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[Music] 911 what is your emergency I woke up on my boyfriend he he was outside this
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morning he's cold he's cold I was scared I was confused I I was on the phone with 911 the kitchen's a
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bloody mess and he's not breathing why is the kitchen a bloody mess I don't know what's your name Melissa
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Turner I couldn't remember a lot when I realized that he wasn't responding I panicked when did you realize that
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Matthew was dead I think a part of me already knew caly October 18th 2019 we got the call
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that we had to respond here Matthew truster was found in the patio pool area of this residence and
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what kind of shape was Melissa at that time I remember seeing her pretty well covered in
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blood so on that night what happens Matt I gotten upset uh he had he had gotten his knife out I
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remember he would act more like he was possessed he would say things to me like Matt's not here anymore I'm the
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demon there were times where he would try and use it on himself I was the prosecutor who went to
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the crime scene that day I thought it was bizarre there was the insinuation that he had done this to
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himself and he had establish W in the back he couldn't have done that to himself right he flow his back I tried
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giving him CPR I tried I just thought that there was a lot of acting happening where she's dialing 911 and make herself
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cry I don't know what happened was exceptional acting fantastic actress she wanted to
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be in movies a cosplay model is basically where you dress up as like uh your favorite
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characters I would do Alvar Misty from Pokemon I really loved the makeup and the props and the
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costuming I am tothor Rose I'm a cam model I'm an artist I love Fitness her content was sexual based she had
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websites she had an only fans page we were very shocked to find this kind of secretive life that we didn't know about
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who do you believe killed Matthew Trussler Melissa Turner I didn't do what they're saying I
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did if I'm going to prison then I'm going down fighting I'm going down telling my side
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of the [Music] story [Music] [Music] that's the County Fire see what at the emergency tell me what's
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wrong he is non responsive I couldn't stop crying Melissa Turner can vividly describe the
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moment as Medics tried to revive her fiance Matthew Trussler I watched the EMTs unfold the sheet and um lay the
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white sheet over him two years later Melissa still struggles to talk about the day Matthew died and
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it was it was when that happened that I just I couldn't hold in the tears and everything it was around 8:30 a.m. when
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Melissa says she found Matthew unresponsive on the back patio of the house they shared in a suburb of Tampa
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Florida I tried to see if he was breathing and I tried to to start CPR just a couple hours later still
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covered in blood Melissa agreed to talk to investigators at the Hillsboro County
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Sheriff's Office she says she wanted to help them figure out what had happened to
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Matthew I was just saying yes and complying with whatever was kind of said or told to
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me the world around me didn't really feel real in those moments let Glam something the back in old TV Melissa
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told the detectives a couple's day had started off just like any other they took care of their pets did house chores
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as seen in these previously posted Facebook videos get up we got to clean that spot first spot and went grocery
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shopping she admitted they were also drinking alcohol throughout the day leading into the evening that's what we
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did we just we were there at the house ourselves we had drinks he always liked drinking he was a drinker according to
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Melissa around 11:00 p.m. she got tired and told Matthew she wanted to go to sleep he was still up I slept on that
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that big chair that's in my little office area [Music] downstairs what she saw when she woke up
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the next morning Melissa told investigators didn't make sense I saw the the kitchen was
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I didn't see him outside at first I went upstairs and I checked the bedroom and I
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came back down again she says that's when she discovered Matthew outside on the patio
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and began CPR CPR and help him they're hard to see but Melissa is wearing latex gloves
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given to her by an officer at the scene he had you put those because I get things bloody cuz I was covered in his
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blood do you want to keep wearing those gloves or do you want to take them off I'll leave them on for now do you have
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any injuries on your person H any scratches or Cuts or anything did I notice the detectives
