1 00:00:02,585 --> 00:00:03,628 - FEMALE NARRATOR: A cold-blooded murder 2 00:00:04,629 --> 00:00:06,464 off a rural North Carolina highway 3 00:00:06,506 --> 00:00:09,926 sends shockwaves through the community. 4 00:00:09,968 --> 00:00:11,553 - TOM: He was a truly nice guy. 5 00:00:11,594 --> 00:00:17,392 Everybody I know that I've met felt the same way about him. 6 00:00:17,434 --> 00:00:19,310 - NARRATOR: Though leads run slim, 7 00:00:19,352 --> 00:00:23,773 investigators believe this was no random act of violence. 8 00:00:23,815 --> 00:00:26,776 This was personal. 9 00:00:26,818 --> 00:00:29,779 - There was a footprint on the back of his shirt. 10 00:00:29,821 --> 00:00:33,491 Somebody stood over this guy and shot him in the head. 11 00:00:33,533 --> 00:00:35,285 - JERI: Who could have pulled the trigger, 12 00:00:35,326 --> 00:00:37,203 and the big question was why? 13 00:00:37,245 --> 00:00:41,082 Was he tracked there and led to a trap? 14 00:00:41,124 --> 00:00:42,459 - NARRATOR: Their break in the case 15 00:00:42,500 --> 00:00:45,378 comes from an unlikely source. 16 00:00:45,420 --> 00:00:47,172 - CYNTHIA: He was bad, he had a record. 17 00:00:47,213 --> 00:00:50,050 He had an attitude. 18 00:00:50,091 --> 00:00:51,760 - JERI: The front of the envelope said, 19 00:00:51,801 --> 00:00:54,596 "Open only if I die." 20 00:00:54,637 --> 00:00:57,265 - KENNETH: And the policeman said, "We have a suspect." 21 00:00:57,307 --> 00:01:00,393 And she said, "I felt you would be coming to see me soon." 22 00:01:03,605 --> 00:01:09,235 - * 23 00:01:14,616 --> 00:01:16,576 - NARRATOR: For Guilford County's Sheriff's Major 24 00:01:16,618 --> 00:01:17,952 Tom Sheppard, 25 00:01:17,994 --> 00:01:22,415 April 25th, 1991 starts like any other spring morning 26 00:01:22,457 --> 00:01:26,252 in the town of High Point, North Carolina. 27 00:01:26,294 --> 00:01:28,421 - TOM: It was just slightly after eight o'clock. 28 00:01:28,463 --> 00:01:31,675 I'd just gotten to work, then the call came in, 29 00:01:31,716 --> 00:01:33,927 and somebody told me that they had found a body 30 00:01:33,968 --> 00:01:38,723 on the side of the road that they believed to be shot. 31 00:01:38,765 --> 00:01:40,100 - JONATHAN: Some workers 32 00:01:40,141 --> 00:01:43,103 were working in the area that morning. 33 00:01:43,144 --> 00:01:49,025 They found the body and called 911, 34 00:01:49,067 --> 00:01:52,153 and of course we responded. 35 00:01:52,195 --> 00:01:54,072 - NARRATOR: The occurrence is not a common one 36 00:01:54,114 --> 00:01:56,658 for the usually quiet town. 37 00:01:56,700 --> 00:01:59,119 - KENNETH: It's a smaller community. During that time, 38 00:01:59,160 --> 00:02:01,371 I think people left their doors unlocked, 39 00:02:01,413 --> 00:02:03,623 cars unlocked in driveways. 40 00:02:03,665 --> 00:02:05,750 Things have changed a lot since then, 41 00:02:05,792 --> 00:02:08,003 but in High Point, it was relatively safe. 42 00:02:08,044 --> 00:02:11,506 Everybody felt safe. 43 00:02:11,548 --> 00:02:14,718 - NARRATOR: But as Major Tom Sheppard flies down Highway 68 44 00:02:14,759 --> 00:02:19,014 to the scene, things feel anything but safe. 45 00:02:19,055 --> 00:02:20,390 - TOM: I went out there 46 00:02:20,432 --> 00:02:22,684 and, uh, there was already a couple detectives there 47 00:02:22,726 --> 00:02:25,437 and of course four or five patrol officers. 48 00:02:25,478 --> 00:02:28,314 What I saw was a station wagon sitting there, 49 00:02:28,356 --> 00:02:32,193 and I saw the body laying on the- almost in the ditch 50 00:02:32,235 --> 00:02:34,863 just behind the station wagon. 51 00:02:34,904 --> 00:02:37,907 - JERI: He was face down and he had two shots to his head 52 00:02:37,949 --> 00:02:40,535 and a shot to his back. 53 00:02:40,577 --> 00:02:43,663 They don't know who he was 'cause there was no wallet. 54 00:02:43,705 --> 00:02:46,583 - TOM: They ran the license tag on the vehicle, 55 00:02:46,624 --> 00:02:49,169 and it came back to Fred Brown. 56 00:02:49,210 --> 00:02:52,964 - * 57 00:02:53,006 --> 00:02:55,425 - NARRATOR: The identity of the 45-year-old victim 58 00:02:55,467 --> 00:02:58,386 catches Major Sheppard off guard. 59 00:02:58,428 --> 00:02:59,721 - TOM: Well, strangely, 60 00:02:59,763 --> 00:03:01,681 I've known Fred about all my life. 61 00:03:01,723 --> 00:03:04,476 I went to church with him, went to high school with him. 62 00:03:04,517 --> 00:03:06,353 I did not recognize him. 63 00:03:06,394 --> 00:03:08,021 That's the strange thing about it. 64 00:03:08,063 --> 00:03:11,191 This whole case is a tragedy, to be honest with you, 65 00:03:11,232 --> 00:03:12,525 something that should've never happened. 66 00:03:12,567 --> 00:03:14,611 Fred was a truly nice guy. 67 00:03:14,652 --> 00:03:18,823 Everybody I know that I've met felt the same way about him. 68 00:03:23,078 --> 00:03:24,371 - NARRATOR: Born and raised 69 00:03:24,412 --> 00:03:27,165 in nearby Siler City, North Carolina, 70 00:03:27,207 --> 00:03:30,543 Fred Brown was liked by everyone he met. 71 00:03:30,585 --> 00:03:32,462 - TOM: Fred was just one of those guys, 72 00:03:32,504 --> 00:03:34,047 he was just a good guy. 73 00:03:34,089 --> 00:03:38,051 I mean, you know, he never, never gave anybody a problem. 74 00:03:38,093 --> 00:03:39,803 He graduated a year before I did, 75 00:03:39,844 --> 00:03:41,721 and I knew he went to Guilford College, 76 00:03:41,763 --> 00:03:46,059 and I knew he went in the Army after Guilford College. 77 00:03:46,101 --> 00:03:48,603 - NARRATOR: When the tumultuous Vietnam War began, 78 00:03:48,645 --> 00:03:51,439 Fred bravely served his country. 79 00:03:51,481 --> 00:03:53,233 - KENNETH: He talked about the military some 80 00:03:53,274 --> 00:03:56,569 and how he traveled uh, with the military. 81 00:03:56,611 --> 00:03:58,863 - JERI: Fred Brown had gone into the US Army 82 00:03:58,905 --> 00:04:01,574 and he went through Officer Training School, uh, 83 00:04:01,616 --> 00:04:05,662 at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. 84 00:04:05,704 --> 00:04:07,872 - NARRATOR: There, Fred met the stepdaughter 85 00:04:07,914 --> 00:04:12,460 of his commanding officer, 21-year-old Patricia DeRosa. 86 00:04:12,502 --> 00:04:15,922 - He started dating and got serious pretty quickly. 87 00:04:15,964 --> 00:04:18,508 - NARRATOR: Pat, as she was known to friends and family, 88 00:04:18,550 --> 00:04:22,887 was raised in Oklahoma alongside her two younger sisters, 89 00:04:22,929 --> 00:04:25,098 - AMANDA: Pat never really knew her father. 90 00:04:25,140 --> 00:04:26,891 She was raised by a single mother 91 00:04:26,933 --> 00:04:29,811 and for most of her childhood, they were poor 92 00:04:29,853 --> 00:04:31,771 and struggled to get by. 93 00:04:31,813 --> 00:04:34,274 - NARRATOR: Despite their eight-year age difference, 94 00:04:34,315 --> 00:04:37,694 Pat was especially close to her sister, Sheila. 95 00:04:37,736 --> 00:04:40,947 - JERI: Sheila looked up to, uh, Patricia because 96 00:04:40,989 --> 00:04:42,907 she was her older sister, 97 00:04:42,949 --> 00:04:44,909 But they were extraordinarily different. 98 00:04:44,951 --> 00:04:48,371 Patricia was a, uh, no-nonsense straight shooter 99 00:04:48,413 --> 00:04:50,582 and she was very much of a ethical person. 100 00:04:50,623 --> 00:04:53,001 Sheila, well, she liked to party. 101 00:04:53,043 --> 00:04:54,627 She liked to have a good time. 102 00:04:56,338 --> 00:04:58,465 - NARRATOR: The family finally gained stability 103 00:04:58,506 --> 00:05:00,717 when Pat's mom married an Army man 104 00:05:00,759 --> 00:05:05,055 and the family settled into life at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. 105 00:05:05,096 --> 00:05:07,390 - AMANDA: When Edna married Pat's stepfather, 106 00:05:07,432 --> 00:05:08,725 he made good money, 107 00:05:08,767 --> 00:05:11,186 so everything in their life changed. 108 00:05:11,227 --> 00:05:13,855 They didn't have to worry anymore. 109 00:05:13,897 --> 00:05:17,108 - NARRATOR: Pat's life continued to blossom when she began dating 110 00:05:17,150 --> 00:05:19,194 one of her stepfather's soldiers. 