The Murder of Holly Maddux - 616
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Aaron, normally I have little summaries or thoughts on each case, and it took me a long time to come up with something to say about this one. I will say that there are people in this world who I've come across who one of the characters we're going to be talking about reminds me of somebody who is very charismatic and grandiose and somebody you would look up to, but the

The more you get to know them, the more you peel back those layers, you start to realize that they're not who you think they are and everything about them is a lie. So with that, what are we talking about tonight?

Well, tonight we're talking about Holly Maddox, who disappeared in Philadelphia in 1979 after she saw a movie with her ex-boyfriend Ira Einhorn. It would be about 18 months later when her body was found in a steamer trunk at the bottom of a closet. That's a terrible outcome here.

Let's talk about Holly. Her name was Helen Holly Maddox. She was born and raised in Tyler, Texas in 1965 to Fred and Elizabeth. Fred was a World War II infantry veteran and a Texas highway engineer. Her mother, Elizabeth, stayed at home with their five children.

Holly was the oldest, and she had three sisters and one brother. She helped care for her younger siblings and was supportive and a very loving older sister. They raised their family in a very conservative household. Fred was an authoritarian, according to her brother, John.

Holly took her siblings trick-or-treating and taught them Beatles lyrics and would always be a little bit rebellious, I guess. Holly was always considered studious and talented. She made the cheerleading team and was voted most likely to succeed. She was very popular, but struggled to date in high school. According to her sister, Elizabeth Hall, in the 50s, women were supposed to be beautiful or smart, but not both.

Another sister, Mary, described Holly as a fragile beauty like Michelle Pfeiffer.

I guess Batman Returns hadn't come out yet, but I think it's still a great compliment. As Holly got older, she started to find herself at odds with the small-town views of Tyler, Texas. She longed for a change and a place where others held her ideals. In 1965, Holly moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for college and attended Bryn Mawr College, a private, small, all-girls college.

In Philadelphia, Holly struggled. She switched jobs and dated, but she never really found the success or happiness that she was looking for. And according to her sister, Elizabeth, Holly suffered with inner conflict because she was part of the counterculture movement in the 70s. Though her brother served as a Marine, she disagreed with the Vietnam War. And so her beliefs, they ended up causing a rift between her and her father.

And she struggled to find a sense of belonging in Texas and in Philadelphia. Still, she persevered and then graduated college. And though she and Fred had a strained relationship, Holly did write frequently to her mother.

So it sounds like she had a relationship with her family that at that time, it was very divisive with the war, with everything. We know what that does to a society. So she leaves Texas and thinks, I want to be around like-minded people in the big city of Philadelphia. But wherever you're at, there you still are. Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah, really. In 1972, Holly met Ira Einhorn at his favorite restaurant, La Terrasse. According to Elizabeth, Holly's sister, Einhorn approached Holly and stated, You must have a beautiful mind. I hadn't noticed how beautiful you were because I'm already in love with your mind. She was intrigued and decided to give this guy a chance. And as they got to know each other, Holly was impressed with his intellect and inspired by his activism.

He was very outspoken about his activism. Einhorn had grown up in a Jewish household with his mother. His father was more or less involved with the upbringing, and he had a brother. In 1957, Einhorn graduated from high school and enrolled at the University of Pennsylvania. Classmates say Einhorn was experimental and very opinionated.

His classmates claimed he washed his body, but not his clothes. His habits were strange, and usually they were a strategy to draw attention to himself. He always was looking for attention in the classrooms.

He joined a fraternity, but the pledge was short-lived and he left the organization. Though he rarely attended classes, Einhort studied and was very successful in college because he was highly intelligent. He graduated from university and immersed himself in counterculture ideology, where he quickly made a name for himself.

Yeah, so he was getting more and more popular and became well-known around Philadelphia. He guest lectured at universities, including Harvard, and even knew prominent politicians. Einhorn became known as a hippie guru and even testified before Congress in support of space exploration.