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eventually told Melissa she would need to take the gloves off I have a little and that's from what I think it's
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from grabbing the glass or cuz I know there was the broken glass this morning so they could take
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photographs of her hand more there H to open it up sorry oh my gosh I didn't this like
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pretty good I didn't even noticed oh wow I had no idea that was there as detectives worked to get to the
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bottom of what happened Matthew's family was learning Matthew had died died his brother Shawn got the call from their
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mother I got a call that he died in an accident that's what they told me Sean called his fiance Jennifer immediately
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he's sobbing so hard and just screaming at the top of his lungs he's gone my brother Maddie
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Maddie's gone he's dead I'm getting chills just talking about [Music] this Sean and Matthew Trussler were
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originally from Massachusetts in 2015 Matthew followed in his brother's footsteps and moved to Florida to work
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with him in the construction business Shawn who lost one of his eyes due to a work accident shortly after his
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brother's death says the two made a good team I have worked Maddie very hard he just needs to be led correctly Matthew
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or Maddie as Sean calls him struggled with sub abuse and was looking at the move to Florida as a chance to start
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over he was a really good kid he worked so hard he had the biggest heart he loved everybody and
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everything two years after his move Melissa then 24 met Matthew 23 on an online dating app we met on Tinder and I
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just liked how different Matt treated me he made me feel more important he drew me in in 2019 the couple took a big step
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and bought a house together we were excited about the house we were picking out you know paint colors for walls and
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Furniture but Melissa says a few months into their new lives their relationship became strained Matt's drinking was
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getting worse it was just becoming really excessive and at the Sheriff's Office Melissa had been adamant that there were
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no arguments between the couple that night we were having a great time was there anything physical violent he was
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never violent he was always amazing with me but Melissa didn't know that the detectives had been tipped off by the
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responding officer that Melissa had told him there had been an argument at the house the night before what were you and
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Matthew arguing about last night I don't really remember I mean we might have gone an argument
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but it didn't seem like anything more like screaming at each other that I know of you told us that guys were there
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there only two of you the two of you were drinking my problem is is I got Matthew on the back porch
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with stab wounds stab wounds meanwhile another Detective Ryan legassi was knocking on doors and
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canvasing the neighborhood for Clues as I walked over here you've got the camera
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located directly above the residence across the street [Music] here and what was captured by this
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camera police say would prove Melissa knew more than she was letting on get up get get
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up get up [Music] [Music] an eyewitness can be crucial to solving a crime and just hours into the
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investigation of Matthew tressler's death detectives discovered digital observers there was an ADT camera inside
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the couple's home but at first glance it didn't appear to show any unusual activity most of our information came
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from that camera that's posted up above the garage it was this nest camera on a neighbor's garage that would prove
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invaluable an unblinking eye trained on the side of Melissa and Matthew's home that recorded sights and sounds so I
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started looking at the footage she legi a detective for the sheriff's office at the time saw only darkness and heard the
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near Silence of Suburbia until around 4: a.m. I started to hear racketing um you
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know things that were sounded like they were crashing and um so then I you know I kind of zoomed in my senses a little
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bit and then from there I started hearing voices and then I hear what sounds like screaming um
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yelling legassi says those voices were coming from Matthew and Melissa's house how would you describe the tone of the
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voices that you heard so the little bit of male voice was tough to distinguish um but the female voice was very um very
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loud um sounded very angry what could you hear what kind of phrases so I heard um get up get up
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get I heard so and then there was an explicit die you heard so and then I heard um you know it sounded
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like a female voice was crying saying what what did I do legassi immediately reached out to
