20/20

True Crime Vault: If I Can't Have You

85 min
Feb 24, 2026about 2 months ago
Listen to Episode
Summary

This 20/20 True Crime Vault episode chronicles the 2007 disappearance and murder of Paige Bergfeld, a Colorado mother of three who led a double life as an escort. After her burned car is discovered, a nine-year investigation culminates in the conviction of Lester Jones, an RV mechanic, who is sentenced to life without parole.

Insights
  • Women in commercial sex work face mortality rates 40 times higher than average, highlighting systemic dangers often overlooked by law enforcement and society
  • Financial desperation can drive otherwise responsible parents into high-risk informal economies, creating vulnerability to predatory clients and criminals
  • Circumstantial evidence including cell phone records, K9 detection, and surveillance video can overcome initial investigative tunnel vision in complex cases
  • Hung juries in high-profile cases may reflect legitimate evidentiary gaps rather than prosecutorial failure, requiring strategic refinement for retrial success
  • Victims' alternative lifestyles can inadvertently complicate investigations by expanding suspect pools and creating investigative misdirection
Trends
Increased use of K9 scent detection and forensic dog evidence in cold case investigationsCell phone and track phone records becoming critical investigative tools in determining suspect proximity and intentSurveillance video analysis from commercial properties as retroactive evidence in missing persons casesProsecutorial strategy shifts between trials based on jury feedback and new evidence discoveryCommercial sex work as economic survival strategy for divorced mothers facing housing insecurityDomestic violence escalation patterns (from threats to attempted murder) as predictive indicators of future violent crimeCommunity search efforts and crowdsourced investigation support in small-town missing persons casesMistrial outcomes prompting rapid retrial strategy refinement rather than case abandonment
Topics
Missing Persons Investigation ProceduresCommercial Sex Work and Escort ServicesDomestic Violence and Intimate Partner HomicideForensic Evidence in Murder CasesCell Phone Records as Investigative EvidenceK9 Scent Detection in Criminal InvestigationsSurveillance Video AnalysisHung Jury Management and Retrial StrategyFinancial Desperation and Economic CrimeSingle Mother Housing InsecurityArson as Evidence DestructionTrack Phone Usage in Criminal ActivityVictim Blaming in Sex Work CasesMulti-Job Economic SurvivalJury Deliberation Dynamics
Companies
Pampered Chef
Paige Bergfeld sold Pampered Chef kitchen supplies as one of multiple income sources to support her family.
BetterHelp
Online therapy platform sponsoring the episode, offering mental health services and therapy matching.
Vybes
Wireless headphone company sponsoring the episode, providing open-ear audio for podcast listening.
Microsoft 365
AI assistant software mentioned in mid-roll advertisement for workplace productivity tools.
People
Paige Bergfeld
34-year-old mother of three whose disappearance and murder in 2007 is the central subject of the episode.
Lester Ralph Jones
RV mechanic convicted of first-degree murder, kidnapping, and felony murder in Paige Bergfeld's death.
Frank Bergfeld
Paige's father who led the family's search for justice and testified at trial; died of heart attack in 2019.
Rob Dixon
Paige's second husband; initially a suspect but cleared when phone records placed him in Philadelphia.
Ron Beagler
Paige's first husband and high school sweetheart; she was with him the day she disappeared.
Carol Linderholm
Paige's close friend who occasionally worked as a massage therapist for her escort service.
Lisa Nance
Lester Jones's ex-wife who testified about his violent behavior and pattern of controlling women.
Elaine Jones
Lester Jones's wife who stood by him throughout investigation and trial; died in 2017.
Dan Rubenstein
Prosecutor who led both trials against Lester Jones and secured conviction on second attempt.
Jessica Bergfeld
Paige's 8-year-old daughter who reported her mother missing and testified at trial about her mother.
Quotes
"The most important people in Paige's life, hands down were her children. Everything she did was to provide for her children."
Investigator/Friend
"Women in the commercial sex trade have a mortality rate 40 times higher than the average woman so if that doesn't tell you something about how dangerous it is I don't know what will."
Megan Lundstrom, Sex Trafficking Survivor
"I flat out told her, you know, there's danger. And I guess I just again put those blinders up. I just live in a normal soccer mom life."
Paige's Friend
"Beyond shadow of a doubt, he did this."
Juror (Second Trial)
"It is hard to even imagine what would have been going through her head as she was laying either in the back of the vehicle or in the trunk, when she decided it was time to start throwing items out of the car."
Prosecutor Dan Rubenstein
Full Transcript
This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Sometimes it can feel like everybody's got it together, but you. Well, the truth is, no one's perfect. So if you're struggling with feelings of inadequacy or like you're always comparing yourself to your friends and neighbors, therapy can help you find your way. BetterHelp is one of the world's largest online therapy platforms. They have over 30,000 licensed therapists. Across BetterHelp's 12 years in business, they've served more than 6 million people worldwide. To get started, all you've got to do is fill out a short questionnaire about yourself and what you're looking for. BetterHelp will match you to a qualified licensed therapist who you can open up to. Somebody who listen and support you with getting past whatever's in your way. All their therapist work according to a strict code of conduct, and they're trained to listen to whatever's on your mind, no matter how big or small. BetterHelp makes it easy to get matched online with a qualified therapist. So sign up and get 10% off at BetterHelp.com slash 2020. That's betterhelp.com slash 2020. Welcome to the 2020 True Crime Vault, where heart-stopping headlines come to life. I'm a fundraiser emergency. Hi, I'm at the corner of 23 and Locos, and there is a car on fire in the parking lot. That single fire would ignite a mystery that would destroy families and take almost 10 years to finally solve. Working to find any signs for the mother of three. The car was found on fire. Mother of three has been missing for three weeks now. I do van that so that they horrible would happen to her. No one was found inside the car, so the big question is where is she? Did she up and leave for some unknown reason? I don't know when you give up. When do you say she's gone? I don't know. The pierce she was just trying to leave this trail of thread comes. We found out that she had a double life. I flat out told her, you know, there's danger. Does it make you nervous that we may think you did something? No. It should. Grand Junction is located in western Colorado just at the foot of the western side of the Rockies. It's right in between the Colorado National Monument on the west side. And then on the other side is the Grand Mesa. It's a great place if you're looking for outdoor recreation, hiking trails, forest-back riding trails, a lot of bikes. So this area is a mecca for outdoor adventures, a place where it's easy to get lost and hard to be found. People are very friendly. Everybody knows each other. Grand Junction, Colorado, really has that small town feel where the community comes together in a crisis. And it's here that in the summer of 2007, I came to report on a story about a young 34-year-old mom named Paige Bergfeld. She had simply vanished. Frank, how would you describe your daughter? I think the word is effervescent. She's kind of person when she comes in the room and meets you, always gives you a big smile. She is special, devoted, very patient, very much everyone's friend and reaching out to help everyone and just very loving. I'm Barbara. I was one of Paige's close friends. Paige is very much a soccer mom. She had three kids. Paige was the most kind of outgoing, independent, stubborn at times, just great sister and terrific mom. I'm Carol, Linda home and I do Paige Bergfeld for three to half years and she was just a wonderful person. I was just awestruck by her presence. It said, you're absolutely gorgeous and she says, oh my gosh, I haven't been told that in so long. She always is a kind of person that I think when you stand in front of her, you would feel that she thinks it's very special that you're here. I met her through mom's club at Grand Junction chapter. I had heard a lot about her from the other members and I hadn't met her yet and so it was kind of like, oh, I get to meet the exciting Paige and she's just as you know, it was just as wonderful as everybody said. The mom's group in Grand Junction was a way for mothers to get