1 00:00:03,128 --> 00:00:04,587 - FEMALE NARRATOR: As a beloved matriarch and businesswoman, 2 00:00:06,089 --> 00:00:09,050 she ran everything in this small Georgia town 3 00:00:09,092 --> 00:00:12,095 from a car dealership to a carpool. 4 00:00:12,137 --> 00:00:15,223 - Loved her family, good businesswoman. 5 00:00:15,265 --> 00:00:18,518 - Our grandmother absolutely loved her grandkids 6 00:00:18,560 --> 00:00:19,894 and-and her kids. 7 00:00:19,936 --> 00:00:22,355 Family was always extremely important. 8 00:00:24,566 --> 00:00:27,861 - NARRATOR: But tragedy brings this dignified rural family 9 00:00:27,902 --> 00:00:29,988 to the brink of collapse. 10 00:00:30,030 --> 00:00:35,368 - She is in the bathroom floor, and there's a lot of blood. 11 00:00:35,410 --> 00:00:38,997 Everyone thinks that we are arriving to a home invasion 12 00:00:39,039 --> 00:00:41,332 where she was attacked. 13 00:00:41,374 --> 00:00:44,544 - The house is now an active crime scene. 14 00:00:44,586 --> 00:00:46,254 - NARRATOR: As investigators sift through 15 00:00:46,296 --> 00:00:50,216 a list of suspects a mile long, in this small town, 16 00:00:50,258 --> 00:00:54,220 it seems every suspect hits close to home. 17 00:00:54,262 --> 00:00:58,224 - Her status financially would make 'em a target. 18 00:00:58,266 --> 00:01:01,728 - He had financial problems. 19 00:01:01,770 --> 00:01:03,605 - All the sudden they couldn't find him. 20 00:01:03,646 --> 00:01:05,315 She knew if she didn't do something, 21 00:01:05,357 --> 00:01:07,567 she would lose everything. 22 00:01:07,609 --> 00:01:10,362 - NARRATOR: A crime rooted in greed would reveal 23 00:01:10,403 --> 00:01:14,657 that the ties that bind, sometimes break. 24 00:01:14,699 --> 00:01:18,495 - Whenever Nanny was killed, our family just died. 25 00:01:21,289 --> 00:01:26,294 - [theme music] 26 00:01:32,634 --> 00:01:37,430 - NARRATOR: February 4th, 1991, LaGrange, Georgia. 27 00:01:37,472 --> 00:01:40,642 This picturesque small town's tight-knit community 28 00:01:40,684 --> 00:01:42,727 is nothing like the hustle and bustle 29 00:01:42,769 --> 00:01:46,314 of its neighboring big city, Atlanta. 30 00:01:46,356 --> 00:01:49,984 - On Monday, February 4th at approximately 12:30 31 00:01:50,026 --> 00:01:54,948 in the afternoon, 911 received a call from Priscilla Matula. 32 00:01:54,989 --> 00:01:57,242 She was at her mother's home. 33 00:01:57,283 --> 00:01:59,327 - NARRATOR: Priscilla's mother is 66-year-old 34 00:01:59,369 --> 00:02:01,162 Margaret Abernathy, 35 00:02:01,204 --> 00:02:02,831 one of the town's most well-known 36 00:02:02,872 --> 00:02:06,376 and wealthiest residents. 37 00:02:06,418 --> 00:02:08,753 - Priscilla Matula tells the dispatcher that 38 00:02:08,795 --> 00:02:13,425 there's been a burglary and her mother's been hurt. 39 00:02:13,466 --> 00:02:18,430 Her mom was not speaking and she was lying in the bathroom floor. 40 00:02:18,471 --> 00:02:19,889 - There's a lot of blood. 41 00:02:19,931 --> 00:02:24,519 Her mother was injured and she needed an ambulance. 42 00:02:26,604 --> 00:02:29,149 - I went over to check Ms. Abernathy. 43 00:02:29,190 --> 00:02:32,652 I called the EMTs to come on in and, and uh, 44 00:02:32,694 --> 00:02:35,739 proceed on the medical assistance. 45 00:02:35,780 --> 00:02:37,782 And they did. 46 00:02:37,824 --> 00:02:41,995 And they couldn't find anything wrong with her at first. 47 00:02:42,037 --> 00:02:43,455 - She was alive. 48 00:02:43,496 --> 00:02:46,499 She was not conscious, but she was making... 49 00:02:46,541 --> 00:02:49,669 It was described as snoring sounds. 50 00:02:49,711 --> 00:02:51,671 - NARRATOR: Priscilla Matula rides in the ambulance 51 00:02:51,713 --> 00:02:56,217 to the hospital as her mother desperately clings to life. 52 00:02:56,259 --> 00:02:58,345 With Margaret's vitals dropping fast, 53 00:02:58,386 --> 00:03:00,597 ER doctors are shocked to discover 54 00:03:00,638 --> 00:03:02,515 the true cause of her injury 55 00:03:02,557 --> 00:03:05,435 and immediately notify police. 56 00:03:05,477 --> 00:03:09,314 - Doctors discovered that she had been shot twice. 57 00:03:10,857 --> 00:03:14,527 - The house is now an active crime scene. 58 00:03:16,738 --> 00:03:18,531 - NARRATOR: When investigators first arrive, 59 00:03:18,573 --> 00:03:20,533 they look for signs of the burglary 60 00:03:20,575 --> 00:03:24,579 that was reported in her daughter's 911 call. 61 00:03:24,621 --> 00:03:28,208 - Everyone thinks that we are arriving to a home invasion 62 00:03:28,249 --> 00:03:31,920 where she was attacked. 63 00:03:31,961 --> 00:03:35,256 - The front door was locked and there's an appearance 64 00:03:35,298 --> 00:03:38,718 of forced entry through the back. 65 00:03:38,760 --> 00:03:43,056 The rear window had a little bit of broken glass from the pane 66 00:03:43,098 --> 00:03:46,851 that was in the door. 67 00:03:46,893 --> 00:03:49,396 - NARRATOR: When detectives inspect Margaret's room, 68 00:03:49,437 --> 00:03:53,608 they begin to theorize how the crime may have unfolded. 69 00:03:53,650 --> 00:03:57,529 - You see a bed that had the covers turned down. 70 00:03:57,570 --> 00:03:59,948 You see blood on a pillow. 71 00:03:59,989 --> 00:04:02,617 From the blood being in the bed, you knew that 72 00:04:02,659 --> 00:04:06,788 she was most likely asleep when she was first attacked 73 00:04:06,830 --> 00:04:11,918 or at least lounging in the bed when she was attacked. 74 00:04:11,960 --> 00:04:14,838 - She was able to obviously get from her bed 75 00:04:14,879 --> 00:04:16,715 where she had been shot. 76 00:04:16,756 --> 00:04:20,677 She was able to actually get into the bathroom. 77 00:04:20,719 --> 00:04:24,222 - And in the bathroom, you could see blood on some toilet tissue, 78 00:04:24,264 --> 00:04:26,266 and it appeared that Ms. Abernathy 79 00:04:26,307 --> 00:04:29,477 was attempting to clean herself up. 80 00:04:31,813 --> 00:04:34,274 - NARRATOR: As law enforcement awaits an update 81 00:04:34,315 --> 00:04:36,526 on Margaret's condition, the pressure to find 82 00:04:36,568 --> 00:04:39,446 who attacked LaGrange's most prominent resident 83 00:04:39,487 --> 00:04:41,531 begins to rise. 84 00:04:41,573 --> 00:04:44,492 - It was a pretty high-profile case for LaGrange. 85 00:04:44,534 --> 00:04:47,579 The Abernathys were pretty well-off people and they, 86 00:04:47,620 --> 00:04:49,622 they lived a good life. 87 00:04:49,664 --> 00:04:52,459 - You would assume that her status financially 88 00:04:52,500 --> 00:04:54,627 would make 'em a target. 89 00:04:54,669 --> 00:04:57,130 - It was real important to talk to the people 90 00:04:57,172 --> 00:04:58,965 that knew her schedule. 91 00:04:59,007 --> 00:05:02,719 No stone should be left unturned to find out who was around, 92 00:05:02,761 --> 00:05:07,766 who had access, who had ability to commit this act. 93 00:05:13,563 --> 00:05:15,815 - NARRATOR: When it came to the citizens of LaGrange, 94 00:05:15,857 --> 00:05:21,446 Margaret and Bill Abernathy stood tall among their peers. 95 00:05:21,488 --> 00:05:23,490 - Nanny Abernathy and granddaddy Abernathy 96 00:05:23,531 --> 00:05:26,284 were huge businesspeople, especially in our local town. 97 00:05:26,326 --> 00:05:28,995 It was a small town, but they were a part of everything, 98 00:05:29,037 --> 00:05:31,831 whether it was you know, being on the board for 99 00:05:31,873 --> 00:05:36,211 the local electric company or the Board of Commissioners. 100 00:05:37,462 --> 00:05:40,090 - NARRATOR: The fuel that kept the Abernathy's hometown empire 101 00:05:40,131 --> 00:05:43,843 moving forward was their local car dealership. 102 00:05:43,885 --> 00:05:46,971 - It was successful enough that they were able to invest 103 00:05:47,013 --> 00:05:50,517 in real estate and a number of rental properties 104 00:05:50,558 --> 00:05:52,018 and things like that. 105 00:05:52,060 --> 00:05:57,482 It is my belief that they were pretty well situated. 