00:00:08
I've handled hundreds of firearms through the course of daily casework. The majority are handgun types [music]
00:00:21
and then we see a fair amount of semi-automatic rifles and a variety of shotguns.
00:00:34
Detectives Laren and McCarthy presented this case to the firearms unit. >> They had a woman who had accidentally
00:00:43
shot her husband with a revolver. >> Tell me what this gun is. >> This is the same make and model of
00:00:50
firearm that was recovered from the Duffy [music] residence. >> When I first walked in, sun was coming
00:00:56
through the sliding glass door. It just looked very peaceful until I walked in and saw Mr. Duffy laying on the couch.
00:01:06
There was a lot of blood on the carpet [music] and there was some blood on the wall. Lots of blood. But based on what I
00:01:14
was being told about her, middle class, educated woman. She didn't fit the profile of a murderer. This could be an
00:01:22
accident. She's eccentric and quirky. She gives that impression the minute you meet her. She was very entertaining and
00:01:29
very funny. Loved to laugh. You either really really liked Linda or you really thought, "Wow, she cannot be trusted."
00:01:37
>> I've investigated well over a hundred murders. >> Sorry, Linda. >> Okay. >> I was very anxious to hear how this
00:01:43
accident happened. >> You have to understand Pat and I joke around a lot with each other.
00:01:48
>> She said, "We have this thing that we always do. We morph into cartoon characters." And
00:01:54
>> sorry, they they what? They morph into cartoon characters. >> What's up, Jack?
00:01:59
>> There was a Bugs Bunny cartoon [music] with Elmer Fud and he does this silly little Elmer Fud voice. No more bullets.
00:02:05
>> No more bullets. >> And she said she began to talk to him in her Elmer Fud voice.
00:02:09
>> No more bullets. >> And she said she wanted to impress him and she walked over and picked the gun
00:02:15
up. >> No more bullets. No more bullets. >> They told me there was no bullets in the
00:02:20
gun. >> Well, I don't believe she could have fired it in the manner she said she did.
00:02:25
and right there. >> I wanted to believe her story. >> It's not a a believable story.
00:02:31
>> I had that gut feeling there was something more sinister. >> [music] [music] [music]
00:03:26
>> This is the matter of Linda Guats. She is present before the court. Both council are present. 7 years after she
00:03:32
shot her husband in their suburban living room, Linda Duffy Guats is in a Los Angeles County court denying as
00:03:40
strongly as she can that she is a murderess. This was a horrible accident [snorts]
00:03:47
and I wish and pray constantly that I could be able to take away your pain, but I can't.
00:03:57
This case is not a who done it. It's more of a why' she do it. Linda admits she shot her husband Patrick Duffy in
00:04:05
2007, but she says it was an awful and unlikely accident. She's had to convince authorities that fact can be stranger
00:04:14
than fiction because her legal defense has featured, among other things, a cast of cartoon characters.
00:04:22
>> Here, let me see that sling. >> Her lawyer has used the words of Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fud to explain her
00:04:29
actions as he insisted she is innocent. >> We're going to ask you to tell us what
00:04:35
happened today. >> Linda talked to police voluntarily and without a lawyer. just hours after the
00:04:41
shooting. >> It was it was pointed down and the next thing I know [laughter and gasps] he
00:04:49
was right there just laying there. >> Well, let's go by the house. >> Sean McCarthy and Shannon Lren have been
00:05:01
homicide detectives for the LA County Sheriff's Department for 13 years. Forgive the cliche, but they really did
00:05:09
think they'd pretty much seen it all. >> Here's the house right here. >> And then on April 26th, 2007, they got a
00:05:18
call about a shooting at the Duffy's house in suburban Whittier. >> Stop shooting my numbers on him. Mr. H.
00:05:29
>> Okay, stay on the line with me, ma'am. >> This is the couch that that you saw in
00:05:32
the living room. >> Yes. Yes. Mr. Duffy was right here. >> McCarthy and Laren found Patrick Duffy
00:05:38
dead on the couch. His left hand was in his pocket >> and his right knee was being supported
00:05:44
by a pillow. Very comfortable, relaxed. >> There was blood pulled on the floor and
00:05:50
splattered on the wall. >> And it was a pretty goodized blood puddle right in here.
00:05:53
>> Clearly, he had a gunshot wound to the head. The couple's two teenage sons, Shawn and
00:06:00
Thomas, were at school, so Linda was the only surviving witness. And Detective Lren, had a funny feeling.
00:06:09
>> It looked like he'd been sleeping on the couch and somebody walked up and shot
00:06:11
him in his sleep. >> What did you think? >> I was leaning that this was an accident.
00:06:17
>> Detective McCarthy has been investigating homicide cases for about 13 years and knows how to spot even the
00:06:24
tiniest [music] clues. He saw very little here that made him suspicious. >> Do you guys disagree frequently on
00:06:31
cases? >> I disagree with all my partners on every case. >> Well, so how does that work?
00:06:36
>> I I think we kind of wait until we have more information. I wanted to hear her
00:06:41
story. >> She was [music] very entertaining. Loved to tell stories. >> Julie Prendergast has been listening to
00:06:48
Linda's stories since they first became friends in a college music program in the 80s. She said, "Well, actually, I'm
00:06:56
from um [music] Ireland." And she started talking with what I thought was a pretty phony accent. That was my first
00:07:03
indication that Linda was a little bit different. >> Julie says, "Linda could be irreverent,
00:07:08
even goofy." >> I would say, "Linda, I'm going to tell you something and you're going to want
00:07:12
to laugh, but we're in class right now, so don't laugh out loud." And it would just pop out. Anyway,
00:07:18
>> after they left school, Julie and Linda ended up working at the same place. [music] And one day, Julie says, Linda
00:07:25
called with some news. >> She said, "I'm I'm so excited. I'm getting married and I'd like you to be
00:07:31
in my wedding." >> The groom was a man Linda had met four years earlier. Patrick Duffy, a radio
00:07:37
engineer, gun enthusiast, and private pilot. >> She just said it was like her dream come
00:07:44
true, and she couldn't be happier. They seemed happy as a family. They understood each other. Patrick's sister,
00:07:50
Katherine Hunt, says Patrick and Linda were soulmates and playmates. >> They were kidding with each other,
00:07:56
joking with each other. >> We're just always just joking around with each other and being silly and
00:08:01
having a good time. >> And it was that silliness that became a cornerstone of Linda's story when she
00:08:08
explained to police what happened the day she killed her husband. >> Then I came into the family room and he
00:08:15
was sitting on the the sofa. She said they had just come back from a doctor's appointment. Patrick had chronic
00:08:22
circulation problems. Linda said he'd been planning to go to the shooting range. His 38, one of three revolvers he
00:08:31
kept in the house, was nearby. >> We keep it in this little locked box. >> Linda told police she usually stayed
00:08:39
away from the guns, but that day she picked up the 38. >> And the story got stranger as it went
00:08:45
on. We do this little silly thing. We always kind of relate little silly conversations [music] to like cartoons
00:08:51
that we've seen when we were younger and stuff. And he does this silly little Elmer Fud voice. No more bullets.
00:08:56
>> And she claimed she said to him, "No more bullets in Elmer Fud's voice. >> No more bullets."
00:09:03
>> And she said his response was, "No more bullets. >> No more bullets." >> She said it was a game they played all
00:09:09
the time. and that when her husband said no more bullets in his Elmer Fud voice,
00:09:15
she took it to mean the gun was empty and that it was safe to try something Patrick had taught her. She said that
00:09:23
she then wanted to impress him by showing him she can shoot it cowboy style. >> It's called fanfiring and any fan of
00:09:32
westerns knows it. You hold the trigger down and keep pulling back the hammer so
00:09:37
the gun fires quickly. Well, you told me there was no bullets in the gun. >> She says once she started fanfiring, she
00:09:49
couldn't stop in time to avoid hitting her husband who leaned into the line of fire.
00:09:56
>> And the next thing I know, he was right there. >> The statement about the fan firing,
00:10:05
it just didn't sound right. But his partner, Detective Shawn McCarthy, who had heard his share of crazy
00:10:11
explanations from suspected killers, listened to that panicked 911 tape, listened to Linda's story and concluded
00:10:21
the story was just wacky enough to be true. >> The overwhelming feeling that I got from
00:10:28
her was she was odd at best and eccentric at worst. After they interviewed Linda for an hour, they let
00:10:36
her go home. >> And when you left work that day, did you have in your mind that she was a
00:10:43
suspect? >> No. >> His gut told him Linda was innocent, but he'd need more. He'd need science.
00:10:52
>> The muzzle of the firearm was between a distance of 1 and 7 in from his head.
00:11:12
When he first studied the scene where Linda Duffy killed her husband, detective Shawn McCarthy was pretty sure
00:11:18
it was an accident. He believed her story that she had reenacted their favorite Bugs Bunny cartoon.
00:11:26
>> No more bullets. >> No more bullets. and then fanfired the gun. And when he talked to Linda later that day,
00:11:36
>> start with when we got up this morning. >> She said nothing that made him doubt
00:11:41
her. >> Not your fault. >> It's my fault. >> No, it's not your fault. >> It's just it's it's just that we need to
00:11:47
understand. Laren and McCarthy were beginning to understand more about what happened
00:11:54
inside the Duffy home, especially after they talked to the medical examiner who had just done an autopsy on Patrick
00:12:02
Duffy. >> There was a second gunshot wound. >> Linda Duffy claimed this was an accident, but she had shot her husband
00:12:12
in the head not once, but twice. And believe it or not, even seasoned investigators can miss that kind of clue
00:12:20
at the crime scene. >> You could not see the second gunshot wound. >> Well, because of uh dried blood and and
00:12:28
the amount of blood and coagulated blood, we weren't privy to the second gunshot wound.
00:12:33
>> What did you make of that? >> Well, it's certainly was a red flag. >> But it was not just a red flag for
00:12:41
McCarthy's partner, Shannon Lren. It was more like a bright red arrow pointing right at Linda Duffy.
00:12:49
>> There was so many highly improbable events that would have had to have all lined up for this to actually have been
00:12:54
an accident. They didn't line up. >> Still, Shawn McCarthy was not convinced. >> Why didn't you just say this has got to
00:13:03
be murder? >> Because I needed to be convinced myself that this was murder. The last thing in the world I want to do
00:13:10
is send an innocent person to prison for the rest of their lives. >> It wasn't enough for McCarthy to know
00:13:16
what happened. He wanted to know why it happened. >> We struggled to find a compelling
00:13:21
motive. And we looked and we looked and we looked, >> but they couldn't really find one. The
00:13:27
Duffies seemed to be an average middleclass family living here in the LA suburbs. There was a life insurance
00:13:34
policy on Patrick, but they'd bought that decades earlier. Plus, there was no evidence of cheating. And considering
00:13:42
her eccentric personality, Detective McCarthy could not just dismiss Linda's story.
00:13:49
>> Okay, maybe this could have happened the way she said cuz she's so quirky and
00:13:53
eccentric. But it was about to get a little harder for McCarthy to believe Linda's story
00:14:01
because of Tracy Peek, the firearms expert for the sheriff's department who was brought into the case
00:14:10
by McCarthy and Lahren. Remember, according to Linda, she fired the way they did in the movies.
00:14:20
It is possible to do that pretty easily with the right kind of gun. >> This is the kind of gun that you can fan
00:14:29
fire. Right. >> Correct. So, this is a a singleaction revolver. This type of firearm is fired
00:14:34
by cocking the hammer and pulling the trigger. >> The guns they used in the cowboy movies
00:14:40
were singleaction guns. You can easily keep firing quickly by pulling and releasing the hammer
00:14:49
while the trigger is held back. >> When the hammer is fanned, the cylinder will rotate with this type of gun. So,
00:14:55
it will fire the cartridges in the chambers of the cylinder as it's being fanned.
00:15:02
>> The Duffy's had two singleaction revolvers in the house, but the gun Linda used to shoot her husband was not
00:15:10
one of them. It is a doubleaction revolver and there's a big difference. >> The shooter simply pulls the trigger
00:15:18
which accomplishes both cocking the hammer and releasing the hammer and the gun will fire.
