48 Hours - Deputy Spivey on Trial

Episode Date: January 13, 2025

A TV bailiff accused of murdering his wife is determined to prove his innocence. Natalie Morales reports.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at ...https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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Starting point is 00:01:06 with iGaming Ontario. ["The Last Supper"] ["The Last Supper"] What is your emergency? A shot's fired. What is your name? My name is Renard Spivey. My wife and her arty. I accidentally shot her. You accidentally shot her? Yeah.
Starting point is 00:01:33 Houston, please. Where you at, man? Yeah. All right, where's the weapon? Stay away from it. I don't want to see it in your hand. All right, where's the weapon? Right here. Stay away from it. I don't want to see it in your hand. You understand? Where's she at?
Starting point is 00:01:49 OK, what's... The man on the floor. Yeah. OK. His leg. All right. Show me the leg. OK.
Starting point is 00:01:55 We was arguing, tussling with the gun. And we have been arguing all day. OK, go ahead and put your hands behind your back, OK? Let's go. Yeah. We're going to work. Okay, go ahead and put your hands behind your back, okay? Renard Spivey was a long-time Deputy sheriff and the deceased was his wife Pat or Patricia Spivey Spivey who also worked for a time as a TV judge show bailiff is now charged with his wife's murder
Starting point is 00:02:20 There was a lot of publicity Because he had been on a very popular reality TV show, Justice for All with Christina Perez. All rise! Court is now in session. He was the perfect person in front of everybody else. I think he thought the camera was always on. When it comes to how your mom died, do you think it was accidental? No.
Starting point is 00:02:46 It just, it didn't make sense. It didn't line up. The security cameras, how important were the security cameras and the evidence? I think they were very important. On the surveillance, you clearly hear the three gunshots. One, two, three. The prosecution's theory is that he shot her and then shot himself to cover it up. You don't accidentally shoot someone more than once. Was the autopsy consistent with an accidental shooting?
Starting point is 00:03:20 Well, ultimately, I guess that's the million dollar question. Whose finger was on the trigger? Who was the aggressor? She was threatening him with a gun. If he is the aggressor, then this is a murder. If she is the aggressor, this was either self-defense or an accident. This is the 9-millimeter gun. This is the Astro gun.
Starting point is 00:03:42 It's cocked now. There is no external safety the actual gun. It's cocked now. There is no external safety on this gun. And so any slight pull of the trigger would cause it to go off. There was no single piece of physical evidence that really conclusively pointed towards a particular verdict. Did you intentionally shoot your wife? No, ma'am. I love my wife.
Starting point is 00:04:21 Natalie Morales reports. Deputy Spivey on trial. It was just after 3 a.m. in the warm Houston summer of 2019 when first responders arrived at Renard and Patricia Spivey's home and found 52-year-old Patricia dead in the closet from multiple gunshot wounds. Her husband, Renard, had a bullet in his leg. He told officers the two had been arguing and fighting over a gun when it fired. Renard Spivey, a sheriff's deputy with Harris County, worked as a bailiff in courts and played a bailiff on TV. All right.
Starting point is 00:05:25 For justice for all with Judge Cristina Perez. I'm giving you one more chance to tell me the truth. Well, they said it's out here, so yeah. Renard didn't say much more about what happened. Police detained him and had him transported to a hospital. I think I actually saw that. I'm gonna have to go to a hospital. I can tell by the way that he had lost his life. Patricia's 83-year-old father, who suffered from dementia,
Starting point is 00:05:50 was also living with the spy Vs. He was sleeping when the gunshots erupted. What happened? You didn't hear anything? I didn't hear anything. I know. We just need your statement. First responders on the scene wondered
Starting point is 00:06:04 how a gun could go off multiple times by accident. If you get shot once you're not going to make the gun go off again. That's what I'm saying. And why a man of Renard's size, around 6 foot 3 and weighing around 290 pounds, would need to struggle with his smaller wife to take control over a gun. So you're that big and you're fighting for the gun? I don't know, but that was a big dude. That was a big dude.
Starting point is 00:06:31 He's got a bunch of trophies inside. Bodybuilding trophies. He's got a call of homicide. It just doesn't make sense, bro. It was more like what happened because I got Petrina Marshall, Patricia's daughter from a previous relationship arrived at the scene. Did my mom do something? Did Rennard do something like what?
