Tonight on 20/20 ` People think that it's sleazy, it's that they've never been to our club before. NZ's own brothel kings. So, one standard room, starting at 230, up to two ladies bi-double. 560, yes. 560, yes. 560. Their past, a family takeaway; their goal, a billion-dollar business. Then... Justice has not been served in the murder of my daughter. ...the cops say it was suicide. I became my daughter's investigator. I didn't have a choice. The mother says it was the boyfriend. Once and for all, did you kill Sheena? www.tvnz.co.nz/access-services Captions were made possible with funding from NZ On Air. Copyright TVNZ Access Services 2013 Kia ora. I'm Erin Conroy. It is the perfect rags-to-riches story. Two kids arrive in NZ from a completely different culture, with no English, and now they're on our rich list. But the price of that success? Perhaps becoming two of the most controversial men in the country. They are the Chow brothers, famed for their sex clubs. There have been rumours, accusations, even charges against these men. But tonight, for the first time, they open up to 20/20. This is their story. PULSATING MUSIC PLAYS It teases. It tantalises. But what really goes on behind the doors of sex clubs? MUSIC CONTINUES I've accepted an invitation from two men synonymous with the sex industry in NZ, to have a snoop around in their world. # Sexy boys. # Fancy boys. # Gay boys. # Bad boys. # I think you're freaky, and I like you a lot. # I think you're freaky, and I like you a lot. # They are the Chow brothers, John and Michael, fast becoming the top dogs of the adult entertainment industry. Happy Penthouse opening! People think that it's sleazy, it's that they've never been to our club before. But tonight they open their doors to 20/20. This is our lap-dance room. Lights,... The intercom. The intercom. ...music, intercom. The intercom. ...music, intercom. Intercom for what? Reveal their secret to success. Brotherhood is the most important. And we put to them the questions that have remained unanswered ` until now. You've both got daughters. How do you tell them you're the kings of the sex industry? OLD-FASHIONED MUSIC Hong Kong, this bustling metropolis was home to the Chow boys until 1984 when the whole family arrived in NZ, with no English, to an entirely different culture. Hong Kong is more 24/7. You know, you've got much more, uh, more people. We lived in a small apartment. You know, the apartment probably about the same size as my` my bathroom. (LAUGHS) John was 13 and Michael just 8. It was quite quiet compared to Hong Kong. The Chow family set up home in the Hutt Valley, outside of Wellington. Just going to our house. Taita Drive. This one here. Nah, nah,this one. We lived here round about 10 years, huh. The streets here, still familiar. Yeah, we'd always go here, eh, John? Remember? Yeah, we'd always go here, eh, John? Remember? BOTH: The swimming pool. I haven't been here for probably 20 years now, eh. Do you still feel a connection, though? Do you still feel a connection, though? Uh, still got a lot of memories. Uh, this bakery here, we used to go all the time have coffee, bun. We enjoyed, um, Naenae College. < How was your English when you first got here? < How was your English when you first got here? Uh,... pretty average. (LAUGHS) Getting better now. Getting better now. ALL LAUGH How many years later? How many years later? 30 years. How many years later? 30 years. 30 years, yeah. Did you go to the school balls? Did you go to the school balls? Yeah, went to the school ball. Yep. < Did you have girlfriends? < Did you have girlfriends? No, not in` not in Naenae College. < No? What about you? < No? What about you? Yeah, I got girlfriends. Always got girlfriends. ALL LAUGH No chance for a social life, though. I see a J and an M. Yep. Yep. And a J and an M. After school they worked in their parents' takeaway shop. John and Michael that stands for. This is where we started, back in the day. Yeah. Yeah. Um, I worked nights; John worked days. We normally did 20 hours a day. That's my idea ` the Coke bottles. They're my idea. John and Michael eventually took over the business and grew it. Did you used to cook yourselves? Did you used to cook yourselves? Yeah, I always used to be cooking four wok at the same time. No way! How many wok could you cook? Probably two. Probably two. LAUGHTER You guys talk about this place with such fondness, a smile spreads across your face. Yeah, it's hard work. We enjoyed, uh, uh, back in the day, our whole family working here. It was a hard time, and it was a good time. Profit from the takeaway shop bought their first commercial property. But they failed to get tenants ` a blow that John took hard. I am quite depressed, and Michael come in and helping to get things done. And worse was to come. Parents have to sell the house, in Lower Hutt, we live in. The entire Chow family had to move into the empty office building. That was probably most difficult time. At rock bottom, the brothers tried something new ` their first foray into the sex industry. That empty building became Mermaids strip club. So, how old were you when you first opened this