1 00:00:02,460 --> 00:00:03,795 - FEMALE NARRATOR: With wedding bells on the horizon, 2 00:00:05,005 --> 00:00:08,174 life never looked better for this Southern belle. 3 00:00:08,216 --> 00:00:10,802 - She was so pleasant, so outgoing. 4 00:00:10,844 --> 00:00:15,015 She was just beautiful. Just a good all-around person. 5 00:00:15,056 --> 00:00:17,851 She had finally found the true love of her life 6 00:00:17,892 --> 00:00:19,978 and she was happy. 7 00:00:20,020 --> 00:00:23,064 - They planned to live a good life together. 8 00:00:23,106 --> 00:00:25,567 - NARRATOR: But when a brutal crime is discovered, 9 00:00:25,608 --> 00:00:29,529 the plans for their bright future are destroyed. 10 00:00:29,571 --> 00:00:32,032 - I could see the body in a bathtub. 11 00:00:32,073 --> 00:00:34,367 She had multiple stab wounds on her neck. 12 00:00:34,409 --> 00:00:39,039 She was attacked by somebody that was very angry. 13 00:00:39,080 --> 00:00:40,623 - NARRATOR: The ensuing investigation 14 00:00:40,665 --> 00:00:44,836 uncovers an obsession driven by jealousy. 15 00:00:44,878 --> 00:00:48,173 - It's kind of a shocker when you hear a spouse call in 16 00:00:48,214 --> 00:00:52,719 and say, "I think my spouse may have killed somebody." 17 00:00:52,761 --> 00:00:56,222 - She said, "I'll kill you for [bleep] my husband." 18 00:00:56,264 --> 00:00:59,100 - I believe he's worried that he was going to be next. 19 00:00:59,142 --> 00:01:01,227 - NARRATOR: When the killer's motive comes to light, 20 00:01:01,269 --> 00:01:05,690 so too does a window into a dark mind. 21 00:01:05,732 --> 00:01:09,069 - It's just starting to paint a picture of obsession. 22 00:01:09,110 --> 00:01:11,696 - This just shook me to my core. 23 00:01:11,738 --> 00:01:15,116 It's just unbelievable. Absolutely unbelievable. 24 00:01:23,750 --> 00:01:28,338 - * 25 00:01:34,135 --> 00:01:36,429 - NARRATOR: Rowan County, North Carolina, 26 00:01:36,471 --> 00:01:39,015 nestled between Charlotte and Greensboro, 27 00:01:39,057 --> 00:01:41,184 the fast-growing city of Kannapolis 28 00:01:41,226 --> 00:01:43,895 is renowned for textiles. 29 00:01:43,937 --> 00:01:46,439 - Kannapolis is a growing town. 30 00:01:46,481 --> 00:01:48,817 There's you know a lot of different businesses 31 00:01:48,858 --> 00:01:50,318 coming in and out. 32 00:01:50,360 --> 00:01:52,404 - It's kind of a quiet, family-based community. 33 00:01:52,445 --> 00:01:57,909 Upper-middle-class homes, um, within eyeshot of each other. 34 00:01:57,951 --> 00:02:00,954 - It's not the kind of neighborhood you would expect 35 00:02:00,995 --> 00:02:02,914 to find violent crime. 36 00:02:04,040 --> 00:02:07,961 - NARRATOR: On July 23, 2013, at 9:40AM, 37 00:02:08,003 --> 00:02:12,465 a 911 call upends the otherwise calm Tuesday morning. 38 00:02:14,175 --> 00:02:16,970 The caller, 59-year-old Chuck Reeves, 39 00:02:17,012 --> 00:02:19,431 is in dire need of help for his fiancée, 40 00:02:19,472 --> 00:02:23,018 62-year-old Shirley Pierce. 41 00:02:23,059 --> 00:02:26,479 - He seen blood and what he thought was powder on the floor 42 00:02:26,521 --> 00:02:28,857 and went to the bathroom and found his girlfriend 43 00:02:28,898 --> 00:02:32,485 in the bathtub with the water running over her body. 44 00:02:35,363 --> 00:02:38,324 - Chuck did report that she was in the bathtub motionless 45 00:02:38,366 --> 00:02:40,201 and there was blood everywhere. 46 00:02:41,161 --> 00:02:43,371 Shirley wasn't breathing. 47 00:02:43,413 --> 00:02:45,040 - He realized that she was already gone. 48 00:02:45,081 --> 00:02:48,209 There wasn't nothing he could do for her. 49 00:02:50,170 --> 00:02:51,338 - NARRATOR: When police arrive, 50 00:02:51,379 --> 00:02:55,342 they are immediately led to the main bedroom. 51 00:02:55,383 --> 00:02:57,260 - The house is just really quiet. 52 00:02:57,302 --> 00:03:01,389 Nice house, kind of eerie feeling when you walk in. 53 00:03:01,431 --> 00:03:04,851 I could smell an odor of bleach. 54 00:03:04,893 --> 00:03:07,395 When I entered the bedroom, I can see a lot of blood 55 00:03:07,437 --> 00:03:09,606 on the floor, blood stains. 56 00:03:09,647 --> 00:03:12,901 The blood stains continued across the floor. 57 00:03:12,942 --> 00:03:15,362 - It appeared that the scene was attempted to be cleaned up 58 00:03:15,403 --> 00:03:18,615 with bleach, which created some, you know, bleaching patterns 59 00:03:18,656 --> 00:03:22,202 in the carpet and back into the bathroom. 60 00:03:22,243 --> 00:03:24,120 - There was a path that went from a bedroom 61 00:03:24,162 --> 00:03:26,998 into this bathroom. 62 00:03:28,166 --> 00:03:29,459 - NARRATOR: Once in the bathroom, 63 00:03:29,501 --> 00:03:33,630 they're met with a ferocious scene. 64 00:03:33,672 --> 00:03:35,423 - I could see the body of Shirley Pierce 65 00:03:35,465 --> 00:03:37,509 laying in the bathtub. 66 00:03:37,550 --> 00:03:41,012 I could tell that Shirley was attacked with a sharp object. 67 00:03:41,054 --> 00:03:46,351 She had multiple stab wounds on her neck, her face. 68 00:03:46,393 --> 00:03:50,730 - It's not an accidental death. It's clearly a homicide. 69 00:03:54,275 --> 00:03:55,402 - NARRATOR: With the crime scene 70 00:03:55,443 --> 00:03:57,404 in the early stages of processing, 71 00:03:57,445 --> 00:04:00,156 detectives turn to their only witness, 72 00:04:00,198 --> 00:04:04,202 Shirley's boyfriend, Chuck Reeves. 73 00:04:04,244 --> 00:04:07,247 - I was able to introduce myself to Chuck Reeves 74 00:04:07,288 --> 00:04:09,582 who was on the scene and asked him to, um, 75 00:04:09,624 --> 00:04:11,876 to sit and talk to me for a moment. 76 00:04:11,918 --> 00:04:14,629 Chuck's demeanor was devastated. 77 00:04:14,671 --> 00:04:19,551 However, he was very cooperative and he was very articulate. 78 00:04:19,592 --> 00:04:22,262 He was able to provide good information. 79 00:04:22,303 --> 00:04:24,347 What we learned about Shirley Pierce was that 80 00:04:24,389 --> 00:04:27,475 she appeared to be just a good, decent, working person. 81 00:04:27,517 --> 00:04:30,645 There didn't appear to be anything at that point 82 00:04:30,687 --> 00:04:36,359 to determine who would want to do something like this to her. 83 00:04:40,488 --> 00:04:43,324 - NARRATOR: Born and raised in Mooresville, North Carolina, 84 00:04:43,366 --> 00:04:46,286 Shirley Goodnight was a ray of sunshine 85 00:04:46,327 --> 00:04:50,665 in a region known for its Southern hospitality. 86 00:04:50,707 --> 00:04:54,711 - She was very close to her family, her sisters. 87 00:04:54,753 --> 00:04:56,296 She had a brother. 88 00:04:56,338 --> 00:04:58,798 She was so pleasant, so outgoing. 89 00:04:58,840 --> 00:05:03,720 She was just beautiful, just a good all-around person. 90 00:05:03,762 --> 00:05:06,681 - Everybody loved Shirley. She was a very friendly woman. 91 00:05:06,723 --> 00:05:09,559 She was, um, well liked in her community 92 00:05:09,601 --> 00:05:12,103 as well, uh, as at her job. 93 00:05:12,145 --> 00:05:16,316 And people who knew her remarked how beautiful she was. 94 00:05:16,983 --> 00:05:20,570 - NARRATOR: In 1970, Shirley married, Randall Pierce. 95 00:05:20,612 --> 00:05:25,325 And the couple welcomed a daughter, Tracy, soon after. 96 00:05:25,367 --> 00:05:28,912 - Tracy being her only daughter, only child, 97 00:05:28,953 --> 00:05:31,581 she just adored Tracy. 98 00:05:31,623 --> 00:05:34,751 - NARRATOR: When Shirley and her husband split in 1981, 99 00:05:34,793 --> 00:05:37,545 Shirley looked for a way to support herself 100 00:05:37,587 --> 00:05:41,633 and eventually signed on with the Tuscarora Yarn Factory. 101 00:05:41,675 --> 00:05:44,511 - Tuscarora Yarns was a textile company. 