00:00:00
[Music] 911 what is the address of your it's a day I don't think I'll have her for a gift is she still is she alive
00:00:16
she she breathing no no okay a sheriff's vehicle pulled up and she informed us that Alex
00:00:30
was dead I don't remember what I did other than fall to my needs what's her name
00:00:39
Alex Alex loved people she was very caring she loved animals she'd bring home a story she'd bring home all kinds
00:00:48
of things but she worked a lot of years to get her degree in nursing cuz she truly wanted to become a nurse thank you
00:00:55
to my family for never once giving up on me when many times I'm sure you wanted to I talked to her at 6 o' that evening
00:01:04
via text she was doing great and that was that was kind of the last thing is this your apartment
00:01:11
or herment is it Matthew and what's your last name Matthew eer was a nurse practitioner he was well educated
00:01:25
good-look guy we have a lot of nurses in my family and he is one of the best nurses I know he was
00:01:33
a friend that she had met through this part-time job she had she called me she had called him that she needed his help
00:01:40
that she was in trouble she had been in a domestic dispute with her then boyfriend and Matthew eer thought she
00:01:47
was being assaulted and so he came down he was on his way to work and detoured and came right to her apartment he had
00:01:54
brought a gun he brought it with him everywhere he went he had a permit to carry we were briefed by the responding
00:02:02
officers as we're entering the apartment and they're telling us their observations and what Matthew Ecker had
00:02:09
told them were you guys arguing or something no no she just sced put her Alex is
00:02:18
laying on her back she has a gunshot wound to her head the handgun was facing this way it was on her left shoulder
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like this it just didn't look right the scene didn't look right how did she get in that position but just didn't make
00:02:37
sense they're thinking they're not getting the whole story from Mr eer he's the only one that can tell us what
00:02:44
happened he was the only one that was there the only evidence is that she touched the gun there was gunshot
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residue on her left hand just as a mom and knowing your kid I didn't it didn't fit he didn't have any motive to kill
00:02:58
her I mean he was coming down to protect protector there's no way he did this I would bet my entire life on the fact
00:03:06
that he is innocent the first thing he said to me is Mom I did not do this what happened
00:03:15
[Music] [Music] [Music] the overnight hours it's December 16th 2022 what time do you get that call on
00:04:14
that night the call came in around 250 it was a week before Christmas in 2022 when St Paul police officer Ching
00:04:24
bang and his partner officer Justina sir set off on their regular Patrol of this
00:04:31
City dispatcher stated that a female was shot in the head my par and I we went license Sirens
00:04:40
heading towards that call and is it all units in the vicinity called in at that time yes pretty much
00:04:48
every unit hop on that call to come and assist within minutes bang sir and several other officers body cameras
00:04:58
rolling AR D at the location a residential apartment building Matthew eer the man who had
00:05:05
placed the 911 call let them in and directed them to an apartment on the second floor officer bang was the first to
00:05:15
enter the apartment I remember walking in the bathroom was to the right the very first
00:05:23
door 32-year-old Alex penig was lying face up with a single gunshot got wound to her left temple I noticed a lot of
00:05:33
blood around her head officer bang had immediately spotted the gun laying on Alex's left
00:05:40
shoulder her hand resting on top a team of officers looked around the small studio apartment and question neighbors
00:05:49
no one had heard anything it's F you in the hallway officer sir was talking to Matthew eer you got keep
00:05:59
breathing you got to keep breathing he was on the floor by himself so I went and approached him just start talking to
00:06:05
him oh God were you concerned about him I was because that at the time we didn't
00:06:10
know what was going on I know shocked I know hard just told him to just slow down take your time we're not in a rush
00:06:18
whenever you're ready I'm I'm ready to listen Matthew did eventually calm down and he started talking were you guys
00:06:25
argu or something telling officers he lived almost 3 hours away but drove to Alex after she placed a frantic call to
00:06:33
him earlier so I Matthew told police Alex had gotten into a fight with her current boyfriend
