"There wasn't a question in anybody's mind. "It was so quick. Marjorie "Marge" Nugent | Villains Wiki | Fandom Cole says she and Bernie Tiede learned about the alleged scheme in a will contest filing from one of Marjorie Nugent's sisters. CARTHAGE, Texas | One way or another, Bernie Tiede, has been dealing with death and darkness since he was 3 years old. Man Who Inspired Film 'Bernie' Sent Back to Prison by Jury As nine months passed, Tiede said Nugent was in Ohio visiting her sister, or in the hospital recuperating from a stroke that left her speechless. "Flash forward to 1994. "People get trapped," Van Sant commented. "She was very distraught. 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 . "It happened so often," Hollandsworth said, "he asked for a change of venue.". In 1991, Nugent altered her will, and disinherited her only child, Rod Nugent, leaving her entire $10 million estate to Tiede. He was there for her," said Black. And he was sold. And it's like, I don't know. Trapped as Nugents full time caregiver, Tiede couldnt muster the courage to leave. Despite the magical intervention of Hollywood and the town's alleged feelings toward Marge, many (particularly the Nugent family) still believe Bernie acted in a premeditated way when he killed Marge. 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. bernie-tiedes-freedom-was-more-than-a-feel-good-se "Man gets life sentence for killing Nugent", "Witness says sexual abuse triggered Tiede's "dissociative episode", "Ex-Mortician Whose Killing of Widow Inspired Movie Freed Early", ex-texas-mortician-being-freed-from-prison-early, "As 'Bernie' Goes Free, Victim's Granddaughter Says Hollywood Has Wrought an Injustice", "Richard Linklater on Living With Bernie Tiede", Shanna Nugent Delivers the Victim Impact Statement at Bernie Tiede Resentencing, "New Sentencing Trial for Bernie Starts Wednesday", "Bernie Tiede trial: Victim's sister says she was afraid of Marjorie", "How My Aunt Marge Ended Up in the Deep Freeze . "Rick Linklater is just as conned as my grandmother was," said Shanna Nugent. "She was kind and she loved telling stories.". "He's back in prison for life. Afterward, he hides her body in a freezer to cover up the crime. Tiede had known Nugent for years and became her caretaker and travel companion after her husband died in 1990. "In some ways did you feel trapped in this relationship, just as you had been trapped with your uncle?" "I'm just very appreciative of them coming to meet me. 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. Marjorie Nugent And Bernie Tiede were inseparable right up until her 1996 demise. This might be where a normal true crime story would end, but not this one. And soon, Nugent and Tiede were seen on the scene -- the odd couple of Carthage. "And there was the top of Miss Nugent's head. In the following few years, Bernie quit the funeral business and went into the Marge business, serving as both a traveling companion on cruises or jaunts to Thailand and Egypt, as well as a caretaker of sorts, tweezing stray chin hairs and clipping Marge's nails, says ID. Despite locals shock, Tiede and Nugent became inseparable and may have even shared a romantic relationship. "Mr. Linklater. 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. "As they are putting together all of the assets, there's missing money," says Shanna Nugent. A man grabs a .22 rifle and shoots an elderly widow in the back four times, killing her. Many believed her to be the meanest woman in Carthage, lording her wealth and status over the town. Margie married Roderick Mathew Nugent in 1937. On November 19, 1996, Tiede shot Nugent once in the back with her .22-caliber rifle as she stopped to pet the dog in her garage, then shot her three more times. "It was such a difficult time," said Tiede. She actually hired Tiede and paid him a salary. I just can't do this,'" Tiede explained. By all accounts, Marjorie Nugent was an unpleasant woman who had few friends and whose relationships with her family were strained. In 1990 Tiede befriended Nugent at the funeral of her husband, a wealthy oilman and banker. Marjorie Nugent showered him with cash, clothing, cars -- even flying lessons and planes to go with it. When Marjorie Nugent's husband dies, he is the angel at her shoulder, creating the impression that no client has ever touched him quite so much as she has. 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. Those graphic details would be missing from the movie. How did the Bernie Tiede case impact Carthage, Texas? "Are you thinking to yourself, 'Well, we've parted ways, we did some business and never shall meet again'?" I mean they took the most awful part of our lives and just laughed about it and joked about it," said Susan Jenull. Tiede and Nugent visited several countries together, cruising the Nile and the Rhine with Nugent, of course, picking up the tab. However, to say that Nugent was not well liked was a gross understatement. Neil Patmore is a former police officer, and private investigator. "We went to Germany England Scotland and Wales. Van Sant asked. 