I believe he did it. But if I was on that jury I would have to say not guilty. There is no evidence and there’s no way I could say beyond a reasonable doubt.
I agree 💯 The prosecutor did Not meet the burden of proof to convict him, I too wouldn’t have been able to render a guilty verdict.. too much reasonable doubt
I’ve got too many questions on this one. Like was there any kind of foul play evidence in the home? Did he go out with her and strangle her and made her disappear? Just because he hooks up with another woman, does that mean he’s quilts? The other woman took her own life. Does that mean she’s guilty or maybe she just couldn’t deal with the stress of knowing that she could probably be the reason why the wife is no longer. Or is it because she knew the truth and didn’t want to get that man in trouble? 😑
Zero evidence is scary. Rest in peace Roy Brown. Convicted of murder of a social worker. He had an argument with her the week prior. In the end if not for a news reporter who never let off the case and Innocence Project, he'd still be sitting in prison. The murderer admitted to his crime via mail then stepped in front of a Amtrak. We've had two men, two different cases serve when innocent.
This is a perfect example of why you never speak to the police. Even if you accidentally give false information, it may be enough to convict you. You get a lawyer whether you're guilty or not
Lately, I don't feel cases like this are justice. Where is the evidence? I'm not saying I think the step father is not guilty of something but not convinced of murder. Maybe I wish I could see the full case but still not feeling it
She was suicidal, she promised they’d never find her body and they didn’t find her body! He probably did it but you can’t convict someone on “probably”
The prosecutor asked the son do you miss your mom. Of course he does. The reason why she asked is because there are nine women on the jury. As soon as they said nine women, I thought this man is going to be found guilty. How did his lawyers allow that?
Same here, I didn't think they proved any real guilt. While I'm not saying he didn't do it, he very well could have, for all we know she knew where those sludge ponds were, took her own life where and ended up inside, and he was given a false verdict
He's not a likeable fellow but no way he should've been found guilty. His age and the amount of years that had gone by, he could have thought he went to the gas station. I pray no one in my family ever has to rely on a jury to determine their future. Really scary times.
He was asked about where he searched very soon after and you also didn't hear the witnesses yourself so coming to a conclusion that he shouldn't have been found guilty makes me glad you weren't on the jury. He may not have done it but hearing 45 minutes of what someone wanted to show you about this case shouldn't be enough for you to conclude much of anything.
Even if her husband hated her guts and was thrilled that she was dead or missing, that doesn’t mean he killed her. It is an absolute disgrace that this man was convicted given the lack of evidence; and actually is pretty terrifying that a jury was willing to deprive him of his life. The burden of proof is “beyond a reasonable doubt “. He was convicted because of feeling. This is why you never speak to investigators, especially without an attorney
This is extremely scary… that in this world, your life could change in a blink of an eye. I’ve met people like him whose personalities are like his, and that’s just how they are.. that does not mean they are guilty of a crime. Imagine this, somebody’s loved one passes away, and because you were the last known person with them, you are trialed and found guilty of murder with absolutely zero reason, and imagine if you are actually innocent!! This crap happens all of the time! The saying goes “Guilty beyond a reasonable doubt” and there is very much doubt here…. If we cannot absolutely prove this man’s guilt, then his life should not be taken away. This must change as I’m sure we have many innocent people in jail for this reason!
This is how i know the justice system is flawed. Blonde lady really said, "What I've learned was everyone is a suspect until they are not." So guilty until proven innocent, you mean....
What happened to beyond a reasonable doubt. No body, no crime scene, no violence in their history. Just that he lied about a few things. I really don't think looking at him he could pull that off with out leaving evidence.
Had i served as a juror, just knowing that Victoria stated to her daughter, "if i do it again, u wont find me.." i wouldn't be able to vote guilty in good conscience...i have suspicions that he did it, he definitely lied about a few things, but that statement Victoria made would have me unsure whether he did it or not 💯
27:25 The daughter also even admitted she didn't tell her step-father anything about that statement her mother made until *after* her mother came up missing. It's absolutely possible he murdered her and pulled off a "perfect" murder with no body, zero evidence at all of any foul play, and also accidentally ended up with the perfect defense (aka the daughter's testimony of her own mother's words) but the standard the prosecution has to prove in a court of law is "beyond a reasonable doubt" and the prosecution simply did not prove anywhere near that to a jury.
She could have jumped into a bottomless hole for all we know, they can’t even prove she’s even dead let alone that he killed her. It’s just basically we think he did it and said some strange things. There is so much reasonable doubt in this case that it should have never been brought into court in the first place. You can’t even blame the defense council, he said exactly what was needed to be said. No evidence is no evidence says it all.
I agree. It seems like there was a reasonable defense theory. Essentially, the marriage wasn't going well and it drove the victim to take her own life. The suspect felt some relief from her disappearance and presumed death. He had been having an affair with another woman. Maybe that contributed to it. He wasn't particularly distraught about her death and didn't look for her. When pressured by law enforcement, he took them on a false tour for fear that refusing would imply culpability. Meanwhile, the other woman perjured herself by denying the affair and then took her own life when the pressure rose. Doesn't this seem like a plausible theory? I'm not saying likely, only plausible. Much of this theory involves crimes, for sure, but not murder. I'm surprised this whole thing ended with a premeditated murder conviction. Murder alone is a stretch, with other plausible theories available. But how do you prove premeditation in a case like this? I have to wonder if big hunks of stuff were left out of this particular video. Do I think he killed her? From this video, I don't think it's impossible. But reasonable doubt is very present. A jury only watching this video would probably have to acquit.
It always frustrates me when certain witnesses are so clearly advocating for one side vs. another, so in cross-examination when the attorney asks them a direct yes-or-no question, they just beat around the bush because they know that the truthful answer hurts their case. Luckily, I think in most cases, the jury's able to read between the lines and realize that the witness is being deceptive, but I'd hate to hear that an answer like that was in any way relied upon by the jurors to reach their decision.