business? Opened this club here? Yeah, I was 23 years old. You have to have big balls. # And we can't stop. # And we won't stop. # So every room's got booths. And lights, music, intercom. Intercom for what? Intercom for what? Room service. There's a pool table. We have customers playing pool with` naked pool. Naked pool? Naked pool? Yeah. Naked pool? Yeah. Naked pool. (LAUGHS) This is my first time in any place like this, so my imagination is trying to catch up with what you're telling me. So how much is a lap dance these days? Well, lap dance is very cheap. Basically $50 and you can have a lap dance for 10 minutes. That's cheap, is it? That's cheap, is it? Yeah, it's very cheap. That's cheap, is it? Yeah, it's very cheap. Ooh, goodness. OK. No sex downstairs, but the upper level is a brothel. PULSATING MUSIC All our ladies here upstairs provide full service. It's like a hotel operation. No different to running a hotel. The customer choose the ladies, and they can` they book over here. There's a reception desk here. The customer can see online here. MUSIC CONTINUES So, one standard room, starting at 230. Up to two ladies bi-double. 560, yes. 560, yes. 560. PULSATING MUSIC There are young, maybe quite vulnerable women working in your club. < Do you not have a moral dilemma about that? No, um, my parents both support me and John, uh,... so... Uh, and end of the day it's... for us, it's a business. And people have choice, these days. I mean, people have choice to come or not, pretty much. Yeah, I mean, we're in the sex industry and that's fine. Actually, it become an icon, it become a landmark now. Mermaids is part of the Courtenay Place. Off the back of that success, the Chows expanded. What of this is yours? What of this is yours? OK, we own this space here. Yep. Yep. We used to have this hotel here. We have this 400 car park. Gonna be a 60 retailer here. And expanded. We own that building there. Westpac Tower. And expanded. So we own the Noel Leeming, Warehouse building, Exodus Health & Fitness, Southern Hospo. Yep. Yep. And your yoga studio. Couple of building behind the Noel Leeming. Couple of building behind the Noel Leeming. So this is Chow block. Yes. Yes. BROTHERS LAUGH Hi, girl. How's your day? There's even a high-end fitness club. Who have we here? Who have we here? My father. Who have we here? My father. Hello. He looks in good shape. He looks in good shape. Yeah. Yes. 75. 75 years old? > 75 years old? > Yep. > 75 years old? > Yep. > Goodness. > And is he a regular? And is he a regular? Yeah, every day he come do work. But don't pay. But don't pay. BOTH LAUGH < Did you go into business because you wanted to get rich? N... No. Just` Just as I said before, uh, every time we commit to something, we want to be the best what we do. Even a small takeaway shop, we was one of the, uh` the best one. Even a small takeaway shop, we was one of the, uh` the best one. What is your secret to success? I believe timing is important. Um, uh, and it's all about timing, I guess, and working hard. We share the stress. There's a lot of stress, time to time. We share the, um` the happiness. Brotherhood is the most important, uh, secret of me and John, I guess. After the break ` the Chows head north. 15 storeys. That's one big building. They're moving in. Wow! But Auckland isn't warmly welcoming the Chows. So, do you feel remorse for any of this? Flame-grilled, cos only a clown would cook without fire. (CHUCKLES) Taste is King. Burger King has turned the flames way up for their fired-up menu to bring back an old fave ` Rodeo Stackers with two, three or even four juicy, flame-grilled patties. Flame-grilled, cos only a clown would cook without fire. (CHUCKLES) Taste is King. 1 # Ah. # Yeah. # Really? # Uh-huh. At the hands of these gentlemen, the city of sails is getting sexed up. # Now go. # It all began in 2010. Rugby World Cup fever was building, and the Chows wanted a big slice of the action. They purchased one of Auckland's iconic heritage buildings ` the Palace Hotel, built in 1886. During renovations on the basement, cracks started to appear. Something went wrong. I was on site at that time, and me and John and also the architect was on site, and it just started cracking, and everyone had to evacuate the building. That was unfortunate. The council had made the decision within limited time, four hours or so, um, have to pull it down, so you know, that was not our intention to... (INHALES DEEPLY) pull it down at all. PEOPLE EXCLAIM Nevertheless, within a few hours, this once gracious building was just a pile of bricks. Would you have preferred to keep that building? That was always the plan. That was always the plan. So, the people who suggest that your working on the building purposefully created cracks in it so it needed to be demolished, what do you say to those people? That's all` That's nonsense. Basically, we wanted to be open before the World Cup. Simple as that. But this wasn't the first allegation over a heritage building. The allegation that you are responsible for not only one but two demolitions of heritage buildings, one in Auckland and one in Wellington. Willis Street. Willis