20/20 - Bad Romance: Love You to Death

Episode Date: April 15, 2025

A bride is murdered 48 hours before the wedding; police uncover a double life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices...

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Starting point is 00:00:00 Am I ever gonna love again? Am I ever gonna love again? Am I ever gonna love again? Am I ever gonna love again? Couples in love make promises, in sickness and in health, to have and to hold. But when the past catches up to you, a couple can find the real meaning of the phrase, love you to death.
Starting point is 00:00:28 ["Love Again"] When she was found, they were planning a wedding. And then that wedding was less than 48 hours away. Never would have thought that I would have been going to her funeral at next week instead of her wedding. Never would have thought it. She's come in the door and she said, I'm here to get a marriage license. A lot of things happened after that.
Starting point is 00:01:03 I don't want to cry. Hours away from becoming a bride, Molly Watson's story takes a tragic turn when a stranger makes a discovery on a country road. April 27th of 2018, it was a Friday night. Glenn McSparren is taking a shortcut from his mother's home there in Monroe County. Didn't really think nothing of it, just a typical night. It's remote. It's really grown up. You're driving in between trees and horseweeds down to the creek. You got to turn as you go down into it and go
Starting point is 00:01:51 across it because the road kind of curves. That night he says he saw headlights. He saw a car come up and kind of cut him off, put their headlights right into his view. Once I got a little bit closer I could see that there was a car and I thought that they wanted past me so I pulled over to the side of the road and I could see another car parked over on the right facing away from me. He said he saw a short white guy driving the car. Glenn McSparren described the car with the older white man as an old grandma car. I couldn't hardly see him because of all the glare and I just kind of turned my head towards
Starting point is 00:02:37 the wind and I said, hey, is somebody stuck down there? And how did he say that? He said, I don't know where they're at. It's going to be a while. Glenn McSparren had a brief verbal exchange with this older white male. And the other individual indicated that Glenn needed to go around a different way.
Starting point is 00:02:57 So I just backed my truck up a little bit and went back to the West. The more I thought about it, I was like, it's just something's not right. I talked to my mom and my brother for a minute and I told them, I said, I'm gonna go back through there. On his way back just 30 minutes later, a horrific scene, a body in his headlights. I stayed in my truck and I called 911. I don't know what the hell is going on here. They wanted me to just make sure she was alive or not. Ma'am, ma'am. Oh my god. I don't think she's alive, no. I've seen if she was cold to the touch or she had a pulse
Starting point is 00:03:39 and she did not and I looked in her eyes and I could tell that she was gone. Her eyes are open. She's out there to God be dead. She was essentially shot execution style. She had been shot once in the back of the head at point-blank range. The idea that it never happens here in this country corner of Missouri is pretty much right. Police go into full investigative mode and there's evidence to be found. In the muddy crime scene they find tire tracks remarkably well preserved.
Starting point is 00:04:21 And there appeared to be markings that looked like two O's. I think everybody looking thought that it was probably a Goodyear tire. I came upon this shirt laying in the road. Went around the shirt and passed it, and then I stopped and I'm thinking, we're kind of close to the crime scene here. I probably better pick that up just in case. close to the crime scene here. I probably better pick that up just in case. That t-shirt we later learned had gunshot residue on it, had Molly Watson's blood.
Starting point is 00:04:58 On a road leading away from the scene, they find an empty box. It was an empty.22 caliber ammunition box. A.22 would be considered a small caliber firearm along with several other calibers. An autopsy later recovers a bullet. It revealed that it was a small caliber weapon that was used to kill her. The bullet that they found was too damaged to be able to match it up with any particular firearm. All we can say about the projectile
Starting point is 00:05:24 is that it would be consistent with a small caliber ammunition. We initially run the vehicle registration, things of that nature. We were eventually able to figure out that the victim was Molly Watson. Police wake up the family in the middle of the night with some pretty bad news. My wife woke me up, said your dad's on the phone. He doesn't sound good, something happened. I'll never forget my dad.