00:15:25
>> To rapid fire a doubleaction revolver, the shooter has to do all sorts of things at the right time and in the
00:15:33
right sequence. >> Is this gun designed to be fired that way? >> No. For the purposes of this case, I
00:15:39
essentially invented a way in which I would conceivably fan this. Uh, and that included pulling the trigger,
00:15:48
releasing the trigger, fanning the hammer, pulling the trigger, releasing the trigger, and fanning the hammer, but
00:15:55
doing it pretty quickly. >> And PC says it's very hard to aim while doing all that. She says the unexpected
00:16:05
deafening noise of the gun and the recoil would have alarmed Linda if she didn't know the gun was loaded.
00:16:13
According to Peek, it would have been next to impossible for Linda, who claims to be an amateur, to shoot her husband
00:16:20
twice rapidly by accident, especially since the wounds were so close together. >> I don't find it a very believable story.
00:16:31
I still wanted to believe her, but it clearly couldn't have gone down the way that she said that it went down.
00:16:40
>> By now, Detective McCarthy was all but certain that Patrick Duffy's death was
00:16:45
no accident. But the two detectives felt they didn't have enough to prove it. Because of a heavy workload, it took two
00:16:53
years. But in January 2009, McCarthy and Len brought Linda back in for another chat. The video wasn't working, but you
00:17:04
can still hear their conversation. >> He showed me how to do it really fast because you got to do it like the
00:17:10
cowboys. >> Well, in the second interview, I think we were both convinced that this was a
00:17:15
murder. >> They showed her a video of Tracy Peek fanfiring the gun. I think she was
00:17:22
certainly surprised when we explained to her how difficult it would be. I could tell the light bulb went on in her brain
00:17:30
and she said, "I got to at least change the story a little bit." >> Linda now said she and her husband had
00:17:37
practiced fanfiring with an unloaded revolver for years. >> Like, yeah, like 15, 20 times. I'm fine.
00:17:46
>> Did you believe her this time? >> No. But the detectives wanted to give Linda one last chance to show them how
00:17:54
she fired the gun. And they made her an unusual offer. >> Meet us at the range. We'll bring an
00:18:02
exact replica and show us that you can fire this gun in the manner that you said.
00:18:06
>> The detectives were certain Linda would not kill again. So, they let her go home
00:18:12
again and waited to hear from her about their offer. Days turned into weeks and then months
00:18:20
and life went on at the homicide bureau. >> We change partners. And when that happens, you start getting new cases and
00:18:29
other cases start falling to the wayside. >> As the years passed, Linda might have
00:18:35
thought she was off the hook, but her past was about to catch up with her. >> The district attorney said, "I'm going
00:18:44
to file this case." And I need to go get her. >> [music] >> With no news for nearly 5 years, Patrick
00:19:05
Duffy's brother, John, and sister, Catherine Hunt, thought the police had decided his death was an accident and
00:19:13
had closed the investigation. But Catherine says she had a hard time believing what Linda told her when she
00:19:21
called on that awful day. She was incoherent and I said, "Um, what happened?" He was cleaning his gun
00:19:31
and it accidentally went off. >> Linda had told the police that she had shot Patrick by accident, but later that
00:19:38
night, she told his siblings he'd shot himself. >> Could you picture him having that kind
00:19:45
of an accident? >> No, absolutely not. We were raised with guns >> and we were taught to empty our weapons
00:19:51
before even entering the house. And that was like the number one rule. >> It was hard to believe that he had done
00:20:00
something like that. >> And Catherine learned she was right the day after Pat died when she met Linda at
00:20:07
the funeral home. >> I said, "Where was he shot?" And she went like this. Just like that. That's
00:20:13
when it hit me that he didn't shoot himself. I said, "So, tell me what really happened."
00:20:21
She said, "Oh, you're going to hate me. You're going to hate me. You're going to
00:20:23
hate me." I said, "No, I'm not going to hate you, but I need to know what the truth is."
00:20:29
And I said, "Did you shoot my brother in the head?" And she said, "Yes." >> It was there in the funeral home where
00:20:36
Catherine first heard the tale of Elmer Fud. Pat had told her no bullets like no
00:20:44
bullets like like Daffy Duck and Elmer Fud because they would talk in cartoon characters sometimes. She thought the
00:20:52
gun wasn't loaded and it went off. I couldn't quite understand why she had lied. If it was an accident,
00:21:00
it was an accident. But she had lied to us. >> But the police still had to prove she
00:21:06
had lied to them about why she shot him. Detectives had interrogated her twice and released her twice. The second time
00:21:15
they let her go, they'd made that unusual offer to meet her at the firing range.
00:21:22
>> We even told her, "It can be at your convenience." >> They weren't shocked when they didn't
00:21:26
hear back from her. And several months later, they stopped by the Duffy's house and saw a for sale sign. Her sons were
00:21:34
home. >> They said she's on her honeymoon in Italy. Two years after the shooting,
00:21:40
Linda Duffy was Linda Guats, newly married to Lawrence Guats, who anyone in the saxophone world knows is a worldass
00:21:51
player. >> When we Googled him, he [music] was playing in Carnegie Hall. >> And once again, when wedding bells rang,
00:22:01
so did Julie Prendergast's phone. She asked me what I sing in that wedding and I said, "What? Linda, I'm not coming to
00:22:11
your wedding. Something's not right surrounding the death of Patrick." >> Julie says she was uneasy with how Linda
00:22:19
just moved on. >> She dyed her hair blonde. She was wearing different style of clothes. She
00:22:25
seemed to be walking on air on clouds like uh just as happy as can be. A year after shooting her first husband, Linda
00:22:32
met Guats online. She moved to Mississippi where her new husband was a music professor. She was out of sight.
00:22:41
But for detectives Laren and McCarthy, she was not out of mind. >> Did you forget about this case? Was
00:22:48
there a period of time where >> Oh, no. Absolutely not. >> When their workload with their new
00:22:53
partners permitted, McCarthy and Len each turned their attention back to Linda. They wanted to take a new look at the
00:23:03
blood evidence with a new expert, Paul Delhau. He studied the photos and police reports and concluded Linda had to be
00:23:12
lying. Based on her statements, police believed Linda was claiming that she had fired quickly and from the same spot.
00:23:21
>> She moved and the the relative position of the gun to the head changed. We are
00:23:25
standing next to the couch on which Patrick Duffy died. Delhau said the blood evidence told him a lot,
00:23:32
especially these tiny stains on Linda's clothing and the walls called spatter, which he says came from the first shot.
00:23:42
>> The barrel has to be within about 3 in of the head in order to produce the spatter. Delhauser says the second shot
00:23:49
created a large pool of blood on the floor in the exact spot where Linda said she was standing.
00:23:57
>> She would have been getting jets of blood um hitting her. >> Linda Duffy have any blood on her?
00:24:03
>> Very little. >> Yeah, >> very very little. >> Police thought they now had proof that
00:24:09
Linda was lying. She didn't have enough blood on her after the shooting to support her story. Laren and McCarthy
00:24:17
thought they knew what really happened. >> She took aim, fired one round while he
00:24:22
was sleeping, realized he wasn't dead, comes back on target, fires the second round, and that's why they're within 2
00:24:30
in of each other. >> They believe Patrick's death wasn't an accident, it was an execution.
00:24:38
By 2012, the new prosecutor assigned to the case was eager to move ahead and police began talking to Linda's
00:24:46
co-workers. >> Boy, that was very revealing when they consistently talked about how she was so
00:24:53
charming. But then as time went on, they started finding out that she was this compulsive liar. And Julie Prenergast
00:25:02
had a few stories to tell about her one-time friend's record when it comes to telling the truth.
00:25:10
>> We all have one gallbladder. Linda had hers removed three times. Linda just always needed seemed to want to have
00:25:18
attention. >> It was enough for McCarthy. >> I became absolutely convinced that we
00:25:24
need to prosecute her. So finally in May 2012, 5 years after Patrick Duffy's death, Detective
00:25:34
McCarthy flew to Mississippi where Linda and her new husband were living in a comfortable home and she had gotten a
00:25:42
job at the university. >> You knock on the door. What's her reaction? >> Her reaction was, I thought the
00:25:50
investigation was all over. >> The investigation wasn't over. McCarthy arrested Linda Duffy Guats for murder.
00:26:00
And everyone was in for some surprises. It's been six years since Linda Duffy shot her husband to death, and she
00:26:22
thought she was going on with her life with a new husband, a new house, a new look, and a new town. But now she's
00:26:31
going on trial for murder. >> Tuesday, her freedom came to an end. >> And Joseph Low is her attorney.
00:26:38
>> Unfortunately, on this particular day, she was going to play with a gun again
00:26:41
like she's done so many times before, and she rapid fired it in the top of his head. It's a complete accident.
00:26:47
>> He'll argue that based partly on the words of Elmer Fud, >> "No more bullets."
00:26:53
>> Linda thought the 38 revolver was empty. >> Did you ever consider the possibility
00:26:59
that this what we'll call a Bugs Bunny defense, for lack of a better term, could be true.
00:27:05
0% chance it's true. Deputy District Attorney Robert Villa says in 27 years on the job, he's never seen a defense
00:27:14
rely, even partly, on a cartoon. >> Bugs is having a conversation with uh Daffy Duck and Elmer Fud.
00:27:24
>> Watching a prosecutor parrot a bunny was a first for us, too. But an official
00:27:30
transcript of the cartoon [clears throat] had to be made. >> What do you know? No more bullets.
00:27:37
And then Bugs Bunny says, "No more bullets." As they're having this conversation, just as she went to
00:27:42
fanfire the gun, he laid down and put his own head right in front of them of the gun. So ridiculous.
00:27:49
>> You know, and I know that strange things do happen. >> Strange things happen. This wasn't one
00:27:55
of them. He was asleep. She shot him in the head twice. >> It was that simple. Open and shut.
00:28:00
>> For me, it was. >> But it wasn't so simple for the jury. Over two weeks, they heard three
00:28:06
recordings of Linda telling authorities about cartoon rabbits and cowboy fanfiring. They also heard days of
00:28:14
testimony from dueling experts about whether Linda's explanation made any sense at all. It was a lot for the jury
00:28:23
to consider. It >> It was difficult. You know, for every expert, there's another one who can tell
00:28:27
you a different story. The defense questioned whether prosecution expert witness Paul Delhau,
00:28:33
>> she would have been getting jets of blood hitting her, >> was really an expert at all. The jurors
00:28:39
deliberated for a day, but could not reach a verdict. >> Very few of us thought the intent was
00:28:46
there. So, how do you convict somebody when it could have happened exactly the way she explained it?
00:28:51
>> With a deadlock jury, the judge had no choice. He had to declare a mistrial. So, you will be discharged on this case.
00:29:01
>> It sends a clear message that the jury wasn't willing to convict on murder. >> Were you disappointed?
00:29:08
>> I'm always disappointed when there's no verdict because that means I have to do
00:29:12
it again. >> And roughly one year later, with Linda having remained in jail, >> good morning everybody.
00:29:20
>> Villa was doing it again. This time his case will be very different. He laid down on the couch,
00:29:27
>> streamlined and simple. >> His wife came up to him, put a gun between 1 and seven in from his head,
00:29:35
and pulled the trigger. Some time went by, she pulled the trigger again. >> He says that Duffy's marriage was
00:29:41
strained. And she thought she might have to take care of her ailing husband. >> She's like, I'm not going to wait on
00:29:48
this guy for the rest of his life. This was a premeditated and deliberate murder. For his opening arguments,
00:29:55
defense attorney Joseph Lowe brings his own sofa to present this as a simple case.
00:30:02
>> No motive, no intent, no crime. Pat was her best friend and she was his. One of the things they'd
00:30:11
love to do is to watch cartoons together. They're kind of goofy. >> But there are many aspects to this trial
00:30:19
that are, if you will, offbeat. Only one of you asked the clerk about how these cameras work. Well, they're only on me.
00:30:27
>> Judge John Tibio has a reputation for lightening the atmosphere for the jury.
00:30:34
>> I'm the star, so don't worry. >> But things quickly get serious. >> When the DA takes them back to the
00:30:41
moment right after Linda Duffy shot her husband. >> My husband was going to go to anyway, so
00:30:46
he had to do it again. I shot him. It's hard to make out some of the words because she just she can't even talk.
00:30:56
>> I thought that's what >> she sounds terrified and frantic to me. >> What does she sound like to you?
