00:00:01
foreign [Music] a quiet street in Richmond Virginia as I was getting dressed my husband and I
00:00:29
heard three loud bangs not a street where you'd expect a murder thing I could see at the top of the
00:00:42
driveway my friend and neighbor Fred Javelin he put both hands on my shoulders and he said Megan for Javelin
00:00:47
is lying in his driveway he's dead and Fred jablin wasn't your average murder victim
00:00:55
you've got a university Professor killed in a neighborhood that that's really not
00:00:59
the norm Fred jablin was a totally involved father a super super single parent so who killed Fred jablin people said I
00:01:15
have no idea who would want to do this to Fred but have you talked to his ex-wife
00:01:21
I was married to Fred jablin we have three children I had a pretty nasty divorce
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certainly she was a suspect but a Suspect with the seemingly Rock Solid alibi [Music]
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bartender called me and said do you remember her and I said yeah I remember seeing her
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it's eating pixie haircut I know she didn't kill Frederick apple and she was devastated because of his
00:01:47
death they're definitely two peas out of the same pod Tina and Piper police also suspected Tina it's not
00:01:59
Fred jab ones did I kill Fred Javelin yes um and now police are about to unravel the
00:02:08
clues that will lead to an arrest got cell phone records latex gloves makeup two wigs
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twists and turns in this one it's definitely not your normal standard murder two wigs a gun and a murder
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[Music] thank you I was looking for this guy Jerry Walters whose name this card was in
00:02:56
we hadn't spoken to him at this point and so one of our goals was to try to locate him
00:03:01
a couple of days after Fred jablin's murder detective Colby Kelly learned more about the round-trip airline ticket
00:03:08
booked under the name Tina Roundtree the person who paid for the ticket was a guy
00:03:14
named Jerry Walters we knew that a bank card in his name was used and was instrumental in making this homicide
00:03:22
happen but we really didn't know what his role was in it if any and so we're trying to figure out who's
00:03:28
Jerry Walters it didn't take them long to learn that Jerry Walters knew Piper Piper Roundtree and I at one time were
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girlfriend boyfriend Piper started dating Jerry Walters in 2003 shortly after moving to Houston we
00:03:45
exchanged phone numbers and started talking on Telephone went out to supper a time or two and and it just went from
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there she was very sweet great Off the Wall sense of humor which I appreciate it cute obviously
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pretty much normal person even though Walters was living four hours from Houston in Baton Rouge
00:04:08
Louisiana they made it work I was in Houston quite often on business so it was it was not difficult I mean I
00:04:17
was there probably two days minimum a week their long-distance relationship lasted for about a year then that
00:04:24
evolved into a continuing close relationship close friendship so close that Walters was one of the
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first people Piper called the night of Fred jablin's murder I came home from an LSU football game
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about 10 30ish 11ish in my cell phone ring and it was Piper and she said she was
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asking me to come to Houston and she said it's important Fred's dead and I said what happened she says well
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I'm not certain Fred's dead and she was not screaming but she was not far from Hysteria I would think and she was
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crying Walters wasn't able to go to Houston but he did his best to comfort Piper by phone she was very concerned
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with the kids but in my whole relationship with Piper she was very concerned but more so obviously this was
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to the extreme four days after the murder detective Kelly Tracked Down Jerry Walters to find out why his bank
00:05:28
card seemed to be connected to a murder I think he asked me how well did I know Fred and I didn't know Fred at all I I
00:05:35
never had any conversation with him in my life Walters told detective Kelly he had no
00:05:42
idea who could have used his bank card during the weekend of the murder because he says it had been stolen before then
