0:07

After months of trying to get the Burlington

0:09

County prosecutor's office to answer

0:12

any of our questions, we've arrived

0:14

here in Mount Holly, New Jersey.

0:17

These distant church bells echo

0:19

around the buildings surrounding us.

0:21

There's a jail, some court houses,

0:24

and even a prison museum. But

0:27

today, we're on a mission. Our

0:29

reporter, Betsy Sheppard and I head through

0:31

a metal detector and security

0:33

pulls as aside. They ask

0:35

us a few questions and inspect

0:38

our recording gear.

0:39

Finally, we head to the second floor.

0:42

Burlington County prosecutor HQ.

0:47

Prosecutor, Heather? Okay.

0:50

The county prosecutor's lead investigator

0:53

on the Nara case has agreed to sit

0:55

down with us. His name,

0:57

is detective sergeant Brian Cunningham,

1:00

and he joined the department in July

1:02

twenty eighteen well after the murders.

1:05

He's young with slicked back hair

1:07

and wearing a coat and tie. But

1:10

our has some pretty stringent

1:13

ground rules. No questions.

1:16

We're only to record him reading two

1:18

outdated press releases.

1:21

Headline. Twenty five thousand reward

1:23

posted for information on Maple Shade Double

1:25

homicide. Burlington

1:27

County prosecutor Scott COFINA, special

1:30

agent in charge of the FBI Newark division

1:32

Timothy

1:32

Gallagher. It's a weird scene. Betsy

1:35

and I have the recording gear out

1:37

expecting to get something.

1:39

But immediately, the PR guy warns

1:41

the room. No one's to go

1:43

off script.

1:44

The bodies of Sasa Calonara, h

1:46

thirty eight, and a niche nara, h six,

1:49

were discovered inside their unit at the Fox

1:51

Meadow Apartments on March twenty third.

1:53

Stop a second. I'm sorry. Her

1:55

her name is gonna show Sheila. Susicalla.

1:58

Susicalla.

1:59

Susicalla. Susicalla. Susicalla.

2:02

Susicalla.

2:02

Yeah. Okay. I just don't wanna know what

2:04

her name is pronounced in front of my office.

2:09

Six years after the murders, in

2:11

their only statement to us, investigators

2:14

are still stumbling over the victim's

2:16

names. They say it's an open

2:18

and active investigation, which

2:20

is why they won't talk about it. But they

2:22

also won't show us any evidence

2:24

they're doing much of anything.

2:28

The Burlington County prosecutor's office

2:30

ignores our public records requests.

2:32

And at first, Even refuses to

2:34

give us things we later find posted to their

2:36

own Facebook page. We hire

2:39

a lawyer to try to obtain the nine

2:41

eleven call, autopsy reports.

2:43

And death certificates. It seems

2:45

like the only active thing the prosecutor's

2:48

office is doing is actively

2:50

keeping us from information. Detective

2:53

Cunningham reading the five year

2:55

old statement.

2:56

They won't be answering anything off the cuff.

2:59

Not today, not ever. Investigators

3:04

won't even confirm if Hanunara, the

3:06

husband and father of the victims, is

3:08

or ever was a suspect in the killings.

3:11

But we discover plenty of surrounding

3:14

him. In this episode,

3:17

we look into the husband and try

3:19

to find out as much as we can about him.

3:22

I'm Tinkou Ray. I'm

3:24

Benadaire. This is Strangeland

3:27

season

3:27

two. Murder and Maple Shade.

3:50

Episode 3, the husband.

3:56

Good afternoon. My name is Scott

3:58

Carfina. I am the Burlington County Prosecutor.

4:01

I want to thank Fox Metal apartments for allowing

4:04

us to hold this announcement here.

4:06

This is from a press conference held nearly

4:08

six months after the murders. Posted

4:10

to Facebook by NBC ten Philadelphia.

