"Do I look okay?" "You look nice." "Really?" "You really think so?" "Is the state prepared to make an opening statement?" "We are, Your Honor." "Susan Lucille Wright stabbed and mutilated her husband, Jeffrey Wright." "Theirs was not a perfect marriage, as the evidence will show you, but whose is?" "You will hear evidence that will help you understand why Susan Wright made the decision to murder rather than divorce." "You're never gonna understand it all." "Because you're never gonna understand her." "How could you?" "She's a monster." "Suse, pretty, ain't they?" "Shut up, Jess." "Come on, Suse, man up." "Let's go watch." "Yeah." "Yeah, no more of this "shy little sister" stuff." "You are hot, act like it." "Grab a wine cooler, ladies, we're going in." "Oh, yeah." "So cute." "Little help?" "Go get him." "Hi." "I'm Jeffrey Wright." "I'm Susan Wyche." "Wanna play?" "Go, go, go." "Come on, you can't sit on the sidelines being pretty your whole life." "Sometimes you gotta get in the game." "Here we go." "Oh, my God." "Jeffrey Wright?" "You literally just met Mr. Right." "Go!" "Oh, my God." "Yeah, we're gonna watch that." "Nice." "All right, it's your serve, pretty lady." "Okay." "So, relax." "Let the ball settle in this hand." "The left hand is your constant." "Right hand, swing it through." "Gotta love a girl who brings her own cheerleaders." "So hold the ball still, breathe..." "Swing away, pretty lady." "Okay." "Okay, wow." "I get it." "That whole sweet, innocent thing was just an act." "I don't even know how I did that, I swear." "Well, whatever you did, keep it up." "You just might be my lucky charm, darling." "So you moved to Houston for..." "I was studying to be a nurse." "I'm saving to go back." "Nurse, huh?" "Damn, you are a good girl." "I'm not that good." "Okay, you just go ahead and shock me with stories of your sordid past." "Well, after I graduated high school and I moved to Houston," "I had to make some money, so..." "I was an exotic dancer at the Gold Cup." "I'm sorry?" "You're the church leader by day, stripper by night?" "It was only for two months." "All right." "So when you did that dancing for that short period oftime that you told us all you didn't like, you will agree with me that the way you make money doing that is to seductively, provocatively, with no clothes on at all," "let strange men come up to you, and pretend to those men that you liked them." "It's what being a dancer's all about, isn't it?" "Actually, no." "I enforced the two-foot rule." "And I just didn't like people touching me." "I mean, I'm sure that's the case with others, but that wasn't the case with me." "So you were the most prim and proper dancer to ever hit the history of the Gold Cup?" "You should..." "Yeah, I think I..." "I probably have one." "No, I meant you should take me home." "What'd I do?" "Why?" "Nothing, it's just..." "We don't have to do everything in one night, and I really like you." "I like you, too." "I don't mean to rush you, it's just..." "Do you sleep with all the girls that you take out on first dates?" "Well, yeah." "I'm kidding." "No." "I'm sorry." "It's just, you're a very sexy woman." "And you, are a very sexy man." "Which is precisely why we have to stop." "Even that is sexy." "I swear, pretty lady, you are gonna be the death of me." "So did you and Jeff go on a date after that?" "Yes." "Where did you go?" "We went to a crawfish festival in Old Town Springs." "Did you have fun?" "Yes." "So, did you and Jeff go on a third date after that?" "Yes, it was my 21st birthday." "Where did y'all go for your 21st birthday?" "We went to a bar called Lola's." "I remember it because Jeff told me that he loved me and I told him that we barely knew each other." "But it is correct to say that you were interested in getting to know him better." "Right?" "Yes." "He was sweet." "Hey, I think that's gonna be the one." "Okay." "Yeah, let me just make sure there's no one coming..." "Let's go, ladies, back to work." "All right, we've gotta get back to work." "So wait, he told you he loves you, and he hasn't even slept with you yet?" "Well, he's really sweet like that." "He's letting me take my time." "He makes me feel like a princess, like nothing could ever hurt me." "I just feel so good, Jess, like," "I don't know, maybe he really is Mr. Right." "Look at you, little sister." "Dude, so you've been out with this girl like, five times, and you still haven't slept with her?" "What, are you saving yourself for marriage?" "Yeah, maybe." "What, are you saying you're gonna marry this girl?" "I'm saying that she's cool." "And hot." "And I'm almost 30." "My parents got married when they were teenagers." "And they've been together almost 40 years." "Hate to be the one to break this to you, man, but you're not your parents." "I would just like to point out that we're having this conversation with half-naked girls grinding in our laps." "Yeah, I had noticed that." "Hey, Suse, it's Jeff." "I don't know if you have plans tomorrow night, or if you're working," "I was just wondering if you wanted to come over and, I don't know, I thought we could just have some dinner" "and have a quiet night." "Wow." "Thanks." "Please, come in." "Did you have any trouble finding the place?" "You did all this for me?" "I ordered the food, but I didn't pick out the flowers." "And the candles?" "And you bought a new shirt?" "How did you know I got a new shirt?" "This is the sweetest thing that anyone's ever done for me." "Buy a shirt and light some candles?" "No, I mean, you thought about me." "Thought about what I'd like." "I can't stop thinking about you." "I hope whatever you got for dinner will still be good cold." "Well that was..." "That was..." "It was okay." "I mean..." "I love you." "It's okay to say it during sex." "Yeah, but that was after sex." "I love you, too." "You mind if..." "No, I don't mind." "You sure?" "'Cause I don't have to." "No, not at all." "All right, cool." "So let's move forward a little bit." "Later on, in