Melissa Turner's Closing Act | Full Episode | Forensic Files

[Music] 911 what is your emergency I woke up on my boyfriend he he was outside this
morning he's cold he's cold I was scared I was confused I I was on the phone with 911 the kitchen's a
bloody mess and he's not breathing why is the kitchen a bloody mess I don't know what's your name Melissa
Turner I couldn't remember a lot when I realized that he wasn't responding I panicked when did you realize that
Matthew was dead I think a part of me already knew caly October 18th 2019 we got the call
that we had to respond here Matthew truster was found in the patio pool area of this residence and
what kind of shape was Melissa at that time I remember seeing her pretty well covered in
blood so on that night what happens Matt I gotten upset uh he had he had gotten his knife out I
remember he would act more like he was possessed he would say things to me like Matt's not here anymore I'm the
demon there were times where he would try and use it on himself I was the prosecutor who went to
the crime scene that day I thought it was bizarre there was the insinuation that he had done this to
himself and he had establish W in the back he couldn't have done that to himself right he flow his back I tried
giving him CPR I tried I just thought that there was a lot of acting happening where she's dialing 911 and make herself
cry I don't know what happened was exceptional acting fantastic actress she wanted to
be in movies a cosplay model is basically where you dress up as like uh your favorite
characters I would do Alvar Misty from Pokemon I really loved the makeup and the props and the
costuming I am tothor Rose I'm a cam model I'm an artist I love Fitness her content was sexual based she had
websites she had an only fans page we were very shocked to find this kind of secretive life that we didn't know about
who do you believe killed Matthew Trussler Melissa Turner I didn't do what they're saying I
did if I'm going to prison then I'm going down fighting I'm going down telling my side
of the [Music] story [Music] [Music] that's the County Fire see what at the emergency tell me what's
wrong he is non responsive I couldn't stop crying Melissa Turner can vividly describe the
moment as Medics tried to revive her fiance Matthew Trussler I watched the EMTs unfold the sheet and um lay the
white sheet over him two years later Melissa still struggles to talk about the day Matthew died and
it was it was when that happened that I just I couldn't hold in the tears and everything it was around 8:30 a.m. when
Melissa says she found Matthew unresponsive on the back patio of the house they shared in a suburb of Tampa
Florida I tried to see if he was breathing and I tried to to start CPR just a couple hours later still
covered in blood Melissa agreed to talk to investigators at the Hillsboro County
Sheriff's Office she says she wanted to help them figure out what had happened to
Matthew I was just saying yes and complying with whatever was kind of said or told to
me the world around me didn't really feel real in those moments let Glam something the back in old TV Melissa
told the detectives a couple's day had started off just like any other they took care of their pets did house chores
as seen in these previously posted Facebook videos get up we got to clean that spot first spot and went grocery
shopping she admitted they were also drinking alcohol throughout the day leading into the evening that's what we
did we just we were there at the house ourselves we had drinks he always liked drinking he was a drinker according to
Melissa around 11:00 p.m. she got tired and told Matthew she wanted to go to sleep he was still up I slept on that
that big chair that's in my little office area [Music] downstairs what she saw when she woke up
the next morning Melissa told investigators didn't make sense I saw the the kitchen was
I didn't see him outside at first I went upstairs and I checked the bedroom and I
came back down again she says that's when she discovered Matthew outside on the patio
and began CPR CPR and help him they're hard to see but Melissa is wearing latex gloves
given to her by an officer at the scene he had you put those because I get things bloody cuz I was covered in his
blood do you want to keep wearing those gloves or do you want to take them off I'll leave them on for now do you have
any injuries on your person H any scratches or Cuts or anything did I notice the detectives
eventually told Melissa she would need to take the gloves off I have a little and that's from what I think it's
from grabbing the glass or cuz I know there was the broken glass this morning so they could take
photographs of her hand more there H to open it up sorry oh my gosh I didn't this like
pretty good I didn't even noticed oh wow I had no idea that was there as detectives worked to get to the
bottom of what happened Matthew's family was learning Matthew had died died his brother Shawn got the call from their
mother I got a call that he died in an accident that's what they told me Sean called his fiance Jennifer immediately
he's sobbing so hard and just screaming at the top of his lungs he's gone my brother Maddie