106 00:05:57,524 --> 00:05:59,734 - They had a farm, and I just remember granddaddy 107 00:05:59,776 --> 00:06:02,320 having buckets and buckets of vegetables at the dealership 108 00:06:02,362 --> 00:06:03,822 that people could pick up. 109 00:06:03,863 --> 00:06:06,491 They were always willing to give to the, to the town 110 00:06:06,533 --> 00:06:10,412 and to the uh people of LaGrange. 111 00:06:12,163 --> 00:06:15,125 - NARRATOR: The Abernathys also had three children who were all 112 00:06:15,166 --> 00:06:20,755 part of the family business, Alect, Priscilla and Melody. 113 00:06:20,797 --> 00:06:23,258 - Margaret was an extremely generous person. 114 00:06:23,299 --> 00:06:25,093 She would do anything for her kids. 115 00:06:25,135 --> 00:06:27,679 Money never really seemed like 116 00:06:27,721 --> 00:06:30,473 it was that big of a deal to Margaret. 117 00:06:30,515 --> 00:06:33,727 If somebody needed help, she would help them. 118 00:06:33,768 --> 00:06:36,646 - She was very thought out in her process of 119 00:06:36,688 --> 00:06:38,023 taking care of her children, 120 00:06:38,064 --> 00:06:40,942 making sure that they had their dreams come true. 121 00:06:40,984 --> 00:06:45,363 She helped all three kids do different adventures in life. 122 00:06:45,405 --> 00:06:48,491 - NARRATOR: Middle child, Priscilla, took a keen interest 123 00:06:48,533 --> 00:06:51,745 in the family business from an early age. 124 00:06:51,786 --> 00:06:54,247 - Priscilla was the most involved as far as 125 00:06:54,289 --> 00:06:55,874 with the dealerships. 126 00:06:55,915 --> 00:06:58,752 There was a huge age difference between all the siblings, and so 127 00:06:58,793 --> 00:07:02,213 my mom was a good bit younger. She was the baby of the family. 128 00:07:02,255 --> 00:07:05,759 So Priscilla was the one that was the most pick 129 00:07:05,800 --> 00:07:08,636 of the family to put in charge. 130 00:07:10,555 --> 00:07:11,765 - NARRATOR: Priscilla did her part 131 00:07:11,806 --> 00:07:14,684 to help grow the family operation, 132 00:07:14,726 --> 00:07:17,562 but there were also times she leaned hard on her mother 133 00:07:17,604 --> 00:07:20,065 to help weather life's storms, 134 00:07:20,106 --> 00:07:23,651 from the death of her first husband early in their marriage 135 00:07:23,693 --> 00:07:27,989 to raising two children as a single mother. 136 00:07:28,031 --> 00:07:30,325 - Margaret was Priscilla's support system. 137 00:07:30,367 --> 00:07:34,204 She really wanted to help her get through this tough time. 138 00:07:34,245 --> 00:07:38,249 - She was gonna be there for her financially and emotionally. 139 00:07:38,291 --> 00:07:41,836 - She was involved in everything that Nanny Abernathy did, 140 00:07:41,878 --> 00:07:43,630 all the business transactions, 141 00:07:43,672 --> 00:07:45,799 all the different clubs and things, 142 00:07:45,840 --> 00:07:48,468 Priscilla was right there along with her. 143 00:07:48,510 --> 00:07:51,680 They were inseparable. 144 00:07:55,433 --> 00:07:56,976 - NARRATOR: By the late 80's, 145 00:07:57,018 --> 00:08:01,856 Priscilla had fallen in love with a local man, Nick Matula. 146 00:08:01,898 --> 00:08:03,650 - Nick and Priscilla get married. 147 00:08:03,692 --> 00:08:06,861 He steps up and becomes a stepfather to her two kids 148 00:08:06,903 --> 00:08:10,073 and then goes to work at the family business. 149 00:08:11,866 --> 00:08:15,662 - NARRATOR: In 1989, the family banded together once again 150 00:08:15,704 --> 00:08:19,874 when the family patriarch, Bill Abernathy fell ill. 151 00:08:19,916 --> 00:08:22,669 - We would try to be over there a couple of nights a week. 152 00:08:22,711 --> 00:08:24,796 Sunday dinners were a big thing. 153 00:08:24,838 --> 00:08:27,090 It slowly got to where he couldn't come out of the room. 154 00:08:27,132 --> 00:08:29,092 His health continued to deteriorate, 155 00:08:29,134 --> 00:08:32,846 and he had to have a lot of assistance. 156 00:08:32,887 --> 00:08:35,765 - NARRATOR: A friend of the family, Diakka Andromalius 157 00:08:35,807 --> 00:08:38,685 was looking for a place to live when Margaret asked him 158 00:08:38,727 --> 00:08:42,022 to move in and help provide care for Bill. 159 00:08:42,063 --> 00:08:45,442 Diakka took up residence in a spare bedroom. 160 00:08:45,483 --> 00:08:48,028 - It was, it was nice having him there because he was able 161 00:08:48,069 --> 00:08:50,655 to actually help, uh, Margaret with a lot of stuff. 162 00:08:50,697 --> 00:08:53,575 He was a gentle giant. 163 00:08:56,369 --> 00:08:59,956 Ultimately, his diabetes led into congestive heart failure, 164 00:08:59,998 --> 00:09:03,001 which is what ended up taking his life. 165 00:09:03,043 --> 00:09:05,211 - After Mr. Abernathy passed away, 166 00:09:05,253 --> 00:09:08,965 Diakka continued to live there with her. 167 00:09:09,007 --> 00:09:12,927 - Margaret decides to sell the family businesses and retire . 168 00:09:12,969 --> 00:09:15,680 That's when Priscilla and Nick decide they wanna start 169 00:09:15,722 --> 00:09:20,643 their own business and buy a local dealership. 170 00:09:20,685 --> 00:09:23,730 - The problem is they didn't really have enough money 171 00:09:23,772 --> 00:09:27,150 to purchase the store themselves. 172 00:09:27,192 --> 00:09:29,819 And this is where Ms. Margaret came in. 173 00:09:29,861 --> 00:09:32,197 She had agreed to front the money 174 00:09:32,238 --> 00:09:35,950 to help them to purchase the dealership. 175 00:09:35,992 --> 00:09:39,245 When she committed to help Priscilla and Nick 176 00:09:39,287 --> 00:09:40,789 purchase the store, 177 00:09:40,830 --> 00:09:45,168 then she wanted to see exactly what was going on, 178 00:09:45,210 --> 00:09:48,713 what was being done, who was doing what. 179 00:09:51,132 --> 00:09:53,760 - NARRATOR: As someone who grew up in the car business, 180 00:09:53,802 --> 00:09:57,931 Priscilla looked more than ready to take the wheel. 181 00:09:57,972 --> 00:10:00,517 - Nick was over the service department. 182 00:10:00,558 --> 00:10:04,062 Nick was very, very strong minded, 183 00:10:04,104 --> 00:10:07,357 but Priscilla was very easy to get along with. 184 00:10:07,399 --> 00:10:11,778 She was very soft spoken, and she was extremely friendly. 185 00:10:11,820 --> 00:10:15,699 She appeared to me, to do a good job at what she did 186 00:10:15,740 --> 00:10:17,283 as the office manager. 187 00:10:17,325 --> 00:10:19,285 She more or less, you know was responsible for paying 188 00:10:19,327 --> 00:10:24,207 all the bills of everything, ordering materials and stuff. 189 00:10:24,249 --> 00:10:26,876 - NARRATOR: As the heir apparent of the family business, 190 00:10:26,918 --> 00:10:31,214 Priscilla relied heavily on her mother's guidance. 191 00:10:31,256 --> 00:10:34,968 - Ms. Margaret and Priscilla's relationship 192 00:10:35,010 --> 00:10:40,181 was extremely close, I mean extremely close. 193 00:10:43,393 --> 00:10:45,562 - NARRATOR: But now, as Margaret Abernathy 194 00:10:45,603 --> 00:10:47,564 lays in critical condition, 195 00:10:47,605 --> 00:10:51,484 the entire family's future is in doubt. 196 00:10:51,526 --> 00:10:55,071 - Ms. Abernathy had two gunshot wounds to the back of the head. 197 00:10:55,113 --> 00:10:58,533 One was just under the skin and the other one had, um, 198 00:10:58,575 --> 00:11:00,035 hit the brainstem. 199 00:11:01,202 --> 00:11:02,996 - NARRATOR: Friends and family soon gather 200 00:11:03,038 --> 00:11:05,540 alongside 41-year-old Priscilla 201 00:11:05,582 --> 00:11:09,919 keeping vigil outside Margaret's room. 202 00:11:09,961 --> 00:11:11,963 - Ms. Abernathy's daughters were at the hospital 203 00:11:12,005 --> 00:11:14,507 and maybe some of the extended family. 