[female narrator] a widow's second chance at love
Ends in death.
[eddie] they'd seen a subject come out of a residence,
Screaming, yelling.
He was in severe distress and pain.
It was around between 9:00 and 9:30 that they found him,
And 10:18 when he was pronounced deceased.
[narrator] the hunt for the truth leads investigators
To an alluring seductress.
She definitely used her sexuality, I would say
To woo men.
She had him hung up and twisted.
He was over the moon for her.
[narrator] multiple agencies work together
To expose the dangerous and twisted web the killer created.
She brought almost chaos. It was like a whirlwind.
[danny] there's three dead people, and they're all
Connected to one person.
[linda] I think she is evil from the toes up.
It was all a game with her.
She just thought she was not gonna be caught.
She was just on a high of seeing what she could do
And what she could get away with.
[music]
[narrator] san angelo, texas-- a former frontier town
Located deep in the heart of the lone star state.
[eddie] we're three hours from lubbock, texas,
To the north,
And to the south we got, uh, san antonio.
It's a larger town, over 100,000 people, but here,
Everybody knows everybody.
[narrator] on February 16, 2009, all was quiet as usual
Until just before 9:30 am, when a call comes into the
San angelo 911 dispatch center.
The female caller reports that she and a friend
Were driving when they spotted a man in distress
In the front yard of a home.
[eddie] they had seen a subject come out of a residence,
Screaming, yelling,
And then shortly thereafter, the subject collapsed.
There were two ladies.
They stopped to see what they could do to help.
[narrator] the woman reports that her friend
Is attempting cpr, but despite her efforts,
The man is deteriorating by the second.
She realized that he had stopped breathing.
[eddie] at that point, we had dispatched
Medical personnel, the fire department
To respond to the scene.
[narrator] paramedics arrive and take over
The lifesaving efforts.
He was transported by ambulance to our--a trauma one hospital
Here in san angelo.
[narrator] but doctors never get a chance to treat him.
Just moments after arriving at the er,
The patient succumbs to the mysterious affliction.
It was around between 9:00 and 9:30 that
The ladies had found him.
And I believe it was about 10:18, something like that,
In the morning when he was pronounced deceased.
So a very short period of time.
[narrator] since he wasn't seen by a physician,
The patient's passing is categorized
As an unattended death.
In texas, any time there is an unattended death
Not being treated by a doctor, then they will call
The justice of the peace. It's an old office in texas.
They do the investigation into an unattended death.
They believed that it was some type of heart issue
That caused his death, like a heart attack.
[narrator] just then, the victim's son, michael phillips,
Arrives at the emergency room.
The next-door neighbor had actually called
And let mike phillips know that his father had been
Transported to the hospital.
So he arrived,
And then a positive identification was made.
[narrator] michael speaks with the justice of the peace,
Who shares the devastating news that his father,
James bud phillips, is deceased.
Michael is in disbelief.
Born in 1948, james bud phillip was a native texan.
Bud grew up in san angelo, texas.
And when he was young, he got involved with a
Pretty rough crowd. He was selling drugs.
Eventually, bud married, and they had a son.
But when bud was 43 years old, the fast part of his life
Caught up with him.
He got arrested and was convicted for selling drugs.
He was sentenced to 20 years in prison,
But thanks to his appeal, he only served 14.
[narrator] in 2005, when bud got out at the age of 56,
He was determined to stay on the straight and narrow.
Bud found one thing he learned on the inside that helped him
On the outside... Discipline.
He was a very orderly, neat, organized individual.
Almost to the point of being compulsive.
His appearance, everything from his vehicles to how he
Kept his house, his clothes, everything very orderly.
Bud liked working on old cars, and he really had a
Talent for it.
[lynn] he was very active.
He wasn't someone that just sat around all day.
[narrator] bud tried to make up for lost time with his now-adul
Son, michael, who lived nearby.
