The Strange Shooting of Alex Pennig | Full Episode | Forensic Files

[Music] 911 what is the address of your it's a day I don't think I'll have her for a gift is she still is she alive
she she breathing no no okay a sheriff's vehicle pulled up and she informed us that Alex
was dead I don't remember what I did other than fall to my needs what's her name
Alex Alex loved people she was very caring she loved animals she'd bring home a story she'd bring home all kinds
of things but she worked a lot of years to get her degree in nursing cuz she truly wanted to become a nurse thank you
to my family for never once giving up on me when many times I'm sure you wanted to I talked to her at 6 o' that evening
via text she was doing great and that was that was kind of the last thing is this your apartment
or herment is it Matthew and what's your last name Matthew eer was a nurse practitioner he was well educated
good-look guy we have a lot of nurses in my family and he is one of the best nurses I know he was
a friend that she had met through this part-time job she had she called me she had called him that she needed his help
that she was in trouble she had been in a domestic dispute with her then boyfriend and Matthew eer thought she
was being assaulted and so he came down he was on his way to work and detoured and came right to her apartment he had
brought a gun he brought it with him everywhere he went he had a permit to carry we were briefed by the responding
officers as we're entering the apartment and they're telling us their observations and what Matthew Ecker had
told them were you guys arguing or something no no she just sced put her Alex is
laying on her back she has a gunshot wound to her head the handgun was facing this way it was on her left shoulder
like this it just didn't look right the scene didn't look right how did she get in that position but just didn't make
sense they're thinking they're not getting the whole story from Mr eer he's the only one that can tell us what
happened he was the only one that was there the only evidence is that she touched the gun there was gunshot
residue on her left hand just as a mom and knowing your kid I didn't it didn't fit he didn't have any motive to kill
her I mean he was coming down to protect protector there's no way he did this I would bet my entire life on the fact
that he is innocent the first thing he said to me is Mom I did not do this what happened
[Music] [Music] [Music] the overnight hours it's December 16th 2022 what time do you get that call on
that night the call came in around 250 it was a week before Christmas in 2022 when St Paul police officer Ching
bang and his partner officer Justina sir set off on their regular Patrol of this
City dispatcher stated that a female was shot in the head my par and I we went license Sirens
heading towards that call and is it all units in the vicinity called in at that time yes pretty much
every unit hop on that call to come and assist within minutes bang sir and several other officers body cameras
rolling AR D at the location a residential apartment building Matthew eer the man who had
placed the 911 call let them in and directed them to an apartment on the second floor officer bang was the first to
enter the apartment I remember walking in the bathroom was to the right the very first
door 32-year-old Alex penig was lying face up with a single gunshot got wound to her left temple I noticed a lot of
blood around her head officer bang had immediately spotted the gun laying on Alex's left
shoulder her hand resting on top a team of officers looked around the small studio apartment and question neighbors
no one had heard anything it's F you in the hallway officer sir was talking to Matthew eer you got keep
breathing you got to keep breathing he was on the floor by himself so I went and approached him just start talking to
him oh God were you concerned about him I was because that at the time we didn't
know what was going on I know shocked I know hard just told him to just slow down take your time we're not in a rush
whenever you're ready I'm I'm ready to listen Matthew did eventually calm down and he started talking were you guys
argu or something telling officers he lived almost 3 hours away but drove to Alex after she placed a frantic call to
him earlier so I Matthew told police Alex had gotten into a fight with her current boyfriend
his name was Shane Anderson that things had gone physical and she was scared of what he might do so Matthew took his gun
and brought it with him to Alex's apartment because I was worried that her boyfriend would come so he was going
there he said to protect her yes Matthew arrived at Alex's around 2 p.m Shane wasn't
there that evening he said they went out to local bars when they walked into a place called Camp bar Shane was inside
he came to her they were arguing and I came across and I stood in between him and then he punched me Shane hit him he
says and then was kicked out of the bar and then her and I sat there and talked with other people for another 45 minutes
we came back here and I thought everything was [Music] fine and then she just grab the
gun did she make any threat before that that she was going to kill herself she just scamed it and put it into her
head and with a gun in her hand she backed into the bathroom he says and lock the
