Jaw-Dropping Trials | “48 Hours" Full Episodes | Forensic Files

[Music] [Applause] it's August 1st 2018 I get a call from one of my investigators said we had a
shooting victim on Sunny book drive and it didn't look good County 911 where's your emergency
um yes ma'am I actually my gun was papered and I'm so sorry I like just got my boyfriend in the neck I'm so sorry
[Music] we actually had uh the perpetrator admitting to shooting the victim on the
911 call before we even arrived at the scene Miss told us she did [Music] it now the
way look at me Dem look at me look at me Dem I'm Lieutenant Chris Wilson I was the first investigator to Riv seen
what kind of gun was it it was a GL 43 I was just grabing it I did not know there
was one gra to bring it to oured basically we had a a a young man down uh not responsive and also a young woman who
was Fran frantic very emotional she was just pleading for help I cannot lose him
I cannot lose him I cannot lose him look come on look calm down for me calm down calm
down I'm Sor I want to know how this happened CU I don't even understand know the gun going off I don't even see how
like it even got him because I wasn't even like really pointing it directly at him in the first place I was able to
look over any type of evidence any type of forensics that that could have been involved trying to make sense of what
might have happened in that living room that night like been fighting here I knew then that we we could be possibly
looking at a homicide cuz you had the right for onent the confessions on this video and
we can't hear it there's no sound there there's sound but it's just a a noise constant noise all way through
it ladies and Gentlemen please rise this is malice murder this is felony murder this gun did not discharge on its
own Mary Katherine hiden was angry she lost control and she pulled the trigger I didn't even know it was
chamber I never wanted to hurt him I never wanted anything like that there may be people watching this
who find it hard to believe what what you're saying right now mhm what would you say to
them all I know is what's in my heart and I know what happened that night I loved Steven I would never ever do
anything to hurt him 56 at this time Henry [Music] we about two [Music] police body cameras captured the chaotic
scene the night Steven Freeman was shot and killed by his girlfriend of seven years Mary Katherine hickon inside the
home they shared now he still got a post okay let work on him okay Mary Katherine
Higden is in the living room and so is Steven Freeman he's laying right here on a mattress Mary Catherine is hovering
over him and he's literally dying in front of her I'm so sorry calm down okay calm down just
alive Mary Catherine told the police that her gun went off accidentally she was handing it to
Steven who like to keep it on the side of the bed at night for protection none of our guns that we've had around our
house were ever you know chambered there was never a bullet in the chamber it was
never my intention to ever injure him or kill him those words ring Hollow to Steven's grieving mother
Jennifer Freeman have you spoken to Mary Katherine Higden since this all happened
I have not she will never give me an answer that's going to be good enough for me because this should never have
happened Steven was 23 years old everybody just loved Steven because he was just sweet you know just a good kid
Steven's heart was huge he was a devoted son to the most wonderful woman in the world Jennifer Treasures the note he
wrote her after she had gone back to school and completed her college degree and know that if you put your mind to it
you could accomplish all of your hopes and dreams and more I'll love you to the moon in back
Steven and that was our thing it was either I love you more or I love you to moon in back that was our little thing
what's up Stephen Steven had a happy childhood growing up in the town of Griffin Georgia always had a smile on
his face always and that was from the time that he was a little bitty baby through
adulthood he loved the outdoors loved it that was probably his passion above all
else was to be outside duck hunting deer hunting fishing camping that was where he found his peace and his comforts
Mary Katherine's Father Tom hickton and older sister Sarah say she too was a happy child then here's your host Mary
Catherine who like to put on a show bye she always was the entertainment in the room no matter what age she's just
funloving remember one time she had a pet frog that she used to walk around the neighborhood with a Sho string so um
we would say our life would be boring without her Steven and Mary Katherine began dating in high school the romance
quickly became pretty serious and they moved in together after graduating Steven worked at repairing roofs Mary
Catherine was a preschool teachers Aid did you like Mary Catherine I did I did I loved her she would eat at our house
on Sunday night with my parents and our extended family and we certainly considered Mary Katherine like a
daughter he was just you know he's just like my best friend that loved me and that was
there for me and just listen to me and we just really hit it off great we were just I guess You' say like two peas in a
Pie Mary Katherine shared Steven's passion for the outdoors before long she won over his
closest friends Thomas Skinner Andrew McCree and Chase puit what did you like about her that she made my friend Happy
I mean most girls won't even get in the woods for 30 minutes if she'll go fish with you for 4 hours or go deer hunt
with you then that's awesome man I'm glad you found somebody that makes you happy the couple also shared a passion
for guns how many guns did Steven own um he had I say couple shotguns uh somewhere around 10 maybe no
I probably had yeah probably around that yeah she would brag about how she would
she knew more about guns than St or us yeah that is because Mary Catherine landed a job selling guns at a local
sporting goods store where Thomas Skinner also worked before you're able to sell a gun you're trained and taught
how to handle it you know like how to hand somebody a gun do you believe her when she says I just held it up and it
went off no no not for a second yet that was the first story Mary Katherine told police when they arrived
at the house that night this is is a Glock model 380 to detective Adam traml it also seemed like
an unlikely story is it possible for this gun to just go off accidentally not from my experience the
trigger would have to be pulled this is this is not the weapon that was used that's correct it's just the type of gun
the type of gun can you show us the process of loading the weapon and firing it yes I
can first you would load your ammunition you would insert the magazine direct the
slide and fire the weapon police were also suspicious for another reason he claiming it was
accidental discharge uh but based on some of the evidence we've seen in the house while we were in there attending
to him uh it looked like they've been fighting Lieutenant Chris Wilson saw the evidence
firsthand now of course there are new homeowners here and everything here is it looks very nice and well kept that
wasn't the case that night there was food slung everywhere on the campus and the on the floor uh food thrown there I
guess it looked like they had been throwing it at each other it looked like there had been some some food tossed
around here as Mary Katherine hiden was taken in for questioning police knew there had to be much more to this story
[Music] Steven was the calm in the [Music] storm we used to laugh and say he would
outlive everybody because he didn't stress out about anything Jennifer Freeman struggles to understand how her
son's life could have ended so violently at the hands of a woman he loved Mary Katherine Higden Listen to We're going
to walk through this okay we're going to walk through it we're going to work through it it's all right okay just come
with us come on get they took you to the police station they didn't take you in handcuffs they
just wanted to ask you some questions you agreed to cooperate oh yeah most definitely first one says you had the
right for but detect Adam traml and Chris Wilson found the story that Mary Katherine told them in the interrogation
room hard to believe Mary Katherine told the police that Steven asked for the gun
so she claims she tossed it to him now he's in the living room on a mattress right there and she says when she tossed
it the gun went off when she said she tossed the gun that didn't match what I would think a
normal person would do it also didn't match what she told the investigators at the scene she told them she was simply
handing the gun to Steven not tossing it and that's when she accidentally shot him below the
neck Lieutenant Wilson decided to confront her do not it's my to I you kind of lost your cool on her not
really that's the tactic at that point we weren't buying the story so we SLA my hands I tell I
say stop lying to me tell me the truth right now last time what did she do she said I did it out of
anger yeah just like that believing that they had an ironclad confession on tape
they arrested Mary Katherine Higden for murder but there was a big problem I the only
thing it [Applause] was there was nothing but feedback on most of the recording and it couldn't be fixed oh no
what can we do so at this point all you've got to say what she said was what you twoo remember that's
correct but they still had the forensic evidence that convin against them Steven
shooting was no accident so her story was I don't keep around in the chamber correct okay what did you find on the
weapon that said to you I don't know if I believe that looks like she loaded it that night there was cooking grease on
the magazine there was also grease on the slide of the gun which tells me that the magazine had to be out at one
point rounds loaded slid back into the gun and racked Mary Catherine had told police
she was cooking dinner for Steven that night the same dinner they found thrown on the kitchen
floor she's just very loud very very dramatic very always over the top looking to go start an issue as
investigators began to question the coup's friends they discovered this Teenage Love Affair had turned
toxic and most of the blame was being placed on Mary Catherine eight seven times out of 10
she yell she was bitching at Steven for something Steven would often walk out during an argument and block Mary
Katherine's number from his phone that's because she would call him obsessively according to his coworker Elijah verella
some mornings several different occasions he would get to work and before we even got to the first job he'd
have 30 Miss calls from her like she was just blowing him off the line like his friends also told detectives Steven
feared she was unstable and dangerous I I know that she's pulled a g on him before Oh has she oh I know that
I know that he's told me I mean I know I mean I know she's done it three or four
times like at least each one of you was told by Steven mhm that Mary Katherine pointed a gun at him is that correct yes
yes as soon as they said he was shot I knew what happened I knew Mary Katherine did it on April 21st 2018 3 months
before he was killed Steven texted his friend Andrew MK is running around screaming at
the top of her lungs outside and now she's trying to shoot me and herself as alarming as that sounds it
was another alleged incident the following month that left Steven badly shaken he said you know she's pointed a
guns at me multiple times he goes but uh this time was the only time I saw a look
in her eyes and I was actually scared that she might shoot me so she came over from my house night did Steven ever
report that to the police to my knowledge no I think he thought he could handle it or I don't know he said he
cares for He doesn't want her to go to jail the relationship was on again off again and it was a roller coaster ride
