1 00:00:01,367 --> 00:00:03,367 NARRATOR: When devout Catholic Tracey Wygant 2 00:00:03,433 --> 00:00:05,467 marries local boy Chris Chanowitz, 3 00:00:05,467 --> 00:00:08,767 she thinks it will be forever. 4 00:00:08,767 --> 00:00:10,567 TRACEY: I don't believe in divorce. 5 00:00:10,567 --> 00:00:12,166 I believe in marriage. 6 00:00:12,233 --> 00:00:15,467 She married for better, for worse, no matter what. 7 00:00:15,467 --> 00:00:18,367 NARRATOR: But the worst comes quickly. 8 00:00:18,367 --> 00:00:20,567 TRACEY: He told me he was in love with another woman. 9 00:00:20,567 --> 00:00:23,967 KELLY: Tracey fell to her knees 10 00:00:24,033 --> 00:00:26,166 and told him not to leave her. 11 00:00:26,166 --> 00:00:30,567 NARRATOR: Tracey's hopes and prayers fall on deaf ears. 12 00:00:30,567 --> 00:00:33,667 KELLY: We don't trust him, and he's a liar. 13 00:00:33,667 --> 00:00:36,367 TRACEY: Taylor told me that her father and her 14 00:00:36,367 --> 00:00:37,967 went with this other woman. 15 00:00:38,033 --> 00:00:42,867 NARRATOR: Until death do us part becomes the only way out. 16 00:00:42,867 --> 00:00:44,667 KELLY: He premeditated this. 17 00:00:44,667 --> 00:00:46,166 He planned it. 18 00:00:46,233 --> 00:00:48,266 TRACEY: He put a blindfold around my eyes. 19 00:00:48,333 --> 00:00:50,867 I thought it was going to be something romantic. 20 00:00:50,867 --> 00:00:52,734 I couldn't wait for my surprise. 21 00:00:54,000 --> 00:00:55,767 ADRIENNE: It was cheaper to pay for a funeral 22 00:00:55,767 --> 00:00:57,033 than a divorce lawyer. 23 00:01:00,400 --> 00:01:04,834 [theme music playing] 24 00:01:16,767 --> 00:01:19,266 TRACEY: I love my family. 25 00:01:19,333 --> 00:01:21,634 Family has always been important to me. 26 00:01:22,767 --> 00:01:25,967 Stay home mom, a dad that worked very hard, 27 00:01:25,967 --> 00:01:28,467 2 to 3 jobs a week. 28 00:01:28,467 --> 00:01:31,567 He was a worker -- if your hands weren't dirty, 29 00:01:31,567 --> 00:01:33,567 he said you didn't work today. 30 00:01:33,567 --> 00:01:35,367 I'm the oldest. 31 00:01:35,367 --> 00:01:38,433 I have a sister, Kelly, and a brother, Ray. 32 00:01:40,367 --> 00:01:42,333 It was a really good childhood. 33 00:01:45,367 --> 00:01:48,767 NARRATOR: Tracey Wygant comes from a devout Catholic family 34 00:01:48,834 --> 00:01:51,867 in upstate New York -- in the 1960s, 35 00:01:51,934 --> 00:01:56,467 she is a child growing up in an idyllic suburban life. 36 00:01:56,467 --> 00:02:00,634 TRACEY: Lot of neighborhood kids hung out all day on their bikes. 37 00:02:02,066 --> 00:02:05,166 My parents had an above the ground pool. 38 00:02:05,233 --> 00:02:08,567 My mom would make everybody lemonade 39 00:02:08,567 --> 00:02:10,867 and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. 40 00:02:12,100 --> 00:02:15,266 Everybody came to our house to swim, 41 00:02:15,333 --> 00:02:18,066 and people wanted to be in our house. 42 00:02:19,266 --> 00:02:21,967 NARRATOR: Including the nuns of St. Mary's from the local 43 00:02:21,967 --> 00:02:26,367 convent, who adopt the Wygant family as their own. 44 00:02:26,367 --> 00:02:29,367 They came to our house for picnics. 45 00:02:29,367 --> 00:02:32,867 The neighbors would see a carload of nuns getting 46 00:02:32,867 --> 00:02:37,066 out and sitting in the back with us and barbecuing. 47 00:02:37,066 --> 00:02:39,734 TRACEY: My dad worked at Mount St. Mary's Convent. 48 00:02:40,667 --> 00:02:43,734 He was their plumber, and then he ended up doing everything. 49 00:02:44,900 --> 00:02:48,767 We would go for mass on Christmas Eve down at 50 00:02:48,834 --> 00:02:50,166 their church. 51 00:02:50,233 --> 00:02:53,867 Being with the sisters, the Catholic religion, 52 00:02:53,867 --> 00:02:56,000 it was constantly there. 53 00:02:56,000 --> 00:02:58,667 It's just really special to have them in our lives. 54 00:03:03,600 --> 00:03:06,567 NARRATOR: Tracey is so sheltered by her family life, 55 00:03:06,634 --> 00:03:09,166 she is tormented when one day, she finds 56 00:03:09,166 --> 00:03:12,567 herself the target of a bully at school. 57 00:03:12,634 --> 00:03:17,166 KELLY: There was one instance where we were on the bus, 58 00:03:17,166 --> 00:03:21,634 and he made fun of her, and she started crying. 59 00:03:22,467 --> 00:03:26,567 I had a pickle in a jar from a science 60 00:03:26,634 --> 00:03:30,934 class experiment that I forgot was in my duffel bag. 61 00:03:32,567 --> 00:03:34,867 When he was walking off the bus, 62 00:03:34,934 --> 00:03:37,867 I swung my duffel bag -[boy grunts] 63 00:03:37,867 --> 00:03:41,767 and hit him across the back of the head. 64 00:03:41,767 --> 00:03:43,867 I'm sure it hurt. 65 00:03:43,934 --> 00:03:45,767 And I told him to leave my sister alone. 66 00:03:47,266 --> 00:03:48,567 The problem with me -- 67 00:03:48,567 --> 00:03:51,967 I was very shy and very timid. 68 00:03:52,033 --> 00:03:55,467 KELLY: My sister, Tracey, is the older sister. 69 00:03:55,467 --> 00:03:58,066 She's three years older than I am. 70 00:03:58,066 --> 00:04:00,767 But I really do believe that that is the day 71 00:04:00,834 --> 00:04:04,367 where I took on that role of trying to protect her. 72 00:04:05,867 --> 00:04:07,567 TRACEY: When I turned 18, 73 00:04:07,567 --> 00:04:11,433 I went to Mount St. Mary's College in Newburgh in 1978. 74 00:04:12,467 --> 00:04:15,667 And then I just went into teaching. 75 00:04:15,667 --> 00:04:18,100 NARRATOR: Between studying and a part-time job, 76 00:04:18,100 --> 00:04:19,967 Tracey doesn't go out much. 77 00:04:20,033 --> 00:04:24,066 When I was in college, I didn't dorm in the school. 78 00:04:24,066 --> 00:04:25,066 I wanted to be home. 79 00:04:25,133 --> 00:04:26,767 NARRATOR: But one day, when a friend 80 00:04:26,767 --> 00:04:28,467 asks her out on a double date, 81 00:04:28,467 --> 00:04:31,934 she accepts, and it's a date with destiny. 82 00:04:33,467 --> 00:04:36,233 We decided to go out for dinner. 83 00:04:37,166 --> 00:04:40,266 And she comes with a man. 84 00:04:40,266 --> 00:04:42,367 He's a very nice-looking man, 85 00:04:42,367 --> 00:04:44,467 brown hair, mustache, 86 00:04:44,467 --> 00:04:46,867 because they were big back in those days. 87 00:04:46,867 --> 00:04:51,667 And we seemed to talk a lot. 88 00:04:51,734 --> 00:04:54,367 NARRATOR: Tracey finds herself ignoring her date 89 00:04:54,433 --> 00:04:56,467 and is attracted to her friend's date, 90 00:04:56,467 --> 00:04:59,166 whose name is Chris Chanowitz. 91 00:04:59,166 --> 00:05:03,567 He's a local guy who works at a commercial offset printers. 92 00:05:03,567 --> 00:05:06,467 He comes from a family of five kids. 93 00:05:06,467 --> 00:05:09,567 He grew up Catholic in the town of Newburgh, 94 00:05:09,567 --> 00:05:11,266 about 10 minutes from where I lived. 95 00:05:11,333 --> 00:05:13,967 I did think he was cute. 96 00:05:13,967 --> 00:05:16,667 NARRATOR: Tracey doesn't see Chris again until a few months 97 00:05:16,667 --> 00:05:20,266 later when she spots him outside a mall in Newburgh. 98 00:05:20,266 --> 00:05:22,767 TRACEY: Kelly and I were going out for dinner, 99 00:05:22,834 --> 00:05:25,066 and I pointed Chris out 100 00:05:25,133 --> 00:05:27,000 to my sister, and she said, 101 00:05:27,000 --> 00:05:29,266 "Go give him your phone number." 