1 00:00:00,617 --> 00:00:02,568 - Female narrator: A loving marriage is tested by 2 00:00:03,204 --> 00:00:05,404 a devastating accident. 3 00:00:05,439 --> 00:00:08,340 - Christy: The roof collapsed, and my dad and his twin brother 4 00:00:08,376 --> 00:00:10,292 broke their ankles and legs. 5 00:00:10,344 --> 00:00:12,511 And she was taking care of both of them. 6 00:00:15,683 --> 00:00:18,583 - Narrator: But when one of the brothers is brutally murdered, 7 00:00:18,602 --> 00:00:24,356 the question becomes: Was their accident actually intentional? 8 00:00:24,392 --> 00:00:26,825 - Vaughn: The blood spatter was extensive-- 9 00:00:26,861 --> 00:00:30,279 behind the door, on the walls, the ceiling. 10 00:00:30,314 --> 00:00:32,648 - Drew: I observed a pillow over the face. 11 00:00:32,700 --> 00:00:34,433 Somebody knows the victim. 12 00:00:34,452 --> 00:00:36,535 They don't want to see what they've done. 13 00:00:36,570 --> 00:00:38,487 - Vaughn: He had enemies around town. 14 00:00:38,539 --> 00:00:42,291 And he may have had people angry at him to come and seek him out. 15 00:00:42,326 --> 00:00:44,159 - ♪ 16 00:00:44,211 --> 00:00:46,829 - narrator: Georgia detectives must sift through a series of 17 00:00:46,881 --> 00:00:51,750 lies to expose the cold-blooded truth. 18 00:00:51,785 --> 00:00:55,137 - We uncovered a lot of illicit affairs, 19 00:00:55,172 --> 00:00:58,290 one of which was with a local pastor. 20 00:00:58,309 --> 00:01:01,126 - We found all of these cyber affairs. 21 00:01:01,145 --> 00:01:02,845 Talking up sexual fantasies, 22 00:01:02,897 --> 00:01:06,298 and these wants, and these desires. 23 00:01:06,317 --> 00:01:08,734 - We just got to the point we felt like 24 00:01:08,769 --> 00:01:11,470 this is never going to be solved. 25 00:01:11,489 --> 00:01:13,639 - He changed his story and actually admitted 26 00:01:13,674 --> 00:01:16,742 that he had had a moment of weakness. 27 00:01:16,777 --> 00:01:20,546 - Evil is among us. Evil is everywhere. 28 00:01:20,581 --> 00:01:24,116 There's no other word to describe her other than evil. 29 00:01:27,054 --> 00:01:31,707 - ♪ 30 00:01:35,379 --> 00:01:36,495 ♪♪ 31 00:01:37,598 --> 00:01:41,834 - narrator: September 9, 2002. Thomaston, georgia. 32 00:01:41,869 --> 00:01:45,537 It's early morning in this small town south of atlanta. 33 00:01:45,573 --> 00:01:49,558 And police officer drew jackson is out on patrol. 34 00:01:49,610 --> 00:01:52,227 - Drew: I was a brand-new rookie police officer at the time. 35 00:01:52,279 --> 00:01:54,813 So I had only been on the street for about two months. 36 00:01:54,848 --> 00:01:58,484 I was just patrolling the area when I received the call. 37 00:02:00,521 --> 00:02:03,038 - Narrator: Dispatch reports that a concerned resident has 38 00:02:03,073 --> 00:02:06,658 reported finding his neighbor dead inside his home. 39 00:02:08,379 --> 00:02:12,214 - When I was dispatched to a dead body, my emotions were, 40 00:02:12,249 --> 00:02:14,583 um, all over the place. 41 00:02:14,635 --> 00:02:17,469 This was the first time I'd experienced anything like this. 42 00:02:17,505 --> 00:02:21,206 - [siren wailing] 43 00:02:21,225 --> 00:02:23,392 - narrator: As officer jackson pulls up to the house, 44 00:02:23,427 --> 00:02:25,811 he finds the neighbor who placed the call. 45 00:02:27,848 --> 00:02:32,484 - James mann just told me that tom bragg was his neighbor. 46 00:02:32,520 --> 00:02:36,321 James was just in the front yard, just visibly shaken. 47 00:02:36,357 --> 00:02:38,524 And you could tell he had witnessed something 48 00:02:38,559 --> 00:02:40,826 that was--that was horrific. 49 00:02:42,613 --> 00:02:43,862 When I go in the house, 50 00:02:43,897 --> 00:02:45,531 there was nothing that stood out. 51 00:02:45,566 --> 00:02:48,367 It didn't look like it was in any disarray. 52 00:02:48,402 --> 00:02:52,404 The house was actually--was fairly clean. 53 00:02:52,439 --> 00:02:56,792 There were blood drops going through the entryway... 54 00:02:56,844 --> 00:02:59,628 And into the dining room. 55 00:02:59,680 --> 00:03:03,649 And off to the left of the dining room was the bedroom. 56 00:03:03,684 --> 00:03:05,417 I turn left. 57 00:03:05,436 --> 00:03:10,105 I made it to the doorway of the spare bedroom. 58 00:03:10,140 --> 00:03:12,257 And I didn't enter any further. 59 00:03:14,495 --> 00:03:16,812 I observed the body laying on the bed 60 00:03:16,864 --> 00:03:19,364 with a pillow over the face. 61 00:03:20,834 --> 00:03:25,704 I could see the large pool of coagulated blood under the bed, 62 00:03:25,739 --> 00:03:28,323 the massive amounts of blood and tissue 63 00:03:28,375 --> 00:03:31,793 that were on the walls and on the ceiling. 64 00:03:31,829 --> 00:03:34,379 I could tell there was no need for me to go any further. 65 00:03:34,415 --> 00:03:36,248 I couldn't help tom. 66 00:03:36,283 --> 00:03:38,667 He was clearly deceased. 67 00:03:44,592 --> 00:03:48,960 - Narrator: Tom bragg was born on July 27, 1956, 68 00:03:48,979 --> 00:03:51,663 alongside his identical twin brother, tim, 69 00:03:51,699 --> 00:03:54,833 and their four older siblings. 70 00:03:54,868 --> 00:03:57,469 - Tom was born first. 71 00:03:57,488 --> 00:04:01,823 And then tim was born three minutes after tom. 72 00:04:01,859 --> 00:04:06,778 And they have this funny saying was, "tim kicked tom out." 73 00:04:08,365 --> 00:04:09,548 - christy: They looked identical, 74 00:04:09,583 --> 00:04:11,750 but they acted totally different. 75 00:04:11,785 --> 00:04:14,419 My dad was the real meek, reserved one. 76 00:04:14,455 --> 00:04:17,289 And my uncle tim was the wild, crazy one. 77 00:04:18,726 --> 00:04:19,825 - Narrator: After high school, 78 00:04:20,828 --> 00:04:22,561 tom started working as a long-haul trucker. 79 00:04:22,596 --> 00:04:25,364 He liked the job, but not the solitude. 80 00:04:27,501 --> 00:04:30,719 Luckily, he was able to find someone to keep him company 81 00:04:30,771 --> 00:04:33,505 when he wasn't on the road. 82 00:04:33,524 --> 00:04:37,809 - My mom and dad, um, met at a local huddle house. 83 00:04:37,844 --> 00:04:40,045 My mom was a waitress. 84 00:04:40,080 --> 00:04:42,648 - Narrator: Tom and fredericka fell hard for one another 85 00:04:42,683 --> 00:04:44,750 and quickly got married. 86 00:04:44,785 --> 00:04:48,387 Together, they had a son and a daughter. 87 00:04:48,422 --> 00:04:50,872 - During the summers, my dad would take me and my brother 88 00:04:50,908 --> 00:04:53,858 with him across country in the truck. 89 00:04:53,877 --> 00:04:56,061 And we got to see lots of places. 90 00:04:57,564 --> 00:04:59,064 - Narrator: Tom made a good living. 91 00:04:59,099 --> 00:05:03,602 But the lifestyle was hard on his marriage. 92 00:05:03,637 --> 00:05:06,037 - My mother and father divorced when I was 13. 93 00:05:06,056 --> 00:05:08,056 So my dad moved back to thomaston, 94 00:05:08,092 --> 00:05:09,808 where his mom resided. 95 00:05:12,713 --> 00:05:16,348 - Narrator: By the mid-'90s, tom was at peace with the divorce. 96 00:05:16,383 --> 00:05:18,650 But he didn't want to be single forever. 97 00:05:19,903 --> 00:05:21,687 While out one night with his brother, 98 00:05:21,722 --> 00:05:25,824 a blonde bombshell caught tom's eye. 99 00:05:25,859 --> 00:05:30,779 - My mom was a petite, blue eyes, 100 00:05:30,831 --> 00:05:32,614 natural blonde hair. 101 00:05:32,666 --> 00:05:34,800 She was always good spirited, 102 00:05:34,835 --> 00:05:36,501 always try to be funny. 103 00:05:37,838 --> 00:05:40,972 - Narrator: Mary ann nance was raised in scottown, ohio. 104 00:05:41,008 --> 00:05:43,575 The youngest of five children, 105 00:05:43,610 --> 00:05:47,646 she was accustomed to being well looked after. 