00:06:43
his name was Shane Anderson that things had gone physical and she was scared of what he might do so Matthew took his gun
00:06:50
and brought it with him to Alex's apartment because I was worried that her boyfriend would come so he was going
00:06:56
there he said to protect her yes Matthew arrived at Alex's around 2 p.m Shane wasn't
00:07:06
there that evening he said they went out to local bars when they walked into a place called Camp bar Shane was inside
00:07:14
he came to her they were arguing and I came across and I stood in between him and then he punched me Shane hit him he
00:07:22
says and then was kicked out of the bar and then her and I sat there and talked with other people for another 45 minutes
00:07:30
we came back here and I thought everything was [Music] fine and then she just grab the
00:07:40
gun did she make any threat before that that she was going to kill herself she just scamed it and put it into her
00:07:49
head and with a gun in her hand she backed into the bathroom he says and lock the
00:07:55
door moments later a single shot rang out Matthew says he quickly broke the door
00:08:05
open and saw Alex on the floor he told the officers he tried using his nursing skills to stop the bleeding by putting
00:08:13
pressure on the wound I tried to do what I could okay and then I washed my hands and then you
00:08:19
wash your hands correct that's why I don't have anything on my hands and then you then you call the police
00:08:27
[Music] the news that Alex had fired a gun taking her own life was unfathomable to
00:08:37
Alex's parents Mary Joe and Jim that just was completely out of character for Alex she had never shot a gun she didn't
00:08:45
like guns so it didn't make any sense and Alex's mom Mary Joe had just texted with her daughter a few hours earlier
00:08:53
and she didn't seem depressed at all she's doing well you know that's what's hard
00:08:59
yeah did you see this see that part detectives Abby DeSanto and Jennifer odonnell were called to the scene you
00:09:07
get a call in the middle of the night so you know it's not good inside the apartment there was alcohol and six
00:09:13
bottles of prescription medications including anti-depressants and amphetamines all prescribed to Alex but
00:09:21
if that suggested maybe Alex had been depressed and took her own life there were other things that didn't seem to
00:09:28
add up in Matthew's account the first was the position of Alex's body says the investigators shown here
00:09:35
in the CBS News animation the door to the bathroom was a jar and you immediately see Alex's feet on either
00:09:44
side of the door if Matthew had broken down the bathroom door after hearing The Gunshot as he told officers he had we
00:09:52
think that if that had been the case her legs would have been swept behind the door and even though Matthew had said he
00:09:58
washed his hands before calling 911 when responding officers arrived the sink was
00:10:05
dry and if he had said you know he called the police right away and that sink probably would have been still wet
00:10:12
the detectives decided to take a deeper look at Matthew's story he had told police his only mission that day was to
00:10:20
protect Alex from Shane Anderson the boyfriend he claimed was violent and in fact there were these
00:10:27
holes in the closet door across from the bathroom kind of like punch marks hes Matthew said Shane was responsible
00:10:36
for St Paul police the detectives were now eager to speak with Shane [Music] it's the most devastating knock on my
00:11:02
door I've ever had in my life hey it's St Paul police hours after Alex penig was found dead police were at her
00:11:09
boyfriend Shane Anderson's front door did you hear what happened two police officers they asked me who Alex was and
00:11:18
I said that's my girlfriend is she okay just passed away no Alex ping you're kidding me and I I
00:11:34
don't know blacked out after that pretty much my God Shane says he was desperate for
00:11:42
answers and willingly went to the police station to speak with detectives Abby Danto and Dan zebro I want to know what
00:11:50
happened to her okay that's what I'm trying to figure out okay so Shane told the detectives he had been dating Alex
00:11:55
for around 4 months and painted a Rosy picture [Music] she was sweet like she was fun
00:12:03
everything that you'd want in a [Music] woman according to Shane they spent nearly every day together and loved to
00:12:11
lounge around with her two cats I'm not a cat person I'm more of a dog person to be honest but uh she kind
00:12:18
of made me a cat person he told the detectives that although it was early in their relationship they were planning a
00:12:25