Street. Willis Street. For Willis Street one, is more technical issue that we got building consent confirmed from the council but then, uh, for some reason the council didn't, uh, have communication with the historic t` people. OK, cos there is a feeling that you just go around flouting regulation. OK, cos there is a feeling that you just go around flouting regulation. That's not correct. No. We haven't got any charge. We haven't got any legal issue or anything. Not from... I think it's more about` just unfortunate that the Palace got demolished, and people think we are deliberate to do demolishing the building. Actually, that is incorrect. Another rumour is that if people treat you the wrong way, you'll rough them up. Yeah, no. What's your response to that, John? You've recently been in court. There's been a charge, but that's been dropped. There's been a charge, but that's been dropped. You were given a diversion. Yep. Yep. Does that indicate some level of guilt? I don't need to admit anything, and I don't need to apologise anything. There's no conditions for the diversion. The charge is, uh, disbehave. That's most minimum charge they can get. From what I believe, I've done nothing wrong. Can you tell me what actually happened for a charge to be laid? That been, uh, withdrawn, so probably not good way to say it now in front of camera. There have been a number of other cases where you have had to pay out after an employment dispute. Is this not looking like a pattern of bad relationships with employees? Is this not looking like a pattern of bad relationships with employees? No, no, no, I don't think that. How long we have been in business? 15 years and one` one or two cases. We got a couple of hundred employees. You can't stop that. People will make allegation on that, so you just have to live with it. So the reputation that you are cowboys, fly by the seat of your pants, do whatever you like, where does that come from? I can't stop people think what they me and John. Over the years we've been in business, um, people know us, people done business with us,... they all... satisfied the result with us. But I can't say 100%, but majority of the people are satisfied, so... I'm not sure where your comment come from. If you had the opportunity to do it all again, would you do it differently? Yes, of course, we will probably do more checking on, you know, every decision we make. You know, we just making sure. Double check and triple check all the different, uh, uh, boxes have been ticked. # One, two, three. # FUNKY MUSIC So now it's onwards and upwards. So, here we are outside` right outside the Sky Tower. And this is your latest project. And this is your latest project. BOTH: Yes. And this is your latest project. BOTH: Yes. What is it? We got a resource consent for a 15-level development and multilevel entertainment business. Bars and restaurants, yes, but two floors of strip clubs and another two a brothel. A super brothel in the super city, and the locals are not happy. Aucklanders are really concerned about this club. The drunken behaviour, the violence, the sorts of people that it might attract. Oh, I think it's more` more media's, uh, uh, misconception, you know. In term of the sex industry, it's only occupied about 30%. If there's no market or no demand, then we will be closing the next day. So if the demand there, that means we must be doing something right. Goodness, hefty-sized door there, John. Yeah, you need two. Yeah, you need two. Two hands. Wow! Look at this. That demand has helped supply John with a slice of suburban paradise in Auckland. Oh, it's beautiful. Pool. What were you looking for in a house? What were you looking for in a house? A drive garage ` drive in. Yeah. Yeah. A pool. Good flow indoor and outdoor. A $6.6 million home. Do you like it? Do you like it? Yes, it ticked all of my boxes. (LAUGHS) He and his family are here to stay. What a beautiful bride. Can we show the camera? Can we show the camera? Better not. Better not, no. Can we show the camera? Better not. Better not, no. No. How did you meet her? How did you meet her? Oh, in Hong Kong. Yeah? And... your eyes met across the room at a bar? Yeah? And... your eyes met across the room at a bar? (LAUGHS) She's beautiful. I'm telling you that. She's one beautiful bride. And... looks like some beautiful kids here, John. My daughter and my son, yep. 14 and 10. Good kids? Good kids? Yep. Good. FUNKY MUSIC MUSIC INTENSIFIES Tonight, it's the grand opening of the first Penthouse Club in all of Australasia. Right here in Auckland. And yep, it's owned by the Chows. # I got hit by the buzz that... And we'd been invited along. I'm not sure I'm prepared for this. # One in a million, the odds are stacked. # Penthouse Pets from Australia have even been flown in for the event. That's me in the middle, just to be clear. Let's see what you've got on. Very nice. Diamantes. I did put underwear on today. I did put underwear on today. You knew there were TV cameras coming. Yeah, I did know there were TV cameras. > You guys are often surrounded by naked women at work. How hard is that to deal with on a day to day basis? How