A home invasion in Iowa with more questions than answers | Forensic Files

[Music] our episodes deal with serious and often distressing incidents if you feel at any
time you need support please contact your local crisis center for suggested phone numbers for confidential support
and for a more detailed list of content warnings please please see the show notes for this episode on your app or on
our website the evening of Thursday December 13 2001 started out like any other for
married couple Kenley and Jane showmaker the two were relaxing at home in the rural town of early Iowa when
Suddenly at around 7:07 p.m. their Pages started frantically beeping [Music] the couple volunteered as emergency
medical technicians for the early fire department and the page announced that there had just been a home invasion at a
residential address a few doors down gunshots had been fired and at least one Intruder was injured while
another had fled the scene the showmakers were stunned such an incident was completely
out of the ordinary for the small town of roughly 650 50 residents where serious crimes were virtually
non-existent they rushed to the property in question a blue two-story Victorian style house that they knew was home to
married couple Michael and Tracy Roberts and their three young children the Robert's family had moved
to there from Chicago 2 years earlier seeking a change of pace from the big city Michael an Australian expad was a
computer security expert who ran a computer business out of the property next door to their
home they were an upstanding Christian family who fit in well with the close-nit
community the showmakers arrived before law enforcement did as EMTs they'd been taught never to enter a home until it
had been cleared by police so they waited across the street for several minutes until the first
officer arrived the officer approached cautiously with their weapon raised scouring the property for any sign of
danger the homeowner 35-year-old Tracy Roberts appeared on the back porch telling the officer that two men had
broken into her house and launched an attack she'd managed to escape into her bedroom and grab one of her husband's
guns which she'd used to shoot one of The Intruders the other had fled on foot though she wasn't sure in in which
direction more officers arrived and cleared each room of the house before waving the EMTs
inside the showmakers raced upstairs to the main bedroom numerous empty shell casings
were scattered near the doorway and the air red of gunpowder on the floor at the bottom of
the bed a young man wearing a brown leather jacket lay slumped in a thick puddle of blood his body resting in the
Fatal position he'd been shot several times in the head one of the bullets striking him directly
through the eye socket blood spatter covered the northern wall of the bedroom Kenley showmaker checked for a
pulse but found none declaring the man to be deceased his next priority was to check on the
Robert's family Tracy and her three children were gathered in the downstairs dining room
frantically trying to tell the officers what happened while the kids were unharmed
there was a red mark about 2 to 3 in thick running horizontally across Tracy's neck she explained one of The Intruders
had tried to strangle her and she was having trouble swallowing while Tracy had initially
appeared relatively calm she was becoming increasingly hysterical her husband Michael was away
on a business trip but Tracy said she was expecting him home any minute it dawned on her that the man
she'd shot could have been Michael oh God is it my husband she asked her breathing becoming short and
shallow as the panic in her voice grew Tracy's 11-year-old son Bert chimed in no he said I think it's Dustin wedi
[Music] after being taken to the hospital for assessment Tracy Roberts was given the
all clear to provide her full version of events to the police Tracy explained that she'd been upstairs
giving her one-year-old daughter a bath when she heard two men talking at the bottom of the
stairs initially Tracy thought it was her husband Michael and his business partner as she was expecting them home
from their business trip that evening she bundled her daughter up and carried her out to say
hello that's when she realized the man climbing the stairs wasn't her husband but a complete stranger
terrified Tracy yelled out to her eldest child 11-year-old Bert someone's in the
house she bolted towards Bert's room where he and Tracy's three-year-old son were watching
television Tracy hurled the baby into the room when suddenly the man grabbed her from behind and yanked her into the
hallway Tracy yelled at Bert to shut his door and stay inside she began fighting against the man with
all her might thrusting backwards so hard that she caused him to stumble into the
wall you [ __ ] [ __ ] he scouted yelling out to the other man get her at that point Tracy felt something
tighten around her neck and she was yanked back by her ponytail all she could think about was
protecting her family she managed to break free and race into her bed room where her husband
kept a safe full of guns under the bed through the dark she dove into the space between her bed and the dresser
got her hands on the safe and pulled it out she tried to enter the combination but her glasses had been knocked off
during the scuffle and she couldn't see what she was doing the safe wouldn't unlock she tried again to no
avail then one of the men grabbed her by the neck back from behind her hands still clutching the safe she pushed in
the numbers one more time this time it clicked open Tracy grabbed onto the first gun
that she touched a 9mm Baretta aimed it over her right shoulder and pulled the trigger something snapped but it didn't
fire desperately trying to remember how the gun worked Tracy clocked the hammer back and a over her shoulder a second
time this time a loud shot rang out but the man continued to struggle against her Tracy got to her knees turned as far
as she could to her right and pulled the trigger several more times this time the attacker stopped
moving Tracy couldn't see much through the dark terrified she sat still and listened
the man was still breathing heavily but she couldn't tell where exactly he was then towards the doorway Tracy saw a
silhouette died away followed by the sound of footsteps descending the stairs Tracy grabbed a second gun a six-
shot revolver and tried to summon the courage to leave the bedroom she saw something lying on her
bedroom floor but couldn't tell if it was the man or or something else entirely like a duffel
bag eventually she got the nerve to stand up both guns raised she turned on the light the man she'd shot was lying face
down on the bedroom floor Tracy carefully approached him when suddenly he moved stay there she
warned it looked like he was trying to either get up or roll over he moved again Tracy pulled the trigger on the
Beretta but it was empty she pulled the trigger on the revolver instead several bullets shot into the
back of the man's head until the weapon clicked empty 11-year-old Bert told police he'd
been watching a movie with his little brother in his bedroom when Tracy thrust their baby sister at them and told them
to stay inside Bert did as he was told grabbing a baseball bat from his bedroom locker
and pressing his ear to the door he could hear the commotion unfolding outside along with the voices
of two men while he couldn't be sure exactly what the men were saying Bert told the
police it sounded like one of them said okay boss followed by something about an
axe Bert thought it was a prank he yelled out to his mom asking if she was okay one of the men opened Bert's
bedroom door and warned shut up or you're next in the hallway Bert heard the man
discussing something about his dad being killed he recognized one of their voices it sounded like Dustin wedi a
20-year-old friend of the family shortly after this Bert heard a gunshot a man's voice said holy
[ __ ] then there were several more gunshots followed by the sound of someone running Tracy rushed into Bert's room
and told him to take his siblings downstairs and call 911 Bert did as he was told telling the
operator my mom somebody came into our house and they tied her up and they were they were choking
her my mom got the gun and shot the other one and one ran off other than the injury to Tracy's
neck which was deemed to have been caused by a pair of panty hoes and some slight bruising to her left arm she and
her children were unharmed but Bert's assumption was correct the Intruder in Tracy's bedroom
was confirmed to be 20-year-old Dustin wedi when Tracy was informed of this she was
shocked she told police she barely knew Dustin his mother Mona worked parttime for the Roberts's computer business and
her husband Michael had taken Dustin under his wing Dustin was socially awkward and
didn't have many friends so Michael had invited him out paintballing a few times
to help build his confidence Tracy told the police that Dustin had knocked on her door several
hours before the home invasion asking if she had any odd jobs he could do because
he needed money Tracy felt uncomfortable being around to Dustin alone claiming Mona had
told her that he'd been physically violent towards both her and her two daughters Tracy told Dustin to come back
once Michael had returned from his business trip the next day she told the police she couldn't
think of any reason why Dustin would want to hurt her robbery seemed an obvious motive yet
nothing of value had been stolen despite there being expensive jewelry cash and Firearms kept on the