106 00:05:47,681 --> 00:05:49,981 - Mary ann, she always had people taking care of her. 107 00:05:50,017 --> 00:05:51,717 Her parents took care of her. 108 00:05:51,752 --> 00:05:54,419 Her brothers and sisters took care of her. 109 00:05:54,438 --> 00:05:56,021 - Narrator: But mary ann was quickly forced 110 00:05:56,056 --> 00:05:59,558 to hone her own mothering skills as a teenager 111 00:05:59,593 --> 00:06:02,561 when she and her high school sweetheart, john vyers, 112 00:06:02,596 --> 00:06:05,564 found out she was pregnant. 113 00:06:05,599 --> 00:06:08,900 - She got pregnant by my biological father 114 00:06:08,935 --> 00:06:10,869 when she was young. 115 00:06:10,904 --> 00:06:12,788 - Lori: My grandparents were very strict. 116 00:06:12,823 --> 00:06:14,956 When you got pregnant, you had to get married. 117 00:06:14,992 --> 00:06:16,708 So they got married. 118 00:06:19,163 --> 00:06:22,414 - Narrator: Mary ann and john had three daughters together. 119 00:06:22,449 --> 00:06:24,649 For seven years, mary ann struggled 120 00:06:24,685 --> 00:06:28,620 to hold her young family together. 121 00:06:28,655 --> 00:06:31,306 - Her husband was very strict with the children. 122 00:06:31,341 --> 00:06:33,792 So eventually, they divorced. 123 00:06:33,827 --> 00:06:37,929 - Gail: My mother worked at the mill at one point. 124 00:06:37,965 --> 00:06:41,466 And she also worked at a gas station. 125 00:06:41,485 --> 00:06:43,485 She did whatever she had to do 126 00:06:43,520 --> 00:06:46,188 to be able to take care of her three girls. 127 00:06:46,240 --> 00:06:49,491 I think that my mother was unlucky in love, 128 00:06:49,526 --> 00:06:51,693 because she always looked for someone 129 00:06:51,745 --> 00:06:53,779 that she could try to fix. 130 00:06:55,916 --> 00:06:57,833 - Narrator: Five years after her divorce, 131 00:06:57,868 --> 00:07:00,685 32-year-old mary ann's fortunes turned 132 00:07:00,721 --> 00:07:03,855 when she married james wright. 133 00:07:03,891 --> 00:07:05,590 - Lori: He was an older man. 134 00:07:05,626 --> 00:07:07,843 And he made sure the bills got paid. 135 00:07:07,878 --> 00:07:09,711 He took care of her children. 136 00:07:09,763 --> 00:07:13,164 - Gail: I look at james as my father. 137 00:07:13,183 --> 00:07:14,349 He's my dad. 138 00:07:14,384 --> 00:07:15,801 There was nothing wrong with him. 139 00:07:15,836 --> 00:07:19,104 There was nothing that she needed to fix. 140 00:07:19,139 --> 00:07:22,724 And she realized that--being with him, 141 00:07:22,776 --> 00:07:25,193 that she was the one that was broken, 142 00:07:25,229 --> 00:07:27,946 that she had things that needed to be fixed. 143 00:07:29,066 --> 00:07:32,784 - She was seeing a psychiatrist, um, on and off for a while. 144 00:07:32,820 --> 00:07:34,519 She has a nervous condition. 145 00:07:34,538 --> 00:07:35,954 She, um, would often get nervous. 146 00:07:35,989 --> 00:07:37,038 She'd black out. 147 00:07:39,025 --> 00:07:42,077 - Narrator: Sadly, after nearly ten years of marriage, 148 00:07:42,129 --> 00:07:44,913 mary ann and james decided to split. 149 00:07:44,965 --> 00:07:48,099 But their bond endured. 150 00:07:48,135 --> 00:07:49,634 - Gail: They divorced, 151 00:07:49,670 --> 00:07:51,636 but they continued to keep their friendship. 152 00:07:51,672 --> 00:07:54,589 They continued to raise their children together. 153 00:07:54,641 --> 00:07:56,925 That communication and that friendship 154 00:07:56,977 --> 00:08:00,679 that they made never stopped. 155 00:08:00,714 --> 00:08:03,181 - Narrator: Even though she had been through plenty of changes, 156 00:08:03,216 --> 00:08:05,884 one thing remained the same: 157 00:08:05,903 --> 00:08:10,221 Mary ann wanted to find true love. 158 00:08:10,240 --> 00:08:13,592 - Gail: She's a woman that loves being in love. 159 00:08:13,627 --> 00:08:17,028 She is a happy, vibrant person. 160 00:08:17,063 --> 00:08:20,131 She is a caring person. 161 00:08:20,167 --> 00:08:22,133 - Lori: After her and james split up, 162 00:08:22,169 --> 00:08:25,236 she had met this lady named bonnie at the vfw. 163 00:08:25,255 --> 00:08:28,907 And bonnie was dating tim bragg at the time. 164 00:08:28,942 --> 00:08:32,043 And through tim and bonnie, she met tom, who was tim's twin. 165 00:08:34,882 --> 00:08:39,017 - Narrator: Tom and mary ann immediately hit it off. 166 00:08:39,052 --> 00:08:43,087 - When my mother and tom bragg got together, she was happy. 167 00:08:43,106 --> 00:08:48,643 Tom was a funny person. Um, he was sweet. 168 00:08:48,695 --> 00:08:50,445 - Elaine: The first time I met her, 169 00:08:50,480 --> 00:08:54,950 she was extremely nice 170 00:08:54,985 --> 00:08:56,768 and very sweet to me. 171 00:08:56,787 --> 00:09:01,790 She came on awfully strong to win our approval. 172 00:09:03,126 --> 00:09:06,745 - Narrator: After a few years together, in August 2001, 173 00:09:06,780 --> 00:09:09,748 mary ann and tom decided to tie the knot. 174 00:09:09,783 --> 00:09:13,718 And tom quit his job as a truck driver. 175 00:09:13,754 --> 00:09:16,805 - Elaine: Tom started going into construction so he could spend 176 00:09:16,840 --> 00:09:19,891 more time at home with mary ann. 177 00:09:19,927 --> 00:09:22,928 - Christy: My dad had his own roofing business. 178 00:09:22,963 --> 00:09:26,297 My uncle tim, he would help my dad finish up jobs 179 00:09:26,316 --> 00:09:28,733 so that they could spend time together while he was at home. 180 00:09:30,237 --> 00:09:33,304 - Narrator: Nearly a year after his marriage to mary ann, 181 00:09:33,323 --> 00:09:36,157 tom and his brother were hard at work completing a job 182 00:09:36,193 --> 00:09:38,276 at the new life pentecostal church 183 00:09:38,311 --> 00:09:41,212 when misfortune struck. 184 00:09:41,248 --> 00:09:43,949 - The roof collapsed, and they all fell through the roof 185 00:09:43,984 --> 00:09:46,668 and broke their ankles and legs. 186 00:09:46,703 --> 00:09:48,753 My uncle tim moved in with my dad 187 00:09:48,789 --> 00:09:50,188 during the time of their treatment. 188 00:09:50,223 --> 00:09:51,856 And he was staying there. 189 00:09:51,892 --> 00:09:54,325 And mary ann was taking care of both of them. 190 00:09:54,344 --> 00:09:56,795 They were both in a wheelchair. 191 00:09:56,830 --> 00:09:58,730 - Lori: My aunt kind of ran back and forth 192 00:09:58,765 --> 00:10:02,334 delivering coffee, or snacks, or sandwiches, or medicine, 193 00:10:02,369 --> 00:10:04,903 whatever he needed. She was basically his caretaker. 194 00:10:06,690 --> 00:10:08,723 - Narrator: Their recover went well. 195 00:10:08,775 --> 00:10:12,711 And by September, tim had moved out and tom was looking forward 196 00:10:12,746 --> 00:10:15,864 to getting his health back. 197 00:10:15,899 --> 00:10:20,118 - He used a, uh--a cane and sometimes his wheelchair. 198 00:10:20,153 --> 00:10:23,872 But he was on the mend, and he was extremely happy about it. 199 00:10:23,907 --> 00:10:27,826 - ♪ 200 00:10:27,861 --> 00:10:30,078 - narrator: However, tom's road to recovery 201 00:10:30,130 --> 00:10:33,081 was suddenly cut short on September 9, 202 00:10:33,133 --> 00:10:39,087 when thomaston police find his lifeless body inside his home. 203 00:10:39,139 --> 00:10:42,891 - Drew: He was on his back, face up, arms down by his side. 204 00:10:42,926 --> 00:10:45,427 And it reminded me of somebody laying in a casket. 205 00:10:45,479 --> 00:10:47,045 It was creepy. 206 00:10:48,315 --> 00:10:49,681 It was almost like he had been taken care of after his death. 207 00:10:52,185 --> 00:10:54,886 - Narrator: Coming up: Detectives shift their focus 208 00:10:54,905 --> 00:10:57,489 to tom's inner circle. 209 00:10:57,524 --> 00:11:00,492 - The first obvious question is: Where's the wife? 210 00:11:00,527 --> 00:11:04,863 - Narrator: And investigators consider a terrifying theory. 