Erin Moriarty Investigates Cases of Angry Partners and Domestic Violence | 48 Hours

The Matthew Trussler Case

• 💡 Melissa Turner was accused of murdering her fiancé, Matthew Trussler, who was found with stab wounds.
• ⚠️ The initial 911 call described a bloody kitchen and Matthew not breathing, with Melissa claiming confusion and panic.
• 🔍 Nest camera footage captured sounds of an argument, screaming, and yelling from the couple's house around 4:00 AM, contradicting Melissa's initial claim of sleeping through the night.
• 🗣️ Melissa's story evolved after being confronted with evidence, admitting to an argument over Matthew drinking.
• 🔪 Melissa claimed self-defense, stating she grabbed a knife from Matthew during a struggle and later stabbed him to get him off her after he allegedly squeezed her neck.
• ⚖️ The jury found Melissa guilty of second-degree murder, rejecting her self-defense claims and her later assertion of a head injury.
• 💔 Matthew's family expressed grief and anger, believing Melissa's lifestyle contributed to his struggles and that she was controlling.

The Victoria Rickman Case

• 💥 Victoria Rickman shot and killed her on-again, off-again boyfriend, Will Carter Jr., claiming self-defense after he allegedly raped and beat her.
• 🔫 Victoria admitted to shooting Will nine times with a .40 caliber semi-automatic handgun.
• ⚠️ Will's father provided information suggesting Victoria had been violent in the past, including hitting Will with a hammer.
• 📱 Cell phone evidence revealed heated text exchanges between Victoria and Will, with Will expressing anger and breaking up with her.
• 📸 Photos of bruises on Victoria's arm, presented as evidence of abuse, were found to have been taken 24 hours before Will arrived at her house.
• 🎬 The investigation was complicated by the presence of a reality TV crew filming for "Inside Homicide," leading to accusations of a rushed judgment and misinformation.
• ⚖️ Victoria was ultimately convicted of malice murder and sentenced to life without parole.

The Rainella Leath Case

• ❓ Rainella Leath was suspected in the deaths of both her husbands, David Leath (ruled homicide) and Ed Dosset (initially ruled accident, later overdose).
• 🔫 David Leath was found dead from a gunshot wound to the head, with Rainella claiming it was a suicide.
• 🔬 The medical examiner ruled David's death a homicide, but the case faced numerous delays and challenges, including conflicts of interest due to Rainella's late husband's position as District Attorney General.
• ⚖️ Rainella was tried three times for David's murder; the first jury was deadlocked, the second resulted in a conviction, but that conviction was later overturned due to the trial judge's drug addiction.
• 🚫 In the third trial, the judge dismissed the case before deliberations, ruling the prosecution had failed to meet its burden of proof, resulting in Rainella's acquittal.
• 💔 David's daughter, Cindy Wilkerson, and some jurors believed Rainella was guilty and that she "got away with murder."