Now, in 1971, Einhorn ran for mayor of Philadelphia against the former chief of police, but had no expectation of winning. Instead, he wanted to get some vision out. He was nicknamed Ira the Freeloader by a local paper, but Einhorn preferred the Unicorn. And for anyone that doesn't know, the self-proclaimed nickname comes from the German translation of his last name, Einhorn-Einhorn.

It means one horn. If titles such as Freeloader and Hippie Guru weren't enough of a claim to fame, Einhorn stated he was a founder of Earth Day. However, the true founders alleged Einhorn confiscated the microphone for 30 minutes before he allowed the rally to continue as scheduled.

Yeah. There's some debate whether he founded Earth Day or not, but obviously he was around when it was founded. So I guess he gets a little credit, right? But his freeloading nickname kind of followed him around. People accused him of rarely working, but wealthy and prominent people paid him large sums to consult on the counterculture movement. He assisted universities and corporations

and corporations and liaising with young protesters. He was very charismatic, but he kind of smelled too because he still wasn't washing his clothes and he still had these weird, I guess, things to draw attention to himself. But he even met with a bank president and the CEO of AT&T. And in exchange for his consultations, companies compensated him and paid his bills.

He hosted meetings at his restaurant, his favorite restaurant, where he first met Holly, but never had to pay for a meal. So Einhorn and Holly, they dated, and then they quickly moved in together against her parents' wishes. In 1973, she brought Einhorn home to meet her family. Now, her family was very disappointed in Holly's choice of a companion. Her siblings described Einhorn as rude and off-putting.

During dinner, Einhorn indulged in a second helping before the Maddox family had even gotten a plate. When he finished eating, he leaned back and put his feet on the table. Now, Holly's family was most concerned with the way Einhorn spoke to Holly and the change in her demeanor. She was no longer the independent, strong woman who left Tyler for the city. Now, Holly seemed fragile and insecure to them.

Yeah, and that's, I think, a telltale sign that you're not in a great relationship if you can't be yourself, if you don't feel comfortable with your own opinions and expressing yourself. And here we have Holly becoming very reserved and insecure around this man.

Yeah, I think you're right because she was, you know, being a strong independent person and the family wasn't so excited that she left. But now when she returns, it's like, well, I think they preferred the independent Holly to the one that came back. Absolutely.

So their relationship is not going well. Einhorn is verbally and physically abusive. He wanted an open relationship so he could sleep with other women, but I'm sure that he wouldn't allow her to go off on her own, so this is a very one-sided controlling behavior.

Holly endured this very abusive relationship until 1977 when she and Einhorn went on a trip to Europe. The couple had a fight that resulted in Holly returning to the United States alone. Holly left Einhorn for good in July and left her things behind in Philadelphia. She was just done. I mean, that's something to be on a vacation with your partner.

And to just leave. Yeah, but good for her, right? Yeah, yeah. Holly decided to spend the rest of her summer in Fire Island, New York with her friend, Joyce Petschek. In August, Holly met Saul Lapidus and the two had an immediate connection. Holly visited Saul's boat where he was living the day after their meeting. And for the next few weeks, the two were inseparable. But the bliss didn't last very long.

Yeah, it was September 9th, 1977. Einhorn called Holly and threatened to throw away all of her stuff. Holly called multiple friends to get her things from Einhorn, but none were able to go and pick the stuff up. She decided to go to Philadelphia to collect all of her belongings so she could return to her relationship with Saul. The two intended to sail from Fire Island back to New York. Holly traveled back to Philly by train, Einhorn

on September 10th to deal with Einhorn and to get all her stuff back. And that was the last time anyone heard from Holly. Having an elevated style doesn't mean you have to break your bank.

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So Holly's mother's birthday passed without any correspondence from Holly, and her family knew something was just wrong. They reported Holly missing to the Philadelphia police, who spent very little time investigating and concluded there was no evidence of foul play. As part of their investigation, the Philadelphia Police Department interviewed Einhorn about six months after Holly disappeared, and he stated that the relationship ended on August 1st while he and Holly were in Europe.

He said Holly came back before Einhorn, who returned on the 19th. Einhorn then said the two reconciled and planned to get back together. He said that Holly left the apartment to go shopping on September 12, 1977, while he was in the bath and never returned.

