[narrator] a minnesota couple becomes the target
Of a shooting on their own front lawn.
Police don't know if the shooter is still a threat
In the neighborhood, so they're very cautious.
[christopher] he was absolutely refusing to
Surrender himself to the local police.
[paul] he had taken a stand that new brighton police
Were somehow to blame.
[narrator] the investigation reveals a turbulent history
Between two neighbors.
This was a feud that had been percolating for several years.
There was a lotta hate there, there was a lot of anger.
They began finding animal parts and animals in their driveway.
It was sort of hatfield and mccoys, if you will.
[narrator] but who was the real instigator
In this feud that resulted in cold-blooded murder?
[frank] it escalated, as they both felt the need
To exert control over the situation.
The only way this situation was going to end
Was with one of them killing the other.
He was getting closer to snapping.
[music]
[theme music]
[music]
[narrator] the suburb of new brighton
Is known as one of
The best places to live in minnesota.
[anna] it is a suburb just north of saint paul, minnesota.
Lots of families, lots of schools, lots of parks.
Just a really good neighborhood.
It's an area where people go
To escape the hectic life of the inner city.
[narrator] but on the evening of may 5th, 2014,
This peaceful area becomes the scene of
A terrifying crime.
[gunshot firing]
[glass shattering]
[gunshot firing]
[anna] the 911 call came in from a woman.
Her name was jennifer damerow-cleven,
And she reported that she and her partner,
Todd stevens, had just been shot by their neighbor.
[police sirens]
[narrator] as officers race to the scene,
911 operators keep jennifer on the line.
[narrator] she explains that neal zumberge
Is their neighbor across the street.
[music]
[narrator] new brighton police officers
Arrive at the address
And find jennifer's partner, todd stevens,
Lying in the front yard, bleeding and unconscious.
But they find themselves in a dangerous situation.
[anna] they don't know if the shooter
Is still a threat to them, or a threat to the victims,
Or a threat to the neighborhood.
So, they're very cautious.
[christopher] the urgent matter at hand is,
Is getting first aid to the victim,
Who is in the front yard.
That was difficult to do,
Because there was still an ongoing threat
From the suspect house.
[music]
[narrator] officers barricade themselves behind a car
With assault rifles,
While an emt tries first to save todd's life
While waiting for backup.
[anna] there was a gunshot wound to his face.
There were a few others to his arm that they could see,
But many of the wounds were actually covered by his clothe,
And so I don't believe it was apparent immediately
How many gunshot wounds todd suffered.
[music]
They do start rendering aid and trying to give him cpr,
But that did not last more than a minute or two.
It was very apparent that he was no longer alive.
[music]
[narrator] 46-year-old todd stevens
Was a lifelong resident of new brighton.
He grew up there with his family,
And like many in the area, saw no reason to ever leave.
[anna] while it is a suburb of a major metropolitan city,
There is a lotta nature.
There's a nature path right by this neighborhood.
And so, there was a lotta wildlife in the area,
And todd really enjoyed that.
[kyle] he was an outdoorsman, he liked to go hunting
And, you know, do all sorts of stuff outdoors.
[narrator] the only thing todd loved more
Than the area's wildlife was its people.
[james] I met todd around 2006.
The guy would do anything for anybody, anytime.
You know, if, if somebody he just met said,
"I need help this weekend,"
Todd would be over there to help 'em.
[kyle] he's my dad's best friend, you know?
So, he was always over, always hangin' out.
He'd make you laugh, that's for sure.
I mean, especially as a young kid, I really loved him.
He was more like an uncle figure to me, you know?
[narrator] for most of his adult life,
Todd worked physically demanding jobs.
He'd started out in construction,
But before long,
Todd decided to make a switch to short-haul trucking.
[james] we worked for the same company.
We were route drivers,
Delivering restaurants and hospitals their food.
Todd loved his job.
Loved the people he delivered to.
They loved him.
[narrator] todd was also dedicated to
His long-time partner, jennifer cleven.
