September 28, 1994. Fremont Hills, Missouri. Lisa Revelle, a mother of two and an elementary school teacher, was shot inside her home and died a few hours later in the hospital. Her husband George, a banker and mayor of the town, was convicted of her murder, but acquitted two years later. Lisa’s murder leaves people wondering if George is truly innocent, or a con man smart enough to cover his tracks. Let us know what you think after the episode by following us on instagram (@generationwhypodcast) or twitter (@genwhypod)
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This is an unofficial transcript meant for reference. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
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Tonight's case,
Benzene Missouri. I actually
didn't know about this case, so it's
lesser known one, which is pretty cool. It's about a murder,
that happens in a household
And the husband said
two intruders came in, but the police
I think something different so with
Aaron. What are we talking about tonight? We're talking about
incident that happened on September 28th. One thousand nine hundred and ninety four in Fremont Hills, Missouri, which apparently is very close to Springfield. So in the southern part of the state Justin one
things you're fond of saying is small town, this
very small town. Apparently
back in the nineties, only about a thousand residents lived in this town. When we
if a small town we're not trying to be disparaging a lot of
all town folks are proud of their small towns, I would be too
so yeah, and this is
Fremont Hills, and this involves
the mayor of that small town.
He was the mayor and he's a banker. His wife was LISA,
she was in Ozark Elementary teacher and they had two children in
one ninety two. They had purchased a home that cost three
in forty two thousand dollars now
with inflation, and all that you can essentially double that amount. So this is
over a six hundred thousand dollar home and
they renovated it.
additional hundred thousand dollars. So lots of money going on here. It's a wealthy area and on this
particular date something bad happens. This was
September. Twenty eighth nineteen. Ninety four at
five, a M police officers are dispatched to the home
the security system, that's alerted them when they arrive Georgia's at
front door talking on the phone and he says
they shot. My wife, they shot my wife, so
I hope he'll end up leading the investigators to the bedroom where his wife,
If LISA has been
in their head, she was
taken to the hospital but
is declared dead a few hours later. She,
Thirty seven years old,
their children, were upstairs at the time of the murder and
stayed upstairs and their bedrooms even after
the officers arrived they weren't
initially questioned now
it was early morning and if anyone has,
in the midwest you have morning, dew, everything's, wet and
officers as they approach the home. They didn't see anyone fleeing the home,
they didn't see anyone running from the home any cars at this hour and day
I looked around the house and there wasn't any tracks leading away from the house. So if
wet grass and you run through it
it mashes it down, and yours
trail just right off the bat officers
don't see any evidence of anyone that has left, though they spoke
some of the neighbors- and
one of the neighbors actually got a call from the alarm company you would think
How did that happen? But in
all towns, this alarm,
company, they know everybody and they probably
installed alarm systems in every home in this neighborhood. So when the
alarm was tripped and they couldn't get.
Old of George, they called a neighbour
and the neighbors said I don't
hear see anything going on. I don't know what's happening, also
they had newspaper delivery people out that morning
they didn't see anything or hear anything now
Garage door was open just a couple feet
George's family had a cat and they left the garage
just slightly ajar, so the cat
I can come and go at night. They were
checking to see. If maybe the intruders had gone into the garage and being
they couldn't find any signs of
forced entry
they're, assuming that these intruders entered and left via the garage, but they would have had to have gotten down on like their bellies and local
wild, underneath the garage door and entered the house also
the family, had a dog and the dogs were not barking.
In police arrived
after they arrived. The family dogs
it. Barking at the police so
again no evidence of any break in no evidence of any shoe prints or boot prints. Anything like that in the grass or on the property. At this point
they believe they're, intruders, they're, just take
Georgia's word for it because
I can't find any evidence so there
looking around the home they're trying to see
these intruders left any any signs and
end up finding a piece of paper in
bathroom, but the cat,
to the alarm system and they went down into the basement and
finding a note from LISA, George's, wife and
cursory glance? At that note? It was a
written to George talking about
her dissatisfaction with the marriage and how she couldn't live like this anymore, doesn't bode well for this situation.
I ended the note by saying that she did love him, but she just couldn't live like that anymore. It
definitely something that would cause the
person or even the average detective. I would imagine to think this might be a motive,
Maybe she wanted to leave him now. George
says that he was woken up by the alarm system and he
went to investigate.
