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. In 1999, Tiede was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of Marjorie Nugent, his 81-year-old friend and companion. "This is really eye-opening, guys, to talk to you. It was there that the two met and forged their unusual bond. I'm mean as an old settin' hen sometimes," she laughed. Bernie & Marge: The Mysterious Case Of The Murderous Mortician & The After the appeal was granted, they let him out on bond, and part of the ruling by the judge was that he had to live with the movie director. "I think that he did not plan on killing her.". "We'd go up on a Friday morning then come back on a Sunday evening," Tiede said. I just think it's important if I'm gonna play a real person that I should meet you. And she opens the door and goes, 'I don't know who you are,'" Shanna Nugent said. She had given him power of attorney over her funds. The visit was videotaped: Jack Black: I wanted to come and meet you. How My Aunt Marge Ended Up in the Deep Freeze - New York Times (File - The Associated Press) Bernhardt Tiede was released. In April 2016, after two years of freedom, Bernie Tiede's new sentencing trial began. Bernie movie review & film summary (2012) | Roger Ebert "Are you thinking to yourself, 'Well, we've parted ways, we did some business and never shall meet again'?" Over the years, however, opinions in Carthage changed, and most locals now favored Tiede serving his full sentence. And the D.A. "I think it's the perfect example of a sweetheart scam that I have ever seen," Shanna Nugent said. [10] He became a mortician, working in Carthage as assistant director of the Hawthorn Funeral Home. According to the Texas Tribune,. 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. Ms . Bernie Tiede, pictured with Marjorie Nugent, not long before her 1996 murder. As unpopular as Nugent was, her son eventually grew suspicious. "I never thought of them as lovey-dovey's. The premise was, The nicest guy in the world is driven to murder by a bitchy woman, says Marjories granddaughter, Shanna Nugent. "Not connected to reality," said Alexandria Nugent. "That's what I sold to the jury.". She'll call when she gets back.'". "I had gone out to the house to make coffee. And now, the Bernie Tiede story was about to take yet another bizarre twist that began right at the movie premiere. He did that," Tanner told the court. Van Sant asked. And another thing, newly widowed 74-year-old Marjorie Nugent was loaded with cash - as much as $6 million. They took lavish vacations abroad, and Tiede became known around town for the. Living in separate homes, Tiede still had to attend Nugents house multiple times a day. "And we went in and there were pictures of Bernie everywhere," said Alexandria Nugent. Tonight, CBS's 48 Hours will re-examine the case in their episode "The Mortician, The Murder, The Movie. said Susan Jenull. ", "This case is about abusing elderly, vulnerable people," Tanner said. A few years later, at Nugent's request, he quit his job to become her personal assistant, business. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. 7:30. Nugent says he eventually stole $3.8 million of her money, which Marjorie was oblivious to at the time. The movie, "Bernie," also featured Matthew McConaughey as Danny Buck Davidson. It's what the law says," he explained. "You told one she had Alzheimer's, another she was in the hospital," Van Sant noted. I don't want you to talk about the shooting," said Cole. Nugent was more than 40 years his senior. "They loved each other?" And in turn, Tiede gave gifts to the good people of Carthage. " and all I wanted at that moment was my mom.". He is solicitous, gentle, tactful. Van Sant asked. [5] In addition to his work as a university professor, the elder Tiede also served as church music director and as a vocal performer. "He was definitely feeling the ecstasy of freedom," said Black. Snapping. Davidson then went to bat for the killer he had once helped convict. Many believed her to be the meanest woman in Carthage, lording her wealth and status over the town. Besides most of the religious and conservative locals assumed Tiede was gay, which was never a problem. What's going through your mind?" "Did Marjorie know you were gay?" It was updated on July 22, 2017.]. "It's about abusing Marjorie Nugent financially; it's about just cold-blooded murder.". "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. [6] Tiede graduated from Cooper High School in 1976. "We had that strange encounter in 1994 where we didn't feel welcome," said Susan Jenull. 