Maddie's gone he's dead I'm getting chills just talking about [Music] this Sean and Matthew Trussler were
originally from Massachusetts in 2015 Matthew followed in his brother's footsteps and moved to Florida to work
with him in the construction business Shawn who lost one of his eyes due to a work accident shortly after his
brother's death says the two made a good team I have worked Maddie very hard he just needs to be led correctly Matthew
or Maddie as Sean calls him struggled with sub abuse and was looking at the move to Florida as a chance to start
over he was a really good kid he worked so hard he had the biggest heart he loved everybody and
everything two years after his move Melissa then 24 met Matthew 23 on an online dating app we met on Tinder and I
just liked how different Matt treated me he made me feel more important he drew me in in 2019 the couple took a big step
and bought a house together we were excited about the house we were picking out you know paint colors for walls and
Furniture but Melissa says a few months into their new lives their relationship became strained Matt's drinking was
getting worse it was just becoming really excessive and at the Sheriff's Office Melissa had been adamant that there were
no arguments between the couple that night we were having a great time was there anything physical violent he was
never violent he was always amazing with me but Melissa didn't know that the detectives had been tipped off by the
responding officer that Melissa had told him there had been an argument at the house the night before what were you and
Matthew arguing about last night I don't really remember I mean we might have gone an argument
but it didn't seem like anything more like screaming at each other that I know of you told us that guys were there
there only two of you the two of you were drinking my problem is is I got Matthew on the back porch
with stab wounds stab wounds meanwhile another Detective Ryan legassi was knocking on doors and
canvasing the neighborhood for Clues as I walked over here you've got the camera
located directly above the residence across the street [Music] here and what was captured by this
camera police say would prove Melissa knew more than she was letting on get up get get
up get up [Music] [Music] an eyewitness can be crucial to solving a crime and just hours into the
investigation of Matthew tressler's death detectives discovered digital observers there was an ADT camera inside
the couple's home but at first glance it didn't appear to show any unusual activity most of our information came
from that camera that's posted up above the garage it was this nest camera on a neighbor's garage that would prove
invaluable an unblinking eye trained on the side of Melissa and Matthew's home that recorded sights and sounds so I
started looking at the footage she legi a detective for the sheriff's office at the time saw only darkness and heard the
near Silence of Suburbia until around 4: a.m. I started to hear racketing um you
know things that were sounded like they were crashing and um so then I you know I kind of zoomed in my senses a little
bit and then from there I started hearing voices and then I hear what sounds like screaming um
yelling legassi says those voices were coming from Matthew and Melissa's house how would you describe the tone of the
voices that you heard so the little bit of male voice was tough to distinguish um but the female voice was very um very
loud um sounded very angry what could you hear what kind of phrases so I heard um get up get up
get I heard so and then there was an explicit die you heard so and then I heard um you know it sounded
like a female voice was crying saying what what did I do legassi immediately reached out to
his colleagues who were interviewing Melissa you said that last night you never woke up at all no I remember
laying down I remember waking up in the same spot investigators now believe they
had evidence that Melissa wasn't telling all she knew tell me about what happened
around 4:00 this morning 4:00 what happened at 4:00 I don't know that's what I'm asking you I don't know
either why was there any arguing at 4:00 nothing I know of I believe I was asleep I have no memory of any argument
at 4:00 in the morning but after detectives confronted her with the evidence Melissa story changed I have
some video surveillance actually yelling and screaming between a male and a female coming from your house what we
need from you that would probably make a lot more sense is to tell us what that argument was about it I would say he
woke me up and we gotten an argument over that because he was still up at 400 in the morning drinking okay so just so
I'm clear you do have a memory of what happened right at 4:00 yes why were you yelling at him get up
get up actually a lot of the times whenever he is drinking and gets that drunk into
the hours of the morning he will just fall over you also said a couple of other things like stay
down so die what are you talking about that was me being pissed off at everybodyy fell over you got a slice on
your hand a slice that's what that is how did that happen the investigator is again