4:13

It was used to announce the twenty

4:15

five thousand dollar reward for

4:17

ANY INFORMATION RELATING TO THE

4:18

CRIMES. Reporter: THE MANAGEMENT IS JUST AS

4:21

CONCERNED AS WE ARE IN FIGHTING THE

4:23

KILLERS OF SASSIGHLA AND

4:25

OUR NISHNAAR. This has

4:27

been and remains an active investigation

4:29

involving several law enforcement agencies.

4:31

At this point in the investigation, It

4:34

was hard not to think investigators

4:37

had totally lost the thread. Even

4:40

after appealing to the FBI for help,

4:42

and getting it. The Burlington County

4:44

prosecutor's office was coming up

4:46

completely

4:47

empty, and reporters knew

4:50

it. I feel like y'all put

4:52

in the room that's going on with the husband

4:54

slash father. If Randy can say

4:56

what's going on with them.

4:57

He's been cooperative. My understanding is

5:00

he's no longer living in the area, and he is

5:02

aware that the FBI has put on

5:04

for the war. And has he

5:06

ever been a suspect? I

5:07

can't comment on who is or is a lot of suspect

5:09

in the case. This

5:11

is the theme over and over.

5:13

Reporters want to know more about Hanew's status.

5:16

Does he still have his

5:16

passport? Is he allowed to travel?

5:19

Was a murder weapon recovered? I'm

5:22

not hungry. Anybody

5:24

who is a responsible citizen.

5:27

And investigators don't

5:29

say anything. We

5:33

do know that on the night of the murders,

5:35

Hanu was brought in for questioning. And

5:38

while he recited his alibi, He

5:40

left work, went to a happy hour,

5:42

returned home around nine PM. The

5:45

police were combing through his apartment.

5:47

And they found a trove of potential

5:50

electronic evidence. Officials

5:52

confiscated four cell

5:54

phones, a tablet, an external

5:56

hard drive, and four computers.

5:59

There were multiple warrants for communication

6:01

data, which means they could search

6:03

the Nara's cell phone

6:04

records, cloud accounts, text,

6:07

and emails. So

6:10

investigators gather all these

6:12

devices and all this data for

6:14

their investigation.

6:17

And Hanyu, for his part, hire

6:19

as a lawyer. If

6:21

you're charged with a crime and want an experienced

6:24

aggressive lawyer to defend you, call Jack

6:26

Ventura and Associates the lawyers who

6:28

fight for

6:28

you. We focus on Criminal defense

6:30

lawyer, Jack Ventura, has been

6:32

practicing law for more than forty years. He

6:34

has a blog that includes

6:36

posts like are there valid defenses to

6:39

domestic violence and defending

6:41

against repeat DUI charges in

6:43

New Jersey? Needless to

6:45

say, he denied a request for an

6:47

interview. Just

6:50

eight days after the murders, venturi

6:52

a letter to the Burlington County Prosecutor's

6:55

Office requesting a copy of the

6:57

autopsy and all statements

6:59

Hanauma made to police. Could

7:01

this have been the first step in preparing for a

7:03

criminal defense? Ventura

7:05

also requests the return of Hanus passport,

7:08

and visa documents indicating

7:10

that police have confiscated them.

7:12

A few weeks later, Venturi

7:14

writes another letter to the prosecutor's office.

7:16

This time, he demands the return of

7:18

Hanoi's multiple laptop computers.

7:21

And after a few months back and forth,

7:23

Hanoi sues the state of New Jersey

7:25

over compensated items. In

7:27

the filing, Venturi details how

7:30

Hanu had been a gold star cooperating

7:32

witness He handed over a

7:34

bunch of personal belongings, clothing,

7:37

even his and sassy's cars. Now,

7:39

Ventura says, Hano simply wants

7:41

back what's rightfully his. Ontario

7:44

also inquires how Hanoi might post reward

7:46

money to help with the investigation. And

7:49

he tells investigators to keep Hanu

7:51

in the loop about their progress.

