Transcript

Janet's Secret | Full Episode

From 48 Hours · Episode page · Watch on YouTube

· 42 min · 5,921 words · 161 timestamped sections

This is the full, timestamped transcript of "Janet's Secret | Full Episode", an episode of 48 Hours published February 3, 2026 (42 min, about 5,921 words). It mentions 17 people, works and ideas, including Scott Hopkins, Janet Walsh, Scott Walsh, Britney Smith, Franchesco Keltieri.

What this episode is about

The story revolves around the unsolved homicide of Janet Walsh, a beloved and vibrant young woman, whose shocking death at just 23 years old left a lasting impact on her family and community. As her brother and a former police officer recount the events surrounding her murder, the investigation reopens decades later to uncover new insights and revisit the evidence that has been preserved since 1979, reigniting the search for justice and closure.

Key takeaways

  • The perfect murder remained unsolved for 34 years—proof that sometimes, history keeps its secrets tight.
  • Janet's life was a melody, but her end struck a dissonant chord in a small-town symphony.
  • An unassuming purse held treasures that tethered a community to a tragic past—everyone carries more than just belongings.
  • Small-town innocence often hides dark mysteries; Janet's world was beautiful, yet one wrong note led to a haunting finale.
  • Love and loss intertwined; a young marriage crumbling reflects how life’s harmonies can dissolve into chaos overnight.

Who speaks in this episode?

What is discussed, and when

  1. – 5:00: Janet Walsh, Britney Smith, Andy G., Peter Vans
  2. – 10:00: Janet Walsh, Scott Walsh, Manaka, Andy G.
  3. – 15:00: Robert McGrael, Janet Walsh, Scott Walsh
  4. – 20:00: Ron Sakoszi, Scott Hopkins, Janet Walsh, Scott Walsh
  5. – 25:00: Robert McGrael, Scott Hopkins, Rocco Deio, Janet Walsh
  6. – 30:00: Scott Hopkins, Janet Walsh
  7. – 35:00: Scott Hopkins, Dr. Sarel Wet, Britney Smith
  8. – 40:00: Scott Hopkins, Janet Walsh, 48 Hours, Franchesco Keltieri
  9. – 42:16: Britney Smith, Franchesco Keltieri

Notable quotes from "Janet's Secret | Full Episode"

  • Janet was a very, very happy person and Janet seemingly had everything to look forward to in life.
    about Janet Walsh · at
  • Assistant District Attorney Britney Smith was assigned to prosecute it.
    about Britney Smith · at
  • Janet's brother, Francesco Cultieri, remembers a big sister bursting with talent.
    about Franchesco Keltieri · at
  • Like a lot of young men in western Pennsylvania in those days, Scott had followed the tradition of going straight to work in a steel mill after high school.
    about Scott Walsh · at
  • I had handled a couple of suicides and two fatal traffic accidents, couple other serious crimes, but was clearly the first homicide that I had ever responded to.
    about Andy G. · at
  • I asked her to dance and it was a disco dance. She was very good, very good dancer. I enjoyed dancing with her.
    about Robert McGrael · at
  • Peter, at this point, we have a wide array of suspects. We have Janet's estranged husband, Scott Walsh.
    about Peter Vans · at
  • And retrieve the cup. It was tested and the result was the moment cops had waited for. Hopkins was a match to the crime scene DNA profile.
    about Scott Hopkins · at

Who and what is mentioned in this episode?

