All Episodes Discussion

[Court]

It was pretty clear to me early on Lee committed suicide. The thing about suicide is people usually hide that from people. It's tragic and that's why families can't accept that people do do this.

I simply can't understand how the jury convicted the stepfather. The evidence was barely there and what was there was nothing. Yes, the guy's behavior was weird and bizarre but he was also extremely drunk and passed out. Also, there was no motive for him to kill Lee. 

The prosecutor annoyed me. He couldn't handle Keith questioning him 

[Irlandesa]

On 3/26/2022 at 12:08 PM, Madding crowd said:

The wife also seemed really calm and not upset which was suspicious. 

She seemed dazed.  Demeanor isn't all that reliable, IMO.  Same with the 911 calls.  I mean Russ Feria's 911 call was considered fake which is why he became the prime suspect even though it was Pam Hupp who did it.

She almost seemed resigned which makes think part of her always knew her husband killed himself or could be suicidal but didn't want to deal with that knowledge or the guilt that she could have possibly prevented it.

On 3/26/2022 at 2:43 PM, Annber03 said:

I didn't get a blackout drunk vibe from him, either on that 911 call or in the interview with the detective. He was likely drunk to some degree, yes, obviously, but he didn't seem THAT out of it.

You don't have to blackout drunk to be stupid drunk.  I think the the fact that he was probably groggy and drunk accounted for the weirdness of that 911 phone call.

[LuvMyShows]

On 3/26/2022 at 11:46 AM, iMonrey said:

If anyone had killed him I'd think the wife would be the more likely suspect and maybe her stepfather helped her cover it up. 

Yep, I thought that too.

On 3/28/2022 at 12:14 PM, 12catcrazy said:

And who knows what the three of them talked about during the evening.   Maybe the wife got mad and called him a failure or said,  "THIS again!  I'm done..." and maybe her stepfather chimed in and agreed that Lee needed to grow up and get a real job or that he was a loser who was putting his family through hell... You just don't know.   

Absolutely, especially since they were very drunk.  That's when those harsh truths come out.

On 3/26/2022 at 8:23 PM, pdlinda said:

However, THIS TIME, a gun was accessible and in his inebriated state (with the other two also very drunk) he impulsively grabbed the stepfather's gun and discharged it.  

The only problem I have with this, is that according to the stepfather, the gun was disassembled, so Lee couldn't have impulsively grabbed the gun and discharged it.  It sounds like Lee was not super familiar with guns, and I can't imagine that in his very inebriated state, he would have known how to assemble it from watching the stepfather disassemble it earlier.  I think probably the stepfather kept the gun in his bag, loaded, and just didn't give it the proper thought that he should have. 

Actually, I kept being surprised that when they were talking about who could have shot the gun, that no one mentioned the kids, who were certainly old enough to pick up the gun (if it was loaded or even if they had watched the stepfather disassemble it several times before)  and accidentally shoot it at Lee...or intentionally if in his drunkenness and despair, he got violent.

On 3/27/2022 at 12:46 PM, iMonrey said:

Yeah, just from what little the show told us, Lee was all about ego. He seemed to be a "get rich quick" type of guy, one minute buying a Jaguar and the next minute losing his house. That's not a stable person.

I was floored about the Jaguar/losing the house thing.  Either Belinda was just as deluded as he was, and felt buying the Jag was a smart move...or there was a serious power imbalance in the marriage and she was unable, or unwilling, to put her foot down about how to properly allocate the funds when there was money to spare.

[JudyObscure]

10 hours ago, LuvMyShows said:

I think probably the stepfather kept the gun in his bag, loaded, and just didn't give it the proper thought that he should have. 

I was shocked that he kept a gun in zipper bag on the floor of his room, with two little girls in the house who might have thought "Papa" had more presents for them in the bag.  He seemed to think he was excused from any sort of gun safety rules because he had been a cop.  I also wonder just who is responsible for the care of little children in a house where all three adults are stinking drunk.  They might as well have been left alone.

[DinCleceland]

1st, what I'd like is to have the 2 daughters separately being given a presentation on the definition of what a Sociopath is because, that's they're father, John Frank Howard, in a nutshell. I get being in denial your dad is a wife-cheating embezzler-killer, but I don't understand why or how the 2 daughters could treat their mother, so bad. If I were the mother, I'd legally disown the little bitches-would not trust them whatsoever. So sad.

 

[chick binewski]

On 3/27/2022 at 3:45 PM, UsernameFatigue said:

I was very impressed by Belinda's biological father and step mother who said that they totally believed that Lee killed himself. They would have been witness to Lee's behavior over the years, and in their profession certainly know his personality type and traits. 

