Snapped: Women Who Murder - Princess LaCaze

Episode Date: January 16, 2022

When the last real cowboy is found dead at home, detectives dig in and are hard pressed to find anyone who’d want to see this loving father murdered. But a closer look at his nearest confidants unravel a heinous plot twisted by love and money.Season 28, Episode 16Originally aired: December 20, 2020Watch 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 fun-loving country girl falls for a real life Louisiana cowboy sparks fly. He was one of the toughest, most rugged cowboys

that there ever was. He wore spars on his boots. She, on the other hand, was always dressed to a tee. She had him totally captivated. But one March evening, their picturesque life comes to a sudden end. He was lying on his back, face up with his hands, extended over his head.

Quite a bit of blood. It appeared as if the perpetrator was searching for something. As investigators hunt for answers, they uncover a plot far more devious than they could imagine. People have seen them together, and you know, how these little towns they start talking. She was all he thought about. He was in love with her. They was bunch of bicker and back and forth, clean the families. The news was tightening, so to speak. The wagons were circling.

It became a cold and calculated murder. She twisted his mind, and that Nacotish Louisiana. Though it's been over 60 years since John Wayne filmed his westerns in this small southern city, the town still plays host to genuine American cowboys. It's more than just the cowboy hat and regular jeans and cowboy boots. They're the people who go out first thing in the morning at daylight and work the fences and haul the cattle. Come in at night, exhausted, but feeling that they did a good, hard day's work.

It's just after 7 p.m. when a call comes in to the Nacotus Sheriff's Office. The caller is 36-year-old Princess Lecaz. She had come home and found her husband lying on the kitchen floor. She called out to him and he didn't ask him. She saw him only from the door, saw him lying on the kitchen floor. She called out to him and he didn't ask him. She saw him only from the door, saw him lying on the floor, a lot of blood around. So she didn't know if he was dead or what happened. She was very emotional.

Nacketeer Sheriff's Deputies rushed to the home where Princess lives with her husband, 41-year-old Mike LeCaz. Responding officers request that she stay put as they enter the home. Mike was found on the floor by the bar in the kitchen. He was known as back, face up with his hands, extended over his head, and had no shirt on and some blue jeans. Quite a bit of blood in the area where Mike was lying.

It appeared that he had the single gunshot wound in the shoulder area, left side. Officers are unable to find a pulse. I was surprised. A new Mike probably right out of high school. I knew the whole family. I started thinking about who would want to kill Mike Lockeys, because even though he was so rough and tough,

I never knew Mike had a real enemy, or somebody who would want to hurt him. I didn't know of anyone. Born in 1955, Mike Locke has grew up with his three siblings just south of Nacotish. By high school, Mike could just as easily rope a calf as saddle the horse. He always out with the rest of him cowboys. He went road bulls for a while, just to show what people that he could do it. Though Mike attracted plenty of attention from the opposite sex,

one young woman knew her feelings for Mike were more than a crush. When I met Mike, he was getting off a school bus, and I looked at my girlfriend next to me, and I said, I'm gonna marry that man one day. And I did a couple of years later. In June of 1974, just after Mike's graduation and with Rhonda still in school, the young couple married. I was in love.

Mike could be very funny, playful, joking. We got married when I was 14. Me and Mike had two children together. My first one was Michael Jr. in 1978 and then William Lane was born in 1981. Eager to provide for his family, Mike turned his natural skills with livestock into a living. Mike started working for Rayburn Smith in the 70s. They sow cattle, sheep, horses, any kind of animals pretty much. Mike was one of the toughest, most rugged cattle wasn't that there were walks in this country anyway. He worked for me for 20 plus years, often on.

I got to be really good friends with Mike. In addition to the bruises and broken bones that came along with being a cowboy, 19-year-old Mike started experiencing symptoms that couldn't be explained by his job. Mike was diagnosed with polycystic kidney disease at 19. Mike didn't let the diagnosis slow him down. He continued to put in long days at work

and came home every night to wrangle his two sons. My brother's three years older than I am, and we was raised up on a farm. Brode horses, work cows, that chicken's dogs. Mike lived and breathed his job, and his best friend often worked alongside him. That was Daddy's hobby. He worked.