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. "And it's clear that no one's been there for a very long time.". "Lots of miracles have happened in my life," said Tiede. "He shot her in the back four times," said Davidson. Bernie is an assistant funeral director in East Texas who bonds with Marjorie after hosting the funeral of her late husband. Van Sant asked. Asked how so, Davidson replied, "I think that defines everything.". No exit. "Not as big as it once was, but it's here.". Because that's what you do when you love someone and you find out that the person that they were in love with shot them four times in the back. I dont think I really understood how vulnerable widows are until that happened to me. This is the worst kind of criminal, she says of Tiede. He and his daughter entered his mother's house, where they found her body in the freezer.[13]. [14][15] The Texas Criminal Courts of Appeal approved the writ. No one had anything bad to say about Bernie. This is really eye-opening, Van Sant remarked. And there it was. While there, he orders pizza for everybody on the widow's credit card. "My grandmother was a loving sweet woman," said Jenull. "When he pointed that gun at Marjorie Nugent's back, that justified the life sentence," Tanner said in her closing. In the film, Bernie was portrayed as a sweet man who was beloved in the small Texas town of Carthage, while Marjorie was depicted as an abusive villain. It's a murder story based on what happened in the small town of Carthage in East Texas in 1997. We thought she might be in the hospital somewhere.. They traveled the world. Now that a second jury has also given him a life sentence, Nugent says her family feels vindicated. The warm and affable Tiede invited her shopping and to dinner. A man grabs a .22 rifle and shoots an elderly widow in the back four times, killing her. He was very popular in the town. "She untaped it and raised it up," D.A. The Nugent family would have their own take on Cole's ideas. He is not eligible for parole until August 3, 2029, which is the day after his 71st birthday.[37]. "I just made up one thing or another," said Tiede. Frozen solid, Nugent was transported to the coroners office in Dallas on the back of a pickup hooked up to a generator. He's an asset to the community.' John R. Nugent, 68, of Downingtown, passed away on Saturday, December 12, at his home with his wife and children by his side. "He was on a lot of people's lists to literally sing them to heaven," said Linklater. When he appealed his sentence, the appellate courts ruled that there was sufficient evidence for the jury to have found premeditation, a condition of the charge. In March of 1990, while working at the funeral of a man who had passed on, 32-year-old Bernie met the deceased's 81-year-old widow, Marjorie "Marge" Nugent. When Shanna was 16, her grandfather died. By all accounts, Marjorie Nugent was an unpleasant woman who had few friends and whose relationships with her family were strained. Marjorie Nugent met Bernhardt Tiede when her husband died in March 1990. Just two hours up the road in Dallas, three proud granddaughters have a very different take on just why Bernie Tiede was befriending Marjorie Nugent. These events are the subject of the critically acclaimed film Bernie (2011), a dark comedy directed by Richard Linklater and starring Jack Black as Tiede. Youngest granddaughter of Bernie Tiede's murder victim speaks out "No. Marge, meanwhile, was often perceived as haughty and crotchety, per Texas Monthly, so the friendship that sprung up between the two may have been a surprise to some. July 22, 2017 / 11:09 PM And by the time I got out there she had locked the gate on me. Bernie Tiede was so beloved in his Texas hometown that locals refused to believe he could have committed murder. Full Description. Bernie Tiede case: The Mortician, The Murder The Movie - CBS News "This woman had been abusing him for a very long time. "I embalmed his body and got him ready for the funeral," Tiede explained. The 81-year-old widow had a reputation . "I'm sorry that that happened in my life," Tiede cried. "Could Marjorie be mean?" Tiede then wrapped Nugent snugly in a sheet and placed her into the bottom of a chest freezer, covering her in food items. Rod filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Tiede, claiming he had embezzled more than $3 million from his mother.