1 00:00:08,000 --> 00:00:11,137 [Randy] Matt was great to be around. 2 00:00:11,206 --> 00:00:12,931 Couldn't ask for a better friend. 3 00:00:16,103 --> 00:00:19,275 [Tammy] When I first met Rida, I thought she was 4 00:00:19,275 --> 00:00:21,620 sweet and caring. 5 00:00:22,827 --> 00:00:25,689 When Matt loves someone, 6 00:00:25,689 --> 00:00:29,103 he loved them with his whole heart and soul. 7 00:00:30,482 --> 00:00:33,965 [Melissa] Rida drove a wedge between Matt and everybody. 8 00:00:35,172 --> 00:00:37,862 He was a puppet under her control. 9 00:00:37,931 --> 00:00:42,241 [Tammy] You would never think that she would be that violent. 10 00:00:42,310 --> 00:00:44,310 [officer] We're gonna sit right here. 11 00:00:46,586 --> 00:00:48,551 Rida's story kept changing. 12 00:00:50,793 --> 00:00:52,931 -[gunshot blasts] -[Melissa] It'd take a really evil person 13 00:00:54,068 --> 00:00:55,620 to do something like that. 14 00:00:56,724 --> 00:01:00,241 [heavy theme music playing] 15 00:01:08,482 --> 00:01:10,241 [theme music ends] 16 00:01:15,000 --> 00:01:16,172 [indistinct crowd noise, music] 17 00:01:16,172 --> 00:01:17,758 [man] I will, I'll get the photo. 18 00:01:21,793 --> 00:01:25,241 [whooping noises] 19 00:01:25,310 --> 00:01:27,586 [Tammy] Matt had a great sense of humor, 20 00:01:27,586 --> 00:01:31,103 loved to make people laugh, always the jokester. 21 00:01:36,000 --> 00:01:38,000 But more than that, he was a good soul. 22 00:01:39,586 --> 00:01:42,172 [narrator] Young couple Matt and Rida Hendershot 23 00:01:42,172 --> 00:01:44,033 are crazy about each other, 24 00:01:44,103 --> 00:01:46,378 and they love nothing more than spending time at 25 00:01:46,378 --> 00:01:48,723 their favorite place, the beach. 26 00:01:51,931 --> 00:01:55,275 When I first met Rida, I thought she was sweet, 27 00:01:55,275 --> 00:01:59,241 very pretty, and they seemed to have a lot of fun together. 28 00:02:03,724 --> 00:02:05,862 Well, I was actually happy for them. 29 00:02:10,689 --> 00:02:15,758 Matt was born in Martinsburg, July 28th, 1987. 30 00:02:15,827 --> 00:02:18,482 He was my first child. 31 00:02:18,482 --> 00:02:20,724 I fell in love with him immediately. 32 00:02:23,517 --> 00:02:27,034 It was like love at first sight. 33 00:02:27,103 --> 00:02:29,379 [narrator] Matt's parents divorce when he is three years old, 34 00:02:29,379 --> 00:02:32,448 and a few years later, Tammy remarries. 35 00:02:32,517 --> 00:02:36,379 Matt was ten when I met his stepfather, John. 36 00:02:36,379 --> 00:02:38,930 They seemed to get along pretty well. 37 00:02:41,310 --> 00:02:45,482 He was 15 when we had his twin sisters, 38 00:02:45,482 --> 00:02:49,034 and he became a great big brother. 39 00:02:49,103 --> 00:02:52,172 [narrator] It's Christmas 2005, 40 00:02:52,172 --> 00:02:55,724 and Matt and his family exchange gifts. 41 00:03:03,000 --> 00:03:06,965 [Tammy] I've always been big on capturing memories. 42 00:03:07,000 --> 00:03:09,965 Family's always been very important to me. 43 00:03:16,000 --> 00:03:20,344 Matt was 18, and he had just graduated from high school. 44 00:03:20,413 --> 00:03:24,172 He was getting ready to go to community college. 45 00:03:24,172 --> 00:03:26,413 He was very excited about that. 46 00:03:30,103 --> 00:03:32,034 [Tammy] Matt was always a good kid. 47 00:03:32,103 --> 00:03:35,206 Just always very easygoing and likable. 48 00:03:43,482 --> 00:03:45,793 [Tammy] Matt and his great-grandmother, Matilda, 49 00:03:45,793 --> 00:03:48,344 they always had a very close relationship. 50 00:03:49,413 --> 00:03:51,689 It was definitely no secret that Matt was 51 00:03:51,689 --> 00:03:53,310 Grandma Til's favorite. 52 00:03:55,413 --> 00:03:57,379 If she could, she would have roped the moon 53 00:03:57,379 --> 00:03:59,793 and handed it to that child. 54 00:03:59,793 --> 00:04:02,655 She definitely loved Matt, and Matt was the same 55 00:04:02,724 --> 00:04:03,827 towards her. 56 00:04:05,310 --> 00:04:08,379 He was about 17, 18 years old 57 00:04:08,379 --> 00:04:11,724 when Matilda's husband passed away. 58 00:04:13,896 --> 00:04:16,896 I think Matt didn't want Grandma to live in the house by 59 00:04:16,896 --> 00:04:19,862 herself, and he moved in with her. 60 00:04:21,620 --> 00:04:24,241 Matt was definitely happy to be there with her. 61 00:04:25,827 --> 00:04:28,034 [Tammy] Matt graduated high school. 62 00:04:28,103 --> 00:04:31,344 He went to Blue Ridge Community College. 63 00:04:31,413 --> 00:04:34,172 He was studying business and then he went on to Shepherd 64 00:04:34,172 --> 00:04:35,827 to get his bachelor's. 65 00:04:38,103 --> 00:04:41,344 I met Matt in 2012. 66 00:04:41,413 --> 00:04:44,000 We just became really good friends. 67 00:04:51,275 --> 00:04:54,827 That was like our extremely hot sauce that 68 00:04:55,793 --> 00:04:58,862 Matt had ordered and dared me to try. 69 00:05:00,310 --> 00:05:02,862 [laughing] 70 00:05:07,413 --> 00:05:11,034 About a month after I met Matt, we were at the bar, 71 00:05:11,103 --> 00:05:13,310 and Rida walked in. 72 00:05:14,931 --> 00:05:17,000 They made eye contact at some point. 