Because he was in prison, bud missed a big chunk
Of his son's life, and that really weighed heavy on him.
So he was determined to make up for that.
Michael was very much in touch with his father.
They had a very good relationship.
[narrator] bud was satisfied with his quiet life,
But 2007 brought some unexpecte and welcomed excitement--
A raven-haired beauty named purdie clark.
She was an attractive, um, young lady and, uh,
Could be very charming.
She had a bubbly personality.
[narrator] when bud met the mother of three,
She was still grieving the loss of her first husband,
42-year-old kim clark, who had died just months earlier
In September of 2006.
I knew kim clark from work. We were co-workers.
Kim was in the cubicle next to me.
This regular guy with a family and a good job,
And he was found on the side of the road shot twice in the head.
The first things that went through my mind are that it was
A wrong place, wrong time thing. What else could it possibly be?
[narrator] the murder was still under investigation
When purdie met bud phillips.
[danny] purdie just lost her husband a few months earlier.
And kim has a twin brother named tim, who filed a civil suit to
Get the boys away from purdie.
When she met bud, he really filled a void in her life.
[narrator] despite of the almost 30-year age difference,
Bud and purdie were swept away by their romance.
It was like a whirlwind.
They couldn't separate from each other once
They began their relationship.
[narrator] just a few months later,
Purdie moved into bud's home.
They've lived together for a period of time.
They consider themselves husband and wife,
But not legally married.
[narrator] the couple hoped for a long and happy life
With each other.
But now, two and a half years after the death
Of her first husband, purdie is grieving another loss
After being rushed to the er on the morning
Of February 16, 2009, 60-year-old bud phillips
Is pronounced dead from what doctors believe
To be a heart attack.
A male subject that age, it's highly likely that
He could have had a heart attac or some other medical episode.
[narrator] however, bud's loved ones insist
There must be another explanation.
Michael did not believe that mr. Phillips had died
Of a cardiac arrest.
While he was 60, he carried himself as being much younger.
He was in very good physical condition.
[narrator] michael requests an autopsy on his father.
[philip] he did listen to the family.
And to calm their suspicions, he agreed to do a blood test.
It would enable him to find out if there was another reason
For an autopsy.
[narrator] the following day,
Before the results of the blood test are back,
San angelo police get a call from bud's son, michael.
Michael reports that his father's ex, purdie clark,
Is at the house declaring the house belongs to her.
[shawntell] the son was at the dad's house, cleaning it out.
And she showed up, I guess, to claim the house, essentially.
[lynn] so now there was a disturbance between
Mr. Phillips' family members and ms. Clark, so much that
The police were notified.
[narrator] coming up...
A detective makes a disturbing connection between bud's death
And a cold case.
The next thing we know is one of the main suspects is dead.
[narrator] and a mysterious letter to police
Creates more questions than answers.
[lynn] it was addressed to the chief of police.
He had placed in the letter that he was responsible
For his death.
They just didn't believe that was an authentic letter
Admitting to the crime and then the suicide afterwards
[music]
[narrator] on February 17, 2009, michael phillips summoned polic
To the residence of his suddenl deceased father, bud phillips.
Bud's son tells officers that his father's ex, purdie clark,
Is trying to claim his home.
Ms. Clark had no longer lived there, but she was trying to
Take possession of the house.
[narrator] purdie insists to police that her long-term
Relationship with bud gives her the right to ownership of
His home following his death.
[eddie] mr. Phillips and purdie clark lived together,
And they considered each other husband and wife,
But not legally married.
They were more than a dating relationship.
[narrator] however, michael points out that the couple
Had been on and off for the last four months,
And had recently separated in November.
[shawntell] I think it was an on-and-off again relationship.
She had not been living there on a day-to-day basis
For several months.
Even if they were common-law married,
It didn't make it her house.
If he owned that house prior to her moving in,
Which he clearly did, that would never be her house.