111 00:05:19,235 --> 00:05:22,489 24-year-old Fred Brown. 112 00:05:22,530 --> 00:05:26,159 - AMANDA: Fred was smart, steady, reliable, charming. 113 00:05:26,201 --> 00:05:28,620 Pat fell for him right away. 114 00:05:28,661 --> 00:05:30,830 After only six months of dating 115 00:05:30,872 --> 00:05:34,918 Pat and Fred got married in 1969. 116 00:05:34,959 --> 00:05:37,087 - JERI: Patricia Brown grew up poor. 117 00:05:37,128 --> 00:05:39,422 She saw Fred as her white knight 118 00:05:39,464 --> 00:05:42,425 that would take her out of Oklahoma 119 00:05:42,467 --> 00:05:44,969 away from that world. 120 00:05:45,011 --> 00:05:47,180 - AMANDA: Pat was a devoted Army wife. 121 00:05:47,222 --> 00:05:48,807 She supported her husband 122 00:05:48,848 --> 00:05:50,558 through many different assignments 123 00:05:50,600 --> 00:05:52,894 to different countries, different states. 124 00:05:52,936 --> 00:05:56,690 - * 125 00:05:56,731 --> 00:05:59,526 - NARRATOR: Amid the travels, moves and deployments, 126 00:05:59,567 --> 00:06:04,364 Pat and Fred had a son and a daughter, Sabra and Derek. 127 00:06:04,406 --> 00:06:07,575 And in 1988, when Fred retired from the Army, 128 00:06:07,617 --> 00:06:11,579 the family settled in High Point, North Carolina. 129 00:06:11,621 --> 00:06:13,081 - AMANDA: When they settled down, 130 00:06:13,123 --> 00:06:14,708 Pat became a real estate agent, 131 00:06:14,749 --> 00:06:18,878 and Fred became a professor at the local community college, 132 00:06:18,920 --> 00:06:22,924 and then she went on to teach at another community college. 133 00:06:22,966 --> 00:06:24,217 - NARRATOR: In 1989, 134 00:06:24,259 --> 00:06:27,554 Pat and Fred celebrated 20 years of marriage, 135 00:06:27,595 --> 00:06:29,639 but the joyous occasion was marred 136 00:06:29,681 --> 00:06:32,183 by Pat's declining health. 137 00:06:32,225 --> 00:06:35,562 - JERI: Pat had some, um, had some health problems. 138 00:06:35,603 --> 00:06:39,315 In 1990, she had open-heart surgery. 139 00:06:39,357 --> 00:06:40,650 - KENNETH: It was heart trouble, 140 00:06:40,692 --> 00:06:42,902 blood pressure, she smoked a lot, 141 00:06:42,944 --> 00:06:46,531 so just a combination of things I think brought that on. 142 00:06:48,867 --> 00:06:50,201 - NARRATOR: As she recovered, 143 00:06:50,243 --> 00:06:51,911 Pat went to stay with her mother, 144 00:06:51,953 --> 00:06:55,999 who was now living in Alabama along with Pat's sister Sheila. 145 00:06:56,041 --> 00:06:58,251 - KENNETH: Fred was working full time. 146 00:06:58,293 --> 00:07:01,379 Um, so she went to Alabama to 147 00:07:01,421 --> 00:07:03,423 recuperate from the heart surgery 148 00:07:03,465 --> 00:07:04,883 and be a- be close to family, 149 00:07:04,924 --> 00:07:07,093 be close to her sister and her mother. 150 00:07:07,135 --> 00:07:09,846 Pat stayed in Alabama two or three months. 151 00:07:09,888 --> 00:07:13,558 During that time, it was just Fred looking after the kids. 152 00:07:16,186 --> 00:07:18,438 - NARRATOR: Though she was on the mend physically, 153 00:07:18,480 --> 00:07:19,773 when she returned home, 154 00:07:19,814 --> 00:07:23,234 her mental health went in the opposite direction. 155 00:07:23,276 --> 00:07:25,945 - CYNTHIA: The heart surgery, I think, was a very big deal, 156 00:07:25,987 --> 00:07:30,784 and not only was it a big deal, but it- it left her feeling, 157 00:07:30,825 --> 00:07:33,411 you know, like she was less healthy. 158 00:07:33,453 --> 00:07:35,914 You know, that she was just not gonna be 159 00:07:35,955 --> 00:07:38,541 as healthy as she had been before that. 160 00:07:40,752 --> 00:07:42,087 - NARRATOR: Pat found comfort 161 00:07:42,128 --> 00:07:46,132 in a new but slightly unconventional hobby. 162 00:07:46,174 --> 00:07:48,927 - KENNETH: She had all kind of exotic birds in that house. 163 00:07:48,968 --> 00:07:51,137 That was the first thing I noticed when I walked into 164 00:07:51,179 --> 00:07:53,890 the living room was the big, big bird in a cage 165 00:07:53,932 --> 00:07:57,686 that took up the whole side of the wall in the living room. 166 00:07:57,727 --> 00:08:01,856 - TOM: She had all these exotic birds all over the house. 167 00:08:01,898 --> 00:08:05,985 Was 50, 60, something like that, that she was keeping there. 168 00:08:06,027 --> 00:08:09,114 - AMANDA: Pat just absolutely loved birds. 169 00:08:09,155 --> 00:08:12,492 She enjoyed caring for them, she enjoyed being around them. 170 00:08:12,534 --> 00:08:14,494 It was something that gave her comfort. 171 00:08:14,536 --> 00:08:17,914 It was something that helped her with some of her struggles, 172 00:08:17,956 --> 00:08:21,209 but Fred didn't really share her enthusiasm. 173 00:08:23,169 --> 00:08:25,380 - KENNETH: Fred was definitely annoyed by the birds. 174 00:08:25,422 --> 00:08:27,507 I think the first few was okay, 175 00:08:27,549 --> 00:08:29,426 but every- she continued to get birds, 176 00:08:29,467 --> 00:08:31,970 yes, it was quite annoying to him. 177 00:08:32,012 --> 00:08:33,763 - NARRATOR: Eager to keep the peace, 178 00:08:33,805 --> 00:08:36,683 Fred put up with the birds and did whatever he could 179 00:08:36,725 --> 00:08:39,019 to help Pat recover. 180 00:08:39,060 --> 00:08:41,730 - JERI: Fred Brown wanted to provide for Pat 181 00:08:41,771 --> 00:08:43,106 because she was recovering 182 00:08:43,148 --> 00:08:46,109 when she came back from Alabama in 1990. 183 00:08:46,151 --> 00:08:48,361 He hired housekeepers to keep the house clean 184 00:08:48,403 --> 00:08:50,155 as Pat was recovering. 185 00:08:50,196 --> 00:08:53,158 - AMANDA: Fred just wanted her to be happy and to recover, 186 00:08:53,199 --> 00:08:55,243 so they started doing a renovation in the home 187 00:08:55,285 --> 00:08:59,539 so she could have a room just for her birds. 188 00:08:59,581 --> 00:09:01,708 - KENNTH: She wanted room for all of the birds 189 00:09:01,750 --> 00:09:04,044 and then later on she wanted to add a hot tub, 190 00:09:04,085 --> 00:09:08,214 and I think she wanted to add a privacy fence. 191 00:09:08,256 --> 00:09:10,633 - NARRATOR: But just as the couple began rebuilding 192 00:09:10,675 --> 00:09:13,803 their life together, it all comes crumbling down 193 00:09:13,845 --> 00:09:17,265 on April 25th, 1991. 194 00:09:19,267 --> 00:09:22,562 - JONATHAN:: Mr. Brown was found probably five to seven yards 195 00:09:22,604 --> 00:09:25,231 off the roadway itself. 196 00:09:25,273 --> 00:09:29,527 The area was grassy with some woods around it. 197 00:09:29,569 --> 00:09:32,906 Some area workers, they found the body. 198 00:09:32,947 --> 00:09:35,867 Just as detectives identify Fred's body, 199 00:09:35,909 --> 00:09:39,788 they learned from dispatch that his wife, 43-year-old Pat Brown, 200 00:09:39,829 --> 00:09:43,667 has just filed a missing persons report. 201 00:09:43,708 --> 00:09:46,461 - JONATHAN: His wife and or daughter reported him 202 00:09:46,503 --> 00:09:48,755 missing around 10:00 AM 203 00:09:48,797 --> 00:09:50,757 to the High Point Police Department. 204 00:09:52,842 --> 00:09:55,095 When I got there, the car was there, 205 00:09:55,136 --> 00:10:00,266 and the body had not been moved and the crime scene techs 206 00:10:00,308 --> 00:10:03,978 had gotten there and started their investigation. 207 00:10:04,020 --> 00:10:08,191 He was face down with the wounds to the head 208 00:10:08,233 --> 00:10:10,151 and- and in the back. 209 00:10:10,193 --> 00:10:12,362 - TOM: It looked like a robbery just because 210 00:10:12,404 --> 00:10:13,738 his wallet was missing. 211 00:10:13,780 --> 00:10:16,616 Most people, if it's a random crime 212 00:10:16,658 --> 00:10:18,034 aren't gonna take the wallet. 213 00:10:18,076 --> 00:10:19,661 If they're mad at Fred about something, 214 00:10:19,703 --> 00:10:21,204 they're not gonna take the wallet. 215 00:10:21,246 --> 00:10:23,748 You're just gonna shoot him and go on. 216 00:10:23,790 --> 00:10:25,083 - NARRATOR: Though on the surface, 217 00:10:25,125 --> 00:10:27,919 robbery seems like the potential motive, 218 00:10:27,961 --> 00:10:30,630 details at the scene raise a red flag 219 00:10:30,672 --> 00:10:32,841 to seasoned detectives. 