right up to the end on July 30th 2018 2 days before Steven's death he texted good morning beautiful Mary
Katherine have a great day Steven you to love you but by the next day I said are you
Mary Catherine arguing and he said yes ma'am I'm not going back there tonight and he said I'm running from
Satan Steven slept at a friend's house ignoring Mary Katherine's calls and text messages the next evening she had
prepared dinner and stevenh was again Mia you called him a lot on that day 910 912
9177 923 929 930 mhm why why so many times I guess cuz it is like irritating I need to know if I
need to just you know make me a dinner I'm trying to wait to eat with you it's just one answer are you coming home yes
or no she found out through Steven's mother that he was still at his friend's house so once you told her where he was
she went after him yes of course I didn't realize that it was going to escalate and I was going to escalate as
it did and I have guilt to this day because I I responded cuz I didn't want to lie to her Steven was already driving
home with Thomas Skinner she comes out of nowhere riding our tail like right on our bumper and she pulled up beside my
truck like right beside Sten rolled her window down and she started yelling at him she said are you coming home now and
he said yes calm down I'm coming home but she was like screaming at the top of at the top of her
lungs less than 2 hours later Steven Freeman was dead while police believe it is an open
and shut case of murder fueled by Mary Katherine's anger her defense attorneys say not so fast they claimed there was a
side to Steven Freeman that no one knew if Steven Freeman truly feared that Mary
Katherine might shoot him why didn't he leave the relationship for [Music] good I played that over my head a
million times I couldn't finally walk away hindsight's 2020 maybe we should have done more maybe we could have done
more but Mary Katherine denies she ever pointed a gun at Steven that is until the night she
killed him well let me let me just read a text and and I want to be specific here uh
Stephen text you this I know you pointed a gun at me a bunch of times but the last time you did it scared the bleep
out of me mhm did you point a gun at him no no like I didn't because when he was saying
that I had pulled a gun to kill myself I was thinking about hurting myself if true it wasn't the first time
Mary Katherine's father told Detectives both he and Steven were concerned about her suicide threats and I didn't realize
until after he died that she would tell him that if he didn't come home that she
was going to kill herself um I think that's why he stayed but by July of 2018 Steven had
had enough he made plans to move to another town with his friend Thomas and not tell
Mary Catherine according to prosecutor Kate Len all of the signs were that she was
unraveling he was planning on moving while she was at work he never got the chance Mary Katherine shot him 2 days
before he was supposed to leave did it seem like a pretty straightforward case yes yes there was never really any
question that that she shot him she was the only one in the house besides him she confessed to doing
it what we're looking at is uh what we call the murder board the prosecution claims it
discovered Mary Katherine had revised or added details to her story 10 different times the 911
dispatcher asks her um what happened and she says that she was just grabbing the
gun to bring it to bed remember Mary Katherine said she didn't know the gun was loaded then once officers arrive on
scene then um she starts telling the officers that uh that she was handing Steven the gun and then it accidentally
went off according to detectives she told them in the interrogation room the gun went off when she tossed it to
Steven the story you first told them was not true yes I knew that obviously it was a line but I
just I guess I was just scared then police say she admitted shooting him in anger but she told her father and her
sister that she and Steven had been arguing and that she shot him in self-defense he just threw every
everything that I made in my face and I just picked up the gun just to to scare him just to get him out of the house cuz
I was scared when you raised the gun at him did you say anything to him I just said get that blank out of my house and
what did he do I I remember I remember him leaning down and then he just it just happened all so fast and then he
laided down and then he lunched at me and I got scared and I kind of rear back and then just the next thing I know he
was just sorry um and then he was just bleeding she never tells the police that he lunched at her she has every
opportunity to tell the police that he lunched at her but she doesn't do that Mary Katherine says she was embarrassed
to tell police that Steven had a history of violence towards her did Steven ever
hit you yes not so much like where it was like physical like punches or anything
just like grabs there there was one time where you know he smacked me across the
face a lot of times um he just kind of you know like like pop me on the back of my head but Steven's friends insist she
was the violent one in the relationship you saw Mary Katherine hit Steven yes I had multiple times face chest shoulders
everything one time um she slapped him and he kind of grabbed her like she slapped him hard and he kind of like
grabbed her and was like don't hit me but Sarah hickon believes her sister she says she saw bruising on Mary
Katherine's arm two weeks before the shooting and I wish that I would have taken a picture of it and she wouldn't
tell me at first but eventually I pulled her off to the side and I was like what is that and she
was like well Steven just grabbed me a little bit too hard I was like what are you talking about but investigators
believe the forensic evidence shows that far from defending herself Mary Katherine shot Steven In Cold Blood
while he was simply sitting on their bed there's very little blood anywhere except for right here on this corner
it's all in one area CU Steven didn't move it tells me that this story of him lunging at her doesn't really add up the
thought being if he had gotten up and started to make his way toward her there would have been some blood that moved
beyond the bed correct everyone made a rush to judgment Mary Katherine's attorneys public defenders George
carbajal and Michael Grams insist Steven could have started to get up and go after her and they say she had good
reason to be afraid because of his alleged history of abuse what kind of abuse was Mary
Katherine subjected to um pretty much every kind telling her that um she needed to be a certain way
was showing where all the money's going uh every moment of the day um making her
let him know where she's going to be every moment of the day and what physical assaulting I think that he hit
her on the back of the head and he literally kicked her out of the bed with such force that she flew and hit her
head on the on the door frame did Mary Katherine ever call 911 to report any of this
abuse no she always thought that it was her and that she needed to do something better and it was her fault that she was
making Steven angry you know some of Steven's friends say that she was the abusive one mhm verbally pointed a gun
at him more than nobody ever saw that all of that came from Steven the defense team claims it uncovered
evidence of Steven's Jael and Hyde personality and an angry tiate of text messages that Steven sent to Mary
Katherine a year prior the 63 Pages or whatever of hateful horrible threatening text
messages that was what really really corroborated it these texts are from an old phone of Mary Catherine's the
prosecutors didn't even know existed Steven had discovered that Mary Katherine slept with a friend of his
while they were broken up the language is so ugly we can't repeat most of it but there was also a photo of him
holding up a dead fish with the caption this is you as well as a threat I'm going to effing wreck you for
Wrecking me did you know he was talking to her like that I didn't but I do know that he was a human being and he was
hurt he was angry and I don't condone the language I don't condone what he did the defense claims this is just the
tip of the iceberg as Mary Katherine takes the stand at her trial her testimony takes
the courtroom by surprise what is the Red Room um it's like one of those I guess
sex rooms off of 50 Shades of Gray [Music] Bing County Superior Court is now in session The Honorable Scott L balard is
Judge presiding thank you y'all be seated please on June 17th 2019 almost a year after Steven Freeman's death
24-year-old Mary Katherine Higden goes on trial for murder what do you think is your strongest evidence the physical
evidence the grease on the gun that there was no other person present that all of the blood is in one area there's
nothing that shows that he was moving or coming at her at the time that he was shot the text messages of her trying to
get him to come home calling over and over and over prosecutor Kate Leonard says the
physical evidence supports her theory that Mary Katherine shot Steven in Anger after he hadn't come home for dinner and
ignored her calls and text messages but there were still some hurdles to over kind of if you want to tell me what what
went on tonight you know in the very beginning I the only thing it was that is your confession sure and
it's pretty much inaudible yes how do you mess up the confession um especially when it's such
a powerful confession and then there was this gun is in an Evidence bag cuz we secured it
when we made entry First Responders move the gun found next to Steven Freeman claiming they feared that Mary Catherine
was reaching for it we did take pictures of it before we were moved before we mov
all right as a prosecutor when you heard the cops say we moved the gun we moved it for safety reasons why did that
bother you because you could just as easily have moved her for safety reasons leave the gun where it is that's rule
number one you don't mess with the murder weapon you're under the defense call Mar Catherine hiden now facing the
possibility of life in prison Mary Katherine Higden made the risky [Music] decision to take the stand the whole
truth so helpy God yes when it was good it was good but what it was bad it was bad Mary Katherine tearfully paints a
portrait of Steven as an abusive and controlling boyfriend and he'd expect you know his clothes all ready and
folded in his shoes where it needed to be he'd want me to make sure his shower was started for him while he often
seemed to have one foot out the door Mary Katherine says Steven would angrily accuse her of cheating on him and I was
like Steven you saw that we were just in there talking and he just said no I know
you you know you're just a the defense introduces those ugly threatening messages that Steven said
after finding out Mary Catherine had slept with one of his friends at least now I know what you once again
were what everyone told me not to get with when I picked your scrub ass up out of the mud and made you Mary
Katherine claims his text frightened her because the relationship had become violent he said The more you talk the
more you get punished when I get home how did you understand the threat of being punished when you would get home
he you know smack me around sometimes you would grab me and shank me and say you know why can't you just do better
and be better and just do what I tell you to do the details are graphic okay but they are just the beginning he
said I miss you too much I'm coming home to you and you're about to get it bad you're going to the Red Room
tonight what is the Red Room um it's like one of those I guess sex rooms off of 50 sh to I don't want
out I just I'm not exactly jumping at the opportunity to get whipped and tortured in your Red Room of pain it
wasn't any specific room but it was just when like we would bring out like these
