All Episodes Discussion

[LakeGal]

I didn't understand why the woman was proud of herself that she was able to remember the code to turn off the alarm.  She wanted help to come because she had been shot.  She should be happy to set off the alarm. 

 

I wonder if the son has a little different opinion than his sisters.  We saw him walking into court at one time.  But he did not do any interviews.  I too felt the daughters were more on their dad's side than their mother's.  It was very strange.

[Morbs]

"My dad is a human!" oh, ok, good point, he must be innocent.

The twist the size of Texas: it was the cheating husband!

It's really turned into a show you can only get through if you're doing something else while you watch. Every week I think two hours have passed when there is actually an hour left. It's like entering a time warp, the show is so drawn out and boring.

Edited October 18, 2014 by Morbs

[Tunia]

I wonder if the son has a little different opinion than his sisters. We saw him walking into court at one time. But he did not do any interviews.

 

 

When he hadn't appeared within the first 20 minutes or so, I was almost expecting the outcome to be that he was involved in his mother's attack.  It seemed odd there was no commentary about him.

[druzy]

Nancy Howard you deserve better than this! I can’t imagine getting shot in the face, finding out my husband Frank is really John & having your cold hearted daughters turn on you in your darkest moments. Instead of surrounding you with love, compassion & support, they rallied around their father.  I watched an extended clip online and Nancy said that her daughters are upset with her because they thought she should have done more to get Frank John’s sentence reduced. What in the world could she have done- write a letter asking for leniency? The judge would most likely look at the reason for her writing that letter was because she was scared or naive.  Frank John & those pompous daughters deserve each other.

[LGGirl]

I'm glad that Nancy appears to have moved on. She isn't under the delusion that her husband is innocent and still married to him.

I feel sorry for the daughters that they are standing behind evil. I guess they can't let go because it would mean their perfect family and life would have been a lie. They need to protect the life they had. I guess their mother moving on doesn't fit that program. Deep down I could tell at some level they know the truth. It's just sad that they have turned on their mother, the real victim.

I hope Mr John and his friends spend the rest of their lives in jail. And he becomes someone's bitch.

[ElleBee]

I hate to judge people when they have the pressure both of being interviewed on national television and having to discuss a really stressful event, but that oldest daughter had a strange demeanor. When she was describing the phone call, informing her that her mother had been shot, it was along the lines of "They told me my mom had been shot and my reaction was, 'No way! That can't be true!' " <smile> <laugh>. Even if I was 100% convinced that my father had been unjustly accused, I can't imagine describing a phone call about my mother almost having been murdered in any kind of light-hearted, almost giggly way. She just never seemed upset talking about what happened to her mom, which I would think would be really emotional regardless of the accusations against her dad.

 

And really honey--he was so nice that maybe he got bribed by some bad guys because... well, because he was just so nice about helping strangers and maybe they took advantage and were threatening his family? Wow... The daughters' reactions and justifications are so odd that I suspect there was something off with the "Beaver" family dynamics even before all this happened.

 

Team Nancy--I feel really sad for that woman on many fronts.

Edited October 18, 2014 by ElleBee

[Morbs]

I thought the daughter's attitude was very flip as well and that maybe she inherited some of her father's sociopath qualities. I hope they get some negative feedback about their behavior. What odd ducks.

[kathybgd]

Those daughters were FREAKS! Especially that one. And yeah! Where was the son?

[JudyObscure]

John and his daughters are creepy in a whole different way.  The girls are still proud and giggly about their "Leave it to Beaver," family even after it seems Ward put a hit out on June.  And John Franklin really thought we would all say, "Awwww," when he told how he and his mistress "found each other" in the casino. Right Frank, very romantic, you two must be soul mates. I guess they're all working on a new family  that will be just like, "The Brady Bunch."  After all, no one asked exactly what happened to Mr. Brady's first wife.

 

Something's very wrong when the strung out Hee-haw gang expressed more sympathy for Nancy than her daughters did.

