Murder With My Husband - 295. The Murder of Andreen McDonald

Episode Date: November 17, 2025

When mother and CEO Andreen McDonald suddenly vanishes, investigators uncover secrets inside her home that point to a chilling truth. The closer they look, the darker her “perfect” life becomes. Links: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/murderwithmyhusband NEW HOLIDAY MERCH LINK: https://mwmhshop.com Discount Codes: https://mailchi.mp/c6f48670aeac/oh-no-media-discount-codes Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/themwmh Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/murderwithmyhusband/ Watch on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@murderwithmyhusband Listen on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/into-the-dark/id1662304327 Listen on spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/36SDVKB2MEWpFGVs9kRgQ7?si=f5224c9fd99542a7 Sources:CourtListener.com - https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/10041084/andre-sean-mcdonald-v-the-state-of-texas/ News4SanAntonio.com - https://news4sanantonio.com/news/local/husband-arrested-in-connection-to-remains-found-search-area-for-missing-andreen-mcdonald Kens5.com - https://www.kens5.com/article/news/volunteers-continue-search-for-andreen-mcdonald/273-dcfa9ede-c861-4528-9152-5d046d5a962c KVOA.com - https://www.kvoa.com/news/national/investigators-say-charred-skeletal-remains-found-last-week-are-those-of-andreen-mcdonald-missing-since/article_7dbe9d81-31b8-5d6f-aa53-988a989a844d.html CBSNews.com - https://www.cbsnews.com/news/andreen-mcdonald-san-antonio-andre-mcdonald-convicted-manslaughter-48-hours/ Wikipedia.com - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Andreen_McDonald KSAT.com - https://www.ksat.com/news/local/2024/03/08/family-of-andreen-mcdonald-awarded-210-million-wrongful-death-lawsuit-against-andre-mcdonald/ AETV.com - https://www.aetv.com/real-crime/murder-andreen-mcdonald TheCinemaholic.com - https://thecinemaholic.com/andreen-mcdonald-murder/ Yahoo.com - https://www.yahoo.com/news/key-evidence-disappearance-death-andreen-035800058.html Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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This Black Friday, you've got a whole month to catch all the exclusive offers waiting for you. See your local Nissan dealer or nison.ca for details. Conditions apply. You're listening to an Ono Media podcast. Hey, everyone, welcome back to the podcast. This is Murder with my husband. I'm Peyton Morland. And I'm Garrett Morland.

And he's the husband. And I'm the husband. All right, you guys, I have some exciting news. Our holiday merch is available right now. I know it seems a little early, but we wanted it to be available so that you could get it and then wear it all of December. So go check it out. Also, good news is we have restocked the murder with my husband coloring books.

I have received a ton of messages. asking when those will be restocked and they're restocked right now. So go check it out. I don't really have much for my 10 seconds this week. Honestly, just been watching a lot of hockey for those who like hockey out there. Football. I don't know.

That's about it. Watching sports. Working. I'll update you guys on some bagel stuff coming soon. We have some pretty cool updates. That's all I got. Nothing too crazy this week again. I'm sorry.

Peyton's actually were recording earlier than we normally do because Peyton is taken off to see your sister she has to go out there last second for something

yeah it's about all I can say lots of secrets going on right now on that note let's hop into today's case our sources for this episode are court listener

dot com news for San Antonio dot com Ken's 5.com KvOA.com CBS News KSat.com AETV dot com

the cinemaholic com and Yahoo Now obviously, as you guys know, Garrett and I work together every single day. It is amazing that we get to do this together, but don't get me wrong. There are certainly times where it can be challenging and just like any job has its ups and downs, especially when you don't really have those boundaries between work life and home life. If something goes wrong during the work day, it's kind of hard not to take that home with you because you're all already in your home. Not to let it trickle down. You're just so intertwined when you do the same thing with each other every day, which is why we have that age old saying don't mix a business with pleasure. Now, luckily, Garrett and I have found a dynamic that works for us. It's actually never been too difficult for us, despite the fact that I feel like this situation would typically be difficult. I think working with your significant other takes one of two paths.

Either it makes you in your relationship stronger, or it can completely tear you apart causing irreparable damage, leading some people to make choices that they never thought were possible. Today we are headed down to San Antonio, Texas to meet a 29-year-old mother and successful business woman named Andrine McDonald. Andrine was actually born in Port Antonio, Jamaica, back in 1989. Now, growing up in Jamaica, Andreine and her family honestly didn't have much, which was why she kept her head down, focused hard on school. She was an excellent student growing up.

