The Pact
15-year-old John McCabe was murdered after a dance in 1969 and there were suspicions that John’s schoolmates had been involved. Police launched a massive investigation, but the case went cold. Four decades later, one man walked free and another went to prison for John's murder. "48 Hours" correspondent Richard Schlesinger reports. This classic "48 Hours" episode last aired on 6/22/2024. Watch all-new episodes of “48 Hours” on Saturdays and stream on demand on Paramount+.
- Duration
- 42m
- Broadcast on
- 24 Sep 2026
- Audio Format
- other
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[music] You go back to the first days after the murder. This might have been a dispute between teenagers. It might have involved a girl. It might have involved drinking. [music] Whoever knew about John's killing kept this secret for over 40 years. [music] It's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind. [music] September 26th, 1969 is the day that changed the lives of Bill and Neville and McCabe Parevo. [music] I don't think I've had a whole night's sleep since it's happened. If it's not too painful, can you tell me about his last day? Winter dance, his second dance. Fifteen-year-old John McCabe was looking forward to going to the Knights of Columbus dance that evening. Took a shower, scrubbed his hair, put his father's after shave on. He didn't shave, but his father's after shave on. Oh yeah, he got all spruced up. 11 o'clock I started looking out the window. That's when the dance closes. He should be home by midnight. So I went down to the dance and checked the road, screaming out the window. "John! John!" "No John, I started praying at that point." The day after John McCabe went missing, three young kids were cutting through a vacant lot when they made a horrifying discovery, which was the body of John McCabe. He had been bound and gagged and tied with rope. After John's body was found, Bill McCabe, a pillar of strength, had to do the unspeakable that was identify the body of his dead son. "No, but forget it. People keep talking about closure. You can't shake it." He then had to go home and inform his family of what had happened. Bill said, "Honey, my son's dead." "Well, I was a senior in high school." "Were you fearful?" "Yes. They hadn't caught the people that killed my brother." "Did you think when you looked at kids in your classes, maybe it's him, maybe it's him?" "Yes. Maybe it was him. Maybe they knew something. How could they not know anything?" "Without physical evidence, without a witness, this case remained unsolved for several years and several years became decades." "Is it all your talk already?" "This is it." "I pray every day justice will be served."
Transcription truncated.
15-year-old John McCabe was murdered after a dance in 1969 and there were suspicions that John’s schoolmates had been involved. Police launched a massive investigation, but the case went cold. Four decades later, one man walked free and another went to prison for John's murder. "48 Hours" correspondent Richard Schlesinger reports. This classic "48 Hours" episode last aired on 6/22/2024. Watch all-new episodes of “48 Hours” on Saturdays and stream on demand on Paramount+.