102 00:05:44,552 --> 00:05:46,930 They made specialty yarns. 103 00:05:46,971 --> 00:05:50,684 I was in the accounting department, and she came in 104 00:05:50,725 --> 00:05:55,897 as the owner's and the CEO's, uh, administrative assistant. 105 00:05:57,440 --> 00:06:01,361 - Shirley was a very dainty, well-dressed, 106 00:06:01,403 --> 00:06:03,988 very well-spoken lady. 107 00:06:04,030 --> 00:06:06,700 She was very professional. 108 00:06:06,741 --> 00:06:09,661 - Shirley and I were just really good work friends. 109 00:06:09,703 --> 00:06:12,539 We spent a lot of the day together working 110 00:06:12,580 --> 00:06:15,375 and we went to lunch most every day. 111 00:06:15,417 --> 00:06:17,711 We would go shopping some after hours 112 00:06:17,752 --> 00:06:20,880 or just go to dinner with each other. 113 00:06:20,922 --> 00:06:23,174 - She worked long hours and worked hard at the company. 114 00:06:23,216 --> 00:06:25,885 I think anybody been glad to have her work for them. 115 00:06:25,927 --> 00:06:28,054 - NARRATOR: Shirley put what free time she did have 116 00:06:28,096 --> 00:06:31,725 to good use, organizing golf tournaments and gala dinners 117 00:06:31,766 --> 00:06:35,729 for several local charities. 118 00:06:35,770 --> 00:06:38,440 - She was involved in a charitable organization, uh, 119 00:06:38,481 --> 00:06:40,233 raised money for, uh, people with, 120 00:06:40,275 --> 00:06:42,861 uh, traumatic brain injuries. 121 00:06:42,902 --> 00:06:45,071 - That speaks to the character of a person that cares 122 00:06:45,113 --> 00:06:46,740 about other folks like that. 123 00:06:46,781 --> 00:06:48,825 Shirley had a very big heart. 124 00:06:48,867 --> 00:06:50,285 - When Shirley's daughter, Tracy, 125 00:06:50,326 --> 00:06:52,746 became a mother to a little boy, 126 00:06:52,787 --> 00:06:56,624 being a grandmother sent Shirley over the moon. 127 00:06:56,666 --> 00:06:58,877 - He was the apple of her eye. 128 00:06:58,918 --> 00:07:00,920 That's what she talked about the most. 129 00:07:00,962 --> 00:07:03,673 Anybody that knew her will always know about 130 00:07:03,715 --> 00:07:09,512 her grandson and Tracy, because she told everyone about them. 131 00:07:11,056 --> 00:07:13,975 - NARRATOR: By 2013, with her family growing 132 00:07:14,017 --> 00:07:17,437 and her career flourishing, Shirley was looking to hit the 133 00:07:17,479 --> 00:07:20,774 trifecta in her romantic life. 134 00:07:20,815 --> 00:07:23,902 When she began dating, textile salesmen Chuck Reeves, 135 00:07:23,943 --> 00:07:27,072 it appeared she had done just that. 136 00:07:27,113 --> 00:07:30,325 - He had known her for a while because he was a salesman 137 00:07:30,367 --> 00:07:33,286 and she was the president's secretary at Tuscarora Yarns, 138 00:07:33,328 --> 00:07:35,789 so he had met her through, through that 139 00:07:35,830 --> 00:07:39,626 and the relationship turned into a- a dating one. 140 00:07:39,668 --> 00:07:41,044 - Chuck and Shirley had a relationship, 141 00:07:41,086 --> 00:07:43,797 kind of later in life. They had a good relationship. 142 00:07:43,838 --> 00:07:45,215 Uh, they got along really well. 143 00:07:45,256 --> 00:07:50,553 Chuck loved her and then you know Shirley loved him. 144 00:07:50,595 --> 00:07:52,639 - NARRATOR: The pair dated for four and a half years, 145 00:07:52,681 --> 00:07:55,975 but kept separate residences. 146 00:07:56,017 --> 00:07:58,103 In the spring of 2013, 147 00:07:58,144 --> 00:08:03,024 Chuck proposed to Shirley and she happily accepted. 148 00:08:03,066 --> 00:08:06,611 - She had finally found the true love of her life 149 00:08:06,653 --> 00:08:10,198 and she was happy. 150 00:08:12,158 --> 00:08:16,663 - NARRATOR: Sadly, Shirley would never make it to the altar. 151 00:08:16,705 --> 00:08:21,543 On the morning of July 23, 2013, Rowan County investigators 152 00:08:21,584 --> 00:08:24,087 are processing a horrific crime scene 153 00:08:24,129 --> 00:08:28,133 where Shirley Pierce has been found murdered. 154 00:08:28,174 --> 00:08:31,594 - It appeared she had been stabbed multiple times, 155 00:08:31,636 --> 00:08:32,762 just from looking at the body. 156 00:08:32,804 --> 00:08:35,098 We knew were looking for a knife, 157 00:08:35,140 --> 00:08:36,850 very violent attack. 158 00:08:36,891 --> 00:08:40,061 She put up a fight, so we had defensive wounds 159 00:08:40,103 --> 00:08:43,231 and the fatal wound was probably in the neck. 160 00:08:43,273 --> 00:08:44,691 There's a lot of blood, 161 00:08:44,733 --> 00:08:47,569 blood had, uh, dripped from the, uh, ceiling fan. 162 00:08:47,610 --> 00:08:49,863 There was a large blood pool on the floor. 163 00:08:49,904 --> 00:08:52,615 It was a very violent crime scene. 164 00:08:52,657 --> 00:08:54,743 - NARRATOR: Despite the vicious crime scene, 165 00:08:54,784 --> 00:08:58,621 the killer took care to hide their identity. 166 00:08:58,663 --> 00:09:00,874 - We noticed the bleach stains on the carpet. 167 00:09:00,915 --> 00:09:03,877 It's well-known that bleach, destroys DNA. 168 00:09:03,918 --> 00:09:05,920 We have a someone who went to a lot of trouble to try 169 00:09:05,962 --> 00:09:10,300 to destroy evidence, so our killer, whoever it was, 170 00:09:10,342 --> 00:09:12,427 was aware of a lot of the techniques we were going to use 171 00:09:12,469 --> 00:09:14,888 the try to catch him as far as DNA. 172 00:09:14,929 --> 00:09:16,389 I felt good we had DNA in the house. 173 00:09:16,431 --> 00:09:18,350 We just had to find it. 174 00:09:18,391 --> 00:09:20,727 We felt like the shower curtain was going to be important, 175 00:09:20,769 --> 00:09:22,771 so we processed all the way up to the shower curtain 176 00:09:22,812 --> 00:09:25,440 leaving it in place until we got, um, 177 00:09:25,482 --> 00:09:27,525 Shirley out of the crime scene 178 00:09:27,567 --> 00:09:29,611 and to the medical examiner's office. 179 00:09:29,652 --> 00:09:31,029 Then we decided to send the whole shower curtain 180 00:09:31,071 --> 00:09:33,782 to the state lab. 181 00:09:34,949 --> 00:09:36,576 - NARRATOR: The intensity of the crime 182 00:09:36,618 --> 00:09:37,994 suggests to investigators 183 00:09:38,036 --> 00:09:42,624 that this was a deeply, personal attack. 184 00:09:42,665 --> 00:09:45,126 - There did not appear to be any forced entry, 185 00:09:45,168 --> 00:09:47,087 and it didn't appear to be ransacked 186 00:09:47,128 --> 00:09:50,173 like a typical burglary would ransack a home. 187 00:09:50,215 --> 00:09:52,717 - She was attacked by somebody that was very angry. 188 00:09:52,759 --> 00:09:55,220 It was almost overkill, which didn't match up 189 00:09:55,261 --> 00:09:57,722 to somebody breaking into the house to steal her, you know, 190 00:09:57,764 --> 00:09:59,724 computer or something. 191 00:09:59,766 --> 00:10:02,727 - That again brought alarm to somebody very close to her, 192 00:10:02,769 --> 00:10:05,105 somebody who would have the ability to enter the house. 193 00:10:05,146 --> 00:10:10,610 So that becomes very, big red flag back toward Chuck Reeves. 194 00:10:10,652 --> 00:10:14,197 This is exactly who we need to focus on first. 195 00:10:17,158 --> 00:10:18,326 - NARRATOR: Coming up: 196 00:10:18,368 --> 00:10:21,746 Do investigators have their man? 197 00:10:21,788 --> 00:10:24,624 - He actually threatened to stab her with a screwdriver. 198 00:10:24,666 --> 00:10:26,626 - NARRATOR: Or had a ghost from Shirley's past 199 00:10:26,668 --> 00:10:28,962 carried out a vendetta? 200 00:10:29,004 --> 00:10:32,298 - Tracy talked about him threatening to kill Shirley. 201 00:10:45,228 --> 00:10:49,566 - NARRATOR: July 23, 2013, homicide investigators with the 202 00:10:49,607 --> 00:10:53,903 Rowan County Sheriff's Office turn to Shirley Pierce's fiancé, 203 00:10:53,945 --> 00:10:59,325 Chuck Reeves who found her bloody body in her bathroom. 