Fr, the prosecution had no evidence so they just defaulted to asking questions to manipulate the jury’s feelings. “Do you miss your mom” “how devastating has this been to your life” like show me some evidence besides a coerced confession 💀
😂 For starters, look up the efficacy and legality of polygraphs. They're not at all admissible in trials. Crime drama on TV vs knowing basics re: American jurisprudence = world of difference.
On the EWU channel it says when a suspect gets angry, they're usually innocent bc they don't care if you like them or not. It doesn't matter bc they're innocent. A guilty party would always try to "look good"
This is the level of intellect we may find on a jury panel. EWU is what you evaluate a potential crime in instead of evaluating both the direct and circumstantial evidence. As an attorney I only come here to read the mindset of people who may one day be potential jurors. Many suspects get angry when they are guilty. I hope you never serve on a jury if EWU is what you base a personal opinion on.
@@lindsayward829 right!! I feel so bad for everyone involved in this case. I tried to find the full "confession" interview but couldn't find it. I have a feeling he said, "Fine I killed her, is that what you wanted me to say?" But that second part was edited out
How is saying someone is GONE, a sign of guilt? Gone missing, can’t find her, don’t know where she is, missing, gone. All normal descriptions of not knowing where someone is, especially if they have been threatening to leave, or threatening to delete themselves! They are really reaching on how they infer his answers. Circumstantial. Isn’t alcohol used to alleviate anxiety and stress? Watching NASCAR probably helped him cope with all the chaos going on. Could he kill and clean up and dispose of body at his age?
So saying you killed someone is a guaranteed conviction with no body? I know his lying helped him get the conviction but without evidence this should've been a mistrial.
Look up how many cases go to a conviction based on circumstantial evidence... lots of them. Common sense and too many coincidences weighed against Jim and his gf, too. (But she died before justice was concluded.)
well, circumstantial evidence is still evidence. "she was at the store at the time" or whatever is circumstantial, it's still valid evidence. he's the number one suspect, and all his answers to questions were lies. he's guilty of perjury, so that's legal fact - he lied. he then had no explanation for _why_ he lied. the only thing he was absolutely sure of was that his new lady had nothing to do with it. which - if you don't know anything about what happened to victoria, then how do you know who does or doesn't have anything to do with it lol? his behavior was suspicious - all his (proven false) answers were inconsistent, shouted, and defensive. he indicated no interest in finding this missing woman. the burden of proof is on the state, but i do always take the defense's arguments into account, and i found his arguments to be weak and unconvincing. if this woman's body _was_ found at this point, it's possible she'd be so decomposed that none of his dna would even be on her. so for better or worse, the decision is up to the jury whether this was sufficient evidence or not. so what's your vote? if you were on the jury, would you have voted not guilty? based on the evidence i think i'd have voted guilty, but this is for sure the least amount of _physical_ evidence i've seen in a case with a conviction. especially given that OJ was acquitted when literally all the evidence pointed at him and his lawyer spoke in whimsical couplets like a dr seuss character.
Every single one of these episodes of "killer cases" that I've watched, I generally believe the person is guilty but I would never find them guilty if I was on a jury. There is always way too much reasonable doubt.
No really there was no actual evidence of his guilt, other than when he started dating someone AFTER his wife’s death ? Despite the fact I also think he’s guilty, this is a fact that must be PROVED. This is a miscarriage of justice, a verdict rendered to make everyone feel good. Never mind they destroyed the life of an innocent woman and imprisoned a man not shown to be guilty.
I agree with you, I “think” he’s guilty. But no there was physical proof or evidence. He could just be an old nasty man that doesn’t care if she even really went missing and might have been happy about it. (Although I don’t believe that) but could be true.
@@Ania-cd2sh And sadly we see that kind of indifference all too often when you’re dealing with a person with difficult mental health issues. He could’ve just been fed up. And of course, everyone grieves in their own unique ways. I don’t think he’s telling the truth about what happened, but I’m also not convinced he murdered he. The state certainly didn’t prove their case in my opinion.
I can’t believe he was found guilty with no evidence that is very scary. Yes there is opinions heartbreak and suspicion but physical evidence should be required before cases are even brought to court. How does this happen 🤯
This is a tough one. You can’t convict someone because he comes across like a serious jerk. It’s also fascinating how they use his angry outbursts as suspicious. I’ve watched countless true crime vids where the say the lack of anger is suspicious!
@@graywebb2554 Did he? It sounded more like an expression of frustration. (not to make light of the situation, but like the "I killed someone" scene in My Cousin Vinny.) It seems to happen a lot in very long interrogations, but usually with young suspects. Like the other case in Wisconsin that was made into a Netflix documentary.
They used the fact that he said "no" 3 times ti make him guilty. Then because he said he loved "that woman" they say no one says that. I've heard that many times. Maybe they all gate their wives like this detective was saying
Wow! This guy SHOULD have had a lawyer from the start. I believe the guilty verdict came about b/c time had drug on and on and the cops finally wore the guy down in interviews. Heck, after 45 years of marriage, there's no way I could tell anyone what my wife was wearing at just about any point in the day or week, or look through her closets and tell if something were missing. Jeepers, about half the time I forget our anniversary and her eye colour. Saying this with a 13 year LEO background...
When Victoria said “She’d not be found next time”, I don’t necessarily think she was referring to her body not ultimately being found, rather, she meant she’d not be discovered in time to be saved. 🙏🏼
Even if she meant it the way the defense wanted to portray, it's still an unlikely thing to accomplish. And they want us to believe that she walked out of the house and made it to some remote location, but didn't even bring her cigarettes for one last smoke? Just that little fact is hard to believe, without getting into all the rest. He's guilty. Everyone knows it.
