yet, I believe it a little bit.

Well I might as well say it.

Jeff MacDonald's hippie attack tale.

Yet in a very twisted way, it's a somewhat successful cover story. Even though he was eventually incarcerated, he managed to get away with the crime for 9 years, caused numerous books and documentaries to be produced proclaiming his innocence, and there are still people who believe his story over 40 years later. He didn't get away with it, but I'm sure MacDonald garners satisfaction out of the knowledge that people will be debating his innocence long after he's dead and gone.

Forever a classic.The clincher:

The original producer had told several people that in his long multi year history with UM he had only felt certain about the innocence of 3 people one of which was Dixon.Of course the other two must be Leonard Rizzo and Rob Page. :rolleyes:

2 words... "Judy Groezinger"

Jule Caylor

I looked and didn't find a thread about this. What are some of the worst alibis and/or cover stories people on Unsolved Mysteries used?


How are you defining worst?

Many of these examples are silly, but that doesn't make them bad, per say.

The best alibi, I suppose, is the one that places you at a certain location independently witnessed by multiple individuals, ideally with video and/or other geolocational tracking as backup.

The worst alibi is the one that can be easily disproven (not merely disbelieved, but disproven); but it's surprisingly hard to prove a negative (although a bit easier now thanks to CCTV and the GPS/tracking devices most of us are tethered to.

Most of the alibis mentioned herein have elements that led to suspicion - i.e., you claimed you were doing something in a place that nobody remembers you at - but that doesn't make it per say implausible - after all, who really remembers everyone/thing they see on a daily basis.

actually,when police ask 'where were you that night' and the person has to think about it,can't recall rightoffhand, etc....that's the biggest clue they're innocent.A guilty person usually has a made-up story in advance.

actually,when police ask 'where were you that night' and the person has to think about it,can't recall rightoffhand, etc....that's the biggest clue they're innocent.A guilty person usually has a made-up story in advance.

Yes and no. Most people can remember where they were the night or two before fairly well, but if you ask me where I was the night of Thursday, April 11, 2013, I'd be pretty hard pressed to tell you, other then by stating my typical routine.

But you're right that the guilty often have copious detail in their stories. One example that pops in my head is from the Lizzie Borden case, where Uncle John gave police the actual car numbers from the trolley cars he had ridden on. I take the subway almost everyday and daresay I could never give you the specific car no. I was on and don't think many others could either.

Yes and no. Most people can remember where they were the night or two before fairly well, but if you ask me where I was the night of Thursday, April 11, 2013, I'd be pretty hard pressed to tell you, other then by stating my typical routine.


I was having dinner with Paul Allen at Dorsia. ;)

Matt Orahoske. His story was so bad he had to change it multiple times.

Matt Orahoske. His story was so bad he had to change it multiple times.

That's the real key to dubious alibis - if you can't keep your story straight, chances are pretty good it's no true.

With the caveat that presumes you're not trying to fix things to a time certain when you just don't know.

Even though I technically mentioned him before I would have to say Leonard Rizzo qualifies because he would be in jail right now if not for complete mishandling of the bones.

"I dunno--he had a mask on or something, I couldn't see his face." :rolleyes:

"Look, I have a job interview, I gotta go."

Hehehe. You're thinking about this WAY too much. However you would like to define worst is fine by me.



How are you defining worst?

Many of these examples are silly, but that doesn't make them bad, per say.

The best alibi, I suppose, is the one that places you at a certain location independently witnessed by multiple individuals, ideally with video and/or other geolocational tracking as backup.

The worst alibi is the one that can be easily disproven (not merely disbelieved, but disproven); but it's surprisingly hard to prove a negative (although a bit easier now thanks to CCTV and the GPS/tracking devices most of us are tethered to.

Most of the alibis mentioned herein have elements that led to suspicion - i.e., you claimed you were doing something in a place that nobody remembers you at - but that doesn't make it per say implausible - after all, who really remembers everyone/thing they see on a daily basis.

"Look, I have a job interview, I gotta go."

:lol:

Al Henderson's long, convoluted, highly improbable story. No part of it makes sense, and no part of it was ever proven.

Al Henderson's long, convoluted, highly improbable story. No part of it makes sense, and no part of it was ever proven.

YES. That's a flat-out easy one, too: there's clear evidence to show things couldn't have possibly gone down as he said they did.

I thought everything Jim Harrison said seemed like total baloney. "She was bad again after waking up from her nap" "She ran around and used bad language" "She ATTACKED ME...verbally." I've no doubt they had a volatile relationship and perhaps she did yell at him and have mood swings, but his telling of the story seems so phony and convoluted.

I thought everything Jim Harrison said seemed like total baloney. "She was bad again after waking up from her nap" "She ran around and used bad language" "She ATTACKED ME...verbally." I've no doubt they had a volatile relationship and perhaps she did yell at him and have mood swings, but his telling of the story seems so phony and convoluted.

"Susan....you're being bad again" gets me everytime. Harrison was a total putz in his UM interview. You could tell he was lying through his teeth.

