Josh Mankiewicz

So to recap, this was March 2011 in suburban New Jersey, just across the George Washington Bridge from Manhattan in New York City. A house was engulfed in flames. Firefighters found a body in a basement bedroom, belonged to a 59-year-old guy named Robert Cantor. And police did have a feeling that it was more than a standard house fire.

So to recap, this was March 2011 in suburban New Jersey, just across the George Washington Bridge from Manhattan in New York City. A house was engulfed in flames. Firefighters found a body in a basement bedroom, belonged to a 59-year-old guy named Robert Cantor. And police did have a feeling that it was more than a standard house fire.

Turned out they were right because he had been shot in the head and that the fire was a kind of a cover-up. So this case sort of takes us to the oldest motive in the book, which is jealousy, passion, revenge, and a love triangle, familiar shape to anybody who watches Dateline, that went very, very wrong. So let's talk Dateline.

Turned out they were right because he had been shot in the head and that the fire was a kind of a cover-up. So this case sort of takes us to the oldest motive in the book, which is jealousy, passion, revenge, and a love triangle, familiar shape to anybody who watches Dateline, that went very, very wrong. So let's talk Dateline.

You know, everything about this from the beginning, from when you first, you know, the guy first sees the smoke coming from across the street, the guy who's fixing his tire, like you immediately think, yeah, there's going to be more to it than just somebody dies in a fire.

You know, everything about this from the beginning, from when you first, you know, the guy first sees the smoke coming from across the street, the guy who's fixing his tire, like you immediately think, yeah, there's going to be more to it than just somebody dies in a fire.

And I thought it was very interesting what the fire investigators said, that when you see a healthy person, not somebody who's, you know, confined to their bed or something, a guy who's 59 years old, they don't stay in the bed. They're trying to get out. You find them near the door or they're,

And I thought it was very interesting what the fire investigators said, that when you see a healthy person, not somebody who's, you know, confined to their bed or something, a guy who's 59 years old, they don't stay in the bed. They're trying to get out. You find them near the door or they're,

clearly trying to get out of the place where the fire is happening and that that didn't happen in this case. And that was in itself suspicious.

clearly trying to get out of the place where the fire is happening and that that didn't happen in this case. And that was in itself suspicious.

This reminds me of Dawn Hackney, the woman who was killed in Bremerton, Washington, and In a podcast I did called Mortal Sin, in which it was thought that she died in a fire. It turned out that her husband had strangled her before the fire began. So, you know, there were two other kind of similar murders, arsons in that Teaneck, New Jersey area. I know, strange, right?

This reminds me of Dawn Hackney, the woman who was killed in Bremerton, Washington, and In a podcast I did called Mortal Sin, in which it was thought that she died in a fire. It turned out that her husband had strangled her before the fire began. So, you know, there were two other kind of similar murders, arsons in that Teaneck, New Jersey area. I know, strange, right?

Around the time of Rob's death. And so police clearly were at least... wondering whether this had to do with one of those. It certainly does leap out at you from the beginning. What do you think? You think Tony Tung knew about those?

Around the time of Rob's death. And so police clearly were at least... wondering whether this had to do with one of those. It certainly does leap out at you from the beginning. What do you think? You think Tony Tung knew about those?

I mean, they'd been in the paper. Like, you know, you could have seen it.

I mean, they'd been in the paper. Like, you know, you could have seen it.

Right.

Right.

I have to believe that in this case, Tony Tongue was the main suspect sort of from the get-go. I mean, Rob had to tell people, you know, I'm having an affair with this woman, Sophie. And by the way, her husband was not happy. Like, that's not the kind of thing you keep to yourself. Right.

I have to believe that in this case, Tony Tongue was the main suspect sort of from the get-go. I mean, Rob had to tell people, you know, I'm having an affair with this woman, Sophie. And by the way, her husband was not happy. Like, that's not the kind of thing you keep to yourself. Right.