00:31:03
>> She sounds like someone who is acting. >> May I use the firearm to demonstrate?
00:31:13
>> Just aim it at the jury. Tracy Peek tells the jury, "Linda had to pull the trigger on this gun twice
00:31:22
to get two bullets to fire. >> If I do not release the trigger, the cylinder will not advance."
00:31:29
>> The big surprise in this trial is what prosecutor Bob Villa leaves out. >> I'd have people's 1 through35 be
00:31:37
admitted to evidence and with that I rest. >> I arrested my case after basically 2 and
00:31:42
1/2 days. Unlike the first trial, there is very little dense forensic testimony about blood stains. And most crucially,
00:31:50
>> your last name is Duffy. >> He does not introduce Linda's taped interviews with police where she first
00:31:56
discussed >> Bugs Bunny. >> Bugs Bunny. >> There was no need for Bugs Bunny. >> No need unless she took the stand. Villa
00:32:04
has thrown defense attorney Joseph Lowe a curveball since the defense isn't allowed to introduce the interrogations
00:32:12
unless the state does first. The only way jurors will hear Linda Duffy's side of the story is if she takes the stand
00:32:21
and exposes herself to crossexamination. >> Were you hoping she would take the stand?
00:32:26
>> Absolutely. >> Were you ready? >> Absolutely. Low begins his defense [music] with a good offense. His first
00:32:34
witness is the detective who at first did not think Linda was a murder. >> When you're done asking your questions,
00:32:43
you allowed Mrs. Duffy to go home. >> Correct. >> Talking to her was very convincing to
00:32:52
me. She was eccentric and how could she harm anybody? Sir, you would not let somebody who you thought had just
00:32:59
committed a murder go back out on the street if you had the power of arrest. Isn't that correct?
00:33:04
>> Relevance sustained. >> That night, I liked her. >> As the investigation went on, I liked
00:33:09
her a lot less. >> Lo tries to paint a sympathetic picture of Linda. >> Sir, how you feeling right now? A
00:33:16
>> little nervous. >> By calling her sons Shawn and Thomas. >> She's a very emotional, caring person.
00:33:23
>> We were always really happy. They like cartoons a lot. They were always making
00:33:28
funny jokes to each other and always poke fun of each other and stuff. >> The defense has a very big decision to
00:33:36
make. Will Linda take the stand herself? >> And if she took the stand, we were going
00:33:41
to hear all about Bugs Bunny. >> Miss Guad, do you wish to testify? >> No, sir. Linda has decided not to take
00:33:49
the stand. So her lawyer worries the jury will hear nothing about fanfiring. And then he comes up with an idea.
00:33:58
>> So I'd like to refer to court and council page five of the 911 transcript. >> He finds a [snorts] reference to it in
00:34:05
the 911 tape prosecutors have already introduced. >> A long time ago, he showed me how to
00:34:11
pull the thing back on top of the gun and pull the trigger real fast. So low is allowed to call firearms expert Lance
00:34:19
Martini, who says fanfiring a double-action gun like Linda claims she did is not so far-fetched after all.
00:34:28
>> This can be done. It's not overly common, but it certainly can be done. >> Sir, is it humanly possible to shoot
00:34:34
more than one round in less than a second? Doubleaction mode. >> Yes, it is. >> There's no way. Absolutely no way it
00:34:41
happened that way. This was an execution. These jurors never got to see any cartoons, but they did see one
00:34:48
animation produced by the prosecutor. It is no laughing matter. It attempts to answer a deadly serious question. What
00:34:59
happened to Patrick Duffy? >> He's asleep watching television. >> The video doesn't leave much to the
00:35:06
imagination. Although the defense in closing arguments says it and the rest of the state's case are all a fantasy.
00:35:15
>> She accidentally shot her husband. >> It ain't right. And it's not fair to guess somebody into a conviction. Guess
00:35:22
somebody into a concrete tomb. >> It all comes down to whether it's one word or two from the jury.
00:35:28
>> Correct. >> Guilty or not guilty. >> [music] >> Jury's present, council and defendant
00:35:43
are present, and you've reached a verdict or verdict. >> Yes. >> Would you please?
00:35:47
>> It's been a long road now nearly 7 years since Patrick Duffy died and one year
00:35:53
after a jury deadlocked in his wife's first murder trial. This time, the jury comes back in just over 24 hours. We the
00:36:03
jury the above entitled action find the defendant Linda Dorin Guads guilty of the crime of seconddegree murder of
00:36:10
Patrick Albert Duffy in violation of section 187. >> The guilty verdict floors Linda.
00:36:19
>> It hits her lawyer hard too. For his part, the prosecutor is more relieved than anything else.
00:36:26
>> I'm pleased uh that I don't have to try it a third time. You saw the way she reacted?
00:36:33
>> Yes. I've always thought she was an actress, so that was that was her moment.
00:36:40
>> Honestly, that's the first time I saw her really cry. >> Patrick Duffy's sister, Catherine, has
00:36:45
waited years for this day. >> She didn't get away with murdering my brother. >> When it comes time to sentence Linda,
00:36:54
three months later, it's her last chance to address the court. and she speaks. >> I wanted to let all of you know
00:37:05
how grieved I feel most of all to Patrick and my beautiful son shot and Thomas because you lost such a loving wonderful
00:37:18
father. >> Her sons try their best to ask for leniency. if there's anything you can do
00:37:24
to to help out with my family and that's all I can ask. Believe she's innocent and I will till the day I die.
00:37:33
>> Linda's second husband, Larry Guats, also appeals to the judge >> to assert that this was a premeditated
00:37:44
purposeful act. I'm sorry. It's unacceptable to me. >> Look at these two people beautifully in
00:37:52
love. Why? Because she's a wonderful human being who doesn't deserve this. >> But the judge doesn't have much leeway.
00:38:02
In this particular instance, the law mandates 40 to life. My oath requires that I impose that.
00:38:10
>> I was like, you did this to yourself. >> We found it curious that one jury could
00:38:16
not agree on a verdict at all and a second convicted Linda in a day. It is ironic, but in these two trials, it is
00:38:25
apparently true that in the case against Linda Duffy Guats, less is more. >> If I remember correctly,
00:38:33
>> we sat down with jurors from both trials to see why one jury quickly reached a
00:38:38
verdict. >> Andrew Dixon, murder in the second. >> Danielle Wong, seconddegree murder,
00:38:44
>> while the other never did. >> Brandy Jones, not guilty. Pamela Enriquez, murder in the second.
00:38:51
>> Where's the gun? 1 to seven. >> Remember, the jury that convicted Linda only heard the bare bones prosecution.
00:38:58
>> Makes this impossible to happen the way she says. >> Very little about fanfiring or cartoons.
00:39:05
>> They heard a lot more than you heard. >> And we can only make the decision based
00:39:10
off of the evidence that we heard. The jurors from both trials, the ones who heard the long story and the ones who
00:39:18
heard it made short, sat around our table and pondered. While less may be more, >> is it enough?
00:39:26
>> And you're putting a woman away for the rest of her life. So, present everything. I I think I really have to
00:39:32
agree with Brandy. Maybe all the evidence should be presented. >> Did you know she gave an interview to
00:39:38
the police? >> We >> would you have liked to? I I would have loved to hear what she had to say. Um
00:39:46
would that have changed my decision? Don't know. Possibly. >> If you had heard everything, do you
00:39:51
think it would have affected the deliberations? >> Absolutely. >> And even though they made their
00:39:56
decision, some of the jurors who convicted Linda still have questions. >> Did it bother you that they never said
00:40:04
exactly why she did it? >> Um yeah, it did. >> How'd you get over that? I'm not over
00:40:11
it. I still want to know. >> When I heard the guilty verdict, I said, "Yay! Justice is finally served."
00:40:18
>> Julie Prrengast has no doubt the second jury did the right thing by finding her
00:40:23
former friend guilty. And she wonders how Linda's life, which was once so happy, became so tragic.
00:40:35
>> I'm sad for everyone involved. Those two boys lost their father and now they're
00:40:41
losing their mother. It's a tragic story in every way you can think about it. >> I can only describe it as evil,
00:40:51
something horrible. >> From 48 hours, this is trained to kill the dog trainer, the ays, and the
00:40:57
bodyguard. >> He [music] couldn't control his obsession. >> Who was the hunter and who was the
00:41:02
hunted? Follow and listen on the free Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts.
00:41:17
[music] Ever think in your wildest dreams that someone might want to kill you? >> I would have never thought that anyone
00:41:27
would want to kill me ever in my life. Ever. >> My dad's a sweet guy. I mean, he's very
00:41:33
calm. He's full of laughter. He's full of energy. He's like a life of the party.
00:41:40
>> My life was once [music] beautiful, wonderful. I have three wonderful kids. Was married to a
00:41:45
beautiful lady. >> Hi guys, my name is Lulu. >> My business was booming. >> And I'm Ramos Sosa, head [music] coach
00:41:53
boxing. >> Welcome to Boxing Fitness. Outside the ring, boxers, they're very loving. They want love from their fans
00:42:04
and they want to give it back. They're the nicest people. >> It was a very, very low-key kind of guy.
00:42:12
That's the furthest thing from my mind that somebody wanted me dead. >> I remember walking in one night as the
00:42:19
gym was in its final hours before it closed. I remember a conversation was taking place about Hitman.
00:42:27
What was it about this conversation that caught your attention? >> What caught my attention was whose name
00:42:32
came up? >> Did they mention Ramon? >> Yes. >> Now my focus was just on talking to
00:42:39
Ramon. >> I said, "Mundo, you're joking around. You know what's going on." >> Ramon was like, "Don't don't play with
00:42:44
me like that. This is some serious stuff." >> And then he said, "I seen that look on
00:42:48
people's eye before they want to kill somebody." >> It's like a screenplay, something
00:42:53
straight out of Hollywood. And it would fit right in with every other horror flick that we've seen in the past.
00:42:57
>> Except this is real. >> It is real. >> We're taking you inside the twists and
00:43:04
turns of a complex sting operation. And here's what makes it unique. The target of the murder for hire plot becomes an
00:43:13
undercover operative to catch the person who wants him dead. >> So, Lieutenant, where are we heading? We
00:43:21
are heading to what we refer to as the dig site. >> This is the actual grave where I was
00:43:26
supposed to be dead. They had me lay down with my hands behind my back, my head turned. It was a photographer.
00:43:34
All I could hear was just the clicking of the camera. >> That was somebody's [music]
00:43:38
choice. They told someone, "This is what I want. This is how I want you to do it.
00:43:42
And this is where I want you to put him." It's horrifying. >> I saw myself in the grave dead.
00:43:48
Literally, I was supposed to be dead. I'm the only person alive that has ever walked out of
00:43:54
his own grave. [music] [music] >> [music] >> To this day, Ramon Sosa finds it surreal
00:44:29
that he was the target in a murder for higher plot. >> I would have never believed it. I would
00:44:36
have thought I would have thought it was just something that is you only see in movies or on TV.
00:44:43
I would have never thought that it would be happening to me. He appeared to have the perfect life
00:44:54
from rubbing shoulders with celebrities like Hugh Hefner to owning a successful boxing [music]
00:45:01
gym in Houston. And he had found the love of his life, Lulu. >> Life was very sweet.
00:45:12
Beth Blair is a friend of the Sosas. >> I saw two fun, outgoing, loved to party,
00:45:19
love to get together with people and have barbecues, and the more people the marrier.
00:45:26
[music] >> Raone's zest for life started early. He was born with a fighting spirit.
00:45:33
Originally from Karolina, Puerto Rico, Ramon grew up boxing with his father. >> I fell in love with the sport of boxing.
00:45:40
I saw how the training and and there was a few world champions that trained there
00:45:44
and and I just loved it from from the [music] time I I was little. >> After training for more than 10 years,
00:45:50
Ramon took a shot at the pro boxing circuit. [bell] >> They used to call me uh the Puerto Rican
00:45:57
Express. When I turned 17, I turned pro. >> So, did you ever knock anybody out in
00:46:01
the ring? >> Oh, yeah. There was a lot of knockouts. >> Eventually, the Puerto Rican Express ran
00:46:08
out of steam. Ramon hung up his boxing gloves and decided to pursue the American dream.