220 00:10:32,882 --> 00:10:36,469 - JONATHAN: There was a footprint on his back. 221 00:10:36,511 --> 00:10:39,222 Obviously, somebody stood over this guy and shot him 222 00:10:39,264 --> 00:10:43,309 with his foot on his back execution style. 223 00:10:43,351 --> 00:10:47,814 Somebody that's robbing somebody doesn't wanna get close. 224 00:10:47,856 --> 00:10:50,817 They're gonna shoot them a distance away, 225 00:10:50,859 --> 00:10:54,404 at maybe, uh, four or five feet. 226 00:10:54,446 --> 00:10:55,822 - NARRATOR: Instead, 227 00:10:55,864 --> 00:10:58,074 the close, precise nature of the injury 228 00:10:58,116 --> 00:11:01,661 suggests one thing to investigators. 229 00:11:01,703 --> 00:11:03,663 - JERI: This looked like this was premeditated. 230 00:11:03,705 --> 00:11:05,874 This looked like it was planned. 231 00:11:07,792 --> 00:11:09,127 - NARRATOR: Coming up, 232 00:11:09,169 --> 00:11:12,964 the devastating news rocks Fred's loved ones. 233 00:11:13,006 --> 00:11:14,549 - JERI: She could not understand why 234 00:11:14,591 --> 00:11:16,134 something like that could happen 235 00:11:16,176 --> 00:11:19,721 to such a loving, dutiful man like her husband. 236 00:11:21,973 --> 00:11:25,226 - * 237 00:11:34,194 --> 00:11:38,406 - NARRATOR: As the morning of April 25th, 1991 unfolds, 238 00:11:38,448 --> 00:11:41,117 investigators in High Point, North Carolina 239 00:11:41,159 --> 00:11:46,289 contemplate what led 45-year-old Fred Brown to be shot to death 240 00:11:46,331 --> 00:11:48,667 in a roadside ditch. 241 00:11:48,708 --> 00:11:50,251 - JERI: What was Fred out there for? 242 00:11:50,293 --> 00:11:52,629 And why did he pull off the side of the road? 243 00:11:52,671 --> 00:11:54,089 Was he helping somebody? 244 00:11:54,130 --> 00:11:58,093 Was he tracked there and led to a trap? 245 00:11:58,134 --> 00:12:01,638 - JONATHAN: The homicide occurred outside the city limits 246 00:12:01,680 --> 00:12:04,099 of High Point in Guilford, you know, 247 00:12:04,140 --> 00:12:07,018 in rural Guilford County. 248 00:12:07,060 --> 00:12:11,856 Given the location and with the wounds to the head 249 00:12:11,898 --> 00:12:15,443 and- and in the back, it kind of looks calculated. 250 00:12:15,485 --> 00:12:17,654 - NARRATOR: As investigators look closer, 251 00:12:17,696 --> 00:12:22,158 evidence is adding up to a far more personal crime. 252 00:12:24,202 --> 00:12:26,996 With little more to go on from the crime scene, 253 00:12:27,038 --> 00:12:28,957 Fred's body is sent to the coroner 254 00:12:28,998 --> 00:12:31,334 for a thorough autopsy. 255 00:12:31,376 --> 00:12:34,462 - JERI: They were looking everywhere for clues 256 00:12:34,504 --> 00:12:37,757 for something to figure out how this happened. 257 00:12:37,799 --> 00:12:39,426 - NARRATOR: As they wrap up the scene, 258 00:12:39,467 --> 00:12:43,138 detectives begin to question neighbors to see if anyone saw 259 00:12:43,179 --> 00:12:46,433 anything suspicious the night before. 260 00:12:46,474 --> 00:12:48,435 - TOM: There weren't a lot of neighbors out 261 00:12:48,476 --> 00:12:50,687 in that area at that time, but there was a witness 262 00:12:50,729 --> 00:12:54,357 and came forward and was driving on south on 68, Highway 68, 263 00:12:54,399 --> 00:12:57,444 and she said that she saw the two vehicles over there 264 00:12:57,485 --> 00:13:00,905 pulled up front bumper to front bumper. 265 00:13:00,947 --> 00:13:02,782 - JERI: This woman, she saw these two cars, 266 00:13:02,824 --> 00:13:04,492 one with the hood popped up, 267 00:13:04,534 --> 00:13:09,914 and she saw a pair of headlights and she saw two people. 268 00:13:09,956 --> 00:13:12,709 Um, when she told that to authorities, 269 00:13:12,751 --> 00:13:14,711 that got authorities thinking, like, 270 00:13:14,753 --> 00:13:16,629 what was Fred out there for? 271 00:13:16,671 --> 00:13:18,298 Why did he stop? 272 00:13:20,050 --> 00:13:24,512 - TOM: Also, there was one woman that lived, uh, I guess, 273 00:13:24,554 --> 00:13:28,892 east- east of 68 and said she heard some gunshots. 274 00:13:30,769 --> 00:13:36,149 - JONATHAN: There was one shot and then there was a pause 275 00:13:36,191 --> 00:13:41,196 and then sounded like maybe one or two shots right after that, 276 00:13:41,237 --> 00:13:43,239 and she said it was, you know, 277 00:13:43,281 --> 00:13:47,160 between eleven and eleven-thirty during the evening. 278 00:13:47,202 --> 00:13:48,578 I thought, okay, well 279 00:13:48,620 --> 00:13:52,123 that kind of narrows down the timeline a little bit. 280 00:13:53,500 --> 00:13:55,752 - NARRATOR: With a timeline starting to develop, 281 00:13:55,794 --> 00:13:59,089 investigators head to Fred's house to break the news 282 00:13:59,130 --> 00:14:03,510 of his death to his wife Pat and teenage daughter, Sabra. 283 00:14:03,551 --> 00:14:07,722 - JONATHAN: That's just basic law enforcement in a homicide. 284 00:14:07,764 --> 00:14:10,600 Uh, you start with the family. 285 00:14:10,642 --> 00:14:12,811 - NARRATOR: As they speak to Fred's loved ones, 286 00:14:12,852 --> 00:14:17,273 investigators pay close attention to their reactions. 287 00:14:17,315 --> 00:14:20,068 - JONATHAN: Are they tearful, are they not tearful? 288 00:14:20,110 --> 00:14:22,696 Is it forced, is it not forced? 289 00:14:22,737 --> 00:14:25,407 You just get a good sense. 290 00:14:25,448 --> 00:14:27,492 - TOM: When you talk to somebody like this 291 00:14:27,534 --> 00:14:30,203 and it's their husband of 20 years, 292 00:14:30,245 --> 00:14:33,998 you're gonna get a visceral reaction from them. 293 00:14:34,040 --> 00:14:36,584 When the detectives talked to Patricia, 294 00:14:36,626 --> 00:14:39,921 she did not act like she was too concerned 295 00:14:39,963 --> 00:14:42,090 with Fred's death, 296 00:14:42,132 --> 00:14:44,968 and that kind of put up a red flag. 297 00:14:48,304 --> 00:14:50,306 - NARRATOR: Though seemingly in shock, 298 00:14:50,348 --> 00:14:53,018 Pat goes on to explain that the previous evening 299 00:14:53,059 --> 00:14:56,271 was no different than most weeknights. 300 00:14:56,312 --> 00:14:57,731 - CYNTHIA: The night of the murder, 301 00:14:57,772 --> 00:15:01,109 Pat was home and then Fred got home from work 302 00:15:01,151 --> 00:15:05,280 around five or so and then Pat had to go 303 00:15:05,321 --> 00:15:08,825 teach a class, I guess, around six-ish. 304 00:15:08,867 --> 00:15:12,120 - JERI: Pat was teaching her real estate classes down at 305 00:15:12,162 --> 00:15:14,122 Randolph Community College, 306 00:15:14,164 --> 00:15:16,207 which is 30 minutes south of High Point. 307 00:15:16,249 --> 00:15:18,835 Sabra had gone to see friends, 308 00:15:18,877 --> 00:15:21,421 and she was out that night as well. 309 00:15:21,463 --> 00:15:25,633 It's around ten or ten thirty, uh, when they came home. 310 00:15:28,136 --> 00:15:29,637 - NARRATOR: Upon their return, 311 00:15:29,679 --> 00:15:31,890 mother and daughter were surprised to find 312 00:15:31,931 --> 00:15:33,892 Fred wasn't home. 313 00:15:33,933 --> 00:15:36,311 - TOM: Fred, a lot of times, would go to the grocery store 314 00:15:36,353 --> 00:15:38,396 and just walk around and buy a few things 315 00:15:38,438 --> 00:15:39,731 and come home, 316 00:15:39,773 --> 00:15:42,108 and originally that's where they thought he was, 317 00:15:42,150 --> 00:15:44,152 at the grocery store. 318 00:15:44,194 --> 00:15:46,279 - NARRATOR: Still, Pat says it was unusual 319 00:15:46,321 --> 00:15:48,948 for him to be out that late. 320 00:15:48,990 --> 00:15:51,826 - CYNTHIA: They immediately felt that there was something wrong 321 00:15:51,868 --> 00:15:55,497 because that it was not like Fred to just not come home. 322 00:15:55,538 --> 00:15:57,499 He might stay at the grocery store 323 00:15:57,540 --> 00:16:00,877 longer than they would want, but he would never stay out, 324 00:16:00,919 --> 00:16:02,671 you know, that long. 325 00:16:02,712 --> 00:16:05,256 - JERI: She stays up four hours trying to find her husband, 326 00:16:05,298 --> 00:16:07,509 hoping he'd come home, hoping for an answer, 327 00:16:07,550 --> 00:16:10,512 hoping for something and she gets nothing. 