00:00:00
[Music] something like this to happen in our town was crazy. I mean, really kind of
00:00:17
unheard of. Canton is just beautiful. You've got a lot of trees, tons of places to go
00:00:24
hiking, so it's really cute. This was one of those cases that when it happened, everybody knew that this was
00:00:34
bad. Citizens don't want to think that monsters live amongst them. On New Year's Eve of 2020, I went
00:00:43
to Nicole's house. I'm Morgan Metszer's best friend. We were going to have a glass of
00:00:50
wine, stay inside, and just chill. we're going to stay there and watch the ball drop together. But I left early. I
00:00:57
was like, "We never get to, you know, hang out." And she's like, "No, I'm just really
00:01:02
tired." I got home. I just didn't have any interest waiting up for the fireworks. Closed the house down and I
00:01:08
went to bed. She was alone. She recalled waking up about 11:59. I woke up because of
00:01:16
fireworks cuz I can hear them in the distance. and I got down and kissed my dog and I was like, "Happy New
00:01:21
Year's and I go lay back in bed." She went back to sleep and then the next thing that she knew she woke up and
00:01:28
there was this figure standing in her door. I opened my eyes. They flung open and
00:01:36
that's when I saw the shadow of a man's body standing there, you know, all in black and just lit up by the light in
00:01:42
the background. He had a mask on. I screamed so loud. He pounced on me. He then hit me
00:01:51
with a gun. Then he punched me. He turned her over and he put these handcuffs on her that were fashioned
00:01:58
with zip ties. What was your attacker saying? Was he saying anything? Yes. He said, "You're
00:02:06
going to regret this. You've done really wrong now." It was the sound of Batman's
00:02:12
voice. She described it like Batman. kind of like Batman trying to disguise his voice. He would keep continuing to
00:02:19
hit me, pistol whip me. He'd strangle me a few times to the point of where I know
00:02:25
I was about to pass out. Did you think you were going to die? Yes, I did. Who would want to do this to Morgan
00:02:33
Mzer? Nobody should want to do this to Morgan Mets. Eventually, I would learn the intruder
00:02:39
was somebody that I knew. He was not the kind of person that most people suspect
00:02:44
of something like this. [Music] [Music] He's standing there like a soldier, like
00:03:40
with his fists clenched, like he was ready to go. When Morgan Messer glimpsed a masked
00:03:48
figure standing in her bedroom doorway shortly after midnight on New Year's Day 2021, she thought she might just be
00:03:55
seeing things, but then he ran at me and jumped on top of me. And that's when he started
00:04:03
pistol living dipping me. Just hours earlier, she'd been ready to ring in the new year in Canton, Georgia
00:04:11
with her best friend, Nicole Stabisfki. That's what we were looking forward to, and I knew she was exhausted.
00:04:18
It had been a long year for Morgan. Recently divorced, her 8-year-old twin son and daughter were spending a few
00:04:25
days with her sister in Florida. I mean, we're moms. We just wanted to hang out for a second. We had planned for it. But
00:04:32
after arriving at Nicole's, Morgan, feeling tired, decided to make it an early evening. When she left, I did I
00:04:41
gave her some crap. I was like, "What are you doing?" I was like, "We never get to, you know, hang out." And I was
00:04:45
like, "You lose her. Fine, whatever. Text me to get home. Blah blah blah. See you tomorrow." Little could either
00:04:50
friend have guessed that a short time later, Morgan would be in fear for her life. Her attacker had brought zip ties
00:04:58
with him, already pre-looped and intertwined. He put Morgan's hands behind her back, slipped them on, and
00:05:05
tightened them. It's an outer body experience. I can't imagine what you're thinking, what you're feeling.
00:05:12
Vulnerable, exposed. What is going to happen to my kids? I haven't done a will. I haven't
00:05:21
done I don't I haven't talked to my family about who gets them. I was like, they're not going to have a mom.
00:05:27
Her asalent strangled her nearly unconscious twice. It's the worst feeling in the world to think you're
00:05:33
dying. And you feel like you're going to be tortured beforehand. Morgan's attacker sexually assaulted her. Who did
00:05:41
you think was attacking you? I don't know. I just felt like it was some random person.
00:05:48
In addition to the mask, the intruder had taken great pains to disguise himself. Black hoodie jacket, black
00:05:56
pants, black gloves. He said very little, but when he did, Morgan says her asalent seemed to be disguising his
00:06:04
voice, making it sound low and grally like the Batman movies. He also seemed to know about Morgan's personal life,
00:06:13
specifically her recent divorce. He said something about your husband. Yes, you're going to miss your husband. And I
00:06:20
said, "No, don't hurt my husband." Morgan says her mind raced trying to piece together why this was happening to
00:06:28
her. I swear I like went through my whole life in my head. That's how my brain was just everywhere. I mean,
00:06:35
50,000 tabs open up at one time in my brain. Her attacker demanded to know where Morgan kept her valuables. Where's
00:06:42
your jewelry? Where's, you know, all of your other nice stuff? and he's ripping out stuff out of my, you know, my
00:06:47
drawers. And then the attacker asked for my phone and the passcode to my phone. Morgan's house had an alarm system which
00:06:57
she'd set before going to bed. An app on her phone controlled it along with several security cameras around her home
00:07:05
and a lock on the door of her second floor bedroom which led out to a back porch. I wasn't too sure what he was
00:07:11
doing on my phone at the time until I heard a door lock open, which was for the back porch. The attacker had
00:07:18
unlocked the door remotely through that app on Morgan's phone. Morgan says he put a pillowcase
00:07:26
over her head. He got me out of the bed, walked me out to the back porch. I was naked, still with my zip
00:07:36
tie handcuffs behind my back. Did he just leave you there? Yes. What did he say as he left? He said, "Do not get up
00:07:42
until you hear two car honks or I'll kill you." Morgan's property was secluded with little chance of a
00:07:50
neighbor seeing or hearing her on the back porch. And with that pillowcase over her head and the attacker's final
00:07:57
words of warning ringing in her ears, Morgan had no way of knowing if he or someone else was watching her. I just
00:08:05
listened to the stream and tried to be as peaceful and calm as I could. 40 minutes passed. Then a sound in the
00:08:12
distance struck terror in Morgan all over again. I hear somebody walking up. Unable to see, she feared her attacker
00:08:21
had returned to finish the job. I hear them shuffling walking and they hit the stairs and I knew they were at the top
00:08:28
when he hit the first board and it creaked really loud. That's when Morgan heard a very familiar voice. Oh, honey,
00:08:36
what happened? Morgan's grueling ordeal was finally over. And who would turn out to be her
00:08:44
rescuer? Her ex-husband, Rod Mzer. [Music] When Morgan's ex-husband, Rod Mezer, turned up at her house, he immediately
00:09:12
called 911. Cherokee County 911. Somebody Somebody broke in over here. She was on the back porch uh and and the
00:09:20
back door was wide open. She was tied up with a hood over her head. As they waited for help to arrive, Rod tried to
00:09:28
console Morgan. I'm going to be right here. I'm going to leave the door open. Okay.
