- 1 day ago
Murder on Trial - Season 1 Episode 5 -
The Body in the River
The Body in the River
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FunTranscript
00:00Police asked for your help in finding the missing man, Gregory Rice.
00:05He was most recently seen on Friday.
00:07They used drones, people were on horseback.
00:10They searched a lot of area looking for Greg Rice to no avail.
00:15Where do you think he is, you think?
00:17I have no idea.
00:19Our fear was that the body had been burned and we would never find it.
00:23I did not preview him. I can't even run the machine.
00:26Megan and Chris were seen together constantly.
00:28I don't think it was a particularly well-kept secret.
00:32The only thing that I'm guilty of is somebody that's married.
00:35There were some locals, they smelled what you can never forget, the smell of a dead body.
00:42There's the body you threw over the bridge.
00:44You're going to be charged with murder, Chris.
00:45He had a murder dump kit in his shopping cart.
00:48The exact items that Greg Rice's body was wrapped in.
00:51This is a tale of the oldest kind.
00:54An affair, a pregnancy, and a murder.
00:57She said, have you ever cheated on your wife?
00:59I said, no.
01:01She said, well, you're about to.
01:02The central part of Horry County has a small-town feel.
01:25Everybody knows each other.
01:27It was not the norm to have someone just completely disappear like Greg Rice did.
01:39My name is Ginger Popp.
01:44I'm an investigator here at the 15th Judicial Circuit Solicitor's Office.
01:50Initially, there was talk that maybe he had a drug problem.
01:56Maybe he had an alcohol problem.
01:58You know, maybe he just wandered off and had drank too much.
02:01The person initially who reported Gregory Rice missing was Megan Jackson.
02:13Megan Jackson and Gregory Rice had had a long-standing relationship.
02:18They had several children in common and did not live together anymore.
02:22Megan Jackson reported him missing after she took the children to Greg Rice's apartment
02:51for a scheduled visitation, and he didn't answer the door or the phone.
02:55I said, you know what?
02:57Something's not right here.
02:58His car's here.
02:59He's not answering.
03:00And I was talking to him Friday and knowing he was, like, kind of messed up.
03:06I was really scared he was, like, in an apartment and OD'd or something.
03:10Normally, when people take off, they take certain items on them that they can survive with.
03:16I mean, well, that's why I'm always concerned.
03:20Megan Jackson was already known to local authorities because of her work for them as what is known
03:24as a body mover.
03:26We pick up bodies for the local coroner's office and the local funeral homes.
03:31My name is Charles Benjamin, and Megan Jackson used to work for me going to crime scenes
03:37and making the removal and taking them to the morgue.
03:40A lot of people say, oh, I could do that, and until they get out and have to clean up a nasty scene.
03:45But she adjusted real well.
03:47Has he ever tried to commit suicide or threatened suicide in the past?
03:51Just that one time I knew it was all the family stuff that was going on was, like, 2007.
03:59But it wasn't like a...
04:00He just kind of threw himself down the steps.
04:03It wasn't a legit attempt.
04:06No.
04:07And I got to ask, does he, like, as far as women, I mean, would he get online and find a prostitute?
04:15I mean, I hate to say that, but it's more frequent than you think with men.
04:20I honestly have no idea.
04:22He's into some...
04:24What's his sexual name?
04:25Is he...
04:26I know...
04:28Mellow, or is he, like, the weird stuff?
04:30He likes torture stuff.
04:33Okay.
04:34Well, thank you.
04:36Thanks for talking to us.
04:37Sorry for the situation.
04:39Horry County Police Department initially treated this right out the gate as a true missing person.
04:46A missing persons flyer was created, and it was all over the local news.
04:51Police asked for your help in finding a missing man.
04:54Who you see right here is Gregory Rice.
04:56He was most recently seen on Friday near Flint Lake Drive outside of Myrtle Beach.
05:00Horry County Police Department had dogs come search.
05:05They used drones.
05:06People were on horseback, four-wheelers.
05:10They searched a lot of area looking for Greg Rice to no avail.
05:17It doesn't make sense.
05:20One day, not hearing from him as normal, but two days, I kind of knew something was up.
05:26Greg Rice's cell phone record showed he was home most of the Friday night before he was reported missing.
05:47They knew the last contact that Greg had had with anyone, and that was with Megan Jackson.
05:54My name is Mary Ellen Walter, and I'm a senior assistant solicitor in Horry County.
05:58At that point, Megan Jackson and Greg Rice had been separated for some time.
06:03Didn't get along particularly well, but Greg was very, very focused on his children.
06:07Detectives began to gather surveillance video from the places Megan said she had been that Friday night,
06:14including a restaurant where Megan was seen with the county's deputy coroner, Chris Dantel.
06:21They were seen together constantly.
06:23They would often go to dinner together or lunch together.
06:26I don't think it was a particularly well-kept secret.
06:30So Chris Dantel was brought in for questioning in what was still a missing persons investigation.
06:36How we got your name was Megan.
06:39Said that you guys had gone out to eat on a Friday night.
06:43What's the relationship with you and Megan?
06:46If I'm being honest, it's something I would get divorced over.