[16]. Bernie Tiedes trial was moved 60 miles away because of the overwhelming support for him in Carthage. Shortly after entering the Texas Department of Criminal Justice in 1999, Tiede was attacked by fellow inmates. According to Investigation Discovery (ID), that man Bernhardt (Bernie) Tiede II, a 38-year-old local mortician then leaves to check out a rehearsal of a college theater group. Go by the house. "I was so relieved when they came for me and arrested me," he sobbed. Tiede had met Nugent in 1990 at the funeral of her husband R.L. [12], In November 1996, Tiede killed Nugent by shooting her in the back four times with a .22 caliber rifle. 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. "She was having a great time," he replied. "Millions. It's very discouraging," said Black. The two eventually became inseparable companions, although she was more than 40 years his senior. "I get a call from my dad he and I drive down," Alexandria Nugent said. "Is there a miracle about to occur?" "Sixteen years. The two eventually became inseparable companions, although she was more than 40 years his senior. "People get trapped," Van Sant commented. So when a grieving, vulnerable widow came to the Hawthorn Funeral Home, Tiede saw an opportunity to do what he did best. He was talented. "In some ways did you feel trapped in this relationship, just as you had been trapped with your uncle?" Van Sant asked the director. "It was devastating to us. "It felt like this big weight had been lifted off my shoulder.". "She's 42 years older than you.". 9 of 12 10 of 12 ADVANCE FOR SUNDAY JUNE 28--FILE--This is a 1996 file photo provided by the Panola County Sheriff's Department of Marjorie Nugent, right, and her former escort Bernie Tiede. Bernie: The Truth About Bernie Tiede And Marjorie Nugent's Relationship. Many believed her to be the meanest woman in Carthage, lording her wealth and status over the town. And I think he's the one person in the world in that era who could feel that for Marg, when no one else could," he replied. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. A visiting state district judge in Panola County will begin. 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,. Bernie Tiede is the son of Bernhardt Tiede (19121973), a native of Olegnow, Volyn Oblast, Ukraine. "I don't like the things that she did. Make sure she was up. Trapped as Nugents full time caregiver, Tiede couldnt muster the courage to leave. Tiede was taken in for questioning, and he admitted to Nugent's murder to police in August 1997. "I think the fatal mistake my grandmother made is she ended up buying a $30,000 headstone from Bernie Tiede, and from that moment he marked her," said Shanna Nugent. Van Sant asked D.A. "You're playing a person, you have access to them, you gotta go see them. The motion filed by Cole earlier in the week claims Marjorie Nugent's son, Rod Nugent, Jr., and an original administrator of Marjorie Nugent's estate were involved in a "scheme" to steal or embezzle money from the estate. "Which is the top max sentence. [36] He currently resides at the Estelle Unit. However, to say that Nugent was not well liked was a gross understatement. Got a magnetism," said Black. [3] Of German descent, Tiede had immigrated in 1926 as a child with his family to the United States. "He knew how to take care of families," said Shamburger. "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. So I backed my car out of the garage. I think he has no remorse. They made for an interesting pair and had tongues wagging throughout town. Yet when "48 Hours" spoke with Tiede, Cole stopped him from telling those grisly details -- hard facts everyone from Carthage to Hollywood now knows. John served in the U.S. Army and Army Reserves from 1973 - 1978. Cole poured over the files, knowing that Tiede's life sentence hinged on Danny Buck Davidson's argument that the murder was premeditated. Taking great pride in his work, he was a consoling shoulder for the bereaved throughout the late 1980s and early 90s especially the elderly. And Tiede's uncle, under oath, denied ever having molested Bernie. Public DomainBernie Tiede was so beloved in his Texas hometown that locals refused to believe he could have committed murder. And you think how could I have saved them," said Shanna Nugent. "But I took that really personally, 'cause I don't live in Hollywood. Asked if he is a danger to society, Tiede