00:00:11
something like this to happen in our town was crazy. I mean, really kind of unheard of.
00:00:19
Canton is just beautiful. You've got a lot of trees, tons of places to go hiking,
00:00:25
so it's really cute. This was one of those cases that when it happened, everybody knew that this was
00:00:34
bad. Citizens don't want to think that monsters live amongst them. On New Year's Eve of 2020, I went to
00:00:43
Nicole's house. I'm Morgan Metser's best friend. We were going to have a glass of wine,
00:00:50
stay inside, and just chill. we're going to stay there and watch the ball drop together. But I left early. I
00:00:57
was like, "We never get to, you know, hang out." And she's like, "No, I'm just really tired."
00:01:03
>> I got home. I just didn't have any interest waiting up for the fireworks. Closed the house down and I went to bed.
00:01:10
She was alone. She recalled waking up about 11:59. >> I woke up because of fireworks cuz I can
00:01:18
hear him in the distance. and I got down and kissed my dog and I was like, "Happy
00:01:21
New Year's and I go lay back in bed. >> She went back to sleep and then the next
00:01:27
thing that she knew she woke up and there was this figure standing in her door. >> I opened my eyes. They flung open and
00:01:36
that's when I saw the shadow of a man's body standing there, you know, all in black and just lit up by the light in
00:01:42
the background. He had a mask on. And I screamed so loud. He pounced on me. He then hit me with a
00:01:51
gun. Then he punched me. >> He turned her over and he put these handcuffs on her that were fashioned
00:01:58
with zip ties. >> What was your attacker saying? Was he saying anything? >> Yes. He said, "You're going to regret
00:02:06
this. You've done really wrong now." It was the sound of Batman's voice. >> She described it like Batman. kind of
00:02:14
like Batman trying to disguise his voice. >> He would keep continuing to hit me,
00:02:20
pistol whip me. He'd strangle me a few times to the point of where I know I was about to pass out.
00:02:26
>> Did you think you were going to die? >> Yes, I did. Who would want to do this to Morgan
00:02:33
Mzer? Nobody should want to do this to Morgan Metser. >> Eventually, I would learn the intruder
00:02:39
was somebody that I knew. He was not the kind of person that most people suspect
00:02:44
of something like this. He's standing there like a soldier, like with his fist clenched, like he was
00:03:42
ready to go. >> When Morgan Metser glimpsed a masked figure standing in her bedroom doorway
00:03:50
shortly after midnight on New Year's Day 2021, she thought she might just be seeing things,
00:03:57
but then >> he ran at me and jumped on top of me. And that's when he started pistol
00:04:03
lipping me. >> Just hours earlier, she'd been ready to ring in the new year in Canton, Georgia
00:04:11
with her best friend, Nicole Stabisfki. That's what we were looking forward to, and I knew she was exhausted.
00:04:18
>> It had been a long year for Morgan. Recently divorced, her 8-year-old twin son and daughter were spending a few
00:04:25
days with her sister in Florida. >> I mean, we're moms and we just wanted to hang out for a second. We had planned
00:04:30
for it. >> But after arriving at Nicole's, Morgan, feeling tired, decided to make it an
00:04:37
early evening. When she left, I did I I gave her some crap. I was like, "What are you doing?" I was like, "We never
00:04:43
get to, you know, hang out." And I was like, "You'd lose her." Fine. Whatever. Text me to get home. Blah blah blah. See
00:04:48
you tomorrow. >> Little could either friend have guessed that a short time later, Morgan would be
00:04:54
in fear for her life. Her attacker had brought zip ties with him, already pre-looped and intertwined. He put
00:05:01
Morgan's hands behind her back, slipped them on, and tightened them. >> It's an outer body experience.
00:05:08
>> You can't imagine what you're thinking, what you're feeling. Vulnerable, exposed.
00:05:16
What is going to happen to my kids? I haven't done a will. I haven't done I don't I haven't talked to my family
00:05:22
about who gets them. I was like, "They're not going to have a mom." >> Her asalent strangled her nearly
00:05:29
unconscious twice. >> It's the worst feeling in the world to think you're dying, and you feel like
00:05:35
you're going to be tortured beforehand. >> Morgan's attacker sexually assaulted her. Who did you think was attacking
00:05:42
you? >> I don't know. I just felt like it was some random person. In addition to the mask, the intruder
00:05:51
had taken great pains to disguise himself. >> Black hoodie jacket, black pants, black
00:05:57
gloves. He said very little, but when he did, Morgan says her asalants seemed to
00:06:03
be disguising his voice, making it sound low and grally like the Batman movies. He also seemed to know about Morgan's
00:06:12
personal life, specifically her recent divorce. He said something about your husband.
