Secrets From The Grave

A Man Who Cheated Death More Than Once Dies Under Strange Circumstances

(CBS)  But Andras learned the hard way that finding a good hit man can be tricky. Sadly for Andras, he didn't know that the man he was talking to from the courthouse hallway was taping the calls, and turning everything over to the district attorney's office.

Andras was about to be set up and the D.A.'s chief investigator, Johnny Bonds, had just the man for the job. "He's our resident hit man," says Bonds. "When we get word that somebody is trying to find a killer, we’ll try to arrange for him to be the person."

Gary Johnson is an investigator for the D.A.’s office who is very good at making people believe he’s a hit man, right up to the point where they’re arrested. "We've investigated over 300," says Johnson. "Now as far as arresting, it's somewhere between 50 to 60.

Showing his face obviously would be bad for business. And business could be pretty lucrative, if only he was for real. He’s been offered nearly a quarter of a million dollars for one hit.

Luckily for Flint, Andras bought Johnson’s act, and agreed to meet his make-believe hit man in a local Denny’s restaurant. And just to spice things up, Johnson told Andras to use a special password when they first met.

Police cameras were recording the whole meeting. Andras offered Johnson $3,000 to kill Flint and more if Flint's body was never found.

"I told him that I had some property that had a well on it," says Johnson. "And that I was clearing the property and so I would just take him and drop him in the well, fill it in and no one would be the wiser."

It was all over in a matter of minutes. Johnson thought he had enough evidence on tape to arrest Andras and gave the word to police officers to move in. Andras was charged with soliciting capital murder.

Andras was convicted and sentenced to 25 years in prison. And because of the lengthy sentence, the attempted murder charges for shooting Flint were dropped.

For the time being, Flint was safe, but his problems weren’t over. Since Cassandra now had a criminal record for resisting arrest, Flint hoped he’d finally get his daughter back. But this time, a judge said that both parents were unfit, and explained to Flint there was still no evidence to clear him of those old molestation charges. So in May 1996, their 6-year-old daughter "Jane" was put in a foster home.

"I know that there will be a day when my daughter comes and sees me," says Flint. "And I’ll be able to present the facts to her. And show her I tried. And did the best I could, and that was the outcome."

Five years after Flint's battle for his daughter began, a new judge ordered a psychologist to review the custody case. The doctor said Bill would be a better parent. So the judge finally awarded Flint full custody of his daughter, who was now 8.

Today, “Jane” is a teenager. She now says her mother made up the story about Flint molesting her and talked her into accusing her father when she was younger: "I just remember my mother always saying that he did abuse me and stuff. And so, I thought that it was true. But after living with him, I know now that it wasn’t at all."

"Jane" lived happily with her father until December 1998, when a marine light fell 70 feet and broke Flint's neck and arm. Flint had been working for an electrical contractor.