premises the only item missing was an old computer which had next to no monetary
value police found the computer packed neatly into the back of Dustin's car which was parked outside of the
Roberts's business and the hard drive contained nothing to indicate a motive Tracy had never seen the other
Intruder before she described him as being around 35 to 40 years old tall and of average
build with dark wavy hair he wore a black leather jacket was goodlooking and spoke with a Chicago
accent searches of the property and surrounding areas turned up no sign of him or any
clue as to who he might be but when the police asked if Tracy could think of anyone else who might
wish her harm one person immediately sprang to mind her ex-husband John [Music] Pitman Tracy had met John when she was
just 20 years old at the time time she was working as a radiographer at a teaching Hospital in Chicago where
30-year-old John was completing the fourth year of his medical degree the two worked together before
things took a romantic turn and they were married in 1988 but as Tracy explained to the
police it didn't take long for Jon to reveal his controlling side Tracy claimed JN was abusive and
domineering and also had some Str strange sexual habits Tracy said she put up with it
because she was young and had lived a sheltered life being raised to believe that kind of behavior was
normal as time went by Tracy gave birth to Bert who was the couple's first and only
child Tracy was thrilled to be a mother but she soon found out that John was cheating on her she tried to make things
work but by 19 1992 she'd reached the end of her tether the couple separated and began
sharing custody of ber until the 3-year-old disclosed a shocking Revelation his father had been touching
him inappropriately Tracy took ber to see a doctor who suspected that toddler was
being sexually abused Tracy reported the allegations to authorities and Social Services got
involved but John firmly denied the claims and no formal charges were ever laid against
him a bitter divorce and custody battle ensued which lasted for many years even after both Tracy and John remarried and
had other children at the time of the home invasion the custody battle was still
ongoing John Pitman lived with his second wife over a thousand miles away in the state of Virginia but as far as
Tracy was concerned Jon had the motive to want her out of the picture and was capable of orchestrating an attack
against her when Tracy's husband Michael Roberts returned from his business trip to find
his wife and kids being evaluated in the hospital he agreed that John Pitman could be a potential
suspect it had been a constant source of disbelief for Michael that Jon was continuing to fight for C of Bert
despite the allegations against him after one particularly heated day in court John allegedly called Michael and
warned that nothing would make him give up saying I have very Deep Pockets yet despite this John Pitman
wasn't the first person Michael thought of when it came to who might want to harm his wife
4 years earlier Tracy had confided something to Michael that he hadn't been able to
shake it was an incident that had occurred just after he and Tracy had gotten married Michael was still living in
Australia at the time and was in the process of relocating to the United States while Tracy was living in Chicago
and working part-time as an assistant for an oral surgeon named Dr Jonathan Spencer not his real name
Tracy told Michael that Dr Spencer agreed to treat her for jaw pain she'd been experiencing he gave her some gas to
sedate her for the procedure but the mask slipped off halfway through and Tracy regained
Consciousness she found a Dr Spencer on top of her masturbating Tracy's underwear had been
removed and she'd been dressed in thigh high stockings with a pair of high heels
that were a size to [Music] small realizing what was going on Tracy kicked at Dr Spencer in the genal and
jumped to her feet after getting her bearings she managed to grab her pepper spray and
used it to incapacitate him at this point Tracy noticed several Polaroid photos on the
counter they were provocative images of her taken while she was unconscious Dr Spencer who was married
begged Tracy not to tell anyone he said he had friends in high places and it wouldn't end well for her
if she attempted to press charges eventually after some negotiations the two came to a mutual
agreement in exchange for Tracy's silence Dr Spencer would give her $150,000 he also agreed to pay for Tracy
to attend an annual conference in Florida as well as the return air fars for her and Michael to visit Australia
that coming Christmas furthermore Tracy would be excused from repaying $118,000 that she had recently borrowed
from Dr Spencer to buy a new car after hers was in an accident Tracy agreed on the condition
that Dr Spencer put all of this in writing they put together a contract in which Dr Spencer admitted to duping
Tracy into consenting to be sedated he confessed that he quote secretly intended to remove and
replace articles of Tracy Robert's clothing fundle her breasts and genitals take photographs of her and make
subliminal suggestions he also admitted that he had a problem with the Deviant sexual
behavior and pharmaceutical drugs for which he agreed to seek help Tracy didn't tell Michael about the
assault or the contractual agreement until Dr Spencer failed to pay her as promised she then filed a civil lawsuit
against him for medical malpractice but still he refused to uphold his end of the
bargain Dr Spencer disputed the civil suit and eventually he and Tracy settled outside of
Court Spencer agreed to pay Tracy just $6,000 in exchange for her dropping the civil
lawsuit entirely the settlement had been reached on Tuesday December 9 2001 just 2 days
before the attack on Tracy Police investigating the home invasion couldn't ignore the potential
significance they looked into Dr Jonathan Spencer's whereabouts at the time of the crime but he had an air tied
up Albi furthermore he was still located in Chicago which was roughly 450 mi from
early and they could find no link between him and Dustin wedi the same went for Tracy's
ex-husband John Pitman who had been nowhere near early on the night of the crime John told the police he didn't
have met dust and wedi and had no connection to him whatsoever but an item found in Dustin's
Vehicles suggested otherwise on his front seat was a hot pink spiral bound notebook that
contained six pages of strangely worded and convoluted handwriting it appeared to be Dustin's
journal the first undated posts began with the words one day about 20 years ago a boy
was born into a middle class life directly C underneath that was a series of numbered entries in which
Dustin said that a mysterious fellow named John Pitman had offered him some work Dustin wrote that he'd decided to
start a journal so there was a record of this man whom he henceforth referred to
as JP he went on to list several oddly worded facts about JP including that he was a white male from Virginia who was
aged in his 40s and that he worked as some kind of doctor Dustin wrote that JP quote had a
thing for strippers and hookers and that he tortures victims with household items
from their homes he claimed that JP had an obsessive hatred for both Tracy Roberts
and his current wife whom he wanted to divorce Dustin wrote that while JP loved his son he wanted him dead he
explained JP wants me to force his ex TR to kill her son Bert and then commit suicide if that plan failed Dustin was
to quote make it appear as though tar committed the murder of her son and then committed
suicide if the plan worked Dustin wrote that JP would then hire him to kill JP's
parents and frame his wife for the crime in order to collect an insurance payout The Notebook also implicated JP's
lawyer a man named Steven Comey in the murder for H plot saying that he would facilitate the payment on JP's
behalf unsure exactly what to make of the notebook the police quickly decided not to tell anyone outside of the
investigation about it they simply showed a sample of the handwriting to Dustin's parents Mona and
brat weedi who immediately recognized it as their son's distinct penmanship however the weedies refused
to believe that their son could have entered the Roberts's home with any ill intent while Dustin had a history of
mental illness and had always struggled to fit in his mother Mona described him as a sweet boy with a huge
heart she felt he'd been misunderstood from a young age diagnosis for various conditions
including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and Oppositional Defiant Disorder had leted others to
unfairly label him having been bullied throughout his childhood Dustin had very few friends
and he was therefore thrilled when Tracy's husband Michael Roberts offered to take him under his
wing he looked forward to their paintballing trips immensely and was constantly asking Mona when he could go
out with Michael again it therefore made no sense to the wadies that Dustin would do anything to
hurt Michael's family if anything they wondered whether Dustin had been in the house because he
was actually trying to protect Tracy and her children perhaps he'd witnessed something sinister going down and tried
to come to the rescue yet a search of Dustin's room turned up another notebook inside it Dustin had scrolled
two words that appeared to read I killer Pitman given that Bert's last name was Pitman they wondered whether this was
