Dateline NBC - The Widower Ep. 3: The Trial

Episode Date: February 25, 2021

Thomas Randolph strikes back against his accusers in exclusive jailhouse interviews. His trial features revealing and testimony from his accusers, an emotional verdict, and a surprising twist.

A couple had gone out to dinner, they got home, an intruder shot and killed the wife. The husband, Thomas Randolph, shot the suspect. Kind of rushed up on me a little bit, and that's when I just pushed him, boom, boom! It was clear there was a lot more to the story. We found out Tom Randolph had been married six times, and four of his wives are dead. He said, point blank, I want you to kill my wife. These women come up dead. He comes up with money.

Do you have guns? Of course I've got guns. Okay, you got... Did I have one in your face? No, but you had one in mine. What is it about you and women, Tom? I love women. I love all women.

We have to stop him. There can't be any more Sharons. There can't be any more Beckys. It's a completely circumstantial murder case. This is the second time you're facing the death penalty. Yeah, ain't no big deal. They want to kill you, babe. They don't like you.

They want to kill you. I've been waiting a long time for this moment. It was the hardest thing I've ever done. Thomas Randolph's gig is up. I will be acquitted. I've told you this from day one, have I not? Boom, boom, boom! Put your hands on your head right now.

Put your hands on your head! What did you do, my brother? I let you down. Am I beautiful? I'm like, who's gonna come? Hello. Can I talk to you real quick? Hello? Can I talk to you real quick? Put your hands on your head right now. Put your hands on your head!

Laser. Laser. My God! What did you do to me? Oh, I'm grim! I'm grim! Police arrested a man in Clearfield, a man who was accused of hiring a hitman to kill his wife and then of killing the hitman himself.

This isn't the first time the man has faced murder charges. 20 years ago, he was acquitted of killing another wife. I think that was a little rough there when I told you I couldn't let go of the door. I was holding myself up. Thomas, you understand that I was there to arrest you on homicide warrants, correct? Tom Randolph was arrested for the murders of Sharon Randolph and Mike Miller. Tom Randolph knew Michael Miller. He had met him out at a 7-Eleven store, and he had him do some handiwork around his house. So he was very familiar with him.

So we had a theory, and that's this. Mike Miller had been convinced by Thomas Randolph to kill his wife, Sharon Randolph, and then Tom Randolph double-crossed Mike Miller, shooting him over and over and over again. Boom, boom, boom! That was awesome. You guys are fantastic.

Thanks for coming. We'll have to bring you guys in for it now. You guys drive safe. Here's his. We'll have to bring you guys in for it. You guys drive safe. We'll get that. Here's his booking. That's it, huh? It was pretty satisfying, him being taken into custody, willingly or not, but it was pretty satisfying

to finally see that happen, knowing the type of person he is and predator that he really is. He'd been married six times, and four of his wives are dead. It was a long road to get there, to look at each one of those wives, each one of those marriages. You know, all of the traveling that we had to do. We went to Washington, we went to Indiana, we went to Kentucky. New Hampshire, North and South Carolina, Utah a couple of times, so we traveled everywhere. And here we were. It finally came to a head

and he was in custody. It was awesome. Within minutes after Tom was arrested, I was on the phone with Sharon's daughter, Colleen. It took them eight months to arrest him. But yeah, when he was finally arrested, I actually had a party. Neighbors and everything. So, that was good.

Mom, make him look this way. My mom was the first person to call me every morning. I don't have that anymore. Every once in a while you'll get this case that's just interesting, that you wanna be a part of it. And I thought, oh man, that's such an interesting case, and this guy, and all these wives.

We're not taking somebody to trial unless we know that he did it. But oftentimes trials will make or break on one issue. You either believe he was a mastermind of it all and set up this master plan, or you believe he's completely innocent and is a victim. It's the second time you're facing the death penalty. Yeah, ain't a big deal. It ain't a big deal. I mean, it is really not a big deal. I'm glad they made this a death penalty case. If they wouldn't have, I would have been

greatly disappointed. I mean, this is definitely a death penalty type case. I would have felt cheated if it wasn't a death penalty case. I'm thinking about going to court and getting this all straightened out and get vindicated and then suing all the p***s and just kicking their ass. But that's why I want you here on all of it. That was my idea, and I wasn't swaying in that whatsoever. The lawyers aren't in agreement with that, but I'm just me, and I've done a lot of things I shouldn't have done. I mean, I have. I wasn't, I'm not no saint, but if, you know, you're going to get to

know me, then you get to know me all the way. I had just finished being part of the team that represented O.J. Simpson, and Randolph wanted O.J.'s lawyer. I told him he had to keep his mouth shut. I've won most of my jury trials, a good 75 to 80 percent of them acquittals. I've always rooted for the underdog, and criminal defense is the ultimate little guy. I had just finished being part of the team that represented O.J. Simpson in the Palace Station robbery case. And Randolph, being who he is, wanted O.J.'s lawyer.

You have Randolph's file? He got arrested on January 7th. Here, you're in March, and the case is just getting started. The mother of all battles in this case is going to be the back and forth tug that's going to take place between the defense and the state with respect to Mr. Randolph's past. That is the monumental fight in this case. I've handled more than a dozen death penalty cases. Hi, how are you today? Hey, how's it going?

Okay, see ya. There's no cookie-cutter instruction on how to do a death penalty case. What's up, buddy? What did you want to talk to me about before filing? Because I'm on the edge of filing this motion to set bail. What did you want to talk to me about before filing? Because I'm on the edge of filing this motion to set bail. What did you want to talk to me about? Okay, for bail, I need to be out to help you. My files are in Mom's house, in my attic, in Mom's attic, in the garage, in a storage shed.