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I don't think anyone on the face of the Earth was more shock than myself to find
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out my card was in Richmond Virginia I did not have a clue Walter says he first found out something was wrong with
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his card when he tried to withdraw cash from the account I said well Mr Walters the council were drawn and I said why
00:06:09
and I said well you've got pending ATM charges in Richmond Virginia and I said really all right so uh-huh I
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said okay get back to you that's when I started getting a little concerned that Jerry Walters card was
00:06:26
floating around a murder scene in Richmond Virginia Jerry Walters called Piper immediately
00:06:33
because if anyone was going to know about his card it was her you see the card wasn't really his although he had
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access to the bank account Walters had opened it at Piper's request under his name so that she could hide assets from
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her ex-husband I asked her what's the deal on the card how come my card was in Richmond and not
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with you and that's when she said well the last time I saw the card was when I went to the tennis club and apparently
00:07:03
someone stole it there and I said well why didn't you tell me and she says well I just hadn't missed it she said if you
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don't go to use it you don't know what's gone it kind of made sense what didn't make sense to both Walters and detective
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Kelly were some of the other charges found on the card we also were able to determine that wigs were purchased
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during this time with that card from wigs.com I personally don't wear wigs before the murder someone had purchased
00:07:31
two wigs one Blonde one Auburn we knew that they were sent to a location in Kingwood Texas we had an address there
00:07:39
was a box there rented in the name of Piper Roundtree which also had Jerry Walter's name on that box and that's
00:07:46
where the wigs have been delivered to he asked me did I think she did it and I said I just can't fathom that that
00:07:53
she did this it would it's not something that I ever recognized in her no but it
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was all starting to add up for detective Kelly he was convinced that Piper Roundtree had flown to Richmond Virginia
00:08:06
using her sister's name to kill her husband these things came to White it was apparent she did have a plan and
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attempted to disguise who she was and and thought she could get away with it do you think there's any connection
00:08:19
between the murder and this very difficult divorce that she and her husband Fred jablin went through now I
00:08:25
think she was crushed when she didn't get custody of her children we knew that several weeks before this Murder She had
00:08:31
come up and taken the children camping I think that they probably had a really good time and I think that that caused
00:08:38
her to just think this is what I'm missing I'm missing the great time watching my children grow up
00:08:43
experiencing them as they become you know teenagers adults and so forth I think it's probably around that time she
00:08:50
started hatching a plan in her mind of how she could change custody and the way to do that she had been through the
00:08:57
court system that had not worked in her favor and I think she was looking for alternate plans which
00:09:03
ultimately left to uh her decision to kill Fred with Fred jablin dead piper Roundtree
00:09:11
wanted to win back her three kids who were staying with Fred's brother Michael and his family she asked for a custody
00:09:18
hearing in Virginia family court she had asked whether I would go up there and testify at her custody hearing and I
00:09:26
said yeah I wasn't sure if I was going to be up there at that time but I told her I said I will be happy to and what
00:09:32
she was working on is trying to establish that I had eliminated her as a suspect and I certainly had not at that
00:09:38
point detective Kelly was all for Piper attending the hearing scheduled nine days after Fred jablin's murder but not
00:09:46
for reasons Piper thought she's thinking about trying to go to Richmond and have
00:09:52
this custody here in the back of your mind you're saying well if she's in Richmond it would be easier for you guys
00:09:58