204 00:10:59,367 --> 00:11:02,912 - It was obvious that he was distraught and torn up. 205 00:11:02,954 --> 00:11:04,873 They'd planned to live a good life together. 206 00:11:04,914 --> 00:11:09,419 Now he is- here he is having to report this horrible scene. 207 00:11:09,461 --> 00:11:12,547 - I asked Chuck when was the last time he had, um, 208 00:11:12,589 --> 00:11:14,215 spoken to Shirley? 209 00:11:14,257 --> 00:11:16,885 And he said he spoke to her by phone, the night prior, 210 00:11:16,926 --> 00:11:20,430 and I believe that time was around 8:15 PM. 211 00:11:22,265 --> 00:11:25,477 She was gonna dog sit for him while he traveled out of town 212 00:11:25,518 --> 00:11:27,896 as he frequently did for his job. 213 00:11:27,937 --> 00:11:29,814 He spoke to Shirley, 214 00:11:29,856 --> 00:11:32,400 made arrangements for the next day to bring the dog by. 215 00:11:32,442 --> 00:11:34,527 - NARRATOR: Chuck says that in the middle of the call, 216 00:11:34,569 --> 00:11:37,906 the phone suddenly went dead. 217 00:11:37,947 --> 00:11:41,576 - The call ended and he didn't make contact with her again. 218 00:11:41,618 --> 00:11:43,286 That wasn't unusual. 219 00:11:43,328 --> 00:11:47,957 In that area of Kannapolis, cell phone service is spotty. 220 00:11:49,376 --> 00:11:51,920 - NARRATOR: While he wasn't alarmed by the dropped call, 221 00:11:51,961 --> 00:11:54,631 when he arrived at Shirley's house the next morning, 222 00:11:54,673 --> 00:11:57,926 Chuck had an eerie feeling. 223 00:11:57,967 --> 00:12:00,428 - Shirley was expecting Chuck to arrive. 224 00:12:00,470 --> 00:12:01,763 She knew he was coming. 225 00:12:01,805 --> 00:12:03,848 He talked to her the night before on the phone, 226 00:12:03,890 --> 00:12:05,767 so when he arrived the garage door is open, 227 00:12:05,809 --> 00:12:08,395 the door was locked. That was unusual. 228 00:12:08,436 --> 00:12:12,607 - He retrieved a key from a vase or a flower bed 229 00:12:12,649 --> 00:12:15,026 just to the left of the doorway. 230 00:12:15,068 --> 00:12:18,530 And he let himself in with that key. 231 00:12:18,571 --> 00:12:19,864 He heard the shower running. 232 00:12:19,906 --> 00:12:22,951 He looks in there and he saw Shirley in the tub 233 00:12:22,992 --> 00:12:26,579 with the water running and he approached her. 234 00:12:26,621 --> 00:12:29,457 He saw where she was beyond help. 235 00:12:31,751 --> 00:12:32,877 - NARRATOR: Chuck's story is consistent 236 00:12:32,919 --> 00:12:34,879 with the scene so far, 237 00:12:34,921 --> 00:12:39,634 but police tread carefully before clearing him. 238 00:12:39,676 --> 00:12:41,511 - I'm listening to every single word. 239 00:12:41,553 --> 00:12:43,054 I'm analyzing everything he says. 240 00:12:43,096 --> 00:12:47,350 I'm trying to find inconsistencies in his story. 241 00:12:47,392 --> 00:12:49,519 Eventually, I asked Chuck directly if he had 242 00:12:49,561 --> 00:12:53,982 anything to do with Shirley and he adamantly denied it. 243 00:12:54,024 --> 00:12:57,485 He said his relationship with Shirley was a very good one. 244 00:12:57,527 --> 00:12:58,987 Everything's going well. 245 00:12:59,029 --> 00:13:01,531 Why would he murder the woman that he was engaged to 246 00:13:01,573 --> 00:13:03,950 and appeared to be very happy with? 247 00:13:03,992 --> 00:13:06,578 - His alibi, his story was that he was out of town 248 00:13:06,619 --> 00:13:08,163 and wasn't even in the area. 249 00:13:08,204 --> 00:13:12,167 He claimed he was at work in South Carolina. 250 00:13:12,208 --> 00:13:13,793 - NARRATOR: While detectives confirm 251 00:13:13,835 --> 00:13:16,087 Chuck's alibi with his employer, 252 00:13:16,129 --> 00:13:20,175 they also look for a telltale clue on his hands. 253 00:13:20,216 --> 00:13:22,552 - Anytime somebody assaults somebody with a knife, 254 00:13:22,594 --> 00:13:26,806 generally the assailant is also cut by that knife, 255 00:13:26,848 --> 00:13:30,727 and there will be, uh, injuries to their hands. 256 00:13:30,769 --> 00:13:32,312 - I asked Chuck, I need to look and see 257 00:13:32,354 --> 00:13:34,606 if he had any injuries on him. He readily showed me everything. 258 00:13:34,647 --> 00:13:38,485 He showed me his arms. He didn't have a scratch on him. 259 00:13:38,526 --> 00:13:41,863 - NARRATOR: What's more, Chuck's alibi holds up. 260 00:13:41,905 --> 00:13:43,365 - So in order to clear Chuck, 261 00:13:43,406 --> 00:13:45,533 we were able to contact his employer to determine that 262 00:13:45,575 --> 00:13:49,704 he was in fact, working out of town during that time period. 263 00:13:49,746 --> 00:13:51,831 - Mr. Reeves was able to fairly quickly 264 00:13:51,873 --> 00:13:54,876 be put to the side as a suspect 265 00:13:54,918 --> 00:13:57,921 based on the information he was able to provide. 266 00:14:00,423 --> 00:14:03,218 - NARRATOR: As detectives wrap up their interview with Chuck, 267 00:14:03,259 --> 00:14:07,263 Shirley's daughter arrives at the tragic scene. 268 00:14:07,305 --> 00:14:09,057 - Tracy and Shirley had a great relationship. 269 00:14:09,099 --> 00:14:10,684 They got along really well. 270 00:14:10,725 --> 00:14:12,352 Shirley was Tracy's support system. 271 00:14:12,394 --> 00:14:15,605 She was devastated to find out her mother was killed. 272 00:14:15,647 --> 00:14:17,065 - She was very distraught. 273 00:14:17,107 --> 00:14:19,693 Tracy, understandably, was having a very hard time 274 00:14:19,734 --> 00:14:22,237 that her mother had been murdered. 275 00:14:22,278 --> 00:14:25,281 - NARRATOR: With Chuck Reeves cleared of any involvement, 276 00:14:25,323 --> 00:14:28,159 detectives ask Tracy if she can think of anyone 277 00:14:28,201 --> 00:14:31,037 who would wish harm to her mother. 278 00:14:31,079 --> 00:14:32,330 - We talked to her at the scene, 279 00:14:32,372 --> 00:14:34,708 trying to get background on Shirley, her habits. 280 00:14:34,749 --> 00:14:36,084 Anybody Tracy may know 281 00:14:36,126 --> 00:14:38,628 that would want to hurt or kill Shirley. 282 00:14:38,670 --> 00:14:42,632 Tracy talked about Richard, Shirley's ex-boyfriend. 283 00:14:43,758 --> 00:14:47,012 - NARRATOR: Tracy explains that 10 years ago, her mother was 284 00:14:47,053 --> 00:14:50,598 in a troubled relationship with a man named Richard. 285 00:14:50,640 --> 00:14:53,101 - Tracy told us about how Richard had been abusive 286 00:14:53,143 --> 00:14:56,146 towards Shirley and then the relationship had ended. 287 00:14:56,187 --> 00:14:58,857 - The information that we learned was that 288 00:14:58,898 --> 00:15:02,235 several years ago, Shirley had in fact, 289 00:15:02,277 --> 00:15:05,071 obtained a restraining order against Richard. 290 00:15:05,113 --> 00:15:07,282 - NARRATOR: According to Tracy, the restraining order 291 00:15:07,323 --> 00:15:09,701 had been put in place after Richard showed up 292 00:15:09,743 --> 00:15:13,455 at her mother's home one night looking for Shirley. 293 00:15:13,496 --> 00:15:16,207 - Tracy told us about Richard threatening to kill Shirley, 294 00:15:16,249 --> 00:15:20,712 and it- actually threatened to stab her with a screwdriver. 295 00:15:21,963 --> 00:15:25,175 - NARRATOR: Tracy says after her mom filed the restraining order, 296 00:15:25,216 --> 00:15:29,679 Richard left town, but after nearly 10 years of silence, 297 00:15:29,721 --> 00:15:33,808 Richard had recently attempted to contact Shirley. 298 00:15:33,850 --> 00:15:36,061 - We believed he was back in the area 299 00:15:36,102 --> 00:15:39,356 and had reached out to Shirley maybe six months prior 300 00:15:39,397 --> 00:15:42,150 and was trying to contact her again. 