Two days later, Einhorn answered a call from Holly, who stated that she was okay, but didn't want to be found. Holly allegedly told Einhorn she would check in with him weekly, but he never heard from her again. But you can imagine her family, they're not convinced. They think Einhorn is lying. They don't believe that Holly would have just disappeared. So they hired a private investigator and retired FBI agent named Robert Stevens to investigate Holly's disappearance.

Now, Stevens, who resided in Tyler, Texas, contacted another retired agent, J.R. Pierce, who lived in Philadelphia, to assist him with this case. And Fred Maddox reported Einhorn told the family that Holly left while he was in the shower and never talked to him again. So this is what they're going off of, is that she just walked out and disappeared.

And she doesn't contact any of her family members or her new boyfriend, Saul? Nobody. I mean, that's pretty suspicious. So Stevens and Pierce, they began reviewing the case. They started to interview people who were of interest or might know something.

Pierce interviewed Jeannie Berman, who was Holly's friend and future landlord. According to Jeannie, Holly agreed to move into an apartment she had for rent. She gave Holly the keys, but Holly never moved in or contacted her after that.

They talked to Joyce, and she claimed she spoke with a medium about Holly's disappearance. The medium stated Holly ran away to India to live in a commune. Pierce and Stevens didn't put much weight into Joyce's claim, but they learned about Holly's new boyfriend, Saul Lapidus. Holly had met Saul through Joyce, and the two of them headed off.

Saul was the opposite of Ira. He was tall, clean-shaven, and overall well put together, and apparently he washed his clothes. Saul lived in an apartment in Manhattan, but he was on Fire Island for the summer, living on his boat. So Pierce interviews Saul, who stated he and Holly had a whirlwind romance. He claimed the last time he saw Holly, they were together when she received a phone call from Ironclad.

Einhorn. And Ira learned of her relationship with Saul and was irate and was upset that Holly had moved on, even though they had broken up and he wanted an open relationship and was really horrible towards her. He's mad because she's moved on. And that's when he threatened to throw out all of her stuff.

He said he was going to throw it all out the window unless she came back to speak with him. That's when Holly was trying to get her friends to go get her stuff because she didn't want to go back. But Holly decided to go meet Saul to get her things. But Saul was worried about her. Holly stated she'd be okay and could handle Einhorn on her own. She assured him she'd return once she had her things.

So investigators made their way to Powleton Village and interviewed two previous tenants of the Lerner Court apartments. Two Drexel students who live directly beneath Einhorn reported a horrible smell coming from the apartment above theirs. There was a brown, tacky substance leaking through the ceiling, and they thought maybe an animal had gotten stuck in the walls and then died.

According to one of the former tenants, he heard a scream and commotion from upstairs around the time Holly disappeared. The building housed mostly college students, and they assumed that there was probably just a party going on.

The tenants in the building were so disgusted by the smell and this brown liquid that they had actually called in a plumber at one point. And when this plumber came to Einhorn's apartment, he allowed him in, but he wouldn't allow him into the bedroom. He made sure that this plumber would not step foot into certain rooms in his apartment while he investigated this leak, this brown liquid, I guess.

But the tenant, at Pierce's request, went to the Philadelphia police station to file a report. The report and evidence collected by Stevens and Pierce reignited the investigation. Investigators requested Saul take a polygraph test, and he complied. Saul passed the test, and investigators cleared him of suspicion. With him cleared, then they moved in on Einhorn. So they obtained a search and seizure warrant for Einhorn's apartment.

On March 28, 1979, homicide detective Michael Chitwood and officers carried out that warrant. Given the statement from the former tenant, Chitwood brought tools and was prepared to rip up floorboards if necessary.

So officers arrive at Einhorn's apartment and they immediately see this closet located directly above where the former tenant reported the leakage. The closet was padlocked and officers asked Einhorn for the keys. Einhorn claimed he didn't have them. So investigators broke the padlock off the door. The closet was packed from floor to ceiling with boxes and loose items like shoes.