Thomas Randolph loves to talk. And I told him he had to keep his mouth shut because the state did not have a statement from him confessing anything or admitting anything. This DA's office is notorious for putting snitches in people's cells, especially in this case, because their biggest problem in this case is that this case is completely circumstantial they need you to say something to somebody see they don't have that they need you to say I hired Mike Miller they

need you to say that to one of their jailbird snitches the facts in this case is such a house of cards, okay? It's such a house of cards as to that one specific issue that we have to deal with, which is whether, you know, whether you were shooting a burglar or an accomplice. Police tell us that Sharon was shot and killed by the burglar. Her body was found lying in a hall. The version of events that Thomas Randolph presented, which was he had gone out to dinner with his wife,

they had gotten home, he was in the garage closing things up, his wife had walked in, boom, a gunshot, and the burglar shoots the wife. Reached right up here, got the gun. I don't know how many times they shot him. And Randolph luckily kills the burglar. Boom! Boom! Boom! But on the other side, you had the state saying he hired Mike Miller to kill his wife, and then he double-crossed Mike Miller and killed him, so there wouldn't be any witnesses to what he had pulled off or tried to pull off.

When I visit with Randolph, you know, here for my weekly visit, he doesn't see himself as the defendant in the case. He sees himself as the assistant lawyer in the case. Thanks. Thank you. He really came off as a very overly cocky guy. Like he thought he was, even though he was sitting in jail in a jail outfit, that he was running the show.

We're going to bring some of this discovery out so I can see it. You want it? Yeah. You want to hold on to it? Well, I'm going to read some of it, see what I can see it. You want it? Yeah. You want to hold on to it? Well, I want to read some of it, see what they got. Have you found out if they had phone taps yet? They didn't. They did not?

No. And that's a fact? Yeah. They got any other audio or video besides the ones we mentioned? No. So they ain't got s***. All they got is just somebody saying this, somebody saying that. Right.

After the investigation of the other wives of Thomas Randolph came to light, we sought certain facts about Randolph's second wife's death in Utah. And that's the case involving the death of Becky Randolph's second wife's death in Utah. And that's the case involving the death of Becky Randolph in the 1980s. When Becky Rae Randolph died two years ago from a gunshot wound to the head, Clearfield police called it apparent suicide. But today, police arrested Randolph's husband on charges of murder. You start looking at the relationships between Becky and Thomas and Sharon and Thomas

and these life insurance policies. Randolph is suspected of concocting an elaborate scheme to kill his wife and collect on her life insurance policy. And it's almost like identical. The only thing that separates them is different people and years. When you see how many lives have been profoundly impacted by one single man, you know that A, he needs to pay the price for that,

but B, and almost even more importantly, he has to be stopped. But I remember when we were price for that, but B, and almost even more importantly, he has to be stopped. But I remember when we were preparing for trial, David kept saying he'll find a way out of it. We had a trial date set. And then before the trial date, I withdrew about four months after I came into the case. Although my withdrawal was based on the fact that Randolph had no money to retain me, Thomas Randolph never really asked, oh Gabe, can you please stay on? Because I think my withdrawal is the beginning of his possible plan

to delay his trial as long as he could. People who are represented, they understand I need a lawyer. The lawyer's got to help me sort of navigate this jungle that I find myself in so I don't get eaten by the lions. Randolph wants to burn the jungle down. I thought they were supposed to have their peace together before they arrest me. Well, that's what we're gonna argue right now.

You make a snake move on me, then watch out. Randolph's been in limbo now for over a year. He's been in jail. And so it's starting to take a toll on him. And we need to move and know exactly how to prepare for this case. Right now, we don't. In the spring of 2009, Thomas Randolph asked me if I would represent him. See if we get a little justice over there today. I see Mr. Randolph frequently. I mean, he's concerned. Anytime you're in jail

for an extended period of time, starts to wear on you. We intend to meet force with force. We're not going to be overwhelmed. We'll be ready. You can make sure of that. No matter what happens, we'll be ready. The Utah case was a huge issue in Tom's case here.

Thomas had been charged with murder of his second wife, Becky, to get insurance money. And Thomas was acquitted. Five and a half months. Randolph's case was actually sealed, meaning you're not supposed to be able to get into it. The DA down here wanted to bring in the Utah case, trying to allege that it showed the same motive, same purpose, same intent. Always the goal was to keep the Utah case out. They're trying to blame us on the fact that we won't allow them to unseal that up there,

which, you know, don't want to have them do that. I thought they were supposed to have their case together before they arrest me. Well, that's what we're going to argue right now. It seems like they're still figuring it out. I don't feel very good. I know. Well, I'm going to argue a lot of good stuff. We have to ask for and obtain permission at a hearing to tell the court what it is that we want to get in,

who's going to be testifying to it. Hi, good morning, counsel. This is a San Nevada v versus Randolph, counsel. Thank you, Your Honor. Mr. Randolph has no criminal history of any significance. He has always fought all charges and allegations that have been levied against him, including the ones up in Utah that seem to be the problem that is maybe holding things up here. He's down here in Nevada saying, hey, we want these records. But this defendant in Utah is saying, I don't want those records released. That's what's causing the delay. What have they demonstrated to this court? What facts or evidence have they demonstrated to this court that the proof is evident, the presumption is great, that

he committed this crime without the Utah type of evidence that they keep, you know, they keep spewing Utah, Utah, Utah. Well, it wasn't too bad. After the arguments, you don't know whether she's going to grant the state's motion to bring in these other, quote, prior bad acts. So it makes it very difficult until you finally get the decision to know exactly how you're going to defend this case. Well, call us when you talk with... The rapport I have with the DAs that I try to have with all opposing counsel, I try to get along with them. That's all I want.

I mean, at some point we've got to try the tape. You know that. Let's try it. With the Utah case. Yeah, That's all I want. I mean, this guy, I mean, at some point we've got to try the thing. You know that. Let's try it. I know, but... With the Utah case. Yeah, let's try it without. I'm ready to go. I'll see you, Robert. I try to get along with them unless I determine that

they're trying to make snake moves on me, okay? You make a snake move on me, then watch out, because from then on, it's on, baby, you know? I'm just a little country lawyer going up against you big kalutes over there. There's no tentacles up there. This is going to be fun. You guys leave me alone, man. I've had a long day, okay? I got it. It's 9.30. Yeah. You all right? You want to come sit over here with me?