together. Whether the kids were there or not, it was a community for them. It was a safe space. So that they could be themselves. Paige would have them over for whole parties, entertainment and she liked to host the group. Once a year, we had an official party and this was for the moms. The last year we had the Hollywood theme. We had like the red carpet entrance and we had a big backdrop printed so you know, we could stand and take pictures in front of it to document the evening. There's actually a home video that was taken of that mom's party and Paige appears to be the star of the show. We're usually in our flip flops and shorts and that night we were all in party where she just lit up the room. Very dressed up, very classy. She just exuded that personality that attracted people to her. Paige appears to have it all, a beautiful home and three loving children. But she's divorced from her husband of nine years, Rob Dixon. Well Paige was very concerned about finances, about meeting the bills. She was working, probably about four or five different jobs. She developed a business of baby slings. She taught brain dance classes to little children. She really enjoyed that. And she would sell the pamper shift. Pampered Chef is a company that sells a line of kitchen supplies. In 2007, Paige was able to sell items out of her home to local customers and also be at home with the kids. The most important people in Paige's life, hands down were her children. Everything she did was to provide for her children. She was working all of these jobs but still showed up at the PTA meeting and and that the parents play groups and everything else. She's a really special person. On the morning of June 28th, Paige leaves the kids with her live-in nanny and promises her children that she would be back later. I tried to get in touch with Paige and she did return my phone calls which I thought was rather odd. I just carried out a few to give me a call. I got the house anyway. I saw a queue later. Bye bye. I thought she was just really busy. I would hear from her later. But as the day turns into night, Paige not only doesn't come home, she wasn't even in touch and this was completely out of character for her. Paige wouldn't be bad on her word. If she said she was coming home, she was coming home. I started to have a very sinking feeling that something just wasn't right. I told that, please! My understanding was that Paige's daughter couldn't get hold of her the night she disappeared. And the the live-in nanny was the one who was there with the children. I knew something was wrong it was a good feeling. The children were the priority and she would never not follow up with letting them know she was on her way home. So after not hearing from her mom for two full days, Jesse who's only eight years old goes down to the police station with her nanny to let police know her mom has disappeared. Frank Bergfeld, Paige's dad who lived in Denver at the time, has also been calling Paige but he's getting no response. June 30th you get the phone call. Yeah I got a call that was the said to Mesa County Sheriff's Department and he said calling because your daughter's missing. And it was a strange moment and I said missing since when he said missing since Thursday night. And I remember saying this is a problem there's a crime being committed here. We went ahead and threw some stuff in an overnight bag and came straight out. When my dad called me to tell me that Paige was missing, it's the first time I had heard him cry since I was a little kid. My heart dropped. Sometimes people leave on their own accord so we obviously had to look into did she up and leave for some unknown reason. I'm July 1st at about 10pm. Dispatch received a 911 call. I don't want to wear a shirt emergency. Hi, I'm at the corner of 23 and logos and there is a car on fire in the parking lot. It's a building right here. It's in the SMS Walker building parking lot. PC plane? Yeah, there's a lot of planes. There's nobody around that I could see. When officers got there they realized that that car belonged to Pageberg Phil. Paige's car was found but there's no sign of her. It was very clear that it was in arson because there was nothing else around it that was burned. It was just the car itself and it was parked in a location that Paige really had no association with. Paige's car was found less than five miles from her home but keep in mind this is an industrial neighborhood. There are warehouses and car mechanics, not residential at all and not a place where you'd expect to see Paige. She didn't frequent that kind of area. When I first heard about finding the car on fire, I knew then that something horrible would happen to her. Prior to finding the vehicle on fire, this was a missing person's case. And as soon as that happened in a immediate conversion over to, that is foul play. Many people cause fires trying to destroy the evidence and obviously can destroy fibers, hairs, DNA evidence, figure prints, things of that sort. And so at that point we at least suspected that she had been kidnapped and feared that she was also deceased. The hottest point of the burn was on the driver's side over here and we could determine that from what we call V-patterns. It was later tested and we determined that there was petroleum type excellence used. One of the key things that we found was that the driver's side front seat had been pushed all the way back. Paige Bird felt it's not a very tall person and so therefore that was unusual. We took another female that was in the same size as Paige Birdfield approximately 5'4", and put her in the car seat as it was. And she could not even reach the pedals of the vehicle. We knew that the last person that drove this car had to be tall and extremely tall. But there was one other major clue found in the wreckage of that car, which the fire strangely didn't destroy. Additionally, what was found was that there was a day planner. Everyone who knew Paige should have seen her day planner. That was just something that was part of her. She would always write stuff down, it's just super organized. Finding that day planner for investigators was huge because it should be able to tell them what Paige was doing and who she was doing it with. And as we looked at the day planner, four of the dates had been torn out of the day planner. They were June 26th, 27th, 28th and 29th. Those are the dates that Paige Birdfield went missing. We immediately suspected that whoever it was was responsible for her disappearance ripped those pages out because they would have disclosed who she was meeting with. So the cars burned. Someone very tall had last driven it. There are pages torn out of her day planner. And there are two questions now. Where is Paige? And who was she with the day she disappeared? I was parents. We're absolutely crushed. This is any parents' worst nightmare. Right now, what we need to do is we need to find Paige. From a father's viewpoint, I mean, how hard is it? You know what occurred to me? I hadn't cried in a long time. I've learned how to do that. This community came out in force to help search for her. A bunch of us just hoped we would find evidence, then we could go, oh look, the police department, now you can figure out what happened to her and it would have a happy ending. Mace Gowdy is 3300 square miles. We're looking down side dirt roads that lead to the river. It's kind of like looking for a needle in the haystack. So this is an overall map of Mace County. We had people searching in this area over here. We had people up on Grand Mace, following it all along Highway 50. Oh, those people work long hours on horseback on a TV walking. All of those things looking for pieces of evidence. You know, we came here from Seattle to support my parents to take care of the kids and to find Paige. We bought a one-way ticket and we have been committed to stay here until we find Paige. Any time a woman goes missing in a situation like this, the first people we're going to look at is X-s. X-boyfriends, X-husbands, and so we started our investigation looking at Rob Dixon. So I didn't get to know Rob very well. I knew she had met him years before and I knew that they'd had a really nice lifestyle with some family money that he had. Rob Dixon came into a fortune from his parents business, which was the early days of cell phone technology. Rob was buying all kinds of things with his money. I mean, he had sports cars. They built this big 6,000 square foot home. He was buying Paige, expensive jewelry. She had a $12,000 necklace. But Dixon fell on some hard times and later would file for bankruptcy. When he lost all his money, it created a lot of strife in their relationship. It had become known that Rob had scared the children. There had been overly tense moments that they didn't feel safe. And it was after one of those tense moments that in October of 2004, Paige calls the police. Where's your emergency? My husband and I were in a fight and he said that I would come home and find him all murdered. 