People

  • Scott Hopkins — Person · Primary suspect / convicted defendant · 18 mentions · first at
    Ultimately identified via DNA and convicted of third-degree murder; his alibi, relationships, and DNA interpretation are central to the prosecution/defense dispute.
  • Janet Walsh — Person · Victim / central subject of the case · 13 mentions · first at
    Her 1979 homicide is the core narrative; all investigation, suspects, and trial details revolve around her life and death.
  • Scott Walsh — Person · Estranged husband / early prime suspect · 6 mentions · first at
    Janet’s high-school sweetheart and husband; investigated heavily early on (including polygraphs) and later eliminated by DNA per investigators.
  • Britney Smith — Person · Prosecutor (Assistant District Attorney) · 5 mentions · first at
    Leads prosecution strategy in the cold-case revival; explains evidence handling, theory of the crime, and challenges to alibi/DNA arguments.
  • Franchesco Keltieri — Person · Family witness / Janet’s brother (interviewee) · 3 mentions · first at
    Provides personal history of Janet, family impact, and emotional arc through investigation, trial, and sentencing.
  • Robert McGrael — Person · Early suspect (bar encounter) later eliminated by DNA · 7 mentions · first at
    A stranger who danced with Janet the night she died; suspicious checkbook discovery and failed polygraphs kept him prominent until DNA excluded him.
  • Andy G. — Person · First responding officer / later investigator (interviewee) · 4 mentions · first at
    First officer at the homicide scene in 1979 and later involved in DNA-era follow-up (including obtaining McGrael’s DNA).
  • Peter Vans — Person · Host / narrator (48 Hours correspondent) · 4 mentions · first at
    Guides the story, interviews participants, and frames investigative milestones and courtroom developments.
  • Rocco Deio — Person · Cold case detective / state trooper · 2 mentions · first at
    Re-energizes the case by sending evidence for modern testing; receives the key semen/DNA discovery and drives the renewed investigative steps.
    Roco Deo, a Pennsylvania state trooper working in a cold case squad, says in late 2010, all of that would change.
  • Ron Sakoszi — Person · Employer / suspect (alleged affair) later eliminated by DNA · 5 mentions · first at
    Janet’s boss who reported her absence; police suspected an affair and noted his presence at bars that night; later excluded by DNA per investigators.
    Investigators discover that Ron had been at two of the bars Janet visited the night she died.
  • Dr. Sarel Wet — Person · Referenced expert witness (forensic pathologist) · 3 mentions · first at
    High-profile forensic pathologist brought in to interpret the crime scene; his testimony is attacked by the defense as outside DNA expertise.
    I think that you can be quite comfortable with the fact that Hopkins was the perpetrator.
  • Susan Needgall — Person · Best friend / key witness · 2 mentions · first at
    Provides childhood context and proximity (neighbor); offers early suspicion/lead pointing to Janet’s boss and helps frame Janet’s social world.
    Janet moved next door to us when she was either two or three years old and we became best friends. She had a couple brothers. I had brothers. So, she was like my little sister.
  • Victor Sakoszi — Person · Later-emerging suspect (1983) eliminated by DNA · 2 mentions · first at
    Came to attention years later via a statement to a waitress and presence at a bar; investigators later excluded him through DNA testing.
    Suspect number six emerged, Victor Sakoszi. No relation to suspect number four, Ron Sakoszi. Victor lived just two blocks away from Janet.

Places & events

  • Manaka — Place · Setting · 3 mentions · first at
    The tiny town where Janet Walsh grew up and lived, central to the story of her life and murder.
    Janet moved next door to us when she was either two or three years old and we became best friends. She had a couple brothers. I had brothers. So, she was like my little sister.
  • Pittsburgh — Place · Setting · 2 mentions · first at
    The nearby city to Manaka, providing geographical context to the story.
    If there's a connection to her. And Britney learned Janet was firmly connected to this place, the tiny town of Manaka, about 30 m outside Pittsburgh.

Media & podcasts

  • 48 Hours — Media · Broadcast · 2 mentions · first at
    The show presenting the story of Janet Walsh's murder and the subsequent investigation.
    I'm Peter Vans. Tonight on 48 hours, Janet's secret.
  • Murder She Wrote — Media · Referenced work · 1 mention · first at
    Referenced as a comparison to the complex investigation into Janet Walsh's murder.
    [snorts] I have a plot from an old TV show like Murder She Wrote where we have five suspects and I can't put a finger on any of them.

Full transcript with timestamps

When we were younger, there was always a box in my grandparents basement and it had Janet written on the side and we were always told, "Do not touch it." Janet was a very, very happy person and Janet seemingly had everything to look forward to in life. Janet was very wellliked. She had a lot of friends. She was both on the musical and the geeky side, so to speak. My name is Franchesco Keltieri and I am Janet Walsh's brother.

They were really close. Really close. Cuz I've heard my entire life uh about my aunt Janet and everything that happened.

She's just a kid. She's just a 23-year-old. She had been out the night before with a couple of girlfriends. We found out that she didn't show up for work that morning.

I'm Andy G. And in 1979, I was the first police officer at the Janet Walsh homicide scene. I drove up to the front of the house and ran up to the door and Pete Calori, Janet's father, told me that she was in the back bedroom. I walk in and I pull the sheet back slightly. There was no need to even check for a pulse because you could tell by the her face and the scarf around her neck that she was dead.