Great observation! I didn't think of it that way. That is why the daughter said she was mad, mad that she was found that time in the past attempt. This is so sad, once I heard the purse with her wallet and cigarettes, he said to get rid of her stuff to goodwill, how he could care less and lied multiple times is pretty strong evidence.
34:20 - you "implored" her to be truthful by planting what you wantes her to say in her head before you even aaked. This entire Trial is a reversal of the burdon of proof. In this trial, the jury is being asked to convict based on reasonable doubt that the defendant DIDNT kill his wife. They pursued reasonable doubt of his innocence - not of his guilt. An exact reversal of what the offical rules are. The Judge failing to catch this is a profound and historic substrate of dutiful negligence
Exactly! If his Attorneys submitted an appeal, I feel positive they’d grant one ~ then we’d see if the prosecutors would decide to retry him, based on literally No evidence, more than just a weak case; whether they or we “feel” like he’s responsible for her disappearance/death isn’t enough “evidence” to warrant a conviction… Unbelievable 🤦🏼♀️ “Justice is blind”
The guy was sick of his suicidal wife and his feelings were indifferent. Although that’s sad, it’s not a crime. He could’ve just left her. He had ZERO motive to kill her. I feel sorry for the grown kids but their mother was nuts and it’s reasonable to believe she ran off, I don’t believe the guy is guilty.
Although I do feel he is guilty there was absolutely no evidence of that during trial and it’s sad that a jury was able to convict him beyond a reasonable doubt! That’s the very reason so many innocent people are in prison now.
I’m glad he didn’t get away with it that’s such a horrible thing to do and I couldn’t imagine how much pain her family is in because of it and it just makes me sad and hurt thinking of it
It’s so easy to find someone guilty with really no evidence and as a blk woman we see it a lot. I feel like there is a reasonable doubt. But it’s so hard to release innocent people. How many ppl have died in prison because fighting for the innocents. It’s sad cause we only get one life and 1 day or 17 yrs in jail when your innocent tells you how messed up are justice system is 😔
This could happen to anyone, do not talk to police without representation. It doesn't matter if you are 100% innocent, it doesn't matter how it looks that you have retained a lawyer, your life and freedom are at stake. The cops were obviously desperate and wanted to clear the case, lying does not make you a killer.
This is insane. They had no evidence saying he murdered his wife. This is sickening and happens way to often. The fact that people continue to get convicted because they move on quickly or have an affair is horrible. The justice system is not to be based on morals but facts and evidence and they had neither to say he committes a crime.
Well, he might be guilty but if I was sitting on the jury, there’s no way I could call an another human guilty of murder without a SLIVER of hard evidence, on the basis of “MIGHT BE GUILTY”. The justice system operates on emotion, not facts unfortunately.
I agree with the majority here. How do you convict someone of murder with absolutely no physical evidence?? No body, no dna, no crime scene, no witness…..I think he did it too, but nothing the prosecutors said actually proves it. That’s crazy to me.
His lawyers should’ve fought this conviction because there clearly is enough reasonable doubt here and really no evidence of guilt just theories and hunches
39:09 "8 years of hard investigative work" no body, no murder weapon, no forensic evidence, no digital evidence, no witnesses. Nothing but emotional statements and possibilities. He did lie about some facts and they used that agaisnt him.
Just because someone is an a** and a cheater doesn’t make him a killer. Is it most likely he is the one? No doubt. Innocent until PROVEN guilty. What happened to beyond a REASONABLE doubt? This is just wrong….
Yeah, he got quickly defensive, annoyed, or even angry. Like a true narcissist. Instead of concerned or even heartbroken or broken up over her missing! Yeah very telling to me too. I really expected a Not Guilty verdict though. I was surprised. Though I’m sure of his guilt.
G - U - I - L - T - Y guilty guilty...scary to think one could be married 24 years and be discarded for another woman in the most inhumane way possible. Whatever happened to the concept of divorce.
The disappearance of Victoria Prokopovich is mysterious and painful, with many questions surrounding the testimony of her husband, Jim Prokopovich, and his new relationship. Even without a body, the story still leaves a lingering pain for the family, and everyone is waiting for the truth to come out to close this wound.
This sets an incredibly dangerous precedent!! Yet another example of the state using NOTHING but emotion & unrelated facts to convict a person of a crime.... the exact opposite of how the system is supposed to work! It doesn't matter how mean you think a suspect is, how sure a detective thinks they are, how guilty someone sounds, how strange a complete LACK of evidence seems, how guilty the family of the victim thinks they are, or any other assertion made during this trial! If there's no evidence of a crime, then there should be no conviction of a criminal, no exceptions! Will some criminals get away with crimes in this way? Sure... but it's better 20 criminals go free than ONE innocent person spend a lifetime in prison. That used to be the standard of justice we had in this country, but unfortunately, that's no longer the case. As is obvious by the amount of innocent people we've put to death in this country!! It's disgusting watching these legal "professionals" manipulate members of the public just because they have a "strong feeling" about a person!! Shame on them!
I can't imagine watching someone that i once loved, watching their body sink into that sluge. Witnessing that would seem horrific. Its pretty probable that's exactly what he did.
But they can’t prove it man the judicial system has gotten all screwed up. He doesn’t have to prove he’s innocent they have to prove he’s guilty and who gives a crap what people think I mean they had no proof they had no hard evidence on this matter they had feelings, that’s it, I mean I’d be really upset too. If that was my mom. But he’s old you forget and they’re asking him what it was she wearing where did you go to search for her? I know a lot of nasty men like that though great would like that. I hope my family never has to have a jury trial on anything because juries are a joke nowadays.