Hehehe. You're thinking about this WAY too much. However you would like to define worst is fine by me.

Fair enough, but lots of the comments here point to stupid alibis, but to call them bad is to ignore that many of these people you "know" are guilty and "know" are lying are scot-free and will be for the foreseeable future, if not ever.

Fair enough, but lots of the comments here point to stupid alibis, but to call them bad is to ignore that many of these people you "know" are guilty and "know" are lying are scot-free and will be for the foreseeable future, if not ever.

But that's not necessarily because their alibi's are good and law enforcement believes them. There's just not enough evidence to press charges in certain cases.

Mike Morris trying to explain the four-minute call to his wife's cell phone at the time she was murdered by claiming he called her and let the phone ring for four minutes without any answer. Yeah, cell phones do not work that way!

And to top it off, even though he's so concerned about his wife that he lets her phone ring for four straight minutes, he never attempts to call her again.

But that's not necessarily because their alibi's are good and law enforcement believes them. There's just not enough evidence to press charges in certain cases.

True... but at the same time, if you can obfuscate law enforcement to the point that they are unable to move forward despite the fact they think you're guilty, you're doing something right (as a criminal, that is).

Mike Morris trying to explain the four-minute call to his wife's cell phone at the time she was murdered by claiming he called her and let the phone ring for four minutes without any answer. Yeah, cell phones do not work that way!

And to top it off, even though he's so concerned about his wife that he lets her phone ring for four straight minutes, he never attempts to call her again.

Yeah, that was super weird. :(

Totally agree. She could have seeked help. She had kids to live for. I always felt sorry for the guys being interviewed because the could of called or dated that dullard. Depression sucks but suicide is not the answer.

^^above post gayle deleno^^ Ok now I know I will remember this one as soon as someone posts the name. The guy gets out of jail do killing his sister moves back in with the family after jail, he kills a woman he took advantage of at a club. The interrogation is a good one " well we were in the car and she attacked me..." Cop " what are you saying , she beat you up???" "And this guy had a stick in his hand...."

Mike Morris trying to explain the four-minute call to his wife's cell phone at the time she was murdered by claiming he called her and let the phone ring for four minutes without any answer. Yeah, cell phones do not work that way!

And to top it off, even though he's so concerned about his wife that he lets her phone ring for four straight minutes, he never attempts to call her again.


That explanation was bogus from the word go. He was obviously involved in this; however, that was not my biggest guffaw at that segment.

^^above post gayle deleno^^ Ok now I know I will remember this one as soon as someone posts the name. The guy gets out of jail do killing his sister moves back in with the family after jail, he kills a woman he took advantage of at a club. The interrogation is a good one " well we were in the car and she attacked me..." Cop " what are you saying , she beat you up???" "And this guy had a stick in his hand...."

Dennis Keith Smith. :mad:

Are we still prohibited from discussing the Mary Morris murders case?

Are we still prohibited from discussing the Mary Morris murders case?

As far as I know, LE still wants us to not discuss the case.

Are we still prohibited from discussing the Mary Morris murders case?

I believe so. That is why I didn't elaborate on my "biggest guffaw."

Dennis Keith Smith. :mad:
Yeah, another stupid cover story. And how he kept sitting there laughing during the interview for no reason. What a liar. ''We had sex and then some guy came over with a stick in his hand, threatened me and took her away...''Which is totally why the inside of his truck's seat was burned out to destroy evidence. :rolleyes:

Worst and most disgusting by far is not a single example but an ongoing trend: Creative prosecutors.

If we can't solve a case, no sweat. Make it up. Point to the nearest party and whisper that this makes no sense and that makes no sense. Pretend that crime scene reconstruction is science instead of outright guesswork.

The unfortunate dullards are sure to follow along. Happily applying the same model to every case.

It's sickening on Unsolved Mysteries, and virtually every other true crime show. Let's see, on this forum I guess one example would be Larry Race. In fact, I think he made a related comment, that he couldn't believe the prosecutors were able to invent a wild tale and have the jury believe it. The lady who was accused of poisoning her child was another one. Sorry, the names escape me after so many years. She was freed after having a second child in prison, one demonstrating the same chemical problem, something the prosecutors asserted had to be poisoning. I think it was actually MMA. Something like that.

When a wrongly convicted person is freed based on evidence, that's always incredibly awkward. I'd be livid and accusatory and loud at that press conference. It would last all day. But that doesn't go over well. The public expects you to somehow be courteous and classy and forgiving. Frankly, those press conferences shouldn't exist. Instead, substitute the clips of the prosecutors from years, if not decades, earlier. All the damning statements. Accusatory and mean and 100% wrong. Distribute those videos and published quotes for months. In fact, they deserve their own channel, looping nonstop. Make sure the neighbors of those prosecutors are well aware.

Not to say defense attorneys don't engage in nonsense. Obviously. It carries more weight from prosecutors and too often lately there's little if any difference.