102 00:05:29,333 --> 00:05:31,367 I remember being very nervous, and I went up to him, 103 00:05:31,433 --> 00:05:33,367 and I said, "Call me sometime," 104 00:05:33,433 --> 00:05:35,066 and he called me the next day. 105 00:05:37,767 --> 00:05:38,867 NARRATOR: On their first date, 106 00:05:38,867 --> 00:05:42,367 Chris and Tracey go out for pizza and hit it off. 107 00:05:42,367 --> 00:05:44,867 Tracey has never had a serious boyfriend, 108 00:05:44,867 --> 00:05:47,367 and soon, she is falling in love. 109 00:05:47,367 --> 00:05:51,967 I had butterflies in my stomach, and I couldn't eat. 110 00:05:52,033 --> 00:05:55,967 I felt that feeling like lovesick or something. 111 00:05:55,967 --> 00:05:58,467 And then when I would come out of college, 112 00:05:58,467 --> 00:06:01,867 he would leave notes for me on my car. 113 00:06:01,934 --> 00:06:05,567 And every week, he gave me a rose. 114 00:06:05,567 --> 00:06:08,467 I couldn't wait to go to my car and see the note, like, 115 00:06:08,533 --> 00:06:09,667 you know, that was fun. 116 00:06:09,667 --> 00:06:11,433 That was, like, happiness. 117 00:06:13,300 --> 00:06:17,667 KELLY: Chris liked her because she has a good heart. 118 00:06:17,667 --> 00:06:18,667 She's sensitive. 119 00:06:18,667 --> 00:06:24,066 She's sweet. She was about to have a career. 120 00:06:24,066 --> 00:06:27,467 She treated him really, really well. 121 00:06:27,533 --> 00:06:30,567 She made him a priority in her life. 122 00:06:30,567 --> 00:06:33,467 He seemed absolutely perfect for her. 123 00:06:38,367 --> 00:06:40,967 NARRATOR: On Halloween night, just eight months 124 00:06:40,967 --> 00:06:44,734 after they meet, Chris plans a special surprise. 125 00:06:46,600 --> 00:06:48,467 We were going out to the movies, 126 00:06:48,533 --> 00:06:50,967 and he was really late, 127 00:06:51,033 --> 00:06:53,567 and I was mad that he was late, 128 00:06:53,567 --> 00:06:55,967 and he gave me a plastic pumpkin, 129 00:06:56,033 --> 00:06:58,266 and inside was all this candy, 130 00:06:58,266 --> 00:07:00,667 and I looked, and there was a box. 131 00:07:00,667 --> 00:07:03,634 It was a diamond engagement ring. 132 00:07:05,100 --> 00:07:06,567 He never really came out and said, 133 00:07:06,634 --> 00:07:08,567 "Would you marry me" or anything like that. 134 00:07:08,634 --> 00:07:11,166 It's like typical me -- took it, put it on. 135 00:07:11,166 --> 00:07:12,967 We're getting married. 136 00:07:13,033 --> 00:07:14,734 None of the words were said. 137 00:07:16,266 --> 00:07:18,867 We felt happy for Tracey when she got engaged. 138 00:07:18,934 --> 00:07:21,767 We did like Chris, and we were happy that 139 00:07:21,767 --> 00:07:24,066 he was gonna be a part of our family. 140 00:07:24,133 --> 00:07:26,333 It felt good. It felt romantic. 141 00:07:30,100 --> 00:07:32,166 [distant church bells ringing] 142 00:07:32,166 --> 00:07:34,433 We got married in the convent. 143 00:07:35,867 --> 00:07:38,567 KELLY: I was the maid of honor at Tracey's wedding. 144 00:07:39,900 --> 00:07:41,767 Tracey got married at 145 00:07:41,767 --> 00:07:45,066 the Dominican Sister Motherhouse Chapel. 146 00:07:47,867 --> 00:07:51,567 We always described it as like being in The Sound of Music . 147 00:07:51,634 --> 00:07:55,266 Right in front of you was the Hudson River. 148 00:07:55,333 --> 00:07:57,667 It was a dream of my parents 149 00:07:57,734 --> 00:08:00,367 for us to get married there. 150 00:08:00,433 --> 00:08:04,867 It's all marble, all white, and all the nuns were there. 151 00:08:07,266 --> 00:08:11,367 My limo broke down -- we got to the church late, 152 00:08:11,367 --> 00:08:14,166 and one of Chris's friends told me that he was upset. 153 00:08:14,166 --> 00:08:16,000 He was worried, because I was late, 154 00:08:16,000 --> 00:08:18,567 and that always made me feel happy, 155 00:08:18,634 --> 00:08:20,867 that he cared for me, that he loved me. 156 00:08:20,867 --> 00:08:22,233 That made me happy. 157 00:08:27,266 --> 00:08:29,166 NARRATOR: Soon, the newlyweds move into 158 00:08:29,166 --> 00:08:33,066 an apartment and settle into a routine. 159 00:08:33,066 --> 00:08:35,066 He left the commercial offset printers, 160 00:08:35,066 --> 00:08:37,000 and he worked for Texaco Company. 161 00:08:37,000 --> 00:08:38,767 And then he got a job in IBM. 162 00:08:39,667 --> 00:08:41,367 I was teaching in Newburgh. 163 00:08:41,367 --> 00:08:45,166 I got hired in August of that summer, '84. 164 00:08:46,600 --> 00:08:50,567 NARRATOR: Chris works the night shift on an assembly line. 165 00:08:50,567 --> 00:08:55,266 And so I was home every night by myself, and I hated that. 166 00:08:55,266 --> 00:08:57,667 My sister, Kelly, and my mom would -- 167 00:08:57,667 --> 00:08:59,867 we would go out shopping on Saturdays. 168 00:08:59,867 --> 00:09:01,667 So Friday nights, a lot of times I went, 169 00:09:01,667 --> 00:09:04,166 I slept at my parents' house. 170 00:09:04,233 --> 00:09:07,867 NARRATOR: Tracey finds her first year especially challenging. 171 00:09:07,934 --> 00:09:09,166 [school bell ringing] 172 00:09:09,166 --> 00:09:11,367 The discipline was so tough on me. 173 00:09:11,367 --> 00:09:14,667 I remember cans of crayons being thrown over my head, 174 00:09:14,667 --> 00:09:18,166 and it was very, very difficult on me. 175 00:09:18,166 --> 00:09:21,467 He went to work with me crying in the bathroom in the corner, 176 00:09:21,533 --> 00:09:23,767 hysterical, like having a nervous breakdown, 177 00:09:23,767 --> 00:09:27,367 because the behavior was so bad, 178 00:09:27,433 --> 00:09:29,166 and I couldn't get a handle on it. 179 00:09:29,166 --> 00:09:30,767 I didn't know what to do. 180 00:09:30,767 --> 00:09:33,667 If he gave me some love, 181 00:09:33,667 --> 00:09:36,567 some hugs, tell me it's gonna be okay, 182 00:09:36,634 --> 00:09:37,867 I probably would have been great, 183 00:09:37,867 --> 00:09:41,100 because that's all I needed, but he didn't. 184 00:09:41,100 --> 00:09:44,166 [distant sobbing] 185 00:09:44,233 --> 00:09:46,667 NARRATOR: Tracey has her heart set on buying land 186 00:09:46,667 --> 00:09:48,767 and building her dream home, 187 00:09:48,767 --> 00:09:50,967 but it is difficult to save money. 188 00:09:51,033 --> 00:09:54,467 Chris gets a second job at a local business as a salesman. 189 00:09:54,467 --> 00:09:58,667 TRACEY: He got a job at a woman's store 190 00:09:59,867 --> 00:10:01,033 with all women. 191 00:10:02,567 --> 00:10:05,166 And then women would leave notes on his car. 192 00:10:06,066 --> 00:10:07,867 It didn't matter if they were pretty, ugly. 193 00:10:07,867 --> 00:10:09,166 It didn't matter what they looked like. 194 00:10:09,233 --> 00:10:10,934 He still flirted with them. 195 00:10:12,300 --> 00:10:14,767 Women shouldn't be leaving notes on his car. 196 00:10:14,767 --> 00:10:17,000 He's a married man. 197 00:10:17,000 --> 00:10:18,867 NARRATOR: Tracey complains to Chris about 198 00:10:18,934 --> 00:10:21,767 his flirting, but he doesn't stop. 199 00:10:21,767 --> 00:10:25,000 He never hesitated telling Tracey that 200 00:10:25,000 --> 00:10:27,567 other women were looking at him. 201 00:10:27,634 --> 00:10:29,967 He did like to make her insecure, because then she clung 202 00:10:30,033 --> 00:10:33,233 on to him a little bit more, and he liked that attention. 