00:09:35
He came up and rescued her on the back porch. Saved her. Saved her. Her hero. Absolutely.
00:09:42
Sergeant Dakota Livers was a detective with the Cherokee County Sheriff's Department in 2021. He had a lot of
00:09:49
questions. Exactly why had Rod gone to Morgan's home in the middle of the night? This was Rod's apartment right
00:09:56
here. That's correct. He moved here shortly after the uh the divorce. Rod said he'd received an eerie message
00:10:03
about Morgan that night. He was getting ready for bed. He was brushing his teeth
00:10:06
when he heard knocking on his window. That knocking was accompanied by a voice in which he could only decipher the word
00:10:12
Morgan was being said. Concerned, Rod said he tried calling Morgan, but she didn't answer. What did he say he was
00:10:21
thinking? Someone knocks on his window in the early morning hours of New Year's Day. He obviously went to the worst. He
00:10:27
thought that the something was uh going to happen to Morgan or something might be happening to Morgan. Rod told
00:10:32
investigators he'd gotten in his car and made the 12minute drive over to his ex-wife's house. Despite being divorced,
00:10:41
Rod said he was still looking out for Morgan. Their relationship stretched back nearly 20
00:10:48
years. How old were you when you met Rod? 14 years old. Was it love at first sight? Yes, it was. It was it was scary
00:10:56
how fast it was. He was 17 at the time. Kathy Metser is Rod's mother. We were on
00:11:03
the way to a baseball game and he said, "Mom, you're going to meet Morgan tonight." And I said, "Who's Morgan?"
00:11:10
"That's my girlfriend." And I said, "What?" He said, "Be nice." Did Rod change at all when he was dating
00:11:18
Morgan? Oh, yeah. There was nothing that she could mention that she didn't get. How
00:11:26
did he treat you? Amazing. He called me princess. And so he literally treated me
00:11:32
like that. No one was surprised when the couple married in 2009. We are gathered here
00:11:39
today in the presence of God. Morgan was 21 years old. Morgan was one of the most
00:11:46
gorgeous brides I've ever seen in my life. Love is patient. Love is kind. Weather was perfect. It was outside. So,
00:11:54
thank goodness for the weather. [Music] It was everything I dreamed of. My dad gave me everything I could want.
00:12:06
You know, it was just precious. You may kiss to your heart's content. What was marriage like in the very
00:12:15
beginning? It was just awesome. It's just you two. You're mourning the loss of your like wedding being over and your
00:12:22
honeymoon and it's like I want to go again. Unfortunately, their newly wetted bliss
00:12:28
would be short-lived. 8 months after the wedding, I wish you both endless years of love, health, and happiness. Rod's
00:12:37
younger brother, Kevin, lost his battle with leukemia at the age of 19. And it really hit Rod hard.
00:12:47
I mean it I don't think he was ever the same after that. He depended on Morgan at that
00:12:56
point more than he did anybody. I don't think he left her side for more than an hour or two.
00:13:04
But the next year would bring some good news to celebrate. We got pregnant with our son. Morgan says picking his name
00:13:12
was easy. Kevin always wanted to be an uncle. He always talked about it, how much fun he would have. They named him
00:13:20
Kevin after my Kevin, Rod's brother. But the family would suffer a second and devastating loss. Baby Kevin was born
00:13:32
early with a congenital heart defect. He lived just 18 days. He actually died on
00:13:38
his due date. The loss of a child is unthinkable. And I would imagine tough for you and Rod. Very tough. Don't
00:13:49
really remember a lot of it. It's a big blur with all the emotions. So, it seemed like a miracle
00:13:57
when just 3 months later, Morgan discovered she was pregnant again. Kathy remembers the moment Rod showed her the
00:14:04
ultrasound picture. He says, "What do you see?" I said, "A baby." He said, "No, look. What do you see?" And I just
00:14:12
screamed at the top of my lungs, two babies, you know, twins. Twins. They were going to have twins.
00:14:21
Morgan gave birth to a healthy boy and girl in 2012. It should have been a happy time. But not long after, the
00:14:29
marriage began to change. Probably about a year after they were born, which is right around the time
00:14:36
that Rod lost his job is when it started going down south from there. What did Rod do for work? He He
00:14:48
had so many jobs. His main one when he lost all of his money was he was being a day trader for himself.
00:14:55
Rod's job loss happened to come at the same time Morgan's career was starting to flourish. I started my own interior
00:15:02
design business and it took off, but I just didn't expect it to boom and blow up. Morgan's company, Shiplap and Sugar,
00:15:13
became so successful, she asked Nicole to join her. And she was saying, you know, like, I need help. I'm
00:15:19
overwhelmed. And became business smart. Yeah. Making money, working our tails off, doing what we love. Morgan says her
00:15:28
professional success and Rod's lack of it made for a dangerous combination. She says he began to abuse her both
00:15:36
physically and mentally. She recalls one Labor Day weekend she and Rod were celebrating on a boat with friends and
00:15:43
had just returned to their cabin. I guess we had got into an argument about something. That's the first night he
00:15:50
beat the he beat me. Did you think he hit me? I've got to get out of here. Yes, I had my dad come and get me.
00:15:57
Shockingly, Morgan says Rod tried to convince her and the people closest to her that she was to blame for her
00:16:04
injuries. He convinced my parents that I was the one that did it. What did he say? You were just out of control. You
00:16:13
You couldn't keep your temper. You were just wailing all over the place. Morgan says Rod claims she got hurt because he
00:16:20
was forced to physically restrain her. And I'm like, "Okay, well, maybe that's my fault. and my friend stopped talking
00:16:27
to me then because he had no marks on him. It was all me. Morgan says that's when a new phase in
00:16:34
the marriage began. One in which she started to doubt her own reality because she says Rod was gaslighting her, making
00:16:42
her think every conflict Rod instigated actually began with her. I think she thought she was crazy. You
00:16:50
know, you get programmed to think that you're crazy. Like it's all in your head.
