[female narrator] a young suburban couple
Gunned down on their front porch.
People heard things they described as fireworks
In the middle of the night.
[multiple gunshots]
It looked like there was some kind of a gun fight.
[narrator] at the crime scene,
There's another shocking discovery.
I was very tense.
We didn't know if there was more victims.
[narrator] evidence suggests they knew an attack
Might be coming.
There was a loaded shotgun behind the door.
That told me they thought that they needed
Some kind of protection.
[narrator] uncovering the truth behind the brutal slayings
Reveals a killer hell bent on revenge.
I don't think she liked the fact that he was happy without her.
It was the straw that broke the camel's back.
[narrator] when police are ready to move on their suspects,
They completely vanish.
[steve] they then cut and dyed their hair.
They were trying to disappear.
[darrell] no one knew where they were at.
Nobody knew what they might do next.
So we were on high alert.
[theme music]
[narrator] willard, missouri is a quiet residential area
12 miles outside springfield.
But at 9:00 a.M. On November 14, 2020,
This normally peaceful town is shaken
By a horrifying discovery.
[steve] 911 dispatch received a call from a neighbor.
She said that she looked through her window
While she was serving breakfast to her family,
And she seen her neighbors laying down on the ground
On the front porch. She went to go check.
And she found two bodies laying on the front porch,
Blood all over the ground,
And there was a gun laying just outside of his hand.
[narrator] 911 operators immediately send
First responders to the address.
I wasn't sure if I was going to a murder-suicide
Or what exactly it was.
When I first arrived at the crime scene,
The reporting party, she was there.
She pointed to the bodies that were on the steps.
She said that she was afraid to go to them,
But she believed that they'd been there for quite a while.
The male victim had several gunshot wounds to his head,
And also to his torso and arm.
The female subject also had multiple gunshot wounds
To her back and also to her head.
He had a holster on his right side
And his right hand was down just by his gun.
It made me think there was some kind of a gun fight.
[narrator] the caller says the gunshot victims
Are 28-year-old alex chute and 30-year-old brianna sproul.
She worries there might be another victim as well.
[steve] she was very upset.
She said that they had a four-year-old daughter,
But she wasn't sure if the daughter was there or not.
I was very tense when we went to search the house
Because I wasn't sure if we would find the daughter
In the house.
We didn't know if the shooter was gonna be in the house.
We didn't know if there was more victims.
More officers arrived from the green county sheriff's office.
We evacuated the building.
Then we did a search of the apartment.
The police go in. They're armed,
And they have their-- their firearms out.
[steve] I noticed the house just looked like
A normal person's house. Nothing was missing.
We just did an entire sweep through the apartment,
And that's when we located a four-year-old child
Unharmed in the bathroom of the apartment.
[music]
[steve] she acted like she was happy to see us,
Just like nothing happened.
[shannon] the officers take her out the back of the house
And shield her from the scene in the front.
They whisked her away into a patrol car
With a blanket, stuffed animal.
She went into protective custody with the children's division.
[narrator] with the child safe,
Police turn their attention to the victims.
To find anybody dead in that manner in willard
Is something that is almost unheard of.
The big question is, "who did it?"
[music]
[narrator] alex chute was born in st. Louis, missouri
On November 11, 1992.
He was the youngest of four children
Raised by officer darrell chute and his wife, lisa.
[darrell] I was on duty with the police department,
So that was a flurry of activity to get to the hospital
And bring alex into this world.
He was just the biggest baby, and he was beautiful,
Perfect in every way.
[narrator] only a year later, their happy home was disrupted
By divorce.
Alex was about one when they split.
My dad got remarried, and then my mom got remarried.
[narrator] but alex's childhood remained a happy one.
[nicholas] he was real big into anime and cartoons.
He loved video games, like all kids.
He actually won a super smash bro tournament
When he was, like, 16.
He really did fill the room with light and laughter.
I guess you could call him the class clown.
[narrator] alex was entering his sophomore year
Of high school when his life was upended once again.
We were living with my grandmother and my mother,
And all of us kids.
My grandmother had developed pancreatic cancer,
And she was wanting to move back to new york.