203 00:10:38,567 --> 00:10:41,467 NARRATOR: After four years, they're no closer 204 00:10:41,467 --> 00:10:42,667 to buying a home. 205 00:10:42,667 --> 00:10:46,567 So Tracey and Chris come up with a new plan to save money. 206 00:10:46,634 --> 00:10:47,867 TRACEY: We gave up the apartment, 207 00:10:47,867 --> 00:10:49,867 and I went to my parents' house, 208 00:10:49,867 --> 00:10:52,967 and he went to his parents' house. 209 00:10:53,033 --> 00:10:56,000 We lived off my paycheck and put his into savings. 210 00:10:56,000 --> 00:10:57,266 I just never knew what he made. 211 00:10:57,266 --> 00:11:00,266 He never brought a paycheck home and showed me. 212 00:11:00,266 --> 00:11:03,367 Tracey asked him if she could go 213 00:11:03,433 --> 00:11:07,066 stay at his parents', as well. 214 00:11:07,066 --> 00:11:09,367 And he said there was no need for that, 215 00:11:09,367 --> 00:11:13,533 that she was better off in her house, in her own bedroom. 216 00:11:15,667 --> 00:11:17,533 We just thought it was all so weird. 217 00:11:19,166 --> 00:11:22,367 It was hard on the marriage, and Tracey cried a lot. 218 00:11:22,433 --> 00:11:26,266 She wanted to be with him, and he just kept saying to her, 219 00:11:26,266 --> 00:11:27,467 "You want a house, don't you? 220 00:11:27,533 --> 00:11:29,967 This is what we have to do to get the house." 221 00:11:29,967 --> 00:11:34,066 [distant cheering and church bells] 222 00:11:35,300 --> 00:11:36,767 NARRATOR: For two years, 223 00:11:36,834 --> 00:11:40,100 Tracey and Chris continue their unusual arrangement, 224 00:11:40,100 --> 00:11:43,467 seeing each other as much as their busy schedules allow. 225 00:11:43,467 --> 00:11:46,266 Finally, their sacrifice pays off. 226 00:11:46,333 --> 00:11:49,266 They save enough to buy their own home, 227 00:11:49,266 --> 00:11:50,967 or at least Tracey does. 228 00:11:50,967 --> 00:11:53,066 She has to pay for it all. 229 00:11:53,066 --> 00:11:54,667 We don't know where he would have 230 00:11:54,667 --> 00:11:57,066 the money saved for any of this. 231 00:11:57,066 --> 00:11:59,467 We decided we were going to get a piece 232 00:11:59,533 --> 00:12:02,567 of land and put a modular home on there. 233 00:12:02,634 --> 00:12:04,533 We put a down payment on a home. 234 00:12:07,767 --> 00:12:10,066 NARRATOR: But before they break ground, 235 00:12:10,066 --> 00:12:12,100 in front of friends and family, 236 00:12:12,100 --> 00:12:17,166 Chris drops a bombshell that will ruin everything. 237 00:12:17,233 --> 00:12:18,867 He told me he was in love with another woman, 238 00:12:18,934 --> 00:12:21,467 [distant scream] 239 00:12:21,467 --> 00:12:23,166 and her name was Shannon. 240 00:12:23,233 --> 00:12:24,767 AS CHRIS: I met a woman. Her name's Shannon. 241 00:12:24,834 --> 00:12:27,567 TRACEY: He said that he was backing out of building a house. 242 00:12:27,634 --> 00:12:29,367 AS CHRIS: ...Not gonna build the house anymore. 243 00:12:29,367 --> 00:12:31,066 It was awful. 244 00:12:31,133 --> 00:12:33,166 So Shannon was 245 00:12:33,166 --> 00:12:38,100 a woman who worked at the mall who Tracey would see him 246 00:12:38,100 --> 00:12:42,166 talking to all the time and never thought he would 247 00:12:42,166 --> 00:12:44,066 ever be with her. 248 00:12:44,133 --> 00:12:47,467 But what was even more shocking was 249 00:12:47,533 --> 00:12:49,467 Tracey's reaction to it. 250 00:12:49,467 --> 00:12:52,767 Tracey fell to her knees, 251 00:12:52,834 --> 00:12:55,467 held on to his leg, 252 00:12:55,467 --> 00:12:58,567 cried, and told him not to leave her. 253 00:12:58,567 --> 00:13:00,667 TRACEY: Being a nice Catholic girl, 254 00:13:00,667 --> 00:13:02,367 you don't get divorced. 255 00:13:02,433 --> 00:13:03,934 I didn't know what to do. 256 00:13:08,166 --> 00:13:09,467 NARRATOR: Tracey Wygant's husband, 257 00:13:09,533 --> 00:13:11,000 Chris, has just told her 258 00:13:11,000 --> 00:13:14,367 he is having an affair with another woman. 259 00:13:14,367 --> 00:13:17,433 Basically, what I did is put my head in the ground. 260 00:13:19,266 --> 00:13:20,567 It was sad. 261 00:13:20,634 --> 00:13:22,667 I didn't know where to turn, what to do. 262 00:13:22,667 --> 00:13:24,066 I didn't tell my friends. 263 00:13:24,133 --> 00:13:26,000 KELLY: He was done, 264 00:13:26,000 --> 00:13:29,967 but he wasn't done... for her. 265 00:13:29,967 --> 00:13:31,767 This was all I got. 266 00:13:31,767 --> 00:13:33,000 How am I gonna get anything in 267 00:13:33,000 --> 00:13:34,767 the future if I don't fight for him? 268 00:13:34,767 --> 00:13:38,233 [distant sobbing] 269 00:13:39,266 --> 00:13:40,867 NARRATOR: Six months go by. 270 00:13:40,867 --> 00:13:43,066 Tracey continues to live at home, 271 00:13:43,133 --> 00:13:45,567 hoping Chris will eventually reconcile. 272 00:13:45,567 --> 00:13:49,066 I had to go and get the money back for the down payment. 273 00:13:50,567 --> 00:13:53,166 There was no talk of divorce, and I would 274 00:13:53,166 --> 00:13:54,767 go to the church where we got married, 275 00:13:54,767 --> 00:14:00,066 and I would go in there by myself and just pray 276 00:14:00,066 --> 00:14:01,567 for everything to get better. 277 00:14:01,567 --> 00:14:03,834 And I would do that a lot. 278 00:14:06,100 --> 00:14:07,467 NARRATOR: And then one day, 279 00:14:07,533 --> 00:14:11,367 he shows up at her work unexpectedly. 280 00:14:11,367 --> 00:14:15,667 TRACEY: And he had with him pamphlets for condos. 281 00:14:15,667 --> 00:14:19,166 So we started looking at condos. 282 00:14:19,166 --> 00:14:21,767 I was hopeful, because why would he do that? 283 00:14:21,767 --> 00:14:23,467 NARRATOR: Chris tells her he is no longer 284 00:14:23,467 --> 00:14:25,567 seeing the other woman. 285 00:14:25,634 --> 00:14:29,100 I'm thinking everything's back, everything's fine. 286 00:14:29,100 --> 00:14:32,166 She doesn't exist anymore. It's done. 287 00:14:33,667 --> 00:14:35,867 [light laughter] 288 00:14:35,934 --> 00:14:38,100 NARRATOR: Tracey and Chris start afresh, 289 00:14:38,100 --> 00:14:39,867 and instead of buying a condo, 290 00:14:39,934 --> 00:14:42,367 they find another piece of land. 291 00:14:42,367 --> 00:14:44,467 TRACEY: It's in the Wallkill area, 292 00:14:44,467 --> 00:14:47,367 out by the Shawangunk Mountains, 293 00:14:47,367 --> 00:14:50,667 and we picked out a house from a magazine. 294 00:14:50,667 --> 00:14:54,100 It wasn't like he was like, you know, being all sweet 295 00:14:54,100 --> 00:14:57,533 and nice -- I just settled and just -- just kept going. 296 00:14:59,300 --> 00:15:00,467 NARRATOR: Within a few months, 297 00:15:00,533 --> 00:15:03,266 Tracey finds out she's pregnant. 298 00:15:03,333 --> 00:15:05,767 When you have a body growing inside of you, 299 00:15:05,767 --> 00:15:09,166 it's wonderful and weird at the same time. 300 00:15:09,166 --> 00:15:11,567 It was also a very difficult time. 301 00:15:11,567 --> 00:15:15,667 We were building a house, and I'm pregnant. 302 00:15:15,667 --> 00:15:17,767 KELLY: Chris, he's gonna be the best. 303 00:15:17,767 --> 00:15:19,567 He's going to build a house. 