Chacey Poynter: Witness to Murder | Full Episode | Forensic Files

foreign [Music] call came in around 10 50 P.M it's a female hyperventilating [Music]
and then the phone goes dead she's pinging on Kenner at 25.95 she's extremely out of breath she sounds like
she's running that we got First Responders arriving to a unmaintained County Road 25.95
they don't know what they're getting into as they're going down this dark Road in the middle of the night 38 we're
out with that female 25. they see a white female flagging them down and he's been shot in the head please
is he okay I need to know if my husband is okay dispatch calls me on the cell phone said hey I think they need you out
there on scene figure I'll make sure she's okay you want a little bit of oxygen help you
out she was just frantic she had blood on her shoulder area and uh it's all over her leg and her
shirt what's your name chasing Chasey Chasey what tell us what what happened and the g started rolling and I didn't
see anything uh so I saw a shadow that's awesome no was it your husband what's his name Robert Robert Poyner yeah he's
a firefighter just just breathe for me [Music] I arrived here right around midnight
so we're walking up with our flashlights at this point on you can start making out a silhouette of somebody still in
the Jeep the jeep was covered in blood there was no indication of a struggle he's the right he's around the corner we
had a witness Tracy Poynter and if there was somebody loose you know at large that had killed her husband
and I could see Robert and as soon as that that shot he slumped over into the passenger seat
yeah I just wanted to be okay was he dead or alive he was dead this is a case about six
lies money and murder [Music] all right [Music] thank you foreign [Music] [Music]
the harrowing night of September 9th 2016 is forever etched in the memory of Chasey pointer calm yourself down it's
something I can't get out of my head and when I walked up to him I yelled his name and I just felt something when she
says her husband Robert Poynter a decorated fire department Captain was gunned down by a shadowy figure just
feet away from her on this Rural Road in Royce City Texas you can see if you look
below us Tire Treads from tractors deep ruts it's a true Farm Road detective Michael Burke photographed the scene
they're not out of the murder they were still watering the ruts they were still muddy
that was pretty rough it's not even a traveled Road it's for Farmers to use to make access to their
fields that night Sergeant Shane Meek wondered how Chasey and her husband ended up on this broken road and
questioned a breathless Chasey in the back of his squad car breathe for me Miss pointer calm down and breathe for
me okay great fast like that you're not helping yourself okay slow breath Chasey
says the couple planned to meet at a fast food restaurant for tacos I was gonna meet him at the Jack of the
box I don't I don't ever take this road right what made you come down this one I
missed my last one oh you do yeah okay no I I didn't I never never been down this road before she texted her husband
what do you say to him told him uh that GPS said that I was three miles out Casey says while texting she got stuck
[Applause] I called him after that I told him that my jeep was stuck and that I needed him
to come help me as a fire captain Robert was used to coming to the rescue he rushed to her side I sat on the phone
with him he drove out there [Music] why did he park there he told Jacey that the ruts were too deep and he wasn't
going to be able to get his truck down here I met him almost all the way down to his
truck and we walked back together and he went to go get my Jeep got on the driver's side
as Chasey waited on the side of the road for Robert to back up she heard a gunshot
I think I reacted to the sound it was Robert I jumped in the Jeep it was rolling very
slowly I was holding his head in my left hand and I put the Jeep in part with my right hand and I just I was
calling his name you could see his eyes I could just feel the blood foreign this was a clean assassination
Robert unfortunately didn't have a clue what what happened to him the victim was sitting in the driver's
seat he's got an entry wound approximately right here in the temple on the right side of it yes sir and the
wadding from a shotgun shell was still in his skull and could you tell if that blast
was was shot from forward of the vehicle or from behind it was hard to tell Chasey says as she
ran for help she saw that shadowy figure there was a man there's a tall person that's all I know he's taller than me
and what was he wearing a dark clothes designer did you see any type of firearm rifle or anything like it in his hand no
while sympathetic Sergeant Meek was puzzled some guy just happened to be standing in the shadows of the trees to
step out and shoot this guy point blank in the in the head where the gun just didn't make sense all right well give me
a second my partners need to speak to me I'll be right back with you okay I was terrified
I just watched my husband get shot and the man that did it was still out there but whoever that suspect was why would
he want Robert Poynter dead Robert was a devoted public servant a career firefighter
honestly it's one of those things you don't even believe in at first at the University Park Firehouse near
Dallas where Robert spent 19 years as a firefighter and later a captain the pain
of his loss is still raw for his buddies Jason Paul Earl and Mark but every day you still
feel this absence yeah you still miss the man how could you not I think of bob every day I come up here it burns me up
inside but every time I pass his locker I get choked up inside it makes me want to cry I'm about to cry now
a firefighter with the touch of a gentle giant my last fire was Bob this little girl