told Van Sant, "No sir, not at all.". Van Sant asked. He was sentenced to life in prison, but that sentence was overturned in 2014. By then (according to Bernie's account), Marge had grown demanding and controlling, making him check in regularly by phone, and growing angry if he was late to their lunch meetups. "Twelve when my Uncle began molesting me," said Tiede. He picked me up and we drove to Austin," Tiede said. "He was about to be found out," said Starnes. Van Sant asked. "That is the real story," Alexandria Nugent affirmed. Teen Appeals Prison Sentence for Murdering Friend and Taking a Smiling Selfie with His Body. "And he said, 'Hey I never told you about this thing that I've been obsessed with, this story about this fellow Bernie Tiede," Black said. "Was her place his gilded cage and she closed the door on that cage? Bernhardt Tiede II (/tid/; born August 2, 1958) is an American mortician who was convicted of the November 19, 1996 murder of his companion, wealthy 81-year-old widow Marjorie "Marge" Nugent, in Carthage, Texas. Castle Rock EntertainmentJack Black as Bernie Tiede in Richard Linklaters 2011 film Bernie. "Everyone in that courtroom knew that my grandmother was not mean. Some folks even suggested Tiede was next door to the angels. Tell me about that day and what from your perspective led to the tragedy?" However, to say that Nugent was not well liked was a gross understatement. 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. The director and those who loved Bernie argued he had paid his dues with time already served. "There's members of Marjorie's family that tell a different story," said Black. Bernie loves everybody. Bernie Tiede trial: Victim's sister says she was afraid of Marjorie - KLTV I mean they took the most awful part of our lives and just laughed about it and joked about it," said Susan Jenull. "People in the community were comin' in and sayin' Bernie was a really good guy, if he killed her he had a reason for doin' it. "It was a complete lie.". Bernie Tiede learned firsthand that the wounded, lonely, and those the dead leave behind, need comforting. Davidson says if he had to do it all over again he would have sought a much lighter sentence. "Yeah, held a special place in the hearts of many people in Carthage, Texas," said Jack Black. "She was very mean-spirited, very abrupt with me," he said. The Bizarre Story Of Bernie Tiede And The Real Murder Case That Inspired The Movie Bernie. "I think I'm pretty unconnable," Linklater told Van Sant. Bernie Tiede wasn't about to. "And I think it took two days to thaw her out and for them to do an autopsy," said Davidson. He placed her body in a freezer used to store food at her Carthage home. "That was one of the hardest scenes in the movie. "And so I said, 'Let me read this thing.'". At first glance, the tale appears to be one of a cold-blooded killer and a helpless victim, but the real story of Bernie and Marjorie (Marge) Nugent is much more complicated. "They had a ball together. "And I ended up attending the trial and started thinkin' maybe there's a movie here," he told Van Sant. He and his daughter accompanied police to Nugents house on August 18, 1997, and found her neatly wrapped in the freezer. The trial of Bernie Tiede for murdering Marjorie Nugent was moved 50 miles away. "Yes, I'm aware of that. We had the funeral service there. "He provided money. "This idea that my grandmother was a monster is ludicrous," Alexandria Nugent said. Went to the pyramids. And it's like, 'Mama, are you crazy?! Bernie Tiede was easy to find. "But Bernie is not built for conflict. [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. "And I go, 'What do you mean you don't know who we are?' Tiede and Nugent visited several countries together, cruising the Nile and the Rhine with Nugent, of course, picking up the tab. Van Sant asked Davidson. I'm just a people person. Click here to get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter. "And you have a community saying, 'Leave him alone,'" Van Sant noted. Bernie Tiede: OK. Bernie: I love to be around people. And I threw the lid open.". "If I had gone to the police and then been proven wrong, I would have been laughed out of Carthage because people thought so much of Bernie," said Ruth Cockrell. probably never would, because there was something about Bernie that made folks wonder back then. It just seemed like she didnt have any friends, and I just felt this compelling desire to give