He went into the bathroom to grab his shotgun. But before
we could get it. These intruders entered the bedroom and one held a gun to LISA's head and told him to turn off the alarm. When
George went to deactivate the alarm, he heard a gunshot and then the alarm went off again.
He saw the intruders shoot his wife and then exit through the garage door and that
what happened at four fifty seven a m
said the intruders were wearing dark clothes, one was wearing a baseball cap backwards,
intruders were wearing masks and they
determined that the gun used was a forty five caliber pistol, but again not
in really added up with his story, and they couldn't
verify his story with any evidence within the home and a big part of that
was because there was no.
and found that would have come,
was LISA's death. In other words, no handgun was found, no murder. What so? Where is it if there were
one thing you could point to early on that says: maybe George had nothing to do with this. It's the
that the murder weapon is missing. If there were
intruders, they must have taken it with them, this
looks pretty suspicious, but Juan
meant, doesn't have enough to eat.
Whose against George at this point, all they have is their guns,
Stink of doesn't look
like any one broke into the home.
but we don't have a murder weapon, so we're just go:
collect evidence, talk to people and then see what pans out and
I have to wait long. Do they earn now
lay down and that's because they investigate George
it turns out.
He was embezzling money. He worked.
at the Ozark Bank, and
he was stealing money from the bank. What better
I steal money from right. He was also because he was mayor able,
embezzle money from the town wow that x
house they bought the
renovation they had done were way
over budget. So it's
shown by his bank accounts that he was pretty much broke.
because of this house in his
we're spending. What else did they
find about George leading
to this murder. They also
discovered that he had taken,
out. A life insurance policy on his wife to the tune of five hundred
thousand dollars, and it was a double indemnity policy.
which just means depending
what happened to his wife. He could
that paying double so
If she were murdered or had an accident, then it could pay double for a man with that it could solve his problems.
they end up talking to people around town and finding out that
George was somewhat paranoid. That's why he had this
elaborate security system?
stalled on his home and
He was in the market,
to buy a gun for home
defense. He had been.
asking people he knew about guns about
what type of weapon would be good for home defense and it seems
through conversations with various people that he had to say
a upon a forty five caliber handgun, which, as we know,
happened to be the same caliber gun used to murder his wife.
The things that he had asked about was stopping power which
interesting because he had a shotgun that has pretty good.
stopping power yeah, and
A shotgun is far more
intimidating than a handgun, but a shotgun
was kept in the other room or according to him, it was so he couldn't get to it in time to save his wife and defend his home and
currently these intruders were just there too.
hold them hostage and kills wife and then take off. I guess I don't know
It almost sounds, like George, is trying to say that the shooting
been an accident in other
they didn't intend to shoot LISA this
came down to
gun. Accidentally went off that they had,
actually intended to get money from him. So
The Iraq WAR extension attempt.
there were events before this.
The police were dispatched to the home for a pie.
simple prowler. This was
actually, the day before and
the same officer, officer, Hicks was dispatched and
George told him that the motion detector lights had gone off,
and he wanted Hicks to chuck around the house, but the
sir found nothing and didn't see,
any footprints in the grass, nothing to in
that any one was around. The home
it doesn't mean nobody was there. It just means that
officer didn't find anything there, the night before and then
a little over twenty four hours later? Something happens so does this
I George's story did he have a
to be paranoid. There were
some friends of this couple that had hung out with them and talked with them.
And one of the conversations they had and and LISA was also saying this, as they are
about how there may have been p
stalking them or prowling around their home and they were nervous,
is the mayor of the town. Maybe he did
something that
other. The residents didn't like he's, also a bank
manager sober
app someone might see him as a target if they would like some easy money now
officers there. Thinking Bow Europe,
investigation.
Embezzling money, and you took
a life insurance policy for
at least the amount that you are in debt for, but possibly double and
now your wife has been murdered kind of out of the blue sky.
Oh they're, allowing this embezzlement investigation to proceed while they kind of just
collect more evidence and it's
March of nineteen. Ninety five
George, is charged with eighteen counts of embezzlement,
this application of bank funds and money laundering, he pleads
guilty to seventeen of those eighteen counts and a
we used to serve twenty seven months in prison, but twenty
seven months, that's a little over two years
law enforcement thinking. We need to go after him for the murder of his wife. Now he wasn't I
The following month, in April of ninety five
But the trial wouldn't begin until ninety six, because
It was a murder and because it look like it was planned. The state wanted to pursue
death penalty now can I stop you there,
right, real, quick errand, because I
It's thought that the death penalty was used for the most heinous crimes.
and I'm not trying to dismiss somebody
planned
the murder of their wife, but if just
first degree. Murder is all you need for the death penalty. Then
at least in Missouri. We need not put the definition
on the most heinous crimes is what we reserve capital punishment for, because we don't we
just throw it out there. Willy nilly a case like this life in prison,
should be sufficient that
typically how we interpret the death penalty.