00:16:56
Morgan says Rod even involved their children in his deception. He pretended I pushed him
00:17:03
down the stairs. He literally rolled down the stairs. You know, he actually got hurt and said to the kids, "Look,
00:17:10
mommy pushed me downstairs. Can you believe that?" Morgan says Rod sexually abused her as
00:17:17
well. Although she says it took a while for her to recognize what it was. A lot of times he was very aggressive and
00:17:24
wouldn't take the word no. And so now looking back on it, I guess he did sexually abuse me. Morgan filed for a
00:17:32
divorce in 2020. When Morgan decided to go through with the divorce, how was she handling
00:17:38
it? You know, it was the first time I think I saw her have peace. The divorce was final in December, and
00:17:44
Morgan was ready to move on. But now, in the early morning hours of New Year's Day, it appeared Rod had come
00:17:53
back into her life as her hero. [Music] Sergeant Livers and Sergeant Robert Hawk
00:18:16
recall that when they first arrived at Morgan's house at 3:00 a.m. Rod's behavior had struck them as unusual.
00:18:25
Yeah. So, as we were walking up, Rodney was seated in his car right here with another deputy. Did he say anything?
00:18:30
Yeah, he did. He asked, "Hey, man, are you the guy that we've been waiting on?" And I said, "Uh, yes, sir, I am." And
00:18:35
then he replied, "Do your job." What did you think? I was taken aback. I really was. This guy just had found his
00:18:44
wife bound and beaten on the back porch. And you would think that my arrival to help find a resolution to this uh would
00:18:52
be welcoming. Immediately, Morgan's appearance startled the investigators. Her eye was swollen shut in black and
00:19:02
blue. where she still had the zip tie around her one wrist. And I was shocked and I'd seen a lot in my career and I
00:19:09
was surprised that somebody would be so harsh. What did it make you think? Somebody was mad. Absolutely. It was
00:19:16
emotional attack. Morgan was not only physically injured. Investigators could tell she had
00:19:22
suffered psychologically after the attacker left her. She was feared that she was someone was still back here
00:19:28
watching her and that they were going to kill her if she moved. And so she laid here and waited.
00:19:34
Morgan was outside for 40 minutes before Rod arrived, but initially she thought it was just half that. Morgan believed
00:19:42
it to be somewhere around 15 to 20 minutes max. That was her perception of time. Interesting. I would have thought
00:19:48
the opposite. That would have felt longer for her. I agree where their adrenaline's going. You know, people
00:19:53
perceive things differently. The first thing Livers and Hawk did was separate everyone seen here through this
00:20:01
zoomedin front porch security video. Morgan, Rod, and Morgan's father and brother who came over after she called
00:20:09
them. Then Livers recorded his conversation with Morgan inside the house. Spell your last name for me. M E
00:20:18
T Z R. Safely out of earshot of her ex-husband who was standing just outside. Morgan told investigators that
00:20:27
she suspected her attacker was the man pretending to be her hero. I just thought it was him. When you say him,
00:20:34
you're talking about your ex-husband. Mhm. Morgan said she had no idea who her asalent was when the attack began. But
00:20:45
then came one critical moment. When he said, "You're going to miss your husband." And I said, "No, don't hurt my
00:20:51
husband. I love him very much." And I don't know what made me do that. But at that exact moment is when the mood of
00:20:57
the room changed. I knew I was going to live. And then there was another even bigger
00:21:04
clue when her attacker lifted Morgan off the bed to place her outside. And that's
00:21:09
when I really knew it was him. Morgan remembered something from years earlier. I was pregnant with my kids, my twins,
00:21:15
and sometimes you have to get help out of the bag. The way he gently held me and got me out of the bed, it was so
00:21:22
familiar that I was like, "This is him. I know it's 100% him." Wasn't going to let him know that I knew
00:21:29
it was him. Cuz if it did, then I didn't know what he was going to do. She told them the attack had followed a chaotic
00:21:36
week which began with very troubling news. He thinks he's got pancreatic cancer. He just called me and said,
00:21:44
"I've got pancreatic cancer." And so I rushed to go see him. I said, "You're the father of my children. I'm here for
00:21:50
you." He showed me doctor's notes and whatnot. Rod had told no one else. And Morgan
00:21:56
explained that she'd been letting him stay at her house. They've been sleeping on my sofa because he had been really
00:22:01
freaked out and upset. Obviously, Morgan told the investigators that Rod had spent the week trying to reconcile with
00:22:08
her. He kept begging me to get back together with me, just constantly haggling me. But Morgan says she had no
00:22:17
interest. By the morning of December 31st, she'd had enough. Feeling the pressure of being his sole emotional
00:22:25
support, Morgan insisted Rod share his health news with his parents. He said, "No, absolutely not. I'm not telling
00:22:32
anybody." And that's when I was like, "Okay, get out." Morgan says Rod spent the day texting
00:22:38
her. You need to get back with me. I'll make enough money. You can quit your job
00:22:42
right now. Fed up with it all, Morgan lied and told Rod she'd be sleeping elsewhere that New Year's Eve night.
00:22:50
Staying at my parents house tonight. I'm turning my phone off. Like, give me some
00:22:55
space. As Morgan shared her suspicions with investigators, she didn't know if they would accept what she was telling
00:23:02
them. I've been mentally, emotionally, physically abused. Because Rod made her feel like she was to blame for years.
00:23:10
That's what he's built in my brain. But that all changed when Sergeant Livers told her he believed her and I just
00:23:18
melted. He heard me. I have not been heard in years. Nobody listened. Nobody heard me. And he heard me. That started
00:23:26
the investigation into Rodney Messer. Rachel Ash is the deputy chief assistant district attorney for Cherokee County.
00:23:35
She works exclusively on domestic violence cases. Parker, an emotional support dog, is often with her to
00:23:42
comfort victims. Ash says investigators were perplexed that Rod had come to Morgan's
00:23:48
house that night after she told him she'd be at her parents. Why'd you even come here? Why didn't you go to her
00:23:54
parents' house? Why didn't Why didn't you check with her parents? He claimed it was just habits. What I would do? Are
00:23:59
you scratching your heads? Yeah, we questioned him on it. Rod said that after hearing that
00:24:06
knocking on his window and someone saying Morgan's name, he tried phoning Morgan to warn her. Sergeant Hawk wanted
00:24:14
to check. I think that's what problems. Hey, where's your phone? Rod handed his cell phone to the investigators. Gave
00:24:21
them permission to look through his phone and what they found came as a surprise. It was an Apple iPhone and it
00:24:27
had a hidden folder and in the hidden folder were images of Morgan partially dressed. a lot of photos of Morgan nude
00:24:34
and those photos of Morgan nude. It was pretty apparent that she didn't know he was taking those photos of her. She was
00:24:41
quite alarmed. Investigators also discovered Rod had snapped pictures of Morgan's cell phone
00:24:49
showing text messages between her and another man. They considered these and the photos of Morgan to be an invasion
00:24:56
of privacy. You didn't have that permission. Y'all don't have that relationship. She's baffled that you
00:25:02
have that. That's stalkerish. We knew we had to get him in custody while we started doing search warrants and
00:25:08
started investigating to prevent him from destroying evidence. People make mistakes. I I think you made a lot of
00:25:15
mistakes. I make big mistakes. So, you arrested him for having taken those photos secretly? That's correct. That's
00:25:21
correct. You're kidding me. We're not kidding you. That's not a joke. Come on. But
00:25:27
could investigators prove that Rod Metser had attacked Morgan that [Music] night? Watch him get
00:25:52
[Music] arrested, walk to the car, and be put in. It was kind of like, is this really
00:25:57
happening? Was any part of you sad? No, not at the time. I was angry and just sore. Even as they booked
00:26:06
Rod for taking those pictures of Morgan and her texts, Hawen Livers had already developed a theory about why Rod might
00:26:14
have attacked her. I believe he thought he was going to come in and and rescue her and be the savior and win her back.