 

On 3/29/2022 at 8:49 PM, LuvMyShows said:

It sounds like Lee was not super familiar with guns, and I can't imagine that in his very inebriated state, he would have known how to assemble it from watching the stepfather disassemble it earlier.  I think probably the stepfather kept the gun in his bag, loaded, and just didn't give it the proper thought that he should have. 

Actually, I kept being surprised that when they were talking about who could have shot the gun, that no one mentioned the kids, who were certainly old enough to pick up the gun (if it was loaded or even if they had watched the stepfather disassemble it several times before)  and accidentally shoot it at Lee...or intentionally if in his drunkenness and despair, he got violent.

 

On 3/27/2022 at 2:43 PM, Josiemae said:

Also Dateline: give us some dates for these interviews. Otherwise, we have to rely on wrinkles and hair to determine the chronological order.

After listening to Belinda and Rob and the prosecutor, Belinda's dad seemed the only one speaking with authority so I needed that break.

But yeah, this was a Dateline with some maddening little holes. How familiar was Lee with guns? Were the children ever questioned? Where's Rob's wife during the holiday? How did Belinda & Rob keep those flat affects over years of accusations and interviews (and hair colors)? 

I certainly understand the points people are making re suicide. And how alcohol and shock will impact behavior. And I don't believe the prosecutor had enough evidence to get a conviction. But to me, Rob & Belinda did not seem truthful and I don't blame the family for not accepting suicide as an explanation. If my sister in law waited two days to tell me my brother was dead I'd have my suspicions. 

[Crashcourse]

Is this bald butthead looking for sympathy after dating a married cop?  Fuck him.  I'm halfway though and not sure I can even finish this. 

 

[Annber03]

2 minutes ago, Crashcourse said:

Is this bald butthead looking for sympathy after dating a married cop?  Fuck him.  I'm halfway though and not sure I can even finish this. 

I've lost count of how many times I've been banging my head over him constantly forgiving her and taking her back. I mean, clearly she's got a strong manipulative streak - I liked the one woman calling her a Svengali - and I know people have found themselves in bad relationships they keep going back to for a whole host of reasons, but... When it's at the point where she's making you choose between her and her daughter, that should be the red line right there. 

And in this case, his point about how odd it is that her husband came looking for her despite supposedly not caring about her, as she kept claiming, is valid, and was clearly a sign of her lies. But I will also say that that doesn't always mean anything, 'cause controlling people can go through with a breakup and still obsess over the fact that their significant other is dating someone new. The whole, "If I don't get to have you, nobody else can, either." thing. 

Honestly, the weirdest and most random bit about this case thus far was the guy being a manager of some band from the '80s :p. 

[patty1h]

This freaking fool, spineless wimp, unable to escape the clutches of this crazy woman... he wants sympathy for being "in love"?   Boohoo and grow some balls.  He sinks so low that he's hiding his daughter and playing along with a murder plot?  What a worm.

[nora1992]

Watching tonight’s episode in real-time: other than Isaiah, I don’t know who is more unlikable.  Valerie has so many problems, but John is even worse.  He needs backup to stand up for his daughter?!?!  

[Annber03]

I have to say, though, I do love how Valerie was getting on her boyfriend for not being careful with that "photo" of her supposedly dead husband*, and ranting about how the police can subpoena that stuff and everything...well, lady, since you're a police officer and know how this stuff works, surely you should've seen this FBI sting and the revelation that your husband wasn't really dead coming then, no? 

*Seriously, I like how they tried to drag out the suspense over the revelation that her husband was actually alive. I called that pretty much from the get-go - anyone who's watched enough true crime probably saw that "twist" coming. 

Edited April 2, 2022 by Annber03

[ridethemaverick]

Dear Lord, John is trash. 

I hope and pray his daughter finds peace and feels safe after being tossed aside for dad's girlfriend and then finding out said girlfriend wanted to KILL her. 

That's all I got. 

No wait, Andrea got a laugh out of me when she said, "Nothing like a restraining order hearing to get the fireworks going again." Lmao

[Annber03]

5 minutes ago, ridethemaverick said:

No wait, Andrea got a laugh out of me when she said, "Nothing like a restraining order hearing to get the fireworks going again." Lmao

Haha, I loved that, too :D. That and her reaction to the username Valerie used when she and John first got together, "homicidehunterz" or whatever it was. 

[Irlandesa]

It took me longer than it should have to realize the "twist."  I laughed every time John choked up.

And I feel for Isaiah if he has to share custody with his ex.  And I feel for John's daughter. I don't care if John came around eventually, he still prioritized Valerie over his daughter just because she was weirdly jealous.

I also rolled my eyes when he said it wasn't about the sex.  Dude, she's 20 years younger than you and acting crazy.  It's about the sex.

