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[Music] Our episodes deal with serious and often distressing incidents. If you feel at
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can support Case File on your preferred platform. On Friday, February 11, 2000, Mike
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Cassaday cut his workday short to make a difficult drive. He had just received the devastating news that his younger
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brother, 39-year-old Jerry Cassaday, had been found dead at his home in Odessa, Missouri.
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[Music] Mike arrived at Jerry's apartment just as a sheriff's deputy and a funeral home
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director were preparing to remove his brother's body from the residence. Jerry, who lived alone, had been
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discovered by a concerned neighbor slumped in a chair with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.
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Mike knew that his brother had been struggling lately with his mental health, mounting bills, and a recent
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divorce, but he never imagined things would end this way. After a brief conversation with the
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officials, he entered Jerry's apartment. The reddish brown plush recliner, which
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normally sat in front of the television in the corner, had been moved to face a trio of windows overlooking a nearby
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lake. It was there in that chair that Jerry had taken his life with his 22 caliber
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rifle. A row of framed family photos lined the window sill in front of him and a Bible
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on his lap was open on the Gospel of Matthew. You shall not murder, a verse read. And
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anyone who murders will be subject to judgment. [Music] [Music] 48-year-old Bruce Miller was not known
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for his punctuality. So when he failed to arrive home on time on the evening of Monday, November 8, 1999, it was easy to
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assume he was just running late as usual. But his wife Sheree felt differently. She had ordered takeout for the family,
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and Bruce was supposed to pick it up on his way home from work at B&D Auto Salvage, a scrapyard in his hometown of
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Flint, Michigan that he owned and operated. Sheree had last spoken to Bruce shortly
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after 6:00 p.m. as he was preparing to close up shop. She had called to let him know their food was ready to be picked
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up. And as they chatted casually, Bruce mentioned a truck had just pulled up right outside his office.
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Assuming it was a late customer, he told Sheree he'd try to hurry them along. The last thing she'd heard was the sound
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of Bruce's office door opening as someone stepped inside. [Music] When time continued to pass without any
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word from Bruce to explain his delay, Sheree phoned his office, but there was no answer.
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When there was still no word from him by 8:00 p.m., Sheree phoned again. Still nothing.
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She reached out to several of Bruce's relatives, but given his notorious habit of running late, they weren't overly
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concerned. Bruce's brother, Chuck, had spoken with him at around 5:00 p.m. and said
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everything seemed perfectly normal. It also wasn't unusual for customers to show up at the scrapyard right before
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closing time with lastminute business. Unable to shake her concern, Sheree took Chuck's advice and drove to B&D Auto to
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check on her husband, bringing one of her sons along for the ride. On the way, she stopped at the
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restaurant where they had ordered dinner. Staff there confirmed that Bruce hadn't
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come to pick it up. Sheree then followed the route Bruce typically took home in case his truck
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had broken down along the way. but there was no sign of him. When she finally reached the scrapyard,
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the front gate was closed, indicating Bruce had left for the day. Sheree retraced the drive from the yard
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back to the restaurant, then home, but still didn't encounter Bruce or his car. Panicking, she contacted the local and
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state police, who confirmed there had been no reported accidents involving her husband.
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She called hospitals, friends, and even Bruce's mother, but no one had seen or heard from him.
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At last, Bruce's brother, Chuck, agreed to head to B& Auto himself, thinking perhaps Bruce had been injured on the
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job and was unable to reach a phone. Chuck arrived at the dark, isolated property and let himself in. He drove
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past the rows of gutted and totaled cars lining the 500yd long driveway to Bruce's small office building.
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His concern mounted at the side of Bruce's truck parked out front. The office was eerily quiet as Chuck
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pushed through the unlocked door. He found Bruce face down on the floor behind the front counter with a dark
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pool of blood around his head. Bruce's office appeared undisturbed, leading Chuck to believe his death had
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been a tragic accident. Maybe he had leaned too far back in his rickety metal office chair and tipped
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over or suffered a heart attack, collapsing and injuring his head. But when police arrived, the grim
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reality became clear. Bruce had been shot in the throat at close range with a shotgun.
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News of Bruce's murder sent shock waves through Flint. A lifelong resident, he was known as a hardworking, easygoing
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family man. In preparation for retiring from a three decade career testing engines for an automotive manufacturing
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company, Bruce poured his spare time and energy into B&D Auto Salvage. It was more a labor of love than
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necessity. Tinkering with cars had been a hobby of his since childhood, making the
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scrapyard feel more like a personal playground than a job site. The site itself provided the perfect
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setting for a killer to strike unnoticed. B and D Auto was situated on the remote
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outskirts of northern Flint, nestled between a gravel quarry and a stock car racetrack.
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Acres of wrecked vehicles surrounded Bruce's office building, which featured a single window overlooking the dirt
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driveway. Bruce employed a small team, but none were present at the time of the shooting.
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The scrapyard typically attracted DIY mechanics in need of replacement parts or specialists hunting for valuable
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components to salvage. There had never been any serious trouble at the site. Bruce was a quiet,
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laid-back man whose calm demeanor and a sense of humor didn't invite conflict. As a result, there was no clear suspect
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or motive, leaving police to speculate that the killing must have been random. Scrapyards often drew shady characters,
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and be the order was no exception. Perhaps Bruce had angered a customer who reacted violently.
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Robbery was another possibility. Bruce's wallet was missing along with the $2,000 he was known to carry in his
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front shirt pocket to make change for his customers. The missing money took on greater
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significance when investigators spoke to Bruce's devastated wife, Sheree. She revealed that one of Bruce's former
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employees, a man named John Hutchinson, owed him $2,000. Interestingly, Hutchinson was a prime
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suspect in a long-running auto fraud investigation, and it was believed he had used Bruce's scrapyard to carry out
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his scam. In fact, fraud investigators had visited B&D Auto the day before Bruce's murder
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to speak with him about Hutchinson. The conversation never happened as Bruce wasn't at work when they stopped by.
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John Hutchinson's brother, Harold, also worked at the yard. Harold told the detectives that weeks earlier, his
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brother had confided in him that he was planning to kill Bruce in connection with the fraud case.
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The morning after the shooting, Harold claimed his brother told him he had quote disposed of his problems at Band
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Deto. It seemed plausible that Bruce had planned to report his rogue former employee to the police, giving
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Hutchinson a motive to kill him before he could talk. While Harold Hutchinson's claims
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supported this theory, investigators had to proceed with caution. Harold had a mild intellectual
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disability, and they suspected he was easily influenced, potentially saying what he thought they wanted to hear. He
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therefore wouldn't be considered a reliable witness in court. Seeking more concrete evidence,
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detectives went to speak with the John Hutchinson directly. Hutchinson appeared surprised when
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police arrived at his home to question him and conduct a search. They seized several firearms, including three
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shotguns. Although Hutchinson claimed he hadn't fired any of them in over 2 years.
