Latest / The Mind of a Man / The Twisted Case of Jim and Sandra Melgar

Transcript

The Twisted Case of Jim and Sandra Melgar · The Mind of a Man

• 0:01
  Speaker 1: I didn't hear anything. I didn't hear anything.
• 0:03
  Speaker 2: I need help, Sandra.
• 0:06
  Speaker 3: Please help me.
• 0:08
  Speaker 4: Screaming after screaming after screaming, he's in pain.
• 0:11
  Speaker 2: I need help.
• 0:14
  Speaker 3: Help me, Sandra.
• 0:16
  Speaker 4: Help me.
• 0:18
  Speaker 5: And while he isn't looking, she makes a strike straight
• 0:22
  Speaker 5: up all the way to his neck.
• 0:25
  Speaker 4: No, I did not kill my husband.
• 0:32
  Speaker 6: Houston, Texas was aglow with the excitement of the holiday season.
• 0:36
  Speaker 6: Herman Melgar and his family arrived at the home of
• 0:38
  Speaker 6: his younger brother Jaime to prepare for Christmas and enjoy
• 0:41
  Speaker 6: a festive party together. But when Herman arrived at the
• 0:44
  Speaker 6: home his little brother shared with his high school sweetheart Sandra,
• 0:47
  Speaker 6: he slowly started to realize that something was deeply and
• 0:51
  Speaker 6: terribly wrong. First, he knocked on the door to the home.
• 0:56
  Speaker 6: He was surprised that no one answered, but at the
• 0:58
  Speaker 6: same time, It wasn't unusual for Jaime to get caught
• 1:01
  Speaker 6: up in projects around the home and lose track of time.
• 1:05
  Speaker 6: Herman walked around the back of the home only to
• 1:07
  Speaker 6: discover that the back door was also locked. He got
• 1:10
  Speaker 6: a strange, sinking feeling. It wasn't like Sandy and Jaime
• 1:15
  Speaker 6: to be locked away like this in the middle of
• 1:16
  Speaker 6: the day. In spite of Sandy suffering from lupus and
• 1:20
  Speaker 6: rheumatoid arthritis that sometimes put her in a wheelchair, they
• 1:23
  Speaker 6: were an active, lively couple who enjoyed spending their time
• 1:26
  Speaker 6: doing things that brought them joy. With his concern rising,
• 1:30
  Speaker 6: Herman slipped in through the open garage and poked his
• 1:33
  Speaker 6: head inside the home with his family following behind him. Immediately,
• 1:37
  Speaker 6: he could hear a weak voice calling out for help.
• 1:40
  Speaker 6: He raced through the home in a frenzy until he
• 1:42
  Speaker 6: reached this closet inside Jaime and Sandra's master bedroom. The
• 1:46
  Speaker 6: air harbored the horrible metallic tang of blood. Herman could
• 1:51
  Speaker 6: hear Sandy on the other side of the door begging
• 1:53
  Speaker 6: for help, but a confusing sight sat before him. The
• 1:57
  Speaker 6: closet door. was wedged shut with the chair. He threw
• 2:01
  Speaker 6: the chair out of the way and opened it, only
• 2:04
  Speaker 6: to be struck by an even more confusing sight. Sandra
• 2:08
  Speaker 6: was lying face down on the ground, sobbing. She had
• 2:11
  Speaker 6: soiled herself from being locked in the closet at length
• 2:14
  Speaker 6: and looked to be in a state of utter shock.
• 2:16
  Speaker 6: Her hands were tied behind her back, and her feet
• 2:19
  Speaker 6: were bound together by a scarf. The knots around her
• 2:22
  Speaker 6: wrists were so tight that neither Herman nor any of
• 2:24
  Speaker 6: his family members could untie them. Ultimately, they were forced
• 2:28
  Speaker 6: to cut Sandra free with a knife. When Sandra was freed,
• 2:31
  Speaker 6: she began to scream for her husband, asking where he was.
• 2:35
  Speaker 6: She wasn't sure how long she had been in the closet,
• 2:37
  Speaker 6: but she knew she had been crying for him, and
• 2:40
  Speaker 6: he never came. When she rushed into their bedroom, she
• 2:44
  Speaker 6: realized why. Jim was lying at the edge of their closet.
• 2:48
  Speaker 6: His feet were bound by a telephone cable, and his
• 2:51
  Speaker 6: body was matted with his blood. He had been stabbed
• 2:54
  Speaker 6: 34 times. and appeared to have been reaching for his
• 2:57
  Speaker 6: gun in the closet when he took his last breath.
• 2:59
  Speaker 6: When medics arrived on the scene, they were met with
• 3:02
  Speaker 6: a situation that was gruesome for more reasons than one.
• 3:06
  Speaker 6: Sandra was reportedly so shaken that she was inconsolable, screaming
• 3:10
  Speaker 6: and sobbing. She didn't know what day it was, or
• 3:13
  Speaker 6: even what time it was. An EMT stated that Sandra
• 3:17
  Speaker 6: was so disoriented and seemingly traumatized that she could hardly
• 3:20
  Speaker 6: carry on a conversation or even answer basic questions. When
• 3:25
  Speaker 6: you look at her relationship with Jaime, who frequently went
• 3:27
  Speaker 6: by Jim, it's understandable why she would be in shambles.
• 3:32
  Speaker 6: Jim and Sandra began as high school sweethearts. For weeks,
• 3:35
  Speaker 6: Jim did everything he could to get Sandy's attention. He'd
• 3:39
  Speaker 6: ask her for pencils, ask questions about their homework, and
• 3:42
  Speaker 6: accidentally run into her in the hallway. It was only
• 3:45
  Speaker 6: after he had asked her on a group date to
• 3:47
  Speaker 6: an ice skating rink and she arrived to find him
• 3:49
  Speaker 6: the only person there that their relationship blossomed. After that date...
