Snapped: Women Who Murder - Denise Davidson

Episode Date: December 17, 2023

A beloved pediatric doctor is beaten and drowned in his own home; when detectives surveil a suspect, the waters are muddied by lies, suspects on the run, and an international manhunt.Season 29 Episode 23Originally aired: September 12, 2021Watch full episodes of Snapped for FREE on the Oxygen app: https://oxygentv.app.link/WatchSnappedPodSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This episode is sponsored by the Audible original cozy mystery series, Misslto Murders, written by Ken Cooperus. It's the most wonderful crime of the year. Back by popular demand, Colby Smolder stars as protagonist Emily Lane, tune in for twists and turns as Emily solves mysteries in the town of Fletcher's Grove. Emily tries to outrun her past, but it's rapidly catching up to her. The stakes are high as mysteries strike closer to home than ever before. And it wouldn't be a holiday story without some romance. Love blossoms between Emily and Sam

played by Raymond Ablak, putting the mistletoe in mistletoe murders. Get in the holiday mood today, catch up on season one now and binge the entire series from the beginning. Then follow it up with even more romance, murder, and cliffhangers in this new season. Listen now to season two of Misslto Murders, only from Audible. If you need a new addition to your weekly true crime lineup, there's a podcast you need to know about called Generation Why. Every week hosts Aaron and Justin sit down to discuss a new true crime case covering every angle and theory to try to discover what really happened. Listen to Generation Y on the Wondria or wherever you catch a podcast. The ruthless murder of a beloved pediatrician stuns a Florida community.

The apartment was ransacked, someone was looking for something. He's submerged in a tub full of bloody community. The apartment was ransacked. Someone was looking for something. He's submerged in a tub full of bloody water. Investigators follow a trail of mysterious clues to find out what could lead to such a violent crime. We locate close to $20,000 in cash. When they would pick up the phone, the person on the other end would immediately hang the phone up. And detectives race against the clock

to unravel a cold, bloodied conspiracy. It was clear that they were concerned that they might be being listened to. They were saying things in layers and in code. He said to us, what would happen if I told you that I sent somebody there to beat him up? He had a reputation for being involved with the drug gangs. He was telling her that they can't arrest her

if they can't find her. To this day, they still don't know exactly where he is or where he went. They don't even know if he's still alive. January 25th, 1994, St. Petersburg, Florida. Officer L.J. Hartzig is just beginning his shift when he gets a disturbing call from dispatch about a body found in a nearby apartment complex. It was probably about 20 to 25 after three.

I was in my cruiser getting ready to drive to my zone that I patrol when I heard the call come out. At the apartment complex, Officer Hartzig is met by a frantic young woman. On arrival, I talked to witness Patricia D'Nino. I speak to her briefly. She explained to me that the victim was in the bathtub inside the apartment. Once I entered the apartment, I saw that the apartment was in disarray, and just everything was thrown about. I went into the bathroom area.

I see the victim with his face down, with his hands and his feet tied behind his back with an electrical cord. I see that the tub is halfway full with water. It's bloody. All I thought about at that time was to preserve the crime scene. As officer Hartzick waits for detectives outside, he gathers preliminary information from the 911 caller, Patricia Dignino, who says the victim is her fiance, Dr. Lewis Davidson. The deceased was a doctor in charge of the pediatric's

at Bayfront Hospital. Mr. Dignino was crying hysterically. She's upset. It was hard to interview her. I had to take my time and work with her to get the information about who this doctor was and why she was there. 39-year-old Lewis Davidson was well known throughout the St. Petersburg community.

He was so knowledgeable. Bergen University. He was so knowledgeable. He was such a good mentor to all of us nurses, doing pediatrics. The Lewis considered the US home. It only moved to the States in 1983. Lewis was born in Jamaica, born in Kingston. His father is a university professor. Very, very smart. He had a very close family with his parents and his sisters. With his family's encouragement, Lewis had set his sights high from an early age. He was very gifted intellectually and it was destined that he become a doctor.

He was brilliant at it. I feel like that was his calling and he knew it. Though medical school rarely left time for dating, Lewis made room in his schedule when a beautiful young model caught his eye at a bus stop in Jamaica. Denise Davis was originally from Jamaica. She was Miss Jamaica Pageant.

She was a finalist in that pageant. Denise was an absolutely stunning woman. She was 22. He was 27 when they met. She was waiting at a bus stop, and he stopped in his car and offered her a ride. And I think she genuinely liked them. She genuinely loved them. After a short engagement, the couple tied the knot in 1982 and quickly moved to the states.