certain things that we had bought what would happen in the Red Room um he' just tie me up and hit me Mary Catherine
tells the court that on two occasions the rough sex turned into rape one time she says it was just after the couple
had returned from a trip to Disney World he started hurting me really really bad I said Stephen please
stop and he said he said that since he spin so much money at me at Disney I need to give him
what he deserves to get up there and call a dead man a rapist that's disgusting she had never
told anyone that before how convenient to wait until you're sitting on The Stand Accused of his murder and he can't
defend himself but Mary Katherine insists that's why she was so afraid of Steven the night she shot him and she
adds a new detail claiming Steven became angry after finding out she wanted to end the relationship so he started
throwing things started you know pushing me around and that's when I got scared and I just wanted him out of the
house and and that's the next thing I remember is him lunging at me and then the next thing that I remember them is
him standing there saying call 911 what she leaves out of her testimony is the moment she pulled the trigger I
never wanted to hurt him I never wanted anything like that I didn't even know it
was chambered in Kate Leonard isn't buying any of it in her cross-examination she confronts
Mary Catherine for never having complained about Steven's alleged abuse can I give you a minute to show me in
those text messages between you and he and you and every other person that was in your cell phone where you talk about
him being physically violent I never talked about it only with friends I never text it
out then the prosecutor has her own surprise for the court hours before killing Steven Mary Katherine was
searching violent internet pornography sites while at a babysitting job all of those and many more you looked up when
Steven was not with you but it was him that liked the Red Room is that your testimony yes I looked at things for
ideas cuz obviously he's gone I wanted to please him the woman who just told you that she was
raped looks at gang rape porn bondage porn why would you relive that trauma now Mary Katherine Higman is
about to find out if the jury believes [Music] her Mary Katherine hiden spared no
detail in her emotional testimony about alleged abuse by Steven Freeman so when anytime I would stand up for myself or
you know kind of retaliate he said don't don't hit me cuz if you hit me I'm going
to hit you 10 times harder you make your SE thank you now it's the prosecution's last chance
to argue that none of it is true this is not a case of self-defense this is a case of
manipulation in closing arguments Kate Leonard reminds the jury of the different stories Mary Katherine told
the police the gun was tampered it was an accident I tossed it I don't know what happened I was scared I was angry
but she did not tell them that she was abused and the prosecutor does not believe she
was when your abuser is out of the house and you are safe are you as a victim of domestic
violence going to track down your abuser where he is with his friends are you going to go and track him
down does that make sense the prosecutor says Mary Katherine's rage boiled over on the
night of August 1st 2018 after Steven finally came home and then refus to eat the dinner that she
had prepared look at me Steven look at me Steven and when he doesn't he is shot in the left side of the neck where you
know that he's not facing her he never sees it coming in his closing argument defense attorney
Michael granham focuses on Steven's alleged history of abuse those were his words the more you do this the more
you're going to get punished granims brings up those ugly texts that Steven sent Mary Katherine a year prior that
torrent of demeaning hatred texts is probably the worst tirade that I've ever seen and I'm a criminal
defense lawyer then he recounts Mary Katherine's most serious allegation that Steven raped her and as she's crying and
she's telling him it hurts Steven stop stepen you're hurting me his answer well I spent money on you at Disney so I'm
entitled to this he insists Mary Katherine saw the same frightening look in Steven's eyes just before she shot
him Mary Catherine hiden knew exactly what was [Music] coming Gram's demonstrates his point
with an unusual prop as a metaphor does anybody have any doubt about what's going to happen
next you may now retire to the jury R but as the case heads to the jury the drama is far from over I just knew it
was a major responsibility two of the jurors Victor and Chris were feeling the weight of their burden and I knew pretty
much no matter what you vote one family gets hurt you destroy one side of that courtroom no matter
what you vote within minutes of getting the case the jury took its first vote 10 to2 guilty but then and I knew
that I was about to be the one to upset that apple cart so I went ahead and did that both Chris and Victor told their
fellow jurors that they shared the defense's concerns about the investigation starting with that lost
confession in the very beginning I the only thing it was inside I was like are you kidding me
I mean I know this isn't a major city but it's audio equipment she's still in custody
why are you not going to bring her back in to at least speak with her again but Mary Katherine had already obtained a
lawyer where's the G right there and they question why the police moved the gun that was used to shoot Steven it's
ludicrous to argue that it's easier to move the gun than it was to move her what also troubled them prosecutors had
cracked open Mary Katherine's cell phone for texts social media and search history
but they decided not to spend another $1,800 to unlock Steven's phone it was too expensive to pay another two grand
to crack his phone open and let's see what kind of person he was to try to you know dispute the rape and abuse
allegations or back them up they didn't do that but you could already get those messages on Mary Katherine's phone no we
get the message between them two we don't get what he was talking about with his homeboy or what he was looking up
online and all Chris and Victor say they were left with serious doubts about all
of the prosecution's evidence all of it's tainted from the way the cops handled the investigation well if you
don't have any evidence you don't have a case I didn't have any proof that she had done much anything except for lying
and those lies didn't seem to bother either juror if I was being arrested for potentially murdering somebody I would I
probably would get scared enough that I would just come up with whatever story I
could but that almost seems like you're making an excuse for her not making an excuse I'm just I'm just empathizing
with the the situation and in toxic relationships there are mountains and mountains and mountains of
Lies by the next afternoon it was clear their arguments had made an impact and so the jury had a verdict we
the jury find as follows count one malice murder we find the defendant not guilty count two felony murder we find
the defendant not guilty not guilty of murder as well as the Lesser charges of assault and possession
of a firearm during the commission of a felony and I'm just sitting there and I'm thinking I have failed this
family and that was hard we did good work on this case say that you don't trust the police because of the the
interview say you don't trust the forensic evidence you still have the 911 tapes where she says I shot my boyfriend
2 hours later Mary Katherine Higden was a free woman oh I cannot believe this is
happening right now as she watched the woman who killed her son walk free Jennifer Freeman could
barely contain her anger toward the jury Steven definitely got the short end of the stick because I don't believe that
they even listened Victor insists he was just following the law I think she killed him
that's wrong but you voted not guilty because of the evidence am I understanding you
correctly to say that because the police screwed up she's not guilty I didn't say
she's not guilty she's not in prison the jury found you not guilty on all the charges do you feel any
guilt because I love stepen and I never meant that to ever happen to [Music] him 48 Hours don't miss an episode
[Music] I've thought about a thousand times the what if and that's kind of nauseating
that we were that close in my time as district attorney we have had some odd cases this one was a
complete roller coaster ride towards the end as far as an tional situation this was by far um the toughest
one Tracy Harris was a hardworking young mother that disappeared March 7th 1990 she was a very sweet friend a very
shy person and people really liked her and respected her her her daughter was a toddler a four-year-old named Carolyn
who she had with Carl Harris she had been married for several years they had recently divorced but had never really
split they still lived in the same home they slept in the same bed I did hear that Tracy was missing and was very
concerned something had happened to her Carl came by our house she'd been missing for a couple days he was
genuinely concerned and he said you know I can see her leaving me but she would never leave this baby
her body was discovered about 150 yard further Downstream about 7 days before she went
missing based on the autopsy the manner of death was homicide Tracy was a kind and loving
person who did not deserve what happened to her most people did think that Carl Harris had murdered Tracy prior to her
going missing there had been a confrontation or two concerning a girlfriend that Carl had Carl Harris did
have a reputation for being very violent in particular towards Tracy Harris there
was several instances where the witnesses would say it didn't take anything for him to just go off on her
he was incredibly abusive to her I never put my hands on Tracy never so all those
people were lying yes ma'am I love Tracy she was the love of my life I think from
the very get-go there was only one suspect in this case Carl Harris everybody thought I killed him
everywhere I turn they they you know you can hear him whispering in the background there's the man that killed
Tracy a lot of people were were waiting for him to be arrested and then surprised when he never
was Ozark Police Department had created a Cold Case unit and in 2016 they picked up the Tracy Harris
Carl Harris case they told me they was looking at me as as a suspect again after 27 years the evidence was
circumstantially strong the domestic violence the circumstance with the girlfriend and comments he made that she
wouldn't be back who else would want this sweet innocent young lady murdered Jordan and her team had spent a
lot of time building a case that I was about to torpedo I kept the secret for 30 years
[Music] n [Music] [Music] Tracy was alive when she came to this location and traveled down this access
road to the beachy area 22-year-old Tracy Harris disappeared on March 7th 1990 a week later her body was found in
the chattah hatche river a few miles from her home in Ozark Alabama the area around the river was a
place Tracy and her friends would get together it was certainly one of the first places that investigators were
looking for Tracy Dale County district attorney Kirk Adams her body had come to rest upon a log after the water started
to recede a bit the autopsy revealed that Tracy had drowned but also noted marks around her neck likely indicating
strangulation the missing person case became a homicide and Ozark Police started interviewing those close to
Tracy and her ex-husband Carl with whom she still lived Carl had let the police in his house a couple of times for them
to look around Carl was believed to have been the last person to see Tracy picking her up the night she disappeared
from the restaurant where she worked as a waitress he then dropped Tracy off at their house and headed out to his job at
