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00:00An unhealthy obsession with exotic birds.
00:13What starts as a few birds here and there multiplies into dozens.
00:19A gruesome early morning discovery.
00:22The men move closer and realize that it's a dead body.
00:27And a hitman who accidentally confesses everything.
00:34On the outside, the letter says, only open if I die.
00:38It potentially could be the holy grail of evidence.
00:41Fred and Patricia Brown and their two children form a tight family unit.
01:01Fred's career in the military keeps the family moving from state to state.
01:06The one consistency they have is each other.
01:08Fred met Pat at the height of the Vietnam War, when he was a 24-year-old soldier attending the non-commissioned officer academy in Fort Sill, Oklahoma.
01:2221-year-old Patricia DeRosa was the stepdaughter of Fred's commanding officer.
01:27Fred and Pat begin a sweet courtship and marry just six months later.
01:34Six months is pretty quick to go from zero to married, but the Vietnam War era was a different time.
01:43With young men preparing to deploy overseas, the complications of war can fast-track major life decisions.
01:50Fred completes his tour of duty in Vietnam and realizes that he enjoys military life.
02:01Fred decides to stay in the army, but military families know that life is challenging, moving from city to city, base to base.
02:10It's in this environment that Fred and Pat had their children.
02:17Daughter Sarah is born in 1980, followed by son Dan in 1982.
02:25Fred continues to rise up the ranks in the U.S. Army.
02:29Eventually, he's promoted to the rank of major.
02:31He serves with the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg in North Carolina.
02:42After a nearly 20-year career, Fred retires from the military in 1988, and the family puts down roots in North Carolina.
02:55The Browns settle in High Point, 20 miles from Greensboro.
02:58Fred starts a new career as an instructor at the Guilford Technical Community College, where he teaches business and economics.
03:07Patricia works in real estate and teaches at the Randolph Community College in Asheboro.
03:14The transition to civilian life can be challenging.
03:17Families have to get used to new roles and a new routine.
03:21It's an adjustment for Fred and Pat, but they seem to settle into their new life comfortably.
03:26Pat was raised by a single mother in Alabama and has two younger sisters.
03:46She's especially close to Sheila, who is eight years her junior.
03:52Sheila still lives near their mother in Alabama.
03:55Sheila has lived a very different life than Pat.
04:00Pat has a stable, loving marriage, whereas Sheila is a divorced single mother.
04:09In 1989, Sheila marries Leroy Wenzel.
04:14Like Sheila, Leroy has kids from a previous marriage.
04:18As a couple, they're the complete opposite of the Browns.
04:24The Browns are calm and predictable, but the Wenzels are hot-tempered and volatile.
04:31There's lots of drinking and lots of fighting.
04:34Leroy is a former truck driver, now working as a mechanic.
04:41He's covered in tattoos.
04:43He's a regular drug user and drinks three cases of beer every week.
04:50He's the complete opposite of his brother-in-law.
04:53The buttoned-up former military man.
04:56Two years into their new life, Pat suffers a devastating health crisis.
05:08Pat is a heavy smoker and suffers from high blood pressure.
05:13In 1990, her heart gives out, and she has to undergo open-heart surgery.
05:18It's a major operation, and it takes a big toll on Pat.
05:26She stays in Alabama with her mother while she's recovering,
05:30where her sister Sheila can help take care of her.
05:35Going through a life-threatening event can have a profound effect on a person.
05:41It's not unusual for someone to change their outlook on life
05:44and re-examine their priorities.
05:47For Pat, this is exactly what happens.
05:54During her recovery, Pat develops an unusual new hobby.
06:00After her surgery, Pat starts breeding exotic birds.
06:05Somehow, they bring comfort after her difficult recovery.
06:11It's a strange hobby, to say the least.
06:14And certainly not one that Fred shares.
06:17But what begins as an innocent pastime soon turns into an obsession.
06:22A new hobby can be a good thing when you're healing.
06:28It gives you a sense of purpose.
06:30But the key is moderation.
06:34Pat's bird collecting grows completely out of control.
06:39What starts as a few birds here and there multiplies into dozens.
06:44Eventually, she has over 50 exotic birds in their home.
06:53Ultimately, the birds get their own wing of the family home.
06:58Money's always been tight for the Browns, and that's not unusual for a military family.
07:03Pat's sudden bird mania is not helping.
07:06Fred agrees to add an extension onto their house to placate Pat and make room for all of her birds.
07:16But the cost of the extension makes the Browns' money problems worse.
07:23Instead of easing the tension in their marriage, it boils over.
07:27The birds' sanctuary renovations have the opposite effect than Fred intended.