August into September, what happened to you?" "I became pregnant." "By who?" "By Jeff." "Were you on birth control pills?" "At this time, yes, I was." "But they didn't work?" "No, they did not." "You trap Jeff at all into getting pregnant with you?" "No, I did not." "So you're pregnant now." "I didn't do it on purpose." "I swear." "Are you mad?" "No, I'm not mad." "You haven't even looked at me." "We don't have to have the baby if you don't..." "I want whatever you want." "I just need, I need some time." "We don't have to do anything right away, right?" "We can wait?" "Yeah." "Suse, I do..." "I love you." "You do?" "Yeah." "And I want you, I want kids." "I just..." "This is a little faster than I expected." "You can take all the time you need." "It's okay." "We can wait." "What are you doing?" "Listen." "We can do this." "We love each other." "Nothing else matters." "Jeffrey..." "Let me do this right." "Susan Wyche, will you marry me?" "I'll get a ring and we'll do it perfect." "But for now..." "Yes." "Yes, I'll marry you." "How you holding up there, son?" "I'm good, Pop." "Your mom and I are real proud of you." "The man you're becoming, you did the right thing." "Thanks." "I hope me and Suse will be just like you guys." "Well, that's a tall order." "But you just take care ofyour family, right?" "A man takes care of his family." "You look absolutely magical." "She looks all right." "I just want him to think that I'm the prettiest girl that he's ever seen." "You're the prettiest girl in the world." "Thanks, Mom." "Trust me, Suse, the way he looks at you, you could be in a sack and he'd still think that." "We are so excited to have you be a part of our family." "Louis and I were saying just the other night how changed Jeffrey is." "For the better, I mean." "You're so good for him." "Thanks, Mrs. Wright." "You don't happen to have any other sons, do you?" "They are good for each other." "You're going to make a great team." "I love you, Mom." "And that is one lucky baby." "Ladies, let's have a toast." "Yes." "Here's to the Wright family." "May they live a long and happy life together." "Cheers." "Cheers." "The future's bright!" "I now pronounce you husband and wife." "Hi." "Hi, guys." "Hey." "Thank you." "Hi." "Hi." "Hi." "I'm sorry to interrupt, but I'd like to borrow my wife for a second." "I just couldn't stay away from you." "I love you, Mr. Wright." "I love you, Mrs. Wright." "We'll be the happiest couple ever." "I just know it." "What did you do with this knife?" "I stabbed him in the neck." "You stabbed him in the neck the first time?" "Yes." "Based on what you saw, what you observed with your own eyes, what did you see of the relationship between Jeff and his wife, the defendant?" "Susan was quiet." "I wouldn't necessarily say a shy person, but she..." "I dunno, to coin a phrase, Leave It to Beaverfamily." "That's kind of what I saw." "He's amazing." "So are you." "You're home." "Let me see." "He's beautiful." "What's his name?" "Andrew." "Andrew Wright." "You are a lucky little boy, Andrew Wright." "Congratulations, you two." "If you need anything, I'm right across the street." "Just holler." "Thanks, Allie." "We'll see you guys later." "Tell Bobby maybe we'll watch the game on Saturday." "He can't." "Little League." "You know that's gonna be your life, too, soon." "No more hanging out with the buddies on the weekends." "Let's show the little man his castle." "We did good, huh?" "We did great." "Wanna practice making another one?" "The doctor said four months." "Four months?" "I don't think I can stay away from you that long." "It'll go by in a flash." "We have our whole lives together." "There's plenty of time." "I'm gonna go work in the yard." "Get rid of some of this pent-up energy." "Okay." "I'll be down in a minute." "Jeff, lemonade?" "Thank you." "Next I'm gonna rip up the patio and put a fountain over there." "I thought the girl was supposed to do the nesting." "I'm building us a home, pretty lady." "I'm gonna be so good to you." "I'm gonna work so hard." "I'm gonna be so good to the two of you." "So do you recall at some point your son not being particularly excited about getting married to Susan?" "Jeff spoke with me about the fact that Susan had gotten pregnant on purpose." "And that she had told him she was on birth control pills." "And asked for some fatherly advice." "We'll pass the witness." "What was that fatherly advice, Mr. Wright?" "That the child needed a father." "He wants to own his own business." "So, it's long days." "I want him to be successful." "You guys are so great together." "Yeah, it's not easy, but we love each other." "Don't forget about the potluck tonight at my house." "Are you making your apple pie?" "I will, if Tim makes those potatoes that Jeff likes so much." "You're on." "Relax, Jeff, we're having a couple beers at lunch." "Sorry, you know I appreciate this, I just..." "I probably should get back to work." "Yeah, no, no, we shouldn't celebrate." "Sorry, what would we celebrate?" "Baines is real happy." "Corporate just told me you got the promotion." "I got the promotion?" "That's amazing." "Yeah." "Thank you so much!" "Hey, okay, buddy, you're hugging me." "You're hugging me." "Yeah, sorry." "Hope you don't have dinner plans." "I know, yeah." "Thanks for bringing everything." "We're gonna get some food." "Yeah." "Wait, let me help you with the Boy Wonder." "Thank you." "Come here, Boy Wonder." "Hey, where is your man, by the way?" "He better hurry up or he's gonna miss out on Tim's potatoes." "I know." "He should be here soon." "He's probably just got stuck with a client." "Speak of the devil." "Hey, babe, where are you?" "Babe, I got the promotion." "You know we have people over here tonight." "What?" "I can't..." "Crap, the potluck thing." "Babe, I'm so sorry." "Where are you?" "I'm just at a a bar." "Okay, when will you be home?" "I'm probably gonna be late." "Just tell everybody hi, and that I'm sorry, okay?" "Okay, I'll see you when you get