And Marilyn Robertson was my daddy's lifelong friend. He was probably friends for 20 years or better. Him and Marilyn grew up like brothers. Where he's seen one,, you seen the other. Marilyn probably knew him better than I did. Though they'd built a family together, by 1990, Mike's 16-year marriage to Ronda was falling apart. Thought I was in love and I didn't know what love was.

So we just went our separate ways. Following the split, Mike focused on his work until a 30-year-old local woman named Princess Potmosil came into his world. Princess was a very nice-looking, young white female and his wife, Frances, and his wife, Frances, and Frances, and Frances, and Frances, and Frances,

and Frances, and Frances, and Frances, and Frances, and Frances, and Frances, and Frances, and Frances, and Frances,

and Frances, and Frances, and Frances, and Frances, and Frances, and Frances, and Frances, and Frances, and Frances, and Frances,

and Frances, and Frances, and Frances, and Frances, and Frances, and Frances, and Frances, and Frances, and Frances, and Frances, and Frances, and Frances, and Frances, and Frances, and Frances, and Frances, and Frances, and Frances, and Frances, and Frances, and Frances, and Frances, and Frances, and Frances, and Frances, and Frances, and Frances, and Frances, and Frances, and Frances, and Frances, and Frances, and Frances, and Frances, and Frances, and Frances, and Frances, Frances, and Frances, and Frances, and Frances, and Frances, and Frances, Frances, and Frances, Frances, and Frances, and Frances, Frances, Frances, and Frances, and Frances, Frances, and Frances, and Frances, and Frances, and Frances, and Frances, and Frances, and andacotish, both as a farmer and a hothead. You would have to know if a father, he pretty dominant

in that family. He kind of ran the rules. By the time Princess was 30, she was a divorced single mom looking for a happily ever after. And to her surprise, she found her Prince charming in the arms of Micla Caz. Princess had three kids from a previous marriage. They were close to Monday, and they did a lot.

They did a lot together. Princess and Mic, to me, was totally opposite. Mic was a cowboy, war-blue jeans, wore spars on his boots. Princess on the other hand was always dressed to a tee. Despite the talk around town, it seemed their differences brought them closer together. On July 3rd, 1993, Princess and Mike married.

They settled into Mike's modest home, tucked away in the country just outside of town. Not a big house, just a country, country home, wood frame house. They appeared to be real close. In 1997, after four years of marriage, the couple was dealt some frightening news. Mike's kidney disease and years of grueling physical labor

had caught up with him. Mike had been experiencing kidney failure, and he was scheduled to have a shot put in to begin kidney dialysis. Princess vowed to be by his side, and Mike took the news like a true cowboy. They had told him that he could live five or more years. I'm sure you're worried about health issues,

like anybody would, but my dad was a fighter. But all hope, the new treatment promised was soon dashed. Just two days before his appointment, Princess calls 911 to report that Mike is lying in a pool of blood inside their home. He was shot one time. The cause of death was the single gunshot wound. The body had not been there a long period of time.

We knew we were looking at something that had happened within the last three, four, five hours. We found, at the door, a way coming into the kitchen, a shell casing, a 30-calibre shell casing, which gave us an indication of what type of weapon was used. He was shot through the left shoulder area, the left side, which would be pretty much impossible for someone to shoot himself,

and there was no weapon. So we pretty much knew when we saw the body that we were looking at a homer's side. Coming up, detective sit down with their first suspect. Everybody's a suspect at that point. We were trying to get a whole warehouse to make sure she wasn't in bar. And a chance sighting has detectives suspecting foul play. A citizen had seen a black suburban SUV driving down the road.

We've had some break ins and burgers out in that area. on March 1, 1997. Nackatish County Sheriff Victor Jones stands over the body of Mike LeCaz, theorizing how someone took this rough and tumble cowboys life. You could see Mike lying on the floor, face up, with his hands, extended behind his head. The television was on. the floor, face up with his hands, extended behind his head. Television was on.