In 2008, we sold our house,
And we moved to upstate new york.
[narrator] alex found it difficult
Adjusting to a new school,
Until the bonded with a new friend, theresa cox.
[lisa] theresa actually moved from wilmington, north carolina.
They bonded because they both moved from different states,
And, uh, came to the high school at the same time.
Theresa had a, uh, troubled upbringing
With her family, and her grandparents raised her.
She was big into video games, and anime and stuff, like him.
[lisa] they were pretty much together all the time,
Every day.
Alex was very smitten with her.
[nicholas] she was fawning over alex,
So it seemed like a young couple in love.
[valerie] she made a very good first impression with us.
If he liked her, we liked her.
And I always trusted his judgment.
[narrator] alex and theresa became inseparable.
So when alex's family moved back to missouri after graduation,
Theresa went with them as alex's wife.
[lisa] they got married about six or seven weeks
After high school, on August 3rd of 2011.
[valerie] they got married in the courthouse.
She had a beautiful dress. It was a really great day.
We had a huge reception afterwards.
[narrator] a few years into the marriage,
Alex's desire to serve and protect led him to enlist.
[music]
[darrell] alex had made the decision to join the army
And the national guard to become a, a mp,
Military police.
And so he attended basic training
At fort leonard wood.
[narrator] alex had just finished basic training
When he achieved another goal by becoming a father.
They decided they wanted to have a baby
Right after he got out of bootcamp.
They welcomed their daughter in may of 2016.
The day that his daughter was born
Was the best day of his life.
And for me to be able to witness that was beautiful.
He was so proud.
[darrell] shortly thereafter, alex was to deploy to poland
For a short mission or training.
And theresa began to need help with our granddaughter.
But it seemed that theresa withdrew,
And the family ended up taking care of the baby.
[katie] she worked as a gas station attendant for a moment.
And then she didn't work at all.
I don't think theresa understood what being a mother was.
[narrator] unfortunately, after three years
Of parenting together, the marriage fell apart in 2019.
Alex and theresa became separated and divorced.
Whatever the incident was, he never discussed it with us,
But we assume it was some, uh, infidelity that happened
Or something in that manner.
When they got divorced,
Alex, he let her keep the house.
[narrator] alex remained devoted to his daughter,
Maintaining joint custody with theresa.
He took a new temporary job at a pizza place to make ends meet,
And got another chance at love with a co-worker
Named brianna sproul.
He began dating brianna,
Which we all called her bri.
And they seemed to click together well.
[katie] they were, ah, animal lovers.
Advocate for rescues.
I know her parents got divorced when she was young.
Uh, that was another thing that alex and brianna had in common.
[darrell] alex moved in with her several months later.
His daughter, as the custody agreement allowed,
They would spend time with her.
[katie] a big part of alex loving brianna so much
Was the way that she treated his daughter.
[lisa] she took care of her like she was her own.
And she loved her and made her birthday cakes,
And costumes for Halloween.
I think he was really excited about the future
For the first time in a long time.
[valerie] he proposed to her.
And they started looking at homes.
They were just building their future
And kids were in the works.
They were making their lives ready to start anew
And be a fresh family.
[music]
[narrator] sadly, before alex and brianna
Could realize their dreams,
They were both found dead on their front porch.
[steve] when we began to search the crime scene,
Nine shell casings were found on the front porch
And on the front steps.
[shannon] one theory was that it was a murder-suicide
Because there was one gun on scene
And there were two deceased people on the porch.
But because his weapon was a .40 caliber weapon,
And the shell casings were a 9mm shell casing,
It dispelled that theory pretty quickly.
When we searched the gun, the magazine was full,
And the gun was completely loaded.
We didn't think he had fired any rounds.
[shannon] by the position of the gun,
He was more than likely holding the gun when he fell,
And it just had fallen out of his hand,
Which indicated to me that he did not try to protect himself
When he fell.
[steve] we're trying to make sense of what happened.
All these things put red flags up to us.
[music]
[narrator] coming up...
Investigators identify the time of death.
Knowing the time of the crime
Was important to find out what their alibi was.
[narrator] and the victims' loved ones
Point to a surprising suspect.
She didn't have a maternal bone in her.