The word dead just didn't apply. She's she's my sister. There's nothing that could make my sister be dead. I had to go in and see for myself. But my my brother would not allow me to. He put me in a bear hug and he would not let go. He did not want that to be the last memory I had of my sister. [snorts]

I have a plot from an old TV show like Murder She Wrote where we have five suspects and I can't put a finger on any of them. In the late 2000s, the Pennsylvania State Police Cold Case Unit began to relook at the investigation. This was everything collected by the Pennsylvania State Police at the time of the crime in 1979.

Assistant District Attorney Britney Smith was assigned to prosecute it. And this has been preserved by the state police since that time.

In a way, this is a a time capsule. We're going back to the late 1970s. We're going to the death scene now.

The cord from her own bathrobe was used to to bind her wrist. She more than likely let her killer in and it was someone known to her

at that time. This was almost the perfect murder. It was for 34 years. I'm Peter Vans. Tonight on 48 hours,

Janet's secret. Britney, what do we have here? This is Janet's purse. This would have been the purse she used the night she went out from August 31st, 1979 into the early morning hours of September 1st, 1979.

Britney Smith, a prosecutor in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, hadn't even been born when 23-year-old Janet Walsh last carried this bag on the final night of her life, September 1st, 1979. mint gum makeup brush keys those types of things are in every woman's purse. It definitely makes you feel as if there's a connection to her. And Britney learned Janet was firmly connected to this place, the tiny town of Manaka, about 30 m outside Pittsburgh.

Janet moved next door to us when she was either two or three years old and we became best friends. She had a couple brothers. I had brothers. So, she was like my little sister.

Janet's best friend, Susan Needgall. Who lived where? Okay, this is the house that I grew up in. And this is the house that Janet grew up in. And my bedroom windows right here, and her bedroom window is right there. At one point, my mother bought us little princess bones, and we were able to talk back and forth.

Our childhood was probably just like everybody else's. You know, we each got on each other's nerves, and I probably made it a goal to get on her nerves, being a little irritating brother.

Janet's brother, Francesco Cultieri, remembers a big sister bursting with talent.

She played the obo in the orchestra in the band and then she sang and she played the piano. Jen was also a Manaca Indian. She was an avid sewer. So, she would go out and she'd buy material and she would sew her clothes before she go on dates,

cut it out and sew it together and wear it out that night. I saw her do that more than once and it was just amazing.

By high school, those dates were with just one young man, Scott Walsh. We just were inseparable. I didn't hang around with buddies too much. It was mostly her and I just going out. Janet and Scott were like two little puppy dogs in love.

My high school yearbook, sophomore, junior, and senior year. Right here, she signed to Scotty. I'll always love you, Janet.

So, it came as no surprise when the high school sweethearts decided to tie the knot.

Got married August 14th of uh 1976. I was 20 and she was 20. Like a lot of young men in western Pennsylvania in those days, Scott had followed the tradition of going straight to work in a steel mill after high school. I decided not to go to college because back in the 70s in in this area here, the steel mills were booming.

But despite a steady income, the newlyweds soon hit a rough patch financially. We had the new mortgage, the new house, and two new vehicles, and it became a financial burden on both of us. That's what led to our separation.

In the summer of 1979, after just 3 years of marriage, the couple separated. Janet moved into the ground floor of a two family house.

I think she was a little apprehensive about living alone because she never lived alone before.

Janet got an office job at a local refrigeration company. And when Friday of Labor Day weekend rolled around, she decided to spend a girls night out with three friends bar hopping and dancing. Getting home around 4:00 a.m. just hours before she was due at work.

My sister's boss, Ron, had called and told my mother that, "Hey, Janet didn't show up for work this morning, and it's not like her."

Janet's parents raced to her apartment. My dad saw that there was somebody in bed and saw that her hands were bound, that she had something around her throat.

Rookie patrolman Andy Gaul was just 25 years old at the time. I had handled a couple of suicides and two fatal traffic accidents, couple other serious crimes, but was clearly the first homicide that I had ever responded to.

And what G found when he got to Janet's house was chilling. Wearing only a short night gown, Janet was face down in bed, her hands tied behind her back with the robe tie from her own bathrobe. Around her neck, a light blue bandana tied tight. It appeared she had been suffocated to death.