328 00:16:10,553 --> 00:16:15,725 So she calls High Point Police Department. 329 00:16:15,767 --> 00:16:18,603 - NARRATOR: Investigators ask Pat if there was anyone, 330 00:16:18,645 --> 00:16:23,358 including her, who might want to see Fred harmed. 331 00:16:23,400 --> 00:16:28,029 - Law enforcement wants to know the circumstances surrounding 332 00:16:28,071 --> 00:16:30,949 the person's disappearance: mental state. 333 00:16:30,990 --> 00:16:33,660 had there been any fights in the family? 334 00:16:33,702 --> 00:16:37,580 Had the person been depressed, illnesses? 335 00:16:37,622 --> 00:16:41,543 Had there been any threats made to anybody? 336 00:16:41,584 --> 00:16:43,712 - JERI: Pat told them that they had a wonderful marriage, 337 00:16:43,753 --> 00:16:45,213 an excellent marriage. 338 00:16:45,255 --> 00:16:47,298 They didn't have financial difficulties. 339 00:16:47,340 --> 00:16:48,591 They had two wonderful children. 340 00:16:48,633 --> 00:16:50,844 Everything was great between them 341 00:16:50,885 --> 00:16:54,305 and she could not understand why something like that could happen 342 00:16:54,347 --> 00:16:58,727 to such a loving, dutiful man like her husband, Fred Brown. 343 00:16:58,768 --> 00:17:02,480 - * 344 00:17:02,522 --> 00:17:04,858 - NARRATOR: Despite Pat's lack of emotion, 345 00:17:04,899 --> 00:17:06,901 to detectives, it seems unlikely 346 00:17:06,943 --> 00:17:10,822 that anyone in Fred's immediate family killed him. 347 00:17:10,864 --> 00:17:13,324 - JONATHAN: Talking to the daughter and the wife, 348 00:17:13,366 --> 00:17:15,410 we knew where both of them were. 349 00:17:15,452 --> 00:17:18,496 So, and they had, they had solid alibis 350 00:17:18,538 --> 00:17:22,083 of where they were most of the evening. 351 00:17:22,125 --> 00:17:23,418 - NARRATOR: Investigators also 352 00:17:23,460 --> 00:17:26,588 rule out Fred's oldest son, Derek. 353 00:17:26,629 --> 00:17:28,923 - AMANDA: Derek was away at school that night. 354 00:17:28,965 --> 00:17:31,885 He wasn't anywhere near High Point. 355 00:17:31,926 --> 00:17:34,554 - TOM: If you don't have any idea which direction to go in 356 00:17:34,596 --> 00:17:37,265 and there's no real evidence at the crime scene, 357 00:17:37,307 --> 00:17:39,601 you got a lot of work in front of you. 358 00:17:39,642 --> 00:17:41,936 We didn't have any idea of what could've happened to Fred 359 00:17:41,978 --> 00:17:44,814 and why he was laying out there beside that road. 360 00:17:48,485 --> 00:17:51,112 - NARRATOR: With no leads from Fred's family, 361 00:17:51,154 --> 00:17:53,448 investigators turned to his co-workers 362 00:17:53,490 --> 00:17:57,243 at the community college where he taught economics. 363 00:17:57,285 --> 00:17:59,329 - KENNETH: Everybody on campus was shocked, 364 00:17:59,371 --> 00:18:02,040 and everybody was trying to figure out, you know, 365 00:18:02,082 --> 00:18:04,084 is this family, is it student, 366 00:18:04,125 --> 00:18:07,253 is it somebody that he didn't know? 367 00:18:07,295 --> 00:18:09,422 - NARRATOR: Detectives sit down with Kenneth Vaughn, 368 00:18:09,464 --> 00:18:12,467 Fred's friend and fellow teacher. 369 00:18:12,509 --> 00:18:14,803 - KENNETH: All the faculty, including myself, 370 00:18:14,844 --> 00:18:16,262 the students loved him. 371 00:18:16,304 --> 00:18:19,015 He was just a nice guy, easy to get along with. 372 00:18:19,057 --> 00:18:20,350 He loved to talk. 373 00:18:20,392 --> 00:18:22,602 He didn't know a stranger. 374 00:18:22,644 --> 00:18:24,604 - NARRATOR: But Kenneth says outside of work, 375 00:18:24,646 --> 00:18:28,066 Fred was going through a rough patch. 376 00:18:28,108 --> 00:18:30,110 - KENNETH: Fred was trying to appease Pat 377 00:18:30,151 --> 00:18:32,821 in making the renovations to their house, 378 00:18:32,862 --> 00:18:36,491 even though it was creating a lot more debt than he wanted. 379 00:18:36,533 --> 00:18:39,035 - TOM: They argued consistently about that, 380 00:18:39,077 --> 00:18:43,373 and I think Pat wanted to spend more money than Fred did. 381 00:18:43,415 --> 00:18:45,917 - JERI: They had done a lot of home renovations. 382 00:18:45,959 --> 00:18:49,004 They were living in an upscale High Point neighborhood. 383 00:18:49,045 --> 00:18:51,715 They were stretched thin. 384 00:18:51,756 --> 00:18:53,466 - NARRATOR: According to Fred's close friend 385 00:18:53,508 --> 00:18:55,510 and co-worker Kenneth Vaughn, 386 00:18:55,552 --> 00:18:57,846 the renovations weren't the only thing 387 00:18:57,887 --> 00:19:00,098 Pat was dumping money into. 388 00:19:00,140 --> 00:19:01,599 - TOM: They said there was tension 389 00:19:01,641 --> 00:19:04,978 and the major bone of contention between Fred and Pat 390 00:19:05,020 --> 00:19:08,023 was the birds. 391 00:19:08,064 --> 00:19:11,359 - KENNETH: He saw their life savings going out the window. 392 00:19:11,401 --> 00:19:12,694 - NARRATOR: But according to Kenneth, 393 00:19:12,736 --> 00:19:16,406 the birds were the least of Fred's worries. 394 00:19:16,448 --> 00:19:19,659 - KENNETH: There was a situation where he came to my office 395 00:19:19,701 --> 00:19:23,371 and talked about what he was afraid may happen, 396 00:19:23,413 --> 00:19:25,957 and he just said to me, point-blank, 397 00:19:25,999 --> 00:19:27,667 "I would not be surprised 398 00:19:27,709 --> 00:19:31,921 if Pat didn't get a contract out on me." 399 00:19:31,963 --> 00:19:33,256 - NARRATOR: Coming up, 400 00:19:33,298 --> 00:19:35,216 a haunting statement from their victim 401 00:19:35,258 --> 00:19:38,094 leaves investigators on edge. 402 00:19:38,136 --> 00:19:39,554 - KENNETH: I looked in his eyes 403 00:19:39,596 --> 00:19:42,474 and he said, "They would be better off with me dead." 404 00:19:42,515 --> 00:19:45,310 - NARRATOR: And a cryptic message turns the investigation 405 00:19:45,352 --> 00:19:46,728 on its head. 406 00:19:46,770 --> 00:19:48,396 - CYNTHIA: He was writing letters 407 00:19:48,438 --> 00:19:50,940 that are only to be opened when he was gonna die. 408 00:19:54,069 --> 00:19:57,572 - * 409 00:20:05,997 --> 00:20:08,458 - NARRATOR: Detectives in High Point, North Carolina 410 00:20:08,500 --> 00:20:10,710 have just learned startling details 411 00:20:10,752 --> 00:20:13,338 about Fred Brown's deepest fears. 412 00:20:13,380 --> 00:20:15,924 in the months leading up to his death. 413 00:20:15,965 --> 00:20:20,595 - TOM: Fred believed that, uh, Patricia wanted him killed. 414 00:20:20,637 --> 00:20:22,055 - KENNETH: I looked in his eyes 415 00:20:22,097 --> 00:20:25,642 and I said, "Tell me that you don't believe that." 416 00:20:25,684 --> 00:20:28,061 He said, "No, I do believe that." 417 00:20:28,103 --> 00:20:29,771 And I said, "Why?" He said, 418 00:20:29,813 --> 00:20:34,401 "Because they would be better off with me dead." 419 00:20:34,442 --> 00:20:36,444 - JONATHAN: He told investigators 420 00:20:36,486 --> 00:20:38,363 Fred's wife, Patricia, 421 00:20:38,405 --> 00:20:41,825 was very volatile towards Fred, 422 00:20:41,866 --> 00:20:47,163 and, you know, that- that throws flags up to you. 423 00:20:47,205 --> 00:20:48,498 - NARRATOR: In spite of his fears, 424 00:20:48,540 --> 00:20:50,291 Kenneth tells investigators 425 00:20:50,333 --> 00:20:53,545 Fred wouldn't consider a divorce. 426 00:20:53,586 --> 00:20:55,380 - KENNETH: I felt like it was best maybe 427 00:20:55,422 --> 00:20:57,340 if he could just walk away for a while, 428 00:20:57,382 --> 00:20:58,967 but he wouldn't do it. 429 00:20:59,009 --> 00:21:01,594 He said, "My religion will not allow me to do that. 430 00:21:01,636 --> 00:21:03,888 "I don't believe in divorce. 431 00:21:03,930 --> 00:21:06,099 I'm gonna stay with it." 432 00:21:06,141 --> 00:21:08,226 Kenneth's portrayal of the Brown marriage 433 00:21:08,268 --> 00:21:13,606 is in stark contrast to what Pat told investigators. 