1 00:00:05,482 --> 00:00:07,724 [phone ringing] 2 00:00:09,413 --> 00:00:10,344 [operator speaking] 3 00:00:10,448 --> 00:00:13,965 [man speaking] 4 00:00:14,068 --> 00:00:17,724 -[operator speaking] -[man speaking] 5 00:00:19,206 --> 00:00:22,172 My mom was always like the nicest person, like, 6 00:00:22,275 --> 00:00:23,689 in the room. 7 00:00:23,793 --> 00:00:25,896 RICHARD: My dad was really charismatic. 8 00:00:26,000 --> 00:00:28,068 He could be very charming. 9 00:00:28,172 --> 00:00:31,482 There was a lot of blood -- a very grotesque 10 00:00:31,586 --> 00:00:33,689 and gruesome scene. 11 00:00:33,793 --> 00:00:36,793 KNAUERHAZE: We weren't dealing with just a house robbery. 12 00:00:36,896 --> 00:00:40,689 There was something obviously a lot more diabolical involved, 13 00:00:40,793 --> 00:00:43,965 and we didn't know if we could put the puzzle together. 14 00:00:47,241 --> 00:00:50,793 He was so careful and so calculated 15 00:00:50,896 --> 00:00:52,758 in everything that he did. 16 00:00:52,862 --> 00:00:54,551 That's tough -- as detectives, 17 00:00:54,655 --> 00:00:55,931 it became almost personal. 18 00:00:56,034 --> 00:00:58,000 [man speaking] 19 00:01:03,482 --> 00:01:05,275 There's no doubt in my mind that 20 00:01:05,379 --> 00:01:07,000 he thought he got away with this murder. 21 00:01:12,724 --> 00:01:15,758 [theme music playing] 22 00:01:24,137 --> 00:01:28,033 [mellow music playing] 23 00:01:28,137 --> 00:01:31,172 [voices overlapping] 24 00:01:32,931 --> 00:01:34,378 NARRATOR: Ariet Girgis 25 00:01:34,482 --> 00:01:36,793 and her husband Magdi are celebrating 26 00:01:36,896 --> 00:01:40,689 an engagement in traditional Egyptian style. 27 00:01:40,793 --> 00:01:44,378 The engagement party was for my Aunt Evianne, 28 00:01:44,482 --> 00:01:47,344 which is my mom's youngest sister, 29 00:01:47,448 --> 00:01:49,482 and I was six years old. 30 00:01:49,586 --> 00:01:53,103 She was getting married to Uncle Paul. 31 00:01:53,206 --> 00:01:56,655 My dad's eating, and then my mom 32 00:01:56,758 --> 00:01:58,689 is, like, in the back corner. 33 00:01:58,793 --> 00:02:00,655 It's taking place at my grandma's house in 34 00:02:00,758 --> 00:02:03,689 Sacramento, California. 35 00:02:03,793 --> 00:02:06,000 RICHARD: A lot of family lived in San Jose 36 00:02:06,103 --> 00:02:08,240 and Fremont and kind of different areas, 37 00:02:08,344 --> 00:02:09,517 so they would all be able to come 38 00:02:09,620 --> 00:02:12,551 together to my grandparents to do different celebrations. 39 00:02:16,413 --> 00:02:21,551 RYAN: My parents met in January of 1981 in Egypt. 40 00:02:22,689 --> 00:02:25,655 RICHARD: They both followed a Coptic Orthodox, which is 41 00:02:25,758 --> 00:02:29,103 kind of like a strict Catholic type of thing. 42 00:02:29,206 --> 00:02:32,241 My dad had like some family member that knew 43 00:02:32,344 --> 00:02:34,482 my mom's family. 44 00:02:34,586 --> 00:02:36,724 So it was actually an arranged marriage. 45 00:02:37,793 --> 00:02:39,551 They literally were together for, like, 46 00:02:39,655 --> 00:02:42,275 about two weeks before they got married, 47 00:02:42,379 --> 00:02:43,862 so it was pretty fast. 48 00:02:45,724 --> 00:02:48,793 They ended up living over in Santa Clara, 49 00:02:50,137 --> 00:02:54,655 and I was born in October 16, 1981. 50 00:02:56,551 --> 00:02:58,275 NARRATOR: Magdi and Ariet work hard to 51 00:02:58,379 --> 00:03:00,689 build a life for themselves in California. 52 00:03:02,758 --> 00:03:04,931 My dad was working at Boeing, 53 00:03:05,034 --> 00:03:09,344 formerly McDonnell Douglas, doing electrical work on planes. 54 00:03:10,517 --> 00:03:13,689 RICHARD: Mom was working for Magnavox 55 00:03:13,793 --> 00:03:16,068 down in Southern California, 56 00:03:16,172 --> 00:03:19,206 and she was doing, like, electric assembly. 57 00:03:19,310 --> 00:03:21,724 Our dad, Magdi, took care of the bills. 58 00:03:22,793 --> 00:03:27,206 He had grew up really poor, and so he was very frugal. 59 00:03:27,310 --> 00:03:30,206 Anything money-related would create a lot of tension. 60 00:03:34,137 --> 00:03:36,620 When I was roughly about two years old, 61 00:03:36,724 --> 00:03:39,724 he got, like, really upset about my mom 62 00:03:39,827 --> 00:03:41,793 throwing some of the rotten apples away. 63 00:03:42,965 --> 00:03:46,000 He said some parts of them were still good. 64 00:03:46,103 --> 00:03:48,758 He actually dragged her over to the trash can 65 00:03:48,862 --> 00:03:49,965 to pull it out. 66 00:03:50,067 --> 00:03:53,206 He was just straight, like, really, really cheap. 67 00:03:55,172 --> 00:03:58,482 He literally hit my mom basically over rotten apples. 68 00:03:59,517 --> 00:04:01,827 He could be really, like, chill and then just -- 69 00:04:01,931 --> 00:04:05,206 [clicks tongue] just snap and stuff, like, quite a bit. 70 00:04:05,310 --> 00:04:08,000 But I don't think she realized it was gonna escalate. 71 00:04:10,137 --> 00:04:14,103 And then later on, I was roughly about 3 to 4, 72 00:04:14,206 --> 00:04:18,481 when they had gotten into an argument and a fight, 73 00:04:18,586 --> 00:04:22,103 and my dad ended up grabbing her arm and, um, 74 00:04:22,206 --> 00:04:25,379 ended up causing like a fracture in her arm. 75 00:04:26,482 --> 00:04:30,620 She wouldn't leave because of cultural boundaries. 76 00:04:30,724 --> 00:04:32,206 My mom was really religious. 77 00:04:32,310 --> 00:04:34,241 So it's like for her, like, it was 78 00:04:34,344 --> 00:04:37,172 really important to stay in a marriage -- eventually, 79 00:04:37,275 --> 00:04:40,896 you know, they kind of, I think, buried the hatchet. 80 00:04:41,000 --> 00:04:42,000 At these events, 81 00:04:42,103 --> 00:04:44,448 he would be like very friendly, charismatic, 82 00:04:44,551 --> 00:04:45,586 very charming. 