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A MAN WANTED IN THE MURDER OF HIS WIFE
MAKES AN OUTRAGEOUS CLAIM - THE U.S. WANTS TO
SILENCE HIM FOR WHAT HE SAW AT GROUND ZERO
"48 HOURS: THE STRANGE CASE OF KURT SONNENFELD"
Saturday, Nov. 21, 2015
Kurt Sonnenfeld maintains his wife Nancy put a gun to her head and killed herself in the early morning hours of Jan. 1, 2002. Denver Police think otherwise. However, investigators may never get a chance at proving their case. That's because Sonnenfeld has a new life, a new wife, and is living in Argentina a country that has yet to agree to extradite him to the U.S.
And if that wasn't unusual enough, Sonnenfeld has told journalists in Argentina that he's wanted in the U.S. because of something he saw while working at Ground Zero as a cameraman for FEMA.
"He's using that terrible situation [9/11] to shield him from a murder charge," says Leslie Lindberg, Nancy's cousin.
Erin Moriarty and 48 HOURS investigate the death of Nancy Sonnenfeld and the outrageous claims Sonnenfeld has made that the U.S. wants to silence him in "The Strange Case of Kurt Sonnenfeld," to be broadcast Saturday, Nov. 21 (10:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.
"He is innocent," Sonnenfeld's new wife, Paula, tells Moriarty in her first interview on American television. "There's nothing else to say."
Sonnenfeld told police his wife committed suicide after a night out to celebrate New Year's Eve. Police responding to the 911 call said the evidence didn't really match up to what Sonnenfeld said happened.
"We were questioning nearly from the start that this had anything to do with a self-inflicted injury and was more consistent with a homicide," said retired Denver detective Jon Priest.
Nancy's death came during a troubled time in the couple's marriage. She had filed for separation and intended to divorce Kurt, her sister tells 48 HOURS.
Within hours of Nancy's death, Sonnenfeld was arrested for her murder. "I believe that there was a rush to judgment, there was an assumption this was a homicide," Sonnenfeld's attorney Carrie Thompson tells Moriarty. Thompson also tells Moriarty that about two weeks after Nancy's death she found a suicide note, evidence she says police overlooked.
Shortly before Sonnenfeld was to go on trial, prosecutors suddenly dropped the charge, citing insufficient evidence. But the investigation continued, and with additional evidence in hand, prosecutors refiled the murder charge. By then, Sonnenfeld had moved to Argentina. There he remarried and launched a campaign to clear his name by giving interviews to local media. And he's claimed that he saw something while working as a cameraman at Ground Zero that the government wants him to stop talking about.
Sonnenfeld declined to speak with 48 HOURS on camera.
"Kurt Sonnenfeld is definitely gaming the system, though someday, hopefully, that game will run out," says former Colorado Governor Bill Owens.
Moriarty and 48 HOURS report the story through interviews with the lead investigator, attorneys, family members, and journalists, including Denver Post writer and consultant Kirk Mitchell. 48 HOURS: "The Strange Case of Kurt Sonnenfeld" is produced by Anthony Venditti, Clare Friedland and Alicia Tejada. Atticus Brady, Joan Adelman and Marcus Balsam are the editors. Judy Tygard is the senior producer. Susan Zirinsky is the senior executive producer.
48 HOURS: "The Strange Case of Kurt Sonnenfeld" is the second of a Saturday night double feature. The first, to be broadcast at 9:00 PM, ET/PT, is "The Accidental Husband," Peter Van Sant and 48 HOURS' investigation into the case against Harold Henthorn, who lost two wives in unusual accidents, which raised the question: Does Henthorn have horrible luck, or was there something more behind the deaths?
48 HOURS: "The Accidental Husband" is produced by Ruth Chenetz and Lindsey Gutterman. Phil Tangel and Mike Baluzy are the editors. Anthony Batson is the senior broadcast producer. Susan Zirinsky is the senior executive producer.
Follow 48 HOURS on Twitter and Facebook, Instagram and CBSNews.com. Listen to 48HOURS podcasts at Play.it.
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