The final episode of Netflix’s Homicide: Los Angeles has left true crime fans wondering more about Bruce Koklich and where he is now.
Just like Homicide: New York on Netflix, each episode of Homicide: Los Angeles focusses on a different investigation with insight from those closest to the case - including detectives and loved ones left behind.
Episodes of the true crime series had fans wondering things like what happened to Phil Spector and where Michael Goodwin is now - and now the fate of murderer Bruce Koklich has got viewers curious.
Who is Bruce Koklich and where is he now?
Bruce Koklich was a wealthy real-estate mogul, who was charged with the murder of his wife Jana in 2001.
Ironically, it was Bruce who first alerted authorities to his wife’s disappearance in mid-August.
Those who knew Jana were immediately concerned when she vanished following a concert with a friend. Uncharacteristically, the businesswoman had missed two appointments over the weekend.
Despite calls to her home from her trainer and massage therapist, all went unanswered.
It was only on the following Monday (August 20), that authorities were contacted about her disappearance. According to Bruce, the couple had spent a ‘quiet’ weekend together and had ignored phone calls, before his spouse seemingly disappeared without a trace.
Though he claimed to not know what happened to his wife, he told police that they had received a disturbing voicemail. It was only after hearing this that Bruce grew concerned.
The real-estate mogul claimed that it could have been in connection to Jana’s father, former Senator Paul Carpenter - a popular politician who’d later been imprisoned on charges of racketeering and extortion.
While Bruce was convinced that the two were connected, the police’s investigation found no evidence of this.
Just six days later, Jana’s car was found on Signal Hill with a blood stain soaked and a stray feather into the back seat.
Suspicions quickly turned to her husband, with investigators then sweeping the couple’s former home.
A luminol test later revealed that there had been blood stains in their bedroom, with detectives also confirming that her pillow was missing and the bedding had been changed since the housekeep last visited.
There was also an eyewitness who had seen Bruce sitting alone in Jana’s car on Sunday, just 24 hours before he reported his wife missing.
With the investigation now amping up, police now looked for a motive to connect Bruce to his wife’s disappearance.
Having seen the disappearance on the news, several women came forward and revealed that the supposedly grieving husband had approached them. This behaviour even pre-dated Jana’s disappearance and it had become clear that she intended to separate from her husband.
Rather than accepting the marriage was over and dividing up their thriving business in Long Beach, authorities now believed that Bruce wanted to retain his lavish lifestyle. These suspicions were confirmed when it was revealed that each of the Kokliches had a 1 million dollar life insurance policy.
Though there was plenty of circumstantial evidence and a clear motive, a conviction was near impossible without Jana’s body. Ultimately, the case would result in a mistrial - even with after six days of deliberation by the jury.
It was only during a second trial that Bruce Koklich would be charged with second-degree murder, receiving 15 years for the suspected killing of his wife.
Bruce Koklich now resides in the California Institution for Men, where he is serving out his sentence. Though he has appealed the ruling multiple times, he has yet to be granted parole.
Jana's body has never been found.
