Anyone remember or have thoughts on this case? Kristie Gunderson Lee

[justins5256]

Unfortunately, the details are cloudy on this one. I remember some names, but not correct spellings. A quick perusal of unsolved.com revealed nothing.

The case was about a man who had a drug problem. He cleaned up his act and married this woman named Christi. They had a baby together. Christi and the the man's parents never got along well at all and would have terrible arguments about the most trivial things. In one re-enactment scene, I remember Christi and the mother-in-law arguing over baby formula and Christi said "the formula is fine, so just shut up about it!"

One day, while the man was at work, the in-laws stopped by the newlywed's house and claimed they found Christi dead in one of the bedrooms. An autopsy revealed she had been strangled apparently by someone's bare hands as there were obvious fingermarks on her neck.

The police found discrepancies in the time the in-laws claimed they arrived at the house. There were no signs of a break-in. Also, the in-laws refused to take a polygraph. I think the in-laws names were Joe and Kate Petrellia, but I don't know if that spelling is correct.

The husband had been cleared as a suspect because he was at work at the time of the murder as verified by company computer records. I remember feeling bad for him because his new wife was dead, and it was pretty apparent his parents were probably involved.

Anyone remember this case or have any thoughts? It seems like it's not discussed around here too often (if at all).

EDIT: Figured it out, it was Kristie Gunderson Lee.

[kane7474]

Originally Posted by justins5256

Unfortunately, the details are cloudy on this one. I remember some names, but not correct spellings. A quick perusal of unsolved.com revealed nothing.

The case was about a man who had a drug problem. He cleaned up his act and married this woman named Christi. They had a baby together. Christi and the the man's parents never got along well at all and would have terrible arguments about the most trivial things. In one re-enactment scene, I remember Christi and the mother-in-law arguing over baby formula and Christi said "the formula is fine, so just shut up about it!"

One day, while the man was at work, the in-laws stopped by the newlywed's house and claimed they found Christi dead in one of the bedrooms. An autopsy revealed she had been strangled apparently by someone's bare hands as their were obvious fingermarks on her neck.

The police found discrepancies in the time the in-laws claimed they arrived at the house. There were no signs of a break-in. Also, the in-laws refused to take a polygraph. I think the in-laws names were Joe and Kate Petrellia, but I don't know if that spelling is correct.

The husband had been cleared as a suspect because he was at work at the time of the murder as verified by company computer records. I remember feeling bad for him because his new wife was dead, and it was pretty apparent his parents were probably involved.

Anyone remember this case or have any thoughts? It seems like it's not discussed around here too often (if at all).

I do remember this one, I just watched it not to long ago. I may be mixed up here but it seems to me that someone was charged in her murder and it wasnt the parents. I could be wrong will have to do some digging on this one. I don't blame the parents at all for not taking polygraph. They are useless and only serve to make you look guilty. Breann Rodriguez parents both failed polygraph tests conerning their missing child. The next day a neighbor was charged with her murder. Lie detectors are bogus and any lawyer will tell you never to take one.

[WishfulDreamer]

I think the MIL and FIL are the most likely suspects, but not to 100% certainty or anything. The screaming that occurred while they were still in the apartment is highly suspect. The lie detector is not what speaks to me about this one. I fully believe Steve Bechtel is innocent and didn't mind when he didn't want to take one, agreeing they are not trustworthy.

[kane7474]

Well after doing some digging I found I was wrong. This case was never solved and no arrests where made. I did find an article that was very interesting about it though. I will link it if I can find it again.
It appears that the husband was never really free of drugs as he was busted in 1995 with a kilo of cocaine. So you have to wonder if him claiming to be clean on UM was just something to keep the cops off his back. Also the neighbor that heard Christi screaming didnt call the police because she just figured in was her and Jeff fighting again. Buy all accounts they had a troubled, somewhat violent relationship. Hardly the marriage that was portrayed on UM. Could Jeff be a suspect?? Who is to say that he didn't kill her in the morning before he left and then his parents covered for him by saying that they had seen her around 9 am?