Starting point is 00:05:59 He said, Timmy, he said the highway patrol just left our house. I was like, what happened? He said they found Molly just left our house. I was like, what happened? He said they found Molly dead in the road. I was like, what? Do you know how old she is now? Police want to know what brought Molly to this dark, desolate place and even more puzzling, who'd have a reason to kill her? Molly Watson's body was found...
Starting point is 00:06:24 ...wearing her engagement ring on her left ring finger. They were planning a wedding. Wedding of her dreams. That wedding was less than 48 hours away. The wedding was less than 48 hours away. We always heard about the wedding. we were very excited about the wedding. You know, the colors, the theme, the decorations.
Starting point is 00:06:57 Molly has a wedding planner who's working on the details. There's a lot of burgundy and gold. Kind of reminded me of like a Renaissance kind of theme. Two dresses, she could not make up her mind. This dress, as you will see with it on me, I show it with me wearing one ball gown crinoline. Molly Watson is 35. Her friends describe her as sweet, creative, bubbly.
Starting point is 00:07:24 Me and Molly were both kind of goofballs. She was like my best friend. Lots of artwork, costuming. She was really good at that. She has a YouTube channel. She plays with makeup and shows off her sewing. She wanted to start like a weekly vlog where she would you know just talk about herself or what's going on in her life. I work in education right now. I have two degrees in psychology, a bachelor's and a master's. She wanted to be a singer for a long time and she had a really good singing voice. I am going to sing the healing incantation from Tangled. Flower gleam and glow, let your power shine.
Starting point is 00:08:12 Molly was married in her early 20s. The relationship didn't last more than a few years. During the breakup, she's pregnant and has a son. Declan was her world. She would take him to the zoo, you know, she would take him out anywhere with her. That was just her world right there. Later, she dates a woman she'd known since they were in kindergarten together. But that relationship falls apart
Starting point is 00:08:39 when Molly meets somebody new at the prison where she works as a corrections officer, a lieutenant named James Addy. He's 16 years older than she is. And Molly's brother says the couple doesn't spend much time with her family. There was definitely an age gap there. At first, you know, it was weird for us, but you know, everybody kind of got past it. I asked her, you know, what does your family think about him?
Starting point is 00:09:04 And she was really kind of hesitant. And she said, you know, what does your family think about him? And she was really kind of hesitant. And she said, you know, my family doesn't really like him. They've only met him a few times. But Addy's brother looked up to him. Growing up, Jim, he was a role model, an example. He was in the Marine Corps. And then from the Marine Corps, he got out after Desert Storm and just created a life.
Starting point is 00:09:25 Molly told her brother that James mentioned he'd been married a few times. One marriage to a woman named Melanie resulted in two children, Ben and Emma. I loved Melanie. She was always nice, always kind, funny. It was just Melanie. The type of women that Jim liked were very nice, very kind.
Starting point is 00:09:47 At this point, James and Molly seem to be a couple, and he's quite the romantic. He writes, You're truly the love of my life, now and forever. You are my everything. I adore you. After seven years of having this relationship with James, well she surprises her family. She suddenly announces, I'm engaged. You were booked for her makeup and hair three years ago. Yes. What did you know about Molly and the wedding and her fiance? I remember meeting her. She was so excited.
Starting point is 00:10:24 She wanted a Disney theme. A very wonderful wedding had been planned at the Stony Creek Inn. Molly had invited her family here to come to this event. It was bubbly. She was happy. She enjoyed talking about her wedding. James was kind of the opposite of Molly. He was very quiet, didn't show much enthusiasm. I just thought he was just a groom along for the ride. And then, according to Molly's brother, in the middle of planning the wedding, James gives Molly some terrible news about Melanie, the mother of his children. James had told Molly, who told me that Melanie was involved in December in a really bad car
Starting point is 00:11:07 wreck and that she was on life support. And they didn't think she was going to make it. When I was reaching out to Molly to try to get a meeting scheduled, she had mentioned that James's ex-wife had passed away from a car accident over the holidays. So he had to go do a funeral stuff with his kids when we were trying to meet. There were some last minute changes.