a supermarket there were not any clues at home it didn't appear that anybody had taken her by force
police thought that location by the river might provide more clues they learned that while Tracy might have
enjoyed spending time by the river she would never have gone in the river every witness we spoke with she could not swim
she was terrified of water she was so scared of the water when she was baptized and she went under she was
hysterical Selena dson and Tracy were about 11 years old old when baptized they were childhood friends spending a
lot of time together at church it was there she first saw Tracy with Carl Tracy and Carl started dating when we
were probably 16 17 years old and I was happy for her that she you know had a boyfriend and somebody that she really
liked in her senior year of high school Tracy became pregnant and she and Carl who was 3 years older married when she
had Carolyn she was adorable everybody just loved her and she was like Tracy she looked like her and she had a
personality like her Tracy's mother was taking care of Carolyn you know young parents you could
tell that her and Carl you know struggled some tell me about your your family as a young family you and Tracy
and Carolyn we was all happy and everything we didn't have a problem with each other or nothing like that the
picture Carl paint KN of a happy home though was not what police found when they started questioning friends and
family assistant Dale County district attorney Jordan Davis there was about 14 different people that had come forward
that witnessed some type of domestic violence between Tracy and Carl one of those people was Dawn
Beasley she and her soon Tobe husband Jeff who worked construction with Carl lived with the harrises for about a
month Tracy and I were a lot alike Dawn who was pregnant at the time and Tracy a
young mother quickly became friends I think that she appreciated having someone you know Carl was uh real
controlling and you know he didn't want her to have a lot of friends what did you see going on between Carl and Tracy
so one time we were uh sitting at the table and she told uh Carl Hey listen I'm going to need needs some money for
the water bill and he flew into a rage he's got her bent over backwards with his hands around her throat did he
verbally threaten her he threatened to kill her in front of me I intervene I I'm telling him let her go did she talk
to you about it at all yes she just wanted to be a family she felt like if she could just get through the rough
stuff you know that it would be okay Dawn told police about those altercation she said she saw and her
feelings about Carl well they asked me so what do you know about Carl Harris and I said well I know he's a rat
bastard he was not good to Tracy he asked me about fights I'd seen and I made a statement and I signed it and
every word of my statement was true there are quite a few people who said that they saw you being abusive to Tracy
were you abusive to Tracy no ma'am I was not we all saw it everyone in town was talking about it I did my grocery
shopping and I'm in the milk section and there's a couple standing there talking
about it the husband says well looks like that boy D finally killed that girl despite all the talk in town Tracy
never filed police reports about the alleged abuse back then the domestic violence law was much different if the
police arrived and nobody wanted to make a report or there was just no reports done
it wasn't just stories about abuse that made law enforcement take a hard look at
Carl there was that young girlfriend he did have a 17-year-old girlfriend at the
time who several people said he had had conversations with about marrying her um
but that he couldn't leave Tracy because he'd have to pay child support he also made comments prior to her going missing
and after including come back whenever Tracy won't be home Carl admits to having a girlfriend honestly it went
their business and talking to her about Tracy but says any comments he made were
misunderstood you didn't tell anybody that she wasn't coming back no ma'am I've never said that it was just so many
things most of all which were circumstantial but they all pointed at Carl Harris but no arrest was made and
the case went cold Carl claims that through the years he occasionally called authorities to ask about the
investigation but they say otherwise has there ever been a time that Carl Harris
said I want you to find out who killed Tracy never does that strike you as odd strikes me as very odd
[Music] [Music] [Music] a lot of people you know just assumed Carl would be arrested assume that he
did it and we're waiting for him to be arrested for years Selena Dodson wondered if there would ever be Justice
for her friend Tracy Harris who in 199 was found murdered in Alabama's chattah hatche
River Selena's thoughts would often wander to Tracy and Carl's daughter so I would wonder you know I wonder what
happened to Carolyn I wonder what she looks like I wonder what she's doing I was 4 years old when my mom was
murdered when I was 45 I would cry nonstop if I would get in trouble and say I want my mom I want my
mom Carolyn was immediately adopted by Tracy's mother they soon left Ozark hoping to start over and move to Texas
what did you grow up thinking happened to your mom I knew my mom was murdered then as the years went on I found out
that it it had to do with my dad what did people tell you about him I've always heard that he was very abusive
towards my mom that he was just a a bad individual Carolyn had no interest in a relationship with her father whom she
did not see while growing up her grandmother provided a loving home and Carolyn says that was more than enough
she she was like the best like she did everything for [Music] me when Carolyn was about 21 she says
Carl did reach out and they met but did not talk about Tracy did you want to ask him about her yeah I've
always wanted to ask questions but the way that everybody portrays him to be I didn't think that he would tell me the
truth still Carolyn wondered about her mother wanting to know what really happened I have tried to piece it
together that's what I do I try to I try to piece everything together and make it
all make sense this was definitely something Carolyn was passionate about she wanted some type of justice for her
mom when her grandmother died in 2015 Carolyn returned to Ozark to bury her next to her mother she started asking
people in town what they knew about Tracy and the investigation and there was one lady she said that her son
happened to be best friends with the sheriff Carolyn spoke with the sheriff who put her in touch with the Ozark
Police Department at the same time the Cold Case unit was starting to reopen the
investigation as it turned out their number one suspect had not changed there was nobody whose name had ever come up
that had any reason to kill Tracy Harris and I think when they reopened the case
they were just trying to prove Carl did it not look for anybody else and so they
went back through all the witnesses that had given statements in 1990 all the ones that they could find they got back
in touch with among those who police went back and interviewed an acquaintance of Tracy and Carl's he said
the police are so dumb I can kill somebody and get away with it Tracy's on because it kind of shocked me because I
mean he was saying that it was like he was smarter than the police you know I was a young naive teenager investigators
also tracked down that girlfriend of Carl's who was 17 when Tracy was murdered did Carl at any time tell you
that you didn't have to worry about Tracy showing up and into the house he could have when do you think you said
that I don't know although she recalled little about her time with Carl she did remember learning Tracy was dead I I
just couldn't believe that she was dead and her realization that perhaps her boyfriend was a murderer I just remember
thinking that you know people were talking and it it even took me being questioned to even think that maybe he
could have done it but after it all happened we just stopped seeing each other and there was also several people
that they found since then that he had made statements to that were incriminating while police were
reinvestigating the case Carl was trying to get on with his life several years after Tracy's murder he had left Ozark
feeling like The Cloud of Suspicion had destroyed his life I had to go out of town to get jobs when people don't know
me he worked as a bouncer in construction had a girlfriend and another Daughter by 2016 he had moved to
South Carolina where investigators gave him a call I thought it was good news I thought they found somebody they was
looking at and when they told me they was looking at me as suspect again they come up two weeks later arresting
me more than 26 years after Tracy Harris's body was found Carl Harris was arrested on September 13th
2016 for her murder there's absolutely no evidence at all that it connects Carl Harris to this
murder none whatsoever David Harrison is Carl's defense attorney he says Carl's arrest was motivated by politics and
nothing more in 2016 in this area there were unsolved murderers they had a lot of political pressure to to charge
somebody the environment of ozar Alabama was we need to do something were you worried that there was some new piece of
evidence that they had no I was never worried never cuz I was innocent well Carl may not have been
worried there was someone who for years was Dawn Beasley that friend of Tracy who with her then fiance briefly lived
with the harrises every time I would have a police officer get behind me I would
wonder is this where where all of a sudden they know what's happening this is the moment
[Music] I've always wondered what happened to my mom since I can remember for decades
Carolyn wanted to know more about the 1990 murder of her mother Tracy Harris and in
2016 with the arrest of her estranged father Carl Carolyn thought finally she would get some answers how do you react
when the thing you want is Justice for your mom but it's your dad who's been charged with her murder it's a relief
that we found somebody but and then in the back of my mind I'm like was it really him could he have really done
this why motive was also a question prosecutors Kirk Adams and Jordan Davis thought about as they prepared their
case against Carl I don't think there was one particular motive I think that the domestic violence was definitely in
the back of our heads but also this 17 y- old girlfriend that he had based mostly on statements from the interviews
originally done back in 1990 an investigator from the Ozark Police put together this scenario of what he
thought happened the night Tracy went missing quote it was determined that Carl Harris left his job at superfood
sometime around 9900 p.m. and went to his home Carl Harris jumped on top of Tracy Harris and began choking her Carl
Harris then placed her seemingly dead body into his vehicle and subsequently drove her to the Chuck tahachi River and
placed her body into the water police say Carl then picked up a friend reportedly at 9:30 making all those
stops Carl would have traveled about 20 miles you can take all the statements of
anybody you want to put together in this investigation here there is no evidence
whatsoever that is true when you put the timeline to this case Mar unless he was
on a lar jet that was impossible defense attorney David Harrison says the entire
investigation is not just flawed but that the police narrative is fabricated this officer made this up to
make this arrest the defense also offered up an alternate suspect that friend police say Carl picked up the
night Tracy disappeared named Bobby Herring Bobby Herring was convicted of raping a woman in a sister County but
prosecutors say Herring had an alibi for the time Tracy was murdered and they were remained confident that Carl was
their man what's different in 2016 that wasn't there or obvious in 1990 I think the major thing was getting
