Despite the new evidence, Tiede was sentenced to 99 years to life. Mike DeGeurin, Tiedes attorney, tells PEOPLE that the next step is a motion for a new trial and then an appeal. He was sentenced to life in prison, but that sentence was overturned in 2014. [6] Tiede graduated from Cooper High School in 1976. Rod filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Tiede, claiming he had embezzled more than $3 million from his mother.[16]. "I thought it was greed and betrayal," Davidson said. It was absolutely horrendous. And she opens the door and goes, 'I don't know who you are,'" Shanna Nugent said. (File - The Associated Press) Bernhardt Tiede was released. In 1993, Nugent convinced Tiede to work for her full-time, as her business manager. Full Description. When the family got suspicious and told her he was scamming her, "she got really angry. He claims he was molested by his own uncle, Elmer Doucet. Testifying in his defense, Tiede said Someone said I could have dropped her from an airplane into the Gulf of Mexico, but she wouldnt have been found, and I wanted to give her a proper burial. Tiedes trial lasted less than a week before he was found guilty and given a life sentence. Frank Rosenthal And The Real Story Of Sam Rothstein From 'Casino', Archaeologists Uncover Animal Bones And Ancient Roman Snack Foods Beneath The Colosseum, What Stephen Hawking Thinks Threatens Humankind The Most, 27 Raw Images Of When Punk Ruled New York, Join The All That's Interesting Weekly Dispatch. It was there that the two met and forged their unusual bond. Marjorie Nugent was a longstanding member of the richest family in Carthage after her husband had made his fortune as an oilman. For Shanna, Alexandria and Susan, Grandma Marjorie's new behavior was disturbing. She knew that if her grandmother had left the house, she would have put everything she kept in the refrigerator in her freezer, located inside the pantry. [6] They married in 1957, and Bernie was born in the next year in Abilene. Hes presently incarcerated in Huntsville Texas, and not eligible for parole until August 3, 2029, the day after his 71st birthday. Until May 2014, he was serving a life sentence. "The jury did not relate to him. The main characters are Marjorie Nugent, a rich and notoriously mean widow, and her young companion . Bernie Tiede will be eligible for parole in 2029; he will be 70 years old. You're not going to leave me. YouTubeMarjorie Nugent And Bernie Tiede were inseparable right up until her 1996 demise. The 81-year-old widow had a reputation . "She was very distraught. "I embalmed his body and got him ready for the funeral," Tiede explained. " and all I wanted at that moment was my mom.". Poor Bernie. Gregg County marriage records, book 35, page 229; cf. [7] Tiedes father, who never forgave himself[clarification needed], started drinking frequently.[8]. "Well, I enjoyed singin' in the choir. "Are you thinking to yourself, 'Well, we've parted ways, we did some business and never shall meet again'?" They took longer trips together, to Dallas, New York, and elsewhere along the East Coast, and before long it seemed, they were going everywhere together. Marge M. Nugent, loving mother, devoted wife, and adored grandmother, passed away Tuesday, June 7, 2016 surrounded by her family in her Morristown, N.J. home. "Almost, people really saw him like that," added Lisa Cockrell. "Could Marjorie be difficult?" I felt very much loved," said Tiede. Mortician Who Inspired 'Bernie' Movie Sent Back To Prison For Widow's Murder. "In small towns anywhere, your reputation is not often defined by who you are, it's by what people think of you," Hollandsworth explained, "and so the reputation did get around town that Mrs. Nugent could be cantankerous.". "We'd go to the Cherokee Club, we would go to the Jalapeno Tree here in Carthage," Tiede recalled. And the D.A. Prosecutor Says, Man Who Killed Meredith Kercher, Amanda Knox's Roommate in Italy, Is Freed from Prison, Family of Susan Berman Pleads with Robert Durst to Tell First Wife's Family Where Body Is, Killers Who Spawned Movies: 'Monster', 'Zodiac', 'Summer of Sam' and More, Laci Peterson's Family Is 'Really Worried' That Scott Peterson Will Go Free After Retrial: Source, Son Finally Gets Justice for His Mom After His Dad Is Sentenced to 15 Years to Life for Her Murder, Ex-Navy Sailor Murdered Wife with Children in Other Room, Then Froze Body and Claimed She'd Left, Woman Recalls Growing Up With Serial Killer Dad on New Crime Podcast 'The Clearing', Mass. Afterward, he took the cast and crew out for pizza, using my grandmothers credit card.. Her granddaughter expressed shock that the release was granted, and claimed that Richard Linklater's 2011 film Bernie had influenced the legal system. No exit. The Nugent granddaughters found it all beyond belief. I think as a society, we should protect the weak.. "So what was the attraction?" It was updated on July 22, 2017.]