Starting point is 00:06:53 Did somebody do something to them? Like I didn't know what to expect. Petrina says an officer told her her mother had died during a struggle with her husband when he told you she didn't make it had to be very an officer told her her mother had died during a struggle with her husband. When he told you she didn't make it, it had to be very tough to hear that. It was. But you held it together.
Starting point is 00:07:11 I don't know. Something really weird happened to me. I don't know. It's just like, I just kind of shut down and everything just became really numb. I still have not cried. Betrina says she regrets not seeing her mom for one last time. I just didn't get that. And I'm like, man, so she just sitting in that closet just the whole time. So, oh my God, I'm crying.
Starting point is 00:07:44 Betrina never thought her mother's life would end this way. Her mother fell quickly for Renard. It was like her first everything. That was her first house. And it was Patricia's first marriage, Renard's third. When we met, I did like, we kind of hit it off and stuff. Five years after Patricia's death, Renard shared with us his feelings for Patricia. She was a fun person. I'm living my best life. She was spontaneous, and she was just a beautiful person.
Starting point is 00:08:15 Renard had popped the question in 2013 after Patricia pointed at a ring she liked at a store. Right there where the ring was, I said, come here. I proposed, got on my knees and proposed to her. And she said yes right away. She said yes. And we had fun. We celebrated in Hawaii.
Starting point is 00:08:34 And then they built their dream house, a 3,000 square foot home with a three car garage. But within a few hours of Patricia's death, Renard found himself under suspicion for murder. At the hospital, detectives wanted to interview Renard, but he refused. He would later tell us why. At that point, had you already gotten an attorney? I had a union rep who was an attorney.
Starting point is 00:09:01 Then he came to the hospital. Union rep, we said, do not talk to her. While investigators tried to figure out how exactly the shooting unfolded, the medical examiner was conducting an autopsy on Patricia. According to the report, Patricia had multiple gunshot entry and exit wounds. The fatal shot piercing through her lungs and heart. 48 Hours consultant and former prosecutor Lisa Andrews reviewed the case for us. The multiple shots is definitely what gives everyone a lot of pause as to why it's not an accident. The medical examiner ruled it a homicide, which is an intentional killing.
Starting point is 00:09:43 On July 29, 2019, Renard Spivey was charged with his wife's murder. What was that like for you now being behind bars for somebody who had been on the other side of the law for so long? It was, it was tough. It was real tough. What I've been through, I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. Renard's twin sister, Renee Spivey Frazier, says she found out her brother was arrested
Starting point is 00:10:07 when she got a call from a relative. And I just couldn't believe what I was hearing because I knew he loved her unconditionally. Renard's friend, Gerald Graham, who Renard has mentored over the years, couldn't believe it either. Like, he's the big brother, the father, the uncle. I just want to thank y'all for all the well wishes.
Starting point is 00:10:31 I have never seen Spivey in any kind of altercation. I've never seen him raise his voice. Renard Spivey hired prominent criminal defense attorneys, brothers Dick and Mike DeGaron, and Mike's son Michael DeGaron. One of the things that we were able to see in this case is they had a camera system in their home, and I watched their relationship. We wanted to see if there was anything there to provide a motive for wanting her to be
Starting point is 00:11:03 harmed or dead, or that there was trouble in the relationship. It was very loving relationship as I could tell. But yet we know on that night somebody went to bed angry. It looked like she went to bed angry. He did not. Harvard is the oldest and richest university in America. Shame! Shame! Shame! But when a social media-fueled fight over Harvard and its new president broke out last fall, that was no protection. Claudian Gay is now gone.
Starting point is 00:11:46 We've exposed the DEI regime, and there's much more to come. This is The Harvard Plan, a special series from the Boston Globe and WNYC's On The Media. To listen, subscribe to On The Media wherever you get your podcasts. You don't believe in ghosts? I get it. Lots of people don't. I didn't either, until I came face to face with them. Ever since that moment, hauntings, spirits, and the unexplained have consumed my entire life. I'm Nadine Bailey. I've been a ghost tour guide for the past 20 years.