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When told that he was the primary suspect in Bruce Miller's murder, Hutchinson insisted he had nothing to
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hide. He admitted to stealing car parts from BND Auto during his employment and burglarizing the scrapyard multiple
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times since his termination. He also confessed to committing fraudulent acts while working there,
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including altering vehicles identification numbers and rolling back odometers to mislead buyers.
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There was no indication that Bruce was involved in or had any knowledge of the scam.
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While Hutchinson had discussed his legal issues with his brother Harold, he denied ever plotting to kill Bruce. He
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admitted he owed Bruce $2,000 and had been avoiding him because he couldn't pay it back, but insisted he would never
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have killed Bruce over a small amount of money. Despite being laid off the previous
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year, he said that the two had once been close. Still, investigators were struck by
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Hutchinson's flat, emotionless tone when discussing Bruce's death. His response seemed strangely detached for someone
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who claimed to have once been a good friend. "I did not shoot him," Hutchinson told
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them calmly, even going so far as to request a lie detector test. [Music] The polygraph was brief. When asked
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about his involvement in or knowledge of Bruce's murder, Hutchinson firmly responded, "No."
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though oddly he nodded his head as he spoke. Afterwards, Hutchinson was stunned to
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learn that he had failed the test. He attributed the result to unrelated stress and anxieties which he claimed
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had affected his composure. Hutchinson continued to assert his innocence and even offered to retake the
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test. [Music] Hutchinson took a second test with a lawyer present. Once again, he nodded his head despite
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answering no to key questions. He also exhibited other peculiar behaviors such as frequent burping as if
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trying to influence the result. Just like before, the machine indicated deception.
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Hutchinson diverted attention away from himself by revealing he might have told someone that Bruce carried large sums of
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cash in his shirt pocket. though he refused to name anyone specifically. This led investigators back to the
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robbery theory, though they remained skeptical of John Hutchinson. Despite being under a cloud of
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suspicion, John Hutchinson joined the solemn crowd of mourners offering their condolences to Bruce's grieving family
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at his memorial service. With tears in his eyes, he shook Chuck Miller's hand and said, "I can't believe
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they're saying I killed your brother." Chuck replied evenly. I hope to hell you didn't have anything
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to do with my brother's death. After viewing Bruce's body in the open casket, Hutchinson approached Sheree
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Miller, draped his arm around her shoulder, and quietly offered an apology. Sheree said nothing in response,
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but when Hutchinson walked away to mingle with others, she erupted. She ordered that he be escorted out,
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shouting, "He's the one who killed my husband." Hutchinson, visibly shaken by the
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outburst, left without protest. The investigation into John Hutchinson hit a roadblock when forensic testing
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confirmed that none of his three shotguns matched the murder weapon. And while the scrapyard office was cluttered
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and grimy, it yielded no physical evidence linking anyone else to the crime. Maybe the killer was not some bungling
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opportunistic thief as investigators initially believed, but someone with a deeper understanding of forensic
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procedures, careful and calculated enough to leave no trace. With few leads emerging, investigators
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turned their attention to those closest to Bruce, but no one appeared to benefit
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meaningfully from his death. Although Bruce had died without a will, the bulk of his modest estate was set to
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go to his mother and two adult children from a previous marriage. His children were also due to receive
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$78,000 from an insurance payout, while Sheree Miller inherited the scrapyard. She sold it for minimal profit, leaving
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her with $16,000 in savings and a meager amount from Bruce's stocks and pension funds.
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None of it seemed a compelling enough reward to justify murder. Alibis among the group were verified,
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including that of Bruce's brother, Chuck, further narrowing the pool of potential suspects.
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As 1999 came to a close, police expanded their search, interviewing transients known to frequent the area around the
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scrapyard and issuing public appeals for information. But as months passed without a
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breakthrough, they feared the case was growing cold. 3 months after Bruce Miller's murder,
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nearly 800 m away in Odessa, Missouri, 39-year-old Jerry Cassaday died by suicide.
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A former detective lieutenant, Jerry was once known as the Chameleon for his ability to blend in with criminals and
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elicit confessions through casual conversation. He was so skilled at spotting and
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unraveling lies that he held the highest case clearance and confession rate in his metropolitan area.
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Jerry loved his job and was highly respected by colleagues who described him as one of the good ones for his
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unwavering commitment to honesty. When Jerry started noticing other officers cutting corners, bending rules,
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and crossing legal boundaries in the line of duty, he grew disillusioned. His breaking point came when he
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discovered that falsified police records had been used to convict a murder suspect.
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He blew the whistle, leading to the dismissal of the officer responsible. In turn, Jerry paid a steep personal
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price. He was unofficially demoted and endured relentless harassment both on and off
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the job. Broken by the whole experience, he resigned from the force in 1994. He later found work as a casino security
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guard, eventually moving up to a position as table games dealer. While he was valued and well-liked by
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players and co-workers, he was no longer the man he once was. The optimism that had defined him was
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replaced by bitterness, paranoia, and a deep depression. He mixed his prescription medications
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with alcohol until his emotional instability broke down his marriage. On Tuesday, February 9, 2000, Jerry sat
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by his apartment window, gazing out at a lake as country music played in the background.
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Lined up on the window sill were carefully arranged photographs. Among them were pictures of his three
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sons, aged 14 to 20, and his ex-wife. Her image also appeared on the home screen of his nearby computer.
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Their wedding rings lay next to the photos, and a copy of their divorce decree sat on a lamp table beside him.
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Jerry opened a Bible on his lap to the Gospel of Matthew, took his 22 caliber rifle, and ended his life.
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Jerry's body was discovered 2 days later on Friday, February 11. A preliminary search of his apartment by
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first responders turned up no suicide note or clear explanation for his actions.
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However, they did find several bottles of prescribed anti-depressants and a report from a mental health center
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detailing a recent stay. Given his ongoing struggles, the evidence at the scene and reports that
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Jerry had recently spoken about suicide, the case was deemed unsuspicious and closed on the same morning that his body
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was found. Jerry's loved ones spent the rest of the day at his apartment processing their
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grief and sorting through his belongings. While going through Jerry's bedroom, his
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older brother Mike crouched to check under the bed when something caught his eye. A brown leather briefcase.
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The discovery was not entirely unexpected. 3 months earlier in November 1999, Jerry
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had called Mike to say he was going to the family's lake cabin for a couple of days to clear his head.
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Before leaving, he made an odd remark. There was a briefcase under his bed, and if he didn't return within 2 days, Mike
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was to retrieve it and follow the instructions. Jerry returned as promised and never
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mentioned the briefcase again. The strange incident faded from Mike's memory until he stumbled upon the
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briefcase after Jerry's death. Several sealed envelopes were taped to the front, each marked in Jerry's
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unmistakable handwriting. One was addressed to his parents, another to his youngest son, and a third
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to his ex-wife. Strangely, the final envelope featured the contact details of an attorney based
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in Kansas City. Scrolled across this envelope was the chilling instruction to Mike he had
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previously forewarned. It read, "Mike, do not open alone." Mike took the briefcase, stashed it in
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the trunk of his car, then placed a call to the attorney listed on the envelope.