The obvious suspects are Jeff's parents. The mother and Christi did not get along at all and they did have atleast one physical altercation that we know of. One of the neighbors stated that he saw Christi letting the parents in the door around 920 am but the Padilla's claim they where leaving at that time. Its also around that time we have the screams being heard. The police reports say that Christi died fighting someone. Her hair and blood where found in the living room as well as part of one of her fingernails. I would think that if the mother in law had done this then she might show signs that she had been in a fight. Scratches, bruises etc.
The police also looked at several other suspects that where men whom suposedley where infatuated with Christi but all of them had alibis. Seems really strange that someone choose to murder her in that short window of time while the inlaws left. Seems odd that the inlaws claim to have forgotten to bring money to wal mart and thats why they went back. Awfully convienant.
However, it does seem that Jeff was still involved with drugs at this time and someone could have been there looking for cocaine. Police reports said that drawers where pulled out but nothing was taken. Who's to say a kilo or two wasnt in the drawers?? Is Jeff gonna tell the cops that a large amount of illegal drugs are missing from the house? Ofcourse not.
Its also interesting to note that according to Christi's mother Jeff actually blames his mother for her death and for some reason when they moved back to Texas Jeff kicked both parents out of the car and they had to stay at a salvation army for over a week. Can only imagine why.

Here is the article. Very interesting read

http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/199...od-cobblestone

[Kane]

I remember that segment. It was first shown in 1997. I particularly remember the interview with one of Kristie Lee's colleagues, who claimed that Kristie always spoke negatively about her parents-in-law.

[TheCars1986]

This is a very underrated segment, and I had forgot about it so I had to refresh at the forbidded website. Here's my thoughts:

There really is no evidence tying the in-laws to her murder. The only hint of any motive they would have in killing Kristie comes from Jeff and Kristie's coworker who said that she did not get along with her in-laws (particularly her mother-in-law Kay) and Jeff says that at one point they got into a physical altercation. The fact that Kristie and Kay did not get along should not be enough to warrant both in-laws as suspects in this crime. Let's look at this logically for a second. Kristie weighed 90 lbs, and she put up one hell of a fight with her attacker before being strangled to death. How hard would it have been for both Kay and her husband to subdue Kristie and kill her? Seems relatively simple if you account for both of them. Based off of what was shown on UM, the possibility was that Kristie and Kay got into an argument, which turned physical, and then ultimately led to her murder. But I have a problem with this. Had Kay and Kristie got into some sort of altercation, where was Kay's husband to step in and break it up? The murder (if we are to believe that the in-law's are guilty) was not premeditated, so why would Kay's husband sit back (with his grandson) and watch his wife kill his daughter-in-law? I know the possibility exists that Kay's husband helped murder Kristie, but I just don't see how two people can become so insensed over an argument and not one of them have a mind cool enough to calm down and not actually go through and kill Kristie. And just what was Kristie's son doing this whole time his grandparents were murdering his mother (allegedly)? He obviously would be crying and/or screaming, especially if he was sitting there watching his mother get attacked by his grandparents. It just doesn't make sense to me, there's too many loose ends to pin the crime on the in-laws. Plus, the 911 call played on UM sounded pretty sincere to me, and they're story of leaving to come back to Kristie's apartment because they forgot money sounds plausible enough.

A lot is made on the fact that the one witness (Kristie's neighbor) claims to have heard a scream "near 9 a.m.", and that Kay and her husband both stated they did not leave Kristie's apartment until 9:30 a.m., which would suggest that they were there when Kristie was heard screaming. But we all know how unreliable "earwitnesses" can be, especially when trying to pinpoint a time on something. The in-laws may have left as much as a half hour before 9:30 a.m. and were just estimating the time they left her apartment. It's interesting that in the UM segment the investigator says that the neighbors heard "very loud blood curdling screams", but in the link of the article that kane7474 posted states that they heard a "brief chilling sound" and figured it was another one of Kristie and Jeff's arguments. And then there was another witness (that UM coincidentally left out) that stated at 9:20 a.m. he saw Kristie's in-laws knocking on her door and Kristie answering and letting them in. Which would pretty much eliminate the two women who heard a scream at 9 a.m.'s account if true. It's so easy for people to mess up remembering a specific time, especially when going about their day to day routines not expecting a murder to be unfolding with a pen and paper ready. So I think it's likely that everyone (including the in-laws) got their times wrong, which makes this case all the more confusing.