door moments later a single shot rang out Matthew says he quickly broke the door
open and saw Alex on the floor he told the officers he tried using his nursing skills to stop the bleeding by putting
pressure on the wound I tried to do what I could okay and then I washed my hands and then you
wash your hands correct that's why I don't have anything on my hands and then you then you call the police
[Music] the news that Alex had fired a gun taking her own life was unfathomable to
Alex's parents Mary Joe and Jim that just was completely out of character for Alex she had never shot a gun she didn't
like guns so it didn't make any sense and Alex's mom Mary Joe had just texted with her daughter a few hours earlier
and she didn't seem depressed at all she's doing well you know that's what's hard
yeah did you see this see that part detectives Abby DeSanto and Jennifer odonnell were called to the scene you
get a call in the middle of the night so you know it's not good inside the apartment there was alcohol and six
bottles of prescription medications including anti-depressants and amphetamines all prescribed to Alex but
if that suggested maybe Alex had been depressed and took her own life there were other things that didn't seem to
add up in Matthew's account the first was the position of Alex's body says the investigators shown here
in the CBS News animation the door to the bathroom was a jar and you immediately see Alex's feet on either
side of the door if Matthew had broken down the bathroom door after hearing The Gunshot as he told officers he had we
think that if that had been the case her legs would have been swept behind the door and even though Matthew had said he
washed his hands before calling 911 when responding officers arrived the sink was
dry and if he had said you know he called the police right away and that sink probably would have been still wet
the detectives decided to take a deeper look at Matthew's story he had told police his only mission that day was to
protect Alex from Shane Anderson the boyfriend he claimed was violent and in fact there were these
holes in the closet door across from the bathroom kind of like punch marks hes Matthew said Shane was responsible
for St Paul police the detectives were now eager to speak with Shane [Music] it's the most devastating knock on my
door I've ever had in my life hey it's St Paul police hours after Alex penig was found dead police were at her
boyfriend Shane Anderson's front door did you hear what happened two police officers they asked me who Alex was and
I said that's my girlfriend is she okay just passed away no Alex ping you're kidding me and I I
don't know blacked out after that pretty much my God Shane says he was desperate for
answers and willingly went to the police station to speak with detectives Abby Danto and Dan zebro I want to know what
happened to her okay that's what I'm trying to figure out okay so Shane told the detectives he had been dating Alex
for around 4 months and painted a Rosy picture [Music] she was sweet like she was fun
everything that you'd want in a [Music] woman according to Shane they spent nearly every day together and loved to
lounge around with her two cats I'm not a cat person I'm more of a dog person to be honest but uh she kind
of made me a cat person he told the detectives that although it was early in their relationship they were planning a
future together literally yesterday we were talking about like me breaking my lease and moving into her
place we both wanted families do you imagined yourself with her 100% Shane's description was in stark
contrast to what Matthew eer had told police Matthew said Alex told him she was fighting with Shane and scared of
him but when the detectives asked Shane denied it so did the argument that you guys had in that morning get physical no
no not at all God no it was about basically why I haven't moved in yet and like why that was taking so long but
what about those punch marks in Alex's apartment that was from a few weeks back that was me yes I was drunk I didn't put
my hands on her though we argued like a married couple like it wasn't anything like crazy or like violent or like weird
but remember Matthew told detectives Shane was arguing with Alex just hours before her death at campar and Shane
even punched Matthew and I came across and I stood in between him and then he punched me Shane didn't deny hitting
Matthew he says seeing Alex with another man upset him Alex showed up with like a
guy he doesn't look familiar I have no idea who this guy is I was wondering why this guy is hanging
out with my girlfriend and I decided to throw a punch which I is not in my character but it just felt
like the thing to do at the time so Camp bar is the last bar that Alex and Matthew went to detectives D Santo and
odonnell reviewed security footage from inside Camp bar so as Alex and Matt walked in Shane was sitting right across
from the bar they took us through the altercation and we zoomed in for a closer look Matt was sitting here when
they walked in and then really oddly Alex walked around the bar and sat across the bar over there Shane walked
over to her first and then she is talking to Shane and then Matt comes over and it appears that he's
introducing himself cuz he holds out his hand to shake hands with Shane then there's a confrontation Shane ended up