434 00:21:13,648 --> 00:21:15,025 - TOM: Patricia said, 435 00:21:15,066 --> 00:21:17,027 "We only spend money that we've actually got." 436 00:21:17,068 --> 00:21:19,821 You know, that kind of thing, but apparently that's a lie. 437 00:21:22,907 --> 00:21:26,119 - NARRATOR: Before confronting Pat with these discrepancies, 438 00:21:26,161 --> 00:21:29,706 detectives continue to reach out to those who knew the couple, 439 00:21:29,748 --> 00:21:32,375 including their former housekeeper. 440 00:21:32,417 --> 00:21:33,710 - KENNETH: After the surgery, 441 00:21:33,752 --> 00:21:37,380 he hired our housekeeper at GTCC to come in 442 00:21:37,422 --> 00:21:40,216 and help look after Pat and clean the house, 443 00:21:40,258 --> 00:21:41,885 take care of things. 444 00:21:41,926 --> 00:21:45,722 My understanding was she left because of the way 445 00:21:45,764 --> 00:21:48,725 Pat was cursing Fred a lot. 446 00:21:48,767 --> 00:21:50,185 - TOM: Everybody said that, 447 00:21:50,226 --> 00:21:52,896 you know, when Patricia would really get mad at him 448 00:21:52,937 --> 00:21:56,775 and yell and scream, Fred never, never argued back. 449 00:21:56,816 --> 00:21:59,694 That's when we started really focusing in on Patricia. 450 00:22:01,946 --> 00:22:03,865 - NARRATOR: After speaking to the housekeeper, 451 00:22:03,907 --> 00:22:07,118 investigators begin formulating a new theory 452 00:22:07,160 --> 00:22:09,579 about what happened to Fred. 453 00:22:09,621 --> 00:22:11,247 - TOM: We knew Patricia didn't kill Fred 454 00:22:11,289 --> 00:22:13,416 'cause she had an alibi. 455 00:22:13,458 --> 00:22:15,710 In my experience of working these homicides, 456 00:22:15,752 --> 00:22:19,464 we've had several where the wife had the husband killed. 457 00:22:19,506 --> 00:22:22,258 You know, every time they've paid somebody 458 00:22:22,300 --> 00:22:24,803 or promised money to somebody. 459 00:22:24,844 --> 00:22:28,682 We just didn't have any idea who. 460 00:22:28,723 --> 00:22:31,101 - NARRATOR: But no matter how much they dig, 461 00:22:31,142 --> 00:22:35,146 investigators cannot prove that Patricia was somehow behind 462 00:22:35,188 --> 00:22:37,023 her husband's murder. 463 00:22:37,065 --> 00:22:41,027 - JONATHAN: You try your best to keep it going, 464 00:22:41,069 --> 00:22:45,740 but unfortunately, the resources aren't there. 465 00:22:45,782 --> 00:22:48,284 - NARRATOR: The medical examiner's autopsy findings 466 00:22:48,326 --> 00:22:49,911 offer little help. 467 00:22:49,953 --> 00:22:53,123 - CYNTHIA: There was absolutely no indication of who was 468 00:22:53,164 --> 00:22:57,961 actually out there with a gun on six, sixty-eight that night. 469 00:22:58,003 --> 00:23:01,631 And so, once you just don't have a lead, 470 00:23:01,673 --> 00:23:03,633 then it just stop. 471 00:23:03,675 --> 00:23:05,552 - TOM: It did go cold because of that 472 00:23:05,593 --> 00:23:08,596 after about six months, something like that. 473 00:23:11,558 --> 00:23:13,643 - NARRATOR: As the investigation fizzles, 474 00:23:13,685 --> 00:23:17,022 Pat Brown moves forward with her life. 475 00:23:17,063 --> 00:23:19,691 - JERI: The HR director said that Pat Brown 476 00:23:19,733 --> 00:23:21,985 got really angry about how much money 477 00:23:22,027 --> 00:23:25,238 that the- the life insurance through GTCC 478 00:23:25,280 --> 00:23:26,990 that she would receive. 479 00:23:27,032 --> 00:23:28,533 - KENNETH: She got some insurance. 480 00:23:28,575 --> 00:23:30,910 Of course she got the last year's pay 481 00:23:30,952 --> 00:23:33,747 from this- the state of North Carolina, 482 00:23:33,788 --> 00:23:36,666 and there was some land that belonged to the family 483 00:23:36,708 --> 00:23:39,836 that she sold. So, she ended up with quite a bit. 484 00:23:39,878 --> 00:23:41,838 - * 485 00:23:41,880 --> 00:23:43,089 - NARRATOR: With her children 486 00:23:43,131 --> 00:23:45,342 now grown up and out of the house, 487 00:23:45,383 --> 00:23:49,929 Pat decides it's time for a change of scenery herself. 488 00:23:49,971 --> 00:23:51,556 - TOM: After the estate was settled, 489 00:23:51,598 --> 00:23:53,850 she took all the money and went back to Alabama, 490 00:23:53,892 --> 00:23:56,603 a couple hundred thousand, probably. 491 00:23:56,644 --> 00:23:59,564 - JERI: She had wanted to move closer to her mom. 492 00:23:59,606 --> 00:24:02,650 She ended up buying, um, a doublewide trailer 493 00:24:02,692 --> 00:24:05,278 and two single wide trailers. 494 00:24:05,320 --> 00:24:08,782 - NARRATOR: In her new home, Pat's passion for exotic birds 495 00:24:08,823 --> 00:24:12,494 hatches into a whole new lifestyle. 496 00:24:12,535 --> 00:24:15,705 - JERI: She started a business that she called Sassy's Pets, 497 00:24:15,747 --> 00:24:19,042 where she sold kittens and exotic birds. 498 00:24:19,084 --> 00:24:22,253 - AMANDA: It seemed like Pat was really living her dream 499 00:24:22,295 --> 00:24:25,090 and putting the murder investigation behind her. 500 00:24:28,968 --> 00:24:31,012 - NARRATOR: As time ticks by, 501 00:24:31,054 --> 00:24:33,515 Fred's friends and family are exasperated 502 00:24:33,556 --> 00:24:36,434 by the lack of justice. 503 00:24:36,476 --> 00:24:38,561 - KENNETH: They came back out and, uh, 504 00:24:38,603 --> 00:24:40,230 interviewed my colleagues again 505 00:24:40,271 --> 00:24:42,774 just to see if there's any other information 506 00:24:42,816 --> 00:24:45,652 or help because it was a cold case. 507 00:24:45,694 --> 00:24:48,279 None of us could, uh, offer anything other than 508 00:24:48,321 --> 00:24:50,323 what we offered initially. 509 00:24:50,365 --> 00:24:51,908 It was frustrating. 510 00:24:51,950 --> 00:24:53,660 I mean, it had been three years, 511 00:24:53,702 --> 00:24:55,745 and we were waiting for something to happen, 512 00:24:55,787 --> 00:24:57,872 some type of information or whatever 513 00:24:57,914 --> 00:25:00,458 that would bring this to fruition. 514 00:25:00,500 --> 00:25:02,877 We wanted closure. 515 00:25:02,919 --> 00:25:06,881 - JONATHAN: Three or four years after the homicide. 516 00:25:06,923 --> 00:25:10,760 Um, I wouldn't say that is a cold, cold case, 517 00:25:10,802 --> 00:25:13,805 but it's not in the forefront. 518 00:25:13,847 --> 00:25:15,390 During that period, 519 00:25:15,432 --> 00:25:17,726 we didn't have anybody looking at 520 00:25:17,767 --> 00:25:20,770 cold cases on a regular basis. 521 00:25:20,812 --> 00:25:22,605 - TOM: What happens is, on a homicide, 522 00:25:22,647 --> 00:25:24,649 if anybody calls with the information, 523 00:25:24,691 --> 00:25:26,568 they start working on it again. 524 00:25:26,609 --> 00:25:28,945 But nobody ever called in this case 525 00:25:28,987 --> 00:25:32,032 until the Reading Police Department called. 526 00:25:32,073 --> 00:25:34,075 - * 527 00:25:34,117 --> 00:25:36,911 - NARRATOR: On July 13th, 1994, 528 00:25:36,953 --> 00:25:40,040 three years since Fred's brutal murder, 529 00:25:40,081 --> 00:25:43,084 Detective Jonathan Jacobs gets an unusual call 530 00:25:43,126 --> 00:25:46,046 from an investigator in Reading, Pennsylvania, 531 00:25:46,087 --> 00:25:48,965 that heats up the case once more. 532 00:25:49,007 --> 00:25:51,384 - JONATHAN: I remember getting a call in the morning. 533 00:25:51,426 --> 00:25:54,262 An officer from Pennsylvania wanting to know about 534 00:25:54,304 --> 00:25:57,932 if we had had a homicide in High Point 535 00:25:57,974 --> 00:26:01,436 three or four years ago on Highway 68. 536 00:26:05,023 --> 00:26:07,359 - NARRATOR: According to the Reading Police Department, 537 00:26:07,400 --> 00:26:10,820 a woman had recently found two letters left behind 538 00:26:10,862 --> 00:26:14,157 by her father, Leroy Wentzel. 539 00:26:14,199 --> 00:26:16,993 - JONATHAN: On the outside of the envelopes, 540 00:26:17,035 --> 00:26:20,830 it said, "To be opened only when I die." 541 00:26:20,872 --> 00:26:22,457 - NARRATOR: Overcome with curiosity, 542 00:26:22,499 --> 00:26:27,587 the woman opened the letter and was shocked by its contents. 