@@choctawlove6060jury got it right, he had motive, last one to see her alive, lied and perjured himself. Easy conviction. Good thing you weren’t on the jury
I know they had a search warrant for their home but does anyone know if they analyzed his truck?? The inside and back? He seemed to always be driving it in the video footage.
I believe he did it. But if I was on that jury I would have to say not guilty. There is no evidence and there’s no way I could say beyond a reasonable doubt.
I agree 💯 The prosecutor did Not meet the burden of proof to convict him, I too wouldn’t have been able to render a guilty verdict.. too much reasonable doubt
I’ve got too many questions on this one. Like was there any kind of foul play evidence in the home? Did he go out with her and strangle her and made her disappear? Just because he hooks up with another woman, does that mean he’s quilts? The other woman took her own life. Does that mean she’s guilty or maybe she just couldn’t deal with the stress of knowing that she could probably be the reason why the wife is no longer. Or is it because she knew the truth and didn’t want to get that man in trouble? 😑
Exactly! Legally speaking there was enough responsible doubt
@@Heylo12345is responsible doubt a thing (legally) or did u mean reasonable?
@@ivetteguada600quilts?
If there was ever a case where a guy should have invoked his right to an attorney, this is it.
@@ktarv6111 you got a problem..?
I’m sure we all think he did it but to be convicted off zero evidence is scary.
circumstantial evidence is evidence
.......
@@pinkpugginz we have circumstantial evidence that you did it too
He admitted killing her
@@mushroomcait7611 which he retracted. That isn't a confession
Zero evidence is scary. Rest in peace Roy Brown. Convicted of murder of a social worker. He had an argument with her the week prior. In the end if not for a news reporter who never let off the case and Innocence Project, he'd still be sitting in prison. The murderer admitted to his crime via mail then stepped in front of a Amtrak. We've had two men, two different cases serve when innocent.
This is a perfect example of why you never speak to the police. Even if you accidentally give false information, it may be enough to convict you. You get a lawyer whether you're guilty or not
Lately, I don't feel cases like this are justice. Where is the evidence? I'm not saying I think the step father is not guilty of something but not convinced of murder. Maybe I wish I could see the full case but still not feeling it
I think he is guilty. He wAS HAVING an affair. He was in an unhappy marriage. He knew where her body was or wasn’t.
@@sirvilhelmofyonderland Affair, Unhappy marriage, means absolutely nothing.
@@giii7599 its motive,
@@sirvilhelmofyonderland No it's not.
She was suicidal, she promised they’d never find her body and they didn’t find her body! He probably did it but you can’t convict someone on “probably”
Holy cow. I cannot believe he was found guilty. He definitely is the most likely suspect, but what an incredibly weak case. Stunned at the decision.
So you don't mind him living with you?
@@lance5015 you don't convict someone of murder based on whether you would want them living with you.
@@lance5015that's the dumbest comment in the history of the internet.
I'm stunned that he continued talking to the detectives
true....but the truly innocent doesnt have to lie
The prosecutor asked the son do you miss your mom. Of course he does. The reason why she asked is because there are nine women on the jury. As soon as they said nine women, I thought this man is going to be found guilty. How did his lawyers allow that?
This is the scariest episode I've ever watched guilty until proven innocent
Although I'm leaning toward him being guilty, I absolutely do not think his guilt was proven here...
Man I’m glad I’m not the only one here. This one was weird.
I was expecting them to say not guilty. They had nothing 😳
Same here, I didn't think they proved any real guilt. While I'm not saying he didn't do it, he very well could have, for all we know she knew where those sludge ponds were, took her own life where and ended up inside, and he was given a false verdict
no legit..
@Noblesix84 important things are the detectives busted him on a couple lies. Most innocent ppl wouldn't lie about searching for a missing loved one.
That detective that said “who says THAT WOMAN about their wife?!” ….. every southern man ever 🤦♀️
Or lots of men across the country, not just in the south.
Not when there wives are missing
It’s used as sort of a term of endearment. I don’t agree with the detective that it shows distance or anger. “That cop” is a dope.
Yeah there’s a few men I know who call their wives their bride
he was guilty
wait... saying "i loved THAT woman" & saying "nope" 3 times, means someone is lying? this is the crap they make up & teach in p.i. school?
If he said it 5 times he us telling the truth.
@@deancloud1327 lol
Seems true to me
I think he is guilty. He wAS HAVING an affair. He was in an unhappy marriage. He knew where her body was or wasn’t.
Calling her “woman” and not by name is a sign of distancing yourself
What a ridiculous verdict. What happened to beyond a reasonable doubt? They didn't even prove she was dead, much less that he killed her.
I think he is guilty. He wAS HAVING an affair. He was in an unhappy marriage. He knew where her body was or wasn’t.
@@sirvilhelmofyonderland Affair, Unhappy marriage, means absolutely nothing.
@@sirvilhelmofyonderlandthat just described 99 percent of marriages 😂
@@marshapieroni6677 99% wow that’s high
He's not a likeable fellow but no way he should've been found guilty. His age and the amount of years that had gone by, he could have thought he went to the gas station. I pray no one in my family ever has to rely on a jury to determine their future. Really scary times.
He was asked about where he searched very soon after and you also didn't hear the witnesses yourself so coming to a conclusion that he shouldn't have been found guilty makes me glad you weren't on the jury. He may not have done it but hearing 45 minutes of what someone wanted to show you about this case shouldn't be enough for you to conclude much of anything.
This is a little scary that they could convince a jury of guilt beyond a reasonable doubt without any evidence except a hunch.
Even if her husband hated her guts and was thrilled that she was dead or missing, that doesn’t mean he killed her. It is an absolute disgrace that this man was convicted given the lack of evidence; and actually is pretty terrifying that a jury was willing to deprive him of his life. The burden of proof is “beyond a reasonable doubt “. He was convicted because of feeling. This is why you never speak to investigators, especially without an attorney
simply put........he told too many lies, makes you look bad for the jury.....