83 00:04:47,068 --> 00:04:50,517 NARRATOR: Magdi promises to keep his temper in check. 84 00:04:50,620 --> 00:04:53,241 He and Ariet's relationship stabilizes. 85 00:04:54,724 --> 00:04:56,724 And by the time of her sister's engagement 86 00:04:56,827 --> 00:05:01,931 party in 1987, Ariet is expecting her second child. 87 00:05:02,034 --> 00:05:04,620 I remember my mom, she was like about to pop. 88 00:05:04,724 --> 00:05:07,000 He was like, you know, he was genuinely, 89 00:05:07,103 --> 00:05:08,448 you know, like helpful. 90 00:05:08,551 --> 00:05:10,655 When Ryan was born, 91 00:05:10,758 --> 00:05:14,172 it was kind of happy period for a little bit. 92 00:05:15,827 --> 00:05:17,379 Growing up, I do remember, 93 00:05:17,482 --> 00:05:20,758 like, my dad, like, playing soccer with us. 94 00:05:20,862 --> 00:05:22,413 He showed me, like, how to do a lot 95 00:05:22,517 --> 00:05:26,379 of math stuff, like division and multiplication and all that. 96 00:05:28,068 --> 00:05:31,103 Education was like a really high priority. 97 00:05:31,206 --> 00:05:34,448 He also wanted us to be financially savvy. 98 00:05:36,103 --> 00:05:39,068 NARRATOR: But the boys also see a darker side to Magdi. 99 00:05:40,965 --> 00:05:42,517 My dad was a really strict father. 100 00:05:42,620 --> 00:05:45,000 He could be, like, really fiery. 101 00:05:46,827 --> 00:05:51,482 I remember when I was younger, I got in trouble at school, 102 00:05:51,586 --> 00:05:54,448 and then when my dad found out about it, 103 00:05:54,551 --> 00:05:55,758 he just, like, whooped me. 104 00:05:57,241 --> 00:05:59,827 RYAN: I don't know if he was thinking maybe tough love 105 00:05:59,931 --> 00:06:02,034 was like the answer to things, 106 00:06:02,137 --> 00:06:06,586 but it was more so violence and intimidation. 107 00:06:11,206 --> 00:06:15,137 [speaking in foreign language] 108 00:06:16,448 --> 00:06:20,344 The family wedding in 1990 was Aunt Evianne's 109 00:06:20,448 --> 00:06:23,241 wedding, and she was marrying my Uncle Paul. 110 00:06:24,689 --> 00:06:29,034 This is a wedding in the Coptic Orthodox church. 111 00:06:30,068 --> 00:06:32,586 My mother was in the blue dress. 112 00:06:32,689 --> 00:06:34,275 It was a very joyous occasion. 113 00:06:34,379 --> 00:06:36,620 [man singing] 114 00:06:47,379 --> 00:06:51,793 This seems to be Aunt Evianne's wedding reception -- right now, 115 00:06:51,896 --> 00:06:54,000 they are dancing dabke, 116 00:06:54,103 --> 00:06:57,103 which is a Arabic dance. 117 00:06:57,206 --> 00:07:00,379 It's the traditional money dance at a wedding. 118 00:07:00,482 --> 00:07:04,034 The proceeds for the money dance are used to 119 00:07:04,137 --> 00:07:06,448 establish a good foundation for the bride and groom. 120 00:07:09,862 --> 00:07:12,206 So my dad will put, like, money in the pouch. 121 00:07:12,310 --> 00:07:16,275 The image that he would want to put is not necessarily 122 00:07:16,379 --> 00:07:18,103 that he's, like, that cheap. 123 00:07:18,206 --> 00:07:21,586 My dad, when he was at those events, was a lot more charming, 124 00:07:21,689 --> 00:07:23,344 but when he was home, he was 125 00:07:23,448 --> 00:07:27,034 definitely about being as cheap as possible, 126 00:07:27,137 --> 00:07:29,896 almost on everything I could think of. 127 00:07:30,000 --> 00:07:33,241 [voices overlapping] 128 00:07:35,448 --> 00:07:37,448 NARRATOR: A year after Evianne's wedding, 129 00:07:37,551 --> 00:07:39,413 Ariet is busy in the kitchen, 130 00:07:39,517 --> 00:07:42,206 preparing a meal for a family celebration. 131 00:07:44,344 --> 00:07:46,896 This is at my grandma's house in Sacramento. 132 00:07:47,000 --> 00:07:52,172 My earliest memory of my mom was always that she was working. 133 00:07:53,275 --> 00:07:56,137 RICHARD: And she would do a lot of the cooking and cleaning. 134 00:07:56,241 --> 00:07:59,379 She was very traditional in that matter, 135 00:07:59,482 --> 00:08:02,482 uh, like traditional housewife that also works. 136 00:08:04,206 --> 00:08:07,482 RYAN: But my dad was taking my mom's paychecks, 137 00:08:07,586 --> 00:08:09,103 and he put it in the bank account, 138 00:08:09,206 --> 00:08:11,724 which my mom didn't have access to the bank account at all. 139 00:08:13,137 --> 00:08:17,241 He would brainwash my mom and make it seem 140 00:08:17,344 --> 00:08:19,482 like they needed to save up, 141 00:08:19,586 --> 00:08:21,344 like, everything that they have 142 00:08:21,448 --> 00:08:24,103 and live, like, a very frugal life. 143 00:08:24,206 --> 00:08:27,517 And he would siphon her, like, an allowance. 144 00:08:28,689 --> 00:08:31,241 RICHARD: It was really, really tight budget, 145 00:08:31,344 --> 00:08:32,413 like, for her. 146 00:08:34,102 --> 00:08:36,724 She would use that basically to buy us clothes, to buy us 147 00:08:36,827 --> 00:08:39,688 stuff, and she had to buy her own stuff with that, too. 148 00:08:39,793 --> 00:08:41,655 But that was something that she'd be upset about, 149 00:08:41,758 --> 00:08:43,793 you know, that he's taking all her money. 150 00:08:45,862 --> 00:08:48,206 I think she really felt my dad loved 151 00:08:48,310 --> 00:08:51,034 money more than he loved her or the family. 152 00:08:52,137 --> 00:08:54,172 RYAN: Knowing my dad's dark side, 153 00:08:54,275 --> 00:08:57,137 she didn't want to have any conflicts or arguments 154 00:08:57,241 --> 00:08:58,344 with him. 155 00:08:58,448 --> 00:09:01,103 RICHARD: My dad controlled everything 156 00:09:01,206 --> 00:09:04,172 and controlled her, and she was, like, powerless. 157 00:09:18,965 --> 00:09:20,689 This is a family party. 158 00:09:20,793 --> 00:09:22,620 My mom was always so happy coming 159 00:09:22,724 --> 00:09:26,344 up north and getting to see the family. 160 00:09:26,448 --> 00:09:28,241 She looks so happy. 161 00:09:28,344 --> 00:09:31,103 My dad didn't come to Sacramento. 