further evidence of Dustin's intention to kill Bert or Tracy they searched the weedy's home and
ran forensic checks on Dustin's computer but uncovered nothing to indicate a link
between Dustin John Pitman or John's lawyer Steven Comey there were no suspicious online
searches nor was there any evidence that Dustin had been corresponding with anyone let alone planning the home
invasion or any other crime police also checked the wedi family's phone records from Thursday
December 13 2001 at 4:34 p.m. a call had come through that hadn't been answered police traced it to a local man
28-year-old Jeremy Collins Jeremy was an Army vet who'd been discharged from service after
suffering a traumatic brain injury and being diagnosed with post-traumatic stress
disorder more recently he worked as a delivery driver for a frozen food company Jeremy Collins vaguely fit the
suspect description of the second Intruder in that he was of similar age height and had dark
hair when confronted Jeremy said he knew who Dustin wedi was but he denied that the two had ever spoken or spent any
time together police canvased neighbors and local businesses but nobody had witnessed anything suspicious on the
evening of December 13 as days passed with no arrests or breakthroughs in the case Tracy Roberts
gave an interview to a local reporter from the Storm Lake times speaking at length about the
attack she rejected the possibility that Dustin wedi could have entered her home
with Good Will saying it was Dustin who was pulling on me that kid was not coming in my house
to save me struggling to understand it all Tracy told the reporter a lot of things don't make
sense why were they there they never asked for money or jewelry why me and why my
family despite the trauma of her ordeal Tracy stated I want the weedies to know that
we care about them that our heart goes out to them that empathy was shared by the
local community with hundreds of residents gathering at the early United Methodist Church for Dustin's
funeral the Reverend told those in attendant there can be a moment of shock disbelief and even anger when we learn
of the violent death of a loved one Dustin enjoyed his short life this is such a tender delicate hour
probably for the Roberts too it's time to acknowledge a fractured community a town once known for its
safety that suddenly reels for answers early was the kind of place where residents trusted one another and
rarely bothered to lock their doors but with the second intrud us still on the loose the tight-nit
community was gripped by fear they commended Tracy Roberts for her bravery with many labeling her a
hero for doing what she needed to protect herself and and her family the accolades did a little to
quell Tracy's anxiety terrified that the second perpetrator would come after her again
she began wearing a panic button that was connected to an alarm system to make sure investigators were
doing their jobs she drove past the county attorney's office in the evenings to check if the office light was still
on Tracy told the police that she couldn't stop thinking about who could have done this to
her there's a 100 possibilities running through my head she said and right now I'm afraid of all of
them Tracy remained convinced that her ex-husband John Pitman had something to do with
it her son Bert thought so too according to a report released by dateline in the weeks following the
crime Bert told a social worker that John didn't call in the wake of the attack to see how he was
doing Bert said if you were actually like a good father I think if you're worried you'd
call while the police continued to search for any potential links between John Pitman and Dustin wedi Dustin's
mother Mona contacted them saying there was something she needed to get off her chest
Mona wedi was tortured by her son's untimely death and was willing to consider all possible explanations as to
how he came to be in the Robert's home on the night he was killed she therefore admitted to the
police that she was having an affair with the Jeremy Collins the 28-year-old who had called her home phone hours
before Dustin was killed however Mona was perplexed by Jeremy's incoming call she'd been out Christmas shopping
on Thursday December 13 2001 which Jeremy had been aware of why would he call her house at a time
he knew she wouldn't be available just hours after Dustin was killed Jeremy had called Mona to end
their relationship he'd also quit his job as a delivery driver days before the attack
although Mona didn't think it was plausible she told the police she was concerned Jeremy could have been the
second Intruder maybe he'd gotten involved with the Dustin somehow investigators agreed that the
timings seemed suspicious they spoke to Jeremy's wife who said she'd been angry at Jeremy on
the night of December 13 because he'd failed to show up for dinner she called him several times and
discovered he was drinking at a bar in downtown Ida Grove a 30-minute Drive Southwest of
early Jeremy invited his wife to meet him there but she was so angry that she took their children to spend the night
at her mother's house instead on the drive there she passed by the bar at around 700 p.m. and saw his
vehicle parked at the front pH records confirmed her story giving Jeremy a solid
Alibi furthermore police found nothing tying Jeremy Collins to John Pitman nor was there any evidence that he was
connected to Dustin wedi beyond having an affair with his mother as the days passed by with no
developments in the case Tracy's husband Michael Roberts plastered Flyers around
town he was offering a $10,000 reward for anyone with information that led to the arrest and conviction of the second
Intruder who he said had tried to quote murder my wife and best friend Tracy by strangulation Michael told local
reporters that he thought the second Intruder was the one behind the attack while Dustin wedi was just acting under
their influence with the custody battle over Bert continuing ing Michael was now
convinced that Tracy's X John Pitman had something to do with the crime others in early weren't so
sure while Michael claimed to be out of town on a business trip on the night of Thursday December 13 one early resident
came forward to suggest otherwise in 19 1996 Australian businessman Michael Roberts began
frequenting online dating sites and crossed paths with the recently divorced Tracy in a chat room for Christian
singles online dating Was A New Concept at the time and limited technology meant
users couldn't instantly share photos and chat via video like they can today but the two quickly hit it
off Tracy reassured Michael that she used to be a model and he would not be disappointed by her
looks they had been speaking regularly when Tracy suddenly announced that she was flying to Australia to visit
Michael 18 days after her arrival they were married Michael moved to Chicago to live
with his new bride the pair soon relocated to early to raise their family and to start Michael's computer
business on the outside they presented as the perfect couple living a successful and happy life Behind Closed
Doors it was a different story in December 2000 a year before the Fatal home invasion Tracy believed that
her husband's business was doing well she was therefore shocked to receive a call from the bank asking for her
signature on a $75,000 business loan that Michael had applied for against their house
Furious Tracy confronted Michael in his office but he dismissed her concerns saying the loan was none of her
business according to Tracy she went into the office kitchen and took out her frustration by kicking a hole in the
wall Michael ran in and threw her onto the ground he grabbed her by the hair and slammed her head into the drywall
yelling you [ __ ] [ __ ] Tracy was so shaken by the incident that she called the police to
Lodge a report when officers came to the Robert's house to take Tracy's statement
young Bert alleged that he too had been a victim of Michael's physical abuse Michael was subsequently charged
with domestic violence and taken into custody for the night while Child Protective Services looked into Bert's
allegations but when pressed further Bert clarified that he hadn't been talking about Michael Roberts when he
said his father abused him he'd meant his biological father John Pitman the following day Michael pleaded
no contest to the Lesser charge of disturbing the peace and was free to return home although the domestic incident was
kept on the down low the following year when news broke that Tracy had been the target of a potential murder plot many
towns folk were quick to point the finger at Michael Roberts some felt there was simply
something strange about him it was a feeling shared by the police who had been wary of Michael from
the outset of their investigation they thought it was odd that an Australian businessman would
choose the small town of early Iowa of all places to relocate to they wondered if Michael could be
hiding from something police spoke to Tracy's friend friend who described Michael as
controlling he was also the only person in the Robert's household who had a direct connection to Dustin
wedi given that Dustin didn't have many friends and wasn't close to his own father police questioned whether Michael
could have taken advantage of this perhaps he'd convinced a Dustin to try and kill Tracy on his behalf or had
offered him money to do so Tracy's life was was insured for a million doar with Michael's business struggling
financially perhaps he saw her death as a way out of his problems while Michael claimed that he