[LuLu123]

It took the jury only 90 minutes to convict Dad.  90 minutes! Meaning that most, if not all of the jurors had decided that this fool was guilty from jump.

 

These girls are headed for a huge fall.  I wonder what the sons-in-law think?   At one point, they said that Nancy was supported by friends and family, so perhaps the children are the only ones who are delusional.

 

It will be interesting to see what happens once the actual hitman and driver go on trial.

[walnutqueen]

Those daughters are in total denial.  If their Dad is indeed innocent, why hasn't he told them the real story behind the money and the HeeHaw bunch?  They are SO close with him, but other than denying the charges he hasn't told them anything?  They were twisting themselves into knots trying to explain the "blackmail" plot.

 

Those East Texas HeeHaws were a meth-addled bunch of crazies in their own right - money with hair & blood on it smuggled into the country in dead soldiers' caskets?  Check.

[Enigma X]

Throw me in with the mix who found the daughters very odd and even cold to their mother's plight. I found my self repeating what Tall Unrelated Hee Haw member said: "What did this woman do to you?," but in reference to the daughters. (I am joking. I think the daughters are just so disillusioned.) I can understand if they were conflicted just a bit or even felt a bit bad for not supporting them mother in a small way. I saw nothing indicating that they felt anything for their mother at all. With all that said, I am trying to find a little in me to give them the benefit of the doubt. I would not be surprised though if we saw another Dateline episode where the daughters avenge their dad's conviction by succeeding in having the mom killed. As dramatic as that sounds, I would not be surprised if it happened.

[Dot Com]

Okay does anyone else think that younger bald cop looked like Adam Levine (Maroon 5, The Voice) in the face?

[daughtersofanarchy]

I agree with everything that's been said about this bizarre group.

 

While I believed the stuff the criminal gang was saying about the dad throwing huge sums of money their way, I kept thinking the dad was nuts in more than one way, it would have been cheaper to just get a divorce.  Then when they showed the house he bought for himself and his girlfriend, I nearly slid off the couch.  It would have been WAY cheaper to get a divorce.  Then when they said the dad had been found to be embezzling from his boss - no wonder he had no trouble throwing money at the gang for three whole years, it wasn't even his.  By the way, we didn't hear his super-weird daughters attempt to address the embezzling he did.  Maybe Daddy has been throwing some nice wads of cash to his kids, too, and they can't bear to see the gravy train derailed.

[ari333]

Gravy train derailed indeed. Nailed it.

 

Holy shit. This story was so so very sad to me. I dont' even know what to say about that poor, sweet woman shot in the head, lost an eye.

 

I'll say this. IDK how or why because I'm no expert by any stretch, but in the first moments of the show when LE initially interviewed FrankJohn (and officers asked for his phone etc) the way he was speaking raised red flags and chilly bumps for me... especially when he said that she, "uh.. uh... has no brain damage." It wasn't the words, per se; it was the way he said it that gave me chills and that was before he was even on the radar as suspect #1 (even though the husband is usually #1 from the get-go.)

 

Agreed the daughters are off the charts cold, especially the older one. Where was the son? Maybe he has some sense and some feelings for his mom. If so, good on him. What the fuck was with all the giggling when they retold the story of their mom being shot in the head? How is that even smile-worthy? I'm just lost on that part.

Edited October 18, 2014 by ari333

[ari333]

I know it's all a no-no to speak ill of the dead, but ....if it's true (grain) I think Nancy was just plain RUDE. Just because something is true or is simply someone's opinion, doesn't mean it needs to be said to someone's face  -- or at all. "You're fat"  is not "being honest" - it's just plain rude. Just like "You have unsightly acne" may be true, but still rude. People have mirrors and scales. It's no one's job to bring it up in polite conversation. Jesus. 

 

Of course, I'm not in any way suggesting she deserved to be murdered. Not at all. I'm just saying, people lose their shit and commit violent, deadly acts  over small things that they consider transgressions. (One dude in  Florida at a convenience store fired 10 shots into an SUV full of teens, killing one of them, because their music was "too loud.")  