07:34As the months go by, the couple fights more and more.
07:37What should be a happy milestone for daughter Sarah instead becomes another source of tension.
07:50In January 1991, Sarah graduates from university.
07:54It's an exciting time, and Fred and Pat are proud of their daughter.
07:58But they have completely different ideas on what should come next.
08:07Fred feels like now that Sarah is no longer in school, she should move out and start living an adult life.
08:19Pat doesn't appreciate the suggestion.
08:25She's not ready for her daughter to leave home.
08:32By the spring, the arguments expand to the entire extended family.
08:37In March, Sheila and Leroy visit for the weekend.
08:42Pat and Fred are still unhappy with each other.
08:46And the Wenzels have always been unpredictable.
08:49So the mood is generally tense.
08:53At one point, son Dan sees his father and uncle arguing for over half an hour.
08:59Dan has no idea what the men are arguing about.
09:02It's unusual enough that Dan stops to watch them.
09:21A month later, Fred is home alone in the evening.
09:24On the night of April 24th, 1991, Fred has the house to himself.
09:31Pat's at work, the kids are out, and so he has time to kick back and relax.
09:39Around 9.30pm, Fred receives a phone call.
09:43After ending the call, he grabs his keys and heads out the door.
09:59It's an unusual departure from Fred's normal routine.
10:04He doesn't leave a note for his family or any other indication as to where he might be going.
10:10He just leaves.
10:10After that night, Fred Brown is never seen alive again.
10:26Fred and Patricia Brown settle in High Point, North Carolina,
10:31after Fred's military career comes to a close.
10:34As Pat's newfound obsession with exotic birds spirals out of control,
10:42the Brown household becomes a pressure cooker of tension.
10:47That tension boils over when in-laws, Sheila and Leroy Wenzel, visit for the weekend.
11:00At one point, son Dan sees his father and uncle argue for over half an hour.
11:06Then, on April 24th, 1991, Fred heads out on a mysterious mission.
11:21April 24th starts out as a normal day.
11:24Fred works all day at the community college, getting home at 5pm.
11:28Pat has a real estate class to teach, so she leaves the house at around 6 o'clock.
11:37Dan is out of the house, and Sarah leaves sometime between 8 and 9pm to see some friends.
11:45The birds are off in their own part of the house,
11:49leaving Fred alone to relax for the evening.
11:52At 9.30, Fred receives a phone call.
12:10And quickly heads out the door.
12:15It's an unusual departure from Fred's normal routine.
12:18He doesn't leave a note for his family, or any other indication as to where he might be going.
12:24He just leaves.
12:26When Pat and Sarah get home, they find it odd, because Fred isn't there.
12:34It's not like him to be out of contact.
12:37They have no clue where he is.
12:42The next morning, Fred still hasn't returned.
12:48Now, Pat is worried.
12:52Fred has been out all night.
12:54It's completely out of character for him.
12:59Sure, they've been arguing a lot lately.
13:02But Fred would never want to worry his family in that way.
13:07She makes the decision to call the police and file a missing persons report.
13:12Pat tells the police her husband has been gone for at least 12 hours.
13:17It's never too early to file a missing persons report.
13:21If someone's left or disappeared, and it's out of the ordinary under any circumstance,
13:25the police will follow up.
13:27They will investigate.
13:30Gone are the days where you had to wait 24 hours before reporting somebody missing.
13:38Roughly the same time as Pat makes her call to the police,
13:41two men make a gruesome discovery.
13:44At 9.30 a.m., two employees of Doxie's Furniture are out on a run on Gallimore Dairy Road near Highway 68.
13:54They're checking on a trailer their company has parked in the area
13:58when they spot something unusual on the ground.
14:01The men move closer and realize that it's a dead body.
14:05When police arrive, they run the license plate of the abandoned car that's parked close by
14:14and discover that it's registered to Fred Brown.
14:19Fred is shot three times
14:21and is left lying on the side of the road only four miles away from his house.
14:26Major Tom Shepard from the Guilford County Sheriff's Office takes charge of the investigation.
14:36Fred's body is lying face down on the ground.
14:40He suffered a gunshot wound to the lower back and two to his head.
14:45It appears that Fred was trying to flee from his assailant.
14:48There is a little trail of blood leading from where Fred's car is parked
14:56to where his body is found alongside the road.
15:04The motive appears to be robbery.
15:08The fact that his wallet is gone certainly indicates that it could be a robbery.
15:13The fact that his car keys are still in his pocket may indicate that it was not a robbery
15:18or it may indicate that whoever robbed him for his wallet didn't want his car.
