An Eye For An Eye

A Beloved Doctor Is Murdered In Cold Blood

(CBS)  Lourdes introduced her ex-husband to Schwartz. Soon the two began having secret conversations.

"Dr. Schwartz gives your ex-husband $5,000. What do you think that money was for?" Van Sant asks Lourdes.

"I have no idea. I suspect it was for nothing good," she says.

But Murphy couldn't question Danny Lopez because he was dead, murdered during a drug deal months before Stidham’s murder. But police from that case gave Murphy Lopez's wallet and inside was a bombshell: a picture of Stidham and Schwartz’s business card.

"The information in Danny Lopez's wallet told me that he had actually tried to hire somebody else to kill Dr. Stidham previous to October of 2004," Murphy says.

Murphy's investigation had unearthed a lethal pattern of manipulation that would soon be presented at the separate murder trials of Schwartz and his alleged hit man, Bruce Bigger.

The two men would be up against a woman beyond their control, known for her intimidating style: prosecutor Sylvia Lafferty.

On the first day of Schwartz's murder trial, Lafferty took center stage. "The defendant was an angry man. His anger turned into a grudge. And his grudge festered into an obsession," she told the court. "Who was to blame for the defendant's fall from grace? And, in the defendant's mind, the person to blame was Brian Stidham."

Defense Attorney Brick Storts III said the state's case was weak. "I submit to you that once you follow the timeline and once you say show me the money, once you talk about dealing with time of death, you will then make the conclusion that this case is exactly what reasonable doubt is all about."

One by one, former patients and lovers of Dr. Schwartz took the stand. "That he'd be happy if he was six feet under," one woman testified.

"He told me how much he hated him and how the office was secluded and there was nobody there and he told me that it would be a perfect place to get rid of somebody," another woman testified.

All eyes were on Lourdes Lopez as she took the stand. "I think even at that second he was hopeful that I was just going to walk away. That I was going to get up and leave and not say anything," she says.

But the former assistant D.A. was about to use Schwartz's own words against him. "Brad had told me that he wanted Dr. Stidham to die," she testified. "And excuse me -- he said, 'That [expletive] guy is gonna die."

"It would be done like a robbery or a carjacking. That Brad wouldn't do it himself; that he'd have somebody else do it," Lourdes told the court.

And prosecutors said Bigger, a drifter with a drug habit, was someone else Schwartz could manipulate. "I think he honed in on that like a smart bomb. He had certainly the ability to detect weakness and neediness in others. And I think he certainly did that with Mr. Bigger," Lafferty said.

The state believed Bigger killed Stidham shortly after the doctor set his office alarm at 7:26 p.m. Then they say Bigger took off in Stidham's car, drove six miles, and dumped the car.

What did Bigger do then?

"Leaves the car, walks across the parking lot into a Denny's restaurant. And from that pay phone, calls Dr. Schwartz, who's having dinner with a lady friend," Lafferty told the court.

The prosecution presented bank surveillance video from the day after the murder showing Schwartz cashing a $10,000 check. Schwartz made a call on his cell phone, calling Bigger's hotel.

"It’s one of those great moments," Lafferty said. "Because earlier in the day, there had been three calls from Bigger to Schwartz from the hotel. 'Where is my money? Where is my money? Where is my money?' Now this is the call saying, 'I’ve got your money.'"

And two of Bigger's drug buddies testified that shortly after the murder, the usually struggling drifter was living large.

But defense attorney Brick Storts argued that Bigger's sudden windfall of cash had nothing to do with a payoff from Schwartz. "There's never anybody that’s ever said they saw him give him anything. So there's nothing that connects Dr. Schwartz and any money he got with Mr. Bigger," Storts told the court.

And Storts had his own opinion of the state’s theory of a man bent on revenge. "Hog wash. Just that simple," he said. "Because when this homicide happened, Dr. Schwartz had gotten his license back. His practice was well on the upswing. He had been drug-free for over a year and a half to two years."

Storts said the cops got it all wrong, and should have been focusing on Dennis Walsh, a convicted carjacker who had been known to use a knife. "And what was interesting about Mr. Walsh is that he was involved committing these events, these crimes, in and around the medical complex where Dr. Stidham had his office," Storts argued.

But the judge dealt a blow to the defense, allowing only limited testimony on Walsh.

"Why shouldn't we believe that Dennis Walsh is the man behind this murder?" Van Sant asks Lafferty.

"Well because DNA excludes him for one thing," she replies.

[Justice411]

My daughter was a patient of Dr. Stidham's. He was the kindest doctor I have ever come in contact with. He wasn't the type of doctor, in my opinion, to get the patients in and out. He made sure my daughter was comfortable. When we first started going to Dr. Stidham, my daughter was wearing a head device for plagiocephaly. He remarked that his son had to wear one for a short time. He offered to hold my daughter while I put her helmet back on. He was just a nice man and the title of "Doctor" just seemed to be that to him-a title. He didn't deserve to die. I think about his wife and his children all the time. He performed my daughter's first eye surgery in June 2004-four months before he was murdered.

Now it's been 5 years since Dr. Stidham was brutally murdered. I wish he could be here to continue caring for my daughter's eyes. I am still angry that such a kind, caring person could be taken away in such a horrific manner. I will continue to pray for his family.