. "A little feisty lady comes up to me and she says, 'I bet there was some crazy stuff going on at that trial,'" said Linklater. My grandmother taught me how to make cornbread, she says. The curt and vindictive elderly widow with the assistant funeral director, who at 6 foot 3 and 270 pounds, wouldnt have been out of place on a football field. A dissociative episode -- the new-age term would break the case against Bernie Tiede wide open. Critics loved it. Nine years after he met Marjorie Nugent at her husband's funeral, Bernie Tiede was sentenced to life in prison. We just went everywhere. If anyone asked, Tiede told them theyd just missed Nugent, or that she was taking a nap. Marjorie Nugent's granddaughter calls Tiede "the worst kind of criminal". Locals Lisa and Susie Cockrell sum it up simply. She was just so controlling, she felt like she could own me, and I guess to some degree, she did, Tiede said. "The jury goes out to deliberate, Alexandria. He was talented. "We went to Germany England Scotland and Wales. Van Sant asked D.A. The young, portly mortician was so beloved in Carthage, however, that when he murdered 81-year-old Marjorie Nugent, a rich widow he had befriended after overseeing her husband's funeral, people didn't hold it against him. When the family got suspicious and told her he was scamming her, she got really angry and threw them out, Nugent says. And it's hard to be a gay man and being out in a small town," said Tiede. And after watching the movie she got a hunch that the trial of Bernie Tiede had been a miscarriage of justice. "People get trapped," Van Sant commented. "Let's move now to November 19, 1996. "I saw her to the gravesite. Tiede shot Nugent in the back four times with a rifle on Nov. 19, 1996, and then stored her body in the deep freezer of her home until her . "He was about to be found out," said Starnes. Bernie Tiede's defense was that he killed Marjorie in an act of passion that her murder was not premeditated. "He could. Nine months," said Ruth Cockrell. "And we went in and there were pictures of Bernie everywhere," said Alexandria Nugent. [19][20] Cole theorized that Tiede shot Nugent while in a brief dissociative episode brought on by her abusive treatment of him,[21] a theory backed by forensic psychiatrist Richard Pesikoff. "It was so quick. No one has ever left me.' Bernie Tiede, pictured with Marjorie Nugent, not long before her 1996 murder. The film attracted attention to Tiede's case, and new evidence was discovered. "I remember right before we shot that scene I went up to Jack Black and I said, 'Have you ever killed anyone in a movie?'" Nugent hadnt seen her only son in years, or her grandchildren who had sued her over trust money. I just think it's important if I'm gonna play a real person that I should meet you. Marjorie Nugent was a longstanding member of the richest family in Carthage after her husband had made his fortune as an oilman. "You know, all you can do is pray," Alexandria Nugent replied. Learn how and when to remove this template message, "Man convicted of murdering companion, stuffing body in freezer", 'mean-bernie-film-features-cooper-grads-unlikely', "Judge Agrees to Release Murderer "Bernie" Backed by Austin Filmmaker", "History of Bernie's secret: Facts of sexual abuse could have been key to defense". Meanwhile, Marge's family began to worry when they could no longer reach her. Tiede shot Nugent four times in the back and placed her body in a freezer,. "He's just a super generous sensitive guy, and is everybody's best friend and just very helpful," said Linklater. "The first bullet in her back makes her paralyzed, so she falls straight down onto the concrete. Neil Patmore is a former police officer, and private investigator. "They loved each other?" "And she was kind?" He comforted families of the deceased at funerals, staying close to grieving widows, and holding their hands to steady them. He's an asset to the community.' More from US As years passed though, Nugent became more and more possessive, expecting 24-hour obedience, paging Tiede constantly. 