543 00:26:27,629 --> 00:26:30,632 - It bothered her horribly, 544 00:26:30,674 --> 00:26:36,262 so she called the Reading, Pennsylvania Police Department. 545 00:26:36,304 --> 00:26:38,014 - AMANDA: They read it and they find a 546 00:26:38,056 --> 00:26:41,142 really dark confession. 547 00:26:41,184 --> 00:26:44,646 - TOM: Leroy basically confessed to killing Fred Brown, 548 00:26:44,688 --> 00:26:46,439 told how he did it. 549 00:26:48,733 --> 00:26:50,026 - NARRATOR: Coming up, 550 00:26:50,068 --> 00:26:52,278 investigators learn the chilling tale 551 00:26:52,320 --> 00:26:56,866 of Fred's final moments from the killer himself. 552 00:26:56,908 --> 00:26:58,243 - JONATHAN: He pulled the gun out 553 00:26:58,284 --> 00:27:00,870 and said, "You and I need to take a walk." 554 00:27:00,912 --> 00:27:03,915 - NARRATOR: And a deadly plan takes shape. 555 00:27:03,957 --> 00:27:06,918 - JONATHAN: He took responsibility for the killing, 556 00:27:06,960 --> 00:27:10,046 but also says she's the one behind it all. 557 00:27:10,088 --> 00:27:13,383 This was all about her wanting him dead. 558 00:27:13,425 --> 00:27:15,468 - TOM: If you're gonna hire somebody to kill somebody, 559 00:27:15,510 --> 00:27:18,054 you probably ought to pay him what you promised. 560 00:27:32,527 --> 00:27:36,531 - NARRATOR: July 1994, almost three years after 561 00:27:36,573 --> 00:27:40,618 Fred Brown was gunned down on a North Carolina roadside, 562 00:27:40,660 --> 00:27:43,955 police in Pennsylvania receive a written confession 563 00:27:43,997 --> 00:27:49,294 to his murder penned by a man named Leroy Wentzel. 564 00:27:49,336 --> 00:27:51,588 - JERI: It's a confession in his own handwriting. 565 00:27:51,629 --> 00:27:55,425 From a detective's standpoint, you've got gold in your hands. 566 00:27:58,178 --> 00:28:00,597 - NARRATOR: Pennsylvania authorities immediately contact 567 00:28:00,638 --> 00:28:04,893 investigators in High Point to relay this information. 568 00:28:04,934 --> 00:28:07,020 - JONATHAN: They told me that they had somebody 569 00:28:07,062 --> 00:28:09,064 that was in custody. 570 00:28:09,105 --> 00:28:12,525 He was laying claim that he had killed somebody 571 00:28:12,567 --> 00:28:14,194 down here in Guilford County. 572 00:28:14,235 --> 00:28:18,615 I said okay, and took down the information, 573 00:28:18,656 --> 00:28:22,243 um, made a few phone calls. 574 00:28:22,285 --> 00:28:25,163 I flew up to Reading, Pennsylvania, 575 00:28:25,205 --> 00:28:31,044 and we went and visited Leroy in the jail and interviewed him. 576 00:28:32,962 --> 00:28:35,799 They picked him up on some child support warrants 577 00:28:35,840 --> 00:28:37,967 and had him in a jail. 578 00:28:38,009 --> 00:28:41,554 Leroy is, you know, he's not a big man at all. 579 00:28:41,596 --> 00:28:47,435 You know, he's short and got this long white beard. 580 00:28:47,477 --> 00:28:51,272 - JERI: Leroy stood 5'3", 145 pounds. 581 00:28:51,314 --> 00:28:53,274 He was covered with tattoos 582 00:28:53,316 --> 00:28:55,860 and his nickname was Short Circuit 583 00:28:55,902 --> 00:28:57,862 because he had a temper. 584 00:28:57,904 --> 00:29:00,532 - CYNTHIA: He was bad, he had a record. 585 00:29:00,573 --> 00:29:03,201 He, um, had an attitude. 586 00:29:04,869 --> 00:29:06,371 - NARRATOR: Despite his rap sheet, 587 00:29:06,413 --> 00:29:09,416 Leroy's cooperative with investigators, 588 00:29:09,457 --> 00:29:12,043 and quickly reveals a stunning connection 589 00:29:12,085 --> 00:29:14,337 to Fred's case. 590 00:29:14,379 --> 00:29:17,298 - JERI: Leroy Wentzel been married seven times. 591 00:29:17,340 --> 00:29:20,385 He was the ex-husband of Sheila Wentzel, 592 00:29:20,427 --> 00:29:24,639 and Sheila was the younger sister of Pat Brown, 593 00:29:24,681 --> 00:29:26,516 the wife of Fred Brown. 594 00:29:29,894 --> 00:29:32,230 - AMANDA: Leroy explains that back in 1990, 595 00:29:32,272 --> 00:29:35,066 Pat had moved to Alabama to stay with her mother 596 00:29:35,108 --> 00:29:37,277 to recover from open heart surgery, 597 00:29:37,318 --> 00:29:39,571 and he and Sheila were still married at the time 598 00:29:39,612 --> 00:29:41,072 and they lived nearby. 599 00:29:41,114 --> 00:29:44,117 - Pat would talk about Fred, how she was angry at Fred, 600 00:29:44,159 --> 00:29:46,202 and how Fred was such a tightwad. 601 00:29:46,244 --> 00:29:48,663 - * 602 00:29:48,705 --> 00:29:50,081 - NARRATOR: According to Leroy, 603 00:29:50,123 --> 00:29:52,959 one evening about a year before the murder, 604 00:29:53,001 --> 00:29:55,128 a phone call between the two sisters 605 00:29:55,170 --> 00:29:58,673 set a plan in motion. 606 00:29:58,715 --> 00:30:02,260 - CYNTHIA: She had asked Sheila if Sheila knew somebody 607 00:30:02,302 --> 00:30:07,474 to kill Fred and then that Sheila talked to Leroy 608 00:30:07,515 --> 00:30:10,852 and Leroy said, "Well, I'll do it." 609 00:30:10,894 --> 00:30:12,187 - JONATHAN: Fred and Leroy, 610 00:30:12,228 --> 00:30:15,398 they had met only just a few times, 611 00:30:15,440 --> 00:30:19,319 - Patricia said she would give him $30,000 to kill Fred. 612 00:30:22,155 --> 00:30:24,032 - NARRATOR: Pat suggested the payment would come 613 00:30:24,074 --> 00:30:26,368 after the murder once she collected 614 00:30:26,409 --> 00:30:29,913 what she thought would be a big payday. 615 00:30:29,954 --> 00:30:31,456 - KENNETH: She thought she was gonna get 616 00:30:31,498 --> 00:30:35,502 a $250,000 life insurance policy. 617 00:30:35,543 --> 00:30:37,629 - JERI: Sheila hangs up the phone, turns her husband, 618 00:30:37,671 --> 00:30:40,799 who she believes had murdered a man in the past, 619 00:30:40,840 --> 00:30:44,803 and said, "Hey Leroy, Pat, my sister will pay you 30K 620 00:30:44,844 --> 00:30:46,638 "if you knock off Fred. 621 00:30:46,680 --> 00:30:48,181 You up to that?" 622 00:30:48,223 --> 00:30:51,518 And of course, Leroy, he said yes. 623 00:30:54,896 --> 00:30:56,231 - NARRATOR: According to Leroy, 624 00:30:56,272 --> 00:31:00,318 the three revisited the idea for almost a year. 625 00:31:00,360 --> 00:31:03,279 Then, in April of 1991, 626 00:31:03,321 --> 00:31:09,119 Pat was back in North Carolina and ready to follow through. 627 00:31:09,160 --> 00:31:11,329 - JERI: Leroy got a call from Pat again and said, 628 00:31:11,371 --> 00:31:14,791 "Hey, listen, April 24th, 1991 is a great time. 629 00:31:14,833 --> 00:31:16,376 "I'm gonna be teaching class. 630 00:31:16,418 --> 00:31:18,878 "Why don't you come up to North Carolina then 631 00:31:18,920 --> 00:31:23,466 "and like, your car breaks down and that you call Fred for help, 632 00:31:23,508 --> 00:31:27,387 and that he comes and that you kill him there?" 633 00:31:27,429 --> 00:31:30,181 - JONATHAN: He drove up here to High Point. 634 00:31:30,223 --> 00:31:34,352 Leroy brought with him the .22. 635 00:31:34,394 --> 00:31:38,398 - CYNTHIA: Pat had to go teach a class around six-ish 636 00:31:38,440 --> 00:31:41,026 and Sabra had to go somewhere too. 637 00:31:41,067 --> 00:31:44,320 And so for a few hours of the evening, 638 00:31:44,362 --> 00:31:46,448 Fred was the only one that would've been home, 639 00:31:46,489 --> 00:31:48,616 and Sabra and Pat were both gone. 640 00:31:51,077 --> 00:31:52,620 - NARRATOR: At 9:30 PM, 641 00:31:52,662 --> 00:31:55,582 Leroy says he phoned the Brown residence. 642 00:31:57,375 --> 00:31:59,669 - JONATHAN: He said, "I've broken down 643 00:31:59,711 --> 00:32:02,172 on- on the highway not far from you," 644 00:32:02,213 --> 00:32:03,673 and of course Fred said, 645 00:32:03,715 --> 00:32:05,592 "Well, I'll come out there and help you." 646 00:32:05,633 --> 00:32:07,927 - JERI: Leroy pulls on Gallimore Dairy Road 647 00:32:07,969 --> 00:32:09,804 and he waits on Fred. 648 00:32:09,846 --> 00:32:12,724 - JONATHAN: He removed the coil from his car. 649 00:32:12,766 --> 00:32:17,771 Fred and Leroy went to the front of Leroy's car 650 00:32:17,812 --> 00:32:19,356 and looked under the hood. 651 00:32:19,397 --> 00:32:21,691 Leroy went to the backseat of the car, 652 00:32:21,733 --> 00:32:25,487 got the gun, and pulled the gun out and said, 653 00:32:25,528 --> 00:32:28,323 "You and I need to take a walk." 654 00:32:28,365 --> 00:32:31,701 - JERI: Basically tells Fred that your wife wants you dead. 655 00:32:31,743 --> 00:32:34,371 - JONATHAN: Fred begged for his life, 656 00:32:34,412 --> 00:32:38,375 and Fred turned and started running, 657 00:32:38,416 --> 00:32:43,880 and Leroy shot him in the back and he went down face first. 