The Poisonous Wife | Full Episode | Forensic Files

[Music] if you're afraid of snakes then everything you think you know about them
is wrong my name is Ben renick I'm with Ben renck reptiles and this is my story Ben renck is an artist when it
comes to breeding snakes and this is a project that I'm actually a really big fan of are there some species of snakes
in here that Ben used to work with yeah actually right behind me there's a reticulated python and Ben was actually
very fond of his reticulated pythons Ben renck was a great businessman he was a young upand
cominging rock star in the reptile world my wife and I uh mainly run this company
Linley renick is a kind soul a devoted mother and I would say a genuinely caring person they were happy you know
they were very busy you know they weren't a lot and there was never any instance of
anything ever being wrong on June 8th of 2017 at about 5:30 in the afternoon Linley renck drives
home to where her home and her and her husband's snake facility is she goes inside and she finds her husband Ben
renck lying face down in a pool of blood I got a call from Linley she was hysterical complete in
panic 911 with the address emergency the ground everywh and I went in to try and
find Ben and when I found Ben and um and his body I knew that uh it was too late oh my God my brother's dead what
what may have happened he got killed by a snake I assumed it was a snake 1850 the whole building full of snake a
snake every 4 in I don't know what it's St someone being killed by a snake is not something that happens every day
especially in Missouri paramedic said there's a bike mark on so there's a snake loose in here so watch
your being the coroner walking into a death scene with thousands of snakes jumping at the cages it was just a crazy
scene to be at do we have anybody we could call to deal with an anaconda I'm going to kill it we'll see
it how could you have something big enough to kill a person here I still didn't know what to
think I'm squatted down next to the body there's significant damage there's blood
all around when I saw that shell casing on the Shelf just above his head I knew this was not from a snake this was
something much more heinous I knew that this was a homicide at that time who would want to kill Ben renck
that was the question you couldn't have imagined anything like that and it was a long wait until we got that
answer [Music] [Music] I don't care if it's a if it's a 5 in Long steak and somebody trying to bite
me I'm going to going to light on a hot Missouri summer day in June 2017 Montgomery County sheriff's
deputies were called to a unique and potentially dangerous death scene a literal snake pit a building
with more than 3,000 exotic serpents something got him watch your the First Responders aren't sure if one of these
snakes may have killed renowned breeder Ben renck who is Ben that's Ben renck oh sure
there's no snakes around the victim yeah excuse me coroner Dave Colbert had never
seen anything like it they're holding shotguns in hand they were guns out you could just feel the anxiety amongst
everyone there no one knew where the killer could be coiled or lurking but while examining Ben's body the corner
made that surprising discovery Ben's body lying face down hid the true cause of death he hadn't been bitten by a
giant snake Ben had been shot eight times once at close range this was something that was not just a random
act it's a snake honey nearby was Ben's wife Linley she had discovered his body and she was
visibly upset uh what you would describe as somebody who is grieving and you know
just lost a loved one okay Lynley had called Sam who rushed to the scene Sam L got here
before I did so I don't know that okay he was always shot in the back almost exclusively I don't I don't think he saw
it coming at all Ben had such a future ahead of him you know he was 29 years old he was almost
30 a lot was lost near this remote Highway about 80 Mi west of St Louis once stood a
world-renowned snake breeding facility renic reptiles where Ben renck built his Empire of
serpents welcome to the basement of uh Ren reptiles uh we keep particular pythons blood pythons wh pythons green
anacondas Ben had his first snake at a very young age and that became a somewhat of a passion for him came a uh
a hobby did build into a business business and he was he was very good at what he did at the time of the murder
Sam and Ben renck were living in separate houses with their families on this 70 acre spread we lived out there
together and raised our kids out there together that we went fishing on the weekends and you know we were close Ben
and Lin Lee first met when they were teenagers they reconnected in 2011 says local attorney Katherine burer they hit
it off right away and their relationship got pretty serious pretty quickly um I think they moved in
together within the first year of dating Linley had a son from a previous relationship Sam says Ben became a
second father to the child in 2014 Ben and Linley decided to tie the knot uh they had a beautiful wedding it was
beautiful small family event and it was very special soon they had a baby of their
