Continuing to make my way through Season 4 on Amazon. I came upon this case that I had totally forgotten about.

http://unsolvedmysteries.wikia.com/wiki/Richard_Minns

Back in the Seventies, Richard Minns was a tycoon with a young girlfriend, Barbra Piotrowski. They were a glamorous presence on the Houston social scene. Minns was a charismatic, youthful-looking health club tycoon when they met on a Colorado ski slope. Barbra was a bright and beautiful California pre-med student and part-time model 24 years his junior. Their relationship went well until Minns's wife showed up one day looking for him. Minns explained to Barbra that he and his wife were separated, and she accepted his explanation. He later bought an expensive townhouse for her, but the relationship became strained after Minns learned that Barbra was pregnant. He wanted her to get an abortion but she refused.

Eventually, Barbra ended the relationship, but Minns refused to accept that they were finished. Barbra took several pieces of furniture and jewelry that Minns had given to her. Later, Minns had Barbra arrested for stealing these items, even though she insisted that they were gifts. While in jail, Barbra miscarried. She was eventually released, but Minns continued to harass and stalk her.

On October 20, 1980, Barbra was shot four times in the back while parked in a Houston doughnut shop lot. Barbra was paralyzed from the waist down. Despite her injuries, she remained conscious and claimed that Minns was responsible. Nathaniel Ivory and Patrick Stein were arrested within minutes of the shooting. They denied Barbra's claims that Minns had hired them to shoot her. However, a former bodyguard of Minns claimed that one month earlier a contract had been put out on Barbra's life. Authorities determined that the car used in the shooting belonged to Robert Jess Anderson; Ivory and Stein later identified Anderson as the person who had hired them to kill Barbra.

Minns's private detective Dudley Bell was also connected to the shooting after his ex-wife gave police a handwritten note. The note had been written on Minns's hotel guest stationary. The note had a list of guns owned by Anderson that were used in the shooting. Eight days after the shooting, Anderson was arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit murder. Anderson agreed to cooperate with authorities; he confirmed that Dudley Bell had hired him and the other two men to commit the shooting. However, Bell and Minns were not indicted in the case.

In March of 1981, Ivory and Stein were convicted of attempted murder and sentenced to thirty-five years in prison. Barbra later field a wrongful injury suit against Minns, Bell, Anderson, Stein, and Ivory. However, before depositions could begin, Minns fled the country and has been in hiding ever since.
Anderson was found guilty of soliciting a murder in 1984. Bell was also found guilty of soliciting a murder in 1987 after one of his employees testified against him. Both were sentenced to thirty-eight years in prison. However, in 1991, Bell was released on parole.

A jury has since ordered Minns to pay Barbra $58 million for wrongful injury. Minns is wanted for questioning in the attempted murder of Barbra Piotrowski. The injuries she suffered left her bound to a wheelchair. Fearful for her life after the shooting, Barbra changed her name to Janni Smith. She now works with people who are paralyzed.

Extra Notes: The case served as the inspiration for a movie based on the case. The case was featured as a part of the March 18, 1992 episode.

Results: Captured. In July 1994, Richard Minns, 64, was arrested at the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport on suspicion of obtaining several passports with fraudulent information and names. He received a four-month sentence and fined $100,000.

Minns has never been charged in the attempted murder of Piotrowski although police have said they believe he was involved. Piotrowski did win a $58-million dollar civil judgment against Minns and others for the attempted murder.

So at the conclusion of the Amazon segment I was shocked to see that the civil case was eventually dismissed. Meaning he never had to pay a dime for the civil judgement against him and he was never charged with hiring someone to murder Barbra Piotrowski.

I got curious to see if Minns is still alive and whadda'ya know.

As recently as late last year he was honored by the Ayn Rand society:

https://atlassociety.org/commentary/commentary-blog/6098-artist-as-atlas-a-visit-with-richard-minns

:rolleyes:

Hard to believe this guy eluded any kind of punishment for this but... he sure did (allegedly, in case he's the litigious type).

Thanks for posting the link to the Atlas society. More evidence to my contention that Ayn Rand was an overrated, over celebrated POS. They have some nerve celebrating that guy. More proof to show that if you have the money, the courts are yours for the taking.

Hard to believe this guy eluded any kind of punishment for this but... he sure did (allegedly, in case he's the litigious type).

LOL!!!

That made my day. Thanks.

I totally agree about Minns, btw. What an alleged waste of space.

