Snapped: Women Who Murder - Cynthia Coates

Episode Date: September 5, 2021

When a man returns home from a party and finds his caregiver shot to death, detectives must sift through a complicated network of animosity and resentment to find their killer.Season 24, Episode 8Originally aired: October 14, 2018Watch full episodes of Snapped for FREE on the Oxygen app: https://oxygentv.app.link/WsLCJWqmIebSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Hi, I'm Lindsey Graham, the host of Wonder East Podcast American Scandal. Our newest series looks at the story of OxyContin, a popular painkiller that helps spur an epidemic of addiction and drug abuse, in which prompted a broad campaign to hold the pharmaceutical industry accountable. Listen to American Scandal on Amazon Music or wherever you get your podcasts. When a happily married couple is dealt a terrible tragedy, he had suffered several strokes and was a paraplegic. They find a guardian angel in a handsome handyman.

He was a super great guy. Always a smile on his face. Honest, outgoing, he wanted to be able to make a difference in somebody's life, help him out. But when an unexpected death occurs in their inner circle, it strikes terror in a tiny Indiana town. Somebody had been waiting on him. It was a predator, almost hunting.

It's just unimaginable. As the investigation heats up, the list of potential suspects multiplies. She believed that he had been stealing jewelry and money. He had changed the garage code. He was planning on firing the victim. Who is the real killer? And what was their motive?

They were intimate and a romantic relationship for several years. She kept saying she was only covering for them. Evidence was buried in the grave. That was the most morbid thing I've ever ever known in my entire life. This is the first time I've ever seen a man like him. I've never seen a man like him. I've never seen a man like him.

I've never seen a man like him. I've never seen a man like him. I've never seen a man like him. I've never seen a man like him. I've never seen a man like him. I've never seen a man like him. I've never seen a man like him. I've never seen a man like him.

I've never seen a man like him. I've never seen a man like him. I've never that a man discovered his caretaker face down inside the master bedroom. Tommy Hammack was the homeowner. Tommy was a paraplegic utilized a wheelchair. Tommy identifies the victim as one of his employees, 45-year-old Corey's story. Tommy tells the 911 operator that Corey is lying unresponsive on his bedroom floor. Patrol officers and paramedics are immediately dispatched to the scene. When the officers arrived, he was laying face down on the floor.

They noticed what was on his back. They discovered that he had suffered two gunshot wounds. He was not alive. It was determined that he was shot once in the back and once in the back of the head. The officer obviously spoke with Tommy in length to find out his story. How did he find him?

What time did he get home? The basic investigative information that you get when you arrive on scene? According to Tommy, he had just returned home from a birthday party minutes earlier. His friend and the host of the party, Cynthia Coates, had dropped him off. She helped him with his wheelchair

and get him into the house, and then upon getting him into the house, she left. She pulls away. And that's when he discovers Cory's body. Who could have committed such a violent act? At the very beginning, everyone's a suspect. For 54-year-old Cynthia Coates, Kokomo Indiana had always been home. A born extrovert, Cynthia was known to everyone in town. She doesn't know a stranger.

She loves to talk. Personality is out of this world. As a teenager, Cynthia met and fell in love with a man more than twice her age, factory worker Louis Codes. Like Cynthia, Louis was extremely outgoing. He was a character. He was close with the character. I loved Louis, you know. Despite their age difference, Louis and Cynthia shared the same outlook on life.

They were always outgoing. They were always going to the boat, the casino. Although they chose not to tie the knot, in 1977, Cynthia gave birth to the couple's first daughter, Stephanie. Three years later, she and Louis welcomed another daughter, Angel. Cindy loves her daughters both dearly.

They were close as any mother and daughter can be. Over the next two decades, Louis and Cynthia worked hard to provide for their family. Louis put in long hours at a chemical plant while Cynthia worked at a local nursing home. Even with two jobs and two children, Lewis and Cynthia still loved to cut loose every now and then. Her and him enjoyed the casinos. They went together, one lost, and the other one tried to help win the money back. try to help win the money back.

By 1999, Lewis and Cynthia's daughters were grown and living on their own, which allowed the couple to spend even more time together. That same year, the couple got the news that they would be grandparents. 18-year-old Angel was pregnant. She just wanted the baby taken care of. However, that good news turned tragic just a month after the baby was born. The baby, I believe, died from crypt death, SIDS. That just broke SEMPHY as heart.