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his colleagues who were interviewing Melissa you said that last night you never woke up at all no I remember
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laying down I remember waking up in the same spot investigators now believe they
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had evidence that Melissa wasn't telling all she knew tell me about what happened
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around 4:00 this morning 4:00 what happened at 4:00 I don't know that's what I'm asking you I don't know
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either why was there any arguing at 4:00 nothing I know of I believe I was asleep I have no memory of any argument
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at 4:00 in the morning but after detectives confronted her with the evidence Melissa story changed I have
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some video surveillance actually yelling and screaming between a male and a female coming from your house what we
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need from you that would probably make a lot more sense is to tell us what that argument was about it I would say he
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woke me up and we gotten an argument over that because he was still up at 400 in the morning drinking okay so just so
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I'm clear you do have a memory of what happened right at 4:00 yes why were you yelling at him get up
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get up actually a lot of the times whenever he is drinking and gets that drunk into
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the hours of the morning he will just fall over you also said a couple of other things like stay
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down so die what are you talking about that was me being pissed off at everybodyy fell over you got a slice on
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your hand a slice that's what that is how did that happen the investigator is again
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focused on that cut on Melissa's hand it's not from glass I can tell you that once again her story
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changed he does get his knives out sometimes he wasn't him anymore thinking back on
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it this is from me grabbing a knife out of his hand and things kind escalated from there Melissa later told us she
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wasn't trying to hide the injury on her hand in fact she had had mentioned it earlier to the 911 operator I have a cut
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on my hand I barely remembered even after mentioning it on the 911 call that my hand was sliced open 911 a
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few hours after Melissa placed that 911 call she was arrested in charge with second degree murder with a
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weapon sha and Jennifer learned Melissa was in custody for Matthew's murder from
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his mom who called Melissa by her middle name Rose she said Rose killed him I remember we stood in my kitchen and he
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just starts bing up until then Sean and Jennifer say the couple didn't appear to
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have any problems but Sean says that Melissa did put a wedge between him and Matthew she was totally isolated him and
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her from the rest of the world the truth is like how controlling and manipulating
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Rose was sea says he hadn't seen Matthew during the last six months of his life the brothers had had a falling out after
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Matthew stopped working with Shawn at his construction business she took Maddie long before she took him forever
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Shawn and Jennifer say Melissa had two sides as Matthew's live-in partner and as a cosplay model who dressed up in
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costume portraying famous fictional characters what is that then that is actually from from Scooby-Doo she made a
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living by producing and acting in her own adult videos but it's from a movie clip where she actually is performing um
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sexual acts and it wasn't until after his death that they learned Melissa had cast Matthew as her partner in her
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videos and I really feel like uh the pressure and the stress and the fact that it was more and more and more just
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paid its toll on him him you think that maybe he just didn't want to do those films anymore absolutely I think he was
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done with [Music] her after sha and his fonce Jennifer found out that Melissa had been arrested
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for Matthew's murder they began an investigation of their own we came across things were pretty
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disturbing Sean and Jennifer believed Matthew was becoming disenchanted with his role in those videos Melissa
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produced I think at first it was okay because he was seeing some fruits from his labor money um but I think it got a
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little much they now wonder if Melissa had been looking for a partner for her videos
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when she spotted Matthew on that dating app people write little bios about themselves she went out and found
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someone with all the right stuff the looks the body and everything that goes with it she doesn't do things without a
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bunch of research Cameron wga a former boyfriend of Melissa met her before she began her career in the world of adult
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entertainment she was very artistic so she was able to edit her own videos edit her own pictures very business-driven
