Unthinkable Betrayal's primary photo

On the Case with Paula Zahn

Unthinkable Betrayal (Season 25, Episode 9)
TV Episode | Documentary, Crime
On September 4, 1981, Jeff Slaten, age 15 and his brother Tim, age 12, were awakened by Lakeland, Florida, police. The boys were told that their mother, Linda Slaten, had been murdered. Investigators collected a rape kit and lifted a palm ...See moreOn September 4, 1981, Jeff Slaten, age 15 and his brother Tim, age 12, were awakened by Lakeland, Florida, police. The boys were told that their mother, Linda Slaten, had been murdered. Investigators collected a rape kit and lifted a palm print from the windowsill where the killer had entered. They questioned a slew of suspects, but no one was charged, and the case went cold for 40 years. Prior to, and after Linda Slaten's murder, Tim's football coach, Joe Mills, would regularly drive Tim to and from football practice. Coach Joe became a role model for the young boy, who proudly hung up his football team photo in his room. In the photo, Coach Mills stood right behind Tim. Linda's sons spent decades living in fear of the man they called "The Monster". Nearly 40 years later, advances in DNA technology revealed Linda Slaten's likely killer: Coach Joe. "I looked up to this guy," Tim tells "48 Hours" contributor Jim Axelrod. "And I had a picture in my house ever since then, and never knew it was him." "He's a cold-hearted monster, that's for sure," says Jeff. See less
Read more: Plot summary
Editor
RJ Martin
See all filmmakers & crew (4)
Status
Edit Released
Updated Nov 6, 2022
Release date
Nov 13, 2022 (United States)

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2 cast members
Name Known for
Paula Zahn's primary photo
Paula Zahn
Self - Host / Narrator Self - Host / Narrator   See fewer
Murphy Brown (1988)
Linda Slaten's primary photo
Linda Slaten
Self - Murder Victim in 1981 / Age 31 (archive footage) Self - Murder Victim in 1981 / Age 31 (archive footage)   See fewer
48 Hours Podcast (2013)
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