Starting point is 00:12:26 I've taken people along with me into the shadows, uncovering the macabre tales that linger in the darkness and inside some of the most haunted houses, hospitals, prisons and more. Join me every week on my podcast, Haunted Canada, as we journey through terrifying and bone-chilling stories of the unexplained. Search for Haunted Canada on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Amazon Music, or wherever you find your favorite podcasts. 48 hours after he was charged with the murder of his wife, Harris County Sheriff's Deputy Renard Spivey hosted Bond, $50,000. I was in jail probably a couple of days. And returned to the house he used to share with Patricia, where investigators believed
Starting point is 00:13:24 he intentionally shot her. When you walk in that door, do the memories come flooding right back? Well, as soon as you go in the door and then you go in the bedroom, bam, it hits you. Renard Spivey insists his wife's death was an accident. I love my wife.
Starting point is 00:13:44 You know, I did everything for her. Anything, anything she wanted. I always treated her like my queen. But Renard never gave a statement to police about how the events unfolded that night. And Patricia's family questioned the circumstances around her death and why Renard was free on bond. Patricia's cousin, Sybil Shepherd.
Starting point is 00:14:06 I don't think that his bond was high enough for murder. Being a sheriff, I think he got a lot of privilege in that instance. Patricia's loved ones call her the caregiver of the family. She was kind of like the glue. Her being gone, really, you notice it, that she's gone. She did anything that she could to help people out. And you can see that just from taking care of her dad, you know, just taking on that
Starting point is 00:14:40 responsibility. Patricia worked as an executive assistant for the Methodist Hospital in Houston. She'd go visit people in the hospital. She would go take them food, send them flowers. If nobody else was thinking of them, she was. She just was everywhere helping, taking pictures, giving her time, just real social. She was very accomplished. Renard's attorney, Dick DeGaron, says the Spivy's had a good life.
Starting point is 00:15:10 They were very happy. They went on cruises together. Every Friday night, they had a special dinner. How would you describe Renard Spivy? I mean, the idea of a gentle giant. His size was, you can't avoid seeing how big he is. Renard has been a bodybuilder since his 20s. In the aftermath of his wife's death, he was placed under house arrest, but was allowed
Starting point is 00:15:36 to continue with his training. Actually, during that period of time, it was more therapeutic for me because I've been doing it for 40 years. That's my love. period of time it was more therapeutic for me because I've been doing it for 40 years. That's my love. He was also free to go to church and spend time with his family, but he resigned from his career of more than 20 years with Harris County Sheriff's Department. His TV career also took a hit.
Starting point is 00:15:59 At the time of Patricia's death, I understand you were still taping The Justice with Christina Perez's show. Well, they say before that we were still taping. Then after that we didn't do any more taping. Renard had portrayed the bailiff for nine years and taped more than 100 episodes. He told us it was something his wife really liked about him. And what did Patricia think of your television career? Oh, she loved it. She was excited.
Starting point is 00:16:25 And as a matter of fact, I took her to a couple of the Emmys. Patricia's childhood friend Ezra Washington had a small part as an extra on that show and remembered meeting Renard when Patricia and Renard got together. You recognized him right away from his time. Renard and Ezra became close friends. But over time, even before Patricia married Renard, Ezra says Renard was controlling with her. They were at Papa Doe's Friday night.
Starting point is 00:16:55 You know, she'd have a few, and he told her, don't drink no more. And she said, why? He was like, because I see it so. And she dumped him. The couple got back together, but their problems hardly went away, says Ezra, and eventually impacted Patricia's relationship with her cousin, Sybil.
Starting point is 00:17:17 He didn't like Sybil at all. He literally just hated her. She allowed Pat to have freedom. They would go on this cruise every year and they'd party, have fun, and they'd meet people from other parts of the country. It definitely felt, you know, intimidated by the relationship, you know, that we had. Sybil says after the couple got married, Patricia distanced herself. It was more so trying to just put that wedge between the two of us.
Starting point is 00:17:47 And it worked. I just backed off from it. I didn't want to come between somebody and their marriage. It almost seemed like he was jealous of her relationships that he already knew she had. I mean, he met her. Petrina says her mom and Renard had no business being married.
Starting point is 00:18:08 She says their relationship became strained once they moved into their new house. They argued quite a bit. What did she complain about with him? Mainly it was libido, that he didn't want to sleep with her. And maybe she thought he was taking steroids because his whole demeanor changed
Starting point is 00:18:33 and his attitude towards her changed. Mood swings, a lot of up and down. Yes. Petrina says her mom looked up some of Renard's pills and told her she found proof Renard was using steroids. In the days leading up to the shooting, did it seem like things had intensified? Yes. Renard says he was never controlling with Patricia, but he doesn't deny there were
Starting point is 00:19:02 issues in their marriage and says they began about a month before the shooting. She thought I was on steroids and stuff, and I'm trying to get her to understand that my testosterone was low and I was going to a doctor. Renard says a doctor had prescribed him testosterone shots. What about the steroids? Were you taking steroids at that time? Well, that was a replacement.