7:30. "My daddy and my mother they had a car accident, and my mother was riding in the passenger's side of the car and daddy never forgave himself for that, he never forgave himself for that," Tiede tearfully told "48 Hours" correspondent Peter Van Sant. People Are Still Willing to Believe the Con, Young Nev. Man Found Guilty of Raping, Murdering Teen Family Friend: 'She Called Him Her Big Brother', 'Truly Evil': Mich. Man Convicted of Murdering 3, Including Boy, 6, Who Was Excited to Lose First Tooth, 5 Years After Wash. While the facts of the case have not been in dispute, Bernie's motivation for murdering Marge (and his subsequent behavior in the months after the crime) has been debated for years. A week after his resentencing, his lawyers filed an appeal to the court's decision. And by the time I got out there she had locked the gate on me. She is appeals lawyer Jodi Cole. Now, what's as certain as his life sentence is this: deep in the heart of Texas, Bernie Tiede is loved. [5] In addition to his work as a university professor, the elder Tiede also served as church music director and as a vocal performer. Van Sant asked. However, to say that Nugent was not well liked was a gross understatement. Bernie Tiede: You just have no earthly idea. She could be very vindictive. "We got pretty close," Ruth Cockrell replied. Marjorie Nugent showered him with cash, clothing, cars -- even flying lessons and planes to go with it. "And when you spend time with him you want to hang out with him.". "I had caused the death of somebody that I loved. But whatever Marjorie's affection for her granddaughters, the stakes were about to change. [11] By 1993, Bernie left his job to work for Nugent full time as her business manager and travel companion. He said that after the murder, he had prepared the body, and placed it in a freezer. "I think it took them maybe 20 minutes to find him guilty," said Davidson. "I don't know what happened that morning," Tiede told Van Sant in tears. Linklater and Skip Hollandsworth wrote the "Bernie" screenplay and brought it to Jack Black. "There's members of Marjorie's family that tell a different story," said Black. Nugent says he eventually stole $3.8 million of her money, which Marjorie was oblivious to at the time. They moved back to Carthage in 1989 (just a year before my uncle died), buying a controlling interest. As unpopular as Nugent was, her son eventually grew suspicious. The majestic gates swung open to a kingdom of riches, and Bernie Tiede rolled right in. "You think, 'Gee, I'm glad this guy came here. And people are still mystified about what really happened on that November afternoon that led Bernie to shoot her four times," said reporter Skip Hollandsworth. While she was outside, petting her dog, he shot her four times in the back. He picked me up and we drove to Austin," Tiede said. "And so I thought, 'Why did he get a life sentence?'". "I think he's conned Hollywood and the whole judicial system," said Starnes. [14][15] The Texas Criminal Courts of Appeal approved the writ. "I was acting in the plays.". And in February of 1999, Danny Buck Davidson told his tale to a jury who had never heard about Tiede. "And we said, 'Who is this?' "I get a call from my dad he and I drive down," Alexandria Nugent said. "I just made up one thing or another," said Tiede. And then I took her back to the car," said Tiede. "And you have a community saying, 'Leave him alone,'" Van Sant noted. They traveled the world. Van Sant asked Danny Buck Davidson. And Tiede's uncle, under oath, denied ever having molested Bernie. For a time, he was able to fend off those curious about Marge by lying about her travel plans or health, but a search of her home by her son revealed Marge's fate. And the motives of her new companion deeply suspect. Marjorie M. Nugent Resident of Morristown, N.J., and Watch Hill, R.I. June 14, 1925 - June 7, 2016 Marge Nugent, loving mother, devoted wife, and adored grandmother, passed away on June 7,. "I think the attraction for Marjorie was the same as it was for everyone in town. His Case is also featured on the Season 3, Episode 7, titled "Millionairess Mortician", from the Show, Deadly Sins. That same day, Bernie Tiede confessed to Panola County Sheriff Deputies that he murdered Marjorie Nugent back in November of 1996. And it's like, I don't know. A few days later, Tiede checked in on her at her house. Tiede also confided in Cole, what he says is his darkest secret -- about that childhood sexual abuse he claims he suffered at the hands of an uncle. Make sure she was up. Bernie Tiede's mother was his father's first wife, Lela Mae Jester (19331960). The two met at her husband's funeral in 1990, and became close friends. "Yes, I'm aware of that. "We had lost contact with her. This is the worst kind of criminal, she says of Tiede. "In some ways did you feel trapped in this relationship, just as you had been trapped with your uncle?" And for Tiede, the perks kept piling up. He is solicitous, gentle, tactful. Her husband, Rod Nugent Sr., made a fortune as an independent