204 00:11:14,549 --> 00:11:17,218 - NARRATOR: As the family tries to stay optimistic, 205 00:11:17,260 --> 00:11:21,598 they are met with a grim prognosis. 206 00:11:21,639 --> 00:11:25,852 - She basically is put on a monitor, and she can't move, 207 00:11:25,894 --> 00:11:30,065 she can't speak, she's not responding. 208 00:11:30,106 --> 00:11:33,443 - They put her on temporary life support for a short time. 209 00:11:33,485 --> 00:11:36,071 She did have a heartbeat, but she had nothing else. 210 00:11:36,112 --> 00:11:38,865 She was in a coma, pretty much. 211 00:11:38,907 --> 00:11:42,702 - The brainstem hit is what took her life. 212 00:11:42,744 --> 00:11:46,498 They had to unhook her and just let her pass. 213 00:11:48,375 --> 00:11:51,086 - It's one of those moments you'll just never forget. 214 00:11:51,127 --> 00:11:53,463 You know, when your parents call you in and sit you down 215 00:11:53,505 --> 00:11:56,549 on the edge of the bed and tell you they got to talk about what 216 00:11:56,591 --> 00:11:58,968 happened to Nanny. 217 00:11:59,010 --> 00:12:02,097 - NARRATOR: Margaret's death is officially ruled a homicide 218 00:12:02,138 --> 00:12:06,726 and the investigation to find her attacker intensifies. 219 00:12:06,768 --> 00:12:10,021 - My thought process was just unbelievable. 220 00:12:10,063 --> 00:12:13,441 Who in the world could have caused this? 221 00:12:16,319 --> 00:12:17,779 - NARRATOR: Coming up, 222 00:12:17,821 --> 00:12:22,492 detectives learn the cruel details of Margaret's attack. 223 00:12:22,534 --> 00:12:25,662 - Margaret had at some point tried to stop the bleeding, 224 00:12:25,704 --> 00:12:27,247 which means there was time 225 00:12:27,288 --> 00:12:29,499 in between the first and the second shot. 226 00:12:29,541 --> 00:12:31,584 - NARRATOR: And the evidence points to someone in 227 00:12:31,626 --> 00:12:34,087 Margaret's inner circle. 228 00:12:34,129 --> 00:12:37,173 - It's like somebody was trying to make it appear as a burglary 229 00:12:37,215 --> 00:12:39,259 when maybe it really was not. 230 00:12:39,300 --> 00:12:41,678 - At that point the officers knew that the crime scene 231 00:12:41,720 --> 00:12:44,139 had been staged. 232 00:12:57,902 --> 00:13:00,739 - NARRATOR: February 4, 1991, 233 00:13:00,780 --> 00:13:02,991 the murder of beloved businesswoman, 234 00:13:03,033 --> 00:13:05,744 66-year-old Margaret Abernathy, 235 00:13:05,785 --> 00:13:08,038 has authorities in LaGrange, Georgia 236 00:13:08,079 --> 00:13:10,373 looking for answers. 237 00:13:12,250 --> 00:13:13,918 Detectives arrive at the hospital 238 00:13:13,960 --> 00:13:15,920 soon after Margaret's death 239 00:13:15,962 --> 00:13:18,214 to interview her daughter, Priscilla 240 00:13:18,256 --> 00:13:22,510 who discovered Margaret shot in her home earlier that day. 241 00:13:22,552 --> 00:13:24,679 - Priscilla is there with other family members 242 00:13:24,721 --> 00:13:26,514 and she's in shock. 243 00:13:26,556 --> 00:13:29,225 - NARRATOR: Investigators ask Priscilla to walk them through 244 00:13:29,267 --> 00:13:33,021 the events leading up to the discovery of her mother. 245 00:13:33,063 --> 00:13:36,775 - She leaves for work between 7:20 and 7:30. 246 00:13:36,816 --> 00:13:39,986 Gets to work between 8:00 and 8:15. 247 00:13:40,028 --> 00:13:42,864 She went into very specific details about 248 00:13:42,906 --> 00:13:46,493 getting behind school buses and getting food. 249 00:13:46,534 --> 00:13:49,871 - She got there by going down Highway 29, 250 00:13:49,913 --> 00:13:52,791 which she does every day when she goes to work. 251 00:13:52,832 --> 00:13:55,126 Says that she was there a little while. 252 00:13:55,168 --> 00:13:58,838 She left to go to the bank and to the post office. 253 00:13:58,880 --> 00:14:00,715 And when she got to the post office, 254 00:14:00,757 --> 00:14:03,635 there was a lot of traffic there, a lot of long lines, 255 00:14:03,677 --> 00:14:06,429 and she drove around the block two or three times, 256 00:14:06,471 --> 00:14:09,391 and decided to come back at a later time. 257 00:14:09,432 --> 00:14:13,395 So she ends up going back to the dealership. 258 00:14:13,436 --> 00:14:17,649 - The amount of detail that she gave the investigators 259 00:14:17,691 --> 00:14:21,194 when she interviewed with them seemed excessive. 260 00:14:21,236 --> 00:14:24,614 She's got a narrative that she wanted to put forth. 261 00:14:26,449 --> 00:14:28,660 - NARRATOR: Priscilla further explains that she went back 262 00:14:28,702 --> 00:14:31,955 to the post office and bank around 10:00 AM 263 00:14:31,996 --> 00:14:35,250 and then returned to work once again. 264 00:14:35,291 --> 00:14:37,752 She tells investigators that even though she was going 265 00:14:37,794 --> 00:14:42,590 about her business, she was distracted and worried. 266 00:14:42,632 --> 00:14:46,261 - She said that she always talks to her mom in the morning. 267 00:14:46,302 --> 00:14:49,180 Sometimes her mom comes to the car lot. 268 00:14:49,222 --> 00:14:50,390 - NARRATOR: But that morning 269 00:14:50,432 --> 00:14:53,601 she hadn't heard a peep from Margaret. 270 00:14:53,643 --> 00:14:56,438 - She calls her mother several times, calls some other people 271 00:14:56,479 --> 00:14:58,398 trying to find out if they've talked to her, 272 00:14:58,440 --> 00:14:59,941 if they know where she's at, if they've seen her, 273 00:14:59,983 --> 00:15:02,068 if they've heard from her. 274 00:15:02,110 --> 00:15:06,865 - I had overheard Priscilla and Linda Frazier, 275 00:15:06,906 --> 00:15:09,117 who was another employee there, 276 00:15:09,159 --> 00:15:12,912 discussing that Ms. Margaret had not come in, 277 00:15:12,954 --> 00:15:15,040 she had not called, 278 00:15:15,081 --> 00:15:18,293 and that she was not answering her phone. 279 00:15:18,335 --> 00:15:19,961 - NARRATOR: By lunchtime, Priscilla knew 280 00:15:20,003 --> 00:15:22,589 she needed to take action. 281 00:15:25,175 --> 00:15:27,218 - Ms. Matula went to the house. 282 00:15:27,260 --> 00:15:30,138 She said she let herself in through the front door. 283 00:15:30,180 --> 00:15:32,223 The lights were off. She called for her. 284 00:15:32,265 --> 00:15:34,059 She didn't hear anything. 285 00:15:34,100 --> 00:15:37,562 She went toward the bedroom, 286 00:15:38,646 --> 00:15:42,734 saw her mother on the floor of the bathroom 287 00:15:42,776 --> 00:15:45,070 with an agonal breathing, 288 00:15:45,111 --> 00:15:48,698 saw the bloody tissues that her mother had. 289 00:15:48,740 --> 00:15:54,662 She called 911 and her words, I believe were, my mama's hurt. 290 00:15:54,704 --> 00:15:58,041 And then she waited for the paramedics to arrive. 291 00:16:00,085 --> 00:16:02,170 - NARRATOR: Priscilla's story seems clear, 292 00:16:02,212 --> 00:16:05,048 but autopsy details of Margaret's injuries 293 00:16:05,090 --> 00:16:08,218 suggest a disturbing timeline. 294 00:16:08,259 --> 00:16:12,138 - She had two gunshot wounds directly to her head, 295 00:16:12,180 --> 00:16:16,476 indicated a small caliber weapon with a small bullet. 296 00:16:16,518 --> 00:16:19,020 One gunshot did not penetrate her skull 297 00:16:19,062 --> 00:16:20,355 and if that had been the only shot, 298 00:16:20,397 --> 00:16:22,399 they would have been able to take care of her 299 00:16:22,440 --> 00:16:25,235 at the hospital and save her life. 300 00:16:25,276 --> 00:16:28,113 - There was bloody toilet paper in the bathroom, 301 00:16:28,154 --> 00:16:30,156 which means that Margaret had at some point 302 00:16:30,198 --> 00:16:31,866 tried to stop the bleeding. 303 00:16:31,908 --> 00:16:34,911 And that goes to show you that there was time in-between 304 00:16:34,953 --> 00:16:37,372 the first and the second shot. 305 00:16:37,414 --> 00:16:42,335 - The second shot perforated her brainstem, which meant 306 00:16:42,377 --> 00:16:46,464 at that point she could not do nothing, walk, talk, anything. 