00:06:18
>> Yes, you're going to miss your husband. And I said, "No, don't hurt my husband."
00:06:22
>> Morgan says her mind raced trying to piece together why this was happening to
00:06:27
her. >> I swear I like went through my whole life in my head. That's how my brain was
00:06:32
just everywhere. I mean, 50,000 tabs open up at one time in my brain. >> Her attacker demanded to know where
00:06:39
Morgan kept her valuables. >> Where's your jewelry? Where's, you know, all of your other nice stuff? and he's
00:06:45
ripping out stuff out of my, you know, my drawers. >> And then >> the attacker asked for my phone and the
00:06:51
passcode to my phone. >> Morgan's house had an alarm system which she'd set before going to bed. An app on
00:06:59
her phone controlled it along with several security cameras around her home and a lock on the door of her second
00:07:07
floor bedroom which led out to a back porch. I wasn't too sure what he was doing on my phone at the time until I
00:07:13
heard a door lock open, which was for the back porch. >> The attacker had unlocked the door
00:07:19
remotely, threw that app on Morgan's phone. Morgan says he put a pillowcase over her head.
00:07:27
>> He got me out of the bed, walked me out to the back porch. I was naked, still with my zip tie
00:07:36
handcuffs behind my back. >> Did he just leave you there? >> Yes. What did he say as he left?
00:07:41
>> He said, "Do not get up until you hear two car honks or I'll kill you." >> Morgan's property was secluded with
00:07:49
little chance of a neighbor seeing or hearing her on the back porch. And with that pillowcase over her head and the
00:07:55
attacker's final words of warning ringing in her ears, Morgan had no way of knowing if he or someone else was
00:08:03
watching her. >> I just listened to the stream and tried to be as peaceful and calm as I could.
00:08:09
40 minutes passed. Then a sound in the distance struck terror in Morgan all over again.
00:08:16
>> I hear somebody walking up. >> Unable to see, she feared her attacker had returned to finish the job.
00:08:24
>> I hear them shuffling and walking and they hit the stairs and I knew they were
00:08:27
at the top when he hit the first board and it creaked really loud. >> That's when Morgan heard a very familiar
00:08:34
voice. Oh, honey, what happened? >> Morgan's grueling ordeal was finally over. And who would turn out to be her
00:08:44
rescuer? Her ex-husband, Rod Mezer. When Morgan's ex-husband, Rod Mzer, turned up at her house, he immediately
00:09:11
called 911. >> Cherokee County 911. >> Somebody Somebody broke in over here. She was on the back porch. Uh, and the
00:09:20
back door was wide open. She was tied up with a hood over her head. >> As they waited for help to arrive, Rod
00:09:27
tried to console Morgan. >> I'm going to be right here. I'm going to leave the door open. Okay.
00:09:34
>> He came up and rescued her on the back porch. >> Saved her. >> Saved her. >> Her hero.
00:09:39
>> Absolutely. >> Sergeant Dakota Livers was a detective with the Cherokee County Sheriff's
00:09:45
Department in 2021. He had a lot of questions. Exactly why had Rod gone to Morgan's home in the middle of the
00:09:53
night? >> This was Rod's apartment right here. >> That's correct. He moved here shortly
00:09:57
after the uh the divorce. Rod said he'd received an eerie message about Morgan that night.
00:10:04
>> He was getting ready for bed. He was brushing his teeth when he heard knocking on his window. That knocking
00:10:09
was accompanied by a voice in which he could only decipher the word Morgan was being said.
00:10:14
>> Concerned, Rod said he tried calling Morgan, but she didn't answer. What did he say he was thinking? I mean, someone
00:10:21
knocks on his window in the early morning hours of New Year's Day. >> He obviously went to the worst. He
00:10:26
thought that something was uh going to happen to Morgan or something might be happening to Morgan.
00:10:31
>> Rod told investigators he'd gotten in his car and made the 12minute drive over
00:10:36
to his ex-wife's house. Despite being divorced, Rod said he was still looking out for Morgan. Their relationship
00:10:44
stretched back nearly 20 years. How old were you when you met Rod? >> 14 years old.