They removed all the boxes and started to sift through all the items, and they found Holly's handbag with her license and other personal effects. If Holly willingly walked out and never returned, as Einhorn claimed, why would she leave behind everything necessary to travel and start her life over?

So they keep digging and at the bottom of the closet, underneath stacks of boxes, authorities discovered a steamer trunk. Now, a steamer trunk is like one of those old timey, I guess, you know, wooden trunks with the metal kind of latch on it. I actually had one when I was a kid, but just look it up. It's just a big wooden trunk.

Inside the trunk, investigators found newspapers from all around the time of Holly's disappearance, labeled around September 15th of 1977. Chitwood pulled newspapers, styrofoam, and air fresheners from the trunk, and that's when he discovered a decomposed hand reaching up. He looked at Einhorn and stated, they found Holly Maddox. And Einhorn replied, you found who you found.

So this is pretty horrifying. There's a body in this chest in a closet and it's been decomposing and everyone in this building has been smelling it and Einhorn's been sleeping there this entire time.

So the investigator walked out of the room to wash his hands. He saw the keys to the closet and trunk hanging in the hallway. And that's when they knew that Einhorn had been lying the entire time about not having the keys. So officers immediately took Einhorn into custody for the murder of Holly Maddox and charged him with first degree murder.

Investigators also recovered 63 diaries from Einhorn's apartment, and some of the passages were disturbing. Einhorn wrote entries that read, Each diary contained 150 pages of Einhorn's thoughts.

And they found these diaries also that Holly wrote, and they confirmed she was a victim of abuse at the hands of Einhorn. She wrote about his sexual aggressiveness and violence towards her. One passage from her stated, hitting people is never a sign of love. He follows me, won't let me go, frustrated because he has the power.

I mean, I think you can put all that together. We have him admitting to being very violent, and we have statements from her talking about the violence done against her. I don't know how much clearer it can get. It's their own words.

Her body is taken for an autopsy. They found more than six blunt impacts to the head. Holly suffered fractures to her face, forehead, eye socket, and jaw. Part of her skull was crushed inward from the force of a heavy object. She decomposed from 112 pounds to 37 pounds. Her remains were mummified.

She'd obviously been beaten to death and placed in this trunk where she remained for 18 months. And I just want to make that clear. 18 months they were searching for her and Ira was sleeping in the same bedroom where her body was.

On April 3rd, 1979, a bail hearing was set and Arlen Specter represented Einhorn. Einhorn's arrest sent shockwaves through Philadelphia and his friends and acquaintances couldn't believe that he would kill anyone.

Einhorn contrived a story that the government wanted him discredited because of his research into government secrets and conspiracies, as well as the paranormal. In order to make him a fraud, authorities killed Hawley, put her in the steamer trunk, and placed the trunk in his closet. Remarkably, there were people who believed him. Spector called in a collection of ministers, lawyers, and prominent Philadelphia figures who readily testified in defense of Ira Einhorn.

I mean, we have the smell. We have the brown liquid. We have a plumber there. We have other tenants in the building talking about this. But he's trying to say, oh, they went and planted this trunk in there and I knew nothing about it. And this is all to frame me for a murder.

Yeah, because of what he knows. He knows dangerous things about the government. The FBI, the CIA, and all those three-letter departments are after him. Mm-hmm. The state argued that Einhorn was a flight risk. He had connections and was well-traveled in Europe and Canada. Despite Holly's body being found mere feet from Einhorn's bed, the judge granted bail to be set at $40,000, and all he needed to post was $4,000.

Because that's how the system works. According to Chitwood, the people in the courtroom applauded when the judge ruled in Einhorn's favor. But of course, Holly's family was disgusted by this ruling and the authorities, well, they were shocked. Yeah, so it seems like people just think, oh, he's a guru. He's a hippie. He wouldn't do this.

On January 14, 1981, a pretrial hearing was held to set a formal trial date, but Einhorn never appeared. Authorities couldn't locate him, and it appeared that he must have fled the country, as the state argued he might in the bail hearing in 1979. They said he's likely to run, the judge said, nah, probably not, and then he did run.