here." "Okay, hi." "Thank you, sir." "Mr. Wright!" "Doesn't this beat going home?" "How can it..." "You missed a great party." "Yeah." "When did everybody leave?" "About an hour ago." "Andrew fell asleep as soon as the house was quiet." "So what bar did you guys go to?" "Can we not do this?" "Do what, Jeff?" "Just asking my husband where he's been." "I was at a bar." "With clients." "It went late." "I missed the potluck." "I'm sorry, all right." "I am not the perfect husband." "Nobody ever said anything." "But I'm trying though." "Okay, I really am." "Please don't raise your voice okay?" "I don't want you to wake Andrew." "Always that." ""Don't wake the baby." "The doctor said we should wait." ""I'm really tired." "I'm sorry the house is a mess, but..."" "God, what the hell is happening to us, Susan?" "I'm really trying, but you're always out with your clients." "Yeah, I'm always out." "Because what the hell do I have to come home to?" "This?" "You?" "I'm working my ass off for this family, trying to be a good husband and a good father." "What the hell more do you want from me?" "I just want you here." "Now I'm right fricking here." "I'm sorry, baby." "I'm really sorry." "I..." "Look, you just got to give me some..." "Maybe I'm not good at this." "Okay, maybe I'm just not cut out." "No." "Yeah, you're amazing, okay?" "I'm sorry." "God, you've been working really hard and I'm sorry, you know, that..." "I know that I can be distant." "And tired." "But I'll be better." "Okay?" "I love you and I know we can get back to us, okay?" "I know." "I just know it." "Yeah, we can get through this, pretty lady." "It's just a little bump on a long road." "That's all." "I know." "I'm pregnant again." "December 1st, your son Cody was born, correct?" "Yes." "Hey, Dad." "Hey, hey, hey." "Sorry." "Didn't mean to wake you, go back to sleep, okay?" "Night, sport." "Did the sex continue after the birth of your child?" "Yes, it did." "Was it forced or unforced?" "Both." "Now, when Jeff forced you to have sex." "What'd you do?" "I'm tired." "I'm not." "I can still smell the booze on you." "You don't want to wake the kids." "I would just lay there." "And close my eyes." "And pretend that I was somewhere else." "Yeah, definitely..." "Dad, look what Rippy can do." "Hey, yeah." "Okay, just one second, buddy, okay?" "Yeah, thank you." "Okay?" "Give Daddy a minute to finish his call." "Kaboom!" "You guys should try some of this, there's black beans in it." "Just like Louis likes." "Grandpa." "When did you become such a Susie homemaker?" "I'm trying." "Jeff, come here, it's family time." "It's okay, a man's got to do his job." "Mom, I taught Rippy a trick." "You did?" "Sit." "Whoa." "Well done." "Thank you." "Thank you so much." "Did you show your daddy?" "Well, I know that some of us wanted me off the phone, but that call might have just landed me an account that will make me regional manager by the end of the year." "Wow, congratulations." "Congratulations, Jeff." "Oh, my gosh." "Jeff, that's great." "You know, as long as we're sharing big news." "I've decided to go back to school." "What?" "You are?" "Wonderful." "Yeah, when Jeffrey and I first met, I told him that I wanted to be a nurse." "So I signed up at the junior college, and I'm going back and I'm going to get certified." "And it's night classes, so I can still take care of the kids during the day and then at night, we can trade off." "Yeah, this is a picture." "Come on, you guys." "Go, right here." "Go, go, go, one." "Love it!" "Get Rippy in." "Good one." "You wait until the whole family's here to bring that up?" "Is that so I can't say anything?" "I just thought the kids are going to be in school, so..." "You think we have a money tree growing in the back yard?" "You just got a promotion." "I didn't get it yet." "I'm going to be working." "I got to work some nights." "I can't be rushing home at 6:00 so you can go out and learn how to clean bedpans." "Working at night?" "Is that what you're doing?" "I'm busting my ass for this family." "You are not going back to school." "You are going to take care of your damn house, you are going to take care of your kids, and you are going to take care of me." "Mom?" "We're just talking, sweetie." "Ready to go?" "In November, you discovered these underneath your bed, correct?" "Yes, I did." "Did you put them there?" "No, I did not." "Did Jeff put them there?" "Yes, he did." "Did he tell you why he put these underneath your bed?" "He kept them under the bed on his side." "And he told me that he could bash my head in within minutes." "You testified that during these beatings, he kicked you as hard as he could, and he would hit you as hard as he could." "Yes." "And he smashed your head against the wall." "Dashboards, yes." "Dashboards." "Car windows, floors, all these things." "Yes." "You never suffered a broken bone, and you never went to a doctor?" "I wasn't allowed..." "And you never went to a doctor?" "No, I did not." "Is Daddy coming with us?" "No, Daddy had to work." "But he might meet up with us later." "She's killing me, man." "My mom and dad made it look so easy, but..." "Between the kids and the bills and all that..." "Jeff, look." "First of all, you're completely bringing me down." "This is supposed to be the fun part of the day." "Second of all, every marriage goes through rough patches." "Just work it out." "That's what couples do." "How you doing?" "Hey." "Susan?" "Hey, honey, you home?" "He was just upset." "Do you hear yourself?" "Susan, he hit you." "What would you do if Dad grabbed you?" "Would you leave him?" "Kids are asleep." "Thanks." "Did you guys decide what's next?" "I told her she could move in here." "I'm not leaving him." "Suse..." "He's my husband." "Well, yeah, but he hit..." "I'll get it." "You stay here." "Jeff?" "Jess, where is my wife?" "She doesn't want to talk to you." "How did you know that I'd be here?" "'Cause I know you, darling." "Where else you gonna go?" "What do you want, Jeff?" "I want my