 Mr. District Attorney, starring David Bryan. Mr. District Attorney, champion of the people, defender of truth, guardian of our fundamental rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. And it shall be my duty as District Attorney not only to prosecute to the limit of the law all persons accused of crimes perpetrated within this county but to defend with equal vigor the rights and privileges of all its citizens. This is David Bryan. In a moment we'll bring you another case from the files of Mr. District Attorney. But first a word from our sponsor. Here is our star, David Bryan as Paul Garrett, Mr. District Attorney. A District Attorney knows that time and distance are the implacable enemies of law enforcement because they can mean the difference between preventing a crime or being forced to solve one. This case started with a phone call in the middle of the night from a lonely, rural area on the outskirts of the county. Operator. Operator, please. Operator. Operator, number please. Thank heaven. Operator, get me the Sheriff's Office quickly. Oh, is that you, Mrs. DeNene? Yes, please. Oh, this is Mary Lou Jones, Mrs. DeNene. I'm working nights now. Some wrong. Mary Lou, stop talking and get me the Sheriff's Office. He's got to send somebody to my house right away. Well, I have to take the number on all police calls. What's your number there? It's J247 Ring 3. Will you hurry? Somebody's trying to break into the house and I'm all alone. Well, there's nobody in the town. Time to stop it, even if she had a phone operator heard the shots right after Mrs. DeNene screamed and dropped the phone. Phone's off the hook there, rural party line. Hmm. Any special reason for the two squads you have posted down the road? No, just cut off furious visitors. Phone operator's a young girl, a little bit of a character. She's been waking people up on the lines to tell them what happened. Any idea how the killer got in? Uh, yeah. Side door, I'll show you. Oh, wait. I want to hang this phone up now in case the office wants to reach us here. If I chance of anybody getting through while that girl is calling, only call she's placing on her own. You said the dead woman is Mrs. DeNene? Uh, yeah. Where's her husband? Now, she told the phone operator he was in Pittsburgh on business. I've got Pittsburgh police checking all the hotels. They'd be notified if they find him. Oh, here's the door. It was wide open. That's how we got in to open the front door. The lock doesn't seem to be broken. It must have been picked. I don't suppose you know if anything's been stolen. No, I doubt it. Everything's neat. Jaws have been ransacked. Matter of fact, there's Mrs. DeNene's purse on the side for him. There you see. About $40 in cash hasn't been touched. Well, that wasn't the motive then. I mean, what other thing it could be? What? Hey, Harrington, can you think of any other reason for breaking into a house in the middle of the night and murdering a woman in cold blood? Well, I guess not, Chief. Now, let's take a look around outside. You got your flashlight? Uh, yeah. Flash it around. Right. Cold? Throw the beam that way again. Harrington, what are we looking for? I saw some shoe imprints on the ground. I'd like to see which way they go. Yeah, there's a couple of marks here. Yeah, seemed to lead back that way, behind the house. You think the killer was on foot? I don't know. Let's go back away. Keep going, all right. Yes, and a set of prints leading toward the house. He came this way and went back this way. Is there a road back here any place? I've been out here once before, about, uh, five years ago. Yeah, a suspected arson case. Farmhouse burned down about a mile back this way. Family name Mullin. Oh, yes, I remember. You decided the fire was accidental. Yeah, yeah, that's right. There was a dirt road leading to the farm, cutting to the main highway further down. Oh, man, may have been headed for that dirt road. Why? He must have had a car. He didn't drive up to the house in it. He left it someplace away from the scene. Uh, back on the date road? That's what we're going to find out. Never mind the footprints. Head right for the road. Wind is dying. He's getting light soon. Yeah. Here's what you want, Chief. Yes, the car was parked here all right. Yeah, footprints again, too. Coming and going from where the car was standing. Now, that's where the car turned around to go back to the main road. Yeah, I mean, that's something, though. What is it? Cigarette butt. Oh, he didn't smoke much of it. No, didn't he burn down to the brand mark? Well, that's one thing we know about him. That kind of cigarette he smokes. That's about all we do, no, Chief. We won't be able to follow these tire marks past the main road. Tread impressions won't do us any good either. It's a standard tread, no