With endless wealthy contacts, investigators were at a loss. The court had failed Holly and the entire Maddox family. Not a flight risk, right? Some people, they just have that goodwill built up and they can take advantage of it. Nobody knew where he'd gone, but Einhorn had actually fled to Dublin, Ireland and settled with a couple after a lucky encounter. Dennis Weir stated it was cold, windy, and wet

The night Einhorn knocked on the wrong door and asked for a place to stay. So we have this random house in Dublin, Ireland, and this strange man is knocking on the door. They're very sympathetic to Einhorn. Dennis offered up their granny flat for a few months. This couple was impressed with Einhorn's intelligence.

But concerned with his overbearing personality, according to Dennis, he dominated conversations and people. So it sounds like he hasn't changed much. Dennis and his wife prepared to take a trip to the United States to visit relatives some weeks after Einhorn had moved in. Dennis remembered that Einhorn was displeased with the trip and demanded they not speak about him in the States because he might get extradited.

I think that would be a red flag. Einhorn's explicit instructions made the Weirs curious about this man. When they visited Chicago in April of 1981, they told their relatives about their new roommate. And the relatives remembered his name because of all the newspaper articles about him. And they contacted a Philadelphia reporter and inquired about Einhorn's past.

The Weirs were concerned when they learned Einhorn fled after he was released on bail for a murder charge, which I would just assume anyone would be concerned. And when they returned to Dublin, Dennis informed Einhorn he had 20 minutes to leave their home and he wouldn't discuss it.

He told Einhorn, I think you know why I'm doing this. Ireland did not have an extradition treaty with the United States in 1981. Irish police attempted to find Einhorn at the Weir residence, but it was too late. He had fled and now he's back on the run, Aaron, which this just seems crazy to me.

In May of 1986, Mr. Weir phoned Richard D. Benedetto, the chief fugitive and extradition chief for the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office. Now, Mr. Weir informed him that he organically ran into Einhorn at Trinity College in Dublin. According to Mr. Weir, he and Einhorn tried to get through the same door at the same time from opposite sides. Einhorn now went by Ben Moore and was on campus to visit friends.

Ireland now had a treaty with the United States, and Ben Moore slash Einhorn could be extradited back to the States for a trial. However, Einhorn had fled before Di Benedetto could arrange detainment. So they felt like they had been close, but he slipped away. At the time, he could not be extradited. And then as soon as the laws changed,

hey, at least the Weirs are trying to get him arrested and sent back to the United States. So they're not giving up. And I applaud all of these people involved because it's been years now. In 1988, after reading the newly released book by Stephen Levy titled The Unicorn's Secret, Murder in the Age of Aquarius, Barbara Bronfman reneged her loyalty to Einhorn. Barbara was the ex-wife of Seagram's heir, Charles Bronfman.

She lived in Canada and posted Einhorn's $4,000 bail in 1981 and helped fund his evasion from law enforcement. However, the book, which recounted Einhorn's diary entries, changed her opinion on the well-known hippie guru. She told authorities Einhorn was now with a Swedish woman, Annika Floden. Annika was wealthy and the heir to a successful Swedish retail business.

Authorities attempted to locate Einhorn at Annika's home in December of 88, but he was already gone. Not long after that, Annika left Sweden. With the new information, the FBI shifted gears and attempted to find Annika, thinking if they can find her, they might find Ira Einhorn.

Yeah, you would hope. So this is the person that posted his bail and now he's on the run and she's thinking, oh, there's new information that's come to light. Yeah, exactly. So in 1992, Pennsylvania passed a law that allows trials in absentia. This means that you can try somebody and they're not present for court.

Einhorn could be tried and convicted, though his whereabouts were unknown. In September of 1993, the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office decided to go ahead with this trial. All trial proceedings commenced without the presence of the defendant. A jury was selected and witnesses were called in to testify. So Aaron, they know what this man's done. They know that they have enough evidence here. And

I guess there is the constitutional right to face your accusers, but if you're on the run and you're not willing to face your accusers, then I guess this is what they can do. Yeah, I think it makes total sense.