Starting point is 00:19:24 It's called replacement therapy. That's not steroids. Did you feel like your moods were up and down too during the time you were getting those shots? No. Do the shots affect your mood? No, never. Rennard had already told police the two were arguing on that fatal night. And she thought I probably was cheating on her or something
Starting point is 00:19:45 because we wasn't intimate anymore. And what'd you say to her? I told her, no, that's crazy. Security footage in the Spivy's home recorded some of the couple's movements. She is sitting at the table at one point. You walk over to her. What happens? When I walked over to her, I was getting ready to go to bed,
Starting point is 00:20:03 and every time I walk over to her, she turn her phone down. And then I was trying to her, I was getting ready to go to bed, and every time I walked over to her, she'd turn her phone down. And then I was trying to kiss her. I'm not kissing you. Rennard says he was curious why Patricia was hiding her phone from him. After they went to bed, thinking that his wife was asleep, he says he grabbed her phone from her nightstand
Starting point is 00:20:22 and brought it into the closet. I wanna see what she was looking at. And so when I grab her phone from her nightstand and brought it into the closet. I want to see what she was looking at. And so when I grab the phone, I'm thinking that she's asleep. I go in the master closet. It's dark and it wasn't seconds before, you know, pointing a gun at me. Give me my damn phone. Renard says Patricia followed him into the closet with a gun. Then when I turned around and saw her finger on the trigger, I was scared for my life. When I turned around, she had the gun pointed at me.
Starting point is 00:21:08 Tension between Renard and his wife Patricia turned frightening, he says. I was really scared because you know put your finger on the trigger unless you're prepared to shoot. When Patricia threatened him with his gun. Where do you keep your gun? On the dresser. So it's keep your gun? Uh, on the dresser. So it's on your side of the bed? On my side, yeah.
Starting point is 00:21:30 And is it always loaded? It's always loaded. Don't you talk somebody down? Like as your police training is to deescalate the situation? Well, I was afraid because I'd never been in a situation like that before. So the best thing I knew in my training is to try to take the weapon away from him. Rennard says he tried to do just that, and things unfolded quickly.
Starting point is 00:21:54 When I grabbed her wrist, I grabbed the top of the weapon. She pulled back with her finger on the trigger, and it went off and shot me in the leg. So you got shot first. I got shot first? I got shot first. Then what happened? I was in the process of falling down,
Starting point is 00:22:11 and when I tried to take the weapon away from me, it went off a couple more times. Two more times, he says. Patricia was hit in the chest and then hit by another bullet in her arm, as illustrated in the CBS News animation, based on defense theory. We're certain that the first shot that hit her went into her left chest, through her lungs and into her heart. We think that the second shot that hit her hit her in the right arm and went basically in and out of the bicep
Starting point is 00:22:47 and then into her upper right chest. But former prosecutor Lisa Andrews says it is not certain that only two shots struck her. The medical examiner thought it was possible Patricia's wounds were the result of three shots, one to the left chest, one to the right arm, and a third to her right chest. There's a lot of controversy about how many times she was actually shot.
Starting point is 00:23:13 One shot is an accident. Three shots? Well, I mean, that's the question, right? Investigators poured over the home surveillance. Three gunshots are heard clearly. (*gunshots*) But authorities suspected Renard actually fired the gun four times. Three bullets fired at Patricia, and then one Renard would have fired at himself, Wounding his leg to make it
Starting point is 00:23:45 seem that Patricia shot him. Investigators identified one piece of sound. You can hear it over the alarm ringing. Now this next clip. Picks up the tap. They say it's the gunshot recorded about a minute and a half after the three other shots.
Starting point is 00:24:05 There was a reason they say it sounds different than the others. Their theory was that that sound, that fourth sound, was a gunshot in a different part of the house and that was him shooting himself. Rennard Spivey denies there was a fourth gunshot. That wasn't you shooting the fourth shot to then have a cover-up story. No, ma'am. Rennard's attorneys Dick and Michael DeGaron also listen to that surveillance tape.