15:23You have to include or exclude all possibilities
15:26based on the evidence that you're confronted with.
15:29The true motive of the perpetrator might be something else entirely.
15:36A detail on Fred's body catches Major Shepard's eye.
15:40Major Shepard spots a footprint on Fred's back.
15:46It's the size of an adult male shoe.
15:50The print appears to have been made after Fred was already on the ground.
15:56The footprint on Fred's back really stands out.
15:59That's unusual.
16:00It looks like the shooting was up close and personal.
16:04It could have been an execution.
16:06As the investigation gets underway, police have little more to go on.
16:13The investigators would certainly start with the family members
16:16and consider all possibilities.
16:20Police learn of the trouble in the Browns' marriage.
16:23But Patricia was at work during the time of the shooting.
16:27A lot of couples don't get along.
16:30It doesn't mean that one is involved in the other's murder.
16:33They may have nothing to do with the crime
16:36or they may have background information on the victim
16:40and the problems that he's been having with anybody else.
16:43Any threats that have been made to him
16:45or any circumstances that he may be going through
16:48that may explain why somebody would want to kill him.
16:53With no indication of what might have drawn Fred
16:56out to this remote roadside the previous evening,
17:00investigators must rely on the public for leads.
17:03You're going to canvas that scene.
17:06You're going to look for any witnesses,
17:09any cameras that might be in the area,
17:11and hopefully something pops up that helps you out.
17:14A woman named Dorothy reports being in the area around 11pm
17:20and said she saw two cars parked bumper to bumper
17:23on the side of the road.
17:25One had its hood propped up
17:27and at the time there were two people with the cars.
17:32Another woman, Betty, was out walking her dog
17:35when she heard what sounded like three quick gunshots.
17:41Her statement matches the evidence perfectly,
17:44corroborating the time of death.
17:45As investigators search for more leads,
17:59Fred's family struggles to move forward without him.
18:01On April 29th, the family holds a funeral for Fred
18:09at the Cumbie Mortuary in High Point.
18:13The very next day, Pat meets with a representative
18:16from Fred's employer about his death benefits.
18:19Pat believes that Fred has a life insurance policy
18:29with a value of about $250,000
18:32and she believes that she is the beneficiary.
18:36On top of that, their house is valued at $119,000.
18:41But Patricia learns the large life insurance policy doesn't exist.
18:46Pat's financial cushion turns out to be
18:49more of a deflated air mattress.
18:53The quarter-million-dollar policy she's been banking on
18:56vanished into thin air.
19:01Instead, between the insurance and the house,
19:03she's left clutching a check of only $143,000.
19:09A far cry from the windfall she was anticipating.
19:12A few months later, Pat sells the family home in High Point
19:20and moves to Alabama to be closer to her family.
19:23She buys a double-wide trailer for herself
19:26and a trailer for each of her kids to live in.
19:31And the birds, well, they go with Pat to Alabama
19:34and she opens a pet store to sell them.
19:36But as Patricia moves on,
19:43the investigation into Fred's murder hits a wall.
19:46With no new leads, the case has gone stale.
19:50The family is left to deal with their loss
19:53and their unanswered questions.
19:56For an investigation to go stale means
19:58you've exhausted all of your leads and all of your avenues.
20:00And you've exhausted revisiting those leads and those avenues.
20:07And you've brought in all the resources
20:09you can possibly bring in,
20:11and you're left with nothing.
20:13You want to solve every case.
20:15That's your job.
20:16That's your passion.
20:18You want nothing more than that one little piece of information
20:21to come in that helps you break the case open
20:24or reopen it.
20:25If you didn't have a passion for the work,
20:30you wouldn't last too long doing it.
20:34For three long years,
20:37it seems like Fred Brown's murderer might never be found.
20:42Then, in July 1994,
20:47Patricia receives a phone call out of the blue.
20:50A detective in Redding, Pennsylvania, reaches out,
20:56telling Pat,
20:57I know who killed your husband.
21:10Financial strain,
21:11arguments over their daughter's future,
21:13and a house full of squawking parrots
21:16turn the marriage of Fred and Patricia Brown upside down.
21:20Fred's shocking execution-style murder
21:27leaves investigators baffled
21:30and the family in turmoil.
21:35When the case goes cold,
21:37Pat moves from North Carolina to Alabama,
21:40surrounding herself with the exotic birds
21:42that had become both her solace
21:44and her obsession.
21:46By 1994,
21:50three years after Fred's mysterious murder,
21:53Pat and her adult children
21:54have a new lease on life.
21:57The Wenzels, however,
21:58aren't doing very well.
22:01Sheila and Leroy's marriage
22:02is quickly falling apart.
