Millionaire Mysteries | "48 Hours" Full Episodes | Forensic Files

[Music] now moment's emergency my wife and I need an am from bleeding I was called at approximately
4:00 in the morning on February 3rd 2018 there had been a home invasion robbery in the area of hail Plantation you said
someone was in your house yes I'm being advised that the wife has severe injuries and was currently being trauma
alerted to our area Hospital you woke up to her scream and Tall figure with he Masters a fighting
with you see I felt something Sharp Susan relle almost died that night if Susan had died the truth of
what happened that night would die with her when Susan Michelle comes out of surgery she tells investigators that
there is no Intruder and that the person who inflicted all of the injuries that she
is suffering from is Michael relle this case is about the power of money it's about the power of Desire for
control when Susan asked for a divorce Michael relle snapped when he was faced with the
prospect that he would have to give her half of his fortune he made a calculated
and premeditated decision to kill this is the knife that was used to stab Susan the bending in this knife you
believe is a result of it hitting bone and it bent the blade that's correct all rise for the
jury members of the jury we're just going to lay here until you die Sue we're just going to lay here until
you die those are the words of that defendant Michael relle spoken to his wife of 10 years Susan
Michelle I got close to her right here and her hand comes out and was there anything in her hand yeah a
[Music] knife there's no way on God's green earth that my father would stab anyone was Mike's daughter Caroline a
source of conflict in the marriage absolutely didn't you tell Michael relle that you hated
Caroline those words came out yeah and in fact you called her a [ __ ] MH is that right
[Music] yes never in 1 million years would I think that my wedding would be the Catalyst of all of
this who do you believe brought the knife into that incident Susan relle who do you believe was the
attacker in the February 2nd incident Susan rouel and who is the victim my father
[Music] [Music] where were you and how did you learn that your father on February 3rd 2018
had been arrested I was in Chicago with my husband and I got an incoming call on my cell
phone this is a collect call from it was a recording that said an inmate from the
alacha county jail has called you an inmate at the County department minutes later the phone rang again Caroline
relle quickly answered and heard the voice she'd known her entire life and he said Caroline you have to get me out of
here you need to call my lawyer and I dropped to the sidewalk and I just sat on the
sidewalk the events leading to the arrest of Mike relle began to unwind very early that morning after he called
police tell me exactly what happened I don't know someone's in the house and next thing I know I wake up next to my
wife and we're bleeding Mike reported that he and his wife Sue had been stabbed by an intruder inside their home
in an upscale section of Gainesville you're fine with the subject and he just ran off he managed to scare him off yeah
I guess Sue's injuries were life-threatening and as menx rushed to save her detective David Visconti was
called to the scene there was no force entry initially observed by any of our deputies no
broken window no knocked down door nothing like that at all no sir still Visconti had no doubt that
something terrible had happened inside that house there was most certainly a struggle there was a vast amount of
blood around the bed that was located on the wall of the bedroom but overall the scene was
missing something V said and he did not believe a violent Intruder had been there typically we'll see many things
knocked over Furniture items broken um indentations in the walls in the drywall did you see any of that none of those
things were present what's more the r shells had security cameras covering the outside of the house the Intruder
allegedly fleeing the house from that direction is something that would have been captured on video the veteran
detective was becoming suspicious then hours later Sue awoke from surgery and broke this case wide open telling
detectives that the story about an intruder attacking them was a lie she claimed that Mike concocted the whole
thing and that he was her true as salent Mike was arrested and charged with attempted
murder he could never have done anything like this Mike's ex-wife Deee Hoffman was incredulous I have known Michael
James relle since I was 19 and I wouldn't be here today if I thought Mike was possibly capable of
harming another person deei met Mike in college they married and had two daughters Caroline and Kate during your
many years with Mike was he ever physically abusive to you he never touched me not ever
never but like in many marriages there were problems Mike made millions in the technology business but his job required
him to travel all over the world truthfully he wasn't around much so it was it was hard in 2005 after 25
years of marriage deei asked for a divorce deei said she moved out of the family home so their children away at
College could always return to the house where they were raised but soon another
woman unexpectedly joined the family I moved out in July but then all of a sudden Susan moves into our house Sue
was then 38 years old and a hospice nurse she and Mike 49 met on Match.com and Dei says Sue quickly became the lady
of the manor Dei says everything she left behind including her dog became Sue Mike and I were really opposites he was
engaging and outgoing and I was really and I think I still am more reserved not quite so
exuberant and I think he was looking for exuberance Caroline remembers the first
time she met Sue at a dinner and my dad seemed to be laughing and having a good time but Caroline says she couldn't help
but notice how much Sue was drinking we never seen anyone take down five to six martinis and be able to
stand and speak some two years after they met Mike married Sue in August 2007 Mike stopped traveling and bought a
local business the couple's happier times are reflected in some of the thousands of text messages that surfaced
during legal proceedings Mike refers to sue as his trophy bride and writes that their lives together are simply
amazing but Caroline says Sue became jealous of the close relationship she had with her father and tried to keep
them apart she had such walls around him he wouldn't call me unless he was in a car
alone he wasn't allowed to take my call in front of her but surprisingly when Caroline announced
in 2016 that she was getting married Sue was happy to help but Caroline says Sue
wanted to do it her way Sue was pretty adamant about throwing me a shower my mother was invited but none of my
mother's friends were invited so the majority of the guest were Sue's friends and
family but Caroline admits the shower was a lot of fun and she was looking forward to the wedding Sue helped her
pick out a dress I tried on a dress and I liked it and Sue kept telling me like this is your dress this is your dress
it's so beautiful you have to have this Sue handed over her credit card and it was done do you mind me asking how much
the dress was worth this is so go I think it was 11 $1,000 the wedding itself in November
2017 would be a royal like of fair the setting was the Sumptuous oeka Castle on Long
Island 160 people attended the wedding and Caroline says the day was magical my husband and I know how lucky we are to
have had that weekend it was beyond beautiful Caroline says it was nearly perfect except for something that caught
her eye an unusual mark on her father's face the last thing I saw before walking
down the aisle at my wedding was this White Scar from here to here and in my mind I was like what is
that weeks later she found out Mike revealed to Caroline what he said was a dark disturbing secret he claimed Sue
had been physically abusing him for [Music] [Music] years I called him on his birthday
and I said how are you doing and he just started crying it was late November 2017 just 3
weeks after her fairy tale wedding when Caroline says her father shared a disturbing secret about Sue that he had
promised not to tell and he said sue was arrested and he said she started attacking me and I think he was so
victimized that he was really scared to tell anyone Sue had been charged with domestic battery but the details of what
happened that day would not become public until 2 years later at Mike's trial for attempted
murder he swear at theed when they both testified about the last tumultuous months of their marriage ma'am please be
seated speak clearly microphone what was the state of their marriage I think it was in the lowest place that it could
possibly be before a divorce I was upset Sue told prosecutor David Byron that shortly after Caroline's wedding Mike
told her it had gone nearly $15,000 over budget was it fair to say that you were partially upset with
defendant but mostly at Carolyn yes Mike says Sue attacked him when the fight escalated she throws the phone at me
chares around the bed pushes and just start her meeting like this but Mike didn't call 911 that day Sue
did I just felt as though things were a little out of control when police arrived Sue admitted
to pushing Mike and agreed to go to their beach condo to diffuse the situation but she was arrested half an
hour later when she hadn't yet left the house he said please place your hands behind your back you're under
arrest Sue told the jury that she was ordered to stay away from Mike she moved to their beach condo and got counseling
for alcohol and anger management Weeks Later Mike declined to pursue the battery charge and it was dropped
prosecutor Shan Brewer did she have a problem with alcohol Susan relle has testified that at times when would drink
um she would lose her time but Mike says Sue's actions went Way Beyond a bad temper he told the jury she had
tormented him for years she lunged at me again punched me in the face um scratched my face punched me in the arms
and bent my glasses actually she would throw things at him very heavy things like
vases and very heavy coffee mugs Sue denies abusing Mike and Mike never reported any of the alleged incidents to
police is it true that you have seen your father with a black eye he's sent me multiple pictures of him with a black
eye Mike did take photos of some injuries which he shared with Caroline and later the
jury he is a picture that he showed me of his face gushing blood and there was one mark from here to here the
prosecution admits this injury may have been caused by Sue but they say the evidence shows Sue was fighting for her
life after Mike attacked her there are text messages where she accuses him of smothering her with a pillow which in
fact is the same instance that she ended up scratching him in the face despite the alleged abuse and Sue's arrest Mike
says he still loved his wife and wanted to stay married in February 2018 he asked Sue to come to Gainesville for the
weekend Mike had asked me to come in he wanted us to work on the marriage they decided to go to their
