The Gun & the Blood | "Married to Death" | "48 Hours" Podcast | Forensic Files

General you may proceed with your opening remarks thank you [Music] I don't know that I know that I can tell
you why I don't know but I'm not required to prove why she did it just that she did I
say it's a very old simple Farm uh however very effective this is a tough case this is a purely
circumstantial case isn't it absolutely it is I'm Erin Moriarty 48 hours and this is part three of married to
death one of the strangest cases I've ever covered with a truly unexpected and shocking ending
now let's return to the Knox County Tennessee courtroom where the trial of raynella Leith the murder of her second
husband David is underway it's May 2017.4 for Knox County Tennessee division one is Alpha percentage of
German senior judge Paul Summers provided good morning that senior judge Paul Summers he's
handling the third murder trial of reynella Lee third trial for reynella lathe and you
have to pick a jury how worried are you when I spoke with brainella's defense attorneys Josh Hedrick and Rebecca
Legrand they were worried they wouldn't be able to find enough people who hadn't already heard about
raynella I was I was very concerned Rebecca was more concerned I was I was very concerned there is no way to put
out of your mind what you've read when you've read 10 years of this coverage of calling renella a black widow you can't
put that out of your mind and that was everywhere so yeah I was very worried that we were going to be starting from
so far back from so far from the presumption of innocence that you should have that it was going to be this an
incredibly uphill battle they tried to have the case moved out of Knoxville and they asked for a change of venue but
judge Summers was having none of it and this was a major issue going into this trial here's my producer Josh Gainer
could they find a group of men and women to put on this jury who had never heard
about a woman who's been on front pages of newspapers for decades and they tried
to have it moved but what what was interesting to me is yes when we first started on this trial
we thought it's going to be very hard to find jurors who hadn't heard about reynella Leith over the last 14 years as
it turns out Knoxville is that college town and it's a town where people move in and move out and it turns out that
they had no trouble finding jurors who had never heard of reynella leave so instead of waiting for days to try to
choose jurors and putting off the trial day and a half and we were off and running in this trial
16 that your lord are present and accountable 16 jurors are chosen and will sit for
the entire trial but only 12 of them will actually decide reynella Lee's fate four will be alternates
but they're not notified until right before deliberation there are 12 Men Four Women all white
except for one Hispanic man at this point I always wonder what's the defense thinking are they concerned that
women will be harsher judges is that why there are more men the 16 are a variety of Ages and they
all come from different backgrounds there's a coffee roaster with a family history of dementia a Walmart pharmacist
a farmer and a grocery store worker as jurors you are the ones that will decide the case
this is a complicated case and it's time to get into the nitty-gritty of what both sides think happened to David Lee
trial begins with the state's case General you might proceed with your opening remarks thank you that's Stephen
Crump sometimes you'll hear the judge call him General he's not in the military but in
Tennessee the D.A is called a district attorney general here's Josh again he's an elected
official and somewhat newly uh to his position he didn't have to take this case on
himself he could have allowed one of his deputies to do it so he took it on himself which is it was an interesting
point coming in is he put himself out there a little bit as well but clearly thought strongly that he had had a good
case if you remember raynella's first husband Ed Dawson was also a D.A in Knox County
and he's still well known around the courthouses here so the current D.A removed herself from
the case even Crump on the other hand he's from a different County he's entirely fresh and
new to this case this is a tough case this is a purely circumstantial case isn't it absolutely it is and you don't
have like an eyewitness no you don't have any kind of direct evidence that says raynella Leith killed David Lee that's
right Trump told me what he thinks happened with raynell and David in that bedroom the morning of March 13
2003. I think she walked up to the side of the bed intended to make it a one shot is going to be a suicide it was
going to look like a suicide and she missed and then it changed the dynamic of everything that came after that
she ended his life with that second shot and then in an attempt to cover up and make the scene out to be what it needed
to look like she fired that third shot to get gunshot residue on him that's what I think
says the way David Leith was found just didn't add up for investigators he was tucked in
there was a pillow between his legs he was naked you heard David Lee about David Lee he
was a proud man he liked to look good he liked to he liked to show himself you really think that's the way that he
would want to leave naked with a pill between his legs [Music] Josh says that nearly everyone we spoke
with mentioned David Lee's near obsession with his physical appearance and the way he's seen in town this is uh
outside Knoxville Tennessee by all accounts he was a very Macho masculine type of guy in in somewhat of a macho
masculine sort of environment he was very into cars he worked with his hands on the farm he went to tanning salons he
got plastic surgery for his face his pants were always perfectly tailored everybody says everything on him was
perfectly manicured at all time and he was so self-conscious of about the way that he looked the way the Cindy says is
that he always wore his sunglasses even during pictures as we discussed in a previous episode The prosecution doesn't
have to give the jury a motive for murder but Crump knows that the jurors will be
thinking about it we've talked about the Angles and we come down to why I told you that I don't
know that I could tell you why she did here I don't know but I'm not a part of a group why she did it just that she did
despite not having a motive it was still plain to Josh and me that the prosecution was presenting a certain
narrative about reynella what the prosecution wants the jury to believe is that not only did raynella kill her
husband David Leith but it had been a in-process planned going on for weeks months a real cold-blooded calculating
killer someone who is able to execute her husband in bed go to see her mother-in-law at the hospital talk to
her stepdaughter go see her daughter at school and have all of those people except for Cindy of course say there was
nothing out of the ordinary most trials are whodunits who committed the murder but in this case Krampus yet even
established that David Leith was murdered let alone that raynella leave was the one who killed him
to prove his case crumb is relying on two key pieces of evidence one is the gun the other is the blood spatter found on