[iMonrey]

Quote

Is this bald butthead looking for sympathy after dating a married cop?  Fuck him.  I'm halfway though and not sure I can even finish this. 

First and foremost, this. I have zero sympathy for anyone that pursues a relationship with a married person. I don't care if they say it's an unhappy marriage or if they are supposedly going to get divorced. Valerie was still living with Isaiah and going on vacations with him. John Dirubba is dumb, and a scumbag to boot.

Quote

*Seriously, I like how they tried to drag out the suspense over the revelation that her husband was actually alive. I called that pretty much from the get-go - anyone who's watched enough true crime probably saw that "twist" coming. 

I didn't. That caught me by surprise. I assumed it was just another typical "the wife did it" case. 

I think there might have been a grain of truth in the defense attorney's claims - just a grain, mind you. I think John was involved in the plot to some extent and possibly even the instigator. I don't know when or why he decided to go to the cops and participate in a sting - it may be that he realized Valerie didn't really love him or maybe she was cheating with someone else and he wanted revenge. He just isn't totally innocent in this. Maybe the jury saw that and it's why she only got four years.

[TVbitch]

John's poor daughter will probably never feel safe again and will need tons of therapy (which John can't afford) to help her deal with being stalked, and her dad choosing some bitch who wanted her dead over his own daughter. I don't think I would ever be able to trust my dad again. 

Alls I can say is Valerie must be really good in bed, cuz what were the husband or John getting out of conversations with her. Every other word out of the her mouth was fuck and it sounded like she spit out every sentence with vitriol. "I don't give a fuck." "What do you want me to fucking say." "Who fucking cares." And she's got these men in tears!

[Ohmo]

On 4/1/2022 at 8:01 AM, chick binewski said:

But to me, Rob & Belinda did not seem truthful and I don't blame the family for not accepting suicide as an explanation. If my sister in law waited two days to tell me my brother was dead I'd have my suspicions. 

My rebuttal to that is I think Lee's family has a very idealized image in their minds of whole Lee was.  He led a chaotic lifestyle with numerous questionable business deals.  Yet, his sister repeatedly said, "My brother wouldn't commit suicide."

As presented to me, I can completely see a man who made a risky business deal and who's exceptionally drunk doing something rash enough as to die by suicide after his supposed big deal falls through.

That makes more sense to me than Rob coming to the house, with a gun, intending to murder Lee.  I also think there wasn't any concrete evidence that Belinda did it.

[pdlinda]

7 hours ago, iMonrey said:

Maybe the jury saw that and it's why she only got four years.

There was NO JURY.  She never went to trial.  She signed a plea agreement with the State. 

They dropped the most serious murder-for-hire charges.

There must have been a sentencing range and the Judge chose to give her 4 years.

[Crashcourse]

The fact that she was a highly regarded cop (at least publicly) probably had a lot to do with her only getting four years, unfortunately.  She was an f-bomb throwing nutcase. 

I hope her husband got custody of the child, and that he and John's daughter are somewhere safe.  

[Annber03]

2 minutes ago, Crashcourse said:

The fact that she was a highly regarded cop (at least publicly) probably had a lot to do with her only getting four years, unfortunately. 

Yeah, this episode didn't really speak well for the police force in the area, given how much she was able to get away with and how often anyone who tried to challenge her was persuaded to back off. 

[UsernameFatigue]

I wasn't surprised that Isaiah was alive, because his parents didn't come across as people whose son was murdered. And certainly didn't come across as a mother who was still attached to her son by a symbolic umbilical cord, and a step father who introduced his step son to his eventual murderer.

Also the crime scene looked staged to me. If the driver's side door was open and Isaiah was stepping out, why would the glass be broken. The angles just looked wrong.

That said, OMFG. I was yelling in my head at the TV when John was talking about discussing killing his daughter with that psycho piece of shit. He is so lucky that while he was discussing it but before going to the police, she didn't go ahead and hire someone. Once again, OMFG.

I am surprised that the FBI didn't set up a sting where they had someone posing as the hit man and Valerie paying him off. Wouldn't they know that otherwise there is no evidence that she hired someone, and it is only her word against John's? 

That said, she is a terrible actress - not a tear was shed in her performance when she was told Isaiah was murdered. However I don't blame Isaiah, his parents, John and his daughter for being afraid of Valerie.  Her instability (to put it mildly)  is in Pam Hupp territory. 

Edited April 3, 2022 by UsernameFatigue

[Annber03]

1 minute ago, UsernameFatigue said:

That said, she is a terrible actress - not a tear was shed in her performance when she was told Isaiah was murdered. However I don't blame Isaiah, his parents, John and his daughter for being afraid of Valerie.  Her instability (to put it mildly)  is in Pam Hupp territory. 

