to realize this stranger had a taste for the finer things and always paid in cash. colonel di vita: he had no job. he spent his time at the cafe with his computer, or he went shopping. what kinds of things did he buy? above all, the very, very expensive material for climbing. any sign of a bank account here in town? no. what kinds of things did he buy? very, very expensive material for climbing. any sign of a bank account here in town? no. yes, and very expensive, too. this is a place where he frequented? yes. rob stafford: an american with money is always welcome. buongiorno. rob stafford: but in a small town like courmayeur, it was inevitable that someone would pull up a chair, perhaps buy him a drink, and try to learn something about this solitary american and pass it along. did you ever see him here? his name, according to those who gained his confidence, was mark, mark something. it sounded quite like a german last name, stern.
though they saw tracks in the snow near where monica said they would find weinberger s camp, bad weather forced them to abandon the aerial search. but even then, luck seemed to be with the police. hikers just down from the mountain reported seeing something strange. colonel di vita: on the same day, people coming down from mountain told us that there was a strange male leaving the tent. rob stafford: finally, on the morning of december 15th, 2009, three days after monica had first tipped them off, a team of police officers set out on a cross-country trek to a remote area near the swiss border. colonel di vita: in the distance, we could see a man working around a tent. did he seem startled to see you? yes. rob stafford: and what does he say? colonel di vita: they were not wearing their uniform, and they approached him asking, what are you doing here? he answered, i want to live a quiet life. i want to live a quiet life. a quiet life, yeah. and they asked the man, who are you?
rob stafford: colonel di vita says soon after monica left the office, a local rental agent walked in, also complaining about a man named mark who hadn t paid his rent in three months. most important, the agency had a copy of mark weinberger s real passport. he left a copy of his real passport? colonel di vita: a copy of his real passport, yes. and he s a fugitive on the run? yes, you can t rent a flat if you don t leave a copy of your document. rob stafford: not only did police now know monica s boyfriend and the deadbeat renter were one and the same, thanks to monica, they also knew which of three camp sites he was currently using. colonel di vita: she also told us that mark was going to stay there for a week. he would be in this location for a week. for a week, yes. without her doing that, who knows if they ever would have found him? you know, it s the alps. there are a lot of places to hide. rob stafford: the next day, police put a helicopter in the air to search the area.
no, no. rob stafford: while at the police station, weinberger was given a cursory pat-down and offered lunch. colonel di vita: he had food with us at our same table. rob stafford: was he hungry? i think yes. also, because our food here is very, very i m want to say good. rob stafford: according to officers at the table, weinberger seemed to be enjoying himself, until the moment this bizarre story took an unexpected and desperate turn. what can you say about what happened next? we d better talk about that, please. rob stafford: coming up, mark weinberger had not yet given up on escaping his past. he did not want to go back. there was too much a trail of devastation. i don t think they have any idea of what s going to happen. he pulls a knife out that he has concealed. rob stafford: when dateline continues.
in the air to search the area. though they saw tracks in the snow near where monica said they would find weinberger s camp, bad weather forced them to abandon the aerial search. but even then, luck seemed to be with the police. hikers just down from the mountain reported seeing something strange. colonel di vita: on the same day, people coming down from mountain told us that there was a strange male leaving the tent. rob stafford: finally, on the morning of december 15th, 2009, three days after monica had first tipped them off, a team of police officers set out on a cross-country trek to a remote area near the swiss border. colonel di vita: in the distance, we could see a man working around a tent. did he seem startled to see you? yes. rob stafford: and what does he say? colonel di vita: they were not wearing their uniform, and they approached him asking, what are you doing here? he answered, i want to live a quiet life. i want to live a quiet life.