I was about five and a half months pregnant with Katie when my mom died. Can you wear a hat? She loves hats. Mom, there's a camera. I think she looks a little like my mom, especially in the eyes. I see my mom. It's been hard.

I've had a lot of anger and anxiety over this. I wish he would just pass in his sleep tonight. I mean, I know he's guilty. I don't care if the rest of the world believes it. I just want him to go. I just want it to be done. I had a couple of thoughts. He wants to show I'm smarter than you.

It's on him. They want to kill you, man. Okay? I mean, let's put it out on the table. They don't like you. They want to kill you. Breakfast of champions with a coffee, a little fritter. It didn't get better than that, man. One of the main reasons I became an attorney is because I have personally sat in that seat

where the state is saying, you're guilty of killing someone. And let me tell you, that's not a good feeling. All right, we're going to slow it down right now. A while back, I was a musician at the time. Come on, put your hands together for live music. And got in a bar fight. And I saw this bottle of beer coming up at me.

This guy was going to clock me in the head. When he came up, my wine glass broke on the beer bottle. And his carotid artery got severed. So they tried me for manslaughter and I was acquitted by reason of self-defense and accident. I didn't go to prison. I'm sorry, I get a little choked up here, because it really was a changing point in my life. And I'm sorry that the man lost his life. I wish it hadn't happened.

But it did, and I'm here now. It's like I believe I have a moral responsibility to do whatever I can personally for an individual that's in trouble and needs my help. Since we have so many boxes. Thanks, Houston. Thomas Randolph is unlike any other client I've ever had. Just do what we've got to do, man. He's a unique individual. That's the way it works, guy.

I had a couple of thoughts. My thought is, on an opening argument, you've got to try to explain me what happened, what's going to happen. Tom understood the law. And Tom was a smart individual. I could see that Tom could be, if he wasn't handled right, could be a problem client. I would think if he just looked right at the jury and says, you know, we talked to you and this is really important and it's a big responsibility and you've been lied to. You're just fluff.

You don't mean nothing. This has no bearing on you whatsoever. It's just fluff. I'll tell you one thing. I'm not going to start this damn case off telling the jury that they're fluff. That ain't going to work, brother. I'm telling you. It's almost like every time you go to see Thomas, it's like you're in a question in law school again.

You know, he wants to show him, I'm smarter than you. I controlled this. You know, in other words, he's controlling the situation. I mean, we understand what's going on. This is a death penalty case. You know, we lose, this guy dies. I just got the decision on this. Judge Miley finally decided on these prior bad acts, whether or not they're going to come in. Lo and behold, she says yes.

The judge ruled in her order that the Utah case could come in. And that really is very difficult to overcome. How you doing, man? What's up? You know, the judge came back with this order. She is going to let this murder come in. And so it's going to make the job a little more difficult. But it's not impossible.

We just got a lot of work to do. How do you go back and prove you didn't do something 20-some years later, especially considering most everybody's dead? I mean, we knew this was going to go down one or two roads, so, I mean, it's not like this caught us completely by surprise. So if the jury decides that I'm guilty of the Utah thing, will they kill me in Utah or will they kill me in Vegas? It's insane. It's insane. You know, this is obviously a kick in the butt,

but like I said, I have an advantage. I was there. I really know what happens. I'm not a killer. I'm not a stalker of women. Just the opposite. I love women. You guys were filming. And Tom loved the cameras. You're looking chipper. I mean, he loved the cameras.

He loved the attention. To the extent that often I'd have to tell Tom, hey, chill out a little bit. I've had several fiancés and six wives and so many girlfriends I can't remember, and I've slept with a gazillion women just because I can. Let's just hold off on that, okay? This is the state's theory, four of six wives.

It was from day one they're saying this, and they're certainly telling witnesses against me this. Tom, they want to kill you, man, okay? I mean, let's put it out on the table. They don't like you, they want to kill you, okay? They're trying to do whatever they can do to make it happen. Okay? That's true.

Well, hopefully I can prevent it with your help. Okay? We're okay. So let's kick their ass and forget about it. We're okay. That's what I'm talking about. We had a trial date. I was preparing to file a whole bunch of different types of motions.

And Tom had a falling out with one of the other attorneys that was involved in the case. Tom fired the other attorney, fired me, fired the investigator, and that was that. Tom went his way, I went my way. You asked me to be here alone. You are? You said no attorneys? That's correct. These lawyers are, I don't get it.

It's like you came, I've done a murder trial before, so I know how it sort of works. I don't have a problem with going to trial. I will be acquitted. I've told you this from day one. Have I not been absolutely adamant? The only thing that concerns me about going to trial is these turns for lawyers. I'm curious if there's any secrets. Is that on? Yeah. And normally I'd say, well, you know, I'll tell you my secrets, I'm gonna have to kill you.

But next thing I know, I'll be getting charged with that too. Hello. Hello. We're here from Dateline. I'm here to see an inmate. How long have you been in here now? Going on 18 months. You want your day in court? Are you eager to get that day? Oh, yeah, yeah. I'll get done and go home and start doing something else. I never really have been worried about the conviction part of it.

I just never have. I just don't see it happening. But it dawned on me that this is Utah over again. This is the Tommy Show, and now it's the Tommy Show live from Las Vegas. Am I beautiful? I mean, you've been in jail here now for, what, three and a half years, you know? It's hard on everybody. I want to go home. I'm the victim in this. I'm the victim in this.

What is it about you and women at home? I love women. I love all women. Well, obviously, you know, they're for a while. The band Poison, look what the cat drug in. I know damn well I slept with both last night. I thought they wrote that about me. Name your wives. Kathy Randolph. Becky Randolph. Leona Randolph. Gayna Randolph.

Frances Randolph. Sharon Randolph. Do you want the names of my fiancés too? I'm curious if there's any secrets. Is that on? Yeah. Normally I'd say, you know, tell you my secrets, I'm gonna have to kill you. But next thing I know I'll be getting charged with that too.