these Witnesses together which is what we did for the grand jury presentation and once you heard those people it was
very clear that Carl was violent he had threatened Tracy he had said one of these days I'm going to kill you those
things just add up as they prepared for trial Kirk and Jordan sifted through statements looking for more potential
witnesses to testify I was actually three when this happened so from 1990 and we're trying to track down Witnesses
we were dealing with people that had moved all over the country several had passed away there was a lot to go
through so we just kind of started with a long list and we just started trying to narrow it down the prosecutors also
visited the area around the river where Tracy's body was found part of our job is to paint that picture for a jury and
I just think it's always important to try to get a feel for the area they spent time on the bridge where police
believed Carl through Tracy into the river this location is approximately 7 miles from where Carl and Tracy Harris
lived it's very quiet and very rural they also went to the area under the bridge where people would sometimes
gather there's a lot of graffiti under this bridge a lot of names as well putting the case together was an arduous
process one filled with continuances and delays Carl was out on bail having spent
2 and a half weeks in jail after his arrest as confident as the prosecution was so was the defense I've tried 140
criminal jury trials I know bad one from a good one they never had a shot with this case but they maintain that the
case was specifically built on the statements of all the people who said that they saw Carl being abusive to his
wife his strange Behavior afterwards was that a concern for you as you were preparing a defense never never because
the credibility of the people that were going to testify they had no credibility
none whatsoever but Carolyn who traveled to ozar for every single hearing was convinced of her father's guilt I was I
was ready to put him behind bars ready to see it happen finally more than 3 years after Carl's arrest the trial was
scheduled for January 13th 20120 the week before trial Jordan continued to scour over old witness
reports deciding who should testify that's when one statement from 1990 not followed up on caught her attention the
one in particular that we found that they hadn't talked to in 2016 was this Don Halbert now Beasley and she had
witnessed domestic violence while living in their home what we thought was interesting was that she had witnessed
it in the same manner as how Tracy was actually killed it took Jordan several calls to wrong phone numbers to find
Dawn Beasley and she says my name is Jordan Davis I'm with Dale County DA this is about Carl and Tracy Harris Dawn
who had moved away from Ozark and was now divorced says she didn't even know there was an arrest for the murder of
her friend Tracy until that call they asked me we need you to testify and I said no I uh I can't possibly do that my
job is uh very stressful I texted her the next morning and said we really would like for you to come she texted me
back and said that she was was going to decline our invitation that she couldn't
help us so Jordan for you this wasn't an invitation this is a murder trial I was
aggravated I simply got a subpoena ready and we gave it to our investigators the
next day she made a scene it was very dramatic I was very unhappy I said you're ruining my life and you don't
understand why you guys don't want me to [Music] [Music] testify it was unbelievable to me that I
should end up with this incredible secret Dawn Beasley's secret weighed on her when she was asked to testify in the
2020 murder trial of Carl Harris Dawn refused to come saying she was too busy then after being subpoena she called
prosecutor Jordan Davis again I told Jordan I have given you completely honest reasons why I don't want to
testify but the most important reason I can't testify is because you have an innocent man on
trial I thought wow she's coming up with with crazy story as to why she can't get
here and she said well how do you know he's innocent I know he's innocent because the man that did commit the
crime confessed it to me the night he did it that's my ex-husband Jeff beasy Dawn told Jordan about the night
of March 7th 1990 when Tracy went missing Dawn about to celebrate her 21st birthday the next day was pregnant with
her first child her fiance Jeff came home waking her in the middle of the night he said I I accidentally heard her
and now she's dead who Tracy what happened I went over to Carl's to talk to Carl Carl wasn't there
I talked to Tracy I tried to talk her into leaving him she got mad at me we had a fight we tussled and I
accidentally heard her and now she's dead he said he took her down to the river because he didn't want them to
come home and find her body Dawn says she told Jeff they needed to go to the police but he insisted they keep quiet I
had an impossible choice to make and I really struggled Tracy deserves justice but the cost was going
to be so high what was the cost going to be if you went to the police I was going
to have to throw my entire life away I'm about about to get married I'm pregnant
this baby deserves a chance at a life with a loving family and a mom and a dad and so Dawn made her decision she would
stay quiet she says out of her desire to keep her life intact and also out of fear that police might not believe her
they're going to ask him some questions he's going to deny it then what happens to
me Dawn says she was honest when questioned her after Tracy's body was found and described the abuse seeing
Carl grab Tracy by the throat and threatened to kill her and every word of my statement was true they just never
asked me who do you think did it I walked out and I do remember the sense of relief because I hadn't actually had
to lie did it feel like you were lying though by not telling them sure I've gone back more
and question that decision over and over and over and over and over again did you
feel badly at all that he was under such scrutiny and suspicion I would like to say that I
did but I didn't Carl made Tracy miserable while Ozark Police questioned Dawn they never got a statement from
Jeff even though they both spent time together living with the harrises they had a statement from on and that was
things that they had witnessed while living in the home together I'm sure they thought that Jeff's statement would
be very similar to Don's but Jeff Beasley should have raised some red flags for police he had a criminal
record Don met Jeff shortly after he was released from prison having served four
years for burglary and Escape attempts but Dawn was willing to overlook his criminal past and the information about
killing Tracy they married and started their own family keeping the secret to themselves I never talked about it ever
to another living Soul not even Jeff you and Jeff never talked about it ever again never never once you just pulled a
dark curtain over and that was it it was done we just pretended it never happened
were you ever concerned that you might get into trouble having not gone to the police right from the beginning sure
yeah of course Dawn says she worried yet life preceded mostly as if nothing had happened Dawn and Jeff would have
another child her growing family eventually made her think of Tracy's daughter Carolyn I should have been
sorry for Carolyn and I was sorry for me even after Jeff was arrested again in 1991 for burglary and spent 5 years in
prison Dawn kept kept the secret wanting her family life to be normal when he got
out Jeff comes home from prison but very quickly I realized that this is not going to be what I anticipated it was
going to be Dawn claims Jeff became abusive after 13 years of marriage and four children she and Jeff divorced as
time went on she did think about ways to tell authorities what she knew maybe how
you do it on my deathbed maybe I make an anonymous phone call maybe I write a letter but she says the fear of upending
her own children's lives always stopped her that however changed with Jordan's insistence that she testify at Carl's
murder trial she dreaded what she now had to do tell her adult children that their father killed someone and that she
kept it quiet for 30 years the only I was ever afraid of was how they were going to
respond and they responded with support and love and understanding meanwhile the
prosecutors on the Friday before the start of the trial were also processing what Dawn had just told them I knew we
couldn't have a trial Monday because we had to figure out what's going on here Jeff Beasley's name until they spoke to
Dawn was unfamiliar but they did remember something from from that trip to the river where Tracy's body was
found while we were here we were looking under the bridge and in big huge spray painted letters was the last name
Beasley but it doesn't mean anything at that time because on the statement Dawn's name was Dawn hbert it didn't
even say Beasley prosecutors do not know why or who spray painted the name Beasley under
the bridge Carl Harris's trial was put on hold police tracked down his old friend Jeff Beasley who was living in
Ozark working as a trucker and brought him in for questioning I'm being accused of of of
murder of of taking someone's life I couldn't I wouldn't [Music] can we really do this can we really
solve this for Carolyn can we really give her peace prosecutors Kirk Adams and Jordan
Davis spent more than three delayed filled years putting together their case Seeking Justice for Tracy Harris now
with Dawn Beasley's Revelation that her ex-husband Jeff told her that he killed Tracy I appreciate you coming in they
hope to learn the truth did you uh hurt Tracy in any way did you Jeff Beasley not only agreed to talk to
investigators yeah just have a seat for but also to take a lie detector test are
you the person that caused the death of Tracy Harris that night he maintained his innocence even after being told you
did not pass he failed the polygraph I I didn't do this I I did I didn't do this
this was not me for more than 4 hours beastley insisted he had nothing to do with Tracy's death
seemed like you guys are wanting me to say I did something when I didn't I'm not I'm not going to put a word in your
mouth only you know and that's what I need I don't [Music] know and then I want it done he
confessed we went down to the river claiming he entered Tracy were having an affair she said she was leaving
[Music] call they wanted me to leave D so she was telling D Jeff said he and Tracy had been
waiting in the river and we got into an ARG was in the river so tell me what happen she went down and didn't come
back up but some things in Beasley's story were not adding up dawn said Jeff had told
her that Tracy and he fought at the Harris's home and those who knew Tracy did not believe she was having an affair
not one witness we had ever mentioned that she was possibly seeing someone else because
it was clear from the witnesses that Carl wouldn't allow that I cannot imagine that she
was cheating with with Jeff or anyone else he told me it was an accident you know now sitting here I think that maybe
he hit on her maybe she rebuffed his advances maybe she said I'm going to tell her and maybe he freaked out
and made sure she wasn't going to ruin his family and there was the issue of why TR
known to be terrified of water would voluntarily go in the river everybody in the case of new Trac say she was SC War
well we went to the river quite a couple times they also wanted Jeff to explain those bruises the autopsy noted on
Tracy's neck Mark's authorities felt were consistent with strangulation one of the pathologist
reports uh said that she was responsibly strangled I didn't strangle her I remember taking her pushing her
underwater autopsy says it I don't I guess was it an accident yeah I would hope yeah but