301 00:15:42,192 --> 00:15:45,862 Immediately, he is my lead suspect. 302 00:15:45,904 --> 00:15:48,907 - Tracy wanted Richard really looked at. 303 00:15:48,948 --> 00:15:52,160 Domestic relationships often end in homicide, 304 00:15:52,202 --> 00:15:54,579 so we're going to have to explore him 305 00:15:54,621 --> 00:15:57,457 a lot more thoroughly. 306 00:15:57,499 --> 00:16:00,460 - NARRATOR: Detectives prioritize locating Richard 307 00:16:00,502 --> 00:16:03,880 and quickly get a hit on Richard's place of employment, 308 00:16:03,922 --> 00:16:07,342 a mere 15 minute drive from Shirley's home. 309 00:16:07,384 --> 00:16:10,303 - We'd actually found Richard at a local pawn shop nearby 310 00:16:10,345 --> 00:16:12,347 and I spoke to Richard. 311 00:16:12,389 --> 00:16:14,182 - NARRATOR: Detectives start off the interview 312 00:16:14,224 --> 00:16:18,186 by disclosing Shirley's murder. 313 00:16:18,228 --> 00:16:21,189 - Richard was shocked by the news that Shirley was dead. 314 00:16:21,231 --> 00:16:23,108 Seemed very legit. 315 00:16:23,149 --> 00:16:24,984 - He characterized the relationship with Shirley 316 00:16:25,026 --> 00:16:27,529 as ending 10 years prior. 317 00:16:27,570 --> 00:16:30,490 - Richard was asked about the past abuse that he was 318 00:16:30,532 --> 00:16:33,410 accused of, and he said that the law enforcement did come. 319 00:16:33,451 --> 00:16:36,329 And he said that eventually charges was dropped 320 00:16:36,371 --> 00:16:41,376 and Shirley apologized to him. I guess for having him arrested. 321 00:16:41,418 --> 00:16:43,044 - NARRATOR: As for the night of the murder, 322 00:16:43,086 --> 00:16:45,046 Richard claims he had come home 323 00:16:45,088 --> 00:16:49,509 after working a 9AM to 6PM shift. 324 00:16:49,551 --> 00:16:52,387 - Richard said that he had come home, did not leave home, 325 00:16:52,429 --> 00:16:54,889 had gone to bed about 9:00 pm. 326 00:16:54,931 --> 00:16:57,892 - Richard lived by himself so there's nobody to confirm it. 327 00:16:57,934 --> 00:17:00,979 - NARRATOR: Detectives again look for signs of foul play 328 00:17:01,021 --> 00:17:04,232 by inspecting Richard's hands. 329 00:17:04,274 --> 00:17:06,443 - There was no injuries on his hands or arms, 330 00:17:06,484 --> 00:17:09,237 which would indicate, that he may not have been present 331 00:17:09,279 --> 00:17:10,864 during that assault. 332 00:17:10,905 --> 00:17:13,199 - NARRATOR: There's another reason Richard doesn't appear 333 00:17:13,241 --> 00:17:14,993 to be their man. 334 00:17:15,035 --> 00:17:16,244 - He's not in the best of shape. 335 00:17:16,286 --> 00:17:18,038 He had some kind of health problem. 336 00:17:18,079 --> 00:17:19,414 He was barely walking. 337 00:17:19,456 --> 00:17:21,249 One of my detectives actually felt Richard 338 00:17:21,291 --> 00:17:23,835 was physically incapable of committing the crime. 339 00:17:23,877 --> 00:17:26,504 They didn't feel like he was our suspect either. 340 00:17:28,131 --> 00:17:29,591 - NARRATOR: Hours into the investigation, 341 00:17:29,632 --> 00:17:34,429 detectives have exhausted their most promising leads. 342 00:17:34,471 --> 00:17:37,015 But when they receive a disturbing phone call 343 00:17:37,057 --> 00:17:42,354 from one of Shirley's coworkers, the case takes a sharp turn. 344 00:17:42,395 --> 00:17:45,315 - I got a call that somebody had called into the 911 center 345 00:17:45,357 --> 00:17:47,692 and wanted to talk to someone 346 00:17:47,734 --> 00:17:51,196 because he believed his wife had killed someone. 347 00:17:53,740 --> 00:17:55,367 - NARRATOR: Detectives get a number for the caller 348 00:17:55,408 --> 00:17:58,119 and immediately follow up. 349 00:17:58,161 --> 00:18:00,789 - I called that number. It was Ervin Johnson. 350 00:18:00,830 --> 00:18:03,917 And Ervin Johnson was the CFO at Tuscarora Yarns. 351 00:18:03,958 --> 00:18:07,962 Shirley Pierce was the executive secretary for Tuscarora Yarns. 352 00:18:08,004 --> 00:18:10,298 Well, Mr. Johnson was highly agitated, 353 00:18:10,340 --> 00:18:12,342 very difficult to talk to. 354 00:18:12,384 --> 00:18:14,177 - NARRATOR: When detectives inform him that 355 00:18:14,219 --> 00:18:17,472 they have just left the scene of Shirley Pierce's murder, 356 00:18:17,514 --> 00:18:22,435 Ervin Johnson breaks down over the death of his coworker. 357 00:18:22,477 --> 00:18:25,814 - Immediately, he believes that Marlene Johnson, his wife, 358 00:18:25,855 --> 00:18:28,483 is the one responsible because, for years, Marlene Johnson 359 00:18:28,525 --> 00:18:32,237 seemed to be obsessed with Shirley Pierce. 360 00:18:33,446 --> 00:18:34,906 - NARRATOR: Coming up: 361 00:18:34,948 --> 00:18:36,908 With a new suspect revealed, 362 00:18:36,950 --> 00:18:41,496 investigators uncover a potentially deadly motive. 363 00:18:41,538 --> 00:18:43,790 - It was like that was her daily mission, 364 00:18:43,832 --> 00:18:47,627 to wake up and figure out what she could do that day 365 00:18:47,669 --> 00:18:49,754 to stalk Shirley. 366 00:18:49,796 --> 00:18:51,506 - NARRATOR: And a physical altercation 367 00:18:51,548 --> 00:18:54,676 points to a deeply held grudge. 368 00:18:54,718 --> 00:18:59,973 - She had a hold of her hair and was just slamming her around. 369 00:19:14,446 --> 00:19:16,489 - NARRATOR: Hours into the murder investigation 370 00:19:16,531 --> 00:19:20,952 of 62-year-old Shirley Pierce, detectives receive a shocking 371 00:19:20,994 --> 00:19:25,582 tip from one of Shirley's coworkers, Ervin Johnson. 372 00:19:25,623 --> 00:19:28,293 And he is certain that his own wife, 373 00:19:28,335 --> 00:19:32,464 61-year-old, Marlene Johnson is involved. 374 00:19:34,424 --> 00:19:38,011 - It's kind of a shocker when you hear a spouse call in 375 00:19:38,053 --> 00:19:42,682 and say, "I think my spouse may have killed somebody." 376 00:19:42,724 --> 00:19:46,436 That is just, uh, that's not really heard of. 377 00:19:46,478 --> 00:19:49,439 - Ervin Johnson agreed to talk to us in an interview. 378 00:19:49,481 --> 00:19:52,400 And at the office, he began to lay out the history 379 00:19:52,442 --> 00:19:56,696 of his and Marlene's marriage. 380 00:19:59,991 --> 00:20:03,453 - NARRATOR: Born into a wealthy family in 1952, 381 00:20:03,495 --> 00:20:08,291 Marlene Postell grew up in Gastonia, North Carolina. 382 00:20:08,333 --> 00:20:11,211 - She did have some family in Gastonia 383 00:20:11,252 --> 00:20:13,254 who were in the restaurant business. 384 00:20:13,296 --> 00:20:15,799 - She wasn't used to not getting her way. 385 00:20:15,840 --> 00:20:17,509 You could tell that. 386 00:20:17,550 --> 00:20:22,722 You could tell that she was not used to somebody telling her no. 387 00:20:23,348 --> 00:20:24,641 - She didn't hurt for anything. 388 00:20:24,683 --> 00:20:28,019 This is a woman who is very professional. 389 00:20:28,061 --> 00:20:32,399 She's dressed to the nines. She speaks very eloquently. 390 00:20:32,440 --> 00:20:37,696 Marlene just oozed that she had nice things. 391 00:20:38,488 --> 00:20:40,240 - NARRATOR: With her refined exterior, 392 00:20:40,281 --> 00:20:43,535 Marlene had always turned heads. 393 00:20:43,576 --> 00:20:48,206 - She was probably 5.5, very slender, muscular 394 00:20:48,248 --> 00:20:50,458 in very good shape. 395 00:20:50,500 --> 00:20:54,838 She just was groomed exceedingly well. 396 00:20:54,879 --> 00:20:57,549 It- it just stuck out. 397 00:20:59,384 --> 00:21:03,513 - NARRATOR: On May 15, 1983, 31-year-old Marlene 398 00:21:03,555 --> 00:21:07,350 married 36-year-old, Ervin Johnson. 399 00:21:07,392 --> 00:21:09,519 The pair complemented each other well, 400 00:21:09,561 --> 00:21:11,980 Ervin with his quiet, reserved nature 401 00:21:12,022 --> 00:21:16,651 and Marlene with her intimidating presence. 