distinguishing marks. Tires were fairly new. Well, what now? Back to the house. The car is out of the side of the house. It's not a sport car. Not the medical examiner's either. Boys had orders not to let anybody through except on official business. Between the house and the garage. Would it be Denique's car? Denique? How? Even if the Pittsburgh police had located him right away, unless you drove back during the night, let's go on front. Yeah, the man sitting there, the porch chief, got his head in his arms. There must be the husband all right. Mr. Denique? Yes. My name is Garrett. I'm the district attorney. This is Mr. Harrington. I don't care who you are. Uh, look, Mr. Denique, we can't tell you how sorry we are that... Then don't, please. What good does it do to be sorry? Let me handle it, Harrington. Mr. Denique, it would help us a lot to know one thing. Did you or your wife have any enemies? Enemies? Could there be anybody with enough hatred in their heart to do this? And even if I knew, do you think I'd tell you? I'd take care of it myself. That's not the right way to talk, Mr. Denique. Don't tell me how to talk. You didn't drive home from Pittsburgh ten minutes ago. You didn't find your wife the way I found my... Maybe you'd better rest for a while, Mr. Denique. We'll talk to you later. I want to go round to the side door and use the phone. See if that telephone operator from the local exchange is on her way out here yet. Yeah, long enough since I sent for her. We should... What's the matter? What are you looking at, Denique's car for? Design of the tire tread. Same as we saw on the back road. Yeah, but like you said, they're standard on lots of cars. I know. Let's look it over anyhow. Look at this. On the frame of the car door. Service station lubrication record. Local station. Yes, dated three days ago. 18,106 miles. Now look at the mileage on this pedometer. 18,217 miles. Hey, just a little more than a hundred miles. He couldn't have driven the Pittsburgh and backed since that record was pasted on. I'm going to get a few answers from him. There comes a squad car. A girl in with the driver. There must be the phone operator. Looks like Denique went in the house, Chief. As long as we know where he is, we'll get back to him in a minute. Are you Mr. Garrett? Yes. Well, that policeman drove me out and said you wanted to see me. I'm Mary Lou Jones. I heard the whole thing on the telephone. I'm the operator on the local exchange. Exactly what did you hear, Miss Jones? Well, I heard the whole thing. It was just dreadful. I heard her crying and then she said, who are you? What do you want? And then the shots. That was all. You're sure you heard her say, who are you? Yes. That's what she said. I heard the whole thing. It was just terrible. Then I finally found the deputy's number and I called him and he said he'd come out right away but that I should call the district attorney's office too and I did. Well, thank you, Miss Jones. The policeman will drive you back to town. Don't you want to know anything else? I mean, hmm, an idea about who might have done it or anything? Well, whose idea? Well, people around here, I mean, well, some of them think it might have been Ted Mullin. The Mullin place that burned down, Chief. Well, why do people think that? Well, Mr. DeNene works at the bank, you know. No, I didn't know. Sure. He's president of the bank. When the Mullins had that fire a long time ago, well, Ted Mullin said it never would have happened if Mr. DeNene had OK'd alone he wanted to put in a water pipe instead of just using a well. Ted hated Mr. DeNene. Right up until the time he moved away two years ago. I see. Better get through to Radio Division, Harrington. Put out an information-wanted bulletin on Mullin. You don't want to talk to DeNene again, then? I guess not. Not anymore. This is David Bryan. Before we continue with Mr. District Attorney in the case of the silent killer, here is an important message from our sponsor. And now back to David Bryan, starring as Paul Garrett. Mr. District Attorney. A woman had been murdered in her isolated home. The commission of the crime had been overheard by a frantic telephone operator trying to reach the police for the victim. Our only suspect was a former neighbor thought to be harboring a five-year grudge against the dead woman's husband. We put out an all-points bulletin for the suspect. Meanwhile, as a matter of routine, I checked the alibi of the dead woman's husband. Here's a report from the Pittsburgh police, Mr. Garrett. It just came in. Oh, thanks, Miss Miller. Mr. DeNene was there all right, registered at the Penn Plaza Hotel day before yesterday. When did he check out? Just after midnight, last night. Hmm. Telephone operator said the murder took place about 1.30 a.m. He couldn't