00:46:14
>> I went back to school, uh, got my education and and and start and I still kept training, you know, always wanted
00:46:20
to be involved with boxing in some kind of way. >> Ramon got married young and had three
00:46:27
children with his first wife. He eventually settled down in Houston, Texas, where he opened a [music] boxing
00:46:33
gym of his own where he could continue to teach his passion. I think Ramon is a a nice, humble guy, friendly, uh, family
00:46:43
oriented. >> Raul Marquez is an Olympic boxer >> and Showtime commentator. He is also Ramon's longtime sparring
00:46:54
buddy. >> Anybody that goes in the ring, it's got to be tough. It's got to be mentally
00:46:58
tough, you know. I think he's physically and mentally tough, but like I always say, he wasn't tough enough to beat me,
00:47:04
you know, beat my butt, you know. >> [laughter] >> So, who is the better fighter? You or
00:47:08
Ramon? >> Wow. Records speak speak for themselves. Just look at look it up. Look it up.
00:47:13
[laughter] >> Ramon's first marriage ended in 2000. By 2007, [music] Ramon, then 40, was ready to get back in
00:47:24
the ring. But this time, he was looking for a different kind of knockout. >> And a friend of mine said, "Hey, man.
00:47:30
There's a place where they play live music. I heard there's a lot of beautiful ladies out there, Latina
00:47:35
ladies. >> [music] >> Raone decided to go and see this place for himself. And as soon as he arrived,
00:47:43
someone special caught his eye. >> Place was packed and I noticed her. >> Are you thinking, man, I'm fighting out
00:47:50
on my weight class here? >> Yeah. Yeah. She was very, very attractive. You know, she looked very
00:47:54
nice and she danced very, very well. So, I [music] just kept my eye on her. >> The woman he noticed was Lulu Durant.
00:48:02
>> [music] >> Next thing I know, she walks by me and she steps on my toe. >> Now, do you think she might have stepped
00:48:08
on your foot on purpose? >> Oh, she sure did. She She even admitted later on. >> Ramon and Lulu had an instant [music]
00:48:16
connection. >> And that was it. I mean, as soon as we started dancing, we didn't get off the
00:48:21
dance floor for the whole night. >> Ramon still remembers the very [music] first song they danced to, a popular
00:48:27
Latin tune that the salsa band played that night. It would become their song. >> Bruheria is a song by Elran Puerto Rico.
00:48:43
>> And it means what? >> Witchcraft. [music] >> Witchcraft. And forgive the pun, but you
00:48:48
were under her spell, right? >> Basically, yes, I was under her spell. >> Spellbound. After dancing the night
00:48:55
away, Ramon went home with Lulu and the rest was history. She doted on him. She was great.
00:49:03
>> Beth had a ringside seat to their relationship. >> She'd bring him coffee and get up every
00:49:08
morning with him and make his breakfast and I was just thought it was really neat their relationship. You know, they
00:49:15
got along really well. >> They looked a very very happy couple. They would compliment each other. They
00:49:19
were into each other. >> After less than a year of dating, [music] Ramon dropped to one knee.
00:49:27
>> I proposed to her. It was around Christmas time. I remember proposing to her. She started crying. She cried and
00:49:34
cried and cried, you [music] know, and she was happy, you know, and but she couldn't wait to get married.
00:49:41
>> Lulu Durant became Lulu Sosa on March 15th, 2009. >> She treated me well. She treated him
00:49:48
like a king. [music] >> Lulu, originally from Mexico, came to the United States with her son and
00:49:56
daughter. what brought her to Houston, >> you know, to have a new life, a better
00:50:02
life for her children's to, you know, to start again because she was divorced in
00:50:07
Mexico and then she come here. >> Natalia Flores is a hair stylist and one of Lulu's closest friends. She met Lulu
00:50:15
back in 2007. >> She was a nice friend, a good mom, a good worker, a hard worker. Lulu was
00:50:25
often generous with her friends. >> If I would say, "I love that ring." She'd take it off and give it to me. I'd
00:50:31
always be careful to say, "I don't like that." Because she'd end up giving it to
00:50:34
me. >> In 2010, Ramon opened a second gym. This time, Lulu was by his side. She kept the books and became a personal
00:50:45
trainer. >> We offer boxing, kickboxing, and fitness training. >> Come check us out.
00:50:50
>> How big of operation was it? The gym was about 5,000 square feet and we average
00:50:54
about 200 some members a month. Everything was great. >> Little did Ramon know he would soon be
00:51:02
in the fight of his life. [music] All right. >> What was it like growing up Sosa?
00:51:26
>> Oh my gosh, it was like being a superstar almost because [music] everyone knows my dad.
00:51:32
Everyone knows who my dad is. >> For Ramon's daughter, Mia, a former model and beauty pageant contestant, and
00:51:39
her [music] two brothers, growing up around a local boxing celebrity had its perks.
00:51:44
>> It was just fun. Our dad was a jokester, so every time we were around, it was
00:51:51
tons of laughs and smiles and all things [music] like that. >> Lots of blended families experience
00:51:57
growing pains. But Mia says life after Lulu arrived. >> Hi, my name is Ramos Sosa.
00:52:03
>> I am Lulu Sosa. >> Was not as harmonious as those gym ads made it seem. >> She didn't want anything to do with us.
00:52:13
We were like nothing to her. Mia found Lulu's coldness not just mean, but ominous.
00:52:23
>> It wasn't like she was trying to become a stepmom. She knew that [music] at some
00:52:28
point we weren't really going to be in her picture. >> What's more, the spell Lulu seemed to
00:52:33
cast over Raone started to eat away at his relationship with his own children. >> She didn't like him spending [music]
00:52:40
money on his kids and seeing them. >> We're not hanging out as much. And I know we're not doing it because he's got
00:52:47
someone else that he's paying his attention to. And it's [music] like, why? I'm your daughter. Don't Where are
00:52:53
you going? >> Ramon says there was so much animosity between Lulu and his children. They
00:52:59
weren't there for a major event [music] in his life. >> My kids didn't go to my wedding. That's
00:53:04
one thing that's hurt me. >> That day that we found out that he had got married. It was heartbreaking.
00:53:12
Heartbreaking. Ramon and his new bride focused on growing [music] their gym into a
00:53:18
powerhouse for world class training and fitness. >> How much money were you guys making a
00:53:25
month or a year? >> It was probably about over 18 20,000 a month. >> 18 $20,000 a month in profit.
00:53:31
>> Yeah. >> But after 6 years of marriage, the SOSA spell began to break. Lulu started
00:53:40
confiding in her friends. She told me that he doesn't want to work too much and he stay more at home and she's
00:53:46
working hard and hard and hard. >> And accusations of Ramon's laziness were just the beginning.
00:53:53
>> And she said on an occasion or two that he was physical with her, that he had
00:53:58
come in drinking and was physical with her. [music] >> What did she mean by physical?
00:54:03
>> Like grabbing her or pushing her. because he's a strong guy. He came and forced to do things that she doesn't
00:54:12
want in that moment. >> Like sex. >> Uh-huh. >> Did she ever tell you [music] that Ramon
00:54:21
would force himself upon her and force her to have sex with him [music] when she did not want to?
00:54:26
>> Yes, she did. She had said that on occasion. >> Lulu claims that you have raped her.
00:54:33
Yeah, she's tried everything to ruin my life from rape, being abusive to being a
00:54:39
drunk and all these claims. Not one of them, not one have have I been uh charged for. And and I tell you, sir,
00:54:49
that hands have never hitten a woman in my in their lives. These have always been for
00:54:55
fighting in the ring, not even the streets. Not even in the streets. For her to say something like that, that was
00:55:02
really hurtful. >> Around the same [music] time that Lulu was complaining to her girlfriends,
00:55:10
Ramon says another problem suspiciously appeared. Missing money. >> After we started having problems at home
00:55:19
with the marriage, there was issues with the gym. >> I'm working people out a lot more and I
00:55:25
see new faces all the time. But when I see the bottom line here, it's not adding up.
00:55:30
>> Are you worried [music] that she's skimming money? >> I I was worried and I was wondering what
00:55:34
she was doing with the money. >> Ramon soon learned where some of that money may have gone. In March 2015, Lulu
00:55:42
hired divorce attorney Julio Hoglar. >> Lulu was in fear for her safety. >> Hoglar says he was shocked by what Lulu
00:55:51
brought with her to his office. She was able to take pictures of scratches that he left on her arms, legs,
00:56:04
shoulders. >> He shared the photos with 48 [music] hours. >> According to Lulu, this was caused by
00:56:10
Rammon at one time when he wanted to force himself to her and there was a altercation and [music]
00:56:18
Rammon grabbed her and >> Can I see him? >> Scratched her. Yeah. That is evident that he was using force
00:56:26
to push her legs out. >> There's scratches on her upper arm and she claims there's a bruise on her leg
00:56:33
that you inflicted on her. >> Those are all fabricated. I I can tell you those are all fabricated.
00:56:40
>> This is >> But there was one photo that even Ramon says was not made up. And as you can see
00:56:47
in this picture, uh, Rammon punched that door and that can give you an idea of the strength of this man.
00:56:57
That admits to that punch. She was accusing me of stuff and that's one thing I did. I took my frustrations out,
00:57:05
but as far as putting a hand on her, never ever. Despite allegations of physical abuse,
00:57:13
Ramon and Lulu remained in the same house even after she filed for divorce. They lived on different floors.
00:57:21
>> And was Lulu afraid of Ramon? Afraid that he may seriously hurt her. [music] >> Yes, she was afraid of that.
00:57:30
>> And it was at that time in June 2015 that this man who asked we not show his face was working out at the gym. He said
00:57:39
to call him [music] Mundo. >> Ramos Sosa. He's a friend. He's a very good mentor
00:57:48
to me. [music] >> Mundo had grown up on the tough streets of East Houston. >> And he had a very very rough background.
00:57:55
Gangs and and drugs and and fighting the streets and he wanted a new life and he
00:58:01
became like like a son to me. >> Mundo says he was friends with Lulu as well. She was there talking to her
00:58:09
16-year-old daughter when he overheard them. >> A conversation was taking place about a
00:58:15
customer that was there that supposedly was claiming to be a big shot that he had connections of a hitman or or just
00:58:23
people that could inflict harm. What caught my attention was towards the end of the conversation whose name came up.
00:58:31
>> Did they mention Ramon? >> Yes. Stunned, Mundo [music] said nothing. He came back here the next
00:58:39
day and confronted Lulu, who told him that Ramon was physically abusing her. Then she said something else.
00:58:50
She's like, "I'm tired. I'm tired of him. It's already [music] too much, you know. I wish he'll disappear. I wish
00:58:57
something, you know." And I'm like, "Disappear? What do you mean disappear? Like what?" Disappear.
00:59:04
And I did the pistol sign. [music] [bell] Mundo was certain that Lulu had murder
00:59:30
on her mind and that his [music] friend Raone was in danger. >> And what was it about the way she was
00:59:36
talking to you that made you think this was something [music] more than just idle words?
00:59:41
>> Her eyes. Just her eyes. I've seen that look before. Just people that [music]
00:59:47
are serious about what they're saying. >> Knowing Lulu was dead serious, Mundo had
00:59:53
to think fast. He came up with a plan to stop her. Mundo offered to get involved
00:59:59
and hire the hitman himself. >> I gave Lulu the impression that I was going to reach out to a hitman that I
01:00:07
have the guys already ready. >> Mundo convinced Lulu he believed her claims of abuse and would help her. But
01:00:15
it was actually all a ploy to protect his friend Ramon, who he [music] called as soon as he left the gym. and he tells
01:00:22
me, "Lu wants to kill you." >> As shocking as the news was, Ramon says he instantly knew why
01:00:31
>> if I died after the divorce was finalized, she was not going to get the money that I have for my retirement.
01:00:39
>> The value of the gym, the value of >> She had everything already figured out.
01:00:44
Ramon immediately contacted police, but was told nothing could be done based only on conversations with an angry
01:00:52
wife, as threatening as they sounded. >> The sheriff's department needed more. They needed more evidence.
01:00:58
>> So, the two old boxing buddies came up with a plan. They would launch their own
01:01:03
sting operation. >> The tape recorder I'm going to use. >> Using his street smarts, Mundo would
01:01:08
pretend to hire a hitman. [music] He'd send texts to this fictitious killer with details about the hit.