402 00:21:16,693 --> 00:21:18,695 - He would speak when spoken to. 403 00:21:18,737 --> 00:21:23,199 It wasn't like he was, a socially outward individual. 404 00:21:23,241 --> 00:21:26,536 He really wasn't, and, um, 405 00:21:26,578 --> 00:21:30,540 he appeared to be the guy who went along with the group, 406 00:21:30,582 --> 00:21:33,335 went to work, went home after work, 407 00:21:33,376 --> 00:21:38,298 and came back the next day and did the whole thing over again. 408 00:21:38,340 --> 00:21:40,300 - NARRATOR: For over two decades, 409 00:21:40,342 --> 00:21:43,678 the couple had a happy and prosperous life. 410 00:21:43,720 --> 00:21:46,514 - They did have, uh, one daughter together. 411 00:21:46,556 --> 00:21:49,559 Ervin Johnson made a-a very nice salary. 412 00:21:49,601 --> 00:21:52,604 Marlene did not work outside the home. 413 00:21:52,645 --> 00:21:57,317 - I believe that Marlene's money came from an inheritance. 414 00:21:57,359 --> 00:22:02,572 - She took a great interest in his business, in his life, 415 00:22:02,614 --> 00:22:05,533 in his personal matters, obviously. 416 00:22:05,575 --> 00:22:08,578 She had friends. 417 00:22:08,620 --> 00:22:11,581 - NARRATOR: Then, for reasons Ervin can't explain, 418 00:22:11,623 --> 00:22:15,168 something in Marlene changed... 419 00:22:16,795 --> 00:22:19,589 Ervin tells police that in 2003, 420 00:22:19,631 --> 00:22:22,759 Marlene suffered a sudden nervous breakdown 421 00:22:22,801 --> 00:22:27,722 and had tried to commit suicide by overdosing on pills. 422 00:22:27,764 --> 00:22:30,850 - We did learn of a nervous breakdown that she had in 2003 423 00:22:30,892 --> 00:22:33,687 in which she, um, she was treated for that. 424 00:22:33,728 --> 00:22:36,439 He said she never fully recovered or went back to being 425 00:22:36,481 --> 00:22:37,941 the same person that she was. 426 00:22:37,982 --> 00:22:41,194 She was always very intense, very aggressive, 427 00:22:41,236 --> 00:22:44,239 very difficult to live with from that point on. 428 00:22:44,280 --> 00:22:48,702 - She was not in her right frame of mind, it seemed like. 429 00:22:48,743 --> 00:22:51,830 It seemed like she was very erratic. 430 00:22:51,871 --> 00:22:53,665 - And she had threatened to kill him. 431 00:22:53,707 --> 00:22:55,625 She had assaulted him. 432 00:22:55,667 --> 00:22:57,585 During the interview with Ervin Johnson, 433 00:22:57,627 --> 00:23:00,588 he was able to point out a- a scar, 434 00:23:00,630 --> 00:23:06,594 um where Marlene had stabbed him, uh, previously. 435 00:23:06,636 --> 00:23:08,930 - NARRATOR: Ervin says that Marlene had also become 436 00:23:08,972 --> 00:23:12,642 obsessed with the idea that he was having an affair. 437 00:23:12,684 --> 00:23:15,437 Ervin tried to alleviate Marlene's fears, 438 00:23:15,478 --> 00:23:18,982 but doing so only heightened her suspicions. 439 00:23:19,024 --> 00:23:23,820 - He said, "Marlene is a person who is driven by ego, 440 00:23:23,862 --> 00:23:28,283 by, just a jealousy, a possessive person." 441 00:23:28,324 --> 00:23:32,829 - She had caused many issues at every job that he worked at. 442 00:23:32,871 --> 00:23:36,791 She would always target the single women 443 00:23:36,833 --> 00:23:41,504 that were not married, and she would get this story in her head 444 00:23:41,546 --> 00:23:45,717 that they were having an affair with him. 445 00:23:46,843 --> 00:23:48,636 - NARRATOR: Ervin adds that when he took the job 446 00:23:48,678 --> 00:23:52,682 as CFO of Tuscarora Yarns in 2006, 447 00:23:52,724 --> 00:23:55,685 Marlene's suspicions had turned to well-liked 448 00:23:55,727 --> 00:23:59,522 administrative assistant, Shirley Pierce. 449 00:23:59,564 --> 00:24:03,109 - He characterized Shirley as a Southern lady. 450 00:24:03,151 --> 00:24:05,904 And when he introduced his wife to Shirley, 451 00:24:05,945 --> 00:24:09,115 she called him honey and touched his arm. 452 00:24:09,157 --> 00:24:14,120 And Ervin said, "I saw Marlene's antenna go up." 453 00:24:14,162 --> 00:24:16,456 - Marlene Johnson just dialed right in 454 00:24:16,498 --> 00:24:20,418 that this was an affair, it was going on, and she was jealous, 455 00:24:20,460 --> 00:24:22,587 and not happy about it. 456 00:24:23,963 --> 00:24:26,341 - NARRATOR: Ervin says that for the next several years, 457 00:24:26,383 --> 00:24:31,012 Marlene became completely fixated on Shirley Pierce, 458 00:24:31,054 --> 00:24:36,851 even going so far as to hire a private investigator. 459 00:24:36,893 --> 00:24:40,313 - Marlene hired me on September 12, 2010, 460 00:24:40,355 --> 00:24:45,235 and our agreement was that we would surveil him for a month. 461 00:24:45,276 --> 00:24:48,780 I could not get any proof that any wrongdoing was going on, 462 00:24:48,822 --> 00:24:51,741 on either of their parts. 463 00:24:51,783 --> 00:24:54,577 - NARRATOR: But even with no proof of infidelity, 464 00:24:54,619 --> 00:24:57,539 Marlene refused to accept the truth. 465 00:24:57,580 --> 00:25:00,542 And her obsession intensified. 466 00:25:00,583 --> 00:25:02,335 - Marlene would get more and more bizarre 467 00:25:02,377 --> 00:25:07,257 and ask more things of me that were very unethical. 468 00:25:07,298 --> 00:25:11,052 She had hired another PI firm, and I learned that the firm 469 00:25:11,094 --> 00:25:15,849 was using drones and was getting her aerial views 470 00:25:15,890 --> 00:25:19,269 of Shirley's residence. 471 00:25:19,310 --> 00:25:23,481 She supposedly knew when she went to the grocery store, 472 00:25:23,523 --> 00:25:25,066 when she came back. 473 00:25:25,108 --> 00:25:28,319 She knew what time she was getting home from work, 474 00:25:28,361 --> 00:25:32,574 and she knew that this garage door was open so far. 475 00:25:32,615 --> 00:25:34,868 She just got to the point where she scared me, 476 00:25:34,909 --> 00:25:36,828 and I'm not a person that scares easily because 477 00:25:36,870 --> 00:25:42,000 I work capital murder cases, but she scared me. 478 00:25:42,042 --> 00:25:44,002 - There was no convincing her. 479 00:25:44,044 --> 00:25:47,005 No matter if she had all the evidence in the world 480 00:25:47,047 --> 00:25:49,966 to show her there was no affair, 481 00:25:50,008 --> 00:25:53,803 I don't think that her mind would have believed that. 482 00:25:55,680 --> 00:25:57,182 - NARRATOR: Ervin tells detectives 483 00:25:57,223 --> 00:26:01,144 that the less Marlene found, the more she became unhinged. 484 00:26:01,186 --> 00:26:04,439 And her interactions with Shirley intensified. 485 00:26:04,481 --> 00:26:07,984 But Shirley, knowing full well Marlene was watching her, 486 00:26:08,026 --> 00:26:12,697 didn't realize how dangerous the situation was becoming. 487 00:26:12,739 --> 00:26:17,118 - Shirley never seemed to be scared because 488 00:26:17,160 --> 00:26:19,913 she knew she was doing nothing wrong, 489 00:26:19,954 --> 00:26:24,751 and so she just assumed nothing would ever come of it. 490 00:26:24,793 --> 00:26:27,629 - NARRATOR: According to Ervin, in 2011, 491 00:26:27,671 --> 00:26:31,132 Marlene's paranoia finally boiled over. 492 00:26:31,174 --> 00:26:33,551 - There was an incident involving, uh, Marlene Johnson, 493 00:26:33,593 --> 00:26:35,595 uh, where she showed up at a restaurant 494 00:26:35,637 --> 00:26:40,058 that Shirley and a few of her coworkers were having lunch. 495 00:26:40,100 --> 00:26:43,687 - Ervin and Shirley would come in with the Tuscarora Yarn Group 496 00:26:43,728 --> 00:26:45,522 every Friday for lunch. 497 00:26:45,563 --> 00:26:48,983 And I got to know them from being their regular waitress, 498 00:26:49,025 --> 00:26:53,238 so they come in for their lunch as always. 