she was crying Bob took the time covered her and tell her we were all okay and everything was fine
and that's the way Bob always was not just that little girl his girls his girls were number one on his list always
always how much help he needed he was always there Robert Poynter had three daughters a six
and a half year old with Chasey and from his first marriage Natalie and Nicole the things she missed the most are the
simple things like being able to call him being able to see him and hug him you know
back in 2008 his 20-year marriage to their mother Amy Poynter his high school sweetheart began to unravel signs
started showing up that something was amiss he was shorter with conversations he wasn't home as much there were
excuses when he was gone then Nicole discovered her dad had a second cell phone that was the initial
realization that there was somebody else and eventually this other woman you learn her name it was Chasey Tyler
Moorman Chasey was a 20 year old working as a nurse aide she was introduced to Robert
through a mutual friend from the first moment that I ever met him in person we were never apart after
that what was his marital status as far as I knew he was separated from one understand she continued to go up to the
station to kind of let him know that she was interested and did that quite often
she pursued Bob she pursued Bob we'd been married 20 years and here's a young girl that's giving him attention
and I just think that she continued to try and you know fill any need and be there
we started seeing each other in December of 2007 and I I was pregnant by May of 2009. Robert and Chasey were married on
December 28 2009 she was 22. he was 40. I knew I wanted to marry him what is it about Robert that you fell in love with
he's goofy he would just make me laugh but almost seven years later Chasey says the couples love faded
and that night in the squad car Chasey decided to share her frustrations stupid when we got married I didn't want
to be married anymore foreign we've been we've been having problems I was coming to meet him at the Jack In
The Box so we could talk what do you all fight over my doctor he's trying to take
my daughter away from me just over an hour after Chasey Poynter held her husband's bloodied head in her
hands she kept giving Sergeant Meek details not of the shooting we're trying to work on it but of the state of her
marriage why would he try to take your daughter away like what reason did he give you he knows that that's what's
going to hurt me the most yeah her story kept adding all these different twists and turns and pieces of
information that just weren't fitting in the place of the puzzle you're talking about marital problems at a time when
your husband's body is still in the Jeep why did you go there I don't know Chasey says three years into their
marriage the couple grew apart nothing really set it off we slept in separate bedrooms
I never felt he loved me like he could have he loved his ex-wife alive and I felt like she still had a lot of him
according to Chasey Robert had a temper he was taking testosterone and steroids to treat low testosterone levels and
Chasey claims that made him violent there would just be times you know he would grab me by my hair
um I could get thrown up against the wall this was verbal abuse and physical abuse is that
right verbal mental physical Robert's ex-wife Amy doesn't buy it that is all made up and he did get on
treatments he had normal testosterone for her to say that he had Roid Rage and all that that that just wasn't him so
she's lying to me is what you're saying yes I am when Natalie was 16 she lived with her
dad and Chasey for six months and never saw him become violent so it was useless
to try to come to me and act like Dead with some kind of Beast did you ever see him slam chase
you against a wall absolutely not Natalie and Nicole have told us that it never happened are they
telling the truth no sir they've never really cared for me from the beginning I was the younger girl that came in and
took their father Chasey believes she had a good reason for not reporting the alleged abuse to
authorities you know I don't walk out and announce he's beating on me I'm not going to do that because it would
jeopardize his job despite their problems Chasey says she tried to keep the spark alive in the
marriage I don't mean to embarrass you with this but what is this from this was done before Robert I had a friend of
mine who was a photographer and she did a Boudoir shoot for me he wasn't attracted to me after I lost all the
weight he he liked me when I was heavier over a two-year span Chasey transformed
her body the first picture is December probably about 2013. uh the second picture was December 2015.
I lost a total of 104 pounds I got up every morning ran strict diet worked out I pushed myself pretty hard
Chasey admits she began seeing other men a lot of men when I dropped the weight I
didn't hide in his shadow anymore you had confidence correct I started meeting people
you know I was going out more I was doing things for myself Natalie accidentally found evidence on
Chase's computer that her stepmother was cheating she had left to open on her Facebook and
she was talking to Men on there that weren't dad what kind of conversations very sexual and gross
Natalie says while her father pulled overnight shifts at the firehouse Chasey often snuck out for hours at a time
leaving Natalie and her then four-year-old sister alone she was never wearing gym clothes but
she always said she was going to the gym and often my little sister would wake up
and she would cry and cry because she couldn't find her mom Natalie eventually Found the courage to
tell her dad about Chase's cheating ways I will stand up for what I know what I believe in and that to me wasn't right
