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The grisly murders of Jennifer Grider and Mary Orlando at Lehigh University's Overlook Point are the subject of this week's Evil Lives Here episode titled The Lookout. The true-crime episode is set to premiere exclusively on Investigation Discovery on May 15, 2022.
The devastating double homicide left the people of Pennsylvania shaken to their core. Although officials initially suspected the incident to be a murder-suicide, evidence eventually pointed to a cold-blooded killer who was just as young as the victims, and the police were on the hunt for him. The official synopsis for the Lookout reads:
"The murders of two teen girls at a remote and scenic lookout point seem random until police uncover a web of secrets among their network of friends."
Who was responsible for the dual murders of Jennifer Grider and Mary Orlando of Pennsylvania?
More than twenty-five years ago, an insurmountable tragedy took away two best friends, Mary and Jennifer, who hailed from the same neighborhood and shared the same values in life. While Mary was from Freedom High School, Jennifer was from Bethlehem Catholic High School. Both girls were attributed to being wholesome individuals who were well-spirited, kind-hearted, and hard-working.
On June 29, 1995, four young females reported seeing a red vehicle and two lifeless people at the Lehigh University Lookout, and the police were called. When first responders arrived at the scene of the crime, they discovered Jennifer wearing a red Camaro, which belonged to her mother. Jennifer lay on the grass a few feet away from Mary, who was found unresponsive inside the vehicle.
Because officials had no leads to follow, the initial investigation into the double killings was delayed. Despite thoroughly checking the neighborhood, looking for possible witnesses, and conducting numerous interviews, most leads led to dead ends.
Even after investigating for months, the police were unable to come close to finding anything useful that would lead them to a weapon, a suspect, or a motive for the dual murders. A considerable cash reward was also offered in hopes of a possible outcome that might have led them to some clues.
About a month later, an anonymous tip led the authorities to another eighteen-year-old who lived in the same area as both the victims, Christopher Bissey. Christopher had a strong alibi and constantly stuck to his claim of being innocent, so the police officials were lawfully obliged to let him free due to a lack of sufficient proof.
Despite this enormous setback, law enforcement officers had their breakthrough in December 1995, when two other boys who claimed to be Christopher's friends, James Lewis and Nicholas Stroble, came forward with fresh information regarding the murder.
Christopher was known to James and Nicholas as he used to behave like a popular hotshot kid. They agreed with the police of being with him in the car on the day he murdered Jennifer and Mary. Both the adolescent boys admitted that they had seen Christopher committing the crime by pulling the trigger in front of them, after blackmailing them for unforeseen reasons. Investigators immediately arrested and prosecuted him twice for first-degree murder after receiving such crucial information.
Christopher Bissey pleaded not guilty in court, but the jury did not believe his words. They found him guilty of first-degree murder twice and sentenced him to two consecutive life sentences, without the possibility of release anytime in the future.
The trial even indicated that the death penalty was on the table, but since one juror refused to vote in favor of the verdict, it resulted in a life sentence in prison. As a result, Christopher would spend the rest of his life at the State Correctional Institution in Phoenix with no chance of parole.
Don't forget to catch The Lookout on Investigation Discovery this Sunday, May 15, 2022.