assaulting [Applause] Matt we're not doing [Applause] Shane then is asked to leave
yes I had no idea that that was going to be the last time that I ever saw her after Shane left the footage showed
Alex hanging at the bar with Matthew for about another hour drinking and chatting detectives were no closer to
understanding why just a little while later she would as Matthew told them take her own
life and the medical examiner ruled that Alex's manner of death could not be determined so detectives dug into her
past looking for anything that could explain what happened she's been every hair color brunette and then blonde and
then black here put a little red in there and it was like she would just be every color Jillian kubit and Sarah
Hansen have known Alex since grade school tell me about Alex as you knew her back then spunky a little child full
of energy always up to something Jillian played ice hockey with Alex and together
they won a state championship what was she like Fire on Ice luckily I was always on her team so I never had to
play against her but she was feisty she was so fun I don't really remember anything other than happiness
really in the especially in the younger years but detectives learned that as a young adult Alex struggled her parents
Mary Joe and Jim said that in college Alex would get depressed and she got hooked on prescription pills it was very
difficult one day in 2016 she went up to her room and took a handful of meds and
then had told her mom that she was attempting suicide by meds and then promptly threw it up stuck her finger in
her throat and threw it up I felt like it was a cry for help and they got Alex that
help inspired by the nurses who helped her recover in 2019 she got her licensed practical nursing degree and was chosen
to speak at graduation I have climbed out of a Darkness with permanent scars but a heart of gold and the promise that
as a nurse I will try my best for people like me to not be alone and help them like those nurses had helped me Alex
didn't make that choice to get well and she did her life was back on track her life was on track
right and we watched the camp bar video right that's detectives also learned all
about Alex's history with Matthew eer she met him in 2020 when she got a job at a walking Clinic her parents say
their daughter described Matthew as someone she worked with but according to Matthew's parents bla eer and Terry
Randall there was a lot more than just friendship Alex and Matthew they say were having an affair back then even
though Matthew was married with four kids she knew he was married she knew he had four children Terry says the romance
didn't last in the summer of 2022 they had ended the physical part of their relationship and we just friends
still she says her son was a source of support for Alex she says Matthew told her Alex was drinking heavily and as a
result lost several jobs she wouldn't show up she'd go on a bench without a job Matthew's family says Alex struggled
to pay her bills so unbeknownst to her parents Matthew stepped in he gave Alex money and helped her pay her rent
Matthew's sister's Molly and Amy aren't surprised their brother wanted to help he cared for her and he has a big heart
and he didn't want to just walk away he he couldn't walk away and just three days before Alex
died Alex sent Matthew these text messages I shut myself out to the world I needed a mental health break and I'm
not very hopeful at the moment about life even with with those texts though and Alex's past attempt years earlier
detectives still weren't convinced she took her own life just because you say I need a
mental health day or it's not a good day doesn't mean you're suicidal detectiv suspected Matthew was
lying to them and here's why remember the gun was found on Alex's chest with her left hand on it turn out Alex was
right-handed when detectives Abby Des Santo and Jennifer o' Donnell reviewed security footage from Alex's apartment
building and watch she opens the door they were able to see what happened after Matthew and Alex left Camp bar so
that's Alex and Matt and they're just in the vesu of Alex's apartment walking in
about 2:00 in the morning or so yes time frame mhm you can see Matthew and Alex walk
out of view as they go up to her apartment but a short while later they walk back through the lobby and out the
door Matthew would say it was to get his headphones from his his car Alex returns to the lobby and waits
for the detectives what happens next is key she seems impatient just looking at her body
language they note how when Matthew returns Alex doesn't hold the door for him and how he shrugs his shoulders as
he follows behind her the detectives wonder if Matthew and Alex had gotten into a fight something was going on with
that's huge CU that's the last time we see Alex alive 20 minutes later at 2:50 a.m.
Matthew placed that call to 911 a girl who shot herself the head the lobby security footage had no
audio so there was no way to know for sure if the two had gotten into a fight but when Alex's family and friends saw
it you could tell that she was mad you could tell the way she ripped open that door you could tell Alex stomping
stomping in whenever she was mad she'd like stop and she I was visible in this video so they were definitely in a