I have never had a similar scene since during my career. Rich Mattis was a Pennsylvania state trooper back in 1979. Like Andy Gaul, Mattis was looking at his first murder.

So whenever you enter a crime scene, you let the crime scene tell you what it has to say. What did this crime scene tell you?

Everything was very neat, very orderly. No bruising. No bruising, no cuts, no lacerations, of course, no firearms injuries, nothing.

Cops believe that Janet must have known her killer. Why? Well, the front door was chained shut. There was no sign here of a forced entry, so she must have recognized the man and let him in. The two then made their way back here into Janet's bedroom. Who would possibly want to kill Janet Walsh? At that time, I had no idea. The older [snorts] detectives and investigators, their automatic was, it's got to be the husband. You always look to the closest. Janet's parents were at the Manaka police station when their arange son-in-law arrived.

They were crying and I started crying. And I'll never forget her mother grabbed my hand and she said to me, she said, "Scott, you didn't have anything to do with this, did you?" And I looked at Mrs. Keel Toran and said, "Mrs. Kel Torque, I think you know the answer to that question." And she shook her head to me and said, "I know you didn't."

But police weren't so easily convinced. For one thing, Scott Walsh, now suspect number one, had been spotted at Janet's residence just hours before her body was discovered. He says he was just dropping her support check in the mail slot.

On the first of the month, I would give her a check as part of our separation agreement.

Also suspicious, police say Walsh had no alibi after Janet got home. You didn't get up out of bed and say, "I'm going to find out what that woman, my wife, has been up to on this night."

Absolutely not. No. You didn't go in and confront her? Not at all. No. Perhaps most damning, Walsh was given two lie detector tests following the murder. In both, he failed one key question.

So, Scott Walsh is given this lie detector test. Yes. And he's shown to be deceptive on a rather important question. Did you kill your wife?

Yes. You told him, "Of course you failed this question and he knew that and you pressed him on it."

Sure. What did he say? He wasn't involved. Police were starting to think they had their man until they heard about a stranger on the dance floor who had his eye on Janet. This case is about a young woman, 23 years old in 1979 who is tragically murdered and it completely tears apart and devastates her family. In the days following the horrific discovery of Janet Walsh's lifeless body, rookie investigator Andy Gaul reached for leads in every possible direction reconstructing Janet's final hours.

She was a typical 23-year-old girl. Gaul learned that while bar hopping, Janet crossed paths with a stranger in town. Robert McGra, a man cops describe as a drifter. When we were asking her friends, "Anybody show interest in Janet that night?" He clearly came up. He came up right away.

He was interested in Janet. He was Yeah, I was I was interested in her. Yeah, she was an attractive girl.

Robert McGrael, suspect number two. He remembers spotting Janet out that night at one of the bars.

I asked her to dance and it was a disco dance. She was very good, very good dancer. I enjoyed dancing with her.

After a few more dances, Mcgrael decided to ask Janet for a favor. I asked her if I could get a ride home with her. McGrael says Janet declined and put an end to the evening.

She says, "I'm separated from my husband and he gets very angry if he sees me with someone." And she said, "It might be good if you just left because I don't want you to get hurt."

Rejected, Mcra told police he walked home alone that night. Police believed him until

about six or seven days after the homicide, a lady's driving up Ninth Street and she sees a checkbook laying in the gutter.

And there's a name inside that checkbook. Whose name is it? Robert Mcgra. Robert Mcgrael, one of the last people to see Janet. She's dead just down the block here. What are you thinking as an investigator at that moment?

I'm thinking Mcra is jumping to the top of my list. Investigators learned that no checks had been written on McGrael's account since the night of Janet's death.

I don't know whether I lost it that night at the club, whether someone could have taken it out of my sport coat.

Did you walk over to her place that I didn't even know where she lived, but your checkbook is a half a block away from her apartment.

Did you follow Janet back to her? Did you kill Janet Wall? No, I did not. Absolutely not.

Absolutely not. So, did you give a polygraph to Robert McGra? We did. The state police gave him a polygraph and it showed deception.

So, you have two people who have shown deception in a polygraph. Janet's husband and Robert Mcgrael.

Correct. And soon there would be suspect number three, another stranger. On the last night of Janet Walsh's life, that stranger knocked on a neighbor's door.

About 8:00 at night, someone comes to his house, well-dressed young man, asking where Janet Walsh lives. He lives two doors away. He showed him exactly where Janet Walsh lives. So, we put it out to the public. While cops hoped someone had seen this man, Janet's best friend, Susan, gave police yet another lead. Who could have done this to Janet? What did you think?