06:52And that's why I said, whatever is sitting here, it stays here.
06:56We ain't gonna run and tell nobody.
06:57I mean, I, you know, I, you know, was expecting this, so.
07:03Did you ever have any contact with Greg about anything?
07:06None.
07:07I mean, not just like on this day, like period.
07:09Have you guys ever had contact with each other?
07:11I've never even said a word to him.
07:14I know of Greg.
07:15I know, um, to be honest with you, he's kind of a weirdo.
07:20Yeah.
07:20Um, I know he's into some crazy stuff, and I think that's why she moved away from him.
07:27She told me that it was an abusive relationship, but obviously she never got into details, but.
07:32Yeah.
07:32She always said.
07:33He's, he, um, he is a, he's a pervert.
07:40He's a violent pervert.
07:41And then later that day, Megan was brought in for a second round of questioning.
07:58Not in any trouble.
08:01Okay.
08:02Okay.
08:04There are claims that are being made against you that we have to have answers to.
08:08Right.
08:08Okay.
08:10Um, we talked to Chris this morning.
08:14Mm-hmm.
08:15We know about you and Chris.
08:17Okay.
08:19We don't care.
08:21Okay.
08:21That has nothing to do with this.
08:22But if some of the vagueness you gave the other day was to try to cover that up, it needs to go away.
08:32Okay.
08:33What are they going to know about?
08:34And what, who said something about me?
08:38Like, the accusation he was.
08:39It's nothing against you, but, I mean, I, all the fingers from his family were like.
08:47Pointing at me?
08:48Yeah.
08:49So I have.
08:49Do you know what happened?
08:50So I got to treat you as suspect number one and prove that you aren't suspect number one.
08:56Detectives wanted to know what happened after Megan and Chris left the restaurant that Friday night.
09:02We both got in my car.
09:04Okay.
09:06That's the uncomfortable part, right?
09:08Yeah.
09:10Hmm.
09:11So y'all were in your car?
09:13Yeah.
09:14Okay.
09:15Did y'all have sex in your car?
09:18Possibly.
09:18Where did y'all go?
09:21Um, we drove our food.
09:23Okay.
09:24What I've kind of gathered over the past couple of days is that, or what I've been told is that Greg recently found out that you and Chris were having sex together.
09:36He's known.
09:38He's had my kids spy.
09:40I mean, you can read our text.
09:41And then detectives asked if Megan would let them go through her phone.
09:46You are going to see stuff on there where he, uh, f***ed out Chris.
09:50And I, I'll admit that there's been times that I was a true f*** to him after he was, he was rude to me first.
10:01Did you do anything to cause his disappearance?
10:04No.
10:04Okay.
10:05Then you don't have anything to worry about.
10:06Three weeks after Greg Rice was first reported missing, there was still no sign of him.
10:24And detectives brought Megan Jackson in for a third round of questioning about her timeline on that pivotal Friday night.
10:32The lack of details is what's throwing these red flags, and why do we keep having to bring you back here?
10:38I mean, it's just because I don't remember.
10:41Here's the kicker and the whole thing.
10:42Did you ever go to Greg's house?
10:44No.
10:45But a license plate reader showed Megan's van going into Greg Rice's neighborhood that Friday night.
10:52Well, it shouldn't have.
10:53I have pictures of it.
10:56I mean, that's fine, but it shouldn't have.
10:58But it did.
11:03Right at the time that you called Greg, and you exit six minutes later, which I've timed out, is just enough time to go to Greg's apartment.
11:14I didn't go anywhere.
11:15I have the camera from the LPR, from the license plate reader.
11:18Okay, but I didn't go to his apartment at all that night.
11:21Honestly, I think you're either covering for somebody's, or you're covering for yourself, at this point.
11:32You see what I'm getting here?
11:33It all adds up, and it all...
11:37You're not telling me the truth.
11:38Like, I know there's more to this than you were telling me.
11:42I know.
11:42It's not a coincidence.
11:44And there's more to what you're giving us.
11:47I mean, I can't help you with anything.
11:50I mean, I get it.
11:51I know it looks bad.
11:54One of the things that Megan Jackson told police was that Greg Rice was threatening to expose her affair with Christopher Dontel.
12:02Well, someone had sent anonymous messages to Erica Dontel, Christopher Dontel's wife, saying that he was having an affair with Megan Jackson, and she was pregnant with his child.
12:12Megan admitted she had been pregnant, but then had a miscarriage.
12:16Megan Jackson told Christopher Dontel that it was Greg Rice.
12:19She also told Erica Dontel that it was Greg Rice.
12:22Erica confronted her husband, and things changed for them, but Greg Rice went missing pretty quickly after that.
12:29You know who has the move?
12:31No.
12:31Chris.
12:33He was with me.
12:34He has the motive.
12:36Chris has a wife, kids, a job.
12:39He has everything to lose.
12:42Okay?
12:42And Greg knows, and Greg was supposedly leaking information to Chris's wife.
12:46What do you do if somebody's leaking information?
12:50You plug the leak.
12:53He wouldn't do that, though.