Three years later, their daughter Natalie was born. They got married and they moved to the Tampa Bay area where they lived and had a child together. Denise was a very caring mother, supportive, loving, and she was pretty much at home with Natalie the first few years. Dr. Davidson doged it on Natalie. He just glow and he would talk about Natalie and he loved her very much.

After climbing the ranks in his profession, Lewis settled into his career at Bayfront Hospital in St. Petersburg. He eventually became the head of the P.V. Atrix, I'm in the emergency room division. He was a good man, a talented man. He had this kindness and this compassion for his job and for for the people around him and his patients that he took care of. While his career blossomed, his relationship with Denise began to crumble. Approximately 1991, Denise Davidson, Dr. Davidson separated. It was at that time that Dr. Davidson moved out of the residence.

He got an apartment in St. Petersburg, and she remained in their home in Tampa with her daughter, Natalie. In October of 1993, Lewis and Denise decided to make their separation legal. Dr. Davidson had developed a new relationship with Patricia D'Nino. Patricia D'Nino works for Bayfront Hospital within the emergency room and emergency room pediatrics where Dr. Davidson works. So they started off just knowing each other

from the hospital, and at this point in time, they had a boyfriend girlfriend. Louis wasn't the only one who had moved on. Denise Davidson still lived in Tampa. She developed a relationship with a gentleman from Jamaica, Alio Sistaros. So Dr. Davidson and Denise Davidson, were kind of going on with their lives.

Not long after their separation, St. Petersburg homicide detectives have just arrived at Louis Davidson's apartment, where his girlfriend Patricia found him dead in a bathtub. I arrived just after the initial officer on scene, Officer Hotsie, had spoken and took the initial statement from Patricia D'Nino. At that point, I arranged for Patricia D'Nino to be transported to the St. Petersburg police department as we start to process our scene.

I go through the front door and I can see that obviously the apartment was ransacked. Someone was looking for something. In the foyer, detectives identify their first potential clue. We noticed there is a footprint, a shoe impression on the floor. Whether it was wet or grease or oil, whatever may have been on the bottom of the shoe, left an impression on that tile. It was a certain make, a void, which wasn't a real popular type of shoe, and it appeared to be about a size 9.

Detectives also find what appears to be evidence of a struggle. I can see items thrown on the floor. The cushions were off the couch. There's a vacuum cleaner sitting here that has the cord cut and a pair of scissors laying on the ground, which is obviously not in its normal place. In the bedroom, the closet door is open, and I can see clothes and items have been thrown onto the floor. It's a mess inside that closet. As I approach the bathroom, I'm looking in and I'm seeing the wall

where this obvious blood spouted here on the wall. Inside the bathroom, detectives get their first look at the victim. He was drowned while tied and blindfolded, drowned in a bathtub full of hot water. A vacuum cleaner cord was used to tie up his hands, and there was a cashmere article of clothing that was used to tie him up as well. The scene is extremely violent and nature.

The appearance leads me to believe that there's more than one person involved. In the closet of Dr. Davidson, they found a garment bag. And in that garment bag was a substantial amount of money. We locate close to $20,000 in cash, along with Dr. Davidson's jewelry, the items of true value are not stolen. Instead, we have a stage crime scene and a dead doctor with a very brutal type of killing.

with a very brutal type of killing. Coming up, investigators uncover some lacious secrets. She denied that she was posing for dirty pictures. Was Dr. Davidson involved in some kind of activity that could have brought this type of a crime closer to him? The first person of interest was in that type of crowd, where he would have known the people who were able to pull off such an event.

MUSIC St. Petersburg detectives are investigating the vicious murder of pediatric emergency doctor, Lewis Davidson. Dr. Davidson was hog tied. He was blindfolded, gagged, and bleeding from about the head area. And then the bathtub was filled with, at that time, still warm water. While CSI techs finish up their search for additional evidence, investigators turn to Lewis's neighbors for leads.