Andrine knew she wanted to pursue a better life for her family, and she was really working hard to achieve that goal. After graduating from high school, Andrine went to a community college. in Jamaica to study business and marketing, but her real dream was to transfer to a college in America and start her own successful business there one day. And then, around May of 2009, Andrine met someone, a 29-year-old U.S. Air Force captain who had returned home to Port Antonio, Jamaica, for a funeral. His name was Andre. McDonald. Okay. Now, obviously, because of the last names, we know that Andre and Andrine meet in

Jamaica and actually just a few months after meeting, they get married in July of 2009. There was just one catch. Andre, who was home in Jamaica for a funeral, was actually stationed back in the United States in San Antonio, Texas. Now, I know this is confusing because we have André and Andrine and then also they are in Port Antonio, Jamaica, but he's actually stationed in America in San Antonio, Texas. Okay. So a lot of similarities, but this young Jamaican couple meet and get married and he is stationed in the United States. But this actually obviously lines up with 19 year old Andrene's plans to move to America and continue her education there. So it's kind of works out great. She applied to the universe.

of Texas San Antonio and was accepted. In no time, she and her newlywed were packing her bags and she's preparing to get her degree in business and finance in America. Now, a few years later in 2012, the couple also welcomed a baby girl named Elena. And around that same time, Andrine finished school and got to work starting her own business. Andrine always knew she wanted to do something to help other people. So she actually chose to get into the assisted living business and open up her own facility. Now at the time, she was just 22 years old. And since she had come from pretty humble beginnings, finding the money to start this business was going to be the biggest hurdle. I've actually heard they should do pretty well too. Really? Yeah. Don't ask me how

I know this, but I know this. Well, luckily for her, her husband, Andre, was willing to to lend a hand. He liquidated his 401k and sold his car to give Andrine the money she needed to get Starlight Homes. That's what she was naming it, off the ground. Now at the beginning, Andrine only had three or four residents, but with her wonderful reputation, that actually quickly grew. So over the years, Starlight Homes assisted living becomes a multi-million dollar company. And eventually, Andrine was actually able to open a second location in the San Antonio area. By the way, I told you. By then, Andrine and Andre were equal partners in the business, splitting at 50-50. Ondreen managed the business, did most of the work when it came to the day-to-day

operations. And meanwhile, Andre took more of a backseat, considering he was still working for the Air Force, having moved up the ranks by that point from captain to major. Though, while the business itself was doing well, the couple was facing some challenges at home, particularly with their daughter. Elena was having a hard time with her speech and was later diagnosed with autism. This couldn't have been easy for the couple or their marriage, but a lot of their friends said if that was the case, like this was super hard on them, it really didn't show. Andrine was always volunteering what little free time she had to the causes she cared about. She still found time to show appreciation to her husband.

On February 16th, 2019, she threw Andre a lavish 40th birthday party at their beautiful San Antonio home. For a lot of people, that was actually the last time they would see Andrine McDonald smile. And one thing everyone knew about Andrine was she loved working out.

For her, going to the gym was equivalent to going to church. She woke up early every morning to get to the gym by 5.30 a.m. So she could still get to work at 8. She never skipped a day and she was strong because of this. According to Andre, her husband, she could lift about 300 pounds.

She was practically a bodybuilder. So she wasn't messing around. Dang. But on the morning of March 1st, 2019, just two weeks after that lavish party, Andrine doesn't show up to work that morning.

After a few hours past, some of her employees called a check on her, but it seems like her cell phone is off. Again, this is 2019. So they called a gym to see if her personal trainer had met with her that morning. And they say the same thing. No, Andrine never showed. And the trainer hadn't even been able to get in touch with her.

Okay. Now, by this point, they're also trying to get in touch with Andrine's family. Now, eventually, one of Andrine's employees actually gets a hold of her mother, Maureen, who is also living in the San Antonio area now. So she has come to America. And when she says she also hasn't heard from her daughter, they go, the employees go and pick Maureen up and take her back to Andre's house. They also call Andre, who's like, I haven't seen my wife or heard from her this morning either. Okay.