• 3:55
  Speaker 6: the two quickly fell in love. Soon after they graduated
• 3:58
  Speaker 6: high school, they got married. Things weren't always easy, however.
• 4:03
  Speaker 6: Sandra gradually became horribly sick from various autoimmune diseases. Her
• 4:08
  Speaker 6: daughter Liz recalls that there were times when she was
• 4:10
  Speaker 6: a child that her mom was confined to a wheelchair
• 4:13
  Speaker 6: and days where she couldn't even get out of bed
• 4:15
  Speaker 6: because her pain was so great. Ultimately, Sandra was forced
• 4:19
  Speaker 6: to give up her job as a nurse because her
• 4:21
  Speaker 6: high risk of seizures rendered her unable to drive. Yet,
• 4:25
  Speaker 6: The two remained side-by-side through their struggles, and according to
• 4:28
  Speaker 6: their daughter, they were a shining example of true love.
• 4:32
  Speaker 6: I give them credit for showing me what a loving
• 4:36
  Speaker 6: and healthy relationship is. The night Jim was murdered, he
• 4:39
  Speaker 6: and Sandra were celebrating their 32nd wedding anniversary. Though they'd
• 4:43
  Speaker 6: actually been married on the 12th of December, they decided
• 4:46
  Speaker 6: to postpone their celebration until the 22nd because Sandra had
• 4:49
  Speaker 6: been feeling ill on the actual date. The two went
• 4:52
  Speaker 6: to dinner at a Mexican restaurant, stopped at CVS to
• 4:55
  Speaker 6: buy sodas to use as mixers, and then returned home,
• 4:58
  Speaker 6: where they sat in their jacuzzi for several hours, eating strawberries, drinking,
• 5:03
  Speaker 6: and being intimate. In her interrogation, which was only hours
• 5:07
  Speaker 6: after she learned her husband died, Sandra went on to
• 5:10
  Speaker 6: explain what she remembered from the night. Unfortunately for her,
• 5:15
  Speaker 6: she didn't remember much. And what she did claim to
• 5:18
  Speaker 6: remember wasn't what investigators wanted to hear.
• 5:21
  Speaker 3: I need to do a statement from you, okay? That's
• 5:23
  Speaker 3: why we're here.
• 5:24
  Speaker 4: And I'm a little recorder.
• 5:25
  Speaker 7: Do a little statement and get some questions from you answered.
• 5:30
  Speaker 3: Where were you at? Let's start from the morning when
• 5:32
  Speaker 3: you woke up today. Where were you at? Yes. In
• 5:37
  Speaker 3: my closet. This morning? Yes. Okay, what about yesterday? Let's
• 5:45
  Speaker 3: start yesterday. Yesterday. Which would be Saturday.
• 5:53
  Speaker 1: We went out to eat.
• 5:54
  Speaker 4: Where did you go to eat at?
• 5:57
  Speaker 1: Mexican restaurant. I think it was in Bravos.
• 6:07
  Speaker 4: In what town was that?
• 6:10
  Speaker 1: No, it wasn't in Bravos. It was Cocos. Cocos. About 8.
• 6:20
  Speaker 1: I mean, I'm just guessing. I don't know.
• 6:23
  Speaker 4: Okay, so approximately 8 o'clock on Saturday.
• 6:27
  Speaker 3: And then after that, what did you do? What was
• 6:30
  Speaker 3: your husband? Who was your husband? What was your husband's name?
• 6:34
  Speaker 1: Jamie Melgar. Melgar.
• 6:37
  Speaker 3: Was he with you when y'all went to eat? Did
• 6:39
  Speaker 3: y'all come home or go somewhere else?
• 6:42
  Speaker 1: We went home, but we stopped at CVS.
• 6:49
  Speaker 3: Okay, then what?
• 7:03
  Speaker 6: According to medical records, Sandy is prone to bouts of
• 7:05
  Speaker 6: memory loss due to her history of epileptic seizures. At
• 7:08
  Speaker 6: the time of the crime, she was heavily medicated for
• 7:11
  Speaker 6: multiple conditions, including lupus, epilepsy, and rheumatoid arthritis. That being said...
• 7:17
  Speaker 6: As with many autoimmune diseases, treatment often needs to be
• 7:20
  Speaker 6: changed and adjusted to match the ebb and flow of
• 7:22
  Speaker 6: the condition to prevent reoccurrence.
• 7:24
  Speaker 1: She got out. I think the dogs were barking a lot.
• 7:29
  Speaker 3: Where were your dogs at?
• 7:31
  Speaker 1: We usually have them in that barricade in the dining area.
• 7:37
  Speaker 1: I mean, the kitchen.
• 7:39
  Speaker 3: How many dogs do you have? Four. So you keep
• 7:43
  Speaker 3: all four of them inside that barricade area?
• 7:46
  Speaker 8: Yeah.
• 7:47
  Speaker 3: That's where they were last night.
• 7:49
  Speaker 1: Because the doggy door's there.
• 7:51
  Speaker 9: So they can go in and out.
• 7:53
  Speaker 8: Right.
• 7:54
  Speaker 3: Into the backyard.
• 7:56
  Speaker 1: Yeah.
• 7:56
  Speaker 9: So y'all were sitting there talking for a couple hours.
• 8:02
  Speaker 3: And what happened?