Starting point is 00:24:38 It is not a gunshot. They say the sound most likely is the click of another camera in the room being activated. And keep in mind there were three empty cartridges that were found. But Lisa Andrews says there were other things that could point to Renard's guilt, like his call to 911. What is your emergency? A shot spot.
Starting point is 00:25:04 Okay sir, it's a gunshot. his call to 911. He's pretty calm. The demeanor does look pretty off to me. They on the floor, and I'm shot too. He doesn't say my wife or she. It's an emotional step back from what has happened. It took Renard two and a half minutes to say he accidentally shot his wife. It's like he can't bring himself to say what he's done. For him not to reveal that information with two decades of law enforcement training, to
Starting point is 00:25:55 me that was consciousness of guilt. But Renard says he wasn't hiding anything. When you traumatize and see your wife shot and you shot too at the same time, it's a lot. You can hear the strain in his voice, so you know he's in pain. He was confused and probably going into shock. But there are other things on that tape that caught Andrew's attention. Since she is not awake and not breathing normally,
Starting point is 00:26:30 sir, we need to perform CPR on her. I said we need to perform CPR on her. I felt this was also significant. I have no doubt he is trained in how to give CPR, perform it. You can hear what sounds like Renard doing chest compressions. One, two, three, four, five. But a little while later, you can see on the home security cameras
Starting point is 00:26:52 Renard takes a break without mentioning it to the 911 operator. You need to apply indirect pressure to your wounds and her wounds, but we tell you to continue the CPR. Okay, ma'am. He's on the phone with 911, holding the towel on his leg. Typically when you're performing CPR, you don't take breaks.
Starting point is 00:27:18 Renard says he went to unlock the garage door to make sure medics could get to his wife as soon as possible. I came right back and continued the chest compressions. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten. He's then heard breaking down. Stand here Mr. Spivey, just keep going. You're doing great sir. If you can continue, please continue. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, twenty-two, twenty-three.
Starting point is 00:27:52 He loved her. Happy anniversary to you too, Ben. Happy anniversary to you. He really loved her. Rennard's twin sister is not surprised her brother was emotional. She lost her life and he still, he was hurting. But Patricia's close friend Ezra Washington says just two days before Patricia died, she told him she was fed up with Rennard's controlling ways and his suspected steroid use, which she blamed for the lack of intimacy in their relationship. She said, you know what? She said, I'm done. She said, I'm leaving.
Starting point is 00:28:37 Ezra says on the day of the shooting, he had multiple phone conversations with Renard and that Renard told him they were getting a divorce. Ezra claims he confronted Renard about steroids. I know you're on them steroids. Okay, okay, man, I did. I got some product from my boy because I wanted to get lean for the cruise, but I ain't doing it no more. I said stop lying. Ain't doing it no more. I said stop lying. Ezra says he told Renard to just leave the home, but Renard made a comment about Patricia not getting the house. I'm sure I'm sure I said man don't be stupid.
Starting point is 00:29:19 Ezra says he feels guilty for not reaching out to Patricia to warn her that night. I didn't call. I regret that to this day. But he told authorities about his conversations with Renard. I told them everything. As Patrina and Sybil waited for the case to go to trial, they had arrived at the same conclusion with Ezra, that Renard had intentionally shot and killed Patricia. It was more or less his actions afterwards. I didn't see any remorse from him.
Starting point is 00:29:52 I don't think it was an accident. But Renard Spivey's loved ones were convinced he would walk out a free man. He would never ever intentionally pull a weapon to kill. I knew him. I knew he was gonna get a not guilty verdict. He was hip hop's biggest mogul, the man who redefined fame fortune and the music industry. The first male rapper to be honored on the Hollywood walk of.
Starting point is 00:30:36 Did he built an empire and live the life most people only dream about everybody no no party like a did he party so yeah. But just as quickly as his empire rose, it came crashing down. Today, I'm announcing the unsealing of a three-count indictment, charging Sean Combs with racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking, interstate transportation for prostitution. I was f***ed up. I hit rock bottom, but I made no excuses. I'm disgusted. I'm so sorry.
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Starting point is 00:32:05 only on Wondery Plus. You can join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app, Apple podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial today. As Patricia Spivey's family waited for their day in court, the coronavirus pandemic stalled the proceedings. Four and a half years pass by. That's not justice.