So what do I think happened? I honestly think when Kristie was visitied by her in-laws, everything went along uneventful. If they really hated each other as much as those interviewed in UM led you to believe, do you really think Kristie would have let them take her son out for a shopping trip? So I think the in-laws arrived sometime after 8:30 (maybe even as late as 9:20 like the one neighbor reported), to pick up their grandson for the trip. I think everything was civil and the in-laws left with Kristie's son shortly after they arrived. I think there was an unknown intruder who came in through the slider that Kristie had a habit of leaving unlocked. And I think this intruder knew both Jeff and Kristie, which is how he knew to go to the slider instead of the front door. I also think this person was there trying to lift drugs off of Jeff (in UM he made it appear he was clean and sober, but the article posted previously states he was still on drugs while he and Kristie were together and that is what they would often fight about), and I don't the intruder anticpated Kristie being home, so when she sees the intruder she screams, and then she is hit over the head before stumbling into her room where the intruder finishes her off. In the UM segment it states that "nothing was taken", but there were drawers pulled out a rifled through, which seems to indicate someone was looking for something. And maybe Jeff did hide drugs in there and that's what the intrduer retrieved from the residence and then quickly left after the murder. This would also explain why nothing else of value was taken, and why LE believed "nothing was taken from the apartment", since Jeff wouldn't have volunteered that he had cocaine stashed away in his bedroom. There's also another possibility that Jeff owed a dealer money and Kristie was killed in some sort of retaliation, but Jeff insisted that the dealers he went to did not know where he lived. I can't say for certain what happened to Kristie, but it's still an injustice that her murderer is out living the free life. And I think Jeff may know more to the murder than what he's letting on in terms of past drug connections.

[kane7474]

Originally Posted by Kane

I remember that segment. It was first shown in 1997. I particularly remember the interview with one of Kristie Lee's colleagues, who claimed that Kristie always spoke negatively about her parents-in-law.

This is true but there again there is no shortage of people who dislike or talk bad about inlaws

[kane7474]

Originally Posted by TheCars1986

This is a very underrated segment, and I had forgot about it so I had to refresh at the forbidded website. Here's my thoughts:

There really is no evidence tying the in-laws to her murder. The only hint of any motive they would have in killing Kristie comes from Jeff and Kristie's coworker who said that she did not get along with her in-laws (particularly her mother-in-law Kay) and Jeff says that at one point they got into a physical altercation. The fact that Kristie and Kay did not get along should not be enough to warrant both in-laws as suspects in this crime. Let's look at this logically for a second. Kristie weighed 90 lbs, and she put up one hell of a fight with her attacker before being strangled to death. How hard would it have been for both Kay and her husband to subdue Kristie and kill her? Seems relatively simple if you account for both of them. Based off of what was shown on UM, the possibility was that Kristie and Kay got into an argument, which turned physical, and then ultimately led to her murder. But I have a problem with this. Had Kay and Kristie got into some sort of altercation, where was Kay's husband to step in and break it up? The murder (if we are to believe that the in-law's are guilty) was not premeditated, so why would Kay's husband sit back (with his grandson) and watch his wife kill his daughter-in-law? I know the possibility exists that Kay's husband helped murder Kristie, but I just don't see how two people can become so insensed over an argument and not one of them have a mind cool enough to calm down and not actually go through and kill Kristie. And just what was Kristie's son doing this whole time his grandparents were murdering his mother (allegedly)? He obviously would be crying and/or screaming, especially if he was sitting there watching his mother get attacked by his grandparents. It just doesn't make sense to me, there's too many loose ends to pin the crime on the in-laws. Plus, the 911 call played on UM sounded pretty sincere to me, and they're story of leaving to come back to Kristie's apartment because they forgot money sounds plausible enough.