have gotten back in time to do it. No, not if it was really DeNene. Hotel clerk's description checks out 100%. Well, that's it then. But... What? Tell it tight to them again. I want one more bit of information. Yes, sir. Ask if the Penn Plaza Hotel has its own garage or parking lot. I want to know if DeNene had his car with him. Yes, sir. They were hiding. You getting your word on that pickup at Ted Mullen yet? No, except that he's moved out of the state. That's all we have so far. I've been to all the insurance companies. Walter DeNene counted a few small policies on his wife. Nothing exceptional. DeNene's been doing some speculating of a stock market film. You check brokerage houses? Yeah. He's been buying unlisted stocks against their advice. Now, how have his investments turned out? From what I gather, he's been losing his shirt. Strange conduct for the president of a bank. Even a small bank. There's something else. What? He became president of the bank in a hurry. Six years ago when he married Mrs. DeNene. What was he before that? A bookkeeper. That is a big jump. How did it happen? Simplest answer in the world. His wife had money. An inheritance from a father. He left for about a quarter of a million. He was in the steel business. Steel business? I could explain his trip to Pittsburgh. DeNene might have been checking on his wife's holdings. I wonder who he saw while he was there. Well, who'd have charged you of Mrs. DeNene's affairs? Your father's attorney. I can find out by checking his will. The attorney's name should be listed. Tell Miss Miller to cancel that teletype. I'll get my information directly. Call the motor pool and tell him I want a car and drive it to take me out to the airport. I'll see you tomorrow morning. Where are you going? Pittsburgh. Yes, Walter was here to see me, Mr. Garrett. I handled his wife's affairs just as I handled everything for her father before her. And you saw him here in Pittsburgh last night? Yes, he had dinner at my home. You seem to be disturbed about something, Mr. Medford. Well, I don't know if I'm... Sturved is the right word, Mr. Garrett, but I wondered about Walter's visit. It seemed unnecessary. Would you mind explaining that? I don't quite know how I can explain it. Well, he just seemed to be preoccupied with the fact that he intended to drive all night in order to get home. As a matter of fact, he became such a bore on the subject that Mrs. Medford, my wife, said she had a headache and asked to be excused. Did DeNene drive out to your home? No. We met here at the office and went out in my car. Took a taxi back to the hotel. But, well, there was one other thing I suppose I should tell you, one of the circumstances. Yes? After my wife left us, he did it almost as a joke, Walter asked if his wife had changed her will lately. I don't like to say anything that I'm uncertain of, but I had a feeling that he was trying to draw me out, but obtained information. Has the will been changed? No, it has not. Walter DeNene gets everything. You don't like DeNene, do you? He's an avaricious man, Mr. Garrett, with no special talent. Well, I don't quite agree with your appraisal, Mr. Medford. I think Walter DeNene has a very special talent. He just missed his calling. I don't follow you, sir. DeNene is an excellent actor. Thank you very much for your help. Oh, I'll see you out. Good morning, Miss Miller. Well, good morning, Harrington. Chief In yet? No, we got home late last night, but I'm expecting him any minute. What's that you got? A report on Ted Mullen, but he's not our baby. You got an alibi? Yeah, read it. Los Angeles police. Mullen is out there. Camarillo State Hospital for the insane. He's been under lock and key for more than a year. Oh, it's too bad. The poor man, I mean. Mr. Garrett will be... Good morning. Oh, good morning, Chief. Good morning, Mr. Garrett. Well, we've come to a dead end on that Ted Mullen thing. Chief, he... Never mind. It's not Mullen I'm after now. I'm interested in Walter DeNene. You mean he wasn't in Pittsburgh? No, he was there all right, but his car wasn't with him. How did he travel then? The same way I did, by plane. I found an airline stewardess who remembered a man of his description. Oh, great. I checked stock brokers. You take the airline stewardesses. She checked her flight list. The man she thinks was DeNene was under the name of Art Folger. I want you to run that name through the record bureau, Miss Mullen. Art Folger, yes, sir. Why do you want to run a make on a phony name? Because I think it may not be a phony name, Harrington. I think it may be the name of the killer. Oh, how come? DeNene inherits a fortune through his wife's death. I have every reason to believe his trip to Pittsburgh was to establish an alibi. He was seen at the hotel, dined with his wife's