2020 is partnering with Vives, Open Year Wireless Headphones. That's VyBZ. If you listen to a lot of true crime, you probably like to listen with a good pair of headphones. 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Just go to abcsecretsavings.com slash 2020. Again, that's abcsecretsavings.com slash 2-0-2-0. ABCsecretsavings.com slash 2020. Some cases fade from headlines. Some never made it there to begin with. I'm Ashley Flowers and on my podcast The Deck, I tell you the stories of cold cases featured on playing cards distributed in prisons designed to spark new leads and bring long overdue justice. Because these stories deserve to be heard and the loved ones of these victims still deserve answers. Are you ready to be dealt in? Listen to The Deck now wherever you get your podcasts. At first glance, the marriage of Rob Dixon and Pageberg felt looked picture perfect. But when I covered the case back in 2016, I quickly learned that the relationship was troubled. From what I saw of Page and Rob's marriage, it was strained. So I started to question, what's their family dynamic like? I would describe the marriage as extremely volatile, not a loving situation. Her husband had been very wealthy because Rob's wealth kind of toppled. He came under more and more pressure and it bled out into the relationship. He wasn't bringing in enough money and I'm not going to put that on him. They're both in a relationship. And I think that just started beating them down. A lot of couples fight when their marriage is drained, but one night in 2004, Page makes this 911 call to police. Where's your emergency? My husband and I were in a fight and he was supposed to watch my children where we went to work. And he said that I would come home and find them all murdered. No charges are filed against Dixon that year, but 12 months later. In October 2005, he was accused of assaulting Page, punching her, slapping her. Yep, filed charges. And he had to answer. Although Dixon denies assaulting Page, he pleads guilty to misdemeanor harassment. The charges later dismissed, but that incident marks the beginning of the end for their marriage. Page and Rob divorced in 2006. She ended up with the house. And that was her home. That was her kids' home. And that certainly was a big, big overhead. She was living in this very beautiful 6,000 square foot home. And I think her mortgage was somewhere around $6,000 a month. Page was very concerned about finances because she didn't want to lose the house. All she had to offer the kids was the safety of their home. To not change one thing in their life because they'd been through years of struggle. So she tried to hang onto the house. She was already doing so many little piecemeal things that they weren't enough to keep the house. Even after the divorce, Page's fear of Rob is still palpable. She specifically told me she was worried about Rob. That he was coming. He was going to do something bad. Then in March of 2007, Page writes this bone-chilling post on an online message board. My children would ask me if dad was going to kill me. I can't imagine what life would be like for them after he killed me. I would gladly sacrifice every penny of child support if he would stay away. That's one of the reasons why when Page goes missing, her friends fear foul play. First person you thought might have done this. Rob was the first person that came to mind. My immediate thought, honestly, was Rob Dixon. Her friend Carol Linderholm even mentions Rob on a worried voicemail she leaves for Page after she disappears. Hey, this is Carol. What's going on? I hope you're all right. I just saw the news that you've been missing. I hope you're all right. Oh my God. I hope this isn't Rob. I hope you're all right. I hope you're all right. We were of course very interested in Rob Dixon as a potential suspect because we knew about the volatility of the relationship. But he had moved to Philadelphia at that point and we were quickly able to show that his phone was in Philadelphia at that time and he couldn't have been in two places at once. He came out immediately when he found out she was missing. I think that Rob is crushed and he still loves Page and he definitely loves his children. With Rob Dixon cleared investigators start looking at Page's other ex, her first husband, Ron Beagler, and they discover he's still in her life. They were high school sweethearts. He was the love of her life initially. They were like everything about her. I like who she was on the inside. They have this huge wedding set on a peak overlooking the Denver skyline. But their youthful rush to the altar ends as quickly as it starts. It had come down to a kid issue like that she just really wanted a family and he really didn't. And so that relationship didn't work. It might not have worked out back then but the very day Page went missing. It turns out she'd spent time with Ron Beagler. It seems Page was rekindling her romance with her first love right before she disappeared. She reconnected with Ron. She would find herself driving up to Eagle to be a half way and they'd have picnics. We just decided to meet that day just to be together and have a picnic and be in each other's company. The Eagle is halfway a point for both of us. So we left at the same time and arrived back in our towns at the approximately the same time and she called me to make sure I made it back in December and done. That's the last hour of her. But you did that as a talk to you about it on the missing person emergency. He had reported when he called 911 that he had been with her earlier that day. I saw her all day on Thursday and then I talked to her which she got that contract. She definitely missed you because she would never be her children. He remembers her getting into her car, getting on I-70 headed west. He got into his car and drove on I-70 head at east and we could track his phone, headed all the way back to the front range. He was ruled out almost immediately. There is still no sign of Page Burkfeld, the mother of three has been missing for three weeks now in Grand Junction. Meanwhile, there are hundreds of searchers combing those deserts outside of Grand Junction and then new clues emerge from someone who wasn't even looking. Perhaps the biggest clue came from the unlikliest of sources. A motorist with a flat tire pulls along the side of this road to fix it and then notices something strange. Page is checkbook. Investigators soon find Page's personal checks and business cards, other personal items, dropped all along this road. One check was torn out at a time, one card was thrown out at a time. So it appears she was just trying to leave us a trail of red coms to show us where she was going to. The items that were thrown along the highway were very personal to her and they identified her. I can come up with no other reason why she would have done that other than here's where you can find it. It's very heart-wrenching. If she was throwing stuff out of the car, she had been alive. All of us on the search she wanted to think she was still alive, somewhere that she was being held. But still, no trace of Page herself. What does surface is a very different profile of Page Burkfeld, one of the most important things. We were walking along the highway and there was a business card. We found out that she had a double life. It's been three days since Page Burkfeld was last seen and former husband Rob Dixon shares a secret with police. He tells him what he says led to the couple's 2005 fight and the reason they ultimately got divorced and it's a shocker. Page had been working as an escort during their marriage. As the mystery into Page Burkfeld's disappearance grows, Colorado investigators dig into her background and they dig deep. What they uncover are new names, new faces and a suspect list that grows by the minute. In the mid-90s there was a strip club in Denver called the Mile High Saloon. An in-that strip club was a part-time dancer named Madison. Her long-term goal was to save enough money to get breast implants. Her husband at the time said stripping made her feel better about herself and more powerful. But it turns out Madison was just a stage name. It was in fact Page. Women may be coming into the commercial sex trade with a low self-esteem and the compliments and the flattery can feel so good to somebody who feels insecure. My name is Megan Lundstrom and I am a survivor of domestic sex trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation. As women, we generally feel insecure about our bodies. So having tons of men that are not only complimenting us but willing to pay money can feed this illusion of self-worth and confidence. So the chronology goes like this. When Page is dancing in Denver she's still married to husband number one. They get divorced in 1997. A year later Page meets Rob Dixon and they marry. And in 2005 the business savvy Page finds herself literally at a crossroads. On the third