A lot is made on the fact that the one witness (Kristie's neighbor) claims to have heard a scream "near 9 a.m.", and that Kay and her husband both stated they did not leave Kristie's apartment until 9:30 a.m., which would suggest that they were there when Kristie was heard screaming. But we all know how unreliable "earwitnesses" can be, especially when trying to pinpoint a time on something. The in-laws may have left as much as a half hour before 9:30 a.m. and were just estimating the time they left her apartment. It's interesting that in the UM segment the investigator says that the neighbors heard "very loud blood curdling screams", but in the link of the article that kane7474 posted states that they heard a "brief chilling sound" and figured it was another one of Kristie and Jeff's arguments. And then there was another witness (that UM coincidentally left out) that stated at 9:20 a.m. he saw Kristie's in-laws knocking on her door and Kristie answering and letting them in. Which would pretty much eliminate the two women who heard a scream at 9 a.m.'s account if true. It's so easy for people to mess up remembering a specific time, especially when going about their day to day routines not expecting a murder to be unfolding with a pen and paper ready. So I think it's likely that everyone (including the in-laws) got their times wrong, which makes this case all the more confusing.

So what do I think happened? I honestly think when Kristie was visitied by her in-laws, everything went along uneventful. If they really hated each other as much as those interviewed in UM led you to believe, do you really think Kristie would have let them take her son out for a shopping trip? So I think the in-laws arrived sometime after 8:30 (maybe even as late as 9:20 like the one neighbor reported), to pick up their grandson for the trip. I think everything was civil and the in-laws left with Kristie's son shortly after they arrived. I think there was an unknown intruder who came in through the slider that Kristie had a habit of leaving unlocked. And I think this intruder knew both Jeff and Kristie, which is how he knew to go to the slider instead of the front door. I also think this person was there trying to lift drugs off of Jeff (in UM he made it appear he was clean and sober, but the article posted previously states he was still on drugs while he and Kristie were together and that is what they would often fight about), and I don't the intruder anticpated Kristie being home, so when she sees the intruder she screams, and then she is hit over the head before stumbling into her room where the intruder finishes her off. In the UM segment it states that "nothing was taken", but there were drawers pulled out a rifled through, which seems to indicate someone was looking for something. And maybe Jeff did hide drugs in there and that's what the intrduer retrieved from the residence and then quickly left after the murder. This would also explain why nothing else of value was taken, and why LE believed "nothing was taken from the apartment", since Jeff wouldn't have volunteered that he had cocaine stashed away in his bedroom. There's also another possibility that Jeff owed a dealer money and Kristie was killed in some sort of retaliation, but Jeff insisted that the dealers he went to did not know where he lived. I can't say for certain what happened to Kristie, but it's still an injustice that her murderer is out living the free life. And I think Jeff may know more to the murder than what he's letting on in terms of past drug connections.

There actually is evidence tying the parents to the murder. It may not be really strong evidence but none the less they do look suspicious. We know they where in the apartment very near the time Kristy was killed. That combined with the fact that the husband clearly stated there had been a physical altercation in the past is evidence. If you have an unsolved murder you first look at who the last person you can place the victim with is. Well in this case we know that. We have Christi's freinds who say she always spoke negative of her in laws. Look at who is closest to this case, Im talking about the people who may have knowledge we don't. The husband clearly blamed his parents on the UM episode. He even called them by actual names on not mom or dad. This guy has to know something to basically accuse his own parents. He knew the situation, he knew what his mother was capable of and we simply don't.

Now, I agree with your statements about the witnesses hearing screams and seeing Kay coming when she says she was going and how their timeline is unreliable. However the witness who claimed to hear the screams had a reference point for the time she gave. She knew it was around 9 because both her and her husband where running late for work. So to me at least that witness can be considered accurate on the time because she was in her daily routine. Kinda like if I leave for work every morning a 7 am and one day I see my neighbor being robbed well Im going to know what time I saw it even without a watch on.

Im very impressed with the lead investigator in this case. The man used his own time and money to track down the killer. He investigated this case tiressly and he seems to have come to the conclusion the parents killed her much like the husband openly thinks. Again this is someone else very close to the case.

It is also very possible that someone knew Jeff had drugs in the house and went in the with the intention of stealing them. Then had to kill Christi in order to get what he wanted. May also have been a serial killer that had his eye on her for awhile also. Just seems really coincidental that she was killed in that very small window of time while the parents say they had left.