658 00:32:45,965 --> 00:32:47,509 - TOM: Leroy said he went up to him 659 00:32:47,550 --> 00:32:49,678 and shot him twice more in the head. 660 00:32:54,599 --> 00:32:57,852 - JONATHAN: God, it was compelling, it was cold. 661 00:32:57,894 --> 00:32:59,604 Leroy got back in his car, 662 00:32:59,646 --> 00:33:01,648 fixed the coil, put the hood down 663 00:33:01,690 --> 00:33:06,111 and drove up just a little ways and forgot that he had supposed 664 00:33:06,152 --> 00:33:07,696 to make it look like a robbery. 665 00:33:07,737 --> 00:33:10,782 He walked back, got the wallet out of Fred's pants, 666 00:33:10,824 --> 00:33:14,744 got back in his car and drove off down to Alabama, 667 00:33:14,786 --> 00:33:18,790 throwing the wallet out on the way. 668 00:33:18,832 --> 00:33:20,750 - JERI: Leroy had stopped at a service station 669 00:33:20,792 --> 00:33:24,754 with some payphone to call Pat to tell her that 670 00:33:24,796 --> 00:33:27,716 he had shot Fred Brown on Gallimore Dairy Road 671 00:33:27,757 --> 00:33:29,634 and left him for dead. 672 00:33:29,676 --> 00:33:32,470 Then when they looked at Pat Brown's phone records, 673 00:33:32,512 --> 00:33:35,890 she'd received a call from somewhere in Alabama 674 00:33:35,932 --> 00:33:38,810 in the middle of the night. 675 00:33:38,852 --> 00:33:41,146 - JONATHAN: At some later point, a couple of days later, 676 00:33:41,187 --> 00:33:44,357 he threw the .22 into the Coosa River. 677 00:33:44,399 --> 00:33:46,026 - TOM: His description of the crime scene 678 00:33:46,067 --> 00:33:48,361 was exactly the way it was. 679 00:33:48,403 --> 00:33:50,530 Leroy had already told two people 680 00:33:50,572 --> 00:33:53,033 he'd written the two letters. That's what was in the letter. 681 00:33:53,074 --> 00:33:57,370 - * 682 00:33:57,412 --> 00:34:00,373 - NARRATOR: While Leroy owns up to his role in the plot, 683 00:34:00,415 --> 00:34:04,544 he doubles down on the crime's true mastermind. 684 00:34:04,586 --> 00:34:07,964 - JONATHAN: He took responsibility for the killing, 685 00:34:08,006 --> 00:34:10,884 but also said that Tricia, 686 00:34:10,925 --> 00:34:14,346 she's the one behind it all. 687 00:34:14,387 --> 00:34:17,057 This was all about her wanting him dead 688 00:34:17,098 --> 00:34:20,518 and kept hounding them to do it. 689 00:34:20,560 --> 00:34:24,647 - KENNETH: Fred was killed for no reason other than 690 00:34:24,689 --> 00:34:28,610 somebody was greedy and wanted some money. 691 00:34:28,651 --> 00:34:30,070 - AMANDA: Without the money 692 00:34:30,111 --> 00:34:31,613 and with Fred still in the picture, 693 00:34:31,654 --> 00:34:33,656 Pat couldn't keep her exotic birds 694 00:34:33,698 --> 00:34:36,034 and she couldn't have the lifestyle that 695 00:34:36,076 --> 00:34:37,869 she had envisioned for herself. 696 00:34:37,911 --> 00:34:41,539 - * 697 00:34:41,581 --> 00:34:43,750 - NARRATOR: Of course, Leroy confesses 698 00:34:43,792 --> 00:34:46,670 he had a similar motive. 699 00:34:46,711 --> 00:34:49,422 - JONATHAN: He was gonna get 30,000 bucks. 700 00:34:49,464 --> 00:34:52,175 Of course, he never got that, anywhere close to that, 701 00:34:52,217 --> 00:34:54,219 and they kept asking, and she kept saying, 702 00:34:54,260 --> 00:34:56,221 "I don't have it, I don't have it, 703 00:34:56,262 --> 00:34:57,681 I don't have it." 704 00:34:57,722 --> 00:35:00,225 That's, you know, another reason this came to light 'cause 705 00:35:00,266 --> 00:35:02,977 Patricia never paid him. 706 00:35:03,019 --> 00:35:05,021 - TOM: If you're gonna hire somebody to kill somebody, 707 00:35:05,063 --> 00:35:07,440 you probably ought to pay him what you promised. 708 00:35:09,609 --> 00:35:12,570 - AMANDA: Leroy's story is compelling for sure, 709 00:35:12,612 --> 00:35:14,406 but investigators have to figure out 710 00:35:14,447 --> 00:35:17,617 if he's telling the truth or if he's trying to get revenge 711 00:35:17,659 --> 00:35:20,578 on his ex-wife and maybe even Pat. 712 00:35:20,620 --> 00:35:22,455 - CYNTHIA: He hated Sheila and he hated Pat. 713 00:35:22,497 --> 00:35:25,750 Why not take out the two people that you're mad at? 714 00:35:25,792 --> 00:35:27,210 - JERI: They asked him, "Why'd you write that letter?" 715 00:35:27,252 --> 00:35:29,963 It wasn't 'cause he had a conscience, that he felt bad. 716 00:35:30,005 --> 00:35:32,090 He wrote the letter because he didn't get paid. 717 00:35:32,132 --> 00:35:34,592 - * 718 00:35:34,634 --> 00:35:36,302 - NARRATOR: After speaking with Leroy, 719 00:35:36,344 --> 00:35:38,346 detectives break down his story 720 00:35:38,388 --> 00:35:42,475 looking for proof that he's telling the truth. 721 00:35:42,517 --> 00:35:45,395 - JONATHAN: There were phone records and it did show 722 00:35:45,437 --> 00:35:49,441 correspondence between Patricia and Sheila 723 00:35:49,482 --> 00:35:53,403 on the dates and times that Leroy said. 724 00:35:53,445 --> 00:35:56,531 - JERI: They also found that Leroy Wentzel had indeed 725 00:35:56,573 --> 00:35:58,616 been there for the simple reason that he caught- 726 00:35:58,658 --> 00:36:00,577 he got caught for a traffic ticket. 727 00:36:00,618 --> 00:36:03,288 These were all pieces to a jigsaw puzzle 728 00:36:03,329 --> 00:36:05,040 that started to come together. 729 00:36:05,081 --> 00:36:09,044 - * 730 00:36:09,085 --> 00:36:11,796 - NARRATOR: On July 21st, 1994, 731 00:36:11,838 --> 00:36:14,424 investigators finally have enough evidence 732 00:36:14,466 --> 00:36:18,803 to obtain arrest warrants for Sheila and Pat. 733 00:36:18,845 --> 00:36:21,139 - KENNETH: Pat got a phone call and the policeman said, 734 00:36:21,181 --> 00:36:22,849 "We have a suspect, 735 00:36:22,891 --> 00:36:26,061 "the murder of, uh, your husband Fred, 736 00:36:26,102 --> 00:36:28,313 and it's Leroy Wentzel." 737 00:36:28,355 --> 00:36:30,440 And then later on they knocked on her door, 738 00:36:30,482 --> 00:36:33,193 and she said uh, "I felt you would be 739 00:36:33,234 --> 00:36:34,694 coming to see me soon." 740 00:36:37,614 --> 00:36:39,115 - NARRATOR: Coming up, 741 00:36:39,157 --> 00:36:44,537 while one sister stays quiet, the other sings like a bird. 742 00:36:44,579 --> 00:36:46,164 - JERI: But she told the detectives that, 743 00:36:46,206 --> 00:36:47,749 yes, she was involved. 744 00:36:47,791 --> 00:36:51,211 - KENNETH: I always thought that she had a hand in it some way. 745 00:36:51,252 --> 00:36:55,256 - NARRATOR: And Leroy brings a courtroom to its knees. 746 00:36:55,298 --> 00:36:57,967 - JERI: He held out his hands like this and they were shaking. 747 00:36:58,009 --> 00:37:00,136 You could drop a pin in that courtroom. 748 00:37:14,984 --> 00:37:17,237 - NARRATOR: By the summer of 1994 749 00:37:17,278 --> 00:37:19,906 sisters Pat Brown and Sheila Wentzel 750 00:37:19,948 --> 00:37:21,533 are in custody, 751 00:37:21,574 --> 00:37:24,619 both accused of conspiring with Sheila's ex-husband, 752 00:37:24,661 --> 00:37:26,579 Leroy Wentzel, to murder 753 00:37:26,621 --> 00:37:31,334 Pat's husband, Fred Brown, in 1991. 754 00:37:31,376 --> 00:37:32,919 - KENNETH: I felt a lot of relief 755 00:37:32,961 --> 00:37:36,047 when they arrested Pat because deep down, 756 00:37:36,089 --> 00:37:38,717 I always thought that she had a hand in it 757 00:37:38,758 --> 00:37:40,635 some way or another. 758 00:37:42,470 --> 00:37:43,972 - NARRATOR: Now in custody, 759 00:37:44,014 --> 00:37:48,685 Pat maintains her innocence and refuses to give a statement. 760 00:37:48,727 --> 00:37:52,564 But her sister, Sheila, doesn't follow suit. 761 00:37:52,605 --> 00:37:54,482 - JONATHAN: She knew everything. 