73 00:05:17,000 --> 00:05:20,413 She came over and was talking to him, 74 00:05:22,000 --> 00:05:26,482 and Matt was immediately interested in her. 75 00:05:26,482 --> 00:05:31,137 [narrator] Rida Syed was born in West Virginia to Pakistani parents. 76 00:05:32,793 --> 00:05:39,034 Matt was 25 and Rida was 21 when they first met. 77 00:05:40,310 --> 00:05:43,965 Very quickly, they spent a lot of time together. 78 00:05:44,000 --> 00:05:48,379 And I was very happy for him, that he found someone that 79 00:05:48,379 --> 00:05:50,379 he seemed to really love, 80 00:05:50,379 --> 00:05:53,000 and she seemed to really love him. 81 00:05:57,379 --> 00:05:59,862 Matt always loved the beach. 82 00:05:59,931 --> 00:06:01,482 That was like his favorite place. 83 00:06:01,482 --> 00:06:05,241 That's where he felt the most calm and peace. 84 00:06:09,000 --> 00:06:11,965 This is on the Ocean City Boardwalk. 85 00:06:20,000 --> 00:06:21,758 [Tammy] Matt had a great sense of humor. 86 00:06:21,827 --> 00:06:25,310 He was very funny. He loved to make people laugh. 87 00:06:28,896 --> 00:06:30,965 You can see he was acting pretty silly, 88 00:06:31,000 --> 00:06:32,931 having a good time, having fun. 89 00:06:38,172 --> 00:06:39,896 [narrator] Not long after they meet, 90 00:06:39,896 --> 00:06:43,517 Matt decides to take the next step in their relationship. 91 00:06:45,310 --> 00:06:49,413 Rida moved into my grandmother, Matilda's, house quickly. 92 00:06:51,000 --> 00:06:53,724 They seemed happy, so I was happy for them. 93 00:06:55,379 --> 00:06:58,344 [narrator] But Matt's father, Brian, has some concerns. 94 00:06:59,172 --> 00:07:02,344 I asked him, "Do you think that was the right step, 95 00:07:02,413 --> 00:07:03,482 moving her on in?" 96 00:07:03,482 --> 00:07:05,827 And he said, "I'm really in love with her, Dad." 97 00:07:08,896 --> 00:07:11,896 I said, "If you feel that it's the right thing to do, 98 00:07:11,896 --> 00:07:13,758 I have no complaints." 99 00:07:18,827 --> 00:07:20,586 [narrator] And just a few months later, 100 00:07:20,586 --> 00:07:22,482 the couple make things official. 101 00:07:22,482 --> 00:07:25,000 Matt and Rida eloped. 102 00:07:25,000 --> 00:07:28,379 They went to the courthouse. 103 00:07:28,379 --> 00:07:30,172 Matt called me. 104 00:07:30,172 --> 00:07:32,896 He said, "We need to tell you something. 105 00:07:32,896 --> 00:07:36,344 We actually got married." He seemed very happy about it. 106 00:07:36,413 --> 00:07:38,965 It was very much a surprise. 107 00:07:40,896 --> 00:07:44,793 It was out of character for Matt to get married 108 00:07:44,793 --> 00:07:47,586 without telling anybody. 109 00:07:47,586 --> 00:07:50,793 I absolutely believe that the decision for them 110 00:07:50,793 --> 00:07:54,827 to get married that abruptly was definitely Rida's. 111 00:08:03,793 --> 00:08:06,103 [Tammy] I felt it was a little quick. 112 00:08:06,103 --> 00:08:09,793 We really didn't know a whole lot about her, but he would 113 00:08:09,793 --> 00:08:14,241 always say, "Mom, I'm a grown man, and I know what I'm doing." 114 00:08:17,793 --> 00:08:22,000 [narrator] But it's not long before Matt's family start to have concerns 115 00:08:22,000 --> 00:08:23,482 about his new wife. 116 00:08:25,896 --> 00:08:31,482 Rida would act like she cared so much for grandma and how 117 00:08:31,482 --> 00:08:34,034 she loved being there to help take care of her. 118 00:08:35,379 --> 00:08:39,931 On her Facebook, she had put some posts on there. 119 00:08:41,206 --> 00:08:44,965 The first one said, "I didn't sign up for this. 120 00:08:46,000 --> 00:08:48,827 I didn't get married to take care of an old bitch." 121 00:08:53,793 --> 00:08:59,172 It takes a really horrible person to speak so poorly of 122 00:08:59,172 --> 00:09:03,551 someone who is letting you live in their home for free. 123 00:09:05,000 --> 00:09:06,310 It's just horrible. 124 00:09:07,724 --> 00:09:09,344 We started noticing 125 00:09:10,275 --> 00:09:14,034 that her and my grandmother, Matilda, were fighting a lot. 126 00:09:16,000 --> 00:09:19,275 My grandmother said that she felt like she would be 127 00:09:19,275 --> 00:09:21,000 happier if she could just move 128 00:09:21,000 --> 00:09:23,310 into an assisted living facility. 129 00:09:25,482 --> 00:09:28,241 I believe Rida knew exactly what she was doing. 130 00:09:29,827 --> 00:09:34,379 She had full intention of trying to take control of 131 00:09:34,379 --> 00:09:35,655 Grandma Til's house. 132 00:09:39,482 --> 00:09:41,482 We had to walk a fine line 133 00:09:41,482 --> 00:09:46,137 because Rida was shutting people out of Matt's life. 134 00:09:49,793 --> 00:09:51,896 [Randy] Not long after they got married, 135 00:09:51,896 --> 00:09:55,793 I was unable to reach Matt to hang out. 136 00:09:55,793 --> 00:09:57,034 [phone ringing] 137 00:09:57,034 --> 00:10:01,103 It definitely crushed me, since I was his best friend. 