You are not the subject of investigation, and you're not in any trouble. We're taking you back home. Yes. Nobody has arrested Robert Edwards. A sergeant asked him to come in and talk about some old incidents, and he said yes. He is sixty-six years old. Then can you explain to me why your DNA was found inside her? I have no idea on this one. What nobody has told him is that a sergeant has already been through his trash. His DNA matches a profile found on two women, killed five years apart. You taped her hands. No, no. You got the wrong person. Turn around for me. I'm gonna put two on, just 'cause you're a bigger dude. Okay. On the third of June, nineteen ninety-one, a woman was found in a vacant lot in Urbancrest, a village on the south-west Her name was Alma Lake. She was thirty years old, and she had been strangled. Five years later, on the seventh of November, nineteen ninety-six, a second woman was found at the side of James Road, Her name was Michelle Dawson. She was thirty-six. She lived on the east side of Columbus, and nothing connected her to that road. In two thousand and three, the state laboratory compared the evidence from the two women. It was the same man. For eighteen more years, that was all anyone knew. during then, like, you seem like a super cool dude. Um, were you, were you addicted to anything? Yeah. Okay. All right. All right. That's where we're going, that's where we're going. So, um- I've been clean since 2011. Congratulations. Nice. Clean since November... 2011. Um, prior to that, like, um, do you remember how old you were when you started using? Like what year maybe? Um, early eighties. So early eighties. What was your drug of choice? Crack. Crack cocaine? Yep. Anything else? Nope. Urbancrest. I was always in Urbancrest. Never came out of Urbancrest. So you, so you lived in Urbancrest? Yes. You know where that is? We actually cover that area. That's our area. You ever see sheriffs back in there, sheriff's cruisers back in there? Well, back then it was just a Grove City Police. Oh. You ever, you, you ever, did you ever live in, uh, like, uh, you ever live like in any of like the suburbs around like, around here? Did you ever live in like Worthington or like Westerville, or like Dublin, or like Grove City? Other than Urbancrest, did you ever live in like, uh, like, uh, what is- No, I never lived in the suburb ...in Granville, or Newark, or any place like that? No. Yeah, for once, in Newark too. But that ain't a suburb. But I wasn't there long neither. Uh, yeah. Um... In a big trucky type place. They power washed stuff. I can't think of the name of it, but- Mm. You know any, uh, companies down there that are I'm not familiar with nothing out there, out that way. I can't think of the name of it, but it's, uh- Trucking company? Yeah. It-- Not so much trucking. MPW. You worked at MPW? Yeah. In Newark? Then you- He has just placed himself in both. In nineteen ninety-one he lived on Urban Hollow Court, about half a mile from the vacant lot. In nineteen ninety-six he lived in Newark and worked at M P W, in Hebron. James Road is on the way between the two. Any children? Yes, they all grown. All grown. How many you got? Um, two girls and five boy. You a busy man. Seven. So can you give me, can you give me a few minutes so I can go— like, I wanna evaluate who I need to ask you about, who I know. Can you-- Can you give me a few minutes? Is that okay? Yeah, go ahead. What'd she say? She said, "Y'all got the right person? Robert Edwards?" Got three so-called sons with that name. I have met, I'm gonna say at least twenty people in prison with that name. This is how they found him. His sons had given DNA inside the corrections system. In two thousand and twenty-one the state laboratory saw that their profiles resembled the unknown man's. It was not them. It was someone close to them. So I'm gonna show you some pictures. I wanna ask you if you know these people and how you know them. Oh, yeah. Is that fair? That's fair. Okay. That's Terry. That's Terry? That's your ex-wife? Yeah. Or is, are you guys still legally married currently? That's my son, Bobby Boy. That's his son. Okay. Got it. That's my one son, Robert. If we had the right, right person. Okay. Do you know her? Never seen her before in my life. Okay. Her name is [withheld]. Uh, over off of like, what would it be, Bryden? Bryden Road area? Oh, Can you, can you tell me about that? I