We identify two witnesses that observed a couple playing with a ball around 9, 10 o'clock in the morning, just outside the doctor's apartment in the area by the pond. There was a black man and a white woman, a blonde hair woman. Playing catch with a white woman, a blonde hair woman playing catch with a cricket ball, which is not something you would normally see here in Florida. They noticed the young lady appeared to be more of a British type accent. Witnesses mentioned after the unusual game of catch, the man disappeared and the woman

got into a nearby car. Here is someone that's just sitting in the apartment complex, basically man disappeared and the woman got into a nearby car. Here is someone that's just sitting in the apartment complex, basically in front of the doctor's apartment. So now we're looking at some suspicion there. While officers continue canvassing the neighborhood, detectives head to the station to conduct a formal interview with Dr. Davidson's girlfriend, Patricia D'Nino. She said she was at work that day, at Bayfront Hospital. But whether there's any involvement at this point, we have no idea who's involved.

Patricia says she had just started her day shift when she last spoke with Lewis. Dr. Davidson was finishing his shift around 8 a.m. and then once he finished his shift he had a meeting to attend 9 a.m. meeting for the hospital and for the pediatric section. When she tried to call him afterwards, he was not responding to her calls. Around 330, she goes to his apartment to see why she can't reach him all day. When she arrives at the apartment complex, she enters into the apartment. apartment to see why she can't reach him all day. When she arrives at the apartment complex,

she enters into the apartment. The door was unlocked but closed. And she starts to notice that the apartment's in disarray. It's at that point that she enters the bathroom, and she discovers Dr. Davidson the bathtub. A distraught Patricia says she has no idea who could have wanted Lewis dead, but he has been getting some strange calls lately. Numbers hang up calls.

66, I think, in a matter of a few weeks. When Dr. Davidson or Miss Danino would pick up the phone, the person on the other end would immediately hang the phone up. To the detectives that sounded like someone trying to track his movements, where he was at different times, what he was doing. Patricia says the most recent suspicious phone call was just that morning. Somewhere between 9, 10 o'clock in the morning, Patricia Danino receives a phone call at the hospital

with someone who is looking for Dr. Davidson. And they asked for him. She replied that he was not available at the time. Things felt suspicious involving the calls of the hospital. But we did not know who would be connected to this that may have committed harm to Dr. Davidson. Detectives ask if Lewis could be connected to anything illegal. Initially, the $20,000 in the garment bag caused him to have some alarm.

You know, was Dr. Davidson involved in some kind of activity that could have brought this type of a crime closer to him. Patricia refutes the notion. She is explaining to me that the doctor would keep money in his closet so that it would not all as money was in the bank account because of the divorce situation. That was a tumultuous relationship between the two of them. There were allegations from her that he had abused her.

There were allegations from him that she had posed for erotic photos. But of course, he denied the abuse, and she denied that she was posing for dirty pictures. Atricia says the focus of the divorce revolved heavily around the couple's daughter, Natalie. They had fought very bitterly over custody for Natalie. Denise wanted to take Natalie with her to Jamaica,

and Louis was determined that was not going to happen. He was not going to lose access to his daughter. After finishing up with Patricia, detectives call Bayfront Hospital to verify her alibi. We were able to determine right away Patricia Dino had been at the hospital during the daytime after the doctor had left from his shift. We ruled her out as a suspect early on.

With Patricia's whereabouts verified, detectives make haste in locating Denise. It's no secret that if you have an estranged spouse and that person winds up dead, that you're gonna be the one that is first suspected. They met with her at her home in Tampa and made the notification that her husband had been found dead. When Denise Davidson was asked what she was doing

the morning he was murdered, she really didn't have a lot to report other than just usual routine, things that she always did. She didn't go to work that day, but she did have the care of her daughter. She told law enforcement that they were in the middle of a custody fight, but she said that he's the father of her child,

and she had no reason to want to hurt Dr. Davidson. As a matter of routine procedure, detectives ask Denise if she's currently involved with anyone new. The information that was provided to us by Denise Davidson that the boyfriends name is Leonardo Sistneros. The two had met during one of her visits back home to Jamaica. He seemed to become really enamored with her. He at one point then asked her to marry him.

Denise was questioned about the whereabouts of her new boyfriend, Leo Sastneros. She indicated that he was back in Jamaica, that he had not been in the Tampa Bay area, at the time Dr. Davidson was killed. Back at the station, detectives research Denise's new flame. He owned a nightclub or cone, a nightclub in Jamaica and Kingston.