138 00:10:03,793 --> 00:10:07,758 [Melissa] Rida basically drove a wedge between Matt and everybody. 139 00:10:07,827 --> 00:10:10,241 His friends, his family, 140 00:10:11,103 --> 00:10:12,310 everyone. 141 00:10:12,310 --> 00:10:16,241 It seemed like he was becoming more and more isolated. 142 00:10:31,896 --> 00:10:33,482 [Tammy] Rida would make posts 143 00:10:33,482 --> 00:10:35,344 [cell phone buttons clicking] 144 00:10:37,896 --> 00:10:42,000 stating that it was her and Matt against the world, 145 00:10:42,000 --> 00:10:44,000 that there was a lot of haters 146 00:10:44,000 --> 00:10:47,379 not wanting to see them together. 147 00:10:47,379 --> 00:10:52,000 She wanted him to believe that it was him and her 148 00:10:52,000 --> 00:10:54,172 against everyone else. 149 00:10:54,172 --> 00:10:58,482 She had a very subtle way of making Matt think his family 150 00:10:58,482 --> 00:11:01,896 was doing something wrong -- brainwashed him, I guess. 151 00:11:03,379 --> 00:11:05,275 Every time I tried to have a conversation with him, 152 00:11:05,275 --> 00:11:08,068 he'd say, "Dad, I appreciate any advice that you give me, 153 00:11:08,068 --> 00:11:11,137 but, you know, I gotta live my life." 154 00:11:11,206 --> 00:11:13,379 [narrator] Despite his family's concerns, 155 00:11:13,379 --> 00:11:16,724 Matt is aspiring model Rida's biggest fan. 156 00:11:29,413 --> 00:11:34,000 He was so loyal and so honest and genuine that you would 157 00:11:34,000 --> 00:11:36,551 never have to worry about him straying. 158 00:11:36,620 --> 00:11:38,758 He just wasn't that kind of person. 159 00:11:41,000 --> 00:11:44,586 When he loved someone, he loved them 160 00:11:44,586 --> 00:11:46,724 with his whole heart and soul. 161 00:11:48,896 --> 00:11:51,793 These definitely seem like happier times 162 00:11:51,793 --> 00:11:53,551 between Matt and Rida. 163 00:11:59,000 --> 00:12:01,620 But things changed dramatically. 164 00:12:04,000 --> 00:12:08,103 [narrator] In 2017, the family suffer a tragedy. 165 00:12:09,413 --> 00:12:12,655 [Tammy] My Grandmother Matilda passed away. 166 00:12:13,793 --> 00:12:16,137 It was extremely hard on Matt. 167 00:12:17,689 --> 00:12:21,482 [narrator] In her final hours, Matt spends some precious time 168 00:12:21,482 --> 00:12:23,000 with Matilda. 169 00:12:23,379 --> 00:12:27,862 He told her how much he loved her and how much he appreciated 170 00:12:27,862 --> 00:12:32,413 everything that she had done throughout his life. 171 00:12:33,620 --> 00:12:37,137 When Grandma Til passed away, she left 172 00:12:37,206 --> 00:12:42,586 Matt, the house, the vehicles, everything. 173 00:12:42,586 --> 00:12:45,896 It did seem like Rida had gotten what she wanted. 174 00:12:45,896 --> 00:12:49,758 Certainly did seem like her main goal was to 175 00:12:49,758 --> 00:12:51,655 obtain possessions. 176 00:12:51,724 --> 00:12:54,758 [narrator] In the wake of Matilda's death, 177 00:12:54,758 --> 00:12:58,379 Matt starts to see a different side to Rida. 178 00:12:58,379 --> 00:13:02,655 They did start to fight a lot, and he started seeing 179 00:13:02,724 --> 00:13:04,793 all her true colors. 180 00:13:04,793 --> 00:13:10,103 Her manipulation, her playing the victim, lying a lot. 181 00:13:11,862 --> 00:13:13,689 Things were 182 00:13:13,689 --> 00:13:17,137 changing, not for the best. 183 00:13:18,793 --> 00:13:22,931 And he knew he had to end it. 184 00:13:26,068 --> 00:13:28,793 He told me that he filed for divorce. 185 00:13:28,793 --> 00:13:31,000 I felt very bad for him. 186 00:13:31,000 --> 00:13:34,827 I just knew how heartbroken he was. 187 00:13:35,620 --> 00:13:38,172 [narrator] in June 2018, after more than 188 00:13:38,172 --> 00:13:42,275 five years together, Matt and Rida's divorce is finalized. 189 00:13:42,275 --> 00:13:45,655 [Tammy] I was glad he was moving 190 00:13:45,724 --> 00:13:50,137 forward with his life and putting the past behind him. 191 00:13:51,482 --> 00:13:53,827 [Melissa] It was very good to see the old Matt back. 192 00:13:53,896 --> 00:13:55,206 He seemed happy again. 193 00:13:56,793 --> 00:13:58,689 [narrator] In the summer of 2018, 194 00:13:58,689 --> 00:14:01,206 Matt reconnects with an old friend. 195 00:14:18,275 --> 00:14:23,137 I was extremely happy to have him back in my life. 196 00:14:24,000 --> 00:14:28,000 Matt started to tell me that it didn't work out between him 197 00:14:28,000 --> 00:14:33,896 and Rida, that his friend and Rida were engaged. 198 00:14:33,896 --> 00:14:37,931 It definitely was a shock to me that she had gotten into 199 00:14:38,000 --> 00:14:43,137 a relationship that fast, especially with his friend. 200 00:14:46,517 --> 00:14:48,448 [narrator] In the wake of the divorce, 201 00:14:48,517 --> 00:14:50,758 Rida finds a new obsession. 202 00:14:50,827 --> 00:14:52,724 [gunshot blasts] 203 00:14:57,310 --> 00:14:59,206 [gunshot blasts] 204 00:15:00,068 --> 00:15:01,413 [gunshot blasts] 205 00:15:02,620 --> 00:15:06,034 I had never seen her be interested in guns 206 00:15:06,103 --> 00:15:10,551 until Rida got with her fiancé. 