The jury saw all of the evidence. You didn't. It's why we have courts of law and don't rely on the court of public opinion.
There’s no way he should have been found guilty. This is just silly
This poor guy got railroaded! Just because it makes everyone feel better it’s no excuse to convict a man for the rest of his life.
poor guy?!?
hes a demon.
@@nancyzehr3679 imagine if he’s innocent. You would be the bad guy for condemning him without evidence of his guilt.
@@thebrazentruthjust imagine 😅
I’m sorry but there was not enough evidence BEYOND A REASONABLE DOUBT.
yes, but telling the truth would have set him free....too many lies.
@@muttsezyou’re incredibly naive
No but's. The law is the law. Without reasonable doubt. EVEN IF that doubt is .00001%.
“Almost 100% indication of deception” 🙄 70% of the time it works every time
They had zero evidence against this man. He said it because he didn’t want his gf to get introuble. This is insane.
I can’t believe the judge went with this verdict. Like wtf
The judge can't change the verdict
Any criminal worth his salt will tell you: Stay far away from juries of your "peers."
This is extremely scary… that in this world, your life could change in a blink of an eye. I’ve met people like him whose personalities are like his, and that’s just how they are.. that does not mean they are guilty of a crime.
Imagine this, somebody’s loved one passes away, and because you were the last known person with them, you are trialed and found guilty of murder with absolutely zero reason, and imagine if you are actually innocent!! This crap happens all of the time! The saying goes “Guilty beyond a reasonable doubt” and there is very much doubt here…. If we cannot absolutely prove this man’s guilt, then his life should not be taken away. This must change as I’m sure we have many innocent people in jail for this reason!
This is how i know the justice system is flawed. Blonde lady really said, "What I've learned was everyone is a suspect until they are not." So guilty until proven innocent, you mean....
Suspicion and sentencing are two completely different things. Questioning a suspect does not = you’re automatically guilty
What happened to beyond a reasonable doubt. No body, no crime scene, no violence in their history. Just that he lied about a few things. I really don't think looking at him he could pull that off with out leaving evidence.
Had i served as a juror, just knowing that Victoria stated to her daughter, "if i do it again, u wont find me.." i wouldn't be able to vote guilty in good conscience...i have suspicions that he did it, he definitely lied about a few things, but that statement Victoria made would have me unsure whether he did it or not 💯
He definitely didn't do it
27:25 The daughter also even admitted she didn't tell her step-father anything about that statement her mother made until *after* her mother came up missing.
It's absolutely possible he murdered her and pulled off a "perfect" murder with no body, zero evidence at all of any foul play, and also accidentally ended up with the perfect defense (aka the daughter's testimony of her own mother's words) but the standard the prosecution has to prove in a court of law is "beyond a reasonable doubt" and the prosecution simply did not prove anywhere near that to a jury.
19 y.o. hearsay that's basically inconsequential, however it's possible she walked into the ocean 🪸🌊.
"It's better to be alone than wish you were".
She could have jumped into a bottomless hole for all we know, they can’t even prove she’s even dead let alone that he killed her. It’s just basically we think he did it and said some strange things. There is so much reasonable doubt in this case that it should have never been brought into court in the first place. You can’t even blame the defense council, he said exactly what was needed to be said. No evidence is no evidence says it all.
I agree. It seems like there was a reasonable defense theory. Essentially, the marriage wasn't going well and it drove the victim to take her own life. The suspect felt some relief from her disappearance and presumed death. He had been having an affair with another woman. Maybe that contributed to it. He wasn't particularly distraught about her death and didn't look for her. When pressured by law enforcement, he took them on a false tour for fear that refusing would imply culpability. Meanwhile, the other woman perjured herself by denying the affair and then took her own life when the pressure rose.
Doesn't this seem like a plausible theory? I'm not saying likely, only plausible. Much of this theory involves crimes, for sure, but not murder. I'm surprised this whole thing ended with a premeditated murder conviction. Murder alone is a stretch, with other plausible theories available. But how do you prove premeditation in a case like this? I have to wonder if big hunks of stuff were left out of this particular video.
Do I think he killed her? From this video, I don't think it's impossible. But reasonable doubt is very present. A jury only watching this video would probably have to acquit.
You never had a loved one murdered huh??? It shows!!!😡😡😡
@@ladygumshoe7402 It doesn’t matter. The legal burden of proof is beyond a reasonable doubt.
Them saying “he’s mixing up his lies…” some of that is just bein old 😂 my grandma did stuff like that
My husband is 73 and does it all the time but says it's me not remembering correctly! He can't fathom it's him.
My 83 year old dad can’t even remember what he had for supper the night before…
not in front of a jury....
That guy tried to evade conviction like it was 1955.... "I went to this gas station and looked around!!!"
It always frustrates me when certain witnesses are so clearly advocating for one side vs. another, so in cross-examination when the attorney asks them a direct yes-or-no question, they just beat around the bush because they know that the truthful answer hurts their case. Luckily, I think in most cases, the jury's able to read between the lines and realize that the witness is being deceptive, but I'd hate to hear that an answer like that was in any way relied upon by the jurors to reach their decision.
Fr, the prosecution had no evidence so they just defaulted to asking questions to manipulate the jury’s feelings. “Do you miss your mom” “how devastating has this been to your life” like show me some evidence besides a coerced confession 💀
The judge was the worst. If you're going to overrule the objection, make the witness answer!
He said he drove by the gas station and looked not that he pulled into the parking lot and parked at a pump
they had cameras that faced the road too
No lie detector test, no cadaver dogs,no phone pings. No dogs checked pickup truck.
😂
For starters, look up the efficacy and legality of polygraphs. They're not at all admissible in trials.