211 00:11:04,898 --> 00:11:06,464 - Lori: Maybe they didn't mean to kill tom, 212 00:11:06,500 --> 00:11:09,334 and they mistakenly got the brothers mixed up. 213 00:11:12,238 --> 00:11:16,007 - ♪ 214 00:11:18,345 --> 00:11:20,278 - narrator: On September 9, 2002, 215 00:11:20,313 --> 00:11:24,082 46-year-old roofer tom bragg is found brutally murdered 216 00:11:24,117 --> 00:11:26,584 inside his thomaston, georgia, home. 217 00:11:28,689 --> 00:11:32,273 After securing the crime scene, local police immediately summon 218 00:11:32,325 --> 00:11:35,360 the georgia bureau of investigation for assistance. 219 00:11:37,364 --> 00:11:42,500 - The gbi has a plethora of equipment, manpower, 220 00:11:42,536 --> 00:11:44,269 things at their disposal 221 00:11:44,304 --> 00:11:46,538 that the thomaston police department didn't 222 00:11:46,573 --> 00:11:48,540 and most departments don't. 223 00:11:52,045 --> 00:11:54,579 - Vaughn: Upon arrival, I was shown the scene. 224 00:11:54,598 --> 00:11:58,216 There's a white male laying there, apparently deceased, 225 00:11:58,251 --> 00:12:00,685 with a pillow laying over his head. 226 00:12:00,721 --> 00:12:02,587 - Narrator: When investigators lift the pillow, 227 00:12:02,622 --> 00:12:06,107 they make a gruesome discovery. 228 00:12:06,143 --> 00:12:07,942 - There were multiple injuries 229 00:12:07,978 --> 00:12:12,130 to--to the side of tom bragg's head. 230 00:12:12,165 --> 00:12:16,151 But the largest one was all the way through the skull. 231 00:12:16,203 --> 00:12:18,453 - Ben: The crime scene evidence was indicative 232 00:12:18,488 --> 00:12:23,041 of a blunt-force trauma to the head. 233 00:12:23,076 --> 00:12:27,378 The object would have been consistent with a claw hammer. 234 00:12:27,414 --> 00:12:30,948 - The blood spatter that was around that room was extensive-- 235 00:12:30,967 --> 00:12:35,086 behind the door, on the walls, the ceiling. 236 00:12:35,121 --> 00:12:38,673 - Narrator: Investigators note that tom's leg is in a cast-- 237 00:12:38,725 --> 00:12:42,260 a fact that would have made it difficult to defend himself. 238 00:12:42,295 --> 00:12:47,015 But they don't believe tom even had a chance to react. 239 00:12:47,067 --> 00:12:48,566 - At first glance, you think he's laying there. 240 00:12:48,602 --> 00:12:50,685 He's asleep--that's the position he's in. 241 00:12:50,737 --> 00:12:52,654 That's why I believe he was asleep 242 00:12:52,689 --> 00:12:54,355 when the first blow was hit. 243 00:12:54,407 --> 00:12:56,357 And I don't believe he woke up. 244 00:12:56,409 --> 00:13:00,445 I think the first blow actually was the deadly blow. 245 00:13:00,480 --> 00:13:03,114 It's like he never even moved. 246 00:13:03,149 --> 00:13:06,451 - We put the murder occurring in the early morning hours, 247 00:13:06,486 --> 00:13:09,120 because the crime scene evidence showed that he'd been laying 248 00:13:09,155 --> 00:13:12,490 in that bed for several hours before he was found 249 00:13:12,509 --> 00:13:14,459 because the blood had coagulated. 250 00:13:16,162 --> 00:13:18,096 - ♪ 251 00:13:18,131 --> 00:13:19,380 - vaughn: You didn't have nothing taken, 252 00:13:19,432 --> 00:13:21,349 nothing rummaged through. 253 00:13:21,384 --> 00:13:24,018 You had no indication of anything other than this was 254 00:13:24,054 --> 00:13:26,437 a deliberate killing of tom bragg 255 00:13:26,473 --> 00:13:30,708 for no other reason than to eliminate his existence. 256 00:13:30,744 --> 00:13:34,062 I think any experienced investigator would have came out 257 00:13:34,114 --> 00:13:37,014 with that assessment just from viewing the body. 258 00:13:37,033 --> 00:13:38,650 They were close to this person. 259 00:13:38,685 --> 00:13:39,567 They took the moment 260 00:13:39,619 --> 00:13:43,204 to cover the person's face with the pillow. 261 00:13:43,240 --> 00:13:45,323 - Drew: That's usually a sign of crime of passion. 262 00:13:45,358 --> 00:13:47,191 Somebody knows the victim. 263 00:13:47,210 --> 00:13:49,043 They don't want to see what they've done. 264 00:13:52,499 --> 00:13:54,699 - Narrator: Investigators step outside to speak with 265 00:13:54,734 --> 00:13:57,602 the neighbors who called 911-- 266 00:13:57,637 --> 00:14:01,556 james mann and his wife, lee henry. 267 00:14:01,591 --> 00:14:05,093 - He was supposed take tom to the parts store to pick up 268 00:14:05,145 --> 00:14:08,212 a part for his truck that morning. 269 00:14:08,231 --> 00:14:11,182 And tom had never showed up at his house. 270 00:14:11,217 --> 00:14:15,820 So that's why he had come over to check on tom. 271 00:14:15,856 --> 00:14:19,457 He found the door open, called out for tom bragg. 272 00:14:19,492 --> 00:14:23,294 He entered the house, made his way to the spare bedroom, 273 00:14:23,330 --> 00:14:27,599 where he found tom bragg laying face up in the bed 274 00:14:27,634 --> 00:14:29,167 with a pillow over his face. 275 00:14:32,839 --> 00:14:36,307 - The first obvious question is: Where's the wife? 276 00:14:36,343 --> 00:14:40,812 - Drew: I spoke to james mann's wife, lee henry. 277 00:14:40,847 --> 00:14:43,181 And that's when I first heard about mary ann, 278 00:14:43,216 --> 00:14:45,250 tom bragg's wife. 279 00:14:45,285 --> 00:14:47,385 Lee henry told me that she had already 280 00:14:47,420 --> 00:14:51,389 called mary ann and told her that she needed to get home, 281 00:14:51,424 --> 00:14:54,108 that there was a problem. 282 00:14:54,144 --> 00:14:56,260 - Narrator: James and lee explain that they were sitting 283 00:14:56,279 --> 00:14:58,696 on their porch, drinking their morning coffee, 284 00:14:58,732 --> 00:15:02,233 when they saw mary ann leave the house around 6 a.M. 285 00:15:04,404 --> 00:15:05,870 - Mary ann told them she had a doctor's appointment 286 00:15:05,906 --> 00:15:07,872 that she was going to. 287 00:15:07,908 --> 00:15:09,657 There was nothing unordinary. 288 00:15:09,709 --> 00:15:11,576 They said she acted normal. 289 00:15:11,611 --> 00:15:16,214 She wasn't in a hurry or disheveled or seemed upset. 290 00:15:17,500 --> 00:15:19,550 - Narrator: After mary ann departed, 291 00:15:19,586 --> 00:15:24,756 james and lee saw an indication that tom was still alive. 292 00:15:24,791 --> 00:15:27,258 - Ben: After mary ann had left that morning, 293 00:15:27,293 --> 00:15:31,346 they saw the red glow of a cigarette on the front porch 294 00:15:31,398 --> 00:15:35,233 of tom and mary ann's residence. 295 00:15:35,268 --> 00:15:39,237 - It wasn't unheard of for tom to get up very early in 296 00:15:39,272 --> 00:15:42,657 the morning, have a cigarette, a cup of coffee, 297 00:15:42,692 --> 00:15:44,709 and then go back to bed. 298 00:15:44,744 --> 00:15:46,444 He was known to do that. 299 00:15:48,698 --> 00:15:50,782 - Narrator: As investigators wrap up their interview with 300 00:15:50,817 --> 00:15:54,819 james and his wife, mary ann arrives on the scene. 301 00:15:56,489 --> 00:15:59,457 - Mary ann's truck pulls up right in front of my car. 302 00:15:59,492 --> 00:16:02,844 Her and her friend, debra clay, get out of the car. 303 00:16:02,879 --> 00:16:05,596 - Narrator: Detectives carefully deliver the tragic news 304 00:16:05,632 --> 00:16:08,216 about her husband. 305 00:16:08,268 --> 00:16:10,167 - Vaughn: I see her get weak kneed. 306 00:16:10,186 --> 00:16:11,936 Mary ann went into, like, panic mode. 307 00:16:11,972 --> 00:16:13,805 She almost collapsed there on the side of the road. 308 00:16:17,310 --> 00:16:19,811 - Narrator: Once mary ann is able to gather herself, 309 00:16:19,846 --> 00:16:23,364 she confirms that she headed out early for an appointment 310 00:16:23,400 --> 00:16:27,184 with her psychiatrist in the city of lagrange. 