• 8:07
  Speaker 8: He got up once to go get ice and then
• 8:09
  Speaker 8: came back and then said he was going to put
• 8:12
  Speaker 8: the dogs, move the dogs because they were barking too much.
• 8:15
  Speaker 3: What was he wearing? The towel.
• 8:18
  Speaker 7: Okay.
• 8:19
  Speaker 1: That was it.
• 8:19
  Speaker 3: So he went and got ice, and you said he
• 8:22
  Speaker 3: moved the dogs?
• 8:23
  Speaker 1: I think he took my fuzzy shoes. I'm not sure.
• 8:27
  Speaker 5: Okay.
• 8:28
  Speaker 3: And how long was that during the time y'all were there?
• 8:34
  Speaker 3: Y'all sat there for a good solid two hours talking?
• 8:37
  Speaker 7: Yeah.
• 8:37
  Speaker 3: And he didn't move?
• 8:40
  Speaker 1: He went out once to get ice.
• 8:42
  Speaker 3: Where to get ice? In the kitchen?
• 8:44
  Speaker 5: Uh-huh.
• 8:45
  Speaker 3: Then he comes back? Mm-hmm.
• 8:49
  Speaker 1: I got out, I went to the bathroom, and.
• 8:51
  Speaker 3: Got back in. There inside that bathroom?
• 8:54
  Speaker 1: Okay. And that was it.
• 8:59
  Speaker 8: Then he got out and said he was moving the
• 9:03
  Speaker 8: dogs to the office.
• 9:05
  Speaker 1: Because when they're too loud, we don't want the neighbors
• 9:07
  Speaker 1: to complain.
• 9:08
  Speaker 3: So that's.
• 9:11
  Speaker 1: What he did.
• 9:13
  Speaker 8: And he just, you know, it was taking a while,
• 9:16
  Speaker 8: so I got out and was going to get dressed
• 9:20
  Speaker 8: or changed in my closet. And I went in there
• 9:26
  Speaker 8: and I started to change.
• 9:30
  Speaker 1: And that's all I remember until I woke up.
• 9:36
  Speaker 8: And then I remember I woke up and I thought
• 9:40
  Speaker 8: I had a seizure because my muscles hurt and my
• 9:44
  Speaker 8: head was just hurting real bad and usually.
• 9:50
  Speaker 1: Lately I've been having trouble with controlling my seizures. So,
• 9:54
  Speaker 1: my nose is off again. just fell asleep again.
• 10:07
  Speaker 8: Until several hours later I woke up and realized I
• 10:11
  Speaker 8: was tied up. And I tried to flip over Because
• 10:20
  Speaker 8: my left side was falling asleep.
• 10:23
  Speaker 1: I'd fallen asleep. So I tried to flip over, and
• 10:28
  Speaker 1: then I kind of got stuck where I was for
• 10:33
  Speaker 1: the rest of the time. That's all I remember. That's it.
• 10:41
  Speaker 1: I mean, I'll tell you more if I remember more.
• 10:42
  Speaker 1: I just don't.
• 10:48
  Speaker 3: Do you have pain?
• 10:50
  Speaker 1: Do I have pain? My legs were cramping and my
• 10:55
  Speaker 1: wrists hurt from the.
• 10:58
  Speaker 3: Nowhere else?
• 11:00
  Speaker 1: I have pain in my head.
• 11:02
  Speaker 5: Here.
• 11:02
  Speaker 3: Like what?
• 11:04
  Speaker 1: Like I got hit on the head.
• 11:05
  Speaker 8: I don't know if I fell or was pushed or what, but.
• 11:16
  Speaker 1: Just like all alongside this side.
• 11:18
  Speaker 6: When Sandy was taken in for questioning, she rejected going
• 11:21
  Speaker 6: to the hospital to get her injuries assessed. A medic
• 11:24
  Speaker 6: on the scene stated that Sandy had no injuries aside
• 11:26
  Speaker 6: from bruising on her upper arm and ligature marks from
• 11:29
  Speaker 6: being tied up. However, many people close to Sandy, and
• 11:33
  Speaker 6: Sandy herself, have publicly stated that she had an egg-sized
• 11:37
  Speaker 6: bump on her head that coincided with falling or being struck.
• 11:42
  Speaker 3: The time when he got out to go check on
• 11:44
  Speaker 3: the dogs, to go move the dog, what time was that?
• 11:49
  Speaker 1: I'd say one or two in the morning.
• 11:53
  Speaker 9: And when he did that, what kind of noises did
• 11:57
  Speaker 9: you hear?
• 11:58
  Speaker 7: Nothing.
• 11:59
  Speaker 1: The jacuzzi was still running. Even when I got out,
• 12:02
  Speaker 1: the jacuzzi was running. Sometimes we'd have to turn it
• 12:08
  Speaker 1: off in the closet because the button won't work.
• 12:12
  Speaker 3: So the jacuzzi was making noise.
• 12:14
  Speaker 1: It was pretty loud.
• 12:16
  Speaker 3: You couldn't hear anything over that.
• 12:19
  Speaker 1: I didn't hear anything.
• 12:20
  Speaker 3: Did you hear anybody scream?
• 12:21
  Speaker 7: No.
• 12:21
  Speaker 3: Did you hear the dogs? Oh, you could hear the
• 12:24
  Speaker 3: dogs barking.
• 12:25
  Speaker 1: Yeah, because they were right outside our window.
• 12:28
  Speaker 3: So did he have to go outside to get them?
• 12:31
  Speaker 1: I don't think so. Usually he just calls them and
• 12:34
  Speaker 1: they come.
• 12:36
  Speaker 3: They come in the doggy door?
• 12:37
  Speaker 7: Yeah.
• 12:38
  Speaker 3: So you don't have to open the door?