[lynn] the sergeant that responded to the scene
Called me because he knew that I'd had previous knowledge
Of ms. Clark. I advised that sergeant to go ahead
And allow mr. Phillips' son to secure the residence,
Maintain control. And michael was his power of attorney.
[narrator] purdie is instructed to leave the property.
Back at the station, detective dye makes a
Striking connection after pulling purdie's police file.
This is not the first time san angelo police
Have encountered purdie clark.
[lynn] we had been investigating her for some time.
She had committed felony theft, forged a felony amount of check
And in 2006, we had been contacted by members of the
Collin county sheriff's department
And the texas rangers about an incident that
Occurred in collin county.
They were investigating a homicide at that time,
And the victim was identified as kim clark.
[narrator] on September 14, 2006,
Kim clark, purdie's first husband, was reported missing.
Kim clark worked for texas instruments,
Which is in, uh, the mckinney, plano area,
Kind of north dallas area.
[scott] on a Sunday morning, I remember being surprised
To look at my phone and see a incoming call
From my supervisor.
Of course, I answer it right away,
And my supervisor asked me,
Hey, have you seen kim? Kim's...
Apparently, he didn't come home after work on Friday.
And do you know anything about where he could be?
And, of course, I'm shocked.
I remember thinking, is this a prank kim is pulling?
[narrator] when police questioned purdie back in 2006,
She claimed the last time she saw her husband
Was the night before he went missing.
Purdie said the evening ended with an argument,
And that she left to go meet friends at a bar.
When she got home, kim wasn't there.
And she told investigators she didn't know what happened to hi
Or where he'd gone.
[narrator] just five days later,
A tractor driver made a horrific discovery.
He was found about 20 feet, I believe,
Off the edge of the highway by someone driving a tractor.
He'd been shot in the head two times.
I remember getting a heads up from the sheriff's department
That they found a body. There was decomposition.
So he'd been there for the majority of the time
He was missing.
[scott] it was on a Tuesday, I think, that we learned
That his body had been found. I called purdie.
And she was very sad about kim. Nothing ever seemed off
Or out of the ordinary about what could be at home.
I thought maybe he went out for dinner on Friday night
And the place was robbed, and who knows?
But I would have never guessed that it's anything intentional
On his side or on anyone else's side.
[narrator] after finding kim's body,
Collin county investigators teamed up with san angelo
Police and took a deep dive into purdie and kim's life.
They quickly learned that the marriage was anything
But traditional.
Kim and purdie clark, they were married for 14 years,
But they had an open relationship.
In 2006, she met a gentleman named robert dwayne murphy,
Met him online.
[jeremy] dwayne had a bad break-up the year before.
And I think dwayne was looking for love.
In the beginning, purdie told dwayne that she was single.
And then, a few weeks into the relationship,
It turned into something else.
That she was married, but they were getting a divorce.
But it was all kind of slid in under the table after they had
Already gotten together in a more serious relationship.
[narrator] soon, dwayne and purdie
Were hot and heavy, despite purdie's dubious marital status
[jeremy] it was a fast, serious relationship.
She had him hung up and twisting.
He was over the moon for her.
And he wound up moving into the house with kim
And purdie clark at the time.
[narrator] when police questioned purdie and dwayne,
They both deny any involvement in kim's murder.
Purdie clark and robert murphy soon became prime suspects
In kim clark's death.
[narrator] a month later, detectives looking into
Kim's murder found themselves at an impasse.
But the haze of suspicion around purdie thickened
When dwayne murphy also turned up dead on October 16, 2006.
The next thing we know is one of the main suspects is dead.
[philip] dwayne was found alone in a hotel room
Here in san angelo by the cleaning lady.
[shawntell] he had od'd on a hotshot of heroin and cocaine,
But yet there was no needle found. There was no spoon found
So somebody was there with him, because somebody
Removed whatever happened afterwards.
[narrator] the news shocked those who were close to dwayne.