Starting point is 00:32:30 Renard remained under house arrest, but after some time, his lawyers successfully filed a motion to remove his ankle monitor and Renard joined the world of dating apps. I probably was on maybe one or two of them, but you get lonely. You need some friends or something like that. On November 28, 2023, Renard Spidey was back in court, this time not as a bailiff, but as the accused, facing a life sentence if convicted. He looked totally different. He wasn't the clean shaven.
Starting point is 00:33:06 You know, he had the gray beard. The state told the jury Reynard shot Patricia intentionally after she threatened to leave their marriage. The prosecution's theory is that almost like he snapped. He was angry. They were arguing. He was being accused of things by her. But according to Spivey's attorneys, this was simply a case of self-defense.
Starting point is 00:33:31 Self-defense fits because she was threatening him with a gun and he grabbed her wrist and the gun in his own defense. They say what happened next was an accident. It was an unintentional discharge of the gun, several discharges of the gun. When he told me what kind of gun it was, I'd had experience with that particular model of a Smith & Wesson semi-automatic. You have it right there. There is no external safety on this gun. So if someone's finger is on that trigger, all it takes is a slight pressure, and it goes off.
Starting point is 00:34:17 With someone that's gripping and trying to wrestle with the gun, that's enough pressure to engage the trigger and to fire the gun, that's enough pressure to engage the trigger and to fire the gun. Dick DeGaron says once fired, the semi-automatic reloads itself instantaneously. It recharges in split seconds. Each time it's fired, it's ready to fire again. We went with DeGaron to the doorway of the closet in Spivey's house. It's a pretty sizable closet. It's like a big closet. Where he showed us what he says happened.
Starting point is 00:34:48 He saw that she had her finger on the trigger. With his left hand, he grabbed her right wrist and put his right hand on the top of the gun to force it down and she pulled back. And so she shot. Not away from me. And when she did that, it shot, hit him in the left thigh. And as it fell, he grabbed her again and grabbed the gun and tried to twist it out of her hand.
Starting point is 00:35:16 Her left hand came off. Okay, left hand comes off. And the gun went off again and shot her in the chest. Then DeGaron says the gun went off one more time and the third shot hit Patricia in the arm. Her hand by that time was in relationship to her body, almost vertical to her body. That's why when the bullet went in, it went in by her elbow, came back out and went into her chest. DeGaron says the powder burn mark on Renard's right hand
Starting point is 00:35:47 proves he grabbed the gun as Patricia fired. When the gun fires, this is where the gunpowder that's been fired comes out and that's what burned his right hand. But there was something that puzzled the prosecutors and they raised it at trial. Where's she at? She's laying on the floor. There was something that puzzled the prosecutors, and they raised it at trial. In Renard's telling, he and Patricia were fighting at the entrance of the closet. But Patricia's body was found deep inside the closet. Prosecutors believe it was because he cornered her.
Starting point is 00:36:18 Her body, as I understand, where did it end up? Well, it ended up over in about the area that you are. But then after and why, how did it end up here? Because that's where they fell where she fell at trials. Defense team painted Patricia as the aggressor and they point to her internet activity that evening to demonstrate, they say that her frustration with her husband was building at 2 49 a.m., Patricia posted this meme on Facebook. Characterize people by their actions and you will never be fooled by their words.
Starting point is 00:36:53 At 2.59 a.m., Patricia is seen on camera for the last time. At 3.01 a.m., prosecutors suspect Patricia had enough, and you can make out her saying the words, it's the same thing over and over again. But DeGaron says it is not clear what Patricia really meant. Maybe that's what she said. But what did it mean? It's ambiguous. What is she complaining about over and over again? At 3.03 a.m., Renard is seen in the kitchen.
Starting point is 00:37:31 And then he goes into the bedroom. Four minutes later, at 3.07, you hear those three gunshots. There were in quick succession inside of four seconds. And at trial, Renard Spivey told the jury his wife Patricia was the one firing. I didn't pull the trigger. No, your fingers weren't on the trigger. No ma'am, not at all. DeGaron says there is no evidence to contradict that.