He woke up, got his daughter after school, and then went to work over at Lackland Air Force Base. So now he's worried, too. He's like, what do you mean she didn't show up to work? So he's rushing back to the house to check, but no one's home. Then he goes over to a local hospital to check for her there. He knows that his wife suffers from really bad migraines. So his theory is maybe she had one so bad she needed to go to the doctors. When he asks the front desk, if anyone has checked in with the last name McDonald,

they say, yeah, actually, there is someone in room three by the name of McDonald's. It's got to be different McDonald's. So instead of going to room three, he's at the hospital, he's driven there, okay? He leaves the front desk, doesn't go to room three, goes back out to his car, and drives back home without going in to check if that McDonald is his wife. He says, he forgot his cell phone and he thought, okay, I've found her. It's more important that I let everyone know she's okay because at this point everyone's looking, everyone's worried. it's more important I let them know

she's okay before going in to check on her and that's just crazy because there's no way if you were to like take a hundred people and ask them what they would do

I promise you every single one would say I would be running to that room to see if my significant other was there unless they were all murderers then different story

so by the time he's back at his house though so are the police because everyone has been looking for her they have called the police and that's because while he was at the hospital, her mother, Maureen, had arrived at the home

and she had discovered some pretty scary things around the home called the police because she feels like they are signs of foul play. Now, unfortunately, Andre gets there. He's like, yeah, she's at the hospital though. So police call the hospital that Andre was just at to confirm whether Andrine had checked in or not and was in room three. They find out, yeah, actually, there is someone in room three with the last name, McDonald, but it wasn't Andreine.

So clearly there's some confusion. Why couldn't he have figured that out at the place over the police figuring out on the phone? But which means Andrine really is still missing. And leaving her daughter in business behind is not something anyone believes she would ever willingly do. This is a theory that's supported by evidence that is left all over the home. So let me get into the crime scene. The fact that her phone purse is... Keys, wallet, and car are all still at the house in 2019 is a really big deal.

There's also bloodstains and hair on the light switch of the couple's bathroom. On top of that, they discover a shovel, two gas cans concealed in trash bags, a torn receipt from a Lowe's hardware store, a hammer in the trash can, and worst of all, a small burnt patch of grass in the backyard, with what looks like a piece of one of Andrein's shirts in it. Okay, okay. So, of course, one of the first people they speak to is Andre. Not only does his story about going to the hospital and coming back seem a little weird,

especially about the part how he didn't go in and check on her before he left. He also tells police, well, yeah, we did get in a fight the night before. He says they had been at a tax preparer's office earlier in the day, and that's when he learned that Andrine had opened a separate business without his knowledge. He said when they got home that night, they got into an argument, but he got into his car. He drove down to a gas station to cool off. He said they keep arguing over text messages there, but eventually he calmed down, went home to speak to Andrine in person, clear the air. Only by the time he got home, he said Andrine was already asleep in the guest room.

He figured that's where she was the next morning when he woke up. see her and left to take his daughter to school. Here's what's weird, though, about this, because obviously Andre's seeming suspicious. But police check out security cameras from the gas station and the hospital, and they confirm that Andre was at both of those locations when he said he was. They also don't notice anything suspicious on Andre. He has no bruising, no scratches, anything indicating he had been in a fight. Plus, the two did seem to continue their argument over test.

into the late night hours of February 28th, just like he said the night before she was reported missing. Not to mention, Andre denies wholeheartedly that he has anything to do with his wife's disappearance. Okay, have you ever bought like $150 perfume or clone decided to really go in on this and then hate it? It's painful. But micro perfumes make sure you never have to do that again.

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Admitting to fighting with his wife the night before she disappeared, but there seems to be video evidence corroborating at least part of his story. But at the moment, police weren't even totally sure this was a homicide investigation. So the following day, Saturday, March 2nd, a team of about 70 people go out searching for Andrine McDonald. I was going to say, so there's no boss. body right now, which is kind of a big issue. Yeah, just that.

Now, meanwhile, police are looking deeper into Andre's story. And honestly, just the history of the couple in general, trying to figure out everything about them. This is always the first step in a missing person's investigation where they have a spouse. What are the finances? What are, is there, you know, an affair going on? What are the dirty secrets? Do they fight a lot?

