Unusual findings in fatal shooting investigation of Minnesota nurse | Forensic Files

48 Hours investigation into the mysterious shooting of a Minnesota nurse 32-year-old Alex penig was found dead in
her bathroom and her friend Matthew eer told investigators she had shot herself but the evidence left detectives with
some big questions about how exactly penig died 48 Hours contributor Natalie Morales looks at this complex
case a few days before Christmas in 2022 police were called to the Minnesota apartment of 32-year-old nurse Alex
penig her friend Matthew Ecker told First Responders Alex locked herself in the bathroom and fired a gun were you
guys arguing or something no she just scammed it and put it to her head police saw prescription anti-depressants
suggesting Alex had been depressed but her parents Mary Joe and Jim say she was fine I talked to her at 6:00 that
evening via text she was doing great and they say Alex did not know how to use a
gun she didn't like guns so didn't make any sense evidence suggested to detectives Jennifer odonnell and Abby
Des Santo that Matthew eer wasn't telling the truth about how Alex died how did she get in that position Alex's
legs were straddling the door as shown in the CBS News animation based on crime scene evidence Matthew eer had told
police after hearing Alex fire the gun he broke open the bathroom door we think that if that had been the case her legs
would have been swept behind behind the door but maybe most surprising was that Alex's left hand was found on the gun
when she was right-handed you don't use a weapon with your non-dominant hand Ecker was charged with murder his family
hired defense attorney Bruce Rivers he didn't have any motive to kill her Rivers says it's much more likely Alex
did this to herself the only evidence is that she touched the gun there was gunshot residue on her left hand and
only Alex DNA was found on the gun Matthew's family insists he would never hurt her there's no way he did this his
sister Amy I would bet my entire life on the fact that he is [Music] innocent you can watch Natalie's report
the strange shooting of Alex penig on 48 hours tomorrow night 109 Central right here on CBS and of course streaming on
Paramount Plus

A Minnesota nurse was found dead in her apartment in December 2022 after surveillance video showed her returning home with a friend. Can investigators piece together what happened? Natalie Morales reports for "48 Hours."

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Brief Summary

The episode investigates the suspicious shooting of nurse Alex Penig and her friend Matthew Ecker's conflicting accounts of the incident.

Key points

The Mysterious Death of Alex Penig. A nurse's tragic death raises questions about the truth behind her shooting.

Episode highlights

The Mysterious Death of Alex PenigA nurse's tragic death raises questions about the truth behind her shooting.“How did she get in that position?”1:10Oct 25, 2024

Episode quotes

She was doing great!

Alex's parents insist she was fine before her death.

0:52WatchOct 25, 2024

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