12:54Is it worth covering up for somebody that doesn't really give a shit about you?
12:58It's just a piece of shit.
12:59Because if you want to look at his phone, you're just a piece of shit.
13:04Is it worth covering up for somebody like that?
13:07I'm not covering for him, though.
13:09I think you are.
13:10If he did something, I don't know about it.
13:17That would be the stupidest thing that he could do.
13:19He, I'm not a fan.
13:20You do stupid stuff when your world's about to come crashing down.
13:25I mean, we're human beings.
13:26That's the way we were at.
13:28If you did know Chris had done something, would you tell us?
13:31I mean, if I knew he'd hurt him, then yes.
13:38Because, I mean, that's my kid's dad.
13:41He's an a**.
13:44But I, I wouldn't be okay with something like that.
13:47But GPS phone data also showed that after about 10 p.m. that night, the phones of Megan, Chris, and Greg were all traveling together.
13:56All signs pulled towards that y'all were together that night, the three of you.
14:03We were not together.
14:06Then what? Where's Greg?
14:07I don't know.
14:09I'm the one that called you guys.
14:10I knew something was wrong right away.
14:12I honestly thought he was going to be dead in his apartment from an OD.
14:16The more I talked to you puts more doubt in my mind.
14:19I mean...
14:20And it just, it's, it's very alarming.
14:22And if something happened that night, and you're covering up for somebody...
14:27Then I'm going to go down too, but I'm not.
14:29I don't, I don't care.
14:34As they tracked the three phones that night, it appeared there was a stop at a Myrtle Beach funeral home, which operates a crematory.
14:42And the only explanation for that is...
14:44Is that I cremated.
14:46I did not cremate him. I can't even run the machines.
14:48The explanation of that is something happened that we don't understand.
14:52Our fear was the body had been burned and the ashes were dispersed.
14:58We wouldn't have had the evidence we needed to know that it was a murder case.
15:03There is no doubt in my mind that you and Chris have done something that has resulted in Greg's disappearance.
15:12A thousand percent.
15:13Like, there's no doubt in my mind.
15:15And all I'm going to do is end up working in order to prove, to find out what it was that you all have done.
15:21I mean, that's fine.
15:23No, it's...
15:24I tell you right now.
15:25You take the work away, but you're not going to find anything.
15:26I tell...
15:26You know what?
15:27You can say that, but all three of us in this room know that that's not true.
15:31It had nothing to do with it.
15:32I didn't have anything to do with it.
15:36The only thing that I'm guilty of is f***ing somebody that's married.
15:42The case was at a standstill for another two weeks until the waters of the little P.D. River would surface a grisly discovery.
15:50Greg was missing for seven weeks.
16:03There were some locals who would go to Pitts Landing, and they would set catfish lines.
16:10As they were setting the lines, they smelled what you can never forget, the smell of a dead body.
16:17It was the body of Greg Rice, shot dead, wrapped in a tarp that had been weighed down with cinder blocks.
16:25They went to some stores around Horry County to see if they sold those items.
16:30And surveillance footage at one of the stores the day after Greg Rice was last seen alive told the story.
16:36You can very clearly see Christopher Dantel pushing his shopping cart into the self-checkout line
16:41and buying the exact items that Greg Rice's body was wrapped in.
16:45He had a murder dump kit in his shopping cart, very clear.
16:50It was cinder blocks, zip ties, ratchet straps, and a tarp.
16:54That was a big break.
16:56It was pretty clear, I think, to law enforcement who had caused Greg Rice to disappear.
17:03Megan Jackson was brought in for a fourth time.
17:06So, we're back for round two, I guess we'll say.
17:14Round four?
17:15Well, all I want, Megan, is the truth.
17:19Okay.
17:19So, you want me to show you where Chris was?
17:22I don't know.
17:22At 2.55 on Saturday.
17:25Uh, sure.
17:31What is that?
17:32Some cinder blocks, a tarp, zip ties, ratchet strap.
17:42I'm going to show you where I was this past Saturday.
17:46I got called out at 2 o'clock in the morning.
17:55You know who that is?
17:59Is that Greg?
18:00That's Greg.
18:02And guess what he was wrapped in and sunk with in the river?
18:06The s*** Chris bought on the 3rd.
18:11So, like I said earlier,
18:13either you're this f***ing horrible person that killed your kid's dad,
18:17or you just took Greg to go see Chris to have a conversation.
18:24Greg was in the river for a f***ing month.
18:26You got two, two choices.
18:38Explain to us what happened.
18:40Or look like the horrible person who killed your kid's father.
18:46You got two choices.
18:47What do you want to do?
18:48You just said you guys were together the entire night.
18:51I don't know what happened.
18:57Yes, you do, Megan.
18:59I don't know what happened.
19:01Greg's f***ing dead.
19:02Somebody f***ing killed him.
19:04Shut up.
19:04This ain't a f***ing Megan story.
19:08Chris is going to be charged with murder today.
19:10This is your time to get yourself out of it.
19:19Do you want to be charged with murder today,
19:20or do you want to tell us what happened?
19:22I don't know.
19:24You do know, Megan.