Oh yeah, and we're not married, there's no insurance, so hell, it wouldn't be profitable. What's up with your hair? It was this long last time he was here. It was just back in a ponytail. I gotta have a fair trial. That's all I'm asking for, is a fair trial. All of my lawyers have said, if the Utah case comes in, you will be convicted, and you will get the death penalty. And then three years later, the Supreme Court will overturn it. Kathy was my first wife. Just the first time I seen her, I knew that I was going to have a baby with her. She was beautiful. She looked like Farrah Fawcett. to have a baby with her. She was beautiful.

She looked like Farrah Fawcett. I had two children with her. Justice is my gift to the world, and Krista is my other gift to the world. How was your marriage to Kathy? It wasn't good. It was my fault, totally, doing too much drugs and other women.

Becky was my second wife. What was special about Becky? What did you love about her? She was perfect. Becky was whatever I wanted her to be. I could call up and say, I want steak tonight, and I want you to dress up as a clown to serve it to me. And she would say, well, do you mean like a sexy girl clown,

or do you want me to have the floppy shoes and the honk-honk nose? She didn't deserve me cheating on her. The last I talked to her, I gave her the ultimatum. I said, I am so sick and tired of hearing about how you want to kill yourself. If you want to kill yourself, do it. Do it and put everybody out of their misery. And she's just bawling and says, you're mean.

And all I had to do was just hug her, say I love you, everything will be okay. What the f*** was I thinking? I said, there's some rope downstairs from, you know, I repelled and stuff. I said, I think there's some of my my rope downstairs maybe you can just hang yourself when becky ray randolph died two years ago from a gunshot wound to the head clearfield police called it apparent suicide and that's the uh

last time i seen becky alive My third wife was Leona. It was Lee, went by Lee. So beautiful. She's part Guamanian and kind of reminds you of an island girl. So how long were you married to Lee for? About a year. She likes to party.

Sometimes she forgets to come home on time. My fourth wife is Gayna Allman. You married Gayna right away? I married them all right away because they all want to. He was sitting at the dining room table and was cleaning the gun, and wasn't very far away from him at all and it went off. You remember cleaning a gun went past her head or into the floor? That's just such a bull story. My fifth wife is Frances. Did you love Frances? Oh absolutely. I married her as soon as I could because she was wonderful.

Were you surprised when Frances died? No, no. She was, she was, Frances was sick. She was born with heart disease. I didn't do the heart surgery on Frances. That's all. I love you, Tom. You had her shoot a video will. Why would you do that? Who does that?

And I'm making this tape so that people will know what I want for Rachel. It's not about the money. It's about custody of Rachel. Rachel thinks that you killed her mother. Rachel knows better. My sixth wife was Sharon. She wakes up in the morning, and she's got a smile on her face. It's like the sun, the moon, the stars.

It was just... What is it like to come home and see your wife dead on the floor? When I first opened the door, I seen she fell. She'd been having some problems with her hip and stuff. And I started to go toward her. Some noise. Come back down this way. I smell gunpowder. Sharon. Sharon. There's absolutely nothing to solve. I was there. Mike Miller shot Sharon. Every wife that you've had, one of the first things you've done is get life insurance on them. Well, they want

to know about your finances. You got insurance money from Becky. You got insurance money from Francis. You got a wrongful death from Francis. You had several insurance policies on Sharon. Don't you think it looks fishy at all to people when you have it? It is, sure, unless somebody would take the time to sit and look. You think you're a narcissist? Absolutely. I am a narcissist. So do you think it's possible that because you're a narcissist, you're unable to possibly see what the truth might be? If you're talking about the truth of me killing Sharon

or having anything to do with Sharon's death or Becky's death, then no, because I had nothing to do with it. I'm telling you, Becky killed Becky. So two different police agencies, two different prosecutors' offices, 30 years apart are both wrong. Yes, they're wrong. It's all interconnected. I'm expecting to be acquitted. She thinks about him all the

time. He's been given every chance in the world and then three more. You know, is he gonna wait for all the witnesses to die? What's the deal? that was super hard going through all those years of having a trial date you're waiting for it you're you're waiting for it and then it gets close and they say nope it's like when is it going to end how many times can he extend this so again it's like another stab in the heart. Another year, another year, another year. My name is Katie Lynn Byer. I'm seven years old and I'm in second grade. My birthday is September 17th, 2008.

There you go. And what's your favorite color? My favorite colors are light blue and purple. There you go. Well, my favorite things are animals, stuffed animals, and my family. And your family all. Yeah. Yes, it's been eight years.

And you're still waiting for justice? Yes. She thinks about him all the time. And the moments that were stolen, that should have been. Yeah. Yeah. Obviously, he's been given every chance in the world and then three more. Yeah. Obviously, he's been given every chance in the world and then three more. Now that's the issue that we have. It's like, you know, and he's just his fourth set of attorneys,

and he's just been delaying the process. Each time the court date comes up, he does what he can to put it off. It's frustrating to see somebody manipulate the system when you know that that's their intent. It was year after year after year, there was something that came up. Multiple teams of attorneys that were fired. It got so routine that when a trial date was coming up, we'd sit there and go, okay, what's he going to do this time?

I'm like, how are we moving the body without me standing here? You know what I mean? This hasn't consumed me like it has Dean. My life went on. If it wasn't for Dean, this case wouldn't even be prosecuted. Because it would have gone off as a justified shooting of a home invasion. If it wasn't even for him from the very beginning sticking to his gun saying something's not right about this, we wouldn't even be considering this at all. There would be no story and you wouldn't be filming me right now.

You're going to trial next week after nine years. I'm excited, but the lawyers are still useless. Tell me the history of the representation. So start from the beginning. You had Yelga Lanter, Gabe Grasso, Brent Bryson, Belinda Weaver, then Curtis Brown, Norman Reed, then Randy Pike, and Clark Patrick.