My first thought it was her boss, Ron. Ron Sakoszi. Janet's boss, suspect number four. Police say Janet and Ron had an affair. How long had this relationship gone on between Janet and her boss?

It hadn't been going on long. This started after she separated from Scott. Investigators discover that Ron had been at two of the bars Janet visited the night she died.

Detective, at this point in the investigation, give me your list of suspects. Peter, at this point, we have a wide array of suspects. We have Janet's estranged husband,

Scott Walsh. We have the drifter, Robert Mcgrael. We have Janet's boss, Ron Sakoszi.

And we have Sketchman. Sketchman, unidentified. Anybody else come up on the radar

right at that time? We also get Scott Hopkins. Now, who's Scott Hopkins? Scott Hopkins is substantially older than Janet, drives a Porsche, is a successful businessman, and we find out from one of her girlfriends that they've had a relationship over the summer. Suspect number five, Scott Hopkins, had a home building company. Janet had started seeing him after moving into her own apartment, but kept their relationship secret. Trooper Rich Mattis remembers interviewing Hopkins the day of Janet's murder.

He was not forthright in his responses. He goes from casual acquaintance to sexual involvement, but it takes a while to get there during the course of the interview. One reason Hopkins may have been reticent is that he had two other women in his life. a soon-to-be ex-wife and another girlfriend. Both didn't know about Janet, but Hopkins had no secrets about where he was when Janet was killed.

What'd he say? He was at his residence. Hopkins tells police he was home all night with his girlfriend with two friends sleeping out on the living room floor, Larry Musgrave and his wife Geanne. They'd all stayed over to help Hopkins prepare a pig roast for an employee Labor Day weekend picnic the next day. Police checked out Hopkins story and moved into the

This is Larry Musgrave today. We got up at 5:30 in the morning and Scott was the one that woke me up to get the hot fire going to roast the pig. Georanne says she's a light sleeper and is clear about one thing. Hopkins never left the house that night.

I heard nothing that night. Absolutely nothing. And Scott Hopkins is alabi. He's alabi. Okay.

After interviewing about 20 people in the first three years, the case turned cold. There were no witnesses, no forensic technology to single out a killer. Then in 1983, 4 years after the murder, suspect number six emerged, Victor Sakoszi. No relation to suspect number four, Ron Sakoszi. Victor lived just two blocks away from Janet.

He's in a restaurant. tells the waitress that he knew Janet and that he had dated her just prior to the murder. When he's describing that story to her, he said a far away look in his eye and he was talking about that there was not a hair out of place as though he was reinvisioning the crime scene. We looked at the reports and we knew that Victor had been at the getaway, the last bar that Janet Walsh was at. Even with so many suspects, Janet's brother, Francesco, remembers hope draining away in his family's household. One of the things that we were told early on in the investigation was that even if the killer walked into the police station and confessed today, we would not be able to take them to trial because we do not have enough evidence.

But all that would change when cold case detective Rocco Demo uncovered a clue that would knock him off his feet. I was literally standing at my desk. My knees buckled. I said I sat down. I said, "Are you you kidding me?

I don't have any eyewitnesses. I don't have any physical evidence. I have no serious motive. I have no one coming forth. Roco Deo, a Pennsylvania state trooper working in a cold case squad, says in late 2010, all of that would change. Time and technology finally caught up to Janet's case.

These are markings that the state police crime lab would put on the item. This would be where a sample was taken here, for example. De Milo sent some of the physical evidence from Janet's crime scene out for new analysis. A lab tech called him with a game changer. They had found semen on the top sheet that had covered Janet's body.

And I'm thinking it's just going to be some minor itty bitty trace. And she says, "No, we have a lot of it in a lot of locations."

including on the back of Janet's night gown and the robe tie that had bound her wrists. It was more than enough to create a DNA profile.

They didn't know at the time who it was, but they knew that whoever's DNA this was would be the killer.

Decades have passed. It's not 1979 anymore, and this is a huge moment in this long investigation. What do you do first,

Peter? I've been keeping tabs on these guys for years. I have to get their DNA. First thing I do is get the DNA and eliminate Scott Walsh. Then Ron Sakoszi and DNA eliminates Victor Sakosi.