When my friend Larry was murdered in 2004, after contacting detectives a couple of times with as much detail as I could think of, I was incredibly miffed and frustrated that Larry's other friends refused to follow suit. Often adamantly. I asked 8 or 10 and I think only one guy followed through. But after watching these programs over the years I understood their reasoning. Put your name out there and anything is possible, if the wrong caliber of individual occupies that position. Particularly in Las Vegas, where punch card normalcy is not in highest supply.

The Kay Mortensen case is a devastating example. It was covered extremely well on Paula Zahn's program last weekend. Highly recommended to everyone, and particularly those who have debated the Jeffrey MacDonald case. MacDonald indeed has to deal with the images and sounds of that night for the rest of his life, along with the words of inept creative prosecutors who deemed his story simply too bizarre. As I've emphasized countless times, if you are going to be a victim of a crime, make sure it's a simple one. Otherwise your jeopardy toward creative prosecution and unfortunate dullards expands exponentially.

Make no mistake, Mortensen's son and his wife would have been convicted of that brutal murder. I haven't checked old message boards but I guarantee their wild story was dismissed and ridiculed. Extreme similarities to the MacDonald case. Multiple claimed intruders, but no evidence of them. Fantastic tale involving several rooms of the house. Apparent physical evidence pointing to the relatives. Over the top murder combined with no harm to the surviving witnesses. Motive developed by the prosecutors. Personality quirks attributed to the survivors. Close relatives steadily doubt the sincerity and believability of the surviving couple, while pinpointing supposedly odd behavior after the crime, along with conflicting and changing stories. Relatives turn on the couple and are convinced of their guilt.

The case fell apart and shifted dramatically only after a phone call from a woman with full information. Mortensen's son and his wife had already been charged with murder and were in jail, wearing shackles and prison garb during court appearances. Authorities apparently lied during a grand jury proceeding, although a judge later dismissed that case.

Detectives were stunned. Turned out the strange couple was fully vindicated, their amazing tale verified upon confession from the two actual perpetrators. And when anyone watches that Paula Zahn program, keep in mind it was filmed long after the authorities and lead prosecutor knew they had made a colossal error. Their words during the bulk of the program were carefully tame compared to the shameful version they would have spit out, minus that saving phone call.

Can't believe I forgot to mention Steve Page. Claims that his estranged wife agreed to have consensual sex with him right before she went out on a date with another man. And when she turns up murdered, he tries to get the focus off himself by implying that she was a victim of the Beaumont, Texas mafia :rolleyes: .

Judy Grozeinger, she couldn't even keep her own made up story straight.

. Highly recommended to everyone, and particularly those who have debated the Jeffrey MacDonald case. MacDonald indeed has to deal with the images and sounds of that night for the rest of his life, along with the words of inept creative prosecutors who deemed his story simply too bizarre. .


The only 'creativity' that's going on in the MacDonald case is the nonsense story desperately cooked up by Mac himself.

Not a single person - not the CID, not the FBI, not Freddie Kassab - who has been through the MacDonald apartment believes that what happened could have possibly gone down as he said it did. Evidence from the location of the pyjama threads alone demonstrates that MacDonald's story didn't happen as he said it did (there is a mountain of other evidence disproving Mac's story, some of which I've previously listed on the thread for his case). A jury (who, lest we forget actually included a fellow Green Beret) took just six hours to convict him.

I note that you make reference to the "images and sounds" of that night, which is curious given that Mac testified that aside from Ms Floppy Hat's statements "acid is groovy, kill the pigs" and "hit him again", his attackers went about annihilating his family in utter silence - experienced mafia hitmen (who target grown up thugs - not women and children) would be hard pressed to maintain such composure, let alone a bunch of drugged up hippies!

In any event, I wouldn't worry about poor Mac sufferring too much psychological trauma...the fact that he had some champagne delivered to his hospital bed on the night he was admitted and was thereafter shacked up with a young nurse while the murders were being investigated is proof that a small matter like his wife and children being slaughtered didn't stop him enjoying himself. There was no delayed grief reaction either - never spending a solitary penny on reward money or private investigators, he soon headed off to California to enjoy a life of waterside condos, sports cars and sailboats with an endless succession of young hotties- while Collettes shattered parents used all of their savings to provide a reward and relentlessly pursued investigators and the jutice department for a resolution to the case.

The prosecution deserve the thanks of every person interest in seeing justice done.

Matt Orahoske. His story was so bad he had to change it multiple times.
Yes! ''My friend just fell into the icy cold water and I stood there and did nothing and didn't tell anyone'' and then ''Uh...actually he, like, jumped into the freezing water and told me he'd see me later!''

:rolleyes:

I always thought Robert Salazar's story about how Sandra Orellana fell to her death was pretty far fetched.

"Oh, you know, we were just doin' it on the balcony. We were gettin' real freaky and whoops, she fell off the balcony and down several stories. I didn't go get help, though. I just put my pants on and left. Hey, have you seen my underwear?"

I would love to know why the jury acquitted him of murder charges.