19:26Down the hall, another pair of detectives
19:28was questioning Chris Duntell,
19:31who asked for a lawyer.
19:32All right, Chris.
19:33I'm not going to ask you any questions.
19:34I'll explain everything to you
19:39here in just a few minutes.
19:42What I do want to do, though,
19:45is I'll leave these here with you.
19:48As you're shopping,
19:50you bought a ratchet strap,
19:52a tarp,
19:52some zip ties,
19:53and two cinder blocks.
19:55All right?
19:59There's the body you threw over the bridge.
20:03Or at least throw in the river.
20:04Take his phone,
20:08take his wallet.
20:09You understand?
20:10You're not leaving the building today.
20:11You're going to be going to Kenny Jail here shortly.
20:13Okay?
20:14Is there a warrant for my arrest
20:15or am I a free person right now?
20:16No, you're not a free person.
20:17You're not a free person.
20:18Why not?
20:19Because you are being charged with a crime, Chris.
20:20That's why.
20:21I'll tell you what.
20:22Sir, is there a warrant for my arrest right now?
20:24You're going to be charged with murder, Chris.
20:25Am I?
20:26No.
20:26You're not a free man.
20:27I've answered your question.
20:29You are not a free man.
20:30You were not a free man
20:32when you walked out of your house
20:33and told your one-year-old boy I love you.
20:36You're not a free man.
20:37You're going to jail and that's it.
20:40At what point can I speak with my lawyer?
20:42Chris, stand up, turn around.
20:52All right, Chris, you're under arrest
20:53for a murder of Greg Rice, all right?
20:54I'll see you later on.
20:58Detectives tried to get Megan to confess
21:00by telling her that Chris was already blaming her.
21:03Chris is in another part of the building
21:05telling the story.
21:07And you know what he just said?
21:08What was your f***ing plan?
21:11What was your plan to kill Greg?
21:13I didn't have any plan to kill Greg.
21:16Well, you look at it like this.
21:17Chris just lost his job.
21:19He's about to lose his family.
21:21So who do you think he's going to put it on?
21:23You.
21:23He can put it on me all he wants.
21:25I don't have a story to tell.
21:27You are clear on how this is going to end today, right?
21:29You're either honest
21:30or you're taking a ride.
21:33You can give me that s*** look all you want.
21:37My next phone call is to Greg's family
21:39to let them know that you and Chris
21:42dumped him in the damn river.
21:45I love my lawyer.
21:46You're under arrest for murder, Megan.
21:48Can I get a call from my lawyer, right?
21:51You just did your s*** right there.
21:54But they still didn't know
21:55who had actually pulled the trigger,
21:57Megan or Chris.
21:58So, prosecutors decided
22:01to take Chris Dantel to trial first,
22:04believing he was most likely
22:05the one who actually killed Greg Rice.
22:08I was halfway out of my chair
22:09about to stand up
22:10and give the opening statement in the case
22:12when Christopher Dantel stood up
22:13and said he wanted to plead guilty.
22:15Sir Dantel, you want to plead guilty?
22:17Is that correct?
22:18That was not an agreement
22:20he made with the state in advance.
22:21He simply stood up and pleaded guilty.
22:24The murder charge against Dantel was dropped.
22:27He pleaded guilty to accessory
22:29after the fact to murder
22:30and criminal conspiracy to commit murder.
22:33It was a big moment for us
22:34when Christopher Dantel
22:35finally decided to tell us
22:36what exactly had happened
22:38to Greg Rice that night.
22:41According to Dantel,
22:42he and Megan Jackson
22:43had indeed driven
22:45to Greg Rice's apartment that night
22:46and they saw him walking along the road.
22:49Christopher Dantel said
22:50that Megan asked him to drive past
22:52and then pull alongside Greg
22:53and then she jumped out and shot him.
22:57And when detectives searched Megan's home,
22:59they found evidence
23:00of another possible motive,
23:02the treatment of her children,
23:04malnourished and often locked in their rooms.
23:07They actually ended up
23:09charging Megan Jackson
23:10with unlawful conduct toward a child
23:12based on the living conditions in the home.
23:15So I think Greg was extremely concerned
23:17for the welfare of the children
23:18and may have been exploring
23:20getting custody of them,
23:22which means that Megan Jackson
23:23would have had to pay him child support.
23:24And that's certainly not something
23:26that she wanted to do.
23:27And then a final surprising discovery
23:30about who had sent those anonymous messages
23:32to Dantel's wife
23:34about the affair with Megan.
23:35Phone records showed
23:37it was not Greg Rice.
23:39In reality, it was Megan Jackson
23:41who was sending anonymous texts
23:44exposing the fact
23:45that she had been sleeping with Chris Dantel
23:47and was in fact pregnant with his child.
23:49She had two goals in mind.
23:52Number one, to be rid of Greg Rice
23:55and also to destroy Chris Dantel's marriage.
23:59Now he would be the key witness against her.
24:02We're now turning to a case
24:11out of South Carolina.
24:12Opening statements are about to begin
24:13in the trial of Megan Jackson,
24:15charged in the murder of her ex-boyfriend
24:17and the father of her children, Greg Rice.