hard is that to deal with on a day to day basis? You get used to it. And when the new club opens, with it will come the label of the country's biggest pimps. How does that sit with you? We treat it as a business that we enjoy and we` in a way that it operates, uh, successful. CHEERING Happy Penthouse opening! You've both got daughters; how do you tell them you're the kings of the sex industry? I would tell my daughter that's one of the businesses that we're in ` sex industry. Uh, nothing to hide. Pretty much that's what daddy do. Yeah. They're gonna think it different to what their friends' daddies do. They're gonna think it different to what their friends' daddies do. I guess so, but, um, I` I` I can't change that. I can tell my kids, 'Daddy's a successful businessman.' So successful that they've just been added to the rich list. We want to take the company to a billion dollars. So you're gonna be billion-dollar men? So you're gonna be billion-dollar men? That's what we're trying. So did you ever think while you were running your four wok and you two, that you'd have a goal of a billion dollars? No. No. Not at all, no. That's why we get out of bed. You know, excited that we've got a goal to achieve. So now you'll be the billion-dollar brothers, as opposed to the brothel brothers. Yes. Most definitely learned a thing or two on that story, let me tell you. Next on 20/20 ` suicide or homicide? A mother turns investigator to uncover the truth. I answer the phone, and I go, 'Sheena, Sheena.' And there's no answer. Now I'm screaming into the phone and then all of a sudden, I hear a man's voice in the background. What happened inside that hotel room that would devastate this mother? And the last time anyone would hear Sheena's voice again ` a call to 911. When we come back. 1 On New Year's Day in 2009, a devoted mother receives news her daughter Sheena was found dead in a hotel room. When police found her hanging, they quickly classified her death as suicide, but according to her mum, she had everything to live for and was not suicidal. So she began her own investigation and found clues that pointed the finger close to home ` to Sheena's fiance. Tonight, we report on the evidence that was missed and the questions that were never asked. For most families, New Year's Day is a celebration, but it would soon turn into the worst day of this mother's life. 12.24 that afternoon, Kelly Osborn gets a call from Joe Genoese, her daughter's fiance. He talked to Kelly and told her he was having trouble getting hold of Sheena. She became concerned for her daughter and went over to her apartment. Then, suddenly, that mother's cell phone, ringing. The name that comes up offers hope. I answer the phone, and I go, 'Sheena, Sheena.' There's no answer. Now I'm screaming into the phone. I'm upset and calling for her. And then, all of a sudden, I hear a man's voice in the background. That voice ` one the of the police officers in her daughter's hotel room. It turns out, Kelly says, they inadvertently called her from her daughter's cell phone. That's when you knew something was wrong ` That's when I found out something was wrong. ...when police accidentally called you from her phone. They said, 'We need you to give us your... your address.' The fiance, Joe, is summoned to Sheena's mother's house too, and when police arrive, they tell them Sheena is dead, found alone in that hotel room. Getting a notification like that is the most horrifying event you could have in your life. All we knew, um, was that she was deceased. We didn't know how. A mother begging for answers. I'm asking them, 'Well, where did you find her?' And they say that she was found in the shower. What we were thinking was, you know, 'Did she slip and fall? Did she hit her head?' But the answer would be far more heartbreaking. The police never told us, so when the medical examiner does call us and say, 'We've just completed the autopsy, and it's consistent with a hanging', we're just dumbfounded. Sheena was found with her clothes on, hanging in the shower, one of her precious dogs' leashes around her neck, and with no signs of a struggle on the room and no obvious injuries to Sheena's body, the detective in the case, Leonard Diaz, and that police department quickly ruled it a suicide. But family and friends immediately argued it didn't add up. The moment I got the call, I knew that something was not right about the situation. And Kelly says her daughter was hardly someone planning her own demise. The smiles in that video were just days before. A box. And so many other telling signs that in the days before her death. She renewed a subscription to a magazine,... Yes, she did. She renewed her AAA for the year. ...left her rent cheque,... ...left her rent cheque,... Yes. Yeah. Rent cheque is all filled out, ready to be paid for the, you know, month of January. And she says what also didn't make sense were those joyful text messages Sheena sent from that New Year's Eve dinner with Joe. And that night, Sheena's texting all her friends. She's all excited, saying, 'I'm gonna be an aunty. I'm gonna be an aunty.' Kelly says she immediately wanted