future together literally yesterday we were talking about like me breaking my lease and moving into her
00:12:34
place we both wanted families do you imagined yourself with her 100% Shane's description was in stark
00:12:45
contrast to what Matthew eer had told police Matthew said Alex told him she was fighting with Shane and scared of
00:12:51
him but when the detectives asked Shane denied it so did the argument that you guys had in that morning get physical no
00:13:00
no not at all God no it was about basically why I haven't moved in yet and like why that was taking so long but
00:13:09
what about those punch marks in Alex's apartment that was from a few weeks back that was me yes I was drunk I didn't put
00:13:17
my hands on her though we argued like a married couple like it wasn't anything like crazy or like violent or like weird
00:13:26
but remember Matthew told detectives Shane was arguing with Alex just hours before her death at campar and Shane
00:13:34
even punched Matthew and I came across and I stood in between him and then he punched me Shane didn't deny hitting
00:13:41
Matthew he says seeing Alex with another man upset him Alex showed up with like a
00:13:46
guy he doesn't look familiar I have no idea who this guy is I was wondering why this guy is hanging
00:13:53
out with my girlfriend and I decided to throw a punch which I is not in my character but it just felt
00:14:05
like the thing to do at the time so Camp bar is the last bar that Alex and Matthew went to detectives D Santo and
00:14:14
odonnell reviewed security footage from inside Camp bar so as Alex and Matt walked in Shane was sitting right across
00:14:21
from the bar they took us through the altercation and we zoomed in for a closer look Matt was sitting here when
00:14:28
they walked in and then really oddly Alex walked around the bar and sat across the bar over there Shane walked
00:14:35
over to her first and then she is talking to Shane and then Matt comes over and it appears that he's
00:14:41
introducing himself cuz he holds out his hand to shake hands with Shane then there's a confrontation Shane ended up
00:14:49
assaulting [Applause] Matt we're not doing [Applause] Shane then is asked to leave
00:15:05
yes I had no idea that that was going to be the last time that I ever saw her after Shane left the footage showed
00:15:17
Alex hanging at the bar with Matthew for about another hour drinking and chatting detectives were no closer to
00:15:28
understanding why just a little while later she would as Matthew told them take her own
00:15:36
life and the medical examiner ruled that Alex's manner of death could not be determined so detectives dug into her
00:15:45
past looking for anything that could explain what happened she's been every hair color brunette and then blonde and
00:15:53
then black here put a little red in there and it was like she would just be every color Jillian kubit and Sarah
00:15:59
Hansen have known Alex since grade school tell me about Alex as you knew her back then spunky a little child full
00:16:07
of energy always up to something Jillian played ice hockey with Alex and together
00:16:13
they won a state championship what was she like Fire on Ice luckily I was always on her team so I never had to
00:16:20
play against her but she was feisty she was so fun I don't really remember anything other than happiness
00:16:32
really in the especially in the younger years but detectives learned that as a young adult Alex struggled her parents
00:16:42
Mary Joe and Jim said that in college Alex would get depressed and she got hooked on prescription pills it was very
00:16:50
difficult one day in 2016 she went up to her room and took a handful of meds and
00:16:58
then had told her mom that she was attempting suicide by meds and then promptly threw it up stuck her finger in
00:17:07
her throat and threw it up I felt like it was a cry for help and they got Alex that
00:17:14
help inspired by the nurses who helped her recover in 2019 she got her licensed practical nursing degree and was chosen
00:17:24
to speak at graduation I have climbed out of a Darkness with permanent scars but a heart of gold and the promise that
00:17:31
as a nurse I will try my best for people like me to not be alone and help them like those nurses had helped me Alex
00:17:40
didn't make that choice to get well and she did her life was back on track her life was on track
00:17:47
right and we watched the camp bar video right that's detectives also learned all
00:17:53
about Alex's history with Matthew eer she met him in 2020 when she got a job at a walking Clinic her parents say
00:18:00
their daughter described Matthew as someone she worked with but according to Matthew's parents bla eer and Terry
00:18:07
