Janet's Secret | Full Episode

In 1979, police faced a murder scene with no forced entry, suggesting Janet knew her killer. Despite multiple suspects including her estranged husband (who failed a polygraph) and a drifter (whose checkbook was found near the scene and also failed a polygraph), the case quickly went cold due to a lack of witnesses and the absence of advanced forensic technology.

Police officer Andy Gaul stated, 'I have a plot from an old TV show like Murder She Wrote where we have five suspects and I can't put a finger on any of them.' Francesco Keltieri, Janet's brother, recalled being told, 'even if the killer walked into the police station and confessed today, we would not be able to take them to trial because we do not have enough evidence.'

Over 30 years later, a Pennsylvania State Police Cold Case Unit re-examined the evidence. In late 2010, a lab tech found significant amounts of semen on the top sheet covering Janet's body, her nightgown, and the robe tie used to bind her wrists. This discovery provided a DNA profile, a game-changer for the investigation.

Cold case detective Rocco Demo stated, 'They had found semen on the top sheet that had covered Janet's body... she says, 'No, we have a lot of it in a lot of locations,' including on the back of Janet's night gown and the robe tie that had bound her wrists.'

Investigators systematically collected DNA from the initial suspects. Scott Walsh, Ron Sakoszi, and Victor Sakoszi were eliminated. Robert McGra, who had previously failed a polygraph and whose checkbook was found near the crime scene, refused to provide DNA voluntarily but was compelled by warrant; his DNA also did not match. This left Scott Hopkins, a secret lover, as the primary suspect.

Rocco Demo stated, 'First thing I do is get the DNA and eliminate Scott Walsh. Then Ron Sakoszi and DNA eliminates Victor Sakosi.' Andy Gaul confirmed, 'It was not a match' for Robert McGra, leaving 'Scott Hopkins' as the last suspect.

Scott Hopkins, an influential councilman, refused to voluntarily provide his DNA, claiming it would be present due to prior consensual sex. Investigators devised a plan to collect his DNA covertly by retrieving a discarded water cup he used daily at the Bridgewater Burrow building. The DNA from the cup matched the crime scene profile, leading to an official warrant and his arrest in January 2012.

Andy Gaul described the plan: 'Scott Hopkins was a Bridgewater Councilman. Every day early in the morning, he came into the Bridgewater Burrow building... and took a drink out of a water fountain and would throw his cup away.' The cup was tested, and 'Hopkins was a match to the crime scene DNA profile.'

At trial, prosecutors argued the '4 plus' concentration and specific 'location, location, location' of Hopkins' DNA on Janet's nightgown, robe tie, and top sheet indicated it was deposited during the murder, not a prior encounter. The defense countered that the DNA could be from past sexual encounters and transferred by perspiration, also noting the presence of other unidentified male DNA and Scott Walsh's sperm on the sheets. Despite the defense's arguments, Hopkins was convicted of third-degree murder.

Prosecutor Britney Smith explained, 'Scott Hopkins seminal fluid is on that location in a concentrated manner and it is not consistent with having been washed,' and 'the location of the DNA is what tells us when it was put there.' Defense attorney Chad Bowers highlighted, 'My DNA expert found my sperm and his sperm mixed together on the sheets. My DNA expert found an additional person's DNA or sperm on her robe.' The jury returned a verdict of 'guilty to murder in the third degree.'