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. Mike DeGeurin, Tiedes attorney, tells PEOPLE that the next step is a motion for a new trial and then an appeal. "Rod" Nugent, who had made his fortune in oil and banking. The now-55-year-old Tiede, who was well liked in the close-knit community of Carthage, was convicted in the death of his longtime companion, Marjorie Nugent. No one has ever left me.' "I had caused the death of somebody that I loved. After three weeks of testimony, they had deliberated for just over four hours.[31]. He essentially claimed he'd been dissociating when he'd murdered Marge, and a psychiatrist agreed. Van Sant asked Tiede. Poor Bernie. The visit was videotaped: Jack Black: I wanted to come and meet you. [5] In addition to his work as a university professor, the elder Tiede also served as church music director and as a vocal performer. Tiede's attorney is appealing his sentence. News Guide: Real-life 'Bernie' murder case back in court 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. After all, everyone loved Bernie. "We believe my grandmother was in love with Bernie and believed that he was in love with her," said Alexandria Nugent. Finally, however, he steeled himself to get rid of her for good. Tiede, a mortician, allegedly confessed to the 1996 shooting death of Marjorie Nugent, whose body he hid in a freezer . "She's 42 years older than you.". Van Sant asked. It was really bizarre.. "Bernie's name was top of the list," said Davidson. "You know, all you can do is pray," Alexandria Nugent replied. In all, he was widely regarded as the nicest man in town. The film attracted attention to Tiede's case, and new evidence was discovered. That same day, Bernie Tiede confessed to Panola County Sheriff Deputies that he murdered Marjorie Nugent back in November of 1996. "And I go, 'What do you mean you don't know who we are?' "I've done a particularly horrible thing [cries] the worst thing in my life.". Case closed. Bernie confessed to police, was tried, and received a 50-year prison term for the murder. "This is really eye-opening, guys, to talk to you. Youngest granddaughter of Bernie Tiede's murder victim speaks out He and his daughter entered his mother's house, where they found her body in the freezer.[13]. He placed her body in a freezer used to store food at her Carthage home. "Was her place his gilded cage and she closed the door on that cage? Danny Buck Davidson would charge Bernie with first-degree premeditated murder and seek the ultimate penalty: life in prison. Frozen solid, Nugent was transported to the coroners office in Dallas on the back of a pickup hooked up to a generator. "Yes," he replied. Ms . So what was the real truth? "As I often do with the widows, widowers, check on 'em. It was updated on July 22, 2017.]. . As unpopular as Nugent was, her son eventually grew suspicious. 'Have at it,'" said Linklater. She wanted him to spend money on himself as well, and Nugent was adamant that no inheritance reach her family Not one thin dime.. Bernie Tiede, a former mortician, killed rich Texas millionairess, Marjorie Nugent, and buried her body in her deep freezer 20 years ago. The former Carthage mortician was convicted in 1999 of killing 81-year-old Marjorie Nugent, a wealthy Carthage widow. At one point he imagined hitting her over the head with a baseball bat, but couldnt bear the thought of her suffering. Trump motion to declare mistrial in E. Jean Carroll lawsuit denied, Tornado hits Virginia Beach, likely damaging hundreds of homes, U.S. to let Afghan evacuees renew temporary legal status, Texas man who lost wife and son in shooting shares story, NYPD officer Troy Patterson dies 33 years after being shot in robbery, Supreme Court to hear case that could curb power of federal agencies, The weirdest items passengers leave behind in Ubers, MasterChef Australia host Jock Zonfrillo found dead at 46, How Jack Black relates to the convicted killer he plays in the film "Bernie", Rod and Marjorie Nugent with their grandchildren, Bernie Tiede and Marjorie Nugent on one of their many vacations, Bernie Tiede tells his story to "48 Hours", Marjorie Nugent's granddaughters, from left, Alexandria, Shanna and Susan, talk with, The freezer in Marjorie Nugent's pantry where her body was found, Jack Black on meeting Bernie Tiede for the first time. His mother dead, his father started drinking hard and died when Tiede was just 15. So I backed my car out of the garage. While Tiede's guilt is not in doubt, his life sentence for killing 81-year-old Marjorie Nugent in 1996 has since been dismissed. ", "This case is about abusing elderly, vulnerable people," Tanner said. "He was very successful here at Hawthorn's and as a funeral director overall," said Shamburger. 