499 00:26:53,279 --> 00:26:54,989 Marlene arrives. 500 00:26:55,031 --> 00:26:59,619 She's dressed in black, kinda workout clothes that day, 501 00:26:59,661 --> 00:27:02,205 and she has a hat on. 502 00:27:02,247 --> 00:27:04,833 - Marlene Johnson held a menu in front of her face 503 00:27:04,874 --> 00:27:08,962 to try to shield her identity. It didn't work very well. 504 00:27:09,004 --> 00:27:14,551 - I knew that it was her, and I immediately went and told them, 505 00:27:14,592 --> 00:27:16,845 the Tuscarora Group that, you know, 506 00:27:16,886 --> 00:27:19,889 Marlene was in the restaurant. 507 00:27:19,931 --> 00:27:22,809 They panicked, because everybody knew 508 00:27:22,851 --> 00:27:25,603 she had it out for Miss Shirley. 509 00:27:26,396 --> 00:27:28,356 - NARRATOR: Ervin says that his fellow employees 510 00:27:28,398 --> 00:27:31,317 tried to form a protective circle around Shirley 511 00:27:31,359 --> 00:27:35,405 to get her out to her car, but it wasn't enough. 512 00:27:35,447 --> 00:27:37,782 - I'm just sitting at the restaurant having lunch, 513 00:27:37,824 --> 00:27:40,952 kinda daydreaming out the window, 514 00:27:40,994 --> 00:27:44,789 just looking out the window and Marlene was a gazelle. 515 00:27:44,831 --> 00:27:48,585 She just came across that parking lot and I mean, 516 00:27:48,626 --> 00:27:52,547 she was on Shirley's back. 517 00:27:52,589 --> 00:27:57,344 She had a hold of her hair and was just slamming her around. 518 00:27:59,471 --> 00:28:02,807 - She said, "I'll kill you for [bleep] my husband." 519 00:28:04,809 --> 00:28:07,103 It was just unexpected chaos. 520 00:28:07,145 --> 00:28:12,942 But it was kind of quick and over with pretty fast. 521 00:28:12,984 --> 00:28:15,820 - NARRATOR: Marlene was arrested and charged with assault, 522 00:28:15,862 --> 00:28:18,406 but the case never went to trial. 523 00:28:18,448 --> 00:28:20,867 - Shirley wouldn't press charges against her. 524 00:28:20,909 --> 00:28:22,702 She didn't wanna do that because she didn't wanna 525 00:28:22,744 --> 00:28:25,580 make waves for Ervin. 526 00:28:25,622 --> 00:28:30,418 - Shirley said that she had filed a restraining order, 527 00:28:30,460 --> 00:28:34,422 and that she was hopeful that would take care of the issue. 528 00:28:34,464 --> 00:28:36,091 - NARRATOR: Ervin explains to detectives 529 00:28:36,132 --> 00:28:38,635 that he moved out of the house and got his own 530 00:28:38,677 --> 00:28:40,970 restraining order against Marlene, 531 00:28:41,012 --> 00:28:43,640 but he now fears that with Shirley dead, 532 00:28:43,682 --> 00:28:45,975 he isn't safe either. 533 00:28:46,017 --> 00:28:47,811 - He was maybe a little afraid that she could 534 00:28:47,852 --> 00:28:49,979 retaliate against him as well. 535 00:28:50,021 --> 00:28:52,899 At this point, she was capable of anything. 536 00:28:52,941 --> 00:28:54,693 - He was absolutely sure that Marlene was going to 537 00:28:54,734 --> 00:28:58,488 kill him next. He was in fear of his life. 538 00:28:58,530 --> 00:29:01,199 - NARRATOR: Ervin tells police that they need to speak to a man 539 00:29:01,241 --> 00:29:06,746 named Tim Connor who had become Marlene's confidant. 540 00:29:06,788 --> 00:29:08,248 - Ervin had showed us a picture. 541 00:29:08,289 --> 00:29:10,834 The picture was of Marlene at a restaurant with some guy. 542 00:29:10,875 --> 00:29:13,837 The person in the photograph was Tim Connor. 543 00:29:13,878 --> 00:29:15,672 - At this point, I needed to speak to him 544 00:29:15,714 --> 00:29:18,508 to see what information that he had. 545 00:29:20,844 --> 00:29:23,054 - NARRATOR: Before they track down Tim Connor, 546 00:29:23,096 --> 00:29:26,099 detectives obtain a search warrant for Marlene's home 547 00:29:26,141 --> 00:29:29,769 and put out a BOLO for her vehicle. 548 00:29:29,811 --> 00:29:32,647 It's not long before they find her car 549 00:29:32,689 --> 00:29:36,026 and Marlene as well. 550 00:29:36,067 --> 00:29:38,028 - It was parked at her attorney's office 551 00:29:38,069 --> 00:29:40,530 in downtown Salisbury, 552 00:29:40,572 --> 00:29:43,074 and she was instructed by her attorney to cooperate 553 00:29:43,116 --> 00:29:46,953 with the detectives and to surrender to them at that point. 554 00:29:46,995 --> 00:29:48,872 - NARRATOR: Marlene is arrested and transferred 555 00:29:48,913 --> 00:29:50,832 to the Rowan County Sheriff's Department 556 00:29:50,874 --> 00:29:52,751 to await questioning, 557 00:29:52,792 --> 00:29:55,045 and what investigators find in her car 558 00:29:55,086 --> 00:29:57,964 may provide some answers. 559 00:29:58,006 --> 00:30:00,550 - And when we searched her car in the parking lot, 560 00:30:00,592 --> 00:30:03,219 we found a lot of cleaning supplies in trunk of the car, 561 00:30:03,261 --> 00:30:05,221 which could have been a source of the Clorox stains 562 00:30:05,263 --> 00:30:08,266 that we found at Shirley's house. 563 00:30:09,934 --> 00:30:11,686 - NARRATOR: Following the search of her vehicle, 564 00:30:11,728 --> 00:30:16,024 police execute a search warrant on Marlene's home. 565 00:30:16,066 --> 00:30:19,152 - Once investigators began searching Marlene Johnson's 566 00:30:19,194 --> 00:30:21,112 house, they discover a myriad of things 567 00:30:21,154 --> 00:30:24,240 that point to her as a suspect. 568 00:30:24,282 --> 00:30:27,285 - When I went into the dining room, I found an aerial photo 569 00:30:27,327 --> 00:30:31,247 of Shirley Pierce's house taken from like a Google Maps photo. 570 00:30:31,289 --> 00:30:33,124 - We also found surveillance photographs 571 00:30:33,166 --> 00:30:35,251 she had taken of Shirley. 572 00:30:35,293 --> 00:30:38,004 - There were hours upon hours of work put into it, 573 00:30:38,046 --> 00:30:39,881 a lot of effort, a lot of money. 574 00:30:39,923 --> 00:30:44,469 It's just starting to paint a picture of, um, of obsession. 575 00:30:48,098 --> 00:30:49,724 - NARRATOR: Coming up: 576 00:30:49,766 --> 00:30:54,521 Marlene's penchant for outward appearances may be her undoing. 577 00:30:54,562 --> 00:30:57,774 - She had had like a French manicure. Nails done, 578 00:30:57,816 --> 00:31:00,276 and the tips of her nails were missing. 579 00:31:00,318 --> 00:31:03,822 - NARRATOR: But investigators hit one more roadblock. 580 00:31:03,863 --> 00:31:06,741 - The search of his house did reveal that there appeared to be 581 00:31:06,783 --> 00:31:09,577 a knife set and one of the knives from that set 582 00:31:09,619 --> 00:31:11,037 appeared to be missing. 583 00:31:11,079 --> 00:31:13,998 He said, "I haven't been totally honest with you guys." 584 00:31:29,180 --> 00:31:33,643 - NARRATOR: Just before midnight on July 23, 2013, 585 00:31:33,685 --> 00:31:36,312 Marlene Johnson sits in an interview room 586 00:31:36,354 --> 00:31:38,648 at the Rowan County Sheriff's Office, 587 00:31:38,690 --> 00:31:40,316 now the prime suspect 588 00:31:40,358 --> 00:31:43,611 in the brutal slaying of Shirley Pierce. 589 00:31:50,285 --> 00:31:55,040 - She had her sunglasses on. She acted bored, uninvolved. 590 00:31:55,081 --> 00:31:56,916 She was acting the complete opposite way I'd act 591 00:31:56,958 --> 00:31:59,210 if somebody was accusing me of murder. 592 00:31:59,252 --> 00:32:00,503 - She didn't answer any questions 593 00:32:00,545 --> 00:32:02,547 and she just denied any involvement. 594 00:32:02,589 --> 00:32:05,633 And didn't answer any questions at all. 595 00:32:06,301 --> 00:32:09,054 - NARRATOR: While Marlene refuses to talk, 596 00:32:09,095 --> 00:32:12,682 her hands tell detectives everything they need. 597 00:32:24,277 --> 00:32:27,364 - She had had like a French manicure. Nails done 598 00:32:27,405 --> 00:32:29,783 and the tips of her nails were missing. 