favorite Steakhouse that Sue on home security video getting ready and enjoying a glass of wine Mike arrives
home and the two share a kiss before heading out but over stakes and more wine Old Wounds reopen he just received
a text message from Caroline Sue says that's when Mike admitted he had betrayed her trust by telling Caroline
about Sue's arrest he and I both agreed that we weren't going to discuss that Mike drove home alone Sue followed in an
Uber her anger spilling into a series of text messages about Caroline good luck with your [ __ ] she will ruin any
relationship you have once home they went to separate parts of the house Sue continued her angry
text I am filing for divorce I will leave in the morning the last text from Sue is sent
at 10:13 p.m. you have serious bound issues with your daughter later Sue says she was alone in
the guest room when Mike entered there are no cameras inside that room and he just hopped on top of me and
I felt like there's pressure right here and then all of a sudden I saw a knife come out
I said oh my god mik did you stab me and he said yes at some point does he say something
to you he said uh Sue we're not getting a divorce Sue says Mike was on top of her pinning her arms with his legs in
the struggle her left thumb was sliced then she says mike stabbed her again am I neck right
here Sue says m then started slashing her wrist felt like he was mutilating me my
hand it was like just I couldn't feel anything and I could see into my arm losing blood her life in danger Sue
says she vomited and lost control of her bodily functions she says she tried to wriggle
out from under Mike and they ended up lying sideways across the bed he just said to me SE it's going to lay here
until you die Sue says as she was lying there struggling to stay awake she saw Mike
raised The Knife yet again desperate she offered him a way out I said Mike we don't have to divorce
I won't divorce you just put the Knife Down SU says after Mike Put The Knife Down she begged him to call for help but
he would only do that if she agreed to say an intruder had stabbed her when she agrees to go with his story
of The Intruders she saved her life a toxic marriage text brimming with hate and a bloody room Mike rell's future
will now depend on whether he can convince jurors that he is the real [Music] [Applause]
victim what is the strongest evidence that supports Sue's account see more of the trial evidence at 48
[Music] hours.com when First Responders entered this bloody scene in the early morning
hours of February 3rd 2018 they'd been told by Mike rouselle that a stranger had broken into their home and assaulted
his wife and then him with a knife but in court now with his defense attorneys Patrick mcginness and Anne Fel
Mike admits that story was a lie and says he's finally ready to tell the truth he says despite Sue's drinking and
violent outbursts he was hoping to reconcile that night I don't care if she's a melow drunk the rest of her life
just the anger's got to go but at dinner once again they fought about Caroline and that fight continued back at the
house after that Mike and Sue stories diverge Mike says he came into the guest room a little after 10: and was startled
to see Sue kneeling on the bed holding a knife I said sue give me the knife and then next thing I know I felt searing
Heat that's that's all I remember and I'm just trying to get my hands on it and I'm on the bed with her now we're all on
her knees Mike doesn't say how he got his hands on the knife but he says as they struggled and fell over on the bed
he felt the blade go into Sue's stomach she's falling backwards and I'm falling in front on top I felt the knife
penetrate here and I I rolled off as fast as I could because I was afraid if that went in her it would kill her Mike
offers no explanation for how Sue was stabbed in the neck or thumb but he does say about 1 minute into the struggle he
somehow calmed her down and put the knife Out Of Reach now you're both bleeding during this point in time right
yeah but it's not spurting and there's no blood at all you can see on Sue through the through here Mike says he
wanted to call for help right away but Sue wouldn't let him because she was the she'd be arrested again I said see we
need to go to the hospital and she said then make up a story so I don't get arrested Mike says they argued about a
possible cover story but then as bizarre as it sounds they just lay together bleeding for several hours having what
Mike says was one of the best conversations of their lives about future vacations to Europe we talked
about going to Germany on the Rind and Mosel river cruise maybe we'll do burgundy next if Mike is speaking the
truth this happy conversation happened on a bed soaked with blood and human waste Greece CU we've never been to
Greece in Carol Mike never mentions that Tuscany in Florence and prosecutor David
Byron suspects why is this believable I don't think it's believable at all he held her there and he can't admit that
Michael relle had months and months to go over the evidence and construct a story that fit with things that he
couldn't admit according to Mike at about 3:00 a.m. their dog Susie wandered in to this bloody scene where violence
was about to erupt again I get up out of the bed to deal with a dog and and behind me was the knife and next thing I
know she sliced her right wrist with her left hand did you talk to her about why
she cut herself yeah she said she doesn't want to go to jail I said sue I'm not going to send you to jail I'm
not going to get you arrested calm down she goes you promise you promise I said yes as Mike tells it sue cooked up the
whole idea to lie a police and he reluctantly agreed in order to protect her I said then the only chance I have
is to turn the cameras off to give a window of opportunity to say someone broke in and did this to us Mike says
after Sue cut her own wrist he left the room to turn off security cameras and stage of Breakin 25 minutes passed
before he called 911 and turned the cameras on again and he's doing that with the knowledge that With Every Beat
of her heart more of her blood is pouring into that bed but the defense thinks the blood at the crime scene
helps to prove their case people lie the forensics don't lie and that's why the blood spatter was so important in this
case Michael berkin is a former doctor and blood stain pattern analyst who testified for the
defense what do you consider the most important blood evidence inside that bedroom the arterial spurt patterns
berkeland says he reviewed records which stated a small artery in Sue's wrist was
cut that night and he believes the blood here on the pillowcase and here on the nightstand came from that artery the
important thing about arteries though is that you get blood coming out of that With Every Beat of the heart berkeland
uses stage blood and a small syringe to demonstrate the way Sue's blood may have
traveled making a line or fine spray of drops so the blood in your opinion gives
us a timeline as to when Sue's wrist was actually cut correct because arteries don't close up on their own remember Sue
says the attack including the cuts to her wrist started sometime after 10:13 p.m. but Mike says Sue cut her own wrist
at around 3:00 a.m. hours later berkeland says if Sue's wrist was cut before 11: she would have died long
before help arrived how much time do she have to live in your opinion if the wounds happen no later than
11:00 she's dead before it ever hits midnight which leads you to believe what when it comes to this injury to the
wrist Michael story makes more sense the defense team says if we can't trust Sue's account about what time things
happened then her entire story is suspect it is absolutely impossible to have happened the way she claims it
[Music] [Music] did inside the this box this is the knife that was used to stab Susan
encased in protective plastic this is a lot of blood this is a lot of blood are the remnants of the vicious
confrontation inside that bedroom that prosecutor Shan Brewer is certain contain evidence of an attempted
murder this is Mike rell's pajamas yes and they are soaked in blood and whose blood is that well Susan is
the one that had the injuries that provided uh the mass amount of bleeding so if blood could talk this blood is
telling you what this blood is telling me that um Michael was on top of her while he was stabbing her and um she was
bleeding quite a bit without any Aid prosecutors say this evidence backs up Sue's testimony that Mike attacked
her they also say the items on that bedside table help prove this was not a dynamic fight between two people David
Byron says that only one person had control of the situation Mike rouselle there's a full glass of wine there's
some glasses there's a lamp and it's evidence of the fact that Michael relle was so physically capable of
constraining her that none of those things are Disturbed and the prosecution disputes defense expert Michael Berk's
claim that these stains on the nightstand came from spurting blood from Sue's wrist instead their experts says
the blood was most likely cast off flung from the knife and not from Sue cutting
her own wrist the castoff shows that he was swinging that knife as he's plunging
it into her stomach and into her neck call Dr bur to his head prosecutor Brewer not only attacks Bern's
conclusions he also challenges his credibility letting jurors know that his medical
license was suspended and he was later arrested for storing body parts from autopsies in Tupperware containers in an
unusual place you were storing them at Uncle Bob's storage shed weren't you in a climate control room were you storing
that at Uncle Bob's storage shed yes and the actual organs you were storing included brains and hearts I did
have some hearts and brains yes berklyn says the organs were preserved for private cases he was working on while he
was still a licensed doctor I used the storage locker because they were safe and secure either that or I put them in
my house this was safer than my house the charges were later dropped prosecutors also want the jury to know
that the severity of Sue's wrist wound suggests she did not do it herself the one that was truly life-threatening was
the the cuts that the defendant made to her wrist she was cut all the way down to
the bone Mike's injuries were a lot less serious as you can see he had some small
cuts on his fingers and stomach and Sue says these larger cuts to his forearms were in fact
self-inflicted he put the knife in my hand and he stabbed himself in the arm and what about that story Mike told
investigators that an intruder did all this the prosecution says it was all his idea to cover up what he had
done he turned off the cameras and did things to make the police believe that there had been a
burglar and the motive for this alleged attack the prosecution believes it was all about money that Mike didn't want to
give up half of his Fortune millions of dollars in a divorce you didn't tell this jur and
that after all you've been through it didn't seem fair for sus save half your money yeah that is true it does seem
fair the prosecution refutes Mike's claims that he still wanted to reconcile the troubled marriage by pointing out