It looked like somebody walked in and took his life, whether he actually saw it coming or not. We don't know that. After immediately ruling out suicide, investigators searched the home and began to consider the possibility of a robbery. A lot of people have thrown around in disarray, some draws pulled out and emptied on the floor.

We've had some break-ins and breakers out in that area. Aside from the ransacking and Mike's body, the killer didn't leave much evidence behind. You're looking at the crime scene, seeing if it will tell you, give you some idea of what may have happened. That's the first thing you're looking at, always refer it to it. Sometimes crime scenes happen, we are talking to you.

And this particular crime scene didn't give us a whole lot. Investigators complete their initial examination of the crime scene and escort Mike's wife, Princess, back to the station, hoping she will be able to give them more information. Everybody's a suspect at that point. And of course, at that time, we were trying to get some time frames and whole air vows to try to make sure that she wasn't involved. Princess tells detectives she'd spent the day working and running errands.

I had to work 11 to 5 and then I went straight to Walmart. Okay, what have you said you got wrong. It had to be about to say. It picked up the lights for my trailer, a parachute, a parachute. So, completion of shopping, what did you do? I left. I headed home.

I didn't get this about, I could buy an air-fist at it. She provided those receipts to the Sheriff's Office as well. Those receipts were timed around 6.30 at night before she went to the house, discovered Mike's body and made the 911 call. According to Princess, when she saw Mike sprawled on the floor in a pool of blood, she panicked and ran back outside. I walked down the inn and when I got to the doors and looked out of the way, I was like, I did not go to the inn, I didn't go step up and go in the kitchen.

It was so loud. We didn't answer me and when I called for it,. We didn't answer and I didn't say it. I just left. Interestingly in her statement, she stated that she did not go to check the body. She saw him from across the room and immediately left and made the 911 call. Princess insists Mike's upcoming dialysis had given them new

found hope about their future together. It was all far, he was happiest, he's made ready to catch. There he was ready for. Princess at that point stated that Mike was willing to undergo the treatment, that he knew what was happening and that he was happy to have something done to improve his life quality at the time. Princess tells detectives that after parting ways with Mike that morning, she hadn't spoken to him again.

They said they're goodbyes, and according to her in this statement, that was the last time she saw him alive. She did not talk to him for the rest of the day. She did not indicate any knowledge of how this murder could have happened, who may have done it. Michael's just a hard working guy, and we didn't find anyone that had any grudges, or he owed anyone a bunch of money, or nothing like that.

There were no red flags that went up before he was murdered. They were living their lives normal. Mike was dealing with his health issues and trying to work. There were no suspects, and it was just a great mystery at the time. With no leads emerging from the interview with Princess, detectives let her go. from the interview with Princess, detectives let her go. As they plot their next move, word of Mike's death reaches his family.

We was down in South Louisiana on our way back from a trip. And my mother wouldn't tell us nothing about it. Then when we got back home, she told us what would happen. That was 16 years up. It was pretty rough to get that, like I say, just find out how the blue one day he's here and the next day he's gone. It's that simple. It's something that you can never get ready for.

Back at the station, detectives continue working their theory that this hardworking father of two had been a victim of a robbery gone wrong. Robbery was the first obvious potential motive given the crime scene, given the disheveled nature of the house. Back that it appeared to be rummaged through as if the perpetrator was searching for something or searching for money. There could have been a transient person that was from out of the area that just randomly selected the house.

We contacted the crime lab to get them to come down to help us process this crime scene, check for fingerprints and see if there was anything that we may not have seen. While crime scene tax revisits the LeCaz home, officers reach out to Mike's neighbors for new leads. A citizen had seen a black suburban SUV driving down the road, suspiciously in the area, in the weeks surrounding the murder. In fact, the neighbor says she saw the SUV on the day of Mike's murder. One of the neighbors said that the day of the murder, March 1, there was a black suburban coming out of the driveway, turning on to Posey Roof.

She did not get the license plate. She got a good look at the driver. White male, light-complegdored, dark hair. And she reported that to the investigators, who were trying to track down the possible suspect. This case kind of took priority over a lot of the cases that we were working. So we immediately started trying to get this up urban.