[music]
[narrator] a single mother,
Jennifer and her young son, ryan,
Met todd in 1996 through mutual connections.
She had come up from texas at some point to visit.
Ended up staying.
[narrator] they quickly fell for each other,
And todd invited jennifer and her son to live with him.
Todd treated ryan like he was his own,
Teaching him how to camp and hunt.
And for the next 18 years,
Todd and jennifer seemed like the perfect couple.
Although she and todd weren't married,
They had been partners for a long time.
[james] todd and jennifer always took care of each other,
And I think they loved it the way they were.
They were always calling each other,
In contact with each other, and knowing what's going on.
They were happy with each other.
[anna] todd had lived in this neighborhood his entire life,
And he really liked it and enjoyed it.
He was social with many of the neighbors.
They all described him as kind and helpful.
[james] he was a jokester.
And that's what I think people loved about him,
'cause he was just always was havin' fun and talkin'
And jokin' around.
[music]
[narrator] and in 1997,
New neighbors neal and paula zumberge
And their three children moved in across the street.
[anna] jennifer's son and neal and paula's children
Were actually pretty good friends for awhile.
And the neighbors were pretty friendly with one another.
They had family gatherings together,
And their kids hung out together.
[narrator] but in 2002,
The neighborly relationship began to turn sour
When neal suddenly forbade his son, jacob,
From visiting jennifer's son, ryan.
[music]
[anna] the neighbors talk about how he, todd,
He liked to drink,
And he would get a little loud and rowdy sometimes,
But no one had any problems with him.
It sort of began to, to fray over,
Over a, a time period, over years.
The zumberges were concerned about what was happening inside
Jennifer and todd's house.
Specifically, todd's drinking. The behavior.
That probably is, is kind of where things deteriorated.
[narrator] for the first time,
Todd found himself at odds with a neighbor.
And now, after nearly a decade of tension,
The feud has escalated to a shooting in their front yard.
[music]
[narrator] less than ten minutes after jennifer called 911,
Todd has been pronounced dead.
Medics find jennifer in the living room.
She had significant gunshot injuries,
And, that required hospitalization.
Jennifer was obviously upset and angry.
She's telling them, "I told you he was going to do this.
I told you this would happen. You didn't help us."
[music]
[narrator] coming up.
Police engage in tense negotiations...
[narrator] and investigators learn about the start of
A deadly feud and claims of self-defense.
[christopher] the harder he pushed,
The harder todd stevens pushed back.
[music]
[narrator] in the aftermath of a shooting
That claimed the life of 46-year-old todd stevens,
Minnesota police find themselves in a standoff
With the alleged gunman, neal zumberge.
They are quickly joined by over 20 officers
From multiple agencies,
Including the ramsey county sheriff's department
And the minnesota bureau of criminal apprehension.
It was a very tense situation for law enforcement.
They knew they had two gunshot victims.
One was dead.
The shooter was in his own home.
They needed to set up a perimeter.
They didn't know how this situation was going to resolve.
[frank] when police show up at the scene,
It has the potential to either calm it down
Or escalate the situation.
With an individual like neal zumberge,
There's a high potential that there's going to be
A violent altercation,
Because he sees himself as someone who needs to win.
[narrator] a swat team secures the area.
But before police can make contact with neal,
He surprises them by calling 911.
[anna] they didn't know if there was going to be more gunfire.
They were kind of preparing for both situations;
Should neal open fire again,
And also coming up with a plan to get him into custody.
[christopher] the fact that he was making demands provided,
I think, the responding law enforcement officers
With a hinge of discomfort.
"well, what are we getting ourselves into here?"
[paul] he had taken a stand that new brighton police
Were, to some, some, were somehow to blame
For what was going on.
[anna] neal had a lot of distrust and dislike for
The new brighton police department,
And I think he also, to a large extent,
Blamed them for the situation escalating to this point.
[music]
[narrator] like gunshot victim jennifer cleven,
Neal accuses them of ignoring problems
Between the two families.
Every new brighton police officer
Probably knew both these families,
Based upon the last decade or so of,
Of what I would describe as a tumultuous relationship.