This case makes me crazy every time I see it. And it's super impressive that they found an actress who is looks so much like Janny/Barbra. She's very good in the reenactments, too. So is the Minns actor - this is definitely one of the more ambitiously produced and well done segments.

It just frosts my cookies that that creep has never had to face any consequences for what he allegedly did to her.

And, sadly, that last sentence applies to so, so many people...

I'm not surprised that Minns was influenced by Rand. There's nothing like hypocrisy and unconcern about behavior that affects the less privileged, but people who identify with Rand's philosophies tend not to worry about those pesky defects of character. At least the commenters below got it right.

This case makes me crazy every time I see it. And it's super impressive that they found an actress who is looks so much like Janny/Barbra. She's very good in the reenactments, too. So is the Minns actor - this is definitely one of the more ambitiously produced and well done segments.


I agree. Well acted, produced and the story is interesting, if not infuriating. The only thing (production wise) that got a little annoying was how they went overboard with the sexy saxophone music every time they showed that picture of them on the beach, but that's extremely minor compared to the case itself.

I watched this one on Amazon a couple weeks ago for the first time in a long time and was eager to find out what Minns' punishment was. I recall him being captured but I couldn't remember the details...only to find out there was basically no punishment for all the crap he pulled.

I agree. Well acted, produced and the story is interesting, if not infuriating. The only thing (production wise) that got a little annoying was how they went overboard with the sexy saxophone music every time they showed that picture of them on the beach, but that's extremely minor compared to the case itself.

I watched this one on Amazon a couple weeks ago for the first time in a long time and was eager to find out what Minns' punishment was. I recall him being captured but I couldn't remember the details...only to find out there was basically no punishment for all the crap he pulled.
This is one of the more frustrating segments. Yes even the overused saxophone music. This was like the Randall utterback segment just with a rich ***** that probably still thinks he's a Roman god. I mean come on he won a hand to hand fight with a great white shark? But he can't father a child? What a insecure piece of trash.


One of the people in the segment hit the nail on the head. People in Harris county and the state of Texas have been imprisoned with less evidence. We've seen it in other segments. I think he was never charged because he was wealthy and Harris county did not want a difficult/scandalous trial due to their negative involvement with Minns.

The actress who played Barbra was one of the best I've seen on the show. She really nailed the hysterical woman aspect

One of the people in the segment hit the nail on the head. People in Harris county and the state of Texas have been imprisoned with less evidence. We've seen it in other segments. I think he was never charged because he was wealthy and Harris county did not want a difficult/scandalous trial due to their negative involvement with Minns.

That's the only explanation I can come up with. His wealth somehow bought his freedom, when he should have been locked up 37 years ago.

That write up by Jennifer Grossman is nauseating. Do the locals not know of what this guy did? Do they not care or do they choose to live in ignorance and not believe he did all the things he did?

At least the two responses to that web page in the comments section pointed out the massive elephant in the room...

Lara Martinez: Isn't this guy a wife beater and attempted murderer?
Dan Riley: Yup. Disgusting. http://articles.latimes.com/1994-07-21/local/me-18211_1_passport-violations

That's the only explanation I can come up with. His wealth somehow bought his freedom, when he should have been locked up 37 years ago.

That write up by Jennifer Grossman is nauseating. Do the locals not know of what this guy did? Do they not care or do they choose to live in ignorance and not believe he did all the things he did?

At least the two responses to that web page in the comments section pointed out the massive elephant in the room...

Lara Martinez: Isn't this guy a wife beater and attempted murderer?
Dan Riley: Yup. Disgusting. http://articles.latimes.com/1994-07-21/local/me-18211_1_passport-violations

Yeah that article is ridiculous. And I too enjoyed the 2 comments.

Just saw this on amazon - very bizarre case. The actor + the real Barbra were very pretty though. Shameful that Minns got away with all this.

What a Dick

Re-watched this again for the first time in ages. The one thing which took me surprise was seeing an interview with Dick DeGuerin, who was Barbra's lawyer during her lawsuit. As you might know, DeGuerin was prominently featured in "The Jinx" because he went on to become Robert Durst's lawyer and got him acquitted for murder by claiming self-defense. Quite ironic when you consider that Durst and Richard Minns are both prime examples of guys who got away with an awful lot because of their wealth (though karma eventually caught up to Durst).

DeGuerin also defended David Koresh and Tom DeLay. 2 big Texan Dicks ( everything's bigger in Texas, right?)

