June 13, 2009
Did The Doctor Kill The Doctor?
A 48 Hours Mystery Exclusive
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Play CBS Video Video Did The Doctor Kill The Doctor? Is Dr. Timothy Stryker a calculating murderer or an innocent man trying to clear his name? Richard Schlesinger reports.
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Video More From DA Gerry Leone Hear District Attorney Gerry Leone speak at the arraignment of Timothy Stryker and Richard Chambers.
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Video More From The Medical Examiner Medical examiner Dr. Stanton Kessler talks about the murder of Dr. Linda Goudey.
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Dr. Linda Goudey and Dr. Timothy Stryker (CBS)
"Where were they? He had them. The jacket wasn’t found in the car. The Premarin bag wasn't found [in] the car. They were found in his apartment," Altman pointed out.
He called them his three silent witnesses that prove Goudey was at Stryker’s apartment the night she was killed. "The only way they could have gotten there. She was carrying them," Altman claimed.
Stryker says, while they were dating, Goudey often left her belongings at his home. But she left behind some other damaging evidence at her home: revealing notes about her fights with Stryker.
Altman says they are written in Goudey's voice. She described a fight where she was injured. "Up angry. Forget it. Storms out. Threw pearls. Flips me into railing. Back and foot injury. Shaking, chills, swollen foot," Altman read.
Altman says the note proves Stryker could be violent; but Stryker says Goudey was injured when they were practicing a dance step.
Stryker's attorney, Martin Leppo, says the case against his client isn't just weak, he argues there is no case. "Where is one person, one scintilla of evidence, just one person who heard one noise of a fight in that house, of a person screaming?" Leppo says.
Leppo asked the jurors to use common sense and to ask themselves one question. "Has the plaintiff proved their case that Lin Goudey was there that night and that Tim Stryker caused her death?"
It took nearly 13 years to get this case to a civil court trial, but it took only a day and a half for the jury to reach a verdict. The jury believed Stryker killed Lin Goudey and in an extraordinary move, ordered him to pay Lin’s family $15 million.
It's not a criminal conviction, but for Lin's mother and brother, it is one critical victory in their fight to put Stryker behind bars.
Nobody was surprised that Stryker said he would appeal. But everyone was surprised when nine months later when he and his lawyer announced they had found a brand new witness who could make this a brand new case.
"What he was swearing to was that on the night of September 30th of 1993, he saw someone in that Saab with Linda Goudey who looked nothing like Stryker," Leone said.
Stryker was suddenly facing the possibility of losing everything: his home, his money, and his reputation.
After a civil court found him responsible for the death of Goudey, he was ordered to pay her family $15 million. But that could all change, and quickly, because Stryker says from out of the blue came a phone call, from a man, who according to Stryker was in the parking lot the night Goudey was killed.
"He called me, you know, on the phone at my office. And apparently he had seen all this publicity. And he realized, when he saw my face on the screen, that I wasn't the person that he saw with Lin Goudey that night," Stryker says.
Craig Pizzano was 18 at the time of the murder, and Stryker says he told him one heck of a story: "He told me that he had been out drinking that night. Picked up a girl. Took her over to this parking lot, over at the hospital."
Pizzano said when he arrived at the hospital parking lot around 1 a.m. there was only one other car there: Lin Goudey’s Saab.
"He happened to pull up next to their car. And things started to get hot and heavy between him and this girl he picked up. And he walked over to their car to actually ask for a condom, and he saw them engaged in sexual activity," Stryker says.
According to a deposition obtained by 48 Hours, Pizzano said he got a good look at who was inside when he knocked on the car window to ask for a condom.
Stryker says Pizzano described the man "over six foot tall, over 200 pounds. You know, a big man with blonde hair."
In other words, Pizzano said, the man looked nothing at all like Stryker.
"It's a wacky story, to put it politely," Schlesinger points out.
"Yes. No, and that's why I asked him a number of questions at the time, to see if I could verify his story. And he also seemed to have information that clearly he wouldn't have had if just from reading the newspapers," Stryker replies.