Coming up, detectives run down their first lead. We put our bowels up for this verbin and the compiled drawing. And rumors throw the investigation for a loop. People had seen them together and, you know, how these little towns they start talking. To me, her daddy was the most likely suspect early on more than anyone else. [♪ OUTRO MUSIC PLAYING [♪

Ladies and gentlemen, get ready and buckle up. We've got the one and only Conan O'Brien, making a legendary appearance on Smartless. Picture this, the only Conan O'Brien, making a legendary appearance on Smartless. Picture this, the iconic Conan O'Brien, Puffy Red Hair and all, joining forces with me, and Jason Bateman and Sean Hayes, it is just, it's a recipe for podcast perfection exclusively on One Re plus.

We're taking you on an unforgettable journey behind the curtain. We're pulling back the veil on the world of late night and giving you an inside look into the mind of a true legend. Our episode with Conan is the second of 10 special episodes exclusive to One Re plus. These episodes are the full recorded interviews from our smart list tour that was filmed in front of thousands of our biggest fans

from Washington, D.C. to Los Angeles. You're not gonna want to miss this conversation with Conan. You can listen to these episodes exclusively and add free with Wondry Plus, find Wondry Plus in the Wondry app or on Apple Podcasts. In March of 1997, the Nakatish-Paris Sheriff's Department is tracking down their first lead in the shooting death of beloved local cowboy

in the city of Los Angeles. In March of 1997, the Nakatish-Paris Sheriff's Department is tracking down their first lead in the shooting death of beloved local cowboy, Michael Caz. One of the neighbors indicated that March first, there was a black suburban in the area driving slow, looking somewhat, she described it as suspicious. The person who observed the truck actually gave the sheriff's

office a description of the individual driving the vehicle, which was white male with dark hair. We later got here to come in and do a composite drawing of the driver. We put out bowels up for this suburban and the composite drawing. We put it out to the law enforcement to see if we could identify this person. While officers search for the driver, investigators ask Mike's wife, Princess, to accompany them back to the crime scene.

Before we release the crime scene back to the family, after the crime lay out, finished up at Monday evening, we did another walk through with Francis to see if she could determine if anything was missing, and the only thing that I can recall, her determined that was missing, was some photographs. Normally, all on burbers, people go in and still like the television, stereos, maybe some tools. But there was nothing that this crime

seemed, nothing to that nature was taken. Dowding, Mike was the casualty of a random robbery. Two days later, investigators questioned Mike's friends and family to see if there is anyone who may have wanted to harm him. One name comes up, Mike's father-in-law, Joe Potnasson. They was a bunch of bickerin' back and forth between the families. They thought that Joe, if not himself,

would have gotten someone to kill Mike. And for what I was concerned at that time, Joe was a suspect, Princess Daddy. To me, he was the most likely suspect early on more than anyone else to get Princess Clear of that relationship. On March 3rd, 1997, investigators pay a visit to Joe. We had gone down to visit with Joe Papamacel just to see if he had any ideas or if he could point us in a direction.

Joe is adamant that he had nothing to do with his son-in-law's death. He also came up wanting to know through that conversation what type of weapon was used. I just told him a high-power rifle. Eager to prove his innocence, Joe shows investigators his gun collection. In his cabinet he had a 30-30 caliber rifle, but all his guns was in place. Nothing was missing. Following the interview, investigators find no way to connect Joe to the murderer. We had several conversations during the time

when we were investigating the homicide, but he had no access in murder. And we knew that Joe Poppins had no involvement in the killing of Michael Cayles. As the week's pass leads Dwindle, including the most promising tip about the suspicious SUV and its driver, it went on several months. And I don't think we ever stopped looking for that black SUV. We was hoping that it would show up somewhere,

but everything led to a dead end. We never got anything going on. Five months pass, and it looks as if Mike's killer may have gotten away with murder. They've all had to be in a little bit quicker, just from being the son, you know, it wasn't fast enough. Until detectives get a surprise visit from someone who claims to have new information about

the case, Princess LeCaz. On September 12, she brought in a handwritten statement, but she may indicate that maybe Mike hired someone to assist him in a suicide. She started telling us that Mike was wanting to die. She said Mike, look at her husband, refused to go on dialysis, did not want to be hooked up to a machine, did not want to undergo a kidney transplant, and essentially

had talked about ending his own life. Investigators find princesses sudden shift in demeanor suspicious. Early on in investigation March 1, she was adamant that he was looking forward to getting dialysis and getting help. There was no mention at that time about him wanting to die. In that interview, the story had changed. It was trying to throw us off and throw us in a different direction.