They tell me every homicide case usually goes through two sets of attorneys. Yeah, but you went through ten. Well, there's three at a time. Tell me why you are the most misunderstood man in America. I mean, how did they get it wrong? They're saying that lightning has struck twice. I didn't kill Becky. Unfortunately, Becky killed Becky.

I didn't kill Sharon. Mike Miller killed Sharon. You've got to realize what they're saying. She's shot in the head, in the home, and I find her. Sharon? Sharon! You know, I should be acquitted on this, because the bottom line is, who's going to say I did what? They're going to say that you hired Mike Miller to kill Sharon and you killed Mike to make it look like a botched burglary. That's what they're going to say. Okay, well, who's going to say I did what? They're going to say that you hired Mike Miller to kill Sharon and you killed

Mike to make it look like a botched burglary. That's what they're going to say. Okay, well, who's going to say I did that other than the state? There ain't going to be anybody because that just didn't happen. There's just not going to be anybody to say that. You can understand why people raise their eyebrows when they hear that you've had six wives and four wives are dead and this is the second time you're facing death that's the corruption in las vegas i've never had six wives and four of them are dead i mean when you say that you say that like you don't have six wives well i did but i'm saying four of them are not dead well the way they say it the way they say it is somehow i've caused their death i'm just saying the fact is the headline is is that you did have six wives and

four of those six wives are dead That's true. So you just think you're super unlucky No, I'm one of the luckiest men in the world. I've had six wives Six women that loved me enough to not just give me their body give me their sex. They gave me their love they married me They trusted me. We took care of them. A lot of them didn't work out. I got nothing to hide. And besides that, I want to make them look like a fool again

because that's just, that's how I roll. We got a jury about 2 o'clock this afternoon. It's go time and we're ready. I am ready. I am cast ready. What's up, where? I know, I'm still here, man. His gig is up. Witnesses are flying in from all over the country.

I want him to be found guilty on this one. Scott Connelly is one of the detectives in Utah who had dealt with Randolph for a really long time, knew him just from his interactions as being a police officer and a detective. Over the 10 years I've been working on this case, you know, developed a friendship with Scott Connelly. He's the Dean O'Kelly of Becky's case. Without him and without his memory, we would be lost.

Were you scared about his position in society? Yes. I think the most critical witness was Eric Tarantino. Just a point blank, I want you to kill my wife. And no, it was the first thing out of my mouth. Tom Randolph had befriended him years earlier. He ended up starting to groom him to kill Becky Randolph. Tom was very intimidating.

He could intimidate you just by looking at him. Somebody wants to say hi. I don't know if you know him or not. He's changed a little in all these years. I hadn't spoken to Eric in some time, but there's still a special bond between he and I. This is the only other company alive the whole time. And that comes again, I think, because Eric wanted to right the wrong. We got a jury about 2 o'clock this afternoon, and then we go into openings at 9.30. It's go time, and we're ready. By the time we got the case, we were Tom's eighth, ninth, tenth lawyers.

And the first thing you think of is that this may be either a very difficult case or maybe a difficult client. Tom was pretty much both. It was our obligation and duty to do everything that we could to represent him. Aggressively, legally, ethically. I always thought this was a winnable case. I am ready. I am cast ready. What's up? Where? I know, sir. Still here, then? I am still here.

Good morning. Good morning, let's say. Take a right. We have to stop him. There can't be any more Sharons. There can't be any more Beckys. There can't be any more Francis's. I hope they brought the new clothes in or the different clothes or something. His gig is up. Did they not bring new clothes? That's it?

I'm anal retinue when it comes to shopping. I must have a feminine gene because I love to shop. I love to take the women shopping. They think I'm such a gentleman because I buy them these clothes. You know, it's nice just to get them dressed up in what I like, knowing I'm going to be taking them off later, you know? So it's like a win-win situation for me. But, uh...

I wanted him convicted so bad. I just wanted him put away forever. And I was, thank God this is finally happening. I'm warning everybody. I asked David, who was lead counsel, I said, I want to do the opening. And Dave said, hey, knock yourself out. You go for it, girl. It's a lot of work to do an opening argument. All right, let's bring the jury in. If the state wants a president's opening. Thank you, Your Honor. Ladies and gentlemen, you will hear two stories of two men 20 years apart that never even met each other. Yet their stories are the exact same.

Their job was to kill two women, the wife of Thomas Randolph. And the only reason why Mike Miller is dead is because Eric Tarantino lived to tell the story. And Thomas Randolph was not going to make that mistake twice. You will know the who, the why, and the how. And all of those roads will lead back to the man in this courtroom. Thank you. At this time, would defense like to present? Mr. Pike, whenever you're ready. What we felt was most important was that they understood that his wife was a victim, he was a victim, and he acted appropriately. Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, the one thing that we'll always agree with as a state is it was Mr. Miller that came in with a gun and shot and killed Sharon.

Our strategy was to get the jury to understand that the case against Becky in Utah was irrelevant. We had that heavy burden that we had to do and so we had to face that head-on. We are involved in facts and circumstances that have no relation, no connection to the Utah case. And the truth is that Thomas Randolph didn't plan anything, Mr. Miller. Didn't do anything that would merit him being charged with killing his wife and that you'll find him not guilty at the conclusion of this trial. Thank you very much. It was just a few months into the relationship

and he wanted to get life insurance policies and pick out his and hers matching urns. The state calls Colleen Byer. Colleen was critical because I felt like Randolph's behavior was very atypical. I felt it was inappropriate. It was just a few months into the relationship, and he wanted to get life insurance policies and pick out his and hers matching urns.

Urns? Urns. Like what you put cremation? Ashes in the cremation. He looked at me but there was like nothing. He had no feelings.

He didn't care. How was it that you found out about your mother's death? A friend of ours called me. Did you call the defendant or did he call you? Called him. When you called him, what did you say? What did he say? He said, no, I didn't kill your mother. My girl shot and killed your mother. And he hung up on me. That was the hardest thing I've ever done. This is awful.