OMG, YES to the Pam Hupp comparison. That is spot on. 

And agreed on her being a terrible actress, too. That's the thing that always gets me in these kinds of stories, these people always try and put on this dramatic crying/emotional act and it never works.  Most people in general are not that great of actors. 

[pdlinda]

1 hour ago, UsernameFatigue said:

I am surprised that the FBI didn't set up a sting where they had someone posing as the hit man and Valerie paying him off. Wouldn't they know that otherwise there is no evidence that she hired someone, and it is only her word against John's? 

Yes, I believe you're right. 

I recall the Dalia Dippolito case in Miami several years ago when she was convicted of a similar-type murder-for-hire case.  She also had a paramour and her then-husband was in a similarly-staged "murder scene" and appeared later, as in this case, ALIVE!

As I recall, the FBI took special pains to wire up an "informant" (FBI agent) who got Dalia to admit on tape that she wished to hire a hit man to murder her husband and had proof that the informant was paid by her.

That story was also on 20/20 several times as Dalia wended her way through her trials and appeals.  Her legal maneuvers eventually failed and she was sentenced to 16 yrs.

It seems very odd to me that the FBI failed to handle this case as skillfully as they did Dalia's. 

It was certainly in their purview to ensure that the strategy for snaring Valerie and her wicked scheme would include a recorded pass-off of $$$ between her and a hit-man they could have arranged to assist them in making sure they had an iron-tight case.

Edited April 3, 2022 by pdlinda

[Vivigirl10]

On 4/2/2022 at 8:28 PM, UsernameFatigue said:

I am surprised that the FBI didn't set up a sting where they had someone posing as the hit man and Valerie paying him off. Wouldn't they know that otherwise there is no evidence that she hired someone, and it is only her word against John's?

 

On 4/2/2022 at 9:52 PM, pdlinda said:

It was certainly in their purview to ensure that the strategy for snaring Valerie and her wicked scheme would include a recorded pass-off of $$$ between her and a hit-man they could have arranged to assist them in making sure they had an iron-tight case.

Agreed.  I don't even know why they bothered to stage the whole bit where the police officers came to her door.  Was she supposed to confess something when they left, I suppose?  While I do truly believe she wanted her husband and the daughter killed, it pains me to say that you could view the whole situation as just "talk".  An odd fail on the FBI's part.

John made me sick.  What father could even "pretend" to talk about having his daughter killed?  He seemed more emotional over her little boy than his own flesh and blood daughter!

I am still highly fearful that Isaiah and the daughter may come to harm when she gets out of prison.  Isaiah because she wants custody of their son, and the daughter because it's the perfect revenge on John setting her up.  

[12catcrazy]

Wow - as a person living on Long Island, I thought, "Where is Amy Fisher when we need her?"

Seriously though, I had been following this case in the local papers and always wondered what the boyfriend was like as he seemed to be a Bozo when written about in the newspapers.   I can't believe that the guy has gone on national tv instead of hiding under a rock and changing his name.    What kind of person would allow somebody else to dictate that he can't see his own daughter and to banish her to live with others.   Valerie was an attractive enough woman but she still wasn't all that and even if she was, my God, what was DiBlubber thinking?

Dateline did help clear up some questions that I had about why the Feds dropped the murder for hire case and  why she only got 4 years in prison (and will be out in two).  They didn't really go into how her father (also NYPD) had some connections, which had been brought up in the local papers.   Frankly, if I were Diblubber, I'd be looking over my shoulder when she gets out and ditto her ex-husband.   She certainly has cojones wanting custody of her son when she gets out of prison.  And does anybody else wonder about what happened to her daughter?  Dateline didn't tell us - did she end up with Valerie's family or her father's family?

Valerie wasn't an idiot in how she pushed getting the hitman off on DiBlubber.  That way her hands looked clean and she could say that it wasn't her idea - it was really that the boyfriend cooked up the plot and then carried it out.  The entire thing was really clumsy and shame on the FBI for not getting enough proof to make the charges stick. 

And lastly, I had to laugh when Dateline kept showing us those beautiful houses on the water in "Shirley".   Those houses are not in Shirley - I believe that area is called Point Lookout and you have to drive through Shirley to get there.  Shirley is a very blue collar area which gets eye rolls from people living in nicer areas.   It's basically if you want your kids to be in a "good" school district, you try not to move to Shirley.  

Edited April 4, 2022 by 12catcrazy

[Josiemae]

If there were laws against potty-mouth, she'd be doin' life. 

[12catcrazy]

12 hours ago, Josiemae said:

If there were laws against potty-mouth, she'd be doin' life. 

