Murder on the mind

After a hectic holiday season, after all the stress and commotion, Dennis White just wanted to sit in the quiet of his therapist's Long Island office and talk.

But the minute he walked into that office, on the day after Christmas 2002, it was obvious to the patient that his psychiatrist was the one who needed help.

Dennis White: He looked ragged. His whole demeanor was different.

Hoda Kotb: What do you mean?

Dennis White: His clothes were a mess. And his shirt was open. And his pants were kind of open.

Hoda Kotb: Did you ask him what was wrong?

Dennis White: That's when it all began. Yeah.

Dennis says seeing his therapist sitting in front of him, disheveled and down in the dumps, he forgot all about his own troubles.

Dennis White: And I was like, "You know, it’s OK. You know, you can talk." I said, "You were always there for me." And he started to open up a little bit. And it was just done in like little increments. He wouldn't just blurt things out.

Hoda Kotb: He said he had some problems, but he wasn't specific?

Dennis White: One of the problems I remember him telling me about was he had a problem with a female patient. He was telling me that he knew that it was, kind of like a wrong thing for him to be doing and he was very worried.

For the rest of that session, Dennis says, the roles of patient and therapist were reversed.

Though vague, Dennis says Dr. Karpf told him the former female patient was out of control--an abuser of drugs and alcohol and sexually aggressive towards him. Dennis says Dr. Karpf said he was worried that she could even cause him to lose his license.

Hoda Kotb: What was that like when the guy who you were telling all of your secrets to was suddenly revealing this, sort of, bombshell secret to you?

Dennis White: I was like "Wow, I can do something for you." Or, you know, I felt I could be helpful.

He had no idea what it would turn into. Dennis says that over the next few days, Dr. Karpf asked him if he could help him get a used van. But, he says, the doctor didn't want it registered in his own name. Dennis also says he wanted help renting a boat, too. But again, the doctor didn't want his name associated with it in any way.

Dennis White: He's like, "Well, I want to, you know, rent a boat. And I just need to find a place where there's shark invested waters."

Hoda Kotb: What did you think?

Dennis White: I didn't know if he just wanted to, you know, maybe hunt the sharks or fish for sharks.

By now, Dennis says, he and his psychiatrist were talking almost daily--not in the doctor's office, but in Dennis's shop.

Dennis White: I was usually running around, or it was busy. But I did feel awkward, you know?

Not only that, but Dennis says their conversations seemed to focus exclusively on Dr. Karpf and that problem he was having with a female patient.

Hoda Kotb: What did he say that made you go, "What?"

Dennis White: Well, he asked me if I would help him take care of a problem that he had. And I said, “Is it the same problem that you were telling me?" He says, "Well, it's relative to that." He says, "but there's other people involved." He said, you know, “I would really need to get my hands on a good gun." And he says, "Would you know anybody"

At first, Dennis thought it might be part of his therapy. A test of his trust and commitment to his psychiatrist.

Then Dr. Karpf added a devastating detail.

Dennis White: He indicated to me that it had to have a silencer. Like the biggest silencer a gun could have.

Suddenly all the dots were starting to connect.

A fictitiously registered van.

An anonymously rented boat.

Shark invested waters.

Dennis knew there was only one reason to buy a gun with a silencer.

Dennis's mind reeled. Was it possible that his psychiatrist was planning a murder?

Dennis White: I knew I could not let this kind of thing go. The way I felt is if I wasn't the one he was coming to maybe he'd go somewhere else. And it was definitely up to no good.

Fighting off a wave of anxiety, Dennis decided to take matters into his own hands.

In a play for time, Dennis told Karpf he knew a guy who could get him a gun.

Next, he bought a cheap tape recorder and put it in his pocket so he could record his next conversation with Karpf.

Once the police heard the kinds of things his psychiatrist was talking about, Dennis was sure they would step in and he'd be off the hook.

Though garbled and hard to decipher, Dennis's recording did interest the cops. But instead of allowing Dennis to walk away from the plot, the police wanted him to stay on the case.

Dr. Richard Karpf: If anybody asks you anything--we never had this conversation

Dennis White: I know, I know.

In a nerve-wracking turn of events, the police asked Dennis to wear a police wire to record more details of what his psychiatrist was up to.

Dennis White: I was almost at the point where I told them I really am not comfortable. They were like, "well s--, don't worry. You know we'll have a you know, we'll protect you."

At their next meeting, Dr. Karpf was intent on learning more about Dennis' contact, the guy Dennis said could get him a gun.

Dr. Richard Karpf: The whole idea is that if your man is willing to guarantee me some high quality product--you know, in that area--you know, that's not going to fail on me.

Dennis White: As far as the gun failing you mean?

Dr. Richard Karpf: Yeah, right.

With the police now listening to their every word, Dennis tried to talk his psychiatrist out of going through with it.

Dennis White: You're a good doctor. You've got a good practice. I’ve seen your degrees. You worked so hard to get that. OK? I actually look up to you for that. And it troubles me that maybe you're going to throw it away because of what somebody else did.

But Dr. Karpf was not backing off. In fact, he told Dennis that murder--under the right circumstances--can be therapeutically beneficial.

Dr. Karpf: There are a lot of things that are very, very moral, that are very, very emotionally unhealthy. The fact is it may be the right thing to do in order to have the most emotionally healthy situation.

After hearing the tapes, police were convinced Dr. Karpf intended to kill somebody. But they still didn't know who.

The only person on earth who could find out was Dennis White.

Dennis White: I didn't want to make a mistake. I didn't know how far out of his mind he was. And he was coming always at night now, when there was nobody there. I was like always having that thought of "Well, what if he thought he told me too much?”

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