you said what so I think Tracy's cheating on you deeply troubled Robert filed paperwork
for divorce but ended up not following through he was trying to save the marriage he had already been divorced
once he didn't want to lose his his third daughter and not be able to be with her all the time Robert installed a
security camera next to the front door to try and catch Chasey cheating with one of her lovers
then just 12 days before Robert's murder the doorbell rang as soon as that doorbell rang I was out that door
telling him he had to go and off he runs and Robert knew correct I love him he's pain in the ass but I
love him on the night of Robert's murder Sergeant Meek had a hunch that Chasey Poynter knew more than she was saying
something just didn't sit right JC do you mind if I she was read right look up at me
all right listen to me you have the right to remain silent anything you say Cannon will be used against you in a
court of law how'd your friend's house but Chasey kept on talking better friends yeah revealing what she was up
to before that fateful rendezvous with her husband whose house was that Michael Garza hanging out with someone named
Michael Garza are you and Michael Garza dating or anything like that you have a relationship yes well then that red flag
goes off did y'all have a date was it date night no we we just hung out wait we had sex obviously
watch more of the police body camera [Music] okay what were you saying I'm sorry he's
contacted an attorney to get a divorce and I was okay I was okay with that we've been married
six years almost seven years investigators say the more Chasey pointer talked the more she seemed like
a suspect than a grieving wife we we don't we don't meet up the hyperventilating's now stopped and she's
gone into this stutter talking so I which leads me to believe that she does these pauses and so hi Tom to gather
additional thoughts so are you thinking is this a performance yes sir it started
seeming more and more that way and a performance with a recurring character Michael Garza I was at Michael's house
at Michael's house and what tell me his name again I'm sorry Michael Garza Michael Gardner yes y'all have a
relationship yes yes yes Michael Garza who is he he was a place that I would go to to vent and and I
loved him for that Chase he began having an affair with Michael Garza after meeting him on Facebook in the summer of
2016. this selfie captured one intimate moment it was something I felt guilty about
Robert shared his frustrations about Chasey with his buddies at the firehouse and I told him hey you just got to cut
your losses divorce sucks but you're miserable and he said yeah you're right you're right
but I'm invested those are the exact words I'm invested in this Robert was hopeful the marriage could be
saved he took Chasey and their daughter to Mexico on vacation but it backfired we fought
he thought I was on the phone with somebody else it upset him it was the Wednesday that Bob had come
home from Mexico he said the trip wasn't good he said I just can't do this anymore and
when did he die that's right not long after Chasey told Sergeant Meek about the affair with Michael Garza I'll
be transporting the female to Royse City police department she was driven downtown to be questioned by
detective Michael Burke let me get this door let's have to sit right there the interrogation started at 2 20 in the
morning [Music] it lasted eight hours I love them I I really do love them we've had a lot of issues in our
marriage among those issues her affair with Garza Michael and I ended up having sex while I was there
and she gave more detail about Robert's murder right to the front line maybe I could see dark clothes that's it
I don't know as a white like I don't know anything somebody for what you're saying shoots
your husband cold-blooded murder and just let you run away there was someone sitting there when somebody
comes out to murder a random stranger you know a big red flag is that they don't let a witness go and that
suggested what to you suggested she might have known the killer look the way your husband was
killed somebody was right next to him detective Burke pressed her I think you're full of crap
I don't know who pulled the trigger see I think you do and that's the problem no
I don't two hours into the interrogation detective Burke broke through [Music] you say that letter for me please
[Music] Mikey as in Michael Garson instead of passenger side now cornered Chasey changed her entire story she says
she told Garza about Robert's alleged anger issues [Music] like boys Chasey told 48 Hours Garza rode with her
that night the plan was to confront Robert outside the Jack-in-the-Box and demand
leave Chasey alone did you see him put a shotgun in your vehicle yes sir you never saw a shotgun
no sir how can that be true I was on my phone Garza tells me make a right onto County
Road 25.95 I've been asking what was going on he said he's going to meet us here
Chasey now claims it was Garza setting a trap he told me to take my Jeep back up
around the first corner and let Robert know that my jeep was stuck and I need him to come help me
you had to tell Robert something to get him to come to the location right yes sir but
my Jeep wasn't stuck when Robert arrived she noticed something kind of touching he wore the cologne that he wore on our
wedding day and he hadn't worn it since and I made a joke about it and he laughed Robert could never have
imagined that he was just moments away from death as I was walking to the Jeep I said stop
who are you yelling stop to to Garza but why would you have shouted that way if this was just going to be a conversation
between two men isn't that indicative that you shouted stop because that meant don't shoot him no
I didn't at that point I didn't want him to even talk to Robert at that moment sorry