How do friends see their relationship? So police find, while their businesses were doing well, it seems Andrine wasn't interested in always working with her husband. During that meeting, the day before she went missing, like I mentioned, Andrine had opened a new business and had omitted Andre's name from the paperwork. Apparently, Andre felt like Andreine was trying to secretly swirl away some earnings for herself into this new business account, even though the two were married. And in the state of Texas, he would still be entitled to have her earnings. So police have to wonder, though, would this have been enough to set Andre off?

This hardly seems like a motive for murder, more just kind of like a marital hiccup, though apparently there's a lot more to the story. Turns out, the marriage itself had been on shaky ground for a while. And according to some, Andre had been physically abusive toward Andering in the past during their relationship, which may be why she started to stray from the marriage. Police find out Andrine had sought comfort in an old flame, an ex named Aubin Hall. He was a businessman who had been living in her hometown of Port Antonio, Jamaica. The two had dated back when they were teenagers and two years prior back in 2017. They had actually reunited while Andrine was home in Jamaica

doing some charity work. And then they kind of just keep talking. It's long distance. That's until 2018, Andrine gets two new tattoos and one includes a date on her wrist. But she doesn't tell Andre what the date is for. That's pretty... It's a bold choice.

That's wild. It's a bold choice. That's pretty insane. Also, it seems like every time we do a case like this, like same it's all just the same money issues right infidelity like it all seems to wrap up the same domestic abuse yeah it's always the same aisle yeah it always is yep so this whole date on her wrist that she can't explain made andre suspicious especially when he kept asking what's the significance of this no real answer so after some social media digging Andre discovers the

truth. The date was Aubin's birthday. Oh my gosh, dude. That's to be married to someone and do that. Have a tattoo. The other thing is like that might be worse than like having an affair. You know what I'm saying? Because you're like making it permanent on your body. That's crazy. That's crazy. Also the second tattoo she got when Andre's going through social media, he realizes that it's like a replica of one of Aubin, so now they have matching tattoos. They share the same tattoo. Does that make sense? Yeah, no, it makes sense, yes.

So this sets Andre off, who told her to call off the affair, get the tattoos covered immediately, either that or they were getting a divorce. Which, yeah. Duh. Fair. He told her that she was never allowed to go to Jamaica again without him, which again, fair. Okay. It's just hard because that's also her hometown.

Yeah, I mean. So Andreine. Not wanting to risk her business and everything she'd built over the years did what she was told. She got the tattoos covered up. She cut off contact with Aubin. Or so she said, apparently, she also told a friend around this time that if anything were to happen to her, it would be because of Andre. Interesting. In fact, the couple's friend, Andrew Russell, showed police text messages between him and Andrine, messages where she said, quote, someone's going to snap.

Andrew said he had even seen it for himself recently Andrew was at the couple's home in December of 2018 when the two got into a physical fight he actually walked into the kitchen and found the couple Andrine and Andre wrestling each other on their floor he said the next day the couple was just laughing it off like it happened all the time type thing

and Andrew's sitting here like no this is dangerous like that's not normal behavior Yeah it's not okay so knowing that Andre had motive and had been physically abusive towards his wife in the past, police are ready to secure an arrest warrant, especially because by that afternoon of March 2nd, Andre was no longer willing to speak to police. He had lawyered up, stopped answering questions. He appeared to just kind of be closing in. So that same day around 2 p.m., investigators tailed him to a gun shop where he purchased a 9mm handgun and bullets.

So when police see this, they're like, we got to, we got to step in. Like, where is he going with this gun when he knows he's a suspect? Like, is he going back to his house? He has a daughter there. So they confront Andre outside the gun store as he was walking back to his car. And after a somewhat pretty violent confrontation, police get him in handcuffs, turn him over to military authorities so they can perform a mental evaluation. I assume he was going to go take his own life and possibly the life of the daughter.

The daughter as well. So at the same time, investigators continued to compile evidence against Andre. And they found the evidence pretty quickly. You remember, police found a ripped up Lowe's hardware receipt at the couple's home. So they go to the store, ask to check security footage. Sure enough, Andre is on camera on March 1st buying a bunch of really suspicious things. We've seen this 100 times. He buys a hatchet, heavy-duty trash bags, gloves, an axe, a log splitter, two five-gallon gas cans.