304 00:15:19,634 --> 00:15:21,166 He's going to make it bigger and better than 305 00:15:21,166 --> 00:15:22,767 everybody else's. 306 00:15:22,834 --> 00:15:24,066 Did they have the money for it? 307 00:15:24,133 --> 00:15:28,767 No, he hired people he knew, then didn't pay them. 308 00:15:28,767 --> 00:15:30,166 They were in debt. 309 00:15:32,100 --> 00:15:34,767 NARRATOR: Just as they finish building their new house, 310 00:15:34,767 --> 00:15:38,934 their daughter, Taylor, is born in February 1991. 311 00:15:39,900 --> 00:15:42,367 TRACEY: Come see baby Taylor! 312 00:15:42,367 --> 00:15:45,233 This is baby Taylor's first Easter. 313 00:15:47,266 --> 00:15:50,266 She was just absolutely beautiful. 314 00:15:50,266 --> 00:15:52,066 CHRIS: Taylor! 315 00:15:52,066 --> 00:15:54,867 TRACEY: Long, Goldilock hair. Gorgeous. 316 00:15:54,867 --> 00:15:58,567 Mmm! Oatmeal and bananas. 317 00:15:58,567 --> 00:16:02,066 CHRIS: Mm. Yum yum yum yum. 318 00:16:05,567 --> 00:16:08,100 NARRATOR: Tracey goes back to work after three months of 319 00:16:08,100 --> 00:16:09,266 maternity leave. 320 00:16:09,333 --> 00:16:12,000 Chris is on night shift, so he takes care of Taylor 321 00:16:12,000 --> 00:16:13,367 during the day. 322 00:16:13,367 --> 00:16:17,000 Chris took Taylor to the zoo, the park. 323 00:16:17,000 --> 00:16:19,867 He would meet other people, 324 00:16:19,867 --> 00:16:24,166 women with children, and I'm sure that he was flirting 325 00:16:24,233 --> 00:16:25,467 with other women. 326 00:16:25,467 --> 00:16:27,567 He would fulfill that role of 327 00:16:27,567 --> 00:16:30,767 the mother and the father with Taylor, 328 00:16:30,767 --> 00:16:32,567 because Tracey was working. 329 00:16:32,567 --> 00:16:34,867 TRACEY: If we were at my sister's for a picnic, 330 00:16:34,934 --> 00:16:36,667 he would be with all the kids, 331 00:16:36,667 --> 00:16:39,266 and he would knock the parents down and say, oh, 332 00:16:39,266 --> 00:16:42,467 I'm down here with their kids, like he was the greatest. 333 00:16:42,467 --> 00:16:46,066 CHRIS: Ho ho ho ho. Santa Claus was here. 334 00:16:47,100 --> 00:16:51,266 Look... at all... your presents. 335 00:16:51,266 --> 00:16:54,567 Daddy, can you open them? 336 00:16:54,567 --> 00:16:56,667 CHRIS: Can you open 'em? Sure can. 337 00:16:56,667 --> 00:16:59,166 TRACEY: Yay! 338 00:16:59,233 --> 00:17:01,533 CHRIS: Merry Christmas. Where's my Merry Christmas kiss? 339 00:17:03,367 --> 00:17:06,967 NARRATOR: Years go by, and Taylor grows closer to her dad, 340 00:17:06,967 --> 00:17:09,166 who seems to do all the fun things. 341 00:17:09,166 --> 00:17:11,367 CHRIS: Hey, you! 342 00:17:11,433 --> 00:17:13,266 I think most of my field trips, 343 00:17:13,266 --> 00:17:16,266 my dad came on as the parent. 344 00:17:16,266 --> 00:17:19,367 Hi, I'm Taylor, and I'm at Macy's parade. 345 00:17:19,433 --> 00:17:21,367 This is the fireman! 346 00:17:21,367 --> 00:17:22,767 During parties, 347 00:17:22,767 --> 00:17:25,100 you would find him in the pool with us, having fun. 348 00:17:25,100 --> 00:17:28,467 My dad was always involved, always playing with the kids. 349 00:17:28,467 --> 00:17:30,667 CHRIS: Yeah! Good girl! 350 00:17:33,600 --> 00:17:36,166 NARRATOR: But Chris has little time for Tracey, 351 00:17:36,166 --> 00:17:38,166 and their marriage suffers. 352 00:17:38,233 --> 00:17:41,166 He said I have a stomach, so no sex. 353 00:17:41,166 --> 00:17:42,867 [actor as Chris groans] 354 00:17:42,934 --> 00:17:44,166 That was awful. 355 00:17:46,767 --> 00:17:50,000 We did Nutrisystem, and I got really skinny, 356 00:17:50,000 --> 00:17:51,867 and he still said I had a belly. 357 00:17:51,867 --> 00:17:53,867 We felt that he was having an affair, 358 00:17:53,934 --> 00:17:57,767 because there was just really no desire, 359 00:17:57,767 --> 00:17:59,867 no connection. 360 00:17:59,867 --> 00:18:02,867 And it was frustrating for me, because I knew 361 00:18:02,867 --> 00:18:05,066 my sister was believing his lies. 362 00:18:05,066 --> 00:18:08,767 TRACEY: Inside, I'm dying -- no intimacy. 363 00:18:08,834 --> 00:18:11,266 I would cry, and I would beg him, 364 00:18:11,333 --> 00:18:14,867 and he would go like this at me, [mockingly] "Aw, really?" 365 00:18:14,867 --> 00:18:17,734 [snoring lightly] 366 00:18:20,467 --> 00:18:22,100 NARRATOR: When her sister Kelly's family 367 00:18:22,100 --> 00:18:23,667 visits Disney World, 368 00:18:23,667 --> 00:18:27,767 Tracey suggests they join them, hopeful that a vacation might 369 00:18:27,767 --> 00:18:29,533 rekindle their intimacy. 370 00:18:30,767 --> 00:18:33,367 KELLY: Tracey really looked forward to that, 371 00:18:33,367 --> 00:18:36,066 the whole family walking around Disney World. 372 00:18:38,066 --> 00:18:40,634 We took out a loan to take Taylor. 373 00:18:45,600 --> 00:18:46,967 We were together, 374 00:18:48,800 --> 00:18:51,567 and one night, I woke up in 375 00:18:51,567 --> 00:18:53,634 the middle of the night, and he was gone. 376 00:18:54,967 --> 00:18:56,967 I don't know where he was. 377 00:18:56,967 --> 00:18:59,266 She said that Chris kept disappearing. 378 00:19:01,867 --> 00:19:04,467 We'd be waiting for the parade, and he'd say, oh, 379 00:19:04,467 --> 00:19:06,166 he's gonna go buy Taylor something, 380 00:19:06,166 --> 00:19:08,133 and he'd be gone for hours. 381 00:19:09,300 --> 00:19:13,333 She goes, "I just have a feeling that he wasn't alone." 382 00:19:14,867 --> 00:19:16,433 TRACEY: I was hoping for a change. 383 00:19:17,367 --> 00:19:19,767 I just kept waiting for that miracle to happen. 384 00:19:19,767 --> 00:19:22,266 [phone ringing] 385 00:19:22,333 --> 00:19:23,367 NARRATOR: After they return, 386 00:19:23,367 --> 00:19:26,567 and just when Tracey is at her emotional bottom, 387 00:19:26,567 --> 00:19:30,233 her sister calls with more devastating news. 388 00:19:31,667 --> 00:19:34,867 TRACEY: She told me that our mom died. 389 00:19:35,900 --> 00:19:41,166 My mom's death was awful for us. 390 00:19:41,233 --> 00:19:43,767 TRACEY: Chris, he had no choice. 391 00:19:43,834 --> 00:19:46,867 He had to be with me during that time. 392 00:19:46,934 --> 00:19:51,266 And then I had him go up to this casket and tell 393 00:19:51,266 --> 00:19:55,367 my mom not to worry, that he always would be there for me. 394 00:19:55,433 --> 00:19:56,834 I had him tell her that. 395 00:19:59,500 --> 00:20:02,166 And then it was Thanksgiving weekend. 396 00:20:02,166 --> 00:20:06,967 My family has a cabin in the Catskills with a gun club. 397 00:20:06,967 --> 00:20:11,066 So Chris says he's going up to the cabin and go hunting, 398 00:20:11,133 --> 00:20:13,467 and my sister could not believe that 399 00:20:13,467 --> 00:20:15,934 he was leaving me after my mom just died. 400 00:20:17,767 --> 00:20:21,567 He would tell my father that real men 401 00:20:21,634 --> 00:20:23,066 don't stay in the cabin. 402 00:20:23,133 --> 00:20:26,000 They go off, and they get a tent, 403 00:20:26,000 --> 00:20:29,066 and they sleep in the woods. 404 00:20:29,133 --> 00:20:31,767 NARRATOR: Chris and Tracey's dad go to the cabin, 405 00:20:31,834 --> 00:20:34,066 but Chris disappears. 406 00:20:36,300 --> 00:20:41,667 Now, Chris had a hunting gun, but he didn't hunt. 407 00:20:41,667 --> 00:20:43,567 TRACEY: And my father, he searched 408 00:20:43,567 --> 00:20:45,567 to see if he could find him, 409 00:20:45,634 --> 00:20:49,367 and he followed his tracks, 410 00:20:49,367 --> 00:20:51,166 and then they just stopped. 