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John O' Connor was a high-profile criminal defense lawyer who had crossed paths with the Jerry Cassad during his
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years in law enforcement, usually when representing clients Jerry was trying to convict.
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Despite being on opposite sides of the courtroom, the two men shared mutual respect and had gotten along well.
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John was at home on Friday, February 11, when Mike Cassaday called. He was stunned to learn that Jerry had taken
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his own life, and even more so that his contact details had been found on a briefcase hidden under his bed.
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John arranged to meet with the Cassaday to examine the contents of the case together.
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Given what the family shared about Jerry's troubles, Jon approached the situation with caution.
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He feared that the briefcase might contain some form of revenge for the slights Jerry had endured throughout his
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life. Rather than opening it himself, John handed the case over to Kansas City Police's bomb disposal unit.
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The team agreed to inspect it for explosives without examining or disturbing its contents.
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Carefully, they popped open one of the latches to get a glimpse inside. The internet had opened up a new world
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for Jerry Cassad. It offered a welcome escape from the real world troubles weighing on him. From his fall from
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grace in the police force to his impending divorce, he quickly became immersed in the worldwide web, spending
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hours in online chat rooms, mostly talking to women. Between April and May 1999, Jerry began
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telling friends and family about a 27year-old woman he'd met online. They first connected on a forum about
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Reno, Nevada, where they exchanged tips about the city. From there, they began emailing,
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messaging, and calling each other regularly. Despite their 10-year age difference,
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Jerry felt they had a lot in common. The woman was a divorced mother of three from Michigan and was financially well
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off thanks to several businesses she owned. Jerry's friends and family were incredulous.
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They knew him to be a hopeless romantic, someone easily swept up in relationships
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fueled by passion. In those moments, he often set aside the critical thinking that had made him a
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skilled detective, becoming overly trusting and asking too few questions. Given his ongoing struggles, they saw
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him as especially vulnerable and worried he was diving head first into a reckless
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situation with someone he hadn't even met. To Jerry's loved ones, his online romance seemed less like a genuine
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connection and more like a source of emotional validation. But to Jerry, the love he felt was real.
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In mid July 1999, Jerry's online crush agreed to fly out to meet him in person for the first time.
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Jerry was beside himself with excitement. He told anyone who would listen, gushing
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about how beautiful, charming, and wonderful this woman was. Any doubts others had raised were
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silenced the moment the two met in person. The woman was exactly who she claimed to
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be online, a young, vibrant, and petite blue-eyed blonde who drew attention wherever she went. Her name was Sheree
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Miller. After months of seducing each other online, Jerry and Sheree fell into a
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whirlwind romance. To outsiders, they resembled infatuated high schoolers, defining their brief
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time together with intense physical affection. After they parted ways, Jerry wrote
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Sheree a long email describing their encounter as profoundly meaningful. He wrote that the day they met marked a new
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beginning free from the emptiness that had defined his 38 years. Sheree had brought purpose and desire to
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his life that had previously felt aimless. That one special night, an angel came to
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me. Jerry wrote, "She opened my eyes. She opened my heart. And she taught me what it is to truly love from deep
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within. [Music] From what Jerry understood, Sheree was married to a man named Jeff Miller.
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Jeff had been the love of her life until he was mortally injured while constructing their dream home.
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With his prognosis grim, Jeff was moved into a nursing home where Sheree visited
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regularly with her young children and took on the role of his caretaker. She told Jerry she was supported through
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this difficult time by Jeff's older brother Bruce, who had been a tremendous help.
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Then during a second meet up with the Jerry in August, Sheree abruptly returned to Michigan after receiving
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devastating news. Jeff had passed away. Just when it seemed that Jerry and Sheree could finally be together, she
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shared more troubling news. After Jeff's death out of obligation to his family, Sheree had quickly
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remarried, this time to Jeff's brother, Bruce. Although Bruce had confessed to having
00:28:29
always loved her, Sheree admitted she had serious reservations about their marriage.
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Bruce, a car wrecker old enough to be her father, had never been someone she viewed romantically.
00:28:43
Their personalities were starkly different. Years of hard outdoor labor and working
00:28:50
two jobs had taken their toll on Bruce. With his children grown and gone, he was
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easing into the slower pace of retirement. He lived simply and frugally, content to
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spend long days at his scrapyard dismantling and repairing cars. Sheree, on the other hand, was
00:29:10
impulsive, pleasure- seeeking, and loved to go out. She spent freely and had a constant craving for excitement,
00:29:18
attention, and intimacy. Bruce struggled to keep up. While Jerry Cassaday was drawn to
00:29:27
Shere's vivaceiousness, he wasn't happy about her marriage to Bruce Miller. His apprehension grew when she revealed that
00:29:35
Bruce was involved in counterfeiting, money laundering, and illicit drugs. She also confided that Bruce was
00:29:43
exploiting her wealth, though she was reluctant to confront him in fear of his criminal connections.
00:29:50
According to Sheree, she didn't marry Bruce for love, but because she didn't want to lose the close friendship they
00:29:56
had built. She maintained that her feelings for Jerry remained unchanged. Jerry reciprocated her devotion, writing
00:30:07
in an email to her. You are as usual on my mind and in my heart. I love you and truly hope all works out.
00:30:21
According to Sheree, Bruce was aware of her affair with the Jerry Cassad. He didn't seem overly concerned,
00:30:29
chalking it up to lingering emotional baggage she carried after Jeff's death. In her emails to Jerry, Sheree brought
00:30:38
up the idea of divorce, admitting her marriage had been rushed and illconsidered.
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Yet, Bruce wasn't willing to let her go easily. He convinced her to take a long vacation with him in an effort to repair
00:30:52
their relationship. Jerry was disheartened by Shere's willingness to capitulate to Bruce.
00:31:01
She insisted it was the safest option, warning that Bruce had threatened to make any separation long, messy, and
00:31:09
painful if she didn't try to fix things first. Nevertheless, the situation weighed
00:31:15
heavily on Jerry with the tangled love triangle adding turmoil to his already unstable life.
00:31:23
Sheree tried to reassure him, endlessly talking about their future together and describing their bond as boundless.
00:31:32
Jerry agreed wholeheartedly. But Sheree's reluctance to fully commit eventually pushed him away.
00:31:40
In time, he began ignoring her messages. Sensing his retreat, Sheree stopped discussing the mounting conflict between
00:31:50
herself, Jerry, and Bruce. and instead flooded him with racy, sexually charged messages and photos to reignite his
00:31:58
lust. She even mailed Jerry an explicit home video of herself to further entice him.
00:32:07
But it was an entirely different video that struck a chord in Jerry. Sheree had filmed herself and her children going
00:32:15
about their daily lives, singing karaoke, playing on the lawn, and laughing together.