22:04They're both drinkers,
22:06they're both drug users.
22:07It's not uncommon in that kind of domestic situation
22:11to see some violence.
22:17The Wenzels' marriage goes from bad to worse,
22:21and they separate.
22:23Leroy has been married several times,
22:25but he's just not good at it.
22:27And the breakdown of his marriage to Sheila
22:30really devastates him.
22:38Nearing rock bottom,
22:40Leroy takes a trip to visit relatives
22:42in Redding, Pennsylvania,
22:44in July, 1994.
22:47Leroy's parents live in Redding.
22:49He also has a daughter
22:51and two sons from a previous marriage
22:53that lived there.
22:54Sometimes, seeing family
22:57can pull you out of a bad emotional situation.
23:01He brings along his 14-year-old stepson,
23:04Joey, on the trip,
23:06partly for a companionship
23:07and partly to irritate Sheila.
23:10What Leroy doesn't anticipate
23:12is that someone in Pennsylvania
23:14isn't too happy to see him.
23:20Leroy, being the stand-up guy that he is,
23:23owes $4,000 in child support
23:25to his ex-wife.
23:28Someone with an axe to grind
23:30learns that he's in town
23:31and turns him into the authorities.
23:35On July 13th,
23:37Leroy is arrested
23:38and transported
23:39to the Redding Police Department.
23:42Detective Anthony Michik
23:44is on duty
23:45when Leroy and his stepson
23:46are brought in.
23:48Young Joey is very upset
23:50and starts to cry.
23:51At first,
23:53Detective Michik
23:54assumes he's shaking up
23:55because of his stepfather's arrest.
23:58But then,
23:59Joey drops
24:00a bombshell.
24:04Joey tells the detective
24:06that he knows something
24:07that he's not supposed to share,
24:09but thinks that he should.
24:12Leroy had confessed to him
24:14that he killed a man
24:15named Fred
24:15in North Carolina.
24:17Joey doesn't know anything more
24:19about the alleged crime.
24:21He doesn't know where
24:22in North Carolina
24:23or when.
24:24All he knows
24:25is what Leroy told him.
24:27A man named Fred
24:29was shot three times
24:30by his stepfather.
24:32A shocked Detective Michik
24:35is unsure how to react.
24:37Police would take this seriously.
24:39A 14-year-old kid
24:40can be pretty credible.
24:42You still have to weigh
24:43that credibility
24:43and the ability
24:45of the youth
24:46to recognize a lie
24:47from the truth.
24:48But any information like that
24:50definitely needs
24:50to be followed up on
24:52and investigated.
24:55Without much to go on,
24:57the detective
24:58hits the phones.
25:01It's good old-fashioned
25:02police work.
25:03There's not a simple answer.
25:04All you know is
25:07that somebody named Fred
25:08was killed
25:09in North Carolina.
25:11You may have to resolve that
25:12by making many, many phone calls
25:14and checking through
25:15many, many computer records
25:16before you get an answer.
25:21Detective Michik
25:22spends the entire night
25:23calling around
25:24to various cities
25:25in North Carolina
25:26asking if there were
25:28any unsolved murders
25:29of a guy named Fred.
25:31But he comes up empty.
25:38The detective
25:39also reaches out
25:40to Leroy's
25:41other family members
25:42in the area.
25:44Leroy's daughter, Jenny,
25:45confirms that her father
25:46told her the same story.
25:48But she adds the detail
25:50that she thinks
25:50that the murder
25:51took place in High Point.
25:55Detective Michik
25:56calls the police
25:57in High Point
25:57and asks them
25:59to check their records.
26:01In their cold case files
26:03they find the unsolved murder
26:05of Fred Brown
26:06shot three times
26:07back in April 1991.
26:15Michik tracks down
26:16Fred's widow, Pat
26:18to tell her
26:18he might have
26:19his killer in custody.
26:22When he learns
26:23that Leroy Wenzel
26:24was Fred's brother-in-law
26:25he knows he's
26:26on to something.
26:27You've got two versions
26:31of a confession
26:33to murder.
26:34What you're trying
26:35to do is corroborate
26:36those confessions.
26:37Now all of a sudden
26:38you've got a victim
26:40that matches up
26:41to those confessions
26:42by his name
26:43and you have a direct link
26:45between that victim
26:46and your suspect
26:47who has made
26:48those confessions.
26:50That's great evidence.
26:52The next day
26:57Jenny visits the station
26:59with another piece
27:01of evidence
27:01that seals the deal.
27:05Jenny has a letter
27:06that her father wrote
27:07and left with her
27:08when he was at
27:09a particularly low point.