00:26:23
Investigators hoped home security cameras would support their theory, but they quickly learned that all the video
00:26:30
from the time of the attack had been erased through the app on Morgan's phone that the asalent had used to unlock her
00:26:37
back porch door when he left. Morgan's attacker took her phone with him. It was never recovered. Were you ever able to
00:26:45
retrieve those missing videos from the security company? No. Once videos are deleted, they're deleted from their
00:26:51
cloud. But since Morgan had a home security system, how did the attacker get in without setting off the alarm? It did
00:27:01
not take long to figure out. This is the window the attacker entered. That's correct. Right here is the uh the window
00:27:07
that we found the screen was actually removed. That basement window had an alarm sensor
00:27:14
that was removed from the window and put together on the window sill. So if the window was to open, it would appear, you
00:27:21
know, to the alarm system that the sensor is still making contact. Investigators believed Rod had disabled
00:27:27
the sensor while he was staying at Morgan's house that week. I was sleeping. It was in the middle of the
00:27:32
night. Although the home security videos had been erased, there was other video from prior to the attack. The camera on
00:27:41
Morgan's front porch caught Rod earlier that evening. He had sent me a picture of a check and he's like, "It's
00:27:49
underneath your front porch." Was for $56,000 and change. Morgan says the message Rod sent with the picture of the
00:27:57
check made it seem like he was trying to make a grand gesture. you should have all the money. You deserve everything
00:28:04
pretty much in a nutshell. I think it was to get her to come back to the house that evening because she told Rodney she
00:28:09
was going to be at her parents house for New Year's. Morgan returned to the house,
00:28:16
retrieved it, and kind of made some sort of a of a gesture and she walked back into the house and put it on the kitchen
00:28:22
countertop. Morgan's attacker took that check with him. It was never found. What
00:28:27
did you find out about Rod's finances? That check would have bounced. Yeah, he was broke.
00:28:34
The day after his arrest, investigators executed search warrants on Rod's car and his apartment. As soon as they
00:28:41
walked through the door, they found a key piece of evidence. They located this bag of zip ties in his apartment and a
00:28:49
portion of a zip tie. Before arriving at her house, Morgan's attacker had prelooped the zip ties he'd put on her
00:28:56
wrists. He was working in the dark. who's handcuffing somebody, you never know how much fight that person's going
00:29:03
to put up. One of the zip ties actually was pretty unique because it had two other zip ties that had been ratcheted
00:29:10
onto it and then cut. And so basically what we were looking at was a zip tie that had two extra heads.
00:29:23
Hawk and Livers needed to find out if that portion of a zip tie, essentially a tail found in Rod's apartment, lined up
00:29:30
with one of the extra heads on Morgan's restraints. They headed to their crime lab. So, these are the zip ties that
00:29:38
were actually found on Morgan. Yes, they are. This is crime scene technician Melanie Thrasher. She was able to match
00:29:44
this tail to one of the heads on the zip tie for Morgan's wrist. The striations on the tail found in Rod's apartment
00:29:51
lined up exactly with those on Morgan zip tie. That's incredible. Perfect match. Perfect match. What did you think
00:29:58
when you saw this that we were going to be adding charges to his existing booking and we had our guy? I would have
00:30:05
never, you know, imagined having a piece of evidence like this. But the search warrant of Rod's
00:30:12
apartment yielded even more. There was a book. Seven ways to be her hero. Be her
00:30:18
hero to to win somebody back. They gave us the motive. I think it added to that motive. Investigators examined Rod's
00:30:26
browser history. The searches were very disturbing. He was researching how to change your
00:30:32
voice, how long to choke somebody unconscious. The searches also included how to crack an iPhone password, how to
00:30:39
get sympathy from your ex, and one that was especially appalling. You Google searched cancer diagnosis letters. Yes.
00:30:48
Investigators searched Rod's outgoing emails. There they found Rod had set up a fake email account to create the
00:30:55
pancreatic cancer diagnosis letter he'd shown Morgan. And there was more. He had
00:31:01
created a bill for a doctor's office to show that he was being treated for pancreatic cancer. All of this in order
00:31:07
to convince Morgan that he had pancreatic cancer. He wasn't sick at all. No, he did not have cancer. Do you
00:31:15
think that he faked the cancer diagnosis as a way to try to get you back or as a
00:31:19
way to get access to your house cuz he had this plan? I think it was to get me back. It might have been both. Rodney,
00:31:27
you know me. I'm investigator Livers. Yes, sir. On January 3rd, 2 days after the attack, Sergeant Lvers and Sergeant
00:31:34
Tom Harris interviewed Rod. They talked to him about his health. You said you're
00:31:39
diabetic. Yes. What other kind of health issues do you have? Nothing as far as I know of yet. I
00:31:47
thought you had cancer. Detective Liver confronted Rod about the cancer diagnosis he'd faked to Morgan. How did
00:31:54
you tell her that this this cancer thing? I don't know if I should talk to you guys anymore. I'm starting to get
00:31:59
really bad at feeling what angle you guys are going. Then Rod tried to turn the tables by attempting to take the
00:32:06
upper hand in the interview. I've already learned something about you that your facial expressions and and you keep
00:32:12
scratching yourself when you get agitated by what I say. I am 100% not agitated.
00:32:17
[Music] The investigators also questioned Rod about his internet searches. Has there
00:32:24
been a time recently where you were interested in how you can change the sound of your voice? Maybe. Tell me
00:32:30
about that. I felt like I wasn't voice wasn't manly enough. Then Harris lowered the boom. The uh
00:32:40
most significant thing that we found in your apartment was a collection of zip ties.