answers from one person. Three days after Sheena died, I had asked Joe to come out to the garage, that I wanted to talk to him. And she delivered this message ` This isn't over. Sheena didn't commit suicide. I said, 'You can make this as easy or as hard on me and yourself as you would like.' Kelly was done selling houses ` now a mother trying to solve a crime, with no idea where to start. I have every police report in here. She studied hundreds of other suicides, looking for patterns. And the one common theme that kept coming up were drugs and alcohol. Yes. Yes. And yet the amount of alcohol in your daughter's body... ...was under the legal limit. She could've legally driven. Um, it might've been one drink, two. And any drugs? And any drugs? No. None. And that was just the first discovery. She began poring over her daughter's cell phone records and discovered a call to 911 that night. Her mother says police never revealed that. I called detective Diaz, and he said only the people in the room next door made a 911 phone call. I had to go and learn how to try to retrieve a 911 phone call, and when I did, I delivered it to detective Diaz. Sure enough, it was her daughter, calling after that argument with Joe ` 2.10 that morning. They had had many fights before. She chose to call the police on this particular night for a reason. This one had to be a big one. And Sheena's mother discovered something else ` the text messages her daughter sent to Joe after that 911 call. Sheena, at 1.53 in the morning. Sheena, writing to Joe at 2.12. And there were images too. How did you discover the pictures? How did you discover the pictures? They had released the camera to us, and that's where we found that she was actually taking pictures of herself ` of what he did to her. The photos on her camera showing a cut on her neck, a scratch on her finger. So the police ` they'd never looked at the pictures. So the police ` they'd never looked at the pictures. They knew what was in her camera. And they dismissed it. And as Kelly quietly pored over every piece of evidence, there was someone else who got a tip ` a reporter, a former cop himself, Lee Williams. I got a call from a` a source in law enforcement who said I needed to look at this case. I went to the website and talked to Kelly. I was hooked. You were? You were? Yeah. There were enough red flags, right from the start. There were enough red flags, right from the start. Right away. Lee Williams has reported extensively on the case for the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, writing that the lead detective on the case had never been sent out on a homicide investigation alone before, asking, 'How would he know if he weren't looking at one now?' Any suspicious death should be initially viewed as a potential homicide. He walked in, he saw her hanging, and I think he just` In his mind, it became a suicide. Sheena's mother started calling that detective, convinced the investigation had been botched. I had called him and said, 'Have you questioned the boyfriend yet?' His exact words to me were, 'No. Why? Should I?' The detective waited 22 days before interviewing Joe Genoese, during which any wounds or scratches that he had on his body could've healed. Do they write up a report? Do they write up a report? No, he did not. I certainly would've` How do you not document that? How do you not document that? I certainly would've documented it ` probably videotaped it too. And the big question ` just where did Joe go after that hotel room that night? He told police he went home, and there was a tenant in his town house who saw him. But Sheena's mother says police, at first, never went to check on that alibi. We reached out to the Bradenton Beach Police Department and to that detective. They've declined to comment. But that reporter, the former cop, did track down the witness who offered that alibi. And when you asked him, 'Did you see Joe on New Year's Day?' He saw Joe. He doesn't remember what time it took place. He had been drinking all day. Kind of hard to establish an alibi time. But the Bradenton Beach Police have long said they didn't rely solely on that alibi. The say they have cell phone records ` pings from Joe's cell phone calls and his text messages ` revealing his locations. In fact, they say, those pings trace his route home. I've never seen the pings. They've been sealed by a judge. I'd love to see 'em. When we come back, the most revealing evidence of all. You're about to see the crucial clues in the photos of her dead daughter. A lot of people will ask, 'How could a mother look at the photographs from an autopsy?' What they show as 20/20 returns to that very same hotel shower. How are you? And later tonight, the fiance, with Sheena that New Year's Eve. How does he explain the evidence? Their past, a family takeaway; their goal, a billion-dollar business. 