27:11On the outside
27:12the letter says
27:13only open
27:14if I die.
27:17Inside
27:17the letter contains
27:19a full confession
27:20to the murder
27:20of Fred Brown.
27:22The letter
27:23has to be corroborated
27:25just as any witness
27:26statement or confession
27:27would be corroborated
27:29in a murder investigation.
27:31It potentially
27:32could be
27:33the holy grail
27:33of evidence.
27:38In the letter
27:39Leroy admits
27:40that he was paid
27:40to kill Fred
27:41back in 1991.
27:45And shockingly
27:46he claims
27:47Fred's wife
27:48Pat
27:49was the one
27:51who hired him.
27:56The next day
27:58the detective
27:59from the Guilford County
28:00Sheriff's Department
28:01arrives in Pennsylvania
28:03with an arrest warrant.
28:07As Leroy's interrogation
28:09begins
28:10the true nature
28:12of Fred Brown's murder
28:13is about to be revealed.
28:16Deadbeat dad
28:26Leroy Wenzel's arrest
28:27in Pennsylvania
28:28for unpaid
28:29child support
28:30unravels
28:31a web of lies
28:33stretching back
28:34to North Carolina
28:35and the unsolved
28:38murder
28:38of his brother-in-law
28:40Fred Brown
28:41three years earlier.
28:44Things shift
28:45from a solo act
28:46to a twisted
28:47family band
28:49when Leroy
28:50unintentionally
28:51confesses
28:52to Fred's murder
28:53and implicates
28:55Fred's wife
28:56Pat
28:57and her sister
28:58Sheila
28:58in the plot.
29:00On the surface
29:02the Browns
29:02had a seemingly
29:03happy marriage.
29:06Yes,
29:06they argued
29:07about money
29:07and the birds
29:09but nothing
29:10truly terrible.
29:12Under the surface
29:13it was a different story.
29:19Leroy explains
29:20to the two detectives
29:22that Patricia Brown
29:23first came up
29:24with the plan
29:24to murder
29:25her husband
29:26back in 1990.
29:29Everything changes
29:30after Pat's
29:31open heart surgery.
29:32she develops
29:35her new bird
29:35hobby
29:36yes
29:37but she also
29:40decides
29:40that her husband
29:41is worth more
29:42dead to her
29:43than alive.
29:45With the supposed
29:46$250,000
29:48payout
29:48from the life
29:49insurance
29:50and the
29:51$120,000
29:52in proceeds
29:53from the sale
29:53of the house
29:54Pat can start
29:56a whole new life.
29:57While recovering
30:02from surgery
30:03Pat asks
30:04her sister
30:05Sheila
30:05if Leroy
30:06might know
30:06someone
30:07who would
30:08want to
30:08kill Fred.
30:09With his
30:10background
30:10Leroy seems
30:12like the kind
30:12of guy
30:13who could get
30:13something like
30:14that done.
30:17And she's
30:18right
30:18Leroy
30:19volunteers
30:19to do
30:20the job
30:20himself.
30:22The deal
30:22is straightforward
30:23$1,000
30:24up front
30:25plus
30:26an additional
30:27$30,000
30:28from Fred's
30:29life insurance
30:30payout
30:30once he's
30:31dead.
30:34But Patricia
30:35doesn't just
30:36hire a hitman.
30:37She plans
30:38every detail
30:39of her
30:40husband's
30:41murder.
30:42Pat gives
30:43Leroy
30:43detailed plans
30:44of her house.
30:46The location
30:47of the back
30:47door,
30:48how to get
30:48through the
30:49fence,
30:49and how to
30:50avoid the
30:50neighbor's
30:51barking dog.
30:54She plans
30:55the whole
30:55thing.
30:56Every
30:56detail.
30:57What she
30:58doesn't plan
30:59on is
31:00Leroy
31:00losing his
31:01nerve.
31:04Leroy
31:05starts the
31:06long drive
31:07from New
31:07Hope,
31:08Alabama,
31:08to High
31:09Point,
31:09North Carolina
31:10to kill
31:11his brother-in-law.
31:12But he
31:12changes his
31:13mind and
31:14he calls
31:14it off.
31:15Instead,
31:16he drives
31:16to Pennsylvania
31:17to visit
31:18his parents,
31:19but apparently
31:19not to pay
31:21his child
31:21support.
31:23Patricia
31:23is forced
31:24to finish
31:24her recovery
31:25and return
31:26to her life
31:27in North
31:27Carolina
31:28as a wife
31:29instead of
31:30a widow.
31:32She focuses
31:33on building
31:34her bird
31:35collection,
31:36hoping that
31:37will be
31:37enough.