that he had visited three dating sites Ukrainian single girl Arena she's 18 years old
right I looked at picture from women with clothes on yes sir I understand they had clothes on Sir
question I'm asking is you were looking for your next girlfriend right yeah I'll
tell you exactly what I was looking for sure all I want out of a woman in my life is someone to be kind and nice to
me that's all I care about I looked at pictures and descriptions of how they would treat their male and soon I looked
at these together many times and in our relationship and saying s that's all I need from anybody please be nice to me
please the defense counters that Mike's other internet searches prove that he was
being abused by Sue did you visit numerous sites related to battered husbands yes I do he has all of the
economic resources he's not cut off from any family members Michael relle doesn't
meet any of the criteria for what a battered spouse is the defense also tries to counter Sue's claim that Mike's
attack came after she threatened divorce they produced dozens of text messages going back to 2015 that show Sue had
made that threat many many times you actually say for the 50th time I want a divorce it's just an expression like
saying for the you know 100th time but it is about 50 times isn't it I don't know I didn't
count and defense attorney and finel suggests those texts also reveal Sue's destructive
intentions have you told him I hate you yes okay you've said I will destroy you yes and on your anniversary in
2017 hate you happy 10th anniversary I'm divorcing you you you said that yes in her closing
argument finel insists Mike would never try to kill for money she says Sue was the aggressor that night and Mike was
just defending himself she hates everybody she hates his daughters she hates his former spouse that's how
hateful this woman was and is but the prosecution says there is no question Mike wanted Sue
dead this is not a frenzy struggle between two adults this is a blood bath committed by one person who has
imprisoned the other on that bed in the war of the rells jurors will soon decide which one they
believe whose story Rings true Mike or Sue relle see more of their home security footage on Facebook at 48 hours
[Music] as the jury goes out to deliberate um what are those minutes and hours like for you I I just like
couldn't talk to anyone I spent the past year and a half like mentally preparing
myself for the worst and hoping for the best Caroline does not have long to wait
all right for the jury after a 9-day trial it took little more than 4 hours for the jury to reach a verdict they say
a quick verdict is often a prosecutor's verdict it's a thought that creeps into your head but you never really know what
a jury's going to do members of the jury I understand you have riched a verdict we have your honor would you please pass
it to my we the jury we f as follows to defendant Michael James relle in this case as to count one the defendant is
guilty of attempting first-degree murder as charged in guilty Mike relle is convicted of the most serious count
against him we were all so shocked as to count to the defendant is guilty of false imprison in quick succession the
jury also finds relle guilty of four additional crimes including false imprisonment and tampering with evidence
J number 51 is this your true verdict yes jurors utterly reject Mike's story of a
knife fight with his wife prosecutor Shawn Brewer says justice was served to a man who lied to
investigators and to the jury Michael went through Great Lengths to try and kill Susan he just wasn't very good at
it and what's more Brewer says mike relle tried to kill Sue not once but twice while he was in jail awaiting
trial and informing came forward to claim Mike tried to hire a hitman to kill sue a charge Mike strongly denies
do you believe that your father in jail plotted to hire someone to murder his wife no honestly I don't mean to laugh
but it is beyond laughable as we were interviewing Caroline she got a phone call that surprised us
Dad hi I'm good I'm with 48 hours right now literally with cameras Mike relle allowed me to ask a few
questions Mike I just want to hear you tell me did you take a knife into the room that night on February 2nd 2018 and
attack your wife absolutely not and you're telling me the truth absolutely on my children's lives
all I did was defend myself and I got attacked in December 2019 everyone returns to
judge William Davis's courtroom for sentencing the victim in this crime suru shelle does not appear in
person standing face the judge and raise your right hand please when it's Caroline's turn to speak the moment is
charged with emotion no one is as positive caring and generous than this man I will
say I am and will always be a proud daughter one of the most caring kind gentle people I've ever met
several colleagues and Friends speak of Mike in glowing terms he's a good person
the Mike relle I know is a standup gentleman heard then judge William Davis took Center Stage Mr Melle will you
please stand Mike was about to learn his fate the person I heard through the evidence and the witnesses was somebody
who was cold they were brutal on count one the attempted U first degree premeditated murder I'm
going to sentence you to 30 years imprisonment in all told the judge gives relle 30 years not the 50 years
requested by prosecutors but for Mike who is 64 years old it is in essence a life
[Music] sentence here are two sophisticated people very wealthy living in Paradise
in one of the most beautiful parts of Florida and yet they couldn't work this out it's tragedy isn't it absolutely I
mean when you hear who Michael and Susan Michelle were before this all occurred they lived exemplary and mostly normal
lives and to see it get to this point really is a tragedy the war of the rousell is not
over Mike and Sue are divorcing and continue to fight over the marital assets including the house where Sue was
nearly stabbed to death the murder for higher charges against mik shell were dropped a California lawyer murdered
this looked like a targeted assassination this guy dressed as a delivery man across the country a
matching deadly attack at a judge's home who would want to hurt the judge where the crimes connected 48 Hours next on
CBS [Music] andrean McDonald had a very very strict regimen she followed it daily nice drop it that a girl she would
be at the gym at 5:30 in the morning in the office by 8:00 on March 1st they had
no indication she would be late she didn't show up for work this was very significant to her
employees they called the gym and found out she never showed up to the gym which
is like a religion to her after calling Andre repeatedly it's going to voicemail
you know the anxiety starts steing like I start panicking for andine to be missing is
not possible the biggest issue for me were the fact that her phone was missing her
purse was still there there her keys were on the counter and her Vehicles were still there if her vehicle's there
her purse is there her keys are there if she's missing is there a concern of an Abduction the deputies obviously didn't
know what to think at this point they were just beginning the investigation what we did learn is Andre
McDonald a beautiful Jamaican woman was brought to the United States by uh Andre
her husband as a major in the Air Force and had top secret security clearance they began a assisted living
business where they in short order became millionaires the picture of the American
dream she's not boastful or anything like that she's just that humble person andreen had a great reputation in not
only the assisted living community here in San Antonio and we're on the side of the street this morning and we're giving
out food for those less fortunate she was very very generous with her wealth and her time God bless you kind of a a
rising star of the of San Antonio absolutely a very much so a rising star they were always laughing together
they were always joking around the home didn't seemed to be in terrible disarray no furniture was
knocked over or anything was broken I found there was blood on the wall in an area that was kind of odd
there was blood and hair on a light switch we assumed that something happened there it was a crime scene of
some sort I was on social media and I saw that initial poster that came up with her face
and then it says missing on the top andrean is not the person to go take off somewhere no one knows where she
is supporters for andreen McDonald renewed their search efforts when the months went by and the days went by and
they haven't found anything in my mind that's not such a bad thing because if they're not able to
find something that solidifies her being dead I mean she's alive right and somewhere
[Music] [Music] [Music] in the afternoon of March 1st 2019 after 29-year-old andreen McDonald was
reported missing by her mother Moren a bear county sheriff's deputy arrived at the McDonald home in an upscale gated
community in San Antonio within minutes Sheriff javar Salazar says his Deputy made a disturbing Discovery one of my
deputies had seen what they believed to be Blood on the wall and possibly hair and in the backyard normally
beautifully landscaped another troubling clue a random burn pile right here I saw the burn pile we
found a zipper from Andre's blouse it was Andre's blouse mhm Andre's husband Andre Andy McDonald
told the deputy that when he woke up he got their daughter Elena to school before reporting to Lackland Air Force
Base where he served as a cyber warfare analyst once he Learned andreen was missing Andre rushed back home but he
quickly headed out the door again to act on a hunch that andreen who suffered from migraines might have gone to a
nearby hospital for treatment Andre's arrival to the hospital was captured by surveillance
cameras lead investigator Frank stubs on that tape he comes in you can see him asking for McDonald and they tell him
there's somebody in room three named McDonald he arrives back to the house what does he tell them he tells them
that she's in the hospital but when the deputy called the hospital he discovered
that the McDonald who had checked in was not andreen McDonald Andre told deputies that he
rushed back home before seeing his wife because he had left his cell phone at home and wanted to let Moren know he had
found andreen there was some indication to him she was there and injured to some
extent unfortunately the Major's hunch turned out to be wrong when I heard I was oh God I was so upset I was just
thinking that she's some place that we can find her and for Andre's mother-in-law Jackie who lived in
Florida there was uncertainty I had called Andre's phone about a thousand times already saying
andreen whatever it is please please just called me back what concerned everyone was the fact andreen would
never just disappear she was known for her sense of responsibility and dedication to her family and
business how would you describe and dream she knows what she wants and she will never stop until she
get it I did come in before he did right Andre did defeat me and she is so excited andreen created an assisted