He had a reputation for being involved with the drug gangs there. We were able to determine that several years prior he'd been arrested during a traffic stop in Georgia and he weren't had now been issued for trafficking narcotics. Between his fiancee's custody dispute and his own criminal record, investigators feel Leo could have both the motive and means to kill Lewis. He definitely was in that type of crowd

where he would have known the people who were able to pull off such an event. So it was the determination that I made that best effort at this point would to be surveillance on Denise Davidson to see if Denise Davidson would lead us to Leo Cisneros. Coming up, the top suspect proves to be a slippery one. It was there illegally and immediately fled thereafter. And watchful eyes soon witness an unexpected twist.

After the murder, she sent $15,000 for the Western Union. Many put their hope in Dr. Serhat. His company was worth half a billion dollars. His research promised groundbreaking treatments for HIV and cancer. Scientists, doctors, renowned experts were saying genius, genius, genius. People that knew him were convinced that he saved their life. But the brilliant doctor was hiding a secret. Do not cross this line. That was being messaged to us. Do not cross this line.

A secret, the doctor was desperate to keep. This was a person who was willing to coldheartedly just lie to people's faces. We're dealing with an international fugitive. From Wendry, the makers of Over My Dead Body and the Shrinknext Door comes a new season of Dr. Death, Bad Magic. I'm Laura Beale. You can listen to Dr. Death, Bad Magic, exclusively an ad free by subscribing to Wendry Plus in the Wendry app.

My dad Tom is one of the most charming men you'll ever meet. The love of my mom's life. But for 52 years, he was also something else, a wanted fugitive. From neon hum media and Sony music entertainment, listen to Smoke Screen, my fugitive dad. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts to binge all episodes now, or listen weekly wherever you get your podcasts. It's been 24 hours since Dr. Lewis Davidson

was found violently murdered in his St. Petersburg apartment. Detectives have placed his soon-to-be ex-wife, Denise Davidson, under continuous surveillance, hoping to spot her shifty fiance, Leo Cisneros. We can't say that Denise is involved at this point, but she is the girlfriend to Leo Cisneros, and he's our first person of interest. On January 27, Denise's surveillance team calls detectives with unexpected news.

We follow her to a bank. She goes to an ATM machine, withdraws some money. And we now, we surveil her to a Western Union money transfer facility. Detectives subpoena Denise's financial records and find suspicious activity. She would send Western Union money orders, either to Robert Gordon and Miami, or to a woman who lived in Miami. She had sent some money prior to the murder

about $7,500 and then after the murder, she sent another $7,500. So all told, she had sent $15,000 for the Western Union. Detectives first look into the name Robert Gordon and find a curious connection. Robert Gordon was a gentleman from Jamaica. He was known to be an associate of Leo Cisneros,

whose Denise Davidson's boyfriend. He did have a criminal history, so immediately, that began to tie everybody together. One of the last Western unions that was sent was by Denise Davidson, too, Carol Kason, in Miami, Florida. Though Carol seems to have no obvious connection to Leo or Denise, detectives continue to monitor their communication.

We looked at a lot of the phone calls that were being made by Denise Davidson and phone calls to Denise Davidson and noticed some numbers that kept repeating. One of these numbers was to a bar in Jamaica called Peppers. We were able to ascertain through a lot of folks that Leo Susneros was a part owner of Peppers. Detectives reach out to Leo directly. He was in Jamaica, is actually at Pepper's Bar in Kingston. I left a full message for him there at the bar. He actually returned my phone call.

Leo told me that he had troubles in the past in the United States for drug trafficking, and that he couldn't use his real name to travel to the country. So he would utilize fictitious passports and that's how he was traveling back and forth. Not only does Leo come clean about entering the US illegally, but the 32-year-old also admits to being in Florida the day of the doctor's murder.

He felt like he would be in trouble because he was there illegally and immediately fled thereafter. that doctors murder. He felt like he would be in trouble because he was there illegally and immediately fled thereafter. He wanted to play down his role as much as possible. He did not want to be in the forefront in the investigation. Though Leo claims innocence in regard to Lewis's murder, detectives suspect the contrary.

We make the determination that we're going to do a wiretap on Denise Davidson's phone. The calls were interesting because it was clear that they were concerned that they might be being listened to. They were saying things in layers and in code. The conversations between Leo and Denise would refer to have you talked to your people in Miami yet. Have you heard from your people? Is it the wrong group? Yes. But he's saying that it's there. Well, it's there. I sent it from the window. It's about two hours ago. Well, he just called me. He told me not there.