 

Anyway, this case was also covered on 20/20 (available on demand in our area) and they added more details -- for whoever is interested. They included voice mails and other things that were left out of Dateline for whatever reason.

Edited October 18, 2014 by ari333

[imjagain]

Crazy episode. That poor woman.

The daughter annoyed the hell out of me. The oldest was so flippant. As she was speaking I thought why is she  speaking so loudly and breezy about her mother being shot?

John Frank was an evil idiot!  The gang of meth heads took him for all that money for 2 years?

[Intocats]

I know it's all a no-no to speak ill of the dead, but ....if it's true (grain) I think Nancy was just plain RUDE. Just because something is true or is simply someone's opinion, doesn't mean it needs to be said to someone's face  -- or at all. "You're fat"  is not "being honest" - it's just plain rude. Just like "You have unsightly acne" may be true, but still rude. People have mirrors and scales. It's no one's job to bring it up in polite conversation. Jesus. 

 

Of course, I'm not in any way suggesting she deserved to be murdered. Not at all. I'm just saying, people lose their shit and commit violent, deadly acts  over small things that they consider transgressions. (One dude in  Florida at a convenience store fired 10 shots into an SUV full of teens, killing one of them, because their music was "too loud.")  

 

Anyway, this case was also covered on 20/20 (available on demand in our area) and they added more details -- for whoever is interested. They included voice mails and other things that were left out of Dateline for whatever reason.

ari333, I completely agree. Nancy Pfister sounds like she had deep issues with alcohol and possibly mental illness. At the very least, she lacked the filter that most of us (who work for a living) develop at a young age. When wealthy people act like jerks, everyone chalks it up to eccentricity.

 

I saw the 20/20 episode, too. Usually 20/20 is a bit too fluffy, but they did more comprehensive job with this story. (It is still up on On Demand for another few days.)

 

Nancy's friend Kathy completely put her foot into it during the Dateline interview when she said that she hoped Nancy's daughter could "forgive her"...then quickly backpedaled. Mr. Styler looked far too frail to pull off a violent murder, and his wife seemed believable to me. I hope someone finally figures out who did this.

[car54]

At some point, my attention wandered from Nancy and her family and I got really distracted by the Hee Haw guys --on their own, they were so off the hook crazy they kind of stole the show for me.

That one mouthy daughter is really delusional, and I felt like the other quieter one was very dominated by her.  The loud one would say something very vehemently and the quiet one would be her little echo.   I too wondered about the son and what he really thinks.

 

I felt very sorry for Nancy, because in one minute her life went from having a big perfect family to having no one.  Her husband living another life, her kids siding with him.    

[Intocats]

Gosh, you guys. I was thinking the same thing. Frank or John (or whatever the heck his name is) was probably indulging his daughters' every whim with the embezzled money and they were annoyed that the cash stream ran dry. They seemed to have no compassion at all for their mother. I couldn't believe that his younger daughter wanted him to walk her down the aisle at her wedding, after what he did. And I thought the giggling and smirking both sisters were doing was bizarre, to say the least. "Beaverly", indeed.

 

FrankJohn didn't want a divorce because he would have had to pay alimony to Nancy, and some of the illegal things he was doing may have come to light. 

 

I hope that Nancy can have a peaceful life after all this. I feel so bad for her.

[jenkait]

Okay, that was craziness.  The daughters: "some people watching will think we're delusional, but..."

 

Good grief yes, you ARE delusional.

 

maybe she inherited some of her father's sociopath qualities.

 

I didn't think of that, but that's a very good point.  I think you're right.