living business in San Antonio called Starlight holes when she was just 22 and according to Andre's close friend Andrew
russle in order to start the business Andre he liquidated his 401k Andre bankrolled her dreams and he sold the
BMW that he owned they were doing so well they were doing everything that would make any mother
proud Starlight homes thrived and under Andre's watch the tiny homebased business transformed into a
multi-million dollar Enterprise in just seven years when I started my assistant living I only started with three
residents today STL homes living we have two locations in the San Antonia area childhood friend Mandy says Andre's
success was born out of humble beginnings growing up in Portland Jamaica we didn't have a lot and so we
figured if we wanted to get somewhere in life it would be in America that's where
the dream was Andre's dream of coming to America came true at 19 when she met Andre he was also a native of Jamaica
who at the time was a captain in the US Air Force Andre had returned home to Port Antonio
in May of 2009 to attend a funeral where he met andreen who was 10 years younger
was there an attraction right from the beginning she was excited when she met him excited about the captain in the Air
Force they both decide for her to come to America they married that July was happy to know he had met somebody
that he could have a life with that life would soon include a baby girl Elena Elena was at the center of andrene's
world which made her disappearance so perplexing says Jackie I don't think andrene would just get up and walk away
and leave Elena and nobody hear from her that evening a forensic crime unit examined the stains in the bathroom and
confirmed the initial belief that they were blood while you were going through the house was Andre there yes he was did
you see any signs of bruising on his body any signs of of any injuries that perhaps he'd been in a struggle nothing
that we could that we could determine investigators were hoping Andre had some answers but he said the
last time he had seen his wife was the night before and they said what on Andre described raised more questions than
answers he had told them they had come home from the tax preparers office and that that they had argued
over um uh the business and he went up the road got some gas and just cooled off we were able to obtain video
evidence of him going to the Shell station Andre said when he returned home he and andreen went to separate bedrooms
but according to investigators what Andre didn't mention was the text exchange that happened at the gas
[Music] station for investigators the text messages found on Andre's phone revealed
a marriage in turmoil in including allegations of betrayal accusations of unfaithfulness in these text messages
correct that's correct we have uh a printed copy would you mind reading these from his phone
andreen responds if you bring up aubit again I will divorce you myself auin Hall a businessman living in Port
Antonio Jamaica who according to investigators was andrene's ex-boyfriend and potentially her current love lover
in response to Andre's thread of divorce Andre texts I don't care if you get a divorce you brought auin into our life
auin dated andreen when she was a teenager say investigators andrene's close friend Mandy says the two
rekindled their romance in 2017 during one of her philanthropic trips to the island auin has always been
that first love it wasn't something and got over emotionally Mandy says They carried on their Affair in secret until
the summer of 2018 when andreen got two new tattoos an initial a tattooed on her
hand and a date tude on her wrist Andy was definitely suspicious of what it meant with a Suspicious Mind Mandy says
Andre went to work to solve this tattoo mystery he went and he did his own digging it was on social media where
Andre discovered an interesting photograph of auin branded with the same exact tattoo that was also on andrene's
hand and those numbers 14376 their ain's birthday day month and year she told me that she impulsively
got the tattoo she knew it was something stupid to do enraged Mandy says Andre threatened divorce unless andring cut
off contact with auin covered up her tattoos and promised to never travel to Jamaica without him she did cover up the
tattoos she didn't want to lose half of everything she worked hard for at Andre's 40th birthday party Mandy
says by all outward appearances the McDonald's seemed to be getting along but just 13 days later on March 1st 2019
that's when andrein disappeared the once festive home had transformed into a crime scene as
investigators worked the McDonald residents until 2 the next morning when they couldn't locate Andre's cell phone
investigators checked to see if her credit cards or passport had been used all dead ends we came up dry on on on
all of these inquiries at this point all we had was a missing person within hours of his wife's
disappearance Andre McDonald was a person of interest he stopped answering questions and lawyered up at 2: p.m. the
next day an undercover investigator assigned to watch the McDonald's house noticed that the garage had been damaged
and Andre was backing out of the driveway the investigator followed him to a nearby gun shop where aition
investigators who were called to the scene observed Andre purchasing a 9mm handgun and
ammunition we were under the assumption that he was purchasing a gun to probably
harm himself when Andre walked back to his car investigators confronted him their
violent takedown may be disturbing to viewers investigators moved to detain the Air Force Major and turned him over
to military authorities for a mental evaluation meanwhile investigators returned to the house with a search
warrant and checked andrene's car while there some objects caught their eye there was a shovel there was an axe an
axe uh there was a like a hatchet kind of Mall there was trash bags there were gloves and a couple of gas cans and
there was more inside the garbage can in the house was a receipt from Lowe's that had
been torn up detectives were able to obtain surveillance footage from the hardware store items that were purchased
the day after andreen went missing this is Andre McDonald coming into the Lowe's
he's going to purchase several items you can see him with a basket here you can see there's a shovel in the basket now
he comes up here there's two gas cans there's a a mall or a hatchet here's that axxe what's at play
here it appeared to us that now that his wife is missing um it pointed to the disposal of her
body look at that cart full of ill will right yes and in the corner of the garage investigators would uncover what
they say was the most damning evidence of all we found a a hammer and clothing in the garbage the clothing that we
found appeared to be Andre's clothing investigators say they found traces of Blood on the pocket of these genes
what's on the claw hammer that's of Interest the lab determined that there was the presence of blood on the hammer
and the DNA that they obtained from that that blood sample was from entering we concluded that that hammer was probably
used as the murder weapon this is significant very [Music] significant 48 hours into the
investigation detective stubs believed he had discovered key evidence that implicated Major Andre McDonald in his
wife's disappearance investigators located those items stained with Andre's blood inside the
family's trash can this missing person's case had become much more Sinister and it's pointing toward
what the evidence was pointing towards a murder but there was a problem none of the evidence collected proved that a
murder had actually occurred turning a missing person's case into a homicide case is very
difficult on March 3rd 2019 the Air Force concluded its evaluation of Andre and released him Civil Authorities
quickly moved in and placed him under arrest my daughter my family what do you have to say about this entire
investigation but it wasn't for murder Major Andre McDonald was arrested for tampering with evidence based upon that
torn receipt found at the house listing the items he had purchased from the hardware
store Andre's arrest left his mother Jackie in a State of Shock and disbelief I saw that Andre was taken
into custody and I just collapsed I know he loved andreen why would he harm her and for Andre's mother Andre's
arrest left her head spinning oh God Andre could not H andreen that's what I was saying but who
else adding to everyone's sense of shock confusion and suspicion was Andre's decision to stop cooperating with
detectives Andre's face told us there was no way in hell we were going to break him and make him tell us what had
happened Sheriff Salazar went on local TV asking for help we are asking anybody with any information on her whereabouts
to give us a call at 210 335 soon after the community of San Antonio along with family and friends
came out in droves to look for and dream including a volunteer search Party formed by former Air Force Airman Bobby
green Bobby took us out to one of the areas where he searched for and dream right now we're behind a hospital we
thought he might have taken her here to a wooded area as you walk through here what are you looking for you would look
at tree branches that have been pushed away something that was cut fresh uh tire tracks how many miles did you cover
it was hundreds of miles as search efforts continued Andre McDonald was released from jail on where is and with
with his wife absent Andre took over management of Starlight homes search efforts continued although investigators
say Andre didn't take part days would eventually turn into months of dead ends as the search for andreen went on
investigators dug further into the couple's relationship learning that they had business problems as well as
romantic ones in WhatsApp messages shared with friends there are arguments over who
really was the brains behind their successful business in one andreen tells Andre
Starlight Holmes is my idea my dream and would not have happened without my drive
back then friends like Andrew Russell became worried about the potential for violence and I have text message from
andreen that's saying someone is going to snap Andrew told investigators that the couple's war of words turned
physical the night before a Christmas party at their home in 2018 where the McDonald's got into a physical
altercation so when I went into the kitchen Andy and and jeene were grappling on the floor the next morning
they were laughing about it I did feel uncomfortable after that I thought the the situation had become
toxic just over 2 months later Andrew Green's blood was spilled in her home and she vanished finally on the evening
of July 11th 2019 133 days after andreen had gone missing there was a break in the case about 7:30
this evening uh the bar County Sheriff's Office patrol deputies were dispatched to this location for a report of some
human remains that were found skeletal remains were located in a farmer's field just 6 miles from the Donald Hol this
man Clifton cundi made the discovery Clifton had taken out his tractor to retrieve a cow skull that had been