00:10:51
>> Was it love at first sight? >> Yes, it was. It was It was scary. how fast it was.
00:10:57
>> He was 17 at the time. >> Kathy Metser is Rod's mother. >> We were on the way to a baseball game
00:11:04
and he said, "Mom, you're going to meet Morgan tonight." And I said, "Who's Morgan?" "That's my girlfriend." And I
00:11:10
said, "What?" He said, "Be nice." >> Did Rod change at all when he was dating Morgan?
00:11:18
>> Oh, yeah. There was nothing that she could mention that she didn't get. >> How did he treat you? Amazing. He called
00:11:28
me princess and so he literally treated me like that. >> No one was surprised when the couple
00:11:35
married in 2009. >> We are gathered here today in the presence of God. >> Morgan was 21 years old.
00:11:44
>> Morgan was one of the most gorgeous brides I've ever seen in my life. Love is patient. Love is kind. It
00:11:51
doesn't >> Weather was perfect. It was outside. So, thank goodness for the weather.
00:11:59
>> It was everything I dreamed of. >> My dad gave me everything I could want. You know, it was just precious.
00:12:08
>> You may kiss to your heart's content. >> What was marriage like in the very beginning?
00:12:15
>> It was just awesome. It's just you two. You're mourning the loss of your like
00:12:20
wedding being over and your honeymoon and it's like I want to go again. >> Unfortunately, their newly wetted bliss
00:12:28
would be short-lived. 8 months after the wedding, >> I wish you both endless years of love,
00:12:34
health, and happiness. >> Rod's younger brother, Kevin, lost his battle with leukemia at the age of 19.
00:12:43
And >> it really hit Rod hard. I mean it I don't think he was ever the same after
00:12:52
that. He depended on Morgan at that point more than he did anybody. I don't think he
00:12:59
left her side for more than an hour or two. >> But the next year would bring some good
00:13:05
news to celebrate. >> We got pregnant with our son. >> Morgan says picking his name was easy.
00:13:12
>> Kevin always wanted to be an uncle. He always talked about it, how much fun he
00:13:16
would have. >> They named him Kevin after my Kevin, Rod's brother. >> But the family would suffer a second and
00:13:28
devastating loss. Baby Kevin was born early with a congenital heart defect. He lived just 18 days.
00:13:36
>> He actually died on his due date. >> The loss of a child is unthinkable. And I would imagine tough
00:13:45
for you and Rod. >> Very tough. Don't really remember a lot of it. It's a big blur with all the
00:13:52
emotions. So it seemed like a miracle when just 3 months later, Morgan discovered she was
00:14:00
pregnant again. Kathy remembers the moment Rod showed her the ultrasound picture.
00:14:05
>> He says, "What do you see?" I said, "A baby." He said, "No, look. What do you
00:14:09
see?" And I just screamed at the top of my lungs, two babies, you know, >> twins.
00:14:16
>> Twins. They were going to have twins. >> Morgan gave birth to a healthy boy and
00:14:22
girl in 2012. It should have been a happy time. But not long after, the marriage began to change.
00:14:32
Probably about a year after they were born, which is right around the time that Rod lost his job, is when
00:14:39
it started going down south from there. >> What did Rod do for work? >> He He had so many jobs. His main one
00:14:49
when he lost all of his money was he was being a day trader for himself. >> Rod's job loss happened to come at the
00:14:56
same time Morgan's career was starting to flourish. I started my own interior design business and it took off, but I
00:15:05
just didn't expect it to boom and blow up. >> Morgan's company, Shiplap and Sugar,
00:15:12
became so successful, she asked Nicole to join her. >> And she was saying, you know, like, I
00:15:17
need help. I'm overwhelmed. And became business smarter. >> Yeah. >> Making money, working our tails off,
00:15:25
doing what we love. Morgan says her professional success and Rod's lack of it made for a dangerous combination. She
00:15:33
says he began to abuse her both physically and mentally. She recalls one Labor Day weekend she and Rod were
00:15:40
celebrating on a boat with friends and had just returned to their cabin. >> I guess we had got into an argument
00:15:46
about something. That's the first night he beat the he beat me. >> Did you think he hit me? I've got to get
00:15:52
out of here. >> Yes, I had my dad come and get me. Shockingly, Morgan says Rod tried to
00:15:58
convince her and the people closest to her that she was to blame for her injuries.
00:16:04
He convinced my parents that I was the one that did it. >> What did he say? You were just out of
00:16:10
control. You You couldn't keep your temper. You were just wailing all over the place.