162 00:09:31,206 --> 00:09:33,379 She said, "He's working and stuff." 163 00:09:35,896 --> 00:09:40,517 But actually, my parents had a really big domestic dispute. 164 00:09:42,448 --> 00:09:45,620 RICHARD: I mean, I was probably like eight years old. 165 00:09:45,724 --> 00:09:51,034 Me and Ryan were in the room, and I could hear them fighting. 166 00:09:51,137 --> 00:09:54,172 Next thing you know, it turned into, like, my mom, 167 00:09:54,275 --> 00:09:57,068 like, yelling, "Call 911! Call 911!" 168 00:09:57,172 --> 00:09:59,482 And I was really scared. 169 00:09:59,586 --> 00:10:01,758 I was just frozen in the room. 170 00:10:01,862 --> 00:10:03,655 I didn't know what to do. 171 00:10:03,758 --> 00:10:06,137 I didn't see exactly what happened. 172 00:10:06,241 --> 00:10:09,448 It sounded like my dad was putting his hand on her mouth. 173 00:10:11,689 --> 00:10:14,517 She came over to the room, and she was like, 174 00:10:14,620 --> 00:10:16,172 "Why didn't you call 911?" 175 00:10:16,275 --> 00:10:19,586 And I was like, "I'm sorry." I was, like, 176 00:10:19,689 --> 00:10:22,655 too young and scared myself to do anything. 177 00:10:26,413 --> 00:10:30,551 RYAN: My grandparents' house was an escape from problems at home. 178 00:10:32,517 --> 00:10:36,206 RICHARD: I think a lot of the family knew that my dad was 179 00:10:36,310 --> 00:10:39,448 so repressive, and they didn't like the way 180 00:10:39,551 --> 00:10:40,931 that he treated her. 181 00:10:41,034 --> 00:10:43,689 But it was almost like, well, it's too late now. 182 00:10:43,793 --> 00:10:46,551 She's married. What can you do about it? 183 00:10:46,655 --> 00:10:48,965 It was like taboo to get a divorce. 184 00:10:49,068 --> 00:10:53,068 She wanted him to be more affectionate towards her. 185 00:10:53,172 --> 00:10:57,275 She wanted him to be more caring towards her. 186 00:10:57,379 --> 00:10:58,551 But he just wasn't. 187 00:11:03,241 --> 00:11:05,586 NARRATOR: Seven years later, Ariet continues 188 00:11:05,689 --> 00:11:08,620 to attend family celebrations without Magdi. 189 00:11:09,827 --> 00:11:14,034 So this is my grandfather's 80th birthday party. 190 00:11:16,103 --> 00:11:18,931 I was 16 years old, and my little brother 191 00:11:19,034 --> 00:11:20,413 was about 10 years old. 192 00:11:20,517 --> 00:11:22,758 [applause] 193 00:11:26,310 --> 00:11:28,034 I think my dad got to the point where he didn't 194 00:11:28,137 --> 00:11:30,310 even try to come down to visit anymore. 195 00:11:30,413 --> 00:11:32,241 It was like whatever. 196 00:11:32,344 --> 00:11:35,793 Everybody was just kind of okay with him not coming like ever. 197 00:11:42,827 --> 00:11:46,482 During that time, my dad would be studying a lot. 198 00:11:46,586 --> 00:11:50,344 He ended up getting his degree and being 199 00:11:50,448 --> 00:11:51,965 a respiratory therapist. 200 00:11:52,068 --> 00:11:55,551 He got hired at Torrance Memorial Hospital, and it 201 00:11:55,655 --> 00:11:59,724 definitely stepped up the family with his finances. 202 00:12:01,137 --> 00:12:05,793 My parents were able to save up more money and eventually 203 00:12:05,896 --> 00:12:09,310 move to Westminster, where they were able 204 00:12:09,413 --> 00:12:11,068 to purchase a larger home. 205 00:12:12,379 --> 00:12:17,310 It was a brand-new gated community home in a nice 206 00:12:17,413 --> 00:12:19,896 area in Westminster, which is in Orange County. 207 00:12:20,000 --> 00:12:21,689 We basically -- it felt like we moved 208 00:12:21,793 --> 00:12:23,827 from the hood to like a nice neighborhood. 209 00:12:23,931 --> 00:12:25,862 [laughs] 210 00:12:25,965 --> 00:12:28,034 I believe right when I finished high school. 211 00:12:28,137 --> 00:12:31,241 Ryan was going through like middle school. 212 00:12:31,344 --> 00:12:34,620 So my dad, he started to kind of loosen up a little bit. 213 00:12:34,724 --> 00:12:37,034 He wasn't being as harsh, and it just felt 214 00:12:37,137 --> 00:12:39,965 like things were getting better for the whole family. 215 00:12:47,724 --> 00:12:50,413 NARRATOR: It's Magdi and Ariet's wedding anniversary. 216 00:12:50,517 --> 00:12:52,827 That evening, 22-year-old Richard 217 00:12:52,931 --> 00:12:55,000 picks up a message from his mom. 218 00:12:56,103 --> 00:12:58,827 I had gotten this like voice message, 219 00:12:58,931 --> 00:13:01,551 and she was like, "Richard, call me up." 220 00:13:01,655 --> 00:13:03,137 I called her right back. 221 00:13:05,413 --> 00:13:07,655 RYAN: My dad had like hit my mom with 222 00:13:07,758 --> 00:13:10,965 a closed fist, and it fractured her eye socket. 223 00:13:14,206 --> 00:13:16,655 RICHARD: So I sped home real quick. 224 00:13:16,758 --> 00:13:19,965 So I went upstairs, and my dad was lying down on the bed. 225 00:13:21,310 --> 00:13:23,241 I was like, "What were you thinking? 226 00:13:23,344 --> 00:13:25,206 What happened? Why did you hit her?" 227 00:13:26,379 --> 00:13:28,206 He told me, "Just stay out of it." 228 00:13:31,689 --> 00:13:34,551 My brother, shortly after coming home, 229 00:13:34,655 --> 00:13:37,000 took my mom to the hospital. 230 00:13:39,620 --> 00:13:42,137 RICHARD: As soon as they asked, like, "Hey, what happened?" 231 00:13:42,241 --> 00:13:45,724 She told them that, you know, he punched her in the face. 232 00:13:47,551 --> 00:13:49,137 After everything was done, 233 00:13:49,241 --> 00:13:51,379 we went back to the house, and then she was shocked that 234 00:13:51,482 --> 00:13:52,448 the cops were there. 235 00:13:55,448 --> 00:13:59,103 They ended up putting him in handcuffs and, like, 236 00:13:59,206 --> 00:14:00,620 taking him out, you know. 237 00:14:01,862 --> 00:14:03,413 And my dad looked pretty pissed. 