Endgame

Episode of 48 Hours · May 13, 2026 · 41 min

48 Hours correspondent Bill Lagattuta reports on the 1996 disappearance of Janet March and how Nashville cold-case detectives finally convicted her husband Perry March.

Summary

This classic 48 Hours episode, originally aired in 2007, followed the case of Janet Levine March, a Nashville artist and mother of two who vanished in August 1996. Her husband, attorney Perry March, maintained she left after an argument for a 12-day vacation. Her parents, Carolyn and Larry Levine, and friends insisted she would never abandon her children; the couple disputed who delayed reporting her missing for two weeks. Investigators found her car with her passport, noted the missing computer hard drive and Perry's replacement of his tires, and named him prime suspect.

Perry March moved his children to Chicago and then to Ajijic, Mexico, where his father Arthur lived, fighting a prolonged custody and visitation battle with the Levines. Cold case detectives Pat Postiglione and Bill Pridemore took over in 2002 and, despite having no body, obtained a murder indictment in 2004; Mexican authorities expelled March and he was returned to Nashville.

While jailed, March solicited inmate Russell Nathaniel Farris to kill the Levines. Farris cooperated with police and recorded conversations and phone calls with Arthur March, who was arrested at the airport. Arthur then turned state's evidence, testifying that Perry said he struck Janet with a wrench during an argument and that Arthur helped move her body to a brush pile in Kentucky; her remains were never found.

At the 2006 trial, defense attorney Bill Massey argued there was no body and cited son Sammy's account of waving goodbye to his mother. Perry March declined to testify and was convicted of second-degree murder, abuse of a corpse, and tampering with evidence, receiving 56 years in total. Arthur March received five years and died in prison. Massey contended the original evidence would not have convicted his client.

Chapters

0:16
Cold open
Nashville cold case detectives introduce the Janet March case and their decision to charge Perry March.
3:28
Perry March's account
Perry March describes the argument and the list he says Janet left before driving away in August 1996.
6:37
Janet's life and family
Janet's parents and friends describe her devotion to her children, art career, and dream home, insisting she would not leave.
8:33
The missed birthday and delayed report
Janet fails to return for Sammy's birthday, and Perry and the Levines blame each other for waiting two weeks to call police.
10:56
The initial investigation
Police find Janet's car and passport, search the house, and focus on the missing hard drive and Perry's new tires.
14:14
Custody battle and move to Mexico
Perry moves the children to Chicago and then Mexico, remarries, and battles the Levines over visitation and custody.
18:44
Cold case unit and arrest
Detectives Postiglione and Pridemore obtain an indictment without a body, and Mexico expels March to face charges.
21:48
The jailhouse murder plot
March solicits inmate Nate Farris to kill the Levines, and Farris records conversations and calls to Arthur March.
28:35
Arthur March's confession
Arrested for conspiracy, Arthur March turns state's evidence and describes helping move and dispose of Janet's body.
34:40
The trial
Prosecutors rely on Arthur March and Farris while the defense argues no body means no murder; Perry declines to testify.
38:17
Verdict and aftermath
March is convicted and sentenced to 56 years, Arthur receives five years, and detectives and the Levines reflect on justice for Janet.

Key points

What was said, by whom, with the exact words. Timestamps jump to the moment.