311 00:16:27,203 --> 00:16:28,653 - Vaughn: The morning of the death, 312 00:16:29,956 --> 00:16:31,706 when mary ann left the house, she went to pick debra clay up 313 00:16:31,741 --> 00:16:34,325 at around 7 in the morning because they had to be 314 00:16:34,360 --> 00:16:35,994 in lagrange for the appointment at 8, 315 00:16:36,029 --> 00:16:38,963 and it's about an hour's drive. 316 00:16:38,999 --> 00:16:42,417 - Narrator: Although debra confirms mary ann's alibi, 317 00:16:42,469 --> 00:16:47,305 investigators still scan mary ann for signs of blood. 318 00:16:47,340 --> 00:16:48,723 - Once you looked at the crime scene 319 00:16:48,758 --> 00:16:52,477 and you really just saw how gruesome it was, 320 00:16:52,512 --> 00:16:55,396 you know the person that did that 321 00:16:55,432 --> 00:17:00,234 had to be covered in blood and tissue. 322 00:17:00,270 --> 00:17:02,737 I mean, there--there's no way for that not to have happened. 323 00:17:04,324 --> 00:17:07,859 - Narrator: They also ask to take a look at her truck. 324 00:17:07,894 --> 00:17:10,578 - I looked in the cab and I looked in the back to see 325 00:17:10,613 --> 00:17:13,731 if I noticed any blood, anything of that nature. 326 00:17:13,750 --> 00:17:16,451 And I didn't see anything. 327 00:17:16,503 --> 00:17:18,936 - Narrator: Investigators ask mary ann if she can think of 328 00:17:18,972 --> 00:17:23,508 anyone who would commit such a gruesome crime. 329 00:17:23,543 --> 00:17:25,927 - Tom didn't have any enemies. Everybody liked tom. 330 00:17:25,962 --> 00:17:30,014 Even if tom owned them money, people still liked him. 331 00:17:30,050 --> 00:17:35,686 One of the things that mary ann indicated was, well, tim bragg, 332 00:17:35,722 --> 00:17:40,775 tom's twin brother, had enemies around town. 333 00:17:40,810 --> 00:17:45,646 And he may have had people angry at him to come and seek him out. 334 00:17:45,698 --> 00:17:48,483 And according to her, tim had been staying in the house 335 00:17:48,535 --> 00:17:51,002 for a little bit of a time after the accident, 336 00:17:51,037 --> 00:17:53,371 and he had stayed in that room. 337 00:17:54,657 --> 00:17:57,825 - Lori: After tim moved out, tom chose to stay back there in that 338 00:17:57,877 --> 00:18:00,945 bedroom due to the fact he was in pain. 339 00:18:00,964 --> 00:18:02,413 He didn't want mary ann bumping his leg 340 00:18:02,448 --> 00:18:04,782 while he slept at night. 341 00:18:04,818 --> 00:18:07,919 - Narrator: Mary ann's statement has investigators considering 342 00:18:07,954 --> 00:18:10,471 a disturbing possibility. 343 00:18:10,507 --> 00:18:11,856 - Lori: They were twins. 344 00:18:11,891 --> 00:18:15,426 It would be easy to mistake tom for tim, 345 00:18:15,461 --> 00:18:17,678 especially being that he was in the wrong room. 346 00:18:17,730 --> 00:18:19,013 Maybe they didn't mean to kill tom. 347 00:18:19,065 --> 00:18:20,731 Maybe they meant to kill tim, 348 00:18:20,767 --> 00:18:23,267 and they mistakenly got the brothers mixed up. 349 00:18:27,207 --> 00:18:28,873 - Narrator: Investigators waste little time 350 00:18:28,908 --> 00:18:30,942 contacting tim bragg, 351 00:18:30,977 --> 00:18:32,910 who agrees to meet for an interview 352 00:18:32,946 --> 00:18:35,646 at the thomaston police department. 353 00:18:35,665 --> 00:18:38,649 Tim admits that he likes to have a good time, 354 00:18:38,668 --> 00:18:42,336 but insists he's not in the habit of making enemies. 355 00:18:43,756 --> 00:18:46,323 - Vaughn: We didn't find any indication that he was this 356 00:18:46,342 --> 00:18:48,993 hell-raiser, going around town, getting in fights, 357 00:18:49,012 --> 00:18:50,327 causing trouble. 358 00:18:50,346 --> 00:18:51,712 We didn't see anything to indicate 359 00:18:51,764 --> 00:18:54,799 that he was that type of person at--at all. 360 00:18:57,387 --> 00:18:59,387 - Narrator: But just as investigators are wrapping up 361 00:18:59,439 --> 00:19:04,392 with tim, they notice something alarming on his leg cast. 362 00:19:04,444 --> 00:19:06,644 - There was a spot, what appeared to be like 363 00:19:06,679 --> 00:19:10,364 a brown spot on his cast that may have been a blood spot. 364 00:19:13,686 --> 00:19:16,370 - Narrator: Tim vehemently denies any involvement 365 00:19:16,406 --> 00:19:19,373 in his brother's murder. 366 00:19:19,409 --> 00:19:20,374 - Vaughn: He showed up to the police department 367 00:19:20,410 --> 00:19:23,077 with bonnie powell, who confirmed his story 368 00:19:23,129 --> 00:19:26,547 that he was home with her at the time of occurrence 369 00:19:26,583 --> 00:19:29,700 and had been home since the previous night. 370 00:19:29,736 --> 00:19:31,919 The blood spot did raise some suspicions, 371 00:19:31,971 --> 00:19:34,755 but there's a thousand reasons why, 372 00:19:34,807 --> 00:19:37,475 if you've had a cast on as long as this man has, 373 00:19:37,510 --> 00:19:40,511 that you would have a spot of blood on it. 374 00:19:40,547 --> 00:19:42,847 - Ben: It was never determined that tim had any involvement 375 00:19:42,882 --> 00:19:44,982 in tom's death. 376 00:19:45,018 --> 00:19:46,851 They were very close. 377 00:19:46,886 --> 00:19:48,385 And there was just never any evidence 378 00:19:48,404 --> 00:19:50,438 that pointed towards tim. 379 00:19:51,624 --> 00:19:53,558 - Narrator: Tim reveals to detectives that he has 380 00:19:53,593 --> 00:19:56,894 his own theory about who killed his brother. 381 00:19:56,913 --> 00:20:01,115 And he believes this wasn't their first attempt. 382 00:20:01,167 --> 00:20:04,085 - He felt that investigators should know this because, 383 00:20:04,120 --> 00:20:07,471 to him, the manner of what happened with tom 384 00:20:07,507 --> 00:20:09,707 at the roofing job was very suspicious. 385 00:20:12,411 --> 00:20:15,096 - Narrator: Coming up-- a new suspect emerges 386 00:20:15,131 --> 00:20:17,615 with strange ties to the accident 387 00:20:17,650 --> 00:20:20,685 that left tom in a wheelchair. 388 00:20:20,720 --> 00:20:24,105 - Could it have been the actual killer standing there? 389 00:20:24,140 --> 00:20:28,759 - Narrator: And salacious rumors give way to an outrageous truth. 390 00:20:28,778 --> 00:20:32,113 - Her and the pastor became romantic. 391 00:20:32,148 --> 00:20:33,531 - Vaughn: She's straight up playing 392 00:20:33,566 --> 00:20:35,099 the damsel in distress card. 393 00:20:35,118 --> 00:20:37,401 It was like a bad soap opera. 394 00:20:38,738 --> 00:20:43,441 - ♪ 395 00:20:43,575 --> 00:20:46,911 - ♪ 396 00:20:48,081 --> 00:20:49,814 - ♪ 397 00:20:49,849 --> 00:20:52,316 - narrator: Following the murder of tom bragg, 398 00:20:52,351 --> 00:20:54,619 investigators in thomaston, georgia, 399 00:20:54,654 --> 00:20:57,354 are questioning his twin brother, tim, 400 00:20:57,373 --> 00:21:00,658 who has his own suspicions about who might have 401 00:21:00,693 --> 00:21:01,892 committed the crime. 402 00:21:03,229 --> 00:21:05,630 He says following the roofing accident 403 00:21:05,665 --> 00:21:07,765 in which they both broke their legs, 404 00:21:07,800 --> 00:21:10,935 tom went back to the church to examine the roof 405 00:21:10,970 --> 00:21:14,338 and made a frightening discovery. 406 00:21:14,373 --> 00:21:16,924 - Tom noticed that one of the bearing walls 407 00:21:16,976 --> 00:21:19,343 had been cut through with a saw. 408 00:21:21,397 --> 00:21:23,347 - Vaughn: He was already suspicious of james wright, 409 00:21:23,382 --> 00:21:27,818 who was the ex-husband of mary ann bragg. 410 00:21:27,854 --> 00:21:30,354 - Elaine: James wright had been at the site 411 00:21:30,389 --> 00:21:31,889 where they were roofing. 412 00:21:31,908 --> 00:21:36,360 And he had been seen there the day before. 