Barbra Piotrowski's civil case against the city was also reversed as well.

Piotrowski v. City of Houson, a 1983 case with a $22 million jury verdict
Reversed (http://www.fifthcircuitcivilnews.com/Issues%20Archive/2001-02%20February.pdf) on the grounds "plaintiff failed to prove a Monell policy: The Court again declined to recognize the state-created danger theory of recovery under 1983."

This article says it was reversed in 2001.
http://caselaw.findlaw.com/us-5th-circuit/1120575.html

Here's a page about Richard Minns. It gives snippets of his sculpting, athletic accomplishments including killing 2 great white sharks, and photos of him with his sons Myles and Sean, and grandson Mike 111. It's pretty disgusting.

http://www.hayhill.com/minns/minns_2.htm

If nothing else, it was awesome just to see a gorgeous person on the show for once. The VAST majority of the people who were on this show ranged from mildly to severely "aesthetically challenged."

I live in L.A. (good looking people everywhere), so it's probably more striking to me than the average person.

I'm glad that she received all of that cash-- or at least I *hope* that she did. Get that money, girl.

Just goes to show you...you get the justice you can afford, not that you deserve.

If nothing else, it was awesome just to see a gorgeous person on the show for once. The VAST majority of the people who were on this show ranged from mildly to severely "aesthetically challenged."

I live in L.A. (good looking people everywhere), so it's probably more striking to me than the average person.

We're very glad your delicate sensibilities were soothed.

If nothing else, it was awesome just to see a gorgeous person on the show for once. The VAST majority of the people who were on this show ranged from mildly to severely "aesthetically challenged."


You are joking right?

I live in L.A. (good looking people everywhere), so it's probably more striking to me than the average person.

If anything, I'd say we get all kinds here in L.A...

Real lowlife-but she should have worked that out when they met & she said he was ultra-arrogant & then became very quiet with her & that was the real him-nope, the real him was the arrogant ass, he changed when he saw it didn't work on her. He didn't want her working for anybody other than him-again this is control, not love. Sadly she was attracted to his alpha male persona & all the wealth that went with it, taking the stuff he had bought for her was likely the tipping point for this narcissist.

Just goes to show you...you get the justice you can afford, not that you deserve.

Unfortunately, that's too often the case.

Sadly she was attracted to his alpha male persona & all the wealth that went with it, taking the stuff he had bought for her was likely the tipping point for this narcissist.

He's another OJ manipulator and abuser whose ego couldn't accept a woman leaving him (and everyone being aware that he was the one getting dumped). Fifty shades of Minns.

You are joking right?

Uh, no. There aren't moments when you watch this show and think, "how do you even waddle through doorways? Also, what is up with your skin? Did you survive a nuclear holocaust?"

I'm usually the last person who thinks about such things. But when it's a freak show it's difficult to ignore.

Where is Barbra today?

We're very glad your delicate sensibilities were soothed.


hahahahhaha props:

Adrian Franks of Houston, Texas, born in 1961 died in 2018.

"Adrian Franks, who worked for Bell, tapped Piotrowski's phone and recorded her calls.5  As Franks also monitored Piotrowski's comings and goings, he knew what she looked like and what car she drove.   While Franks was spying on Piotrowski, Bell offered him $10,000 to kill her.   Franks agreed.   Bell supplied Franks with a packet of information on Piotrowski which included a police-style mug shot of her that could have been taken when she was interrogated by Fincher and Wells.

Franks installed a kill switch on Piotrowski's car in July.6  Fortunately, the device did not function properly.   Piotrowski's car stalled, but she was not hurt.   The police initially thought the device was a bomb...."  

https://caselaw.findlaw.com/us-5th-circuit/1120575.html

Bizarre how he got away with it. Not much discussion about him online other than his own narcissistic propaganda. Is he dead? I read somewhere that he died in London in 2016 but I cannot find any evidence of that.

Also do we know what happened to the two black men put away? What struck me the most about this is that he got two men, probably from poor and disadvantaged backgrounds to do his dirty work but then went on to continue living his life, whilst these men languished in jail. It seems so unfair. I wonder if they were ever released or if they are still in jail?

Bizarre how he got away with it. Not much discussion about him online other than his own narcissistic propaganda. Is he dead? I read somewhere that he died in London in 2016 but I cannot find any evidence of that.