599 00:32:29,824 --> 00:32:33,661 To me, it was clear that you know, she used her hands 600 00:32:33,703 --> 00:32:36,998 in- in some kind of a situation similar to a fight. 601 00:32:37,040 --> 00:32:40,085 And then the cuts on her hands were consistent with the knife 602 00:32:40,126 --> 00:32:42,962 cutting her fingers as she was stabbing somebody. 603 00:32:43,797 --> 00:32:45,757 - NARRATOR: Between the previous attacks, 604 00:32:45,799 --> 00:32:47,258 her husband's statement, 605 00:32:47,300 --> 00:32:50,387 and physical evidence of a violent altercation, 606 00:32:50,428 --> 00:32:52,389 detectives believe they have enough 607 00:32:52,430 --> 00:32:55,850 to formally charge Marlene Johnson. 608 00:33:21,334 --> 00:33:24,462 - NARRATOR: While officers escort Marlene to her jail cell, 609 00:33:24,504 --> 00:33:28,466 detectives drive out to the home of her friend Tim Connor 610 00:33:28,508 --> 00:33:32,679 who Ervin Johnson told police may have valuable information. 611 00:33:32,721 --> 00:33:36,725 Tim answers the door and agrees to an interview. 612 00:33:36,766 --> 00:33:39,894 - I began to conduct an interview with Mr. Connor. 613 00:33:39,936 --> 00:33:43,064 He actually, was surprisingly, pretty cool and calm about it. 614 00:33:43,106 --> 00:33:47,736 He didn't seem to be distressed or worried, or overly anxious. 615 00:33:47,777 --> 00:33:51,322 He had a pretty good career as a published author 616 00:33:51,364 --> 00:33:53,658 and a motivational speaker. 617 00:33:53,700 --> 00:33:56,578 - I believe uh Marlene met him at a book signing 618 00:33:56,619 --> 00:33:58,413 and they, they hit it off after that. 619 00:33:58,455 --> 00:34:00,665 And he explained that it was just a friendship, 620 00:34:00,707 --> 00:34:03,168 that he did love her, but as a friend. 621 00:34:03,209 --> 00:34:06,296 He had actually stated it wasn't sexual. 622 00:34:06,338 --> 00:34:07,881 - NARRATOR: Tim tells investigators 623 00:34:07,922 --> 00:34:09,132 that the previous day, 624 00:34:09,174 --> 00:34:10,717 he'd had a medical procedure 625 00:34:10,759 --> 00:34:13,178 and afterwards Marlene stayed with him 626 00:34:13,219 --> 00:34:17,807 in the event he experienced any complications. 627 00:34:17,849 --> 00:34:20,352 - He said that he had gotten up two or three times 628 00:34:20,393 --> 00:34:22,354 and that she was there each time 629 00:34:22,395 --> 00:34:24,856 that he had gotten up through the night. 630 00:34:24,898 --> 00:34:27,859 - Basically, he was providing her with a pretty solid alibi 631 00:34:27,901 --> 00:34:31,863 that puts her at his house and not at a murder scene. 632 00:34:33,740 --> 00:34:35,700 - NARRATOR: While Tim seems calm, 633 00:34:35,742 --> 00:34:38,912 detectives are confident Marlene is their killer 634 00:34:38,953 --> 00:34:43,458 which leads them to suspect Tim is not being forthcoming. 635 00:34:43,500 --> 00:34:44,876 - Near the end of that interview, 636 00:34:44,918 --> 00:34:49,464 I knew that he knew more than he was telling us. 637 00:34:52,717 --> 00:34:55,178 - NARRATOR: The next day, July 24th, 638 00:34:55,220 --> 00:34:58,181 investigators receive Shirley's autopsy results 639 00:34:58,223 --> 00:35:01,351 and retrieve a critical clue. 640 00:35:01,393 --> 00:35:05,313 - They actually found a knife blade inside of her neck. 641 00:35:05,355 --> 00:35:08,191 For the knife to go inside and break a kitchen knife, 642 00:35:08,233 --> 00:35:10,318 which is made out of stainless steel, 643 00:35:10,360 --> 00:35:12,404 would require a lot of force. 644 00:35:12,445 --> 00:35:14,406 - The medical examiner determined that this would 645 00:35:14,447 --> 00:35:16,741 have been a painful attack. 646 00:35:16,783 --> 00:35:18,952 That Shirley Pierce would have had to have suffered 647 00:35:18,993 --> 00:35:22,080 from excruciating pain for probably several minutes 648 00:35:22,122 --> 00:35:24,833 before she passed away. 649 00:35:24,874 --> 00:35:27,168 - NARRATOR: While police found no similar cutlery 650 00:35:27,210 --> 00:35:30,005 in Marlene's home, they convince a judge 651 00:35:30,046 --> 00:35:34,384 to let them search the home of Tim Connor on July 25th. 652 00:35:36,428 --> 00:35:40,432 - We're looking for the murder weapon, the broken knife. 653 00:35:40,473 --> 00:35:42,267 The search of Tim's house did reveal 654 00:35:42,308 --> 00:35:44,102 that there was a knife set. 655 00:35:44,144 --> 00:35:46,021 It looked like there was a set of four, 656 00:35:46,062 --> 00:35:47,313 three of them were still there, 657 00:35:47,355 --> 00:35:50,316 and this- this fourth one was missing. 658 00:35:50,358 --> 00:35:53,445 - The knife we recovered from, uh, Shirley was consistent 659 00:35:53,486 --> 00:35:57,073 with the knives that, uh, Tim had in his drawer. 660 00:35:57,115 --> 00:36:00,201 - NARRATOR: Detectives confront Tim with this new evidence 661 00:36:00,243 --> 00:36:03,496 and give him one more chance to come clean. 662 00:36:03,538 --> 00:36:06,166 - The whole time Tim's getting more and more nervous, um, 663 00:36:06,207 --> 00:36:07,417 while we're talking to him. 664 00:36:07,459 --> 00:36:09,961 He acts like he's, uh, very uneasy. 665 00:36:10,003 --> 00:36:11,963 - I asked him if there was anything else he wanted to say. 666 00:36:12,005 --> 00:36:15,508 He kind of sat back in his chair, looked up to the ceiling 667 00:36:15,550 --> 00:36:19,929 and said I haven't been totally honest with you guys. 668 00:36:20,847 --> 00:36:23,141 - NARRATOR: Tim says that although he had spent the day 669 00:36:23,183 --> 00:36:25,477 with Marlene on July 22nd, 670 00:36:25,518 --> 00:36:28,480 they actually hadn't spent the night together 671 00:36:28,521 --> 00:36:32,567 and insists he has no idea why the knife is missing. 672 00:36:32,609 --> 00:36:34,986 Tim tells police that when he met up with Marlene 673 00:36:35,028 --> 00:36:40,241 for breakfast the next morning, she requested an odd favor. 674 00:36:40,283 --> 00:36:42,994 - She was wanting Tim to be her alibi 675 00:36:43,036 --> 00:36:45,663 and, uhm basically say she had been with him all night, 676 00:36:45,705 --> 00:36:48,583 and including the time that Shirley had been murdered. 677 00:36:48,625 --> 00:36:50,669 I think a normal person would think that was weird, 678 00:36:50,710 --> 00:36:52,754 but Tim heard what she was saying 679 00:36:52,796 --> 00:36:56,383 and agreed to go with it because they were such good friends. 680 00:36:56,424 --> 00:36:58,718 - Tim's entire demeanor changed from being cool 681 00:36:58,760 --> 00:37:04,391 and under control to really almost like a groveling person. 682 00:37:04,432 --> 00:37:08,687 He wasn't sure now of Marlene's involvement. 683 00:37:08,728 --> 00:37:12,065 - It was big because her potential alibi 684 00:37:12,107 --> 00:37:14,109 had just dried up. 685 00:37:14,150 --> 00:37:18,655 - We have really her only alibi witness just, um, completely 686 00:37:18,697 --> 00:37:21,116 recanting everything he had just said 687 00:37:21,157 --> 00:37:23,993 about where she would have been the night before. 688 00:37:24,035 --> 00:37:28,665 And I knew at that moment that we, we had our person. 689 00:37:31,209 --> 00:37:32,544 - NARRATOR: Coming up: 690 00:37:32,585 --> 00:37:36,798 Does Marlene have a plan to escape justice? 691 00:37:36,840 --> 00:37:39,217 - I was so fearful during this thing 692 00:37:39,259 --> 00:37:41,386 that Marlene was going to get off. 693 00:37:41,428 --> 00:37:44,556 - Marlene made this audible gasp sound 694 00:37:44,597 --> 00:37:46,808 and collapsed onto the floor. 