Sorta hatfield and mccoys, if you will.
[anna] neal and the zumberge household
Felt like they had made reports
About todd and jennifer's conduct
That they did not feel were resolved to their satisfaction.
[elizabeth] this wasn't a one-off argument
Where somebody lost their temper.
This was a feud that had been...
Sort of percolating for several years.
[music]
[narrator] eventually,
Neal agrees to turn himself over to local sheriffs.
It took, I think, approximately 30 minutes to negotiate
Him leaving the house.
Then the scene calms down,
And we're able to process and try to figure out
Forensically what happened here.
[anna] this was not much of a whodunit.
Neal was the shooter.
Getting him into custody,
Trying to interview him to get his side of the story,
And then processing the scene
Were the primary goals initially.
They found the four shotgun cartridges
Outside of neal's home.
And then inside the home,
Police found the murder weapon, which was a 12-gauge shotgun
In the area where neal said he'd left it.
[narrator] the shotgun is a browning semi-automatic,
Capable of holding four rounds, plus another in the chamber.
The damage to todd and jennifer's home
Indicates just how lethal the weapon can be.
[christopher] well, he was firing triple-aught buck
With, I believe, eight pellets per round.
If you did the math, means there's probably 32
Or close to that, as many holes in that house.
And, and the ones that weren't counted in the house
Or didn't blow out windows or front screens
Or those sort of things were probably lodged
Into the decedent and/or the victim in this case.
[music]
Todd stevens remained at the scene for several hours,
So that we could document specifically the scene.
[music]
[narrator] while neal is being processed
And charged with second-degree murder
And attempted murder,
Investigators check on jennifer at the hospital.
Jennifer had
A through-and-through gunshot wound
To the side of her abdomen.
She had significant injuries that required hospitalization.
They weren't fatal, but they were significant.
[narrator] after receiving treatment for her wounds,
Police are hoping she can tell them
Exactly what happened that night.
But first, they have to deliver some heartbreaking news.
[narrator] when she recovers, jennifer tells detectives
How their feud with neal zumberge got started.
[music]
[narrator] jennifer says after the zumberges
Forbade their son from being friends with
Her then-14-year-old son, ryan,
He decided to move back to texas
To live with his biological father.
As empty nesters,
Jennifer and todd took up a new hobby.
[anna] todd and jennifer really liked to see deer.
They enjoyed when they would come by.
[james] todd was an animal lover, you know?
Even though he went hunting and stuff,
He never cared if he shot anything.
He just wanted to watch deer.
[elizabeth] todd's deer feeder was a pvc pipe
That he filled with corn.
Deer really like corn. All birdseed, actually.
They'll kinda eat anything in your yard.
[narrator] jennifer says that's when
Their problems really began.
[narrator] but investigators still have
Another side to hear from.
[frank] he felt he needed to respond.
From his perspective,
He was doing what he had been pressed to do.
There was just a lot of a visceral anger,
Both directions.
Neal basically said, "I couldn't take it anymore."
They never anticipated that it was going to escalate
To this point.
How did this happen?
[music]
[narrator] while officers process
Neal zumberge at the station,
Detectives in new brighton, minnesota
Are continuing to gather a statement
From his neighbor, jennifer cleven,
Whose feud with neal left her seriously injured
And her partner dead of a gunshot wound.
[music]
Neal was very upset.
He claimed that because todd and jennifer fed the deer,
There was an increased presence of deer in the neighborhood.
He felt that, that was a threat to the safety
And welfare of the neighborhood.
[narrator] neal feared that the deer would bring
Infected bugs to the area.
[frank] lyme's disease is passed on by ticks,
Typically carried by deers.
When a tick carrying lyme disease bites a human,
They can be sick for a long period of time.
It can affect their general responsiveness.
They become very lethargic.
They can become physically ill for long periods of time.
But jennifer and todd both felt that
It was their right to feed deer.
They were not going to back away from it.
[narrator] in 2012,
Neal started complaining to local officials.