at that time there was a gunshot foreign did Garza say anything to you nothing until after I called 9-1-1
did he run up to me and he took my phone from me when he threw it down on the ground
prosecutor Jeff Kovach doesn't buy any of it the question is which one of those stories does she want us to believe
heard him scare him or just have a talking to none of them are credible investigators believed that you were
luring your husband to this remote area so he could be murdered there was no plan to to bring him out and murder him
there was no talk of that [Music] on September 10th the morning after her husband's murder
Casey Poynter was arrested for conspiracy to commit murder the couple's daughter would stay with Chase's mother
did you conspire to have your husband murdered no sir you're telling me that you are speaking the truth yes sir
investigators then set out to find the man who allegedly shot Robert Poynter but Michael Garza the truck driver
had hit the road [Music] [Music] the funeral is absolutely beautiful it was very ceremonial
on September 15 2016 just five days after his wife was charged in his death Captain Robert Poynter was laid to rest
we had guards guarding his urn his ashes the entire time Firefox from All Over Texas honored him
did the Fireman's Prayer [Music] when duty calls me oh Lord wherever Flames May rage
give me the strength to save some life whatever be its age I remember trying to hold it all
together and then when I lost it it's when we walked out other fire stations and police came in
and they lined from the church all the way to the fire station I remember the bagpipes
painful one of the hardest things is they give the last call for Robert Poyner you
still think that person's still there somewhere that this couldn't have happened
that's the thing with Bob you always had this underlying feeling that even if he
had a walk through fire somehow that man would make it through Amy Says in the lastest days of his life
Robert was finally ready to walk away from Chasey it was kind of beaten down he was tired where he was just ready you
know to get a divorce I think she knew he was ready to move on investigators say just the day before he
was gunned down Robert had reached out to a divorce attorney on Facebook sending this provocative message I'm
thinking of a surprise attack he said something to her about a surprise attack on me he had contacted a
realtor said he was going to put the house up for sale he was going to have custody of
our daughter the next day he is killed do you think that's just a coincidence that's not a coincidence that's why the
murder happened when the murder happened what was the attraction for Chasey with
your dad was it Love or Money Money Natalie says Chasey had convinced her father to change his almost
685 thousand dollar life insurance policy instead of the girls getting the money Chasey was made the primary
beneficiary we believe that was the motive that she saw him as an ATM machine and he was going to milk the
last little bit of money she could get out of him prosecutor Calvin Grogan says investigators discovered a mountain of
digital evidence there were plenty of text messages after the life insurance beneficiary
designation change occurred in April indicating that Chasey Poynter was looking for somebody that would take
care of Robert and many of those techs more than ten thousand were between Chasey and her
lovers she's having affairs with multiple men Danny Mims Brad golden Sean butcher Michael Garza
prosecutors believe Chasey began grooming Garza for murder convincing him that Robert was an imminent threat she
used sex to manipulate men she's not going to come right out so I hate when you kill my husband for me Stacy
pointers plays the victim and then she uses that to manipulate people and so she told all of these men that she's
just abused battered woman she texted Garza from that Mexican vacation where the couple was to reconcile quote he's
coming after me sooner or later Garza answers F him no I will shot that dude it's Michael Garza talking about
murdering your husband I didn't think he was serious I didn't want him involved I
told him that I'm telling you man this girl is good this is Brad golden she would be in my
house every day every day he's the lover caught on the security camera video says Chasey manipulated him I never even
suspected suspected more never should have been married she had told me she'd been
divorced since 2014. Brad says Chasey told him horror stories about Robert She always told me
the reviews of turf I don't know she was trying to give me to feel sorry for her
and I just wasn't falling for it or whatever because I kept trying to geared to me you know were you ever able to
collaborate any of her story of abuse we spoke to neighbors we spoke to friends I
mean there was no evidence to support it at all Chasey had made allegations about
Robert's anger issues to ex-lovers Sean Butcher and Danny Mims who she often texted eight days prior to the murder I
wish he'd run out of air in a fire moving back to July 11th I need him gone gone g-o-n-e all capitalized
Danny Mims replies I'm not a magician Chasey answers well I need one did you want him dead no
I was upset Sean butcher says to Chasey what do you need to leave Tracy Poynter says I would be better off with him gone
benefits and can't lose custody investigators have said you were going from person to person
to try to find someone who would kill your husband I wasn't the day before the murder it's
from Chasey de garz I've made up my mind what do you think she's made up her mind
about I think it's pretty clear it's about killing Robert Poynter with Michael Garza on the run a SWAT
team raided his house [Music] coming up empty but the next day Garza turned himself in
and he was charged with Robert poynter's murder he did not want to speak to us only