own a a growing family to go with their booming snake breeding business Linley found Ben's passion interesting she
would work day and night helping Ben with the snakes handling them cleaning them sorting them in 2016 they opened a
second business a CA Spa in Columbia Missouri a longtime dream of Linley who once worked as a massage therapist hi
I'm Lindley I'm the owner here I know that when she started her Spa business is just something that she had always
wanted to do that you know that empowered her quite a bit by 2017 renck snake business was
wildly successful he was shipping his snakes around the world from the UK to Japan and traveling to reptile
conventions across the United States he was so successful Ben realized that if he sold a portion of renic reptiles he
could make some real money Ben had planned on selling the majority of his ball python collection for uh
from my understanding it was about $1.2 million things were going to be very good for uh my brother and and Lenley
the couple had received their first payment of at least $200,000 but then Ben was
murdered when you heard that he was dead what did you think might have happened to him so the first question that I
asked was uh how many snakes were missing a facility like Benz um it unfortunately attracts a lot of bad
people bad people that see these snakes not as these beautiful amazing creatures
that they are but see them as dollar signs to understand the world of snakes that Ben lived and worked in we spoke
with Ben's friend Dave Kaufman who introduced me to a reticulated python a snake Ben was known for throughout the
world because of how he bred them in captivity Ben Loved These snakes because how can you not love these snakes I mean
really when it comes down to it they're big they're beautiful they're personable
she's going to go right over your shoulder and try to go on the cage behind you let's see if I'm right oh no
she's going to wrap around yeah my new scarf there you go Kaufman is also a snake breeder have you ever seen a blood
pipe on this big and a documentary filmmaker who also travels the world tracking rare and exotic reptiles for
his YouTube channel this is a first it is a remarkable sensation it is investigators looked into the theory
that Ben's murder may have been a robbery gone bad but ruled it out no snakes were missing Dave Colbert says it
made sense to look more carefully at those closest to Ben we definitely didn't want want to exclude anybody from
being a possible suspect I didn't know if Sam was involved didn't know if Lindley was
involved the day after his brother's murder Sam renck was brought in for questioning I don't know where it starts
okay and they also brought in Linley any questions for what happen what I mean what do I
do love your friends and family but soon enough those same friends and family would have reason to question everything
they thought they knew about Lenley reck Lenny that we knew back then was uh very
sweet uh kind however there was there other size of that we didn't know with law enforcement discovering that
Ben renck had not been killed by a snake and quickly ruling out the possibility of a robbery gone bad Sam renck had one
major question who would have want to been dead a Missouri State Highway Patrol detective had the same question
when he spoke with Ben's wife Linley could you see anybody you know being upset with been to the point
where that may happen both Linley and Sam were Cooperative in their initial interviews
are you willing to submit to a shotgun or shot gun shot anything you want got okay Sam says he understood why police
would first focus on them and he told investigators he could never imagine Linley being involved I didn't think
that Linley would have been capable of murder like that Linley also agreed to a gunshot
residue test but in her one-on-one interview with a detective Linley made a startling claim saying that Sam might
have had a motive to kill his brother was there any family issues like between D and
yeah an issue Linley said was Ben's plan to possibly sell the property where they
all lived she claims Sam was upset about it Ben had inherited the property after
another tragedy on the renck Family Farm just 5 years earlier the suicide of Ben
and Sam's father Frank renck Ben found him uh he came and got me and I we went there together
and uh it was a tough day Frank renck shot himself in 2012 after being implicated in a multi-million dollar
Ponzi scheme involving fraudulent stock certificates there's a lot of people that lost a lot of money you know due to
my father unaware that Lynley was implicating him Sam wondered whether Ben had been killed in an act of Revenge
against their father we were concerned however that you know someone could have been upset enough to to have waited done
something like this but that theory never took off and Sam who had tested negative for gun residue on his hands
was ruled out after cooperating fully with investigators I provided them you know everything I had my cell phone the
shirt off my back uh my alibi to where I was when the murder happened I I gave a
polygraph as Highway Patrol detectives continued their investigation the reptile Community stepped up to help