1 There's a photo of Sheena in the shower. Her feet are caked with sand and debris, yet there's no debris on the white floor of the shower or on the floor of the bathroom immediately outside the shower. So her feet were caked in sand. Yeah. Yeah. And yet there was no sand anywhere in that bathroom. None whatsoever, other than on her feet. For Williams, sand on her feet and not on the floor around her makes it nearly impossible to believe Sheena killed herself in that shower. So either Sheena was carried in there post-mortem and hung, or she somehow levitated into that room. Kelly had the reporter on her side, but what she truly needed were some big names ` forensic heavyweights ` and she got three of them to look at all of the evidence. This is the room, right here. This is the room, right here. Yes. One of them took 20/20 back to that very hotel room with her. Jan Johnson is one of those CSI experts who examined the evidence. She spent more than 40 years studying crime scenes. She immediately saw red flags. There's a pillow lying on the floor. I would be very interested in what's on that pillow. Jan says a veteran investigator would've ruled everything out, asking, 'Could that pillow have been used to smother her?' You're thinking someone could've used one of these pillows to kill her. Absolutely. But most telling, says Jan, the bathroom, where she says crucial evidence was missed. This is where Sheena was found, hanging from a dog leash. That is correct. And it's attached to the shower head. You could see it's clipped at the top, uh, extending downward. The noose is around her neck. Her buttocks is about 8 inches off the ground. She's extended towards the back side of the shower, with her legs extended outward. < So she's not suspended in` in mid-air. < So she's not suspended in` in mid-air. No, she's not. Her legs are actually on the bottom of the shower. Her legs are actually on the bottom of the shower. Flat, yes. Wouldn't that give someone the chance to stand back up ` to pull themselves back up? Absolutely. Jan also points to Sheena's clothes. If she were convulsing after hanging herself, Jan says she would expect the clothes to be riding up the body. But she points to the cuffs of her pants, actually down around her feet, and Jan says it looks more like she was dragged into the shower. The pants are extended outward, and they would've expected, if she had, you know, walked her way down the shower wall and hung herself, that the pants would've gone up her legs. I mean, her clothing is perfect. She appeared serene, like she had just fallen asleep. A hanging is a violent act. Towards the end, your body fights that. It fights the ligature. It struggles to get air. And there was no evidence of any of that. Her hair was perfectly in place. Yeah. Yeah. You said it was tucked behind her ear, the way she typically would. It was like a mannequin that had just been pushed over on its side. I've never seen a hanging like that. And one more giant red flag for Jan and that entire team of experts was what they saw in Sheena's eyes. So when you looked at those images and you saw that in both eyes she had popped blood vessels, you immediately thought... ...she'd been strangled. You usually see petechial haemorrhages in a strangulation. You don't often see them in a hanging. The haemorrhaging in Sheena's eyes, they believe, is more consistent with a violent struggle ` a strangling. And then the bombshell conclusion ` all three experts weighing in, and in every one of their reports... Three words jumped up ` staged crime scene. MAN: A New Year's Eve getaway gone wrong. And just as the state was taking another look, millions across America were about to see the case too. These two people think you had something to do with their daughter's death. There were Sheena's parents ` Kelly and her father, Dave ` on the Dr Phil show, and they were stunned that right there with them was Joe. And all of these things are lies. They're just` They're not true. So confident in his innocence, he agrees to a polygraph test. Some would say, 'Who would go on a national TV show and take a polygraph test unless you're certain you're innocent?' Exactly, uh, especially since the polygraphist that conducted the examination is one of the best in the country. He is the former chief polygraphist for the FBI's LA field office. Maybe he thought that after four and a half years, he's been so convincing to all the authorities that he'd be convincing there too. He would have to convince them on two major points. The two questions were... The two questions were... Did he kill Sheena, or was he involved somehow in her death? And with millions watching, the results. And the polygraph result on both questions is that that answer... > was deceptive ` > that you were not telling the truth. > But he fails it. But he fails it. He failed it... terribly. Not slightly. He fails miserably. I literally... became nauseous. In my mind, Joe's a suspect in the murder. In my mind, Joe's a suspect in the murder. DR PHIL: Uh-huh. And while a polygraph is not admissible in court, it did not bode well for Joe Genoese with that new investigation underway. When we come back, Joe Genoese, one on one with us ` his only interview since failing that polygraph. How do you explain those test results? And what it was that led to this,... Can I cut? (SNIFFS) ...when we come back. NZ's own brothel kings. 