00:32:47
Zip ties? Mhm. Black zip ties. I don't have zip ties. I know you don't. We have them now. These are identical to the
00:32:55
ones that were binding Morgan's wrist. This is starting to get swirly. Harris told Rod about that zip tie tail
00:33:03
they'd recovered. And we compared that microscopically to the zip ties that were on Morgan's wrists when the
00:33:09
deputies found her. And wouldn't you know it, it is a perfect cut. There's something funny going on here.
00:33:18
Did somebody break in and put him there? There's something funny going on here. Like what? I don't know.
00:33:25
I didn't have some big ass zip ties in my apartment. But new evidence was about to say otherwise.
00:33:34
What do you make of Rod Mzer's interview with police? For an in-depth look at the
00:33:39
evidence, go to 48 hours.com. You're only making me feel good that you think I did this. Hours after the
00:33:58
interview with Rod Mzer concluded, he was charged with 10 counts related to the attack on Morgan, including home
00:34:05
invasion, kidnapping, aggravated assault, and sexual battery. As soon as I felt that gun right here in
00:34:12
my head, I was like, "All right, Jesus, I'm coming." The next day, Morgan, with her friend Nicole by
00:34:20
her side, talked to investigators again. You thought you were going to die? Yep.
00:34:24
I thought I was dead. But then also part of me is like, "No, I'm not I'm not going to let myself die.
00:34:30
I've got to fight for my kids." Sergeant Harris told Morgan they'd watched the home security video of Rod
00:34:37
arriving at her house after her attack. He rang the front doorbell, but when there was no response, headed around to
00:34:44
the back. I I thought it was kind of interesting that he called out your name as he's
00:34:50
walking around side of your house. Yes. It's like, why would you think I was outside? What was your reaction when you
00:34:56
learned Rod had been arrested for violently attacking Morgan? Oh, that that absolutely threw me under the
00:35:05
ground. There had to be a mistake. Rob wasn't capable of that. 2 days after Rod was charged, he talked to
00:35:13
his mom, Kathy, on the phone. Why is she doing this to me? She knows it wasn't me.
00:35:21
But the evidence kept mounting. When investigators recovered those zip ties from Rod's apartment, the bag they
00:35:29
came in was found as well. I brought up a a uh my Lowe's app on my phone and scanned the UPC code and the UPC code
00:35:37
came back that they were in fact sold at Lowe's. The sheriff's office then went to the two Lowe's that we have here in
00:35:44
Cherokee County and they started searching for transactions. It didn't take long. Rod Metzer had
00:35:51
purchased those zip ties on December 30th, about 36 hours before the attack. Easy to find because he paid with his
00:35:59
debit card. Investigators obtain the security video from Lowe's zoomed in here for
00:36:07
clarity. This was during CO and this was during a period where everybody was wearing a mask except for Rodney Metser.
00:36:13
So, the surveillance images and the videos that were recovered from Lowe's of him purchasing those zip ties, his
00:36:20
face is right there in the camera. I see a security camera here. Next came the security video from Rod's
00:36:31
apartment building. There's actually one inside the uh the breezeway there, which
00:36:34
leads to Rodney's apartment specifically. Sergeant Liver says there was no video
00:36:40
of Rod leaving after he said someone knocked on his window. What we do see is after the time of the
00:36:47
incident that Morgan was attacked, Rodney come in disheveled in a hurry. Just 4 minutes later, Rod is caught on
00:36:55
camera again leaving the building wearing completely different clothes and sneakers and carrying a plastic bag
00:37:03
highlighted here. The timestamp was 1:24 a.m. We never found that bag in his car
00:37:10
when we did the search warrant. We just don't know where that went. Investigators can't know for sure what
00:37:17
was in that bag, but believe it had evidence Rod discarded on his drive back to Morgan's house. The attacker's mask
00:37:24
was never found, but Deputy Chief Assistant District Attorney Rachel Ash says they had more than enough to prove
00:37:32
Rod was guilty. This is a prosecutor's dream to put up because the evidence in this case was overwhelming.
00:37:39
Overwhelming. But Ash says she wanted to offer Morgan an opportunity for a quicker closure than a trial would bring
00:37:47
in the form of a plea deal for Rod. We went through the pros and cons of letting him plead guilty, letting him
00:37:55
accept responsibility. We agreed we should try. He took it quickly. On August 4th, 2021, Rod pleaded guilty
00:38:05
to a total of 14 counts related to Morgan's attack and the photos found on his phone. He agreed to serve 25 years
00:38:14
on a 70-year sentence. So, when he gets out in 25 years, he'll serve another 45 years of probation. I think you even
00:38:23
described it as like a death. It is a death. I've lost my husband. He's dead to me.
00:38:29
At Rod's sentencing, Morgan delivered a victim impact statement several pages long. Once I got started, it just
00:38:37
started pouring out of me. There were no cameras in the courtroom. We asked Morgan to read her statement. Here's a
00:38:44
portion of it. Rod, not only will this statement be to my attacker, but it'll also be my last words to whom I thought
00:38:51
was the love of my life. The last four years being married to you was like living with a monster that
00:38:56
constantly tried to break me down and fence me in. It was a blessing in disguise. I can now walk with a
00:39:02
confidence knowing the pain you have given me is turned into power. I walked off that stand with
00:39:11
1,000 lbs off of my shoulders. It felt so good. It felt empowering. And I got the last word.
00:39:21
How was it to listen to your best friend read this incredibly powerful statement?
00:39:26
It was awesome because she did not cry. Her voice did not shake and she said everything she needed to say and when
00:39:35
she was done, she was done. She was laying to rest this relationship. She was telling him this, "I'm never going
00:39:41
to be yours." Right? I'm never going to be yours. Rod's actions that New Year's Day
00:39:48
continue to affect everyone. Have you been able to visit Rod in person at all? He hasn't wanted me to. Why?
00:39:58
He's afraid of my reaction. Rod suffers from type 1 diabetes and Kathy says his health is rapidly
00:40:06
declining in prison. You're worried he could die? Oh, I'm absolutely worried he's going to die.
00:40:15
Morgan says once the ordeal was behind her, she had to take steps so she could recover, seeking therapy to help her
00:40:22
cope. Everything happens for a reason. God has everything happen for a reason. And I'm starting to see that right now.