31:39But it's
31:40not.
31:44By the
31:45spring of
31:461991,
31:47Patricia is
31:48more determined
31:49than ever
31:50to be rid
31:50of Fred.
31:52There's
31:52just no
31:53room in
31:53her life
31:54for both
31:54her birds
31:55and for
31:55her husband.
31:56So she
31:57hatches a
31:57new plan
31:58and Leroy
31:59agrees.
32:03On
32:03April 25th,
32:051991,
32:06Leroy again
32:07sets out
32:08from New
32:09Hope,
32:09Alabama,
32:10to High
32:10Point,
32:11North Carolina.
32:16When he
32:17arrives,
32:18he phones
32:19Fred and
32:20says he's
32:21having car
32:21trouble.
32:22He asks
32:23his brother-in-law
32:24to come
32:24and help
32:24him.
32:26Being the
32:27stand-up guy
32:27that he is,
32:28Fred doesn't
32:28hesitate.
32:32Leroy then
32:33parks in a
32:34dark spot
32:34on the side
32:35of Gallimore
32:36Derry Road
32:37near Highway
32:3768.
32:39He opens
32:40the hood
32:40of the car,
32:41pulls a
32:42wire,
32:42so the
32:43car won't
32:43start.
32:46When Fred
32:47arrives,
32:47the two
32:49men check
32:50under the
32:50hood of
32:51Leroy's
32:51car and
32:52discuss what
32:53to do.
32:56Leroy then
32:56retrieves his
32:57gun from
32:58the back
32:58of the car,
32:59which he's
33:00wrapped in
33:01a sweatshirt.
33:05He shows
33:06the gun
33:07to Fred
33:07and tells
33:10him that
33:10Pat wants
33:11him dead.
33:14As Fred
33:14tries to
33:15flee,
33:15Leroy
33:16shoots him
33:17in the
33:17back.
33:26Then Leroy
33:27walks over
33:28and shoots
33:29Fred at
33:31close range,
33:32twice in
33:32the head.
33:35After
33:35shooting him,
33:37Leroy
33:37puts his
33:38foot on
33:38Fred's
33:39back and
33:39shakes him
33:40a bit to
33:41make sure
33:41he's dead.
33:42Then Leroy
33:45jumps in
33:45his car
33:45and drives
33:46off.
33:47But he
33:48suddenly
33:48remembers
33:49that,
33:49per Pat's
33:50detailed plan,
33:51he's supposed
33:51to make it
33:52look like
33:52a robbery.
33:55So he
33:56circles back.
33:58In
33:58orders of
33:59Sage the
33:59scene,
34:00he turns
34:01off the
34:01hazard lights
34:02of Fred's
34:03car and
34:04closes the
34:04hood.
34:08Then he
34:09takes Fred's
34:09wallet from
34:10his back
34:10pocket.
34:15When he
34:16gets home
34:16to Alabama,
34:17he gets rid
34:18of the gun
34:18by throwing
34:19it into
34:19the Coosa
34:20River.
34:24Now,
34:25Leroy
34:25explains to
34:26the detectives
34:27that after
34:28the murder,
34:29Pat didn't
34:30live up to
34:30her end
34:31of the
34:31deal.
34:32Pat was
34:33supposed to
34:34pay Leroy
34:34$30,000
34:35from the
34:36proceeds of
34:37Fred's
34:37life insurance.
34:38But the
34:39large payout
34:39that Pat
34:40was expecting
34:41never
34:41materializes.
34:43And so
34:44she stiffs
34:45Leroy.
34:46Leroy
34:47doesn't want
34:47to take
34:47the fall
34:48alone.
34:48And it's
34:49not as if
34:49he could
34:49have sued
34:50Pat for
34:50lack of
34:51payment for
34:51services
34:52rendered.
34:54As he
34:55confesses to
34:56the detectives,
34:57Leroy lays
34:58out all the
34:58details of
34:59Pat's plan
35:00and his
35:02estranged
35:03wife Sheila's
35:04role in
35:04facilitating the
35:05deal.
35:06The
35:10dominoes fall
35:11quickly after
35:12Leroy's
35:12confession.
35:14A week
35:15later,
35:16Pat and
35:16Sheila are
35:17arrested on
35:17first-degree
35:18murder charges
35:19for their
35:20role in the
35:20crime.
35:21In December,
35:22Pat is also
35:23charged with
35:23solicitation to
35:24commit murder
35:25and conspiracy
35:26to commit
35:27murder.
35:27But as
35:30her trial
35:30gets underway,
35:32these family
35:33members turn
35:34on each
35:34other with
35:35shocking new
35:36claims.