her some friendship he said. What made this God-fearing, likable man, take the life of an 81-year old widow that he befriended at her husband's funeral. Critics loved it. What happens to First Republic Bank's stock and deposits now? "She was kind and she loved telling stories.". And Tiede's body, the theory goes, killed Marjorie Nugent without his mind taking part. They actually disassociate, which is to leave their body," Cole explained. "She would kinda be called a blue blood," said Davidson. Yeah, I'd say he served enough time," said Black. Ex-Mortician Whose Killing of Widow Inspired Movie Freed Early - NBC News And now they worried that Bernie was well on the way to tricking Marjorie out of millions. She then became estranged from most people who cared about her. In the end, though, Bernie's new defense couldn't save him. "As they are putting together all of the assets, there's missing money," says Shanna Nugent. "There wasn't a question in anybody's mind. It was like I walked in and I said, 'There's tape on the freezer," Alexandria Nugent continued." Marjorie Nugent Obituary "Yeah. Danny Buck Davidson. Cole brought the findings to the D.A. 'Have at it,'" said Linklater. "And the thing that disturbed me was that all of the pictures of my grandfather were gone.". He preached a funeral for us," a customer said. "He was her man servant the guy hired to take care of her every need," Black explained. Then he went to a dress rehearsal for Guys and Dolls,' Nugent says. "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.". His mother dead, his father started drinking hard and died when Tiede was just 15. ", "We went to . 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. Tiede, 57, was a mortician at the Hawthorn Funeral Home in Carthage, Texas, a town of about 7,000 about 150 miles east of Dallas, when he met Nugent at her husband's funeral in 1990. All of this both while Marjorie Nugent was alive, and after Tiede had killed her and stuffed her in her freezer. Tiede visited them for days and weeks after the funeral, making sure they were all right. Nevertheless, when Tiede became the constant companion of the meanest woman in Carthage Marjorie Nugent, 40 years his senior it was certainly a surprise. "The first bullet in her back makes her paralyzed, so she falls straight down onto the concrete. The numbers ended up being approximately $3.8 million total," said Tanner. Van Sant asked. Tiede, now 55, was convicted in the slaying of Marjorie Nugent, 81, his companion, who was found dead in her freezer months after disappearing in 1996. I just can't do this,'" Tiede explained. Its scary when a known con man is proven to have done all of this, and people are still willing to believe the con. After learning about Bernie Tiede, read up on the real-life murders that helped inspire The Amityville Horror. Just loving him," said Hall. YouTubeMarjorie Nugent And Bernie Tiede were inseparable right up until her 1996 demise. Jane Starnes and Assistant Attorney General Lisa Tanner weren't buying it. "When I heard 99 years, I mean it was devastating," said Linklater. Carlton Shamburger is the owner of Hawthorn Funeral Home, where Tiede worked for nine years. She could be very vindictive. Midnight in the Garden of East Texas - Texas Monthly "Bernie's name was top of the list," said Davidson. And at least according to Bernie, feeling like Marjorie Nugent's prisoner reminded him of the abuse he says he suffered as a boy. "I've done a particularly horrible thing [cries] the worst thing in my life.". Cf. Obituary Marjorie M. Nugent Resident of Morristown, New Jersey and Watch Hill, Rhode Island June 14, 1925June 7, 2016 Marge Nugent, loving mother, devoted wife, and adored grandmother passed away June 7, 2016 surrounded by her family in her Morristown, New Jersey home. 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. But he did admit to writing Bernie a letter, sexual in nature. 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. Jester was killed in an automobile accident when the boy was two years old. Witness: Nugent intended to spend wealth enjoying life with Tiede In 1993, Nugent convinced Tiede to work for her full-time, as her business manager. ", "I started asking my dad, 'Have you heard from Nanny, I can't get her?'" The case became famous thanks to a 2011 movie, Bernie, directed by Richard Linklater. New Sentencing Trial for Bernie Starts Wednesday
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