Dateline: Unforgettable - 5 harrowing details about Christian Kit Martin's crime

Another shocking incident explored in the Dateline: Unforgettable episode, The Evil That Watches, is the brutal murder of three people from the same neighborhood of Pembroke, Kentucky. The culprit later turned out to be a former U.S. Army major and American Airlines pilot, Christian "Kit" Martin.

The case happened in November 2015, and finally, in 2019, Kit was terminated from his duty and charged with three homicides. The 53-year-old was found guilty of killing Calvin Phillips, Calvin’s wife Pamela Phillips, and their neighbour Edward Dansereau.

On the fateful day, Cal was supposed to receive a delivery at his house. His wife called him several times, only for the call to go to voicemail. She decided to leave her office early, however, she vanished on the way. The next day, her car was found burnt on a remote road with her and a neighbour, Edward's, body inside.

Here are the five harrowing details from the case, as shown on Dateline NBC.

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Here are the 5 Harrowing details about Martin's case as shown in Dateline

Cal was a retired Army person who spent time fixing and renovating his house now and then.

The sudden disappearances of Cal and Pamela

On November 18, 2015, Calvin Phillips was last seen entering his home to await an appliance delivery but was never heard from again. His wife, then the vice president of a local bank, left office early and rushed home to check on her husband.

Marlene LaRock, their family friend, had also tried to reach out to Cal earlier that day. Later, Pamela called LaRock to ask her if she had seen Cal that day, however, the call was cut abruptly.

"Hold on a minute, don’t hang up, I hear something’ and then I heard, like, squeal, and she never came back on the phone.” says LaRock in Dateline interview.

Pamela and Edwards' bodies were discovered

The next day, Pamela's car was found burned on a remote road, and there were two bodies inside, hers and Edward's. The police were informed through a 911 call.

Police investigated Cal and Martin's military connections

Investigations uncovered that Martin had been court-martialed for charges including child abuse and mishandling classified information. Calvin Phillips had reported these offences, potentially making him a target to prevent his testimony in Martin's upcoming military trial.

Joan Harmon, Martin's ex-wife's name came to light

Kit Martin got married to Joan Harmon in 2004. Their relationship was tumultuous, with Harmon charging him with abuse, culminating in a divorce in 2012. After Cal and Pamela's deaths, Joan also spoke about her ex-husband in an interview with Dateline.

Forensic Evidence and Martin's arrest

A shell casing found at the crime scene matched a .45-caliber firearm registered to Martin. This, along with other physical evidence, linked him directly to the murders. Martin, according to Oxygen, claimed that he always got along with the neighbours. He also insisted that Harmon had framed him for the murder.

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When the police arrived at Edwards's house after the murder, it seemed like he had left the house in a hurry while his back door was open. The investigators only got to know that he left his home, assuming some chaos in Calvin's house, but how he ended up in Pamela's car is still not known. Edward was a pianist and a chef, as shown on Dateline.