207 00:15:10,620 --> 00:15:12,241 [gunshot blasts] 208 00:15:12,310 --> 00:15:16,344 That's when I started seeing more posts about guns on 209 00:15:16,413 --> 00:15:17,827 her social media. 210 00:15:19,379 --> 00:15:20,758 [gunshot blasts] 211 00:15:20,758 --> 00:15:22,448 She looks very, very comfortable. 212 00:15:23,931 --> 00:15:26,724 [two gunshots blast] 213 00:15:27,379 --> 00:15:28,586 [gun clicks] 214 00:15:28,586 --> 00:15:31,448 Seemed like a very unhealthy obsession to me. 215 00:15:32,862 --> 00:15:35,000 On Rida's social media platforms, 216 00:15:35,000 --> 00:15:40,724 she consistently portrayed to be someone she wasn't. 217 00:15:42,517 --> 00:15:46,172 She would post things on there, like, "Be true to yourself, 218 00:15:46,172 --> 00:15:49,206 always be a good person, be a better person." 219 00:15:52,206 --> 00:15:55,137 She was nothing like that at all. 220 00:15:56,482 --> 00:15:58,793 [narrator] In December 2019, 221 00:15:58,793 --> 00:16:01,758 Rida makes a new post on social media. 222 00:16:02,586 --> 00:16:05,000 [Melissa] She's on a motorcycle, 223 00:16:05,793 --> 00:16:09,931 and it had a caption, "I'm a ride-or-die kind of girl." 224 00:16:11,689 --> 00:16:15,206 Definitely seems chilling to put the two of those together. 225 00:16:17,896 --> 00:16:20,275 [narrator] On March 30th, 2020, 226 00:16:20,275 --> 00:16:23,413 Rida and her fiancé attend a party. 227 00:16:26,000 --> 00:16:27,793 [Brian] When I dug a little deeper, 228 00:16:27,793 --> 00:16:32,379 I found that they was arguing at a party and been arguing 229 00:16:32,379 --> 00:16:33,931 and fighting all day long. 230 00:16:36,379 --> 00:16:39,551 And he had left on the motorcycle and she took off 231 00:16:39,620 --> 00:16:41,862 and got in the car and went right behind him in the car 232 00:16:41,862 --> 00:16:43,413 and followed him out of there. 233 00:16:47,413 --> 00:16:52,241 [Melissa] He was close to home and hit a pothole, 234 00:16:54,000 --> 00:16:57,000 which caused his bike to slide, 235 00:16:58,103 --> 00:17:00,103 landing him on a fence. 236 00:17:01,793 --> 00:17:04,619 And he had lost his life. 237 00:17:06,689 --> 00:17:08,482 [narrator] Frederick County Sheriff's Office 238 00:17:08,482 --> 00:17:09,758 determines that Rida's 239 00:17:09,827 --> 00:17:12,448 fiancé's death was a tragic accident. 240 00:17:19,378 --> 00:17:24,896 Shortly after Rida's fiancé passed, she contacted Matt 241 00:17:24,896 --> 00:17:28,034 and asked him if she could move back in with him. 242 00:17:31,586 --> 00:17:35,103 In his eyes, she was suffering. She had just lost her fiancé. 243 00:17:36,862 --> 00:17:39,068 [Tammy] I did not think it was a good idea for her 244 00:17:39,068 --> 00:17:40,482 to come back there. 245 00:17:40,482 --> 00:17:43,655 And he said, "I'm only helping her, and it's only 246 00:17:43,724 --> 00:17:44,931 a temporary thing." 247 00:17:46,689 --> 00:17:48,517 [Melissa] And I was like, oh, no. 248 00:17:49,275 --> 00:17:51,517 Don't tell me he took her back. 249 00:17:53,275 --> 00:17:56,310 It was almost like he was a puppet under her control. 250 00:17:58,172 --> 00:18:01,034 [Tammy] I felt like Rida was getting what she wanted. 251 00:18:01,103 --> 00:18:03,827 I believe it was all a plan. 252 00:18:18,103 --> 00:18:23,379 Matt let her move back in for a couple months to save up 253 00:18:23,379 --> 00:18:25,620 enough money to get her own apartment. 254 00:18:30,000 --> 00:18:35,000 I personally still think he somewhat cared for her. 255 00:18:35,068 --> 00:18:38,172 It's hard to turn love on and off. 256 00:18:39,448 --> 00:18:41,517 [Melissa] I just remember thinking to myself, 257 00:18:41,586 --> 00:18:43,448 maybe this has changed her. 258 00:18:43,448 --> 00:18:47,034 Maybe going through this changed her to a better person, 259 00:18:47,034 --> 00:18:49,827 a more caring person. 260 00:18:53,448 --> 00:18:56,724 But obviously, that was wrong. 261 00:19:06,379 --> 00:19:09,068 When Rida showed up at Matt's house, 262 00:19:09,068 --> 00:19:12,551 she had brought with her -[gunshot blasts] 263 00:19:12,551 --> 00:19:18,068 guns that had belonged to her fiancé. 264 00:19:19,862 --> 00:19:23,103 Matt did not like loaded guns in the house. 265 00:19:23,103 --> 00:19:25,758 [Brian] He never went out and shot guns. 266 00:19:25,758 --> 00:19:28,172 Wasn't nothing that he would do for a pastime. 267 00:19:32,344 --> 00:19:34,103 [narrator] Shortly after Rida moves in, 268 00:19:34,103 --> 00:19:37,517 Matt's father, Brian, visits his son for the weekend. 269 00:19:37,586 --> 00:19:41,758 Matthew actually cooked dinner for all of us. 270 00:19:41,758 --> 00:19:43,482 He loved to grill out, 271 00:19:44,275 --> 00:19:49,931 but I could tell there was some tension between him and her. 272 00:19:50,000 --> 00:19:51,827 I could tell something was wrong. 273 00:19:55,172 --> 00:19:59,000 And I seen the bedroom door with a bunch of holes in it. 274 00:19:59,000 --> 00:20:03,344 And I asked Matthew what the holes was from, and he said 275 00:20:03,344 --> 00:20:06,310 she got on a drunken spree and was stabbing the door 276 00:20:06,379 --> 00:20:07,827 with a knife. 