• 12:41
  Speaker 8: Sometimes, yeah.
• 12:42
  Speaker 1: Because some of the little ones don't want to come in.
• 12:44
  Speaker 3: If he opened the door last night, you would have
• 12:48
  Speaker 3: heard that.
• 12:49
  Speaker 5: Right?
• 12:49
  Speaker 1: I don't think so.
• 12:53
  Speaker 5: Yeah.
• 12:57
  Speaker 3: The front?
• 12:57
  Speaker 1: No, you mean the back door?
• 12:59
  Speaker 3: Well, whatever door you'd have to open.
• 13:01
  Speaker 1: I wouldn't have heard it.
• 13:02
  Speaker 2: No.
• 13:04
  Speaker 9: So, we work hundreds and hundreds of murders.
• 13:10
  Speaker 3: Okay.
• 13:11
  Speaker 7: And sometimes we work whole-blooded killers that are just on
• 13:15
  Speaker 7: the street that would just kill somebody for nothing. Okay?
• 13:20
  Speaker 9: And sometimes we murders that they're in an argument and
• 13:26
  Speaker 9: something happens.
• 13:28
  Speaker 2: Okay?
• 13:29
  Speaker 3: There's two different types of people. You understand?
• 13:33
  Speaker 7: Because if you argue with somebody and you lose it,
• 13:37
  Speaker 7: your temper and the argument happens.
• 13:39
  Speaker 1: That's not what happened. That's not what happened. And I
• 13:41
  Speaker 1: think I'm going to stop talking now because I think
• 13:44
  Speaker 1: I'm going to need a lawyer. Because I know how
• 13:46
  Speaker 1: this works.
• 13:49
  Speaker 6: Sandy saying she thinks she's going to need a lawyer
• 13:51
  Speaker 6: isn't her actually invoking her right to remain silent because
• 13:54
  Speaker 6: she doesn't make a direct statement that she is requesting
• 13:57
  Speaker 6: a lawyer. She says she thinks she's going to need one.
• 14:01
  Speaker 6: Detectives continue to question her, and she willfully answers, leading
• 14:05
  Speaker 6: to increasingly stressful questioning.
• 14:09
  Speaker 9: Hey, let me ask you this. When I asked you before,
• 14:12
  Speaker 9: you didn't answer my question.
• 14:15
  Speaker 3: Why are we here? Do you know what has happened today?
• 14:21
  Speaker 1: My husband was murdered.
• 14:22
  Speaker 5: How?
• 14:26
  Speaker 1: I don't know. I don't think he.
• 14:31
  Speaker 3: Was shot.
• 14:31
  Speaker 1: I heard it.
• 14:32
  Speaker 3: What do you understand has happened? Who told you that
• 14:34
  Speaker 3: he was murdered?
• 14:36
  Speaker 1: I saw him.
• 14:37
  Speaker 3: You did?
• 14:38
  Speaker 1: Yes.
• 14:39
  Speaker 8: When they untied me, I heard hysterical screaming, and I
• 14:43
  Speaker 8: ran over there, and I checked his post.
• 14:48
  Speaker 1: To see if there was anything we could do, yeah.
• 14:50
  Speaker 1: I saw him.
• 14:51
  Speaker 3: Okay. I didn't know that.
• 14:55
  Speaker 1: I saw him.
• 14:57
  Speaker 3: And you touched him?
• 14:58
  Speaker 5: Yes.
• 14:59
  Speaker 3: You touched his wrist?
• 15:02
  Speaker 1: I touched his neck.
• 15:03
  Speaker 6: Okay.
• 15:04
  Speaker 3: Okay. Let me ask you something. It's all procedure for
• 15:10
  Speaker 3: us to talk to you, okay? We want to find
• 15:13
  Speaker 3: out the answer to this question. As bad as you do. Okay,
• 15:20
  Speaker 3: we do. We really do. And we're not trying to
• 15:23
  Speaker 3: cause you trouble or cause you pain. But we have
• 15:28
  Speaker 3: a procedure. Are you familiar with a polygraph exam? Would
• 15:32
  Speaker 3: you be willing to take a polygraph exam?
• 15:34
  Speaker 7: Okay.
• 15:37
  Speaker 9: We have a person that's going to come here.
• 15:40
  Speaker 3: He's probably here now.
• 15:41
  Speaker 8: I can't do it now.
• 15:43
  Speaker 1: I'm just a nervous wreck right now.
• 15:46
  Speaker 3: I just can't do it now. Let me explain this.
• 15:49
  Speaker 1: And I'd rather talk to a lawyer about it.
• 15:51
  Speaker 8: Because I already feel like, you know, I know what
• 15:56
  Speaker 8: this is going through.
• 15:57
  Speaker 3: Okay, well, I want you to understand that, you know,
• 16:05
  Speaker 3: our motive is to try to find out what happened
• 16:07
  Speaker 3: to your husband.
• 16:08
  Speaker 9: Just like I told you.
• 16:11
  Speaker 7: I know.
• 16:12
  Speaker 3: And our procedure is to do that now Now, I
• 16:17
  Speaker 3: understand that you're upset. I understand that you've been through
• 16:22
  Speaker 3: a lot. This person that does this is a professional
• 16:26
  Speaker 3: and is able to filter for that. They're able to
• 16:29
  Speaker 3: work through that. And I want you to meet with
• 16:32
  Speaker 3: him and talk to him no matter if you take
• 16:34
  Speaker 3: the exam or not. Okay? And that way they can
• 16:38
  Speaker 3: explain that to you because I'm not a polygraph examiner.