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. Bernie & Marge: The Mysterious Case Of The Murderous Mortician & The The Nugent family would have their own take on Cole's ideas. So when a grieving, vulnerable widow came to the Hawthorn Funeral Home, Tiede saw an opportunity to do what he did best. Plural. I don't believe a word that comes out of the man's mouth," said Alexandria Nugent. 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. "She would kinda be called a blue blood," said Davidson. Sixteen years after he shot Marjorie Nugent dead, Bernie Tiede painted a picture for defense attorney Jodi Cole about how he felt that awful morning. "And Mama would tell us what he'd been saying. Shortly after entering the Texas Department of Criminal Justice in 1999, Tiede was attacked by fellow inmates. "Bernie" Back in Court Tuesday for Murder - The Texas Tribune I dont think I really understood how vulnerable widows are until that happened to me. The Big Heat: Haunted House for Sale. Any Takers? "He was about to be found out," said Starnes. "We got pretty close," Ruth Cockrell replied. "That is the real story," Alexandria Nugent affirmed. Bernie Tiede: You just have no earthly idea. It was there that the two met and forged their unusual bond. Tiede became a preacher and featured soloist in the choir at the First United Methodist Church and worked with the music and theater departments of the local college, often taking on starring roles himself. John served in the U.S. Army and Army Reserves from 1973 - 1978. The warm and affable Tiede invited her shopping and to dinner. Bernie Tiede, a beloved funeral director in Carthage, Texas, was friendly, well-liked, considerate, and helpful. [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. [11] By 1993, Bernie left his job to work for Nugent full time as her business manager and travel companion. Davidson then went to bat for the killer he had once helped convict. He joined the gay men's choir and he became a regular at Pastor Sid Hall's church. He comforted families of the deceased at funerals, staying close to grieving widows, and holding their hands to steady them. "Bernie Tiede is what?" He further alleged in the writ that the 81-year-old Nugent was controlling and emotionally abusive toward him, and that he had murdered her in a dissociative state resulting from years of sexual abuse as a child by an uncle. More from US Van Sant asked. In 1963, Tiede's father married Clara Kathryn Wiley (b. Davidson says if he had to do it all over again he would have sought a much lighter sentence. "And Mrs. Nugent arrives," said Hollandsworth. "You just have never seen a story like this come across your desk ever. For the new sentencing trial, he was replaced by two prosecutors determined to put Bernie Tiede back behind bars. Van Sant asked. [24] The Nugent family created a website to honor Nugent's memory, posting photos of her and articles relating to her murder. "I felt like I wasn't even there. And then I took her back to the car," said Tiede. Among the items taken from Tiedes house after his original arrest were four books on childhood sexual abuse. "She was very mean-spirited, very abrupt with me," he said. Two dramatic versions of Marjorie Nugent's murder have now been told. "The first bullet in her back makes her paralyzed, so she falls straight down onto the concrete. "That visit in 1994," Shanna Nugent replied. A dissociative episode -- the new-age term would break the case against Bernie Tiede wide open. And Tiede's uncle, under oath, denied ever having molested Bernie. He claims he was molested by his own uncle, Elmer Doucet. While there, he orders pizza for everybody on the widow's credit card. "That's what this whole case hinges on," said Jack Black. HENDERSON Convicted murderer Bernie Tiede is a calculating, money-hungry, cold-blooded killer who set his sights on elderly women, including Marjorie Nugent who he killed in 1996. It was like I walked in and I said, 'There's tape on the freezer," Alexandria Nugent continued." Mr. Tiedes ability to repress and compartmentalize the abusive events from childhood and adolescence was ultimately overwhelmed by the repeated and extensive psychological abuse he suffered from Mrs. Nugent. Mortician Who Inspired 'Bernie' Movie Sent Back To Prison For Widow's Murder. Van Sant asked. They actually disassociate, which is to leave their body," Cole explained. I think she was madly in love with him.. And you think how could I have saved them," said Shanna Nugent. "He could do everything?" Nugent hopes beyond anything else that her familys story puts a spotlight on crimes against the elderly. "Helping her with anything that she needed help with," he told Van Sant. "I thought it was greed and betrayal," Davidson said. It was in 1991," he replied. Giving him access to her checking accounts so he could pay her bills, she rewrote her will making Tiede her sole beneficiary. However, to say that Nugent was not well liked was a gross understatement. Carlton Shamburger is the owner of Hawthorn Funeral Home, where Tiede worked for nine years. Asked how so, Davidson replied, "I think that defines everything.". [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. 