For him to be accused or associated with
Any kind of drugs was unheard of.
[narrator] adding to the mystery,
A few days after dwayne's death a letter showed up at the
San angelo police department-- an apparent suicide note
From dwayne murphy.
[philip] there was a letter that was sent
Claiming that he is the one that had shot kim clark.
And that he wasn't gonna go on.
[narrator] investigators had strong doubts that dwayne
Actually penned the confession.
He could have simply just left it. Why mail it?
That's a great deal of preparation and forethought
That you normally don't see in these instances.
[narrator] though dwayne's autopsy
Deemed his death as suicide,
Investigators couldn't shake their suspicions.
[philip] you could have an autopsy that the
Medical examiner will rule a cause of death as suicide,
But then they leave it up to investigators to determine,
And do all the same steps that we would
For a homicide investigation.
So I would say early on in this investigation,
We were working it as a homicide.
[narrator] for two years, suspicions surrounded purdie.
But with no clear evidence tying her to kim's murder
Or dwayne's mysterious death, she has remained a free woman.
[lynn] purdie clark was and still remains to be
A person of interest.
She's the common link between her husbands and mr. Murphy,
Who are both deceased.
From the investigator's standpoint, it looked like
Purdie wanted to murder kim for his money.
And she also murdered dwayne because he knew too much
About kim's murder.
[narrator] now, less than three years later, the 31-year-old is
Back in detectives' sights as they learn of purdie's
Connection to bud phillips and her attempt to cash in
On his death.
Knowing her history, we need to look into this
As a murder.
[danny] there's three dead people, and they're all
Connected to one person.
Everything just leads back to her.
[narrator] coming up.
New details emerge about purdie and bud's romance.
The relationship was there to take advantage
Of bud phillips and take advantage of his finances.
[narrator] and later, the prime suspect goes missing.
We had no idea where she was.
[shawn] she told me she was going to town
To get something for supper, and she'd be right back.
She never came back.
[music]
[narrator] on February 18, 2009, two days after bud phillips
Passed away from what appears to be a heart attack,
Investigators get the results of bud's blood test back.
And the 60-year-old's true cause of death is revealed.
[lynn] there was strychnine in his blood,
So we knew we were working a homicide.
[narrator] on west texas ranches,
Strychnine was often commonplace.
Strychnine is a poison. It was used in the early days
By ranchers for predators, coyotes, bobcats.
It's very lethal for humans.
It doesn't take very much strychnine at all.
You'll see the symptoms within 10 to 20 minutes
After ingestion.
It affects your muscular system and your respiratory system.
It basically causes all your muscles and everything
To just seize.
[narrator] if bud died from strychnine poisoning,
How did he get into his system?
Strychnine's very bitter. We're looking for some
Type of food source, something that would
Overpower the bitterness. That's where we started.
[narrator] two days after bud's death,
Investigators go back to his house
To look for a possible source.
There, they find bud's son, michael.
Investigators have to tell michael that
His suspicions were right, and his father didn't
Die of a heart attack. Instead, he died of poisoning.
And michael was very devastated by that news.
[narrator] michael tells detectives that he and his wife
Had done some tidying up when they came back to the hous
From the hospital.
[lynn] at his residence, after we became involved,
What we found was completely opposite of what had been
Described by his family. You know, disorder, clutter.
He had found an overturned carton of ice cream
In one of the bedrooms, half melted.
And we inquired to where that was,
And he'd already cleaned it out and taken it to the trash.
A bitter poison would need something to mask it,
Something very sweet that would overcome the taste.
And ice cream kind of fits that bill.
[narrator] investigators head outside, where they dig
Through bud's trash.
Inside, we found the perfect cover for that
Type of poison.
Obviously, the first thing we sent to the lab
Was the ice cream.
We gathered not only the ice cream, but other
Items within the house that could contain strychnine.