was out of town on a business trip on Thursday December 13 2001 a local doctor came forward to report having seen him
at a bank in early that morning he remembered it because Michael seemed to be in a
hurry police questioned the bank teller who was working that day but they didn't
recall seeing Michael Roberts Michael's Alibi was double checked and police confirmed that he
wasn't in early when the home invasion took place however that didn't mean he couldn't have orchestrated the
Attack 2 months after the home invasion the police summoned Michael Roberts to the station to s a polygraph
test they asked him three simple questions did you hire anyone to kill your wife did you help or plan with
anyone to break into your home on December 13 2001 do you really know for sure who the
second person was who broke into your home Michael answered each question with a firm
no the results were in conclusive with the polygraph report stating it is the opinion of The
Examiner that the subject is unresponsive to this technique and no conclusion as to guilt or innocence can
be made in this case at this time by this point Tracy had heard The Whispers around town that Michael could
have been involved a friend told her that Michael had undergone a polygraph and failed Yet
Michael hadn't told Tracy a single thing about it even ber started to think that
Michael could be behind at all he later told Dateline that he was troubled by the way Michael reacted upon
arriving at the hospital on the night Dustin was killed to Bert it seems like Michael was
surprised to find that his wife and children were still alive regardless of these suspicions
Tracy stood by Michael and police uncovered no evidence linking him or anyone else to the botched home
Invasion within 2 months the case went cold as the crime was committed just 2 months after the September 11 terrorist
attacks police resources were stretched thin with Tracy's actions deemed justifiable self-defense and one of the
perpetrators already dead figuring out the identity of the second perpetrator and who orchestrated the crime wasn't a
priority the detectives working Tracy's case were reassigned to the more pressing joint terrorism task force
instead for Dustin weedy's mother Mona this wasn't good enough Not only was she left a reeling from the loss of her
eldest child but she and her husband brat had since divorced it pained Mona that everyone
unequivocally accepted Tracy's version of events and was curious to know who masterminded the attack while not
seeming to care about what happened to her son Mona had some serious questions about what transpired on December 13
2001 starting with Tracy's claim that she didn't feel comfortable being left alone with the
Dustin Tracy had told police that on the afternoon of the home invasion Dustin stopped by asking for work and she told
him to come back when Michael was home later in the week according to Mona this wasn't the case
at all just a few days before the shooting one of Mona's daughters had been babysitting the Robert's kids when Tracy
mentioned she had some work for Dustin if he was interested Dustin had recently lost his
job at a local ethanol plant and while Mona thought it was important that he kept himself busy she didn't think he
had the skills to work for the Roberts's computer business during a phone call with Tracy a couple
of days before the shooting Mona voiced her reservations Tracy assured Mona she just
needed him to make some photoc copies and perform other basic tasks and they could give it a go on a trial
basis she told Mona to send Dustin over to their place in the next couple of days for Mona this explained why Dustin
had visited the Robert's home on December 13 after all his car had been parked outside the office next door to their
house in full view of the neighbors if he'd been intending to pull off an attack she wondered why he would
leave his car where anyone could see it and why would he park at the office instead of right outside the house to
facilitate a quicker getaway police had also found no signs of forced entry which suggested to Mona
that Dustin had been invited inside monor also thought it was incredibly strange that the one item
Dustin allegedly stole from the Roberts was an old computer it was an obsolete model packed
Bell which Mona described as a piece of junk Dustin had a strong interest in computers and electronics so it didn't
make sense that he would take this valueless item when the Robert's home was filled with expensive topof the
range machines Tracy claimed the computer had been taken from her children's bedroom
but as far as Mona was concerned there was no way Dustin could have gone upstairs to remove the computer taken it
down into his car and then gone back upstairs to confront Tracy furthermore when Dustin's body was
found he didn't have a single weapon on him if he'd planned to hurt Tracy or anyone else in the house mono wondered
how he intended to do it Dustin wasn't particularly strong and certainly not the intimidating figure
Tracy made him out to be while he'd had his fair share of struggles MOA knew Dustin as a sweet Boy
Who Loved golf computer games snowmobiling and entertaining his family with Goofy
Impressions he'd been so excited to have a friendly relationship with the Robert's family it simply didn't make
sense that he would be part of any plan to kill them Mona wasn't the only one reeling in
the wake of Dustin's death 7 months after the incident Tracy Roberts told the De Moine register that she was
constantly on edge she refused to let anyone into their home and cringed whenever she heard a car drive by
slowly Simple Pleasures like going to to the movies became a thing of the past with Tracy
explaining I can't bear to see anybody getting attacked you don't realize how much violence there is even on TV until
you have been in the situation she told another source she could no longer bring herself to wear
panty hoose nor could she stand the smell of leather as it reminded her of the jacket Dustin wedi was wearing
during the attack both Tracy and Michael appeared on The Montel Williams talk show to share
Tracy's incredible Story of Survival with the national audience Tracy credited her quick
thinking actions to her maternal instincts while she was hurt that Dustin had died as a result she
explained I did what I had to do to protect my family as the one-year anniversary of
Dustin's death approached his father Brett wedi reached his Breaking Point Brett was utterly tormented by
Dustin's death and the accusations against him not a day had gone by since that night that brat hadn't ended up in
tears on Thanksgiving in 2002 brat wrote four letters and left them on his kitchen
table he then drove to the cemetery where Dustin was buried to visit his grave Brett wrapped one arm around Dustin's
marble headstone took out a gun then shot himself through the [Music] heart Brett's suicide Left Mona even
more desperate for answers she hired an attorney who began looking over the case
for themselves they quickly noticed that the version of events Tracy Roberts gave
to various meteor outlets in the days after the crime varied significantly to what she told the police in the
immediate aftermath further inconsistencies arose when she spoke to detectives a week
later some were small like whether the lights in the house were on or off or when she first noticed The
Intruders others were more significant such as how the altercation in the hallway played
out Tracy initially told police she didn't know what she'd been strangled with but told reporters that she'd been
strangled with a pair of panty hoses that had been hanging over the stair banister while she told police she
didn't know who the intruders were she informed reporters she knew one of the men was
Dustin she also said to reporters that she'd blacked out during the struggle while making no mention of this to the
police furthermore Tracy initially told the police there had been not two but three
Intruders very early on she dropped the mention of the third Intruder and police
didn't question it any further there were also some questions about 11-year-old Bert's version of
events most notably Bert had told the police that when Tracy came into his room after shooting Dustin her hands
were tied with nylon not only had Tracy made no mention of this at all it also raised the question if Tracy's
hands were bound how had she managed to shoot not one but two guns and with such
accuracy Mona didn't shy away from speaking to others about these inconsistencies her brother-in-law even
wrote a letter to the editor of a local publication in which he raised several questions about the
investigation rumors began circulating around town that Tracy could have been having an affair with the
Dustin in response Tracy sent Mona a scathing five-page email in which she defended her actions and vilified Mona
for spreading [Music] misinformation as reported by true crime author M William Phelps Tracy claimed
her version of events had been consistent from the get-go she had no doubt that Dustin had
acted with Criminal Intent and even accused Theona of having romantic feelings for Tracy's husband
Michael if anything Tracy believed Mona helped orchestrate the home invasion either by convincing Dustin to murder
Tracy or by co-c conspiring with her ex-husband John Pitman these accusations further
convinced Mona that Tracy had something to hide in a bid to get clear answers Mona
wedi filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Tracy Roberts in 2003 this required Tracy and ber to give