wife back." "I want my kids in their beds where they belong." "Just get out of here or I'm going to call the police." "Suse, I made a mistake, okay?" "I'm sorry, and I'll make it right." "Just like it was in the beginning." "You remember what it was like in the beginning, right?" "Please give me a second chance." "This is crazy." "Please come home." "I love you." "Susan." "Don't ever do that again." "We're a family." "You understand?" "You will never take my children away from me again." "We are a family." "Do you understand?" "Let's talk about the relationship with Jeff and Susan." "How would you describe that relationship?" "Controlling." "What do you mean by controlling?" "Jeffwas very controlling towards Susan." "It was not a loving relationship." "Oh, please don't make a mess, sweetie." "Gosh, Jeff's been working so hard." "And Andrew's having so much fun at preschool." "And Cody, we're having fun at Mommy  Me, aren't we?" "So everything's great." "We're great." "Did you get a new haircut?" "No, I just spent a little extra time on it." "Cody!" "What did I just tell you?" "I said, "Do not make a mess."" "Did you ever see..." "When you visited, when you went to their house." "Was it clean, or was it dirty?" "It was immaculate." "Now, would you describe Jeff and Susan's relationship as one of equal footing?" "No, no." "So it was more like a master-slave relationship." "Definitely." "Who was the master?" "Jeff." "So you got a new promotion." "Did you want it, Jeff?" "To you." "Wanna celebrate?" "Oh, hell yes." "Yeah, yeah." "Give me that." "And who was the slave?" "Susan." "Okay, you know what?" "Let's not play with those." "Let's put them back in the cart." "Hey, Susan." "Allie, hi." "When did you become such a runner?" "I just started." "I'm trying to get back into shape." "Honey, have you seen yourself?" "'Cause you're gorgeous." "Well, Jeff's always at the gym and whatnot, so..." "You know, I figure he's working so hard, I should too." "You look amazing." "But if you ever want to run, give me a call, it'll be fun." "All right." "Bye." "Bye, Cody." "Hi, honey." "Nice to see you." "How was your day?" "Sorry." "I was just trying to figure this out." "There's a bunch of unpaid bills?" "I was just trying to make sense of it all." "You know, the life insurance was..." "What are you trying to say?" "I was just worried." "It'll be okay." "So it's late, huh?" "Yeah." "It's late." "I had to work." "Yeah." "What, do you wanna..." "You wanna say something to me?" "No." "Are you sure?" "Jeff, you're drunk." "I'm a good father." "I provide for you, don't I?" "Yes." "Go ahead." "Go to bed, I don't want to sleep with you anyway." "Let's take a five or 10 minute recess." "All right." "Approach." "Judge, I request that you instruct the defendant." "I didn't do this in front of the jury, now the jury has left the courtroom." "To compose herselfwith crying." "She can compose herself." "Because the minute the jury leaves the room, every time, she stops crying." "She is the only woman I've ever seen who can cry without ruining her mascara." "That is cheap." "Of course the defendant cries when gruesome photos are shown." "Ms. Wright?" "Please be aware that you should try to control yourself as best as you possibly can." "Frankly, I think you've done a pretty good job." "Excuse me." "Someone's having a party." "I want it to be a special night." "Sorry, your card's been declined." "No." "No, no, no." "Geez, I want it to be special." "I have cash." "I have cash." "I have..." "I have $60." "Is that enough?" "I can take some stuff out." "I don't need this." "Don't need this, I don't need this." "I don't need this." "I don't need..." "Is that enough?" "I can take out more." "How come I'm not going to eat dinner with you guys?" "Mommy and Daddy are having date night." "Okay." "Did I forget something?" "Daddy!" "Mommy do fancy dinner." "She's all dressed up and everything." "Come on sissy, show me what you got." "Come on." "Come on." "I don't want to fight." "We got to toughen you up." "You can't survive out there unless you're tough." "Come on, bud." "I don't think he wants to fight." "Stop, Dad." "Really?" "Well, he's gonna." "Boy's got to learn to fight a little." "Oh, my God, Jeff!" "Are you okay?" "Let me see, let me see." "Oh, my God." "He leaned into it, it was a tap." "Go to your room, all right." "Mommy's going to bring you some ice." "I'll bring you some ice." "I'll meet you in there." "Okay?" "Come on, nothing happened." "What?" "I barely touched him." "What the hell is wrong with you?" "With me?" "Do you see what I did for you?" "I have been trying so hard to be good for you." "I made this beautiful dinner." "You made a fricking chicken." "You think that fixes things?" "And then you tart yourself up." "Why?" "Think it makes you look sexy?" "Honey." "You look like a whore." "I already ate." "I'm gonna go to bed." "You, don't bother coming in unless you want to act like a real wife." "What should have been a love nest." "Turned into a torture chamber." "There's blood everywhere." "Blood was on the ceiling." "There's blood on the TV." "There was blood on the ironing board." "The carpet was soaked in blood." "The bed was covered in blood." "Jeffrey soaked in blood." "And don't you know it, she was covered in blood too." "Ladies and gentlemen, the anger that lies beneath this beautiful blonde face is unfathomable." "Do I look pretty now?" ""What a strange illusion it is to suppose that beauty is goodness."" "Tolstoy said that." "To suppose thatjust because something is beautiful that that same thing is good." "Kelly and I spoke this morning." "And she graciously informed me that at 10:00 a.m. she planned on taking a break and then bringing the actual bed into the courtroom." "She'll proceed to reenact her theory of what she thinks the case is." "I, of course, strongly object." "The demonstration will be permissible, Miss Siegler." "But know that I will have you on a short leash." "Ben will be the victim in this