That's what we looked at it as a distraction, just to throw us off. When investigators sit down with Mike's family, they insist that there is no way Mike was suicidal. Mike never said he didn't want to commit suicide, or he wanted to die or anything. He never, ever said he wanted to commit suicide. He was all for getting the stint put in and trying to get better. Detectives ask Mike's family if they know of anyone else that might want to hurt him.

That's when they bring up some unsettling rumors concerning Mike's wife Princess and his best friend, Marlon Robinson. People had seen him together and you know,, how these little towns they start talking. They think that she had been having an affair with Marilyn Robinson who was known to be a good friend of Mike's for about a year and a half to two years prior to Mike's death. Detectives must now determine whether the rumors are true and if they have anything to do with Mike's death.

We start looking closely at to see if princes could have been involved in this and who possibly she could have gotten to do it. Detectives decide to pull both Maryland and Princess' phone records. Scouring the files, they noticed something unusual from the day of the murder. The Sheriff's Office discovered that a call was made

from a convenience store, which would have been on the route from the LeCaz home to the Walmart in Winfield, where Princess LeCaz was working. The call was made to Maryland. At about 8.30 in the morning of the murder. Detectives wonder could Princess have made the call? And if so, what was she hiding? Princess had a cell phone,

and her cell phone could have easily been tracked to her whereas a pay phone obviously could have been anyone making a call. It's clear to detectives that if Princess did make the call, she didn't want anyone to know about it. So that further made us suspicious of what are you trying to hide here? What are you at? Detectives dig deeper into the life Princess has been leading in the months since Mike's death. It seems this widow has been living up to her name. Not only did she go to the Bahamas or the Caribbean, she also went to Hawaii.

So she was at least making some lavish trips after Mike died. It seems Princess paid for those trips by caching in on Mike's death. It came out that there were four insurance policies for $25,000 each. Then she sold the house and the property on Posey Road for some $110,000 something that I've been. The big payoff only heightens investigators' suspicions around princess. By that point, I was convinced that she had participated in the murder. And from my perspective, the news was tightening,

so to speak. The wagons were circling ever so close to her. Coming up, a new lover emerges with a shocking confession. She made statement about the gun as in the river. And Princess has yet another tale to tell. She stated that he told her that he would take care of Mike's wishes to die that day. In the murder of her husband, Mike LeCaz, in addition to cashing in on multiple life insurance policies, it's rumored around town that Princess was once involved with Mike's best friend, Marilyn Robinson.

Marilyn and Princess had taken trips to Houston in New Orleans after Mike died. We knew there was something between the two of them that was a little bit more like a family. Herland Robinson. Maryland and Princess had taken trips to Houston and New Orleans after Mike died. We knew there was something between them, and of course, we had already heard from people on the street and everything that there was a relationship.

Not long after Mike's death, she picks up in another relationship while she's trying to exit the relationship with Marilyn Robinson. Princess starts up another relationship with Simon Sarpe. Nine months since the murder of his friend, Mike LeCaz, investigators bring in Simon Sarpy, who sheds a new light on the relationship between Princess and Maryland.

She come in occasion of that. She talked about how her life is smooth. I said, what the day when you talk about? She said, lie to you. She said, I told you that me and Maryland hadn't seen each other, but we've been seeing each other for two years. She's done a double judge.

Simon tells detectives that while Princess didn't admit to being involved in the murder, she did make a bizarre statement. I said to stop being wrong. And I asked her what's the matter. She said, the damn bullies won't leave me alone. I said, hey they got that number. And she made the comment about the damn guns in a river.

All right, so after she made her statement about the gun in the river, nobody said anything. She didn't follow up with anything else. She don't say it. At that think, yes? I don't know. At that point, he indicated he didn't know what she was talking about. He did not know the location of the river, the body of water. Simon's interview gives investigators one more reason to believe that Princess played a role in Mike's death.