depositions under oath during which their stories revealed even more inconsistencies to finance Tracy's
defense she and Michael lodged a claim with their insurance provider claiming that Tracy's self-defense efforts should
be covered under their homeowners liability policy this prompted yet another deposition
during which Tracy added even more contradictory details ultimately the insurance
provider denied the claim arguing that Tracy's actions were intentional and therefore excluded under the terms of
the policy while Tracy fought the lawsuit her marriage to Michael crumbled in April 2004 Tracy filed a
police report against Michael claiming he was mentally ill she said he'd become paranoid and
was convinced that Tracy was out to get him nervous about what he was capable of
she turned in one of his guns and told police where they could find several other firearms on their
property 2 weeks later Michael filed for divorce while Tracy filed for a protective order against him she was
ultimately granted primary custody of the children and they moved inter state to Nebraska to start a
fresh meanwhile the home invasion that resulted in Dustin weedy's death sat untouched in the cold case files at
Iowa's division of criminal investigation more or less forgotten about until 2008 when special agent
Trent Villa came along agent Villa was relatively new to the DCI when he first started looking
through the bungled home invasion case File when he saw the crime scene photos he was
stunned Tracy Roberts had fired 11 shots in total from two different guns and nine of the bullets struck Dustin wedi
directly Tracy claimed the shots from the first gun were fired over her shoulder while she tried to fight Dustin
off she claimed it had been dark at the time and her GL glasses were knocked off
during the struggle if this was the case agent Villa wondered how Tracy had managed to
strike Dustin with such accuracy looking at the crime scene agent Viller could see no other signs of
a violent struggle Tracy claimed she'd reached the gun safe while fighting Dustin off yet
nothing seemed to be out of place Villa found it hard to believe that Tracy could have made it to the gun
safe at all under such circumstances let alone opened it and retrieved not one but two
guns furthermore firing a gun so close to her ear would have shattered her eardrum or at the very least caused a
damage to her hearing but Tracy reported no such thing to agent Viller it didn't look as
though Dustin had been shot in self-defense it looked like he'd been straight up
murdered then there was the question of where the second perpetrator was while this was happening and Bert's claims
that Tracy's hands were tied up at the same time the more agent Viller learned about
the case the more convinced he became that Tracy hadn't been telling the truth about what happened that
night when he discovered that Tracy and Michael were now divorced and in the middle of a bitter custody battle agent
Villa recognized his chance if either of them knew more than they were letting on this just might be
their time to talk agent Villa started corresponding with Tracy via email and all it took was
the mere mention of Michael's name to rile her up in the Years following their divorce
Michael had defaulted in his child support payments and his relationship with Thea Tracy had grown even more
hostile Tracy who' reverted to her maiden name of RoR claimed Michael harassed her
constantly she was convinced he was the one who orchestrated the home invasion telling agent vill she'd heard Whispers
that Dustin wedi and Michael were having an affair but when investigators reached
out to Michael Roberts a very different story emerged [Music] according to Michael Roberts he'd only
been married to Tracy for a couple of months when the cracks began to show Michael claimed that shortly after
he moved from Australia to be with Tracy he discovered that she was having an affair Michael was a born again
Christian who didn't want to be yet another statistic in the divorce rates so he decided to do his very best to
make the marriage work there were a few happy years as they settled down and had children but
Michael remained wary of Tracy's Behavior things came to a head in December 2000 after Tracy discovered
that Michael had applied for a business loan against their house at the time Tracy told the police
that after she'd kicked the wall in frustration Michael had violently thrown her to the floor slammed her head into
the drywall and verbally abused her speaking to agent Villa following their divorce Michael claimed this was
an outright lie he said that Tracy had become so enraged that she'd kicked holes in the
drywall in turn damaging a 220 volt heater scared she was going to electrocute herself Michael forced her
to the floor it was only after Tracy went home and had a bath that she decided to
report him for domestic violence according to Michael things took a turn after the home invasion that
resulted in Dustin weedy's death Michael became so convinced that Tracy was going to try and implicate him
in coordinating the attack that he eventually started mentally preparing himself for the prospect of facing
prison time when he later found out that Tracy had applied for several life insurance
policies against him he was certain that she was going to kill him then in March 2004 with their
marriage barely hanging on by a thread Tracy suggested they participate in what she called a trust building
exercise desperate to regain Tracy's trust Michael agreed Tracy instructed him to lay down
on a king-sized bed sheet with his arms by his side she then wrapped him in the sheet
as tightly as she could leaving only his head exposed she secured the sheet with
safety pins so that Michael couldn't move and then covered his eyes with a blindfold Tracy left Michael alone on
the bed while she went about some chores she returned about 45 minutes later with a plastic bag and put it over
Michael's head pulling it tight around his neck and poking two small air holes near his
mouth Tracy encouraged Michael to take a deep breaths promising that she'd remove
the bag just before he passed out she claimed this would prove to Michael that she wouldn't kill him even
if she was given the chance it didn't take long for Michael to panic as he started seeing Stars he
begged Tracy to take the bag off she refused telling him to remain calm in a fit of desperation Michael
managed to break free of the bed sheet cocoon but just as he went to rip off the bag Tracy reached over and removed
it first days later Michael filed for divorce he claimed Tracy had been trying to ruin his life ever since taking
custody of their children while painting him as the bad guy and in his [Music] reputation with this information coming
to light agent Viller also reached out to Dr Jonathan Spencer the oral surgeon whom Tracy accused of drugging and
sexually assaulting her in 1997 according to Dr Spencer Tracy's allegations against him couldn't be
further from the truth he claimed the two had already had consensual sex a couple of times when
Tracy showed up at his office one evening and asked him to go into one of the private rooms with
her she said she wanted to live out a fantasy of hers which involved the two of them having sex while high on nitrous
oxide otherwise known as Laughing Gas Dr Spencer agreed he got into the chair first and started inhaling the gas
at which point Tracy suggested he inject some melam instead melam is a common sedative used
in dental procedures to help patients relax while also having a retro amnesic effect again Dr Spencer
agreed the last thing he remembered was Tracy walking towards him with his bag of medical supplies holding the handle
with a napkin presumably so she didn't leave any fingerprints Dr Spencer woke up alone in the chair at
4:00 a.m. with a Band-Aid on his arm where an IV had been and no signs of any sexual activity having taken
place the next day he checked his mailbox and found a copy of the contractual agreement that it apparently
made with Tracy in which he admitted to drugging and sexually abusing her and agreed to pay
$150,000 as well as other expenses in exchange for her silence Dr Spencer was stunned Not only was the
entire contract full of lies he did never signed any such document he then remembered that Tracy
had previously convinced him to provide his signature on a blank piece of paper she'd claimed she was going to
scan it to his computer so that his assistants could send paperwork on his behalf Dr Spencer was more Modified by
the entire experience after seeking advice from his attorney he refused to pay the money but
decided not to report Tracy's extortion attempt to the police after Tracy filed a civil law
suit against him he eventually agreed to settle out of court for $6,000 eager to put the situation behind
him Dr Spencer was adamant about one thing tra RoR was not the innocent victim she portrayed herself
as from the outset of the investigation Tracy's ex-husband John Pitman had been named as a person of
interest but as agent Trent Viller read over the statement Tracy gave police immediately following Dustin weedy's
shooting he noticed that she seemed very eager to bring up Jon's name without being asked Tracy had gone into
great detail about their marriage including the allegations that JN had sexually abused their son
Bert this alone made agent Viller suspicious given everything Tracy had just gone through why was she so eager
to talk about JN furthermore since Tracy and Michael had divorced Bert had gone to live with
John in Virginia it was hard to believe Tracy would willingly agree to such a thing if she
