William claimed he last spoke to Rachel on September 13th, after she left a message. He said he went to her house, but she was gone. However, a coworker said William had actually called Rachel at work earlier that day. Three days later, Rachel’s car was found washed, with William’s palm print on the trunk. Dirt from Rachel’s house was found in William’s truck. Blood matching Rachel’s type was found in her hallway, but wasn’t fully tested.

A friend of William’s, David Schraud, eventually confessed to helping William kidnap Rachel. He said William forced his way into Rachel’s house, they struggled, and they bound and gagged Rachel before putting her in her own car trunk. William’s new wife also said she saw him with Rachel’s car that day and that he cleaned it thoroughly. He told his wife that his family (allegedly in organized crime) had killed Rachel and dumped her body at sea. He also asked her to throw away his sneakers.

William was already convicted of a separate murder in 1994. He was then convicted of Rachel’s murder—the prosecution arguing it was to avoid child support and alimony—sentenced to death, and his appeal was denied. To this day, Rachel’s body has never been found.