Absolutely awful. This date calls Alice Wolfe. Good afternoon, Miss Wolfe. The purpose of calling in Sharon's friends was that they saw the relationship between Thomas and Sharon. How would you characterize the state of their relationship? It was just madness. Did you have contact with Sharon on the day that she learned that the defendant had a life insurance policy on her. Yes.

She was extremely, extremely upset. Did the two of you go to get paperwork together to make a will? Yes. What were the directions that Sharon gave to you to do with the will? She said to me, if anything happens to me, give this to Colleen. This doesn't seem to be really greatly affecting you. No, that's... this is me. Would you give it all back not to be standing trial right now?

Give all what back? All those wives. I'd certainly give Becky and Francis and Sharon back, because then they'd be alive. Yeah, of course, that's like a give-me. Yeah. I really miss Sharon. Assume for a moment you're convicted, right, and then they say guilty, and then the week of mitigation hearings, Yeah. Really, Ms. Sharon?

Assume for a moment you're convicted, right? And then they say guilty, and then the week of mitigation hearings, and they say, all right, he's sentenced to death. Good. Why good? I'd hate to do life in prison. Notify. The next witness, please. Is that Scott Conley? It is, Your Honor. Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, you're about to hear a Is that Scott Conley?

It is your honor. Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, you're about to hear a testimony from Scott Conley. Knowing what he was involved in, I wanted him. I wanted eye contact with him. I wanted him to know probably the anger I have. The state has introduced evidence that Mr. Randolph was previously charged with a killing in Utah in 1988. Mr. Randolph was found not guilty of that offense by a Utah jury. There are facts that occur in Utah that explain the behavior and the facts that exist in Sharon Randolph's death in Las Vegas.

Were you able to determine that there were insurance policies taken out in the case of Becky Randolph's death where the defendant, Thomas Randolph, was a beneficiary? Yes. Was an arrest warrant issued for Thomas Randolph for the death of Becky Randolph? It was. We're going to call the next witness, Mr. Eric Tarantino. It was just little innuendos here and there, and then just a point blank, I want you to kill my wife. During your friendship with Mr. Randolph, did the defendant ask you questions that you thought odd

or made you feel uncomfortable? Yes. He told me that he wanted me to kill his wife. Did he discuss with you why he wanted to kill Becky? The money from insurance policies. Eric Tarantino is the prosecution's star witness. Eric Tarantino lived to testify. And in our case, Mike Miller wasn't afforded that opportunity. What Randolph learned in Utah in the 1980s, he applied to Nevada in the 2000s. And that is, don't leave anybody alive. We discussed having a burglary. I was to go in, grab a couple of things, rummage through some drawers.

When she came home, shoot her and leave. I said, I'm not doing this. And I left. And I got on that plane and ran. It was important for the jury to see that because I think it allows them to get more into the mind of Thomas Randolph. I was the last witness for the state. I was batting cleanup. I had been waiting a long time for this moment to testify. Detective, what was the total number of life insurance policies for?

What was the total value of those policies? $360,000. Was there a common beneficiary? Yes, Thomas Randolph. Let's see what we call Mark Bartlett. So Mark Bartlett, incredibly, incredibly important because we needed to establish this time frame. I knew it had to be like one of these houses right here across the street because it was like boom, boom, you know, I knew it had to be like one of these houses right here across the street, because it was like boom, boom,

you know, I heard it. And on that evening at precisely 833, did you happen to have a telephone conversation on your cell phone with a friend of yours? Yes, I did. I was on the phone, and I heard gunshots, three rapid gunshots. We were able to look at his phone,

find out when he heard those shots, and then compare that to the time that Thomas Randolph actually calls 911. 911 emergency. My wife's been shot. So all told, how long do you think it took from the time you opened the door to you being on 911? Two, three minutes maybe. Two, three minutes, Tom? Yeah. What was the timestamp coming through when the defendant makes connection to 911?

20.45, 8.45 p.m. So we're talking about 12, 13 minutes difference between the time that Randolph said that he got home and when he got on the phone with 911. Oh, God. No. Randolph had to be damn sure she was completely dead before 911 was called, before the police ever get there. That video in the hallway and that 911 call to me, I thought were really damning, damning to him. I'd been waiting a long time for this moment to testify. There are certain detectives that are really good on the stand. I think juries naturally like them, want to hear from them, believe them.

Dean O'Kelly is that witness. The state will call Detective Dean O'Kelly is that witness. The state will call Detective Dean O'Kelly. So when you first fire, he's right in this area. Yeah, probably. Maybe a little more that way, maybe a little more this way. You, in the walkthrough video, spent several minutes going over with Mr. Randolph the positioning of Mr. Miller in the hallway. I was trying to lock Mr. Randolph into the position of Mr. Miller to determine for myself Mr. Randolph was not telling the truth about where he was when those shots were fired. I just, I shot, shot, shot, shot. With the amount of rounds that Mr. Randolph said he fired from the hallway,

we'd have expected to see more cases in the hallway. All of the evidence that you found relative to a shooting and the injuries that Mr. Miller suffered were found where? In the garage, save for the one cartridge case. We needed people to understand Mike. And all of a sudden, this relationship with this guy named Thomas Randolph, who comes out of nowhere

and then basically almost adopts him, and he's with him all the time. From February up until May 8th of 2008, how many phone calls were you able to locate between the defendant and Mr. Miller? I found 283 phone calls. Back pro charm. I'm showing you what's been marked as 14A. Do you recognize what's contained therein? Yes, this is the black ski mask that was at the scene adjacent to Mike Miller's body on the floor.

From your observations at the scene, did you look for whether there was any other bullet defects or anything associated with a head gunshot wound on that mask? We didn't see any such defects. That seemed odd. It certainly indicated that it was not on his head when the rounds were fired through his head. Detective, what was the total number of life insurance policies insuring Ms. Randolph's death at the time of her death? The ones that we were able to locate was four. What was the total value of those policies? $360,000. Was there a common beneficiary in all four policies? Yes, Thomas Randolph. Thank you. All right, have a lovely day. Your excuse.