[music]
[narrator] detectives in willard, missouri
Are investigating the double murder
Of alex chute and brianna sproul.
As they analyze the evidence on hand,
Detectives prioritize zeroing in on the time of the murders.
[steve] one of the first things we start doing is
Trying to establish a timeline, since they were obviously
Already deceased and been there for quite some time.
At that point, I didn't have access to any family records
Or know any, um, people to call.
[music]
[narrator] however, alex is wearing a security guard uniform
For a nearby airport, giving investigators a starting point.
[steve] when I spoke to alex's supervisor,
He said that he left an hour early.
That alex was supposed to get off at midnight
And left at 11:00 p.M.
Alex, he had received some type of contact or message from
His girlfriend, brianna,
And he had notified another worker that he needed to go home
And check on her.
[steve] I asked the supervisor about the gun that alex had.
He said alex is not commissioned to have a firearm while on duty,
And that a holster and firearm
Is not part of their approved uniform.
This indicated to me that alex perceived a threat,
Remained in uniform
And eventually put on a holster and firearm.
[music]
[narrator] investigators surmise the shooting took place
Between 11:15 p.M., when alex arrived home,
And 9:03 a.M., when the 911 call came in.
They hope neighbors can help narrow down that window.
[steve] there was officers that were going door-to-door
And doing a neighborhood canvass
To find out what other people might have seen or heard.
There was several people that heard things they described
As fireworks in the middle of the night
Around midnight, one o'clock.
[shannon] this is willard.
There's not gunshots in willard like that.
A lot of people discounted what they heard and never called.
[narrator] fortunately, one of the officers who lives nearby
Comes up with an idea.
He lived 700 feet from the crime scene.
He asked me if I wanted him to check his doorbell camera.
He said that it captures sound, and is activated by sound.
And he checked it,
And he was able to locate a video clip from 1:21 a.M.
[multiple gunshots]
We got the exact time that the murders happened.
Knowing the time of the crime was important
Because as we start talking to people,
We want to find out what their alibi was
During the time of the crime.
[music]
[narrator] hoping to find further clues,
Officers conduct a thorough search of the apartment.
[shannon] there was no sign of forced entry.
The door was unlocked.
Everything that was in the home appeared to be intact.
The first thing that I noticed was, um, one of those fanny bags
That had two glock magazines in it.
And it appeared that it was just sitting out on the table
Right by the door.
[steve] another thing that I noticed,
There was a loaded shotgun behind the door.
[shannon] as a parent,
I wouldn't leave a loaded shotgun behind a door
Where it was accessible to a child.
So that told me that at least alex and brianna thought
That they needed some kind of protection.
[narrator] whatever danger alex and brianna were expecting,
It seems they may have trusted the person at their door enough
To leave the shotgun behind.
[music]
[steve] there was blood splatter on the front door
In front of brianna sproul's head,
Which indicated to me that the door was most likely closed.
So the scene looked like they had been lured outside.
Like the victims had a personal connection with this person
That allowed them to be so close to them.
[shannon] at the scene, I also collected some papers
From children's division and some legal paperwork
That was in reference to custody issues.
There was an ongoing conflict between the victim, alex chute,
And his first wife, theresa cox.
[steve] there was documents from alex's attorney
Trying to establish full custody rights of the child.
[shannon] my suspicion immediately went to theresa cox.
That was why, when chief mcclain
Went to advise her of alex's death,
That he had a recording device on him if she said anything
That could be incriminating.
[music]
[narrator] that afternoon, detectives arrive
On the doorstep of theresa's home
12 miles away in springfield, missouri.
[tom] we knocked and she came to the door a few seconds later.
Theresa was in her bed clothes.
And it was 3:00, 3:30 in the afternoon.
She seemed for the most part, somewhat unaffected.
[narrator] when they ask theresa where she was the night before,
She says she was on her way home from her job
At a pizza restaurant.
[narrator] due to the circumstances around her
Ex-husband's murder,
Their daughter remains in foster care
Until a judge can review custody.
As theresa's interview is wrapping up,
Willard pd investigates her work schedule.