Norris Gelman represented Einhorn at trial and argued the validity of the forensics collected from Einhorn's apartment. He argued that the FBI forensic testing did not find traces of blood in the trunk or on the carpet or even the hardwood floors. The prosecution called investigators, friends, and previous girlfriends to the stand to testify to Einhorn's violent nature.

Friends testified they saw a bruising on Holly, and she talked of her eagerness and determination to leave Einhorn for good. Holly's sister Elizabeth visited Holly and Einhorn in London after she graduated. She told Time magazine the couple traveled using Holly's savings. Holly confided she was tired of Einhorn and wanted to leave him and start her own business when she returned back home.

Now, her sister was the last relative to see Holly alive. The last friend to see Holly alive, Barbara Kubiak, testified that Holly called her upset on September 9th, 1977. She was very upset and stated that Einhorn was mad and threatened to throw her things out of his apartment. Holly asked Kubiak's husband to calm Einhorn down.

Now, on September 11th, Kubiak and her husband joined Einhorn and Holly for a movie. According to her testimony, Ira made a joke about how I had received a scary phone call. I said, yes, it was scary. And he stated everything was okay with them. She never saw or spoke to Holly again. Saul's testimony confirmed Holly left on a train to Philadelphia from New York on September 10th. She had planned to return within a couple of days, but Saul never talked to Holly again.

So, I mean, we have multiple people on both sides witnessing this play out, witnessing Holly leaving to go take care of her stuff and confront Ira about his threats. We have people with Ira talking about him making threats and wanting to throw her stuff out. This is all syncing up. They're painting a very clear picture here.

Norman Lerner, the landlord of Lernon Court Apartments, where Einhorn lived, testified that downstairs neighbors reported an awful smell and leakage from the ceiling. They had contacted a roofer, and I've read this many places where it was a roofer and a plumber, so they contacted a roofer who attempted to enter Einhorn's closet to find the source of the liquid,

The closet was padlocked and Einhorn asked if he could work around it. Lerner also testified Einhorn asked him to move a trunk, but he refused because he had a bad back and was unable to lift heavy items. So Lerner wasn't the only witness to testify that Einhorn asked for help moving the trunk.

Joyce Costello testified that Einhorn told her he possessed top secret Russian documents in the steamer trunk. So again, I'm sorry, I got to stop here, but he's trying to make himself sound way more important than he really is. And then when we have people who are trying to come into his apartment, he's not allowing them to get into that closet. He's saying, I can't move this trunk. And he's saying there's

Top secret documents, Russian documents in this trunk. So this is all revolving around the trunk where her body is. Right. And he claims that they planted it. But then why is there a padlock there? Obviously, he put the padlock on the it just makes no sense. I know. I just wanted to pause on that point real quick.

Joyce Costello brought a friend with her to Einhorn's apartment where they picked him up and drove him to the river. Einhorn explained he wanted to get rid of the documents by throwing the trunk in the river. The trio returned to Einhorn's apartment where they entered. Joyce smelled a very rancid odor. Moments later, Joyce and her friend left Einhorn's apartment in a hurry and Einhorn followed. When they reached the street, Joyce

Joyce told Einhorn she wouldn't help him get rid of the trunk. She claimed she visited Einhorn's apartment numerous times and it never smelled horrid like it did that day. So obviously Holly's body is decomposing. There is a problem here. Einhorn is acting very suspicious. He's saying he has these documents and he has to get rid of the trunk and he's trying to get these people to help him. Again, just putting him in connection with this trunk.

A million times over, this prosecution's doing the right thing. What's up, guys? It's your girl Kiki, and my podcast is back with a new season. And let me tell you, it's so good. And I'm diving into the brains of entertainment's best and brightest, okay? Every episode, I bring on a friend and have a real conversation. And I don't mean just friends. I mean the likes of Amy Poehler, Kel Mitchell, Vivica Fox. The list goes on. And now I have my own YouTube channel.

