'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wAARCAAFAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFgABAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYH/8QAIhAAAgEEAAcBAAAAAAAAAAAAAgMBAAQFEQYSEyExMkFR/8QAFQEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAgP/xAAYEQADAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARECMf/aAAwDAQACEQMRAD8AxuzytqHDmL62Lt3NS0ikzn33vW+3iPypR1ytzmNi2WEGUlyjM6HfyKUoZ6yliP/Z'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Another harrowing case of murder came to light on April 7, 2008, as per Dateline's episode titled The Phone Call. As the title suggests, one phone call shifted the entire case in the wrong direction, which led to the false incarceration of Pete Coones for murdering Kathleen Schroll
Kathleen and her husband, Carl Schroll, were found dead in their home in Kansas City. Initially, the prosecutor considered it a double homicide case, but after knowing about the last phone call Kathleen made to her mother before dying, it was revealed that Olin "Pete" Coones Jr. had earlier threatened them to kill. This led to Pete's arrest within 48 hours, and he was sentenced to 50 years of prison without parole.
Let's know about some disturbing details of the case as per the Dateline NBC episode.
Dateline: Who was Kathleen Schroll, and what happened to her?
Kathleen Schroll was found dead in her living room with a gunshot wound at the back of the head. A few feet apart, her husband was lying dead on the bed with 2 gunshots in the chest. When Kathleen made the phone call to her mother, telling her about the threats they received from Pete Coones, Kathleen's brother immediately called 911. But when the police arrived at the crime scene, the couple was already dead.
“They were so happy and they were always laughing and joking,” Kathleen’s daughter Blair Hadley told Dateline, talking about her mom and stepdad.
The prosecutors noticed that there was no trace of conflict; the furniture was intact. No glass was broken, and the windows were intact. Despite the lack of evidence, they arrested and convicted Pete Coones for murdering Kathleen Schroll.
Disturbing details of the 2008 incident revealed in Dateline NBC
Pete has five kids, and his family was in shock after his conviction. They keep on asserting the fact that the entire night when the murder happened, Pete was with them. Pete's wife recalls waking him up at 2 AM with her coughing problem, and his oldest daughter, Mariah, recalls Pete coming downstairs and warning her to sleep early while she was watching a movie late at night with her boyfriend.
When Pete was arrested and was 11 months in prison, he again filed for another trial. But in vain, as again he was convicted for Kathleen's murder. Finally, after an immense back-and-forth, the prosecutors realized that Kathleen's hand swabs were never tested. The entire verdict was overturned when they were investigated.
Kathleen murdered her husband and then killed herself while the call was an attempt to frame Pete Coones for the same. This revelation happened in 2020 when Pete had spent 12 years in prison.
The police found gunpowder on the swabs, and the DNA matched with Kathleen. This led to the acquittal of Pete Coones. Unfortunately, he died at the age of 64, 108 days after his release from prison, suffering from Lung Cancer.
Trending
Kathleen was a caretaker of Pete's father, who suffered from dementia. Later, it was also revealed that Kathleen changed the name on Pete's father's insurance policy and also transferred more than $ 30,000 from his savings account. Then only Pete realized that it was not his father who wanted Kathleen's name on the policy, which was the reason behind his dislike for Kathleen, as per Dateline.
Your perspective matters!
Start the conversation