Ben's wife and children we have a male fire cinnamon they held this online auction of donated snakes to the pretty
girl guys raising more than $40,000 guys remember all this money is going to a great great great cause you
guys banded together and you got thousands of dollars to Linley to help her during this time of Cris T of yeah
we we raised tens of thousands of dollars to help Linley and the kids because you felt she was a victim that's
correct but that supposed victim had a startling confession when Lindley spoke with detectives again just 11 days after
Ben's murder so have you been talking to anyone or did you have a relationship Linley admitted she had
been unfaithful just just did he think the same yes detectives checked that man's Alibi
and cleared him of any suspicion investigators then interviewed Ashley Shaw one of linley's employees and a
close friend who she had confided in which may have been a mistake I mean I'm sure that you know she was having um an
affair a couple of actually um Ashley the manager at asensa spa said that Linley had also been seen another man
named Brandon Blackwell who she had met on a dating website she said Linley was hooking up with Brandon before Ben's
murder I know Brandon was like really a short time before that I believe along with linley's affairs investigators had
discovered Facebook messages between Ben and Linley they revealed that Ben had found out the spa was losing money and
that Lenley had lied to him about it Ben sent a message to Lenley just hours before he was
murdered no more lying no more keeping things from me no more not paying people and thinking it's okay to pay later 4
months after Ben's murder Lenley was in front of cops again and agreed to take a
polygraph exam okay how do you think you did l I just think okay not exactly linley's
polygraph test was a dismal failure so the results of the polygraphs showed that you failed to the test when
I asked you did you shoot that man you failed test expain why I just failed that but I didn't K them but
investigators suspected she did and may have had help from yet another man in her life his his name is Michael
Humphrey an old ex-boyfriend and excon fresh out of prison on drug possession charges who she texted and called
numerous times including on the day her husband was murdered coming in from the yeah but the thing is is that that right
there is very suspicious it appeared Linley was close to Breaking but she continued to deny any
involvement dozens of times have anything to do with this there is so much circumstantial
evidence against you in this case it's minding but linley's gunshot residue test had come back
negative with no Witnesses no murder weapon found or direct evidence linking her to Ben's
murder I need to go get my she left that interrogation room a free woman the investigation went cold for
nearly 3 years until unexpectedly someone came forward with everything Missouri Highway Patrol investigators
were looking for [Music] the boas are long gone pythons packed up snakes in new homes The Reptilian
Paradise turn crime scene now a vacant frozen field eight fatal shots unanswered
I wasn't sure what to think unaware that investigators suspected Linley Ben reck's Brother Sam was left more than a
little uneasy it was very very tough knowing um that someone's out there that had essentially gotten away with murder
um I was conserve for my own safety and without an arrest serpent lovers were also left
rattled so when the case went cold we would all contact each other asking if anybody had any information on what was
going on it was frustrating it was frustrating to have all this time pass and not have a culprit in custody all
Dave Kaufman knew for sure humans do things other than what you expect snakes do not and the most unexpected Behavior
came from the human closest to Ben renck his widow Linley we wanted to be you know as
understanding as possible however in time when she refused to talk to us or allow us to talk to the kids or even
uh receive my brother's belongings we knew something was wrong in fact just weeks after Ben's
murder with her Spa business failing Linley had sold the family property closed up shop and left town in a
hurry so like one day she was there and the next day just left and then never came back today Beth maybery works at
that same location but back then she was just one more True Crime buff in Columbia Missouri riveted by a case
without a conclusion how much is this renic case talked about around here it's a lot and what do people say what do
they think L um crazy it's crazy um and people did start to wonder maybe Linley did it maybe she had someone do this um
it did become a question a question without an answer until January 2020 when cops
followed up on a jail house tip we're investigator for I'm here because you used to be
dating Lenley that's correct out of nowhere comes this you know what what I'm sure the investigators would would
think as a god a godsend journalist Dave McKenna of Defector media was following the case
that was about to change fact fast for investigators your dad gave me a call today and said that you wanted to talk
to us yeah just lays out the whole story and it is very detailed it was Brandon Blackwell the