case." "On the bed." "Object to the term "victim."" "It's up to the jury to decide whether JeffWright's a victim in this case." "Ben, are both your wrists tied tightly?" "Yes." "Try to lift them." "Okay." "Now the same with the ankles." "What are you doing?" "Took my makeup off." "Do I still look like a whore?" "Untie me, bitch." "Now!" "Is that sexy?" "Judge, if I could?" "You may." "lf the defendant climbed on top of Jeffrey Wright." "Something like this, and straddled him." "And she is right-handed." "And how do you think she held the knife?" "Ifyou don't untie me, I swear to God, I am gonna..." "You can just put it in my hand." "This is total speculation." "I object to the term "How do you think she held the knife?"" "The State calls medical examiner Dr. Richard Sloak." "What do you see in 271?" "That's a tip of a knife embedded in bone." "Leave me alone." "You're saying he was tied up and she was on top of him." "That she managed to somehow stab him toward the center of the back and under the shoulder blade." "I believe it's possible when you see that injury." "How's that possible if he's tied up?" "I think you'd be surprised by his mobility once you put a knife in his chest." "And what about the rest of his body, down to the legs, to the knees, to the thighs?" "If I wanted to." "Was there any evidence of a stab to the penis?" "No, not to the penis itself." "Because you saw what?" "lt was nicked." "It was more of a superficial cut instead of a slice." "A superficial slicing like this." "Oh, come on, Mrs. Wright." "Why did you stab him directly in the eye?" "Can you say because you were that mad at him?" "Can you say it?" "I wasn't that mad at him." "I was afraid." "But you did stop stabbing at some point." "Yes." "What'd you hear that made you stop?" "Andrew was at the door." "Your son?" "One minute." "I heard noises." "It's okay, honey." "Everything's fine." "Come on, let's go back to bed." "Okay, Mommy, goodnight." "Goodnight sweetie." "Where'd you go?" "I realized that I left the knife in the other room." "And I was scared to death, so" "I went to the kitchen and grabbed another knife." "You got another knife?" "Now, did you go back in the room?" "Yes." "Why?" "Because I didn't want to die." "And I was scared, so I started stabbing him again." "And then I thought of all the times that he hit me." "And all the times that he kicked me." "And all the times that he told me how horrible I was, and I just couldn't stop, I couldn't." "Did he die a painful death, Doctor?" "Objection." "Calls for speculation." "He may offer an opinion if he has one." "Again, none of these wounds would have caused instantaneous death." "And there's no indication that..." "That he lost consciousness immediately from any of them." "So, yes." "Yes, I believe it was a painful death." "It was my sheer will to live." "Say that again." "That was good." "It was just your sheer will to live." "Yes, that's exactly what I just said." "After you did stop." "What'd you do then?" "I realized that I had to get him out of the house." "'Cause I was so scared." "And..." "So I grabbed him by his ankles and I tried to drag him off the bed." "So you got him off the bed." "You got him on the floor." "Where'd you drag the body?" "So you rolled him into a hole?" "I didn't want him to get up and keep hurting me." "What'd you use to put the dirt on top of him?" "There was dirt already there from when he had dug the fountain." "And I put that on top of him." "I kept thinking that I had to weigh him down so that he wouldn't be able to get back up and keep hurting me." "After you got him covered up, what'd you do?" "I took my shoes off because I didn't want to get the floor dirty." "It would make Jeff angry if there was dirt on the floor." "And I went inside and I took a shower." "You washed off the dirt." "You washed off the blood." "What's going through the mind of Susan Wright at that point?" "I'm afraid of Jeff." "I'm afraid that he's going to come, and he's gonna keep trying to kill me." "You have stabbed him 193 times." "You have put him in a hole, you've weighted him down, you've covered him with dirt, but you think he's still alive?" "He was still alive." "Still alive." "You made a phone call." "Who did you call?" "I called his mother." "What'd you tell her?" "Hello?" "What is it, Susan?" "ls everything all right?" "Jeff and I had a fight." "And..." "He was on drugs." "And he hurt me." "And he hit Andrew." "And he took his keys and he left." "What are you talking about?" "So you lied to his mother about the keys and about him leaving?" "No, that was real to me." "It was real and he was still alive." "After you hung up what'd you do with the rest ofyour night?" "I waited." "And I watched for Jeff to get back up." "Because I knew that the second that I went to sleep, he was gonna get up and he was gonna come inside and he was gonna try and get me." "So I stayed awake." "She was one busy lady that week of lies and fabrication, trying so hard to pretend that Jeffrey just walked out on her." "On her and his children." "They say post traumatic stress syndrome." "How about "cover your tail syndrome"?" "One more thing." "One more thing." "One more thing." "I just got to grab this." "Susan?" "Hey, Susan!" "Hi." "Are you redecorating again?" "Just, the walls were so drab." "We're starting a new project in the backyard." "Got it." "Thank you." "You're welcome." "Okay." "Bye." "See you later." "Bye!" "Bye." "Let's get another bag." "I'd like to close my account." "I'm sorry, it's a joint account, we'll need the other party's signature." "Well, then I'd like to withdraw some money." "Okay." "How much?" "All of it." "Where's Daddy?" "He had to away for work." "Can I call him?" "Come on, Andrew, we'll make an early dinner and we'll watch a movie." "Go ahead in, kids, you're sleeping at Grandma's." "Susie, there's a pattern now." "He's out of control." "I don't think it's safe for you or..." "Thanks for watching them." "The fog, it just came and