focused on that cut on Melissa's hand it's not from glass I can tell you that once again her story
changed he does get his knives out sometimes he wasn't him anymore thinking back on
it this is from me grabbing a knife out of his hand and things kind escalated from there Melissa later told us she
wasn't trying to hide the injury on her hand in fact she had had mentioned it earlier to the 911 operator I have a cut
on my hand I barely remembered even after mentioning it on the 911 call that my hand was sliced open 911 a
few hours after Melissa placed that 911 call she was arrested in charge with second degree murder with a
weapon sha and Jennifer learned Melissa was in custody for Matthew's murder from
his mom who called Melissa by her middle name Rose she said Rose killed him I remember we stood in my kitchen and he
just starts bing up until then Sean and Jennifer say the couple didn't appear to
have any problems but Sean says that Melissa did put a wedge between him and Matthew she was totally isolated him and
her from the rest of the world the truth is like how controlling and manipulating
Rose was sea says he hadn't seen Matthew during the last six months of his life the brothers had had a falling out after
Matthew stopped working with Shawn at his construction business she took Maddie long before she took him forever
Shawn and Jennifer say Melissa had two sides as Matthew's live-in partner and as a cosplay model who dressed up in
costume portraying famous fictional characters what is that then that is actually from from Scooby-Doo she made a
living by producing and acting in her own adult videos but it's from a movie clip where she actually is performing um
sexual acts and it wasn't until after his death that they learned Melissa had cast Matthew as her partner in her
videos and I really feel like uh the pressure and the stress and the fact that it was more and more and more just
paid its toll on him him you think that maybe he just didn't want to do those films anymore absolutely I think he was
done with [Music] her after sha and his fonce Jennifer found out that Melissa had been arrested
for Matthew's murder they began an investigation of their own we came across things were pretty
disturbing Sean and Jennifer believed Matthew was becoming disenchanted with his role in those videos Melissa
produced I think at first it was okay because he was seeing some fruits from his labor money um but I think it got a
little much they now wonder if Melissa had been looking for a partner for her videos
when she spotted Matthew on that dating app people write little bios about themselves she went out and found
someone with all the right stuff the looks the body and everything that goes with it she doesn't do things without a
bunch of research Cameron wga a former boyfriend of Melissa met her before she began her career in the world of adult
entertainment she was very artistic so she was able to edit her own videos edit her own pictures very business-driven
the two met in 2012 when they were studying makeup effects at Douglas Education Center near Pittsburgh back
then Melissa was running a popular fitness blog after losing 100b later documenting her
transformation on social media it kept her accountable she had this audience that was incredibly invested in what she
was doing and watching her evolve as a person in 2013 Cameron and Melissa moved to
Florida to pursue careers in special effects there Melissa confessed to Cameron that she had started a second
blog with racer content This was meant to be temporary this was supplemental but Cameron says
Melissa soon began earning a decent living doing what is called camw work where she performed in various stage of
dress for her internet followers who paid a fee she was so proud of where she got herself I used to be this incredibly
insecure girl now they're paying me to look at me he says he began to see a change in
Melissa's personality as her business grew but it came maniacal to a point where it was complete obsession and it
was money money money money money and the more and more success that she found the more and more unstable she became
she would scream at times that it would pierce your ear there were times where she was just
unpredictable absolutely unpredictable Sean and Jennifer now wonder if Melissa's volatility may have escalated
an argument with Matthew on the night he died did he want out of the adult entertainment business I think like
maybe that night he was like yo I'm done with this I'm washing my hands she didn't like whatever he said to her and
it made her blow her top but that's not how it happened says Melissa after he was upset with me for wanting to go to
bed but you know I stayed downstairs his demeanor would start to get darker and darker from there Matt he had his knife
out it was the black uh tactical switchblade there were times where he would uh get really upset and try and
use it on himself and so it was a common thing for me to try and take a knife away from him on this night he didn't
want to let go of the knife Melissa says Matthew was drunk and despondent they struggled over the knife she says but