277 00:20:08,793 --> 00:20:11,413 That kind of told me what kind of person she really was. 278 00:20:15,137 --> 00:20:21,931 That last evening, Rida brought out a military-grade sniper rifle. 279 00:20:22,000 --> 00:20:23,827 She looked me dead in the eyes and told me, 280 00:20:23,896 --> 00:20:25,068 [two gunshots blast] 281 00:20:25,068 --> 00:20:28,000 "I could shoot somebody and kill them from a mile away 282 00:20:28,000 --> 00:20:30,172 with this gun." -[gunshot blasts] 283 00:20:31,275 --> 00:20:36,000 That's when I actually started feeling concerned. 284 00:20:36,000 --> 00:20:37,586 [narrator] Matt's best friend, Randy, 285 00:20:37,586 --> 00:20:40,482 also witnesses Rida's erratic behavior. 286 00:20:41,551 --> 00:20:44,000 [Randy] When I went back to visit Matt, 287 00:20:44,068 --> 00:20:47,724 Rida was drinking excessively, 288 00:20:48,586 --> 00:20:50,103 getting in arguments. 289 00:20:50,103 --> 00:20:53,482 It seemed like she was doing everything that she could to 290 00:20:53,482 --> 00:20:56,379 try to get on his nerves and frustrate him. 291 00:20:56,379 --> 00:20:58,517 [narrator] Terrified of another outburst, 292 00:20:58,586 --> 00:21:02,000 Matt communicates with Rida via text message. 293 00:21:17,275 --> 00:21:20,482 [Randy] Approximately a month after she had moved in, 294 00:21:22,103 --> 00:21:26,793 Matt and I had made plans to play beer pong for the evening. 295 00:21:31,655 --> 00:21:33,689 Her and Matt had gotten into an argument, 296 00:21:33,689 --> 00:21:36,482 and I turned around, 297 00:21:39,000 --> 00:21:41,137 and she was wielding a machete. 298 00:21:41,137 --> 00:21:45,000 And I told Matt that I was leaving, and I didn't feel 299 00:21:45,000 --> 00:21:48,000 comfortable for him being there, and that she needed 300 00:21:48,068 --> 00:21:49,517 to go immediately. 301 00:22:01,862 --> 00:22:05,413 Matt didn't like to involve other people in his affairs, 302 00:22:05,482 --> 00:22:07,000 including his family. 303 00:22:07,793 --> 00:22:10,068 [Tammy] He would just tell me that he really needed her 304 00:22:10,068 --> 00:22:12,000 to move out, that every time 305 00:22:12,068 --> 00:22:13,620 they had a date for her to leave, 306 00:22:13,689 --> 00:22:15,931 she had an excuse of why she couldn't go. 307 00:22:24,551 --> 00:22:26,034 [narrator] And while living with Matt, 308 00:22:26,034 --> 00:22:27,586 Rida meets someone new. 309 00:22:27,586 --> 00:22:29,517 [Tammy] She had a boyfriend. 310 00:22:29,586 --> 00:22:34,137 That was always confusing to me as to why she was staying 311 00:22:34,137 --> 00:22:35,517 with Matt. 312 00:22:36,965 --> 00:22:40,310 That's what makes me think it was all part of a plan. 313 00:22:52,482 --> 00:22:54,275 [narrator] But the months go by, 314 00:22:54,275 --> 00:22:57,068 and Rida shows no signs of leaving. 315 00:23:02,793 --> 00:23:06,517 On the 12th of December, Matt had texted me 316 00:23:11,689 --> 00:23:16,000 and told me that Rida had pulled a gun 317 00:23:16,862 --> 00:23:19,482 outside of his bedroom door. 318 00:23:19,482 --> 00:23:23,724 I told him that he needed to get out of there immediately. 319 00:23:23,793 --> 00:23:29,758 He did get to the point where he told me that he was going to 320 00:23:29,758 --> 00:23:33,586 the authorities to have her removed legally, 321 00:23:33,586 --> 00:23:36,413 because she will not leave on her own. 322 00:23:41,793 --> 00:23:49,000 Unfortunately, he didn't get that chance. 323 00:23:57,103 --> 00:23:59,310 [phone ringing] 324 00:24:20,965 --> 00:24:23,517 [siren wailing] 325 00:24:27,758 --> 00:24:30,931 Dispatch put out over the radio 326 00:24:31,000 --> 00:24:34,000 for a suicide with a firearm. 327 00:24:41,137 --> 00:24:44,482 As I arrived at the scene, there were multiple ambulance 328 00:24:44,482 --> 00:24:45,896 units and a fire truck. 329 00:24:47,482 --> 00:24:51,103 I observed a male laying at the bottom of the steps. 330 00:24:52,448 --> 00:24:55,724 The victim was identified as Matthew Hendershot. 331 00:25:00,551 --> 00:25:02,827 Matthew was dead on arrival. 332 00:25:05,275 --> 00:25:07,827 [indistinct radio chatter] 333 00:25:07,896 --> 00:25:11,379 I could see the paramedics down there. 334 00:25:12,586 --> 00:25:16,103 And I said to my husband, "Is he...?" 335 00:25:16,103 --> 00:25:19,000 And that's all I got. 336 00:25:19,793 --> 00:25:21,310 That's all I could say. 337 00:25:21,379 --> 00:25:25,724 My husband looks up at me and said, "He's gone." 338 00:25:28,793 --> 00:25:31,655 [Joshua] Call was dispatched as a suicide, but I didn't see 339 00:25:31,655 --> 00:25:35,793 a firearm located outside next to the body. 340 00:25:35,793 --> 00:25:38,344 If this was more than a suicide, then I needed to 341 00:25:38,344 --> 00:25:40,103 figure out exactly what had happened. 342 00:25:41,034 --> 00:25:46,000 As I approached the person that found Matthew, Rida Hendershot, 343 00:25:46,000 --> 00:25:47,827 she began acting erratic. 