floor of an office complex and using the company name of Grand River Acupuncture, Pageberg fell this in business. And it's not the Acupuncture business. Page had a business which she called models incorporated. Hello, you've reached modeling color that is premiered gentleman service. Models incorporated actually has no models and it's not a corporation. In fact it's just Page putting a new spin on the world's oldest profession. Although she makes it appear like model zinc as numerous women available to clients, Page is essentially a one woman show catering to all colors. We found out that she had a double life. She was a really talented business owner who had four different businesses going. Three of them legitimate and one of them was an escort business that only a very few people knew about. I didn't talk to Page about being an escort beforehand but it just came up when we'd had a mom's night out. I was surprised that's not the average thing a mom says, hey, so I picked up this part time job running an escort service. Page used a different name for the escort service. She used the name Carrie. Women in the commercial sex trade use fake names for a couple different reasons. First of all to protect themselves from buyers. So making sure that buyers can't show up at their house. They can't show up at their kids school. Page is online ads likened her erotic massage services to filet mignon. While referring to the competition is chopped meat. This is not to say everyone who called models in was looking for sexual services but those who were were paying filet mignon prices. Page charged the most that I've ever heard and that in some cases was up to $2,500 and for the most part $1,000 to $1,200 for sex. Lots of people have secret lives but I think with Page as you dug into her life you found out that she had financial issues and that she had to make additional money. Even her parents had no idea that this was going on in her life. Selling sex to the end of goal is to make money. I feel like we shy away from talking about the financial component. When the reality is that's a huge piece of it is women need to make money and for whatever combination of reasons there aren't enough viable options and so the sex trade starts to look like an attractive option. Page talked to me about the massive mortgage that she needed to take care of and of course it's monthly so it weighed on her. She couldn't find a one time deal and solve her problems. Page and I had conversations about her decisions carrying an element of danger. And when someone gets to a really difficult place in their life you have to make a choice. Women in the commercial sex trade have a mortality rate 40 times higher than the average woman so if that doesn't tell you something about how dangerous it is I don't know what will. I flat out told her there's danger and I guess I just again put those blinders up. I just live in a normal soccer mom life. You know what could possibly happen. It's incredibly deadly but I think most people generally think it's not going to happen to me. I'm somehow going to be smarter, wiser, more informed. I think you never know who you're going to run into in that kind of business. Through the investigation we quickly realized that she had a separate cell phone that she was using for an escort business. We had obtained her cell phone records and we received numerous calls that day and determined that her last call had to happen around 9pm that night at June 28th. You determined that many of the middle clients for her adult service and right at that point we had at least seven suspects. The end of the video I always knew this was a difficult case and part of what made it so hard is there were so many little disconnected pieces that had to be put together to understand the full picture. Cops have been stymied on several fronts in the investigation that could have helped them pinpoint where page was at certain times. Most notably that day planner with its pages ripped out. So now they decide to follow another paper trail, her phone records. We had determined that she had had been with phone calls made to her on the day of a disappearance and those phone calls we had traced back to several different people. Specifically, they examined all the calls page made or received on the drive home after that long picnic with her former husband Ron Beagler. When she finishes her meeting with Mr. Beagler early evening of the 28th she starts heading back to grand junction. That's about a two hour drive from grand junction to eagle and so you can see she starts making some phone calls. She had no plans to have any sort of appointments after this until she got in her car so it really narrowed the possible suspects to people who spoke to her between the time she got in her car and eagle and the time she got back to grand junction. We had obtained her cell phone records and from that we had determined that she had received numerous calls that day and determined that her last call had happened around 9pm. We determined who those people were. We determined that many of them have clients for her adult service. It makes logical sense if you are headed home and you're going to see some clients, you're going to schedule possible sessions with each of them. Obviously some of those people were a little bit more CD and character they had criminal histories and backgrounds that some of them were violent some of them were not. Tim Zoto was one such client he's on probation he wears an ankle monitor claims he hasn't been out in two weeks but he says the reason he calls model link is because he was checking to see how much it would cost to send an escort over. He says he never did meet anyone from models ink. John Livingston calls page from a motel six. He tells investigators that he spends most nights sleeping in hotels or in his truck. And on the night page disappeared. He arranged for an escort to come to his room. At motel six he was one of the last people to call her and kept on calling her to come and visit her. I was just checking to see if he had somebody now or not. John Livingston of course who was at the motel six wondering why page had never shown up but he had had contact with her and he at least could have known where she might be. Stephen Heild claims he had sex with page numerous times the last time a week before she disappeared. Mr. Heild did not actually visit her on the 28th but had a prior relationship with her for several years the sexual relationship. Cops find out the married man was stealing company funds at his job to pay for the sex. Mr. Coraloozo, George Coraloozo here at Visited with Pageburg Field had made several phone calls to her on the night of her disappearance. George is a heavy drinker and drug user with a criminal history for theft, burglary and kidnapping. The information we had about George Coraloozo was that he was extremely intoxicated today that she disappeared, that he had been using cocaine. We were trying to look at all different angles and so first was she kidnapped we couldn't eliminate that redway second mom was she murdered we couldn't eliminate her that redway. Mark Holcomb, repeat customer of page. Cops say Holcomb had a dispute with Page over money. We couldn't afford the amount that she was asking. Joseph Karuth, new page because their kids played on the same soccer team. Imagine Karuth's surprise when Page showed up at the door after he called for a massage. Did they have an opportunity it means to do this? Were they in the area? Were they with her? Try to either alibi them out, try to determine that they couldn't have been in the locations to be around her. Three of the men on the list drove a white truck. That detail was of some interest to investigators after they spoke to Carol Inderholm. Page was on her own and she had leased in office space. She was looking for a somebody who was supposed to show up and the person never did so she eventually closed her office, went downstairs to her car. As she was getting ready to leave she sees this truck pull up right behind her to block it in. She was in her minivan and as it was relayed to me by Page she just threw the car in reverse and just gunned it real hard. She was just going to back in to that car just to make space for her to get out. She didn't care what happened to her. The consequences of hitting the car, anything she just went out of there. And the white pickup took off. Was she shaking by this? It was extremely scared. She told me about it. She says I've never been so scared by life. One by one the suspects are cleared. Those people gave us the information. We were able to quickly and easily eliminate them. Except for one. We both came in for an interview and during the course of that interview, investigator Norcross immediately identified him as they likely said. Does it make you nervous that you mean think you did something? Sure. Okay, it should. The world moves fast. You work day, even faster, pitching products, drafting