Starting point is 00:11:35 James and Molly cut their guest list in half, and it turns out his daughter, Emma, won't need the hair and makeup team. The plan was that she had a stepdaughter who she was planning to do hair and makeup on. I did also wanna let you know that it is just going to be me getting hair and makeup done. My soon to be stepdaughter has decided she and a friend
Starting point is 00:12:01 are going to do each other's hair and makeup. And so we're just going to go that route. Molly worries that her fiance may be getting cold feet. Are you changing your mind? Not at all. Then what? It worries me that you were changing yours. I wasn't. Good. Two days to go till the wedding. The couple are meeting at the county recorder's office to get their marriage license. He remembers Molly well. The cameras I got in the back of my office for security filmed all that. Molly Watson come in the door just shortly before four o'clock and she said, I'm here to get a marriage license.
Starting point is 00:12:45 And she was quite pleasant to talk to. We had a good time. You can see James there in his uniform, running late, hurrying inside. And then Mr. Addy walked in the door and he was not smiling. He was acting like this was not the place he wanted to be in.
Starting point is 00:13:06 She reached right over to him and was touching his arm and stuff, and she would pat him on the back, and she would lean into him a little bit. He watches as they leave the office, hand in hand. That's just tough. It really is. Because she was a sweet girl. A lot of things happened after that. I don't want to cry. Just hours later, that marriage certificate is found at the crime scene. Our marriage certificate was located in her car. That had her name in there as well as her fiance's name.
Starting point is 00:13:54 Now, in the middle of the night, there's something they've got to do right away. They head to her fiance's house. So they went to his house that evening. While the trooper is there in the home, he makes a startling discovery. There's another woman in James Addie's house. She asked the trooper, what are you doing here? And I imagine the trooper probably
Starting point is 00:14:19 felt much of the same thing. What are you doing here? It turns out the woman who was there is James Addie's wife, Melanie Addie. She's his wife? The guy's living a complete double life. What is going on here? Hey, I'm Brad Milky. You may know me as the host of ABC audio's daily news podcast, Start Here, but I'd like to add aspiring true crime expert to my resume. And here's how I'm going to make it happen. Every week, I'm going to unpack the biggest true crime story that everyone is talking
Starting point is 00:14:55 about. ABC has got some unique access here. So I'll talk to the reporters and producers who have followed these cases for months, sometimes years. We're bringing the latest developments and the larger context on the true crime stories reporters and producers who have followed these cases for months, sometimes years. We're bringing the latest developments and the larger context on the true crime stories you've been hearing about. Follow the crime scene for special access to the people who know these stories best.
Starting point is 00:15:18 The amateur has arrived in IMAX. I want to find and kill the people who murdered my wife. Critics rave. The Amateur is a tense, unpredictable ride. You're just not a killer, Charlie. Train me. that constantly finds new and inventive ways to up the stakes. The first one you kill, you let the other ones know you're coming. You want them all? Academy Award winner Rummy Malek
Starting point is 00:15:40 and Academy Award nominee Lawrence Fishburne. The Amateur. Maybe PG-13. Maybe inappropriate for children under 13, now playing only in theaters and IMAX. When police show up at James Addie's door to tell him that Molly, his fiance, is dead, his wife is as surprised to see them as they are to see her.
Starting point is 00:16:04 His wife is as surprised to see them as they are to see her. About 2.30, I think, I saw police car lights out my window. It was very strange to see that. I didn't know what was happening. She wasn't ready for everything that was about to come. She wasn't prepared that he had this whole other life that was happening without her. He admits that he was cheating on Melanie with Molly and that yes, they had been engaged to be married.