This made me think of a really funny video that used to be on YT (I say "used to be" because I searched for it and it has apparently been removed) called "Jersey Girl" and it  featured  a young woman (who was a familiar  Jersey Shore - or Long Island "type") and all the different ways she could say "what the fuck".    It was really a classic.  

[mythoughtis]

On 4/2/2022 at 9:52 PM, pdlinda said:

Yes, I believe you're right. 

I recall the Dalia Dippolito case in Miami several years ago when she was convicted of a similar-type murder-for-hire case.  She also had a paramour and her then-husband was in a similarly-staged "murder scene" and appeared later, as in this case, ALIVE!

As I recall, the FBI took special pains to wire up an "informant" (FBI agent) who got Dalia to admit on tape that she wished to hire a hit man to murder her husband and had proof that the informant was paid by her.

That story was also on 20/20 several times as Dalia wended her way through her trials and appeals.  Her legal maneuvers eventually failed and she was sentenced to 16 yrs.

It seems very odd to me that the FBI failed to handle this case as skillfully as they did Dalia's. 

It was certainly in their purview to ensure that the strategy for snaring Valerie and her wicked scheme would include a recorded pass-off of $$$ between her and a hit-man they could have arranged to assist them in making sure they had an iron-tight case.

This is what I think too.  The FBI failed in their due diligence 

 

John is so far off the map of being a grown  man at 52 that I don’t even know how to describe it. How can anyone bail on their 14 year old daughter to go live with someone that hates her? Packs her off to a friends’ parents to raise? And that’s besides all the crazy stuff that went on before Valerie started talking about murder. 

Edited April 6, 2022 by mythoughtis

[Court]

I hate the boyfriend so much. I don't care how in love you are. His poor poor daughter.  I hope she is ok. I also believe that he was involved to a degree at least. It's disgusting that she got only 4 years. 

[Irlandesa]

I really wish they hadn't spent so much time on the victim's political career when she wasn't a state senator any longer when she was murdered and it had nothing to do with the case. 

So the first half of the show was just a waste. 

But the second half was good.  I agree with the perp's fiance, the arrest was overly dramatic.  Simultaneous with the visitation?  C'mon. 

But then, the fiance was so stupid I can't really feel that bad for him.  Conspiracy theories only detract from the truth.  Do I think he or any of those claiming a coverup will have learned their lesson?  Doubtful.

But that purse shot?  Pretty glorious. 

Edited April 9, 2022 by Irlandesa

[UsernameFatigue]

Well that was an interesting Dateline case of the murdered state senator. I knew of course that it wasn't the ex husband since Dateline spent so much of the first hour focusing on him as the prime suspect. They did do a good job of not shining a light on Becky, though I thought her comment  to the police when she was interviewed that Linda would be mad at her for the things she was telling them was odd, considering Linda was dead and could not get mad. Kudos to the interviewer for noticing that Becky shed no tears and was fake crying. 

 I did think that it was likely a female when they showed the person outside at Linda's covering themselves with a sheet- it definitely looked like a female form underneath the sheet. 

Linda's ex can't be too happy that Dateline focused so much on him, and it seems that much of what was said against him was said by Becky so possibly not even true. Also Dateline conveniently left out that in the letter Phillip wrote to dispute the allegations made against him, including Linda saying that he poisoned her with mercury, he stated that Linda had tooth  filling that contained mercury removed, and that resolved her issues. Certainly an easily verifiable claim. 

The "gotcha" video of Becky with the bloody knife in her hand was unbelievable. If this was a fictional story and that was part of the script it would likely be removed as too far fetched. 

 

I did love when Dennis pointed out that the fiance was annoyed at what he thought were unfair and false allegations against Becky, but had no problem leveling false allegations against Linda's ex. Go Dennis! 

[Irlandesa]

11 minutes ago, UsernameFatigue said:

I did love when Dennis pointed out that the fiance was annoyed at what he thought were unfair and false allegations against Becky, but had no problem leveling false allegations against Linda's ex. Go Dennis! 

That was beautiful!  But just think about it, kids, this guy was a cop. His powers of deduction leave a lot to be desired.

16 minutes ago, UsernameFatigue said:

I knew of course that it wasn't the ex husband since Dateline spent so much of the first hour focusing on him as the prime suspect. They did do a good job of not shining a light on Becky, though I thought her comment  to the police when she was interviewed that Linda would be mad at her for the things she was telling them was odd

That didn't strike me odd. In fact, I was suspicious of her interview but that gave me pause that she might actually be telling the truth.

But I suspected it was Becky because she wasn't interviewed for Dateline. The ex wasn't either but they covered his denial with an hour left to go.  I thought it was strange she happened to lose her phone.  And I think a judge would realize that removing the cameras and deleting the videos from the account wouldn't actually completely get rid of them.