7:56

Well, the best way to find out about

7:58

someone is to ask them directly.

8:03

We

8:03

find a phone number for Hanunara.

8:06

And we call.

8:08

Please leave your message. Hi,

8:12

Hanu. My name is Tinku

8:14

Ray. And I'm a journalist

8:16

that's looking into the unsolved murders

8:19

of Sassy and Anish.

8:22

It this is been a really

8:24

heartbreaking story

8:26

to

8:26

me. And and what? When

8:29

Honey doesn't call back, we message

8:31

him. We find an email address and we write

8:33

him there too. Still, no

8:35

response. So

8:38

next, return to his social circle.

8:40

Friends, coworkers, Facebook friends,

8:42

and acquaintances. Anyone who might

8:44

have any information on what

8:46

Hanu's like. How he reacted to

8:48

the murders, what he's doing

8:50

today. And

8:52

no dice. A few

8:54

people say they're willing to be interviewed but

8:57

then dodge all our follow-up

8:58

calls. We set up meetings

9:00

that get canceled. Others

9:02

get mad at us for digging after

9:04

a case that they think should day

9:07

buried. And then there were

9:09

even a few who threatened legal

9:11

action. This is a Facebook

9:13

message sent to us by one of Hanu's

9:15

friends, quote, Stop contacting,

9:17

and this is disgusting to cash

9:19

out on dead people. If you

9:21

are a sincere journalist, you will

9:23

talk to Maple shaped police and

9:25

FBI to get the justice for

9:27

Sassy and Anish. If you

9:29

contact any more friends of Hanu, you

9:31

will get the legal notice for

9:32

disturbing. End quote.

9:35

So that's

9:37

one stone wall from law enforcement

9:40

and another stone wall from Hanu and

9:42

his social circle. But

9:44

we're able to comb through documents

9:46

and find out a few key

9:48

details. The lawsuit

9:50

filed by Jack Ventura gives us a

9:52

peek into Hana's legal strategy and

9:55

his state of mind. Ventura

9:57

advised Hana not to take a

9:59

polygraph test that authorities requested.

10:02

Venturi requests copies of

10:04

all statements made by his client to

10:06

investigators, and he states

10:08

that Hanu has given police sufficient

10:10

proof of his

10:11

alibi, a receipt

10:13

from the office party he attended.

10:15

But here's my question.

10:18

How does a time stamp receipt

10:20

prove his alibi when

10:22

there seems to be no consensus

10:25

on when the murders occurred? According

10:28

to the autopsy, Susie's

10:30

time of death was three

10:32

thirty PM. This is

10:34

also the official time of death listed on

10:36

her death certificate. But

10:38

Anisha's autopsy says

10:40

he died four and a half

10:42

hours later at eight

10:44

PM. It's

10:46

possible they were killed at different

10:48

times, but we know this timeline

10:50

doesn't track. We confirmed with

10:52

one of Anish's after school tutors

10:54

that he was at a session the day of the murders.

10:57

And he was there until

10:59

about four thirty when his mom

11:01

picked him up, who at that

11:03

point was still very much

11:05

alive. So did the

11:07

medical examiner make a simple clerical

11:10

error? When we try to find

11:12

out, they tell us that the time of

11:14

death is not their responsibility.

11:16

It's determined by first

11:18

responders. And if you want

11:20

to find out more, we should ask,

11:22

the Burlington County prosecutor's

11:25

office.

11:27

These stone walls are getting bigger.

11:29

But there's one more lead we start to

11:31

run down. It turns

11:33

out there may have been a motive

11:35

for

11:35

murder. A million

11:38

dollar motive. And that's

11:40

coming up right after

11:42

the break.

11:51

While digging through court records, for

11:54

anything and everything related to Sassy

11:56

and Hanunara. We come across

11:58

a reference to a lawsuit over

12:00

insurance. Filed in New Jersey

12:02

just after the murder. What

12:04

we find is big.