307 00:16:46,506 --> 00:16:49,926 Which means the shooter had to shoot her once in the bedroom 308 00:16:49,968 --> 00:16:53,221 and once in the bathroom. 309 00:16:54,139 --> 00:16:56,975 - NARRATOR: While Margaret's family grieves at the hospital, 310 00:16:57,017 --> 00:17:01,229 Priscilla's husband, Nick Matula and brother, Alect Abernathy 311 00:17:01,271 --> 00:17:04,107 have arrived at home to try and assist police 312 00:17:04,149 --> 00:17:07,027 in catching Margaret's attacker. 313 00:17:07,068 --> 00:17:09,487 - While we're outside talking to the family members, of course 314 00:17:09,529 --> 00:17:12,407 we ask them did they have any suspects at all? 315 00:17:12,449 --> 00:17:16,661 Did they know of anybody that's had problems with Ms. Abernathy? 316 00:17:16,703 --> 00:17:18,913 - NARRATOR: Alect and Nick inform investigators that 317 00:17:18,955 --> 00:17:22,250 Margaret didn't live alone. 318 00:17:22,292 --> 00:17:24,419 - Some of the family members while we were at the scene 319 00:17:24,461 --> 00:17:27,005 advised us that there was a young man named Diakka 320 00:17:27,047 --> 00:17:28,840 that lived with Ms. Abernathy. 321 00:17:28,882 --> 00:17:32,302 And that of course, he had access to the house. 322 00:17:32,344 --> 00:17:34,846 - It was told, he was not there that day. 323 00:17:34,888 --> 00:17:37,682 He was at work. 324 00:17:41,478 --> 00:17:43,188 - NARRATOR: The family insists that 325 00:17:43,229 --> 00:17:45,190 just like most people in LaGrange, 326 00:17:45,231 --> 00:17:47,734 Diakka Andromalius adored Margaret 327 00:17:47,776 --> 00:17:50,820 and would never hurt her. 328 00:17:50,862 --> 00:17:54,449 - Ms. Abernathy was a well-respected woman, 329 00:17:54,491 --> 00:17:58,745 loved her family, good businesswoman, kind, 330 00:17:58,787 --> 00:18:01,706 never heard anything negative said about her. 331 00:18:01,748 --> 00:18:03,833 And in a small town where everybody knows everything 332 00:18:03,875 --> 00:18:07,629 about everybody that's pretty, pretty big. 333 00:18:07,671 --> 00:18:09,714 - NARRATOR: The family is convinced that Margaret 334 00:18:09,756 --> 00:18:12,759 had no enemies and that this must be the result 335 00:18:12,801 --> 00:18:15,345 of a burglary gone wrong. 336 00:18:17,263 --> 00:18:18,973 - They told us that if it was a burglary 337 00:18:19,015 --> 00:18:22,018 there would be certain items that would be missing. 338 00:18:22,060 --> 00:18:24,938 It would have been a mink coat, some expensive jewelry, 339 00:18:24,979 --> 00:18:26,356 and a derringer. 340 00:18:26,398 --> 00:18:28,108 They gave us the location of the items. 341 00:18:28,149 --> 00:18:31,194 Of course, when we went back in and looked for the items, 342 00:18:31,236 --> 00:18:33,321 they were missing. 343 00:18:33,363 --> 00:18:35,615 A derringer is a small-caliber weapon. 344 00:18:35,657 --> 00:18:37,826 And that's of interest because Margaret was killed 345 00:18:37,867 --> 00:18:40,537 by a small-caliber gun. 346 00:18:40,578 --> 00:18:46,001 - NARRATOR: Investigators also discover evidence of a break-in. 347 00:18:46,042 --> 00:18:48,461 - Within the house, they've noticed that there were 348 00:18:48,503 --> 00:18:51,423 drawers that were open as if there had been possibly a 349 00:18:51,464 --> 00:18:56,594 burglary where somebody was looking for something valuable. 350 00:18:56,636 --> 00:18:58,221 - There were some drawers open, 351 00:18:58,263 --> 00:19:01,474 and stuff was taken out of the drawers, and it was neatly set, 352 00:19:01,516 --> 00:19:03,518 you know, in the floor. 353 00:19:03,560 --> 00:19:05,478 - Normally burglars, they could care less about 354 00:19:05,520 --> 00:19:07,397 what kind of mess they make. 355 00:19:07,439 --> 00:19:09,190 They throw stuff out of the drawers onto the floor, 356 00:19:09,232 --> 00:19:10,775 turn 'em upside down. 357 00:19:10,817 --> 00:19:13,403 Open every drawer looking for anything they can find 358 00:19:13,445 --> 00:19:15,238 that's worth stealing. 359 00:19:15,280 --> 00:19:18,283 That didn't appear that way here. 360 00:19:18,324 --> 00:19:20,285 - NARRATOR: And while some valuables are missing, 361 00:19:20,326 --> 00:19:24,039 others are in plain sight. 362 00:19:24,080 --> 00:19:27,834 - There was no TVs missing, no electronics were missing, 363 00:19:27,876 --> 00:19:30,879 no cameras, no anything. 364 00:19:30,920 --> 00:19:33,840 - NARRATOR: At the back door, investigators closely examine 365 00:19:33,882 --> 00:19:37,719 the broken glass pane where it appeared the intruder entered, 366 00:19:37,761 --> 00:19:41,639 but the clue itself is misleading. 367 00:19:41,681 --> 00:19:44,017 - Most of the glass was on the outside of the door instead 368 00:19:44,059 --> 00:19:47,812 of the inside, which would make you assume that the glass 369 00:19:47,854 --> 00:19:51,191 was broken from the inside of the house. 370 00:19:51,232 --> 00:19:54,903 - Actually, the hole was real small, as if somebody had just 371 00:19:54,944 --> 00:19:58,948 tapped it to break it to try and fool whoever that someone 372 00:19:58,990 --> 00:20:02,243 had done that to make entry into the residence. 373 00:20:02,285 --> 00:20:03,536 It didn't make sense. 374 00:20:03,578 --> 00:20:05,038 It was so small that you couldn't reach a hand 375 00:20:05,080 --> 00:20:08,166 through there to do anything to get in the residence. 376 00:20:08,208 --> 00:20:09,793 - It's like somebody was trying 377 00:20:09,834 --> 00:20:13,672 to make it appear as a burglary when maybe it really was not. 378 00:20:13,713 --> 00:20:15,924 - At that point the officers knew that the crime scene 379 00:20:15,965 --> 00:20:18,385 had been staged. 380 00:20:18,426 --> 00:20:21,262 - Usually, if it is a staged scene, 381 00:20:21,304 --> 00:20:23,682 it is a person that is closely related 382 00:20:23,723 --> 00:20:27,060 or friends with the victim. 383 00:20:29,854 --> 00:20:32,023 - NARRATOR: Now that burglary is ruled out 384 00:20:32,065 --> 00:20:35,360 and with new evidence of the scene being staged, 385 00:20:35,402 --> 00:20:38,113 investigators have to consider one person 386 00:20:38,154 --> 00:20:40,824 who had easy access to the property, 387 00:20:40,865 --> 00:20:42,742 Diakka Andromalius. 388 00:20:42,784 --> 00:20:45,120 Though Margaret's family thinks it impossible 389 00:20:45,161 --> 00:20:47,622 that he would do this. 390 00:20:47,664 --> 00:20:50,000 - Diakka is naturally someone that police and investigators 391 00:20:50,041 --> 00:20:52,377 are gonna wanna speak with. He lives there. 392 00:20:52,419 --> 00:20:54,295 He has access to everything in the home. 393 00:20:54,337 --> 00:20:56,423 He knows where the valuables are, 394 00:20:56,464 --> 00:20:58,800 and he could've been there at the time of the crime. 395 00:20:58,842 --> 00:21:00,468 - NARRATOR: Knowing that Diakka works at 396 00:21:00,510 --> 00:21:03,304 another local car dealership, investigators place a 397 00:21:03,346 --> 00:21:07,517 phone call to locate him. 398 00:21:08,601 --> 00:21:11,813 - His boss at Johnson Motors said that he clocked in at 8:00, 399 00:21:11,855 --> 00:21:14,107 went to lunch at 11:30, come back at 12:30, 400 00:21:14,149 --> 00:21:17,485 and then all of a sudden they couldn't find him. 401 00:21:17,527 --> 00:21:19,320 - Diakka's boss doesn't know where he is. 402 00:21:19,362 --> 00:21:21,489 He's disappeared. 403 00:21:23,366 --> 00:21:24,701 - NARRATOR: Coming up, 404 00:21:24,743 --> 00:21:26,703 while police search for Diakka, 405 00:21:26,745 --> 00:21:29,456 they learn that some of the Abernathy children 406 00:21:29,497 --> 00:21:31,624 have secrets of their own. 407 00:21:31,666 --> 00:21:33,043 - They were in the red. 408 00:21:33,084 --> 00:21:36,713 They had no financial safety net beyond Ms. Abernathy. 