"Al came to fix my television and he killed me and burned me. Tell the police." — Voice speaking through Remi Chua, claiming to be Terracida Bassa.
"Honey, I am very sorry, but our relationship is over. We've had a great seven years, but I am responsible for Miss Bassa's death. I don't want you to wait for me because I am not coming back. I want you to sell the furniture and make a good life for our child." — Alan Shawori to his girlfriend.
"I see no reason to restrict the investigatory power of the police. Whether they believed the voices or not, they had to check it out." — Judge quoted in The Washington Post.
The episode details the perplexing murder of Terracida Bassa, a respiratory therapist and aspiring music doctorate, who was found murdered in her Chicago high-rise apartment in 1977. The initial scene was chaotic, with a fire set to destroy evidence, and the victim discovered under a burning mattress. Detectives faced a significant challenge due to the destruction of evidence by the fire, with the only initial clue being a personal note about concert tickets. Autopsy results revealed Terracida was a virgin, ruling out sexual assault as a motive.
The investigation stalled until a surgeon, Dr. Jose Chua, contacted the police with an extraordinary claim: his wife, Remi, had allegedly been possessed by Terracida's spirit on multiple occasions. The "spirit" identified Alan Shawori, a former colleague of Terracida's, as her killer and specified that he had stolen jewelry. While initially skeptical, the police pursued this lead, which proved instrumental. A background check on Alan Shawori revealed prior arrests for theft and sexual assault, and confirmation that he was scheduled to fix Terracida's television on the night of her murder.
Confronted with this information, Alan Shawori's story shifted multiple times, raising suspicion. His girlfriend identified jewelry he had given her as belonging to Terracida. Under pressure, Alan confessed to murdering and robbing Terracida, staging the scene to appear as a sexual assault, and setting the fire. Despite his confession, Alan pleaded not guilty at trial, claiming coercion. He was eventually convicted of murder, armed robbery, and arson, receiving a sentence that made him eligible for parole after serving approximately half his time. The episode highlights the unconventional path to solving the crime, touching on the skepticism surrounding the "ghostly" tip and the jury's initial inability to reach a verdict.