 

All I can say is wow, that poor mom...  I think I'd disown family who supported someone who shot me in the head.  What an impossible thing to deal with.  I hope her son is on her side.  It was interesting he wasn't interviewed.  I think the mom's coping mechanism was probably as healthy as could be under the circumstances, referring to her time with "Frank" and then "John" after he had the affair and shot her.  I really, really wish that mom peace.  I wonder if the husband was always some kind of sociopath, ie had affairs earlier that no one found out about/did other negative things.  I can see money corrupting someone (ie stealing, having an affair with all that travel) but murder is something else!  I kind of think you'd have to have that in you all along.  And what on earth, with paying those people 400K over two years for a hit?!  Just...what a moron, I don't get it.  Also, so much for the "Leave It To Beaver" comparisons, I think that family is about a far as you can get from that show, sadly.  But hey, keep believing, daughters!

 

Now to hijack this thing, and make it about me...  I always rather liked Andrea Canning, because 1) her name is Andrea, 2) she's Canadian (so am I), and 3) her 90's hairstyle amuses me.  But...Andrea was my cat's name, and she passed away unexpectedly last week.  I think Andrea Canning episodes will always be bittersweet to me now.

Edited October 18, 2014 by jenkait

[jenkait]

Thanks for the link to that article, Morbs.  I read it, and Nancy seemed like she would be an exhausting person to be around, I couldn't take it.  Also, I agree with the above comment that if she had been poor, it would've been considered almost child abuse, dragging her daughter all over the world, up at 1:30am, etc.  Very sad to think about that comparison.

 

I still can't figure out who did it.  I wondered if maybe the doctor had enough strength to maybe hit Nancy in the head as she slept, and his wife was like "Oh sh*t!" and helped him cover it up.  The couple seemed to have a history of problems with people, suing them, etc.  That made me raise an eyebrow for sure, but on the other hand, suing is a far cry from murder.  I was also suspicious of the friend (personal assistant? that wasn't mentioned in the show, was it?  That actually makes more sense, because Nancy didn't seem to treat like much of a friend.)  Leaving the note on the door, the comment about seeing blood when she was covered up, and taking the $$ and ring out of the safe, that was all very suspicious to me.  Did she actually give the ring to the daughter?  She just didn't seem right to me.  If she was more of a PA to Nancy though, I think she'd be less likely kill her, because you can put up with more crap if you're being paid, right?  I think the hammer/key left so close to the motel could've been the couple panicked after the murder, OR the friend framing them.  Hard to say.  All three of them being in it together seemed farfetched, but we don't know what kind of relationship the three of them had.  It wasn't talked about, but maybe they did develop a relationship.  I really wonder what happened in this case.

Edited October 18, 2014 by jenkait

[JudyObscure]

Aw, sorry about the Andrea kitty.

 

I found a newspaper article from the day of the verdict and it said, "Her three children all spoke for the defense."  So  for those of us hoping the son stuck by Nancy, guess not.  How sad.

[jenkait]

Thanks, Judy.  And I'm sorry to learn the son isn't on her side, I was really hoping he was.

Edited October 18, 2014 by jenkait

[Lizzing]

In a twisted way, I kinda loved the Hee Haw meth gang and their stringing along of John for 2 years.  It could be just residual Breaking Bad nostalgia, because that crew was straight up a copy of Uncle Jack's posse.

 

I feel bad for Nancy that her kids defended their dad so much.  Like you all have said, those daughters (and apparently the son) totally have their heads in the sand.

[canaanite2]

 

It's really turned into a show you can only get through if you're doing something else while you watch.

 

Funny you say that. Because I've got it on right now while I'm reading this thread! I checked out when they promised a twist to find out the killer is - wait for it - the husband who was having an affair. So! Shocking!!

 

I couldn't stand the older daughter from the get go. She has a very annoying histrionic manner of speaking.

[Jordan Baker]

This episode was definitely in the truth-is-stranger-than-fiction category. If this were the plot of a movie, it would be called far-fetched.

 

But if there ever is a movie made about this case, Robert Downey, Jr. HAS to play the leader of the Heehaw Gang! Every time Billy Earl (was that his name?) spoke, I pictured RD.