Unless there was torture,
Unless there were multiple felonies committed in the commission of a homicide, we don't use the death penalty, but they're thrown at
they're- and the only reason why bring this up is because
It is a capital murder trial when it when the death,
multi is on the table. It's hot.
For a jury to convict the jury,
once all the evidence, the jury,
He wants to be.
absolutely sure before they end of life. So it's
It's a lot easier to put somebody away for life, as opposed to
knowing that you're
going to have the state kill them.
September. Seven. Ninety, ninety five,
if was sentenced based on his embezzlement charges, but that's not the most
interesting thing that happened. Was it
Oh, no. This is where the the plot thickens this,
anonymous letter shows up at the Christian County Sheriff's office.
This letter is basically a can
fashion of sorts. It said
that George rival was innocent of the crime that the crime,
so committed by two men who work
this is of a man by the name of Ronnie Kessler, who just happened,
be George? Reveals half brother and
who also died
in car accident two weeks
before LISA's murder? How convenient the letter explained that RON
I had planned to hold George revealed at gunpoint so that he could get
to withdraw money from his bank kisses
compasses without Ronnie
I to go ahead with the plan anyway? But
because the shooting of LISA was accidental, they panicked and fled. So what about the
codes, the alarm codes that were found on a sheet of paper in the bathroom. Well, it says
before the murder. Do you
two men broke into the Ravel home to get the alarm codes
Also in this letter is
where law enforcement can find the murder weapon, which has been ditched in a pond
somewhere in town now they take?
this note very seriously and
They go to the property where this pond is this property. Was
and by Kessler in his wife, so
maybe there's some true to this letter. While there is truth to the letter because its
in his brother, in law, has half brother and the property
is owned by him.
They find a gun afforded
five caliber pistol at the bottom of this pond, wrapped in duct tape, so
at least the gun. The murder weapon is truthful,
is anything else. In this letter, the truth,
it's up to our listeners to decide take moment
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began serving his time for the embezzlement charges in October of ninety ninety five, but
ninety ninety six. They pull him
how to stand trial for them.
Of his wife and
The prosecution has a lot of circle,
stand, show evidence go
against George, they have the fan.
That nobody saw anyone coming or going from the home that morning, which pay it's five a m in the morning. People are asleep, but
they bring in the security company and
do a forensic analysis of the law
worms and they show that,
only one alarm was triggered and it
in the bedroom that morning there were
multiple alarms, so as you
Amber George,
said he was awoken to the alarm.
To turn it off and then it was triggered again from
the intruders in the bedroom. Well,
There was only one trigger, and that was in the bedroom and if
should have gone off in a house. That's probably gonna trigger the alarm, but
areas of the house like the garage or the outside. Nothing was triggered so
this is really going against George and his
story about intruders breaking in the defense.
Ownership. The alarm system not going off because they claim Lee
Sir, had gone to the garage, the night price,
where to retrieve some papers and turned off the zone
you know the alarm zone of the garage. So therefore, if
Somebody entered that way. It wouldn't alert anyone.
and then there's the question of the let
that LISA wrote and
becomes a huge debate during trial because the letter
essentially is LISA writing a letter to George saying you have.
anger problems, I don't want a big house. I don't want all this stuff
just want somebody who loves me and cares about me and I can't live,
like this anymore, meaning
the marriage is on the rocks, but this letter
is highly disputed in the courtroom, because the defense
is saying it's hearsay and deeming it
municipal or trying to get it deemed inadmissible where
prosecution is saying no. This is relevant and why,
and the police questioned George during the interrogation, they asked him
how's your marriage going
George says it's perfect up until today- meaning it was perfect up and tell
murder happen, and then the investigators pulled. The note
from LISA and George look
completely defeated and they said
do you know what this is, and he said yes,
Oh George knows that this law
exists, and
knows that he's been caught in a lie during the interrogation, but at trial.
The defense is trying to say that this note this letter was written years prior to the murder.