[narrator] next, investigators take the opportunity to get a
Detailed statement from michael
He explains that once purdie moved in with his dad,
Bud's disciplined and orderly lifestyle was upended.
[danny] purdie came into his life and just
Filled his house with junk. There was stuff everywhere.
This caused a lot of arguments since bud
Liked keeping things organized, but even with that,
Bud didn't see that as a reason to leave purdie.
[philip] she was able to woo anybody, and I think that's
Probably what brought those two together.
[lynn] in the investigation, we learned that it seems that
She had some amount of allure or attraction
That people just drew to.
[narrator] michael reports that about a year earlier,
While still in a relationship with bud,
Purdie made a bold and underhanded move.
Bud had some property that his mom had deeded him
In mason, texas.
Michael had recently found out purdie reached out
To a real estate agent in mason and was trying to sell that,
Saying that the property was given to her by bud.
Once it got, uh, closer to the property being sold,
It kind of fell through because there was really not a way
For her to prove up that she was the actual owner.
She'd never told bud about trying to sell the property.
[narrator] eventually, bud's family got word
Of the attempted sale.
Since then, they've questioned purdie's intentions.
What they suspected is the relationship was there
Only to take advantage of bud phillips
And take advantage of his finances.
She tried to sell some property that didn't belong to her.
So again, what they suspect is money could've been the motive.
[narrator] the next day, test results provide
A vital clue in the case.
[philip] the chemist at the
Tarrant county medical examiner's office
Told us that there was a lethal dose of strychnine
In the chocolate ice cream.
It was a huge break, because now we knew how it got into bud.
[narrator] investigators can prove that the strychnine
Was in the ice cream.
But now they need to prove that purdie gave it to him.
[eddie] we basically have to prove that she was there
At the residence prior to his death,
Link her to the strychnine,
And link her to the ice cream.
[narrator] investigators talk to bud's neighbors.
[eddie] mr. Phillips' residence was
At a corner of an intersection.
One elderly lady across the street told me,
I happened to be looking in-between 8:00 and 8:30.
Heard a horn honk and saw purdie clark's mother,
Who came by to pick her up.
So we knew that purdie clark left shortly before 9:00.
[narrator] approximately 30 minutes later,
Bud was spotted by witnesses stumbling out of his house
In severe medical distress.
We could place her at the scene of the crime
Within 20 to 30 minutes of the death.
That was too much of a coincidence for us.
[narrator] investigators theorize that purdie delivered
Bud his death sentence under th guise of bringing him a treat.
[danny] they knew from bud's son that purdie and bud
Had broken up, but they'd still see each other on and off.
So it wasn't completely abnormal for purdie
To show up from time to time.
[narrator] the pieces of the puzzle
Are finally coming together.
[lynn] we definitely had an unnatural death in mr. Phillips
A lethal concentration of strychnine.
We had eyewitnesses placing her at the at the scene.
She had access to mr. Phillips.
She had access to the contents of his house,
Where other people didn't.
[narrator] with the test results in,
Authorities finally have the evidence they need to place
Purdie clark under arrest for bud's murder.
[lynn] we were able to obtain a warrant
For ms. Clark for murder.
At that time, then it was a matter of
Determining her location.
[narrator] that task quickly proves difficult.
Purdie is nowhere to be found.
[philip] our investigation was still flying sort of
Low on the radar, that I don't think there was enough
For her to know that would've spooked her.
But she moved around so much, we didn't know where she was at
[narrator] days pass, and there is still no sign of purdie.
We were talking to friends, family, anything to try
To locate her to get her to either turn herself in
Or for us to take her into custody.
[narrator] coming up.
A tip on purdie's whereabouts reveals yet another lover.
I thank god they showed up, 'cause I really think that
She was after us, to kill us.
[narrator] leaving investigators
Questioning if he is her next target.
I believe at some point, that he'd very well been
The next victim.
[music]
[narrator] investigators in san angelo, texas
Believe that 31-year-old purdie clark poisoned her ex
By putting strychnine in his ice cream.