409 00:21:36,755 --> 00:21:37,964 That was it. 410 00:21:38,006 --> 00:21:39,841 - NARRATOR: With a potential motive in hand, 411 00:21:39,883 --> 00:21:44,679 investigators take a closer look at a very complicated alibi. 412 00:21:44,721 --> 00:21:46,431 - According to Priscilla, she was nowhere near 413 00:21:46,473 --> 00:21:50,477 her mother's house before lunch on February 4th. 414 00:21:50,518 --> 00:21:55,398 - She lied about where she was before the shooting. 415 00:22:10,830 --> 00:22:13,750 - NARRATOR: Just hours after 66-year-old businesswoman 416 00:22:13,792 --> 00:22:18,463 Margaret Abernathy died from two gunshot wounds to the head, 417 00:22:18,505 --> 00:22:20,924 sheriff's investigators in Troup County, Georgia 418 00:22:20,965 --> 00:22:24,302 have zeroed in on their first person of interest, 419 00:22:24,344 --> 00:22:26,596 Diakka Andromalius. 420 00:22:26,638 --> 00:22:28,014 - Diakka lived with Margaret. 421 00:22:28,056 --> 00:22:30,392 And according to Diakka's supervisor, 422 00:22:30,433 --> 00:22:32,310 he left the car dealership where he worked, 423 00:22:32,352 --> 00:22:35,230 and no one knows where he is. 424 00:22:36,481 --> 00:22:38,149 - NARRATOR: But just a few hours later 425 00:22:38,191 --> 00:22:39,776 detectives receive a phone call 426 00:22:39,818 --> 00:22:42,320 from Diakka Andromalius's supervisor 427 00:22:42,362 --> 00:22:44,656 saying that he has returned to work. 428 00:22:44,698 --> 00:22:48,743 And they immediately head there to interview him. 429 00:22:48,785 --> 00:22:51,413 - He told us, he didn't know anything about anything going on 430 00:22:51,454 --> 00:22:52,831 at Ms. Abernathy's. 431 00:22:52,872 --> 00:22:56,126 I told Diakka that Ms. Abernathy had passed. 432 00:22:56,167 --> 00:22:59,295 That someone had come into the house and shot her two times 433 00:22:59,337 --> 00:23:01,047 and that she was deceased. 434 00:23:01,089 --> 00:23:03,967 And then, of course, we told him, and he got upset. 435 00:23:04,009 --> 00:23:08,221 Diakka got emotional and started crying 436 00:23:08,263 --> 00:23:11,599 and they don't understand what happened and, you know, 437 00:23:11,641 --> 00:23:13,643 you just can't console him. 438 00:23:13,685 --> 00:23:17,981 He valued her or treated her like his grandmother. 439 00:23:18,023 --> 00:23:20,817 I mean, he cared a lot about her, Ms. Abernathy. 440 00:23:20,859 --> 00:23:23,028 - NARRATOR: Diakka tells them he had nothing to do 441 00:23:23,069 --> 00:23:25,989 with Margaret's death, but he does admit that 442 00:23:26,031 --> 00:23:29,701 he tried to slip away unnoticed from his job. 443 00:23:32,120 --> 00:23:34,372 - He left because he actually had a job interview 444 00:23:34,414 --> 00:23:35,832 at another dealership. 445 00:23:35,874 --> 00:23:38,668 And he didn't want his boss to know. 446 00:23:38,710 --> 00:23:40,670 - He was afraid if he told him he went for an interview 447 00:23:40,712 --> 00:23:43,173 at another business, he would fire him. 448 00:23:43,214 --> 00:23:46,009 - NARRATOR: Investigators end their interview with Diakka 449 00:23:46,051 --> 00:23:48,762 and quickly check on his claim that he left the dealership 450 00:23:48,803 --> 00:23:51,931 for a job interview. 451 00:23:51,973 --> 00:23:55,643 - According to him he went to interview at another business 452 00:23:55,685 --> 00:23:58,021 and of course, the other business advised that he did 453 00:23:58,063 --> 00:24:00,690 come there for an interview, which sort of said there ain't 454 00:24:00,732 --> 00:24:04,611 no way he could have been there to commit the crime. 455 00:24:06,321 --> 00:24:08,448 - NARRATOR: With Diakka's alibi holding up, 456 00:24:08,490 --> 00:24:13,411 detectives remove him from their list of potential suspects. 457 00:24:13,453 --> 00:24:17,207 When they speak with Margaret's son-in-law, Nick Matula, again 458 00:24:17,248 --> 00:24:22,045 this time on his own, he offers up a disturbing theory. 459 00:24:22,087 --> 00:24:25,632 - According to Nick Matula, he told us that Alect had told 460 00:24:25,674 --> 00:24:29,052 them at one time that he was just waiting on his dad, 461 00:24:29,094 --> 00:24:33,139 Mr. Bill Abernathy and his mom, Margaret Abernathy to die so 462 00:24:33,181 --> 00:24:37,060 that he could get some of the family inheritance 463 00:24:37,102 --> 00:24:41,398 in order to take care of his loans, his money problems. 464 00:24:41,439 --> 00:24:45,360 - Nick was you know, throwing shade on Alect Abernathy. 465 00:24:45,402 --> 00:24:49,698 Alect had problems. He had financial problems. 466 00:24:49,739 --> 00:24:51,950 He was in trouble. 467 00:24:51,991 --> 00:24:54,953 - Nick Matula said that Alect had made a comment that 468 00:24:54,994 --> 00:24:57,455 he needed his inheritance, so his parents needed to 469 00:24:57,497 --> 00:25:01,668 go ahead and pass away. 470 00:25:01,710 --> 00:25:04,212 - NARRATOR: According to Nick, Alect did not work 471 00:25:04,254 --> 00:25:08,216 at the dealership, but was a constant fixture. 472 00:25:08,258 --> 00:25:11,428 - Nick Matula pretty much threw it all on Alect Abernathy. 473 00:25:11,469 --> 00:25:14,931 I know that investigators looked at him very strongly 474 00:25:14,973 --> 00:25:16,933 because of his financial situation. 475 00:25:16,975 --> 00:25:21,062 I know that he was definitely a person of interest. 476 00:25:21,104 --> 00:25:24,733 - Nick Matula told us that he felt like Alect Abernathy 477 00:25:24,774 --> 00:25:27,235 had something to do with Ms. Abernathy's death 478 00:25:27,277 --> 00:25:29,779 due to the fact that he owed a bunch of money 479 00:25:29,821 --> 00:25:31,948 and she did have a big insurance policy 480 00:25:31,990 --> 00:25:33,658 and Alect was named in it. 481 00:25:33,700 --> 00:25:35,660 That it would help Alect with his debts 482 00:25:35,702 --> 00:25:38,371 and felt like that might push Alect into doing something like 483 00:25:38,413 --> 00:25:41,666 committing this homicide. 484 00:25:41,708 --> 00:25:43,585 - He was going to be the beneficiary of a double 485 00:25:43,626 --> 00:25:48,381 indemnity life insurance policy, so he was looking for $40,000 486 00:25:48,423 --> 00:25:52,052 upon the death of Ms. Abernathy. 487 00:25:54,679 --> 00:25:55,930 - NARRATOR: But investigators find 488 00:25:55,972 --> 00:25:59,559 that he too has an air-tight alibi. 489 00:25:59,601 --> 00:26:03,855 - Alect sometimes worked at the same dealership with the family 490 00:26:03,897 --> 00:26:05,273 and Priscilla Matula. 491 00:26:05,315 --> 00:26:08,985 And according to Linda Frazier, he never left until 492 00:26:09,027 --> 00:26:12,822 he was called later on to come to Ms. Abernathy's house 493 00:26:12,864 --> 00:26:15,867 because of something happening to her. 494 00:26:18,036 --> 00:26:19,496 - NARRATOR: Forty-eight hours have passed 495 00:26:19,537 --> 00:26:20,955 since Margaret was murdered 496 00:26:20,997 --> 00:26:22,874 and Troup County investigators 497 00:26:22,916 --> 00:26:26,252 have ruled out two potential suspects. 498 00:26:26,294 --> 00:26:30,882 They fear that if someone knows something, they aren't telling. 499 00:26:30,924 --> 00:26:32,634 - LaGrange is a small town. 500 00:26:32,676 --> 00:26:36,179 And although people like to know about other people's business, 501 00:26:36,221 --> 00:26:41,017 they don't always want to be the one setting things in motion. 502 00:26:41,059 --> 00:26:43,019 - NARRATOR: Just when police need it the most, 503 00:26:43,061 --> 00:26:46,022 they receive a tip that shines a damning light 504 00:26:46,064 --> 00:26:49,234 on another one of the Abernathy children. 505 00:26:49,275 --> 00:26:52,112 - Two days after the homicide, we received an anonymous call 506 00:26:52,153 --> 00:26:55,323 from the Bank of Troup County from someone who said that 507 00:26:55,365 --> 00:26:59,369 Ms. Abernathy had come to the bank the Saturday two days prior 508 00:26:59,411 --> 00:27:03,206 to her death and wanted to take Priscilla Matula 509 00:27:03,248 --> 00:27:08,086 off of all their business accounts. 