Detectives also pulled Denise's phone records from the day of Lewis's murder. We were able to identify a 305 area code phone number being called. It's a page number. On the morning that Dr. Davidson was killed from Denise Davidson's house, this page was called 52 times

between 9 a.m. and 10 30 a.m. Detectives find the number used to return the pages equally interesting. The phone was bought and paid for by Denise Davidson. We also found numerous phone calls by Robert Gordon to Denise Davidson's home number. So, law enforcement started to find a link between this Robert Gordon and Denise Davidson that went beyond the mirror providing money through those Western unions.

When detectives triangulate the phone's coordinates on the day of the murder, everything comes full circle. It's in the area of Dr. Davidson's apartment. The occasions that are done with this phone, and we can actually track it. They've tracked it all the way across the bay to a day's end. One month after the murder of Dr. Davidson,

detectives head to the day's end. They had photos of Robert Gordon and the people who worked there specifically remember that Robert Gordon stayed in a specific room at that hotel with a white female on the day Dr. Davidson had been murdered. They were able to verify the identity of the white woman because she's the one who registered for the room. She wrote down the name Susan Shore. The front desk reception is also identified as a second black male. She noticed that they were very nervous.

In fact, they left in such a hurry. They left behind some clothing. Without hesitation, detectives collect and examine the forgotten belongings. Inside that bag are a pair of size 9 void sneakers. detectives collect and examine the forgotten belongings. Inside that bag are a pair of size 9-foight sneakers and a gray sweatshirt. The sweatshirt has what appears to be blood spatter on the front. The sneakers also appear to have blood droplets on it.

We knew that that was very similar if not the exact same pattern that we had seen previously in the little foyer area. They had an idea, but they couldn't say definitively until they sent it to the FBI lab that it was a match. Investigators hope the evidence will identify the second male at the hotel. A waiting results from the crime lab,

detectives head to Miami on February 28th to track down 31-year-old Robert Gordon. Based on our observations, what we found, the Western Union money, the eyewitness that puts him at the apartment complex the week before, we felt we had enough, so we now, we're looking to arrest Robert Gordon in Miami. The eyewitness had put him at the apartment complex the week before. We felt we had enough, so we're now looking to arrest Robert Gordon and Miami. He was actually on a transit bus, not leaving the area but local transit.

We arrested him off that bus for the first-screen murder, and we transported him back to Pinellas County for prosecution. Detectives then head to the home of Carol Kason, the second individual Denise had wired money to after the murder. They followed up on that and went to see her and discovered that there was another man there at the time who gave him the name of Tony. So they said, well, you know, it would be helpful if we had, you know, say, hair samples from you

that would help us in maybe fingerprints. At that time, while they're talking to him, his fingerprints are checked. And as determined that Tony Bowen's is not his name, but his name is Merle McDonald. There was a warrant out for him in drug charges from South Carolina, so they arrested him. They're in Miami and for him in drug charges from South Carolina, so they arrested him,

they're in Miami, and put him in jail. As for Carol Cason, she admits she did obtain money on Merrill's behalf, but strenuously denies knowing anything about the murder. After an alibi rules Carol out, detectives move on to 26-year-old Susan Shore. Susan Shore was gone. She was a cruise ship cocktail waitress and it shipped out for Jamaica and when she got winded they were looking for her, she made sure to try and hide. On March 1st, detectives receive word from the FBI about the evidence collected from the days in.

We were able to link them to Merrill McDonald and link them to Robert Gord. They located blood on the Void sneakers. That blood was later compared with the DNA blood of Dr. Davidson, and they determined it was a match. The detectives now have enough evidence to officially charge 47-year-old Meryl McDonald with the murder of Lewis Davidson. But there's just one problem.

He had a drug traffic you warrant. Unfortunately, the warrant had been invalidated. So a day or two later, they released him from jail without notifying us. His whereabouts were still unknown. With Susan and Merrill on the run and Leo in Jamaica, detectives focus on Lewis' bitter acts. We were able to identify that on January 24th,

the day before the murder, Denise Davidson used her credit card at the Walmart behind her house in Tampa and purchased a pair of size 9 void sneakers and a gray sweatshirt that was of the same brand as the one discovered in this hotel room. My jaw just about hits the ground, because it's not very often that you have this type of evidence.

Coming up, Denise appears to go from suspect to victim. She felt like her life was endangered because of this threatening phone call. It was a sort of a raspy voice, a message received to her house. You'll be sorry, Denise. Just over a month after the murder of Dr. Lewis Davidson, detectives suspect the crime was orchestrated by the victim's estranged wife Denise Davidson and her new man Leo Cisneros.