12:07

It turns out almost

12:09

two years before the murders Fruco

12:11

Life Insurance issued two

12:13

policies for Sassy. They

12:15

total a little more than a million

12:17

dollars. And they also named her

12:19

husband, Hanyu, as the

12:21

sole beneficiary. We saw

12:23

the actual insurance application, and

12:26

Hanyu is listed as the

12:27

contact. It's his email address, not

12:30

SaaS on the form. Fast forward

12:32

to twenty seventeen. Just

12:34

six weeks after the murders, Hanu

12:37

submits a claim to cash in on

12:39

these policies. But there's a

12:41

problem. New Jersey

12:43

like a lot of states has what's

12:45

called a slayer statute. This

12:47

is a law that says,

12:49

basically, if you murder your family,

12:51

your right to their estate is revoked.

12:54

So before handing over the money to

12:56

Hanu, Rooko Life Insurance reaches

12:58

out to the Burlington County prosecutors

13:00

office. Essentially asking

13:02

if they were in the clear to give Honey

13:04

the money. The

13:06

answer was no.

13:09

They said, quote, The death

13:11

of Susi Calonara is an open

13:13

criminal investigation. Therefore,

13:15

no parties can be conclusively

13:17

eliminated at this time.

13:19

End quote,

13:24

So I decided to give Hanyu

13:26

another coal. Please

13:29

leave your message. Hi,

13:32

Hanu. This is Tincour Re

13:34

again, the journalist who's

13:36

working on the story about the unsolved

13:38

murders of Sasi and Anish.

13:41

You haven't returned to any of my messages

13:43

so I'm reaching out to give you an

13:46

opportunity to actually participate

13:48

in our investigation.

13:50

Since twenty seventeen, Hanu has stayed

13:53

relatively quiet about the murders.

13:54

In India, media

13:57

outlets have covered the case fervently.

13:59

But mostly without his first hand account.

14:02

On Hanu's public Facebook page,

14:04

there's a mix of profile picks,

14:06

inspirational quotes, and

14:08

distributes to Anish on what

14:10

would have been his eleventh birthday. Quote,

14:13

you are the best thing that happened in my

14:15

life Anishinara. I wish you a happy

14:17

birthday, and you have gone too soon

14:19

by leaving me alone here. Be

14:21

happy wherever you

14:22

are. My life is never the same

14:24

without you.

14:26

In one of the rare interviews

14:28

Hanu did give, he spoke to

14:30

Indian news outlet, NDTV.

14:32

This was posted online just

14:35

two days after the murders,

14:37

and he detailed what he saw when he

14:39

arrived home. And realized

14:41

something was not right.

14:43

Everyday when I come home,

14:46

I I just enter, I take out

14:48

my shoe, Then I call

14:50

my son's

14:50

name, Anish, Anishama. Every

14:52

day, he'll come and give on hug.

14:55

In the video, Hannu

14:57

is remarkably relaxed looking.

14:59

He could still be in shock, but it's

15:01

a little surprising how nonreactive

15:04

he is. This is just a day or two

15:06

after the murders.

15:07

But yesterday, he did not come.

15:10

So that's when I went to the bedroom.

15:12

That's when I saw He was

15:14

lying. Dina

15:16

is a user on the back, and my wife was

15:18

on the edge of the back. That

15:20

was a complete shocker. Then I

15:23

couldn't control that moment. I don't

15:25

know how to disc the best way to describe

15:27

it. Then I ran out and call 911.

15:30

And it was the

15:32

most horrific moment for anyone

15:34

to go

15:34

through.

15:34

Do you have any suspicion on what

15:37

exactly happened? I

15:39

still not able to

15:41

come out of the shark, and

15:44

I I don't even know why it

15:46

happened, whatever happened. Police

15:48

are actually in investigating.