So, three down, two to go. We have Scott Hopkins and Robert McGra. I knew when they came here and they wanted my DNA that they must have considered me a suspect.

Robert McGra was now living up in Massachusetts. In December 2011, he voluntarily met Andy Gaul and another detective at a local police station.

You were never in her apartment. That's right. You never had sex with her. That's right.

McRail, the man whose checkbook was found around the corner from Janet Walsh's house just 6 days after her murder, refuses to voluntarily give police his DNA. But Andy Gaul hadn't come 32 years and 600 miles to be turned away.

You open your mouth, please. He brought a warrant for McGrael's DNA. Relax your mouth.

Then Gaul picks up exactly where he'd left off in 1979. Gaul grills Mcgrael for 7 hours.

I didn't kill anyone. Put your arms down and have a seat. Mcgrael agrees to take a lie detector test.

Everything is answered with a yes or a no. Remember, he'd shown deception on his first one back in 1979.

Did you kill that woman? No. Did you ever lie to the police? No. Were you ever in that woman's home?

No. Do you want me to finish scoring you up? When the test is over, so how did it go? The technician delivers the bad news to Mcgra.

You score in the negative on the first one when I asked you, did you kill that woman?

And you also scored in the negative when are you the person who killed that woman?

Suspect Robert Mcgrael has failed another polygraph. Are you going to be looked at as being an honest man that wanted to help in the end or

I'm getting disgusted with that statement. No, sir. I have nothing to be remorseful about. I did not do what you're accusing me of.

So Andy, you take Robert McGra's DNA sample back to Pennsylvania. What is the result of that test?

It was not a match. Not a match. So Robert McGrael is now eliminated. Who does that leave?

It's down to one. Scott Hopkins. Scott Hopkins. And back in 2011, give me a sense of what his life was like.

Scott Hopkins was now a very influential person in our community. He was an elected councilman. He's 65 years old. He's a semi-retired, very successful businessman.

When I asked him for the DNA, he says, "Absolutely not." He said, "I'm not going to give my DNA."

Scott Hopkins current wife, Karen, says the fact that her husband had a relationship with Janet Walsh, made any DNA test pointless.

He said, "My DNA is going to be there because I was there. I did have sex with her." So that's why he didn't give it.

Still, investigators persisted. Police didn't have enough evidence to get a search warrant for Hopkins DNA, at least not yet. They hatched a plan.

Andy Gaul set it all up. Scott Hopkins was a Bridgewater Councilman. Every day early in the morning, he came into the Bridgewater Burrow building where the police department is located also and took a drink out of a water fountain and would throw his cup away. Investigators had the police chief secretary standing by to pick up the trash after Hopkins morning water break and retrieve the cup. It was tested and the result was the moment cops had waited for. Hopkins was a match to the crime scene DNA profile. That enabled investigators to get an official warrant for Hopkins DNA.

I said, "Hey, Scott, I told you I'd be back. I have a warrant." And he actually fell into a chair and he says, "You think I did this?"

All that was left was to wait for the results of Hopkins court ordered DNA test. Rocky Deio calls and says, "It's done. It's sure. It's him. We're getting an arrest warrant."

Andy Gaul, who'd been first through the door when Janet Walsh was killed, was the first man through the door when Hopkins was arrested in January 2012.

I brought my handcuffs that I had in 1979 and put the cuffs on them. But would this DNA evidence really be enough to catch a killer? Remember, Scott Hopkins and Janet were lovers that summer.

Even then, I'm worried because I know of all the suspects, only Hopkins had told us that he had sex at that apartment in that bed. I knew it wasn't a sure thing just yet. November 2013, Scott Hopkins, now 67 years old and a grandfather, goes on trial for the murder of Janet Walsh in 1979. No cameras were allowed in the courtroom.

Good girl. Janet's younger brother, Francesco Calieri, says as the proceedings began, all he could do was pray.

Please God, give everyone the strength to do what is right and to do your bidding.

Hopkins defense attorney Chad Bowers says in the 34 years since Janet's death, Scott never acted like a guilty man.

Scott Hopkins never left town. In fact, he's done the opposite. He's stayed in Beaver County. He's dug his roots even deeper into Beaver County.

He is a giving person. He's a loving person. He gives everything that he possibly can to the community, to his church.

Karen is Scott's third wife. Back when they were still dating, Scott had told her he'd once been seeing a young woman who'd been murdered. He was sorry that something terrible had happened, but he also was glad that he [snorts] had had three people with him that night so that he would not have to be involved in this.