413 00:21:36,395 --> 00:21:39,947 But no one knows why james wright was there that day. 414 00:21:39,999 --> 00:21:44,001 Tom knew that james wright did not like him. 415 00:21:44,037 --> 00:21:47,788 And of course, it was mutual between them. 416 00:21:47,840 --> 00:21:52,376 - James wright was also, um, a concern of the family's, 417 00:21:52,411 --> 00:21:54,845 as well as the deceased, tom. 418 00:21:54,881 --> 00:21:58,966 He was always in the perimeter no matter what mary ann did. 419 00:22:00,753 --> 00:22:03,604 - ♪ 420 00:22:03,639 --> 00:22:06,624 - narrator: When investigators track down james wright, 421 00:22:06,659 --> 00:22:09,760 he surprisingly admits that he still has feelings 422 00:22:09,796 --> 00:22:11,929 for his ex-wife. 423 00:22:11,948 --> 00:22:15,299 - James wright will, uh, do anything for mary ann. 424 00:22:15,335 --> 00:22:18,636 He could not say no to mary ann. 425 00:22:18,671 --> 00:22:20,338 - Narrator: James also admits 426 00:22:20,373 --> 00:22:22,573 that he and tom had their issues, 427 00:22:22,608 --> 00:22:27,111 but denies having any hand in his death. 428 00:22:27,130 --> 00:22:30,548 - James wright loved my mom unconditionally 429 00:22:30,583 --> 00:22:32,116 'til the day he died. 430 00:22:32,151 --> 00:22:35,920 But there would be no reason for my dad, james wright, 431 00:22:35,955 --> 00:22:38,322 to hurt tom. 432 00:22:38,358 --> 00:22:39,790 - Vaughn: James wright took a polygraph, 433 00:22:39,809 --> 00:22:41,675 and he never backed down on his statements. 434 00:22:41,728 --> 00:22:45,496 There was no connections with him to the roofing accident. 435 00:22:45,531 --> 00:22:48,132 He passed the polygraph with no problems. 436 00:22:48,151 --> 00:22:49,984 He wasn't there, and he had an airtight alibi. 437 00:22:51,821 --> 00:22:54,605 - Narrator: With their most promising lead falling through, 438 00:22:54,640 --> 00:22:58,025 investigators reach out to tom's friends and family, 439 00:22:58,077 --> 00:23:02,997 who share a troubling rumor about mary ann. 440 00:23:03,032 --> 00:23:06,016 - She was, apparently, having multiple affairs. 441 00:23:07,787 --> 00:23:09,336 - Elaine: Tom was worried that 442 00:23:09,372 --> 00:23:13,490 mary ann was running around on him. 443 00:23:13,509 --> 00:23:17,561 That was really why he wanted to stop his driving 444 00:23:17,597 --> 00:23:20,714 and start doing roofing and construction work. 445 00:23:22,518 --> 00:23:24,769 - Narrator: Among mary ann's rumored lovers, 446 00:23:24,804 --> 00:23:29,940 one name immediately grabs investigators' attention. 447 00:23:29,976 --> 00:23:33,778 - One of the people that she was allegedly having an affair with 448 00:23:33,813 --> 00:23:37,531 was the neighbor, jimmy mann, from across the street. 449 00:23:37,567 --> 00:23:39,383 The man who found the body. 450 00:23:41,554 --> 00:23:43,020 - Narrator: Friends and neighbors say there was 451 00:23:43,039 --> 00:23:46,157 a very public confrontation between the two men 452 00:23:46,192 --> 00:23:49,526 just weeks before tom's death. 453 00:23:49,545 --> 00:23:50,961 - There at the walmart in thomaston, 454 00:23:50,997 --> 00:23:54,565 jimmy mann and tom bragg had exchanged words. 455 00:23:55,802 --> 00:23:57,101 - Narrator: When investigators consider 456 00:23:57,136 --> 00:23:59,670 this newfound information, 457 00:23:59,705 --> 00:24:03,757 they naturally become skeptical of james mann's initial story. 458 00:24:05,645 --> 00:24:09,546 - This man across the road is having an affair with your wife. 459 00:24:09,565 --> 00:24:11,882 Why would you want him coming in your house, waking you up, 460 00:24:11,901 --> 00:24:14,051 and taking you to an auto parts store 461 00:24:14,070 --> 00:24:17,021 a couple of weeks after you got into a, uh-- 462 00:24:17,056 --> 00:24:20,941 a spat with him at walmart over an alleged affair? 463 00:24:20,993 --> 00:24:22,960 None of that made sense. 464 00:24:25,932 --> 00:24:28,999 - Narrator: Investigators confront james at his home. 465 00:24:29,035 --> 00:24:32,119 And he confirms a past relationship with mary ann, 466 00:24:32,171 --> 00:24:35,039 but insists it's been long over, 467 00:24:35,074 --> 00:24:39,043 and that he had absolutely nothing to do with tom's murder. 468 00:24:39,078 --> 00:24:42,079 Lee backs her husband's claims. 469 00:24:42,098 --> 00:24:43,914 - Vaughn: One thing that was consistent all the way through 470 00:24:43,933 --> 00:24:46,600 was that her and jimmy mann were together all morning. 471 00:24:46,636 --> 00:24:48,602 There was no chance or opportunity for him 472 00:24:48,638 --> 00:24:51,972 to sneak across the street and do these things. 473 00:24:52,024 --> 00:24:53,941 - Narrator: But there is one vital detail 474 00:24:53,976 --> 00:24:56,894 that lee and james do waver on. 475 00:24:57,980 --> 00:25:01,148 - The only inconsistency ever really found 476 00:25:01,200 --> 00:25:04,268 in anything they said was the cigarette glow. 477 00:25:04,287 --> 00:25:07,738 You know, "oh, it was tom glowing--glowing cigarette." 478 00:25:07,773 --> 00:25:10,574 then it--"well, we didn't really see a face." 479 00:25:10,609 --> 00:25:12,576 "well, it could've been a taillight reflection 480 00:25:12,612 --> 00:25:15,579 in the window because it was a brief flash." 481 00:25:17,283 --> 00:25:20,518 - narrator: The uncertainty raises even more questions. 482 00:25:21,954 --> 00:25:25,172 - Could it have been the actual killer standing there? 483 00:25:25,224 --> 00:25:29,176 Or was it a taillight reflection? 484 00:25:29,228 --> 00:25:31,145 We don't know. 485 00:25:31,180 --> 00:25:34,231 - Ben: From what lee henry and james mann stated, 486 00:25:34,267 --> 00:25:36,517 that mary ann would've left, 487 00:25:36,569 --> 00:25:39,770 it--it still could've mean mary ann had committed the crime 488 00:25:39,805 --> 00:25:44,575 and that someone else was still there after the murder. 489 00:25:44,610 --> 00:25:46,994 - Narrator: Without concrete evidence that tom was alive 490 00:25:47,029 --> 00:25:49,163 after she left the house, 491 00:25:49,198 --> 00:25:52,116 mary ann is back on the suspect list. 492 00:25:56,005 --> 00:25:59,206 - Vaughn: We were focused on trying to figure out exactly 493 00:25:59,258 --> 00:26:01,675 who and what mary ann was doing. 494 00:26:02,828 --> 00:26:05,162 - Narrator: Police discover that mary ann had a hobby 495 00:26:05,181 --> 00:26:07,014 to keep her occupied. 496 00:26:09,018 --> 00:26:11,902 - Lori: Mary ann at the time had engaged in chatroom activity 497 00:26:11,938 --> 00:26:13,053 on her computer. 498 00:26:13,105 --> 00:26:15,055 She seen the computer as a distraction, 499 00:26:15,107 --> 00:26:18,943 as a way to talk to people, give her somebody to talk to. 500 00:26:18,978 --> 00:26:21,312 - Vaughn: She had lots of guys who were interested in her 501 00:26:21,347 --> 00:26:25,015 online, and as well as in town. 502 00:26:25,034 --> 00:26:26,700 - Narrator: Police obtain a search warrant 503 00:26:26,736 --> 00:26:29,920 for mary ann's property, including her computer. 504 00:26:29,956 --> 00:26:33,857 And what they uncover is shocking. 505 00:26:33,893 --> 00:26:36,160 - Vaughn: We found all of these cyber affairs. 506 00:26:36,195 --> 00:26:39,196 Talking up sexual fantasies, and sexual favors, 507 00:26:39,215 --> 00:26:41,966 and--and--and--and these wants and these desires. 508 00:26:45,605 --> 00:26:47,805 - Narrator: As investigators scroll through the list of 509 00:26:47,840 --> 00:26:53,093 online suitors, they are surprised by one in particular. 510 00:26:53,145 --> 00:26:57,047 - We uncovered a lot of illicit affairs that mary ann 511 00:26:57,066 --> 00:27:00,884 was involved in, one of which was with a--a local pastor here 512 00:27:00,903 --> 00:27:04,605 in thomaston, uh, by the name of steve craven. 