35:37It will be up
35:38to the jury
35:39to determine
35:39whose truth
35:41is the truth.
35:48Former
35:49military man
35:50Fred Brown
35:51is lured to
35:52a remote
35:53roadside and
35:54shot dead by
35:55his brother-in-law,
35:56Leroy Wenzel.
36:02Leroy's
36:03confession paints
36:04Pat Brown as
36:05the black widow
36:06behind Fred's
36:071991 murder.
36:10Pat was
36:11supposed to
36:12pay Leroy
36:12$30,000 from
36:14the proceeds
36:14of Fred's
36:15life insurance.
36:16But the
36:17large payout
36:17that Pat was
36:18expecting never
36:19materializes,
36:20and so she
36:21stiffs Leroy.
36:22With Leroy's
36:26ex and Pat's
36:27sister Sheila
36:28also implicated
36:29as a
36:30conspirator,
36:31the bad
36:34apples on
36:34this family
36:35tree seem
36:36more like a
36:37whole rotten
36:37orchard.
36:40In January
36:411995,
36:43Leroy and
36:43Sheila plead
36:44to the lesser
36:44charge of
36:45second-degree
36:46murder and
36:46conspiracy to
36:47commit murder
36:48in exchange for
36:49their testimony
36:50against Pat.
36:52In cases
36:53with multiple
36:54defendants,
36:55early plea
36:56deals often
36:57set the
36:57strategy for
36:58the prosecution's
36:59case.
37:01In this case,
37:02you have three
37:03different defendants,
37:04three different
37:05defense lawyers,
37:06all looking to
37:07navigate the
37:08system for the
37:09best outcome
37:09for their clients,
37:11and the
37:11prosecution has
37:12to take advantage
37:13of that to put
37:14the strongest case
37:15forward that they
37:16can based on
37:17all the
37:17circumstances.
37:20Sheila is
37:21sentenced to
37:2250 years in
37:23prison.
37:24Leroy gets
37:24life plus
37:2530 years.
37:28Against
37:29Pat, the
37:30prosecutor seeks
37:31the death
37:31penalty.
37:38Pat's trial
37:39gets underway
37:39on March
37:4029, 1995.
37:44Leroy's testimony
37:45details the
37:46vicious crime.
37:47He fell to the
37:50ground.
37:51I walked over
37:52to him, and
37:52I was scared.
37:54I didn't know
37:55if he was dead
37:55or what.
37:57And I thought
37:57if he wasn't
37:58dead, he could
37:58tell on me.
38:00So I shot him
38:01two more times
38:02in the back of
38:03the head.
38:04Leroy's testimony
38:05is damning,
38:07but Pat comes
38:08back swinging.
38:11Pat's defense
38:12lawyer turns the
38:13tables on her
38:14sister and
38:15brother-in-law.
38:15She argues that
38:17Leroy and
38:18Sheila acted
38:19alone, killing
38:21Fred after a
38:22failed blackmail
38:22attempt.
38:27According to
38:28Pat, in
38:29March 1990,
38:31Leroy was
38:31trying to
38:32shake down
38:32Fred for an
38:33alleged affair
38:34that Fred was
38:35having.
38:39When Fred
38:40refused to
38:41pay, Leroy
38:42and Sheila
38:42killed him,
38:44hoping instead
38:44to collect
38:45from his
38:45life insurance
38:46settlement.
38:48The Browns'
38:49son, Dan,
38:50testifies in
38:51support of his
38:52mom.
38:55He describes
38:55how he saw
38:56his father and
38:57uncle argue
38:58at length
38:58that weekend.
39:02But Pat
39:03is not the
39:04only family
39:05member
39:05pointing fingers.
39:06So Pat
39:08turns on
39:08Sheila, and
39:10then Sheila
39:11turns on
39:12Leroy.
39:14There's
39:15testimony that
39:16Leroy
39:16threatened
39:17Sheila, saying
39:19that he'd
39:19keep her son
39:20Joey away, and
39:22implicate her and
39:23Pat for the
39:24murder, unless
39:26she paid him
39:26$5,000.
39:29Part of a
39:30defense lawyer's
39:31strategy may be
39:32to muddy the
39:33waters with
39:34alternate theories.
39:35It's the
39:36investigator's job
39:37to gather all
39:38of the evidence,
39:39and hopefully
39:40it's sufficient
39:41enough for the
39:41prosecution to
39:42use to dispel
39:43those alternate
39:44theories.
39:47Patricia's
39:48defense lawyer
39:49also points out
39:50his client's
39:51apparent lack
39:52of motive.