1 Tonight, as some of Florida's top investigators take another look at the mysterious death of Sheena Morris, found dead in that hotel shower, the man she was getting ready to marry, who failed that polygraph, has decided to sit down with 20/20. Hello. How are you? Nearly five years after he lost his fiancee, Joe says he is a victim too. So why sit down with me? I have to tell my side of the story. I'm being victimised because I cared about someone. I was there for her when her family, a lot of times, wasn't. Put under the microscope, he says, by a mother determined to prove her daughter did not commit suicide. A story we've followed for years... Joe says the portrait painted of his relationship with Sheena is not a true one. ...for a domestic dispute between Morris and her fiance. We've interviewed a lot of Sheena's friends. Many of her friends say that this was a tumultuous relationship. I just don't understand where they're getting that. You know` There wasn't any fighting? There wasn't any fighting? In a relationship, there's always arguments and stuff. It was never physical? It was never physical? No. You know, in a normal relationship, there was fights. There was,... you know, back and forth. But there was never any violence. No. Nor was there ever any violence with his ex-wife, according to Joe, but we asked him about those dropped battery charges. It was a push back and forth. She pushed me. I pushed her back. Then she said, 'Now you're going to jail.' And he points out his ex-wife dropped it all, and he says his fights with Sheena ` including the one that New Year's night ` were often caused by her jealousy of the family he already had. And he also says that Sheena was often depressed. Remember that Christmas morning video, where Kelly sees her daughter smiling and laughing? At least I'm set for the year now. He sees something else, remembering the fiancee who couldn't get out of bed that morning, who didn't want to spend Christmas, he says, with her family. She wasn't out of bed for two days, hadn't eaten anything in two days, and, uh` Was she depressed? Was she depressed? I guess she was upset with the fact` or depressed with the fact that, uh, I was spending time with my kids over the holidays. And Joe says that surprise New Year's trip was out of concern for Sheena because she had been down. I said to myself, 'Maybe we'll just go down there for New Year's Eve, since we had a crappy Christmas.' And Joe says that Sheena was happy that New Year's Eve night ` he remembers too ` as she sat there texting her friends from the dinner table. We went to dinner where we were gonna get married. She was talking with her family most of the night. And he remembers their kiss at midnight. And then New Year's` You know, 12 o'clock came, and we went out on the balcony, and fireworks went off, and, you know, we celebrated New Year's. A New Year's kiss? A New Year's kiss? Yeah, exactly. Yeah. Everything was great. Great, he says, until he went back inside that hotel room to call his children to wish them a happy New Year too. It lasted... all about 15, 20 seconds that I was on the phone, and as I turned back around, she was right there. She said, 'You just <BLEEP>ed up the whole night.' Why did she have a big problem with calling your kids? She didn't want me involved with my children. It was like another family to her, and she started getting really upset, screamin' and yellin', and then she started punchin' the wall. Joe says initially it was Sheena's idea to leave the hotel but that she suddenly changed her mind, refusing to go. She actually, at one point, tried to grab that money that I had on the bureau, so` And she said that I wasn't leaving, and I told her, 'I am leaving. We're leaving.' Because at that point, you know, from her punching the wall and screamin' and yellin' the way she did, I was afraid that, you know, cops were gonna come. But guests were already placing that call to 911. And Joe told us what police say he's always told them. And where did you go? And where did you go? Home. Straight home. Straight to my town house. Where there were people there. They were having a party, and at least five or six people saw me. On the drive home, Joe says Sheena was on the phone with him, suddenly sinking into that depression. What was she saying to you? What was she saying to you? There was one thing that she did say. In a sombre note, she said, 'If I can't have you all to myself, I don't wanna be here.' Had she ever said that before? Had she ever said that before? No. And as for that 911 call Sheena made just after 2am... The scrape on her` on her finger, we know that came from her punching the wall. And the scrape on her neck, when she went to grab the money off of the bureau, and I grabbed her by her` her` her, uh, shirt, and it got her necklace, and it left a little scratch on her neck. That's` That's it. And he says, like the mother who loved Sheena, he was devastated too on that New Year's Day when they all learned Sheena was dead. And I walk up, and I` and I` and I look, and it's, like, 'What's going on?' And, uh, he looked at me and said, 'I'm sorry for your loss.' And I` I feel to my