24:20All right, ladies and gentlemen,
24:21we're going to begin the opening statement.
24:23Megan is a small female,
24:26short, very petite, long hair.
24:29Anytime you have a female defendant
24:33that can look frail, not strong,
24:38you can worry about what a jury may think
24:42of this person.
24:43Could they be capable of this?
24:46One of Megan's former co-workers,
24:48Marilyn Wood, was in the courtroom every day.
24:51Just as her support system for her.
24:54She had no friends, family.
24:56Everybody's abandoned her.
24:57She says she doesn't know what happened.
25:00And I said, well, either you
25:01or Chris killed Greg.
25:04And she goes, it wasn't me.
25:06May I please the court honor?
25:07Yes, ma'am.
25:09Good morning.
25:12The tale that's on its own
25:15is the story of an affair,
25:18a pregnancy,
25:20and a murder.
25:21And the victim of that murder
25:22is Gregory Rumpf,
25:24the father of four of her children.
25:25There's one person
25:29at the center of everything
25:31you're going to hear.
25:32And that person
25:33is Bane Jackson.
25:35She's sitting right over there.
25:37Now, when you look at Bane Jackson,
25:39you may think,
25:40she looks meek,
25:42mild,
25:42she's a small woman.
25:44But looks can be deceiving.
25:46And this defendant
25:47is certainly deceiving.
25:49She deceived Greg Rice.
25:52She deceived her co-defendant,
25:54Christopher Dontell.
25:55She deceived Christopher Dontell's wife,
25:58Erica Dontell.
25:59And she deceived law enforcement.
26:01Not only is she a master manipulator,
26:04she was literally
26:06in the business of death.
26:07And at the end of this case,
26:10if you believe that
26:12Christopher Dontell
26:14and Megan Jackson
26:15are responsible
26:16for the murder
26:17of Gregory Rice,
26:19then there's only one verdict.
26:21And that's guilty.
26:21I'll be honest with you,
26:30I thought she was going to say
26:31Dontell in there
26:32because I split it
26:33with Simon Blanc, right?
26:34At the end of all that,
26:36Dontell was the one
26:37in the hand.
26:38Megan Jackson
26:39had written Greg Rice off.
26:42She's done.
26:4215 years gone.
26:44See ya.
26:45Bye.
26:45She's already done something.
26:46She didn't need to do anything
26:47with him anymore.
26:49But the deputy coroner,
26:50Don't touch me, man.
26:54I'm a deputy coroner.
26:56He's got something to lose.
26:58That's motive.
27:00We have a chance
27:01in this courtroom,
27:03these halls of justice,
27:05to show
27:07that the presumption
27:08of innocence
27:10is paramount.
27:13Alright?
27:14It means that you don't
27:16convict somebody
27:17of a murder
27:18without a murder weapon.
27:20You don't convict somebody
27:22of a murder
27:23without any video
27:24of a crime
27:26or a shooting.
27:27Any audio
27:28of the crime
27:30they're accused of
27:30or any 911 calls
27:32from an apartment complex
27:34of that evening
27:35with five shots.
27:37No 911 calls.
27:39Zero?
27:43Remember that she's instant
27:44until proven guilty.
27:46And look at everything.
27:50Everything.
27:52And say,
27:52presumption of innocence
27:53means something.
27:55It does.
27:57And we'll come back
27:58when I'm guilty.
27:59The state can call
28:00your first witness.
28:01Thank you, Your Honor.
28:02The state calls
28:02Savannah Rice.
28:03The prosecution's
28:05first witness
28:06was the daughter
28:07of Megan Jackson
28:07and Greg Rice,
28:09Savannah.
28:10She called us
28:11after Christopher Dantel
28:13pleaded guilty
28:14and said
28:15she really needed
28:16to see justice
28:17for her father
28:17and she wanted
28:18to testify
28:19against her mother.
28:20How would you describe
28:22your parents' relationship?
28:23It was not great at all.
28:26There was constant fighting.
28:27They were mean
28:29to each other.
28:30They were mean
28:31to the kids.
28:32Just they didn't,
28:33they weren't compatible.
28:34You didn't hear
28:35I love you very much
28:36throughout the house.
28:40At some point,
28:41did you come to know
28:43that your mother
28:44was having an affair
28:45with Christopher Dantel?
28:46Yes, but not at first.
28:48Okay.
28:49Do you,
28:49how did you find out
28:50about the affair?
28:51I had some friends over
28:53and it was quiet.
28:55We went downstairs
28:56and we heard them
28:58having sex
28:58in our bedroom
28:59and it just kept
29:00getting louder and louder
29:01and the next day
29:03I asked her
29:04and she said
29:04I thought you knew.
29:08Did your mother
29:09ever say anything
29:09about your father
29:10between the time
29:11that he went missing
29:12and the time
29:13that they found his body?
29:16Yes.
29:17Can you just tell us
29:18about that?
29:19Take a couple deep breaths
29:20and tell us about that.