after she managed to take it away she says Matthew grabbed her by the neck and squeezed a detail she failed to tell
detectives during her interrogation I thought this was it I thought he was going to kill me and
then I stabbed him lightly in the back just to get him off of me she says after she stabbed him once in the back Matthew
pushed her into the kitchen counter and she hit her head he came at me and that's how I fell back and hit my head
so I had a pretty severe head injury but that claim would later be challenged at
her trial I remembered a few blurry steps towards my office but that was it I just remember passing
out uh blacking out there she's the real victim she's the one that was suffering
the abuse John Trina is Melissa's attorney he describes a couple's relationship as toxic particularly since
she said it was escalating his drinking was escalating his behavior issues were escalating and it just unfortunately
escalated into this very odd incident I don't think it is a murder case I think it is a case of
self-defense but Melissa's version of events will be picked apart by prosecutors Katherine fand and chimu
faet at her trial there's just nothing to support her statement she never mentions anything about anyone
strangling her or anything until days before trial you really have have to take that into
consideration besides the audio from the nestcam the state plans to present video
from inside the couple's home remember that ADT security footage recovered by investigators prosecutors believed it
didn't show any suspicious activity the night of Matthew's death but just before
the trial they discovered they missed read the time and date I'll be honest I misunderstood the timing it's not
recorded in Eastern Standard Time It's recorded in Universal time and what the video did capture say
prosecutors we're going to show you some ADT videos would undermine Melissa's defense he's calmly walking and you can
see she's hunched over she's yelling she is angry and upset what do you make of Melissa Turner's
account chat now on Facebook and [Music] X on Valentine's Day 2022 2 years after Matthew truster was
found dead on his patio his fiance Melissa Turner went on trial for murder all right Melissa had been out on bail
since her arrest in 2019 but if she's convicted she knows she could spend the rest of her life
Behind Bars it'll be a world of weight off my shoulders for this trial to just be
over the jury will hear nothing about her videos her cosplay modeling and acting out fantasies online the judge
ruled it wasn't relevant to the case prosecutor chimu faet sees a different ly I did think that the jury should have
known that she was an actress and she was able to make herself into this victim type person and then Cry On
Demand Melissa's Attorney John Trina told the jury that she didn't mean to kill Matthew that she stabbed him in
self-defense during that struggle over the knife who killed Matthew Trussler Matthew Trussler killed Matthew Trussler
he did he did it to himself because of his actions and his behavior his drinking his emotional abuse you're
saying that Melissa had the right to kill him because he was drunk no Melissa had the right to kill him to defend
herself from being strangled but prosecutor faucet says Matthew had no record or history of violence against
anyone why do you believe that Melissa killed Matthew TR I think she was intoxicated and I do think that she went
far beyond anything she thought she would do maybe she was just so frustrated with his drinking that she
harms him so badly that he ends up dying at trial Melissa decided to take a risk
and testify she described Matthew as an alcoholic who had exhibited abusive there were times where he would push me
and punch the walls beside my head and unsettling behaviors in the past I had seen him cut himself burn himself stab
himself he would stare off at some corners and you would tell me that there's a demon standing right there
there are times where he would talk in a different voice did that frighten you goodness I was terrified and this was
happening on that night yeah he just had this little smile on his face and he said what's the
matter little girl are you scared cuz Matt's not here anymore authorities never checked
Melissa's blood alcohol level but Matthews was nearly five times the legal limit in Florida that level of blood
alcohol not only is lethal it can cause hallucinations the demon that we've heard about but the medical examiner
didn't say that he died of alcohol intoxication the cause of death is that he was stabbed and he bled to death
according to the medical examiner Matthew had several small cuts and bruises and a possible defensive wound
on his forearm the Fatal injury was not the stab wound to his back but from a deep in ision on his right arm which
punctured a vein you stabbed him in the back correct correct okay the only thing
that I did was the back how did he get cut on his right arm I I couldn't tell you that I have no clue he could have
fallen into something he could have done it himself and I stabbed him once to get
him off of me from strangling me why didn't you tell the police that he had been trying to strangle you