411 00:20:52,467 --> 00:20:56,066 There was no tent. He disappeared. 412 00:20:56,133 --> 00:20:58,266 [distant horn honking] 413 00:20:58,266 --> 00:21:00,266 NARRATOR: Chris has been picked up 414 00:21:00,266 --> 00:21:03,066 on the road outside the cabin... 415 00:21:03,066 --> 00:21:05,567 by another woman, 416 00:21:05,634 --> 00:21:08,767 someone who Taylor has already met. 417 00:21:08,767 --> 00:21:10,767 TAYLOR: My first memory of meeting another woman 418 00:21:10,767 --> 00:21:14,734 was going to the Ulster County pool. 419 00:21:16,300 --> 00:21:18,767 My dad told me he was going to meet a friend of 420 00:21:18,834 --> 00:21:22,066 his from work, and she had a little girl with her, too. 421 00:21:23,600 --> 00:21:26,233 I remember playing with all of them in the pool. 422 00:21:27,567 --> 00:21:30,967 She was a few years younger than me. 423 00:21:30,967 --> 00:21:33,767 NARRATOR: Taylor plays with the little girl named Megan 424 00:21:33,767 --> 00:21:35,767 on more than one occasion. 425 00:21:35,834 --> 00:21:39,367 We went hiking together one time up in Minnewaska. 426 00:21:39,367 --> 00:21:42,767 There was definitely a few times he had me go meet her. 427 00:21:42,834 --> 00:21:45,667 He was treating both of us kind of the same. 428 00:21:45,667 --> 00:21:47,133 It was bothering me, 429 00:21:48,367 --> 00:21:50,266 and she kept calling him dad. 430 00:21:55,734 --> 00:21:58,266 NARRATOR: Tracey's daughter, Taylor, meets another girl 431 00:21:58,333 --> 00:22:01,367 who is calling her father, dad. 432 00:22:01,367 --> 00:22:04,266 He said that she didn't have a father of her own, 433 00:22:04,266 --> 00:22:06,734 so he was trying to step into that role for her. 434 00:22:08,000 --> 00:22:09,667 And then he would make me pinky swear not 435 00:22:09,667 --> 00:22:12,367 to tell my mom anything about what we did. 436 00:22:14,166 --> 00:22:17,567 Taylor told me that her father and her went with 437 00:22:17,567 --> 00:22:19,934 this other woman to some falls up 438 00:22:19,934 --> 00:22:22,266 by Kingston, New York, 439 00:22:22,266 --> 00:22:25,567 and he has her pinky swear not to tell me. 440 00:22:25,634 --> 00:22:28,367 And then when I questioned him about it, 441 00:22:28,367 --> 00:22:31,667 he just said it was a friend he ran into. 442 00:22:31,667 --> 00:22:35,100 KELLY: Tracey's a smart person, 443 00:22:35,100 --> 00:22:39,266 and I think that somewhere inside, she definitely didn't 444 00:22:39,333 --> 00:22:40,367 believe him, 445 00:22:40,400 --> 00:22:44,934 but she was so afraid of bringing it to the surface, 446 00:22:44,934 --> 00:22:46,367 because she didn't want 447 00:22:46,367 --> 00:22:51,467 the consequences of what would happen to their marriage. 448 00:22:52,767 --> 00:22:54,734 I was waiting for things to get better. 449 00:22:54,800 --> 00:22:56,367 It will get better, it'll get better. 450 00:22:56,367 --> 00:22:57,467 Hang in there. 451 00:22:57,467 --> 00:22:59,834 [overlapping conversations] 452 00:23:04,467 --> 00:23:06,834 NARRATOR: In February of 1998, 453 00:23:06,900 --> 00:23:10,734 Taylor celebrates her seventh birthday -- by this time, 454 00:23:10,800 --> 00:23:14,166 everyone but Tracey seems to be on to Chris. 455 00:23:14,166 --> 00:23:15,934 I think that's the last birthday 456 00:23:16,000 --> 00:23:18,467 I remember with my father being there. 457 00:23:18,467 --> 00:23:20,900 KELLY: We believe that he's living a double life. 458 00:23:22,100 --> 00:23:26,066 He is off buying things 459 00:23:26,066 --> 00:23:28,467 and telling my husband 460 00:23:28,533 --> 00:23:32,734 that he has charge cards that Tracey doesn't know about. 461 00:23:32,800 --> 00:23:37,567 And I think he's doing it just to add fuel to all of our fire. 462 00:23:37,567 --> 00:23:39,467 NARRATOR: By the time summer arrives, 463 00:23:39,467 --> 00:23:44,033 Tracey and Chris have not been intimate for over four years. 464 00:23:44,033 --> 00:23:46,934 TRACEY: I thought he was gay for a while. 465 00:23:48,266 --> 00:23:52,000 There was a manager at IBM that he kept talking about 466 00:23:52,000 --> 00:23:54,667 that was gay that he hung out with, 467 00:23:54,667 --> 00:23:58,367 and also the lack of sex for years. 468 00:23:58,367 --> 00:24:00,467 So it was making me think, 469 00:24:00,533 --> 00:24:02,934 "Well, jeez, maybe he is gay." 470 00:24:03,000 --> 00:24:07,367 I did ask questions, but there were always lies. 471 00:24:07,367 --> 00:24:08,734 I was gagging and throwing up. 472 00:24:08,734 --> 00:24:11,467 That's how bad I was -- crying, 473 00:24:11,533 --> 00:24:14,634 felt like I didn't have anybody in the world. 474 00:24:17,467 --> 00:24:20,100 [distant sobbing] 475 00:24:26,100 --> 00:24:27,266 NARRATOR: In September, 476 00:24:27,266 --> 00:24:28,867 at the start of the school year, 477 00:24:28,867 --> 00:24:32,467 Chris starts spending time alone in the garage. 478 00:24:32,467 --> 00:24:35,734 He tells Tracey that he is working on something special 479 00:24:35,734 --> 00:24:37,033 for her. 480 00:24:37,033 --> 00:24:39,867 TRACEY: He said to me, "I have a surprise for you. 481 00:24:39,867 --> 00:24:42,667 Don't tell your sister about it," 482 00:24:42,734 --> 00:24:44,867 and I told her, 'cause I thought 483 00:24:44,867 --> 00:24:46,800 it was gonna be something romantic. 484 00:24:47,934 --> 00:24:51,467 KELLY: She just was really excited about it, and I think 485 00:24:51,467 --> 00:24:56,467 she felt that it was going to make their marriage better. 486 00:24:56,467 --> 00:24:58,734 TRACEY: I was excited. 487 00:24:58,800 --> 00:25:01,000 I couldn't wait for my surprise. 488 00:25:01,000 --> 00:25:03,934 NARRATOR: Chris even puts up garbage bags to black out 489 00:25:03,934 --> 00:25:07,567 the windows in the garage so that Tracey can't peek. 490 00:25:07,567 --> 00:25:09,100 TRACEY: I heard noises. 491 00:25:09,100 --> 00:25:11,166 I don't know exactly what he was doing. 492 00:25:11,166 --> 00:25:14,266 We also bought unfinished furniture that he would paint 493 00:25:14,266 --> 00:25:15,867 and stain over the years, 494 00:25:15,867 --> 00:25:18,266 so it could be something like that. 495 00:25:18,266 --> 00:25:20,900 To me, he was working on my surprise. 496 00:25:21,767 --> 00:25:25,433 So I didn't want to open the door and ruin it and peek. 497 00:25:30,000 --> 00:25:31,266 AS CHRIS: Hey, honey. 498 00:25:31,266 --> 00:25:33,367 NARRATOR: As the weekend approaches, 499 00:25:33,367 --> 00:25:36,867 Chris seems to be more flirtatious. 500 00:25:36,867 --> 00:25:39,166 TRACEY: He picked me up, 501 00:25:39,233 --> 00:25:42,166 and I got embarrassed, and I got shy, 502 00:25:42,166 --> 00:25:43,934 and I asked him to put me down. 503 00:25:44,000 --> 00:25:47,033 He never picked me up before, never. 504 00:25:47,033 --> 00:25:52,166 And I was uncomfortable with that, because I'm heavy. 505 00:25:52,166 --> 00:25:55,934 Within a few hours later, he had me move a ladder, 506 00:25:57,100 --> 00:25:59,367 and I thought it was strange that he didn't do it. 507 00:25:59,367 --> 00:26:00,567 He had me do it. 508 00:26:00,634 --> 00:26:02,834 AS CHRIS: Right there, that's great -- great! 