Starting point is 00:38:07 He says that a crime scene technician acknowledged at trial that the trigger was never separately swabbed for DNA. She said, well I was afraid that the gun would go off again. Now that tells you how dangerous that gun was. But Betrina says her mom was not the type of person who would pull a gun on anyone. My mom is
Starting point is 00:38:28 not violent like that. It didn't make sense to me. Instead, Petrina believes her mom was in the closet that night because she was packing. I think she was trying to leave that night. Prosecutors had Ezra Washington tell the jury about those
Starting point is 00:38:47 phone conversations with Renard, where Renard talked about his frustrations. I just want to get him the truth. Everything that came out of his mouth that I know. But the prosecutors ran into a problem. They say Ezra told them he spoke to Renard using apps on his phone and They were unable to find records of those calls DeGaron says he doesn't believe those conversations ever took place Are you saying Ezra Washington then when he testified because he was a key witness for the prosecution Was he lying when he talked about those phone calls? I wouldn't call him a key witness, particularly when we were able to show
Starting point is 00:39:28 that there was no record of those calls. He didn't talk to me. He lied. He didn't talk to me. I mean, why would he make that up? I don't know why he would make that up. And Renard says he had no reason to kill his wife. Had there been conversations about separation or divorce between you and Patricia? No. She hadn't talked about leaving you? No, no.
Starting point is 00:39:51 All is lies. As the case went to the jury, no one knew who the jurors were going to believe. It was tough. People pointed finger at you. You did it. And I know deep inside that I didn't. If you're on the jury, what would be the most important
Starting point is 00:40:17 evidence in this case? Chat now with the 48 Hours team on Facebook and X. hours team on Facebook and X. I've never stopped having hope and had faith. On December 6th, 2023, after 12 hours of deliberations over two days, the jury and Renard Spivey's murder trial reached a verdict. My heart is, you know, I'm emotional. I don't know what to expect. And found him.
Starting point is 00:40:49 Happy anniversary. Happy anniversary. Please, my God. Not guilty. I fall to the floor crying. Boo crying. My attorneys helped pick me up, my family, you know. Very emotional. Yeah, oh. Renard's sister Renee was relieved.
Starting point is 00:41:16 I wanted to be over with because I'm concerned about him. I'm concerned about his well-being, his life, how he's handling this. But she says there were no winners. She lost her life and I was feeling for her and his life would never be the same. On the other side of the aisle, Patricia's family and friends say they couldn't believe the jury's decision. I'm just, I'm numb. I do not believe that she received justice at all. I felt like I held my breath and then not guilty. I don't understand how they got there. I didn't believe him. Renard's attorney says the jurors just weren't convinced beyond a reasonable doubt that his client was the one who fired that gun.
Starting point is 00:42:15 I think it was very important to the jury that the prosecution never proved whose finger was on the trigger. And it's very important because the prosecution has a burden of proof. And the gun was so important. The fact that it's such a dangerous design of a gun that will go off so easily. There just wasn't enough evidence to disprove his story. Since the trial, Patricia's family say they have had a hard time processing their loss. Felt like it was way too soon for me to be at her funeral. Facebook has these memories,
Starting point is 00:43:10 and just seems like every other day pictures will come up. I think about the times that we shared, the good times. My mom was still important. She was important to me. I just miss that unconditional love. I have no anchor, like she's gone, so she was my anchor. Yeah. So yeah. I'm hurting, so I know how they feel. Actually, I would like to come to their family, go to their family and say,
Starting point is 00:43:50 hey, look, you know, I loved her. And they knew that. It's no doubt in my mind that they knew I loved Patricia Marshall. Bernard says, since his acquittalal he has been active in his community. I work for an organization and I volunteer for healing for hoodies and we feed the homeless every Sunday. Leaning on his family and friends. A lot of officers, a lot of other people, we knew that you didn't do that.
Starting point is 00:44:24 We knew that you would get, you know, found out guilty. We know you. We know your character. We know what type of person you are. I appreciate it, man. I appreciate it. God is good. God is good.
Starting point is 00:44:37 But, he says, he still misses his wife. You remember stuff that she used to like. You remember the music. You remember the food she liked. You know, what color dress. Certain things she liked. You remember all that. So every day, it's a challenge. It's a time still I can't sleep at night.
Starting point is 00:45:19 I live with it every day. I would have every day. I would have every day. I would have every day. I would have every day. I would have every day. I would have every day. I would have every day. I would have every day. I would have every day.
Starting point is 00:45:39 I would have every day. I would have every day. I would have every day. I would have every day. I would have every day. dive even deeper into today's episode and answer your questions about the case.

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