to make an arrest right definitely it was not a deal breaker that she was not in Richmond but saves extradition that
00:10:04
sort of thing nine days after the murder in a Richmond Virginia courtroom a judge
00:10:10
made her decision knowing that Piper was Under Suspicion for murder the judge granted custody of Piper's three
00:10:17
children Cali age 10 Paxton age 12 and Joslin age 15 to Michael jablin yeah my client has a constitutional
00:10:27
right to have her children and she's been denied that right Piper left the custody hearing shaken
00:10:34
and little did she know that just minutes later she would be arrested for murder they could have taken this from a
00:10:41
scene from a gangster movie that the police just jumped out with it seemed like machine guns and dragged me off to
00:10:48
tell me that they had they were arresting me for the murder of my my ex-husband after her arrest for murder four months
00:11:12
ago former prosecutor Piper Roundtree is having a tough time adjusting to life Behind Bars
00:11:20
my mom my sister's but she's anxious for her day in court and ready to stand trial for the murder
00:11:27
of her ex-husband Fred jablin I don't think I I would be intelligent if I weren't worried or
00:11:35
concerned but I have an incredible amount of faith all rise and I I trust God God's put me
00:11:46
here for a reason ladies and gentlemen the jury good afternoon in opening arguments
00:11:52
prosecutor Wade Kaiser launches right in with what he says is Piper's chilling motive it all came down to money you'll
00:12:01
hear evidence ladies and gentlemen that pipe around tree had been ordered to pay
00:12:06
child support to the victim Fred jablin who had custody of the children Kaiser says Piper Roundtree was tired of
00:12:14
struggling to pay child support to her ex-husband so she killed him she was over 9 700 in her marriages in making
00:12:24
that child support she blamed Fred and held him accountable for everything that had happened to her but listen to all
00:12:31
the evidence over the next several days when Piper's defense attorney Murray Janus has his turn he tells Juris the
00:12:39
state's explanation of a motive just doesn't add up but you'll hear evidence that she'd made a support payment in
00:12:47
October of 2004. hardly some things somebody's going to do to send money if they in fact had planned to kill that
00:12:56
person and more importantly Janice says there isn't anyone who can put Piper at the
00:13:02
crime scene and see if one single person says we saw that defendant pipe a round
00:13:08
tree take a gun out and shoot Fred jablin we saw her running away although Janice does admit there is a lot of
00:13:16
evidence showing someone committed this murder you're gonna find that somebody was in Virginia somebody flew on a
00:13:24
Southwest Airlines insists the wrong Roundtree sister is on trial there's one name You're Gonna Hear
00:13:31
over and over and over again that's the name of Tina Roundtree and Janice says all the evidence will point to her
00:13:41
I think you'll hear evidence that Tina had certainly at one time a gun herself a 38 caliber you won't hear any evidence
00:13:49
that Piper Rountree owned a gun Piper is obviously aware of her attorney's defense strategy but when she spoke with
00:13:58
us before trial she wouldn't flat out accuse her sister of murder did your sister Tina did she do this
00:14:06
couldn't say I don't know is she capable of something like this I'm not going to answer that
00:14:16
all arrives no matter now before the Lord shall be in the church the whole truth
00:14:22
I do have a seat please with the trial underway prosecutors call Jerry Walters to the stand to help show that Piper
00:14:31
hatched an elaborate plan to get away with murder using the bank account Walters had
00:14:37
opened for her was Piper Roundtree his name on the car no it's not Piper approaches that blonde wig and
00:14:45
prosecutors say Piper wore it the weekend of the murder so it would look like her sister Tina committed the crime
00:14:52
did you at any time order any wigs no sir okay judge our next witness is Kathy Molly prosecutors say Piper also
00:15:01
used Walter's card to buy that airline ticket booked in her sister's name to fly to and from the murder how is this
00:15:09
ticket paid for my credit card right here Kathy Molly the agent remember selling a
00:15:19
ticket to a woman using the name Roundtree and for the first time in court Smiley would you look around the
00:15:27
courtroom and see if you can identify the person to whom you sold that ticket on October 28th
00:15:37
that lady right there looks familiar a witness is able to identify Piper in fact Molly says the brunette checked in
00:15:45
as a blonde but the hairs don't like that at all it's much shorter in the colors a lot
00:15:52