sure can. All right. It started early that morning, morning be-- well, morning before that. and her and a buddy, we all took off to go, uh, for drinking. We started like, shit, like nine o'clock in the morning. Mm-hmm. Started off to Livingston Avenue, and then all, went all the way across the lobby to the, um, Short North, all the way back down West, and all the way back there. I sat there and dropped her off. No, I dropped all of them off at the, uh, where I was supposed to be working. But anyway, when they got in the car, she got in the front seat with me. Now, I can't remember her, you know, first, but the girl sat there put her, uh, purse in the back seat of my car. And, um, Elvin and, uh, the other girl was in the back seat, and the other, uh, man, I guess that's her, was in the front seat. We partied all day. I would bring the car back the next morning, yeah, well, early in the morning, and they said that, uh, the girl told me that I raped her and stuff. And so all you did was kiss her on the cheek and- No, she kissed me on the cheek. Now, uh, we was all in the shop, but when they come and they came out, when they came out of that shop, I mean, when I first pulled up, they was bringing out knives and hatchets and all kinds of stuff. I don't even know where none of that stuff came from. What? The police. I'm sitting up here wondering. They had me in the back seat of the car. I'm watching them bring all this stuff out. I didn't know where all of that stuff come from. Okay. so what happened with that case, you know? Do you remember? They, they held me for eleven months, and then it got thrown out. Eleven months. You got held in jail for eleven months? Yeah. And then it got dismissed? Yep. The detectives say that years before, a woman reported him to Columbus police for abduction and assault. He was held for eleven months. The case was dismissed before trial. You knew [her]. I think I know her. I don't know her for sure. You know [her]. Mm-hmm. Well, [She] alleged a lot of violent things that happened to her. There's nothing that can be done with this one at all. So she alleged a lot of violent things that happened to her that night. We read the case file. But you're saying it did happen. It didn't happen with me. so you're certain on that, that they-- I mean, you know. Certain on what? Certain that no harm was done to her by you. No harm, no. I mean, uh, like I said, I can't remember if we had sex or not because we did go over one of her friends on the West-- Well, not, not the West Bank, but the Short North, and we were over there for a while, but we weren't there that long. So yeah, I was with her. I mean, alone with her, no. No. So you, you don't remember being alone with her to, like, have- No, no, no, no, no, no, no. Or- I mean, we were together. I mean, I think that's fair because y'all said I was. Okay. That's the only way I know. You know that lady here? I don't know. You ever met her before? No. You haven't? Cool. Okay. Are you sure? Yeah. I would remember if I'd ever met her before. Did you ever have any relationship with her? No. You've never- No, I don't. No girl-girlfriend, ex-girlfriend? No, I don't. Ex-wife? No, no, no, no. There was-- Was she a, was she a prostitute that you had picked up? I would remember that, though. Okay. That, uh- I don't remember. Okay. I know damn well I don't know if I did know that one. you do not know her? No, I do not know her. No shape or form. No shape or form. Girlfriend, ex-wife, or wife? No, nothing. No, n-no relationship. Okay. I wouldn't remember her that way. Even then, did you ever, you ever, like, picked up prostitutes ever? No, I-- There was some out there at Urbancrest, but no. You didn't pick up? No. So you, you, you lived in Urbancrest, correct? Yes. Okay. So she was found in Urbancrest. Um, in Craig. Oh, in Craig. In Urbancrest. Oh, what? Oh. Craig Street, in Urbancrest. She was found in there. Uh-huh. Okay? Does that bring back anything? Urban Hollow, or what they call, uh- Urbancrest ... Urban Hollow. So that's where I lived, and- ... there, there were shootouts out there, but there were no bodies out- ... not over in Urbancrest. No? Okay. Well, she-- So she was found, she was found dead. Yeah. So, uh, so the question I have for you is this. And if you-- You know, we're trying to figure this all out. If you don't know her- No, I don't ... and you had never seen her before- ... and she was