509 00:26:05,000 --> 00:26:08,166 NARRATOR: On the evening of September 12th, 1998, 510 00:26:08,233 --> 00:26:10,834 Chris, Tracey, and Taylor arrive home early 511 00:26:10,834 --> 00:26:12,967 from a dinner with friends. 512 00:26:12,967 --> 00:26:14,967 TRACEY: He told me about the surprise. 513 00:26:14,967 --> 00:26:18,934 He was getting the surprise ready, and I went to 514 00:26:18,934 --> 00:26:21,567 the living room while he was out in the garage. 515 00:26:26,266 --> 00:26:28,567 NARRATOR: While Taylor sleeps upstairs, 516 00:26:28,634 --> 00:26:31,567 Tracey waits in anticipation. 517 00:26:31,634 --> 00:26:35,634 He comes in and gets me and tells me the surprise is ready. 518 00:26:36,767 --> 00:26:40,166 He put a blindfold around my eyes, tightened it up. 519 00:26:40,233 --> 00:26:43,166 NARRATOR: Chris places an envelope in Tracey's hand. 520 00:26:43,233 --> 00:26:45,667 He told me it was part of his surprise. 521 00:26:45,667 --> 00:26:49,667 She thought maybe it was airline tickets, 522 00:26:49,734 --> 00:26:52,467 and she was hoping it was a trip. 523 00:26:52,533 --> 00:26:55,533 TRACEY: And he had to help me out to the garage. 524 00:26:56,867 --> 00:26:58,967 I was okay with it, because when somebody's 525 00:26:58,967 --> 00:27:00,166 gonna surprise you, 526 00:27:00,233 --> 00:27:03,934 sometimes they do that, they put a blindfold on you. 527 00:27:04,000 --> 00:27:07,634 He opens the door and then puts me at the first step. 528 00:27:08,467 --> 00:27:10,734 So I'm out on the first step. 529 00:27:12,500 --> 00:27:13,900 He's behind me. 530 00:27:15,834 --> 00:27:18,333 He tells me the surprise is not ready. 531 00:27:19,867 --> 00:27:22,100 NARRATOR: Chris leads Tracey back to the couch, 532 00:27:22,100 --> 00:27:25,066 removes the blindfold, and she waits again. 533 00:27:25,066 --> 00:27:27,734 He comes back out to the living room 534 00:27:27,800 --> 00:27:30,266 and tells me the surprise is ready now. 535 00:27:30,266 --> 00:27:33,166 He had to do a couple of things. 536 00:27:33,233 --> 00:27:35,266 So we go through the same routine. 537 00:27:38,266 --> 00:27:41,166 Opens the door, helps me down to the first step. 538 00:27:41,166 --> 00:27:42,934 AS CHRIS: Come on this way. 539 00:27:44,166 --> 00:27:45,967 It wasn't ready. Again. 540 00:27:45,967 --> 00:27:48,433 -AS CHRIS: No, it's not ready. -TRACEY: We go back in. 541 00:27:52,100 --> 00:27:54,467 I go right back to the couch. 542 00:27:54,467 --> 00:27:57,467 NARRATOR: Finally, the surprise is ready. 543 00:27:57,467 --> 00:28:00,467 Chris re-blindfolds Tracey and again 544 00:28:00,467 --> 00:28:03,000 places the envelope in her hand. 545 00:28:03,000 --> 00:28:05,166 Now it's just quiet, 546 00:28:05,166 --> 00:28:07,467 and I can hear him breathing behind me. 547 00:28:07,533 --> 00:28:09,734 Now I'm starting to get suspicious. 548 00:28:09,800 --> 00:28:12,367 Now I'm starting to get a little nervous. 549 00:28:12,367 --> 00:28:14,667 NARRATOR: He leads her into the garage, 550 00:28:14,734 --> 00:28:18,367 and Tracey waits again for what seems like eternity. 551 00:28:18,367 --> 00:28:20,533 My heart was pounding out of my chest. 552 00:28:22,367 --> 00:28:24,467 I felt something come down my neck. 553 00:28:24,467 --> 00:28:25,734 [man grunts] 554 00:28:32,000 --> 00:28:34,767 NARRATOR: Tracey Wygant's husband, Chris, has just 555 00:28:34,767 --> 00:28:37,834 slipped a noose over her head. 556 00:28:37,834 --> 00:28:39,934 And my reaction was to hit it off. 557 00:28:40,000 --> 00:28:41,367 [grunts] 558 00:28:41,367 --> 00:28:45,100 And I quickly hit the blindfold up off me 559 00:28:45,100 --> 00:28:48,834 and looked up, and he was above me, 560 00:28:48,834 --> 00:28:51,734 and he had big gloves on, 561 00:28:51,800 --> 00:28:54,467 and I saw him holding the rope 562 00:28:54,467 --> 00:28:56,767 with a noose. 563 00:28:56,767 --> 00:29:00,266 [distantly] AS TRACEY: My God! What are you doing?! 564 00:29:00,333 --> 00:29:03,133 I went into an out of my body experience, 565 00:29:03,133 --> 00:29:06,066 like numb, is this really happening? 566 00:29:06,066 --> 00:29:08,467 AS TRACEY: What are you doing? 567 00:29:08,467 --> 00:29:09,734 It could have been a diamond. 568 00:29:09,734 --> 00:29:12,266 It could have been pearls, but it wasn't, it was a noose. 569 00:29:12,266 --> 00:29:16,567 She was seconds away from death, seconds. 570 00:29:16,634 --> 00:29:19,166 He was going to pull Tracey up by the noose. 571 00:29:19,166 --> 00:29:22,233 He was gonna hold onto it until she was dead. 572 00:29:25,266 --> 00:29:27,467 TRACEY: I looked up, 573 00:29:27,467 --> 00:29:29,834 and I said to him, "What's going on?" 574 00:29:29,834 --> 00:29:31,467 And he let the noose go, and he went 575 00:29:31,467 --> 00:29:35,000 to the corner of the garage, and he was crying. 576 00:29:35,000 --> 00:29:36,567 He said that he was in love 577 00:29:36,567 --> 00:29:39,567 with another woman, and we have a child. 578 00:29:39,567 --> 00:29:43,667 NARRATOR: Tracey doesn't consider that she might still be in danger. 579 00:29:43,734 --> 00:29:45,667 I thought about it more afterwards. 580 00:29:45,667 --> 00:29:48,033 Like, how stupid was I thinking that maybe 581 00:29:48,033 --> 00:29:49,567 he wouldn't take a gun and shoot me. 582 00:29:49,567 --> 00:29:52,266 He could have easily done that. 583 00:29:53,266 --> 00:29:55,834 I was shaking at this time, and I said, 584 00:29:55,900 --> 00:29:57,266 "I'm going to call my sister." 585 00:29:59,033 --> 00:30:00,533 [phone ringing] 586 00:30:02,667 --> 00:30:06,200 We were sound asleep, and it was Tracey. 587 00:30:07,166 --> 00:30:11,767 She was crying hysterically and wanted me to come up there. 588 00:30:11,767 --> 00:30:13,667 [distant, indistinct talking] 589 00:30:13,667 --> 00:30:15,367 Like now. 590 00:30:15,367 --> 00:30:19,667 I called my father and asked him to come up to Tracey's, 591 00:30:19,734 --> 00:30:22,667 and I said, "It's bad news. 592 00:30:22,667 --> 00:30:24,367 I bet it's an affair again." 593 00:30:24,367 --> 00:30:26,166 [doorbell rings] 594 00:30:26,166 --> 00:30:30,266 I went to the front door, and Chris opened the door. 595 00:30:32,066 --> 00:30:35,367 He looked disheveled, tired. 596 00:30:35,367 --> 00:30:38,367 He looked like a -- like a monster. 597 00:30:39,834 --> 00:30:43,367 I turned and saw Tracey sitting on the couch, 598 00:30:43,433 --> 00:30:45,367 and she was rocking, 599 00:30:45,367 --> 00:30:47,367 and she was crying. 600 00:30:47,433 --> 00:30:50,934 So I knelt down next to her, 601 00:30:50,934 --> 00:30:53,467 and I said, "Tracey, what's going on? 602 00:30:53,467 --> 00:30:55,467 Tell me what's happening." 603 00:30:55,467 --> 00:31:00,433 And she said, "He has another woman and a child. 604 00:31:01,367 --> 00:31:04,266 Her name is Megan," and I could tell 605 00:31:04,333 --> 00:31:06,266 she was trying to process it. 606 00:31:06,266 --> 00:31:10,667 And I turned to look at him, and I said to him, 607 00:31:10,667 --> 00:31:14,333 "That was your surprise? This is your surprise?" 608 00:31:15,200 --> 00:31:17,266 NARRATOR: Chris sees Tracey's father coming 609 00:31:17,266 --> 00:31:19,834 and leaves to go meet him outside. 610 00:31:20,767 --> 00:31:24,266 KELLY: That gave me the opportunity to say to Tracey, 611 00:31:24,333 --> 00:31:25,934 "That was your surprise?" 