In the painful aftermath of her granddaughter's death, Synthia was determined to be there for Angel. Together, they often visited baby Sandra's grave. Cindy was very sad about it. She cared for the baby so much. As Cynthia did her best to press on, she often found support in a family friend who'd suffered a tragedy of his own.

Tommy Hammock was a gentleman that lived here in town. He was wheelchair-bound due to some strokes that he had suffered. They just were family friends, and they had known each other for several years. Life dealt Cynthia another blow in 2009, when Lewis is faced with a similar situation to Tommy's. Lewis hid multiple strokes that paralyzed him.

For weeks, Louis fought for his life. Cynthia never left his bedside. As Louis began to recover, he and Cynthia decided to do something they once swore they'd never do. That's when they made the decision. They got married in the hospital. Though the couple had finally said I do, once Lewis was released from the hospital,

Cynthia realized married life would be no honeymoon. Lewis, he was paraplegic, and he had to have 24-hour care. He had a hard time one staying awake and two keeping his thoughts together. He was really hard to understand with how he talked and kind of go around in circles when he would talk. Despite Lewis's struggles, Cynthia never wavered in her support for him.

Cindy was there 125%. She was not going to let him go on a nursing home. She would mo her own yard, do laundry. She did it all, kept the house spotless. That woman took care of that man. While Cynthia's dedication was admirable, caring for her husband full time took a toll, both emotionally and physically.

She was not very big and he was a six foot tall man that you had to do everything for. So she bathed him, lived him, rolled him. It was a job. By 2011, Cynthia was on the brink of exhaustion. As if by fate, 42-year-old Corey's story entered the picture and became Cynthia's saving grace. He used to go by with his lawn mower down the road. He would mow yards for people. I guess he must have stopped one day to see if she needed yard mower. And that's how Cindy met Corey. Corey grew up in Cocomone.

He was a super great guy. Always a smile on his face, honest, outgoing. Recognizing some of herself in the charismatic young man, Cynthia hired Cory on the spot. He started out mowing yards, and then as she needed things, he would take care of that. Cory was a natural caregiver. That's what he pursued. He wanted to be a nurse. He wanted to be able to make a difference in somebody's life. Having Cory around also made Cynthia realize

just how isolated she'd become. She was lonely looking for some type of companionship. Cory was a funny person, Cindy was a funny person. They both were compatible and outgoing. In 2012, Cynthia asked Cory to move in and help care for Lewis 24-7. Cory agreed. Cynthia's friends could instantly tell that a weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

You know, we were certain down at the table having a boss iced tea and I said oh how's that going she said he's a big out because you know he's a big guy she said it takes a lot of pressure off her. With Cory around to help Lewis Cynthia was able to carve out some much needed me time. She loved to go to the casino absolutely loved it that was what her and Louis used to do and after Louis becoming incapacitated not being able to go, it was something she then had to do on her own or with, you know, a girlfriend or somebody that could go with her. So she went quite a bit. With Corey's help, Cynthia had regained some semblance of a personal life, and Cory was such a natural fit as a caregiver

that he began helping out with Cynthia's 65-year-old friend, Tommy Hammock. Cindy had known Tommy from over the years. He was rehabbing, and he had to have 24-hour care. Almost every day at four o'clock, Cory would help Tommy Hammock for a few hours. Cory assisted Tommy with day-to-day activities and chores. But all of that changed on the afternoon of October 25, 2014.

When Tommy Hammock called 911 to report finding Cory, face down in a pool of blood. When Tommy Hammock called 911 to report finding Corey, face down in a pool of blood. At the crime scene, we found two shell casings. One was towards the back of the room. The second gun shell had been located right next to his body. All options were open when I first saw the crime scene because it was just, it was so odd.

Coming up is the sole witness also the prime suspect? Tommy Hammack had two 380 caliber guns. It was our belief that Tommy could possibly be a suspect at that point. Or is someone else responsible for his murder? When she accuses Cory of stealing, it makes him mad, so he accuses her. By the fall of 2014, 54-year-old Kokomo Indiana native Cynthia Coates had endured her fair share of personal tragedies, from the sudden death of her grandchild to her husband Louis' debilitating stroke. Now Lewis' live-in caregiver, Corey Story, has been found shot to death inside the home of one of his patients, Cynthia's close friend, Tommy Hammock.