Randall there was a lot more than just friendship Alex and Matthew they say were having an affair back then even
00:18:15
though Matthew was married with four kids she knew he was married she knew he had four children Terry says the romance
00:18:23
didn't last in the summer of 2022 they had ended the physical part of their relationship and we just friends
00:18:32
still she says her son was a source of support for Alex she says Matthew told her Alex was drinking heavily and as a
00:18:40
result lost several jobs she wouldn't show up she'd go on a bench without a job Matthew's family says Alex struggled
00:18:48
to pay her bills so unbeknownst to her parents Matthew stepped in he gave Alex money and helped her pay her rent
00:18:57
Matthew's sister's Molly and Amy aren't surprised their brother wanted to help he cared for her and he has a big heart
00:19:05
and he didn't want to just walk away he he couldn't walk away and just three days before Alex
00:19:14
died Alex sent Matthew these text messages I shut myself out to the world I needed a mental health break and I'm
00:19:24
not very hopeful at the moment about life even with with those texts though and Alex's past attempt years earlier
00:19:33
detectives still weren't convinced she took her own life just because you say I need a
00:19:39
mental health day or it's not a good day doesn't mean you're suicidal detectiv suspected Matthew was
00:19:50
lying to them and here's why remember the gun was found on Alex's chest with her left hand on it turn out Alex was
00:20:20
right-handed when detectives Abby Des Santo and Jennifer o' Donnell reviewed security footage from Alex's apartment
00:20:27
building and watch she opens the door they were able to see what happened after Matthew and Alex left Camp bar so
00:20:35
that's Alex and Matt and they're just in the vesu of Alex's apartment walking in
00:20:41
about 2:00 in the morning or so yes time frame mhm you can see Matthew and Alex walk
00:20:48
out of view as they go up to her apartment but a short while later they walk back through the lobby and out the
00:20:55
door Matthew would say it was to get his headphones from his his car Alex returns to the lobby and waits
00:21:03
for the detectives what happens next is key she seems impatient just looking at her body
00:21:12
language they note how when Matthew returns Alex doesn't hold the door for him and how he shrugs his shoulders as
00:21:21
he follows behind her the detectives wonder if Matthew and Alex had gotten into a fight something was going on with
00:21:29
that's huge CU that's the last time we see Alex alive 20 minutes later at 2:50 a.m.
00:21:38
Matthew placed that call to 911 a girl who shot herself the head the lobby security footage had no
00:21:48
audio so there was no way to know for sure if the two had gotten into a fight but when Alex's family and friends saw
00:21:55
it you could tell that she was mad you could tell the way she ripped open that door you could tell Alex stomping
00:22:01
stomping in whenever she was mad she'd like stop and she I was visible in this video so they were definitely in a
00:22:11
fight but when detectives question Matthew he denied any problems we were laughing on the way
00:22:19
home everything was fine okay guys weren't arguing or anything there's a little fight with you two not between
00:22:26
and Matthew's family believes there could be a different reason for the change in Alex's demeanor in the footage
00:22:33
Alex is on her phone they wonder if she was messaging Shane and arguing with him
00:22:39
about the altercation that had just happened at campar I truly believe there's a lot of
00:22:46
information a lot of texting and we think having gotten those interactions would have given us a lot more insight
00:22:55
into her state of mind but the detective couldn't get into Alex's phone because no one knew the passcode and Shane said
00:23:03
he had lost his phone the night before so they couldn't search his either it seemed there was some kind of exchange
00:23:09
happening was she talking to you at all I didn't have a phone so Facebook message or anything
00:23:16
like that uh no unable to know for sure what was really happening in the lobby when detective Danto and her colleague
00:23:24
Dan zebro interviewed Matthew they focused on what he said happened in the apartment how was she holding the gun
00:23:31
when she was backing up to the bathroom she was she had down here first and then
00:23:37
she cocked it left hand cocked it but she ended up holding it to her left tle I remember
00:23:48
okay she's not she's not not what it was weird he said she did all this with her
00:23:55
left hand but then he told us she was right-handed you don't use a weapon with your
00:24:02