612 00:31:25,934 --> 00:31:31,634 And she said, "No, he tried to hang me in the garage." 613 00:31:33,767 --> 00:31:37,166 At that point, I went into the garage area. 614 00:31:40,400 --> 00:31:45,166 The windows were all blackened out with black plastic bags. 615 00:31:46,367 --> 00:31:49,467 The ladder was standing there, 616 00:31:49,533 --> 00:31:51,166 and there was the noose. 617 00:31:55,734 --> 00:31:58,100 And she said, "Tracey, I have to call the police," 618 00:31:58,100 --> 00:32:00,367 and I'm begging her not to call the police. 619 00:32:00,367 --> 00:32:02,834 NARRATOR: Kelly calls 911. 620 00:32:02,900 --> 00:32:06,000 Everything was definitely surreal that night. 621 00:32:06,000 --> 00:32:10,667 Everything seemed to go in slow motion. 622 00:32:10,734 --> 00:32:13,266 NARRATOR: Tracey tells Kelly that she asked 623 00:32:13,266 --> 00:32:16,100 Chris why he wanted to kill her. 624 00:32:16,100 --> 00:32:18,900 And he said, "You made me do this to you." 625 00:32:20,166 --> 00:32:23,166 And she said, "Why? What did I do? 626 00:32:23,166 --> 00:32:25,166 What did I do wrong?" 627 00:32:25,166 --> 00:32:28,166 And he said, "You made me do this. 628 00:32:28,166 --> 00:32:31,567 You would never let me go." 629 00:32:31,567 --> 00:32:34,667 [distant sobbing] 630 00:32:34,734 --> 00:32:37,934 This is bad. This is really bad. 631 00:32:39,367 --> 00:32:41,734 I'm very concerned about my sister, 632 00:32:41,800 --> 00:32:43,033 because I think she's going to have 633 00:32:43,033 --> 00:32:44,734 a severe mental breakdown. 634 00:32:44,734 --> 00:32:47,734 [sobbing] 635 00:32:49,767 --> 00:32:53,133 NARRATOR: Tracey's dad is startled when police arrive 636 00:32:53,133 --> 00:32:54,266 on the scene. 637 00:32:54,266 --> 00:32:56,734 KELLY: And he said, "Why would you call the police? 638 00:32:56,800 --> 00:32:59,066 This is just an affair." 639 00:32:59,066 --> 00:33:03,367 And I looked at my father, and I said, "No, it's not dad. 640 00:33:03,367 --> 00:33:07,100 He tried to hang her in the garage." 641 00:33:07,100 --> 00:33:09,133 At that point, 642 00:33:09,133 --> 00:33:12,266 my father just leapt through the air... 643 00:33:12,266 --> 00:33:13,467 AS TRACEY'S FATHER: You son of a bitch! 644 00:33:13,533 --> 00:33:15,567 ...and jumped on Chris. 645 00:33:15,634 --> 00:33:18,367 And that's when the police quickly grabbed my father 646 00:33:18,367 --> 00:33:20,934 and Chris. -Son of a bitch! Oh! 647 00:33:22,667 --> 00:33:25,867 NARRATOR: The officers escort Chris into another room. 648 00:33:25,867 --> 00:33:28,467 ADRIENNE: He was pacing, wringing his hands. 649 00:33:28,467 --> 00:33:30,734 He kept apologizing. 650 00:33:30,734 --> 00:33:33,000 He says, "I wanted to do a double suicide. 651 00:33:33,000 --> 00:33:36,567 I wanted to kill my wife and then kill myself." 652 00:33:36,567 --> 00:33:40,567 I'm like, "Now, you know, that's not a double suicide. 653 00:33:40,567 --> 00:33:42,467 We call it murder-suicide." 654 00:33:42,533 --> 00:33:44,166 I said, "Well, how were you gonna kill yourself?" 655 00:33:44,166 --> 00:33:45,634 He says, "Well, I got a gun." 656 00:33:47,166 --> 00:33:49,467 He showed me the gun. It was in a closet... 657 00:33:49,467 --> 00:33:52,100 all the way back in the closet. 658 00:33:53,300 --> 00:33:56,033 I found the .308 that was in there. 659 00:33:56,033 --> 00:33:57,834 I'm like, "Okay, where's the ammo?" 660 00:33:57,834 --> 00:33:59,033 "I don't know." 661 00:33:59,033 --> 00:34:02,266 Okay, and how were you going to off yourself with a gun 662 00:34:02,333 --> 00:34:04,967 if there's no ammo available? 663 00:34:04,967 --> 00:34:06,467 Something's not right. 664 00:34:11,734 --> 00:34:13,166 NARRATOR: Chris is arrested, 665 00:34:13,166 --> 00:34:15,934 but only for menacing and endangerment. 666 00:34:15,934 --> 00:34:17,367 TRACEY: He had me move the ladder 667 00:34:17,433 --> 00:34:19,834 to get my prints on the ladder. 668 00:34:19,900 --> 00:34:24,367 Him having me hold the note was gonna be a suicide letter, 669 00:34:24,367 --> 00:34:26,767 and he picked me up because he wanted to see 670 00:34:26,767 --> 00:34:30,266 how he could pull me to hang me. 671 00:34:30,266 --> 00:34:32,667 The police say when the surprise wasn't ready 672 00:34:32,734 --> 00:34:34,734 that he was trying to get his nerve up. 673 00:34:34,800 --> 00:34:37,734 If he did what he was gonna do the first time, 674 00:34:37,734 --> 00:34:40,533 maybe even the second, he would have succeeded. 675 00:34:41,567 --> 00:34:46,367 Tracey ended up in a psychiatric hospital. 676 00:34:46,433 --> 00:34:50,367 EMMANUEL: It's like being hit with a double blow. 677 00:34:50,433 --> 00:34:53,734 The love of your life has just tried to kill you. 678 00:34:53,800 --> 00:34:56,367 You get out of it, and then he hits 679 00:34:56,367 --> 00:34:59,266 you with the other blow that kills your heart. 680 00:34:59,266 --> 00:35:00,834 It kills your soul. 681 00:35:02,367 --> 00:35:03,467 NARRATOR: The next morning, 682 00:35:03,533 --> 00:35:06,066 Kelly races to gain emergency custody 683 00:35:06,066 --> 00:35:09,233 of Taylor before Chris makes bail. 684 00:35:13,834 --> 00:35:17,567 NARRATOR: Tracey Wygant spends a week in a psychiatric hospital 685 00:35:17,567 --> 00:35:21,834 trying to understand why her husband tried to kill her. 686 00:35:21,900 --> 00:35:25,634 He wanted it to look like I committed suicide. 687 00:35:27,000 --> 00:35:29,567 He wanted to look like the victim. 688 00:35:29,634 --> 00:35:32,967 Everybody would have been crying for him and feeling 689 00:35:32,967 --> 00:35:36,533 bad for him, and he would have came out victorious. 690 00:35:38,600 --> 00:35:40,567 NARRATOR: If Chris had succeeded, he would 691 00:35:40,567 --> 00:35:43,300 have avoided a custody battle for Taylor. 692 00:35:44,467 --> 00:35:46,367 He would have got the house. 693 00:35:46,367 --> 00:35:48,834 He would got money from the New York State 694 00:35:48,834 --> 00:35:50,266 Teachers Union. 695 00:35:50,266 --> 00:35:51,967 They would have been set, and they would live 696 00:35:51,967 --> 00:35:55,133 happily ever after, the four of them in the house. 697 00:35:55,133 --> 00:35:56,867 That was his goal. 698 00:35:56,867 --> 00:36:00,367 It was cheaper to pay for a funeral than a divorce lawyer. 699 00:36:00,367 --> 00:36:02,467 I believe she saved her own life. 700 00:36:02,467 --> 00:36:05,367 Tracey would never have divorced him. 701 00:36:05,367 --> 00:36:06,667 Even after that night, 702 00:36:06,734 --> 00:36:08,934 I don't think she wanted to divorce him. 703 00:36:15,166 --> 00:36:18,033 NARRATOR: After Tracey returns home from the hospital, 704 00:36:18,033 --> 00:36:21,467 she gets full custody of Taylor and then searches 705 00:36:21,467 --> 00:36:25,467 the house for evidence of Chris's double life. 706 00:36:25,467 --> 00:36:28,934 I found special holiday cards, letters, 707 00:36:28,934 --> 00:36:32,567 fake divorce papers, mail-in divorces. 708 00:36:32,567 --> 00:36:35,467 KELLY: I'm sure he was showing his girlfriend 709 00:36:35,533 --> 00:36:37,634 that he was going through a divorce. 710 00:36:38,867 --> 00:36:41,033 NARRATOR: Proof positive that Chris was 711 00:36:41,033 --> 00:36:44,066 seeing other women throughout their marriage. 