[steve] I went and spoke with her supervisor, matthew plumb,
The manager there, to verify that theresa cox was working
At the time of the murders.
They were able to provide me with timecard slips,
Which it did show that theresa was clocked in.
Speaking to matthew further, he said that, uh,
Theresa did have bad blood towards alex.
And theresa had mentioned it before
That she would like for him to be dead.
Right then, it really focused our attention
On her involvement.
[music]
[narrator] hours into their investigation,
Willard police have a possible murder suspect,
Alex chute's ex-wife, theresa cox.
My theory at the time was that this was potentially
Having something to do with custody
Of their child in common.
[narrator] alex's family might be able to answer questions
About the former couple's relationship.
But first, detectives must break the terrible news
To them about the murders.
You see it in the movies, where you fall to your knees
And the whole world stops,
And that's exactly what happened.
And I just remember I was screaming to my sister,
And I could hear her telling my mom that alex is gone.
And her scream from a mother is something that
You don't ever wanna hear ever again.
[music]
[narrator] digging deeper into the custody battle,
Investigators ask about theresa.
[nicholas] it started, really, when theresa gave birth,
And she had issues just taking care of the child.
I think that theresa didn't have a maternal bone in her.
And she showed no compassion for my niece
When she was first born.
She just would leave her there to cry,
And she would show no love for her.
[nicholas] alex was working with bri.
She was obviously a nice person.
I think they just started developing a relationship,
And that's kind of what sealed the deal.
When alex and theresa got divorced,
He let her keep the house. He let her keep their savings.
He took on the debt.
[narrator] they say alex was determined
To keep things amicable,
But theresa's behavior made that impossible.
She was actually involved in a car accident one night,
And the hospital called my brother.
And the very first thing my brother said to
The police officers is, "where's my daughter?"
Well, come to find out,
Alex told me theresa had been leaving their daughter
At home alone overnights while she went to work.
Anything could've happened.
And you have just blatant disregard for a child's life
That you chose to bring into this world.
Absolutely crazy to me.
[narrator] following the incident in 2017,
And three years before his murder,
Alex decided to pursue full custody.
My brother called cps. Eventually they intervened,
And he got full custody of his daughter.
[katie] theresa was not allowed any contact
With their daughter at all, unless approved by alex.
[music]
[narrator] to investigators,
It seems theresa had plenty of motive.
And they request a search warrant for her cell phone data.
Pretty quickly, we obtained the search warrants
And seized her cell phone.
The first cell tower search warrant we received
Was for theresa cox's phone number.
Data showed that she was in springfield the entire time
And not in willard.
[music]
[narrator] while the data corroborates theresa's alibi
By placing her 12 miles away from willard,
Investigators are still left with questions.
Next, they request a search warrant
For theresa's text messages.
[steve] we were able to get text message content
For about three or four days prior to the murder.
It showed a text message between theresa and an unknown person.
It looked to be someone that was intimate,
Or someone that was in a relationship,
Since they were saying things like, "I love you"
Or calling you "babe" and stuff like that.
[phillip] one of the messages sent by theresa cox
Said something to the effect of, "change of plans for Friday."
The message sent in response was,
"I need some time to myself.
I need to be able to air out my mind before tomorrow night."
The vagueness and some of the information
In those text messages could imply that
That other number could be involved.
[narrator] police track the messages to someone named
Duncan bogle.
Duncan bogle ended up being someone
Who was in a relationship with theresa cox at the time
That the murders took place.
Law enforcement spoke with some of the friends of duncan bogle
To get more information.
[music]
I first met duncan when were 12 and 13.
He moved to our small town.
And duncan first met theresa back in like February of 2020.
They were working together at walmart.
I think it was like two or three months later that
He was moving in with her. They didn't first start dating.
What it was, was theresa needed help with bills.
And so duncan was like,
"well, I want to get out of my mom's house."
So they came up with the agreement
That they could be roommates.
[narrator] duncan was only 20, making theresa 8 years older,
But that didn't stop romance from blossoming.
[henryedda] duncan is a very quiet type, kind of person.
So it does kind of take him a minute to like, uh,
Really open up to people.
He was very excited.
He was just like a teenager
Who is, like, in the middle of class
With, like, a note from their crush.