513 00:27:04,657 --> 00:27:07,724 Tom and tim had both fallen off a roof. 514 00:27:07,743 --> 00:27:10,778 And it was the church that pastor steve craven 515 00:27:10,830 --> 00:27:12,696 was the pastor over. 516 00:27:15,868 --> 00:27:18,118 - Christy: It was a blow to me when I found out, 517 00:27:18,170 --> 00:27:22,906 because I let him do a eulogy at my dad's funeral. 518 00:27:24,810 --> 00:27:26,543 And I didn't know any of this. 519 00:27:27,930 --> 00:27:30,764 - ♪ 520 00:27:30,800 --> 00:27:33,767 - ben: We interviewed pastor steve craven. 521 00:27:33,803 --> 00:27:37,754 At first, he denied any involvement with any kind 522 00:27:37,773 --> 00:27:41,091 of illicit affair with mary ann bragg. 523 00:27:41,110 --> 00:27:45,129 - Narrator: But investigators have proof to the contrary. 524 00:27:45,164 --> 00:27:49,099 - Ben: Once we confronted him with the emails and the photos, 525 00:27:49,135 --> 00:27:52,286 he changed his story and actually admitted that, yes, 526 00:27:52,321 --> 00:27:55,205 he had a moment of weakness, as he called it. 527 00:27:57,109 --> 00:27:59,993 - Lori: When tom's accident happened, with him out of work, 528 00:28:00,046 --> 00:28:03,247 mary ann, she had trouble making the bills. 529 00:28:03,282 --> 00:28:05,783 So she sought help from the pastor and the church 530 00:28:05,818 --> 00:28:07,451 to help with her bills. 531 00:28:07,486 --> 00:28:09,286 During that time, her and the pastor 532 00:28:09,321 --> 00:28:12,890 became friends and got romantic. 533 00:28:16,395 --> 00:28:18,996 - Narrator: Despite the relationship with mary ann, 534 00:28:19,031 --> 00:28:22,666 investigators find no reason to believe pastor craven 535 00:28:22,702 --> 00:28:25,185 was involved in tom's murder. 536 00:28:25,237 --> 00:28:27,938 Nor do they believe that he or anyone associated 537 00:28:27,973 --> 00:28:30,407 with the church caused the roof collapse. 538 00:28:31,810 --> 00:28:34,078 - Vaughn: His alibi was that he works at the air force base, 539 00:28:34,113 --> 00:28:38,248 almost two hours away from thomaston 540 00:28:38,284 --> 00:28:39,950 and where the incident occurred. 541 00:28:39,985 --> 00:28:43,704 At this point, this was just another person in town that 542 00:28:43,756 --> 00:28:47,324 mary ann was flirtatious with, she was coming on to. 543 00:28:47,343 --> 00:28:50,377 She's straight up playing the damsel in distress card. 544 00:28:50,429 --> 00:28:52,880 It was like a bad soap opera. 545 00:28:54,767 --> 00:28:55,833 - Narrator: While the number of men 546 00:28:55,868 --> 00:28:59,686 that mary ann was involved with continues to grow, 547 00:28:59,722 --> 00:29:01,772 investigators are far from proving 548 00:29:01,807 --> 00:29:05,976 she had anything to do with tom's death. 549 00:29:06,011 --> 00:29:07,844 - Lori: Yes, mary ann cheated on her husband, 550 00:29:07,863 --> 00:29:09,313 but that is not a crime. 551 00:29:11,734 --> 00:29:14,017 - Narrator: But soon, investigators get a tip 552 00:29:14,036 --> 00:29:16,853 that suggests mary ann may have been capable 553 00:29:16,872 --> 00:29:20,824 of far more than cheating. 554 00:29:20,859 --> 00:29:23,043 - Vaughn: On the tip line that the family had set up, 555 00:29:23,078 --> 00:29:28,715 a former son-in-law of mary ann bragg submitted a tip. 556 00:29:28,751 --> 00:29:31,468 Several years prior, mary ann had asked him 557 00:29:31,504 --> 00:29:34,922 to get rid of james wright. 558 00:29:34,974 --> 00:29:37,891 He believes that mary ann may be up to her old tricks 559 00:29:37,927 --> 00:29:40,177 and was trying to eliminate her husband. 560 00:29:42,448 --> 00:29:47,401 - Narrator: Coming up: A selfish motive rises to the surface. 561 00:29:47,436 --> 00:29:49,520 - Vaughn: He can't work. He can't bring in money. 562 00:29:49,555 --> 00:29:52,022 She's tired of waiting on him. 563 00:29:52,057 --> 00:29:53,240 - Narrator: And the investigation comes 564 00:29:53,275 --> 00:29:56,109 to a screeching halt. 565 00:29:56,162 --> 00:29:58,428 - It was a living hell. It was a nightmare. 566 00:30:00,099 --> 00:30:04,434 - ♪ 567 00:30:04,569 --> 00:30:07,821 - ♪ 568 00:30:11,544 --> 00:30:12,609 - narrator: Investigators looking into the death of 569 00:30:13,863 --> 00:30:17,514 46-year-old tom bragg have learned that his wife, mary ann, 570 00:30:17,550 --> 00:30:19,850 was engaged in multiple affairs, 571 00:30:19,885 --> 00:30:22,336 both in person and over the internet. 572 00:30:23,539 --> 00:30:25,289 - Vaughn: During the time leading up to the murder 573 00:30:25,324 --> 00:30:28,208 of tom bragg, tom is injured, he's not working. 574 00:30:28,260 --> 00:30:30,727 He's got two broke legs. 575 00:30:30,763 --> 00:30:32,729 Mary ann's staying at home on the computer all day talking to 576 00:30:32,765 --> 00:30:34,548 men in the surrounding areas. 577 00:30:36,385 --> 00:30:38,719 - Narrator: But a tip from mary ann's former son-in-law 578 00:30:38,771 --> 00:30:40,387 leads investigators to believe 579 00:30:40,439 --> 00:30:44,391 that she may have had more than just lust on her mind. 580 00:30:46,312 --> 00:30:48,529 - Vaughn: We did discover that she had asked about having 581 00:30:48,564 --> 00:30:52,699 a previous husband taken care of or killed. 582 00:30:52,735 --> 00:30:56,686 He felt that investigators should know this because to him, 583 00:30:56,705 --> 00:30:59,573 it looked like she was trying to do the exact same thing 584 00:30:59,625 --> 00:31:01,708 that she had tried to do years before. 585 00:31:03,929 --> 00:31:05,696 - Narrator: To investigate the claim, 586 00:31:05,731 --> 00:31:09,533 detectives reach out to the long list of potential lovers gleaned 587 00:31:09,568 --> 00:31:12,402 from mary ann's computer. 588 00:31:12,438 --> 00:31:15,772 And one by one, they confirm disturbing requests 589 00:31:15,808 --> 00:31:18,926 they received from her. 590 00:31:18,978 --> 00:31:20,510 - How can I take care of him? 591 00:31:20,545 --> 00:31:23,547 How can he go away? How can he disappear? 592 00:31:23,582 --> 00:31:25,382 Basically, she was looking for someone to kill him, 593 00:31:25,417 --> 00:31:26,617 to take him out. 594 00:31:27,953 --> 00:31:29,353 - Narrator: Although mary ann 595 00:31:29,388 --> 00:31:31,922 purportedly wanted her husband dead, 596 00:31:31,957 --> 00:31:34,741 it's unclear as to why... 597 00:31:34,777 --> 00:31:37,394 Until investigators delve into 598 00:31:37,413 --> 00:31:40,447 tom and mary ann's financial records. 599 00:31:41,500 --> 00:31:43,733 - In February of 2002, 600 00:31:43,752 --> 00:31:46,920 mary ann had taken out a life insurance policy on tom bragg 601 00:31:46,956 --> 00:31:50,607 in the amount of $25,000. 602 00:31:50,643 --> 00:31:53,777 Our investigation showed that tom bragg was never even aware 603 00:31:53,812 --> 00:31:56,296 that this insurance policy existed. 604 00:31:59,602 --> 00:32:02,769 - Narrator: On October 25, investigators ask mary ann 605 00:32:02,805 --> 00:32:06,940 down to the station for a third interview. 606 00:32:06,976 --> 00:32:09,943 When they confront her with evidence of her infidelity, 607 00:32:09,979 --> 00:32:11,561 she plays it cool. 608 00:32:13,616 --> 00:32:15,449 - Vaughn: When confronted with her yahoo chats 609 00:32:15,484 --> 00:32:17,834 and things of that nature, that--that was roleplay. 