39:53The defense
39:57paints a picture
39:58of Fred as
39:58a stand-up
39:59guy in
40:00a loving
40:00marriage.
40:03And that
40:04Pat would
40:04have no
40:05reason to
40:05want her
40:06husband dead.
40:09The
40:09prosecution
40:10blows the
40:11loving marriage
40:12theory to
40:12bits.
40:15Five
40:16different
40:16people testify
40:17that Fred
40:18was worried
40:18about the
40:19state of
40:19his marriage.
40:20He even
40:22told a
40:22colleague that
40:23he wouldn't
40:23be surprised
40:24if Pat
40:25ordered a
40:25hit on
40:26him.
40:28A former
40:29housekeeper for
40:30the Browns
40:31testified that
40:32she witnessed
40:32Fred and Pat
40:33arguing on
40:34numerous occasions.
40:38Patricia
40:39attempts to
40:40play the
40:40grieving widow,
40:41but she can't
40:42quite pull it
40:43off.
40:46Detectives
40:47told Pat that
40:48they believed
40:49they had found
40:49her husband's
40:50killer, she
40:52didn't seem
40:52too concerned
40:53or interested.
40:54All she
40:55wanted to do
40:55was talk
40:56about her
40:56birds.
40:59Pat's
40:59reaction to
41:00that type
41:01of news was
41:02certainly out
41:03of the norm.
41:05On its
41:05face, does
41:06it prove
41:07anything?
41:09But once
41:09we find out
41:10all the
41:10circumstances
41:11that have
41:12happened in
41:12this case,
41:13it can
41:14certainly be
41:15used as
41:16an indication
41:17of guilt.
41:17after two
41:20days of
41:20deliberation,
41:22the jury
41:22finds
41:23Patricia
41:23Brown guilty
41:24of first
41:25degree murder
41:26and conspiracy
41:27to commit
41:28murder in
41:29the death
41:29of her
41:29husband and
41:31hands her
41:31a life
41:32sentence.
41:35Sheila
41:36Wenzel is
41:36released on
41:37parole after
41:38serving 11
41:39years.
41:41After 27
41:42years behind
41:43bars,
41:44Leroy Wenzel
41:45is also
41:46released in
41:47a shocking
41:47twist that
41:48makes headline
41:49news.
41:52Let's go
41:53back in
41:54time first.
41:55Leroy
41:55Wenzel was
41:56the trigger
41:56man in a
41:57plot to
41:57kill his
41:58brother-in-law
41:59back in
41:591991.
42:01Court
42:01records say
42:02Wenzel was
42:03hired by
42:03his wife's
42:04sister to
42:05kill her
42:05husband,
42:06Fred Brown.
42:07He was
42:07sentenced to
42:08life in
42:09prison on
42:09a second
42:10degree murder
42:10charge,
42:11but was
42:12paroled
42:12today after
42:13serving nearly
42:1430 years
42:15because he
42:15was sentenced
42:16under old
42:17laws.
42:19North Carolina
42:19now uses
42:20structured
42:21sentencing,
42:22which mandates
42:22a minimum
42:23and maximum
42:24amount of
42:25years an
42:25offender
42:26can get
42:26for their
42:26crime.
42:27Under
42:28structured
42:28sentencing,
42:29no one
42:30can get
42:30life for
42:31second-degree
42:31murder anymore.
42:33That law
42:33change only
42:34applies to
42:34cases after
42:35October 1994.
42:37Since the
42:38murder happened
42:38in 1991,
42:40it meant
42:40Wenzel
42:41remained
42:41parole
42:42eligible.
42:42Legal
42:43experts tell
42:44me this
42:44is one
42:45of a
42:45shrinking
42:45pool of
42:46cases able
42:47to get
42:47out early
42:48through the
42:49old law.
42:52Patricia's
42:53life sentence
42:53becomes just
42:55that, and
42:56she dies in
42:57prison in
42:572010.
43:00Murder for
43:01hire is a
43:02nasty business,
43:03but if Pat's
43:04goal was to
43:05change her
43:05life, she
43:06certainly
43:06accomplished
43:07it.
43:07from an
43:11unusual hobby
43:12that became
43:13an obsession
43:13to a
43:16deadbeat
43:16dad with
43:17an accidental
43:18confession.
43:19This case
43:20proves that
43:21there are
43:21some things
43:22best kept
43:23within a
43:23family, but
43:25hiring a
43:25hitman isn't
43:27one of them.
43:27money
43:28was
43:29a
43:30name.
43:31I
43:32love you.
43:32I
43:32love you.
43:33I
43:34love you.
43:37I
43:37love you.
43:39I
43:39love you.
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