AMW case circa 92-93 about a pedophile living next door - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

justins5256 · 05-18-2011, 08:46 AM

I'm trying to remember details about this case I saw on America's Most Wanted. I would guess I saw it in 1992 or 1993. I want to say the story took place in the north east United States.

The story was about the search for an accused pedophile. As I recall, he was in his mid-forties at the time, balding with gray hair and glasses. The pedophile (I want to say his name was Robert or Bob - I'll call him Bob) lived in a neighborhood next door to a family with a young son. Bob was very popular and well respected in the neighborhood, often hosting block parties and barbecues. As time went on, Bob became extremely close with the family living next door, and specifically, the young boy. He began a sexual relationship with the boy. The relationship lasted many years, unbeknownst to the parents. There were many re-enactments of various interactions Bob had with the young boy. In one such re-enactment, the boy was saying he didn't want to have sex with Bob, and was going to tell his parents the truth. However, Bob talked him out of it by saying that the boy's father would likely kill him in retaliation, and the boy would end up homeless or in foster care. His reasoning was pretty far fetched, but the boy relented.

Eventually, as the boy aged, he started acting out and having trouble in school. His parents were no longer able to live with him, and confided in Bob about the boy's many problems. Bob actually offered to take the boy in to live with him and the family agreed. At this point, the boy was older, and he became depressed as his life spiraled out of control. While he lived with Bob he realized that Bob was molesting other children as well. He may have even helped Bob find some of these victims, on that point I'm not clear. It just came to me that Bob may have taught piano lessons, and that was how he found some of his victims.

One day the boy was having an argument with his parents and he said something derogatory about Bob. The parents admonished him for speaking that way after all Bob had done for the family. At that point, the boy broke down and told them everything. The family called the police and Bob was arrested. The police searched Bob's house and found many videos of him molesting the boy and other children.

I can't recall if Bob ever went to trial or if he fled before official proceedings began. He was missing, obviously. I seem to recall an update indicating he was found some time after the broadcast.

Does anyone remember "Bob", his real name, when/if he was caught, and what his sentence was?

Also, in the mid to late nineties, I remember watching a syndicated spinoff program that profiled old (solved) America's Most Wanted cases - I want to say the title was "America's Most Wanted: Final Justice" - additionally, does anyone remember this program? I want to say I saw the "Bob" case on there too.

Any info would be greatly appreciated.

Kane · 05-18-2011, 03:22 PM

The case sounds familiar, but I don't remember the specifics regarding Bob's last name or his prison sentence. But if it's the one I'm thinking of, then I'm sure he was caught and it was most likely featured in the spinoff, America's Most Wanted: Final Justice.

By the way, I do remember that spinoff. It was a daily series, airing Monday through Friday in first-run syndication during the 1995-96 television season. Reruns of the show later appeared on USA Network and then Court TV, in 1996 and 2000, respectively. AMW: Final Justice was an interesting spinoff series. Although it primarily focused on the outcome of cases previously shown on AMW, it also featured cases that were still unresolved.

From what I heard, most markets aired AMW: Final Justice late at night, which was probably why the show was canceled after only season.

justins5256 · 05-19-2011, 10:51 AM

Hi Kane,

Thanks for writing. I was glad to read that I'm not the only person who remembered the "America's Most Wanted: Final Justice" program. My memory of it is extremely vague, but I seem to recall that it aired in the afternoons on our local WB affiliate - it may have been UPN 34, I'm entirely sure. I want to say it was either preceded or followed by a repeat episode of the early nineties series "Tops Cops", another favorite program of mine.

In any event, I don't remember "Final Justice" lasting too long. Your comment about it lasting only a season makes sense. It's a shame that there is so little information on the program online.

Thanks again!

Kane · 05-19-2011, 01:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by justins5256

Hi Kane,

Thanks for writing. I was glad to read that I'm not the only person who remembered the "America's Most Wanted: Final Justice" program. My memory of it is extremely vague, but I seem to recall that it aired in the afternoons on our local WB affiliate - it may have been UPN 34, I'm entirely sure. I want to say it was either preceded or followed by a repeat episode of the early nineties series "Tops Cops", another favorite program of mine.

In any event, I don't remember "Final Justice" lasting too long. Your comment about it lasting only a season makes sense. It's a shame that there is so little information on the program online.

Thanks again!

You're welcome, Justin.