Starting point is 00:16:42 Mr. Addy became visibly hot and uncomfortable during that interview. So hot and uncomfortable that he actually walked over to his window, opened it, and put a box fan there to blow the cool air in. James Addy volunteered that the last time he had spoken with Molly Watson was earlier in that evening and showed the police a screenshot of a 22-minute phone call from her to him. For police, everything has changed since that very first moment that they walked into the
Starting point is 00:17:22 Addys house. This man has a wife. He was sweating in the interview. He's got phone and text messages that seem ever so suspicious. So for police, there's plenty. What do they do? They arrest him. They charge him with first degree murder.
Starting point is 00:17:43 Now the trick is building a case. You doing alright sir? Not really. Watching your husband loaded into a police car has to be hard for Melanie when you think about the snapshots of her life before. Tell me about meeting James Addie. I was working at a convenience store and he was a customer. He came in a lot and finally asked me out.
Starting point is 00:18:11 And once you two hit it off, did he pop the question pretty soon? Very quickly. Maybe six months. That's the wedding photo. You look so young, both of you. We didn't have a lot of money and we had Ben on the way very quickly. When Ben came into the picture, man, I remember going up to their house. It was always fun. So happy. A few years later, Emma comes along, so your family's growing.
Starting point is 00:18:41 It was exactly what we wanted. We had these two great kids. I was a stay-at-home mom. He went to work. It was a very traditional way to do things. I thought it was very good. I love that picture. Yeah, all of us together at Christmas time. As the years go on, their lives seem so normal. James clashes with his teen son, but Melanie says she felt her husband was dedicated to his family and very loyal. She never suspected that he was being unfaithful. Did you get any sense of whether he was contented and happy in the marriage? He seemed the same all the time. contented and happy in the marriage. He seemed the same all the time.
Starting point is 00:19:26 Melanie did admit that the marriage had its ups and downs, but in her mind, they had always been able to work through whatever the issues were. This was her reality. Everything was the same, but the fact is it wasn't. James Addy was in a completely different place. He was over it. He was done.
Starting point is 00:19:50 He didn't love her anymore. James Addy, for the past seven years, had been living two lives. How was he able to separate both of these lives? He's a very good liar. At one point, he takes a trip to Florida on his own. What was that trip about? He told me it was a trip related to his work where they were doing some training. He took the extra step and printed out what
Starting point is 00:20:19 looked like a business letter. Made it look official that that's what he was doing but he was taking the trip to Florida with Molly. As I talked to Melanie, knowing where this is going, it's hard not to be a little incredulous, but no matter what I asked, she's consistent. She did not know the truth about what was going on. He would get off work at three, and usually he would get home at 5. And I would say, well, why are you always so late? And that would be an argument.
Starting point is 00:20:52 He didn't want to tell me anything. Any suspicions? Not about an affair, no. So let's go back then to April 27, 2018. Any strange behavior on his part? No, not at all. Nothing. He just seemed like he always did. About 7 o'clock, he came in to the living room where I was
Starting point is 00:21:14 and said he was going to a friend's house. Did it strike you as unusual or odd? I remember being irritated that I wanted him to just be home. And he had a hard time staying home. Do you remember when he came home? I was asleep. And whatever time James Addie got home, well, Melanie says that she woke up at 2 in the morning
Starting point is 00:21:39 to the sound of his snoring, and she says she did what she normally does, moved to the couch in the living room. The police tell you that your husband has a dead fiance? Yes. And he's engaged to the woman. Yeah. And you're learning all of this in one night.
Starting point is 00:21:58 Immediately, yeah. And you've been married for 20? 23 years. What did you think? I can't even tell you. It was just mind boggling. It made no sense at all. None.
Starting point is 00:22:10 Were you angry? Were you hurt? What were you feeling? Probably just disbelief in the beginning. It didn't seem right. This was not my life. Did you think that your husband was capable of murder? Yes. It just seemed like something he would do to fix a problem.