oilman, a ruthless operator. Bernie is an assistant funeral director in East Texas who bonds with Marjorie after hosting the funeral of her late husband. Bernie loves everybody. It was there that the two met and forged their unusual bond. You can find out more and change our default settings with Cookies Settings. "Put her in a freezer and kept spendin' her money while she was dead," said Davidson. "Not as big as it once was, but it's here.". In 1963, Tiede's father married Clara Kathryn Wiley (b. And it's like, 'Mama, are you crazy?! The primary focus of the film, Bernie, revolves around the direct relationship between Bernie Tiede and Marjorie Nugent, played by Jack Black and Shirley MacLaine. director Richard Linklater told Van Sant. "Yeah, held a special place in the hearts of many people in Carthage, Texas," said Jack Black. Never. Alexandria Nugent recalled. Lisa Tanner took aim at Tiede and Hollywood. ""That is the real story," Van Sant queried. Marjorie Nugent was the richest widow in an eccentric town full of rich widows. "And I ended up attending the trial and started thinkin' maybe there's a movie here," he told Van Sant. "Sixteen years. Cole asked Richard Linklater if he had the transcripts from Tiede's 1999 murder trial. Bernie Tiede, a former mortician, killed rich Texas millionairess, Marjorie Nugent, and buried her body in her deep freezer 20 years ago. "She was kind and she loved telling stories.". "Did it darken your world in some way?" "Is there a miracle about to occur?" Black wanted to know what made Tiede tick, right down to what he felt in the days after he murdered Marjorie: Jack Black: That must have been incredibly stressful. When presented with the new evidence, Davidson agreed that, had he known this information in the original trial, he would have sought a lighter sentence. Cf. He was just a loveable guy," Black said. "Personally, I think he's pure evil," said Shanna Nugent. Just together, just friends," said Ruth Cockrell. [35] As of 2021[update], Tiede was incarcerated at the John B. Connally Unit of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice in Kenedy, Texas, for several years. "I mean, I just -- there were -- there're just some questions that don't have any answers," he said. In April 2012, it premiered in Linklater's hometown of Austin. "I'm thinkin' you're lying. These days Bernie is biding his time in a Kenedy, Texas prison until at least 2029, when he first becomes eligible for parole. "He was very successful here at Hawthorn's and as a funeral director overall," said Shamburger. He was temporarily released on bail in 2014, pending a resentencing hearing. Kind, gentle Bernie Tiede (who has a beautiful singing voice and is beloved by many in the community) befriended her after her wealthy husband passed on. "The child abuse and the abusive relationship," the D.A. Bernie Tiede claims it pains him to recall how controlling and cantankerous Marjorie Nugent could be. Those graphic details would be missing from the movie. And that this man deserved to go away for the rest of his life," said Shanna Nugent. "I never thought of them as lovey-dovey's. Not because Danny Buck wants 20. And now, the Bernie Tiede story was about to take yet another bizarre twist that began right at the movie premiere. As an assistant funeral director at Hawthorn Funeral Home, Tiede soon became a beloved pillar of the Carthage community, and according to Texas Monthly, wore colorful Tommy Hilfiger clothes, when not wearing somber funeral suits, and drove around town in his Lincoln Continental, smiling broadly at everyone. You see a scene like that in the script and you circle it in the calendar when you're gonna shoot that and you think about it a lot," said Black. "I've done a particularly horrible thing [cries] the worst thing in my life.". He was once again found guilty and this time was sentenced to 99 years in jail. Bernie had embalmed Marge's husband and sang at his memorial service. "I looked at my dad and I said, 'They found her.' Tiede's motive for murder came into focus. He noted several acts of his aunt's abusive behavior toward him in The New York Times article titled How My Aunt Marge Ended Up in the Deep Freeze.