[TheCars1986]

Originally Posted by kane7474

There actually is evidence tying the parents to the murder. It may not be really strong evidence but none the less they do look suspicious. We know they where in the apartment very near the time Kristy was killed. That combined with the fact that the husband clearly stated there had been a physical altercation in the past is evidence.

I actually meant hard evidence, not circumstantial. And even the circumstantial evidence is slim to say the least. The fact that they were the last known people with Kristie, and that they did not have the best relationship with her is all there is tying them to her murder.

Originally Posted by kane7474

The husband clearly blamed his parents on the UM episode. He even called them by actual names on not mom or dad. This guy has to know something to basically accuse his own parents. He knew the situation, he knew what his mother was capable of and we simply don't.

The husband says on UM that when his parents refused to take a polygraph, that's when he knew they had to be involved. While I would probably feel the same way, since it appears as if his parents have something to hide, we simply have no way of knowing their reason for refusing to take one. May not have been because they had anything to hide. Perhaps they were given legal advice from an attorney who told them not to take one, since most attorneys/lawyers do this with their clients. Or maybe they knew how unreliable they were and simply didn't want to take one and have "inconclusive" or "deceptive" results.

Originally Posted by kane7474

However the witness who claimed to hear the screams had a reference point for the time she gave. She knew it was around 9 because both her and her husband where running late for work. So to me at least that witness can be considered accurate on the time because she was in her daily routine. Kinda like if I leave for work every morning a 7 am and one day I see my neighbor being robbed well Im going to know what time I saw it even without a watch on.

Well you're right, if they claim they were running late for work, then that would be a good reason to note the time and remember it. But again, we don't know what time Kay and Joe arrived the first time and left (before they came back and found Kristie's body). If the neighbors did in fact hear a scream around 9 a.m., and the other witness is correct when he places the in-laws arriving after and Kristie letting them in, then that means the scream was meaningless. Maybe she stubbed her toe, dropped something, who knows? Anything's possible.

Originally Posted by kane7474

Im very impressed with the lead investigator in this case. The man used his own time and money to track down the killer. He investigated this case tiressly and he seems to have come to the conclusion the parents killed her much like the husband openly thinks. Again this is someone else very close to the case.

Of course the lead investigator is going to become overly suspicious when a POI/suspect in a case becomes uncooperative. Anytime someone refuses a polygraph, it instantly raises red flags in the minds of an investigator, and I think that's what shifted the focus of the investigation to them.

Originally Posted by kane7474

It is also very possible that someone knew Jeff had drugs in the house and went in the with the intention of stealing them. Then had to kill Christi in order to get what he wanted. May also have been a serial killer that had his eye on her for awhile also. Just seems really coincidental that she was killed in that very small window of time while the parents say they had left.

I agree, but had the killer been watching the apartment, perhaps he saw Kay and Joe leave and figured there was no one home (since Kay allegedly had a key to the apartment) and decided to go break in. That's another point I forgot to bring up, had the relationship between Kristie and Kay been that volatile, why would Kristie go along with the fact that this woman had a key to access her home whenever she wanted? I got the impression from the segment that the bad blood between them was exaggerated a bit.

[kane7474]

Originally Posted by TheCars1986

I actually meant hard evidence, not circumstantial. And even the circumstantial evidence is slim to say the least. The fact that they were the last known people with Kristie, and that they did not have the best relationship with her is all there is tying them to her murder.



The husband says on UM that when his parents refused to take a polygraph, that's when he knew they had to be involved. While I would probably feel the same way, since it appears as if his parents have something to hide, we simply have no way of knowing their reason for refusing to take one. May not have been because they had anything to hide. Perhaps they were given legal advice from an attorney who told them not to take one, since most attorneys/lawyers do this with their clients. Or maybe they knew how unreliable they were and simply didn't want to take one and have "inconclusive" or "deceptive" results.



Well you're right, if they claim they were running late for work, then that would be a good reason to note the time and remember it. But again, we don't know what time Kay and Joe arrived the first time and left (before they came back and found Kristie's body). If the neighbors did in fact hear a scream around 9 a.m., and the other witness is correct when he places the in-laws arriving after and Kristie letting them in, then that means the scream was meaningless. Maybe she stubbed her toe, dropped something, who knows? Anything's possible.