Where is the state where
prosecution can
really only prove that it was maybe written six months before the incident. The murder.
so the question is
is this letter. Is this note here, because what
her state of mind, still valid at the time of the murder. Well, you can't say, but I don't think that's exam
Ackley how they handle this, because the judge has to make determination here and
certainly feels like the judge decided that it may be relevant because much
prosecution's case
pens on George and LISA not getting along
why else is he asking about a gun? Why is he taking out this life insurance policy? Why
there a call the day before
why, on the day that he's sentenced,
on the embezzlement charges does a share
department suddenly get a letter where some
explaining, who actually did the crime
seems like there are so many convenient thing
going on that India
hey that George is responsible here. That
decides to let it in
says where it's. This is our legal system, the act
or content of the letter is relevant to the case
but the argument is, is
sure say, and
they really based that off of the time it was written and they
cannot prove that it was written the day before or even any time
within the last six months of the murder. So it's a sir.
Yes. Point of contention
My understanding is that the prosecutor Kenny he hauls off is
really the reason why this court found in the prosecution's favor because he's very good
making making little things into big things,
and what I mean by that is, he finds the snow, and since we
really know when it was written for sure
don't really know how relevant it is to the case, we just know at one time their marriage was not perfect. It was far from perfect because
it sounded like LISA wanted out, but
that's what he's telling the judges is this,
state of mind. This explains,
why she died and
I think he was able to convince them
it's just that simple and
defence is saying: commands hearsay. We don't have
her to tell us how relevant this note. Is we all
I don't know when it was written. So how do we know it has anything to do with this? Why couldn't it? Just
b to intruders, who shot LISA and fled and their police just
but not to find any evidence of an intruder,
a very valid assessment because you can go into a house
Somebody and leave and not leave any evidence,
touch anything you're, not leaving any fingerprints if you're not running through the grass you're, not leaving footprints, you can.
Enter a home and leave a home, especially if the garage door is ajar.
And not leave any evidence and they find the duct tape on the gun
they claim that matches duct tape in the house, but the duct tape, duct tape.
How do you match it mean if I go to
hardware, store and buy a roll of duct tape and you go to a hardware store and buy that same role. Well. This is
The town is probably only one or two brands of duct tape that you can buy at that time.
The defense, is really hammering. All the circumstantial evidence home, but how
you explain the alarm system, not triggering how'd. You
explain that this guy wasn't dead. He was
embezzling money and
taken an insurance policy out on his wife
was going to pay him out and save the day,
a financially also
life insurance policies. They don't just
tenue on for eternity you have to
continue to pay on them to keep them up to date and this life
insurance policy only survival it was about to expire. The sky was in debt.
So who knows if he could have kept that policy going? This is what,
prosecution tells the jury. They say, George!
killed his wife, so he
get the insurance money to take care of his debt
as just like she mentioned in her letter to him, Joe
Chad, a thing for material possessions and
with the house in anything else. He was a part of he wanted
so big they just
sustained that now, at the rate he was going so
had to do is point to that. They pointed to
George lying because he lied.
the police, that's what
Note shows that's another way. This note is important. At least to the process
in case it showed things weren't perfect, that's
he reacted. The way he did. They said his face fell
he realized what they were holding them
prosecution really hammers home that this
proves that the
which was on the rocks and
Is it as motive the security
the company they determined that there couldn't have been an intruder in the home. So this is looking
four George but their defense there,
and argue that there was no evidence tying him to this crime, but
while they're saying that I think they're having problems, because the prosecution has been putting up fact after fact, as they call it
showing that George had every reason and every motive and every opportunity to commit this crime
and they didn't have any evidence
anyone else's involvement, even
more damning, they allow
that, while George was walking around the house on the phone
he was also hiding the gun and they claim that
after the police left. He then
able to move the gun to this pond, though,
that was insinuating that he was not guilty, while they're saying keep
that letter he said,
to the sheriff's office. Both
I'd have their points, but both sides
we are looking at the others.
Evidence and saying. Well, that's
alleged or that's just circumstantial
how'd. You know he
get the gun before the cops came and then dumped it in the pond and then wrote a letter but
looking at the Sahara and, I think know that's the per
long game of trying
Get yourself off for a murder is
You say somebody broke into the house, murdered your wife, you
the murder weapon you dump it somewhere and
and you write a letter giving law enforcement just enough information to make it credible, hints
saying where the murder weapon can be found is that makes
these intruders that were hired
by his half brother
a real too.