spotted right along the tree line of the property I saw the what appeared to be a
human skull in front of the cow skull that must have been a shock a shock yes officials determined that the human
skeletal remains belong to andreen McDonald her sister Cindy Johnson I was at a church praying for
andrin I couldn't do anything I broke down it hit us like a storm cuz we still wasn't thinking like
that never I never saw this coming less than 48 hours later Andre McDonald would be arrested and charged
with his wife's murder see more evidence from the case at 48 hours.com Andre's family had waited for
justice for 4 years it hurts every night before I go to my bed I think about her be County
assistant District Attorneys Steven spear Lauren Scott and Ryan groomer would prosecute McDonald for the murder
of his wife and dream but the prosecution would face an uphill battle despite the evidence found at the
McDonald home the hammer and the blood the prosecution could not say for sure how andreen died because andrene's body
was out in the elements in that field for all of those days medical examiner's office was unable to specify what
exactly caused Andre's death and does that Stephen complicate your preparation no it absolutely does we say he caused
her death however we don't know how if Andre murdered his wife what do you believe was his motive I believe it was
largely because he felt emasculated she was such a rising star had control of these businesses and I think he was Je
jealous of that McDonald who pleaded not guilty was represented by some of the top defense lawyers in San Antonio John
conver Zoe Russell and John Hunter how would you respond to the notion that what caused all this was his
Envy of his wife's success I I don't see any evidence of that Andre is a major in
the Air Force I mean he's incredibly successful on his own right Major Andre McDonald had been
under house arrest since April of 2021 but days before his trial was set to begin January 17th
2023 McDonald who had remained silent about his wife's death began telling an extraordinary story beginning with his
own mother Jackie says her son told her Andre's death was an accident he looked at me and he said
mom I'm going to tell you the truth and he started to cry McDonald then called Andre's mother and sister Cindy who put
the call on speaker phone he gave the family for the first time details of what happened according to him according
to him yes it was a phone call that stunned his defense team was it shocking to you that he had done this shocking is
a good word for it yeah the entire context of the case changed his best thought would be to tell a story in
court McDonald would get to tell his story but not before the prosecution laid out its case in opening stat ladies
and gent inside the trash B in the garage a hammer that hammer has blood on it it is the victim's
blood the defense contended that And Dre's death was an accident this is not a murder case it is
a case about the degree and level of responsibility with evidence of accident a mutual
fight all of which happens in the blink of an eye the prosecution also called forensic pathologist Dr James feig who
testified that andrein SK Al remains had severe injuries consistent with being struck by a blunt object she had a
fractured spinal cord a broken rib and a split jaw but the pathologist could not
determine what exactly had caused Andre's death so the way that I have phrased her cause
of death is homicidal violence including blunt force trauma after 6 days of testimony and 33
Witnesses the prosecution rested the defense had only one witness defense calls Major Andre McDonald McDonald
described the evening of February 28th 2019 while at the tax preparers office with his wife he discovered that andreen
had started a new business a year earlier without his knowledge what did that signify to
basically all that meant to me pretty much that she was robbing me after a heated argument that evening McDonald
says he left the house to cool off at that gas station McDonald says they continued their argument over text and
when he returned home he raised the possibility of divorce and splitting their business in half she became
extremely irate at the thought of splitting the business charges into the room to confront me so when she comes
into the room you know I turn around and she comes like right up in my face so at
that moment he spits in my face so at that point I grabbed her cuz she's like right in front of me so I grabbed her
head I think we had like a a clash of heads and I think it opened up like a cut somewhere on her face McDonald said
andren ran into the bathroom and turned on the lights when andreen saw her bloody face in in the mirror McDonald
claims she attacked him his testimony may be disturbing to some viewers when she comes she's like
throwing like some punches so I'm trying to like duck down and like keep my head
my face from getting hit with the blows I remember like grabbing her like tripping her and then she like Falls and
that's when I kick her like twice but the second kick I think I heard like some type of
weing and then also like in the background I could hear like some foot the footsteps of their young daughter
Elena McDonald said he left to put Elena back to bed and when he returned about 30 minutes later his wife was
dead I became like pretty frany at that point because you know she's dead on the
floor you never thought I need to call in cross-examination prosecutor spear asked if McDonald had thought about
calling 911 I never thought about calling anybody to survive a dead person my purpose at that point was simply to get
her out of the house so that my seven-year-old daughter wouldn't see her mother laying on the floor dead after
putting Elena back to bed McDonald said he dumped Andre's body in this field stripped her naked and returned home to
burn her clothing which left that burn patch in the backyard but what about Andre's Blood on the yellow hammer on
the face of it the evidence doesn't square with McD Donald's account of an accident McDonald had an explanation for
that he testified that when investigators finished searching his home he went back to the field Before
Dawn angry and armed with the yellow Hammer a can of gasoline and a plan my plan was to hit the person that
caused this whole circumstance and you felt it was her fault right it's absolutely her fault what did you do
with the gasoline I poured it on her and then I used the the lighter and set it on fire
McDonald said when the flame subsided that's when he attacked his wife's corpse with the yellow Hammer I hit her
in the face the neck and I just like hit her again as I was walking away why that
last blow as I was walking away yes I guess I was still angry when I was walking away after that gruesome
testimony the defense shifted gears and tried to refocus the jury on their theory of the crime and for the first
time the defense brought up why McDonald acted the way he did that night have you
always believed you acted in self-defense yes I've always believed that from the very beginning thank the
defense played videos showing andreen giving her husband a piggyback ride and working
out would you describe andreen as very strong powerful woman yes I would straight up according to McDonald his
wife could lift up to 300 lb yes ma'am when she attacked you were you in fear yes I wasn't fear of you know being
harmed during that that whole situation they wants you to forget and disregard about all his actions closing
arguments defense Council said that this is self-defense f this is not self-defense it's time to hold this man
responsible for what he did and it's time to find him guilty Andre McDonald did not intentionally or knly murder
Andre McDonald he acted in self-defense and your duty and your obligation is to say not
guilty thank you after 6 days of testimony the jury got the case all the jury approximately 11 hours into their
deliberation the jury sent a note to the judge that says we're hopelessly deadlock what do you make of Andre
McDonald's claim of self-defense chat now with the 48 Hours team on Facebook and X
[Music] after almost 11 hours of deliberating the jury was deadlocked unable to decide
if Andre McDonald was guilty of murder manslaughter or Not Guilty by self-defense everything was said in the
courtroom all the evidence were were there he confessed on the stand what he did they saw his demeanor I don't know
what was um the problem for jurors Brandon meden I voted for murder and I saw that we were six and
six and Rudy Ruiz at no point did any juror think that he was innocent or that it was self-defense the problem was
wording because people really picked apart the definitions of murder and recklessness the jury of Six Women and
six men spent hours discussing whether McDonald Had intentionally murdered andreen or or if he had recklessly
killed her making it manslaughter murder carries a life sentence manslaughter up to 20 years and
I think most of us could agree that whatever happened it was Reckless he left her on the
ground and he did not render Aid now the trick was to try and convince the other
jurors that it was murder but as the Del liberations continued some of the jurors had been
swayed with nine now for manslaughter meí says the biggest factor in swaying the vote was Andre McDonald's testimony
there was so little evidence and so a lot of people believe because we don't know anything else other than what he
has told us that we have to take what he told us and he was actually able to convince a lot of the jurors we had that
one juror that he said well I've kicked someone I never intended to kill them medine Ruiz and a
third juror were the staunch holdouts for murder no one was going to change anyone's mind the judge then invoked
what's called an Allen charge urging the holdout jurors to reconsider the evidence and reach a unanimous decision
after another hour of deliberations a verdict and Mr McDonald please stand with your Council
to the count of murder charging the indictment the jury finds the defendant not guilty of the offense of
murder as charged in the indictment and guilty guilty of the offense of manslaughter Andre McDonald was found
not guilty of murder but guilty of the Lesser charge manslaughter Andre's sister Cindy was in
disbelief the man slaughter after he spoke with no remorse no love nothing at all and used
Hammer strip her clothes throw gasoline on her burnt her and they gave him manslaughter that's
crazy I I am going to struggle with this thought until the day I die the prosecution had a mixed reaction
to the verdict I was disappointed how ever the jury rejected his self-defense argument and held him accountable for at
least something for the defense Andre McDonald may not have walked out a free man but this is a win despite how I
believe that this is a self-defense case I do respect the outcome and Dre's best
friend Mandy Hall he's there to tell his story he's there to make up whatever he
wants to make up she she doesn't she can't do that because he took that away from
her Cindy now sees that phone call from McDonald before the trial in a whole new
light as a calculated ploy to deflect blame it's four years it took him four years for him to recognize that he did