But after finally gathering enough evidence to arrest her,
Investigators can't track her down.
They reach out to their counterparts in collin county,
Where purdie is under investigation
For another murder.
[philip] they were still working on the death of kim clark.
They were doing interviews on
Their part of their investigation.
Someone they were talking to had told them that she was
Now living on a big ranch in el dorado
With some guy named shawn. And they were dating.
[narrator] on March 19th, investigators drive 40 miles
South to the 2,000-acre livestock ranch.
They are met by the ranch's owner, linda scroggins.
[linda] they asked me if I knew purdie,
And I said yeah, you know?
I said, she's living over there with my son.
[narrator] linda says that purdie has been
In a romantic relationship with her son, shawn,
And living on the ranch on and off for around two months.
But linda says that neither shawn nor purdie are home.
Linda contacts shawn and hands the call over to investigators.
[shawn] I was headed home one day from work, and that's when
One of the detectives up here in san angelo called me.
One of the detectives was asking me this and that about her
And if I had any strychnine poison on the ranch.
And I said, yes, sir.
You could buy it back then for predator control.
By the time I got to the house, there was two texas rangers
There already, and they wanted that poison.
So I took them down to my shop and showed it to them.
[philip] the strychnine was in a cabinet.
You open it up. Everything in there is dusty.
[narrator] all of the bottles are coated in dust,
Except for one.
[shawntell] they were little, dark brown vials.
The one had been moved, so it wasn't dusty anymore.
[narrator] investigators collect the bottl
And continue their interview with shawn.
I told them, I probably knew her about a year or so
Before she got arrested.
I didn't know bud, but I'd met him one time.
But I don't think he knew what was going on with us.
[philip] we knew there was strychnine in the ice cream.
We knew she was the last one to see bud
Before he ingested the ice cream.
Now we had another link to be able to say
She had access to strychnine.
[narrator] investigators press shawn for information
On purdie's alleged crimes.
Shawn's first wife had died several years before that.
I think purdie just came along at the right time
And swept him off his feet.
[narrator] the next thing shawn knew, purdie was moving on to
The ranch, bringing all of her belongings with her.
[shawn] she wanted me to come up here to san angelo
And get a bunch of stuff out of her storage building.
She told me she had all that stuff
'cause she was collecting it, just a collector.
She likes collecting stuff.
[narrator] shawn explains that he eventually learned
That by collecting, purdie meant stealing.
[shawn] and I found later 10 different ids,
Driver's license and stuff off of people,
That she had accumulated.
Yeah, just other people's ids, driver's license, credit cards.
She was just on a high of seeing what she could do
And what she could get away with.
[narrator] shawn says that purdie was also involved in
Even more nefarious activities.
[shawn] I never even saw her do drugs, but I know she did them.
She was gone all the time, and I never could figure out why.
She didn't want to tell me what was going on,
But I just figured she was going out and selling drugs.
[narrator] but shawn tells investigators he hasn't seen
Purdie since yesterday evening.
She'd said she was going to town to buy stuff
To cook dinner for me and my mom.
She'd be right back. She never came back.
[narrator] investigators don't believe that shawn was involved
In any of purdie's crimes.
In fact, they think it's more likely that purdie's promise
Of a home-cooked meal could have been his last.
[lynn] we could all see a pattern develop
That we had seen previously.
And I believe at some point that mr. Taylor could've
Very well been the next victim.
I thank god they showed up, 'cause I really think that
She was after us, to kill us.
She could have stolen a bunch of stuff, maybe to keep me quiet
Because she got the strychnine off of me.
There's no telling what was going through her head.
[narrator] as investigators are talking with shawn,
His phone starts ringing. Purdie is on the line.
She asked me what was going on.
And I said, well, the cops are here looking for you
And going through all your [bleep].
And I said, I done told them they could look.
And she got all mad at me.