00:32:22
She narrated softly in the background, crafting an idealized image of a wholesome, joyful, and dramaree family
00:32:29
life that could be Jerry's if only he proved himself worthy. Make me see that nothing is worth losing
00:32:37
this love, she pleaded. Make me see that I need to run as fast as I can to be there with you in a
00:32:45
perfect love. [Music] Jerry was taken in by Sheree's declarations and devised a plan. They
00:32:56
were set to meet for the third time in September, and during that visit, Jerry intended to sweep her off her feet.
00:33:04
"By doing so, he hoped to convince her to leave Bruce for good." "We are about to embark on a journey no
00:33:13
one has ever known," Jerry wrote to Sheree before she arrived. We have both chosen to leave the life we
00:33:20
know behind and venture into this endeavor together. The weekend they spent together was
00:33:27
intimate, but Sheree inevitably returned to Michigan and to Bruce. Still, Jerry couldn't stay upset for
00:33:36
long as she had left him with major news. She was pregnant with their child, conceived during their first meeting in
00:33:45
July. Jerry was overjoyed. His friends and family, however, were conflicted. Some saw the situation as far-fetched
00:33:57
and remained skeptical of Sheree, believing Jerry still didn't know her well enough to trust her.
00:34:04
Even Jerry found himself questioning some of Shere's claims at times. But whenever he did, she would slip into
00:34:12
self-pity, saying things like, "I'm sorry you think everything I've said is a lie."
00:34:20
Overcome with guilt, Jerry would abandon his suspicions and do whatever it took to make things right again.
00:34:28
Sheree also had a tendency to send mixed messages. During visits with the Jerry, she
00:34:35
confided in his friends that she wanted to break ties with him, complaining that
00:34:40
he called and emailed her too much. But whenever Jerry was present, she appeared to be madly in love.
00:34:49
Others worried that Jerry's unresolved personal and financial issues and the fact that he still wasn't legally
00:34:56
divorced meant he was in no position to bring a child into the world. Jerry dismissed these concerns. To him,
00:35:05
the pregnancy was proof that he had finally won Sheree once and for all. It was only a matter of time before they
00:35:13
could begin the life they dreamed of. Still, Sheree refused to leave Bruce because there was something else going
00:35:22
on in Michigan she'd been keeping secret. [Music] In late September, Sheree opened up to
00:35:32
Jerry about the reality of her marriage. She revealed that Bruce controlled her finances, leaving her with a meager
00:35:39
amount of cash to live on. He had also been physically abusive. Jerry, who had dealt extensively with
00:35:48
domestic violence during his time as a detective, urged Sheree to take her kids and leave.
00:35:55
She replied in all caps, "I can't." Sheree then confessed the devastating news that Bruce had violently raped her,
00:36:06
resulting in her misarrying Jerry's baby. Jerry comforted Sheree, telling her none
00:36:12
of this was her fault and that he still loved her. But he burned with rage towards Bruce.
00:36:20
Sheree pleaded with him to let her handle it. He will pay. Sheree wrote. How? Jerry
00:36:28
asked. He will. Just know that. The two messaged late into the night and picked up again the next morning.
00:36:39
By then, Sheree had begun suggesting that Bruce should pay for killing their baby.
00:36:46
She wondered if anyone would suspect her if he died under suspicious circumstances.
00:36:53
She didn't think so, given they were viewed as an ideal couple. Jerry flat out told her it was a bad
00:37:01
idea. He knew better than most that killers often got caught because they talked too much and tripped over their
00:37:08
own lies. People always offer more information than they should. Always, he wrote. Loose lips sink ships.
00:37:21
Fine, Sheree replied. Then I will wait here until he dies. The only other option is waiting until he kills
00:37:28
himself. Or helping him to, Jerry responded. Sheree brainstormed ideas like giving
00:37:37
Bruce more cigarettes, feeding him grease, or finding ways to speed up cancer. Jerry entertained the discussion, but
00:37:47
ultimately returned to his original advice. Sheree should just leave. Murder was too extreme and partners were
00:37:56
always prime suspects. She would never get away with it. "Okay," she wrote. "You scared me out of it."
00:38:07
Jerry steered the conversation toward planning their future together, but Sheree reminded him that Bruce was still
00:38:15
an obstacle standing in the way. If he was not living, it would be easier, she said. Unconvinced, Jerry
00:38:24
advised Shereé on ways she could leave Bruce without causing his death. He told her to keep a diary documenting
00:38:32
Bruce's abuse for future police investigations. But Sheree feared Bruce's reaction if he
00:38:39
ever found it. Jerry even planned to cut back on his own expenses and pull his modest
00:38:47
resources to get her the funds to flee. He believed that if Sheree would just abandon Bruce, the quote worthless piece
00:38:56
of [ __ ] would self-destruct and die on his own valition. Sheree ultimately didn't follow through
00:39:04
with the Jerry's advice. To his dismay, she sought to patch things up with Bruce
00:39:10
instead while insisting she would leave him eventually. When Jerry expressed his disappointment,
00:39:18
Sheree sank back into self-pity and urged him to walk away, making him feel guilty,
00:39:25
but he couldn't bring himself to quit. That [ __ ] killed our baby. He fired back.
00:39:34
Jerry insisted that no matter what promises Bruce made, he would eventually hurt Sheree again and maybe even her
00:39:41
children. When they met in person the next time, Jerry continued to paint a picture of the carefree life they could
00:39:48
share if Sheree just ended things with Bruce for good. Sheree promised to be with the Jerry,
00:39:57
but once again, she returned to Michigan. In late October 1999, Sheree emailed Jerry several photos of herself holding
00:40:10
a positive pregnancy test, announcing joyfully she was pregnant with his child again. "I love you," Jerry replied to
00:40:19
the news. "We will be together. We will live a wonderful, happy life together." But behind the scenes, things were
00:40:29
unraveling. Jerry began receiving taunting messages online from a user named BD Junk, who he
00:40:38
quickly realized was Bruce Miller. At first, Jerry ignored Bruce's attempts to provoke him, even after Bruce learned
00:40:47
about Sheree's latest pregnancy. But the messages kept coming, growing increasingly personal.
00:40:56
Bruce targeted Jerry's insecurities and stoked his jealousy. He claimed Sheree was suffering consequences for her
00:41:05
infidelity and asked whether Jerry felt good knowing she was hurting because of their love.
00:41:12
According to Bruce, tensions at home were escalating. He boasted of his violence towards Sheree and claimed that
00:41:20
during one argument she came at him with a knife. Bruce issued Jerry an ultimatum. Back
00:41:28
off or he would press charges against Sheree for the assault. She loves me. She is still here with me
00:41:36
in our happy home. Bruce wrote, "I guess you're not smart enough to see. She will
00:41:42
never leave me." Meanwhile, Sheree continued to bombard Jerry with reminders of the fear she
00:41:50
lived in, including a photo of Bruce sitting in a chair staring at the camera. She urged Jerry to notice the look in
00:41:59
Bruce's menacing eyes, the ones that terrified her. The intense saga was taking its toll on
00:42:07
Jerry's mental health. "I just don't know what else to say anymore," Jerry replied, disheartened.