29:24She had come home
29:25drunk one night
29:26and I was in the kitchen
29:28and my sister
29:30wasn't behaving
29:33and I told my mom
29:35and she started screaming
29:36and my sister was upstairs
29:38but then she looked at me
29:39and she said
29:40I hope what happened
29:41to your dad
29:42happens to your sister
29:43and I asked her
29:44what do you mean
29:45and she just
29:46wouldn't say anything.
29:47and that was before
29:50they found her father's body?
29:53It took such strength
29:55for Savannah
29:55to get up there
29:57and testify
29:57against her mother
29:58for killing her father
29:59and Megan Jackson
30:01showed absolutely
30:02no emotion
30:03during that testimony.
30:03Thank you, Your Honor.
30:12The state calls
30:13Christopher Dantel.
30:14Was your case
30:26called for trial
30:27in December
30:28of last year?
30:29Yes, ma'am.
30:31What happened
30:32when it was called
30:33for trial?
30:35When it was called
30:36for trial
30:36I
30:37planned to
30:40accessory
30:40after the fact
30:41and conspiracy.
30:43Did you plead guilty
30:45to those charges
30:46because you are
30:47in fact guilty
30:48of those charges?
30:49Yes.
30:53At some point
30:54did you and the defendant
30:56begin a sexual relationship?
30:58Yes.
30:58How did that begin?
31:00She said
31:01have you ever cheated
31:02on your wife?
31:06I said no.
31:08She said
31:09well you're about to.
31:12Dantel said
31:13after dinner that night
31:14at a local restaurant
31:15Megan told him
31:16she had to go see Greg.
31:18And
31:19I saw Greg
31:20on the left side
31:20of the road
31:21walking towards us.
31:23I was stopping
31:24right next to him
31:25and she said
31:25pull up
31:26don't be awkward.
31:30So I said
31:30pull up
31:31she said
31:31yeah pull up
31:32so I pulled up
31:33so that we had
31:35passed him.
31:36What happened next?
31:37she opened the door
31:42and shot him.
31:45How many shots
31:46did you hear?
31:47A lot.
31:49What did you do?
31:53I froze.
31:58Did the defendant
31:59say anything to you
32:00at that point?
32:00Yeah
32:02she said
32:03what are you doing?
32:05Help me
32:05help me
32:06cursing at me
32:07help me
32:08So what did you do?
32:10She said
32:11put him in the back
32:12of the van
32:12so I opened
32:13the back of the van
32:14and
32:14we started
32:16treating him
32:18just as we would
32:18treat any other body
32:19and
32:22we got in the van
32:25and I
32:26hightailed it out of there.
32:28Dantel said
32:30they stored
32:30the body
32:31overnight
32:31at the Myrtle Beach
32:32funeral home
32:33as if it were
32:34an official
32:35coroner's action.
32:36She told me
32:37that if I ever
32:39told anybody
32:41what happened
32:42she would kill me
32:43and that
32:44we have to be
32:47in this together.
32:49So did you
32:50agree to dispose
32:50of her in the body?
32:52Not at first.
32:53I heard her say
32:54do this
32:56or do that
32:57or I'm going
32:58to kill you
32:58I had just
33:03watched her
33:03kill the father
33:04of a kid
33:04and I'm going
33:05to take it
33:06serious.
33:10So did you
33:11in fact
33:12dispose of
33:12Fred's body?
33:14I did.
33:15So I went
33:16and
33:16I just started
33:18buying things
33:19that I thought
33:19might be
33:20useful
33:21and
33:22it makes me
33:26sick to even
33:27tell this story.
33:27I'm sorry.
33:28I knew that the
33:29Pee Dee River
33:29was out on the
33:30county line
33:31and it took
33:35about 10 seconds
33:36to put them in the
33:37water.
33:39What did you do
33:39after that?
33:41Went back to the
33:41defendant's house.
33:42Was there
33:47any conversation
33:48at that point
33:48about getting
33:50rid of
33:51had you done
33:52that?
33:52I came in
33:53and she
33:54smiled at me
33:55and said
33:57did you do
33:57what you
33:57needed to do?
34:02I said yes
34:03and she said
34:03good boy.
34:06I don't have
34:06any further
34:07questions at this
34:07time.
34:08I believe
34:08Mr. Tommy
34:09Burton
34:09may have
34:09some questions
34:10for you.
34:13You're the
34:14kind of man
34:14that will
34:16lie and
34:17betray
34:17an own
34:17wife.
34:19Is that
34:19true?
34:20I did
34:21for a
34:22period of
34:23time,
34:23yes.
34:24Well,
34:25let's just
34:25say how
34:26many times
34:26did you
34:26have sex
34:27with
34:27Lady
34:27Jackson?
34:28I don't
34:28know.
34:29Too many
34:29to count,
34:29right?
34:31I suppose
34:31so.
34:33You
34:34blame
34:34Lady
34:34Jackson
34:35for
34:36having
34:37oral sex
34:38for you
34:38and other
34:39kind of
34:39things.
34:39You blame
34:39her?
34:40I don't
34:40blame
34:41Megan
34:41Jackson
34:41for
34:42that.
34:42No,
34:42sir.
34:42I blame
34:43myself.
34:44Okay.