At trial, those three people, Scott's alibi witnesses, would all testify. Diane St. George, Scott's girlfriend at the time, who'd go on to become his second wife, said she spent the night next to Scott in a water bed.

This was our model home. It was a split entry that we built, and this is where we worked out of.

Larry Musgrave was Scott's partner in a home building business. Scott Hopkins was going through a divorce and he moved here and moved into the back bedroom of the house. Larry and his wife Georanne were asleep on the floor of Scott's living room. Remember, they'd slept over to get up early to prepare for an employee Labor Day weekend picnic the next day. They told jurors Hopkins never left the house that night.

I know it didn't happen. I was here. How do you know that? Well, I would have heard him leave. I would have heard him come back.

I wouldn't sit here and lie. Not for anybody. And all I can say is I feel they have the wrong person here.

Would you lie to protect your friend? Never. If I felt he did it, I would turn him in.

But prosecutor Brittney Smith says the Musgraves are mistaken. They were sleeping during a substantial period of time.

With the model home just a 10-minute drive from Janet's house. Ready? Here we go. Prosecutors say Hopkins would have had time to arrive.

We're now at 8 minutes 16 17 after Janet got home at 4:00 a.m. commit the murder and get back to his own house to awaken his guests at 5:30. But if Scott Hopkins is guilty, what exactly happened that night?

There was something sexual that occurred in that apartment. Whether it was consensual by her or not, we don't know.

Assistant DA Britney Smith lays out the prosecution's theory. As part of this sexual act, he strangles her and takes it too far and she ends up dead.

Could this have been an accidental death? The problem with it being an accidental death is that strangulation takes a period of time that he continuously applied pressure to her neck through the use of the bandana and that takes a few minutes to do. So her life is essentially leaving her and he continues to apply pressure to her neck.

As they did at trial, Smith and Frank Martacei, this will be the night's shirt. the co-prosecutor on the case demonstrate how the DNA evidence condemns Hopkins. First, when the Pennsylvania State Lab found semen in the old crime scene evidence, it was given a rating of 4 plus.

That means Scott Hopkins seminal fluid is on that location in a concentrated manner and it is not consistent with having been washed. meaning prosecutors say that Hopkins DNA was deposited the night of the murder, not from a previous encounter. And then there was something else, something huge.

We always go back to location, location, location, because the location of the DNA is what tells us when it was put there.

We believe that she was laying face down on the bed and he was on top of her at the moment that he was strangling her. It turns out the DNA identified as Hopkins was found to line up perfectly on the back of Janet's night gown, on the rope tying her hands, and on the top sheet left covering her body.

If you look at all the evidence in conjunction with one another, and how it lines up, that's what tells you that her killer deposited it. And the prosecution would end up hiring a famous messenger to deliver that news at trial. None other than the renowned forensic pathologist Dr. Sirill Wacket who's consulted on world famous cases.

John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, and of course, one of the most famous autopsies of all, the alien autopsy.

Well, yes. I would prefer to say for the time being that is humanoid. Wet admits he's not a DNA expert.

Here you are. He says he was just brought in to interpret the crime scene. I think that you can be quite comfortable with the fact that Hopkins was the perpetrator.

When it's the defense side's turn, they counter the celebrity testimony of Dr. Wet. The question is

was someone who is an internationally recognized DNA expert based on their calibration.

Dr. Mark PL we have a max statistic of a thousand who says wet has no business talking about DNA on the stand.

Do you believe that Dr. Sarel wet testifying in Scott Hopkins case is that dangerous in your opinion?

Uh I think it's very dangerous. The defense investigation found something that the prosecution missed. Turns out Hopkins DNA was not the only DNA at the crime scene. There was unidentified male DNA on Janet's robe and seaman from a third man. Someone police knew all too well.

There was an indication that her ex-husband was possibly on one of the sheets as well. The defense claims they know how Hopkins DNA lined up. They say his DNA was on Janet's night gown from past sexual encounters. Then when the real killer had sex with Janet, her perspiration transferred Hopkins old DNA from the night gown to the rope tie to the sheet. In this case, the prosecution said was there was only one possibility and that's clearly false. And in science, if you have two possibilities that can equally explain the data, it's a wash.

I was transported back 30 plus years to being just having my energy just shredded. My heart didn't even know how to work.