knees. And I just looked at him. I couldn't believe what he said to me. (SNIFFS) Can we cut? Can we cut? And when he was ready to continue... She was a beautiful girl. I` I` This is a tragedy in everybody's lives, you know? For you too? For you too? Absolutely. I was engaged to her. Do you think everybody's forgotten that you... felt this way too? No, I just think that they` they're on the Kelly train, and if you go against what Kelly says, then you're not an advocate of Sheena. A grieving mother out for answers, no matter the cost, refusing to accept the possibility that her daughter could've taken her own life, or a fiance covering his tracks? We've talked to Sheena's mother, her family, her friends, and they all categorically say she never would've taken her own life. No one thinks they're gonna take their own life. Does anybody presume somebody will take their own life? Did she ever say to you that she was depressed or having suicidal thoughts? She told me she tried to commit suicide when she was 15 years old ` took a bottle of pills. In fact, that's the same story police say Sheena's mother told them the day her body was found. Had there ever been suicidal thoughts before? She had gotten in some trouble with her dad and, um... And she, kind of, like, said to her father that she took some pills. They checked everything out. She really didn't take anything. It was a false alarm. Joe says he understands Kelly's need for answers but says she's looking in the wrong place. But how does he explain the mountain of evidence ` the sand on Sheena's feet but no sand in the shower, her perfect appearance, her hair, her clothes, and that diamond bracelet on the wrong wrist? Cos I let that` the professionals deal with that ` the investigators and everything else. He welcomes this new investigation, because he insists he still has nothing to hide. Once and for all, did you kill Sheena? Absolutely not. What would be my motive, for God's sake? I'm 50 years old. I have three children. But what about the polygraph? But why take the test? Because I had nothin' to hide. Because I had nothin' to hide. How do you explain those test results? I don't. First, I was uneasy with a lot of the questions he asked. Second, I was told by a professional that the questions he asked should've never been asked. They were set-up questions. But now, for Joe, there are new questions to answer ` this time from those investigators taking a fresh look at the case, with a real possibility that someone could be charged with murder. The boyfriend who lost his fiancee says all these years he's been asking questions too ` of the young girlfriend found in that shower. I ask the question all the time. I... (STAMMERS) I ask her, 'Why did you do this?' I don't understand it. I mean, I... (STAMMERS) Who understands it? I don't. Tonight, that team of investigators is taking a second look at the case, and a Florida prosecutor will decide what comes next. Will there be murder charges, or will they agree with that first detective who showed up at that hotel and found Sheena in the shower, convinced it was a suicide? What are you hoping to hear? I'm hoping my phone rings, and it's the Florida Department of Law Enforcement... and say, uh, 'Ms Osborn,... 'we have a suspect in custody.' 'we have a suspect in custody.' Will this ever be over? When there's a trial... and the jury finds... the suspect... guilty. That... chapter will be over. She needs some answers. The community ` south-west Florida ` would like to know what happened to Sheena. Do you think you'll ever know? Do you think you'll ever know? Yeah, I do. I would be very surprised if they come back with, uh, 'It was a suicide', because the evidence is overwhelming that it's not. Joe, as you sit here across from me, have you gone there? Have you thought about possible charges? I'm not guilty of anything, so... You don't fear there are charges coming. You don't fear there are charges coming. No, absolutely not. If anything, I think I should bring civil charges against Kelly and her family. Do you plan to? Do you plan to? We'll see. I'm gonna wait till the investigation's over with. You know, there's no reason why this family did what they did to me. If they clear you once and for all, do you think that will be enough for Sheena's mother? No, I don't think she'll ever stop. And Sheena's friends don't want her to. What do you think Sheena would say? What would she make of what her mother has done? I think she would be impressed. There was never one day or one moment where any of us even questioned, um, or thought that Kelly was gonna give up this fight, and she won't. And what do you think Sheena would say to you? And what do you think Sheena would say to you? She'd tell me how much she loved me. She... would tell me, 'I'm glad you knew, Mom. 'I'm glad you knew, and I'm glad you saw it through.' Mm. If you want to see any of tonight's stories again, head to our website. It's... You can also email us at... Or go to our Facebook page. We're at... And let us know your thoughts on thoughts on tonight's show. Thanks for all your feedback, and remember, we are interested in your stories.