The victim was lying on the floor with his head towards the door. There was not a lot of blood. He had been shot in the head just behind the right ear. He'd also been shot in the back as well. The house was not in disarray. He had been shot in the head just behind the right ear. He'd also been shot in the back as well. The house was not in disarray. It was very clean. Other than Mr. Story's body lying there, everything else appeared to be normal with the exception of two spent shell casings

that we located on the bedroom floor. Nothing really seemed to be disturbed. Nothing was burglarized. There were no items missing from the house. It didn't appear to be a break-in. They're usually going to take the items they want, ransack the house, and be gone. They want to get in, get what they want to get out before the homeowners there. The evidence just didn't support robbery. Yet, the evidence does raise another question.

Had Cory been the target of a planned attack? There was really nothing to show that there might have been a struggle. It appeared to me initially that somebody had been in the residence, waiting on him to arrive for work that day. Whoever killed Cory knew how to get into the house, and I think also knew what room they needed to go to to wait for Cory. They waited for Cory to show up and the way the scene was processed, he was shot in the back first, and then he was shot in the head. Judging by the crime scene, the first shot came from a distance.

It wasn't enough to kill him right away and so then it appeared that the suspect then went up to him and then shot him in the head. Cory's wallet is located on his body. However, there are two things that police can't locate. They did know a couple of missing items from Corey's person. He was missing his cell phone. Corey's car was parked in the driveway. We knew for sure we were missing his car keys. As investigators continue to search the home for Corey's keys and cell phone,

they make what could be an important discovery. The weapon used to kill Corey was a 380 semi-automatic. We know that just because the shell casings were on the floor. Tommy Hammack had two 380 caliber guns. Having discovered the two 380s, detectives turned their attention to the homeowner, Tommy Hammack. I made arrangements for him to be transported

to the Copeland Police Station for interviews. He was looked at as a suspect in this case. In an interview at the Copeland Police Department, Tommy explains his whereabouts in the hours prior to the shooting. His demeanor was very, very calm. Tommy tells detectives that one of his other caregivers, Tiffany Perry, had been with him until roughly one o'clock that afternoon. That's when his friend Cynthia picked him up.

He had been picked up by Cynthia Coates earlier that day after getting him in her vehicle. She drove him to her and Lewis' residence, which is on the north end of Coca-Mont, for a birthday party for her husband. According to Tommy, the party ended around 4 p.m. at which point he and Cynthia left. Cynthia Coates took Mr. Hammock home after the party.

Mr. Story's car was sitting in the driveway. He said that Cindy helped him get out of the vehicle, getting him into his wheelchair, and she wheeled him up to the landing. She did not go into the house. Tommy says Corey's shift was scheduled to start at 4 p.m. that day. So he wasn't surprised to see Corey's car in the driveway. But he was surprised to see the garage door open.

Grudge doors up, and Tommy immediately thinks that's odd, because he had just had his garage code changed. Corey did not even have the code to the garage door. Mr. Hammock wheeled himself into the residence. That's when he found Mr. Storyline dead. Tommy ads, there was a reason Cory didn't have the code to the garage. Earlier in the day, he had changed the garage code.

He was planning on firing the victim Cory story and not having to work for him as a caregiver anymore. We learned that Tommy had been told that Cory had stole from him while working, and Tommy was concerned enough about that that he had had the co-changed earlier that day. According to Tommy, he had learned of the alleged theft from his primary caregiver, Tiffany. Tiffany had spoken with Mr. Hammock

and telling him that she believed that Cory had been stealing jewelry and money from Mr. Hammock. Investigators asked Tommy Point Blank. Had this alleged theft prompted him to confront Cory at gunpoint? According to Tommy, the answer is no. After interviewing him, he had provided us with an account of what he had done that day, and we began talking to other people and cooperated all of what he said.