When AMW: Final Justice was in production during the 1995-96 season, it was shown here in Massachusetts at 11:00 pm, Monday through Friday, on WLVI-56 (then a WB affiliate, now a CW affiliate). After that spin-off ceased production, reruns began airing at 4:00 pm (Eastern Time) on the USA Network, followed by rereuns of Top Cops at 4:30 pm.

I agree with you; it is unfortunate that there isn't a lot of information about the show online. It was an interesting spinoff that could have gone on longer than it did. If more stations had aired them earlier the day, maybe late afternoon or evening, it would probably have gotten more viewership.

justins5256 · 05-19-2011, 02:51 PM

Now I'm thinking that I must have seen repeats and not the original airings of this series. The afternoon 4:00pm time as well as the show being aired alongside Top Cops is more in line with my recollections. Any idea how long the repeats aired? It seems like they vanished some time in the late nineties, along with the Top Cops repeats. I would guess I haven't seen either show in at least 15 years. I wonder if the two shows were part of the same syndication package.

Kane, do you remember if John Walsh hosted the program? Was new footage shot that was exclusive to Final Justice? My memory is so vague, I can't recall if it was just a recap of the AMW footage, plus the update when the fugitive was captured (if they were captured).

Do you remember any of the fugitives profiled on the show or any particularly memorable cases?

Thanks!

Kane · 05-20-2011, 08:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by justins5256

Now I'm thinking that I must have seen repeats and not the original airings of this series. The afternoon 4:00pm time as well as the show being aired alongside Top Cops is more in line with my recollections. Any idea how long the repeats aired? It seems like they vanished some time in the late nineties, along with the Top Cops repeats.

USA Network began airing the AMW: Final Justice reruns in the fall of 1996, but disappeared from the schedule within a year. I don't recall USA airing them after 1997. Those reruns surfaced on Court TV in 2000, but they were phased out of the channel a year or so later.

Quote:

Kane, do you remember if John Walsh hosted the program?

Yes. John Walsh hosted AMW: Final Justice.

Quote:

Was new footage shot that was exclusive to Final Justice? My memory is so vague, I can't recall if it was just a recap of the AMW footage, plus the update when the fugitive was captured (if they were captured).

The case segments themselves were recaps of the original AMW footage, but new scenes with John Walsh were shot exclusively for FJ, as he reintroduced the cases previously featured on the original AMW and acknowledged the latest updates available. There were probably other new scenes in the spinoff (including, maybe, footage that was previously excluded from the original AMW because of time restraints), but I can't recall specifics.

Quote:

Do you remember any of the fugitives profiled on the show or any particularly memorable cases?

I do. There are admittedly a lot of them, as they had also been featured on the original AMW. But one case that I can name is John Hawkins, who was wanted in connection with the 1988 murder of Ellis Greene, until he was captured in 1991. He was later convicted of conspiracy to commit murder and sentenced to 25 years in prison.

PAKMan1988 · 11-03-2011, 11:45 AM

I believe the case you're thinking of is that of Richard David Pease, who went by the name "Dave." I'm familiar with the case through Final Justice, which aired a story on Pease's capture.

He was captured in Mexico, where apparently he was trying to befriend little boys and start his criminal acts again. I don't believe Mexican police ever charged him with any crime. Final Justice featured a clip of the lead investigator going to the victim's house and letting them know, on camera, of Pease's capture. The victim, who by this time was in his early 20s, broke down in tears because he was so happy.

Pease pleaded guilty, but I'm not sure whatever happened to him.