reports, analyzing data. Microsoft 365 co-pilot is your AI assistant for work built into word, Excel, PowerPoint and other Microsoft 365 apps you use. Helping you quickly, right? Analyze, create and summarize. So you can cut through clutter and clear path to your best work. Learn more at Microsoft.com slash M 365 co-pilot. An all new season of the secret lives of Mormon wives is now streaming on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+. Mom talk has just been blowing up. Whitney and Jen are on dance with the stars. Taylor is a badch threat. Saying that out loud is crazy. That is huge. But all the cool opportunities could pull us apart. It's causing issues in everyone's marriage. My whole world is falling apart right now. It's chaos. Watch the Hulu original series, the secret lives of Mormon wives. Now streaming on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+. Plus for bundle subscribers, terms apply. I'm pretty sure there's not a day that passes that I don't think about her. Mother of three has been missing for three weeks now in grand junction. When I first heard about finding the car on fire, I knew then that so they horrible would happen to her. So that dog smelled a dead body in the back seat of this car. It didn't take any of us more than a couple of minutes to realize that that had to be paged. She must have been so scared. It is hard to even imagine what would have been going through her head. Suspect list, crow is by the minute. It was behavior of somebody who was obsessed. I like that man. I said we're not going to eat are we? He said no. I'm going to kill you. Who is the real killer? We don't know. It is not acceptable to convict people of murder just because they're creepy guy. Beyond shadow of a doubt, he did this. More than 90 days, still no pageberg felled and still no arrest. And research continues for pageberg. Any signs of the mother of three weeks after the disappearance of pageberg fell, investigators have little to go on. Her burned out Ford focus, a monthly planner with missing pages, and the clues that she had to do was to get her son to the house. The investigators have little to go on. Her burned out Ford focus, a monthly planner with missing pages, and the clues scattered like breadcrums along a barren Colorado highway. We found hundreds of pieces of items that belonged to pageberg, filled business cars from her businesses, checks and clothing. At one point we even found a driver's license. The new where she was, I'd go get her. She's out there somewhere and I can't protect her. A terrible sense of helplessness. Oh yeah, just a huge void. I mean, it's not a good feeling that I want anybody else to experience. Then, the investigation takes a shocking left turn. So we have a major break from a Colorado mother who led a secret double life. It's discovered that page led a secret life as an escort. Calling herself Carrie and advertising her own agency online called Model Zinc. You have to talk to a lot of different people when you're talking to somebody who's running an escort business. So we start working through what I'll call a client list. When Lester Jones was one of them that had called her service. Lester Ralph Jones is a 56 year old local RV mechanic who calls page for a rendezvous just the day before she goes missing. It turns out that Jones had recognized her as being Rob Dixon's wife. Page said she had met him previously through the escort service and it was uncomfortable because he knew her. Page instead asks her friend Carol Linderholm who occasionally gave massages for the escort agency to go in her place. That time when Lester Jones was calling and calling her, she asked me if I wanted to stop by over there and she basically kind of talked me into it. What's your first impression when you walked in the door? Fear. Really? Yeah. He's a very large overpowering person. What's the first thing you said to you? I want sex. I looked at him and I said then you should probably call another escort service. Because it's not going to happen with me. He says I was told you give him massage and I said well that's probably the extent of what I would do. I gave him a light one but he really went to touch him. But there's another reason police are suspicious of Lester Jones. The location where he works. We check our name files and find that Mr. Jones actually works across the street at a RV repair shop and happens to be catty corner to where the car was found on fire. One of the key things that we found is that the driver's side front seat had been pushed all the way back. We knew that the last person that drove this car had to be tall and extremely tall. And in this case Lester Ralph Jones was six foot five. Lester was a very good employee, very honest, hard working. He could very easily talk to customers and put them at ease about problems and most everybody seemed to like him. So as we checked into the background of Lester Jones we determined that he had been married twice prior to his wife Elaine. He had several children before Elaine through other wives. Well he was tall, he was handsome, he was a hard worker and he was just all around good guy. I mean he was, he was a nice guy. Lisa Nance was married to Jones for two years back in the 90s. We never fought, we never had any kind of arguments or anything like that and he was good. It was just after like a year or so I just didn't want to be married anymore. I never knew if he was into using escorts or anything like that. I never knew of it, never heard of it. Is he the guy? I don't know. Did he know Paige? Not that I know of but I don't know. I don't know. If he has any, any clues, indication for the police to follow we hope they will do that. How to see? Thanks. We contacted Mr. Jones at work on July 5th and asked him if he'd be willing to talk with us and he was. He voluntarily came down. I'm guessing you can probably guess as to what we're investigating. He decided to use investigate in the disappearance of a lady. Okay. Right. And we talked to him about this case and what he may or may not know. During the interrogation, Jones admits he visited Paige's escort service a year before her disappearance. And did you see that time? Well, I don't really know. That's, I think the color blonde, that's all I can tell you. Let's have some honesty. What happened during that time? How did it start? Well, it starts with the massage. Okay. And what do you wear in? I had nothing on. Okay. And her? She had nothing on. Okay. But we did not have sex. Okay. She tells me upfront she doesn't do sex. After I questioned him further, he eventually admits that this is indeed the time he's talking about where he did recognize her as Paige, Berkfeld. And he did know her. You knew when you saw her the first time that she was robbed of Dixon's ex-wife? Yeah. I knew that. Okay. Her car is found a stone's throw away from where you work. Does that body? Doesn't body at all. Okay. Does it make you nervous that we may think you did something? No. It should. Okay. It should. I think that clip speaks for itself. I think he looks concerned. During the two and a half hours of questioning, Jones cooperates fully, letting them take his fingerprints, giving his DNA, and handing over the keys to his truck. What are you doing right now? It's a white dog's pick-up. White? Now that's an eye opener right there. Remember Paige had told her friend Carol how a white pickup truck had frightened her outside of her office one night. You know where she is? Do you know what happened to her? No. Now I have to be convinced of that. I can't convince her that I don't know what happened to her or I don't. When investigators served a search warrant at Lester Jones's home, they seized two vehicles and searched those. They also served a search warrant as his job at the RV shop and went to his mechanic station. We found some interesting items there. A list of different names and numbers, which correlated back to some massage services. We found a bra, men's wigs. We found a gas can. Again, that's concerning. That was nothing in comparison to what they would also find in that locker, in that area, that led them to some video that was very telling and very incriminating. The end When you make a living as an escort and you go missing, it's clear that your phone calls are going to be critical to the investigation. We quickly realized that she had a separate cell phone that she was using for an escort business and very few people knew about it. Before she disappeared, Paige had received a series of calls from a mystery man who was phoning her from a disposable track phone. The track phone only was responsible for five calls in at the life of that phone. It was activated Wednesday morning, the same day that Miss Linda home had her appointment with Mr. Jones. When investigators sat Jones down, they asked him, point blank, do you own a track phone? PG by a track phone. Don't search. Never by a track phone. Never. During the search of the RV garage where Jones