went during that week after Jeff was cold and dead in the grave just a few feet from your bed?" "I was never fully coherent about what I was doing." "How'd your big night go?" "The flowers and the champagne." "Good, good." "Hello?" "Susan?" "Hey, I'm looking for Jeff." "Did I call the house phone by accident?" "He's not here right now." "Well, everything okay?" "He hasn't called or been in since Monday." "He left." "He was drinking and we fought, and..." "I think he should be back soon." "You okay?" "I'm cleaning right now." "He hates it when it's messy." "I'm sorry, but I have to go." "Miss Susan, some people say it's awfully convenient for you to forget parts of that night." "But you don't remember parts of the week following the death, do you?" "No, I don't." "How is that?" "I mean, how is it that you don't remember every single detail?" "No!" "It's cloudy..." "It's foggy." "It's like..." "It's like I was in a day dream." "I can see myself going through certain motions, but it's just not all there." "Hello?" "Hi, Susan, it's Joan." "I was just calling to see if you'd heard from Jeffrey." "Yes." "He came back." "He did?" "When?" "He's home?" "Is he okay?" "What did he say?" "He screamed at me." "And then he took a bleach and he threw it all over the carpet." "And then he took some shirts and pants and he left again." "And I have to replace the carpet." "That doesn't really sound like..." "Susan, this is Lou." "What's going on?" "He left." "He left." "Crap!" "I need protection." "I need..." "I don't know what's it called." "A restraining order?" "Yes." "I keep thinking that I'm hearing him at night." "I just..." "I know that he's gonna come back." "Okay." "Can you give me your full name?" "Susan Lucille Wright." "This is Susan." "We're not here to take your call right now, so leave a message." "This is Susan." "We're not here to take your call right now..." "By Saturday, you'd gone to the doctor, you'd gone to the cops, you'd tried bleach, you'd tried paint, you tried ripping up the carpet, you'd tried dismantling a king-sized bed," "you'd tried burying the body, but Rippy sort of messed up, kind of dug Jeff up, didn't he?" "Susan!" "Susan, are you all right?" "What are you doing out here?" "Why don't you come inside, honey?" "I think I did something awful, Mom." "Baby, what are you talking about?" "I think I killed Jeff." "Hi." "I'm Thomas Dean, attorney your mother hired." "Thank you for coming." "She said that there was something you wanted me to see." "Is there anything more?" "Oh, my God!" "Rippy!" "No!" "Oh, my God!" "Is that a..." "He beat me." "He threatened my life." "So this was self defense, right?" "What's he gonna do when he gets home, Mr. Dean?" "He's gonna see this awful mess." "He's gonna be so mad!" "Come on, come on." "You'll be safe here." "But you are not to talk to anyone without me." "Understand?" "No one." "We'll arrange for a doctor to interview you." "But that's only gonna be under my supervision, and that's the only person you can talk to." "Now it is important that you follow my instructions." "Can you do that?" "You a family member?" "I'm her lawyer." "Now I'll tell the police what happened." "Eventually, a detective will have to interview you, but not right now." "We're gonna get through this, okay?" "When are the boys coming to visit?" "Come on, this way." "There is a body at this address." "I can't say anything more without breaking attorneylclient privilege, but you need to send somebody there now." "When you heard that there was a body found in the house, whose did you think it was?" "I thought it was Susan's." "I thought my best friend was dead." "Do you think the door is locked?" "Why are you whispering, Susan?" "It started with pushing." "Sometimes he grabs me too hard." "He's on drugs, you know." "Cocaine." "Sometimes he hits me in places that people can't see." "I'm not supposed to tell anyone." "Why are you whispering?" "Because he can hear us." "He's gonna be so mad at me when he wakes up." "You do realize that Jeffrey is dead, don't you, Susan?" "I mean, you keep referring to him in present tense." "When he sees the house like that, he's just gonna kill me." "Let's do it right so we can get it right." "This is gonna take us three years." "Yeah." "What've you got?" "Multiple stab wounds." "How many, give or take?" "A hundred, two?" "The ME will have to do the math." "Holy crap!" "Anybody see the wife?" "Anybody talk to the neighbors?" "I'll be canvassing the whole area." "Co-workers, everyone." "Where are the kids?" "Grandmother's." "We just sent someone over there to talk to her now." "What about the victim's family?" "Anybody talk to them?" "Get on that." "Hello, everybody." "Breaking news today in the suburb of Cypress Fair where police are investigating the murder of a man named Jeffrey Wright" "We don't know a lot about Mr. Wright other than he was a..." "Louis!" "What?" "But reports we're getting from the scene are of a grisly and violent murder, the likes of which have not been seen before in this peaceful suburb." "No!" "Breaking news, live from Harris County." "We are outside the residence of a..." "Everybody move back." "Come on, let's go." "The wife reported domestic violence to a neighbor on Wednesday." "The Fourth Precinct has a record of her coming in and telling her story on the same day." "So they issued a warrant for his arrest and a restraining order." "So this is a domestic dispute." "She gonna say self-defense?" "If he came back that night, it could have happened like this." "Tell him what you just told me." "We rolled him before we bagged him." "Almost every stab wound was on his front." "There's no defensive wounds on his hands at all." "So the last time he's at work, or anybody talked to him, was Monday night." "Except she told the in-laws she'd seen him Tuesday morning." "Yeah, but they didn't see him." "The only person that can confirm seeing him after Monday night was the wife." "What do we know about him?" "He's got some