00:16:16
>> Morgan says Rod claims she got hurt because he was forced to physically restrain her.
00:16:22
>> And I'm like, "Okay, well, maybe that's my fault. and my friend stopped talking
00:16:26
to me then because he had no marks on him. It was all me. >> Morgan says that's when a new phase in
00:16:33
the marriage began. One in which she started to doubt her own reality because she says Rod was gaslighting her, making
00:16:41
her think every conflict Rod instigated actually began with her. >> I think she thought she was crazy. You
00:16:49
know, you get programmed to think that you're crazy. Like it's all in your head.
00:16:55
Morgan says Rod even involved their children in his deception. He pretended I pushed him down the
00:17:03
stairs. He literally rolled down the stairs. You know, he actually got hurt and said to the kids, "Look, mommy
00:17:10
pushed me downstairs. Can you believe that?" >> Morgan says Rod sexually abused her as
00:17:16
well, although she says it took a while for her to recognize what it was. A lot of times he was very aggressive and
00:17:24
wouldn't take the word no. And so now looking back on it, I guess he did sexually abuse me.
00:17:30
>> Morgan filed for a divorce in 2020. When Morgan decided to go through with the divorce, how was she handling it?
00:17:37
You know, it was the first time I think I saw her have peace. >> The divorce was final in December, and
00:17:43
Morgan was ready to move on. But now, in the early morning hours of New Year's Day, it appeared Rod had come back into
00:17:52
her life as her hero. Yeah. >> Sergeant Livers and Sergeant Robert Hawk recall that when they first arrived at
00:18:16
Morgan's house at 3:00 a.m. Rod's behavior had struck them as unusual. >> Yeah. So, as we were walking up, Rodney
00:18:25
was seated in his car right here with another deputy. >> Did he say anything? >> Yeah, he did. He asked, "Hey, man. Are
00:18:30
you the guy that we've been waiting on?" And I said, "Uh, yes, sir, I am." And then he replied, "Do your job."
00:18:37
>> What did you think? >> I was taken aback. I really was. This guy just had found his wife bound and
00:18:44
beaten on the back porch. And you would think that my arrival to help find a resolution to this uh would be
00:18:50
welcoming. >> Immediately, Morgan's appearance startled the investigators. Her eye was
00:19:00
swollen shut in black and blue. She still had the zip tie around her one wrist and I was shocked and I'd seen a
00:19:06
lot in my career and I was surprised that somebody would be so harsh. >> What did it make you think?
00:19:12
>> Somebody was mad. Absolutely. It was emotional attack. >> Morgan was not only physically injured.
00:19:19
Investigators could tell she had suffered psychologically after the attacker left her. She was feared that
00:19:25
she was someone was still back here watching her and that they were going to kill her if she moved. And so she laid
00:19:30
here and waited. >> Morgan was outside for 40 minutes before Rod arrived, but initially she thought
00:19:38
it was just half that. >> Morgan believed it to be somewhere around 15 to 20 minutes max. That was
00:19:45
her perception of time. >> Interesting. I would have thought the opposite. That would have felt longer
00:19:48
for her. >> I agree. Where their adrenaline's going, you know, people perceive things
00:19:53
differently. The first thing Livers and Hawk did was separate everyone seen here through this
00:19:59
zoomedin front porch security video. Morgan, Rod, and Morgan's father and brother who came over after she called
00:20:07
them. Then Livers recorded his conversation with Morgan inside the house. >> Spell your last name for me.
00:20:15
>> M E T Z P R. safely out of earshot of her ex-husband who was standing just outside. Morgan told investigators that
00:20:26
she suspected her attacker was the man pretending to be her hero. >> I just thought it was him.
00:20:32
>> When you say him, you're talking about your ex-husband. >> Mhm. >> Morgan said she had no idea who her
00:20:41
asalent was when the attack began. But then came one critical moment. >> When he said, "You're going to miss your
00:20:48
husband." And I said, "No, don't hurt my husband. I love him very much." And I don't know what made me do that. But at
00:20:54
that exact moment is when the mood of the room changed. I knew I was going to live.
00:21:00
>> And then there was another even bigger clue when her attacker lifted Morgan off
00:21:05
the bed to place her outside. >> And that's when I really knew it was him. >> Morgan remembered something from years
00:21:11
earlier. >> I was pregnant with my kids, my twins, and sometimes you have to get help out
00:21:15
of the bag. The way he gently held me and got me out of the bed, it was so familiar that I was like, "This is him.