[druzy]

Ashley Faus, Nancy’s daughter started a journal on August 18, 2012 the day after her mother was shot. It follows her progress.  What I am about to say may be farfetched but the cynic in me thinks she may have set this up just in case she was implicated in the murder plot to show how much she cares- but who knows. The first post was on August 19, 2013 & her last entry was August 24, 2013. You can find the journal here:

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/nancyhowardtx/journal/index/0/0/asc

I don’t get her sense of humor “My mom is going to milk this thing for all it's worth! “:

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/nancyhowardtx/journal/view/id/51be5c6c6ca0045d24004657

This is her company blog- just thought I’d throw it in:
http://consciouslycorporate.com/

 

Edited to add: I had this episode on in the background while doing other things so I am not sure if they mentioned her journal. 

Edited October 19, 2014 by druzy

[OpieTaylor]

Ashley Faus, Nancy’s daughter started a journal on August 18, 2012 the day after her mother was shot. It follows her progress.

 

Thanks druzy, interesting. What a sad story, and what strange daughters. I too think the older one must be sociopathic. Is she Ashley? 

[walnutqueen]

jenkait - I am so sorry for your loss.  I wish you peace and comfort in your time of pain.

 

 

In a twisted way, I kinda loved the Hee Haw meth gang and their stringing along of John for 2 years.  It could be just residual Breaking Bad nostalgia, because that crew was straight up a copy of Uncle Jack's posse.

 

That was a very good catch, Lizzing!   :-)

[druzy]

Yes, Opie Taylor, according to this article, Ashly is the older sister and I agree she is strange and from what she said at her father’s sentencing hearing, she is delusional as well:

 

 

Griffin and her older sister, Ashley Faus, testified that their father has continued providing loving support to them, even during the two years since the shooting, and that he speaks highly of their family — including their mother.
Faus said that her father hasn’t been late on checks owed to Nancy Howard and that he is her mother’s main source of income.
“What benefit is there to keeping him away?” Faus said.

 

[walnutqueen]

And there ya go - it's always about the money.

[druzy]

Like I said up thread I had this on in the background while doing other things. Did Dateline mention that the The FBI stated that before the shooting on August 18, they received a tip from a jailhouse informant about the murder-for-hire, but agents did not tell local police of the tip until after Nancy was shot.

 

I also missed that she addressed her victim impact statement to Frank and to John. Good for Nancy!

 

Sorry in advance if this is old news. I promise to put my laundry down and give my full attention to the show for now on ;) 

 

 

[applecrisp]

And there ya go - it's always about the money.

Everyone's opinions mirror mine.  The oldest daughter was way off, I kept thinking do other people feel the same?  Follow the money.

 

Druzy, I don't remember the FBI even mentioned, just makes this story sadder.

 

John was such a dumb ass  for continuing to pay these people.  On Deadly Women they had a similar story of a good Christian women throwing money at  poor people in Memphis and no one getting the job done.  Finally someone carried out the murder.  She also embezzled.

[druzy]

Everyone's opinions mirror mine.  The oldest daughter was way off, I kept thinking do other people feel the same?  Follow the money.

 

Druzy, I don't remember the FBI even mentioned, just makes this story sadder.

 

John was such a dumb ass  for continuing to pay these people.  On Deadly Women they had a similar story of a good Christian women throwing money at  poor people in Memphis and no one getting the job done.  Finally someone carried out the murder.  She also embezzled.

 

I wonder why they didn't mention that the FBI knew.

 

I wish they would get a different narrator for Deadly Women- her narration scares the heck out of me, especially when I fall asleep with the ID channel on and I wake up at 2 am to the voice of doom! 

[iMonrey]

 

I checked out when they promised a twist to find out the killer is - wait for it - the husband who was having an affair. So! Shocking!!

 

Yeah, this. There are too many episodes that should be edited down to one hour. They spent an inordinate amount of time on the Hee Haw gang talking about this mysterious "John" person, waiting about 20 freaking minutes and two commercial breaks to finally reveal John was in fact - the husband. SO shocking. If there's no real twist here, don't try to fake us out.