man Lin Lee met online the lover she was hooking up with the very weak Ben was murdered her husband is freshly dead
body's still warm and she's found another warm body only a year and a half after Ben was killed Blackwell and
Linley had a child together but Linley alleged Blackwell had become threatening and they had broken up Linley got an
order of protection and Blackwell was then charged with violating that order and stalking her charges he denies he
was jammed up in jail and looking to make a deal getting out of that cell now you're coming to us when you're in a
pickle so right Blackwell's tale began weeks before and reic was shot dead when he
says Linley and Spa employee Ashley Shaw whipped up a toxic shake for Ben he was
given a protein drink one night that was laced full of enormous amounts of Narcotics and somehow live through it
but the plan was for that to be the last day of his life a poison potion served to a husband by his wife Brandon says
Linley confessed that and much more to him my information is out of the horse's mouth okay so when pills failed to kill
Brandon says Linley turned to onetime boyfriend Michael Humphrey they drove to the
farm he had gloves he had a firearm plan was for him to do it um they get there he hands her the
gun and says he doesn't feel comfortable doing it something she's got to take care of she walks in with the gun and
just shoots him a bunch of times and according to Blackwell linley's Spa employee Ashley Shaw was
once again involved Brandon Blackwell told the police that Ashley was in on it intimately from from the start of the
planning the Cold Case was blown wide open on January 16th 2020 cops made their moves Linley renick and Michael Humphrey
were arrested charged with the murder of Ben renck loved ones and Friends never saw it coming what that moment was like
for you disbelief I thought they got the wrong person it took us years to find out that Linley was lying and that she
was living in a double life sociopath uh if you look that up that's linley's picture will be sitting right there with
it but what motive could Linley have to murder the man she had built so much with some say it was as cold blooded as
a cobra money Lindley still to gain millions of dollars from the death of my brother between the life insurance the
sale of the snakes and the family farm that she would inherit it was significant still
investigators needed someone to flip they arrested Ashley and fast let her know exactly what her future reality
might look like now is a time you're either on team Lenley or you're on team Missouri and team lindley's going to
jail they're going to prison for first-degree murder in exchange for leniency Ashley turned under her onetime
boss starting with the toxic ingredients in linley's venomous smoothie Ashley would say that Linley told her Ben had
abused her she asked if I could get any um thing any prescription pills or any thing in the amount that could um help
her kill him and so I got her um per it was peret I'm pretty sure and there was um I think 15 of them according to
Ashley after the shooting Linley claimed Michael Humphrey was the trigger man but
she says a few days later Linley changed her story Ashley now claimed that Linley
confessed to being the Killer and she said oh no once we got there I I was fine to do it and so he handed me the
gun and I did it after the murder sh seor sorry never no but as the case headed to trial
linley's legal team insists Michael Humphrey was the real shooter and they argue the state's case isn't based on
truth but on the fearful coerced testimony of Ashley Shaw you're either on team Lenley or you're on team
Missouri and team Lenley is going to jail how would that impact somebody a woman like Ashley Shaw do you think well
if Ashley Shaw ever wants to leave that interview room for the rest of her life or for the indefinite future she's going
to change her story it was only after that threat that she changed her story and implicated Lyle
renck I don't know what happened with him I don't know it took a lot of time to just process you know the lies that
we were given by Lenley in late 2021 Sam renck was bracing himself for the trials
of his brother's alleged Killers my biggest concern was keeping my composure during the whole
time first up linley's old boyfriend Michael Humphrey the prosecution said Linley fired the gun and that Humphrey
was in on the plan prosecutor said he was in on the plotting he provided the weapon he helped knock off her
husband but that murder weapon had not been recovered Humphrey's defense argued that he had been lured to the Snake Farm
by Linley who claimed she wanted protection when asking Ben for a divorce Lindley had then surprised him and
pulled out a gun and shot her husband they painted him as kind of a fawning Suitor of this pretty blonde
petite uh snake salesman the jury didn't believe Humphrey's story of being an innocent spectator after deliberating
for just 5 hours jurors convicted him of first-degree murder Linley is a manipulator and I
truly believe that he was manipulated into where he is right now then facing Life Behind Bars Michael Humphrey