712 00:36:46,667 --> 00:36:48,834 TRACEY: One card I opened up, and it was 713 00:36:48,834 --> 00:36:53,066 a Valentine's card, and it had a voice. 714 00:36:53,066 --> 00:36:55,567 "Happy, happy heart day. 715 00:36:55,634 --> 00:37:00,066 We love you very much -- love, Cathy and Taylor." 716 00:37:00,934 --> 00:37:05,133 So it was, uh... not good for me. 717 00:37:06,667 --> 00:37:10,367 So my family almost had to bring me back to the hospital. 718 00:37:10,367 --> 00:37:11,667 That was hard. 719 00:37:17,133 --> 00:37:22,266 There was a photo of Shannon in Disney World, 720 00:37:22,266 --> 00:37:26,166 the same time that Tracey, 721 00:37:26,166 --> 00:37:30,133 Chris, and Taylor took their Disney World trip. 722 00:37:30,133 --> 00:37:33,834 So when he was disappearing, he was meeting Shannon. 723 00:37:35,667 --> 00:37:37,166 [distant sobbing] 724 00:37:37,166 --> 00:37:40,333 February 5th, 1999, 725 00:37:40,400 --> 00:37:42,367 5 months after the attack, 726 00:37:42,367 --> 00:37:44,166 a grand jury in Ulster County, 727 00:37:44,166 --> 00:37:47,266 New York, upgrades Chris's menacing charge 728 00:37:47,266 --> 00:37:49,834 to attempted murder in the second degree. 729 00:37:49,834 --> 00:37:51,033 [gavel pounds] 730 00:37:51,033 --> 00:37:53,567 EMMANUEL: Usually, the one who is unhappy should 731 00:37:53,567 --> 00:37:57,467 be the one that takes a drastic measure. 732 00:37:57,467 --> 00:38:02,266 But he wanted to maximize his happiness. 733 00:38:02,266 --> 00:38:05,000 He wanted to have everything that 734 00:38:05,000 --> 00:38:08,467 they had built together to himself. 735 00:38:08,467 --> 00:38:11,333 So she was expendable to him. 736 00:38:14,500 --> 00:38:17,467 NARRATOR: Just over a year later, in 2000, 737 00:38:17,467 --> 00:38:19,033 they go to trial. 738 00:38:19,033 --> 00:38:22,233 He sat there acting like he did nothing wrong. 739 00:38:22,233 --> 00:38:26,467 He was the perfect husband who wanted a divorce. 740 00:38:26,467 --> 00:38:27,467 That's it. 741 00:38:27,467 --> 00:38:31,100 TRACEY: He told the jury that he was 742 00:38:31,100 --> 00:38:33,467 trying to tell me it was over. 743 00:38:33,467 --> 00:38:37,767 His defense was he was just trying to scare her 744 00:38:37,767 --> 00:38:41,300 into a divorce, because she never would have left him. 745 00:38:42,467 --> 00:38:45,266 The last time I saw my dad was when we went to court, 746 00:38:45,266 --> 00:38:47,467 and it was just for a split second. 747 00:38:47,533 --> 00:38:50,934 I was set to testify, give my own statements, and I was 748 00:38:51,000 --> 00:38:54,033 halfway through the door, and the judge decided he didn't 749 00:38:54,033 --> 00:38:55,266 need my testimony. 750 00:38:55,266 --> 00:38:58,233 So I was immediately scooched back and out of the room. 751 00:38:58,233 --> 00:39:00,467 NARRATOR: Tracey and Kelly take the stand, 752 00:39:00,467 --> 00:39:02,834 but the evidence is airtight. 753 00:39:02,900 --> 00:39:05,166 TRACEY: I was in a little bit of a fighting spirit 754 00:39:05,166 --> 00:39:09,133 at that time but still very timid, still beaten up. 755 00:39:09,133 --> 00:39:11,367 It was tough with his lawyer, 756 00:39:11,367 --> 00:39:13,367 but I held my own. 757 00:39:13,367 --> 00:39:15,467 What I think went wrong with Chris's plan 758 00:39:15,533 --> 00:39:17,233 was that he lost his nerve. 759 00:39:17,233 --> 00:39:20,066 But I also think that he could have done it. 760 00:39:23,233 --> 00:39:24,967 NARRATOR: By unanimous vote, 761 00:39:24,967 --> 00:39:28,967 a jury finds Chris Chanowitz guilty of attempted murder, 762 00:39:28,967 --> 00:39:31,834 and he is sentenced to 15 years in prison. 763 00:39:32,767 --> 00:39:36,066 TRACEY: I was looking at him when I read my victim response 764 00:39:36,066 --> 00:39:37,767 for the sentencing. 765 00:39:37,767 --> 00:39:41,367 He wouldn't let me look at him, because it was very heartfelt. 766 00:39:41,367 --> 00:39:42,934 I cried. 767 00:39:43,000 --> 00:39:44,667 Yeah, I was so upset. 768 00:39:44,667 --> 00:39:46,033 I cried. 769 00:39:46,033 --> 00:39:48,033 I did that for a couple of weeks. 770 00:39:48,033 --> 00:39:50,834 [distant cheering and church bells] 771 00:39:51,934 --> 00:39:54,166 NARRATOR: Tracey and Taylor sell the house 772 00:39:54,166 --> 00:39:57,734 and start rebuilding their lives in a new home. 773 00:39:57,734 --> 00:40:00,467 KELLY: I am proud of how Tracey came out of this. 774 00:40:00,467 --> 00:40:03,867 For the last 25 years, 775 00:40:03,867 --> 00:40:06,734 she has built a little life for her and Taylor in 776 00:40:06,800 --> 00:40:08,033 this house. 777 00:40:08,033 --> 00:40:11,767 She has made it a showstopper -- people stop and take pictures. 778 00:40:11,767 --> 00:40:15,033 She does gardening outside, 779 00:40:15,033 --> 00:40:18,066 and that has been her sanctuary. 780 00:40:22,734 --> 00:40:24,667 NARRATOR: After serving 13 years, 781 00:40:24,667 --> 00:40:30,300 Chris gets out of jail in 2013 and moves back to Wallkill. 782 00:40:32,000 --> 00:40:35,333 TRACEY: I walk up in my front yard to go do something, 783 00:40:36,467 --> 00:40:39,367 and there he drives by -- we make eye contact sometimes. 784 00:40:40,767 --> 00:40:43,367 I was in Home Depot. 785 00:40:43,433 --> 00:40:47,033 I just happened to go around the corner, and there he was, 786 00:40:47,033 --> 00:40:51,033 and I started yelling for security. 787 00:40:51,033 --> 00:40:53,100 I said there was an attempted murderer 788 00:40:53,100 --> 00:40:56,467 in the store, and security was running. 789 00:40:56,533 --> 00:40:57,667 I told him, "You better leave. 790 00:40:57,667 --> 00:40:59,767 You almost killed my sister." 791 00:40:59,767 --> 00:41:03,834 I was screaming at him at the top of my lungs, and he left. 792 00:41:11,467 --> 00:41:13,100 NARRATOR: Taylor rejects her father 793 00:41:13,100 --> 00:41:15,066 for what he did to her mother, 794 00:41:15,066 --> 00:41:17,734 and now Tracey is retired from teaching 795 00:41:17,800 --> 00:41:20,367 and has found new love. 796 00:41:20,367 --> 00:41:23,066 Steve worked for the town of Newburgh. 797 00:41:23,066 --> 00:41:25,867 He was a fireman for over 50 years. 798 00:41:25,867 --> 00:41:28,100 He just loves me so much, and I love him. 799 00:41:28,100 --> 00:41:30,100 Matter of fact, I'm missing him right now. 800 00:41:30,100 --> 00:41:32,100 He's done so much for me. 801 00:41:32,100 --> 00:41:34,233 I hit the jackpot. 802 00:41:34,300 --> 00:41:37,367 She finally has found the perfect man for her, 803 00:41:37,367 --> 00:41:41,166 who wants to take care of her and who truly, 804 00:41:41,166 --> 00:41:43,266 truly loves her. 805 00:41:43,266 --> 00:41:46,266 I feel like I have my older sister back. 806 00:41:46,266 --> 00:41:48,266 TAYLOR: My mom's very funny. 807 00:41:48,266 --> 00:41:51,100 She enjoys goofing off. 808 00:41:51,100 --> 00:41:53,266 Never really acts her age, 809 00:41:53,266 --> 00:41:55,066 always singing and dancing around the house, 810 00:41:55,066 --> 00:41:57,367 even if it can drive me crazy sometimes. 811 00:41:57,367 --> 00:42:01,066 TRACEY: I'm able to do it because Steve's in my life, 812 00:42:01,066 --> 00:42:02,734 and that's giving me the strength. 813 00:42:02,800 --> 00:42:05,867 And I think God knows now that I have the strength to do this.