00:21:22
I know it's 100% him." >> Wasn't going to let him know that I knew it was him. Cuz if he did, then I didn't
00:21:29
know what he was going to do. >> She told them the attack had followed a chaotic week which began with very
00:21:36
troubling news. >> He thinks he's got pancreatic cancer. He just called me and said, "I've got
00:21:44
pancreatic cancer." And so I rushed to go see him. I said, "You're the father of my children. I'm here for you." He
00:21:49
showed me doctor's notes and whatnot. >> Rod had told no one else. And Morgan explained that she'd been letting him
00:21:56
stay at her house. >> They've been sleeping on my step because he'd been really freaked out and upset.
00:22:01
Obviously, >> Morgan told the investigators that Rod had spent the week trying to reconcile
00:22:07
with her. >> He kept begging me to get back together with me, just constantly haggling me.
00:22:14
But Morgan says she had no interest. By the morning of December 31st, she'd had enough. Feeling the pressure of being
00:22:22
his sole emotional support, Morgan insisted Rod share his health news with his parents.
00:22:28
>> He said, "No, absolutely not. I'm not telling anybody." And that's when I was
00:22:32
like, "Okay, get out." >> Morgan says Rod spent the day texting her. >> You need to get back with me. I'll make
00:22:39
enough money. You can quit your job right now. Fed up with it all, Morgan lied and told Rod she'd be sleeping
00:22:46
elsewhere that New Year's Eve night. >> Staying at my parents house tonight. I'm
00:22:51
turning my phone off. Like, give me some space. >> As Morgan shared her suspicions with
00:22:57
investigators, she didn't know if they would accept what she was telling them. >> I've been mentally, emotionally,
00:23:03
physically abused. >> Because Rod made her feel like she was to blame for years.
00:23:08
>> That's what he's built in my brain. But that all changed when Sergeant Livers
00:23:13
told her he believed her >> and I just melted. He heard me. I have not been heard in years. Nobody
00:23:22
listened. Nobody heard me. And he heard me. >> That started the investigation into
00:23:26
Rodney Messer. >> Rachel Ash is the deputy chief assistant district attorney for Cherokee County.
00:23:33
She works exclusively on domestic violence cases. Parker, an emotional support dog, is often with her to
00:23:40
comfort victims. Ash says investigators were perplexed that Rod had come to Morgan's house that
00:23:47
night after she told him she'd be at her parents. >> Why'd you even come here? Why didn't you
00:23:52
go to her parents' house? Why didn't Why didn't you check with her parents? >> He claimed it was just habits.
00:23:57
>> What I would do? >> Are you scratching your heads? >> Yeah, we we questioned him on it.
00:24:02
Rod said that after hearing that knocking on his window and someone saying Morgan's name, he tried phoning
00:24:09
Morgan to warn her. Sergeant Hawk wanted to check. >> I think that's what problems. Hey,
00:24:15
where's your phone? >> Rod handed his cell phone to the investigators. >> Gave them permission to look through his
00:24:21
phone. >> And what they found came as a surprise. >> It was an Apple iPhone and it had a
00:24:25
hidden folder and in the hidden folder were images of Morgan partially dressed. a lot of photos of Morgan nude and those
00:24:34
photos of Morgan nude. It was pretty apparent that she didn't know he was taking those photos of her.
00:24:39
>> She was quite alarmed. >> Investigators also discovered Rod had snapped pictures of Morgan's cell phone
00:24:47
showing text messages between her and another man. They considered these and the photos of Morgan to be an invasion
00:24:54
of privacy. >> You didn't have that permission. Y'all don't have that relationship. She's
00:24:59
baffled that you have that. That's stalkerish. >> We knew we had to get him in custody
00:25:04
while we started doing search warrants and started investigating to prevent him from destroying evidence.
00:25:10
>> People make mistakes and I >> I think you made a lot of mistakes. >> Make big mistakes.
00:25:15
>> So, you arrested him for having taken those photos secretly. >> That's correct. That's correct.