changed his story lindley's trial attorney Tim hesman and Catherine Berger he decides to flip why does he do that
he's convicted of first-degree murder after a jury trial uh he agrees to cooperate with the state in the hopes
that he might be able to parole out eventually humfrey now admits that he provided the gun that Linley used to
shoot her husband and he tells them where they can find it which is in his girlfriend's mother's attic with the
murder weapon in hand jurors in Linley upcoming trial would have to answer one unresolved question who pulled the
trigger this is case number 307 State versus Lenley renck the defendant Lenley renck shot
her husband Ben eight times killing him we're going to come back and ask you to find her guilty of murder the
prosecution painted lyy as coldblooded as one of her husband's snakes a killer who shot Ben and then went about her
daily routine as if nothing had happened she goes to the school picks up her two
children and drives them back to the place where she knows she is going to find their father's dead body because
she killed him Lenley is being deceptive to Ben the defense counters by saying that while Linley lied and cheated on
Ben that doesn't make her a killer she's not planning a murder she's planning a divorce pointed the finger at the man
already convicted of murdering Ben renck Michael Humphrey took it upon himself acting completely independently took
Ben's life himself but linley's employee and Confidant Ashley Shaw now the prosecution star witness swears Michael
Humphrey and Linley were full partners in crime Michael is going to come to the spa and they were going to go together
to her house his business um to kill him at home or at at work Shaw says after the murder Linley returned to the spa
not for a massage but to wash away her sins so Linley goes back there and she tells you to do what uh to give her a
shower and she asked me to scrub her body and her hands really well and she washed then Ashley tells the jurors what
Linley told her about what really happened at renck reptiles the day Ben was killed she said that Michael got uh
too nervous or didn't want to do it and so he handed her the gun and she actually killed him she said that she
put the gun to his back and shot him several times but the defense claims Ashley Shaw just like Michael Humphrey
made up this story in order to avoid life in prison how are you able to be so calm when you're being questioned about
murders that you evidently claim to be involved and how is that Ashley I don't know there are so many aspects of Ashley
Shaw's story that simply are not credible and now in a strange Twist of judicial fate the prosecution called an
unlikely key witness to the stand now what am I holding up that's that's my that's what your gun is convicted
murderer Michael Humphrey who now swears he's telling the truth about how Linley
killed her husband I heard a shot come out so I kind of ducked a little bit I looked down through there and she was at
the end of the um Corridor whatever you want to call it posed up like this with a
gun all right thank you so much are your next wit as the trial neared its end the
defense took a chance on a star witness of their own Linley began by detailing the troubled and sometimes violent
marriage she claims she was trying to escape Linley uh was there ever any other occasion where an argument with
Ben turned physical yes Ben and I had been arguing at the house and he grabbed my arm and pushed me into the
refrigerator and was like I'm not done with this we're going to finish it now Linley renick never filed any police
reports about the alleged physical abuse abusive is a word that I would not use with Ben he was very kind very loving
then came her chance to explain why she asked Michael Humphrey to accompany her that fatal day hey my marriage is
falling apart will you please just go with me just to make sure like you know I'm safe and I can get some stuff and go
did you ask Michael to help you kill your husband no set the scene for me and the
jury I walked up right right behind Michael and then Michael turned around and I saw a gun in his hands and then I
heard shots ring out and I screamed and I ran outside and then I heard more shots go
off and everything just went numb and I remember staring at the trees and then Michael running out of
the facility and pushing me towards the car and telling me we have to go lle get
in the car we have to go now claiming to be in shock Linley admitted she didn't tell tell the truth
to investigators but said that didn't add up to murder and I understand what that means and how this
looks I just I don't know how to fully Express that I I never wanted been dead and Miss Ren you
and Michael the prosecution was ready to strike you were interviewed a bunch by a
bunch of cops correct yes and you li to them every time yes but deep down in that heart of yours and in that brain of
yours you know who killed him yes linley's lies to Cops included a terrible slander accusing Sam renick of
killing his brother and then anytime the police asked me who I thought I just told them Sam I'm so
sorry her trying to apologize to me on the stand and guard her sympathy with the jury did didn't sit well with me I'm