01:01:15
Details he'd share with Lulu. >> She needs to see that I'm going back and forth with somebody.
01:01:21
>> Raone and Mundo bought two disposable [music] cell phones. Little did Lulu know that the target, her own husband,
01:01:28
was holding that second phone. [music] >> And the phone he's going to use to play
01:01:33
his own hitman. >> Play his own hitman. >> Yes, sir. I started stressing because, you know,
01:01:39
here we are, Mia Mundo doing this amateur investigation or undercover investigation. I don't know what I'm
01:01:45
doing. But Mundo did. >> He started recording his daily conversations with Lulu.
01:02:05
Yeah. As the days passed, both men worried Lulu might have another hitman waiting
01:02:18
in the wings. >> My thing was, what if her patience runs out? You know, Ramon ends up dead or
01:02:25
what if her patient runs out and I end up dead? Raone told no one about what he and Mundo were up to and living in
01:02:33
[music] fear over what Lulu might be up took its toll. He started carrying a gun.
01:02:40
>> I'd be at a stoplight and and you know I would put the gun in between my legs, you know, looking left
01:02:48
and right the whole time at a light. >> Raone could not even escape his fear at night.
01:02:54
>> And you're in bed. Where's the gun? Uh >> you underneath my pillow. loaded. >> So Mundo kept the pretend negotiations
01:03:03
on track. >> We used that phone, >> acting as the middleman between the fake hitman and Lulu.
01:03:09
>> She's like, "Well, tell them I'm offering the white truck. Tell them I'm offering them jewelry. Tell them I'm
01:03:14
offering them, you know, this much money." [music] >> All this time, Ramon and Lulu were still
01:03:22
living under the same roof. On June 9th, 2015, before Mundo overheard Lulu's threat, police had been called to the
01:03:30
Sosa house. >> Lulu's defense attorney [music] says there was an argument between Lulu's son
01:03:37
and Raone over a truck which Lulu's [music] son recorded on his cell phone. >> Whose vehicle is this?
01:03:43
>> This is my vehicle. I have legal documents on the right which I need today. >> Please don't take my vehicle. Rammon
01:03:50
went to take the vehicle away from Lulu's son. And when Lulu's son basically told him, "No, you're not
01:03:57
going to take my vehicle. >> Please step out of my car." >> Ramon punched him on his face.
01:04:04
>> Ramon, please step out of my car. >> Ramon was issued a citation for assault,
01:04:12
but he says his hand only made contact with the phone. >> I'm an ex-professional fighter. If I
01:04:18
would have hit that kid, believe me, he would not be standing up right now. >> Raone, please step out of my car.
01:04:24
>> I didn't put my hand on that kid. >> On June 30th, Ramon and Lulu faced off in court. Lulu wanted a restraining
01:04:33
order against him. >> Her attorney wrote up the orders that I was abusive, that I hit her son, that
01:04:38
they're fear for their lives, you know, living [music] with me staying in my house. Ramon was ordered to move out of
01:04:44
their home and stay away from the woodlands gym, but he also got an order restraining Lulu from the first gym he
01:04:51
owned, [music] the one he'd opened before meeting her. Ramon says he kept his eye on the bigger prize, [music]
01:04:58
exposing Lulu's plot against him. >> You know, she thought she had me on the ropes about to knock me out in boxing.
01:05:06
That's called an 8 count. I took an 8 count. I got kicked out of my own house. But the boxer was about to make a
01:05:13
comeback. 10 days after launching their Sting, Ramon, posing as Paco, the fake hitman, texts Mundo. He's gotten a 9 mm
01:05:23
gun costing $200. >> When Mundo received the down payment for the gun to have me killed from Lulu,
01:05:32
that's when I said, "You [music] know what? I think we have enough. Let's take this to the police." Now,
01:05:37
>> I got a call on a Sunday. Lieutenant Mike Atkins works for the precinct 3 constable office in Montgomery County,
01:05:45
Texas. >> We had a individual claiming that uh there was a murder for hire against him.
01:05:50
>> How unusual was that? >> It's extremely unusual. It's uh the first one of my career.
01:05:55
>> Impressed with the amateur sting, the professionals were now ready to take over. But they needed a streetwise
01:06:02
rookie in their corner. Mundo. I was afraid, sir, that they might get that person to actually do the job.
01:06:10
>> They might go with >> It was important that we not change the investigation. We not change or move
01:06:18
Mundo out of the situation because that might bring alarms. >> Mundo kept stringing Lulu along,
01:06:25
assuring her he was trying to get [music] things done as soon as possible. Finally, he let her know everything is
01:06:32
[music] a go for a meeting on July 20th with the hitman who was really an undercover agent.
01:06:40
>> He looked like he could be a bad guy in a movie. I said, "Hey, this is the man
01:06:44
that's supposed to kill you." >> Lulu agreed to a night meeting in this parking lot not far from the gym. She
01:06:51
brought several watches and some jewelry as a down payment. Lulu then went to an
01:06:56
ATM machine and withdrew $500, which she brought back here to seal the deal. >> When someone in a murder for hire case
01:07:07
actually pays some money, have they crossed a threshold? >> They have. It shows the uh the level of
01:07:13
intent. It shows the fact that they are serious and it's come to a point where you can't turn back.
01:07:22
Police had enough to arrest Lulu right there and then, but they had concerns, namely Lulu's claims of Ramon's abuse.
01:07:32
>> Lulu has never had any problems with the law. She's a beautiful lady, mother. You
01:07:36
know, we don't want to go to a jury trial and have one of the jurors feel sorry for her.
01:07:41
>> And so, police told Ramon what they needed to do next. We're planning to take a picture of you uh dead
01:08:00
[music] for Raone. The police sting to bring down Lulu seemed to be taking a cue from
01:08:13
witchcraft. the first song they ever danced to. >> One of the lyrics, "You want to send me
01:08:26
to my cold tomb?" >> "Yeah, we're going to take a picture of you dead, you know, like in a grave, and
01:08:32
we're going to show it to her to show proof that the hitman did the job." He was kind of dumbruck, but then as it was
01:08:41
explained to him, he was well on board. >> In order to get Raone camera ready, >> it is a bullet wound.
01:08:49
>> Police first had to consult some experts. >> Being a bunch of middle-aged men, we
01:08:55
don't, you know, we're not exactly versed on applying makeup. So, naturally, we went to YouTube and
01:09:02
learned how to apply makeup from uh from teenage girls. But they also had some deadly examples to follow.
01:09:10
>> Luckily, we had no shortage of crime scene photos to to use as references. >> The assistant Dave was there and he
01:09:15
brought out some pictures of actual dead people, people with bullet holes to the head.
01:09:23
They picked up the one that they thought that was going to be the best one. And I
01:09:27
looked at >> and they showed you that picture. >> Yeah, I was horrified. >> Next, they had to find Raone a grave.
01:09:35
We're heading to to what we refer to as the dig site. Luckily for us, the county
01:09:41
owned a rideway that would give us the privacy we needed. >> What was going through your mind?
01:09:49
>> Well, I really didn't know what the what it was going to look like. I was at this
01:09:52
point already I mean I already had the uh the makeup. They already started with the with the bullet hole.
01:09:58
>> The final touch fake blood. And they told me once we got to the uh site, they
01:10:05
were going to put more blood on me. >> This is it. My own's final resting place. [music]
01:10:12
>> So, where were you lying in this grave? >> My head was there in that corner right
01:10:17
there. And I was >> right over there. >> Yeah. It looked like I had my hands tied
01:10:21
behind my back. They even threw dirt on my on my head. [music] >> It looked like a movie scene, honestly.
01:10:27
>> Was it emotional for you to be in here? >> Yes, very emotional. [music] It was hot.
01:10:32
It was uh scary. It was It was just a feeling of of thoughts of, [music] you know, I can't
01:10:38
believe this what I'm doing. I cannot believe what I'm doing. This is what Lulu wanted right here. This is what she
01:10:43
wanted. >> Now, it's time to show Lulu that this is done and it's uh it's time to get paid.
01:10:55
>> So, a second meeting was arranged between Lulu and the hitman in this same parking lot. But this time it was all
01:11:02
caught on camera. >> It's July 22nd, 2015. Lulu then pays him. Um, >> Lulu is shown the photo of Ramon dead in
01:11:39
a grave. >> She starts laughing. >> No shock at all. >> No shock. >> What does that tell you about Lulu?
01:11:56
>> She's a pretty cold character. See, see >> the undercover detective and Lulu discuss the remaining payment. All told,
01:12:04
$3,000 in cash, watches, and jewelry, and [music] Ramon's white pickup. Then, Lulu is
01:12:11
given more details of her husband's final moments. Lulu maintains she was the victim here.
01:12:37
>> The reality of Ramon's death continues to sink in and Lulu's mood appears to lift.
01:12:50
She was happy. She even made a comment to the hitman. She asked me if I was dead, if I was not
01:12:56
going to get up. >> Like a joke. >> Yeah. She wanted to make sure that I was dead. She made gestures with her hand
01:13:02
like, you know, racing the roof. >> Little did Lulu know that her roof was about to come crashing down.
01:13:11
The next morning, police come to the gym and it's not for a workout. We want to come in and and say, you know, hey,
01:13:20
we're inquiring about your husband that's been missing and we want to get her reaction. Wearing body cameras.
01:13:27
>> Hey, this was >> okay. Detective Martinez with the council's office. >> Police make it seem like they're
01:13:35
stopping in to do a wellness check on Raone. >> Somewhere we can talk in private.
01:13:40
>> Sure. >> Apparently, Mr. just hasn't been to work today. >> Lulu claims she has no idea where Ramon
01:13:48
might be. >> I haven't seen him. I haven't talked to him. We're going through the board.
01:13:54
>> When's the last time you you saw Mr. >> We saw him on Wednesday 15? The last day.
01:14:04
>> That's the last time you saw. >> That's the last time I saw him. My mom and my daughter.
01:14:10
>> Lulu seems pretty relaxed. She does. >> She knows that sooner or later the police are going to come either to say
01:14:18
he's missing or they found his body. >> Remember the night before she had seen this picture, she was all happy. She was
01:14:23
all giggles and happy that she see me dead and now she was acting concerned in front of the cops.
01:14:29
>> So he hasn't contacted leaders in the last room? >> No. No, >> she has. >> Police let Lulu's performance go on a
01:14:37
few minutes longer, then lower the boom. Okay, Miss Oza, stand up, please. You're
01:14:43
under arrest. >> You're under arrest. Why? >> Back at the constable's office, Lulu is
01:14:51
already taking issue with how she was arrested. >> She's saying that we're supposed to read
01:15:00
her right before we put her hand in. Prior to her interview, Lulu is read her rights and refuses to speak without a
01:15:12
lawyer. [music] Lulu is charged with solicitation of capital murder. It's an injustice, says
01:15:20
her divorce lawyer, Julio Hoglar. I think that Rammon Sosa is someone that was very violent to his wife and I think
01:15:31
that the constant hammering, the constant violence, the constant behavior towards his wife
01:15:39
made his wife fear him. I believe that that's what forced her at the end to make a decision that otherwise she would
01:15:47
have never made. The question now, will a jury believe Lulu's claims of abuse? >> Here lies Ramon Sosa, right?
01:16:12
>> Yes, sir. This is like a scene from a movie where where they kill these guys and just, you know, and just dig up a
01:16:19
hole anywhere and put them away. Very scary. For 3 days, Ramon had to play the part
01:16:27
of a dead man. >> And nobody knew where I was. Even my family, everybody was looking
01:16:37
for me. I was very, very upset. rage and [music] sadness. All the emotions came through me.
01:16:48
>> Okay, Miss Oza, stand up, please. You're under arrest. >> You're under arrest.
01:16:53
>> Why? >> Following Lulu's arrest on July 23rd, 2015, Ramon faced the unimaginable task of
01:17:03
telling his children that their stepmother had tried to kill him. I had just got off of a shift from
01:17:10
working at a comedy club and it was late. You know, I didn't expect my brother to be sitting on my bed.