Starting point is 00:22:30 He was a pretty selfish person. He could be controlling and intimidating, and it could be challenging. Melanie Addie begins searching her house. She searches a loft type area above the garage, which she rarely went into, and found a photo album. She finds several photos of Jim and Molly together, smiling, a happy couple. She found the photos of them in Florida on this trip that she had thought was a harmless business trip for him to go on that he was actually there with his fiancee getting ready to
Starting point is 00:23:08 get married. Were you asking yourself how could I have missed this? Oh absolutely every day, every day. How do you not see this? I guess because I wasn't supposed to see it. So he's under arrest, he's in jail. Yes. Did you go visit him? The following week. We were both in tears. Both in tears.
Starting point is 00:23:33 What is he saying to you? That he's sorry. He's very sorry for the affair, but he insists that he was not the killer. That he is not responsible for this. Was there a part of you that felt for him on any level? Absolutely, because I felt like, oh, I have to take care of him. This is what we do.
Starting point is 00:23:53 We take care of each other. Did you look at him suddenly as a stranger, as somebody you didn't know? I looked at him as someone I didn't want back. Now investigators have got to untangle this mess. They have to have evidence. They have a t-shirt, the ammunition box, and now there's one other item they find near that dirt road, a cell phone, Molly's cell phone.
Starting point is 00:24:20 That phone now means that prosecutors can take the case to the courtroom. There's another voice that will be heard. Like they say, a deceased person doesn't speak, but it's almost like Molly was speaking from the grave. James Addie, the former prison guard, now under guard himself. At trial, lead investigator Bradley Rehm takes the stand to testify about that jaw-dropping moment in the Addie home. I asked her who she was. She replied, I am his wife. I was like, whoa, I was wondering what was going on. And he told me that I got myself involved in something I shouldn't have.
Starting point is 00:25:06 Glenn McSparren testifies about finding Molly. When you first went to the water crossing the first time, was there another car present? Yes, there was. We came up on a pair of headlights down by the creek, and then I could tell there was another car facing away from me. Glenn McSparren testifies about seeing that man at the crime scene, but in a blow to the prosecution, he can't identify James Addy as the man he saw. I couldn't get a really 100% clear look at him.
Starting point is 00:25:40 But McSparren's description of the car that man was driving, that old grandma car, police say matches Addie's car. And then they take a good look at the tires. Prosecutors say one of the tires on Addie's car, a Goodyear, is just the kind that could leave a double-O impression like the one found near Molly Watson's body. It wasn't just that double O print from the side of the Goodyear tire.
Starting point is 00:26:09 Officers have something more. What prosecutors call a perfect tire print in the mud, just a few feet from Molly's body. A state crime lab expert testifies that he compared the right rear tire on Addy's car to a cast that was made at the scene of the crime next to Molly's body. And what conclusion did you draw, if any, about the tire and the cast? My conclusion was that particular tire made that particular impression.
Starting point is 00:26:42 Prosecutors are convinced that this tire track matches Addy's car. The defense is saying not so fast. All right I'd like to talk to you about this comparison that we just had that states... There is no widely accepted scientific principle behind an examiner looking at one tire and looking at a cast and saying, they look the same to me. State's Exhibit 67. Could you explain to the jury
Starting point is 00:27:11 what they're looking at here? That is an empty ammo box of.22 caliber. A prosecution witness testifies that bullets found in the.22 caliber rifle found in James Addy's home are consistent with the Thunderbolt ammunition, the kind that came in that empty ammo box they found. Even so, that doesn't prove that it's the murder weapon.
Starting point is 00:27:35 Prosecutors call a long parade of highway patrol investigators and criminalists, and then they introduce a key item of evidence. A cell phone. Molly's cell phone. Molly Watson's cell phone was a vital link in the chain of evidence for prosecutors. Information from her cell phone did tell us that she had driven from her home to this location while she was on the phone with James Addy. Investigators are pouring over all these text messages between James and Molly.