00:40:27
There's just a lot of great things that are happening with us. She says she is focused on raising her children and
00:40:34
helping others who find themselves in similar circumstances. I'm trying to raise awareness for
00:40:41
narcissism and gaslighting. I want to help women realize they're in a situation before it gets too bad. I'm
00:40:48
just excited to see who she continues to grow to become. She's strong and resilient. So,
00:40:55
this is just a stepping stone in her [Music] journey. It's a true crime double feature. First, revisit the case against
00:41:11
Scott Peterson. This case remains an enduring mystery. Then, new updates on the John Benet Ramsay murder. Do you
00:41:18
believe this case could be solved? Yes, I do. 48 hours true crime double feature. CBS next Saturday, 98 central
00:41:25
and streaming on Paramount Plus. [Music] Welcome back to Postmortem. I'm your host Ann Marie Green and today we're
00:41:48
discussing the case of Morgan Mzer who was assaulted in her home by an intruder but incredibly she survived to tell the
00:41:57
story and she also brought justice to her asalent. So joining me today is CBS News correspondent Nikki Batis and
00:42:05
associate producer Mike Loftess. Welcome guys. Thanks for having us. Good to be here. And remember if you haven't
00:42:12
listened to the 48 hours episode yet, you can find the full audio version just below this episode in your podcast feed.
00:42:20
So go ahead and take a listen, then come on back for the conversation. Morgan and
00:42:25
Rod Metser, they are childhood sweethearts, right? They meet when she's 14. He is 17, which I thought was a
00:42:31
little old cuz you know at that age that's quite an age gap. But nonetheless, they fall in love. They
00:42:36
date for quite a long time. They get married when they're in their early 20s and then they have twins. But then
00:42:42
Morgan said Rod starts to become abusive and Morgan files for divorce. And then weeks after the divorce was
00:42:53
finalized, Rod says to her, "I have pancreatic cancer." And then we find out in the hour that he lied about
00:42:59
pancreatic cancer. Who lies about that? Did Morgan think that he faked the cancer diagnosis in order to persuade
00:43:06
her to get back together with him? I think in the moment she believed he had pancreatic cancer and was worried enough
00:43:13
about him that she actually took him back into her house to try to take care of him. And she was saying, "Look, you
00:43:19
need to tell your family." He hadn't told anyone else at that point and he didn't want to. And she started to get
00:43:23
frustrated. Later after this assault transpires and she reflects and investigators tell her, "Look, this was
00:43:31
a fake diagnosis. We have a fake letter from a doctor, a fake email account, you
00:43:35
know, fake bill." I asked her that question. I said, "Do you think that this was a way to try to get back to
00:43:40
you? Do you think this was just part of his bigger plan?" And she does think reflecting that it wasn't in an effort
00:43:47
to try to get her to feel badly for him, take him in. I mean, cancer and particularly pancreatic cancer is a
00:43:56
tough tough battle. I don't know if he had like a long-term plan. I don't think it's easy to sort of fake pancreatic
00:44:04
cancer treatment. You're you're going to look sick. You're going to be tired. I don't think he thought this out. It's
00:44:09
one of the deadliest cancers. And his younger brother had passed away from leukemia and yet he does this. I mean,
00:44:16
on top of all this, investigators found that, you know, he made fake hospital bills and stuff to try and show that he
00:44:24
had cancer. He searched cancer diagnosis letter online. So, he went through great
00:44:30
lengths to try and prove this. Yeah, his searches were like a treasure trove as we learn as the hour sort of unfolds.
00:44:37
Um, so this case is particularly different uh for 48 hours, not only because Morgan survived, but also
00:44:45
because she details how much Rod was gaslighting her. Can we talk a little bit more about gaslighting and what was
00:44:53
Morgan experiencing? She told us a story which um we have in the show about when
00:45:00
they went on a trip to a lake and she said he physically attacked her and he said that she was kind of being upset.
00:45:09
She was being out of control and he had to do this to constrain her and she believed it. You know, she started
00:45:14
believing maybe I was upset. Maybe I was out of control. So this is a prime example of of gaslighting in this story.
00:45:21
One thing I will say, what is unique is that Morgan did leave him eventually. She did. Um, which which we don't always
00:45:27
see, but I think the gaslighting was gradual and became more severe. She also tells us a story in the hour about Rod
00:45:34
essentially throwing himself down the stairs and then telling their kids that she had pushed him, right? And her best
00:45:39
friend also told us that Rod would make Morgan believe that she was crazy, that this was her fault for some reason or
00:45:46
another. And you know, gaslighting has become a term that we hear so often now. Mhm. Well, when I think about the fact
00:45:52
that they met when she was just 14, and I know he was a teenager as well, um, you know, you sort of have to take into
00:45:59
account that they have grown up together. And so, she's gone from being a young teen to an
00:46:08
adult woman with this person influencing her the whole time, for better or for worse. And so I I wouldn't be surprised
00:46:16
if you know what we hear in the hour are some pretty egregious examples of gaslighting, but I'm sure there were
00:46:23
probably little things happening all along, you know, over the years that maybe she did pick up on, maybe she
00:46:28
didn't, maybe she just got used to. Yes. I think she has told us that reflecting
00:46:32
back, you know, she can see it now, but I think it took her a while to initially
00:46:36
because who would? Yeah. It's the love of your life since you were married in your 20s. Yep. Right. And she told us
00:46:42
that her friends and family even believed him and took his side, too. Oh my gosh. So, you know, that's that's
00:46:49
where the gaslighting comes in. She's really convinced of this cuz everyone around her is saying this. Wow. All
00:46:55
right. So, let's go to the night of the attack. It's New Year's Eve of 2020. Morgan was sleeping in her bed, but then
00:47:03
she wakes up in the middle of the night and there's a figure standing in her door. And according to Morgan, he had a
00:47:10
voice like Batman. Um, Rod starts beating her and then he ties her hands with zip ties before sexually assaulting
00:47:18
her. Morgan said he strangles her twice until she nearly passed out uh during the attack. And after this sort of
00:47:24
mystery intruder left, Morgan's ex-husband Rod then shows up. He calls 911. I want to play an extended clip of
00:47:32
the 911 call that wasn't in the show. Sir, what's the cell telephone number you call me from in case we get
00:47:37
disconnected? 404. I have no idea. I haven't even looked. Um, I had somebody come over and I live
00:47:45
in an apartment and somebody's tapping on my windows talking about my life and I couldn't get on the phone so I ran
00:47:51
over here and I walked on the back of the house. She was on the back porch uh and the back doors wide open.
00:47:59
Okay. Okay. So, sometimes with 911 calls, you sort of get an inkling that it like it's not legit, right? I mean,
00:48:05
he sounds reasonably concerned. Does anything stand out about the 911 call? He he makes a move that
00:48:13
investigators told us was very suspicious and he basically offers the 911 operator an alibi, saying, "I was
00:48:20
home and I heard a knock on my window." And we know from many of the true crime stories that we've covered that it's a
00:48:28
token move by men and women who ultimately are convicted of their crimes. Right? So immediately that that
00:48:35
alerted the investigators, right? He's already offering so much information and all the operator asked for is what's
00:48:41
your name and address? And he's already coming up with where he was at the time.