695 00:37:46,850 --> 00:37:49,394 - It takes a really sick, terrible person 696 00:37:49,436 --> 00:37:50,645 to do what she did. 697 00:38:04,784 --> 00:38:07,912 - NARRATOR: In the months after Marlene Johnson's arrest, the 698 00:38:07,954 --> 00:38:11,624 North Carlolina State Crime Lab completes its analysis 699 00:38:11,666 --> 00:38:16,379 of the DNA swabs taken inside Shirley Pierce's home. 700 00:38:16,421 --> 00:38:19,507 - We finally got a hit back putting Marlene Johnson's DNA 701 00:38:19,549 --> 00:38:22,927 on the shower curtain where Shirley was found. 702 00:38:22,969 --> 00:38:25,638 - There is nobody else that would have been able 703 00:38:25,680 --> 00:38:27,307 to commit this crime. 704 00:38:27,349 --> 00:38:31,603 There was no other DNA present that we located other than hers. 705 00:38:33,480 --> 00:38:34,898 - NARRATOR: With the DNA proving 706 00:38:34,939 --> 00:38:37,484 Marlene was at the scene of the crime, 707 00:38:37,525 --> 00:38:40,528 authorities have a clear picture of what happened 708 00:38:40,570 --> 00:38:44,783 on July 22, 2013. 709 00:38:44,824 --> 00:38:47,744 - Shirley been a target of Marlene's obsession for years. 710 00:38:47,786 --> 00:38:50,413 It was a picture of this kind of this dark obsession she had 711 00:38:50,455 --> 00:38:52,040 with Shirley that just progressively had gotten 712 00:38:52,082 --> 00:38:53,583 worse over time. 713 00:38:53,625 --> 00:38:55,543 - She became obsessed with the thought that 714 00:38:55,585 --> 00:38:58,421 Shirley Pierce was having an affair with her husband. 715 00:38:58,463 --> 00:39:00,507 She was so enraged at that thought 716 00:39:00,548 --> 00:39:02,384 that she had to take action. 717 00:39:02,425 --> 00:39:04,594 She was going to do something about it. 718 00:39:04,636 --> 00:39:06,513 - I think Shirley drove into her garage, 719 00:39:06,554 --> 00:39:08,973 got out of her car, went in her house. 720 00:39:09,015 --> 00:39:12,727 And at some point, Marlene snuck in the house behind her. 721 00:39:12,769 --> 00:39:14,854 When Shirley was getting dressed to go to bed 722 00:39:14,896 --> 00:39:19,484 and called Chuck back, she was attacked, brutally, 723 00:39:19,526 --> 00:39:21,736 stabbed multiple times. 724 00:39:22,570 --> 00:39:25,949 She finally succumbed to the attack and died. 725 00:39:25,990 --> 00:39:30,620 And then was drug to the bathtub. 726 00:39:30,662 --> 00:39:33,665 And I think after she put Shirley in the bathtub, 727 00:39:33,707 --> 00:39:35,542 she'd covered her tracks pretty good. 728 00:39:35,583 --> 00:39:37,585 She noticed she had been cut. 729 00:39:37,627 --> 00:39:40,505 So she went and got bleach and poured it on the areas 730 00:39:40,547 --> 00:39:42,757 where she thought she bled at. 731 00:39:42,799 --> 00:39:46,219 And that's why it was so splotchy and all over the house. 732 00:39:46,261 --> 00:39:48,888 - NARRATOR: In January of 2018, 733 00:39:48,930 --> 00:39:53,309 Marlene Johnson stands trial for first-degree murder. 734 00:39:53,351 --> 00:39:56,229 - She was very demure and looked very professional, 735 00:39:56,271 --> 00:39:59,190 the way that she was dressed and just the way that she appeared. 736 00:39:59,232 --> 00:40:03,570 She did not appear to be an enraged, scorned lover. 737 00:40:03,611 --> 00:40:05,488 - She maintained her innocence. 738 00:40:05,530 --> 00:40:09,367 She appeared as if she was untouchable, 739 00:40:09,409 --> 00:40:12,245 that she would not be convicted. 740 00:40:13,830 --> 00:40:16,249 - NARRATOR: But when prosecutors lay out the brutality 741 00:40:16,291 --> 00:40:19,502 of the crime, the defense's only recourse is 742 00:40:19,544 --> 00:40:22,422 to call the evidence into question. 743 00:40:22,464 --> 00:40:25,175 - They're trying to make it look like more could have been done. 744 00:40:25,216 --> 00:40:27,802 And if it had been done, then the blame would have been 745 00:40:27,844 --> 00:40:29,929 pointed at another person. 746 00:40:29,971 --> 00:40:32,474 - There was not a lot the defense attorneys could say 747 00:40:32,515 --> 00:40:33,808 about the physical evidence. 748 00:40:33,850 --> 00:40:36,311 And they couldn't really question that so much. 749 00:40:36,353 --> 00:40:39,773 The physical evidence in the case was very strong. 750 00:40:39,814 --> 00:40:41,775 - I was so fearful during this thing 751 00:40:41,816 --> 00:40:45,820 that Marlene was going to get off some way. 752 00:40:46,821 --> 00:40:49,824 - NARRATOR: On January 24, 2018, 753 00:40:49,866 --> 00:40:53,995 DNA evidence, cuts on her hands, a false alibi, 754 00:40:54,037 --> 00:40:57,624 and an ongoing pattern of harassment towards Shirley, 755 00:40:57,665 --> 00:41:01,211 leads the jury to a speedy verdict. 756 00:41:01,252 --> 00:41:03,213 - As soon as the word guilty came out of the mouth 757 00:41:03,254 --> 00:41:07,550 of the clerk, Marlene made this audible gasp sound 758 00:41:07,592 --> 00:41:10,845 and collapsed onto the floor. 759 00:41:10,887 --> 00:41:12,931 One deputy rushed to her. 760 00:41:12,972 --> 00:41:14,599 A couple of other deputies in the courtroom 761 00:41:14,641 --> 00:41:17,519 also made their way towards Marlene Johnson. 762 00:41:17,560 --> 00:41:19,646 The judge stopped them, 763 00:41:19,688 --> 00:41:23,024 said, "Do not take her out of the courtroom." 764 00:41:23,066 --> 00:41:25,985 - The judge said, "You're going to listen to this verdict." 765 00:41:26,027 --> 00:41:27,987 Then the judge polled the jury 766 00:41:28,029 --> 00:41:31,616 and made each individual juror give their verdict, 767 00:41:31,658 --> 00:41:34,536 12 guilty. 768 00:41:34,577 --> 00:41:36,663 And the judge said, "It is my order that 769 00:41:36,705 --> 00:41:38,707 you will die in prison." 770 00:41:41,876 --> 00:41:43,586 - NARRATOR: Even though Marlene will spend 771 00:41:43,628 --> 00:41:45,922 the rest of her life behind bars, 772 00:41:45,964 --> 00:41:50,760 those involved in her case still can't sleep easy. 773 00:41:52,512 --> 00:41:55,932 - I don't feel like Marlene got what she deserved. 774 00:41:55,974 --> 00:41:59,644 She doesn't deserve to be alive. 775 00:41:59,686 --> 00:42:02,605 She's gonna live off of us 776 00:42:02,647 --> 00:42:05,775 for the rest of her life. Our tax money. 777 00:42:05,817 --> 00:42:09,487 While Shirley, Shirley's life ended. 778 00:42:12,657 --> 00:42:15,869 - This is a person who did absolutely nothing 779 00:42:15,910 --> 00:42:20,123 and yet was stalked, was terrorized, 780 00:42:20,165 --> 00:42:23,835 and then eventually tortured and killed. 781 00:42:23,877 --> 00:42:25,712 - My heart's broken. 782 00:42:25,754 --> 00:42:28,923 Miss Shirley was such a wonderful lady. 783 00:42:28,965 --> 00:42:33,720 And I just feel like she died for no reason at all. 784 00:42:33,762 --> 00:42:35,597 I feel like she died because 785 00:42:35,638 --> 00:42:38,016 of the obsession of Marlene, 786 00:42:38,058 --> 00:42:40,518 that she had in her mind. 787 00:42:40,560 --> 00:42:45,065 - Shirley, her family lost a mother, a grandmother. 788 00:42:45,106 --> 00:42:48,568 Chuck lost his fiancé. And it shouldn't have happened. 789 00:42:48,610 --> 00:42:51,905 - Marlene is a coward. 790 00:42:51,946 --> 00:42:56,868 It takes a really sick, terrible person to do what she did. 791 00:42:56,910 --> 00:43:00,830 - This just shook me to my core. 792 00:43:00,872 --> 00:43:06,127 It's, it's just unbelievable, absolutely unbelievable. 793 00:43:06,169 --> 00:43:11,758 - I just miss her as a person, her smile, her laughter. 794 00:43:11,800 --> 00:43:15,720 Just being such a caring person, 795 00:43:15,762 --> 00:43:19,849 would give anybody the shirt off her back. 796 00:43:19,891 --> 00:43:23,520 I just miss our laughs and our good times. 797 00:43:27,649 --> 00:43:37,367 - *