When I got off the stand and walked out of the courtroom, what I had hoped is that I conveyed enough to the jury what we knew about what Tom Randolph did. Your Honor, with the conclusion of Detective O'Kelly's testimony, the state of arrest. All right. Tom protecting himself, protecting his family, protecting his home, took the necessary action and killed Mr. Miller.

We weren't going to hold back on anything. You didn't ask the questions. You didn't take it in depth. These attorneys suck. I keep trying to explain to them what to do with it, but we don't need to in depth. These attorneys suck. I keep trying to explain what to do with it, but we don't need to do that. We made our point. Dealing with Tom's personality was challenging for us. You didn't ask the questions. You didn't take it in depth.

Because he wanted to run the show and that we should just do whatever he said. I still just don't think you guys got all of it in. I want more in there. Whether or not it was ethical or sound legal strategy or something that we thought needed to be done. We missed so much stuff, it's unbelievable. All we want from you today is to look through this, see what the truth is, and that they can't prove this case without smearing him with a, you know, a red M. Murderer. Murderer. He's got away with it before.

Objection, Your Honor. Objection, Your Honor. Objection, Your Honor. So you're continuing objections that you object to any admission regarding the events in Utah, correct? Yes, Your Honor. I don't think the Utah case should have come in at all. It was completely irrelevant to what was going on in the case here in Las Vegas. We had to fight that tooth and nail every step of the way. Do you have a recollection that there was gunshot residue testing on the hand of Becky? I do not recall that, to be honest with you.

And in this case, it was processed as a suicide. It was. We had to tell the jury, it's nothing. It's gone. It was. We had to tell the jury it's nothing. It's gone. It was not proven. Let's deal with what we know about this case. Look at this evidence. Sharon. Sharon. Sharon. The walkthrough video that Tom did, that was another hurdle that we had to overcome. It was clear that when he did it, he was very intoxicated on the pain medications he was taking. My name is Tom Randolph. My date of birth is...

You want to call your witness? Thank you. Joe Randolph. Good afternoon, Joe. Good morning. Do you know Tommy? Yes, my brother. And older or younger? Older. His brother had to drive Tom to the house to do this walkthrough video. I didn't feel like he should drive. Okay, and that was because you felt that Tom was under the effects of the medications? Yes. Just kind of, you know, just didn't know what to do and just kind of looking around. Did you think it was a good idea for Tom to do the walkthrough that night? No.

You're free to go, sir. Have a nice day. Does the defense have any additional witnesses at this time? It's a dangerous thing to put your client on the stand and be cross-examined by the prosecution. We advised him not to testify, and he agreed with us. The defense will rest. Oh, you're back! How's it going, Tom? These attorneys suck.

You think so? I know so. You're not happy with the way things are going? There's so much they could do. They just keep f***ing off. I keep trying to explain them there's a way to do it, but we don't need to do that. We don't need to do that.

We made our point. At what point? They ain't done s*** point they i'm not happy not in the least remain seated just for 23 to stop back in session all right is the state ready? Yes, Your Honor, thank you. Thomas Randolph has had a lot of secrets, some of which date back to over 30 years ago. But those secrets back then and the secrets leading up to May 8th of 2008

have exposed him for exactly what and who he is. And that is someone that is willing to kill those closest to him for his own monetary gain. Thomas Randolph's gig is up. He is done. Tell him he is done by finding him guilty of the murder of Sharon Randolph and Mike Miller. Thank you.

Whenever you're ready. Tom was assaulted by a masked intruder, a home invader in his house, an intruder who had just killed his wife, Tom had every right to defend himself, to defend his wife, to defend his home, no matter where he shot Miller, no matter how many times he shot Miller. And you should come to the same decision that jury did in Utah 28 years ago. Not guilty.

It's not over completely, but feeling really good. Jury's out, they've been out since 9 a.m. It's now one o'clock, so we're on hour four. Waiting for a jury's verdict is the worst. I don't think we could have done anything more. I don't think we could have done anything different. I go through every aspect of my closing argument in my head and what could I have said more?

Oh, if I would have said this, they would have been already back by now. If it goes into day two? If it goes into day two, we've gotta hold out. So are you concerned right now? Yeah, I mean, I'm always concerned. It doesn't matter how solid. I mean, I've had solid cases with confessions, and I've still been nervous.

As it went on, we thought maybe we had either a hung jury or that we actually had won the case. Every time I'm hung, the jury goes out. They get furious. How long do they stay on? The teens are actually thinking about it. Okay, good to send. Russell Tack's verdict will be back in around 11 to 11.30. I'm nervous.

Why? First trial didn't go so well. And I'm hoping they come back with a guilty on this one. I would be extremely disappointed if this didn't turn out our way. Of course, you can hug me. Hug your best dad. Yeah.

Good thoughts, OK? Time to start trial, 9 AM, 966 Randolph. OK, bring the jury in, please. It's sad I had to wait nine years to get here. I wanted to see his face. Miss Foreperson, would you give the verdict to the Marshal, please? There's this noise when the jury's about to come in and the door opens, and that clicking noise,

to this day, a chill will run down the back of my neck. I wanted to see his face. I wanted to see if there was any trace of remorse, any kind of real reaction. All right, Ms. Foreperson, would you give the verdict to the marshal, please. We, the jury, in the above entitled case, find the defendant, Thomas William Randolph,

as follows. Count one, conspiracy to commit murder. Guilty of conspiracy to commit murder. Count two, murder with the use of a deadly weapon. Sharon Randolph, guilty of first-degree murder. Count three, Michael James Miller, guilty of first-degree murder. All right, before the verdict is recorded, does either side wish... and pop out of my chest. It was very intense, exciting. It was good. I think next time,

maybe we better call some witnesses. Well, welcome back, L and gentlemen, the jury. This is the penalty phase of the trial. The jury had to make a decision. Is Thomas Randolph going to live out his life in a closet-sized room, or is he going to die by execution? Thank you, Your Honor. This state calls Rachel Gaskins. Rachel Gaskins is the daughter of Francis.