This whole letter is credible. Believe me, but it's
convenient distance,
it's a tourney Bell went he tried his best. I mean he's so
there's nothing tying him. The letter
tested, there's nothing to show
but he was connected to it. At any point, he's all
talking about the embezzling. That happened
he's trying to say that while George did it,
where's family
I believe that he was doing it because you love material things. He's actually doing this to give his family a wonderful home which, while they're, trying to build his character up before the jury.
After the prosecution is tearing it down, it's very difficult job
so again. This letter that piece of wrote
the prosecution maintains his maybe six months old, the defenses
in its two to three years old, the judge
make a call on it and the judge
that you know this is heresy, but it's
so relevant to the case. So, of course
it stays in
Justin there's nothing more crucial to the process
This case in this note right. Well, if your phone,
guilty? And the defense is going to appeal to your case than absolutely they're, going to put all the
on this. This note, but I think
there is a lot of other
it's here, there's a lot of other things
that point to guilt.
besides the letter- but
a court of law yeah. This letter was the pivotal.
Piece of evidence for the state
I I say it's the crucial
because it's one thing to say: why
all this circumstantial evidence that suggests that George was
behind the murder, but this letter
from his own wife to him it's
Basically saying he has anger issues that you can't live like that anymore, and this
Water was found in his stuff was found
his things he kept the letter. This is something that will get into later, but they d,
will later try to use that
their vantage. So
a jury spent about nine hours, deliberating
February, 11th, one. Ninety six, Georgia,
convicted of capital murder and received
life in prison without any pain.
ability, parole and that's
as the jury said no
to the death penalty, which I say
is appropriate based on
the facts and evidence included
in this case. So I think it's just, but you know
the defense, is going to appeal and
absolutely going to look at this letter. Has hearsay
should have not been deemed admissible for the trial. The defense dept
only tries to bring up
many points. Twelve point
it's of error, but the court
after reviewing them only consider two and so
This is the quote: this court, only
Looks to whether there is sufficient evidence from which we
while could have found that
guilty beyond a reasonable doubt and of course
is inadmissible. Hearsay letter, as they knew it was
definitely being reviewed.
Before we go on Jess. We should talk about this.
when you have something that's inadmissible, hearsay talking about a crucial,
piece of evidence that might be withheld from a court room.
What are they trying to do at that? Are they trying to make the case harder on the prosecution
that they're trying to make the prosecution's job more difficult, they're just trying to defend their client. They want
prejudicial evidence. That is not
based on facts
not based on anything relevant, and they see this letter as being
prejudicial and when it was written, can
be verified
so they're not going to they don't
going in this,
was beyond what a defense might want. This is part of the justice system's attempt to be fair to defendants, because,
difficult enough. If you have a charge against you of murder, your
you're already working from the
round up here at a disadvantage from the start. We ve talked about this
many times. It doesn't matter
that you're innocent till proven guilty many times
It feels like you're guilty.
a proven innocent to me, this is
protection for people in other words,
let's put the bulk of the Wrist
ability on the prosecution to get this right. They'll have to work for it
prejudicial evidence like this can make their
job so much easier because they can point to and say you don't
Ub sap here on the stand, LISA Revell was murdered, but we do
something she wrote to her husband and will read
at to you in court today when they do that there,
basically bringing in a purse,
who's has been murdered and allowing them to speak, but
really getting their words you're, getting a note that they wrote
months or years ago and so
They can manipulate this to their own end, and that's where the court,
I think, has a duty to look out for defendants, even if we believe them to be guilty. There has to be said
protections. Otherwise, prosecutions would have a much ease.
time well and I I
I agree with the sentiment there. I agree with we
need to.
we need to do everything in our power to defend the accused, its
interesting to me that in so many
other cases stuff like this. Is
absolutely admissible, not even challenge,
It just seems to be rubber stamped, and so I was surprised that this letter became so
The point of contention you
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Mean twenty other cases where
similar pieces
the evidence were admitted.
and were used to get a conviction of a defendant
then I would still argue that this war
case they got it right
they needed to do this because the playing field has to be equal, and this would
make it very unequal. I would argue.
And that's what happened. We saw that George Rebel was convicted. He was given
life sentence so when the court,
is reviewing this.
They're, seeing what we saw, which was this is a very
prejudicial letter and you
argue that it's relevant but you're not arguing
I'm a factual stand. Standpoint
You mean you're saying this is what she was thinking and that she continued
to feel that same way up until her murder.
