But prosecutors never gave up on the case and eventually charged him with second-degree murder more than a decade after the killing. [3] At his December 2020 parole hearing, Bierenbaum confessed that he had killed his wife and threw her body out of an airplane. In 2000, a grand jury indicted Bierenbaum for second-degree murder. He also detailed what he did to the body, which has never been found. (Bierenbaum turned 30 shortly after the murder.). I went flying. "An X-ray technician compared this X-ray with the torso and said, 'This is Gail,'" Alayne Katz said. He shares the following with ABC News. ABCs reporting is part of a two-hour 20/20 episode set to air Friday night. Appearing before a parole hearing in December 2020, Bierenbaum, an experienced pilot, said he had murdered his wife by strangling her, placed her body in a small plane, and then took her body out of the airplane over the ocean, according to a transcript of the hearing obtained by ABC News. We've received your submission. "She's not with me, and she's not with my parents, and at that moment I know that my sister's dead," Alayne Katz said. Bierenbaum claimed he assumed that Katz had gone to Central Park to calm down before he reported her as missing, but doubts about his story quickly arose. Investigators decided to re-interview everyone from the case. He started dating Dr. Stephanie Youngblood, a chiropractor, and she said their first year together was "perfect. At the time, the plastic surgeon claimed innocence, but that has all changed. Her family reported their suspicions to police, and the Manhattan District Attorneys Office picked up the case. [5] It was the basis of the plot of the episode "The Good Doctor" in the first season of Law and Order: Criminal Intent and also one of the stories in the television show Dominick Dunne: Power, Privilege, & Justice on Court TV. After 30-plus years of maintaining his innocence, aformer plastic surgeonadmitted to killing his wife and throwing her body out of an airplane. Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. She also alleged that he tried to kill her cat because he was jealous of it. ", "We went to medical black tie events we went on a lot of ski trips," she said. He made attempts over the years to have his conviction overturned but was unsuccessful. "I was stunned because I always thought that that day would never come, that he would own up, take responsibility for having killed his wife. "I wanted her to stop yelling at me and I attacked her," Robert Bierenbaum said during a parole board hearing amid his prison sentence of 20 years to life for the murder of his wife, Gail Katz. A New York surgeon has sensationally admitted strangling his wife and throwing her body out of a plane after maintaining his innocence for nearly 40 years. He was known for taking women on short flights for romantic dates. Bierenbaum had long maintained his innocence in the case. The DA's office closed their end of the investigation without bringing charges and the police department's investigation fizzled out. Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush were at the London premiere of future Oscar winner The Kings Speech. (Oct. 21), Man accused of killing his pharmacist brother was enraged about COVID-19 vaccine, Ex-police officer says he was '90s Paris serial killer in suicide note, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Several months later,authorities learned Bierenbaum had rented and piloted a plane within hours of Katzs disappearance. I was like, Holy s, are you kidding me? one of the prosecutors, Dan Bibb, told the outlet of the admission. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Robert Bierenbaum admitted he threw his wife's body out of an airplane and into the ocean nearly three decades ago during a parole hearing in December 2020, ABC News reported. An interview with Gails sister, Alayne Katz may give some insight. [15], The Robert Bierenbaum case was featured by the television show Law and Order: Criminal Intent, in an episode entitled "The Good Doctor", which originally aired in November, 2001; in an episode of the French series Paris enqutes criminelles; and in an episode of 20/20 in October 2021.[16]. When ABC News showed the transcript of Bierenbaum's confession to Alayne Katz, she said, "This is exactly the same man that I knew 35 years ago." They flew to North Dakota to speak to Bierenbaum and Vegas to talk to Youngblood, as well as other women Bierenbaum was known to have dated. Gail's sister didn't buy his story. Dan Bibb, one of the prosecutors who brought Bierenbaum to justice, told ABC News. Youngblood said Bierenbaum joined an organization that flew doctors and nurses in and out of Mexico to treat children who needed medical care. NEW YORK Dr. Robert Bierenbaum maintained his innocence in 2000 as he was tried and convicted of killing his first wife 15 years before. At a parole hearing in December 2020, he confessed to killing his wife and dumping her body from a plane,. "I was stunned because I always thought that that day would never come, that he would own up, take responsibility for having killed his wife." Bierenbaum remains in prison and will have another parole hearing in November. Tracking CA's reservoir levels, snowpack map, drought status, How safe is your neighborhood? I was like, Holy s*** are you kidding me? said Dan Bibb, one of the prosecutors who brought Bierenbaum to justice. When she heard the news, Alayne Katz said she was devastated. His admission shocked everyone involved in the case, because it was the exact theory prosecutors had presented in court at Bierenbaum's 2000 murder trial. "My sister's body has never been found Gail doesn't rest anywhere," Katz said. [11], At a parole hearing in December 2020, Bierenbaum confessed to strangling his wife and tossing her body out of an airplane while flying over the Atlantic Ocean. Back in Feb. 2000, PEOPLE reported on the story and about how Bierenbaum originally told police in July 1985 that his wife had stormed out of their Manhattan apartment after the pair got into a heated altercation the morning prior. Keep reading to find out more about this case. https://t.co/MDFN9cgGku