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During the trial, the jury was shown the inside and outside of the trunk. A silent, somber moment fell upon the courtroom despite the trunk's emptiness. The trial concluded and the jury found Einhorn guilty on September 30th, 1993 after just two hours of deliberation. If Ira Einhorn returned to the United States, he would go straight to prison to serve a life sentence. Now in 1997, the FBI contacted Swedish police and

and asked if there was anything in Annika's file that hinted at where she was. The Swedish police informed the FBI that Annika had sent a letter and requested a copy of her driver's license be sent to her in France. The FBI then contacted the French police and asked for assistance in confirming Einhorn's location.

So the French authorities surveilled the area under the guise of tourists and fishermen. They provided the FBI with photos of a man they believed to be Ira Einhorn. Though his appearance had changed, it had to be him.

I mean, it doesn't take much, especially if you find his girlfriend. So the French authorities are knocking on the door. Anacut answered and they made their way upstairs where they found Einhorn naked in bed because that's apparently what he does in his free time. They arrested him on Friday, June 13th, 1997.

so many years after this. The arrest was reported to the Maddox family, and they finally felt like they were going to get justice here. The United States had a treaty with France, and the FBI believed extradition would be granted, unlike the previous attempt with Ireland. Einhorn appeared before three magistrates on November of 1997, and the French government issued a denial for extradition.

in December of 1997. So they're thinking, this guy's wanted for murder. They could put him to death. We don't know if we want to extradite him. Einhorn could appeal the conviction, but the timeframe to file had passed. If Einhorn returned to the States, his conviction would be upheld and he would go to prison. The magistrate stated the law of trial and absentia violated Einhorn's

Einhorn's human rights because he would not receive a new trial upon extradition. So they're saying, hey, you can't try somebody when they're not present. And if you're not going to grant him a new trial when we send him back, we don't want to send him back. And this is a shock to everybody, right? Because they're thinking, hey, we have a treaty with you, but because of this special trial they had, they don't want to send him.

The family and the FBI were disappointed and incredibly frustrated. One sister of Holly's was informed when a French reporter phoned her at 4 a.m. and asked, how do you feel about Einhorn's release from French custody? Einhorn had been on the run for 16 years with the help of wealthy friends and lovers. However, the Maddox family found a way to recover Holly so they would find a way to extradite Einhorn. They weren't giving up.

They started calling congressmen and advocated for a change in the trial in absentia law. If Einhorn was granted a new trial, the French government might agree to extradition. Lawmakers agreed with them and passed the Einhorn Law in January of 1998. Seven months later, on July 2, 1998, the United States filed another request for extradition, and the French government agreed to a second extradition hearing.

In February of 1999, French magistrates granted extradition on the basis Einhorn would be allotted a new trial. But of course, this had some caveats to it. They said, you cannot put him to death. You have to give him a trial and you can't put him to death. So there was a few, I guess, strings attached to this extradition.

Yeah, but he was given a life sentence in the first one. Yeah, but the French, as much as they agreed to this because of the Einhorn law, they still had some strings attached there before they wanted to send them back.

In July of 1999, the Maddox family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Einhorn. The civil trial lasted only two days. The family heard Einhorn might be working on a book, and the story of their sister's murder was already the topic of TV shows. They wanted to ensure Einhorn wouldn't make a dollar off Holly's death.

Einhorn did not send a lawyer in his defense for the civil trial, and the jury awarded the family $907 million in damages. Unfortunately, Holly's parents weren't around to see Einhorn's world fall apart.

In 1988, Fred Maddox had taken his own life after a leg amputation and years of pain and suffering. In 1990, her mother Elizabeth passed away from emphysema. Elizabeth Hall stated part of her parents passed away when Holly did. The family rarely spoke of Holly's murder and the man who had evaded justice for so many years, but the shadow loomed over all of their lives. So this whole family's been destroyed for decades.

decades. And her parents didn't even get to see the man who did this get justice.

Unsurprisingly, Einhorn filed multiple appeals against his extradition, all of which failed. But the legal process allowed him freedom for another two and a half years. On July 12, 2001, Einhorn's final appeal, filed with the Council of State High Court, was denied, so he could no longer avoid extradition. When French riot police arrived at Einhorn's home to take him into custody for extradition, Einhorn grabbed a dull knife and attempted to slit his own throat.