All things you might need if you were going to, I don't know, kill someone and get rid of the body. Yeah, basically. Please keep in mind, they found that patch of burnt grass in the McDonald's backyard that had a piece of Andrine's clothing in it. They should almost, I mean, there's nothing you can do about it. And it's so far and few in between that this actually happens. So I understand why it's not a thing. like anytime someone's in low is buying anything

that looks like a kill kit it's like now flagged like sorry you can't buy it or the police are coming like I don't know you just have to do an interview to get checked

I mean they could put it in place it's just it's so far in few in between and it's like a kill kit can look similar to other things yeah it can look like a bunch of different things

yeah what do they do next please go back to the house with a search warrant to collect these specific items or at least any that they hadn't recovered and when they get

they check Andrin's car and they find that shovel, the axe, the trash bags, honestly a lot of items from that purchase from Lowe's. And even more damning, they discover a pile of clothes in the garage, clothes that belonged to Andre and had traces of blood on them. By this point, they also have some information that came back about the hammer they found in the trash the day before. The lab says it has traces of DNA on it and it appears to be a match to Ond. dreams. So not only do they have evidence that Andre bought all this stuff that looks like you're going to try to dispose of a body, they also have a hammer with her DNA on it, which feels like a murder weapon. Yep. Obviously, they just need to confirm that this is more than a missing

person's case. Because it's only day two. And while investigators are moving pretty fast, gathering evidence, a suspect, it's proving to take a bit longer to find Andrine, or rather her body. The only thing everyone knows, however, is there's no way that this mother left her businesses and her young daughter behind with no notice. Well, the following day, March 3rd, the Air Force finishes their mental evaluation on Major Andre McDonald. Well, I'm not totally sure what the results are. I know that they do release him. It's hard because, I mean, let's be honest, I feel like it is pretty easy to lie and cheat your way through mental evaluations. Yeah. You know, like I think a psychite, I don't know.

It's hard. It's hard because I think every, yeah, I just think it's something that's probably pretty easy to do. And I could be wrong, but. Because loki, you just lie. How are they going to diagnose you if you're lying about your symptoms or your reasoning? I think exactly what I'm saying. Unless that person knows you're lying. And even then, like it's an opinion. It's kind of like when you take those, I don't know if I'm outing myself here, but when you take those. behavioral like oh what's your score what type of what's your love language what yeah you could lie on those yeah and you're taking it and you're like well what's the like right answer not necessarily right answer but like as a perfectionist sometimes when I see those questions I'm like well the person I want to be like the perfection person of me wants this to be the answer yeah I just I have to be

like really honest with myself and granted yeah you could yeah I mean you can analyze someone's body language you can analyze how they're answering the questions i mean there's a lot you can analyze but i also feel like it's also easy to lie on them just my opinion my two cents yeah so the um air force releases him and then the local authorities arrest him but not for killing on dream instead they arrest him for evidence tampering since they found the low's receipt was torn up in the family's trash of course this is just a precursor until they find the body That's what they're hoping for. But we know how hard that is when you don't have a body.

Unfortunately, Andre doesn't stay behind bars for long. He's released on $300,000 bail and is placed under house arrest. He's only allowed to go to and from work with an equal monitor. I feel like I should know the answer to this and it's been five years into this. I've never asked this question. So hopefully you know the answer. If not, I will look it up real quick. When you release on bail, right?

or bond, whatever you want to call it, say it's half a million dollars. Are you required to put up that half a million dollars in cash then? Or can you, because I know there's places that also do, like, we'll bond, like, there's places that we'll do loans for it. So I assume they'll put up the money and you pay them back. That's what I think it is. I mean, it's both. I'm sure there's both.

Obviously, there's both options. But because sometimes we're doing cases and someone's on like in a million dollars and they pay it. I feel like that's so rare. Like, how do they have a million dollars? Cash, just sitting around like, here you go. You know what's also crazy about bail? I need to look this up real quick.

They determine bail based off of you, like your history. So obviously, like flight risk and stuff, like you won't really get a chance for bail if they feel like you're a flight risk. But for me, because he was arrested at the gun store, I'm shocked he got bail. because what's to say he's just not going to go buy another gun? Second, they base it off of like how much money you have. So they just try to make it difficult based on that. That's why like sometimes people with severe charges aren't in the millions because the state doesn't think they'll even have a... Oh my gosh.

Okay. Sorry to interrupt. Good. So there's a couple of different things. I didn't know. And this could be wrong. This is what I found online doing some research real quick. A couple of things, right?

bail is money the court requires to release someone from jail while they wait for court. Okay. If they show up to all court dates, the bail money gets returned minus small fees. If they skip court, the bail is lost. I don't know how I didn't know this. Is this state by state? I think this is how it works everywhere. I guess we'll find out.