Also do we know what happened to the two black men put away? What struck me the most about this is that he got two men, probably from poor and disadvantaged backgrounds to do his dirty work but then went on to continue living his life, whilst these men languished in jail. It seems so unfair. I wonder if they were ever released or if they are still in jail?

Hopefully he has lost everything. What a loser. He’s probably got orange skin with the ghost white shadows around his eyes...

it’s sad to see so many scumbag guys like him get away with womanising and being criminals while poor people get put away for many years for doing far less.

I'm not sure I believe the portrayal of this on UM was exactly accurate. The courts eventually threw out the civil suit as bunk (which is not wrong either, civil action without a criminal case is a flaw in the system) . The lawsuit against the police read like a cross between a conspiracy theory and a cash grab. The police let the hit happen? Really? This guy was well to do, but not wealthy enough to own a police department of that size. Not surprising the courts threw that one out too.
And when he was arrested they did not even attempt the soliciting murder charge, ie. they had nothing.
The theft suit was lost on a technically, making it sound like it was valid otherwise.
I just feel like certain things were left out of this one.

This segment should have never aired, IMO. It was a "Wanted" segment, but at the time of filming, Minns wasn't wanted for anything.

This segment should have never aired, IMO. It was a "Wanted" segment, but at the time of filming, Minns wasn't wanted for anything.

I thought he was wanted for passport fraud at the time of filming? But I could be mistaken on the timing.

I thought he was wanted for passport fraud at the time of filming? But I could be mistaken on the timing.

He wasn't wanted for anything at the time the segment was filmed and aired. He was stopped at an airport for suspicion of passport fraud and was arrested and convicted of that. IIRC the DA interviewed in the segment flat out says he isn't wanted for any crime.

He wasn't wanted for anything at the time the segment was filmed and aired. He was stopped at an airport for suspicion of passport fraud and was arrested and convicted of that. IIRC the DA interviewed in the segment flat out says he isn't wanted for any crime.

That's very interesting because viewers are explicitly asked for help locating him at the end of the original segment. If he wasn't wanted for anything, why would they have done this? To make him pay for the civil suit? :confused: I don't have my old copy on hand with the Lifetime update, but I do recall them showing a clip of an airplane and mentioning all the locations where he'd been seen (including water skiing in the Bahamas!). I'll have to find my old copy and see if there is anything else added there, since I know FilmRise cut out a bunch of ending remarks for multiple segments.

Edited to add: I found the original segment and there is no mention of passport fraud. I believe this mention came up later during the lifetime era, because at the time it was filmed/originally aired, that charge hadn't been levied.

That's very interesting because viewers are explicitly asked for help locating him at the end of the original segment. If he wasn't wanted for anything, why would they have done this?

IIRC, it was phrased as wanted for questioning in the attempted murder of Barbara. But 4 guys, including the shooter, getaway driver, guy who facilitated the hit, and the person who organized everything were all already convicted and in jail. Minns could not be connected to it. Devoting 26 minutes to this segment was just a huge waste of time.

IIRC, it was phrased as wanted for questioning in the attempted murder of Barbara. But 4 guys, including the shooter, getaway driver, guy who facilitated the hit, and the person who organized everything were all already convicted and in jail. Minns could not be connected to it. Devoting 26 minutes to this segment was just a huge waste of time.

I am not sure I would say it was a "waste of time" just because he could not be connected. None of the ghost/ufo/psychic/etc. segments were likely to be solved either, but they were presented nonetheless for entertainment value. Even at 26 minutes this was still a decent story, even if I found the characters somewhat off putting. If Dateline did this one today it would be 3 hours long and still have less actual content.

Richard Minns died in 2022. Good riddance to a very narcissistic and dubious character.

IIRC, it was phrased as wanted for questioning in the attempted murder of Barbara. But 4 guys, including the shooter, getaway driver, guy who facilitated the hit, and the person who organized everything were all already convicted and in jail. Minns could not be connected to it. Devoting 26 minutes to this segment was just a huge waste of time.

Hard to say that, given how much time UM devoted to alien and UFO sightings throughout the series.

Hard to say that, given how much time UM devoted to alien and UFO sightings throughout the series.

Haha and all the miracles segments.

This segment definitely did not age well. I never watch it anymore. Every now and then I'll watch a miracle, treasure, or UFO segment for the nostalgic and comedic value. It can be argued this segment was a waste of time (alongside many others) since the authorities didn't seem interested in connecting minns to the shooting. although a five year old could connect the dots. it seems like other people have been put away for less in the state of Texas. like Michael Martin basically getting decades in jail for stealing polish sausage and alleged eye witness testimony that was most likely inaccurate.