238 00:14:05,068 --> 00:14:06,931 As he was coming down the stairs, 239 00:14:07,034 --> 00:14:08,965 he looked at me, and he was like, "You know what? 240 00:14:09,068 --> 00:14:10,275 This is all because of you." 241 00:14:20,379 --> 00:14:22,931 After my dad posted bail, 242 00:14:23,034 --> 00:14:25,896 he moved into an apartment complex 243 00:14:26,000 --> 00:14:28,000 that he had owned with his brother. 244 00:14:30,137 --> 00:14:31,724 RICHARD: There was a restraining order put on 245 00:14:31,827 --> 00:14:33,689 where he couldn't come back to the house. 246 00:14:35,344 --> 00:14:37,448 My mom was like, "You know what? 247 00:14:37,551 --> 00:14:39,517 No, I can't be with him no more." 248 00:14:42,310 --> 00:14:46,758 My dad was going to lose his respiratory therapist 249 00:14:46,862 --> 00:14:49,241 license if he got convicted for a domestic 250 00:14:49,344 --> 00:14:50,827 violence incident. 251 00:14:50,931 --> 00:14:55,137 So he was being extremely persuasive on trying to get 252 00:14:55,241 --> 00:14:58,620 her to drop everything, saying that he's a changed man. 253 00:15:02,172 --> 00:15:05,448 My mom was really torn on what to do. 254 00:15:05,551 --> 00:15:07,103 He had controlled all the finances in 255 00:15:07,206 --> 00:15:08,275 the relationship. 256 00:15:08,379 --> 00:15:11,000 She didn't have any sense of being 257 00:15:11,103 --> 00:15:14,034 like an independent woman. 258 00:15:14,137 --> 00:15:16,413 She was thinking that she couldn't 259 00:15:16,517 --> 00:15:18,448 do anything on her own without him. 260 00:15:26,517 --> 00:15:31,379 It was about a couple months after my father was arrested. 261 00:15:31,482 --> 00:15:33,896 I was 16 years old. 262 00:15:34,000 --> 00:15:35,965 I remember being home with my mom. 263 00:15:36,068 --> 00:15:37,758 My brother was there, too, 264 00:15:37,862 --> 00:15:40,827 and the lights had just cut out, out of nowhere. 265 00:15:43,344 --> 00:15:45,586 I thought my dad was behind 266 00:15:45,689 --> 00:15:47,586 the lights turning off for sure. 267 00:15:47,689 --> 00:15:50,344 Felt like it was just kind of like a scarce tactic. 268 00:15:50,448 --> 00:15:52,827 "You need me more than you think" type of thing. 269 00:15:54,206 --> 00:15:56,862 RICHARD: And she was really fearful that he was gonna try 270 00:15:56,965 --> 00:16:00,482 doing something to her, that my dad was gonna retaliate. 271 00:16:00,586 --> 00:16:03,275 My biggest concern at that moment was 272 00:16:03,379 --> 00:16:04,793 financial retaliation. 273 00:16:04,896 --> 00:16:06,931 I was really concerned that he was gonna take everything 274 00:16:07,034 --> 00:16:09,448 from her, and she was gonna be like, 275 00:16:09,551 --> 00:16:13,655 have nothing, and she doesn't know where any of the money is. 276 00:16:13,758 --> 00:16:16,482 She didn't know anything about their accounts. 277 00:16:17,620 --> 00:16:20,827 I went up to their bedroom, and I went underneath the bed. 278 00:16:20,931 --> 00:16:22,965 There was a bunch of bank statements that showed 279 00:16:23,068 --> 00:16:25,931 a lot of different, like, accounts 280 00:16:26,034 --> 00:16:27,620 and various banks and different things 281 00:16:27,724 --> 00:16:29,000 that had a lot of money in it. 282 00:16:30,310 --> 00:16:34,000 And he had accounts with like $100,000 plus in them. 283 00:16:36,068 --> 00:16:40,137 RYAN: It caught my mom by surprise to know that my dad was 284 00:16:40,241 --> 00:16:44,896 hiding money that they had all along for their whole marriage. 285 00:16:49,862 --> 00:16:53,068 RICHARD: From February to September, 286 00:16:53,172 --> 00:16:55,793 there was a lot of preliminary court hearings 287 00:16:55,896 --> 00:16:58,586 for the domestic violence case that was going on. 288 00:17:01,034 --> 00:17:03,172 RYAN: When she came on the stand, 289 00:17:03,275 --> 00:17:06,689 she laid out everything that had happened 290 00:17:06,792 --> 00:17:10,827 in her whole marriage as far as like all the domestic abuse, 291 00:17:10,931 --> 00:17:12,689 all the verbal abuse. 292 00:17:15,413 --> 00:17:19,413 She really dug in, not just on that one 293 00:17:19,517 --> 00:17:20,655 domestic violence case, 294 00:17:20,758 --> 00:17:23,482 but she talked a lot about other times that he's abused 295 00:17:23,586 --> 00:17:25,689 her, and even the financial 296 00:17:25,792 --> 00:17:27,931 abuse, and just a lot of different things. 297 00:17:29,413 --> 00:17:33,172 RYAN: My dad's reaction was definitely a surprise. 298 00:17:33,275 --> 00:17:36,862 I don't think he ever saw this coming at all. 299 00:17:39,931 --> 00:17:43,241 But he seemed like very calm and calculated. 300 00:17:43,344 --> 00:17:45,413 Something just strange 301 00:17:45,517 --> 00:17:48,206 kind of formulated in the air around him. 302 00:17:51,896 --> 00:17:54,344 I just didn't have a good feeling about everything. 303 00:18:02,862 --> 00:18:04,413 [phone ringing] 304 00:18:07,137 --> 00:18:08,241 [operator speaking] 305 00:18:09,482 --> 00:18:11,620 [Ryan speaking] 306 00:18:14,413 --> 00:18:15,551 [operator speaking] 307 00:18:15,655 --> 00:18:19,103 [Ryan speaking] 308 00:18:24,137 --> 00:18:25,551 [operator speaking] 309 00:18:25,655 --> 00:18:28,482 [Ryan speaking] 310 00:18:33,620 --> 00:18:36,310 [operator speaking] 311 00:18:36,413 --> 00:18:37,724 [Ryan speaking] 312 00:18:37,827 --> 00:18:40,310 -[operator speaking] -[Ryan speaking] 313 00:18:42,793 --> 00:18:45,241 KNAUERHAZE: On September 29th, 2004, 314 00:18:45,344 --> 00:18:47,172 in the early morning hours, 315 00:18:47,275 --> 00:18:49,620 our 911 center received a call 316 00:18:49,724 --> 00:18:53,172 from a frantic young man that 317 00:18:53,275 --> 00:18:54,241 said that there was some type 318 00:18:54,344 --> 00:18:56,827 of home invasion that occurred at his home. 319 00:18:58,241 --> 00:19:01,482 The call came from a Ryan Girgis. 