'You can't leave me. Van Sant asked D.A. Marjorie Nugent met Bernie Tiede when her husband died in 1990. He was sentenced to life in prison, but that sentence was overturned in 2014. Jack Black as Bernie Tiede in Richard Linklaters 2011 film. It was moved to Henderson, Texas, because Tiede still had so many friends and fans in Carthage. Never. "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. [22] .mw-parser-output .quotebox{background-color:#F9F9F9;border:1px solid #aaa;box-sizing:border-box;padding:10px;font-size:88%;max-width:100%}.mw-parser-output .quotebox.floatleft{margin:.5em 1.4em .8em 0}.mw-parser-output .quotebox.floatright{margin:.5em 0 .8em 1.4em}.mw-parser-output .quotebox.centered{overflow:hidden;position:relative;margin:.5em auto .8em auto}.mw-parser-output .quotebox.floatleft span,.mw-parser-output .quotebox.floatright span{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output .quotebox>blockquote{margin:0;padding:0;border-left:0;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit}.mw-parser-output .quotebox-title{background-color:#F9F9F9;text-align:center;font-size:110%;font-weight:bold}.mw-parser-output .quotebox-quote>:first-child{margin-top:0}.mw-parser-output .quotebox-quote:last-child>:last-child{margin-bottom:0}.mw-parser-output .quotebox-quote.quoted:before{font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;font-weight:bold;font-size:large;color:gray;content:" ";vertical-align:-45%;line-height:0}.mw-parser-output .quotebox-quote.quoted:after{font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;font-weight:bold;font-size:large;color:gray;content:" ";line-height:0}.mw-parser-output .quotebox .left-aligned{text-align:left}.mw-parser-output .quotebox .right-aligned{text-align:right}.mw-parser-output .quotebox .center-aligned{text-align:center}.mw-parser-output .quotebox .quote-title,.mw-parser-output .quotebox .quotebox-quote{display:block}.mw-parser-output .quotebox cite{display:block;font-style:normal}@media screen and (max-width:640px){.mw-parser-output .quotebox{width:100%!important;margin:0 0 .8em!important;float:none!important}}. And at least according to Bernie, feeling like Marjorie Nugent's prisoner reminded him of the abuse he says he suffered as a boy. Thats when Marjorie met Tiede, who was working at the funeral home which made the arrangements. "I think Danny Buck got enthralled with Hollywood," said Alexandria Nugent. "Not as big as it once was, but it's here.". You know, 'Nanny, who is this?' He was just a loveable guy," Black said. When Shanna was 16, her grandfather died. Went to the pyramids. A few days later, Tiede checked in on her at her house. Tell me about that day and what from your perspective led to the tragedy?" "I get a call from my dad he and I drive down," Alexandria Nugent said. "You're playing a person, you have access to them, you gotta go see them. You're not going to leave me. While articles and the movie portrayed Marjorie as a domineering, mean person, her granddaughter describes her as a really loving and touchy-feely person. He provided scholarships," said Hollandsworth. "I think he's conned Hollywood and the whole judicial system," said Starnes. When Marge's husband died, reports ID, Bernie embalmed him and even sang at his service. "Some people are sayin', 'Hey let him go.' "When I heard 99 years, I mean it was devastating," said Linklater. "Thoroughly confused," added Susan Jenull. "That's what I sold to the jury.". Gregg County marriage records, book 35, page 229; cf. From the dusty dirt roads where Jack Paine and Ira Bounds live. "Could Marjorie be difficult?" It was just something that doesn't happen in prison," said Tiede. A week after his resentencing, his lawyers filed an appeal to the court's decision. Never forgiving himself, Tiedes father began drinking heavily, and died when Tiede was 15 according to CBS News. "So a lot of death had occurred in our family," he said. On April 22, 2016, following Tiedes re-sentencing trial, the jury imposed a new sentence of 99 years or life for Tiede. She then became estranged from most people who cared about her. She was just so controlling, she felt like she could own me, and I guess to some degree, she did, Tiede said. [10] He became a mortician, working in Carthage as assistant director of the Hawthorn Funeral Home. What You Didn't Know About Murderer Bernie Tiede - Grunge [36] He currently resides at the Estelle Unit. 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. "I mean, I just -- there were -- there're just some questions that don't have any answers," he said. All of this both while Marjorie Nugent was alive, and after Tiede had killed her and stuffed her in her freezer. "This is a real case, with a real murderer. I think he has no remorse. 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.

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