wanted to speak to his attorney and that's as far as we got with their two suspects now Behind Bars
investigators hope to find direct evidence linking Garza to the murder five weeks later that evidence would
come from a farmer and I believe I found the shotgun who Unearthed the murder weapon while
plowing this field less than a quarter mile from where Robert was shot that shotgun was still
loaded the shell hadn't been ejected okay and there's two more uh in the magazine and they're all man killing
slugs consistent with what the medical examiner said when she used to kill Robert Poynter we did a a search on the
firearm Mossberg 835 ultimatic I came back to Matthew Garza Michael Garza's brother
police now had what they needed Michael Garza would be the first to face trial Michael Garza just happened to be the
person that was in Chase's life at the right time and all it really took for Chase is to basically just dangle the
debate [Music] do you think Chasey intended to scare her husband or kill him chat now with
the 48 Hours team on Facebook and Twitter [Music] and then when I was up there was nobody
there okay I'm crazy from her bizarre performance the night her husband was murdered to
her confession about her lover Michael Garza Michael was gonna shoot he was gonna do it
investigators were convinced Chasey Poynter was determined to have her husband killed that night he's around
the corner investigators believe you knew about the mission planned the mission to murder your husband for money
that's what they say and look at me they're right aren't they no sir on July 10 2018 the prosecution put the
alleged trigger man Michael Garza on trial he had pleaded not guilty when Garza took the stand he made a
shattering announcement implicating Chasey he says that he gave her his brother because he thought that
she was abused he implied that she did it Garza told the court he couldn't have murdered Robert Poynter because he was
tending to a sick animal on the Family Farm his Alibi is that he was tended to Oreo the cow while this whole murder was
going on the jury didn't find Garza's Alibi credible I actually do believe that his
testimony helped us on July 20th Michael Garza was found guilty and sentenced to
99 years in prison foreign it was a huge step forward but it also felt like the real battle
had just begun the pointer family now focused on chasing in my mind she's always pulled the
trigger because she was the instigator of all of it what were you thinking going into trial
I was very hopeful prosecutors were hopeful too that they would prove Chasey wanted Robert's money and that she was
The Mastermind there's no way Michael Garza was ever going to get Robert Poyner out on that road alone only Chase
he could do that and she played her part well using Chase's texts prosecutors demonstrated that her alleged love for
Michael Garza was really a Sinister ploy he is upon he's the dumb idiot she got to do this
in fact Garza didn't know that after he she shot Robert Chasey planned on spending the night with another lover
she was texting Brad golden while she's out there committing this Murder She had
sex with Brad gold that morning they still planned to meet up that night what the heck is going on
I don't know my life was out of control chasey's defense attorneys Scott cornod and Frank Hughes say the state's
obsession with Chase's Affairs tainted the jury Tracy have an Affairs has nothing to do
with murder it just demonizes her Chasey pointer is not guilty of murder she's guilty of being negligent because she
should have anticipated that this Thug Garza would commit a murder to get to her calling 9-1-1 is probably the
strongest point that we have in her defense no one who planned to kill someone would shoot them and call 9-1-1
but the prosecutors argued at the sight of her dead husband Chasey had a moment of Cheers
it's one thing to talk about killing somebody it's another thing to go through with it
while Chasey chose not to take the stand jurors did hear her speak he knew that I
was seeing someone through those recorded police videos I didn't want to be married anymore one that captured
this revealing moment at the end of her two-week trial the jury began its deliberations we waited
for a while hour two hour three hours went by after the fourth hour hey okay they have a verdict okay
Chasey Poynter was found guilty of murder I cried and I'm relieved they got it that they saw who she really
was she met him and she walked him to his death smiling and giggling talking about tacos and cologne
she's evil [Music] Chasey told me that you always had Robert's heart I think that's true she took away all
choice of anybody of having any relationship or any you know future with him this is his bunker gear having it is
almost like having part of his presence which is comforting in a way and uh painful in another
how do you want your father to be remembered he really was what he was Jen he was kind
[Music] he was rare we were lucky to have him [Music] this is Injustice true Redemption and remorse comes from
telling the truth isn't the time you did that he wasn't supposed to die [Music] Anton's Chasey pointer to life in prison
with the possibility of parole in 30 years are your tears now tears of what you did to your own life
or tears of what you did to him that's both [Music] Robert poynter's life insurance benefits
were split among his three daughters JC's mother and stepfather share custody of the couple's daughter with Robert
poynter's parents I was nine years old my whole family was gone I had just lost everything no one should have seen what
we saw that morning 13 years later a stunning arrest I believe he killed his family and then was able to go to the
prom 48 hours Saturday at 10 9 Central on CBS CBS News original reporting [Music]