Neal complained to the city of new brighton about this.
That's not incongruent with any ordinances or laws,
So they didn't take any action.
[frank] that's a pretty insignificant complaint,
And there really is nothing for the police to do about it.
But he was not going to let go of it.
[music]
[narrator] tension between the neighbors
Continued to rise...
[music]
[narrator] and months later,
Neal claimed his fears became reality.
[anna] he said that he and his dog both got lyme disease
From the ticks that the deer carried...
That todd and jennifer were luring into the neighborhood.
Neal claimed that he had to take reduced hours at work
Because of his lyme's disease.
[frank] ultimately, neal lost his job.
He ended up being stuck at home.
Now, the anger becomes completely
Focused on the neighbor.
[anna] it seemed like neal had become
Very fixated on todd and jennifer,
And he blamed them for his inability to find a job.
He blamed them for getting lyme disease.
He blamed them for a lot of the problems in his life.
[narrator] jennifer says in March 2012,
Something happened that foreshadowed
The violence to come.
[music]
Todd stevens and jennifer cleven began finding animal parts
And animals in their driveway.
[music]
[james] I remember goin' over to pick up todd
To go four-wheelin',
And pull in his yard,
And there's two dead deer layin' in his front yard...
That somebody shot and killed in his front yard in,
In the middle of the night.
It's just strange that nobody else had dead animals
Thrown in their front yard.
[anna] it was upsetting to todd and jennifer,
As well as the neighbors.
Todd and jennifer made a report.
They suspected that neal was the one who killed those animals
And put them there, either as a sign or as a threat.
[music]
[narrator] the disturbing incidents
Continued over a period of six months.
Jennifer and todd made reports
To the department of natural resources,
But neal denied the accusations.
[frank] think about the craziness of this.
That someone's killed an animal
And put it in your yard to threaten you.
They were hoping to catch neal putting these dead animals
In their yard.
Neal was very aware of the fact that todd and jennifer
Had put cameras up in their yard,
And that is when a lot of this behavior stopped.
[music]
[narrator] in October of 2012,
Neal pleaded his case against the deer feeder
To the entire neighborhood.
[christopher] he circulated a letter.
He xeroxed several copies of the same correspondence
And fanned it out among the neighborhood.
Neal talked in this letter about todd,
But he referred to him as "mr. Corn"
And talked about how todd was feeding the deer
And how dangerous it was.
[frank] from neal's perspective,
He saw this as possibly generating support
For his beliefs.
The truth is, from the neighbors' perspective,
It simply made it look like he was getting closer to snapping.
[music]
[frank] at one point, neal even put up
A sign in their yard.
"come watch the deer eat. Come watch the deer poop."
Talking about the absurdity of feeding animals
And having them in their yard.
I think that there was a conflict in personality,
And it just escalated as they both felt the need
To exert control over the situation.
The harder he pushed,
The harder todd stevens pushed back.
These guys called the cops on each other multiple times,
And the cops came to the neighborhood.
[narrator] in the nine years before the shooting,
Law enforcement responded to calls from both houses 44 time.
[anna] a little more than a year before the shooting,
The court found that neal had engaged in a pattern of
Harassing conduct against jennifer,
And that a court order was necessary for her safety.
Jennifer got her restraining order against neal in 2013.
[narrator] the restraining order cooled things down for a while,
But a week before the shooting,
An incident seemed to reignite neal's rage.
[music]
[anna] todd and jennifer were at the bar
In spring lake park, minnesota, which was a neighboring suburb.
And they were there having some drinks and playing bingo.
Also at the bar was jacob zumberge,
Paula and neal's son.
And at the bar,
Jennifer reported that jacob confronted her and todd.
[music]
[frank] in some way, jacob saw it as
A way of supporting his father.
I feel like dad's frustration had carried over onto his son.
[narrator] jennifer says she immediately
Reported it to police, who issued an arrest warrant.
[anna] the police did go to paula and neal's home
To try to locate and interview jacob about
What happened at the bar.