That's what he was.
[narrator] investigators must ask,
Did duncan love theresa enough to commit murder for her?
When we did a search warrant for duncan bogle's cell tower data,
It showed that duncan was actually in the area
Of the crime scene during the time the shots were heard.
[phillip] duncan bogle and theresa cox,
They lived in springfield.
And willard is several miles north of the springfield area.
And so having duncan's phone pinging off a tower in willard
Around the time of the murders is crucial evidence.
Next, we served a search warrant for theresa cox's residence.
[music]
[narrator] coming up...
A murder plot unfolds.
All I can think of is she sold her soul to the devil.
[narrator] and co-conspirators begin to turn on one another.
[music]
[narrator] cell phone data suggests theresa cox
And duncan bogle were planning to murder her ex-husband.
Five days into the investigation,
Police obtain a warrant to search the couple's home.
[music]
[phillip] they were able to locate an empty gun box
That was for the 9mm gun.
And it had the serial number on the outside of the box.
[steve] there was also a receipt found in the master bedroom.
And that receipt said it was purchased on October 11th
By theresa cox,
About a month before the murder.
They located it inside a nearby safe.
There was ammunition that was 9mm caliber ammunition.
And on the headstamp, it was s&b 9mm.
It was the exact same type of ammunition that was located
At the crime scene with the shell casings.
[music]
[narrator] however, the gun itself is missing.
Police records show theresa reported it stolen
About 10 days before alex and brianna were shot.
[music]
[steve] the gun was reported stolen
The same day theresa was served with paperwork
From, uh, alex's attorneys requesting child support
In the amount of $400.
I believe it was the straw that broke the camel's back.
[narrator] police also find an interesting exchange
On theresa's phone regarding a man named matthew.
[shannon] there was kind of an odd message
Where somebody was saying to theresa that she thought
That matthew was leaving her because he wasn't being
Responsive to her messages.
That person was later determined to be ariel.
And she was the girlfriend of matthew.
Theresa had in some way told ariel,
"no, that's not the case. We had a very busy night."
[narrator] police track the number
And speak to a woman named ariel.
The matthew she mentioned turns out to be matthew plumb,
The night manager who gave theresa her alibi.
[steve] matthew plumb's actions were suspicious that night
That he stayed late for work. He was distant towards her,
Which led us to believe that he had--may have had
A more important role in this.
[narrator] police bring matthew into the station
For a second interview, but he sticks by his story.
I didn't believe him. I just kept asking questions
And then I noticed there were some loose ends, or some lies.
He did eventually tell us that he conspired with, uh, theresa.
[narrator] matthew says it was to protect theresa's daughter.
According to him, alex was the one abusing the child,
Not theresa.
[shannon] theresa was constantly complaining
That alex was abusing their daughter
And she wanted to do anything she could to protect her.
Theresa's plan was essentially to have alex, her ex, killed
By duncan at a time where she was at work,
So she had an alibi.
Matthew said that he had given theresa some pointers
On how to get rid of a gun.
[narrator] on November 13th,
Theresa put the plan into action.
[phillip] when theresa had gotten to work that night,
She made some comment to the effect of,
"it's gonna happen tonight."
And later on, really into the next morning,
Around 1:00 or 1:30, matt is still working there.
Theresa's still there.
And that's when duncan bogle arrives back.
And duncan tells matt plumb that he shot two people
On the front porch.
[multiple gunshots]
Duncan was very upset about what had happened.
And they spent several hours trying to calm him down.
After that takes place, matt takes the gun.
[narrator] the murder weapon is recovered just 10 miles away
In a nearby creek.
When the handgun was located,
It had the exact same serial number on it
From the gun box that they had found
At theresa cox's residence.
During the autopsy, there was three projectiles
Found in alex's body, two in his chest cavity
And one in his head.
Uh, these were consistent with the other bullets
That were found on scene, 9mm projectiles,
Full metal jacket.
No projectiles were found in, uh, brianna's body.
[phillip] the highway patrol crime lab
Here in missouri were able to determine that that gun
That was found in the creek in fact fired the shell casings
That were located at the crime scene.
