Barbra Piotrowski / Richard Minns

[JM]

Continuing to make my way through Season 4 on Amazon. I came upon this case that I had totally forgotten about.

http://unsolvedmysteries.wikia.com/wiki/Richard_Minns

Back in the Seventies, Richard Minns was a tycoon with a young girlfriend, Barbra Piotrowski. They were a glamorous presence on the Houston social scene. Minns was a charismatic, youthful-looking health club tycoon when they met on a Colorado ski slope. Barbra was a bright and beautiful California pre-med student and part-time model 24 years his junior. Their relationship went well until Minns's wife showed up one day looking for him. Minns explained to Barbra that he and his wife were separated, and she accepted his explanation. He later bought an expensive townhouse for her, but the relationship became strained after Minns learned that Barbra was pregnant. He wanted her to get an abortion but she refused.

Eventually, Barbra ended the relationship, but Minns refused to accept that they were finished. Barbra took several pieces of furniture and jewelry that Minns had given to her. Later, Minns had Barbra arrested for stealing these items, even though she insisted that they were gifts. While in jail, Barbra miscarried. She was eventually released, but Minns continued to harass and stalk her.

On October 20, 1980, Barbra was shot four times in the back while parked in a Houston doughnut shop lot. Barbra was paralyzed from the waist down. Despite her injuries, she remained conscious and claimed that Minns was responsible. Nathaniel Ivory and Patrick Stein were arrested within minutes of the shooting. They denied Barbra's claims that Minns had hired them to shoot her. However, a former bodyguard of Minns claimed that one month earlier a contract had been put out on Barbra's life. Authorities determined that the car used in the shooting belonged to Robert Jess Anderson; Ivory and Stein later identified Anderson as the person who had hired them to kill Barbra.

Minns's private detective Dudley Bell was also connected to the shooting after his ex-wife gave police a handwritten note. The note had been written on Minns's hotel guest stationary. The note had a list of guns owned by Anderson that were used in the shooting. Eight days after the shooting, Anderson was arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit murder. Anderson agreed to cooperate with authorities; he confirmed that Dudley Bell had hired him and the other two men to commit the shooting. However, Bell and Minns were not indicted in the case.

In March of 1981, Ivory and Stein were convicted of attempted murder and sentenced to thirty-five years in prison. Barbra later field a wrongful injury suit against Minns, Bell, Anderson, Stein, and Ivory. However, before depositions could begin, Minns fled the country and has been in hiding ever since.
Anderson was found guilty of soliciting a murder in 1984. Bell was also found guilty of soliciting a murder in 1987 after one of his employees testified against him. Both were sentenced to thirty-eight years in prison. However, in 1991, Bell was released on parole.

A jury has since ordered Minns to pay Barbra $58 million for wrongful injury. Minns is wanted for questioning in the attempted murder of Barbra Piotrowski. The injuries she suffered left her bound to a wheelchair. Fearful for her life after the shooting, Barbra changed her name to Janni Smith. She now works with people who are paralyzed.

Extra Notes: The case served as the inspiration for a movie based on the case. The case was featured as a part of the March 18, 1992 episode.

Results: Captured. In July 1994, Richard Minns, 64, was arrested at the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport on suspicion of obtaining several passports with fraudulent information and names. He received a four-month sentence and fined $100,000.

Minns has never been charged in the attempted murder of Piotrowski although police have said they believe he was involved. Piotrowski did win a $58-million dollar civil judgment against Minns and others for the attempted murder.

So at the conclusion of the Amazon segment I was shocked to see that the civil case was eventually dismissed. Meaning he never had to pay a dime for the civil judgement against him and he was never charged with hiring someone to murder Barbra Piotrowski.

I got curious to see if Minns is still alive and whadda'ya know.

As recently as late last year he was honored by the Ayn Rand society:

https://atlassociety.org/commentary/...-richard-minns



Hard to believe this guy eluded any kind of punishment for this but... he sure did (allegedly, in case he's the litigious type).

[LakeForestPI]

Thanks for posting the link to the Atlas society. More evidence to my contention that Ayn Rand was an overrated, over celebrated POS. They have some nerve celebrating that guy. More proof to show that if you have the money, the courts are yours for the taking.

[LooksLikeCRicci]

Originally Posted by soundandvision

Hard to believe this guy eluded any kind of punishment for this but... he sure did (allegedly, in case he's the litigious type).

LOL!!!

That made my day. Thanks.

I totally agree about Minns, btw. What an alleged waste of space.

[siamesemeg]

This case makes me crazy every time I see it. And it's super impressive that they found an actress who is looks so much like Janny/Barbra. She's very good in the reenactments, too. So is the Minns actor - this is definitely one of the more ambitiously produced and well done segments.

It just frosts my cookies that that creep has never had to face any consequences for what he allegedly did to her.

And, sadly, that last sentence applies to so, so many people...