00:25:22
>> You kidding me? >> Nope. We're not kidding you. This is not a joke. Come on. But could investigators
00:25:27
prove that Rod Metser had attacked Morgan that night? Watch him get arrested, walk to the car, and be put in. It was
00:25:53
kind of like, is this really happening? Was any part of you sad? >> No, not at the time. I was angry
00:26:02
and just sore. >> Even as they booked Rod for taking those pictures of Morgan and her texts, Hawen
00:26:08
Livers had already developed a theory about why Rod might have attacked her. >> I believe he thought he was going to
00:26:16
come in and and rescue her and be the savior and win her back. Investigators hoped home security
00:26:23
cameras would support their theory, but they quickly learned that all the video from the time of the attack had been
00:26:30
erased through the app on Morgan's phone that the asalent had used to unlock her
00:26:35
back porch door when he left. Morgan's attacker took her phone with him. It was never recovered. Were you ever able to
00:26:43
retrieve those missing videos from the security company? >> No. Once videos are deleted, they're
00:26:48
deleted from their cloud. But since Morgan had a home security system, how did the attacker get in
00:26:56
without setting off the alarm? It did not take long to figure out. >> This is the window the attacker entered.
00:27:03
>> That's correct. Right here is the uh the window that we found the screen was actually removed.
00:27:09
>> That basement window had an alarm sensor that was removed from the window and put
00:27:14
together on the window sill. So if the window was to open, it would appear, you know, to the alarm system that the
00:27:20
sensor is still making contact. >> Investigators believed Rod had disabled the sensor while he was staying at
00:27:26
Morgan's house that week. >> I was sleeping. It was in the middle of the night. >> Although the home security videos had
00:27:33
been erased, there was other video from prior to the attack. The camera on Morgan's front porch caught Rod earlier
00:27:41
that evening. He had sent me a picture of a check and he's like, "It's underneath your front porch."
00:27:49
>> Was for $56,000 and change. >> Morgan says the message Rod sent with the picture of the check made it seem
00:27:56
like he was trying to make a grand gesture. >> You should have all the money. You
00:28:00
deserve everything pretty much in a nutshell. >> I think it was to get her to come back
00:28:04
to the house that evening because she told Rodney she was going to be at her parents house for New Year's.
00:28:12
Morgan returned to the house, retrieved it and kind of made some sort of a of a gesture and she walked back into the
00:28:19
house and put it on the kitchen countertop. >> Morgan's attacker took that check with
00:28:23
him. It was never found. What did you find out about Rod's finances? >> That check would have bounced.
00:28:29
>> Yeah, he was broke. >> The day after his arrest, investigators executed search warrants on Rod's car
00:28:37
and his apartment. As soon as they walked through the door, they found a key piece of evidence.
00:28:43
>> They located this bag of zip ties in his apartment and a portion of a zip tie.
00:28:49
Before arriving at her house, Morgan's attacker had prelooped the zip ties he'd put on her wrists.
00:28:55
>> He was working in the dark. He was handcuffing somebody. You never know how much fight that person's going to put
00:29:01
up. One of the zip ties actually was pretty unique because it had two other zip ties that had been ratcheted onto it
00:29:09
and then cut. And so basically what we were looking at was a zip tie that had two extra heads.
00:29:21
Hawk and Livers needed to find out if that portion of a zip tie, essentially a tail found in Rod's apartment, lined up
00:29:28
with one of the extra heads on Morgan's restraints. They headed to their crime lab.
00:29:34
>> So, these are the zip ties that were actually found on Morgan. >> Yes, they are.
00:29:38
>> This is crime scene technician Melanie Thrasher. >> She was able to match this tail to one
00:29:43
of the heads on the zip tie for Morgan's wrist. The striations on the tail found
00:29:48
in Rod's apartment lined up exactly with those on Morgan zip tie. >> That's incredible.
00:29:54
>> Perfect match. >> Perfect match. What did you think when you saw this >> that we were going to be adding charges
00:29:59
to his existing booking and we had our guy. I would have never, you know, imagined having a piece of evidence like
00:30:06
this. >> But the search warrant of Rod's apartment yielded even more. There was a
00:30:13
book. Seven ways to >> be her hero. >> Be her hero to to win somebody back. >> They gave us the motive. I think it
00:30:20
added to that motive. >> Investigators examined Rod's browser history. >> The searches were very disturbing.
00:30:28
>> He was researching how to change your voice, >> how long to choke somebody unconscious.
00:30:33
>> The searches also included how to crack an iPhone password, how to get sympathy
00:30:38
from your ex, and one that was especially appalling. You Google searched cancer diagnosis letters. Yes.