00:42:15
This all hurts so much. Overwhelmed and desperate, he confided his thoughts of suicide.
00:42:24
Sheree responded coldly. I would never stay with such a weak man who would end his life over a woman.
00:42:33
Jerry clung to hope, assuring her his love would never fade and expressing his dream that she would one day become
00:42:41
Sheree Cassad. But Sheree seemed defeated. After repeatedly refusing Jerry's pleas to
00:42:50
leave Bruce, she started to blame herself, saying she deserved the abuse. Once again, she encouraged Jerry to walk
00:42:59
away from their relationship. His response in bold capital letters read, "I would never have gotten this far
00:43:08
without you, without the promises you made and the hope you gave me. Was it all lies?"
00:43:17
Sheree insisted her love for Jerry was real, but said that Bruce's torment was breaking her.
00:43:24
She barely ate or slept and worried she was nearing a breakdown. leaving Bruce didn't feel like a
00:43:32
solution. She believed he would never stop hunting her and feared retaliation from his
00:43:39
criminal ties. Sheree returned to the idea that Bruce had to die. Again, Jerry insisted that
00:43:49
death wasn't the answer. He tried to stay optimistic, reminding her of their future and the baby. But Sheree remained
00:43:59
bleak. How many have to die in my soul before he dies in my sight? I want to live
00:44:07
again, and living is what I will do when he dies. One day, Sheree sent Jerry a short story
00:44:18
she had written that mirrored her troubled marriage. The story ended with the tormented woman
00:44:24
finally seeing a way out, but she lacked the quote tool to carry it through. Sheree asked Jerry to read between the
00:44:33
lines. On another occasion, she encouraged him to watch the film Eye for an Eye, a
00:44:40
psychological thriller about a grieving mother who took justice into her own hands.
00:44:48
Sheree also started referring to Jerry as her guardian angel, telling him, "It is driving me insane trying to find
00:44:56
something or someone to help me end this. I am to the point of going to Detroit, picking up a bum on the
00:45:03
streets, and paying him a small fortune to do what I want." She later claimed she was talking to
00:45:11
people who could resolve her problems and even admitted to obtaining a pistol. Sensing Jerry's disapproval, she later
00:45:19
reassured him that she had cleaned the gun thoroughly and thrown it in a dumpster.
00:45:26
On Friday, October 29, Sheree messaged Jerry with an uncharacteristically jubilant update. She had just returned
00:45:34
from a prenatal checkup and found out she was carrying twins. She described hearing their heartbeats
00:45:42
as being like hearing a sunrise. Jerry was elated. When he asked for ultrasound photos, Sheree claimed Bruce
00:45:52
was nearby. Later that evening, she emailed him four blurry ultrasound images, followed later
00:45:59
by photos of herself cradling her growing belly. Jerry eagerly saved all the images to
00:46:06
his computer. He expressed a desire to travel to Flint to attend Shere's next appointment, but
00:46:14
still had no desire to confront Bruce. By this point, Jerry was trying to turn his life around. He was attending
00:46:23
therapy, reconnecting with his faith, and working to overcome his addictions. His progress left Sheree feeling ashamed
00:46:32
of her own inability to change. Falling back into her pattern of self-pity, she wrote to him, "I am not
00:46:41
[ __ ] in this world." Their conversations online and over the phone often ended in arguments.
00:46:50
Sheree was frustrated that Jerry didn't grasp how desperate her situation truly was.
00:46:58
One morning, Jerry surprised Sheree by announcing he was coming to visit her in Flint.
00:47:04
Her reaction was confusing. Initially shocked and resistant, she eventually resigned herself to the idea.
00:47:13
"I don't even know what to say to you today or what to write. I guess I am going to get ready for work and end
00:47:22
this," she said before logging off the internet. Though her enthusiasm was lacking, she
00:47:29
still sent him directions to B&D Auto Salvage, saying she'd meet him there when Bruce wasn't around.
00:47:37
[Music] Jerry drove 13 hours from Missouri to Michigan, leaving early on Wednesday,
00:47:43
November 3, 1999. When he arrived at the scrapyard and met Sheree, her earlier hesitation seemed to
00:47:52
vanish. They spent the night together at a local motel. Jerry returned home 2 days later where
00:48:00
an email from Sheree awaited him. She thanked him for the visit and apologized for not being able to stay
00:48:08
with him longer. I realized how much you really do love me, she wrote. Jerry didn't hear from Sheree again for
00:48:19
a while. The silence was deafening as they were used to exchanging countless emails,
00:48:25
instant messages, and phone calls daily. When an email finally arrived, it wasn't
00:48:32
from Sheree. It came from BD Junk, the online account used by Bruce Miller. The subject line written in all caps
00:48:44
read, "You should read this. The email spanned three pages and was typed entirely in capital letters.
00:48:58
Sheree is growing fat with two bastards in her Bruce had written. He claimed Sheree had decided to have an
00:49:06
abortion because she didn't want to gain weight, adding that she'd rather screw everything in sight than carry Jerry's
00:49:13
children. He called the abortion a smart decision for Jerry, sparing him from paying child
00:49:20
support for the quote two bastards floating around with his last name. He also alluded to Jerry and Shere's
00:49:30
recent motel stay, suggesting he knew all about their sneaking around. Despite this, Bruce taunted that his
00:49:39
wife had chosen to stay with him, referring to her as the little [ __ ] The message sent Jerry into a frenzy. He
00:49:50
tried calling Sheree, but she didn't answer. He called local hospitals to see if she
00:49:56
had been admitted into Winnie with no success. Exhausting every other option, he
00:50:02
emailed Sheree expressing concern and asking where she was. Hours passed with no response.
00:50:11
[Music] Then just after midday, Jerry received another message from the BD junk account.
00:50:19
This time it didn't appear to be from Bruce. Jerry, this is Sheree. The message read.
00:50:28
I am going away for a few days. I will contact you next week sometime. 2 hours later, Bruce's inbox was flooded
00:50:37
with resources for women coping with pregnancy loss sent from BD Junk. Feeling helpless, Jerry replied sadly.
00:50:48
Still checking for you, honey. Love you. The next day, BD Junk returned to Jerry's inbox. In his signature all caps
00:51:00
style, he mocked Jerry as a coward for not confronting him directly. He claimed Sheree had performed sex acts
00:51:08
on him the previous day, all while shouting his name and professing her love for him.
00:51:16
He ended the email with a taunt. Thank you for making my relationship with my wife better. We are on the mans
00:51:25
and it's thanks to you. It was signed. Bruce. Hours later, Jerry finally reached
00:51:36
Sheree by phone. She denied the abortion story, but said the truth was far worse.