344 00:25:53,655 --> 00:25:56,379 She was saying that she wanted to die and that she was going 345 00:25:56,379 --> 00:25:57,586 to commit self-harm. 346 00:25:57,586 --> 00:26:01,172 So I put her in handcuffs just for her personal safety. 347 00:26:23,103 --> 00:26:27,137 [narrator] With Rida under control, Corporal Shockey tries to find 348 00:26:27,137 --> 00:26:28,724 out what happened to Matt. 349 00:26:41,068 --> 00:26:44,827 [narrator] Rida just admitted she was holding the gun, 350 00:26:44,896 --> 00:26:48,000 but she claims it went off accidentally. 351 00:26:48,000 --> 00:26:51,655 Due to it no longer being a self-inflicted gunshot wound, 352 00:26:51,655 --> 00:26:55,448 I had called for more units to come. 353 00:26:55,448 --> 00:26:57,827 [narrator] While they wait for detectives, 354 00:26:57,896 --> 00:26:59,344 Rida finds a way to contact 355 00:26:59,344 --> 00:27:01,931 her boyfriend, despite being in handcuffs. 356 00:27:17,793 --> 00:27:21,310 [narrator] Moments later, Rida's boyfriend arrives on scene. 357 00:27:37,068 --> 00:27:40,413 We were within eye shot of Rida, but she couldn't actually 358 00:27:40,482 --> 00:27:41,448 hear what we were saying. 359 00:27:41,448 --> 00:27:44,275 She again started acting very erratic. 360 00:27:44,275 --> 00:27:46,241 So that was extremely suspicious. 361 00:27:50,896 --> 00:27:53,482 [Rida screaming loudly] 362 00:27:58,965 --> 00:28:00,793 [narrator] Officers on scene are becoming 363 00:28:00,793 --> 00:28:03,448 increasingly suspicious of Rida's behavior. 364 00:28:03,448 --> 00:28:05,413 [Rida] I can't! I don't have family! 365 00:28:05,482 --> 00:28:07,517 [narrator] Detective Weidman questions Rida 366 00:28:07,586 --> 00:28:09,517 about the details of Matt's death. 367 00:28:34,689 --> 00:28:36,517 It happened quick, I didn't even have... 368 00:28:36,586 --> 00:28:40,586 [narrator] Rita reveals that Matt was killed with a 1911 handgun. 369 00:28:42,379 --> 00:28:46,275 She claims the gun went off in the kitchen, so detectives 370 00:28:46,275 --> 00:28:47,620 investigate the scene. 371 00:28:59,172 --> 00:29:01,896 [Catie] Investigators were not entirely sure 372 00:29:01,896 --> 00:29:04,103 where the shooting had occurred, 373 00:29:04,103 --> 00:29:07,241 because there was not a significant amount of blood 374 00:29:07,241 --> 00:29:08,517 in the house. 375 00:29:12,379 --> 00:29:15,517 In Matt's bedroom, the TV remained on. 376 00:29:15,586 --> 00:29:18,827 It was on an Xbox waiting screen. 377 00:29:18,896 --> 00:29:20,896 It appeared that someone had been playing video games 378 00:29:20,896 --> 00:29:23,793 and then abruptly shut off. 379 00:29:28,172 --> 00:29:31,000 There were a number of firearms in the kitchen. 380 00:29:32,275 --> 00:29:35,724 They located an Ed Brown 1911 that was on 381 00:29:35,793 --> 00:29:37,137 the kitchen counter. 382 00:29:38,275 --> 00:29:43,344 We sent it to our forensic laboratory to determine if 383 00:29:43,344 --> 00:29:46,724 Rida's story about the gun just going off in some sort of 384 00:29:46,793 --> 00:29:48,000 accident is true. 385 00:29:50,793 --> 00:29:54,793 [phone ringing] 386 00:29:54,793 --> 00:29:56,517 [Tammy] My brother Davey called me. 387 00:29:56,586 --> 00:29:59,724 He said, uh, "Matt's been shot." 388 00:30:01,482 --> 00:30:03,620 "What do you mean, he's been shot?" 389 00:30:05,586 --> 00:30:08,000 "Rida's the one that shot Matt, and she's saying 390 00:30:08,068 --> 00:30:09,241 it's an accident." 391 00:30:11,275 --> 00:30:13,931 And he said, um, he died. 392 00:30:15,551 --> 00:30:17,620 I was just... 393 00:30:19,275 --> 00:30:21,413 just in so much disbelief, 394 00:30:21,482 --> 00:30:24,000 I was just floored. 395 00:30:28,275 --> 00:30:33,000 So I immediately started driving towards the house. 396 00:30:34,172 --> 00:30:36,068 I got to the house, and... 397 00:30:36,068 --> 00:30:38,724 they wouldn't let me go up the driveway. 398 00:30:41,034 --> 00:30:44,068 [Rida sobbing] 399 00:30:44,068 --> 00:30:46,413 I heard Rida yelling. 400 00:30:56,862 --> 00:30:58,275 [Tammy] My brother had come down, 401 00:30:58,275 --> 00:31:01,586 and he said, "Rida is saying it was an accident." 402 00:31:02,896 --> 00:31:05,413 And I said, "There is no way I believe that." 403 00:31:09,034 --> 00:31:11,068 She shot him on purpose. 404 00:31:25,689 --> 00:31:27,931 [narrator] Five hours after the shooting, 405 00:31:28,000 --> 00:31:29,137 detectives ask Rida 406 00:31:29,137 --> 00:31:31,965 to take part in a walkthrough to try and determine 407 00:31:31,965 --> 00:31:33,310 how Matt was killed. 408 00:31:43,241 --> 00:31:45,379 [officer] Right. 409 00:31:52,793 --> 00:31:55,034 [Catie] Rida's story kept changing. 410 00:31:55,034 --> 00:31:59,724 In the interview with Detective Weidman, she had previously 411 00:31:59,793 --> 00:32:02,931 said that they were going to hide the guns under Matt's bed. 412 00:32:04,482 --> 00:32:08,586 It shows that she's not being wholly forthcoming. 