Of course the lead investigator is going to become overly suspicious when a POI/suspect in a case becomes uncooperative. Anytime someone refuses a polygraph, it instantly raises red flags in the minds of an investigator, and I think that's what shifted the focus of the investigation to them.



I agree, but had the killer been watching the apartment, perhaps he saw Kay and Joe leave and figured there was no one home (since Kay allegedly had a key to the apartment) and decided to go break in. That's another point I forgot to bring up, had the relationship between Kristie and Kay been that volatile, why would Kristie go along with the fact that this woman had a key to access her home whenever she wanted? I got the impression from the segment that the bad blood between them was exaggerated a bit.

Check out the follwing story here. I don't know who wrote this but they seem to have personal knowledge on the people involved. Im not sure how much of this is accurate or what can be confirmed her but there seems to be alot of info that we didnt get in the UM case or anywhere else.
http://www.geocities.ws/missing_kristie/

According to whoever posted this Jeff got a page from Kristi around 9am but when he called there was no answer. If this is true the time of a page can easily be confirmed. He calls and no answer. This is when his mom and step dad are suppose to be there. Could it be that Kristi and Kay where arguing and she tried to call Jeff to intercede?

This article also states someone filled a pillow case with items from the home and left it next to Kristy. Odd. We never heard that before.
The most telling piece of info in this is where it says Jeff's parents did not use their key but instead entered through the sliding door. Very strange

[TheCars1986]

Originally Posted by kane7474

This article also states someone filled a pillow case with items from the home and left it next to Kristy. Odd. We never heard that before. The most telling piece of info in this is where it says Jeff's parents did not use their key but instead entered through the sliding door. Very strange

It says they tried their key but it "wouldn't work". Which is odd, but I don't see why they would lie about this. Why even say anything about this if they just murdered her? It would have been more simple and believable for them to have said that when they returned for the grandson's clothes that they entered through the front using their key and finding Kristie in the bedroom. Volunteering that they used the slider would not be a very smart thing to do, especially if they did in fact kill Kristie.

As for the pillow case, it may have been the result of someone setting up the scene to look like a robbery. But it's just as likely that a burglar was in the process of stealing the items when Kristie disrupted him and he dropped the pillow case and just hightailed it out of there after he killed her. It really could go either way if you think about it.

And you have to consider the source of that website, it's written by one of Kristie's friends who obviously believe that the in-laws murdered her, so it's very biased in that respect.

[kane7474]

Originally Posted by TheCars1986

It says they tried their key but it "wouldn't work". Which is odd, but I don't see why they would lie about this. Why even say anything about this if they just murdered her? It would have been more simple and believable for them to have said that when they returned for the grandson's clothes that they entered through the front using their key and finding Kristie in the bedroom. Volunteering that they used the slider would not be a very smart thing to do, especially if they did in fact kill Kristie.

As for the pillow case, it may have been the result of someone setting up the scene to look like a robbery. But it's just as likely that a burglar was in the process of stealing the items when Kristie disrupted him and he dropped the pillow case and just hightailed it out of there after he killed her. It really could go either way if you think about it.

And you have to consider the source of that website, it's written by one of Kristie's friends who obviously believe that the in-laws murdered her, so it's very biased in that respect.

You know I had considered that possibly this was a robbery for drugs etc but after the burglar killed Christie he heard the parents at the door and ran out the back. However if they actually went in the back then they more then likely would have encountered him. Which makes that theory less plausible.

[TheCars1986]

Anyone else have any thoughts/opinions on this one?

[MegtheEgg86]

Originally Posted by TheCars1986

Anyone else have any thoughts/opinions on this one?

I never really "got the feeling" about Joe and Kate. I always thought it was probably more likely that Kristi was murdered by someone linked in with Jeff's drug activity, although we didn't hear a lot about that in the segment.

[TheCars1986]

Originally Posted by MegtheEgg86

I never really "got the feeling" about Joe and Kate. I always thought it was probably more likely that Kristi was murdered by someone linked in with Jeff's drug activity, although we didn't hear a lot about that in the segment.

Yeah I tend to think Jeff wasn't being honest when he said he was clean on drugs. I don't think he wanted to admit to still using out of fear that maybe he'd get caught and/or out of fear of retribution.