Starting point is 00:28:08 And what they're hoping to do is reconstruct the events leading up to her killing. And maybe they'll find even a triggering moment that caused it to happen. And investigators say there's a reference to that story about Addie's wife Melanie dying after a car crash. Prosecutors say Addie texted Molly that his ex-wife's funeral was happening the day before
Starting point is 00:28:31 their wedding. The funeral is tomorrow. I'm sorry, sweetness. I love you so, so much. Why would James Addie lie? Why tell Molly that his ex-wife Melanie was dead? Some speculate that maybe he hoped the story about the car crash would cause his fiance to postpone the wedding and the collision of his two lives.
Starting point is 00:28:53 But instead it may have sped up his day of reckoning. Molly at a certain point did try to look into this and question this according to some of the things brought up in court. Forensic searches of Molly's phones indicated that the day before she was murdered, she was looking for Melanie Addie's obituary. Was obviously unable to find an obituary for Melanie Addie. Prosecutors point out that Molly's online search happens the day before her murder and argue this theory. Molly figures out that James' wife isn't dead and confronts him, and they say that's what led him
Starting point is 00:29:30 to kill her. Did James Addie have a plan to see Molly that night? As stated here in the exhibit, the text message says, I think I'm going to see you tonight. And that was sent from James's purple phone to Molly. He knew. He knew what was going to happen.
Starting point is 00:29:50 He knew how that day was going to end. Earlier in the evening of April 27th, before James Addie departed his home, he had sent text messages from himself to himself. Have a meeting tonight at 8. Normal place. You have to be there. James Addie seems to be almost firing himself up to do something drastic. Don't be a b**** again. Let's go, man.
Starting point is 00:30:20 It was as if one part of him was telling the other to, come on, we can do this. Let's go. Trying to psych himself up for something. Obviously now we know what it is. Don't be a man. Let's go, man. He's talking himself into it. He's getting himself ready.
Starting point is 00:30:37 Molly was lured to this Monroe County Road. A 22 minute phone call and a 22-minute drive to her death. For the next 30 minutes or so, police say that Addie's phones, both of them are silent. No calls, no texting. That is when he killed Molly Watson. What could have or would have been James Addy's closest allies as a criminal defendant, his wife and his daughter, are now actually going to take the stand against him.
Starting point is 00:31:15 Were you aware that you were on a guest list to attend your dad's wedding? The NFL Draft on ESPN, live from the legendary Lombardi Avenue in Greenback. To all of these men, I want to say that football is not just a game, but a way of life. Whose lifelong dream of making it to the league... Each man must make a personal commitment to excellence and to victory. ...will be fulfilled on this iconic stage at Lambeau. With the first pitch in 2025 NFL Draft begins Thursday, April 24th at 8 p.m. Eastern on ESPN, ABC and NFL Network. Rapper Sean Diddy Combs was a kingmaker.
Starting point is 00:31:56 He had wealth, fame and power. What's up, welcome to New York. Until it all came crashing down. Federal investigators raiding two homes owned by hip hop mogul Sean Diddy Combs. I'm Brian Buckmeyer, an ABC News legal contributor. As Diddy heads to trial, we trace his remarkable rise and fall. And what could be next? Listen to Bad Rap, the case against Diddy, a new series from ABC Audio.
Starting point is 00:32:22 Listen now wherever you get your podcasts. [♪ music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, music ends, E-M-M-A-A-D-D-I-E. The evidence at trial showed that Emma Addy had actually met Molly Watson previously. James' daughter Emma needed a costume. And Dad said that he knew somebody who did that kind of thing. And that person was Molly. And he took me to go meet her and she made a costume for me. James had introduced Molly as a friend from work. Did you know about his relationship with Molly? No.
Starting point is 00:33:14 She articulated to the jury what she saw and heard and remembered from that night. I was still up doing homework at around 10 PM. And that's when, that's around the time that dad came home. On cross-examination, the defense really tries to create some doubt with timing. Maybe he was in the garage working on his car,
Starting point is 00:33:35 maybe she didn't know. You'd agree with me that back in this time frame that your dad would frequently be in the garage, correct? Yes. Emma's most damaging testimony may be about that bloody t-shirt. Remember the one that was found in the road near the crime scene?