worked, police uncover some curious items. Wigs, condoms, biagra, and a gas can. But they also find something else. And the trash can be found a box to a track phone and a distinct coloring item. Through using that packaging, we were able to identify it was purchased at the Walmart on North Avenue in Grand Junction. So we contacted security there and they were able to provide us a video footage of the person buying that phone. Lauren behold to our surprise. Right there as clear as day was Lester Ralph Jones. When Mr. Jones was interviewed later a second time and when he was shown the video, he adamantly denied that was him. I think I'm video buying a track phone at Walmart. No, sir. No, sir. We're asking you, how did the track phone get in your trash? How did that barcode relate to that number being purchased at Walmart at that time? So I mean, there's a chain of events. I can't answer that. I do not know that. When we put a picture right in front of his face saying, is this you? He said, yes, it looks like me, but I did not buy a track phone. So, that 12 pictures of you in there? When is tonight on that date, on that time, that the video systems line? I guess it is, Lauren. How, how I don't know, but I was not in there when it's dynamic. I did not buy a track phone. We had, again, provable ice, which tend to be as good as at a mission. So we continue checking into Lester Jones. Determined to uncover more evidence against Jones, detectives bring in specially trained search dogs to do something that humans can't. To sniff out clues and pages towards the car. The scent stays a long time. There are lipids and fats and things like that that don't necessarily get destroyed even with fire. K9 handler Julie Jones shows us with a different dog, how she says they found the scent of death. So that dog smelled a dead body in the back of the car. Yes, smelled a dead body in the back of the car. That's correct. Who else did the dog find in this car? He was given the scent of Lester Jones and he found the scent of Lester Jones in the driver's seat of this vehicle. How confident do you feel in the dog's ability to detect that Lester Jones was right there? I personally feel 100% sure because my dog has never been wrong doing this sort of thing. While you have this seemingly overwhelming circumstantial evidence against Jones, no charges were filed in the disappearance of Paige Bergfeld. We really felt very confident that Lester Jones was the person. However, because of her lifestyle and that alternate business that she had, we really needed to have the body. The case went cold until an afternoon in March of 2012. A hike or hiking not far from the highway. Just a short distance from where Paige's personal items were found in an astonishing discovery. Down in this gulch in a dry stream bed, amid all of these rocks and weeds and brush, were human remains. The daughter of the Frankets Susie had been searching for for five long years. It didn't take any of us more than a couple of minutes to realize that that had to be Paige and sure enough fairly quickly through dental records and ultimately through DNA. We were able to verify that that was in fact the remains of Paige Bergfeld. Part of the body was found. It was partially dressed and it was duct tape along the mouth. We can surmise that she was taken out to that area, tied up and duct taped to keep silent. Dogs are able to pick up Paige's scent, leading to the location, along with that of none other than Lester Jones. Both of them alive coming down here. Yes. Okay. He's following Paige's scent. Yep, he's following the scent. And we go as far as we can go. When he stopped here, I knew that her life's intended right here. And then afterwards Lester Jones had the exact same path. What did that tell you? That he went the same place as she did. You know, I can't speculate anything else. Other than his trail is the same as hers. There were some new clues discovered near the remains. Hopefully perhaps results will answer the key question who killed Paige Bergfeld. How can one human being treat another human being so badly? I mean, what a bad person. A lot of things that we figured out as a result of finding Paige's remains were key to us. We were putting the investigation together and realizing that we had enough evidence to charge. 2014, deputies went and arrested Mr. Jones and at that point he was arrested without incident and didn't have anything to say. Sheriff's Office arrested Lester Jones this morning in connection to Paige Bergfeld's death. Lester Jones was charged with first degree murder, felony murder. Nine years after the disappearance of Paige Bergfeld, there will finally be a trial for her murder. But prosecutors think they've got a slam dunk case. They're in for quite a surprise. So let me talk to you about a few of the real killers in this case. I have lied about a lot of things to protect me. He told me that he killed Paige in that he could put my body in a woodshaker. Thank you. Mr. Jones is not guilty. From 30 for 30 podcasts. Brian Pada, senior defensive lineman for Miami, gunned down. The key to this case is Brian. Oh, he's a rap man. I heard before he died he was on a phone arguing what's about this might be a hit. You want the truth? Pages want a conviction in pressing your arrest. We had a killer amongst us. Murder at the U. Listen now. It's the Paradise Podcast. I am your host, Ryan Michelle Batte, with my husband Sterling. What's up? Join us here on Hulu and Hulu on Disney Plus, where we'll discuss each episode with the cast and crew of Paradise. I'll be getting all the secrets from Dan Fogelman, James Marsden, Shailene Woodley, Julian Nicholson, and Sterling Calbee Brown. Paradise, the official podcast is now streaming. And stream Paradise, gunned Hulu and Hulu on Disney Plus for bundle subscribers, terms apply. Today, a man accused of murdering a single mother is set to stand trial in grand junction. Lester Jones, charged with kidnapping and murdering Paige Bergfeldt. So Frank, it's been nine long years for you to get to this place, that courthouse right there. Do you think that you can get justice for Paige? Listen, I don't know what the outcome of this is going to be. If that's the moment of justice, the prosecutor has to convince absolutely, positively, 12 people that Jones is the murderer. Trial lasted seven weeks. I believe we called 160 witnesses between the prosecution and the defense. Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. People of the state of Colorado are going to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Lester Ralph Jones, that man sitting right there, that he committed first degree murder and that he committed the kidnapping by taking her against her will. Right from the top, prosecutors start laying out a motive for Lester Jones to kill Paige Bergfeldt. During the course of this investigation, they also found out that the defendant had had some prior incidents of efforts to control women by resorting to violence. We know that Jones had used Paige's escort services before, and now they say he seemed frustrated that he couldn't see her again. He had a desire to use her services again on the week that she disappeared. He called and he called. It was behavior of somebody who was obsessed. It's a behavior of somebody who really just wanted nothing more than to see and be with Paige. The calls show that the defendant called her on the track phone that day, and that she called him back. The cell phone records were critical as evidence. He only used it to make four phone calls, all to Paige, and then a fifth call only from Paige. It was used for nothing else. It was bought right before she went missing, and then it was never used afterward and tossed. After that last call, which happens at about 9 p.m., prosecutors say Lester Jones now knows where Paige is located, and he kidnaps and he kills her. People's next witness. Prosecution star witness is Lester Jones' ex-wife, Lisa Nas. Good morning, men. Hi. Remember, she's the one who told us what a nice guy he was during their marriage. He was a hard worker, and he was just all around good guy. But she also told us that as their marriage crumbled, she saw a very different side of Lester Jones, a dangerous one. It was only whenever we were going to divorce, and he ever got aggressive or mean or anything. And that's the Lester Jones she's called in to testify about. Lisa had split up with him, and he was not willing to accept that. And she had taken up with a younger man named Joe Bear, and ultimately Mr. Jones had followed the two of them. We're trying to get away, and so it went down this dirt road, hit me, and knocked me over into a ditch. And then, Ram was really hard, which caused the airbags to go off, and Joe said, oh my god, he's got a gun. And Joe was trying to pull me up, and when he said, we have to get out of here. Joe got out, and he took off running, and that's when I heard. I was still dark, and I heard two gunshots over the top of the