510 00:27:08,920 --> 00:27:10,922 - We went to the Bank of Troup County 511 00:27:10,964 --> 00:27:13,675 on the sixth and talked to the branch manager. 512 00:27:13,717 --> 00:27:16,845 He told us that Margaret had been there on that Saturday 513 00:27:16,886 --> 00:27:20,223 and that she was adamant about making some changes. 514 00:27:20,265 --> 00:27:23,893 They said she seemed to be really upset, angry. 515 00:27:23,935 --> 00:27:26,896 Said that her blood pressure had been going up, I guess 516 00:27:26,938 --> 00:27:29,441 'cause she had gotten mad according to whatever it was 517 00:27:29,482 --> 00:27:32,360 going on with the bank accounts. 518 00:27:32,402 --> 00:27:36,114 There was some discrepancies on some of the business accounts 519 00:27:36,156 --> 00:27:40,035 they had, which was the reason Ms. Abernathy wanted 520 00:27:40,076 --> 00:27:42,078 Priscilla Matula taken off. 521 00:27:42,120 --> 00:27:46,166 She didn't want her to have access or the authority to write 522 00:27:46,207 --> 00:27:50,295 any checks or make any decisions according to any of the accounts 523 00:27:50,337 --> 00:27:52,964 at the bank. 524 00:27:54,007 --> 00:27:57,344 - She was physically agitated, emotionally distraught. 525 00:27:57,385 --> 00:28:00,263 She wanted it to be fixed instantly. 526 00:28:00,305 --> 00:28:04,517 She was distressed. She was almost inconsolable. 527 00:28:04,559 --> 00:28:06,436 - They had told her they couldn't do it right then. 528 00:28:06,478 --> 00:28:07,979 They just didn't have the personnel there 529 00:28:08,021 --> 00:28:09,314 that could do it. 530 00:28:09,356 --> 00:28:11,566 That she had to come back Monday morning. 531 00:28:11,608 --> 00:28:14,569 - She told them that she would be back in on Monday. 532 00:28:14,611 --> 00:28:16,613 She was gonna have it done. 533 00:28:16,654 --> 00:28:18,865 And of course, she never made it. 534 00:28:18,907 --> 00:28:20,575 - Once we received that information in reference 535 00:28:20,617 --> 00:28:24,371 to Ms. Abernathy wanting Priscilla off the accounts, 536 00:28:24,412 --> 00:28:27,791 of course, it made her a viable suspect. 537 00:28:27,832 --> 00:28:29,250 - NARRATOR: Coming up, 538 00:28:29,292 --> 00:28:32,420 when police look into Priscilla and Margaret's finances, 539 00:28:32,462 --> 00:28:37,092 it appears the apple has fallen quite far from the tree. 540 00:28:37,133 --> 00:28:39,969 - We called a financial expert from the GBI. 541 00:28:40,011 --> 00:28:42,972 She came, she went over all those records, and said 542 00:28:43,014 --> 00:28:45,058 there was a scheme going on. 543 00:28:45,100 --> 00:28:47,435 - NARRATOR: Had desperation forced Priscilla 544 00:28:47,477 --> 00:28:49,437 to do the unthinkable? 545 00:28:49,479 --> 00:28:51,564 - She said, she had the authority to do 546 00:28:51,606 --> 00:28:54,109 what needed to be done. 547 00:29:08,581 --> 00:29:11,751 - NARRATOR: 41-year-old businesswoman Priscilla Matula 548 00:29:11,793 --> 00:29:13,878 has gone from grieving daughter 549 00:29:13,920 --> 00:29:17,507 to a suspect in her mother's murder. 550 00:29:17,549 --> 00:29:20,010 - We went back to the sheriff's office, got a subpoena to 551 00:29:20,051 --> 00:29:22,178 subpoena all the financial records 552 00:29:22,220 --> 00:29:24,222 for the business accounts 553 00:29:24,264 --> 00:29:27,600 to make a determination what was the cause 554 00:29:27,642 --> 00:29:30,895 for Ms. Abernathy wanting to remove Priscilla Matula 555 00:29:30,937 --> 00:29:34,107 from the accounts. 556 00:29:35,400 --> 00:29:37,652 - NARRATOR: They learn that Margaret had been very generous 557 00:29:37,694 --> 00:29:41,573 in helping Priscilla get her dealership up and running. 558 00:29:41,614 --> 00:29:44,367 - Mrs. Abernathy had put up her house for collateral and 559 00:29:44,409 --> 00:29:48,913 a CD for collateral to allow Nick and Priscilla 560 00:29:48,955 --> 00:29:50,874 to purchase this car dealership. 561 00:29:50,915 --> 00:29:54,961 I believe that Ms. Abernathy had given Nick and Priscilla Matula 562 00:29:55,003 --> 00:29:58,590 $130,000 to help them purchase this dealership, 563 00:29:58,631 --> 00:30:03,303 so she was already in fairly deep with them financially. 564 00:30:05,180 --> 00:30:07,223 - NARRATOR: When investigators look deeper, 565 00:30:07,265 --> 00:30:11,353 they discover Priscilla's business was in serious debt 566 00:30:11,394 --> 00:30:15,148 and she had taken some illegal steps to cover it up. 567 00:30:17,150 --> 00:30:20,737 - We called a financial expert from the GBI, she came, 568 00:30:20,779 --> 00:30:22,614 she went over all those records, 569 00:30:22,655 --> 00:30:26,451 and said there was a kiting scheme going on. 570 00:30:26,493 --> 00:30:29,662 - Check kiting is basically robbing Peter to pay Paul. 571 00:30:29,704 --> 00:30:31,539 It's writing checks where you don't have the money 572 00:30:31,581 --> 00:30:33,291 to cover it. 573 00:30:33,333 --> 00:30:36,836 - She would write a check to make a deposit, 574 00:30:36,878 --> 00:30:39,297 say to Troup County Bank. 575 00:30:39,339 --> 00:30:41,299 And then she would go to another bank and 576 00:30:41,341 --> 00:30:46,012 write a check to cash on that check, which was no good. 577 00:30:46,054 --> 00:30:48,139 And this bank would cash the check for her then, 578 00:30:48,181 --> 00:30:49,933 and they would do that back and forth. 579 00:30:49,974 --> 00:30:53,478 - Back in the 90s, I mean, it might've took three-to-five days 580 00:30:53,520 --> 00:30:56,981 or longer for a check to even get to the bank 581 00:30:57,023 --> 00:30:59,818 and then you know, get cleared. 582 00:30:59,859 --> 00:31:05,824 - She had kited checks in the amount of $20, $30,000, 583 00:31:05,865 --> 00:31:10,495 so that it looked to be that she had a positive cash flow 584 00:31:10,537 --> 00:31:12,622 at the car lot. 585 00:31:12,664 --> 00:31:17,168 - She was showing some of the vehicles on the car lot sold, 586 00:31:17,210 --> 00:31:20,463 that wasn't actually sold. 587 00:31:20,505 --> 00:31:22,340 Like she would say it was sold 588 00:31:22,382 --> 00:31:24,134 and she got all this money for it. 589 00:31:24,175 --> 00:31:27,595 Some of the bank statements that were coming showing 590 00:31:27,637 --> 00:31:29,973 these discrepancies. 591 00:31:30,765 --> 00:31:32,642 - NARRATOR: Police believe Margaret discovered the 592 00:31:32,684 --> 00:31:36,021 accounting irregularities and became convinced 593 00:31:36,062 --> 00:31:40,025 Priscilla was stealing from the business. 594 00:31:40,066 --> 00:31:43,862 - I believe that when Ms. Margaret found out 595 00:31:43,903 --> 00:31:46,322 about what was going on, 596 00:31:46,364 --> 00:31:48,992 Priscilla was confronted by her mother and 597 00:31:49,034 --> 00:31:54,956 told that she was going to be taken off of all of her accounts 598 00:31:54,998 --> 00:31:58,418 and that Priscilla would no longer have access to that. 599 00:32:00,754 --> 00:32:05,300 That's when I think this... creature came out in Priscilla. 600 00:32:06,760 --> 00:32:10,472 - She was gonna cut her off and Priscilla would lose everything. 601 00:32:12,432 --> 00:32:14,434 - NARRATOR: With a strong motive in hand, 602 00:32:14,476 --> 00:32:16,728 investigators take a closer look 603 00:32:16,770 --> 00:32:19,272 at Priscilla's alibi. 604 00:32:19,314 --> 00:32:21,274 - According to Priscilla, she was nowhere near her 605 00:32:21,316 --> 00:32:24,402 mother's house before lunch on February 4, 606 00:32:24,444 --> 00:32:27,030 but when investigators start canvassing the area, 607 00:32:27,072 --> 00:32:29,407 they interview a convenience store clerk 608 00:32:29,449 --> 00:32:33,119 that says Priscilla came in after 7:00am 609 00:32:33,161 --> 00:32:35,246 the morning of the murder. 