darker that's not all Molly's biggest surprise she says Piper was carrying a gun what do you recall unusual about
00:16:01
checking bags of anything nothing she just told me right away that she needed to check a firearm
00:16:08
she just commented that it was her father's gun and she was taking it to him but that gun wasn't the state Smoking
00:16:16
Gun they say Piper not only got on that plane to Richmond they can prove she spent the weekend there within miles of
00:16:24
the crime scene it was Piper's own cell phone that would do her in we started looking through the cell
00:16:36
phone records and recognized the number to uh Papa John's Pizza Henrico County detective Chuck Hannah
00:16:45
was given the job of tracking the cell phone calls to see if anyone could place Piper in Richmond so we called Papa
00:16:52
John's Pizza and asked if a individual with the last name around tree had ordered a pizza they stated that a
00:16:59
person with the name around tree did and that person had it delivered to room 171
00:17:04
in the Homestead Suites that led detective Hannah to the manager of this hotel who remembers the guest in
00:17:12
room 171. she said she had a reservation there her name was Tina Roundtree and it's that
00:17:19
witness Tamiko James who was able to place Piper Roundtree in Richmond at a hotel located just miles from the crime
00:17:28
scene would you point to and identify that individual what is the defendant here
00:17:32
and then a second eyewitness takes the stand Raymond Seward says he saw Piper on Saturday morning just a few hours
00:17:40
after Fred jablin's murder a medium Bill medium height and blonde hair where is she
00:17:49
that lady right there Seward remembers Piper returning a car to his rental agency near the airport
00:17:56
the same airport where that flight carrying a passenger named Tina Roundtree would later take off she was
00:18:04
it's not a hard way to get to the airport and if eyewitness testimony wasn't enough to put Piper in Richmond
00:18:11
prosecutors say they have Piper caught on tape they say the woman seen walking into a
00:18:18
Richmond Virginia gas station is the defendant Piper Roundtree in disguise the tank will will show a white female
00:18:27
enter the door it's a mountain of evidence that they hope will knock down any suggestion that it was Tina
00:18:34
Roundtree in Richmond the weekend of the murder you have to concede it doesn't look good
00:18:39
right no it doesn't look good I suck I certainly see that you know my mouth fell when I saw these things like oh my
00:18:46
God now prosecutors take their case one step further they set out to show how Piper
00:18:53
made sure that when she shot Fred jablin she wouldn't miss out Mac McClanahan knows both sisters he
00:19:03
dated Tina and he worked with Piper when you went with Piper to work early in the
00:19:09
week of October 25th to Galveston did you ride together there we did and back yes okay
00:19:18
on one of their rides home together Mack told Piper he was going to stop at a shooting range tell the members of the
00:19:24
jury what Piper said when you brought that up she said she wanted to go with me had you taken Piper to the gun range
00:19:33
prior to that day no Piper shot a few rounds then decided she wanted to rent another type of gun so
00:19:41
she went to the front desk and made an exchange she returned with a 38 caliber revolver
00:19:49
same type of weapon used to Gun Down Fred jablin days later did she fire the 38 she did
00:19:56
Saturday morning around 6 30. and when Matt ran into Piper a few days after the murder he found out just how nervous
00:20:04
Piper was about their trip to the gun range I told her I was sorry to hear what had happened and she hugged me and
00:20:11
said I love you and she said please don't say anything about the gun range it'll just complicate
00:20:17
things with one of their last Witnesses prosecutors deal a final blow to Piper it turns out The Alibi Piper thought she
00:20:27
had for the night before the murder had fallen through after you've had a chance
00:20:32
to think about it have checked all of your records Kevin O'Keefe who thought he'd seen Piper at the volcano bar on
00:20:40
Friday night now tells Juris he was mistaken were you in the volcano at all on that Friday October 29th no you sure
00:20:48
about that positive thank you battered by dozens of witnesses against her Piper Roundtree a former prosecutor
00:20:57
knows she's in real trouble and now she has to make one of the most important decisions of her life
00:21:04
should she take the stand all rise after listening to the 49 Witnesses testifying against her
00:21:30
that lady right there looks familiar yes sir she's right there with the state's case finished that lady right there
00:21:37
Piper Roundtree is looking like a goner if you could look those jurors in the eyes how would you do it what would you