found in Urbancrest. Can you explain to me how her-- your DNA was found inside her? Like I said, there were shootouts out there and- But you told her that you didn't pick up hookers. Not in Columbus. I didn't. Well, I said I lived in Ur-Urban Okay. And yeah, I sat there and, uh, paid ten or fifteen dollars, you know. I did. I mean- Yeah she was found, she was found dead in Newark. She was found dead, matter of fact, to be exact, she was found dead at 1470 James Road in Granville, Ohio, which is in Newark. Um, So I, I can show you the file when all this was out there. I was out, out at-- down south, because I was a safety person for MPW. I don't know nothing about this. Okay. So- But, uh, y'all gonna tell me my stuff was in? Sorry. South where? You said you were down south. Uh, that-- We were doing our power plant all down south, and I was a safety person at all the power stations. Like, south United States or southern Ohio? Yeah, Tennessee. Okay. Uh, where else we going? Uh, Virginia. Uh, I can't remember all the places, but I-- We were doing our power station down south. All right. So then- ... this was ninety-six. So yeah, this was in- So you weren't even in the state then. That's what I'm saying. Yeah, I was working for MPW. I was down south. What, what month? I could tell you exact dates. What month was it? November. November? Okay. We did the power plants. there's no way that any of your DNA would be on her, do you know what I'm saying? I don't remember killing her, so I'm gonna say, I'm gonna say that. I don't remember seeing her. All right. It's a lot of years. When Alma Lake happened, I was, I was in like, let's see here. I was probably in like eighth or seventh grade. So it-- When you getting talking about going back in, back in time, it's going back a lot of years, okay? So we're trying-- That's why we're trying to get all this out. Um, I gotta get something to drink. I'm as dry as you are. So get me a drink. Come on, I'll be right back. The man asking the questions is Sergeant Mickey Casper. He was a schoolboy in June nineteen ninety-one. His father was the lieutenant at the vacant lot in Urbancrest that morning. Robert Edwards has just given him an alibi. One of the people watching this interview already has his work schedule from nineteen ninety-six. I'm coming in to join your party. Okay. I love pipe. My daddy smokes pipe. I love that. I absolutely love it. I like, I'm, I feel good with the pipe smoke over cigarette smoke, so. I love it. You know that. You know when your pipe smelling good. I'm very fond like that. Yo, Robert, let me-- I wanna talk about [her]. What's going on? you bound her with rope and tape- Mm-hmm ... [her], inside of a business, you tell me you don't remember that? No, I swear to God, I don't. arrested. Yeah, the one that got you arrested and locked up for eleven months, and you didn't, and you didn't go to jail for it. Like you were in jail for eleven months, but you never faced trial. Yeah. Yeah. But she's claiming that you bound, put tape on her, ta-taped, taped her hands and put rope around her feet, and you never did that. No. All right. Okay. Robert, look at me for a second. I didn't get here by accident. No. Okay? And could you look at me for a second, okay? I didn't get here by accident. There's a reason why I'm asking you this. Okay. No, I swear I don't know who it Okay. But take a good look at her face. Doesn't ring a bell, sir? It's not somebody you dated or- ... had a relationship with, Would you find it odd that the reason that we keep on circling back to [her] is because she survived? Fact. [She] lived. [She] can tell her story. [She] told that story. Because, the fact, [she] got out of my car. Right. Right. But where was she at before that car? I don't know. Oh, um, I'm driving home. Right. Where was she at? I don't know. She was at home. Was she a prostitute? Was she? Well, you tell me, s- I didn't know because w-with the times you telling me, I was out of town. I was working for- You weren't out of town ... MPW. You weren't out of town, Robert, because I have your work schedule from MPW- ... from 1996. You worked that day. I know because I've seen it. Mm-hmm. All right? And told you I didn't get here by accident. Okay. Right? You're at a point in your life where The record agrees with her. The company's files show that Robert Edwards worked on the sixth of November and on the seventh, the day Michelle