413 00:32:08,586 --> 00:32:11,000 [narrator] Investigators give her one more chance 414 00:32:11,068 --> 00:32:12,724 to clarify what happened. 415 00:32:20,482 --> 00:32:22,310 [officer] OK. 416 00:32:31,586 --> 00:32:34,068 During the walkthrough, Rida's story 417 00:32:34,068 --> 00:32:35,724 changes repeatedly. 418 00:32:35,793 --> 00:32:39,000 Earlier, she had said that they were in the kitchen. 419 00:32:39,000 --> 00:32:42,000 Matt was handing her the gun, and it went off. 420 00:32:42,068 --> 00:32:43,586 Then... 421 00:32:45,172 --> 00:32:49,689 ...she very casually explains that she's actually walking into 422 00:32:49,689 --> 00:32:53,000 the bedroom and reenacts when the gun actually fired. 423 00:33:06,586 --> 00:33:08,620 In the walkthrough, investigators located 424 00:33:08,689 --> 00:33:11,275 the fired cartridge on Matt's bed. 425 00:33:11,275 --> 00:33:15,172 So Matt was playing video games when Rida actually entered 426 00:33:15,172 --> 00:33:17,724 the room and shot him. 427 00:33:21,241 --> 00:33:23,137 That was pretty shocking to us. 428 00:33:37,862 --> 00:33:39,551 [Catie] None of that added up. 429 00:33:39,551 --> 00:33:42,758 She had engaged in calling her boyfriend 430 00:33:42,758 --> 00:33:45,724 and Facebook messaging pretty much immediately 431 00:33:45,793 --> 00:33:48,000 after the shooting had occurred. 432 00:33:51,034 --> 00:33:53,793 [narrator] Rida is arrested for wanton endangerment 433 00:33:53,793 --> 00:33:56,965 for the reckless handling of a firearm. 434 00:33:56,965 --> 00:33:59,655 Investigators certainly had a gut feeling 435 00:33:59,655 --> 00:34:02,448 that she had committed murder. 436 00:34:02,448 --> 00:34:06,551 But, at this point, we wanted to have at least a charge, 437 00:34:06,551 --> 00:34:08,931 and that's why they opted to go with wanton endangerment. 438 00:34:15,896 --> 00:34:19,585 Rida was able to post bail and was released from jail 439 00:34:19,585 --> 00:34:21,620 the day after the shooting. 440 00:34:21,688 --> 00:34:24,379 [narrator] And just a day after her release, Rida goes to 441 00:34:24,379 --> 00:34:26,000 posting on social media. 442 00:34:27,000 --> 00:34:30,241 [Tammy] She was kayaking with her boyfriend. 443 00:34:31,896 --> 00:34:33,516 It made me very angry, 444 00:34:34,688 --> 00:34:39,000 because I thought, how fair is it that my son was killed, 445 00:34:39,068 --> 00:34:42,310 and you are out enjoying your life? 446 00:34:51,275 --> 00:34:53,793 Just because Rida had been charged, 447 00:34:53,793 --> 00:34:56,724 that was not the end of the investigation. 448 00:34:56,793 --> 00:35:00,931 That was really just when things continued to crank up. 449 00:35:01,000 --> 00:35:02,724 [narrator] Just a few days after the shooting, 450 00:35:02,793 --> 00:35:05,482 detectives gathered text messages from Matt's 451 00:35:05,482 --> 00:35:07,827 friends and family. 452 00:35:07,896 --> 00:35:13,000 We were made aware of conversations that Matt had 453 00:35:13,068 --> 00:35:14,827 had on his cell phone. 454 00:35:16,000 --> 00:35:19,379 It became very apparent to us that there was a history 455 00:35:20,896 --> 00:35:26,482 of violence from Rida to Matt in their relationship that 456 00:35:26,482 --> 00:35:28,827 he told very few people about. 457 00:35:43,275 --> 00:35:50,103 We began to understand that Matt was a victim of domestic abuse. 458 00:35:56,482 --> 00:35:58,413 [narrator] Three weeks after Matt's death, 459 00:35:58,482 --> 00:36:01,413 the results from the gun test come in. 460 00:36:01,482 --> 00:36:05,000 The forensic laboratory in Charleston determined that 461 00:36:05,000 --> 00:36:07,482 the firearm was fully functional. 462 00:36:09,379 --> 00:36:11,586 There's a grip safety in the back of the grip, 463 00:36:11,586 --> 00:36:14,689 and if that is not depressed, it will not fire. 464 00:36:14,689 --> 00:36:16,000 [gunshot blasts] 465 00:36:16,000 --> 00:36:21,413 So there's just no way that that would happen accidentally. 466 00:36:22,586 --> 00:36:24,586 [gunshot blasts] 467 00:36:25,655 --> 00:36:29,172 [narrator] Finally, detectives have enough evidence to rearrest Rida. 468 00:36:29,172 --> 00:36:33,551 On June 11, Rida was served with a warrant for 469 00:36:33,551 --> 00:36:36,586 first-degree murder and taken into custody. 470 00:36:37,896 --> 00:36:40,241 I felt relieved knowing that she couldn't do this 471 00:36:40,241 --> 00:36:41,827 to nobody else, 472 00:36:43,172 --> 00:36:44,758 and the truth would come out. 473 00:36:44,758 --> 00:36:48,379 [narrator] And nearly two years later, 474 00:36:48,379 --> 00:36:51,310 Rida's trial finally begins. 475 00:36:51,379 --> 00:36:53,965 [Joe] The primary defense was that this was an accident. 476 00:36:53,965 --> 00:36:58,655 We were really able to combat that defense by showing all 477 00:36:58,655 --> 00:37:03,000 the firearms evidence and then really just the overwhelming 478 00:37:03,000 --> 00:37:07,413 evidence of the abusive nature of her relationship toward him. 479 00:37:10,482 --> 00:37:14,275 [Catie] Matt's family and friends were vital in proving that. 480 00:37:15,862 --> 00:37:19,793 I told them exactly what I witnessed when I was over at 481 00:37:19,793 --> 00:37:23,103 Matt's house, what she had done previously. 