01:17:18
You can just feel something was [music] wrong. >> Mia's brother handed her the phone. Her
01:17:25
father was on the line. >> And he says [music] very low, "Mia, I'm okay." And I said,
01:17:31
"What? What are you talking about?" And he says, "I'm okay. I'm somewhere safe, but Lulu tried to have someone kill me.
01:17:42
>> That's >> okay. >> And at this point, I mean, you don't hear anything. I didn't know what to do
01:17:51
with myself [music] except cry. I remember sliding on the back of the wall down to the ground and huddled into
01:18:00
my knees, crying my eyes out. Now Ramon had a new fight on his hands, defending [music]
01:18:10
his reputation. That was what hurt me so much. She had so many people believe all this stuff
01:18:17
that I have put my hands on her, that I was an alcoholic, that I hit her son. That's how psych this person was.
01:18:28
>> Still, would Lulu use these allegations as part of her own defense? [music] Give me a sense. How strong now is your
01:18:36
case against Lulu Sosa? >> We think it was a very strong case. >> We had our video. We had a down payment.
01:18:44
We had a confirmation to her that the murder had taken place. >> So, you've got her.
01:18:55
>> We got her. >> As Lulu awaited trial, that assault charge against Ramon. Raone, please step
01:19:03
out of my car. >> Was dismissed [music] >> and Lulu agreed to a divorce settlement
01:19:09
that handed [music] Ramon the gym and the house. >> She gave it all up. >> After 15 months in jail, awaiting trial
01:19:19
on the murder for higher charges, Lulu gave up the fight. In October 2016, as Ramon looked on, she [music] pleaded
01:19:28
guilty to a reduced charge of seconddegree solicitation of murder, avoiding trial and a possible life
01:19:36
[music] sentence. >> She came here with an American dream, and she got her American dream quick.
01:19:42
And to lose everything the way she did is sad. >> Lulu was given 20 years in prison. Is 20
01:19:53
years enough? >> I don't think so. But I'm happy that it's over with. I'll take it.
01:19:58
>> I was just shocked that trying to [music] hire somebody to kill her husband that that's really all she got
01:20:04
was 20 years. >> Personally, because that's my father. I want you away forever. I don't want you
01:20:09
to come out. >> Not everyone agrees. >> Was that justice in your opinion? >> My opinion, no.
01:20:17
>> Lulu's divorce attorney, Julio Hoglar. Because >> because nobody got to hear her sight.
01:20:24
Many times I saw her crying. I felt her desperation. >> Ramon says the ordeal has left scars.
01:20:35
>> Are you haunted by this? >> I'll never be the same person ever again. I call my kids as much as
01:20:41
possible. Might be the last day I say that I love them. >> Ramon's near-death experience has
01:20:47
changed him. They love our family. >> Mia is now back in Texas, having patched up their relationship after Lulu drove
01:20:55
them apart. >> It's been a really good outcome for me and for him. You're going to get knocked
01:21:01
out sometimes. You're going to get up, take the loss, and you're going to try harder and get a win.
01:21:10
>> Now, Ramon is a sought after speaker telling his incredible story of survival. He shared that journey to an
01:21:18
appreciative audience in London. >> Thank you. Thank you, London. I'm alive. >> The man who Lulu thought would help kill
01:21:27
her husband >> is now an author. Mundo has written a book about his experience. >> If Lulu is watching this broadcast, is
01:21:37
there anything you would want to say to her? >> Redeem yourself. You don't have to be
01:21:43
what everybody tells you you are. You know, everybody's telling me I was something else.
01:21:49
Prove everybody wrong. So, you could do the same. >> Today, Ramon wears a precious reminder
01:21:58
of how his time on Earth almost ran out. >> Tell me about the watch that's on your
01:22:03
left wrist there. >> She told Mundo that when it killed me to make sure to take my watch. That's what
01:22:10
I wear all the time. Now, >> I think she ended up [music] picking the wrong man to victimize. Don't you?
01:22:16
>> Yeah. To the last minute of the last round, she had me on the ropes. And she had no idea that the whole time I had
01:22:23
her plan, too. [music] >> [music] [music] [music] [music] >> I've handled hundreds [music] of
01:23:22
firearms through the course of daily casework. The majority are handgun types and then
01:23:34
[music] we see a fair amount of semi-automatic rifles and a variety of shotguns.
01:23:46
Detectives Laren and McCarthy presented this case to the firearms unit. They had a woman who had accidentally
01:23:55
shot her husband with a revolver. Tell me what this gun is. >> This is the same make and model of
01:24:02
firearm that was recovered from the Duffy residence. >> When I first walked in, sun [snorts] was
01:24:08
coming through the sliding glass door. It just looked very peaceful until I walked in and saw Mr. Duffy laying on
01:24:16
the couch. >> There was a lot of blood on the carpet and there was some blood on the wall,
01:24:23
lots of blood. But based on what I was being told about her, middle class, educated woman, she didn't fit the
01:24:31
profile of a murderer, this could be an accident. She's eccentric and quirky. She gives that impression the minute you
01:24:39
meet her. >> She was very entertaining and very funny. Love to laugh. You either really
01:24:44
really liked Linda or you really thought, "Wow, she cannot be trusted." >> I've investigated well over a hundred
01:24:50
murders. >> Sorry, Linda. Okay. I was very anxious to hear how this accident happened.
01:24:57
>> You have to understand Pat and I joke around a lot with each other. >> She said, "We have this thing that we
01:25:03
always do. We morph into cartoon characters." And >> they they what? >> They morph into cartoon characters.
01:25:09
>> What's up, Jack? >> There was a Bugs Bunny cartoon [music] with Elmer Fud and he does this silly
01:25:14
little Elmer Fud voice. No more bullets. >> No more bullets. >> And she said she began to talk to him in
01:25:20
her Elmer Fud voice. No more bullets. >> And she said she wanted to impress him and she walked over and picked the gun
01:25:27
up. >> No more bullets. No more bullets. >> He told me there was no bullets in the
01:25:32
gun. >> Well, I don't believe she could have fired it in the manner she said she did.
01:25:37
>> An right there. >> I wanted to believe her story. >> It's not a a believable story.
01:25:43
>> I had that gut feeling there was something more sinister. >> [music] >> This is the matter of Linda Guad. She is
01:26:40
present before the court. Both council are present. 7 years after she shot her husband in their suburban living room,
01:26:47
[music] Linda Duffy Guats is in a Los Angeles County court denying as strongly as she can that she is a murderess.
01:26:57
>> This was a horrible accident. And I wish and pray constantly that I could be able to take away your
01:27:05
pain, but I can't. >> This case is not a who done it. It's more of a why' she do it. Linda admits
01:27:14
she shot her husband Patrick Duffy in 2007, but she says it was an awful and unlikely accident. She's had to convince
01:27:23
authorities that fact can be stranger than fiction. Because her legal defense has featured, among other things, a cast
01:27:32
of cartoon characters. >> Here, let me see that sling. Her lawyer has used the words of Bugs Bunny and
01:27:39
Elmer Fud to explain her actions as he insisted she is innocent. >> We're going to ask you to tell us what
01:27:47
happened today. >> Linda talked to police voluntarily and without a lawyer just hours after the
01:27:53
shooting. It was it was pointed down [snorts] and the next thing I know he his hand was right there
01:28:04
just laying there. >> Well, let's go by the house. >> Sean McCarthy and Shannon Lren have been
01:28:13
homicide detectives for the LA County Sheriff's Department for 13 years. Forgive the cliche, but they really did
01:28:21
think they'd pretty much seen it all. >> Here's the house right here. >> And then on April 26th, 2007, they got a
01:28:30
call about a shooting at the Duffy's house in suburban Whittier. >> Stop shooting my accident.
01:28:40
Your help. >> Okay, stay on the line with me, ma'am. >> This is the couch that that you saw in
01:28:44
the living room. >> Yes. >> Yes. Mr. Duffy was right here. >> McCarthy and Lahren found Patrick Duffy
01:28:50
dead on the couch. His left hand was in his pocket >> and his right knee was being supported
01:28:56
by a pillow. Very comfortable, relaxed. >> There was blood pulled on the floor and
01:29:02
splattered on the wall. >> And it was a pretty goodiz blood puddle right in here.
01:29:05
>> Clearly, he had a gunshot wound to the head. The couple's two teenage sons, Shawn and
01:29:12
Thomas, were at school, so Linda was the only surviving witness. And Detective Lahren, had a funny feeling.
01:29:21
>> It looked like he'd been sleeping on the couch, and somebody walked up and shot
01:29:23
him in his sleep. >> What did you think? >> I was leaning that this was an accident.
01:29:29
>> Detective McCarthy has been investigating homicide cases for about 13 years and knows how to spot even the
01:29:36
tiniest clues. He saw very little here that made him suspicious. >> Do you guys disagree frequently on
01:29:43
cases? >> I disagree with all of my partners on every case. >> Well, so how does that work?
01:29:48
>> I I think we kind of wait until we have more information. I wanted to hear her
01:29:53
story. >> She [music] was very entertaining. Loved to tell stories. >> Julie Prendergast has been listening
01:30:00
[music] to Linda's stories since they first became friends in a college music program in the 80s. She said, "Well,
01:30:07
actually, I'm from um Ireland." And she started talking with what I thought was a pretty phony accent. [music]
01:30:14
That was my first indication that Linda was a little bit different. >> Julie says, "Linda could be irreverent,
01:30:20
even goofy." >> I would say, "Linda, I'm going to tell you something and you're going to want
01:30:24
to laugh, but we're in class right now, so don't laugh out loud." And it would just pop out. Anyway,
01:30:30
>> after they left school, Julie and Linda ended up working at the same place. And
01:30:35
one day, Julie says, "Linda called with some news." >> She said, "I'm I'm so excited. I'm
01:30:41
getting married and I'd like you to be in [music] my wedding." >> The groom was a man Linda had met four
01:30:46
years earlier. Patrick Duffy, a radio engineer, gun enthusiast, and private pilot.
01:30:54
>> She just said it was like her dream come true, and she couldn't [music] be happier. They seemed happy as a family.
01:30:59
They understood each other. Patrick's sister, Katherine Hunt, says Patrick and Linda were soulmates and playmates.
01:31:07
>> They were kidding with each other, joking with each other. >> We're just always just joking around
01:31:12
with each other and being silly and having a good time. >> And it was that silliness that became a
01:31:17
cornerstone of Linda's story when she explained to police what happened the day she killed her husband. Then I came
01:31:25
into the family room [music] and he was sitting on the the sofa. >> She said they had just come back from a
01:31:32
doctor's appointment. Patrick had chronic circulation problems. Linda said he'd been planning to go to the shooting
01:31:39
range. His 38, one of three revolvers he kept in the house, was nearby. >> We keep it in this little locked box.
01:31:49
Linda told police she usually stayed away from the guns, but that day she picked up the 38.
01:31:55
>> And the story got stranger as it went on. >> We do this little silly thing. We always
01:32:00
kind of relate little silly conversations to like cartoons that we've seen when we were younger and
01:32:05
stuff. And he does this silly little Elmer Fud voice. No more bullets. >> And she claimed she said to him, "No
01:32:11
more bullets in Elmer Fud's voice. >> No more bullets." >> And she said his response was, "No more
01:32:17
bullets. No [snorts] more bullets. >> She said it was a game they played all the time and that when her husband said
01:32:24
no more bullets in his Elmer Fud voice. She took it to mean the gun was empty and that it was safe to try something,
01:32:32
Patrick had taught her. >> She said that she then wanted to impress him by showing him she can shoot it
01:32:38
cowboy style. >> It's called fanfiring and any fan of westerns knows it. You hold the trigger
01:32:47
down and keep pulling back the hammer so the gun fires quickly. >> Well, you told me there was no bullets
01:32:57
in the gun. >> She says once she started fanfiring, she couldn't stop in time to avoid hitting
01:33:04
her husband who leaned into the line of fire >> and the next thing I know [gasps] he his
01:33:12
hand was right there. the statement about the fan firing, it just didn't sound right.
01:33:18
>> But his partner, Detective Shawn McCarthy, who had heard his share of crazy explanations from suspected
01:33:26
killers, listened to that panicked 911 tape, listened to Linda's story and concluded the story was just wacky
01:33:35
enough to be true. The overwhelming feeling that I got from her was she was odd at best and eccentric at worst.