Armed with information from her former lover Simon Sarpy, police bring Princess in for questioning, and once again, she changes her story. My kid got down with his kidneys, all the night, and he gave me a child. So I'm sitting good. All that money, it really gave me a chance. So I couldn't do it. She said Mike had asked her to end his life.

She could not do it. When she declined, Princess claims Mike turned to his best friend, who unbeknownst to Mike, was also Princess's lover. She knew that Marilyn and Mike had talked. She was putting a whole plot of the killing of Michael Cay as her own Marilyn. She was working that angle.

She said on March 1st early in the morning, sometimes between 8, 3, to 9 o'clock that morning, Princess Carl's, Maryland, let him know that she would be out of town. And he or she or her, that it would be taken care that they meaning that Mike would be taken care of. Do you have any recollection of conversation with Maryland about my condition.

Yes, we talked about. What Maryland, right? Maryland. Tell me that he would take care of it or something. I'm not real sure. But when you came in, you're not at Mars first. And found my dead on both. Was there any question in your mind?

Have you ever done that? No. No, I've never been to a place like that. Investigators believe that Princess's latest story is still missing important details, details that likely center around her involvement. We never really have good tales of every displacement I have happened or what happened to anybody. involvement. She continued to try to manipulate her story and manipulate the

investigation to deflect from her and of course at that point she was placing the entire blame on Marilyn Robinson. We had been her lover for the last year and a half or so. While it's unclear if Princess is being entirely truthful, her statement, along with Simon Sarpies, are enough for investigators. We secured warnings for Marilyn and Princess, placing both of them under arrest.

Marilyn has little to say in his own defense. When he was arrested, I still don't think he gave us a whole lot of information. If anything, he didn't give us nothing at that time. The news that Maryland and Princess have been arrested for Mike's death is both a relief and a shock to his family. There was no doubt doubt my mind that Prince

was getting something to do with it. I would have never thought Maryland. I would have never thought that his best friend would do that to him. I remember saying, I ain't no way. I ain't no way Maryland done that. Never liked, you know, what in the world? I was very shocked when all that came out. Maryland and Mike, you'd have to sing them together.

They were just best friends, brothers. She twisted his mind, and that's the truth about it. Shortly after their are arrests, the former couple bonds out of jail. For investigators, the fact that Maryland and Princess are temporarily free isn't necessarily bad news. I can recall thinking to myself, at some point, there need to be some type of fallout

between princes and Maryland. We need to be some type of fallout between princes and Maryland. We need to monitor the day of actions and wait for a fallout between the two of them before we find out the real truth. On May 14, 1998, their hunch pays off when Princess calls 911. Princess Franickly called in and said that her dad was holding someone at gunpoint,

and she was afraid that he was going to kill whoever he had out there. When the officers arrived, is when they found out he was Marilyn Robinson. Coming up, Marilyn has a change of heart. He felt like his life was in danger. He needed to tell us what it happened. His testimony was just striking.

It was probably the most powerful testimony I've heard in my career. On May 14, 1998, police and Nacotish Louisiana receive a frantic 911 call from Princess LeCaz. She indicated that someone was in the yard trespassing, and her dad was holding him at gunpoint. When the officer of the RAV is when they found out he was Marilyn Robinson, that's when I told them to arrest him and to hold him till I could interview him. Once in police custody, Maryland explains that he wasn't breaking in.

Princess had invited him over, but when he showed up, he came face to face with Joe Potmansell's gun. Marlon Robinson finally got it that Princess LeCaz wasn't his lover, wasn't his friend, had essentially tried to set him up. He felt like his life was in danger. He really felt that he was looking to be living at this point that he needed to tell us what it happened.

He gave Sheriff Jones a statement that he actually perpetrated the murder that he killed Mike. But Maryland insists he didn't kill Mike because Mike asked him to. Maryland Robinson in his statement indicated that Princess LeCaz planned the murder, Mike asked him to. Maryland Robinson in his statement indicated that Prince Lucas planned the murder, that she actually asked him to kill Mike.