00:21:45
say I would tell them I didn't do it be truth I believe in God Piper realizes she has only one option
00:22:01
all right next witness take the stand called pipe around tree a little more round this Roundtree if you would
00:22:07
[Music] but you know it's it's risky to do that to take the stand and testify you know
00:22:13
that right yeah so on the fourth day of trial only four months after Fred jablin was
00:22:25
shot dead in his driveway you are Piper and Roundtree is that correct I am Fred jablin's ex-wife Piper Roundtree
00:22:34
tries to answer to a jury for defense lawyer Murray Janice Cuts straight to the chase
00:22:40
his Round Tree did you shoot and kill Fred jablin on Saturday morning October 30th 2004. I did not
00:22:52
when did you first learn that Fred Chaplin had been shot and killed that that evening
00:23:00
what was your emotional condition at that time well I don't remember a whole lot of the
00:23:06
rest of the evening did you ever learn that evening where your children were no in a soft shaky voice Piper Roundtree
00:23:19
testifies it was impossible for her to shoot Fred jablin in Virginia because at the time of the murder she was in Texas
00:23:26
but it isn't just Piper's whereabouts she and her defense team will use as an alibi their strategy is based on showing
00:23:33
the jury what kind of person Piper Roundtree really is do you love your children yes very much
00:23:41
where are they as far as priorities in your life second only to God Piper tells jurors the last thing she'd
00:23:51
do is hurt her kids yes it was not an easy to force but I had no right to take away the
00:24:00
children's father the children need both parents how were you getting along Fred jablin
00:24:07
compared to during the divorce itself um it was an answer to my prayers we were doing very good
00:24:19
and when it comes to her Alibi about being at the volcano bar she insists she was there that Friday before the murder
00:24:26
even though Kevin O'Keefe had told prosecutors he wasn't even there that Friday night do you know when it was
00:24:33
that you saw the defendant in the volcano uh Saturday October 30th right but Piper stands by her story and says
00:24:42
she even remembers floating and drinking with a stranger what was the gentleman's
00:24:46
name that you met up with if you're not uh he said Steve initially and then he said
00:24:53
calm Jerry have you ever seen him again since then no all right Miss guys this round tree I believe you testified
00:25:04
the prosecutors go on the attack Piper's motive for murder is simple a vengeful woman who had lost her children you had
00:25:12
lost custody of your three children completely not completely if it doesn't the order state that you lost physical
00:25:20
and legal custody of your children yes to your husband yes wasn't that devastating to you yes
00:25:27
wouldn't you do anything for your children I wouldn't kill for them no paper however is unable to explain away
00:25:38
the physical evidence at the heart of the case starting with her Jeep parked at the Houston Airport the very weekend
00:25:46
Fred jablin was murdered can you explain why the records from the Houston Hobby Airport show that your vehicle was in
00:25:54
their parking lot on Thursday and Friday and Saturday no I have no explanation then prosecutors questioned Piper about
00:26:05
her visit to the gun range where she practiced shooting just days before the murder with the same type of weapon used
00:26:12
to kill Fred jablin you shot two different Pistols that day didn't you one was a 22 caliber revolver
00:26:19
and the other was a 38 caliber revolver uh that's what they say well you had it in your possession I didn't know what it
00:26:27
was it was a gun and what about that blonde wig prosecutors say Piper needed it desperately for the weekend of the
00:26:37
murder to disguise herself as Tina you wanted the blonde wig so bad that when you've got the box with the paprika wig
00:26:46
in it with the note saying that they didn't have it in stock and that you would have to pay an additional charge
00:26:54
you said send it anyway I want it correct uh Tina had wanted no I'm not asking you
00:27:00
what Tina said I'm asking you you told them yes I did I'll pay the extra money isn't that right and you had the blonde
00:27:06
wig yes sir where is it at uh last time I saw Tina had it if Tina had the wig and Tina was on the
00:27:14
plane then you want this jury to think that Tina committed the murder don't you I have no idea what happened you have
00:27:21
not I don't the evidence pinpoints Piper in Richmond near the scene of Fred jablin's murder
00:27:30
Hotel records and receipts show Piper used the bank card she said was stolen I didn't know what had happened to the
00:27:37
card there's one more staggering piece of evidence those damning cell phone records calls made from Piper's cell