Crime drama on TV vs knowing basics re: American jurisprudence = world of difference.
Polygraphs are nonsense.
@@eddo1983 I agree but it may have twisted him up a little. Also dogs. If they mentioned them I didn’t hear them
On the EWU channel it says when a suspect gets angry, they're usually innocent bc they don't care if you like them or not. It doesn't matter bc they're innocent. A guilty party would always try to "look good"
dats true for the most part. but i know humans they got really angry when u know the truth and confront em with the truth.
This is the level of intellect we may find on a jury panel. EWU is what you evaluate a potential crime in instead of evaluating both the direct and circumstantial evidence. As an attorney I only come here to read the mindset of people who may one day be potential jurors. Many suspects get angry when they are guilty. I hope you never serve on a jury if EWU is what you base a personal opinion on.
Jury got this wrong. In this part of the country, these people believe if you get arrested you must be guilty.
they need to retry this case...this is ridiculous
especially if you tell too many lies during interrogation...
He was over it, if this wasn't a false coerced confession I have no idea what it was.
For real! At that age he was probably just like f this I’m done!
@@lindsayward829 right!! I feel so bad for everyone involved in this case. I tried to find the full "confession" interview but couldn't find it. I have a feeling he said, "Fine I killed her, is that what you wanted me to say?" But that second part was edited out
How is saying someone is GONE, a sign of guilt? Gone missing, can’t find her, don’t know where she is, missing, gone. All normal descriptions of not knowing where someone is, especially if they have been threatening to leave, or threatening to delete themselves! They are really reaching on how they infer his answers. Circumstantial. Isn’t alcohol used to alleviate anxiety and stress? Watching NASCAR probably helped him cope with all the chaos going on. Could he kill and clean up and dispose of body at his age?
So saying you killed someone is a guaranteed conviction with no body? I know his lying helped him get the conviction but without evidence this should've been a mistrial.
agree
Look up how many cases go to a conviction based on circumstantial evidence... lots of them. Common sense and too many coincidences weighed against Jim and his gf, too. (But she died before justice was concluded.)
well, circumstantial evidence is still evidence. "she was at the store at the time" or whatever is circumstantial, it's still valid evidence.
he's the number one suspect, and all his answers to questions were lies. he's guilty of perjury, so that's legal fact - he lied. he then had no explanation for _why_ he lied. the only thing he was absolutely sure of was that his new lady had nothing to do with it. which - if you don't know anything about what happened to victoria, then how do you know who does or doesn't have anything to do with it lol?
his behavior was suspicious - all his (proven false) answers were inconsistent, shouted, and defensive. he indicated no interest in finding this missing woman.
the burden of proof is on the state, but i do always take the defense's arguments into account, and i found his arguments to be weak and unconvincing.
if this woman's body _was_ found at this point, it's possible she'd be so decomposed that none of his dna would even be on her. so for better or worse, the decision is up to the jury whether this was sufficient evidence or not.
so what's your vote? if you were on the jury, would you have voted not guilty? based on the evidence i think i'd have voted guilty, but this is for sure the least amount of _physical_ evidence i've seen in a case with a conviction.
especially given that OJ was acquitted when literally all the evidence pointed at him and his lawyer spoke in whimsical couplets like a dr seuss character.
1000%
This is exactly why there are trials
I've said "I love that woman" before and meant it as a sweet thing. Don't buy that argument personally
Sadly, it's not even the first time I've heard an investigator use this argument.
So her saying she wouldn’t be found this time meant nothing?
I can’t believe his lawyers didnt immediately fight for a new trial! This is ridiculous.
Jury of 9 men 6 women..I automatically ask for retrial...too many folks up there
Every single one of these episodes of "killer cases" that I've watched, I generally believe the person is guilty but I would never find them guilty if I was on a jury. There is always way too much reasonable doubt.
Good thing you’re never on a jury. You’d let every criminal walk free despite overwhelming circumstantial evidence. Fool
No really there was no actual evidence of his guilt, other than when he started dating someone AFTER his wife’s death ? Despite the fact I also think he’s guilty, this is a fact that must be PROVED. This is a miscarriage of justice, a verdict rendered to make everyone feel good. Never mind they destroyed the life of an innocent woman and imprisoned a man not shown to be guilty.
You mean his wife’s disappearance. He started dating her when his wife was still listed as a missing person.
I agree with you, I “think” he’s guilty. But no there was physical proof or evidence. He could just be an old nasty man that doesn’t care if she even really went missing and might have been happy about it. (Although I don’t believe that) but could be true.
yeah, this is some bs
@@Ania-cd2sh And sadly we see that kind of indifference all too often when you’re dealing with a person with difficult mental health issues. He could’ve just been fed up. And of course, everyone grieves in their own unique ways. I don’t think he’s telling the truth about what happened, but I’m also not convinced he murdered he. The state certainly didn’t prove their case in my opinion.
Exactly. Can’t find a guy guilty cause I “think” he is or he “probably” might be. Terrible justice system.
THAT'S NOT A CONFESSION
What was the evidence of his guilt? Did I miss it?
nope...it was right there.....too many lies.....if you're truly innocent, you dont have to lie
I can’t believe he was found guilty with no evidence that is very scary. Yes there is opinions heartbreak and suspicion but physical evidence should be required before cases are even brought to court. How does this happen 🤯
Why do be people keep saying there no “evidence” when he SAID he killed her 5 times
This is a tough one. You can’t convict someone because he comes across like a serious jerk. It’s also fascinating how they use his angry outbursts as suspicious. I’ve watched countless true crime vids where the say the lack of anger is suspicious!
I believe he's guilty, but that his guilt wasn't proven.
Yep
This is weaker than cases that were later proven to have gotten the wrong guy!
I believe he is innocent 😢. There are innocent people in prison 😢
No proof, evidence or confession?? Too much unknown, too many unanswered questions. WOW. I could never had voted guilty.