00:48:45
Oh, see I did not pick up on that. But that totally make makes sense. you know, name and address and and the condition,
00:48:54
what help she needs. That's the sort of stuff you would be talking about, right?
00:48:56
Like, I just found my wife and she's, you know, beaten badly and not, oh, I was home and someone knocked on my
00:49:02
window. That wasn't necessary. Ah, fascinating. Bad move. Yeah. What one of many, it turns out, as the hour unfolds,
00:49:10
in the hour, uh, Morgan said that she suspected the intruder actually could be her ex-husband when he picked her up.
00:49:18
and she said it really felt familiar because he had done that before when she was pregnant. But was that the first
00:49:23
time that she suspected it it could be Rod? I think this is a question a lot of the viewers will have because you feel
00:49:30
like you just know your husband especially someone you've known for years but she has indicated that it
00:49:36
crossed her mind it might be Rod earlier than that but it was really that moment
00:49:40
that lifting of her off the bed that made her positive it was him. She knew that feeling. He was very sort of
00:49:47
delicate in doing it like she was when she was pregnant. And I think if people are saying, "Well, how could she not
00:49:53
know it was him?" Look, to the same point is the father of her children, the man she's loved for 20 years, she
00:49:59
doesn't want to believe that it's him. And so, she is avoiding believing that it's him until she just can't anymore.
00:50:05
She's like, I know that feeling. Yeah. And that touch. Yeah. Um because the thing about this assault uh that struck
00:50:13
me is that it was really violent. Um, you know, we've seen cases where people have sort of done something similar, you
00:50:21
know, pretended uh to be an intruder, but typically if the victim is someone they care about, they're not that
00:50:27
violent. No. I said to the lead detectives, um, when you saw how violent the attack was, what did that tell you?
00:50:33
And they, it's personal. It's personal. And it turned out it was. Yeah. I mean, he could have
00:50:40
killed her. I couldn't quite figure out how he thought this was going to end. I think we all wonder that. I think only
00:50:48
Rod knows what his actual intention was on the way to her house that night. I feel like that's something that is going
00:50:53
to get conflicting reactions from the audience is what his true intention was and whether he decided to back out of
00:50:59
doing something, taking it a step further in the moment or not because she said, "I love my husband. Don't hurt my
00:51:05
husband." Right. She said she could feel the room change after that was said. Investigators of course go through Rod's
00:51:13
phone uh while they're at the scene and they find photos of Morgan on his phone um that appear to be taken without her
00:51:21
consent. This is in the hidden folder. If you have an iPhone, there is a folder literally labeled hidden uh when you go
00:51:30
through your your folders. And if you are hiding evidence there, it will be found. Yeah, it's not
00:51:39
the best place. Not the best place. So, there are these photos of Morgan. They They're able to arrest him for invasion
00:51:46
of privacy because of that. They do this in order to get him in custody so that he does not destroy any additional
00:51:53
evidence. Is that sort of a common practice? Like if you can nab a suspect on something else and and what did you
00:52:00
think of that tactic? By doing that, they were able to then get a search warrant on his car in his apartment. you
00:52:05
know, if he was free, he could go back and destroy some of the evidence, the zip ties, etc. that were found in his
00:52:12
apartment. So, this was great uh for the investigators cuz now they can go in and
00:52:17
search his car, search his apartment, and they found some of the key evidence that, you know, the incriminating
00:52:21
evidence for it. I think any good investigator immediately looks at an iPhone, a cell phone, because it's
00:52:26
really a road map of our minds, our movements. It tells a whole story. [Music] Welcome back everyone. Uh 2 days after
00:52:44
Morgan's attack, Sergeants interviewed Rod Mezer. Now, we saw portions of this interview in the hour where Rod is
00:52:51
actually argumentative uh with the investigators. He's he's trying to get the upper hand, almost trying to
00:52:56
intimidate them. Um what was your reaction to his behavior uh during the police interview? It was really
00:53:02
interesting to watch. I mean, he first off, he denies having zip ties at his apartment. I don't know how they got
00:53:08
there. That's what he keeps telling investigators. I don't know how. And they're like, well, who put him there?
00:53:12
That was the biggie. I felt like a lot of the other evidence he could have made an excuse for, but why do you need zip
00:53:19
ties? Yeah. And his his response is like, I don't know. There's something fishy going on here. And the cops are
00:53:24
like, well, did do you think we put them there? And he was like, I don't know. You know, I don't know anything. And
00:53:29
then they also found um a book in there called Seven Ways to Be Her Hero, which again he said, "Oh, of course I'm
00:53:36
reading that. I'm trying to win my wife back." Like, "Of course I'd be reading that." And then he points out that it
00:53:41
wasn't open. You know, he never even opened it. But when they brought up, we found the zip ties. That's the moment
00:53:46
when he was really like, "I don't want to talk to you guys anymore. You know, I want a lawyer." And that's when he
00:53:52
starts getting really upset and really starts realizing he's their prime suspect. I think what struck me is that
00:53:59
anyone who watches true crime knows that sometimes in interrogations, investigators might might say something
00:54:05
that isn't entirely true to try to get something out of someone they're questioning. But in this
00:54:11
case, Seven Ways to Be Her Hero is not a book most people have. And Rod Mzer knew
00:54:17
he had that book. Rod Metzer knew he had zip ties. Rod Metser had to have known what they were saying were facts and
00:54:22
that they they knew they were on to him and that they'd seen this evidence. And the fact that he was
00:54:27
still playing dumb essentially, for lack of a better word, just didn't make any sense to me. Like I I didn't understand
00:54:34
what you're not helping yourself. And it was honestly his demeanor was just pretty brazen, I think. Yeah. Speaking
00:54:40
of the evidence, investigators found uh Rod's browser history and that he searched, and this is a quote, "How long
00:54:48
to choke someone unconscious?" Rod was ultimately charged with 10 counts relating to the attack, including
00:54:55
kidnapping, aggravated assault, sexual battery. How come he wasn't charged with attempted murder? I think it's a great
00:55:03
question. It's a question that Morgan herself asked the investigators and they told her that essentially because Rod,
00:55:11
he had a gun, didn't shoot her, one, and two, took her off the bed and put her out on the porch knowing she was fully
00:55:19
alive. saved him from an attempted murder charge. And she said, "Well, but what about the strangulation?" Like, she
00:55:25
thought, as she told me in the hour, she was going to die. Yeah. And they said, "Well, that's the aggravated assault
00:55:30
charge. That's for the strangulation." But I think it's a really good question. I think Morgan really struggled with
00:55:35
that because I think she believed certainly at some points that he intended to kill her. Yes. And might
00:55:41
have been hard too on their part, the investigators in the in the DA too to take that step in court, you know, prove
00:55:47
the attempted murder charge. Um there's a chance he might have fought that too and and let it go to trial uh if that
00:55:54
was included. Oh yes. Maybe they didn't think they could get a conviction on an attempted murder charge, but they did
00:55:59
get a deal. Rob Metser was offered a plea deal and he accepted it. Um so they didn't have to go through a trial and he
00:56:06
got a pretty hefty sentence, right? 25 years in prison with an additional 45 years of probation. 25 years is a long
00:56:14
time, but he's still going to be, you know, a middle-aged man when he gets out. Is Morgan concerned about her
00:56:20
safety? I asked her sort of just how she's feeling. You know, I don't think she's actively
00:56:27
concerned about her safety. He is not allowed to contact her. I hope I think she hopes that he'll respect that. I
00:56:32
think at the moment she feels okay. I think right now she's just sort of in the present and trying to take care of
00:56:38
her kids. 25 years is still a long time. So I think right now she's she's okay and he's not allowed to contact Morgan
00:56:47
or the kids in any way. So So after the 25 years in prison, he then has 45 years
00:56:52
of probation and he's not allowed to contact Morgan even during the probation. So basically that is the end
00:56:58
of his relationship with his children as well. It seems that way. Yes. Did she talk about what kind of father he was?