police and prosecutors did not believe it was an accident and Jeff Beasley was charged
with the murder of Tracy Harris he confessed in a way that matches the evidence I don't know how many times
that happens when you get a confession from the real killer technically 17 18 hours before trial the Das broke the
news to Carolyn Jordan called me to come to the police station that they had to tell me something and I broke we finally
did it like we finally found out who killed my mom you could just see so many emotions
going through her she'd been told all her life your dad did this but to find out he didn't do it you could tell Not
only was she relieved but you could tell she was so grateful that somebody had solve this case on January 13th 2020 the
day prosecutors had planned to be in court starting Carl Harris's trial instead they held a press conference I
have dismissed the murder case against Carl Harris an arrest has been made a 54-year-old Jeff Beasley of ozar with
the murder of Tracy Harris it hurt our pride that we had the wrong person you've got to you know check your ego at
the door because what's important is the right person got charged Carl Harris heard the news that he was a free man
from his attorney it just blow my mind I was happy that I was standing my ground
and I was telling the truth the whole time and they finally caught the boy did it Beasley pleaded guilty and received a
30-year sentence Did you ever consider filing charges against Dawn no there are a lot of people who are going to say
maybe she should be charged with something I think it was extremely difficult for her to come forward but
the fact is she could have kept that secret for forever she could have come up here she could have lied on the stand
the goal was to find the truth and to seek Justice for Tracy Harris and ultimately Dawn did that was there any
relief for you after all this time it was extraordinary relief for Carl Harris his relief is mixed with
anger along with his attorney David Harrison they held their own press conference I think it's negligent I
think it's incompetence we're talking about an innocent man alleging that police fabricated
information like that investigator's report describing how Carl killed Tracy Carl filed notice that he plans to sue
the city of Ozark for $6 million for for damages including false imprisonment and
pain and suffering we wanted to ask ozar police about the investigation but they
declined citing the pending claim we're mortified that we were that close to putting the wrong man on trial
and we were very confident that we would be able to get a conviction in this case
I do think about that all the time and that's kind of nauseating to be honest um that we were that close and I think
we we definitely learned a lesson with this case Tracy Harris's murder more than 30 years ago has left many
wondering what might have been especially Carolyn she still has no relationship with Carl Carl has not come forward and
actually been truthful to me about the abuse and I can't forgive him if he can't be men
enough to look at me and tell me what he did and that he's sorry for it Carolyn's
Focus remains on the mother she never had a chance to get to know everybody I've talked to said that she was so
quiet she was so modest she was the sweetest person that they've ever met do you wonder what your
mom would be like today every day every day [Music] 48 hours to miss it would be a crime
were you at all prepared for what happened in this case [Music] this story has always been one that has
fascinated people because it's so bizarre that this could even happen 17 1/2 years we have always
talked about Mike Williams being missing not ever finding his body not ever having resolution was very
difficult he was going to wake up early and go duck hunting he was a big duck hunter and so he went off to the lake
and then he never came [Music] back Mike Williams was a straight shooter he loved his family he loved his
wife he put her on a pedestal Mike did everything that she wanted done Denise said jump Mike want to know how high
they were going to be celebrating their wedding anniversary and so when he did not come home about noon when he was
supposed to Denise started getting worried and started calling around this search was the most intensive I
ever seen law enforcement and friends and family combing the lake looking for me they found the boat his truck the
trailer that was all there I got up in the helicopter flew around and looked for his body and one of the things that
I noticed there were no less than 15 to 20 very large alligators swimming all around this area
lake seol is known for having a lot of alligators we're in North Florida there are a lot of
alligators when we went back out there you know there was more evidence that there was there had been alligator
activity around there that's what you believed happened to Mike yes I I firmly believe that I
guess you're sort of hoping you find something and sort of hoping you don't what was was hoping it if he was
here we would find him and get closure but no it didn't happen people are attacked by
alligators little dogs are eaten by alligators but you never hear of someone who's just vanished eaten by whole by an
alligator it is totally impossible for 185lb man to be consumed by an alligator Without a Trace I think that's when we
started going oh my gosh this is not what we thought it was many people felt like there was Foul
Play involved Cheryl Williams Mike's mom comes along and I pray every day that Mike will come home Cheryl begins her
Crusade if you will trying to get answers she'd make picket signs and stand in front of the church there were
Billboards you know have you seen my son she wrote the governor a letter every day for 9 years until God tells me in my
hard that that child is dead I cannot give up looking for she wasn't going to quit until she
had a body alive or dead he didn't just fall out of the boat this wasn't just a hunting
[Music] accident this man was murdered and they blamed it on alligators for 17 years
[Music] [Music] you've got to really love duck hunting to love Lake seol it's shallow it's swampy and it's
popular with the local alligators Mike Williams really did love duck hunting and people say that's why
he came here with Before Dawn on December 16th 2000 alone his wife said the plan was
that Mike would be back home in time to celebrate his wedding anniversary but 12 hours later after his
wife reported him missing Lake seol would be swarming with Rescuers searching for Mike Williams on the land
on the water and in the air can you show me the area that you guys searched in basically this area from here to there
about 5 Acres Alton rainu and David Arnett were among the first law enforcement officers to get a call about
a missing duck hunter what we thought had happened is that he possibly fell out of the boat or capsized is it
unusual for people to fall out of boats while they're hunting for ducks It's Not
Unusual it it happens um quite often out here as far as they might hit a stump and throw them
out early the next morning there was a break Mike's boat was found on board were some decoys and his
shotgun but no sign of Mike himself we' done a grid search very slow meticulous grid search back and forth over the
search area and what began as a search and [Music] rescue soon turned into a search for a
body we stayed with that grid until we covered this whole area cadaver dogs were brought in while teams
scoured the murky bottom of lake seol in a gruesome search for Mike's body that was high intensity and low
Tech this is the tool of your trade right that was that was actually one of the poles and and all you do is put it
in the water and see if you feel anything if it's a log it's kind of a a a thump kind of a hard thump if it would
been the body you hit it it's kind of like a pillow did you feel something ever on
the bottom that felt like a body never never Williams vanished one day before his sixth wedding anniversary he met his
wife Denise at North Florida Christian High School he was a football player she was a cheerleader he was president of
the student council she was the secretary had they seem together gray couple Scott dunie met Mike in high
school he and his wife Anessa were among Mike's best friends if you knew Mike he's the kind of person that uh is going
to do anything and everything for you so Denise you know found a gem they both graduated from Florida
State University Denise became an accountant for the state Mike became a real estate appraiser working for clay
Ketch this kid was straight as an era he really truly was Clay and his wife Patty
got to know Mike well he was an unbelievable worker it was not uncommon for him to do 15-hour days I mean he
would be in there early working until one or two in the morning and then be right back he had incredible
energy before long Mike's career took off and that's when he married Denise he loved his wife he even would
would leave the office and go pump her gas I'm sorry go pump her gas yes she would call him and say Mike I need gas
and Mike would run over there pump her gas and run back we all said we wanted to be married to Mike just before
Mother's Day in 1999 Denise gave birth to the couple's daughter and by chance a local
Tallahassee TV station was at the hospital we're just totally overwhelmed she was due to day and she would have
made me wait a whole another year for Mother's Day she tipped the scales it was unbelievable I have a whole new
respect for my wife and women in general and what they go through to bring a a new child new life into the
world 19 months after he became a father Mike was missing and the longer the search lasted
on Lake seol the harder it was on the Searchers afraid of what they might find one of Mike's oldest friends Brian
Winchester was out there looking for him from the start and it was Brian who discovered Mike's empty
boat Brian decided that we didn't want to be there when Mike's body was pulled up Brett Ketchum was with Brian during
the search so we would get in a car and drive to a gas station and go get a Coke
and it was very emotional trips I mean it was you know crying and and it was tough the search was called off after 44
days Rescuers could find no trace of Mike Williams he was listed officially as still missing and some people
wondered if he had just run off we knew M could not run off I mean he loved his family and he adored his
daughter adored her so Mike did not run off this was not some elaborate ruse soon there was another explanation
offered for why Mike's body could not be found that he had been snatched by an alligator alligators they don't eat you
right then this is morbid to talk about but they go stuff you somewhere for 6 months and and then come back later one
of the rescue teams agreed writing the alligators have dismembered and have stored the remains in a location that we
would not be able to find but there was at least one person who had serious doubts about that
theory Mike's mother Cheryl she pretty early on believed that there was more to this and that he was
not in likes him at all I think she just thought something something's not right here
[Music] 6 months after Mike Williams disappeared investigators had no new leads no real
hope of finding him and then what could be a break bubbled up from the muck of lake seol that pole is marking a spot
where the waiters had popped up a local fisherman found a pair of waiters like these which were believed
to have belonged to Williams did it make sense to you that they popped up here I mean you would you
would search that area right we had searched it many times Well very well then two days after that Mike's
fishing jacket and his hunting license were found at the same spot along with a flashlight but Williams was still
missing his wife Denise was raising their 2-year-old daughter alone Denise was a doting mother the pride and
joy of her life but Scott dunie says now that Denise was a single mom money was getting tight I was helping her with