• 16:40
  Speaker 3: I'm not a professional at that. But I'm telling you that,
• 16:44
  Speaker 3: you know, that's what we're trying to do. We're not
• 16:46
  Speaker 3: trying to, pin something on you. We're not trying to
• 16:49
  Speaker 3: get you to say that you've done something that you
• 16:52
  Speaker 3: haven't done, okay? We're merely trying to go through the
• 16:56
  Speaker 3: procedure so that later on when we're asked, you know,
• 17:00
  Speaker 3: we can tell you that's what we've done. We've done
• 17:02
  Speaker 3: our procedure. We've done our job, okay? You know, something
• 17:06
  Speaker 3: I want you to understand is that what we do
• 17:12
  Speaker 3: when we investigate something like this Sandra, I want you
• 17:17
  Speaker 3: to understand that.
• 17:20
  Speaker 9: We go to all extremes.
• 17:23
  Speaker 3: You know, we don't quit.
• 17:26
  Speaker 9: You're going to see a lot of me. You're going
• 17:29
  Speaker 9: to see a lot of my partner.
• 17:31
  Speaker 5: You are.
• 17:32
  Speaker 9: We're going to find out everything about you. We're going
• 17:35
  Speaker 9: to find out everything about your husband.
• 17:37
  Speaker 3: We're going to talk to everybody in your neighborhood. We're
• 17:39
  Speaker 3: going to talk to everybody that you're related to. We're
• 17:44
  Speaker 3: going to learn everything.
• 17:48
  Speaker 1: We're processing this.
• 17:50
  Speaker 9: You're seeing your house, too.
• 17:53
  Speaker 3: Okay?
• 17:54
  Speaker 9: And a whole lot of stuff goes into these things.
• 17:57
  Speaker 3: Okay?
• 17:58
  Speaker 9: It's just so important that you be honest with us.
• 18:01
  Speaker 3: Yeah.
• 18:02
  Speaker 9: It is so important.
• 18:04
  Speaker 3: And, you know, I told you it's protocol that we
• 18:08
  Speaker 3: start close to that victim. That's you. That's protocol. Okay?
• 18:14
  Speaker 5: Okay.
• 18:16
  Speaker 3: And you know, we didn't just walk into this ballgame yesterday.
• 18:20
  Speaker 3: And we can tell a whole lot of stuff by
• 18:22
  Speaker 3: the way that when we start with people, the way
• 18:26
  Speaker 3: they react, the way they act. You need to understand that.
• 18:29
  Speaker 3: May not always show, may not always let that be
• 18:33
  Speaker 3: known to you. But we're no fools. You need to
• 18:36
  Speaker 3: understand that too.
• 18:38
  Speaker 8: Okay?
• 18:41
  Speaker 3: And we've been doing this long enough where there's things
• 18:45
  Speaker 3: we recognize You got to understand that too. Okay.
• 18:52
  Speaker 9: We talk to people all the time.
• 18:56
  Speaker 3: I never said you did. I did ask you to
• 19:01
  Speaker 3: take a polygraph test. Yes.
• 19:04
  Speaker 1: I did. And I'm shaking and I'm freezing.
• 19:07
  Speaker 3: What's your explanation though? What's your excuse for not taking one?
• 19:13
  Speaker 3: It's not holding water, Sandra. I'm just going to be
• 19:15
  Speaker 3: honest with you. It's not. You know, I'm just being
• 19:22
  Speaker 3: upfront and honest with you, and that's my job to
• 19:26
  Speaker 3: do that.
• 19:26
  Speaker 1: I just don't want to take it and then it's
• 19:28
  Speaker 1: used against me.
• 19:29
  Speaker 3: That's not possible.
• 19:31
  Speaker 9: Yeah, it is.
• 19:34
  Speaker 6: Polygraph tests aren't admissible in court because they're not deemed
• 19:38
  Speaker 6: scientifically accurate enough to be used against someone. Instead, they're
• 19:42
  Speaker 6: largely used by detectives to corner suspects and urge them
• 19:46
  Speaker 6: to confess. Detectives did follow through with their promise of
• 19:50
  Speaker 6: exploring every angle. After interviewing neighbors, friends, and family, as
• 19:54
  Speaker 6: well as going through all of Sandra and Jim's electronic correspondence,
• 19:57
  Speaker 6: they were unable to find any motive or sign of
• 20:00
  Speaker 6: problems within their relationship. According to the investigators, neither Jim
• 20:04
  Speaker 6: nor Sandra were having any affairs, and there were no
• 20:07
  Speaker 6: arguments between them noted.
• 20:10
  Speaker 3: You know, what I saw there, when I saw your
• 20:14
  Speaker 3: husband's body, that's a pretty violent attack, okay? And the
• 20:20
  Speaker 3: problem I'm having is, you know, I've gone through what
• 20:24
  Speaker 3: you're telling me and the way that I expect that
• 20:27
  Speaker 3: this went down, okay, and I've worked a lot of these, okay?
• 20:32
  Speaker 3: And the problem I have is that, you know, if
• 20:35
  Speaker 3: he encountered somebody when he went in there, When he
• 20:39
  Speaker 3: was gone for 15 minutes, you got out five minutes later.
• 20:44
  Speaker 9: So he had a good five minutes. That's a long time.
• 20:47
  Speaker 9: He went in there to deal with what he dealt with.
• 20:50
  Speaker 3: And then you move into the closet to take care
• 20:54
  Speaker 3: of your business there and get dressed and put lotion on.
• 20:57
  Speaker 3: And if he encountered something that would do what we
• 21:05
  Speaker 3: see there, you're going to hear it.