[Annber03]

49 minutes ago, UsernameFatigue said:

They did do a good job of not shining a light on Becky, though I thought her comment  to the police when she was interviewed that Linda would be mad at her for the things she was telling them was odd, considering Linda was dead and could not get mad. 

I immediately suspected it was her after they played that audio snippet of her interview with the investigator, but she was never among those being interviewed. And then when they kept on with all the mystery around revealing just who it was they'd arrested, that pretty much cinched it for me. 

And then when she talked about how she'd lost her phone, and went on about how she couldn't live without it, that had me going, "Hmmm...", too. I actually thought we'd learn that Becky had been having an affair with Linda's ex-husband or something and that was the motivation for the murder, but money is obviously just as powerful a reason to kill, too, so...

I had to laugh at the one guy who worked for Linda being shocked at the news Becky was the murderer, though. He was all, "You'd never expect it to be the woman who worked for her, who was her friend, who handled her money....". I was sitting here like, "...you haven't seen a lot of true crime shows, have you?" Does the name Yolanda Saldivar mean anything to him, by any chance? 

55 minutes ago, Irlandesa said:

I agree with the perp's fiance, the arrest was overly dramatic.  Simultaneous with the visitation?  C'mon. 

I was impressed at the timing, though, with the judge signing that warrant just before Becky and her fiance got to the church. 

Quote

Conspiracy theories only detract from the truth.  Do I think he or any of those claiming a coverup will have learned their lesson?  Doubtful

Seriously, if nothing else, this episode showed just how incredibly ridiculous and laughable conspiracy theorists sound, because Becky did mastermind this whole conspiracy to murder her friend and the judge and the prosecutor, and she also tried to pull the wool over her fiance's eyes as well, and it all fell apart very easily and very quickly because she couldn't keep her mouth shut and tripped herself up. And that was just one person. 

Yet all these conspiracy theorists who tried to blame Linda's death on certain political figures or groups seem to think an entire group of people were somehow able to mastermind all of this and get away completely clean and can cover it all up so neatly, with not a single person slipping up ant spilling their guts or leaving evidence behind.. Uh-huh. Sure. Go outside and touch grass, you whackjobs. 

I also had to hold my tongue with all the talk about Linda wanting to better her community, 'cause based off some of the stuff I read up on her supporting, I wouldn't exactly say it posed any benefit to the community. But that's a whole other topic. 

Quote

But that pursue shot?  Pretty glorious. 

I actually laughed at that. And then when her expression fell when the detectives revealed that evidence to her, her, "...oh, shit..." reaction...priceless. What an idiot. 

Edited April 9, 2022 by Annber03

[Melina22]

6 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

But that purse shot?  Pretty glorious. 

That was unbelievable, and as noted, would seem completely ridiculous if included in a fictional crime drama. 

I was fascinated by her face in that video and in particular in the bizarre way her mouth was moving. I have never seen a person do this. I disagree with the idea that her mouth was starting to quiver (I forget who said this.) That implies she was about to cry, but that's not at all what I saw. I'm guessing it was a physical reaction to intense emotion of some kind, but as I said, it's like nothing I've ever seen before in fiction or reality. 

I just can't believe that shot even happened, and that she didn't delete it. To quote my usual Dateline cliches, truth is stranger than fiction, and you can't make this stuff up. (See also Pam Hupp.) 

[rlc]

This episode summed up everything wrong with America today. When the same people say ‘it couldn’t have possibly been Becky! Ridiculous! It’s a massive coverup involving a very low level politician who has been out of office for some time’, and ‘IT WAS HILLARY CLINTON’.

We are doomed.

[rlc]

1 hour ago, Melina22 said:

I was fascinated by her face in that video and in particular in the bizarre way her mouth was moving. I have never seen a person do this. I disagree with the idea that her mouth was starting to quiver (I forget who said this.) That implies she was about to cry, but that's not at all what I saw. I'm guessing it was a physical reaction to intense emotion of some kind, but as I said, it's like nothing I've ever seen before in fiction or reality. 

I thought it looked like feedback from the recording angle, not a lip quiver. 
 

I really hate how they spend an hour and a half besmirching innocent people on the shows before revealing the big twist. First clip I saw of Becky I called her as the murderer. I’m not a detective, but I’ve wasted countless hours of my life watching them on tv.

Edited April 9, 2022 by rlc

[Enigma X]

I knew it was Becky when we never saw her interviewed by Dateline, and in the audio she had told the police she lost her phone. This episode could have been an hour.

[iMonrey]

When Tim was describing Linda he said "if she walked into the room right now she'd be the focal point." No, Tim. The focal point is that weird orange spot on your mustache. It looks like something was leaking out of his right nostril and staining it. I was grossed out for two hours. 