00:27:45
phone from Richmond to Texas just after the murder what happened to the cell phone
00:27:51
I don't know well the crimes being committed you don't know where it is that's what you're telling these people
00:27:56
I'm telling them that I didn't have the phone from probably that I remember last
00:28:02
time I remember it was Tuesday before that you lost the telephone on Tuesday where did you find it on Saturday I was
00:28:09
at Tina's house because you want to you want this jury to think that Tina committed to murder
00:28:15
you're willing to put it on her aren't you no sir thank you man you can have a seat next to your Council
00:28:23
Piper steps down she has done all she can now it's up to this man Marty McVeigh the lone witness who can
00:28:31
physically put her a thousand miles away from the murder and where is your office the present
00:28:37
time in Houston Texas now sir tell us if you will jumping up to Saturday October
00:28:44
30th 2004. did you ever see paper Roundtree on that date I did and where was that
00:28:51
sir in my office and could you tell the ladies and gentlemen of the jury what time you saw her
00:28:56
approximately 4 30 that afternoon give or take five minutes are you sure of that time sir yes sir
00:29:04
McVay is Piper's very best witness because it's impossible for Piper to have been in two places at once McVeigh
00:29:12
says she was in his Houston office at the exact same time police say she was on an airplane returning from murdering
00:29:19
Fred jablin how many people have you talked to about the Tom Piper Roundtree was in your office on Saturday October
00:29:26
30th that's them yes sir oh gosh then I've talked to the prosecutors here I talked to the detectives again in
00:29:34
Houston in the Houston Police Department I've talked to Paige Akins from the Times Dispatch
00:29:43
local newspaper reporter Paige Aiken ends up becoming part of the very story she was covering well not mistaken if
00:29:50
you would she takes the stand to testify about what Marty McVeigh told her and how he employed mistaken I'm a
00:29:58
reporter at the Richmond Times Dispatch have you been assigned any heavy in fact
00:30:01
been covering the case involving Miss Piper Roundtree I have Paige Aiken swears that McVeigh had told her that
00:30:08
Piper had stopped by his office the day after the murder not the Afternoon Of The Murder did you ask him when prior to
00:30:17
Sunday October 31st he had last seen Piper Roundtree yes he said it had been quite a while uh about a year I believe
00:30:28
Marty McVeigh is put back on the stand and sticks to his story and dates had you seen pipe around tree before Sunday
00:30:38
October 31st yes and when was that on October 30th all right we'll be at recess till
00:30:48
tomorrow all right when it's all over Piper Roundtree seems dazed and exhausted do you think you conveyed to the jury
00:31:03
I hope so that's all I can say is I hope so are you afraid yeah yes I'm afraid [Music]
00:31:32
I was amazed about the evidence that police collected the documentation they did the witnesses
00:31:40
throughout Piper roundtree's murder trial the brother of the victim Michael jablin has watched closely focused on
00:31:47
the woman who was once part of his family any doubt in your mind that Piper round tree is guilty
00:31:55
there's no doubt and I was very sad about the whole thing hearing it how somebody with such a high level of
00:32:00
Education could have plotted such an event Piper's mother Betty Roundtree sat in
00:32:06
the courtroom every day she can't believe her youngest daughter is a killer do I think she's guilty no I do not
00:32:16
she's had so much love in her life and she's such a gentle kind person I honestly cannot believe that she did
00:32:23
this [Music] the jury deliberates for less than an hour ladies and gentlemen have you been
00:32:35
able to reach a verdict in these matters would you hand it to the sheriff please
00:32:40
we the jury find the defended guilty of first degree murder Frederick jablin is charged in the indictment Joanne Lawson
00:32:47
yeah Beverly Owens is this your party yes Holly pace is this your verdict yes no
00:32:55
one seems surprised not even Piper within an hour the jury hears more testimony and then will recommend her
00:33:09
sentence anywhere from 20 years to life they were extremely extremely close Betty Roundtree pleads for leniency so
00:33:20
the children who'd already lost their father won't lose their mother too her whole life was just with those children
00:33:27
taking them different places reading to them have a seat please Michael jablin is not
00:33:36
vindictive just sad and searching for answers how do I explain to young children that their mother killed their
00:33:44