05-18-2011, 08:46 AM	#1
justins5256 Member Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Aug 08, 2002 Posts: 3,866	AMW case circa 92-93 about a pedophile living next door I'm trying to remember details about this case I saw on America's Most Wanted. I would guess I saw it in 1992 or 1993. I want to say the story took place in the north east United States. The story was about the search for an accused pedophile. As I recall, he was in his mid-forties at the time, balding with gray hair and glasses. The pedophile (I want to say his name was Robert or Bob - I'll call him Bob) lived in a neighborhood next door to a family with a young son. Bob was very popular and well respected in the neighborhood, often hosting block parties and barbecues. As time went on, Bob became extremely close with the family living next door, and specifically, the young boy. He began a sexual relationship with the boy. The relationship lasted many years, unbeknownst to the parents. There were many re-enactments of various interactions Bob had with the young boy. In one such re-enactment, the boy was saying he didn't want to have sex with Bob, and was going to tell his parents the truth. However, Bob talked him out of it by saying that the boy's father would likely kill him in retaliation, and the boy would end up homeless or in foster care. His reasoning was pretty far fetched, but the boy relented. Eventually, as the boy aged, he started acting out and having trouble in school. His parents were no longer able to live with him, and confided in Bob about the boy's many problems. Bob actually offered to take the boy in to live with him and the family agreed. At this point, the boy was older, and he became depressed as his life spiraled out of control. While he lived with Bob he realized that Bob was molesting other children as well. He may have even helped Bob find some of these victims, on that point I'm not clear. It just came to me that Bob may have taught piano lessons, and that was how he found some of his victims. One day the boy was having an argument with his parents and he said something derogatory about Bob. The parents admonished him for speaking that way after all Bob had done for the family. At that point, the boy broke down and told them everything. The family called the police and Bob was arrested. The police searched Bob's house and found many videos of him molesting the boy and other children. I can't recall if Bob ever went to trial or if he fled before official proceedings began. He was missing, obviously. I seem to recall an update indicating he was found some time after the broadcast. Does anyone remember "Bob", his real name, when/if he was caught, and what his sentence was? Also, in the mid to late nineties, I remember watching a syndicated spinoff program that profiled old (solved) America's Most Wanted cases - I want to say the title was "America's Most Wanted: Final Justice" - additionally, does anyone remember this program? I want to say I saw the "Bob" case on there too. Any info would be greatly appreciated.

05-18-2011, 03:22 PM	#2
Kane Member Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Mar 07, 2001 Location: MA, United States Posts: 3,367	The case sounds familiar, but I don't remember the specifics regarding Bob's last name or his prison sentence. But if it's the one I'm thinking of, then I'm sure he was caught and it was most likely featured in the spinoff, America's Most Wanted: Final Justice. By the way, I do remember that spinoff. It was a daily series, airing Monday through Friday in first-run syndication during the 1995-96 television season. Reruns of the show later appeared on USA Network and then Court TV, in 1996 and 2000, respectively. AMW: Final Justice was an interesting spinoff series. Although it primarily focused on the outcome of cases previously shown on AMW, it also featured cases that were still unresolved. From what I heard, most markets aired AMW: Final Justice late at night, which was probably why the show was canceled after only season.

05-19-2011, 10:51 AM	#3
justins5256 Member Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Aug 08, 2002 Posts: 3,866	Hi Kane, Thanks for writing. I was glad to read that I'm not the only person who remembered the "America's Most Wanted: Final Justice" program. My memory of it is extremely vague, but I seem to recall that it aired in the afternoons on our local WB affiliate - it may have been UPN 34, I'm entirely sure. I want to say it was either preceded or followed by a repeat episode of the early nineties series "Tops Cops", another favorite program of mine. In any event, I don't remember "Final Justice" lasting too long. Your comment about it lasting only a season makes sense. It's a shame that there is so little information on the program online. Thanks again!

05-19-2011, 02:51 PM	#5
justins5256 Member Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Aug 08, 2002 Posts: 3,866	Now I'm thinking that I must have seen repeats and not the original airings of this series. The afternoon 4:00pm time as well as the show being aired alongside Top Cops is more in line with my recollections. Any idea how long the repeats aired? It seems like they vanished some time in the late nineties, along with the Top Cops repeats. I would guess I haven't seen either show in at least 15 years. I wonder if the two shows were part of the same syndication package. Kane, do you remember if John Walsh hosted the program? Was new footage shot that was exclusive to Final Justice? My memory is so vague, I can't recall if it was just a recap of the AMW footage, plus the update when the fugitive was captured (if they were captured). Do you remember any of the fugitives profiled on the show or any particularly memorable cases? Thanks!

11-03-2011, 11:45 AM	#7
PAKMan1988 Member Forum Cub Join Date: Nov 03, 2011 Posts: 2	I believe the case you're thinking of is that of Richard David Pease, who went by the name "Dave." I'm familiar with the case through Final Justice, which aired a story on Pease's capture. He was captured in Mexico, where apparently he was trying to befriend little boys and start his criminal acts again. I don't believe Mexican police ever charged him with any crime. Final Justice featured a clip of the lead investigator going to the victim's house and letting them know, on camera, of Pease's capture. The victim, who by this time was in his early 20s, broke down in tears because he was so happy. Pease pleaded guilty, but I'm not sure whatever happened to him.