320 00:19:01,586 --> 00:19:05,586 He had fled the location and run to a neighbor's home 321 00:19:05,689 --> 00:19:08,068 and that his mom potentially 322 00:19:08,172 --> 00:19:09,965 was still inside the home and that she was harmed. 323 00:19:10,068 --> 00:19:11,896 [siren wailing] 324 00:19:13,689 --> 00:19:15,448 That call was dispatched immediately, 325 00:19:15,551 --> 00:19:17,137 and Westminster patrol 326 00:19:17,241 --> 00:19:20,551 officers got on scene in less than five minutes. 327 00:19:20,655 --> 00:19:23,137 [indistinct radio chatter] 328 00:19:23,241 --> 00:19:24,586 WILSON: When the officers reached Ryan, 329 00:19:24,689 --> 00:19:28,896 he still had duct tape and shoe strings around his arms. 330 00:19:30,482 --> 00:19:33,000 He was pretty frantic as to what he had just 331 00:19:33,103 --> 00:19:36,068 been through and not knowing if his mom was okay. 332 00:19:36,172 --> 00:19:38,862 [indistinct radio chatter] 333 00:19:38,965 --> 00:19:41,137 KNAUERHAZE: So the officers on scene got a team 334 00:19:41,241 --> 00:19:44,827 together and slowly made entry into the home. 335 00:19:46,000 --> 00:19:48,620 WILSON: There was blood on the banister rail 336 00:19:48,724 --> 00:19:49,896 leading upstairs. 337 00:19:54,241 --> 00:19:57,103 When they went upstairs, one of the officers 338 00:19:57,206 --> 00:19:59,724 located Ariet 339 00:19:59,827 --> 00:20:01,586 laying in a large pool of blood. 340 00:20:04,310 --> 00:20:10,379 She had multiple stab wounds on her body, and they 341 00:20:10,482 --> 00:20:12,655 were quickly able to determine that this was a homicide. 342 00:20:18,344 --> 00:20:20,931 WILSON: While officers were at the address, 343 00:20:21,034 --> 00:20:24,103 Ryan's older brother, Richard, arrives on scene. 344 00:20:24,206 --> 00:20:26,517 Obviously, the officers wouldn't let him in the house. 345 00:20:26,620 --> 00:20:28,482 And at that point, they did not 346 00:20:28,586 --> 00:20:30,517 tell him about his mom being deceased. 347 00:20:32,551 --> 00:20:36,310 Ryan and Richard were brought back to the police department. 348 00:20:36,413 --> 00:20:40,344 Ryan, since he had the shoelace strings and duct tape still 349 00:20:40,448 --> 00:20:43,172 around him, they tried to preserve that evidence. 350 00:20:43,275 --> 00:20:45,275 And so they put bags over his hands. 351 00:20:48,103 --> 00:20:49,862 Ryan was put into one interview room, 352 00:20:51,172 --> 00:20:53,310 and Richard was put into a different interview room. 353 00:21:11,413 --> 00:21:15,827 RYAN: When the police let me know that my mom was murdered, 354 00:21:15,931 --> 00:21:17,965 I don't know -- I was in, like, disbelief. 355 00:21:18,068 --> 00:21:20,517 I just -- I couldn't believe what was going on. 356 00:21:20,620 --> 00:21:22,517 It was just too much. 357 00:21:22,620 --> 00:21:26,137 Why would someone take our mom from us? 358 00:21:28,068 --> 00:21:30,655 NARRATOR: Detectives interview Richard separately. 359 00:21:35,482 --> 00:21:37,000 -I -- I deserve... -[detective speaking] 360 00:21:43,241 --> 00:21:45,448 [Richard speaking] 361 00:21:55,310 --> 00:21:57,241 RICHARD: It was just, like -- it was a really -- 362 00:21:57,344 --> 00:21:58,620 it was like a horrible day. 363 00:21:58,724 --> 00:22:02,206 It was just a horrible time, like -- like all together. 364 00:22:06,206 --> 00:22:09,034 KNAUERHAZE: In interviewing Ryan very delicately, 365 00:22:09,137 --> 00:22:11,620 we started to 366 00:22:11,724 --> 00:22:15,965 really put the puzzle together as to 367 00:22:16,068 --> 00:22:18,827 what may have occurred there during the robbery. 368 00:22:23,448 --> 00:22:25,931 I hung out with my friends, smoked, 369 00:22:26,034 --> 00:22:30,724 came back, and I remember pretty much turning on 370 00:22:30,827 --> 00:22:32,172 my music and everything, 371 00:22:32,275 --> 00:22:34,793 and then I fell asleep. 372 00:23:14,448 --> 00:23:17,620 RYAN: The guy was already starting to duct tape 373 00:23:17,724 --> 00:23:20,034 my hands and my legs. 374 00:23:21,137 --> 00:23:25,551 He had took off his glove and was taking off 375 00:23:25,655 --> 00:23:28,827 a piece of shoestring from 376 00:23:28,931 --> 00:23:32,413 a shoe to kind of like reinforce the tape 377 00:23:32,517 --> 00:23:34,586 that was already on my hands. 378 00:23:42,827 --> 00:23:44,413 RYAN: They threw me in the closet. 379 00:23:44,517 --> 00:23:46,482 It was a sliding closet door. 380 00:23:46,586 --> 00:23:49,862 It was cracked enough for me to -- to see. 381 00:24:07,586 --> 00:24:10,655 RYAN: Kind of heard, like -- someone, like, exit the room. 382 00:24:10,758 --> 00:24:14,137 I heard a car kind of just like leave. 383 00:24:14,241 --> 00:24:18,206 I called 911 as I got my phone and then exited the house. 384 00:24:19,931 --> 00:24:21,551 KNAUERHAZE: Ryan was able to piece together 385 00:24:21,655 --> 00:24:23,482 a description of the suspects. 386 00:24:23,586 --> 00:24:26,275 They sort of spoke in a -- in a street jargon, 387 00:24:26,379 --> 00:24:28,620 that they sounded kind of like, you know, 388 00:24:28,724 --> 00:24:30,206 gangsters of some type. 389 00:25:06,965 --> 00:25:08,620 KNAUERHAZE: Typically, what we see in home invasion 390 00:25:08,724 --> 00:25:11,793 robberies is suspects will enter, and they're looking for 391 00:25:11,896 --> 00:25:14,620 valuables and leave the scene quickly. 392 00:25:15,758 --> 00:25:19,551 In this case, the house was not ransacked. 393 00:25:19,655 --> 00:25:22,344 It did not appear that there was any obvious 394 00:25:22,448 --> 00:25:24,793 loss at the time. 395 00:25:24,896 --> 00:25:28,275 WILSON: Based on the crime scene itself, Ariet's injuries, 396 00:25:28,379 --> 00:25:30,724 and the way that Ryan was treated, 397 00:25:30,827 --> 00:25:33,655 it appeared to us at that point that Ariet was definitely 398 00:25:33,758 --> 00:25:34,931 the motive of the attack. 