 

I can appreciate the fact that maybe some people, including the daughters, are wondering how any man could be so stupid as to throw hundreds of thousands of dollars at these fools when just getting a divorce was so much cheaper, because that really didn't make any sense, at all. As a juror, that might have given me reasonable doubt.

 

The problem was, the defense never offered any kind of plausible explanation for how John/Frank would have ever even known these people in the first place, or how they would have known him, or how they would have known about an affair he was having. So the theory that he was being blackmailed was laughably flimsy. Even the daughters didn't seem to know just how their father would have ever become involved with these people or what they may have had on him, so obviously John/Frank himself has offered no explanation. How anyone can continue to believe in him is baffling.

[JudyObscure]

From Druzy's link:

Nancy Howard said she received $800,000 during the couple’s divorce settlement and since January, has been getting $200 a month in alimony after 30 years of marriage. Her ex-husband has also been paying for her insurance, which costs roughly $1,100 a month, she said.

What sort of divorce settlement is this? Frank must have spent well over a million for those two houses in California for his mistress. His boss says he stole 1.7 million from him. He's still writing checks to his grown, married daughters -- but all Nancy gets after 30 years of marriage is $800,000 and $200 a month alimony! I would have thought that after party number one tries to kill party number two in a divorce, party number two would get all the money and property they held! The very idea that he has Nancy on a shoe string and the ability to control his stupid children -- from prison, just burns me.

[zxy556575]

Sometimes I watch the first five minutes or so to set the stage, but generally I skip the entire first hour. Yeah, yeah, Dateline. I got the gist already.

[Ohmo]

“What benefit is there to keeping him away?” Faus said.

 

This sentence freaks me out.  The benefit seems obvious to me---so that he doesn't get another chance to have her shot!

 

I completely believe that Frank/John paid to have Nancy killed.  I came to this thread specifically seeking confirmation that others thought the daughters were downright weird and scary, in addition to delusional.  I'm sorry that Nancy doesn't have the support of any of her children.  She's been betrayed by her ex-husband and her offspring.  I hope she has lots of friends to help fill that void.

[Teddybear]

 

It's really turned into a show you can only get through if you're doing something else while you watch. Every week I think two hours have passed when there is actually an hour left. It's like entering a time warp, the show is so drawn out and boring.

This is why I can never watch it when it originally airs.  The commercial breaks every 5 minutes and the constant repetition of what we already know drive me insane.  Fast-forward works wonders on a Saturday, and I can enjoy the show much more. 

 

My heart broke for Nancy.  She still wished she were married and could be the Cleavers again.  I can't even imagine the betrayal she must feel, from her entire family.  

 

I could not STAND the oldest daughter.  I actually thought to myself, would I be that jovial recounting the story if my mom got shot?  And I reasoned maybe she's like that because the mom survived, she's OK (just missing an eye), but it all seemed very cold.   

[Ellabella]

I almost couldn't watch this after viewing the first 5 minutes and seeing how utterly obnoxious the oldest daughter was - I mean wow! How can you be discussing your mother being shot, in such an obnoxious, loud, arm-flailing manner?? She didn't let the younger (brainwashed) sister get a word in...and when she did speak, the older one just kept trying to interrupt. Clearly dumb frank/john had to be giving the daughters money...I mean, I love my dad a lot, and ironically, we were referred to as the Cleavers by all of our neighbors when I was growing up, but if my mom was shot, and the police showed me half of the evidence that they had on frank/john, I certainly would have been sitting with my mom at the trial. And then, her whole explanation towards the end, my dad was probably being bribed because he was too generous to people....what??? Wouldn't you just have loved for Andrea to say (what we were all thinking) what, please explain what you mean because your statement doesn't make any sense, nor do any of your actions since this whole ordeal began for YOUR MOM - you know June cleaver, the lady that gave birth to you. That obnoxious idiot was more concerned that her dad was alone when he was told the news...no honey, he was in bed with the miss piggy lookalike he met at the craps table. When she found out he was having an affair she smacks herself in the forehead - oh, dad. What were you thinking....she never addressed that Kermit bought miss piggy two homes, etc. anyway, I could go on forever about the daughter. She made me want to punch the screen. I really hope Nancy tells her to go to hell, and has nothing else to do with her - obnoxious $%!!