because I couldn't remember at the time I complained multiple times about a heach prosecutor facet questioned
Melissa about her memories that returned before the trial and so today in 2022 you now claim you had some kind of
head injury correct um yes but a crime scene Tech testified there was no evidence of a head injury and now in
2022 you speak of some kind of blackout correct yes correct okay the jury won't have to rely just on Melissa's memories
as they weigh the evidence there's also that video from inside the couple's home
prosecutors say it proves Melissa was the aggressor that night at 3:38 a.m. Melissa is seen running towards her
office at 3:4 42 a.m. Matthew walks past the camera Melissa follows him he's walking calmly unarmed in the ADT videos
and she's following him hunched over angry at 4:01 a.m. the video shows Melissa running from the direction of
the kitchen she appears distressed this is also around the time when the camera across the street picks
up audio of screaming and yelling then in the next video video clip at 4:08 a.m. she's standing at a
front door and she's seeming like she's talking to open air and you can see on her hand you can see the hint of red she
already has the cut prosecutors say the cut on her hand occurred when Melissa stabbed Matthew they believe he was
still alive at that point prosecutors say she could have left them for help or called 911 that's not what she did she
walks back to where he is she is not in reasonable fear of of him that's what's clear but Melissa's Attorney John
travina rejects the state's timeline and disputes what prosecutors say is seen on
that video I never saw any cut on her hand and I don't think it shows that the fighting continues say prosecutors
because around 4:30 a.m. they say the couple moved close to an open window and that nest camera across the street
recorded a woman's angry voice you said 4:33 a.m. so effing die right no I have no recollection of that
I explained my side and why I did what I did you're crying right now is that is that what's happening are you crying
right now do you know what tears look like are you crying because you can just cry on Q I'm crying
because because my life is on the line right now travina says it's impossible to
clearly understand what Melissa is saying on the nest recording and a former FBI audio forensic expert Bruce
kig testified for the defense how he believes sections of the nest audio had been what he called volume
enhanced so it could be that maybe one voice on the recording was not Amplified and that another voice on the recording
was greatly Amplified that's true I find it highly suspicious that Miss Turner's
voice is screeching loud but when it came to Matthew Trussler you could barely hear mumbling prosecutors deny
the audio was manipulated based on the outside camera prosecutor fan says the confrontation
ended at 511 a.m. when Matthew somehow got out to the pool area through this window so the window was actually open
but when he decided to flee from her he pushed out the screen and went out the window prosecutors say by the time
Matthew collaps by the pool Melissa would have seen how injured he was he has already bled all that blood in the
kitchen and then gone out she knows that he needs help and she's awake and she doesn't help him but Melissa says that's
when she returned to her office and blacked out the argument ends sometime around
5:00 yes but you don't call 911 911 until 8:45 correct because I was unconscious one of the last ADT Clips
shows Melissa at 8:35 a.m. walking from the direction of her office in the police report her hair is described as
quote Messy as if she just woke up that was the most demonstrative of her not knowing he's dead because you wouldn't
go looking for him if you killed them is it possible that she did pass out there
she's been drinking whatever and had no idea that he was dying at that time well
she knew he was dying because she saw him bleeding out as the jury began their deliberations one of the jurors Donald
Goodwin was feeling the weight of his decision how does the first vote go two for guilty in the second degree and
where were you unknown do you have a home security camera and has it ever recorded
something unusual take a look at the murder investigation at 48 hours.com [Music]
[Music] what do you hope the jury comes back with what everyone hopes for not guilty if you have a reasonable doubt
about February 18th 2022 Melissa Turner's murder trial wrapped up after 5 days of testimony
before Jud Samantha Ward your duty is to determine if the defendant has been proven guilty or not in accord with the
law Melissa is hoping the jury will believe her story about seeing Matthew alive before blacking out he was still
up and and moving around she says she had no idea of how badly he had been injured so the last I remembered of him
he was still up isn't it possible that there may not have been really intent to kill anybody it's this drunken fight and
somebody ends up bleeding to death that's a homicide and prosecutor chimu facet says
this case is really about domestic violence he was cut and stabbed and left to die I think that's the very definition