34:45But even
34:46after the
34:46way you
34:47described
34:47me to
34:48the
34:48events
34:48for that
34:50night
34:50of
34:51three
34:52tears,
34:53you were
34:54still having
34:55sex with
34:55Megan
34:56Jackson
34:56afterwards.
35:00Correct.
35:01For a
35:01period.
35:02Yes,
35:02sir.
35:02That's
35:03adultery.
35:03You were
35:04committing
35:04adultery,
35:04right?
35:05Correct.
35:06So you
35:07finally
35:07decided to
35:08tell the
35:08truth
35:08today,
35:08huh?
35:10I
35:10decided to
35:11tell the
35:11truth once
35:13I had
35:13protection
35:13from your
35:14client,
35:15once my
35:15family was
35:16protected
35:16from her
35:17and her
35:17threats.
35:18Your
35:18testimony is
35:18you didn't
35:19have anything
35:19to do
35:19with the
35:20shooting.
35:23You didn't
35:24know it
35:24was going
35:24to happen,
35:25right?
35:26That's
35:27correct.
35:27I did
35:27not know
35:28the shooting
35:28was going
35:28to happen.
35:29You
35:30don't expect
35:30this jury
35:31to believe
35:31that you
35:33were scared
35:33of that
35:34woman to
35:34such an
35:35extent
35:35that you
35:37wouldn't
35:37report what
35:37you consider
35:38to be
35:38telling us
35:40it's her
35:40misconduct.
35:42What was
35:45the question?
35:46Are you
35:46scared?
35:47You said
35:48you did
35:48think wrong
35:49but you
35:49scared of
35:49that woman
35:50sitting over
35:50there?
35:51Absolutely.
35:52My question
35:53is, as a
35:53county officer,
35:54why don't you
35:54take matters
35:55into your own
35:56hand and
35:57report her
35:58and see
35:59that justice
35:59was served
36:00on her?
36:00I've
36:01answered this
36:01question twice
36:02already and
36:02the answer
36:03is because
36:04she told
36:05me she
36:06would kill
36:06me and
36:07I had
36:07seen her
36:08kill the
36:09father of
36:10her kids
36:10and I
36:11believed
36:11that she
36:12would kill
36:12me as
36:13well.
36:15Nothing
36:15except your
36:16fear of
36:17that little
36:19woman there
36:19prevented
36:21you from
36:22reporting
36:23these incidents
36:24to the
36:25police.
36:26True or
36:26fault?
36:27That's
36:27true.
36:32It kind
36:56of surprised
36:57me that she
36:57didn't testify
36:58just because I
36:59think she's
36:59enough of a
37:00narcissist to
37:01think she could
37:01have gotten
37:01away with it
37:02and garnered
37:03some sympathy.
37:04Ladies and
37:04gentlemen,
37:05the defense
37:05has rested
37:05their case
37:06and now is
37:07the time of
37:07the trial
37:08where the
37:08attorneys will
37:09make their
37:09closing arguments.
37:11All right,
37:11state which
37:11is closed.
37:12May I please
37:13the court?
37:13Yes, ma'am.
37:15This is a tale
37:17as old as time
37:18as you were told
37:19in the infinite.
37:20It involved
37:21an affair,
37:22a pregnancy
37:23and a murder.
37:25But there was
37:26a fourth aspect
37:27of this case
37:27that is equally
37:28as important
37:29and that's
37:30the subject.
37:31The defendant
37:33was the center
37:34of the affair,
37:35certainly the
37:36pregnancy
37:36and most
37:37definitely the
37:38murder.
37:39She began
37:40to spin her
37:41web of lies
37:42because she
37:42wanted to
37:43destroy the
37:44Dantel's
37:45marriage.
37:46But she also
37:47wanted to get
37:48rid of Greg
37:49and so she
37:51started to
37:52frame him
37:53for revealing
37:54information about
37:56the affair.
37:57What it is up
37:58to you to
37:59decide is
38:00is the
38:01defendant
38:01guilty of
38:02the murder?
38:02Certainly,
38:03by Mr.
38:03Dantel's
38:04testimony,
38:05she is.
38:06If you
38:07have any
38:07hesitation
38:08about that,
38:09then South
38:10Carolina has
38:11hand of one,
38:12hand of all,
38:12which says that
38:14it doesn't
38:15matter.
38:16Two people
38:16can be guilty
38:17of killing
38:18another when
38:19only one of
38:20them has a gun
38:20and only one
38:21of them fires
38:21a shot.
38:23The defendant
38:23is the only
38:24one who
38:25benefited from
38:26Greg's murder.
38:27It is your
38:28job to end
38:30the defendant's
38:31continued deception
38:32and speak the
38:34truth and
38:35convictor of
38:35murder.
38:40Defense?
38:42Your Honor.
38:42Good morning.
38:50What you're
38:51looking for in
38:51this case is a
38:52reason to
38:53hesitate.
38:54And in this
38:55case, there
38:57are many
38:57reasons to
38:59hesitate.
39:00How about the
39:00first one?