But there is an evidence of that. In fact some
are argue.
Let's just say it was six slash: eight months old will go with prosecution's timeline
then why hadn't she left him
why hadn't she even
for a divorce or anything they were still
weather. So maybe Georgia's story of well, we patched things up and
There's something else. He said we patch things up, and I kept that letter as a reminder of how bad
things can get it not to let it get that way again.
but we just don't know what LISA was thinking or feeling around the time of her murder. The defense appeals on a bunch of
Points about the case, one of them was
The judge should have recused himself, because obviously George was the mayor of the town and had dealings with.
The judicial system, but at no point,
in the first trial. Did the defense costs
the judge to recuse himself. So as we
say was that strategy? Was that just something missed? I don't know,
if you can retro
if go back and say the judge should have
use themself
unless you have absolute proof that there was a conflict of interest. So
rebel got a retrial November
one. Ninety seven, the Missouri Court of Appeals vacated his conviction. They said
that note was in it.
well here say just as the defense was asking for them to say:
and so it should never have been included as ever
since in his trial
the retrial happened
December of
T. Ninety eight, then this time we have different attorneys just in the
prosecutor is nickname doktor death. If that's not foreboding enough
Apparently he was very
aggressive in getting
sentences and the
the attorney now representing George, was named. Sean
asking us. He too, I from
my understanding is a very respected defense attorney
care is very much about defendants rights so
get this jury for this retrial
from Henry County Missouri, which is about one hundred and ten miles away from Ozark and the defense. This time
is much more well equipped to defend their client
one because they don't have this letter.
Hanging over them in the court, but also
because they start to go over the evidence a little harder. They say that this
sheriff's department really didn't investigate this letter other than they drained the PA.
I didn't, found the gun,
on them to look into a further. They wanted them to track down the people. In the letter this was
letter that had been sent to the sheriff's department, claiming
at George Orwell was innocent yeah, but his half brother died
prior, so that was sort of a dead lead, a dead end. There was no lead there, so, but what about
the two men named in the letter, the sheriff
apartment didn't really look in
this. They did
try to find out who he was connected with if he had made
most anyone around the time they judge.
Well, we don't believe it essentially
being that Ronnie Kessler, his half brother died,
before the murder. I
I don't know how much the police officers could have investigated that. I know that
or to intruders, but did
Have any leads for those two people being that the bridge
the half brother was dead like us
they could have looked at phone records. They could have done something and all that
defense attorney is saying, is if your
to dismiss evidence without looking into it? Then why
we take you seriously? There was just
no attempt, I think all they did was
they attempted to find finger, prints or dna on the ladder to see if it would,
George there's something,
that's kind of interesting. I don't know what you make of it, but LISA's autopsy. There were photos,
during that and
the photos were missing and, of course it said that too
the lead investigators may have taken the photos, so they weren't
available anymore, so they
it's kind of makes a big deal out of this because well, this is missing evidence and again theirs
never a case. That's perfect and
whether there are missing autopsy photos
somebody is guilty or innocent. I don't know
but it does show that there
is missing evidence and there's some
wrong with the case well,
SK analyses the defense attorney was able to
figure out why these photos may have been misplaced and that
because in one of them one of these
detectives had placed his hand.
over LISA's chest
and it was said that the same detective had made crude comments
because he had never seen an autopsy of a woman with breast implants. So
where you in the first trial, George
there was under fire wall?
this retrial- the defense attorneys going after in
the Gators now and saying these are the people
leading the investigation- and this is
What's coming out of their mouths? That's what success I think
George appears very suspicious. I think
there is a lot of evidence against him, but
during the investigation? If you pull pranks like that, it
disrupts all your credibility in the face of a jury. It was known
that investigators spent about a thousand hours and the revolt home looking for
any kind of evidence they
were found the murder weapon there. So, of course,
defense attorney is saying they,
that much time in the home and never found the gun how,
was he able to hide the gun there and then move it?
upon later, how did he trick the detectives detect
gives had tunnel vision and we're looking at George, but then
the detectives are also incompetent and unable to find the murder weapon in a home that the defence of saying wasn't there in the first place also defined.
brings in an alarm expert named Jeff,
these weren't puri,
it's the rebel home alarm system?
He can show how an intruder or intruders could break and easily, and that's because
the alarm system wasn't properly programmed or installed he disk.