00:30:46
>> Investigators searched Rod's outgoing emails. There they found Rod had set up
00:30:51
a fake email account to create the pancreatic cancer diagnosis letter he'd shown Morgan. And there was more. He had
00:30:58
created a bill for a doctor's office to show that he was being treated for pancreatic cancer. All of this in order
00:31:05
to convince Morgan that he had pancreatic cancer. >> He wasn't sick at all. No, he did not
00:31:12
have cancer. >> Do you think that he faked the cancer diagnosis as a way to try to get you
00:31:16
back or as a way to get access to your house cuz he had this plan? >> I think it was to get me back.
00:31:23
It might have been both. >> Rodney, you know me. I'm investigator Livers. Yes, sir.
00:31:27
>> On January 3rd, 2 days after the attack, Sergeant Lvers and Sergeant Tom Harris
00:31:33
interviewed Rod. They talked to him about his health. >> You said you're diabetic. Yes. What
00:31:38
other kind of health issues do you have? >> Nothing as far as I know of yet. >> I thought you had cancer.
00:31:46
>> Detective Lvers confronted Rod about the cancer diagnosis he'd faked to Morgan.
00:31:51
>> How did you tell her that this this cancer thing? >> I don't know if I should talk to you
00:31:56
guys anymore. I'm starting to get really bad feeling what angle you guys are going.
00:32:00
>> Then Rod tried to turn the tables by attempting to take the upper hand in the
00:32:05
interview. I've already learned something about you that your facial expressions and and you keep scratching
00:32:10
yourself when you get agitated by what I say. >> I am 100% not agitated. >> The investigators also questioned Rod
00:32:19
about his internet searches. >> Has there been a time recently where you were interested in how you can change
00:32:25
the sound of your voice? >> Maybe. Tell me about that. I felt like I wasn't voice wasn't manly enough.
00:32:34
Then Harris lowered the boom. >> The uh most significant thing that we found in your apartment was a collection
00:32:42
of zip ties. >> Zip ties? >> Mhm. Black zip ties? >> I don't have zip ties. >> I know you don't. We have them now.
00:32:51
These are identical to the ones that were binding Morgan's wrist. >> This is starting to get squirly.
00:32:58
>> Harris told Rod about that zip tie tail they'd recovered. And we compared that
00:33:03
microscopically to the zip ties that were on Morgan's wrists when the deputies found her. And
00:33:09
wouldn't you know it, it is a perfect cut. >> There's something funny going on here.
00:33:16
>> Did somebody break in and put him there? >> There's something funny going on here.
00:33:20
>> Like what? >> I don't know. >> I didn't have some big ass zip ties in my apartment.
00:33:27
>> But new evidence was about to say otherwise. You are making me [ __ ] it that you think
00:33:50
I did this. Hours after the interview with Rod Mzer concluded, he was charged with 10 counts related to the attack on
00:33:58
Morgan, including home invasion, kidnapping, aggravated assault, and sexual battery.
00:34:05
>> As soon as I felt that gun right here in my head, I was like, >> "All right, Jesus, I'm coming."
00:34:12
>> The next day, Morgan, with her friend Nicole by her side, talked to investigators again.
00:34:17
>> You thought you were going to die? >> Yep. I thought I was dead. Okay. But then also part of me is like, "No,
00:34:23
I'm not I'm not going to let myself die. I've got to fight for my kids." >> Sergeant Harris told Morgan they'd
00:34:30
watched the home security video of Rod arriving at her house after her attack. He rang the front doorbell, but when
00:34:37
there was no response, headed around to the back. >> We're I thought it was kind of interesting
00:34:43
that he called out your name as he's walking around side of your house. >> Yes. It's like, why would you think I
00:34:48
was outside? What was your reaction when you learned Rod had been arrested for violently attacking Morgan?
00:34:54
>> Oh, that that absolutely threw me under the ground. There had to be a mistake.
00:35:02
Rob wasn't capable of that. >> 2 days after Rod was charged, he talked to his mom, Kathy, on the phone.
00:35:11
>> Why is she doing this to me? She knows it wasn't me. >> But the evidence kept mounting.
00:35:18
When investigators recovered those zip ties from Rod's apartment, the bag they came in was found as well.
00:35:26
>> I brought up a a uh my Lowe's app on my phone and scanned the UPC code and the
00:35:31
UPC code came back that they were in fact sold at Lowe's. >> The sheriff's office then went to the
00:35:37
two Lowe's that we have here in Cherokee County and they started searching for transactions.