It was that pivotal piece where we could say that
The casings came from the gun,
And that the gun came from theresa.
[narrator] on December 1st, matthew plumb is arrested.
Matt plumb was originally charged with first-degree murder
As an accessory for aiding and encouraging theresa cox
In her plot.
[narrator] but when investigators try to arrest
Theresa and duncan, they cannot be located.
It looked like duncan and theresa had gone into hiding.
[valerie] it was like living a nightmare
'cause we didn't know what her plan was.
[music]
[narrator] theresa cox and duncan bogle
Appear to be on the run after evidence linked them
In a murder plot to kill theresa's ex-husband.
Nobody knew what they might do next.
So we were on high alert.
[narrator] the couple manages to evade police
For a week and a half,
Until a co-worker comes forward with a tip.
She said that she took bogle and cox to walmart
Where they got hair dye.
And they got a new phone for bogle.
She said they then cut and dyed their hair
And were acting suspiciously.
[shannon] she took them to a truck stop,
Where they were going to make their way
To places unknown.
What she did give us was the newest phone number
Because after we took theresa's phone,
She bought a new phone.
[steve] I gave the u.S. Marshals that phone number,
Which they were able to subsequently ping
That phone number and locate theresa cox and duncan bogle
In san francisco, california.
I believe they were trying to blend in with homeless people
And disappear.
[phillip] they were arrested on December 8th,
Almost a month after when the murders had taken place.
Duncan bogle was charged with two counts of
First-degree murder.
And theresa cox was charged with first-degree murder
And second-degree murder.
[narrator] in preparation for trial,
The prosecution makes a deal with matthew plumb
In exchange for his testimony against theresa.
[phillip] matt plumb would end up receiving
A five-year sentence for conspiracy to commit murder,
And he received a three-year sentence
For tampering with evidence.
And his sentences were ran consecutively,
Meaning one after the other, for a total of eight years.
[narrator] with his help, prosecutors piece together
A narrative to convince the jury of theresa's guilt.
[shannon] I think that she didn't want her daughter.
I think that she didn't want alex to have her daughter.
I think that she just wanted to wipe that side of her life away
And move on to the next chapter for herself.
I believe theresa decided to murder him
The day his daughter got forcibly removed.
The checks were gonna stop coming for child support.
And that's the day that she called in the gun missing.
[music]
[narrator] to convince her co-conspirators to kill alex,
Theresa turned him into a villain.
Her narrative was alex is a bad person. Alex is abusive.
Nothing that was ever founded, but those negative things
Probably make matt or make duncan bogle
Feel like they're actually helping her out,
And that they're just not harming someone
That is truly innocent.
[henryedda] duncan was definitely the perfect mark
For her.
Generally, he always wants to do what makes other people happy.
And so it made him an easy target.
[music]
[narrator] theresa and duncan's murder trial
Is set for October 2022,
Nearly two years after alex and brianna were murdered.
But it never gets underway.
Theresa cox would plead guilty to two counts
Of second-degree murder.
Duncan bogle also would enter guilty pleas to two counts
Of second-degree murder, as well as a count of
Endangering the welfare of a child.
[narrator] on November 1, 2022, theresa is sentenced
To two consecutive life terms in prison.
Duncan receives the same sentence,
Plus an additional year for child endangerment.
[phillip] theresa cox sent her significant other
Over to the residence knowing that her child is
Inside that home.
That's one of those things that always sticks with me.
[music]
[narrator] in the aftermath of the trial,
Alex's loved ones have dedicated themselves
To raising his little girl.
[valerie] alex was a very great dad.
He did what he had to do to protect his daughter,
And him and brianna died protecting her.
[lisa] alex would want to be remembered
By the way that he loved people.
And he was a loving, loving, loving
Son and brother, and father.
[darrell] our granddaughter only spent one night
In emergency foster care.
And we went down and picked her up the next morning
To take care of her. And we've had her ever since.
And now that we have adopted her a little while ago,
It's a legalization of what was already in our hearts.
She's asked us about calling us mom and dad,
But it seems uncomfortable for us.
We can continue to be pawpaw and mimi.
We point out to her that mom and dad are still there.
They're just in heaven.
[music]