[soilentgreen]

I'm not surprised that Minns was influenced by Rand. There's nothing like hypocrisy and unconcern about behavior that affects the less privileged, but people who identify with Rand's philosophies tend not to worry about those pesky defects of character. At least the commenters below got it right.

[dynoguy88]

Originally Posted by siamesemeg

This case makes me crazy every time I see it. And it's super impressive that they found an actress who is looks so much like Janny/Barbra. She's very good in the reenactments, too. So is the Minns actor - this is definitely one of the more ambitiously produced and well done segments.

I agree. Well acted, produced and the story is interesting, if not infuriating. The only thing (production wise) that got a little annoying was how they went overboard with the sexy saxophone music every time they showed that picture of them on the beach, but that's extremely minor compared to the case itself.

I watched this one on Amazon a couple weeks ago for the first time in a long time and was eager to find out what Minns' punishment was. I recall him being captured but I couldn't remember the details...only to find out there was basically no punishment for all the crap he pulled.

[DALLASTEXAN!!]

Originally Posted by dynoguy88

I agree. Well acted, produced and the story is interesting, if not infuriating. The only thing (production wise) that got a little annoying was how they went overboard with the sexy saxophone music every time they showed that picture of them on the beach, but that's extremely minor compared to the case itself.

I watched this one on Amazon a couple weeks ago for the first time in a long time and was eager to find out what Minns' punishment was. I recall him being captured but I couldn't remember the details...only to find out there was basically no punishment for all the crap he pulled.

This is one of the more frustrating segments. Yes even the overused saxophone music. This was like the Randall utterback segment just with a rich ***** that probably still thinks he's a Roman god. I mean come on he won a hand to hand fight with a great white shark? But he can't father a child? What a insecure piece of trash.


One of the people in the segment hit the nail on the head. People in Harris county and the state of Texas have been imprisoned with less evidence. We've seen it in other segments. I think he was never charged because he was wealthy and Harris county did not want a difficult/scandalous trial due to their negative involvement with Minns.

[DazzlerSparkler]

The actress who played Barbra was one of the best I've seen on the show. She really nailed the hysterical woman aspect

[dynoguy88]

Originally Posted by DALLASTEXAN!!

One of the people in the segment hit the nail on the head. People in Harris county and the state of Texas have been imprisoned with less evidence. We've seen it in other segments. I think he was never charged because he was wealthy and Harris county did not want a difficult/scandalous trial due to their negative involvement with Minns.

That's the only explanation I can come up with. His wealth somehow bought his freedom, when he should have been locked up 37 years ago.

That write up by Jennifer Grossman is nauseating. Do the locals not know of what this guy did? Do they not care or do they choose to live in ignorance and not believe he did all the things he did?

At least the two responses to that web page in the comments section pointed out the massive elephant in the room...

Lara Martinez: Isn't this guy a wife beater and attempted murderer?
Dan Riley: Yup. Disgusting. http://articles.latimes.com/1994-07-...ort-violations

[DALLASTEXAN!!]

Originally Posted by dynoguy88

That's the only explanation I can come up with. His wealth somehow bought his freedom, when he should have been locked up 37 years ago.

That write up by Jennifer Grossman is nauseating. Do the locals not know of what this guy did? Do they not care or do they choose to live in ignorance and not believe he did all the things he did?

At least the two responses to that web page in the comments section pointed out the massive elephant in the room...

Lara Martinez: Isn't this guy a wife beater and attempted murderer?
Dan Riley: Yup. Disgusting. http://articles.latimes.com/1994-07-...ort-violations

Yeah that article is ridiculous. And I too enjoyed the 2 comments.

[Hasho]

Just saw this on amazon - very bizarre case. The actor + the real Barbra were very pretty though. Shameful that Minns got away with all this.

[sdb4884]

What a Dick

[RobinW]

Re-watched this again for the first time in ages. The one thing which took me surprise was seeing an interview with Dick DeGuerin, who was Barbra's lawyer during her lawsuit. As you might know, DeGuerin was prominently featured in "The Jinx" because he went on to become Robert Durst's lawyer and got him acquitted for murder by claiming self-defense. Quite ironic when you consider that Durst and Richard Minns are both prime examples of guys who got away with an awful lot because of their wealth (though karma eventually caught up to Durst).

[undertakeress]

DeGuerin also defended David Koresh and Tom DeLay. 2 big Texan Dicks ( everything's bigger in Texas, right?)

[WinterMister]

Barbra Piotrowski's civil case against the city was also reversed as well.

Piotrowski v. City of Houson, a 1983 case with a $22 million jury verdict
Reversed on the grounds "plaintiff failed to prove a Monell policy: The Court again declined to recognize the state-created danger theory of recovery under 1983."

This article says it was reversed in 2001.
http://caselaw.findlaw.com/us-5th-circuit/1120575.html

Here's a page about Richard Minns. It gives snippets of his sculpting, athletic accomplishments including killing 2 great white sharks, and photos of him with his sons Myles and Sean, and grandson Mike 111. It's pretty disgusting.

http://www.hayhill.com/minns/minns_2.htm