Wiped it as untrustworthy
A lot of time is spent on this and really what
he's doing, as which
the obvious, is they're, saying,
You know that alarm system that
security systems are, the security company said was showing
No one entered the home. Well, they don't know what you're talking about. We have an expert in the court room whose
in quite a lot of time showing how this is not a trustworthy alarm system.
don't believe any of that they're breaking this?
a stone and the prosecution is having a hard time on this
retrial and
When you do look at each of the pieces they're all
extremely suspicious they're, all very
convenient but
in a court of law
to prove
any single point here, because the murder weapon wasn't found at the home did
security system work properly
because you don't see footprints leading away from the house. Does that mean nobody ran away from the house? Now it doesn't. So I think.
common sense shows
at George. Probably did this
beyond reasonable doubt, that's what
have to prove in a court of law and
How does this second trial goer.
the things that I read was that because this security expert was so good,
This testimony was showing how this alarm system was untrustworthy, that the state,
even bring on an expert to counter him. It's
it's like they said yeah. They beat us there
the jury decided on December thirteenth. Ninety ninety eight, that George, should be acquitted and
that's something I think a lot of people have a hard time with. Just because
there are so many circumstance,
no pieces in this case that say, George must have done it but
this is why we have a trial. Is you have these experts,
after each other, trying to
prove their cases
It just so happened that, while
ask him ass, he did one hell
the job proving that George was.
guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
And so the jury had to do what was right and acquit him.
As far as this a life in
this policy in an interesting move. His children receive
the one million dollars
I say it's interesting because George was the only recipient, but the children got the money. George,
He's more good news, because on December 17th of the same year, he was released from his federal embezzlement sentence. I'm torn on
Because
This is how our system should function.
this is reasonable doubt, but I'm
all the evidence here and I'm just thinking to myself. There is
the evidence pointing to his
brother hiring people to
Do a home invasion and extra
money from George and his wife. There is less
evidence of bat than George plan
The murder of his wife
just because you have more check boxes in one than another, doesn't get to that threat
of beyond a reasonable doubt. So I think that George
probably plan this and did this, but I can't
really fault the court systems. Here the check boxes
at least for me are usually what do I think, but of course,
is that threshold, when it
is to an actual conviction. I think,
this case Askinosie says it best when he said that if George W
the thank someone for his freedom. He should be thanking Jeffreys worrying because
That's where he really feels this case was one once they got leases, let
we're out of the way, then
is all on the secure
system. How did these?
entered the home, if we believe
security system work properly
and that shows and you're the one who brought this up when we talked about it, that
there were no intruders because when he fired the gun that set the alarm off. But if you
I trust the alarm system if it's garbage they may vary
well I've been then
that doesn't matter anymore. You can't you
the security system to show anything, but
if covered cases like this before just and where we think one way an whose
truly guilty
but we also respect how the court acted, because it needs to be fair. People have rights.
We spent so much time talking about the?
Britain's
relevance or possible. Hearsay
LISA's note to her husband, george- and this is the note.
To George from LISA, maybe
This is the only form you will read like an no
I can't
Tell you anything without feeling your anger.
I'll try to write down my feelings. I am very.
cared about our marriage and our family. I can't
continue living this way? I'm afraid of you
afraid of your anger and your silence. I find me,
self telling the kids not to bother you. I find myself
tiptoeing around the house, and I won't do it anymore life's too short for this garbage. If you can't talk to
Then find someone you can talk to.
your indecision about your job are home.
the thing right now has nothing to do with me find out why you're stalling? I don't want
big new home or a Mercedes or a high land membership
I only want someone who loves me and accepts me as I am. I need someone
Cares what I think and wants me to be a part of his life. What do you want? I've often
thought that it would be easier if you were having an affair. At least that would be something tangible I could deal with, but I don't know
how to deal with this. I've tried
give time, but nothing happens and you don't seem to want it to change. U P,
we don't even believe anything is wrong.
Just to live in a house together. Isn't enough, I try to find out about your work, but you cannot reply
When did you ever ask me about summer school classes? I want to be
part of your life, and maybe you don't care about mine, but it
be honest enough to tell me,
hurt and alone, and the kids feel it too. I see
Stan shutting down his feelings too and
me sad candidacies,
Just plain angry and I know she can feel my pain and your anger
will always love you, but I won't live with you like this.
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Transcript generated on 2022-04-11.