[applecrisp]

Did the mistress stay by his side?

[jenkait]

Just wanted to say that it's great to see all the commentary on here.  I miss the old TWoP boards, and I'm so glad there's still a place to talk about our shows.

[veronicamers]

Agree with everyone that there was something really, really off about the oldest daughter's demeanor. Within about 30 seconds of her being on the screen I was like "This one is a piece of work." The way they were all giddy that John/Frank had walked the younger daughter down the aisle was strange to me. I know Nancy was at the wedding too and everyone tried to put the murder for hire plot aside for the day (that sounds ridiculous even typing it), but I mean, wouldn't it have been okay if Nancy was like "You know, it's not cool." The daughters seemed hell bent on diminishing their mom's pain and experience in favor of their dad. Like she just needs to get over the fact that her husband of thirty years plotted to have her killed. WTF is wrong with them?

[tobeannounced]

This was a fascinating case.  I went to the Dateline website on NBC, and there's some additional interview footage with the mom.  She's a lot more pointed about what she thinks about her ex and why the kids aren't supporting her.  I thought she had said in the original show that she believed her ex knew the Hee Haw gang but wasn't sure about the murder-for-hire thing, but she's pretty clear she thinks he did it in that extra clip.

[Ohmo]

I'll be watching the additional clip when I have the time.  Another thing that blew my mind is that the sisters kept going on about how this was about blackmail, and it comes out in court that Frank had been married once before.  The blackmail theory might fly if Frank were someone of note in the community and the Hee Haw Gang gang demanded money so infidelity would not wreck a political career in a conservative state.  However, that wasn't the case, and I don't remember the Hee Haw Gang ever mentioning that they knew about the potential embezzlement.  There would be no reason to blackmail Frank, and yet the sisters are like, "It's blackmail."  WHAT?

 

These two sisters remind me of another set of sisters that were SURE their father was innocent.  The preacher dude---A.B. something (also a Dateline case) who killed two of his wives.  Guess what?  He publicly confessed to killing the first wife (mother of the sisters) earlier this year.  Those sisters ended up being wrong, and I'm very certain this pair of sisters is wrong as well.

Edited October 20, 2014 by Ohmo

[papillon rouge]

Wow, what a difference between this case and the other case where the hit man had a change of heart and confessed before hurting the wife. How staunchly those two daughters stood by their mother you know, normal human behavior) they even changed their last names to their mom's name. This case left me sad. Poor lady. Like others have said, I hope she has other family and friends who support her. Those daughters are delusional.

[cynic]

Wow, that poor woman. Her life has been absolutely devastated by the person closest to her and her kids aren't even there for her. I can't believe those idiots are siding with Frank considering the overwhelming evidence against him. And to keep insisting how wonderful a guy he is and how he probably only got in trouble due to his kind, generous nature in the light of his philandering and embezzling is just SMH worthy. I hope Nancy has another loving support system and finds peace and happiness.

[iMonrey]

 

I thought the daughter's attitude was very flip as well and that maybe she inherited some of her father's sociopath qualities.

 

You know, that's a very good point. We never really got a clear explanation of why the husband would go to such lengths and spend that much money to have his wife killed when it would have been so much easier, and cheaper, for him to simply divorce her. The only reason I can come up with is "he's crazy." And his children may well have inherited that trait.

[JudyObscure]

My guess is that he wanted to have Casino Chick while still keeping his reputation as the nicest guy in Carrollton.  It must have been hard for such a cold hearted man to faithfully attend church and charity functions all those years just to win the admiration of everyone in town.  He wouldn't have wanted all that effort to go to waste, a divorce from Nancy would have tarnished his halo a little bit.