These other two women were at least sexually assaulted and moved from where they were dumped. Okay? Like Detective Day said, you're sixty-six years old. Okay. This is two thousand and twenty-one, soon to be '22. There has to come a time where you have to realize none of us here are stupid. None of us have bitch across our forehead. Okay? We told you you're going home today. You're going home. I don't care what you say. He doesn't care what you say. She doesn't care. We're taking you home, but we want the truth for these families. You have that. You're the only one who has it. You have that truth in-inside here. You're the only one that can tell it because these two are dead. The other one is traumatized, even if she still remember. But she's traumatized. But you, you have that power for these families. Okay. Now, Mickey. All right. First of all, I don't have no bitch on the top of my head. That's what he- And I ain't fucking stupid. Right. This woman, I, I really honestly don't know nothing about. Okay. I just know, I, I really don't know. I take a lie detector. I do not know this woman. You, you will? Yeah. I do not know this woman. Your DNA was found in her. All right? So we know for a hundred percent certainty you, you were with her. That's, that's a hundred percent. Okay? Then I'm telling you a hundred percent, I do not know this woman. You didn't know her name. If you never partied with your, with her, if you never grabbed, smoked crack or whatever that time. But fact is, she was found on the side of the road. Like that. Tied up, just like [she] was. They were tied up? Yeah, she had ligature mark. Look at her wrists. Look, look at her wrist. All right. Like, hell, I don't know because y'all trying to put this on me. I don't have no idea. No, we're not trying to put it on you. We're trying to give you the opportunity to kind of say, "Hey, this is what happened. Shit got out of control, and I didn't know what to do." That- Well, you know what? Okay. Well, something like that. Um, you said you would take a lie detector test? Yeah. Okay. Well, the good news is I've got a lie detector operator here today, and he will be-- he will gladly come in and perform a lie detector test on- Long as I don't have to be there all night, then. Not even. Not even an hour. It'll take twenty-five, thirty minutes. Did you kill her? No, I didn't. Did I kill her? No. Did you, did you, did you kill her? No. Did you kill her? I'm, I really-- I don't think I ever- like I said, o-obviously you were, you were with them. That's, that's fact. Mm-hmm. Trying to figure out how they ended up dead. I have no idea. But you know, back then, at that time, Some people coming up in there dead almost every day, if y'all remember back that time. I do remember. I mean, people were dropping bodies off. There were shootouts and stuff out there in Urban Hollow and over in Urbancrest. And I mean, there was just a lot of craziness at that time. What year? The result of that test is not in the public record. What the detectives took from him that afternoon was smaller. At the end of the interview Sergeant Casper handed him a warrant, and swabbed the inside of his cheek. Then Robert Edwards went home. The laboratory compared that swab with both women. It matched Alma Lake. It matched Michelle Dawson, and on her it was the only man's DNA there was. On the second of August, two thousand and twenty-two, they brought him back. From the jail he called his daughter. He told her he might have known Alma Lake, and that both women were killed by a serial killer he did not name. The state had tested that too. The DNA of Samuel Little, who confessed to murders in Ohio, matched neither woman. His trial began on the tenth of July, two thousand and twenty-three. His lawyers said he had been with both women by their choice, and that someone else killed each of them afterwards. The appeals court would call that theory so far-fetched as to be incredible. On the fourteenth of July the jury found him guilty of the murder of Alma Lake, and of the rape and aggravated murder of On the ninth of August he was sentenced to forty-five years to life. Both women were found near where he lived or worked. Both had been bound. Both had been strangled. His DNA was on both. Alma Lake was thirty. Michelle Dawson was thirty-six. And one woman lived. I just want to know that she's smiling down, and happy that this day has come.