In a stunning turn of events, on February 25, Denise contacts detectives, claiming she could be next. She calls me and says, Detective Salona, someone threatening me. She's basically trying to say, hey, these people that killed her husband are after her. It was a sort of a raspy voice, a message received at her house. You'll be sorry Denise. She felt like her life was endangered because of this threatening phone call. Little did Denise Davidson know that at the time that that phone call was made, Denise Davidson was under surveillance. And they actually witnessed Denise walk out of the business, go to the pay phone, and

then call her own home. As evidence continues to stack up against Denise, detectives continue monitoring her calls for another week. Denise Davidson and her father in Jamaica had a conversation. She felt like the police were closing in on her. And her father suggested that they can't arrest you if they can't find you. We left Savannah Snow, look, just

be on a little heightened alert. And it was around 5 o'clock in the morning on March 4th that I get the phone call from the wire room that says, hey, surveillance just notified us. Denise Davidson's on the move. It looks like she's heading towards the airport. They follow her right to the airport, right to the ticket counter and stand in line behind her as Denise purchases a one-way ticket to Kingston, Jamaica. I told her she's under arrest for the murder of her husband as the FDLA agent pushed a handcuffs on her.

She thought she was still under the court order that had been given her and Louis. During the divorce proceedings, not to take Natalie out of the country. So she made arrangements to leave Natalie and go down by herself. We had detectives traveled to Jamaica, Detective DeSarro, actually went to Jamaica and interviewed Leo Cisneros himself. The first time we went to speak to Leo, he denied any knowledge of involvement. One of the interesting things that he said to us was,

what would happen if I told you that I sent somebody there to beat him up and they just got carried away? Desaro wanted to slap Cuff Sodom and Dragonback that day from Jamaica, but unfortunately, we just couldn't get the Warnishing to us. Back in the States, detectives keep plugging away at their case. And on March 22nd, they finally catch a break. We had a warrant issued for Susan Shore, and Susan Shore was located in Kingston, Jamaica.

Kingston Police had identified her and stopped her. Susan Shore is immediately extradited back to the States. In an interview with detectives, the 26-year-old comes clean about her role in the crime. She really didn't know Gordon and McDonald at all. She had met them at the Highly Arrace track in Miami. She was basically asked to drive McDonald and Gordon up to Tampa Bay. She maintained that she did not know the real reason why they were being asked to be driven around in the St. Petersburg area.

Susan tells detectives she drove Robert and Merrill to the days in on the night of January 24th, 1994. She had done it in exchange for $100. It turns out the reason why they were doing that, and the reason for the 52 calls to the pager were because they thought that Lewis Davidson was going to get home about seven in the morning. But he'd been held up by a meeting, so they were kind of killing time waiting

for their victim to show up. a meeting so they were kind of killing time waiting for their victim to show up. Susan says once Lewis arrived, Robert told her to wait in the car. At that point they think Gordon and McDonald rushed him in and then beat him up and killed him. Susan tells detectives from there they headed back to the day's end. Once they got to the day's end, Gordon was very agitated, was waiting for somebody. Finally, Leo's narrow showed up, and Denise showed up. The two of them talked to the two hitman at some length.

The information from Susan helps detectives finally secure an arrest warrant for Leo. Now, they just have to find him. We were going back to Jamaica. We got a warrant for Leo's sister to arrest him, and he had fled the country. With Leo on the lamb, detectives turned their attention to the other accomplice yet to be accounted for. 47-year-old, Merrill McDonald. Utilizing phone records in October of 1994,

we found Merrill McDonald hiding out in New York, again using an alias. We arrested him without any fight, and we brought him back to Florida for prosecution. Coming out, as authorities tried to strengthen their case against Denise, they uncover a slew of secrets. When she was booked, I believe she was about four months pregnant. in their case against Denise, they uncover a slew of secrets. When she was booked, I believe she was about four months pregnant. And will resurfacing allegations throw a wrench in the state's case at trial?