610 00:32:35,288 --> 00:32:36,831 - She was at the convenience store 611 00:32:36,873 --> 00:32:41,169 down from her Mama's house, so she lied about where she was. 612 00:32:45,256 --> 00:32:47,717 - NARRATOR: As their neighborhood canvas continues, 613 00:32:47,759 --> 00:32:51,179 investigators find another woman who was doing a walkthrough 614 00:32:51,221 --> 00:32:55,684 of a rental property on the morning of February 4th. 615 00:32:55,725 --> 00:32:59,437 It just so happens the home is located right across the street 616 00:32:59,479 --> 00:33:02,399 from Margaret's residence, and she remembers seeing 617 00:33:02,440 --> 00:33:05,568 a sedan parked on the property. 618 00:33:05,610 --> 00:33:09,614 - She had seen Priscilla Matula's car, 619 00:33:09,656 --> 00:33:13,743 her Jeep Premier at her mother's house in that time frame 620 00:33:13,785 --> 00:33:16,413 between 10:00 and 10:30. 621 00:33:16,454 --> 00:33:19,249 - She goes inside this rental house looking at it to see if 622 00:33:19,290 --> 00:33:21,960 she wanted to rent it and while there heard what she 623 00:33:22,002 --> 00:33:24,504 thought was a gunshot. 624 00:33:24,546 --> 00:33:26,464 She wasn't sure where it came from, sounded like it might've 625 00:33:26,506 --> 00:33:28,508 came from across the street. 626 00:33:28,550 --> 00:33:30,802 The question of course was, well, did you call the police? 627 00:33:30,844 --> 00:33:34,347 But of course, in rural Troup County, hearing gunfire, 628 00:33:34,389 --> 00:33:36,641 she didn't think to call the police. 629 00:33:36,683 --> 00:33:39,269 She figured that somebody just might've been out in a field 630 00:33:39,310 --> 00:33:41,688 shooting a gun. 631 00:33:45,108 --> 00:33:46,484 - NARRATOR: With Priscilla's vehicle 632 00:33:46,526 --> 00:33:48,445 being spotted at her mother's, 633 00:33:48,486 --> 00:33:51,698 investigators contact Linda Frazier 634 00:33:51,740 --> 00:33:53,867 who Priscilla claimed would verify her story 635 00:33:53,908 --> 00:33:57,037 about being at work at the time of the shooting. 636 00:33:57,078 --> 00:34:02,000 But Linda only pokes further holes in Priscilla's alibi. 637 00:34:02,542 --> 00:34:04,169 - Priscilla had come to work 638 00:34:04,210 --> 00:34:05,545 normally at around eight o'clock. 639 00:34:05,587 --> 00:34:09,007 Shortly after, she had left going to the post office 640 00:34:09,049 --> 00:34:10,550 and to the bank. 641 00:34:10,592 --> 00:34:13,053 She was gone for a little while. 642 00:34:13,094 --> 00:34:16,139 Came back, said that she didn't actually get to go in the 643 00:34:16,181 --> 00:34:20,352 post office because it had a long line, she couldn't get in. 644 00:34:20,393 --> 00:34:22,645 - We know at 10:00, between 10:00 and 10:30, 645 00:34:22,687 --> 00:34:24,564 she was at her mother's house. 646 00:34:24,606 --> 00:34:27,025 We know that at that time when she was at her mother's house, 647 00:34:27,067 --> 00:34:29,027 gunshots were fired. 648 00:34:29,069 --> 00:34:30,570 She was the only one to be there. 649 00:34:30,612 --> 00:34:33,782 She was the only one that we could point to being there. 650 00:34:35,075 --> 00:34:36,451 - NARRATOR: Once back at the office, 651 00:34:36,493 --> 00:34:40,830 she made a point of showing concern for her mother. 652 00:34:40,872 --> 00:34:42,248 - She couldn't get in touch with her. 653 00:34:42,290 --> 00:34:43,541 She was worried about her. 654 00:34:43,583 --> 00:34:45,919 She thought she was supposed to go to uh, 655 00:34:45,960 --> 00:34:48,004 get her hair fixed somewhere. 656 00:34:48,046 --> 00:34:50,882 Each time she came back she was talking about her mother. 657 00:34:50,924 --> 00:34:52,717 Has my mother called? 658 00:34:52,759 --> 00:34:56,304 And she would call somebody to see if they had seen her. 659 00:34:58,348 --> 00:35:00,350 - NARRATOR: Around lunch, Priscilla announced 660 00:35:00,392 --> 00:35:03,561 she was going to check on Margaret. 661 00:35:03,603 --> 00:35:04,854 - Linda Frazier said she told her, 662 00:35:04,896 --> 00:35:07,148 you don't need to go by yourself, Priscilla. 663 00:35:07,190 --> 00:35:10,777 I'm going with you, just in case something is bad wrong. 664 00:35:10,819 --> 00:35:13,738 And said Priscilla refused, said no. 665 00:35:13,780 --> 00:35:15,198 She didn't need her to go with her. 666 00:35:15,240 --> 00:35:17,117 She'd go by herself. 667 00:35:17,158 --> 00:35:18,368 - NARRATOR: Shortly after Priscilla left 668 00:35:18,410 --> 00:35:19,869 for the last time, 669 00:35:19,911 --> 00:35:25,000 the 911 call came in from Priscilla herself. 670 00:35:25,041 --> 00:35:29,754 With her alibi in shambles and financial misdeeds exposed, 671 00:35:29,796 --> 00:35:35,510 investigators arrest Priscilla on February 12. 672 00:35:38,513 --> 00:35:40,890 - During her interview, when you'd ask her about 673 00:35:40,932 --> 00:35:44,019 anything in reference to the homicide, 674 00:35:44,060 --> 00:35:46,521 she just wouldn't talk to you. 675 00:35:46,563 --> 00:35:49,232 - She doesn't even acknowledge that she's being asked about 676 00:35:49,274 --> 00:35:51,276 her mother's murder. 677 00:35:51,317 --> 00:35:53,194 You know, tell us what happened that day. 678 00:35:53,236 --> 00:35:56,322 She doesn't acknowledge any of it. 679 00:35:57,699 --> 00:36:00,118 - NARRATOR: When it comes to financial malfeasance, 680 00:36:00,160 --> 00:36:05,165 Priscilla insists that everything was on the up and up. 681 00:36:05,206 --> 00:36:08,626 - When Priscilla was asked about the finances of the dealership. 682 00:36:08,668 --> 00:36:10,128 Of course, she said, she had the authority 683 00:36:10,170 --> 00:36:12,714 to do what needed to be done. 684 00:36:12,756 --> 00:36:14,716 She said you know, she was on the account. 685 00:36:14,758 --> 00:36:18,386 She had the right to write checks and carry on business 686 00:36:18,428 --> 00:36:20,555 with the dealership. 687 00:36:20,597 --> 00:36:23,183 - NARRATOR: But despite her claims to investigators, 688 00:36:23,224 --> 00:36:27,312 Priscilla's motive is crystal clear. 689 00:36:27,354 --> 00:36:28,980 - They were in the red. 690 00:36:29,022 --> 00:36:32,859 And once she realized that she had no financial safety net 691 00:36:32,901 --> 00:36:35,737 beyond Ms. Abernathy, that was it. 692 00:36:35,779 --> 00:36:39,074 The only thing she could do was kill her mother so she could 693 00:36:39,115 --> 00:36:41,993 still have access to her money. 694 00:36:42,035 --> 00:36:44,913 - She knew if she didn't do something between that time and 695 00:36:44,954 --> 00:36:48,208 Monday when her mother started her day, 696 00:36:48,249 --> 00:36:51,002 that she would be done. 697 00:36:53,672 --> 00:36:55,090 - NARRATOR: Coming up, 698 00:36:55,131 --> 00:36:59,678 Priscilla makes a brazen move to clear her name. 699 00:36:59,719 --> 00:37:02,931 - Priscilla is fairly pushy and telling her that 700 00:37:02,972 --> 00:37:06,017 I wasn't there. You must be mistaken. 701 00:37:06,059 --> 00:37:10,230 - NARRATOR: But could a missing piece of evidence end the case? 702 00:37:10,271 --> 00:37:12,357 - It was mostly a circumstantial case. 703 00:37:12,399 --> 00:37:14,693 We did not have a murder weapon. 704 00:37:30,208 --> 00:37:33,044 - NARRATOR: LaGrange, Georgia homicide investigators 705 00:37:33,086 --> 00:37:36,548 have charged Priscilla Matula with the shooting death 706 00:37:36,589 --> 00:37:39,175 of her mother, Margaret. 707 00:37:39,217 --> 00:37:40,969 As her murder trial approaches, 708 00:37:41,011 --> 00:37:44,472 authorities get one final piece of evidence. 709 00:37:46,433 --> 00:37:48,351 - A key witness for the prosecution was 710 00:37:48,393 --> 00:37:50,770 a convenience store clerk who said that she saw Priscilla 711 00:37:50,812 --> 00:37:53,189 the morning of the murder. 712 00:37:53,231 --> 00:37:55,483 In February of 1992, 713 00:37:55,525 --> 00:37:59,070 she calls the Troup County Sheriff's Department. 