Example, a listener will correct us. A, example, bail is $5,000. You pay $5,000 directly to the court and jail. you get most of it back at the end as long as the person goes to court 100% up front yes b use a bail bondsman bondsman this is what most people do this is basically a loan but the part you pay is a fee you won't get back example bail is $5,000 you pay the bondsman 10% 500 they cover the 5,000 of the court the 500 is not refundable and then the person has to show up the court. If you don't show up the court, then they can come after you for the full amount.

Interesting. That's crazy. Yeah. Anyway, so in case those who didn't know that, I didn't know that. For some reason, I thought that like the $300,000 or whatever you paid, I thought that they kept. I guess it makes way more sense now that they get it back. I don't know how I'm five years into this and I'd never look this up. Imagine you're like a bondsman for someone who has charges of like financial fraud. Oh, yeah. And it's like, their charges is like taking people's money and not paying it back and going on the run.

And then as the bondsman, you're like, you have to show up and also. I bet you they don't get it. I bet you they're like, sorry, dude, I'm not doing this for you. That's funny, actually. Okay. Anyways, some good information. Right, right. Yep.

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Meanwhile, his wife, the mother of his child, is still missing and he's at court, presumably because he killed her. So around the same time, the sheriff's office holds a news conference encouraging anyone with more information on Andrine and her whereabouts to come forward. At this point, droves of people around the San Antonio. area start coming out to help search for the missing mother. This includes the Texas search and rescue teams and a volunteer search party formed by ex-air Force airman Bobby Green, who may have known the couple personally.

Even the FBI gets involved in the investigation and a $5,000 reward is offered to anyone with valuable information. Unfortunately, none of these actions turn up anything of value. That is until April 4th, 2019. This is five weeks after Andrine's disappearance. That day, a hiker is walking along a trail adjacent to a highway, and they come across some charred human remains. The sheriff's department is called out to the scene,

feeling optimistic that this was Andrine. However, they determine the remains belong to someone of much smaller stature, a female around 5 foot 2 or 5 foot 4. They were eventually identified as 39-year-old Norma Pacheco. So while one missing person might have been found that day. The search for Andrine McDonald continues. Still, Andrine's family and friends never give up hope. And on July 11, 2019, 133 days after her disappearance, everything changes. That day, a man named Clifton Clubundee went out to a 50-acre private ranch just six miles from Andrine's

home. He said he was wandering around the property looking for a cow skull to use as a decoration when he was met with an overwhelming stench. He did find a school. It was just not a cow skull. He realized it was human and immediately called the police. When the sheriff's office arrived, they found a body buried under wood and other animal parts. They believed it had been set on fire.

Amongst that was a wig that was believed to be Andreans as well as a body part with a cross tattoo, which Andrine had. The remains were collected and examined by a medical examiner. shortly after, and after confirming dental records, they were certain they had found the body of 29-year-old Andrine McDonald. Now, because she'd been out in the field so long and partially burned, the medical examiner was really unable to say exactly what caused Andrine's death, but she had many injuries that suggested it had been a blunt object, like a hammer, maybe the one that her DNA was on back

at home. She also had a fractured spinal cord. Oh my God. A broken rib, a broken jaw. And with that, police were more than able to secure a new arrest warrant for Andre, this time for murder charges. With his GPS ankle bracelet on, it was easy for officers to find him at his house. Two days later, on July 13th, he was taken into custody, where this time his bail was set at $2 million. For the next two years, he sat behind bars until his bail was reduced. finally getting out on bond while he waited his court date in 2023. Meanwhile, the prosecution began putting together their theories on what had happened, mainly because Andre was pleading not guilty and was refusing to talk about what had happened

the night his wife died. The state was basically hinging their case on domestic violence and the fact that he was essentially losing his wife. She was keeping secrets, opening new business accounts. But when it came time, for Andre's court appearance, he took the stand as the only witness for his defense. And he tells a story that paints himself as the victim. So here's what he says at court. Of course, dude. Of course.