She was every battered woman I ever worked with. Unbeknownst to her, he had hired these two hitmen, and it was all his doing. -♪ St. Petersburg detectives have arrested four individuals in connection with the brutal death of 39-year-old Dr. Louis Davidson. So now we had Denise Davidson, Robert Gordon,

Merle McDonald, Susan Shore, all in custody, and the only person we were lacking was Leo Sistneros, who had fled Jamaica. With Leo on the run, authorities continue strengthening their case against the others and find two substantial motives. Denise Davidson had notified the county jail personnel that she was pregnant. It turns out that it was Leo's narrowed child, which sort of gave an added urgency to her wanting to move to Jamaica to be with him, but she couldn't go to Jamaica unless Lewis

let her go with her daughter and he was making clear that that wasn't going to happen. We also found there was a life insurance policy on the life of Dr. Davidson for $400,000. On September 5, 1995, the trial for Denise Davidson gets underway. Prosecutors assert that Denise played a very large part in her husband's demise. Denise Davidson had hired the men, had paid the men, had provided the men, you know, the cell phones to utilize.

After the murder, Leo and Denise came to the days in and met with Robert Gordon and with Marilyn McDonald and talked to them at some length. So that really nailed down that Denise was very much involved in the murder. Prosecutors surmise that on January 24th, 1994, Robert Merrill and Susan waited around until the doctor got home, and then the two men attacked. The struggle really goes on from almost the moment that Dr. Davidson opens the front door.

We never knew for sure exactly what it was they used to bludgeon him with. He's been hog tied. His arms and feet tied behind him with a vacuum cleaner cord and a cashware belt. And he's been submerged in this tub and drowned. The defense counters by placing the blame entirely on Leo Cisneros. Denise Davidson's defense was that she had nothing to do with this.

Unbeknownst to her, Leo Sussneros had hired these two hitmen, and it was all his doing. To bolster their claims, Denise takes the stand in her own defense. The defense presented Denise's case as if she had been a victim of domestic violence. She was once again the victim of a man who would want to control her, which would be Lea Sisoneros. Denise has very flat affect, but that's every battered woman I ever worked with. The prosecution tore into her on cross examination. They definitely turned against her and said, you know, this woman's been lying to us right from the start.

There was no physical evidence that she was a woman who was a woman who was a woman who was a woman who was a woman who was a woman who was a woman who was a woman who was a woman prosecution tore into her on cross examination. They definitely turned against her and said, you know, this woman's been lying to us right from the start. There was no physical evidence presented that she had been abused. Probably the biggest moment was when the prosecutor playing the audio tape of that phone call, where she called her own phone, disguised her voice, and left the message, Denise, you'll be sorry.

At that point, she just kind of deflated. You can just see the whole air going out of her. It was at that moment that she knew that we had her. On September 16, the jury finds Denise guilty of first degree murder. On November 16, the jury finds Denise guilty of first degree murder. She is sentenced to life in prison. It was as it should be. She should be punished. Dr. Davidson didn't deserve any of that, and it just left a big hole and a lot of people's heart and soul.

A alleged hitman, Robert Gordon and Meryl McDonald receive a more severe punishment. Ultimately, the jury found them guilty of first-pre-murder. They were sentenced to death, and they are still on death row. In exchange for her testimony against the others, Susan Shore receives probation. We charged her with accessory after the fact, and she was deported back to England. Leo Cicnero still faces a first-degree murder charge, but has yet to be captured.

To this day, they still don't know exactly where he is or where he went. They don't even know if he's still alive. The beast continues to maintain her innocence. She has never wavered on that, and she now believes that Leo was the one and only responsible for this and felt that he intentionally let her take the rap for him. For those who knew Dr. Lewis Davidson, his memory will live on despite the tragedy of his death. His family and those closest to him had their heart and soul ripped out and the world is certainly worse off for not having him in it.

Both of Denise's daughters were raised by her sister in Florida. Robert Gordon and Merrill McDonald are both housed in Florida prisons and remain on death row. Denise is serving her life sentence at the Homestead Correctional Institute in Florida. She continues to fight her case. I can't come home this year. I think this is about Ali because she ripped out my heart's stomped on it. Oh, okay. Then his family surprised him with an unwelcome gift.

You're kind of freaking out. You invited my ex-fiance to Christmas. You know, I really should go. You're not going anywhere. Now streaming only on Freebie. Bring on the games. My family will work up the courage to ask you to leave before Christmas morning.

You want a bed? You're gone. We're here gone. Will they fall back in love or will it go down in flames? Doesn't have to be crazy for this entire holiday. Surrender anytime you want. Never They are positive aggressively hating each other. How about that? But I think that they actually got each other. It's quite confusing. Starring Layton Meister and Robbie Amel. Something for you right here, Graham. Ooh, hope it's not another X.

X-Mess. Now streaming, only on FreeV.