If Tommy Hammock hadn't pulled the trigger, then who did? Tommy tells police that when his caretaker Tiffany accused Cory of stealing from him, Cory immediately fired back with a similar accusation. Cory was telling Mr. Hammock that Tiffany was stealing from him. When she accuses Cory of stealing, he accuses her. They both were just trying to point the finger at each other. It was a tip for tattoo situation. Is it possible the rift prompted Tiffany

to grab one of the guns in the house to shoot Cory? Tiffany did come on the radar because we had a lot of accusations between Tommy, Cory, and Tiffany, everybody wanted to blame somebody else. When Cory's autopsy report comes back, the results seem to confirm that Tommy is not the shooter. A appear to show the shot into his back was pretty much straight on. Due to the angle of the shot with Mr. Hammock being wheelchair bound, it did not appear so he would be able to fire that shot from sitting in a wheelchair from the corner and then get past the victim and get into the living room and then call the police.

That initially gives police reason to believe that Tiffany may have used one of Tommy's 380s to kill Corey. But an examination of the two weapons soon puts that theory on ice. We knew that Tommy owned two handguns. They were both 38 caliber. We located both of those in neither one. We're able to be fired. They were not in working order.

Though police have ruled out Tommy's handguns as potential murder weapons, Tiffany is still at the top of the suspect list. We knew Tiffany handed Tommy off to Cynthia to take him to the birthday party, and we knew that Cory was to come on duty at four o'clock. Coming up, detectives uncover a relationship gone sideways. She started with the text, messages, threatening, tearing his clothes clothes, just being crazy. She comes screeching around the corner, gets

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October 25, 2014, local caregiver Corey's story has been found shot to death inside the home of his client, Tommy Hammack. According to Tommy, Corey and his other caregiver, Tiffany, had accused each other of stealing. We don't know what their history is with each other, but we know they both pointed the finger at each other when accusations were being made that they were both stealing from Tommy. The garage door was left open,

which was weird and out of place, and was not left open whenever they left. According to Mr. Hammock, Tiffany was only one of three total people that knew the new garage code. Investigators immediately shift their focus to Tiffany. In a case like this, you look at everybody that is involved in that house, with the homeowner, we knew Tiffany had been with him all morning and cared for him. According to Tiffany, around 1 p.m. on the afternoon of the murder, she helped Tommy's longtime friend, 54-year-old Cynthia Coates, load Tommy into Cynthia's car.

She shut the garage door, and they pulled away at the same time. Cynthia pulled away with Tommy, and Tiffany pulled away. Tiffany claims she never came back to Tommy's house and never crossed paths with Cory. Tiffany went home, said she left her cell phone in the house, she went out and started mowing her lawn, and had no idea anything had happened until she came in later, and saw on her telephone that somebody was calling saying something going on at Tommy's house.

As for the dueling theft allegations, Tiffany admits she believed Cory had been stealing from Tommy. Nonetheless, she insists the accusation was legitimate and in no way personal. In fact, Tiffany tells detectives she'd never even met Corey face to face. I think they had spoken over the phone maybe, but to my knowledge, they had never really met. Because of the shifts that they worked as wide, they never really ran into each other. Tiffany also says she has several neighbors

who convouched that she was mowing her yard at the time the murder allegedly occurred. We looked at her pretty hard. We looked at her phone records. Phone records did not show any suspicious activity during the time that the crime had occurred. She had an alibi. We determined that she was not involved in the crime.

With Tiffany cleared of any wrongdoing, investigators reach out to Corey's loved ones, starting with Corey's lifelong friend, Kendiis Scott Moore. Kendiis tells police that Corey was adored by nearly everyone who knew him. I'm at Cory as a child. We became friends and Cory was the nicest person in the world.

Cory was a protector. I've always thought as Cory as my guardian. In fact, Candeous tells police that there was only one person with whom Cory wasn't on good terms. And it wasn't Tiffany Perry. It was Cynthia Coates. The detective asked me what the relationship was between Cory and Cynthia, and I told him how volatile it was, and that Cory was scared of her.

Candace explains that it hadn't always been that way. When Cory first moved in as Lewis's caregiver, things went smoothly. So smoothly, that months after moving in, he and Cynthia began having an affair. Cynthia and Cory had gotten together. They were intimate and a romantic relationship for several years.

You know, obviously, she was lonely, and she had feelings. Cory liked her because she paid him attention. She kind of catered to me. However, according to Candace, as time went on, the relationship became a source of angst for Cory. Cory struggled with the fact that she was married. He didn't like it.

Cory wasn't a super religious person, but he did have beliefs, and he did have things that his family had taught him growing up. That was something that he wasn't supposed to do. That wasn't right. Kendiya says two weeks before he was killed, Cory decided to break things off with Cynthia. Cory just wasn't feeling it.