762 00:37:54,524 --> 00:37:59,571 She knew everything and readily admitted it. 763 00:37:59,612 --> 00:38:03,366 - JERI: Sheila was gonna testify for the prosecution 764 00:38:03,408 --> 00:38:08,830 to say that her sister had killed her husband for money. 765 00:38:12,584 --> 00:38:15,837 - NARRATOR: When Pat's trial begins in May of 1995, 766 00:38:15,879 --> 00:38:20,300 both Sheila and Leroy take the stand against her. 767 00:38:20,342 --> 00:38:25,638 But it's Leroy who becomes an unlikely courtroom celebrity. 768 00:38:25,680 --> 00:38:27,307 - JERI: Leroy Wentzel walks in the courtroom. 769 00:38:27,349 --> 00:38:28,975 This is Short Circuit, 770 00:38:29,017 --> 00:38:32,062 a man who stood 5'3", 145 pounds soaking wet. 771 00:38:32,103 --> 00:38:34,022 He came in with a beard down to here, 772 00:38:34,064 --> 00:38:35,774 hair down to the middle of his back. 773 00:38:35,815 --> 00:38:37,317 He had tattoos on both arms. 774 00:38:37,359 --> 00:38:39,694 I remember when he walked in, there was, like, a gasp 775 00:38:39,736 --> 00:38:42,197 in the courtroom just because of what he looked like. 776 00:38:44,199 --> 00:38:47,577 - NARRATOR: The judge orders Leroy to reenact the shooting 777 00:38:47,619 --> 00:38:50,455 using a stapler as a gun. 778 00:38:50,497 --> 00:38:55,418 - JERI: He held out his hands like this and they were shaking. 779 00:38:55,460 --> 00:38:57,504 You could drop a pin in that courtroom, 780 00:38:57,545 --> 00:38:59,255 and it was quiet. 781 00:38:59,297 --> 00:39:02,050 - CYNTHIA: It was just so emotionally charged 782 00:39:02,092 --> 00:39:03,593 in the courtroom. 783 00:39:05,220 --> 00:39:08,098 - NARRATOR: While Leroy holds the courtroom's attention, 784 00:39:08,139 --> 00:39:12,394 it's Pat's story that everyone is eager to hear. 785 00:39:12,435 --> 00:39:15,647 - AMANDA: Her attorneys argued that Sheila and Leroy 786 00:39:15,689 --> 00:39:19,359 are the ones who are looking for a payday, not Pat. 787 00:39:19,401 --> 00:39:21,486 - CYNTHIA: Leroy got a sense 788 00:39:21,528 --> 00:39:23,863 from when Pat was visiting her mom 789 00:39:23,905 --> 00:39:27,867 that Pat and Fred had money, that they were well off, 790 00:39:27,909 --> 00:39:31,204 and so Leroy saw them as a target. 791 00:39:31,246 --> 00:39:34,374 - * 792 00:39:34,416 --> 00:39:36,710 - NARRATOR: The defense claims the husband and wife 793 00:39:36,751 --> 00:39:40,213 intended to extort money from Fred by accusing him 794 00:39:40,255 --> 00:39:42,716 of having an affair. 795 00:39:42,757 --> 00:39:45,010 - CYNTHIA: Our defense was that 796 00:39:45,051 --> 00:39:48,304 Leroy was trying to blackmail Fred 797 00:39:48,346 --> 00:39:52,892 and our position was that the blackmail was accusing Fred 798 00:39:52,934 --> 00:39:56,438 of having an affair and that he would disclose. 799 00:39:56,479 --> 00:39:57,897 - JERI: They wanted hush money. 800 00:39:57,939 --> 00:40:00,233 They said, "If you don't give us so much money, you know, 801 00:40:00,275 --> 00:40:02,736 we're gonna tell, uh, Pat about your affair. 802 00:40:02,777 --> 00:40:05,071 And you better pay up." 803 00:40:05,113 --> 00:40:08,074 - CYNTHIA: Leroy tries to get Fred to pay him money, 804 00:40:08,116 --> 00:40:12,287 and instead Fred says no and turns and runs, 805 00:40:12,328 --> 00:40:16,750 and Leroy, maybe not even thinking he's gonna kill Fred, 806 00:40:16,791 --> 00:40:19,377 but just reacts and he kills Fred. 807 00:40:21,212 --> 00:40:23,631 - TOM: The rumor that Fred was having an affair 808 00:40:23,673 --> 00:40:27,260 with another lady is, uh, something we heard. 809 00:40:27,302 --> 00:40:30,680 It was based on the fact that when Pat was in the hospital 810 00:40:30,722 --> 00:40:33,558 with heart surgery that a female came up 811 00:40:33,600 --> 00:40:35,018 and stayed with Fred, 812 00:40:35,060 --> 00:40:37,645 and we looked into and we located her, 813 00:40:37,687 --> 00:40:39,773 and there was nothing to it. 814 00:40:39,814 --> 00:40:42,275 That woman didn't have anything to do with Fred 815 00:40:42,317 --> 00:40:45,028 other than just a friend of the family. 816 00:40:45,070 --> 00:40:47,405 That was stuff that Pat's defense attorneys 817 00:40:47,447 --> 00:40:51,826 were trying to throw out there, but it's just wasn't true. 818 00:40:51,868 --> 00:40:53,370 - NARRATOR: In closing arguments, 819 00:40:53,411 --> 00:40:57,457 the prosecution urges the jury to see through the lies 820 00:40:57,499 --> 00:41:03,004 and convict the true mastermind of this murder, Patricia Brown. 821 00:41:03,046 --> 00:41:05,965 - JONATHAN: The defense did a, you know, a really good job. 822 00:41:06,007 --> 00:41:10,178 You never know what a panel of 12 people are gonna do. 823 00:41:12,389 --> 00:41:14,224 - NARRATOR: For two long days, 824 00:41:14,265 --> 00:41:17,227 the jury deliberates over the evidence. 825 00:41:17,268 --> 00:41:19,813 - CYNTHIA: When a jury is out a long time, 826 00:41:19,854 --> 00:41:22,649 that's more, more likely to be a not guilty verdict, 827 00:41:22,691 --> 00:41:25,360 but not in this case. 828 00:41:25,402 --> 00:41:29,155 - TOM: Patricia was found guilty of first degree murder, 829 00:41:29,197 --> 00:41:30,824 and then of course they came back 830 00:41:30,865 --> 00:41:34,285 and gave her life in prison. 831 00:41:34,327 --> 00:41:35,870 - NARRATOR: In 2002, 832 00:41:35,912 --> 00:41:38,623 less than seven years into her sentence, 833 00:41:38,665 --> 00:41:42,836 53-year-old Patricia Brown dies in prison. 834 00:41:42,877 --> 00:41:44,671 - CYNTHIA: Her health was such that we knew 835 00:41:44,713 --> 00:41:46,965 she probably wasn't gonna last long in jail. 836 00:41:47,007 --> 00:41:50,760 She did actually pass away not terribly long 837 00:41:50,802 --> 00:41:53,054 after the conviction. 838 00:41:53,096 --> 00:41:55,807 - NARRATOR: Meanwhile, both Leroy and Sheila 839 00:41:55,849 --> 00:41:59,269 pay the price for their roles in the murder. 840 00:41:59,310 --> 00:42:02,272 - JERI: Both Sheila Wentzel and Leroy Wentzel, 841 00:42:02,313 --> 00:42:03,898 they pled guilty. 842 00:42:03,940 --> 00:42:06,067 They pled guilty to second degree murder. 843 00:42:06,109 --> 00:42:09,237 Leroy got life plus 50 years. 844 00:42:09,279 --> 00:42:12,532 Sheila, his ex-wife, got 50 years. 845 00:42:12,574 --> 00:42:15,744 - CYNTHIA: The death penalty was off the table for Leroy 846 00:42:15,785 --> 00:42:18,204 and that Sheila got a sentence 847 00:42:18,246 --> 00:42:20,915 where she had some hope of getting out before she died, 848 00:42:20,957 --> 00:42:24,586 and so those were the two things that they got. 849 00:42:24,627 --> 00:42:28,214 - TOM: The tragedy of this case is destroying two families 850 00:42:28,256 --> 00:42:33,470 over nothing and over a bunch of birds and some real estate debt. 851 00:42:33,511 --> 00:42:38,224 - * 852 00:42:38,266 --> 00:42:41,311 - NARRATOR: While Pat may have never admitted her guilt, 853 00:42:41,353 --> 00:42:45,857 it's clear that in the end, she clipped her own wings. 854 00:42:45,899 --> 00:42:47,776 - JERI: Maybe that was the time when she snapped. 855 00:42:47,817 --> 00:42:49,778 Maybe that was the time that she came from 856 00:42:49,819 --> 00:42:52,655 a loving mother to a murderer. 857 00:42:52,697 --> 00:42:53,865 - CYNTHIA: Fred should be remembered 858 00:42:53,907 --> 00:42:55,909 as a good, decent man. 859 00:42:55,950 --> 00:43:01,081 I mean, he was living a good honest life 860 00:43:01,122 --> 00:43:03,249 with his wife and his kids, 861 00:43:03,291 --> 00:43:07,212 just going through life like we all do. 862 00:43:07,253 --> 00:43:09,756 - KENNETH: His legacy was the type of person he was that 863 00:43:09,798 --> 00:43:12,092 he would do anything in the world for you. 864 00:43:12,133 --> 00:43:13,718 He loved what he was doing, 865 00:43:13,760 --> 00:43:16,096 he loved his students, he loved his family. 866 00:43:16,137 --> 00:43:21,351 Fred was a great guy, easygoing, well-liked. 867 00:43:21,393 --> 00:43:25,522 It's just a terrible shame to lose somebody like that 868 00:43:25,563 --> 00:43:27,023 in that manner. 869 00:43:27,065 --> 00:43:31,986 - *