00:35:43
>> It didn't take long. Rod Metzer had purchased those zip ties on December 30th, about 36 hours before the attack.
00:35:51
Easy to find because he paid with his debit card. Investigators obtain the security video from Lowe's zoomed in
00:35:59
here for clarity. This was during CO and this was during a period where everybody was wearing a
00:36:06
mask except for Rodney Metser. So, the surveillance images and the videos that were recovered from Lowe's of him
00:36:12
purchasing those zip ties, his face is right there in the camera. I see a security camera here. Next came
00:36:23
the security video from Rod's apartment building. >> There's actually one inside the uh the
00:36:28
breezeway there, which leads to Rodney's apartment specifically. Sergeant Liver says there was no video
00:36:34
of Rod leaving after he said someone knocked on his window. >> What we do see is after the time of the
00:36:42
incident that Morgan was attacked, Rodney come in disheveled in a hurry. >> Just 4 minutes later, Rod is caught on
00:36:50
camera again leaving the building wearing completely different clothes and sneakers and carrying a plastic bag
00:36:58
highlighted here. The timestamp was 1:24 a.m. >> We never found that bag in his car when
00:37:05
we did the search warrant. >> We just don't know where that went. >> Investigators can't know for sure what
00:37:11
was in that bag, but believe it had evidence Rod discarded on his drive back to Morgan's house. The attacker's mask
00:37:19
was never found, but Deputy Chief Assistant District Attorney Rachel Ash says they had more than enough to prove
00:37:27
Rod was guilty. This is a prosecutor's dream to put up because the evidence in this case was
00:37:32
overwhelming. Overwhelming. >> But Ash says she wanted to offer Morgan an opportunity for a quicker closure
00:37:40
than a trial would bring in the form of a plea deal for Rod. We went through the pros and cons of
00:37:48
letting him plead guilty, letting him accept responsibility. We agreed we should try. He took it quickly.
00:37:56
On August 4th, 2021, Rod pleaded guilty to a total of 14 counts related to Morgan's attack and the photos found on
00:38:05
his phone. >> He agreed to serve 25 years on a 70-year sentence. So, when he gets out in 25
00:38:12
years, he'll serve another 45 years of probation. >> I think you even described it as like a
00:38:18
death. It is a death. I've lost my husband. He's dead to me. At Rod's sentencing, Morgan delivered a
00:38:26
victim impact statement several pages long. >> Once I got started, it just started
00:38:32
pouring out of me. >> There were no cameras in the courtroom. We asked Morgan to read her statement.
00:38:38
Here's a portion of it. >> Rod, not only will this statement be to my attacker, but it'll also be my last
00:38:44
words to whom I thought was the love of my life. The last four years being married to you
00:38:49
was like living with a monster that constantly tried to break me down and fence me in. It was a blessing in
00:38:55
disguise. I can now walk with a confidence knowing the pain you have given me is turned into power.
00:39:03
I walked off that stand with 1,000 lbs off of my shoulders. It felt so good. It felt empowering. And I got the last
00:39:10
word. How was it to listen to your best friend read this incredibly powerful statement?
00:39:20
>> It was awesome because she did not cry. Her voice did not shake and she said everything she needed to say and when
00:39:29
she was done, she was done. >> She was laying to rest this relationship. She was telling him this,
00:39:35
"I'm never going to be yours." Right? I'm never going to be yours. Rod's actions that New Year's Day
00:39:42
continue to affect everyone. >> Have you been able to visit Rod in person at all?
00:39:47
>> He hasn't wanted me to. >> Why? >> He's afraid of my reaction. >> Rod suffers from type 1 diabetes and
00:39:58
Kathy says his health is rapidly declining in prison. >> You're worried he could die?
00:40:05
>> Oh, I'm absolutely worried he's going to die. Morgan says once the ordeal was behind
00:40:12
her, she had to take steps so she could recover, seeking therapy to help her cope.
00:40:17
>> Everything happens for a reason. God has everything happen for a reason. And I'm
00:40:21
starting to see that right now. There's just a lot of great things that are happening with us.
00:40:25
>> She says she is focused on raising her children and helping others who find themselves in similar circumstances.
00:40:34
>> I'm trying to raise awareness for narcissism and gaslighting. I want to help women realize they're in a
00:40:40
situation before it gets too bad. I'm just excited to see who she continues to grow to become.
00:40:47
She's strong and resilient. So, this is just a stepping stone in her journey.