He just thought it was a level of disrespect that he shouldn't be crossing. Cory moved out. He felt as though he needed to get out of that situation the best he could, and it was then that he moved into his friend's house. So they went crazy when Cory told her he didn't want to be with her anymore.

She started with the text messages, threatening, tearing his clothes up. Just being crazy According to Candias over the next few days Corey continued caring for Lewis and truly believed Cynthia would eventually calm down Instead her rage only got worse in fact Cynthia was so filled with jealousy She even accused Corey and Candace of sleeping with each other. She assumed that the relationship that Cory and I had

was more than just a friendship. She couldn't believe after everything that she claimed that she had done for Cory, that he was going to leave her. Candace tells detectives that over the next several days, Cynthia continued sending Cory threatening text messages, each one more menacing than the last. I'm gonna kill you. She said that so many times.

She threatened his life more times than I can even count. At first, I don't think he was scared. And then as it continued and the level of craziness went to the highest level, he was scared. And then as it continued, and the level of craziness went to the highest level, he was scared of. He told me he was scared. According to Candid, Cory said that if anything happened to him, that Cynthia would definitely be the suspect

that she's crazy enough to kill her. In spite of Candidia's allegations, investigators are skeptical that Cynthia is, in fact, Cory's killer. After all, at the time of the murder, she was hosting a birthday party for her husband, Louis. We know she planned a birthday party. She went to pick Tommy up. At his residence, she brought Tommy back to her house where they celebrated Louis's birthday party. She had an alibi. Even so, investigators believe Cynthia's allegedly threatening behavior warrants further investigation. At 6.45 pm, they asked her to come down to the station.

We had a phone call with her and she told us that she was at the casino, which is about an hour away. She said that she would return. It's a long way. She stated that it would take her around 55 minutes. While investigators wait for Cynthia to return, they phone some of the guests who attended her husband's birthday party. What they have to say poaks a potential hole in Cynthia's otherwise airtight alibi.

We learned that Cynthia had left the party at one point. It's debatable as to how long she was gone, but we had been told maybe up to an hour or two she had been gone from the birthday party. Cynthia told the people at her husband's birthday party that she was going to go and get her car washed. Whenever she returned, the people at the party noted that the car had not been washed.

It did raise red flags. We felt it was odd that she would leave her husband's birthday party to go wash her vehicle. That in itself did not make a lot of sense to us. After speaking to the party goers, investigators head to Cynthia's house to await her return from the casino. It was there that they ran into Cynthia as she was pulling into the driveway. She comes screeching around the corner, she was very nervous, she gets out of the car wearing

no shoes. Cynthia got out of the vehicle, and she was only wearing socks. She wasn't wearing shoes. And we thought that was kind of odd. Said she just decided on the way to the casino that she didn't like the shoes anymore. They had done their job.

She threw them out the window. Investigators ask a shoelace Cynthia to come down to the station for a formal interview. Once there, Cynthia admits to the affair with Corey, but she also makes another stunning admission. According to Cynthia, her husband was aware of the situation that she was romantically involved with Corey, and her words are, because he was paraplegic, he was okay with her being involved with someone else.

Luce was fine with her having an intimate relationship with someone else because he was unable to. As for the alleged threats against Cory, Cynthia claims the two former lovers ended things amicably and that she was the one who had encouraged Cory to move out. As for Cory's murder, Cynthia says that she's heartbroken over it. She said she knew nothing of the murder. She was surprised that he'd been shot and killed.

She was upset about it. But what about Cynthia's noticeable absence during her husband's birthday party. Cynthia admits she did leave the party, but not for nearly as long as some of the guests suggested. She said that she was going to go get her vehicle washed, and after leaving the house and making in a few blocks from the house, she

decided that she was not going to get a washed and returned back to the party. The discrepancy between Cynthia's story and that of the party goers is a red flag for detectives. As is her luck of footwear. She was not wearing shoes, I believe, that she may have possibly had blood on her shoes. Yet for all their suspicions, investigators have no concrete proof that Cynthia killed Corey. We did not have enough evidence at that time to, to, um, detain her for the murder. At the end of the interview, she was allowed to leave.

Coming up, with a killer still on the loose, detectives receive a much needed break in the case. There was a phone call stating that she had information relating to this case. And make a discovery unlike anything they've seen before. Upon approaching the headstone, the dirt had been obviously turned over. I thought it was extremely sickness. between a bitter breakup and a sketchy alibi.