some of the items that needed to be sold and to generate some cash until the insurance money
came and there was a lot of insurance money involved Williams had three policies worth more than
$1.75 million Mike wanted to make sure his family was taken care of because Mike hunted and
fished and did some pretty high-risk activity and clayr encouraged him to load up with her expenses reportedly mounting
Denise went after the insurance money quickly while the search itself is still going on while he is still actively
missing they're still actively searching for her he she is going and filing a claim against his life
insurance Jennifer Portman covered this case for the Tallahassee Democrat she was a consultant for 48 hours she was
really ready to accept the fact that he was missing and presumed dead very early
on but the State of Florida was not according to Florida law since there was no proof Williams had died he would not
be declared dead for 5 years Denise did not want to wait that long to collect on
Mike's life insurance how much time did take in this case it took 6 months it was very fast abnormally
fast that's because Denise's attorney argued to a judge that the waiters the vest and the hunting license were proof
enough that Williams was dead the judge agreed and issued a death certificate cause of death accidental drowning while
duck hunting on Lake seol body has not yet been recovered based on that and that alone
was what got him declared dead pair of waiters and a fishing license and some other stuff yeah
exactly the case of the missing Hunter seemed closed and was soon forgotten by almost everyone but not by Mike's mother
Cheryl did she believe that her son drowned in Lake seol she never ever believed that her son was in the lake
and she was absolutely committed to find out what happened to him it's never out of my head where is
this child Cheryl caught the attention of the local news he may be dead but he's not in that Lake and if somebody
did hurt in my child I want him found and I want him punished Cheryl started keeping notes of everything copious
notes of all of the you know strange things that were going on she eventually filled 27 single spaced pages with lots
of unanswered questions like what made the waiters float after 6 and 1/2 months underwater her notes ended with a plea
to anyone who would listen please help me find my son she was trying to basically compile all of these evidence
that she could find and trying to get it in front of someone who would listen to
her well did Denise help her oh no Denise completely cut her off Denise was adamant no investigation she
threatened to withhold Cheryl's granddaughter from her correct she said if you continue to press for this
investigation you will never see your granddaughter again so what did you do she took the energy she would have spent
loving on that child and tried to find her daddy Cheryl pressed on and started poking holes in the official version of
what happened to her son for years after Mike Williams disappeared there was a theory that the
reason his body was never found was that he had been eaten by alligators turns out there's a problem with that theory
Cheryl contacted Matthew aresco an alligator expert Florida has a few of them in his response he explained that
alligators do not feed in the cold winter months cold weather um causes the water temperature to drop so alligators
don't feed in winter time what's more aresco said that when alligators kill there is always forensic evidence left
behind and he said attributing Mike's disappearance to an alligator attack may be a convenient explanation for the
authorities but was virtually impossible we're in North Florida there are a lot of alligators I will give you that but
it is winter alligators do not eat human beings without leaving a Trace in the middle of December when it's cold it
just doesn't happen if not for Cheryl Williams there's no way that we would know where Mike Williams was or anything
that ever happened to him she was the driving force Cheryl Williams knew because an
expert told her that her son was not eating by an alligator but she did not know much else
about how he vanished one of the things that has been so difficult about this case is that there was an absolute lack
of physical evidence you didn't have a body you didn't have any of these things that maybe could point you toward
something but Cheryl had something those 27 pages of detailed notes in 2004 4 years after Mike disappeared Cheryl's
campaign finally caught the attention of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigators met with her
and then launched a multi- agency investigation when did you first begin thinking this was a crime the first
night we talked to Miss Cheryl at the time Derek Wester was with the Jackson County Sheriff's Office he was part of
the investigation she had it all broke down and then as she's relating this story all these inconsistencies start
adding up do you remember what some of those consistencies were the insurance it was Mike's three life insurance
policies that caught their attention particularly the last one he bought not long before he disappeared worth $1
million how did Mike Williams end up with that million-dollar life insurance policy who sold it to him Brian
Winchester sold him the million-dollar life insurance policy about six months before he went missing Brian Winchester
was an insurance agent he'd been Mike's best friend since high school where like Mike he met his future
wife Cathy Aldrich and from then on the two couples were inseparable you know they did literally everything together
they went out to dinner together they bought houses at the same time they got married at the same time babies at the
same time you know they were they were very close Brian Winchester was in the insurance business so it's not that odd
that he would sell his friend and insurance policy no it's not I mean just the timing of it in retrospect looks a
little weird that wasn't the only thing that started to look weird those waiters that
popped up in Lake seol surfaced just as Denise Williams needed proof that her husband was dead in order to get the
insurance money how many days before the court hearing these waiters popped up less
than a month I mean it was really close they they had supposedly been submerged in the lake for 6 months these waiters
was in very good shape they were also not slimy and what did that mean they had not been in the water very long so
you looked at that stuff and you thought to yourself what planted it was planted
yeah no one could say for sure who planted it but as time passed Denise Williams and Brian Winchester started
attracting attention and some suspicion because years after Mike disappeared Winchester divorced his wife Kathy he
began dating Denise and then he married her we went to the wedding was she a suspect in your
mind at that point I think in mine I was yes the minister at some point said I've
counseled with this couple and they have no secrets I don't know and clay and I both went we kind of nudged each other
like well there might be this one little secret you don't know all these things start becoming like
clear that we now we've got the insurance now we've got the waiters got the alligator Theory being busted by the
experts so as they're building their case you know they talk to people they start getting somewhere one of the first
people investigators talked to was Denise Williams there's no emotion there's no softening up there
there's there's nothing I mean she just matter of fact and cold but Brian Winchester had much more to say he
offered detectives an alibi for the morning Mike Williams went missing he said he was 60 Mi away from the lake in
bed Brian tells us that he was going hunting with his father-in-law and overslept you know for a fact that Brian
was not telling you the truth then MH Winchester could not have known it but detectives already had a witness who
said he saw Winchester that morning at Lake seol I know the the man personally I mean I've I've known him all my life
and I composed a lineup and I took it to him Joel says well he wasn't smiling like that but that's him and he pointed
to Brian Winchester and he had seen that same man he said when that morning there
was one more thing Winchester didn't know police were talking to his ex-wife and she told them Denise and Brian might
have been having an affair for years before Mike disappeared there was definitely a suspicion that him and
her were having an affair well before that December while Denise was still married to Mike yes the plot was sure
thickening but investigators still weren't sure what the full story was after 2 years the FDLE hit a wall
but Cheryl Williams who had been fighting since the day her son disappeared was not giving up and it's
horrible not knowing what happened to him she was very very very frustrated with FDLE and felt that they were not
doing their job they weren't trying so she picketed you know she would have signs made and and walk up
and down in front of the church every year she would have Billboards put up around town they
showed a picture of Mike and missing and if you have any information who's to contact and she went after the governor
she wrote the governor a letter every day for 9 years in fact the governor received
1,472 letters that we know of her suspicion was always with Brian anise more so with
Denise the two people who were considered most likely suspects were together and unless one of them turned
on the other you were never going to find out what happened here did you think this case would get
broken not until I found out that they were having marital problems they turned on each other like rats in the
[Music] S and your God tells me in my heart that that child is dead I cannot give up
looking for him as the years dragged on it looked like the mystery of what happened to
Mike Williams might never be solved if Brian and Denise knew anything about Mike's disappearance they weren't
talking and no one could make them by Florida law as long as they stayed married neither could be forced to
testify against the other with Brian and Denise being married you were how were you ever going to get the truth because
one is not going to turn on the other but behind the scenes Denise and Brian's marriage was
disintegrating and after 7 years in 2012 they decided to separate he is you know
self-described as being a sex addict he's trying to please her by going to therapy by getting counseling like he's
jumping through all these hoops trying to do all these things to get her back and she's not kind of accepting
them after four more years of trying to patch things up Brian snapped one morning Denise gets in her
car she's driving to work and she senses something in the back and Brian Winchester has hidden in the back of her
car and is coming over the seat and has got a gun got a gun he's got a gun he had a gun he had a tarp the idea was
that he was going to kill her he's screaming and I'm just like shaking and he's telling me to stop
crying that people are going to notice because Den reported her kidnapping to the Leon County Sheriff's Office I was
like are you planning on you know ending both of our lives today well mine I'm planning on mine and then he would say I
want to kill he must have said a million times I want to kill myself Brian Winchester was soon arrested and charged
with the kidnapping and aggravated assault of his wife I was just kind of agreeing with whatever he was saying and
I was like I know that you love me and police quickly realized that the rift and Denise and Brian's marriage
presented an opportunity a tag team of detectives arrived to see what they could get out
of Denise to see if she would Now flip on her estranged husband and talk about his involvement in Mike Williams's
disappearance I know Denise he did and you know exactly what I'm talking about and he was going to do