Paula got very upset and kicked the police out of her house,
And told them to leave.
So, they issued the pickup and hold warrant for him.
[music]
[narrator] a week later, on may 5th,
She spotted jacob at a restaurant
And called authorities.
Jacob was arrested and charged with assault.
When jennifer returned home around 8:30 p.M.,
Paula zumberge was there waiting.
Jacob's arrest was perhaps the straw that may have
Broken the camel's back.
[narrator] and according to jennifer,
Paula was no innocent bystander.
[music]
[anna] the fact that jennifer reported
That paula was telling neal to keep shooting
Was something very critical to police,
Because it was the first real piece of evidence they had
To suggest that paula might have been involved
And part of the shooting.
[music]
[narrator] coming up.
Neal zumberge tells his side of the story.
[narrator] and surveillance video
Sheds new light on the crime.
If you go frame by frame,
You can see the muzzle flash
From the firearm that he's using.
[music]
[narrator] four hours after todd stevens was murdered,
Investigators go to the jail where
Neal zumberge is being held
And take his statement.
I wanna build trust to the extent that I can with him.
I think he's a smart, educated man,
And he knows that there may be some trust issues
With law enforcement,
But we just wanna make a sincere effort
To get his version of the story.
[music]
[narrator] according to neal,
Todd and jennifer were the real pests.
Neal viewed himself as someone who did what he needed to do,
And wasn't initially apologetic for it.
[music]
[narrator] neal says when they found out
Jennifer had their son arrested,
His wife hit a breaking point.
[music]
He said he came out and he was keepin' an eye on todd
To make sure his wife doesn't get shot.
[music]
He thought todd may have had a gun on his waistband,
And that, that was not uncommon for todd stevens to wear
A small caliber handgun.
[narrator] neal says before he realized it,
He'd already pulled the trigger.
[music]
[gunshots firing]
[music]
[narrator] police find paula zumberge
At her mother's house.
She was advised by counsel not to provide a statement to us.
[music]
[anna] we filed a complaint against paula
For aiding and abetting the murder
And attempted murder of todd and jennifer.
And once that complaint warrant was issued,
Paula did turn herself in.
Paula never said a word.
[narrator] with two significantly different
Versions of the story,
Investigators are hoping
Todd and jennifer's security cameras
Will help determine what really happened.
So there was four cameras in total at todd stevens's house.
The video was grainy. This was 2014.
Technology has, has come a long way since then.
But it was not so grainy as, a,
We couldn't see what was happening.
You could see their front yard,
But you could mostly see the house across the street,
The zumberge house.
[narrator] the video shows jennifer arriving
Just before 8:30 p.M.
You could very clearly see jennifer come home in her car.
And then you could see just a little bit of
The top of her head as she was walking
Toward the front door.
You're able to see paula exit the home.
[music]
[elizabeth] paula had come down to the end of her driveway,
And the two women were exchanging words,
Not very friendly.
[music]
[elizabeth] so, after the original altercation,
Todd came out, didn't say anything,
But was just standing there.
Neal steps around to the side of the house
Five different times
To make sure there's nobody coming.
So, it wasn't until paula had retreated back
Closer to their home,
And todd and jennifer had both come down
The front stairs of their house that neal opened fire.
Then all of a sudden, boom, there's gunshots.
If you go frame by frame,
You can see the muzzle flash from the firearm
That he's using.
We have paula visually on digital video,
But we don't have her verbally saying,
"shoot him, shoot him!"
She doesn't drop to the ground. She doesn't run.
And I can't imagine standing at the end of my driveway,
Hearing a gunshot behind me, and standing perfectly still.
So, I think that you can draw
Conclusions from that if you'd like.
[music]
[narrator] investigators are inclined to agree with jennifer.
It looks like a setup.
[christopher] it appears to be a premeditated,
Planned execution of todd stevens.
I really believed in the theory of the case,
And I believed that we had sufficient evidence
To prove paula's involvement.
So, those were the charges then that were taken to a trial.