non-dominant hand it just another inconsistency or another part of the puzzle that doesn't match there was also
00:24:10
the nagging question about the sink being dry Matthew had told First Responders he washed his hands after
00:24:17
trying to help Alex which is why his hands were clean but the sink was dry when police arrived Danto asked if he
00:24:25
did in fact call police right away okay and then you call the police right away I got call the police yeah so you know
00:24:33
when you get blood all of your hands and then you go into the sink and you yeah or the hand on to the sink right there
00:24:40
should be blood on there's no there's no blood in the hand on the sink and there's no nothing in the sink and the
00:24:46
sink is the sink rinse my hand the sink's dry there's no water or anything no I washed my hands in the
00:24:56
sink I but D Santo thought Matthew was lying either he hadn't helped Alex and didn't wash his hands or he had not
00:25:05
called 911 right away right now all this evidence is not add up I can't I just want you to just think I just want you
00:25:14
to think about this and what what you're you're asking me to confess to something
00:25:18
I didn't do no I'm not I'm asking you just to think we're just going to give you some time here just to think we got
00:25:23
to grab that stuff anyway think about everything that we discussed with you but soon Matthew called them back in it
00:25:39
was more than 2 hours into his interview and he wanted to change his story so the
00:25:45
change that I have I did take the gun and I put it in my suitcase I put in the suitcase went
00:25:54
back looked to her and said yep went back to the suitcase grabbed the gun and put it back
00:26:05
there what plan was there why would you move that gun did he explain why he moved the gun
00:26:14
he was scared when Matthew put the gun back he said he put it on Alex the way First Responders found it with her hand
00:26:22
on top I mean why would you lay her hand back down I was moving I was moving her
00:26:27
I was looking at her that's all I know at that point we're like What innocent person would s do this yet Matthew
00:26:34
continued to insist he was innocent that gun went off behind the closet I did not
00:26:40
shoot her I didn't K and he kept saying the door to the bathroom was shut I don't know what happened but you didn't
00:26:47
buy it m no and neither did detective zebro no but the detectives didn't know how they could prove it and then they
00:26:57
discovered a new piece of evidence this is a big piece of the puzzle for you yes what do you think of Alex and
00:27:07
Matthew's body language in the lobby see a timeline of the case at 48 hours.com I didn't K I didn't shoot I
00:27:26
just for hours Matthew eer insisted he did not kill Alex that she locked herself in the
00:27:35
bathroom and fired the shot he said he had broken open the door only after the gun went off I I heard the gun go off
00:27:43
and that's when I opened the but then detective odonnell got a call from the forensic unit processing the scene once
00:27:50
Alex was moved they found underneath where Alex had been laying was a round metal piece which is this piece right
00:28:00
here yes odonnell says it's a piece of the bathroom door lock and because it was discovered on the floor under Alex's
00:28:08
head as seen in the CBS News animation it had to have gotten there while Alex was still alive for us it meant that the
00:28:17
door was forced open before she was shot the detective suspected Alex had locked
00:28:22
the door to get away from Matthew I believe that Alex and Matthew gotten an argument I believe that she went into
00:28:30
the bathroom to be alone not wanting to be with him but when he broke open the door they say that small piece of metal
00:28:37
from the lock landed on the bathroom floor he forced his way in and shot her shot they say Alex fell on top of the
00:28:47
metal piece to the detectives it was the only way the piece could have ended up under
00:28:54
her Matthew eer was charged with second degree murder his family was stunned it's like no there's there's got
00:29:03
to be a mistake it's just not his character he's not going to harm somebody on purpose they hired criminal defense
00:29:16
attorney Bruce Rivers there's Reasonable Doubt all over the place that this was a
00:29:22
homicide River says there's another explanation for how that metal piece got under Al he said it could have ended up
00:29:30
under her head when Matthew eer attempted to help her cuz he did lift her head up but detectives point of the
00:29:37
way Alex was found with her legs straddling the door if Matthew Ecker had broken open the door after hearing The
00:29:44
Gunshot detectives say Alex's legs would have been pushed to the side but ecker's