especially considering that this was by his fiance influ Florida second deegree murder cases are heard by six jurors in
this case two women four men one of them Donald Goodwin come on up Turner and you
see a young lady and you're already like your stomach drops and like Lord just let me do the right thing but behind the
looks of a young lady the truth was coming out quickly Melissa Turner M when she went to the stand I think it hurt
her big time her tears were so fake and you can tell I'm crying because I still remember all those
places all those plans she was super angry and super sad her emotions were everywhere you were I'm like that tells
me that's who she is Goodwin a part-time family pastor says those security camera
videos were crucial because of what he says was a lack of other evidence I looked at the video vide over and over
of the ATT videos that's inside the house I seen red on her hands but I couldn't use this as evidence because
the camera wasn't crystal clear at that point did you think he had already been stabbed yes and I think she snapped you
don't believe he was strangling her at the time no I felt like she had enough and attacked him and there was one clip
of the audio recording that convinced Goodwin that Melissa knew Matthew was hurt
then she said what did I do and I was like that right there tells me you know exactly what's going on now she knew he
was going to die she knew it and yet she called nobody and as for Melissa's claims about
hitting her head and blacking out you don't believe that she might have passed down no not at all there was no evidence
of head injury publish the verdict and pull the please the jury deliberated for 7 hours
we the jury find us follows as to the charge the defendant is guilty of murder in the second degree guilty of the
murder of Matthew Trussler I remember Sean squeezing my hand it was a happy feeling she was
inconsolable I mean it it was it was very difficult I mean she was crying profusely she will be taken into custody
at this time on March 18th 2022 Melissa returned to court to learn her sentence she talked
about what she had lost on October 18th Matthew lost his life and I lost the man that I
loved I lost my future and my hopes and my dreams but Matthew's family also spoke struggling with both grief and
anger Maddie 25 years old wow so much life still ahead the life of a son a brother a
brother-in-law and an uncle Shan will never see his best friend again he will never be able to replace
you Matthew's mother spoke directly to Melissa the story that you have contrived has
caused me as much pain as his death if Matthew's drinking was escalating it was because of the lifestyle that you
involved him in it was not consistent with who he was and with the way that he was raised this jury did not believe her
claims of self-defense nor does this court still judge Samantha Ward offered Melissa some
mercy sparing her a life sentence based on the jury's verdict you are adjudicated guilty sentenced to 20.5
years in the Florida state prison Melissa Turner will be eligible for release before she turns
50 what do you guys miss about Maddie the most oh my gosh well probably he had a great laugh it was a good kid he was
he was just starting to be a man one life lost another ruined on a night juror Goodwin says didn't have to
happen Matthew truster didn't have to die they could have walked away from each other and started a different life
Melissa Turner chose to kill Matthew Trester did I think it was premeditated absolutely not do I think she's guilty
absolutely inde [Music] a knock at the door by a clown an evil clown the evil clowns you seen in the
movies well it came to life who comes calling with balloons flowers and a gun I heard bang I saw her fall this was an
assassin Nation who isn't afraid of a killer clown 48 Hours next on CBS and streaming on Paramount
[Music] Plus

A cosplay actor finds herself in the spotlight when she's accused of murdering her boyfriend. Can she convince a jury it was self-defense? "48 Hours" correspondent Erin Moriarty reports. Watch more full episodes of "48 Hours" on Pluto TV.

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

Brief Summary

Melissa Turner was convicted of murdering her fiancé Matthew Trussler after a violent altercation in their home.

Key points

911 Call. Melissa wakes up to find her boyfriend unresponsive and calls for help.
Matthew's Death. Matthew Trussler is found dead in the patio pool area, leading to an investigation.
Melissa's Arrest. Melissa is arrested for second-degree murder after the incident with Matthew.
Trial Begins. Melissa Turner goes on trial for the murder of Matthew Trussler two years later.
Defense Claims. Melissa's attorney argues she acted in self-defense during the struggle with Matthew.
The Weight of a Decision. Juror Donald Goodwin felt the weight of the decision during deliberations.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

I think a part of me already knew Matthew was dead.

Melissa's realization about Matthew's condition.

0:58WatchNov 17, 2023

Tension

75/ 100High tension

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