Produced by Deborah Grau
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See all 28 CommentsWhich law school did you graduate from? Do not denigrate others who disagree with you. I assure you I have probably three more degrees than you, but you are welcome to your deluded opinion. You belong with the jurors on the OJ trial who did not have a clue.
Nothing a good waterboarding session wouldn't cure though.
Carry on ....................
Dr. Stryker is a pschopath. His non-chalant demeaner and soft spoken voice is only a cover for his inner demons. Now in prison for perjury, perhaps the police and investigators will find enough evidence to put him away for murdering his girlfriend. How stupid can someone be to lie and make up a story about someone else committing the murder years later. He lied to everyone on tv about this. No evidence found clearly shows how a doctor knew what he was doing; he used surgical gloves to choke her. When someone says they don't want to go on a vacation, get the clue doctor. You can't force anyone to do what you want. With no more control left over her, he kills her and goes off on a vacation by himself anyway. This is what psychopaths are all about; no feelings or remorse for their actions. Did you see him cry on tv at all? Did you see him get mad and determined to find the "real" killer? No, instead we had to listen to his soft, calculating voice and listen to his lies. See how he turns things around during the interview; I didn't say that, they must have said it differently. Even a doctor can make stupid mistakes. But this guy won't be able to lie himself out of this one.
CSI-lover
In response to an earlier comment about what kind of person would ask at a strangers car for a condom, a drunk and lusty 18 year old would.
The scenario is that of a high strung male, very controlling, who has to deal with a headstrong female. Initially, he may be in control, with his partner infatuated. But when that wears off, and his power over the other person dwindles, he may lash out in a violent and tragic way.
A few notes on forensics. When Dr. Stryker was apprehended, did the police look for marks on his hands or body indicating a struggle during the strangulation? Were there any drugs in the victim's system (such as an anethesic or something to keep her from struggling)?
There was no mention of relationships the woman may have had outside their relationship. That is the kind of trigger that would set off the male in a violent way.
Also, I didn't hear about Stryker's 'alibi'. Where was he on the night of the murder? Any witnesses?
Where did the carpet or material that the body was wrapped in come from? Was it something from Stryker's apartment as well..or something that could have been traced with recipients, or found in a local store?
I thought that the real tragedy may have been the chemistry between two headstrong "beaultiful people"...however, they mentioned that Stryker had a history of violence towards his partners.
Thank GOD family was persistent and won their civil case, if not he might have actually gotten away with it.
What a snake, just like OJ Simpson!! He had not one once of remorse and neither does this killer!! Nor any intention of paying the family one cent of his judgement. Lucky for the family his greed got the best of him and now he will go to jail! GREED IS EXPENSIVE!! I hope now that he was caught with his pants down, the prosecutor can put a solid case againest him for the murder. It's pretty obvious he killed her.
Did anyone notice how emotional his wife suddenly got when the lawyer was describing how Striker choked the life out of his girlfriend. That lawyer was great!! he was so descriptive and made it so real, that it woke up his wife to the REALITY that he did killed her, that was what made her so emotional and forced her into a emotional breakdown.. Finally she got her head out of the sand!! Now after he lost and won't have any money and of course getting caught trying to conspire and con his way out of paying, is pretty difficult for her to try sugar coat. finally she is divorcing him. WOW, she sure needed a bat to wake her up, jeeze woman..
He is a liar and of course he murdered his girlfriend. obviously he lost is cool and strangled her. who else would want to? he is a true sociopath, he has the emotion of a fish. Finally he getting his just deserve. I was glad to see he lost his medical license, what a hideous person and too bad his second wife had children with him, she must be one very desperate stupid woman, but it's difficult to put your hed in the sand when the truth i blaring right at you, talk about denial. she is just lucky she did't **** him off..
This physician reminded me of Hill.
He won me over. I didn''t think he killed his wife. That is until the end of 48 Hrs. How stupid of him to even think of hiring anyone to lie for him. It shows how manipulative he really is.
His new wife is as blind as a bat too. Who knows what kind of Love it is huh?
And like who is going to believe that?
Who is going to walk up to some strangers car and ask for a condom???
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