00:29:50
defense attorney says there was enough space in the bathroom that when the door was broken open it went in between her
00:29:57
legs that is consistent in my opinion with uh her laying there and having shot herself and importantly claims Rivers if
00:30:05
his client had shot Alex there would have been blood splatter on him and that's not the case there was not one
00:30:13
Speck of blood on his shirt on his pants on his face anywhere whatsoever the detectives say that's because eer most
00:30:24
likely had reached around the door while he was trying to force his way in and fired the shot I believe the door
00:30:31
shielded him from the initial blood splatter but River says it makes much more sense that Alex took her own life
00:30:40
and he says forensic testing proves eer wasn't the one who fired the gun it was Alex there was gunshot residue on her
00:30:49
left hand and was her DNA found on the gun it was there was also no gunshot residue on
00:30:57
echer and his DNA was not found on the gun detectives suspect that's because he wiped it clean before putting it on Alex
00:31:07
there should be his DNA it's your gun you told us in an interview that you grabb the gun your hands are all over
00:31:13
that gun but it was very clean he admitted to having held the gun and moving the gun after
00:31:21
the fact yet none of his DNA was found on the gun how do you explain that that's not uncommon just because you
00:31:28
touch something doesn't mean that DNA is going to be there at the time of her death Alex had
00:31:33
almost three times the legal limit of alcohol and four different prescription medications in her system including
00:31:41
proac and Valium although it wasn't the cause of her death to Rivers it showed she was struggling as did those texts
00:31:50
she had sent eer just a few days before her death she was depressed because of her
00:31:57
finan Cal conditions depressed because of her job situation all these things compounded themselves but detectives
00:32:04
would discover something unusual about those prescription medications found in Alex's body it turns out Matthew eer had
00:32:12
prescribed them he didn't tell us that he was prescribing your medication during the investigation you found that
00:32:18
out yeah as a licensed nurse practitioner eer had the authority to write prescriptions though normally that
00:32:25
Authority is used for a patient Alex was not you would think you would send her to a doctor and have her see someone
00:32:32
else was his prescribing medication considered illegal though no it's unethical but it was not illegal
00:32:41
according to ecker's family Matthew had good reason she was prescribed those medications originally by a medical
00:32:48
doctor so she had asked Matt if he could refill them she would Badger him and they point to multiple texts
00:32:56
Alex sent him days before her death death asking him to refill medications including I need you to send in my
00:33:03
immediate release Aderall script make sure I have refills for my Trazodone and metaal too please I have like three
00:33:11
bottles of Prozac so I'm good with that still Alex's family and friends say there is no excuse I can't get over that
00:33:20
as a nurse practitioner he should have known him better so his feeling sorry for your daughter or feeling like he was
00:33:27
doing this and the best way to try to help her you don't believe that's the case I don't believe it at all
00:33:33
especially for someone that has a history of addiction you don't prescribe it as a nurse practitioner you say
00:33:43
no in February 2024 Matthew ecker's trial began the detectives were confident they had an idea of why
00:33:52
Matthew eer would have wanted Alex dead and it centered around their path romance maybe she said that she was
00:34:00
going to call his wife and tell his wife everything and as far as a motive what what would be the motive keep her quiet
00:34:06
so the wife doesn't find out sure it would be nice if there was some evidence of that I mean it was just sheer
00:34:12
speculation there's nothing not one cintilla of evidence that they were in any kind of dispute whatsoever instead
00:34:20
River says he sure that night everything came to a head for Alex and she couldn't
00:34:25
take it anymore so when when it boils down to it this is a case about what the jury is going to believe whether it's
00:34:32
suicide or homicide and because the medical examiner had ruled Alex's manner of death could not be determined Rivers
00:34:39
brought in a second one who came to the same conclusion undetermined if they can't determine it
00:34:47
was a homicide neither can you but what would the jury think when it was time for deliberations everyone was nervous