attorney. A perfect alibi for him. Yeah. But the actual killer needed an alibi, too, just in case. And he's got one of his name is Art Folger. He was on an airplane from Pittsburgh when Mrs. DeNene was killed. The airline record says so. Pretty neat. But, uh, what about DeNene's car? The killer used it. Chief, why wouldn't he rent a car? I'll ask you. Figure it out. Yeah. If we checked rental places, he couldn't be on an airplane and driving a rented car at the same time. Have you seen DeNene since I left? Uh, yes. He hasn't left the funeral home for a second. He's playing the bereaved husband to the hilt. That's what I was hoping he'd do. That's all I want from you, Miss Miller. You can get down to the record room. I'll wait for your report on Folger. Yes, sir. You, uh, you want me to pick up DeNene, chief? Not yet. Not until we can tie him to the killer he hired. We need indisputable physical evidence of association between DeNene and the killer. Well, that's something we can't get. Yes, we can. Where? From DeNene's car. If the killer used it, his fingerprints may be in it someplace. Call a lab crew. Take them out to the funeral home. Have them... I'll take it. DA's office, Harrington. Yeah. Yeah, Jeff. Yeah, well, don't let him see you. That's all. Jeff Wallace, chief. He's been keeping DeNene under surveillance. Mm-hmm. DeNene pulled a faint to the funeral parlor. He let them talk him into going home for a rest. Jeff followed him. Did he go home? Yes, by way of the bank. The bank? Uh-huh. Jeff says he stopped about five minutes, went into the safe deposit section. I wonder what he's up to. Same thing. The county cashier is up to every week before you go to see him. What? He's getting the payroll ready. Killers get paid, too. Come on. We're gonna go over the car just the same, right at his house? We certainly are. He's liable to see us. That's a chance we'll have to take. Once he pays off, our killer will head for parts unknown. Hey, perfect timing. Not quite. That's an upcar. It's a good thing I caught you. Here's the record on Folger. Well, and there really is an odd Folger. Yeah. What have you got? One conviction, assault with deadly weapon, one charge of manslaughter, no indictment, one charge of murder, sounds like a pro killer, all right. There'll be an indictment this time. Give me the file. We'll see you later. Going down, please. Handles, too, fellas. Got as many sets of those prints as possible. Oh, chief, I was just gonna come in the house after you. Morgan just pulled a set of our Folger's prints from the dashboard of the car. We've got it. We've got trouble, too. I've been through the entire house. Denine isn't in there. Well, he must have gone out the back or Jeff would have spotted him leaving. He's got to be on foot. Now, where would he be going? The only place back there is that burned-out ruin where Mullen used to live. On the back road. He's walking back there to make the payoff. And we can grab Folger, too. If we can get there in time. You say that road runs into the State Highway? Yeah. It angles in about two miles down, then cuts around that way. Let's go, then. Maybe we can drive the four miles before he can walk the one. Don't worry. Thought you were gonna walk out here to meet me. I did. I thought I heard a car along the road while I was coming through the trees. I didn't hear anything here. There's nothing on the road. You can only see 50 feet to where it turns. You got the money? Here, 700. I gave you three when we made the deal. Now, get lost and forget that you ever saw me. You forget you saw me, too. All right, all right. Get going. Just stay right where you are, gentlemen. Who is that, Denine? I don't know. Who is it? Where are you? Folger, they might shoot and hit me. What do you think will happen if they kill us? You'd never get to it in time. Don't make me kid you, mister. He got me out here to sell me some information about who killed my wife. Never mind that, Denine. We know who was responsible. A service station attendant, an attorney, and an airline stewardess. Just a bunch of average citizens, Denine. That's what society is. That's what the law is. This is David Bryan again. I hope you've enjoyed this case of Mr. District Attorney. I'll be back in just a moment after this message from our sponsor. Mr. District Attorney, David Bryan, with a word about the program you have just heard. Walter Denine and Art Folger were tried and convicted on a charge of murder in the first degree. Their pleas for executive clemency were denied by the governor, and they were executed in the manner prescribed by law. Now, this is David Bryan inviting you to join us when we present our next case based on the facts of crime from the file of Mr. District Attorney. Mr. District Attorney was originated by Phillips H. Lord.