01:33:45
>> After they interviewed Linda for an hour, they let her go home. >> And when you left work that day, did you
01:33:53
have in your mind that she was a suspect? >> No. >> His gut told him Linda was innocent, but
01:34:00
he'd need more. He'd need science. The muzzle of the firearm was between a distance of 1 and 7 in from his head.
01:34:24
When he first studied the scene where Linda Duffy killed her husband, Detective Sha McCarthy was pretty sure
01:34:30
it was an accident. He believed her story that she had reenacted their favorite Bugs Bunny cartoon.
01:34:38
>> No more bullets. >> No more bullets. >> And then fanfired the gun. And when he
01:34:46
talked to Linda later that day, >> start with when you got up this morning. >> She said nothing that made him doubt
01:34:53
her. >> Not your fault. >> It is my fault. >> No, it's not your fault. It's just it's it's just that we need to
01:34:59
understand. >> Laren and McCarthy were beginning to understand more about what happened
01:35:06
inside the Duffy home, especially after they talked to the medical examiner who had just done an autopsy on Patrick
01:35:14
Duffy. >> There was a second gunshot wound. Linda Duffy claimed this was an accident, but she had shot her husband
01:35:23
in the head, not once, but twice. And believe it or not, even seasoned investigators can miss that kind of clue
01:35:32
at the crime scene. >> You could not see the second gunshot wound. >> Well, because of uh dried blood and and
01:35:40
the amount of blood and coagulated blood, we weren't privy to the second gunshot wound.
01:35:45
>> What did you make of that? Well, it certainly was a red flag. >> But it was not just a red flag for
01:35:53
McCarthy's partner, Shannon Lahren. It was more like a bright red arrow pointing right at Linda Duffy.
01:36:01
>> There was so many highly improbable events that would have had to have all lined up for this to actually have been
01:36:06
an accident. They didn't line up. >> Still, Shawn McCarthy was not convinced. Why didn't you just say this has got to
01:36:15
be murder? >> Because I needed to be convinced myself that this was murder. >> The last thing in the world I want to do
01:36:22
is send an innocent person to prison for the rest of their lives. >> It wasn't enough for McCarthy to know
01:36:28
what happened. He wanted to know why it happened. >> We struggled to find a compelling
01:36:33
motive. And we looked and we looked and we looked, >> but they couldn't really find one. The
01:36:39
Duffies seem to be an average middle-class family living here in the LA suburbs. There was a life insurance
01:36:46
policy on Patrick, but they'd bought that decades earlier. Plus, there was no evidence of cheating. And considering
01:36:54
her eccentric personality, Detective McCarthy could not just dismiss Linda's story.
01:37:01
>> Okay, maybe this could have happened the way she said cuz she's so quirky and
01:37:05
eccentric. But it was about to get a little harder for McCarthy to believe Linda's story
01:37:13
because of Tracy Peek, the firearms expert for the sheriff's department who was brought into the case
01:37:22
by McCarthy and Lahren. Remember, according to Linda, she fired the way they did in the movies.
01:37:32
It is possible to do that pretty easily with the right kind of gun. >> This is the kind of gun that you can
01:37:40
fanfire. Right. >> Correct. So, this is a a singleaction revolver. This type of firearm is fired
01:37:46
by cocking the hammer and pulling the trigger. >> The guns they used in the cowboy movies
01:37:52
were singleaction guns. You can easily keep firing quickly by pulling and releasing the hammer
01:38:01
while the trigger is held back. >> When the hammer is fanned, the cylinder will rotate with this type of gun. So,
01:38:07
it will fire the cartridges in the chambers of the cylinder as it's being fanned.
01:38:14
>> The Duffy's had two singleaction revolvers in the house, but the gun Linda used to shoot her husband was not
01:38:22
one of them. It is a doubleaction revolver and there's a big difference. >> The shooter simply pulls the trigger
01:38:30
which accomplishes both cocking the hammer and releasing the hammer and the gun will fire.
01:38:37
>> To rapid fire a doubleaction revolver, the shooter has to do all sorts of things at the right time and in the
01:38:45
right sequence. >> Is this gun designed to be fired that way? >> No. For the purposes of this case, I
01:38:51
essentially invented a way in which I would conceivably fan this. Uh, and that included pulling the trigger,
01:39:00
releasing the trigger, fanning the hammer, pulling the trigger, releasing the trigger, and fanning the hammer, but
01:39:07
doing it pretty quickly. >> And PC says it's very hard to aim while doing all that. She says the unexpected
01:39:17
deafening noise of the gun and the recoil would have alarmed Linda if she didn't know the gun was loaded.
01:39:25
According to Peek, it would have been next to impossible for Linda, who claims to be an amateur, to shoot her husband
01:39:32
twice rapidly by accident, especially since the wounds were so close together. >> I don't find it a very believable story.
01:39:43
I still wanted to believe her, but it clearly couldn't have gone down the way that she said that it went down.
01:39:52
>> By now, Detective McCarthy was all but certain that Patrick Duffy's death was
01:39:57
no accident. But the two detectives felt they didn't have enough to prove it. Because of a heavy workload, it took two
01:40:05
years. But in January 2009, McCarthy and Len brought Linda back in for another chat. The video wasn't working, but you
01:40:16
can still hear their conversation. >> He showed me how to do it really fast because you got to do it like the
01:40:22
cowboys. >> Well, in the second interview, I think we were both convinced that this was a
01:40:27
murder. >> They showed her a video of Tracy Peek fanfiring the gun. I think she was
01:40:33
certainly surprised when we explained to her how difficult it would be. I could tell the light bulb went on in her brain
01:40:42
and she said, "I got to at least change the story a little bit." >> Linda now said she and her husband had
01:40:49
practiced fanfiring with an unloaded revolver for years. >> Like, yeah, like 15, 20 times. I'm fine.
01:40:58
>> Did you believe her this time? >> No. But the detectives wanted to give Linda one last chance to show them how
01:41:06
she fired the gun. And they made her an unusual offer. >> Meet us at the range. We'll bring an
01:41:14
exact replica and show us that you can fire this gun in the manner that you said.
01:41:18
>> The detectives were certain Linda would not kill again. So they let her go home
01:41:24
again and waited to hear from her about their offer. Days turned into weeks and then months
01:41:32
and life went on at the homicide bureau. >> We change partners and when that happens, you start getting new cases and
01:41:41
other cases start falling to the wayside. >> As the years passed, Linda might have
01:41:47
thought she was off the hook, but her past was about to catch up with her. The district attorney said, "I'm going to
01:41:56
file this case and you need to go get her." >> [music] >> With no news for nearly 5 years, Patrick
01:42:17
Duffy's brother, John, and sister, Catherine Hunt, thought the police had decided his death was an accident and
01:42:25
had closed the investigation. But Catherine says she had a hard time believing what Linda told her when she
01:42:33
called on that awful day. She was incoherent and I said, "Um, what happened?" He was cleaning his gun
01:42:43
and it accidentally went off. >> Linda had told the police that she had shot Patrick by accident, but later that
01:42:50
night she told his siblings he'd shot himself. >> Could you picture him having that kind
01:42:57
of an accident? >> No, absolutely not. We were raised with guns >> and we were taught to empty our weapons
01:43:03
before even entering the house. And that was like the number one rule. >> It was hard to believe that he had done
01:43:12
something like that. >> And Katherine learned she was right the day after Pat died when she met Linda at
01:43:19
the funeral home. >> I said, "Where was he shot?" And she went like this. Just like that. That's
01:43:25
when it hit me that he didn't shoot himself. I said, "So, tell me what really happened."
01:43:33
She said, "Oh, you're going to hate me. You're going to hate me. You're going to
01:43:35
hate me." I said, "No, I'm not going to hate you, but I need to know what the truth is."
01:43:41
And I said, "Did you shoot my brother in the head?" And she said, "Yes." >> It was there in the funeral home where
01:43:48
Katherine first heard the tale of Elmer Fud. Pat had told her no bullets like no
01:43:56
bullets like like Daffy Duck and Elmer Fud because they would talk in cartoon characters sometimes. She thought the
01:44:04
gun wasn't loaded and it went off. I couldn't quite understand why she had lied. If it was an accident,
01:44:12
it was an accident. But she had lied to us. >> But the police still had to prove she
01:44:18
had lied to them about why she shot him. Detectives had interrogated her twice and released her twice. The second time
01:44:27
they let her go, they'd made that unusual offer to meet her at the firing range.
01:44:34
>> We even told her, "It can be at your convenience." >> They weren't shocked when they didn't
01:44:38
hear back from her. And several months later, they stopped by the Duffy's house and saw a for sale sign. Her sons were
01:44:46
home. >> They said she's on her honeymoon in Italy. Two years after the shooting,
01:44:52
Linda Duffy was Linda Guats, newly married to Lawrence Guats, who anyone in the saxophone world knows is a worldass
01:45:03
player. >> When we Googled him, he was playing in Carnegie Hall. >> And once again, when wedding bells rang,
01:45:13
so did Julie Prendergast's phone. >> She asked me what I sing in that wedding. And I said, "What? Linda, I'm
01:45:22
not coming to your wedding. Something's not right surrounding the death of Patrick."
01:45:27
>> Julie says she was uneasy with how Linda just moved on. >> She dyed her hair blonde. She was
01:45:35
wearing different style of clothes. She seemed to be walking on air on clouds like, "Oh, just as happy as can be."
01:45:41
>> A year after shooting her first husband, Linda met Guats online. She moved to
01:45:47
Mississippi where her new husband was a music professor. She was out of sight, but for detectives Laren and McCarthy,
01:45:56
she was not out of mind. >> Did you forget about this case? Was there a period of time where
01:46:02
>> Oh, no. Absolutely not. >> When their workload with their new partners permitted, McCarthy and Lren
01:46:07
each turned their attention back to Linda. They wanted to take a new look at the
01:46:15
blood evidence with a new expert, Paul Delhau. He studied the photos and police reports and concluded Linda had to be
01:46:24
lying. Based on her statements, police believed Linda was claiming that she had fired quickly and from the same spot.
01:46:33
>> She moved and the relative position of the gun to the head changed. >> We are standing next to the couch on
01:46:38
which Patrick Duffy died. Delhauser said the blood evidence told him a lot, especially these tiny stains on Linda's
01:46:47
clothing and the walls called spatter, which he says came from the first shot. >> The barrel has to be within about 3 in
01:46:56
of the head in order to produce the spatter. >> Delhauser says the second shot created a
01:47:02
large pool of blood on the floor in the exact spot where Linda said she was standing. She would have been getting
01:47:10
jets of blood um hitting her. >> Linda Duffy have any blood on her? >> Very little. Yeah.
01:47:16
>> Very, very little. >> Police thought they now had proof that Linda was lying. She didn't have enough
01:47:23
blood on her after the shooting to support her story. Laren and McCarthy thought they knew what really happened.
01:47:32
She took aim, fired one round while he was sleeping, realized he wasn't dead, comes back on target, fires the second
01:47:39
round, and that's why they're within 2 in of each other. >> They believe Patrick's death wasn't an
01:47:45
accident, it was an execution. By 2012, the new prosecutor assigned to the case was eager to move ahead, and
01:47:56
police began talking to Linda's co-workers. Boy, that was very revealing when they consistently talked about how
01:48:04
she was so charming, but then as time went on, they started finding out that she was this compulsive liar.
01:48:12
>> And Julie Prenergast had a few stories to tell about her one-time friend's record when it comes to telling the
01:48:20
truth. >> We all have one gallbladder. Linda had hers removed three times. Linda just
01:48:27
always needed seemed to want to have attention. >> It was enough for McCarthy. >> I became absolutely convinced that we
01:48:36
need to prosecute her. >> So finally in May 2012, 5 years after Patrick Duffy's death, Detective
01:48:46
McCarthy flew to Mississippi where Linda and her new husband were living in a comfortable home and she had gotten a
01:48:54
job at the university. You knock on the door. What's her reaction? >> Her reaction was, "I thought the
01:49:02
investigation was all over." >> The investigation wasn't over. McCarthy arrested Linda Duffy Guats for murder,
01:49:12
and everyone was in for some surprises. It's been six years since Linda Duffy shot her husband to death and she
01:49:34
thought she was going on with her life with a new husband, a new house, a new look, and a new town. But now she's
01:49:43
going on trial for murder. >> Tuesday, her freedom came to an end. and Joseph Lowe is her attorney.