00:34:56
it was obvious to me Matt was concerned selfishly as a parent of Alex we wanted to believe that he was guilty
00:35:06
but believing it and proving it are two different [Music] things we got a call at their head been
00:35:27
a a verdict you just take this huge deep breath and like oh my gosh in February 2024 after 9 hours of
00:35:40
deliberation the jury came to a decision about Matthew AER Matthew was guilty guilty of second
00:35:49
deegree murder once we heard that we were we were very we were very happy we were sad
00:35:55
because didn't bring Alex back but at least there was some justice served but for Matthew ecker's family it
00:36:03
was like a knife in the heart I I couldn't even function what did you see in your
00:36:11
brother in that moment when the jury read the verdict just absolute tragedy it was awful
00:36:21
Y 2 months later on April 3rd 2024 Matthew eer was back in court for sentencing allise now session The Honorable D is
00:36:35
presiding call I understand there are people who wish to make statements today so how this will Alex's friend Jillian
00:36:43
addresses the court countless times I picked up the phone to call Al only to realize I won't
00:36:49
ever hear her voice again and strive to Sarah Echoes their loss Alex really was a once in a-lifetime kind of friend
00:36:58
and I remember Sarah you were giving your statement and unfortunately that meant I was at the level of where Matt
00:37:04
was he was sitting and I was standing and I just kept looking over at him just she focus trying to feel something you
00:37:12
know try to figure out what you're feeling and there was just nothing nothing Alex's parents Mary Joe and Jim
00:37:20
implored the judge to impose a stiff sentence our hearts have been broken Beyond repair and the future trajectory
00:37:28
of Our Lives has been changed forever and the world lost a special soul and we lost our
00:37:41
baby come on but Matthew ecker's family appealed for leniency Matt is one of the kindest and
00:37:49
most compassionate people we know he has spent most of his adult life helping people and caring in for
00:37:58
people I truly believe that Matt has so much more to offer to this world in the end it is the sentence of
00:38:08
the law in the Judgment of the court that you serve 360 months with the Department of Corrections the judge
00:38:15
sentenced Matthew eer to 30 years for killing Alex you are remanded to the custody of
00:38:22
the Department of Corrections mean him sitting in prison for 30 years is just it's just not
00:38:33
acceptable he's not a murderer he didn't do this we will fight until it's made right and we will not give up on
00:38:46
him eer and his wife are now divorced and she has full custody of their four children his family says they have not
00:38:54
been allowed any contact with the kids that has to be very hard as Grandparents not having that connection yeah
00:39:03
absolutely terrible and I miss them so much is there something you you would want them to know about their
00:39:13
dad he loves them and cares for them and misses them and we love them as for Alex's family there are
00:39:24
questions they'd still like Ecker to answer why'd you do it why questions with answers that may
00:39:33
never come what they do know is how they choose to honor Alex one way is through
00:39:39
her love for animals including a serendipitous encounter somebody had dumped off a
00:39:45
little baby rooster and somehow it just migrated to our house so we built a chicken Coupe and we
00:39:53
now have 12 chickens at at home in properly named Alex's Co yes I have a feeling Alex maybe had a hand in
00:40:03
bringing you that Roost right well that's and every month the penig get together with Sarah and Jillian and we
00:40:10
just sit there and talk and cry and tell stories that oh Al would not want us to
00:40:16
be telling Mary Joe but we tell them because we're like we have to relive some of these stories yes to get to
00:40:22
yourself some Alex's boyfriend Shane ALS also struggles it's heartbreaking cuz I I
00:40:31
love that girl and she deserves to be here she absolutely deserves to be here the cemetery where Alex is buried
00:40:45
is a short drive from where her parents live and they visit her as often as they
00:40:51
can hey I miss you kid yeah this is tough love you honey and at peace we miss you
00:41:11
[Music] sweetheart CBS next Saturday two innocent people on their first date had
00:41:27
their lives destroyed a fatal first date Sheriff's Office I got one alive and one
00:41:32
dead and the only eyewitness is fighting for his life what did you think who who
00:41:36
would have done that 48 hours is all new CBS next Saturday 109 Central and streaming on Paramount Plus
00:41:44
[Music]