the headboard of David's bed those three shots were fired at remarkably different
angles if you remember there were three shots fired here's Steve Crump during opening
statements one striking the headboard going into the wall and exploding chips of wood into the
back of the hair of David Lee's head you'll hear another bullet entered his forehead
you're a third bullet entered the bed at the angle you see there downward and was recovered from the
floor Crump believes those bullets tell the story we'll explain how in a second but let's start with the gun itself they
found a handgun 38 caliber Colt police special positive is the name of the weapon that positive
the six shot revolver and it's important and you will see why we missed the conclusion of my opening it's
important that this was a revolver and you will hear that after the brain stem was severed he was no longer capable
of moving firing that gun a third round was fired and we know that because you will hear that the third
round was the one that was different Crump says David Leith was incapacitated and couldn't have fired the gun a third
time he relies on Expert Witnesses like Don Carmen call your next witness god of the state
calls Don Carmen Carmen is a Firearms expert and he's a former agent with the Tennessee Bureau
of Investigation he led the team that analyzed the gun back in 2003. for 30 years I was a forensic scientist with
the Tennessee Bureau Investigation Carmen took the revolver down in front of the jury box to show jurors how it
works I say it's a very old simple Farm uh however very effective it's a revolver with a cylinder that holds the
bullets in individual Chambers in this case six think of those guns in the old western movies where you can spin that
round section that holds the bullets and then click it back into place that's the
cylinder a few things happen when this particular gun is fired first each bullet casing
stays in the cylinder in the exact same spot it started second when the triggers pulled a small
circular indentation called a hammer strike is left on the empty casing it looks like a small dimple like if you
were to poke the tip of a pencil into a piece of clay [Music] and third every time the gun fires that
cylinder rotates now if you notice the cylinder this particular cylinder moves clockwise
to line up the next bullet in this case we know three shots were fired investigators say they can tell which
was fired first and they say they took a photo of that open cylinder as they found it
uh the first cartridge fired would be this one so that you can see it in your mind
think of the gun cylinder like a clock the first spec cartridge is at four o'clock the second would be this one the
second spec cartridge is at two o'clock and the third would be this one and the third is straight up at noon or
12 o'clock investigators say they got lucky because the gum was loaded with two different kinds of ammunition same
caliber different brands and colors two silver Remington bullets one gold Winchester
first two fired cartridges at four and two o'clock are silver their fragments were found in the headboard and in
David's head and the last fired round at 12 o'clock in the cylinder was the Lone gold
Winchester shot through the mattress the prosecution says that that proves the last bullet was fired after David
was already shot in the head this is a crucial piece of evidence for the state in court Stephen Crump asked the medical
examiner Dr darinka malusanec to explain why it matters who datedly sprained stem was transected
what happened to his body when you hear stories about somebody falling like a board somebody just basically becomes
flaccid and totally paralyzed that's what happens was David Lee in any way capable of any sort of
voluntary movement after that bull has transected his brain none whatsoever in other words the state says David Leith
could not have physically fired that final shot there just simply is no other explanation a suicide simply does not
explain all of that the only conceivable answer in our mind was that it was Amazon and then there's the blood
spatter that's the trail of blood that Stephen Crump considers to be his most compelling evidence
but where all this falls apart or anything except homicide is where the blood spatter is found
[Music] when David Leith was shot in the head blood from that injury landed on the
headboard and the wall behind it forensic experts use those stains to estimate that David's head was
approximately a foot above the mattress when he was shot a foot above the only way that all of this works
together is that if regularly the standing at the side of the bed and she misses with that first shot and we
know that the first shot was the one that went into the headboard because David Lee's hair was found in the divot
that was created by the bullet going into the headboard we know that his head was below that
because there was wood particles in his hair and so the first shot happens the only thing that could have happened is
that he raises up his hair goes through there and is trapped against the headboard and so it stays on the
headboard the second shot occurs and he falls straight back down to where it was
found [Music] words Crump believes that David's killer shot the headboard jolting David awake
then shot again and hit David in the head causing him to fall back down isn't it possible that David was trying to
shoot himself missed and then just tried again I mean no it's not the blood spatter that was on
the headboard and on the wall behind the headboard does not provide a basis for that to
happen that is in line with the laws of physics what is physics enough to convince
jurors that a murder occurred because the defense insists that that very same evidence points to David Lee as the
shooter that each and every one of these shots each and every one of these trajectories
could have been accomplished by David Leith himself both sides have their own experts to
back up their cases there's a difference between innocent and not guilty I have no idea if she's innocent I truly
believe she's not guilty if we interpret not guilty as being no proof was offered
that reynella Leith shot and murdered her husband so I have no idea as a human being whether she's innocent or not as a
forensic pathologist at least on the evidence that I've been privy to there's no way on Earth I think she's guilty
[Music] I'm Aaron Moriarty 48 hours and that's part three of married to death this podcast series Married to death is
developed by 48 hours in partnership with CBS News Radio Judy tigardt is executive producer Nancy Kramer is our
executive story editor Mike filet and Alan Pang are the series producer editors this episode was produced by Josh Gainer
Lisa freed and Luis Geraldo and edited by Mike McHugh Dwayne Tolleson Jamie Benson and Meghan Marcus
thanks to composer Richard piocca for his original scores Gabriella de mergian and Morgan Canty
are our associate producers Kayla cadell is our production associate thank you to Craig swagler the vice
president and general manager of CBS News Radio and finally a shout out to all of you
our fans we owe it to all of you the millions of fans of 48 hours in the U.S and around the world don't forget to
join me online I am at EF Moriarty on Twitter and we are at 48 Hours on Twitter Facebook and Instagram see you
soon