genuinely believed John had been abusing their son agent Viller picked up the phone and
dialed John pitman's number like Michael and Dr Spencer he was eager to set the record straight
when it came to Tracy's allegations against him according to John he hadn't harassed
and abused Tracy it was the other way around he claimed that Tracy had a history of acting erratically and that
he'd long held concerns about her mental state John claimed Tracy had cheated on
him throughout their entire marriage having one Affair after another while accusing JN of being
unfaithful as well as lying constantly she burnt through their money frivolously and without
explanation she once used Jon's credit card to buy expensive gifts for one of her secret
boyfriends when Jon confronted her about it she claimed his credit card had been
stolen every job she had ended in drama or controversy with Tracy always claiming to be the
victim John recounted one story in which Tracy had accosted him one night in a fit of rage after he left a pair of
dirty shoes in their house house she threatened to kill him and ordered that he leave the
house scared of what she might do John was walking out the door when he heard a gunshot he went into the loung room and
found Tracy sitting calmly on the couch with a bullet hole in the ceiling she told him I tried to kill
myself but I'm fine now worried about Tracy's mental Health John called 911 when paramedics arrived Tracy begged
them not to take her away a social worker came out to do an evaluation and John agreed she could
stay after that things calmed down for a while but Tracy soon went back to her old
ways when John discovered that she'd taken out a life insurance policy on him without his approval he hired a private
investigator to follow her around the pi confirmed that Tracy was dating several other men including a
bodybuilder he also claimed that she had stolen one of Jon's prescription pads and used it to fraudulently obtained
steroids which she then sold the pi warned John that his life might be in danger and advised him to
leave the marriage John initiated divorce proceedings and that's when things got
really ugly as he and Tracy tried to reach a custody agreement John noticed that Bert
would often show up for visitations covered in bruises one day Bert arrived with a welt
on his face and said Tracy had hit him concerned that Tracy was physically abusing and neglecting their son Jon
raised the alarm it was only then that Tracy turned around and started accusing him of
sexually abusing bird she took him to a doctor who supported her claims bird was questioned by social
services and examined by an independent Doctor Who found no evidence whatsoever to support Tracy's
accusations John filed a legal action against Tracy on the grounds that she was trying to interfere with his
visitation rights no charges were ever filed against John Pitman and he was granted joint custody
of Bert when Tracy remarried and Bert went to live with her and Michael Roberts in
Iowa johon began fighting for soul custody at the time Dustin wedi was killed a custody hearing was looming and
Tracy stood to lose not only primary custody of Bert but also $11,000 per month in child support payments from
John as far as John Pitman was concerned Tracy framed him in the murder for higher plot so that he'd be arrested and
the custody hearing couldn't go ahead John believed if anyone was capable of orchestrating the purported
home invasion that resulted in Dustin weedy's death it was Tracy while agent vill dug deeper into
the investigation the custody battle between Tracy and Michael Roberts raged on Tracy spoke to agent vill offen
casting suspicion on Michael as The Mastermind behind the home invasion plot in early 2009 Tracy called 911 to
report that someone had broken into her car and left a disturbing photo of Dustin weedy's dead body on the front
seat she accused Michael telling officers on the scene that he was trying to terrorize
her officers immediately suspected Tracy was lying Not only was there no evidence
of a Breakin Michael had recently been granted a protection order against Tracy and in response she'd filed one against
him too the hearing was scheduled to take place the following day leading police
to suspect she was trying to delay or influence proceedings suspicions raised police
were granted a search warrant for trac's apartment on the hard drive of her computer they discovered some disturbing
finds including what was described as bizarre pornography and pictures of dead bodies they also found a passport that
featured Tracy's photo but was issued in the name of Sophie Edwards she also had an Iowa driver's
license and a social security number in the same name police discovered that Tracy had
obtained these items by providing the Iowa Department of Transportation with forged documents which were also found
in her home Tracy claimed she'd changed her name to avoid ongoing harassment from
Michael Roberts but law enforcement suspected otherwise believing she was trying to
flee the country to escape the heat of the Dustin weedi investigation they charged her with perjury and criminal
impersonation which was a felony offense in late 2010 special agent Trent Viller took everything he'd uncovered to
the newly appointed County prosecutor Ben Smith after reviewing all the files Ben
agreed that the case had been poorly investigated the first time around and that Tracy was lying about what
transpired in her house the night dam was killed the investigators agreed that Tracy had orchestrated the entire attack
in the hopes of implicating John Pitman thus giving her an advantage in their upcoming custody
proceedings she' somehow convinced Bert to lie on her behalf with that plan and her second
marriage failing she turned suspicion onto Michael Roberts instead but as convinced as the investigators
were they lacked the evidence to prove it if they were going to press charges against Tracy they'd need something more
concrete back in December 2001 the police had spoken to Tracy's friend Mary Higgins who had defended
Tracy knowing that loyalties change over time in 2011 the new investig team summoned Mary in for another
interview this time Mary admitted she had many lingering questions of her own about the supposed home
invasion Tracy had told Mary that the second Intruder had been wearing a ski mask if this was the case Mary wondered
how Tracy had provided a description of his face Mary had also been taken aback by
the nonchalant emotional way that Tracy spoke about the shooting as though she was reading items of a
grocery list Mary accused Tracy of being a terrible mother who was physically abusive towards
bir she detailed one occasion when she and Tracy were discussing the home invasion and Bert entered the
room Mary claimed that Bert became extremely agitated and started banging his head on the table saying
why did you go back up there you didn't have to shoot him Mary said that in the wake of the
home invasion Tracy had told her that police suspected her ex-husband John Pitman hired Dustin to murder
her Mary explained to the investigators Tracy told me all the stuff in the notebook showed that Dr
Pitman was behind it at this a Trent Villar and prosecutor Ben Smith exchanged a
look for all these years the pink notebook found in Dustin weedy's car had been concealed from anyone outside of
law enforcement including Tracy the only way she could have known about the notebook was if she herself
had something to do with it by this point agent Villa had amassed a number of of emails between himself
and Tracy RoR looking over them he noted that Tracy had described her ex-husband John
Pitman as enjoying playing mind games she wrote that he'd wanted to be a psychiatrist but his parents wouldn't
allow it agent Viller realized this sounded familiar he looked over the pink notebook and noticed that when
describing John Dustin had not only written that he liked to play mind games but also that he
quote wanted to be a shrink family disapproved investigators were convinced that Tracy had dictated the contents of
the notebook to Dustin they just weren't sure how or when there was no evidence of the pair
ever speaking or spending time alone together yet if Mona was correct in claiming that tra had offered Dustin
some work for their business then this provided a window where Tracy could have manipulated Dustin into riding in the
notebook possibly using money or Sachs the police who first investigated the crime had found a notebook in
Dustin's house which they believed contained the words I killer Pitman at the time this had been deemed
further evidence that Dustin had been part of a plot to kill Tracy and Bert prosecutor Ben Smith was flipping
through Dustin weedy's High School yearbook when he noticed a picture of a foreign exchange student named Ila
ditmer something about her name looked familiar Ben compared her name to Dustin's distinct handwriting and
thought the supposed I killer Pitman text could have just as easily read Ila dimar he spoke to Demona wedi who
confirmed that Dustin had a crush on ilka and had once delivered flowers to her home an independent medical examiner was
tasked with reviewing the photos of Tracy's neck injuries he determined that the marks on
Tracy's neck weren't consistent with ligature marks but friction Burns in some accounts Tracy claimed
she'd passed out from the strangulation attempt yet the friction Burns were positioned in such a way that they
wouldn't have caused a loss of consciousness as far as the medical examiner was concerned it was entirely