what he did and then all of a sudden he's um reaching out to us to let us think that
he's been responsible he didn't mean anything he is lying all a lies it's all a lie after the verdict Sheriff Salazar
reached out to andrene's Father a retired member of the Jamaican army with an unusual
offering I did present Mr Anderson with a gift uh I asked my Deputy to remove the handcuffs from from Andre as they
put him back into the um cell and I gave I presented those cuffs to to Mr Anderson I wanted them to feel some sort
of connection to sending him away to to prison I want to tell you that we really
appreciate it thank you very much God bless you for Andre's mother nothing about
this tragedy makes sense her daughter and the Beautiful Life she had created are gone andreen McDonald who came to
America became a successful entrepreneur and found her purpose in serving others
sadly the business business she created is now closed I miss her very much most times when I think about her I
just it's like I feel like giving up and in those times marine and Cindy lean on
one another we're blessed to have each other to take us through this sad Journey um when I'm weak my mom is
strong when my mom is weak I am strong we have to be strong for Elena Elena now 12 years old is the glue
that binds this fractured family a family that still includes Andre's mother Jackie though she is mainly left
with the memories and the pain of what once was I think I heard for Alena more than
I heard for everyone no child should ever have to go through what she went Moren and Cindy are now raising Elena
it's bittersweet cuz we have Elena Elena reminds us so much of Andre can momy get
kiss love you [Music] a young wife and mother found with a strange mix of drugs in her system hey
there's a needle right here it makes you stop breathing if you have too much was
it murder investigators turned to her journals for answers how crucial were those journals very 48 hours Saturday on
CVS streaming on Paramount plus real people real crimes real life drama [Music] in the mid 1980s a young funeral home
director named Bernie Titi came to the little East Texas town of [Music] Carthage it's beautiful yes I love the
people here in Carthage Carthage is just a small town of 6,000 people a lot of people got very wealthy on oil and
gas there's a lot of little widows in town who have a lot of money none more so than Mrs margorie
Nan Bernie Titi was running a con on my grandmother he picked up a gun shot her four times in the back and
that he buried her in her own de freeze my name is Bernie TAA you may have heard about me this is my St they
did a movie about me called Bernie Jack Black who's going to play you yes [Music]
Richard linklater is my favorite filmmaker I've ever worked with all right cut I'm Rick linklater and I directed
the movie Bernie there was something about this story that stayed with me and I think it was that relationship the
Miss nent Bernie relationship and the Bernie Tito that you know is he a good man he's the sweetest guy you know he's
a great man very complex character is that part of what attracted you to this film The thing about playing Bernie is
that he's lovable and it's really important to Bernie that he be loved perfect submiss and I can relate to
that I have a little bit of that in me too you know this would be funny if it wasn't so damn sad apparently Marjorie
was tough she was vile and hateful just mean wave hi hello she's very loving I miss her Berney stole $3.8 million from
my grandmother and then he put four bullets in her back at close range how did this happen and that was what the
movie explored she didn't have a lot of friends she didn't have a lot of people around her to take care of her and to
love her and that's where Bernie came in did she ever look at you Bernie and say
ber I love you well we often told each other that yes she was a wonderful woman and didn't deserve to be executed by
Bernie T I have to live with this every day of my life and I don't like that I think the film is asking the
question can the nicest person in the world I don't like thinking ill of Mary be capable of the worst act
[Music] [Applause] [Music] let's go back and start the Bernie story from the beginning where'd you grow up well right
here in East Texas one way or another Bernie TAA has been dealing with death and darkness
since he was 3 years old my daddy and my mother they had a car accident and my mother was riding in the passenger side
of the car and uh um daddy never forgave himself for that his mother dead his father started drinking hard and
died when Bernie was just 15 so a lot of death had occurred in our in our family
things only got worse for Bernie he claims he was molested by his own Uncle Elmer ducet 12 when my uncle began
molesting me ducet has always denied Bernie's allegations did it darken your world in some way yes it
did Bernie learned first hand that the wounded lonely and those the dead leave behind need comforting this was Bernie
Tia's world I guess you could say that's true here Carlton shamburger is the owner of Hawthorne Funeral Home where
Bernie worked for 9 years he was very successful here at Hawthorns and as a funeral director overall he could do
everything he could he was talented could do everything from makeup hair he could sing he could preach even out
coloration than apply highlights it would just be part of what inspired director Richard linklater and actor
Jack Black to collaborate on the Darkly comic movie Bernie too much color does not make one look more alive he was on a
lot of people's list to literally sing them to Heaven he knew how to take care of families he could connect that
quickly could connect yeah [Music] exactly so it wasn't long after 27-year-old Bernie arrived in Carthage
back in 1985 that everyone seemed to know him from the dusty dirt roads one of his
excellent qualities was he was a gourmet cook where Jack Payne and Ira bounds live I think that he was well thought of
amongst the little old ladies in town and at Comer's famous barbecue he taught our Sunday school he preached a
funeral for us even down at the courthouse did you know Bernie TAA yes where local Legend District attorney
Danny Buck Davidson ruled back then and still rules today everyone sense something good had come to town you
think gee I'm glad this guy came here he's an asset to the community everybody love Barney I
come alone well I enjoyed singing in the choir and then I got active also in the
school here in the drama Department I was acting and and and doing in plays and you were often the start often times
often times yes did you feel loved in this community very much so I felt very much loved local ladies Lisa and Susie
cochrell sum it up simply he was a God he God I mean almost people really s like that
yeah he's got a warmth got a magnetism just a super generous sensitive guy and is is everybody's best friend Bernie TAA
always had that human touch he knew just what to say to bring us smile to anyone
who needed it so when a grieving vulnerable Widow came here to the Hawthorne Funeral Home Bernie saw an
opportunity to do what he did best in 1990 the town's leading banker and oilman Rod nent hard-nosed tough but
fair businessman dies skip Hollingsworth covered the case for Texas monthly magazine
and Bernie is in charge of his funeral I inbombed his body and got him ready for
the funeral in Mrs Nan arrives and I'd met with her about the arrangements Marjorie nent would one day be portrayed
by Oscar winning actress Shirley mlan I saw her to the grave site we had the funeral service there and then I took
her back to the car are you thinking to yourself well we've parted ways we did some business and never shall again well
no cuz that's not how I I conduct funerals as I often do with the widows widowers check on them uh go by the
house make sure they're all right did they appreciate your your dropping by oh very much so why don't you know that I
was thinking about you you know these times can be hard well Margie wasn't a Huggy typ person Ruth cochrell would
come to know as much as anyone in Carthage about the friendship of Bernie and marjerie well we are first cousins
were you guys close we got pretty close could marjerie be difficult I think any of us can be
difficult I mean as an old setting hand [Music] sometimes in small towns anywhere your
reputation is not often defined by who you are it's by what people think of you and so the reputation did get around
that Mrs Nan could be cantankerous could Marjorie be mean yes sir she could and another thing newly widowed
74-year-old margerie nent was loaded with cash she would kind of be a call a blue blood as much as $6
million some soaps and a little bubble bath to sooie in the tub Bernie ta wasn't about to be turned away come in
oh that it would be my pleasure I felt sorry for margorie I really did [Music] and soon Marjorie and Bernie were seen
on the scene The Odd Couple of Carthage we'd go to the Cherokee club we would go
to the Jalapeno Tree here in Carthage yeah they were uh they were a pair and it wasn't long before margerie wanted
more than a part-time dinner date and Bernie complied she asked me to leave the funeral home she just wanted more
and more and more of me around she actually hired Bernie and paid him a salary there's this notion out there
that you were attracted to marjorie's money yes um I'm aware of that uh I that was not part of the deal that was not
part of my wanting to be around margorie there's members of margery's family that tell a different story
Bernie TAA is what a thief just 2 hours up the road in Dallas these are some of our our old family
photos of my grandmother three proud granddaughters everything that has been said about her is not her have a very
different take on just why Bernie was befriending Marjorie he saw her as a mark he stole
her money when he was about to be found out he shot her and killed her that's the real story that is the
real story [Music] is this case about money yes it is how so I think that defines
everything The Majestic Gates swung open to a kingdom of riches and Bernie rolled
right in I think the Fatal mistake my grandmother made is she ended up buying a $3,000 headstone from Bernie
Titi from that moment he marked her within months of meeting at her husband's funeral Bernie was fulltime at
margorie n jent's ey popping home helping her with anything that she needed help with make her coffee make
sure she was up she was all right he was there he was there for her they loved each other yeah Bernie loves
everybody and I think he's the one person in the world in that era who could feel that from Marge when no one
else could I never thought of them as being lovey Dobies never just just just together just
friends I never saw him kiss you never did nope and da Danny Buck probably never would because there was something
about Bernie that made Folk FKS Wonder back then I'm a gay man and it's hard to be a a gay man and being out in a small
town did margorie know you were gay we never discussed it never discussed no so what was the attraction she's 42 years