I'm going to go against the grain and say that I'm glad they made a segment out of this (though I agree it did not need to be so long). On a personal level, watching it as a young girl taught me some lessons about love bombing, manipulation, predatory age gaps, and so forth. But also, I think the case deserved profiling because of the potential to gather more leads about Minns' involvement in the attempted hit. It would have been nice if they had been able to have a tip phoned in that dug up more dirt (which apparently didn't happen).

That being said, I find it a depressing watch and don't revisit it often. I hope Barbara (Janni) is doing well today.

I'm going to go against the grain and say that I'm glad they made a segment out of this (though I agree it did not need to be so long). On a personal level, watching it as a young girl taught me some lessons about love bombing, manipulation, predatory age gaps, and so forth. But also, I think the case deserved profiling because of the potential to gather more leads about Minns' involvement in the attempted hit. It would have been nice if they had been able to have a tip phoned in that dug up more dirt (which apparently didn't happen).

I'm shocked that none of the men convicted for the attempted murder ever ratted out Minns.

When arrested in 1994, he was carrying seven passports from four different countries and under five different names. Richard pleaded guilty to eight counts of passport fraud. He was sentenced to four months in prison and fined $100,000.

Surely the actions of an innocent man... not.

Btw I don't know if anybody here ever checked out Richard's official website, some of his artworks and sketches were uh...quite interesting (http://www.hayhill.com/minns/political_cartoons.pdf).
I also think I found Barbara's twitter (https://x.com/GERMIN8TOR) which isn't very active, but if it is her it's also quite strange.

This segment definitely did not age well. I never watch it anymore. Every now and then I'll watch a miracle, treasure, or UFO segment for the nostalgic and comedic value. It can be argued this segment was a waste of time (alongside many others) since the authorities didn't seem interested in connecting minns to the shooting. although a five year old could connect the dots. it seems like other people have been put away for less in the state of Texas. like Michael Martin basically getting decades in jail for stealing polish sausage and alleged eye witness testimony that was most likely inaccurate.

Sure we can all connect the dots, but if the police couldn't connect Minns with hard, physical evidence, there was nothing they could do. Minns obviously skipped the country just in case anyone did ever rat him out. I agree it's impressive in a twisted use of the word that they didn't.
I don't think it was a wasted segment. One of the more salacious of the series, sure, but hardly a waste of time.

Sure we can all connect the dots, but if the police couldn't connect Minns with hard, physical evidence, there was nothing they could do. Minns obviously skipped the country just in case anyone did ever rat him out. I agree it's impressive in a twisted use of the word that they didn't.
I don't think it was a wasted segment. One of the more salacious of the series, sure, but hardly a waste of time.

I think this case was a perfect example of the nasty realities of our corrupt justice system. Those being that if you got enough money and connections you can manipulate the system and not only get away with almost anything, but take anyone down who crosses you as well. Pretty much anyone could see Minns engineered that whole thing, no one else involved had any motive to kill Barbara. Pretty obvious he got away with it too. Other than four months in jail for passport fraud.

I will wager though, he is not a happy man today and facing justice his money couldn't buy him out of.

I think this case was a perfect example of the nasty realities of our corrupt justice system. Those being that if you got enough money and connections you can manipulate the system and not only get away with almost anything, but take anyone down who crosses you as well. Pretty much anyone could see Minns engineered that whole thing, no one else involved had any motive to kill Barbara. Pretty obvious he got away with it too. Other than four months in jail for passport fraud.

I will wager though, he is not a happy man today and facing justice his money couldn't buy him out of.

exactly and that's why I think the segment is not worth anything now. the justice system punished the people that committed the crime, even the middle man, but refused to do anything about Minns, who the segment was centered around. UM at times had power to pressure authorities into doing something, but this was not one of those times.

Sure we can all connect the dots, but if the police couldn't connect Minns with hard, physical evidence, there was nothing they could do. Minns obviously skipped the country just in case anyone did ever rat him out. I agree it's impressive in a twisted use of the word that they didn't.
I don't think it was a wasted segment. One of the more salacious of the series, sure, but hardly a waste of time.

UM had the right intention, but the waste IMO is the lack of action among the authorities. Minns apparently had friends in high places that probably kept him from being prosecuted. People have been charged for murder with a lot less evidence. If they wanted to go after him, they could have figured it out.