possible that Tracy had staged being choked ballistic experts and a blood spatter analyst returned to the scene of
the crime to conduct a reconstruction they determined that the first shots could have been fired from
the space between Tracy's Bell into the wall but they weren't shot over her shoulder as she
claimed they'd been fired while Tracy was either crouched down or kneeling and it was possible that she'd been wearing
earplugs at the time Tracy had always claimed that she'd shot Dustin in the head with the second
gun because he started moving and she thought he was trying to stand up the blood spatter analysis determined
that they shots had actually been fired into coagulated blood while Dustin's head was on the
floor this meant Dustin was already dead when Tracy stood above him and shot him
in the head not only did this Pro that Tracy lied about what happened it also proved
that Dustin was no longer a threat when she shot him again thus debunking her claims of self-defense
the Cold Case team had spent 3 years diligently sifting through the cracks in Tracy R's story before they finally felt
they had enough evidence to make their move in Late July 2011 Tracy was summoned to a Starbucks coffee shop
under false pretenses where members of law enforcement from both Iowa and Nebraska placed the now 45-year-old
under arrest for the first-degree murder of Dustin wedi Tracy firmly denied the allegations and
the case went to trial in late October 2011 Tracy's defense team discounted the importance of the pink notebook
recovered from Dustin's car saying it didn't provide any information about what transpired inside the Robert's home
on the night that Dustin was killed they argued that Tracy was a heroic mother who'd acted purely in
self-defense dur during a terrifying home invasion the failure to catch the second
perpetrator and get to the bottom of the plot was blamed on incompetent police work in the early days of the
investigation the defense cast suspicion on Jeremy Collins the man Mona wedi had
been having an affair with at the time while describing Dustin as an unpredictable man with the history of
mental health and behavioral issues but Pitman and took the stand as the star witness for his mother's
defense the now 21-year-old was as supportive of Tracy at the trial as he had been throughout the entire
investigation he told the court he had no doubt that Dustin wedi had bad intentions when entering their home that
night testifying that Dustin looked angry and threatening but said that he'd been very
very very scared that night night and that he thought he and his siblings were going to
die ber denied Mary Higgins claims that he'd been upset with his mother for shooting Dustin saying he had no doubt
that Tracy's actions had saved the lives of herself and their family stating if it wasn't for what my mom did
I wouldn't be sitting here today then for the first time Bert made a shocking admission he claimed that he'd seen
Dustin trying to stand up after Tracy had shot him the first time round thus disputing the forensic evidence that
Dustin was already dead when Tracy shot him in the head for the prosecution this just added
further fuel to their belief that Bert was lying to protect his mother under cross-examination they
asked Bert which versions of events had been his most accurate Bert agreed that the most accurate was
the statement he'd given to police on the night of the shooting the prosecution then presented
him with all the inconsistencies he'd introduced since then they questioned why he didn't
mention any of those details during his initial statement Bert's explanation was that he
might have given those details but the interviewing officer might not have written them down
after hearing all the evidence it took the jury less than 5 hours to reach a unanimous
decision they declared Tracy RoR guilty of Dustin weedy's murder Tracy slumped forward as the
verdict was delivered bursting into tears while her legal team appeared genuinely
shocked Bert sat stone-faced before starting to cry the next day Tracy's father 69-year-old
Bernard RoR who wasn't present for the trial collapsed from a heart attack at his home and
died for Dustin weedy's family Tracy's guilty verdict was a major relief ever since Dustin's death and his
father's subsequent suicide Mona had struggled with depression and alcohol abuse it pained her to hear Dustin being
described in court as someone capable of hurting others while Dustin had his own unique
set of challenges Mona had never known him to be violent and she resented Tracy's claims that Mona had been afraid
of him the guilty verdict brought some justice in restoring Dustin's good character and the family were able to
speak on his behalf at a subsequent sentencing hearing the experience was too much much
for one of Dustin's sisters who became too overwhelmed with emotion and was unable to deliver her Victim Impact
statement his other sister addressed Tracy directly as she said the worst part of all this is that
you cheated my brother Dustin out of his future he never got to fall in love he never got to get married or buy a car or
a house he never got to have kids he missed everything because of you [Music] Mona told the court about how much she'd
struggled in the years since Dustin's murder her hands shaking as she said there's not one day I don't
Envision my son's body see his blood or that I don't live with the horror of my son's
death I don't deserve to have to live my life with this pain without my child addressing Tracy
said I can only wish that when you hear the sound of your door closing in your cold cell you're haunted by all the pain
and misery you have caused to me my family and everyone else you have used and abused Tracy who had chosen not to
testify at the trial was also given the opportunity to speak at the hearing she maintained that she'd killed
Dustin in self-defense and expressed her Sympathy for the wedy family saying she
would rather spend the rest of her life behind bars for a crime she didn't commit than lose one of her
children she continued to cast suspicion on her ex-husband Michael Roberts and tried to introduce inadmissible evidence
before the judge had to call her into line with that he sentenced Tracy RoR to life in prison without the possibility
of parole in the wake of Tracy's conviction Michael Roberts feared for his life he told television news program 60
Minutes that members of Tracy's family harassed him relentlessly having been granted custody
of his and Tracy's two children Michael moved around constantly in an attempt to
keep them away from Tracy's family he wanted to take his children to in Australia but Tracy refused to sign
their passport applications he was also required by a court order to take the children to
visit Tracy in prison the entire situation left Tracy and Michael's oldest son feeling
conflicted he told 60 Minutes that all he wanted was to get on an airplane and leave but he didn't want to leave his
mother behind regardless of what she'd done marking there's a war going on inside my
head Mona wedi told 60 minutes she supported Michael's campaign to move the children to Australia
saying Tracy's not coming back out she has no rights to her children she gave up her rights when she pulled the
trigger on my son as far as I'm concerned Tracy RoR has a dedicated group of supporters who continue to
protest her innocence among them is her son Bert who maintains that he's telling the truth
about what happened on the night of the home invasion on Bert's torso he has a large
tattoo depicting the home invasion Inked in graywash it shows a guardian angel with the head of a demon
being embraced by a woman who is meant to be Tracy Bert showed the tattoo to dat line
producers saying I know for a fact that if my mom didn't do what she did I would be
[Music] dead until 2021 Bert ran a Facebook page called free Tracy RoR in which he
petitioned for Tracy's release from prison the Facebook group has been temporarily paused with Bert explaining
that a new website is in the works whether that website will ever be launched is unknown
Mona wedi has no doubt that Tracy killed Dustin to gain advantage in the custody
battle over Bert through tears Mona told 60 Minutes finding out the true reason of
why Tracy took my son's life to this day haunts me because in her process of trying to save her own son from her
husband she chose to take my son away that's just so hard in my opinion she killed my husband
too he didn't just go out to our son's grave site and put a bullet in his heart because he had no pain she did that to
him she drove him to that Brett wedi was buried directly behind Dustin his gravestone highlighted
by a heart-shaped ornament on Dustin's grave Mona does her best to remember the good times
speaking to wartha M William Phelps for his comprehensive book on the case titled beautifully cruel she relived a
fond memory from Christmas morning when Dustin was just 2 years old Mona and brat had bought Dustin the
most complicated Transformer toy they could find but when they opened it up they realized just how difficult it
would be to put together Brett started reading the instructions to figure fig it out when
they looked over to find Dustin sitting quietly in the corner of the room the toddler had somehow managed to
assemble the entire Transformer on his own to Mona this was just one moment that highlighted how intelligent Dustin
was she told Phelps people called my son slow and a special needs child but he was not he
was just special [Music] [Music]