399 00:25:36,620 --> 00:25:38,862 Ryan had described the intruders like 400 00:25:38,965 --> 00:25:41,931 they were from the streets, like maybe potentially a gang. 401 00:25:42,034 --> 00:25:45,068 It really didn't fit as to, 402 00:25:45,172 --> 00:25:47,655 you know, why they would want to kill Ariet. 403 00:25:53,241 --> 00:25:56,379 KNAUERHAZE: There was really obvious factors involved here 404 00:25:56,482 --> 00:25:59,620 that we weren't dealing with just a house robbery. 405 00:25:59,724 --> 00:26:02,896 There was something obviously a lot more diabolical involved. 406 00:26:07,827 --> 00:26:10,655 So during the process of Ryan's interview, you know, 407 00:26:10,758 --> 00:26:13,586 we're asking him who would want to do this to your mom, 408 00:26:13,689 --> 00:26:14,896 who would hurt your mom? 409 00:26:23,517 --> 00:26:24,862 WILSON: You know, after talking to the boys, 410 00:26:24,965 --> 00:26:28,862 the investigators want to talk to Magdi to see where was he 411 00:26:28,965 --> 00:26:32,344 during this timeframe, to ask him what he knew about it. 412 00:26:34,586 --> 00:26:37,758 KNAUERHAZE: Magdi was a suspect in a domestic violence case 413 00:26:37,862 --> 00:26:42,724 involving Ariet, and her two sons were starting to 414 00:26:42,827 --> 00:26:45,103 provide information that dad was the only 415 00:26:45,206 --> 00:26:47,137 one that really had it out for her. 416 00:27:13,310 --> 00:27:14,827 KNAUERHAZE: During the course of the investigation, 417 00:27:14,931 --> 00:27:16,551 we knew we had to interview 418 00:27:16,655 --> 00:27:19,620 recently estranged husband, Magdi. 419 00:27:50,379 --> 00:27:51,862 KNAUERHAZE: During the course of the investigation, 420 00:27:51,965 --> 00:27:54,448 we learned that divorce was imminent. 421 00:27:54,551 --> 00:27:58,241 And, in fact, Magdi was a suspect 422 00:27:58,344 --> 00:28:00,448 in a domestic violence case involving Ariet. 423 00:28:02,206 --> 00:28:04,137 [detective speaking] 424 00:28:21,551 --> 00:28:23,793 -[detective speaking] -[Magdi speaking] 425 00:28:32,517 --> 00:28:35,620 He kind of acted like he was sad about it. 426 00:28:35,724 --> 00:28:37,965 But if you really pay attention to that interview, 427 00:28:38,068 --> 00:28:39,724 there was no tears. 428 00:28:39,827 --> 00:28:43,310 He really wasn't that sad about the loss of his wife. 429 00:28:44,482 --> 00:28:45,965 KNAUERHAZE: During the course of the interview, 430 00:28:46,068 --> 00:28:49,655 detectives really start to ramp up the questioning 431 00:28:49,758 --> 00:28:51,724 and ultimately asked him, "Hey, 432 00:28:51,827 --> 00:28:54,931 did you have anything to do with Ariet's death?" 433 00:28:55,034 --> 00:28:56,896 [detective speaking] 434 00:28:58,344 --> 00:28:59,655 -[Magdi speaking] -[detective speaking] 435 00:29:22,137 --> 00:29:24,379 He acted like he was offended 436 00:29:24,482 --> 00:29:28,586 about the question and basically denied it. 437 00:29:30,724 --> 00:29:34,103 KNAUERHAZE: Ryan knew enough about the suspect that we felt 438 00:29:34,206 --> 00:29:37,310 that bringing in a sketch artist to 439 00:29:37,413 --> 00:29:39,000 get as many details as we could 440 00:29:39,103 --> 00:29:40,586 could help the investigation. 441 00:29:42,172 --> 00:29:45,206 RYAN: So I do remember seeing, like, African-American male 442 00:29:45,310 --> 00:29:46,448 with the beanie on, 443 00:29:46,551 --> 00:29:49,965 they brung out like various different faces to come up 444 00:29:50,068 --> 00:29:55,172 with a sketch, and once the sketch was created, 445 00:29:55,275 --> 00:29:58,517 I was pretty confident that -- that was it. 446 00:29:59,931 --> 00:30:01,689 NARRATOR: Westminster Police Department 447 00:30:01,793 --> 00:30:03,827 releases the sketch to the media. 448 00:30:05,724 --> 00:30:09,620 Ryan was able to give a sketch artist 449 00:30:09,724 --> 00:30:13,172 a pretty good description of the person who tied him up 450 00:30:13,275 --> 00:30:15,137 and spoke to him the most, 451 00:30:15,241 --> 00:30:20,206 but they got back nothing by way of anybody saying 452 00:30:20,310 --> 00:30:23,275 that they had seen or heard anything at 453 00:30:23,379 --> 00:30:27,620 all that would develop into a credible criminal case. 454 00:30:27,724 --> 00:30:30,827 So at that point, we had no leads. 455 00:30:30,931 --> 00:30:33,344 We started to really zero in on motive, 456 00:30:33,448 --> 00:30:36,103 and we were really focused on Magdi. 457 00:30:37,931 --> 00:30:41,310 Detectives started piecing together enough information to 458 00:30:41,413 --> 00:30:42,620 get search warrants 459 00:30:42,724 --> 00:30:46,413 for the home and for banking information from Magdi Girgis. 460 00:30:49,275 --> 00:30:50,862 We discovered that he had up to 461 00:30:50,965 --> 00:30:53,551 a half million dollars in assets just in 462 00:30:53,655 --> 00:30:54,965 investment accounts alone. 463 00:30:56,068 --> 00:30:58,344 Among all of that financial evidence, 464 00:30:58,448 --> 00:31:02,241 we find that he has a life insurance policy also on 465 00:31:02,344 --> 00:31:05,620 Ariet, where he stood to be the beneficiary 466 00:31:05,724 --> 00:31:07,965 if anything ever happened to her. 467 00:31:09,655 --> 00:31:15,000 Magdi came across as somebody that was very money-centric. 468 00:31:15,103 --> 00:31:18,758 And when we started to hear about his love of money 469 00:31:18,862 --> 00:31:23,310 and what he stood to lose in this domestic violence case, 470 00:31:23,413 --> 00:31:24,931 it started to all come together. 