• 21:08
  Speaker 9: You're going to hear something. And if that something is
• 21:13
  Speaker 9: coming into the same.
• 21:14
  Speaker 3: Room where you're at to either knock you out or
• 21:19
  Speaker 3: even encounter you, you're going to hear something.
• 21:23
  Speaker 9: I don't care if you've got a tank cranked up
• 21:26
  Speaker 9: in that.
• 21:26
  Speaker 3: Bathroom with you. You're going to hear something when somebody
• 21:30
  Speaker 3: encounters somebody that's stabbing somebody that violently that many times.
• 21:37
  Speaker 3: You're going to hear that. I've seen people be stabbed
• 21:40
  Speaker 3: in person, and you're going to hear it. You're going
• 21:44
  Speaker 3: to live that the rest of your life, okay? You're
• 21:47
  Speaker 3: going to hear that.
• 21:48
  Speaker 1: I didn't hear anything. I didn't hear anything. I wish
• 21:51
  Speaker 1: I had heard something. I didn't.
• 21:55
  Speaker 3: See, what we're seeing there, the physical evidence that's there,
• 21:59
  Speaker 3: and what you're telling us, is just not adding up, Sandra.
• 22:03
  Speaker 3: I'm not one to call you a liar, but I'm
• 22:05
  Speaker 3: saying it added to your something. You're our only person
• 22:09
  Speaker 3: that was in that house.
• 22:10
  Speaker 5: I know.
• 22:11
  Speaker 3: You know? We're here. We're going to try to get
• 22:14
  Speaker 3: to the bottom of this, but you're the only one
• 22:15
  Speaker 3: that was in that house. And, you know, are you
• 22:20
  Speaker 3: scared or something?
• 22:21
  Speaker 5: No.
• 22:23
  Speaker 9: Are you afraid of somebody coming back after you?
• 22:26
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I'm afraid they'll come back, whoever, but no.
• 22:29
  Speaker 3: If you don't tell us something, are you afraid of that? No.
• 22:31
  Speaker 9: Is that what you're afraid of?
• 22:32
  Speaker 7: No.
• 22:34
  Speaker 3: You know, we need to try to get somebody if
• 22:36
  Speaker 3: that's what happened. We need to try to get them
• 22:37
  Speaker 3: off the street, right?
• 22:39
  Speaker 1: Right. But no, I would tell you, I don't, I
• 22:42
  Speaker 1: didn't hear anything. The only thing I can think of is.
• 22:46
  Speaker 9: Are you covering something up, Sandra?
• 22:47
  Speaker 5: No.
• 22:48
  Speaker 3: Why would you take a polygraph?
• 22:52
  Speaker 8: Because I'm so stressed right now, I can't even think straight.
• 22:56
  Speaker 3: That's not a good reason.
• 22:57
  Speaker 1: Well, I just don't want it used against me, that's all.
• 23:02
  Speaker 1: I'll take it, but not just.
• 23:04
  Speaker 3: Why would I have to use it against you?
• 23:06
  Speaker 1: Because I'm stressed and I mean.
• 23:11
  Speaker 3: What happens when we find only your DNA at that
• 23:16
  Speaker 3: scene and no stranger?
• 23:19
  Speaker 4: I touched him.
• 23:20
  Speaker 1: Besides that? We were in the tub together.
• 23:23
  Speaker 9: What if we don't find any stranger's DNA there?
• 23:27
  Speaker 5: I don't know.
• 23:28
  Speaker 1: I mean, that's not my job. I don't know.
• 23:31
  Speaker 2: So your blood will never be a mixture into his blood.
• 23:35
  Speaker 1: I'm sorry?
• 23:36
  Speaker 2: The blood on him, there'll be never no mixture of
• 23:39
  Speaker 2: your blood into his blood.
• 23:42
  Speaker 4: If I'm bleeding right here in my hand, and he's bleeding.
• 23:45
  Speaker 9: And I rub his hand, there should be none of
• 23:47
  Speaker 9: my blood into his blood.
• 23:49
  Speaker 1: I'm not bleeding anymore.
• 23:50
  Speaker 4: That's what I'm asking. There should not be anything, right?
• 23:54
  Speaker 3: Of mine?
• 23:54
  Speaker 5: Right. No.
• 23:56
  Speaker 1: Not blood mixture, but.
• 23:57
  Speaker 9: You understand.
• 23:58
  Speaker 3: that science has come a long way when you're talking
• 24:00
  Speaker 3: about DNA.
• 24:01
  Speaker 1: I thought you meant me touching, me having blood is
• 24:04
  Speaker 1: from me touching.
• 24:05
  Speaker 3: There's a difference between you checking for a pulse and
• 24:08
  Speaker 3: the kind of DNA we're talking about.
• 24:10
  Speaker 9: You know, you got some hellacious injuries on your arms.
• 24:13
  Speaker 1: But these are not, I'm not bleeding from them.
• 24:16
  Speaker 4: These are burns.
• 24:17
  Speaker 3: You understand that, you know, we look at those injuries
• 24:20
  Speaker 3: and we can tell what that's all about.
• 24:22
  Speaker 1: And what is that one all about?
• 24:24
  Speaker 3: Those are some wraparound bruising.
• 24:27
  Speaker 1: Wraparound bruising?
• 24:28
  Speaker 5: Yes, ma'am.
• 24:29
  Speaker 3: And I won't go into reasons why that that's caused
• 24:32
  Speaker 3: like that. I won't do that now. But I'm just
• 24:37
  Speaker 3: telling you, you need to kind of be honest with us.