it again Tallahasse detective David mccraine tried he wasn't going to kill himself in he was going to kill you so
that you could talk about him later that is the truth mccraine turned up the heat 15 years ago he walked in
and told you he'd done something didn't he Denise no you have G this is not going
away okay he's going to kill you he's kill himself because know but Denise did not
budge for Department of for so special agent Mike dainy came in he'd been working the Williams case for years do
you think he's responsible for M disappearance I do not and I never have I would have never married him if I
thought that I mean in my mind and in my heart no she wasn't giving up anything she was giving up absolutely nothing
where do you think Mike's buried at oh I I have no idea any speculation on that on where he's Buried buried I
mean I believe you don't really believe he he died at on the lake I do why I just I just always have that's
what I believe that was her story and sticking to it that left Brian as the only possible
source of information in the Williams case he was facing a long stretch in prison for the kidnapping but there was
no word about what if anything he would say about Mike's disappearance we're here in state of
Florida versus Brian Winchester 2000 16 months later Brian plad guilty to kidnapping and assaulting Denise and
appeared in court for his sentencing we had a a plea and we weren't sure what the government was going to ask for he
was crying at times he apologized Tim Jansen is Brian Winchester's lawyer we had indicated we want 15 the state gets
up and asks for 45 my client would like to address the courot never ever did I have any intentions of
harming Denise nor would I nonetheless I do know that she was hurt by my actions and again I am truly
[Music] sorry Start by S your name please Denise Williams Denise showed up at the
sentencing what was she like there what did she want she wanted him to go to prison for the rest of his life I start
each day with the memory of him jumping out of the back and I end each day feeling the gun shoved in my ribs
when I turn on my right side trying to sleep she was scared she was compelling he will finish what he has started no
matter what age he is when he's released most people in the courtroom were pretty
stunned by it it was pretty powerful I'm asking you to send it him to life in prison for the crimes he has committed
it comes down to my life or his and I'm asking you please to choose mine thank you come on up with your client Mr
Jansen for kidnapping Denise Brian was sentenced to 20 years behind bars he was Shackled at the waist and
the ankles and when they shuffled him off to prison we felt so defeated because we said
there'll never be an answer to our friend Mike never an answer we'll won't know well you were wrong we were
wrong they had found Mike's body [Music] [Music] this was so huge it still is really
pretty stunning just one day after Brian Winchester was sentenced for kidnapping
Denise Williams the Florida Department of Law Enforcement held a news conference and the News really was huge
standing here now I can tell you that we know what happened to Mike Williams he was
murdered they know that because sometime before before he was sentenced for kidnapping Brian Winchester cracked and
confessed in these audio recordings I went and met Mike at a gas station I followed him to the lake we
launched the boat it was just like a hunting trip was supposed to be Winchester had cut a deal with
prosecutors in exchange for his confession he would not be charged with murder even though he admitted killing
his best friend I got him to stand up and I pushed him into the water and he was in a panic obviously I was in a
panic I didn't know what to do and I ended up shooting him the agreement that we drafted up
said that anything he said that day could not be used against him Winchester gave prosecutors what they wanted most
the location of Mike Williams's body I backed my Suburban down to the edge of the lake and put his body in the back
and pushed his boat back out into the water Brian says he left Mike's truck and trailer at Lake seol to make Mike's
disappearance look like an accident but actually Mike's body was nowhere near Lake
seol he was 60 M away at car Lake a remote marshy area just 10 minutes from Winchester's home
Brian LED investigators here to the spot he buried Mike back in 2000 and they commenced what FDLE told
me is the most extensive search they have ever undertaken in the history of the agency the search uncovered Mike's
skeletal remains and his wedding ring among other things and there was horrifying evidence
of what happened to him and what they were able to show very clearly was that he had been shot
basically at Point Blank Range in the face with a shotgun this was up close personal deadly yeah and gruesome
yeah and Winchester provided one final piece of the puzzle he said it was all Denise's
idea she would not get divorced and so she basically said said there's only one solution as he tells it she was not
willing to endure the public shame of a divorce so she thought murder was a better answer I guess it was better to
be known as a widow than a divorce a wow that is incredibly cold and wouldn't it
be great if we also owe by the way collected you know almost $2 million in insurance we would end up together we
would live happily ever after oh and as a side note we've got all this money to to enjoy my wonderful life together the
happily Ever After part didn't work out so well in May 2018 5 months after the discovery of Mike's body was announced
Denise Williams was arrested and charged with first-degree murder conspiracy to commit murder and
accessory after the fact it was a very bizarre moment and she said nothing and she didn't look at
anybody she just looked straight ahead it's a Bittersweet feeling you are so thankful
that she has been outed for the true person she is but it doesn't you're still left with the same result even
though you saw her let away in shackles and an ugly dress and hair that needed a die job I got to tell you that
felt pretty good to me cuz I know how important appearances are she didn't do it she had nothing to do
with it she's completely innocent defense attorney Ethan Way is representing Denise did she know about
it no not before not during not after you are very confident I have an innocent client it's the best
[Music] kind on December 11th 2018 prosecutor John fuches gave his opening argument at
Denise Williams's Mur murder trial Denise likes the sound of being a widow much more than a divorce obviously can't
be caught with a murder so they had to make it look like an accident raise your right hand please
early on the state called Brian Winchester we had an agreement that she would never say anything about me and I
would never say anything about her because we felt like that as long as neither one of us talked that nobody
would ever find out what happened good morning ladies and gentlemen Ethan Way was in an enviable
position for a defense attorney representing an accused murderer the prosecution star witness admits he is
the killer when you shot Mike Williams with the 12 gaug shotgun was Denise Williams standing there with you no she
wasn't she was in my head behind me Denise Williams had no idea that you shot her husband in the face with a
shotgun did you correct Mr Winchester you're murderer isn't it true yes sir Mr Winchester you're a liar isn't it true
yes sir of course Cheryl Williams always suspected her one-time daughter-in-law was involved and Cheryl was now a
witness for the prosecution the initial theory was that he was missing and possibly eaten by alligators right you
never believed that did you no sir how long did it take before Denise called you and said I'm sorry I was wrong all
these years she never did finally Winchester's ex-wife Kathy testified Denise kept quiet as part of a
conspiracy of Silence between Brian and Denise were you aware that Brian Winchester kidnapped Denise Williams yes
about a week after that the Denise asked you to do something Denise asked me to get a message to
Brian that I'm not talking after 3 days of testimony both both sides rested Ethan Way was so
confident the state had no hard evidence that he didn't want the jury to consider
any charges less than murder one this is a strategy decision as you understand it's a little bit out of the ordinary
yes I guess for one of a better word it's a little bit of a gamble yes the jury was now facing an All or Nothing
decision and the attorneys presented their closing arguments this is not a case about trying to get quote Justice
for Mike this is a murder case there's no evidence that supports any of the allegations against my client we are
counting on you to return a verdict that speaks the truth and that verdict is not
guilty think back three days ago Brian Winchester is on the stand describing how he shot his best
friend everybody in this entire room was moved by the sheer horror of that situation one
person that one person sat here absolute Stone Face didn't bat an eye didn't shed a
tear that lady right there just Denise Williams the jury took 8 hours to reach a verdict the defendant is guilty of
conspiracy to commit first degree murder Denise Williams was found guilty as to count to we the jury find the
defendant is guilty of first degree murder on all counts the defendant is guilty of accessory after the fact of
first degree murder Mike's family and friends waited 18 years for this day sometimes the
wheels of Justice turn slowly but they do still turn for Cheryl Williams it has been a
long heartbreaking fight but now she can finally lay her son to rest it hit her really hard and and I think she's still
coming to terms with it I mean the brutality of it the the finality of it how anyone could do this to Mike it kind
of destroys your your faith in in man to do this to him and the way it was done and it's just
unimaginable you still miss oh yeah he was such a good guy he loved to work he loved his family he put him on a
pedestal and he got killed for it that's the irony of this is the kid did nothing
[Music] wrong CBS next a rock star of the snake breeding world found dead I assumed it
was a snake it wasn't a snake but the killer was cold blooded who would want to kill Ben renck we could have imagined
anything like that 48 Hours Crime Time double feature continues next on CBS [Music]

“48 Hours" reports on notable true crime court cases. Watch the YouTube mini-marathon, which includes "The Case Against Mary Katherine Higdon," "The 30-Year Secret -- The Tracey Harris Murder" and "The Puzzling Death of Susann Sills."

00:00 The Case Against Mary Katherine Higdon 42:10 The 30-Year Secret -- The Tracey Harris Murder 1:23:33 Cold-Blooded Killer

Crime. Social justice. Impact. "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.

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Brief Summary

Mary Katherine Higden shot her boyfriend Steven Freeman, claiming it was accidental, but evidence suggested a troubled relationship and led to her acquittal.

Key points

A Mother's Grief. Jennifer Freeman reflects on her son's tragic death and the love he shared.
The Toxic Relationship. Investigators uncover a tumultuous relationship filled with jealousy and fear.
Mary Katherine's Testimony. Mary Katherine claims she was abused and feared for her life before the shooting.
The Jury's Verdict. The jury finds Mary Katherine not guilty of murder, shocking the victim's family.
Witnesses of Domestic Violence. Multiple witnesses come forward about the abuse Tracy suffered at the hands of Carl.
The Arrest of Carl Harris. After years of suspicion, Carl Harris is arrested for the murder of Tracy Harris.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

All I know is what's in my heart.

Mary Katherine's defense of her actions after the shooting.

3:07WatchFeb 1, 2025

Tension

75/ 100High tension

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