471 00:31:26,103 --> 00:31:30,000 We noticed months leading up to the homicide, 472 00:31:30,103 --> 00:31:33,517 Magdi had shifted money around and started to move money 473 00:31:33,620 --> 00:31:35,586 around accounts 474 00:31:35,689 --> 00:31:37,931 at a pace that was a little unusual, 475 00:31:40,758 --> 00:31:42,551 almost like he was pre-planning, 476 00:31:42,655 --> 00:31:44,000 what can I do with these assets 477 00:31:44,103 --> 00:31:46,413 to either hide them or protect them? 478 00:31:49,344 --> 00:31:53,482 WILSON: The motive of Magdi wanting to protect his money, 479 00:31:53,586 --> 00:31:55,862 it could be a piece of the puzzle to show that he was 480 00:31:55,965 --> 00:31:57,137 involved in the murder, 481 00:31:57,241 --> 00:32:01,965 but that by itself, no way -- you would need a lot more. 482 00:32:05,000 --> 00:32:07,689 We know that the case is cold at that moment, 483 00:32:07,793 --> 00:32:09,724 and that's tough. 484 00:32:09,827 --> 00:32:12,068 It becomes almost personal at that point. 485 00:32:12,172 --> 00:32:14,172 We want closure for the family. 486 00:32:21,586 --> 00:32:23,931 NARRATOR: Eight years pass with no new leads 487 00:32:24,034 --> 00:32:25,896 for the investigators to follow. 488 00:32:27,482 --> 00:32:29,620 RYAN: We understood that it was a cold case, 489 00:32:29,724 --> 00:32:34,068 but I was convinced that my dad was the mastermind 490 00:32:34,172 --> 00:32:36,724 behind my mom's murder. 491 00:32:38,068 --> 00:32:39,758 He was living in the same home, 492 00:32:39,862 --> 00:32:41,965 sleeping in the same bedroom 493 00:32:42,068 --> 00:32:44,448 that his wife was murdered in. 494 00:32:44,551 --> 00:32:47,482 I felt that very alarming. 495 00:32:47,586 --> 00:32:49,724 RICHARD: He didn't even change the carpet 496 00:32:49,827 --> 00:32:52,655 in the bedroom where she, like, was killed. 497 00:32:52,758 --> 00:32:54,896 He literally just patched it up. 498 00:32:56,551 --> 00:32:57,827 RYAN: As the years went by, 499 00:32:57,931 --> 00:33:02,137 I just became more suspicious and everything that he was 500 00:33:02,241 --> 00:33:03,862 the one that had something to do with it. 501 00:33:11,379 --> 00:33:12,551 RICHARD: So the years are going by, 502 00:33:12,655 --> 00:33:16,137 but it's like nothing's really going on with the case. 503 00:33:16,241 --> 00:33:17,827 And I keep, like, bugging 504 00:33:17,931 --> 00:33:21,655 the detectives, constantly calling and checking. 505 00:33:21,758 --> 00:33:25,413 And then one day, I went down to visit my little brother 506 00:33:25,517 --> 00:33:27,103 in Long Beach, and I was like, 507 00:33:27,206 --> 00:33:30,310 "Let's go to the police station, try talking to them." 508 00:33:31,689 --> 00:33:35,206 RYAN: We were informed that there was someone by the name of 509 00:33:35,310 --> 00:33:37,689 a Detective Wilson working there, 510 00:33:37,793 --> 00:33:40,965 and he said that he would take a look at it 511 00:33:41,068 --> 00:33:44,241 and see what -- see what he could do. 512 00:33:45,310 --> 00:33:47,793 WILSON: I talked to the crime lab about an interview 513 00:33:47,896 --> 00:33:50,827 that I reviewed where Ryan had told 514 00:33:50,931 --> 00:33:52,344 investigators that he remembered 515 00:33:52,448 --> 00:33:54,724 the suspect taking off his gloves, 516 00:33:54,827 --> 00:33:57,034 because he was having a hard time getting the shoelaces 517 00:33:57,137 --> 00:33:58,655 out of his tennis shoe. 518 00:33:58,758 --> 00:34:00,379 You know, in my mind, I'm thinking, well, 519 00:34:00,482 --> 00:34:05,931 that shoelace has potential of having that suspect's DNA. 520 00:34:06,034 --> 00:34:09,413 I was basically hoping that they missed the DNA 521 00:34:09,516 --> 00:34:10,931 the first time they processed it, 522 00:34:11,034 --> 00:34:12,379 and they were able to find it the second time. 523 00:34:13,965 --> 00:34:17,241 RYAN: The shoestring that was used to tie my hands, 524 00:34:17,344 --> 00:34:18,655 it came up with a match, and it 525 00:34:18,757 --> 00:34:21,206 actually came up to someone that was incarcerated. 526 00:34:22,688 --> 00:34:25,379 It was a Pomona Crip member, 527 00:34:25,482 --> 00:34:28,172 a gang member by the name of Anthony Bridget. 528 00:34:29,724 --> 00:34:32,585 This guy was actually locked up for another crime. 529 00:34:34,241 --> 00:34:38,275 The guy had like a big history of violent crimes, 530 00:34:38,379 --> 00:34:42,137 and he was intertwined with this 531 00:34:42,241 --> 00:34:46,379 Pomona Crip gang that actually does murder-for-hire. 532 00:35:03,103 --> 00:35:05,413 WILSON: Myself and the D.A. went 533 00:35:05,517 --> 00:35:08,000 up to prison and interviewed Anthony Bridget. 534 00:35:11,344 --> 00:35:15,551 BALLESTE: We explained to him the circumstances of 535 00:35:15,655 --> 00:35:19,517 the DNA, meaning it was a crime scene and a murder, 536 00:35:19,620 --> 00:35:22,034 and his response was, "Where? 537 00:35:23,551 --> 00:35:25,517 What city?" It was chilling. 538 00:35:25,620 --> 00:35:28,000 It was like he was really asking which one. 539 00:35:29,275 --> 00:35:32,793 WILSON: It was very obvious this wasn't his first rodeo 540 00:35:32,896 --> 00:35:34,896 and that he didn't want to play ball. 541 00:35:35,000 --> 00:35:37,000 He didn't want to talk about the case at all, 542 00:35:37,103 --> 00:35:39,482 and he denied all involvement. 543 00:35:39,586 --> 00:35:41,655 I felt even stronger that Magdi 544 00:35:41,758 --> 00:35:45,068 probably hired Bridget to kill his wife. 545 00:35:45,172 --> 00:35:48,448 So in hopes of getting some incriminating evidence of 546 00:35:48,551 --> 00:35:49,827 Magdi's involvement, 547 00:35:49,931 --> 00:35:52,241 I kind of come up with a plan. 548 00:35:54,620 --> 00:35:56,689 Anthony Bridget was a gang member. 549 00:35:58,344 --> 00:36:02,172 So I reached out to a coworker and asked him if he knew 550 00:36:02,275 --> 00:36:05,275 any officers that could pose undercover 551 00:36:05,379 --> 00:36:07,172 as members of a black gang. 552 00:36:08,896 --> 00:36:10,896 And they said they'd give it a shot. 553 00:36:13,448 --> 00:36:16,896 We determined we're gonna send undercovers in to meet 554 00:36:17,000 --> 00:36:19,206 Magdi in front of Magdi's house in 555 00:36:19,310 --> 00:36:22,103 hopes of maybe getting Magdi to say something that would 556 00:36:22,206 --> 00:36:26,103 incriminate himself in being involved in this case. 557 00:36:26,206 --> 00:36:27,758 So we had a surveillance team set 558 00:36:27,862 --> 00:36:30,137 up around the house with a video camera. 