Cynthia Codes has become the prime suspect in the murder of her former lover, Corey Story. Everything that we did kept referring back to. Cynthia has been in the main suspect. In the murder of her former lover, Cory's story. Everything that we did kept referring back to. Cynthia has seen the main suspect in this case. Despite their suspicions, police are unable to charge Cynthia with any crime. It was hard because there was no witnesses and no real solid physical evidence.

real solid physical evidence. Then on October 28th, just days into their investigation, detectives get a phone call that changes everything. There was a phone call from a person who worked with Angel Benson, the daughter of Mrs. Coates stating that she had information relating to this case. We had received an anonymous tip that Cynthia's daughter would work at a factory in Coalcomal. She had confided in a co-worker that her mother had shot somebody. Miss Benson took a phone call, came back to strought, made a comment to the effect of, I think, my mom shot someone.

This person also had details about the shooting that he'd been shot once in the back and once in the head. The call further cements detective suspicions about Cynthia, though what the caller says next truly catches them off guard. The same phone call revealed that there might be evidence that police could use buried in the grave of Cynthia's grandchild. Upon learning this information, we were able to determine that in fact Angel did have a daughter that passed away.

It had been several years ago and she was buried in the cemetery and co-comap. We went to the cemetery, spoke to cemetery workers, gave them the numbers that we had to plot numbers and we were searching for those, obviously searching for a murder weapon. Just to the north of the headstone was a small area where the dirt had been obviously turned over and then replaced back into the hole. What we located were Corey Stories' car keys, which we knew were missing from his vehicle or from his person at the scene. We located parts of a cell phone, and we located rubber gloves. At that point, we were confident that these items

have been taken from him during or after the murder. It's a critical discovery, albeit an unsettling one. Ms. Benson's daughter, I believe, was approximately one month old, and her headstone indicates that, and to go take this evidence, involving a murder, and bury that in the last spot, because of the speed grade concern is disturbing. With this new evidence in hand, investigators bring Cynthia's daughter,

34-year-old Angel Benson, in foreign interview. At first, Angel is reluctant to talk. Angel was very distraught over this, as she learned the information that we were learning. She knew things didn't add up. She knew things were pointing to her mother, and it was hard for her. She had a hard time.

When we told her that we actually found them at her child's grave, she was very distraught. That really seemed to bother her. At that time, she did admit that her mom told her that she had shot and killed Cory. Angel tells detectives that, like her wheelchair-bound father, she and her sister Stephanie long ago accepted the fact that her mother and Cory were sleeping together.

That is, until Cynthia came to them with some disturbing allegations. Cynthia began making the allegations that Cory was abusing her from time to time, and then the family began getting upset. With Cory, there's two different pictures painted. His friends' family talked about how kind he was and a great guy. However, if you speak to Cynthia's family, they talk about him being angry, being abusive. Angel believes it was the abuse that drove her mother to murder Cory.

Whether or not that is, in fact, the case, Angel's statement provides detectives with the necessary probable cause to make their next move. We filed charges on October 28, 2014. A warrant was issued for Miss Code Surrest for the charge of murder, and she was arrested that day. That's when it hit me, and it was like, she snapped.

She really did this. I was shocked that Cindy had done something like that. Shoff, but not surprised. My sister called me and told me that she had been locked up. I was happy. There was hope in my mind that his death would be vindicated, that this woman would go to jail for the rest of her life. Coming up, the case against Cynthia but gutted jail for the rest of her life.

Coming up, the case against Cynthia hits an unexpected roadblock. There were compsy hearings conducted as related to her competency to stand trial in this case. And jailhouse recording suggests there may be more to the crime than meets the eye. She kept saying how Angel and her husband did the crime and that she was only covering for them. On October 28, 2014, 54-year-old Kokomo Indiana resident Cynthia Codes has been arrested for the murder of her former lover, Corey Story, who was also the live-in caregiver to Cynthia's

paralyzed husband, Lewis. Now that Cynthia's in custody, investigators hope she will come clean about the crime. We tried to interview her again, and every interview that we did with her continued to become more, more bizarre. As to the things she was saying had occurred. She had tried to implicate people as suspects, and then would say she did name them as the suspects and then say that they weren't involved. Every time that we talk to her, we just kind of went around in circles. We ultimately stopped trying to interview her at a certain point and just continued on with the investigation.