• 24:41
  Speaker 6: At the scene and on Jim's body, law enforcement found
• 24:44
  Speaker 6: no trace of Sandra's blood. They did, however, find two
• 24:48
  Speaker 6: separate strangers' DNA. That of an unknown woman and an
• 24:52
  Speaker 6: unknown man. Both of their DNA was found on jewelry
• 24:55
  Speaker 6: boxes and drawers in the room. as well as another
• 24:58
  Speaker 6: clue that detectives didn't uncover, but Sandra's daughter did.
• 25:03
  Speaker 3: You didn't hear your husband yelling at all?
• 25:05
  Speaker 5: No.
• 25:07
  Speaker 4: I mean, that's pretty, you know, the wound that he
• 25:11
  Speaker 4: had is pretty, it's painful. He went through a lot
• 25:16
  Speaker 4: of pain.
• 25:16
  Speaker 3: He suffered a lot.
• 25:18
  Speaker 9: He was right there.
• 25:19
  Speaker 3: That's less than 20, 25 feet from where you were at.
• 25:26
  Speaker 1: The only thing I can think of is that I
• 25:27
  Speaker 1: was already out when that happened.
• 25:29
  Speaker 4: That's the only thing I can think of.
• 25:32
  Speaker 3: Isn't it ironic that you black out at the exact
• 25:39
  Speaker 3: time when he's getting stabbed and bludgeoned?
• 25:43
  Speaker 1: I don't have an answer for you.
• 25:46
  Speaker 3: Multiple times like that.
• 25:49
  Speaker 9: Dying, screaming for help.
• 25:51
  Speaker 1: Oh my gosh.
• 25:53
  Speaker 3: I don't understand that. That's ironic.
• 25:56
  Speaker 2: It's a lot of blood that he lost.
• 25:59
  Speaker 9: And whatever he encountered he encountered them before you did before.
• 26:03
  Speaker 3: They came and knocked you out that's why I think
• 26:05
  Speaker 3: there was ample opportunity for you to hear something and
• 26:10
  Speaker 3: nothing you're saying nothing I mean I don't you could
• 26:12
  Speaker 3: have an army tank running in that bathroom and you'd
• 26:14
  Speaker 3: hear that.
• 26:18
  Speaker 2: That's what I don't understand could you hear him? no
• 26:25
  Speaker 2: I couldn't hear Could you hear him yelling for help?
• 26:27
  Speaker 3: No. Could you hear him screaming? I didn't hear anything.
• 26:32
  Speaker 3: I mean, he was in pain. We know that.
• 26:37
  Speaker 10: He suffered a lot. I need you to help me.
• 26:43
  Speaker 10: I need you to help me. I need you to
• 26:48
  Speaker 10: help me on this.
• 26:51
  Speaker 4: Can you help me?
• 26:52
  Speaker 3: I need you to help me. Sandra, can you help me?
• 26:59
  Speaker 4: I need help, Sandra.
• 27:02
  Speaker 3: Please help me.
• 27:05
  Speaker 4: Screaming after screaming after screaming.
• 27:07
  Speaker 3: He's in pain.
• 27:08
  Speaker 4: I need help.
• 27:12
  Speaker 3: Help me, Sandra.
• 27:15
  Speaker 7: Help me.
• 27:18
  Speaker 3: Tell me.
• 27:18
  Speaker 4: Your husband's a nice guy. He went through a lot
• 27:22
  Speaker 4: of pain.
• 27:23
  Speaker 3: Help me.
• 27:27
  Speaker 4: Sandra, I need help. Please help me Sandra.
• 27:37
  Speaker 3: Sandra, help me. Sandra, I need help.
• 27:48
  Speaker 1: I didn't hear anything. Stop already.
• 27:52
  Speaker 2: I need help Sandra.
• 27:56
  Speaker 3: I need help. Help me.
• 28:01
  Speaker 8: That's it.
• 28:01
  Speaker 1: That's it. I need a lawyer.
• 28:03
  Speaker 8: I'm not talking anymore because you guys are just trying
• 28:06
  Speaker 8: to torture me here.
• 28:08
  Speaker 3: I'm not torturing you.
• 28:10
  Speaker 9: I'm asking for help.
• 28:11
  Speaker 1: That's it.
• 28:19
  Speaker 3: Do you love your husband?
• 28:26
  Speaker 1: Yes, I love my husband.
• 28:27
  Speaker 9: Do you care about him?
• 28:28
  Speaker 1: Yes.
• 28:29
  Speaker 3: She wants to finally kill him?
• 28:31
  Speaker 1: Of course.
• 28:33
  Speaker 3: I don't think you do.
• 28:49
  Speaker 4: Did you kill your husband?
• 28:52
  Speaker 1: No, I didn't.
• 28:54
  Speaker 4: Did you have anything to do with your husband's death?
• 28:56
  Speaker 5: No.
• 29:10
  Speaker 6: Immediately following this interrogation, one of the detectives attempted to
• 29:13
  Speaker 6: file murder charges against Sandy. This attempt was rejected due
• 29:17
  Speaker 6: to a lack of evidence at the time. The crime
• 29:19
  Speaker 6: scene was still being processed, and no physical evidence linking
• 29:23
  Speaker 6: Sandy to the crime had been uncovered. The scene of
• 29:26
  Speaker 6: the crime was, undeniably, incredibly odd. Inside the bathtub, police
• 29:30
  Speaker 6: located the kitchen knife that had been used to kill Jaime,
• 29:33
  Speaker 6: as well as a white shirt and a towel. At
• 29:36
  Speaker 6: first glance, the house appeared to have been ransacked. But
• 29:39
  Speaker 6: upon closer inspection, detectives said it appeared that little had
• 29:43
  Speaker 6: been disturbed. According to detectives, there was no sign of
• 29:46
  Speaker 6: forced entry into the home. Sandra's defense, however, argued that
• 29:50
  Speaker 6: there was, and also argued that the investigation had been
• 29:53
  Speaker 6: lackluster from the start. Detectives reportedly never tested the blood
• 29:57
  Speaker 6: found on this safe in Jim's closet, In the garage,
• 30:01
  Speaker 6: Sandra and Jim's daughter Liz discovered a backpack stuffed under
• 30:03
  Speaker 6: the car. Inside was an Xbox, video games, DVDs, and
• 30:08
  Speaker 6: jewelry that appeared to have been stolen from the home.