For Francesco Cultieri, the trial of his sister's accused killer would be bitter.

My fear, and it came to fruition, was that it would be like yesterday, like it just happened.

Francesco attended each day of Scott Hopkins murder trial. 30 plus years of not knowing who, why, or whatever. And here's this man 10 ft away. You You can't imagine the rage.

34 years with no one having to pay the price for Janet's murder. The trial would take only 8 days with 40 witnesses, including Hopkins himself. In the end, the jury took 6 hours to render a verdict.

It was guilty to murder in the third degree. murder in the third, meaning Hopkins, while not intending to kill Janet, had acted recklessly and in a manner he knew could result in death.

And the first thought that came in my head at that point was, "Jan, we got him."

For Andy Gaul, who was just a rookie that September day back in 1979, the verdict closed a very big circle. to good friends, old friends,

to justice, and to Janet. I'm hoping to get past these tears at some point. It's just it was more than just another case. Just became way too personal.

But not everyone in that courtroom was rejoicing. After this verdict, did he turn and look at you?

He did. He turned and looked at me and and I was crying and he said, "I'm so sorry. You don't deserve this." And I said, "Neither do you."

3 months later in February 2014, Janet's brother arrives at the sentencing, wishing Hopkins would get exactly what he deserved. I got the conviction, but I'm hoping for the longest sentence possible. As I understand it, this this crime carries a 20 to 40year possibility, and I know it's up to the judge.

The sentence the judge handed down was considerably shorter. He gave him 8 to 16 years, and my husband just turned 68, so I don't know if my husband will ever get out alive.

A few months into his prison stay, Scott Hopkins. Yes. Peter Vans, 48 hours. We spoke with Scott Hopkins.

Mr. Vans, I am absolutely innocent of this crime. Why do you think the jury found you guilty?

My own thought is we have a situation in this country from watching CSI and all the crime shows that if your DNA is there, you must be guilty. And I admitted to them that I was having sex with her in her apartment. Scott insists that the DNA investigation was far from thorough. Starting with Janet's aranged husband, Scott Walsh. Our DNA expert found my sperm and his sperm mixed together on the sheets. My DNA expert found an additional person's DNA or sperm on her robe. So, there were other people's DNA there that they chose not to look at.

Janet Walsh, who by all accounts was just a summer fling for Scott Hopkins decades ago, would end up changing the course of his life. I

mean, I respected her as a person and as a female, and I would never do anything to harm her.

Scott, are you lying to me? Absolutely not. You swear on everything you find holy in this world and the people who support you that you are telling me the truth.

I swear on my kids' lives. Hopkins had already started to mount an appeal of his conviction. For prosecutor Britney Smith, the victory has been bittersweet.

There's always this sort of sadness. Even though you you get what you want to some degree, doesn't bring Janet back. She'll always be 23 in 1979. She's still gone. And for Janet's brother, who'd kept vigil for justice all these years, the time has come to let go.

By getting rid of all these horrific momentos, the headlines, crime still unsolved, case gone cold. That'll help me get to that point. I love my sister. I'll see you in heaven one day.

Questions about this episode

Who speaks in "Janet's Secret | Full Episode"?

Franchesco Keltieri (Guest), Andy G. (Guest), Britney Smith (Guest), Peter Vans (Host), Susan Needgall (Guest), Scott Walsh (Guest), Robert McGrael (Guest), Scott Hopkins (Guest).

What is "Janet's Secret | Full Episode" about?

The story revolves around the unsolved homicide of Janet Walsh, a beloved and vibrant young woman, whose shocking death at just 23 years old left a lasting impact on her family and community. As her brother and a former police officer recount the events surrounding her murder, the investigation reopens decades later to uncover new insights and revisit the evidence that has been preserved since…

What is mentioned in this 48 Hours episode?

17 people, works and ideas are mentioned, including Scott Hopkins, Janet Walsh, Scott Walsh, Britney Smith, Franchesco Keltieri, 48 Hours. Each one on this page links to its own page with every episode that mentions it.

How long is "Janet's Secret | Full Episode"?

The episode runs 42 min; the transcript is about 5,921 words in 161 timestamped sections.

More from 48 Hours

About this transcript: the episode's spoken words as captioned on YouTube, split into timestamped sections. Reclip.Me locates every person, work and idea in the text, keeps the time it is first named, and quotes the words around it verbatim. Last updated February 3, 2026.