Feder: ABC 7 documentary strings together 'classic whodunit' on stolen violin
From his workshop in northwest suburban Prairie Grove fifth-generation master violin maker Paul Becker transforms wood, strings and glue into prized instruments that sell for $36,000.
The family business traces its origins to Becker's great great grandfather, Herman Macklett, who started making violins in the mid-1800s in Chicago. Today Carl Becker & Son produces handmade violins, violas, and cellos cherished by musicians around the world.
But none is ever likely to match the value of the $3 million Davidoff Stradivarius, regarded by experts as "the world's greatest violin," that was stolen from the New York apartment of famed violinist Erica Morini days before she died in 1995.
Despite enough suspicious characters to fill a mystery writer's drawing room, the heist still leads the FBI's list of the top 10 unsolved art crimes.
This weekend Becker is featured in a true-crime documentary produced by ABC-owned WLS-Channel 7. "Stolen: The Unsolved Theft Of A $3,000,000 Violin" premieres at 11 p.m. Sunday on ABC 7. It's also available on the station's website, 24/7 streaming channel and on Roku, Fire, Apple and Android TV.
Becker offers insight into what makes a great violin and why he believes Morini's Stradivarius must still be out there somewhere.
• Get the full report, and more Chicago media news, at robertfeder.com.