car. I ran to the train tracks, and a few moments later, her second one felt it hit me, where did it hit you? And the back of the head. One shot grazes her boyfriend's head, and Nancy would later get a restraining order, but says Jones can't let her go. Less than a month later, he returns, and forces her into a car. And I said, what are we going to do? And he looked at me, he said, I'm going to kill you. And tell me he was going to put me in the bottom of the lake where no one would find me. That was important to us, because ultimately when we found pages remains, she was buried in a gulch, so it was very, very interesting to us that he might have this pattern of conduct. The evidence of Lisa Nance was fascinating, and gave a lens into who Lester Jones was. During the trial, Jessica, Paige's daughter took the stand, and it was such an emotional touching testimony. Tell me about your mom. She was pretty much typical soccer mom. We did everything with her. She recalls the night when she was just eight years old, and leaving those frantic voicemails after her mom hadn't returned home. My mom and me, I was just running out of your home, leaving you in the background. The prosecution put her on to show she was a loving mother, who her daughter looked up to, and needed who was taken away from her. So, her not being there Friday morning was surprising to me. Yes. Normally when she went out on those appointments at night, she'd be home a few minutes after the appointment, is that right? Yes. And finally, Frank Bergfeld gets his day in court. Who is your daughter? My daughter, yes. Paige Bergfeld. When was your daughter who always speak Paige Bergfeld? I was. Do you recall when you learned that Paige was missing? I remember exactly. It's etched in my memory, and it's just one of those moments that you remember every second. Man, it's like a dagger. Shit. When it was the defense's turn, their strategy was to say that in essence, investigators had let everyone else slip through the cracks when it comes to Paige's clients, that instead of focusing on Leicester Jones, investigators should have been checking them out more thoroughly. The defense's strategy was picked on as many little things as they could. So, let me talk to you about a few of the real killers in this case. These are men that the sheriff's office let slip through their fingers while they were busy fixating on Mr. Jones, ignoring leads and losing evidence. First, Wayne D'Amico. He's a used car salesman. The defense puts on a witness, a former escort by the name of Christie Steves, who testifies that D'Amico said he was responsible for Paige's death. He told me that he killed Paige, and then he told me what he could do to my body, and that he could put my body in a woodchipper. And when he said he did it, did he seem like he was joking? I believed him to my core. I got chills. The defense uses those comments to portray him as a potential killer. When D'Amico and self takes stand, he tries to play them down. Believe me, if I could turn that page back right now, it would be turned back. It was totally out of context. It was my way of saying that it's absolutely no way I would have done that to her. And I used that, I've used that on many times. My kids were bad. I was a butcher's a woodchipper, so, and there's still a life. A parade of what the defense calls alternate suspects in Paige's murder also includes Stephen Heald. Good morning, Mr. Heald. Good morning. Now, he's the guy who's admitted stealing thousands of dollars from his boss to pay for his encounters with Paige. Yeah, if you saw all they swear... The prosecution hit back with, of all people, Heald's wife. She gives him an alibi, saying they were together at the time of the murder. But she's clearly not thrilled to be helping him. When law enforcement got there and they told you about these things, a lot of stuff that was very disturbing to you. Yes. Every reason, at that point, to basically throw him under the bus, wouldn't you say? Yes. Okay? And despite that... And I would have. And you would have. But the prosecution's got some potentially game-changing evidence. Good morning, Captain. A groggy, lester Jones on this recording, saying some very strange things. You ask me a narration very simply. When did I ask you that? Throughout this month-long trial, the jury never hears from Lester Jones. He never takes the stand. But there was one day the jury did hear him speak. When prosecutors play a very cryptic recording. Hello. Mr. Jones? Yes, sir. It's a phone call, police made to Jones, the day after he'd gone through an intense five-hour interrogation. I called Mr. Jones to let him know that we were done processing their two vehicles, and they were available to be released in. This is Arksmith with the Sheriff's Office. Just going to let you know that we have both your cars ready for you and your wife. So I can come pick him up. Yeah, you bad. I don't think so. Mr. Jones, I'm not following you. You ask me a narration very, very, very, very... I'm sorry? You ask me a narration very, very, very... When did I ask you that? Mr. Jones, are you there? And this is out of nowhere, and Joss dropped in the courtroom. The jurors are like, what? So they didn't hear him, but they heard him, and it didn't sound good. This is a couple of weeks after Miss Bergfeld went missing. We hadn't found her remains for until five years later. We had no idea whether she was buried. We had no idea where she was. So that raised a lot of red flags for us. And when Mr. Jones started to talk again, then Mrs. Jones got on the phone. This was a light, and I helped you. Yeah. That was kind of an odd conversation there. Not exactly sure what just transpired. They don't know what he's talking about either. I think he picked up some sweet tea cold. Do you think he took completely both? Yeah. He's going to be on our way there. If he stops breathing or anything else. I think he's okay. Carmine 1-1, okay? He's okay. Just a minute. Are you okay? You were talking about weird things. I think he's okay. Don't know what he's trying to commit suicide or not. Maybe just get some rest because everybody been hounding him. And the stress of it probably wasn't sleeping very good. But very strange, phone call. Mr. Jones did attempt to overdose, and he left a note saying that he didn't do this to his wife. My dearest love. I've prayed all night, and this morning I've asked for his forgiveness. Tell the cops to get f***ing. I never did it, but I can't be railroaded. Do you solemnly swear or affirmate or p- When Mr. Jones' wife Elaine takes the stand, she describes her shock at fighting out just how often her husband was paying for prostitutes. How do you feel about all of this? We have horrible things in Christ. It's horrible. Okay. Hard. You testified you're still married to him. Yes. Why? I'm still married to him because I'm a Christian, and my faith asked me to forgive him. And I feel like I need to give him another chance. What she wasn't able to give her husband was an alibi, to explain where he was during the crucial hours when Paige went missing, or when her car went up in flames. She even IDs him buying that track phone at Walmart. Mr. Jones, do you recognize that man? I have seen Christchurchan. And as Jones watches his wife, he appears to mouth the words, it wasn't me standing by his denial. I'll now advise the lawyers to make their closing arguments and we'll start with the prosecution. After 21 days of testimony, it's time for closing arguments. And prosecutor Dan Rubenstein paints an emotional picture of Paige Burgfeld's last moments. Paige must have been so scared. It is hard to even imagine what would have been going through her head. As she was laying either in the back of the vehicle or in the trunk, when she decided it was time to start throwing items out of the car for about 12 miles. Those items were strewn about the highway. Personal checks. Her driver's license. Her kid's medical card. Leading in a trail of breadcrumbs to the area where she was killed in buried. We'll continue with Mr. Colvin's closing argument. And the defense hits their biggest theme. That those alternate suspects just weren't looked at closely enough by investigators. But the investigation was deficient. And they have made the facts they have fit their hypothesis. That is the polar opposite of what you should do. But prosecutors say they thoroughly looked at and cleared all of them. So, who is the real killer? We don't know. It is not acceptable to convict people at murder just because they're creepy guys. Despite the fact that Mr. Jones is done bad things, there is not proof beyond a reasonable doubt. The jury deliberated for four days. And that is for agonizing days for a prosecutor. And in fact, jurors told us themselves what it was like in that deliberation room. How they wrestled with what they think may have happened. When the prosecution rested, I was just stunned. I said, this is all you got. There's a lot of defense. Some