00:51:44
Bruce had flown into a violent rage, beating and raping her. Two of his scrapyard associates also
00:51:51
took part in the vicious assault. She said it was retaliation for her relationship with Jerry and she feared
00:51:59
the attack would cause another miscarriage. She sent photos of her injuries to Jerry
00:52:06
as proof. His fury was palpable. Exhausted, Sheree said she needed rest and logged offline.
00:52:17
In the meantime, an enraged Jerry formulated a plan. He called his older brother, Mike
00:52:25
Cassaday, and said he was heading to the Cassad family's lake cabin for a few days to clear his head.
00:52:32
"If anything happens to me," Jerry warned. "There's a briefcase under the bed at home."
00:52:40
He told Mike he'd know what to do once he found it. Confused and concerned by the odd
00:52:47
request, Mike urged Jerry to cancel the trip and explain, but Jerry refused. Before hanging up, he said that if he
00:52:57
wasn't back by 6:00 p.m. in 2 days time to go get the briefcase. By the time Mike Cassaday retrieved the
00:53:13
briefcase 3 months later on Friday, February 11, 2000, Jerry had already died by suicide. After the Kansas City
00:53:22
Police Bomb disposal unit cleared the case of containing any hazardous materials, they handed it back to Mike
00:53:28
and criminal defense attorney John O' Conor, whose contact information Jerry had written on an envelope taped to the
00:53:35
front. Inside was a letter to John that read, "Should you receive this letter, then
00:53:43
one of two things has occurred. One, I am dead and need you to see things for me. Secondly, I would be in jail for
00:53:52
something which I would need your assistance." The letter explained how Jerry had
00:53:59
fallen in love with a woman named Sheree Miller from Michigan who was married to
00:54:04
a man named Bruce, an organized crime figure and domestic abuser. The contents of the briefcase filled in
00:54:13
the rest. It held compact discs, photographs, a floppy disc, and a trove of printed emails and online chat
00:54:22
transcripts. Though often disjointed and hard to follow, the materials revealed a deeply
00:54:29
troubled and dangerous love triangle between Jerry, Sheree, and Bruce. The records detailed disturbing claims
00:54:37
of domestic violence, pregnancies, miscarriage, and even gang rape. Supporting these claims were many
00:54:45
photos, including ultrasound images, pictures of Sheree cradling her protruding belly, and others showing her
00:54:53
body covered in bruises. Jerry had meticulously preserved it all, leaving the briefcase to be discovered
00:55:01
if he didn't return from a planned trip to his family's cabin the previous November.
00:55:07
But he did return, and life seemingly resumed as normal. Then 3 months later, he inexplicably
00:55:16
took his own life. Inside the briefcase, however, was his explanation. It turned out Jerry hadn't gone to the
00:55:27
lake cabin after all. The printouts of the online chat transcripts and emails revealed a
00:55:34
disturbing turn. After Sheree claimed that Bruce had arranged for her to be gang raped, Jerry had a change of heart
00:55:42
about confronting him. Though Sheree never explicitly used the word murder, she outlined a meticulous
00:55:50
step-by-step plan for Jerry to come face to face with Bruce at B&D Auto Salvage the following evening. "Just do it and
00:55:59
get the hell out of there," she ordered. Meanwhile, she would stay at home playing the distressed wife and securing
00:56:07
an alibi. Sheree promised that once it was over, she would finally leave Michigan to be
00:56:15
with the Jerry and raise their babies together. Her messages were laced with passionate
00:56:21
declarations of love, which Jerry readily returned. Their exchange ended around 1:40 a.m. on
00:56:29
Monday, November 8, 1999. by Jerry. Sheree wrote, "Promise to always love me." Within the briefcase, Jerry provided a
00:56:44
detailed confession of what transpired next. He followed Sheree's plan to the letter. By 2:00 a.m., he was on the road
00:56:54
to Michigan. Arriving in Flint that afternoon, he waited until 6:00 p.m. the time
00:57:01
Sheree said she would be arranging her takeout dinner alibi. Jerry then drove down the long dirt road
00:57:09
to B&D Auto's office and entered holding his 20 gauge shotgun. Bruce sat stunned behind the front
00:57:17
counter. Jerry paused, savoring the moment of having the dreaded Bruce Miller at his
00:57:25
mercy. He announced, "Hi, I'm Jerry." Then pulled the trigger. As instructed by Sheree, Jerry took
00:57:35
Bruce's wallet and the watt of cash from his front shirt pocket to stage the crime as a robbery.
00:57:42
He then raced back to Missouri, dismantling the murder weapon along the way and scattering its parts in remote,
00:57:49
forgettable places where they would never be found. To Jerry's complete surprise, Shere's
00:57:56
attitude toward him shifted unexpectedly following Bruce's murder. She began avoiding his calls and
00:58:04
offering only sparse, lukewarm replies to his emails. Jerry's heartfelt declarations of love,
00:58:12
once met with enthusiasm, began to go largely ignored. A month after Bruce was gunned down,
00:58:20
Jerry made an unannounced trip to Flint to rekindle things with Sheree. The pair spent the night together at a
00:58:28
motel during which he proposed, and she accepted. But the moment of joy was short-lived.
00:58:35
Jerry returned to Missouri the next day only to be met with silence from Sheree once again.
00:58:44
"I know I haven't written for some time now," she admitted in one of her rare emails. "I am just depressed today about
00:58:52
several things." "She told Jerry that while she was happy with him, a conversation they'd had
00:58:59
about money during their motel stay had upset her. Jerry was running low on funds and
00:59:06
believing Sheree to be wealthy, reasonably assumed she might help him. After all, he was the father of her two
00:59:14
unborn children and had killed for her. But Sheree didn't take kindly to this request, and after that admission, she
00:59:24
withdrew from him. Jerry's life unraveled further as a result of Shere's cold shoulder. He sank
00:59:33
back into a deep depression, returning to drugs and alcohol to cope. He confided in family members that he had
00:59:40
done something he never thought himself capable of and couldn't see a way out. They assumed he was talking about his
00:59:48
divorce and didn't grasp the true depth of his despair. Meanwhile, Jerry continued reaching out
00:59:56
to Sheree. Did you give up on me? he messaged. When there was no response, he followed
01:00:03
up a days later with a simple plea, "Where are you?" Jerry scoured Sheree's online presence
01:00:14
for answers. He soon found a recent photo she had posted of herself in her bedroom with a
01:00:20
man he didn't recognize. In a subsequent email to Sheree titled, "This is very important. I wouldn't
01:00:28
ignore this if I were you. Jerry confessed that her lack of communication was driving him to the brink of
01:00:35
insanity. He lamented how she had eagerly accepted his marriage proposal only to abandon
01:00:42
him immediately after. He shared that he had taken out a loan from his mother to buy a plane ticket to
01:00:49
Flint and hoped she'd welcome him at the airport. But when Jerry arrived, Sheree was
01:00:56
nowhere to be found. Jerry headed to her house, arriving at midnight. As usual, she was absorbed in
01:01:05
her computer where she spent most nights watching pornography and having erotic conversations in x-rated chat rooms.