The woman at the center of a case prosecutors said was all about ”sex, lies, money and murder” tells her story to "48 Hours" correspondent Peter Van Sant. Watch more full episodes of "48 Hours" on Pluto TV.

True crime. Real justice. "48 Hours" investigates the most intriguing crime and justice cases that touch on all areas of the human experience including greed and passion. "48 Hours," which premiered in 1988, has developed a rich history of original reporting and impact journalism that has helped exonerate wrongly convicted people, caused cold cases to be reopened and solved, and along the way changed lives.

For video licensing inquiries, contact: licensing@veritone.com

Brief Summary

Chasey Poynter conspired to murder her husband Robert, leading to a shocking investigation and trial.

Key points

The Call for Help. A frantic call reveals a woman in distress, setting the stage for tragedy.
A Shocking Discovery. First responders arrive to find a bloodied scene and a man shot in the head.
A Marriage in Turmoil. Chasey shares her marital struggles while recounting the night of the murder.
The Affair Uncovered. Chasey's infidelity comes to light during the investigation into Robert's murder.
The Arrest. Chasey Poynter is arrested for conspiracy to commit murder the day after her husband's death.
The Murder Weapon Unearthed. A farmer discovers the shotgun used in Robert Poynter's murder while plowing a field.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

I just wanted to be okay, was he dead or alive?

Chasey Poynter's frantic plea about her husband after the shooting.

2:50WatchDec 13, 2022

Tension

85/ 100High tension

More from 48 Hours

Solve the Crime

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