Starting point is 00:33:54 The t-shirt becomes so important to this case because it's a one-of-a-kind t-shirt. And here's the kicker. It was made by James Addie's daughter, Emma. Do you recognize that shirt? Yes. Right. Have you recognized that shirt?
Starting point is 00:34:12 She was able to identify it because she made it as a part of one of her classes. And so she was able to affirmatively say, that is a t-shirt that I made. I know that's my shirt. She gave it to her father. I brought them home that day after the contest and dad said that he would take one to the garage just to use his rags.
Starting point is 00:34:34 Addy's defense says that's not proof that maybe Addy had just given the t-shirt to Molly. is it so impossible that one fiance has a shirt that belongs to their fiance. As far as your marriage with James at the district for the jury. Testifying next the woman James Addy allegedly said was dead is now ex-wife Melanie at the she filed for divorce soon after his arrest.
Starting point is 00:35:05 It was good sometimes, it was bad sometimes. I thought we both tried to make it work. You were called to testify. How hard was that? It's horrible, it's just horrible. You don't want to be there. I don't want to be in a position where I'm hurting him. I don't want to do that.
Starting point is 00:35:24 So in April of 2018, you were still married to Mr. Addy and living in that same home? Yes. Did you have any plans to divorce at that point? No. He had always been very hard on me about how a wife should act and how a wife should be. And then he did this.
Starting point is 00:35:45 He had an affair, and that's okay. No, we were done. We were done. James Addy didn't react to his ex-wife taking the stand, but everybody else did. Anybody watching was riveted. Prosecutors also ask Melanie about that outrageous story, the one they say James told Molly, that Melanie was dead.
Starting point is 00:36:11 Were you in a horrible car crash in October of 2017 around Christmas or New Year's? No. And is it fair to say you did not pass away in April of 2018? That's correct. After calling nearly 20 witnesses, the state rests its case. Thank you, sir. You matched them down.
Starting point is 00:36:35 And now it's time for the defense to take its turn. All kinds of options here. They could introduce evidence, they could call witnesses, or they could put James Addie himself on the stand. Instead, they do none of the above. Not putting up a case for the defense, it's fairly common because the argument is it's the state's burden to prove something beyond reasonable doubt. Once my client puts a witness on the stand, now we're in competition Once my client puts a witness on the stand, now we're in competition for who is more likable,
Starting point is 00:37:08 for who do we believe more. You lose the state's burden, and you take on a burden yourself. If the evidence will show that the state does not have proof beyond reasonable doubt. Your doubts are reasonable. Your doubts are reasonable, because Jim did not kill Molly. They attempted to raise enough reasonable doubt
Starting point is 00:37:31 about the things that weren't there. There was no murder weapon. What would be the motive of a man in love killing his fiancé? He was in love with Molly was the defense, and he was having an affair, but that didn't necessarily mean that Molly was the defense and he was having an affair but that didn't necessarily mean that he was the killer. Closing arguments in this case ended up being on what would have been James and Molly's
Starting point is 00:37:53 three-year anniversary. Molly Watson does not get to celebrate her three-year wedding anniversary today. But you have the power to give her justice. The jury deliberated about two and a half hours, the fate of James Addie, and announced they had reached a unanimous decision. All right then, my understanding, the jury has reached a verdict.
Starting point is 00:38:24 Do I have a four person? Yes, sir. When the jury walked in, like five of the jury members looked at us. Like they glanced over and I thought, OK. I don't know if it's a good sign or not. Verdict reads as follows. As to count one, we the jury find the defendant, James Addy,
Starting point is 00:38:41 guilty of murder in the first degree. The jury found James Addy guilty of first degree murder in the death of Molly Watson and armed criminal action. Oh, I was happy. I was so happy to hear that because my sister got justice. Did you feel that your husband should have been found guilty of murder? Absolutely. Yeah. Is he a killer? Apparently. You asked me earlier what I was surprised at during the trial. During the entire course of the trial, I failed to represent anything that I brought forward.