00:57:04
She did say during the interview that he was a good father. The the thing with these cases is there's never a good
00:57:10
answer to why, but why would you mess up that relationship as well? I know I struggle with that too is we're parents,
00:57:17
so it's hard to imagine. And the one thing I'll say about Morgan, and I I I respect this. I'm sure a lot of the
00:57:22
audience will, that even given what she's gone through and Rod's in prison, having pleaded guilty to these crimes,
00:57:31
she's told us that one of her children who, you know, are young still, bring up their dad. She talks about the memories
00:57:40
like she tries to keep him in a good light for them. You know, the dad that he was, the dad that they knew. And I
00:57:46
think that really shows a lot of grace on her part. Absolutely. Absolutely. So, one of the things that you managed to do
00:57:52
is you actually interviewed Rod's mom, and I want to talk a little bit more about that. I'm curious if the kids have
00:57:56
a relationship with his family. At the moment, according to Rod's mom, they don't. It was clear to
00:58:04
me that Rod's mom, Kathy, would love to see her grandchildren, but I think out of respect for Morgan, she hasn't. And
00:58:12
I'm sure that's difficult for her. How that will transpire in time. I'm not sure. Yeah. Because she would have known
00:58:18
Morgan all this time, too. Since Morgan was 14, it's got to be heartbreaking. I'm glad she spoke because I think often
00:58:25
when we see cases like this, you do think, well, what kind of family did that person come from? And it's clear
00:58:31
that she loves her son. Um, why do you think she spoke to 48 hours? What did she want to get across? Does she believe
00:58:38
he's guilty? I asked her several times if she thought Rod was guilty. She never said either way that she did believe he
00:58:46
was guilty or not guilty. What she did say is that he pleaded guilty. That was her response to my repeatedly asking her
00:58:53
about his guilt. I think she spoke to 48 hours because she's still his mom. She still loves him. She did tell me that
00:59:00
he'd been through quite a bit of trauma. We know when we talk about in the hour that his younger brother died of
00:59:05
leukemia. They had been very close. She said that hit him very hard. We also learn in the hour that Morgan and Rod
00:59:12
lost a baby at 18 days. Obviously crushing for anyone. So I think that she feels her son was broken in a way and
00:59:23
wanted to make sure that someone spoke for him. And he's the the last one in her immediate family cuz Rod's father,
00:59:31
her husband, also passed away. So, you know, it's it's Rod and and and the twins. Boy, she's been through a lot. So
00:59:38
much. It was really my heart broke for her because she has lost both sons in a way. She lost a grandchild. She lost her
00:59:47
husband and her only surviving son is in prison. She speaks to him by phone often
00:59:53
in prison and she's worried about him. Did she talk about how those conversations go with Rod from prison?
01:00:00
We were able to listen to snippets of a small number of calls between Rod and his mom. And this was
01:00:07
earlier on when he was in prison. And initially, you know, it's a mom worried about her son. She's trying to figure
01:00:12
out what's going on legally. She's trying to see what he needs. He's diabetic. And I think currently she's
01:00:19
mostly worried about his health. She has told me she's worried he will die in prison. His diabetes has gotten so bad.
01:00:25
and she says the prison isn't providing the care that he needs, the medical care
01:00:30
that he needs. Morgan is incredibly courageous telling this story. She does not have to do this. I'm sure she wants
01:00:36
to go on with her life. How is Morgan doing right now? I saw her again after we sat down for quite some time. We
01:00:42
chatted again in in Georgia and asked her how she's doing and she said, you know, things are going pretty well.
01:00:47
She's trying to rebuild her life. She wants to help other women and men who've been through something like this
01:00:52
gaslighting. She spoke at a a domestic violence event recently to share her story and try to help women and she said
01:00:59
she hopes to write a book, too. I mean, I could really see her doing it because I I thought to myself in the interviews
01:01:06
with you that she looks remarkably well for someone who has gone through such trauma. And I think what I saw was
01:01:14
strength. She's remarkably strong. And I'm glad you brought that up actually because we talked for it had to have
01:01:19
been about 2 hours the first time we sat down. And I don't know that she was emotional at all, maybe briefly. And I
01:01:25
was struck by that. And I believe I said that to her in the interview. I'm struck
01:01:27
by how strong you are. It's amazing given what you've been through. And then we learned that during her victim impact
01:01:33
statement in court. She doesn't cry once. You know, she's just strong. Um it's it's notable and it's noticeable
01:01:41
how strong she is. And she's also been just so great working with us um throughout this because she wants people
01:01:48
to know about this. A lot of people are now going to learn about gaslighting. She wants this story to be told to help
01:01:54
others, you know, because people can start noticing the signs before it gets worse. Exactly. It's a good reminder. Do
01:02:01
not ignore the little red flags because they can become big red flags. And in this case, she's really lucky to be
01:02:09
alive. Very lucky to be alive. Yeah. Well, thank you both of you for helping her tell her story. Um, and it's always
01:02:17
great having you guys here. Thanks. Thanks, Emry. Thanks. Thanks for having us. If you like this series Postmortem,
01:02:22
please rate and review 48 Hours on Apple Podcasts and follow 48 Hours wherever you get your podcast. And you can also
01:02:30
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01:02:38
Thanks again for listening.