priors." "Felony conviction for controlled substance." "Marijuana." "And he's got..." "Felony assault charge." "Brandy Davenport, ex fiancée." "So this is a pattern?" "Signs seem to point to it." "Well, let's just say that's how it happened." "Monday night, he beats her up." "Tuesday morning, he comes back for another shot." "Wednesday, she goes to the police, files a report." "He finds out about it, he comes back for revenge." "They go at it, she gets a knife and..." "And it all goes to hell." "Battered wife, angry husband?" "What do you do after you've just killed someone in self defense?" "Call the cops." "Exactly." "You're not gonna spend a week trying to cover it up." "Maybe she panicked." "For a week?" "Then got her lawyer to put her in hiding?" "He's here." "What?" "He's here." "No, no, no." "That's your attorney, Mrs. Wright." "Okay, okay." "What?" "What is it?" "No." "He was sleeping." "And there was a knife." "He's dead." "Jeffrey's dead." "So, you've put her on suicide watch?" "It's for her own protection." "You really think she's gonna try to kill herself?" "I think she's suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder." "From the murder?" "From abuse." "How do you explain her behavior in the days following the murder?" "She was in a dissociative state." "I'm not sure if she's even fully recovered from it yet." "So she shows the signs of battered woman syndrome?" "She's a poster child." "At some point he just bled to death." "What else?" "There was cocaine in his system, which he'd ingested within five hours of his death." "And scrapes on his back." "That's from being dragged to the patio." "I don't get it." "I mean, how does a little girl like that take control of a 200 pound guy?" "Pretty little girl bats her eyes at big, scary guy, says she wants him to lie down, he lies down." "One more thing." "The time of death puts this on Monday night, not Wednesday." "So she lied about him coming back." "And her whole trip to the police..." "Was a cover up." "This sweet, little girl constructed her entire defense after burying her butchered husband in their yard." "I want her picked up." "I want formal charges brought against her." "I want Susan Wright charged with the murder of Jeffrey Wright." "Susan, why did you stab him so many times?" "Why didn't you just call the police?" "Susan, what made you snap?" "Susan, why did you kill him?" "Why didn't you report it right away?" "Why did you never call the police?" "They let her out on bail?" "She stabbed her husband 193 times in self defense." "She spent the last week under psychiatric supervision." "Does this make sense to you?" "Are you falling from the prom queen?" "No, I'm just..." "I'm saying..." "Did you see that face?" "Did you see those weepy, doe-y eyes and the way she played the judge?" "That jury is gonna take one look at that girl and melt." "Just like you did." "I..." "Find me motive." "Good evening." "I'm Nancy Grace, I wanna thank you for being with us." "Bomb shell tonight." "A beautiful Texas blonde, the blue-eyed butcher, allegedly ties her 34-year-old husband to the bed and during what promises to be quite a night..." "Okay, we'll just get out of the car quick." "...something goes wrong." "It goes wrong all right." "Hubby ends up being stabbed over 200 times." "Have you read the ME's report, ma'am?" "You are not allowed on this property." "This is private property." "Go!" "Just a few days before the body was discovered," "Susan Wright made a report of abuse to police" "an arrest warrant was..." "You can't keep watching this." "They let her out on bail, to be around our grandchildren." "How could they let her out, Joan?" "She murdered our son." "They'll convict her." "What if they don't?" "You sure you don't want me to stay?" "No, I'm okay." "Why don't you come back to my house?" "I can't." "The kids are with Jessica." "You can stay with us until this whole thing is over." "I think I just wanna sleep in my own..." "I think I just wanna be home." "Yeah." "Allie, hi." "Hey, I hope all this isn't disturbing you guys?" "No." "No, no, it's fine." "Are those Jeff's things?" "I know." "It's just the legal fees and the kids..." "And the bills are still coming in." "Hey, if I buy these, will you sign them?" "Thomas." "You have to shut this down." "Why?" "I've made over $100 already." "You can't be selling Jeffrey's things." "People should know that I'm struggling." "This is private property." "Ifyou don't get off it, I'm calling the cops." "What do you mean?" "Wait." "No." "But the..." "Let's go." "Come on." "That's it, the show is over." "I can't just leave my stuff out here." "That reporter just got a photo of you." "What, showing that I'm broke?" "Showing you selling your dead husband's possessions." "I was defending myself and my children." "Susan, there is a jury pool reading about you right now." "Is that really the image you want them to see?" "You know they're calling me the blue-eyed butcher?" "Well, they're crass." "Or mean." "You like me, though, don't you, Mr. Dean?" "You need to get your rest, we got a long day ahead of you tomorrow." "All eyes are on the Harris County courthouse today as the trial of Susan Wright kicks off." "Wright, the young housewife accused of murdering her husband in their sweet suburban home." "...alleged to have stabbed Jeffrey Wright..." "She took that knife and she stabbed and she cut and she sliced and she diced and she mutilated" "193 times." "That is a conservative estimate." "That is how many times this woman stabbed her own husband in the bedroom that night." "You will hear testimony that at that point" "Susan has a total psychotic break from reality." "She sees herself from above stabbing Jeffrey." "A total break." "$200,000?" "Yep, brand new policy." "And the friend will testify to this?" "We got motive." "That girl is not gonna get away with murder." "No, ma'am." "Describe the state of the defendant's voice during that phone conversation." "She was angry." "She wasn't screaming but