[zazupitts]

I was a patient of Dr. Schwartz.. and got to know him... what I do not understand is......... He was under a therapist's care .. and why didn't the therapist tell the authorities that he was addicted to oxycotin .. (hillbilly herion) why in God's name didn't this therapist (woman) turn him in.. or help him.. he was so hyper and you could tell he needed help.. I fault the woman ... (I think her name was Joy)... for not taking action .. Schwartz is a very dynamic personality .. charming.. and highly intelligent. This is truly a tragedy that I feel could have been avoided if only his therapist would have taken the responsibility of her patient's obvious problems and handled it correctly.

[graceesmom]

buttermilk12, I too am wondering why they are showing all these reruns. I think they have been showing them for at least 3 or 4 weeks now. Maybe they''ll get some new interviews soon.

[graceesmom]

I am also wondering why his wife wasn''t on the program. Murphy tells of the wife looking over an estate document and she also knew that Schwartz didn''t like Stidham. Is there any speculation of the wife because she named Schwartz as an enemy of Stidham because they said that it was a stretch for a Schwartz to do this to Stidham after 2 years. So perhaps the wife could have been involved at some point? Not that she was having an affair with Schwartz but just she might not have been happy with her husband anymore. I know the last thing on my mind in a crisis like this would have been legal documents. Schwartz might not have been totally alone in doing this but I think he would have snitched out the wife for his own gain. Just wondering..

[buttermilk12]

I just want to know why 48hrs keep putting all these show as new, when they are all reruns?

[rn37]

Why wasn''t the wife on the program? They left me to think that although she was not a suspect that somehow she was a bad person/wife. Why only his sister and mother spoke?

[dlucero76]

What baffles me is how vain so many woman can be, having *** with this punk just because he''s a doctor. My advise is get tested for STD''s as for the doc well he''s going to get plenty of *** in the joint because they are going to love his pretty white tail and than there''s the fact that many in the joint fell as though society has delt them a raw deal and there''s a doctor in there and had it all and threw it away because he though he was a tough guy, well I hope he likes it rough because that is how he is going to get it over and over.......See ya there is justice in the world.

[drdavedmd]

What a loser Dr. Shwartz was! Was it all worth it? And he was so dumb to invite his accomplice to dinner. If you''re going to kill someone you do it privately and don''t talk about stuff in the open with other people. This is common sense. And then he gives him the scrubs. What another dumb move. Don''t you think that would look odd??? Wouldn''t that be suspicious? And then using the cell phone to call and tell him that he got his money? Everyone knows that if you were going to commit something so heinous such as this that you should use pay phones! All these murderers are not so smart. They leave so many clues to make the puzzle fit so nicely. Idiots therefore need to pay the ultimate price. Justice was served.

[cricketmk3]

I can''t understand why all those women would want to be involved with Dr. Schwartz. I would never be attracted to him whether he was a doctor with money or not!

[incog-nito]

What kind of a verdict is that? They''re guilty of conspiracy to murder, a man is dead, but they''re not guilty of murder? So does that mean the real murderer is out there somewhere? And if so, why isn''t anybody looking for him? Stupid decision by a stupid jury.

[willyaz1]

We had a son that was a patient of Dr. Stidham. He was a gentle, kind, talented man. Children responded to him well; I understand they were a big part of his practice. He was a natural. When we knew doctor Stidham, he was already in his private practice, at the location which he was killed. Our son was a patient at the time of his death. His untimely death was a terrible shock. So brutal, sad. My wife and I followed the case very closely...and coordinated a collection for Daphne and her children. My wife and I, with son, went on the walk featured in the show--very emotional. To this day, some three years later, I still can not fathom the evil that must be present in a man such as Bradley Schwartz. How many lives did he so selfishly harm...from the entire Stidham family, to his own family, to all the women he deceived, to an entire community... To Daphne...we miss your husband to this day and wish you the very best as you deal with this loss. I hope your young children get to know, in time, what a special dad they had. To his extended family...our prayers are with you: Please know that your son, in a very brief period of life, had more impact than most have in a lifetime. Thanks to the Stidham family for coorperating with this show and helping to bring this story to a broader audience. Perhaps...it will help to prevent a loss for another family. To Brian...it was a honor to know you...

[willyaz1]

We had a son that was a patient of Dr. Stidham. He was a gentle, kind, talented man. Children responded to him well; I understand they were a big part of his practice. He was a natural. When we knew doctor Stidham, he was already in his private practice, at the location which he was killed. Our son was a patient at the time of his death. His untimely death was a terrible shock. So brutal, sad. My wife and I followed the case very closely...and coordinated a collection for Daphne and her children. My wife and I, with son, went on the walk featured in the show--very emotional. To this day, some three years later, I still can not fathom the evil that must be present in a man such as Bradley Schwartz. How many lives did he so selfishly harm...from the entire Stidham family, to his own family, to all the women he deceived, to an entire community... To Daphne...we miss your husband to this day and wish you the very best as you deal with this loss. I hope your young children get to know, in time, what a special dad they had. To his extended family...our prayers are with you: Please know that your son, in a very brief period of life, had more impact than most have in a lifetime. Thanks to the Stidham family for coorperating with this show and helping to bring this story to a broader audience. Perhaps...it will help to prevent a loss for another family. To Brian...it was a honor to know you...