fight but when detectives question Matthew he denied any problems we were laughing on the way
home everything was fine okay guys weren't arguing or anything there's a little fight with you two not between
and Matthew's family believes there could be a different reason for the change in Alex's demeanor in the footage
Alex is on her phone they wonder if she was messaging Shane and arguing with him
about the altercation that had just happened at campar I truly believe there's a lot of
information a lot of texting and we think having gotten those interactions would have given us a lot more insight
into her state of mind but the detective couldn't get into Alex's phone because no one knew the passcode and Shane said
he had lost his phone the night before so they couldn't search his either it seemed there was some kind of exchange
happening was she talking to you at all I didn't have a phone so Facebook message or anything
like that uh no unable to know for sure what was really happening in the lobby when detective Danto and her colleague
Dan zebro interviewed Matthew they focused on what he said happened in the apartment how was she holding the gun
when she was backing up to the bathroom she was she had down here first and then
she cocked it left hand cocked it but she ended up holding it to her left tle I remember
okay she's not she's not not what it was weird he said she did all this with her
left hand but then he told us she was right-handed you don't use a weapon with your
non-dominant hand it just another inconsistency or another part of the puzzle that doesn't match there was also
the nagging question about the sink being dry Matthew had told First Responders he washed his hands after
trying to help Alex which is why his hands were clean but the sink was dry when police arrived Danto asked if he
did in fact call police right away okay and then you call the police right away I got call the police yeah so you know
when you get blood all of your hands and then you go into the sink and you yeah or the hand on to the sink right there
should be blood on there's no there's no blood in the hand on the sink and there's no nothing in the sink and the
sink is the sink rinse my hand the sink's dry there's no water or anything no I washed my hands in the
sink I but D Santo thought Matthew was lying either he hadn't helped Alex and didn't wash his hands or he had not
called 911 right away right now all this evidence is not add up I can't I just want you to just think I just want you
to think about this and what what you're you're asking me to confess to something
I didn't do no I'm not I'm asking you just to think we're just going to give you some time here just to think we got
to grab that stuff anyway think about everything that we discussed with you but soon Matthew called them back in it
was more than 2 hours into his interview and he wanted to change his story so the
change that I have I did take the gun and I put it in my suitcase I put in the suitcase went
back looked to her and said yep went back to the suitcase grabbed the gun and put it back
there what plan was there why would you move that gun did he explain why he moved the gun
he was scared when Matthew put the gun back he said he put it on Alex the way First Responders found it with her hand
on top I mean why would you lay her hand back down I was moving I was moving her
I was looking at her that's all I know at that point we're like What innocent person would s do this yet Matthew
continued to insist he was innocent that gun went off behind the closet I did not
shoot her I didn't K and he kept saying the door to the bathroom was shut I don't know what happened but you didn't
buy it m no and neither did detective zebro no but the detectives didn't know how they could prove it and then they
discovered a new piece of evidence this is a big piece of the puzzle for you yes what do you think of Alex and
Matthew's body language in the lobby see a timeline of the case at 48 hours.com I didn't K I didn't shoot I
just for hours Matthew eer insisted he did not kill Alex that she locked herself in the
bathroom and fired the shot he said he had broken open the door only after the gun went off I I heard the gun go off
and that's when I opened the but then detective odonnell got a call from the forensic unit processing the scene once
Alex was moved they found underneath where Alex had been laying was a round metal piece which is this piece right
here yes odonnell says it's a piece of the bathroom door lock and because it was discovered on the floor under Alex's
head as seen in the CBS News animation it had to have gotten there while Alex was still alive for us it meant that the
door was forced open before she was shot the detective suspected Alex had locked
the door to get away from Matthew I believe that Alex and Matthew gotten an argument I believe that she went into
the bathroom to be alone not wanting to be with him but when he broke open the door they say that small piece of metal
from the lock landed on the bathroom floor he forced his way in and shot her shot they say Alex fell on top of the
metal piece to the detectives it was the only way the piece could have ended up under
her Matthew eer was charged with second degree murder his family was stunned it's like no there's there's got