714 00:37:59,112 --> 00:38:02,824 - Paige Hester called us and said that Priscilla 715 00:38:02,866 --> 00:38:06,161 had called her and left a message for her I guess, 716 00:38:06,202 --> 00:38:09,497 and wanted Paige to call her. 717 00:38:10,832 --> 00:38:13,501 - NARRATOR: Hoping Priscilla is about to incriminate herself, 718 00:38:13,543 --> 00:38:15,337 investigators convince Paige 719 00:38:15,378 --> 00:38:18,506 to call her back while they tap the line. 720 00:38:18,548 --> 00:38:21,092 - Investigators listen in as Paige calls Priscilla 721 00:38:21,134 --> 00:38:23,845 at the house where she's out on bond. 722 00:38:23,887 --> 00:38:28,141 - She wanted Paige Hester to deny that she was there, 723 00:38:28,183 --> 00:38:30,268 and she kept telling her, she said you know, 724 00:38:30,310 --> 00:38:32,604 are you sure it was the 4th? 725 00:38:32,645 --> 00:38:35,482 Maybe it was another day when you saw me there. 726 00:38:35,523 --> 00:38:40,195 - Priscilla is fairly pushy and telling her that I wasn't there. 727 00:38:40,236 --> 00:38:42,447 You must be mistaken. 728 00:38:42,489 --> 00:38:44,074 - Of course, Paige Hester told her, no, 729 00:38:44,115 --> 00:38:48,370 it was the day of Ms. Abernathy's death. 730 00:38:48,411 --> 00:38:50,038 - Priscilla was very cagey 731 00:38:50,080 --> 00:38:52,916 in the way she was speaking to Paige. 732 00:38:52,957 --> 00:38:55,919 There was no bribery, no real coercion. 733 00:38:55,960 --> 00:39:01,800 She was pretty much just trying to adjust her memory. 734 00:39:01,841 --> 00:39:03,551 Nothing illegal happened. 735 00:39:03,593 --> 00:39:07,222 It was just clear that she was trying to 736 00:39:07,263 --> 00:39:09,808 create testimony for Paige. 737 00:39:11,810 --> 00:39:13,687 - NARRATOR: Investigators share this information 738 00:39:13,728 --> 00:39:15,647 with prosecutors who believe 739 00:39:15,689 --> 00:39:17,732 it will help prove Priscilla's guilt 740 00:39:17,774 --> 00:39:21,903 when her trial begins in August 1992. 741 00:39:21,945 --> 00:39:26,157 - The hardest part was trying to make a jury understand, 742 00:39:26,199 --> 00:39:29,285 and I think the hardest part for anybody is the fact that 743 00:39:29,327 --> 00:39:31,121 who kills their mother? 744 00:39:31,162 --> 00:39:34,124 That was the hardest part, trying to get into the 745 00:39:34,165 --> 00:39:40,130 desperation she must have felt to-to do this act. 746 00:39:44,009 --> 00:39:46,553 The theory of the case was that Priscilla must have been 747 00:39:46,594 --> 00:39:48,888 confronted by her mother on Saturday. 748 00:39:48,930 --> 00:39:51,016 Her mother was so distraught at the bank 749 00:39:51,057 --> 00:39:53,476 that had to have been conveyed to Priscilla. 750 00:39:53,518 --> 00:39:56,688 At that point, Priscilla was told that her financial lifeline 751 00:39:56,730 --> 00:39:59,149 was gonna be cut off on Monday. 752 00:39:59,190 --> 00:40:02,027 Priscilla apparently didn't have any other resources. 753 00:40:02,068 --> 00:40:04,612 She had to have stewed over that. 754 00:40:05,947 --> 00:40:08,116 - With her being taken off that account and 755 00:40:08,158 --> 00:40:13,079 losing the dealership, her and Nick were destitute pretty much. 756 00:40:13,955 --> 00:40:17,917 It was either make Ms. Abernathy 757 00:40:17,959 --> 00:40:20,795 not take her off the account, 758 00:40:20,837 --> 00:40:24,090 or stop her from taking her off the account. 759 00:40:25,467 --> 00:40:26,718 - She was desperate. 760 00:40:26,760 --> 00:40:28,678 She obviously decided on Monday 761 00:40:28,720 --> 00:40:32,057 that the only thing she could do was kill her mother, 762 00:40:32,098 --> 00:40:35,852 so she could still have access to her money. 763 00:40:37,645 --> 00:40:38,980 - Prosecutors believe that Priscilla 764 00:40:39,022 --> 00:40:43,610 snuck into Margaret's home and fired a single shot 765 00:40:43,651 --> 00:40:46,363 into her sleeping mother's head. 766 00:40:48,531 --> 00:40:51,493 - I'm sure she thought she had killed her at that point. 767 00:40:51,534 --> 00:40:54,371 She comes back a few hours later 768 00:40:54,412 --> 00:40:56,956 to find her still alive and in the bathroom. 769 00:40:56,998 --> 00:40:59,793 Insetad of helping her, 770 00:40:59,834 --> 00:41:01,961 shoots her again to kill her. 771 00:41:04,881 --> 00:41:07,092 She ended up knocking one of the glasses out of one 772 00:41:07,133 --> 00:41:09,302 of the doors from the inside of the house, 773 00:41:09,344 --> 00:41:11,888 instead of the outside. 774 00:41:11,930 --> 00:41:13,890 And of course, called 911 and reported it. 775 00:41:13,932 --> 00:41:16,726 And then acted like somebody burglarized the house 776 00:41:16,768 --> 00:41:19,104 and shot her mother. 777 00:41:19,145 --> 00:41:21,022 - Prosecutors believe that Priscilla 778 00:41:21,064 --> 00:41:23,733 even got rid of her mother's jewelry and mink coat 779 00:41:23,775 --> 00:41:27,737 just to make it look like a burglary gone wrong. 780 00:41:29,698 --> 00:41:31,324 - NARRATOR: Priscilla's attorney argues that 781 00:41:31,366 --> 00:41:35,995 the prosecution's case is conjecture and not fact. 782 00:41:36,037 --> 00:41:39,332 - It was mostly a circumstantial case 'cause we didn't have 783 00:41:39,374 --> 00:41:43,545 a person that actually saw her do anything, 784 00:41:43,586 --> 00:41:45,672 and we did not have a murder weapon 785 00:41:45,714 --> 00:41:48,133 that we could link to her. 786 00:41:48,174 --> 00:41:50,468 - It's a hurdle to not have the murder weapon. 787 00:41:50,510 --> 00:41:52,345 It would have been nice to have been able to have 788 00:41:52,387 --> 00:41:54,055 a murder weapon. 789 00:41:54,097 --> 00:41:57,934 The hardest part was trying to make a jury understand 790 00:41:57,976 --> 00:42:01,730 the evidence the way I understood the evidence. 791 00:42:02,564 --> 00:42:05,567 - NARRATOR: On August 28th, 1992, 792 00:42:05,608 --> 00:42:08,153 the jury announces its verdict. 793 00:42:08,194 --> 00:42:11,281 - She was found guilty and got a life sentence. 794 00:42:11,322 --> 00:42:13,908 Life with parole. 795 00:42:15,869 --> 00:42:18,371 - NARRATOR: For those seeking justice for Margaret, 796 00:42:18,413 --> 00:42:20,040 it's a bittersweet moment 797 00:42:20,081 --> 00:42:24,419 for this once proud and happy family. 798 00:42:24,461 --> 00:42:28,423 - I've always thought that just for that instant that Priscilla 799 00:42:28,465 --> 00:42:32,594 lost her mind. 800 00:42:32,635 --> 00:42:38,141 I believe that she probably got the sentence that she deserved. 801 00:42:39,309 --> 00:42:43,313 - Cases where family's lives are torn apart like this, 802 00:42:43,355 --> 00:42:45,231 those stick with you. 803 00:42:45,273 --> 00:42:48,860 A daughter killing her mother is, to me personally, 804 00:42:48,902 --> 00:42:51,071 unimaginable, so you have to go to 805 00:42:51,112 --> 00:42:54,616 a really dark place to understand this. 806 00:42:54,657 --> 00:42:57,911 - Finding out that Priscilla had killed Margaret, you know, 807 00:42:57,952 --> 00:42:59,454 my aunt had killed my grandmother, 808 00:42:59,496 --> 00:43:01,748 somebody that I loved and cared for, you know, 809 00:43:01,790 --> 00:43:03,375 with everything I had. 810 00:43:03,416 --> 00:43:07,879 Anger definitely is one of the first emotions that comes out. 811 00:43:07,921 --> 00:43:11,383 - Whenever Nanny was killed, our family just died. 812 00:43:11,424 --> 00:43:14,094 And I don't know how else to explain it. 813 00:43:14,135 --> 00:43:18,348 The family events, the vacations, the dinners, 814 00:43:18,390 --> 00:43:19,933 all of it was gone. 815 00:43:19,974 --> 00:43:22,811 So for Priscilla to be gone, yeah, it was a big deal, 816 00:43:22,852 --> 00:43:25,814 but really everything was gone. 817 00:43:29,484 --> 00:43:33,488 - *