Jurors are chosen and the prosecution begins its case against Raynella Leath for the murder of her second husband, David Leath. District Attorney General Stephen Crump heads the prosecution team and looks to establish that this was a murder, not a suicide, despite there not being a clear motive. He focuses on two key pieces of evidence: the gun used to shoot David and the blood spatter found on the headboard of his bed. Two experts are also brought in to reinforce the prosecution’s narrative. Join "48 Hours" correspondent Erin Moriarty as she revisits the murder investigation of Raynella Leath. Listen to "Married to Death from My Life of Crime with Erin Moriarty" on Amazon Music or wherever you get your podcasts: https://link.chtbl.com/MTDYTE3

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

Brief Summary

Raynella Leith's trial reveals circumstantial evidence in her husband's murder, raising questions about guilt and innocence.

Key points

The Trial of Raynella Lee. The trial of Raynella Lee for the murder of her second husband unfolds in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Unexpected Jury Selection. Despite concerns, jurors unfamiliar with the case were found quickly, allowing the trial to proceed.
Prosecution's Narrative. The prosecution aims to portray Raynella as a cold-blooded killer with a planned murder.
Key Evidence Presented. The prosecution relies on two key pieces of evidence: the gun and blood spatter analysis.
Expert Testimony. Expert witnesses testify about the gun and the blood spatter, crucial for the prosecution's case.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

This is a tough case, this is a purely circumstantial case, isn't it?

Discussion about the nature of the case.

0:22WatchJun 28, 2023

Tension

75/ 100High tension

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