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the two met in 2012 when they were studying makeup effects at Douglas Education Center near Pittsburgh back
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then Melissa was running a popular fitness blog after losing 100b later documenting her
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transformation on social media it kept her accountable she had this audience that was incredibly invested in what she
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was doing and watching her evolve as a person in 2013 Cameron and Melissa moved to
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Florida to pursue careers in special effects there Melissa confessed to Cameron that she had started a second
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blog with racer content This was meant to be temporary this was supplemental but Cameron says
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Melissa soon began earning a decent living doing what is called camw work where she performed in various stage of
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dress for her internet followers who paid a fee she was so proud of where she got herself I used to be this incredibly
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insecure girl now they're paying me to look at me he says he began to see a change in
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Melissa's personality as her business grew but it came maniacal to a point where it was complete obsession and it
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was money money money money money and the more and more success that she found the more and more unstable she became
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she would scream at times that it would pierce your ear there were times where she was just
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unpredictable absolutely unpredictable Sean and Jennifer now wonder if Melissa's volatility may have escalated
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an argument with Matthew on the night he died did he want out of the adult entertainment business I think like
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maybe that night he was like yo I'm done with this I'm washing my hands she didn't like whatever he said to her and
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it made her blow her top but that's not how it happened says Melissa after he was upset with me for wanting to go to
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bed but you know I stayed downstairs his demeanor would start to get darker and darker from there Matt he had his knife
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out it was the black uh tactical switchblade there were times where he would uh get really upset and try and
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use it on himself and so it was a common thing for me to try and take a knife away from him on this night he didn't
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want to let go of the knife Melissa says Matthew was drunk and despondent they struggled over the knife she says but
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after she managed to take it away she says Matthew grabbed her by the neck and squeezed a detail she failed to tell
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detectives during her interrogation I thought this was it I thought he was going to kill me and
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then I stabbed him lightly in the back just to get him off of me she says after she stabbed him once in the back Matthew
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pushed her into the kitchen counter and she hit her head he came at me and that's how I fell back and hit my head
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so I had a pretty severe head injury but that claim would later be challenged at
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her trial I remembered a few blurry steps towards my office but that was it I just remember passing
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out uh blacking out there she's the real victim she's the one that was suffering
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the abuse John Trina is Melissa's attorney he describes a couple's relationship as toxic particularly since
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she said it was escalating his drinking was escalating his behavior issues were escalating and it just unfortunately
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escalated into this very odd incident I don't think it is a murder case I think it is a case of
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self-defense but Melissa's version of events will be picked apart by prosecutors Katherine fand and chimu
00:23:47
faet at her trial there's just nothing to support her statement she never mentions anything about anyone
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strangling her or anything until days before trial you really have have to take that into
00:24:04
consideration besides the audio from the nestcam the state plans to present video
00:24:10
from inside the couple's home remember that ADT security footage recovered by investigators prosecutors believed it
00:24:19
didn't show any suspicious activity the night of Matthew's death but just before
00:24:25
the trial they discovered they missed read the time and date I'll be honest I misunderstood the timing it's not
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recorded in Eastern Standard Time It's recorded in Universal time and what the video did capture say
00:24:40
prosecutors we're going to show you some ADT videos would undermine Melissa's defense he's calmly walking and you can
00:24:50
see she's hunched over she's yelling she is angry and upset what do you make of Melissa Turner's
00:25:01
account chat now on Facebook and [Music] X on Valentine's Day 2022 2 years after Matthew truster was
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found dead on his patio his fiance Melissa Turner went on trial for murder all right Melissa had been out on bail
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since her arrest in 2019 but if she's convicted she knows she could spend the rest of her life
00:25:35
Behind Bars it'll be a world of weight off my shoulders for this trial to just be
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over the jury will hear nothing about her videos her cosplay modeling and acting out fantasies online the judge
00:25:52
ruled it wasn't relevant to the case prosecutor chimu faet sees a different ly I did think that the jury should have