to be a mistake it's just not his character he's not going to harm somebody on purpose they hired criminal defense
attorney Bruce Rivers there's Reasonable Doubt all over the place that this was a
homicide River says there's another explanation for how that metal piece got under Al he said it could have ended up
under her head when Matthew eer attempted to help her cuz he did lift her head up but detectives point of the
way Alex was found with her legs straddling the door if Matthew Ecker had broken open the door after hearing The
Gunshot detectives say Alex's legs would have been pushed to the side but ecker's
defense attorney says there was enough space in the bathroom that when the door was broken open it went in between her
legs that is consistent in my opinion with uh her laying there and having shot herself and importantly claims Rivers if
his client had shot Alex there would have been blood splatter on him and that's not the case there was not one
Speck of blood on his shirt on his pants on his face anywhere whatsoever the detectives say that's because eer most
likely had reached around the door while he was trying to force his way in and fired the shot I believe the door
shielded him from the initial blood splatter but River says it makes much more sense that Alex took her own life
and he says forensic testing proves eer wasn't the one who fired the gun it was Alex there was gunshot residue on her
left hand and was her DNA found on the gun it was there was also no gunshot residue on
echer and his DNA was not found on the gun detectives suspect that's because he wiped it clean before putting it on Alex
there should be his DNA it's your gun you told us in an interview that you grabb the gun your hands are all over
that gun but it was very clean he admitted to having held the gun and moving the gun after
the fact yet none of his DNA was found on the gun how do you explain that that's not uncommon just because you
touch something doesn't mean that DNA is going to be there at the time of her death Alex had
almost three times the legal limit of alcohol and four different prescription medications in her system including
proac and Valium although it wasn't the cause of her death to Rivers it showed she was struggling as did those texts
she had sent eer just a few days before her death she was depressed because of her
finan Cal conditions depressed because of her job situation all these things compounded themselves but detectives
would discover something unusual about those prescription medications found in Alex's body it turns out Matthew eer had
prescribed them he didn't tell us that he was prescribing your medication during the investigation you found that
out yeah as a licensed nurse practitioner eer had the authority to write prescriptions though normally that
Authority is used for a patient Alex was not you would think you would send her to a doctor and have her see someone
else was his prescribing medication considered illegal though no it's unethical but it was not illegal
according to ecker's family Matthew had good reason she was prescribed those medications originally by a medical
doctor so she had asked Matt if he could refill them she would Badger him and they point to multiple texts
Alex sent him days before her death death asking him to refill medications including I need you to send in my
immediate release Aderall script make sure I have refills for my Trazodone and metaal too please I have like three
bottles of Prozac so I'm good with that still Alex's family and friends say there is no excuse I can't get over that
as a nurse practitioner he should have known him better so his feeling sorry for your daughter or feeling like he was
doing this and the best way to try to help her you don't believe that's the case I don't believe it at all
especially for someone that has a history of addiction you don't prescribe it as a nurse practitioner you say
no in February 2024 Matthew ecker's trial began the detectives were confident they had an idea of why
Matthew eer would have wanted Alex dead and it centered around their path romance maybe she said that she was
going to call his wife and tell his wife everything and as far as a motive what what would be the motive keep her quiet
so the wife doesn't find out sure it would be nice if there was some evidence of that I mean it was just sheer
speculation there's nothing not one cintilla of evidence that they were in any kind of dispute whatsoever instead
River says he sure that night everything came to a head for Alex and she couldn't
take it anymore so when when it boils down to it this is a case about what the jury is going to believe whether it's
suicide or homicide and because the medical examiner had ruled Alex's manner of death could not be determined Rivers
brought in a second one who came to the same conclusion undetermined if they can't determine it
was a homicide neither can you but what would the jury think when it was time for deliberations everyone was nervous
it was obvious to me Matt was concerned selfishly as a parent of Alex we wanted to believe that he was guilty
but believing it and proving it are two different [Music] things we got a call at their head been
a a verdict you just take this huge deep breath and like oh my gosh in February 2024 after 9 hours of
deliberation the jury came to a decision about Matthew AER Matthew was guilty guilty of second