But he did confess.
@@graywebb2554 Did he? It sounded more like an expression of frustration. (not to make light of the situation, but like the "I killed someone" scene in My Cousin Vinny.) It seems to happen a lot in very long interrogations, but usually with young suspects. Like the other case in Wisconsin that was made into a Netflix documentary.
They used the fact that he said "no" 3 times ti make him guilty. Then because he said he loved "that woman" they say no one says that. I've heard that many times. Maybe they all gate their wives like this detective was saying
Wow! This guy SHOULD have had a lawyer from the start. I believe the guilty verdict came about b/c time had drug on and on and the cops finally wore the guy down in interviews. Heck, after 45 years of marriage, there's no way I could tell anyone what my wife was wearing at just about any point in the day or week, or look through her closets and tell if something were missing. Jeepers, about half the time I forget our anniversary and her eye colour. Saying this with a 13 year LEO background...
They railroaded him, clear and simple
yep...and those tracks to him to the pen
When Victoria said “She’d not be found next time”, I don’t necessarily think she was referring to her body not ultimately being found, rather, she meant she’d not be discovered in time to be saved. 🙏🏼
Even if she meant it the way the defense wanted to portray, it's still an unlikely thing to accomplish. And they want us to believe that she walked out of the house and made it to some remote location, but didn't even bring her cigarettes for one last smoke? Just that little fact is hard to believe, without getting into all the rest. He's guilty. Everyone knows it.
Great observation! I didn't think of it that way. That is why the daughter said she was mad, mad that she was found that time in the past attempt.
This is so sad, once I heard the purse with her wallet and cigarettes, he said to get rid of her stuff to goodwill, how he could care less and lied multiple times is pretty strong evidence.
34:20 - you "implored" her to be truthful by planting what you wantes her to say in her head before you even aaked. This entire Trial is a reversal of the burdon of proof. In this trial, the jury is being asked to convict based on reasonable doubt that the defendant DIDNT kill his wife. They pursued reasonable doubt of his innocence - not of his guilt. An exact reversal of what the offical rules are. The Judge failing to catch this is a profound and historic substrate of dutiful negligence
Exactly! If his Attorneys submitted an appeal, I feel positive they’d grant one ~ then we’d see if the prosecutors would decide to retry him, based on literally No evidence, more than just a weak case; whether they or we “feel” like he’s responsible for her disappearance/death isn’t enough “evidence” to warrant a conviction… Unbelievable 🤦🏼♀️ “Justice is blind”
The guy was sick of his suicidal wife and his feelings were indifferent. Although that’s sad, it’s not a crime. He could’ve just left her. He had ZERO motive to kill her. I feel sorry for the grown kids but their mother was nuts and it’s reasonable to believe she ran off, I don’t believe the guy is guilty.
Although I do feel he is guilty there was absolutely no evidence of that during trial and it’s sad that a jury was able to convict him beyond a reasonable doubt! That’s the very reason so many innocent people are in prison now.
RUclips polled me for an opinion on your comment. I just thought you’d like to know I gave it five stars all the way around.
I know a lot of people saying they wouldn't have voted guilty but a jury of 12 people see a lot more than what we see and hear in 30 minutes 🤷
38:48 - One the most shocking miscarriages of justice this nation has ever seen. Wow
Last week, this man was released after serving 30 years for a murder that he didn't commit now the prosecutor is on trail.
@@lilayant6547I believe you're talking about someone else because this happened like 10 years ago...
I’m glad he didn’t get away with it that’s such a horrible thing to do and I couldn’t imagine how much pain her family is in because of it and it just makes me sad and hurt thinking of it
You didn’t even watch the video
Facts.. what are you yapping about?
@@XzadriunWashington-el3ok
The case was in the news for years. It's not astrophysics.
@@mortalclown3812 deez nuts astrophysicist tho
@@kingsboro6704
Projecting much?
He’s so damn cantankerous that you almost want to find him for sure guilty again only halfway through
Actually someone saying “take me in i didn’t do it!” Or “I’ll get my day in court” usually points to innocence
Or protesting too much. Maybe he knew there was no proof.
@@deniseadkins2901 could be but I def think there was enough reasonable doubt that he should’ve been found not guilty
It’s so easy to find someone guilty with really no evidence and as a blk woman we see it a lot. I feel like there is a reasonable doubt. But it’s so hard to release innocent people. How many ppl have died in prison because fighting for the innocents. It’s sad cause we only get one life and 1 day or 17 yrs in jail when your innocent tells you how messed up are justice system is 😔
Call me crazy, but I think this system railroaded this man.
You are crazy and gullible.
Welcome to Wisconsin
Completely!!!!!!!!!
😮😮😮
Not only crazy but flat out wrong😂
8:24 Her husband was such an angry person... no wonder she was depressed
This could happen to anyone, do not talk to police without representation. It doesn't matter if you are 100% innocent, it doesn't matter how it looks that you have retained a lawyer, your life and freedom are at stake. The cops were obviously desperate and wanted to clear the case, lying does not make you a killer.
either does telling the truth...
This is insane. They had no evidence saying he murdered his wife. This is sickening and happens way to often. The fact that people continue to get convicted because they move on quickly or have an affair is horrible. The justice system is not to be based on morals but facts and evidence and they had neither to say he committes a crime.
lying to the police is bad.
@@jennyd9144 doesn't mean you're a murderer
Sum ends fishy here
If she did it, she would be found somehow,someway, .buzzards,smell, bones,etc she couldnt cover her own grave. Don't know but feelings.sad story
Adds up
I believe he's guilty, however could not have convicted him with zero evidence. The justice system is scary...