older than you right he was targeting wealthy women well I think the attraction for Marjorie was uh the same
as it was for everybody else in town he was just a a lovable guy when you spend time with them you
want to hang out with them less than a year after her husband's death Bernie and margerie
started hanging out big time trading in the back roads for Broadway we'd go up on Friday
morning and then come back on Sunday saw Broadway shows we had a lot of fun together Bernie TAA the mortician who
made about $24,000 a year now had access to margorie Nan's 10 ,000 square foot mansion in Carthage her checkbook and a
world of opportunity they went on great adventures together wave hi hello they had a ball together they traveled the
world we went to Washington Baltimore and then took a uh a cruise down the East Coast we went to uh Germany
England Scotland and Wales to Egypt I went to the pyramids we just went everywhere was she having a good time
she was having a great time he was her manservant is it too busy the guy hired to take care of her every need clipped
her toenails all the uh nitty-gritty and for Bernie the perks kept piling up marjerie showered him with cash clothing
cars even flying lessons and planes to go with it and in turn Bernie gave gifts to the
good people of Carthage he provided money he provided scholarships doing good doing a lot of good in Carthage
turns out he was generous with Miss Nan's money he was kind of the conduit to her generosity to her better Angel
she spoiled me rotten but the newans say their Grandma never needed Bernie or any
anyone to teach her kindness my grandmother was a loving sweet woman and she was
kind she was she was kind and she loved telling stories this is really eye opening guys to talk to you this is
really eye openening in 93 like we went there and she opened the door and she hugged me and she kissed me
like eight times but whatever margery's affection for her granddaughter ERS the stakes were about to change margorie
nent filed a new will leaving everything to Bernie and nothing to her family did
you encourage her to do that no she brought that to me uh one day and it was in 1991 why would she do that well I felt
like she could felt like she could trust me I guess it was on one of the next family visits to Carthage that the nent
women got a hint of How Deeply Bernie had moved into their grandmother's life flash forward to
1994 we go to see her and she opens the door and she goes I don't know who you are and I go what do you mean you don't
know who we are and she goes I don't know who you are she's like you need to leave and we went in and there were
pictures of Bernie everywhere and we said who is this you know nanny who is this and she said well he's my friend
and the thing that Disturbed me was that all of the pictures of my grandfather were gone for shanana alexandrea and
Susan Grandma margery's new Behavior was disturbing she was like a school girl in
love and the motives of her new companion deeply suspect we believe that my grandmother was in love with Bernie
and believed that he was in love with her when was the last time you guys saw your grandmother alive that visit in
94 and now they worried that Bernie was well on the way to tricking Marjorie out
of millions I think it's the perfect example of a sweetheart scam um that I have ever seen my grandmother believed
he loved her how do you know that cuz I saw her but Bernie tells a different story claiming that after 5 years
attending to Marjorie the relationship had soured and that even though he had his own modest home he felt trapped by
Marjorie and wanted out Bernie claims margery's 247 demands had turned into an abusive relationship she was very uh
mean-spirited very um uh abrupt with me very um could she be abusive yes very much so in some ways would was her place
his gilded cage and she closed the door on that cage yeah we were uh in a heated discussion about um I I I
told her I said I just I've got to I can't do this anymore and I said I I I can't be your friend anymore I just
can't do this go ahead desert me she was very distraught you can't leave me you're not going to leave me no one has
ever left me I know you so I backed my car out of the garage and by the time I got out there she had
locked the gate on me until I finally decid said okay I won't leave you I won't leave well just park your car jump
over the gate run you know whatever but Bernie is not one built for conflict I think he takes it as his fate I can't
get away from this woman the door's right there Bernie but it's not as simple as that uh people get trapped
people get trapped no exit no way out and at least according to Bernie feeling like
margerie Nan's prisoner reminded him of the abuse he says he suffered as a boy and in some ways did you feel trapped in
this relationship just as you had been trapped with your uncle yes yes I did I think he is a killer I think he
has no remorse I don't believe a word that comes out of the man's mouth [Music] [Applause]
Bernie TAA claims it pains him to recall how controlling and contener margorie nent
could be I don't like the things that she did but I don't like talking about him
either personally and I think he's pure evil let's move now to November 19th 1996 tell me about that day and what
from your perspective led to the tragedy I had gone out to the house to make coffee early
7:30 got her up that's enough of that ex I don't want you to talk about the shooting this is attorney Jody Cole she
would eventually become a big part of Bernie Tia's life this is all public records I do not want him to talk about
the shooting and how his story would be told that's enough yet when we spoke with Bernie jod Cole stopped him from
telling those Grizzly details hard facts everyone from Carthage to Hollywood now knows shot her in the back
four times shot her dead with this 22 caliber rifle the first bullet in her back makes
her paralyzed so she falls straight down onto the concrete he shoots her again he
then walks straight up to her body puts the nuzzle to the gun to the back of her
and shoots it two more times times those graphic details would be missing from the movie I remember right before we
shot that scene I went up to Jack Black and I said have you ever killed anyone in a movie like this yeah that was one
of the hardest scenes in the movie marrey you see a scene like that in a script and you Circle it in the
calendar when you're going to shoot that and you think about it a lot marrey can
you say something oh no no no no Jesus no no no what have I done I'm sorry that that happened in my
life I caused the death of somebody that I loved days turned into months as Bernie
kept his awful secret and margery's family they began to wonder what had become of Grandma I started asking my
dad have you heard from Nanny I can't get her and you know maybe she's on another trip she'll call you when she
gets back and the nent women all busy college students at the time this was Christmas my grandparents admit there
was a reluctance to reach out to Grandma Marjorie we had the strange encounter in
1994 where we didn't feel welcome and every Sunday he'd come sit right beside me and give me a full report on Margie
and what were you thinking to yourself I'm thinking you're lying that's what I'm thinking and I just made up one
thing or another you told one she had Alzheimer's another she was in the hospital such a a difficult time and
Mama would tell us what he had been saying and and it's like Mama are you crazy he's either got her locked up in
the house poisoning her or he's already killed her if I had gone to the police and then been proven
wrong I would have been left out of Carthage because people thought so much of Bernie so week after week month after
month passes margery's nowhere to be seen nine months nine months it was August 18th
1997 the nents had finally shared their concerns with the local sheriff I get a call from my dad he and
I drive [Music] down and it's clear that no one's been there for a very long time
so where was marjerie nent I wanted to check the freezer my grandmother was a child of the depression so you didn't
waste food turning back up the hallway so when Alexandria and the sheriff's deputies got to the house she knew
exactly where she wanted to go she walked down this hallway Alexandria knew that if her grandmother had left the
house she would have put everything she kept in the refrigerator in a freezer located inside this this Pantry she
opened the door and there it was it was so quick it was like I walked in I said there's tape on the freezer and this is
freezer she untaped it and raised it up and threw the lid open and there was the top of Miss n's
head and I looked at my dad and I said they found her and he just kind of did this and all I wanted at that moment
was my mom do I regret the fact that I didn't rush down there to stop him from doing
this yes because that's what you do when you love someone and you find out that the person that they were in love with
shot them four times in the back as you think how could I have saved them while a motive remained unclear there was Zero
mystery about the prime suspect Barney's name was top of list Bernie was easy to
find he was right in Carthage at home when the sheriff's deputies showed up and brought him in for questioning I was
so relieved when they came for me and arrested me it felt like this big weight had been
lifted off my shoulder how could you come to my house eat my food and sing hymns and my cousin over there in the
Deep Freeze it's Grim when you know you see an old lady on video being pulled out of a
freezer those are images that stay with you and I think it took two days to thow
out and for them to do an autopsy strange yes that same day Bernie TAA confessed to Penola County sheriff's
deputies that he murdered marjerie nent there wasn't a question in anybody's mind everybody knew I think you're right
Danny Buck Davidson would charge Bernie with first-degree premeditated murder and seek the ultimate penalty laugh life
in prison maximum sence and that's when this Twisted Texas tail really got strange people in the community were
coming in saying Berney was a real good guy if he killed her he had a reason for
doing poor Bernie he had his groupies Bernie had his groupies yep some people people are saying hey let them go some
people are saying no put them away for life you just have never seen a story like this come across your desk ever and
people still want to talk about it they're still mystified about what really happened on that November
afternoon that led Bernie to shoot her four times [Applause] i' stay in Bernie TAA had preached and
comforted and sang his way into this proud small Town's everyday life he held a special place in the
hearts of many people in Carthage Texas some folks even suggested Bernie was next door to the angels and I said he's
an angel all right he's an angel of death your job as a prosecutor you got a man who's admitted he put four bullets
in the back of a little old lady put her in a preure and kept spending her money
while she was dead and you have a community saying leave them alone that's what would they say go EAS