01:49:50
>> Unfortunately, on this particular day, she was going to play with a gun again
01:49:53
like she's done so many times before and she rapid fired it in the top of his head. It's a complete accident.
01:49:59
>> He'll argue that based partly on the words of Elmer Fud, >> "No more bullets."
01:50:05
>> Linda thought the 38 revolver was empty. >> Did you ever consider the possibility
01:50:11
that this what we'll call a Bugs Bunny defense, for lack of a better term, could be true?
01:50:17
0% chance it's true. >> Deputy District Attorney Robert Villa says in 27 years on the job, he's never
01:50:24
seen a defense rely even partly on a cartoon. >> Bugs is having a conversation with uh
01:50:34
Daffy Duck and Elmer Fud. >> Watching a prosecutor parrot a bunny was a first for us, too. But an official
01:50:42
transcript of the cartoon had to be made. What do you know? No more bullets. And then Bugs Bunny says,"No more
01:50:50
bullets." As they're having this conversation, just as she went to fanfire the gun, he laid down and put
01:50:56
his own head right in front of them of the gun. So ridiculous. >> You know, and I know that strange things
01:51:04
do happen. >> Strange things happen. This wasn't one of them. He was asleep. She shot him in
01:51:09
the head twice. >> It was that simple. Open and shut. >> For me, it was. But it wasn't so simple
01:51:14
for the jury. Over two weeks, they heard three recordings of Linda telling authorities about cartoon rabbits and
01:51:22
cowboy fanfiring. They also heard days of testimony from dueling experts about whether Linda's explanation made any
01:51:31
sense at all. It was a lot for the jury to consider. It >> It was difficult. You know, for every
01:51:38
expert, there's another one who can tell you a different story. The defense questioned whether prosecution expert
01:51:43
witness Paul Delhau, >> she would have been getting jets of blood hitting her, >> was really an expert at all.
01:51:51
>> The jurors deliberated for a day, but could not reach a verdict. >> Very few of us thought the intent was
01:51:58
there. So, how do you convict somebody when it could have happened exactly the way she explained it?
01:52:03
>> With a deadlock jury, the judge had no choice. He had to declare a mistrial. So, you will be discharged on this case.
01:52:13
>> It sends a clear message that the jury was and willing to convict on murder. >> Were you disappointed?
01:52:20
>> I'm always disappointed when there's no verdict because that means I have to do
01:52:24
it again. >> And roughly one year later, with Linda having remained in jail, >> good morning everybody.
01:52:32
>> Villa was doing it again. This time his case will be very different. He laid down on the couch,
01:52:39
>> streamlined and simple. >> His wife came up to him, put a gun between 1 and seven in from his head,
01:52:47
and pulled the trigger. Some time went by, she pulled the trigger again. >> He says the Duffy's marriage was
01:52:53
strained, and she thought she might have to take care of her ailing husband. >> She's like, I'm not going to wait on
01:53:00
this guy for the rest of his life. This was a premeditated and deliberate murder. For his opening arguments,
01:53:07
defense attorney Joseph Lowe brings his own sofa to present this as a simple case.
01:53:14
>> No motive, >> no intent, [music] >> no crime. Pat was her best friend and she [music] was his. One of the things
01:53:23
they love to do is to watch cartoons together. They're kind of goofy. >> But there are many aspects to this trial
01:53:31
that are, if you will, offbeat. I know. One of you asked the clerk about how these cameras work. Well, they're only
01:53:38
on me. >> Judge John Turibio has a reputation for lightening the atmosphere for the jury.
01:53:45
>> I'm the star, so don't worry. >> But things quickly get serious >> when the DA takes them back to the
01:53:53
moment right after Linda Duffy shot her husband. >> My husband was going to go to shooting
01:53:58
anyway, so he had to do it again. I shot him. It's hard to make out some of the words because she just she can't even
01:54:05
talk. >> I thought that's what >> she sounds terrified and frantic to me. >> What does she sound like to you?
01:54:15
>> She sounds like someone who is acting. >> May I use the firearm to demonstrate?
01:54:25
>> Just aim it at the jury. Tracy Peek tells the jury, "Linda had to pull the trigger on this gun twice
01:54:34
to get two bullets to fire. >> If I do not release the trigger, the cylinder will not advance.
01:54:41
>> The big surprise in this trial is what prosecutor Bob Villa leaves out. >> I'd have peoples 1 through 35 be
01:54:49
admitted to the evidence and with that I rest." >> I arrested my case after basically 2 and
01:54:54
1/2 days. Unlike the first trial, there is very little dense forensic testimony about blood stains and most crucially,
01:55:02
>> your last name's Duffy. >> He does not introduce Linda's taped interviews with police where she first
01:55:08
discussed >> Bugs Bunny. >> Bugs Bunny. >> There was no need for Bugs Bunny. >> No need unless she took the stand. Villa
01:55:16
has thrown defense attorney Joseph Lowe a curveball since the defense isn't allowed to introduce the interrogations
01:55:24
unless the state does first. The only way jurors will hear Linda Duffy's side of the story is if she takes the stand
01:55:32
and exposes herself to crossexamination. >> Were you hoping she would take the stand?
01:55:38
>> Absolutely. >> Were you ready? >> Absolutely. Low begins his defense with a good offense. His first witness is the
01:55:47
detective who at first did not think Linda was a murder. >> When you're done asking your questions,
01:55:55
you allowed Mrs. Duffy to go home. >> Correct. >> Talking to her was very convincing to
01:56:04
me. She was eccentric and how could she harm anybody? So, you would not let somebody who you thought had just
01:56:11
committed a murder go back out on the street if you had the power of arrest. Isn't that correct, sir?
01:56:16
>> General sustained. >> That night, I liked her. >> As the investigation went on, I liked
01:56:21
her a lot less. >> Lo tries to paint a sympathetic picture of Linda. >> Sir, how you feeling right now? A
01:56:28
>> little nervous. >> By calling her sons Shawn and Thomas. >> She's a very emotional, caring person.
01:56:35
>> We were always really happy. They like cartoons a lot. They were always making
01:56:40
funny jokes to each other and always poke fun of each other and stuff. >> The defense has a very big decision to
01:56:48
make. Will Linda take the stand herself? >> And if she took the stand, we were going
01:56:53
to hear all about Bugs Bunny. >> Miss Guad, do you wish to testify? >> No, sir. Linda has decided not to take
01:57:01
the stand. So her lawyer worries the jury will hear nothing about fanfiring. And then he comes up with an idea.
01:57:10
>> So I'd like to refer to court and council page five of the 911 transcript. >> He finds a reference to it in the 911
01:57:18
tape prosecutors have already introduced. >> A long time ago, he showed me how to
01:57:23
pull the thing back on top of the gun and pull the trigger real fast. So low is allowed to call firearms expert Lance
01:57:31
Martini, who says fanfiring a double-action gun like Linda claims she did is not so far-fetched after all.
01:57:40
>> This can be done. It's not overly common, but it certainly can be done. >> Sir, is it humanly possible to shoot
01:57:46
more than one round in less than a second? Double action mode. >> Yes, it is. >> There's no way. Absolutely no way it
01:57:53
happened that way. This was an execution. These jurors never got to see any cartoons, but they did see one
01:58:00
animation produced by the prosecutor. It is no laughing matter. It attempts to answer a deadly serious question.
01:58:11
What happened to Patrick Duffy? >> He's asleep watching television. >> The video doesn't leave much to the
01:58:18
imagination. Although the defense in closing arguments says it and the rest of the state's case are all a fantasy.
01:58:27
>> She accidentally shot her husband. >> It ain't right. And it's not fair to guess somebody into a conviction. Guess
01:58:34
somebody into a concrete tomb. >> It all comes down to whether it's one word or two from the jury.
01:58:40
>> Correct. >> Guilty or not guilty. >> [music] >> Jury's present, council and defendant
01:58:55
are present, and you've reached a verdict or verdict. >> Yes. >> Would you please?
01:58:59
>> It's been a long road now nearly 7 years since Patrick Duffy died and one year
01:59:05
after a jury deadlocked in his wife's first murder trial. This time, the jury comes back in just over 24 hours. We the
01:59:15
jury the above entitled action find the defendant Linda Dorin Guads guilty of the crime of seconddegree murder of
01:59:22
Patrick Albert Duffy in violation of section 187. >> The guilty verdict floors Linda.
01:59:31
>> It hits her lawyer hard too. For his part is more relieved than anything else.
01:59:38
>> I'm pleased uh that I don't have to try it a third time. You saw her the way she
01:59:44
reacted? >> Yes. I've always thought she was an actress. So that was that was her moment.
01:59:52
>> Honestly, that's the first time I saw her really cry. >> Patrick Duffy's sister, Catherine, has
01:59:57
waited years for this day. >> She didn't get away with murdering my brother. >> When it comes time to sentence Linda
02:00:06
three months later, it's her last chance to address the court. and she speaks. >> I wanted to let all of you know
02:00:17
how grieved I feel most of all to Patrick and my beautiful son Shan and Thomas because you lost such a loving wonderful
02:00:30
father. >> Her sons try their best to ask for leniency. if there's anything you can do
02:00:36
to to help out with my family and that's all I can ask. Believe she's innocent and I will till the day I die.
02:00:45
>> Linda's second husband, Larry Guats, also appeals to the judge >> to assert that this was a premeditated
02:00:56
purposeful act. I'm sorry. It's unacceptable to me. >> Look at these two people beautifully in
02:01:04
love. Why? Because she's a wonderful human being who doesn't deserve this. >> But the judge doesn't have much leeway.
02:01:14
In this particular instance, the law mandates 40 to life. My oath requires that I impose that.
02:01:22
>> I was like, you did this to yourself. >> We found it curious that one jury could
02:01:28
not agree on a verdict at all and a second convicted Linda in a day. It is ironic, but in these two trials, it is
02:01:37
apparently true that in the case against Linda Duffy Guats, less is more. >> If I remember correctly,
02:01:45
>> we sat down with jurors from both trials to see why one jury quickly reached a
02:01:50
verdict. >> Andrew Dixon murder in the second. >> Danielle Wong, seconddegree murder,
02:01:56
>> while the other never did. >> Brandy Jones, not guilty. Pamela Enriquez, murder in the second.
02:02:03
>> Where's the gun? 1 to seven. >> Remember, the jury that convicted Linda only heard the bare bones prosecution.
02:02:10
>> Makes this impossible to happen the way she says >> very little about fanfiring or cartoons.
02:02:17
>> They heard a lot more than you heard. >> And we can only make the decision based
02:02:22
off of the evidence that we heard. The jurors from both trials, the ones who heard the long story and the ones who
02:02:30
heard it made short, sat around our table and pondered. >> While less maybe more,
02:02:37
>> is it enough? >> And you're putting a woman away for the rest of her life. So, present
02:02:42
everything. >> I I think I really have to agree with Brandy. Maybe all the evidence should be
02:02:47
presented. >> Did you know she gave an interview to the police? >> We >> would you have liked to? I I would have
02:02:54
loved to hear what she had to say. Um would that have changed my decision? Don't know. Possibly.
02:03:02
>> If you had heard everything, do you think it would have affected the deliberations?
02:03:05
>> Absolutely. >> And even though they made their decision, some of the jurors who
02:03:09
convicted Linda still have questions. >> Did it bother you that they never said exactly why she did it?
02:03:18
>> Um yeah, it did. >> How'd you get over that? I'm not over it. I still want to know.
02:03:25
>> When I heard the guilty verdict, I said, "Yay! Justice is finally served." >> Julie Prrenerg has no doubt the second
02:03:33
jury did the right thing by finding her former friend guilty. And she wonders how Linda's life, which
02:03:41
was once so happy, became so tragic. >> I'm sad for everyone involved. Those two
02:03:51
boys lost their father and now they're losing their mother. It's a tragic story in every way you can think about it.
02:04:01
>> I can only describe it as evil, something horrible. >> From 48 hours, this is trained to kill
02:04:07
the dog trainer, the ays, and the [music] bodyguard. >> He couldn't control his obsession.
02:04:12
>> Who was the hunter and who was the hunted? Follow and listen on the free Odyssey app or wherever you get your
02:04:19
podcasts.