sorry there's no low too low for for that one why should these jurors now believe
you you now want these 12 people to believe you correct yes I bet you do while I regret that it took her 2 and
1/2 years to tell the truth I think she was relieved that the full story had finally been told and now
it was in the jury's hands who do you think pulled the trigger look at the evidence in the case at 48
hours.com it had been almost five long years since Ben renck was murdered exhausted Sam waited for a jury to weigh
the evidence against his younger brother's bride and for the record the and after 12 hours the judge revealed
the verdict as to count one we the jury find the defendant Lenley renick guilty of
murder in the second degree verdict as to count to we the jury find the defendant guilty of armed
criminal action in that moment 33-year-old Lindley renick became a convicted killer
she really believed that she was going going to get away with all this and she really believed that she was going to
get what she had planned after murdering my brother the time still to be measured
the length of her stay in a Missouri prison you may now retire to consider punishment in this
case for that jurors gathered again for a separate sentencing hearing while life
was an option the jury would settle on something considerably less punishment for murdering the second degree at 13
years punishment for armed criminal action at 3 years 13+ three for Ben renick's life
jurors never said why they chose such a seemingly light punishment but 6 weeks later Sam would tell the court that the
sentence itself was an injustice I beg the common person to watch the trial again and ask themselves if my brother's
life was worth only 16 years 16 years is why I'm here today he would recount That Hideous day
that changed everything the web of Devastation travels far and spared no one she puts the children through this
experience here I am covered in my brother's blood attempting to comfort the children despite them asking me if
their daddy is dead Sam's frustration at the sentence seemed to be shared by the
judge but under Missouri law he could not increase linley's punishment you're awful lucky ma'am you're going to get
out in your 40s and my 40s weren't too bad I just hope you don't kill again that's
it some reflected on the cast of Bad characters two convicted killers and Ashley Shaw granted immunity after
plotting with Linley twice these people these creeps and dark characters behaving very badly and behaving
inhumanely towards humans Ben renck had created an Eden for serpent lovers spot those clown but it was people not a
snake that destroyed his paradise you can reduce it to a story of greed it may be as simple as that greed that left in
its bloody wake children and a brother determined to carry on the kids lost their father my babies and Ben's baby
I'm here to take care of them for the rest of my life and around the world wherever
reptiles coil Slither and Slide the loss of a superstar is still felt what happened to Ben was a tragedy that
absolutely did not need to happen and yet Ben renck lives on in a way he would surely have loved C celebrated
with a new breed of snake named just for him The renic Ghost and what ghost is is
a slight reduction of blacks color it gives the snake kind of a ghosty appearance to it and that is such a
testament to what Ben meant to this community that he now has a mutation of a snake named after him you miss your
friend every single Expo that we would see each other at there is a vacancy there that will never
be filled [Music] [Music] again CBS next Saturday 48 Hours brings you back-to-back episodes all summer
long next week House of Horrors if something went terribly terribly wrong Heidi was struck in the back as she was
trying to flee towards the kitchen 48 Hours Prime Time double feature next Saturday on CBS at streaming on
Paramount Plus [Music]

A star snake breeder is murdered. Turns out the human closest to him was more cold-blooded than any snake. "48 Hours" correspondent Peter Van Sant reports. Watch more full episodes of "48 Hours" on Pluto TV.

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

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Brief Summary

Ben Renick was murdered; his wife Linley was convicted of the crime after a complex investigation and trial.

Key points

The Shocking Discovery. Ben Renck is found dead, and the investigation reveals he was shot, not killed by a snake.
A Family Torn Apart. Linley Renck's infidelity and the family's troubled past come to light during the investigation.
The Arrest. Linley Renck and her accomplice are arrested for the murder of Ben Renck, shocking friends and family.
Linley Renick Convicted of Murder. After a lengthy trial, Linley Renick is found guilty of second-degree murder.
Sam Renck's Heartbreaking Testimony. Sam Renck recounts the devastating impact of his brother's murder on his family.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

Oh my God, my brother's dead!

Linley discovers her husband's body.

1:36WatchAug 13, 2024

Tension

85/ 100High tension

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