Pat Postiglione
Postiglione states that detectives believe Perry March killed Janet on the night of August 15, 1996.
“We believe that Perry killed Janet March the night of August the 15th, 1996, between 8 and 9 p.m”
Listen from 1:48 · Disappearance and murder of Janet March
Perry March
Perry March claims Janet made him sign a list of chores before leaving for vacation.
“And she made me sign her list that I would have these things done when she got back, and she said, see ya”
Listen from 5:43 · Disappearance and murder of Janet March
Perry March
Perry March asserts that the Levines prevented him from reporting Janet missing to avoid embarrassing her.
“Carolyn and Larry would not let me report it. They were very concerned that if we reported something to the authorities, it would end up embarrassing Janet”
Listen from 9:25 · Disappearance and murder of Janet March
Larry Levine
Larry Levine counters that Perry insisted on hiring a private investigator rather than going to the police.
“Perry insisted he didn't want to go to the police. He wanted to go see a private investigator”
Listen from 9:37 · Disappearance and murder of Janet March
Carolyn Levine
Carolyn Levine recounts that on the day she disappeared, Janet asked her to accompany her to a divorce lawyer.
“She asked me to go with her the next day to see a divorce lawyer. I was concerned for her marriage”
Listen from 10:21 · Disappearance and murder of Janet March
Mickey Miller
Miller explains that the two-week reporting delay gave the killer time to dispose of the body and caused evidence loss.
“It gives somebody, whoever committed this crime, a chance to dispose of the body. It would make it difficult to locate”
Listen from 12:13 · Cold case investigations
Perry March
Perry March suggests that Larry Levine or his own father could have removed the missing computer hard drive.
“there's two people who are high on my list that could have removed it, people that I know. One of them is Larry Levine and the other one is my father”
Listen from 13:19 · Disappearance and murder of Janet March
Mickey Miller
Miller reports that the tire company questioned Perry's tire change, which Perry explained as a brand preference.
“Perry said that he just didn't like the type tires that were on the car at the time. He wanted a different brand”
Listen from 14:04 · Disappearance and murder of Janet March
Perry March
Perry March says he moved to Mexico to start a new life away from the Levines.
“I moved to Mexico because I needed to get the hell out of Dodge and start a new life and get out of their clutches”
Listen from 15:25 · Grandparents' visitation rights
Linked moment · 18:44Skip to 18:44 using a listen link in the info box.
Pat Postiglione
Postiglione acknowledges that in 2002 detectives had no body or physical evidence such as blood indicating Janet was dead.
“Do we have a body? No, we don't have a body. Do we have anything that indicates she's dead? Blood, for example”
Listen from 19:42 · No-body murder prosecution
Bill Pridemore
Pridemore says March underestimated the detectives and tried to learn what evidence they had during the flight back.
“I thought we were just two country cops, country hit cops, going to pick him up”
Listen from 21:20 · Cold case investigations
Pat Postiglione
Postiglione says detectives were astonished to hear March on tape instructing that the killings occur when the children were absent.
“When we heard him talk about make sure you do it when the kids are not there, we just found it incredible”
Listen from 24:00 · Jailhouse murder-for-hire plot against the Levines
Bill Pridemore
Pridemore argues that March wanted the Levines killed because their absence would strengthen his defense.
“With his hatred of the Levines, he starts calculating how much better his case will be if they were gone”
Listen from 24:28 · Jailhouse murder-for-hire plot against the Levines
Arthur March
Arthur March concedes the recorded calls sounded incriminating, attributing it to his big mouth.
“Well, it does. I mean, I have a big mouth. And I probably said some things I shouldn't have said”
Listen from 29:35 · Jailhouse murder-for-hire plot against the Levines
Arthur March
Arthur March testified that Perry told him he struck Janet with a wrench after she came at him with a knife.
“She grabbed a butcher's knife or kitchen knife. And when it came at him, he picked up a wrench, small wrench, and hit her with it”
Listen from 30:58 · Disappearance and murder of Janet March
Arthur March
Arthur March describes deciding to hide Janet's remains in a brush pile in Kentucky so they would never be found.
“And I got the idea, well, that's the best way to get rid of the body, because nobody will ever find it”
Listen from 32:47 · Disappearance and murder of Janet March
Arthur March
Arthur March says he viewed the body only as something to destroy in order to protect his son.
“It was something that had to be destroyed so that I could save my son”
Listen from 34:00 · Disappearance and murder of Janet March
Arthur March
Arthur March expresses regret for his involvement.
“If I'd had some sense, I probably said no to the beginning of it, never got involved”
Listen from 40:20 · Jailhouse murder-for-hire plot against the Levines
Pat Postiglione
Postiglione hopes that after the conviction attention will shift to Janet rather than Perry.
“And now maybe the attention will be on Janet versus on Perry”
Listen from 40:38 · Trial of Perry March

People

In the conversation

Bill Lagattuta48 Hours correspondent who narrates and conducts the interviews
Pat PostiglioneSergeant in the Metro Nashville Police Homicide Cold Case Unit
Bill PridemoreDetective in the Metro Nashville Homicide Cold Case Unit
Perry MarchFormer Nashville attorney convicted of murdering his wife, Janet March
Carolyn LevineMother of Janet March
Larry LevineFather of Janet March and Nashville lawyer
Arthur MarchFather of Perry March who confessed to helping dispose of Janet March's body
Mickey MillerNashville detective who led the original missing persons investigation

Discussed

Janet MarchNashville artist and mother of two who disappeared in August 1996
Russell Nathaniel FarrisJail inmate whom Perry March solicited to kill the Levines and who cooperated with police
Zippy MarchDaughter of Janet and Perry March

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From the publisher

In August 1996, Janet Levine March disappeared without a trace and her case remained unsolved for years. Her husband, Perry March, claimed she left home after an argument and never returned. However, investigators and Janet’s family believed he killed her. Over the years, Perry moved with his children to Mexico and started a new life but Nashville cold-case detectives continued investigating. "48 Hours" correspondent Bill Lagattuta reports. This classic "48 Hours" episode last aired on 7/3/2007. Watch all-new episodes of “48 Hours” on Saturdays and stream on demand on Paramount+.

Summary, chapters and key points were generated from the episode transcript on September 28, 2026. Quotes are checked word for word against the transcript.

Categories: True Crime·Documentary