deegree murder once we heard that we were we were very we were very happy we were sad
because didn't bring Alex back but at least there was some justice served but for Matthew ecker's family it
was like a knife in the heart I I couldn't even function what did you see in your
brother in that moment when the jury read the verdict just absolute tragedy it was awful
Y 2 months later on April 3rd 2024 Matthew eer was back in court for sentencing allise now session The Honorable D is
presiding call I understand there are people who wish to make statements today so how this will Alex's friend Jillian
addresses the court countless times I picked up the phone to call Al only to realize I won't
ever hear her voice again and strive to Sarah Echoes their loss Alex really was a once in a-lifetime kind of friend
and I remember Sarah you were giving your statement and unfortunately that meant I was at the level of where Matt
was he was sitting and I was standing and I just kept looking over at him just she focus trying to feel something you
know try to figure out what you're feeling and there was just nothing nothing Alex's parents Mary Joe and Jim
implored the judge to impose a stiff sentence our hearts have been broken Beyond repair and the future trajectory
of Our Lives has been changed forever and the world lost a special soul and we lost our
baby come on but Matthew ecker's family appealed for leniency Matt is one of the kindest and
most compassionate people we know he has spent most of his adult life helping people and caring in for
people I truly believe that Matt has so much more to offer to this world in the end it is the sentence of
the law in the Judgment of the court that you serve 360 months with the Department of Corrections the judge
sentenced Matthew eer to 30 years for killing Alex you are remanded to the custody of
the Department of Corrections mean him sitting in prison for 30 years is just it's just not
acceptable he's not a murderer he didn't do this we will fight until it's made right and we will not give up on
him eer and his wife are now divorced and she has full custody of their four children his family says they have not
been allowed any contact with the kids that has to be very hard as Grandparents not having that connection yeah
absolutely terrible and I miss them so much is there something you you would want them to know about their
dad he loves them and cares for them and misses them and we love them as for Alex's family there are
questions they'd still like Ecker to answer why'd you do it why questions with answers that may
never come what they do know is how they choose to honor Alex one way is through
her love for animals including a serendipitous encounter somebody had dumped off a
little baby rooster and somehow it just migrated to our house so we built a chicken Coupe and we
now have 12 chickens at at home in properly named Alex's Co yes I have a feeling Alex maybe had a hand in
bringing you that Roost right well that's and every month the penig get together with Sarah and Jillian and we
just sit there and talk and cry and tell stories that oh Al would not want us to
be telling Mary Joe but we tell them because we're like we have to relive some of these stories yes to get to
yourself some Alex's boyfriend Shane ALS also struggles it's heartbreaking cuz I I
love that girl and she deserves to be here she absolutely deserves to be here the cemetery where Alex is buried
is a short drive from where her parents live and they visit her as often as they
can hey I miss you kid yeah this is tough love you honey and at peace we miss you
[Music] sweetheart CBS next Saturday two innocent people on their first date had
their lives destroyed a fatal first date Sheriff's Office I got one alive and one
dead and the only eyewitness is fighting for his life what did you think who who
would have done that 48 hours is all new CBS next Saturday 109 Central and streaming on Paramount Plus
[Music]

A nurse is found dead in her apartment. Surveillance video captures her coming home for the last time. Can investigators piece together what happened next? "48 Hours" contributor Natalie Morales reports. (Aired Oct. 26, 2024)

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

The episode covers Alex Penig's tragic death, Matthew Ecker's involvement, and the investigation into whether it was suicide or murder.

Key points

A Tragic Call. Matthew Eer calls 911 after finding Alex shot. He claims he was trying to protect her.
A Mother's Heartbreak. Alex's mother struggles to understand her daughter's death, believing it was out of character.
Conflicting Stories. Detectives investigate discrepancies between Matthew's and Shane's accounts of the night.
The Last Night. Security footage reveals Alex's demeanor before her death, raising questions about her state of mind.
Unraveling the Truth. Detectives discover inconsistencies in Matthew's story and evidence at the scene.
Matthew Ecker Found Guilty. After 9 hours of deliberation, the jury found Matthew guilty of second-degree murder.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

I would bet my entire life on the fact that he is innocent.

A mother defending her son accused of murder.

3:02WatchOct 31, 2024

Tension

85/ 100High tension

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