Francis is Thomas' fifth wife. Did you ever see him be physical towards your mother? Yes. In what ways? She went and got Burger King one time, and Burger King put mayonnaise on the sandwich, and he slammed it into her face. He slammed the sandwich into your mother's face?

Yeah. Because it had mayonnaise on it? Yes. Unbelievable. She was just so powerful. And when she was talking, you could hear a pin drop. Your mom needs to go in for a surgery, is that right? Yes, ma'am.

After he goes into the room with your mother and comes back out, what does he tell you? That she had passed away and he was crying. He got down on his knees and started hugging me. During the time you lived with your mother and Tom, did a custody battle ensue between your mother and your father being Jesse? Yes. Did the defendant tell you to say certain things to the judge so that he and your mother could keep you? Yes. I should say that my dad was a pedophile so that I wouldn't be taken away from my mom. Did you tell the judge that? Yes. But today you cleared your dad's name. In the 20 years that you weren't able to clear your dad's name, has that haunted you?

Oh, yeah. Our whole mission became to save Tom's life. His life does have meaning to many people. My name is Dorothy Arlene Randolph. This is where I should be as a mother today to support my son. I love you, son. Since I was 12, I've been a Cowboys fan. As I got older and started becoming a fan of football, it gives me comfort, even in here. I have never had a defendant walk into the day of his death penalty case

where he gets to address the jury wearing a football jersey. I think that pretty much sums it up. That was a f*** you to everybody in that courtroom, to include the jury, me, and the judge, in my opinion. Yes, we would call Krista Randolph. How do you know Tommy? He's my father. My dad was a terrific dad.

He was loving. He was always there for me. He's a great grandpa. To my children, he's loving and caring. Spent a lot of quality time with them. He's just an excellent grandfather to them. Does your dad's life still have meaning to you? Of course, a ton.

Is it Justice next? Yes, Justice Randolph. This is kind of absurd to me because I think that this impression that you have of my dad or this reality is so different from my reality growing up with him. I mean, he was somebody who was just a great father to me. And that's valuable to you. It's invaluable. Your Honor, at this time, Tommy would like to make an allocution. The allocution is when the defendant

has the right to give a statement to the jury. I'm so sorry that all this happened. You've heard what you've heard and you can't imagine how much I miss Sharon and how much I miss Francis. I don't want to spend the rest of my life on death row and I don't want to spend the last of my life in prison but for my mother and my children and I suspect for me but uh yeah I I it's going to be hard on my family more than anything so I don't know what else to say. All rise to the jury.

The record will reflect the presence of the jury. Madam foreperson, do you have a verdict? We, the jury, in the above entitled case, having found the defendant, Thomas William Randolph, guilty of murder of the first degree of Sharon Randolph and Michael James Miller, impose a sentence of death. Yeah. Justice, finally after nine years, nine really, really hard years. Yeah, but it's over. Yes. It's gonna feel better. It's gonna get better for me and my family.

Oh yes. It's just the next step. It's no big deal really. It's sad I had to wait nine years to get here. We should have already been through the appeal process and now it's just a matter of three more years and we'll get a fair trial. I'm sitting at work, email comes in, see the title line of Randolph decision. I couldn't believe it.

This guy is a psychopath, all caps. All of my lawyers have said, if the Utah case comes in, you will be convicted and you will get the death penalty. And then three years later, the Supreme Court will overturn it. I've never even thought about any other thing other than acquittal. I'm the victim in this. I'm the victim in this. It's no big deal, really. It's sad I had to wait nine years to get here. We should have already been through the appeal process and out.

It's just a matter of three more years and we'll get a fair trial. This is the time set for oral argument. more years and we'll get a fair trial. This is the time set for oral argument in the case of Randolph versus State. The only way the State was able to get a conviction in this case was to portray Thomas Randolph

as a serial wife killer. The prosecutors set about to revive the Utah case involving Becky's death and to admit evidence in that case against Randolph in this case involving Sharon's death by suggesting that Randolph killed Becky and so he probably killed Sharon as well. This is a man's life we're talking about and the Becky evidence should have never come in. Mr. Stanton, do you think've ever assessed this case in that way. I'm sitting at work, email comes in, see the title line of Randolph decision, pull it up, and then read it, they're going to give him a new trial

and disagree that the evidence from Utah should have come in. They conclude that it should not have. He's still remanded in custody. He doesn't get to get out, but he's going to get a new trial. I was, I couldn't believe it. I can't say what I said on TV. I was just flabbergasted. This guy is a psychopath, all caps.

And that's why he is, in my opinion, you can't find a more dangerous person in the community than this guy. I've started to get back to normal. Yeah. Well, not right away. The trial brought a bunch of more emotions back up. My kids are my focus, and they are my joy. I was about five and a half months pregnant with Katie.

My mom died. This is my baby girl. I'm seven years old and I'm in second grade. Katie's 12. She's so grown up now. She's so grown up now. She's so beautiful. It's just crazy how much time has passed. I wish she could have met a grandma.

How I would sum up the Thomas Randolph case is, it's like a movie, how it plays out. It's almost unbelievable until you believe it. Becky's mother. You know what she said about you after you were acquitted in the 80s? He's guilty. And he's just gonna kill somebody else's daughter

so beware. That's what she said about you in the 1980s, Becky's mother. Hey, maybe she's psychic, who knows? I'm just elated. I'm hoping for bail. Because the only one I'm a threat to is married women. So I pose a threat to nobody. No married women, nobody I have insurance on.

We start back at square one. He's not convicted of any charges. He will stand trial for the second time. There's no guarantees in any trial. Yeah, he could be found not guilty and walk out of the court a free man. I only ran across probably a half a dozen people who, when you're sitting, you just sense that they're, the darkness in them. Is your wife dead, Lenny? What do you think?

To kill for. You see that they not only killed that person, they don't regret it. Am I beautiful? And if they were able to get out, they would kill someone else. I shot him at the end. Boom, and he's just laying there. Some noise. Tom Randolph's real sentence will start when he takes his last breath on this earth, and it'll be for eternity.