According to Maryland, Princess wasn't happy about Mike's upcoming dialysis. The insurance money played a part. She knew that if he'd go on dialysis, that his health would start improving, and that his health would start improving, and that means she would have to take care of him any longer, so she didn't want to wait. He said it had been married for several years.

And Princess was fed up with her marriage and simply fed up with Mike and his medical condition. And she didn't want to go through it. Maryland claims that Princess told him if he agreed to kill Mike, they would be together. Maryland Robinson was completely enamored with Princess LeCaz and love might be the right term. She had him totally captivated.

She began encouraging Maryland Robinson to kill his best friend. And in my opinion, it became a cold and calculated murder. She began encouraging Marilyn Robinson to kill his best friend. And, in my opinion, it became a cold and calculated murder. Marilyn says that on the morning of March 1, 1997, Princess called to let him know she was out of the house and to confirm the plan. She did not want to walk in the home until he was dead. And Marilyn confirmed to her that might would be taking care of that day.

Later that afternoon, Marilyn asked his teenage son to give him a ride to Mike's house. His son, Rodney, did not know what was going on, because it was common for them to visit the LaCaz Residence. Marilyn walked in through the sliding glass doors of the home. My LaCaz was sitting watching television. He aimed and shot him through the shoulder and through the chest. He died on the spot.

Following the confession, Maryland leads investigators to the place where he dumped the gun. He brought us two old river down at Cyprus, where the bridge was and showed us where he had thrown the weapon. And of course, we got divers and we searched and found part of the gun. Maryland Robinson pled guilty prior to the trial to manslaughter. He was sent us to the maximum imprisonment for manslaughter in which it's 40 years. He agreed to testify in prison's trial. He agreed to testify in Prince's trial. In August 1998, Princess's trial begins.

Maryland is the prosecution's star witness. He admitted that he agreed to kill Mike LeCaz because she asked him to do it and to do it for her so that the two of them could be together. He said that she got him to kill his best friend. He was emotional. He cried. His testimony was just striking. It was probably the most powerful testimony I've heard in my career. When Princess takes the stand, she sticks by her story. This notion of Mike's desire to take his own life was injected into the case

and kind of became the theme of Princess McCas' defense. The jury disagrees. The day of the verdict, I remember that like it was yesterday. The jury come in the courtroom to come back guilty. That's automatic. Natural life, second degree, natural life, imprisonment. But, just when investigators and Mike's loved ones believe that Princess is behind bars for good, she gets a break, no one sees coming. In September 2011, before a US court of appeals, Princess's attorneys alleged they weren't aware

of a deal prosecutors made with Maryland prior to his guilty plea. He had a deal that if he testified against Princess Lucas and her trial, then his son Rodney, who actually drove him to the murder scene, he would not be run up. He did not testify, and he was never charged. They reversed the conviction stating that the defense should have had that information.

Princess was in jail until 2011. When she was released and appealed, resulted in another trial. That trial did not happen until 2017, at which time they entered a plea. The family wanted to have some closure and hear her say that she was responsible for the murder of their dad. Part of the plea agreement was that Princess

was gonna have to stand up front of everybody. And Princess stood right there in front of the judge and us and everybody and said, I did it, I'm guilty. That was the first time in all the years that's all this has been going on that I ever heard her finally say, I did it. That was a good part of the plea.

One of the only few things, that was a good part of the plea. She received manslaughter and was given credit for 13 and a half years time served, plus time served in the parish jail. That only left approximately a year for her to serve. And since she has gotten out. For Mike's family, the news is devastating. I mean, it was like getting hit with a hammer. Princess shouldn't be in jail.

If anybody should walk, it should be Maryland. Princess plotted this out to a T. I miss everything about mine. Most of all, I miss his friend, Shia. As far as your legacy, there's no one around here that's ever gonna forget. That was the last cowboy right there. It was Michael Cass. Everyone to this day still talks about him.

And I'm proud of that. Marilyn Robinson is serving a 40-year sentence at Avalloles Correctional Center. He will be 72 years old before he is eligible for parole. Princess LeCasque remains free.