So, not only did I need to prove
That neal intentionally killed todd
And intentionally attempted to kill jennifer,
But also that, that was done with premeditation.
[music]
[narrator] on August 11th, 2014,
Three months after todd stevens was killed,
Paula zumberge stands trial for aiding and abetting
Her husband in the crime.
[anna] paula opted to waive a jury,
And so we had a trial in front of a judge.
And so, the judge is the one who heard all of the evidence.
[narrator] jennifer is the prosecution's star witness,
But unfortunately,
There is nothing to corroborate her claims.
Jennifer would testify at trial that, you know,
Paula was kind of off to the side, you know,
On the, on the driveway, at the mailbox.
And would yell, "shoot, shoot! Keep shooting!"
But there wasn't enough evidence to convict her of
Aiding and abetting.
And that's a tricky charge to prove,
Unless she had handed her husband, neal, a loaded gun.
Ultimately, paula was acquitted of both charges
And found not guilty.
[narrator] although charges against paula don't stick,
Charges of first-degree murder and attempted murder
Await her husband.
And on August 12th, 2015, neal zumberge's trial begins.
The defense's theory was that neal was justified in
The shooting to protect his wife, paula's life.
On the witness stand, neal said that he could read todd's lips,
And that todd had made a threat to kill his wife.
Neal said that he, as a child,
Had learned to read lips because he had a brother
Who was hearing impaired,
And that, that was a skill he had developed over time.
And so, he claimed that he could see from 145 feet away,
Todd saying, "I'm going to kill you," to paula.
Neal did say that he thought todd had a gun on his person,
And that he was reaching for it at some point
During that altercation between the two women.
[music]
[narrator] the evidence, however,
Doesn't back up neal's claims of self-defense.
[frank] when the police searched todd's body,
They found that he had a holster for a cell phone,
But he did not have a gun on his possession.
[paul] neal testified that he went to pull up the gun,
And it kind of went off,
That he hadn't fired it in so long and that...
It just kept firing.
[anna] in closing, I was arguing about
The intentionality of the shooting.
And so, the fact that he pulled the trigger four separate times
Was important evidence
That this was not just a one-off.
His finger didn't just slip and pull the trigger.
So, what I said to the jury is, I said,
"this was not a whoopsie. This was intentional."
[music]
[narrator] on the seventh day of trial,
The jury is sent to deliberate.
It takes them less than three hours
To return with a verdict.
Ultimately, the jury did return verdicts of guilty.
One of the alternate jurors said, you know,
"if he could read lips from that far away,
Then why wouldn't he have been able to see that
Todd didn't really have a gun?"
[elizabeth] first-degree, premeditated murder
Is the most serious criminal charge there is,
And it's a mandatory sentence of life in prison
Without the possibility of parole.
[music]
[narrator] at his sentencing, neal drops another bombshell.
When neal spoke to the court and admitted that
He had not been fully truthful,
He admitted that he did not actually know how to read lips,
And it wasn't that the gun just kept going off.
That he pulled that trigger on purpose.
[paul] it was a shocking moment in covering
The criminal justice system
That a defendant would actually tell a judge that,
"yeah, I lied."
[music]
This was a really tragic case all the way around.
Todd paid the ultimate price for this feud.
Jennifer suffered the loss of her partner.
She was shot herself. She had to relocate.
Everything in her life changed.
[elizabeth] the zumberges ended up selling their house
To pay neal's criminal defense.
And not only the two families who were
Directly impacted by death and imprisonment,
Think about the trauma to the neighbors.
And that they had to endure this,
And that someone was shot and killed in broad daylight
On his doorstep.
Can you imagine trying to
Explain something like this to your kids?
[music]
[narrator] in the years since todd's death,
Peace has returned to his new brighton neighborhood.
But it will never be the same without him.
I think todd would wanna be remembered as a guy
That worked hard,
Took care of his friends and his family
In any way that he could.
I mean, he didn't have a lotta money,
But he would give his last ten dollars to anybody.
In all the years I had knew hi,
That's all he wanted to do, was help people.
[music]