He refused any medical assistance and instead asked to speak with the media, who he'd avoided for the past 20 years. With a large gaping wound on his neck, Einhorn ranted about the injustice and blamed his failed attempt to take his life on the French prime minister. He was then taken to a hospital for treatment. Einhorn's lawyers immediately appealed to the European Court of Human Rights and asked that they review his case.

A week after his attempt, the European Court of Human Rights denied the review. They stated he was not being tried under the death penalty and therefore would not review the case.

A day later, on July 20th of 2001, Einhorn exited a plane and took his first steps on U.S. soil in 20 years, now as a prisoner, because he'd been living free most of this time. Everyone, the Maddox family, the siblings were all overjoyed. They finally got to face this man who had taken their sibling, their sister,

I can't even believe that. He was fighting the extradition for years, Aaron. And he wasn't in jail. He wasn't incarcerated during that time. He was living freely while fighting extradition. I would just assume that the French government would see him as a threat to their community, but apparently not.

Einhorn's second trial began Monday, September 30th, 2002. Once again, witnesses were called to testify about Einhorn's character and his past relationships. The prosecution established a pattern of violence against his girlfriends even before Holly. Both ended up in the hospital. One almost strangled to death after Einhorn hit her in the head with a bottle. Foolishly, Einhorn decided to testify in his own defense.

So the state made Einhorn read from his own diaries, but insisted it's literature, it's metaphorical. Of course, Ira's trying to get out of this by saying it's not real, but we know the real deal. It's a diary. And we love it when they represent themselves, right? Yeah. A fool for a client, right? And Einhorn theorized someone had placed the trunk in his closet, the locked closet.

So on October 17th, 2002, the jury deliberated for two and a half hours, which is a half hour longer than before, right? Yep. That's not long, really. For a jury deliberation, a couple hours is nothing. So, yeah.

Yeah, they returned a guilty verdict for a second time against Ira Einhorn. Now, in the state of Pennsylvania, a first-degree verdict resulted in life in prison without parole. According to the forewoman, the evidence was very strong, and Einhorn hurt his own defense when he took the stand.

Another juror stated, even on the stand, it was like he thought he was God. So he's a legend in his own mind. And some people along the way, you know, kind of propped up his ego. But for the rest of the people in the world, they see him for what he is.

Sadly, I've come across a few Ira Einhorns in my time on this earth. You first meet them and they're very charming and charismatic and they win you over. But after you get to know them and over the course of months or years, you kind of see them for who they really are. It's sad because I want to meet people and take everyone at their word, trust them, give them the benefit of the doubt.

But there are people like this man out there that are roaming this earth who are willing to take advantage, lie, cheat, steal, and even murder. So keep your eyes out. Ira Einhorn remained in prison until his death on April 3rd, 2020. He died of natural causes.

Justin, this case is kind of interesting because really the investigation wasn't about a DNA test. It wasn't even necessarily about forensics.

This is one of those cases where I think the average person out there could review the case put together by the prosecution and see it for what it was. This was obviously a murder committed by a guy who tried to charm everyone. But really, like you said, you give people enough time and they'll hang themselves. This guy, he set himself up for failure here with his diary entries. He went on the run.

He was fortunate that he would go to other countries who weren't in a hurry to extradite to the United States. But, you know, justice was achieved in the end, thankfully.

I just think about the two-tiered legal system when that first judge set his bail, set a bail in general, and set it so low that he could be bailed out for $4,000. Now, I know in today's money that probably was $10,000 or $20,000, but still, it wasn't much. It wasn't enough. And they claimed he wasn't a flight risk, and that was exactly what he went and did, is he fled the country.

And he had all of these people on his side because he had manipulated and won them all over. That's part of the two-tiered legal systems. Who you know and who knows you, who will give you money. And this could have all been avoided if that first judge had not granted him bail.

And it's said that the legal system, whether it's the American legal system to the Irish legal system to the French legal system, they all failed this family, right? This family has been waiting decades. Yeah, it just shows how influential or famous people can get away with things that the common person can't. And the ones who lose are the families of the victim. ♪♪♪

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