Peter Van Sant

When she first met Dick Dow two years after the fire, she felt sorry for him.

It was 1984, and Safian was a single mom just out of college.

Safian says Dick Dow never talked about the accident until one night, five years into their relationship.

Karen says Dick Dow then told her what really happened back in December 1982, a story he never told police investigators.

Dow said he had gone to the basement of his house to put coal in the furnace.

Did he say what he saw?

According to Safian, Dow said Steven had used one of his police revolvers to kill Janet.

Dow told her he then had to kill Steven.

As he told his story, Safian says Dow became enraged and reached for a picture of Stephen.

Dick Dow had more shocking details, according to Safian, admitting that the accident was no accident.

What did he tell you?

But Safian says the confession abruptly ended there.

She kept his secret for four years.

Why did you stay with this man who had told you this horrific story, a man who you knew now had lied to police?

She convinced herself it was self-defense.

Safian started to have doubts when she began to see what she describes as self-destructive behavior.

Would he hit himself hard?

Fearing for her own safety, she broke up with Dow and went to the police with her story in 1993.

Eleven years after the crash, the state reopened the case.

The state hired Thomas Bohan, an accident specialist, to take a second look at what happened that morning.