Well, he might be guilty but if I was sitting on the jury, there’s no way I could call an another human guilty of murder without a SLIVER of hard evidence, on the basis of “MIGHT BE GUILTY”. The justice system operates on emotion, not facts unfortunately.
Wild that they had 0 evidence and put him in jail for life sick country we live in.
I agree with the majority here. How do you convict someone of murder with absolutely no physical evidence?? No body, no dna, no crime scene, no witness…..I think he did it too, but nothing the prosecutors said actually proves it. That’s crazy to me.
Since Victoria said no one would ever find her body, is there a chance that she may have walked into the sludge pond? Just wondering...........
I find that more probable than someone putting her there.
not without a simple little push....
His lawyers should’ve fought this conviction because there clearly is enough reasonable doubt here and really no evidence of guilt just theories and hunches
and lots of lies, thats what done him in, if he was innocent, he would have told the truth....
39:09 "8 years of hard investigative work" no body, no murder weapon, no forensic evidence, no digital evidence, no witnesses. Nothing but emotional statements and possibilities. He did lie about some facts and they used that agaisnt him.
Tunnel visioned on him.
I can't believe that was enough evidence for a conviction...Crazy.
Just because someone is an a** and a cheater doesn’t make him a killer. Is it most likely he is the one? No doubt. Innocent until PROVEN guilty. What happened to beyond a REASONABLE doubt? This is just wrong….
His reaction is very telling.
😒 He seemed like an angry hothead from the get-go.
Yeah, he got quickly defensive, annoyed, or even angry. Like a true narcissist. Instead of concerned or even heartbroken or broken up over her missing! Yeah very telling to me too.
I really expected a Not Guilty verdict though. I was surprised. Though I’m sure of his guilt.
True
G - U - I - L - T - Y guilty guilty...scary to think one could be married 24 years and be discarded for another woman in the most inhumane way possible. Whatever happened to the concept of divorce.
So he lied about a couple of things and that's *beyond reasonable doubt* 🤔 Wow!!!!!
Couldn't agree with you more. He's innocent according to the law.
Remember when he literally said "Yeah I killed her" then took it back. Wow!
@@delaneyb6171 Remember when she said next time I off myself no one will find me? These jurors are cowards!
@@Joe-madbut if she actually said that or he made it up?
@eddo1983 she said it to her daughter....
The disappearance of Victoria Prokopovich is mysterious and painful, with many questions surrounding the testimony of her husband, Jim Prokopovich, and his new relationship. Even without a body, the story still leaves a lingering pain for the family, and everyone is waiting for the truth to come out to close this wound.
I think he did it, but no way did they come close to proving it beyond a reasonable doubt in his trial. Honestly? The guilty verdict is terrifying.
Victoria sounded like a lovely woman! My heart goes out to her Family, and Friends.💔🙏💔🙏💔🙏 My heart is breaking for Victoria.🥀🥀🥀🙏🙏🙏💔💔💔🕊️🕊️🕊️
What if he actually didn't do it
Good case for The Innocence Project group to take a look at possibly
"If someone denies something 3 times in a row, they are almost always 100 percent guilty." What!? I don't believe that!
Cops shouldn’t look for unicorns until the donkeys are cleared
A lot of the time it’s the husband that killed the wife
This case wasn’t enough evidence to convict him of murder. Yea he lied a few times, but no evidence at all.
There was no evidence really. This is a bad trial.
This sets an incredibly dangerous precedent!! Yet another example of the state using NOTHING but emotion & unrelated facts to convict a person of a crime.... the exact opposite of how the system is supposed to work!
It doesn't matter how mean you think a suspect is, how sure a detective thinks they are, how guilty someone sounds, how strange a complete LACK of evidence seems, how guilty the family of the victim thinks they are, or any other assertion made during this trial! If there's no evidence of a crime, then there should be no conviction of a criminal, no exceptions!
Will some criminals get away with crimes in this way? Sure... but it's better 20 criminals go free than ONE innocent person spend a lifetime in prison. That used to be the standard of justice we had in this country, but unfortunately, that's no longer the case. As is obvious by the amount of innocent people we've put to death in this country!!
It's disgusting watching these legal "professionals" manipulate members of the public just because they have a "strong feeling" about a person!!
Shame on them!
The jury should’ve been shown
“Gone Girl.”
Basing a case off a movie isn’t any better.
That's bull****.
If he truly began as "Not Guilty"... State certainly showed nothing to price otherwise!
*prove
Everything you do or say, is defensive to a detective. Biggest narcissist ever
i love how they include victim impact statements in the opening summary. I wonder which way this one goes...
Her sitting in court with that helmet on. 😂😂😂
😂😂😂
Instant loss of respect hahaha
I can't imagine watching someone that i once loved, watching their body sink into that sluge. Witnessing that would seem horrific. Its pretty probable that's exactly what he did.
But they can’t prove it man the judicial system has gotten all screwed up. He doesn’t have to prove he’s innocent they have to prove he’s guilty and who gives a crap what people think I mean they had no proof they had no hard evidence on this matter they had feelings, that’s it, I mean I’d be really upset too. If that was my mom. But he’s old you forget and they’re asking him what it was she wearing where did you go to search for her? I know a lot of nasty men like that though great would like that. I hope my family never has to have a jury trial on anything because juries are a joke nowadays.
@@choctawlove6060jury got it right, he had motive, last one to see her alive, lied and perjured himself. Easy conviction. Good thing you weren’t on the jury
I know they had a search warrant for their home but does anyone know if they analyzed his truck?? The inside and back? He seemed to always be driving it in the video footage.
They definitely did, which is why we heard absolutely nothing about it. If they'd found something she would have said the truth is in the truck.
Not saying he isn't guilty but he should not have been found guilty with that lack of evidence
Innocent or guilty. NEVER EVER speak to cops. EVER.
I wish his lawyer stressed reasonable doubt and what it means !