00:26:00
known that she was an actress and she was able to make herself into this victim type person and then Cry On
00:26:08
Demand Melissa's Attorney John Trina told the jury that she didn't mean to kill Matthew that she stabbed him in
00:26:15
self-defense during that struggle over the knife who killed Matthew Trussler Matthew Trussler killed Matthew Trussler
00:26:23
he did he did it to himself because of his actions and his behavior his drinking his emotional abuse you're
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saying that Melissa had the right to kill him because he was drunk no Melissa had the right to kill him to defend
00:26:36
herself from being strangled but prosecutor faucet says Matthew had no record or history of violence against
00:26:43
anyone why do you believe that Melissa killed Matthew TR I think she was intoxicated and I do think that she went
00:26:52
far beyond anything she thought she would do maybe she was just so frustrated with his drinking that she
00:26:57
harms him so badly that he ends up dying at trial Melissa decided to take a risk
00:27:04
and testify she described Matthew as an alcoholic who had exhibited abusive there were times where he would push me
00:27:14
and punch the walls beside my head and unsettling behaviors in the past I had seen him cut himself burn himself stab
00:27:24
himself he would stare off at some corners and you would tell me that there's a demon standing right there
00:27:31
there are times where he would talk in a different voice did that frighten you goodness I was terrified and this was
00:27:39
happening on that night yeah he just had this little smile on his face and he said what's the
00:27:45
matter little girl are you scared cuz Matt's not here anymore authorities never checked
00:27:52
Melissa's blood alcohol level but Matthews was nearly five times the legal limit in Florida that level of blood
00:28:00
alcohol not only is lethal it can cause hallucinations the demon that we've heard about but the medical examiner
00:28:07
didn't say that he died of alcohol intoxication the cause of death is that he was stabbed and he bled to death
00:28:14
according to the medical examiner Matthew had several small cuts and bruises and a possible defensive wound
00:28:21
on his forearm the Fatal injury was not the stab wound to his back but from a deep in ision on his right arm which
00:28:29
punctured a vein you stabbed him in the back correct correct okay the only thing
00:28:35
that I did was the back how did he get cut on his right arm I I couldn't tell you that I have no clue he could have
00:28:46
fallen into something he could have done it himself and I stabbed him once to get
00:28:51
him off of me from strangling me why didn't you tell the police that he had been trying to strangle you
00:28:58
because I couldn't remember at the time I complained multiple times about a heach prosecutor facet questioned
00:29:08
Melissa about her memories that returned before the trial and so today in 2022 you now claim you had some kind of
00:29:19
head injury correct um yes but a crime scene Tech testified there was no evidence of a head injury and now in
00:29:30
2022 you speak of some kind of blackout correct yes correct okay the jury won't have to rely just on Melissa's memories
00:29:39
as they weigh the evidence there's also that video from inside the couple's home
00:29:46
prosecutors say it proves Melissa was the aggressor that night at 3:38 a.m. Melissa is seen running towards her
00:29:55
office at 3:4 42 a.m. Matthew walks past the camera Melissa follows him he's walking calmly unarmed in the ADT videos
00:30:06
and she's following him hunched over angry at 4:01 a.m. the video shows Melissa running from the direction of
00:30:14
the kitchen she appears distressed this is also around the time when the camera across the street picks
00:30:22
up audio of screaming and yelling then in the next video video clip at 4:08 a.m. she's standing at a
00:30:30
front door and she's seeming like she's talking to open air and you can see on her hand you can see the hint of red she
00:30:38
already has the cut prosecutors say the cut on her hand occurred when Melissa stabbed Matthew they believe he was
00:30:45
still alive at that point prosecutors say she could have left them for help or called 911 that's not what she did she
00:30:54
walks back to where he is she is not in reasonable fear of of him that's what's clear but Melissa's Attorney John
00:31:03
travina rejects the state's timeline and disputes what prosecutors say is seen on
00:31:09
that video I never saw any cut on her hand and I don't think it shows that the fighting continues say prosecutors
00:31:18
because around 4:30 a.m. they say the couple moved close to an open window and that nest camera across the street
00:31:26
recorded a woman's angry voice you said 4:33 a.m. so effing die right no I have no recollection of that
00:31:43
I explained my side and why I did what I did you're crying right now is that is that what's happening are you crying
00:31:50
right now do you know what tears look like are you crying because you can just cry on Q I'm crying
00:31:59
because because my life is on the line right now travina says it's impossible to
00:32:06
clearly understand what Melissa is saying on the nest recording and a former FBI audio forensic expert Bruce
00:32:15
kig testified for the defense how he believes sections of the nest audio had been what he called volume
00:32:24
enhanced so it could be that maybe one voice on the recording was not Amplified and that another voice on the recording
00:32:34
was greatly Amplified that's true I find it highly suspicious that Miss Turner's
00:32:40
voice is screeching loud but when it came to Matthew Trussler you could barely hear mumbling prosecutors deny
00:32:49
the audio was manipulated based on the outside camera prosecutor fan says the confrontation
00:32:57
ended at 511 a.m. when Matthew somehow got out to the pool area through this window so the window was actually open
00:33:06
but when he decided to flee from her he pushed out the screen and went out the window prosecutors say by the time
00:33:12
Matthew collaps by the pool Melissa would have seen how injured he was he has already bled all that blood in the
00:33:21
kitchen and then gone out she knows that he needs help and she's awake and she doesn't help him but Melissa says that's
00:33:31
when she returned to her office and blacked out the argument ends sometime around
00:33:39
5:00 yes but you don't call 911 911 until 8:45 correct because I was unconscious one of the last ADT Clips
00:33:53