01:01:13
When Shereé opened the door, Jerry begged her to marry him that very night. She refused. and to Jerry's devastation
01:01:23
admitted she was seeing someone else. Unbeknownst to Jerry, in the immediate aftermath of Bruce's murder, Sheree had
01:01:32
begun a relationship with another man. It was typical behavior for Sheree, who had a reputation for dating much of
01:01:40
Flint before and after marrying Bruce Miller. Throughout their relationship and marriage, Sheree had engaged in
01:01:48
multiple affairs. Bruce had been warned about some of them, but true to his pacifist nature,
01:01:55
he seemed to turn a blind eye. Still, those around him noticed his once mellow demeanor growing increasingly
01:02:03
sour as the marriage wore on. [Music] Devastated by Shere's betrayal, Jerry lashed out, calling her a [ __ ]
01:02:14
Realizing their relationship was effectively over, he revealed he had hidden a briefcase containing evidence
01:02:21
of their plan to murder Bruce Miller. Jerry then demanded money. Stunned by his blackmail attempt, Sheree
01:02:30
composed herself and asked him to leave, saying she needed time to think. Shortly after, she sent Jerry an email
01:02:40
using a warm and consiliatory tone, trying to discourage him from doing anything reckless.
01:02:46
She apologized for cheating on him, took full responsibility for hurting him, and
01:02:52
expressed her remorse. In case he didn't believe her sincerity, she offered him $3,000 to keep quiet.
01:03:02
In his reply, Jerry reiterated his love for her but ultimately accepted her offer. However, the money never came and
01:03:12
Sheree went silent again. In mid January 2000, Jerry sent Sheree a bitter diet tribe, venting how he had
01:03:25
always prioritized her needs and desires only to be left with nothing. The veil had finally lifted and Jerry
01:03:34
could see through Shere's mind games. He wrote, "I have always believed everything you have told me and taken it
01:03:42
at face value, regardless of how strange it may have seemed at the time or how it
01:03:47
looks in retrospect. I am just to the point that I can look at things with a clear head and clear
01:03:54
mind and reflect back over the last year of my life." After that, Jerry began planning his
01:04:02
suicide. He wrote goodbyes to his parents, his youngest son, and his ex-wife, apologizing for the pain he was about to
01:04:11
inflict upon them. He also wrote a confession that he left in an envelope addressed to criminal defense lawyer
01:04:19
John O' Connor. Jerry revealed everything about his affair with Sheree Miller and his role
01:04:26
in the unsolved murder of Bruce Miller in Michigan. I drove there and killed him, he wrote,
01:04:33
adding, Sheree was involved and helped set it up. She wanted all her money and no more husband. Well, she got her wish,
01:04:43
but she will soon learn that she can't do that to people. Though he admitted he was quote taking
01:04:52
the coward's way out, Jerry said he couldn't face the prospect of going to prison as a former police officer.
01:05:00
He placed his letters and confession with all the evidence he had saved over the months in the briefcase under his
01:05:06
bed intended for his brother Mike to find. He then wrote one final farewell, this
01:05:15
time in an email to Sheree, which he titled something to think about. Again, he condemned her for the lies,
01:05:25
manipulation, and false promises she had used against him to get what she wanted.
01:05:31
After reminding her about the briefcase, he warned. "Now you get to live in fear for a
01:05:38
while, wondering and waiting, when will they come." Well, let me assure you, it's real [ __ ] soon.
01:05:50
Later on the same day that Jerry Cassidy took his own life, an envelope arrived in the mail.
01:05:58
It was from Sheree Miller and contained the $3,000 in cash he had promised in exchange for keeping the contents of his
01:06:06
briefcase a secret. With the money was a brief handwritten note that read, "I didn't lie. I was telling the truth,
01:06:18
but in reality, almost everything Sheree had told Jerry was a lie. The story she told about previously
01:06:27
being married to Bruce's brother, Jeff Miller, was entirely fabricated. There was no evidence that Bruce had
01:06:34
ever been abusive or involved in any criminal activity. The images of her bruises appeared to be
01:06:41
faked with makeup. The messages from BD Junk, who Jerry believed was Bruce, were
01:06:48
from Sheree. Sheree also couldn't get pregnant as she had undergone elective sterilization 4
01:06:56
years earlier. The ultrasound images she sent Jerry were from her previous pregnancies dated
01:07:03
from the early 1990s. Had Jerry examined them closely, he might have noticed the timestamps and
01:07:11
realized they didn't add up. As for the photos of her supposed baby bump, they were nothing more than her
01:07:19
pushing out her stomach to sell the illusion. On Jerry's hard drive, investigators
01:07:26
uncovered hundreds of messages he had exchanged with Sheree with their recovered correspondence totaling over
01:07:33
750 printed pages. They also discovered the candid and explicit photos and home videos Sheree
01:07:41
had sent Jerry. The fact that Jerry had the foresight to document everything was fortunate for
01:07:49
the police because a search of Shere's computer revealed no trace of any communication with him.
01:07:57
In a police interview following the discovery of the briefcase, Sheree Miller rejected all the overwhelming
01:08:03
evidence. While she admitted to communicating with the Jerry Cassaday online, she denied
01:08:10
having an affair with him, telling him she was pregnant or that Bruce was abusive.
01:08:16
Sheree said she didn't save any of their emails because they would clog up her hard drive.
01:08:23
But just as Jerry Cassaday had once warned her, loose lips sink ships. Given that Sheree hadn't been arrested,
01:08:32
she was reminded she could leave the police interview at any time. Instead, she chose to stay and keep
01:08:40
talking. The more she spoke, the more she tangled herself in contradictions, repeatedly
01:08:47
getting caught in lies. At one point, she hinted at a possible motive for Bruce's murder, revealing
01:08:54
they were under financial strain. His business was deep in debt. bills were piling up and their home needed a new
01:09:02
roof and furnace. Still, she continued to deny any involvement in the deaths of either
01:09:08
Bruce or Jerry. When informed that Jerry had saved all their emails and instant messages,
01:09:17
Sheree appeared unfazed, insisting that digital conversations could easily be fabricated.
01:09:25
When asked directly, "Did you help Jerry Cassaday plan the murder of Bruce Miller?" she firmly denied it.
01:09:34
Told the transcripts of their chats outlined the murder plot, she responded flatly, "You're wrong. That did not
01:09:42
happen." Even as the messages were read aloud, Sheree dismissed them as [ __ ] maintaining she hadn't authored any of
01:09:51
them. Investigators didn't believe her and charged her with seconddegree murder and
01:09:57
conspiracy to commit first-degree murder in the death of Bruce Miller. Sheree Miller stood trial in December
01:10:06
2000, just over a year after her husband's death. On the stand, she maintained her innocence, portraying
01:10:14
Jerry Cassaday as the manipulative mastermind who exploited her and repeatedly lured her back despite her
01:10:21
attempts to end the relationship. Once again, by choosing to speak, she exposed herself in a lie.