[30], On April 22, 2016, the jury of ten women and two men issued a new sentence of 99 years to life for Tiede. It was just something that doesn't happen in prison," said Tiede. It was really bizarre.. Even down at the court house, where local legend District Attorney Danny Buck Davidson ruled back then and still rules today everyone sensed something good had come to town. For the new sentencing trial, he was replaced by two prosecutors determined to put Bernie Tiede back behind bars. So what was the real truth? "She's 42 years older than you.". "Doing good, doing a lot of good in Carthage," said Ruth Cockrell. They say Tiede didn't have a "dissociative episode. ", Days turned into months, as Bernie Tiede kept his awful secret. Teen Appeals Prison Sentence for Murdering Friend and Taking a Smiling Selfie with His Body. And then I got active in the school here in the drama department," Tiede said. While there, he orders pizza for everybody on the widow's credit card. And another thing, newly widowed 74-year-old Marjorie Nugent was loaded with cash as much as $6 million. "This is a real case, with a real murderer. Bernie Tiede was easy to find. Asked if he is a danger to society, Tiede told Van Sant, "No sir, not at all.". Bernie Tiede tears up as his uncle Elmer Doucet denies sexually abusing him as a child during Tiede's new sentencing trial, Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell case: A timeline of events, Chilling details revealed in JJ Vallow and Tylee Ryan deaths, Chad Daybell's kids claim he was "fooled in worst, most deadly way possible", Exonerated man fulfills dream of walking daughter down the aisle, Bernie Tiede's new sentencing trial began. Tiede met the wealthy widow, Marjorie Nugent, in March 1990 at her husband's funeral, which Tiede had helped arrange as assistant director at Hawthorn Funeral Home. For the court, it was enough to free Bernie from jail for two years (during which he actually lived with Linklater! Baruch also touches on possible motive beyond the money Bernie would get after Marge's death, alleging the murder was committed at least ion part because Bernie was trying to cover up money he'd allegedly stolen from Marge throughout their friendship a direction the previous trial had been unable to explore and which might have influenced the conviction. "This woman had been abusing him for a very long time. "Well Marjorie wasn't a huggy-type person," said Ruth Cockrell, who would come to know as much as anyone in Carthage about the friendship of Bernie and Marjorie. Frozen solid, Nugent was transported to the coroners office in Dallas on the back of a pickup hooked up to a generator. Nugent was incredibly wealthy and also a widower. And in turn, Tiede gave gifts to the good people of Carthage. He was the beloved husband of 33 years to Lisa (Jones) Nugent. "Yeah. "Did you encourage her to do that? He knew just what to say to bring a smile to anyone who needed it. And the Nugent women, all busy college students at the time, admit there was a reluctance to reach out to Grandma Marjorie. "I think it's the perfect example of a sweetheart scam that I have ever seen," Shanna Nugent said. That was not part of the deal. The Nugent family would have their own take on Cole's ideas. We thought she might be in the hospital somewhere.. After learning about Bernie Tiede, read up on the real-life murders that helped inspire The Amityville Horror. "But I took that really personally, 'cause I don't live in Hollywood. "She was," Alexandria Nugent replied. She opened the door. It's very discouraging," said Black. "The door's right there Bernie. [17] During his imprisonment, he was described by a prison official as a model prisoner.[18] He taught health classes and participated in the prison's choir. All of this both while Marjorie Nugent was alive, and after Tiede had killed her and stuffed her in her freezer. It doesn't hurt that the story got the Hollywood treatment when Dazed and Confused director Richard Linklater made a soapy film (starring Jack Black as Bernie) based on Bernie's version of events in which he, not Margie, was the real victim. "And every Sunday he'd come and sit right beside me and give me a full report on Marjorie," said Ruth Cockrell. They actually disassociate, which is to leave their body," Cole explained. Margie married Roderick Mathew Nugent in 1937. "I'm sorry that that happened in my life," Tiede cried. Bernie killed Marge in November of 1996 and spent the next few months on a spending bender, says ID, investing in businesses, buying cars and even planes for people. He placed her body in a freezer used to store food at her Carthage home. He started purporting a sweetheart scam on her, Nugent says. The town of Carthage, where Marge lived and where Bernie worked at the local funeral home, is in deep East Texas, more than a two-hour drive from Dallas. In May 2014, Davidson and a visiting Judge Diane DeVasto of Tyler allowed Tiede to be released from prison that month on $10,000 bail, after his attorney, Jodi Cole, had learned that Tiede had been sexually abused as a child for multiple years by an uncle.
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