• 30:11
  Speaker 6: After Liz brought the bag to detectives' attention, they claimed
• 30:14
  Speaker 6: that the bag must have been placed there after the search. However,
• 30:18
  Speaker 6: photos taken during the initial investigation showed the edge of
• 30:21
  Speaker 6: the backpack under the car, indicating that it had been
• 30:25
  Speaker 6: there during their initial sweep. The bag was searched for DNA,
• 30:28
  Speaker 6: which was then attributed to the same two strangers' DNA
• 30:31
  Speaker 6: samples that were present on the jewelry boxes and drawers
• 30:34
  Speaker 6: in the Milger household. There was no DNA linking Sandra
• 30:38
  Speaker 6: to the crime. Yet, a year and a half after
• 30:41
  Speaker 6: the murder, Liz awakened to find several emails and physical
• 30:44
  Speaker 6: letters from lawyers asking if she needed to hire counsel
• 30:47
  Speaker 6: for an upcoming legal case. It was then she learned
• 30:51
  Speaker 6: the news. Her mother was being charged with her father's murder.
• 30:56
  Speaker 6: At trial, which took place three years after Sandra was arrested,
• 30:59
  Speaker 6: the prosecution claimed that Sandra murdered Jaime to get his
• 31:02
  Speaker 6: life insurance policy and to break out of their marriage.
• 31:06
  Speaker 6: Because the couple were Jehovah's Witnesses, they claimed that Sandra
• 31:08
  Speaker 6: would be unable to divorce her husband and had to
• 31:11
  Speaker 6: resort to killing him instead. The defense argued that the
• 31:14
  Speaker 6: life insurance policy, which had been filed over a decade
• 31:17
  Speaker 6: before Jim's death and totaled $ 250, 000, was not sufficient enough
• 31:22
  Speaker 6: motive for Sandra to murder him, especially since She was
• 31:26
  Speaker 6: on Jim's health care plan, and the majority of that
• 31:28
  Speaker 6: money would simply go back to her medications and treatment
• 31:31
  Speaker 6: without him. Though Sandra was discovered tied up in a closet,
• 31:35
  Speaker 6: the prosecution claimed that she easily could have wedged the
• 31:37
  Speaker 6: chair under the door and tied herself up, even going
• 31:40
  Speaker 6: so far as to demonstrate this for the jury. They
• 31:43
  Speaker 6: alleged that Sandra had staged the entire scene in order
• 31:46
  Speaker 6: to get away with her husband's murder. They presented the
• 31:49
  Speaker 6: idea to the jury that Sandy had seduced her husband,
• 31:52
  Speaker 6: tied him up, and then struck him when he was
• 31:54
  Speaker 6: at his most vulnerable.
• 31:56
  Speaker 5: And while he isn't looking, she makes a strike straight
• 31:59
  Speaker 5: up all the way to his neck. That's what that
• 32:03
  Speaker 5: first strike is. Jamie, of course, gets up to try
• 32:09
  Speaker 5: and defend himself, turns around, and that's when she gets
• 32:13
  Speaker 5: him on the thumb. And that's when the blood starts
• 32:16
  Speaker 5: spurting out onto the chair.
• 32:19
  Speaker 6: The defense claimed that Sandra would have been unable to
• 32:21
  Speaker 6: kill her husband, especially due to the severity of his
• 32:24
  Speaker 6: injuries and the lack of trauma to her body. She
• 32:27
  Speaker 6: had no broken nails or broken skin, and aside from
• 32:30
  Speaker 6: the bruise, no marks indicating that she was in any
• 32:33
  Speaker 6: kind of struggle. However, she had a nail that was
• 32:36
  Speaker 6: described as cloudy, and the prosecution stated that this was
• 32:40
  Speaker 6: from cleaning products used to clean up the crime. In
• 32:43
  Speaker 6: reference to the cloudy nail, the prosecution stated, that proves
• 32:47
  Speaker 6: she's the one that she did it. However, no evidence
• 32:51
  Speaker 6: of cleaning products being used to clear any bodily fluids
• 32:54
  Speaker 6: was found. All the drains in the home were tested,
• 32:57
  Speaker 6: and none contained blood that would show Sandy had cleaned
• 33:00
  Speaker 6: her husband's blood off her body or clothing either. It
• 33:04
  Speaker 6: took the jury eight hours to decide Sandy's fate. When
• 33:08
  Speaker 6: her verdict was read, both she and her daughter collapsed
• 33:11
  Speaker 6: to the ground. She was found guilty of murdering her
• 33:14
  Speaker 6: husband and sentenced to 27 years in prison. By the
• 33:18
  Speaker 6: time she's released... She'll be 71 years old. Currently, the
• 33:22
  Speaker 6: Innocence Project of Texas is fighting for her release, but still,
• 33:26
  Speaker 6: the question of her involvement remains. Did Sandy have something
• 33:30
  Speaker 6: to do with the death of her husband of 32 years,
• 33:34
  Speaker 6: or is she an innocent woman that was railroaded?