39:01Every word
39:02that was just
39:04uttered to you
39:04would have been
39:06used in a
39:07trial to try
39:09to convict
39:09Chris Don
39:10Tell of
39:12murder.
39:13Now all of a
39:13sudden he's a
39:14eyewitness to
39:14it.
39:15If that doesn't
39:16tell you, give
39:17you a reason to
39:17hesitate, I
39:18don't know what
39:18else could.
39:19He's about
39:19himself.
39:21That's the
39:21reason he's
39:21pushing Megan
39:22and that's the
39:24reason he killed
39:24Greg Rice because
39:25he is about
39:26himself.
39:28You can piece
39:28it all together
39:29but when you get
39:31right down to it,
39:31you're always
39:32going to have to
39:32come back to
39:34trusting Chris
39:35Don Tell.
39:36And that's the
39:36one thing the
39:37state didn't want
39:37you to have to
39:38do but they
39:39can never
39:39get around
39:40that.
39:42He sat up
39:43here and told
39:44you he disposed
39:44the body in
39:45some kind of
39:45favor?
39:46You ain't
39:46buying that.
39:48You can.
39:49You know
39:50what?
39:50He did a lot.
39:51I called him
39:51Chris Don't
39:52Tell, full of
39:53lies and
39:54cries.
39:54I'll tell you
39:54when he wasn't
39:55crying.
39:56He wasn't
39:56crying when he
39:57was shopping,
39:59just grabbing
40:00cinder blocks and
40:01parks.
40:02But just ask
40:03yourself at the
40:03end of the day,
40:04do you trust
40:04Chris Don't
40:05Tell?
40:06The only way
40:06you can predict
40:07her is if you
40:08can trust that
40:08man.
40:08I don't
40:09think he can.
40:12The jury was
40:13out for about
40:14an hour and a
40:14half or two
40:15hours, so
40:15relatively quick
40:17verdict.
40:18I understand the
40:20jury's reached
40:20verdict, is that
40:21correct?
40:22All right, if I
40:23ask the clerk, if
40:24you would please
40:25oppose the
40:25verdict.
40:27The state of
40:27South Carolina
40:28of the county of
40:29O'Ree versus
40:30Megan Marie Jackson
40:31as to the charge of
40:33murder, will the
40:34jury, by unanimous
40:35consent, find this
40:36defendant guilty?
40:37That was the one
40:45time she showed
40:45emotion.
40:46It was kind of
40:46like, oh, God, I
40:47got caught.
40:48They realized what I
40:49did, so she finally
40:50showed emotion.
40:52Chris Don't
40:53Tell was
40:54sentenced to 20
40:55years in prison,
40:56and Megan Jackson
40:56faced between 50
40:58years and life.
40:59Jackson, anything
41:01you want to say?
41:02Does anybody want
41:03to speak on your
41:04behalf?
41:07Your Honor, she
41:08wishes I'd speak.
41:09All right.
41:11Your Honor, might
41:11then have Miss
41:12Savannah race come
41:13up?
41:14But Savannah
41:15couldn't do it.
41:20Your Honor, she's
41:21understandably
41:21emotional.
41:22She says, this
41:24crime has torn
41:25apart my family,
41:26others' families,
41:27and friends beyond
41:28any measure.
41:29Not only from the
41:30loss of my father,
41:31but the loss of a
41:32mother, too.
41:33The loss of our
41:34lives.
41:35We have been waiting
41:35so many years for
41:36just a bit of closure,
41:37and this is it.
41:38I finally got to say
41:39what has been sitting
41:40in my brain the last
41:42four and a half years.
41:43It was a relief
41:44finally being able to
41:45tell the truth, and
41:46it goes towards a
41:47cause.
41:48I believe that 50
41:49years to life would
41:49be a sufficient
41:50amount of time.
41:51I thank you for
41:52your time, for
41:52listening to what I
41:53had to say.
41:58Your Honor, the
41:58state is asking for
41:59the maximum term
42:00of life imprisonment.
42:01We believe that
42:02there is clear
42:02evidence that this
42:03defendant not only
42:05plotted and planned
42:06this murder, but
42:07also tried to frame
42:08the victim for
42:10things that she was
42:11doing.
42:12We believe that
42:13there is nothing
42:13short of life
42:14imprisonment
42:14that would address
42:15this crime.
42:18All right,
42:19Ms. Jackson,
42:19you have been
42:20filed guilty of
42:21murder by a jury
42:22of your peers,
42:23a sentence of the
42:23court, I root
42:25it to stay.
42:26The sentence of the
42:27court would you be
42:29committed to the
42:29Department of
42:30Corrections for the
42:31remainder of your
42:32life.
42:33Life in prison, and
42:34that's no parole in
42:35South Carolina.
42:36She will be in prison
42:38until the day that she
42:39dies.
42:41Justice has been
42:42done, but you can
42:44never fully achieve
42:46justice for someone
42:46who's been killed.
42:48He was robbed of his
42:49life with his
42:50children, who he
42:51loved.
42:52He was so devoted
42:53to them, and you
42:54certainly can't
42:55achieve justice for
42:56those four children.
42:57They lost both
42:58parents in the worst
42:59possible way.
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