559 00:36:31,862 --> 00:36:33,413 NARRATOR: The undercover officers wear 560 00:36:33,517 --> 00:36:35,172 the colors of Bridget's gang. 561 00:36:38,172 --> 00:36:41,862 One of them introduces himself to Magdi as "D-Money." 562 00:36:45,379 --> 00:36:49,206 They were instructed to basically tell Magdi that 563 00:36:49,310 --> 00:36:50,827 the police were asking about 564 00:36:50,931 --> 00:36:53,586 the case and that they needed some hush money 565 00:36:53,689 --> 00:36:55,068 to get out of town. 566 00:37:21,517 --> 00:37:24,310 It was very clear, he knew what they were talking about 567 00:37:24,413 --> 00:37:26,655 and gave him a piece of paper 568 00:37:26,758 --> 00:37:28,965 with their name and a phone number and told him to call 569 00:37:29,068 --> 00:37:31,206 them tomorrow at 10 a.m. 570 00:37:34,482 --> 00:37:37,482 The following day, Magdi is in Long Beach, 571 00:37:37,586 --> 00:37:39,827 and he stops at a pay phone, 572 00:37:39,931 --> 00:37:42,827 he gets out of his car, and he calls the number. 573 00:37:42,931 --> 00:37:45,551 [undercover officer speaking] 574 00:37:45,655 --> 00:37:47,379 [Magdi speaking] 575 00:37:49,172 --> 00:37:51,620 [undercover officer speaking] 576 00:37:55,724 --> 00:37:57,344 [Magdi speaking] 577 00:37:59,482 --> 00:38:01,379 WILSON: Magdi told the undercover officer 578 00:38:01,482 --> 00:38:03,827 that he had already paid. 579 00:38:03,931 --> 00:38:05,965 To me, that's basically him confessing 580 00:38:06,068 --> 00:38:07,655 to hiring someone to kill his wife. 581 00:38:08,724 --> 00:38:11,000 [undercover officer speaking] 582 00:38:18,517 --> 00:38:21,517 Typical to Magdi, he actually negotiated 583 00:38:21,620 --> 00:38:24,724 the $5,000 with the undercover officer. 584 00:38:24,827 --> 00:38:28,689 [Magdi speaking] 585 00:38:28,793 --> 00:38:32,379 [undercover officer speaking] 586 00:38:32,482 --> 00:38:34,896 [Magdi speaking] 587 00:38:37,448 --> 00:38:38,965 [undercover officer speaking] 588 00:38:39,068 --> 00:38:40,000 [Magdi speaking] 589 00:38:40,103 --> 00:38:41,689 [undercover officer speaking] 590 00:38:42,827 --> 00:38:44,896 WILSON: They made arrangements to meet at Home Depot 591 00:38:45,000 --> 00:38:46,931 the following day in Long Beach. 592 00:38:47,034 --> 00:38:49,241 I provided that information to our D.A., 593 00:38:49,344 --> 00:38:51,310 and we were both in agreement. 594 00:38:51,413 --> 00:38:53,310 We were gonna let this operation play out. 595 00:38:58,000 --> 00:39:00,000 -[radio chirps] -[officer speaking] 596 00:39:04,482 --> 00:39:07,172 WILSON: I was watching it live from across the street, 597 00:39:07,275 --> 00:39:09,034 because I was kind of coordinating on 598 00:39:09,137 --> 00:39:10,586 how everything was gonna go down. 599 00:39:11,586 --> 00:39:13,310 [undercover officer speaking] 600 00:39:13,413 --> 00:39:14,310 [Magdi speaking] 601 00:39:14,413 --> 00:39:16,896 [undercover officer speaking] 602 00:39:17,000 --> 00:39:18,241 [Magdi speaking] 603 00:39:18,344 --> 00:39:20,862 [undercover officer speaking] 604 00:39:20,965 --> 00:39:25,206 [Magdi speaking] 605 00:39:25,310 --> 00:39:26,551 [undercover officer speaking] 606 00:39:30,344 --> 00:39:32,275 [officer speaking] 607 00:39:43,448 --> 00:39:45,724 NARRATOR: Magdi is arrested and charged with 608 00:39:45,827 --> 00:39:49,241 the first-degree murder of his wife, Ariet. 609 00:40:02,793 --> 00:40:05,689 BALLESTE: It was very important that the jury understood 610 00:40:05,793 --> 00:40:10,827 this unnatural obsession with money that Magdi had. 611 00:40:10,931 --> 00:40:14,103 So my strategy was very much 612 00:40:14,206 --> 00:40:17,344 based on exposing those character traits. 613 00:40:18,689 --> 00:40:21,758 During the trial, we put on witnesses 614 00:40:21,862 --> 00:40:24,206 and evidence to show that 615 00:40:24,310 --> 00:40:27,586 Magdi didn't want to give Ariet half of his money. 616 00:40:27,689 --> 00:40:29,068 If they would have got a divorce, 617 00:40:29,172 --> 00:40:30,275 he would have had to do, 618 00:40:30,379 --> 00:40:33,206 so that was his motive for having Ariet killed. 619 00:40:35,379 --> 00:40:40,275 KNAUERHAZE: Magdi orchestrated the murder of Ariet. 620 00:40:40,379 --> 00:40:45,034 He hired one or more people to be involved in her murder. 621 00:40:46,379 --> 00:40:50,206 They tied up and brutalized his son and tried 622 00:40:50,310 --> 00:40:52,448 to make it look like some type of home invasion. 623 00:40:53,586 --> 00:40:56,862 I think Magdi thought he was smarter than everybody else. 624 00:40:58,172 --> 00:41:00,000 There's no doubt in my mind that 625 00:41:00,103 --> 00:41:01,931 Magdi thought he got away with this murder. 626 00:41:38,793 --> 00:41:42,379 My mom was always the nicest person in the room. 627 00:41:44,620 --> 00:41:46,655 Her standing up for what's right, 628 00:41:46,758 --> 00:41:48,724 standing up for our family, 629 00:41:48,827 --> 00:41:52,413 standing up for her values, standing up for women 630 00:41:52,517 --> 00:41:53,586 in general, 631 00:41:53,689 --> 00:41:56,379 I think that's what keeps me and Richard going. 632 00:41:59,034 --> 00:42:01,034 You know, I wish that she was here right now 633 00:42:01,137 --> 00:42:03,793 just to see how close me and my little brother were. 634 00:42:05,241 --> 00:42:08,482 I feel like spiritually she's there with us. 635 00:42:08,586 --> 00:42:10,206 You know, she's a saint in my eyes. 636 00:42:12,448 --> 00:42:13,965 I'm thankful that she was my mom.