father they've lost both parents basically now how do I explain that to these children how does anybody explain
00:33:49
something like that less than an hour the jury decides to recommend the harshest penalty we the
00:33:59
jury having found the defendant guilty a first degree murder Frederick Javelin fixer punishment at life in prison
00:34:06
foreign [Music] the five-day trial included nearly 60 Witnesses and 80 pieces of evidence who
00:34:15
has now been sentenced to life in prison [Music] it's over how do you feel right now I
00:34:23
think we feel good we get the result that we anticipated having in the long run but um it's nice to see the jury
00:34:29
validate our investigation and bring a little bit of justice as close as we're going to get here anyway
00:34:35
[Music] within minutes of the verdict we talked with Piper in a holding cell Piper a jury is spoken
00:34:47
guilty life in prison yeah what's your reaction to that sentence I think I'm still in shock
00:34:58
it hasn't hit you yet has it in spite of all the evidence and the jury's Swift verdict Piper Roundtree
00:35:09
still insists she's innocent for the record you're still are saying that you did not kill your ex-husband I didn't
00:35:17
it didn't I mean obviously it looked like I didn't you didn't do it no I didn't will you get an opportunity at all while
00:35:28
you're serving a time to see your children would you do you know anything about that I hope so
00:35:35
I'm gonna be happy to talk to them anything you want to say to them I just love them and miss them
00:35:49
what kind of mother would do this I think that's a very good question I don't know what kind of mother would uh
00:35:55
would would uh leave them without a father and without a mother I don't know it's really hard to
00:36:01
understand that it's very sad when you have to think about that I really think that she thought she could do this and
00:36:09
then just walk into the sunset with her three kids I think that's how she thought this was
00:36:13
going to play out Megan McCrary Fred's neighbor and friend as no sympathy for Piper Roundtree and what was she
00:36:21
thinking did she not understand the impact this was going to have on her children's lives
00:36:27
I mean she extinguished four lives that day she murders her ex-husband and basically destroys the childhood of her
00:36:35
three children I just I don't understand what she was thinking the verdict may be in but what was the
00:36:43
jury thinking as they watched the halting testimony of Piper Roundtree wouldn't you do anything for your
00:36:49
children I wouldn't kill for them no I think that was one of the most serious moments of the trial for me because it
00:36:55
was the nail in the coffin it was a nail in the coffin when she took the stand yeah for me that was going from 90 to
00:37:02
100 guilty Joe Howe and Timothy James spoke to us about the impression Piper made the four
00:37:13
or five words that we got out of her weren't a whole lot and they were not convincing when she took the stand I
00:37:20
mean it almost seemed like you know she could kind of you know turn her tears on
00:37:23
and off do you love your children yes very much and of all the evidence against her what
00:37:30
was it that sealed Piper's fate the cell phone records you could very easily track exactly where she was and what she
00:37:39
did cell phone tractor all the way get the whole time and what if Tina Roundtree the sister Piper pretended to
00:37:45
be the sister many people say was Piper's best friend it's impossible to know whether or not Tina knew that Piper
00:37:54
was going on a trip to murder her ex-husband but based on how close they were um it's hard to imagine that Tina was
00:38:02
not knowledgeable in some sense that something very serious was going to take place she would stick up for her sister
00:38:08
and I think she would do anything short of murder for her sister your name came up a lot during the trial it was almost
00:38:15
as if the defense was to blame Tina Roundtree for the murder what's your reaction to that
00:38:21
they're just trying to set a possibility of doubt in the juror's mind but you didn't mind
00:38:31
oh I am being used I don't care about fashion doesn't matter you know I don't care it doesn't make it I mean it's I
00:38:36
think it's a stupid defense but the jury is certain the Right Round Tree was convicted however months after
00:38:44
the trial Tina Roundtree herself would be convicted of tampering with evidence after the murder of Fred jablin she
00:38:52
would be sentenced to nine months probation but this jury would sentence Piper to a
00:38:58
term we the jury fixer punishment at life in prison far more severe why life in prison we didn't ever want
00:39:09
her to come back into her children's lives because it would have been reliving the
00:39:15
murder [Music] [Applause] [Music]