The cops asked me if that was her, and I said, yeah,
That was her I was talking to. And they said, where is she?
And I said, I don't know, but I'm guessing she's in dallas.
She was going back and forth to dallas, buying drugs
To sell them.
She'd go to a chop shop up there in dallas
And pick all that stuff up,
And then bring it down here to san angelo.
[narrator] coming up.
Fbi surveillance spots purdie.
[philip] they were dealing methamphetamines
Out of this chop shop.
[narrator] but the hunt for purdie takes a dramatic turn.
They saw her pull up and have a marked unit
Trying to stop her.
She fled and she crashed out. And then she ran on foot.
[music]
[narrator] purdie clark has been dodging san angelo police
For more than a week since they got a warrant to place her
Under arrest for the death of her ex, bud phillips.
Now, purdie's new boyfriend shares details with police abou
A chop shop in dallas where she may be picking up drugs.
As it turns out, the shop is already under surveillance
By the fbi.
There was an active federal investigation
Into this chop shop. And they were dealing methamphetamines
Out of this chop shop.
[narrator] san angelo police alert the agents
To be on the lookout for purdie
On March 23rd, one month and five days after bud's murder,
They spot her.
During that time when they were watching this,
They saw her pull up, and they have a marked unit
Who attempted a traffic stop. She fled in the vehicle.
She crashed out. And then she took off on foot
For a short distance...
...Before she was captured.
And then she was arrested on this murder warrant.
Inside the car she was in, she had identifications
For different people. She also had a shotgun.
She had several phones.
[narrator] hours later, the feds in dallas release
Purdie to san angelo police, yet purdie appears unfazed.
[philip] she walked out like she was being arrested
For a traffic ticket.
There was nothing bothering her.
[narrator] back in san angelo, purdie requests an attorney
And refuses to make a statement
[philip] we knew that she had asked for a lawyer,
So we weren't asking her any questions at all.
[narrator] purdie is tight-lipped to law enforcement
But she makes the most of her daily phone call from jail
And continues to reach out to shawn.
I didn't wanna believe it. I don't know.
I didn't love her, that's for sure.
But I felt sorry for her, I guess,
'cause she was still telling me that she didn't do it,
She didn't do it, she didn't do it.
[danny] even from behind bars, purdie's still trying
To work her charm on shawn. It looks like at this point,
That purdie is trying to seduce shawn and get him
To not testify against her.
[narrator] prosecutors prepare to try purdie for bud's murder,
Where they will allege that her motive was greed.
It was all tied back to,
What was purdie gonna get out of it?
So I think greed ultimately was the reason for all this.
Because it all ties back to getting something for her,
Whether it's selling drugs, stealing property,
Or killing someone.
[narrator] as her trial nears, purdie's attorney explains
To her that even though she is only on trial for bud's murder,
The other deaths could play into the outcome.
[shawntell] I explained it to her clearly that jurors
Are only humans, and they hear that at least two other people
Associated with you are also deceased,
They're gonna just throw away the key at that point.
[narrator] in June 2011,
A month before her trial is set to begin,
34-year-old purdie agrees to take a deal.
The district attorney offered a plea agreement
That if she pled guilty, she would receive 40 years.
[lynn] for the chaos that she committed
Over the span in people's lives that she disrupted?
Forty years, is that enough?
Honestly, if you ask the families of the people,
I don't know what time would be sufficient.
I don't think she should even have a parole.
And I think she is evil from toes up.
And I think she should've gotten more time
For killing somebody. I mean, that's just not right.
[narrator] purdie will be eligible for parole in 2029.
That is, if she doesn't face additional murder charges
Before then.
[philip] we have kim clark's murder still active.
Dwayne murphy's death was changed after a while
By the justice of the peace from a suicide to a homicide.
And I know that case is still active.
It's a cold case, but it's still actively being investigated.
At some point, I think
Purdie might be there to answer to them.
[music]