shows Melissa at 8:35 a.m. walking from the direction of her office in the police report her hair is described as
00:34:03
quote Messy as if she just woke up that was the most demonstrative of her not knowing he's dead because you wouldn't
00:34:11
go looking for him if you killed them is it possible that she did pass out there
00:34:17
she's been drinking whatever and had no idea that he was dying at that time well
00:34:24
she knew he was dying because she saw him bleeding out as the jury began their deliberations one of the jurors Donald
00:34:32
Goodwin was feeling the weight of his decision how does the first vote go two for guilty in the second degree and
00:34:41
where were you unknown do you have a home security camera and has it ever recorded
00:34:49
something unusual take a look at the murder investigation at 48 hours.com [Music]
00:35:06
[Music] what do you hope the jury comes back with what everyone hopes for not guilty if you have a reasonable doubt
00:35:18
about February 18th 2022 Melissa Turner's murder trial wrapped up after 5 days of testimony
00:35:26
before Jud Samantha Ward your duty is to determine if the defendant has been proven guilty or not in accord with the
00:35:32
law Melissa is hoping the jury will believe her story about seeing Matthew alive before blacking out he was still
00:35:41
up and and moving around she says she had no idea of how badly he had been injured so the last I remembered of him
00:35:51
he was still up isn't it possible that there may not have been really intent to kill anybody it's this drunken fight and
00:35:59
somebody ends up bleeding to death that's a homicide and prosecutor chimu facet says
00:36:06
this case is really about domestic violence he was cut and stabbed and left to die I think that's the very definition
00:36:18
especially considering that this was by his fiance influ Florida second deegree murder cases are heard by six jurors in
00:36:31
this case two women four men one of them Donald Goodwin come on up Turner and you
00:36:40
see a young lady and you're already like your stomach drops and like Lord just let me do the right thing but behind the
00:36:47
looks of a young lady the truth was coming out quickly Melissa Turner M when she went to the stand I think it hurt
00:36:55
her big time her tears were so fake and you can tell I'm crying because I still remember all those
00:37:06
places all those plans she was super angry and super sad her emotions were everywhere you were I'm like that tells
00:37:14
me that's who she is Goodwin a part-time family pastor says those security camera
00:37:20
videos were crucial because of what he says was a lack of other evidence I looked at the video vide over and over
00:37:27
of the ATT videos that's inside the house I seen red on her hands but I couldn't use this as evidence because
00:37:35
the camera wasn't crystal clear at that point did you think he had already been stabbed yes and I think she snapped you
00:37:42
don't believe he was strangling her at the time no I felt like she had enough and attacked him and there was one clip
00:37:49
of the audio recording that convinced Goodwin that Melissa knew Matthew was hurt
00:37:57
then she said what did I do and I was like that right there tells me you know exactly what's going on now she knew he
00:38:07
was going to die she knew it and yet she called nobody and as for Melissa's claims about
00:38:15
hitting her head and blacking out you don't believe that she might have passed down no not at all there was no evidence
00:38:23
of head injury publish the verdict and pull the please the jury deliberated for 7 hours
00:38:31
we the jury find us follows as to the charge the defendant is guilty of murder in the second degree guilty of the
00:38:39
murder of Matthew Trussler I remember Sean squeezing my hand it was a happy feeling she was
00:38:48
inconsolable I mean it it was it was very difficult I mean she was crying profusely she will be taken into custody
00:38:55
at this time on March 18th 2022 Melissa returned to court to learn her sentence she talked
00:39:08
about what she had lost on October 18th Matthew lost his life and I lost the man that I
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loved I lost my future and my hopes and my dreams but Matthew's family also spoke struggling with both grief and
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anger Maddie 25 years old wow so much life still ahead the life of a son a brother a
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brother-in-law and an uncle Shan will never see his best friend again he will never be able to replace
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you Matthew's mother spoke directly to Melissa the story that you have contrived has
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caused me as much pain as his death if Matthew's drinking was escalating it was because of the lifestyle that you
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involved him in it was not consistent with who he was and with the way that he was raised this jury did not believe her
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claims of self-defense nor does this court still judge Samantha Ward offered Melissa some
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mercy sparing her a life sentence based on the jury's verdict you are adjudicated guilty sentenced to 20.5
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years in the Florida state prison Melissa Turner will be eligible for release before she turns
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50 what do you guys miss about Maddie the most oh my gosh well probably he had a great laugh it was a good kid he was
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he was just starting to be a man one life lost another ruined on a night juror Goodwin says didn't have to
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happen Matthew truster didn't have to die they could have walked away from each other and started a different life
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Melissa Turner chose to kill Matthew Trester did I think it was premeditated absolutely not do I think she's guilty
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absolutely inde [Music] a knock at the door by a clown an evil clown the evil clowns you seen in the
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movies well it came to life who comes calling with balloons flowers and a gun I heard bang I saw her fall this was an
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assassin Nation who isn't afraid of a killer clown 48 Hours next on CBS and streaming on Paramount
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