pic.twitter.com/DCd3A6L1Qe, However, from the sounds of it, that doesnt last long. [12], As a result of the New York state Medical Licensing Board's misconduct review following the court case, Bierenbaum surrendered his License to Practice medicine in November, 2000. In 1998, Rozenzweig got back in touch with her family. Bierenbaum was very controlling and at one point a neighbor said Katz told him she didn't feel comfortable at home. Robert Bierenbaum admitted to killing wife Gail Katz and throwing her body out of an airplane during a December 2020 parole board hearing, according to a new report from ABC News part of the network's two-installment 20/20 special airing Friday at 9 p.m. Bierenbaum was convicted on circumstantial evidence for killing Katz and throwing her body out of an airplane over the Atlantic Ocean after she disappeared in 1985. Bierenbaum has been referred to as "The Lady Killer". The theory that prosecutors presented at the trial was that Bierenbaum had killed his wife in their home, possibly dismembered her, put her remains in a large duffle bag and thrown the bag out an airplane he was piloting over the Atlantic Ocean. After his trial, he filed multiple appeals to try to overturn his conviction, first claiming that trial court errors in allowing certain evidence against him prejudiced his case, then that ineffective counsel and the delay between the time he murdered his wife and charges were brought against him were a violation of his rights. In the hearing, Robert Bierenbaum gives more details. Our editorial content is not influenced by any commissions we receive. Share your family tree and photos with the people you know and love. Fifteen years after her disappearance, he was finally going to trial for his wife's death. Mom Found Guilty of Killing Toddler Son, Burning Body and Burying Him in Yard, 'Why Did You Kill My Daddy? Katzs family has found little solace in the bombshell confession. By submitting your email to receive this newsletter, you agree to our. Bierenbaum, an experienced pilot who had been convicted on circumstantial evidence, was serving his 20 years-to-life prison sentence when he made the chilling confession during a December 2020 parole board hearing. The former Manhattan district attorney who prosecuted Bierenbaum was stunned to learn of his admission as this was the exact theory they had presented to the jury. Check out never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! Gail Katz reported the incident to a police administrative aide at a local precinct but nothing came of it. From that moment onwards, the police pursued a theory that Ms Katz had been disposed of somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean. Robert Bierenbaum, a former plastic surgeon, confessed the 1985 killing of his wife, Gail Katz, during a parole hearing in December 2020. In a December parole hearing, however, Bierenbaum, now . Copyright 2023 ABC News Internet Ventures. One interview that struck investigators was with one of Bierenbaum's former girlfriends from when he was still in New York City. He put forth numerous theories to multiple girlfriends prior to his arrest: Katz had committed suicide, was off shopping at Bloomingdales, been killed by drug dealers, run off with someone with whom she'd been having an affair, or was living in a "fugue state," according to their testimonies at his trial. But his love of flying, and one flight in particular, was key for prosecutors to convince a jury that Bierenbaum was a murderer, someone who killed Katz in a homicidal rage and got away with it for 15 years. SPONSORED LINKS Robert Bierenbaum walks out of Manhattan Criminal Courthouse after indictment on murder charges of killing his wife. He began working with the brand as an Editorial Intern in early 2020, before later transitioning to a freelance role, and then staff positions soon after. The couple moved to Minot, North Dakota, to start a new life together, and eventually had a baby girl. The case was entirely circumstantial but was enough forBierenbaum to be convicted. "Gail's House gave my sister a resting place. "[She said], 'No, no, no, Alayne we're gonna get rid of the cat and then everything's gonna be fine because he's gonna believe that I love him,'" Alayne Katz said. He previously maintained his innocence for years and remains in prison on a sentence of 20 years to life. However Gails sister, Alayne Katz, told ABCs 2020 that Bierenbaum had been controlling and violent throughout their relationship. This is going to work out,'" Katz said. Until December 2020 of last year . Meanwhile, back in New York, Rosenzweig was nearing retirement and was looking into cold cases that still haunted him. Start your Independent Premium subscription today. Robert Bierenbaum, who is serving a sentence of 20 years to life in prison, revealed the details of the 1985 murder during a December 2020 parole hearing whose transcript was recently. "I wanted her to stop yelling at me and I attacked her," according to a transcript of the hearing obtained by ABC News. | The new 20/20 airs TONIGHT at 9/8c on @ABC. He is now eligible for parole and faces a hearing in November 2021, according to his prison records.. Her sister wasn't buying his story. Robert Bierenbaum admitted he threw his wife's body out of an airplane andinto the ocean nearly three decades ago during a parole hearing in December 2020, ABC News reported. All company, product and service names used in this website are for identification purposes only. He went on to tell the board that his actions wereimmature and that he simply didnt understand how to deal with his anger. The man, who was also a licensed pilot, confessed to strangling his wife anddriving her body to a New Jersey airport, where he rented a plane for several hours. At the time, the plastic surgeon claimed innocence, but that has all changed. https://t.co/MDFN9cgGku pic.twitter.com/KNBnEHCLNm. [3], At his December 2020 parole hearing, Bierenbaum confessed that he had killed his wife and threw her body out of an airplane.[4]. Alayne describes her sisters relationship with Bierenbaum as initially seeming like a magical romance.
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