01:10:30
She testified that their first intimate encounter occurred during their meetup in August 1999.
01:10:39
The prosecution however presented a photo Sheree had sent Jerry from their July meeting.
01:10:45
On the back she had written July 17, 1999, the first time we made love. Sheree, it was a relatively minor falsehood, but
01:10:59
it proved she was willing to deceive the jury, which undermined her credibility.
01:11:06
They ultimately found Sheree Miller guilty. She received a life sentence with a 20-year minimum for her
01:11:13
conspiracy charge and an additional 54 to 81 years for secondderee murder. She would be eligible for parole in 2055
01:11:23
at the age of 83. After years spent pursuing appeals, in 2007, Sheree Miller was granted a
01:11:34
retrial after a federal judge ruled that Jerry Cassaday's written confession should never have been admitted as
01:11:41
evidence since he was deceased and could not be cross-examined. Efforts to keep her incarcerated in the
01:11:48
meantime failed, and in July 2009, she was released on a $100,000 bond. Her time outside prison was not without
01:11:58
controversy. Sheree was found to be active on social media, though this did not violate the
01:12:04
terms of her release. In 2010, the Court of Appeals upheld the decision that Jerry's suicide notes were
01:12:13
inadmissible. However, in 2012, the district court reversed course. They reinstated Shereice's convictions
01:12:23
and she was returned to prison to continue serving her life sentence. The result came as a relief to the
01:12:31
Miller and Cassaday families who remained firmly convinced Sheree was fully responsible for the deaths of both
01:12:38
Bruce and Jerry. If not for her, they believed that both men would still be alive.
01:12:46
Bruce's brother, Chuck Miller, commented, "I believe she has the capacity to delude herself. She's told
01:12:54
so many lies. She always believes what she's saying." Case investigators shared that view. One
01:13:03
detective who interviewed Sheree three times following Bruce's murder initially believed she was innocent. "She's very,
01:13:11
very good," he admitted. I can see why people believe her because I believed her lies.
01:13:19
After reviewing the extensive correspondence between Sheree and Jerry, investigators concluded that Jerry
01:13:26
wasn't a gullible fool for trusting her. Sheree was simply extraordinarily convincing.
01:13:34
Sheree agreed to an exclusive prison interview with Mark Morris and Paul Janeski for their book on the case,
01:13:41
Fatal Error. She said she wanted to speak with them to give the public a fuller understanding of who she was. "I'm not a
01:13:50
perfect person," she told them, "but I'm not a horrible person." In the interview, Sheree continued to
01:13:59
deny any involvement in the deaths of Bruce Miller or Jerry Cassaday. She claimed she had no idea how Jerry
01:14:07
had obtained the photos of her bruised body, the images that had pushed him to kill.
01:14:14
Sheree described their online relationship as a shared fantasy involving themes of forced sex and
01:14:20
pregnancy that spiraled out of control. She said she should have ended contact then, but didn't.
01:14:28
While she claimed to carry guilt over Jerry's suicide, in the same breath, she stated, "In reality, we kill ourselves
01:14:37
for our own selfish reasons. How am I supposed to feel? I didn't believe he would do it. Now I have to deal with
01:14:46
it." Sheree also spoke about her history of lying and infidelity, attributing it to
01:14:54
unresolved trauma from childhood sexual abuse. I lied to myself more than to other
01:15:01
people, she admitted. I have really screwed up morals, that's for sure. I have done nothing but lie my
01:15:09
whole life. Secret after secret. But when it came to Bruce Miller and to Jerry Cassaday, she asserted, "I have no
01:15:20
more secrets. I don't lie anymore." [Music] In 2016, a letter arrived for Judith
01:15:29
Fullerton, the judge who had presided over Sheree Miller's trial in 2000. It was from Sheree herself sent from
01:15:37
prison. For many years, I blamed you for my coming to prison, she wrote. It was easier that way. Or so I thought. I want
01:15:50
to tell the truth now. I know that it may make little difference to you whether I tell the truth or not, but to
01:15:57
my husband's family or Jerry Cassaday's family, it might mean something. In the long letter, Sheree described a
01:16:06
shattering moment when she returned to prison after 3 years of freedom. As she walked through the prison doors
01:16:14
to resume her sentence, her daughter cried out hysterically, screaming for her not to leave.
01:16:21
Sheree wrote, "After that moment, the full impact of what I had done to Bruce, his friends
01:16:28
and family, Jerry and his friends and family, hit me at full force. They will never get to see them again.
01:16:38
My daughter will be able to come see me. Bruce's children will never get to hug their dad again.
01:16:46
I will still be able to feel my children's arms around me. Bruce's brother will never be able to
01:16:53
sit down and have a conversation with him again, but my brothers can still come see me.
01:17:01
Sheree confessed she had been maintaining a lie for the 16 years since Bruce's death.
01:17:07
While she had tried to attribute her deceptive behavior to childhood abuse, she acknowledged this was an attempt to
01:17:14
shift the blame away from herself. She revealed that she had tried to confess the truth to three different
01:17:22
attorneys during that time, but they refused to listen. "I cannot do it anymore," she wrote. "I
01:17:30
have to tell the truth. If my attorney doesn't want to hear it, I am sure Bruce's and Jerry's family will."
01:17:39
She revealed that everything she had said about Bruce was a lie. He was a great man, she clarified.
01:17:48
He never hurt me or my children in any way. All he did was love us. He wanted to
01:17:55
adopt my children. He just wanted a family. He never raised his voice to me. He gave me anything I ever wanted.
01:18:04
I didn't have to work for anything. His love was free. She also dropped a bombshell, writing,
01:18:14
"I have lived in denial for so long that I believed my own lie. I didn't do it. Judge Fitton, I did it almost exactly
01:18:26
the way the prosecutor said I did. I had 16 and 1/2 hours to stop it, and I didn't.
01:18:34
I knew it was going to happen, and I allowed it. I allowed a man to kill another man
01:18:41
based on my lies and manipulation. She went on to write, "No matter how hard I try, I cannot make sense of why I
01:18:51
thought that was okay. I don't deserve freedom. When I think of those 16 hours of waiting until Bruce was in the right
01:19:00
place and the right time to end his life, I cannot stand to live with myself sometimes.
01:19:07
I don't want to fight in court anymore. I don't want Bruce's or Jerry's family to have to suffer anymore.
01:19:14
They have waited 16 years to hear me say, "I am guilty. I did it." And it sounds so weightless, but I am sorry. I
01:19:24
am so so sorry. I hurt a lot of people. I destroyed a lot of lives. It is time to end the lies and tell the
01:19:36
truth. Thank you for not letting me in any way get away with murder, Judge Fitin.
01:19:44
And I am so sorry for wasting so many hours, days, weeks, and months of your time in that courtroom.
01:19:52
I knew I was wrong and I thought I could get away with it. Today, now, I am glad
01:20:00
I did not get away with it. [Music]