it was loud enough that I could hear her on the cell." "And what did you hear the defendant say in that loud, angry voice on the phone?" "I can't say verbatim, but she said that she couldn't believe that he had filled out the paperwork incorrectly." "That she..." "That there was only so much time to get it turned in." "Paperwork regarding what?" "Jeff's new life insurance policy." "And how'd this conversation end?" "Jeff said..." "Honey, don't worry, if I die you're gonna be a very rich lady." "How can you let her tell all these lies about me?" "That's the way the system works." "They tell their version and then we get to tell ours." "Well, the system isn't working." "That woman is standing up there and she's making me out to be the bad person." "I would like to submit into evidence state's exhibits 257 to 341." "Actually, I was able to identify over 200 separate injuries on the body." "There were so many, in fact, that some of them even overlapped." "46 stab wounds to the chest," "I can't watch this." "30 stab wounds through the ribs, 23 stab wounds in the neck," "20 in the abdomen, seven in the groin." "Just put me on the stand, please." "I can't, she'll come after you." "I don't care." "She's making me sound like somebody that I'm not." "Okay?" "They'll like me." "I know they will." "Kelly spread-eagled on top of her ADA, slamming the actual murder weapon on the blood-stained mattress." "That's a slam dunk." "I disagree." "She finally went too far." "Now how would..." "The sister heard us." "And the neighbor." "And the mother." "I am so sick of hearing about poor victimized Susan." "Who do we have left?" "Doctor that interviewed her at the psychiatric hospital." "He's gonna argue battered wife syndrome." "Susan." "He put Susan on the witness list." "Doesn't mean he'll call her." "Are you kidding?" "He's already got the shrink saying abuse." "He puts Susan on the stand crying, timid, jury's never gonna believe such a beautiful girl could do such a horrible thing." "They're gonna think the husband did something to her." "You're up." "What?" "I'm not putting the doctor on the stand." "But why not?" "You told the doctor that Jeffrey was asleep." "I don't remember." "You told me that Jeffrey was hovering over you with a knife saying, "Die, bitch."" "He was." "You lied, Susan." "You lied to one of us." "And I can't put the doctor on the stand and have him contradict the story that I've already established." "Do you agree with me that in these records you are the sole beneficiary of the life insurance policy?" "Yes, but I only learned that here." "Do you agree with me that the records show you are the sole beneficiary of the life insurance policy?" "Okay, but at this point..." "Do you agree with me that the records say you are the sole beneficiary to the life insurance policy?" "I'm not arguing..." "ls that a yes?" "Yes, ma'am." "What did it feel like?" "Watching him take his last breath, gurgling with blood." "Dying before your eyes, what is that like?" "And when you stabbed him the 56th time, or the 89th time, or the 158th time, was your arm getting tired?" "lt wasn't like that." "Like you're mad, like you're afraid." "Like you can't, can't stop." "No." "His chest." "His head." "His eyes." "And then you grabbed another knife to make sure he was really good and dead." "Slicing at his penis." "Just please stop." "Why are you crying, Susan?" "Does looking at this make you cry?" "How can somebody not cry when they look at something like that?" "How can somebody do that?" "At all?" "Monday night, January 13th." "Susan Wright decorated her bedroom in a sexual manner." "Lights on, ties ready." "And said, "Guess what, Jeffrey?" ""It's gonna be your lucky night."" "She lured him in and tied him up." "And then it all changed." "You've seen the pictures." "Can you imagine the look of betrayal with that first cut?" "Jeffrey Wright used to have this saying." "There's no answers for the dancers." "Well, I submit to you that the answer for this dancer" "is guilty." "What's next?" "Now we wait." "The longer the better." "Hey." "Courthouse called." "Jury's in for the night." "You thought they'd come right back, didn't you?" "Goodnight." "Yes, thank you." "That was Mr. Dean." "He said that they're sequestered tonight." "He said that's good news." "Good, well, we'll wait and see." "Let's just see what tomorrow brings, okay?" "Did you see her up there?" "They say she's pretty and..." "On the news and all that." "She's the ugliest creature I've ever seen." "But how important is the fact that she claimed domestic abuse gonna be in the sentence?" "I think it's the only chance that she has basically, to have this jury feel some sympathy for her, that could mitigate in her favor, so they don't basically throw the book at her." "There was a history of domestic violence, there was drug abuse on his part." "But again, it seems to be a pretty defenseless crime, in terms of the savagery, the viciousness..." "It's been a strong case." "Yeah." "Please be seated, ladies and gentlemen." "In the State of Texas v. Susan Lucille Wright, we the jury, find the defendant guilty of murder as charged in the indictment." "We direct her punishment as confinement in the institutional division of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice for 25 years." "Does the defendant wish to say anything at this time?" "No, Your Honor." "You have to let go, sorry." "Got to take you away now, sorry." "Right this way." "Self defense, really?" "Only two people know the answer to that." "Come on, your lawyer's waiting." "This way please." "Hello, Susan." "Hello." "I hope that I look all right." "I would never wear this bright of a color, but it's all that I can get in here." "You look very pretty." "Thank you." "And thank you for coming." "So you think you can get me out of here?" "I don't think you got a fair trial." "I can tell you that." "So I wanna ask you more questions." "I need to know more about Susan Wright." "Well, hope you like me."