your own Barney it happened so often he asked for a change of venue and he got one the trial of Bernie TAA for
murdering margerie nent was moved 50 m away and in February of 1999 Danny Buck told his tale to a jury who had never
heard about Bernie I thought it was greed and betrayal that's what I sold to the jury Bernie's defense was that he
killed Marjorie in an act of passion that her murder was not premeditated I don't know what happened that morning
but jury did not relate to him they related to me the trial lasted less than a week how
long did it take this jury to make its decision I think it took them maybe 20 minutes to find him
guilty n years after he met Marjorie newon at her husband's funeral Bernie was sentenced to life and prison which
is the top Max sentence and I felt pretty good about it I deserve time I've done a particularly horrible thing the
worst thing in my life Case Closed except for this Richard linklater couldn't get the tale of
Bernie TAA out of his head I ended up attending the trial and started thinking of this maybe there's a movie here Rick
and Skip Hollingsworth wrote The Bernie screenplay and brought it to Jack Black and he said hey hey I never told you
about this thing that I've been obsessed with this story about this fellow Bernie
TAA and so I said let me read this thing Jack Black became so intrigued he agreed to play the lead
role action but not before he and Link later paid a visit to a Texas Maximum Security Prison to try and understand
just who Bernie TAA really was I wanted to come and meet you I still think it's important if
uh if I want to play a real person that I that I should meet you be around people I'm just a people person black
wanted to know what made Bernie tick right down to what he felt in the days after he murdered Marjorie that must
have been incredibly stressful that period with the walls you have no Earth idea it was
absolutely horrendous if you're playing a person and you have access to them you
got to go see them it's just one of the rules of the game I'm very appreciative of of them coming to meet me and I have
to stay here unless something changes oh there's one man in particular I can think of I you like to talk to the movie
Bernie also featured Matthew mccon as Danny Buck Danny Buck's coming to get you first here please in April 2012 it
premiered in Rick's hometown of Austin critics loved it I know you aing this idea that my grandmother was a monster
is ludicrous the Newen family thought it was beyond offensive it was a complete lie it was devastating to us I mean they
took the most awful part of our lives and just laughed about it and joked about it it's like he cast a spell over
the entire area and now the Bernie TAA story was about to take yet another bizarre twist that began right at the
movie premiere a little feisty lady comes up to me and says I bet there was some you know crazy stuff going on at
the trial she's appeals lawyer jod Cole and after watching the movie she got a hunch that the trial of Bernie TAA had
been a miscarriage of Justice I want the world to know that Bernie TAA is a good
person and that this outcome is unacceptable I said look at that he snaps and so I
thought why did he get a life sentence she asked link later if he had the transcripts from Tia's 1999 murder trial
he came with his boxes of transcripts put it on her desk and like I don't know have at it jod poured over the files
knowing that Bernie's life sentence hinged on Danny Buck's argument that the murder was
premeditated and within a couple of weeks she had come to see me is there a miracle that's about to occur yes and
jod Cole did a lot of work toward that Miracle happening All Rise marjerie marjerie are you okay that
morning I felt like I wasn't a part of the shooting 16 years years after he shot marjerie nent dead Bernie
painted a picture for defense attorney jod Cole about how he felt that awful morning I felt like I wasn't even there
and I have learned that that is called a dissociative episode I think it's a classic case of a kind of a
disassociated moment that's what this whole case hinges on a dissociative episode The New Age psychological term
would break the case against Bernie TAA wide open when they are overwhelmed with
stress and emotion they actually disassociate which is leave their body and Bernie's body the theory goes
killed margerie without his mind taking part and he shot her yes involuntarily the nen family would have their own take
on Jodi's ideas not connected with reality thoroughly confused this woman had been a abusing him for a very long
time and his body acted in a way to end that abuse Bernie also confided in jod what he says is his darkest secret about
that childhood sexual abuse he claims he suffered at the hands of that Uncle jod brought the findings to the DA
and he was sold what do you conclude in terms of why this murder occurred the child abuse and the abuse of
relationship I think that he did not plan on killing her Danny Buck says if he had to do it all over again he would
have sought a much lighter sentence 20 years would have been the maximum sentence not because Danny Buck wants 20
it's what the law says Danny Buck then went to B for the killer he had once helped convict and on May 6th 2014
Bernie TI's life sentence thrown out a new sentencing trial is ordered and Bernie is released from prison for the
time being lots of Miracles have happened in my life the next miracle was in the parking lot Mr linklater picked
me up and we drove to Austin the real life Bernie Titi just got out of an East Texas prison oh this is Bernie's little
apartment he lived down here he put me up in his apartment at his home in some ways did Bernie become part of the
family yeah very much I mean did you ever babysit your kids yeah in Austin Bernie went about creating a new life
all on borrowed time he joined the Gay Men's Choir in the time of King Herod he became a regular at Pastor Sid Hall's
Church our folks surrounded him like mother hens just loving him he is definitely feeling the uh Ecstasy of
freedom well my first thought is how is this happening the nent granddaughters found
it all beyond belief Richard linklater ConEd Richard Linker is just as ConEd as my grandmother
was I think I'm pretty uncontable I think Danny bet got enthralled with Hollywood I'll say
that's BS before the sentencing trial Danny Buck recused himself he was replaced by two prosecutors determined
to put Bernie TAA back behind bars this was just a straightup execution I think he's conned Hollywood and he's conned
the whole Judicial System Jane stars and Assistant Attorney General Lisa Tanner weren't buying it Bernie didn't have a
dissociative episode this case is about abusing elderly vulnerable people it's about abusing margorie nent financially
and about just coldblooded murder what do we have in front of us here we have just small portions of the paper trail
Lisa Tanner would allege Bernie regularly forged margerie Nan's signature he was very good at signing
her signature manually manipulated her bank accounts this is what he showed Marjorie but this is what he really
deposited we had 14 of these altered her brokerage statements the original of this document is literally a cut and
pasted dummied up statement all of this he's pocketing her money both while margorie was alive and after Bernie had
killed her and stuffed her in her freezer the numbers ended up being approximately $3.8 million total
Bernie's motive for murder came into Focus he was about to be found out [Music] about in April
2016 after 2 years of freedom Bernie Tia's new sentencing trial began is the jury here and ready to go it was moved
to Henderson Texas because Bernie still had so many friends and fans in Carthage
we'll begin with the state Miss Tanner Lisa Tanner put Bernie in her sights this is a real case with a real murderer
he did that and Hollywood so we're going to talk about that in a non-f fictionalized non hollywoodized kind of
way Hollywood means you know lack of morality thank you guys but I took that really personal cuz I don't live in
Hollywood I'm an indie Texas director Rick link later was called to the stand to defend his friend I think he's a
incredibly nice generous man who you know did a horrible thing the director and those who love Bernie
argued he had paid his dues with time already served 16 years yeah I'd say he served enough time
and Bernie's Uncle under oath denied ever having molested Bernie you say never but did admit writing him a letter
sexual in nature Bernie did not testify at the trial I mean I just there there are just some questions that don't have
any answers two dramatic vers verions of margerie Nan's murder have now been told
one on the big screen the other in a courtroom in Henderson Texas the question now is who will the jurors
believe sudden passion disassociative episode snapping when he took that gun and pointed it down straight to the
ground and put it in her back that justified a life sentence then Bernie are you a danger to society no sir not
at all the jury goes out to deliberate Alexandria what's going through your mind you know at that moment all you can
do is pray on April 2nd 2016 some 26 years after he met Marjorie nent the jury once again sentenced
Bernie TAA to 9 9 years in prison for 99 years alive everyone in that courtroom knew
that my grandmother was not mean she did not deserve to die and that this man deserved to go away for the rest of his
life when I heard 99 years I mean it was just it was devastating he back in prison for life
it's very discouraging now what's as certain as his life sentence is this deep in the Heart of Texas Bernie
TAA is [Music] loved even today is there a Bernie TAA fan club in Carthage yes not as big as it once was
but it's here [Music] [Music]

"48 Hours" brings you stories that involve fortune and power in this mini-marathon including "Reuschel vs. Reuschel," "Andreen McDonald: A Millionaire Vanishes" and "The Mortician, The Murder, The Movie."

00:00 Reuschel vs. Reuschel 41:47 Andreen McDonald: A Millionaire Vanishes 1:23:48 The Mortician, The Murder, The Movie

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.

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Brief Summary

Michael Relle is convicted of attempting to murder his wife Susan during a violent altercation disguised as a home invasion.

Key points

The Wedding That Sparked Conflict. Caroline reflects on her father's wedding and the tensions that followed.
A Disturbing Secret Revealed. Mike Relle shares a shocking secret about his wife after their wedding.
Blood Evidence Revealed. Prosecutors present blood evidence that suggests Mike Relle attacked Susan.
Guilty Verdict. After a lengthy trial, the jury finds Mike Relle guilty of attempted murder.
Suspicious Text Messages. Investigators uncover text messages revealing marital turmoil between Andre and Andreen.
Damning Evidence Found. Investigators uncover a hammer and clothing with blood, pointing to a murder.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

He just started crying.

Caroline recalls her father's emotional state after the wedding.

13:01WatchMay 18, 2024

Tension

75/ 100High tension

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