610 00:32:20,439 --> 00:32:21,705 - Narrator: Mary ann tells detectives 611 00:32:22,908 --> 00:32:24,875 that her online affairs were just a way of coping with 612 00:32:24,910 --> 00:32:29,379 her growing unhappiness with tom. 613 00:32:29,415 --> 00:32:31,715 - Vaughn: She even made the statement to me in an interview 614 00:32:31,750 --> 00:32:36,803 that she is supposed to be the one being taken care of, 615 00:32:36,839 --> 00:32:40,007 not being a nursemaid for a cripple who can't work. 616 00:32:42,861 --> 00:32:44,962 - Narrator: Investigators believe mary ann just handed 617 00:32:44,997 --> 00:32:47,497 them another hint as to why 618 00:32:47,533 --> 00:32:51,652 she may have wanted tom out of her life. 619 00:32:51,687 --> 00:32:53,770 - Leading up to tom's death, 620 00:32:53,805 --> 00:32:57,024 that's kind of the mindset that she was in. 621 00:32:57,076 --> 00:32:59,576 "I'm tired of washing clothes, feeding him, cooking for him, 622 00:32:59,611 --> 00:33:00,661 "cleaning after him. 623 00:33:01,664 --> 00:33:02,612 "and he can't work. He can't bring in money. 624 00:33:03,349 --> 00:33:05,849 This is not what I signed up for." 625 00:33:05,884 --> 00:33:08,001 - lori: One of the witnesses said that my aunt had been 626 00:33:08,037 --> 00:33:11,004 looking for someone to kill her husband, 627 00:33:11,040 --> 00:33:13,373 and that she had been offering to pay them money 628 00:33:13,425 --> 00:33:15,842 out of the insurance policy. 629 00:33:15,878 --> 00:33:18,428 I never heard my aunt mention that. 630 00:33:19,631 --> 00:33:21,548 - Vaughn: She's denying everything about the past, 631 00:33:21,600 --> 00:33:24,017 about trying to have her ex-husband killed, 632 00:33:24,053 --> 00:33:25,185 trying to have tom killed. 633 00:33:25,220 --> 00:33:27,187 She never had those conversations, 634 00:33:27,222 --> 00:33:28,805 that the people are making that up. 635 00:33:30,642 --> 00:33:33,860 - Narrator: While police believe they've zeroed in on a motive, 636 00:33:33,896 --> 00:33:37,030 whether or not mary ann found someone to do her dirty work 637 00:33:37,066 --> 00:33:39,700 for her remains a mystery. 638 00:33:42,788 --> 00:33:44,988 Detectives continue to dig. 639 00:33:45,023 --> 00:33:48,759 But within months, the trail of evidence goes ice cold. 640 00:33:48,794 --> 00:33:52,462 And tom's family grows frustrated. 641 00:33:52,498 --> 00:33:55,599 - We would go to the police department every day. 642 00:33:55,634 --> 00:33:57,901 And we would badger the police. 643 00:33:57,936 --> 00:34:00,070 And it was--it was a living hell. 644 00:34:00,105 --> 00:34:02,139 It was a nightmare. 645 00:34:02,174 --> 00:34:03,607 And we just got to the point 646 00:34:03,642 --> 00:34:06,510 we felt like this is never going to be solved. 647 00:34:08,747 --> 00:34:10,647 - Narrator: Mary ann also frequently called 648 00:34:10,682 --> 00:34:13,583 the thomaston police department. 649 00:34:13,619 --> 00:34:15,719 But she wasn't looking for answers 650 00:34:15,754 --> 00:34:18,721 about who killed her husband. 651 00:34:18,741 --> 00:34:20,574 - The only thing she would talk about is, 652 00:34:20,609 --> 00:34:22,576 "why haven't I gotten my insurance money?" 653 00:34:23,946 --> 00:34:26,729 their investigator for the insurance company would call me 654 00:34:26,749 --> 00:34:28,731 and say, "hey, can we release this money? 655 00:34:28,751 --> 00:34:30,233 Is she still a suspect?" 656 00:34:30,252 --> 00:34:31,752 "absolutely, she's still a suspect." 657 00:34:31,787 --> 00:34:33,920 "okay, thank you very much." 658 00:34:33,956 --> 00:34:35,172 they would not pay. 659 00:34:35,207 --> 00:34:37,457 And that would highly frustrate her. 660 00:34:38,577 --> 00:34:41,595 - The police department and our office had suspected that 661 00:34:41,630 --> 00:34:44,798 mary ann was the perpetrator of this crime for quite some time. 662 00:34:46,769 --> 00:34:48,952 - Narrator: With the investigation at a standstill, 663 00:34:48,987 --> 00:34:53,640 detectives decide to retrace their steps. 664 00:34:53,692 --> 00:34:55,125 - If you're a good, trained investigator, 665 00:34:55,160 --> 00:34:57,611 you documented your interviews. 666 00:34:57,646 --> 00:35:00,197 And so you can come back a year, a year and a half later, 667 00:35:00,232 --> 00:35:01,832 and re-interview those people. 668 00:35:01,867 --> 00:35:03,650 And sometimes you can catch them up. 669 00:35:06,004 --> 00:35:09,623 - Narrator: They start with the cornerstone of mary ann's alibi: 670 00:35:09,658 --> 00:35:12,742 Her friend, debra clay, who rode with mary ann 671 00:35:12,777 --> 00:35:16,746 to the doctor's office on the morning of the murder. 672 00:35:16,782 --> 00:35:20,133 Debra reveals that she wasn't completely forthright with them 673 00:35:20,169 --> 00:35:22,169 on the day of tom's death. 674 00:35:23,839 --> 00:35:26,139 - Vaughn: Debra clay tells us eventually that mary ann 675 00:35:26,175 --> 00:35:28,791 gave her some--some drugs. 676 00:35:28,811 --> 00:35:29,843 She took those drugs. 677 00:35:30,762 --> 00:35:31,728 They made her very sleep and very weary. 678 00:35:31,763 --> 00:35:35,132 And she slept most of the ride to lagrange, 679 00:35:35,167 --> 00:35:36,867 which is about an hour ride. 680 00:35:38,821 --> 00:35:40,520 - Narrator: Debra recalls emerging from 681 00:35:40,572 --> 00:35:43,156 her drug-induced slumber just long enough 682 00:35:43,192 --> 00:35:46,827 to witness something particularly odd. 683 00:35:46,862 --> 00:35:48,161 - Debra clay did tell us 684 00:35:48,197 --> 00:35:51,181 that she recalls once the vehicle stopped. 685 00:35:51,216 --> 00:35:54,000 And she remembers they were on a bridge, 686 00:35:54,036 --> 00:35:58,038 and mary ann throwing an item in a plastic bag off the bridge. 687 00:35:59,157 --> 00:36:00,841 Debra sleeps again. 688 00:36:00,876 --> 00:36:04,845 She awakes again at the hardee's in greenville. 689 00:36:04,880 --> 00:36:08,665 She remembers mary ann disposing a large trash bag 690 00:36:08,684 --> 00:36:12,969 into the dumpster there at the hardee's. 691 00:36:13,004 --> 00:36:15,272 And then they proceed the rest of the way to lagrange, 692 00:36:15,307 --> 00:36:16,640 to the doctor's appointment. 693 00:36:18,277 --> 00:36:21,194 - Narrator: Investigators believe that if the bags exist, 694 00:36:21,230 --> 00:36:23,280 they likely contained evidence 695 00:36:23,315 --> 00:36:26,650 mary ann was eager to get rid of. 696 00:36:26,685 --> 00:36:27,817 - Ben: If mary ann had thrown 697 00:36:27,853 --> 00:36:30,987 a bag of clothing from the vehicle, 698 00:36:31,023 --> 00:36:35,325 we theorized that that was clothing that had blood on it, 699 00:36:35,360 --> 00:36:37,294 and possibly the murder weapon as well. 700 00:36:39,231 --> 00:36:42,749 - Narrator: Debra also recalls mary ann making an odd statement 701 00:36:42,801 --> 00:36:45,802 after her doctor's appointment. 702 00:36:45,837 --> 00:36:48,004 - Vaughn: She wanted to know, if she told her psychiatrist, 703 00:36:48,039 --> 00:36:50,840 if it would be protected under doctor-patient privilege. 704 00:36:52,844 --> 00:36:54,811 - Narrator: Investigators quickly put in a request 705 00:36:54,846 --> 00:36:58,732 with the psychiatrist's office for mary ann's records. 706 00:36:58,767 --> 00:37:00,400 - We had to fight to get his records. 707 00:37:00,435 --> 00:37:01,685 And I think it was because 708 00:37:02,454 --> 00:37:03,770 what his records was going to do to her. 709 00:37:07,159 --> 00:37:09,693 - Narrator: Coming up: A slip of the tongue 710 00:37:09,728 --> 00:37:13,079 breaks the case wide open. 711 00:37:13,115 --> 00:37:16,283 - Ben: That proved that she knew. 712 00:37:16,335 --> 00:37:18,752 It was the gotcha moment for me. 713 00:37:20,872 --> 00:37:25,809 - ♪ 714 00:37:25,943 --> 00:37:29,329 - ♪ 715 00:37:32,651 --> 00:37:33,867 - narrator: Two years into their investigation, 716 00:37:35,020 --> 00:37:37,354 georgia authorities desperately need a smoking gun 717 00:37:37,389 --> 00:37:39,689 to tie mary ann bragg 718 00:37:39,725 --> 00:37:42,842 to the brutal murder of her husband, tom. 719 00:37:42,878 --> 00:37:45,879 Investigators are now fighting for critical records 720 00:37:45,931 --> 00:37:48,848 from mary ann's psychiatrist. 