He claimed that on the night of February 28, 2019, he and Andrine had that appointment at their tax preparer's office, where he found out that she'd started a new company without his knowledge. But the way Andre saw it, Andrine was stealing money from him. Back at the house, the two got into a heated argument, which was when he left to go to the gas station to cool down. That's obviously shown on security footage. However, he said when he was finally home, Andrine was waiting for him, not asleep in the guest room, like he'd originally said. He said, Andrine was angrier than before. He said he spoke about how they should just get divorced, split their business in half, go their separate ways, but that enraged his wife. He claims

that's when she charged him. She spit in his face. He grabbed her head. They had butted each other accidentally splitting open her face. And when Andrine realized she was bleeding, she began yelling that Andre had attacked her. And that's when she began throwing punches. He says he finally got her to the ground and kicked her a few times to protect himself. It's like the whole thing was self-defense. Which is so funny because, dude, I mean, no offense.

I mean, I guess offense because he killed someone, so I don't really care. But, like, she obviously didn't want to be in a marriage. I mean, she was having an affair with her. him so it just his story is just so ironic exactly also the next part of his story he claims that his self-defense she's on the floor she's wheezing and that's when their seven-year-old daughter enters the room so andre's like oh he sees elena he picks her up he takes her back to bed he sits in there tries to calm her down for 30 minutes and by the time he gets back out his wife has died okay so he wasn't even in the room when she took her last breath this is what he

sang at trial. To try and support this, the defense played several videos that showed Andrine working out, how strong she was. Basically, they were like, even though she's the girl and he's the guy, she was stronger than him. But when the prosecution asked, well, then why did you never call 911? He was like, well, you know, I just had to get my wife out of there before my daughter could see. Andre said he took her to the field, stripped her naked, burned her clothes. But this is not adding up. The hammer. And then also, like, why would you ship her naked. Like, what is all this? Come on, man. Also, like, a hammer

with DNA on it is not kicking someone's belly until they die. No, you're not getting out of this one. That's crazy. And then also, we know Andre went to Lowe's the next day to buy all of the products. So there's no way

he took the body to the field while his daughter was asleep because he didn't buy the products to get rid of the body until the next day. It's a whole thing. Basically, the jury returned with a verdict finding Andre McDonald, the Air Force Major, guilty of manslaughter. He was given the maximum sentence of 20 years behind bars and given an additional five years for tampering with evidence. Wow, so he'll get out in 25 years.

Unfortunately, and I don't know exactly what a trial convinced the jury that this wasn't pre, maybe because he bought the supplies after, but wasn't premeditated. They had to have come up with a reason for it. to be manslaughter. Which I guess I could see, but it still sucks. Or if they do believe his story, that could still be considered manslaughter. Yeah. That kind of she left him no choice type thing, but not necessarily self-defense. Yeah.

Unfortunately, in the wake of Andre's conviction, the businesses were closed. Andrene's parents did get a few small wins. They were awarded custody of their granddaughter. They also pursued a civil suit against Andre. that same year as his conviction in 2023, Andrein's estate was awarded $210 million in damages, which Andre was responsible for. The real interesting reveal to come out of all of this was just a day after Andre was sentenced, news broke that his father back in Jamaica was also a waiting trial.

So he gets sentenced. And then the news is like, oh, this guy that just got sentenced for murdering his wife, his father is in Jamaica awaiting trial for the murder of his ex-wife and the murder for hire of his current wife. The apple does not fall far from the tree, does it?

That's crazy, actually. In 2024, his father was found guilty of murdering the ex-wife and murder for hire for the current wife and sentenced to life in prison. What are the chances? That's got to be like first time ever.

If we're speaking, like, analytically, that's got to be like very rare. For father and son. Yeah. Crazy. Andre has filed a pill. It's been denied. Perhaps one of the most heartbreaking parts of all of this, though, is that the daughter has been through all of this.

During Andre's sentencing hearing, his daughter wrote him a letter that was read. It said, to my dad, you killed my mother, you took away my life and you broke my heart. You hurt my feelings. You'll pay for what you did. You'll be punished forever. Yeah. Elena has since gotten some help through a foundation called Eagles Flight Advocacy and Outreach, which lends support to people living,

struggling with autism. And if you would like to look into that organization, you can find them at eaglesflight, S.A.com. And that is the murder of Andrine McDonald. It would be really hard to be a child and not to deal with that the rest of your life. I'm like you were in the house.

That whole situation would be extremely difficult. That level of betrayal. Yeah. All right, you guys, that was our episode. And we will see you next time. with another one. I love it. And I hate it. Goodbye.