Starting point is 00:39:23 Up until this point, James Addy has fully exercised his right to remain silent throughout the trial. But now he's ready to open up and give the court his version of what he says really happened. There is no way that I could have done this crime. And he's going to point to someone he says is the true killer. Resistance is upside. We must stand together. We will be crushed. There's a future here.
Starting point is 00:40:08 For those who dare. You're right here and you're ready to fight! Welcome to the Rebellion. Andor, Season 2, streaming April 22nd, only on Disney+. Don't miss Good American Family. We have a little girl here for adoption. She has dwarfism. Starring Ellen Pompeo and Mark Duplass.
Starting point is 00:40:29 Something is off. She's just a little girl. You think she's a fig? She has adult teeth? There are signs of puberty? Inspired by the shocking stories that tore a family apart. I don't know what's going on. How old are you?
Starting point is 00:40:40 You should get a lawyer. You have no idea how those people hurt this girl. The Hulu Original Series. Good American Family. New episodes Wednesdays, streaming on Hulu. Thank you. Have a seat. We're here today on 18AC-CR 01983.
Starting point is 00:41:02 State President James Addie. The matter comes on today for final disposition. Two months after his conviction, James Addie is formally sentenced. Mr. Addie, having been convicted by a jury of your peers, in charge of murder in the first degree, I hereby sentence you to life imprisonment without the possibility to roll that being the sentence mandated by law. Once sentencing is over, the judge wants to hear from Addie about why he now claims his lawyer did not do a good job. Anyone expecting regrets or remorse is in for quite a surprise.
Starting point is 00:41:37 Normally, criminal defendants keep their mouth shut, they say yes when they're supposed to, and they move on their way to get their appeal going. Not James Addy. He is scheduled to spend the rest of his life in prison. But he's got plenty to say, beginning by reading a love letter to the woman he's convicted of killing. Addy insists that Molly was the love of my life. Addy insists that Molly was the love of his life. He says he misses her terribly and would have done anything to keep her happy. Addy is now asking for a new trial. He's complaining to the judge that his defense counsel was ineffective.
Starting point is 00:42:21 Honestly, let his defense attorney have it. He said that he did not think that TJ did a great job. You give me an idea of what kind of stuff you wanted him to bring forward. that showed a motive that somebody else would do that. Molly had an ex who, according to him, had stalked her. Very much so had a motive to do harm to Molly as her wedding was approaching. We reviewed all of the evidence collected
Starting point is 00:42:58 during this investigation and presented the relevant and missable evidence at trial. And there was no evidence of any other person with a direct connection to Molly Watson's death. That evidence pointed to one person, James Addy, who had the motive, means, and opportunity to take Molly Watson's life. I would like to see him and ask him, what were you thinking?
Starting point is 00:43:22 Why did you do this to us? Why did you do this to us? Why did you do this to you? You don't see yourself as a victim. Not at all. Molly's the victim. She's not here. She lost her life. You just think of the lyrics of that song that Molly loved so much from the movie Tangled.
Starting point is 00:43:56 Bring back what once was mine, what once was mine. Just a couple of days ago at work, I'm a mechanic and we have our bay doors open and out of the blue, this balloon came right up to me. It says, we love you, we miss you, and that was Molly telling me, hey, we're watching you. So it definitely felt good. The missing child is Lucia Blix, nine years old. Please, let her come back home safely. April 16th. The kidnappers plundered meticulously.
Starting point is 00:44:34 If money is what it takes to get her back, we're going to pay it. The secrets they hide. You can't talk about this. You can't write about it. Are the clues. The mother's hiding something, I know it. To find her. Tell me where she is.
Starting point is 00:44:47 The Stolen Girl, series premiere April 16th on Freeform and stream on Hulu.

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