15:51

Looking forward for the final investigation

15:53

from

15:53

police. One of

15:57

the only other firsthand sources

15:59

we have from the night of crime

16:01

is the nine eleven call. It's

16:03

a visceral replay of the

16:06

moments after Hanu covered the

16:08

bodies. His initial reactions,

16:10

observations, and descriptions of

16:12

the crime scene. And

16:14

it turns out there are a lot of

16:17

strange details in that nine

16:19

eleven call. For one,

16:21

Hanu keeps saying over

16:23

and over I just came from the

16:25

office without ever being asked or

16:26

prompted. In fact,

16:29

he slips his alibi into

16:31

the call eight times. Came

16:33

from my office now. Just come from my office.

16:36

Just come from my office. We

16:38

just came from my office. When

16:40

I said both are not greeting, I just came from

16:42

office. I just came from office. I I

16:44

did I just came from the came back

16:46

from

16:46

office, so I find they both are in the back.

16:49

Just came back from the office. Meanwhile,

16:52

he leaves out some

16:54

incredibly pertinent details. Like

16:56

the fact that Sassy and Dinesh

16:58

appear to have been stabbed

17:01

and murdered. Instead,

17:03

he says, quote, they

17:05

both are not breathing and

17:07

only mentions the blood after his

17:09

neighbor says it.

17:10

Okay. What happened to them? I

17:13

have no idea. Are they bleeding? I just

17:15

never heard of it. I probably

17:16

cleared. Yeah. Are they bleeding?

17:20

Yeah. I'm fully bleeding. Where are bleeding from?

17:22

I have no idea yet not

17:23

moving at all. It should be

17:26

noted that Hunter does have some emotional

17:28

outbursts in this call. An

17:30

occasional whale or bout of crying punctuates

17:33

the conversation.

17:41

But Hanu's neighbor on the call, the

17:44

mystery neighbor who's helping

17:46

describe the scene. She

17:48

seems almost more

17:50

set than Honey

17:50

does. No. I I

17:53

think that they both are dead. No. But I see

17:55

it. Mhmm. Okay. Do you wanna start

17:57

CPR? No.

17:59

You can. That road is

18:01

lit. Hold on a second. I'm

18:03

sorry. It's not

18:04

everywhere. I've got no reason to hold it

18:07

on. The reason for free is the car We've

18:11

listened to this nine eleven call over

18:13

and over. We've picked it apart,

18:15

trying to find any details about the

18:17

mystery neighbor, the crime scene,

18:19

anything. But there's one

18:21

other part that had us scratching our heads.

18:23

It's a very quick

18:24

moment. It's easy to miss.

18:26

It happens just after the four minute mark.

18:29

Okay. Hold on one second for me. Okay? I need to

18:32

call you the

18:32

week of October. Can you give me your phone

18:34

Hold on one

18:35

second for me. Okay? Don't hang

18:36

up. It's a little muffled, tough

18:39

to make out. But what it sounds

18:41

like to me is that while

18:43

still on the phone with nine eleven. Hanu is

18:46

asking if he can borrow someone's

18:48

phone to make another call.

18:51

He says, I need to call

18:53

and mentions a name,

18:55

which means the circle of people with

18:57

firsthand knowledge of what happened

19:00

those minutes before law enforcement

19:02

arrived is growing.

19:04

There's Hanu. There's the mystery neighbor

19:06

we know about. And now there's

19:09

someone

19:09

else. Someone he was compelled to

19:12

call in those first emotional

19:14

minutes. At

19:17

this time of

19:20

absolute crisis, just minutes

19:22

after finding the mutilated bodies of

19:24

his wife and child Before police and

19:26

paramedics have even arrived on

19:28

the scene, Hanu is

19:30

asking to borrow someone's phone

19:33

to call another

19:34

person. Who

19:37

is Hanu trying to call? And what

19:39

do they know about the murders?

19:42

That's coming up next time on strange

19:43

land. Episode four

19:46

starts right now.