I don't know if anyone here watches The Walking Dead, but Sheriff Kevin Bell sounds just like Eugene.

Quote

I disagree with the idea that her mouth was starting to quiver (I forget who said this.) That implies she was about to cry, but that's not at all what I saw.

I didn't see it either.

[Melina22]

24 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

When Tim was describing Linda he said "if she walked into the room right now she'd be the focal point."

Oh, and don't forget he said she'd light up a room! 😁

25 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

No, Tim. The focal point is that weird orange spot on your mustache. It looks like something was leaking out of his right nostril and staining it. I was grossed out for two hours. 

I got over that once I figured he probably used to be a redhead, but was turning grey. But I never stopped fixating on how one side of his mustache was thicker than the other. 

Yes, it takes a special kind of person to be a Dateline watcher. 😁

[LGraves65]

Heyyy Arkansas in the house! People I know! A town I've been to 100s of times! It's weird to see places you've been in real life on Dateline.

Stupid conspiracy theories aside, 99% of murders are about sex or money. This one was money. 

[Crashcourse]

13 hours ago, Annber03 said:

I had to laugh at the one guy who worked for Linda being shocked at the news Becky was the murderer, though. He was all, "You'd never expect it to be the woman who worked for her, who was her friend, who handled her money....". I was sitting here like, "...you haven't seen a lot of true crime shows, have you?" Does the name Yolanda Saldivar mean anything to him, by any chance? 

I thought of Yolanda Saldivar, too.

[Lovecat]

15 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

So the first half of the show was just a waste. 

But the second half was good.  I agree with the perp's fiance, the arrest was overly dramatic.  Simultaneous with the visitation?  C'mon. 

But that purse shot?  Pretty glorious. 

I was on to Becky within the first half hour and was getting sleepy (and a little bored, truth be told) towards the 1-hour mark, so I turned it off and went to bed.  Finished up this morning, and had me a grand old time hooting and hollering when that purse shot was revealed.  That was the best 5 minutes of Dateline in forever!

The title of the episode was "Hands of a Killer," so I thought analysis of the blanket footage was going to reveal Becky's hand sticking out with a distinctive engagement ring being the thing that identified her.  The purse camera thing is certainly much better, though!  I do wonder who Tim wound up marrying; he was wearing a wedding ring, and I was halfway convinced that it was going to be revealed that he and Becky had still gotten married.

I didn't have a problem with the arrest, I mean, the cops didn't know if Becky was armed (Tim sure was open carrying in all of his B-roll footage) or was going to go nuts at the church and hurt someone else.  What I shook my head at was them pulling the family away from the visitation to tell them Becky had been arrested and then sending them back to greet mourners like nothing happened.  C'mon, guys!  Don't you think the family had enough to deal with on the day of Linda's funeral?  Surely news of the apprehension could wait another hour or two.  I'm not actually sure there was a service or anything (they just kept calling it a visitation), but unless there was and Becky or Tim had a key role, it is likely they wouldn't have been missed with emotions running so high.

15 hours ago, UsernameFatigue said:

I did love when Dennis pointed out that the fiance was annoyed at what he thought were unfair and false allegations against Becky, but had no problem leveling false allegations against Linda's ex. Go Dennis! 

My favorite part was when Dennis was like [to Tim], "So all that time, you were sleeping with, sharing a bed with, a slash and stab killer.  How do you feel about that?"  I CACKLED.  Dennis is everything.

4 hours ago, iMonrey said:

When Tim was describing Linda he said "if she walked into the room right now she'd be the focal point." No, Tim. The focal point is that weird orange spot on your mustache. It looks like something was leaking out of his right nostril and staining it. I was grossed out for two hours. 

I spent an inordinate amount of time staring at that, too.  Unfortunate.

Edited April 9, 2022 by Lovecat

[Annber03]

9 hours ago, rlc said:

This episode summed up everything wrong with America today. When the same people say ‘it couldn’t have possibly been Becky! Ridiculous! It’s a massive coverup involving a very low level politician who has been out of office for some time’, and ‘IT WAS HILLARY CLINTON’.

We are doomed.

Amazing, isn't it, how many crimes of this sort people desperately keep trying to tie her to, yet they never seem to be able to actually find the necessary proof of these accusations. But they're SO SURE she's involved somehow!

Geez, people. Let it go. 

Yeah. Speaking on a general level, more people really need to get used to the concept of Occam's Razor. Simplest explanation often tends to be the most likely one, every time. I too am really tired of people needing to find some elaborate shadowy conspiracies behind every little thing. Most people who do try and plot big crimes of any sort nowadays, government-related or not, they're too arrogant or stupid to hide their plans all that well, and the chances of committing your crimes without anyone finding out is slim at best. 