went towards the guilty side. I felt like the defense did a good job in displaying some shortcomings of the sheriff's office. And I just said, yes, yes, there are holes in this case. There are. There are still three or four things here that make him a viable suspect and guilty. Old Hart Lane My Heart, I believe, did was guilty. Please rise, Treasury. We were told that it was 10 to at various times and 9 to 3 at various times. I was disheartened. The jury remains in the same position of being unable to reach a unanimous decision. So, ladies and gentlemen, at this time, I am getting this trial and this matter. People were stunned by the home jury. I think everybody in that courtroom fought one way or another. We were going to hear guilty or not guilty. So that's it, guys. It's all over for now. But maybe there will be another shot. Before that second trial, new evidence comes out that could change everything. We had downloaded the surveillance video of her worksite and we pulled it up. Who is lurking behind the wheel of this car? The jury at this point is indicated that they are unable to reach a verdict. Our jury is now here, including the alternate. It had been a grueling seven weeks for the family of Pageberg felt they were hoping and praying for justice. All they had to show for it was a hung jury and a mistrial. So, ladies and gentlemen, at this time, I am declaring a mistrial and this matter. I was devastated when the jury was hung. Because I had seen the evidence. I didn't think Lester was guilty going in, but I was beyond shadow of a doubt. Coming out, he did this. I was disheartened. I had put my heart and soul into this case. I wondered, okay, did we not present enough? We had to make the decision whether or not we were going to retry the case. And we made it quickly. We made it on the spot. And we let the judge know we want new trial dates. I was convinced that there was proof beyond our reasonable doubt. A man accused of kidnapping and killing a grand junction mom who also ran an escort service. Well, he is set to go back on trial. Just ten weeks after the first trial, jury selection began to the Mesa County Courthouse for the second trial of Lester Jones. And prosecutor Dan Rubenstein is determined to win. Pageberg felt was kidnapped and murdered on June 28, 2007. Lester Ralph Jones is the one who did this. My strategy really was I needed to listen to what the first jury told me about what was important to them and focus on the right things. The result is that he caused the death of another, murdering her, duct-taping her, killing her, and burying her body. The right things seemed to be identifying where Lester Jones was in any given moment. He was on the computer around eight o'clock. How can we rule out everybody other than Lester Jones and then add to that the mountain of evidence? So he stares at the track phones for a while, picks out the one he wants? The dog evidence. Defendant sent on the driver's seat of Miss Bergfeld's car. The location of the fire, right by his workspace. And this time Rubenstein has an ace up his sleeve after making a startling new discovery that could upend this case. Between the first trial and the second trial, we had realized Lester Jones was trying on Monday to get a hold of page. So we thought, I wonder if he's driving around by her work site. In evidence, we had downloaded a surveillance video of her work site and we pulled it up. The prosecution team spent hours pouring over the surveillance video, looking for signs of Lester Jones. Pages vehicle is parked at the entrance to one of the buildings. This is a normal office. So you would not expect there would be much traffic there at nine o'clock in the evening on a Monday. Well, this Chevy Impala circles the parking lot two or three times and one of the times just drives right past Pages, red Ford Focus. There are no signs of Lester Jones's white pickup truck, but the team knows that Jones's wife is out of town. What kind of car is she on? Chevy Impala. We're able to see that his wife's car, the Chevy Impala, is driving around right about the time he's on the phone, calling that phone number. The prosecution is feeling more confident this time around, but one of the witnesses almost jeopardizes the entire trial. Carol Linderholm. I was concerned about her safety, because prior to that somebody tried to kill her. I wasn't afraid of Lester. I was enraged. And what was that person's name that you met with? Lester Jones. I was sterile and he tried to stare back. As I was leaving the courtroom, I just said, just a crap kill me. You were such a piece of crap for killing my friend. Witnesses are never supposed to have any interaction with the defendant in the court. It just has gotten to me. I don't know how our parents could sit through this and look at them. I can't help myself when I see him. Tomorrow we have to decide whether or not what you did is going to have an impact on this trial. The district attorney didn't hear it. I said the only people that heard it were at the table. She's so crap, you know me. I wasn't talking to anybody, but that piece of crap. The judge didn't declare a mistrial because he said the jurors couldn't hear her. Please write for her, jury. Just before Christmas day, closing arguments rep and the jury goes into deliberations to decide the fate of Lester Jones. Right now, a jury is deciding the fate of the man accused of killing Page Bergfeld in 2007. It was a very long four days of deliberation and of course my fear was that there would be another hum jury. The evidence shows beyond reasonable doubt that the defendant, Lester Ralph Jones, is the one who did this. The Bergfeld family has waited so long for this, nine years, two trials, and all the heartache and grief in between. Now it all comes down to this. Will they finally find justice for Page? We the jury find the defendant, Lester Ralph Jones, guilty of count one, murder in the first degree. They came back guilty on all counts, a first degree murder, felony murder, second degree murder for knowingly causing the death of Page and kidnapping. I thought finally, and that the New Jerseyers were able to perceive what was going on and how bad he was. The judge gave the only sentence that Colorado law allows, which is life without the possibility of parole for the murder charge. It was closure for her dad, for her family, and her friends. I can't even imagine how difficult I would be to go through the emotional ups and downs that they went through. Elaine Jones stood by her husband, Lester Jones, for years, from the time he was named a person of interest, until his conviction in Pageberg fell's death. She died in late 2017, convinced of her husband's innocence. Frank Bergfeld was a guy who told the truth. He never shied away from the fact that Page was an escort. I will tell you one thing during the trial, I would say more than half the time they referred to her as Page. It was very seldom the victim or the woman or something like that, and I thought that felt very human to me. I feared that a lot of his identity became justice for Page, that took a lot out of him physically and emotionally, and I wonder if he was ever able to get past that being his identity. Frank died suddenly of a heart attack two years ago, perhaps brought on by the stress of losing his daughter. There's not a day that passes that I don't think about her. I think about her kids. I think about choices. Now we just don't ever know. Page's story didn't have to end the way that it did. I hope that what happened to Page is a part of a larger conversation of who the buyers are. They create this whole industry that women like her and I end up in, and the harms that happen to most of us at the hands of these men. To me, she's the slow angel that is looking out at all of us, but particularly her three children. Despite what's been a traumatic childhood, Page's kids are doing really well and they're grown up. One of the difficult things of being a prosecutor in a town this size is after you've been here that long, you start to associate various parts of town with various crimes. And it's difficult to drive past that area without thinking about Page. You know, a family we followed for more than a decade waiting all those years for justice. Lester Jones, of course, remains in prison, but is appealing his conviction. You've been listening to the 2020 True Crime Vault. Friday nights at 9 on ABC, you can also find all new broadcast episodes of 2020. Thanks for listening. Friends like these, the murder of Skylar Nase is now streaming on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+. We wanted to talk to Skylar's friends. They're not telling the full story. The truth is gruesomely her effect. How could you do this to your best friend? There's a darker secret that's not been said. Watch the new Hulu original series, Friends Like These, the murder of Skylar Nase on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+. For bundle subscribers, terms apply.