721 00:37:48,884 --> 00:37:50,884 - It pretty much comes down to a court order, uh, 722 00:37:50,936 --> 00:37:51,968 to get everything. 723 00:37:52,888 --> 00:37:55,055 And then it was still like pulling teeth 724 00:37:55,107 --> 00:37:56,773 to get these records. 725 00:37:59,227 --> 00:38:03,029 - Narrator: In 2005, nearly 3 years after the murder of 726 00:38:03,065 --> 00:38:09,035 tom bragg, investigators obtain the coveted medical records. 727 00:38:09,071 --> 00:38:14,357 - On the morning of the murder, according to the doctor's note, 728 00:38:14,376 --> 00:38:18,878 mary ann bragg appeared to be distraught and made the comment 729 00:38:18,914 --> 00:38:21,748 to the doctor that, uh, she had just found out 730 00:38:21,800 --> 00:38:23,333 that her husband had been killed. 731 00:38:26,838 --> 00:38:29,105 - Narrator: The statement immediately raises red flags 732 00:38:29,141 --> 00:38:31,891 for investigators. 733 00:38:31,927 --> 00:38:34,811 - She had not been notified by law enforcement at that point 734 00:38:34,846 --> 00:38:37,681 that her husband had been murdered. 735 00:38:37,716 --> 00:38:38,815 - Vaughn: What does that tell you? 736 00:38:38,850 --> 00:38:40,183 She knew he was dead 737 00:38:41,403 --> 00:38:42,319 because she had killed him before she left that morning. 738 00:38:44,889 --> 00:38:49,275 - It was the gotcha moment for me. 739 00:38:49,328 --> 00:38:50,777 - Vaughn: When those records came out 740 00:38:50,829 --> 00:38:52,829 and we get that information, 741 00:38:52,864 --> 00:38:56,166 and then you put that with everything else we've got, 742 00:38:56,201 --> 00:38:57,701 we're good to go. 743 00:38:59,955 --> 00:39:02,288 - Narrator: On November 8, 2005, 744 00:39:02,341 --> 00:39:05,208 investigators arrive at mary ann's home, 745 00:39:05,243 --> 00:39:10,046 where they finally place the 49-year-old under arrest. 746 00:39:10,081 --> 00:39:12,432 - Ben: Mary ann bragg was charged and indicted with 747 00:39:12,467 --> 00:39:15,285 the offenses of malice murder, felony murder, 748 00:39:15,320 --> 00:39:16,786 and aggravated assault. 749 00:39:19,024 --> 00:39:22,425 - Christy: The news of her arrest to my family 750 00:39:22,444 --> 00:39:23,727 was a relief. 751 00:39:25,364 --> 00:39:27,364 We could finally rest. 752 00:39:27,399 --> 00:39:29,115 - Elaine: I was just crying, 753 00:39:29,151 --> 00:39:32,235 just crying from just wonderful feelings 754 00:39:32,270 --> 00:39:33,703 that this was finally over. 755 00:39:33,739 --> 00:39:35,739 I--it was so much relief. 756 00:39:37,442 --> 00:39:42,779 - Narrator: In September 2006, mary ann's trial begins. 757 00:39:42,798 --> 00:39:45,882 Prosecutors allege that in the weeks leading up to the murder, 758 00:39:45,917 --> 00:39:48,318 mary ann was getting increasingly frustrated 759 00:39:48,353 --> 00:39:50,286 with her new lifestyle. 760 00:39:52,123 --> 00:39:54,474 - Vaughn: You go back to investigations 101, 761 00:39:54,509 --> 00:39:58,294 ability, opportunity, motive. 762 00:39:58,330 --> 00:40:00,797 Who checks those boxes? 763 00:40:00,816 --> 00:40:04,367 She married tom because tom was known to be a hardworking man 764 00:40:04,403 --> 00:40:05,869 who could provide for her 765 00:40:05,904 --> 00:40:08,188 and give her the life that she wanted. 766 00:40:11,143 --> 00:40:13,493 - Ben: From the prosecution's standpoint, 767 00:40:13,528 --> 00:40:17,514 she was tired of tom being disabled from his injury. 768 00:40:17,549 --> 00:40:21,868 She was tired of there being no income coming into the house. 769 00:40:21,920 --> 00:40:24,871 She was tired of having to take care of tom. 770 00:40:24,923 --> 00:40:27,507 And she was looking for a way out. 771 00:40:27,542 --> 00:40:30,093 - When you start putting the rumors together 772 00:40:30,128 --> 00:40:32,161 and you start figuring things out, 773 00:40:32,180 --> 00:40:34,431 you start seeing some consistencies here. 774 00:40:34,466 --> 00:40:36,165 She wants him bashed in the head. 775 00:40:36,184 --> 00:40:39,219 But she can't nobody to do it, so she does it herself. 776 00:40:39,271 --> 00:40:41,771 She betrayed and killed her husband. 777 00:40:43,007 --> 00:40:44,307 - Ben: In the early morning hours, 778 00:40:44,342 --> 00:40:46,309 probably right before she left 779 00:40:46,344 --> 00:40:48,878 to go to her doctor's appointment, 780 00:40:48,914 --> 00:40:51,448 between 5:30 and 6:00 am would've been 781 00:40:51,483 --> 00:40:53,950 when mary ann killed tom bragg. 782 00:40:53,985 --> 00:41:00,406 - ♪ 783 00:41:00,459 --> 00:41:02,158 - narrator: To back up their theory, 784 00:41:02,193 --> 00:41:07,247 prosecutors call a laundry list of witnesses to the stand. 785 00:41:07,299 --> 00:41:10,467 - Elaine: They brought in all the boyfriends that she tried to 786 00:41:10,502 --> 00:41:15,088 hire to murder james wright and tom. 787 00:41:15,140 --> 00:41:19,092 They were very explicit about how she went about asking them 788 00:41:19,144 --> 00:41:20,977 to commit murder for her. 789 00:41:22,180 --> 00:41:24,514 - Narrator: But mary ann's defense team argues 790 00:41:24,549 --> 00:41:27,984 that the prosecution's case is purely circumstantial 791 00:41:28,019 --> 00:41:31,020 and far from airtight. 792 00:41:31,055 --> 00:41:33,122 - Her defense attorneys argue that there was 793 00:41:33,158 --> 00:41:36,993 no direct evidence to tie her to this crime. 794 00:41:37,028 --> 00:41:39,112 - Dawn: She couldn't do nothing like that. 795 00:41:39,164 --> 00:41:42,248 And I told her exactly what I thought. 796 00:41:42,284 --> 00:41:44,200 That I knew she couldn't do nothing like that. 797 00:41:47,172 --> 00:41:48,955 - Narrator: After a week of testimony, 798 00:41:49,007 --> 00:41:51,174 the state rests its case. 799 00:41:51,209 --> 00:41:53,543 And the jury comes to a decision. 800 00:41:55,246 --> 00:41:59,549 The jury found mary ann bragg guilty on all three counts: 801 00:41:59,584 --> 00:42:02,285 Malice murder, felony murder, and aggravated assault. 802 00:42:03,655 --> 00:42:06,222 She was sentenced to life in prison 803 00:42:06,258 --> 00:42:08,591 on the malice murder count, 804 00:42:08,627 --> 00:42:11,861 and also life in prison on the felony murder count. 805 00:42:11,897 --> 00:42:14,364 She was sentenced to 20 years to serve 806 00:42:14,399 --> 00:42:16,282 on the aggravated assault count, 807 00:42:16,318 --> 00:42:18,267 which were all three maximum sentences 808 00:42:18,286 --> 00:42:19,602 provided by law. 809 00:42:24,042 --> 00:42:28,244 - To know that my mother got two life sentences 810 00:42:28,280 --> 00:42:32,315 and 20 years, um, was devastating. 811 00:42:32,350 --> 00:42:34,384 She will die in prison. 812 00:42:34,419 --> 00:42:38,021 And that's heartbreaking. 813 00:42:38,056 --> 00:42:42,342 But myself, I will not quit--quit praying that 814 00:42:42,394 --> 00:42:45,662 something will happen, 815 00:42:45,697 --> 00:42:48,097 and she will walk out of there before that time. 816 00:42:52,137 --> 00:42:54,070 - Elaine: We didn't want the death penalty 817 00:42:54,105 --> 00:42:57,991 because that would have been too easy for mary ann. 818 00:42:58,026 --> 00:43:03,279 She needed to think about what she did to tom every day. 819 00:43:04,950 --> 00:43:09,002 - Vaughn: Evil is among us. Evil is everywhere. 820 00:43:09,037 --> 00:43:11,387 And when you look at people like mary ann bragg, 821 00:43:11,423 --> 00:43:14,924 there's no other word to describe her other than evil. 822 00:43:17,262 --> 00:43:24,300 - ♪