4 hours ago, iMonrey said:

When Tim was describing Linda he said "if she walked into the room right now she'd be the focal point." No, Tim. The focal point is that weird orange spot on your mustache. It looks like something was leaking out of his right nostril and staining it. I was grossed out for two hours. 

LOL, I kept noticing that, too :p. I wondered at first if it might be an effect of him being a smoker or something, and part of his moustache changed color because of that, but the redhead explanation makes sense, too. 

[Melina22]

41 minutes ago, Lovecat said:

I spent an inordinate amount of time staring at that, too.  Unfortunate.

 

37 minutes ago, Annber03 said:

LOL, I kept noticing that, too :p. I wondered at first if it might be an effect of him being a smoker or something, and part of his moustache changed color because of that, but the redhead explanation makes sense, too. 

My people. 😁

[howiveaddict]

11 hours ago, rlc said:

I thought it looked like feedback from the recording angle, not a lip quiver. 
 

I really hate how they spend an hour and a half besmirching innocent people on the shows before revealing the big twist. First clip I saw of Becky I called her as the murderer. I’m not a detective, but I’ve wasted countless hours of my life watching them on tv.

Me too. She gave off the jealous of boss, stole money, murdered boss vibe.

7 hours ago, Melina22 said:

Oh, and don't forget he said she'd light up a room! 😁

I got over that once I figured he probably used to be a redhead, but was turning grey. But I never stopped fixating on how one side of his mustache was thicker than the other. 

Yes, it takes a special kind of person to be a Dateline watcher. 😁

I figured it was a nicotine stain. Seen that before.

[answerphone]

A minor thing and a major thing that fascinated me this time: 

As others have stated, his asymmetrical red streak in his mustache. It was distracting me🙄

 The ending with the security camera videos😂😂 My gosh, straight out of a bad movie!!😄 It reminded me of an old Colombo and Peter Falk knew who did it all along. 🙃

[TVbitch]

Becky must be pretty spry to murder Linda, get a ladder and tools and go around removing all the cameras, and drag her body outside and put it under the tarp. Looks like she did it all by herself. 

I'm surprised the conspiracy crowd didn't just claim the footage was fake. 

[JudyObscure]

I knew instantly it was Becky --- because I'd read all you guy's posts first.  But it was  a great one that I would have missed without you!  The drama with the police cars following Becky to the church, the warrant getting signed at the last minute, the sheriff saying "turn on the lights!" Yeah!  Only, I agree, it was unnecessary to pull the family away in the middle of the visitation. 

The mustache -- there was a short shot of him smoking and holding the cigarette in his mouth just below the red stripe.  Why in the world men don't shave off those aging gray beards in the first place is beyond me.  

The lip quiver -- I think Becky was breathing heavily through her mouth from all the hard stabbing and lifting she'd been doing and the air was making her lip move.

Dennis was great in this one, calling out the stupid conspiracy theories and Tim's finger pointing at the ex-husband. 

Too bad Linda's nice family is so hurt.

Edited April 10, 2022 by JudyObscure

[iMonrey]

Quote

Becky must be pretty spry to murder Linda, get a ladder and tools and go around removing all the cameras, and drag her body outside and put it under the tarp. Looks like she did it all by herself. 

Unless I missed something, they didn't go into a lot of detail about how Linda was murdered, like how many times she was stabbed, for example. I don't think I get why her body was dragged out of the house and thrown under a tarp in the driveway, either. What difference did it make to Becky where the body was found?

[pdlinda]

2 hours ago, iMonrey said:

Unless I missed something, they didn't go into a lot of detail about how Linda was murdered, like how many times she was stabbed, for example. I don't think I get why her body was dragged out of the house and thrown under a tarp in the driveway, either. What difference did it make to Becky where the body was found?

I thought they did mention the MULTIPLE times Linda was stabbed?  

However, I'm still having a problem understanding how someone with Becky's physical stature (she appeared to be petite with a small frame) could have overcome Linda (who was short of stature but appeared physically strong) with such force and power as to kill her by repeatedly stabbing her over and over again....also, I'm hoping someone can explain how Becky physically could drag Linda's "dead weight" body outside (very physically demanding), cover it with a tarp and then have the equipment (ladder and tools) to climb up onto the roofline of the house MULTIPLE TIMES to remove those cameras one by one!

Also, there would have had to have been some planning and presence of mind for her to get into the phone app to remove the data from the cameras.

I accept that Becky committed the murder herself but in the back of my mind there's still that glimmer of suspicion that Tim had a part in it.   

However, as the police apparently absolved him of any guilt and he got away scot free, I guess that's where we'll have to leave it.