482 00:37:26,034 --> 00:37:28,689 [Tammy] It was the first time that I had learned about 483 00:37:28,689 --> 00:37:30,827 a lot of those incidents, 484 00:37:33,000 --> 00:37:35,931 and it was very difficult to listen to. 485 00:37:36,000 --> 00:37:39,931 [narrator] The trial lasts six days. Rida does not testify. 486 00:37:40,689 --> 00:37:43,000 During the presentation of evidence, 487 00:37:43,000 --> 00:37:48,793 she would occasionally be seen, you know, weeping and being 488 00:37:48,793 --> 00:37:52,344 emotional, but she stayed quiet for the most part 489 00:37:52,344 --> 00:37:53,620 during the trial. 490 00:37:53,620 --> 00:37:57,275 It was a tough case to put on, because we were having to, 491 00:37:57,275 --> 00:38:00,689 two years later, come back and try to prove what was going 492 00:38:00,689 --> 00:38:04,793 through Rida Hendershot's mind when she pulled the trigger. 493 00:38:04,793 --> 00:38:08,310 And as far as prosecuting is concerned, that's a tough ask. 494 00:38:09,275 --> 00:38:15,000 The jury came back with a finding of guilty of murder 495 00:38:15,000 --> 00:38:20,379 in second-degree, as well as a guilty verdict for the use of 496 00:38:20,379 --> 00:38:22,517 a firearm in the commission of a felony. 497 00:38:23,965 --> 00:38:28,448 We had asked for a first-degree murder verdict, but I think 498 00:38:28,448 --> 00:38:30,689 based upon the evidence presented that 499 00:38:30,689 --> 00:38:34,413 the second-degree murder verdict was a fair verdict. 500 00:38:34,482 --> 00:38:36,586 It showed me 501 00:38:36,586 --> 00:38:38,689 that the jury believed our theory of the case. 502 00:38:38,689 --> 00:38:42,551 And that even if this killing wasn't necessarily 503 00:38:42,551 --> 00:38:45,413 premeditated and planned and she hadn't thought out, 504 00:38:45,482 --> 00:38:47,896 you know, I'm gonna walk in and shoot him and act like it 505 00:38:47,896 --> 00:38:50,413 was an accident, I think it still 506 00:38:51,275 --> 00:38:53,931 sends the right message. 507 00:38:55,586 --> 00:38:58,413 [narrator] Rida is sentenced to 40 years for second-degree murder 508 00:38:58,482 --> 00:39:02,862 and 10 years for use of a firearm in commission of a felony. 509 00:39:02,862 --> 00:39:06,724 When she was convicted, I felt like we got some sort 510 00:39:06,793 --> 00:39:08,137 of justice. 511 00:39:08,689 --> 00:39:11,793 Unfortunately, we'll never be able to bring Matt back. 512 00:39:12,448 --> 00:39:17,620 When an abuser feels that their control and their power 513 00:39:17,689 --> 00:39:21,896 is slipping away, that's when they increase the violence. 514 00:39:25,551 --> 00:39:26,827 On that day, 515 00:39:27,586 --> 00:39:28,827 she had been drinking 516 00:39:29,965 --> 00:39:31,793 and she started arguing with him. 517 00:39:33,275 --> 00:39:35,448 He was probably just trying to ignore her 518 00:39:35,448 --> 00:39:37,379 and play his video games. 519 00:39:38,551 --> 00:39:42,000 She picked up that pistol, and she pointed it at his face, 520 00:39:42,068 --> 00:39:43,620 and she pulled the trigger. 521 00:39:44,344 --> 00:39:46,724 [gunshot blasts] 522 00:39:48,172 --> 00:39:50,310 After Rida shot Matt, 523 00:39:51,896 --> 00:39:55,000 he made it out to the back concrete stairwell, 524 00:39:55,068 --> 00:39:57,275 where he collapsed 525 00:39:57,275 --> 00:40:01,275 and ultimately died. 526 00:40:07,379 --> 00:40:10,724 Instead of running back inside and grabbing her phone 527 00:40:10,793 --> 00:40:14,827 and calling 911, Rida ran to the neighbor's house, 528 00:40:16,137 --> 00:40:19,068 screaming, demanding that the neighbor 529 00:40:19,068 --> 00:40:22,000 call 9-1-1 because Matt had shot himself. 530 00:40:27,586 --> 00:40:31,172 Rida killed Matt Hendershot because she was running out of 531 00:40:31,172 --> 00:40:34,931 ways to stall him from kicking her out of that house. 532 00:40:41,896 --> 00:40:45,896 [Randy] Matt was one of my best friends in my entire life. 533 00:40:45,896 --> 00:40:50,172 He was always there for me. He believed in me. 534 00:40:50,172 --> 00:40:53,034 I thought we were gonna be growing old together 535 00:40:53,034 --> 00:40:55,413 and hanging out, making memories 536 00:40:58,448 --> 00:41:00,862 [Brian] There ain't a day goes by I don't think about him. 537 00:41:00,862 --> 00:41:02,689 It affects me emotionally 538 00:41:03,793 --> 00:41:05,000 every single day. 539 00:41:07,586 --> 00:41:10,413 Matt's favorite holiday was Christmas. 540 00:41:11,275 --> 00:41:14,931 It's very difficult to go daily without him, 541 00:41:15,000 --> 00:41:20,241 but there's certain dates that are extremely difficult. 542 00:41:20,241 --> 00:41:23,482 We miss him very dearly. 543 00:41:23,482 --> 00:41:27,000 He's always on my mind, always on my heart.