02/08 PETER VAN SANT, 48 HOURS, JEFF BERNSTEIN, STEVE EVANS

PETER VAN SANT - 48 HOURS "Desperate Measures"

“48 Hours: Desperate Measures” – An elderly couple is executed in their home.  But the killer may have gotten it wrong.  In a case of possible mistaken identity, how Google Maps may have led the killer to the wrong house…

Summary:   Dennis and Merna Koula lived the American dream.  Married for over 30 years, Dennis, 68, amassed a sizeable fortune operating car dealerships and pharmacies; his wife, Merna, 63, worked as a part-time substitute teacher. So, who would target the La Crosse, Wisconsin couple for an execution-style murder? On May   2010, their son Eric, 42, called 911 to report that he had found both Merna and Dennis shot to death in their home.

Investigators would not have to speculate long. Just days after the double homicide, a neighbor provides the first lead in the case. John Christophersen, a former special agent with the Wisconsin Department of Justice, explains that Steve Burgess, a president at a local bank, came forward to police, stating that he had been receiving death threats in the months leading up to the crime.

Burgess’ information creates suspicion that Merna and Dennis may have been the victims in a case of mistaken identity – that someone out to kill their neighbor, killed the Koulas instead.  But how could such a fatal mistake have been made?  Easily, if the killer used the internet.  As correspondent Peter Van Sant demonstrates, when you Google Earth Steve Burgess' address, the zoom into the house goes to the Koula's house, not to Steve Burgess' house.  In an emotional moment, Eric Koula admits that he’s been told the double execution of his parents has “all the markings of a hit.”  Did the killer have the wrong address?  Peter Van Sant has the story on this week’s all-new 48 HOURS.


JEFF BERNSTEIN - "THE WINE GUY"
 

He discovered wine while working as a server in a chain Italian food restaurant in 1999. They didn’t have any amazing wines, more like the high quality national brands that you expect; BV, Fetzer, Chateau Ste Michelle. But he learned how to taste wine while working there and it sparked a passion. Since then Jeff was entirely self-taught in California Viticulture over the last ten years by immersing himself in the wine he loved so much by frequenting new and interesting wine producing areas and working in wine shops. Most recently, Jeff has continued his education through various sources such as the Court of Master Sommeliers and the Society of Wine Educators in 2011.

Since then he has dedicated himself to the principle that wine isn’t meant to be intimidating, rather it is meant to complement and enhance our lives. Too often do people find shopping for wine a time consuming and daunting task. A true oenophile, Jeff’s reputation for having a sensitive palate and keen sense of other people’s taste has earned him the reputation for being a go to in the wine world for hunting for amazing boutique wines for connecting high quality wines with those who will enjoy them the most.



STEVE EVANS - "THE MOVIE GUY"

GREAT MOVIES OPENING THIS WEEKEND AND BOX OFFICE PREDICTIONS AND HOPES. FIND OUT WHAT MOVIES ARE WORTH YOUR HARD EARNED MONEY. GET SET FOR THE WEEKEND.