But when they record the phone calls Cynthia makes from jail, investigators discover another possible motivation for Cynthia's cryptic behavior. When she's in the jail, she called her daughter Stephanie. She kept saying how angel and her husband did the crime and that she was only covering for them. Could there be any truth to Cynthia's allegations? Or was this just a smoke screen?

Almost two years later, in September of 2016, as Cynthia's case inches closer to trial, investigators work to uncover the truth. Angel had an alibi. We knew Angel was at work. Phone calls prove that. Everything we have checked out with her. We had checked her time card, as far as when she was at work.

We spoke to a supervision, as well as we watched a video and everything else. I didn't think that Angel had anything to do with it. That you're willing to throw your own daughter, who's been through so much, has lost a child, has always been supportive of you. You throw your own daughter under the bus for a murder that you did.

That, to me, is the ultimate narcissistic personality. After piecing together phone records, physical evidence, and the statements from Cynthia's friends and family, investigators believe they have a clear picture of precisely how the crime went down. Cory was supposed to arrive for work at 4pm that day. I believe Cynthia knew that. Cynthia left the birthday party, and I believe Parkter Vehicle somewhere where Cory wouldn't see it. And I think she either had a key

or knew the new code to the garage door and then went inside and was waiting for him when he arrived for work. I believe she lay in way in the bedroom. This coach was hiding maybe in a closet, and he walked in. It would appear maybe he turned and was shot in the back. Then he was shot in the head, which resulted in his death. As far as motive, investigators don't put much weight

in Cynthia's claims that Corey had been abusing her. Cynthia did claim to her children that Cory had been abusive to her. However, there were no police reports. There was nothing ever filed, no contact orders. There was nothing ever in the system to show that she had been a victim of any beatings from Cory. I think it was jealousy that finally drove her to kill Cory.

She didn't want that relationship to end. She didn't want him seeing anyone else. As the case against Cynthia makes its way towards trial, investigators and prosecutors know it's going to be anything but smooth sailing. We did not locate the weapon, and not having a murder weapon does have the impact on the state's case. You kind of have to ask yourself, like, if this went to a jury trial, what would that look like?

How would a prosecutor account for a missing murder weapon? We didn't have a confession from her, even with all this evidence that we had. As far as the case, it wasn't just a slam dunk. Prosecutors expect Cynthia's attorneys to use the missing murder weapon to sow seeds of doubt in the minds of jurors. What they don't expect is for Cynthia's attorneys

to claim their client is mentally incapable of standing trial at all, which is precisely what they do. There were compsy hearings conducted as related to her ability to stand trial in this case. She was examined by doctors to determine whether she had that capability. I was reasonably sure that she would be deemed

and competent in the early parts of this case. The doctors who examined her determined that she was competent stand trial. She does suffer from a mental illness, but that mental illness did not rise to a level that would have her deemed incompetent under the laws of state of Indiana. Cindy was crazy, but she kind of hid her crazy very well,

and she was basically functional. Even with Cynthia cleared to stand trial, prosecutors aren't sure a guilty verdict is a done deal. Juries are unpredictable, and the worst possible outcome in this case was for Miss Coates to go free to walk out, and we took that risk off the table by entering into the plea agreement. Cynthia took a plea deal just a couple of days before the jury trial was scheduled. She admitted that she knowingly or intentionally on her about October the 25th 2014 killed Cory Story on quail drive here in Cokam,, while acting under the sudden heat, which is voluntary manslaughter.

The judge sentenced her to 20 years in prison followed by 10 years on supervised probation. The plea offers bittersweet closure to Corey's family and friends. I don't think she got enough time. She needs to spend the rest of her life being miserable. She took someone's life. She took someone's friend. She took someone's son. Corey's never coming back.

She never wanted to accept the responsibility of her actions. She tried to play it off as being crazy, temporary insanity. She was caught up in all of her emotions. No, exactly what she were doing. I think she's evil. I think it's all about her. She doesn't care what anybody thinks.

She's going to do what she wants to do. And she snapped. Cynthia Cones will be eligible for parole from the Indiana Women's Prison in 2029. She will be 69 years old. For more information on snapped, go to oxygen.com.