*** Content warnings: Sexual assault *** When first responders arrived at the Roberts family home in the small town of Early, Iowa, on December 13 2001, they found 20-year-old Dustin Wehde lying in a pool of his own blood. The homeowner, Tracey Roberts, claimed she’d shot Dustin in an act of self-defence after he and another unknown assailant broke in and threatened to kill her and her children. As investigators looked into possible suspects, several persons of interest emerged. But all was not as it seemed.

CREDITS Narration – Anonymous Host Research & writing – Elsha McGill Creative direction – Milly Raso Production and music – Mike Migas Music – Andrew Joslyn Audio editing – Anthony Telfer

SOCIAL LINKS

Website https://www.casefilepodcast.com Facebook https://www.facebook.com/casefile Twitter https://twitter.com/case_file Instagram https://www.instagram.com/casefilepodcast Patreon https://www.patreon.com/casefile Casefile Presents https://casefilepresents.com

RESOURCES

For all credits and sources, please visit https://casefilepodcast.com/case-312-dustin-wehde

Brief Summary

Tracy Roberts shoots intruder Dustin Wedi during a home invasion, leading to a complex investigation into motives and relationships.

Key points

Home Invasion Shock. A peaceful evening turns chaotic as a home invasion shatters a small town's tranquility.
Tracy's Desperate Fight. Tracy Roberts fights for her life against intruders, showcasing incredible bravery.
Dustin's Dark Journal. A notebook reveals Dustin's disturbing thoughts and plans involving Tracy and her family.
Tracy's Bravery. Tracy Roberts is hailed as a hero for her actions during the home invasion.
Mona's Doubts. Mona Wedi questions the narrative surrounding her son's death and Tracy's account.
Brett's Tragic End. Brett Wedi, devastated by his son's death, takes his own life.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

Oh God, is it my husband?

Tracy's panic as she realizes the intruder could be her husband.

4:41WatchMar 29, 2025

Tension

85/ 100High tension

More from Casefile

Solve the Crime

Read a real case one clue at a time, then see how your call held up against the investigators.